A student at St. Anthony School on Milwaukee's south side works on an assignment. The school is part of the voucher program. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Californias landslide vote for Hillary was such a sure thing, not even Nate Silver could miss it. On the local level, San Francisco County has consistently gone for the Democratic presidential candidate by a wide margin, along with liberal strongholds like Washington, D.C., the Bronx, and Manhattan. But this year, the San Francisco metropolitan area (which includes Oakland and Hayward) shot to the very top, supporting Hillary Clinton by a whopping 76.7 percent, according to an analysis by Richard Florida in CityLab. The San Jose metro area is in second place, with 72.9 percent support for Hill. The New York metro area comes in at a measly 10th placewith 61.6 percent going for the winner of the popular votea total likely depressed by New Yorks more conservative suburbs. The Bay Area, you could say, lost the hardest. High fives all around while we ugly-cry. The metropolitan areas that went for Trump by the biggest percentage are concentrated in the Midwest and the South: Birmingham, Jacksonville, Cincinnati. (The above map, by the way, gives the tallest bars to the places with the most votes overall, which explains why New Yorks bar is skyscraper-size despite the state's more meager showing for Hillary.) As Richard Florida points out, Hillary Clinton won the largest metros, but Donald Trump carried more of them, as well as rural and micropolitan places. Theres more red on the map, but its not very tall. So if youre one of the 37,000 San Franciscans who supported Trump, CityLabs map is an argument for the electoral college. If youre a spurned Hillary supporter, its an indictment of the electoral collegeand maybe also a call to move to Kansas. A former substitute teacher is facing two counts of exposing a child to harmful material in October incidents at Chippewa Falls Senior High School. A $5,000 signature bond was continued Tuesday for Merlin H. Kardin, 70, of Fall Creek. He is scheduled to next appear before Judge Steven Cray at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18. According to a criminal complaint: Chi-Hi Principal Rebecca Davis told Chippewa Falls Police on Oct. 20 that several students had seen Kardin view pornographic images and videos on a school computer during a science class and a math class. A police officer went to a classroom where Kardin was teaching and asked that he open the internet tabs on his school computer. Kardin opened a Facebook page with his profile and news feed visible. It had a thumbnail side profile of a female breastfeeding an infant. Kardin was then taken out of the classroom. Kardin said he did not view any photos of naked men or women on the school computer. However, a student said Kardins computer monitor was visible to the student while Kardin watched a naked female and male on Oct. 18 and a naked female on Oct. 20. Kardin was ordered by Cray in October to have no contact with any person under the age of 18 that is unsupervised, and is to have no contact with any school in the state of Wisconsin. He is not to possess or view any pornography. SPARTA Seven times Zachary Davis drove a 14-inch blade through Derek Magnusons back. The men met just hours earlier, sometime on March 10, 2015. Davis snapped when Magnuson made sexual advances on his boyfriend inside Magnusons hotel room. The machete penetrated Magnusons lung, diaphragm and rib, Monroe County District Attorney Kevin Croninger said Thursday. He suffered until he died minutes later, alone on the floor of room 118 at the EconoLodge. Zachary Davis not only robbed Derek Magnuson of his possessions, and of the rest of his life, but he robbed him of his right to have a dignified death. He did that, essentially, for $700, Croninger said. And he will do it again if he gets out. Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Todd Ziegler sentenced Davis, 27, to life in prison without the possibility of release for killing Magnuson. I cannot justify Mr. Davis being out of the prison system in the future, Ziegler said. Davis and his boyfriend turned co-defendant, 22-year-old Sebastian Martinez, also known as Sabrina Martinez, ended up in Tomah on March 10 after a cross-country crime spree that included leading police on a high-speed pursuit in a car stolen from Idaho. In Tomah, they met Magnuson, a 43-year-old Tomah military veteran relapsing on alcohol who invited the couple to his hotel room. Early the next morning, Magnuson groped Martinez before Davis retrieved a machete he bought days earlier and stabbed him repeatedly. Magnuson tried to escape with his life, but Davis pulled him back inside the room, leaving him for dead in the blood-soaked room after stealing his wallet, Croninger said. The only reason you bought that machete was to intimidate ... and in this case to brutally stab Derek seven times, one that almost went through him, Magnusons father testified. You left him there to die while you robbed him. The couple used Magnusons card for $700 worth of purchases within 12 hours of his death, starting with $21 at McDonalds. This isnt a sign that someone is remorseful, Ziegler said. A jury in September convicted Davis of first-degree intentional homicide after a nine-day trial. The panel also found him guilty of car theft and armed robbery. Croninger argued for the maximum sentence life in prison without release, plus 36 years while defense attorney Chris Zachar asked for release eligibility, arguing Davis could redeem himself. Thats awful ironic given the way Mr. Davis treated Mr. Magnuson, Croninger said. Davis had a tumultuous childhood and was the victim of child sexual assault that left him suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Zachar said. He functions at the level of a sixth-grader and is mentally ill. Hes still broken, he said. Hes deeply flawed. But hes still a human being. Zachar argued a fight broke out when Davis caught Magnuson sexually assaulting Martinez and that Davis stabbed the victim to save his own life. This is not self-defense or the defense of others, Croninger said. The facts dont support that. Davis apologized to his victims family, telling them he prays that they can heal. I wish I could take your pain away, he said. I dont blame any of you for hating me. JUNEAU One of the alleged accomplices of Lacresha Lightfoot who is charged with selling heroin and cocaine as a part of a Beaver Dam drug ring was taken into custody Monday in Milwaukee. Jamar L. Davis, 31, Beaver Dam, is charged with one count of manufacture/deliver heroin. If convicted he faces up to 12 and one half years in prison and $25,000 in fines. Davis was arrested by the Milwaukee Police Department after a warrant was issued for his arrest Nov. 17. He is accused of working in conjunction with Lightfoot who is facing 16 drug-related felonies. During his initial appearance, Dodge County Circuit Court Commissioner Steven Seim set a $5,000 cash bond for Davis. The state originally requested a $50,000 cash bond, which was denied. As a condition of his bond, he may not use or possess any controlled substances and he may not leave the state while the case is pending. Warrants are still active for four other men who alleged to be part of a drug ring. They are: Herman C. Jones, 23, Beaver Dam, is charged with four counts of manufacture/deliver heroin in an amount less than three grams and four counts of manufacture/deliver cocaine in an amount less than or equal to one gram. If convicted he faces up to 90 years in prison and $200,000 in fines. Earl L. Howard, 22, of Chicago is charged with one count of manufacture/deliver heroin and one count of manufacture/deliver cocaine. If convicted he faces up to 22 and one half years in prison and $35,000 in fines. Paris D. Mickle, 25, Chicago, is charged with three counts of manufacture/deliver heroin and one count of manufacture/deliver cocaine. If convicted he faces up to 37 and one half years in prison and $85,000 in fines. Justin A. Woods, 30, Milwaukee, is charged with two counts of manufacture/deliver heroin and two counts of manufacture/deliver cocaine. If convicted he faces up to 45 years in prison and $70,000 in fines. According to the criminal complaints, all were identified as associates of Lightfoot. According to the criminal complaint, Davis sold heroin to a confidential informant on Feb. 11. Davis was previously convicted of armed robbery in Milwaukee County in 2009. He was incarcerated in the Wisconsin prison system between October 2009 and October 2011. He will appear in court again on Dec. 8 for a preliminary hearing. A government attorney says the public does not have a right to see documents involving the recent dismissals of several high-ranking Sauk County officials, including a list of allegations against one of them. The list has been used against Sauk County Administrative Coordinator Renae Fry in an ongoing employment dispute. Fry has been offered an agreement in which the county would pay her to resign. Newspaper files request The Baraboo News Republic asked for the list of complaints against Fry on Nov. 4 as part of an expansive request for documents related to current and former county administrators. In a Nov. 22 response, Sauk County Corporation Counsel Todd Liebman cited a state law that allows government bodies to discuss various matters in closed session as a reason to withhold the record. The very fact that the closed session is authorized by law to discuss these issues is indicative of a legislative priority on the necessity to maintain confidentiality regarding performance evaluation information, Liebman wrote. But an advocate for open government says the countys refusal to release the complaints is not fair to taxpayers who paid Frys salary, and who likely will pay more for her dismissal. Withholding the document also shields the accusations from scrutiny. Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council President Bill Lueders said complaints against other public employees, such as police officers, are routinely released. Therefore, he said, there should be an even greater presumption of openness involving complaints against high-level government officials, regardless of whether they were shared during closed meetings. They have to make an independent evaluation of the records, Lueders said. And the mere fact that they were presented at a closed meeting cannot be the only factor. Evaluation docs denied Liebman also denied the newspaper access to the performance evaluations of former county administrators. His sole justification for doing so, according to the letter, was a state law that exempts the personnel records of public employees from disclosure. But an attorney with the Wisconsin Department of Justice who specializes in open government says the exemption cited by Liebman does not apply to employees who hold local public office, including county administrators and administrative coordinators. That doesnt necessarily mean an authority cant withhold it for some reason, they just cant withhold it for that exemption, Wisconsin Assistant Attorney General Paul Ferguson said when asked generally about the release of performance evaluations for county administrators. No evaluation for Fry exists Liebmans letter confirmed that a corrective action plan was created for Fry as part of her performance review process, but will not be released. He cited the same laws he referenced to deny performance appraisals and the list of complaints, and said the public interest favors confidentiality. Sauk Countys personnel ordinance says performance appraisals shall be conducted half way through and prior to the completion of an employees six-month introductory period. Documents show the boards Executive and Legislative Committee met twice in late October to discuss Frys six-month appraisal in closed session. Despite those facts, Liebman wrote that no document exists that would satisfy the newspapers request for Frys performance evaluation. Circumstances of initial offer unclear Finally, Liebman denied the newspaper a copy of a separation agreement that an unnamed person offered to Fry in early November. In his letter, Liebman defined the document as a draft, and said he would not release it for that reason. If made public, that record may reveal who offered Fry a separation agreement just days after the Executive and Legislative Committee, which is charged with overseeing her, decided to keep her on board for another three months. Two days after the committee decided to extend Frys introductory employment period, Sauk County Board Chair Marty Kruegers office prepared an agenda for the same committee to discuss whether to place Fry on paid leave. A source familiar with the matter who has requested anonymity says Fry was offered a separation agreement prior to that Nov. 3 discussion in lieu of being placed on paid leave. The Nov. 3 meeting was called off after Fry raised concerns about its compliance with states Open Meetings Law. And the county board did not vote to authorize a separation agreement with Fry until after a closed session discussion that took place Nov. 21. Lueders, the open government advocate, said government agencies cannot keep documents private simply by labeling them as drafts. He said once a document has been circulated and used for the purpose it was intended, it is no longer considered a draft under the law. County taxpayers likely lost a great deal of money on all of this, and they deserve to know whats really going on, Lueders said. Last administrator paid $25K to resign Liebman agreed to release one of the 13 items requested by the newspaper: A separation agreement between the county and former Interim Administrative Coordinator Brentt Michalek. Michalek held that position for nearly a year, but went back to his prior role managing the countys Conservation, Planning and Zoning Department after Frys contract was approved in March. He signed the separation agreement just weeks later, on June 17. The agreement said Michalek was to receive two months of paid leave and accumulated vacation pay, although it did not include dollar amounts. In an email Wednesday, Sauk County Controller Kerry Beghin said Michalek received $17,220 in paid leave and $7,663 in accrued leave. Members of the committee charged with overseeing Michalek said they had no knowledge of a separation agreement. And one committee member, Supervisor Connie Lehman of Reedsburg, said she learned from Krueger that negotiations involving Michaleks resignation were in the works. Krueger who had sparred publicly with Michalek was not a member of the oversight committee. In a phone interview Tuesday, he denied having any involvement in the former administrators dismissal, and said he didnt recall the conversation with Lehman. Efforts to bring high-speed internet to rural Wisconsin residents and businesses got a double-boost on Thursday, with up to $61.5 million in additional funds being funneled toward projects to expand broadband. Gov. Scott Walker asked the state Legislature to pass a bill that would allocate an additional $35.5 million over the next three years to make broadband more accessible to rural residents and businesses. The proposal, to be funded by a surplus in the states Universal Service Fund, would triple Wisconsins broadband and technology investments to $52 million for the 2017 through 2019 fiscal years, Walker said. It will allow Wisconsin communities, especially in rural areas, to compete for jobs, improve education, and provide a higher quality of life, the governor said. The money includes grants to expand high-speed internet access in rural areas, and for schools and libraries to upgrade their internet access and train teachers. Also on Thursday, the state Public Service Commission approved spending up to $26 million in the 2017 and 2018 calendar years toward new programs for rural areas that couple energy efficiency projects with broadband upgrades. The PSC action puts broadband benefits for the first time into the mix of incentives offered through the Focus on Energy program for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. It also calls on internet service providers, from local companies to national giants, to offer a package of energy- and internet-related incentives. That means, for example, rural homeowners may be able to get a $50 rebate for installing high-speed internet along with a rebate for adding a smart thermostat. Smart thermostats use the internet to adjust the energy consumption in your home, said Bob Seitz, executive assistant to PSC chairwoman Ellen Nowak. The plan drew some critics. The Public Service Commission continues to try to fit a square peg in a round hole, Andy Olsen, senior policy advocate for the Environmental Law & Policy Center, said in a statement. Using Focus to fund internet subscriptions only helps people who already have broadband access; it doesnt increase access to those who could most benefit. Mitch Brey, campaign director for RePower Madison, said the money should go toward energy efficiency and renewable energy projects instead. Focus on Energy was not intended by the Legislature to fund broadband. Unless they can be shown to reduce energy bills, we are concerned these new programs may not satisfy legislative requirements, Brey said. PSC chairwoman Nowak said the program is not meant to subsidize putting fiber-optic cable into the ground. This is about the nexus between broadband and energy, as has been recognized by the Federal Communications Commission. This is about realizing that increased investment in broadband spurs investment in devices that assist in energy management, Nowak said at the PSC meeting. The statewide Focus on Energy program is operated by CB&I, a global energy technology and services company with a U.S. base in Texas. It is funded by utility companies with money collected from customers monthly bills. As many as 100,000 rural households could benefit from the PSCs broadband program, PSC spokeswoman Elise Nelson said. The PSC also authorized up to $20 million in Focus on Energy incentives for an anaerobic digester project to be developed that would produce renewable biogas for use on farms. A Baraboo man was arrested Thursday for allegedly selling methamphetamine and other drugs, with police finding over 100 grams of meth in his house. John Seiler, 49, was tentatively charged on multiple counts, including maintaining a drug dwelling and possession of methamphetamine, marijuana, MDMA, schedule II narcotics without a prescription, schedule III narcotics without a prescription and drug paraphernalia, the Sauk County Sheriff's Office said. Kimberly Popple, 54, also was arrested on a charge of being party to the crime of maintaining a drug dwelling. The Sauk County Drug Task Force executed a search warrant Thursday morning at 314 11th St. in Baraboo, allegedly finding about 108.3 grams of methamphetamine valued at $16,000, 9.1 grams of marijuana, .4 grams of MDMA, prescription pills, oxycodone, morphine sulfate, methylin, suboxone and an undisclosed amount of cash. The investigation is continuing. Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Sauk County Crime Stoppers, 888-847-7285. A burglar with a pry tool broke in to BeerBelly's cafe and bar in Princeton overnight Wednesday to Thursday, taking coins and cigarettes, the Green Lake County Sheriff's office reported. The county's Crime Stoppers program is seeking tips on the break-in. Gaming machines were pried open for coins and a carton of Marlboro Red cigarettes was also taken, according to owner Matt Schneider. He said the combined cafe and bar closed at about 7:45 p.m. Wednesday. Cleaning staff found the door pried open at Thursday morning. Green Lake County Crime Stoppers can be contacted at 1-800-438-8436 or by email, at getthem@co.green-lake.wi.us. A federal judge on Friday denied a request from supporters of President-elect Donald Trump to stop the states presidential election recount. Judge James Peterson set a Dec. 9 hearing for the lawsuit filed late Thursday by Great America PAC and Stop Hillary PAC. Thats just four days before a federal deadline to resolve election conflicts before a meeting of the Electoral College to formally select a new president. In denying the motion to halt the recount that began Thursday, Peterson said the political action committees did not prove they would suffer any harm if the recount continues while the state prepares a response to the lawsuit. Great America PAC and Stop Hillary PAC moved in Wisconsins Western District court late Thursday for a temporary restraining order to bring the recount to an immediate halt. Joining them was Ronald R. Johnson, a Wisconsin voter. The Wisconsin lawsuit was one of three filed against states. The others sought to stop possible action in Michigan and Pennsylvania, the two other states targeted for recounts by Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein. Recounts are not underway yet in either of those states. Representatives from the political action committees didnt respond late Friday to requests for comment about the ruling. In court filings, the groups argued that the recount could jeopardize Wisconsins ability to comply with federal laws requiring all states to resolve election conflicts by Dec. 13 in advance of when the Electoral College meets Dec. 19 to formally elect the next president. Matthew Brinckerhoff, lead counsel for the Stein campaign recount effort, said Friday that Petersons ruling was a major victory for American voters who want the integrity of our election system restored. The courts quick denial of the request without even hearing counter-arguments shows just how frivolous the suit was and how desperate Trump and his supporters are to shut down this recount and disenfranchise voters, he said in a statement. State says Keep counting! The complaint argues that the recount violates the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution because the state lacks uniform standards to determine which votes should be counted in a recount. In that way, the complaint argues, Wisconsins recount contradicts principles laid out by the U.S. Supreme Court in its landmark Bush v. Gore ruling after the 2000 presidential election. It also suggests the recount could unfairly tarnish Trumps Electoral College victory, which came despite him losing the popular vote to Clinton. The treasurer of both PACs bringing the complaint is Dan Backer, a widely known conservative political strategist from Virginia. Great America PAC was a big player in 2016 on Trumps behalf, spending more than $14 million on ads and other expenses, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The Wisconsin Elections Commission, named as the defendant in the suit, responded earlier Friday with a Twitter post saying county officials should continue with the recount until a judge says to stop. Recount will continue unless a judge orders otherwise. Keep counting! the commission posted Friday morning. The Wisconsin Department of Justice led by Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel, which potentially would defend the recount in court was reviewing the lawsuit Friday, a spokesman said. Steins campaign said earlier Friday that it planned to intervene in the case to defend the recount. Citizens in Wisconsin and across the country have made it clear that they want a recount and deserve to see this process through to ensure integrity in the vote, Brinckerhoff said. The recount is the first of a presidential election in any state since 2004 and part of a bid by Stein to scrutinize votes in three states that tipped the Electoral College to Trump. Wisconsins recount got underway in all 72 counties Thursday. It was requested and paid for by Stein, whose campaign suggested despite a lack of evidence that fraud or error may have altered the vote total. Trump won Wisconsin by about 22,000 votes, or about 0.7 percentage points, according to official results. State Elections Commission chairman Mark Thomsen, a Democrat, has said he expects the recount to uphold Trumps victory. Steins campaign on Tuesday paid $3.5 million to the state Elections Commission for the recount. If it costs less, the campaign will be refunded the difference; if its more, the campaign will be billed for it. So far there have been no major surprises in whats expected to be a nearly two-week task of recounting nearly 3 million ballots. Iron County completed its recount on Friday, with Trump losing nine votes and Clinton gaining two votes. Stein gained six votes. Michigan, Pennsylvania recounts The Stein campaign also is seeking recounts in Michigan and Pennsylvania, states that like Wisconsin went for Trump despite him not being favored in the polls. Michigans elections board deadlocked along partisan lines Friday on a Trump campaign request to deny Steins recount request and on how a recount would be conducted, meaning it would begin Tuesday or Wednesday unless the courts intervene. It also would be conducted by hand, as Stein requested. Michigans Republican attorney general asked the state Court of Appeals and state Supreme Court to intervene, echoing the Trump campaigns arguments that Stein shouldnt be allowed to seek the costly recount because she couldnt have won, even if some votes were miscounted. Stein got about 1 percent of the vote in all three states. The Michigan courts appeared unlikely to rule immediately, with one asking for a response from elections officials by Tuesday. In Pennsylvania, a hearing is scheduled for Monday on Steins push to secure a court-ordered statewide recount. Republican lawyers filed a motion that was posted on the courts website Friday accusing Stein of engaging in legal antics and saying her recount request endangers Pennsylvanias ability to certify its electors by the federal deadline. BEIRUT The U.N. said Friday an estimated 31,500 residents have been displaced after Syrian government advances into the besieged eastern Aleppo enclave this weekend, as government media reported from those newly captured areas, demonstrating its restoration and resettlement efforts there. The advance of government and allied troops was one of the most dramatic shifts in the conflict now in its sixth year, as their troops marched into areas controlled by the opposition since 2012. Losing eastern Aleppo would cost the opposition its most significant urban presence. As the government advances, air strikes and shelling continued, rendering the situation in the besieged area even more direful. The United Nations and rights groups have urged for a pause to allow humanitarian access to the enclaves estimated 275,000. Meanwhile, world leaders paid lip service to calls for a cease-fire. There were no signs that one would materialize soon. The Turkish and German foreign ministers were among those who called for a cease-fire in Aleppo during their visits to Beirut on Friday. Speaking in Beirut at a joint press conference with his Lebanese counterpart Friday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said a cessation of hostilities should be announced as soon as possible, immediately. Germanys Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier also called for temporary truces in Syria to allow for a humanitarian corridor. Fighting however continued on the edge of the eastern Aleppo enclave, as allied government troops made progress in their advance on the southern and eastern fronts. Meanwhile, rebel rockets striking government controlled areas of Aleppo killed four Friday, according to state media. Over the weekend, allied government troops advanced from the northern side, capturing nearly half of the 17-square-mile enclave and sending the local population fleeing. Most of those displaced fled to government and Kurdish-held areas in western Aleppo, separated only by roads and deserted buildings. Many were also displaced inside rebel-held parts of the city, cramming into already crowded and damaged areas in south and central eastern Aleppo. Meanwhile, the Russian military said it has been the only source of food, medicine and other supplies for 90,000 residents of the citys neighborhoods seized by the Syrian army, criticizing the U.N. for dragging its feet on delivering humanitarian aid there. BANGKOK Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan began a fact-finding visit Friday to Myanmars troubled Rakhine state, where the army has been accused of large-scale violence against members of the Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority, resulting in destruction of villages, civilian casualties and an exodus of refugees to neighboring Bangladesh. Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi asked Annan to help find ways to resolve long-standing ethnic and religious tensions between the Rohingya and the countrys Buddhist majority. The area was the scene of intense inter-communal violence in 2012 that left hundreds dead and drove 140,000 people into camps for the internally displaced. Annans visit is his second since his appointment by Suu Kyi in August to head a special commission that will write and present a report of its findings to the government early next year. The latest outbreak of violence was spurred by attacks on Myanmar border posts on Oct. 9 that killed nine police officers. The identity and motives of the attackers are unclear, but in response, the government began military sweeps, sparking a major confrontation in mid-November when villagers resisted government intrusion. The government has cut off access to the area by aid agencies. Bijan Farnoudi, a spokesman for Annans foundation, tweeted that Annan said in Rakhine on Friday that Security operations must not impede humanitarian access where there is need. Im not saying there are no difficulties, Suu Kyi told Singapores Channel NewsAsia network on Friday, but it helps if people recognize the difficulty and are more focused on resolving these difficulties rather than exaggerating them so that everything seems worse than it really is. Suu Kyi, whose party took power in March after decades of military-backed rule, has been criticized for not acting strongly to curb the violence against the estimated 1 million Rohingya, who face widespread discrimination and generally are not allowed citizenship. Although many have lived in Rakhine for generations, they are often treated as being in the country illegally. On Thursday she announced the formation of a new commission to probe conditions that led to the recent violence and investigate whether existing laws, rules and regulations were observed. 1 Iran pact: The U.S. Senate moved decisively Thursday to renew a decades-old sanctions law that lawmakers said gives Washington the clout to punish Iran should it fail to live up to the terms of the landmark nuclear deal. Senators passed the bill unanimously, 99-0, two weeks after the House also approved the legislation by an overwhelming margin of 419-1. The bill to grant a 10-year extension of the Iran Sanctions Act will be sent to President Obama, who planned to sign it. The White House deemed the bill unnecessary but said it didnt violate the international accord meant to slow Irans ability to make nuclear arms. Lawmakers view the sanctions law, which is set to expire at the end of the year, as an important tool for holding Iran accountable for any violations of the nuclear agreement. 2 Space ship crashes: An unmanned Russian cargo spaceship heading to the International Space Station broke up in the atmosphere over Siberia on Thursday due to an unspecified malfunction, the Russian space agency said. The Progress MS-04 cargo craft broke over the remote Russian Tuva region in Siberia. Most of space ships debris burnt up as it entered the atmosphere but some fell to Earth over an uninhabited area. XALAPA, Mexico The death of reporter Regina Martinez was almost too much for her colleagues to bear. Four others already had been murdered in Veracruz state in the first two years of Gov. Javier Duartes term. But Martinez was an inspiration. The 48-year-old correspondent for the investigative weekly Proceso was famous for exposing abuse and corruption in an oil-rich state overrun by organized crime and a political system as opaque as its southern jungles. If she wasnt safe, no one was. For journalists, Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world, and Veracruz is its deadliest state. Their murderers are not brought to justice. In the last six years under Duarte, 18 journalists were killed, three of them just this year. Another three have disappeared. In that same six years, 37 journalists were killed or disappeared in all of Mexico eight so far this year. Press advocates can name only one case that has resulted in a conviction Martinezs murder. And there are many reasons to believe that the man sitting in jail is not her killer. The violence is often blamed on Mexico's drug cartels. They pick certain journalists to control their colleagues' coverage with money, threats or both. But according to the governments own statistics, public officials are suspected in a third of all attacks on journalists. That number climbs to 81 percent for Veracruz, where silencing the press has been an effective shield for rampant graft and other malfeasance. A tiny woman, under 5 feet and 100 pounds, with a long face and stark features, Martinez was tough. She gave voice to the poor, the exploited and the political opposition, and was a thorn in the side to four governors. On April 28, 2012, she was found lying face up on her bathroom floor in a puddle of blood, beaten and strangled with a cleaning rag thrown carelessly over her face, covering all but her eyes. More than six months after the murder, the state attorney general announced the arrest ofJorge Antonio Hernandez Silva, a low-level criminal who had lived on the streets since he was a teen. None of the forensic evidence, not blood samples or DNA collected under Martinezs fingernails, matched Hernandez. And once Hernandez got before a judge, he said he had been abducted by men he believed to be members of the Veracruz Investigations Agency, held for more than a week and tortured and threatened into confessing to the crime. Yet, he is serving a 38-year sentence as an accessory to the crime. State prosecutor Luis Angel Bravo, who resigned this week, says the case is closed. A joint tourism industry proposal to raise $130 million a year for public facilities that tourists use should include a $2 per night bed tax and include accommodation offered through the 'sharing economy' accommodation app Air BnB, says a much-awaited Tourism Infrastructure Study released today. Jointly funded by Air New Zealand, the Auckland and Christchurch international airports and Tourism Holdings, a major campervan rental operator, the report proposes that the tourism industry should raise $65 million in new revenues from the bed tax and a $5 increase in the current border clearance levy of around $20 per person, and that central government should match that funding dollar-for-dollar to produce $130 million a year "to develop mixed local use tourism infrastructure". Far from funding new tourist attractions or accommodation, the National Tourism Levy proposal would help small communities swamped by the international tourism boom to provide sufficient basic infrastructure, including public toilets, car parks, and footpaths. In 20 local council areas, about $100 million of immediate investment is required, the report estimates. Failure to provide such infrastructure will not only risk the quality of visitors' experience to New Zealand, but also risks New Zealanders getting fed up with tourists, it warns. The government's $12 million Regional Mid-Size Tourist Facilities Fund announced earlier this year was "a good start, but sub-scale to meet the issue". "Local communities are feeling the effects of increased tourism and this is flowing through into local sentiment", with research finding "44 percent of tourism-related social media posts by local New Zealanders in 2015-16 expressing frustration with the sudden increase in touriusts and their behaviours," the report says. Just six percent of international visitors' posts were critical of the country. "Rising local discontent could undermine public perception of the benefits of tourism or, in a worst case scenario, the tourism sector's license to operate." Examples of places under pressure included Coromandel hotspots Hahei and Cathedral Cove, walkways and public spaces at Punakaiki Rocks on the West Coast and Huka Falls near Taupo, and "capacity constraints on transport, car parking, and footpaths in downtown Queenstown". While it finds that some councils in high-growth tourism areas, including Queenstown and the Mackenzie Country, carry far less debt than they could, the report's recommendations steer clear of saying local government should fund solutions caused by growth in tourism, which it sees as a national issue requiring central government involvement, with equal burden-sharing from the tourism industry. "It is unusual for an industry to advocate a new tax to be levied on itself," the report says. "We do not do this lightly or expect all members of the industry to agree." The Tourism Industry Federation and Local Government New Zealand both welcomed the report. While its sponsors released a photograph of themselves with Tourism and Prime Minister John Key, he did not issue a statement in response today. Earlier this week, he told journalists that any such levy should be applied nationally, after Auckland mayor Phil Goff proposed a levy to support Auckland tourism. The report also suggests user pays and public-private partnerships to encourage creative ways to defray the expense of providing publicly available infrastructure. One suggestion is to bundle the Department of Conservation's nine Great Walks into a "single infrastructure class" owned by the New Zealand Superannuation Fund and Accident Compensation Corp, which would contract a "private consortium to design, build, finance, operate and maintain these walks". Benefits cited were "enhanced services and visitor experience, greater cost efficiency, and better, innovative private sector-led designs". The report found New Zealand national parks were only recovering around 5 percent of their average costs from user pays charges, compared with around 20 percent in Australia, Canada and the US. With very rapid growth in international tourism arrivals already occurring, and an increase from 3.3 million this year to 4.5 million by 2022, central government should be willing to invest because of the major boost it was experiencing from tourism tax revenues, including total annual GST at present of around $2.8 billion. BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: BGP - 3rd Quarter Sales to 30 October 2022 GEO - Quarterly Operating Update SUM - Andrea Scown to join Summerset as Future Director CCC - Admission to Trading on Aquis Stock Exchange November 3rd Morning Report Air New Zealand issues Performance Rights Heartland announces new Director of Heartland Bank GEN - Agreements in Principle to Issue New Shares Geraldine McBride steps down from Sky Board Sky ASM 2022 Intueri Education Group will get an A$3.5 million payment from the Australian Department of Education and Training (DET) for 2015, but is still waiting to hear whether it will get a further A$6 million for 2016 and whether it can join that country's new student loan payment scheme. A large percentage of students in Intueri's Australian businesses, Online Courses Australia (OCA) and Conwal & Associates, are funded through a scheme that helps either pay some or all of a student's fees, known as VET Fee-Help. The Australian government imposed a cap on the scheme this year, holding all providers to their 2015 revenue levels, and closed it to new students after the end of 2016. A new VET Student Loan (VSL) scheme has been launched. When Intueri reported its first-half earnings in August, it posted a 43 percent decline in first-half profit to $3.5 million and gave full-year earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation guidance of about $15 million, dependent on an A$6 million lift in its government funding cap. It lowered that guidance in October, but still assumed the A$6 million uplift. DET is still assessing whether it will get that A$6 million lift, Intueri said in a statement today, while it expects to get the A$3.5 million payment "shortly." The department is considering suspending new VFH student enrolments in Conwal for the rest of the year, "pending development of a rectification plan focused on student engagement and completions," Intueri said, adding that it had stopped enrolling students in November as the VFH scheme ends in December. Conwal has applied for provisional approval to join the new VSL scheme in 2017, but that approval is uncertain, the company said. This year, Intueri was audited by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), which found OCA and Conwal weren't compliant with its standards. Intueri responded to the audits by the Nov. 6 due date and has not heard from AQSA about its response, it said today. Possible outcomes range from a directive to correct areas of non-compliance through to the full cancellation of OCA and Conwal's registrations as registered training organisations (RTOs). Last month, Intueri said it planned to delist its stock from the ASX, saying the shares are little traded and the move would reduce costs. Its shares are the weakest performer on the S&P NZX All Capital Index this year, having shed 93 percent of their value to last trade at 5.6 cents following a raft of bad news. BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: BGP - 3rd Quarter Sales to 30 October 2022 GEO - Quarterly Operating Update SUM - Andrea Scown to join Summerset as Future Director CCC - Admission to Trading on Aquis Stock Exchange November 3rd Morning Report Air New Zealand issues Performance Rights Heartland announces new Director of Heartland Bank GEN - Agreements in Principle to Issue New Shares Geraldine McBride steps down from Sky Board Sky ASM 2022 Godfrey Hirst says it will abandon its fight to overturn the regulatory approval for a wool scouring monopoly in New Zealand involving NZX-listed rival Cavalier, despite judging it a "major blow to the wool industry and competition generally in New Zealand". The Australian-owned carpet maker this week lost a bid to overturn plans to consolidate ownership of New Zealand's remaining scouring plants when the Court of Appeal dismissed its appeal against earlier decisions by the Commerce Commission and the High Court to allow the merger of the wool scouring operations of New Zealand Wool Services International and Cavaliers 50%-owned Cavalier Wool Holdings. Godfrey Hirst said the commission's original approval was "questionable" but the company would discontinue its fight. While it could have challenged the Court of Appeal ruling in the Supreme Court, it said in a statement that New Zealand's courts "so far have been willing to endorse the regulator's seeming lack of concern at allowing a monopoly to occur in a key primary industry where much of the so-called public benefits will flow to offshore Chinese owners and most of the detriments will be felt by New Zealand farmers." "This is a major blow to the wool industry and to competition generally in New Zealand," it said. The regulator had allowed the merger of the nation's wool scouring plants, creating a monopoly in the supply of wool scouring services and the supply of wool grease on the trade-off that there was a broader public benefit in fending off competition from cheaper foreign rivals, such as scourers in China. Under the plan, the merged business will be 55 percent owned by Cavalier, private equity firm Direct Capital and the government's Accident Compensation Corp, with WSI parent Lempriere taking a 45 percent stake. Cavalier chief executive Paul Alston said the shareholders need to touch base again but are "still as committed now as we were two years ago". "We always thought this was going to be approved and I think this has been an expensive and fruitless court case, really," he said. With no further appeals coming, "we can concentate on getting the benefits and synergies out of what has been a dying industry," he said of the scouring sector. Cavalier shares fell 2.4 percent to 80 cents and have gained 34 percent this year. At the start of November, the Auckland-based company said 2017 earnings could fall as much as 52 percent as the carpet maker incurs one-time costs to consolidate its manufacturing operations. BusinessDesk.co.nz Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process. Related News: BGP - 3rd Quarter Sales to 30 October 2022 GEO - Quarterly Operating Update SUM - Andrea Scown to join Summerset as Future Director CCC - Admission to Trading on Aquis Stock Exchange November 3rd Morning Report Air New Zealand issues Performance Rights Heartland announces new Director of Heartland Bank GEN - Agreements in Principle to Issue New Shares Geraldine McBride steps down from Sky Board Sky ASM 2022 An unprecedented statewide recount of Wisconsins presidential election began Thursday morning, bringing no major surprises on day one of whats expected to be a nearly two-week task of recounting nearly 3 million ballots. The recount is the first of a presidential election in any state since 2004 and part of a bid by Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein to scrutinize votes in three states that tipped the Electoral College to Republican Donald Trump. Wisconsins recount got underway in all 72 counties Thursday. It was requested and paid for by Stein, whose campaign suggested despite a lack of evidence that fraud or error may have altered the vote total. Reid Magney, a spokesman for the state Elections Commission, said shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday that the recount appeared to be proceeding with few glitches. So far, things are going smoothly, Magney said. The first results in Thursday evening were from Menominee County. Trump lost two votes compared to the initial count and Democrat Hillary Clinton lost one. Stein gained 17 votes and Libertarian Gary Johnson picked up 12 a discrepancy the state Elections Commission reported was due to human error in which their vote totals from certain wards were omitted from the initial tally. Steins campaign has raised more than $6.5 million in recent days, which the campaign says will go toward recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Trumps campaign moved Thursday to block the recount in Michigan, saying Stein was seeking it on the basis of nothing more than speculation. Dane Countys share of the Wisconsin recount got underway Thursday morning at the City-County Building in Downtown Madison. Dane County Clerk Scott McDonell said between 36 and 40 recount workers will work 12 hours a day for as many as 12 days to recount by hand the more than 300,000 ballots cast in the county. Federal law requires the process be done by Dec. 13, in advance of when the Electoral College convenes on Dec. 19 to formally elect the next president. McDonell said he expects the recount will change vote totals in Dane and other counties by a very small amount. Official results show Trump beat Clinton by about 22,000 out of nearly 3 million votes cast in Wisconsin, or about 0.7 percentage points. State Elections Commission chairman Mark Thomsen, a Democrat, has said he expects the recount to uphold Trumps win. I think itll be very close to what was reported on election night, McDonell said. In many cases, vote totals change slightly because a few voters incorrectly filled out their ballots for instance, by circling a candidates name instead of filling in the oval next to their name. Optical scan machines used to tabulate ballots typically do not record such votes on the initial count. But if recount workers determine the voters intent was clear, the vote is counted in the recount. Magney said fewer than five votes were called into question in Pierce Countys recount Thursday due to a malfunction in the paper trail maintained by an electronic touch-screen voting machine there. The machines keep a paper trail for use in a recount, but Magney said the paper mechanism had jammed, causing it to fail to record a legible paper trail for the votes in question. Officials in Pierce County were communicating with the machine vendor to obtain a backup copy of the paper trail, Magney said. Campaigns on hand Representatives for the campaigns, including for Stein, Trump and Clinton, were on hand to observe the Dane County recount. Those representatives may object to the count of a vote if there are questions about a voters intent or whether the vote is valid. The bipartisan canvassing board in each county, which includes the county clerk and other members, oversees the process in their county and makes determinations on challenged ballots. Dane County recount workers, most of them experienced election workers, are paid $20 an hour, McDonell said. The county estimated its share of the recount will cost about $343,000. On Tuesday Steins campaign paid the state Elections Commission $3.5 million, the estimated cost of the recount, to initiate it. If the recount costs less, the campaign will be refunded the difference; if it costs more, the campaign will be billed for it. Verifying the vote through this recount is the only way to confirm that every vote has been counted securely and accurately and is not compromised by machine or human error, or by tampering or hacking, Stein said Thursday.Steins campaign, supported by the Clinton campaign, petitioned a Dane County judge to order all counties to recount the vote by hand, but that request was denied. Fifty-one counties, including Dane, are choosing to do the recount by hand. Twelve are using optical scan machines and nine are using a combination of machines and hand counting. Nearly two-thirds of the precincts won by Trump are being recounted by hand, compared to slightly less than half the precincts won by Clinton. State Journal reporter Matthew DeFour and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Heres how members of Wisconsins congressional delegation voted on major issues this week. Note: Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, did not vote. By custom, the speaker does not vote except in rare circumstances. Medical Research, Drug Approvals: The House on Wednesday passed, 392-26, a bill to expand the National Institutes of Health budget for biomedical research, speed Food and Drug Administration approvals of new drugs, combat opioid addiction and upgrade mental-health programs. A yes vote was to send HR 34 to the Senate, where prompt approval was expected. Voting yes: Mark Pocan, D-2, Ron Kind, D-3, Gwen Moore, D-4, James Sensenbrenner, R-5, Glenn Grothman, R-6, Sean Duffy, R-7, Reid Ribble, R-8 Donald Trumps Tax Returns: Voting 235-180, the House on Thursday killed a procedural bid by Democrats to advance a requirement that presidential candidates disclose to voters their personal tax returns for the three preceding years. It was noted in debate that in the campaign just ended, Republican Donald Trump refused to disclose his returns and Democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders released only a summary of one years return. A yes vote was to block the Democrats parliamentary tactic. (H Res 937) Voting yes: Sensenbrenner, Grothman, Duffy, Ribble Voting no: Pocan, Kind, Moore 2017 Intelligence Budget: Voting 390-30, the House on Wednesday adopted the conference report on a fiscal 2017 budget for the 16 U.S. military and civilian intelligence agencies. Although the figure is classified, it is thought to be more than $80 billion. A yes vote was to pass HR 6393. Voting yes: Kind, Moore, Sensenbrenner, Grothman, Duffy, Ribble Voting no: Pocan Weakened Rules for Mega Banks: The House on Thursday voted, 254-161, to weaken rules in the 2010 Dodd-Frank law that subject the largest U.S. financial institutions to a higher level of oversight and fiscal stability. A yes vote was to pass HR 6392, which would exempt certain mega banks from extra layers of federal regulation that were put in place after the 2008 global financial collapse. Voting yes: Sensenbrenner, Grothman, Duffy, Ribble Voting no: Pocan, Kind, Moore $611 Billion for U.S. Military: The House on Friday approved, 375-34, the conference report on a $611 billion military budget for fiscal 2017. A yes vote was to pass S 2943, which would authorize $67.8 billion for combat actions overseas and raise pay for those in uniform by 2.1 percent. Voting yes: Kind, Moore, Sensenbrenner, Grothman, Duffy, Ribble Voting no: Pocan Fetal-Tissue Research: The House on Thursday voted, 234-181, to add $800,000 to the budget of a special House committee now investigating any nefarious links between legal abortions and fetal-tissue research. A yes vote was to increase spending for the Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives. Voting yes: Grothman, Duffy, Ribble Voting no: Pocan, Kind, Moore, Sensenbrenner Sanctions on Iran: The Senate on Thursday voted, 99-0, to extend for 10 years the legal foundation for U.S. economic sanctions on Iran. Now before President Obama, the bill (HR 6297) also renews sanctions powers the U.S. needs to enforce Irans agreement to dismantle its nuclear-arms program. A yes vote was to pass the bill. Voting yes: Tammy Baldwin, D, Ron Johnson, R In the week of Dec. 5, the House and Senate will debate a bill to fund government operations after a stopgap budget now in place expires Dec. 9. Thomas Voting Reports Inc. All public housing nationwide will soon be smoke-free, under a rule finalized recently by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that Wisconsin has a long way to go to meet. Of Wisconsins 130 local housing authorities, 73 already offer at least one residence that is smoke-free, according to the American Lung Association. They do tend to be the smaller, more rural housing authorities that may have only one or a handful of properties vs. the larger housing authorities: Dane County, city of Milwaukee, city of Madison, said Dona Wininsky, with the American Lung Associations Wisconsin chapter. So thats really where the work ahead lies. Madison will have all public housing smoke-free by January 2018, about six months ahead of the expected federal deadline, according to Tom Conrad, the citys interim director of housing operations. Currently, about 20 percent of Madisons public housing units are smoke-free; common areas are already smoke-free because of Wisconsins ban on smoking in workplaces. Conrad said the city will use guidelines from HUD and focus on assisting people to comply, not enforcement. Theyre encouraging us to have a comprehensive practice of assisting folks to break the habit, create policies that make it a lease violation to smoke on the property but not to evict people for that, use that only as a last resort, Conrad said. Rob Dicke, executive director of Dane County Housing Authority, said he believes there will be health benefits for residents and financial benefits for the housing authority. Smoking causes more wear and tear on apartments, which he says can be costly. Ive seen apartments where you cant cover up the stains on the walls with one coat of paint, Dicke said. You often have to prime the walls and then come back and paint them a second time. But enforcement is both a logistical and moral concern for the Dane County Housing Authority, which has public housing duplexes, apartments and single-family homes spread across a wide area. Im not sure from an enforcement standpoint how easy its going to be to tell someone whos living in a single-family home that they dont have the right to smoke in that home, Dicke said. A resident in public housing could be evicted under the HUD rule, and Dicke said he is concerned they would be unable to find alternative housing. That is something were concerned about because again we are talking about vulnerable people that dont have the funds, that dont have many options about where theyre going to live, he said. And evicting them from public housing for behavioral issues is very certainly likely to cause homelessness. Thats something we want to avoid. Housing authorities will have until August 2018 to implement HUDs smoke-free policy, which was created because of the negative health effects of secondhand smoke. The ALA said asthma affects many low-income residents in federally subsidized housing and exposure to secondhand smoke can trigger asthma attacks. Thousands of UW-Madison students who received the first of two doses of a meningitis B vaccine at no charge have been told the second dose may not be free. University Health Services at UW-Madison administered free meningitis vaccines to students beginning Oct. 20. That shot was covered by just over $2 million of federal money thats used to address sudden outbreaks of diseases, according to the Department of Health Services. But the B-strain vaccine requires two doses to be effective, and UHS Executive Director Sarah Van Orman said this time around, most students will have to rely on their insurance plans to cover the cost. Van Orman said the decision was made toward the end of the first round of vaccinations, when it became clear money wouldnt be available to cover the second round. In October, three UW-Madison students contracted meningitis B and were hospitalized, prompting the university to offer the vaccine. Roughly 21,000 students, or about 70 percent of undergraduates, received the first dose on campus, Van Orman said. The first dose was covered because authorities needed to get a lot of people vaccinated quickly, Van Orman said. Since the outbreak occurred in the middle of the semester, health officials also worried students wouldnt be able to make it home to get vaccinated. Health officials say the second dose should be received at least 30 days after the first. With the second round of meningitis vaccines coming due over winter break, Van Orman said students should be able to return home and have the vaccinations covered by their insurance plans. Without insurance, the second shot could cost a couple hundred dollars, Van Orman said. Students without insurance, or those who arent going home for winter break, will still be able to get the second dose for free from UHS, she said. Van Orman urged students to call their insurance providers and doctors offices now to schedule appointments over winter break. We want everybody to get that second dose, she said. While Van Orman said not getting the second shot wouldnt create a risk of antibiotic resistance, the second dose is necessary because it makes the vaccine effective longer. UHS plans to track the state immunization registry over winter break to see how many students get the second shot, sending out periodic reminders, Van Orman said. A first-class ride for Cowboy Kel Bridle Path residents show love for mail carrier For the past six years, Kelvin Hoang has been delivering mail and smiles to people living in Simi Valleys Bridle Path neighborhood. We love Kelvin. Hes the best. Hes like... SV Womans Club to meet Detectives Kelly King and Jessica Getchius of the Simi Valley Police Department will discuss the problems faced by victims and perpetrators of domestic violence at the monthly luncheon meeting of... Womans flight aboard B-25 bomber honors grandfathers WWII bravery As Kerri Braemer-Castro looked down at the mountains and valleys of Camarillo from the cockpit of a World War II B-25 bomber earlier this month, she finally felt connected to... Shred your documents The Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce will hold a drive-thru document shredding event from 1 to 4 p.m. Fri., Nov. 11 in the parking lot behind the Chamber office, 40... WASHINGTON Twenty-five years ago December 1991 communism died, the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union disappeared. It was the largest breakup of an empire in modern history, and not a shot was fired. It was an event of biblical proportions that my generation thought it would never live to see. As Wordsworth famously rhapsodized (about the French Revolution), Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive/But to be young was very heaven! That dawn marked the ultimate triumph of the liberal democratic idea. It promised an era of Western dominance led by a pre-eminent America, the worlds last remaining superpower. And so it was for a decade as the community of democracies expanded, first into Eastern Europe and former Soviet colonies. The U.S. was so dominant that when, on Dec. 31, 1999, it gave up one of the most prized geostrategic assets on the globe the Panama Canal no one even noticed. That era is over. The autocracies are back and rising. Democracy is on the defensive. The U.S. is in retreat. Look no further than Aleppo. A Western-backed resistance to a local tyrant he backed by a resurgent Russia, an expanding Iran and an array of proxy Shiite militias is on the brink of annihilation. Russia drops bombs. America issues statements. What better symbol for the end of that heady liberal-democratic historical moment. The West is turning inward and going home, leaving the field to the rising authoritarians Russia, China and Iran. In France, the conservative partys newly nominated presidential contender is fashionably conservative and populist and soft on Vladimir Putin. As are several of the newer Eastern Europe democracies Hungary, Bulgaria, even Poland themselves showing authoritarian tendencies. And even as Europe tires of the sanctions imposed on Russia for its rape of Ukraine, President Obamas much touted isolation of Russia has ignominiously dissolved, as our secretary of state repeatedly goes cap in hand to Russia to beg for mercy in Syria. The European Union, the largest democratic club on earth, could itself soon break up as Brexit-like movements spread through the continent. At the same time, its members dash with unseemly haste to reopen economic ties with a tyrannical and aggressive Iran. As for China, the other great challenger to the post-Cold War order, the administrations pivot has turned into an abject failure. The Philippines has openly defected to the Chinese side. Malaysia then followed. And the rest of our Asian allies are beginning to hedge their bets. When the president of China addressed the Pacific Rim countries in Peru last month, he suggested that China was prepared to pick up the pieces of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, now abandoned by both political parties in the United States. The Wests retreat began with Obama, who reacted to (perceived) post-9/11 overreach by abandoning Iraq, offering appeasement (reset) to Russia and accommodating Iran. In 2009, he refused even rhetorical support to the popular revolt against the rule of the ayatollahs. Donald Trump wants to continue the pull back, though for entirely different reasons. Obama ordered retreat because hes always felt the U.S. was not good enough for the world, too flawed to have earned the moral right to be the world hegemon. Trump would follow suit, disdaining allies and avoiding conflict, because the world is not good enough for us undeserving, ungrateful, parasitic foreigners living safely under our protection and off our sacrifices. Time to look after our own American interests. Trumps is not a new argument. As the Cold War was ending in 1990, Jeane Kirkpatrick, the quintessential neoconservative, argued that we should now become a normal country in a normal time. It was time to give up the 20th-century burden of maintaining world order and of making superhuman exertions on behalf of universal values. Two generations of fighting fascism and communism were quite enough. Had we not earned a restful retirement? At the time, I argued we had earned it indeed, but a cruel history would not let us enjoy it. Repose presupposes a fantasy world in which stability is self-sustaining without the U.S. It is not. We would incur not respite but chaos. A quarter-century later, we face the same temptation, but this time under more challenging circumstances. Worldwide jihadism has been added to the fight, and we enjoy nothing like the dominance we exercised over conventional adversaries during our 1990s holiday from history. We may choose repose, but we wont get it. Chris Malvicini's internship researching clams in the Philippines Chris Malvicini's internship researching clams in the Philippines Chris Malvicini Chris Malvicini Chris Malvicini '17, double-majoring in biology and environmental studies, spent last summer scuba- and free-diving off the coast of Salaki Island in the Philippines. Working in one of the world's most biodiverse bodies of water, he engaged in marine science research on giant clam disease and the clam's interactions with territorial farmer-fish species. Above is his internship-photo-contest winning shot. Computer science major and French minor Claire Stetten '19 taught French and English to young adults and children in Marrakech, Morocco, furthering her communications skills and providing invaluable experience for her goal of becoming a grade-school teacher. Personal highlights for her: being a strong female role model for the kids and inspiring them to continue learning outside of the classroom. Sunny Tran Thi '18, a double major in business and studio art, was a digital marketing intern with Manhattan-based clothing startup Tucker. Without a lot of revenues or capital, she says, social-media marketing was a crucial means for punching up Tuckers soft brand identity. But she found that its real effectiveness came when it was integrated with other marketing efforts. What Malvicini, Stetten, and Tran Thi have in common is that their experiences were funded in part by the Skidmore Summer Funded Internship Award Program, created in 2009 so that students can afford to participate in unpaid internship, volunteer, research, or community service projects during the summer. Made possible by Skidmore donors (Parents Council, individual parents, alumni, employees, and friends) and administered by the college's Career Development Center, the program offers a chance to gain knowledge, skills, and experiences that employers and graduate schools are especially keen to see in candidates. In 2009 there were eight award recipients and 18 applications. This year there were 46 award recipients and more than 200 applications. In November, 29 funded summer interns (complete list below) gathered at Career Development's first-ever "Showcase of Stars" to tell their stories and get to know each otherand to celebrate their transformative learning experiences and pass along their wisdom to the next class of SSFIAP recipients. So what did the internship "stars" learn? Dikyi Wangmo Dikyi Wangmo Dikyi Wangmo '18, exercise science: "My experience with the International Rescue Committee was a wake-up call for me to make a difference by helping people get their basic human rights: access to health care, education, government food stamps, and safer and healthier neighborhoods in which to live." Catherine Headrick '17, art, with a business minor: "I learned that to be an entrepreneur in a small shop, you have to know a little bit about everything, and everything means all business functions: product design and research, marketing, distribution, and more." Meaghan Wood '17, exercise science and dance, with a chemistry minor: "Before my internship at the Adirondack Foot Clinic in Malone, N.Y., I wasn't aware of the great demand for podiatric doctors in rural areas. This will help me as I apply to podiatric medical schools and consider where I may need to live to help rural areas, in particular those with large geriatric and Type-2 diabetes populations." And what advice did they offer? Jack Curry Jack Curry Jack Curry '18, environmental studies: "If youre interested in an internship and don't meet certain qualifications or feel that you might not get the position, apply regardless. I didn't meet certain requirements for my Quebec-Labrador Foundation internship but ended up getting it and had an incredible experience." Deborah Kim '18, chemistry: "If you're not positive about pursuing a certain professional field or would like to gain direct insight into a field, a summer experience is one of the best ways to advance your thinking. Start looking for internships early and don't be afraid to try out something new, whether it's a new experience or a new place." Taimur Khan '17, geosciences, with a physics minor: "We live in a world that is getting smaller. Don't miss out on the chance to make full use of this privilege. Keep an open mind moving forward, and pursue your interests regardless of what they are. You would be surprised by the things people with similar interests are doing out there. So much to learn." To learn more about each of the 29 students listed belowwhat they did, how they benefitted, what advice they have, see the archive of their presentations here. For information on available internships and how to apply, visit this internships page. - - - - - - - - - - - Summer 2016 Funded Interns Anika Hunter '19 Double Major: Dance and Spanish ArtLab J in Detroit, MI Catherine Headrick '17 Major: Art; Minor: Business Sailormade LLC and Regan Communications in Boston, MA Jamie Scherzer '17 Major: Art; Minor: Business Melle Finelli Studios and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, MA Josephine Wong '18 Major: Art; Minor: Education Mok's Oil Painting School in Hong Kong Madeleine Welsch '17 Major: Art Cultural Center at Eagle Hill in Hardwick, MA Olivia Skowronski '18 Double Major: Psychology and Education East Harlem School in New York, NY Sanjana Gothi '17 Double Major: Art and Art History Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia, PA Chris Malvicini '17 Double Major: Biology and Environmental Studies Marine Science Institute in Bolinao, Pangasinan, Philippines Isabel Blumenthal '19 Double Major: Environmental Studies and Spanish Dickinson College Farm in Boiling Springs, PA Jack Curry '18 Major: Environmental Studies Quebec-Labrador Foundation in Newfoundland, Labrador, and Quebec, Canada Olivia Golden '18 Double Major: Environmental Studies and Art Radix Ecological Sustainability Center in Albany, NY, and Roots and Wisdom in Schenectady, NY Patricia McGuire '17 Double Major: Environmental Studies and Economics Quebec-Labrador Foundation in Montreal, Quebec, Canada Rafaela Iturralde '18 Double Major: Environmental Studies and International Affairs, Fundar Galapagos in Puerto Ayora, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador Deborah Kim 18 Major: Chemistry Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota in Roseville, MN Dikyi Wangmo '18 Major: Exercise Science; Minor: MathematicsInternational Rescue Committee in New York, NY Julia Howe '18 Major: Neuroscience Planting Hope in San Ramon, Matagalpa, Nicaragua; San Luis, Monteverde, Costa Rica; and Playa Junquillal, Guanacaste, Costa Rica Meaghan Wood '17 Major: Exercise Science; Minors: Dance and Chemistry Adirondack Foot Clinic in Malone, NY Paul Deutchman '17 Major: Psychology; Minor: Anthropology Yale University in New Haven, CT Rebecca Lipstein '17 Double Major: Psychology and Pre-health Edelblum Lab, Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ Shivam Goyal '17 Double Major: Physics and Mathematics University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, WI Taimur Khan '17 Major: Geosciences; Minor: Physics Martin Luther University in Halle an der Saale, Germany Wallis Slater '18 Major: Psychology Center for HIV Educational Studies and Training in New York, NY Eli Roehlkepartain '18 Major: Economics Search Institute in Minneapolis, MN Noelle Foden-Vencil '18 Double Major: Biology and Art ReelDx in Portland, OR Sunny Tran Thi '18 Double Major: Business and Art Resonance Companies and Norisol Ferrari in New York, NY Blair Warren '17 Double Major: Psychology and Art History GoEco's Women's Empowerment Program in Kathmandu, Nepal, and Khmer Institute for National Development in Phnom Penh, Cambodia Claire Stetten '19 Major: Computer Science, Minors: French and Mathematics International Volunteer HQ in Marrakech, Morocco Cinthia Duran '19 Intended Majors: International Affairs and Dance Corporacion Pro-Ideas in Quito and Machala, Ecuador Kali Villarosa '18 Major: International Affairs; Minors: Political Science and Intergroup Relations Black AIDS Institute in Durban, South Africa If youre feeling a little like Alice in Trumpland these days, its no wonder. Reality has been turned upside own, grossly distorted, rendered a hall-of-mirrors hallucination. Were going down the rabbit hole to find the Mad Hair, er, Hatter. It seems just a couple of months ago (it was, wasnt it?) that Donald Trump was running on a pledge to drain the swamp of pernicious influences lobbyists, corporate titans, Washington insiders and other influence peddlers. Hed return the White House to the people, the white working-class voters who had come to believe the system was rigged against them. He battered his rival, Hillary Clinton, for her connections to Wall Street. She had given a few pricey speeches to financial firms, including Goldman Sachs, and Trump claimed that proved she was unfit for the presidency. She was owned by the banks, he said. So its discombobulating vertigo-inducing, really to hear that Trumps nominee for secretary of the treasury, Steve Mnuchin, comes straight from Wall Street; he was a partner at Goldman Sachs for 17 years. He later co-founded a bank called OneWest that took advantage of the devastating financial crisis to make millions off folks who were already hurting. According to Politico, OneWest once foreclosed on a 90-year-old woman over a 27-cent payment error. In addition, Trump has tapped billionaire businessman Wilbur Ross, who also spent years on Wall Street, to be commerce secretary. Instead of draining the swamp, the president-elect has invited the alligators into the executive suite. In a similar head-spinning move, Trump is considering retired general David Petraeus, former head of the CIA, for secretary of state. Heres the irony: Petraeus political career ended when he pleaded guilty to mishandling classified materials. Isnt that the very crime that Trump insisted Clinton, whom he bashed for using a private email server, should be sent to jail for? Still, if any of this is a surprise, it shouldnt be. Throughout the campaign indeed, throughout his career Trump was a world-class liar. Somehow, though, that description fails to do justice to Trumps talents, his sui generis capacities. Its tempting to call him a con artist, but good cons are usually out to genuinely fool the mark. While a fraud such as Bernard Madoff was also a world-class liar, he tried hard to make his deceptions believable. Trump does no such thing. He flits from one falsehood to another, even as proof of his mendacity is put before him. He doesnt care; hes not embarrassed. In Trumpland, there is no truth, just desires and needs. There are no facts, just impulses. There is no reality, just the force of power and will. In a world where nothing is true, the only real choice available to voters is between competing fictions, Ned Resnikoff writes in a brilliant essay for the ThinkProgress website. Trump offered a particularly compelling set of fictions, but he also found various ways to telegraph that he knew what he was doing. ... If everything is a lie, then the man who makes his lies obvious is practicing a peculiar form of honesty. The president-elect is speaking the language of dictators. The Trump phenomenon and its distorted reality will prove costly not just to the civic fabric, but also to the very working-class voters who put Trump in office. Take a look at his administrations plans for Medicare, for example. During the campaign, Trump sought to distinguish himself from the hated Republican elite with, among other things, a pledge to protect the social safety net, especially programs such as Medicare and Social Security, which make such a difference in the lives of less-affluent Americans. So what did the president-elect do as soon as the votes were counted? He nominated a health and human services secretary, U.S. Rep. Tom Price, R-Georgia, who has made privatizing Medicare a crusade. Price, an orthopedist, is a member of the ultraconservative Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, which was formed in 1943 to fight socialized medicine. He plans to offer older Americans subsidies to purchase private insurance which virtually guarantees they will receive less access to low-cost medical care than they do now. Welcome to Adventures in Trumpland, where the madness has only just begun. I have learned the hard way not to put my personal life on the Internet. But suffice it to say that, God willing, things should be pretty much back to norm... 2 weeks ago By clicking Agree, you consent to Slates Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and the use of technologies such as cookies by Slate and our partners to deliver relevant advertising on our iOS app to personalize content and perform site analytics. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information about our use of data, your rights, and how to withdraw consent. Agree You have to admire their basic dictatorship, and how they can turn our Prime Minister on a dime... The Liberal Party is employing an under-the-radar strategy that taps into the power of Justin Trudeau to generate tens of thousands of dollars from cash-for-access events at the homes of wealthy Chinese-Canadians that provide intimate face-time with the Prime Minister that can be used as business currency at home and in China. Attendance figures suggest the party collects a minimum of $50,000 per event from donors - and up to $120,000 - in a system that revolves around rich entrepreneurs in Vancouver and Toronto, home to large Chinese-Canadian business communities with people willing to shell out $1,500 per ticket to meet Mr. Trudeau in a private setting. Some of the guests and hosts at the intimate fundraisers are well-connected to China's ruling Communist Party. [...] Former Liberal cabinet minister Raymond Chan, who was Mr. Trudeau's British Columbia fundraiser in the 2015 election campaign, helps with fundraising activities on the West Coast, while Toronto business consultant Richard Zhou is a key organizer of these events in Ontario. Mr. Chan was at the most recent Trudeau fundraiser, which was held on Nov. 7 at the West Vancouver mansion of B.C. developer Miaofei Pan, a multimillionaire from Wenzhou province who immigrated to Canada a decade ago. More than 80 guests got their pictures taken with Mr. Trudeau at the $1,500 per ticket event, including Mr. Chan. Head on over to Bungendore Fine Art, to see the latest show by Mark Redzic, of paintings informed by Canberra's landscapes. Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he studied portraiture and life drawing, and, upon moving to Australia, fell in love with the landscape: "Mark's work brings to life the colour, strength and beauty of our local landscapes from the mountains to the sea of this beautiful land of ours, telling the stories of the moods and sights loved by all." The gallery is also showing paintings by the eight artists who work there, including traditional, contemporary and experimental paintings in oil, watercolour, acrylic, pastel and mixed media. Capital Landscapes, featuring Mark Redzic, is showing at Bungendore Fine Art, 42b Ellendon Stree, Bungendore, throughout December and January. Tango and art? I smell a beautiful new exhibition! Canberra artist Lelde Vitols has been an Argentine tango dancer for 10 years and an artist for more than 30. Her new show at Suki & Hugh the gallery's last for the year combines her passions, with digital prints and photographic prints on canvas. In this work, she aims to "express something of the feeling and movement of dancing Argentine tango. I am interested in exploring the sense of the transcendent, that can arise during the course of dancing tango in close embrace with a partner." The show has two distinct elements the dark and moody photographs, taken at a tango evening in Buenos Aires, and the monochromatic digital prints, made from photos of traces of her own tango dancing, on the floor in talcum powder. Tangomente, by Lelde Vitols, opens December 3 at Suki & Hugh Gallery, 38A Gibraltar Street, Bungendore, and runs until January 30. Glassworks artists at work Brisbane-based artists Joanna Bone and Aaron Micallef have a beautiful exhibition at Canberra Glassworks, based on Bone's obsession with the Great Barrier Reef. The two have been working together in a shared studio for the past four years, and In Depth is a reflection of how they work together. For this show, Bone has revisited her childhood love of pattern and repetition, and created works "Inspired by found objects including sea grasses, sand dollars and other marine creaturesThe sense of depth and layers within the surface of these pieces engages viewers and invites intimate observation and quiet contemplation." Micallef has taken photographs of the objects, and the images in the show have "moved beyond the pure recording of processes, with Aaron creating stunning imagery that captures and reinterprets Joanna's body of works in this exhibition". In Depth: Joanna Bone with Aaron Micallef is showing at Canberra Glassworks, 11 Wentworth Avenue, Kingston, until January 15. The artists will be residents at the Glassworks until December 14, and you can watch them in action. The one who wrote our favourite picture book Jeannie Baker, who made the incredible collage-based Where the Forest Meets the Sea, has a new book out, Circle. The book, which follows bar-tailed Godwits was they undertake the "longest unbroken migration of any animal" when they fly from their breeding grounds in Alaska to Australia and New Zealand. The book forms part of a beautiful travelling exhibition now showing at Canberra Museum and Gallery. As with many of her books, Baker undertook a huge amount of detailed research before starting this story. "I made my own journeys across the globe to observe godwits to the wild, remote landscapes of Alaska and then to China and South Korea where it was alarming to see the enormous extent of the reclamation and rapid loss of mudflats, the godwits (and other birds) depend on for food." Jeannie's work conveys the sheer wonder of this giant migratory 'circle of life', but also reminds us to reflect on the importance of the world's remaining wetlands. Circle, by Jeannie Baker, is showing at Canberra Museum and Gallery, Civic Square, Canberra City, until February 12. They have taught flautists who now perform in orchestras around the world and are themselves musical royalty but Canberra's first couple of the flute is moving to Brisbane as cuts to the ANU School of Music four years ago continue to reverberate. After nearly 40 years in Canberra, Virginia Taylor and Vernon Hill are relocating to Brisbane where Ms Taylor has been appointed senior lecturer in flute at the Queensland Conservatorium at Griffith University. Canberra flautists Vernon Hill and Virginia Taylor are leaving Canberra after nearly 40 years to move to Brisbane. Credit:Elesa Kurtz Ms Taylor has been commuting to Brisbane for the past year but has now committed to move north in early January, her reputation attracting the best young flautists in the country. Mr Hill, a highly regarded master teacher of the flute, will also begin working at the conservatorium. But the move from Canberra has been a wrench. Dubbo will be an hour's flight away for Canberrans come the New Year. FlyPelican has announced a plan to expand its daily direct services with a new route to Dubbo from January 30, 2017, complementing the airline's existing daily service from Canberra to Newcastle. FlyPelican's new Dubbo-Canberra route will connect international passengers flying with Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways to regional NSW. Credit:Rohan Thomson Canberra Airport's Managing Director, Stephen Byron, said it had been a big week with Qatar Airways announcing international flights to Doha but this latest news was "a wonderful boost for Canberra." "When we first bought the airport we wanted to be a regional hub between NSW and northern Victoria," he said. "Like a lot of things it has taken a while but it is starting to come together." The Canberra Times has been told the fatigue and "staff burn-out" has already led to several nurses and midwives quitting their jobs at the hospital in the past 12 months, some without a new job to go to. Threats of violence, assaults, chairs thrown through windows and patients leaving with IV drip connectors still in their arms were among issues nurses believed resulted from inadequate nurse-to-patient ratios across the hospital. "If we have a potentially violent patient come through, they may be withdrawing or whatever, but they could turn violent," one nurse said. "If we're already looking after several patients and can't help them, they might turn violent, but often all they want is some time to sit and talk and they'll be okay, but there simply aren't enough people available to do that." Another nurse said there was at least one instance of a patient being taken to a surgical ward without an ID band on them, due to fatigued staff missing it in their checklists, and only narrowly avoiding being given the wrong surgery. Several nurses said strict four-hour discharge targets in the emergency department at the hospital had led to a cascading effect, where patients were moved to already understaffed wards, putting greater pressure on staff and potentially putting the safety of patients at risk. Three of the nurses said the staffing issues meant they would not want themselves, or their relatives, to need treatment at the hospital. The latest ACT Health performance report appears to show a growing number of patients were treated as outpatients across the health system last financial year compared to previous years. The data shows 562,213 "outpatients" were treated across the ACT's public hospitals and community services in 2013-14, while 563,221 were treated in 2014-15. That figure jumped to 602,276 in 2015-16, a rise of nearly 40,000 more outpatient services in one year, while the number of inpatient services at both hospitals rose only 11,116 in the same period. Ms Miragaya said the increase could be a good thing, and "perfectly appropriate" if those people were kept out of hospital and treated in the home. But the publicly reported data does not show whether those people were only treated in community health services, or were treated in hospital as an outpatient. Irrespective of the data, one nurse said they were being encouraged to discharge patients as soon as possible, in order to clear beds for incoming patients. "Sometimes I go home after a shift and I'm laying awake thinking about whether I did this or that thing, did I discharge that patient too early, will they be safe at home," the nurse said. "It makes you feel guilty, because I got into nursing to look after people, to care for them, but I'm being told to get this patient out because more are coming in, but I'm not sure that's actually the right thing for the patient." Another nurse said it was "only a matter of time before another 'catastrophic' incident occurs" at the hospital a category of incident reserved for the most grave of problems including deaths or major errors in treatment. "We are meant to do eight hours during day shifts and 10 hours at night, with a nine-hour break between shifts and no more than seven days straight," another nurse said. "But the reality a lot of the time is we are so short-staffed that we need to work double shifts, or 16 hours straight. "We have a pool of sick leave staff that are meant to fill gaps when full-time staff are sick. "But (full-time staff) are so fatigued they are taking personal leave, so we have to fill those roles with the sick leave pool, which then means there's nobody to fill in if another nurse gets sick it means we could be three staff down on what we're supposed to be." Others raised concerns qualified nurses who normally work full-time teaching junior nurses on the job have been moved to clinical roles, leaving junior nurses without the needed mentoring and support in wards, which could lead to risks for patient safety. "I think it's really a result of a lack of planning and procedures being in place, and senior managers who are determined to meet these [ED] discharge targets and aren't listening to the people on the frontline," one said. "I feel for the clinical nurse consultants, who are just trying to do the best they can working out rosters, but ultimately it comes down to resources and where the money is being spent." Ms Fitzharris would not commit to the review nurses have called for. Instead, she said the government intended to complete a Nurse Safety Strategy to examine "some of the issues" raised by the nursing union and other stakeholders. A former paralympic champion has urged the ACT government to help a local charity that creates assisted technology for Canberrans with a disability to keep operating. The organisation, Technical Aid to the Disabled ACT (TADACT), in July this year lost its $150,000 a year annual funding from the ACT government. Canberra paralympian Michael Milton has called on the ACT Government to help out TADACT, which lost its base funding in July. Credit:Jay Cronan It is one of many organisations in the ACT now struggling financially after losing Territory funding as disability services were moved to the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Michael Milton, an ambassador for TADACT, said the organisation was struggling to stay afloat due to a lag in the time it took for NDIS participants to be able to get needed equipment from prosthetics to adapted wheelchairs. Police are appealing for witnesses to a brawl involving up to 10 men at the Woden Bus Interchange on Wednesday night that led to two men being seriously injured. ACT Policing were called to the bus interchange at 7.50pm, after reports of between six to 10 men fighting in two groups in the area. ACT Police appeal for witnesses to brawl at Woden bus interchange, at about 7.50pm, Wednesday December 1. Credit:Georgia Matts Three men with injuries were found at the scene, two of whom were transferred to Canberra Hospital for treatment, one who was found unconscious suffering head injuries, and the other with serious injuries, police reported. A police statement said officers believed there may have been other people in the area at the time who may have witnessed the brawl or "filmed it on their phones". The company behind the controversial Jupiter wind farm has taken another swing at getting the green light to build 88 wind turbines near Canberra, a year after NSW officials sent them back to the drawing board. The NSW Department of Planning and Environment struck out EPYC's application to build the wind farm five kilometres out of the Tarago township last October, after it found the company had not sufficiently addressed environmental and community concerns. The proposed Jupiter wind farm would be close to two other wind farms, including the one at Lake George, and a solar farm. Credit:Tom Messer But the joint Australian-Spanish venture has come back to the NSW Department of Environment and Planning with a revised proposal, which has now opened for public consultation. While the original Jupiter wind farm proposal was to build 100 turbines across 25 rural properties, the new one outlines plans to build 88 turbines across 23 rural properties. Retail veteran Solomon Lew says the past five years have been "as difficult as I have ever encountered" for Australian retailers, as official figures suggest Australians are choosing takeaway over threads. Bureau of Statistics figures showed retail spending rose by a surprisingly solid 0.5 per cent in October, driven by food and household goods purchases. Retailer Solomon Lew is set to emerge kingmaker in the event of a bid for Myer after snapping up a 10 per cent blocking stake. Credit:Michael Clayton Jones The rise to $25.6 billion in spending in October was more than double what most economists had expected, and follows a 0.6 per cent rise in September. But the gains were not evenly felt. While food retailing spending rose 0.6 per cent in October and household goods increased by 0.7 per cent, clothing and department store sales both fell by 0.4 per cent. Premier Investments chairman Solomon Lew predicts retail conditions will remain tough this year and has urged the government to bring forward plans to charge shoppers GST on small purchases from overseas websites. Saying the past five years have been "as difficult as I have ever encountered" for Australian retailers, the retail veteran tipped "more of the same" this year as technological changes and international entrants continue to challenge established companies. Premier retail boss Mark McInnes and Premier Investments chairman Solomon Lew at the company's AGM Credit:Daniel Pockett But more predictable weather, cheaper penalty rates, and the removal of the $1000 GST-free threshold on overseas websites would help, he said. "Going into Christmas, people should be relatively optimistic," Premier's retail boss Mark McInnes said after the company's annual meeting in Melbourne. New York: If President-elect Donald Trump needs a lesson on the difficulty of reviving US manufacturing, he need look only as far as his daughter's closet. Ivanka Trump's $135 million apparel line is sewn in Asian countries under a licensing agreement with G-III Apparel Group, which has expanded from making coats in New York's Garment District to become a manufacturer of global scope. That method of moving $190 sheath dresses and $110 sweaters means political embarrassment for her father, who has threatened a trade war against China, the world's second-largest economy. But she can make a profit in few other ways. Nick Xenophon's power in the Senate is steering Australia down a dangerously protectionist path. These new systems and relatively recent anti-dumping provisions against Chinese steel will do more to increase building and construction costs in Australia over the next few years than any imagined productivity savings by some weakening and criminalisation of the bargaining power of construction unions. There's no evidence that the old, much more powerful ABCC achieved anything in improving productivity, or reducing criminality; it's doubtful the new toothless tiger will. The bill was further weakened (at least from the government's point of view), by amendments that restricted its ability to use its coercive powers without, in effect, a warrant granted by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. The commissioner's powers to be a champion of reining in the union will be inhibited by fresh obligations to be even-handed. There are significant extra obligations on employers in relation to guaranteeing that subcontractors are paid, and a reversed onus on proof in relation to claimed industrial stoppages on safety grounds. Cartoon: John Shakespeare Further amendments, care of independent senator Derryn Hinch, created a two-year transition period before the act has any teeth on its new building code. Effectively, this gives big employers that have made enterprise bargains (against the government's wishes) with the building unions a serious advantage over businesses that held out, as the government had implored. Turnbull was indifferent to vehement criticism, particularly from his right at The Australian, that he had horse-traded too much away. The alternative, he said, was to have nothing. "I mean it's fine to be an armchair general and say how things should have been done and would have been done. The reality is we've delivered. We've got the bill passed. We've got the commission set up. The penalties have been tripled, we're able to call union officials and employers in for examination. All of those provisions are there to enforce the rule of law once again." For the cost of the $60 billion submarine deal (and the second-rate subs we'll likely get), we could have had a car industry forever. It's by no means clear the new commission will have more power than the existing Fair Work Australia system, or that it will have any significant effect on building workplace productivity, which is not, in any event, in obvious crisis. The government has long argued that the industry is rife with industrial thuggery, corruption and cosy arrangements between union officials and employers to jack up prices by passing costs on to consumers. But while there are obvious signs of rorting and chicanery (by unions and employers) in the industry, the agenda has included punishing both political and industrial Labor, and, in particular, weakening the CFMEU's position. One shouldn't be sure that this is will happen from a few token groans from union lobbyists, who can hardly believe how successful they were in watering down the bill. The week also saw high farce as the government negotiated with senators, ultimately successfully with the Greens, to get through the backpackers' tax, albeit at levels well below what it had hoped. Various senators, including Hinch, the Pauline Hanson One Nation Party, its now rogue senator from Western Australia, and the Xenophon team, were less than entirely consistent adherents to principle. Labor was not in the least helpful; indeed, it was purely opportunistic in the manner of the present government when last in opposition. No one was discouraged from trying it on again in future. Turnbull was experimenting with a line about Labor preferring the interests of rich white backpackers from Europe to the modern variation of indentured labour from the Pacific Islands and the coerced labour of Australians. It may work in some quarters but was far from convincing, given that the measures must be judged by the sum of tax collected, not the marginal rate at which the last dollar is earned. In any event, the government's anxiety to strike a deal any deal really was not primarily focused on protecting the revenue as on dealing with horticultural industry panic that these rich white European backpackers whom we ought, apparently, to despise, might stay away from Australia and its fruit farms. Honestly, is further abuse of them required? The various negotiations saw the Xenophon team acting as states' rights senators perhaps the first time that's been observed since federation, other than by Brian Harradine's capacity to be hired by the creation of jobs in Tasmanian call centres. The Xenophon team can be relied on to put South Australia's interests first, even, sometimes, ahead of the national interest. Like other crossbench senators, Xenophon can think in three-dimensional terms, and has long made horse-trading deals, across an array of measures, with governments of the day. But this week saw him flex his muscle in new ways. First, South Australia was, once again, being dudded by Queensland, NSW and Victoria, and by the man Turnbull put in charge of water allocations, Barnaby Joyce, over its rights to Murray-Darling water, All the local political parties were rightly outraged, and very loudly, although it was noticeable that South Australia's supposed champion in federal cabinet, Christopher Pyne, was largely silent. Xenophon, a champion of environmental relief for the Murray as much as of South Australia's rights, was under particular pressure to respond. At first, he seemed ballistic, and he was soon threatening that his team would (as it could) block Turnbull's hopes over the ABCC Bill, and backpackers' taxation if the diversion of environmental water was allowed to stand. Then, suddenly, it appeared he had calmed down as a result of some unconvincing assurances from Turnbull. He was criticised for being convinced. But it soon became clear he had used his bargaining position to extort the government over the ABCC. Perhaps this is, in the short term at least, to the benefit of industry, and perhaps manufacturing, in South Australia. It may have some incidental benefits in Victoria, also a rust-belt manufacturing state. But it won't benefit most Australians, who will pay considerably more for goods and services and, probably, receive second-rate services as a result. And, down the track, even Croweaters will suffer if our retreat from an open economy leads to retaliation and reduced world trade. It would, of course, be nice to have a solid manufacturing industry in Australia, employing hundreds of thousands of workers. We had one in the past, not least because of high tariffs, quotas and other forms of industry protection, paid for by higher prices and, usually, inferior goods. Over the decades, tariff boards, industry commissions and (the latest title) productivity commissions have shown how high the price was that other Australians paid for protecting such jobs. In many cases, indeed, it would have been cheaper to pay workers hundreds of thousands of dollars to do nothing, while allowing consumers to buy tariff-free goods, such as cars, electronic equipment, clothing and footwear from abroad. A good many people think the decline of manufacturing is primarily a result of the "export" of Australian jobs, and their replacement by low-wage, low-skill coolies from the third world. But most of the high-wage, high-skill jobs the loss of which we mourn are now performed in factories that are capital-intensive, with highly skilled and well-paid workers, having all of the benefits of economies of scale. Absent some factor (perhaps intellectual property, or some peculiar Australian need), Australian industry simply can't compete with the high-tech, high-volume factories of China, Japan or Korea. We can't go back to the inefficient and coddled economy Australia had in the 1960s, and efforts to build a wall around Australia are doomed to expensive and disastrous failure. Frankly, I'd care a lot less about the attacks on Sydney if they weren't so wretchedly uglifying. Quite likely you think this is fatuous. It's almost a defining tenet of our times to see beauty as both hopelessly subjective and entirely dispensable; a vague irrelevance, a luxury, an epaulet on the brawny shoulder of life. I'm here to disagree, and in the strongest possible terms. Beauty is a necessity, fundamental to civilised existence and no, that's not a joke. To take something beautiful and make it ugly (or, worse, boring), as Mike Baird's depredations on Sydney repeatedly do, is amongst the vilest sins, since it takes the axe to the heart of what makes us human. Illustration: Simon Bosch We don't talk about beauty any more. Except in Trump terms ("a beautiful southern border wall"), beauty doesn't figure in the public debate. Wholly absent from our politics, it is seldom parsed even by our prophets or championed by those professionals for whom it is core business. This is especially strange. Every aspect of architecture or design structure, materials, sustainability, cost management is owned by some other specialist; except the beauty thing. The one act that is unique to the design professions is that for which no word exists; the verb "to synthesise the whole in a way that gives aesthetic and experiential delight". Beauty is design's core deliverable, but we cannot have the conversation, for we no longer command the language in which to conduct it. Earlier this year I visited the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre in Darwin, along with a number of other centres where children are detained across the country. The purpose of the visits was to see how young people were being treated and how their rights were being protected. I toured the facilities and spoke to just under 100 children and young people in detention. I made these visits before Four Corners revealed footage of young people being gassed, stripped, pinned down, hooded and trussed to a chair. When that story broke, we asked ourselves as a nation, "How did this happen on our watch?" Treating children in abusive ways and disregarding their basic human rights only reinforces their distrust of authority and cements in their minds that violence and aggression is normal. Credit:iStock The answer is a combination of institutional arrangements, poor conditions, low skills, a culture of impunity and punishment, and a lack of transparency. When I visited, Don Dale had all the hallmarks of an ageing maximum security adult facility. It was run down and many areas had no airconditioning, fans, or adequate natural light. Despite this, it appeared that children were often confined in these areas for lengthy periods. There were few activities or programs available and there was a harsh internal system of reward and punishment. Malcolm Turnbull's parliamentary year has ended, if not with the high marks he's awarded it, then with some salient accomplishments. The Registered Organisations bill was passed, the Australian Building and Construction Commission reinstated, and the backpacker tax issue settled. And last month the government navigated its superannuation changes through Parliament with Labor's support, saving the budget over $2.8 billion over four years. His government lacking a Senate majority, Mr Turnbull had to grant the crossbenchers concessions in order to get these bills passed. The Coalition's readiness to do this, some commentators have argued, has blunted the legislation's effectiveness and added nothing meaningful to the budget bottom line. That accusation probably matters little given the brief shelf life of so many political issues. Mr Turnbull has his list of achievements, and as first-term prime minister with aspirations for a second, he will trumpet these to voters. However, a realistic assessment of his performance since the July 2 election victory would be that it rated a D minus rather than a B or B plus. The ABCC bill was an important plank of the government's industrial relations policy. But claims it and the Registered Organisations bill will deliver significant economic benefits should be treated with scepticism. Indeed, so anxious was it to see the bills passed that the government acceded to Senator Derryn Hinch's demand that the ABCC's building code not apply to existing enterprise agreements until 2018. On budget repair, the Turnbull government's record since July 2 has been similarly spotty. While the superannuation changes delivered important savings, the attempt to impose a 32.5 per cent tax rate on backpackers (first announced in the budget and intended to save $540 million over the next three years) verged on the farcical. In response to complaints from farmers and orchardists, the government proposed dropping it to 19 per cent in September. It finally agreed to a 15 per cent tax rate this week along with a Greens demand for $100 million extra to be injected into the Landcare program. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during the last week of Parliament for the year. Credit:Andrew Meares We know that about half of Australian voters under the age of 30 don't think that democracy is necessarily the best form of government, as the annual Lowy polls show. Do we really think they, or any Australian, will be happy to see the next scandal? Because, as things are, we are absolutely guaranteed to see more scandals in federal politics. How can we predict this so confidently? Donald Trump demonstrated the enormous appeal of a candidate who promises to root out political corruption and fix a 'rigged system' that shuts out ordinary people. Credit:AP Because most of the biggest outrages of recent times have been entirely within the law. Clive Palmer showed how a rich guy can set up a political party, spend a few million to get a team elected, then conduct himself with flagrant conflict of interest with complete impunity. A miner who votes to repeal a mining tax, for instance. All within the rules. He would likely be in Parliament still if his business hadn't collapsed so spectacularly. Sam Dastyari showed how a politician on the make can tap corporate cash at will for personal expenses of any sort. Public outrage forced him to resign from Labor's frontbench but he remains a senator. All within the rules. The Turnbull government showed in the Bob Day case how a government can pass laws with the cooperation of someone who potentially wasn't eligible to sit in Parliament. Those possibly illicit votes stand. All within the rules. Labor's Bill Shorten has just shown in the Kimberley Kitching case how a political party can bring into the Senate as senator a person whom a royal commission has nominated for further investigation for possible criminal fraud. All within the rules.There is no federal body, no federal official, with the duty to screen these characters before admitting them to Parliament, nor the power to initiate an investigation on its own initiative. And remember that the Commonwealth is a much bigger creature than the 226 MPs and senators. It has a quarter of a million employees and a budget approaching half a trillion dollars a year. A recent survey by the Australian Public Service Commission reported that, over the past year, more than 3000 federal public servants had seen inappropriate or illegal behaviour at work - including conflicts of interest, nepotism, blackmail, bribery fraud and collusion with criminals. Only one-third said they reported the malfeasance; the other two-thirds said they weren't sure how to report corruption. The Australian politician who can best campaign to clean up Canberra will win the same enormous popular support that Trump tapped. Trump has shown the way. Which Australian politician will be the one to take up the opportunity? To be fair, some politicians have made serious efforts to fix the system. Senator Nick Xenophon has used his position as part of the balance of power to force the government to introduce laws to protect and to compensate whistleblowers. The Greens have spent the past five years campaigning for a federal anti-corruption body along the lines of the Independent Commission Against Corruption. They have legislation before the Parliament. The government is flatly opposed. Labor has always been flatly opposed but Bill Shorten has more recently said he has an open mind. The Turnbull government gets credit for two major initiatives. It has started a serious assault against tax evasion by multinational corporations. Just this week it published draft legislation for a "Google tax". Second, this week it won parliamentary passage of the bills to restore the Australian Building and Construction Commission, designed to attack thuggery and corruption in the construction sector. Labor, in its shameful role as the political protective service for the CFMEU, is part of the problem. But the clean-up required is far greater than either of the majors has yet admitted. The major parties are the creators and beneficiaries of this system. So the major parties are the most reluctant to reform. Yet they are the ones with most to lose. The new populism afoot in the West shows a tremendous underlying frustration with "the establishment" and "the system". Someone, one day, will unleash the same movement here. Will it be Pauline Hanson? If Malcolm Turnbull or Bill Shorten were truly smart, or truly public-minded, or both, they would return to Parliament in the New Year and declare a crusade to clean up politics. Anyone serious about draining the swamp of Australian federal corruption and collusion will have these five items on their checklist, at a bare minimum: 1. Australia needs a federal anti-corruption body. Along the lines of the ICAC, but learning the lessons of the NSW experience. It needs the power to initiate investigations. It needs to be put beyond the reach of political interference, which means it must have statutory independence. 2. The federal parliament needs to create a code of conduct for MPs and senators, and it needs a parliamentary integrity commissioner to enforce it. The commissioner's office could be modelled on the Parliamentary Budget Office, independent and properly resourced. It should screen all incoming members as well as monitoring existing ones. 3. A recent, unpublished review of the Finance Department, led by former Howard government minister Warwick Smith, recommends that the system of parliamentary entitlements should be taken out of the department and set up as a separate body. 4. Political funding needs wholesale reform: full and immediate "real time" disclosure and strict limits. The restrictions need to apply to third-party campaigning too - by companies and unions and others - or they will be bypassed. 5. Ministers' contacts with lobbyists and any other favour-seeking or vested-interest outfits need to be disclosed immediately, together with the subjects of the meetings or phone calls. The Queensland system is the most rigorous and could be a good starting point. Loading In 1964, Hans Pearson an Aboriginal man with a wife, Anna, and eight children was granted an exemption from the legislative scheme under which wages earned by Indigenous people (mainly stockmen) in Queensland were paid into a state-run fund. So he went to the Innisfail Police Station, where a sergeant was also protector of Aborigines, to seek repayment of the wages he had earned over the past nine years at various cattle stations in Queensland. The Innisfail sergeant wrote to the Department of Native Affairs in Brisbane, which authorised the Palm Island protector of Aborigines to send Pearson's money to Innisfail, which he did. Aboriginal stockmen in the Northern Territory in 1954. It was illegal to pay Indigenous workers until the 1960s. Credit:Alan Lambert Anna Pearson calculated they would get more than 2000($4000), enough then to buy a house and car and to set the family up. But when the Pearsons arrived at the Innisfail Police Station for payment, they were given just 26, 15 shillings and 2 pence. They were devastated and condemned to a life of penury, a life on the edge. Essentially, he had worked nine years for next to nothing. Con Vaitsas Ashbury The debacle over the backpackers tax demonstrates why the public is so enraged by politicians. Throughout this saga all sides have shown that they don't care about what is good for Australia or for Australians, or even for the backpackers. All they care about is being able to trumpet that they "won". While most members of Parliament have always been people of little or no stature, with neither substance nor principle, the Prime Minister started in Parliament as a man with some moral standing, appearing to have both beliefs and a desire to achieve something meaningful. But the past year has seen him shrink before our eyes as he has abandoned almost everything he once claimed to stand for. As I watched Mr Turnbull crow about his wonderful achievements this year I realised that he had finally reached the logical conclusion of his journey as Prime Minister. He ends the year equal in stature to those who surround him in Parliament. He has become a moral pygmy. William Kennedy Blaxland Royal Randwick a starter for makeover If as you say, you are going to be lynched Kim Woo (Letters, December 2) for your proposal to move Randwick Racecourse west, it won't be by the Baird government or their developer mates. I suspect they have begun their initial feasibility study, no doubt with proposals for "early community consultation". My proposal is for a "people's development" of Randwick Racecourse. First, a substantial sector adjacent to Alison Road would be added to Centennial Parklands which may assist in remediation of damage caused by destruction of trees for the light rail. In addition, there should be a green corridor as far as practicable next to the remaining boundaries of the racecourse. Second, a substantial part should be used for social and affordable housing, perhaps with some of it for tenants evicted from The Rocks and those evicted because of future developments. Third, some land for UNSW, yes, but affordable student housing will be needed nearby. And let's not forget some land for Prince of Wales Hospital. Sorry, I have just realised I forgot about affordable housing for the rich. I expect the Baird government will take care of that. Geoffrey Williamson Woollahra Backpack attacks tax the imagination All this week we've been hearing the phrase "backpacker tax". Was I the only one who kept hearing that as "backpack attacks", and envisaged either backpackers being attacked, or someone being attacked by backpacks? Mona Finley Darlington Point Cruise ship threat needs to be arrested The cruise liner industry, now riding high on the crest of a wave, places a heavy burden on the environment ("Pollution emission cap on cruise ships", December 2). The burning of sulphur fuel while at port creates asthma-inducing conditions and, long term, the carcinogens emitted cause premature deaths. Below the Plimsoll line the environment is also blighted. In the US this week Carnival Corporation Princess Cruise Lines pleaded guilty and will pay a $US40 million criminal penalty for "illegal dumping of oil-contaminated waste ". This illegality, of using bypass equipment, goes back to 2005 (ironically named " The magic pipe " ) As cruise liners get bigger and passengers increase, now is the time for this industry to be more proactive in reducing air and water pollution. Cornelius van der Weyden Balmain East Wheels on the bus are ground aground How can buses run on time when they have to contend with traffic ("Sydney buses 'almost never' run on time", December 2)? Gary Frances Bexley Fear wins, freedom loses as barriers go up After the protests at Parliament House I am becoming increasingly disturbed by the reaction to the protests from both sides of the house. Now I hear that the house is to be surrounded by fencing and that the lawns are to be declared off limits to the people ("Murcutt lashes out at Parliament's 'noose'," December 2). I seem to recall periods when the statesmanlike reaction to protests was to proudly declare that you believed in free speech. It showed a level of confidence in your position and that you didn't need to silence the opposition, or "control the message", because you were welcoming of the debate, a debate that can be won on merit. I keep wondering where this is all heading. It's certainly not in the direction of a fair and equitable Australia. Michael Slocum Ascot Vale When we have a government that is prepared to send asylum seekers to offshore detention centres and claim to be creating a "ring of steel" around our borders, it seems depressingly obvious that said government would think it a good idea to erect fencing and other questionable security measures around Parliament House. Andrew Schofield Mt Kembla Lock the rabble in and give them a taste of what it's like to be an asylum seeker. Helen Purdy Guildford Forlorn Brandis stuck in a bad place Poor beleaguered George Brandis. Calls for his resignation on many fronts. And now, in Moir's Friday cartoon, being cast as Mr Toad, having superglued himself firmly to the Attorney-General's chair. He can't even console himself by singing It's not easy being Green. The senator deserves better. Joan Brown Orange George Brandis' ongoing positions of either not knowing or knowing in a different sense to other outstanding legal minds is a dispiriting stance ("No Brexit: PM rejects calls to show Brandis the door", December 2). A man appointed for his outstanding levels of understanding of law, human behaviour and justice, is now walking the national stage proclaiming ignorance and misinterpretation on questions of ethics and principle. It is clear the tax office is entitled to ask to be considered in any question of tax liabilities. It is clear that Mr Gleeson was right to submit such questions to the High Court. It is clear society has lost Justin Gleeson as he was not prepared to do favour over law. What is not clear is exactly how much more sinister behaviour can be readily accepted as reasonable account, simply by way of issuing a quick word or two in the hollow traditions of deep denial. It is so very poor and so very sad. David Gunter Arncliffe Rainforest disaster For how much longer do we have to read about these depressing court cases where the environment comes out in second place ("Court loss a threat to rainforest" December 2)? We all speak about the need to protect our increasingly fragile Earth. Yet these sorts of decisions continue to be made by governments, by courts and by administrators. The Leuser rainforest is a place that needs absolute protection no one should even need to give that notion a second thought. How does a court in Jakarta reach a decision that so jeopardises another of the planet's diminishing environmental jewels? Michael O'Brien Newtown Not PC, by George For all this talk of tolerance and respectful two-way discourse, I'm pretty sure George Christensen doesn't give a fig about any of my opinions (Letters, December 2). He dismisses the likes me as bleeding heart, inner-city, latte-sippers. So much for political correctness. Anthony van den Broek Erskineville Praising the flag Flag burning seems to have stirred up quite a hornet's nest (Letters, December 2). Can I add what an American friend once pointed out. That, "the main reason I don't want to burn my flag is that I can." Tom Orren Wamberal It doesn't add up but does anyone care? From the NSW Board of Studies list of HSC subjects, there are nearly 100 in total. Of these just 12 cover maths and science (Letters, December 2). Over the last 50 years we have seen an increase in the number of language subjects to 40, and introduction of many social subjects like "Community and Family Studies", "Society and Culture" and "Life Skills". This has inevitably meant less focus on maths and science. Indeed maths, at even a "vegie" level, is no longer obligatory. It is therefore hardly surprising that we have fallen behind other countries that see maths and science as of paramount importance. But doubtless our students are more advanced in understanding social issues. After all, we can always do maths on our i-phones and carry on importing the doctors and engineers and scientists we need. Geoff Dunsford Lindfield I worked with a man who retired in 2003 having taught since 1957. He used to say that when he started teaching he was told not to chase a girl, a bus or an educational idea as another one would come along in 20 minutes. Make of this what you will. Susan McMahon Lismore Heights Reporter missing from Obeid action Kate McClymont's name seems to be conspicuously missing from Mr Obeid's list of character witnesses I wonder why? ("Cast of characters rallies behind Obeid", December 2). John de Bres Rose Bay I hereby nominate "Eddie Obeid: The Collected Character References" as Best Comedy of the Year. David Thomson Port Macquarie Cyclists already pay What tax does Louise Luscombe (Letters, December 2) think cyclists don't pay? Is she another believer in the mythical "road tax"? Roads are funded from general taxation. Motor vehicle tax? That works out at about 20 a kilogram. Where do I send my $2. It would be nice if people would learn that every cyclist they see while driving is actually subsidising their chosen mode of travel. James Gray Epping Since they just will not keep to the roads, may I suggest , when cyclists ride on the footpath, they keep to the odd-numbered side. Then elderly me and my two tiny dogs might be safer. Susan Margan Epping Another stolen generation I wonder if Mike Baird will be compensating the white stolen generation as well ("Baird government to offer reparations to Stolen Generations", December 2). Peter Miniutti Ashbury Postscript: Maths students of Kazakhstan deserve congratulations Maths students of Kazakhstan take a bow. When our front page story blared "Australian students fare worse than Kazakhstan in maths and science", readers were quick to provide some solutions to the problem: "what's wrong with maths standards in Australia?". As Peter Baker of Smiths Lake pointed out: "It's seems that despite the brilliance shown by its maths and science students, the country of Kazakhstan continues to be used as an example of what a country shouldn't be.... The story also gave a backhander to our students.. Is this the best you can achieve?" Maths students of Kazakhstan take a bow. When our front page story blared "Australian students fare worse than Kazakhstan in maths and science", readers were quick to provide some solutions to the problem: "what's wrong with maths standards in Australia?". As Peter Baker of Smiths Lake pointed out: "It's seems that despite the brilliance shown by its maths and science students, the country of Kazakhstan continues to be used as an example of what a country shouldn't be.... The story also gave a backhander to our students.. Is this the best you can achieve?" But as Robert Fisher, a senior lecturer in human geography at the University of Sydney notes, we should not dismiss this central Asian country as some mathematical backwater. "The reality is that Kazakhstan and neighbouring Kyrgyzstan had excellent education systems during the time they were part of the Soviet Union and have strong continuing traditions valuing literacy and education, especially in science. The current Russian launch site for space missions is in Kazakhstan." Blame Borat for the image problem. Many of our readers did. Another way to look at the equation, suggests Mark d'Arbon of Chittaway Bay is this: "When considering international league tables, it might be worth considering that Australian students' results may not have plummeted, but that student results from Kazakhstan (and other countries) may have soared. If so, then congratulations to them. If I were from Kazakhstan (or other states mentioned) I would at least be a little insulted by the inferences that can be drawn from this article." Kevin Keane of Woollahra had the final word: "The answer is to get Kazakhstani teachers over on 457 visas, win win." Illustration: Ron Tandberg. Helen Pitt Letters Co-editor Of course, politics, like nature, abhors a vacuum. The Liberals' resistance to the idea of individual liberty made room for a splinter group known as the Libertarians to emerge. Some Libertarians are socialist, some are anarchists and Senator Leyonhjelm, the sole member of the Liberal Democrats in the Parliament, is often described as an "ultra-libertarian". I'm not sure what that means either, but in summary the Libertarians are a bit more liberal than the Liberals and tend to oppose regulation of most markets and most regulation of most bedrooms. Despite the addition of the term "ultra" in front of the ideology of Libertarianism, Senator Leyonhjelm has shown himself willing to support regulations, red tape and reductions in liberty whenever he sees fit. But while such "ideological flexibility" is not unprecedented, his creation this week of the idea of "liberty offsets" appears to be a world first. Perhaps the most famous summation of libertarianism is the statement, sometimes attributed to Voltaire, that "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it". But this week Senator Leyonhjelm effectively created a new philosophical paradigm which could be summarised as, "while I wholly disapprove of what you say and while I could defend to the death your right to say it, I have decided instead to support the rights of an unrelated group to say something different". In describing his approach to negotiating with the Turnbull government over the introduction of new red tape designed to reduce the liberty of construction workers, Senator Leyonhjelm said: "[The government has] gone to two elections on it [the ABCC], they are passionate about it and the way I figured it, getting them to modify their own bill when they've got so much invested in it was probably not going to be very successful at all. Whereas I could get the liberty offsets in other areas that were worthwhile having." These offsets included designating that the ABC and SBS divert funding into having public board meetings in locations to be chosen by a politician, and ensuring that the Council of Australian Governments meeting looks into reforming court suppression orders. Again, in his own words, Senator Leyonhjelm declared, "The whole idea of these negotiations has been to offset any lost freedoms by introducing new ones". George Christensen has laughed off becoming an internet sensation for posing for a photo in a singlet with a whip, saying jokes at his expense are like "water off a duck's back". Mr Christensen, the member for Dawson in north Queensland, posed for the photo for a profile of him in Saturday's Good Weekend magazine. The image went viral when a preview of the cover was posted on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon. ABC News Breakfast host Virginia Trioli on Friday described it as "an astonishing portrait that will go down in Australian political history". "I haven't stopped hearing about it since question time on Wednesday afternoon," Mr Christensen told Fairfax Media. Properties granted to World War II veterans are among 150,000 hectares of farmland in northern Queensland that the Defence Department has earmarked for acquisition to allow Singaporean soldiers more room to train on Australian soil. A group of 23 families who stand to lose their grazing properties have accused Defence of conducting a domestic "invasion" and a "land grab" on behalf of Singapore and say they will not sell. They fear that Defence will roll over the top of them via compulsory acquisition, although so far officials have only said in letters that the properties are in an "expansion zone" and have requested face-to-face meetings with owners. The move to expand the Army's high range training area west of Townsville is the result of a $2.2 billion deal signed in May in which the Turnbull government agreed to allow 14,000 Singaporean soldiers to train each year at Townsville and Shoalwater Bay, near Rockhampton, by 2021. The woman who would have been James Packer's first mother-in-law, Pru Goward, has some advice for the unlucky-in-love billionaire: "marry your mother". Well, at least that's what Goward, the NSW Minister for Domestic Violence and mother of the socialite formerly known as Kate Fischer, told PS on Tuesday in the makeup room at Channel Seven's Martin Place Studios. Pru Goward: James Packer "needs to marry his mother." Credit:Janie Barrett "He needs a woman who is going to be able to mother him in many ways ... he needs to marry his mother," Goward said as she was being made up for her appearance to talk about the infinitely more serious topic of domestic violence. Indeed she may have a point. Packer matriarch Ros Packer played the role of dutiful wife with aplomb for Kerry Packer, a man even his closest friends say was not the easiest person to get along with. "I like to create strong compositionally balanced images", Cabramatta: A Moment in Time. Credit:Markus Andersen Walking through Cabramatta you can feel you are in a South East Asian city to my knowledge there is no other place like it in Australia, an undiluted experience that is a true visceral and sensory onslaught. You use high-contrast light situations quite a lot with shadows being blacked out. What was the intention of using that technique? "Cabramatta has a character and real individual identity", Cabramatta: A Moment in Time. Credit:Markus Andersen There are multiple reasons for using this the blinding sun and heavy shadows. Firstly I wanted to convey the dense Australian light in the images. Sidewalks drenched in hard sun, enveloping subjects and the deep recesses of shadow. Additionally, I wanted the images to feel as if a veil of heavy humidity or heat had been layered over the subjects and the environment they inhabit. It does get very hot in Cabramatta in summer and I wanted to reflect overwhelming nature of this element. "Shooting was simply reacting to the world before me", Cabramatta: A Moment in Time. Credit:Markus Andersen Further, I like to create strong compositionally balanced images like a piece of design. Using high-contrast ambient lighting and a certain exposure technique I can structure images graphically and create a visual dance between light and shade. To me, this series shows glimpses of a gritty, multicultural side of Sydney. Was this what you were trying to convey that Cabramatta is a complicated place? I wanted to convey that Cabramatta is very real visual and sensory experience the streets, laneways, shops et cetera are very much a living, organic and constantly moving environment. Cabramatta is on many levels is like any busy South East Asian city: there is grit, there are intense smells and rough edges but that is what makes Cabramatta so unique it is not diluted like so much of Sydney is nowadays. Cabramatta has a character and real individual identity, it has heart and it is a truly complex multi-layered environment it is like another country existing within Sydney. What do you look for when taking street photos for a series like Cabramatta? When shooting in Cabramatta it was twofold: When observing life I can just "feel" that something has visual potential. I react instantly and quickly knowing that if I stop to think I will miss that fleeting moment. I guess I can't explain why my brain connects visual elements quickly and tells me that combination of elements within a scene might be good. I find it very hard to explain, it is like an extra visual perception of the surroundings and the subjects that inhabit the space. Alternatively, found a specific location and waited and waited for something unusual or odd to occur. Always looking for that rupture in the everyday to create something unique, unusual and surprising. I suppose it is like a theatre play I have my stage, my lighting and I just wait for the subjects to play their part. What's your professional process? Did much planning go into this series or is it very much "off the cuff" reacting to daily life as you see it? Did you do any "camping out" at a particular location, for example? Apart from structuring the body of work to be shot only over a single year and attending planned festivals and events, the shooting was simply reacting to the world before me in Cabramatta. With the street portraiture series some elements were planned in terms of timing and locations. I wanted to exist as a ghost and just flow through the streets undetected so I would not interfere in any way with the cycle of daily life in the suburb. The NSW government has sold an historic Sydney property to one of Sydney's most expensive private schools, despite public school enrolments surging in the area over the past four years. The Scots College, which has its headquarters in Bellevue Hill, is expanding its footprint into south Sydney by snapping up Primrose House on Botany Bay, a property reportedly worth $15 million. A Fairfax Media analysis of Department of Education and Department of Planning projections shows that school age student growth is set to boom by up to 20 per cent in the Kogarah, Botany and Rockdale local government areas over the next decade. Local public schools Ramsgate and Carlton South have already seen enrolments surge by up to 16 per cent since 2012, while Kogarah High has grown by as much as 30 per cent. There is a booming industry of human exploitation in Australia and the responses to it by both government and industry have been manifestly inadequate. Their failure has lent an air of invincibility to those who run crooked labour-hire syndicates. These are big operations; they supply thousands of underpaid and often indentured migrant workers to farms, poultry sheds, cleaning companies, security firms, convenience stores and petrol stations. Potential illegal labourers try to escape a police and immigration raid on the Vizzarri asparagus farm at Koo Wee Rup, Victoria. Credit:Joe Armao These operators have perfected the art of exploiting Australia's visa and asylum protection regime to import and exploit unskilled and unlawful workers people who have no rights and who typically get paid half the lawful minimum wage, from which they must subtract money to pay rent and other costs to their labour-hire bosses. It is farcical, given the focus on "border security" that underpins our political debate, that one of the frontline agencies fighting the problem, the Australian Border Force, is operating under legislation that effectively allows shonky labour-hire operators to operate with relative impunity. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks has called for greater protection of cultural artefacts. Credit:Stuart Walmsley The brutal murder of Asaad coincided with the ongoing destruction of cultural treasures in war-torn nations across the world. In Palmyra, which was reclaimed by Syrian government forces in March, IS fundamentalists smashed sarcophagi, broke open tombs, severed the heads of statues and defaced murals. The Temple of Ba'al, which was visited by 150,000 tourists each year until war broke out in 2011, and parts of the Arch of Triumph, which dates back to the 3rd century AD, were reduced to rubble by explosives. Elsewhere, the world has been shocked by the destruction wrought at Iraq's National Museum and the Taliban's demolition of the monumental Buddhas of Bamiyan, in central Afghanistan, in 2001. Smoke from the detonation of a 2000-year-old temple in Palmyra.The image was released on an IS social media account. Credit:AP The growing toll of such destruction is "heartbreaking", says Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks. The deliberate targeting of such objects has "devastated" cities such as Palmyra. "When you see this determination to eradicate the records of any previous culture or way of thinking, it is such an arid and soul-destroying way of being," she says. "It is profoundly devastating. It is almost a weapon of morale against the people you are fighting, because these are the things that are fundamental to yourself and your culture. It would be like someone shelling the Sydney Opera House." Vandalism at the Palmyra Museum. Credit:SANA via AP The Australian-born author has added her voice to a campaign calling for governments to provide greater protection to the world's cultural treasures. Her contribution comes ahead of a Red Cross-hosted conference on the protection of such artefacts, in Adelaide on December 7 and 8. Brooks says she witnessed such destruction first-hand while working as a journalist in Sarajevo during the Bosnian war in the early 1990s. "When you saw the ruins of the Bosnian national library that had been deliberately targeted with phosphorous bombs and you witnessed the shelling of the national museum, you realised it was a war not just against people but a war against their common culture," she says, on the phone from her home at Martha's Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts. A destroyed statue outside the damaged Palmyra Museum. Credit:AP One night during the siege of Sarajevo, she heard about a Muslim librarian who had risked his life to protect the Sarajevo Haggadah, a centuries-old Hebrew text, during the shelling of the museum that stood across the road from her hotel. The true story, which inspired her best-selling novel People of the Book, illustrated to her how such objects unify people of different religions and cultures. "It is a way of connecting us with other people through the objects that have value to them," she says. Damage at the ancient ruins of Palmyra. Credit:AP "I talked to people who said they didn't have money for food because they had bought a replica of the Haggadah on the street during the war, because it represented what they were trying to survive for that they wouldn't succumb to this idea of demonising each other." It's a message that should resonate in peacetime in Australia as well. "There are incredible cultural riches in the Northern Territory and Western Australia that are threatened constantly by mining interests," she says. "We have the oldest material culture in the world and are we protecting it sufficiently against commercial interests? I don't believe it for a minute." Two defaced busts recovered from Palymra on display in Rome at an exhibition called "Reborn from the Destructions". Credit:AP Under international conventions, the deliberate destruction of cultural property is considered a war crime and those responsible can be held criminally responsible. In September, the International Criminal Court sentenced an Islamic militant to nine years in prison for directing the destruction of religious monuments in Mali's ancient city of Timbuktu, in 2012. Former al-Qaeda militant Ahmad al-Faqi al-Main was the first person to be tried by the court for war crimes over the destruction of cultural heritage. The shrines were "the heart of Mali's cultural heritage", said Judge Raul Cano Pangalangan in his judgment. The prison term would deter future attacks on cultural artefacts across the world, he said. "Their destruction does not just affect the direct victims of the crimes, but people throughout Mali and the international community." Australian Red Cross director of humanitarian law Phoebe Wynn-Pope says an enormous stock of cultural objects have been damaged or destroyed in recent conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. But governments everywhere must do more to protect and preserve such objects, she says. Australia is a signatory to the 1954 Hague convention for the protection of cultural property but has not signed either of its two protocols, which include measures for preventing the exportation of cultural objects and for their restitution. Wynn-Pope says signing the protocols would bolster the significance of such provisions. "It is possible to become complacent when we live so far from the troubles of the world. But as a strong international citizen with a strong belief and trust in the rule of law, it is really important to be demonstrating best practice," she says. "Protecting cultural objects which could be letters or books or works of art or pieces of music helps protect whole people's history and culture and identity. When you come out of conflict and still have things you can identify with, it helps to create an environment where the future can be built and the past isn't completely destroyed." UNESCO, the United Nations cultural agency, said in April that Palmyra had retained much of its integrity and authenticity, "despite the destruction of several iconic edifices" by IS, which equates such objects with the renunciation of religious beliefs. The city was once "one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world", it said. From the 1st to 2nd century AD, it "stood at the crossroads of several civilisations" with its art and architecture mixing Greek, Roman and Persian influences. Hariri, who manages Palmyra's museum, says work has begun on the mammoth task of reversing the damage to the city's artefacts. "If God wills, it will all be repaired," he says. Limits are being imposed on freight trains running over the rail bridge connecting Sydney with the Central Coast and Newcastle, after engineering reports found cracking in the bridge's concrete and "consistent defects" in its steel frame. A "load rating and fatigue assessment report" prepared for Sydney Trains in July and obtained by Fairfax Media recommends strengthening of the upper sections of the Hawkesbury River rail bridge. Belated investigations in 2015 showed significant corrosion on a pier supporting the Hawkesbury River Rail Bridge. Subsequent investigations have shown corrosion in its upper sections. Credit:Marina Neil The emergence of the report comes after the Labor opposition helped expose crumbling in one of the concrete piers of the bridge, as well as the initial failure of Sydney Trains to conduct recommended repairs. Fairfax Media subsequently reported transport authorities did not know the strength or carrying capacity of about a quarter of the state's rail bridges a fact Transport for NSW and Sydney Trains first tried to deny. Sorry may be the hardest word, but it appears to be paying dividends for Premier Mike Baird and the Coalition government. When in October Baird faced the media to announce a humiliating back down on the push to shut down greyhound racing in NSW, many saw it as damaging to his credibility, given he had spent months arguing the ban was "the right thing to do". But some inside his party room saw things differently. One Liberal MP described Baird as "empowered" by his admission that he got it wrong, comparing it favourably to the approach of former prime minister John Howard or former Queensland premier Peter Beattie. The career of high-profile Queensland police officer Chris Hurley is in tatters after he was convicted of assault today at Southport Magistrates Court. Senior Sergeant Hurley has been fined $900 and had convictions recorded after being found guilty of assaulting Luke Cole during a roadside arrest in 2013. Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley pictured in Townsville in 2007. Credit:Ian Hitchcock Hurley was convicted on two counts of common assault when he appeared in Southport Magistrates Court on Friday. Hurley was found not guilty on two further counts of common assault. An 18-year-old man wanted for questioning by police has turned himself in, after a man was shot dead on the Gold Coast. After walking in to Southport Police Station unarmed, the man is now assisting police with their investigation at into the death of Jason Boyd, 41, who was killed at his Carrara home on Friday morning. Police interview witnesses at the scene of a shooting at Carrara, on the Gold Coast. Credit:Carrie Greenbank/Nine News The man's lawyer, Michael Gatenby, has told Nine News his client accidentally shot Mr Boyd after a night of partying. "Look he's absolutely devastated, these two were good friends. The account we've initially been provided with is it's just a tragic accident," Mr Gatenby said. Five people were taken to hospital in heat related incidents on the second day of high temperatures for the sunshine state. Queensland Ambulance Service were called to 12 heatwave related situations on Friday, taking the total of heatwave call outs to 19 for the first two days of summer. Queensland's inland centres are set to be hot well in to next week. Credit:Leigh Henningham While coastal regions will escape extreme temperatures, heatwave conditions for inland Queensland are forecast to extend well into next week. Senior Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Michelle Berry said "We won't see any real relief from the heat until mid-to-late next week." Helsinki: Queensland is set to host an offshoot of Europe's massive Slush start-up conference with hopes the event, also an X-factor-style talent quest for inventors, will become the "Ibiza of tech" for the Asia Pacific. Called "Myriad," the event is the brainchild of Estonian Martin Talvari, formerly of Slush, and Australian entrepreneur Murray Galbraith. The pair have been heavily backed with more than $2 million in funding by the Queensland Government through 2019, but Talvari said this was only the beginning. "Anyone can run an event. This is about catalysing a movement. If people think we are building just another tech conference we've already failed," he said. While start-up culture encourages failure early and often, Slush is nothing but a straight up success story. It began in 2008 with just six entrepreneurs in Finland creating meet-ups with like-minded inventors through professional "speed dates" and "inspirational talks." But when the six handed Slush over to the Aalto University student community in 2011, the conference doubled in size every year until 2014, drawing industry heavyweights to its stage including big names from giants like Spotify, Tindr, LinkedIn, Flickr and Skype. In 2016 it reached its "critical mass" with 17,500 attendees, including 2336 start-ups, 1146 investors and 610 local and international journalists. A fugitive paedophile who escaped a mental health facility in Melbourne has been caught hundreds of kilometres away in Warrnambool, the town where he raped a child. Christopher Austin, 22, was arrested at a home in Warrnambool about 12.30pm on Friday and taken into custody after 10 days on the run. Christopher Austin, 22, escaped from a Fairfield disability and forensic treatment centre. He had been at large since he scaled a large fence to escape from the Disability Forensic Assessment and Treatment Service in Fairfield on Tuesday, November 22. Austin was serving a five-year sentence in the facility after he was found guilty in 2013 of the rape of a young boy at a Warrnambool party. An organised crime figure's girlfriend has been shot in a drive-by shooting targeting her boyfriend, a former senior member of the Rebels outlaw motorcycle gang. Just before 1am on Tuesday, Mohamed Hamoud, a one-time sergeant-at-arms of the club, was outside his Thomastown home and walking to his car when an assailant opened fire from another car that had pulled into the cul-de-sac moments earlier. There has been a wave of gun-related violence in Mlebourne's north in recent years. Credit:Joe Armao Fairfax Media understands Mr Hamoud's girlfriend was shot twice in the leg after she opened the front door of the home in the middle of the attack. The woman, in her 30s, was driven to hospital by an associate of Mr Hamoud, who was not injured. Police are looking for a possible connoisseur after a $250 bottle of French wine was taken from a Toorak liquor store. A woman entered the Toorak Road store and allegedly put the bottle of wine in her handbag about 1.30pm on Sunday, November 20, police said. She then left the store without paying for the wine. Police are looking for a woman over a $250 bottle of wine taken from a Toorak Road liquor store. Police have released images of a woman they believe may be able to assist in their investigation. The woman is believed to be in her 50s, about 169 centimetres tall and has reddish hair. Hamilton was the elected East St. Louis Township Supervisor. As part of the plea, Hamilton admitted engaging in a scheme to defraud from March of 2011 continuing through June of 2016 where he charged personal purchases on the Townships credit card and misrepresented that the use of public funds was for legitimate public purposes. As part of the plea, Hamilton admitted that the loss is more than $40,000 but not more than $95,000 and that he abused a position of public trust. The specific wire transmission charged was the use of the East St. louis Township credit card to purchase airline tickets to Las Vegas for personal purposes. Hamilton is on bond pending sentencing but was required, effective immediately, to remove himself from the finances of the Township, until the effective date of his resignation from office. Hamilton is also to promptly resign from his other public positions as a board member of St. Clair County and as a board member of the East Side Health District. Under the anticipated advisory Sentencing Guidelines, the sentencing range would be six months to eighteen months in prison. Under the terms of the plea, Hamilton is agreeing to recommend to the Court that the appropriate sentence is a year and a day in prison. A New Zealand father-of-four was among the eight people who died from thunderstorm asthma during the health crisis that hit Melbourne. It was originally thought that Sam Lau, 49, was the ninth victim but Fairfax Media understands his death was included in the eight already reported by authorities. Mr Lau, who is originally from Wellington, had been living in Melbourne with his wife and two young children for the past year, Stuff has reported. The father-of-four was hospitalised at Austin Hospital after suffering "sudden onset asthma" after the storm struck on Monday, November 21. A 24-year-old learner driver was caught allegedly driving unaccompanied at 140km/h, double the speed limit, in Melbourne's west on Friday afternoon. Police say they were patrolling Taylors Road, St Albans about 3pm when they saw a black Honda coupe travelling north at high speed in a 70km/h zone. Unaccompanied learner driver caught allegedly driving double the speed limit in St Albans. Credit:Cathryn Tremain They stopped the car at Ibsley Court and spoke to the driver who police say was driving unaccompanied. The St Albans man's car was immediately impounded for 30 days under anti-hoon legislation at the cost of $887 to the driver. West Australian Corrections Minister Joe Francis has unleashed on controversial One Nation founder David Oldfield after he was questioned about refusing the former government staffer entry to a WA prison. While appearing on SBS program First Contact, Mr Oldfield attempted to board a bus on route to a remote Aboriginal prison in WA but was then told by host Ray Martin he had been barred by Mr Francis. Mr Oldfield told Fairfax Media he suspected he had been refused based on a feud from his days as a staffer in Tony Abbott's office. "We just didn't get along. He was probably aware I didn't think very much of him. But back then, nobody much did," he said. Brasilia: Brazil's Supreme Court has charged the president of the Senate, Renan Calheiros, with embezzlement in a ruling that is expected to fan growing tensions between the judiciary and Congress over corruption cases. The top court voted to try the senator for billing the Senate for car rentals with false contracts. He is accused of paying a rental company 44.8 million reais ($16.9 million) in 2005 for services not rendered and subsequently receiving a loan from it of 178 million reais, Brazilian media reported. Brazil's Senate President Renan Calheiros, left, and Brazilian Federal Judge Sergio Moro, who is leading the Petrobras corruption attend a Senate session in Brasilia on Thursday. Credit:AP But the court dismissed charges he had falsified documents, including receipts for cow sales, to mask palimony payments in a nine-year-old case involving a daughter Calheiros had in an extramarital affair. Renan, a key ally for President Michel Temer's drive to restore fiscal discipline and pull Brazil from recession, faces 11 investigations for corruption, eight of them for what prosecutors describe as kickbacks in a massive graft scandal centred on state-run oil company Petrobras. He is not required to stand down during the proceedings. Vienna: Russian President Vladimir Putin has been credited with a key role in helping Middle East and OPEC rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia set aside their many differences to forge the cartel's first oil deal with Russia in 15 years. Interventions ahead of Wednesday's OPEC meeting came at key moments from Mr Putin, Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani, OPEC and non-OPEC sources said. Mr Putin's role underlines the rising influence of Russia in the Middle East since its military intervention in the Syrian civil war just over a year ago, stepping into the vacuum created by the Obama administration's differences with its traditional allies in the Arab world. Mr Putin met Prince Mohammed bin Salman in September on the sidelines of a G20 gathering in China. Ankara: Iran threatened on Friday to retaliate against a US Senate vote to extend the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) for 10 years, saying it violated last year's deal with six major powers that curbed its nuclear programme. The ISA was first adopted in 1996 to punish investments in Iran's energy industry and deter its alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons. The extension was passed unanimously on Thursday. US officials said the ISA's renewal would not infringe on the nuclear agreement, under which Iran agreed to limit its sensitive atomic activity in return for the lifting of international financial sanctions that harmed its oil-based economy. But senior Iranian officials took odds with that view. Iran's nuclear energy chief, Ali Akbar Salehi, who played a central role in reaching the nuclear deal, described the extension as a "clear violation" if implemented. In a scathing critique, progressive commentator Paul Waldman writes in The American Prospect: "So in order to take on that global power structure, Trump is hiring a bunch of billionaires and Wall Street tycoons, cutting taxes for corporations and the wealthy, scaling back regulatory oversight of Wall Street, and offering an infrastructure plan that consists mostly of tax breaks to corporations to encourage them to build projects that they'll then charge the public tolls in order to use." As the President-elect assembles his cabinet and White House team, old lines of Washington power, financial and political, are so apparent that some who voted for the New York realtor and reality TV star might wonder if this really is how to make America great again. DC's reliable revolving door spins dizzily. Trusted corners of the corporate world throw up appointees; and old-boy political networks we were assured had been rendered impotent by campaign combat seem to be merging effortlessly into a power matrix that will define Trump's Washington more than half Trump's nine key appointments to date are considered to be "accomplished Washington insiders". There was an intake of breath on Wednesday when Trump confirmed that his nominee for Treasury Secretary is one-time Goldman Sachs banker and Hollywood movie investor Steven Mnuchin (worth $US40 million). In some quarters he's known as the "foreclosure king" for the manner in which a bank of which he was a part-owner is said to have foreclosed on an estimated 36,000 homeowners during the 2007 housing crisis. Steven Mnuchin, the Trump nominee for Treasury Secretary. Credit:AP "Harsh, repugnant, shocking and repulsive inequitable, unconscionable, vexatious and opprobrious," a judge who examined one of the foreclosures said of the bank's practices. On Twitter, Mnuchin was described as "basically the cartoon-villain personification of everything alt-right rails against" the alt-right being the school of ethno-nationalist conservative thinking that threw its weight behind the Trump campaign, and for which Trump's White House strategist, Steve Bannon, is cheerleader. Mnuchin is not the only Goldman Sachs alum in the Trump team. Bannon also did time at Goldman Sachs. And Gary Cohn ($US175 million), another Goldman Sachs veteran, reportedly is being considered to as Trump's budget chief. Democrat firebrand and Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren was scathing on Mnuchin's proposed appointment "[It] should send shivers down the spine of every American who got hit hard by the financial crisis, and it's the latest sign that Donald Trump has no intention of draining the swamp and every intention of running Washington to benefit himself and his rich buddies." America's estimated 500 billionaires might be unlikely candidates for a White House team that working-class Americans were promised would look out for them at his last campaign rally in Michigan, Trump told supporters: "We're fighting for every citizen that believes that government should serve the people, not then donors and not the special interests." But already Trump, the first billionaire President-elect, has appointed three more billionaires to a team that, even incomplete, is the richest administration in modern American history prompting Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank to dub it "Trump's Team of Oligarchs". In today's dollars, George W. Bush's 2001 entire Cabinet was worth about $US250 million, less than one-tenth of the near $US3 billion worth of distressed assets investor Wilbur Ross, who is Trump's nominee for commerce secretary. Trump's other billionaire appointees are Chicago Cubs co-owner Todd Rickets ($US15 billion) as deputy commerce secretary; and GOP fundraiser-extraordinaire, schools privatisation advocate and wife of $US5 billion Amway heir Dick DeVos, Betsy DeVos, as secretary of education. Harold Hamm ($US17 billion) is shortlisted to be energy secretary. Betsy DeVos, secretary of education pick for Donald Trump. Credit:Bloomberg Duke University political scientist Nicholas Carnes told The Washington Post: "The research really says that when you put a bunch of millionaires in charge, you can expect public policy that helps millionaires at the expense of everybody else." And along with establishment capital, establishment political power also is getting a seat at Trump's top table. It's hardly surprising that Trump has named Georgia congressman Tom Price, an avowed critic of Obamacare, as his secretary of health and human services; Bush I and II eras transport bigwig Elaine Chao as his secretary of transportation; Alabama senator Jeff Sessions, whose alleged racism cost him a judicial appointment during the Reagan years, as attorney-general; and Kansas congressman Mike Pompeo, who's just dying to take a sledgehammer to the Iran nuclear deal, as director of the CIA. Senator Jeff Sessions, attorney-general pick for Donald Trump. Credit:Bloomberg But if we're being told that the GOP now is Trump's creature, how might the balance of power between the White House and the Capitol be calibrated? Much of Trump's populist promises are heretical in the policy cannons of the Republican Party. But the candidate who wanted to slaughter the Washington and GOP establishment, and House Speaker Paul Ryan in particular, seems to be surrounding himself with heavies from The Hill or their network buddies. Ryan and GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell ought to be feeling quite smug, because the influence they will wield in the Trump White House is significant. Consider: Reince Priebus, RNC chairman and Trump's choice as White House chief of staff, goes way back with Ryan both hail from Wisconsin and are long-term allies. Future health secretary Price is one of Ryan's best congressional friends and allies. Vice President-elect Mike Pence is running Trump's transition team Trump picked Pence for the ticket as governor of Indiana, but in a previous life Pence was in Congress, where he worked closely with Ryan and Price, and much of these second-tier cabinet appointments are judged to be the work of Pence and Priebus. Another likely appointee from the Republican establishment is 2012 GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney. In the course of the campaign Trump pilloried the millionaire former governor of Massachusetts as a knucklehead because as leader of the NeverTrump movement, Romney had loudly and repeatedly denounced Trump as a "fraud" and a "phony". But in what some observers conclude is a calculated exercise in humiliation as he takes total control of the GOP; Trump is very publicly toying with appointing Romney as secretary of state and Romney's willingness to subject himself to Trump's power play is read as proof yet again of Romney's capacity to never let seeming deeply held beliefs get in the way of his political ambition. Chao's resume is loaded with DC intrigue too. Yes, she served in the Bush administrations; and in 2015 alone, she pocketed more than $US1 million in corporate board fees alone, but it's her country of birth and the particulars of her marriage that excite critics and allies alike some will say that her birth in Taiwan is a gesture to diversity by Trump, who is cast as president for white, working-class America; and that she is married to Mitch McConnell will prompt cries of nepotism from others. But damned clever politics, don't you think? The Trump promise for which Republican leaders in Congress have shown virtually no enthusiasm is his plan to invest $1 trillion in upgrading national infrastructure by appointing Chao to oversee the big spend, Trump seems to be betting on the issue being resolved at the Chao-McConnell breakfast table. Former Labour Secretary Elaine Chao and her husband, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Credit:AP Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump has spoken with Taiwan's president, a major departure from decades of US policy in Asia and a breach of diplomatic protocol with ramifications for the incoming president's relations with China. Trump spoke by phone with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday, Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said. The conversation was first reported by the Financial Times and the Taipei Times. The call is the first known contact between a US president or president-elect and a Taiwanese leader since the United States broke diplomatic relations with the island in 1979. China considers Taiwan a province, and news of the official outreach by Trump is likely to infuriate the regional military and economic power. Trump repeatedly criticised China during his campaign, promising to brand the country a currency manipulator, which could also add tension to relations with the Pacific power. He blamed China for undermining US manufacturing jobs by selling artificially cheap exports. PHILIPSBURG:--- K1 Britannia Foundation in collaboration with The Foundation Judicial Institutes St. Maarten (SJIS) recently completed its fifth STAP training which qualifies adults to become certified mentors and foster parents to foster children on the island. Twenty-three K1 Britannia volunteers who signed up to assist or mentor foster children completed the course and were very keen and engaged in discussions on the well-being of these disadvantaged youth. The 6 session training which was given by psychologist Aisheline Maduro dealt with the foster care system on St. Maarten, self-image & self-worth, social development, types of abuse and various forms of communication. The information and tools given during the training ranged from informative, shocking, sad, useful and thought provoking. Feedback from the participants about the information were that Children are often being neglected and having to fend for themselves and that the foster care system is meant for children aged 0-18 years old. One K1 Britannia volunteer said "When I found out that a foster child, at the age of 18 is on their own and they have no support from anyone that they can count on , I thought wow thats really hard, I dont know if I can do that so maybe I can be that support. Having gained vital information, applying it through role plays, interactive discussions, and self-assessment questionnaires, the volunteers are excited to be paired with a foster child and start their mentor/mentee journey. My family and I are very excited, we are family oriented and we feel the need to share our blessings with a child to bring positive change to their life. said a K1 Britannia volunteer. Other participants, a couple added, We are open for the experience, we anticipate the start of this new journey in our lives and look forward to reaching out to our mentee and hope to guide him or her where they can have a brighter future. Another K1 Britannia volunteer added If I am able to make a positive impact on my mentees life in any way, my mission will be accomplished. I will not promise a lot, but I promise that I will give my all. The sessions brought various persons from all walks of life, from retirees, civil servants, business owners, accountants, to HR & Marketing professionals and others together for a common goal of touching one foster childs life for the better. This is a prime example of the importance of the foundations volunteer program which aims to get the community actively involved in the areas they are interested in. Through its volunteer program, persons in the community are qualified to be mentors, as there are over 100 children and teenagers in foster care on the island. Having a mentor for every child and teenager in foster care is one of the best ways to help them heal and go on to become well-adjusted members of society. The STAP training took place at the Taste Factory in Simpson Bay. The K1 Britannia Foundation would like to thank the management and staff of The Taste Factory for the important part they played in making this training possible. The STAP training was sponsored by SMDF, as it continues its partnership and support of K1 Britannia Foundation and its volunteer program. They believe in the importance of the program and the need to get persons in the community actively involved in making a difference. In this case, as mentors for foster children and teenagers who need that one on one time, love and attention. The K1 Britannia Foundation will host another STAP training in the first half of 2017 for persons 21 years and older who are interested in assisting or mentoring foster youth. All are encouraged to sign up as a volunteer online at www.k1britanniafoundation.org/volunteer/ to participate in making a difference in the lives of youth and other areas on the island. For more information about the K1 Britannia Foundation, visit www.k1britanniafoundation.org , www.facebook.com/K1SXM or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . PHILIPSBURG:---The SMCU will like to publicize that TELEM is still without a CEO after the parliament election of September 26, 2016. The prime minister mention right before the election that three new board member will be added to the board in six weeks after the election and right after the CEO will be appointed. We are now in the month of December 2016 nine weeks after the election and the three board members that pass the screening are still not appointed to the board of directors to allow the one board member to resign from his position and become CEO as the prime minister planned. In the meantime, TELEM is operating without a CEO, and the employees are now tired of the situation because there is no one to hold ultimately responsible for the bad decision thats being made in the company. The situation in TELEM is so tense that department of planning and engineering decided that they no longer want to work under the leadership of Mr. Eldert Louisa who is the technical director (CTO). This group of employees sent a letter to the SMCU demanding an urgent meeting with both the CFO Mrs. Helma Etnel and the CTO Mr. Eldert Louisa, the meeting was held on November 23, 2016. In the meeting, the group of engineers and the planners clearly stated that they no longer wants to work under the micro and disrespect managing style of the CTO no more. Mrs. Etnel who is the CFO said on many occasions that she is not the boss over the CTO nor the CCO and for that reason, she cannot make any decision to have the CTO move from his function. The meeting was going in circles and the employees decided to leave the meeting and wrote a letter to the board requesting a meeting with all the members of the board, the letter was delivered the same day November 23, 2016, of the meeting since management had to meet the board in the evening. The chairman of the board refuse to take the letter because he felt it is operation matters, but the chairman maybe forgot the TELEM dont have a CEO to make ultimate decisions and because of that the board becomes the one responsible for handling any and all complains on the directors. The SMCU then sent a mail to all the members of the board with the letters attach and where management confirm receiving the letter November 8, 2016, the board was also informed about the meeting that was held earlier in the day November 23, 2016. (See mails below) On November 29, 2016, SMCU sent a mail to the prime Minister Mr. Marlin requesting a meeting with him to see if he in his capacity of Prime Minister can bring some clarity to the situation at hand. The SMCU is saying again that because the company doesn't have leadership (CEO) there is no one to hold ultimately responsible for the actions of the directors in TELEM because the board of director who is responsible for the good being of the company dont want to pick up their responsibilities. SPRINGFIELD - Illinois manufacturers are big users of electricity, and they will be hit the hardest in the Exelon bailout deal the Illinois General Assembly passed Thursday just before it went into recess until next January. The measure will funnel $235 million in annual ratepayer subsidies to the unprofitable nuclear power plants and hike investments in renewable power and energy efficiency, the Southern reports. The majority of lawmakers ignored opposition from groups like Technology & Manufacturing Association (TMA), which represents over 800 small to medium sized manufacturers already struggling to stay in Illinois. TMA's President Steve Rauschenberger alerted his association members before the vote: "You and the other member companies of TMA are being invited to dinner, and our bottom lines are the main course for Commonwealth Edison, Exelon, and advocates of 'Green Power.'" MARIGOT:--- Last Tuesday, Guy Didier Hyppolite, Minister of Tourism and the Creative Industries of Haiti, visited our island as part of a tour in the West Indies, at the head of a delegation of six employees. In addition to the Collectivite and the CCISM, the Haitian dignitary went to the Office of Tourism to meet with its President Jeanne Rogers Vanterpool and reiterated his ambition to develop the tourism industry of his country. Guy Didier Hyppolite wants cooperation on a number of projects, both in terms of expertise and partnerships, to training, explained Ms. Rogers-Vanterpool. The Haitian Minister stressed the important potential of the young local Haitian community, this new generation that was born in Saint-Martin, who does not know Haiti and could be encouraged to visit that island. The Minister also focused his efforts on highlighting the tourism attractions of his island and emphasized its culture, its arts, its gastronomy and the beauty of its natural sites. He also wanted to know how St. Martins tourism policy was conducted and how the Tourist Office is organized, the President said. Minister Hyppolite also referred to the implementation of an investment code in his country. Haiti doesnt as yet have a tourism promotion organization, as a result, this mission is being carried out by the relevant Ministry. Since his appointment in March 2016, Guy Didier Hyppolite has appealed to Haitians in Haiti and those in the diaspora so that they take ownership of the Haitian values, emphasizing that to visit Haiti is to participate in its development. After the earthquake of January 12, 2010, Haiti went from 2,000 hotel rooms at an average rate of $100 (US) per night, to 773-rooms. As of its inauguration, the Government of Joseph Martelly wanted to revive this sector. The Ministry of Tourism as a result developed an ambitious program in four areas: the North (Cap Haitien), West (Port au Prince), Southeast (Jacmel), Southwestern (Cayes). Many investors have answered the call and have demonstrated a certain interest for the tourism industry of Haiti. Recent hotel opening is proof of this: the Royal Oasis in December 2012 in Petion-Ville, the Best Western in March 2013 located also at Petion-Ville, and the Marriott in February 2015, located in the heart of Port- au-Prince. Over the last three years, Haiti has seen an increase in arrivals. In 2014 visitors spent 21.1% of that of the previous year. Statistics already show an increase of 20.3% compared to 2012. The UN call for action theme for this year: Orange the world: Raise money to end violence against women and girls, is aimed to place more focus and address the fact that funding for this cause is still lacking Gracita Arrindell founder of Peridot foundation states: You have a Voice, You have Choice to support. As the domestic violence awareness campaign which started Friday, November 25th, continues, more then ever before, thanks to the entrance of the social media era, has it been possible to share the voices and numbers of victims of domestic/ relational violence perpetrated mostly against women and children. Social media can also be an effective tool to raise funds for awareness campaigns. November 25th to December 10th is the United Nations annual call to arms so to speak, 16 days of awareness or activism against gender-based violence. November 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The sixteenth day, that concludes on December 10th, is Human rights day. Communities around the world are making clear through the social media that domestic violence in all shapes and forms are still very prevalent and present. The general availability of a mobile phone, can aide both the victim to seek assistance as well as rally a community in support of a cause to help bring about more awareness about this social ill. Arrindell continues; Data, statistics regarding this social deficit are available from many countries by the click of a button. Our Island, Sint Maarten, should not be left behind. A real effort must be underway to have reliable and consistent data gathering from governmental and NGO institutions regarding domestic violence and domestic violence related information. For example the social and economic cost to society due to death, injuries or sick-leave absence caused by violence at home or work related. Celebrities are not shying away from taking to the Internet to help victims of abuse or share their own stories. A recent none profit organization such as girlgaze.com is used frequently including by young actresses to share their story and help promote awareness of relational violence and promote self-esteem. Most are aware that Google has become the new norm in speedy information gathering and creating Support. Gracita states: Personally, I would welcome the addition of an Emoji symbol on mobile phones, depicting the universal awareness of domestic violence sign. More awareness and funds are direly needed to continue to bring about awareness for victims of domestic violence. It is not easy! It is clear that the cause for concern remains urgent and at the front burner of the agenda of the United Nations as well as the concern of especially women in many countries. The United Nations message this year places strong emphasis as well by sounding the alarm about the lack of donations to campaign for this cause. As stated above, the call to have a special theme : Orange the world ( no I did not choose the color!) raise money to end violence against women and girls, stems from the Sustainable development goals adopted by world leaders in 2015. Goal 5 of the gender equality agenda included the specific target to end all forms of violence against women, including human trafficking, other forms of sexual violence and harmful practices, Yet, the resources dedicated to addressing the issue, do not match the scale of the challenge, concludes the statement. The United Nations notes that; allocating adequate resources to prevent and address violence against women is not only a legal obligation and a moral imperative, but a sound investment as well. Arrindell concludes: Peridot calls upon our community to stay involved and get behind this cause, your cause to end violence against women and children. Heeding the call of the United Nations, the roundabout with the statue for the awareness of violence against women and children will carry the 16 days symbol, in support of this yearly global campaign. We look forward to your continued support in our efforts to make this project an effective tool in our goal to keep the awareness to eradicate domestic violence from our diverse community. IngDan, Chinas Largest IoT Innovation Platform, Opens Experience Center in Silicon Valley SANTA CLARA, CA (Marketwired) 12/01/16 , Chinas largest IoT supply chain platform, today announced the opening of its first U.S. IngDan Experience Center in the heart of Silicon Valley, increasing its number of global centers to six. IngDan also enters into partnership with and to expand financial services and resources to IoT hardware innovators and startups. As part of IngDans $35 million commitment to the region, IngDans Silicon Valley Experience Center is a place where the public can touch, interact with and enjoy innovative IoT consumer products and interconnected tech gadgets for free from new robotics and innovative wearables to the latest smart toys. The center will also serve as a community hub for innovators and entrepreneurs to promote products and host workshops, events and forums. IngDans partnership with Tsing Capital and SVC Angel Fund bolsters each companys ability to more fully support their portfolio companies and community of entrepreneurs. IngDan can now capitalize on both funds to help entrepreneurs seeking capital infusion at various stages of growth. Tsing Capital and SVC Angel Fund in turn can leverage IngDans extensive supply chain and access to local resources and to the Chinese market to help accelerate their portfolio companies expansion. Additional benefits include: Increased access to U.S. and China investors and industry connections Customized funding models for IoT and smart technology startups Mentorship from global business, academic and financial leaders with domain expertise IoT is the next industrial revolution, poised to usher in a new golden age of innovation and economic progress said Dr. Shipeng Li, CTO of IngDan and Cogobuy Group, IngDans parent company. Innovators and investors in the U.S. and China are paving IoTs early pathways to success. IngDan is committed to empowering IoT hardware innovators by connecting them to world-class investors, supply chain partners and marketing partners. And our experience centers enable the public to interact with the technologies of tomorrow, today, for free. According to analysts, U.S. investments in IoT are expected to grow from $230 billion today to $370 billion in 2018. By 2025, total global IoT revenue from sales and services is expected to skyrocket to $3 trillion, with the U.S. and China neck-and-neck for market dominance. (source: , ) This is a win-win relationship for Tsing Capital, IngDan, and most importantly for IoT innovators who are looking for funding and supply chain support, said Don Ye, founding managing partner, Tsing Capital. With IngDan, were excited to offer our portfolio companies a vastly expanded value proposition to help transform an early-stage IoT startup with a product idea and a vision into a formidable international player with an efficient and reliable supply chain reaching customers from around the globe. According to Roy Kong, managing partner, SVC Angel Fund, Venture capital in Silicon Valley has a profound impact on the pace of innovation around the world. SVC Angel Funds legacy of investing in early-stage, intelligent technology startups in Silicon Valley has helped bring $10 million dollars to the region and helped 300 companies, with a plan to invest $150 million in new smart tech funds. Partnering with IngDan, we can give our portfolio clients access to world-class technical domain expertise that they need to succeed from ideation to production and access to global markets. Founded in 2013, IngDan is the one-stop IoT innovation platform and subsidiary of Cogobuy Group, a Hong Kong-listed company operating Chinas largest hardware supplier platform. It empowers entrepreneurs to outsource to the right suppliers at the right time, giving them the same advantage and potential success previously enjoyed only by well-funded companies. Leveraging over 6,000 suppliers, IngDan enables entrepreneurs to capitalize world-class hardware manufacturers at an affordable cost. IngDans millions of followers also provide entrepreneurs an unprecedented critical mass and platform for consumer testing and feedback, accelerating brand recognition and product adoption among Chinese consumers. IngDan has U.S. offices in San Francisco and Santa Clara and a growing number of U.S. clients. en.ingdan.com Established in 2001, Tsing Capital is the leading CleanTech venture capital firm in China. Through its China Environment Fund series, Tsing Capital works intimately with its portfolio companies across China in areas of new energy, energy efficiency, environmental protection, cleaner production, sustainable transportation, new materials and sustainable agriculture. SVC Angel Fund, founded and managed by a group of accredited investors and industry professionals, invests in U.S. early-stage startups. Its team is committed to utilizing domain expertise to help entrepreneurs respond swiftly to challenges and opportunities in areas such new technology areas including Intelligent Systems, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, Big Data, Smart Manufacturing, Robotics, Sensing Technology, Control Technology, Low Power Devices, etc. Mary Placido Sim-Krause Consulting Email: Mobile: 415-218-3627 Sharon Y. Sim Sim-Krause Consulting Email: Mobile: 415-420-1889 Hengtong Is Awarded Core Partner of Huawei in 2016 SUZHOU, CHINA (Marketwired) 12/01/16 Hengtong was ranked as Huaweis Core Partner in 2016 recently at Huaweis 10th CPC, which was the fifth time in for Hengtong to be granted this honor. Huawei has big-scale supply chains and lots of partners in the world, and the Core Partner Award is a recognition of the outstanding ones among them. Hengtong has kept providing large quantities of products and system solutions for Huawei these years and relied on the innovation of core technologies and the strict control on product performance & quality to meet the demands of Huawei. About Hengtong Hengtong Optic-Electric Co., LTD.(SH. 600487) was founded in 1993 and has committed itself to providing integrated solutions of telecommunication and energy network, including optical communication, copper communication, power transmission, marine engineering and new materials. According to Global Optic & Cable Markets Investigation released by CRU, HENGTONG Optic-Electric ranked the second with a share of 8% of the global market. HENGTONG has founded nine industrial base stations in South America, South Africa, Southeast Asia, Europe and other regions, has established marketing and technology services branches in more than 30 areas, thus HENGTONG products has covered more than 100 countries and regions. Contact Zhang Xian Workday Announces Fiscal 2017 Third Quarter Financial Results PLEASANTON, CA (Marketwired) 12/01/16 (NYSE: WDAY), a leader in enterprise cloud applications for and , today announced results for the fiscal third quarter ended October 31, 2016. Total revenues were $409.6 million, an increase of 34.2% from the third quarter of fiscal 2016. Subscription revenues were $335.7 million, an increase of 38.3% from the same period last year. Operating loss was $109.9 million, or negative 26.8% of revenues, compared to an operating loss of $70.2 million, or negative 23.0% of revenues, in the same period last year. Non-GAAP operating profit for the third quarter was $4.0 million, or 1.0% of revenues, compared to a non-GAAP operating profit of $0.8 million, or 0.3% of revenues, in the same period last year.(1) Net loss per basic and diluted share was $0.57, compared to a net loss per basic and diluted share of $0.41 in the third quarter of fiscal 2016. Non-GAAP net income per diluted share was $0.03, compared to a non-GAAP break-even for the same period last year.(1) Operating cash flows for the third quarter were $71.5 million and free cash flows were $43.9 million. For the trailing twelve months, operating cash flows were $337.7 million and free cash flows were $207.2 million.(2) Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were approximately $1.9 billion as of October 31, 2016. Unearned revenues were $1.0 billion, a 42.6% increase from the same period last year. We had a strong third quarter and saw healthy demand across all major geographies and industries, said Aneel Bhusri, co-founder and CEO, Workday. We continue to lead with product differentiation, technology innovation, and real customer success, and believe these are significant differentiators for Workday in the market. We are very pleased with our third quarter results, said Robynne Sisco, chief financial officer, Workday. Looking ahead, we anticipate fiscal 2017 subscription revenues to be within a range of $1.282 to $1.285 billion and fiscal 2017 total revenues to be within a range of $1.560 to $1.563 billion. Workday held its 10th annual customer conference, Workday Rising, bringing together more than 7,000 members of the Workday community for education and collaboration in Chicago. Workday announced the general availability of Workday Learning, Workday Planning, and Workday Student three major products that enable customers to replace outdated systems that were disconnected from how organizations want and need to operate. In response to customer demand, Workday unveiled plans to deliver Data-as-a-Service, a new service that gives customers the option to contribute their Workday data that will be anonymized and aggregated into useful metrics and trends representative of its collective customer community. Workday closed its acquisition of Platfora, a leading provider of operational analytics and data discovery tools with a team and technology that has been folded into the core of Workday in order to enrich the analytics in Workday Financial Management and Workday HCM. Underscoring its strong, ongoing commitment to privacy and protecting customers data, Workday was one of the first companies to be recognized as complying with the Department of Commerces Privacy Shield principles for the transfer of European personal data to the United States. Workday plans to host a conference call today to review its third quarter financial results and to discuss its financial outlook. The call is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. PT/ 5:00 p.m. ET and can be accessed via or through the companys Investor Relations website at . The webcast will be available live, and a replay will be available following completion of the live broadcast for approximately 45 days. (1) Non-GAAP operating profit (loss) and non-GAAP net income (loss) per share exclude share-based compensation expenses, employer payroll tax-related items on employee stock transactions, amortization expense for acquisition-related intangible assets, and debt discount and issuance costs associated with convertible notes. See the section titled About Non-GAAP Financial Measures in the accompanying financial tables for further details. (2) Free cash flows are defined as operating cash flows minus capital expenditures (excluding owned real estate projects). See the section titled About Non-GAAP Financial Measures in the accompanying financial tables for further details. Workday is a leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources. Founded in 2005, Workday delivers financial management, human capital management, and analytics applications designed for the worlds largest companies, educational institutions, and government agencies. More than 1,000 organizations, ranging from medium-sized businesses to Fortune 50 enterprises, have selected Workday. Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to Workdays financial results as determined in accordance with GAAP are included at the end of this press release following the accompanying financial data. For a description of these non-GAAP financial measures, including the reasons management uses each measure, please see the section of the tables titled About Non-GAAP Financial Measures. This press release contains forward-looking statements including, among other things, statements regarding Workdays fiscal year revenue projections. The words believe, may, will, estimate, continue, anticipate, intend, expect, plans, and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. If the risks materialize or assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. Risks include, but are not limited to: (i) breaches in our security measures, unauthorized access to our customers data or disruptions in our data center operations; (ii) our ability to manage our growth effectively; (iii) competitive factors, including pricing pressures, industry consolidation, entry of new competitors and new applications and marketing initiatives by our competitors; (iv) the development of the market for enterprise cloud services; (v) acceptance of our applications and services by customers; (vi) adverse changes in general economic or market conditions; (vii) delays or reductions in information technology spending; (viii) our limited operating history, which makes it difficult to predict future results; and (ix) changes in sales may not be immediately reflected in our results due to our subscription model. Further information on risks that could affect Workdays results is included in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended July 31, 2016 and our future reports that we may file with the SEC from time to time, which could cause actual results to vary from expectations. Workday assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this release. Any unreleased services, features, or functions referenced in this document, our website or other press releases or public statements that are not currently available are subject to change at Workdays discretion and may not be delivered as planned or at all. Customers who purchase Workday services should make their purchase decisions based upon services, features, and functions that are currently available. 2016. Workday, Inc. All rights reserved. Workday and the Workday logo are registered trademarks of Workday, Inc. All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. To provide investors and others with additional information regarding Workdays results, we have disclosed the following non-GAAP financial measures: non-GAAP operating income (loss), non-GAAP net income (loss) per share and free cash flows. Workday has provided a reconciliation of each non-GAAP financial measure used in this earnings release to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure. The non-GAAP financial measures of non-GAAP operating income (loss) and non-GAAP net income (loss) per share differ from GAAP in that they exclude share-based compensation expenses, employer payroll tax-related items on employee stock transactions, amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, and non-cash interest expense related to our convertible senior notes. Free cash flows differ from GAAP cash flows from operating activities in that it treats capital expenditures (excluding owned real estate projects) as a reduction to cash flows. Workdays management uses these non-GAAP financial measures to understand and compare operating results across accounting periods, for internal budgeting and forecasting purposes, for short- and long-term operating plans, and to evaluate Workdays financial performance and the ability of operations to generate cash. Management believes these non-GAAP financial measures reflect Workdays ongoing business in a manner that allows for meaningful period-to-period comparisons and analysis of trends in Workdays business, as they exclude expenses that are not reflective of ongoing operating results. Management also believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating Workdays operating results and future prospects in the same manner as management and in comparing financial results across accounting periods and to those of peer companies. Additionally, management believes information regarding free cash flows provides investors and others with an important perspective on the cash flows generated by normal recurring activities to make strategic acquisitions and investments, to fund ongoing operations and to fund other capital expenditures, after our owned real estate projects. Management believes excluding the following items from the GAAP Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations is useful to investors and others in assessing Workdays operating performance due to the following factors: Share-based compensation expenses. Although share-based compensation is an important aspect of the compensation of our employees and executives, management believes it is useful to exclude share-based compensation expenses in order to better understand the long-term performance of our core business and to facilitate comparison of our results to those of peer companies. For restricted stock unit awards, the amount of share-based compensation expenses is not reflective of the value ultimately received by the grant recipients. Moreover, determining the fair value of certain of the share-based instruments we utilize involves a high degree of judgment and estimation and the expense recorded may bear little resemblance to the actual value realized upon the vesting or future exercise of the related share-based awards. Unlike cash compensation, the value of stock options and shares offered under our Employee Stock Purchase Plan, which are elements of our ongoing share-based compensation expenses, is determined using a complex formula that incorporates factors, such as market volatility and forfeiture rates, that are beyond our control. Other Operating Expenses. Other operating expenses includes employer payroll tax-related items on employee stock transactions and amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets. The amount of employer payroll tax-related items on employee stock transactions is dependent on our stock price and other factors that are beyond our control and do not correlate to the operation of the business. For business combinations, we generally allocate a portion of the purchase price to intangible assets. The amount of the allocation is based on estimates and assumptions made by management and is subject to amortization. The amount of purchase price allocated to intangible assets and the term of its related amortization can vary significantly and are unique to each acquisition and thus we do not believe it is reflective of ongoing operations. Amortization of debt discount and issuance costs. Under GAAP, we are required to separately account for liability (debt) and equity (conversion option) components of the convertible senior notes that were issued in private placements in June 2013. Accordingly, for GAAP purposes we are required to recognize the effective interest expense on our convertible senior notes and amortize the issuance costs over the term of the notes. The difference between the effective interest expense and the contractual interest expense, and the amortization expense of issuance costs are excluded from managements assessment of our operating performance because management believes that these non-cash expenses are not indicative of ongoing operating performance. Management believes that the exclusion of the non-cash interest expense provides investors an enhanced view of the companys operational performance. Additionally, we believe that the non-GAAP financial measure, free cash flows, is meaningful to investors because we review cash flows generated from or used in operations after deducting certain capital expenditures that are considered to be an ongoing operational component of our business. Capital expenditures deducted from cash flows from operations do not include purchases of land and buildings, and construction costs of our new development center and of other owned buildings. We exclude these owned real estate projects as they are infrequent, non-recurring in nature and distinctly separate from our ongoing business operations. This provides an enhanced view of cash available to make strategic acquisitions and investments, to fund ongoing operations and to fund other capital expenditures, after our owned real estate projects. The use of non-GAAP operating income (loss) and non-GAAP net income (loss) per share measures has certain limitations as they do not reflect all items of income and expense that affect Workdays operations. Workday compensates for these limitations by reconciling the non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for or in isolation from, measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. Further, these non-GAAP measures may differ from the non-GAAP information used by other companies, including peer companies, and therefore comparability may be limited. Management encourages investors and others to review Workdays financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure. James Redfern (650) 463-6288 Eric Glass (415) 432-3056 Meyer Burger Technology Ltd publishes final terms of the planned capital increase Meyer Burger Technology Ltd publishes final terms of the planned capital increase and the final proposals to today?s Extraordinary Shareholders? Meeting, and announces the signing of the extension of the existing bank credit facilities Meyer Burger Technology Ltd (SIX Swiss Exchange: MBTN) publishes today the final terms of the planned capital increase of about CHF 164.5 million as well as the final proposals by the Board of Directors to today?s Extraordinary Shareholders? Meeting in relation to the ordinary capital increase, the conditional capital (for convertible and/or option rights) and the authorised capital. Ordinary capital increase: The Board of Directors proposes to today?s Extraordinary Shareholders? Meeting to increase the share capital through the issuance of 456,851,800 new registered shares from previously CHF 4,568,518.00 to CHF 27,411,108.00. The new registered shares will be offered to the existing shareholders of Meyer Burger Technology AG at an offer price of CHF 0.36 per registered share. For each registered share held existing shareholders will receive five subscription rights. Each subscription right confers the right to subscribe for one new registered share. Based on the assumption that the Extraordinary Shareholders? Meeting will approve the proposal by the Board of Directors for the capital increase, the exercise period for the subscription rights shall be from 7 December to 15 December 2016 (12:00 noon CET). The subscription rights will be tradable on SIX Swiss Exchange from 7 December to 13 December 2016. The first trading day of the new registered shares is expected to be on 20 December 2016. The offering and listing prospectus (Offering Memorandum) for the capital increase will be published until 7 December 2016. The completion of the capital increase is subject to the condition that the gross proceeds will amount to at least CHF 160 million. Meyer Burger has mandated Credit Suisse AG and UBS AG for the execution of the capital increase. With Veraison Capital AG and zCapital, two domestic institutional investors have committed, subject to certain conditions, to purchase up to 90.1 million unsubscribed shares, for which subscription rights have not been exercised and which could not be sold otherwise, for an aggregate amount of about CHF 32.4 million at the offer price. In addition, the company has agreed to a lock-up period of 180 days and the Board of Directors as well as Management have agreed to a lock-up of 90 days. For the expected timetable of the capital increase see the table below. Conditional capital (for convertible and/or option rights): On 25 November 2016, the bondholders? meeting of the CHF 100 million convertible bond (due in 2020) has approved the proposed amendments of the terms of the convertible bond with 73.035% of the total outstanding nominal amount of the convertible bond. Therefore, the legally required majority of two-thirds has been substantially surpassed. As the conversion price will be lowered, an increase of the existing conditional capital is required to cover the conversion rights under the convertible bond with shares. As the final amount of the new conversion price depends on the future share price of the company (during the prospective period from 3 January to 30 January 2017), the exact amount of shares for the conversion rights under the amended terms cannot be determined yet. The Board of Directors therefore proposes to the Extraordinary Shareholders? Meeting to increase the conditional capital to the legally permissible maximum amount. The Board of Directors proposes to increase the conditional capital for conversion and/or option rights, in connection with convertible bonds, option bonds or other financial market instruments from previously CHF 440,000.00 (8,800,000 registered shares to be fully paid-in) to CHF 13,673,555.40 (273,471,108 registered shares to be fully paid-in). Authorised capital: The Articles of Association of the company currently provide for authorised capital in an amount of CHF 240,000.00. The authorised capital was created to ensure the capability to implement new strategic projects and/or to allow for a participation of strategic partners. In order to maintain this flexibility, the Board of Directors proposes to the Extraordinary Shareholders? Meeting to increase the existing authorised capital from previously CHF 240,000.00 (4,800,000 registered shares to be fully paid-in) to CHF 5,482,221.60 (109,644,432 registered shares to be fully paid-in). The authorised capital would therefore represent 20% of the future ordinary share capital (after the capital increase). Furthermore, the company announced that the new credit facility agreements have been signed for the extension of the maturity of the loan secured by mortgage certificates of CHF 30 million on the building in Thun, which is due in April 2017, as well as for the extension of the maturity of the guarantee facility of now CHF 60 million by three years each. With this, the second element of the recapitalisation programme, the extension of the existing bank credit facilities, has been successfully implemented. Therefore the conditions for resolutions regarding agenda items 1 and 2 as published in the invitation to the Extraordinary Shareholders? Meeting are fulfilled if the shareholders approve the proposals of the Board of Directors to increase the ordinary share capital and the conditional capital. The new credit facility agreements and the amendments of the terms of the convertible bond are still subject to the capital increase being successfully concluded and, in terms of the convertible bond, to the approval of the High Court of the Canton of Berne of the amended terms of the convertible bond. The approval of the shareholders at today?s Extraordinary Shareholders? Meeting is therefore indispensable for a successful completion of the recapitalisation programme. This press release may contain specific forward-looking statements, e.g. statements including terms like believe, assume, expect, forecast, project, may, could, might, will or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may result in a substantial divergence between the actual results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and those explicitly or implicitly presumed in these statements. Against the background of these uncertainties, readers should not rely on forward-looking statements. Meyer Burger Technology Ltd assumes no responsibility to update forward-looking statements or to adapt them to future events or developments. This press release serves informational purposes and constitutes neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation to buy any securities. A public offer of securities of Meyer Burger Technology AG has not yet taken place. Any securities orders received prior to the commencement of the rights exercise period will be rejected. This press release does not constitute an offering prospectus within the meaning of Article 652a of the Swiss Code of Obligations nor a listing prospectus within the meaning of the listing rules of SIX Swiss Exchange. If a public offer of securities of Meyer Burger Technology AG is made, a prospectus prepared in accordance with Swiss laws will be published by making it available free of charge at Credit Suisse AG (Email: equity.prospectus@credit-suisse.com) and UBS AG (Fax: +41 44 239 69 14, Email: swiss-prospectus@ubs.com) This press release is not being issued in the United States of America (United States), Australia, Canada or Japan and must not be distributed into such countries or via publications with a general circulation in such countries. This press release does not constitute an offer or invitation to purchase any securities in the United States. The securities of Meyer Burger Technology Ltd have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (Securities Act), and may not be offered, sold or delivered within the United States absent from registration under or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the United States securities laws. This document does neither constitute an offer of securities nor a prospectus in the meaning of the applicable German law. Any offer of securities to the public that may be deemed to be made pursuant to this communication is only addressed to qualified investors within the meaning of Sec. 3 Para. 2 No. 1 German Securities Prospectus Act (Wertpapierprospektgesetz ? WpPG). Any offer of securities to the public that may be deemed to be made pursuant to this communication in any EEA Member State that has implemented Directive 2003/71/EC (together with any applicable implementing measures in any Member State, the Prospectus Directive) is only addressed to qualified investors in that Member State within the meaning of the Prospectus Directive. This document is directed only at persons (i) who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended) (the Order) or (iii) who fall within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) (high net worth companies, unincorporated associations etc.) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as Relevant Persons). Any person who is not a Relevant Person must not act or rely on this communication or any of its contents. Any investment or investment activity to which this communication relates is available only to Relevant Persons and will be engaged in only with Relevant Persons. Meyer Burger is a leading global technology company specialising on innovative systems and processes based on semiconductor technologies. The companys focus is on photovoltaics (solar industry) while its competencies and technologies also cover important areas of the semiconductor and the optoelectronic industries as well as other selected high-end markets based on semiconductor materials. Over the past ten years, Meyer Burger has risen to the forefront of the photovoltaic market and established itself as an international premium brand by offering superior precision products and innovative technologies. Meyer Burgers offering in systems, production equipment and services along the photovoltaic value chain includes the manufacturing processes for wafers, solar cells, solar modules and solar systems. Meyer Burger provides substantial added value to its customers and clearly differentiates itself from its competitors by focusing on the entire value chain. The companys comprehensive product portfolio is complemented by a worldwide service network with spare parts, consumables, process know-how, customer support, after-sales services, training and other services. Meyer Burger is represented in Europe, Asia and North America in the respective key markets and has subsidiaries and own service centres in China, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Singapore, Taiwan and the USA. The company is also working intensively to develop new markets such as South America, Africa and the Arab region. The registered shares of Meyer Burger Technology Ltd are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (Ticker: MBTN). A guide to voter rights in Indiana. What you need to know before you cast a ballot Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. Opponents of offshore oil drilling say South Carolina's coastline, seen here at Litchfield Beach in Georgetown County, is too valuable to risk to a potential oil spill. Welcome to SwanseaOnline - your home for the best news, sports and what's on coverage of the city. Never miss a Swansea story with our daily newsletter Sign up to comment on our stories here Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Swansea City news | Ospreys news | InYourArea WASHINGTON The transition team for President-elect Donald Trump has named a congressional staffer and former NASA official to the "landing team" overseeing transition planning for the space agency. In a Nov. 29 statement, the office of President-elect Trump announced that Chris Shank will serve on the landing team for NASA, the first individual named to date to handle transition issues for the space agency. The selection came after the transition team selected several dozen other people to serve on landing teams for cabinet-level departments and other agencies. Shank has extensive experience with NASA, both working in the agency itself as well as on Capitol Hill. He joins the transition team after serving as policy director for the House Science Committee and, before that, as deputy chief of staff for Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), the chairman of the committee. Shank also served on the committee's staff from 2001 to 2005. [Related: What a Trump Administration Means for NASA] Shank worked for NASA from 2005 to 2009, during the tenure of administrator Mike Griffin. At NASA, he was director of strategic investments, responsible for the development of the agency's budget. He also led the agency's office of strategic communications, working on legislative affairs and public outreach. After leaving NASA, he briefly worked for the Applied Physical Laboratory and Honeywell before returning to Congress. As part of the incoming administration's landing team for NASA, Shank will get access to agency information and personnel to guide overall transition efforts. Traditionally, new administrations name several people to transition teams for NASA, suggesting that others will join him in the coming weeks. Shank was on the agency side of the transition process eight years ago, when he was at NASA while the incoming Obama administration brought its transition team into the agency, which included future NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver. "In a transition period, folks need to maintain their integrity, and be forthcoming," Shank advised in a panel session on space policy at the American Astronautical Society's Goddard Memorial Symposium in March that also featured Garver, who argued that NASA was in fact not that forthcoming during the transition after the 2008 election. While the Trump transition office publically announced the appointment Nov. 29, NASA Associate Administrator Robert Lightfoot said late that day that the agency had not yet received formal notification. "We expect to finally get an agency review team into place," Lightfoot said, referring to the formal name for a landing team, in an interview prior to accepting an award on NASA's behalf by the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation here. "We're working on, basically, telling the story of what we're going to be doing." The transition has not caused any major issues for NASA so far, despite the delay in getting a landing team in place for the incoming administration. "It's business as usual for us right now," Lightfoot said, citing work on various agency programs. "When the review team gets in place, we'll have our time with them and get a chance to see what they're thinking, but also share the message of what we're doing." Immediately after Trump won the Nov. 8 election, sources suggested that Mark Albrecht, former executive secretary of the National Space Council and, later, president of International Launch Services, would be named to lead the NASA transition for the president-elect. Instead, the Trump transition team named Albrecht Nov. 29 to the Department of Defense landing team, which now numbers more than a dozen people. This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry. Two members of Congress want more information about a report that NASA says validates the scientific and exploration benefits of its Asteroid Redirect Mission. WASHINGTON Two leading members of the House Science Committee called on NASA Nov. 29 to provide more details about a recent report from a science group that appeared to endorse the agency's controversial Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM). The letter to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, from Reps. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Brian Babin (R-Texas), chairman of the full House Science Committee and its space subcommittee respectively, cautioned that the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump deserved more information and to be "unencumbered" by decisions made at the end of the current administration about ARM. The letter specifically raised questions about a report released by NASA Nov. 16 that was prepared by a "special action team" of its Small Bodies Advisory Group (SBAG). It examined how the combination of the robotic spacecraft that would grab a boulder off a near Earth asteroid to bring it into cislunar space and the later crewed mission to that captured boulder could close "strategic knowledge gaps" (SKGs) previously identified by NASA as areas where the agency needs experience or new technologies to meet its exploration goals. [NASA's Asteroid Redirect Mission in Pictures] That report concluded there were five SKGs that the baseline ARM mission could help close, from round-trip mission limits due to radiation exposure to knowledge on how to collect material from near Earth objects for analysis. An additional eight SKGs could be addressed if ARM included additional payloads or post-mission studies. Those SKGs come from a list of 27 identified by NASA for missions to small bodies, excluding those specific to the moons of Mars. The report also noted that ARM could support scientific objectives for asteroid missions identified in the planetary science decadal survey report, an assessment of scientific goals and prioritization of proposed planetary missions. The baseline ARM mission could help answer two "important questions" from the decadal survey, involving impact histories of asteroids and study of secondary physical processes. Adding instruments to the mission or returning samples could address about a dozen additional scientific questions. NASA used that 15-page report to conclude that there were scientific and exploration benefits to flying ARM. "This report is an important step in identifying ways that ARM will be more scientifically relevant as we continue mission formulation for the robotic and the crew segments," said Michele Gates, program director for ARM, in a Nov. 16 statement. The letter from Smith and Babin took issue with that sweeping conclusion. They noted that SBAG itself has been critical of ARM in the past, questioning its scientific benefit. The report stated that these latest findings "should not be seen as contradicting or superseding findings by SBAG in 20132016, or at a later date." The congressmen also argued that NASA set a "bizarrely low bar" for the report by asking it to examine any roles ARM could play in closing SKGs or resolving scientific questions. NASA, they wrote, did not ask SBAG "to evaluate the optimal missions to accomplish the scientific objectives contained in the recent decadal, or how ARM would be prioritized against those alternatives." The SBAG report and the response from Congress come as NASA prepares to make key decisions about ARM. The agency expects to award a contract in March or April to build the bus for the robotic ARM spacecraft. Gates, in the Nov. 16 statement, said selections of instruments and other payloads for the robotic spacecraft were also scheduled to be announced in the spring. ARM, though, has long faced congressional criticism, including threats to its funding. At a Nov. 14 meeting of a NASA Advisory Council committee in Houston, Greg Williams, deputy associate administrator for policy and plans in NASA's human exploration and operations mission directorate, acknowledged the opposition ARM faced in Congress, including language in a House version of an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2017 that would prevent NASA from spending any money on ARM. "What that was was a signal to us that we need to come talk with them and tell them why this fits and why it makes sense," Williams said of the House language. "We've had a lot of good dialogue on both the House and Senate sides as well as with the external science community." He added that he believed NASA was "making some headway" with Congress and scientists about the value of ARM. The next administration is likely to scrutinize ARM as well. Smith and Babin said in their letter that one reason they want NASA to provide more information about the SBAG report is to ensure that new agency leadership has "honest assessments" about the value of ARM, not "farcical studies scoped to produce a predetermined outcome." "The next Administration may find merit in some, if not all, of the components of ARM, and continue the program; however, that decision should be made after a full and fair review based on the merits of the program and in the context of a larger exploration and science strategy," they wrote. In a Nov. 29 interview, NASA Associate Administrator Robert Lightfoot said he was confident that ARM provided value to the agency's larger exploration plans. "The teams are making great progress" on various aspects of ARM, he said, despite the presidential transition and the congressional threats to its funding. "We haven't slowed down at all." "I'm confident that the next administration will make a decision" about ARM, he added, "but I'm also confident that we've got a good story to show them in term of why these technologies are important for us moving forward." This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry. The ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft captured this image of a coronal mass ejection erupting on the sun on Sept. 30, 2015. Material from the sun may have caused Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko to flare up nearly 100 times brighter than average in some parts of the visual spectrum, new research reports. At about the same time that charged solar particles slammed into Comet 67P, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta spacecraft observed that the icy wanderer dramatically brightened. Initially, scientists assumed that unusual effect came from jets of material within the comet. However, newly released observations of 67P suggest that a burst of charged particles from the sun, known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), could have caused the change. "The [brightening] was characterized by a substantial increase in the hydrogen, carbon and oxygen emission lines that increased by roughly 100 times their average brightness on the night of Oct. 5 and 6, 2015," John Noonan told Space.com. Noonan, who just completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Colorado at Boulder, presented the research at the Division for Planetary Sciences meeting in Pasadena, California, in October. [Photos: Europe's Rosetta Comet Mission in Pictures] After reading a report of a CME that hit 67P at the same time, Noonan realized that the increased emissions from water, carbon dioxide and molecular oxygen observed by Rosettas R-Alice instrument could all be explained by the collision of the comet with material jettisoned from the sun. "This doesn't yet rule out that an outburst could have happened, but it looks possible that all of the emissions could have been caused by the CME impact," Noonan said. A simulation reveals how the plasma of the solar wind should interact with Comet 67P/C-G. (Image credit: Modelling and simulation: Technische Universitat Braunschweig and Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt; Visualisation: Zuse-Institut Berlin) Colliding particles Rosetta entered orbit around Comet 67P in August 2014, making detailed observations until the probe deliberately crashed into the icy body at the end of its mission in September 2016. So Rosetta was tagging along when Comet 67P made its closest pass to the sun in August 2015. (Such "perihelion passages" occur once every 6.45 years the time it takes the icy object to circle the sun.) As 67P neared the sun, newly warmed jets began to release gas from the surface, building up the cloud of debris around the nucleus known as the coma. Jets continued to spout throughout Rosetta's observations as different regions of the comet rotated into sunlight. Such spouts were initially credited with the extreme brightening that took place in October 2015. In addition to warming the comet, the sun also interacted with it through its solar wind, the constant rush of charged particles streaming into space in all directions. Occasionally, the sun also blows off the collections of plasma and charged particles known as CMEs. When CMEs collide with Earth, they can interact with the planets magnetic field to create dazzling auroral displays; this interaction can also damage power grids and satellites. Niklas Edberg, a scientist on the Rosetta Plasma Consortium Ion and Electron Spectrometer instrument on the spacecraft, and his colleagues recently reported that RPC/IES observed a CME impact on Rosetta at the same time as the bizarre brightening. The ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft detected the CME as it left the sun on Sept. 30, 2015. [The Sun's Wrath: Worst Solar Storms in History] According to Edberg, the CME compressed the plasma material around the comet. Because Rosetta was orbiting within the coma, the probe hadn't sampled any material streaming from the solar wind since the previous April, and wasnt expected to do so for several more months. When the CME slammed into the comet, however, the coma was compressed and Rosetta briefly tasted part of the solar wind once again. "This suggests that the plasma environment had been compressed significantly, such that the solar wind ions could briefly reach the detector, and provides further evidence that these signatures in the cometary plasma environment are indeed caused by a solar wind event, such as a CME," Edberg and his team wrote in their study, which was published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society in September 2016. Forces at play For Noonan, the realization that a CME had impacted the comet at the same time of its unusual brightening had an illuminating effect. "I read this [Edberg et al.] paper and realized that the substantial increase in electron density could account for the increased emissions from the coma that R-Alice observed, and set about testing what the density of the coma's water, carbon dioxide and molecular oxygen components would have to be to match what we saw," Noonan said. Charged particles from the CME may have excited cometary material, causing it to release photons, he added. Some of the observed changes could be created only by interacting electrons, causing what Noonan called "unique fingerprints" that let the scientists know electrons were impacting the material. Of special importance was the transition of oxygen line in the spectra, a change that can only be caused by electrons. "During the course of the CME, we saw this line increase in strength by roughly hundredfold," Noonan said. The charged particles were unlikely to have come from the solar wind, which Noonan said would be blocked from ever penetrating this deep. While CMEs have been observed around other comets, they have only been viewed remotely. From such great distances, only large-scale changes in the comets' comas and tails could be observed, Edberg said. Over the course of its two-year mission at Comet 67P, Rosetta's close orbit allowed it to observe other CMEs interacting with the comet, but Noonan said none were as noticeable as the event of Oct. 5-6, 2015. "Prior to Rosetta, these electron impact emissions had never been observed around a comet, and it was these emissions that gave away that the CME might be a factor in causing them," Noonan said. He cautioned that it isn't a given that the influx of charged particles caused the bizarre brightening, which still could be caused by the jets of material. "At this point, we are still working to understand exactly what was the cause to see if it was the CME, and outburst, or both, that caused the emission," Noonan said. Given the timing of the impact, however, it is unlikely that the flare-up was the result of gas released by jets alone. "There are more forces at play than just a higher density of gas," Noonan said. Follow Nola Taylor Redd on Twitter @NolaTRedd, Facebook or Google+. Follow us at @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. A few months into his six-month spaceflight in 2009, Canadian astronaut Bob Thirsk remembers having problems reading the stowage lists on the International Space Station, which are in eight-point font. After finding out another crew member had a problem as well, the two set about documenting their visual acuity while they were in space. Using an ultrasound machine on board, Thirsk discovered that the back of his eyeball was swollen and his optic nerve not straight. The results were confirmed in an MRI about eight days after he landed. Since his time in orbit, other astronauts have reported changes in their vision as well. "We still don't know what causes it," Thirsk told Seeker. Possibilities that Thirsk (who is also a medical doctor) raised included nutrition, increased carbon dioxide on board that dilates blood vessels or perhaps even increased intercranial pressure from the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) that is used to help astronauts stay in shape. ARED can produce up to 600 pounds of force, which is twice as much as its predecessor iRED (Interim Resistance Exercise Device), he said. RELATED: These Astronauts are NASA's Longest-Duration Space Fliers New research indicates that visual changes may be due to volume changes in the clear fluid in the brain and the spinal cord. On Earth, this cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is needed to move around nutrients and get rid of waste materials even if a person is moving into different positions, such as lying down, standing up and sitting down. In space, however, you remain static, pointed out lead author Noam Alperin, a radiology and biomedical engineering professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami. "On earth, the CSF system is built to accommodate these pressure changes, but in space the system is confused by the lack of the posture-related pressure changes," Alperin said in a statement this week. While the new research is potentially groundbreaking, like many space studies it is hampered by a small sample group (since only so many people get to fly in space). Astronauts on seven ISS long-duration missions were compared to nine short-duration mission astronauts (on the space shuttle). RELATED: Eye Problems Common in Astronauts For all astronauts, MRI scans were performed before and shortly after spaceflight, and astronauts also did scans in orbit with the equipment available there. They found that these long-time flyers had more flattening in their eyeballs and more protrusion of their optic nerve. They also detected changes in the CSF volume both where it is produced in the brain, and also in the optic nerves inside the part of the skull that holds the eye. The research team says the changes in CSF are associated with changes in the crew members' eyes, and that countermeasures have to be implemented early in a mission to avoid irreversible damage. Canadian astronaut Bob Thirsk was one of the first astronauts to look at the eye problem situation, during his last spaceflight in 2012. (Image credit: NASA) In early October, NASA published a press release concerning intracranial pressure. When Scott Kelly and Mikhael Kornienko carried out their one-year mission in 2015-16, intracranial pressure was estimated with devices to check fluid pressure in and sound waves produced by the inner ear. While the data from the mission is still being analyzed, NASA said there is no "pathologically large increase" in intracranial pressure, but it could still be contributing to astronauts' visual impairments. The agency is planning to look at this issue in more detail on the space station, using other techniques such as ultrasound. RELATED: New Space Woe: Blurry Vision "There is definitely an accumulation of cerebral spinal fluid within the space behind the eye, but we don't understand what is causing that," said Michael Stenger, lead visual impairment and intracranial pressure with technical services company KBRwyle, in a NASA statement. "Elevated venous pressure or a change in lymphatic drainage may sequester fluid behind the eye, thus causing a compartment syndrome." For his part, Thirsk (who is now retired) said the causes must be found and resolved long before NASA embarks on a mission to Mars, which the agency says it wants to do around the 2030s. With current technology, it will take months to get there and back -- and the crew must wait at the Red Planet for the most favorable time to return, when the Earth and Mars are closest. "If six months can produce a visual impairment, what about 2.5 years?" Originally published on Seeker. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station shouldn't be unduly affected by the failure of Russia's Progress 65 cargo mission on Dec. 1, 2016, NASA officials said. The six astronauts living aboard the International Space Station (ISS) will be OK despite a Russian cargo ship's failure to make it to orbit Thursday (Dec. 1), NASA officials said. The uncrewed Progress 65 freighter fell back to Earth shortly after liftoff Thursday, apparently doomed by a problem with the third stage of its Soyuz rocket. The spacecraft and its 2.6 tons (2.36 metric tons) of food, equipment and other supplies burned up in the atmosphere over southern Russia, Russian space officials said. But there's no danger that crewmembers of the station's current Expedition 50 will go hungry or thirsty, according to NASA officials. [Watch Russia Launch the Progress 65 Cargo Ship] "The Expedition 50 crew is safe aboard the station. Consumables aboard the station are at good levels," NASA spokesman Dan Huot, of the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston, told Space.com via email. "An H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV)-6 from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is scheduled to launch to the space station on Friday, Dec. 9," he added, referring to another of the four robotic cargo ships that currently ferry supplies to the ISS. (The other two freighters are the Dragon and Cygnus spacecraft, which are built by the American companies SpaceX and Orbital ATK, respectively.) The HTV is capable of carrying up to 6.6 tons (6 metric tons) of cargo up to the ISS. The Progress 65's lost payload included 1,400 lbs. (635 kilograms) of propellant, 112 lbs. (51 kg) of oxygen, 925 lbs. (420 kg) of water, and 2,750 lbs. (1,247 kg) of scientific gear, hardware and other supplies, NASA officials said. "Among the U.S. supplies on board were spare parts for the stations environmental control and life support system, research hardware, crew supplies and crew clothing, all of which are replaceable," NASA officials wrote in an update Thursday. The six crewmembers aboard the ISS are NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough (the Expedition 50 commander) and Peggy Whitson; cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy, Andrei Borisenko and Sergey Ryzhikov; and Frenchman Thomas Pesquet. ISS crews have weathered cargo-mission failures before. A Cygnus was lost shortly after liftoff in October 2014 when its Antares rocket exploded, for example, and the Progress 59 vehicle didn't make it to the ISS after its April 2015 launch. And a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket broke apart less than 3 minutes after launch in June 2015, scuttling a Dragon resupply run. Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. In the upcoming film "Hidden Figures," Katherine G. Johnson, played by Taraji P. Henson, is joined by her co-workers Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) as she greets astronaut John Glenn (Glen Powell), the man destined to become the first American to orbit Earth. NASA launched a celebration of the Langley Research Center's 100th anniversary yesterday (Dec. 1) with an educational panel on the upcoming movie "Hidden Figures" and the real-life Langley employees it depicts, answering student questions about their life and times and NASA history. "Hidden Figures" depicts the history of mathematician Katherine Johnson and other African- American women who performed calculations for the researchers on Langley's Hampton, Virginia, campus starting in 1943, although the film focuses on the early 1960s. (A computation facility at Langley was recently named for Johnson.) During the panel discussion, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden joined Bill Barry, NASA's historian, and Julie Williams-Byrd, an electro-optics engineer at Langley. Ted Melfi, the director of "Hidden Figures," called in virtually to take questions about the movie. "The arts enable us to become storytellers," Bolden said at the beginning of the panel discussion. And NASA has seized the production of this movie, as well as the new book it's based on, as an opportunity to share and reflect on the accomplishments of those Langley women. [On 'Hidden Figures' Set, NASA's Early Years Take Center Stage] "They weren't actively hidden figures, so much as they were overlooked," Barry said. "As a historian, I can tell you, there were thousands of people that worked for [NASA's predecessor] NACA and NASA whose stories are wonderful and should be told, but just haven't come out yet." Although NASA had been working on projects to interview and document women computers at Langley since the 1990s, Barry said, their story remained little-known. (The job role of "computer" was a human one, prior to electronic computers coming on the scene.) Margot Shetterly, the book's author, grew up in the Langley community and was a perfect choice to bring their stories out. "I've heard [Shetterly] in interviews," Bolden said. "She said she couldn't understand what people were talking about, about there being no minorities and no women at Langley or in NASA because she went to church with them. She went to school with their kids." Melfi discussed casting the movie, which stars Taraji Henson as Katherine Johnson; Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughan, who became the head of the black women computers; and Janelle Monae as Mary Jackson, who became an engineer. Kevin Costner plays the head of Langley's Space Task Group, actually a combination of three real-world directors, and Jim Parsons and Kirsten Dunst play a scientist and head of the white women computers, respectively. "These people played against type, because there are themes in the movie that are tough, that will be tough for you to watch," Melfi said, referring to the sexism and racism confronted in the movie. "I really wanted character actors that were likable to play roles that were unlikeable; it would make it easier to take." The film focuses on performing calculations for John Glenn's historic orbit around Earth in 1962 and America's other first orbital launches, where putting an object (or person) into a sustainable orbit around Earth forced researchers to take into account much more than previous rocket work. "As you'll see in the movie, the thing that really threw them for a loop was they had been doing parabolic computations, which is suborbital spaceflight, and they went into a type of math that goes to what's called orbital mechanics, something that not a lot of people knew anything at all about in those days," Bolden said. "All of a sudden, you find that things don't work." [America's First Spaceship: Project Mercury (Infographic)] It was tricky to depict those mathematical challenges in an engaging way for the big screen, Melfi said at one point, Jim Parsons' character explains the "huge jump" in mathematics needed to calculate the first orbital trajectories. Melfi consulted with NASA frequently, as well as Rudy Horne, a professor at Morehouse College in Atlanta and an on-set math specialist, to understand the details and get the math accurate, but still understandable. "We tried to make it as cinematic as possible, and I hope we did a good job you'll have to let me know if we did," Melfi said. The panelists emphasized the importance of mathematics, even in the modern world where digital computers can easily tackle the calculations the Langley mathematicians wrestled with for the early space program. "Computers are very, very great," Williams-Byrd said. "But if we don't understand the information that we are putting into the computers, then we never know what we're getting out of it. As a physicist, you have to understand things like gravity, and you have to understand the laws of science to help you understand exactly what you're trying to get out of that solution." Bolden urged the students attending the panel to look for lessons within the movie on the importance of science, technology, engineering and math, the way the space program works and how the characters push through discrimination to do excellent, essential work. And for other viewers, it should still prove an eye-opening look into the Virginia community that put the first American into orbit around the Earth. "I was stunned by the degree to which Ted and his production staff were focused on every little detail of things, trying to get the look and the feel and the equipment that was being used, the conversation, the technology they did a phenomenal job," Barry said. "And made a great movie out of it as well." Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com. Donn Eisele became the thirtieth person, worldwide, to orbit the Earth as a member of NASA's first crew to launch aboard an Apollo spacecraft in 1968. An officer in the Air Force, test pilot and later Peace Corps director and businessman, Eisele, 57, died 29 years ago on Friday (Dec. 2) without putting his experiences as an Apollo 7 astronaut to print, or so almost everyone thought. "It's almost cliche to talk about 'lost' documents and this one was not truly lost. However, it had been forgotten to everyone except Susie Eisele Black, Donn's widow, who may have been the only other person ever to read it until now," said Francis French, the editor of "Apollo Pilot: The Memoir of Astronaut Donn Eisele" (University of Nebraska Press, 2017). [Best Spaceflight and Space History Books] French, who is the education director at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in California and the co-author of three space history books including the autobiography of Apollo 15 astronaut Alfred Worden, had befriended Eisele Black in the course of his research and would stay with her and her husband on trips to Florida. It was during one of those visits to her home that Eisele Black suggested he have a look through the contents of a closet in a spare bedroom. "It was packed with Donn's personal items that had been moved from house to house over the decades," recounted French in an email. "There were packages of flown flags and other items Donn took into space with him on Apollo 7, pieces of the spacecraft and other personal items from his NASA years he had loaned out for display and got back, and piles of personal paperwork." Among the memorabilia was a stack of typed sheets. "I realized I had come across something I thought had truly been lost forever, the first drafts of Donn's memoirs. You can imagine my excitement," French told collectSPACE, "a first-hand account of the first Apollo flight that no one else knew about." Apollo 7 crewmates Donn Eisele (at left), Wally Schirra (center) and Walt Cunningham, looking into the spacecraft's hatch. (Image credit: NASA) Snapshot of a forgotten spaceman French co-wrote "In the Shadow of the Moon" (University of Nebraska Press, 2007), his second title, in part because he wanted to get to know who Eisele was. "Even space buffs generally misspell his name, and they mispronounce it, too it's "eyes-lee," by the way," French said. "He was in the middle of some of NASA's most contentious issues: astronaut divorce and disagreements with Mission Control during the Apollo 7 mission. And yet, Donn seemed to have breezed in and out of NASA without leaving much of a memory." French had the chance to interview and the read the books written by Eisele's crewmates, Wally Schirra (who died in 2007, four months before "In the Shadow" was published) and Walt Cunningham, but here were Eisele's own words, put to paper sometime shortly after the end of the Apollo program in 1973. "To hear the third and final voice, that of Donn's, adding his thoughts, gives some insight. Donn remembers things that Walt remembers quite differently, and I know Wally might also have laughed off," described French. "The fact that he was writing immediately after his NASA experiences gives these words a fresh, contemporary feel that is very difficult for anyone to recall decades later. As such, it makes for not only a fascinating historical record, but also a very raw and fresh personal account." But the manuscript was also incomplete; it was something that Eisele had started but never finished. "The sad thing about the drafts is how much was missing," French noted. "Some pages ended mid-sentence and the next page was missing completely. It was also clear that there were many events in Donn's life that he had not yet got around to writing down on paper." "As such, the book can only be considered a snapshot into one part of his life." Apollo 7 astronaut Walt Cunningham with a copy of his crewmate's memoir, "Apollo Pilot," in November 2016. (Image credit: Francis French via collectSPACE.com) Assembling 'Apollo Pilot' Would Eisele have finished the book had he not died of a heart attack in 1987? Did he intend for it to be published? These were questions that could never be answered and weighed in French's decision whether to see the book be released. "What struck me most was the blistering anger that Donn had towards some aspects of his NASA career; how his colleagues were lost in the Apollo 1 fire a crew that he was briefly a member of," French said. "He also was pretty detailed about some of the scandalous things astronauts got up to when no one was looking." "Also, I realized that his account of the flight incorporated conversations [that] did not match the flight transcripts. Clearly, he was trying to take a more novelistic approach and give the reader a sense of what was said in space, rather than the actual words," added French. "However, I felt that if I explained these things clearly in the foreword, the readers would be forewarned." French decided that for the book to go forward, what was best was a light hand when it came to editing Eisele's own words. "I did my best to very, very gently edit it into a narrative. I tried to keep all of his words, and his intent, intact," French said. "My regret is that he is not still around to talk more, tell more stories, clarify more aspects and tell his whole life story." It was Eisele's widow who ultimately provided French the encouragement to release "Apollo Pilot" to the world. "What encouraged me the most was the support of Susie Eisele Black. When she read my edited draft, she told me, rather emotionally, that it was like her late husband was back and speaking to her," he remarked. "That touched me immensely. Continue reading the "remarkable historical record" in "Apollo Pilot" at collectSPACE. Follow collectSPACE.com on Facebook and on Twitter at @collectSPACE. Copyright 2016 collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved. The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. 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Optimization Are you frustrated with a slow pc or a hard disk not performing as it should? Try SLOW-PCfighter to speed up boot time on a slow PC, or try a free scan of FULL-DISKfighter to recover space on a full disk. The latest offering is DRIVERfighter to update your driver updater. Get complete PC optimization and extend the life of your PC with these must-have software tools. If you have some major cash, then you could end up purchasing one of the largest collection of Doctor Strange memorabilia. This collection is absolutely insane and is currently up for auction on ebay for a hefty bid of $110,000. It sure looks like it is worth every penny and I would hat e to have to get rid of such an impressive collection. You can check out the full description and images below. Stockholm, Dec. 2, 2016 (SPS) - Swedish Socialist Women's Union organised Thursday a conference on the issue of Western Sahara to raise public awareness about the fight of the Sahrawi people for freedom and independence. The conference addressed the sacrifices and the leading role played by the Sahrawi women in the struggle for freedom and emancipation. The representative of the Polisario Front in Sweden, Alien Habib Kentawi, and the Director of Olof Palem School in the Wilaya of El Aaiun, Mumna Lebsir, attended the conference. A photographic exhibition was organized on the suffering, human rights violations, torture and ill-treatment committed by the Moroccan colonizer. (SPS) 062/090/TRA Your cover story by Bill Cummings (news story, Nov. 26, Homelessness on the decline) is accurate - but also misleading, particularly when it comes to Stamford/Greenwich. While the article correctly states that between 2015 and 2016 homelessness across Connecticut decreased 3.6 percent, it neglected a key and alarming statistic: homelessness in Stamford/Greenwich actually increased during the same period, including a 35-percent increase in street homelessness. Indeed, the story that needs to be told is that Stamford/Greenwich is going against the trend statewide - and nationally - when it comes to homelessness. The reasons are well known. The Stamford-Norwalk metropolitan area is now the fifth most expensive housing jurisdiction in the nation. While most daily expenses here track a few percentage points above national norms, housing costs are an outlier they are more than double the national average. This has resulted in a different kind of homelessness: economic homelessness. While mental illness and substance abuse still play an outsized role, the rising cost of living coupled with wage stagnation are leading to a rise in homelessness. Compounding this harsh reality is that 80 months since the start of the Great Recession, Connecticut has recovered only 69 percent of the jobs it lost during the downturn, making it one of only 10 states in the nation that has not yet recovered to pre-recession levels. (The percentage of jobs recovered has actually dropped over the past 12 months.) In many cases, those jobs that have been recovered pay less than those they replaced. The disparity between declining monthly salaries and soaring monthly rents has led to a record demand for Inspiricas services. Our myriad shelters and transitional housing facilities are 100 percent full throughout the entire year. We are struggling to meet the demand. In the winter when living on the streets is even more a matter of life and death we operate the citys only Overnight Warming Center. Inspirica is a unique organization; one we should be proud to have right here in Stamford/Greenwich. We are one of only a handful of organizations in the nation that is able to comprehensively address both the physical aspect of homelessness and the underlying reasons people become homeless on a single, powerful end-to-end platform. Our residential services include emergency shelters, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, deeply affordable housing and rapid rehousing. Our comprehensive support services (which address the root causes of homelessness) include home health aide vocational training, workforce education, employment services, housing placement services, job and housing retention support, childrens services, early childhood & parenting services, health care ... and much more. In his article, Mr. Cummings notes that we are on the verge of ending chronic homelessness in Connecticut. This grand goal comes on the heels of ending veteran homelessness. These accomplishments have been years in the making and should be celebrated. But chronic and veteran homelessness comprise only a small percentage (13.6 percent) of homelessness in Stamford/Greenwich. The real story is despite the fact that homelessness declined in Connecticut last year, it increased in Stamford/Greenwich, the wealthiest part and economic engine of the state. This sobering reality deserves our immediate attention and support. Jason T. Shaplen is chief executive officer of Stamford-based Inspirica, Inc., which is the largest homeless shelter in Fairfield County. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate STAMFORD An improper use of extension cords sparked a fire Friday at a multifamily East Side home, Chief Fire Marshall Charles Spaulding said. Spaulding said the accidental fire was mostly contained to inside a wall of the home and a section of the basement. The owner of the four-unit home on the corner of Lockwood Avenue and Orange Street heard a smoke detector about 1 p.m. Friday, but thought it was just an upstairs neighbor burning food. But a few minutes later, the owner detected smoke and called 911. Fire investigators found extension cords powering a sump pump that was being used to get water out of the basement following the heavy rains earlier this week, Spaulding said. He said the extension cords were not equipped with ground wires, which caused an over-heating situation due to what he believes was an overload. The fire damaged the basement and interior walls, and firefighters had to punch holes in the walls to confirm there were no additional hot spots. Spaulding said the home was structurally sound, but the residents would likely be displaced for several weeks. The 2,500-square foot home, located at the corner of Lockwood Avenue and Orange Street, was built in 1900, city records show. Firefighters requested the Red Cross to help at least six people temporarily displaced by the blaze. jnickerson@scni.com; G 4S today sold off its Israeli security business for 88 million in a victory for pressure groups who have long campaigned against the companys controversial operations in the country. The worlds biggest security firm said Israeli private-equity company FIMI will buy G4S Israel, which provides services and equipment to prisons, checkpoints and police. G4S denies accusations of complicity in human rights abuses of Palestinian prisoners, including torture, triggering action from the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. BDS claims a string of organisations, including the Labour party and University College London, have chosen to end contracts with G4S as a result. G4S announced in 2013 that it would pull out of key contracts in Israel and has denied the decision is related to anti-Israel pressure. Today boss Ashley Almanza reiterated the sale was part of the 2013 plan to improve our strategic focus and capital discipline. G4S Israel is a well-managed business that will grow and prosper as part of the FIMI group, he added. The firm will retain a presence in Israel through Policity, the flagship national police training centre it owns in partnership with FIMI and infrastructure group Shikun & Binui. War on Wants Ryvka Barnard said G4S remains complicit in human rights abuses through its ownership of and investment in the facility. If G4S was concerned about human rights, it would leave the Israeli market completely, she added. T he bulls were left twiddling their thumbs today, waiting in vain for the fabled Santa rally to whisk shares higher as risk-taking traders retreated to the sidelines. The FTSE 100 drifted 61.45 points lower to 6691.48, with no sign of the traditional December rally as the fireworks from earlier in the week made way for thin trading volumes ahead of the US jobs report. Opecs deal to cut production, apparently agreed after a 2am phone call on the eve of the meeting between the Saudi energy minister Khalid Al-Falih and his Russian peer, was the highlight of the week and propelled producers shares higher on Wednesday and Thursday. Today, they lost some of their ground as investors banked profits, with Royal Dutch Shell down 39p, or 1.8%, to 2139p and BP off 6.6p, or 1.4%, to 463.45p. Theres also a concern that Wednesdays Opec deal to cut production will prove to be a disappointment, with compliance being a major issue, said Spread Co strategist David Morrison. The Italian referendum on Sunday also kept buyers at bay, with fears that a vote against the reforms could spell disaster for its banks and send shockwaves throughout Europe. Among the fallers were easyJet, down 22.5p at 974p, as RBC Capital predicted that the airlines dismal stock market run down 44% this year is set to continue. The investment bank downgraded the shares to underperform, warning: If pricing stays weak for longer, we estimate that, over five years, the shares could see total return downside by 2020. Acacia Mining rose 4.3p to 396.3p, recovering some of the ground lost at the hands of the falling gold price after Canaccord analysts urged clients to pile into the African gold miner, although it remains concerned by Donald Trumps election and Brexit. Elsewhere, commercial flooring group James Halstead fell 19.62p to 463.62p. The business warned that an explosion at one of BASFs chemicals factories in Germany had driven up prices of plasticiser, one of its key raw materials. N eil Woodford, one of Britains best-known fund managers, on Friday ploughed more cash into university labs incubator Allied Minds in a bid to capitalise on Americas booming biotech scene. London-listed investor Allied said it had raised about 64 million in an equity placing via Credit Suisse Securities and Numis. Of that, 15 million was put in by Woodford Investment Management. It means more firepower for the Boston-based FTSE 250 firm to take advantage of its access to hundreds of university and federal labs across the US. Allied Minds is behind about 20 businesses, from medical firm Precision Biopsy, to cyber-security specialist Percipient Networks. Subsidiary HawkEye 360 recently raised $11 million (8.7 million) to help send small satellites into low-earth orbit to track radio frequencies. New York hedge fund Kerrisdale Capital dubbed the most self-promotin-est fund in the land last year launched an attack on Allieds valuation, calling it ludicrous, and sending its shares plunging. D efence giant QinetiQ will put the rocket boosters under the British military flight school behind UK spaceman Tim Peake after inking a fresh deal with the Ministry of Defence. The group will spend 85 million in the UKs Empire Test Pilots School in Wiltshire, one of the top three in the world, to train the next generation of military and commercial test pilots with hi-tech new equipment. The outlay is part of a 1 billion agreement with the MoD which will lock in half of QinetiQs revenues from a outsourcing contract until 2028. Another 95 million will also go towards upgrading the MoDs firing ranges off the west coasts of Scotland and Wales. This is the most significant milestone since Ive been here at QinetiQ, said chief executive Steve Wadey. The pilot school money will be spent on eight new hi-tech jets and helicopters and rolling out a new test pilot syllabus in 2019 in conjunction with the RAFs Air Warfare Centre. About 22 pilots enrol at every year at the school, whose Latin motto is Learn to test; test to learn. Peake learnt at the school and was also a tutor there. Wadey said the schools upgrade would help it attract talent from around the world as it challenges rivals like the US Air Force Test Pilot School. M ark Twain said: Those of you who are inclined to worry have the widest selection in history. You can add Italian banks to the list if you like. Assume the most hackneyed Italian stereotypes are all true now imagine what that nations banks would be like. Yes, thats about right. Not too clever. Worrywarts who have predicted all 27 of the past three banking crashes say its the end of the world again (that they have been wrong every time so far doesnt seem to dent their enthusiasm for this prediction). In Sundays referendum, so the story goes, Italians will vote for sweeping reforms or not the fallout from which will lead to a banking crisis in the third-largest eurozone economy. If Italian banks do go bust and the ensuing panic sweeps to banks in Paris and Frankfurt, presumably that will at least put a stop to all those stories about bankers quitting the City of London en masse in the wake of Brexit. (They arent, they wont.) A far likelier outcome is this: some Italian debt will go bad. The ECB will sweep up the worst of the damage thats its job. Markets will have a bit of a tiff, then move on. The sun will rise as usual. I cant recommend buying Italian bank shares. I can recommend optimism. I t's lucky that Robert Chote has a thick skin, because there are 59 billion reasons why he isnt exactly flavour of the month in some quarters at the moment. Chotes job is to call it as he sees it on the state of the public finances: but last week he lobbed a hand grenade into the Brexit debate when he predicted an extra 58.7 billion in borrowing as a result of the vote. The 49-year-old economist is chairman of the Office for Budget Responsibility, the independent watchdog the Treasury created in 2010 to mark its own homework on tax and spending plans. The OBRs forecasts are subject to the same vast caveats that surround any economic predictions, even more so this time when the Treasury refused point-blank to give the watchdog any hints on its strategy for leaving the EU. But inevitably the extra Brexit bill was a red rag to Eurosceptic politicians and press, who rubbished the watchdogs latest report. A few played the man, not the ball. I pass him one cutting, labelling him a Lib-Dem sympathiser and jeeringly headlined We cant guarantee accuracy no kidding!. But according to Chote, having a bulls-eye on your head goes with the territory. It doesnt make me angry. You have to be realistic. He adds with a broad grin: The Mail is a campaigning newspaper and they are campaigning vigorously on this issue. In the last few days, people have written nice things and, even if they dont agree with the conclusions weve come up with, they can see why weve done it. Worse things happen to nicer people. Saying that, if the Brexiteers wanted to aim at a caricature of the liberal metropolitan elite opposed to an EU exit, it would probably look a lot like Chote. He eschews the description and naturally wont say which way he voted but it is true that he was the chairman of the Social Democrats at Cambridge University in the late Eighties (I left the liberalism alone many years ago). He began his career as a journalist at the pro-Europe Independent and Financial Times newspapers, continued to mix in rarefied political and economic circles as the head of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, and hes married to Sharon White, chief executive of regulator Ofcom, who once worked as a Downing Street policy adviser for Tony Blair. Living in Hampstead ticks the metropolitan box, and on top of that hes one of that elite breed of civil servants who earns more than the prime minister, having picked up 181,000 in salary and pension benefits last year. Thats a lot more than his first pay cheque at the Independent back in 1990 when the newspapers long-serving economics commentator Hamish McRae scooped him some money out of the lunch budget as a young intern; he eventually landed a 7000-a-year job as a City reporter. Before Cambridge, he co-authored travel guides, which are still around on Amazon and accompanied by mickey-taking reviews from former newsroom colleagues. (One wrote on his Alternative Holiday Guide to Exploring Nature in North Africa that instead of a testament to the joys of fresh Levantine air on naked flesh, it was instead mainly a workmanlike trawl through the fauna of Tunisia and Morocco.) None of them have troubled the best-seller lists, he remarks drily. Even though Chote is a civil servant now, he still clearly has an affinity for journalism; his front-page splash covering Black Wednesday in 1992 is on the wall near his desk, headlined Pound goes into freefall. Plus ca change. That desk is up on the 14th floor of the Ministry of Justices headquarters in Petty France, where the watchdogs 30 staff have a great view, rather aptly, over the Palace of Westminster. Chote admits he still gets the occasional journalistic twinge, but doesnt see his current job as so different to what he did in newspapers and at the IFS. Its about distilling a relatively complex story, shining the light on the bits people wouldnt ideally like shone upon, and getting it out as clearly as you can, he says. I still approach writing the opening paragraphs of the Economic and Fiscal Outlook [the OBRs main twice-yearly forecast] as I would sitting down and writing the splash for the FT, although the sub-editors would kill me for writing too much. As a former reporter, he is used to the heat hes getting now from the Brexiteers. Articles he wrote in the late Nineties on plunging morale in Gordon Browns Treasury soured relations to the extent that the Chancellors spinners were said to have lobbied the FTs then-editor Richard Lambert to sack him. He continued to needle the Treasury while head of the IFS, whose annual unspinning of successive Budgets was wont to send Brown into apoplexy. You build up a bit of scar tissue, he says. At the OBR, he has kept up the habit, maintaining the bodys independence against drafting suggestions from the Treasury. At the end of the day, we write what we want, he told MPs last year. Chote, who was born in Winchester and educated in Southampton, was approached for the IFS job in 2002 by soon-to-be Bank of England Governor Mervyn King, then the president of the think-tank. That prompted him to curtail a three-year stint in Washington as an advisor to the IMFs deputy managing director Stan Fischer (more elite credentials). After eight years holding the Treasurys feet to the fire, he was the only realistic candidate when former chancellor George Osborne decided to set up the OBR, although the body was conceived in far less politically febrile times. His job is to deliver the fiscal verdict on current stated Government policy but, given the opacity of the official negotiating position, its an impossible one. Clearly in the post-Brexit period, the notion of what is current policy is a much more ill-defined question. Even if you knew exactly what the Government wanted to get at the end point of a negotiation, its a negotiation. You dont know whether that would happen or not, he says. Instead, the OBR has had to make some broad-brush judgments lower migration and a trade boost from the weak pound, for example and then wait and see like the rest of us. Chote told the Treasury Select Committee this week that he would be alarmed to get on a plane without knowing where it was going. But he is keen that the whole Brexit cloud doesnt obscure the other huge issue blighting the economy since the financial crash: the so-called productivity crisis, which means were taking more effort to produce the same or less, hitting wages and living standards. Its tempting, because Brexit has come along, to assume that is the only uncertainty in town. If Brexit hadnt happened, we would still have been standing up and saying the outlook is very uncertain and the obvious reason for that is the productivity puzzle... The single biggest challenge for the economics profession is to understand whats driving that and whether its likely to continue. Away from attempting to shine a light on the Governments finances, the OBR boss is to be found helping his wife ferry around two school-age children, catching the odd play when he gets a chance or crashing on the sofa in front of Netflix, watching shows like The Crown or Designated Survivor. The Autumn Statement has left him with a nasty backlog to catch up on. On life after the OBR, Chote has a contract that runs until 2020, but no clear plans on what to do next. Theres not much point in agonising too much until you get to the point at which youre ready to look at the opportunities that are out there, he says. Ive liked doing what I think of as public-servicey type jobs, in which I include journalism, so Im not getting fed up with that. Until then, the son of an Olympic javelin thrower looks likely to have plenty more spears aimed in his direction. N umber 10s reaction was as bone-headed as it was swift: This result, a Conservative Party spokesman said in response to Sarah Olneys stunning victory in Richmond Park last night, doesnt change anything. Except it does, in lots of ways. Of course, there is always a tendency for by-election victors to overstate the significance of their win. By-elections dont, on their own, change governments. Each constituency is very different what works in one by-election does not work in the next. I safely predict that the by-election in Sleaford and North Hykeham next week will be fought on different issues and with different outcomes. The Brexit press will be quick to dismiss the voters of Richmond Park as a bunch of affluent luvvies who dont have a clue how the rest of the country feels. How dare well-heeled, well-educated and well-off Londoners tell the rest of the country that hard Brexit is a bad idea? Who do these whingey liberal elitists from leafy south-west London think they are? What a bunch of Remoaners! Theresa May is quite right to ignore them, the Brexit press will screech; the result doesnt change anything because hard Brexit is what we want and what we will get. And so on. But Theresa May would be well advised to pause and think a little about what happened last night. Her cynical calculation not to stand a Conservative candidate against Zac Goldsmith, tacitly encouraging Conservative activists and MPs to support him, backfired. Many Conservative voters I met in Richmond did not like the tricksy way in which Goldsmith presented himself as an independent candidate in nothing more than name, openly admitting he was likely to rejoin the Conservatives if he won. Richmond Park by-election 2016 - In pictures 1 /21 Richmond Park by-election 2016 - In pictures Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney reacts as she is declared the winner of the Richmond Park by-election Getty Images Zac Goldsmith looks dejected as he listens to newly-elected Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney speaking PA Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney with her husband Ben and party supporters celebrate after winning the Richmond Park by-election Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith speaking after being defeated Yui Mok/PA Ballot papers are tipped on to a bench in front of count staff during the Richmond Park by-election count at Richmond Upon Thames College Lucy Young A counter sorts ballot papers at the Richmond Park by-election count at Richmond Upon Thames College Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney delivers her winning speech PA Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney and her husband Ben celebrate after winning the Richmond Park by-election Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith arrives at the Richmond Park by-election for the result Yui Mok/PA Liberal Democrat candidate for Richmond Park Sarah Olney arrives in the count hall in Richmond Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images Zac Goldsmith (left) looks down as the result is announced Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith speaks after being defeated in a by-election he triggered himself Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith's mother Lady Annabel Goldsmith (3rd left) consoles a dejected supporter, as his wife Alice Rothschild (left) listens to him speak Yui Mok/PA Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park Sarah Olney listens to Independent candidate Zac Goldsmith Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images Zac Goldsmith shakes hands with the winner of the Richmond Park by-election, newly-elected Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith leaving Richmond upon Thames College after defeat Yui Mok/PA If she thought about it, she would have mixed reactions to the way Labour lost its deposit too. That outcome was a resounding rejection of the decision by Tom Watson and the other machine politicians in the Labour Party to stand a candidate in the hope that Goldsmith would keep the Lib-Dems out. Labour High Command knew that its candidate stood no chance in the election but was desperate to avoid the beginnings of a Lib-Dem parliamentary fightback. Theresa May will no doubt enjoy Labours lamentable performance but she will also be aware that if Labour voters were prepared to support Sarah Olney in Richmond, then they might also be prepared to do so in a swathe of seats in the south-west of England, so reassembling Lib-Dem majorities that were lost to the Conservatives last year. Labours collapse in Lib-Dem/Conservative marginal constituencies like Richmond is bad news for the Government. But the biggest lesson for Theresa May inevitably relates to her plans for Brexit. At a packed public event last week in Richmond, at which Sarah Olney and I were invited to talk about Brexit, I was very struck by the mood. The room was full of moderate, mild- mannered, thoughtful folk, the overwhelming majority of whom had voted Remain on June 23. So before the screechers in the Brexit press point this out it was not exactly a representative audience of wider national opinion. But the discussion was nonetheless revealing. There were a lot of questions about the arcane twists and turns of the case now before the Supreme Court concerning Article 50. Interestingly, no one flinched when I stated baldly that Article 50 wouldnt be stopped under any circumstances, regardless of how Sarah or I will vote, because Labour has already given the Government its unconditional support to trigger it, and that it would be wrong for the unelected House of Lords to try to do so. In other words, the crowd accepted as do I that the only way in which Brexit could, or should, be reversed in future is if the British public has a change of heart. A decision taken by the people can only be changed, in the end, by another decision by the people. There was also a fair amount of discussion about how we could avoid throwing out the single-market baby with the EU bath water. Everyone at the event remembered that the Brexiteers refused to spell out with any clarity what Brexit would mean in practice. Johnson, Gove, Farage et al never published a manifesto laying out their collective, agreed view on whether Britain should be in or out of the single market, in or out of the customs union, and so on. So Sarah Olney, as she rightly stressed in her acceptance speech last night, has a strong mandate from the voters in Richmond to pursue the least economically self-harming version of Brexit. But beyond Article 50 and the single market, what struck me most was the quiet but brewing anger at the way in which the Government and hardline Brexiteers are gratuitously denigrating people who voted to Remain and are unsettled by the shrill vitriol that is now spreading towards foreigners, the judges and anyone who dares question the wisdom of hard Brexit. It is as if the people of Richmond not to mention more than 16 million other voters who supported Remain are being told that their values, aspirations and needs are no longer legitimate. They are being summarily disenfranchised by the assertion that a narrow victory for Brexit in June means that their views no longer count. So that is really the lesson of last night for Theresa May: she is the Prime Minister for the whole of the United Kingdom, not just for her party or the hardest of hard Brexiteers. She must reach out, urgently, to those millions of people who simply do not share the worldview of Farage, Gove and Fox. Yes, the Brexiteers won on June 23 but with victory comes magnanimity and responsibility. It is now Theresa Mays duty to show a bit of both. Otherwise Richmond may turn out to be the first of many election upsets. As the calendar year begins to wind down, the Fashion Awards - previously called the British Fashion Awards - prepares to host an evening in celebration of the the last 12 months in the industry. And joining in with preparations is French designer Jean Paul Gaultier, who will be hosting the red carpet and interviewing celebrities this year. In a video interview ahead of the awards ceremony, the designer admitted that the most important red carpet advice he can give to attendees would be to "try not to fall". He also revealed his idea of three timeless fashion pieces to be a corset, a "sailor-striped T-shirt" and something in Swarovski. If he were the King of England for the day, Jean Paul Gaultier admitted that he would like to dress the Queen entirely in crystals. Speaking of his look for the Fashion Awards, he admitted that his outfit is "the most important thing" that he has to think about, adding that he hopes he will have enough time to finish it hinting at the idea that he may be designing and creating his own pieces. British Fashion Awards 2015 1 /30 British Fashion Awards 2015 Fashion royalty David Beckham and Victoria Beckham arrived hand-in-hand to the annual event before stepping inside for the drinks reception at the British Fashion Awards Ian West/PA Stunning Rosie Huntington-Whiteley turns heads in a shimmering gown as she works the red carpet Ian West/PA Lady in red Lady Gaga poses for photographers upon arrival at the British Fashion Awards 2015 Jonathan Short/Invision/AP Looking all white Pixie Lott coordinates with her boyfriend Oliver Cheshire who opted for trainers with his white suit Dave Benett Hand-in-hand David Beckham steps out to support Victoria Beckham at the annual event Ian West/PA Got the X Factor Rita Ora strikes a series of poses inside the venue Dave Benett Ruffling feathers Kate Bosworth makes sure to stand out in a fluffy blue number with sheer paneling Dave Benett Waving to the crowds Cheryl Fernandez-Versini looks stunning as she waves to fans and photographers before heading into the venue Ian West/PA Coordinating couple David Gandy and Mollie King make sure to coordinate in monochrome outfits Dave Benett Vintage feel Georgia May Jagger works the cameras in a delicate black detailed dress Dave Benett Family affair Sir Philip Green poses proudly alongside his daughter Chloe Green Dave Benett Catching up Tamara Beckwith and Yasmin Le Bon work their best poses Dave Benett F1 champion Lewis Hamilton swaps his driving attire for a stylish black and white suit Dave Benett Very revealing Chloe Green catches the attention of photographers in a revealing black dress Dave Benett Leggy look Mollie King flashes her leg in a revealing monochrome dress Dave Benett Date night YouTube stars Jim Chapman and his fiance Tanya Burr cosy up for a photo Dave Benett Music icon FKA twigs works the red carpet in a black gown Ian West/PA Designer date Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is accompanied by Mario Testino Ian West/PA Looking dapper Jack Whitehall suits up for his red carpet appearance Ian West/PA Over the shoulder look Kate Beckinsale smoulders as she works an over the shoulder look in a black draping dress Dave Benett Designer look Lily Allen finishes off her metallic dress with a Chanel over the shoulder bag Ian West/PA Collared Poppy Delevingne shuns heels for a pair of flats and teams her striped dress with a dramatic collar Ian West/PA Biggest names Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld pose together on arrival Dave Benett This year the Fashion Awards is undergoing a rebrand on a more global scale, with renamed categories to include international designers as well as a small number of entirely new categories. The Menswear, Womenswear, Brand and Emerging Talent awards remain solely for British designers, whereas the Accessories Designer and Model categories are open to international candidates. New categories include International Urban Luxury Brand, International Business Leader and International Ready-to-Wear Designer. The Fashion Awards in partnership with Swarovski are taking place on 5th December at the Royal Albert Hall There has been a lot of talk amongst fashion designers recently about who will and who won't be dressing Melania Trump, but unfortunately for the future First Lady of the United States the majority of those speaking out have revealed that they won't. Sophie Theallet - one of Michelle Obama's favourite designers - was the first designer to come out publicly saying that she won't be dressing Melania in an open letter which she posted to twitter. Within the letter, Theallet wrote: "As an immigrant myself in this country, I have been blessed with the opportunity to persue my dreams in the USA. Dressing the First Lady Michelle Obama for the past 8 years has been a highlight and an honor. She has contributed to having our name recognised and respected worldwide." "As one who celebrates and strives for diversity, individual freedom and respect for all lifestyles, I will not participate in dressing or associating in any way with the next First Lady." Theallet was soon joined by Marc Jacobs and most recently by Tom Ford. Speaking during an interview on The View, the designer was asked about dressing Melania. "Let me ask you something. We have a new First Lady, Melania Trump, and she's quite beautiful and she's thin", said one of the show's hosts. "She's gonna look great in the clothes, no?" "Um, I don't know", Ford responded. "I was asked to dress her quite a few years ago and I declined. She's not necessarily my image. And also - other than the fact that I'm a Democrat and voted for Hillary and am very sad and disappointed that she's not in office - other than that, even if Hillary had won she shouldn't be wearing my clothes, they're too expensive." "I don't mean that in a bad way and they're not artificially expensive, it's how much it costs to make these things. But I think to relate to everybody you shouldn't necessarily [wear such expensive clothes]." The host then went on to point out that Ford has previously dressed Michelle Obama. "Michelle, I dressed once when she was going to Buckingham Palace for dinner with the Queen", Ford justified. "I thought that was appropriate, I live in London and so that made sense. It was an honour to dress her." Michelle Obama - style file 1 /98 Michelle Obama - style file April 14, 2019 Michelle Obama during a book tour for her memoir, Becoming, at the London O2 Arena PA Wire/PA Images April 14, 2019 Michelle Obama during a book tour for her memoir, Becoming, at the London O2 Arena PA Wire/PA Images November 2, 2004 Celebrating Barack's victory with supporters over Repulican rival Alan Keyes in Chicago Scott Olson/Getty Images January 4, 2005 During the reenactment of a swearing-in ceremony on Capitol Hill Alex Wong/Getty Images March 19, 2005 With Barack at the 36th NAACP Image Awards at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images February 10, 2007 Waving to a crowd gathered on the lawn of the old State Capital Building Scott Olson/Getty Images January 26, 2008 Greeting the crowd after Barack's victory rally at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center Chris Hondros/Getty Images February 5, 2008 Greeting Barack's supporters during a Super Tuesday primary campaign rally at the Hyatt Hotel Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images April 21, 2008 At a rally at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty May 06, 2008 Arriving for a primary results rally in Raleigh, North Carolina Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty June 3, 2008 Running ahead of Barack to greet supporters during a rally at the Xcel Energy Center Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images June 20, 2008 Stepping off stage after addressing about 900 people at the National Partnership for Women and Families annual luncheon Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images November 02, 2008 Arriving to introduce her husband during a rally at Ohio State House in Columbus Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty November 4, 2008 On stage with Malia during an election night gathering in Grant Park Joe Raedle/Getty Images January 18, 2009 Arriving at the 'We Are One' concert, one of the events of Obama's inauguration celebrations Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images January 20, 2009 Walking part of the Inaugural Parade route Mark Wilson/Getty Images January 20, 2009 With Barack during the Obama Home States Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images February 22, 2009 Making their way to the East Room for after dinner entertainment with US governors Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images February 25, 2009 Making opening remarks as she and U.S. President Barack Obama host an evening of celebration in honor of musician Stevie Wonder's receipt of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images April 2, 2009 Posing with the wife of then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown as they join the wives of other G20 leaders at the Royal Opera House in London Joel Ryan/AFP/Getty Images April 3, 2009 Arriving at City hall in Baden-Baden Sascha Schuermann/AFP/Getty Images April 9, 2009 Working in her Kitchen Garden on the South Lawn of the White House Paul J. Richards/AFP/Hetty Images October 29, 2009 Working in the garden harvesting vegtables on the South Lawn Mark Wilson/Getty Images November 24, 2009 Taking part in an official welcome ceremony with the wife of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Imahes November 24, 2009 Shortly before greeting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images January 28, 2010 Speaking about the government and community efforts to fight childhood obesity while visiting the YMCA Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images April 13, 2010 Walking out of the plane upon arrival at the Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico Luis Acosta/AFP/Getty Images May 5, 2010 Walking to the podium before Barack delivers remarks at a Cinco de Mayo reception Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images September 8, 2010 Catching a ball on the field during the NFL's Play 60 campaign to fight childhood obesity at Brock Elementary School Chris Graythen/Getty Images September 18, 2010 Arriving at the annual Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Phoenix Awards dinner Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images April 12, 2011 Speaking during an event to launch Joining Forces, a national initiative to support and honor American's service members and their families Alex Wong/Getty Images April 25, 2011 In between events during the official opening of the White House Easter Egg Roll Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images May 24, 2011 Meeting with the Duchess of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace Toby Melville/Getty Images May 25, 2011 Delivering a a speech and answering student's questions in Christ Church dining hall in the University of Oxford Oli Scarff/Getty Images June 7, 2011 Awaiting the arrival of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her husband Joachim Sauer on the North Portico of the White House Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images June 24, 2011 Watching as traditional dancers perform as she arrives in Gaborone Charles Dharapak/AFP/Getty Images November 11, 2011 Walking to the court before the start of the NCAA men's college basketball Carrier Classic Harry How/Getty November 12, 2011 Waiting for leaders to arrive for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit leaders' dinner in Honolulu Jim Watson/AFP/Getty February 1, 2012 At the future site of Gonzalez Northgate Market to discuss the California FreshWorks Fund Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images March 13, 2012 With Samantha Cameron Participating in an Olympics-themed event Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images April 26, 2012 Answering a question as she meets with children of Executive Office employees Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty September 4, 2012 Waving as she takes the stage during day one of the Democratic National Convention Alex Wong/Getty Images December 8, 2013 Arriving for a reception at the White House for the 2013 Kennedy Center Honorees Kristoffer Tripplaar-Pool/Getty Images February 11, 2014 Welcoming French President Francois Hollande for a state dinner at the White House Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty September 23, 2014 Boarding Air Force One prior to departing from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty October 14, 2014 Greeting school children before harvesting of fruits and vegetable from the White House Kitchen Garden Mark Wilson/Getty Images March 18, 2015 Arriving at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images June 16, 2015 Speaking to students as part of the 'Let Girls Learn Initiative' at the Mulberry School for Girls, UK. Getty Images July 4, 2015 Walking on stage to embrace singer Bruno Mars during a performance for invited members of the military and White House staff on the South Lawn Ron Sachs/Getty Images September 19, 2015 On stage after President Obama delivered remarks at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 45th Annual Legislative Conference Phoenix Awards Dinner Aude Guerrucci/Getty Images March 14, 2016 Welcoming the Broadway cast of Hamilton to the White House Getty Images April 22, 2016 With Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle ahead of a private lunch ohn Stillwell/Getty Images May 8, 2016 With Prince Harry ahead of the Opening Ceremony of the Invictus Games Orlando Chris Jackson/Getty Images May 13, 2016 Before a state dinner at the White House Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images August 2, 2016 Standing with Ho Ching, wife of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, during an arrival ceremony at the White House Mark Wilson/Getty Images August 6, 2016 Departing the White House Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images September 17 2016 Arriving at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 46th Annual Legislative Conference Phoenix Awards Dinner Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images September 19, 2016 Speaking to fellow first ladies, students and guests at the United Nations General Assembly in New York Getty Images October 11, 2016 Participating in a panel discussion hosted by Glamous called "A Brighter Future: A Global Conversation on Girls' Education" in Washington, DC. Getty Images for Glamour October 18, 2016 Waiting for the arrival of Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and his wife Mrs. Agnese Landini, for a state dinner at the White House Mark Wilson/Getty Images October 20, 2016 Waving to the crowd as she speaks at an Arizona Democratic Party Early Vote rally in support of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton Getty Images November 7, 2016 Walking from Marine One to the White House after a day of campaigning for Hillary Clinton Dennis Brack-Pool/Getty Images December 4, 2016 Standing for the national anthem at the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington DC. AFP/Getty Images January 20, 2017 First Lady Melania Trump, President Donald Trump former President Barack Obama and Michelle talk on the East front steps of the US Capitol after inauguration ceremonies AFP/Getty Images January 20, 2017 Preparing to greet President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania to the White House in Washington, DC AFP/Getty Images May 3, 2017 Arriving for a roundtable discussion at the South Shore Cultural Center about the Obama Presidential Center, which is scheduled to be built in nearby Jackson Park in Chicago, Illinois Getty Images July 12, 2017 Speaking onstage at The 2017 ESPYS at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles Getty Images July 25, 2017 Speaking during a live conversation with The Women's Foundation of Colorado at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. Getty Images for The Women's Fou October 31, 2017 Former US president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle wave as they exit the stage during the Obama Foundation Summit in Chicago, Illinois AFP/Getty Images February 12, 2018 Unveiling her portrait at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC AFP/Getty Images November 15, 2018 onstage with Tracee Ellis Ross at 'Becoming: An Intimate Conversation with Michelle Obama' in Inglewood, California. Getty Images December 3, 2018 On stage at the Royal Festival Hall in London during a tour to promote her memoir, "Becoming". AFP/Getty Images December 19, 2018 Discussingher book "Becoming" at Barclays Centre in New York Getty Images February 10, 2019 with Alicia Keys at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards Getty Images for The Recording A Designers who have reportedly stated that they would to dress the future First Lady include Diane Von Furstenberg, Tommy Hilfiger and Vera Wang. Follow Lifestyle on Facebook and on Twitter @ESLifeandStyle for more from the world of fashion A moth-eaten school cap features alongside lavish outfits worn by the Queen in a show tracing the east London roots of the man who dressed her for decades. Hardy Amies worked with Buckingham Palace from 1950 and was official dressmaker to the Queen until his retirement in 1989. The exhibition, Hardy Amies: A Dagenham Designer, traces his early days living in the area, and attending Brentwood School, while his architect father oversaw the building of the Becontree Estate, which was completed in 1935. Amy de la Haye, co-curator of the exhibition at Valence House in Dagenham, said: Hardy Amies always did his fashion shows in the centre of London but twice he did catwalk shows at his old school to raise money for charity. He also redesigned the local school uniform. Amies own school cap is on show. Ms de la Haye said: It is a moth-eaten old thing but we are presenting it as a bit of a sacred object. Also featured is the pink dress he designed for the Queen for her silver jubilee. Ms de la Haye, of the London College of Fashion, said: There is massive interest in him as the Queens dressmaker but for me as a fashion historian his tailoring in the late Forties and Fifties is unrivalled. The exhibition runs from tomorrow until February 25. Entry is free. Visit standard.co.uk/arts for the latest news and reviews from Londons arts scene Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout T he new Turner Prize winner has been announced; four artists were shortlisted for the award, which is the biggest prize for contemporary art in the UK, and Helen Marten has gone home with the glory. Who is she? The youngest on the shortlist, Helen Marten was born in Macclesfield in 1985. She went on to study at Central Saint Martins and Ruskin School of Fine Art. Shes recently had a solo exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery, which has given her profile a nice boost in the lead up to the announcement of the winner. She is nominated for the Turner for her solo exhibition Eucalyptus, Let Us In, which was shown in New York, and for her presentation at the 56th Venice Biennale. What is her work like? Helen Marten / Juergen Teller Like fellow shortlisted artist Michael Dean, Marten uses writing when creating her installations, as well as sculpture and screen printing. It features references from the contemporary to the historical, the everyday to the elusive, arranging every day objects in ways that make them become visual riddles or puzzles. Her exhibition for the Turner Prize is divided into three sections, each suggesting a workstation or terminal that has been abandoned in the midst of an unknown activity. Curator Laura Smith says, her works seem to ask us to become archaeologists of our own times; to consider familiar items as though we are seeing them for the first time. And in doing so, to instil these items with new and unforeseen ideas and stories. What is appealing about her work? For me, Martens work reflects our time and how over saturated contemporary culture is with images and advertising, says Smith. She asks us to step outside our comfort zone and slow down how we look at the world around us, spending time with our own imaginations as we piece together our visual clues; this is all a response to the multi-faceted and rapid way that we consume images today, Smith adds. Smith recalls a line by Flannery OConnor, which reminds her of Martens work: The longer you look at one object, the more of the world you see in it. Whats so exciting about her? One of the most exciting moments of working with Maren was watching her works arrive and be unpacked from their crates, Smith says - watching each object and detail in isolation then come together for the installation. The only challenge is the quick turnaround to create the exhibition, with the shortlist announced in May and the exhibition opening in September - others have a lead-in time of a year or more, Smith adds. It just means its been a busy couple of months - but definitely worth it! Turner Prize 2016 - All you need to know Read more of our coverage on this year's Turner Prize. Visit standard.co.uk/arts for the latest news and reviews from Londons arts scene Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout C ommunities Secretary Sajid Javid threw his weight behind our Christmas Appeal for the Young and Homeless Helpline today saying it had the potential to transform lives. In a striking admission, the senior Cabinet minister revealed that young people sleep rough outside his own ministerial office in Horseferry Road. I dont need to rely on reports and experts to remind me of the human costs of homelessness I just need to look outside my office window in London, he said. As the minister responsible for tackling homelessness its a very real, daily reminder of the challenge we face. Homeless Helpline: Centrepoint want a freephone number for young people facing homelessness Mr Javid said the Government could not solve the complex problems behind rough sleeping alone, despite investing 500 million since 2010. The Centrepoint helpline is at the heart of our fundraising appeal and BT has agreed to provide the phone service free for three years. Mr Javid said it was the perfect example of charities, the media and the private sector uniting to create a nationwide information and advice service for young people at risk of sleeping out. Changing lives: The helpline will offer support for young homeless people Its a great project that has the potential to transform lives, helping young people navigate an often complex system to access the help they need, he added. I am delighted to see it has the support of [Standard] owner Evgeny Lebedev, and that its the subject of the Standards appeal, and I wish everyone involved the very best of luck. Homelessness is a big, complex problem, and touches communities right across the nation. "It can be tackled, must be tackled, but we all need to work together to make that happen. Centrepoint: Matt's story Speaking in Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, he said that an estimated one million households had been prevented from becoming homeless by government-backed projects in the past seven years. But if we just trot out statistics, its very easy to forget that were talking about real people. Now the weather is getting colder and Christmas is approaching, it rams home the need to tackle this problem. More needs to be done. Homeless helpline: The Evening Standard is working with Centrepoint for this year's Christmas appeal (NIGEL HOWARD) / NIGEL HOWARD The minister listed projects adding up to 500 million over the coming four years, including 315 million for council action to prevent rough sleeping and provide at least 2,000 places in low-cost, move-on accommodation. The Homelessness Reduction Bill would tackle the cause of the problem rather than the symptoms. He pledged: Im determined to fix the broken housing market. Action on delivery of homes would include 2.3 billion on infrastructure and 2 billion to speed construction on public sector land. Centrepoint campaign: Ben's story He promised a policy paper next month would confront bottlenecks in the system, including developers who squat on land. The Evening Standard's Homeless Helpline appeal is raising money for the Centrepoint Helpline, a brand new support service that will save young people from ending up on the streets. To donate please visit our Just Giving page. Z ac Goldsmith will surely look back at 2016 as his annus horribilis. As Lady Bracknell might put it: to lose one election in a year might be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two looks like carelessness. It isnt so long ago that he was the golden boy of the Conservative Party: a MP with the looks (Rachel Johnson once said he has a face carved out of caramel by angels), that mellifluous voice and a shy charm that seemed capable of winning over non-Tory types. Frank Zacharias Robin Goldsmith was born into immense privilege, the middle son of the tycoon and politician Sir James Goldsmith. His passion for conservation stemmed from reading Gerald Durrells novels and watching David Attenboroughs nature documentaries. Following in the footsteps of his father, he was thrown out of Eton after cannabis was found in his room. He maintains it wasnt his, later saying: Amazingly, at that one particular moment in my Eton career, I was innocent. In 1997 he began working at The Ecologist, which had been founded by his uncle, Teddy Goldsmith. A year later he was made editor refusing to draw a salary and brought in a new, younger audience to the environmental magazine. The readership trebled under his watch. The environment has always been what drives him. The financier Ben Goldsmith, his younger brother, says: Zac has always understood that the greatest challenge facing us is the destruction of the natural environment. Hes been an environmentalist since I can remember. Thats why he went into politics. In 2006 he was selected as a prospective parliamentary candidate on David Camerons A-list, the group of fresh faces who were fast-tracked to try to modernise the Tory party. Cameron could scarcely have had a better poster boy than Goldsmith for his (soon forgotten) pledge: vote blue, go green. Goldsmith could have gone for the safe Tory seat of East Hampshire but opted not to, explaining: I just didnt know East Hampshire I would have had to get worked up about issues that I didnt care about. The whole thing was so artificial. Boris Johnson and Zac Goldsmith / Evening Standard / eyevine Instead, he chose to run in the Lib- Dem/Tory marginal seat of Richmond Park, then held by Susan Kramer. Leafy Richmond the London borough least like the rest of the capital chose Goldsmith. In the 2015 election, admittedly aided by the Lib-Dem collapse, he increased his majority from 4,000 to 23,000. He was viewed as a principled MP who knew his own mind, vehemently opposing the extension of Heathrow. He is quite a persistent rebel, said a senior government official. He remained popular in the party, though. As one senior Cabinet member said in 2015, he is maverick enough but not too maverick. Lib Dem beats Zac Goldsmith in Richmond Park by-election shock His brother Ben Goldsmith adds: In Parliament Zac has been perhaps the most consistently effective environmentalist since 2010 at the centre of campaigns to create vast new marine reserves in the UKs overseas territories, for Britain to phase out coal power entirely, for a tax on single use plastic bags and bottles, for agricultural subsidy reform and so many others. Parliament has lost a green leader. But Zac is inspired, energetic and effective. Hell emerge bigger, better, stronger and will continue to be one of the great environmental change-makers. Goldsmith was well-liked in Richmond / Matt Writtle He was well-liked locally too. A Richmond resident recalled, He always seemed to be followed around by a group of local yummy mummies. He has certainly always had a group of followers an acquaintance recalls seeing him in a west London nightclub before he became an MP with a group of men who were hanging on his every word. But his critics say he seemed bored by life in Parliament. There were a few like that in the 2010 intake, a Labour MP tells me. They came in expecting parliament to be glamorous and exciting, and then realised it was all about constituents housing problems. Heathrow Airport through the years - In pictures 1 /33 Heathrow Airport through the years - In pictures 1978 Welcome to Heathrow Evening Standard 1936 The entrance to the Great West Aerodrome now Heathrow Airport Daily Mail 1946 A wartime bomber waits on a runway at what was London Airport, where workmen are laying cinders on a waterlogged section of the airfield. The first plane to take off was a converted Lancaster bomber Getty Images 1946 Traffic clerk Doreen Haines walking French children along the runway to their plane home Getty Image 1965 The Queen's Building (left) and the No.1 Building Europa Getty Images 1962 The scene after Britain had been hit by the worst blizzard since 1947 1962 The BEA West London Air Terminal on Cromwell Road. The site served as a check-in facility for travellers Getty Images 1965 Tourists waiting at during the luggage porters' strike Getty Images 1966 The Beatles just before they set out for America for their 1966 tour Getty Images 1966 Muhammad Ali waves as he boards his plane Evening Standard 1969 The Queen, accopanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, views a window shopping display whilst touring the opening of Terminal One at what had been renamed as Heathrow Daily Mail 1970 A Pan Am Boeing 747 is seen just after landing after its first commercial flight AFP/Getty Images 1973 Farewell waves from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh as they board an Air Canada aircraft for their tour of Canada Daily Mail 1975 Thirty-five winners wave good-bye before departing on Concorde's first public passenger flight Getty Images 1978 An aerial view of Heathrow Airport, terminus and runway, and the surrounding area Evening Standard 1994 Police officers search for clues on the runway area after a mortar attack by the IRA AFP/Getty Images The check-in area for Concorde flights at Heathrow Airport A Concorde airplane takes off in 2003 from Heathrow AFP/Getty Images 2003 Army soldiers on board an armoured personnel carrier (APC) stand guard outside Terminal 2 Getty Images 2006 Terminal 5 under construction Glenn Copus 2008 The interior of Terminal 5 just before it opened to passengers Jeremy Selwyn 2008 And the outside view of T5 Getty Images 2013 Workers gather for a safety briefing in the new departures area of Terminal 2 Heathrow Airport in 2016 Hannah McKay/PA 2019 Air Traffic Control Engineers use screens displaying real-time panoramic views of the runways and docking gates during the trial AFP/Getty Images However, his relative high-profile and reputation as a free-thinker made him a top choice to be the Tory candidate for London mayor. He won the nomination in a landslide, but never quite looked comfortable in his skin even then. I chaired one of the Tory hustings on housing and he stumbled a few times and was corrected by his lesser-known rivals. He was better one-on-one than in a group setting. After the hustings, he relaxed and we briefly spoke about his time in Parliament. He said Diane Abbott would often come up to him and talk about education policy. She had mistaken him for Labours resident posh boy Tristram Hunt. Goldsmith started on the back foot in the mayoral race not helped by his support for Brexit in an pro-Remain city. Instead of campaigning on the green agenda which was his great strength and passion, the Conservatives chose to fight the election on Sadiq Khans supposed links to extremism, a position which voters across London wholeheartedly rejected. His own party turned against him after he lost. His sister said, Sad that Zacs campaign did not reflect who I know him to be an eco-friendly, independent-minded politician with integrity. When he stood down over Heathrow and ran again as an independent, this seemed to be a return to that independent-minded MP with integrity. But according to a Lib-Dem who had door-knocked before the by-election, voters in Richmond hadnt forgotten the mayoral campaign, though they were more put off by his support for Brexit. As he found out this morning when Lib-Dem Sarah Olney took his seat by 2,000 votes the golden boy had lost his shine. @RosamundUrwin W hether you're grabbing a last-minute outfit for an office Christmas party that's snuck up on you or you're stocking up on gifts for fashionable friends, London has plenty of stylish shops with helpful opening hours where you'll find what you need. Here's where to head after 5pm. Oxford Street may be the shopping destination Londoners love to hate, but it wont let you down when you need to make a post-work dash for a festive outfit. H&M is welcoming shoppers until at least 9.30pm most nights, and is the place for something inexpensive and spangly. Were gunning for a sequined blazer (49.99) must we explain why? Nearby, bad news for credit cards as Zara dispenses its catwalk-inspired dresses (from 19.99) till 9pm. Its worth making a beeline for M&S too (open to 9pm) and not just for a turkey. Its luxe-looking shoes (35) and statement earrings (15) will elevate all manner of party outfits. If its gifts youre after, lose yourself in Selfridges the ultimate one-stop shop for every present on the planet from a designer tote to a fancy dress outfit for your cat. Open until 10pm. And dont forget Gap which is back with its personalisation service. Everyday until 9pm its needlecraft wizards are on hand to add initials and fun messages to almost any item for just a few quid while you wait, taking a high street bargain to haute heights. Looking for something quirky and a bit crafty? Take the Tube east. Christmas Wednesdays return to Colombia Road from 30 November, with the streets brilliant independent boutiques usually only available on Sundays opening from 5pm-9pm. Nearby, the retailers of Redchurch Street are hosting their first-ever Christmas Market from 1-7 December, with most shops open until 8pm and luxury lifestyle store Modern Society hosting a series of immersive events. Its the place for hip labels such as Anine Bing and Sandy Liang, while its eponymous candles are pretty divine too. R ecently described by the Commons environment committee as a public health emergency, Londons poor air quality is believed to result in around 9,000 premature deaths every year, with hotspots such as Oxford Street and Marylebone Road topping the lists of the most polluted streets in the world. According to a recent report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Greenpeace and Kings College London, diesel cars are emitting 40 per cent of the capitals NO2 and particulate PM10 emissions. NO2, nitrogen dioxide, is believed to be a cause of significant respiratory problems. Gases in the nitrogen oxide family can inflame the inner lining of the lung and reduce immunity to lung infections such as bronchitis. The World Health Organisation also has nitrogen dioxide on its list of definite carcinogens. PM10 is one of the smallest of a class of pollutants known as particulate matter. This is a mix of tiny solids floating around in Londons air that includes brake dust, building material, and pollutants from cars. Much of this matter is too large to make its way to our lungs, but the PM10 that comes out of diesel engines is small enough to reach into our airways and deep into our lungs, where it settles, and causes health problems. Its a particular issue for the young and the vulnerable, as well as people with pre-existing respiratory illnesses. According to data from 2013, 440 schools in the capital are in areas where NO2 breaches the legal limits that are currently set by the EU and WHO. Approximately 130,000 school children are being regularly exposed to toxic gases introduced into the atmosphere by Londons cars and just this week parents have been advised to take care when taking their babies outside in certain parts of the capital. Traffic queues on a main route into London by the towers of London's financial district Canary Wharf. / Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images NO2 and PM10 are just two of the most dangerous substances in an array of pollutants that are emitted from cars, buses and trucks. Diesel vehicles are not solely to blame for this pollution, petrol engines and gas boilers contribute a significant proportion of the contaminants in Londons atmosphere, but diesels are the biggest single source of the worst forms of pollution. Producing 15-30 per cent of the CO2 output of a conventional petrol engine, diesels were sold as the fuel efficient and less polluting alternative to petrol throughout the 90s, with car firms investing millions in the development of the engines. Owners of diesel cars have been rewarded with significant tax breaks, fuel duty on diesel was significantly cut back by New Labour, and diesel as a percentage of private car ownership shot up from 7.6 per cent in 1994 to 32.6 per cent in 2004. Unfortunately, not only have these engines turned out to be a source of poisonous gases, as the diesels have aged, many are also just as big a source of CO2 as their petrol counterparts. Experts have been making loud warnings about the health effects of nitrogen oxides since 2012, but this has done nothing to dent the sales of diesel cars in London. The total number of diesels licensed in the city grew by 29 per cent between 2012 and 2015, from 601,456 in 2012 to 774,513. The manufacturers say that these new cars are less polluting than the older models, but an investigation by regulators following VWs dieselgate crisis earlier in the year showed that all of Britains most popular models were breaking Europes legal limits, some by as much as 14 times. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan unveils the world's first hydrogen double-decker bus before opening the International Zero Emission Bus Conference and Summit at City Hall. (Stefan Rousseau/PA ) / Stefan Rousseau/PA Londons Mayor, Sadiq Khan, has already outlined a number of proposals aimed at cleaning up the citys air. Costing 10 per day, the proposed Emissions Surcharge (or T-charge) would result in motorists using cars that predate Euro 4 regulations paying 21.50 per day to enter central London, once you include the congestion charge. Currently under consultation, the T-charge will apply to almost all vehicles built before 2005 travelling into Zone 1 and could begin as soon as 2017. The Ultra Low Emissions Zone could see lorries and buses paying charges of up to 100 per day from 2020, and the Mayor wants to see the zone established sooner, and eventually extended as far as the North and South Circulars. Sadiq Khan has also asked Transport for London to investigate the costs of a diesel scrappage scheme for the most polluting cars, but has stressed that such a scheme would have to be backed by central Government and rolled out nationwide for it to work effectively. According to the Mayors office, these proposals represent the biggest single action to combat poor air quality put forward by any major city in the world, but not everyone has approved of the Mayors plans. Some local politicians are concerned that the sudden introduction of higher emissions fees, and the extension of the Ultra Low Emissions Zone, could risk putting small businesses owners under pressure. A haze of air pollution covers the London skyline. / Mary Turner/Getty Images At the beginning of the Mayors consultation period, Tony Devenish, who sits as a Conservative member on the London Assembly, said: We all want to tackle NO2 emissions but most vehicles built after 2005 perform just as poorly as those built before so the cut-off date is meaningless. Small business owners and white van drivers with older company vehicles will effectively be taxed for travelling into the capital to work that cannot be right. For others, the mayoral package doesnt go far enough. Greenpeace is currently advocating for an all-out ban on all diesel vehicles within the capital and has launched a petition calling for Theresa May to ban the sale of new diesel cars within the UK. At the time of writing, the petition has had more than 60,000 signatures. The writings on the wall for diesel, Greenpeaces Barbara Stoll said recently, we need vital leadership from the government in phasing out diesel cars over the coming years. London cant stand alone in this fight. We need urgent action from Theresa May and her new team to clean up the car industry, whove got away with polluting our streets for too long, and help people make the switch from diesel to clean technologies. In Pictures: Porsche drives hybrid supercar through Central London 1 /9 In Pictures: Porsche drives hybrid supercar through Central London Porsche Hybrid London Run The convoy parks outside Portcullis House, Westminster Porsche Hybrid London Run The dawn run began in the very centre of London. Porsche Hybrid London Run As for Mark Webber, he had a great time, despite some challenges. Image: Jakob Ebrey/LAT Photographic Porsche Hybrid London Run Cooling was an issue, this is a 220mph racer so crawling along at 10-15mph for miles on end was a concern. Visibility was tricky in the dark and the closed cockpit meant he couldnt take in the top of Big Ben or Trafalgar Square. Porsche Hybrid London Run There were a few black spots for us in terms of steering lock, said Webber, and the bumpy London roads were hard work at times. Porsche Hybrid London Run The genial Australian loved the experience. To do things like this is great. London is a global city full of international people. Theres always something interesting that pops up: this morning, it was us. Porsche Hybrid London Run The road car will now go on to the Paris Motor Show for its official world debut no doubt with plenty of footage from the London run playing in the background. Its a position backed by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), who released a report earlier in the year (Lethal and Illegal), the key findings of which included an inevitable scrappage of Londons diesel fleet. The report found: It is likely that diesel cars will have to be completely phased out on Londons roads over the next decade in order to reach compliance with safe and legal levels of air pollution. Such a shift would not be easy to achieve in such a short space of time, but it would not be impossible. ClientEarth, an activist charity that successfully sued the UK Government in the High Court over poor air quality this month, has suggested devolving vehicle excise duty (VED) to local authorities. Such a move would mean the Mayor, who joined ClientEarths court action, could raise the cost of buying the most polluting vehicles within the capital. The additional tax revenue would then be invested in air quality schemes. Policymakers working with the Mayor have been acutely aware of 2016 being the 60th anniversary of Londons Great Smog, which resulted in the Clean Air Act and the phasing out of coal from the UKs homes. Londons air quality today is not only illegal, it is believed to be resulting in the early deaths of far more people than were killed as a direct result of the 50s smog. Just as in the 1950s, air pollution in London today is literally killing Londoners. But unlike the smoky pollution of the past, todays pollution is a hidden killer, Sadiq Khan has said. The scale of the failure to tackle the problem is demonstrated by the failure of the Government and the previous Mayor to meet legal pollution limits. Urgent action is now needed to ensure Londoners no longer have to fear the very air we breathe. Follow Ashley on Twitter: @Ashley_Coates N ew technology, electric powertrains, autonomous drive and of course lots and lots of SUVs. Thats the stuff of any current motor show but amid all the fuss from LA recently, you might have missed the fact that there was another big event going on at Guangzhou. This is one of the biggest shows in the Chinese calendar, and it demonstrates what the nations car makers are doing as well as what the wests are doing for it. There were a few hints at Chinese-built vehicles which could go on to make it to Europe, too GAC Enlight Guangzhou was the local show for GAC, and the company went all-out to steal it with a dramatic looking supercar featuring rear-hinged gull-wing doors big enough to create their own weather. Its electrically powered, natch, and GAC says it has the ability to drive autonomously. Qoros QamFree prototype An engineering concept which could be in production two years from now, this is an engine design which replaces the traditional camshaft with a Pneumatic-Hydraulic-Electric-Actuator which, by allowing independent valve control, improves torque and fuel economy by 45% and 15% respectively. Hanenergy Solar R It looks like a supercar (or maybe a space probe), but with a 0-62 time of less than 1.5 seconds the Solar R will only stay that way until you actually drive it. With the ability to generate 8kW of charge in five hours via its self-contained solar panels, however, its fast in other ways and Hanenergy claims a range of more than 250 miles. Wey Upmarket sub-brands are the flavour of the month with Chinas mass-market manufacturers. Great Walls new Wey nameplate will hit the local streets next year with the W01 and W02, which were shown here in concept form Haval H2S This SUV, also from Great Wall they of the Steed has the distinction of being available with different coloured badges. Cool buyers will opt for blue, they say, and cautious ones for red. SEM DXC Designed by Pininfarina, this youth-appeal SUV has more than a touch of the Renault Captur about it. Maxus T60 pick-up An imposing double-cab from the SAIC conglomerate, this could be exported to the UK though if the show vehicle is anything to go by, its interior is short of the quality were used to in the pick-up market. Lifan Xuanlang A more traditional Chinese design, in that its a rip-off of the Ford S-Max, this seven-seat people carrier did at least boast a well executed cabin with good materials. Follow Evening Standard Motors on Twitter: @ES_Motors. B eing weighed down with bags as you struggle to find your wallet or type in a PIN as a queue waits impatiently behind you isnt the most relaxing start to the festive season. But with Vodafones updated Pay service, payment details are kept securely in one easy-to-access place. So as the high street heaves with Christmas shoppers, you can pay for your purchases with a simple tap of your smartphone, then head to the nearest pub or cafe for well-earned refreshments. Faster festive check-outs Vodafone Pay is part of the Vodafone Wallet app, which allows you to add your Visa and MasterCard credit or debit cards, and even your PayPal account, then use them to make contactless, PIN-free payments with your phone up to a limit of 30. If you want to make a payment of more than 30, tap in the PIN you created when the card/PayPal account was added to the Vodafone Wallet app before making a contactless payment. If youre a Vodafone customer with one of the many Android handsets that support Vodafone Wallet, you can easily download the app from Google Play. If you dont have a contactless SIM yet, you can request one from Vodafone. Then youre all set for your phone to become a secure way to pay at more than 400,000 places in the UK, including all National Rail and TfL services that accept Oyster payments. That should make checking off the Christmas list a whole lot easier. 10 Apps to make a shopping trip a little less stressful 1 /10 10 Apps to make a shopping trip a little less stressful The Hunt Seen what you want but dont know where to get it? Post a picture of the item you covet on The Hunt and other app users will help you track it down. Spotted by locals Want to shop, eat and drink like a local? Just look up the city youre in and get all the low-key tips. Its full of the stuff only locals would know. Instagram live video Now you can take a video of your new purchase from the changing rooms and show it to your friends in real time perfect for a second opinion. Clash of Clans If youre an unwitting shopping partner, you might need something to pass the time. So why not build a charming little town and fight off evil goblins? Google Maps Popular Times The latest update will give real-time info on how busy a restaurant or bar is. Just type in where you want to go and this feature will tell you how popular it is. VoucherCodes No one admits to using a discount code, but if were honest, weve all done it. On this app version of the website, you can find codes for money off in shops. Flush toilet finder Theres nothing worse than being out shopping and not being able to find a loo. Just open this app and it will show you the nearest public bathroom. Dark Skies Want to know if it will rain and how long it will rain for? After all, shopping in the wet is no fun. Using GPS, this app will tell you the weather minute-to- minute. Colour Blind Pal If youre colour blind, shopping for clothes might be a bit tricky. This app will give a truer version of colour just take a pic and itll say the shade it is. AppyParking Theres nothing more irritating than not being able to find a parking space. This lets you search your location for either on or off-street parking. No power? No problem Theres no need to worry if your phone has run out of battery. As all of your payment information is stored securely within the SIM, you can still make payments even when your phone is switched off. You can also use the Wallet app to store all of your loyalty cards on your phone, which means fewer things to carry around, no more fumbling to find the right card at the till, and no more missing out on valuable loyalty points when you give up the hunt. You just need to scan the loyalty cards barcode with your phones camera, then ask the cashier to scan the barcode that appears on your screen when you shop. PayPal now on the high street this Christmas With PayPal also available in Vodafone Pay, you can even make contactless payments from your PayPal account. Vodafone Wallet is also the only contactless payment service that allows you to set up a new PayPal account within the app. Its so helpful it even gives Santas elves a run for their money. Visit vodafone.co.uk/wallet for more information on how to be a part of the new way to pay Award-winning payments Dont just take our word for it Vodafone Pay has already won four industry awards, including two at the Emerging Payment Awards 2016 and two at the 2016 Payments Awards, including the main prize of the night, Overall Winner. So download the app now and youll be making award-winning payments just in time for that essential Christmas shopping trip. A s we all get engrossed in Planet Earth II and marvel at the power of nature, most of us are dreaming about discovering a little more of this celestial body we call our own. Together with secretescapes.com, weve chosen the best trips that allow you to get closer to nature in 2017. Whilst we cannot promise that youll be able to save baby iguanas from impressively agile snakes, being able to see some of the worlds most impressive animals in their natural habitats is surely something to tick off the bucket list next year. Islands, mountains, jungles, deserts, grasslands and cities are all included in these six trips to some of the world's most stunning locations. Adventure across South Africa With chances to whale watch, eye up elephants and ogle at ostriches, this self-drive adventure in South Africa has plenty of opportunities to sidle up to the natural world. Over 12 days, your packed itinerary will include the Addo Elephant National Park which features some of the highest concentrations of big game in Africa. Be sure to pack your camera - you wont want to miss a thing. From 1,399 per person for 12 nights, save up to 30%. Valid until 5th December 2016. Book here. Sri Lankan discovery The beautiful island of Sri Lanka features diverse landscapes of tropical forests, mountain ranges and crystal clear lakes. Combined with a fascinating cultural backdrop of UNESCO World Heritage sites and undiscovered ancient monuments, the human footprint on the island is just as captivating as its natural counterparts. During the 11 day trip, youll fit in not only luxe hotels but also such visits as the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage where there is a herd of almost 90 elephants. From 1,665 per person for 10 nights, save up to 22%. Valid until 5th December 2016. Book here. African Safari Break If you fancy staying put for a week in a thatched lodge on a five star reserve, this is for you. Just north of Johannesburg, the Sebatana Rhino Lodge is nestled amongst the magical Waterberg Mountains. Enjoy four different game drives as well as treks to tick off the Big Five: lions, elephants, leopards, rhinoceros and buffaloes. Other optional excursions are available if you want to fit even more into your trip to this special part of the natural world. From 1,299 per person for 7 nights, save up to 36%. Valid until 12th December 2016. Book here. Southern India escape Kerala, located in the southern tip of India, is home to elephants, tigers and gaurs in its varied landscape including coastal regions, grasslands and evergreen forests. Travel in a traditional kettuvallam boat through paddy fields, stay on a cardamom plantation and explore the forest of Periyar, renowned for its wildlife. This trip is a chance to see the slower pace of Indian life in a region rich in colour and life. From 1,219 per person for 9 nights, save up to 35%. Valid until 12th December 2016. Book here. Snorkel in the Gulf of Thailand Get caught up in all aspects of life in the elegant resort of The Sarann set on Chaweng Noi beach on the island of Ko Samui. With its coral reefs, this is the perfect place to snorkel in the warm waters of the Thai Gulf or Head inland to experience tropical jungles and picturesque waterfalls. If you are looking at setting your own schedule, or happen to be visiting Thailand next year, this is definitely one to consider. From 68 per villa per night, save up to 57%. Valid until 5th December 2016. Book here. Desert and city break in Dubai Combine the buzz of a city break with the breathtaking expanse of the desert with this adaptable break to Dubai combining two of Planet Earths themes. Go on a camel safari across sand dunes and sit back and gaze up at the crystalline night sky whilst also chasing the bright lights of Dubais pulsating cityscape. A break of two halves, which isnt a million miles away from home, this is a fitting stay for anyone not wanting to entirely get away from it all. From 749 per person for 7 nights, save up to 30%. Valid until 5th December 2016. Book here. All offers are for trips in 2017 for two adults only. See secretescapes.com for further information. A s autumn transitions into winter, a crisp chill in the air arrives and the suns light shifts into almost sepia tones. Human instinct may guide us inside towards warm fires and soft furnishings but in the hills of Tuscany theres good reason to stray outside among the falling leaves. The central Italian region thats home to Pisa, Florence and Siena, Tuscany is very easy on the eye: flat plains of crops and poplars, rising green hills and modest mountains littered with reminders of the areas Medici-filled past. Like much of the country, it has built a reputation for its cuisine of rich produce and unparalleled wine, and a short flight to Pisa unlocks the Tuscan larder, leaving its stocks ready to be raided. My visit coincided with truffle-hunting season, which soon comes to a close. The methods of finding this seemingly unremarkable fungus, enveloped in the ground beneath the linden, hazelnut and oak trees, have barely changed over the centuries. In the grounds of the San Miniato estate, Cesare Profeti, from truffle business Savitar Tartufi, took a group of us out with the dogs. These days, dogs are used more frequently than the slower but more traditional pigs. Gina, a cross-bred canine with more than a decade of training, led the way down the trodden paths, up the hills and through the woods. The group followed close behind, wound, spring-like, in anticipation for the moment where Ginas snout would settle on a spot, her tail would wag, and she would begin to dig. Cesare could then step in, excitement on his face despite having been on hundreds of searches in his time. He would help with the digging and, if Gina had sensed correctly, find a small, unassuming block of culinary gold, its odour lingering on the fingertips even when covered in soil. Guy with Cesare and the dogs / Kirstie Young Two hours of hunting unearthed just three white truffles, going some way to explain their high price at market. But those seeking an easier method of finding the Tuscan staple, or anyone who wishes to sample their hard-won goods, can make the trip to the nearby Locanda di Camugliano. Specialising in classic regional dishes and offering handsome views of the surrounding landscape, the restaurant offers an impressive wine list, cosy seating in converted stables and a menu rich in truffles. Truffle fondue, truffle spaghetti, fried egg with truffle and squid ink, ice cream with truffle and honey; it provides the perfect showcase for this remarkably versatile ingredient. A truffle / Kirstie Young And yet, in true Italian style, there is always room for more. Up in the quiet hills of Panzano in Chianti, the sound of rock music is in the air. Dario Cecchini, a portly Italian dressed in red, white and green, cleaves, chops and hands out shots of grappa in his butchers shop. This is the small towns favourite Friday night venue, flooded with music and a party atmosphere that has earned him a reputation on the international food scene. His motto, he proudly exclaims, is To Beef or Not to Beef, and it has permeated his life: a giant, floral cow stands in the street outside Solociccia, one of his restaurants, where placemat menus explain exactly where on the animal each dish came from. Ragu, steak, salami and cutlets its a feast of almost impossible proportions. Il Borgo di Petroio A full day of consumption makes a night of comfort a vital requirement, and the area is spattered with villas, many brought together beneath the umbrella of Tuscany Now & More, which offers rental accommodation as well as excursions and meals cooked by private chefs. Tom Aikens, Michelin-starred chef and stalwart of the London restaurant scene, joined us for the weekend, and together with local chef Francesco Marrucelli cooked up his interpretation of an Italian feast at our home for the weekend, Il Borgo di Petroio. Tom Aikens cooking with Francesco / Kirstie Young A villa in the grounds of a former monastery, it comes with warmly decorated bedrooms, living areas full of personal and eclectic touches and a prerequisite of Tuscany an expansive, well-stocked kitchen. Accessed by car up a winding road punctuated with waterfalls, its a drive that should be tackled only by those with great confidence behind the wheel. But a deep nights sleep fuelled by red wine and white truffles makes the ascent more than worth it. On waking, though, theres more food to find, with thousands of wild boar roaming the glades. Visitors are able to join professional hunters, armed with guns, as they track and kill the animals; rising numbers have led the local government to encourage the regulated practice. Truffle spaghetti (Kirstie Young) Those whod prefer the lie-in can wake before lunch and head down the mountain again for tours and a bite at one of the local vineyards, like the uncharacteristically white wine-focused Castello Pomino, or Castello di Nipozzano, a grand castle on the hill that also offers renovated villas in its grounds. Most of the outposts give visitors the chance to purchase regional specialities, with wine, honey and olive oil chief among them. There is an innate warmth to Tuscany, its people and its food, which ensures an inviting visit even as the temperature begins to drop. So you can head outdoors in search of your next Italian feast or just stay inside by the fire with a nice glass of red. Details: Tuscany Tuscany Now & More (0207 684 8884; tuscanynowandmore.com) offers seven nights self-catering in Il Borgo Di Petroio from 5,074 per week based on 14 people sharing. easyJet (easyjet.com) flies from Gatwick to Pisa. Dragonpass (en.dragonpass.com.cn) offers access to more than 850 airport lounges worldwide. italia.it A cyclist who was seriously injured in a suspected hit-and-run in north-east London has died. The victim, a man in his 40s, was on his way to work when he was hit by what police believe was a small lorry at about 4.15am on Thursday. The man was found lying in the road in Buckhurst Hill and was rushed to the Royal London Hospital, but died on Thursday evening. A wing mirror was found by police at the scene in Roding View which they believe belongs to the vehicle involved. Detective Inspector Dave Jones, of Essex Polices Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "We believe the vehicle involved in this collision was a small lorry, probably less than seven and-a-half tonnes, and light, possible white, in colour. "It was travelling towards Buckhurst Hill from Debden. "I would urge the driver of the vehicle to come forward and contact us. "Equally if there are any transport managers or transport companies who have noticed anything suspicious about one of their vehicles, particularly that it may be missing a wing mirror, please get in touch urgently. "Additionally I would urge any shops in the Loughton, Debden and Buckhurst Hill areas that receive deliveries from a vehicle matching that description to also contact us. Anyone with information can contact officers at SCIU on 01245 240 590 or email CollisionAppeal@essex.pnn.police.uk. A member of the notorious Adams crime family who shot an associate in broad-daylight has been jailed for nine years after telling a judge he "went straight" 30 years ago and was only defending himself when he pulled the trigger. Patrick 'Patsy' Adams, 60, shot Paul Tiernan in the chest near to his home in Clerkenwell before fleeing the UK and sparking an international manhunt for the gunman. Woolwich crown court heard Adams had suspected Tiernan of being a "grass" and wanted to confront him about his behaviour in the run-up to the shooting. But he says the shooting was nothing to do with Tiernan's alleged police informant role, and Tiernan himself brought the gun and pointed it at Adams and his wife Constance. CCTV footage of Patrick Adams Adams, the younger brother of former Clerkenwell crime syndicate boss Terry Adams, said he wrestled the gun out of Tiernan's hand and conceded he had been "excessive" by shooting in self-defence. His barrister, James Scobie QC, told the court Adams had a string of convictions, including armed robbery and possession of a gun, in his past, but had left his criminal lifestyle behind him in the mid-1980s. "He effectively went straight, and ultimately set up a business abroad", he said. "This incident was completely out of character." He said Adams had to "fight for his life" during the confrontation, on December 22, 2013, and he is "relieved" that Tiernan recovered from his gunshot injuries. "Patrick Adams and his wife were walking lawfully down a road close to their home. He had to act in self-defence", he said. Judge Christopher Kinch QC jailed Adams for nine years this afternoon, telling Adams he made a "momentous decision" to fire the gun. "It was Patrick Adams who chose to make use of the loaded firearm when it was in his hands", he said. "You are a man who has had some experience with firearms and have some understanding of their power. "You took steps to dispose of evidence in this case, including the weapon. You also made sustained efforts to evade arrest, leaving the country and seeking refuge in the Netherlands." Adams shot Tiernan at around 10am at the junction of St John Street and Wyclif Street as he sat at the wheel of his BMW. Following the shooting, police found a note in Adams' Clerkenwell flat penned by Tiernan where he insisted "I ain't no f***ing grass". "I've always been there for both of you, but you're never there for me", he wrote. "We are men. Face me, the truth will hurt." Adams admit suspecting Tiernan of being a police informant and had distanced himself from his former friend because of his class A drug and steroid abuse. But he said the shooting was not an act of retribution, but an "extraordinary event" where Tiernan had driven from Essex to central London with a loaded gun to confront him. Constance Adams, whom Patrick claimed Tiernan had pointed a gun towards / Metropolitan Police Adams said he did not realise he was in danger until Tiernan "beckoned" him to his car and pulled out the weapon. "Patrick Adams assumed - rightly - that the firearm was loaded and fearing for his life and the life of his wife, Patrick Adams ran to the car and reached through the open window", said Mr Scobie. "Patrick Adams wrestled the gun from Tiernan and Tiernan attempted to grab the gun back. Patrick Adams discharged the gun whilst it was still within the car." Adams was initially charged with attempted murder, but pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent after prosecutors accepted his basis of plea on the first day of trial. Prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC said earlier this week the case against him had been weakened as Tiernan was refusing to cooperate and had publicly said Adams was not the shooter. While facing extradition from Holland, Adams complained he would not get a fair trial because of his criminal past, and told Dutch judges: "I never done it." But he pleaded guilty to the shooting, on the grounds of excessive self-defence, and his solicitor said Adams should be treated as a "hero". Mr Scobie told the court on Friday that Tiernan had a knife and ammunition in his car as well as his passport and 900 in cash, and had become disgruntled because he was "ostracised" by Adams because of increasingly volatile behaviour. "He (Tiernan) didn't like being ostracised - something must have broken in Tiernan to come all that way and front this defendant on his own home territory and produce that gun", he said. Mr Scobie said Adams and his wife fled the UK after the shooting because they feared retribution from Tiernan and believed they would not be treated "because he is an Adams". Adams pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent. He was cleared of attempted murder and a charge of possession of a firearm was left to lie on file. Constance Adams, 56, was cleared of all three charges when the prosecution offered no evidence against her. A man has been charged with murder following an assault at an immigration centre in west London. Zana Assad Yusif, 31, has been charged following the incident at Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre in West Drayton on Thursday. Tarek Chowdhury was rushed to hospital after being injured at the centre at around 9.15am. The 64-year-old was pronounced dead at 9.30pm. Yousif, who was in the care of the centre, will appear in custody at Hendon Magistrates' Court on Saturday. He was one of three men - aged 31, 32 and 35 - arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The other two men have been released without charge. A murder investigation has been launched after a man died following an assault at an immigration centre in west London. The 64-year-old rushed to hospital after being injured at the Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre in West Drayton around 9.15am on Thursday. He was pronounced dead at 9.30pm. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: Next of kin have been informed. Formal identification awaits and a post-mortem examination will be held in due course. Three men - aged 31, 32 and 35 - were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Immigration centre: Police and ambulance were called to Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre / Tim Ockenden/PA The 32-year-old man is being held at a west London police station. The other two men were released without charge, police confirmed. Detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command led by Detective Chief Inspector Mark Lawson are investigating. No one else is currently being sought in connection with the investigation. P olice are looking to speak to a woman seen with a teenager moments before he was stabbed to death outside university halls in west London. The man, believed to be 18 years old, was knifed in the chest yards from the main entrance as he walked past college accommodation block, the Costume Store, in North Acton, at 6.30pm on Thursday. Scotland Yard are now appealing for a woman spotted with the victim moments before the attack to come forward. Witnesses said a fight broke out between two men pushing and shoving before the victim staggered to a bench clutching his chest. He fell forwards and collapsed onto the pavement. Paramedics battled to save his life for 20 minutes at the scene before he was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police at the scene of the stabbing in North Acton / Lucy Young A manhunt is now underway for the knifeman who is believed to have dropped his weapon and fled. A student from China living in the Costume Store halls told the Standard: He was killed in the street. I dont know who he is. We are all scared. The policemen keep telling us not to worry. I dont want to tell my parents because I know they will be really worried and want me to go home. Detective Chief Inspector Sam Price said: "I am appealing for anyone who witnessed this attack to come forward and speak to police. A forensic officer examines the scene in North Acton / Lucy Young I am particularly keen to trace and speak to a female who was seen with the victim in the moments before he was attacked. "There were a lot of people in the area of Victoria Road at the time of the incident and I would urge anyone who can assist our investigation to contact us." Police at the scene of the attack in North Acton / Lucy Young The victims next of kin have not been informed of the death and formal identification is yet to take place. Metropolitan Police confirmed a post-mortem was due to take place on Friday afternoon. There have been no arrests and enquiries continue. Anyone with any information concerning this incident is asked to call the police incident room on 020 8721 4054 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. A young man was viciously stabbed to death outside a hall of residence at Londons world-renowned University of the Arts, it has emerged. The man in his 20s was knifed in the chest yards from the main entrance as he walked near college accommodation block in west London at 6.30pm on Thursday. Witnesses said a fight broke out between two men pushing and shoving before the victim staggered to a bench clutching his chest. He fell forwards and collapsed onto the pavement. Paramedics battled to save his life for 20 minutes at the scene before he was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead. A forensic officer examines the scene after the attack / Lucy Young A manhunt is now underway for the knifeman who is believed to have dropped his weapon and fled. Students who live in the Costume Store, opposite North Acton Tube station, told of their shock at the death on their doorstep. The modern block houses 530 UAL undergraduates most of whom study at the London College of Fashion in Shepherds Bush. It was placed on lockdown until the early hours with security guards manning the gates as police with sniffer dogs searched inside. Police at the scene of the stabbing in North Acton / Lucy Young A student from China living in the Costume Store halls told the Standard: He was killed in the street. I dont know who he is. We are all scared. The policemen keep telling us not to worry. I dont want to tell my parents because I know they will be really worried and want me to go home. Scotland Yard said the victims family have been informed of his death. A forensic officer examines the scene in North Acton / Lucy Young A 27-year-old international student studying for her postgraduate degree said: Its terrible. The police refused to tell us anything apart from the fact that someone had been stabbed and told us to go home another way. Its so scary because theres so many of us students that live in this area. Im sad to hear someone has lost his life over a brawl. "Im sure well all be a lot more cautious now. The UAL comprises Central Saint Martins, Camberwell College of Arts, Chelsea College of Arts, London College of Communication and Wimbledon Arts College. The Costume Store halls, a mix of shared flats and self-contained dorms, opened in September 2012 on the site that once housed the BBCs costume collection. The stabbing happened outside a university hall of residence / Lucy Young A student who lives in the block in Victoria Road wrote on Twitter: A person I live [with] has been stabbed outside of our flat walking home and is in hospital and we are all locked in the common room. Another wrote: Someone got stabbed downstairs. Im just staring from the window, there are 11 police cars and police everywhere. Theyve brought in police dogs and looking around. A London College of Fashion student said: I lived in these halls last year. So horrible to see news like this. A pub manager who works nearby told the Standard: They were pushing and shoving each other and then the guy stabbed him and ran off. I saw him lying on the floor. The paramedics were doing CPR on the guy for about 20 minutes. They were still trying to save him as they were putting him in the ambulance. He was on his own, and I heard he was a student. Nothing really happens around here, its very quiet so it is shocking that this has happened. Its really sad. I was shocked. Its just no regard for life. In a message on its Facebook page, a UAL spokesman wrote: If youre a UAL student at The Costume Store, there are residence managers on site to help with any enquiries. :: Anyone with any information is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. D rinking lots of water when unwell could actually be bad for your health, experts have warned. Doctors at King's College Hospital have dismissed the age-old advice to "drink plenty of fluids" after a 59-year-old woman drank so much she became seriously ill. The woman was admitted to A&E with acute hyponatraemia, which is caused by low salt levels in the blood. She developed the condition after drinking large quantities of water to "flush out" a urinary tract infection. The illness can lead to nausea, vomiting and headaches and, in serious cases, causes the brain to swell which can lead to confusion, seizures, coma and even death. Gravely ill: The woman was treated at Kings College Hospital / Alamy Writing in the BMJ, the doctors described how the woman became progressively shaky and muddled, vomited several times, was tremulous and exhibited significant speech difficulties". After developing symptoms of a urinary tract infection, she recalled being told by a doctor previously to drink half a pint of water every 30 minutes - though she had consumed more. Although medical staff were able to save her life, they described another case in which a young woman suffering from gastroenteritis died after consuming too much water. Dr Imran Rafi, chairman of clinical innovation and research at the Royal College of GPs, said: "Drinking enough water is important in keeping healthy and patients should keep their fluids up when unwell, particularly in conditions that can cause dehydration. But he added: "This case report highlights that excessive water intake can have important consequences for patients, and this is something that healthcare professionals, and patients, should be mindful of." Additional reporting by Press Association. D ragons Den star Sarah Willingham believes the hipster pop-up will be key to helping Londons economy escape the post-Brexit blues. Willingham, 42, who made her 12 million fortune with the Bombay Bicycle Club chain of Indian restaurants, said the Government must cut red tape to let entrepreneurs thrive. She said: I was very pro-Remain and fiercely disappointed with the vote, but now the Government really has to fly that small-business flag. She praised niche pop-ups, craft ale micro-breweries and high-concept businesses such as the Cereal Killer cafe in Shoreditch and Soho crisp restaurant Hipchips. I love the trendy pop-ups, they are phenomenal. But licensing and planning laws have to go with the flow because as things are they can make it difficult to get these ideas off the ground, she said. Were the best country in the world to start a new business in. With a pop-up, people are given the opportunity to trial a business without going all in, its as good as it gets and a huge growth are. Some will obviously fail, but the ones that grow will become medium-size businesses and employ more people. That is the beauty of the British consumer, we are very open to new things, we love local and we love craft thats a massive trend. Willingham, a mother of five, said she was floored by Donald Trumps victory in the US election, and suggested that it could open the door to a reality TV star stepping into No 10. She said: Our system offers us a great deal more protection than the American presidential system. Business people have to go into the House of Lords or become czars or advisers but you just cant rule anything out anymore. I read something about Peter Jones saying he wanted to be prime minister and I think he has the right temperament to be a leader, he is wonderful. She added: Duncan Bannatyne is probably a bit too hot-headed. Willingham is taking a break from the Den to become a judge for the British Takeaway Awards alongside celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott. Rob Brydon will host the awards, sponsored by Just Eat, at The Savoy on Monday. I nvestigators have reportedly blown up an item found on a double-decker bus which sparked a security scare near Finsbury Park station. Police raced to Blackstock Road just before 5pm and taped off roads after a "suspicious package" was discovered on a route 106 bus. Stunned residents said up to eight police cars were stationed in the street with some surrounding the double-decker vehicle as neighbours were ordered to remain inside shops and homes. And eyewitnesses told how they heard what they described as an "explosion" before the road was reopened. Rob Hastings, deputy features editor of the i newspaper, said: The bus was empty by the time I saw what was going on. Alert: Roads near Finsbury Park station have been taped off / Park Pharmacy Police were walking up and down my section of the street and maybe 150 metres of it was taped off. Store owners were told to close their shutters and stay inside. There was a moderately loud bang that I can only presume was a controlled explosion but that is just a guess. A sniffer dog was whipping along the street as well. Paul Parsons tweeted: "Nothing like a good bomb scare and detonation?! Outside your flat on a Friday evening #FinsburyPark." Roads near Finsbury Park station have been taped off as police investigate a suspicious item found on a London bus. Louis Allday wrote: North London people: Blackstock road is closed to traffic due to a bomb scare at seven sisters road end. Transport for London said five bus routes had been diverted or cut short as a result of the security alert. Police said the item had been declared non-suspicious just after 6pm but could not say whether an explosion had been carried out. Roads have now fully reopened. T his was the dramatic scene after a double-decker bus burst into flames in a busy high street in south-west London. Footage shared on social media showed the back of the double decker bus engulfed in flames in Market Place, Kingston. The blaze broke out on the 371 service just after 9am on Friday, close to the Guildhall. The driver escaped the bus before London Fire Brigade crews arrived. Bus blaze: A London bus burst into flames in Kingston / Twitter/Kingston Police He was treated by paramedics from London Ambulance Service at the scene for possible smoke inhalation and taken to a hospital in south-west London. No one else was injured in the fire. Police have evacuated nearby homes and businesses as a safety precaution. Kingston Bus Fire 1 /8 Kingston Bus Fire A double decker bus on fire in Kingston @___hannahrose via @LondonFire The driver was treated for smoke inhalation @MPSKingston Police evacuated nearby homes and businesses @richardjc Smoke billowed above the town's market place @richardjc Dramatic images showed the bus alight @MPSKingston The fire broke out just after 9am @richardjc Officers taped-off the road and warned residents to stay away while emergency services dealt with fire. An LFB spokeswoman said: "We were called to Market Place, Kingston at 9.11am to reports of a bus alight. "We sent two fire engines to the scene from Kingston Fire Station. "The driver alighted the bus before fire crews arrived. There are no reports of any other people involved." Taped-off: Police have evacuated residents living close to the blaze / Twitter/Rich Carpenter A spokesman for the Met Police added: "Police are in attendance to help with road closures. "London Ambulance Service is also at the scene to treat people for possible smoke inhalation. "Local residents have been evacuated as a safety precaution. "The road remains closed. Motorists are advised to avoid the area." Transport for London confirmed that a full investigation will be launched over the incident. A mother today told of her shock at giving birth in the back of an Uber on her way to hospital. Tara Lafferty and her City worker husband Chris Celio, both 36, booked the car to take them from their Battersea home to St Thomas Hospital. But their new daughter had other ideas. Maya, now six weeks old, was born at the roadside after a labour of less than three hours. The stunned driver, Evgeni Dimitrov, 37, was seven minutes from the hospital when he glanced in his rear mirror to see Maya being held by Ms Lafferty. She said: The contractions had started about three hours before we got in the car and then I had another three while inside the Uber. Driver: Evgeni Dimitrov had not witnessed a birth before Then I saw her head between my legs. With the next contraction she was out and I held her to my stomach. That it only lasted about two and a half hours from start to finish is so surprising. We were both shocked. But we realised Maya was crying and a good colour. We got to the hospital and my husband gave the driver a five-star rating. The couple already had a three-year-old son named Ben but this was Ms Laffertys first natural birth. She spent a night in hospital before returning home with the happy and healthy baby. The couple, who are US citizens and moved to London in August, today thanked Mr Dimitrov for his calmness. Ms Lafferty said: She is six weeks old now and its much easier than the first time. She is very content. Every time we tell someone the story we relive it. We were both so surprised. Mr Dimitrov said it was the first time he had witnessed a birth, having missed that of his 10-year-old son. He added: My GPS said we were 12 minutes from hospital and I wasnt sure how fast I could get there. Five minutes later, I heard Oh my God and I turned around. I was shocked and started shaking. The baby had just popped out. The most important thing was that the mother and baby were okay. L ondons air pollution is a serious health risk to cab drivers and pedestrians, it was claimed today. Green Party peer Jenny Jones urged City Hall and the Government to do more to reduce emission levels after touring pollution hotspots. She was driven around the West End and west London by cab driver Matt Newell, 44, to measure microscopic PM2.5 particles from vehicle exhausts. The results showed the highest levels of PM2.5 were around Trafalgar Square and Euston station. The readings in the Euston underpass were five times higher than EU guidance levels. Baroness Jones said: What this shows is that London has an air pollution problem that needs fixing because it is becoming a public health crisis. PM2.5 particles can be breathed in and enter the bloodstream to greatly raise the risks of heart and lung problems. From 2020 Transport for London will introduce an Ultra Low Emission Zone around central London to ensure all vehicles meet emission standards or pay a daily charge to travel. Baroness Jones said: We need the ULEZ to be brought in and strongly enforced because it has to be a deterrent. We need to make the zone expensive but public transport easier. That means better buses, train and Tube services. Under EU legislation member states must keep annual average PM2.5 levels below 25 micrograms per cubic metre. Baroness Jones believes cab drivers are particularly at risk of developing pollution-related diseases during their long and busy driving shifts. A spokesman for the Mayor of London said: Sadiq has proposed the toughest crackdown on polluting vehicles by any major city in the world. He is also consulting on a new emissions surcharge and introducing an expanded Ultra Low Emission Zone a year earlier than the previous Mayor planned. [This week] he revealed that no more pure diesel double-deck buses will be added to the capitals fleet from 2018 and that all new single-decks for central London will be zero-emission. The Mayor cannot tackle air quality on his own and he is also calling for the Government to rise up to the challenge and pass new legislation fit for the 21st century. A father died after being hit by a car when he dashed into a busy road to save a dog that had strayed on to the carriageway, his friends said today. Tim King, 50, was knocked down close to the luxury car dealership where he worked in Sidcup, at 6.30am on Monday. Air ambulance paramedics battled to save him but he was pronounced dead at the scene in Maidstone Road. Mr King, an employee at Stephen James BMW Ruxley, helped set up one of Londons first underground trance clubs, GHOST, in the mid-Nineties and dance station XTC Radio. His wife and daughter were too upset to comment but close friend Rob Parish confirmed that the death was being treated as an accident. He said: Tim rushed into the road to save a dog that had strayed into the carriageway, which is typically the sort of thing that he would do. He always thought of others before himself. In the 25 years I have known him he has never said a bad word about anyone. He was a true gentleman. The man is a true hero and I am proud to have had him as my friend. Carl Nicholson, a regular DJ at Fabric who was billed alongside Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers and Judge Jules, described Mr King as integral to the Nineties rave scene. Mr Nicholson added: Tim was a great man. He always had a positive vibe and was one of those rare people that you never hear a bad word about. He always saw the upside to everything and was always a glass half full kind of guy. Tim was inspirational to me and loads of other DJs he was absolutely integral to the London scene in the Nineties. He was deeply passionate about his music. He was one of the good guys. An online comment from a co-worker who witnessed the crash praised Mr King, from Sidcup, for the rescue that cost him his life. They added: Such a noble deed from such a noble person. And a really lovely guy with a heart of gold. He was a good friend who will be very dearly missed by all of us at Stephen James. The driver stopped at the scene and is said to be helping police with their investigation. There have been no arrests. A nearby petrol station worker said the road was closed for six hours while police carried out their inquiries. She said: Its just so sad. His colleagues at the BMW retailer came in to tell us what happened. They were really shaken up by it. He died instantly right outside as he came in for work. Any witnesses or anyone with information should call the Roads and Transport Policing Command on 020 8285 1574 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. T he Prime Minister has today distanced herself from Boris Johnsons comments that he is fine with the EU creating a joint defence force. Proposals under discussion in Brussels could see a new joint EU military command, as well as increased defence spending and joint development of assets such as helicopters and drones. Boris Johnson said London would not block or impede steps towards further integration, including a European defence architecture. If they want to do that, fine, he said, in comments which appeared to contradict Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon, who has insisted that the UK will continue to oppose any idea of an EU army or EU army headquarters, which would simply undermine Nato. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister said the Government does not agree with an EU defence force and would want any security measures proposed by EU member states to complement NATO. He said: We remain members of the EU at the moment and we dont agree with the EU defence force. And weve also been very clear that what we want to see in terms of EU defence strategy, security proposals, is they complement rather than duplicate NATO. Mr Johnson added that Brussels has not put any joint defence plans on the table, but declined to comment on whether Britain would vote against any proposal while Britain remains a member of the EU. Mr Johnson said: The emerging balance of power system in Asia needs the influence of friendly countries with our emphasis on a rules-based system to reduce the risk of unwanted confrontation. "We should be realistic enough to accept that the international order needs to change. That is why Britain supports enlarging the permanent membership of the [UN] security council to other global powers, including India. Mr Johnson also maintained that Britain is still a main player in global politics a global Britain running a truly global foreign policy. B ritain could adopt a flexible approach to immigration controls after leaving the EU, the Brexit secretary has suggested. David Davis told business leaders that changes to migration rules after Brexit would not be allowed to damage the economy. He said that it was in no one's interest to see labour shortages in key industries. Mr Davis told CBI Wales in Cardiff: "As we take back control of immigration by ending free movement as it has operated before, let me also say that we won't do so in a way which is contrary to the national economic interest. "Because, as the Chancellor has said, Britain must win the global battle for talent. No one wants to see labour shortages in key sectors. That won't be in anybody's interest." The intervention came after staunch Leave campaign Mr Davis provoked anger among Brexit MPs by saying the UK could pay Brussels to obtain the best possible access to the single market after it quits the bloc. As the row continued, Downing Street moved to play down reports that Prime Minister Theresa May had been snubbed by European Council president Donald Tusk, who failed to invite her to an end-of-year dinner with EU leaders at a Brussels summit. A government spokesman said: "It is well known that Donald Tusk wanted to change the arrangements for the European Council and this timetable reflects those plans, with a one-day meeting instead of two. "It is no surprise that the 27 other countries will meet after the European Council. Indeed it is recognition that the UK is leaving the EU and that our European partners need to prepare for the negotiations, just as we are, so that we can secure the best outcome for the UK and the EU." A disappointed Zac Goldsmith delivered his concession speech and said triggering the Richmond Park by-election was "not a political calculation". Mr Goldsmith's majority was slashed by Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney who unseated him with just 1,872 votes in a nail-bitingly close election result. In his concession speech delivered after the results were announced, ex-Tory MP Zac Goldsmith - who was running as an independent - said he wished Ms Olney well in her new job. He said: "This by-election that we have just had was not a political calculation. Richmond Park by-election 2016 - In pictures 1 /21 Richmond Park by-election 2016 - In pictures Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney reacts as she is declared the winner of the Richmond Park by-election Getty Images Zac Goldsmith looks dejected as he listens to newly-elected Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney speaking PA Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney with her husband Ben and party supporters celebrate after winning the Richmond Park by-election Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith speaking after being defeated Yui Mok/PA Ballot papers are tipped on to a bench in front of count staff during the Richmond Park by-election count at Richmond Upon Thames College Lucy Young A counter sorts ballot papers at the Richmond Park by-election count at Richmond Upon Thames College Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney delivers her winning speech PA Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney and her husband Ben celebrate after winning the Richmond Park by-election Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith arrives at the Richmond Park by-election for the result Yui Mok/PA Liberal Democrat candidate for Richmond Park Sarah Olney arrives in the count hall in Richmond Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images Zac Goldsmith (left) looks down as the result is announced Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith speaks after being defeated in a by-election he triggered himself Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith's mother Lady Annabel Goldsmith (3rd left) consoles a dejected supporter, as his wife Alice Rothschild (left) listens to him speak Yui Mok/PA Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park Sarah Olney listens to Independent candidate Zac Goldsmith Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images Zac Goldsmith shakes hands with the winner of the Richmond Park by-election, newly-elected Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith leaving Richmond upon Thames College after defeat Yui Mok/PA "It was a promise that I made that I kept. "It's been a huge privilege to serve this community and I will miss doing it." Dejected: Independent candidate Zac Goldsmith reacts as he loses his seat. / Getty Images He added: "I love this community." Loading.... The former London mayoral candidate said he was extremely grateful to everyone who supported him and to his family, who he expects to now see more of. Mr Goldsmith quit his seat in October over his former partys decision to opt for a third runway at Heathrow. He had promised constituents he would resign if the government opted for the controversial plan. D octors today called for school pupils to be given compulsory lessons on tackling violence against women, as they criticised ministers for failing to do enough to protect girls against female genital mutilation. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said that the classes recommended in a report by MPs could play an important role in tackling FGM by teaching children that they did not have to accept violence being perpetrated against them. They said the rights-based lessons would also help combat all other forms of exploitation and that the Government had missed an opportunity by failing to act. The doctors call follows a parliamentary response by Home Secretary Amber Rudd to a report on FGM by the Commons home affairs select committee. The committee called for mandatory personal, social, health and economic classes in which violence against women and FGM would be addressed. Ms Rudd said, however, that although the idea would stay under review each school should be free to determine its curriculum. Dr Deborah Hodes, a London consultant and spokeswoman on child protection for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, warned that this did not go far enough and said that the classes should be compulsory. The curriculum should include tackling violence against women and girls, emphasising the right of a child to be safe from FGM, early and forced marriage and all forms of exploitation, she said. The Government has missed an opportunity to educate young people and imbed important messages stressing their right not to accept all forms of violence, including FGM, which young people will take with them through life. In her response to Parliament, Ms Rudd said FGM was an appalling crime that ministers were determined to eradicate. She added: We will not tolerate this practice and we are committed to taking concerted action to prevent, and ultimately end it. P olls have now closed in Richmond Park and the first ballot boxes are arriving at the count as voters decide who will become their next MP. Constituents have now finished casting their votes in the high-profile by-election, which was sparked by the resignation of former MP Zac Goldsmith from the Conservative Party. Mr Goldsmith, who is now running as an independent, quit his seat in October over his former partys controversial decision to opt for a third runway at Heathrow. The Tories, Ukip and the Green Party all chose not to field candidates with Liberal Democrat Sarah Olney quickly becoming Mr Goldsmiths main rival in the race for the seat. Counting of the Richmond Park votes begins. Liberal Democrat sources have suggested the turnout may be lower than 50 per cent - down from 76.5 per cent in last year's general election, it has been reported. After a major campaign - with public backers including Bob Geldof - the Liberal Democrats are tonight hoping to send shockwaves in clinching the victory. Richmond Park by-election counting begins Accountant Ms Olney, who lives in north Kingston, has been edging ahead in the polls, suggesting tonights election could be extremely close. Now the candidates have done all they can and must sit tight for the results, which are expected to be announced at 2.30am on Friday. Votes cast: Independent candidate Zac Goldsmith and his wife Alice Rothschild at a polling station. / Getty Images The Liberal Democrats had held the Richmond Park seat until 2010 when Zac Goldsmith was first elected. In last years general election, the Conservatives candidate held the constituency with an increased majority. Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney arrives with her husband Ben to vote at a polling station in Richmond. / PA But after the Liberal Democrats slashed the Conservative majority in David Camerons former seat of Witney, the partys hopes are high for a similar - if not more dramatic - result in Richmond Park. For a constituency which voted 70 per cent to Remain in the EU referendum, the Liberal Democrats campaign for Richmond Park has been dominated by an anti-hard Brexit message. The first ballot boxes are coming in. The full list of candidates (in alphabetical order by surname) is: L iberal Democrat Sarah Olney's shock defeat of Zac Goldsmith shows the Liberal Democrats are back", party leader Tim Farron has declared. Sarah Olney told supporters Fridays extraordinary election result in Richmond Park was partly due to dissatisfaction with Brexit and a rejection of the politics of anger and division. Lib Dem leader Tim Farron who helped orchestrate a major campaign in the run up to polling day on Thursday said the message is clear that his party is revived. North Kingston accountant Ms Olney overturned ex-Tory MP Mr Goldsmiths 23,000 majority in the battle for the south west London seat. Richmond Park by-election 2016 - In pictures 1 /21 Richmond Park by-election 2016 - In pictures Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney reacts as she is declared the winner of the Richmond Park by-election Getty Images Zac Goldsmith looks dejected as he listens to newly-elected Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney speaking PA Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney with her husband Ben and party supporters celebrate after winning the Richmond Park by-election Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith speaking after being defeated Yui Mok/PA Ballot papers are tipped on to a bench in front of count staff during the Richmond Park by-election count at Richmond Upon Thames College Lucy Young A counter sorts ballot papers at the Richmond Park by-election count at Richmond Upon Thames College Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney delivers her winning speech PA Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney and her husband Ben celebrate after winning the Richmond Park by-election Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith arrives at the Richmond Park by-election for the result Yui Mok/PA Liberal Democrat candidate for Richmond Park Sarah Olney arrives in the count hall in Richmond Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images Zac Goldsmith (left) looks down as the result is announced Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith speaks after being defeated in a by-election he triggered himself Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith's mother Lady Annabel Goldsmith (3rd left) consoles a dejected supporter, as his wife Alice Rothschild (left) listens to him speak Yui Mok/PA Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park Sarah Olney listens to Independent candidate Zac Goldsmith Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images Zac Goldsmith shakes hands with the winner of the Richmond Park by-election, newly-elected Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith leaving Richmond upon Thames College after defeat Yui Mok/PA She took 49.7 per cent of the vote with an 1,872 vote majority. A beaming Ms Olney told supporters: "We will defend the Britain we love. We will stand up for the open tolerant, united Britain we believe in. Grinning: Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney with her husband Ben. / Getty Images "The people of Richmond Park and North Kingston have sent a shockwave through this Conservative Brexit government, and our message is clear: we do not want a hard Brexit. We do not want to be pulled out of the single market, and we will not let intolerance, division and fear win." Loading.... Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said: "The message is clear: The Liberal Democrats are back and we are carrying the torch for all of those who want a real opposition to this Conservative Brexit government. Election night: A beaming Sarah Olney surrounded by supporters. / AFP/Getty Images "We are the only party fighting to keep Britain open, tolerant and united, and the only party that has said, loudly and proudly, that we want Britain to remain a member of the Single Market and that we want the people to be given the final say over the Brexit deal. Loading.... That message has been resoundingly backed by the people of Richmond Park. "This was a remarkable, come-from-nowhere upset that will terrify the Conservatives. But a Conservative Party spokesman said tonights result would have little impact - and make no difference to Brexit plans. He said: "Commiserations to Zac Goldsmith on his defeat. Zac has been a strong and principled champion for the residents of Richmond Park and North Kingston over the past six years as their Member of Parliament, and a popular figure in the Conservative Party. We are sorry that he is no longer in the House of Commons. "This result doesn't change anything. The Government remains committed to leaving the European Union and triggering Article 50 by the end of March next year. L iberal Democrat Sarah Olney narrowly clinched Zac Goldsmiths former Richmond Park seat in an extraordinary by-election victory. Overturning Mr Goldsmith's 23,000 majority, the Lib Dem unseated her rival with a lead of just 1,872 in a win which she hoped would send shockwaves through Westminster. But for many Sarah Olney, 39, is fairly unknown compared to the high-profile former London mayoral candidate Mr Goldsmith. So who is the woman who ousted Mr Goldsmith? Here is some background. The newly-elected MP went to Surrey Comprehensive School before studying English literature at Kings College London. Pledge: Sarah Olney said she would vote against Article 50 if elected MP next Thursday / Alex Lentati Before being elected to her new role in Parliament on Friday, she worked as an accountant for the National Physical Laboratory - which specialises in measurement - in Bushy Park. She lives in a semi-detached house in North Kingston with her husband, town planner Ben, and their two young children, Isabel, seven, and Rufus, three. Loading.... Although she has campaigned for Richmond Park and North Kingston for 20 years, Ms Olney claims standing as an MP is not something Id ever planned to do. She was not even a member of the Liberal Democrats until July last year when she decided sitting on the sofa shouting at the telly wasnt enough. Richmond Park by-election 2016 - In pictures 1 /21 Richmond Park by-election 2016 - In pictures Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney reacts as she is declared the winner of the Richmond Park by-election Getty Images Zac Goldsmith looks dejected as he listens to newly-elected Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney speaking PA Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney with her husband Ben and party supporters celebrate after winning the Richmond Park by-election Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith speaking after being defeated Yui Mok/PA Ballot papers are tipped on to a bench in front of count staff during the Richmond Park by-election count at Richmond Upon Thames College Lucy Young A counter sorts ballot papers at the Richmond Park by-election count at Richmond Upon Thames College Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney delivers her winning speech PA Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney and her husband Ben celebrate after winning the Richmond Park by-election Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith arrives at the Richmond Park by-election for the result Yui Mok/PA Liberal Democrat candidate for Richmond Park Sarah Olney arrives in the count hall in Richmond Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images Zac Goldsmith (left) looks down as the result is announced Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith speaks after being defeated in a by-election he triggered himself Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith's mother Lady Annabel Goldsmith (3rd left) consoles a dejected supporter, as his wife Alice Rothschild (left) listens to him speak Yui Mok/PA Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park Sarah Olney listens to Independent candidate Zac Goldsmith Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images Zac Goldsmith shakes hands with the winner of the Richmond Park by-election, newly-elected Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith leaving Richmond upon Thames College after defeat Yui Mok/PA She said her mind was changed in the current climate of Brexit and a Conservative government and the breakdown of the Tory-Lib Dem coalition. She shares Mr Goldsmith's views on Heathrow, opposing the building of a third runway at the hub. But her by-election campaign was hit with controversy when it was revealed her husband Ben had been employed working on delivering Terminal 5. The Lib Dem Richmond Park campaign also hinged on Brexit and in the run up to polling day, Ms Olney promised that if elected she would vote against Article 50. She told the Standard last week: We dont believe even a soft Brexit would be right. This pledge could have been one of the deciding factors in the closely-fought election in a constituency where 70 per cent of people voted to remain. Z ac Goldsmith was dumped as an MP today in a spectacular by-election backlash against Brexit. Thousands of Conservative voters in west Londons Richmond Park sat on their hands or switched to the Liberal Democrats to show their dismay at Theresa Mays hints of a hard Brexit. Political novice Sarah Olney turned giant-killer to overturn the vast 23,015 majority notched up by anti-Heathrow campaigner Mr Goldsmith in 2015. She achieved a swing of 21.74 per cent to win with 20,510 votes or 49.7 per cent to the former Tory independents 18,638 on a turnout of 53 per cent. Crushed: Zac Goldsmith / Getty It was a stinging blow to the Prime Minister, whose working majority in the Commons is whittled down to 14. One of her most bitter foes in Europe crowed his delight at her weakened position. Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliaments lead Brexit negotiator, tweeted: Congratulations @sarahjolney1 and @LibDems. Europe is watching & we are proud. A beaming Mrs Olney said the result would send a shockwave through Downing Street. In her victory speech at the count she called it a rejection by Londoners of the Ukip vision for Britain that was echoed in Mrs Mays recent Conservative Party conference speech. We were seeing the Ukip vision for Britain in the ascendancy intolerant, backward-looking and divisive, just as we see it in America and across Europe, she said. Richmond Park by-election 2016 - In pictures 1 /21 Richmond Park by-election 2016 - In pictures Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney reacts as she is declared the winner of the Richmond Park by-election Getty Images Zac Goldsmith looks dejected as he listens to newly-elected Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney speaking PA Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney with her husband Ben and party supporters celebrate after winning the Richmond Park by-election Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith speaking after being defeated Yui Mok/PA Ballot papers are tipped on to a bench in front of count staff during the Richmond Park by-election count at Richmond Upon Thames College Lucy Young A counter sorts ballot papers at the Richmond Park by-election count at Richmond Upon Thames College Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney delivers her winning speech PA Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney and her husband Ben celebrate after winning the Richmond Park by-election Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith arrives at the Richmond Park by-election for the result Yui Mok/PA Liberal Democrat candidate for Richmond Park Sarah Olney arrives in the count hall in Richmond Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images Zac Goldsmith (left) looks down as the result is announced Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith speaks after being defeated in a by-election he triggered himself Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith's mother Lady Annabel Goldsmith (3rd left) consoles a dejected supporter, as his wife Alice Rothschild (left) listens to him speak Yui Mok/PA Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park Sarah Olney listens to Independent candidate Zac Goldsmith Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images Zac Goldsmith shakes hands with the winner of the Richmond Park by-election, newly-elected Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney Yui Mok/PA Zac Goldsmith leaving Richmond upon Thames College after defeat Yui Mok/PA But today we have said No. We will defend the Britain we love. She ended: Our message is clear. We do not want a hard Brexit, we do not want to be pulled out of a single market and we will not let intolerance, division and fear win. Mr Goldsmith fought the by-election as an independent after quitting his seat in October over his former partys decision to opt for a third runway at Heathrow. Todays defeat is his second political humiliation of the year, after losing to Labours Sadiq Khan last May in the election to be London Mayor. He looked ashen-faced at the count but said he took comfort from having kept his pledge to force a by-election if the Government backed a third runway at Heathrow. Loading.... This by-election was not a political calculation, it was a promise I made and it was a promise I kept, he said before being driven away, looking red-eyed. His hopes of being returned with a mandate to oppose Heathrow were over symbolised by this weeks bizarre accident when he was run down by his own car. It was a bad night for Jeremy Corbyns Labour. Christian Wolmar lost his deposit as he trailed a distant third with just 1,515 votes, down from 7,219 at the last election. The Greens and Ukip did not stand. Loading.... The swing to the Lib-Dems exceeded the 19.3 per cent they achieved from the Tories in David Camerons former seat, Witney. The small party now swells its Commons ranks to nine but MPs said it had shown itself capable of taking on the big parties again. Jubilant party leader Tim Farron told the Evening Standard: We are back on the main stage. And he said the Lib-Dems would be breathing down the necks of dozens of Tory MPs if Mrs May gambled on a snap general election next year to seek a mandate for hard Brexit. By-elections dont change governments but do have a history of changing how governments behave, he said. In Richmond nearly a third of people who voted both Tory in 2015 and Leave in 2016 switched to Sarah Olney because this government is pursuing a more extreme version of Brexit than they are prepared to accept. Theresa May must now listen to those voters. Zac Goldsmith concedes He said he was hugely proud of mother-of-two Mrs Olney, who had gone from voter to MP in 18 months. She has shown what can be achieved when an ordinary person decides to change the way things are done, he said. Speaking in a victory walkabout with Mr Farron in Richmond later, Mrs Olney claimed she had a mandate to vote against Article 50 in the Commons. But No backers said the by-election would neither halt Brexit or Heathrow expansion. This result doesnt change anything, said a Tory spokesman. The Government remains committed to leaving the European Union and triggering Article 50 by the end of March next year. In addition, we will continue to take decisive action in the national interest to secure the UKs place the world supporting a third runway at Heathrow to secure jobs and business opportunities for the next decade and beyond. Senior Tory MP Gary Streeter, who backed Remain, tweeted: Richmond result shows Brexit debate not over. We are now a Divided Kingdom. The by-election result comes just days before the Supreme Court begins to hear the Governments appeal against a ruling that Parliament must have a say in triggering Article 50 to start the two-process for Britain to quit the EU. F awlty Towers icon John Cleese has led tributes to his co-star and Manuel actor Andrew Sachs who has died aged 86. Stars have remembered Mr Sachs, who played the clumsy Spanish waiter in the 1970s sitcom, as a "beautiful soul". Sachs, who lived in Kilburn for most of his life, was reportedly buried on Thursday after a battle with vascular dementia kept private from the public eye. On Thursday night Mr Cleese, who played Basil Fawlty and co-wrote the series, paid tribute to the very sweet, gentle and kind man. Andrew Sachs - in pictures 1 /33 Andrew Sachs - in pictures 1975-1979 John Cleese as Basil Fawlty loses his temper whilst speaking to Andrew Sachs as Manuel, in a dining room scene from the BBC sitcom 'Fawlty Towers' BBC 1975-1979 John Cleese as Basil Fawlty, Prunella Scales as Sybil Fawlty, Connie Booth as Polly Sherman and Andrew Sachs as Manuel in 'Fawlty Towers Re-Opened'. The hit series ran from 1975-79 BBC 1975-1979 John Cleese carries Andrew Sachs in a scene from 'Fawlty Towers' BBC 1975-1979 Sybil (Prunella Scales), Manuel (Andrew Sachs), Basil Fawlty (John Cleese), Polly (Connie Booth) in Fawlty Towers BBC 1975-1979 John Cleese and Andrew Sachs star in 'The Kipper and the Corpse' episode of 'Fawlty Towers' BBC 1975-1979 John Cleese as Basil, Connie Booth as Polly and Andrew Sachs star in 'The Anniversary' episode during Series 2 of 'Fawlty Towers' BBC 1978 Andrew Sachs as defence counsel Jeremy Nisbett in 'Crown Court' 1979 Actor Andrew Sachs as Manuel at charity jog for Friends of the Earth in 1979 with actors Joanna Lumley, Bonnie Langford and Susan Hampshire 1979 Andrew Sachs as Trinculo and Nigel Hawthorne as Stephano in the TV adaptation of The Tempest in 1979 1980 Andrew Sachs, star of British television comedy 'Fawlty Towers' with Warren Mitchell, star of 'Till Death Us Do Part,' at the Evening Standard Drama Awards Evening Standard 1981 Andrew Sachs standing outside Browns Hotel in London Daily Mail 1981 The world's worst waiter, Manuel from TV's 'Fawlty Towers', played by actor Andrew Sachs Keystone/Getty Images 1982 Andrew Sachs plays a roadsweeper in 'It's Your Move' 1982 Actor, Andrew Sachs, right, with his daughter Katie who married actor Charlie Baillie at the Priory Church in Hampstead 1985 Andrew Sachs plays Tony James, director of Playtime Electronics in 'There Comes A Time' 1991 Andrew Sachs as Stephen Kingsley in 'QED: Whatever Happened to the Leisure Age' 2006 Fenella Woolgar as Angela Moping, Prunella Scales as Lady Moping, Andrew Sachs as Mr Loveday and David Warner as Lord Moping star in BBC's 'Mr Loveday's Little Outing' in 2006. BBC 2008 Andrew Sachs and John Cleese reprise their Fawlty Towers roles for 'We Are Most Amused', celebrating the 60th Birthday of HRH The Prince of Wales, at the New Wimbledon Theatre in 2008 Ken McKay/ ITV/Rex 2008 Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross broadcasting in 2008 before making an apology to actor Andrew Sachs on Brand's BBC Radio 2 show for leaving offensive messages on the answerphone of Mr Sachs - who played Spanish waiter Manuel in Fawlty Towers BBC 2008 Actor Andrew Sachs outside his home in north London. He said he was "not surprised" by the suspension by the BBC of Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross Tim Ireland/PA 2009 Jonathan Ross apologises for his part in the Sachsgate affair at the beginning of the Jonathan Ross show in 2009 which returned to BBC1 following his suspension over the lewd phone calls made to actor Andrew Sachs which were aired on Radio 2. BBC 2009 Andrew Sachs as Ramsay Clegg features with Malcolm Hebden as Norris Cole in ITV's Coronation Street in 2009 ITV 2009 Andrew Sachs and wife Melody arriving for the 2009 British Soap Awards at the BBC Television Centre in London Ian West/PA 2009 Prunella Scales, John Cleese, Connie Booth and Andrew Sachs are seen promoting two Fawlty Towers specials created to commemorate the 30 years Fawlty Towers Anniversary Ian West/PA 2012 Andrew Sachs attends a reception to celebrate London 2012 at Maison de Monaco on August 9, 2012 in London Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images He tweeted: Just heard about Andy Sachs. Very sad. I knew he was having problems with his memory as his wife Melody told me a couple of years ago. And I heard very recently that he had been admitted to Denham Hall, but I had no idea that his life was in danger. A very sweet gentle and kind man and a truly great farceur. I first saw him in Habeas Corpus on stage in 1973.I could not have found a better Manuel. Inspired. Little Britain creator David Walliams described his famous performance as "comic perfection". He tweeted: "I had the pleasure of working with AndrewSachs in 'Attachments'. A beautiful soul who never tired of all my 'Fawlty Towers' questions." Radio DJ Tony Blackburn tweeted: "So sad that Andrew Sachs has passed away. This terrible year goes on & on. He gave us all so many laughs on Fawlty Towers, thank you.R.I.P." Sachs revived the Manuel character alongside John Cleese as Basil Fawlty in a variety show at the New Wimbledon Theatre. Comedian Omid Djalili tweeted: "Sad to learn of the passing of Andrew Sachs. Fond memories sharing a dressing room with him & Bill Bailey at We Are Most Amused in 2008." Loading.... Actor Vicki Michelle wrote: "So sorry to hear of AndrewSachs passing. Happy memories of working with him, a lovely gentle man. Thoughts are with his family." A quick-thinking three-year-old girl saved her mothers life by calling 999. Sofia Harman discovered her mother, Patricia who suffers from a rare heart condition collapsed at their family home in Clacton, Essex. She had already been told what to do if there was an emergency and the little girl immediately raised the alarm by phoning Essex Police. Call handler Julie Buckley kept Sofia talking about her pet dog to find out the home address by searching police systems. Paramedics then rushed to the house and managed to get Patricia to hospital in time to save her life. Sofia and her family were later invited to police headquarters in Chelmsford where she was presented with a bravery certificate. Sofia Harman received her award from Essex Police / Essex Police Deputy Chief Constable Matt Horne said: "We are all very proud of Sofia and our emergency operator Julie. "Sofia, having just turned three years old knew exactly what to do when her mum collapsed - this is because her mum took the time to explain and teach Sofia this important life skill. "Sofia's family want other families to know that we must start teaching our children how to call for help as early as possible. "To be able to meet this very special little girl, and to see her meet with Julie, was lovely." Call handler Ms Buckley added: "For a child of her age, it was amazing that she knew exactly what to do." A former London security guard has been elected Gambias new president following a shock defeat in the countrys presidential elections. Adama Barrow, who reportedly worked at Argos in Holloway Road, defeated longtime president Yahya Jammeh in a surprise result. Mr Jammeh, who came to power following a coup in 1994, is expected to concede defeat following 22 years of leadership. Gambias electoral commission chairman Alieu Momarr Njai said Mr Barrow received 263,515 votes, Mr Jammeh won 212,099 and a third candidate, Mama Kandeh, received 102,969. Shock result: Supporters hailed Mr Barrow's victory / PA Mr Barrow, now a property developer, reportedly moved to London shortly after the turn of the century and worked in Argos while he studied in the capital. He returned to Gambia in 2006 to set up his own business and received the presidential nomination to lead a coalition of seven parties in this years election. During his campaign, he promised to revive the Gambian economy which has forced thousands of people to travel to Europe in search of jobs. Mr Barrow said on voting day that he strongly believed Gambians were ready for change, adding: "He is not going to be re-elected - his era is finished." T he EUs top law enforcement body today issued a dramatic new warning that several dozen Islamic State terrorists could be hiding in countries across Europe poised to carry out attacks. In a stark assessment, Europol also says that Syrian refugees might be vulnerable to radicalisation once in Europe and targeted by extremist recruiters as it spelled out the increasing danger faced by the public. It also warned that facial recognition techniques deployed in refugee camps have produced hits, identifying individuals who are suspected to have been involved in hostile activities and that IS has a full stock of blank Syrian passports and access to skilled falsifiers who can help it smuggle terrorists into Europe. The warnings came in a new report published today by the law enforcement agency, which is headed by the Briton Rob Wainwright. It says that automatic firearms, blades, vehicles and explosives are the most probable weapons that would be used in new extremist assaults. But it also predicts that car bombs, extortion and kidnappings may be employed as methods of attack as extremists copied tactics deployed in Syria and Iraq. The report adds: Further attacks in the EU, both by lone actors and groups, are likely to be attempted. Estimates from some intelligence services indicate several dozen people directed by IS may be currently present in Europe with a capability to commit terrorist attacks. In addition to France and Belgium, all other EU Member States that are part of the US-led coalition against IS may be targeted by terrorists led or inspired by IS. The report warns further that IS is expected to start planning and dispatching attacks from Libya and highlights the threat posed by returning foreign fighters, particularly if IS is defeated in Syria and Iraq. It also highlights the risk that refugees from Syria could be radicalised in an attempt to promote division within Europe with Germany one potential target because of the large numbers of migrants there who have fled in rejection of the promise of the Caliphate as an Islamic utopia. Given that it is in the interests of IS to inflame the migration crisis to polarise the EU population and turn sections of it against those seeking asylum, some infiltration of refugee camps and other refugee/migrant groups is likely, the report states. Unveiling the report, Mr Wainwright said that good cooperation between European law enforcers was helping to mitigate the threat but that a high risk remained. Gilles de Kerchove, the EUs counter-terrorism coordinator, added: We have to be vigilant, since the threat posed by the so-called Islamic State and returning foreign fighters is likely to persist in the coming years. S ix hostages have been released following an armed siege at a Paris travel agents during a suspected failed robbery, police said. Police responded to reports a man armed with a handgun stormed the Asieland agency on Boulevard Massena, in the citys 13th arrondissement on Friday evening. But shortly before 8pm, police tweeted the stand-off had come to an end after six people left the building with no sign of the suspect. French media reports have suggested the incident was a botched robbery attempt. Parisians were warned to avoid the area when the drama unfolded as police negotiators and armed officers were sent to the scene. It was reported the travel agents, which is used particularly by Asian customers who deal in cash transactions, had been previously raided. Jerome Coumet, the mayor of the local district, told reporters. "There were two floors. The people on site were scared that the robber was still there, which was not the case. "The police intervened and freed everybody." A polite 14-year-old boy has been charged with the murders of his mother and younger brother after they were shot dead as they slept in their beds. According to court documents, Jacob Remaley dialled 911 and tried to blame the killings on his father after his relatives were blasted at point blank range. But later he allegedly told detectives he grabbed a gun on top of a fridge in the familys kitchen before he shot his mother Dana and eight-year-old brother Caleb in New Stanton, Pennsylvania. The teenager reportedly told police he would have shot his father David, a US army veteran, if he was home at the time on Wednesday morning. He has been charged as an adult over the killings and is said to be undergoing mental health care. "All-American" family: Jacob Remaley (left) allegedly shot dead his mother and younger brother Caleb (Facebook ) / Facebook District Attorney John Peck said: "It was an intentional act. There was an intent to kill." The boys grandfather David Remaley Snr told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review the family have no idea what led to the murders. He told the newspaper he would one day forgive the teenager who he described as polite and mild-mannered. He said: Yeah one day I'll believe I'll forgive him. I'm a pretty easygoing guy and sometimes you can't stop terrible things from happening. My wife, Joyce, and I are retired and we were watching the noon news and saw there was a homicide in New Stanton and they had a road shut off. But we didn't put two and two together until my son, David, called at 3 pm and told us what happened. We have no clue. There was never, ever anything that we thought he could do something like this nothing like that going on, Remaley said. They have no ideas what led to this, and we don't know either. Friends of the Remaleys described them as an "all-American family". They said Jacob was a straight-A student who donated his hair to cancer charities, Caleb always had a smile on his face while their mother was an active community volunteer who loved her sons. S heridan Smith has pulled out of this years Royal Variety Performance following the news of the death of her father. A representative for Smith announced the news and asked that fans respect her privacy. Sheridan's much loved father sadly passed away this week, the statement read. We can confirm that she will not be performing at the Royal Variety Performance this Tuesday 6th December. At this difficult time for Sheridan and her family we would ask that you please respect their privacy. Smith revealed her father Colin had been diagnosed with cancer earlier this year after she pulled out of a performance of West End musical, Funny Girl. In character: Sheridan Smith in Funny Girl After being insulted by a fan on Twitter for her absence, Smith wrote: If you just found out your dad had cancer you wouldnt be such a heartless human. Take care love (sic). The message came hours after she had posted: Had s*** news today, sorry I cant make the show for you loyal fans. If you ask they give u tickets to the Savoy (sic)! Smith went on to take a two month break from the musical in May to recover from stress and exhaustion. The Gavin and Stacey actress lost her brother Julian to cancer when she was eight years old. The Cilla actress opened up about his death when she played breast cancer sufferer Lisa Lynch in ITV drama The C Word. Funny Girl Press Night & Party 1 /17 Funny Girl Press Night & Party Cast member Sheridan Smith attends the press night after party for "Funny Girl" at The Waldorf Hilton Hotel Dave Benett Sheridan Smith (C) poses with cast members Sammy Kelly, Leah Harris, Sanchia Amber Clarke, Emma Caffrey, Clare Rickard, Joelle Dyson and Rebecca Fennelly at the press night after party for "Funny Girl" at The Waldorf Hilton Hotel Dave Benett Oliver Tester, Matthew Goodgame, Sam Murphy, Philip Bertioli and Luke Fetherstone attend the press night after party for "Funny Girl" at The Waldorf Hilton Hotel Myleene Klass during the press night of Funny Girl at the Savoy Theatre PA Cast members Oliver Tester, Matthew Goodgame, Sam Murphy, Philip Bertioli and Luke Fetherstone attend the press night after party for "Funny Girl" at The Waldorf Hilton Hotel Dave Benett Alison Steadman attends the press night after party for "Funny Girl" at The Waldorf Hilton Hotel Dave Benett Caitlin Moran during the press night of Funny Girl at the Savoy Theatre in London Ian West/PA Charlotte Gooch (L) and Matthew Goodgame attend the press night after party for "Funny Girl" at The Waldorf Hilton Hotel Dave Benett Tom Hanson and Samantha Bond attend the press night of "Funny Girl" at The Savoy Theatre Ian Gavan/Getty Images Kelly Price and Kaisa Hammarlund (right) during the press night of Funny Girl at the Savoy Theatre Ian West/PA Sarah Hadland during the press night of Funny Girl at the Savoy Theatre Ian West/PA David Baddiel during the press night of Funny Girl at the Savoy Theatre Ian West/PA Producer Sonia Friedman (L) and cast member Sheridan Smith attend the press night after party for "Funny Girl" at The Waldorf Hilton Hotel Dave Benett She said at the time: Of course Ive been affected by my brothers death It makes me value life, cherish my loved ones and be grateful for every day I have with them. Cancer affects one in three of us and every single one of us either knows someone who has been affected by it or has experienced it first-hand. And yet its treated as a taboo subject. Its never on telly. We should talk about it. Its a hideous disease and we need to try to fight it. The Royal Variety Performance is on ITV on December 13. David Walliams will host the annual event which will see performances from Gary Barlow, Sting, previews of Gershwin's musical An American in Paris and a selection of magic tricks by Britain's Got Talent winner Lance Corporal Richard Jones. Follow @StandardEnts or like us on Facebook for more news. A ndrew Sachs has died at the age of 86 after suffering from a four year battle with dementia. Sachs was best known for his role as the hapless Spanish waiter Manuel in Fawlty Towers. He rose to fame in the BBC comedy and was famed for irritating his grumpy employer Basil Fawlty (John Cleese) and his catchphrase I know nothing. Cleese led the tributes to his former co-star, who he described as a "beautiful soul". He tweeted: Just heard about Andy Sachs. Very sad. I knew he was having problems with his memory as his wife Melody told me a couple of years ago. Andrew Sachs, Fawlty Towers' Manuel, dies aged 86 And I heard very recently that he had been admitted to Denham Hall, but I had no idea that his life was in danger. Cleese finished: A very sweet gentle and kind man and a truly great farceur. I first saw him in Habeas Corpus on stage in 1973.I could not have found a better Manuel. Inspired. Heres a round-up of Sachs' funniest moments on Fawlty Towers: 1. Manuel hides his rat in the biscuit tin Fawlty Towers got a visit from health inspector Mr. Carnegie in Basil the Rat. Manuel is all of a fluster as he scrambles around the dining room in search of his rat. After catching the rodent he hides it in a biscuit tin which is later presented to Mr Carnegie by Basil Fawlty who asks: Would you care for rat? Manuel is later seen dragging Basil out of the restaurant by his feet. 2. Manuel knows nothing Basil has an infuriating conversation with Manuel in Communication Problems which sees the hapless waiter branded a nitwit after he thinks Basil is calling him stupid. Basil whispers that Manuel "knows nothing" about his horse to which a confused Manuel replies: You always say Mr Fawlty, but I learn. I learn. I learn. I get better. 3. Manuel practices his English Manuel decides to practice his English in The Germans as he tidies the front desk behind a giant moose head. As the Major walks in he hears: How are you sir? I can speak English. A hilarious back-and-forth ensues between the Major and, what he thinks is, the moose head. 4. Manuel sets fire to the kitchen Manuel causes chaos in the kitchen as he sets fire to the cooking. In a bid to put it out he ends up spreading the fire and screaming fire. After Basil saves him he clings to his employers leg as Basil attempts to evacuate the hotel. 5. Manuel jumps in the laundry basket after hiding a dead body Life as a waiter at Fawlty Towers was never easy for Manuel but it all became too much when he was roped into hiding a guests body in The Kipper and the Corpse. Manuel complains of being muy cansado as he drags Mr Leemans lifeless body down the stairs. Basil tells him, open the basket, now inside, in a bid to hide the body, but Manuel jumps in instead. Exhausted he shuts the lid and tells Basil: I quit. Im on strike. I stay here its nice. Heavy load: Manuel streuggles to carry Mr Leeman's dead body Follow @StandardEnts or like us on Facebook for more news. It took months of work and the support of the community, but Kyle Van Newkirk and Emily Ostdiek were recently announced as winners of a national tap dance competition. (See the Nov. 18 edition of the Star-Herald for more information on their video.) Operation Tap challenged tap dancers across the country to produce a video of themselves tap dancing to a certain theme. Then, viewers voted on it on social media. Van Newkirk choreographed the video, called Date Night and danced with Ostdiek. Date Night featured them dancing their way to a dinner date. The video garnered hundreds of votes across the U.S., in the initial round of voting, which put them in the final three. Since Van Newkirk was the choreographer, he won the trip to New York, which is centered along with the choreography aspects of dance. However, Ostdiek said she would certainly like to go to. Im going to try to go, Ostdiek said. Nothing is set in stone. Ostdiek said she found out they won the competition from Van Newkirk, who found out on Facebook, where Operation Tap posted the results last Tuesday and the congratulations immediately came pouring in. My friend who does Operation Tap sent me a text message, Van Newkirk said. He said, This is a big deal, Kyle. When Newkirk and hopefully Ostdiek head to New York Dec. 17, they will have the opportunity to learn from world-renowned choreographers and other dancers. Their video will also premier there, Van Newkirk said. There will be opportunities to meet a lot of amazing individuals in New York, Ostdiek said. Both dancers said they are grateful for the support of the Scottsbluff-Gering community for voting for them and helping them win the competition. Their video received a total score of 3,265.5, the second place video scored 2,726.5 and the third place video scored 1,974.5. The score was determined by aggregating nationwide vote tally. Were super, super excited, Ostdiek said. We are thankful for the awesome support from the community. Republican Donald Trump will soon take office as our next president, and theres a call by some folks in California for their state to secede. This is similar to the secession talk in Texas a few years back by some people unhappy with President Barack Obama, a Democrat. Strong political disagreement is to be expected in our society. But the fact remains that as Americans, were all in this together. Casually demanding the breakup of our country, regardless of how improbable such a split might be, is irresponsible. Such rhetoric only worsens the political divisions. National unity was a theme for George Washington during his presidency. His Farewell Address in 1796 called for fellowship among the young countrys regions. His message is as relevant in the 21st century as it was in the 18th. In that address marking the end of his two terms as president, Washington urged Americans not to allow sectional differences between Northern and Southern; Atlantic and Western to undermine the community of Interest as one Nation. James Madison served in the 1790s as a Virginia congressman and often challenged the Washington administrations policies, but Madison, too, emphasized the need for national solidarity. Late in life, Madison, the central figure in crafting the U.S. Constitution, penned a manuscript he titled Advice to My Country. He wrote: The advice nearest my heart and deepest in my convictions is that the Union of the states be cherished and perpetuated. Nebraskas capital is named for Abraham Lincoln, who dedicated his presidency to keeping the nation whole. He stated in his inaugural address in 1861: I hold that in contemplation of universal law, and of the Constitution, the Union of these States is perpetual. These American leaders understood the abiding need to hold our country together amid its inevitable disagreements and tensions. In our time, its our duty as Americans to strive to uphold that vital principle. 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The Defence Ministry (MApN) informs, in a release remitted to agerpres, that Motoc has expressed gratitude regarding the fact that this year, too, the Republic of Moldova Army has ensured a detachment of 34 servicemen that have marched as part of the parade. The discussions between the two ministers regarded aspects relating to the regional security situation, bilateral and regional cooperation in the defence domain, as well as the support granted by Romania for the European integration of the Republic of Moldova, the quoted source mentions. "The two officials discussed concrete ways to intensify bilateral cooperation in the defence domain, in view of continuing the European path of the Republic of Moldova. On this occasion, Minister Mihnea Motoc mentioned that Romania will continue to grant expertise and support for the reform process ongoing within the Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova, in what regards defence planning, conduct of exercises and joint preparation activities, as well as specialty training," the MApN informs. Furthermore, the Romanian Defence Minister emphasized that Romania will continue to support Moldova in the process of intensifying the cooperation relations with the North Atlantic Alliance and the EU. On the topic of NATO, the Minister reiterated Romania's support for the implementation of the Allied plan for consolidation of defence capabilities. On the topic of the EU, Motoc mentioned that the development of the security and defence dimension of the Eastern Partnership is very important, in the context of developments in the security environment of the eastern vicinity of the EU, and has encouraged the active involvement of R. Moldova in actions ran under the aegis of the Common Security and Defence Policy. On this occasion, the two officials signed the Protocol to amend the Agreement between the Governments of Romania and the Republic of Moldova regarding military cooperation, signed in Chisinau on April 20, 2012. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Pavel Filip, has sent, during the government sitting, his congratulations to Romanians on the occasion of Romania's National Day, a release remitted to agerpres shows. The head of the Chisinau executive has voiced his appreciation for the constant support Romania grants to the Republic of Moldova and mentioned that in the hardest of times, when outside financing was blocked, it was the colleagues in Bucharest who offered a 60 million euro loan. "Many happy returns, Romania! We thank our friends in Bucharest for the support and we ensure them that the Republic of Moldova will continue to be consistent in its European integration objective," Filip said. The head of the Chisinau Government specified that, beyond projects and financing, the special friendship attitude of his counterpart, Dacian Ciolos, was always important, and the Republic of Moldova's objective of closer ties with the EU can be accomplished with Romania's support and by assimilating the experience of those who've already gone down the path of European integration. agerpres. Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos has announced on Friday that he is prepared to build a responsible government for the next four years, emphasizing that the future government will, however, need the support of a strong political majority, formed of people with integrity that are dedicate to the country's interests around the same principles of governing. "I saw that there are some who are quick to say I'm undecided, that I am assuming role in electoral fight. On the contrary, I am very determined. I am determined to remain consistent to the faith I have in the future of this country, in the change it needs. I am determined to not make compromises for the sake of a position or only because 'that's how it's done' in politics. I am determined to keep my word and to assume in good faith my share of the responsibility. Democracy means that governing lies with those we elect to Parliament and that manage to form a majority. PNL [the National Liberal Party] and USR [Save Romania Union] have proposed to support me to continue to lead the Government if, together, they can form a parliamentary majority. Your vote on December 11 will say this. If the answer is positive, I am prepared and determined in my decision to build a responsible, open and honest government for the next four years together with these parties and with all those who want Romania to move forward," the Prime Minister wrote on Facebook. The Prime Minister emphasized his willingness to commit to such a project. "I am ready to commit to such a project because, for me, it's not about the need to have the support of political parties to govern. It's much, much more important than that. It's about making a clear choice for a new way to do politics and to govern. It's about a clear choice between the past and the future, for a Romania of common sense, of respect for honest work and against the perpetuation of corruption, lies and populism. It's a choice I invite you to make together, all those who believe that Romania cannot afford to return to what was before," Dacian Ciolos concluded. agerpres. BLOOMINGTON, Minn. The nation's largest mall is hosting its first-ever black Santa Claus this weekend. The Star-Tribune reports The Mall of America in suburban Minneapolis hired Larry Jefferson to play Kris Kringle from Thursday to Sunday as part of its Santa Experience. Santa Experience co-owner Landon Luther says they "want Santa to be for everyone, period." With that in mind, he tells the newspaper he launched a nationwide search for a diverse Santa and found Jefferson at a Santa convention in Branson, Mo., over the summer. He was the only black Santa among the 1,000 impersonators in attendance. Jefferson tells WCCO-TV that playing the jolly old elf is "no big deal" to him, saying "I'm still Santa, I just happen to be a Santa of color." Jefferson will return home to play Santa in the Dallas-area after Sunday. Theres a mild-mannered warrior in the front lines of the propaganda wars. Kylie Peters, a librarian in the Chicago area, has been concerned about the rise of so-called fake news: deliberately false stories made to appear factual, designed to sway public opinion. Librarians are the original search engine, said Peters, who works at Geneva Public Library in suburban Chicago. A recent analysis showed that fake or hoax stories got more reader engagement on Facebook than real news stories during the last three months of the election. People think they dont need libraries because of Google. In fact, they need us more than ever to help them combat information overload, and sort and evaluate the current glut of information, Peters wrote in a recent Facebook post. She shared strategies for identifying false information and biases, noting that biases are not always bad as long as you know what they are. Here are her tips for helping your children learn how to distinguish facts from fiction or propaganda online: Your first stop when you visit an unfamiliar website should be the about page. Is the information there neutral? Why does this website exist? Who funds the site? Who owns it? Who runs it? What are that person or peoples goals? Are contributors paid? What is the submission process for content? All of these can be clues about both accuracy and biases. Scroll to the very bottom of the page and look at who owns the copyright. Is it an individual? A business? A smaller division of a large business? What makes this site qualified to provide accurate information on the topic the site covers? Does the website cite its sources? Are the sources reliable? Does it link to reliable sites? Peters encourages readers to get context clues from a sites domain name sites that end in .gov are from the U.S. government, while .edu is an educational institution and reminds them to trust their guts. If a site looks unprofessional, it probably is. Look at graphic design. Your instincts are right on this one: Poor graphic design may be an indicator of low-quality material. The same goes for material with lots of grammar and spelling errors, exclamation points and capital letters. It gets trickier when it comes time to evaluate the content itself. Keep an eye out for this kind of language, Peters says: Watch for bias words that indicate emotion, opinion or slant, or linguistic tricks to make things sound a certain way. Unbiased words will be neutral, and will make sense when used in both a positive and a negative sentence. For example: She was applauded for advocating a new immigration policy. She was criticized for advocating a new immigration policy. These both make sense, so in this case, advocating is a neutral description. One of Peters most critical tips was related to location. Dont use Google search rankings as an indicator of accuracy! To drive the point home, she shared this example: I just Googled Martin Luther King Jr. and the fourth result was a white supremacist site. We dont know Googles algorithm for search results, she says, and even if someone figured it out, the algorithm is constantly changing. The more a site is linked to by other sites, the more likely it is to be high on the results page. Your results may be affected by your location and by your previous searches. Sites portraying a subject positively tend to appear at the top of the page, and negatively, at the bottom. Business considerations are at play, too: Google owns a lot of products, and it pushes its own properties to the top of the search results. Website owners know youre most likely to click one of the top five search results. There are a lot of tricks people will use to make their Google search rankings go up. For example, by artificially increasing the number of links to their site or by showing search engines different data from what they show human visitors. Google tries to catch spam and stop manipulation of its system, but its an ongoing war. Think you and your child are ready to spot the fake news from the real? Try this test: Google the phrase Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus and click on the site that comes up first. Can you identify the clues that this is not a reliable website? Peters asks. Even better, show the site to someone who doesnt know about it and see if they believe it. This site was specifically designed to teach students digital literacy and has some built-in clues to help you identify it as false information. Identifying reliable websites and sources may sound like a lot of work, but it becomes quick and easy once youve had some practice, says Peters. Other librarians added their own tips to her suggestions. One mentioned triangulation, meaning visiting at least three sites to verify the facts. If you do get overwhelmed, Peters reminds you that librarians are there to help. If you havent been to your local library lately, you should go, she says. Its probably a lot cooler than you think. Correction: Google has said previously it doesn't use social media shares in its ranking. A quote in the story had stated otherwise. ST. LOUIS COUNTY The son of a former St. Louis County executive was sentenced to 23 years in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to more than a dozen area robberies. Phillip Goodwin, 37, of the 8100 block of Canton Avenue in University City, pleaded guilty to 14 counts of felony robbery in October, according to court documents. Goodwin is the son of former county executive Charlie Dooley. Goodwin was sentenced to 23 years in prison on each count, said Ed Magee, a spokesman for the St. Louis County Prosecutor's office. The terms will run concurrently. The robberies occurred in September and October of 2014. Goodwin was arrested in 2014 by Florissant police after a robbery at a Circle K Gas Station on South New Florissant Road. Florissant police said Goodwin pretended to make a purchase at the gas station before pushing the cashier away, grabbing money from the register and fleeing in an SUV. Goodwin's SUV matched a description given by the clerk and the clerk identified Goodwin through a photo lineup. Police shared the information with other area police departments and figured out he was a suspect in other robberies in St. Louis County, Bridgeton, St. Charles, Creve Coeur, Overland, Maryland Heights, University City, Berkeley, Maplewood, Webster Groves, St. Louis and Normandy. Before he was caught in Florissant, Goodwin had been released from prison in the spring after serving part of a 22-year sentence for a previous robbery. As we have since July 2006, each Friday well post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. Below is our latest Friday Sampler. 1) On Wednesday, a new federal rule was issued that criminalizes smoking in public housing residencies. Officials with the Department of Housing and Urban Development said that the rule would take effect early next year, but that public housing agencies would have a year and a half to put smoke-free policies in place. The rule will affect more than 1.2 million households, according to the New York Times. The nationwide ban will have its greatest impact in New York, where the New York City Housing Authoritywhose 178,000 apartments and more than 400,000 residents make it the largest public housing agency in the United States, has lagged behind many of its counterparts in adopting smoke-free policies. While HUD proposed the sweeping prohibition a year ago, it had been prodding public housing authorities to adopt such policies since 2009. 2) General Cigar Co. announced on Monday that Alan Willner has left his post as vice president of marketing to pursue other interests. Willner had been with General since 2011. I will provide day-to-day leadership of the marketing team, said Regis Broersma, president, in a press release. Change is always uncomfortable, but with this change I have great confidence in the team to drive the business forward. Our strategy and brands are strong, and we are well-positioned to take General Cigar to the next level. Its time to release the companys full potential. 3) Inside the Industry: Gran Habano has released Los Tres Reyes Magos, a limited edition culebra coffin of three intertwined cigars (7 x 32) in the Gran Habano #1 (Connecticut Shade), #3 (Nicaraguan Habano), and #5 (Nicaraguan Corojo) blends. The coffins are packaged in boxes of 10 and available at retailers now. 4) From the Archives: Looking for some great cigars to start the new year? Let StogieGuys.com be your guide. Just click on the Reviews Archive at the top right of the screen and select Top Rated Cigars from the dropdown menu. Youll be directed to an alphabetical list of all the cigars we awarded a top rating since the site began more than ten years ago. And stay tuned for our upcoming list of the top-rated smokes of 2016. 5) Deal of the Week: StogieGuys.com recommends Bespoke Post, a monthly collection of awesome items delivered to your door. Past boxes include fine bar accessories, shaving kits, coffee, and more. You can skip or purchase every month. This month features an exclusive cigar offering from E.P. Carrillo, including previously unreleased cigars (along with an ashtray made with re-calimed wood, a cutter, and a smoke-eating candle) available only to Bespoke Post subscribers. Click here to sign up today. The Stogie Guys photo credit: Observer "The Panama Canal is set to prioritize low-emissions ships in 2017." With December finally here, businesses have much planning to do to get ready for the new year. Keeping up with new technologies and standards could stress businesses with legacy systems. To get ready, it could be helpful to think of the most common trends and take on strategic sourcing to increase efficiency and proximity. Some of the necessary measures will simply require organizations to expand on what they've done before to comply with new regulations.Here are some trends worth watching as the new year approaches, since they could have far-reaching effects across different industries:It isn't just businesses investing in green practices in the coming years. Other organizations could influence basic logistics practices. The Panama Canal is set to prioritize low-emissions ships in 2017, according to an October statement, for instance.It will specifically use the Environmental Premium Ranking, a system which will give customer ranking benefits to those who meet at least one of four requirements. These include meeting low nitrogen oxide, Environmental Ship Index and Energy Efficiency Design Index thresholds.The Canal's Administrator, Jorge Quijano, outlined the goals of this new focus, which will take place on the first calendar day of 2017."We look forward to working with our customers and industry partners to further bring value to their businesses and to our route, all while reinforcing commitments to sustainability and environmental protection," Quijano said. Depending on how influential this program is, it could represent a new way for organizations to encourage green practices.Both physical and cyber security risks influence the state of the modern supply chain. For example, pharmaceutical businesses may have to adapt to the increasing requirements of the Drug Supply Chain Security Act.While the full measure won't take place until 2023, GS1 recently announced special guidelines to promote security and data exchanges. Businesses will have to adapt to serialization expectations, and doing so could represent a major change of businesses don't build on their existing framework. The source said that it would "extend the guideline" as industry conditions evolve.Obviously it's too early to tell whether or not the majority of supply chains will end up faster by the end of 2017. However, it at least appears to be a goal, according to an AEB survey. Supply Chain Digital reported on the results, explaining that 84 percent of the transport and logistics sector rank supply chain speed as either "very important" or at least "important." In addition, the AEB Global Trade Management Agenda 2017 reportedly said that speed will be a significant challenge for supply in 2017.Minimizing risk was another major concern, although it seemed to rank under speed in terms of importance. With complex supply chains spread across the globe, implementing changes likely won't be simple, including for those who want to support low cost country sourcing/nearshoring to keep operations domestic.Strategic planning will be one way for supply chain companies to handle increased risks in the future. Implement these solutions soon to pay closer attention to where and how shipments travel. Craig Hollingsworth and Iain Lauchlan as Idle Jack and Sarah the Cook. Coventrys Belgrade Theatre pantomime has long been a highlight in the Midlands Christmas theatre calendar. And 2017 is certainly no exception. Our hapless hero for this years offering, Dick Whittington is lured to London by the promise of streets paved with gold and, with his faithful cat by his side, he wastes no time in searching for his fortune in the big city. It would not be deserving of its panto status without a healthy helping of corny jokes and organised mayhem. There was certainly no shortage of that. For the third year running writer and director Iain Lauchlan, as Dame Sarah the Cook, serves up a festive recipe for success with regular sidekick Craig Hollingsworth, who plays her son Idle Jack. And as has come to be expected, the duo are on top comedic form, with the laughs delivered thick and fast. Tricia Adele Hunter, who plays Dick, has plenty of fun alongside Iain and Craig, and is an endearing principal boy with a good grasp of the Gloucestershire accent and a fine singing voice to boot. He proves to be more than a match for panto villain Melone MKenzy who offers just the right amount of evil as Queen Rat, intent on taking over the world with the help of her army of meddlesome rats. But Fairy Bow Bells, played by Anna Mitcham, is always on hand to sprinkle some magic fairydust and take her arch enemy down a peg or two. Her cockney rhyming slang character is a fun touch. When Dame Sarah and Jack join forces to bake a wedding cake the mess and mayhem which ensue make for a riotous scene and a familiar favourite element of the show for regular fans. belgradecoombe-40 And of course, it wouldnt be a Belgrade panto without plenty of audience participation, so get ready to throw balls at Pokearats, and pull silly faces when performing the Biggin Hill Bumblebees haka! And of course youll be called upon for lots of singing, cheering and hissing along the way. The impressive set, choreography and costumes are the icing on the cake but most memorable is the underwater scene when our heroes ship runs into trouble. Dick Whittington is an absolute delight for panto lovers of all ages so be sure to join in the fun. It plays until 7 January. Dior Angus has signed for Redditch United. Photo: Mark Williamson CARL Adams has hit out at Redditch United following the clubs swoop for Stratford Town forward Dior Angus. The Town boss is furious after Angus became the third player Redditch have signed from Stratford this season. Carl Adams. Reds manager Darren Byfield has already poached striker Mike Taylor and defender Jordan Cullinane-Liburd from the DCS Stadium, although Taylor has since returned to the club. Lively front man Angus is now the latest player to make the switch, a move which has left Adams an unhappy man. Are we the only club they (Redditch) are looking at?, said the Town manager. Were at the same level as them. Were trying to build something for ourselves here and all they have done is keep disrupting us. He is the third player they have signed from us this season." WASHINGTON, Dec. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the National Wildlife Refuge Association presented its Theodore Roosevelt Lifetime Achievement Award to Chad Karges, Project Leader at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Oregon in recognition of his steadfast leadership and his commitment to building partnerships. "There is no one more deserving of this award than Chad," said President of the Refuge Association, David Houghton. The ceremony began with an escort by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Honor Guard, and included remarks by Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell and Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Dan Ashe. Throughout his 30-year career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Chad Karges has looked for every opportunity to foster community relationships and integrate Refuge management into the local area at large. Chad's engagement of refuge neighbors at all levels has resulted in collaborative solutions that represent robust paths forward for the Refuge and the overarching conservation mission. By extending his efforts beyond Malheur NWR's boundaries, Chad has guided conservation on a 4.6-million-acre multijurisdictional landscape by collaborating directly with many diverse partners. Karges also played a critical leadership role during the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's response to the illegal occupation of Malheur NWR by members of an armed militia. His progressive approach to managing issues with input from partners, consideration of foreseen and unforeseen factors, and accurate evaluation of important components was crucial for the National Refuge System during the occupation. "Chad has had a profound, lasting impact not only on wildlife conservation during his career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but also on the people he has worked with over these past 30 years," said David Houghton, President of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. "His composure, leadership, and decision-making kept his employees safe throughout the Malheur takeover, preventing the tense occupation from devolving into violence." Chad Karges is an exemplary leader within both Malheur NWR and within the community of Southeast Oregon. When the community showed their support for the Refuge during the occupation, it was evident that Mr. Karges and his staff have been tireless in their pursuit and development of community partnerships and engagement in Refuge activities for many years when militants took out a fence between ranch land and refuge land during the illegal occupation, the rancher put the fence back up. Karges is a caring individual who has become a visionary force for Malheur NWR and in turn for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The mission of the National Wildlife Refuge Association is to conserve America's wildlife heritage for future generations through strategic programs that protect, enhance, and expand the National Wildlife Refuge System and the landscapes beyond its boundaries. To learn more about the National Wildlife Refuge Association, please visit our website or join us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Contact: Desiree Sorenson-Groves, (202) 290-5593 [email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161202/445053 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chad-karges-honored-with-lifetime-achievement-award-at-department-of-the-interior-300372180.html SOURCE National Wildlife Refuge Association NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fitch Ratings has published a new issue report on Citigroup Commercial Mortgage Trust 2014-GC23 Commercial Mtg P-T Certs, which replaces the presale report currently available. The closing occurred on July 15, 2014. The new issue report is available at 'www.fitchratings.com'. Additional information is available at 'www.fitchratings.com'. Related Research Citigroup Commercial Mortgage Trust 2014-GC23 https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/871679 ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE 'WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM'. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF THIS SITE. FITCH MAY HAVE PROVIDED ANOTHER PERMISSIBLE SERVICE TO THE RATED ENTITY OR ITS RELATED THIRD PARTIES. DETAILS OF THIS SERVICE FOR RATINGS FOR WHICH THE LEAD ANALYST IS BASED IN AN EU-REGISTERED ENTITY CAN BE FOUND ON THE ENTITY SUMMARY PAGE FOR THIS ISSUER ON THE FITCH WEBSITE. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161202005643/en/ Fitch Ratings Primary Analyst Adam Ott Director +1-312-368-2094 Fitch Ratings, Inc. 70 W Madison St. Chicago, IL 60602 or Secondary Analyst Derek Shimeck Analyst +1-312-368-3192 or Committee Chairperson Eric Rothfeld Managing Director +1-212-908-0761 or Media Relations Sandro Scenga, +1-212-908-0278 [email protected] Source: Fitch Ratings TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR THROUGH US NEWSWIRE SERVICES IC Potash Corp. (TSX: ICP; OTCQX: ICPTF) (IC Potash or the Company) is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement of up to 16,250,000 units of the Company (the Units) at a price of $0.08 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $1.3 million (the Private Placement). Each Unit will consist of (i) one common share of the Company (a Common Share); and (ii) one common share purchase warrant (a Warrant). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one additional Common Share at an exercise price of $0.11 for a period of 12 months from the Closing Date (as defined below), provided that if, at any time after the date which is four months and one day following the Closing Date, the volume weighted average price of the Common Shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the TSX) is equal to or exceeds $0.18 for 20 consecutive trading days, the Company may accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants, in which event the Warrants will expire upon the date (the Accelerated Expiry Date) which is 30 days following the dissemination of a press release by the Company announcing the Accelerated Expiry Date. The proceeds of the Private Placement will be used for working capital purposes and securing polyhalite offtake agreements. The Private Placement is expected to close on or about December 12, 2016 (the Closing Date) and is subject to customary closing conditions, including the approval of the TSX. Securities issued under the Private Placement will be subject to a hold period, which will expire four months and one day from the Closing Date. The Company may pay finders fees to certain qualified eligible persons assisting the Company in the Private Placement in an amount equal to 7% of the gross proceeds raised by such finders. The Company may also issue such number of broker warrants (Broker Warrants) to qualified eligible persons as is equal to 7% of the aggregate number of Units sold by such finders, each such Broker Warrant entitling the holder to acquire one Common Share for a period of 12 months at an exercise price equal to $0.11. IC Potash will also extend the warrants to non-insiders expiring December 2016 for 6 months under terms. IC Potash currently has 10,000,000 warrants set at the exercise price of $0.35 expiring on December 18, 2016. IC Potash has obtained warrant holder approval to extend 9,760,000 warrants held by arms length parties for six months to June 18, 2017 with a reduction of the exercise price to $0.11. The 240,000 warrants held by insiders will not be extended. These warrants were originally issued as part of a private placement undertaken in December of 2013. The amendments to these warrants will become effective on the 10th business day after the date of this press release. The continued support from the shareholder base will be critical in 2017 as IC Potash intends to excel its marketing and offtake partnerships, IC Potash President and CEO, Mehdi Azodi, stated. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to sell any securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or any exemption from such registration is available. About IC Potash Corp. IC Potash has previously demonstrated a method to make Sulfate of Potash (SOP) from its 100%-owned Ochoa polyhalite deposit in Southeast New Mexico and is currently examining ways to become a low-cost fertilizer producer. The current review of IC Potashs existing feasibility study is being extended to determine a viable positive economic path to the production of direct application polyhalite. The Ochoa project has access to excellent local labor resources, low-cost electricity and natural gas, water, rail lines, and the Port of Galveston, Texas. IC Potashs land holdings consist of nearly 90,000 acres of federal subsurface potassium prospecting permits and State of New Mexico potassium mining leases. For more information, please visit www.icpotash.com. Forward-Looking Statements Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of IC Potash to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements that use forward-looking terminology such as may, will, expect, anticipate, believe, continue, potential or the negative thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding trends in the markets for Sulfate of Potash and polyhalite, the completion of an update review of the feasibility study by the Company, the Companys intention to investigate the feasibility of polyhalite product production and other statements that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of IC Potash, including, but not limited to, changes in market trends, the completion, results and timing of studies undertaken by IC Potash, risks associated with mineral exploration and mining activities, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, dependence upon regulatory approvals, the uncertainty of obtaining additional financing, and risks associated with turning reserves into product. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161202005616/en/ IC Potash Corp. Mr. Mehdi Azodi, +1-416-779-3268 Chief Executive Officer [email protected] Source: IC Potash HAMILTON, Bermuda, Dec. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading insurance industry CEOs on both sides of the Atlantic, led by Hamilton Insurance Group Chairman and CEO Brian Duperreault, today hosted an international Town Hall webinar that attracted over one thousand participants in the US, Canada, Bermuda and the United Kingdom. The Town Hall was designed to encourage young insurance professionals already working in the industry to lend their support to the Insurance Careers Movement, a cross-industry, multi-phased initiative that kicked off with Insurance Careers Month in February 2016. The Insurance Careers Movement aims to raise awareness of career opportunities in the risk management and insurance profession, as well as support efforts to recruit the next generation of industry leaders. The initiative was developed in response to data that indicate a looming talent crisis in the US insurance industry, with 400,000 positions becoming vacant in four years. In addition, the sector in general suffers from a lack of diversity and little interest among high school and university students as a potential career. Following an introduction by Kirstin Marr, Chief Marketing Officer of Valen Analytics, one of the Insurance Careers Movement's founding organizations, Mr. Duperreault told young professionals participating in the Town Hall that it's ironic that the industry has recruiting challenges just when it's at its most exciting. "With the sharing economy, technological advances and associated emerging risks, this is a brave new world of insurance," said Mr. Duperreault. "But without a full court, industry-wide press, events will overtake action. We'll be facing gaps in management and new talent that make it difficult, if not impossible, to meet the needs of the digital world we're living in. "So we need you. You've already chosen a career in insurance. Yours is the best voice for your peers to hear. " Lloyd's CEO Inga Beale noted that social purpose had kept her in the industry for nearly 35 years. "This continues to drive me today," said Ms. Beale. "I have found it to be an incredibly rewarding career and I have seen first-hand the huge impact it has on business, communities and economies when the worst happens. " XL Catlin CEO Mike McGavick stressed his company's commitment to diversity. "The notion is pretty simple," said Mr. McGavick. "The more minds, representing the greatest possible set of viewpoints, the more likely the chance for the next great innovation, and the better we will all serve our clients and partners." President of Marsh, John Doyle, described the effects that big data and distribution disruption were having in creating significant career opportunities. "It's a race between innovation for established companies and distribution for start-ups," said Mr. Doyle. "Young professionals looking for a start-up environment are finding true innovation and entrepreneurial drive within traditional insurance firms as well as with start-ups that are pushing the industry forward." President and CEO of Argo Group, Mark E. Watson III, reminded webinar participants that there's something for everyone in the insurance industry. "Whether you're interested in being a data scientist, an IT developer, a lawyer, or you're really good at sales and marketing, basically we've got cool opportunities for you," said Mr. Watson. "There are hundreds and thousands of job opportunities, and you couldn't pick a better time right now. If you're kind of person that's really thoughtful, creative, innovative, likes to different things every day, and is up for a challenge, you couldn't pick a better place to be than the insurance business around the world right now." The heads of a number of key industry associations, who are supporting the Insurance Careers Movement, also participated in today's webinar. They were: Bob Rusbuldt, President and CEO of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, who cited some of the demographic statistics associated with the US insurance industry:"25% of insurance industry personnel will be within 5-10 years of retirement by 2018; 60% of current insurance professionals are over the age of 45 and looking to retire over the next 15 years," said Mr. Rusbuldt. June Holmes, Chief Operating Officer and Treasurer of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, who acknowledged the industry's need to change its image: "Our industry has a rich history of helping families rebuild after a tragedy. Insurers provide peace of mind to homeowners and motorists, and helping injured workers in their time of need. There's no question we need to tell our story better, and highlight all the good we do to help policyholders and the economy. We hope you'll join us in this effort by being a champion of this movement" said Holmes. Peter Miller, President and CEO of The Institutes, who called on young insurance professionals to accept the mantle of leadership in helping to sustain the industry's growth and development: "It has only been through the dedicated efforts of young leaders that insurance and risk management became a profession at all. They helped create college risk management departments, they conducted research to improve the science behind our field, and many organizations are looking to break out of the perception of insurance careers solely being sales and claims positions. These ideas have transformed our industry. We're looking for all of you to be the leaders of tomorrow," said Mr. Miller. Greg Jacobson, Co-CEO of The Jacobson Group, who noted the global career opportunities represented by insurance: "Due to demographic shifts, there are few industries that can offer the pace of career growth that insurance can. All of this in an industry that offers jobs in virtually every corner of the real and virtual world; from the rural Midwest, to financial centers like London, New York and Munich; and reinsurance capitals like Bermuda. And if working from home is your thing, the industry is rapidly becoming a virtual network of workers from around the world," said Mr. Jacobson. Three young professionals currently working in the industry were chosen from thousands of employees to participate in the webinar. They were: Tijana Richards, Vice President, Marsh Global Analytics, who described the path she's taken and told her peers: "What's valued the most is eagerness, courage and capability to learn and adapt. Anybody with these skills can find their career in insurance, in any field, anywhere on the globe." Ben Thomas, Audit Executive, Delegated Authorities Division, Lloyd's, who said: "The opportunities to continue educating and developing yourself personally are endless, and with hard work and commitment to the industry, climbing the corporate ladder is certainly achievable within a variety of roles and departments." Lissette Delgado, Agent and Office Manager, JVS Insurance Agency, who advised: "When I was growing up, I had an impression that insurance professionals were old people who knock on doors with their briefcases in their hand and I was completely wrong! We have a stigma and it's one of the reasons why I like working directly with young professionals like me. There's so much more to it than carrying around a briefcase." About Insurance Careers Movement A collaborative of more than 600 insurance carriers, agents/brokers, trade associations and industry partners launched the Insurance Career Movement, beginning with the first-ever Insurance Careers Month in February 2016. Insurance Careers Movement is a cross-industry, multi-phased initiative designed to raise awareness of the dynamic career opportunities in the risk management and insurance profession and to recruit the next generation of industry leaders. Hamilton Insurance Group; MyPath, powered by The Institutes; Valen Analytics; The Jacobson Group; InVEST; and PCI have designated each February for a month-long focus on careers in insurance. This year's observance was the first part of a campaign promoting insurance as "the career trifecta", a phrase chosen because it encapsulates the three key attributes of a job in insurance: it's stable, it's rewarding, and it's limitless. To learn more and to get involved, visit: http://insurancecareertrifecta.org/ Wendy Davis Johnson for the Insurance Careers Movement[email protected]+1 441 405-5240 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161202/445025LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/insurance-industry-leaders-reach-out-to-young-insurance-professionals-on-ceo-town-hall-webinar-300372162.html SOURCE Hamilton Insurance Group ATLANTA, GA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/02/16 -- New America Energy Corp. (OTC PINK: NECA), through its wholly owned subsidiary Title King, LLC, appoints a Director of Acquisitions. The Company wishes to proudly announce that it has appointed Ms. Sandra Campbell as Director of Acquisitions. Ms. Campbell's role will be to focus on identifying potential acquisitions that will immediately accelerate the Company's growth. Ms. Campbell stated: "After recently negotiating the sale of a $3.4 million commercial shopping center, I was ready for my next project. I was excited when Mr. Canouse approached me with this opportunity, as my knowledge in the pawn and real-estate industry can add tremendous value to the Company." NECA CEO Jeffrey Canouse stated: "I'm very excited to appoint someone with Ms. Campbell's extensive experience in the Pawn industry. I believe her knowledge and connections throughout Georgia in this industry will lead to a vast array of exciting opportunities for our company as we begin propelling through the next stages of growth." About Sandra Campbell: Sandra K. Campbell, CEO of Galaxy Systems Inc. and a real estate broker for Realty Professionals, Inc., has over 20 years of experience in the Pawn industry as well as vast knowledge in real estate acquisitions both in and out of the pawn industry. Ms. Campbell has owned and operated a chain of Pawn stores in Georgia offering traditional Pawn and title loans. After nearly two decades of profitable operations and growth, Ms. Campbell's stores were acquired by a National Pawn and Check Cashing company in 2013. During her career of more than 30 years, she has operated many businesses including but not limited to income tax preparation, check cashing, jewelry buyer and firearms purchasing through her federal firearms licensing. About New America Energy Corp. Based in Atlanta, GA, through its title loan subsidiary, Title King, LLC, provides short-term loans to consumers through the collateral use of car and truck titles. The Company operates in the alternative financial services industry, providing automobile title loans to consumers who own their vehicle free and clear and need convenient and simple access to funds. Other products offered in this industry include other forms of consumer loans, check cashing, money orders and money transfers. Consumers who use alternative financial services are often referred to as "underserved" or "underbanked" by banks and other traditional financial institutions. The Company is also exploring additional business opportunities including joint-venture partnerships and acquisitions. www.titlekingloans.com Apple App Link https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/best-title-deal/id1171797070?ls=1&mt=8 Google App Link https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.besttitledeal.app Photos of our Title Loan store can be viewed on our Twitter account at https://twitter.com/titlekingloans Photos are also available on the Company Facebook account at https://www.facebook.com/titlekingloans/?fref=ts Safe Harbor Statement: Except for statements of historical fact, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking, and are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements made herein regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of New America Energy Corp. are forward-looking statements that reflect numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, and any of which could cause our actual future results to differ materially from our stated expectations today. Prospective investors are cautioned that our forward-looking statements are never guarantees of future performance. Important factors currently known to management that could cause our actual future results to differ materially from those indicated in our forward-looking statements today include our limited operating history, fluctuations in our operating results, our ability to compete successfully and our ability to attract necessary capital on satisfactory terms. Except as required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise our forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated future events or changes in our future operating results. New American Energy Corp. Jeffery Canouse President Ph: 470-767-8794 Email: [email protected] Source: New America Energy Corp. ATLANTA, Dec. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Quantum Radiology's Mobile Breast Center (QR MBC) brings cutting-edge breast screening and expert radiologist interpretation directly to women at the workplace, thereby maximizing convenience and compliance. QR MBC partners with corporations, such as Delta Air Lines and SunTrust Bank, and community health groups to provide breast cancer screening as a component of wellness initiatives. "I think it's a great service for the women of SunTrust. It enables them to have a mammogram without taking a large amount of time away from their job. Quantum follows up with each of the women and makes the whole process from beginning to end very easy. I have heard nothing but great things about the experience from the SunTrust employees," says Gina Gay, RN at Premise Health and the SunTrust Plaza health clinic. QR MBC is a joint venture with Charlotte Radiology, which has been providing mobile mammography services since 2011. Once aboard the state of the art breast screening center on wheels, patients experience a comfortable environment. The vehicle is staffed by certified female mammography technologists, and features a waiting area, two private dressing rooms, and a private imaging suite. Appointments take less than 20 minutes from check-in to completion. Each exam is interpreted by a board certified Quantum Radiology physician that specializes in breast imaging. The American Cancer Society reports that a woman living in the US has a 12.3%, or a 1 in 8, lifetime risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer. The Georgia Department of Health states that breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths for women in the United States and in Georgia. Early detection is critical and cancers found earlier are more likely to be treated successfully increasing the survival rate among women. Dr. Anna Meyerson, Quantum Radiology's Breast Imaging Chief, states, "We recognize the time constraints women face when balancing their personal healthcare needs with the responsibilities of home and work life. Our mobile service gives women the opportunity to conveniently address a component of their healthcare needs. Breast cancer screening gives us the best chance at early detection of breast cancer. We are passionate about screening because we are saving lives." Quantum Radiology began the mobile service at Delta Air Lines Atlanta headquarters. "Quantum saved my life," says Shawna, a Delta Atlanta employee. "If Quantum had not been there that day doing mammograms, my breast cancer would not have been found when it was." Shawna was initially diagnosed at age 36 during a screening mammography event at Delta. Though she had a referral for a mammogram from a prior visit with her doctor, she did not make an appointment until encountering the mobile breast center that day - a life changing moment where Quantum was able to detect her breast cancer in its earliest stages. Shawna's story has inspired her Delta co-workers to obtain their annual screening mammograms, as they recognized that breast cancer does not discriminate by age, race, or history. Quantum Radiology, with the American College of Radiology and the Society of Breast Imaging recommends a mammogram every year beginning at age 40. For More Information about the Quantum Radiology Mobile Breast Center and Quantum Radiology, please visit MammoSaves.com and QuantumRadiology.com. To Reserve the Quantum Radiology Mobile Breast Center, please call 678.626.0342. For More Information about Charlotte Radiology, please visit CharlotteRadiology.com. About Quantum Radiology and Charlotte Radiology Quantum Radiology (QR) is an independent, nationally-recognized subspecialty radiology practice committed to patient-centered care. Integral partnerships with the WellStar Health System and referring physicians support the continuous pursuit of healthcare excellence. QR is recognized as a center of excellence and interprets over 916,896 medical imaging procedures annually at five hospital locations and over 23 outpatient diagnostic centers, including a stroke center and a trauma center. Quantum has 50 subspecialized physicians offering 24/7 sophisticated medical imaging expertise directly to patients as well as to referring physicians. Charlotte Radiology (CR) is considered the Charlotte area's imaging experts with more than 90 physicians offering 24/7 coverage for 14 hospitals. Charlotte Radiology currently owns and/or manages 5 mobile mammography centers across 20 states. CR is one of the largest and most progressive radiology groups in the nation. CR also owns and operates 13 breast centers and jointly owns and reads for Carolinas Imaging Services. Quantum Radiology and Charlotte Radiology are founding members of Strategic Radiology, a collaborative alliance that represents more than 1,000 radiologists from large, clinically advanced groups across the country. By sharing techniques, research, innovations, technology, and other best practices, we build each other up in order to deliver more to all patients. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161201/444900 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161201/444901LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/quantum-radiologys-mobile-breast-center-has-rolled-into-atlanta-300372216.html SOURCE Quantum Radiology HOUSTON, Dec. 02, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Targa Resources Corp. (NYSE: TRGP) ("Targa" or the "Company") announced today that representatives from the Company will participate in the Wells Fargo Energy Symposium on Tuesday, December 6, 2016 and Wednesday, December 7, 2016 in New York. The materials used at the conference will be accessible on the Events and Presentations section of the Companys website at www.targaresources.com, or by going to http://ir.targaresources.com/trc/events.cfm, on Tuesday, December 6, beginning at 7 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (6 a.m. Central Standard Time). About Targa Resources Corp. Targa Resources Corp. is a leading provider of midstream services and is one of the largest independent midstream energy companies in North America. Targa owns, operates, acquires, and develops a diversified portfolio of complementary midstream energy assets. The Company is primarily engaged in the business of: gathering, compressing, treating, processing, and selling natural gas; storing, fractionating, treating, transporting, and selling NGLs and NGL products, including services to LPG exporters; gathering, storing, and terminaling crude oil; storing, terminaling, and selling refined petroleum products. The principal executive offices of Targa are located at 1000 Louisiana, Suite 4300, Houston, TX 77002 and their telephone number is 713-584-1000. For more information please go to www.targaresources.com. Contact investor relations by phone at (713) 584-1133. Jennifer KnealeVice President - Finance Matthew MeloyExecutive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Source: Targa Resources Corp. By Shadia Nasralla and Kirsti Knolle VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria's most infamous son, Adolf Hitler, is rarely mentioned in his home country. So it came as a shock to many when presidential candidate Alexander Van der Bellen reached into a folder during a recent live TV debate and produced a photo montage including two images of the Fuehrer. The former Greens leader was complaining at a Facebook post in which a campaign picture of him walking his dog had been juxtaposed with photographs of Hitler and his German shepherd dog at the Nazi leader's mountain retreat. "Do you find that in order?" Van der Bellen demanded of his opponent, Norbert Hofer of the right-wing Freedom Party (FPO), naming an FPO official as one of the people who had shared the image online. Hofer, who in the Nov. 20 debate described the post as "dreadful", has protested at the daubing of his own campaign posters with swastikas and Hitler-style moustaches. It was the latest uncomfortable moment in a long, tortuous campaign for Sunday's election in which Hofer, who despite his anti-immigration platform disputes the label 'far-right', says he has drawn encouragement from Donald Trump's presidential victory in the United States. Against the background of the migration crisis, the contest will be watched across Europe as a barometer of anti-establishment sentiment and a test of support for populist right-wing politicians, following Britain's Brexit vote in June and ahead of elections in the Netherlands, France and Germany next year. Some historians see the use of Hitler's image to slur both candidates as another sign that Austria, annexed by Germany in the 'Anschluss' of 1938, has yet to come to terms with its own Nazi past. That stands in contrast with the sense of collective guilt every German has grown up with since World War Two. "It's only since the second half of the 1980s that Austria's responsibility has become a topic of discussion," said Hannes Leidinger, a history professor at Vienna University. Austria long presented itself as the first victim of the Nazis, a narrative initially supported by the Allies even though large parts of Austrian society celebrated the Anschluss and many took on roles in the Nazi war effort and the Holocaust. The so-called 'victim myth' only began to crumble in the 1980s when an international scandal unfolded around Kurt Waldheim, who played down his past as an army intelligence lieutenant attached to Germany military units and became United Nations Secretary-General and president of Austria. The process is still going on. Until 2013, visitors to an Austrian exhibition in Auschwitz, the Nazis' most notorious death camp, could see a display reading "Austria First Victim of National Socialism". Austria is still updating the exhibit. ECHOES OF THE PAST At a seminar last week next to picturesque Lake Ossiach near Austria's border with Slovenia, schoolteachers discussed ways to make Austria's past more accessible to teenagers. "I was aggrieved when I saw that Waldheim is not an issue any more for my students. This was so important for my own political socialization, the break with the victim myth. Pupils are simply not interested in this," said one teacher, 50-year-old Barbara Rossi. Bernhard Glitschtaler, 29, a nose-pierced author of several books on Nazi crimes in the province of Carinthia, said he tried several times to set up a memorial for victims of the Third Reich in his native valley, but was rebuffed by other locals. "The families of the victims and the perpetrators still know each other, they work together," he said. "It's hard to imagine that state of mind, where the descendants of the victims still feel shame about their ancestors' deaths, as well as fear of the consequences if their names are mentioned on a monument." Werner Dreier, the director of the government-financed Nazi-era remembrance platform Erinnern.at, which has offered advice on how to teach the Holocaust since the early 2000s, says the idea that broader Austrian society carried responsibility has made a "hesitant" entry in school books in recent years. From post-war curricula, which apportioned the blame to military leaders, to the 1990s, when victims' narratives were the focus, Dreier said the country had come a long way to include the perspective that many civilians helped the Nazis. Gudrun Blohberger, who heads the pedagogical center at Austria's Mauthausen concentration camp site, says tours for schoolchildren started to be redesigned around 2007 but the lessons are not yet fully anchored in society. "Specifically that you don't just talk about the past, but that you carry the insights that you can gain from the past into your own thinking and your actions," she said. "This is something we should work on very hard." Most of those taking part in the seminar said it would be wrong to draw simple comparisons between today's parties like the FPO, which criticize Islam and immigration, and right-wing populists in the 1930s. But some called on teachers to carefully tease out some broad parallels between those times and the present, not only in Austria but also in France or the United States. "This is about recognizing and explaining the overall character of exclusion," Austrian political scientist and nationalism expert Anton Pelinka said. There was a need, he added, to exert pressure "against hysteria and the construction of fear". One 33-year old teacher, who preferred to remain anonymous, said he tried to draw lessons not only from Austria's Nazi past but also from other periods like the Balkan wars of the 1990s. Such examples could resonate more strongly with his students, many of whose families have migrated to Austria. "You find everything from Islamic State sympathizers to far-right extremists in my classes," he said. Such students, he added, are worried about jobs and feel largely excluded from politics. "I try not to use the Nazi era too much," he said. "I try to draw abstractions from history: people offering simple enemies, simple answers." (Editing by Mark Trevelyan) Warren Buffett, Chairman, CEO and largest shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway takes part in interviews before a fundraising luncheon for the nonprofit Glide Foundation in New York September 8, 2015. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) - A Nebraska nonprofit on Friday said it will propose that Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc sell its investments in oil refiner Phillips 66 (NYSE: PSX) and other companies involved in fossil fuels over 12 years. The Nebraska Peace Foundation, which focuses on anti-war, civil rights and environmental issues, said it submitted a formal proposal for Berkshire shareholders to consider at the Omaha-based conglomerate's annual meeting next May 6. Berkshire did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the proposal, which was reported earlier by the Associated Press. The nonprofit would face an uphill battle absent support from Buffett, who commands nearly one-third of Berkshire's voting power. In April, shareholders including Buffett defeated its proposal that Berkshire report on the risks that climate change posed for its insurance businesses. Buffett called that proposal unnecessary, and only 11 percent of the votes cast favored it. The nonprofit said its fossil fuels proposal reflects the need to reduce greenhouse gases and shift toward renewable energy, without endangering Berkshire's near-term profitability. It said the proposal would not cover businesses that Berkshire owns outright, including several utilities and the chemical company Lubrizol. Instead, it would cover investments such as Berkshire's nearly $7 billion stake in Phillips 66, and its recently sold stake in Canada's Suncor Energy Inc (NYSE: SU). Buffett owns about 18 percent of Berkshire. Forbes magazine on Friday estimated his net worth at $71.7 billion. The Suncor sale "reinforces our faith about what Warren Buffett can do about this," Tim Rinne, state coordinator for Nebraskans for Peace, with which the foundation is affiliated, said in an interview. "He's a huge philanthropist, he's an international icon and he's extraordinarily smart," Rinne said. "That puts him in an ideal position to make a statement for the entire world about addressing the perils of climate change." Berkshire owns more than 90 businesses including Geico auto insurer, Dairy Queen ice cream and Fruit of the Loom underwear. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Marguerita Choy) ULAANBAATAR (Reuters) - A major border crossing between China and Mongolia has imposed new fees on commodity shipments between the two countries, amid a diplomatic row sparked by the visit to Ulaanbaatar of the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama last week. The Dalai Lama is cherished as a spiritual leader in predominantly Buddhist Mongolia, but China regards him as a dangerous separatist and warned the visit could damage bilateral relations. The crossing at Gashuun Sukhait is used to export copper from the giant Oyu Tolgoi mine run by Rio Tinto, as well as coal from the Tavan Tolgoi mine, which China's state-owned Shenhua Group is currently in the running to develop. The crossing in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia would charge vehicles a transit fee of 10 yuan ($1.45) each time they pass through the border, and would also impose an additional charge of 8 yuan per tonne for any goods they are delivering, according to a notice issued by local authorities and published by the Mongolian Mining Journal on Wednesday. For precious metals and copper concentrate worth more than 10,000 yuan per tonne, exporters would be charged 0.2 percent of the total value of the cargo, the notice said, adding that the new charges would come into effect on Dec 1. Dale Choi, an independent mining analyst in Ulaanbaatar, said 900 trucks pass through Gashuun Sukhait every day, adding that around 133,000 tonnes of copper concentrate is delivered into China every month via the crossing. Local government officials contacted by Reuters on Thursday could not confirm the veracity of the announcement, but a senior industry representative in Ulaanbaatar who is familiar with the matter said the new charges were now in effect. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang did not confirm whether or not the new border fees were connected to the Dalai Lama's visit, saying that he was unaware of the situation. "As for the Dalai Lama's visit to Mongolia, China has expressed its position many times," he said at the ministry's regular press briefing on Thursday. The Dalai Lama fled Tibet after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. Beijing regards him as a "splittist", though he says he merely seeks genuine autonomy for his Himalayan homeland, which Communist Chinese troops "peacefully liberated" in 1950. Geng said in a statement last month that Mongolia needed to "adopt effective measures to eliminate the negative effects of the Dalai Lama's visit". The diplomatic repercussions could hit Mongolia hard, with the crisis-hit government desperate to boost economic ties with its powerful southern neighbor and use Chinese investment and knowhow to kickstart key mining and infrastructure projects. China has already postponed a Nov. 28 meeting between the two sides, Mongolian government spokesman G. Otgonbayar said via Twitter last week. Mongolian government officials are due to hold talks on Friday with international partners, including the International Monetary Fund and the Development Bank of China, to discuss Mongolia's currency and balance of payments crisis. (This story has been corrected to change foreign ministry spokesman's response to "unaware of situation" from "aware of situation" in paragraph 8) (Reporting by Terrence Edwards in ULAANBAATAR and David Stanway in SHANGHAI, Additional Reporting by Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Editing by Nick Macfie) BEIJING (Reuters) - A large Chinese business delegation has arrived in the Central American country of Panama, a diplomatic ally of self-ruled Taiwan, and is keen to invest in energy and port projects, state news agency Xinhua said on Friday. Panama is one of just 22 countries to maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as a wayward province and says it has no right to diplomatic relations with anyone. The 35 Chinese entrepreneurs, lead by Zhang Wei, vice president of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, arrived in Panama this week, Xinhua said. The delegates mainly come from the telecommunications, banking and construction sectors and "expressed a particular interest in investing in the energy and port sectors", it added. "During a meeting with the Chinese business delegation, Nestor Gonzales, Panama's vice minister of foreign trade, said that his government is seeking to get closer to China," it said. China views Panama as a potential base for manufacturing plants, said Wang Weihua, permanent representative of China's Office of Commercial Development in Panama, Beijing's de facto embassy there. "Panama is already acting as a bridge, a window to transit Chinese merchandise to Latin America," he told Xinhua. "I think that, given Panama's logistical development, this role will increase, and will be enjoyed by more Chinese companies." Asked about the mission, Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Eleanor Wang said China sought business opportunities around the world. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has continued to monitor China's potential investments in Panama," Wang said, adding that Taiwan encouraged its firms to invest in diplomatic allies. In June, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen visited Panama for the formal opening of the expanded Panama Canal, her first overseas trip since winning a January election, and sought to consolidate ties with Panama. China is deeply suspicious of Tsai, who it suspects of wanting to push the island's formal independence, and has severed a regular communications mechanism established under Taiwan's previous government. Panama is one of Taiwan's oldest diplomatic allies, but diplomats in Beijing have told Reuters they believe Panama is the most likely Central American nation to ditch Taiwan next. Costa Rica recognized Beijing in 2007, and a U.S. State Department cable released by Wikileaks indicates that Panama sought to recognize Beijing in 2009, but was rebuffed. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Faith Hung in Taipei; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) DUBAI (Reuters) - An American-Iranian dual national and his wife have been in detention in Iran without charge or access to lawyers since their arrest by elite Revolutionary Guards in July, a New York-based rights group said on Friday. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran (ICHRI) said Karan Vafadari and his wife Afarin Niasari, who run an art gallery in Tehran, were being held in Tehran's Evin Prison. The Islamic Republic does not recognise dual nationality, a position that prevents Western embassy officials from visiting such detainees. "Yet another case of a dual national snatched and held without charge or access to a lawyer represents an alarming continuation of a judicial system run by intelligence agencies with no respect for the law and no accountability," said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the human rights group. The statement said families of the arrested couple decided not to publicize their cases, hoping it would be resolved. "Then when the family started receiving anonymous phone threats and demands for money, they decided to go public and write a letter to Iran's supreme leader," the statement said. In the letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Vafadari's Washington-based sister Kateh said her sister-in-law was detained at Tehran airport as she was about to board a flight to attend a family wedding abroad, the statement said. "She was told to call her husband and ask him to come to the airport. When he arrived, he, too, was arrested and both were taken to Evin Prison." There was no immediate Iranian comment on the human rights group report. U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a news briefing on Friday that U.S. officials were aware of reports that a U.S. citizen and U.S. permanent resident had been detained in Iran, but he declined to comment further. In August, Tehran Prosecutor Abbas Jafari-Dolatabadi was quoted in Iranian media as saying that two Iranian dual nationals had been arrested the previous week, linking them to a home that had hosted mixed-gender parties for foreign diplomats. Security forces discovered 4,000 liters of alcohol in the home, he said, without naming Vafadari or Niasari. Only members of religious minorities - Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians - are allowed to brew, distil, ferment and drink liquor discreetly in the privacy of their homes. Trade in liquor is forbidden. The ICHRI said Vafadari is Zoroastrian. Several people with dual Iranian and foreign nationalities have been arrested in Iran since 2015, when Iran and six major powers reached a nuclear deal at a time of tentative detente after many years of antagonism between Tehran and the West. An Iranian-American businessman, Siamak Namazi, and his elderly father Baquer Namazi, were sentenced to 10 years in prison in October for collaborating with a foreign government, a sentence their family said was unjust. In September, the family of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 39, a dual British-Iranian national, was sentenced to five years in jail on charges that were kept secret. Zaghari-Ratcliffe works for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, a London-based charity that is independent of Thomson Reuters and operates independently of Reuters News. The Foundation and her husband have dismissed Iran's accusations against her. (Writing by Dubai newsroom, additional reporting by Yeganeh Torbati in Washington, editing by Mark Heinrich and Richard Chang) By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Ethiopian troops killed 15 armed rebels crossing from Ethiopia's arch-rival Eritrea over the weekend, and captured more than 70, an official said on Thursday. Foreign Ministry spokesman Tewolde Mulugeta said the insurgents were members of Ginbot 7, which Ethiopia says is backed by Eritrea. He said 115 insurgents had entered Ethiopia's Tigray region on Saturday and then been attacked by soldiers and local militiamen: "Of the 115, our troops killed 15 rebels and captured 73." Eritrean government officials were not immediately available for comment; they routinely dismiss allegations by Ethiopia, which they in turn accuse of seeking to destabilize the region. The two nations often accuse one another of supporting insurgencies in the other country -- a legacy of years of bitter conflict that has left them with a disputed border. Eritrea, a former province of Ethiopia, won independence in 1991 after 30 years of war. Seven years later, hostilities erupted again, over the border, and around 70,000 people were killed. A peace agreement was signed in 2000, but enmity continues. Ethiopia wants a full negotiated settlement and Eritrea demands the withdrawal of Ethiopian troops from a disputed town. In July, the two countries traded accusations of aggression along their disputed frontier, and each claimed to have repulsed the other and inflicted heavy casualties. (Editing by Katharine Houreld and Kevin Liffey) By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - An Ethiopian opposition leader from a region hit by deadly anti-government protests has been arrested after returning from meeting members of the European Parliament in Brussels, a political ally said on Thursday. Merera Gudina leads the Oromo People's Congress from Ethiopia's Oromiya region, which has been the center of protests against land grabs and what opponents say is a government clampdown on political freedoms. Officials deny such charges. "Merera arrived in Addis Ababa on Wednesday morning from a trip to Brussels, where he met members of the European Parliament," Gebru Gebremariam, deputy chairman of the Oromo Federalist Congress, told Reuters. "Police arrested him in his house the same day in the evening. We haven't been given reasons behind his arrest," Gebru added. A government secretariat, chaired by the prime minister and in charge of implementing emergency rule, said Merera violated guidelines "by making contact with terrorist groups". "Given this violation, Merera is in custody and an investigation is currently taking place," the Amharic-language statement said. More than 500 people have been killed since last year in protests that subsided after the government declared a six-month state of emergency in October. The demonstrations were initially triggered by anger over a development scheme for the capital that demonstrators said would force farmers off their land, but then broadened into demonstrations against political restrictions. Businesses in Oromiya and other areas, many of them foreign-owned, were attacked. Foreign firms have often been leased land by the government that locals say was seized from them for little compensation and sold on at great profit. Ethiopia's government, which scrapped the capital's development plan after protests erupted, denies imposing political restrictions or illegally taking land. Opposition parties failed to secure a single seat in parliament in the last elections in 2015. (Reporting by Aaron Maasho; Writing by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Edmund Blair and Andrew Heavens) By Tom Miles and Ed Cropley GENEVA/JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Ethnic cleansing is taking place in some areas of South Sudan and the stage is set for a repeat of the Rwandan genocide, the head of the U.N. commission of human rights in the country said on Thursday at the end of a 10-day visit. "There is already a steady process of ethnic cleansing under way in several areas of South Sudan using starvation, gang rape and the burning of villages; everywhere we went across this country we heard villagers saying they are ready to shed blood to get their land back," Yasmin Sooka said in a statement. "The stage is being set for a repeat of what happened in Rwanda and the international community is under an obligation to prevent it," she said, referring to Rwanda's 1994 genocide in which 800,000 people died. The president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, strongly denied the U.N. allegations. "There's no such thing in South Sudan. There's no ethnic cleansing," Kiir told Reuters in the South African city of Johannesburg. Security guards prevented further questions. The three-person commission was set up this year and will report back to the U.N. Human Rights Council next March. Similar investigations into North Korea and Eritrea ended in calls to refer the situation to the International Criminal Court in the Hague, but neither case has reached the court. South Sudan has spent most of its short history mired in civil war. It became independent in 2011 but rivalry between the president and his deputy erupted into war in 2013. They signed a shaky peace deal last year, but fighting and attacks on civilians continue. Much of the violence is along ethnic lines. More than 1.1 million South Sudanese have fled the country and 1.8 million have been uprooted, most recently in the Equatoria regions, where houses are being torched and people being displaced based on ethnicity, the statement said. The commission heard "numerous accounts of corpses being found along main roads, looming starvation and people fleeing to neighboring countries on a daily basis". The international community needed to speed up deployment of a 4,000 strong regional protection force, ensuring its reach went beyond the capital Juba. South Sudan also urgently needed a court to prosecute human rights abuses, the commission said. Large parts of the country literally have no functioning courts and even the traditional reconciliation methods are now breaking down with the result that its a free for all, said commissioner Ken Scott. Sooka described the amount of rape committed by all armed groups in the country as "mind-boggling". Aid workers describe gang rape as so prevalent that its become normal in this warped environment but what does that say about us that we accept this and thereby condemn these women to this unspeakable fate? (Editing by Toby Chopra and Alison Williams) Crew members look out from the MV Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller as it berths at a PSA International port terminal in Singapore, September 27, 2013. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Maersk Line, the world's biggest shipping company, is to buy smaller rival Hamburg Sud, joining a wave of M&A in the industry just over two months after the Danish company revealed plans to bolster its transport operations. The deal, announced by parent A.P. Moller-Maersk on Thursday, is the group's first full takeover in more than a decade and highlights a consolidation drive in container shipping, which has been grappling with low freight rates and oversupply. It also follows Maersk's new boss Soren Skou's move to focus on transport and logistics and spin off the company's energy operations. Maersk shares rose more than 5 percent. Hamburg Sud, part of the Oetker Group, is the world's seventh largest container shipping line and operates 130 container vessels primarily in trade between the northern and southern hemispheres. Maersk has a fleet of more than 600 ships. "This will provide us with a very strong platform in Latin America," Skou, chief executive of Maersk Line and the Maersk Group, said on a conference call, noting "significant" cost benefits from combining the companies' network. Skou declined to disclose the value of the deal, but said it would be a cash only transaction, and that Maersk did not need to sell other assets to ahead with the purchase. He also said Maersk would be looking at a "light-touch integration" of family-owned Hamburg Sud, keeping both the brand name and the company's headquarters in Hamburg. "I would imagine that more (consolidation) can happen in the future. Even with this acquisition, the market is still quite fragmented, and I would be surprised if this was the final piece," Skou said. With the acquisition, Maersk Line will increase its container capacity to around 3.8 million TEU (20-foot Equivalent Unit), boosting its market share to 18.6 percent from 15.7 percent, it said. Maersk's combined fleet will consist of 741 container vessels with an average age of 8.7 years, compared with 9.2 years before the deal. The transaction will help Maersk Line to boost its presence in global trade, especially in Latin America where Hamburg Sud has had a strong presence since its foundation in 1871 by representatives of Hamburg merchant houses. "It's a smaller and more niche player it's a good strategic fit for Maersk," analyst Michael Jorgensen at Alm. Brand Bank said. He described the acquisition as a defensive consolidation. Alm. Brand has a "buy" recommendation on Maersk. Hamburg Sud has 5,960 employees in more than 250 offices across the world. Last year, the company's revenue was $6.73 billion and of that $6.26 billion came from its container line activities, Maersk said. Oetker Group is involved in shipping, banking, food and beverages. There had been speculation in the shipping market that the Oetker-family would opt to sell its container business. "Giving up our engagement in shipping after an 80 year-long ownership in Hamburg Sud was not an easy decision for my family," said August Oetker, chairman of the advisory board behind the management holding company of the Oetker Group. The deal will be the first full acquisition by Maersk since a takeover of P&O Nedlloyd a decade ago. Other container lines have been looking to do deals to build scale. Family-owned French group CMA CGM sealed an acquisition this year of Singapore-based Neptune Orient Lines, which has given it market leadership on trans-Pacific routes. Last week, the European Commission gave conditional approval to a merger between German container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd and the United Arab Shipping Company. In 2013, a planned merger between Hapag-Lloyd with rival Hamburg-Sud was called off as terms could not be agreed. Maersk said the deal would be subject to final agreement and regulatory approvals, and would have no impact on Maersk's outlook for 2016. A.P. Moller-Maersk said it expected to give more details following approval of the purchase agreement which is expected early in the second quarter of 2017. (Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; additional reporting by Annabella Pultz Nielsen and Nikolaj Skydsgaard in Copenhagen and Jonathan Saul in London; editing by Jason Neely and Jane Merriman) By Paritosh Bansal and Serajul Quadir DHAKA (Reuters) - Before Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury orchestrated Bangladesh's worst militant attack, he sought and won approval for it from Islamic State. A Canadian of Bangladeshi origin, he was told by his contact in the militant group, Abu Terek Mohammad Tajuddin Kausar, to target foreigners, according to a senior police official who has seen communications between the two men. Chowdhury, located in Bangladesh at the time, proposed an attack on a Dhaka eatery frequented by expatriates. On July 1, a group of gunmen stormed the Holey Artisan cafe in the city's Gulshan neighborhood, murdering 22 people, most of them foreigners, in an overnight siege that shocked the country. The back-and-forth between Chowdhury, 30, and Kausar, 35, which includes drafts of articles later published in Islamic State magazines, has not been previously reported. Together with attempts by people linked to Islamic State to recruit and fund militancy in the country, the documents show the extremist organization has built deeper connections with Bangladeshi militants than was previously known. The police official declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the information. Reuters could not independently verify the contents of the communications. As Islamic State comes under pressure in its home base of Syria and Iraq, its activities in outposts such as Bangladesh could intensify, experts have said. The extent of Islamic State's influence in Bangladesh will be key to the country's garment sector that employs millions of people and earns $28 billion a year in exports. Any sign the global jihadi network is making inroads could force Western brands to look elsewhere for cheap clothes. In the year before the cafe atrocity, a string of grisly individual murders, including of bloggers and foreigners, had already raised the alarm for overseas investors. In its Rumiyah magazine published after the cafe massacre, Islamic State claimed two dozen attacks in the country since September 2015. The claim could not be independently verified. LOCAL MILITANTS OR ISLAMIC STATE? After the siege, police raided suspected jihadi hideouts and said they killed dozens of militants and arrested hundreds more. Still, the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said Islamic State does not exist in the impoverished South Asian nation of 160 million people, and instead blames the rise in political violence on the Islamist opposition. Opposition leaders deny any link and say it can be traced to the bitter rivalry, which has long poisoned politics in the country, between Hasina's ruling Awami League and its main rival, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), as well as Jamaat-e-Islami. "These are all home-grown people," said Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, adding that the siege militants belonged to a new faction of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a banned group he said had ties to the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami party. An aide to Hasina said that, while local militant groups had links with Islamic State, the extent of support was limited. "They are not an organized group here. People with Islamic State links are here. But that is not to say Islamic State is here." FUNDING AND RECRUITING Bangladesh police first came to know about Chowdhury around fall of last year, but they did not know his whereabouts, the police official said. In December, Dhaka police seized about 3.9 million taka ($50,000) destined for a close associate of Chowdhury's. The money, which the police official said was sent via the informal hawala cash transfer network, came from a UK-based company. The company's founder, Siful Sujan, was killed a few days later in Syria. At the time, investigators could not establish the money had been sent on Islamic State's instructions, the police official said. Chowdhury's group, meanwhile, was recruiting. Tanvir Kaderi and his wife, Abedatul Fatema, had a comfortable middle-class life in Dhaka, with two children and steady jobs. "We were a very happy family," Kaderi's son Mohammed Tahrim Kaderi Abir wrote in a confession presented before a magistrate. Abir, an eighth grade student, wrote that his parents' behavior started to change after they went on the Haj pilgrimage in 2014. After that, Kaderi told a preacher he had dreamed he was standing with a weapon in his hand in the middle of a desert. Kaderi also started spending time with acquaintances from the local mosque, who introduced the family to others, including associates of Chowdhury. They in turn preached to the family about faith and jihad and showed them videos of the war in Syria. One gave them a copy of Dabiq magazine, an Islamic State publication, according to the confession. The preparations for the cafe attack began at least as early as June, around the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, according to Abir's confession. Kaderi rented an apartment in Basundhara area of Dhaka, near the cafe. A few days later the five militants who conducted the attack showed up at the house. Kaderi's family moved to Dhaka's old city the night of the raid. MAGAZINE INTERVIEWS Chowdhury was killed on Aug. 27. That and the other raids gave police access to his correspondence with Kausar. In one, Chowdhury was asked by Kausar to answer questions for an interview, which was eventually published in Dabiq in April under the nom de guerre Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif. Al-Hanif was identified in the magazine as head of Islamic State in Bangladesh. In another, Chowdhury sent the draft of an article about the cafe attack, which was published after his death in Rumiyah magazine, the police official said. Kausar's mother said he moved to Australia in 2006 and she had not heard from him since before the attack. Tahera Begum, who lives in a town 135 miles from Dhaka, said she did not know whether he had links with Islamic State. Before his death, Chowdhury made Kaderi the new point of contact with Kausar, the police official said. At around 7.30 p.m. on Sept. 10, police knocked on the door of Kaderi's apartment, where his wife, one of his sons and some associates were hiding. In the ensuing chaos, police were attacked with grenades and knives, while some women in the apartment threw chili powder at them. Kaderi ran into a room. As they tried to apprehend him, he swung a scythe at police, who were using his son as a shield. Kaderi told his son, "If you get hit, you will either be martyred or Allah will reward you." By the time the raid was over, Kaderi had slit his own throat. The last known link to Islamic State in Bangladesh was dead, although the police official said they did not know if anyone else was in contact with the militant group. POLITICAL STRIFE Opposition leaders accuse the government of using militancy as an excuse to stifle dissent. "A democracy deficit is definitely encouraging the extremists," said Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, BNP's secretary general who spent months in jail and now faces prosecution in dozens of cases. The Jamaat leadership has gone into hiding after several of its top leaders were executed during the past two years for war crimes committed during the country's 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. In an email, Maqbul Ahmad, the head of the party, denied any connections with JMB or other militants. "The government is consistently denying the actual presence of terrorism in Bangladesh," Ahmad wrote. "Rather they are using it as an effective instrument of repression of Islamists." Soon after the cafe attack, the government placed a bounty of 2 million taka ($25,000) on Chowdhury's head. A series of raids on militant hideouts followed. By Oct. 3 police said they had killed 42 militants and arrested at least 221 people, according to an internal police report. Militant groups, including a faction ideologically linked to al Qaeda, have gone quiet and police say the overall security situation is under control, although the threat is not over. (Additional reporting by Amran Abocar in TORONTO; Editing by Mike Collett-White) MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines has raised its terror alert to its highest level after police said they had discovered a plot by Islamic State-linked militants to attack a park, following a foiled bombing near the U.S. embassy this week. Ronald dela Rosa, the national police chief, said the plot was revealed by two men arrested over the planting of a bomb near the embassy in Manila on Monday. "These men planned to detonate a bomb in a public park, but it failed, then they planted another improvised explosive device near the U.S. embassy," dela Rosa told a news conference, standing beside two men in yellow prisons shirts. Three other men belonging to a southern Philippine Islamist militant group had evaded arrest, he added. "I am advising the public to be vigilant, to be cautious, but don't panic. Enjoy your Christmas," he said, adding that checkpoints would be set around the capital and raids conducted on known "lairs of suspected terror groups". A mobile phone wired to an 81-mm mortar bomb was found by a street sweeper near the U.S. embassy early on Monday. Police safely detonated the bomb, but the masterminds had tried to set it off by calling the phone, Dela Rosa said. Police traced the number to a man in a province north of Manila, then arrested him. A second man who drove a car and placed the explosive near the U.S. mission was also arrested. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has been warning that Islamic State fighters could seek to establish a foothold in his country if driven out of Iraq and Syria, warning of "contamination" by extremists. The southern Philippines has for decades been a hotbed of Muslim militancy, though driven largely by domestic agendas. (Reporting By Manuel Mogato; Editing by Martin Petty, Robert Birsel) OPEC logo is pictured ahead of an informal meeting between members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Algiers, Algeria September 28, 2016. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina/File Photo MOSCOW (Reuters) - Time for OPEC and non-OPEC meeting to discuss global oil production deal is still being discussed, Russian Energy Ministry spokeswoman told Reuters on Tuesday. She also said Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak had always said that Russia does not take part in OPEC meetings. Earlier on Tuesday, Novak was quoted as saying he was not attending OPEC talks in Vienna on Nov. 30. (Reporting by Olesya Astakhova; writing by Denis Pinchuk; editing by Katya Golubkova) Coffins containing the remains of victims of mass killings during the 1994 genocide are displayed in a Catholic Church in Nyamata April 9, 2014. REUTERS/Noor Khamis/Files By Clement Uwiringiyimana KIGALI (Reuters) - A Rwandan military tribunal began hearings on Thursday against a former army officer deported from Canada last month to face charges over Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Jean Claude Seyoboka is accused of genocide, planning genocide, and murder and rape as crimes against humanity. He was a second lieutenant in the army when unknown gunmen shot down a plane carrying the then-presidents of Rwanda and Burundi, triggering an uprising by militias from the majority Hutu ethnic group. The militias killed about 800,000 Tutsis and Hutu moderates. The military prosecution told the court that Seyoboka, who was deported from Canada on November 18, trained the Interahamwe militia and killed Tutsi in several parts of the capital, Kigali. "Another witness told us that they saw him with in one hand with a gun and in another hand with clubs. Imagine a soldier who should be assuming the role of securing the population and instead he kills them," prosecutor Capt. Kagiraneza Kayihura told the court. Seyoboka is also accused of leading an attack that killed two politicians, Theoneste Gafaranga and Andre Kameya, who opposed the genocide. Seyoboka appeared in court in the green uniform assigned to Rwandan military prisoners. He pleaded not guilty, saying he was a simple soldier commanded to fight a rebel group. The rebels, led by current President Paul Kagame, eventually took control of Rwanda and ended the genocide. "Is it criminal (for a soldier) to fight a war?" Seyoboka asked the court. Rwanda says it has issued over 600 arrest warrants globally for genocide suspects still at large. (This version of the story corrects spelling of prosecutor's name) (Reporting by Clement Uwiringiyimana; editing by Katharine Houreld) North Charleston police officer Michael Slager sits in the courtroom during his murder trial at the Charleston County court in Charleston, South Carolina, U.S., November 30, 2016. REUTERS/Grace Beahm/Post and Courier/Pool By Harriet McLeod CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - Jurors trying to reach a verdict will begin a third day of deliberations on Friday in the murder trial of a white former South Carolina police officer who fatally shot a fleeing, unarmed black motorist last year. Ex-North Charleston patrolman Michael Slager, 35, faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if found guilty of murder in the death of 50-year-old Walter Scott in April 2015. Civil rights activists have vowed to protest should Slager be acquitted. "We won't sit idly by," said James Johnson, state director for the National Action Network in South Carolina. Conviction on a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter would carry a prison term between two and 30 years. The jury of 11 whites and one black began deliberations on Wednesday in a case that gained widespread attention after a bystander's cellphone video footage of the officer shooting at Scott's back was made public. The video added fuel to a national debate over the use of force by U.S. law enforcement against minorities in the wake of police killings of black men in New York, Baltimore, Ferguson, Missouri, and other cities. Jurors viewed the video multiple times and heard testimony from dozens of witnesses during the state court trial in Charleston over the past month. On Thursday afternoon, they requested transcripts of the testimony given by Slager and the chief investigator on the case. They later sent the judge a note asking for guidance in distinguishing between "fear" and "passion." Soon after that they were sent home for the night and were to resume deliberations on Friday morning. Slager told jurors earlier this week that Scott ran after being pulled over for a broken brake light and resisted the patrolman's orders to stop. Prosecutors said Scott likely fled because he was behind on child support payments and feared arrest. Scott was not armed, but Slager's lawyers said the officer did not know that at the time of the confrontation. Slager said Scott grabbed his stun gun as the two men scuffled. Feeling "total fear," Slager said he drew his gun and opened fire until he had stopped the threat. Prosecutors argued the video proved Slager was not in danger when he fired eight shots at the fleeing Scott, hitting him with five bullets. Outside the courthouse on Thursday, Scott's brother, Anthony, waited with television crews, police, chaplains and bystanders for a verdict. "It's gonna be OK," he said. "If it's not OK, we're not done." (Reporting by Harriet McLeod; Writing by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Leslie Adler and Simon Cameron-Moore) FORM 3 UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 INITIAL STATEMENT OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 OMB APPROVAL OMB Number: 3235-0104 Expires: December 31, 2014 Estimated average burden hours per response: 0.5 1. Name and Address of Reporting Person * Deal Stanley A (Last) (First) (Middle) 100 N. RIVERSIDE PLAZA M/C 5003-1001 (Street) CHICAGO IL 60606 (City) (State) (Zip) 2. Date of Event Requiring Statement (Month/Day/Year) 11/21/2016 3. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol BOEING CO [ BA ] 4. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) Director 10% Owner X Officer (give title below) Other (specify below) Pres. & CEO, BGS 5. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year) 6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line) X Form filed by One Reporting Person Form filed by More than One Reporting Person Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned 1. Title of Security (Instr. 4) 2. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned (Instr. 4) 3. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 5) 4. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 5) Common Stock 7,269.17 (1) D Common Stock 136.24 I 401(k) plan Common Stock 3,975.45 I Career Shares Table II - Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities) 1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 4) 2. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year) 3. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 4) 4. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security 5. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 5) 6. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 5) Date Exercisable Expiration Date Title Amount or Number of Shares Deferred Compensation Units Common Stock 7,912.5 (2) D Explanation of Responses: Remarks: dealpoa.txt /s/ Dana Krueger, Attorney-in-fact 12/01/2016 ** Signature of Reporting Person Date Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly. * If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4 (b)(v). ** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a). Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure. Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number. POWER OF ATTORNEY Know all by these presents, that the undersigned hereby constitutes and appoints each of Grant M. Dixton, Stephanie L. Hernandez, Dana Krueger, Elizabeth C. Towle and Gregory Vogelsperger, signing singly, the undersigned's true and lawful attorney-in-fact to: (1) execute for and on behalf of the undersigned, in the undersigned's capacity as an officer and/or director of The Boeing Company (the "Company"), Forms 3, 4 and 5 (including amendments thereto) in accordance with Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules and regulations thereunder and a Form ID, Uniform Application for Access Codes to File on Edgar; (2) do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf of the undersigned which may be necessary or desirable to complete and execute any such Forms 3, 4 or 5 or Form ID and timely file such forms (including amendments thereto) and application with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and any stock exchange or similar authority; and (3) take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection with the foregoing which, in the opinion of such attorney-in-fact, may be of benefit to, in the best interest of, or legally required by, the undersigned, it being understood that the documents executed by such attorney-in-fact on behalf of the undersigned pursuant to this Power of Attorney shall be in such form and shall contain such terms and conditions as such attorney-in-fact may approve in such attorney-in-fact's discretion. The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact full power and authority to do and perform any and every act and thing whatsoever requisite, necessary or proper to be done in the exercise of any of the rights and powers herein granted, as fully to all intents and purposes as the undersigned might or could do if personally present, with full power of substitution or revocation, hereby ratifying and confirming all that such attorney-in-fact, or such attorney-in-fact's substitute or substitutes, shall lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue of this power of attorney and the rights and powers herein granted. The undersigned acknowledges that the foregoing attorneys-in-fact, in serving in such capacity at the request of the undersigned, are not assuming, nor is the Company assuming, any of the undersigned's responsibilities to comply with Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The undersigned agrees that each such attorney-in-fact herein may rely entirely on information furnished orally or in writing by the undersigned to such attorney-in-fact. The undersigned also agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and each such attorney-in-fact against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in these respects) that arise out of or are based upon any untrue statements or omission of necessary facts in the information provided by the undersigned to such attorney-in-fact for purposes of executing, acknowledging, delivering or filing Forms 3, 4 or 5 (including amendments thereto) or Form ID and agrees to reimburse the Company and such attorney-in-fact for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with investigating or defending against any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action. This Power of Attorney supersedes any power of attorney previously executed by the undersigned regarding the purposes outlined in the first paragraph hereof ("Prior Powers of Attorney"), and the authority of the attorneys-in-fact named in any Prior Powers of Attorney is hereby revoked. This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force and effect until the undersigned is no longer required to file Forms 3, 4 or 5 with respect to the undersigned's holdings of and transactions in securities issued by the Company, unless earlier (a) revoked by the undersigned in a signed writing delivered to the foregoing attorneys-in-fact or(b) superseded by a new power of attorney regarding the purposes outlined in the first paragraph hereof dated as of a later date. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power of Attorney to be executed as of this 23rd day of November, 2016. /s/ Stanley A. Deal FORM 3 UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 INITIAL STATEMENT OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 OMB APPROVAL OMB Number: 3235-0104 Expires: December 31, 2014 Estimated average burden hours per response: 0.5 1. Name and Address of Reporting Person * Salvatore Louis P (Last) (First) (Middle) C/O BROOKFIELD INVESTMENT MGMT. INC. BROOKFIELD PLACE, 250 VESEY ST. 15TH FL (Street) NEW YORK NY 10281-1023 (City) (State) (Zip) 2. Date of Event Requiring Statement (Month/Day/Year) 11/23/2016 3. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol Brookfield Real Assets Income Fund Inc. [ RA ] 4. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) X Director 10% Owner Officer (give title below) Other (specify below) 5. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year) 6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line) X Form filed by One Reporting Person Form filed by More than One Reporting Person Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned 1. Title of Security (Instr. 4) 2. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned (Instr. 4) 3. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 5) 4. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 5) Common Stock 0 D Table II - Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities) 1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 4) 2. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year) 3. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 4) 4. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security 5. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 5) 6. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 5) Date Exercisable Expiration Date Title Amount or Number of Shares Explanation of Responses: /s/Waheed Olowa, on behalf of Louis P. Salvatore 12/02/2016 ** Signature of Reporting Person Date Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly. * If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4 (b)(v). ** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a). Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure. Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number. lsra Exhibit 24.1 CONFIRMING STATEMENT This statement confirms that the undersigned, Louis P. Salvatore, has authorized and designated Seth Gelman, Brian Hurley and Waheed Olowa to execute and file on the undersigned behalf of all forms 3, 4 and 5 (including any amendments thereto) that the undersigned may be required to file with U.S. Securities Exchange Commission as a result of the undersigned ownership of or transactions in securities of Brookfield Real Assets Income Fund Inc. (the Company). The authority of Seth Gelman, Brian Hurley and Waheed Olowa under this statement shall continue until the undersigned is no longer required to file Forms 3, 4 and 5 with regard to the undersigned ownership of or transactions in securities of the Company, unless earlier revoked in writing. The undersigned acknowledges that Seth Gelman, Brian Hurley and Waheed Olowa are not assuming, nor is the aforementioned Company assuming, any of the undersigned responsibilities to comply with Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Date: December 1, 2016 /s/ Louis P. Salvatore Louis P. Salvatore As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 2, 2016 File Nos. 333-129005 811-21823 SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 FORM N-1A REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 [X] Pre-Effective Amendment No. ___ [ ] Post-Effective Amendment No. 32 [X] and/or REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 [X] Amendment No. 33 [X] (Check appropriate box or boxes) PIONEER SERIES TRUST V* (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter) 60 State Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02109 (Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code) Registrant's Telephone Number, including Area Code: (617) 742-7825 Terrence J. Cullen, Pioneer Investment Management, Inc. 60 State Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02109 (Name and Address of Agent for Service) It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box): [ ] immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) [X] on January 1, 2017 pursuant to paragraph (b) [ ] 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) [ ] on [date] pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) [ ] 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) [ ] on [date] pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485. If appropriate, check the following box: [X] This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment. *This filing relates solely to Pioneer U.S. Corporate High Yield Fund, a series of the Registrant. STATEMENT OF INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE Part A (the Prospectus) and Part B (the Statement of Additional Information) filed by the Registrant in Post-Effective Amendment No. 28 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933 (File No. 333-129005) and Amendment No. 29 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (File No. 811-21823) pursuant to Rule 485(a) on July 21, 2016 (Accession Number 0001341256-16-000034) are herein incorporated by reference. This filing is being made pursuant to Rule 485(b)(1)(iii) under the Securities Act of 1933 to extend the effectiveness of the Registration Statement until January 1, 2017. PART C - OTHER INFORMATION Item 28. Exhibits (a)(1) Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust (January 12, 2016) (9) (a)(2) Schedule A and Schedule B to Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust (July 12, 2106) (9) (a)(3) Certificate of Trust (1) (b) Amended and Restated By-Laws (5) (c) Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Amended and Restated By-Laws cited under Items 23(a)(1) and 23(b) (d)(1) Amended and Restated Management Agreement (November 12, 2013) (9) (e)(1) Amended Underwriting Agreement (3) (e)(2) Dealer Sales Agreement (4) (f) None (g)(1) Custodian Agreement (3) (g)(2) Amended Appendix A to Custodian Agreement (December 10, 2014) (7) (g)(3) Amendment to Custodian Agreement (May 31, 2016) (9) (h)(1) Transfer Agency Agreement (November 2, 2015) (9) (h)(2) Amended and Restated Administration Agreement (August 1, 2014) (7) (h)(3) Administrative Agency Agreement, dated as of March 5, 2012, between Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. and Pioneer Investment Management, Inc. (6) (h)(4) Amendment A to Administrative Agency Agreement (December 10, 2014) (7) (h)(5) Appendix A to Administrative Agency Agreement (April 1, 2016) (9) (h)(6) Expense Limit Agreement (July 12, 2016) (9) (i)(1) Opinion of Counsel with respect to legality of shares issued by Pioneer Global Equity Fund (formerly known as Pioneer Global Select Equity Fund) (2) (i)(2) Opinion of Counsel with respect to legality of shares issued by Pioneer High Income Municipal Fund (3) (j) Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (*) (k) None (l)(1) Share Purchase Agreement - Pioneer Global Equity Fund (formerly known as Pioneer Global Select Equity Fund) (2) (l)(2) Share Purchase Agreement - Pioneer High Income Municipal Fund (3) (m) Pioneer Funds Distribution Plan dated February 1, 2008 (as amended November 10, 2014); Appendix A and Appendix B to Pioneer Funds Distribution Plan (April 1, 2015) (8) (n)(1) Multiple Class Plan Pursuant to Rule 18f-3 - Pioneer Global Equity Fund (formerly known as Pioneer Global Select Equity Fund) (2) (n)(2) Multiple Class Plan Pursuant to Rule 18f-3 - Pioneer High Income Municipal Fund (3) (n)(3) Multiple Class Plan Pursuant to Rule 18f-3 - Pioneer Long/Short Global Bond Fund (7) (n)(4) Multiple Class Plan Pursuant to Rule 18f-3 - Pioneer Long/Short Opportunistic Credit Fund (7) (o) Not applicable (p) Code of Ethics for Pioneer Funds, Pioneer Funds Distributor, Inc., Pioneer Institutional Asset Management, Inc. and Pioneer Investment Management, Inc. (September 20, 2013) (7) N/A Power of Attorney (November 17, 2014) (7) ------------------ (1) Previously filed. Incorporated herein by reference from the exhibits filed with the registrant's initial registration statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 333-129005 and 811-21823), as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on October 14, 2005 (Accession No. 0001341256-05- 000004). (2) Previously filed. Incorporated herein by reference from the exhibits filed with Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the registrant's registration statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 333-129005 and 811-21823), as filed with the SEC on December 14, 2005 (Accession No. 0001341256-05-000010). (3) Previously filed. Incorporated herein by reference from the exhibits filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 4 to the registrant's registration statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 333-129005 and 811-21823), as filed with the SEC on October 10, 2006 (Accession No. 0001341256-06-000015). (4) Previously filed. Incorporated herein by reference from the exhibits filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 5 to the registrant's registration statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 333-129005 and 811-21823), as filed with the SEC on December 27, 2007 (Accession No. 0001341256-07-000014). (5) Previously filed. Incorporated herein by reference from the exhibits filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 7 to the registrant's registration statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 333-129005 and 811-21823), as filed with the SEC on October 31, 2008 (Accession No. 0001341256-08-000032). (6) Previously filed. Incorporated herein by reference from the exhibits filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 14 to the registrant's registration statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 333-129005 and 811-21823), as filed with the SEC on December 21, 2012 (Accession No. 0001341256-12-000006). (7) Previously filed. Incorporated herein by reference from the exhibits filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 21 to the registrant's registration statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 333-129005 and 811-21823), as filed with the SEC on December 23, 2014 (Accession No. 0001341256-14-000024). (8) Previously filed. Incorporated herein by reference from the exhibits filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 26 to the registrant's registration statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 333-129005 and 811-21823), as filed with the SEC on December 23, 2015 (Accession No. 0001341256-15-000020). (9) Previously filed. Incorporated herein by reference from the exhibits filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 28 to the registrant's registration statement on Form N-1A (File Nos. 333-129005 and 811-21823), as filed with the SEC on July 21, 2016 (Accession No. 0001341256-16-000034). (*) To be filed by amendment. Item 29. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Trust None. Item 30. Indemnification Except for the Trust's Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust (the "Declaration"), establishing the Trust as a stautory trust under Delaware law, there is no contract, arrangement or statute under which any Trustee, officer, underwriter or affiliated person of the Trust is insured or indemnified. The Declaration provides that every person who is, or has been, a Trustee or an officer, employee or agent of the Trust shall be indemnified by the Trust or the appropriate Trust series to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding in which he becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his being or having been a Trustee, officer, employee or agent and against amounts paid or incurred by him in the settlement thereof. Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), may be available to Trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Trust pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Trust has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the 1933 Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Trust of expenses incurred or paid by a Trustee, officer or controlling person of the Trust in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such Trustee, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Trust will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the 1933 Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. Item 31. Business and Other Connections of Investment Adviser Pioneer Investment Management, Inc. ("Pioneer Investments") is a registered investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, and is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of UniCredit S.p.A. ("UniCredit"). Pioneer Investments manages investment companies, pension and profit sharing plans, trusts, estates or charitable organizations and other corporations or business entities. To the knowledge of the Trust, none of Pioneer Investments' directors or executive officers is or has been during their employment with Pioneer Investments engaged in any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature for the past two fiscal years. Certain directors and officers, however, may hold or may have held various positions with, and engage or have engaged in business for, the investment companies that Pioneer Investments manages and/or other UniCredito subsidiaries. Item 32. Principal Underwriters (a) Pioneer Funds Distributor, Inc. acts as principal underwriter for the following investment companies: Pioneer Asset Allocation Trust Pioneer Bond Fund Pioneer Emerging Markets Fund Pioneer Equity Income Fund Pioneer Fund Pioneer High Yield Fund Pioneer ILS Interval Fund Pioneer Mid Cap Value Fund Pioneer Money Market Trust Pioneer Real Estate Shares Pioneer Series Trust II Pioneer Series Trust III Pioneer Series Trust IV Pioneer Series Trust V Pioneer Series Trust VI Pioneer Series Trust VII Pioneer Series Trust VIII Pioneer Series Trust X Pioneer Series Trust XI Pioneer Series Trust XII Pioneer Short Term Income Fund Pioneer Strategic Income Fund Pioneer Variable Contracts Trust (b) Directors and executive officers of Pioneer Funds Distributor, Inc.: POSITIONS AND OFFICES POSITIONS AND OFFICES NAME WITH UNDERWRITER WITH FUND Mark Spina President None Lisa M. Jones Director, Chairman President and Chief Executive Officer Tracy L. Connelly Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer None Gregg Dooling Chief Financial Officer None John M. Malone Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer None Patrick D. Grecco Vice President and Controller None The principal business address of each of these individuals is 60 State Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02109-1820. (c) Not applicable. Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records The accounts, books, and other documents required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules promulgated thereunder are maintained at the following offices: (a) Registrant: 60 State Street Boston, Massachusetts 02109 (b) Investment adviser and administrator: Pioneer Investment Management, Inc. 60 State Street Boston, Massachusetts 02109 (c) Principal underwriter: Pioneer Funds Distributor, Inc. 60 State Street Boston, Massachusetts 02109 (d) Custodian and sub-administrator: Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. 50 Post Office Square Boston, Massachusetts 02110 (e) Shareholder servicing and transfer agent: Boston Financial Data Services, Inc. 2000 Crown Colony Drive Quincy, MA 02169 Item 34. Management Services Not applicable. Item 35. Undertakings Not applicable. SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Trust certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this registration statement under Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act of 1933 and has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 32 to its registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of Boston, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on the 2nd day of December, 2016. PIONEER SERIES TRUST V By: /s/ Lisa M. Jones ---------------------------- Lisa M. Jones President Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities indicated below on December 2, 2016: Signature Title /s/ Lisa M. Jones President (Principal Executive Officer) ------------------- Lisa M. Jones Mark E. Bradley* Treasurer (Principal Financial and Mark E. Bradley Accounting Officer) David R. Bock* Trustee David R. Bock Benjamin M. Friedman* Trustee Benjamin M. Friedman Margaret B. W. Graham* Trustee Margaret B. W. Graham Thomas J. Perna* Chairman of the Board Thomas J. Perna and Trustee Marguerite A. Piret* Trustee Marguerite A. Piret Fred J. Ricciardi* Trustee Fred J. Ricciardi Kenneth J. Taubes* Trustee Kenneth J. Taubes *By: /s/ Lisa M. Jones Dated: December 2, 2016 ------------------- Lisa M. Jones Attorney-in-fact UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 FORM 8-K CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): December 2, 2016 (December 1, 2016) CONSOL Energy Inc. (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) Delaware 001-14901 51-0337383 (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) (Commission File Number) (IRS Employer Identification No.) CNX Center 1000 CONSOL Energy Drive Canonsburg, Pennsylvania 15317 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code) Registrants telephone number, including area code: (724) 485-4000 Not applicable (Former name or former address, if changed since last report) Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions ( see General Instruction A.2. below): Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) Item 2.01. Completion of Acquisition or Disposition of Assets. On December 1, 2016, CNX Gas Company LLC (CNX Gas), a Virginia limited liability company and indirect subsidiary of CONSOL Energy Inc., a Delaware company (CONSOL), and Noble Energy, Inc., a Delaware company (Noble Energy), closed the transactions contemplated by that previously announced Exchange Agreement, dated as of October 29, 2016 (as amended, the Exchange Agreement), that was entered into by and between CNX Gas and Noble Energy. Pursuant to the Exchange Agreement, CNX Gas and Noble Energy exchanged certain jointly owned oil and gas properties and related assets (Co-Owned Properties) that were previously subject to the Joint Development Agreement between CNX Gas and Noble, dated September 30, 2011, as amended (the Joint Development Agreement), regarding the joint development of the Co-Owned Properties and the obligation of Noble to fund one-third of CNX Gas eligible costs with respect to the development of the Co-Owned Properties (the Carried Costs). Pursuant to the Exchange Agreement, at closing, (a) CNX Gas transferred its interests in certain of the Co-Owned Properties and cancelled and forgave the remaining balance of the Carried Costs, and (b) Noble Energy transferred its interests in certain of the Co-Owned Properties and paid CONSOL a cash amount of $213 million, which includes $8 million of closing adjustments (subject to further post-closing adjustments provided for in the Exchange Agreement), such that after the closing, either CNX Gas or Noble will own 100% of the interests in a particular geographic location. The Joint Development Agreement terminated at closing. The description set forth above of the Exchange Agreement is not complete and is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to the text of the Exchange Agreement, which is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 of Form 8-K (file no. 001-14901) filed on October 31, 2016, and any immaterial amendments thereto. The Exchange Agreement has been included solely to provide investors and security holders with information regarding its terms. It is not intended to be a source of financial, business or operational information about CONSOL or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates or their assets. The representations, warranties and covenants contained in the Exchange Agreement are made solely for purposes of the agreement and are made as of its date; are solely for the benefit of the parties; may be subject to qualifications and limitations agreed upon by the parties in connection with negotiating the terms of the Exchange Agreement, including being qualified by confidential disclosures made for the purpose of allocating contractual risk between the parties instead of establishing matters as facts; and may be subject to standards of materiality applicable to the contracting parties that differ from those applicable to investors or security holders. Investors and security holders should not rely on the representations, warranties and covenants or any description thereof as characterizations of the actual state of facts or condition of CONSOL or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates or their assets. Moreover, information concerning the subject matter of the representations, warranties and covenants may change after the date of the Exchange Agreement, which subsequent information may or may not be fully reflected in public disclosures. Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits. Exhibit Number Description of the Exhibit Exhibit 2.1 Exchange Agreement dated October 28, 2016, by and between CNX Gas Company LLC and Noble Energy, Inc. including Appendix I (Definitions) thereto, which is incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to Form 8-K (file no. 001-14901) filed on October 31, 2016. Exhibits and Schedules to the Exchange Agreement identified in the Table of Contents to the Exchange Agreement are not being filed but will be furnished supplementally to the Securities and Exchange Commission upon request. SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. CONSOL ENERGY INC. By: /s/ David M. Khani David M. Khani Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President Dated: December 2, 2016 Exhibit Index Filed Pursuant to Rule 433 Registration No. 333-202584 Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Market Linked Securities Market Linked Securities Leveraged Upside Participation to a Cap and Fixed Percentage Buffered Downside Principal at Risk Securities Linked to the Russell 2000 Index due January 4, 2021 Term Sheet to Preliminary Pricing Supplement dated December 2, 2016 Summary of terms Investment description Issuer Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Linked to the Russell 2000 Index Unlike ordinary debt securities, the securities do not pay interest at a specified rate or repay a fixed amount of principal at maturity. Instead, the securities provide for a Redemption Amount that may be greater than, equal to or less than the Principal Amount of the securities, depending on the performance of the Index from the Starting Level to the Ending Level. The Redemption Amount will reflect the following terms: If the level of the Index increases: You will receive the Principal Amount plus 130% participation in the upside performance of the Index, subject to a maximum total return at maturity of 36% to 41% (to be determined on the Pricing Date) of the Principal Amount If the level of the Index decreases, but the decrease is not more than 15%, or equals the Starting Level: You will be repaid the Principal Amount If the level of the Index decreases by more than 15%: You will receive less than the Principal Amount and will have 1-to-1 downside exposure to the decrease in the level of the Index in excess of 15% Investors may lose up to 85% of the Principal Amount All payments on the securities are subject to the credit risk of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, and you will have no ability to pursue the securities included in the Index for payment; if the Issuer defaults on its obligations, you could lose some or all of your investment No periodic interest payments or dividends No exchange listing; designed to be held to maturity Term Approximately 4 years Market Measure Russell 2000 Index (the Index) Pricing Date December 29, 2016* Issue Date January 4, 2017* Principal Amount $1,000 per security (100% of par) Redemption Amount See How the Redemption Amount is calculated on page 3 Stated Maturity Date January 4, 2021* Starting Level The closing level of the Index on the Pricing Date Ending Level The closing level of the Index on the Calculation Date Capped Value 136% to 141% of the Principal Amount ($1,360 to $1,410 per security), to be determined on the Pricing Date Threshold Level 85% of the Starting Level Participation Rate 130% Calculation Date December 24, 2020* Calculation Agent Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Denominations $1,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof Agents Commission Up to 4.00%; dealers including those using the trade name Wells Fargo Advisors (WFA), may receive a selling concession of up to 2.25% and WFA will receive a distribution expense fee of 0.075% CUSIP 13605WBZ3 *To the extent that the Issuer makes any change to the expected Pricing Date or expected Issue Date, the Calculation Date and Stated Maturity Date may also be changed in the Issuers discretion to ensure that the term of the securities remains the same. The Issuers estimated value of the securities on the date of the accompanying preliminary pricing supplement, based on the Issuers internal pricing models, is expected to be between $935.90 and $948.50 per security. While the estimated value of the securities on the pricing date may differ from the estimated value set forth above, the Issuer does not expect it to differ significantly absent a material change in market conditions or other relevant factors. The final pricing supplement relating to the securities will set forth the Issuers estimated value of the securities on the pricing date, which will not be less than $935.90 per security. The estimated value of the securities is not an indication of actual profit to the Issuer or to any of the Issuers affiliates, nor is it an indication of the price, if any, at which Wells Fargo Securities, LLC or any other person may be willing to buy the securities from you at any time after issuance. See The Estimated Value of the Securities in the accompanying preliminary pricing supplement. Investing in the securities involves significant risks. See Selected Risk Considerations in this term sheet and Risk Factors in the accompanying preliminary pricing supplement, the accompanying prospectus supplement and prospectus. This introductory term sheet does not provide all of the information that an investor should consider prior to making an investment decision. Investors should carefully review the preliminary pricing supplement, prospectus supplement and prospectus before making a decision to invest in the securities. NOT A BANK DEPOSIT AND NOT INSURED BY THE CANADA DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION, THE U.S. FDIC OR ANY OTHER GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY Hypothetical payout profile The profile to the right is based on a hypothetical Capped Value of 138.50% or $1,385.00 per $1,000 security (the midpoint of the specified range for the Capped Value), a participation rate of 130% and a Threshold Level equal to 85% of the Starting Level. This graph has been prepared for purposes of illustration only. Your actual return will depend on the actual Ending Level, the actual Capped Value, and whether you hold your securities to maturity. Hypothetical returns Hypothetical Ending Level Hypothetical percentage change from the hypothetical Starting Level to the hypothetical Ending Level Hypothetical Redemption Amount per security(1) Hypothetical pre- tax total rate of return Hypothetical pre-tax annualized rate of return(2) 2314.093 75.00% $1,385.00 38.50% 8.30% 1983.509 50.00% $1,385.00 38.50% 8.30% 1785.158 35.00% $1,385.00 38.50% 8.30% 1719.041 30.00% $1,385.00 38.50% 8.30% 1586.807 20.00% $1,260.00 26.00% 5.86% 1454.573 10.00% $1,130.00 13.00% 3.08% 1388.456 5.00% $1,065.00 6.50% 1.58% 1322.339(3) 0.00% $1,000.00 0.00% 0.00% 1256.222 -5.00% $1,000.00 0.00% 0.00% 1190.105 -10.00% $1,000.00 0.00% 0.00% 1123.988 -15.00% $1,000.00 0.00% 0.00% 1110.765 -16.00% $990.00 -1.00% -0.25% 1057.871 -20.00% $950.00 -5.00% -1.28% 991.754 -25.00% $900.00 -10.00% -2.61% 661.170 -50.00% $650.00 -35.00% -10.48% 330.585 -75.00% $400.00 -60.00% -21.63% 0.000 -100.00% $150.00 -85.00% -42.20% (1) Assumes a hypothetical Capped Value of 138.50%, or $1,385.00 per security (the midpoint of the specified range of the Capped Value). (2) The annualized rates of return are calculated on a semi-annual bond equivalent basis with compounding. (3) The hypothetical Starting Level. The actual Starting Level will be determined on the Pricing Date. The above figures are for purposes of illustration only and may have been rounded for ease of analysis. The actual amount you receive on the Stated Maturity Date and the resulting pre-tax rates of return will depend on the actual Starting Level, Ending Level and Capped Value. How the Redemption Amount is calculated The Redemption Amount will be determined as follows: If the Ending Level is greater than the Starting Level, the Redemption Amount will be equal to the lesser of: (i) $1,000 plus $1,000 x Ending Level Starting Level x Participation Rate ; and Starting Level (ii) the Capped Value If the Ending Level is less than or equal to the Starting Level, but greater than or equal to the Threshold Level, the Redemption Amount will be equal to $1,000 If the Ending Level is less than the Threshold Level, the Redemption Amount will be equal to $1,000 minus $1,000 x Threshold Level Ending Level Starting Level In such a case, you will lose up to 85% of your Principal Amount. Russell 2000 Index daily closing levels* *The graph above sets forth the daily closing levels of the Index for the period from January 1, 2005 to November 30, 2016. The closing level on November 30, 2016 was 1322.339. The historical performance of the Index is not an indication of the future performance of the Index during the term of the securities. Selected risk considerations The risks set forth below are discussed in detail in the Risk Factors section in the accompanying preliminary pricing supplement, the prospectus supplement and prospectus. Please review those risk disclosures carefully. If The Ending Level Is Less Than The Threshold Level, You Will Receive At Maturity Less, And Up To 85% Less, Than The Principal Amount Of Your Securities. Your Return Will Be Limited By The Capped Value And May Be Lower Than The Return On A Direct Investment In The Index. Your Return On The Securities Could Be Less Than If You Owned Securities Included In The Index. No Periodic Interest Will Be Paid On The Securities. The Securities Are Subject To The Credit Risk Of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. The Estimated Value Of The Securities Will Not Be An Indication Of The Price, If Any, At Which Wells Fargo Securities Or Any Other Person May Be Willing To Buy The Securities From You In The Secondary Market. The Value Of The Securities Prior To Stated Maturity Will Be Affected By Numerous Factors, Some Of Which Are Related In Complex Ways. Our Estimated Value Of The Securities Is Lower Than The Principal Amount Of The Securities. Our Estimated Value Does Not Represent Future Values Of The Securities And May Differ From Others Estimates. Our Estimated Value Is Not Determined By Reference To Credit Spreads For Our Conventional Fixed-Rate Debt. The Securities Will Not Be Listed On Any Securities Exchange And We Do Not Expect A Trading Market For The Securities To Develop. Historical Levels Of The Index Should Not Be Taken As An Indication Of The Future Performance Of The Index During The Term Of The Securities. Changes That Affect The Index May Adversely Affect The Value Of The Securities And The Amount You Will Receive At Stated Maturity. We Cannot Control Actions By Any Of The Unaffiliated Companies Whose Securities Are Included In The Index. We, Wells Fargo Securities And Our Respective Affiliates Have No Affiliation With The Index Sponsor And Have Not Independently Verified Its Public Disclosure Of Information. An Investment In The Securities Is Subject To Risks Associated With Investing In Stocks With A Small Market Capitalization. The Stated Maturity Date May Be Postponed In Certain Circumstances. We Or One Of Our Affiliates Will Be The Calculation Agent And, As A Result, Potential Conflicts Of Interest Could Arise. Our Economic Interests And Those Of Any Dealer Participating In The Offering Of Securities Will Potentially Be Adverse To Your Interests. The U.S. Federal Tax Consequences Of An Investment In The Securities Are Unclear. There Can Be No Assurance That The Canadian Income Tax Consequences Of An Investment In The Securities Will Not Change In The Future. Changes In Laws and Regulations, Including How They Are Interpreted And Enforced In Applicable Jurisdictions, Could Have An Impact On Holders Of Our Outstanding Debt Securities. The Amount You Receive On The Securities Will Depend Upon The Performance Of The Index And Therefore The Securities Are Subject To The Following Risks, As Discussed In More Detail In The Prospectus Supplement: The Issuer of a Security or Currency That Comprises an Index Could Take Actions That May Adversely Affect an Indexed Note. Investors in Indexed Notes Will Have No Ownership of the Underlying Securities. An Index to Which a Note Is Linked Could Be Changed or Become Unavailable. Not suitable for all investors Investment suitability must be determined individually for each investor. The securities described herein are not a suitable investment for all investors. In particular, no investor should purchase the securities unless they understand and are able to bear the associated market, liquidity and yield risks. Unless market conditions and other relevant factors change significantly in your favor, a sale of the securities prior to maturity is likely to result in sale proceeds that are substantially less than the principal amount of the securities. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Wells Fargo Securities, LLC and their respective affiliates are not obligated to purchase the securities from you at any time prior to maturity. The Issuer has filed a registration statement (including a prospectus) with the SEC for the offering to which this communication relates. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in that registration statement and other documents the Issuer has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) for more complete information about the Issuer and this offering. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, any agent or any dealer participating in the offering will arrange to send you the prospectus if you request it by calling your financial advisor or by calling Wells Fargo Securities, LLC at 866-346-7732. Consult your tax advisor Investors should review carefully the accompanying pricing supplement, prospectus supplement and prospectus and consult their tax advisors regarding the application of the U.S. federal income tax laws to their particular circumstances, as well as any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or foreign jurisdiction. Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC and Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC, members SIPC, separate registered broker-dealers and non-bank affiliates of Wells Fargo Securities, LLC. Russell 2000 Index is a trademark of Russell Investments and has been licensed for use by Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. The securities are not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by Russell Investments and Russell Investments makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the securities. The securities are not sponsored, endorsed, sold, or promoted by Frank Russell Company (Russell). Russell makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the securities or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in these securities particularly or the ability of the Russell 2000 Index (the Russell 2000 Index) to track general stock market performance or a segment of the same. Russells publication of the Russell 2000 Index in no way suggests or implies an opinion by Russell as to the advisability of investment in any or all of the securities upon which the Russell 2000 Index is based. Russells only relationship to Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and its affiliates is the licensing of certain trademarks and trade names of Russell and of the Russell 2000 Index which is determined, composed and calculated by Russell without regard to Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and its affiliates or the securities. Russell is not responsible for and has not reviewed the securities nor any associated literature or publications and Russell makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, as to their accuracy or completeness, or otherwise. Russell reserves the right, at any time and without notice, to alter, amend, terminate or in any way change the Russell 2000 Index. Russell has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the securities. Maleeha Lodhi says this conflict has contributed most significantly to the anger and frustration in the Arab and Islamic world. Pakistan has underscored the need for settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to accomplish peace in the Middle East and to deal with some of the drivers of extremism and terrorism. This was stated by Ambassador of Pakistan to UN Maleeha Lodhi while speaking in a debate on Palestine in General Assembly in New York. She said that this conflict has contributed most significantly to the anger and frustration in the Arab and Islamic world. Dr. Maleeha Lodhi and the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is essential for peace and stability throughout the Middle East. She said the continuing expansion of illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian lands, the blockade of Gaza, the provocations around the Holy Al Aqsa Mosque and the continued imprisonment of Palestinians represented real obstacles to a two-state solution. The Pakistani envoy said despite countless United Nations resolutions, nothing had been able to transform that grim reality. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday said that Pakistani troops will respond to ceasefire violations by Indian troops along the Line of Control (LoC) with 'full force', Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. During a visit to the 10 Corps Rawalpindi and troops at forward locations along the LoC, Gen Bajwa said, "Each violation of any kind must be responded to with full force in the most effective manner." The Army chief was briefed on the security situation at the LoC "in view of recent violations and escalation by Indian troops and Pakistan's own response," the ISPR said. The COAS said India's 'aggressive posture' is aims solely to divert the world's attention away from 'atrocities' being committed by Indian troops in held Kashmir. Gen Bajwa said the Kashmir issue will have to be resolved in line with United Nations resolutions keeping in view the aspirations of the Kashmiri people in order to achieve lasting regional peace, ISPR said. The Army chief appreciated the operational readiness of troops and the 'befitting response' given to 'unprovoked Indian firing' across the LoC. Gen Bajwa directed troops to keep the highest level of vigil at all times. The Army chief's statements come at a time tensions between Pakistan and India are running high following an alleged 'surgical strike', unrest in Kashmir and the Uri army base attack in September. Since then there have been repeated outbreaks of cross-border firing in Kashmir, with both sides reporting deaths and injuries including of civilians. In November, at least nine people were killed and 11 others wounded when Indian troops targeted the passenger coaster in Azad Jammu and Kashmir near the LoC. A total of three soldiers and 10 civilians were killed, and 18 others injured in cross-border firing and shelling. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that President-elect Donald Trump would visit Pakistan after assuming the office of United States President. While addressing a press briefing, Josh Earnest said that Pakistan is an important country of the region and better relations with Islamabad is in favor of US. According to US media, Earnest said that outgoing President Barack Obama had expressed his wish to visit Pakistan but he could not visit Islamabad due to some reason. He said that it was necessary to keep better and continuous relations with Pakistan. Earnest said that Pakistan-US relations were complicated but important. The US Senate has passed a 10-year extension of existing sanctions against Iran, sending the measure to the White House for President Barack Obama to sign into law. Senators on Thursday unanimously backed the renewal of the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) by a vote of 99 to 0. The House of Representatives voted 419 to 1 last month to reauthorize ISA, which was first introduced in 1996 to punish investments in Iran's energy industry based on accusations that Tehran was pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program. The Obama administration has expressed reservations about the utility of the legislation, but congressional aides said they expected Obama would sign it when it reached his desk. The act is set to expire at the end of 2016. If the sanctions architecture has expired, then we have no sanctions which we can snap back, said hawkish Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, who opposed the nuclear accord between Iran and six major powers. Also read: Iran files lawsuit against US at IC Justice over seized assetse: Rouhani Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- the United States, Britain, Russia, China, France as well as Germany reached a landmark nuclear agreement last year, under which Tehran agreed to limit some aspects of its nuclear program in exchange for removal of all sanctions. The two sides began implementing the deal, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), on January 16. However, members of Congress said they wanted ISA to be extended for another decade to send a strong signal that any US president would have the ability to snap back sanctions on Iran. "Unless Congress acts, the congressional sanctions don't exist after December 31," Maryland Senator Ben Cardin, ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on Tuesday. "The ability to snap back wouldn't be there on the congressional side." "While we do not think that an extension of ISA is necessary, we do not believe that a clean extension would be a violation of the JCPOA," a senior Obama administration official said on Thursday, according to Reuters. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, a hawkish Republican from Tennessee, said the extension of ISA ensures President-elect Donald Trump can reimpose sanctions Obama lifted under the nuclear agreement. He said in a statement on Thursday, "Extending the Iran Sanctions Act ... ensures President-elect Trump and his administration have the tools necessary to push back against Irans hostile actions. Iran has warned that the renewal of sanctions will be a violation of commitments under the JCPOA, and has threatened reprisal if the US extends the longstanding act. Read more: Iran missile sanctions show US addiction to coercion: Zarif In a public speech on Wednesday, Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei warned the US against the renewal of the Iran sanctions, noting that the Islamic Republic would respond if the US proceeded to renew ISA which expires at the end of 2016. So far, the current US government has committed several violations with regard to the nuclear agreement, Ayatollah Khamenei told members of the volunteer Basij forces in Tehran, adding, The most recent of them is the 10-year extension of the sanctions. If these sanctions are extended, it will surely constitute a violation of the JCPOA and they (the US) should know that the Islamic Republic will definitely react to it. "'Initiating sanctions' is no different from 'renewing them after their expiration,' and the latter is also [an instance of imposing] sanctions and violation of the previous commitments by the opposite side," Ayatollah Khamenei said. Last week, Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said Tehran has made necessary preparations and is ready to respond if the US violates the deal. In case of the final approval of ISA, it will certainly be a violation of the JCPOA, he added. Salehi noted that Iran is ready to respond to any US breach of the JCPOA, saying Tehran, however, will make necessary decisions at the appropriate time and after the assessment and analysis of Washingtons moves. Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed hope that Washington will join Moscow in efforts to counter international terrorism, stressing that bilateral cooperation is in the interest of the entire world. We hope to join efforts with the United States in the fight against a real rather than dreamt-up threat - global terrorism, Putin said at his 13th State of the Nation address to Russias Federal Assembly in the Kremlin in Moscow on Thursday. Ties between Russia and the US have reached a post-Cold War low over the crisis in Ukraine and the war on Syria, where Moscow and Washington are backing the opposite sides to the conflict gripping the Middle Eastern country for more than five years. The Russian leader noted that his country is looking forward to mending relations with the US after President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. We are ready for cooperation with the new American administration, he said, adding, Its important to normalize and develop our bilateral ties on an equal and mutually beneficial basis. We share responsibility for ensuring global security and stability and strengthening the non-proliferation regime. Putin further thanked Russian military service personnel for their professionalism, honor and courage in Syria, where Moscow has been engaged in an aerial campaign against Daesh and other terror outfits at the Damascus governments request since September last year. Precisely that (fighting global terrorism) is the task of our military in Syria. Terrorists have suffered some serious damage. The Russian Army and Navy have assuredly demonstrated that they are able to operate efficiently far from their home bases, he said. The Russian president also hailed Russias cooperation with China as a role model for international partnership. Lavrov calls for fresh start in US ties Separately, Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged a fresh start in relations with the US under Trump. We are confident that the new administration does not want to repeat the errors of the outgoing one, which deliberately destroyed US-Russian relations, Lavrov said in an interview with the Italian daily, Corriere della Sera, released on Thursday. He further expressed Russias readiness for honest, pragmatic dialogue with Washington on all bilateral and global questions. Russia, Turkey demand end to violence in Syria In another development on Thursday, Lavrov met with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, in the Turkish resort town of Alanya. During a joint presser following the meeting, the top Russian diplomat underlined that Moscow and Ankara were united in the understanding that it is necessary to end the terrorist threat in this country (Syria) as soon as possible, to stop the bloodshed. Lavrov also stressed that Moscow will continue its support for the Syrian government until the divided city of Aleppo is cleared of terrorists. Cavusoglu, for his part, said the two countries want a ceasefire in Syria. He further called for effective mechanisms for a political settlement of the crisis in Syria and expressed hope for cooperation with Russia in Syria in the region. Ankara and Moscow have long been at odds over the conflict in Syria, where Russia supports the government of President Bashar al-Assad and Turkey backs anti-Damascus terrorists. Turkey stands accused of allowing militants to use its territory for travel and shipment of arms into Syria and buying smuggled oil from militants. Ankara has also launched an incursion into Syria under the pretext of fighting terrorists. Brian Rogers Rogers Rabbits www.sunlive.co.nz Weve said it before and well say it again public sale of fireworks should be banned. Heres another reason, as if we needed any more: Jo Wilson and her family are lucky to be alive after a carload of dickheads fired fireworks at their Bethlehem house, setting it ablaze. They evacuated with their young daughter and just managed to get their dogs out of the flaming shed. A neighbourly policeman helped put out the fire. But it was a close thing. Police are investigating, but Jos family reckon the incident needs more attention and public assistance and so do we. Rogers Rabbits urges anyone who knows anything about this, to front up. If you have any information about people firing fireworks at houses in Bethlehem before 10pm on Thursday, November 24, or saw a dark, old BMW 5 Series being driven by a group of young males around the Castlewold Drive area please contact your nearest police station. Information can also be provided anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Lets stop this firework nonsense before more property is damaged, more animals panic, more sleep is lost at ridiculous hours of the day and night; and before more people are injured or killed by reckless fireworks mayhem. Time for a region-wide ban. A trip down Shady Lane And while were on the trail of delinquents, heres another sign of bad behaviour yall might be able to help with. The good people of Shady Lane are tired of losing their street sign. It seems the rural road label is a popular target to be souvenired and it commonly goes missing at this time of the year. Unfortunately, its the same time of the year the locals have visitors who have trouble finding their way without a street sign. The road also tends to have boyracers frequenting the lane, doing burnouts and donuts. Not the same threat level as having your house nearly burnt down, but darned annoying just the same. If you know anyone with a Shady Lane street sign, or ill-gotten signage for that matter, dob them in to the Rogers Rabbits Street Sign Restoration Programme. Weve declared December an amnesty on stolen street stuff, so come on dudes, come clean! Drop your illicit signs, traffic lights, road cones, parking wardens and any other naughty souvenirs at 1 The Strand. Anonymously if you wish. Well get them returned to their rightful positions. Particularly Shady Lane, as it would be a great Christmas present for the long-suffering locals. If you want to dob in a habitual signage purloiner, email me a snapshot and some damning evidence, and well make an example of them and point some retribution in the right direction! Email: brian@thesun.co.nz Incidentally, the most-commonly stolen signs include Abbey Road in England, thanks presumably to Beatles fans; Stoner Avenue in Minnesota; Shitterton in Dorset; F**king, Austria; Mile Marker 66.6, New Jersey; Bat Cave, North Carolina; Butt Hole Road, England; Katies Crotch Road, Maine; and Richard Bong State Recreation Area, Wisconsin. Hell, Michigan is a frequent target, and its namesake in Norway. Condom in France has had to take extra precautions; the council sign installers at Intercourse, Pennsylvania are tired of being screwed over; and Justin Beiber Way in Texas was named when an 11-year-old girl won a contest to be Mayor for a Day. The sign was promptly stolen, apparently by disapproving ratepayers. Theres a beach in California that regularly loses its highway sign. Theres nothing particularly amusing or smutty about Bolinas, its just that the locals want to keep tourists and rowdy visitors awayso theyve repeatedly torn down the sign at the turnoff on State Highway 1. In New Zealand, our own Shag Point sees more than its share of dubious activity. Rotoruas most replaced road sign is reportedly Waiotahi Loop Rd. Not because it is regularly souveniredbut because tourists keep running it over. Auckland regularly replaces the street signs in Bathurst Rd and Commodore Drive. Melrose Place and Shortland St seem popular amongst serial sign stealers. Theres often something suspicious going down at Muff Rd, Canterbury. And a Blenheim man was prosecuted a few years ago after snatching the Beaver Rd street sign. Parting thought The very clever scientist people at GNS have calculated exactly how much the earthquake in the middle of the country has changed our little nation. They can tell that the east coast of the lower North Island has shifted west by up to 5cm. The rest of the North Island has also shifted incrementally. The north-east tip of the South Island has moved by more than two metres and lifted almost a metre. Cape Campbell is now two metres closer to the North Island than it was before. GNS scientists used GPS to reveal the shifts and they say the results are astonishing. Now my wife wants to know: Since we are closer to Australia, is it cheaper to fly to Brisbane? brian@thesun.co.nz The investigation into a car crash which killed an 11-year-old boy and injured six other young people in Ngaruawahia last month is continuing. Detective Sergeant Mata John says the small town has been greatly affected by the tragedy and police are grateful for the cooperation of everyone who is assisting with the investigation. This is an absolute tragedy for a number of families and the community as a whole. All seven occupants of the car are local to the area, most of them are related, either as siblings or cousins. This investigation will be a long process, particularly as young children are involved. All seven occupants of the vehicle, aged 9-15, were rushed to Waikato Hospital with serious to critical injuries following the crash on Durham Street in Ngaruawahia on Friday, November 18. Sadly, the 11-year-old boy died in hospital as a result of his injuries. Mata says police have specialist staff working with the surviving children as part of the interview process and to provide the appropriate victim support. We have found that at this time of heartbreak, the community has really shown its strength in supporting all those affected by the incident. Anyone with any information about the crash can contact Detective Margot Donald at Ngaruawahia CIB on 07 858 6200. Alternatively, details can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Til we kissed, I never knew the years that I has wasted Til we kissed, I never knew the kisses that I had tasted What an aphrodisiac those lyrics were for a red-blooded Kiwi teenager in 1965? Or was it 1966? And how I loved that song. Then and now. And as I was absorbing the news of Ray Columbus passing I held my own spontaneous and personal requiem in the office. Ray and the Invaders on Youtube, and me as back-up, belted out a few of those enduring lines. Will you please tell me why this took so long to begin, Darling where have you been, all my lifeMMMmmmm!!! Ray Columbus died on Tuesday this week. Those of a vintage in the office smiled sympathetically and knowingly. A 26-year-old was completely befuddled. Ray, Rayno!! Of course you should know Ray Columbus. He was so good the Australians even claimed him as their own. Step back again to the mid-1960s. The venue was the Ag Hall in Cumberland St, Dunedin. The city was fizzing because Ray and his Invaders were in town and the Ag Hall was pumping. Admission was 12/6 12 shillings and sixpence a year before decimal came to town and confused us all and Dad the old man in the vernacular of the time gave me a 50 per cent subsidy for the ticket. That was the way he worked. Reporter Hunter Wells circa 1966. Special occasions demanded special dress code black watch tartan bellbottoms with a white belt, a black corduroy, collarless Beatles jacket. I was a boss cat and everything was a gas that Saturday. I would deserve to be arrested if I stepped out like that today. I showered in my older brothers Old Spice, he called it his love elixir, disguised my latest full face breakout with Clearasil and got the 6:15 into town. Ray Columbus was a wee guy with a big voice and a huge presence. And those were the days when the stars had a uniform dark suits, white shirts and floss-thin ties, drainpipe trousers hugging skinny legs and winkle pickers. Unfeasibly pointed shoes that turned up beyond the toes because they werent designed to contain feet. Ray had a mop top of Beatle proportions. Parents of the time despaired but today it would pass muster at any private boys school. I recall Columbus doing his trademark bow and vigorous shaking of that wonderful nut of hair in the middle of Shes a Mod. It sent the girls into a frenzy. Nothing I ever did had the same impact on the girls and I was mildly envious and disappointed. We stood shoulder to shoulder in the 1960s version of the mosh pit but of course we didnt know we were moshing then. Columbus and the Invaders emerged from stage left and the darkness, and I experienced mass hysteria for the first time men screaming, girls weeping. Its a powerful and infectious concoction and I remember fighting the urge. And in the heat of the night and the occasion we perspired like a rugby scrum in injury time. Columbus loved it, played the crowd. Always, always smiling. And two hours later we were sated, drained and I caught the last bus home, the 12:10 to Lookout Point. I know I had a brilliant night because as I lay on my pillow my ears were popping from the vibrations pumped out by those big Marshall towers and I was singing to myself. I am waiting girl, till we kiss again, I was waiting. And I reeked of cigarette smoke, cheap perfume, Old Spice and people smells, not necessarily my own. And on the Monday I went to town and invested 7/6 seven pounds and sixpence in a single called Till We Kissed even though we didnt own a radiogram. A mate remembers seeing Columbus at the Wellington Town Hall. He was warm-up for either Bo Diddley or Muddy Waters. And the reason I cant remember which one it was is because Ray Columbus was better. The dates, styles and thoughts maybe a bit scrambled with time but regardless, Raymond John Patrick Ray Columbus, with an Order of the British Empire, thanks for a magical night .You will be well received in rocknroll heaven. New Zealand Rally Champion and Mount Maunganui local David Holder is throwing his weight behind a campaign to see a special friend of his take the trip of a life time. When hes not tearing up back roads around New Zealand, David keeps busy part time as a support worker for Mykal Mayne, a 13-year-old who suffers from Spastic Dystonic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy. "Technically being his support worker is one of my day to day jobs, but its honestly so much more than that. Some days you cant help but smile at the things he says, and others you feel the impact of the quality of life hes got ahead of him, says David. "Its the little things in life that we take for granted, normal everyday stuff that Mykal simply cant do on his own. Aside from his physical disability, Mykal has an active mind and one of his big passions in life is Lego. When Mykal came up with an idea of creating a video to help fund Davids rallying career, the 27 year-old was quick to turn it into raising funds to take Mykal on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Legoland in Florida, and has created a Givealittle page to help raise the $15,000 required for the overseas adventure. "My theory is if a bunch of people can afford to miss their daily coffee and put $5 towards this we will make Mykals dream come true. Already some of Davids long term supporters are behind the idea, with Stadium Finance the first to back the project. "Its great to have the support of my major sponsor Stadium Finance. Tony and the team have always supported people to live their dreams, so its great to see them get behind something quite different from their traditional motorsport support." People interested in contributing to Mykals once in a life time opportunity can do so through the following link: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/makemykalsmiracle. Whether theyre doing it for fun or taking it very seriously theres going to be a bunch of Santas in full jolly regalia running around the base of Mauao this Wednesday for a very good cause. The Great KidsCan Santa Run is on for the seventh year in a row and is set to be bigger than ever before. Last years event raised more than $40,000 to help KidsCan continue its work supporting disadvantaged Kiwi kids and this year Taurangas Santa Run is one 19 events happening nationwide. From 6.30pm on Wednesday, December 7, people dressed in Santa suits will run or walk around the Mount base track. Individuals or groups dressed in full Santa regalia, which is provided as part of entry, will take part in support of disadvantaged Kiwi kids living in hardship. The KidsCan Charitable Trust is encouraging businesses, individuals, families and groups of friends to get behind this years event and make it the best yet. Last year attracted about 4000 participants nationwide, and KidsCan is hoping to increase the number of Santas to more than 5000 this year. Taurangas local Santa Run is organised by the Tauranga Road and Trail Runners club. Member Simon Hodgson says it will be their second year organising the event. Its a good cause, and we like putting something back into the community. Fellow member Brenda Wotton agrees, saying although most people just do it for fun, some can take it seriously. Theres always a few who get competitive, she laughs. Entry fees range from $5 for under-fives to $75 for a family of six. See: lacticturkey.co.nz/SantaRun/entry for full price details. People have to register on the night at the base of Mauao at 5pm, with the run starting at 6.30pm. Only cash entries will be accepted on the day. Every summer, Surf Life Saving New Zealands volunteer lifeguards put themselves in potentially dangerous situations to help keep Kiwis safe while enjoying the beach. Over the past 10 years, lifeguards have spent over two million hours on patrol, saving over 13,700 lives. December 1 marks the first day of summer and the annual Surf Life Saving Summer Appeal. Surf Life Saving New Zealand CEO Paul Dalton says the Summer Appeal is an important time for the essential rescue service. Not only does the Summer Appeal allow us to celebrate the remarkable work of our lifeguards but its a chance to raise awareness about lifesaving services in general and raise much needed funds to support the 4,500 volunteer lifeguards who will be on duty this summer. This years appeal tagline highlights some of the key aspects of Surf Life Saving in New Zealand. Bravely- while all lifeguards are highly skilled and go through rigorous training to earn their red and yellows they often have to put themselves into dangerous situations in order to save others; not just on the beach, but as part of callout squads and search and rescue operations. Serving- because many people dont realise that most of the lifeguards that patrol our beaches are volunteers, sacrificing their summer to protect others. Between the Flags- the safest place to be at the beach. Paul says while lifeguards are proud of the number of lives theyve saved, theyre most proud of the safety record between the flags. We may sound like a broken record but when the flags are up, that means lifeguards are on patrol and this is the safest place to swim when youre enjoying the beach. Last season alone, Surf Lifeguards saved 1517 people from life threatening situations. Theyre expecting another huge summer and an especially busy Christmas holiday period. The safety of people on the beach is Surf Life Savings core business and lifeguards are an integral part of that. Without our volunteers, we wouldnt have a rescue service. Please show your support for our volunteers bravely serving between the flags by making a donation this summer at www.surflifesaving.org.nz. A police investigation into the hoax bomb threats received by a number of schools across New Zealand has established they were phoned in from overseas. Pupils at both Tahatai Coast and Otuemoetai Primary schools were evacuated as a precaution after receiving threatening calls on Thursday, shortly after 11am. A police spokesperson says the safety of students, teachers and schools are their priority. We understand the fear and concern that these types of events will cause, however we reiterate that we have not established any actual threat to the schools who received calls. In the last 24 hours, police have continued to liaise with our international partners as the call trail lead police to an overseas origin. How a school responds to these calls is a matter for the schools management in conjunction with police. Schools will respond according to their individual circumstances and the information available to them, the spokesperson adds. Police will continue to work with the schools and the Ministry of Education, where appropriate, to respond to these events. These latest bomb threats follow similar ones made earlier in the year made to Brookfield Primary and St Thomas Moore Catholic School. Hoax bomb threats were also made to a number of schools across Australia, reports The Age. Pupils at Tahatai Coast School evacuated to Grenada Park after the school received the hoax bomb threat. File Photo. Jowe Head, Danielle de Picciotto and Kim Warsen have set works by the author to music for a new CD launched this week Silvia Grijalba and the councillor for Culture, Gemma del Corra, with musicians who perform on the CD. :: SUR Some people would never open a book of poetry, but they would listen to a CD. Now literature with music is possible thanks to the Casa Gerald Brenan, which is launching its second volume of Canciones para Brenan, an album in which artists of different genres and origins set the poems of this British author and Hispanist to music. A year after the collections first instalment was released, Canciones para Brenan has taken a qualitative and quantitative leap: there will be more copies this time (500 instead of 200) and they will go further afield. International artists such as Britains Jowe Head and the American Danielle de Picciotto have not only been singing Brenans work here, but will also become the authors ambassadors further afield. Thanks to them, explained Silvia Grijalba, the activities coordinator at the house that was once the writers home in Churriana, the CD will reach cultural centres in London, Berlin and Stockholm. The Casa Brenan in Churriana, which is run by Malaga city council, officially launched this new work on December 1st, together with some of the local groups who perform on the disc: Marintencionados, Trio Mudo, Tupelo Bound and Alfred Larios. They have all participated in some of the cultural events which have taken place at the Casa Gerald Brenan in the past and have retained links with the author of South from Granada through their music. Jowe Head, a legendary figure of the London underground scene, wanted to do not just one but two poems: Blondels last song and The fish spearers song. The multifaceted Danielle de Picciotto, a colleague of Alexander Hacke (member of the group Einsturzende Neubauten), offered to create a song as soon as she heard of the project, and the result is the oneiric The forest. Meanwhile Kim Warsen, one of the legends of Spanish underground music, has created the whispering Cockcrow. The groups from Malaga said they were grateful for the opportunity to discover Brenan as a poet and they praised the project, which takes poetry beyond the form of a book. Trio Mudo chose the nostalgic poem Pensaba que era joven, which is the only song on the CD in Spanish. Tupelo Bound, which moves between punk and blues, selected a rock version for Before the funeral. Alfred Larios sticks to pop with Death in Covin Woods, as do Marintencionados in The Engine Driver, a love song. The Black Lennons, from Madrid, complete the lineup of artists who are making Gerald Brenan not only speak, but also sound. A branch of Santander bank was attacked on Thursday morning as the mystery of who is behind the latest robbery attempts is still unsolved Damage to ATM and bank. :: SUR At 3am on Thursday morning, the ATM at a branch of Banco Santander in Estacion de Cartama was blown up. This is the latest in a series of attempted robberies on cashpoints across Malaga province that began last July. Police believed that they had stopped the attacks when four people, including two Britons, were detained at the beginning of last month. Three are still in prision. However attacks started up again soon afterwards, including last weeks raids on banks in Malaga and Mijas. Investigators are not sure if all the incidents are linked or if there is a second gang operating on the coast. The attacks use either explosives or explosive gas to reach the money. On going to press it wasnt clear what method had been used or if any cash was stolen in this latest raid. Carlos Garcia-Galan receiving an award for the work of his team at NASA. :: SUR Working at NASA may seem like a distant dream, something which is almost impossible, but Ive done it so it is possible. If you have a dream, even one that seems impossible, be patient, be determined, and go for it. That was the message Carlos Garcia-Galan gave to 130 pupils at the Salvador Rueda school in Velez-Malaga recently. Certainly, the story of this 42-year-old from Malaga shows that sometimes talent and tenacity can lead to unexpected achievements. When Carlos was young, like many boys, he wanted to be an astronaut. Everyone laughed at me, except my mother, he says. However, he hung on to his dream when he became an adult and thought up ways to make it come true. When he was 18 he went to America and studied for two degrees at the Florida Institute of Technology: Space Sciences and Telecommunications Engineering. At the age of 22, this son of a pilot and an air stewardess went for a job interview at NASA, and was successful. Since then, Carlos has had a brilliant career at the American space agency. After participating as flight controller on more than ten missions to construct the International Space Station, he worked on developing new technologies for detecting and repairing faults in the stations systems. He is now the head of the mission and systems integration team on Project Orion, which aims to send a manned mission to Mars in 2030. He lives in Houston with his wife and comes back less than he would like to Malaga, of which he has fond memories, especially the long summers of his childhood in Torre del Mar. When I have to visit the European Space Agency I always try to take the opportunity to spend a few days here, he confesses. Even though he considers his job at NASA a dream come true, Carlos Garcia-Galan is still keen to go into space: I have applied several times for the trials to be an astronaut, and I will try again, he says. Every three years NASA selects men and women to go into space. The process is open to all American citizens - Carlos has dual nationality - and 18,000 people applied last time. After the first stage, 400 were left and six of them were selected. They are interested in various profiles: pilots, engineers, doctors and scientists, explains Carlos. Last time, he passed the physical tests but didnt reach the final stage. They only selected doctors and pilots that time, he says. The epic journey to Mars He has not yet been able to travel into space, but Carlos Garcia-Galan has even more responsibility than the astronauts who do. He is one of the leaders of Project Orion, which NASA is developing in collaboration with the European Space Agency. Its fascinating to be involved in a challenge such as going to Mars, because it is so symbolic for humans, he says. This is a highly complex mission: not only do they have to build a spacecraft - and its rocket - which is capable of travelling over 50 million kilometres, loaded with everything needed to sustain six astronauts for between two and three years, they have to bear in mind the extreme conditions it will have to be able to withstand. They also have to investigate the possible effects on human beings of being so far in space for such a long time. For example, we need to understand how radiation may affect the astronauts and how to prevent the loss of bone density from the lack of gravity, he explains. To be able to reach Mars, we need to go beyond the limits of human knowledge. The Orion capsules long journey to Mars has various milestones ahead. The first one was passed in 2014: it was an unmanned test flight which travelled 5,800 kilometres from Earth (the International Space Station orbits at a height of 420 kilometres). The next one, which is expected to take place in 2018, will be to reach the Moon, another unmanned flight, and an orbiting area where the gravity is similar to that on Mars, to test the behaviour and resistance of the spacecraft. The first mission with astronauts, also to the Moon, is planned for 2021, and in 2030, if all goes according to plan, it will set off for the Red Planet. Seeing Man arrive on Mars will be the perfect ending for my career, says Carlos. The best thing about this job is the satisfaction you feel when a mission ends successfully. There are so many factors involved: working as part of a team, luck... Carlos Garcia-Galan now works shoulder to shoulder with the astronauts which he so admired when he was a child. They stop being such mythical figures when you work alongside them. We train them to be able to respond to anything unexpected and we test features of the space craft with them, he explains. It is impossible not to ask if he liked the film The Martian. Yes, its quite realistic. The author of the book it was based on spent a lot of time talking to people at NASA to ensure that the information was correct, he says. Deputy chief minister Dr Joseph Garcia and a delegation from Gibraltarheld discussions withthe first minister of Wales and his team Carwyn Jones, First Minister of Wales, and Dr Joseph Garcia. :: SUR The deputy chief minister, Dr Joseph Garcia, and a delegation from Gibraltar were in Wales at the beginning of this week to discuss how the two regions could potentially be affected by Britains departure from the European Union. The chief minister, Fabian Picardo, was to have led the visit, but had to remain in Gibraltar following a family medical emergency. The Gibraltar delegation included the Attorney General Michael Llamas, UK representative Dominique Searle and Peter Canessa, who is PPS to the chief minister. The Welsh Government delegation included the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, the Counsel General, the PPS to the first minister and the deputy director general for Constitutional Affairs and Inter-Governmental Relations. The discussions, which were described as informative and friendly, took place over a working lunch at the Welsh government offices in Cathays Park, Cardiff. They included possible areas of cooperation in the future, and also the question of borders, which had been featured prominently in discussions of the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly that morning. In the opening address to the Assembly, the First Minister had explained the importance of travel between Wales and Ireland given the ferry links between the two countries. The impact on the Northern Ireland border was also raised extensively by Members of Parliament from Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, and during the plenary session the Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Harris of Richmond raised the subject of the land border between Gibraltar and Spain and how it would be affected by Brexit. In response, Robin Walker, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Exiting the European Union, spoke of the UKs commitment to Gibraltar being as solid as the Rock. He recalled that the very first debate that he had as a minister in the UK Parliament was about Gibraltar, and added that the UK Government absolutely stood by the decision of the people of Gibraltar to be part of a common market with the United Kingdom. In the evening, Dr Garcia addressed delegates at an official dinner at Cardiff Castle. This page no longer exists or may have been moved.If you believe this is a mistake please email DNV GL addresses the tanker sector DNV GLs Tanker Working Group recently discussed the latest trends in the tanker segment with a special focus on the impact of upcoming emissions regulations at its 31st meeting in Hamburg. Some 25 representatives from the sector met with DNV GL experts. The Tanker Working Group is a great place for industry representatives and DNV GL to share ideas and the latest news on regulatory developments, innovations, and the challenges and opportunities for the sector, said Catrine Vestereng,DNV GLs Business Director Tankers. For us as a classification society, the forum offers valuable insights into the most common issues our customers face, letting us tap into their experience to help us fine tune the support we provide. Eirik Nyhus, Director Environment at DNV GL, spoke about the implications of upcoming emissions regulations and gave an update on the implementation of the Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC). The forthcoming entry into force of the convention puts a lot of time pressure on the industry to install the systems on time, said Nyhus. While there has been a proposal to push the enforcement date for the D-2 standard, which covers ballast water treatment, back a few years whether or not this will be accepted will remain unclear, at least until the next MEPC 71 in July, 2017. Meanwhile, there have been some developments on the issue of USCG approval of ballast water treatment systems. Alfa Laval, Optimarin and OceanSaver have become some of the first suppliers to apply for type approval to the USCG,Nyhus said. DNV GL submitted the applications in September and expects to submit additional type approval applications for further systems before the end of the year. These ballast water treatment systems include UV systems, electrolytic systems and chemical injection systems. In his update on the results of the latest MEPC meeting, Nyhus also gave an overview of some incoming regulations. The committee has already agreed on making the North Sea and the Baltic Sea nitrogen oxide emission control areas (NECAs), cutting the permitted nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 80 per cent,Nyhus explained. The final decision on this issue is a formality and is expected to be taken at the next MEPC meeting. The new NECAs would become effective for ships keel-laid after 1st January, 2021, he said. Currently, the only places where IMO NOx Tier III requirements are already enforced are the North American and US Caribbean ECAs. Frontline claims competitive breakeven costs Frontline Ltd generated net income of $5.5 mill in the third quarter of 2016, compared with $14.3 mill in the previous quarter. Net income adjusted for certain non-cash charges was $16.6 mill for 3Q16. These non-cash charges consisted of a loss on the cancellation and sale of newbuildings and vessels of $2.7 mill, a vessel impairment loss of $8.9 mill relating to three vessels leased from Ship Finance, an impairment loss on shares of $0.3 mill, a mark to market gain on derivatives of $0.9 mill and a non-controlling interest expense of $0.1 mill. Net income in the 2Q16 included a vessel impairment loss of $25.5 mill, an impairment loss on shares of $4.6 mill, a mark to market loss on derivatives of $4.2 mill and a non-controlling interest expense of $0.2 mill. Total ship operating expenses of $30.8 mill in 3Q16 were $1.7 mill lower than the previous quarter primarily due to a $4 mill decrease in drydocking costs (no vessels were dry docked in the third quarter compared with two vessels in the prior quarter), which was partially offset by an increase in running costs. For the first nine months of this year, Frontline generated a net income $98.7 mill, compared with $96.1 mill in the same period of 2015. The net income adjusted for certain non-cash charges was $154.7 mill. These were a loss on the cancellation and sale of newbuildings and vessels of $2.7 mill, a vessel impairment loss of $34.4 mill, an impairment loss on shares of $7.2 mill, a mark to market loss on derivatives of $11.4 mill and a non-controlling interest expense of $0.4 mill. Net income for the nine months of this year reflected the combined results of Frontline and Frontline 2012, while the net income for the nine months of 2015 related to Frontline 2012 only. As of November, 2016, the company estimated that the average daily cash breakeven rates for the remainder of 2016 will be about $21,200, $17,300 and $15,300 for its owned and leased VLCCs, Suezmaxes and LR2s, respectively. Frontline claimed that these rates were highly competitive. Frontline secured bank financing of up to $870 mill to partially finance all of the companys newbuilding contracts. Five of the six MRs, which the company had agreed to sell in June, 2016, were delivered to their buyer in the third quarter. The last vessel was delivered in November. Robert Hvide Macleod, Frontline Management CEO, commented: While the summer is typically a slower period in the tanker markets, seasonal weakness was more pronounced this year as supply disruptions, easing refinery margins and inventory drawdowns led to reduced oil flows and a slowdown in tanker demand. In addition, the global fleet expanded as newbuilding vessels were delivered from shipyards. We believe that our performance in the third quarter against this market backdrop, further highlights Frontlines competitive position in the market and efficient operations. Frontlines low cash breakeven rates, large commercial scale, and historically successful access to capital are significant differentiators that support our leading position in the tanker market, he said. CFO Inger Klemp, added: We are pleased to have secured bank financing of up to $870 mill to partially finance all of the companys 16 newbuilding contracts and the four vessels, which were delivered during the third quarter. We consider the terms achieved highly attractive, enabling us to maintain our low cash breakeven levels. Frontline claimed that it has a positive long term outlook on the tanker market, although it expects periods of market weakness as further newbuildings are delivered. There has been very limited ordering in 2016, a trend supported by the expected contraction in global shipyard capacity and the limited availability of capital to finance new orders. These factors were expected to lead to slippage in the current orderbook and in delivery delays. The company also believed that any prolonged period of market weakness will lead to vessel scrapping, as older vessels are increasingly difficult to operate and face more off hire and higher drydocking costs in order to pass special surveys. In addition, oil price contango may lead to older vessels being chartered to store crude oil on a permanent basis and not return to the trading market. All factors considered, Frontline believed that the tanker market will begin to balance as vessels are absorbed into the global fleet and older vessels retire from trading. In the meantime, the company expects that periods of market weakness will inevitably create attractive opportunities to acquire assets at historically low prices. In a conversation with analysts, Macleod said that the earnings in 3Q16 were healthy given the relatively weak market conditions during the quarter. Our results underscore both the benefits of our low cash breakeven levels as well as Frontline's earnings potential, he said. Chemoil Middle Easts time-chartered and owned barges in Fujairah have been fitted with E&H mass flow meter (MFM) systems. Chemoil worked closely with Lloyds Register (LR), together with the National Metrology Centre (NMC) of Singapore, A*STAR and bunker consultancy Metcore International, to certify the barge systems to Singapore MPAs TR48 standard. Lloyds Register is proud to assist Chemoil in its drive to continuously improve the accuracy of its measurement techniques, said Douglas Raitt, LRs marine regional consultancy manager. The implementation of this advanced and accredited metering technology sets a new standard for the marine fuels measurement process accessed by Chemoil and its clients in the Middle East, providing tangible financial and resource savings. The barges, Marine Ista, Heredia Sea and Lorenzo Sea have a total capacity of 19,500 tonnes IFO and 2,200 tonnes MGO 0.1 covering deliveries in both Fujairah and Khorfakkan. Henry Lancaster, Chemoil DMCCs trading manager, commented: Chemoil is committed to providing transparent bunker supplies and the adoption of MFM systems will take Fujairah supplies to a new level of efficiency. Faster turnarounds and the elimination of quantity disputes will offer major value and benefits to our clients. Indonesia to ramp up refining capacity Without sufficient advances in domestic refineries, Indonesia could be on track to become one of the worlds largest product importers. The upgrading of Indonesias refining industry has been one of the governments top priorities for nearly two years. The largest population in South Asia is heavily dependent on imported fuel to meet domestic demand. Estimates suggest that about half of Indonesias fuel consumption is processed by domestic refineries, a recent report from Gibson suggests. Furthermore, data highlights oil demand could reach close to 2.3 mill barrels per day by 2025. The scale of upgrade required by the refining industry is further highlighted by the fact that total refinery capacity is roughly the same today as 15 years ago. The last new refinery was built in 1994. State owned Pertamina has been tasked with finding partners for refining projects throughout the country. Numerous refineries have been earmarked as candidates for investment and upgrade; Cilacap (348,000 b/d), Balikapapan (260,000 b/d), Balongan (125,000 b/d) and Dumai (125,000 b/d). In addition to these existing refineries, the government also aims to begin construction of the Bontang refinery in East Kalimantan (235,000 b/d) and Tuban refinery in East Java (300,000 b/d). Several countries and corporations have been approached over these projects and new government regulations have enabled private companies to build and operate domestic refineries. For example, the Bontang refinery was offered to Iran after it showed a willingness to invest $8.4 bill, however, with costs expected to be closer to $14-15 bill, a completion date has not been confirmed. Russias Rosneft has agreed to develop the Tuban refinery through a $13.8 bill deal, the refinery should be operational by 2022. Furthermore, Saudi Aramco has committed to invest in the Cilacap refinery to the tune of $5.5 bill, aiming to modernise the plant, while increasing refining capacity to 370,000 barrels per day, with a completion date in 2022. In addition, Pertamina has signalled it would be prepared to solely revamp the Balikpapan refinery, after initial investors JX dropped out, boosting capacity to 360,000 barrels per day by 2019. Indonesias refineries offer an exciting prospect to foreign investors as shown by the scale of investment already committed, Gibson said. Despite a notorious record of failed planning projects, the likelihood of these materialising has increased, in part due to the incentives offered by the government. Besides this, one of the most enticing propositions for investment is finding a secured destination for crude output. It would appear Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia are making big plays to secure a foothold in the Indonesian domestic fuel market. This should prove beneficial to dirty tanker owners, as more crude will be moved into Indonesian refineries. However, the possible negative effects for product tanker owners in the future counter balance those gains. Despite this, in the short-term product imports will grow ahead of capacity additions as any upgrades or new refineries will take time to build and become operational. Nevertheless, investment in Indonesias refining industry will be to meet domestic demand and will naturally impact on import demand in the future, Gibson concluded. This is a piece about a wake. Lily has died. Everyone is intensely moved. But not by her death, only by what it means for them most of the guests hardly knew her. When the veneer of polite English grief gives way to the truth, the monster-egotism of her nice friends rears its ugly head. Freddie screwing a co-worker at the back of the chapel when the service begins is a minor sin in contrast to the lack of humanity which the action lays bare. And yet, none of the characters can really be said to be wholly bad, and neither are those whom they malinger. Rather, these are complicated people; subtly written, with layered, believable personalities. They are also, for the large part, very well acted. Os Leanses performance as Lilys squalid drunk of a brother stands out. His violence and grief is poignant, even frightening. Emma Corrins performance is equally striking. In the role of the hyper-fragile and sick Annabelle, she conveys an eerie beauty somewhat reminiscent of Dakota Fanning, but also manages to make her character slightly suspect. The dialogue, as well as the characterisation, is excellent. Delivered at a near-perfect pace and shot through with poetry, it may not always be quite realistic but it is certainly moving. Elegiac, sometimes gaunt and sometimes visceral, the drama is magnetic. Set in the claustrophobia of Eleanors (Molly Stacey) museum-perfect sitting room, the characters are forced into conversations they would rather not have, and the results are both tender and stark. Haunting the room is Lilys ghost. Vulnerable and venal, crude and heartbreaking, her friends do not know whether to call her monster or angel. The only scrap of fact about her is her brothers beguiling anecdote about a visit to Balham to see an uncle, one random night. It is this descriptive mixture of ethereal uncertainty and intimacy which is so touching about Lily. Isla Cowan, a Cambridge student and Corpus third year, is an impassioned and illumined playwright. The music and staging was also good, if not amazing. The play opens with a taut, high-speed choreography of the movements and confrontations the actors go on to perform over the course of the play to the sound of electro noises, which was interesting but ultimately confusing. Overall, this play was a rather more emotional experience than I anticipated. Brilliantly written, with a talented cast and some relatively good staging, it is definitely the best thing Ive seen this term. 9/10 Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Hyperloop One, which aims to fulfill the vision of high-speed transportation promoted by Elon Musk, has signed a deal to develop a line between Dubai and UAE capital Abu Dhabi, Dubai reportedly announced this week. No financial terms have been disclosed, but the project reportedly will have several stations throughout Dubai connecting the hyperloop system to Abu Dhabi. Pods will carry passengers and cargo between the two. Dubais government-backed port operator, DP World, reportedly also has signed an agreement with Hyperloop One to look into using the technology at its industrial Jebel Ali port. Dubai last month announced a competition inviting participants to present design plans for a hyperloop track between various airports. Hyperloop Challenges SpaceX, helmed by Musk, is building a mile-long test track for hyperloop pods in California. Hyperloop One, which is constructing a test track in the Nevada desert, this spring demonstrated a mag-lev Hyperloop sled that ran for 100 yards or so. Musk proposed the hyperloop concept as a way to bring high-speed travel to California. A hyperloop journey between Los Angeles and San Francisco would take about 30 minutes. SpaceX also has a Hyperloop competition under way. An MIT team won the first round in February. Why the Middle East? Abu Dhabi and the Emirates would be a good choice, because the Emirates are willing to spend exorbitant amounts of money on a project like this, said Jim McGregor, a principal analyst at Tirias Research. Doing this in the United States would be a political disaster, because the final cost is likely to be exponentially higher than the original optimistic estimates, he told TechNewsWorld. Investment documents indicate Hyperloop One plans to raise up to US$250 million in its next funding round early next year; it reportedly raised $50 million last month. The cost of the Hyperloop One projects could exceed Musks original projections substantially, based on internal estimates in company documents, but Hyperloop One has forecast huge profits for itself and its partners. When Musk floated the hyperloop concept in 2013, he estimated that a route between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area would cost about $6 billion. That figure raised doubts from the get-go. Among those opposed to Musks concept and critical of his estimates are proponents of a $68 billion high-speed rail project that has been years in the making. Other Problems for Hyperloop Regulatory and other issues also could have driven the hyperloop project abroad. Here in the United States, a project has to be competitive with other forms of transportation and there many alternatives, observed Michael Jude, a program manager at Stratecast/Frost & Sullivan. U.S. regulators havent a clue how to deal with the hyperloop, he told TechNewsWorld. Further, safety is an issue, because youve got this thing going at marginal supersonic speeds 20 feet above ground, and if a truck or something ran into one of the supports and damaged or knocked down a tube, youve got a ballistic missile, Jude said. The liability is going to be unthinkable. Such projects must be cost-justified in the U.S., which might be difficult, he suggested, and there is also the specter of terrorism. There are no markets outside the U.S. that would support a hyperloop, Jude maintained. This is a solution looking for a problem, he said. Its hideously expensive, and its a great terrorist target. More than 1 million Google accounts have been breached by Android malware dubbed Gooligan, Check Point reported Wednesday. The malware roots infected devices and steals authentication tokens that can be used to access data from various Google apps including Gmail, Google Docs, G Suite and Google Drive. It potentially affects devices running Android 4 and 5. Devices are infected when their users download legitimate-looking apps from third-party Android app stores, or click on poisoned links in SMS or other messages that lead to infected apps, Check Point said. Android application development and installation is similar to the Wild West, said Thomas Pore, director of IT and services at Plixer. While there are rules and security vetting, its still very easy to get yourself in trouble, he told TechNewsWorld. A Question of Identity Gooligan is a new variant of the Android malware campaign found in the SnapPea app, according to Check Point. However, it could be a variant of Ghost Push, as Adrian Ludwig, Googles director of Android Security, has suggested. Google last year found more than 40,000 apps associated with Ghost Push, he said, noting that the companys systems now detect and prevent installation of more than 150,000 variants of the malware. How Gooligan Works Gooligan-infected apps send data about infected devices to the campaigns command and control server, then download a rootkit such as Vroot or Towelroot. That raises the question of why Google hasnt done anything to prevent the risky activity. Support is expensive, and, when youre Google or any other vendor, said Michael Jude, a program manager at Stratecast/Frost & Sullivan. You have to plan allocation of resources for these things, since there are always user problems, he told TechNewsWorld. Once the device is rooted, Gooligan downloads a new malicious module that lets it steal a users Gmail account and authentication token information, which bypasses Googles two-factor authentication and other security mechanisms; install apps from Google Play and rate them to raise their reputation; and install adware to generate revenue. The malware also fakes device information such as IMEI and IMSI, so it can download an app twice but make it appear that the downloads are on different devices, thus doubling the potential revenue from the apps. Apps infected by Gooligan include Perfect Cleaner, WiFi Enhancer, Memory Booster, Battery Monitor and Weather. Protecting the User Google has removed from Google Play apps associated with the Ghost Push family, and apps that benefited from installs delivered by the malware, Googles Ludwig noted. It also has improved Verify Apps to protect users in the future. Google has notified users known to have been affected by Gooligan. It also has removed their Google Account tokens and provided them simple instructions to sign in securely, Ludwig said. Further, it has been working with the Shadowserver Foundation, as well as multiple major ISPs that provided the infrastructure used to host and control Gooligan, in order to take down the infrastructure. Devices with up-to-date security patches are safe, Ludwig said. Those with a system image, like Googles Nexus and Pixel devices, can remove the malware through a system software reinstall. Owners of newer devices, including those compatible with Android 6.0, have Verified Boot enabled, and can remove Ghost Push easily, Ludwig pointed out. Patches often are delayed by wireless carriers because they need to test them for compatibility first. Gooligan is turning out to have serious repercussions, Enderle said, so I wouldnt be surprised if Google and the carriers are discussing update periodicity right now. Mark Zuckerberg will no doubt be pleased that his social media behemoth is closing in on 2 billion monthly active users, but policing all that content isn't easy. To help identify the offensive material and fake news that appears on the site, the company is increasingly turning to artificial intelligence. Now, it plans to do the same thing with Facebook Live. Facebook has in the past relied on its users to flag inappropriate posts, which are then checked by company employees to see if they violate its rules. But artificial intelligence can detect this sort of content on its own. It's "an algorithm that detects nudity, violence, or any of the things that are not according to our policies," Joaquin Candela, the company's director of applied machine learning, told Reuters. Using the same technology in live video streaming is a lot more tricky, which is why it's still at the research stage. There are two major challenges, according to Candela: "One, your computer vision algorithm has to be fast, and I think we can push there, and the other one is you need to prioritize things in the right way so that a human looks at it, an expert who understands our policies, and takes it down." Facebook laid off its entire Trending Topics editorial team back in August, following accusations it was routinely suppressing conservative news stories. But the algorithmically-driven process that replaced the staff continues to surface fake items. Mark Zuckerberg said last month that the company is introducing better technical systems to address the problem, and has reached out to third-party fact-checking organizations. In July, two graphic scenes of violence involving members of law enforcement were streamed on Facebook Live. The company was accused of censorship after it removed (but later restored) one of them. Motorola recently held a small press event at its Chicago headquarters to unveil two new Moto Mods, accessories that snap onto the back of Moto Z phones using magnets. The two Moto Mods that Motorola showcased - a 3,000mAh Mophie battery pack and an Incipio car dock with charging and a 3.5mm audio output - are neat but it's the company's vision for future Moto Mods that has tech sites talking. John Touvannas, senior director of product management at Motorola, told PCMag's Sascha Segan that future Moto Mods could include a baby monitor, e-ink displays and even a 5G modem. As you may know, Moto Mods can access direct display interfaces, talk with the image-processing unit in a phone (the camera) and communicate over USB 3.1 which is reportedly fast enough to handle a 5G radio. Retrofitting a current-generation smartphone with a 5G radio certainly sounds appealing... until reality sets in. Although Verizon (Motorola's primary partner in the US) will begin 5G trials next year, a nationwide rollout isn't expected to happen until around 2020 at the earliest. The odds of someone keeping a smartphone for four years just to retrofit it with 5G are likely pretty low. By the time 5G networks are live, new handsets will be available to take full advantage of them. 5G aside, the bigger story here is the fact that Motorola has been the only company to find success in the modular smartphone category. Project Ara, perhaps the most compelling of them all, was ultimately cancelled and LG's G5 with "friends" add-ons never gained traction (or third-party support). As PCMag notes, there are five Moto Mods currently available not counting the two Motorola just unveiled. What's more, the company plans to release at least four new Moto Mods per quarter beginning mid-2017. President-elect Donald Trump has made a reputation of being very vocal, to say the least, on Twitter, with his tweets certainly getting its fair share of reach and criticism. A report by New York Magazine reveals that Trump, once he is sworn into office on Jan. 20, 2017, will gain access to a system that will allow him to send unblockable text messages to all Americans, a fact that might not sit well with people who are not fans of his tweets. What Are Wireless Emergency Alerts? According to the New York Magazine report, the text message system that Trump will gain access to is called Wireless Emergency Alerts, which is a part of a program that was established by Congress after passing the Warning, Alert, and Response Network Act in 2006. Through a WEA, text messages can be sent to all mobile phones that are hooked to a signal coming from cell towers within a specific geographical area. By sending out text messages to all cell towers in the United States, the system can then reach out to all Americans. The Federal Communications Commission set the rules that a WEA could only be sent out for three reasons. The first reason is for Amber Alerts for missing children, and the second reason is for alerts on life-threatening situations. The third reason for a WEA, however, is for alerts that are issued by the President of the United States. The President And WEA WEA messages have become more common over recent years, but so far, it has never been used by the President. Outgoing President Barack Obama has been a regular user on Twitter, but he has never issued an order to send out a message through the WEA system. Similar to Obama, Trump is adept on using Twitter to send out his thoughts. However, with short text blasts among the President-elect's favorite modes of communication and his lack of reservation as seen in his outbursts on Twitter, giving Trump access to WEA could be a nightmare scenario for some Americans. Will Trump Abuse The WEA System? There is no strong evidence that Trump would be using the WEA system for anything other than national emergencies. For one thing, he would have to adjust the length of his messages, as the system currently only accepts messages of up to 90 characters, which is much shorter than the 140-character limit on Twitter. In addition, all WEA messages will need to pass through the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System of FEMA, and most importantly, using the system requires training that Trump might not have time to sit down and take once he assumes presidential responsibilities. Will Trump abuse the WEA system, despite the controls placed upon it? That remains to be seen, though for Americans that are not fans of his tweets, they are likely hoping that Trump does not do so. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Nokia's return to the smartphone market in 2017 is officially confirmed, and the first new Nokia phone will hit the scene in the first half of next year. Microsoft acquired Nokia back in 2014, and under the terms of the deal, Nokia was not allowed to release devices under its brand until late 2016. After a couple of years of trying to get its smartphone business off the ground, Microsoft eventually decided to let go of Nokia earlier this year, selling the feature phone business. Nokia changing hands marked the first sign that the iconic brand would return to market soon enough, and rumors have been intensifying as of late, with at least one new Nokia phone expected to hit the scene in 2017. Nokia's new parent company, HMD Global, just issued a press release confirming that Nokia is indeed making a comeback next year, this time going with Android instead of Microsoft's Windows Phone. "A new and exciting chapter in the story of Nokia branded phones begins today as HMD Global Oy (HMD) the new home of Nokia phones enters the market," HMD announced. "Finnish company HMD will bring a new generation of mobile phones to consumers, with the first smartphone products set to be launched in the first half of 2017, alongside the existing Nokia branded feature phone business." Unique Strategic Partnership HMD says that it has formed a unique strategic partnership model for this ambitious project and will work with leading technology companies such as Nokia, FIH Mobile Limited and Google to revive the Nokia brand. Future Nokia smartphones will be running on Android, Google's popular mobile operating system that currently powers a massive 86 percent of the world's smartphones. FIH Mobile, a subsidiary of Hon Hai Precision, is a global manufacturer of consumer electronics and will be in charge of manufacturing the new Nokia phones and tablets. With these partnerships in place, HMD aims to develop a powerful Nokia product range focused on innovation, reliability, quality and durability. The iconic Nokia brand is famous worldwide for the robustness of its devices, considered among the most durable mobile devices ever, and HMD seems keen on living up to the legacy. Nokia Feature Phones And Smartphones HMD will market Nokia's feature phones as well as a new range of smartphones, and Nokia will receive royalty payments for each device HMD sells under the Nokia brand. HMD will start selling Nokia-branded feature phones on a new page hosted on Nokia's main website but operated by HMD. HMD has yet to offer any details regarding the Nokia Android smartphones' release, but recent rumors point at the purported Nokia D1C as the first handset to hit the market next year. While the Nokia D1C is expected to come as a midranger, a recent leak also revealed a powerful Nokia flagship smartphone that would compete at the high end of the smartphone market. Recent rumors also pointed at a MWC 2017 unveiling of new Nokia smartphones, which could make sense. HMD and Nokia could introduce new devices at the trade show then release them to market within the first half of 2017. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Motorola will be stepping away from making any more smartwatches for the time being, it confirmed during a press event in Chicago this week. The company had previously said that it would not release a new smartwatch in 2016, and it looks like its smartwatch hiatus will be protracted. This puts the Lenovo-owned phone maker off the smartwatch race when Google launches its the newest iteration of its wearable platform, Android Wear 2.0 No Moto 360 Successor "We don't see enough pull from the market at this point to put out a new [smartwatch]," Shakil Barkat, head of the company's global product development, said. Moto 360 remains the company's latest wearable flagship, first released last year in September. Barkat cited the abysmal broad appeal of smartwatches as its reason for withdrawing plans to release a Moto 360 successor, but he did hint that the company might reenter the smartwatch market should wearable technology improve. "We believe the wrist still has value," he said. Are Smartwatches Struggling? Smartwatches, particularly Android Wear-powered wearables, have dwindled in relevance and popularity over the past year, as only a few companies decided to release smartwatch successors this year. Even Google has delayed its Android Wear 2.0 platform, supposedly for release this fall but is now slated for a 2017 rollout. Even without a new smartwatch from Motorola, the Moto 360 will still receive Android Wear 2.0 when it hits, but the first-generation Moto 360 won't receive a similar treatment. The market for smartwatches in general have considerably decreased. In Q3 2016, smartwatch sales were down 51.6 percent year on year. The slow boomlet of these wearables have so far failed to corner a considerable chunk of the market, and others are doubtful that it ever will in the long run, even with a number of companies invested in the lagging smartwatch industry. A Bleak Smartwatch Future Despite the general decline of smartphone sales and Motorola's break from the wearable race, there are still plenty of smartwatches beelined for a 2016 release as the year draws to a close. Prognostically, whispers of 2017 smartwatches have been very minimal, with LG, Tag Heuer and a short list of others headlining the 2017 smartwatch lineup. There's a lot more to be added to the list as 2017 enters the fore, but the smartwatch hype remains meek as of this time. This dispiritedness, if unchanged, will play a huge factor in what will drive manufacturers away from the industry. Do you think smartwatches and wearables in general have a place in the market? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below! 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Google officially released Android 7.0 Nougat last Aug. 22 and the very first OEM to develop its own final form version was LG. The company unleashed its Nougat-based LG UX in the debut of the LG V20 last September. Sony has just joined the bandwagon as it announced that its Android 7.0 will be available to several of its Xperia devices in a staggered release. "We're making Nougat available to Xperia XZ, X Compact, XA Ultra, XA, X Performance, X, Z5, Z5 Compact, Z5 Premium, Z4 Tablet and Z3+," Sony said. "Availability timings will vary depending on model and region." As of this writing users at XDA Developers forum are now reporting that their XZ are sporting the latest and greatest Xperia UI so far. It appears that the rollout is a bit more widespread. After a smattering of reports coming out of India, users from Australia, the Netherlands, Russia and Turkey have also claimed that their devices are already rocking Sony's take on Nougat. These developments confirmed a previous Tech Times report that the XZ will get the Nougat treatment first, although the update came a bit later. There are reports that some X Performance users already got the patch at the end of November. New Xperia Firmware Details Based on available information, it seems that the firmware has a 1 GB file size. So those who are already seeing OTA notifications should remember to power their handsets and connect to a stable Wi-Fi network to avoid installation disruption. So far, few screenshots of actual installations have surfaced. They still do not reveal much save for some images that show unique Nougat features. Xperia fans out there should be excited about Sony's interpretation of the latest Android release as shown in its promotional video. Experimental Nougat-Based Xperia UI The world already got a taste of what Sony was doing with the Xperia UI thanks to the initiative called Concept for Android. The project offers a glimpse of several features that will ultimately form part of the system that will run future Xperia devices. These included Sony's implementation of Android Nougat features like multi-window support and notification improvements along with other key interface tweaks. A concept build was already made available to the Xperia X and X Performance last month as a result of the collaboration between Sony's team based in Sweden, China and Japan. Users only had to download the Concept Installer app at the Google Play store to experience what must have been the first iteration of the company's Nougat UI. The experimental build also included a mechanism to obtain user insights and feedback to inform the direction of the Xperia UI's development. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 may get a taste of Android 7.0 Nougat soon enough, if a new benchmark listing is any indication. Samsung has an official Android 7.0 Nougat beta program in place for its Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge flagship smartphones, but last year's Galaxy Note 5 was not invited to the beta party. Nevertheless, the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 was just spotted on GFXBench with Nougat on board, suggesting that an upgrade could be just around the corner. With the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 recalled twice over the same exploding battery issues, the Galaxy Note 5 remains the latest Note device available so it makes sense to rush the release of the latest Android version. Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Nougat Upgrade Imminent? The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 was briefly listed on GFXBench with Android 7.0 Nougat on board, but the page was removed. Nevertheless, SamMobile grabbed a screenshot and speculates that Samsung is likely in the final stages of testing, which means it could soon be ready to release the new flavor of Android to its 2015 flagship phablet. It seems that Samsung devices surface in benchmarks running a new OS version right before the upgrade starts rolling out. If this is the case, the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 should start seeing an Android 7.0 Nougat update soon enough. The Galaxy S6 smartphone from last year was also spotted running a Nougat build on GFXBench, so it should also get the treat soon. Although all signs seem to point to an imminent upgrade, it remains to be seen just when exactly the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 will get Android 7.0 Nougat. From a historic perspective, Samsung has not always delivered timely updates to its Android handsets. On the other hand, considering that the Galaxy Note 7 is no longer on the market, it would make sense for Samsung to prioritize the Galaxy Note 5 upgrade to appease its existing phablet fans and attract new ones. Samsung is also expected to bring the Galaxy Note 7's Grace UX to the Galaxy Note 5, which should make the device more appealing. Android 7.0 Nougat Google introduced Android 7.0 Nougat back in August and packed a slew of neat features and improvements into the new OS version. The new Android flavor comes with improved notifications, enhanced UI, better power saving, Instant Apps, lower system requirements, Vulkan API support, seamless updates, Daydream VR, Google Allo and Duo, enhanced multitasking, and many other improvements. To get a better idea of what to expect from the new Android flavor, check out our previous coverage on the top 10 Android 7.0 Nougat features. 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Motorola Launches New Mods For Moto Z Smartphones | TechTree.com The launch of Moto Z smartphones along with Moto Mods this year brought in quite a good amount of attention to the Lenovo owned company, Motorola. While the company has until now launched a couple of mods, such as, Incipio offGRID Power Pack, JBL Soundboost, InstaShare Projector, and Hasselblad True Zoom, recently Moto Z users have gone more lucky with two more new launches - Mophie Juice Pack and Incipio Car Dock. While the Mophie Juice Pack mod comes at around USD 79.99, which is roughly around INR 5,500, the Incipios Car Dock is priced at USD 64.99. This translates to around INR 4,500 in India. The Mophie Juice Pack mod comes with a 3,000 mAh battery which is expected to extend the battery life of the Moto Z smartphone by at least 60 per cent. Users also get a status indicator light and USB Type C port. On the other hand, Incipio CarDock mod allows users to mount their Moto Z smartphone in the car while at the same time, charge the device and connect it to the audio system via 3.5 mm audio jack. The dock can be clipped into the AC vent in the car. Interestingly, the dock automatically launches Android Auto as soon as the phone is docked. While these two mods have been launched now, the company has not yet revealed the official date for the sale. TAGS: Moto Z 5 Sci-Fi Technologies You Didnt Know Already Exist Around You For a generation which was brought up on a dose of Superman, Batman, and Iron Man movies, science fiction or Sci-Fi is just another way to depict impossible things that could actually be happening in a galaxy far far away. But did you know that you may actually be using some of this products right here on earth! For a literary purpose, Sci-Fi is a genre to depict an unbelievable futuristic world filled with super gizmos. The directors of movies like Iron Man, Transformers try to depict a futuristic human life with all sorts of awesome gadgets which you will never imagine to existent. Humanoid robots, space travel, time travel, etc are all different forms of sci-fi. While most of the outlandish things depicted in the novels or movies may not exist, there are some products which do exist here on Earth but you may never have noticed them. 5 Sci-Fi Technologies That Already Exist Around You 1. Star Trek Communicator > Mobile Phone If you are a Star Trek movie fan, you would have noticed a small palm held device that Captain Kirk uses to contact with Scottie and Spock whenever he visits a nearby planet. Likewise, almost all sci-fi flicks feature the protagonists using a gadget to talk wirelessly to each other over long distances. Well, the Communicator from Star Trek is a reality now with almost everybody owning a smartphone. Interestingly, the Star Trek Communicator is actually more advanced that our modern smartphones. It didnt rely on satellites to establish communication between the starships. However, we are getting there slowly and steadily. 2. Batmobile > Self-Driving Car If you grew up watching the Batman TV series in the sixties, you would have noticed, Batman summoning his Batmobile using a remote to pick him up. The Batmobile was a futuristic concept then but we now have self-driving cars from different manufacturers. Similarly, the 2002 Tom Cruis starer Minority Report also featured a self-driving car which was custom designed by Lexus. In Tomorrow Never Dies, James Bond remotely uses his car to ward off his pursuers is a superbly filmed chase scene which can be seen in this video : Though both the cars from Minority Report and Tomorrow Never Dies were figments of imagination with clever photography and special effects, we are getting closer to such cars with Googles Self-driving car and the Tesla Model S with the autopilot feature. We also have Ubers Otto delivering beers using self-driving trucks and pretty soon we will have cars that can be driven with a remote hand-held device like the Bond is driving in the video above. 3. Fingerprint And Eye Scanners > Biometrics Remember the scene from Minority Report in which Tom Cruise enters a building and his eyes flicker to show the latest news clip. If not watch below : We have tons of movies spy movies featuring top secret spy dens and futuristic computers which can only be accessed using fingerprint recognition or by scanning the hero/villains face. This movie feature is now available in your everyday life. How! Your Windows 10 laptop scans your face to verify your ownership before booting up. It is thought that biometrics is the future for access management and physical security. In future, you will probably have your apartment door, garage door and safes opening up only with iris scan like this LG safe here : 4. Robot Butler/Maid > Robots This Sci-fi feature is most near to reality today with thousands of companies vying to sell you your own robot butler/maid. Japanese tech companies are forefront in this arena. Though the robot butlers available nowadays are not similar Rosie, the robot maid from Jetsons, but we certainly are getting there. This robot butler called Botlr is already being used in hotels world over. While a cute toy robot named Anki is already making waves around the world. Google is also working on the development of humanoid robots through its subsidiary named Boston Dynamics. One of their creations, ATLAS was unveiled in 2013. This DARPA-funded 6ft robot is efficient in performing search and rescue tasks including performing household tasks like sweeping. 5. Transformers > Transformers Transformers are no longer a sci-fi dream thanks to the efforts of a company named Letvision. The Turkey-based company is modifying BMWs to create its own brand of Transformers called Letrons. Theyve modified a BMW 3-Series into a full-fledged Autobot. While Letrons cant be compared to the original Transformers but in near future, we may have an actual Autobot transforming itself. The President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro Moros, received with honors his peer from Guinea Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, on... | Read More The makers of superstar Rajinikanth's much-anticipated 2.0 have raised the budget to Rs 400 crore, say reports. By India Today Web Desk: Riding high of the success of Kabali, superstar Rajinikanth will be next seen in the gargantuan project 2.0, a sequel to the blockbuster Tamil film Enthiran. Recently, 2.0 had a grand first look launch in Mumbai and the posters have already piqued the curiosity quotient among fans. ALSO READ: Kajol to work with Dhanush in Velai Illa Pattadhari 2? advertisement ALSO READ: Queen remake- Amy Jackson to reprise Lisa Haydon's role in Tamil? Being made on a lavish budget of Rs 350 crore, 2.0 is touted to be Asia's costliest film. Now, the sci-fi got costlier by Rs 50 crore. According to reports, the film's budget has risen to Rs 400 crore. Speaking about the film, Raju Murugan, who is the creative head of Lyca Productions was quoted by The Hindu as saying, "Considering that the film has received a tremendous buzz, we have decided to make sure that the film really measures up to Hollywood standards. We are spending more money to enhance the visual effects of the film." Akshay Kumar plays an antagonist Dr. Richard, an ornithologist in the film. Directed by Shankar, the film also stars Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey and Adil Hussain in pivotal roles. The film will release in 6 -Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, English, Japanese and Chinese. The film has music by Academy Award winner AR Rahman and slated to release on Diwali next year. WATCH HERE: All you need about Rajinikanth's 2.0 --- ENDS --- Over 160 exhibitors and 100 speakers are set to attend Focus 2016 next week, the end of year event for the international production and locations industry. Focus, which takes place on December 6th and 7th at the Business Design Centre in Islington, is free to attend for members of the production industry. The 160 exhibitors from 55 countries will be showcasing their filming incentives and services. A new UK village will showcase film-friendly locations and regional agencies, including Creative England, Creative Scotland, Wales Screen and Northern Ireland Screen. Film Offices UK, comprised of 11 regional film offices, will make their first public debut as a collective on the FOCUS show floor. Chinas Wanda Studios will showcase their new 40% filming incentive, while Arizonas newly launched Film and Digital Media Office, dubbed Studio 48, will be making its first public appearance at Focus. Meanwhile, over 100 speakers will deliver 35 panel discussions, presentations and workshops, covering film, TV, advertising and interactive content. The programme, curated by Sue Hayes, has been developed in consultation with industry organisations including the Advertising Producers Association, the BFI, the British Film Commission, Creative Skillset, Pact, The Production Guild, the Production Managers Association, UKIE and Women in Film and TV. This years sessions will discuss the key topics concerning the production industry today such as sustainability, diversity, accessing the Asian market and the future of television in an era of convergence. Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London will be opening this years iteration of FOCUS with an exclusive interview conducted by Variety. Televisual editor Tim Dams will chair a session on The future of TV the audience as the new scheduler with Comedy Centrals Claire McArdle, Youngest Medias Jody Smith, Big Balls Medias Phil Mitchelson and The Tape Consultancys Paul Youngbluth. Jean-Frederic Garcia, Co-founder of Focus said: We are proud to offer this incredible industry resource to the global production community, and look forward to another engaging, exciting edition. Televisual is a media sponsor of Focus. To register, visit www.tlgfocus.com Share this story By PTI: Panaji, Dec 2 (PTI) In an apparent dig at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today said after the November 8 demonetisation move, the roadside posters and topis (caps) had disappeared in Goa. "After demonetisation, the roadside posters and topis (a distinctive insignia for AAP supporters) had disappeared. I am told slowly they are getting visible now," Parrikar said. advertisement The former Goa Chief Minister, addressing a `Vijay Sankalp rally at Shiroda near here, was referring to the banners put up by the Arvind Kejriwal-led party claiming it will win the state Assembly polls, likely to be held in the first quarter of 2017. The coastal state is currently ruled by a BJP-led coalition. "Goans dont go by banners and numbers (related to seats) flashed on them," he said, adding voters have realised BJP is the only party which works for overall development of the state. Parrikar appealed to voters to give at least 26 Assembly seats to the BJP (out of the total 40) in the ensuing elections. Talking about the drive to make Goa a cashless society, Parrikar said 10,000 Point of Sale (PoS) machines will be installed in the state and more than 70,000 people trained in handling cashless transactions by December. "Goa was the first state that started going cashless through implementation of its social welfare schemes. The government directly transferred money under these schemes to the account of beneficiaries," he recalled. PTI RPS RSY KIS SRE --- ENDS --- Times Higher Education (THE) released their annual Asia University Rankings today, awarding the National University of Singapore (NUS) the top spot in Asia for the first time since the ranking system was created in 2013. Japans foremost institution, the University of Tokyo, has plummeted from top spot in 2015 to seventh in this years rankings. Meanwhile, the University of Hong Kong long considered one of Asias premier educational institutions has fallen out of the top three to fourth place, a first for the prestigious university. Singapores Nanyang Technological University and Chinas Peking University tied for second place to round out the top three. Among the 13 indicators used in the rankings to measure performance are teaching quality, industry outcomes, citations, and international outlook. THEs Asia University Rankings are not identical to their worldwide rankings. Although they use the same performance indicators, the categories are reweighted to more accurately reflect the attributes of Asias higher education systems, according to THE. The Singaporean governments heavy investments into its education system is credited as a key driver for its universities success, as the city-state cultivates human capital to compete globally in services, innovation, and ease of doing business. While Singapore claimed highest honors, China is rapidly climbing the rankings According to THE, China has overtaken the U.S. to hold the worlds most researchers 19 percent of the total and now accounts for 20.2 percent of global scientific publications. In addition to Peking University in second place, mainland Chinese universities in the top 25 include Tsinghua University (5), the University of Science and Technology of China (14), Fudan University (19), and Zhejiang University (25). Overall, both China and Japan had 39 universities in the top 200, though China had an impressive 22 in the top 100, compared to 14 for Japan. While Peking University and Tsinghua University have long held sterling reputations, several other Chinese institutions primarily concentrated in Eastern China are rising in stature. Other countries represented in the top 25 include South Korea, Taiwan, Israel, and Turkey. Overall, 22 different countries appear in the rankings, a large jump from only 14 in the previous years list. As a whole, Asias universities are increasingly prominent on the world stage, holding more positions in various publications top 100 worldwide rankings in 2016 than ever before. By Dezan Shira & Associates Editor: Alexander Chipman Koty A young engineer who won the Make in India award and earned a special mention by PM Modi was arrested with fake Rs 2,000 notes which he was printing to dupe those looking to exchange demonetised currency. Make in India awardee Abhinav Verma was printing fake currency to dupe those looking to exchange their demonetised notes. (Images via YouTube, PTI) By Indo-Asian News Service: A young engineer, whose innovation was appreciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Indian Science Congress last year, was arrested on Thursday for printing fake Rs 2,000 notes worth Rs 42 lakh in Punjab's town of Mohali. Abhinav Verma was arrested along with accomplices -- his cousin Vishakha Verma and Ludhiana-based property dealer Suman Nagpal -- by the Punjab Police in Mohali and adjoining Chandigarh. The trio was duping people by exchanging the demonetised Rs 500 and 1,000 notes for fake Rs 2,000 notes printed by them. advertisement The three were even charging a 30 per cent commission for the exchange. Mohali Superintendent of Police (City) Parminder Singh said the fake currency was recovered on Wednesday from a brand new luxury Audi SUV the trio were using. The vehicle had a red beacon -- allowed only for VVIPs -- on it. The police have been conducting raids to arrest two more members of the gang who slipped away. "The currency given by the gang (to their customers) even after charging commission was fake," Singh said. "Abhinav is an engineering graduate who is into manufacturing sensors to be installed in the sticks for visually handicapped. His office is in Chandigarh and they used to print the fake currency of Rs 2,000 denomination at his office only," the official said. Images via PTI While Abhinav, 21, and MBA-student Vishakha, 23, printed the fake currency, the property dealer was responsible for clients who wanted to get their unaccounted money converted to new currency. "The notes seized from them had the same serial number," an investigating official said. Last year, Abhinav claimed to have developed 'Live Braille', a wearable technology innovation to help blind people walk around without the aid of a walking stick. His innovation was hailed as a success, and the device was commercially launched this year as an innovation under the 'Make in India' programme. It is sold in India and more than 15 other countries. Abhinav, who wanted to "change the lives of 50 million blind people in India" with the device, called his creation a "freedom device". He even set up a fund-raising initiative called Milaap for the campaign. Fake notes worth Rs 42 lakhs confiscated from Make In India awardee Abhinav Verma. Watch #ITVideo to know more. pic.twitter.com/Bz70vnpPQi IndiaTodayFLASH (@IndiaTodayFLASH) December 2, 2016 --- ENDS --- State Rep. C. Denise Marcelle, who ran to the left of Democrat Sharon Weston Broome in the mayor-president primary and finished in third place, endorsed Broome on Thursday in the runoff. Marcelle finished with 13 percent of the primary vote and had fiery support from people in her state house and former Metro Council district, where she carried a few precincts. Broome advanced to the runoff with 32 percent of the vote and Republican Bodi White advanced as well, with 29 percent of the vote. Along the campaign trail, Marcelle did not directly or publicly attack fellow Democrat Broome. Instead, Marcelle simply said she entered the race because people in her district liked her progressive ideas and asked her to run. "Sharon and I share a common vision on the future of Baton Rouge," Marcelle said in her endorsement statement Thursday. "This vision will ensure economic diversity and opportunities for all citizens of East Baton Rouge Parish . As a Louisiana Legislator I will continue to work with Ms. Weston Broome to ensure our citizens will receive the necessary funding to rebuild from the flood." Marcelle's endorsement could be an important one, as analysts expect voter turnout among Democrats to drop in the runoff election. The 25,000 voters who supported Marcelle in the primary could help Broome reach 50 percent of the vote to win the runoff. "Denise has been a powerful voice in difficult times and I look forward to working with her and her supporters to move our city and parish forward," Broome said in a statement. Marcelle's is the second major endorsement Broome has received from a former competitor in the race. No-party candidate Darryl Gissel endorsed Broome last week, saying she represents the unity the parish's next mayor-president needs to embody. Gissel finished in sixth in the primary with 6 percent of the vote, but was able to carry a few precincts near downtown. White has the received the endorsement of fourth-place finisher John Delgado, a fellow Republican. Since receiving Delgado's endorsement, White has repeated some of Delgado's rhetoric about Broome having little to show for her longtime political career in north Baton Rouge. The Rouses Supermarket in Juban Crossing Shopping Center is set to reopen Dec. 14, four months after it was closed because of the devastating floods. Juban Crossing took on 4 to 5 feet of flood water. Many of the stores and restaurants in the center have reopened, including Academy Sports, Belk, Michaels and Walk-Ons Bistreaux & Bar. The flooding caused extensive damage to the Rouses store and caused the chain to dispose of all the food in the building. While the Juban Crossing location was temporarily shut down for repairs, Rouses dramatically increased its presence in the Baton Rouge market. The Thibodaux-based chain opened its long-awaited store in the Long Farm Village development off of Airline Highway in late August, which provided a place for some displaced Juban workers. Rouses set to open Baton Rouge store Wednesday Rouses is set to open its first Baton Rouge supermarket Wednesday, nearly two weeks after fl In October, the company purchased LeBlancs Food Stores, giving it nine more stores. Rouses now has 10 stores in the Capital Region and 54 locations across south Louisiana, the Mississippi Gulf Coast and Alabama. Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. DONALDSONVILLE In a rare public hearing, the Ascension Parish Council upheld on Thursday the termination of a former parish utilities director who, in an online post to a local news website, had questioned the effectiveness of parish leadership and claimed parish employees were afraid to speak out. After a more than hour of questioning by council members, the council voted 9-1 to uphold the termination of Bill Depew, backing the administration of embattled Parish President Kenny Matassa and ignoring the recommendation of an administrative appeal board only to suspend the former director. Only Councilman Daniel "Doc" Satterlee voted "no" on the 11-member body. Council Chairman Randy Clouatre only votes to break a tie and did not vote Thursday. "President Matassa appreciates the council's overwhelming affirmation of the administration's decision," Kyle Gautreau, Matassa's chief of staff, said in a statement after the hearing. Depew's attorney, Jill Craft, promised a lawsuit will be forthcoming. Ascension official fired over post about parish employees' fear for jobs GONZALES Less than a month after Ascension Parish government finalized a deal to buy Peopl The termination has pitted free speech rights to comment on matters of public concern versus parish government staff policies that restrict their comments to the news media in an effort to maintain a consistent message. Depew had written an expansive but somewhat vague comment on the Pelican Post site Oct. 1 that appeared to criticize the current parish leadership in an apparent shot at Matassa: "When you have a leader of a complex organization who is in the position, because he and his family are 'Good People' is not the correct formula, something has to change!" Depew was terminated on Oct. 4 over violating two aspects of the parish policy: one on handling inquiries from the news media that come to parish officials and another dealing with making malicious comments about other parish officials. Depew and Craft had asserted the first alleged violation didn't even apply to Depew because he wasn't receiving a media inquiry but he was making an editorial comment that is protected speech by a public employee and should not lead to his termination. "Again, when I got up this morning and when I went to sleep last night, this was still America, you don't have to like anybody else's opinion, but it is his or her right to express it," Craft said. But Jeff Diez, the parish's special counsel in the Depew case, said the matter is a simple one because Depew acknowledged making the post and his commentary had references that indicated he knew he was violating policy and would likely be fired. Also, the administrative appeals board did agree there was a violation. Part of the comment included the statement that "I will probably not be an employee after this is posted." Council members questioned him about these statements and Depew said he was not admitting to a violation of policy but the belief that his bosses would not react well to his comments. When pressed later by Parish Councilman Aaron Lawler, who is a lawyer by occupation, about Depew's concerns over leadership "of a complex organization," Depew said he was worried about how the parish was proceeding with the purchase of Peoples Water Service Co., a private water company. The comments from Depew appeared less than a month after the parish bought the Donaldsonville-based company for nearly $6 million. As utilities director, Depew would have overseen the operation of the water business. He noted he had been told a new employee was joining the department as part of the water company's management but he could not even review the person's resume. Depew's post never actually mentioned the water company purchase. But the council learned it was Chief Administrative Officer Ken Dawson, the man who had worked with Depew in West Feliciana Parish several years ago and convinced him to join Ascension government more than four years ago, who terminated Depew. Matassa noted Thursday he was only backing his administrator. Dawson told the council that in the public and private sector, managers are expected to deal with their problems in house and he said the concerns Depew was raising were close to being handled when Depew made his comment on the website. Dawson, when asked, told the council that it would be a challenge to work with Depew if he were reinstated. By Jugal R Purohit: Admiral Sunil Lanba, India's 23rd Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) in a short interview to India Today's senior special correspondent Jugal R Purohit spoke his mind on a variety of issues. An important disclosure, there was no pre-interview sharing of questions and no subject was off the table. On Mamata Banerjee's tirade against the Indian Army: Military exercises are conducted regularly to hone the skills of army, navy and air force. I see no reason why there should be any issues raised on these exercises. advertisement On problems in building India's own aircraft carrier Vikrant: We are working in close coordination with Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) for Vikrant to be constructed. This is the first such project in our country. Originally it got delayed since we wanted to make it using steel produced within the country. That move took nearly two years. The ship has been launched. The second phase is on schedule. Fitting out of the ship is on and by 2018 she will start sailing, her trials. We have a timeline in mind. Once she starts her trials, she will be inducted in a year or so. Working closely with CSL and we will see the final timeline. (He refused to confirm even 2020 as the likely year of commissioning)ALSO READ: Mamata Banerjee locks herself in office to protest Army's presence at toll plazas in state On the naval version of the LCA TEJAS: We were the first service to support the aircraft and wanted a timeline for it. The program has not met the timeline and there are further delays. LCA Navy does not meet the navy staff requirements and thus we need to look at an alternate aircraft to have combat capability on our aircraft carrier. We will continue to support the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in developing an indigenous carrier based fighter but in the meantime we need to have combat capability on Vikramaditya and Vikrant. On women officers in the navy: Over the years, women officers have expanded their roles. They will also fly the maritime patrol aircraft next year. We intend to put women officers at sea on board ships. We are working on the modalities, role and branches which will be on board. Within a year's time, a survey will be done with women officers to seek consent how many actually want to serve on board ships. Demonetisation and the navy: Since 10 years we have stopped paying in cash and directly into account. All have an account and salary is credited in the account. We support the demonetisation and there is no issue emanating out of that. advertisement ALSO READ:Kolkata Police, Army spar on Twitter over deployment of forces at toll plazas --- ENDS --- More than six years after a shocking home-invasion that rocked the quiet Beauregard Town neighborhood, a Baton Rouge man accused of fatally shooting a 42-year-old single mother and wounding her then-9-year-old daughter learned Friday he'll stand trial next summer. East Baton Rouge Parish prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty against Aramis Jackson, 25, in the first-degree murder of Alexandra Engler and the attempted first-degree murder of Ariana Engler, now 15. State District Judge Tony Marabella set aside July 24 through Aug. 25 for the capital murder trial. Marabella ruled in mid-October that Jackson is not intellectually disabled a decision that cleared the way for prosecutors to pursue the death penalty against him. Jackson was identified by witnesses as the man they saw in the area shortly after the Sept. 24, 2010, shooting carrying a gun and a television believed stolen from the Englers' Beauregard Street home. A bloody shoe print found in the kitchen of the home was left by one of Jackson's shoes, a forensic consultant who specializes in footwear impressions testified three years ago at a hearing in the case. District Attorney Hillar Moore III has said the shoe print matched shoes found in Jackson's possession. Print found at scene An attorney for the Baton Rouge man accused of fatally shooting a woman in her Beauregard To Jackson's next court appearance is in February. Updated, 10:25 a.m.: The Baton Rouge man accused in the Thanksgiving weekend dismemberment of his parents in their Tennessee home isn't fighting his extradition back to that state, but he also isn't waiving his right to a formal extradition hearing, his court-appointed attorneys said Tuesday. Nineteenth Judicial District Court Commissioner Nicole Robinson scheduled Joel Michael Guy Jr.'s extradition hearing for Dec. 16 following a brief hearing in the case Tuesday morning. Guy wore an orange-and-white-striped East Baton Rouge Parish Prison jumpsuit for his court appearance. Prosecutor John Russell said the extradition hearing could be bumped into January if Tennessee officials do not have the necessary paperwork ready for next week's hearing. Original story: A Baton Rouge man accused of stabbing and dismembering his parents at their Tennessee home over the Thanksgiving weekend is due back in a Baton Rouge courtroom on Tuesday to decide whether he wants to waive his right to an extradition hearing. Joel Michael Guy Jr. appeared briefly in court on Thursday, where his court-appointed attorney, Lyn Legier, told ad hoc Judge Bruce Bennett that she may want to have her 28-year-old client evaluated by East Baton Rouge Parish Prison psychiatrist Dr. Robert Blanche. Bennett scheduled a hearing Tuesday morning for Guy to decide whether to waive his right to an extradition hearing. East Baton Rouge Parish Assistant District Attorney John Russell told Bennett that Tennessee officials are eager to have Guy returned to that state. Guy appeared in the 19th Judicial District courtroom in an orange-and-white-striped prison jumpsuit, and he was shackled. Guy was arrested Tuesday in Baton Rouge and is being held as a fugitive from Tennessee, where he is wanted on two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Joel Guy Sr., 61, and Lisa Guy, 55. The Knox County Sheriff's Office in Tennessee has said Joel Guy Jr. stabbed his parents in their home near Knoxville, dismembered their bodies and tried to dissolve their remains with a homemade acid-based solution. As Guy appeared in court, a few additional details emerge about his life. The Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts in Natchitoches confirmed that Guy graduated from there in 2006. He also previously attended Hahnville High School. Maj. Michael MacLean of the Knox County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday that investigators believe Guy, who was living in an apartment complex on Nicholson Drive, attended LSU before apparently withdrawing last year. LSU officials were unable to confirm whether he was ever a student there. Maclean said Guy is believed to have spent at least one night in the house in Tennessee after his parents were dismembered. He said deputies believe the couple was killed sometime between Friday and midday on Saturday. MacLean said Guy Jr., who was apparently unemployed since dropping out of school, arrived in Tennessee on Nov. 23, the day before Thanksgiving, and left the state on his way back to Baton Rouge on Sunday. MacLean said the parents who had been paying many of their son's bills while he lived in Baton Rouge were "in the process of encouraging him to fend for himself" and planned on talking to him over Thanksgiving about cutting off some of their support. Advocate staff writer Bryn Stole contributed to this article. Big changes could be ahead for health care under President-elect Donald Trump's administration, and hundreds of thousands of Louisiana residents could feel the impact. Trump remained relatively light on details about his plans for Medicaid and Medicare during his campaign, but health experts say that the advisers he's tapped are providing some clues as to what might be ahead for the safety net programs for seniors and the poor. "The signals, if you call them that, from President-elect Trump have been varied," Bill Corr, a former deputy secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Obama administration and now a senior adviser at Waxman Strategies, said during a health care forum this week in Maryland. "I think maybe President-elect Trump's signals are not the ones we should be looking at." Trump this week named U.S. Rep. Tom Price as his pick to become the next secretary of Health and Human Services, and health care policy consultant Seema Verma to serve as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Price, a Georgia Republican who currently chairs the House Budget Committee, has advocated legislation that would turn Medicare into a voucher system, in which the elderly would be given money to seek coverage on the private market. He also supports efforts to overhaul Medicaid, that would allot states blocks of money and leave major decisions to them as to who and what is covered. Supporters of privatizing Medicare and shifting Medicaid to the states say that the efforts will cut costs to the federal government and ensure longevity. Opponents argue that the changes ultimately threaten safety nets for the needy and shift costs to individuals and to states. The naming of Price, a staunch opponent of the federal Affordable Care Act and orthopedic surgeon, as the incoming HHS secretary won widespread praise from Republicans. U.S. Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, tweeted that he "can't think of a better person for the job!" "He is the right leader to help Congress replace Obamacare," former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Georgia, tweeted. Trump said consistently on the campaign trail that he planned to "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act and vowed to "protect" Medicare, but often didn't elaborate on what the future of health care might look like under his administration. It remains unclear how Trump's views will shake out with the newly appointed cabinet members and GOP-controlled Congress. But what's at state could be the health care of more than a million Louisiana residents. More than 351,000 people have received health care coverage in Louisiana through Medicaid thanks the federal Affordable Care Act since the state adopted expansion in July. And that population isn't strictly skewed toward Clinton-backing parishes. Similar in population size, East Baton Rouge Parish and Jefferson Parish show how the program's popularity spans voting trends. East Baton Rouge voted 52.3 percent in favor of Clinton to 43 percent Trump. Jefferson, meanwhile, voted 55 percent in favor of Trump to 40.5 percent for Clinton. But the number of Jefferson Parish residents who have enrolled in Medicaid under the recent expansion is 33 percent higher than East Baton Rouge, with 38,695 new enrollees in Jefferson Parish to 28,696 in East Baton Rouge. On top of Medicaid, there are more than 793,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Louisiana who could be impacted by changes to that program a number that has been steadily rising since 2011, when there were about 704,000. "Although President-elect Trump has not yet indicated any specifics, some of his promises made during the campaign would have a profound and significant impact in Louisiana," State Health Secretary Dr. Rebekah Gee said. The Associated Press reported this week that Senate Republicans are signaling a multi-step process with a repeal of the Affordable Care Act tied to a multi-year replacement. This is a failed piece of legislation, and its coming apart at the seams, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate Republican, was quoted as saying, but its going to take us a while to make that transition from the repeal to actually replacing it with more affordable coverage. Gee said the Louisiana Department of Health is currently analyzing the impact of various ideas that have been floated, including calls to eliminate the expansion or turn Medicaid into a block-grant program, and the Edwards administration is voicing its concerns about the impact on the state to Louisiana's congressional delegation. Under the expansion, adults who make below 138 percent of the federal poverty level about $33,500 a year for a family of four or $16,200 for a single adult are among the newly eligible population in Louisiana. The state budget that the Louisiana Legislature approved after two special sessions and the regular session earlier this year, relies on $184 million that the state will bring down in expansion dollars to fund other state services. The ACA provides that the federal government will pick up 100 percent of the tab for the states new Medicaid enrollees through the end of this year. The federal match rate will gradually scale back to 90 percent, with the state picking up the other 10 percent by 2020. "We are committed to working with President-elect Trump's Administration to ensure continued access to affordable health care to Louisiana residents," Gee said. A poll released Thursday by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation shows a quarter of respondents believe the Affordable Care Act should be entirely repealed. Nearly half of the poll's respondents said that the law should move forward as-is or be expanded upon, and 17 percent said that it should be scaled back. Some health experts predict that numbers will shift as plans move forward and more details emerge. "Once the public understands what's at stake, they will push back," Johns Hopkins professor Karen Davis said. "We need to assume they are going to try to fast track changes and that they want to move before the opposition is organized." Davis said that block grants will put it back onto the states to decide how to move forward with expansion, with many of them ultimately deciding that it's too costly to continue. "The poor and sick are going to be hurt," she said. "The healthy and the wealthy will generally be OK." The committee tasked with directing the state's recovery from historic floods that left thousands of homes damaged or destroyed throughout Louisiana has agreed to programs that aim to benefit small business and renters affected by the floods. Combined, the programs amount to about $32 million and will be funded by money coming to the state as part of a $437.8 million federal disaster recovery aid package. Gov. John Bel Edwards and the state's congressional delegation are now seeking additional federal aid this month. The other $406 million has already been directed to programs that help homeowners rebuild. Under the Restore Louisiana Task Force's recommendation, three separate small-business programs, with a total funding of $12 million, will be established: a loan and grant program, a recovery guidance program and a bridge loan for business that are still waiting for flood insurance payouts or other forms of assistance. Flood task force agrees to housing recovery plan The group tasked with leading the state's flood recovery has agreed to an initial round of h The rental program, which is about $20 million, will be set up to expand affordable housing options, repair damaged rental units and build new rental properties maintained by nonprofits or local government. These resolutions target two areas that the Task Force has identified as crucial in the flood recovery effort, said Pat Forbes, executive director of the state Office of Community Development. Small businesses are critical for sustaining local economies, while the rental program provides assistance in an area that was already under stress before the floods. We've all been hearing about how the recent presidential race was a "change election," a term analysts use to describe voters' general tendency to switch things up after a president's long tenure, successful or not. It certainly describes Donald Trump's win. If Trump doesn't mark a radical change from Barack Obama, the word has no meaning. But change elections don't just happen at the presidential level. We've seen them in Louisiana, when John Bel Edwards ran against Bobby Jindal's harsh fiscal legacy, eight years after Jindal sold himself as better prepared to handle disaster than Kathleen Blanco, who had run as a more eager recruiter of outside investment than the homebound Mike Foster. We've seen them at the municipal level, too. In New Orleans, voters who tired of Ray Nagin's lack of attention to governance gravitated toward the wonky Mitch Landrieu, eight years after Nagin's outsider persona seemed a refreshing switch from Marc Morial's insider approach. One of the more interesting aspects of the contest to succeed East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden after 12 years in office is that it's not shaping up this way. In recent editorial board interviews, I asked candidates Bodi White and Sharon Weston Broome if they viewed the race through this lens, and neither bit. And indeed, neither is really selling a whole new outlook to governance. Sure, there are problems they want to address, including the lack of economic opportunity in North Baton Rouge and the scourge of traffic everywhere. But neither is out there talking about undoing anything Holden did, and both speak approvingly of the city's success in revitalizing downtown. Perhaps the most notable development is that White, a major backer of the St. George separatist movement that Holden opposed, is now embracing unity. That probably says less about the candidates than it does about the incumbent. Holden's final stretch in office has been marked by some pretty flaky behavior. He was often missing in action during an emotional summer marked by the Alton Sterling police shooting, the massacre of several officers, and widespread flooding. He qualified to run for Congress against a strong incumbent, Cedric Richmond, but never got around to mounting a campaign. In the short term, that's the less-than-ideal image he'll leave behind. The tone of the campaign to replace him, though, points to a stronger, more substantive legacy. And really, it's an accomplishment in and of itself to leave your potential successors promising to build on what you've done, rather than undo it. The New Orleans City Council gave final approval Thursday to rules regulating short-term rentals in the city, after shooting down last-minute efforts to make the regulations more restrictive. The final rules are similar to those given preliminary approval by the council in October. Mayor Mitch Landrieu's administration negotiated those rules with Airbnb, the largest player in the market, in an attempt to get the company's voluntary cooperation with the city on data sharing and tax collection. The council voted 5-2 in favor of the regulations. Councilman Jared Brossett, who proposed several measures that would have tightened the rules, and Councilwoman Susan Guidry, who also has called for greater restrictions, voted no. The council also passed a package of ordinances laying out how the city will enforce the rules and penalize violators, and it authorized Landrieu to sign an agreement with Airbnb to collect hotel taxes and a fee from visitors using the site. Those measures passed unanimously. Council members who supported the rules along with officials from the Landrieu administration and Airbnb cast the package of regulations as a model for regulating the roughly 5,000 properties in New Orleans now listed on short-term rental sites, despite a longstanding citywide ban on the practice. And, pointing to data the city would require from Airbnb and similar platforms, they argued the new rules would provide a foundation that can be made more or less restrictive if problems develop. I would encourage both sides to know that anyone who votes yes on this agreement is not throwing a thumbs-up to short-term rentals; they are not capitulating to some global market, Councilman Jason Williams said. Instead, he said, the rules would rein in the current proliferation of short-term rentals in a way that can be changed at a later date. +7 City Council approves new short-term rental rules Short-term rentals to tourists would be legalized in most areas of New Orleans, with some li But Guidry, who has argued that those listing short-term rentals should be required to hold a homestead exemption proving they live at the site, said the city was giving up too much to the rental websites, something she said would harm neighborhoods and would mean residents wont know whos staying down the street from them and their families for more than a quarter of the year. I truly believe we can give (the companies) a message and push them harder, and they will come to recognize that they can still make a lot of money sitting wherever theyre sitting at their computers having this all come to them with more restrictions on them, Guidry said. The short-term rental debate has been going on for years in New Orleans as the practice spread from the French Quarter and other tourist-heavy neighborhoods to properties all around the city. Those listing their property on the sites argue that the money they've earned from renting to tourists has led to the rehabilitation of blighted properties and helped homeowners make ends meet. It's also less difficult for landlords than renting to long-term tenants, they say. Opponents, including many neighborhood groups, the hospitality industry and some affordable-housing advocates, have argued short-term rentals particularly of entire homes have cut down on the supply of units for residents, driven up prices and left neighborhoods hollowed out of permanent residents. Under the rules passed Thursday, several types of rentals will be allowed in the city. Residents with a homestead exemption will be able to rent out individual rooms or half-doubles as often as they want. Owners of apartments or condos in mixed-use or commercially zoned areas will be able to rent out their entire units year-round. And those who own residentially zoned properties will be able to rent out entire units for up to 90 days a year as so-called temporary rentals. None of those types of rentals will be allowed in the French Quarter where theres a decades-old ban on new hotels except for a six-block stretch of Bourbon Street. There will be no cap on the total number of short-term rentals in the city or in individual neighborhoods, something Councilman James Gray had wanted. I guess we didnt get that in the compromise, he said. Brossett failed to win passage of an amendment aimed mainly at the "temporary" rental of entire residential properties, which have become the most controversial aspect in the final version of the ordinance. Critics have expressed concern that the restrictions are loose enough that they will allow investors to buy up multiple properties that would be profitable even if they are rented only the allowed 90 days a year. Brossett's amendment, which lost 5-2, would have limited those rentals to 60 days or five separate rentals a year, required a homestead exemption to get a permit for them and limited any type of residential short-term rental to one property per block. I tried to propose reasonable restrictions on both the short-term rental zoning and enforcement ordinance, Brossett said. I strongly believe in the need to protect our neighborhoods. Another set of amendments Brossett proposed would have held companies like Airbnb liable for violations by those who use their site. That failed 4-3, with Brossett, Guidry and Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell voting for it. City officials have said its virtually impossible to enforce the existing ban on short-term rentals because of the difficulty in tracking down all the properties available in the city and the high bar of evidence required under existing ordinances. The enforcement mechanisms passed Thursday are aimed at addressing those concerns. Websites like Airbnb will be required to provide monthly data to the city on their users, including how often their properties are rented. Also, the city will be able to levy fines on local property owners who don't follow the rules. Eventually, the city also will be able to use property liens and even cut off electricity to punish violators. Deputy Mayor Ryan Berni warned that without cooperation from Airbnb and other sites, the city could find itself unable to enforce any new rules or else be stuck in years of legal battles with the platforms. The city has said owners renting out their properties will be required to get permits and be in compliance with the rules by April 1. It is counting on the websites to provide the city with information about those using the sites to assist in the process. Airbnb, the largest platform, will begin collecting hotel taxes and a $1 per night fee that will go toward an affordable housing fund starting in January. Its not clear how much those taxes and fees will bring in, though city officials are banking on at least $927,000 in hotel taxes in the first year, which will be directed back into enforcement. That enforcement will include monitoring sites, whether they have an agreement with the city or not, to check that their users are in compliance. One amendment that did pass, sponsored by Williams, would increase the permit fee for temporary short-term rentals from $50 to $150 a year for owners who lack a homestead exemption, something he said will help offset the increased costs and impact those rentals would have on the city. Airbnb and our host community are ready to do our part and honor our commitment to ensure this legislation achieves its goal of growing the local economy while protecting neighborhoods, Airbnb spokeswoman Laura Spanjian said in an emailed statement after the vote. Fewer advocates for either side of the debate showed up at Thursdays meeting than at previous hearings, when the council chambers were at standing-room-only capacity. The short-term rental owners who did attend and speak were, in large part, property owners in the French Quarter lobbying for rentals of their properties to be legalized as well. Opponents focused on a range of issues the need for affordable housing, evictions of long-term tenants in favor of short-term rentals and the loss of neighborhoods' identity as they called for stricter rules, though none asked for an outright ban. Council members argued that the rules on the table were the only way to reduce the spread of short-term rentals. Right now its proliferating, and we have zero control, Williams said. By PTI: Digvijay New Delhi, Dec 2 (PTI) Congress leader Digvijay Singh today came out in support of Mamata Banerjee over her protest against the Armys presence at toll plazas in West Bengal and suggested that the troops were deployed after the TMC chief took a stand against demonetisation. Singh said that in view of the "seriousness" of the matter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar should issue a clarification in this regard. advertisement "Mamata Banerjees only fault is that she has taken up the cause of the poor, the middle class and the deprived vigorously. She is going from state to state, talking about the problems caused by demonetisaiton. Therefore, it is a serious case," Singh told reporters in Parliament premise. Singh said a clarification in this regard should come from "not less than either the Defence Minister or preferably by the Prime Minister". CPI(M) MP Mohammed Salim alleged that the TMC chief was engaging in theatrics to grab attention. "Banerjee engaging in theatrics over the deployment of the Army is nothing new for people of West Bengal. She has been practising such politics over the past 10 years. Now people of the country will come to know how she is defaming others, even the army, out of her paranoia," he said. Banerjee remained at the state secretariat today to protest the Armys presence at toll plazas in several parts of the state and asked whether it was an "army coup". Army personnel, however, had evacuated the toll plaza near he office last night. PTI ENM/MP ENM GVS --- ENDS --- Canberra has two birth centres - at Calvary Hospital and the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children, catering for women who want to have "a low-intervention, natural approach to pregnancy and birth". They provide a relaxed, home-like environment for women to give birth, with support. Friends of the Birth Centres, Canberra held their annual barbecue at Weston Park on Friday. Credit:Breathe: Birth Support and Photography by Amey Friends of the Birth Centres is a local group for families who have been through the experience. It held its annual get-together of parents and bubs and older children at Weston Park on Friday and launched its 2017 calendar. David Eastman has vowed he will continue to fight his murder charge after his latest failed bid to avoid a retrial for the shooting death of police chief Colin Winchester. He is now likely to face a jury for the second time over the alleged murder in a six-month ACT Supreme Court trial planned for mid-next year. David Eastman was arrested for the murder of Colin Winchester in December 1992 and spent 19 years behind bars before his conviction was quashed. Credit:Graham Tidy Eastman's murder conviction was quashed and he walked free in 2014 after nearly 19 years behind bars for the alleged killing of Mr Winchester, a senior AFP officer, in Canberra in 1989. Prosecutors later pushed for Eastman to face a retrial, prompting him to launch a bid to permanently stave off facing a second jury over the killing. ACT Police are investigating a spate of four suspected overdoses of teenagers in Canberra, all of whom were hospitalised on Thursday. Police reported received separate reports of four teenagers being hospitalised after ingesting an unknown quantity of prescription medication often prescribed for nerve pain, epilepsy and fitting conditions. Four teenagers were hospitalised after overdosing on prescription medication in Canberra on Thursday. Credit:Louie Douvis All four were treated at Calvary and Canberra Hospitals and ACT Policing's criminal investigations unit are investigating how they came into contact with the medication. Police warned that people should only take prescription medication if advised to by their doctor, as inappropriate use can cause serious adverse health effects. The "will they, won't they" move on Investa Office Fund by its largest shareholder, Cromwell Corp, has thrown the spotlight on to the real estate investment trust sector, prompting speculation of a fresh round of mergers and acquisition activity in the coming year. It comes with only 29 more days to the end of 2016, which has been a turbulent year for the Australian REIT (A-REIT) sector. Takeovers and share buybacks could dominate the A-REIT sector, which invests in office towers. Adrian Harrington, the head of funds management at Folkestone, said the extent of the recent sell-off was not surprising given the level to which bond yields fell and A-REIT prices rose. The dramatic bond sell-off over a short period has affected many yield-sensitive investments, and A-REITs have not been immune. "The question investors need to ask is whether the rapid rise in bonds will continue and A-REIT prices fall further, or has the pendulum swung too far, too quickly?," Mr Harrington said The first industrial revolution could have turned out badly. That it didn't, that it created prosperity rather than destroyed jobs, has forever since given technophiles and free-market economists a licence to rubbish anyone who complains about jobs and incomes vanishing as a result of technology, even if they are right. That's the concern of 64-year-old Kaushik Basu, an Indian economist and expert in game theory who was until a few weeks ago chief economist of the World Bank. Former World Bank chief economist Kaushik Basu worries about wages. Credit:Pat Scala At Melbourne's Monash University this week to renew contacts before returning to Cornell University where he will specialise in macroeconomic research, he says the declining importance of paid work is one of the few things that worries him more than President-elect Donald Trump. In fact, he believes it's behind the rise of President-elect Trump. Basu says throughout advanced economies the share of national income paid out as wages has dropped precipitously since the start of the information technology and automation revolutions that began in the mid-1970s, the first time this has happened in modern history. The Victorian government has launched an emergency intervention to stop a workers' strike that could threaten the state's gas and energy supply. Three unions told gas supplier Esso Australia on Tuesday that 600 onshore and offshore workers would walk off the job indefinitely next Friday to bring a long-running dispute over conditions to a head. A strike by Esso's onshore and offshore workers has been terminated due to the impact on the economy. Credit:Rob Homer Esso, a joint venture between global energy giant ExxonMobil and BHP Billiton, is Victoria's main gas supplier and a back-up supplier to South Australia, NSW and Tasmania. The strike promised by the Australian Workers Union, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and the Electrical Trade Union would affect the Longford gas plant, the Long Island Point processing and storage plant, and gas rigs in the Bass Strait, and could cut gas supply to factories, businesses, homes and electricity providers. The second occurred on the steps of state Parliament a few days later, when he stood alongside farmers and greenies to highlight a national first: laws banning the controversial practice known as fracking. The first took place at Labor's state conference, when Andrews unveiled the single biggest response to homelessness Victoria has seen in decades: a $109 million package to help people sleeping rough or in temporary shelters. In the lead-up to Tuesday's anniversary of his second year in office, Premier Daniel Andrews made three big announcements that said a lot about how his government wants to be viewed at this stage of the electoral cycle. Indeed, by the time Andrews reached his midterm milestone, there was no round of media interviews to mark the occasion, let alone the glossy brochures his predecessors used to put out, because the government's narrative was pretty clear. "Just getting stuff done that's what's most important," the Premier said. "We had four years, sadly, where not much happened at all. I think we've turned that around, but there's a lot more to do." Whatever you think of this government's vision for the state, you could hardly accuse it of complacency. When it comes to policy, Team Andrews has set a frenetic pace, methodically ticking off most of its election commitments thanks in part to a healthy surplus. When it comes to firepower, there are enough solid performers on Labor's frontbench to help sell the first term agenda, which is half the battle in an ever-shifting 24-hour news cycle. And when it comes to leadership, there's no denying that Andrews has used his authority to reposition Victoria as a more progressive state than it has been in years, staring down critics on social issues, such as gay equality, abortion, or the school curriculum. But this, of course, is only half the story. The alternative version the one the Opposition wants to you to believe is that this is a government that puts ideology ahead of people, run by a hardline left-wing leader who likes "picking winners and losers": union boss Peter Marshall versus former Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett; supporters of Safe Schools versus "homophobes" and "bigots"; the Western Distributor in Labor heartland versus the East West Link in mostly Liberal territory. It's also fair to say, on some measures, Andrews has had the most chaotic start to a political term in years. Three ministers have left cabinet in 17 months: Garrett (who was forced to resign over the firefighters' EBA); Adem Somyurek (stood down over bullying allegations) and Steve Herbert (caught misusing his ministerial car to chauffer his pet dogs). Illustration: Cathy Wilcox "This idea is shared across the political divide. Making something is seen as intrinsically more worthy than services, which are derided as flipping burgers or taking in someone's washing." The problem for the much-derided angry white man is that he can rage all he likes but it won't change the inexorable forces of jobs growth. Manufacturing accounts for about 7 per cent of GDP and services account for 70 per cent. The smart move for job hunters is into the services industry, and sensible politicians will help men make this transition. So far, we haven't seen much of that, for all Malcolm Turnbull's talk of innovation and agility. Politicians have instead sought to appease these blue-collar workers by propping up ship-building in South Australia, as the Turnbull government and Nick Xenophon Team have done, or by prolonging life support for the car manufacturing industry, as previous Labor governments have done. Donald Trump rode to power promising to restore manufacturing jobs in the United States rust belt, an economically impossible task. But these backward-looking pledges only betray the men they purport to help, says Janine Dixon, a Victoria University economist who also addressed the Melbourne Economic Forum. "We need to help people, not industries," Dixon says. "Politicians are doing people a disservice, giving them the false hope that the type of manufacturing jobs that were around a generation ago will still be around in the future. "For young people, there is still a chance to train for something else." The problem is, rightly or wrongly, for a certain type of man, there is no masculine credit in nursing, or cooking food, or helping the elderly and disabled go to the toilet with dignity, or cleaning other people's houses, or manning the till at a department store. These are all chicks' jobs. Service jobs also tend to be more casualised, and less secure, than the old-school job for life at the local manufacturing plant, the kind of job that could support a wife and children. Casualised and part-time work tends to be lower paid, but often suits women who have (unpaid) caring responsibilities at home. But this is precisely where things could get really exciting. Maybe this slow economic revolution could usher in an equality revolution. Consider it the more men who enter these service and caring industries, the more likely the provision of services will be seen as "noble", worthwhile work, which is also deserving of a decent wage. The casual nature of this work, while inherently insecure, might also have an upside for men. If you have days off during the week, or your work day finishes at 3pm, you are more likely to be around to pick up the children from school, or to sit in on your daughter's ballet practice. The Army issued a statement on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's charge and furnished documents to prove that the state government was intimated of drill. By India Today Web Desk: The Indian Army today said its deployment in West Bengal was part of its routine exercise across the country. It has also termed allegations of the Army collecting money at toll plazas as "baseless". Major General Sunil Yadav, GOC Bengal Area, said the Army formations in the Eastern command at local levels are carrying out routine annual data collection exercises. He also said the exercise involves collection of data in all the North Eastern states, including Assam, Arunachal, West Bengal, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Sikkim on the availability of load carriers at all major entry points in various states in coordination with the local police authorities. advertisement Speaking to mediapersons, he said a joint inspection was carried out by the Army and the Kolkata Police at the site of toll plaza on November 27. "This is an exercise carried out for our operational purposes," he said. Also read: Plot to kill Mamata Banerjee? TMC alleges her plane was running low on fuel, ATC kept it on hol The senior Army officer vehemently denied allegations of the Army collecting money at toll plazas. "This is baseless, we deny this charge," he said. Meanwhile, the Army issued a statement on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's charge and furnished documents to prove that the state government was intimated of drill. Also Read: Mamata Banerjee locks herself in office to protest Army's presence at toll plazas in state While Mamata has opposed the Army's presence in the state, calling it a "coup" and locked herself up in the Secretariat, other Opposition leaders have called the exercise as an attack on the federal system. Amidst threat by Mamata that the state government will fight legally if the Army did not withdraw, the force emphatically said their ongoing exercise will not be called off before midnight today. "Army deployment (in West Bengal) won't be called off. The routine exercise will continue till midnight today," said Wing Commander SS Birdi, Eastern Command CPRO. Also Read Mamata Banerjee locks herself in office to protest Army's presence at toll plazas in state Kolkata Police, Army spar on Twitter over deployment of forces at toll plazas --- ENDS --- So now it is just being baldly stated: facts are dead. This week Trump henchman Scottie Nell Hughes said on NPR that "there are no such thing as facts". Just like that. On air. When people were listening. I think we can all agree that is as daft as it is dangerous. So how did we get here? The more time I spend in America, the more worried I become not just about the abandonment of fact, but how we came to a point where trust in the media is the lowest it has been since 1972. A recent Gallup poll concluded: "Before 2004, it was common for a majority of Americans to profess at least some trust in the mass media, but now, only about a third of the US has any trust in the Fourth Estate, a stunning development for an institution designed to inform the public." It is frequently claimed that we are living in a world where correct information is no longer considered important. The Oxford Dictionary called "post-truth" the word of the year, defining it as "relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief". If Peter Dutton really wanted to deal with the difficult issues in his portfolio rather than scoring cheap political points against protesters who engage in civil disobedience, he might have come to see Chasing Asylum, a feature documentary that screened in Parliament House on Tuesday night, just a few metres from his office. But he didn't. Neither did the Prime Minister, who recently claimed, falsely, that our refugee policy is "generous". Neither did anybody from the government. Sarah Hanson-Young, who hosted the screening, sent out 4000 invitations, including to all MPs and their staff, but the only politicians who attended were Senator Hanson-Young herself and one member of the ALP. The other attendees were ambassadors from a range of European countries, an embassy official from the United States, and a handful of journalists. Eva Orner introduces the film Chasing Asylum to a near-empty theatre. Credit:Sean Davey Chasing Asylum shows us the real impact of Australia's offshore detention policies. It features footage secretly obtained from inside the offshore detention camps, revealing the personal impact of sending those in search of a safe home to languish in limbo. It makes us witness to the mental, physical and fiscal consequences of Australia's decision to lock away refugees and asylum seekers in unsafe and unsanitary conditions, hidden from media scrutiny, destroying their lives under the pretext of saving them. The film was released theatrically in May. It is the highest grossing Australian documentary of the year. In the past few weeks it has been broadcast by the BBC in Britain and NHK in Japan. By the middle of next year it will have screened throughout Europe and in the United States. Since the premiere in Toronto in April we have participated in more than 80 question-and-answer sessions at screenings in Australia and around the world. This week's Parliament House screening was the first occasion that one of these sessions was not packed. In fact, it was barely attended at all. It's a shocking indictment of our lawmakers, virtually none of whom have ever visited our offshore detention centres, that they appear to have such disinterest in seeing for themselves the impact that the laws they have enacted are having on the people affected by them. Politicians pursuing good, principled policy development in Australia's national interest would, we'd have thought, prefer to act on evidence rather than on the political expediency of "stop the boats" sloganeering. By showing the film in their own workplace, we could hardly have made it easier for them to do so. In other policy areas it has been a productive period in Parliament. Last week a new industrial relations law was passed that included the strongest protection for whistle blowers ever legislated in this country. Individuals who dob in union officials even for minor infractions, even if they do it anonymously, and even if it is done in bad faith are protected from having their identity disclosed, and reprisals against them including inadvertent ones are illegal. But under our border protection laws, if you are a school teacher or a welfare worker in Manus or Nauru, acting in the utmost good faith, you face imprisonment for two years for blowing the whistle on a security guard who has raped a young child. All of this suggests that our politicians have an inexplicable but very serious blind spot when it comes to people seeking asylum. And they want to blind us, too. The film includes gut-wrenching testimony from social workers, health workers, a security official and department of immigration official, all of whom worked on Manus and Nauru. Yet people like this now operate under the cloud of legislation that can impose jail time for telling the truth. As citizens whose tax dollars are spent in vast sums to enforce this policy, and who have a right to make an informed choice in the ballot box, we are entitled to hear what they have to say. Youth crime is a complex and sensitive public policy challenge; it means balancing deterrence, rehabilitation and public safety. Riots at the Parkville youth detention centre suggest the Victorian government might be messing it up. For close to a decade, governments have been warned that the Parkville centre was so unsuitable it should be replaced, but no action has been taken. Window pain. There have been about 12 riots at the facility during the past year. The place has been trashed. In response, the government moved several dozen teenagers to an adult jail. In so doing, Premier Daniel Andrews portrayed himself as a tough-on-crime leader. This decision was despite various child welfare advocates, legal experts, public accountability watchdogs and human rights advocates warning it would do more harm than good. Putting children in adult prisons reduces any chance of their staying connected to family and community, and undermines rehabilitation. Employers who take on workers with disabilities are overwhelmingly glad they did. Almost 90 per cent report benefits including improved morale, getting skills they might not get in another way and greater customer loyalty, according to the second annual disability confidence survey released to coincide with World Disability Day. Australian Network on Disability chief executive Suzanne Colbert says there has been no improvement in hiring workers with disabilities for the past 20 years. Credit:Tamara Voninski But roughly half of all employers don't and, according to the survey, the chief response as to why they don't is "not sure", followed by "no one with a disability has applied to work with us". Only 22 per cent say the type of work they do is unsuitable, and only 3 per cent are concerned about the cost of refitting their workplace. "On their face, the results are encouraging," said Australian Network on Disability chief executive Suzanne Colbert. The previous year, the French ministry for tourism had decided not to give its highest credential ("Palace") to the hotel; it appeared that the Ritz's particular brand of slightly fussy, old-world luxury had been overtaken by slick, Asian-managed enterprises like the Mandarin Oriental and Shangri-La. The chandelier, like everything else in the hotel, was placed into storage in 2012 to make way for a thousand or so artisans stonecutters, masons, plasterers, carpenters, roofers, cabinetmakers charged with reinvigorating one of the world's most famous addresses. Three years later, it was reinstated by another government.) The bedroom is the Imperial Suite of the Paris Ritz, the crown jewel of the grande dame which reopened in June, 118 years after its original opening, following four years of renovations. We've all been there: that moment in the midst of a particularly ambitious home-improvement project when you realise the chandelier in the master bedroom is too big to fit through the door, so will need to be hauled through the window. The window, in this case, overlooks the Place Vendome, the octagonal square in Paris's 1st arrondissement notable for the jade-green column erected by Napoleon I to commemorate the Battle of Austerlitz. (The monument was a little too imperial for the Paris Commune, who tore it down in 1871. The column of Place Vendomewith Napoleon's statue on top, the Garnier Opera house and the Sacre Coeur basilica illuminated at night. Credit:Getty Images But while the rooms now feature iPhone sockets and TVs hidden behind mirrors, the hotel's aesthetic is still quite distinct from the bland good taste exhibited by many other global names. Owner Mohamed Al-Fayed's $620 million renovation, overseen by the New Yorkbased architect Thierry W. Despont, retains the place's showiness, or, well, Ritziness: peach-pink towels to flatter a woman's complexion, the ubiquitous scent of sweet amber, hooks for handbags, gold swans for faucets, and porcelain cloches for butter dishes. The main building, an 18th-century townhouse built by a superintendent to Louis XIV, is heritage-listed, so no changes could be made to its facade. Instead, dimensions inside were adjusted to optimise space and light, with the number of rooms reduced from 159 to 142. There is still no lobby to speak of, because Cesar Ritz, the hotel's Swiss creator, thought it would encourage loitering by the riff-raff. The hotel, which is part of the Leading Hotels of the World group, is proud of its history, and takes pains to celebrate it where appropriate. In 1910, Gabrielle Chanel opened her first hat shop at 21 rue Cambon, on the other side of the building from the Place Vendome. In 1919, she stayed at the Ritz for the first time and, in 1937, moved into a suite on the third floor overlooking Napoleon's column. Now located on the second floor for more light, the Coco Chanel Suite has been lovingly recreated with the help of the House of Chanel. Everything is lacquered black and white and sand (surprisingly, she loved the beach), with crystal lamps in the Chanel style, photos by Horst and Beaton and other fashion greats, and two Goossens tables. What's not mentioned in the official Ritz magazine, though widely known, is that when the Germans requisitioned the Place Vendome side of the Ritz in 1940, Chanel moved into an apartment on the other side, in the eaves on the sixth floor, and also had a relationship with Hans Gunther von Dincklage, a high-ranking German officer. The Bar Hemingway, which opened in 1994, is named after another famous regular with a wartime connection. It's said that as a correspondent embedded with the American troops who landed on the Normandy beaches in 1944, Hemingway spoke often of his desire to "liberate" the Ritz, where he had spent many hours at the bar. On August 25, 1945, he arrived at the hotel in a commandeered jeep, armed, to fulfil his mission. (You can imagine the hotel manager, Claude Auzello, telling the excited American that the Germans had left long ago, and to put down his weapon, s'il-vous plait.) Now the bar is a paean to old-school machismo, all fishing rods and brass fixtures. When you add the taxidermy and the reliable rhythm of martinis being shaken, it also feels oddly like Brooklyn, though 30 euros for a cocktail elevates the experience out of hipster territory. Last year David Jones was lambasted for being the Grinch who stole Christmas thanks a dismal window display now in 2016 the department store has got more festive cheer than a Mariah Carey holiday album. Since early November CBD commuters would be forgiven for thinking Carey herself is performing on the corner of Market and Elizabeth streets thanks to the big crowds flocking to the flagship store at all hours to inspect the five animated windows. David Jones' Christmas window display is attracting big crowds once again. Credit:Edwina Pickles For decades the retailer has featured intricate displays of nativity sets, Santa's workshops, elves and reindeer, much to the delight of families, shoppers and passers-by. The feel-good sentiment changed last year though when the windows were dressed in merchandise and decorated with illustrated stencils by artist James Gulliver Hancock. There was a public backlash with people taking to social media slamming the project inspired by "the timeless love children have for colouring" and blaming the store for "ruining Christmas". This year the shine has returned and like a phoenix rising from the ashes, or Carey bouncing back after her flop film Glitter, David Jones is displaying season's greetings on steroids. And when Melania Trump decided she was staying in New York City rather than moving to the White House so that the Trump's young son, Barron, could finish the school year, the Post was first with the news, too. It was sourced to two unnamed people "familiar with the Trump transition." Almost as soon as Donald Trump wrapped up his ostensibly off-the-record meeting with TV news executive and anchors last week at Trump Tower, the New York Post's scrappy gossip column, Page Six, had the first inside account. So far, so good in the Age of Trump for the 215-year-old tabloid. The paper and Trump go way back, to his days as an up-and-coming New York real estate developer and man about town. Long before he ran for president, long before "The Apprentice," Trump was the star of hundreds of Post news stories, Page Six items and pieces by the paper's longtime gossip columnist, Cindy Adams. During the soap-opera drama of his adulterous romance with Marla Maples in the early 1990s, for instance, Trump appeared on the paper's cover for eight straight days. It was during this stretch that he was the subject of one of the most famous headlines in the paper's history of famously colourful headlines: "Best Sex I've Ever Had," based on an oversharing quote supposedly uttered by Maples. The paper's long-standing relationship with Trump may now be paying off with some inside tips about - or possibly even from - the new president-elect and his inner circle. "It's his hometown paper," says a source in the upper reaches of Trumpworld. "He was an eccentric billionaire living in Manhattan. They've always had a sort of mutually beneficial relationship. It was proximity and convenience." But this source, speaking anonymously so as not to get crosswise with either Trump or the paper, said a past relationship doesn't guarantee a future one: "I don't think one paper is better positioned than any other." In fact, in his first encounter with print journalists as president-elect last week, Trump met with reporters and editors from the New York Times, the strait-laced graduate student to the Post's rambunctious undergrad in the New York media firmament. The Post doesn't seem likely to get a visit anytime soon. The ABF is not able to conduct basic investigative tasks, including arresting suspects, which has allowed criminal labour-hire firms to act with relative impunity and to recruit tens of thousands of unlawful migrant workers. Border Force officers go after potential illegal workers. Credit:Joe Armao Figures also suggest that Australia's asylum protection application system is being gamed by labour-hire syndicates to allow the foreign workers they control sometimes as indentured labour to extend the time they can work. For instance, the number of Malaysians seeking asylum has more than doubled in two years, with the vast majority of these claims rejected. During the processing period, the Malaysians work in horticulture. Sources with knowledge of the farming sector say a suspected corrupt labour-hire firm operator who supplied undocumented and underpaid workers to Simfresh and other farms across NSW and Victoria, has generated many millions of dollars in profits. The operator was able to leave Australia, thwarting efforts to investigate him, because the ABF lacked the power to arrest and interview him. Border Force officials find two workers. Credit:Joe Armao The Friday raids come after Fairfax Media and the ABC 7.30 program recently exposed major farming companies and supermarket suppliers, including Cutri Fruit and A & G Lamattina & Sons, as allegedly using exploited illegal migrant workers. The reliance on underpaid and unlawful foreign workers by many farmers may get worse with the new 15 per cent tax the government will levy on every dollar earned by backpackers, which will potentially drive away what Malcolm Turnbull described as "rich, white kids from Europe" and increase the reliance on migrants paid illegally. A Border Force official arrests workers. Credit:Joe Armao The recent revelations also raise questions about whether major supermarkets are doing enough to protect the integrity of their supply chains as price wars have driven down the cost of produce. This has forced farmers to cut margins, and encouraged some to use underpaid, illegal foreign labour. The recent farming sector exposes have prompted a flood of calls and emails from overseas workers and backpackers who claim to have been exploited at farms across the nation. Bringing in an alleged illegal worker. Credit:Joe Armao Legitimate labour-hire firms have also claimed the reliance on unlawful and underpaid migrant workers in the horticulture sector makes it impossible for companies that pay legal wages to survive. The managers of two labour-hire companies supplying major farms in Victoria's food bowl and over the border in NSW said they had been recently forced out of business because they are unable to compete. A sixth-generation Victorian farmer told Fairfax Media there was "very little future in farming at the status quo, due to the fact I am not willing to employ illegal labour". Bringing in an alleged illegal worker. Credit:Joe Armao That farmer asked for his name not to be used because he didn't want "a shotgun up my backside." In response to the recent revelations, the National Farmers Federation will host a round-table meeting in mid-December to promote a "culture of zero tolerance of overseas worker exploitation in the horticulture sector". Meanwhile, leading citrus producer Simfresh, which is based in Gol Gol on the NSW border, is suspected of running two sets of employee books to conceal the use of illegal migrant workers. The practice suggests that people in senior ranks of the company, which has been the source of multiple complaints to immigration authorities, have known about the use and exploitation of migrant workers. Simfresh, Vizzarri Farms and Cutri Fruits have all been the subject of previous visits by immigration officers. The fact that these firms are suspected of continuing to use illegal overseas labour is, according to well-placed sources, indicative of the farming industry's belief that policing and regulation is ineffective. Investigations into Simfresh and Vizzarri Farms are examining whether there have been criminal breaches of the Migration Act involving companies knowingly and repeatedly using unlawful labour. If the inquiries lead to criminal prosecutions, they will be major landmark test cases the first time authorities have used criminal provisions in the Migration Act to target employers. Simfresh, which is run by the Simonetta family, had no comment on Friday, other than to say it had procedures in place to prevent the employment of illegal workers. Vizzarri did not respond to requests for comment. Migrant Worker Taskforce chief Allan Fels describes the abuse and exploitation of overseas workers across a range of industries as "systemic", and the Fair Work Ombudsman's Harvest Trail Inquiry has documented a catalogue of worker exploitation in the horticulture sector. Senior government officials say major reforms are desperately needed, including amendments to the Migration Act. Loading Thousands more people will call Sydney's northern beaches home over the next few years, after the Baird government unveiled plans to transform a large slice of undeveloped land into a new suburb with more than 3000 homes. For more than 80 years, Ingleside, a short drive from Mona Vale, has been eyed off by successive NSW governments as Sydney's next suburban haven. On Friday, NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes announced the suburb would finally proceed as he unveiled draft plans that would result in up to 3400 houses and terraces being built on 15 hectares of open space, and a further 200 hectares of preserved bushland. "This is a land release that has been spoken about since the 1920s," Mr Stokes said. "This is a very long time in the making." A man is in hospital after being stabbed in Sydney's northern beaches. Shortly before 9.30pm, police were called to Pittwater Road, Dee Why, after two men, who are known to each other, were involved in an altercation. Officers arrived to find a man, aged in his 30s, suffering multiple stab wounds to his back. He was treated at the scene by NSW Ambulance Paramedics, before being taken to Royal North Shore hospital where he remains in a stable condition. A man, aged in his 50s, was arrested at the scene. He was taken to Dee Why Police Station where he is currently assisting police with inquiries. By PTI: Kolkata, Dec 1 (PTI) Army personnel at the toll plaza near West Bengal state secretariat Nabanna have moved away late tonight as demanded by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Journalists went to the toll plaza of the second Hooghly bridge and found that the Armymen were no longer there. A temporary shed set up for them was also removed. advertisement There was no official version from the Army about the removal. The Chief Minister, who refused to leave office till Army personnel were removed from that toll plaza, however, still put up at Nabanna. PTI SCH NN SMJ --- ENDS --- The first person to be charged under Queensland's "one-punch" law has pleaded guilty to killing a grandfather last year. Ariik Mayot attacked 56-year-old Lindsay Ede as he was walking from his home to his brother's Goodna house, southwest of Brisbane, on June 22, 2015. Mr Ede was punched from behind, causing him to fall to the ground and hit his head. Mayot was originally charged with grievous bodily harm but the charge was upgraded to the state's recently introduced unlawful striking causing death offence after Mr Ede died in hospital on July 15. A drag race gone wrong has led to the death of a man in Melbourne's north. Firefighter looks inside car whilst it smolders. Credit:Patrick Herve Police believe a car that crashed into a power pole, flipped and burst into flames on Saturday morning in Pascoe Vale was involved in a drag race with another car. Detective Sergeant Mark Amos told Nine News Melbourne it was obvious the cars were travelling at speed. Police at the scene questioning witnesses and the other driver. Credit:Patrick Herve "It simply highlights the lack of experience," he said. "It's clearly obvious that these cars were travelling at speed sheerly by the fact that one of the power poles has been cut in half." Major collision investigation unit detectives are investigating the circumstances that led to the crash on Pascoe Vale Road about 1am. Police spokeswoman Creina O'Grady said it is believed the two cars, a white Nissan coupe and a blue Ford Focus hatchback, were travelling north along the major arterial at "high speed" when one of the vehicles clipped the other. "As a result, the coupe left the roadway and struck a power pole near the intersection of Marks Street," she said. "After crashing into the power pole the Nissan flipped onto its roof and burst into flames." The driver died at the scene. The driver of the other car, a 19-year-old Craigieburn man, is assisting police with their investigation. Nearby resident George told Nine News Melbourne he heard two vehicles take off at the lights, and it sounded as though they were "flying". He said he heard two loud bangs so he ran out into the street to find the car on fire. He attempted to douse the car using a garden hose but to no avail. Detectives are appealing for witnesses. Phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 33 000 or file a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au FATAL CRASH AT BOISDALE A passer-by alerted emergency services to the scene of a fatal car crash in Boisdale, in the state's west, just before 10.30pm on Friday. A police spokeswoman said it was believed the driver of a red Holden ute lost control of the car as it approached a bend in Boisdale-Newry Road, near the intersection of Back Valencia Creek Road. "It appears that the utility left the roadway, travelled over a spoon drain and came to rest on its roof," she said. The 34-year-old driver, who was the sole occupant of the car, died at the scene. INCENSE THE CAUSE OF CAULFIELD GARAGE FIRE Fire investigators say incense that had been dropped into a bin is behind a fire that broke out in the garage of a house in Caulfield. The occupants of the house in Cranham Street called emergency services about 3.20am after hearing explosions coming from inside their garage, the door of which appeared to be melting. Eighteen firefighters were dispatched to the scene and managed to control the fire in 17 minutes. An Ambulance Victoria spokesman said the cause had been investigated and found to be some incense, which had been left burning in the garage and thrown in a bin. Firefighters managed to control the blaze before it spread to the house. The occupants of the house were unharmed and evacuated safely. LEARNER DRIVER CAUGHT SPEEDING IN ST ALBANS A 24-year-old learner driver was caught allegedly driving unaccompanied at 140km/h, double the speed limit, in St Albans on Friday afternoon. Police say they were patrolling Taylors Road, St Albans about 3pm when they saw a black Honda coupe travelling north at high speed in a 70km/h zone. Conservative Turnbull government MPs are recruiting members of hardline micro parties such as Family First and the Australian Christians, in a move described as a "horrifying" lurch to the right that could thwart the Liberals chances at the next Victorian election. Former defence minister Kevin Andrews is believed to be attending micro party meetings and holding church-based community forums in a broad bid to attract more members from the religious right, sparking deep divisions in the state branch. Kevin Andrews has been accused of recruiting conservative Christians. Credit:Andrew Meares In a statement to Fairfax Media, a spokesman for Mr Andrews did not confirm or deny the claims, other than to say the MP "encourages people who share the values of the Liberal Party to join". Deakin MP Michael Sukkar argued that getting more members into branches was critical to fighting Labor's well orchestrated grassroots campaigning, adding that those opposing new memberships were using fears of Christian conservatives as "a red herring". One call-out to a Preston hotel room ended Rob Campbell's 30-year policing career, with the Melbourne sergeant who was shot on duty retiring after being recognised for his courage. On Friday, Sergeant Campbell was awarded the Victoria Police Star, which recognises officers killed or injured on-duty, and the Medal for Courage for his actions on October 2, 2014. That night, a man by the name of Martin Pilli was suicidal and armed with a knife in a room in the Sleep N Go hotel on Bell Street, Preston. He was trying to hang himself when Sergeant Campbell, Senior Constable Michelle Belaj and First Constable Justin Russo burst in. A Victorian man jailed for stabbing a woman repeatedly in the face and almost severing her nose says it's unfair his sentence is almost as long as the one given to a man who shot dead a friend while taking a selfie. Christos Papathanasiou, who has schizophrenia, had a psychotic episode when he stabbed his cousin's ex-wife after she made him a coffee on December 14, 2015. Christos Papathanasiou stabbed his cousin's ex-wife in the face and head with a 20-centimetre knife. Credit:Rob Homer The 34-year-old pleaded guilty to intentionally causing serious injury, and theft and burglary charges, and was on Friday sentenced to a maximum of seven years and six months in prison, with a non-parole period of four years. Moments after Victorian Supreme Court justice Michael Croucher sentenced Papathanasiou, the former drug addict accused the judge of corruption. The Turnbull government has sent a stern warning to Fremantle council to move its Australia Day celebrations back to January 26 or be banned from hosting citizenship celebrations. The council caused outrage in August when canned its traditional Australia Day fireworks and then angered both the Barnett and Turnbull governments when it announced a "culturally-inclusive alternative event" on January 28 instead. Fremantle council's decision also caused a storm on social media, with thousands of people venting their anger at the city on the WAtoday Facebook page. Now Assistant Minister for Immigration Alex Hawke has written to the City of Fremantle, threatening to stop it holding any citizenship ceremonies unless celebrations were moved back to January 26. A prominent Perth child psychiatrist has pleaded guilty on Friday morning to a long list of child porn charges - including filming young boys' genitals as they urinated in public toilets. Dr Aaron Voon, the former director of Cockburn Central's Successful Development and Therapy Centre, was found to have more than 400 explicit pictures on his computer and storage devices after police conducted raids at both his clinical practice and his Mount Pleasant home. The 41-year-old also had 12 videos featuring young boys urinating in public toilets, unaware they were being recorded. The videos were recorded in 2016 in Perth, New Zealand, the United States and Canada. Washington: Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does government. If no one knows what to do, if there is chaos and indecision, then the person with the clearest vision - for good or for ill - wins the argument. That's the lesson of the Russian Revolution, of Weimar Germany, and, without meaning to overdramatise - we are not talking about events on that scale - that's also the lesson of Brexit Britain. British Prime Minister Theresa May this week in London. Credit:Getty Images Britain is past the surprise of June's referendum and well into the stage of trying to make Brexit happen. Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to invoke Article 50, the legal mechanism for leaving the European Union, next March. She won cheers at her party conference by declaring that "Brexit means Brexit". She does not appear to be deterred by a court decision requiring more parliamentary scrutiny of the process. But because the European Union is so many things - a trading bloc, a manager of agricultural subsidies, a coordinator of anti-terrorism teams, a funder of culture and scientific research - this statement is farcical. Protester hold flags bearing the Islamic testament of faith - one of them upside down - at the rally in Jakarta. Credit:Jewel Topsfield Another National Police spokesman, Boy Rafli Amar, said there was a suspicion some were planning a treason attempt and wanted to exploit Friday's rally for activities other than praying. He said those arrested had been monitored for up to four weeks. "We detected indications of efforts to separate today's activities with other aims," he said. Marchers hold signs demanding that Ahok be jailed and that the Koran be defended. Credit:AP High-profile identities arrested included two-star general Kivlan Zein, activist Sri Bintang Pamungkas, theatre artist Ratna Sarumpaet and Indonesian rock musician Ahmad Dhani. Ahmad Dhani had told a similar rally last month that he was "very sad and crying" to have a president who did not respect the habibs (men who claim descent from the family of the Prophet Muhammad) and ulema (Islamic scholars). A protester at the national monument, Monas. Credit:Jewel Topsfield A lawyer for Rachmawati Soekarnoputri told Fairfax Media his client had been picked up at 4.30am and was being interrogated for allegedly committing treason on December 1. Yusril Izha Mahendra said the arrest was unrelated to the November 4 rally. A young protester holds a poster demanding the imprisonment of Jakarta's governor, popularly known as Ahok. Credit:Jewel Topsfield Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, a member of Indonesia's Christian and ethnic Chinese minorities popularly known as Ahok, has been named a blasphemy suspect by police after he accused his critics of deceiving voters using a verse from the Koran. His case dossier has already been submitted to the North Jakarta District Court and he is expected to stand trial within weeks. If convicted, he faces a maximum jail term of five years. But this has not satisfied his critics and the nation has been restive after last month's protest of up to 200,000 people turned ugly after nightfall. One man died of an asthma attack after tear gas was fired into the crowd, hundreds were injured and vehicles were torched. Tensions have been high in the capital ahead of Friday's rally, with a social media campaign calling for a run on the banks and hoax news reports and rumours rife on the internet. The Australian government issued a travel update strongly advising people to stay away from the protest, which it said may turn violent. Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who was criticised for not meeting demonstrators last month, cancelled a planned state visit to Australia last month and has spent the last few weeks meeting Muslim leaders, police and military and calling for calm. Later on Friday Jokowi, as the president is popularly known, and other cabinet ministers joined the crowd for prayers. He thanked the crowd on behalf of the government for conducting the rally peacefully and urged them to safely return to the places from which they had come. "Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest), " the president said. The rally was peaceful, with volunteers handing out water and snacks, some demonstrators carrying white roses and people respecting signs to keep off grassed areas despite the masses. Many in the crowd, most of whom were wearing white, took selfies of themselves and their friends. They sang the national anthem and a derivation of a popular song sung at birthdays, with the words: "Arrest Ahok, just do it now." "Why are people coming from outside of Jakarta? Because of our love of the Koran," preacher Bachtiar Nasir told the crowd. One of the demonstrators, Rohman, told Fairfax Media he had travelled from Tegal in Central Java, some 270 kilometres east of the capital, to attend the rally. Rohman said he had come to pray for the nation, defend Islam and uphold the law in Indonesia. "What is wrong is wrong," he said. "If he (Ahok) is declared a suspect he should automatically be arrested." One woman, awed by the size of the crowd, remarked it looked like Mecca. "And still he is not arrested!" she exclaimed. Melissa Crouch from the University of NSW said post-1998 democratisation had given greater voice to Islamic organisations, who used their freedom to promote an Islamist agenda that claimed to uphold the law. "In fact, they subvert it," she wrote at policyforum.net. "By demanding the attorney-general arrest Ahok, they are already presuming charges will be laid. By a show of force in the capital, Islamists issue an implicit threat to the judiciary who may hear the case - we will mob your courtroom next. So much for a fair and impartial hearing." Loading By PTI: Kohima, Dec 1 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today affirmed that Assamese and Naga people have been sharing a close relationship and still continue to share the common goal for people centric development on both sides of the border. "We need to work together in mission mode and give a boost to Saabka Saath, Saabka Vikas," Sonowal said during his address at the inaugural function of the 10-day long Hornbill Festival of Nagaland at Kisama. advertisement On the border crisis between the two states, Sonowal suggested constituting committees, comprising of MPs and MLAs and local people to undertake visits to the bordering districts of Assam and Nagaland to facilitate confidence building measures and strengthen mutual trust and a sense of togetherness. Security forces on both sides of the border areas need to be extra cautious, he said. Recalling his meeting with Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang on October 17 at Kaziranga, he termed it as a fruitful dialogue, wherein they agreed to work for a lasting solution in the areas of illegal migration, life and security to the people of both states and cultural and sporting exchanges between the two states. "I am confident that we will work jointly to protect the North East region as a hub of potentialities, possibilities and prosperities and position it pan-India showcasing its unmatched beauty in tourism, culture, forest and environment," Sonowal said. The Assam CM sought cooperation from Nagaland to work in areas of mutual interest like Rhino poaching, intelligence sharing on extremist activities and crime control in both states. Addressing the gathering Nagaland Governor P B Acharya said "All tribes of Nagaland have their unique and indigenous festivals. Hornbill Festival has gone a long way in giving boost to tourism in our state and this is a miniature representation of the rich art and culture, spotless beauty of Nagaland and it showcases the cultural diversity of the state." "The Hornbill Festival is an ideal way to revive, conserve and sustain the richness of the Naga heritage and culture. This festival is the symbol of our unity amongst our tribes," the Governor added. Nagaland Chief Minister T R Zeliang in his address said, "We try to show you a glimpse of our culture in its true colour and vibrancy through the festival. Whilst the Nagas are moving fast towards modernity and civilisation, we are equally determined to preserve our tradition and culture, which are the hallmarks of the Naga identity." "We hope to leverage this as an important driver of the states economic development," he added. PTI NBS DKB --- ENDS --- advertisement Auto Lab Radio LIVE From NYC Saturday December 3, 2016 7-9 AM (Eastern) The Auto Lab Radio Show is Broadcast every Saturday 7 to 9 AM On New York City's WNYM Radio AM 970 and Streamed Worldwide On The Auto Channel Broadcast Date: December 3, 2016 Car Question or Concern? Call Toll Free 888-692-7234 Auto Lab is a 28 year old interactive automotive-focused New York area radio call-in show hosted by Professor Harold Wolchok. Each week a cadre of experienced hands-on automotive experts are in-studio with advice for the New York area's 12 million people, providing listeners with honest, practical and street-smart car repair and buying advice. Auto Lab is also about the automotive industry, its history, and its culture, presenting the ideas and advice of leading college faculty, authors, and automotive practitioners in a relaxed, conversational interactive format. Listeners can hear the past 18 years of archived Auto Lab shows as simulcast on www.theautochannel.com. Listen - Auto Lab Page (Includes Audio-on-Demand Archives, Auto Programs at Community College Database, Guests Pictures Broadcast Date: December 3, 2016 Expert's Auto Answers - Repair Second Opinion, Regular Maintenance, How To's, Safety, Used and New Car Buying, Ombudsmen Suggestions from These Auto Lab In-Studio Experts Harold Bendell- Major Auto Fred Bordoff-Bronx Community College, CUNY Tim Cacace-Master Mechanix David Goldsmith - Urban Classics Auto Repairs Peyton Knight- Knights Automotive Repairs Jerry Pastore-D & J Diagnostic Johanna Pastore-D & J Diagnostic Joanne Porcelli, Esq Michael Porcelli - Central Avenue Auto Repairs & I-CAR Nicholas Prague- MTA and Rockland Community College, SUNY Auto Lab Correspondents Report Auto Safety News, New Car Reviews, Technology and Latest Auto World Information That May effect You! Broadcast Date: December 3, 2016 Robert Erskine, Senior European Correspondent, Suffolk England HYBRIDS? NOT JUST ANOTHER DEY Dr. William Sharfman, Automotive Journalist and Consultant "PRIUS PRIME PLUG-IN HYBRID Sharon Sudol & John Russell Senior Correspondents TOYOTA TACOMA PICK UP TRUCK VW JETTA 1.8 TURBO Robert Sinclair-AAA Northeast AAA ADVISES THAT FINDING A TRUSTED MECHANIC IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER By PTI: Hyderabad, Dec 1 (PTI) Independent solar energy producer Azure Power announced that it has started the construction of its 100-megawatt (MW) solar power plant in Andhra Pradesh. The company said in a statement that it has secured land and financing for this project, which was auctioned by NTPC, and designated under National Solar Mission for a total capacity of 1,000 MW of solar power projects at Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar Park. advertisement The solar park is being developed by Solar Park Implementation Agency (SPIA) and Andhra Pradesh Solar Power Corporation Limited (APSPCL), it said. "The tariff on the project will be Rs 5.12/ kWh (USD 0.077) and the company will supply power to NTPC for a duration of 25 years. The project is expected to get commissioned by second quarter 2017," the statement added. PTI RS NRB BAL --- ENDS --- Hospital offers safe option to dispose of meds, narcotics Los Robles Health System is working to crush the opioid drug crisis by raising awareness about the dangers of opioid misuse and the importance of safe and proper disposal of unused or expired medications. Crush the Crisis will take place... Alzheimers Foundation to host free conference The Alzheimers Foundation of America will host a free virtual educational conference from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tues., Nov. 15. The event is part of the foundations 2022 national Educating America Tour. The conference, which is free and open... Authorities warn about rainbow fentanyl Victims often arent aware theyre taking it The Ventura County Office of Education and state health officials have issued a warning to schools and families about rainbow fentanyl, a form of the potentially fatal synthetic opioid that comes in bright colors. Rainbow fentanyl can be found in... Cancer support community to host remembrance event Cancer Support Community Valley/Ventura/Santa Barbara invites family members and friends of those who have died from cancer to attend the second annual Evening of Remembrance from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thurs., Nov. 3 at Cancer Support Communitys Garden of Hope,... By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 2 (PTI) The baby food industry has violated the Infant Milk Substitutes Act (IMS) that bans promotion of breast-milk substitutes at least 54 times between 2008 and 2016, according to an industry watchdog. The survey conducted by Breastfeeding Support for Indian Mothers, a Facebook group with more than 29,000 members, showed that more than half of the 950 mothers who delivered in private hospitals were given artificial baby milk. Out of these, 2/3rd were given without their knowledge. advertisement It also found that children were given the formula without the knowledge of their mother. Any kind of promotion for baby foods and feeding bottles for children aged upto 2 years, including advertisements inducement of sales, pecuniary benefits to doctors or their associations including sponsorship is banned under the IMS Act. "Aggressive marketing by baby food companies and sponsorship contribute to increased use of formula at the time of birth and later by undermining breastfeeding and every effort should be made to curb such invasive promotion," Dr Arun Gupta, Central Coordinator, BPNI and Regional Coordinator, IBFAN Asia said. "Despite the directives issued by the government of India, the baby food manufacturing bottle companies are still violating the IMS Act," Gupta said. According to Euromonitor report, 10,847 tonnes of standard infant formula (0-6 months age group) was sold in India in 2012, which is 10,847,000 kg of milk powder. "Converting this into containers of 400 grams, it means India sells about 27 Million containers of 400 gms each year, almost equal to its babies born. Going by the estimated growth of formula industry in 2022, this figure will be 32.7 million," he said. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), artificial feeding is an established risk factor for child health like causing more of diarrhoea, respiratory or newborn infections, allergies as well as obesity and adult health diseases like diabetes and heart disease. PTI PLB AYP --- ENDS --- He reflected on the joy of fighting his opponent. He said that protesters who burned flags must face consequences. He announced a high-level cabinet pick ahead of schedule on national television. He said that foreign leaders marveled at his success. Donald Trumps Thank You tour, a series of rallies in states he won in the presidential election, began in Cincinnati, Ohio as more of a haphazard airing of grievances than a heartfelt thanksgiving. It was the same type of spectacle that characterized the entirety of his divisive campaigna winding self-congratulatory speech that focused more on his own past successes than the road ahead. After appearing at a Carrier plant in Indiana earlier in the day, a kind of warm-up for the night show that was to take place some 120 miles away, the President-elect took the stage at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati as attendees struggled to arrive on time because Trumps own Secret Service had shut down travel in the surrounding area. I didnt know what came with this position, Trump seemed to joked about the traffic his presence had created. In front of adoring fans once again, Trump couldnt help but revert to a mode of campaigning, ribbing his opponent Hillary Clinton and even her supporters. We did have a lot of fun fighting Hillary didnt we? Trump bemusedly said at one point, launching the crowd into chants of Lock her up, a common refrain throughout the campaign. Just over a week ago, both Trump and top adviser Kellyanne Conway said that they were not interested in pursuing charges in the investigation of Clintons private email serverwhich is not up to the discretion of the president in any event. Trump even went so far as to say, I dont want to hurt the Clintons, I really dont, during an interview with The New York Times. But what Trump says at any given moment is not dependent on the remarks that have preceded itand so the man who branded Clinton as a criminal was not shy about returning to his habitual refrain, given the opportunity. This is the same President-elect who has signaled, first in his election night remarks and later in interviews, that he wants to govern the entire countryone which gave him 2.5 million fewer votes than his opponent. But when a protester briefly interrupted the nights ceremonies, Trump turned to the crowd and scoffed: They dont know that Hillary lost a couple of weeks ago. It was deja vu from his rallies many months ago. Reveling in the reality-show nature of his cabinet selection process, which has been replete with live newsfeeds from his gold-encrusted Trump Tower and photographed dinners with prospective candidates, Trump gleefully broke the news to the crowd that he would be selecting retired Marine Gen. James Mattis for the position of Secretary of Defense. But were not announcing until Monday so dont tell anybody, Trump as if gossiping to a chatty group of friends in the high-school lunchroom. His son, Donald Trump Jr., reacted to the news in a similar way, happily tweeting: Ha @realDonaldTrump on tv in front of thousands we are going to announce Maddog Mattis on Monday dont tell anyone keep it in the room. Yet just hours before, when news leaked that Mattis was the official pick, spokesperson Jason Miller said that no decision had yet been made. The campaign has not responded to a request for comment from The Daily Beast about the matter. (Ironically it was reported immediately before the rally that former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski told a panel at Harvard University that the problem with the media was that you guys took everything that Donald Trump said so literally.) Who knows what is true anymore? As was the case throughout the campaign, on Thursday night Trump was eager to embrace controversy rather than avoid itcrafting sound bites that would thrill the masses and end up in ceaseless broadcasts on CNN. He relitigated a firestorm that started two days ago when he tweeted Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flagif they do, there must be consequencesperhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail! Do you agree with my stance? If people burn the American flag, there should be consequences, right? Trump said on Thursday, trying to rope news into the headlines once again. Of course, Trumps own campaign banked on a lack of consequences on Election Day, no matter how radical his pronouncements or behavior during the 2016 race. That ethos is apparently following him into office as he becomes the next leader of the free worldone who is preoccupied with griping about petty recounts, reveling in his surprising victory and taking aim at each and every person who stood in his way, from the media to protesters to dumb politicians. The bottom line is we won, the President-elect said in Cincinnati. And to Trump, thats all that matters. Donald Trump is going to be sending a Mad Dog to run the Pentagon. President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday night that retired Marine General James Mattis would be his Secretary of Defense, making him only the second general to lead the department. Trump confirmed the nomination at a rally in Cincinnati, Ohio on Thursday night, despite his campaign having denied it earlier that day. Were not announcing until Monday so dont tell anybody, Trump said in his trademark style, in front of a televised, public rally. Mattis selection marked uncharted terrain for the Pentagon, as the retired general will be the first at the post in 65 years. He has at various points been nicknamed Mad Dog and Warrior Monk, and went by the call-sign Chaos during the invasion of Iraq. He served in the Marine Corps for 41 years until his 2013 retirement, and could become only the second general to lead the department. During his service, Mattis, 66, was in the trenches, popular with his troops. And that would make him the first Defense Secretary who is both a general and war fighter. If confirmed by the Senate, Mattis would become the nations 26th Defense chief. The law prohibits a general from serving in the top civilian post unless he has been out of uniform for seven years. Because he has been out of the military for just four years, Mattis confirmation would demand Congress to pass legislation allowing for an exception for Mattis. And it will demand a recently retired general to navigate a job designed to signal that the U.S. military ultimately answers to civilians rule, not the desires of those in uniform. The Marines after all say, once a Marine, always a Marine. Now, the wartime warrior now will lead the largest government bureaucracy. Mattis last job in the military was as head of U.S. Command, which is responsible for military operations across the Middle East and in Afghanistan. In the Republican-controlled Congress, Mattis is tremendously popular. Conservatives who were opposed to Trumps nomination tried to draft him into running as a third-party candidatean invitation he eventually turned down. Top defense hawks in Congress, have heaped praise on Mattis, indicating a smooth pathway to approving a waiver. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain recently told The Daily Beast that he was a great admirer of the general due to his combat experience in both Iraq and Afghanistan. In fact, teams of lawyers on Capitol Hill have been working now for nearly two weeks on how to provide Mattis with a waiver. Mattis was among the most revered generals to emerge out of the Marine Corps from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is known as a blunt man, an orator and a leader deeply devoted to his troops. His way of describing the reality of war has become legendary within the Marine Corps. The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears, Mattis once famously said. He could also be blunt. I come in peace. I didnt bring artillery. But Im pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, Ill kill you all, he told defeated Iraqi military leaders after the initial invasion. And sometimes, his words raised eyebrows. In 2005, when speaking to a conference in San Diego, Mattis talked about how much he, at times, enjoyed killing the enemy. Actually its quite fun to fight them, you know. Its a hell of a hoot, Mattis said. Its fun to shoot some people. Ill be right up there with you. I like brawling. Even though Mattis is a widely celebrated general, not everyone was keen on having a recently retired general leading the department. There are some who feel there should be a clear divide between the generals and the civilians who are constitutionally tasked to lead the military. Mattis is keenly aware of those concerns, those close to him say. He will not be alone in making the transition to a civilian national security post. The retired four stars immediate contact within the White House would be retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, a three star, which could be awkward as both men shift to top civilian jobs. Moreover, a 2008 Pentagon Inspector General report singled out Marine Corps Combat Development Command, which Mattis then commanded as a three star general, for not seeing the urgency in getting vehicles with V-shaped hulls that deflect bombs, known as MRAPs, to the war zones fast enough. When Marines killed 24 unarmed Iraqi civilians in the homes in the city of Haditha, including women and children, in what survivors described as an indiscriminate shooting spree after a fellow Marine was killed by a roadside bomb, Mattis, then head of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, Calif., dismissed many of the charges In writing of his reasons for dismissing the murder charges against one of eight Marines eventually charged, Lance Cpl. Justin I. Sharratt, Mattis said the death of innocents is a part of war. With the dismissal of these charges LCpl Sharratt may fairly conclude that he did his best to live up to the standards, followed by U.S. fighting men throughout our many wars, in the face of life or death decisions made in a matter of seconds in combat. And as he has always remained cloaked in the presumption of innocence, with this dismissal of charges, he remains in the eyes of the lawand in my eyesinnocent. Mattis, like Trump, is not a fan of the Iran deal. Indeed, Mattis considers Iran a major foe. But unlike Trump, Mattis is not an isolationist. And where Trump is instinctive, Mattis is contemplative, taking his time before making decisions. Mattis is also an avid reader, often assigning his troops extensive reading assignments before deployments. That said, like Trump, he is very versed in the power of aphorisms. He once explained his approach to life to fellow Marines as the following: Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet. He promised spiritual counseling and a shot at parole. But for years, Kenneth Dewitt, the aging chaplain at an Arkansas lockup, called female prisoners to his office for special training and raped them instead. Dewitt was sentenced to five years for assaulting three women at the McPherson Unit in Newport from 2013 to 2014. He originally faced 50 counts of sexual assault, each carrying 10 years behind bars, but took a plea deal this summer. Now the crooked clergyman is named in a lawsuit from one of his victims, Leticia Villarreal, a single mother from Mexico. Villarreal claims Dewitt sexually assaulted her 72 times, or every Monday for about a year and a half. Dewitt, 68, degraded Villarreal while he assaulted her, calling her his Mexican whore and my Mexican, the lawsuit states. You are a criminal from Mexico. No one will help you here but me, so you better do as you are told, Dewitt allegedly told her. In an interview with The Daily Beast, Villarreal said Dewitt preyed on women who had no family and few visitors. Nobody wrote me letters. I was pretty much abandoned, said Villarreal, who was released from prison and deported last year. I didnt have much education, I was an orphan and grew up on my own. That made me a target, she added. Villarreals lawsuitwhich also lists several corrections officers as defendantsprovides a deeper look into allegations of Dewitts sickening abuse and requests damages for medical expenses, as well as an overhaul of prison policy in Arkansas. The complaint, which alleges a violation of civil rights and negligent training and supervision, also comes as the U.S. Department of Justice investigates allegations of sexual abuse of inmates at the penitentiary. Dewitt made national headlines in December 2015 after he was charged. Back then, The Daily Beast revealed Dewitt based his jail teachings on those of Bill Gothard, an evangelical minister accused of sexually harassing more than 30 women. Yet no one appeared to suspect this white-haired man of the cloth was a wolf in sheeps clothing, who secretly coerced prisoners into sex on a schedule. He assaulted one inmate on Sundays, another on Mondays and a third on Wednesdays, prosecutors said. One victim told police that Dewitt had her sit in a chair and perform oral sex on him while he stood at the door, keeping watch. Previously a Baptist minister, Dewitt founded his prison program, Principles and Applications for Life, in 1999. He resigned in September 2014, after a former inmate wrote a letter to prison officials stating, Chaplain Dewitt and I had a moral failure, and sparked an investigation, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. Shockingly, the state Department of Correction honored him as its employee of the year just one year before. There are so many people out there pretending to be something, Villarreal said of Dewitts abuse of authority, but theyre really criminals. The 43-year-old said she became acquainted with Dewitt not long after moving to the United States and going to prison. Villarreal immigrated to Arizona and later to Texas in 2001 to escape her abusive husband in Mexico. She told The Daily Beast she worked as a waitress and a stripper in Texas, struggling to make ends meet for her three children. She was arrested four years later as a passenger in her brothers vehicle, which was transporting drugs. According to Villarreal, her sibling and two other male passengers lied to cops, telling them the cocaine belonged to her. (These claims could not be confirmed by The Daily Beast, but online court records show Villarreal has a conviction for cocaine possession with the intent to deliver. Meanwhile, her lawsuit states she was sentenced to 40 years.) The distraught mother sought help to turn her life around once she was incarcerated in 2007. So she signed up for Dewitts non-denominational P.A.L programwhich the parole board looked favorly uponand became a counselor whose duties included translating for Hispanic inmates. But in January 2013, Dewitt came to her with an opportunity for advancement and asked her to report to his office the following Monday at 6 a.m., her lawsuit states. When she arrived, Dewitt locked the door and said he knew how very attracted [she was to him], court papers state. The pastor then allegedly told Villarreal he wanted to give her sexual training in order to be a true woman of God. Despite Villarreals refusals, Dewitt groped her and told her she had no choice but to accept his authority, the lawsuit states. Before she left the room, he allegedly reminded her to visit his office every Monday morning or else. What happened between them was a private matter, Dewitt allegedly warned, and if she ratted him out, no one would believe her. Villarreal continued to visit the preachers post every Monday at 6 a.m. out of fear, the lawsuit states. Once she arrived, Dewitt would lecture her for 30 minutes on how to have a proper relationship with God, then rape her and force her to perform oral sex. Dewitt also allegedly told Villarreal she should be grateful for his training and suggested she become a missionary in Mexico and thus a woman of Godliness. The chaplain warned Villarreal that if she told anyone about the abuse, she would be put in segregation and never leave prison. She never reported the sexual assaults and began to contemplate suicide. The only thing keeping her from killing herself was the thought of seeing her children again, the lawsuit states. Villarreal did not only suffer emotionally from the sexual assault; she acquired sexually transmitted infections from Dewitt, court papers allege. Dewitt routinely bragged about his sexual exploits during PAL lectures, the lawsuit alleges, and told his flock he acquired herpes during his glory years as a playboy. Villarreal repeatedly sought help from medical staff for pelvic pain and bleeding, as well as sores in her mouth that nurses called lie bumps, the complaint says. According to the lawsuit, another of Dewitts victims had similar symptoms in her treatment history but medical staff did not report this to higher-ups. Dewitt allegedly continued to assault Villarreal until late July 2014, when he left for a trip and his assistant chaplain Stacey Smith took over. Smith, who was also sleeping with Dewitt, was a former inmate serving a 60-year sentence on drug charges but granted clemency by former Gov. Mike Huckabee. Smith called Villarreal into the chaplains room and said she knew about the Monday sex sessions with the pastor, the lawsuit says. Then, in an utterly bizarre gesture, Chaplain Smith said she forgave [Villarreal] before ordering her to leave the office, court papers allege. The next day, Villarreal asked Smith to remove her from the PAL program, but Smith said she couldnt without Dewitts permission, the complaint states. Villarreal also asked another corrections employee, Tonya Gates, to change her barracks assignment but Gates also allegedly deferred to Dewitt. Villarreal claims Dewitt was furious when he returned from vacation, demanding she not ask for removal from his program again. With the help of Sergeant Phillip Allen, Dewitt escorted her back to his office, the complaint says. According to the lawsuit, Allen offered to pepper spray Villarreal and toss her into solitary confinement if Dewitt needed help. Once in the pastors quarters, Villarreal was berated by Dewitt until she promised to keep quiet about the abuse. In September 2014, Dewitt changed his tone, asking Villarreal to forgive him for raping her. The chaplain informed her authorities were on his tail, and he asked her to lie to investigators, court papers allege. (That month, Smith told prison officials in a letter about her moral failure with Dewitt.) Villarreal didnt reply, because Dewitt appeared mentally unstable, and she was worried about her safety if she said the wrong thing, the complaint states. Still, in December 2014, she reported the sexual assaults to the chaplains temporary replacement and was told a warden would interview her. Villarreal claims in her lawsuit that the warden never took action but that Arkansas State Police came knocking months later. Villarreals lawsuit suggests a network of chaplains and prison employees allowed Dewitt unfettered access to potential victims. Kristina Gates, a prison chaplain known as Gramma and who is named as a defendant, continued facilitating phone calls between Dewitt and one of his victims even after he resigned, court papers allege. Because of Grammas help, Villarreal initially felt unsafe in reporting Dewitts assaults. Indeed, its unclear how Dewitts sexual abuse went undetected by prison officials. Wendy Kelley, hired as the director of the state Department of Correction after Dewitts resignation, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that the chaplains office was on the units main hallway and had a floor-to-ceiling window. But that clearly wasnt good enough, Kelley told a reporter at Dewitts plea hearing. So we made some moves to prevent that from ever being able to happen again. (The prison knocked down some walls to prevent blind spots.) The Arkansas Department of Correction, as well as Dewitts attorney, declined to comment on Villarreals lawsuit. Joseph Lacome, an attorney for Villarreal, said he has a list of five other possible victims of Dewitts abuse and is awaiting the results of the DOJs probe into McPherson. The [Arkansas Department of Corrections] can make it look like, Well, weve done our job, but I think its more systemic, Lacome told The Daily Beast. Theres a lot more going on in that prison. The election of Donald Trump as president of the United States has implications for virtually every facet of American life, domestic policy, foreign policy and, more broadly, our standing in the world. But amid very real concerns about how, exactly, hell decide to govern and who, exactly, hell enlist to help, is another worrying reality: The vast and unpalatable network of know-nothing yes-men and morally bankrupt strivers surrounding Donald Trump the Candidate didnt vanish on Election Day, and their presence now deserves more scrutiny, as it has the potential to change more than just what we hear on cable television, but the trajectory of the next four years. Which brings us to Corey Lewandowski. Lewandowski is a short, nerve-ending of a man powered by energy drinks and contempt. Despite never having run a presidential campaign before, he served as Trumps first presidential campaign manager. In that capacity, he abided by the general rule, let Trump be Trump. In March, he forcibly grabbed a female reporter at a campaign event in Jupiter, Florida, leaving her with bruises on her arm. He was arrested after the incident, but not prosecuted. Lewandowski wasnt long for the Trump campaign, at least not officially. A few months after the Jupiter incident, in June, he was fired, though he continued receiving substantial payment and remained in contact with Trump, even after being hired as a commentator by CNN. On air, he acted as an unofficial spokesman for the candidate, never uttering a critical word and often contorting himself uncomfortably to answer for his sins. Earlier this month, just a few days after Trumps victory, he left the cable network. The New York Times reported hed expressed interest in a senior adviser role in the White House. And sure enough, hes been seen entering Trump Tower, previously the headquarters of the Trump campaign and now the nerve center of the presidential transition. As an informal adviser who may work in the incoming administration, he is now a reflection of an incoming presidentGod help us. On Thursday, at a Harvard University confab for the political operatives who worked for Trump and his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, Lewandowski made a series of troubling statements for anyone concerned about maintaining a free press, or just a grip on reality. We had one of the top people at The New York Times come to Harvard University and say, Im willing to go to jail to get a copy of Donald Trumps taxes so I can publish them, Lewandowski said, Dean Baquet came here and offered to go to jailyoure telling me, hes willing to commit a felony on a private citizen to post his taxes, and there isnt enough scrutiny on the Trump campaign and his business dealings and his taxes? He added, its egregious, and Baquet should be in jail. A few problems with this: The New York Times didnt break the law, federal or otherwise, by publishing a portion of Trumps 1995 income tax returns, which were filed in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, which are states. As Mark Joseph Stern explained in Slate, federal law simply doesnt punish the disclosure of state tax returns. For that matter, neither does relevant state law: New York, New Jersey and Connecticut do not have any parallel statutes governing unauthorized publication of tax returns. Theres also the issue of Lewandowski being under the impression that Trump is and should be treated as a private citizen. Trump hasnt been a private citizen since Grease was in theaters. Hes been courting public attention since the late 1970s and has been a tabloid fixture since the 1980s. Hes bragged about his wealth and his sex life on the radio and in his own books. He created a lifestyle brand and starred on a reality show. He sold fucking steaks with his name on the packaging. He started openly toying with the idea of running for president in 1988, and continued to stoke the speculation all the way through 2015, when he finally announced. Lewandowski, of course, didnt respond to a text message asking how hed arrived at the conclusion that Trump is a private person. Also at the conference, Lewandowsi made it a point to complain that the media took Trump literally, as if the words of a presidential candidate and now president-elect should be interpreted sarcastically unless instructed otherwise. This is the problem with the media, he said, You guys took everything that Donald Trump said so literally. The American people didnt. They understood it. They understood that sometimes, when you have a conversation with people, whether its around the dinner table or at a bar, youre going to say things, and sometimes you dont have all the facts to back it up. Of course, Trump never said things without all the facts to back it up at a dinner table or a bar (he claims he doesnt even drink!), but on debate stages, in nationally televised interviews and at rallies, where he often read off a teleprompter. As to how this works practically in a White House, its anyones guess. If President Trump orders the military to bomb a country, should they assume he means it in some abstract rhetorical wayshould they just tweet at the countrys leaders instead? What if they follow orders and bomb the country, will Trump claim it was a mistake, since he was just fucking around? Can President Trump assume a position of real authority at home or in the world if his own lackeys maintain that his wordsarguably one of the most vital tools a president hashave no meaning? It sure will be fun to find out. Lewandowski isnt the only Trump-adjacent figure to suggest something like thisnot even the only one in the last 48 hours. On a radio show on Wednesday, Scottie Nell Hughes, a CNN contributor and Trump surrogate, said that reality no longer exists. One thing thats been interesting this campaign season to watch is that people that say facts are factstheyre not really facts. Everybody has a way its kind of like looking at ratings or looking at a glass of half-full water, she said. Everybody has a way of interpreting them to be the truth or not true. Theres no such thing, unfortunately anymore, of facts. And so Mr. Trumps tweet, amongst a certain crowda large part of the populationare truth. When he says that millions of people illegally voted, he has some factsamongst him and his supportersand people believe they have facts to back that up. Those that do not like Mr. Trump, they say that those are lies and theres no facts to back it up. What will it mean to have Corey Lewandowski in a position of influence in a presidential administration? And what will it mean for the Scottie Nell Hugheses and Katrina Piersons of the world to be spinning what will become state-sanctioned propaganda on cable airwaves? Those who know Trump say hes most influenced by whoever was the last person to talk to him, and the last person to talk to him often did so through the television, his biggest obsession. That means even the supporting charactersthe people with less obvious sway than Steve Bannon or Jared Kushnerhave a chance to affect his thinking, and thus the country. In his first interview after winning the presidency, Donald Trump hinted that he will shift policy in the Syria conflict from one of support for the moderate opposition to collaboration with the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Syria is fighting ISIS, and you have to get rid of ISIS, Trump said. As for the rebels that the U.S. has backed fitfully for the past three years, he said: We have no idea who these people are. But the president-elect appears to be ill informed about Assads key role in the rise of the so-called Islamic State. In this three-part series, Pulitzer-Prize-winning investigative reporter Roy Gutman documents the Syrian dictators sinister contributions to this tale of terrorism and horror. First, Assad tried to ingratiate himself with Western leaders by portraying the national uprising against him as a terrorist-led revolt. When that failed, he released jailed Islamic extremists whod fought against U.S. troops in Iraq, then staged phony attacks on government facilities, which he blamed on terrorists. Far from fighting ISIS, Assad looked the other way when it set up a state-within-a-state with its capital in Raqqa, and left it to the U.S. and others to take the battle to the Islamic extremists. ISTANBULWhen Syrias national uprising began in March 2011, Gen. Awad al Ali was in charge of criminal investigations in the Syrian capital. One year later, the countrys top police professional was a marked man. A string of mystery suicide bombings had targeted major security installations in Damascus and Aleppo, Syrias biggest city, starting in late December 2011, and al Ali, fearing hed be next, took the modest precaution of blocking off a street near his office. The real threat, he later concluded, was not from terrorists that the regime said was behind the suicide bombingsbut from the regime itself. The first sign the regime was behind the bombings was when a top military aide to President Bashar al Assad stopped by al Alis office to examine his security arrangements. Gen. Salim al Ali, Assads special assistant for Damascus affairs and no relation to Awad al Ali, wasnt there to urge better precautions. Just the opposite. On Friday, March 16, Selim Ali telephoned Ali from the Republican Palace, al Assads presidential residence. The street you blocked is to be opened, Salim Ali told him. This is an order from President Bashar al Assad. Awad al Ali kept the barricades in place, and one day later, suicide car bombers attacked two other security installations in Damascus and a third in Tadamon, far from any a security building. He concluded he was the real target. If he had taken down the barricade, I and my colleagues would be dead, al Ali, who has served the opposition coalition as interior minister and acting defense minister, told The Daily Beast in an exclusive interview. Al Alis narrow escape convinced him that the Assad regime staged the string of suicide bombings beginning three months earlier to back up its narrative that terrorists threatened the state. His story adds to the conundrum Western leaders face as they respond to the Islamic State terror group, which claimed credit for downing a Russian passenger plane in October 2015, the deaths of 130 people in Paris in November 2015, the killing of 32 civilians in Brussels in March of this year, and other assaults in Istanbul, Baghdad, and Dhaka Bangladesh since then. Should western powers collaborate with the Syrian government and Russia in fighting the Syria-based jihadist group? The series of mystery bombings inside Syria starting at the end of 2011, pieced together from interviews with high-level defectors and other security personnel, suggests the real question is whether the regime is fightingor promotingreligious extremists. It should be noted that Awad al Alis judgment, while widely endorsed by top-level defectors from the Assad regime, is not shared by the U.S. government, which holds that Al Qaeda terrorists were behind the string of bombings. The CIA declined to comment. But that may be because U.S. intelligence never debriefed him. In the first 18 months after he defected, U.S. officials invited him in only once, to discuss how to set up a police force in the post-Assad Syria, and never asked him what he knew about the Assad regime. A two-year investigation found that U.S. intelligence ignored many such security defectors. (See part one of this series.) Hadi al Bahra, the U.S.-educated former head of the Syrian Opposition Coalition, recommended al Ali to this reporter as a former official with direct knowledge of the Assad regimes security structure. The interview in an Istanbul cafe, his first, lasted six hours. According to al Ali, the bombings were timed to coincide with the arrival of one delegation or anotherof diplomats, journalists or prominent figures. Each time the regime claimed that terrorists were responsible. And none had been solved because al Ali, whose job it was to investigate them, had been blocked from the crime scene every time. One reason former regime officials and close observers describe the bombings as inside jobs is that they often came with advance warning, starting with the first blast on Dec. 23, 2011. I was in the security sector of the regime army and on Thursday of that week, I got a report, said the officer, who asked to be identified as Abu Sayf and was interviewed in Deir el Zour, eastern Syria, in July 2013. I remember the number of the report, it was 3018, and it said: a terrorist will set off an explosion against the regime on Friday or Saturday. He said the message came from the General Intelligence Agency, a key part of Assads network, and, as it happens, also, oddly, the target of one of the attacks. The suicide bombings occurred the next day, hitting two heavily protected security buildings in the Kafarsouseh district, the State Security administration building, where the General Intelligence Agency was housed, and a military security complex. The Interior Minister said 44 people were killed and 166 wounded. Ali, who sent investigators to the scene, said there was only one explosion. He said that Gen. Ahmad Deeb, the head of the interrogations office in the general administration of the State Security apparatus, barred him from approaching the scene or interviewing witnesses. This is our case. Please leave it to us, he recalled him saying. Deeb refused to answer any questions, he said. Still, al Ali said, his officers managed to learn that the pickup truck used in the explosion had been sold by a member of the security apparatus to an unknown person just days before the attack and that it entered the building through an underground drive used only by lower-ranking employees. One element in the evidence al Ali cited was a YouTube video shown at the time in which a military defector, identified as Lt. Abdulkader al Khatib, claimed that Syrian state security had requisitioned seven corpses to be brought to the scene of the first explosion. In the video, Khatib displays a document he says is a requisition for corpses from the Tishrin Military Hospital in Damascus on the day of the explosion. Al Ali, who has not inspected the document, said he believed the video was genuine. Efforts to locate Khatib were unsuccessful. Another piece of evidence arguing that the bombings were staged, rebel supporters say, was the speed with which state television aired a report blaming al Qaeda for the attack. The first report ran within minutes. Later that day, state television offered a 45-minute special program that contained more than 40 interviews with purported witnesses or irate citizens. It also depicted demonstrations all around Syria that same day condemning terrorism and reported that Syrians had donated blood for the wounded. There was a pattern that after every explosion you could see it on TV, said Bassam Barabandi, a former Syrian diplomat close to the opposition who now lives in Washington and is seeking political asylum. Syrian TV was there in no time. It was as if they were sitting there, waiting for it. The second suicide bombing that hit Damascus on Jan. 6, 2012, took place on the eve of an Arab League meeting. It got to be a joke between police officers, Ali said. Any visit of an Arab or international official or even media delegations meant there must be explosions. The government said at least 25 people were killed and 46 wounded in the suicide bombers attack on a police bus in the Midan district, an area ringed by regime checkpoints. A Syrian television reporter was at the scene and broadcast reports showing bodies being removed, but police again were not allowed to investigate, according to Ali. The next major suicide car bombing occurred in Aleppo Feb. 10, inside the military intelligence compoundprotected by multiple checkpointskilling 28 and wounding 235, the Syrian government said. But the actual numbers were smaller, according to Abdullah Hakawati, an activist who helped organize anti-government protests in Aleppo. He said a government intelligence official had told him that the blast had been staged. Hakawati provided the name of the officer, but he could not be reached to verify the account. The terrorists were in house, said Khaled Shehabuddin, a regime judge in Aleppo at the time whos now the spokesman for a major moderate rebel group. He said Syrian intelligence officers told me him that they had prepared the explosives in the military intelligence branch. Those poor soldiers didnt know what they were doing, he said. By this time, the U.S. had drawn its conclusions. The first explosionor explosionsoccurred not far from the U.S. Embassy in Damascus, and Ambassador Robert Ford sent security personnel to try to determine who was responsible. The method of operation looked very much like al Qaeda in Iraq, he concluded. Who in fact was responsible he could not say. After bombings in Damascus Jan. 6 and Aleppo Feb. 10, 2012, James Clapper, the director of National Intelligence, told Congress in mid-February that the explosions had all the earmarks of an al Qaeda-like attack. He added: And so we believe al Qaeda in Iraq is extending its reach into Syria. It was the first time that a top U.S. official publicly had accused al Qaeda in Iraq of involvement in the uprising against Assad. That assessment contradicted claims from opposition leaders that Assad must have been behind the blasts. Rebel supporters point out that the Nusra Front didnt even announce its existence until Jan. 23, 2012, a full month after the first bombings, and that another month elapsed before the al Qaeda affiliate claimed responsibility for bombings in Damascus and Aleppo. And while Nusra eventually claimed responsibility for the Feb. 10 blast, al Ali said he found no evidence of a Nusra connection. Al Ali and a second former senior security official whos since defected to the rebel side say theyd never heard of Nusra and were sure it was incapable of such operations at the time. The government said Jabhat al Nusra. I myself had no information about Jabhat al Nusra and was astonished, he said. According to the two former officials, the bombings were timed in almost every instance to impress visiting diplomats. In the first attack, twin bombings in Damascus on Dec. 23, a delegation of top Arab League diplomats was immediately taken to see the damage. The regime always announced that al Qaeda was responsible, said Mohamad Nour Khalouf, who at the time was a major general in the Syrian army serving in the Defense Ministry and who until recently was the acting defense minister in the rebels interim government. In early January 2012, it was an Arab League meeting. And in the March attempt to blue up al Alis police headquarters, there was a joint delegation of the U.N. and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Perhaps the most contentious bombing took place on July 18, targeting members of Assads immediate entourage while they were meeting at the heavily guarded National Security building. Those killed included top members of Assads Crisis Group: Defense Minister Gen. Dawoud Rajha, his deputy, Assaf Shawkat, who was Assads brother-in-law, and Gen. Hassan Turkmani, a former defense minister. An Islamist rebel group, Liwa al Islam, claimed it was responsible, and the Free Syrian Army also claimed credit. But the Free Syrian Army later retracted its claim of responsibility, and Khalouf said he believes Iran was responsible. Assigned to the Crisis Group in the executive section of the Defense Ministry, Khalouf was not at the scene when the bomb went off, but he said hes reconstructed the attack based on information available to him at the time. The group, he said, normally held its meetings in Turkmanis office, but on that Wednesday, its members were notified that the air conditioning was not working. The men went to the office of Hisham Ikhtiyar, the intelligence and national security chief and began the meeting. He said Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim al Shaar had brought a briefcase with him and put it close to the wall. He went to wash his hands, and the bag exploded, killing or maiming the men around the table. Khalouf was among those who rushed to the scene to carry wounded to the hospital. The defense minister died on the spot. Shawkat was dead before he reached the ambulance. Turkmani died of his injuries two days later. Only the secretary of the Baath party escaped serious injury, he said. Shaar was severely injured and hospitalized. Khalouf said he was convinced that Iranian advisers had urged Assad to remove several of his top aides who were responsible for international relationsRajha, a Christian who had lines out to western countries, Shawkat, who had ties to France, and Turkmani, who had links to Turkey. They told Assad they were plotting a coup against him, he told this reporter. After the explosion, there was no one to trust except Iran. Barabandi, the former Syrian diplomat now living in Washington, also blamed Iran. He said the Iranians hated Shawkat, Assads brother-in-law, because they thought he was responsible for the death of Imad Mughniyah, a major figure in Lebanons Hezbollah movement who was assassinated in Damascus in 2008 in what is generally believed to have been a joint Israeli-U.S. operation. They always thought he was involved. Barabandi also said the Iranians feared that Assads top aides were considering a Turkish proposal to revise the power structure under which Assad would have stepped down as president and become prime minister. The Iranians thought if they go through with the process, they will lose control of Assad, Barabandi said. Another explanation, from within Assads entourage, was that members of Assads family triggered the assault after the Crisis Group had recommended that Assad take a conciliatory step to defuse the national uprising. Citing a source close to the family in the Republican Palace, Naser, a former high intelligence official in Ras al Ein, northern Syria, said Shawkat and his colleagues urged Assad to go to Daraa, the scene of the first major incident in the uprising, and apologize for the killing of youthful protesters. But Assad consulted his own private security committee, consisting of his mother, his brother and Ali Mamluk, a top intelligence official and a former confidant of Assads father and predecessor, Hafez al-Assad. They told him it would be a coup, and he should not sacrifice the prestige of the family, Naser said. They told him arguing that Assads father never did. Naser noted that Mamluk was close to Iran. After Shawkats death, Mamluk became head of the entire intelligence apparatus. Assad aides blocked any investigation of the bombing, according to both Khalouf and al Ali. I sent two officers from my unit to take part in the investigation, al Ali said. They were not allowed to get close. Instead, the investigation was carried out by the General Directorate of Security, an intelligence agency headed by Hafez Makhlouf, one of Assads cousins, al Ali said. No result has ever been released. Robert Ford, the former U.S. ambassador to Syria, said the bombing remains a mystery. I dont think we know how it was done, he said. Of all the bombings that occurred on his watch, the only assassination plot on which al Ali could collect and marshal the evidence was the one directed against him. That night in March 2012 after he ignored the order to take down the barriers in front of his headquarters, al Ali slept in his office. He was still asleep when the three suicide bombs exploded, between 6:40 and 7:30 a.m until he was awakened by a call from the Interior Minister asking what had happened. It soon became clear. Later that morning, when he went to the Criminal Security headquarters to investigate the explosion there, one of his aides, an Alawite from Assads home town of Qardaha, walked up to him and whispered in his ear. The young mans family was worried after reading a statement on the Internet saying that al Alis offices had been destroyed. (The posting was later taken down.) Also at the Criminal Security headquarters was Gen. Salim Ali, whod ordered him to unblock the street. I asked him sarcastically, do we still need to open the blocked street? al Ali recalled. Salim Ali seemed embarrassed. That was an order of the President, he said. Al Ali concluded that the third suicide bomber, a Palestinian whod been released from Sednaya prison, had been thwarted by the roadblock near the Criminal Security building and detonated himself instead in Tadamon. I think he had orders to go to paradise by blowing himself up, he said. Who gave the order, I dont know. I suppose some sheikh or religious leader who is linked to intelligence. Special correspondent Mousab Alhamadee contributed As the president-elect winged off to Indianapolis to take a bow for saving jobs, an NYPD precinct commander was in a Bronx courtroom on criminal charges of hoohah grabbing such as Donald Trump bragged about on the Access Hollywood hot mic tape. Three months before his arrest, Deputy Inspector Keith Walton had taken a bow of his own, for leading the 49th Precinct in raising funds for a 7-year-old Bronx boy whose mother and father had died in a murder-suicide. The boy received a trip to Disney World as well as a $5,000 toward his future education. Not that I want to pat myself on the back or toot my own horn, but throughout New York City there isnt a command that reaches out to its community like the 49th Precinct, Walton told the press. I think we set the bar, we set the example. Walton should have made sure not to follow Trumps avowed example after the Access Hollywood tape surfaced in October. Social media as well as the news media were filled with wrenching accounts by women who had been devastated by such behavior, but Walton was apparently either deaf or indifferent to it. Maybe he was at least subliminally encouraged by the legions of Trump supporters who appeared to be either deaf or indifferent to the multiple allegations of sexual assault against their candidate. According to a sworn affidavit by Lt. Jack Ng of the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau, 44-year-old Walton ceased to become a worthy example for anybody and eclipsed his many good deeds on Nov. 6. The incident is alleged to have taken place in the 49th Precinct stationhouse around 1:15 p.m. The complaining witness is a police officer under Waltons command. Defendant instructed a witness known to the deponent to come to his office, the affidavit states. After defendant and said witness entered said office, defendant forcefully pulled the hair of said witness and attempted to kiss said witness on the mouth Defendant grabbed said witness with his hands, turned said witnesss body around, and placed his hands on said witnesss vagina over her clothing. The affidavit continues, Witness attempted to leave the aforementioned office. Defendant stated in sum and substance, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GOING? Defendant again grabbed said witness with his hands, turned said witnesss body around, and placed his hands on said witnesss vagina over her clothing. The affidavit goes on, Defendant grabbed said witnesss hand and placed it on his erect penis over his clothing approximately two (2) times. The defendant stated, in sum and substance, IM LEAVING SOON, DONT FUCK WITH ME. REMEMBER. REMEMBER Witness repeatedly attempted to push defendants hands off of her and stated, in sum and substance, STOP, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, YOU NEED TO STOP, WHAT THE HELL. Trump was elected president two days later, despite having bragged about exactly this kind of behavior, minus only the hair pulling. Walton was arrested and stripped of his command afterward, on Nov. 18. He was arraigned in Bronx criminal court later that day on felony charges of sexual abuse along with misdemeanor charges of forcible touching, official misconduct, and harassment. On Thursday morning, Walton was back in court for a hearing. He strode into courtroom LL220 in a dark gray pinstriped suit, white shirt, and silver tie. He sat with his lawyer in the spectator bench from the rear as a series of defendants such as he might have once arrested appeared before Judge Marc Whiten. One defendant had previously entered into a plea agreement on a robbery charge with another judge and now appeared before Whiten for sentencing. Whiten took exception to the account of the crime the defendant had offered to the probation department. He pled guilty to robbery as a felony and his statement simply says he only struck the complainant once in the head, Whiten said. I dont accept the statement under any circumstances. I dont allow for trifling, joking, or playing around the edges. If youre guilty of robbery, thats what youve got to admit to. Get your story straight. Too bad Whiten was not a moderator at the presidential debates. He rejected the deal on the robbery charge, but the defendant remained out on bail pending a new plea and stormed from the courtroom. A court officer called the next case. This is number 25 on the calendar, docket ending in 4440, Keith Walton. Walton rose and stepped with his lawyer up to the table where each of the previous defendants had stood. He faced the judge with his hands folded before him. Was there any grand jury action? the judge asked. Yes, your honor, the prosecutor, Assistant District Attorney Meaghan Powers, replied. The judge set Dec. 14 as the date when Walton will be arraigned on the resulting indictment. He remained at liberty in the meantime and left the courthouse along with a handful of supporters from the 49th Precinct. They sang his praises as a great asset to the community, the kind of commander who would give you his personal cellphone number to call him if you had a problem. We dont believe this, said 60-year-old Grace Lovaglio. This is a frame-up. Somebody wants him out. Waltons attorney, Louis La Pietra, paused with him outside the courthouse and proclaimed his client innocent of the outrageous charges. The supporters held up signs with messages such as KEITH WALTON TRAIL-BLAZER INNOVATORINNOCENT and AMERICA INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY and WALTON FOR NYPD COMMISSIONER. One supporter, Raphael Schweizerwho said he is a fan of the ultra-liberal news show Democracy Nowstood with a sign that would have fit right in at a Trump rally: SHAME ON THE NEWS MEDIA At least there were no hats reading MAKE THE 49TH PRECINCT GREAT AGAIN. Out in Indianapolis, Trump was arriving at the Carrier plant to take a bow for saving 800 jobs. Walton is due back in Bronx court in two weeks on felony charges of doing what the president-elect once said you can do whenever you want if you are a star. Is there anyone like Pedro Almodovar? For those who know his workand for a sometimes-experimental queer Spanish director, thats more people than youd expecthe is a rara avis: an artist whose work has grown over the decades, who has known both commercial and critical success, and whose 20 films run the gamut from hysterical slapstick (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) to serious family drama (All About My Mother). Now, the Museum of Modern Arts film department, which has previously premiered several of Almodovars films, is hosting a retrospective of his 35 year career. At the festivals kickoff, the New York premiere of Almodovars new film, Julieta (which goes on general release December 21), the adoring crowd was peppered with downtown art celebrities and even a few politicians. The co-curator of the festival, Rajendra Roy, aptly noted that you may think you are the only one who loves Almodovar as much as you do. You are wrong. I first discovered Almodovar in 1988, with Women on the Verge, which came eight years into Almodovars feature-directorial career but which was his commercial breakthrough in the United States. It was probably a good introduction; as a 17-year-old closeted kid in the suburbs of Tampa, Florida, Im not sure I couldve handled the nymphomaniacs, gay nuns, gay terrorists, and fetishists of some of Almodovars earlier films. Just seeing a transgender woman taken seriously on film was a revelation to me back then, even if we called them something else. What stands out to me most, nearly thirty years later, is the vibrancy of the film: the bright color palette, the wacky plot, even the title, which gives you a hint of what youre in for. But I think its humanity provides the real throughline in Almodovars work, especially viewed in a retrospective like MOMAs. Over the years, Almodovar has mellowed. His more recent films mostly dont have the frenetic pace, the wild camerawork, and the joy in perversity of his earlier work. (His previous film, Im So Excited, was an exception, for better or for worse.) The filmmaker even apologized to the MOMA audience before the screening, saying Im sorry this is a serious film There is a lot of sadness in all the main characters. But what hasnt changed is the humanity with which Almodovar imbues his characters. Julieta is told mostly in retrospect, as the title character, a broken woman in late middle age, reflects on how she lost the great loves of her life, her husband and her daughter. The story is tragic, but Julieta is not quite a tragic heroine. She is trapped by grief and guilt, both a victim of circumstance and an accomplice in her own predicament. But while there is pathos in the film, Julieta is not pathetic either. She emerges as thoroughly human. That is true, too, in the great majority of Almodovars films, whether they are sensational or subdued on the surface. Almodovars mostly female leads have been novelists and cosmetologists, everywomen and necrophiliacs, but they have all (even the necrophiliacs) been drawn humanely, rather than as caricatures. Even the criminals and terrorists who populate his films are usually treated with empathy. Remember, Almodovar came of age during a time of double repression: Francos fascist Spain, and the particular repressions visited on LGBT people during that time and beyond. Influenced by the surrealist Luis Bunuel, Almodovar began with absurdist scenarios depicted in outrageous ways. Yet as a flamboyantly out director, gay artistically as well as personally, Almodovar also knew marginalization and repression. Almodovar never stoops to sentimentality; he doesnt give us a Movie of the Week dramatizing the harms of homophobia. Instead, he invites us into the lives of freaks, normalizing them only insofar as we see they are actual people. This empathy, I think, has increased over time, even as the frequency of queer characters has decreased in Almodovars films. Some of Almodovars early work approaches the more avant garde stylings of Bruce La Bruce and other radical queer filmmakers, whose satiric gaze extends to the act of filmmaking itself. (The two also share an obsession with the intertwining of sex and violence.) But as time went by, and Almodovar tiptoed into the mainstreamhe helped launch the careers of Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, and Javier Bardem, and they have continued to appear in Almodovars films even after becoming famousa different cinematic tactic emerged: storytelling that focuses on the emotional and erotic bonds that bind people together across social boundaries. Queer concerns continue to appear in these later films. In Julieta, religious homophobia plays a subtle but essential role in the plot. In Bad Education, priestly pedophilia is central (and treated seriously, not camp at all). But more often than not, the same humanism once extended to porn stars and transvestites is now extended to characters facing mortality (or transcending it, as in Volver) and regret. None of these characters get it right. None can quite perform the social roles assigned to them. Almodovars queer sensibility hasnt disappeared; its expanded. Its hard to think of another filmmaker who has evolved in quite this way. Plenty of filmmakers go from maverick to mainstream, especially in this weird age of superhero franchises being helmed by indie directors. But its hard to name too many living directors who have deepened their core sensibility and maintained such a high level of artistic integrity even as they have matured and evolved. Woody Allen, perhaps, though his most fully realized films now lie decades in the past. Darren Aronofsky; the Coen brothers; Wim Wenders, for a time; Kathryn Bigelow; Scorsese. Its a rare feat. There are still glimmers of Almodovars flashy style in Julieta. The ambiguous opening image couldve been red fabric, a flower, or a vulva (it turned out to be a dress). The lifelike way in which shocking events happen in the film, often suddenly and without foreshadowing, echoes his earlier work. But Im not nostalgic for the early days. Julieta and other recent films like it are their own delights, even if I walked out of MOMA this week full of sadness and despair. Thank you for making me feel this way, Pedro Almodovar. Thank you for continuing to open my heart. It was, by all accounts, a rocky start for Trevor Noah at The Daily Show. The fresh-faced, relatively unknown South African comedian had been given the unenviable task of succeeding one of the great modern-day bullshit-callers in Jon Stewarta job that half of Hollywood, from Amy Schumer to Chris Rock, turned down. And not only was Noah acclimating himself to a new culture, but he was also thrown directly into the fire, with his first stint as host occurring on Sept. 28, 2015, mere months after reality-show provocateur Donald Trump had declared his presidential candidacy with a racist anti-Mexican speech. A little over a year later, Noah has finally hit his groove. His live Election Night broadcast exhibited genuine despair, capturing the mood of much of the nation, while his sharp deconstruction of Trumps Twitter habits brought clarity to chaos. And on Wednesday, the bourgeoning political satirist demonstrated a knack for interviewing, going toe-to-toe with right-wing ranter Tomi Lahrenthoroughly embarrassing her in the process. Recently, The Daily Show has aired a series called Profiles in Tremendousness, where Noah and his gang of reporter-comedians break down President-elect Trumps frightening Cabinet picks. On Thursday, they aimed their ire at the elaborately coiffed billionaires choice for national security adviser: General Michael T. Flynn. For the uninitiated, the national security adviser is: A person who basically synthesizes information from the State Department, the Defense Department, and the intelligence agencies, and clarifies it for the presidents consumption. Basically, the gig is National Security Brita Filter: You distill and purify everything that comes through you, and you probably wont be replaced for six years, joked Noah.On paper, General Flynn appears a likely choice for the post. Hes received numerous awards for his military service, including the Bronze Star and the Legion of Merit, and recently served as the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Unfortunately, he was fired from that post by President Obama after just two years for alleged incompetence. In an email hacked off the computer of Colin Powell and subsequently released online, the retired four-star general claimed to have been told by Marine Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart, the current DIA director, that: Flynn got fired as head of DIA. His replacement is a black Marine 3-star. I asked why Flynn got fired. Abusive with staff, didnt listen, worked against policy, bad management, etc. He has been and was right-wing nutty every [sic] since. (Flynn is a registered Democrat.) Theres more. General Flynn runs a company called Flynn Intel Group, which has been accused of lobbying for the Erdogan regime in Turkey, and just last year, he was paid a handsome sum to attend and deliver a speech at a lavish dinner in Moscow for RT, Russias propaganda network, where he was seated right next to Vladimir Putin. Also, according to The New York Times, he was known around the Pentagon for what were referred to as Flynn Facts: hyperbolic statements not grounded in reality. Also, hes been accused on numerous occasions of leaking classified informationincluding to Pakistan. First of all, he leaked classified information, said Noah on The Daily Show. He was also one of the people going lock her up, but I mean, thats done now. Secondly, to be described as hyperbolic statements that were not grounded in reality, I wonder: what does Donald Trump see in this man? Flynn Facts greatest hits include: 1) Sharia law is spreading in the United States. (False.) 2) Iran killed more Americans than al Qaeda. (False.) And Noahs favorite:3) Three-quarters of all new cellphones were bought by Africans. (Incredibly false.) Hes like a less reliable, more xenophobic Snapple cap, joked Noah, before throwing the reins over to The Daily Shows Senior National Security Correspondent Hasan Minhaj. Minhaj then focused on another troubling habit of General Flynns: retweeting completely baseless conspiracy theories. The fiery general even once retweeted an anti-Semitic user who wrote, Not anymore, Jews. Not anymore, Jews. The only way thats not racist is if youre a bouncer at a bar mitzvah at full capacity. But even then, it just feels racist! Be nice! said Minhaj.You know, the anti-Semitism isnt even the scariest partits the fact that the presidents No. 1 intelligence guy also retweets conspiracy theories, he added. This guy is going to walk into the Oval Office: Mr. President, we know whos behind the shooting. Its Tupac! Hes still alive!Theres also General Flynns unbridled Islamophobiaa matter of great concern to Minhaj, who is a Muslim American of Indian descent. The Daily Show then aired footage of a speech that General Flynn delivered on Aug. 10, in which he stated, Islam is a political ideology. It definitely hides behind thisthis notion of it being a religion its like cancer.Damn, sighed Minhaj. Ive been alive for 31 years and nobody told me I had cancer? By PTI: From Anisur Rahman Dhaka, Dec 1 (PTI) Vowing "zero tolerance" against terrorism, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today assured India that Bangladesh will not allow its soil to be used for terror acts against any country as Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar called on her to discuss bolstering security ties. "We wont tolerate any sorts of terrorism and militancy and wont allow our land to be used for carrying out terrorist acts against any country," Hasina told Parrikar, who called on her at her official Ganobhaban residence here. advertisement According to Hasinas press secretary Ihsanul Karim, she recalled with gratitude the contribution of Indian armed forces to Bangladeshs Liberation War and told Parrikar that during her upcoming visit to India she would honour those Indian soldiers who died during the 1971 freedom war. On his part, Parrikar said "it was our moral responsibility to extend help to Bangladesh in the War of Liberation as a friendly country and we provided that assistance." After the meeting, he handed over Hasina a replica of a helicopter that India used during Bangladeshs liberation war and photographs of paratroopers who took part in that war. Parrikar, who was accompanied by a high-level defence delegation, offered Indian expertise to train Bangladesh Coast Guards for enhanced capacity to guard the country?s southern coastlines along the Bay of Bengal. Hasina thanked the Indian Coast Guards for rescuing Bangladeshi fishermen recently. Parrikar appreciated Bangladeshs tremendous socio- economic development, particularly the women empowerment under Hasinas leadership, saying "Bangladesh made impressive development in various sectors, especially women empowerment, which India could not do yet". His meeting with Hasina came at the end of a two-day visit, the first by an Indian defence minister, during which he called on President Abdul Hamid and also met premiers security adviser Major Gen (retd.) Tariq Ahmed Siddiqui. Earlier in the day, Parrikar visited Bangladesh Military Academy near the southeastern port city of Chittagong and paid tributes to "Shikha Anirban" or "flame eternal", a military monument built in memory 1971 war martyrs at Dhaka Cantonment. Prime Ministers International Affairs Advisor Dr Gowher Rizvi, Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division Lt Gen Mahfuzur Rahman, PMs Military Secretary Maj Gen Mia Mohammad Joynul Abedin and Indian High Commissioner Harsha Vardhan Shringla were present at the meeting, among others. The vice chiefs of Indias three wings of armed forces, who comprised Parrikars delegation along with the Indian Coast Guard chief, held talks with Bangladesh army, navy and air force chiefs at their offices in Dhaka cantonment. advertisement "During the meetings, they discussed issues related to the existing good relations and cooperation between the two armed forces," a defence ministry statement said. Security analysts said Parrikars visit was expected to firm up defence cooperation initiatives ahead of Bangladesh premier?s expected India visit later this month which could yield a defence cooperation agreement. PTI AR PMS ZH AKJ ZH --- ENDS --- PARIS This weekend already looked to Europes political establishment like the make-or-break moment when the barbarians at the gates might crash through. Their onslaught has been gathering momentum, backed by the same kind of angry masses who cast ballots for Brexit in Britain and Donald Trump in the United States. On Sunday, a constitutional referendum looks like it will be voted down in Italy, bringing with it the demise of center-left Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, while Austria may well wind up with the first far-far-right president in post-fascist Europe. But the biggest shock came Thursday night, when French President Francois Hollande, a Socialist, surrendered to the lowest polls in French historymaybe the lowest in any history: an approval rating that hovers around 4 percent, almost deep enough in the tank to bring 0 percent within the margin of error. In a nationally televised address, Hollande announced he would not seek reelection, mind you. But it was assumed that the left could be written out of the picture altogether as long as Hollande was the candidate. Just a week ago, a source close to Hollande was telling The Daily Beast, pessimistically, that the president thinks he was born under a lucky star; he thinks things will break his way. Even members of his own cabinet were not sure what he was going to say in Thursdays speech. Now theres going to be a Socialist Party free-for-all, with Prime Minister Manuel Valls leading the pack looking to get the nomination in a primary next month. The other main contenders already are set: Francois Fillon has won the nomination of the conservative Gaullist party that now calls itself Les Republicains; and 38-year-old wunderkind Emmanuel Macron, the former economy minister (under Hollande and Valls) who has tried to stake out a position as an independent centrist. But the person to beat remains Marine Le Pen, whose National Front has evolved from the crypto-fascist fringe party founded by her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, into the driving force of French (and to some extent European) politics. The whole spectrum from Valls to Fillon has shifted to the right on issues like immigration and national identity. Indeed, Le Pen and her spokespeople have taken to calling her rivals mere understudies. The first round of the presidential elections will be held April 23, and Le Pen is expected to win a plurality of the votes. She will then face the second-place finisher on May 7, and conventional wisdom holds that the vast majority of voters will cast their ballots against her, much as they did when her father, by a fluke, made it into the second round against incumbent Jacques Chirac in 2002. But its obvious that, in this political season, conventional wisdom, like scientific polling, does not count for much. And Le Pens discourse seems to many political analysts much better adapted to widespread French anger (at globalization; at the European Union), French hopes (for a return to traditional values now challenged by immigration and multiculturalism), and traditional French expectations (that the state, in the end, will take care of you). A recent CNBC interview is particularly useful as a guide to Le Pens opinions and, to some extent, to her political charm: She may express admiration for Trump and even Vladimir Putin, but her message is all about France all the time. Now that Hollande has taken his name out of the running, the first key questionfor the moment unanswerableis the extent to which the people turned against the man or his administration. If the former, then there may be some hope for a fresh center-left candidate. If the latter, not a prayer. Hollande failed to deliver on his promises to solve the problem of unemploymentthe centerpiece of his campaign in 2012. The jobless rate has only begun in the last few weeks to inch almost imperceptibly downward. And yes, he failed to protect the country from horrendous terrorist attacks last year and last summer, even if more recently major plots by the so-called Islamic State have been disrupted. But the essential problem appears to have been the public persona of Frances president. Generally described by those who know him as intelligent and quite funny, he comes across in public as stiff, dull, and indecisive. The conservative newspaper Le Figaro minced no words, running down the list of public embarrassments, from the paparazzi pictures of pot-bellied Hollande on the back of a motor scooter sneaking around the corner from the Elysee Palace to visit his lover, to the publication this year of an incredibly ill-conceived book of interviews entitled, quite rightly, A President Ought Not to Say That. Hollandes term has been nul and void, Le Figaro concluded. But by stepping aside, he may at least give the center and the left a chance to breathe, and to hope, as they brace for the next populist onslaught. Just one week after John F. Kennedy was assassinated next to her in Dallas, Jacqueline Kennedy summoned a journalist to her familys home in Hyannisport, Massachusetts, and single-handedly created the mythology of the Kennedys as Americas Camelot. In Jackie, a new film out this week, Natalie Portman delivers a stunning performance as the former first lady, grappling with the aftermath of her husbands death in the days that followed. The journalist, played by Billy Crudup, goes unnamed. Their interview becomes a framing device for the narrative, which is no surprise given that the films screenwriter, Noah Oppenheim, just happens to run the Today show in his spare time. Oppenheim wrote Jackie on spec about six years ago after leaving his role as a senior producer on the NBC morning show to try his hand at Hollywood, going on to write adaptations of the young adult books The Maze Runner and Allegiant. When I sat down to try to write a film, I had this idea in the back of my head that there was a great untold story in Jackie Kennedy, he tells The Daily Beast by phone from New York. He had seen her portrayed on television and in film numerous times, but the focus had always been on her beauty, her sense of style, her elegance, her marriage and all its complexities. I didnt feel like anyone had given her her proper due for the substantive role that she played in crafting the mythology of her husbands presidency, he continues. It was only when he delved deep into researching those first days after the assassination that he discovered she was the one who coined the Camelot reference. I had assumed that the Kennedy administration had always been referred to that way, he says. So I was sort of stunned to realize that actually that analogy had been made after, and that she had done itand that she had done it during this extraordinarily intense period of time when she was dealing with the murder of her husband. In real life, that interview in Hyannisport was conducted by Theodore H. White for LIFE magazine. Borrowing the words from that 1960 Broadway musical, she told him of her husbands presidency, Dont let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment that was known as Camelot. She then added, Therell never be another Camelot again. As Crudups journalist does in the film, White dictated the story to his editor over the phone in Jackies kitchen as she stood nearby and listened. Quite inadvertently, I was her instrument in labeling the myth, White wrote in a memoir years later. Oppenheim says Crudup is playing a composite character of a handful of different journalists and historians Jackie spoke to over the years following her husbands death. Its not meant to depict any one person, per se, but to reflect the fact that throughout her life, whenever she would speak to journalists or biographers, she would often exercise a high degree of control over those conversations, he says. There are transcripts of people that she spoke to where she would redact certain sections, ask that the recording be turned off. That kind of interplay between the journalist and her in the film is inspired by all of that. The film, exquisitely directed by Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larrain, imagines what was in those redacted spaces, for instance when Jackie delivers an emotionally rich description to the journalist of what it sounded like when the bullet hit her husbands skull. As soon as she finishes speaking, she casually tells him hes not allowed to use anything she has just saidor else. I have always been struck as a journalist by the enormous gap that often exists between the public figures that I have come to know in my job, who they are as people behind closed doors, and then how they are perceived by the public, Oppenheim says of his years as a television news producer. Theres often an extraordinary disconnect. Some of that is by design and some of it isnt. So that idea that people have multiple identities, multiple faces that they present to the world based on the circumstances that theyre in, is something Ive always found interesting. When one thinks of this disconnect between a public and private persona, another former first lady inevitably comes to mind: Hillary Clinton. But due to his day job with the Today show, Oppenheim is extremely hesitant to address any current political figureswhether it is Clinton, who transformed the role of first lady, or the Obama family, who have probably come closer than any others to disproving Jackies claim that there will never be another Camelot. And he definitely does not want to talk about what kind of first lady he expects Melania Trump to be. I am not going anywhere near that one, he says, laughing. With Jackie, Oppenheim and Larrain aimed to lift the veil and take the viewer inside what it was like to be the outgoing first lady in that week after the assassination. EXCLUSIVE: Never-Before-Seen Photos of the Kennedys It was an exceptionally rich period to focus on because it shows somebody going through the most intense crucible imaginable, Oppenheim says. She watched her husband get murdered beside her. She has to go home and shepherd two children through the tragedy of losing their father. She herself is suffering from what Im sure we would call PTSD today. She was showered in her husbands blood and was directly adjacent to him in the line of fire herself. Shes got to move out of her house. Shes got to plan a state funeral and the eyes of the entire world are on her throughout this. Speaking to Matt Lauer on the Today show this week, Natalie Portman said she thought it was really smart for Oppenheim to focus the film on just those seven days following the assassination because it gives the viewer a microcosm of who she was as a person to see her in this incredibly pressured situation. Through all of that, Portman says Jackie had the presence of mind to stay in the blood-stained outfit she was wearing in the car so that people could see the reality of what had happened. They were offering to take off this bloody suit and she said, no, everyone should see what this is. Jackies refusal to change her clothes before facing the press makes the quiet scene later in the film when she finally does strip down and take a shower, her husbands blood pouring down her back and into the drain, all the more cathartic. She emerges from that shower a changed womana widow who will stop at nothing to protect her husbands legacy. When he was writing the screenplay, Oppenheim says he only had the real Jackie Kennedys image in his head, but as soon as he was finished he started thinking about actresses who could possibly play this complicated and difficult role. It was a very short list and Natalie Portman was at the top. She is the dream scenario for any writer, he says. Shes as talented a performer as there is working today. She captures Jackies mystery, her elegance. She captures the co-existence of fragility and strength that was constantly at play in Jackie, Oppenheim adds of Portman. She captures the nuance of the different faces that Jackie presented, whether she is interacting with an old friend like her White House social secretary Nancy Tuckerman, played by Greta Gerwig in the film, or going to battle with the men who come into the White House to run the Johnson administration over the way she wants her husband to be remembered. This question of legacy plagues both Jackie and Peter Sarsgaards Bobby Kennedy in the film, who speculates about whether his brother will be remembered for stopping the Cuban Missile Crisis or creating it. Instead of allowing grief to paralyze her, Jackie works tirelessly to replicate the grand procession held for Abraham Lincolns funeral as a means of securing her husbands status in the presidential pantheon. The producers have reached out to Caroline Kennedy, who is portrayed as a resilient six-year-old girl in Jackie, and the other surviving members of the Kennedy family with invitations to watch the film, but so far they have stayed away. I dont know that they will, but we are obviously very sensitive to it, Oppenheim says. As for Jackie Kennedy, who passed away more than two decades ago, he says he hopes that she would have sensed the affection and reverence that he had for her when he was writing it. The film depicts one of the darkest periods in American history and during that time she put the grief of the entire country on her shoulders and she helped carry us through it, he adds. It was nothing short of heroic the way she conducted herself that week. One scene that may take on a new dimension in the viewers imagination is the assassination itself, which is displayed in graphic close-up late in the film. Whereas most viewers will have seen the iconic Zapruder film, which depicts the assassination from a grainy distance, never before has anyone seen the killing of Kennedy as it appears here. Oppenheim says he wanted to show that moment from Jackies perspective within the moving car to try to give the audience a sense of what she had endured. Obviously, we can never completely convey that horror, he says. But in order to understand the extraordinary strength that it took her to get through that week, I think its important that people experience that moment from her perspective. Experiencing the horror of that moment with Jackie makes it all the more remarkable that, in Oppenheims words, she had the presence of mind to navigate this complicated transition of power that was taking place, make sure that the funeral reflected the level of majesty and respect and esteem that she felt her husband deserved, and then also to summon this journalist and come up with this Camelot idea. Perhaps most remarkable of all: she was just 34 years old at the time. John F. Kennedy was president for a very short period of time. And I think most historians would be hard-pressed to make a long list of things that he accomplished while he was in office, Oppenheim says. And yet despite that, he consistently ranks in polls at the top of the most admired presidents. His legacy is incredibly powerful still to this day. The Camelot mythology is as strong as its ever been. Insofar as Jackie was setting out to make sure her husband wasnt forgotten and was thought of in the same lofty terms as Washington, Lincoln, and Roosevelt, she succeeded. Right-Wing Fumble Outside Bidens Democracy Speech NOT SENDING THEIR BEST A mere six activists showed up. An Income Tax raid on the premises of two engineers and two contractors in Bengaluru found a whopping Rs 5.7 crore of cash. By Rohini Swamy: In the biggest single cash seizure of the new currency, an Income Tax raid on the premises of two engineers and two contractors in Bengaluru found a whopping Rs 5.7 crore of cash, all in the recently-introduced Rs 2000 notes. About Rs 90 lakh was also found in old notes, which were banned after demonetisation came into effect from November 9. advertisement Income Tax sleuths added that 7 kg gold and about 9 kg of jewellery was also found in the raid, all valued at nearly Rs 5 crore. Several property documents have also been found and seized. READ| The big I-T raid in Bengaluru: Inside story The major haul was from a posh flat of Public Works Department engineer SC Jayachandra at upscale Sanjaynagar in the city's northwest suburb. The sleuths also attached a Lamborghini and Porsche limousines of Jayachandra, parked in the basement of his multi-storey apartment. The Income Tax department said it has detected unaccounted income worth Rs 152 crore in its searches in a dozen premises in Bengaluru and other locations. ALSO READ | Two hoots to demonetisation: New notes worth Rs 6 crore seized in Bengaluru The tax sleuths had also seized some notes of Rs 100, demonetised notes of Rs 500 and a few gold biscuits during the operation, they said, adding the department had to call in note counting machines and additional staff to ascertain the value of the cash. A team of over 50 Income Tax men and police personnel had launched operations on Thursday and searched premises in Bengaluru, Chennai and Erode (Tamil Nadu). What had surprised the tax authorities is the sheer amount of new currency stashed by these individuals at a time when new notes are not available to the common men who are queueing up to withdraw small amounts from their accounts. --- ENDS --- The pending Bills assume importance as they will potentially bring changes in sectors such as healthcare, consumer safety, corruption and accountability, labour and women and child welfare. By Maneesh Pandey: A deadlock between the government and Opposition over the scrapping of high-value currency notes paralysed Parliament on Thursday, as nearly fortnight-long raucous protests have stalled the clearance of key reforms including the goods and services tax (GST). As many as 23 crucial Bills await introduction, consideration and passage during this ongoing winter session, senior leaders in the ruling NDA indicated. Apart from the much-talked-about Central Goods and Services Tax Bill, two more legislation linked to this crucial Money Bill await Parliament's nod - the Integrated Goods and Services Tax Bill and the Goods & Services Tax (Compensation for Loss of Revenue) Bill. The implementation of the long pending GST- that will replace a jumble of central, state and interstate sales taxes- would bolster investor confidence in Asia's third-largest economy and burnish Prime Minister Narendra Modi's image as a reform-minded leader. advertisement The new tax system "would convert India into one uniform market" and give a boost to the economy, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said. Also on the waiting list are the Mental Health Care Bill, Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill and Consumer Protection Bill in the Lower House. In the Upper House, the Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation Bill HIV & AIDS (Prevention & Control) Bill 2014 as well as Employees Compensation (Amendment) Bill 2016 await passage. Also read: Demonetisation: PM Modi sits through noisy scenes, two adjournments in Rajya Sabha Also read: Opposition to corner Modi govt on Income Tax bill, calls it '50-50 Kala Dhan Dharak Kalyan Yojna' BILLS, BILLS EVERYWHERE, NOT ONE PASSED The pending Bills assume importance as they will potentially bring sweeping changes in a slew of sectors such as healthcare, consumer safety, corruption and accountability, labour as well as women and child welfare. For instance, the Maternity Benefit Bill is directly linked to the fortunes of many expecting mothers and even foster mothers, who would volunteer to take care of newborns. The government, which appears keen to fight corruption and has launched a campaign against black money, is pushing hard on related legislation such as the Whistle Blowers Protection Bill and Prevention of Corruption Bill. Leaders from the ruling alliance are reaching out to the Opposition in both Houses to allow the transaction business, but with little success. The Opposition says Modi must explain the demonetisation decision, alleging that the resultant cash crunch is punishing not the rich, but the poor, especially in rural India, which is excluded from banking and digital transactions. Also read: AIDS Bill is half-baked till it provides right to treatment Also read: Income Tax Bill passed in Lok Sabha amid uproar by Opposition SURROGACY, ABORTION BILLS PENDING Apart from these pending Bills, others are awaiting introduction this year and some are important looking at changing social trends. Two of them are the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2016 and Divorce (Amendment) Bill 2016. The first proposes to regulate surrogacy in India by permitting it as an option for couples who cannot naturally have children, have a lack of other assisted reproductive technology options, are keen to have a biological child, and can find a surrogate mother among their relatives. advertisement Some analysts see the proposed Divorce (Amendment) Bill- that seeks to amend the Divorce Act, 1869 on issues of dissolution of marriage and mandatory period of separate residence- as part of the government's efforts to establish a uniform personal code that would take the place of religion based family law. --- ENDS --- Effective marketing via immersive experiences Five thousand. Thats the average number of ads a person sees in a day. Simon Couch, business strategy director, experience, at Wasserman, comments on the rise of immersive experiences in marketing Simon Couch Wasserman With an increasing amount of exposure to brands via new media channels and shorter attention spans than ever, we have more noise than ever to cut-through. But with all that noise and competition particularly in the alcoholic drinks sector how do you garner attention without screaming at your audience? Last month, Bombay Sapphire launched a pan-European campaign called The Grand Journey. The activity consists of a 60-minute live experience that immerses audiences in the drinks brand story. The brand is visiting seven European cities with a bespoke toolkit, converting each location into a specially designed avant-garde style train station and train carriage. Passengers board the train each evening before being taken on a virtual tour around the world that fuses together art, culture and flavour, inspired by the ten botanicals found in each bottle of Bombay Sapphire. The campaign capitalises on the current refusal from audiences to simply be taken on the traditional linear narrative that brand advertising has offered in the past. Audiences now want to explore the story behind a product, not just the product itself. From the train guard to the grand dame, actors take audiences through a live and immersive adventure across the globe with the train stopping at each of the ten locations that Bombays botanicals originate from, such as Spain, Ghana and China. At each location guests are given an experimental cocktail, made by an expert mixologist, inspired by the country theyd just travelled, as well as a live performance, such as an illusionist, or a specially created food dish, aimed at tantalising and attacking their senses, triggering their imagination and bringing to life the story behind Bombay Sapphire. This blend of brand experience and immersive acting plays into a wider trend where event marketing budgets are on the rise as consumers begin to favour this level of communication over traditional marketing channels. This is just one of many recent events created by drinks brands that have sought to harness the power of immersive theatre to bring to life their products. But why are huge brands beginning to focus on brand experiences? And what benefits does this channel bring to drinks marketers? Consumers increasingly want to be part of the story, to play a role in the unfolding narrative. Brand stories are hardly ever linear, and consumers are no longer just along for the ride. You can see this rise in the form of brilliant theatre productions from the likes of Secret Cinema, You Me Bum Bum Train and Punch Drunk leading the pack. These are immersive theatre experiences that put the audience at the centre of the show, immersing them in their world and letting them interact with the show on a level never been done before. This rise has been mirrored in the alcohol sector, where marketers are beginning to understand that to tell their brand story effectively, and stand out, they need to immerse audiences in their products. The alcohol sector is perfect for this. Bombay Sapphire took consumers on a journey through the brands story, helping to make it a much talked about event. While Glenfiddichs Mind of the Malt Master delivered a VR experience that allows consumers to explore the history of the brand, from the Scottish countryside where it was conceived to the distillery where it is produced today. The whole tour, hosted by a Scottish guide for authenticity, explains in-depth everything that Glenfiddich represents. The VR film has been used in a series of experiential tasting events in leading bars and travel retail environments across the world, as well as being available on YouTube and Facebook for the general public. Whats clear is that if you can give audiences a good, immersive experience whether in the physical or virtual world theyre willing to share their experiences through word of mouth, or online across social platforms. Success is therefore measured by how far your brand story travels. This can be amplified even further by targeting the right influencers, popular within your target demographic. Make the experience as amazing as possible and they will feel compelled to share their story. And as they retell this story, this drives word-of-mouth and helps the story travel far, truly embedding the brand with consumers and leading to a successful campaign. Were in a golden age of immersive live experiences. Younger audiences value experiences more than any generation before; a trend we expect to see increasing as this audience matures and gains more spending power. By heightening senses and going the extra mile, we can open audiences to our brands like never before engaging them with our brand and telling a story that they want to share with their peers. 2 December 2016 Abbott made the threat on Twitter in response to news that students at Texas State University are petitioning administrators to make the campus a "sanctuary for undocumented students, workers, and community members." Such concerns have spiked following the election of Trump, who has promised to deport millions of people in the country illegally. "Texas will not tolerate sanctuary campuses or cities," Abbott said. "I will cut funding for any state campus if it establishes sanctuary status." Additional details on Abbott's threat were not immediately available. The definition of a "sanctuary campus" is not entirely clear. The University of Pennsylvania, for example, has branded itself a sanctuary campus after announcing it will not let federal immigration authorities on campus without a warrant. At Texas State, students are asking the administration to "guarantee student privacy by refusing to release information regarding the immigration status of students, staff, and/or university community members." Similar petition efforts are currently underway at the University of Texas at Austin and University of North Texas. At Texas A&M University, administrators met with a group of faculty this week to discuss the concept. But in an interview Thursday morning before Abbotts tweet, university President Michael Young said he didnt see a need for schools to make such a declaration. Federal regulations currently prevent immigration authorities from coming onto campuses except in extraordinary cases, and any changes to that policy wouldn't happen quickly, he said. If there is any possibility of that happening, it is such a long process because you have to change a whole set of regulatory dimensions that govern ICE, you have to change the law in a number of different ways, he said. Still, Young said he understands why some students may be worried after this year's election. It is our obligation, our passion, our goal to provide a supportive, safe environment for our students to thrive, he said. There is nothing on the horizon that really jeopardizes that. Since Trumps election, hundreds of college presidents have signed a statement in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which gives young undocumented immigrants protection from deportation and a work permit. Among the signatures are leaders from the University of Texas System, the University of Houston and Rice University. Read related Tribune coverage: Some undocumented immigrants brought here as kids were granted a sort of legal status by President Barack Obama. They're in a state of shock and panic now that Donald Trump has won the White House. Marcos Valencia was raised in Indiana, but in the eyes of the law, his home is the cartel-infested state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, where he was born. Now he's stuck in Mexico, unable to return to the country where he grew up. Matthew Watkins contributed to this report. Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin, the Texas State University System, Texas A&M University, the University of Houston and Rice University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here. Reacting to reports that the Income Tax department had filed a prosecution complaint against him in a foreign assets case, Captain Amarinder said the cowardly act, engineered by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley out of sheer political vendetta, would not stand in the court of law. By Supriya Bhardwaj: Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh has dismissed as malafide and politically motivated the IT prosecution complaint against him in an alleged foreign assets case. Reacting to reports that the Income Tax department had filed a prosecution complaint against him in a foreign assets case, Captain Amarinder said the cowardly act, engineered by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley out of sheer political vendetta, would not stand in the court of law. advertisement Now that the matter is in court, the true colours and instructions of political vendetta by Jaitley will be exposed, said Captain Amarinder, adding that he will request the court to summon the finance minister and other senior officials of the IT department to expose all those who were part of the conspiracy. "I have known about this conspiracy for the past two years and was waiting for this opportunity to get all these people on the stand," he said.ALSO READ: Capt Amarinder looted Punjab, did not have money to get house painted, alleges Kejriwal Captain Amarinder said Jaitley's reaction, which had come in response to his challenge to fight the Amritsar Lok Sabha by-election, was predictable. "It was during the Lok Sabha election of 2014, which Jaitley had lost by a huge margin from Amritsar, that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had first raised the bogey of my foreign assets case," said Captain Amarinder, pointing out that the issue had not helped save Jaitley from a humiliating defeat. ED, IT ACTING AT BEHEST OF JAITLEY Captain Amarinder pointed out that even the Enforcement Department (ED) and the Income Tax department, acting at the behest of Jaitley, had failed to dig out any proof against him or his family members in the past two years. "Why did the IT not file any complaint in the past two years instead of waiting for the elections," asked Captain Amarinder, adding that the charges were completely fabricated and would be proved as such in the court. Such cheap tactics will not help the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) ruling alliance escape the total rout they are facing in the forthcoming Assembly elections, said Captain Amarinder, adding that such vindictive moves would backfire on Jaitley and the Modi government at the Centre, as well as the Badals in the state. --- ENDS --- Astonishing! I called one of the newspapers up myself - they said they didn't want to worry people. Dissolve nuclear fuel canisters in acid, pump into sea Well people are certainly worried, some are talking about moving away if permission is granted by the Environment Agency. What is the application? Magnox has decided to deal with the spent nuclear fuel canisters, made of Magnesium alloy, by dissolving them in concentrated nitric acid, neutralising the acid in caustic soda, and pumping the resultant mixture into the Blackwater at high tide. The radioactive hazard arises not so much from the canisters themselves, as from residual particles, dust and other contamination remaining from the highly radioactive fuel elements they stored. So the discharges to the Blackwater will bear radioactive isotopes both in solution and as insoluble fine particles. The application and the accompanying analysis show, with lots of computer modelled pictures, that it will mostly disperse away. The radioactivity will be diluted to levels where the 'doses' will be negligible. Where has we heard that before? Ah Yes - Sellafield, where there is a childhood leukemia cluster of nine times the expected level. Caused, according to COMARE's latest 17th Report, by 'population mixing'. There is, by the way, an alternative way of dealing with this radioactive debris: encapsulating it in concrete and storing it. But this was not given any consideration - beyond merely mentioning it. Mysteriously missing information The locals were given a few weeks to digest the vast amount of paperwork that came with all this. It went up on the Environment Agency website in a form that was not searchable, and quickly taken down. By the time I clicked on the link sent me by the local group, it no longer worked. Complaints resulted in an extension of the public response period to 15th December. I have now waded through everything that was available and can comment on the issue and make some suggestions, one of which will involve the Justification argument. A number of crucial reports to which the available documents refer, and on which they depend, are also not available on the website. The Ecologist has requested that the EA provide the documents, but they have declined to do so, on the basis that "the references taken from Magnox documents BRAD/EN/REP/168 and BRAD/EN/REP/169 are not our documents and did not form part of our consideration of the changes to the permits recently requested by Magnox." This raises the question: why on Earth would they not form part of the EA's consideration? They most certainly should have done as they appear to be the documents dealing with many crucial questions about the radioactive discharges that are not covered in the documents made available. Anyway, the EA passed me on to Magnox. We contacted them too and are currently awaiting a response. The Environmental Impact Statement to which the public does have access is in two parts. The main one deals at stupendous length with contamination by metals, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Iron, Lead, Mercury, Nickel and Zinc, and also Nitrate (which is the acid used to dissolve the fuel cans). We have pages of information about how the levels of these metals and nitrate will not disturb the wildlife and how all the various (and there are many) legal constraints on sea and mud life are being considered. But nothing about radiation. But it turns out there is another separate Environmental Impact Statement about radionuclides. I turn eagerly to this. It says that there is no need to worry because the amounts do not exceed some earlier Environmental Impact Statement (one of the documents we are trying to get from the EA / Magnox) and some computer program called PC-CREAM (which no-one has or can interrogate) has decided that the doses to people will be less than 1 microSievert. Sellafield all over again? And that's it! Public rights to crucial environmental information denied Now all this stuff is strictly illegal. The public have to be able to see what the exposures are and how they will affect them. They have this right under EURATOM laws, and under the Aarhus Convention (on access to environmental information). They certainly have this right under the UK law, and can require all kinds of things from the regulators and the company causing their exposures. There is no proper environmental impact statement for the radioactivity corresponding to the one about the Copper and Zinc. All the safe dispersion and dilution produced by a company named H R Wallingford. Who's that? Well, the company claims to be a leader in the field of water safety. But I did notice that they recently (2014) got a new Director, a chap called David Rooke, who turns out to be ex-Deputy Chief Executive of the Environment Agency. Whoops! So let's finally look at what their Environmental Impact Statement and their Permit is for in terms of radioactivity. They have asked to release every year 6 TBq of Tritium (that is 6,000,000,000,000Bq) also 900GBq of Carbon-14 (900,000,000,000 Bq) and 0.6GBq (600,000,000Bq) of "beta emitting nuclides associated with particulate matter". It is this last item that is the most worrying. Monitoring, according to the permit, is up to Magnox. No one will come and check. What this says is that they will look at the beta activity of the stuff. But we all know what will be in it - and it's more than just beta radiation! Yes, alpha emitters - which there is no plan to monitor! Remember, these are spent fuel canisters. The fuel is enriched Uranium and as a result of fission in the reactor it will contain a large proportion of other nasty alpha emitting nuclides, including insoluble hot particles of Plutonium, Neptunium, Americium, Thorium and Radium. Because these are alpha emitters, the beta activity is largely zero. And all these are in the form of nanoparticles which will concentrate on the sediment particles (and the Blackwater is all sediment particles). This is exactly what happened at Sellafield and Hinkley Point (Steart Flats), where everyone was told that the stuff would safely dilute in the Irish Sea and go away. It did not; it stuck on the sediment particles all along the shore of the Irish Sea from Ravenglass to Carlingford, from Kircudbright to Caernarfon. It was resuspended and came ashore due to Sea to Land Transfer, was inhaled and was the cause the increased childhood and adult cancer that I wrote about in Wings of Death, published in 2007. None of this is modelled by PC-Cream, you can bet. I later returned to the topic with a study of cancer excesses around the Hinkley nuclear complex, described in a wider article on The Ecologist. We began by looking at 115 Somerset wards between 1993 and 2005 and compared those near the sea or the muddy estuary of the tidal River Parratt with inland wards. Again, we found greatly increased incidences of cancer and infant mortality which traceable to an accidental radioactive release in 1996. There is no doubt that the Bradwell releases caused increased levels of radioactivity in the sediment. And because it attaches to the fine particles, the radioactivity concentrates at the inner end of the Blackwater at the town of Maldon, which also has the highest level of breast cancer in my study. Concentrations of radionuclides can be found in the annual RIFE reports, though there are no measurements of Uranium, probably the largest particulate release in terms of mass. Uranium is now known to have serious genetic effects which are not included in the current methods of estimating harm, and certainly not included in PC Cream. Action: Demand Justification of this proposed operation, and re-Justification of all previous versions of the same liquid releases to the Blackwater. You may use my letter as a draft for adaptation, or just copy it in its entirety. To: Environment Agency, Justification Authority Reference: Proposal to pump Nitric acid Fuel Element Debris residue from Bradwell nuclear power station to Blackwater Draft Permit: EPR/ ZP-3493SQ and EPR/DP-3127XP Dear Sir/Madam, I have separately applied to the Justification Authority with a request to re-Justify all aqueous discharges from Bradwell to the River Blackwater. This application is based on Article 6.2 of the Council Directive 96/29/Euratom of 13 May 1996 and the Justification of Practices Involving Ionising Radiation Regulations 2004 Part 3 Regulation 10: 'Review of existing practices', paragraph 4(a) 'acquisition of new and important evidence about [the] efficacy or consequences of a practice'. 1. In that letter I refer to the new and important evidence which must trigger the above legal machinery. Briefly, it relates to evidence of significant increased levels of heritable genetic damage in populations in Europe exposed to internal chronic radionuclide contamination from Chernobyl. You may refer to the Justification Authority for the full letter. This evidence, taken along with the new forensic analysis of the Japanese Life Span Study, shows that the risk model of the international Commission on Radiological Protection ICRP, is in error by upwards of a factor of 1000-fold for Heritable Damage in humans. Consequently, the Environmental Impact Analyses which you have based previous decision on, and upon which the current draft permit is based, e.g the PC-Cream program, and similar approaches based on ICRP type models are unsafe and must be re-visited. 2. I also point out that the applicant is being permitted to release significant quantities of particulate residues containing Uranium and Actinide alpha emitting nano-particles which are not being assessed nor measured since the draft permit only requires total beta assessment. Since these particulates are known to adhere to sediment, and since they are the most dangerous of all the emissions, it is unacceptable that they are not quantified nor measured. 3. There has been a peer-reviewed study of breast cancer mortality in wards adjacent to the Blackwater [1]. This has been covered in the national media but has not been referred to in the paperwork associated with this application. The excess risk has been associated by the author to sea-to-land transfer of radioactive particulates such as is found at Sellafield. It is unacceptable that this issue has not been referred to nor discussed in the papers relating to this proposal. 4. The effects of low levels of Tritium on marine life have been studies by Jha et al [2] who have shown that there are clear developmental effects in invertebrates at very low levels of contamination. It is unacceptable that these studies have not been discussed nor utilised in any of the discussions associated with the application. I look forward to your response on these issues. Yours faithfully Christopher Busby. References [1] 'Breast Cancer Mortality in Estuary Wards near Bradwell Nuclear Power Station, Essex, UK 2001-1995' by Busby Christopher. Jacobs Journal of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, June 2015. [2] 'Impact of low doses of tritium on the marine mussel, Mytilus edulis: genotoxic effects and tissue-specific bioconcentration' by Jha AN, Dogra Y, Turner A, Millward GE, Mutation Research/Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis, September 2005. Addresses: Justification Application Centre (JAC) Email: justification_application_centre@decc.gsi.gov.uk Or post: Mezzanine 55 Whitehall Place London SW1A 2EY. Environment Agency Email: psc-waterquality@environment-agency.gov.uk Or post: Permitting and Support Centre WQ Team Quadrant 2 99 Parkway Avenue Sheffield S9 4WF Chris Busby is an expert on the health effects of ionizing radiation. He qualified in Chemical Physics at the Universities of London and Kent, and worked on the molecular physical chemistry of living cells for the Wellcome Foundation. Professor Busby is the Scientific Secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Risk based in Brussels and has edited many of its publications since its founding in 1998. He has held a number of honorary University positions, including Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Health of the University of Ulster. Busby currently lives in Riga, Latvia. See also: chrisbusbyexposed.org, greenaudit.org and llrc.org. Albanian campaign groups are urgently calling for support to protect a pristine area of the country under threat from three hydroelectric power projects. The Valbona Valley in northern Albania faces destruction from the planned works, despite being within the protected area of the Valbona National Park. Catherine Bohne, campaigner from Albanian NGO TOKA, and owner of the website Journey to Valbona, says the developments began without any public consultation, and she has sent out an urgent appeal to help save this presently unspoilt part of the country. Campaigners say the work is illegal and they are now launching a legal challenge against the developments. Catherine said: "The country is poor, the people are very isolated, and have been striving hard to make an environmentally friendly tourist attraction of the beautiful and so far unspoilt Valbona Valley - a biodiverse haven for plants and animals. "It is now under threat from three large hydroelectric projects. The price of energy is falling, and solar will kick in soon, with the result that even the profit expected will not be earned." The Albanian Government, under former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, granted three concession contracts for the construction of six hydropower plants along the Valbona river. The campaign against the hydroelectric projects started in January 2016 - when Catherine says plans were seen for the Dragobia Energy plants entirely by accident. An Environmental Impact Assessment was carried out, but campaigners say it was of extremely poor quality and claim that developers failed to properly assess a number of issues such as: Biodiversity: The EIA offers no detailed analysis of species and habitats in the area; moreover, species regularly seen in the NP are not even mentioned. EIA doesn't refer to the area's "protected" status, and doesn't mention the conformity with Bern or Espoo Conventions nor with EU Habitats and Bird Directives. Development: Campaigners say this did not meet legal deadlines. The EIA was based on the outdated legal requirement from 2003 instead on the new Law No. 10440 that has already been in effect. Furthermore, the project missed the two-year deadline to start construction works, so the environmental license should automatically be invalidated and the process of the new EIA started. Millennial Moms Review: 2022 Acura MDX is pretty close to the perfect family car I dont know if perfect is attainable, especially considering weve got the world of options when it comes to modern vehicles. Were spoiled and, as such, we have very specific needs and wants. Driving-wise, the 2022 Acura MDX is one of my favourite ... Chief Justice of India, TS Thakur's courtroom in Supreme Court has had an avalanche of petitions on against demonetisation, with lawyers several lawyers arguing before Justice Thakur in unison. One lawyer has urged the court to stay circulation of Rs 2,000 notes as its colour wears off. By Harish V Nair: Tired of the unending chaos outside ATMs and banks? The situation is almost the same in the courtroom of Chief Justice TS Thakur in the Supreme Court while he hears an avalanche of petitions that have come in challenging the government's move and worse, several lawyers arguing in unison. There are already 25 petitions before the Bench and if it indeed transfers all the pleas across the country lying in various high courts, there are up to 70 more coming. advertisement "This is not a fish market. If all of you start arguing together, I will have to defer the matter. This is a court there should be some decorum," the CJI keeps telling the lawyers though it falls on deaf ears most of the time. ALSO READ | Demonetisation: What about cooperative banks, Supreme Court asks government 'TOO MUCH CHAOS' Noting that there was "too much chaos", the Bench said there was need to categorise petitions and streamline the hearing. Adjourning hearing in the case to Monday, the court asked Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi appearing for Centre to sit with senior lawyer Kapil Sibal - who appeared for three of the petitioners, and make a list of the cases and identify the issue so that there could be a systematic hearing. "We have to streamline the hearing. Some clarity is required. Mr. (Kapil) Sibal you sit with the Attorney General over the weekend and please find some solution as to how we go about it? When everyone starts speaking together nothing is possible. I am adjourning the matter to Monday. Give a list setting out category of cases. Categorise areas which require scrutiny," the CJI told Sibal and Rohatgi. ALSO READ | Demonetisation Day 10: Supreme Court refuses to stay petitions against note ban in lower courts VARIOUS KINDS OF PETITIONS FILED All kinds of petitions are being filed in the apex court on the issue. One lawyer ML Sharma has urged the court to stay circulation of Rs 2,000 notes as its colour wears off. Another lawyer wants demonetisation of all notes above Rs 100 to crack down on black money more effectively. One Sangam Lal Pandey has also pointed out various practical difficulties faced by the public due to the sudden discontinuation of the notes. He has submitted that various private hospitals are refusing to accept notes of denomination 500 and 1,000. Besides that, other grounds like initiation of marriage ceremonies, difficulties in travelling by public transport, etc. have been raised by Pandey. advertisement Before adjourning the matter, the court asked the Centre to spell out measures taken to ease the sufferings and inconvenience of people in rural areas, who are mostly dependent on co-operative banks, post-demonetisation. ALSO READ: Post-demonetisation: Hyderabad post offices become centres of corruption Supreme Court refuses to stay demonetisation notification --- ENDS --- Enjoy music, art and more this weekend in Southeast Iowa Your guide to getting off the couch and out the door this weekend in Southeast Iowa. By PTI: From K J M Varma Beijing, Dec 2 (PTI) More than two decades after he was executed for rape and murder, Chinas Supreme Court today overturned the conviction of a young man, in a landmark case that exposed flaws in the Communist nations criminal justice system. Nie Shubin, who was 20 years old when he faced a firing squad in 1995 after being convicted of rape and murder, had his conviction overturned by second circuit court under the Supreme Peoples Court, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. advertisement The court re-heard the two-decades-old rape and murder case, in which Nie was found guilty and executed, over concerns that the evidence presented was insufficient. Nie, from Hebei Province, was convicted of raping and murdering a woman whose body was discovered by her father in a corn field on the outskirts of Shijiazhuang city, in the northern province of Hebei. In 2005, another man confessed to the crime. In December 2014, the SPC, following an application from Hebei Higher Peoples Court, assigned the higher court of Shandong Province to reviewthe case. A five-member panel at the Shandong court carried out the review and found that the evidence presented in the original trial did not identify Nie as the perpetrator beyond all doubt, and the trial and investigation were both peppered with major inconsistencies. Thus, the panel, amid emotional scenes in the courtroom, concluded that the evidence was questionable and suggested the case be reheard. "I wanted to tell my son: youre a good person, youre innocent," Zhang Huanzhi, mother of Nie told CNN. Nie would have been 42 this year. Following his execution his father Nie Xuesheng tried to commit suicide, but survived. "My son can finally rest in peace," the older Nie told the Beijing Times. The SPC statement said the panel, during its review, had examined the case files, listened to the defendants lawyer and consulted forensic scientists over the autopsy report. Nies case has been compared to a 1996 case in Inner Mongolia, where a teenager named Huugjilt was executed for the rape and murder of a woman the same year. A self-confessed serial rapist and killer later admitted to the crime while in police custody in 2005. In December 2014, Huugjilts conviction was officially quashed by Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regional Higher Peoples Court. Many experts have viewed Nies plight as an egregious example of widespread police torture, deficient due process and lax review of death sentences. China is the worlds most prolific executioner, killing thousands of people last year, according to rights group Amnesty International. PTI KJV ZH AKJ AKJ --- ENDS --- advertisement This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate DANBURY - Cut out the middle man and gasoline below $2 a gallon is possible. Naresh Gandhi has operated the gas station at 12 Lake Ave. Ext. since 2000 for various oil companies, most recently Exxon. When Gandhi had the opportunity to purchase the business last month and operate it independently he jumped at the chance. He changed the name on the sign to Orbit Fuel and the price on the sign to $1.99. According to the gasoline price tracking website Gasbuddy.com, the average price in Connecticut is $2.30 per gallon. In Danbury, the average price is $2.13. Without having to pay 20 to 30 cents per gallon back to the oil company, Gandhi is able to pass on that difference as savings to his customers, he said. There is no middle man. Before, the big companies made the money because they controlled everything, Gandhi said. I will always have the lowest prices. Now its $1.99. You cant find that price anywhere. Not in Danbury, not in New York. Orbit Fuel also charges the same price whether the customer uses cash or credit. Most gas stations charge up to 10 cents extra per gallon if a credit card is used. When we were operating the station for the oil company, we did what they told us to do, Randeep Gandhi, Nareshs son, said. When they said charge 10 cents extra for a credit card, we had to charge 10 cents extra for a credit card. Our main job here is to offer value and quality service with a smile. Naresh Gandhi said he would like to expand the gas station on Lake Avenue Extension with more pumps and a bigger convenient store. Danbury resident Pudgie Delohery heard about the $1.99 per gallon gas from her boss and pulled in Thursday afternoon to fill up her white SUV. She is also a regular customer of the Gandhis gas station on White Street. I heard $1.99 and I had to go there. I havent seen $1.99 in forever, she said. Ive known them (Gandhis) for quite some time. Both of their locations are convenient for me. Naresh Gandhi came to the United States from India in 1996. He had experience in the gasoline industry and started a business in the U.S. of buying closed or abandoned gas stations and putting them back online. He has bought and sold several stations and currently owns three two in Danbury and one in Manchester. We came here for better opportunities, Naresh Gandhi, a New Milford resident, said. We worked hard as a family and turned it into a successful business. I like the gas business and you can make money in it. Each of our locations were either closed or abandoned. Its better for everyone if we can keep them going. Another reason Gandhi can offer gasoline at inexpensive prices is his negotiation skills with wholesalers. He said there is competition among the wholesalers, which allows station owners to negotiate better prices. I have the same gas as the other stations, he said. Same octane, same everything. There is no difference. cbosak@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3338 A government employee was killed in Chancer village of Kulgam when the security forces cordoned the area on Friday night. By India Today Web Desk: A civilian was killed in a counter-insurgency operation by the security forces in Chancer village of south Kashmir's Kulgam late Friday. Many gunshots were heard on Friday night when the security forces cordoned the Chancer village of the Kulgam district. Assadullah Kumar, a government employee working with the Fisheries Department of Jammu and Kashmir, died in the firing. advertisement The CRPF, police and the Army launched a joint counter-insurgency operation after getting information that two militants were hiding at a house in Chancer village. The two militants are still believed to be hiding in the area. More details are awaited. This incident comes merely three days after terrorists attacked the Army camp in Jammu's Nagrota. Two officers, and three jawans were martyred in the attack while all the three terrorists were killed. (With inputs from agencies) ALSO READ | Terror attack in Nagrota camp: 2 officers, 5 jawans martyred. All terrorists killed --- ENDS --- Now that the British have voted to secede from the European Union and America has chosen a president who has never before held public office, the French appear to be following suit. In Sundays runoff to choose a candidate to face Marine Le Pen of the National Front in next springs presidential election, the center-right Republicans chose Francois Fillon in a landslide. While Mr. Fillon sees Margaret Thatcher as a role model in fiscal policy, he is a socially conservative Catholic who supports family values, wants to confront Islamist extremism, control immigration, restore Frances historic identity and end sanctions on Russia. Russia poses no threat to the West, says Mr. Fillon. But if not, the question arises, why NATO? Why are U.S. troops in Europe? As Miss Le Pen is favored to win the first round of the presidential election and Mr. Fillon the second in May, closer Paris-Putin ties seem certain. Europeans themselves are pulling Russia back into Europe, and separating from the Americans. Next Sunday, Italy holds a referendum on constitutional reforms backed by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. If the referendum, trailing in the polls, fails, says Mr. Renzi, he will resign. Opposing Mr. Renzi is the secessionist Northern League, the Five Star Movement of former comedian Beppe Grillo, and the Forza Italia of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, a pal of Vladimir Putin. Up to eight of Italys troubled banks risk failure, if Mr. Renzis government falls, says the Financial Times. One week from today, the front pages of the Western press could be splashing the newest crisis of the EU. In Holland, the Party for Freedom of Geert Wilders, on trial for hate speech for urging fewer Moroccan immigrants, is running first or close to it in polls for the national election next March. Meanwhile, the door to the EU appears to be closing for Muslim Turkey, as the European Parliament voted to end accession talks with Ankara and its autocratic president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In welcoming Muslim immigrants, Germanys Angela Merkel no longer speaks for Europe, even as she is about to lose her greatest ally, Barack Obama. Not only Europe but the whole world President-elect Trump is about to inherit seems in turmoil, with old regimes and parties losing their hold, and nationalist, populist and rightist forces rising. Early this year, Brazils Senate voted to remove leftist President Dilma Rousseff. In September, her predecessor, popular ex-President Lula da Silva, was indicted in a corruption investigation. President Michel Temer, who, as vice president, succeeded Rousseff, is now under investigation for corruption. There is talk of impeaching him. Venezuela, endowed with more oil than almost any country on earth, is now, thanks to the Castroism of Hugo Chavez and successor Nicolas Maduro, close to collapse and anarchy. NATOs Turkey and our Arab ally, Egypt, both ruled by repressive regimes, are less responsive to U.S. leadership. South Korean President Park Geun-hye, her approval rating in single digits, is facing impeachment and prosecution for corruption. Meanwhile, North Korea, under Kim Jong Un, continues to test nuclear warheads and missiles that can hit all of South Korea and Japan and reach all U.S. bases in East Asia and the Western Pacific. The U.S. is obligated by treaty to defend South Korea, where we still have 28,500 troops, and Japan, as well as the Philippines, where new populist President Rodrigo Duterte, cursing the West, is pivoting toward Beijing. Malaysia and Australia are also moving closer to China, as they become ever more dependent on the China trade. Responding to our moving NATO troops into Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, Mr. Putin has begun a buildup of nuclear-capable offensive and defensive missiles in Kaliningrad, its enclave between Poland and Lithuania. Should we get into a confrontation with the Russians in the Eastern Baltic, how many of our NATO allies, some now openly pro-Putin, would stand beside us? The point: Not only is the Cold War over, the post-Cold War is over. We are living in a changed and changing world. Regimes are falling. Old parties are dying, new parties rising. Old allegiances are fraying, and old allies drifting away. The forces of nationalism and populism have been unleashed all over the West and all over the world. There is no going back. Yet U.S. policy seems set in concrete by war guarantees and treaty commitments dating back to the time of Truman and Stalin and Ike and John Foster Dulles. America emerged from the Cold War, a quarter century ago, as the sole superpower. Yet, it seems clear that we are not today so dominant a nation as we were in 1989 and 1991. We have great rivals and adversaries. We are deeper in debt. We are more divided. Weve fought wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen that availed us nothing. What we had, we kicked away. America is at a plastic moment in history. And America needs nothing so much as reflective thought about a quarter century of failuresand fresh thinking about her future. Republished with the gracious permission of Mr. Buchanan. Books by Pat Buchanan may be found in The Imaginative Conservative Bookstore. As grand strategy evolves in Americas ongoing democratic political process, the essence of the Plato Doctrine will be preserved in any new formulation of a national security doctrine, because such is the nature of human political life I have argued that there is no Platonic teaching of a noble lie, but rather of some one noble [thing], by which all the citizens of the polity may profitably rally together around a national security doctrine. The reality of politics, as Aristotle recognized, is that we cannot expect mathematical certainty about its affairs. Platos similar recognition of this necessary murkiness in human things is his Plato Doctrine my appellation for his teaching that some one noble [doctrine] is a politys best attempt to steer itself through the darkness and to articulate guidance for its leaders.[1] People expect that a Trump Doctrine will decisively repudiate the neoconservative adventurism in the Middle East of the Bush Doctrine. Yet the remarkable feature of U.S. foreign policys presidential doctrines is the large degree of continuity between them, despite their various changing emphases that are designed to address the most pressing questions of the day. The Trump Doctrine may end up being oddly continuous with the Obama Doctrine, by which the U.S. largely aims at withdrawal from policing the Middle East. Yet it is also worth exploring what a Trump Doctrine might end up sharing with the Bush Doctrine, despite the president-elects campaign-mode criticisms of the Iraq War. What the Bush Doctrine itself enunciates becomes clearer when viewed in the wider context of the ongoing evolution of a politys national security tradition. What is the Bush Doctrines some one noble [thing], most characteristic of its aims and emphases? Some have identified its essence as unilateralism or preemption. But these characteristics of American policy are not novel with Bush,[2] and do not articulate what is new and peculiar in the Bush Doctrine. The essence of the Bush Doctrine of the 2002 National Security Strategy (NSS) is not that terrorists and state sponsors of terror are targets of Americas pre-emption; this is rather a consequence of the NSSs grand strategy of protecting liberty by effecting the democratization of the Middle East. Some people may have thought that this grand strategy was the noble lie of an oligarchic ruling cabal malevolently intent on waging war and not focused enough on peace. However that may be, that question was a deliberative matter to be settled by political argument. As it turns out, the verdict of history seems to have been the repudiation, by the people who turned out to vote for both Obama and Trump, of any such grand strategy of democratizing abroad. Nevertheless, as grand strategy evolves in Americas ongoing democratic political process, the essence of the Plato Doctrine will be preserved in any new formulation of a national security doctrine, because such is the nature of human political life. But the Plato Doctrine that political leaders always need visionary organizing principles for their grand strategy is an operative truth in any polity only insofar as the military is subject to democratic audit. Such has not usually been the case in human history, but civic audit of the military was the condition in ancient Athens as it is also in America: i.e., the condition that best fosters the existence and articulation of a guiding national security doctrine. The NSS of the Bush administration did articulate a national security strategy that was consonant with the essence of the Plato Doctrine. All that I mean by this claim is that once we realize there is no noble lie as an essential part of the Plato Doctrine, we see that its essence is the articulation of national security principles that lack mathematical certainty. Platos text does not support the all-too popular misrepresentation that the essence of the Plato Doctrine is that it counsels rulers to always tell lies in the service of national security. The need for sometimes keeping national security secrets is only an incidental and not a universal feature of the Plato Doctrine. The Plato Doctrine is instead that some one noble thing desperately needs to be articulated to all the citizens for them to believe in, a requirement which also includes the rulers and their beliefs. Such a political doctrine attempts to articulate what a nation would most require to ensure its national security. It thus ends up articulating a traditional vision (the nations past views on national security) but now fitted to the best deliberative approximation of truth (in contemporary matters of national security).[3] The Bush administration NSS articulated this in terms of who ought to rule and who ought to be ruled. America ought to lead, because its gold standard is freedom: Freedom is the non-negotiable demand of human dignity; the birthright of every personin every civilization.[4] It may be seen that the NSS, with its doctrine of who ought to rule, and how people are to be ruled, actually formulated Platos some one noble [thing] in its own way as the balance of power that serves freedom:[5] The United States possesses unprecedented and unequaledstrength and influence in the world. Sustained by faith in the principles of liberty, and the value of a free society, this position comes with unparalleled responsibilities, obligations, and opportunity. The great strength of this nation must be used to promote a balance of power that favors freedom.[6] In other words, in Platonic terms, freedom is the autochthonous claim of America and its revolution, which it brings to an international strategy that favors freedom: These values of freedom are right and true for every person, in every societyand the duty of protecting these values against their enemies is the common calling of freedom-loving people across the globe and across the ages.[7] This favors freedom part of the grand strategy corresponds to the claim of Platos Autochthony Story.[8] The balance of power envisioned in the NSS is a newly formulated vision of the natural hierarchy of rulers: i.e., only those states whose golden rulers support the gold standard of freedom ought to rule; bronze-hearted terrorist states are the threat to this declared natural world order. But Americas claim to such natural leadership is an international version of Platos Story of the Metals:[9] The United States welcomes our responsibility to lead in this great mission.[10] Seen in this light, the Bush Doctrines kinship with the Plato Doctrine may be considered in terms of how it actually attempted a definition of a visionary national security doctrine. However successful or unsuccessful such a vision may have subsequently been as a workable grand strategy, nonethelessin consonance with the Platonic essenceit did advocate both a national vision and a natural justification for the implementation of that vision. Whether or not one agrees with the Bush Doctrines national storytelling is another matter. However the case may be in that regard, we should also recognize a frequently overlooked aspect of such a national security: namely, the overlooked adjectives some and one in Platos teaching. In political terms, a democratic populace can usually only focus on some one thing, and in our time the political debate is over some one thing as the presidents have framed it: i.e., a debate over the American vision of liberty, and how best to keep that liberty. The import of the Bush Doctrine was nothing less than the democratization of the Middle East. Thus, its essence was a noble goal, but perhaps too noble, as critics of the Scowcroft/Baker/Eagleburger school had argued at the time.[11] Ideally, todays Platonic Guardians of what Jefferson called the Empire of Liberty will make the requisite prudential judgments in the service of liberty. Liberty is indeed some one noble thing, worthy of singular attention. But, as always, we are in the midst of a heated political deliberation about how best to both foster and preserve it. Books on the topic of this essay may be found in The Imaginative Conservative Bookstore. Notes: [1] The Truth about Platos Noble Lie, The Imaginative Conservative (November 15, 2016). See also Why Donald Trump Should Listen to Plato on Foreign Policy, The Imaginative Conservative (November 26, 2016). [2] For details, see Ivo H.Daalder and James M. Lindsay, America Unbound: The Bush Revolution in Foreign Policy (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2003); John Lewis Gaddis, Surprise, Security, and the American Experience (Harvard University Press, 2004); Walter Russell Mead, Special Providence: American Foreign Policy and How It Changed the World (New York: Knopf, 2001); and Walter Russell Mead, Power, Terror, Peace, and War (New York: Knopf, 2004). On possible futures for American policy, compare the views of Robert Cooper, The Breaking of Nations: Order and Chaos in the Twenty-First Century (Atlantic Monthly, 2004) and Lee Harris, Civilization and Its Enemies: The Next Stage of History (New York: Free Press, 2004). [3] Why Donald Trump Should Listen to Plato on Foreign Policy, The Imaginative Conservative (November 26, 2016). See also The Truth about Platos Noble Lie, The Imaginative Conservative (November 15, 2016). [4] Introduction, in the National Security Councils The National Security Strategy of the United States of America, (September 2002). [5] Cf. James Mann, Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bushs War Cabinet (New York: Viking, 2004), 329 on this favourite formulation of Condoleezza Rices as her contribution to the evolution of American foreign policy, combining the realism (balance of power) Rice had learned from mentors like Scowcroft and the ideals (human freedom) of the neoconservatives. [6] I. Overview of Americas International Strategy, in the National Security Councils The National Security Strategy of the United States of America, (September 2002). [7] Introduction, in the National Security Councils The National Security Strategy of the United States of America, (September 2002). [8] Republic III. 414d-e. I tell, indeed; and yet, not knowing what sort of boldness or kinds of words to use, I shall speak. But first I will undertake to persuade the rulers themselves and the soldiers, and then the rest of the city, that so it is that the things with regard to which we both trained and educated them, they were regarding all these things concerning themselves to suffer and happen like dreams, but they were once in truth down within the earth being molded and trained, i.e. themselves, and their weapons and the rest of their equipment being fashioned; and when they were perfectly worked-out, the earth also being their mother delivered them, and now it is necessary (since it concerns the land, their nurse and mother, in which they are) for them to both take counsel and to defend if one should attack her, and to consider the other class of citizens as being brothers and born of the earth. [9] Rep. III. 415a-c. But, all the same, hear also the rest of the story. Indeed, all of you in the city are brothers (as we shall say, mythologizing to them), but the God who molded youhowever many of you are fit to rulemingled gold with you in your genesis (for which reason they are most honored); and however many are Auxiliaries, silver; and iron and bronze in both the farmers and the other craftsmen. Since all therefore are kinsmen, for the most part you may breed similarly with your same kinds, but it is possible that a silver one may come into being from a gold one, and a golden offspring from a silver one, and all the rest thusly from one another. Consequently the God commands the rulers, first and foremost, that they thus will be good Guardians of nothing else, and they will not guard anything so intently as the offspring, whatever is mixed in the same souls of them, and if a bronze or iron offspring should be born to them, they will pity it in no way, but assigning it the status befitting its nature they will thrust it into the craftsmen or into the farmers; and, in turn, if from these some golden or silver offspring should arise, having granted it its honor, they shall deem some worthy of Guardianship, and some of Auxiliary office, on the grounds that there is an oracle that the city will be destroyed at that time whenever the iron man or the brass man guards it. [10] Introduction, in the National Security Councils The National Security Strategy of the United States of America, (September 2002). [11] James Mann, Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bushs War Cabinet (New York: Viking, 2004), 336-340. AURORA The potential hit man in the Hamilton County murder-for-hire case was sentenced on Thursday in Hamilton County District Court. Derrick Shirley, 31, of Bradshaw was sentenced to 16-20 years in prison by District Judge Rachel A. Daugherty. Shirley has already served 43 days. That time will go toward his sentence, which starts immediately. Assuming Shirley doesnt lose good time, he will be eligible for parole after eight years and could complete his sentence after 10 years. About 25 people, including family, friends and children, attended the sentencing. In early August, he pleaded not guilty to a previous charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, a Class 2 felony, for conferring with Robert S. Honken of Aurora to kill Honkens wife. During a status hearing on Sept. 1 in Hamilton County District Court, Shirley took a plea bargain and pleaded no contest to possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, which is still a Class 2 felony. Shirleys crime was committed anywhere from Feb. 10 through Feb. 17, according to the court. During Shirleys sentencing, both sides gave their final argument. Deputy County Attorney Benjamin Dennis and attorney Ross Luzum represented the state. Shirley was represented by attorney Mark Porto. Dennis opened the arguments. He stated the terms of a plea deal made with Shirley, which included a four- to eight-year prison sentence and an agreement that Shirley would provide testimony in Honkens case. Dennis cited factors that he took into account when coming up with the recommended sentence. He said Shirleys previous diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in the military affects his judgment and actions. He also said Shirley has taken some responsibility for his actions. Shirley and Honken were arrested on Feb. 29 after a State Patrol investigation. According to the arrest warrant affidavit for Honken, a concerned citizen contacted police, telling them "Sam" asked the citizen to kill his wife. In a controlled call with police on Feb. 27, the citizen contacted "Sam," who then told the citizen his real name was Robert. During the call, according to the affidavit, Honken said he wanted his wife "out of the way" and said he previously hired another person, Shirley, to do the job and paid him $400. Two days later, according to the affidavit, a State Patrol investigator posed as a hit man and met Honken to discuss killing Honkens wife. Honken paid the undercover investigator $500. The affidavit for Honken states that Shirley said he obtained a weapon and canvassed Honkens wifes house to prepare to kill her. Shirley didnt go through with the crime. In late June, Daugherty overruled pleas in abatement for both Shirley and Honken. According to Daughertys written decision on Shirleys plea in abatement, Shirley argued that there was no evidence shown by the state of an actual agreement between him and Honken. However, Daugherty wrote that evidence was presented that there were several discussions outlining how the murder would happen, preparations, the purchase of a gun and the exchange of money. Written arguments were due on Nov. 17 for both sides in Honkens case. On Tuesday, Daugherty made her decision and found Honken guilty on two counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. In Daughertys written judgment, she outlined text messages between Shirley and Honken. Though Shirley backed out, evidence still showed he staked out Honkens wifes home, bought a weapon and made a thorough plan for the crime. Dennis said Shirley should be rewarded for ultimately not going through with the crime, but it doesnt minimize the lengths to which he went before backing out. "The fact that Mr. Shirley became involved in the first place is troubling," Dennis said. "Those text messages are deeply disturbing in themselves," Dennis said, citing the exchanges between Honken and Shirley to plot Mrs. Honkens murder. Dennis mentioned Shirleys alcohol and drug use, as well as his high percentile scores on the violence scale. He said by backing out, Shirley did stop Honken from going through with this instance of the crime. However, Dennis said Shirley failed when he didnt tell law enforcement about Honken. He said that allowed Honken possibly to go through with the crime another way, which he tried to do when he contacted another person to kill his wife. "But his actions are threatening, inappropriate, and their seriousness cannot be overlooked," Dennis said of Shirley. Porto said he agreed with most of what Dennis said. He argued that, although Shirley has drug and alcohol issues, his actions in plotting Mrs. Honkens murder arent indicative of any past behavior. Porto also tried to make sense of any reason or motive Shirley would have to commit the crime, but it was still muddy. He said Shirley was "really in his element" when he was in the military, as he was at the top of his professional career. Due to personal issues, Shirley was discharged. Porto said Shirley lost his sense of pride and began to spiral. He said when Honken contacted Shirley, Shirley was "motivated in the wrong way." "He obviously went way too far. Theres no question about it," Porto said. According to Daughertys judgment of Honken earlier this week, evidence shows text messages between the co-conspirators. Shirley staked out Mrs. Honkens residence multiple times and discussed different ways to kill her. The judgment also cites evidence that Shirley had a friend buy a Mossberg .22 rifle and acknowledged that he drove by Mrs. Honkens house about 20 times. It also states that Shirley tried to lure Mrs. Honkens dogs in with hot dogs to "keep them from barking and alerting Mrs. Honken." Porto said it was good of Shirley to remove himself from the situation and that four to eight years imprisonment was appropriate. "I truly do not believe that Mr. Shirley was ever going to do this," Porto said. He said he hoped that, while Shirley would be in prison, he would become drug free. Shirley will have longer to do that than Porto, Dennis or other parties involved expected. Before Daugherty announced the sentence, Porto said he didnt think Shirley truly understood the nature of a conspiracy and that its still a crime, although Shirley didnt go through with the murder. Shirley gave his first and last comment at his sentencing before he knew his fate. "Im sorry for everyone Ive affected throughout this whole thing," Shirley said. Daugherty listed four possible motives and reasons for Shirley to commit this crime: drugs, anger, money and thrill. She said his marijuana use couldnt lead him to commit a murder and Mrs. Honken was a stranger to him, so he didnt have pent-up anger. He wasnt actually paid much by Honken, Daugherty said, so she ruled money out. She said the only thing that made sense was thrill. "You were a man on a mission, just as you were in the military," Daugherty said to Shirley. She said the extent to which he went is concerning and she sees him as a danger to the community. People in the crowd were audibly surprised and relieved. As Shirley walked out of the courtroom in handcuffs, friends called to him, "Later bro," and "Later, buddy." In recent days, the transition focus has been on President-elect Donald Trumps retreat from some high-profile campaign stances and his personnel choices, including some unseemly public infighting over whether former critic Mitt Romney should be secretary of state. But the more important aspect of the transition for Trumps long-term success may be the extent to which his team and congressional Republicans can craft viable legislative proposals to implement the policy changes he promised would spur economic growth and make America great again. Trump himself signaled in his revised 100-day agenda that he realizes this may prove harder than his sweeping campaign rhetoric suggested. He stressed using his executive authority to spur energy production and crack down on visa violators and excluded such high-profile promises as repealing and replacing Obamacare, building a wall to stop illegal immigration from Mexico and enacting a massive job-creating $1 trillion infrastructure upgrade program. In each area, Trump could confront significant differences with congressional Republicans, who developed their own legislative proposals in hopes of having a GOP president to help enact them. Potentially contentious areas include: n Infrastructure. Its crucial to Trumps hope of creating millions of new jobs and spurring economic growth. But Republican lawmakers are expressing concern about the cost, reflecting their long-held belief that new spending programs should be totally funded. Senate Democrats like the idea better but plan to fight a rumored version that would finance some $1 trillion in upgrades to roads, bridges, tunnels and airports with tax credits designed to encourage contractors to undertake needed projects. Some Republicans would prefer to confine new tax breaks to a tax reform bill. Ron Klain, a former top aide to President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, warned Democrats in The Washington Post that Trumps tax credit proposal was a trap to get support for a tax-cut plan for utility-industry and construction-sector investors, and a massive corporate welfare plan for contractors because there was no guarantee it would fund any new projects. Another possibility is some version of Hillary Clintons campaign promise for an infrastructure bank designed to attract private investment for new projects. n Obamacare. Trump pledged to ask Congress on Day 1 to immediately deliver a full repeal of Obamacare. GOP lawmakers are chomping at the bit, having voted some 60 times in recent years to repeal the landmark Affordable Care Act. Selecting Rep. Tom Price as secretary of health and human services puts a strong voice for repeal in the Cabinet. But Trump complicated matters when he told The Wall Street Journal he might keep popular but costly provisions requiring insurers to cover those with pre-existing conditions and let parents cover their children until age 26. That raises the question of helping insurance companies pay their costs if the programs revenue-raising sections are killed. Senate Democrats, meanwhile, say theyll fight any effort to scrap Obamacare and, with 48 votes, may be able to force a compromise on replacing it. Some Republican governors are reportedly concerned about the political impact of depriving 22 million constituents of their newly acquired health care. Adding to the potentially politically incendiary mix, Price backs fellow House Republicans trying to partially privatize Medicare, a program Trump said hed protect. The outcome is murky, but lawmakers might end up revising the ACA over a two- or three-year period, rather than eliminating it. n Immigration. Trumps repeated promise to build a great wall to block immigration and make Mexico pay the tab may find favor in neither Congress nor Mexico. And in a post-election interview on CBS 60 Minutes, Trump seemed to back off building a wall that is impenetrable, physical, tall, powerful, noting there could be some fencing in what might become a less dramatic expansion of the current combination of physical and electronic barriers along the 1,989-mile U.S.-Mexico border. n Tax reform. This remains the likeliest area for action within Trumps first six months because congressional Republicans have already done substantial work on possible legislation. Most pending proposals would simplify the current tax laws and reduce taxes for all, with the biggest breaks going to corporations and the wealthiest taxpayers. But some analysts fear the revenue loss from Trumps tax plan would balloon the deficit, even using dynamic scoring by which GOP sponsors can claim that economic growth will offset most of it. Trump vowed to increase annual economic growth, below 2.5 percent for the past decade, to 4 percent, a level not achieved since the 1997-1999 dotcom boom. And he promised to create 25 million new jobs, setting a clear target to measure his success. Warminster boy makes Phillies nation proud with viral video from Game 1 Carson Wallace, 5, of Warminster, starred as one of the Phillies most savage fans as his celebration and taunt of an Astros fan went viral. 'Clown of Aleppo' Anas al-Basha was killed in an airstrike. By India Today Web Desk: Anas al-Basha, who was lovingly called the 'Clown of Aleppo', was recently killed in a missile strike in the Mashhad area of the city. The 24-year-old activist was known for his work with children in the war-torn Syrian city. He was also the director of Space for Hope. Samar Hijazi, al-Basha's supervisor, said he will always be remembered as someone who loved working with children, especially orphans. advertisement He is survived by his wife, whom he married just two months ago. --- ENDS --- The Village of Glen Carbon is getting ready for a special celebration - the Quasquicentennial Celebration. On June 6, 2017, Glen Carbon will turn 125 years old. Recently Ive been asked by volunteers from our historical commission if the village was just planning on making this a one-day celebration, said Mayor Rob Jackstadt. I told them my feeling was when you turn 125 years old you can celebrate all year. Raised as a discussion item on the agenda at the last full meeting of the Board of Trustees, Jackstadt asked board members and the community for input on the best way to celebrate the villages milestone. My suggestion to the historical commission was that the celebration of this shouldnt be limited to just June 6, that there should be some open endedness to this, he said. Trustee Steve Slemer, who is also a member of the Community Events Committee, said the CEC has began talking about ways to celebrate. Ive brought this up to the CEC and explained that we want to spread out the celebration with numerous events and get as many people involved as we can, he said. Wed like to see organizations, home owners associations and groups involved and come up with ideas and make this a year-long opportunity. While there are no concrete plans at this time, the planning has begun. Ending the discussion with a cliffhanger, Slemer said the CEC has something in the works that is something really special. The board of trustees also unanimously approved the appointment of Molly Deist to the Glen Carbon Community Events Committee. Her term expires in July 2017. Jackstadt said Deist will be filling the position that became vacant with the resignation of committee member Colleen Lyerla. In other business, Jackstadt announced that the nominating petitions for the April election begins on Monday, Dec. 12 through Monday Dec. 19. Three trustee positions, the mayor and village clerk are up for election. Trustees Jorja Dickemann, Brooke Harmony and Mary Beth Williams' terms expire in April. The Edwardsville Police Department recommended the approval of a resolution authorizing an agreement with the Illinois Department of Revenue for the Liquor Enforcement Pilot Program at Tuesdays Public Safety meeting. If approved, instead of the Illinois Liquor Commission conducting administrative liquor license checks, they will be conducted by the EPD. Chief Jay Keeven said the EPD is not typically responsible for the administrative checks; rather, their primary concern has been underage drinking. The Illinois Liquor Commission typically handles the administrative liquor license checks, so when we are doing alcohol compliance checks and walkthroughs through our bars and doing some of the alcohol compliance checks we do under grant, were actually looking for underage drinkers or those who are serving alcohol to an underage individual working in our direction. The Illinois Liquor Commission does the administrative checks, so they ensure that the liquor license is displayed properly, they ensure that they have their correct paperwork, he said. A retail liquor establishment is only allowed to buy their booze or alcohol from a wholesaleso if they run out of Jack Daniels, they cant just run down to the grocery store and buy a bottle; they have to buy it through their distributor. The administrative liquor license checks consist of checking the records of whats in stock and whats been sold so far at the license holders establishment, checking for fruit flies in bottles and tappers for cleanliness, etc. Given the short staff of the ILC, Keeven said the commission is reaching out to local police departments to participate. The Illinois Liquor Commission, like many agencies, is short-staffed, so they have entered into agreements with many local police stations asking us to do those administrative checks. Theyll pay us $75 per check, which usually takes about 45 minutes. An officer on overtime earns an average $50 an hour, so we should not come out in the negative on that, he said. Currently, Edwardsville has 74 liquor licenses including gas stations, quick marts, grocery stores, taverns, brewers, and one packaged liquor store. Keeven said all of those licenses will be checked by the EPD. All of those licenses would be checked by our personnel. Weve had a training program - the Illinois Liquor Commission has trained our officers and what we decided to do is move forward with our school officers. So we have four school resource officers, two D.A.R.E. officers that typically address the underage drinking details; since their work day typically ends at 3 or 3:30 with the school daythen wed be able to do these alcohol compliance checks. They could do them at the end of their shift or do one and two during the time period, he said. Well have until the end of June to finish them. Well pay them overtime to do them, theyve been trained to do them. Again, dollar for dollar, the city would come out ahead. Keeven said its likely not going to be a problem with six officers getting the job done between now and the end of June. In dealing with a state agency, one concern I had was how will payment be made? They will pay us in advance. Theyll send us a check for $5,550. Well make sure we do the 74 checkstheres not a problem with getting them done. Well have them done, he said. Any checks not completed by the end of June will require the EPD to refund $75 per check back to the ILC . If a violation was found while conducting the administrative checks, Keeven said there would be additional steps that need to be taken. If we did find violations, that would require an administrative hearing. So usually if theres a violation, the commission will work with the liquor license holder to resolve the problem. If a license holder says, Well we found this issue but we dont think its an issue, they would be entitled to a hearing before the Illinois Liquor Commission, which wouldnt require our officer be present for that hearing. I cant say that it wont not happen but its probably not going to happen often that theres a hearing, he said. As discussion came to a close, Keeven said this would also be beneficial to the city not just financially, but for public safety as well. Another positive piece of this is that it does give us another opportunity to have a uniformed officer interact with all of our license holders every year, so if they have a concern or a question or something thats not being addressed appropriately, we can address issues with our license holders. So I think its a win-win for us to get involved, he said. With none opposed, the resolution was approved and will approach the City Council at next Tuesdays meeting. By Indo-Asian News Service: Actress Shweta Tiwari has given birth to her second child, a boy. Shweta, who married actor Abhinav Kohli in 2013 after dating him for almost three years, welcomed their son on November 27 at the Surya Child Care Hospital in Mumbai. Also read: Shweta Tiwari has the cutest baby bump ever; see pic "Baby boy is doing fine and healthy, the process was smooth," Shobha Sharma, a pediatrician at the hospital, said in a statement. advertisement This is the couple's first child together. Shweta, best known for her stint in shows like Kasautii Zindagii Kay, Comedy Circus Ka Naya Daur, Big Boss Season 4 and Begusarai, was previously married to actor Raja Chaudhary, with whom she has daughter Palak. ??? A photo posted by Shweta Tiwari Kohli (@shweta.tiwari) on Nov 23, 2016 at 9:01am PST Lazzzyyy Monday Morning...???? A photo posted by Shweta Tiwari Kohli (@shweta.tiwari) on Nov 20, 2016 at 8:41pm PST Peaceful ????? A photo posted by Shweta Tiwari Kohli (@shweta.tiwari) on Nov 16, 2016 at 11:21pm PST --- ENDS --- Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ismatu Ropi, Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta (The Conversation) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 Indonesian police are investigating Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, also known as Ahok, for blasphemy. They named him a suspect after hundreds of thousands of people rallied against the Chinese-Indonesian and Christian governor earlier this month. Behind the enormous protest was a complex web of religious and political interests. But some of the protesters genuinely felt insulted by Ahok, who is running in next years gubernatorial election. The reason for their anger was a speech that Ahok gave in September. Among other things, he warned his listeners about people who invoke verse 51 of the Surah Al-Maidah in the Quran to deceive people into not voting for him. The Islamic Defenders Front reported Ahok for alleged blasphemy after a video of this part of his speech went viral. How to read religious text The verse Ahok claimed his opponents were referring to advises people to avoid aligning with Christian and Jews. According to the Sahih International English translation, verse 51 of Al-Maidah reads: O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are [in fact] allies of one another. And whoever is an ally to them among you then indeed, he is [one] of them. Indeed, Allah guides not the wrongdoing people. In his speech, Ahok did not specifically name the people he accused of using the Quran verses to dissuade people from voting for him. But, in Indonesia, it is unfortunately not uncommon for hardline clerics to use, or more correctly misuse, religious texts for their own political interest. To avoid following a misguided use of sacred texts, religious believers should understand the context in which the texts appeared the first time. Religious texts usually emerged as answers to problems that occurred within the social and political contexts of the time. Antara Al-Maidah verse 51 in context In the case of verse 51 of Al-Maidah, there are various interpretation of the reason (asbab an-nuzul) this verse came down. But all of these interpretations agree its highly likely that the verse came out in Medina in the later year of sixth century of Islams formative period. At the time, the newly emerged Muslim community was persecuted by the Arab tribes as well as Christian and Jewish communities. They outnumbered the Muslims and were politically and socially strong. In these circumstances, siding with the hostile groups could damage the unity of the small and fragile Islamic community. Based on its history, this verse should be proportionally understood in the context of Muslims asserting their religious identity at the time. Furthermore, verse 51 is strongly related to previous verses that provide guidance on Muslims relationship with other groups. Verse 51 of Al-Maidah should be read in line with them. Taking a single verse out of its context can result in an incomplete understanding of the purpose and true essence of those verses. Blasphemy As for blasphemy, in Islamic literature, the concept of blasphemy is actually very loose and only lately developed. Originally, to blaspheme does not only refer to speaking irreverently about God or other sacred things. In the Jewish tradition, saying Gods name is already considered a blasphemy and sinful. Only later, when governments started to regulate blasphemy through their laws, did blasphemy became associated with speech or actions that implicitly or explicitly insult God, or carry an element of hatred towards God, or doubt Gods omnipotence. In Islam, two of the best-known concepts related to blasphemy are apostasy and heresy. Apostasy, or riddah in Arabic, is the renunciation of belief. And heresy, or kufr, is belief in unorthodox teachings or the denial of the truth. But blasphemy is not limited to apostasy and heresy. It includes the concept of deviation, or dhalal in Arabic, which means departure from the true path. In Islamic heresiography, which is the writing of and about heresies, deviation or dhalal is used to define those who reject the fundamentals in religious belief, such as belief in God, the prophets and Sharia laws. This became a foundation of classical Islamic scholarship, particularly in the 11th and 12th centuries, to categorize groups that were considered deviant. Contemporary Muslim clerics have adopted this too. And, in turn, there are a number of commonly used terms such as sabb, which is blasphemy against the Prophets friends, and al-istihza, blasphemy against religious leaders or sacred symbols in Islam such as the Quran. In Indonesia, the MUI, a council of Muslim clerics that produces religious edicts, use the concept of deviation to determine whether a group is deviant or sacrilegious. In 2007 the MUI came up with a list of categories to determine whether a group was deviant or not. This became the basis for state-sanctioned banning of minority groups such the Ahmadiyya. Staying impartial Ahoks blasphemy case has grown beyond defending the sanctity of religion from blasphemy. Some people who protested against Ahok were also driven by frustration at the slow investigation of the governor, which they suspect was due to his position and closeness with the countrys political elites. Others are political adventurers who tried to ride the wave by using this religious sentiment. Whatever the religious or political background to Ahoks case, the principle of innocent until proven guilty must be applied. The court must not be influenced by public pressure. Meanwhile, religious believers would do well to learn the context of their sacred verses to truly understand their purpose and essence. Ismatu Ropi, Senior Lecturer and Director of Research, Centre for the Study of Islam and Society, Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fadhil Akbar Purnama Durham, UK Fri, December 2, 2016 This has been a remarkable year for the development of Islamic finance in Indonesia. In early March, Indonesia hosted an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit. After an interval of five months, Indonesia became the host of the 12th World Islamic Economic Forum. There has also been a great close to the year as President Joko Jokowi Widodo finally signed Presidential Decree No. 91/2016 on the establishment of National Committee of Sharia Finance (KNKS) at the beginning of this month. Discussions to establish the committee had been underway for almost a year, as many had acknowledged the need for a new institution to boost the Islamic finance industry in Indonesia. Previously at the World Islamic Economic Forum, the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) launched a Master Plan for Indonesian Islamic Financial Architecture. One of its recommendations was the establishment of a special committee to improve Indonesias Islamic finance industry. Thus the newly signed presidential decree signals the governments commitment to further developing Islamic finance in the country. The primary objective of the committee, which will be chaired by the President, is to boost the potential of domestic Islamic finance. Strategically, this will be a quantum leap as the President is eager to turn Indonesia into a global hub for Islamic finance. Based on the Islamic Finance Country Report for Indonesia, the Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI) outlined some major opportunities as well as important challenges to unlock the potential growth. Despite having the biggest Muslim population in the world, and being a dynamic emerging economy, Indonesias Islamic finance industry lags behind its peers in other major Islamic countries. Locally, it also still falls behind its conventional counterparts. Even though Islamic financial growth reached 139 percent year-on-year since 2010 compared to conventional growth (only 42 percent), after more than two decades its market share in the country is still stuck below 5 percent. One of the main obstacles in Indonesias financial sector is the low level of financial inclusion. According to the Global Financial Inclusion Index, in 2014 only 36 percent of Indonesias adult population held a bank account. This is partly due to the low levels of financial literacy in the country. The low financial literary is especially evident when we see that among the top five reasons why Indonesians do not have a bank account are not feeling the need for one, the perceived cost of transactions and not having knowledge about how to open an account. Nevertheless, financial inclusion plays an important role in handling poverty and inequality to address the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Therefore, building the financial industry, especially the Islamic finance industry, will play a great role in benefiting society. Financing capacity is also another problem at Islamic banks. Some of the existing Islamic banks in Indonesia are undercapitalized, so they are unable to expand their businesses rapidly. With the current growth rate, it is likely that Islamic banks will not expand much unless more radical steps are taken. A capital injection may be one alternative solution. Another strategy that has been discussed is a merger of three major Islamic banks in Indonesia. Despite its current condition, the Islamic finance industry has great potential to contribute to the national economy and also society. Jokowis administration is focused on boosting infrastructure. Funds in the infrastructure sector until 2019 could reach US$419 billion. There are plenty of opportunities for the Islamic finance industry to contribute to infrastructure financing. Islamic infrastructure finance is seen as well-suited to infrastructure financing as the asset-backed nature of Islamic finance makes it an ideal contender to build infrastructure. Furthermore, the tax amnesty program promoted by the Finance Ministry has also become another potential area for Islamic finance growth. The repatriation of funds resulting from the tax amnesty will have an impact on two things, namely the investment and business sectors. Islamic financial products may be a gateway for the repatriation of huge amounts of money. Corporate sukuk (Islamic bonds), for instance, are expected to be able to accommodate these repatriated funds. The vision of becoming a center for the worlds Islamic finance cannot be achieved through isolated efforts. Collaboration between the government, corporations and civil society is necessary. Many of us have great expectations for this committee, particularly on the impact of eective coordination between related stakeholders in the Islamic finance industry. We hope that the government, regulator, bankers, academics and Islamic fatwa authorities are on the same page about advancing the industry to bring more benefits to our economy. Therefore, the committee will be tasked with synchronizing various regulations on Islamic finance, facilitating the development of Islamic finance in Indonesia and overseeing the implementation of the master plan. Concrete actions from the committee could facilitate a conducive environment for the industry. There are several ways to achieve these goals. It could be formulating regulations and incentives to boost Islamic financing. The committee could also expand on education and campaigns related to Islamic financial products as well as vigorous promotion activities. Furthermore, it could be coupled with developing rules and industry certification for religious experts that endorse innovations in Islamic financial products. This is especially important as there is a need to further develop existing products to become more sophisticated. The establishment of the KNKS shows a strong commitment from the government to support Islamic finance advancement. It is expected that the establishment of the committee could be an effective top-down approach to drive growth in Islamic financial sectors. According to the decree, the committee will have executive management by the middle of next year. Led by professionals, it is expected that they will strengthen Islamic financial institutions by formulating incentives and a regulatory system for the industry as well as promoting the benefits of Islamic financial products to public. Then, of course, our next task will be supporting the committee and keeping an eye on them to make sure they work effectively. _____________________________________ The writer is a postgraduate student in Islamic finance at Durham Universitys Business School, UK. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Patrick Jory, The University of Queensland (The Conversation) Brisbane Fri, December 2, 2016 Thailands crown prince has become King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun or Rama X, the tenth monarch of the Chakri dynasty, succeeding his father who died on October 13. But great uncertainly remains about Thailands future and that of the monarchy both within the country and among international observers. Much attention has focused on the personality of the unpopular Crown Prince. While the international media has noted his erratic personal life, of much greater concern is his reputation for ruthlessness, which could harm the overwhelming respect for the monarchy in Thailand. Despite the superficial appearance of a modern constitutional monarchy (carefully crafted by palace propaganda), Thailands monarchy is, in reality, deeply conservative. Can it modernise itself after the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and survive a changing world? Thai royalists like to claim that no other country can be compared to Thailand. But there are at least three comparable cases in Asias recent history that may shed light on Thailands possible political future. Mao Zedongs China Vendors wait for customers at a curio market near a display of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong alongside images of emperors and deities in Beijing, China, Monday, May 16, 2016. [AP Photo/Ng Han Guan](AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) The first is China, following the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. The last decade of Maos premiership in China like the last ten years of King Bhumibols reign in Thailand was a period of great political turmoil. Although ideologically from opposite ends of the political spectrum, both leaders played crucial roles in establishing the regimes that came to dominate their country: the Communist Party of China and the military-bureaucracy-monarchy power bloc in Thailand. Both figures were the subject of totalitarian personality cults spread by the mass media and the education system. Both were politically untouchable. In both countries, conformity to the idiosyncratic ideas of the ruler took the place of rational political debate. In both cases, ideologically extreme groups took advantage of the power vacuum created by the ageing and weakening of the ruler to seize power, ostensibly to protect his legacy: the Gang of Four and the Red Guards in China, and in Thailand, hyper-royalist street movements and an arch-royalist clique within the military. Yet shortly after Maos death in 1976 the Gang of Four were swiftly overthrown and Deng Xiaoping manoeuvred his own rise to power. As Deng consolidated his authority, Maos supporters within the CCP were eventually sidelined. Deng brought an end to the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution, strengthened relations with the West, and began the process of reforming Chinas economy and opening the country up to the world. Soehartos Indonesia Power transition Late former president Sukarno inaugurating Gen. Soeharto (left) as a Cabinet member on July 29, 1966. (AP/-) Another comparison is with Thailands regional neighbor, Indonesia. The two countries share many similarities. Both King Bhumibol and the former military dictator General Soeharto came to power during the acutely polarized politics of the Cold War in Southeast Asia. And military dictatorships were established in both countries. King Bhumibol and Soeharto were fervent anti-communists and played key roles in the suppression of communism. Both cultivated close relations with the United States, which supported their regimes financially, militarily, and diplomatically. And both were crucial to the adoption of policies of economic liberalization and the capitalist transformation of their countries. Soeharto, who increasingly acted in the manner of a Javanese sultan, styled himself the father of development, while King Bhumibol was lauded in North Korean-style state propaganda as the development king. When Bhumibol came to the throne in 1946 the finances of the Thai royal family were in dire straits. Today, Thailands monarchy is the the wealthiest in the world, surpassing the Arab oil monarchs and the United Kingdoms Queen Elizabeth II. But following Soehartos resignation in May 1998, amid the economic disaster of the Asian Financial Crisis, the New Order military dictatorship collapsed. Indonesia went through a process of rapid and far-reaching political reform that transformed the country. For all its problems, Indonesia today is perhaps Southeast Asias most democratic nation. But the chairman of a communist party and the president of a newly formed nation are modern political offices. The Thai king, by contrast, is conceived of, on the one hand, as the descendant of an ancient caste of warrior-kings, and on the other as a future Buddha. The military and religious legacy of the Thai institution of monarchy dates back to the 13th century. While Mao and Soeharto are gone, the Chinese Communist Party and the Indonesian presidency remain. Yet, it is by no means certain that Thailands monarchy can survive King Bhumibols passing in the same way. The Shah of Iran The third comparison is Iran after the Shah. At first glance, Buddhist Thailand might not appear to bear comparison with Islamic Iran, yet there are, in fact, startling similarities. Both countries had old monarchies which, unlike many in Asia, survived the colonial era unscathed. The kingdoms they ruled, though formally independent, were dominated by the European imperial powers especially the British Empire. In the aftermath of World War II, the monarchy in each country was weak, parliamentary democracies were evolving, and the political forces of the Left were on the rise. The Cold War changed everything. With US assistance, reactionary forces in each country crushed the emerging democratic regimes famously in the case of Iran with the assistance of a CIA and Mi6-sponsored coup that overthrew the democratically-elected Prime Minister, Mohammed Mossadegh, and restored the autocratic Shah. Iran and Thailand became key US allies in the struggle against communism in the Middle East and Southeast Asia respectively. The US bolstered the authority of these monarchies as symbols of conservative stability. In both countries networks of surveillance and repression were set up to eliminate threats to the regime. With democratic and leftist forces murdered, imprisoned, or in hiding, and farmers organizations, unions, and political parties banned or co-opted by the state, the two monarchs threw their authority behind policies of rapid economic development that transformed and polarized their societies. Here the similarities end. Shah Reza Pahlavi was overthrown in a massive revolution in 1978-9 that ended the two-and-a-half millennia-old Iranian monarchy and established the Islamic Republic of Iran. Despite the victory of communist forces in Indochina and a home-grown Thai communist insurgency, Thailands King Bhumibol and its monarchy survived until now. Tipping point In all three Asian countries the passing of authoritarian rulers Mao, Suharto, and Shah Reza Pahlavi was followed by sweeping political and social change. Thai society has been acutely polarised for a decade. The long duration of the conflict may encourage the perception that the country will just muddle through the succession, and that some political compromise will eventually be reached as had been the case during previous periods of political turmoil during the late kings reign. But if the dramatic experiences of the three Asian countries discussed here following the passing of their powerful rulers provide any example, it would be short-sighted not to consider that a more far-reaching transformation than a royal succession might not also be in store for the Kingdom of Thailand. Patrick Jory, Senior Lecturer, Southeast Asian History, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Inforial (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta, Indonesia Fri, December 2, 2016 Indonesia has had a long history of positive and fruitful relations with the South Pacific region and its 14 countries and 10 million inhabitants. The overall relationship between the two sides has shown a slow but steady increase in economic cooperation over the years. In 2013 alone, Indonesia donated millions of US dollars to Pacific countries to be used in various fields. In early 2016, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi visited Pacific countries to reiterate Indonesias interest in strengthening relations with them. The Foreign Ministry has expressed its belief that this relationship has the potential for further development. Becoming part of the Pacific is destiny. You can choose your friends but not your neighbors, said Desra Percaya, who is director general for Asia-Pacific and African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. Indonesias diplomatic mission in the Pacific is to create a territory that is safe, stable and friendly, and to increase economic cooperation, trade, investment and social-cultural relations. The country has developed diplomatic relations with nearly all countries in the Pacific, and is currently in the process of opening a relationship with the Cook Islands. Its relations with Pacific nations encompasses aspects like capacity building, diplomatic training, inter-university partnerships (such as between Pasundan University and Fiji National University) and work on dealing with common concerns, such as climate change. With the Fiji archipelago, for instance, Indonesia has maintained a strong and dynamic relationship for the past 30 years. It has helped Fiji respond to disaster. In the aftermath of the recent category-five tropical storm, Cyclone Winston, which devastated Fiji last February, the Indonesian government has given the Fiji island nation US$5 million in reconstructive and rehabilitative aid. The government has also pledged to help Fiji rebuild its Queen Victoria School by deploying engineer troops. It has also offered cooperation in areas of fisheries, food security and general disaster mitigation. In helping Fiji develop its agriculture sector, Indonesia has also sent 100 hand tractor units to aid the Fiji government. Another Pacific nation, Papua New Guinea, has also enjoyed positive relations with Indonesia. In April this year, Rimbink Pato, Papua New Guineas foreign affairs and immigration minister, said that both countries had signed 11 memorandums of understanding and three corporate arrangements that spanned issues such as economic cooperation and politics. The ministers of both countries have also discussed security arrangements, intelligence sharing and working in close cooperation on the border. Throughout the years, Indonesias work with its neighbors in the Pacific region has also resulted in a number of influential intergovernmental sub-regional organizations, such as the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), the Southwest Pacific Dialogue (SWPD), the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF) and the Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF). Among the most notable of the organizations is the MSG, which began in 1988 as a means to promote economic cooperation among Melanesian nations Fiji, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Indonesia was recognized as an associate member in 2015, after initially being accepted as an observer in 2011. The relationship between Indonesia and the MSG countries is not simply economic. Indonesia in the past has used its common cultural background with these Melanesian countries to strengthen bilateral relations. Indonesia has 11 million people of Melanesian descent spread across provinces such as Maluku and East Nusa Tenggara. In fact, according to Vice Minister of Foreign Affair A. M Fachir, increased connectivity between Melanesians in Indonesia and the MSG nations could pave the way for broader access to the Indonesian market. Stronger connectivity will create wider opportunities, Desra added. To answer this challenge, Indonesia is pushing for a meeting of the SWPD Group on Connectivity under the leadership of Papua New Guinea to discuss strengthening connectivity between Indonesia and the Pacific, especially the Southwest Pacific. In 2014, Indonesia and the MSG nations also agreed on a nine-paragraph joint statement that identified potential venues for cooperation in fields such as food security, education, democracy, good governance and social and cultural issues. The countrys desire to improve cooperation extends to the natural world as well. In 2009, during the World Ocean Conference, Indonesia spearheaded the CTI-CFF with countries like Malaysia, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea. Aside from protecting nature, Indonesia has also used the CTI-CFF as a way of fighting against illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, and to have it classified as a Transnational Organized Crime. This decades-long history of cooperation between Indonesia and the Pacific nations has all been part of Indonesias diplomacy goal of building good relations with all of its neighbors and maintaining a stable, prosperous and secure regional neighborhood, which in turn is crucial for Indonesias own security, development and prosperity. Indonesia has an interest in pushing for stronger political stability and economic growth in the Pacific by playing its role in building bridges to Southeast Asia, Desra said. MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Inforial (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta, Indonesia Sat, December 3, 2016 The Batam Industrial Development Authority (BP Batam) was established based on the issuance of Presidential Decree No. 41/1973. It has the authority to manage the development of industrial compounds in the 415-square-kilometer industrial complex in Batam city, Riau Islands. In the early 1970s to 1980s, the city was a logistical base for oil exploration by state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina and was inhabited by only 6,000 people. The master plan for the citys development was designed in 1972 in cooperation with Japans Nissho Iwai and the Pacific Bechtel Incorporation from the United States. During the period, BP Batam saw three leaders: Ibnu Sutowo (1971 to 1976), JB Sumarlin (1976 to 1998) and BJ Habibie in (1998). Photo courtesy of BP Batam(-/-) Under Habibies leadership, Batam took off as an industrial area with an emphasis on infrastructure building and capital investment development. It was chaired by Habibie until July 1998, when he was appointed president. He was followed by Ismeth Abdullah (1998 to2005), who later became Riau Islands governor and was replaced as chairman by Mustofa Widjaja (2015 to April 2016). In 2007, Law No. 44 was enacted to supplement Law No. 36/2000 in establishing Batam as a free trade zone for 70 years. BP Batam was appointed as the manager of the free trade zone. Around that time, a number of new industrial sectors flourished in the area, including shipyards, maintenance repair and overhaul services for aviation and a disaster recovery center. Business transformation Photo courtesy of BP Batam(-/-) After 45 years of service, the institution is undergoing a big transformation this year. The management responsibility shifted from the Riau governor to the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister as per Presidential Decree No. 8/2016. On April 6, a new top management team was appointed to head BP Batam. The new head of BP Batam is Hatanto Reksodipoetro, former Indonesian ambassador to Norway and former secretary-general for the Trade Ministry. Its vice chairman is former director general of the Industry Ministry, Agus Tjahajana Wirakusumah. Meanwhile, its deputy chairman for administration and general affairs is former Finance Ministry taxation director general Sigit Priadi Pramudito. The deputy chairman for planning and development is former anticorruption commission deputy chairman Junino Jahja. The deputy chairman for business facilities is the former director of strategic planning and funds management at the Plantation Fund Management Body, RC Eko Santoso Budianto. The deputy chairman for additional business facilities is former assistant to the coordinating economic minister, Purba Robert Mangapul Sianipar. Meanwhile its deputy chairman for public services is former Indonesian ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Trade Ministry director general Gusmardi Bustami. Since taking office, the new management team has made rapid changes to accelerate development in Batam, where attempts at reform usually meet a number of challenges and obstacles. However, the new team and the 2,700 employees of BP Batam are committed to continuing and improving development in Batam by prioritizing a clean, professional and transparent institution. Today, Batam has granted principle permits to 128 new projects worth US$65 million and issued business license for 62 projects worth at US$476 million. BP Batam has also reformed land management through online systems. A breakthrough in the investment policy for three-hour investment license issuance and another program to ease construction permit issuance were launched in conjunction with a plan to construct buildings in 24 industrial compounds that meet at least one of two requirements: a minimum investment of Rp 30 billion or employing 300 local workers. The new application system was launched on Sept. 1. Apparently, the new permit issuance process has attracted a number of companies. At least one Australian-Singaporean company called Blackmagic Design has benefited from the new application process. Meanwhile, four more foreign companies are planning to register their businesses through the new system soon. Furthermore, new infrastructure projects involving the construction of water reservoirs, a residential complex for workers, public transportation system, toll roads and a bridge connecting the islands of Bintan and Batam are also ready to be launched. There is also another ongoing plan to turn Hang Nadim airport into what BP Batam calls the aerotropolis of the city, which integrates an industrial metropolis comprising warehouse facilities, offices, hotels and shopping centers as well as a business facility, relying on Batam airports on-time logistics. With the transformation of the Batam industrial complex, celebrating 45 years of BP Batams journey is marked with the spirit of dedication, commitment and hard work. The institution is committed to continuously improving its services to develop the economy of Batam, one of the strongest contributors to Indonesias economy. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 Canon's latest mirrorless camera, EOS M5, officially entered the Indonesian market on Thursday. Introduced in September, it is said to be a more sophisticated mirrorless camera as it targets experienced photographers and has higher specifications than its predecessors, the EOS M3 and EOS M10. Among its highlighted features are an electronic viewfinder, dual-command dial and a touchscreen that can be tilted 180 degrees. Authorized distributor PT Datascrip Canon image communication division manager Sintra Wong said EOS M5 was closer to the DSLR EOS 80D in terms of specifications. However, since it is a mirrorless camera, it does not have a mirrorbox, resulting in a much slimmer size. (Read also: Canon introduces latest high-end DSLR in Jakarta) "EOS M5 is also equipped with the latest image processor, Digic 7. While its APS-C sensor has a resolution of 24 megapixel," said Sintra on Thursday in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, as quoted by kompas.com, adding that the product could also connect to Android or iOS devices via Wi-Fi and NFC. In Indonesia, the product is priced at Rp 14.2 million (US$1,051) for body only, Rp 15.7 million for the kit version that include EF-M 45-45 mm F3.5-6.3 lens and Rp 19.9 million for the package that comes with EF-M 18-150 mm F3.5-6.3 lens. (fmn/kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, December 1 2016 The Japanese government plans to widen its Islamic school and pesantren (Islamic boarding school) leaders program by involving participants from other ASEAN countries in visits to Japan. Japans Foreign Ministrys director of international safety and security cooperation, Miyamoto Shingo, said on Tuesday that similar programs could be conducted in other ASEAN member countries to strengthen cooperation between Japan and ASEAN. We already have good networking with pesantren in Indonesia and we want to have similar networks in Malaysia, the Philippines and other ASEAN member countries through this program, Shingo said at a workshop promoting cross-cultural educational exchange in ASEAN. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Viriya P. Singgih (The Jakarta Post) Cikarang, W. Java Thu, December 1 2016 State-owned construction firm Pembangunan Perumahan (PP), through its subsidiary Jababeka PP Properti, has ramped up its construction of reasonably priced apartments for low-income people. Jababeka PP Properti has officially started the development of the Riverview Residence apartment complex located in Cikarang, West Java. It is the third apartment project for PP Properti in which one-fifth of the apartments are priced at less than Rp 230 million (US$17,000). to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) has deployed 14 water trucks to the National Monument (Monas) square in Central Jakarta to accommodate a mass gathering by Muslim protesters to demand the arrest of Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama over alleged blasphemy. The trucks will supply an additional 70,000 liters of water to allow protesters to perform the wudhu (ablution) ritual before joining the gathering, during which they will attend sermons, Friday prayers, and dzikir (mass chants to praise God). The PMI have readied 150 plastic containers and more than 70,000 liters of water for ablution during the mass dzikir event in Monas, the Jakarta Polices traffic management unit reported on its Twitter account @TMCPoldaMetro on Friday morning. As many as 200,000 demonstrators are expected to gather at Monas for the event, scheduled to run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. This will be a follow-up to an anti-Ahok rally on Nov. 4, when protesters, mostly from Muslim groups, swarmed onto Jakarta streets to demand Ahok's prosecution. Last month, the National Police named Ahok, a Christian of Chinese descent, a suspect of blasphemy over a comment on a Quranic verse Ahok had made during a visit to Thousand Islands regency in late September. On Thursday, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) said it had submitted Ahoks case dossier to the North Jakarta District Court, paving the way for the trial in the high-profile case to begin. (hwa) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 The Jakarta Police announced on Friday that they had arrested eight people for alleged treason, several hours before the start of a large-scale rally to demand the arrest of Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama in a blasphemy case. "Eight people have been arrested and are undergoing interrogation by the Jakarta Police. We will wait for the interrogation results," National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said at National Monument (Monas) Square on Friday morning. A message circulating among journalists suggests that a number of activists, including musician-cum-politician Ahmad Dhani, retired two-star Army general Kivlan Zein, former lawmaker Sri Bintang Pamungkas and Rachmawati Soekarnoputri, sister of former president and ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, have been arrested on treason charges. Boy, however, refused to confirm the information, saying the investigation was currently under way. Last month, the Jakarta Police issued a circular to remind people that an act of treason could face the death penalty amid a plan by some Islamic conservative organizations to carry out a large-scale rally on Friday to push for the arrest of Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama in a blasphemy case. In expressing ones thought in public, it is illegal to carry out [an act that will jeopardize] the nations security such as treason against the president or the vice president, the circular stated, which was signed by Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Mochammad Iriawan. [The person responsible for] the act could be sentenced to death or with a life sentence, the circular added. (hwa) Cyclone Nada which weakened into a deep depression yesterday moved Westnorth-West wards and became a depression. By Press Trust of India: Cyclonic storm Nada has further weakened into a depression as predicted and is currently making landfall between Nagapattinam and Vedaranyam in Tamil Nadu, the MeT Department said today. "A large chunk of the depression has crossed coast early morning. However, over 25 per cent of the system is yet to make the land fall which will happen soon," a MeT official here said. advertisement He said mild to moderate rain coupled with squally winds were being witnessed in parts of Tamil Nadu. Cyclone Nada which weakened into a deep depression yesterday moved Westnorth-West wards and became a depression about 40 km East south East of Karaikkal (Puducherry Union Territory), the official said. Meanwhile, top government authorities said the situation is being monitored continuously. Also Read Cyclone Nada weakens over Bay of Bengal, relief to rain-hit Tamil Nadu Five Indian fishermen rescued by Sri Lankan Navy --- ENDS --- Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Associated Press) Bismarck, N.D., United States Fri, December 2, 2016 The Ace Hardware chain is denying widely circulated reports that it was refusing to sell camping supplies to protesters demonstrating against the Dakota Access oil pipeline in North Dakota. Protest advocates started a #BoycottAceHardware hashtag after some supporters tweeted what was said to be a statement from Ace that said stores near the area were asked by law enforcement officials to "refrain from selling material that could be used at the camps." The largest encampment set up in opposition to the four-state, US$3.8 billion pipeline has been called the largest gathering of Native American tribes in a century. The purported statement, signed by "Camillia H./Ace Care Center," included a toll-free telephone number, which was answered by a recording directing it to the company website. Ace spokeswoman Anna Wyrwas said in a statement Thursday that the chain has not banned the sale of products at any Ace store, and North Dakota Department of Emergency Services spokeswoman Cecily Fong denies law enforcement ever ordered Ace to halt sales to demonstrators. A spokesperson for a large protesters' group also said the reports, which trended widely on social media Thursday, were not true. An employee who answered the phone at the Ace Hardware in nearby Bismarck said Thursday that the store had not received anything from corporate headquarters suggesting a ban on selling to demonstrators. The employee, who declined to give a name, said protesters had been in buying supplies all day. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Indra Budiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 A large mass gathering in downtown Jakarta concluded in a peaceful manner on Friday afternoon as most participants fulfilled their promise to disperse immediately after the end of Friday prayers. More than 500,000 people flocked to the National Monument (Monas) square in Central Jakarta starting Friday morning to participate in a demonstration to push for the immediate arrest of Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok Tjahaja Purnama over alleged blasphemy. The police gave them approval to hold the gathering, the main event of which was a mass Friday prayer, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Shortly after the Friday prayer, rally participants started to leave Monas through three entrance gates, with hundreds of police and military personnel watching to maintain order. Comr. Sunardi, an on-duty officer from the Jakarta Police, applauded participants willingness to maintain order, claiming that his agency recorded no untoward incidents having taken place. "We have been prepared for anything, but were surely glad if this rally could be ended peacefully like this," he told The Jakarta Post. While most participants have left Monas, hundreds of others were still seen gathering at a rally stage in the square, listening to political speeches delivered by a number of apparent clerics. "Thank you for your presence today, but I ask you when you get home you keep in mind that not a single non-Muslim could be a leader in this country," said one of the speakers. "Not a district leader, not a governor or even president should be our leader. Pick a Muslim if you have to vote," he said before leaving the stage with his entourage. (hwa) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 The occupancy rates of Jakarta's hotels have slumped this week as guests postpone or cancel their plans to stay in the capital because of security concerns regarding a large gathering on Friday to demand the arrest of Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama for alleged blasphemy. Jakarta Hotels Association (JHA) chairman Alexander Nayoan told The Jakarta Post that the Jakarta-wide occupancy rates for five-star hotels had fallen by between 10 and 15 percent this week. The decrease in occupancy rates was already significant even before today, especially for hotels with many foreign guests, said Alexander, who is also the managing director of The Dharmawangsa Jakarta. He added that the four-star and three-star hotels, which mostly cater to local guests, had also seen a 5 percent drop in occupancy rates compared to in normal weeks. Many business meetings hosted by foreign companies were cancelled. However, some events organized by local companies are still going on, he said. The large rally, however, has not made an impact on hotel occupancy rates outside Jakarta, state-owned Hotel Indonesia Natour (HIN) president director Iswandi Said told the Post. There is no impact [by the mass gathering of protestors] making a decline of hotel occupancy rates in other cities outside Jakarta, he said. More than 200,000 demonstrators are expected to swarm the National Monument (Monas) square in Central Jakarta on Friday to demand the immediate arrest of Ahok. (win/hwa) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Associated Press) Canberra Fri, December 2, 2016 Australia has enacted a law that will allow officials to keep convicted terrorists in prison after they have served their sentences, the prime minister said on Friday. Malcolm Turnbull said in a statement that the law passed by Parliament on Thursday would keep Australians safe from prisoners convicted of terrorism offenses who continue to pose an unacceptable threat to the community at the end of their sentences. The law was needed because 55 people have been charged in Australia with terrorism offenses since the nation's terror risk was increased to its second-highest level in September 2014, he said. Sentences can now be extended by court order. The Law Council of Australia, which represents lawyers, welcomed amendments to the draft law which gave prisoners up to 12 months' notice of an application to extend their sentences so that prisoners could get legal help. The law also has to be reviewed by a parliamentary committee after six years. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Safrin La Batu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 At least 10 buses departed from the headquarters of the hard-line group Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) in the Petamburan area of Central Jakarta on Friday morning to carry participants to a mass gathering in downtown Jakarta. The gathering, to begin at the National Monument (Monas) square at 8 a.m., is aimed at pushing for the arrest of Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama in a blasphemy case. Most of the participants leaving from FPI headquarters were wearing white Muslim attire. The buses have been standing here since [Thursday] afternoon," said Teguh, a local resident. Teguh said most of the participants had gathered at the FPI headquarters on Thursday and spent the night there. As many as 200,000 demonstrators are expected to join the Monas gathering, which is scheduled to run until 1 p.m. This will be a follow-up to a large-scale anti-Ahok rally on Nov. 4, when protesters, mostly from Muslim groups, swarmed onto Jakarta streets to demand Ahok's prosecution in a blasphemy case. Last month, the National Police named Ahok, a Christian of Chinese descent, a suspect of blasphemy over comments on a Quranic verse the governor had made during a visit to Thousand Islands regency in September. (hwa) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Suherdjoko (The Jakarta Post) Semarang, Central Java Fri, December 2, 2016 Around 2,000 people called for the immediate incarceration of non-active Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama during a rally in Semarang, Central Java, on Friday. Rallying in front of the Central Java Prosecutors Office on Jl. Pahlawan, the protesters insisted that Ahok was guilty of blasphemy. Islamic organization Majelis Akhir Zaman chairman Farid Prianggono said Muslims must defend Islam. [...] Allah says said in the Quran that if you help the religion of Allah, then Allah will help you and strengthen your position on Earth, he said during his oration. Farid is one of the ustadz (Islamic lecturers) who made a speech and gave a sermon during the rally. Started after the Friday prayer, the rally ran orderly and peacefully. Members of Islamic organizations joined with the Semarang Muslim Forum and ended the rally by holding Asr (afternoon) prayers. They included the Semarang branch of the Islamic Students Association (HMI), the Central Java branch of the Indonesia Islamic Students (PII) organization, the Indonesian Muslim Students Action Front (KAMMI), Pemuda Muhammadiyah, the youth wing of Muhammadiyah, Indonesias second largest Islamic organization, and other Muslim components across the province. The protesters carried posters bearing pictures of Ahok and messages reading Bring this blasphemy perpetrator to justice and Imprison Islams defamer. Dozens of police personnel, including police women, secured the rally, which ran in parallel with a mass prayer organized by the National Movement to Safeguard the Indonesian Ulema Councils Fatwa (GNPF-MUI) at Jakarta's National Monument (Monas) Park on Friday. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Agnes Anya, Liza Yosephine, and Indra Budiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2 2016 Jakarta is bracing for another large-scale rally by members of conservative Islamic organizations on Friday, as thousands of workers are also set to stage a concurrent demonstration in the capital to protest the nations minimum wages. As many as 200,000 demonstrators are expected to gather at the National Monument (Monas) complex in Central Jakarta to hold sermons, Friday prayers, and dzikir (mass chants to praise God) to demand the arrest of incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama over alleged blasphemy. The National Police have announced traffic rerouting to address potential gridlock. Traffic on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat, which is the main access road to the monument compound, will be rerouted to nearby streets. The Confederation of Indonesian Workers Unions (KSPI) has claimed that around 50,000 workers will hold a rally to demand that the government scrap Government Regulation No. 78/2015 on wages issued by Ahok. The rally will commence at City Hall at 10 a.m. Protesters will then march to the State Palace, where they are expected to continue rallying until the evening. The groups, which also demanded Ahoks arrest, ignored requests by the police to postpone the rally. KSPI spokesperson Kahar Cahyono said the Islamic groups and labor unions shared the common interest of promoting the implementation of principles of justice and fairness, including in Ahoks case. As many as 22,000 joint personnel from the police and the Indonesian Military (TNI) are set to secure the rally. Several transportation companies said they would operate normally on Friday, although adjustments may be made depending on rally conditions. In spite of growing concern over the planned mass prayers, with a number of foreign governments having issued warnings to their citizens, airfares and commuter numbers leaving Jakarta have not shown a sudden spike, according to industry representatives. Garuda Indonesias vice president of corporate communications, Benny S. Butarbutar, said there had not been a sudden increase in passenger numbers. Yuline, a spokeswoman from Batemuri Tours and Travel, echoed Bennys statement. She said there had not been an unexpected rise in airline ticket purchases out of the capital. Neither has there been a sudden increase in airline ticket fares, Yuline said. A number of countries, including the United States, Japan and Australia, have issued advisories highlighting the possibility of Fridays protest turning violent or the risk of extremists staging an attack. In a bid to prevent provocation over the internet, the Communications and Information Ministry has blocked a website run by Islam Defenders Front (FPI) founder Rizieq Shihab. The website, habibrizieq.com, is accused of spreading hatred based on issues of ethnicity, religion and race . Fridays rally will be the third protest initiated nationwide by various Islamic groups, which demand that the government, through the police, arrest Ahok for alleged blasphemy after making controversial remarks referring to a Quranic verse in late September. More than 100,000 protesters staged a rally near Monas on Nov. 4 to demand the prosecution of Ahok. The rally ended in a clash between dozens of protesters and police officers. In Yogyakarta, around 250 Muhammadiyah followers departed to Jakarta to take part in the rally, ignoring Muhammadiyahs recommendation to not take part in the movement. Bambang Muryanto, Syamsul Huda M. Suhari and Andi Hajramurni contributed to this report from Yogyakarta, Gorontalo and Makassar. ______________________________ How the rally should be carried out based on agreement between National Police and organizers 1. The rally is to be held in the National Monument square from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Activities outside the area will be sternly dispersed. 2. The rally should only include preaching, Quran recital and Friday prayer. 3. The police will direct protesters into and out of the square. 4. Other rallies conducted outside the square will be considered illegal. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Agnes Anya, Liza Yosephine, and Indra Budiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 Jakarta is bracing for another large-scale rally by members of conservative Islamic organizations on Friday, as thousands of workers are also set to stage a concurrent demonstration in the capital to protest the nations minimum wages. As many as 200,000 demonstrators are expected to gather at the National Monument (Monas) complex in Central Jakarta to hold sermons, Friday prayers, and dzikir (mass chants to praise God) to demand the arrest of incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama over alleged blasphemy. The National Police have announced traffic rerouting to address potential gridlock. Traffic on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat, which is the main access road to the monument compound, will be rerouted to nearby streets. The Confederation of Indonesian Workers Unions (KSPI) has claimed that around 50,000 workers will hold a rally to demand that the government scrap Government Regulation No. 78/2015 on wages issued by Ahok. The rally will commence at City Hall at 10 a.m. Protesters will then march to the State Palace, where they are expected to continue rallying until the evening. The groups, which also demanded Ahoks arrest, ignored requests by the police to postpone the rally. KSPI spokesperson Kahar Cahyono said the Islamic groups and labor unions shared the common interest of promoting the implementation of principles of justice and fairness, including in Ahoks case. As many as 22,000 joint personnel from the police and the Indonesian Military (TNI) are set to secure the rally. Several transportation companies said they would operate normally on Friday, although adjustments may be made depending on rally conditions. In spite of growing concern over the planned mass prayers, with a number of foreign governments having issued warnings to their citizens, airfares and commuter numbers leaving Jakarta have not shown a sudden spike, according to industry representatives. Garuda Indonesias vice president of corporate communications, Benny S. Butarbutar, said there had not been a sudden increase in passenger numbers. Yuline, a spokeswoman from Batemuri Tours and Travel, echoed Bennys statement. She said there had not been an unexpected rise in airline ticket purchases out of the capital. Neither has there been a sudden increase in airline ticket fares, Yuline said. A number of countries, including the United States, Japan and Australia, have issued advisories highlighting the possibility of Fridays protest turning violent or the risk of extremists staging an attack. (-/-) In a bid to prevent provocation over the internet, the Communications and Information Ministry has blocked a website run by Islam Defenders Front (FPI) founder Rizieq Shihab. The website, habibrizieq.com, is accused of spreading hatred based on issues of ethnicity, religion and race . Fridays rally will be the third protest initiated nationwide by various Islamic groups, which demand that the government, through the police, arrest Ahok for alleged blasphemy after making controversial remarks referring to a Quranic verse in late September. More than 100,000 protesters staged a rally near Monas on Nov. 4 to demand the prosecution of Ahok. The rally ended in a clash between dozens of protesters and police officers. In Yogyakarta, around 250 Muhammadiyah followers departed to Jakarta to take part in the rally, ignoring Muhammadiyahs recommendation to not take part in the movement. Bambang Muryanto, Syamsul Huda M. Suhari and Andi Hajramurni contributed to this report from Yogyakarta, Gorontalo and Makassar. ___________________________ How the rally should be carried out based on agreement between National Police and organizers 1. The rally is to be held in the National Monument square from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Activities outside the area will be sternly dispersed. 2. The rally should only include preaching, Quran recital and Friday prayer. 3. The police will direct protesters into and out of the square. 4. Other rallies conducted outside the square will be considered illegal. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 Indonesia saw both political and religious tensions intensify on Friday, as a large number of Muslims gathered around the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta to call for the arrest of Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama over alleged blasphemy. Although the event, initiated by the National Movement to Safeguard the Indonesian Ulema Councils Fatwa (GNPF-MUI), was scheduled to begin at 8 a.m., some participants arrived at the Jakarta landmark as early as 5.30 a.m. Most of them were wearing white clothes. The arriving worshipers first performed the wudhu cleansing ritual with water provided at the location, before sitting down on their prayer mats, facing the large stage for the sermons. The gathering was a follow-up to a large anti-Ahok rally held on Nov. 4, when protesters, mostly from Muslim groups, swarmed onto Jakarta streets to demand Ahok's prosecution. That rally, which had started peacefully, turned into a riot in front of the State Palace as some protesters refused to disperse in the evening. By midday, more than 500,000 protesters had flocked to the Monas area. More than 20,000 personnel of a joint security force were deployed to secure the event, which was scheduled to wrap up at 1 p.m. after the Friday prayer. (Read also: Worshipers flock to Monas for anti-Ahok rally) Call for order: National Police chief Gen.Tito Karnavian explains the result of a case screening of Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama's alleged blasphemy in a press conference in Jakarta on Nov.16.(Antara/M.Agung Rajasa) Last month, the National Police named Ahok, a Christian of Chinese descent, a suspect of blasphemy over a comment on a Quranic verse he had made during a visit to Thousand Islands regency in late September. On Thursday, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) submitted Ahoks case dossier to the North Jakarta District Court, paving the way for the trial to being in the high-profile case. Addressing the rally, National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian urged the participants to support the ongoing legal process against Ahok. The mass responded to Titos remarks by yelling 'Prove it, prove it!" Earlier in the day, Jakarta Police arrested 10 people, some for alleged treason, just hours before the start of the rally. "Eight people have been arrested and are undergoing interrogation by the Jakarta Police. We will wait for the interrogation results," National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said at the Monas square on Friday morning. Among the arrested people are musician-cum-politician Ahmad Dhani, retired two-star Army general Kivlan Zein, former lawmaker Sri Bintang Pamungkas and Rachmawati Soekarnoputri, the sister of former president and ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri. (Read also: Police confirm 10 people arrested before anti-Ahok rally) Center of attention: Protesters gather on at the National Monument square, the main venue for the Friday mass gathering.(JP/Donny Fernando) Despite the large number of protesters, police expressed confidence that enough personnel were on scene to secure the rally. Ahok, who is seeking reelection in next years gubernatorial election, called off his routine visit to his campaign headquarters in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Friday, citing traffic problems. President Joko Jokowi Widodo, who had not been present at the State Palace during the Nov. 4 rally, made a last-minute decision at midday to join the crowd for the Friday prayer. (hwa) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Agnes Anya and Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 Unlike the rally on Nov. 4, participants of the Dec. 2 demonstration cleaned up their own trash before they left the demonstration site, the National Monument (Monas) square in Central Jakarta. Dozens of people collected the trash with large plastic bags, which they had brought from their homes. A 34-year-old protester from Depok, Ajat Rahayu, for example, said he took the initiative to clean the site as he believed cleanliness was part of his faith. "No one told me to collect the trash. It is my habit to always clean up after myself. Cleanliness is a part of my faith," he told The Jakarta Post, adding that he also participated in the Nov. 4 rally. "I learned from the Nov. 4 protest, hence, I wanted to leave a good impression at today's rally by collecting the garbage." Aside from individuals like Ajat, the site was also cleaned by Muslims from Daurit Tauhid, an Islamic boarding school owned by famous cleric Abdullah Gymnastiar, who is better known as Aa Gym. "All Darut Tauhid students: Let's clean the trash," Aa Gym said to hundreds of his students through a megaphone before assisting in the clean-up process himself. Hundreds of volunteers from Arrahman Quranic Learning also helped pick up the trash. As a result of the self-initiated efforts, cleaners from the Jakarta administration had a lighter job post-rally. "Alhamdulillah, we were helped by them. We only had to take the plastic bags to the garbage trucks," said cleaner Jami. "We needed only to sweep small pieces of plastic." (evi) The depression further weakened into a well marked low pressure area and lies over interior Tamil Nadu and its neighbourhood, the department said. By PTI: Chennai, Dec 2 (PTI) Cyclonic storm Nada weakened into a depression and crossed the coast near Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu today and further diminished as a well marked low pressure area that lies over interior Tamil Nadu today. The low pressure area could influence rains at many places. The depression that lay over southwest Bay of Bengal moved westwards with a speed of about 10 kmph and crossed north Tamil Nadu coast near Nagapattinam, about 20 km south of Karaikal early this morning between 4 AM to 5 AM, the MeT department said. advertisement The depression further weakened into a well marked low pressure area and lies over interior Tamil Nadu and its neighbourhood, the department said. A MeT official said the well marked low pressure area would further weaken into a low pressure area and gradually dissipate. In view of the well marked low pressure area, the department in a bulletin said, "light to moderate rainfall at many places with isolated heavy rainfall is very likely over interior Tamil Nadu during next the 24 hours and over Kerala during next 48 hours." Senior State officials said they continue to monitor the situation since rains were expected. Top State official Gagandeep Singh Bedi told reporters in Cuddalore that NDRF and SDRF teams would stay put in their assigned areas till "complete normalcy," returns. Earlier today, (before the cyclone related data including the satellite pictures were fully studied), the department had said that while a large chunk of the depression crossed coast early morning, 25 percent of the system would make the land fall shortly. Cyclone Nada which weakened into a deep depression yesterday moved Westnorth-West wards and became a depression about 40 km East south East of Karaikkal (Puducherry Union Territory). In the past 24 hours, Mamallapuram (Kancheepuram District) recorded 11 cm, the highest level of rain followed by Cholavaram and Red Hills (6 cm each) in Chennais suburbs, and Tirukattupalli (Thanjavur), Chennai district, Dindigul and Maduranthakam (Kancheepuram) received 4 cm each. Similarly, rainfall was recorded across Tamil Nadu including Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Dharmapuri, and Vellore districts. PTI VGN RC DV --- ENDS --- Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2 2016 The Defense Ministry has asked the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to help it crack down on graft plaguing the procurement of defense weaponry between 2010 and 2014. The move came a day after the ministry suffered a major blow following the sentencing of its finance division head between 2010 and 2014, Brig. Gen. Teddy Hernayadi, to life in prison for embezzling US$12 million from the procurement of F-16 jet fighters, Apache helicopters and Hercules aircraft worth trillions of rupiah during the period. In the latest development on Thursday, the ministry announced that the Air Forces military police had charged Teddys successor, Col. Irwan, with corruption for allegedly swindling tens of billions of rupiah from a separate weaponry procurement in 2014. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Farida Susanty and Grace D. Amianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 Indonesia welcomed over 1 million foreign tourists in October, hitting the figure for the fourth month this year, sparking optimism about the fulfillment of the countrys annual target despite mounting calls to diversify tourist nationalities. The worlds biggest archipelago attracted 1.04 million tourists in October, up 18.5 percent from last year, although the figure rose only slightly by 3.38 percent from September, according to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) released on Thursday. Cumulatively from January to October, Indonesia welcomed 9.4 million tourists, inching toward the official 12 million target for this year. Continuing the trend seen in previous months, arrivals were dominated by Chinese tourists, with 121,880 visitors from the country in October. At 12.43 percent of the overall figure, China replaced traditional top countries of origin such as Malaysia and Australia. The Tourism Ministrys assistant for overseas promotion I Gde Pitana attributed the high monthly tourist arrivals to aggressive promotions abroad, while also acknowledging the role of the private sector in attracting Chinese tourists. We see that the free-visa policy has really made an impact. Second, as the market is so big, our partners, such as travel agents, tour operators and airlines, are all very excited to do their [promotional] activities in China because they know it will sell, he told The Jakarta Post over the phone. Several airlines, including the countrys largest low-cost carrier Lion Air and national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, have opened direct flights from Chinese cities to destinations like Jakarta and Denpasar. The government recently carried out promotional efforts at the Chinese International Travel Mart (CITM) in Shanghai and earlier this month at the World Travel Mart (WTM) in London. However, concerns linger among businesspeople, especially on the need to diversify tourist nationalities. Responding to the monthly tourist data, Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (ASITA) chairman Asnawi Bahar expressed his optimism that the full-year foreign tourist target could be achieved, particularly boosted by upcoming events such as Chinese New Year celebrations in Bali. Nevertheless, he noted that despite the prospects in China, it was important for Indonesia to diversify its tourist market. Even though China has big prospects, I hope in the future we can also focus on other countries, such as those in Europe and the Middle East, he said, adding that Southeast Asian countries, which were traditional contributors to foreign tourists, were also a priority amid stagnant growth in visitor numbers. The current administration aims to boost the number of foreign tourists to 20 million by 2019, lower than neighboring countries Malaysia and Thailand, which see more than 25 million each year. The move is considered to have a multiplier effect on local industries. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Farida Susanty and Grace D. Amianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2 2016 Indonesia welcomed over 1 million foreign tourists in October, hitting the figure for the fourth month this year, sparking optimism about the fulfillment of the countrys annual target despite mounting calls to diversify tourist nationalities. The worlds biggest archipelago attracted 1.04 million tourists in October, up 18.5 percent from last year, although the figure rose only slightly by 3.38 percent from September, according to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) released on Thursday. Cumulatively from January to October, Indonesia welcomed 9.4 million tourists, inching toward the official 12 million target for this year. Continuing the trend seen in previous months, arrivals were dominated by Chinese tourists, with 121,880 visitors from the country in October. At 12.43 percent of the overall figure, China replaced traditional top countries of origin such as Malaysia and Australia. The Tourism Ministrys assistant for overseas promotion I Gde Pitana attributed the high monthly tourist arrivals to aggressive promotions abroad, while also acknowledging the role of the private sector in attracting Chinese tourists. We see that the free-visa policy has really made an impact. Second, as the market is so big, our partners, such as travel agents, tour operators and airlines, are all very excited to do their [promotional] activities in China because they know it will sell, he told The Jakarta Post over the phone. Several airlines, including the countrys largest low-cost carrier Lion Air and national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, have opened direct flights from Chinese cities to destinations like Jakarta and Denpasar. The government recently carried out promotional efforts at the Chinese International Travel Mart (CITM) in Shanghai and earlier this month at the World Travel Mart (WTM) in London. However, concerns linger among businesspeople, especially on the need to diversify tourist nationalities. Responding to the monthly tourist data, Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (ASITA) chairman Asnawi Bahar expressed his optimism that the full-year foreign tourist target could be achieved, particularly boosted by upcoming events such as Chinese New Year celebrations in Bali. Nevertheless, he noted that despite the prospects in China, it was important for Indonesia to diversify its tourist market. Even though China has big prospects, I hope in the future we can also focus on other countries, such as those in Europe and the Middle East, he said, adding that Southeast Asian countries, which were traditional contributors to foreign tourists, were also a priority amid stagnant growth in visitor numbers. The current administration aims to boost the number of foreign tourists to 20 million by 2019, lower than neighboring countries Malaysia and Thailand, which see more than 25 million each year. The move is considered to have a multiplier effect on local industries. ------------------ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 The Indonesian Textile Association (API) has called on the government to further regulate imports, as cheap imported textile products continue to flood the market, hitting the domestic industry with losses. API chairman Ade Sudrajat said on Friday that the domestic market was expected to continue to be flooded with imported products in the next two to three years. To protect the domestic market, imported textile products have to be managed; so does the illegal smuggling of used clothes, he told The Jakarta Post. Ade said the government could control the wave of textile imports, primarily from China, by setting a reference price. (Read also:Collaboration sought to rejuvenate textile industry) Based Industry Ministry data, the textile industry experienced a loss of Rp 30 trillion (US$2.2 billion) per year due to rampant illegal smuggling. Achmad Sigit Dwiwahjono, the ministry's director general for chemicals, textile and miscellaneous industry, said it would collaborate with the Trade Ministry and the Directorate General of Customs and Excise to curb illegal imports. The utilization of the textile's upstream industry currently stands at 50 to 60 percent. Thus, there should be a new policy to support the industry, he said, explaining that the government aimed to create a new regulation to control textile imports. (win/jun) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Margareth S. Aritonang (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 The House of Representatives will resume overseas working visits for all lawmakers under the leadership of newly installed speaker, Setya Novanto. Setya made the announcement on Thursday, arguing that to go overseas on working visits was the right of all members of the House, thus he would reinstate such a policy. Working visits abroad are needed because they are part of the job description for all lawmakers, Setya told the press. They are needed to help [lawmakers] learn from abroad and to study improvements as well as evaluations to make their work better. The chairman of the Golkar Party referred to the decision as one of the changes he would implement as new House speaker after officially taking over control from fellow party member Ade Komarudin on Wednesday. As then House speaker, Ade decided to limit working visits abroad for lawmakers amid public criticism. The House had faced widespread criticism of the policy allowing lawmakers go abroad for working visits in the past due to a lack of accountability. Lawmakers also failed to impress the public with their performances despite the number working visits overseas that were paid using taxpayers money. Surveys have often placed the legislature as among the least trusted or respected public institution among Indonesians. (dmr) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Indra Budiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 In what appeared to be an emotional moment, incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama appealed for public support on Thursday in getting a fair and transparent trial for his blasphemy case. Suppressing his typically outspoken personality while speaking to dozens of reporters, Ahok expressed hope that the allegation, which has been consuming most of his energy and mind in the midst of his reelection campaign, could be settled as soon as possible. I ask you to pray for me so that the legal process is fair and transparent, and I hope I can get past this trouble as soon as possible, he said in a soft tone. Therefore, I can use my time to provide better services to Jakarta residents, said Ahok, who is known to be a close associate of President Joko Jokowi Widodo. Ahoks statement struck a religious tone when he said he had surrendered to God and that he believed the fate of humans had been predetermined by the Almighty . Ahok was speaking at the Attorney Generals Office (AGO) after witnessing the handover of his dossier from the National Police to the AGO ahead of his trial. Later in the evening, the AGO submitted the dossier to the North Jakarta District Court the fastest process ever recorded. The AGO usually needs more than a month to study a dossier before passing it to a court. With the North Jakarta court under renovation, the trial will be moved to Central Jakarta, but the proceedings will be under the management of the North Jakarta court. The AGO has charged Ahok under articles 156 and 156 (a) of the Criminal Code (KUHP) on blasphemy and incitement after making a controversial remark in Thousand Islands regency on Sep. 27 referencing a Quranic verse. The articles carry a maximum punishment of five years imprisonment. The AGO, however, dropped a proposal from the police to also charge Ahok under Article 28 (2) of the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law on hate speech, which carries a maximum punishment of six years imprisonment. The AGO said it had no plans to detain Ahok during the prosecution phase, as the governor had proven to be cooperative during the investigation, adding that his travel ban would remain in place. The team tasked with reviewing the case has agreed that it will not be necessary to detain Ahok, AGO spokesperson Muhammad Rum said. As prosecutors have declared the case dossier complete, Ahok is now waiting for the court to schedule his trial. Ahoks legal counsel, Sirra Prayuna, has expressed concern over the independency of the court, given the enormous public pressure for Ahok to be declared guilty. Since an allegedly tampered video of Ahok making the controversial remark went viral, the governor has been facing mounting pressure from conservative Islamic organizations that accuse him of committing blasphemy. Ahok, a Christian of Chinese descent, has repeatedly apologized, and has claimed the video had been taken out of context, but the conservative groups refuse to accept his apology. The National Police named Ahok a suspect on Nov. 16 in the blasphemy case, a move considered to have been motivated by public pressure after a number of Islamic groups held a large-scale protest in Jakarta on Nov. 4 attended by more than 100,000 people. Their second protest will be held on Friday, and while they intend to hold mass prayers and recite the Quran, the groups insist that their request remains the same: to have Ahok detained. Escalating racial and religious slurs over the past couple of weeks have apparently undermined Ahoks reelection bid, as indicated by recent surveys suggesting a sharp decline in his electability. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (ANN) Bangkok Fri, December 2, 2016 India, China and Russia on Thursday held their first round of consultation on Asia-Pacific Affairs which included regional security architecture, coordination within regional and multilateral fora, anti-terrorism and other regional issues, according to PTI as reported by The Statesman. The consultation was attended by representatives from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia and Ministry of External Affairs of India, an Indian Embassy statement here said on Friday. The three parties conducted in-depth exchange of views on the situation in the Asia-Pacific region, foreign policy towards Asia, regional security architecture, coordination within regional and multilateral fora, anti-terrorism and other acute, topical regional issues, it said. The three parties also agreed that as important countries in the region, China, Russia and India have extensive common interests and close views on many aspects of regional agenda. Trilateral consultations will contribute to strengthening practical coordination on regional and global issues. The three parties are satisfied with the outcome of the consultation, it said. The three parties stand ready to hold the next round of consultation next year, it added. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed readiness to work with Russia and China on world peace, but ruled out any military alliance with them. I am not ready for military alliances because we have a treaty that was signed in the 50s, Duterte told a Russian television network (RT), referring to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty between the Philippines and the United States. But I am ready to cooperate with my new friends, China and Russia, to make this world more peaceful, he told interviewer Marina Kosareva when asked about the status of defense cooperation between the Philippines and Russia. Duterte has been forging warmer ties with Russia and China, even as he stepped up his anti-US rhetoric in his rambling speeches. The President said the countrys plan to purchase guns from the United States was now under review. He, however, said he has a friend who has plenty of firearms to offer the government. He earlier said that Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he met on the sidelines of an economic summit in Peru, offered to sell firearms to the Philippines at an apparent bargain, or in a buy-one-take-one deal. In the interview, Duterte said he was befriending Russia to show the world he was not limited to a few countries. We have to do business and have diplomatic relations with everybody. And if there is good to it, then I thank God, he added. Duterte also told RT that he believed Filipinos would understand his recent moves, including the waning of ties with the United States. When told that opinion polls show that many Filipinos back an alliance with the United States, he said this was understandable because the country had been under the Americans for 50 years. But he believed his explanation would get through to his countrymen. It should not surprise you. Its ingrained in the genealogy of the Filipinos. But little by little Ive been telling them, I made this decision becauseI think the Filipinos know the reason in their heart why, he said. He said that he had been vocal about his grievances against the United States, which he had openly castigated for threatening to withdraw aid from the Philippines if the country did not do its bidding. As to whether he could be friends with the United States under President-elect Donald Trump, Duterte alluded to sentiments from retired generals who want the country to renew ties with the United States. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2 2016 Given their current small number compared to students of other nationalities the Japanese government is seeking to attract more Indonesian students to study in Japan. Deputy chief of mission at the Japanese Embassy, Kozo Honsei, said on Wednesday that as of May 2015, there were only 3,600 Indonesian students studying in Japana small number compared to Vietnams almost 39,000 students. Considering the size of the Indonesian population, it is a small number. There is room to increase foreign student numbers from Indonesia in Japan, he told The Jakarta Post, after speaking at a public lecture at the University of Indonesia in Depok, West Java. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung Fri, December 2, 2016 The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Friday morning arrested Cimahi Mayor Atty Suharty Tohija after searching her house on Jl. Sari Asih IV in the Sukasari district of Bandung. The incumbent is currently on leave to campaign for a regional election next year. About 15 KPK officers had come to the property late on Thursday night in three cars with Jakarta license plates, West Java Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Yusri Yunus said. Yusri added that the search was completed at 5:30 a.m. on Friday and that the team had confiscated documents. They also took Itoch Tohija, he said, referring to Attys husband and former Cimahi mayor. Several officers from Sukasari Police also joined the search. The KPK has provided no official information about its investigation into the case. (evi) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has forecast light rain in downtown Jakarta on Friday, when thousands will converge on the National Monument (Monas) square to join a politically charged Friday prayer meeting. The rally aims to push for the arrest of Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama in a blasphemy case. On its website, the BMKG predicted low-intensity rainfall in Central Jakarta throughout the day, before turning into cloudy weather in the evening. As many as 200,000 demonstrators are expected to gather around Monas for the event, which is scheduled to run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. This will be a follow-up of another large-scale anti-Ahok rally on Nov. 4, when protesters, mostly from Muslim groups, swarmed onto Jakarta streets to demand Ahok's prosecution. Last month, the National Police named Ahok, a Christian of Chinese descent, a suspect of blasphemy over a comment he had made on a Quranic verse during a visit to Thousand Islands regency in late September. (hwa) By Mail Today Bureau: They nonchalantly speak on the phone while negotiating Delhi's tricky traffic and bumpy roads. Many do not have necessary permits, others use unsafe LPG cylinders to fuel their drives and some get away with expired fitness certificates for their vehicles. And they do all this while driving your kids to school and back. A visit by Mail Today to one of the Capital's school districts this week revealed the dangers children face every day. Transport facilities for students and traffic management outside schools in the national capital region has raised a slew of security concerns with fatal accidents, instances of road rage and frequent traffic jams. advertisement According to a senior police officer, regular safety campaigns and penalties have failed to deter errant drivers of school vans and buses as the sector remains unregulated and unorganised. This year alone, traffic cops have fined around 3,000 vehicles ferrying school children. NO VIABLE SOLUTION As per Delhi Police data, over 1,160 school buses and 1,814 vans have been penalised in 2016. Sources say despite efforts from the police and school managements, very little change can be seen on the ground as rash driving, overloading, speeding and speaking on phone while driving are common sights. Frequent guidelines, notices and meetings are organised with school authorities, but a large segment of the transportation of school students in the Capital is outsourced. "The vans, auto-rickshaws and tempos which flout norms pose a risk to the safety of children," said a senior police officer. "Many of these vehicles are run by private operators or hired by parents, as they are economical compared to school buses. As most of the parents are not ready to shell out more money for the ride to school, the operator just stuffs in as many kids as possible in the vehicle." According to experts, the lack of a viable solution acceptable to all stakeholders, especially parents and school managements, is the chief reason for the apparent failure of all efforts. Most children in private schools travel by private vehicles, including buses, vans, auto-rickshaws and parents' vehicles. Children in government schools mostly walk the distance and some ride bicycles. However, private buses and vans are driven by negligent drivers, autos are overcrowded, and parents struggle to find parking space near schools. Bus stops are often far away, failing to give last mile connectivity while walking on roads too is dangerous. 3-YEAR-OLD CRUSHED BY SCHOOL VAN A three-year-old child was crushed to death by his own school van in north Delhi's Civil Lines area in August. Onlookers said the kid got off the vehicle and was moving towards his home when the reversing van hit him. This is just one such incident. The Delhi government has issued detailed guidelines on plying of school buses and cabs for ensuring safety of students, but the rules are openly flouted daily. Also read: School bus crushes boy; youth dies in ensuing mob-police clash Most school vans are crammed with students and driven by people who don't have valid licenses. The Delhi government has also mandated educational institutes to keep a check on illegal cabs. Most such cabs in the city ferrying students are plying without required permits. According to National Crime Records Bureau data, over five per cent of road accidents in the country are reported at places near schools and colleges. advertisement OVER 23,000 ACCIDENTS NEAR SCHOOLS In 2014, a total of 23,723 road accidents took place near educational institutions. Seven-year-old Jiya Juneja died after being in coma for nine days as she was hit by a speeding van after she was allegedly dropped on the wrong side of the road by her school bus in Gurugram on May 9. Her father, Pankaj Juneja, had accused the school of not following safety norms and alleged that the bus that dropped Jiya had neither a conductor nor an attendant. Police officials say that all such buses and cabs must pick up the students from the premises of the school and drop them at designated stops. All these vehicles must be equipped with a first-aid box, fire extinguisher and must have provision for bag racks. Experts say security issue is multi-layered as for parents, safety also means their kids must also not face any harassment, sexual or otherwise. advertisement That explains parents' constant opposition to attempts by the traffic police to tell them which is the safest way for their wards to reach school and return home. Only they know what is safe for their kids, parents argue. "We do regular drives against errant drivers and also against those who are found recklessly driving and parking their vehicles. Schools and parents should also actively come forwards for the safety of students," a senior police officer said. However, school managements say they alone cannot manage the traffic menace outside the institutions. --- ENDS --- Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 Peoples Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker Zulkifli Hasan said the presence of President Joko Jokowi Widodo resulted in a mass prayer held by Islamic organizations at the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta on Friday becoming cooler. Accompanied by Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Religious Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin and Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto, Jokowi performed Friday prayers together with others. I believe this has made all of us happy and led this Super Damai [Super Peaceful] 212 rally to become more peaceful. It has become cooler, Zulkifli said as quoted by kompas.com on Friday. He referred to the third of a series of rallies aimed at pushing for the incarceration of Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama over alleged blasphemy. Zulkifli also praised the Dec. 2 mass prayer for having been run in an orderly fashion. I appreciate the Super Damai 212 rally. I have monitored it on the television since this morning and I saw our brothers and sisters who attended the rally in Monas from various areas across Indonesia had worked with security personnel to create a peaceful situation, said Zulkifli. Jokowi also conveyed similar appreciations. Thank you for all prayers and dzikir [mass chants] that have been raised to God for the sake of our country. Allahu akbar! [God is great!] Allahu akbar! Allahu akbar! he repeated. I want to express my deep gratitude to all congregation members who have participated orderly so that this event can run well." Some 500,000 people attended the mass prayer. (ebf) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hans Nicholas Jong and Wahyoe Boediwardhana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Surabaya Fri, December 2 2016 In conjunction with World AIDS Day, which falls every Dec. 1, the government launched on Thursday a campaign to encourage people to voluntarily test for HIV as many remain reluctant to undergo the check. Members of marginalized groups are particularly reluctant to get their blood tested for the virus over concerns about growing negativity surrounding people with HIV. According to data from the Health Ministry, the prevalence of HIV among gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) has grown rapidly to 25.8 percent in 2015 from 5.4 percent in 2007. The figure means that one in every four gay men has HIV. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hans Nicholas Jong (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2 2016 The Environment and Forestry Ministry has said it is stepping up efforts to build climate resilience in villages after learning that only 290 of around 70,000 villages have taken part in its climate resilience program, which started in 2011. The ministry recently issued a ministerial regulation to push villages and regional administrations to adapt to climate change. With this ministerial regulation, we are pushing not only regions, but also the private sector, NGOs and even individuals to contribute, the ministrys climate change director general, Nur Masripatin, said. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan Fri, December 2, 2016 North Sumatra Governor T. Erry Nuradi has dismissed the acting head of the National Unity, Political and Community Protection Agency, Zulkifli Taufik, after thousands came to the governors office to express their anger at the official. Earlier, Zulkifli reportedly circulated a letter calling on North Sumatras Islamic figures and clerics not to join a mass rally called Defending Islam III at Medan Grand Mosque on Friday, to demand police arrest Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama who was a suspect of a blasphemy case. In response to the crowed, Erry said he would fire Zulkifli. The crowd also urged Erry to publicly state his support for the rallys cause to have Ahok detained. The crowd asked Erry about Zulkiflis letter and when he said he did not know anything about it, the crowed pushed the governor to fire Zulkifli. Alright, since he is only an acting official, I will remove him from his post tomorrow, Erry said. After leaving the governors office, the several thousand-strong crowd went to the North Sumatra Prosecutors Office to also demand the institution detain Ahok. (evi) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Associated Press) Pyongyang Fri, December 2, 2016 North Korea says a sweeping new round of UN sanctions aimed at choking its nuclear program by cutting off as much of a quarter of its foreign trade revenue is an "abuse of power" and will be met with tough countermeasures. Vice Foreign Minister Han Song Ryol called a gathering of foreign diplomats in the capital early Friday to lay out his country's opposition to the sanctions, which are the harshest to date and have the support of China, North Korea's primary trading partner. "We categorically reject the UN Security Council resolution on sanctions against our country," Han said. "The adoption of the resolution is another open denial of our country's right to self-defense, which goes beyond the mandate of the UN Security Council this is an abuse of power and an infringement upon the sovereignty of our country." North Korea's Foreign Ministry, in a statement issued soon after the sanctions in response to the North's nuclear test in September were announced, warned of tough countermeasures, but didn't say what they might be. "Sanctions will inevitably escalate tensions," the ministry said in the statement, which was quoted by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Han said North Korea was being unfairly singled out by its political adversaries. "If a nuclear test is such a serious issue, why has the UN Security Council never imposed sanctions on the major powers that have carried out so many nuclear tests? And how can anyone understand these sanctions," he said. The Security Council voted on the sanctions Wednesday after months of diplomatic wrangling over how to respond to the September test, the North's fifth and biggest. The new sanctions aim to slash about one-quarter of the North's total export income. They target its hard currency revenues by placing a cap on coal exports, cutting them by at least 62 percent or by an estimated US$800 million. The measures ban North Korea's exports of non-ferrous metals, sanction 11 government officials as well as 10 entities linked to the nuclear program and crack down on Pyongyang's access to the international banking system. They even prohibit its export of statues, a source of hard currency mostly through sales to African nations. And if the North fails to comply with UN efforts to stop its nuclear and long-range missile development programs, the resolution for the first time threatens to suspend some or all of its UN privileges. South Korea and Japan on Friday announced unilateral sanctions which are being renewed in Japan's case in conjunction with the UN move. More unilateral action is also expected from Washington. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Shailly Gupta (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2 2016 Today millions of people living with HIV in South-East Asia are receiving treatment and leading healthy lives thanks to affordable generic antiretroviral (ARVs) medicines. Governments and treatment providers across Asia, such as the government of Indonesia and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) patients across our missions in many countries, depend on an uninterrupted supply of affordable generic HIV medicines to reduce new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths in the region. But as the trade negotiators from 16 countries gather in Indonesia next week to deliberate the terms of trade agreement the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement (RCEP), access to low-cost generic medicines is under grave threat. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2 2016 Passing by the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta after dark, one cannot miss the bright shade of orange lighting up the tower that stands erect over the trees in its complex. Herawanto Bagas Wicaksono, 23, has recently been stationed as traffic controller at the main entrance gate of the complex. Although he had noticed the change in the monuments lighting, he said he did not know the reason behind the choice of color. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2 2016 In the aftermath of the controversial return of Golkar Party chairman Setya Novanto to the House of Representatives top post, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and Golkar, the countrys two biggest parties, have been in a row over a plan to modify the composition of the House leadership. Golkar is seemingly trying to stonewall the PDI-P, the biggest party and Golkars ally in the government coalition, in the planned amendment of the 2014 Legislative Institutions Law, known as MD3, which is aimed at reformulating how the House leadership is decided. On Thursday, a stand-off occurred, which led to a delay in decision-making by lawmakers and the government at the Houses Legislation Body (Baleg), who were scheduled to finalize and endorse the list of priority bills for the 2017 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas). to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Viriya P. Singgih (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2 2016 State-owned Pertamina has inked an agreement with construction firm Wijaya Karya (Wika) for the upgrade of a refinery in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, as the oil and gas giant pushes for processing facilities across oil-hungry Indonesia. The project, which will involve site preparation and jetty construction, is estimated to have an investment value of up to Rp 552 billion (US$40.7 million). It is part of an overall Balikpapan refinery upgrade that will cost $5.3 billion. The Balikpapan refinery, scheduled to operate in 2019, is expected to be able to produce 360,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) from the current 260,000 bopd. It is expected to produce EURO II-standard fuel with a minimum research octane number (RON) of 92 and even upgrade to EURO V-standard gasoline in the long run. Jetty construction is an important part in the first development phase because major heavy equipment for the refinery will have a total weight of thousands of tons, Pertamina refinery director Rachmad Hardadi said on Thursday. The jetty, slated for completion within a year, will measure 3,000 square meters with a capacity of 2,000 tons. Its construction is expected to absorb 700 to 800 workers. Meanwhile, Pertamina estimates the whole Balikpapan refinery upgrade project will absorb 20,000 to 25,000 workers. After its completion in 2019, the number of workers operating the facility will also increase to around 2,000 people from the current 1,500 people. The Balikpapan refinery upgrade is part of Pertaminas Refinery Development Master Plan (RDMP) for four refinery upgrades by 2025, along with the Cilacap refinery in Central Java, Dumai refinery in Riau and Balongan refinery in West Java. Pertamina expects that the upgrade of the four existing refineries and the development of new ones in Bontang, East Kalimantan, and Tuban, East Java, will help boost refined oil production capacity to 2.3 million bopd by 2025 from 1 million bopd in 2015. Production capacity will reach 2.6 million bopd by 2030, according to the plan. At present, the countrys refineries are only capable of producing around 830,000 bopd, a little over half the current refined fuel demand. Pertamina projects that national oil demand will reach 1.8 million bopd by 2030, from 1.6 million at the end of last year. Previously, Pertamina signed an agreement with state-owned construction company Pembangunan Perumahan (PP) in April for the development of a complex comprising 300 apartments at its Balikpapan facility, with an investment value of Rp 497 billion. The apartments, slated for completion in March 2017, will be aimed at Pertamina workers at the Balikpapan refinery who currently live in official residences. Once the workers move in to the apartments, we will start building production facilities like workshops and warehouses in their old places, Rachmad said. Meanwhile, Pertamina will start the procurement of long-lead equipment (LLE) for the Balikpapan refinery after the completion of the basic engineering design (BED) by the end of this year or early next year. For the front end engineering design (FEED), Pertamina is set to work with engineering, construction and project management company Bechtel International. The FEED implementation will be done in three locations, namely Houston, London and New Delhi. ------------------ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 President Joko Jokowi Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla made a bold, last minute decision to brave heavy rain and step out of the State Palace to join a huge crowd of protesters at the nearby National Monument (Monas) Park for Friday prayers. Under heavy guard by presidential detail and police personnel, Jokowi and Kalla walked to Monas. Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto and Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saefuddin accompanied them. The Friday prayers featured a sermon by Islam Defenders Front (FPI) chairman Rizieq Shihab, who appeared to urge protesters to hold a peaceful rally. After the prayers, Jokowi ascended to the podium and delivered a short speech to thank clerics and protesters for rallying peacefully. Thank you for your prayers for the safety of the country. I appreciate everyone who has come and maintained order, so that the event can run well, he said. (dmr) President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, accompanied by Vice President Jusuf Kalla and top security officers, braves heavy rain at the National Monument to join Friday prayers with thousands of protesters on Dec. 2. (Presidential Press Office /File) President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (right) jokes with Vice President Jusuf Kalla (left) in heavy rain as they head to meet protesters at the National Monument Park on Dec. 2. (Presidential Press Office /File) President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is welcomed by clerics prior to Friday prayers with protesters at the National Monument Park on Dec. 2. (Presidential Press Office /File) President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (third right) joins Friday prayers along with Vice President Jusuf Kalla (second right), Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto (left), Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saefuddin (right) and others at the National Monument Park on Dec. 2. (Presidential Press Office /File) President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo ascends to the stage to address protesters at the National Monument Park on Dec. 2. (Presidential Press Office /File) President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo greets protesters as Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto looks on after a Friday prayer gathering at the National Monument Park on Dec. 2. Jokowi thanked clerics and protesters for keeping the peace during a rally. (Presidential Press Office /File) With Hong Kong emerging as hub for fake currency racket involving Pakistanis, India, China set up joint working group on FICN. By Ananth Krishnan: China today said it would like to strengthen cooperation with India to make a common effort to fight "the cancer of corruption", in the wake of the demonetisation move. On the demonetisation measure, the Chinese Foreign Ministry told India Today that its embassy in Delhi had reminded its citizens in India to pay attention to the new measures to protect "their legitimate rights and interests". advertisement While Beijing said it would not comment on the merits of the move since it was an internal matter for the Indian government, at the same time it was keen to deepen cooperation with India on the issue of battling corruption. India and China are looking to set up a joint working group on fake currency. Hong Kong has emerged as a key route for funnelling Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) into India, with the recent arrest of a Pakistani national in Guangzhou, near Hong Kong, triggering alarm bells. India has asked China to crack down on the racket. China is also battling a graft problem and attempting to recover ill-gotten assets, with a corruption crackdown a priority for the Xi Jinping government. "We have noticed that India has introduced currency reform recently. I will not comment on this since it is India's internal affair," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang told India Today on Friday. "Considering there are many Chinese citizens in India, Chinese Embassy in India has, in order to ensure their legitimate rights and interests, released a consular notice to remind them to pay attention to Indian government's announcements and to deposit or exchange the older currency at the bank in time." Geng said Beijing was keen to make "common efforts" with India on the corruption issue. "In terms of anti-corruption cooperation, we would like to strengthen cooperation with all parties, India included, and make common efforts to eliminate the cancer of corruption," he said. China's top security czar Meng Jianzhu was visiting Delhi on the day of the announcement of the demonetisation measure, and met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 9. Both sides discussed the problem of fake currency during the visit, including Hong Kong's emergence as a key gateway for funneling Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) into India. Home Minister Rajnath Singh raised with Meng the arrest of a Pakistani national in Guangzhou with fake notes and "asked Beijing to clamp down on Pakistan's nefarious designs to smuggle fake Indian currency into India through China". Both sides also discussed setting up a joint work group to deal with FICN and setting up a 24x7 hotline to exchange information. advertisement --- ENDS --- Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 Workers at an office of state-owned electricity company PLN located near the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta, where today's anti-Ahok rally is being focused, have raised money to support the protestors. Sujono, assistant manager of general and facilities division, said that the initiative came about spontaneously after learning that around 500 PLN workers from many cities outside Jakarta planned to come to the capital to join the rally. "We have managed to raise Rp 60 million (US$4,444) in the last two days from everyone in the company, ranging from directors to security guards," he said, adding that the central PLN office also channeled an additional Rp 60 million for the initiative. The money was used to buy thousands of packages of snacks, bottled water and meals and anyone taking part in the rally was free to avail of them, added Sujono, who wore Muslim attire. (fac/yan) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Moses Ompusunggu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2 2016 Lawyers for protesters attending a West Papua liberation rally in Jakarta on Thursday have accused police officers of beating their clients after a clash broke out between the two sides, leading to the arrest of 10 protesters. One of the lawyers, Veronica Koman, claimed some of the 10 apprehended protesters were beaten by Jakarta Police officers on Jl. Imam Bonjol, Central Jakarta, when rally participants insisted on marching to the nearby Hotel Indonesia traffic circle. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 The National Police have confirmed the arrest of 10 people before the large mass gathering at National Monument (Monas) park, Central Jakarta, called to demand the incarceration of Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama for blasphemy. They have been named as Ahmad Dhani, Eko, Adityawarman, Kivlan Zein, Firza Huzein, Ratna Sarumpaet, Rachmawati Soekarnoputri, Sri Bintang Pamungkas, Jamran and Rizal. "We have arrested 10 people for allegedly violating the criminal law. The arrests were our follow-up on certain reports," National Police Spokesman Martinus Sitompul said at Monas on Friday afternoon. He added that some of the people were arrested for allegedly planning to attack the legitimate government and the others for allegedly defaming national leaders. The police had decided to interrogate them at the Police Mobile Brigade headquarters in Kelapa Dua, Depok, because they had not responded to police summonses for questioning, Martinus said He said that according to the Criminal Law Procedures Code the police had the right to hold them for up to 24 hours for questioning regarding the alleged crimes. (dmr) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 The National Police have expressed satisfaction with Fridays massive rally held to demand the arrest of Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama at the National Monument (Monas) Park, Central Jakarta, saying it was conducted peacefully. The event, which was initiated by the National Movement to Safeguard the Indonesia Ulema Councils Fatwa (GNPF-MUI), ended at about 2 p.m., when thousands of protesters left the park orderly. "Alhamdulillah, (thank God) the prayers ran smoothly. We appreciate that, according to information, no plants were damaged during the event. This is so different from the Nov. 4 protest," National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said. Tito also expressed gratitude that no violence had been committed. (Read also: Mass prayer becomes cooler with Jokowis presence: MPR) The Nov. 4 rally, which was organized by the same group, ended in violence, during which two police trucks were set on fire. Separately, acting Jakarta governor Sumarsono also stated his gratitude that the event remained peaceful. "I just want to say Alhamdulillah. The event ran safely and peacefully," he said while inspecting the park after the event. Sumarsono added that 156 people had been treated by medical staff during the event. Most of them suffered from fatigue because of long journeys. Of the number, six people were treated at Tarakan Hospital, Gatot Subroto Army Hospital and Harapan Kita Hospital. One person was treated for cardiovascular disease while the other six were treated for minor ailments, he said. "The six people went home after undergoing hospital treatment," Sumarsono said. (jun) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 Police personnel had to protect television crews of Kompas TV and Metro TV from the crowd as they were reporting live on a mass gathering in Central Jakarta on Friday. The incident began with dozens of protesters walking down Jl. Merdeka Selatan to join a rally at the nearby National Monument (Monas) square. The situation heated up when some of the protesters started shouting in front of the crews satellite news-gathering (SNG) vans, accusing the TV stations of biased reporting in the blasphemy case against Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama. Other protesters quickly followed suit, demanding the crews stop reporting and leave the scene. They accused the TV stations of one-sided reporting that tended to be pro-Ahok. The situation, however, was quickly contained when police personnel approached and asked the group to leave. They then asked the crews to park their SNG vans at the City Hall compound. Kompas TV field producer Alvi Apriayandi said he was disappointed about the rejection, but added they would still carry out their duty to report the rally objectively. "This incident is unfortunate, because the protesters had promised to stage the rally in a peaceful way. However, we appreciate the security officials' quick action to guard us," he said. (fac/hwa) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 Indonesia has temporarily withdrawn from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) following the groups decision to cut production by 1.2 million barrels of oil per day (bopd) next year. During the 171st OPEC conference in Vienna, Austria, on Wednesday its members agreed to reduce its output to a ceiling of 32.5 million bopd starting next January to rebalance the market, which has long suffered from oversupply. With the move, Indonesia is subject to lower its production by 5 percent, or around 37,000 bopd from next years target of 815,000 bopd, much higher than it can tolerate at 5,000 bopd for next year. President Joko Jokowi Widodo said although Indonesia reactivated its OPEC membership earlier this year, which he claimed aimed at knowing the crude stock conditions of each member country, Indonesia opted to freeze its membership to focus on its state budget. Due to our need to fix our state budget, we dont find it a problem at all if we leave again, he said on Thursday. Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan said slashing production would affect state revenues obtained from the oil and gas industry. The need for state revenues is still great and the production target in the 2017 state budget draft is already a 5,000 barrel reduction from the one in 2016, he said in a press statement. The Finance Ministry aims to collect tax and non-tax revenues from the oil and gas sector of Rp 101.93 trillion (US$7.5 billion) next year. Jonan further explained that as a net importer, it would not be beneficial for Indonesia to reduce its production as it would increase the price of crude. Separately, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said OPECs move to cut production would positively affect state revenue, although she admitted that the membership suspension had not been discussed between the two ministries since. OPEC was very last minute, so there was an element of surprise. I have not spoken to Jonan, she said. This is the second time Indonesia has suspended its OPEC membership, which requires it to pay 1.2 million annually. It initially made the move in 2008 and only reactivated its affiliation early this year. The country was first forced to suspend its active engagement in the oil cartel almost a decade ago after it shifted its status from a net exporter to importer of crude oil to fulfill national refined fuel demand of around 1.6 million bopd. The latest data from the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKKMigas) indicated that domestic ready-to-sell production, locally known as lifting, reached around 830,000 bopd, only slightly higher than this years target of 820,000 bopd. Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin)s deputy chairman for the oil and gas sector, Bobby Gafur Umar, said OPECs efforts to boost prices by cutting its output would positively affect the oil and gas industry, as the higher value would encourage exploration activities to be bountiful once again. Sure, the industries that need oil might feel the heat. However, the oil and gas industry has been half dead for the past three years and we hope that there will be more exploration once crude becomes more economical again, he said. Grace D. Amianti contributes to this story. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2 2016 Indonesia has temporarily withdrawn from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) following the groups decision to cut production by 1.2 million barrels of oil per day (bopd) next year. During the 171st OPEC conference in Vienna, Austria, on Wednesday its members agreed to reduce its output to a ceiling of 32.5 million bopd starting next January to rebalance the market, which has long suffered from oversupply. With the move, Indonesia is subject to lower its production by 5 percent, or around 37,000 bopd from next years target of 815,000 bopd, much higher than it can tolerate at 5,000 bopd for next year. President Joko Jokowi Widodo said although Indonesia reactivated its OPEC membership earlier this year, which he claimed aimed at knowing the crude stock conditions of each member country, Indonesia opted to freeze its membership to focus on its state budget. Due to our need to fix our state budget, we dont find it a problem at all if we leave again, he said on Thursday. Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan said slashing production would affect state revenues obtained from the oil and gas industry. The need for state revenues is still great and the production target in the 2017 state budget draft is already a 5,000 barrel reduction from the one in 2016, he said in a press statement. The Finance Ministry aims to collect tax and non-tax revenues from the oil and gas sector of Rp 101.93 trillion (US$7.5 billion) next year. Jonan further explained that as a net importer, it would not be beneficial for Indonesia to reduce its production as it would increase the price of crude. Separately, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said OPECs move to cut production would positively affect state revenue, although she admitted that the membership suspension had not been discussed between the two ministries since. OPEC was very last minute, so there was an element of surprise. I have not spoken to Jonan, she said. This is the second time Indonesia has suspended its OPEC membership, which requires it to pay 1.2 million annually. It initially made the move in 2008 and only reactivated its affiliation early this year. The country was first forced to suspend its active engagement in the oil cartel almost a decade ago after it shifted its status from a net exporter to importer of crude oil to fulfill national refined fuel demand of around 1.6 million bopd. The latest data from the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKKMigas) indicated that domestic ready-to-sell production, locally known as lifting, reached around 830,000 bopd, only slightly higher than this years target of 820,000 bopd. Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin)s deputy chairman for the oil and gas sector, Bobby Gafur Umar, said OPECs efforts to boost prices by cutting its output would positively affect the oil and gas industry, as the higher value would encourage exploration activities to be bountiful once again. Sure, the industries that need oil might feel the heat. However, the oil and gas industry has been half dead for the past three years and we hope that there will be more exploration once crude becomes more economical again, he said. Grace D. Amianti contributes to this story. ------------------ To receive comprehensive and earlier access to The Jakarta Post print edition, please subscribe to our epaper through iOS' iTunes, Android's Google Play, Blackberry World or Microsoft's Windows Store. Subscription includes free daily editions of The Nation, The Star Malaysia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Asia News. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fadhil Akbar Purnama (The Jakarta Post) Durham, UK Fri, December 2 2016 This has been a remarkable year for the development of Islamic finance in Indonesia. In early March, Indonesia hosted an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit. After an interval of five months, Indonesia became the host of the 12th World Islamic Economic Forum. There has also been a great close to the year as President Joko Jokowi Widodo finally signed Presidential Decree No. 91/2016 on the establishment of National Committee of Sharia Finance (KNKS) at the beginning of this month. Discussions to establish the committee had been underway for almost a year, as many had acknowledged the need for a new institution to boost the Islamic finance industry in Indonesia. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Fri, December 2 2016 Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has reiterated the vital role of the tax intelligence and investigation directorate within the Directorate General of Taxation (DGT) in monitoring the compliance of Indonesian taxpayers, uncovering tax evasion within the country and overseas and tracking evaders assets. As capital has been flowing in and out of the country along with the accelerated pace of economic globalization, the DGT does need to strengthen its intelligence networks to gather more data on taxpayers, their assets and their compliance. Only through intelligence operations, not through the ordinary bureaucratic channel, will the DGT be able to collect reliable and more comprehensive data on taxpayers across all sectors of the economy. The need for a stronger tax intelligence and investigation unit is even more imperative now with the global automatic exchange of information (AEOI) system between tax authorities, which will start operations in 2018. The AEOI system requires tax authorities to exchange information on tax matters even without prior requests or without any criminal indications. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 Thousands of Muslims worshipers have been gathering at the National Monument (Monas) square in Central Jakarta since Friday morning to join a mass prayer aimed at intensifying pressure on the police to detain Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama in a blasphemy case. Although the event, initiated by the National Movement to Safeguard the Indonesian Ulema Councils Fatwa (GNPF-MUI), is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m., some participants said they had arrived as early as 5.30 a.m. Most of them were wearing white. The arriving worshipers first did the wudhu cleansing ritual with water provided at the location, before sitting down on their prayer mats, facing a large stage where the sermon will be given. Hundreds of police personnel, wearing white Muslim caps, are on standby at the event. (Read also: City braces for another major rally) As many as 200,000 demonstrators are expected to gather at Monas during the gathering, which has been authorized to run until 1 p.m. This event is a follow-up to a large-scale anti-Ahok rally on Nov. 4, when protesters, mostly from Muslim groups, swarmed Jakarta streets to demand Ahok's prosecution. Last month, the National Police named Ahok, a Christian of Chinese descent, a suspect of blasphemy over comments on a Quranic verse the governor had made during a visit to Thousand Islands regency in late September. (hwa) Expecting foggy days ahead, the Delhi traffic police have issued a series of guidelines to reduce accidents and injuries during the winter season. Dense fog cover around India Gate in New Delhi. (Photo: AP) By Tanseem Haider: With foggy layers enveloping the national capital slowing down the fast-paced city, Delhi traffic police on Friday issued guidelines for the winter season. As the temperature dips during the winters, fog gets dense in the entire north India. In Delhi it becomes more stagnating due to high levels of pollution. Thick cover of smog is the norm in the Delhi-NCR region leading to low to extremely low visibility on roads. advertisement READ| What the fog! North India wakes up to season's first haze; Delhi flights hit To cope with the low visibility, the Delhi traffic police have issued advisory to all the motorists asking them to observe certain precautions to avoid accidents and related injuries. In a 13-pointer advisory, the Delhi traffic police asked the motorists to take following measures to avoid mishaps due to fog: 1. Know your destination, plan the route before you set out and keep extra time at hand. 2. Keep your vehicle in good condition. Make sure everything is in working order, especially lights, brakes, tyres, windscreen wipers, radiator, battery and car heating system. 3. If possible keep a high visibility jacket and torch in the car so that you can see and be seen in case you get out of the car. WATCH: 4. Keep safe distance from your front and side vehicles and avoid tail-gating. 5. Drive with lights on low beam. High beams get reflected back in the fog and impair visibility. 6. Turn on fog lights if visibility is reduced to less than 100 meters. Reduce speed and slow down, watch speedometer, don't overdrive your headlights. READ| Dense fog engulfs Delhi for third consecutive day, trains, flights delayed 7. During fog and occasional rain, road could be slippery. Be careful on slippery roads. 8. Do not attempt to overtake other vehicles. Visuals from the Delhi airport, operations temporarily suspended due to dense fog pic.twitter.com/iqmSNszpKh ANI (@ANI_news) December 1, 2016 9. Use the right edge of the road or painted road markings/central divider as a guide and be patient. 10. One needs to keep an eye on the road and use one's ears more carefully to judge traffic that cannot be seen. 11. Turn off music and don't eat, drink, smoke while driving. WATCH: 12. Do not stop on a freeway or busy roads. If fog is very thick, it is best to pull over somewhere safe and wait for the fog to diminish. advertisement 13. Drive in your lane and be patient. --- ENDS --- Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Fri, December 2, 2016 National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian faced a tough crowd on Friday as he addressed participants of a mass gathering of protestors to demanding the arrest of Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama for blasphemy. "Get off [the stage]!" many protesters shouted at Tito prior to his speaking at the opening of the gathering at the National Monument (Monas) square. (Read also: Worshipers flock to Monas for anti-Ahok gathering) The National Movement to Safeguard the Indonesia Ulema Councils Fatwa (GNPF-MUI) chairman Bachtiar Nasir, whose organization initiated the gathering, attempted to calm the protesters who kept booing Tito even as he made his statement, by urging them to respect him as a representative of the state. Tito said the legal case against Ahok was almost complete. He also urged the rally participants to support the legal process. The crowd responded to Tito by yelling Prove it, prove it!" Tito, however, remained unperturbed. "Let's pray and bring our hearts close to God and for the guidance of Muhammad SAW," he said. Last month, the National Police named Ahok, a Christian of Chinese descent, a suspect of blasphemy over a comment on a Quranic verse Ahok had made during a visit to Thousand Islands regency in late September. (hwa) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Associated Press) Manila Fri, December 2, 2016 The Philippine coast guard says its Chinese counterpart has rescued two Filipino fishermen in bad weather in a disputed shoal in a show of how once-frosty relations have improved after President Rodrigo Duterte reached out to revive ties with Beijing. Philippine coast guard spokesman Armand Balilo said Friday that Chinese coast guard officials notified them of the rescue in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal off the northwestern Philippines and asked how the two can be handed over to Filipino authorities. Balilo says a patrol ship was sent to pick up the rescued Filipinos from the Chinese coast guard but large waves were preventing the transfer in high seas. China seized the shoal in 2012 but ties have improved after Duterte met President Xi Jinping in China in October. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (The Daily Star/ANN) Dhaka Fri, December 2, 2016 With hundreds of newly-arrived Rohingyas crowding unregistered Rohingya camps in Teknaf and other areas of Cox's Bazar, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Thursday said they would be sent back to their country at a convenient time. The minister made the remark while talking to reporters after attending a program organized by Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence in the capital's Mirpur area. He said the government was providing humanitarian assistance to the Rohingyas who had already entered the country crossing the border illegally. Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Coast Guard were patrolling round-the-clock to check the influx of Rohingyas, Asaduzzaman added. Hundreds of Rohingyas, a Muslim minority in Myanmar's Rakhine state, have sneaked into Bangladesh through several border points, including the Naf river, since the Myanmar army started crackdown on them in October. The United Nations on Wednesday said at least 10,000 Rohingyas had entered Bangladesh in recent weeks after fleeing violence in Myanmar. However, locals and the president of Cox's Bazar civil society claimed that at least 30,000 Rohingyas crossed into Bangladesh in the last one month. The newly-arrived Rohingyas were making temporary huts in Teknaf's Leda and Ukhiya's Kutupalang camps, reports our Cox's Bazar correspondent. Meanwhile, more than 200 Rohingyas entered Teknaf through six border points two in Hnila and four in Whykang unions Thursday morning. Of them, 15 families comprising nearly 100 people, including women and children, took shelter at the Kutupalang camp, said Abu Siddique, president of Kutupalang Rohingya camp management committee. He said about 11,000 Rohingyas had taken shelter in that camp alone since the violence started in Myanmar in October. Dudu Mia, president of Leda Rohingya camp management committee, said at least 60 people took refuge in the camp Thursday. Humayra Begum, a Rohingya woman, said she arrived in the Kutupalang camp from Myanmar's Khiyari Para village early Thursday morning. Then a broker helped her reach the camp and find a shelter there. The 30-year-old woman gave birth to a son just seven days ago. She along with her three sons entered Bangladesh, leaving behind her husband in Myanmar. Lt Col Abujar Al Jahid, commanding officer of 2 BGB Battalion in Teknaf, said they prevented 11 boats, carrying 10 to 15 Myanmar people each, from entering the Bangladesh territory through the Naf river between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Lt Col Imran Ullah Sarkar, commanding officer of 34 BGB Battalion in Cox's Bazar, said they stopped 19 Rohingyas from crossing into Bangladesh through Ukhiya and Ghumdhum border point in Bandarban Thursday. He added that 453 Rohingyas had been sent back to Myanmar in the last one month. This article appeared on The Daily Star newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Associated Press) Singapore Fri, December 2, 2016 Singapore regulators have announced fines amounting to over US$5.3 million for two banks that were found to have breached money laundering rules in dealings with an indebted Malaysian state fund. The Monetary Authority of Singapore on Friday fined the local branch of Standard Chartered Bank, which is headquartered in London, 5.2 million Singapore dollars ($3.6 million) for "significant lapses" in customer due diligence measures and controls. Regulators also fined the Singapore branch of private bank Coutts 2.4 million Singapore dollars ($1.7 million) for inadequate customer due diligence on "politically exposed persons." Coutts is winding down its Singapore operations. Singapore's actions result from findings of a multinational probe into allegations that people close to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak stole more than $1 billion from 1MDB, or 1Malaysia Development Bhd. Thankfully I started November with our vacation to Malaysia (post coming about the trip next week) because I did a lot of reading then. With my grandmother's death and my surgery preparation, I didn't spend a lot of time reading the second half of the month. November was all about reading books that were on my long-time TBR list. Three of the four I finished were in that category. I'm also in the middle of three books right now, so between those + my time at home recovering from surgery, I think I will meet my goal of reading 50 books by the end of the year, which I am very excited about! Here's what I read this month: The Secret Keeper: This book by Kate Morton had been on my TBR list for a very long time and our trip to Malaysia felt like the perfect long week to read the long book. I've had many people tell me it is Kate Morton's best book and it lived up to the hype. The book takes readers along for a discovery of deception when Laurel, a movie actress goes on a hunt to find out more about her dying mother's past. Her research uncovers people she never knew and a life she couldn't have imagined. A fantastic story with an unexpected twist, The Secret Keeper is everything that makes fiction great. 5 stars Homegoing: This book will be on my best of 2016 reads FOR SURE. I can't stop telling people about this book. It starts with the story of two half-sisters, separated by forces beyond their control: one sold into slavery, the other married to a British slaver. The book then follows the sisters' lineage, with generations of children's stories. Every chapter is another generation, which I thought could never work, but it does and is powerful, heartbreaking and unforgettable. A must-read book. 5 stars The One in a Million Boy: This book was another with a lot of hype. I had it on my kindle and read it while in Malaysia. It is a touching read about the friendship between a young boy scout and the 107-year-old woman that he helps each week. When he unexpectedly passes away, his father takes over the volunteering and learns a lot about himself and his son. 4 stars Eleanor and Park: This YA book is about two misfits who fall in love. It was an easy read (I read it on my kindle) and brought back fond memories of my first boyfriend. The writing is honest and vulnerable. I loved this book. 4.5 stars What did you read this month? GIFT SUGGESTION If you have a book lover on your Christmas shopping list, I can't recommend Book of the Month enough. I have been a subscriber for nearly a year now and I love, love, love it every month. Right now they are offering $5 for a one-month membership, which is pretty much insane. You can't buy new hardbacks at that price ANYWHERE, including Amazon. So treat yourself, your sister, your friend, your co-worker with a great book. If you want to gift a full 3-month, 6-month or 1-year subscription, you will also get a free-month for you! Disclosure: affiliate links used in this post According to a report published in Global Times, US President-elect Donald Trump said that China and India should play a much stronger leading role in the international effort against climate change. By Santosh Kumar: Global Times, one of the mouthpieces of China's People's Daily, the official newspaper and mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist party, has once again come up with a report appealing that India and China should work together to fight the climate change, especially after the election of Donald Trump as the next president of the United States. The report says, "US President-elect Donald Trump said earlier in 2016 that climate change is just a very, very expensive form of tax" and has suggested that he is disinclined to commit to the Paris Climate Agreement. In light of this, China and India should play a much stronger leading role in the international effort against climate change." advertisement READ: Donald Trump picks General James Mattis as Defense Secretary CHINA WORLD'S LARGEST POLLUTER The report that focuses on the intense fog in Delhi and northern India and likens it to Chinese pollution and Beijing's smog alerts, says that both, India and China, are the world's top polluters and it is "meaningless to debate whose air quality is better". China is the world's largest polluter and India ranks at number three behind America in emitting the greenhouse gases contributing to the global warming. In the world's 20 most polluted cities, 10 are in India and four in China. So, that makes sense, even if India and China differ on many issues and even if this official mouthpiece, Global Times, regularly comes up with articles and opinions suggesting why India should not be given the NSG membership or why India's efforts towards a permanent membership of the UN Security Council are futile or why India should control anti-China content in its media or how the Chinese goods are being victimised by boycott calls in India. Read: Donald Trump warns of consequences for US firms sending jobs abroad Because climate change and the subsequent global warming will affect all, irrespective of who is the biggest culprit, America, the world's most industrialised nation whose per capita emission at 19.86 tons is almost eight times to that of India's 2.44 tons, or China, the largest emitter currently with over 25 per cent share of global emission while India is still at 7 per cent. Even China's per capita emission is more than three times of India's as per the figures of the World Resources Institute (WRI). And because now there is a very real possibility that the world's second largest emitter can walk away the landmark agreement. Donald Trump, during the campaign phase, had said in unequivocal terms that if elected, he would withdraw the US from the Paris Climate Agreement, adopted in December 2015 and came into effect the last month. Though, after his election, he had said in an interview that he had now an open mind about the Paris Climate Agreement, his stand is still viewed as being non-committal on the agreement that many believe is humanity's last chance before environmental destruction becomes irreversible. advertisement CHINA, INDIA TO COOPERATE ON RESEARCH Most emitters in the top-10 list are advanced societies with less population like the US, Japan, Russia and the EU countries. They have technological superiority in the environmental protection techniques and can afford them, certainly a problem area when it comes to India and China, the world's two economies in top three with over 36 per cent share of the world's population. According to an estimate, 70 per cent of sewage generated by urban India goes untreated and advanced waste water treatment technologies are prohibitively expensive for the developing economies. Read: Donald Trump bonds with Nawaz Sharif bigly, it's bromantic, so fantastic The Global Times report recognises this saying "China and India should encourage scientific institutions, environmental groups and firms to cooperate on research to develop environmentally friendly techniques that are tailored for both countries". Here are two burgeoning economies, buzzing with manufacturing, construction and energy industries, catering to an ever increasing demand of masses, and now they have to retain their emission levels and control pollution. And a collaboration in this area can show the way ahead like the "clean energy vehicle technologies and electric cars" as this article proposes. We all know that the vehicular pollution is the biggest contributor to the deadly smog that every now and then blankets our cities. advertisement Read: PM Nawaz Sharif's conversation with Trump won't save him from Panama case says, Imran Khan --- ENDS --- The quake was very shallow, only 2.2 miles (3.5 km) below the Earth's surface. By Reuters: A shallow magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck southern Peru on Thursday close to Lake Titicaca, damaging homes and downing some communication lines in a remote Andean province. The tremor, recorded as a 6.3 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), struck at 5:40 p.m. local time (2240 GMT), some 48 miles (77 km) northwest of the town of Juliaca close to Lake Titicaca, which lies in the Andes on the border of Peru and Bolivia. advertisement Homes made of adobe in the province of Lampa completely collapsed in the quake, Mayor Nicolas Quispe said on local broadcaster RPP. Residents in the city of Juliaca ran into the streets in fear, according to RPP. Civil defense institute Indeci said the quake had damaged homes and communication lines but said there were no immediate reports of death. Peru's geophysical institute measured the quake as a 5.5. According to the USGS, the quake struck just 2.2 miles (3.5 km) below the Earth's surface, which would have amplified its effect. There are no major mines in the vicinity. --- ENDS --- The US President-elect, Donald Trump, has chosen General James Mattis, a retired marine general, as his Secretary of Defense. Trump made the announcement at a Cincinnati rally marking the first day of his thank you tour put on for his supporters. Dont let it outside, we are going to appoint Mad Dog Mattis as our Secretary of Defense and were not announcing it until Monday so dont tell anybody. Mad Dog Mattis, also known as the Warrior Monk, was an outspoken critic of the Obama administrations diplomatic stance towards the Middle East. He was swiftly fired by Obama after he supported the removal of Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, as a means to undermine the geopolitical position of Iran in the region. He played key command roles in military action taken by the United States during the first Gulf War in 1991, the Afghanistan offensive in 2001, and the Iraq invasion in 2003. He retired in 2013 after serving as the commander of the US Central Command. Mattis hawkishness on events unfolding in the Middle East bodes well for his military and diplomatic co-operations with Trump. His popularity amongst Congressional Republicans and the military seeks to counterbalance the contention shown for Trumps more controversial advisory picks, such as Steve Bannon. The Guardian reported that Mattis would also act as a moderator for some of Trumps more divisive policy promises. He has received praise from the old guard of the Washington establishment with Senator John McCain, the current chairman of the Senate armed services committee, even referring to Mattis as an extraordinary leader. He has received praise from the old guard of the Washington establishment with Senator John McCain, the current chairman of the Senate armed services committee, even referring to Mattis as an extraordinary leader. According to the New York Times , Mattis made clear his disdain for torture in a private conversation, telling Trump Ive always found, give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers and I do better with that than I do with torture. An answer that Trump said he found impressive. When it comes to US relations with Russia, Mattis is more suspicious of Vladimir Putin, criticising the latters leadership as unfortunate and dangerous. Despite this, he very much reaches common ground with Trump over the treatment of Iran, including the re-imposition of sanctions. Before Mattis official appointment, however, a legal barrier must be vaulted. Under US law, a retired officer must be a civilian for at least seven years before he or she can serve as defence secretary. The Republican-dominated Congress will have to approve legislation bypassing the requirement so that Mattis can fulfill his role. Unfortunately, The Content Is Not Here You have arrived at this page because the page or post you were looking for no longer exists. 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Namun jangan khawatir, disini sebagai situs slot gacor MGS88 kami akan memberikan penjelasan lengkap mengenai tentang istilah yang ada di RTP SLOT dibawah ini. By India Today Web Desk: Bengaluru: In India's biggest seizure since Nov 8, Rs 5.7 crore found - all in new Rs 2000 notes In the biggest single cash seizure of the new currency, an Income Tax raid on the premises of two engineers and two contractors in Bengaluru found a whopping Rs 5.7 crore of cash, all in the recently-introduced Rs 2000 notes. advertisement China may find Singapore a tough nut to crack over regional security As the impounding of Singaporean troop carriers in Hong Kong exposes rising tensions between China and Singapore, the Lion City is unlikely to budge on core security interests concerning Beijing - its military relationship with Taiwan, worries over the South China Sea and its hosting of the US military. Virat Kohli's team has the bowling attack to win overseas: Virender Sehwag The Test team under Virat Kohli has been invincible at home, having thrashed South Africa and New Zealand by identical margins of 3-0 and is also on a roll against England leading the five-match series 2-0. Kahaani 2 movie review: Vidya Balan is the hero in this thriller Almost five years since Sujoy Ghosh and Vidya Balan gifted us the gem called Kahaani, the two are here with a sequel. But if you expect a thriller as riveting as Kahaani, Kahaani 2 won't live up to your high expectations. --- ENDS --- India Today's special investigation team found several holy men and women rampantly black-marketing illicit wealth for hefty commissions. India Today's special investigation team found several holy men and women rampantly black-marketing illicit wealth for hefty commissions. By Syed Masroor Hasan, Md Hizbullah, Ashish Ranjan: In a rare spotlight on financial malpractices in religion, an India Today probe has unearthed a sordid scandal involving hawala and secretive money transfers by several spiritual leaders and priests of popular centres of faith. As part of its series of stories exposing cash mafias in the wake of the November 8 ban on high-denomination currency, India Today's special investigation team found several holy men and women rampantly black-marketing illicit wealth for hefty commissions. advertisement At the Vaishno temple in Ghaziabad near Delhi, its revered head Radha Mata quickly activated hawala operators when the undercover reporters approached her for the swap of fictitious unaccounted money. Radha Mata, who draws the faithful from as far as southern India, offered exchange of the outlawed notes from banks at half their original value of Rs 2.5 crore. "Son, that bank person will take 50 percent (commission) and will provide all services at your doorstep," she told India Today's reporter, who was posing as a holder of black money. "He'll give you new notes. You can also take a cheque." Her shady network appeared to be transnational as she also suggested payments through international hawala channels. "You'll get dollars wherever you want," claimed Radha Mata. "Can they give the money to me in Dubai?" asked the reporter. "Yes," she replied. "Take it in Dubai, Canada or England." In no time, Radha Mata called in a broker, who arrived in a UP government car. Surendra Sharma, the hawala middleman, proposed to transfer the cash in Dubai at a premium price of Rs 125 per dollar. Secret remittances of corrupt wealth by spiritual gurus like Radha Mata was just one side of the story. India Today's investigation also dredged up the other -- sacred shrines short-changing invalid currency. In the ancient temple town of Mathura, several religious officials were found to be replacing scrapped banknotes clandestinely for huge cuts. Anirudh, a priest of the Vrindavan Bihari temple, readily agreed to manipulate accounts to show black money as donation in back date. "It doesn't matter even if you give black money to us. I'll show it in accounts and it will be deposited," he said. He then introduced India Today's reporters with Ram Guru, the chief of the temple trust, for a firm deal. Ram Guru quoted a 35 percent commission for the conversion, saying he could pay up to 25 lakh rupees in legal notes immediately for Rs 1 crore in black. "You'll get Rs 65 for every 100," he said. advertisement But rates for bartering the tax loot varied from temple to temple, India Today's investigation found. After a bargain, Sudha Bhardwaj, the head of Delhi's Sidh Peeth Kalka shrine, guaranteed up to 50 percent in legal tender. "We'll pay you 40 percent back and the 60 percent will go into our trust," she said before settling down at a 50/50 share. "You'll get all new notes," Bhardwaj added. Next, India Today's special crews met a member of the Sai temple near Noida's Atta market, who demanded 40 percent for the interchange. "We'll initially deal in Rs 5-10 lakh," said Manoj Paudwal, the temple member. "We have a month's time. We'll do whatever can be done in this period." Paudwal promised the exchange in new banknotes. "Brother, it will cost you 40 percent," he said. --- ENDS --- Accident at Heroines Monument leaves Phuket traffic cop in ICU PHUKET: A traffic police officer from the Phuket City Police is currently in ICU at Vachira Phuket Hospital after crashing his car into chain barriers circling Heroines Monument last night (Dec 1). accidentspolicetransport By Eakkapop Thongtub Friday 2 December 2016, 10:13AM It is believed L/C Thanakorn Jimjuan fell asleep at the wheel of the vehicle when the accident occurred. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Thalang Polices Lt Col Sanit Nookong was alerted of an accident in Srisoonthornat at midnight last night where it was reported a car has crashed into barriers at Heroines Monument. Police arrived at the scene with rescue workers to find a wrecked Songkhla registered Toyota Vios in the middle of the road. Inside the vehicle police found several driving licences. Local residents had already helped pull the driver from the vehicle by the time help arrived. He was named by police as 23-year-old L/C Thanakorn Jimjuan stationed at Phuket City Police Station and had sustained an injury to his head, he was unresponsive. Mr Thanakorn was initially taken to Thalang Hospital, however, as his condition was critical he was later transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital where he still remains in ICU. Lt Col Sanit said, What we know so far is that L/C Thanakorn had just come from another province when the accident happened. He had driven a long distance and may have fallen asleep at the wheel. L/C Thanakorns friends came to the hospital after learning about the accident and confirmed that he is a traffic police officer stationed at Phuket City Police Station. We believe that the driving licences we found in his possession had been seized from motorists who had violated traffic laws, he said. Brace for influx, Thai Immigration boss tells Phuket officers PHUKET: The chief of the Immigration Bureau for Thailand, Pol Maj Gen Nathathorn Prousoontorn, yesterday arrived in Phuket and urged officials to prepare for a busy influx of tourists over the coming months. tourismimmigration By Eakkapop Thongtub Friday 2 December 2016, 02:34PM Immigration Bureau Commander Pol Maj Gen Nathathorn Prousoontorn told officers to prepare for a large influx in the number of tourist arrivals this tourism high season. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Immigration Bureau Commander Pol Maj Gen Nathathorn Prousoontorn told officers to prepare for a large influx in the number of tourist arrivals this tourism high season. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub Gen Nathathorn landed yesterday morning (Dec 1). On hand to welcome him at at the Phuket Immigration Office in Phuket Town were Immigration Division 6 Chief Maj Gen Jessada Yaisuin, Immmigration Division 6 Deputy Chief Col Nattapakin Kwanchaiyapruk, Phuket Immigration Chief Col Kantawat Pongsathabodi and the contingent of officers stationed Gen Nathathorn warned the officers that he expected the move to waive single-entry tourist visa fees and to half the fee for visas on arrival (see story here) to boost the number of tourist arrivals greatly. Officers must be ready to serve a high volume of tourists and provide conveniences for them while they are in Phuket, Gen Nathathorn said. We also will ask the foreign volunteers who already assist Immigration officers to help out by assisting tourists with filing out immigration forms or to help with translation for us, he added. While immigration officers are to process applications as quickly and effectively as possible, Gen Nathathorn noted that security would remain their top priority. We are trying to find a solution to solve the issue of people using fake passports or using other peoples passports because they have similar facial features. Most of the time we cannot detect such small differences between facial features visually, but need technology or expert help. In the near future, the central government will grant the budget for us to invest in a biometric system to scan fingerprints, facial features, pupils to prevent such fraud, he said. However, regarding the ongoing issue of ,diabolical delays at the Immigration arrivals hall at Phuket Airport, Gen Nathathorn had no immediate solution. We will increase the number of officers to accommodate the number of tourists after checking the number of flights, Gen Nathathorn said We cannot have full staff 24 hours because some flights do not have a lot of passengers. If a lot of passengers are due to arrive then more staff will be put on duty. We are trying to avoid long lines and inconvenience to tourists, but at the same time that we must check their documents thoroughly, he said. Crown Prince becomes King BANGKOK: The Kingdom has a new King after His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn on Thursday (Dec 1) accepted an invitation to ascend the throne from the National Legislative Assembly president. By Bangkok Post Friday 2 December 2016, 08:51AM His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun pays respects before a portrait of the His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit after formally accepting the invitation to accede to the throne as the 10th King of the Chakri dynasty last night. Photo: Royal Household Bureau His Royal Highness said: I accept [the invitation to be king] and to fulfil the royal intentions [of the late King] for the benefit and happiness of all Thais. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced the completion of the formalities on the TV pool. Thailand now has a new King, he said. The new King was formally named His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, according to the Office of His Majestys Principal Private Secretary. The title came after the Crown Prince accepted the invitation of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai and acceded to the throne as the 10th King of the Chakri dynasty Thursday night. His Majestys acceptance of the invitation was made in accordance with the Palace Rule on Royal Succession 1924 and under the present interim constitution, according to the office's letter sent to the Public Relations Department director-general Thursday. Pending the coronation, His Majesty is to be named in Thai as Somdet Phra Chao Yoohua Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun. When King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away on Oct 13, the royal succession process began. Gen Prem Tinsulanonda, who serves as the regent, led the heads of the country's three branches of government for an audience with HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn on Thursday afternoon to invite him to ascend the throne as the new King. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Mr Pornpetch, and Veerapol Tungsuwan, president of the Supreme Court, accompanied Gen Prem. Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said Gen Prem has ended his role as regent now the Crown Prince has accepted the invitation to reign. Regarding portraits and pictures of His Majesty the late King decorating Ratchadamnoen Avenue and government buildings, Mr Wissanu said nothing would change now the new King has been proclaimed. He also said the public can still wear black as a gesture of mourning for the late King. However, the government will discuss and issue announcements on how to proceed after the new King ascends the throne, he said. As Crown Prince before acceding, the new King presided over a royal merit-making ceremony Thursday to mark the 50th day since the passing of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall inside the Grand Palace. He was accompanied by other members of the royal family. Other merit-making ceremonies were also held nationwide to mark the 50th day since the passing of the late King. Prime Minister Prayut and his wife led members of the cabinet and government officials Thursday morning in merit-making in front of Government House to mark the 50th-day event. The ceremony began with Somdet Phra Maha Munivong, the abbot of Wat Ratchabophit Sathit Maha Simaram, leading 89 monks in chanting prayers. Gen Prayut then led cabinet members and government officials to give alms to the monks. A similar ceremony was held in front of the office of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, where governor Aswin Kwanmuang led city officials and members of the city and district councils in alms-giving. A merit-making and alms-giving ceremony was also held at the Criminal Court on Ratchadaphisek Road, attended by Mr Veerapol, along with more than 1,500 judges and court personnel. They also sang the Royal Anthem in honour of the late King. At the government complex on Chaeng Watthana Road, Attorney-General Pongniwat Yuthapanboriparn led executives and personnel of the Office of the Attorney-General to perform a merit-making rite and gave alms to monks. Meanwhile, a clean-up is getting under way at Sanam Luang, and areas around the Grand Palace after more than a month during which crowds of people have come to pay their respects to the late King in the Grand Palace. City Hall began the clean-up at 9pm on Wednesday and it is scheduled to end today. In Chai Nat province, provincial governor Nimit Wanchaithanawong led local officials, and residents to pay their respects before the portrait of His Majesty the late King and offering alms to 89 monks to mark the event. The late King visited this central province three times in the past. A total of 89 men were to be ordained as monks Thursday as a tribute to the King Bhumibol. Nipawan Kaewrakmook, secretary-general of the Thai Journalists Association, said the association, and other media professional organisations will join the Thai Red Cross Society to hold a blood donation event on Jan 25 to mark the 100th day since the passing of the late King. Read original story here Florida man taken into custody in Bangkok for 2013 Phuket kidnapping charge PHUKET: A Florida man was taken into custody upon his arrival in Bangkok today (Dec 2) after being extradited from the US on charges issued in Phuket back in 2014 for the kidnapping of a fellow American in 2013. crimepolice By Darawan Naknakhon Friday 2 December 2016, 03:56PM Shawn Abraham Shaw, 43, is escorted through Suwanaphumi Airport by immigration officials this morning. Photo: Darawan Naknakhon In February 2015, Shawn Abraham Shaw, 43, was fighting extradition to Thailand on kidnapping and extortion charges brought by another American said to have strong ties to senior Thai officials. Shaw, 43, denied the charges, saying the alleged victim laid a complaint with Thai authorities after the pair had a falling-out in Phuket over a business deal. (See story here.) Then one month later, in March 2015, Shaw maintained his innocence of the charges brought against him by Thai authorities. His defence lawyer says the charges were laid after a business deal went sour. (See story here.) At 8am today, Kamala Police Inspector Lt Col Asol Jiraksa and his team escorted Shaw to Kamala Police Station after he arrived at Suwanaphumi Airport this morning on the warrant of arrest issued on February 13, 2014. On December 14, 2013, Shaw allegedly kidnapping fellow American Mr Antonio M Accornero and demanded a B30,000 ransom from the victim. Mr Accornero also said that Shaw took cash and assets from him with an estimated value of more than us$2 million. After the incident, a police investigation revealed that Shaw was in the US so they contacted Royal Thai Police for help. Thai authorities sent a provisional arrest warrant to the United States in October 2014 asking authority to extradite the wanted man to face his charge in the Kingdom. Shaw is now being held at Kamala Police Station to face his charge, however, at this time he is still denying all allegations. Phuket to observe late Kings Birthday Anniversary PHUKET: Many people will get to enjoy a three day weekend starting tomorrow as the nation observes December 5 as the Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. culture By The Phuket News Friday 2 December 2016, 11:11AM What's open and what's closed on December 5. Many government offices and businesses will be closed on Monday including the Phuket Immigration Office, Employment Office, Land Transport Office and the islands three District Offices. All main bank branches will be closed, but branches in shopping centres will remain open. Police stations and hospitals will remain open as usual and some local consulates will also be open to serve their respective citizens. Thailands beloved late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who was born on on December 5, 1927 passed away at the age of 88 on October 13 after a long illness. (See story here.) http://www.thephuketnews.com/the-nation-mourns-59464.php His late Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, or Rama IX, the ninth King of the Chakri dynasty, which has ruled or reigned in Thailand from 1782, was the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history. King Bhumibol officially ascended the throne on May 5, 1950 in a grand ceremony at the Royal Palace to the cheers of the people of Thailand, where he pledged that he would reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the Siamese people. The date is now marked in history as the beginning of the deep reverence Thais have for the beloved King. Today the nation is still in one year mourning in loving memory of the late King. By PTI: Mumbai, Dec 2 (PTI) Milestone Capital Advisors today announced appointment of former chairman and managing director of Bank of Baroda M D Mallya as Independent Director on its board. "Mallyas joining the board has been with a view to bring further value to Milestones strategic and operational growth chart. We look forward to his strategic inputs to our ongoing and future business development efforts as well," Milestone, executive vice-chairman, Rubi Arya, said in a statement. * * * * * KEC International bags Rs 840 crore orders * advertisement Infrastructure firm KEC International today said it has bagged orders worth Rs 840 crore in the transmission and distribution and cables businesses from both domestic and international markets. In the T&D business, the company has bagged orders of Rs 723 crore in Malaysia, Egypt and America and Rs 117 crore worth contracts in the cable business. "With these orders, we have significantly strengthened our order book position and continue to consolidate our presence in the international T&D arena. These are major accomplishments in our pursuit to diversify and de-risk our geographic spread," companys managing director and CEO Vimal Kejriwal said in a statement. (MORE) PTI PSK RMT NP MR --- ENDS --- @Kurt Read the article and your first comment again. 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Hollande's popularity plunged soon after he took power in 2012, and polls show most voters don't want to see him stay in office. By AP: France's President Francois Hollande announced in a surprise televised address that he would not seek a second term in next year's presidential election, acknowledging that his personal unpopularity might cost his Socialist party the Elysee. "I have decided not to be a candidate in the presidential election," Hollande said in the prime time slot, adding that he hoped by stepping aside to give the Socialists a chance to win "against conservatism and, worse still, extremism." advertisement The 62-year-old president - the country's least popular leader since World War II - said he was "conscious of the risks" his lack of support posed to a successful candidacy. "What's at stake is not a person, it's the country's future," he said. The announcement Thursday came just a few days after Hollande's No. 2, Prime Minister Manuel Valls, said he was "ready" to compete in next month's Socialist primary. In a written statement on Thursday night, Valls praised Hollande's "tough, mature, serious choice." "That's the choice of a statesman," he said, without confirming if he plans to seek the presidency himself. In his address Hollande avoided saying if he would support Valls - or any other candidate. PLUNGE IN POPULARITY Hollande's popularity plunged soon after he took power in 2012, and polls show most voters don't want to see him stay in office. Voters expressed disappointment over the lagging economy, higher taxes and the pro-business shift Hollande adopted midterm after first claiming as a candidate his "real adversary" would be the "world of finance". His image also suffered from personal scandals. He broke up with ex-partner Valerie Trierweiler amid reports that he was having an affair with French actress Julie Gayet, an episode later exposed in a stinging book by the former first lady. Not only did Trierweiler reveal intimate details of Hollande's infidelities, but she also depicted the Socialist leader as someone who dislikes the poor - a grave political sin for a left-wing leader. DIVIDE WITHIN THE SOCIALIST PARTY The Socialist party has also been deeply divided over Hollande's leadership from within, with rebels within the party openly criticizing his pro-business strategy and calling for more left-leaning policies. Two of his ex-colleagues, former Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg and former Education Minister Benoit Hamon, have already announced they will run next month. Hollande faced the Dec. 15 party deadline for entering the primary contest - and was expected to say in the coming weeks whether he would run again. His announcement nevertheless came as a shock to political commentators, many of whom had thought the one-term Socialist leader was posturing to seek re-election despite being low in the polls. advertisement French network TF1 only said late in the day that the embattled leader would be speaking on its popular 8 p.m. news broadcast, throwing French media into a frenzy of second-guessing as to what he might have to say. In a September speech, he repeatedly suggested he was eyeing a re-election bid. "I will not let the image of France be spoiled ... in the coming months or the coming years," Hollande said at the time. Hollande said he would seek re-election if he were able to curb the unemployment rate in France, which for years has hovered around 10 percent. The latest figures showed a slight decrease in the jobless numbers, but this didn't seem to quell the criticism. Valls may launch his bid on Saturday, when he expected to speak at a political rally in Paris hosted by a group linked to the Socialist party. Whichever candidate Socialist voters choose in January will face former Prime Minister Francois Fillon, among other rivals, in the two-round presidential election in April and May. PROMISING CANDIDATE Fillon, 62, who won France's conservative presidential primary on Sunday, has promised drastic free-market reforms, along with a crackdown on immigration and Islamic extremism. advertisement Polls suggest the sober, authoritative Fillon would have a strong chance of winning the general election amid the widespread frustration with France's current leadership. He did not waste time in hammering Hollande and the Socialists in a statement sent out minutes after Thursday's televised address. "Tonight, the president of the republic is admitting, with lucidity, that his patent failure is stopping him carrying on," Fillon said. "This term ends in political mess and in the decay of power," Fillon added, promising "action" and "results." Fillon, who was prime minister from 2007-2012 under ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy, enjoyed a surprise surge in popularity in recent weeks. A rise in nationalist sentiment across Europe may have favored his strict conservative positions. However, it's expected he'll face a strong challenge from Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front party, Le Pen is running an anti-establishment campaign that particularly targets immigrants, France's Muslim minority, and the European Union. The series of terror attacks on French soil by Islamic extremists that have left hundreds dead over the last two years has energized the country's political right, which has vowed to take a tougher stance against immigration. advertisement Centrist Emmanuel Macron, the former economy minister under Hollande, also is seeking the presidency in the general election scheduled for April-May, but has decided not to take part into the Socialist primary. --- ENDS --- What to know about the Noem rallies in Sioux Falls Wednesday Two special guests, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Tulsi Gabbard, will stump for Noem during the rallies at the South Dakota Military Heritage Alliance. Ayub Khan was "dashing". Zia-ul-Haq was "scheming". Pervez Musharraf was ever "confident". Ashfaq Kayani was always "thinking". And Raheel Sharif was an "officer and a gentleman". However, "cute" is not the term that comes up when profiling the newest commander of the world's fifth largest, and fastest proliferating, army. But that's what General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Pakistan's new Chief of Army Staff, is to some of his juniors. "Khula Dhula", Punjabi for laidback, and "socially balanced", army talk for nuanced religiosity, are other descriptions that have come up, with late-night Rooseveltian fireside chats on forward operating bases a hallmark of his days as a formation commander in the northern areas. He has got an especially sweet tooth for Quality Street and Macintosh candies, but he's quick on his feet, too. There's a tale about him shocking (eventual Indian COAS) General Bikram Singh during a UN Congo mission by getting his Indian formation commander's spouse's name right for a gift he was sending for bhabhi ("How did you know her name," asked Singh, according to an officer familiar with the story. "Us Pakistanis, Sir, we're very, very good with gathering information," retorted a smug Bajwa). Soon after his appointment, Singh, now retired, would praise Bajwa as an outstanding officer on local media-not a mean feat, given the environment between India and Pakistan these days. advertisement RULE-BREAKER But a deeper dig shows more interesting openings. As the Colonel Commandant of the Baloch, where he hooked up in Abbottabad some months ago for dinner with all commanding officers of the famed infantry regiment (it still proudly features the first Muslim Victoria Cross, outside the Army Museum in Rawalpindi), Bajwa broke the ice and made all his colonels lose their ties ("We're all Balochis, right? So why the stiff collars, gentlemen?"). Next, he chose not to sit at the high table, and dined with one group after another, course after course. It made a cherished dent in a very traditional regiment. A course mate wasn't surprised: "He didn't get any positions at the Academy, and conveniently took off the day we passed out. He's lucky he got a good unit and solid seniors, who lifted him. But he's one of those guys who never forgets a friend, or a face." Graphic: Vikas Verma Bajwa wasn't propelled much in the press before his appointment: he doesn't have the family of brothers-and-cousins-in-brass, like the new Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, artilleryman Zubair Hayat, nor did he enjoy the media build-up the now superseded strike corps commander Ishfaq Nadeem got for being the master planner of the extensive counterinsurgency operation, Zarb-e-Azab, or the attention that the (also superseded) academic Javed Ramday got for his sniper injuries in Swat and family connections in the Punjab. Yet, junior officers seem to know more about Bajwa than the others he was competing against. Why I call Pakistan's new army chief an establishment General: General Bikram Singh That's due to two popular stints: a few batches of majors and captains whom Bajwa has presided over as Commandant of the School of Infantry and Tactics in Quetta swear by the man for being the most unassuming general in the army. Moreover, because he has commanded what is Pakistan's massive army-within-the-army-the X Corps-thousands of officers know him because of that mega-ambit. Maybe that's why #BajwaQuotes has been running hard on many army chat groups. But it's the behaviour of Bajwa's peers that has gotten everyone's attention. When Gen Pervez Musharraf was chosen by Nawaz Sharif as Pakistan's 13th army chief, Lt Generals Ali Kuli Khan and Khalid Nawaz were superseded. They immediately resigned. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani was the seniormost in his slot to take over from Musharraf, so he didn't trigger any resignations, but Raheel Sharif's appointment after Kayani made the redundant senior man, Lt General Haroon Aslam, resign. advertisement However, Bajwa seems to have set a new precedent of bonhomie. Word is he has personally called generals Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmed and Javed Iqbal Ramday, who are leading the mechanised Multan and Bahawalpur Corps, and asked them to stay on. And word is, both have obliged. That's a big deal in a highly competitive, cut-throat hierarchy where supersession is looked upon in disdain. "They're all course-mates and friends, and they're acting like course-mates and friends," says an officer. "The supersession is not an issue. That says something about his [Bajwa's] first-among-equals approach." READY FOR BATTLE? About Bajwa's so-called "Kashmir specialisation", he's one of many who are rotated around in a locality once they operate in it. He was General Staff Officer Grade-1 Operations (that's a very important colonel) in the India-centric X Corps, then Kayani's Chief of Staff in the same Corps (possibly the most important one-star staff position in the country), then Commander Force Command Northern Areas (also reporting to X Corps from Siachen and beyond), and then Commander of the X Corps itself, the army's largest by a mile and a few divisions: again, all India-focused positions. advertisement Gen. Kayani was a bit of a Kashmir specialist, too, with stints at X Corps as a brigadier, a formation commander and then corps commander. But, Kayani also ran the ISI. And unlike a couple of the other generals he was up against, Bajwa has little exposure to the western theatre, where much of Pakistan's forces are engaged. "There is no deficiency," commented an officer. "As Commander X Corps, his internal security area of responsibility fell in the domain of five different governments, i.e. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Punjab, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, and Islamabad Capital Territory. He dealt with Shangla and Kohistan, too. He has handled sectarian and terrorism, administrative and law enforcement matters, and then some. He's ready for all sorts of environments." THE EMPEROR STRIKES BACK Last weekend, Nawaz Sharif both set and broke his own record. He became the first man to appoint-or to assist with the appointment during Pakistan's president-centric days-five out of 16 army chiefs (six, if you count his biggest political mistake, in '99, when he moved his ISI chief Lt Gen Ziauddin Butt to take over from Gen. Musharraf in a spate of post-Kargil passive aggression that Musharraf converted into a coup). Moreover, Sharif hits the double digits if you add naval, air and joint chiefs to his stack. That's a lot of brass the Lahori steel magnate has smelted. advertisement Thus, Sharif has sharpened up. He knows that of GHQ's half-dozen staff officers and almost dozen corps commanders, he's dealing with different lobbies, different courses, different arms and different politics. So he has stuck to the basics: operate within one course to avoid the junior vs senior controversy (Bajwa is from the 62nd Long Course, as were all the other frontrunners); not get politicised (he strayed far from Ramday, who was being linked to Sharif, politically, through a prominent family); and as everybody at the three-star level has been through similar courses and posts (almost all of them are graduates of foreign staff courses, served as brigade majors and/or Grade 1 staff officers, commanded brigades and divisions, maybe ran a school and then a Corps); stick to your gut and go for a guy you like, versus a guy who's enjoying the hype, or even the guy who's more qualified on paper. Besides his easygoing manner, Bajwa has provided a very good reason to be liked by the prime minister: his X Corps' notorious 111 Brigade-which conducted Sharif's arrest in 1999-was at its historic best behaviour during the 2014 sit-in of Islamabad, when it was largely assumed that opposition leader Imran Khan and Canadian cohort Tahir-ul-Qadri were preparing to overthrow the government at the behest of a few army hardliners. It was a crucial time. The wires reported the corps commanders were split on the coup-or-no-coup question. Bajwa didn't budge. "He is a strong supporter of the democratic process and believes in institutional harmony," said a staffer who saw those proceedings up close in 2014. "It was tense. He was very clear on preservation of democracy but also steadfast on the obligations of the army's social contract with the people. That meant we were never to use brute force against the people, who were peacefully exercising their democratic right of protest, but we also had to protect the government." Bajwa's middle-of-the-road engineering worked, both for him and for the system. His 111 never fired a round, controlled the protests, and Nawaz survived as the movement self-destructed. Due to the 2014 experience, veteran army-watchers like anchor Kamran Khan are assessing that Nawaz Sharif, who's quite a judge of character, had decided months, even years, ago that Bajwa was the guy. So while the general would serve out his time at the Corps and be stationed in the snug Training and Evaluation Directorate, Nawaz was planning on him to go big. But the legacy Bajwa's trying to follow up on only comes in extra large. Musharraf, a commando, was forced into this war. Kayani, the spy-soldier, continued it. Raheel Sharif-with no gigs at Military Operations, Military Intelligence, or in ops areas-broke the mould, but also popularity records, through operations like Zarb-e-Azb. So what's stopping Bajwa? "Nothing. But expect less of the show, more of the substance of soldiering," said an officer who has known him years. "He's closer to our core values, a back-to-basics guy who cuts you down during long presentations, doesn't like jargon, and only wants to know if the magazines are filled, the patrols are out, the firing results are up. He's less self-obsessed, and maybe more impulsive, so expect decisions." In Pakistan, the Raheel Sharif post-mortem has begun. The temporarily displaced million or so of Waziristan are being recounted. And as Zarb-e-Azab drags on, the India-US-Afghan time bomb ticks ever louder, as the LoC remains tense, the Afghan Taliban get stronger and Donald Trump and his generals march on Washington. Except for the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, Islamabad looks like it's waiting for the next new low in foreign affairs (largely the military's fief). And though the economy enjoys marginal gains, there's the unfinished business of Karachi and Balochistan, even as Punjab tries to gnaw itself out of the Lashkar and Jaish straitjacket. Finally, let us not forget that people are already getting used to the improbable: the military's impartiality in political matters, as has been seen recently in the Panama Leaks investigation and elsewhere. Thus, Bajwa inherits old wars with new habits. Most soldiers wish for the opposite. Follow the writer on Twitter @wajskhan --- ENDS --- The selection of the 16th chief of the Pakistan Army may have come as a surprise to many. However, having assessed his potential way back in 2007-08, I had a hunch he would outshine others in the selection process. General Qamar Javed Bajwa, as a Brigadier, had been one of my brigade commanders in the multinational 'Eastern Division' that I commanded in the United Nations Organisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC). The Eastern Division then comprised two brigades-one each from India and Pakistan, and in addition, it had a number of battalions and independent companies from 16 other countries. All told, the division had over 14,500 personnel of 25 different nationalities, and its mandate, drawn from the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1756 and 1794, entailed maintaining peace and stability in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). advertisement Gen Bikram Singh (retd) While the Indian brigade was looking after the North Kivu province and was headquartered at Goma, the Pakistani brigade, being headquartered at Bakavu, was ensuring peace and stability in the South Kivu province. Given the offensive activities and manoeuvres by the troops of renegade Tutsi commander General Laurent Nkunda along with some other militia groups, the security situation in North Kivu was far more demanding than in any other province. The Indian brigade's performance in this province, under extremely challenging conditions, was indeed exceptional and I am sanguine would go down in the annals of the United Nations peacekeeping operations in golden letters. Also read: Lack of flamboyance, faith in democracy: For Nawaz Sharif, General Bajwa as new army chief was an easy choice In the international milieu, then Brigadier Bajwa conducted himself professionally and I found him to be totally committed to MONUC's mandate and the ideals of the United Nations. He consistently exhibited a positive attitude along with great respect for diversity. During my official visits to his brigade, he would scrupulously abide by the military decorum and protocols. His briefings were comprehensive and always followed by a few demonstrations to showcase various operational and training activities of his formation. Unlike some of the contingent commanders, who would find ways and means to shun additional responsibility, I found then Brig Bajwa, in the larger interest of international peace, willingly accepting additional responsibilities-both in the realm of operations and initiatives pertaining to training and empowering the Congolese army. In 2007, during one of the operational contingencies created by Nkunda's troops to challenge the writ of the government of DRC, I had, at an unearthly hour, asked him to move his troops and create military conditions that would threaten an exposed flank of the rebel army. Having understood my intent, Brig Bajwa accomplished the assigned task with the desired operational urgency and to my satisfaction. There are many such examples underscoring his allegiance to the organisational goals. While I have seen General Bajwa as a brigadier in the United Nations, it may be imprudent to gauge his present-day military leadership prowess and bent of mind through the MONUC template. He most certainly would have transformed over the last eight years from a tactical leader to a strategic military commander. His military experience, both in the international and domestic arenas, would have shaped his conceptual skills and frames of reference, which will guide his actions and reactions as the chief of the Pakistan army. advertisement Even if he is apolitical with strong democratic credentials, as contended by some sections of the Pakistani media, I do not visualise any meaningful change taking place in the stance of the Pakistan army towards its political leadership and the democratic institutions of the state. It will continue to manipulate the internal and external environments to retain its privileged status that gives them sweeping powers. No Pakistani army chief would ever like to tamper with such primacy of his institution in the domestic environment. Keeping the Kashmir pot boiling along with a calibrated hostile posturing against India helps the Pakistan army retain its exclusive domestic stature. Therefore, the new Army chief, notwithstanding his reported loyalty to the prime minister, will continue with the current India policy albeit with an enhanced focus on Jammu and Kashmir-he being a Kashmir hand. Therefore, the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed that have repeatedly bled India by a thousand cuts will continue to be nurtured by the Pakistani army as their asymmetric proxy-war assets. However, the new Pakistan army chief will have to keep a check on the terrorists' trans-Line of Control and International Border activities lest they breach the Indian threshold of tolerance. Surely, he is aware of the Indian army's might and its ability to hit back decisively where it hurts the most. advertisement On the conventional war front, to compensate for the inadequacies in its combat power vis-a-vis India, the Pakistan army will continue to strengthen its strategic military ties with China's People's Liberation Army, besides undertaking calibrated nuclear sabre-rattling. Employing public information and perception management operations, it will continue to remind us of tactical nuclear weapons and emphasise its policy of 'full spectrum nuclear deterrence'. To sum it up, nothing much is going to change. The new chief, notwithstanding his leadership attributes, will have no option but to follow the well-trodden path of his predecessors. We need to continue with our people-friendly counter-proxy war operations in Jammu and Kashmir, retain the moral ascendency on the LoC and keep the big stick ready for any escalation. General Bikram Singh (retd) is a former chief of the Indian Army --- ENDS --- Nora Coghlan coghlann17@grinnell.edu Themes of community, love, friendship, trust and intimacy will all be explored this weekend through the Theater and Dance Departments Dance Ensemble performance of Borro(we)d. Artistic Director Waewdao Sirisook led this semesters Dance Ensemble. At the beginning of the semester, the ensemble sat down to discuss themes that they would like to explore in their choreography. A lot of the work leading up to our performance was talking about issues that we really cared about, so a lot of it is about community and being together, but also celebrating individuality, celebrating our bodies, ourselves, said ensemble member Ceci Bergman 19. The group found these themes to be particularly salient given the current political climate, and specific causes like the No Dakota Access Pipe Line movement and awareness campaigns advocating for acceptance and inclusions of Muslims. One particular campaign, wherein Muslim men stood in busy areas with blind folds on and signs that said Im Muslim and Im not a terrorist, and invited strangers to hug them, was particularly important in Sirisooks conception of community. When people did not participate in that it broke my heart. I myself did a short performance on that too, and I believe that every performer is in a very vulnerable place when they become that person who depends on other peoples trust, and when I talked with students and they wanted to work with vulnerability and love and relationships, I immediately thought of this theme that I have experimented with before, Siridook said. After deciding on a theme, the dancers worked together in groups and pairs to develop their own choreography. Sarah Schlax 17 said that unlike previous semesters, the dancers had much more influence on the final outcome. I think weve been given more leeway than in other instances to really choreograph our own piece, she said. And the theme of the piece is community and love and friendship and putting more of ourselves into it and our interactions with other dancers really lends itself to that theme really well. Having more freedom to express ourselves makes the piece more intimate and I think more raw so its much more of an introspective piece I think, Charlie Rosenblum 18 added. Sirisooks unique style of teaching and choreographing complimented the pieces theme as well. Along with the original student choreography, Sirisook incorporated traditional Thai dance. We included a lot of Thai dance, both the philosophy and aesthetic in that also in the movement, and we also have a lot of individual movement from each student, Sirisook said. Each member of the ensemble contributed something unique to the piece as well, especially because the members have varying levels of dance experience. [Working with new dancers] was a bit difficult at first but I would say that what Im looking for is not perfection, Sirisook said. What Im looking for is people to share and to be yourself, be your best of that moment and finally I think I find that each person has that quality within themselves even though they might not be a professional dancer. More than making the piece perfect, Sirisook hoped that the themes of the work would transfer to the group. What I wanted them to gain the most was the love and trust of each other because that leads to a good work. If they do not love and trust each other, the work will still become very awkward. You can dance and you can memorize the dance very well, but this kind of work that we do now if you see the show, it involves a lot of intimacy and real feeling, Sirisook said. Borro(we)d will be performed tonight and tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Flanagan Theatre in Bucksbaum. Zane Silk silkzane@grinnell.edu After months of studying direction, planning auditions, selecting plays and holding rehearsals, this semesters directing class will showcase their work at the One Act Play Festival this Friday and Saturday. The festival will include five works directed by Luis Rojas 18, Ben Charette 17, Lauren Fenton 17, John Kim 18 and Ayo Bowman 18. The directing process began for each student with a search for the perfect play. For Ben Charrette 17, finding the work that spoke to them was tough. I sat down with several books of one acts and couldnt really find anything. So I went online and started looking up different playwrights and dug through archives of plays, and there were a couple where I mentally bookmarked them as one of the possibilities. And then as soon as I got to Heart in the Ground, I stopped dead in my tracks, and said this is the one. Theres this real raw emotional honesty in it. Set in the Midwest during the 1920s, Charettes play tells the story of a husband and wife who are devastated by the death of their infant and must try to rebuild. Several other directors also opted for more relationship-focused pieces; Fentons play, Post Its (Notes on a Marriage) explores a relationship over time through the post it notes shared between the pair. And Guys directed by Kim, is a buddy comedy that explores friendship. From the start, Rojas limited his search to Latin American theatre, because he felt their bold, political messages are too often overlooked. Rojas read 26 scripts until he stumbled upon March, a play inspired by Argentinas Dirty War, the military dictatorships ruthless campaign against dissidents that left over 10,000 missing. March features the characters One, Two and Three, who tell their stories as they are marched off to their deaths, only for the actors to return as new characters Four, Five and Six in a cycle that repeats. I like that there are no names in it, Rojas said. It shows the way these people were stripped of their own identity, stripped of their voice, stripped of their name, especially when its your government doing it to you I think its very important to think about that in this political climate and also on this campus. Bowman, on the other hand, turned to more a more alternative work, in order to provide a meaningful experience for his audience. Bowman directs The Actors Nightmare, which features actors siting amongst the audience and follows the character of George who is backstage and must perform a play with no preparation. Its very much a play that people who are invested in theatre will enjoy, but everyones been on the spot everyones had that feeling of, I dont know whats going on, he said. After taking special care to choose their perfect piece, the next challenge for this semesters directors was casting their shows and finding the best way to translate their vision to the stage. This is the first play Ive directed, but Ive been in a couple dozen, and Ive seen enough directors trying to get this one particular thing out of an actor whos just not understanding, Bowman said. I came in with the knowledge that this is not going to be what Im imagining in my head, that doesnt really exist. For some, it was the logistical aspects that were most challenging. Bowman said it was difficult to find times that worked for all five of his actors, while Charette talked about struggling to juggle the many responsibilities, especially those usually handled by stage managers. Now rehearsals are nearly over and each productions different pieces are coming together. A director who feels entirely confident at this point is a foolish one theres always something to stress about, Charette said, who added that that unlike actors who have the stage, directors lack an outlet for the nervous energy that builds as the performance nears. You have to channel that into your performers beforehand, and once the actual performances comes about theres nothing you can do but watch. The One Act Plays showcase will be performed on December 2nd and 3rd at 7 p.m. in The Wall in the Bucksbaum Center for Arts. Patrons will be seated on a first-come first-serve basis, and no tickets are required to attend. By Eva Lillienfeld Combating poverty tends to conjure images of food pantries and clothing drives, but winter brings additional problems for low-income households. As the temperatures cool down, many Iowans are forced to choose between rising heating bills and other living necessities. Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA) helps administer a federal program, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEA), intended to lessen the burden of these energy bills. Just last year, 185,000 Iowans received heating assistance from LIHEA nearly 50,000 in Grinnells congressional district alone. More than simply reducing the cost of heat, LIHEA can help some recipients receive a moratorium, which legally prohibits an energy provider from shutting off heat during the winter. Despite helping so many Iowans keep their heat, MICA receives few applications from Grinnell students, according to MICA Family Development Center Manager/Volunteer Coordinator Danielle Wonderly. For Grinnell College students, I really, really encourage them to apply for heating assistance, Wonderly said. It doesnt mean that you have to be low income. Basically, a household of one making 20,790 dollars or less a year would qualify, which is probably all of you. I know some people get help from their parents but a lot of them dont. Wonderly has seen a dramatic increase in the number of applications MICA receives from college students over the last several years, which she credits to increased outreach from MICA. However, she feels that there is, still a good population that were missing. College students would not be alone in applying for MICAs most utilized program. According to the most recent census, the median household income in Grinnell is 45,079 dollars, just above LIHEAs cutoff limit for a family of four. And LIHEA helps both seniors and family households, both of which face different challenges staying safe and warm in the winter. The elderly theyre on a fixed income, so obviously their needs are high Wonderly said. But when they have a household of one, they might not get as much assistance. But families have great needs too because theyre providing for more people. Even if their income is a little bit higher than minimum wage, that means often that they cut off from assistance from other government programs, and they rely on assistance [from MICA] more. For the 2016 cycle, MICA has received around the same number of LIHEA applications as it did last year, despite this years warmer temperatures. This year, MICA began accepting applications from seniors in September, a full month before the usual October deadline to prepare for the high volume of applications they expect to receive. It doesnt mean they get the funds earlier its just so we can get those folks dealt with before it gets busier, Wonderly said. MICA also helps with long-term energy saving investments for families receiving LIHEA. Since the mid 1970s, MICA has offered weatherization services. Using National Energy Audit Technology (NEAT), MICA workers can inspect a home and determine the best investments for the home those that provide the greatest energy saved per dollar. Some of the most common investments include increasing wall insulation, replacing outdated or inefficient refrigerators and appliances and installing high-energy efficient bulbs. In the winter months, MICA does not just take applications for programs but also volunteers. The agency frequently works with the CLS to coordinate work-study positions for Grinnell students to provide support for MICA. We can always take volunteers at the office to help with the food pantry, Wonderly said. For more information about how to volunteer, contact Danielle Wonderly at Danielle.wonderly@micaonline.org or call the MICA administrative office at 641-752-7162. Earlier this month, the international community gathered in Marrakesh, Morocco, for COP22 a climate change conference following up on the agreement reached one year ago at COP21 in Paris. Grinnells own Tea Cakarmis 17, who previously worked with the UN agency on Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) was invited by UNESCO and the nation of Palau to participate in the conference. This week, The S&Bs Michael Cummings sat down with Cakarmis to discuss her experience in Marrakesh and the future of climate change policy. The S&B: What is COP22 and how does it relate to COP21? Tea Cakarmis: COP22 was intended to be an explanation of how the implementation of COP21 will take place. COP21 in a lot of ways is an ideological promise, weve agreed that climate change is human-caused, that it is something where the science is very conclusive and also something that we need to act on. However, the way you go about it has consistently throughout the COPs been where a deal breaks or makes. In Marrakesh they were discussing how to actually put COP21 into action. The S&B: How did you end up going to Marrakesh this year? TC: I was [working] with UNESCO and I was working with the delegation of Palau. Since day one of my internship, the Paris Agreements were just signed. I started working in February, so it was really, really fresh. The agreement is indisputably one of the biggest accomplishments that have been done since the forming of the UN framework on climate change, [but] the small island states still did not feel as if it was reflective of how alarming the situation is. We talk about 2 degrees Celsius and small island states formed their own sort of aspirational alliance for 1.5 degrees because thats really the only thing that they find could even maybe possibly be satisfying. So we started working on how we could represent them, creatively, outside just the actual official delegations in Marrakesh. Then we came up with a project and when my internship ended they were like, Oh, how about you join us in Marrakesh? I didnt really think that that was even possible, and it was in the middle of my school year and everything, but then it just sort of worked out. It was amazing. The S&B: What were your responsibilities while in Marrakesh? TC: I personally was in charge of decorating the booth that the delegation of Palau had. We were trying to bridge the gap of distance, and so before the conference started I concluded a partnership with Disney France. We actually got them to create a clip for the small island nations specifically for COP, where they featured their new cartoons, animated movies, where its either an endangered species or just generally island people who are featured in it. Its four spin-offs of Finding Nemo. The other part of it is, we wanted to keep it as digital as possible, but we couldnt do that all the way. We had a partnership with Fondation Cousteau thats Cousteau the oceanographer their foundation sort of represents data visually really successfully. What we wanted to show is the human consequence on the ocean. We wanted it to be both engaging in terms of the beauty of the ocean, but also the extent of the human impact on the ocean. We had 10 photos that were the size of one and a half by two meters, so the size of me and bigger, that were placed around we had our own improvised exhibit space. What I did was basically arrange that space, arrange for the materials to be shipped, the logistical part of that. The S&B: How will a Trump presidency affect international climate change policy? TC: The U.S. delegation [at COP22] was very firm in saying it is business as usual, meaning business as Obama left it. They were very deliberate in saying that Paris is formed in a way that even if you want to pull out of it, you already made your promises that youre going to have to uphold for at least three years, which is luckily how much [Trumps] mandate takes. So even if Trump wants to pull out of Paris, he wont be seeing the benefits of it, or what he believes the benefits can be, until the end of his mandate. So unless he is reelected, pulling out of Paris will not do anything for him as a president. By Andrea Baumgartel baumgart1@grinnell.edu This past Monday evening, JRC 101 set the backdrop for a panel of speakers from Standing Rock, representing the still-growing resistance against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) South Central North Dakota. The high probability of pipeline breakage would result in contamination of the Standing Rock Sioux reservations water supply, located just a half mile from the pipeline, as well as the water of surrounding tribal nations and U.S. states such as Iowa. Although the water protectors nonviolent protest is being met with intimidation and violence, all of the speakers attested to the transformative love, healing and strength that is Standing Rock. The speakers included multiple Native American activists and educators, including Tyler Lasley, Mary YoungBear, Quinton Pushetonequa, Bewan Wanatee, LaVern Jefferson and Leah Slick-Driscoll from the Meskwaki Nation, as well as Jenna Thomas from the Rosebud Sioux, Rev. Wendy Abrahamson of St. Johns Episcopal Church and Prolific the Rapper, an indigenous musician who has used music and film to spread the Standing Rock message. All of the speakers have been to Standing Rock multiple times, often in subfreezing conditions, to engage in peaceful protest and help sustain the morale of the camp, primarily through cooking, community building and prayer. In addition to the panel, the event also featured a short film from Grinnellians who have visited Standing Rock to provide water protectors with supplies. DAPL has met resistance since the pipelines initiation nearly nine months ago. Recently, Standing Rock has become, in the words of Professor Deborah Michaels, education, the epicenter of an international, spiritual and political movement. Most Americans are unaware of what is going on in our country in regards to environmental injustice, said Slick-Driscoll, who teaches social studies at Meskwaki Settlement School. She defined environmental injustice, specifically in relation to indigenous rights, as taking the needs of one group over the needs of another group. Not only does the threat of the pipeline violate multiple laws, including the Clean Water Act and the National Historic Preservation Act, but it also would cut through sacred tribal burial grounds. If and when the pipeline were to spill, the oil would severely contaminate the water of Native Americans and others who rely on the Missouri River source. Many people in America believe that not talking about these things [like the pipeline] is an act of patriotism that it would make the U.S. government look bad but this is simply creating an oligarchy, Slick-Driscoll continued. There is a need for a higher level of humanity. People outside need to talk about these issues because it affects all of us. Although DAPL only runs through certain tribal land, its implications hold potential consequences for all people. They are using eminent domain for private gain, Wanatee said. This pipeline doesnt run through my land [Meskwaki Nation], but there are still 1.5 million people I am concerned about. Wanatee spoke about her experience of running across the nation to Washington, D.C. in protest of the pipeline, as well as experiencing the frontlines at Standing Rock. If you cant go to Standing Rock, call your legislators, she implored. Make your presence known to them. Jenna Thomas of the Navajo Nation traveled with her husband, Quinton and their two children from Arizona to Standing Rock. As a Native American, awareness for environmental justice has been at the forefront of what Ive been taught [throughout my life], she said. I had to be part of what connects all of us. All of these tribes, all of the others who have come here [what connects us] is the environment and prayer. Tyler Lasley of the Owen Valley Payahuuada camp echoed Thomass emphasis on the interconnectedness that lives alongside the fight for a common cause. When I showed up to Standing Rock, the people there took care of us. We were prepared to be on our own in this fight, but we didnt need to be. Mary Youngbear works for the Meskwaki Cultural Center and Museum and has been to Standing Rock twice, assisting with cooking for hundreds in addition to protesting. Although [law enforcement] presence was always made known by the helicopter, it made us feel the opposite of scared. It gave us strength and fortitude, Youngbear said. The final speaker was Prolific the Rapper, who shed additional light on the injustice from law enforcement that protestors face. Prolific has risked unjust incarceration for filming the events at Standing Rock with a drone. He has made numerous music videos posted to his YouTube channel with his footage that has exposed the true experience of the pipeline resistance. Afterwards audience members asked questions that raised awareness about Grinnell Colleges current investment in the fossil fuel industry. Tell your school to divest, Prolific said. Call as many legislators as you can. This is everyones fight. By Emma Friedlander friedlan@grinnell.edu President Raynard Kington signed two statements in late November affirming the Colleges continued support for undocumented students. The first statement is an open letter to President-elect Trump, published in Inside Higher Ed on Nov. 18. It asks Trump to condemn the hate speech that is performed in his name and has received signatures from 110 college presidents. The second statement is a letter in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a policy that delays deportation and provides eligibility for work permits for undocumented students. The letter was facilitated by Pomona College and has received signatures from 441 college presidents. The two topics of the letters the broad issue of the values that we stand for and the specific issue of undocumented people and particularly undocumented students we thought, given the outcome of the election, required us to give some statement, Kington said of college presidents decision to create and sign the letters. Throughout his campaign, President-elect Trump issued promises about policy changes that could jeopardize the status and safety of undocumented students. These promises included the repeal of DACA and the elimination of sanctuary cities. Until policy changes are actually implemented, however, the College can do little to change its own policies toward undocumented students. What we will have to do is be prepared to understand our options as an institution if the Trump administration chooses [policies] that would have an impact on our students, Kington said. But were a long way from that. Nothing, at the moment, has changed. Five days before Kington released his all campus email about the two letters, a group of Grinnell students published a petition in The S&B, which urged the College administration and Board of Trustees to implement new policies protecting undocumented students. Abdiel Lopez 18, Alexis Acosta 18 and Alfredo Villalobos-Perez 19 organized the petition under the guidance of Professor Tess Kulstad, anthropology. As of Tuesday, the petition has received over 320 signatures. We wanted more than just a display of support to the community. We wanted the school to ensure safety, Lopez said. The letter includes a number of demands, including the explicit dissemination of resources for undocumented students, the establishment of local churches as sanctuary churches and an increase in tenured faculty of color. I dont see many resources for at-risk, undocumented or unauthorized students, and that needs to happen as soon as possible, Lopez said. I hope I and other students can organize and really pressure the administration to do so with confidence and support their own commitment to social justice. Although Lopez, Acosta and Villalobos-Perezs letter urges immediate action, Kington explained that the College must first be advised by its legal counsel and greater College community before going forward. Many of us [college presidents] are engaged in a question of the legality of sanctuaries, Kington said. Well decide if we need to do anything based on more information coming from our lawyers and our member organizations who are already engaged in the discussion: the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, the Council of Independent Colleges, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. Its really complicated, and it doesnt make sense for each of us to figure this out. Were going to do this as a community in many ways. Although Grinnell College does not have as many undocumented students as other colleges and universities, they do make up a portion of the student body. We treat undocumented students the same wed treat any other student, Kington said. In essence, those students are international students. The difference is their special status and the fact that some of these students arent eligible for some types of financial aid, for example. Although undocumented students do attend Grinnell and are treated equally by the administration, Lopez stressed that campus resources and discussions should consider undocumented students more. I think students and faculty and staff really overlook the [undocumented] community because its not as visible as other identities. There is a risk in coming out of the shadows, Lopez said. Because of that, there hasnt been much mobilization around the issues that affect undocumented students. Ive talked to many undocumented students on campus and they feel left out, or they feel like they have been sort of put on the margin. Beyond the Grinnell campus, Lopez hopes to put support structures in place for undocumented persons across Iowa. Were also trying to contact student organizations in order for us to host Know Your Rights workshops across the state, like in Marshall [County] and Tama [County], Lopez said. Those two counties have large undocumented populations. Im in this hub of privilege here at Grinnell College, and there are many undocumented people in the state. I would do a disservice to myself and to the community at large if I didnt put into practice what Ive been learning. By India Today Web Desk: With a population of mere 15 lakh people, Goa is all set to be India's first cashless state by December 31, 2016. Although, the cash transactions will not be entirely banned as it is just a trial to drive the citizens towards a cashless world of transaction. From fish vendors to butcher shops, now mobile will become a 'bank' for the people in Goa. If a person has registered his/her mobile under UPI (central government unified payment interference), he/she can make payments even if he/she does not have a smartphone. advertisement Here's how it will work: -Every vendor who registers with the bank would be given an MMID code. -Once a person purchases fish, vegetable etc, the customer just needs to dial the designated number (*99#) and fill in details of her/his account and the amount the customer needs to transfer to the vendor. The customer can proceed to enter the MMID (MI) code of the vendor to transfer the funds. Within no time, the money would be transferred from the customer's account to the vendor's account. -Your mobile can become your bank and one can do anything once he/she has registered her/his mobile number with the bank under the central government unified payment interference (UPI). Even though PM Modi's dream to make the nation cashless is going the right way for the most part, the former Chief Minister of state, Luizinho Faleiro feels otherwise and believes that Goa is not ready for it. After calling the proposition heartless, inconvenient and anti-human, Faleiro also blamed BJP government for their fascist moves and the deaths caused by the adverse effects of demonetisation. For a population of 15 lakh, the state has a record of 22 lakh bank accounts which makes it easier for the government to impose the cashless transactions as many people in Goa already use debit/credit cards for payments. Also, a small start with a state like Goa will let the government understand how feasible their plan is in reality. But, the former CM Faleiro feels that it would be inconvenient and unfair for the small businesses and vendors. Whether this step will be a success or not, that only time can decide. Meanwhile, take a look at how Goa will develop into a cashless state in the near future: --- ENDS --- In 1984, the communist revolutionary Gregory Lee Johnson set fire to an American flag at the Republican National Convention held in Dallas and was promptly arrested. Texas had a law on the books that prevented the desecration of any sacred object, one of which was the American flag. After a series of legal appeals, the case eventually made it to the the Supreme Court in 1989. The Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that flag-burning was protected speech, and thus invalidated anti-flag-burning statutes in 48 states. Though the Court has made it abundantly clear that flag-burning must be considered a form of symbolic free speech, as late as 2013 legislation had been proposed in the House and Senate by several members to re-criminalize the act nationwide through a Constitutional amendment. All of these appeals have failed, and rightfully so. Flag-burning remains a hot-button issue, but the writing seems to be on the wall when it comes to its legality. Even so, our president-elect decided to weigh in on the issue, offering his hot take in a late-night Twitter storm: Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag if they do, there must be consequences perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail! (Donald Trump on Twitter, November 29th, 2016) Where to start? Isnt dissent the highest form of patriotism? Youd think a president would be familiar enough with his forebears to recognize that Jeffersonian quote, but we certainly live in different times. Rhetoric such as this demonizes dissidents and re-sanctify sacred symbols that have long been the subjects of protected speech. The idea that the proper response to flag-burning is not only time in prison, but removal from political membership suggests that there are dark clouds gathering on the horizon for the First Amendment. But our president-elect hasnt just weighed in on flag-burning. Hes also concerned himself with freedom of the press. In October, after the New York Times published an article detailing various allegations of sexual assault against him, Mr. Trumps lawyers issued a statement which was as ignorant of constitutional law as it was indignant. It called the paper libelous and defamatory, and claimed that the publication had absolutely no right to publish such a story. While the Times was completely in the right, considering Trump is not only a national figure but (then) a presidential candidate, this instance is further proof that we must be concerned with the prospect of slowly eroding First Amendment rights. It was another Supreme Court case that gave the Times and other papers license to print such information in the first place. In New York Times v. Sullivan, a unanimously ruled 1964 case, the Court elaborated that speech of public interest that is, about a public figure (like a presidential candidate), could be published by said newspaper without fear of libel charges. But say that the information the paper published was wrong, the paper would still be protected as long as it was unaware of the informations inaccuracy at the time of publishing. Justice William O. Brennans opinion in that case sums this principle up quite well: [public discourse] may well include vehement, caustic and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials. The Courts decision was a bold proclamation that freedom of speech and the press are the cornerstones of democracy. But our current president-elect just doesnt seem to share that sentiment. In his ideal world, expanded libel laws prevent newspapers of record from publishing information he considers to be mean and libelous. Considering his record failed business ventures, sexual assault allegations, questions of racism during property development coupled with his pitifully fragile ego, it should be no surprise that the press gets under his skin. The concern now, however, is that he has the power to do something about it. I fear that with three or more absences on the Supreme Court in the coming years that our freedom of speech will be slowly, but surely, eroded by reactionary justices in the coming 25-30 years. Though his screams about hot-button issues like flag-burning and libel may just be attempts to whip up his electrified base into a fever pitch, it still suggests the horrors his presidency may bring for freedom of speech and anyone who asks loaded questions. -Max Fenton 18 Finals week is the perfect reminder for many starving students that schoolwork saturates our minds in pools of self-doubt, anger and dread. In these last weeks, our frustrations often coagulate into D-Hall conversations about how much work we have. Many students, including me, participate in this ritual to patch up the symptom of a larger disease: a culture of overworking students. After all, in a competitive private school that isnt ever going to place a maximum limit on homework, were left to our own devices to find time for our own personal enjoyment. For better or for worse, Grinnell College charges us as individuals to strike a school-life balance, all while staring up a mountain of homework. But how do students temper the rigor of academics? The answer lies in ones free time. To a group of three Grinnell students I posed the question, What is your creative outlet and why is it important to your daily life? Alex Schmiechen 17 is a biochemistry major at Grinnell who makes time for right-brain activities after a full day of lab work. She explained that art has been with her for a long time and that her current project is mainly ceramics. Im taking ceramics classes but I also do it more for myself. When asked why ceramics was important to her daily life, she responded Ceramics helps me to relax after a long day of homework and its meditative. Its nice to use a part of your brain that isnt schoolwork related. Most of the day Im doing biochem stuff, which is mostly analytical and its nice to use that right brain side at the end of the day. A student who wished to remain anonymous agreed, If Im ever lagging in a class, Ill take out a notebook and start writing down ideas for my story. Writing starts to refresh my mind, and I look forward to when I can finally make time for my book. Then, because Ive changed my mindset to feeling passionate instead of bored, the class is manageable, they said. Alex Turner 16 chimed into the topic of creativity as an individual who studies languages for personal pleasure. He stressed that creativity isnt limited to art. For me, [my creative outlet is] language. I often find myself thinking interchangeably in three languages English, French and Japanese, sometimes all at once. Each language has its own personality and often I experience sentiments unique to one language. Its not just a matter of different vocabularies. Its an entirely new way to experience the world! Each student had wonderful things to say about the impact creativity had on their daily outlooks. Allotting time in their day for the sake of creation diversifies their world perspectives, provides a feeling of self-purpose and gives them a quiet refuge from an environment screaming bloody deadlines into their ears. But is this the best way to strike a work-life balance? Some might say that working more as a solution to being overworked seems to be a troublesome answer. But for many students, this work doesnt feel overbearing. In fact, the creativity puts tools in their belts that can be used to tackle academics. An analogous way to understand creativitys role is a laborer using multiple muscle groups to work a physical task. We give ourselves strength and endurance when we spread the burden. Driving ourselves to exhaustion through a mono-work culture of academics is a surefire way to burn out leaving our academics a pained, one-dimensional drudgery. To support this idea, I turned the conversation towards free time usage. I asked Schmiechen if she saw her creative expressions as relatively valuable compared to watching Netflix at the end of the day. Her answer seemed divided. When Im watching Netflix Im hardly using any part of my brain at all, but both [art and Netflix] are good in their own way. The difference, for me, is that ceramics is productive relaxing. When I watch Netflix I sometimes feel guilty, but with ceramics Im actually producing something. I asked Schmiechen to elaborate on the value of Netflix. Creating art is like breathing. You need to exhale and inhale. You cant just be creating all the time and you need to take time to be absorbing information. Balance was a crucial element for everyone I interviewed. Sometimes our minds will be exhausted and we need to dial down and watch our favorite show on Netflix. Doing the best you can in the moment is what matters. But when we have the energy to be creative, switching off and simply absorbing information is doing a disservice to our potential as human beings. If we only use academics to reach our potential, we run the risk of exhausting that lone medium. -Ian Stout 17 News Story not available This story has been published on: 2022-11-02. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. This story is no longer available on our site. Let us tell you a few things of the GT-R and why it is one of Nissan's most iconic cars and why it should matter to us. With the power reaching all the wheels of the GT-R, the monster can go from 0-100kmph in less than 3 seconds. By India Today Web Desk: Get ready for the 'King of Monsters', as Nissan is all set to unleash the Godzilla, Nissan GT-R on the Indian roads today. But prior to that, let us tell you a few things of the GT-R and why it is one of Nissan's most iconic cars and how important it is for us Indians. advertisement ALSO READ: Nissan GT-R to launch in India on December 2 Nissan unveiled the GT-R in 2007, based on the Skyline GT-R. Nissan built the Gojira with only one motive, to be the fastest sportscar in the world and take forward the legacy built by the Skyline range. With new levels of refinement and excitement, GT-R will delight Indian performance car enthusiasts with its dynamic new exterior styling, lavishly appointed interior, driving performance enhancements and key new features. The GT-R comes fitted with a mammoth 3.5 litre, twin-turbocharged, V6 engine that has the ability to produce an inspiring 554 BHP of power and 632 Nm of torque. The GT-R comes fitted with a mammoth 3.5 litre, twin-turbocharged, V6 engine that has the ability to produce an inspiring 554 BHP of power and 632 Nm of torque, mated to dual-clutch semi-automatic rear mounted transmission. With the power reaching all the wheels of the GT-R, the monster can go from 0-100kmph in less than 3 seconds. Nissan GT-R ALSO READ: Nissan starts taking bookings for 2017 GT-R During the testing in 2007, the all-new GT-R posted an official 7m:38.5s lap at the mighty Nurburgring circuit in Germany. This was the fastest lap ever for a production car. Nissan GT-R Nissan GT-R The GT-R is so committed to posting faster lap times around a track that only four engineers in the world are allowed to hand craft the GT-R's engine, one at a time, right from the start to finish. These engineers are masters of their craft and quite aptly have been named Takumi, a Japanese term reserved for the very best in their profession. Nissan GT-R ALSO READ: Nissan GTR: King of the Monsters Ironically, for a car of this pedigree, GT-R posters may have made it to fewer walls than Ferraris and Lamborghinis. That however, doesn't take away from the GT-R being special and elusive. With the launch slated for today, we can already feel the goosebumps, can you? --- ENDS --- Rao had invested Rs 2 crore in movie and manipulated the ill gotten income by showing poor collections. By Ashish Pandey: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided the premises of an Income Tax officer B Venkateswara Rao yesterday and unearthed illegal assets worth Rs 4 crore. Venkateswara Rao has also acquired disproportionate assets worth Rs 2.78 crore, investigation revealed. PRODUCED A MOVIE, MANIPULATED COLLECTIONS The investigators found that Rao had also invested money in producing of a Telugu Movie 'I am In Love'. Venkateswara's son played the hero in the movie. advertisement The movie was released in 2014 and had collected only Rs 20 lakh, which is doubted by investigators. Rao had invested Rs 2 crore in movie and manipulated the ill gotten income by showing poor collections. The CBI raided the officer's residence yesterday evening in KPHB colony of Hyderabad. Criminal cases under Prevention of Corruption Act have been booked and CBI has detained him for further investigation. --- ENDS --- Hyderabad police on Thursday night recovered over Rs 95 lakh cash in newly introduced Rs 2,000 notes and Rs 100 notes during a routine check near Himayat Nagar By Ashish Pandey: At the time when common man is unable to get his own money from banks, it seems black money holders are getting their money converted from back door. Hyderabad police on Thursday night recovered over Rs 95 lakh cash in newly introduced Rs 2,000 notes and Rs 100 notes. Five people, including a lady, were traveling in a cab during routine vehicle check at Himayat Nagar area under Narayanguda police station. advertisement Shockingly out of Rs 95,18,000 police found 4,539 newly introduced Rs 2,000 valuing Rs 90,70,800. "We have seized the money and informed the Income Tax department for further investigations," said Inspector Bhim Reddy. Police is also trying to verify from where they received the money. Also Read: Two hoots to demonetisation: New notes worth Rs 6 crore seized in Bengaluru --- ENDS --- Veronica Carney looks at the skyline from the remains of the home she grew up in, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016, in Gatlinburg, Tenn. Carney flew in from Massachusetts to assist her parents, Richard T. Ramsey and Sue Ramsey who safely evacuated as a wildfire approached Monday evening. (Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean via AP) In this Sept. 13, 2016, file photo, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, questions a witness on Capitol Hill in Washington. Chaffetz, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, who promised before the election to investigate Democrat Hillary Clinton for years, says he will wait until President-elect Donald Trump takes office before "poking around" the businessman's financial affairs and possible conflicts of interest. While Chaffetz is holding off on Trump, the four-term Utah lawmaker pledges to continue investigating Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state. (AP Photo/Molly Riley, File) Tabulator Claudette Moll, right, from Farmington, looks over a ballot during a statewide presidential election recount Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016, West Bend, Wis. (John Ehlke/West Bend Daily News via AP) By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 2 (PTI) India looks forward to working closely with United Arab Emirates (UAE) to further expand and deepen bilateral ties, President Pranab Mukherjee said today. Mukherjee stated this while extending his greetings to the government and people of the UAE on the occasion of their National Day. advertisement In a message to Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President said India deeply values its close, friendly and warm relations with the United Arab Emirates, "which are firmly rooted in our age-old trade and cultural links, nourished by people-to-people contacts and regular exchange of high-level visits". "I look forward to working closely with Your Highness to further expand and deepen our bilateral relations," Mukherjee said. He said the recent contacts and exchanges at the highest political level have provided a fresh impetus to mutually beneficial ties and elevated them to a comprehensive strategic partnership. "We are delighted that His Highness the crown prince of Abu Dhabi has agreed to be our chief guest at the Republic Day 2017 celebrations," the President said. PTI AKV RT --- ENDS --- By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 2 (PTI) The India International Science Festival (IISF), which aims to provide scientific temper among children, particularly those from rural areas, will begin here next week. The festival is being organised by the Union Science and Technology Ministry and RSS-linked Vijnan Bharati (VIBHA). During the second edition of the IISF, to be held between December 7 and December 11 at National Physical Laboratory here, the Ministry will also organise training programmes to promote "cashless society" concept among the festival visitors in the wake of demonetisation. advertisement Speaking to reporters here, Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Harsh Vardhan, said the government also aims to create world record of 1,000 students, dressed as Albert Einstein, demonstrating the world renowned scientists theories and works. The current record has gathering of 500 Einstein look-alikes demonstrating his works, the Minister said. "We are trying to make this science festival bigger in every scale. We aim to encourage and develop scientific temper and attitude, promote exchange of ideas among young minds, showcasing countrys contribution in science," the Minister said. The IISF will be inaugurated by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, while Israels Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis will also visit the festival. The IISF will have events lined up such as Young Scientists Conclave, Mega Science and Technology Exposition, Scientific Workshops including DST-INSPIRE national-level camp, international science film festival, industry-academia interactive meet and a new concept of Science Village. More than 10,000 people including 5,000 young scientists (those aged below 45), 3,000 children from rural India and 600 foreign students are expected to take part in the festival for which the government has increased budget to around Rs 12 crore from Rs 4 crore last year. "Village-related technologies, which have been developed or to be developed will be showcased during the festival. We have to see peoples problem, particularly those of villages are solved through science. The science village will focus on that," the Minister added. VIBHA secretary general A Jayakumar, who accompanied the Minister during the briefing, said students from 200-300 schools are expected to visit the Science Village. "Besides, a meeting of NGOs will also be held. We have invited 100 NGOs working for betterment for society through science and technology to take part in the festival," he said. (MORE) PTI ENM IKA --- ENDS --- Organization: Housing Finance Bank Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda Reports to: Head Risk Management About US: Housing Finance Bank was incorporated as a private company under the Companies Act in December 1967, the Bank has become a household name and has grown in leaps and bounds with a good track record among the pioneers of a mortgage lending. National Housing & Construction Corporation, a parastatal involved in real estate business has 5% shareholding and National Social Security Fund (NSSF) holds 50% and the Government of Uganda holds 45%. Today, the bank looks back with pride on the business accomplished in the mortgage lending business. Through innovation and placing emphasis on Honesty, Integrity, Efficiency and Customer care, Housing Finance Bank is the leader in the mortgage, holding a 90% market share. Job Summary: The Manager Information Technology Risk will develop and monitor the implementation of independent IT risk assessment and report findings in line with regulatory requirements and the Banks policies and procedures Responsibilities: Key Duties andResponsibilities: Carry out Information System risk assessments in line with HFB security policies, regulatory requirements and adherence to best practices. Conduct security risk assessments for new and existing systems, applications and programs to identify weaknesses or security exposures and prescribe solutions to mitigate the risks Perform reviews and security assessments of areas such as operating systems, database management systems, firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and web based applications. The incumbent will also identify and evaluate business technology risks, internal controls which mitigate risks, and related opportunities for internal control improvement. Provide technical guidance over the general activities and concerns of the Banks information technology function including: governance, policy, control design, general operational effectiveness and internal controls. Develop and maintain an IT risk Register. Monitor and track IT risk events (Maintain IT Incident log) in line with the Banks policies and procedures. Regularly monitor and track issues and associated actions plans to closure. Identification and analysis of emerging IT risks. Experience: Qualifications, Skills andExperience: The ideal candidate must hold a Bachelors degree in Management Information Systems, Computer Science, or Engineering, or equivalent experience required Pursuing or completed Certification in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) or Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), or other risk related certification. At least four years experience in information systems within a governance or risk culture Proven success in a role that emphasizes the following: IT Risk Management, Governance and / or Technical Privacy Broad knowledge in IT infrastructure, application development / SDLC and / or information security Strong project management skillset Industry experience in financial services preferred Ability to effectively manage multiple competing priorities Team orientation Keen attention to detail Excellent communication skills How to Apply: All candidates who wish to join the Banking sector are invited to send their applications including an updated CV, certified copies of all academic transcripts, certificates and testimonials, daytime telephone contact, and email address of both applicant, and three competent referees addressed to: Head Human Resources, Housing Finance Bank, Plot 4 Wampewo Avenue; P. O. Box 1539, Kampala. Uganda. NB: Only successful candidates will be contacted. All applicants who will not have heard from us within two weeks of closing date should consider their application unsuccessful. th December 2016 by 5:00pm Deadline: 5December 2016 by 5:00pm find us on our facebook page For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com orfind us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline But the tribe has a long way to go Sino Great Wall International Engineering Company Limited (SGW), headquartered at Beijing with a present market value of 3 billion dollars, has made foray into the Indian real estate market. The company provides engineering contractor services in China and offers international services to hotel, residential, public building, mechanical and electrical, curtain wall, decoration, and design projects. The company plans to invest close to 100 million dollars in the Indian market through a Joint Venture(JV) with Bengaluru-based real estate company Fortuna Group. The entity has obtained the required Foreign Investment Promotion Board(FIPB) approval. The equity split of the Joint Venture will be 80 percent SGW and 20 percent Fortuna. The initial investment in the JV will be 50 million dollars. Another investment of a similar quantum will be made within the next 18 to 24 months. The JV will be headed by Neo Chia Wui, a Singapore national who has more than 30 years of experience in the real estate sector. We have already consolidated our position in China and are now aiming for an aggressive global expansion. We have formidable presence across the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa and are now eyeing India and South America. Though India is a new market for us, we see great potential for real estate development in the country. We feel that there has been a spurt in real estate development in India, not only from Tier I cities but across several Tier II cities as well, said Chen Lue, SGW Board Chairman while announcing the joint venture in Bengaluru. Through the JV, the Chinese company is also aiming to set up a hub in Bengaluru which will provide construction services and material to other construction majors in the country. Currently, the company has identified a couple of locations in Bengaluru to set up this hub and is expected to zero in on one of them soon. The hub is expected to be set up in around 45 acres of land in the next three to six months. Depending on our success in the Bengaluru real estate market, we will be aiming to expand to other parts of the country. Our aim is to provide our technology know-how to reduce the time of construction and faster completion of real estate projects, said Neo Chia Wui, who will be the CEO of this JV. Interestingly, compared to SGW, the Bengaluru-based Fortuna Group is not a very large real estate player and has an annual revenue of about Rs 150 crores. The company has built over 1.5 million square feet of constructed area and has 1.2 milllion square feet under construction as on-going projects. The real estate market is very sluggish right now, but we expect that it will pick up in the near future. Demonetisation is expected to bring in more transparency in the overall real estate sector in the country. Real estate development in India has been constrained with inadequate financing options. This was a major factor that delayed completion of most of the projects within stipulated time, which not only affected project viability but also put buyers into a quagmire. This joint venture is expected to address this and ensure on-time delivery of projects by stipulating project completion time frame, said S.V. Rajesh Kumar, director, Fortuna Group. As rumours of government crackdown on gold holdings spread, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Venkaiah Naidu hit out against people who were spreading wrong information. Said Naidu to THE WEEK, The government will not snatch away your gold if it is ancestral, legitimate and is purchased from disclosed income. I request every law-abiding citizen to have faith in the government and not to believe in rumours doing the rounds on gold deposits. After the Lok Sabha passed the Taxation Laws (Second Amendment) Bill, rumours spread that gold jewellery in bank accounts and at home would be seized and taxed heavily. But the government was quick to call them baseless. In a statement, the government said that no new provision regarding chargeability of tax on jewellery has been introduced. Read the statement from the finance ministry, The chargeability of these assets (gold) as income is governed by the provisions of Section 69, 69A and 69B, which are part of the Act since 1960s. The present bill does not seek to amend the provisions of these sections. It further said, There is no limit on holding of gold jewellery or ornaments by anybody provided it is acquired from explained sources of income including inheritance. As per existing rules, gold found during IT raids to the extent of 500 grams (married woman), 250 grams (unmarried woman) and 100 grams (male member) will not be seized. Said Ananthapadmanabhan, zonal chairman, All India Gem and Jewellery Trade Federation, to THE WEEK, It is only during an income tax raid that the government would check your gold in bank lockers and see if it matches your income. If it doesnt match your income, they would seize it and ask you to pay the necessary tax. The government knows that in many states in the country it is part of the custom and traditions to possess gold He said that people who pay their taxes regularly and dont invite any trouble should not worry. Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman had recently called for restriction free imports of gold to discourage smuggling. We will make our presentation. We will see what the finance ministry would want to do, said Sitharaman. By PTI: Chennai, Dec 2 (PTI) Infiltration of Bangladeshi migrants into Meghalaya is not possible due to the presence of a strong community life in villages of the northeastern state, its Governor V Shanmuganathan said today. "The community life in villages is very strong in Meghalaya. Infiltration from Bangladesh into Meghalaya is not possible because people do not allow outsiders into their villages," he said. advertisement Explaining the bonding among people in villages in that state, he said there was "no poverty" there and people helped each other in times of need and family exigencies like deaths. "There are absolutely no poverty deaths, no dowry, no female infanticide and women have exclusive rights to the properties of their father," Shanmuganathan said. Praising Meghalaya and its people, he recalled that several patriots, including U Kiang Nangbah, had fought valiantly against the Britishers. Batting for better understanding of the northeastern region and its people, Shanmuganathan, also Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, said people of these states had told him how they faced difficulties when they went to South India in search of work. Going by their looks, northeastern women folk who go for BPO jobs in Bengaluru were asked if they were from China or Thailand, he said. Participating in a meet here to condole the recent death of senior RSS leader K Suryanarayana Rao, he said people in northeast asked him why there was no reference to that region or the mighty Brahmaputra river in the national anthem, which refers to river Ganga. Referring to Meghalayas mountain ranges, he said the plants and herbs there had disease-curing properties and suggested that people from Tamil Nadu visit the state. The Governor also praised the locale and beauty of Parashuram Kund and Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh, and said people must visit it. One could reach Parashuram Kund from Guwahati in about 8 to 10 hours, he said. "Somebody even asked me if I had lost weight. When you travel in such areas, that is the situation," he said indicating that roads needed improvement. PTI VGN APR ZMN --- ENDS --- In a dramatic turn of events, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee vowed to stay put at the secretariat despite the withdrawal of soldiers from a toll gate close to it early Friday. ... I will be staying at my Secretariat to guard our democracy 2/2 Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 1, 2016 Accusing the central government of "deploying the army" along a highway toll plaza, which is at the second Hooghly Bridge and about 500 m from the secretariat, Banerjee had previously said that the state government was kept "in the dark". "I won't leave unless the army is withdrawn from near the secretariat. I'll keep vigil to protect democracy, to protect my democratically elected government," Banerjee told a hurriedly convened late night media meet on Thursday at the secretariat Nabanna in neighbouring Howrah district. A little after midnight, the Eastern Command said the army has been asked to withdraw from the toll plaza near Nabanna as it had already collected the data it required. Past 2 a.m., Banerjee -- holding her third round of media conference since the evening -- reiterated she would spend the night at Nabanna, fearing the Army may be back. "The army has withdrawn from the second Hooghly Bridge after 2 am. They will definitely come back. After Nabanna, they have entered various districts. The army has been deployed in 80 per cent of the areas," she said. "I'll remain awake all night to keep vigil. I will spend the night at Nabanna," she said. The riveting drama unfolded on Thursday evening, when Banerjee alleged the army was deployed at the Dankuni and Palsit toll plazas on National Highway 2 (connecting Delhi and Kolkata) without informing the state government. She said the Chief Secretary was writing to the central government and she would approach President Pranab Mukherjee seeking clarification on the issue. "This is unacceptable. Federal structure has been disrupted and democracy twisted. Has Emergency been declared?" she asserted. The Defence Ministry said the army was conducting routine exercise with full knowledge of and co-ordination with West Bengal police. "The army conducts the annual exercise throughout the country with the aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of a contingency," said a Defence ministry spokesman. Around 10 p.m., Banerjee held the second round of media conference, rubbishing the spokesman's clarification and declaring she would camp at the secretariat. "The National Highway Authority of India has all this data. They have records of the number of cars plying in each state, and through each highway." She also tweeted: "Absolutely wrong and misleading facts byA@easterncomdAWe have great respect for you, but please please don't mislead the people." Absolutely wrong and misleading facts by @easterncomd We have great respect for you, but please please don't mislead the people Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 1, 2016 Banerjee, also supremo of the ruling Trinamool Congress, said she has collected information from Maharashtra, Kerala, Odisha and Chhattisgarh and nowhere such a thing was been done. "Why is it been done in Bengal? Is it because I am speaking for the people?" she asked, claiming the army has been positioned in Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Darjeeling, North 24Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Kolkata, Murshidabad and Burdwan districts. Banerjee said: "The secretariat "Nabanna" is a sensitive zone. The toll plaza on the second Hooghly Bridge is within the sensitive zone. It is under our secretariat." Demanding to know whether a military coup has taken place, she said "the motive is political, vindictive, unconstitutional, unethical and undemocratic". Besides the Chief Minister, a number of ministers and the Home Secretary, State Director General of Police, the Kolkata Police Commissioner were all camping at the secretariat. Banerjee said despite the city police commissioner informing the army about the state government's objection to their presence, the army men had refused to budge. Banerjee alleged that the army was taking money from the people at the toll plazas, and called it "loot". "Even if the Army carried out a mock exercise, the state government should have been kept in the loop. If this is happening in a civil area in Bengal, this could happen in Bihar, next in Uttar Pradesh, then in Tamil Nadu and other states as well. It is a very serious situation and it is dangerous than Emergency. We are facing an extremely black day," she said. "I'll urge all state governments to look into the matter. A team of Opposition... all political leaders... will meet the president (soon)," she added. Soon after Banerjee's allegations, the spokesman said the routine exercise was being carried out in all states of the eastern region. "Permission for carrying out this exercise in West Bengal was initially sought for November 28. On specific request of the police the date had been shifted to December 1. No permission has been withdrawn so far," the spokesman added. "Routine exercise in all NE states. In Assam @ 18 places, Arunanchal@13, WB@19, Manipur@6, Nagaland@5, Meghalaya@5, Tripura & Mizoram," the Eastern Command tweeted. But the Kolkata police said they had given their objection in writing. Routine exercise in all NE states. In Assam @ 18 places, Arunanchal@13, WB@19, Manipur@6, Nagaland@5, Meghalaya@5, Tripura & Mizoram@1@adgpi EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) December 1, 2016 "Army exercise at Toll Plaza was objected to in writing by Kolkata Police, citing security reasons & traffic inconvenience," the Kolkata police claimed on its twitter handle. Thousands of white-clad Muslims streamed towards a central Jakarta park on Friday, gathering for a rally expected to draw more than 100,000 Indonesians demanding the arrest of the capital's governor, a Christian accused of insulting the Koran. National news agency Antara said 22,000 police personnel would be deployed to avoid a repeat of the violence that flared during a protest led by hardline Islamists last month when more than 100 people were injured in clashes with police. Muslim groups accused governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama of insulting the Koran, though they have pledged that Friday's demonstration will be peaceful. Purnama, popularly known as Ahok, is running for re-election in February against two Muslim candidates. The race for the governorship has generated high political tension, and rumours of plots to undermine president Joko Widodo and scupper his chances of winning a second term in 2019. Widodo, a long-time ally of Purnama, has blamed "political actors" for taking advantage of the popular fury among Muslims to further their own ends, and the police have warned against attempts to destabilise his government. Local media said on Friday that eight people had been detained for alleged treason. Police officials were not immediately available to comment on the reports, and Widodo declined to comment when asked by reporters. Protesters began moving from the hulking Istiqlal mosque towards the National Monument in the centre of the city at around 5 am, after morning prayers."We are expecting over 100,000 participants," Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono said late on Thursday. "There is enough security so the public need not worry. We hope everything will proceed according to the agreement with the protesters." FEARS OF POLITICAL INSTABILITY Indonesia has the world's biggest Muslim population but recognises six religions and is home to dozens of ethnic groups, some of which follow traditional beliefs. Purnama, an ethnic Chinese Christian, is being investigated over comments he made about his opponents' use of the Koran in campaigning. He denies wrongdoing but has apologised for the remarks. Police on Thursday handed over their investigation dossier to prosecutors, who are expected to take the case of alleged blasphemy to court in the coming weeks."This gathering is an expression of Muslims being united as one people, one body," said Salist Nursolikhah, 49, who flew into Jakarta from the city of Yogjakarta to join the rally."It's not against a particular person because of his ethnicity. We are only against his action," she said. Simmering religious and ethnic tension last month prompted Widodo to rally top military, political and religious figures in a sign of unity amid fears of attempts to undermine the stability of his government. Police helicopters last week dropped leaflets over the capital warning of harsh penalties if the upcoming rally turned violent. The Jakarta government has also put up billboards on major roads calling for national unity and displaying pictures of independence heroes who fought against colonial rule.The Australian foreign ministry and the U.S. embassy in Jakarta issued security notices urging nationals to avoid the demonstration.Purnama is popular with many for pushing through tough reforms to modernise the country's traffic-plagued capital city. But opinion polls have shown him slipping into second place in the race for re-election as governor -- a position that Widodo himself, who is popularly known as Jokowi, used as a stepping-stone to the presidency."Jokowi's handling has been inadequate because it looks like he is defending Ahok," said protester Rini Pupitasari. "We will keep demonstrating until he is detained. But we will do so peacefully." From exploring the Guatemalan and Belize jungles as part of a project trying to solve the Mayan mystery, to being the second American to go to the epicentre of the Tunguska meteorite crater in Siberia, Gibson, 58, has done it all. I talk with people in different time zones across the world. So, I do not know what day of the week it is, he quips. Right now, Gibson, who is reluctant to disclose his current location, is chasing one of the biggest mysteries in modern history: Flight MH370. What happened to the Malaysia Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing that disappeared on March 8, 2014? We need to find out to give answers to families of the people who went missing, as well as to the world, he says. Gibson is often seen in MH370 T-shirts. One of them was purchased at the first commemoration [of the flight going missing] in Kuala Lumpur, he says. It was made by the families of the victims. The others were gifted to him by the families at the second commemoration in Kuala Lumpur. They refused to accept money, and insisted on me taking them, including the one I am wearing right nowwhich says MH 370 The Search: Keep It On. Gibson started his independent investigation a year after the flight went missing. Discussions in Facebook groups intrigued him initially, but it was the first commemoration in Kuala Lumpur that made him embark on the mission. I was shocked when I realised that, even after a year, the officials were not searching the beaches, nobody had interviewed eyewitnesses, everything was based on Inmarsat satellite data, and they had found nothing, he recalls. Then when I heard Grace Nathan [spokesperson of Voice 370, a support group of crash victims families] speak about her mother, it sounded so much like the way I would speak about my mother. The solo search is no big deal, he says. The truth is that it doesnt cost all that much, says Gibson, who does not have a wife or children. All that he takes with him on his sea expeditions is his phone, with which he records GPS readings and takes pictures. The travel expenses, too, are modest. For instance, when I went to the Maldives, I stayed at a $40-per-night inn; I do not stay at thousand-dollar resorts, he says. Gibson is grateful to the local communities that have helped him, and says he can sense if he is likely to find some debris as soon as I get to a beach. If I see things like nets, buoys and plastic scrap that are coming from the Indian Ocean, I know there is a chance that there could be something from the plane, too, he says. Sign of hope: A woman leaves a message of support for passengers of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in Kuala Lumpur | Reuters The Aircrash Support Group Australia, which represents the families of the crash victims, invited Gibson to Australia and arranged for him to meet oceanographer Charitha Pattiaratchi (Dr Charie). He also met Deputy Prime Minister Warren Trust and other top officials engaged in the search. These are very sincere people, very seriously trying to find the plane, says Gibson. The discovery of the flaperon [a wing part used to stabilise aircraft] showed where the plane could have crashed. We knew it was somewhere in the southern Indian Ocean, south of the Equator, he says. We have more than 22 pieces of debris [the last count given by the Malaysians, 9 of which are Gibsons finds] in the southwest Indian Ocean. Everything is near Africa, nothing has been found in Australia or Tasmania. Gibson found the wings No Step panel in Mozambique in February 2016. That was the second piece of MH370 debris to be reported (the flaperon being the first). Incidentally, a South African teenager, Liam Lotter, who was holidaying in Mozambique, also discovered a piece of the aircrafts fairing. In June 2016, Gibson found five more pieces of debris on a beach in Madagascar. Thats one beach, just 18km long, says Gibson. He went to that beach based on Dr Charies drift pattern clues. It was clearly a hot zone, says Gibson, who was surprised that nobody else went there. Gibson handed over five pieces of debris to the Madagascar authorities. A Malaysian investigator was supposed to pick them up, but the plan, for reasons unknown, was cancelled, he says. The pieces are still sitting there, says Gibson. Malaysia recently said it will have its high commissioner pick them up. I hope that happens. On another beach 13km away, Gibson found three more pieces of debris. I took two of them to Malaysia myself because they were small. The significance of the debris is that they indicate that the plane shattered on impact, says Gibson. Three are pieces from the interior cabinone is the monitor case that goes around the TV at the back of seats... that is unmistakable. I saw that and tears welled up in my eyes, he says. One piece has the interior cabin laminate, the nice pretty little white pattern, and it is distinctive to Malaysia Airlines. These pieces prove that the cabin shattered on impact. These findings shatter the theory that the cabin could be intact on the seabed because of the pilots controlled ditching into the water, says Gibson. That was not what happened, period, he says. It was a high-speed impact, and it shattered the plane. Deep Down Under : Australia has been in the forefront of the MH370 search operations. This 2014 photo shows Australian defence clearance divers scan for debris in the southern Indian Ocean. Up to 14 planes and as many ships focused on a single search area covering 77, 580 sq.km northwest of Perth. Sadly, no evidence was found in this region. Doubts about Inmarsat data Global experts have looked at this data and interpreted that the plane went southwards. Using certain assumptions, they identified a probable crash area. What if the satcom system was not operating perfectly? he asks. Even if you are off a little bit, you are off by a fairly large area. Gibson, however, says Inmarsat data is the best evidence available as of now. But there are limitations, he adds. The satellite only knew how far the plane was, he says. It was not getting GPS coordinates transmitted back because Malaysia Airlines had not signed up for that programme. Gibson feels it is important to look at other evidences. The debris and the drift analyses give us some clues, he says. Then, there are witnesses in the Maldives who saw a large, low-flying, jet plane that matched the description of MH370. If the eyes of the satellite are wrong, the eyes of the fishermen could be right. What about the article in Le Monde that claimed what the fishermen saw was a private jet? Oh, the fishermen are absolutely sure about what they saw, says Gibson. I have published the flight record from that morning. There was no domestic propeller plane flight flying there at that time. The article says the aircraft in questionFlight 149was from Male to Thimarafushi, landing at 6:33am. That flight did not exist, period, says Gibson. It was confirmed by the air-traffic controller. Gibson, however, clarifies that there is no proof that what the fishermen saw was, indeed, MH370. First, the Maldivian authorities said that there was no plane at all because their radars did not detect any aircraft. Then they said that it was a private jet, and rumours went out on the internet that it was the crown prince of Saudi Arabia [now the king], or Prince William and Kate Middleton, says Gibson. Great depression: An MH370 passengers friend weeps as he waits for news from Malaysia Airlines at the lobby of a hotel in Beijing in March 2014 | Reuters The Maldivian authorities did not detect the plane because they do not have any radar down there, he says. Probably, they were embarrassed to say that a big plane could have flown over their country and they did not know about it. William and Kate flew in on a 747, a regularly scheduled flightnot a private jetfrom London a couple of days earlier, says Gibson. Similarly, the Saudi prince flew into Male airport in his 747, which did not go over Kudahuvadhoo, where the fishermen claimed to see the aircraft, he says. So, what did the fishermen actually see? Mystery, he says. Gibson says he was well-received by the authorities and investigation team in Malaysia when he arrived with the pieces of debris. The problem appears to be at the upper levels, he notes. Gibson, however, is all praise for the Australians. They have been absolutely wonderful with the families of victims, he says. It was not their plane, but it is their search area. Australia invited the families and Gibson on board the search ship. Those guys on that ship really care, they are really trying to find this plane, he says. A passengers relative wails in grief after a news conference in Kuala Lumpur | Reuters Gibson has a set of detractors, too. In fact, there are people who allege his findings were planted. He dismisses such criticism as absolutely preposterous. The person who started the whole thing has a theory that the plane is buried in sand in Kazakhstan, he says. Another one has a theory that the plane crashed in the Gulf of Thailand. For them, it is about protecting their pet theories. For me, it is about finding the truth. Gibson laughs at the idea of him travelling around the world with Boeing 777 parts in his suitcase. That is clearly character defamation, he says. I am a private citizen, spending my own money to try to find out what happened to this plane. He has also got some veiled threats. I remember one of them saying, No plane, no Blaine, he says. I have learnt that there are agenda factories. There seem to be people out there who want to blame traditional enemies such as the US, Israel and the Arabs. There is a big list of conspiracy theories out there. Gibson says he is steadfast in his mission because he is making a difference. And I am not going to give up, he says. Oceanic mystery: Australian air force personnel throw a self-locating data marker buoy from a C-130J Hercules aircraft during a search sortie over southern Indian Ocean | AFP The Indian connect What makes Blaines efforts laudable is evident only when one speaks to the real sufferers in this mystery. THE WEEK met two of the three families of Indian victims that are yet to recover from the shock. (Samved Kolhekar, who lost his parents and younger brother, did not respond to repeated attempts to contact him.) Kranti Shirsath A 2012 family photo greets me as I enter Pralhad Shirsaths spacious apartment in Pune. In the frame, Pralhad, Kranti and their sons Rahul and Yashwant (aka Kabir) are beaming, standing on the Great Wall of China. The smile on Pralhads face now is different, strained. Rahuls cherubic face has turned gaunthe has dark, sunken sockets for eyes. Rahul was 16 and Kabir 9 when their mother, a chemistry lecturer, boarded Flight MH370 to join Pralhad, who was then working in Pyongyang, North Korea. My mother had a long trip: Mumbai-Delhi-Kuala Lumpur-Beijing-Pyongyang. The last time we spoke was when she called from Mumbai to say bye, says Rahul. I wished her a happy journey. The next morning, Rahul had just woken up when his uncle called, telling him to watch news. I got nervous, he recalls. Then he saw it: a Malaysia Airlines plane had vanished. I could feel blood pumping through my veins, and then I fainted, he says. When I regained consciousness, I called my father. On hearing my voice, he broke down. That was when reality hit methis is actually happening. I frantically tried my mothers number, but there was no response. On the night before, Pralhad had called Kranti to make sure she had boarded the flight; he was to pick her up the next morning. Everything is okay... dont worry, see you in the morning, she said. After the news broke, Pralhad used his connections in diplomatic circles and travelled by road and air to China. In Beijing, Buddhist monks rushed to help the relatives of victims. They spoke fluent English and were well-trained to handle such situations. Back to base: Indian Navy ship INS Kesari, which was involved in search operations, returns to Port Blair | Reuters The Indian embassiesin North Korea, China and Malaysiawere very helpful, says Pralhad, who was the country head of Concern Worldwide in North Korea. He quit the job and returned to India to take care of his children. He spends most of his time in Pimpalgaon, about 200km from Pune, where he grows bell peppers in a greenhouse. This place has her memories, he says. Now, all he seeks is the truth, some conclusions. According to Inmarsat data, the flight was airborne for about eight hours after it disappeared from the radar. If it flew over Malaysia and Indonesia, how come their surveillance systems did not spot it? Also, that means somebody was controlling that plane, he says. Even if there was a technical glitch, the Boeing 777 has six systems to communicate with the ground, notes Pralhad. How can all malfunction at the same time? he asks. Pralhad, who slams the Malaysian authorities for their lethargic approach, has also been questioning them on the flights cargo. We know that there were lithium-ion batteries for Motorola China as well as cartons of mangosteen. If there was a fire because of the batteries, the pilots would have placed distress calls, he says. Pralhad rules out pilot suicide or mass murder theories. If the pilot wanted to commit suicide or mass murder, he did not have to fly for so many hours. Also, he could have crashed the plane into some prominent location and achieved a bigger result. Global politics could have been at play, says Pralhad. In Kuala Lumpur, the relatives of missing Chinese victims kept saying that they had to be cautious as government spies were after them, he says. Pralhad also recalls a theory that North Korea had hijacked Flight MH370. I have a hundred reasons to believe that because that country can do anything.... It is also capable of hiding that aircraft. Pralhads pain is palpable. He recalls an incident a few months after the tragedy. At a birthday party, some games had been organised for children. z The compere announced that a gift awaited the kid who ran to him first with his or her mothers purse. Like other children, Kabir [who was just nine] darted in excitement, and then suddenly stopped. I was crushed. Pralhad says the trauma is far from reaching a closure. Even now when I go to bed, I type MH370 on my mobile to get updates, he says. Chandrika Sharma K.S. Narendran, a management consultant in Chennai, lost his wife Chandrika Sharma, who was on her way to Mongolia. She was the executive secretary of International Collective in Support of Fish Workers. Good old memories: Pralhad Shirsath with wife Kranti, who was on Flight MH 370, and their sons during a holiday. The couple had met at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai, and got close while working in Delhi. Narendran describes Chandrika as a lively, animated person who had a tremendous zest for life. Yet, she had a seriousness revolving around larger social and environmental concerns, he says. Narendran and daughter Meghna visited Kuala Lumpur, but the trip didnt answer any questions or offer new perspectives, he says. However, it was good to meet other families [of victims], he says. Did anyone from India contact him? Zilch, he says. The incident took place in March, and the general elections were due in May. So it was not surprising. However, the Indian embassy in Kuala Lumpur has been in touch and very helpful, says Narendran. Malaysia Airlines offers tele-support to the families, but the calls have a call-centre quality to them, he says. Ask them questions, and they would flounder. Earlier, they called daily or once in a couple of days; now they call once a week. The situation is frustrating, says Narendran. One wants a certain logical end, he says. The cases are in the court. Malaysia Airlines had offered $50,000 as the first instalment of compensation. Given the overall air of suspicion, one didnt know what one was signing up for.... One was not in a hurry. Accepting it would be a tacit admission that it is all over. Narendran feels no big money has been spent on the search. They have spent about $180 million, while a Boeing 777 costs about $300 million, he says. Chinaa big economy, which had the maximum number of passengers on that flighthas not contributed proportionately, and that is mysterious. Anguish and anger: K.S. Narendran of Chennai (right) lost his wife Chandrika Sharma (left), who, he says, had a tremendous zest for life | R.G. Sasthaa Similarly, he wonders why all 14 countries, including India, whose citizens were on the flight, are not taking sufficient interest in the search. Recently, he wrote to the ministries of external affairs and civil aviation, urging them to be willing to fund the continuation of the search, to be counted as an interested player, to push Malaysia to deal with the debris on time and report back and to help the families to deal with the aftermath and other legal processes. No response yet, he says. Narendran says, initially, he had many well-wishers around him. But once the house empties out, one has to stare at the emptiness and it stares back, he says. Some things are irreversible, he says. If I have to move forward, I have to be willing to let go of some things, he adds. I, however, am not yet willing. The presence of tunnels, which are being dug to facilitate infiltration and drug smuggling, have become a major issue for BSF, which does not have the technology to detect such tunnels. By Atir Khan: Tunnels and security of railway tracks have become a big issue for the security agencies deployed along Jammu and Kashmir close to Pakistan border. While the BSF and other agencies are trying to unravel the mystery of 80-feet-long tunnel discovered after fierce gunfight in Chamliyal region, security of railway tracks leading to Jammu has been beefed up. advertisement Startling recoveries from the three slain terrorists gunned down near Chamliyal region famous for Sufi shrine of Chamliyal Baba has forced agencies to beef up security of railway tracks leading to Jammu. These tracks are used to ferry Army supplies of tanks, guns, ammunition and other stuff. TERRORISTS WANTED TO BLOW UP TRAIN It now transpires that the slain terrorists were carrying with them chemical bottles and five zip IEDs which are used to explode railway tracks. It is being suspected the terrorists were targeting to blow off one of the mall trains carrying Army supplies. This is for the first time that those chemicals were recovered from the terrorists. In a joint exercise, GRP and RPF have started putting in place a safety drill to secure the railway lines. Also read: Terrorists in Samba used tunnel to infiltrate into India, BSF official confirms Also read: Why Nagrota attack is a slap on security array of army establishments BSF and intelligence agencies are still struggling to unravel the mystery behind the 80-feet-long and 2-by-2 wide tunnel, dug under the International Border to facilitate infiltration of the terrorists. At zero point which is barely 100 meters away from Pakistan border, JCB machines had been pressed into service to examine the tunnel and search for other possible tunnels in the area. The presence of tunnels, which are being dug to facilitate infiltration and drug smuggling, have become a major issue for BSF, which does not have the technology to detect such tunnels. The tunnels are being seen as posing major security threat. It is clear that the terrorists are being provided logistical support from Pakistan. The tunnel which was discovered after Tuesday's terrorist attack was almost 45 feet into the Indian side, the remaining was on across the IB. Also read: Revenge for Afzal Guru, said paper found with one of the Nagrota attackers The discreet digging of the tunnel was possible in the Pakistani side due to presence of thick vegetation, which makes it impossible to see through from the BSF posts. While the area where the tunnel was discovered is being thoroughly examined, it remains out of bounds even for farmers who plough their land. --- ENDS --- advertisement Financial cheaters and corrupt politicians beware: One of Americas hardest-charging prosecutors isnt going anywhere. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bhararas brief announcement that he has agreed to stay on in the Donald Trump administration signals in at least one way that the president-elect may be serious about keeping his campaign promise to crack down on corruption. Bharara, who was once lauded on the cover of Time magazine as the man who is busting Wall Street, has in the past few years set his sights on prosecuting more than a dozen state officeholders, including New Yorks two most powerful lawmakers. And lately he has hinted that there may be more prosecutorial surprises to come. I said I would absolutely consider staying on. I agreed to stay on, the quick-witted Bharara told reporters in Trump Tower after his meeting with Trump on Wednesday, adding that the billionaire businessman asked him to remain presumably because hes a New Yorker and is aware of the great work that our office has done. The surprise meeting ended months of speculation on whether Bharara would stay on after President Barack Obama leaves office in January. Though others who have held his job have gone on to other high-profile positions, such as former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and current FBI Director James Comey, Bharara has repeatedly insisted in interviews that he has the job he wants. The 48-year-old, Indian-born Bharara, who holds degrees from Harvard and Columbia Law, was appointed by Obama in 2009 in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. He talked tough against white-collar crime and won convictions against dozens of defendants in insider-trading cases. More recently, hes built his reputation on his assault on public corruption, which included the arrests of two of the three most powerful politicians in New York state. The cases against former New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and former Senate majority leader Dean Skelos resulted in convictions. And there has been much speculation whether Bharara would go after the last member of the states power trio, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo. At a September news conference announcing the arrests of one of Cuomos former top advisers and seven others on corruption charges, Bharara said the investigation would continue and cut off questions from reporters who wanted to know if the governor himself was a target. There are no allegations of wrongdoing by the governor anywhere in this complaint. Thats all Im going to say, Bharara said. At Trump Tower, Bharara told reporters Wednesday that he had been asked to stay by both Trump and Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trumps pick to be attorney general. The move to keep Bharara in place apparently began last week, when Trump sought the opinion of New York Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer. Before Bharara became U.S. attorney, he was Schumers chief counsel, helping to lead the investigation into the firings of nine U.S. attorneys under President George W. Bush. I told him I thought Preet was great, and I would be all for keeping him on the job and fully support it, Schumer said in a statement. I am glad they met and am glad Preet is staying on. Hes one of the best U.S. attorneys New York has ever seen. Boyd Johnson, who was deputy U.S. attorney in Bhararas early years but is now in private practice, said Wednesday: In a turbulent time, it is comforting to know that Preets passion for public service, his commitment to the rule of law, and his abiding integrity will continue to drive the work of the Southern District of New York. (AP) Despite his tenacious efforts, Jerusalem Councilman Aryeh King lost his battle to prevent city funding of an organization with ties to Reform Jewry. According to King, the vote was close, 12-11 in favor of the funding for two organizations. The first organization is a secular yeshiva, whatever this is meant to be, a school tied to the Reform Movement. The second organization is called Elul. Deputy Mayor (Bayit Yehudi) Dov Kalmanovich lamented the fact the dati leumi community does not stand up strongly enough against the Reform. Rabbi Aryeh Stern, the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, responded that the city could not fund the yeshiva due to its practice of holding civil marriages and other actions contrary to halakha. He added that the Elul organization could receive funding if it agreed to avoid cooperating with the Reform Movement in the future. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) While YWN in no way agrees with the Reform-affiliated Hiddush organization and its agenda, it does believe it is important for readers, members of the frum community to remain aware of what is going on and the ongoing efforts to uproot traditional frum Yiddishkheit perhaps better explained as keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. The following was released by Hiddush, angered and concerned over the ban against Xmas trees in kosher hotels in Israel. Up until two years ago, the Chief Rabbinate threatened to withdraw the kashrut certification of any hotel in Israel that displayed any Christian holiday symbols during the Christmas and New Years season. Upon Hiddushs legal appeal, these demands were removed by the Chief Rabbinate. Nevertheless local rabbinates continue to ignore the newly issued kashrut regulations, and continue to illegally enforce their ban of Christian holiday decorations. Head of Hiddush Rabbi Uri Regev, Esq.: We are offering our assistance in enforcing the law against the recalcitrant Rabbinate, which is funded by the State of Israel but continues to reject its laws. With 2017 approaching, and with it Christmas and New Years celebrations, Hiddush Freedom of Religion for Israel wrote a letter to the Director of Israels Hotel Association, Mr. Bar Nir, as well as to the Director of Jerusalems Hotel Association, reminding them that the Rabbinates ban on Christmas trees has been officially abolished. Up until two years ago, the Rabbinate threatened hotels with withdrawal of their kashrut certifications, should they not comply with this illegal demand, but following a series of legal appeals by Hiddush the Rabbinates regulations were amended. Religious Shabbat restrictions and prohibitions hostile to Christianity, none of which had anything to do with the kashrut status of the hotels food and kitchens, were removed from the Rabbinates newly issued regulations. Nevertheless, despite the issuance of the new Kashrut regulations, Hiddush received information and inquiries revealing that local rabbinates were ignoring the Chief Rabbinates new regulations and illegally prohibiting the placement of Christian holiday symbols in hotels. In addition, some local rabbinates extended their prohibitions, demanding that hotels forbid Christian pilgrim groups that annually visit the State of Israel from holding holiday events for Christmas and New Years. Notably, the Chief Rabbinates longstanding requirements were against the Israeli Kosher Fraud Law, which states that the kashrut inspector should only consider standards of kashrut alone in certifying an establishment as kosher. The Chief Rabbinates requirements were also against the ruling of the Supreme Court. In its letter, Hiddush offered to provide assistance to hotels in dealing with local rabbinates that insist upon enforcing regulations that contradict the law in this realm. Rabbi Uri Regev, Esq., Head of Hiddush Freedom of Religion for Israel: After Hiddush succeeded at bringing about change and abolishing the Chief Rabbinates longstanding, illegal kashrut regulations that enforced religious Shabbat observance and anti-Christian practices, we quickly realized the need to ensure that the newly issued regulations would actually be enforced. Weve heard many times that local rabbinates do not consider themselves subject to the law or Supreme Court rulings. We understand the delicate situation faced by the hotels, and are offering our help to enforce state law upon recalcitrant rabbinates, which are funded by the State but continue to ignore its laws. BACKGROUND The story began in December 2013 when Religious Services Minister Naftali Bennett and Deputy Minister Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan, both of the Bayit Yehudi party, declared the establishment of kosher police to prevent defrauding and misleading the public about what is kosher. Following this announcement, Rabbi Regev appealed to Bennett, Ben-Dahan and Attorney General Weinstein demanding that they take action to prevent abuses of the law made by the Chief Rabbinate itself in kashrut regulation. Rabbi Regev referred to the Chief Rabbinates kashrut standards and regulations for hotels and hostels and event halls, including conditions related to Sabbath observance and a prohibition against the use of Christian symbols, regardless of establishments kashrut standards for their food. The Chief Rabbinate had been in violation of the Kosher Fraud Law for many years, which states that that the kashrut inspector should only consider standards of kashrut alone in certifying an establishment as kosher. According to a Supreme Court ruling, basing an establishments kosher certification upon considerations such as Sabbath observance or modesty was in contravention of the law. Regev notes that the Court specifically wrote about preparations for New Years Eve, placing Christmas trees in hotel lobbies, playing music and using microphone on Saturdays, and employing a Jews as receptionists on Saturdays, etc.; and explicitly rejected the stance that such acts should have any bearing upon whether hotels receive kashrut certification. Hiddushs pursuit of this legal matter was unfortunately necessary, in part, because the hotels themselves dared not stand against the Chief Rabbinates extortion, for fear of retaliation or retribution. Rabbi Regevs correspondence with the Chief Rabbinate advisors stretched for over a year. It took this long for the Rabbinates legal advisors to review the legal requirements. Finally, last week, the Chief Rabbinates attorney Harel Goldberg wrote to Hiddush that following Rabbi Regevs comprehensive legal research and outline of Hiddushs demands, the Chief Rabbinate had approved a series of changes in the kashrut regulations for hotels, hostels and event halls. Here are the main changes: Repealed the ban on video devices, audio and musical instruments at events held in hotels on Saturdays, except when food is served. Repealed the restriction upon only having non-Jewish receptionists to receive payments on the Sabbath. From henceforth, this regulation applies only to activities related to ordering food and paying for it. Repealed the regulation that all hotel elevators must be run as Sabbath elevators on Shabbat. From henceforth, only the elevators used in food preparation and delivery on the Sabbath must be operated as Sabbath elevators. Repealed the ban on the use of Christian holiday symbols, such as putting up fir trees for Christmas and New Years season. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) State-sponsored hackers have conducted a series of destructive attacks on Saudi Arabia over the last two weeks, erasing data and wreaking havoc in the computer banks of the agency running the countrys airports and hitting five additional targets, according to two people familiar with an investigation into the breach. Saudi Arabia said after inquiries from Bloomberg News that several government agencies were targeted in attacks that came from outside the Kingdom, according to state media. No further details were provided. Although a probe by Saudi authorities is still in its early stages, the people said digital evidence suggests the attacks emanated from Iran. That could present President-elect Donald Trump with a major national security challenge as he steps into the Oval Office. The use of offensive cyber weapons by a nation is relatively rare and the scale of the latest attacks could trigger a tit-for-tat cyber war in a region where capabilities have mushroomed ever since an attack on Saudi Aramco in 2012. Unlike the Aramco attack or the one by North Korea against Sony Pictures in 2014, the latest was perpetrated by detonating a cyber weapon inside the networks of several targets at once, the people said. Concerns over a broader campaign set off a search in computer networks throughout the Gulf for more traces of the digital bomb. No one was available to comment at the Iranian foreign ministry or at the Iranian presidencys media relations department. Wednesday was a public holiday and Thursday is the start of the Iranian week-end. The ferocity of the attacks appear to have caught Saudi officials by surprise. Thousands of computers were destroyed at the headquarters of Saudis General Authority of Civil Aviation, erasing critical data and bringing operations there to a halt for several days, according to the people familiar with the investigation. There have been no reports of widespread transportation interruptions at the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh or the other major airports. A spokesman for the aviation authority in Riyadh didnt immediately respond to phone calls and emails requesting comment. The people familiar with the probe didnt identify the other targets but one said they were all inside Saudi Arabia and included other government ministries in the kingdom, a country where information is highly controlled. Extensive damage occurred at four of the entities but the virus was halted by defensive measures at the other two. The U.S. considers Iran a major cyberwar adversary, one that has repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to use digital attacks. U.S. officials have said Iran was behind months of strikes in 2012 against the websites of major U.S. banks and the infiltration of a small dam 20 miles north of New York City the following year. They said Iran was also behind the attack on Aramco, the worlds largest oil company, which destroyed 35,000 computers within hours. Iran itself has been the victim of cyberstrikes, with experts saying that the U.S. and Israel were behind an attack that used the so-called Stuxnet virus to disable operations at an Iranian nuclear enrichment plant at the start of the decade. Tensions appeared to ease after the Iranian government reached a nuclear-nonproliferation deal last year with five members of the United Nations Security Council, an accord shepherded by the U.S. As a candidate, Trump said little about cyber security but he has taken a consistently hard line on relations with Iran, including saying he would tear up the nuclear deal. Investigators piecing together the computer destruction are trying to determine a motive for the attacks, which occurred between Trumps election and key OPEC meetings, the people said. Anyone who did this attack knows it has implications for the nuclear deal, said James Lewis, director of the strategic technologies program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Lewis was responding to a description of the incident but didnt have direct knowledge of it. He said the attacks could be a shot over the bow by Iran or possibly the work of another country mimicking Iran in hopes of derailing the accord with a provocative act. So far, investigators have found no evidence to suggest a country other than Iran was involved in the attacks, the people briefed on the probe say. However, its also possible that attacks of these kind can be mimicked to make them look like they come from a particular country. Some of these are signaling operations, testing the threshold. Is the response going to be just a speech or is it going to be something more? asked Melissa Hathaway, a senior adviser at Harvard Universitys Belfer Center and former cyber official in both the Obama and Bush administrations. Like Lewis, she spoke generally and without direct knowledge of the Saudi incident. The next president and his team will have to grapple with these questions probably in the first month, maybe even the first 72 hours, she said. The attacks were conducted with the same malware, known as Shamoon, that devastated Saudi Aramco in 2012. Although hackers usually add enhancements to malware to advance its capabilities and make it harder to detect, they used exactly the same file as in the Aramco incident, the people familiar with the investigation said. Shamoon overwrites files and renders the infected computers inoperable by destroying the master boot record. It spreads quickly throughout a network, causing destruction like the digital version of a wildfire. In a similar move in 2014, Iranian hackers managed to destroy most of the computer network of Sheldon Adelsons Sands Corp., after the casino magnate angered Iranian leaders by publicly suggesting the use nuclear weapons against the country. The U.S. publicly cited Iran as the culprit. Concerned there might be additional targets, investigators working the latest case began alerting governments and companies last week. They quietly distributed digital indicators that can be used to determine if the Iranian malware is hiding in other networks. The first samples of the malware used in the latest attack were uploaded on Nov. 16, likely indicating the date of the first attack, according to records from VirusTotal, a malware library. Though he in not involved in the investigation, Tony Lawrence, chief executive officer of VOR Technology, a Hanover, Maryland-based cyber-security firm, said the attacks, as described, sounded like display of power by Iran.Theyre saying, Were not here to be messed with, and if you do, well retaliate.' (c) 2016, Bloomberg Michael Riley, Glen Carey, John Fraher [PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] Minister of Strategic Affairs & Public Diplomacy Gilad Erdan paid tribute to Israels world-renowned sustainable innovation at this weeks first-ever Israeli CSR Experience Conference hosted by Maala, the countrys CSR standards organization. Today, nearly 90 percent of our waste water is recycled, Minister Erdan stated. Thats around four times higher than any other country in the world. It is a remarkable achievement and this benefits not only Israel. Israeli companies are helping save water around the world, from Africa to California to India. The conference saw leaders from Israels business community and key international opinion formers in the sustainability and CSR community gather to address Israels social and environmental innovation and the strides it continues to make in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). A plethora of speakers and experts from the likes of Teva, Intel, 3M and Strauss Group headed an all-day summit in Tel Aviv yesterday, while a second day saw on-site visits around the country to see Israels cutting-edge sustainability in action. From the worlds most environmentally recycled paper to water shortage solutions, sustainable healthcare, energy conservation and the green construction and infrastructure of the future, Israel continues to lead the way in sustainable innovation, living up to its status as the worlds top innovator in the field of clean technologies by the Global Cleantech 100 Index. Israel is innovative, creative and dynamic and has more high-tech startups per capita than anywhere else in the world, Erdan continued. And these startups in large part are not only focused on creating high profits, but also finding ways to solve the worlds most pressing problems. Companies leading the way in sustainability and innovation within their respective fields, and featured at the event, included the likes of Hadera Paper, the worlds most recycled & environment-friendly paper; Netafim, drip and micro-irrigation pioneers; and Mekorot, the countrys top agency for water management. These companies and more were recognized at the conference for their extraordinary vision and innovation in addressing some of the countrys most pressing issues. This is our first ever international conference and we feel CSR work in Israel has reached a mature enough stage to reflect on our environment with the international CSR community, said Momo Mahadav, Maala CEO. There is however lots of work still to be done and weve planned this day to allow as much engagement as possible. Israeli CSR has always focused on domestic needs first, which is a big difference from the international CSR community that focuses on global issues, such as climate change. Despite Israels new culture of corporate responsibility, 98 companies now voluntarily participate in the annual Maala CSR Index, an assessment tool Benchmarking Israeli Companies on their corporate social responsibility Performance. This includes well-known companies like Teva, Unilever Israel, Strauss Group, Siemens Israel, Microsoft Israel, Intel Israel, El Al and Live Person. These 75 large companies and 23 small to mid-size companies together comprise 310,000 employees, and annual sales of $94 billion, representing approximately one-third of Israels GDP. About Maala Maala is the non-profit CSR standards-setting organization in Israel. Founded in 1998, Maala was established with the goal of promoting corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSR) in Israel. Today, the organization serves the needs of some 110 members, comprised of Israels large and mid-size companies, committed to excellence in corporate citizenship. Since 2003, Maala has produced the annual Maala Index, which ranks publicly-traded, as well as privately-held Israeli companies, based on CSR criteria. The Index leaders, in various economic sectors, are announced each year at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in the presence of Israels business, financial and CSR leadership. Maala offers various programs for sharing practical knowledge and experience, to help businesses set local and international benchmarks and to promote innovation in CSR, based on Israels specific needs and circumstances. Photos Photo 1: Minister Gilad Erdan speaks at Maalas Israeli CSR Experience Photo 2: A Panel Discussion takes place at Maalas Israeli CSR Experience Photo 3: Networking at the first-ever Israeli CSR Experience (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo Credit: Netanel Tobias) Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky and President of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) of Boston Barry Shrage on Wednesday, 29 Cheshvan, visited Haifa and distributed aid funds to families whose homes were severely damaged in the recent wildfires. Sharansky said: In these trying times, the Jewish world is united in concern for those Israelis rendered homeless by the recent wildfires. The Jewish Agency is distributing immediate grants of $1,000 to each family unable to return home. Today alone, we distributed more than a hundred such grant checks in Haifa and across the country. Every family unable to return home will receive immediate financial assistance from world Jewry, thanks in large part to contributions from the Jewish communities of Chicago, Boston, and other places around the world. Shrage said: Haifa was blessed to successfully evacuate 60,000 of the citys residents without any deaths and only a small number of minor injuries in the midst of severe and expanding fire. The secret of this miracle is hundreds of dedicated intelligent, caring, and committed staff and volunteers, led by some of the very best professionals Ive ever met. This network of professionals is tied together by Haifas Crisis Management System, developed and refined since the second Lebanon war and reflecting changes needed to address some of the management and coordination challenges that emerged during the war. The system ensures cooperation and communications among all the agencies involved, along with clear lines of authority and decision making. Haifa is a strong community characterized by mutual respect, cooperation, inclusion, and hope. Boston is blessed to be partnering with this community, and grateful for the cooperation of The Jewish Agency and the JDC. The Jewish Agency is distributing aid checks to hundreds of families across Israel whose homes were severely damaged by the recent wildfires and have thus been rendered uninhabitable. The grants of $1,000 per family are meant to help the families address immediate needs presented by the loss of their places of residence. They were made possible by special contributions from the Jewish Federations of North America, led by the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago and the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston, as well from Keren Hayesod-UIA and other donors. Grantees are being identified via local municipalities and in coordination with the National Emergency Authority. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) A 'powerful' Gujarati family made Jet Airways bribe passengers to make people deboard so that their family members, who were late to the airport, could fly. By India Today Web Desk: An inevitable chaos was created when the Jet Airways flight 9W7083 scheduled from Mumbai to Bhopal was 'hijacked' by an 'influential' family. As per reports, there were close to 80 people who were traveling to Bhopal for a wedding event. 17 out of 80 people showed up late to the airport which resulted in the cancellation of their bookings giving other people preference. Apparently, these 17 people were able to pass through the security check and boarding gates even after their tickets were not confirmed. advertisement Talk about privilege? All the 80 people then decided to threaten Jet Airways forcing them to take all 17 latecomers onboard & refused to fly without them. After the hullabaloo, the airlines decided to cancel the tickets of people onboard to accommodate the remaining 17. The airlines also provided financial incentive to the passengers who got affected with this 'adjustment' just because the Gujarati family of 80 was related to a 'powerful' minister. After an hour of discussions and arguments, 5 people decided to get off the plane, accepting Jet Airway's 'bribe', an amount of Rs.10,000. The pilot also announced that the Bhopal airport was scheduled to close at 9 AM for renovation purposes, but the family was hell bent on flying together holding back the entire flight. During all this unnecessary chaos, there were people who were suffering because of an adamant family with political backing. See what went down in the flight in the video below: --- ENDS --- Dozens of residents of Yishuv Amona, which is home to some forty families, visited Har Habayis on the morning of Thursday, Rosh Chodesh Kislev to be mispallel to save their community from destruction. The residents have been informed that in line with a High Court of Justice ruling, they will be removed by force and the community destroyed no later than 25 December 2016. All efforts to relocate the community were rejected by residents, who insist they will not permit Amona to fall again. The Regulation Bill, which some hope will legalize Amona and prevent the destruction, was not voted on in Knesset on Wednesday as there is much disagreement surrounding the bill among coalition members. Gedolei Yisrael over the generations and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel prohibit visiting Har Habayis (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem) [PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] 273 olim from the Ukraine landed on Tuesday 28 Cheshvan in the largest yet flight sponsored by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ). The olim came in on two separate flights joining 250 olim from the Ukraine that came in earlier this month. All together 523 olim arrived in the last month alone, making it the highest amount of olim per month coming in from the Ukraine with the assistance of IFCJ. By the end of this year, over 4,300 olim will come on Aliyah via IFCJ. Among the last flight 50 were children, the youngest of 6 months old. Of this group, several have evacuated their homes and towns as a result of the ongoing conflict between Russia and the Ukraine. Tatiana Belkina (52) and her family originally from Donesk, where many of the violent battles have accrued, left their house on the last train to Kiev, as shortly after they traveled out the railway route was destroyed. Alina (32), originally from Mariupol a Doctor by profession has experienced the war from up close, during one of the bombings her co-worker was killed along with 29 others and the sight of death was on the streets. We are looking forward to beginning our lives once again in Israel and will do all we can to settle in and work our way to becoming doctors here, trying to put aside the death and look ahead to our new future. During 2016 over 4,000 olim will arrive in Israel with the assistance of IFCJ, as a joint effort of the fellowship to help the Aliyah process in Israel. The Olim are assisted by the IFCJ, not only after arriving at Israel but during the integration period in Israel as well. The IFCJ provides the Olim with special grants that sum up to $1,000 for each adult and $500 for each child, in addition to covering the expense of the flights. This support is further to the help of the Absorption grant and the regular benefits all Olim receive once coming to Israel from the Israeli ministry. Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, President of the IFCJ: Having 273 Olim arrive at Israel on a day like Nov 29 is a sign of the ongoing existence of the Jewish nation and the best way to see the practical meaning of All of Israel are Responsible for One Another. At the Fellowship we assist Jews all over the world taking into account those in special need and assuring them special help. We have been reaching out greatly to Jews in risk and it is our agenda to continue doing so as needed at any place or time. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo Credit: Olivier Fitoussi) By: Isaac Yedid, Esq. & Raymond Zeitoune, Esq. Halachic Estate Planning In todays society, the monetary laws of the Torah have unfortunately been largely disregarded even within the Orthodox community, mostly due to a lack of education and understanding of those laws. There is one area of monetary law which affects everyone the laws of yerushah (inheritance). According to the Torahs laws of inheritance, a mans sons 1 are his sole heirs, each inheriting an equal share, except that when the oldest child is a son, the first born son would inherit a double share (as compared to his brothers). Jewish law provides for the mans widow and unmarried daughters by giving them a lien against the mans estate for their support until his widow remarries and until all his daughters get married, but the mans widow and daughters do not inherit any property outright. In contrast, under New York law, if no Will was ever written, a deceased persons surviving spouse and children (including daughters) all have a right to share in the deceased persons estate. If a Will was written, the deceased persons assets would be distributed to whoever was named in the deceased persons Will. However, a secular non-halachic Will has no halachic validity, which poses a real problem for an observant Jew. A secular non-halachic Will takes effect only after a persons death, at which time the deceased persons halachic heirs have automatically inherited the deceaseds assets, and the deceased person no longer has any halachic authority to transfer such possessions because those possessions no longer belong to the deceased person, but rather to his halachic heirs. Furthermore, a person has no halachic right to accept assets inherited from an estate where the deceased person had no Will or had only a secular non-halachic Will because it is almost certain that there will be instances of gezel (theft) under Jewish law. Therefore, it is important for every Jewish person to not only write a Will but to make sure the Will conforms with Jewish law, making sure that the very last thing a person does in this world does not violate the Torahs laws of yerushah. What is a Will? A Will is a legal document that provides specific instructions as to how a persons assets should be distributed upon his or her death. This article will touch on a few reasons why it is important for everyone, young or old, wealthy or not, to write a Will. ______________________________ 1 If a man has no sons, the order of succession is as follows: (i) daughters, (ii) parents, (iii), brothers (iv) uncles, and (v) next of kin. Protect Your Family Many young couples mistakenly believe that only elderly or very wealthy people should write a Will. When speaking with young parents in their 20s and 30s about writing a Will, the usual responses are, Why do I need a Will? I dont own any property! or Im not a millionaire, what do I need to worry about? Unfortunately, many couples view their greatest asset as their home or the green paper in their pockets. The truth of the matter is that a couples greatest assets are their children. Example: Joseph and Sara have been happily married for eight years. Although Joseph and Sara dont own any property, they have three wonderful children and both work very hard to provide for their children. One Saturday night, Joseph and Sara decide to hire a babysitter and enjoy a date night. They enjoy a lovely dinner at one of the citys most exquisite restaurants. However, things begin to take a turn for the worse. While Joseph is cautiously driving home, his car is struck by a drunk driver travelling at 95 mph. Joseph and Sara are rushed from the scene to the nearest hospital, but unfortunately, they both dont survive the night. In a Will, you may choose who you would like to be the legal guardian of your children in the event of your untimely death. Young parents assume that there is no need for this type of legal planning because there is an obvious choice for an alternative legal guardian for their children, and the courts will clearly see things that way. However, one of the most important lessons shared by estate planning attorneys is the fact that family relationships are often strained in the aftermath of a death. While it may not seem like a possibility now, in the aftermath of your death, different family members may begin arguing over the guardianship of your children. Taking away these uncertainties today should be a high priority for all parents. Every couple with young children (especially those that travel together often) should consider writing a Will. Without properly drafted Wills naming the legal guardians of their children, the fate of Josephs and Saras three children rests in the hands of the courts which inevitably may cause the surviving family members (i.e. the grandparents) to argue as to who is better equipped to act as the legal guardian for the three orphaned children. Avoid Potential Family Disputes Often times, elderly couples need to be cared for, and the people in the best position to care for them are their children. Unfortunately, due to family responsibilities, business matters or other considerations, not all of an elderly couples children are always around to take on their fair share of the responsibilities, and some children may make more efforts than others. Elderly couples may desire to reward their golden child with a larger inheritance. Example: Jacob and Rachel have been happily married for 52 years. They have two sons and one daughter, as well as many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Jacobs and Rachels sons run successful businesses and are constantly travelling out of town. However, their daughter, Leah, diligently takes care of her parents. She comes by her parents house every day, helps them with errands, drives them to doctors appointments and handles all of their paperwork. Jacob and Rachel decide that they would like to give Leah something special. Jacob tells Leah, Your mother and I have decided that after weve passed on, we would like you and your brothers to split our assets equally, but we want to give our home only to you as a token of our appreciation for all the care that youve given us. Without properly drafted Wills that leave their house to Leah, Jacobs and Rachels sons have an automatic legal write to share in their parents house, which may cause future arguments between Leah and her brothers. The last thing parents want after their death is to have their children argue over monetary possessions. The smart thing to do is to have a Will that specifies how you want your assets divided upon your death. The attorneys in the Trusts & Estates Practice Group at Yedid & Zeitoune, PLLC have consulted with many Orthodox rabbis and have obtained a psak halachah as to the proper way to write a halachic Will in order to avoid the halachic problems mentioned above. May we all merit living long, healthy and happy lives amen. The attorneys in the Corporate Practice Group and the Tax Practice Group at Yedid & Zeitoune have over a combined 20 years of legal experience and are ready to assist you with all your corporate/tax needs. Isaac Yedid, Esq. and Raymond Zeitoune, Esq. Yedid & Zeitoune, PLLC 1172 Coney Island Avenue Brooklyn, New York 11230 Phone: (347) 461-9800 Fax: (718) 421-1695 Email: [email protected] NYC Office By Appointment Only: 152 Madison Avenue, Suite 1105 New York, New York 10016 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Police in New York City raided two warehouses in Brooklyn that yielded three arrests and the seizure of more than $10 million worth of counterfeit electronics. Authorities say Thursday nights bust was the culmination of a nine-month investigation launched in response to a string of suspicious packages that started trickling through customs at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Police and federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs recovered 31,000 fake Apple and Samsung phones from the two buildings, along with $71,000 in cash. Three men ages 23, 24 and 27 were taken into police custody and charges are pending. The identities of the suspects havent been released. NYPD Assistant Chief Brian McCarthy says the bogus smartphone ring was operated as a joint partnership involving multiple locations. (AP) "I just want to let all of the other companies know that we're going to do great things for business. There's no reason for them to leave any more," Trump said. By Reuters: President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday warned that US companies will face "consequences" for outsourcing jobs overseas, as he touted his early success in persuading an air conditioner maker to keep around 1,000 jobs in the United States rather than move them to Mexico. "Companies are not going to leave the United States any more without consequences. Not going to happen," the Republican said on a visit to a Carrier Corp plant in Indianapolis. advertisement Trump, who takes office on January 20, did not say what the consequences would be but during the election campaign he frequently threatened US firms that his administration would put a 35 percent import tariff on goods made by American manufacturers who moved jobs offshore. Trump made keeping jobs in the United States one of the main issues of his election campaign and frequently pilloried Carrier for planning to move production to Mexico as he appealed to blue-collar voters in the Midwest. Also read: Trump had 'offered' to mediate on Kashmir issue, Pakistan just welcomed it Apparently under pressure from Trump, Carrier announced this week it had agreed to keep more than 1,000 jobs at the plant and at its headquarters, while still planning to move more than 1,000 other US jobs to Mexico. Trump said his negotiations with the maker of air conditioning units were a model for how he would approach other US businesses that are tempted to move jobs overseas to save money. He pledged to create a healthy environment for business via lower taxes and fewer regulations. "I just want to let all of the other companies know that we're going to do great things for business. There's no reason for them to leave any more," Trump said. If that approach did not work, there would be penalties, Trump warned. Also read: In phone call, China's Xi tells Trump cooperation is only choice Though the company is still outsourcing Indiana jobs to Mexico, the deal marks a quick win for Trump, who has spent most of his time since the Nov. 8 election in New York building his team ahead of the handover of power from President Barack Obama. He toured the plant in Indianapolis and shook hands with workers on an assembly line. Some workers yelled out "Thank you Mr. Trump" and "Thanks Donald" as he greeted them. Carrier confirmed that Indiana agreed to give the company $7 million in tax incentives. A source briefed on the matter said the tax incentives are over 10 years and the company has agreed to invest $16 million in the state, which is run by Governor Mike Pence, Trump's vice president-elect. advertisement Carrier, a unit of United Technologies Corp, still plans to move 600 jobs from the plant to Mexico, the Wall Street Journal said. Reuters reported earlier this week Carrier also still intends to close a factory in Huntington, Indiana, that employs 700 people making controls for heating, cooling and refrigeration and move the jobs to Mexico by 2018. Also read: Modi congratulates Trump, here's what his win could mean for India SANDERS CRITICISM US Senator Bernie Sanders, who lost the Democratic primary to Hillary Clinton, said the Carrier deal is incomplete and leaves the incoming Trump administration open to threats from companies. "Trump has endangered the jobs of workers who were previously safe in the United States. Why? Because he has signaled to every corporation in America that they can threaten to offshore jobs in exchange for business-friendly tax benefits and incentives," Sanders wrote in a Washington Post opinion piece on Thursday. He noted that Trump had originally said he would save 2,100 jobs that Carrier planned to move to Mexico. advertisement "Let's be clear: It is not good enough to save some of these jobs," Sanders said. Despite Trump's deal, employers elsewhere in Indiana are laying off five times that many workers because of foreign competition. Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim said on Thursday that if Trump succeeds as US president, it would benefit major trading partner Mexico because of increased employment and US economic growth. Trump was due to hold a rally in Cincinnati, Ohio, later on Thursday and address supporters who helped him win that swing state in his stunning victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton. The Indiana and Ohio stops will be Trump's first public events since he won the presidency. At the Cincinnati event, Trump and Pence will talk about what is ahead and the "positive change" Trump will bring to the country, spokesman Miller said. Trump's Cincinnati rally looks like it will echoes the raucous events that characterized his campaign, in which he railed against Washington insiders and Wall Street and vowed to "drain the swamp." But now Trump is turning to establishment figures to fill critical positions in his administration. On Wednesday, Trump said he would nominate former Goldman Sachs banker Steven Mnuchin, to lead the Treasury Department. Trump named Wilbur Ross, a billionaire known for his investments in distressed industries, as his nominee for commerce secretary. advertisement The Trump team has also tapped a series of experienced Washington hands to oversee the transfer of power within government departments and agencies. The Cincinnati rally follows a car and knife attack this week by a Somali immigrant and Muslim student, Abdul Razak Ali Artan, at Ohio State University in Columbus that left 11 people injured, for which Islamic State claimed responsibility. In a Twitter message, Trump said, "ISIS is taking credit for the terrible stabbing attack at Ohio State University by a Somali refugee who should not have been in our country." The Council on American-Islamic Relations accused Trump of seeking to exploit the "tragic situation in Ohio." READ | Donald Trump bonds with Nawaz Sharif bigly, it's bromantic, so fantastic --- ENDS --- BOSS BANNED A finance boss has been fined 233,600 and barred from the profession by the Financial Conduct Authority. Alistair Burns, chief executive of TailorMade Independent, is accused of failing to provide proper advice to 1,661 pensioners who invested 112million in green oil, biofuels, farmland and overseas property through his firm. FACTORY BOOST Britain's factories have bounced back from a summer slump as the weak pound boosted demand for goods overseas. Research group IHS Markit said its index of activity where scores above 50 show growth was 53.4 in November, putting British industry on course to end the year on the front foot. EURO JOBLESS Unemployment in the eurozone has finally fallen below 10 per cent but it is still more than double the jobless rate in Britain. Official figures from Eurostat showed unemployment fell to 9.8 per cent in October, the lowest level since July 2009. banker waits Former banker Richard Boath, who allegedly blew the whistle on wrongdoing over Barclays' dealings with Qatari investors, has had his employment tribunal postponed until May. POOR HEALTH Bellevue Asset Management is floating a new investment trust today on the London Stock Exchange. BB Healthcare Trust was aiming to raise 200million, but only managed three-quarters of that. Shares will list at 100p each. FUND LAUNCH City stalwart Sir John Beckwith is launching a new asset management company. Pacific Asset Management will initially oversee around 200million and is will be part of the multi-millionaire's business, Pacific Investments. ECONOMIC GAINS Increased productivity could add more than 200billion to the economy, a report shows. The CBI highlighted potential gains if local areas could match the best-performing regions, saying jobs could be created and living standards improved. FLYING TRAINING Aerospace giant BAE Systems has opened a new 15million training academy in Lancashire. It will train apprentices and graduates in its military aircraft business and provide skills development for 13,000 workers for at least the next 40 years. DROID DELIVERY Robots are now delivering takeaways in London's Greenwich, thanks to a tie-up between Just Eat and Starship Technologies. Six-wheel pavement droids have been rolled out, and have delivered their first orders. One of the surprise movers of recent weeks has been Aurum Mining, which has seen its shares more than double in less than two months. On the face of it, there is no reason for this sudden explosion. In terms of actual mining, this gold and tungsten explorer has done very little. Dig a little deeper though, and its perhaps possible to understand why investors are piling their cash into Aurum. Changes: Shares in gold and tungsten explorer Aurum Mining are up 160% since October As early as August, the groups chairman, David Williams, indicated that he didnt see much value in the mining sector and that a move away from that space might be possible. Fast forward to today, and the company now has three heavyweights from the defence and security sectors sitting on its board, with one as the new chief executive. So who has the firm appointed to galvanise its investor base? Former Airbus chief executive and BAE-employee Robin Southwell has joined as a non-executive director, as has former Lockheed Martin chief executive Stephen Ball. The new chief executive is Michael Mo Stephens, who used to be the former head of international market development for Airbus Defence and Space. The digital and cybersecurity services sector offers [an] exciting future, Williams said recently. By securing the services of such an outstanding trio of talent in this sector, I am planning to move our company into this high growth area. Investors certainly seem convinced by the change of tack, with shares up more than 160 per cent since the start of October. The OPEC deal to cut the production of oil announced this week breathed a bit of life back into the price of oil and the industry as a whole. Its the first time OPEC members have all agreed to restrict supply for eight years, with investors ploughing some cash back into the sector as a result. As youd expect, the likes of Royal Dutch Shell and BP received a boost to their respective share prices, but so did a lot of the smaller oilers as well. Premier Oil and EnQuest are just two examples which have seen their share prices rocket by more than 20 per cent this week. Premier got an extra helping hand from its lenders as well, who once again agreed to roll-over a financial stress test for another month. The traditional problem with any OPEC deals is that theyre often not worth the paper theyre written on, but that might not be the case with this weeks deal. Oil price boost: Smaller oilers like Premier Oil and EnQuest have seen their share prices rocket by more than 20 per cent this week following OPEC deal to cut production I think the chances [of OPEC following through with the production cut] are actually quite good this time round, said TD Direct Investings Michelle McGrade. The OPEC countries economies are hurting, so they really do need the price of oil to go up. Sticking with the energy industry, Jersey Oil & Gas continued its remarkable ascent of recent weeks. It added another 38 per cent to its share price this week meaning it is now up over 300 per cent in less than 12 weeks. This latest push from investors came as it raised 1.6million through an oversubscribed placing of shares to new and existing shareholders. The cash injection is earmarked for the junior North Sea oilers share of spending on technical studies and evaluation at its exciting Verbier Well, where partner Statoil is due to drill next summer. The week didnt go as well for most other small caps, with the AIM All-Share down 1.24 per cent at 810.3. That said, the small cap index still managed to outperform the FTSE 100 though, which was down by more than 2 per cent to 6,866. One company which has enjoyed a good run of late was Zanaga Iron Ore which has benefitted from the rising iron ore price. After reaching the dizzy heights of more than 8p a share only last week, its value has wobbled slightly and its down 18 per cent over the past few days. Zanaga has still more than quadrupled in value since the beginning of the year, so its not all bad news. Kahaani 2, starring Vidya Balan and Arjun Rampal, is in theatres today. Will it match up to Kahaani? Here is our Kahaani 2 movie review. By Ananya Bhattacharya: Kahaani 2, starring Vidya Balan and Arjun Rampal in the lead roles, is the big Bollywood release today. Directed by Sujoy Ghosh, will Kahaani 2 be able to match the success of Kahaani? Here is our Kahaani 2 movie review. Kahaani 2 Cast: Vidya Balan, Arjun Rampal, Tunisha Sharma, Jugal Hansraj, Kharaj Mukherjee Kahaani 2 Direction: Sujoy Ghosh advertisement Kahaani 2 Rating: (2.5/5) ALSO READ: Between Kahaani and Kahaani 2, what accounts for Vidya Balan's lack of success? OPINION: Why Vidya Balan is Hindi cinema's only hope. And not just for her acting skills Almost five years since Sujoy Ghosh and Vidya Balan gifted us the gem called Kahaani, the two are here with a sequel. But if you expect a thriller as riveting as Kahaani, Kahaani 2 won't live up to your high expectations. Titled Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh, the sequel is the story of Vidya Sinha (Vidya Balan) and her daughter Minni (Tunisha Sharma), who live in Chandan Nagar. The story is set in West Bengal, from Kalimpong to Kolkata, and Chandan Nagar in between; Bengal and its people, everything is captured well on camera. The ponds and roads are just like you see in a small town, not through rose-tinted glasses. Vidya's daughter is paralysed waist down, and she wants to get her daughter treated at the New York Children's Hospital. This lower-middle class family has Vidya striving hard to save money, saving the rickshaw fare to the station and continuing with a 'dabba' phone, while Minni keeps reminding her mother to not be 'kanjoos'. Vidya leaves for office one fine morning and comes back to find Minni missing. A stray call on her phone asks her to come to a certain place if she wants to see her daughter alive. On the way, she met with an accident. While Vidya slips into a coma, sub-inspector Inderjit Singh (Arjun Rampal) gets the case. At the Chandan Nagar police station, Inder's senior, Pranab Haldar (Kharaj Mukherjee), tells him that they are looking for a woman called Durga Rani Singh, wanted for kidnapping and murder. Except, Durga Rani Singh is the spitting image of Vidya Sinha. The biggest strength of Kahaani 2 lies in the performances of its hero, Vidya Balan, and Arjun Rampal, who shines as Inderjit. Balan is terrific in her role. She is hysterical, near-mad when her daughter is kidnapped. She makes you feel her pain, but there are scenes when you want the Vidya Bagchi of Kahaani to come back on screen. Balan overdoes some of the bits and you wish she were a bit understated in her role. advertisement Arjun Rampal is a revelation in Kahaani 2. He plays Inder with elan, even though he is yet to reach emoting perfection, if there exists such a thing. Much like Vidya Bagchi, you miss her charioteer Satyaki/Rana (Parambrata Chatterjee) too in the sequel. Jugal Hansraj is hardly a Bob Biswas. The Kahaani nostalgia is crippling in Kahaani 2. Therein lies the biggest problem of Kahaani 2. You are unable to get out of the first film. The twists are predictable, including the climax. There's this problem with most thrillers Bollywood has been giving us these days. Deciphering the twists is not a difficult task at all. In the near-five years that have passed since Kahaani, our senses too have become a bit sharper, and it doesn't help dumbing them down and pretending to jump in your seat at the contrived twists. When a director like Sujoy Ghosh expects his audience to accept a guessable twist in Kahaani 2, it doesn't work. The flair of Ghosh in Kahaani is missing in Kahaani 2. The script doesn't give enough for a person to be happy about. Kahaani 2 touches upon the subject of child sexual abuse, and that's left dangling. advertisement After Kahaani, you couldn't walk out of the theatre without carrying Vidya Bagchi home. In Kahaani 2, you're not bothered. Kahaani 2 is alive in its little details. Like the stray comment a streetside madman makes or the lighter exchanges between Kharaj and Inder. The cinematography is commendable. Mehram is a hummable song in Kahaani 2. Aur Main Khush Hoon reminds you of Aashiyan from Barfi. Want to watch Kahaani 2? Make sure you don't for a moment think of Kahaani. A decent one-time watch if you're able to. (The writer tweets as @ananya116 .) ALSO WATCH: Vidya ups the suspense in Kahaani 2 teaser --- ENDS --- The Government has hit out at Britain's builders with fresh claims they are hoarding land and depriving families of homes. Sajid Javid, minister for communities and local government, said the latest construction figures were hard evidence that builders were sitting on land with approved planning permission for years. These show the number of plots approved for residential development each year rose by 59 per cent between 2011 and 2015 while the number of building starts rose by just 29 per cent. Sajid Javid has revealed some builders have privately admitted to land-banking In 2012, permission was granted for more than 195,000 homes but three years later, 40,000 of those homes still hadnt been completed. Speaking at the National House Building Council conference this week, Javid claimed 'there is clearly something going on' and claimed some builders have even privately admitted to land-banking. He told builders: 'I know you have shareholders to worry about, long-term cash-flow to consider, bottom lines to watch. 'You dont want to see hardworking people lose out. I cannot look the other way when I see land-banking holding up development. 'Some of you have conceded to me, in private, that it happens. Some of you still deny its an issue. But theres clearly something going on.' It is not the first time that Javid has levelled accusations of land-banking at housebuilders - he did it just last month at the Conservative Party conference - but it comes hot on the heels of this week's Autumn Statement which revealed government plans to fund infrastructure to support the construction of up to 100,000 new homes by 2021. It's not yet clear how this will work in practice but the government has said it will publish detailed proposals in a housing white paper and there have been suggestions that builders could be told to 'use it or lose it' when they are given development approval for a site. Javid said: 'If you own land and you dont want to build on it, well, thats your decision to make. But you cant expect me and the government to go out on a limb and not see a return. 'Fixing our housing market is a very serious challenge. If you want us to pull out all the stops to create the sites, you have to build on them. The [planning] permission gap has to come down. The build-out rate has to go up.' In a bid to mollify builders, Javid admitted that successive governments have also been to blame for decades of insufficient house building. Housebuilding has risen since the lows over the financial crisis but still remains below long-term averages, DCLG figures show Official construction figures show that in the year to September there were 141,960 new build homes completed, 4 per cent up on a year earlier. But it has been suggested that the UK needs to build at least 220,000 homes a year for the next decade just to keep up with population growth. DCLG statistics show private enterprise new builds up 10 per cent on the previous year, but housing association completions down 19 per cent on an annual basis. Javid added: 'Walk down your local high street this weekend and, wherever you are in the country, youll see the same thing. Young couples staring into estate agents windows, trying and failing to find a way onto the property ladder. Stop and talk to them and youll hear the same story again and again. For the first time in its 130-year history, beauty giant Avon is set to be run from the UK. The firm has recruited a finance chief as it prepares to move into a new headquarters in Northampton. It will see the firm being run on these shores for the first time since it was founded in New York in the 1880s. The cosmetics and perfume business, whose 'ding-dong, Avon calling' made it a household name in the 1950s, still has 6m UK customers. UK HQ: Avon, which was founded in New York in the 1880s, has recruited a finance chief as it prepares to move into a new headquarters in Northampton It has appointed former SAB Miller finance director Jamie Wilson as its chief financial officer, who will be based in the UK. He will join the team that began moving across from New York in October, ready for the new headquarters to be fully operational in the next few weeks. The shift is part of a three-year turnaround strategy, which included cutting 2,500 jobs and spinning off its North American business. Sheri McCoy, Avon chief executive, said: 'Jamie has a proven track record of strong financial leadership over an impressive and diverse career. 'That, along with his breadth of consumer expertise in international markets, will be immensely valuable as we continue to deliver on the company's transformation plan.' The company helped to empower generations of US women who were employed as door-to-door sales representatives. Avon was once the largest direct-selling company in the world, but has struggled to compete against online retailers, particularly in the US. Daniel Aston's premises were raided in an operation with the FBI (file picture) An online poster salesman has become the first person in the UK to be banned as a director for price-fixing and could face ten years in a US prison. Daniel Aston's home and premises in Birmingham were raided by police in an operation with the FBI after it emerged he had a secret agreement with a competitor on Amazon. His company Trod has been fined 163,371 after it pledged not to undercut its rival on prices for posters and frames. In a landmark ruling, Aston, 45, has been handed a five-year ban from serving as a UK director by the Competition and Markets Authority. Trod has been hit with a 40,000 fine in the US, and Aston has been charged with price fixing under American law. If found guilty, he would face a maximum 800,000 fine and up to a decade behind bars. The secret price-fixing deal came to light when the other company involved, GB Posters, blew the whistle and was granted immunity from punishment. Authorities found Trod used automated repricing software as part of the deal. The firm which is now in administration sold posters featuring characters from Star Wars, Batman, the Simpsons and Pulp Fiction. Musicians such as Beyonce and Nirvana also featured, as well as children's favourites Thomas The Tank Engine and My Little Pony. I'm 59 years of age and have been disabled for some 10 years. I am a non-taxpayer. I still contribute 150 to my private pension scheme but because I am a non-taxpayer HMRC has told me that I cannot get the 20 per cent pension tax relief rebate. I have contacted the pension provider and they say that they do not have the mechanisms in place to add the 20 per cent tax enhancement to my pension, so is there any other way I can get my 20 per cent added as I contribute like everyone else but don't get the benefit. SCROLL DOWN TO FIND OUT HOW TO ASK STEVE WEBB YOUR PENSION QUESTION Saving for old age: Can a non-taxpayer get pension tax relief on his contributions? Steve Webb replies: The good news is that it is possible for a non-taxpayer to get tax relief on pension contributions, but only into certain sorts of pension arrangements. If you open a personal pension, a self-invested personal pension or a stakeholder pension then contributions of up to 3,600 per year can be made and will attract tax relief at the standard 20 per cent rate, even if you are not in work. These types of pension deliver tax relief through a system known as Relief At Source whereby the pension provider claims the income tax relief directly from HMRC and adds it to your pension. There is a helpful explanation of this on the website of the Pensions Advisory Service here. Steve Webb: Find out how to ask the former Pensions Minister a question about your retirement savings in the box below From your e-mail, I am assuming that the pension you currently have is not one of these but may be a workplace pension, perhaps dating back to a previous employment. Some of these pensions deliver tax relief under a different system known as the Net Pay Arrangement. Under this system workers make contributions into the pension direct from their pay-packet before their tax bill is worked out. This means that the amount paid in to the pension already includes the tax relief. For that reason such schemes do not have a mechanism for claiming tax relief from HMRC on behalf of non-taxpayers such as you. If your current scheme is not able to give you tax relief then you may wish to consider setting up a different arrangement, for example, by opening a personal pension, as tax relief is a valuable boost to your savings. It's unlikely to be worth moving your existing fund, just putting new money in another scheme to get the tax relief. This is on the assumption that you are not receiving employer contributions. Anyone in a similar situation who is getting employer contributions should take the potential loss of them into consideration. On a closely related topic, these two different methods of delivering tax relief mean that there are actually many thousands of people in work who are non-taxpayers and who are missing out on tax relief. These are people who earn at least 10,000 per year and therefore come within the automatic enrolment scheme, but who earn under the income tax threshold, set to rise to 11,500 in April 2017. If their scheme operates Relief At Source then there is not a problem because the scheme will claim basic rate income tax relief from HMRC on behalf of the scheme member. Schemes known as group personal pensions generally operate on this basis, as well as some other schemes such as the Governments NEST scheme. But if a workplace provider uses the Net Pay Arrangement, the contribution being made by the member does not get tax relief up front via the pay-packet (because they are a non-taxpayer) and the scheme has no process for claiming tax relief from HMRC. Because the threshold for automatic entitlement has been at 10,000 for a while, whilst the income tax threshold is due to rise steadily towards 12,500 by the end of this Parliament, many thousands of workers are likely to fall in this gap. The Government might do something about this in future. But those who are in work and in this income bracket should ask their employer about this issue, as they may otherwise be missing out on valuable tax breaks on their contributions. This contradicts Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's charge that the Army was deployed without informing the state government. By India Today Web Desk: A letter written by the Kolkata Police proves the Army's claim that the West Bengal government had been intimated about its routine exercise in the state. These contradict Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's charge that the Army was deployed without informing the state government. Kolkata's Additional Commissioner of Police Supratim Sarkar wrote to Colonel Surinder Mahani, Station Cell, Administrative Commandment, Head Quarters Bengal Area, Kolkata, a letter dated November 26. It acknowledged the Army's memo dated November 24 "in connection with the intimation of the Impressments Exercise for Civil Hired Transport on and from November 28 to November 30 at Vidyasagar Setu Toll Plaza". However, the letter expressed reservations to the venue of the routine exercise. advertisement The police's letter said, "Apropos your communication referred to hereinabove, this is to inform you that the proposed place of exercise is a busy and important corridor having huge volume of vehicular traffic connecting the city with other districts and states as also the gateway to Nabana, the state government's secretariat, which is a high security zone. "Keeping in view the traffic implications and the security considerations, it is advised not to carry out the exercise in the stretch proposed. You are, therefore, requested to explore the possibilities of choosing an alternate place or stretch in the city or in the neighbouring commissionerates." After this letter, sources in the Army said a joint reconnaissance was carried out on Vidyasagar toll plaza on November 27. Also read: Saddening that a routine Army exercise has been politicised: Parrikar Meanwhile, the Army stated on Friday that its deployment in West Bengal was a part of its routine exercise. It has also termed allegations of the Army collecting money at toll plazas as "baseless". Also read: Army contradicts Mamata, furnishes documents to prove point Major General Sunil Yadav, GOC Bengal Area, said the Army formations in the Eastern command at local levels are carrying out routine annual data collection exercises. He also said the exercise involves collection of data in all the North Eastern states, including Assam, Arunachal, West Bengal, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Sikkim on the availability of load carriers at all major entry points in various states in coordination with the local police authorities. Speaking to mediapersons, he said a joint inspection was carried out by the Army and the Kolkata Police at the site of toll plaza on November 27. "This is an exercise carried out for our operational purposes," he said. Also read: Army deployment in West Bengal a bone of contention between NDA, Opposition The senior Army officer vehemently denied allegations of the Army collecting money at toll plazas. "This is baseless, we deny this charge," he said. The Army has also issued a statement on Mamata Banerjee's charge and furnished documents to prove that the state government was intimated of drill. advertisement While Mamata has opposed the Army's presence in the state, calling it a "coup" and locked herself up in the Secretariat, other Opposition leaders have called the exercise as an attack on the federal system.Also read: Mamata Banerjee locks herself in office to protest Army's presence at toll plazas in state Watch the video --- ENDS --- MBABANE The festive season is here and in as much as giving should be all-year-round, it means the most when coupled with festive cheer. This is a season when every face deserves to have a smile. Miss Swaziland 2016/17 Linda Hutchison, is on the move as she currently is working on her first major project as the countrys beauty ambassador. The aim of the project is to make a difference to someone elses life and also put a smile on their face, that is why she named the project The Smile Project. The current beauty queen is inviting the public, corporate organisations and entrepreneurs to be part of the Smile Project aimed at making every child smile this Christmas. All they need to do is to donate any old toys which are still in good condition or brand new toys. The toys should be suitable for young girls and boys aged between 1-12years old . Cash donations are also welcome as it will be used to purchase more toys for the less privileged children. Personal involvement in the form of volunteering during the fundraising drive are also welcome. Miss Swaziland Linda Hutchison said giving of ones time was something not to be taken lightly and it will be greatly noted. Hutchison explained that when a child smiles, its from the warmth of their heart and she would love to witness such this Christmas. Her current project will definitely be ongoing as she plans to donate toys as Christmas gifts to children at the Good Shepherd Hospital. I am hoping that I will get a positive response from the public as my wish is to not only distribute the toys at Good Shepherd Hospital only but to other hospitals around the country, said Hutchison. MBABANE A sum of E42 000 charged by the Swaziland Investment Promotions Authority (SIPA) for the Mavuso Trade Centres arena for the planned Gospel Music Crossover 2016 has caused an uproar. The venue has been given to Umlilo Music, a company which intends to host the gospel crossover at the venue on December 31. Umlilo Music is a company directed by Mduduzi Gawuzela Simelane of Mduduzi Nezinceku Zamagawugawu. The company has been hosting the same show for the past four years at the same venue. Last year, Umlilo Music paid a sum of E12 000 to use the venue for the same concept. However, this year they have been told to pay E42 000 for the same venue. As a result of the amount charged by SIPA, Umlilo Music has not yet started marketing the show as there is still a misunderstanding between the two parties. Asked about his plans of hosting the annual crossover this year, Gawuzela assured all Swazis that the show would continue but was quick to mention that he still had challenges with the venue. I booked the venue in January for a show to be held in December. A month ago, SIPA decided to issue out a tender for the venue usage. I submitted all the required documents, he said. SITEKI Police are still searching for the man who allegedly ambushed a female pupil while on her way to school and stabbed her 17 times. Mxolisi Percy Mamba (26) of Magedezi near St Philips - not far from Siphofaneni - allegedly committed the offence early last month. Acting Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Assistant Superintendent Phindile Vilakati appealed to the public to assist the police with information regarding Mambas whereabouts. Anyone with information that might lead to the arrest of the suspect can contact Big bend (police) Desk Officer Inspector M. Dlamini at 7614 6446 or 2363 6361 or dial police emergency helpline 999/9999, said Vilakati while also stating that Mamba would be charged with attempted murder for allegedly committing the offence. Police sources said Mamba is believed to be hiding in forests but his exact location remains unknown. According to sources, he disappeared on the day he allegedly committed the offence. At the time he allegedly committed the offence, he was working in one of the small-scale sugar cane growing companies around the area. Meanwhile, the pupils grandmother, Josephine Ngcamphalala told this publication, about three weeks ago, that Mamba had been proposing love to the pupil but her advances were not entertained by the pupil. On the day of the attack, Ngcamphalala told this publication that the pupil was walking to school when Mamba emerged from the bushes and asked her if she loved him. She walked away and told him to leave her alone as she wanted to go to school, she told this publication. MBABANE Panic engulfed passersby at the Swazi Plaza when a minor fell from the first floor of the parking lot while in the company of his teachers. The young boy, who is attending pre-school, is said to fallen while playing with the other children. The incident happened on Tuesday afternoon while the children were playing at the trolley ramp. According to information gathered from people who were at the scene, when the emergency ambulance was called it took only seven minutes to arrive and the child was rushed to hospital. The school children had been left at the parking lot while they waited for their parents to pick them up following an excursion. The teachers were still present to mind the young ones while they waited for their parents. Events leading to the incident are to the effect that the children were racing up and down the trolley ramp while the teachers were by the steps of the first floor of the parking bay. The young boy was trying to outrun his friends and put his head through the hand rails when he fell to the ground floor. The teachers ran to the boys aid and some of the people who operate the shops facing the car park also came out to offer their help. Some of the shoppers and Swazi Plaza tenants were shocked as they said the boys head started swelling immediately after his fall. The trolley ramp is close to the police post and the officers stationed there said they did not see the incident and nobody came to report it. Acting Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Assistant Superintendent Phindile Vilakati mentioned that there was no report made of this accident. EZULWINI The Minister of Housing and Urban Development Phiwayinkhosi Mabuza has been accused of interfering in the running of the Ezulwini Town Board. According to suspended Chairperson of the Town Board Busi Bhembe, Mabuza allegedly made her job difficult by ordering her to do things that were unprocedural. She said this during her appearance before the commission of inquiry which began yesterday. Bhembe recounted different incidents, the main one being when the minister allegedly ordered her to authorise a trip for the Boards Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Vusi Matsebula without the approval of the rest of the councillors. According to the businesswoman, the CEO informed her that he had a trip to South Africa the following day to attend an event for YALI, something which she objected to. The following day he demanded that I sign for his trip but I refused. After refusing, I received a call from the minister who asked what we were doing to the CEO. I explained to him that it was wrong for the CEO to inform us a day before his trip. I told the minister that I was going to authorise the trip only because it was a directive from him, she said. She mentioned that the minister tried to reason with her by mentioning that it was not a directive but that they should reach an agreement that the CEO be granted his leave days to accommodate the trip. I called the CEO and to my surprise he was already at the airport, which made me believe that he had actually packed even while we were discussing his case. It is then that he started accusing me of refusing with his trips, Bhembe alleged. The ruling BJP MPs called it a routine exercise, the leaders of opposition parties termed the development as an attack on the federal system. By India Today Web Desk: The Army deployment in West Bengal became a bone of contention between the ruling NDA and the Opposition on Friday. While the ruling BJP MPs called it a routine exercise, the leaders of Opposition parties termed the development as an attack on the federal system. In the Lok Sabha, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said the Army has been carrying out routine exercise in West Bengal for the past several years and the concerned officials were informed about it. "It is the Army's routine exercise being carried out for several years. It had taken place on November 19 and November 21 last year," the minister said. advertisement ALSO READ | Mamata Banerjee locks herself in office to protest Army's presence at toll plazas in state Parrikar further informed that the concerned officials were intimated by the Army this year too. "While the original dates were between December 28 and 30, they were changed to December 1 and 2 later. It is saddening that a routine exercise has been made a controversy now," he said. On the other hand, speaking on the issue in the Rajya Sabha, BSP supremo Mayawati said her party respected the Army but it was deployed in West Bengal without the state government's permission. "It is an attack on our federal system," she said, adding that the Army should not be politicised. Leader of Opposition in the Upper House, Ghulam Nabi Azad asked the Centre to clarify the issue. "In fact, the PM must clarify as to why the state's rights are being impinged on," he said. However, Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu was of the view that the West Bengal government was taken into confidence. He too reiterated that the exercise had taken place last year too. He demanded that all MPs not to drag the Army into any kind of controversy. ARMY'S VERSION Meanwhile, GOC Bengal Area Major General Sunil Yadav has said a joint inspection of the Army and Kolkata Police was carried out on November at the site of toll plaza. "The allegation of collection of money by the Army is totally baseless," he said. --- ENDS --- MANZINI Schools offering the National Senior Certificate syllabus, popularly referred to as Matric, have slammed the Director of Education, Dr Sibongile Mtshali and accused her of acting beyond her mandate. One of the schools offering the Matric syllabus is U-Tech. Its Head teacher, Mavela Shongwe, said Mtshali was not supposed to send the letters to the schools, neither was she supposed to order them, as schools, to inform parents. The letter that Shongwe is referring to is the one written by the South African Government, through its Department of Basic Education, stopping Swaziland from offering the National Senior Certificate (NSC) Examination, popularly known as Matric. The letter is dated September 28, 2016 and states that the offering of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) Examination in Swaziland and anywhere outside the borders of the Republic of South Africa is not accommodated in policy and regulations and is, therefore, contrary to the laws of the republic. The SA Government has given the country until 2018 to work on the issue though no admissions are expected next year. U-Tech is the main examination centre for schools that offer the syllabus in the country and Shongwe was speaking on behalf of the schools. The only people who have the authority to act on this letter are the minister and principal secretary in the Ministry of Education and Training as well as the Department of Basic Education in South Africa, not the director, said Shongwe. The director had confirmed knowledge of the letter sent by the Department of Basic Education in South Africa, announcing the termination of the offering of the Matric syllabus in the country. She said schools were advised to notify parents of the development. By PTI: New Delhi Dec 1 (PTI) A 40-year-old man, wanted by Chattisgarh police for allegedly duping medical aspirants on the pretext of sending them to Kyrgyzstan, has been arrested, police said today. Gopalan Anish Acharya, a resident of Dwarka locality in the national capital, was arrested by the Delhi Police Crime Branch, they said. Acharya had allegedly floated an educational society in the name of Luxmi Narain education consultancy, located at Pushtak Road in Mohan Nagar Durg in Chattisgarh, along with three others, said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Ravindra Yadav. advertisement They used to charge lakhs of rupees for getting an admission to medical aspirants in MBBS course in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. They had allegedly duped eight medical aspirants of Rs 18 lakh each, he added. Dr Premlal Baghel, whose son was duped of Rs 18 lakh, approached Chattisgarh police with a complaint, following which the police sought help from Delhi Police, the officer said. It was found that Acharya, who is a resident of Dwarka, was hiding here and was arrested. He is himself an MCA graduate from Kyrgyzstan. Two other accused, identified as Vaishno and Arvind Ghosh, have earlier been arrested by Chattisgarh police. PTI SLB SMJ --- ENDS --- Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Gina Martinez An already struggling Flushing High School has not seen much improvement. The state Education Department released progress reports for the states 62 struggling schools. During the 2015-2016 school year Flushing High School was the only New York City school on the list that failed to make sufficient gains in student academic achievement and other categories outlined by the state. Each schools improvement plan included a minimum of 10 indicators that covered suspension rate, graduation rate and student attendance. The state DOE said the schools that fail to make improvements have one more year to meet indicators or they face the possibility of being managed by an outside administrator. On average the struggling schools met 68 percent of their indicators, with 56 of the 62 meeting at least half of their indicators and 38 meeting two-thirds or more of their indicators, according to the DOE. Flushing High School was one of six schools in the state that failed to meet half its indicators. The other schools are Poughkeepsie Middle School, Museum School 25 in Yonkers, School 41-Kodak Park in Rochester and Build Academy and Frank Sedita School No. 30 in Buffalo. Flushing High School has been under threat of closing down for several years. Students have under performed on tests and the schools current graduation rate is 57 percent. In 2012 the school was one of 24 to be shut down as part of the federal DOEs turnaround plan. The principal and half of the staff were expected to be replaced. Under the turnaround plan all the teachers had to reapply for their positions. Plans were dropped months later when an arbitrator ruled that the citys staffing plans violated its contract with the teachers union. Planned changes were reversed, leading students and staff to complain of disorganization and confusion at the beginning of the fall 2012 semester. Board of Regents Chancellor Betty Rosa said the results from the latest report were encouraging. I am encouraged that so many schools are showing signs of progress, she said. Their improvement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the teachers and administrators, as well as the determination of the students and their families. But we know there is still much work to be done at every one of these schoolsand the State Education Department will continue to help support them in their turnaround efforts. State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia said her agency will continue working with the struggling schools. Virtually every school on the struggling schools list demonstrated progress on the indicators for which they committed to improve performance, she said. But we cant let up now. The Regents, the Education Department and I will continue our efforts to help get all of these schoolsand all of their studentson a path toward success. By Bob Friedrich New Yorks blind adherence to a sanctuary city policy will all but guarantee that a large portion, perhaps as much as 10 percent, of the citys budget coming from the federal government will be withheld by Presidentelect Trump soon after he takes office on Jan. 20. Estimated at more than $7 billion, it will trigger a financial crisis with far-reaching consequences leading to higher taxes and steep reductions in social services that will hit the most vulnerable New Yorkers hardest. With that in mind, both Mayor de Blasio and City Comptroller Scott Stringer are setting the stage for this inevitable showdown and if history is any guide, politicians will seek to place the blame on others to shield themselves from the political fallout that will surely occur. Trumps pledge to the 62 million Americans of all backgrounds who voted for him was to turn off the federal funding spigot to cities like New York for refusing to end their controversial sanctuary city policies. Trumps message to these mayors was clear: Protect law-abiding city residents from harm by deporting undocumented individuals convicted of serious crimes or choose to allow these felons to stay and roam the streets unimpeded. Unfortunately, and to the detriment of law-abiding residents, the mayor, city comptroller and most of the City Council have decided in favor of the felons. In an extraordinary and unprecedented move to prevent the federal government from learning the identities and whereabouts of some of these undocumented felons, the mayor has threatened to destroy the multimillion-dollar, taxpayer-funded NYC ID card program database, which holds the identities of tens of thousands of New Yorkers, some of whom may be undocumented criminal aliens. In the weeks ahead, when the fiscal calamity hits and the federal funds stop flowing, expect to be lectured by city leaders who will be deflecting responsibility for their own actions and failures. New Yorkers would be wise to remain skeptical. Trumps widely reported policy agenda and his repeated clarion call have been to first deport convicted felons who are here illegallynot undocumented individuals and families who have no criminal records. Next, secure the borders and only then begin a national dialogue on dealing fairly with families that have been productive, law-abiding members of society but are here illegally and trapped in immigration limbo. Trumps detractors have tried to change this narrative by characterizing him as anti-immigration and misstating his position as favoring deportation of all undocumented individuals. Many mainstream voters believe identifying and deporting undocumented individuals convicted of serious crimes is not only responsible but an essential prerequisite to maintaining safety on our streets. Unfortunately, this worthy policy debate and any rational discussion of it is simply not possible in todays political climate where individuals that merely raise the subject are accused of racism, bigotry and xenophobia, ironically, by those preaching loudest for tolerance and inclusion. Stringer announced that his office is studying the effects of a federal funding curtailment on New York. In a city with an insatiable appetite for revenue, we can expect to see significant property tax, income tax and nuisance fee increases. The new Trump administration will surely be blamed for this as his detractors lose no time distorting his positions to deflect their own blame. But make no mistake about it, the financial crisis caused by the loss of federal dollars rests squarely on the shoulders of city leaders whose refusal to budge from their ideological adherence to an unalterable sanctuary city policy has put us all in great peril. This Progressive City-be-damned mind set is motivated by a rigid ideology whose unyielding approach to sanctuary city policy dictates that no one should be deported, under any circumstances, at any timenot even dangerous criminals and makes no distinction between law-abiding undocumented individuals and those convicted of serious crimes. The mayor, the comptroller and much of our City Council seem all too eager to take this risky gamble by refusing to negotiate a sanctuary city policy and plunging this city into the financial abyss. This gamble will not only put our safety at risk but will also cause great financial harm for which all New Yorkers will have to pay. Bob Friedrich is President of Glen Oaks Village a civic leader and former candidate for the NYC Council. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Mark Hallum State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) announced hislegislation for the protection of mute swans had been signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo Tuesday. The bill was passed by the Senate twice as well as the state Assembly, but was vetoed two more times by Cuomo before the birds could get the protection from extermination sought by animal rights and elected officials such as Avella. In 2013, the Department of Environmental Conservation declared its intention to systematically eradicate the birds by 2025 on the grounds that mute swans are an invasive species brought from Eurasia in the 19th century. According to the state agency, this distinct group of swans are highly territorial and are known to displace other native animals and waterfowl from nesting areas as well as attack small children. There is currently a mute swan population in Jamaica Bay. Under Avellas legislation, the DEC would be required to hold two public hearings before finalizing plans to manage the mute swan population and hold a two-year moratorium on any action. Specific evidence would have to be provided that illustrates damage caused by the birds, and even with evidence the DEC would be required to seek alternatives to euthanasia. This is a major victory for the mute swans, as well as other animals who may face similar eradication in the future, Avella said. I, and many animal rights organizations and activists, will remain skeptical that such drastic measures are necessary until evidence proves otherwise. Even if the evidence is there, it is a humane and moral imperative to find non-lethal means for controlling their population. The DEC accepted public comments on the plan for managing the species and in 2014 released a statement that said tens of thousands of comments had been received from individuals and groups, including the Friends of Animals, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, In Defense of Animals, Goosewatch NYC, Regal Swan Foundation, Humane Society of the United States and Save Mute Swans. Since the 1980s we have lobbied in the Northeast area to protect mute swans from nest destruction, egg addling, and hunting, which have all been considered as wildlife management schemes. Governors have been deceived by the agencies that come up with these insidious plans that lack scientific evidence, said Priscilla Feral, president of Friends of Animals. We are ecstatic about this victory and that DECs hateful attitude towards mute swans has been reversedit is out of step with the very residents of New York whose tax dollars fund the agency. The DEC specified the intent of the management plan by emphasizing that extermination of the mute swans in New York was not on the books. The population in certain locations would be controlled where strain would not be put on natural resources. Most of the comments received offered little specific feedback on the draft plan and, in many cases, it seemed that the commenter was unfamiliar with the management actions described in the plan or misunderstood how it would actually be implemented, a DEC response said. The management plan was revised in 2015 to minimize numbers downstate, prevent expansion of the species into new areas whether naturally or through catch and release or escape to provide relief to communities and property owners in conflict with the birds, and to offer permits to community organizations that wish to manage the swan population in their area. . Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Merle Exit Multidisciplinary music ensemble CreArtBox, which is based in Sunnyside, will bring a powerful combination of various art forms to the Queens Theatre Saturday night. Visuality, directed by CreArtBoxs Guillermo Laporta and Josefina Urraca, employs cutting-edge technology to enhance a repertoire that includes works by such classical composers as Beethoven and Claude Debussy, as well as new compositions. The audience can expect experiments with light and sound from painters, sculptors, choreographers, dancers, writers and more. Queens Theatre is perfect for our production, said Laporta. The core of the show is classical music that we will combine with contemporary music and visual art. For instance, as our closing piece. Eclipse, we have Spanish composer Marcos Fernandez, who was inspired by the music of Mike Oldfields Tubular Bells combined with video inspired by DJ Amon Tobins visual projections. There will be 100 cubes each with a video-mapping projection. That kind of 3D video mapping lets Visuality create a kind of intensified reality, enhancing the space in which the show is presented. CreArtBox has long been known for merging classical music with groundbreaking technology, transforming the traditional concert stage into a multimedia canvas. Since the ensembles beginnings in Spain, they have performed at an array of notable venues and festivals in both their home country and the United States. The pieces being performed this weekend bring CreArtBoxs innovative approach into clear focus. Sleepers Awake combines original choreography and Joshua Penmans music in a work inspired by the human figures in a painting by Toby Heifetz, also entitled Sleepers Awake. Its fusion of dance, music and painting conveys a sense of levitation, playing subtle games with the viewers perceptions. Excess, with original music by Sebastian Currier, brings together music, theater, dance, acrobatics and video mapping to explore the culture of too much in todays world, and how people react to this constant sensory overload. Coming Together brings a somber event from Americas past into view. Written by American composer Frederic Rzewski, it is based on a letter Samuel Joseph Melville wrote from prison in Attica in New York a few months before he was executed in 1971 during the riots in which 1,000 prisoners rebelled and took control of the prison to demand better living conditions. Other pieces to be peformed in Saturdays program include Northumbrian, a piece by Paul Moravec that addresses Celtic culture and makes use of the bagpipes known as Northumbrian pipes. Theres also Piano Trio, in which Marissa Maislens choreography joins forces with Claude Debussys, Piano Trio in G Major to transport the viewer into a world of dreams. And in what is described as a round trip journey from visual art to music, the ensembles Percussion Interlude takes the music of Jacob Ter Veldhuis, inspired by the mobile sculptures of Naom Ben-Jakov, and gives it a high-tech visual interpetation through the video creations of Guillermo Laporta. Each of these works is meant to be an example of CreArtBoxs unique artistic goal of letting each element of a work develop its own independent aesthetic while also creating a unified and challenging environment for the spectator. More information about Visuality can be found on www.visuality.nyc. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Mark Hallum A measure by U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing) to establish a ZIP code for Glendale passed the House of Representatives Wednesday. She cited widespread and longstanding inconveniences for residents as well as instances where medications are delivered to the wrong locations or first responder units arrive at the wrong address. Glendale currently shares a zip code with adjacent Ridgewood. The legislation will recognize Glendale as its own community separate from its neighbors, according to Meng. For almost 30 years, the residents of Glendale have sought to obtain a ZIP code for their community and the passage of this legislation is a giant step in finally making that happen, Meng said. Residents of Glendale have experienced mail and service-related problems due to sharing the 11385 ZIP code with the neighboring community of Ridgewood. These problems include medications that were spoiled or not received due to mail processing errors, delays in first responder services to residents in need of care, and inaccuracies with GPS devices. Glendale also deserves to be recognized as its own community. Meng introduced the bill in 2015 and fielded a similar bill in 2014. The measure is included in a bipartisan postal bill which establishes ZIP codes and renames post offices throughout the nation. Creating a new ZIP code for Glendale has been an ongoing and bipartisan challenge for members of Congress who previously represented the area, Meng said on the House floor, pointing out that her predecessor, Bob Turner had worked to accomplish the same goal. I am delighted that the Glendale ZIP code issue is finally coming to the attention of the House and the Postal Service, Turner said. Hopefully, this can get done in a quick and bipartisan manner. The bill passed the House at 4 p.m. Wednesday and must go through the U.S. Senate before being signed into law by the president. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams By Bill Parry For the first time in more than half a century, the rooftops at the Queensbridge Houses complex in Long Island City no longer leak. New York City Housing Authority Chairman and CEO Shola Olatoye announced Thursday the $87 million comprehensive roof replacement project on all 26 buildings of the nations largest public housing development has been completed six months ahead of schedule. As we work to preserve public housing for this generation and next, were strengthening our buildings with top-to-bottom upgrades literally, Olatoye said. Thanks to Mayor de Blasios unprecedented investment in comprehensive roof replacement and facade repairs across NYCHA, Queensbridge residents will see a healthier, cleaner community, with fewer leaks and improved quality of life. She pointed out that the dilapidated rooftops had not been touched in more than 50 years and the project also repaired exterior brickwork and replaced window sills. The mayor provided $60 million in funding with the remaining $27 million coming from the federal government. The work at Queensbridge is part of Mayor de Blasios $300 million investment in roof replacement and facade repair on 263 NYCHA buildings citywide Leaks in old roofs are the root cause of mold and other major problems our NYCHA residents face. So we did something no administration has ever done: put $300 million of city money towards major repairs for our residents, de Blasio said. Today, we continue to turn a corner and fulfill our commitment to make critical investments that help protect our residents and ensure public housing continues to improve. A focus on infrastructure, investment and increased access guide our ambitious vision for clean and connected public housing. "This is a routine exercise of the Army which has been continuing since last 15 to 20 years. This exercise was conducted last year too between November 19-21," Parikkar said in Lok Sabha. By Indo-Asian News Service: Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar today said that the Army was conducting a routine exercise in West Bengal and the northeastern states and also rejected the allegations levelled by TMC that state government was not informed about it. "This is a routine exercise of the Army which has been continuing since last 15 to 20 years. This exercise was conducted last year too between November 19-21," Parikkar said in Lok Sabha. advertisement "Even this year, the same exercise was being conducted in West Bengal and other northeastern states. This was also done in Uttar Pradesh and Jhakhand," he added. "Earlier, it was decided that the exercises would take place between November 28-30. But state police urged to extend to dates as there was shut down on November 28. So it was decided that the exercises would take place between December 1 to DSecember 3," Parikkar said. MAMATA POLITICISING THE MATTER: PARRIKAR He also accused the TMC leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of politicising the matter. Also read: Army contradicts Mamata, furnishes documents to prove point "It is saddening that a routine exercise has been made a controversy now. It is wrong to politicise it. This is politics in frustration rather than correct aspect being pointed out," Parikkar said. Earlier, raising the matter during question hour, TMC leader Sudip Bandopadhyay the Army deployment was done by keeping the state government in dark. Also read: Army deployment in West Bengal a bone of contention between NDA, Opposition He said that army was deployed along a highway toll plaza, which is at the second Hooghly Bridge and about 500m from the secretariat. "The Chief Minister is still sitting on Dharna inside the secretariat demanding immediate withdrawal of the Army," he said. Also read: Mamata Banerjee locks herself in office to protest Army's presence at toll plazas in state Watch the video --- ENDS --- Times' Game of the Week Preview: No. 7 Beaver Area vs. No. 10 Deer Lakes Beaver enters the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs riding high after closing the regular season strong. Up next: Deer Lakes for had coach Cort Rowse's Bobcats. Just months away from elections in Goa, the BJP is experiencing performance anxiety and banking on defence minister Manohar Parrikar's popularity to beat back a surging rival and keep power in the state. A campaign has been kicked off, but worries remain about a backlash from voters against the government continuing with grants to English-medium schools. The BJP's tasks are cut out: highlight the government's development work in the state and-wary of losing traditional supporters-review the performance of its legislators. On October 9, a day before the party felicitated him in front of a 4,000-strong gathering in Porvorim for successfully conducting surgical strikes against terrorists across the Pakistan border, Parrikar conveyed he was upset with the BJP's survey report on its position ahead of the elections. The report says the BJP would need to put in hard work in several seats. Nine of the 21 seats it won in the previous election look unfavourable this time. advertisement The survey says several legislators and ministers lost touch with the people. The jitters could well be felt now, particularly in the BJP's north Goa stronghold. The party might struggle in Mandre, Pernem, Mapusa, Mayem, Sakhalin and Sanguem, all high-profile constituencies. Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar represents Mandre, his deputy Francis D'Souza, Mapusa. Education minister Rajendra Arlekar holds the Pernem seat and assembly speaker Anant Shet belongs to Mayem. Many see the Goa Suraksha Manch (GSM), launched by BJP dissidents on October 2, as the main challenger to the ruling party in these seats. GSM patriarch Subhash Velingkar, who was relieved of his position as Goa chief of the RSS on announcing his new political party, claimed the GSM would win at least 17 of the 40 constituencies in Goa since the people are fed up with the BJP's functioning (see interview: 'We'll expose the BJP's double standards...'). To counter the GSM, Parrikar has asked Parsekar to publicise his government's development work. He believes the state-of-the-art public-private partnered garbage treatment plant set up at Saligao in north Goa could be projected as the government's success in garbage management in the region. The BJP hopes the government's achievements in keeping the state dengue-free and leading in child immunisation and institutional deliveries would be its other point-scorers. "Goa is going to become another open defecation-free state in the country," says Parsekar. "We have not only maintained the state in good health but taken it to new heights in living standards." The government has announced free 100 minutes of talktime and 1 GB data at 2 Mbps for the 16-30 age group. Post-demonetisation, the BJP wants to make Goa a cashless transaction society by the year-end. Parrikar discussed the plan in a meeting with officials on November 27. Parrikar is micro-managing the BJP's poll campaign, but from a distance. "I don't want you to be oblivious," he told party legislators during a meeting in Panaji. "We are facing some difficulties in five constituencies in south Goa. We will adopt a different strategy there." The surgical strikes in PoK in September have helped Parrikar repair some of the damage to his image after his mentor Velingkar openly called him a "liar" for not keeping his word on revoking grants to English-medium schools. Parrikar's image had taken a beating, especially among RSS workers, after Velingkar opened a front against him. But when the defence minister arrived at an RSS function in Ponda on October 9 to commemorate Vijaydashami, the swayamsevaks, mostly in their twenties, couldn't hold themselves back from gathering around him and taking pictures. "I have not yet revealed all my cards. You will find that the people are with us. They (GSM) will get fans, not votes," Parrikar later said without naming Velingkar. advertisement Velingkar, on his part, was busy chalking out his strategy in Porvorim. The RSS imprint on the meeting was unmistakable. It began with an RSS song. Velingkar appealed to the youngsters at the meeting to drive the BJP out of Goa. But he has his own worries. After a well-publicised debut, his party appears to be losing traction among RSS workers, his core base. The announcement that he will merge his separate unit of the RSS with the parent body has left RSS workers confused. Six out of nine sanghchalaks have backed out from his party. advertisement Discomfited by the 'dispute within its ranks', the RSS has told the BJP not to expect its explicit backing in the election. It is unlikely to instruct its workers to campaign for the BJP as it did in previous elections. The RSS cannot oppose the GSM on the issue of grants to English-medium schools as this would go against the spirit of a resolution passed by its highest decision-making body, the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha. Whether or not it gets the RSS's overt backing, the BJP at least hopes to see the Catholic vote split between the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, and draw advantage. "Elections cannot be won on a single issue such as medium of instruction," says a senior BJP leader. "One needs to explore many permutations and combinations. We are better in doing it." The Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), too, is in a dilemma over its ties with its ally, the BJP. It has backed Velingkar's demand to revoke grants to English-medium schools. On the other hand, the party believes snapping ties with the BJP will not help its tally in the assembly. The MGP is adamant about contesting the Bicholim and Dabolim seats, which the BJP has staked claim to. The tussle between the allies may be limited to a few seats but even these could be significant in a state with just 40 seats. If the MGP calls off the tie-up with BJP, the party could lead a grand alliance of the MGP, GSM, Shiv Sena and Goa Praja Party. That would be the BJP's toughest test. advertisement Follow the writer on Twitter @kirantare 'We'll expose the BJP's double standards on grants to English-medium schools' Subhash Velingkar's Goa Suraksha Manch is literally playing the role of the main opposition party in BJP-ruled Goa. Velingkar's only goal: keep the BJP out of power in the elections next year. He apparently has a strategy to achieve it. Excerpts... How are you planning to dislodge the BJP? We will expose the BJP's double standards on various issues, ranging from illicit grants to English-medium schools, permission to casinos, vulgar music concerts to free flow of drugs. Rising unemployment and the problems faced by youngsters will be the main focus of our campaign. Goa Suraksha Manch chief Subhash Velingkar at a GSM strategy meeting. Photo: Danesh Jassawala Do you think the people will back you on the sole issue of medium of instruction in schools? We have succeeded in forming our units in 35 out of 40 constituencies. We are holding corner meetings in each constituency. Till date, we have reached out to two lakh people on the issue of medium of instruction in schools. The new voters and college-goers are attending our rallies on a wide scale. Those who have no political experience are coming forward. What does that indicate? Are you still hopeful the MGP will break its alliance with the BJP and join hands with you? We'll wait till December 15 for the MGP to decide. If they come with us, we'll contest on their symbol. We are also in talks with like-minded parties, such as the Shiv Sena. Why would the MGP sever ties with the BJP when they are in power? The MGP leaders are under pressure from their cadre to part ways. They will easily form the next government in the state if they break away from the BJP. This is a now-or-never opportunity for them. The MGP leaders have good personal relations with Nitin Gadkari. But I don't think they will give weight to personal relations instead of their party's fortunes. Manohar Parrikar's popularity is at its peak after the surgical strikes against terrorists in Pakistan. Won't this help the BJP? We conducted surgical strikes. We have not yet won the war. The credit for the surgical strikes goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Natonal Security Advisor Ajit Doval. They planned and executed it. Parrikar is only a minister. What he is doing is his job. And his popularity is not on the rise. The BJP had planned a 9,000-bike rally to salute him. Fearing a backlash, it cancelled the event. Will you back out if the BJP stops grants to English-medium schools? No way. We can't go back on our stand. We will contest the election even if the grants are stopped. How do you think your party will do in the Goa assembly elections? We are going to form the next government in the state. Our survey shows that we are in a winning position in 17 constituencies. In the other 12 constituencies, our party is in second position. Who will be your chief ministerial candidate? We will take a call after some days. The chief ministerial candidate could be anyone. He could be someone not related to our party. I would like to make one thing clear. Even if we get a thumping majority, I won't become the chief minister. I am not going to contest the election. Then what will be your next task? I will resume working for the RSS. Haven't you been sacked as the Goa chief of RSS? No. They have relieved me of my responsibilities for some time. I and my colleagues are working on the medium of instruction issue. We will start working for the RSS once the issue is resolved. The RSS had suspended its work during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. This is yet another time when its work is suspended for the work of our mother tongue. Won't there be a conflict of interest? Not at all. We will merge our unit with the RSS as it was in the past. I will remain a common swayamsevak. I will stand in the queue and offer pranam (salute) to any official who deserves it. --- ENDS --- Albany High-ranking State Liquor Authority officials must take questions from a Colonie wine seller that the authority accuses of shipping wine to consumers in 16 states that ban such trade. The Appellate Division of state Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Empire Wine can subpoena SLA staff as the company presses its assertion that state regulations previously allowed the out-of-state sale. The case is part of an administrative hearing, but a state Supreme Court justice was asked to rule on Empire Wine's effort to subpoena SLA General Counsel Jacqueline Flug, Director of Enforcement Noel Colon, Public Affairs Director William Crowley and Deputy Commissioner of Licensing Kerry O'Brien. Empire Wine, which could lose its liquor license, wanted to question the officials about the authority's policy on out-of-state sales, asserting the authority had not previously objected to such transactions. The administrative law judge adjourned the hearing while a state Supreme Court justice weighed and ultimately rejected the SLA's effort to quash the subpoenas. The SLA lost its appeal to the Appellate Division. The appeals court rejected the SLA's argument that questioning the authority's general counsel could violate attorney-client privilege, arguing "a claim of privilege cannot be asserted until the witness appears before the requisite tribunal and is presented with a question that implicates protected information." The judges ruled Flug could assert she was being asked to reveal "protected information" but only after she complied with the subpoena and was questioned. The SLA argued that forcing senior officials to answer subpoenas could become burdensome and interfere with enforcement, but appellate judges found that assertion "speculative and irrelevant to determining whether a proper basis exists for quashing these subpoenas." Thursday's ruling was another setback in SLA's ongoing legal issues with Empire Wine. Last year, Acting Supreme Court Justice Debra Young knocked down SLA's argument that the documents Empire wanted related to communications with the Illinois Liquor Control Commission represented attorney work product or with one redacted exception that they were otherwise exempt from disclosure because they related to a pending investigation or judicial proceeding. Both categories are exempt from disclosure under the state Freedom of Information Law. Young similarly rejected SLA's attempt to cast the material as interagency communications, which are also exempt from disclosure under FOIL. The Illinois Liquor Control Commission, she noted, is not an entity of New York state government. Young also ordered SLA to produce records related to its communication with UPS about interstate shipment of alcoholic beverages. Empire initially sued the authority, claiming it was unconstitutionally interfering in interstate trade. The action was laid aside in late 2014 by a court decision that said the store would have to wait until SLA's administrative hearing process had run its course. Empire has claimed that diminishing its out-of-state sales would force significant layoffs. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate STILLWATER The 63-year-old man severely burned in a Nov. 21 house fire died Thursday. Police said he intentionally set the multi-unit home ablaze. Glenn E. Brewster suffered severe burns and smoke inhalation, Saratoga County Sheriff Lt. Jeff Brown said. The man was first taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital, then flown to the burn unit at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. Four other residents of 33 Clinton Court safely escaped the 2:33 a.m. fire, Brown said. The multi-unit house is considered a total loss. Brewster resisted the firefighters rescuing him from the burning apartment and tried to run back into the building after they got him out, Brown said. The sheriff's office closed their investigation into the "suspicious" blaze after Brewster's death, Brown said. The local chapter of American Red Cross is assisting the other residents. Arvin Hart, Mechanicville, Malta Ridge, Round Lake and Stillwater fire departments responded to the fire. Malta Stillwater EMS, Clifton Park Halfmoon EMS, Saratoga County Office of Emergency Services and the county Cause and Origin Team also responded. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Famed astronaut Buzz Aldrin is in stable condition at a hospital in New Zealand after he was rescued from Antarctica by a Glenville-based Air National Guard airlift wing Thursday. Aldrin was a tourist visiting the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica when his condition deteriorated, the National Science Foundation said. A statement on Aldrin's website reports the 86-year-old has fluid in his lungs and is now on antibiotics. The ailing astronaut reached Christchurch, New Zealand, at 4:25 a.m. Friday local time after almost eight hours of flight. Aldrin was taken to a local hospital for treatment, NSF spokesman Peter West said Thursday. A ski-equipped cargo plane based at the Stratton Air National Guard base in Schenectady County flew Aldrin to McMurdo Station on the Antarctic Coast. From there, a chartered Safair cargo plane took him to New Zealand. "Every time we've ever done a medevac like that, the ambulance has met us on the tarmac at Christchurch International Airport," Air National Guard Lt. Col. David Panzera said. The pilot has been flying Antarctic missions for the 109th since 1994. "We do these as a matter of routine sometimes because (the science stations) don't have the capability to deal with some things. They can stabilize most things," Panzera said. @AirNatlGuard Lt. Col. David Panzera spoke about how the 109th Airlift Wing performs Antarctic rescues out of their Glenville base. WATCH: pic.twitter.com/wECNDNcOze Emily Masters (@emilysmasters) December 1, 2016 In 1969, Aldrin, was the second man to walk on the Moon during the Apollo 11 expedition. The 109th ski plane that transported Aldrin across the Antarctic continent serves as an air bridge for polar sciences bases and was already on the ice at the South Pole station when the rescue request was sent, West said. Aldrin was part of White Desert, an Antarctic tour operator based in the U.K., that left for Antarctica last month. MORE: Glenville-based airlift wing rescues ailing Buzz Aldrin This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Colonie U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand became the first senator to oppose granting a waiver to allow retired Gen. James Mattis to become the nation's secretary of defense. The junior New York senator and Capital Region native, who serves on the Armed Services committee, said she wants to retain civilian leadership over the military. Under a 1947 law, Congress must grant a waiver to allow a military leader to serve as defense secretary within less than seven years of completion of their military career. Mattis retired in 2013. "I am very grateful for the extraordinary service General Mattis has given to this country," Gillibrand, a Democrat, said Friday after completing a brief volunteer appearance at the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York in Colonie. "It is the law you cannot be secretary of defense if you've been serving within seven years. I do not believe we should give up civilian control." Gillibrand has differed with the military over its handling of sexual assaults. She proposed legislation to remove sexual-assault prosecutions from military leadership to lawyers to ease victims' concerns about potential retaliation. The last defense secretary to require a waiver was Gen. George Marshall in 1950-51. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, New York's senior senator, who will become the Senate minority leader in January, has not stated a position. Most Cabinet appointments require a simple majority vote of the Senate. With a 51-vote majority, Republicans will not need Democratic support to approve President-elect Donald Trump's nominees. But in the case of Mattis, a full 60 votes are needed to grant the waiver, giving the 48 Democrats leverage. One seat in the Senate is still to be resolved in a runoff election next week in Louisiana. When the new president takes office, Gillibrand said, she intends to stick to positions supported by New Yorkers. "My job is to stand up for the people I work for," she said. "I will fight very hard. I will stand up for the people I represent." Gillibrand also endorsed incumbent Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan while at the food bank. "I just want to tell you how much I appreciate the mayor's leadership," Gillibrand said. "I can't wait to see her re-elected in 2017. We really work hand in glove at the local level and the federal level." As for herself, Gillibrand brushed aside speculation in the wake of Hillary Clinton's defeat that Gillibrand could one day seek to be the first female president. She said she would focus on her own re-election in 2018. The U.S. senator came to the food bank for a brief tour and spent about 20 minutes unloading and sorting boxes of goods. Besides Sheehan, she was joined by Colonie Supervisor Paula Mahan and Troy Mayor Patrick Madden. "This is one of our biggest and most effective food banks in the region," Gillibrand said, urging people to spend time volunteering there during the holidays. "It's a time all of us can be more generous," she said. "It's a great way to spend time with your kids." tobrien@timesunion.com 518-454-5092 Schenectady A judge sentenced former mixed martial arts fighter James Hilton to 13 years in prison Friday for his savage attack on a city police officer last year in a beating the judge said could have easily cost the patrolman his life. "To permit such conduct to go severely unpunished would only help encourage disrespect for authority, disrespect for law enforcement and conscious defiance of society's rules and appropriate civil behavior," acting Supreme Court Justice Frank Milano told Hilton, calling the assault "an attack on an important societal institution: law enforcement." On Oct. 19, jurors took less than three hours roughly one of actual deliberation to convict Hilton, 34, of Lake George, of attacking Patrolman Mark Weekes, 31, on Aug. 1, 2015. An intoxicated Hilton was singing into a traffic cone when the patrolman stopped him. Hilton eventually struck the officer 28 times, fracturing Weekes' skull. Milano's second-floor courtroom was packed with city police officers and family members of both Weekes and the defendant. The patrolman, reading a victim impact statement, said Hilton's antics in the middle of the street posed a threat to himself and other people, which is why he stopped him. "I could have just as easily drove by and not addressed it. However, that is not what a police officer does, nor what is expected of us," Weekes said. "The brief interaction I had with him could have just been the end of it. It was Mr. Hilton's decision to continue with the cone and it was his decision to brutally attack me without warning and leave me unconscious and laying on the sidewalk. He couldn't care less about my welfare, fleeing the scene in a cowardly escape into a trash dumpster, leaving me there to seek medical assistance myself." Weekes suffered the fractured skull, a broken finger, severe neck bruising, swollen face and abrasions. He still experiences migraines, memory loss, dizziness and other problems. Weekes is no stranger to dangerous work: An Air Force veteran who served in Afghanistan, he has flown more than 300 combat missions. He joined the Schenectady police in July 2008 to begin what he calls his dream job. But the attack has left him more guarded than ever in dealing with the public, he said. "Police officers are supposed to be and need to be approachable," Weekes said. "It is difficult for me to trust anyone approaching me for assistance. I believe that what happened to me has affected my fellow officers, increasing their awareness to the potential detriment of police-community relations." Hilton, he added, has yet to acknowledge his wrongdoing. Weekes said when Hilton exited the courtroom following his Oct. 19 conviction, "He glared at me one more time to show his anger at me as if somehow I'm responsible for his predicament." Weekes asked the judge to impose the maximum of sentence of 15 years. Assistant District Attorney Christina Tremante-Pelham asked for a sentence upward of the maximum, calling the attack "cruel and calculating." Hilton's attorney, Lincy Jacob, told the judge her client was "riddled" with mental health issues. At trial she used an insanity defense and attributed the attack to issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder from Hilton being in Iraq as a Marine. She asked for leniency. Hilton, at times in tears, told the judge if he had the chance, he would tell Weekes he was sorry "for what happened that night." He was in a "scared dark place in my mind" and did not plan to harm Weekes but has an automatic reaction out of fear, he said. "I was worried about him once our altercation had concluded," he said. "I would give him a hug and wish him to get better." Hilton said he is now a vegan, meditates, practices yoga and practices "energy healing" and shamanism. He is on medication, he said. He also said he is "generally" not a violent person. "I'm afraid that a lengthy prison sentence will do more harm than good for my mental health," Hilton said. " I honestly wish I had never gone out that night." Hilton was convicted of assaulting a police officer, strangulation and disorderly conduct. Milano, noting letters written on behalf of the defendant, said it was almost as if two vastly different Hiltons were being described: One kind and considerate, the other arrogant, selfish, impulsive and potentially explosive. The judge said he is sympathetic to the defendant's "substantial mental health challenges" but cannot overlook a vicious, unprovoked attack that "could have easily resulted in Mr. Weekes' death." rgavin@timesunion.com 518-434-2403 @RobertGavinTU This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Schenectady The Kansas City-based Price Chopper supermarket chain had to calm its customers in the wake of the news that Albertsons Cos. is in advanced negotiations to buy the Schenectady-based Price Chopper for $1 billion. The two chains have no connection except their name. Executives with Golub Corp., the Schenectady holding company that owns Price Chopper and its new Market 32 chain, have taken the stance that a Reuters story published Tuesday that Albertsons is in talks with Price Chopper is just "nonsense" and that they won't dignify the story with a reaction. The Kansas City, Mo., Price Chopper company came out with a steadfast denial Wednesday that they are the Price Chopper talking with Albertsons. The Reuters story was clear it was the Golub family chain that was in talks with Idaho-based Albertsons. "Any reports that Kansas City-based Price Chopper stores are being purchased by Albertsons Companies are false," the Kansas City Price Chopper chain wrote on its Facebook page. "All Kansas City-based Price Chopper stores will remain under current local ownership. There are no current plans, nor intentions, to sell any stores. Price Chopper's 51 Kansas City stores are locally owned by the Ball, Cosentino, McKeever, and Queen families, all of whom live in Kansas City and oversee store operations on a daily basis." Golub officials, on the other hand, have not denied that talks are taking place. They have instead decried the Reuters story as "rumors" that doesn't deserve a response. Over the summer, Supermarket News, a trade publication, said that the Golubs had put Price Chopper up for sale and that Albertsons was one of several suitors. Schenectady-based Price Chopper has 135 stores, while the Kansas City chain has about 50. Both are family owned. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. Albertsons, which has become the No. 2 supermarket chain in the United States in four years by acquiring regional grocery chains, is preparing a $1.7 billion initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange that would provide it capital to buy Price Chopper and perhaps other chains. Neil Golub, executive chairman of Golub Corp., brushed off reporters on Wednesday when asked about his reaction to the Reuters article. Golub said he was "surprised" by the story, which he downplayed. "I don't comment on stuff like that, when you see nonsense articles coming from halfway across the country," Golub said. "I'm not going to comment. We're a great company... We're going to go about our business and let others do their business. lrulison@timesunion.com 518-454-5504 @larryrulison Frances Mensching-Giordano and Vincent Giordano's Mary is a terrier/golden retriever/husky mix. How did you choose Mary's name? I saw the name Mae on a flyer. When I suggested it, my husband said "oh Mary." So her name became Mary. Which is funny: Our first dog was named Chuck after my brother Charlie. And my sister Pat's full name is Mary Patricia. (We call her Pat, but my extended family calls her Mary.) Tell us Mary's adoption story. I found a dog on a shelter site named Rosie. We went to the shelter to adopt her, but when we got there, she had already been adopted. They said Rosie had puppies, and there was one left. When we first met her she was really shy and unsure of us. When we got her home she warmed up a little. But we quickly realized she was kind of bitey, and then it became clear she was mentally ill. She had uncontrolled separation anxiety. She also attacked people who came into our house. We took her to the vet and got anxiety drugs. She was on them for about a year, and they helped her to control her emotions. What's the cutest thing Mary does? She snakes her head under my arm forcing me to pet her. If Mary could talk, what famous person would she sound like? Shia LaBeouf, only as a girl. What does she dream about? Eating the mail person. What's the most embarrassing thing you do with her? Wrestle her into her muzzle. Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter. What are her nicknames? Lady Pants. What's Mary's hidden talent? She understands a lot of what is being said to her and will follow directions. She poses well for our Christmas card every year. Do you dress her up for special occasions? She will let us dress her up for the Christmas card. As soon as the shoot is done, she wants out of whatever we have dressed her in. Brianna Snyder Can we tell your pet's story? E-mail the details to Brianna Snyder at briannasnyder@gmail.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 Maroochydore Police Service Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Maroochydore Police Service Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Maroochydore Police Service Show More Show Less 5 of 5 We get it. You've been holed up all weekend watching crime procedurals on Netflix. Everything seems suspicious. And then you see something on the beach. One good Samaritan discovered that not everything is a clue when he found what he thought was a breast implant cut from a possible murder victim in Queensland, Australia. The nice fellow even went so far as to "bag and tag" the item before taking it to police headquarters in Maroochydore. Hearing a petition, the Supreme Court said that it would not be proper to impose national anthem on the courts and bar councils across the country. By India Today Web Desk: Two days after the Supreme Court directed all the cinema halls to play the national anthem before screening of any movie, the apex court said on Friday that the same could not be made mandatory for the courts and bar councils across the country. The court said, "The national anthem is not mandatory at the Supreme Court. There is no proper petition before the court in this regard. We can't impose it across the bar in this manner." advertisement READ| National Anthem: Ten things that you did not know Hearing a plea seeking playing of national anthem in all courts including apex court and high courts before start of proceedings, the Supreme Court sought Attorney General's response in the matter. Appearing before the court Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said, "Since, there is no proper plea before the court in this regard, we can't give a response in the matter." WATCH: READ| National anthem mandatory before every film in theatres, all must rise: Supreme Court Interestingly, in a series of tweets bollywood filmmaker Ram Gopal Verma had raised questions about whether the national anthem be played at various places including night clubs and the bars across the country. Shouldn't the #NationalAnthem be compulsorily played in all night clubs before drinking and dancing begins ? Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) December 1, 2016 He also asked why the national anthem be not played in temples, churches and mosques before prayers. Shouldn't #NationalAnthem be played in temples,churches and mosques before prayers begin? Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) December 1, 2016 As an Indian citizen ,I truly wish @narendramodi sang the #NationalAnthem before announcing the #NoteBandi Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) December 1, 2016 ALSO READ| National anthem before films in theatres: Forced nationalism? Civic duty? Or a small price to pay? --- ENDS --- [December 02, 2016] AR-CHECK: Augmented Reality Technology Will Revolutionize the Cleaning Business Augmented Reality has taken the world by storm, especially since the release of Pokemon Go. Based on this high potential technology, AR-CHECK aims to revolutionize the professional cleaning industry, by pairing the AR-CHECK technology with smart glasses. Supporting cleaning staff by using smart glasses is already revolutionary, but the patent behind AR-CHECK puts the cherry on top. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161202005442/en/ cleaning staff with AR-CHECK, Augmented Reality (Photo: Business Wire) Today, AR-CHECK is proud to announce that AR-CHECK has become an internationally patented application specifically intended for use with smart glasses. AR-CHECK is still in its developmental phase and will become a revolutionary approach to the professional cleaning industry. In about two years, AR-CHECK will support cleaning staff around the world, enhancing their services to an unmatched level. AR-CHECK will fully respond to the future demands of the professional cleaning industry with an integrated and innovative application. Although AR-CHECK is not yet a fully functional product, it is only a matter of time before its launch will forever disrupt the professional cleaning industry. Currently, AR-CHECK would like to invite prospect investors and strategic partners to take part in this digital revolution. Together, we can make this revolutionary technology available sooner; benefiting pofessional cleaning across the globe. FEATURES AR-CHECK is an internationally patented application that will be used with smart glasses once its developmental phase is complete. Still not impressed? Then prepare to be amazed! This product has tremendous potential and the following features: AR-CHECK is the first solution to record and document the entire cleaning process. AR-CHECK will project relevant cleaning information in real-time (procedures, tools and chemicals required). AR-CHECK will display areas that require cleaning in a red overlay, while areas that have been cleaned will automatically turn green. AR-CHECK will communicate with cleaning appliances through sensors. Sensors on vacuum cleaners, mops and even gloves will indicate the correct pressure to be applied during cleaning with a sponge, brush etc. AR-CHECK is able to keep track of cleaning materials, as well as reorder stock as needed. It will also identify and correct any quality issues during cleaning. The system recognizes if the correct tools are used at all times. AR-CHECK will act as an on-site quality controller for cleaning staff and provide permanent support all in one smooth operation. AR-CHECK provides a competitive edge for the cleaning industry. AR-CHECK promises to deliver a complete digital solution that fully covers every aspect of the cleaning process in order to reach the highest standards of quality. As a fully functional product, AR-CHECK will calculate cleaning costs, organize the bookkeeping and optimize the overall workflow. BENEFITS OF USING AR-CHECK Massive savings in staff training and quality control. Full guiding, support and training for the cleaning staff. Adherence to the highest standards of excellence. Elimination of the time-consuming and cost-intensive training of new cleaning staff. Martin Cudzilo; CEO and developer of AR-CHECK, is excited for the future of this technology and its unlimited potential. "AR-CHECK is an internationally patented novelty that is set to change the future of the cleaning industry which currently has an estimated 400 Billion USD annual international turnover. Beyond the advanced technical functionality, AR-CHECK is committed to continuing product development. We seek visionary investors and strategic partners ready to join us in changing the future of cleaning services," explained Martin Cudzilo. ABOUT AR-CHECK AR-CHECK is an innovative provider of digital solutions patented to maximize the operational chain of professional cleaning. AR-CHECK is a registered patent, and will support related professionals in delivering high-end cleaning services. In 2016, AR-CHECK had the honor to be number one of the top five most innovative start-up companies in Germany, Switzerland and Austria (deutsche-startups.de). When AR-CHECK is released, it will maximize professional cleaning services, staff efficiency and reduce billing time, making use of the most revolutionary technology of the century - augmented reality. # # # Images: https://ar-check.com/pressecenter/?lang=en View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161202005442/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 02, 2016] Avigilon Expands H4 Platform with H4 PTZ Camera Line Featuring Video Analytics ~Avigilon's H4 PTZ offers high performance with self-learning video analytics~ VANCOUVER, CANADA, December 2, 2016 /CNW/ - Avigilon Corporation ("Avigilon") (TSX: AVO), provider of trusted security solutions, today announced the expansion of its H4 camera platform with the addition of the H4 PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) camera line. The new H4 PTZ combines high performance with self-learning video analytics providing users both the versatility, functionality, and intelligence to proactively respond to events as they occur. The new H4 PTZ camera line is available in 1 and 2 megapixel (MP) camera resolutions both featuring continuous 360o rotation, allowing operators to track activity in any direction and collect detailed video evidence. "With self-learning video analytics, Avigilon's H4 PTZ camera has the intelligence to notify operators when important events occur," said Dr. Mahesh Saptharishi, Avigilon's Chief Technology Officer. "It also delivers a new level of performance and image quality when further evidence is needed." Figure 1. The H4 PTZ camera line (see above) The H4 PTZ camera line is available to order and features: Self-learning ideo analytics Built-in tamper detection 360 continuous rotation Up to 45x optical zoom Up to 60 frames per second LightCatcher technology Smart H.264 Compressive (Idle Scene Mode) High Definition Stream Management (HDSM) technology IP67 rating For more information on product availability, please contact a local sales representative at avigilon.com/contact-sales. For additional product details and features, visit the following link: avigilon.com/products/video-surveillance/cameras/h4-ptz-camera-line/. About the H4 Platform The Avigilon H4 platform allows for improved overall camera performance, including faster processing power, more efficient bandwidth management, superior image detail, and video analytics capabilities. The H4 platform intelligently and efficiently manages your HD video data, letting you view and search through HD video easier than ever before, with fewer strains on network resources. The combination of Avigilon's revolutionary technologies results in Avigilon's most powerful solution yet, which means your system can maintain optimal performance with unparalleled image detail. About Avigilon Avigilon Corporation provides trusted security solutions to the global market. Avigilon designs, develops, and manufactures video analytics, network video management software and hardware, surveillance cameras, and access control solutions. To learn more about Avigilon, visit avigilon.com. 2016, Avigilon Corporation. indicates a trademark of Avigilon Corporation. Other marks referred to herein are the property of their respective owners. For further information: Investor Enquiries: Darren Seed Vice President, Capital Markets & Communications T: (604) 629-5182 [email protected] Media Enquiries: T: (604) 629-5182 [email protected] SOURCE Avigilon Corporation [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 02, 2016] AWeber Named 17th Best Place to Work in Pennsylvania AWeber is thrilled to announce it has been ranked #17 on the 2016 list of Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania. The leading provider of email marketing for small businesses was recognized Thursday evening (December 1) during the annual Best Places to Work in PA awards banquet in Lancaster, Pa. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161202005553/en/ AWeber Named the 17th Best Place to Work in Pennsylvania (Photo: Business Wire) 2016 marks the fifth consecutive year AWeber has been recognized as one of the best places to work in the state. This year also marks the company's third time being named among the top 20 workplaces. AWeber's CEO, Tom Kulzer, accepted the honor on behalf of the company's 100-member team--of which 20 team members attended the event with him. "Just being recognized in the top 100 is amazing, but to rank as one of the top 20 is a whole other level," says Kulzer. "I'm extremely proud of our team and the culture AWeber has been able to create. The work to push ourselves to even higher levels of awesome is always evolving, but today we celebrate this outstanding achievement." To qualify for the award, AWeber entered a two-part ealuation process required by the Team Pennsylvania Foundation, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the Pennsylvania State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management, and the Central Penn Business Journal. The process involves an intense look at AWeber's internal policies, practices, and demographics followed by an employee survey to understand how actual team members perceive the organization. In September, AWeber was notified that, from these assessments, they were selected and would be recognized as one of PA's best places to work. To see AWeber's video and picture highlights from the 2016 Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania event, visit us on Twitter and Instagram. For more information about Best Places to Work in PA, visit bestplacestoworkinpa.com. About AWeber Founded in 1998, AWeber is one of the world's leading email marketing providers, who helps more than 100,000 businesses, entrepreneurs and bloggers increase sales and profits through its suite of web-based email marketing software. For more information, visit aweber.com, subscribe to the AWeber blog, or follow on Twitter and Facebook. To learn more about AWeber career opportunities, visit aweber.com/careers. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161202005553/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 02, 2016] IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Ethernet Switch and Router Trackers Show Slow, Steady Growth in Core Network Infrastructure Segments The worldwide Ethernet switch market (Layer 2/3) recorded $6.29 billion in revenue in the third quarter of 2016 (3Q16), an increase of 2.0% year over year. Meanwhile, the worldwide total enterprise and service provider (SP) router market finished at $3.56 billion in revenue in 3Q16, increasing 2.6% on a year over year basis. These growth rates are according to results published in the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Ethernet Switch Tracker and Worldwide Quarterly Router Tracker. From a geographic perspective, the 3Q16 Ethernet switch market recorded its strongest growth in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, which increased a solid 11.2% year over year, rebounding from a 2Q16 that saw a moderate decline. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was a standout performer, growing 23.5% on an annualized basis in 3Q16. Similarly, Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan)(APeJ) increased 9.8% year over year in 3Q16. Vietnam (up 57.3% year over year) was the growth pacesetter, while a strong performance in China (up 21.5% year over year) was largely responsible for the region's overall strong performance. Latin America also saw strong growth, increasing 9.2% year over year. Strong performers included Peru (up 21.1% year over year) and Argentina (up 17.0%). Japan experienced its strongest growth in some time, increasing 2.6% on an annualized basis in 3Q16. The remaining regions contracted in 3Q16. North America decreased 1.1% year over year in 3Q16, with Canada experiencing a notable 5.7% annualized decline. Western Europe declined by 1.9% on a year-over-year basis, despite standout quarters in Sweden (up 33.3% year over year) and Portugal (up 32.4% year over year). Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) saw the most significant decline, with revenues decreasing 5.8% on a year-over-year basis, heavily influenced by a 25.7% year-over-year decline in the Czech Republic. "Recent macroeconomic developments and maturing IT architectures have led to a spectrum of reactions by IT decision-makers across the regions with regard to Ethernet switching investments in 3Q16," said Rohit Mehra, vice president, Network Infrastructure, at IDC (News - Alert). "Strong growth in the 40GbE and 100GbE segments specific to datacenter deployments brought a degree of stabilization to a market in transition where the enterprise campus market for switching declined." 10Gb Ethernet switch (Layer 2/3) decreased 1.3% year over year in 3Q16, coming in at $2.22 billion, while 10Gb Ethernet switch port shipments grew 10.6% year over year with over 9.76 million ports shipped in 3Q16. 40Gb Ethernet revenue came in at $756.4 million in 3Q16, growing 20.5% year over year, while port shipments reached nearly 1.9 million ports, representing an increase of 68.5% year over year. 10Gb and 40Gb Ethernet are now joined by emerging 100Gb Ethernet (revenue up 330.1% and shipments up 447.5% on annualized basis in 3Q16) to be the primary drivers of the overall Ethernet switch market in 2016. 1Gb Ethernet switch revenue decreased 4.3% year over year, despite a 10.9% increase in port shipments in the same period, pointing to a maturing campus segment. The worldwide enterprise and service provider router market grew 2.6% on a year-over-year basis in 3Q16 based on a 0.8% increase in the larger service provider segment and a solid 8.2% increase in enterprise routing. This will be a market to watch closely over the coming quarters as softwar-defined architectures start to take hold across the WAN, with the potential for SD-WAN to disrupt traditional routing architectures and WAN transport markets. The combined enterprise and service provider router market saw a varied regional performance in 3Q16, with Asia/Pacific once again carrying the market forward. APeJ was by far the best performing region on a year-over-year basis in 3Q16, increasing 23.9%. Japan followed with 15.3% year-over-year growth. No other region experienced year-over-year growth in 3Q16: Latin America declined 2.6%, North America contracted by 3.5%, Western Europe decreased 5.7%, MEA was down 6.3%, and CEE finished 9.6% below 3Q15. Vendor Highlights Cisco (News - Alert) finished the quarter with a 5.4% year-over-year decline in the Ethernet switching market and market share of 57.0%, up from its 56.8% share in 2Q16 but down from 61.5% in 3Q15. In the hotly contested 10GbE segment, Cisco held 53.5% of the market in 3Q16, up from 53.0% in the previous quarter. Cisco saw its combined service provider and enterprise router revenue decrease 4.8% on an annualized basis, while its market share came in at 44.2% in 3Q16, down from 44.8% in 2Q16. Huawei (News - Alert) continued to perform well in both the Ethernet switch and the router markets. Huawei's Ethernet switch revenue grew 91.6% year over year in 3Q16, for a market share of 7.2%. Huawei's enterprise and service provider router revenue increased 23.8% over the same period, with 16.6% of the total router market in 3Q16. Hewlett Packard Enterprise's (HPE) Ethernet switch revenue fell 4.3% quarter over quarter in 3Q16. HPE's market share stands at 5.5% in 3Q16, down from its 6.0% share in 2Q16. (Note: HPE and H3C are tracked separately as of 2Q16). Juniper Ethernet switching increased 7.1% quarter over quarter in 3Q16. Juniper also saw a 5.9% increase year over year in combined service provider and enterprise router revenues, with market share of 17.4%. Arista Networks also performed well in 3Q16, with its Ethernet switching revenue rising 31.5% year over year. "Software-defined network architectures and network transformation for the digital economy are among the factors shaking up the core network infrastructure segments," said Petr Jirovsky, research manager, Worldwide Networking Trackers. "This, combined with the emergence of new Ethernet port speeds across the Datacenter and enterprise campus deployments, will likely lead to continued interest." An interactive graphic showing the relative market shares of the top 5 vendors in the Ethernet switch market over the previous five quarters is available here. The chart is intended for public use in online news articles and social media. Instructions on how to embed this graphic can be found by viewing this press release on IDC.com. The Worldwide Quarterly Ethernet Switch Tracker and the Worldwide Quarterly Router Tracker provide total market size and vendor shares for the Ethernet switch and router technologies in an easy-to-use Excel pivot table format. The geographic coverage for both the Ethernet switch market and the router market includes eight major regions (USA, Canada, Latin America, Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan), Japan, Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, and Middle East and Africa) and 60 countries. The Ethernet switch market is further segmented by speed (100Mb, 1000Mb, 10Gb, 40Gb, 100Gb), product (fixed managed, fixed unmanaged, modular), and layer (L2, L3, ADC (News - Alert)). Measurement for the Ethernet switch market is provided in vendor revenue, value, and port shipments. The router market is further split by product (high-end, mid-range, low-end, SOHO), deployment (service provider, enterprise), connectivity (core, edge), and the measurements are in vendor revenue, value, and unit shipments. For more information about IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Ethernet Switch and Router Trackers, please contact Kathy Nagamine ([email protected]). About IDC Trackers IDC Tracker products provide accurate and timely market size, vendor share, and forecasts for hundreds of technology markets from more than 100 countries around the globe. Using proprietary tools and research processes, IDC's Trackers are updated on a semiannual, quarterly, and monthly basis. Tracker results are delivered to clients in user-friendly excel deliverables and online query tools. The IDC Tracker Charts app allows users to view data charts from the most recent IDC Tracker products on their iPhone and iPad. The IDC Tracker Chart app is also available for Android Phones and Android Tablets. About IDC International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of IDG, the world's leading technology media, data, and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter (News - Alert) at @IDC. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161202005694/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] By Press Trust of India: The National Green Tribunal today banned the use of disposable plastic in Delhi and NCR with effect from January 1, 2017 and directed the city government to take steps to reduce dumped waste. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Swatanter Kumar, however, refused to shut down the Okhla waste-to-energy plant and issued a slew of directions for its eco-friendly operation along with two other plants at Gazipur and Bhalswa. We direct that the Okhla plant shall continue to operate subject to the order of the tribunal. All the corporations, DDA and other public authorities including NCT of Delhi are directed to take immediate steps for reduction and utilisation of dumped waste, the bench said. advertisement Referring to the three dumping sites in Delhi - Okhla, Gazipur and Bhalswa, the tribunal said, Each of these sites is a depiction of mess that can be created for environment and health of people of Delhi. It said, "We direct that use of disposable plastic is prohibited in entire NCT of Delhi. The Delhi government shall take steps for storage and use of plastic materials with effect from January 1, 2017." The bench also constituted a joint inspection team comprising member secretaries of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), A senior scientist of the Ministry of Environment and Forests along with an IIT Delhi professor, be nominated by the IIT director, directing it to file its report within six weeks and supervise and visit the plants once in two months. The directions came on a plea filed by Sukhdev Vihar Residents Welfare Association praying for closure of waste-to-energy plant alleging that it uses illegal mass burning technology which causes air pollution. The bench, while directing the plants to strictly follow the prescribed norms provided in the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act and the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, said they will be fined Rs five lakh for non-compliance of directions and each pollution incident. It also said that an environment compensation of Rs 10,000 will be imposed on the vegetable vendors and slaughter houses for throwing garbage in public places. It directed the Delhi government to make operational the Shastri Park Waste Disposal Plant in six weeks after DPCC said it required an environmental clearance. The government has also been asked to include a condition in all tenders for construction work that they will use the waste materials released by the plants for road construction. --- ENDS --- [December 01, 2016] Quorum Health Corporation Completes Sale of Hospital in Hamlet, North Carolina Quorum Health Corporation (NYSE: QHC) has completed the divestiture of Sandhills Regional Medical Center in Hamlet, North Carolina, and its associated assets, to FirstHealth of the Carolinas, Inc. The effective date of the transaction is December 1, 2016. Thomas D. Miller, Quorum Health's president and chief executive officer stated, "We have completed our first divestiture in our strategy to optimize our portfolio to improve organizational performance and reduce debt while assuring the community in Hamlet has a local healthcare partner in FirstHealth. We anticipate closing our second announced divestiture by year end." About Quorum Health Corporation Quorum Health Corporation is an operator and manager of general acute care hospitals and outpatient services in the United States. Through its affiliates, the Company owns or leases a diversified portfolio of 37 affiliated hospitals with an aggregate of over 3,500 licensed beds. The Company also operates Quorum Health Resources, LLC, a leadinghospital management advisory and consulting services business. Quorum Health began trading on the NYSE under ticker symbol "QHC" on May 2, 2016, after completing its spin-off from Community Health Systems, Inc. (NYSE: CYH). More information about Quorum Health Corporation can be found at www.quorumhealth.com. Forward-Looking Statements Statements contained in this news release regarding expected operating results, acquisition transactions or divestitures and other events are forward-looking statements that involve risk and uncertainties. Actual future events or results may differ materially from these statements. Readers are referred to the documents filed by Quorum Health Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including current reports on Form 8-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. These filings identify important risk factors and other uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The terms "QHC," "Quorum Health," "the Company," "we," "us" or "our" refer to Quorum Health Corporation or one or more of its subsidiaries or affiliates as applicable. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161201006417/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 01, 2016] Accenture Names 647 New Managing Directors and Senior Managing Directors Accenture (News - Alert) (NYSE:ACN) has named 647 people to managing director and senior managing director, including a record percentage of women. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161201006486/en/ (Graphic: Business Wire) "Each of these individuals has demonstrated leadership, passion and energy in serving our clients, developing our people and running our business," said Pierre Nanterme, Accenture's chairman and CEO. "These promotions reflect our commitment to provide our people with opportunities to develop and grow in their careers." Women account for 30 percent of the newly promotd managing directors, the largest percentage of women ever promoted to this level at Accenture and up from 29 percent in 2015. Of the combined managing directors and senior managing directors, 29 percent are women - also a record and up from 28 percent in 2015. "Diversity is absolutely essential to a high-performing, talent-led organization, and I am very pleased that we continue to make progress in gender diversity," Nanterme added. "In addition to advancing a record percentage of women to senior leadership again this year, we recently surpassed our goal to reach 40 percent women new hires worldwide by 2017." With this milestone, the company has more than 145,000 women at Accenture - more than one third of its global workforce. About Accenture Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions - underpinned by the world's largest delivery network - Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With approximately 384,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161201006486/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 01, 2016] Fitch Affirms Green Dot Public Schools, Animo Inglewood Charter High School (CA) at 'BBB-' Fitch Ratings has affirmed the 'BBB-' rating on approximately $7.8 million of California Statewide Communities Development Authority charter school revenue bonds issued on behalf of the Green Dot Public Schools California (GDPSC), Animo Inglewood Charter High School (AI). The Rating Outlook is Stable. SECURITY The bonds are secured by pledged revenues of AI, including local control funding formula funds from the state of California (IDR 'AA-'/Outlook Stable). Additional security provisions include a cash-funded reserve equal to maximum annual debt service (MADS). KEY RATING DRIVERS SOUND FINANCIAL OPERATIONS: The 'BBB-' rating reflects AI's sound operating results and debt service coverage due to stable enrollment, increasing per-pupil funding, and good expense management through GDPSC. AI has ample student demand and some flexibility to enroll additional students. ESTABLISHED OPERATING HISTORY: AI has a fairly long operating history and multiple charter renewals. In 2015, AI received its third charter renewal for a full term of five years, reflecting consistently strong academic results exceeding district and state averages. AI is operated by Green Dot Public Schools, which manages 21 schools in California. STRUCTURE LIMITS LIQUIDITY: Liquidity held at AI is minimal, as funds and transactions are handled on its behalf by GDPSC. Bond covenants require a fund balance at AI of only 5% of the prior year's operating expenses. However, limited liquidity is partially mitigated by AI's consistently strong operating results and strong support and oversight from GDPSC. RATING SENSITIVITIES STANDARD CHARTER RISKS: A limited financial cushion; substantial reliance on enrollment-driven, per pupil funding; and charter renewal risk are credit concerns common among all charter school transactions that, if pressured, could negatively affect Animo Inglewood Charter High School's rating. CREDIT PROFILE Animo Inglewood is a charter high school located in Inglewood, CA (News - Alert). Certified in 2001 and initiating operations in 2002 with 140 freshman students, AI has received three charter renewals since creation, most recently in 2015 for a full five-year term. Fitch was unable to speak with AI's authorizer, the Inglewood Unified School District, prior to publication. However, AI's recent renewal and strong academic track record partially offset charter renewal risk. GDPS serves over 11,000 students across a network of 26 schools. Most schools are in CA, in the greater Los Angeles area, but GDPS now operates schools in TN and WA. In exchange for a shared services fee, AI enjoys access to GDPSC's favorable vendor contracts, academic and financial management support, and fundraising capabilities. STRONG ACADEMICS AND DEMAND AI has strong academic results which drive sound demand and enrollment. AI's results on state-wide tests in spring 2016 exceeded district averages by a wide margin and also exceed state averages. AI is fully enrolled within its target enrollment of 550-650, with 636 students as of Oct. 5, 2016, and maintains a large and up-to-date waitlist. Fitch views AI's strong demand as sources of financial flexibility; if necessary, AI could draw additional students and thereby increase its revenue. CONSISTENTLY POSITIVE OPERATING MARGINS AI generates sound operating margins and coverage of debt service due to stable enrollment, increasing per-pupil funding, and good expense management through GDPSC. Operating margins averaged 9.8% from fiscal years 2011 to 2015, and preliminary 2016 results are stronger due to higher-than-expected enrollment. These figures include expense for the shared services fee paid to GDPSC, which is technically subordinate to debt service. AI's operating strength and flexibility mitigate its high reliance (consistently over 70%) on per pupil funding, which is typical of charter schools. HIGH BUT MANAGEABLE DEBT BURDEN The school's debt burden is high, with MADS consuming 10% of fiscal 2015 operating revenues. This level is moderating over time and is stronger than Fitch's minimum expectation of a MADS burden of 15% or less for investment-grade charter schools. AI's high debt burden is also manageable in light of cash flow. Coverage of MADS from operations was sound at 1.8x in fiscal 2015, well above Fitch's baseline expectation of at least 1.0x MADS coverage for investment-grade charter schools. Excluding the subordinate shared services fee, fiscal 2015 coverage would have exceeded 3x. There are no significant capital or debt plans related to Animo Inglewood at this time. LIMITED LIQUIDITY All material cash and investments balances are held at GDPSC and are not reflected in AI's financials. GDPSC is required to maintain a minimum unrestricted fund balance at AI equal to 5% of AI's operating expenditures in the previous fiscal year, pursuant to a net asset covenant in the bond indenture. Using this as a proxy for legally available funds, AI's balance sheet resources represent a very low 3.6% of net outstanding debt. However, limited liquidity is mitigated by consistently strong operating results and oversight by GDPSC. Further mitigating weak liquidity, AI reports a $2.2 million intracompany receivable, primarily its cash held at GDPSC. However, this cash is not segregated or pledged to bondholdrs. In addition, GDPSC management affirms that it would support AI, or any of its managed schools, to the extent possible if they encountered financial stress. Fitch believes that GDPSC's adequate resource base and operational support could help offset AI's limited liquidity in a downside scenario. However, Fitch's rating does not assume any support from GDPSC; GDPSC resources are not pledged for payment of the bonds and are potentially subject to liquidation in support of other schools or projects. Additional information is available at 'www.fitchratings.com'. Applicable Criteria Charter School Rating Criteria (pub. 04 Nov 2016) https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/889812 Revenue-Supported Rating Criteria (pub. 16 Jun 2014) https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/750012 Additional Disclosures Dodd-Frank Rating Information Disclosure Form https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/press_releases/content/ridf_frame.cfm?pr_id=1015701 Solicitation Status https://www.fitchratings.com/gws/en/disclosure/solicitation?pr_id=1015701 Endorsement Policy https://www.fitchratings.com/regulatory ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTPS://WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON (News - Alert) THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEB SITE AT WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA, AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. 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Due to the relative efficiency of electronic publishing and distribution, Fitch research may be available to electronic subscribers up to three days earlier than to print subscribers. For Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and South Korea only: Fitch Australia Pty Ltd holds an Australian financial services license (AFS license no. 337123) which authorizes it to provide credit ratings to wholesale clients only. Credit ratings information published by Fitch is not intended to be used by persons who are retail clients within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161201006488/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Protective Closes United States Warranty Corp. Acquisition Protective Life Corporation ("Protective") has announced that on December 1, 2016 its principal subsidiary, Protective Life Insurance Company ("Protective Life"), completed the acquisition of the Pompano Beach, Florida-based USWC Holding Company ("US Warranty") via a stock purchase agreement. US Warranty, through its affiliated operating subsidiaries, including United States Warranty Corp., markets vehicle service contracts, GAP coverage and a suite of ancillary automotive maintenance and protection products nationwide. The transaction was originally announced on August 18, 2016. "The addition of US Warranty is expected to expand our market reach, enhance our product and operational capabilities, and enable higher growth. The team in Pompano Beach has joined the Protective family and we are all looking forward to growing the business and continuing to deliver valuable solutions to our cusomers," said Richard J. Bielen, Protective's President and Chief Operating Officer. ABOUT PROTECTIVE Protective Life Corporation provides financial services through the production, distribution and administration of insurance and investment products throughout the U.S. The flagship subsidiary, Protective Life Insurance Company, was founded in 1907. Protective's home office is located in Birmingham, Alabama. As of December 31, 2015 the Company had assets of approximately $68.5 billion. Protective Life Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dai-ichi Life Holdings, Inc. (TSE:8750, "Dai-ichi") For more information on Protective Life Corporation, please visit www.protective.com. For more information about Asset Protection visit www.protectiveassetprotection.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161201006501/en/ [December 01, 2016] SCU Leavey School of Business Announces Nimbler, More-Flexible and Silicon Valley-focused Two-Year MBA Program for Working Professionals The Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University has approved the most significant overhaul of its MBA curriculum in two decades, to meet the evolving needs of today's working professionals. The changes, which take effect for all students beginning with the fall 2016 MBA class, are designed to accomplish numerous goals: Leverage the best practices of Silicon Valley and of innovative global business models Enable working professionals to complete an MBA in two years instead of three to four Facilitate a greater degree of co-teaching by Valley executives as adjunct faculty alongside tenured or tenure-track faculty Initiate the school's first-ever MBA in-residence week, which will build much-sought-after collegiality and networking opportunities among the working professionals who come to SCU for their MBA Streamline and focus the core requirements "In recent years, we've heard from our students and advisory board members that our biggest value to students is the combination of strong business fundamentals taught by our highly experienced faculty, and real-life case studies from the many global tech companies headquartered within miles of campus," said Caryn Beck-Dudley, dean of the Leavey School of Business. "So in a highly agile and student-centric manner, we have identified and are implementing a fantastic new curriculum that will quickly, efficiently, and flexibly offer our MBA students the very best of what Santa Clara and its Silicon Valley location have to offer." Among the most significant changes: One MBA replaces three. Formerly, SCU offered MBA degrees targeted to accelerated, emerging professional, and traditional part-time students. Now, the program will be exclusively a part-time MBA offering, available to students with at least three to five years work experience. Fewer, updated, core-required classes. The new curriculum will have 40 core units that each student must take-15 percent fewer units than previously-and 30 elective units. Foundational courses in accounting, economics, and statistics have been condensed to focus on the topics that are essential for Silicon Valey working professionals, giving MBA students more opportunity to personalize their degree to reflect their individual career needs. Additionally, new core courses in emerging disciplines like business analytics and managing enterprise systems give MBA students the tools that they need to run the next generation of leading companies. More Silicon Valley experiential learning. The curriculum will incorporate increased links to Silicon Valley through site visits, adjunct teaching by working executives, and other opportunities. A mandatory business analytics course. Virtually every business discipline today requires students to have a skillset in business analytics. The updated SCU MBA offers a core course supporting students' ability to understand and optimize customer-data results and plan marketing or other strategic decision making accordingly. An in-residence week. In a move that will build camaraderie among cohorts, each incoming class will spend much of their first week on campus taking 32 hours of classes focused especially on leadership and team building. The cohort will then have the opportunity to take required classes together. "This new curriculum gives our students enormous flexibility to stay on top of the most current problems being faced by businesses today," said Jim Burns '86, chief financial officer of Accela (News - Alert), and member of the Leavey School of Business advisory board. "They will graduate with a tremendous capacity to solve today's problems, a network of cohort members and SCU alumni-like myself-to draw upon, and a lifelong appreciation for business fundamentals conveyed through a real-world lens." More information about the new MBA curriculum, including how to apply is at https://scu.edu/business/mba-degrees/prospective-students/. About the Leavey School of Business The Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University began in 1923, and was one of the first business schools in the country to receive national accreditation. Its undergraduate business, MBA, and MS programs are consistently ranked among the top in the nation by BusinessWeek, U.S. News, Princeton Review, and others. The curriculum at all levels emphasizes the leadership role of business in creating prosperity within an ethical framework, as well as business responsibilities for social justice and sustainability in the global marketplace. For more information, see www.scu.edu/business/. About Santa Clara University Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California's Silicon Valley, offers its more than 9,000 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering; master's degrees in business, education, counseling psychology, pastoral ministry, and theology; and law degrees and engineering Ph.D.s. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master's universities, California's oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161201006506/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 01, 2016] Canada Receives Best Country Award at International Mining Investment Forum LONDON, England, Dec. 1, 2016 /CNW/ - Canada's mineral industry is recognized globally for its innovation, environmental stewardship, Indigenous engagement and corporate social responsibility. Coupled with a stable and secure economy, this makes Canada one of the world's top destinations for exploration and mining. Mining in Canada is an essential economic driver and source of good middle-class jobs, including in remote and Indigenous communities. Today, Canada was recognized at Mines and Money London, Europe's biggest mining finance conference, as the recipient of the Best Country Award in recognition of its international leadership in governance and for showing the most improvement in terms of attractiveness to mineral investors. Janice Charette, Canada's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, attended the event and accepted the award. The Government of Canada continues to take steps to ensure a strong and dynamic mineral industry. Budget 2016 included measures such as extending the Mineral Exploration Tax Credit and changes to tax rules so tha certain costs associated with environmental studies and community consultations required for exploration permits will be eligible as Canadian Exploration Expenses. In addition, Budget 2016 supported innovation by investing $1 billion over the next four years to support clean technology in the natural resource sectors, including mining. The Government of Canada also continues to invest in public geoscience to help facilitate grassroots exploration by the junior mining sector. Canada, among other countries, was nominated for this award by readers of the Mining Journal. Nominations were reviewed by Mines and Money London's Industry Advisory Board & Awards Judging Panel, which comprises global industry leaders. Quotes "Our government and Canada's miners have worked tirelessly to ensure that the maple leaf remains a trusted and valued symbol within the global mineral industry. Attracting investment in our mineral industry by ensuring strong regulations, and responsible and environmentally sound practices, will help to ensure that mining remains a source of opportunity and prosperity for communities across the country." Jim Carr Canada's Minister of Natural Resources Associated Links Exploration and Mining in Canada: An Investor's Brief Mining in Canada Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan (http://twitter.com/nrcan) NRCan's news releases and backgrounders are available at www.news.gc.ca SOURCE Natural Resources Canada [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 01, 2016] Europe Broadcast Switchers Market Forecast 2015-2023 LONDON, Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- KEY FINDINGS Europe holds the second largest share after North America in the broadcast switchers market in the world. The Europe holds 27% share of total broadcast switchers market. In 2015, European broadcast switchers market has the total annual turnover of nearly $400 million. Broadcast switchers are utilized in the transmission of video and audio signals in the broadcasting network. Broadcast switchers are a key part of video broadcast and the introduction of which has made the video transmission process easy. Broadcast switchers mainly find their use in control rooms, remote trucks, edit suites and many more. Market insights There is a rising penetration of television across the globe. The significantly rising usage of digital television and high definition television is expected to improve the experience associated with video broadcasting. The rowing demand for high definition video quality is an important factor that has pushed the need to opt for digital broadcasting. With the use of broadcast switchers, live broadcast can be carried out efficiently. These factors are expected to drive the broadcast switchers market. The global broadcast switchers market is expected to grow with a CAGR of 7.0% during the forecasted period of 2016-2023. Some of the factors restraining the global broadcast switchers market are high capital investment required for the equipment and other procedural events of broadcasting; also lack of proper standardization process in content distribution is expected to hinder the growth of the market. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4379320/ About Reportbuyer Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers http://www.reportbuyer.com For more information: Sarah Smith Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 208 816 85 48 Website: www.reportbuyer.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/europe-broadcast-switchers-market-forecast-2015-2023-300371856.html SOURCE ReportBuyer [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 01, 2016] Fitch Rates University of Maryland Medical System (MD) 2017 Revs 'A'; Outlook Revised to Negative Fitch Ratings has assigned an 'A' rating to the following revenue bonds issued by the Maryland Health and Higher Educational Facilities Authority on behalf of University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS). --$151,050,000 series 2017B (Tax-Exempt); --$122,365,000 series 2017C (Taxable). In addition, Fitch affirms the rating on UMMS's $1.2 billion outstanding debt including the series 2005 and 2010 bonds to be refunded; Fitch does not rate the series 1991B bonds. The Rating Outlook is revised to Negative from Stable. SECURITY Debt payments are secured by a pledge of the gross revenues of the obligated group. KEY RATING DRIVERS POTENTIAL ACQUISITION OF DIMENSIONS HEALTHCARE SYSTEM: UMMS, Prince George County (County) and Dimensions Healthcare System (Dimensions) entered in a revised MOU in August 2016 that paves the way for UMMS to become the sole corporate member of the Dimensions. The proposed transformation project includes construction of a replacement hospital for the Dimensions Cheverly campus and scaling back of inpatient care at one other Dimensions facilities at a total cost of $645.5 million. The proposed project will receive significant capital commitments from both the State of Maryland and the County and will require UMMS to make a capital commitment for the project. REVISION OF THE OUTLOOK TO NEGATIVE: The Negative Outlook reflects the expected execution of a Definitive Agreement and acquisition of Dimensions by UMMS, as well as the potential impact on UMMS financial profile. The timing, size and security structure of any potential UMMS debt issuance in support of the Dimensions transformation has not been finalized at this time and as such cannot be fully incorporated into Fitch's analysis. GROWING REGIONAL FOOTPRINT: UMMS has been strengthening its regional presence through affiliations with community hospitals and driving tertiary business to its flagship facility, University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). UMMS maintains the leading market position within the state of Maryland with a market share of 25.5% in the PSA, compared to 19.9% for Johns Hopkins and 14.9% for MedStar. FACING MARGIN PRESSURE: Operating performance has been relatively stable over the last three years despite challenges related to integrating new hospitals into the system. UMMS generated operating income of $87.2 million in fiscal 206 (year-end June 30), ahead of budget, translating to operating and operating EBITDA margins of 2.4% and 9.4%, respectively. The first quarter of fiscal 2017 ended with a small operating loss of $0.6 million, which includes a one-time expense related to a termination of a defined benefit pension plan at one of the facilities. Excluding the one-time expense operating income was $20.1 million, equal to an operating margin of 2.1%. The attainment of projected margins averaging 2% over the next five years will require implementation of a performance improvement plan totaling $1 billion during this period. WEAK LIQUIDITY: While liquidity is weak for the rating category and is not expected to improve materially given the system's future capital needs, metrics have remained. Absolute liquidity has been slowly improving over the last several years but liquidity metrics improvement is limited by increase in system expenses as the organization expanded - consolidated system revenues increased by 21% since 2014. Unrestricted cash and investments at Sept. 30, 2016 of $1.2 billion translating to 122.2 days cash on hand (DCOH), 12.5x cushion ratio and 68.6% cash-to-debt, all trail the respective 'A' category medians of 125 DCOH, 19.4x and 148.6%. UMMS liquidity is also negatively impacted by a large swap portfolio, requiring collateral posting of $170.9 million at Sept. 30, 2016. Given capital plans on the horizon, liquidity is likely to remain stressed, but expected to remain fairly close to historical levels. ELEVATED DEBT BURDEN AND ROBUST CAPITAL NEEDS: UMMS debt burden is still elevated but has moderated over time. Historical coverage of pro-forma maximum annual debt service (MADS) by EBITDA was 3.4x in fiscal 2016, lower than Fitch's 'A' category median of 4.5x, but MADS as percent of revenues has declined to 2.7%, consistent with the category median. However, the system has significant capital needs over the next five years, requiring debt issuance of approximately $286 million in fiscal 2018, not including any potential debt issuance in support of Dimensions, which may be as early as summer 2017. RATING SENSITIVITIES NEED TO IMPLEMENT A $1 BILLION PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT: Fitch expects University of Maryland Medical System to execute its goal of generating operating margins averaging 2% over the medium term needed to support its capital and programmatic investments. Failure to generate adequate cash-flow to maintain positive margins in absence of moderating its capital spending would produce downward rating pressure. RISKS IN ACQUISITION OF DIMENSIONS HEALTH: While the impact of the potential acquisition and funding of the Dimensions Health transformation strategy is not fully reflected in the rating, the increased risk associated with the acquisition, operation and execution of a replacement hospital for Dimensions is likely to result in negative action. Fitch will evaluate the impact of the acquisition once the Definitive Agreement is signed and debt plans are solidified. NEW ISSUE DETAILS The series 2017B fixed-rate tax exempt bonds and the series 2017C fixed-rate taxable bonds are expected to be sold via negotiation the week of Jan. 16, 2017. The transaction will refinance or refund the outstanding series 1991B (not rated by Fitch) and series 2005 and 2010 bond series. Sources of funds include release of all or portion of the debt service reserve funds (DSRF) of the series 1991B and the series 2010 bonds. DSRF's will not be funded in connection with the 2017 series. Final maturity of the bonds is in July 2039 and MADS, provided by the underwriters of $100.7 million occurs in 2021. Net present value savings are currently estimated at $8.2 million. Additionally, the transaction will enable the elimination of a 63% debt to capitalization covenant. CREDIT PROFILE UMMS is comprised of the flagship facility, University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) located in Baltimore, Maryland, and several community and specialty hospitals. UMMS leverages its strong relationship with the state and University of Maryland's School of Medicine (SOM), which is a key differentiating factor compared to UMMS's competitors. The state continues to provide UMMS operating as well as capital support and UMMS is aligned with the SOM, which trains 50%-60% of the physicians in the state. Fitch reviews the consolidated system, which generated total operating revenues of $3.67 billion in fiscal 2016. The obligated group accounted for 95.3% of consolidated system assets and 90% of consolidated system revenues in fiscal 2016. Essential Provider in Maryland Once a state-owned institution, UMMS continues to benefit from its close ties to the State of Maryland (general obligation bonds rated 'AAA') as an essential provider of certain high-end services, including the state's largest trauma center. UMMS has been receiving ongoing operating support of approximately $3 million annually for the Shock Trauma Center as well as $32.2 million for certain capital projects over the last four years. For fiscal 2017, the state will provide capital support of $25.3 million, with $20 million specifically dedicated for upgrading of UMMS's NICU and labor and delivery areas. UMMS' strong relationship with the University of Maryland's (rated 'AA+') SOM enhances its ability to reduce costs and increase revenue as the faculty at SOM (approximately 1,200 physicians) is the medical staff at UMMC. Further, UMMC's ability to provide high end services is evidenced by a Medicare case mix index of 2.34 that results in a large volume of referrals throughout the state. Maryland Global Budget Revenue Program Effective Jan. 1, 2014, UMMS signed onto the Marylnd GBR program, which now accounts for majority of total system revenues. Currently under a five-year pilot period, the GBR program offers participants a fixed revenue stream designed to incentivize hospitals to avoid unnecessary care and provide care in the most appropriate cost setting. The amount of hospital revenue is known before the start of the fiscal year and is adjusted annually. The per capita growth rate of total GBR payments is capped at 3.58% annually for the first three years. With continued implementation, less complex services are expected to migrate to more cost effective outpatient settings from the main campus. Strategies are under development to improve physician alignment, which will be one of the key drivers of success in managing populations. Additionally, as part of its population health management strategy, UMMS acquired Riverside Health Plan, which has 35,000 Medicaid managed care enrollees. Need to Maintain Profitability UMMS revenue base continues to diversify and grow, with operating revenues totaling over $3.7 billion in fiscal 2016 compared to $2.4 billion in fiscal 2012. The system reported two fiscal years with solid operating income - $117.7 million in 2015 and $87.2 million in 2016, generating operating margin so 3.5% and 2.4%, respectively. Fitch notes particularly the success of reversing the large operating losses at St. Joseph Medical Center following its acquisition in 2012, which initially pressured UMMS's profitability. The small operating loss reported for the first quarter of 2017 is the result of a $20.7 million one-time expense from the termination of a frozen defined benefit pension plan at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center and a higher than budgeted medical loss ratio at the Riverside Health Plan. UMMS has budgeted 2017 operating income of $69.8 million (1.8% operating margin). The ability to generate the projected margins will require performance improvement of $1 billion over the next five years, with the biggest lift in the current fiscal year. Failure to execute these financial improvement plan targets would necessitate the need to delay or alter the capital plans. Update on Dimensions Health System UMMS, together with the University of Maryland and the State and Prince George's County, has been a partner in the effort to address the inadequate facilities operated by Dimensions. The current plan to which both the County and State have committed themselves via legislation, contemplates the construction of a replacement 231-bed hospital - Regional Medical Center (RMC) at a more favorable new location outside of the 495 beltway, as well as the transformation of the other two campuses more focused on outpatient care. As conceived, RMC would become more of a tertiary regional medical center. UMMS already operates several programs at Dimensions, such as Level II Trauma and cardio-thoracic surgery. The State and the County have each committed $208 million of capital support for the project and $15 million each for operating support in the initial years. A Definite Agreement is expected to be signed in December 2016 and the County and State funding is contingent on UMMS becoming the sole corporate member of Dimensions, responsible for its governance and operations. Construction of the RMC may start as early as summer of 2017. Weak but Stable Liquidity At Sept. 30, 2016, unrestricted cash and investments totaled $1.2 billion, equal to 122 DCOH, 12.2x cushion ratio, and 68.6% cash to debt, weaker against the 'A' medians of 215 days, 19.4x and 148.8%, respectively. Fitch notes that unrestricted cash and investments have grown steadily over time, but the ability to grow liquidity is partly limited within Maryland's rate setting system. Balance sheet weakness is somewhat offset by the relative revenue stability and predictability under the GBR model. Robust Capital Plans Management has projected $760 million of capital expenditures for next five years roughly split between routine capital and IT needs and approximately $780 million for strategic investments and projects. The current projections envision issuance of close to $300 million in 2018. This does not include any debt that UMMS may need to issue in support of the Dimensions replacement hospital. While issuance of additional debt could pressure the rating, management is committed to flex capital expenditures based on debt capacity. Fitch would evaluate the impact of any issuance against UMMS's financial profile once plans are solidified. Elevated Debt Burden MADS coverage by EBITDA of the pro forma MADS was 3.4x in fiscals 2016, lower than Fitch's 'A' category median of 4.5x, but MADS as percent of revenues has moderated to 2.7%, in line with the category median. Debt to capitalization remains elevated at 55.5% compared to the 36% median. The metrics do not include any assumption of the potential Dimensions debt. Debt Profile At Sept. 30, 2016, UMMS's outstanding total debt including short term debt, leases and draws on line of credit totaled approximately $1.8 billion, of which approximately 54% was fixed rate and the remaining variable (swapped to fixed). Debt service is level until 2024 and then declines slightly. Pro forma MADS of $100.7 million occurs in 2021. Given market conditions, swap collateral posting requirements have been sizeable and volatile. As of Sept. 30, 2016, UMMS was counter-party to 11 swap contracts with a total notional value of $776 million. The aggregate market value of UMMS' swap portfolio was negative $268.7 million which required collateral posting of $170.9 million. UMMS draws on its line of credit for these requirements, which Fitch includes in total debt. Disclosure UMMS discloses annual financial statements within 120 days and quarter unaudited financial statements within 45 days for the first three quarters and within 90 days for the last quarter through the MSRB EMMA website. Additional information is available at 'www.fitchratings.com'. Applicable Criteria Revenue-Supported Rating Criteria (pub. 16 Jun 2014) https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/750012 U.S. Nonprofit Hospitals and Health Systems Rating Criteria (pub. 09 Jun 2015) https://www.fitchratings.com/site/re/866807 Additional Disclosures Dodd-Frank Rating Information Disclosure Form https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/press_releases/content/ridf_frame.cfm?pr_id=1015707 Solicitation Status https://www.fitchratings.com/gws/en/disclosure/solicitation?pr_id=1015707 Endorsement Policy https://www.fitchratings.com/regulatory ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTPS://WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON (News - Alert) THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEB SITE AT WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA, AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE, AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE CODE OF CONDUCT SECTION OF THIS SITE. FITCH MAY HAVE PROVIDED ANOTHER PERMISSIBLE SERVICE TO THE RATED ENTITY OR ITS RELATED THIRD PARTIES. DETAILS OF THIS SERVICE FOR RATINGS FOR WHICH THE LEAD ANALYST IS BASED IN AN EU-REGISTERED ENTITY CAN BE FOUND ON THE ENTITY SUMMARY PAGE FOR THIS ISSUER ON THE FITCH WEBSITE. Copyright 2016 by Fitch Ratings, Inc., Fitch Ratings Ltd. and its subsidiaries. 33 Whitehall Street, NY, NY 10004. Telephone: 1-800-753-4824, (212) 908-0500. Fax: (212) 480-4435. Reproduction or retransmission in whole or in part is prohibited except by permission. All rights reserved. In issuing and maintaining its ratings and in making other reports (including forecast information), Fitch relies on factual information it receives from issuers and underwriters and from other sources Fitch believes to be credible. Fitch conducts a reasonable investigation of the factual information relied upon by it in accordance with its ratings methodology, and obtains reasonable verification of that information from independent sources, to the extent such sources are available for a given security or in a given jurisdiction. The manner of Fitch's factual investigation and the scope of the third-party verification it obtains will vary depending on the nature of the rated security and its issuer, the requirements and practices in the jurisdiction in which the rated security is offered and sold and/or the issuer is located, the availability and nature of relevant public information, access to the management of the issuer and its advisers, the availability of pre-existing third-party verifications such as audit reports, agreed-upon procedures letters, appraisals, actuarial reports, engineering reports, legal opinions and other reports provided by third parties, the availability of independent and competent third- party verification sources with respect to the particular security or in the particular jurisdiction of the issuer, and a variety of other factors. Users of Fitch's ratings and reports should understand that neither an enhanced factual investigation nor any third-party verification can ensure that all of the information Fitch relies on in connection with a rating or a report will be accurate and complete. Ultimately, the issuer and its advisers are responsible for the accuracy of the information they provide to Fitch and to the market in offering documents and other reports. In issuing its ratings and its reports, Fitch must rely on the work of experts, including independent auditors with respect to financial statements and attorneys with respect to legal and tax matters. Further, ratings and forecasts of financial and other information are inherently forward-looking and embody assumptions and predictions about future events that by their nature cannot be verified as facts. As a result, despite any verification of current facts, ratings and forecasts can be affected by future events or conditions that were not anticipated at the time a rating or forecast was issued or affirmed. The information in this report is provided "as is" without any representation or warranty of any kind, and Fitch does not represent or warrant that the report or any of its contents will meet any of the requirements of a recipient of the report. A Fitch rating is an opinion as to the creditworthiness of a security. This opinion and reports made by Fitch are based on established criteria and methodologies that Fitch is continuously evaluating and updating. Therefore, ratings and reports are the collective work product of Fitch and no individual, or group of individuals, is solely responsible for a rating or a report. The rating does not address the risk of loss due to risks other than credit risk, unless such risk is specifically mentioned. Fitch is not engaged in the offer or sale of any security. All Fitch reports have shared authorship. Individuals identified in a Fitch report were involved in, but are not solely responsible for, the opinions stated therein. The individuals are named for contact purposes only. A report providing a Fitch rating is neither a prospectus nor a substitute for the information assembled, verified and presented to investors by the issuer and its agents in connection with the sale of the securities. Ratings may be changed or withdrawn at any time for any reason in the sole discretion of Fitch. Fitch does not provide investment advice of any sort. Ratings are not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. Ratings do not comment on the adequacy of market price, the suitability of any security for a particular investor, or the tax-exempt nature or taxability of payments made in respect to any security. Fitch receives fees from issuers, insurers, guarantors, other obligors, and underwriters for rating securities. Such fees generally vary from US$1,000 to US$750,000 (or the applicable currency equivalent) per issue. In certain cases, Fitch will rate all or a number of issues issued by a particular issuer, or insured or guaranteed by a particular insurer or guarantor, for a single annual fee. Such fees are expected to vary from US$10,000 to US$1,500,000 (or the applicable currency equivalent). The assignment, publication, or dissemination of a rating by Fitch shall not constitute a consent by Fitch to use its name as an expert in connection with any registration statement filed under the United States securities laws, the Financial Services and Markets Act of 2000 of the United Kingdom, or the securities laws of any particular jurisdiction. Due to the relative efficiency of electronic publishing and distribution, Fitch research may be available to electronic subscribers up to three days earlier than to print subscribers. For Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and South Korea only: Fitch Australia Pty Ltd holds an Australian financial services license (AFS license no. 337123) which authorizes it to provide credit ratings to wholesale clients only. Credit ratings information published by Fitch is not intended to be used by persons who are retail clients within the meaning of the Corporations Act 2001. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161201006519/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 01, 2016] ZEISS Opens Car Body and Automated Inspection Center in Michigan MAPLE GROVE, Minn., Dec. 1, 2016 /CNW/ -- ZEISS Industrial Metrology opens a new facility in Wixom, Michigan, dedicated to the latest developments for the process chain in car body metrology and automated inspection. "This center helps us illustrate how to make production more efficient in line, in the measuring room, and in-between. This means production and quality can find solutions to problems anytime, from anywhere in the manufacturing facility. ZEISS also showcases solutions for robotic inspection, quality and process data mining, plus measurement planning and offline programming," states Bob Wasilesky, key account manager for automated inspection at Carl Zeiss Industrial Metrology, LLC. "This facility provides a one-stop shop for customers to come in and see the full range of ZEISS automated inspection solutions first hand," says Bob. "The design focuses on learning, with dedicated stations highlighting the interaction of ZEISS technologies in the process chain." The ZEISS AIBox features a fully enclosed measuring cell, bringing traceable coordinate measuring technology close to production. The ZEISS AIMax digital-optical 3D sensor and AIMax Cloud optical 3D sensor are the new benchmark in robot-based 3D inline metrology for composite and sheet metal processing, welding, and car body construction. For portable 3D metrology, the ZEISS COMET L3D 2 and T-SCAN offer great flexibility, a high measuring speed and impressive performance. Customers can see in action and learn about networking inline, atline and offline. ZEISS PiWeb software connects each station, combining measurement data from multiple systems into graphical part stories, SPC charts, quality documents and dashboards. ZEISS engineers at the new facility are available to show the benefits of these technologies, provide consulting, custom programming and specialized training. The location and contact information for the new center is: ZEISS Car Body & Automation Center 47815 West Road Wixom, Michigan 48393 [email protected] 1-800-327-9735 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161201/444932 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zeiss-opens-car-body-and-automated-inspection-center-in-michigan-300371868.html SOURCE Carl Zeiss Industrial Metrology, LLC [December 01, 2016] Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics and Genomics plc First to Sequence Multiple Human Genomes Using Hand-Held Nanopore Technology Oxford University's Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics (WTCHG) and the leading genome analytics company Genomics plc today announced the first sequencing and analysis of multiple human genomes using nanopore technology. The announcement, made on Thursday at the Oxford Nanopore Community Meeting in New York City, marks a major breakthrough in sequencing technology in opening up the potential of wide-scale whole-genome sequencing in humans using nanopore approaches. Today's announcement raises the possibility of a major change to both the economics and the science of DNA sequencing. Researchers at the WTCHG and Genomics plc used the MinION sequencer developed by Oxford Nanopore Technologies. The portable MinION is a hand-held device about the size of a Mars bar, and is powered by a laptop computer to which it connects via a USB port. It is available for $1,000 plus the cost of consumables. While nanopore sequencing has been available for two years, it has previously only been practicable to apply it to relatively small genomes or regions of DNA, such as the much smaller genomes of viruses and bacteria. Recent upgrades to the technology have now made it possible for researchers to conduct larger-scale studies such as sequencing complete human genomes y using multiple MinIONs. A key strength of nanopore sequencing is that reads can be much longer than is possible with other scalable sequencing technologies. Longer reads offer significant advantages in human genome sequencing, enabling researchers to obtain good sequence data from certain biologically important regions of the genome which are difficult to study using existing sequencing technologies. The long reads also appear to make it easier to detect large structural changes in individual genomes. The WTCHG and Genomics team sequenced a standard human reference sample, NA12878. In addition, in collaboration with the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, they sequenced the DNA from a clinical patient. Dr Rory Bowden, Deputy Head of High-Throughput Genomics at the WTCHG, and one of the leaders of the project, said: "It is a significant breakthrough to sequence multiple human genomes with nanopore technology. Moving forward, the idea that there will be alternative technologies with new properties in this space will be very appealing to researchers and to clinical geneticists." Professor Michael Simpson, Co-Head of Science at Genomics plc, another project leader, said: "It is particularly encouraging to show that nanopore sequencing works for routine clinical samples, where the amount and quality of DNA available for sequencing may be constrained. Further, in the clinical sample, the long reads provided by nanopore technology were critical in confirming the genetic changes responsible for the patient's condition." Professor Peter Donnelly, Director of the WTCHG and a Founder and Director of Genomics plc, said: "The WTCHG were one of the pioneers of whole-genome sequencing in clinical medicine. We are delighted to be able to work with nanopore technology to sequence and analyse a reference and a clinical human genome, and to explore the potential for large-scale human sequencing using nanopore approaches." Project Funding. The nanopore sequencing described above was funded by the Wellcome Trust. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161201006115/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] By PTI: Islamabad, Dec 1 (PTI) Pakistan will have no bilateral meeting with India on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia conference in Amritsar where the Prime Ministers Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz is set to participate on Sunday, according to a media report. Aziz is leading the Pakistani delegation to the two-day conference of the process that focuses on regional cooperation between Afghanistan and its neighbours for improving connectivity and tackling security threats. advertisement "Pakistan and India would not hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia ministerial conference being held in Amritsar," Dawn reported, citing officials. "For now we dont see any willingness on their part...the ball is in Indias court, for they know we are willing but we dont know whether they are willing," it quoted an official as saying. Pakistan and India had held a meeting here at the last HoA ministerial conference and agreed to start Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue that was to cover all outstanding issues. The resumption of the dialogue could, however, not take place due to the Pathankot terror attack in January this year. An official was also quoted as saying that Pakistan had not formally reached out to India for a bilateral meeting in Amritsar. Pakistans High Commissioner in India Abdul Basit, while participating in BBC Urdus Facebook Live interaction yesterday, said Pakistan was ready for unconditional resumption of dialogue if India is ready. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is not attending the Heart of Asia ministerial meeting. "Since Sushma Swaraj is not attending, its difficult to have a meeting with anyone else," the daily quoted a Pakistani diplomat as saying. "The Pakistani side believes that the way out of the current stalemate in ties is India giving up its intransigence," the daily said. "India has to make up its mind. They are not willing to discuss Kashmir," the official said. India has been non-committal about holding bilateral talks with Aziz but has made it clear that "talks and terror cannot go hand in hand". PTI SH ASK ZH AKJ ZH --- ENDS --- [December 01, 2016] CENIC and UC ANR Team Up to Provide Research Scientists with Super-Fast Internet Connectivity The University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Division (UC ANR) and the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC) have connected key UC ANR facilities to CENIC's ultra-fast 100Gbps research and education network, extending ultra-broadband capacity to UC researchers in rural sites across California. UC ANR is comprised of nine Research and Extension Centers (RECS) and 57 local UC Cooperative Extension offices. These facilities, until now, have been hampered by poor Internet connectivity to support the 700 UC academic researchers who are engaged with community and industry partners to ensure that California has healthy food systems, environments, and communities. The UC ANR RECS extend from the Oregon border in the north, through the Sierra foothills and Central Valley, along the Pacific Coast and south to the Mexican border. The REC facilities are situated among California's rich and unique agricultural and natural resources, and they connect both applied and basic scientific research and extension activities to regional challenges and issues in these diverse settings. Today nearly all research and data analysis involve remote collaboration. In order to work effectively and efficiently on multi-institutional projects, researchers depend heavily on high-speed networks and access to large data sets and computing resources. One of the first RECS to be connected is the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center, located in rural Fresno County between the small cities of Parlier and Reedley. The Kearney REC now has very high-speed broadband capability, far surpassing the speeds typically available outside urban centers. "The Internet at Kearney was like a drinking straw delivering and retrieving information, when what we needed was a fire hose," said Gabe Youtsey, chief information officer for UC ANR. "High-speed, broadband Internet at Kearney will allow UC ANR to lead innovative, on-farm agriculture technology research and extension for the UC in the Central Valley. It will allow Kearney researchers to share big data and big computing among UCs and globally." Currently, offices, laboratories and meeting facilities at Kearney have access to this high-speed Internet. In the coming months, high-speed wireless connectivity will become available throughout the 330-acre center. Researchers will be able to collect and upload data without having to make a stop in their offices or laboratories. "You can't do big data with dial-up Internet speed," said Jeffery Dahlberg, director of the UC ANR Kearney REC. "Before this upgrade, our Internt was slower than my home internet speeds. Now we have speeds more like you will find on UC campuses." Dalberg noted that high-speed Internet will become a powerful research tool allowing our researchers to collect and share data in real-time."For instance, a researcher can use an infrared camera in a field collecting readings to determine how a crop responds to heat as it changes throughout the day, but even this modest instrument needs significant bandwidth," he said. "We now have the bandwidth to do that." The research center draws hundreds of farmers to the site for meetings and field days. With the new capability, those that live too far way to travel to Kearney will be able to tune into real-time video streams. Many of UC ANR's research and extension centers are in areas even more remote than Kearney. The Hopland (Mendocino County) and Desert (Holtville, Imperial County) RECs are now online and connected to the CENIC Network. By the end of the academic year (June 2017), West Side (western San Joaquin Valley), Hansen (Santa Clara Valley), South Coast (Orange (News - Alert) County), Intermountain (Tulelake), Sierra Foothill (Browns Valley) and Lindcove (Tulare County), will all be on the CENIC Network. UC's environmental education center for Bay Area youth, Elkus Ranch, will also be connected to high-speed Internet via CENIC. "CENIC is one of the most advanced research and education networks in the world and a critical resource for University of California research, education, and clinical communities," said Tom Andriola, UC Vice President and Chief Information Officer and CENIC Board member. "Extending the CENIC network to the full UC community - including UC ANR's key research and education sites - is essential to the UC mission. Today we have achieved a significant milestone, thanks to the dedication of both CENIC and ANR leadership." About UC ANR | www.ucanr.edu The Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) is a statewide network of University of California researchers and educators dedicated to the creation, development and application of knowledge in agricultural, natural and human resources. The University of California's Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources is the bridge between local issues and the power of UC research. ANR's advisors, specialists and faculty bring practical, science-based answers to Californians. ANR works hand in hand with industry to enhance agricultural markets, help the balance of trade, address environmental concerns, protect plant health, and provide farmers with scientifically tested production techniques and Californians with increased food safety. ANR is comprised of 200 locally based Cooperative Extension advisors and specialists 57 local offices throughout California 130 campus-based Cooperative Extension specialists 9 Research and Extension Centers 6 statewide programs 700 academic researchers in 40 departments at 3 colleges and 1 professional school: UC Berkeley College of Natural Resources UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine UC Riverside College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences About CENIC | www.cenic.org CENIC connects California to the world-advancing education and research statewide by providing the world-class network essential for innovation, collaboration, and economic growth. This nonprofit organization operates the California Research & Education Network (CalREN), a high-capacity network designed to meet the unique requirements of over 20 million users, including the vast majority of K-20 students together with educators, researchers, and other vital public-serving institutions. CENIC's Charter Associates are part of the world's largest education system; they include the California K-12 system, California Community Colleges, the California State University system, California's Public Libraries, the University of California system, Stanford, Caltech, and USC. CENIC also provides connectivity to leading-edge institutions and industry research organizations around the world, serving the public as a catalyst for a vibrant California. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161201006557/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 02, 2016] Professional Examination Board (PEB), Madhya Pradesh, India Conducts all Exams Online; 16 Lakh Candidates Have Appeared for the Exams Between Jan 2016 and Aug 2016 BHOPAL, India and ALISO VIEJO, California, December 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- - Feedback From Candidates Show That Most are Satisfied With the Online Exams and the Enhanced Transparency - UST Global is Professional Examination Board's Nodal Technology Agency for all Online Exams On behalf of the Professional Examination Board, Shri Bhaskar Lakshakar (IAS) Director, PEB, announced that PEB has been successfully conducting all exams online since September 2015 and that this has brought in a higher degree of transparency and speed. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160714/813943 ) Shri Lakshakar said, "The decision to make PEB exams fully online has helped tremendously - data security and faster result processing are just two of the factors that have improved. The candidates are able to know their scores as soon as they complete the exam. As per feedback from the candidates, most of them are satisfied with the online exams and the enhanced transparency. Making exams fully online also has us prepared for 2017 and the calendar is published. I am also proud to state that there are no exams for which results are pending, except for the most recent one. The credit for this goes to my entire team including UST Global." The Professional Examination Board (PEB), Madhya Pradesh, India has the mandate to conduct all examinations (entrance exams and recruitment exams) for the state government, except those under the purview of the Public Services Commission. PEB's decision to make exams fully online is also aligned to the larger Digital India mission. Online exams have also brought a higher degree of transparency. Security featureslike One Time Passwords (OTP) and signal jammers have given a confidence boost to all, especially the candidates. PEB has also linked Aadhaar enabled biometrics to ensure candidate authenticity. Today's mobile proliferation and internet connectivity have been leveraged by PEB to connect better with candidates, especially in rural areas with its mobile app and push SMS etc. At the onset, some candidates were concerned about the lack of computer literacy. Over the course of the year PEB has successfully proved this to be myth and established the fact that the only skills required are to operate the mouse and input their OTP. PEB has also provided mock tests through its website. It has gone one step ahead and tied up with Regional Capacity Building Centers to provide mock tests to candidates which also help the candidates gain confidence on the required computer skills. "We are delighted to work with PEB in this endeavour. It gives us great satisfaction to be an enabler of the digital journey that is changing the face of governance in Madhya Pradesh. This fits well with our mission of transforming lives through digital and technology," said Mr. Alexander Varghese, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), UST Global. On an earlier occasion, during the signing of a MoU between the Govt. of Madhya Pradesh (India) & UST Global, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the honorable Chief Minister of Govt. of Madhya Pradesh (India), said, "This is a very welcome MoU for us. We thank UST Global for its commitment to generating employment. We are happy to be working with them. UST Global has shown interest in starting a Startup Village in their proposed campus. The group chairman was invited for the CEO Conclave and GIS 2016 on 22nd and 23rd October. In a recent project with us, UST Global helped us successfully conduct the largest ever online exam at a state level in India that covered approximately 10 lakh candidates, across 14 cities and 90 colleges. The use of the right technology ensured security and transparency like never before." About UST Global: UST Global is a digital technology services company that provides next-generation digital solutions for Global 1000 companies. Our mission is to 'Transform Lives' using the power of digital technologies and the focus is on digital services and solutions. With a business model of 'fewer CLIENTS, more ATTENTION', UST Global strives for excellence in providing our clients with the best service and commitment to long-term client success. Headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, UST Global has over 15,000 associates operating in 25 countries across four continents. For more information, please visit http://www.ust-global.com Media Contact: Manoj M Mani UST Global [email protected] [email protected] +91-9632000553 PEB Contact: Subhash Dwivedi, PRO Professional Examination Board Chayan Bhawan, Main Road No.1, Chinar Park (East), Bhopal - 462011 [email protected] http://www.vyapam.nic.in/e_default.htm [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 02, 2016] Adslot Expands North American Sales Team Adslot Pty Ltd (ASX: ADJ), the leading global provider of digital media workflow and trading technology globally, today has announced the appointments of Harvey Gamm and Charles Roth to the role of Senior Business Director. Both appointments are newly created positions. Based out of the New York office, and reporting directly to Adslot CEO Ian Lowe, Mr. Roth and Mr. Gamm will be responsible for driving growth across the US market, as well as nurturing current relationships with agencies, advertisers, and key partners. Roth brings extensive sales experience to Adslot with a successful track record encompassing digital media, digital media technology and traditional media, including TV. Most recently Roth held the position of Vice President - Business Development for Varick Media Management. Gamm is a seasoned digital native with a background in media and advertising, most recently as the Vice President of Advertising Sales for Raw Story. Lowe said of Roth and Gamm's appointments: "I'm delighted to welcome Charles and Harvey to the US team and the growing global Adslot family. Charles and Harvey bring with them track records of success, considerable experience and an impressive network of senior agency contacts. These senior appointments form an important component within a broader gowth initiative, of which increased investment in product development and sales/marketing are a key focus." Roth's career spans over 20 years in media that includes roles such as Senior Director of Sales Northeast at Simpli.fi and Divisional Sales Lead at Exponential. He's a highly accomplished senior media executive with a proven track-record leading sales teams and is skilled at working across multiple territories to generate revenue growth through strategic negotiation. Regarding his new role, Roth stated: "I'm excited to take on this role in growing the Adslot business within the US market. This market is rapidly adopting trading automation tools and Adslot's unique platform offers the best, most thoughtful and mature media trading solution that will help our customers achieve both their media and business objectives." Gamm is a digital ad sales leader who has broken sales records at numerous companies as their #1 salesperson and is experienced in managing national sales teams. Gamm's entrepreneurial background has given him extensive knowledge in the tech world giving him the ability to forge strong strategic partnerships and drive business development. Prior to Raw Story he's held roles as SVP Sales at Salon.com, VP at Spin Media/Buzzmedia and Ad Director at Townsquare Media. Commenting on his appointment Gamm said: "I'm thrilled to be joining Adslot at such a pivotal time for the industry. I am looking forward to supporting our mission to deliver the best and most innovative trading technology for publishers, advertisers, and agencies alike." About Adslot Adslot's mission is to automate the workflow trading of forward guaranteed display advertising. Our leading technology is an independent, global media trading platform. Adslot benefits a global community of media buyers and sellers, including media agencies, publishers and advertisers, by providing efficiency and effectiveness made possible only via purpose built technology, and by doing so the basis on which the $60B forward guaranteed online display industry will realize its full growth potential. Adslot is a global organization with operations in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific and is headquartered in Australia. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161201006606/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 02, 2016] Aptitude Labs Provides Disruptive Solutions to D&B SME Business Award Winners MUMBAI, December 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Aptitude Labs, providers of digital consulting to small and medium-sized (SMEs) sector to remain competitive in the current landscape, gave away 30 consulting prizes for three months as gifts to the award winners of the Dun & Bradstreet SME Business Awards held on 29th November, 2016 at the Taj Palace, New Delhi. For all the other participants one month limited access to the Aptitude Labs was offered. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161202/444981 ) Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) is the world's leading provider of global business information, knowledge and insight and provides a global platform to top Indian companies through this acclaimed award function. The event was attended by eminent business leaders and senior government officials. Also present on the occasion were Kaushal Sampat, Managing Director, Dun & Bradstreet, Arjun Meghwal, MoS for Finance & Corporate Affairs, GoI, Haribhai Chaudhary, MoS for MSME, GoI, and Vishwavir Ahuja, CEO, RBL Bank Limited. Alok Kumar advisor at Aptitude Labs represented the company at the award programme. Aptitude Labs stole the show by providing disruptive solutions to SME's in digital transformation. The booth at the award function was crowded until late in the evening as the participants looked for solutions to make themselves digital masters of tomorrow. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Kumar said: "Going digital is an urgent need for SME sector to remain competitive in the current landscape. The challenges of limited money and awareness on this front by this sector were addressed by us, the Innovation Partner, at the show. Our company Aptitude Labs has launched its digital consulting platform, FuturX, which gives the possibility of savings and benefits to the SME sector. Going digital has been the centre of curiosity and inquiries by the participants at the award function and that's what this platform can provide." FuturX, which stands for future excellence, enables in getting insights about vital parameters on an organization's digital and talent readiness. About SRKay Consulting Group Aptitude Labs & FuturX are Trademarks owned by SRKay Consulting Group LLP. Aptitude Labs enables organizations successfully lead digital and talent transformations by bringing together the best talent, proprietary framework and a visionary leadership team. Aptitude Labs has a passionate team doing deep research on human-centric parameters. We combine this focused research with our expertise in digital technologies to create innovative solutions that enhance customer experience and employee efficiency. For more information visit us at www.aptitudelabs.com Media Contact: Aditya Patil [email protected] +91-8308428169 SRKay Consulting Group [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 02, 2016] Cubic's GATR Technologies Receives Most Innovative New Product Award from CONNECT Cubic Corporation (NYSE: CUB), today announced that its subsidiary GATR Technologies (GATR), which operates within the Cubic Mission Solutions (CMS) business division, received the Most Innovative New Product (MIP) Award in the Defense, Transportation and Cybersecurity category at the 2016 CONNECT MIP Awards that took place at an awards ceremony on Dec. 1, in San Diego. In its 29th year, the annual awards program continues its tradition of honoring San Diego's leaders of innovation and groundbreaking new products launched in the last year. "Cubic products have been named CONNECT MIP finalists for five consecutive years and it is an honor to be selected again for this year's MIP award and we are proud of our GATR team's efforts in developing this innovative product," said Bradley H. Feldmann, president and chief executive officer, Cubic Corporation. "Innovation is the backbone of Cubic and we will continue to focus on technologies to increase copetitive advantage and offer best solutions to our customers worldwide." GATR is the only provider of inflatable satellite communication (SATCOM) antenna solutions. GATR's inflatable antenna technology offers tremendous operational and affordability advantages as the antennas are designed for extreme portability, reliability and ease of setup, even in extreme environments. The antennas can be air dropped to a military unit or transported as commercial baggage, which is a competitive edge that supports the effectiveness of expeditionary missions. With GATR's portable antennas, customers can now set up communication in less than 60 minutes, without the need of special tools. The annual MIP Awards is CONNECT's largest and most prestigious event, attracting more than 700 of the region's top business leaders, researchers and capital providers. More than 110 companies competed in the rigorous, four-month judging process, with a total of only ten winners awarded in categories including: Bluetech; Cleantech Sustainability & Energy; Defense Transportation & Cybersecurity; Information Communication Technologies; Life Science Diagnostics & Research Tools; Medical Devices; Pharmaceutical Drugs & Biologic Therapies; Robotics & Unmanned Vehicles; Software Digital Media & Mobile Apps; and Sport & Active Lifestyle Technologies. For a complete list of winners and additional information on the CONNECT MIP Awards please visit www.connect.org. About Cubic Corporation Cubic Corporation designs, integrates and operates systems, products and services focused in the transportation, defense training and secure communications markets. Cubic Transportation Systems is a leading integrator of payment and information technology and services to create intelligent travel solutions for transportation authorities and operators. Cubic Global Defense is a leading provider of live, virtual, constructive and game-based training solutions, special operations and intelligence for the U.S. and allied forces. Cubic Mission Solutions provides networked Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities for defense, intelligence, security and commercial missions. For more information about Cubic, please visit the company's website at www.cubic.com or on Twitter (News - Alert) @CubicCorp. About CONNECT CONNECT is a premier innovation company accelerator in San Diego that creates and scales great companies in the technology and life sciences sectors. By creating an environment in which entrepreneurs and C-suite executives have access to the people, capital, and technology resources they need for success, CONNECT has assisted in the formation and development of more than 3,000 companies since 1985. Widely regarded as one of the world's most successful organizations linking entrepreneurs and C-suite executives with the resources they need for the commercialization of innovative products and services; our program has been modeled in more than 50 regions around the world. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161202005193/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 02, 2016] 8th Day Software to Celebrate Grand Opening, Expands to Middle Tennessee CORDOVA, Tenn., Dec. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- 8th Day Software, a technology company with a mission to bring tech back to the United States, is expanding its operations by adding a new Domestic Solutions Center in Middle Tennessee. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161201/444720 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161201/444719LOGO 8th Day Software develops state of the art applications and delivers superior IT support for companies across the nation. To meet the high demand for its services, the rapidly expanding company has chosen Winchester, Tenn. for its next location. "Winchester offers everything that aligns with our vision to build superior software solutons for our customers across the country from our solution centers in small town America and we're very excited about 8th Day's future," said Greg Poston, vice president of business development. The grand opening of the new Domestic Solutions Center will be Thursday, December 8 at 140 1st Avenue NW in Downtown Winchester. A ribbon cutting will be at 10 a.m. followed by a reception and product demonstrations. 8th Day Software was featured last month in a video and presentation at the Tennessee Governor's Conference. The video recognized the company's impact on successful entrepreneurship in the state and how 8th Day Software has built a national clientele from Henderson, Tenn., the location of its first Domestic Solutions Center. "At 8th Day, we're creating another option. You don't have to go overseas for advanced IT solutions. You can find what you need in small towns versus big cities whether that need is a cost-effective computer application or a high-tech job close to home," said Founder and CEO, Dave Loschinskey. 8th Day Software extends special recognition to Dave Van Buskirk, Commissioner for Franklin County, Tenn.; Beth Rhoton, City Administrator for Winchester; Judy Taylor, Executive Director for Franklin County Chamber of Commerce; and Janie and John Casey. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/8th-day-software-to-celebrate-grand-opening-expands-to-middle-tennessee-300371914.html SOURCE 8th Day Software [December 02, 2016] Smartmedical Launches Emotion AI Android App "I Love UAE" for Emirati National Campaign "Express Your Love for UAE" TOKYO, Dec. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Smartmedical (http://eng.smartmedical.jp/), which develops and licenses vocal emotion technology, announces the launch of its Emotion AI Android app "I Love UAE" for the United Arab Emirates' national campaign, "Express Your Love for UAE". The app can identify emotions from speech and evaluate the extent of love for the UAE by analyzing multiple physical properties of the voice. The app is now on Google Play and can be downloaded from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.smartmedical.kibun.iloveuae The campaign is organized by Aqdar (the Khalifa Empowerment Programme for Students) and is sponsored by Sheikh Saif. It aims to enhance national solidarity and loyalty amongst the citizenry towards the UAE. "We offer various segments of our society the opportunity to express their genuine love for the UAE. By using Emotion AI Empath, we can visualize how much they love the UAE with an enjoyable application. This is a great tool to promote our campaign," says Dr. Ibrahim Al Dabal, General Coordinator of Aqdar. "This innovative Japanese technology not only supports our campaign, but also contributes to other projects in the UAE, such as EAP (employee assistance program) and mental health. We have great hopes for this technology." In a video address for the campign's launch, which was held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 9th, 2016, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe congratulated and expressed his affection for the UAE on the 45th anniversary of its founding. After Mr. Abe's message, students of the Japanese School of Abu Dhabi introduced an official application for Empath technology. "We are proud of building a bridge of friendship between the UAE and Japan. We believe our technology strengthens emotional bonds between our two countries," says Hiroshi Koyanagi, a Smartmedical executive director. "UAE is now promoting many campaigns to enhance the happiness of both locals and foreign residents. For instance, a Ministry of Happiness was established this year to boost happiness in the UAE. Empath can identify mental states from speech, so that our technology is effective for evaluating the happiness of UAE citizens." Empath is applied in various fields such as mental health, robotics, call centers, and assistance programs. Since its launch, Web Empath API was featured on the Discovery Channel and TechCrunch, and developers all around the world are using Empath technology. With proven achievements, Smartmedical is now expanding their business into the UAE. About Smartmedical (http://eng.smartmedical.jp/) Smartmedical Corp., comprised of PCC and ICT self-care divisions, is the leading authority in developing PCC (Primary Care Clinics), new medical service platforms at and near railway stations in Tokyo and major cities in Japan providing preventive medicine. The ICT self-care division supports PCC projects with advanced ICT technology. It develops and licenses Empath vocal emotion recognition technology for mental health care. In addition to mental health care services, the Web Empath API is also employed in multiple service sectors such as robotics, call centers, and VR. By analyzing multiple physical properties of the voice such as intonation, pitch, speed, and volume, Empath can identify emotions in real-time regardless of language. It has been developed and refined through collaborative research with prestigious universities such as the University of Tokyo and Nara Institute of Science and Technology. Empath won the first prize of the Japan Resilience Award 2015 and an excellence award at the MCPC Awards in 2015. For more information on Empath, please visit https://webempath.net/lp-eng/. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161201/444615 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161201/444615LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/smartmedical-launches-emotion-ai-android-app-i-love-uae-for-emirati-national-campaign-express-your-love-for-uae-300371359.html SOURCE Smartmedical Corp. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 02, 2016] The Law Offices of Howard G. Smith Announces the Filing of a Securities Class Action on Behalf of Tenet Healthcare Corp. Investors and Encourages Investors to Contact the Firm Law Offices of Howard G. Smith announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased Tenet Healthcare Corp. ("Tenet" or the "Company") (NYSE: THC) securities between February 28, 2012 and October 3, 2016, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Tenet investors have until December 6, 2016 to file a lead plaintiff motion. Investors suffering losses on their Tenet investments are encouraged to contact the Law Offices of Howard G. Smith to discuss their legal rights in this class action at 888-638-4847 or by email to [email protected]. The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Tenet made false and misleading tatements and/or failed to disclose that: the Company illegally paid kickbacks to induce the referral of patients to Tenet's hospitals for labor and delivery; that Tenet defrauded the Georgia Medicaid program through this scheme; and that as a result of the above, statements about Tenet's business, operations and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. On October 3, 2016, Tenet revealed that it would pay $514 million to federal and state governments in order to settle claims that the Company's hospitals in Georgia and South Carolina paid kickbacks for obstetric referrals. Under the terms of the settlement, two Tenet subsidiaries will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate federal kickback laws. On this news, Tenet's share price fell over 4%, to close at just $21.75 per share on October 3, 2016. If you purchased shares of Tenet during the Class Period you may move the Court no later than December 6, 2016 to ask the Court to appoint you as lead plaintiff if you meet certain legal requirements. To be a member of the Class you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the Class. If you wish to learn more about this action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Howard G. Smith, Esquire, of Law Offices of Howard G. Smith, 3070 Bristol Pike, Suite 112, Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020 by telephone at (215) 638-4847, toll-free at (888) 638-4847, or by email to [email protected], or visit our website at http://www.howardsmithlaw.com. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161202005170/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 02, 2016] The Law Offices of Howard G. Smith Announces the Filing of a Securities Class Action on Behalf of Xerox Corporation Investors and Encourages Investors to Contact the Firm Law Offices of Howard G. Smith announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased Xerox Corporation ("Xerox" or the "Company") (NYSE: XRX) securities between April 23, 2012 and October 23, 2015, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Xerox investors have until December 23, 2016 to file a lead plaintiff motion. Investors suffering losses on their Xerox investments are encouraged to contact the Law Offices of Howard G. Smith to discuss their legal rights in this class action at 888-638-4847 or by email to [email protected]hlaw.com. According to the Complaint filed in this lawsuit, throughout the Class Period Defendants issued false and misleading statemens to investors and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Xerox's existing Health Enterprise projects were experiencing major delays and cost overruns; (2) Xerox would be unable to deliver Health Enterprise implementations at sustainable profits; and (3) as a result, Xerox's positive statements about its business, operations and prospects lacked a reasonable basis. On October 26, 2015, Xerox disclosed disappointing third quarter 2015 financial results, citing lost revenues in its much-touted Health Enterprise segment, including from the termination of certain Health Enterprise projects in California and Montana. According to Xerox, the loss of these contracts would result in lower revenues in each of the next three quarters. Additionally, the Company announced plans for a strategic review of the Company's business portfolio. On this news, shares of Xerox fell to approximately $9 per share on October 27, 2015. If you purchased shares of Xerox during the Class Period you may move the Court no later than December 23, 2016 to ask the Court to appoint you as lead plaintiff if you meet certain legal requirements. To be a member of the Class you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the Class. If you wish to learn more about this action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Howard G. Smith, Esquire, of Law Offices of Howard G. Smith, 3070 Bristol Pike, Suite 112, Bensalem, Pennsylvania 19020 by telephone at (215) 638-4847, toll-free at (888) 638-4847, or by email to [email protected], or visit our website at http://www.howardsmithlaw.com. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161202005173/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 02, 2016] Nanorobotics Systems - Market Drivers and Forecast from Technavio Technavio analysts forecast the global nanorobotics systems market to grow at a CAGR of over 6% during the forecast period, according to their latest report. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161202005017/en/ Technavio publishes a new market research report on the global nanorobotics systems market from 2016-2020. (Graphic: Business Wire) The research study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global nanorobotics systems market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers the total revenue generated from the sale of nanorobotics systems for the development of nanorobots. Nanorobotics is a fascinating new field in medicine that concentrates on targeted drug delivery using nanoscale molecular components like DNA. These nanobots carry a payload with the cancer drug and can identify specific types of cancer cells among billions of healthy cells using biomarkers. The nanobots then unravel on contact with the target cancer cells and release the drug within, thus destroying the mutated cells. Currently, the US is leading the global nanorobotics systems market. The Americas generate the highest demand for nanorobotics systems, mainly from universities and research centers in the US and Canada. In EMEA, the UK is driving the market with more than 21 universities in the country facilitating research programs on nanotechnology with major emphasis on healthcare applications like drug delivery. This technology is capable of changing the future of cancer treatment and minimize invasive surgical procedures. Request a sample report: http://www.technavio.com/request-a-sample?report=54712 Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Technavio analysts highlight the following four factors that are contributing to the growth of the global nanorobotics systems market: Increased level of investment in nanotechnology Development of technologies for medical use Breakthrough in nanorobotics technology with first trial on humans Promotion of entrepreneurship Increased level of investment in nanotechnology "Nanotechnology involves working with materials of sizes 1-100 nanometers. Improvements in nanotechnology require working at atomic and molecular levels for which electron microscopes are required. Governments and technology firms are investing significantly in the development of nanotechnology because of wide applications of nanotechnology in areas like medicine, electronics, biomaterials, and microfabrication", says Navin Rajendra, one of the lead analysts at Technavio for embedded systems research. Breakthrough technologies like nanorobotics is always backed by constant funding from governments and corporates. Development and improvement on these technologies not only require creative minds with a scientific temperament, but also the lab equipment and materials to support the research. The investments that come in are used to procure necessary lab equipment like nanomanipulators, nanolithography systems, and nanomaterial management systems to observe the behavior of the materials at the nano-scale. Development of technologies for medical use The wide scale adoption of nanorobots is fueled by its wide array of applications. Universities like Chonnam National University (South Korea) have been consistently providing monetizable breakthroughs in microrobotics. In 2001, the university's R&D center, Robot Research Initiative (RRI), developed the first colonoscopy robot. In 2010, RRI developed the world's first intravascular microrobot used for the treatment of blood vessel-related diseases. In March 2015, they developed an active endoscope. The university also signed a contract for USD 8.27 million with Woo Young Medical, a medical device manufacturer, for the transfer of technology. Universities like this play a major role in coming up with innovative technologies that address key issues of the medical field. Breakthrough in nanorobotics technology with first trial on humans Researches at Wyss Institute, Harvard, have created nanobots that can be used to cure leukemia. These nanorobots will also help in screening abnormal or mutated cells at early stages, before they express themselves as cancer cells. The research team at Wyss have already carried out tests on animals and the nanobots performed exceedingly well with zero collateral damage. Such developments can revolutionize medicine by reducing the need for major invasive surgeries and bring new growth opportunities for nanorobotics systems when the technology is commercialized. Promotion of entrepreneurship "One of the main drivers for the development of the microrobots and nanorobots is the university and government support to promote entrepreneurship. Such initiatives provide students and researchers ample opportunity to grow and take the initiative to a different level for the development of the technology", says Navin. Universities like Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, and Harvard have incubation centers where numerous entrepreneurs have started research, and eventually businesses. Chonnam National University, South Korea, has established its own company Gwangju Technology Holding to commercialize the technologies developed by its students, researchers, and faculty. Browse Related Reports Global Robot Controllers Market 2016-2020 Global Educational Robots Market 2016-2020 Global Smart Robots 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/20161202005017/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] By PTI: Bhubaneswar, Dec 1 (PTI) Odisha today received investment commitments worth Rs 5,000 crore from the private sector during an ongoing business summit here, a top government official said today. The three-day event Make in Odisha Conclave was inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik yesterday. "To attract investors, we are providing a number of incentives, including 20 per cent capital investment subsidy for an investment of Rs 50 crore or above, 5 per cent additional subsidy for women, SC/ST and physically challenged entrepreneurs. advertisement "Today we attracted Rs 5,000-crore investment from the private sector," Odisha Tourism Principal Secretary G K Dhal told reporters here. He maintained private players will be important contributors to the tourism sector of the state. The state has attracted investment from the hospitality sector, including Haldiram Group, Natraj Group and Marigold Hotels Platinum International, among others, for 7-8 projects. Further, Dhal said there is an investment interest worth Rs 3,000 crore for investing in a film city in the state by ADA Group from Mumbai. Odisha, which currently has 1,200 five-star luxury rooms, is planning to add another 1,000 in the category, during the current fiscal. "We have 1,200 luxury rooms, each room costing about Rs 1 crore, in the five-star category. We are planning to add another 1,000 by the end of this financial year," Dhal said. Further, Dhal said the Tourism Dpartment has signed an agreement with OYO Rooms, a hotel aggregator, to sell Orissa Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) rooms. Noting that the state has several investment opportunities, Dhal said he is confident about attracting much more investments from the private sector going forward. PTI SM SSM RSY BAL BAS --- ENDS --- [December 02, 2016] For Ro-Main, Artificial Intelligence is the Future of Pig Precision Reproduction SAINT-LAMBERT-DE-LAUZON, QC, Dec. 2, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - These are the words cited by Francis Pouliot, engineer and product manager at Ro-Main, to explain the reason of their recent global acquisition of all PigWatch sow precision insemination planning technology rights. ''It has now become very obvious to us that the thriving pig producers of the future will be those who will have embraced cutting edge and highly performing technologies such as PigWatch, to maximize productivity and profitability in their sow production facilities.'' Since 2008 and until very recently, Ro-Main, a Canadian based company, had been working hand in hand with the Italian PigWatch system inventor, to develop and bring to the worldwide market this unique leading AI technology, which is an innovative system that permits to precisely predict the optimal moment of sow insemination, through 24/7 electronic sow behavior monitoring and state-of-the-art artificial intelligence algorithm analysis. In the recent years, Ro-Main also commissioned te Quebec Swine Development Center (CDPQ) to carry out a thorough independent scientific study that proved the capacity of PigWatch to predict the optimal moment of insemination in relation with sow ovulation. Strong of its sound reputation of being a worldwide leader in the field of innovative pork production technologies, and having become the sole proprietor of all PigWatch technology rights, Ro-Main is therefore in full control of all PigWatch development, manufacturing and marketing aspects. The timing of this PigWatch technology acquisition coincides perfectly with the launching of the new 2016 PigWatch version, which combines ease of use and unequalled performance, resulting from several years of ongoing improvement and farm testing. ''As much as Contact-O-Max has proven to totally revolutionize the world of artificial insemination to this day, as much we believe that PigWatch artificial intelligence stands as the spearhead of the next revolution in the field of modern sow artificial insemination", concludes Francis Pouliot. About Ro-Main Ro-Main designs, manufactures and markets unique, innovative, and outstanding pig and chicken barn products and technologies that significantly enhance productivity and profitability, while making work much easier and safer. The enterprise markets products and services worldwide, namely in North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. Ro-Main's sound experience in pig reproduction results and dates from the time of its foundation in 1999, when the two owners and pig producers themselves, Robert and Germain Labrecque, invented a motorized remote-controlled boar cart known as Contact-O-Max, which reputation is now established worldwide. For more information, visit: www.ro-main.com SOURCE Conception Ro-Main [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Why court docs for Delphi murder suspect Richard Allen are sealed Court records in the case of a man charged in the killings of Abigail Williams and Liberty German have been sealed. Experts explain why. By PTI: Bhubaneswar, Dec 2 (PTI) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today announced to hold the Make In Odisha Conclave biennially as a stepping stone towards realising the states Vision 2025. Patnaik also announced that the state will have a convention centre and Trade Zone at Bhubaneswar named after Utkal Gourav Madhusudan Das as a tribute to his contribution towards industrialisation of Odisha. advertisement The state government proposed to invest Rs 307 crore for building the convention centre and trade zone over 4,000 square feet carpet area. Stating that conducive policy ecosystem and investment opportunities have helped the state to attract Rs 2.3 lakh crore investment, Patnaik said his government will set up a special institutional mechanism to ensure timely grounding of these investments. Though a total of 82 companies came forward to invest in the state, Odisha Chief Secretary A P Padhi said there will be no MoU signing ceremony as held earlier. The companies may get their required plot from the Land Bank if desired, he said, adding the state will clear all formalities for setting up industries very soon. If the project is a Green one, it will require to complete formalities in 15 days, state industries minister Debi Prasad Mishra said. Non-Green projects will be cleared in 30 days time. However, the state may not guarantee timely clearance from the Centre, the minister said. Mishra said the event witnessed registration of more than 4,400 delegates from across the country and abroad. Government held 220 meetings with investor community across diversified sectors in various states. Furthermore, the conclave facilitated more than 600 business meetings. The largest ever expo of the state housed more than 250 stalls spread over an area of 30,000 square feet. As part of the conclave, the largest ever Startup expo was also organised by YI, the youth wing of the CII, which saw participation from more than 120 startups, which benefited from the experience of successful budding entrepreneur, Mishra said. PTI AAM DKB BAL --- ENDS --- By PTI: Islamabad, Dec 2 (PTI) Pakistan has reminded India of its obligations under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and cautioned that New Delhis own credibility will be at stake if the accord was violated. "India has to abide by its international obligations, if it wants to be taken seriously by the international community," Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said. advertisement He was commenting on Prime Minister Narendra Modis remarks on November 25 when he had said that waters of Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers "rightfully" belong to India will be stopped from going "waste" in Pakistan. Zakaria said the IWT was a binding agreement under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, 1969, Dawn reported. India has been, since the escalation of tensions after the Uri militant attack, indicating its intention to revisit the accord. PTI UZM AKJ UZM --- ENDS --- The European Parliament approved a budget increase for auditing the open source software used by its institutions. The budget also covers a new bug bounty program, which is meant to encourage outside security researchers to report bugs in software that the European Union uses in its IT infrastructure. Two years ago, Swedish Green Party and European Free Alliance members Julia Reda and Max Andersson, proposed an audit of the free (as in freedom) software that runs in EUs institutions. Recent data breaches in large companies, as well as the U.S. OPM hack, have shown just how important digital security has become in the modern Internet age. Finding bugs and other security weaknesses in critical software used by important EU institutions needed to become a priority as well, because otherwise citizen data or the functions of the EU administration could have been at high risk. The free and open source software audit (FOSSA) project seems to have already surpassed expectations, as it has not only increased security for the software used by EU IT infrastructure, but it has also led the EU to develop its own criteria for assessing the quality of free software. The EU first funded the audit with one million euros, and that sum has now almost doubled to 1.9 million euros. However, the new budget will also cover a new bug bounty program proposed by Dutch MEP Marietje Schaake: Bugs or flaws in software are used by criminals to infiltrate computers and entire ICT networks, said Marietje Schaake, a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.The EU institutions must do what they can to have the most robust security. A bug bounty programme incentivises the discovery of software bugs through handing out financial rewards to every security researcher that is able to spot such a bug. This programme will allow for a much broader involvement of the security community in the common objective of ensuring a more secure IT infrastructure, she added. Over the next three years, the MEPs behind the FOSSA and bug bounty projects will reach out directly to free software developers and security professionals to build up the next generation of coders. By then, the EU may also permanently fund the audit and bug bounty. Right now, they are still only pilot projects, and it takes a couple of stages for projects to prove themselves worthy of continuous EU funding. A witness to the officer-involved shooting near 8th and Van Brunt on Wednesday made statements aired tonight by local media that the person shot by Kansas City police was unarmed and complying with officers at the time he was shot. This statement contradicts what the same witness told police immediately following the shooting. It also contradicts the statement of another witness to the shooting. Our office is committed in every homicide investigation to ensuring that we have all information before making a charging decision. We do not expect to make further comment on the shooting at 8th and Van Brunt, its investigation or our offices handling of our process until we determine whether to file or not to file criminal charges related to this incident. We did, however, believe that it was imperative to clarify tonight that we are aware that this witness statement to the media contradicts his earlier statement to police. A media battle over the deadly police shooting is raging, here's the official response . . . We've posted reports from both sides on this issue:Deets:###########You decide . . . Kansas City's top ranking elected official scorns the Democratic Party leadership for their inability to change with the times.Thanks to our blog community for suggesting these links for further reading on the subject:Here's the Congressman in his ownIn the final analysis, the infighting and discussion of the future is essential for the Democratic Party which seems to be struggling in coming to terms with the upcoming Trump Administration. Like it or not, Kansas City Congressman Cleaver is among theto go on record with a demand for change.Developing . . . "While he used to refer to himself as "Chief Meteorologist" on his professional Facebook page. But, now he has changed it to just "Meteorologist." Also, is bio on KCTV's website no longer makes mention of him being the "Chief." More than a few Kansas City media denizens have been asking about KCTV5 reshuffling for quite some time.A media website wonders. . .Our blog community also notices that. . . And once again Kansas City news watchers are forced to live without the much more entertaining hysterics of Katie Horner.Amid wild winter weather, we'll always miss her hotness . . .Developing . . . Jackson County Prosecutor: 18-year-old KC man facing robbery and armed criminal action charges An 18-year-old Kansas City man, identified by police as a member of a gang that this year became the focus of a Kansas City No Violence Alliance (KC NoVA) group enforcement, now faces robbery and armed criminal action charges, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced today. According to court records filed today, the suspect was among several suspects, identified by witnesses, who were armed with handguns and an AK-47 style rifle. They robbed at least two victims while they walked in south Kansas City near the Bay Water Park. The robbery occurred in June 2016. The defendant and other suspects in the robberies were identified by Kansas City police detectives as known affiliates of the Swag Nation gang, which was the focus of a KC NoVA group enforcement in 2016. Prosecutors requested a bond of $150,000 cash. is a pro-shooting modeling hottie following her service in the Army National Guard and Border Patrol . . . Also, her social media presence seems a lot nicer than allegations against crooks on local streets identified by authorities for sporting the same style of weapon illustrated in the photo at the top of this post.Accordingly . . .Here's what's being described as a win for one of many anti-crime groups . . .Deets:#########Developing . . . CERNER IS NOW A TAKEOVER TARGET GIVEN THEIR CHEAP STOCK PRICE THAT KEEPS TUMBLING AMID A TOUGH OUTLOOK FOR TECH COMPANIES AMID THE TRUMP ERA!!! "It's a price too cheap to ignore for a bigger company. And overall the stock makes more sense as part of a larger IT entity and not as a standalone. Their fundamentals are good but ultimately the healthcare sector is going to undergo a great deal of upheaval WHEN (not if) Obamacare is repealed." - Even the top stock news agencies have noted Cerner is cheap. They're trading at under $50 bucks right now and that's still around a 52 week low. - Tech companies are in panic mode over Trump's anti-immigration stance and Cerner is entrenched in India and reliant on H1B programmers. - The Cerner stock buyback plan isn't working as their shares continue to tumble and Wall Street seems less enthused about the future of the company given their stagnant price. TAKEOVER TALK FOR CERNER THREATENS SOUTH KANSAS CITY AND LOCAL EMPLOYEES WITH DISASTER!!! Neither THE TOP ECHELON TIPSTER nor TKC own any stock in Cerner Word from. . . One of Kansas City's biggest and most widely celebrated companies is a prime target for a takeover that would shift the grand schemes of City Hall politicos and local biz leaders depending on the corporate giant.To wit . . .We've talked a bit about this previously but now the chatter from stock market insiders is getting even more serious . . .Here's the word:Again,has been touted as "" and now that economic profit model is changing more dramatically than the political landscape.Here are more reasons with documentation proving the takeover threat . . .What does it all mean???Corporate takeover usually result in a great deal of carnage andis the kind of development that financiers hate. Sadly, because the local news is so desperate for advertisers and approval from politicos . . . The very real threat of a Cerner acquisition is something that local media refuses to report in the much the same way they deniedCaveat and disclosure . . .and have no financial affiliation with the company. The subject of this report is mostly aimed Kansas City voters who have been consistently misled and kept in the dark about the tumultuous financial journey of alocal employer that iscoping with tough times.Developing . . . Agents opened the suspicious parcels, which each contained two 64-ounce plastic Welchs Grape Juice bottles of PCP. The total weight of the liquid from the eight bottles was approximately 13.45 kilograms. A former Kansas City-area man who conspired with a former Kansas City, Mo., postal carrier to distribute multi-kilogram quantities of PCP through the mail was sentenced in federal court today.He got 15 years and the 65-year-old lady alleged accomplice is awaiting sentencing . . .Money line from a recent statement . . .Developing . . . The talks between Greece and its EU creditors continue, however work is still needed in order to reach a technical agreement on reforms, argued European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Pierre Moscovici on Thursday. The discussions continue, the positions are getting closer, but there is still work to be done Pierre Moscovici told a news conference in Brussels. The European official underlined that he was confident a technical agreement on Greek reforms under the current 86 billion euro bailout program is within reach. This would allow euro zone finance ministers, who will gather in Brussels on 5 December for a regular meeting, to start discussions also on medium-term measures to reduce the Greek debt after the end of the program, which expires in 2018, Moscovici added. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Main opposition party claims that it will not support any new measures or a possible fourth bailout The spokesperson for main opposition party Vasilis Kikilias called Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to step down if he is unable to govern the country. Mr. Kikilias argued that there is no chance for an ecumenical government from the current Parliament, repeating his partys call for early election. Similarly, New Democracys VP Kostis Hatzidakis estimated that PM Tsipras will call elections if the negotiations on the second bailout review collapse. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Pakistan has reminded India of its obligations under the Indus Waters Treaty. By Press Trust of India: Pakistan has reminded India of its obligations under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and cautioned that New Delhi's own credibility would suffer if the accord was violated, an official said in Islamabad. "India has to abide by its international obligations, if it wants to be taken seriously by the international community," Pakistan's foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said at the weekly media briefing. advertisement Zakaria was referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks that the water that "rightfully belongs to India" could not be allowed to go to Pakistan. He said the treaty was a binding agreement under the Vienna Convention. India's indication to revisit the accord came on the heels of the Uri militant attack that claimed lives of 18 Jawans. --- ENDS --- President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader have agreed to immediately re-engage negotiations on the Cyprus issue Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader have agreed to immediately re-engage negotiations on the Cyprus issue, a UN statement said early Friday morning, after their first meeting since the impasse at Mont Pelerin. The statement said: The leaders have decided to immediately re-engage in their negotiations and have instructed their negotiators to continue meeting in order to achieve further progress on all outstanding issues interdependently. The leaders will also meet as required. The UN added that Anastasiades and Akinci will meet in Geneva on January 9, 2017, and that on January 11, both sides will present their respective maps for territorial adjustments. From the 12th of January, a Conference on Cyprus will be convened with the added participation of the guarantor powers. Other relevant parties shall be invited as needed, the UN statement said. Anastasiades and Akinci met a UN High Commissioner Elizabeth Spehars residence at 8pm on Thursday evening at the invitation of UN Secretary General Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide. Eide discussed with both leaders separately on Thursday. He said that Anastasiades and Akinci had expressed a strong desire to return to the table and move forward. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan challenged the flag of Cyprus, showing unwillingness to solve the 42-year-old Cyprus issue. The Turkish president spoke at the 7th Bosphorus Summit on worlds future and smart economy and touched on the Cyprus issue. There, in Cyprus, there are ongoing talks. Continued delays. This is the tactic. You know what? They say give us Cyprus and stay out of it. Wait a minute! The blood of our fallen lies there, said the Turkish president. Erdogan questioned the legal rights of the Nicosia government, claiming that, Without shame they go to the EU meetings with a flag that depicts the whole island. You cannot have such a flag. You are the Greek Cypriot administration of Southern Cyprus. To the north is the Turkish republic. Thats rude. In any case they will understand this, he said. The Turkish president spoke of the peace talks between the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot sides. He said he wants to see concrete steps taken on the Cyprus problem. The other day the prime minister of Greece called me. They asked for a bilateral meeting, we say a polymeric meeting. We are discussing it. But this work should not delay. By the end of the year we need to get somewhere. But if things are like both the soil and the administration is our own, then it doesnt go anywhere. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report US Vice-President-elect Mike Pence has expressed his will to further deepen the close relationship between Cyprus and Washington US Vice-President-elect Mike Pence has expressed his will to further deepen the close relationship between Cyprus and Washington, during a phone call with President Nicos Anastasiades on Thursday. A statement from Cyprus presidential palace said that Pence has shared US President-elect Donal Trumps greetings to Anastasiades, and the USs readiness to constructively support the attempts to find a solution to the Cyprus problem. President Nicos Anastasiades has spoken on the phone with US Vice-President-elect Mike Pence on Thursday, an announcement from the Presidential Palace said. On his part, President Anastasiades had congratulated the new US government and expressed the hope that the new governments project succeeds. He also assured Pence of the Cypriot governments will to further strengthen Cyprus-US relations in all sectors. The President also informed Pence on the current phase of the Cyprus problem and the latest developments. President Anastasiades noted that the Greek Cypriot side is committed to continuing the process to re-unify Cyprus. Government spokesperson Nikos Christodoulides announced on Twitter that President Anastasiades was discussing bilateral relations and the Cyprus problem with Pence. President Anastasiades is expected to meet with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci on Thursday evening, for the first time since Cyprus talks hit an impasse in Mont Pelerin. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report EU-Turkey agreement and Cypriot dispute were on the agenda, in light of the recent Turkish provocation Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Germanys Chancellor Angela Merkel had a telephone conversation on Thursday afternoon. The EU-Turkey agreement and developments of talks on the Cypriot dispute were on the agenda, in light of the recent escalation of Turkish provocation. During their talk, the Greek PM underlined the importance of maintaining the EU-Turkey agreement on refugees, while stressing his concern over the last statements by Turkish officials. The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the provocative statements by President Erdogan and his ministers, which have even disputed the Treaty of Lausanne. In relation to the Cypriot dispute, the Greek Prime Minister informed the German Chancellor that Greece is in favor of resuming talks and meeting with Erdogan to discuss the critical issue of guarantees. Greece has consistently objected to the guarantees and has underlined that the Turkish occupation forces must leave from the northern section of the island. The ongoing negotiations for the second bailout review were not discussed at all, despite Mondays critical Eurogroup, indicating the importance of the recent developments in the region. The Greek government explained that this was on purpose, given that talks are still going on. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Brussels and Athens are trying to decipher the reasons behind Turkeys intensification of polemic rhetoric against, following a string of statements by the Turkish political establishment led by President Recep Erdogan. One of the two latest incidents of Turkish provocations towards Greece involved the issuing of Turkish authorities of a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) alerting aircraft pilots of potential hazards around the Greek island of Kasos, whose name was to Tzoban, and requested that a scheduled military exercise be cancelled by the Greek military in the area as it was designated a demilitarised zone, according to the Lausanne Treaty. The other incident involved the violation of Greek airspace in the Aegean Sea by armed Turkish fighter jets, which led to a dog fight with the Greek airforce. These came on the heels of a statement by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavucoglou that the Greek island of Imia was in fact Turkish land during discussions in the Turkish national Assembly. Both Greece and the EU are attempting to understand whether the constant aggressive stance by Turkey is fuelled by either a need to export domestic political turmoil in Turkey, just for domestic political reasons, or is part of a strategy by Turkey to increase pressure on the EU on the refugee crisis and the wider EU-Turkey relations. The clear bellicose posture by Turkey led to a series of contacts between Greek PM Alexis Tsipras and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who in turn contacted Turkish President Recep Erdogan. Meanwhile, European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker called on Erdgan to wonder if he really wanted to become a member of the EU in an interview to EurActive-Quest France. Does he really want to be a member of the EU one day? Mr. Erdogan must know that he will be held accountable for the rejection of the free-travel visa, Juncker said. He continued by claiming that Turkey had been shifting away from the EU over the past two years. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report President Nicos Anastasiades has said the sovereign people of Cyprus will be called to vote and decide on the settlement, in a televised message on Friday, after a decision to restart talks President Nicos Anastasiades has said the sovereign people of Cyprus will be called to vote and decide on the settlement, in a televised message on Friday, after a decision to restart talks. Anastasiades has reassured Greek Cypriots that no solution will be put before the public, which does not answer all their concerns. President Anastasiades said that he has no intention of entering into confrontation with other political forces on the island, after the decision to restart negotiations and hold a multilateral conference was made on Thursday. The President has said that the decision to restart talks is important as a deadlock created after talks in Mont Pelerin was removed. We will continue discussions from the point they left off, President Anastasiades said. He added that all the political forces on the island had agreed that serious dangers could develop from an extended impasse or end of the whole process. TURKISH SIDE COMMITTED TO SUBMITTING A MAP President Anastasiades has said the Turkish side has accepted and is committed to submitting a map of territorial adjustments on January 11, which is a precondition of a settlement. He added the Turkish side has also agreed to discuss all issues interdependently, including the territorial adjustment criteria. Progress on the aforementioned issues, will allow us to approach a solution, creating the prerequisites and prospects for a successful end before the discussion on the core issue of security and guarantees, which will follow at the Conference on Cyprus, he said. The President added that there is no issue of arbitration in the process, as the leaders are continuing discussions in the method that nothing is agreed until all issues have been agreed. President Anastasiades has said that the dates selected, for a process which began 18 months ago, could not be seen as tight deadlines. IN CONTACT WITH GREECE In these critical hours, I am in constant and close cooperation with the Greek government, which steadfastly remains at the side of Cyprus, the President said. He added that maintaining unity in Cyprus after the latest development is important. That is why I have called a meeting of the National Council next Wednesday. I am calling on all political forces to avoid any baseless interpretations and positions, he said. The worst service that could be done to our country today is to debate amongst ourselves and cause confusion, he said. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Seven fire trucks from Limassol and Larnacas fire services were joined by assistance from the occupied areas authorities to help extinguish the blaze at Maris Vasilikos Power Station Seven fire trucks from Limassol and Larnacas fire services were joined by assistance from the occupied areas authorities to help extinguish the blaze at Maris Vasilikos Power Station, SigmaLive learnt on Thursday morning. A fire broke out within the power plants Block 3 station after works went wrong on a desulphurisation unit on Wednesday, reported CNA English. Authorities were reportedly struggling to put out the blaze as it managed to spread through the three-storey structure, fuelled by flammable materials. Fire Services used foam to finally extinguish the blaze at around just after 7pm, according to an official press release issued by the Fire Authorities. Relevant authorities, including Cyprus Electricity Authority, are investigating. MARI BLAST Wednesdays fire at the power plant saw concerns resurface regarding the islands electricity supplies, five years on from a deadly blast that saw almost all Cyprus power wiped out. On July 11, 2011 a blast at the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base killed 13 people after 98 containers holding explosives, stored for two-and-a-half years in the sun, exploded. The explosion severely damaged numerous nearby buildings, including almost decimating Zygi village and the island's largest power station, responsible for supplying over half its electricity. As a result, most the island was without power in the immediate aftermath and rolling blackouts were initiated in order to conserve supplies. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report The GSTC European Regional Meeting in Athens, Greece, took place on 23-24 November 2016, with 200 participants, including many GSTC members and GSTC Board members, coming from 16 countries The GSTC European Regional Meeting in Athens, Greece, took place on 23-24 November 2016, with 200 participants, including many GSTC members and GSTC Board members, coming from 16 countries. The event brought a rare opportunity of face-to-face discussions on the subjects of the event sessions: Sustainability Standards and Programs for European Tourism; European Best Practices for Sustainable Management of Destinations and Enterprises; Marketing Sustainable Tourism in European Destination; The Value of a Global Sustainability Brand for Greece Tourism; and Applying Standards and Certifications to Destinations and Enterprises. The conference was greeted by GSTC Chair Luigi Cabrini, followed by a keynote speech by the Bank of Greece Chief Economist Dimitris Malliaropulos on climate change challenges and the role of sustainable tourism in Greeces new growth model. Destinations Certification in Greece was then explained by the Mayor of Milos Island and President of the Tourism Board of Central Union of Greek Municipalities Gerasimos Damoulakis. Europe is the oldest and most visited destination with over half of tourists worldwide visiting one of its countries. says GSTC Chair Luigi Cabrini. Sustainability is therefore essential in order to manage the impacts of tourism flows. The GSTC meeting in Athens has shown that several tourism actors are committed to and putting into practice sustainable tourism models. Participants also heard from key sustainable tourism professionals including: Albert Salman, President Green Destinations Foundation; Andres Fellenberg van der Molen, Technical Director GSTC; George Drakopoulos, President & CEO tourism generis; Dr. Ioannis Pappas, Co-founder and CEO Green Evolution SA; Lonneke de Kort, CEO Bookdifferent.com; Martina von Munchhausen, Global Marine and Coastal Tourism WWF; Mary Mulvey, CEO Ecotourism Ireland; Naut Kusters, Manager Travelife for Tour Operators; Olaf Schlieper, Innovation Manager German National Tourist Board; Panos Thomakos, Editor Tornos News International; Rika Jean-Francois, CSR Commissioner ITB Berlin; Soren Stober, Commercial Director - Travelife for Hotels; Tom Johnston, Senior Sustainability Manager - TUI Group; Dr. Xavier Font, Professor University of Surrey; and many more. Many congratulations on this inaugural GSTC meeting in Greece, says European Sustainability Academy Director Sharon Jackson and adds: This event has come at a crucial time for Greece and for tourism in the world. When diverse groups work together with shared objectives co- created positive change can happen! The events carbon footprint was offset by the carbon offsetting sponsor Green Evolution SA, to become a carbon neutral event by the scheme CO2 NEUTRAL SEAL. During the event usage of plastic was reduced to a minimum degree, badges were reused, and the remains of the food from lunch were donated to the organization We Can (). Presentations from the conference can be accessed here, and will be available online until September 2017. Photos from the event can be found on GSTC Facebook page: Day 1, Day 2. Look for announcements of the location and dates of GSTC Events in 2017. About the GSTC: The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) is a global initiative dedicated to promoting sustainable tourism efforts around the world. The GSTC works to expand understanding of and access to sustainable tourism practices; helps identify and generate markets for sustainable tourism; and educates about and advocates for a set of universal principles, as defined by the Global Sustainable Tourism Criteria. The Criteria, a set of voluntary principles that provide a framework for the sustainability of tourism businesses across the globe, is the cornerstone of our initiative.For more information, visit www.gstcouncil.org. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Dimitris Siafarikas, a Greek graduate research associate at Ohio State University, posted two pictures on Twitter after Mondays attack that left eleven people injured Dimitris Siafarikas, a Greek graduate research associate at Ohio State University, posted two pictures on Twitter after Mondays attack that left eleven people injured. In the first picture he warns everyone to stay away. In the second, he has a picture of the perpetrator lying on the ground and wonders if he is the suspect of the attack. The Somali born student who attacked students with his car and then with a butcher knife, had reportedly criticized media for its portrayal of Muslims. Read more here. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report The BJP workers and supporters who had come to the Patna airport with horses, drums and bands in the afternoon in fact resorted to some fun to spend time till Nityanand Rai came. By Rohit Kumar Singh: Newly appointed Bihar BJP president Nityanand Rai today arrived in Patna from Delhi to a rousing welcome from party workers. He was scheduled to land in Patna in the afternoon but his flight got delayed and he arrived in the evening. The BJP workers and supporters who had come to the Patna airport with horses, drums and bands in the afternoon in fact resorted to some fun to spend time till Nityanand Rai came. advertisement The Patna airport was turned into a race course by the BJP workers who were caught on camera indulging in racing and running horse right in front of the airport risking lives of several passengers. In fact minors were also caught on camera with BJP flags in their hands running horses from one end of the airport to another. --- ENDS --- Gulf Bank, the fourth-largest lender in Kuwait by assets, has appointed Antoine Daher as its new chief executive officer replacing Cesar Gonzalez-Bueno. Daher was earlier the banks deputy CEO (Wholesale Banking). Prior to that, he served as general manager for Domestic Corporate Banking at National Bank of Kuwait from 2011 to 2013 and head of the Domestic Multinational unit from 2007 to 2011. Daher also worked at National City Bank in the US, where he held several positions in Project Finance, Structured Finance, Corporate Banking, and Capital Markets. Announcing the appointment, Omar Kutayba Alghanim, the chairman of Gulf Bank, said: "Daher has been part of the banks senior management team since 2013, and has a track record of strong leadership, both within and outside of Gulf Bank." "His deep banking and financial knowledge, combined with his thorough understanding of Kuwait and the region, make him uniquely qualified to lead Gulf Bank into the future. The banks Board of Directors, management team, and I are looking forward to working closely with him in creating the next chapter of the Gulf Bank success story," he stated. Daher holds a BSc in Civil Engineering, and an MBA from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. He has also attended executive education courses given by the Harvard Business School.-TradeArabia News Service Moscow is looking to invite Qatari investments in its transport infrastructure as well as other sectors like real estate, healthcare, hospitality, and tourism, said a high ranking official. Moscow is a major destination for foreign direct investments, Cheryomin Sergei, Moscow Government Minister and head of the Department for Foreign Economic Activity and International Relations, was quoted as saying in a Gulf Times report. Sergei led a high-level trade delegation from Moscow yesterday (November 30) and met with Qatar Chamber officials led by vice-chairman Mohamed bin Towar al-Kuwari, it said. He said that Moscows relationship with Qatar is very important and has improved dramatically in the past few years, and they look forward to supporting this trend and develop opportunities for mutual cooperation. Sergei said that there is a plan to build 170 major transport hubs and development plans for 99 transport hubs are ready, while 30 transport hubs have ratified urban planning documentation. Although there are many mixed reactions to Fidel Castro's death, his death has definitely sparked interest, particularly in touring around Cuba. Some of Cuba's most important cities and attractions had influence to the revolutionary leader, and tourism has gone up for the most part since his death. According to The Telegraph, Cuba's National Statistics Office indicated a rise in tourist numbers the week of November 25, the day Fidel Castro died. This rise was supposedly about 15 percent more than the given number of the same period last year. AirBNB has also reported an increase in activity in Cuba, with a surge of visitors trying to book "casas particulares" or private homes. (READ: Where To Go For a Budget-Friendly Honeymoon) This year alone, the number of visitors from the U.S. rose by 80 percent. This was seen as an effect of President Barack Obama having visited Havana, Cuba and reinstating friendly relations. (READ: Top Five Countries Barack Obama Visited During His Eight-Year Presidential Term) 1. Santiago de Cuba - For Fidel Castro's revolutionary road, events began in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba's second largest city. In July 25, 1953, Castro and other rebels assembled at the Hotel Rex by the Plaza de Marte. They then stormed the Moncada Barracks, according to The Independent. Currently, visitors can visit Room 36 at the Hotel Rex, which is preserved as a revolutionary shrine. The Moncada Barracks have also been renovated into a historical museum. (READ: New York's Finest - The Big Apple's Best Hidden Museums and Galleries) 2. Havana - Cuba's capital city and seat of government, Havana houses the Museum of the Revolution, established by the leading communist government and tells the story about Cuba-USA tension through the eyes of revolutionary Cubans such as Fidel Castro. The museum also contains Che Guevara's bloodstained uniforms and black beret, another symbol of revolution to many. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. everyday. The Habana Libre Hotel is also a revolutionary Fidel Castro symbol. Initially named the Havana Hilton, Castro declared it his post-revolutionary headquarters in 1959 and renamed it to the current "free Havana". (READ: The Cheapest Cities In Asia; Where To Go For Under $20 A Day) 3. Santa Clara - A small but pleasant city, Santa Clara, is home to the Plaza de la Revolucion. This plaza holds the remains of Che Guevara, another revolutionary leader, as well as other comrades from the revolution. In addition, this old city is where the rebels seized victory from Cuba's then-dictator Fulgencio Batista. An armored train launched by the dictator was derailed at the Tren Blindado with the rebels removing a section of track and using a bulldozer to push the threat away. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore admitted that it was aware that Reliance Jio used the Prime Minister's photographs in the advertisement and adding that no permission was granted by PMO. By Indo-Asian News Service: The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) did not grant permission to use the picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in print and electronic advertisements of the Reliance Jio, parliament was told yesterday. In a written reply in Rajya Sabha to a question by Samajwadi Party's Neeraj Shekhar, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore also admitted that it was aware that Reliance Jio used the Prime Minister's photographs in the advertisement. "Yes sir, the government was aware," said Rathore, adding that no permission was granted by PMO. advertisement Read: Reliance Jio's big announcement: Everyone gets free data till March 31 He added that the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), a media unit of ministry, is the nodal agency for release of advertisement on the policies and programme of the government in various media vehicles, but "releases government advertisements only and does not release advertisements of any private body". As Shekhar sought to know about the actions taken against Jio, if permission was not taken in advance, Rathore replies that the necessary act, the Emblems and Names (prevention of improper use) Act 1950, is administered by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. Read: Modi in Reliance Jio ad: What if other companies use the PM in ads? Read: Jio Welcome Offer ends on December 3: But everyone will get free data until March 31 --- ENDS --- When asking most office workers what they look forward to after a long year of working hard, many may answer travel or a vacation. These millennials, on the other hand, have gotten wiser, and show us how they quit their jobs, and are earning a living while traveling the world. 1. Andrea Valeria, Studio Photographer - Before working as a freelance travel YouTube sensation in "It's a Travel O.D.", Forbes says that Andrea was living in Hawaii as a full-time photographer. When the time came, she got rid of most of her things, packed the essentials in her carry-on and left. Andrea says that since switching her job, she has been earning the same amount of money (five-figures) work-traveling now as she did back when she had a fulltime job. She does a lot of marketing and social media advising with local hostels in exchange for free accommodation, and is working on growing her Instagram. (READ: The Most Instagramable Places In The World) 2. Jack Morris, Carpet Cleaner and Lauren Bullen, Blogger - The two met in Fiji and recently figured in an issue wherein another Instagram user copied all of their travel pictures, down to the location and detail. Before the entire hubbub, Mirror says that Jack used to be a carpet cleaner, and decided to book a one-way ticket to Bangkok, taking travel snaps of Lauren. Now, the two of them travel the world to places like Greece, Morocco, India, and the Bahamas, and earn a six-figure salary doing so. (READ: The Top Five Travel Cameras For 2016: Your Bestfriend While Traveling) 3. Kelsey Vaughne, Nanny - She and her husband Cameron left their home in Virginia Beach to become digital nomads. The two work on their Instagram account called "The Wanderful Lyfe", where they receive promotional sponsorships and are able to write competent reviews on hotels and attractions, so that destinations and restaurants provide them free services in exchange of a review. (READ: The Most Popular Travel Photographers On Instagram) 4. Arianna Esposito and Rena Ayoubi, Waitress and Bartender Gigs - The two have steadily been travelling through New Zealand, Southeast Asia and Canada and gathering content for their travel blog and social media sites. Initially, the two had to save $12,000 each when they met a travel blogger in a hostel who showed them the way. From there, they started writing freelance for travel sites and getting paid per article. After much success, they moved on to creating their own blog, LandRoamers, where they received business sponsorships and a wide social media presence. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 One of the trending news in France today is the folded baguette called baguette du motard, a more portable version of the original long loaf which is invented by a French bakery in Breton. Before baking, the baguette is folded in half to make a U-shape design. This was greatly welcomed by cyclists and bikers as this makes it easier for them to carry the baguette in their backpacks, instead of lugging it around in their bikes carefully. This compact version helps avoid the usual job of tipping out the excess crumbs in the bag when it breaks in half. This simple twist was inspired when a young baker in the Le Darz boulangerie said his father (who's a biker) finds it difficult to carry baguettes. The bakery's post on Facebook instantly went viral and got shared 7,000 times. A local baker in Switzerland has also been reportedly in contact with them in hopes of creating a similar one. "We made it as a nod to all the bikers, but also to amuse ourselves too," the bakers commented. "We're ecstatic that you like it." Now, the bakery is making around 50 of these "biker-friendly baguettes" a day. Talking with British Baker, bakery co-owner Muriel Le Darz said: "My husband, [Nicolas Le Darz], who is a biker himself, was very taken by the idea. The advantages include that the baguette fits into a backpack and there are no crumbs to empty out. Also, it does not dry out." The French were known to have an affinity for baguettes, as these long sticks of bread are always a part of their daily lives, and is the symbol of the present day French cuisine. That's why many people cheered for the inventiveness of the baguette du motard, while many were also wondering why it took this much time for the French bakers to improve the original, long version. Each folded baguette costs 1-5 centimes more expensive than the straight baguette. For the people complaining about the increased price, the bakers responded by saying, "Imagine folding 100 sticks - it takes time!" See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 If you are planning a trip and you are pregnant or may want to get pregnant within the next six months, then it is highly recommended to steer clear of Zika prone areas. Good thing that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a map that warns travelers of "Zika Zones." Though Zika Virus is no longer a global threat, travelers are to remain cautious when making travel plans. According to the CDC, there is no known vaccine to protect yourself against Zika virus. However, there are ways to prevent it. For starters, CDC released a Zika Zones map that will inform travelers of areas with reported Zika cases. Pregnant women or those who are planning to get pregnant are recommended to avoid these areas. According to CDC, Zika can be sexually transmitted. Men who traveled to Zika-affected areas are advised to wait six months before engaging in unprotected sex with their partner. Zika virus might remain a threat to some areas, but this will certainly not get in the way of most women's travel plans. In a report by WGNtv.com, Dr. Julie Levitt said pregnant or soon-to-be pregnant travelers would do well to travel to California, Europe, and Hawaii for vacation. But if they are planning to travel to Zika-affected areas, then it is best to protect yourself against mosquito bites by using bug sprays and wearing long sleeved shirts and pants. 2016 has been bombarded with travel warnings and continuous updates regarding the Zika virus. However, travel experts said that it is still a great year for travel. US Travel Associations showed the travel rate is expected to grow in the succeeding months. So, instead of scrapping your travel plans, why not modify them a bit. Use the CDC's Zika Zone map as a guide for a safer and worry-free travel. And, it also helps to protect yourself against Zika virus by following their tips for traveling. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 Traveling with a credit card is not only safe but also extremely convenient. But with the number of credit cards out there, it is important to know which ones are the best credit cards for travel. Traveling can be fun especially if you do not have to worry about carrying bundles of cash or foreign currency exchange. But the good news is that since travel has been increasingly popular and booming for the past few years, travelers will not have to worry about foreign transaction fees. According to Forbes, more credit card users are waiving foreign transaction fees since international travel from the US are at its peak. There are a lot of credit cards out there that offers great perks for travelers. So gear up with your travel plans and find out which ones are the best travel cards for 2017. For cards with the best signing bonus, Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card are your two choices. These two the best credits cards with a generous signing bonus. Chase Sapphire Preferred Card rewards users 50,000 bonus points once they spend $4,000 on any purchases within the first 3 months from the time they opened the account. They also have flexible rewards. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card allows you to earn 40,000 miles as a one-time bonus when you spend $3,000 on any purchases within the first 3 months of credit card approval. For cards with free airport lounge access, the American Express The Platinum Card and Citi Prestige Card are two of the best choices. The Platinum Card gives a user access to more than a thousand airport lounges all over the world aside from the $200 airline fee credit. The Citi Prestige Card not only gives annual $250 air travel credit, but also provides access to about 40 American Airlines Admirals Club lounges and hundreds of VIP Priority Pass Select lounges. For cards that provide the best airline miles, Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite is the top choice. The travel credit card allows users to earn 2x miles on all your purchases. You will also earn 50,000 bonus miles once you spend $3,000 worth of purchases within the first 3 months after approval. See Now: The U.S. had the highest number of Most Wanted properties, dominating the Hotels.com Loved By Guests Awards 2018 By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 2 (PTI) Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani arrived here today and will hold discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of common interest With Qatar being the largest supplier of LNG to India, the two leaders are also likely to discuss ways to enhance cooperation in the strategic area of energy. advertisement They will hold discussions "on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of common interest", according to External Affairs Ministry. This is the first visit of Sheikh Abdullah to India and the third high-level bilateral engagement between the two countries in the past two years, which underlines Indias growing ties with Qatar. The visit of Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to India in March 2015 was followed by visit of Prime Minister Modi to Qatar this June. Not only an important trading partner for India in the Gulf region, Qatar is also the largest supplier of LNG to it, accounting for 66 per cent of the total imports in 2015-16. Indians form the largest expatriate community in Qatar and their positive contribution in the progress and development of their host country is well recognised. There are over 630,000 Indian nationals working in Qatar. PTI PYK RT --- ENDS --- (TRAVPR.COM) USA - December 1st, 2016 - TourMega - an innovative travel tech startup in Silicon Valley launches the first search engine dedicated to tours and activities around the world. Mountain View, California, December 1st, 2016- - TourMega, a travel startup based in Silicon Valley, launched the first search engine dedicated to tours and activities around the world on November 4th, 2016 TourMega features more than 10,000 tours and activities on six continents and will be adding new choices added on a weekly basis. Travelers will be able to search for and book a variety of experiences from a classic cruise on the Nile to a trek to the Annapurna mountains in Nepal. Whats unique about TourMega is that not only will we pull from a variety of tour sites around the world, we also provide the option for amateur tour guides and local experts to sign up and post their own unique experiences,user-friendly, says Eric Espino, one of TourMegas founders. This allows them to share their personal knowledge with the world and tap into the ever growing gig economy and make extra cash on the side. Tourmegas technology is user-friendly and optimized for mobile devices to allow travelers to search or post an experience on the go and in minutes. TourMega is the kayak for tours and activities. We're working to make our search engine robust, providing many options for users to search and compare tours from different partners that we work with around the world Says Quynh Pham, TourMegas Co-founder and CEO. She adds We are also working on an AI platform to help users book their trips based on past travel behavior and individual interests. The team also is working on mobile applications for Android and IOS devices which should be available in 2017. For its launch, TourMega is offering travelers a 15% discount (with promotion code EXPLORETM) for any tour or activity from 12/1/2016 to 12/15/2016. About TourMega TourMega was founded in Mountain View, CA by two die-hard travelers and entrepreneurs Quynh Pham, founder of TourNative and Reachoo, and Eric Espino, MIT graduate and former municipal finance professional. For more information please visit TourMega or contact us at support@tourmega.com! Press Contact: Mariam Bulin-Diarra Media Relations Manager Mariam@tourmega.com www.TourMega.com ### When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Queen is the story of a young Punjabi girl, played by Kangana Ranaut, who embarks on her honeymoon to Paris alone after her fiance calls off the wedding. By India Today Web Desk: Amy Jackson, who is currently wrapping up the remaining portions of 2.0, is likely to reprise Bollywood diva Lisa Haydon's role in the Tamil version of Queen. ALSO READ: Why did Katappa kill Baahubali? Rajyavardhan Rathore knows the million-dollar answer ALSO READ: Ramya Krishnan lands a role in Suriya's Thaana Serndha Koottam Speaking about her role, a source was quoted by The News Minute as saying, "Talks have been initiated with Amy, but nothing has been finalized yet. Even though she's most likely to be signed on, the makers are also looking at a few other heroines as options." advertisement "In a couple of week's time, the official announcement can be expected. Amy is also quite excited about the opportunity and if she comes on board, she'd be part of all the southern versions of the film," the source said. Tamannaah, who is basking in the success of horror comedy Devi(L), will be playing the leading lady's role in Tamil. The Tamil remake will be directed by veteran actor Revathi. Interestingly, the film will have dialogues written by another veteran actor-filmmaker Suhasini Mani Ratnam. Queen is the story of a young Punjabi girl, played by Kangana Ranaut, who embarks on her honeymoon to Paris alone after her fiance calls off the wedding. --- ENDS --- Rahul used the opportunity to launch another round of attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he is "more interested in TRP politics". By Supriya Bhardwaj: Chairing the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting in the absence of his ailing mother Sonia, vice-president Rahul Gandhi today emerged as the defacto president of his party. Rahul used the opportunity to launch another round of attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he is "more interested in TRP politics". "We never gave India a PM who based his entire policy-making strategy on TRPs," Rahul said. advertisement TRPs or Television Rating Points is a tool to decide which programmes are viewed the most. "The country has suffered tremendous damage as a result of vanity and incompetence of our PM," he said. Speaking on demonetisation, Rahul went on, "We never gave a PM who was ready to inflict such tremendous suffering on people of India to protect his own persona." "The Congress never gave India a Prime Minister who was a prisoner of his own image," Rahul said in the Parliamentary Party meeting. "We never gave India a PM who bypassed the experience of those sitting in the institutions," the 46-year-old leader said. ON PAKISTAN AND TERRORISM But it was in the context of the recent terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, suspected to be launched from Pakistan, that Rahul was most acerbic. "It is high time the government develops a coherent strategy on Pakistan. We were told that the idea behind surgical strikes was to stop Pakistan from cross-border attacks," he said. "But there have been 21 major attacks and hundreds of ceasefire violations since the surgical strikes," he added. "As Chief Minister of Gujarat, this Prime Minister used to ridicule our Pakistan policy. Well, our Pakistan policy resulted in complete global isolation of Pakistan," he said. "Today, the same person who used to ridicule us sits silently while Kashmir burns. PM Modi will be judged by history as the man who gifted massive political space to anti-India forces by creating the opportunistic BJP-PDP alliance," he said. FLOWERY WELCOME Senior Congress leaders welcomed the Amethi MP with flowers and led him to the Central Hall of Parliament where the meeting took place. Even before the winter session, the party had signalled that its vice-president will be playing an important role in party's functioning in the Parliament. From addressing Congress Working Committee -- the highest decision making body of the party - to leading United Opposition Front to president Pranab Mukherjee's doorsteps to finally address the CPP -- Gandhi scion has led the party from front. advertisement He is also set to lead the Congress' attack team on demonetisation issue inside the Lok Sabha when the much awaited discussion starts. Gandhi is all set to speak in the House on the issue of demonetisation. Also Read Rahul Gandhi directs Congress MPs not to raise Twitter hacking issue in Parliament Got them keys: Moments after case filed over Rahul Gandhi's Twitter hacking, Congress account now hacked --- ENDS --- Tribune News Service Panchkula, December 1 Residents had a tough time withdrawing their salary today as most banks and ATMs lacked cash. While most banks did receive cash in the morning, it did not last long. If bank managers are to be believed, adequate cash is not being provided to them. Meera Chauhan, a city resident, said, At the beginning of a month, everyone needs money to meet various expenses. The last month has been tough for us. The situation will get worse. Some bank managers said they were at the mercy of the Reserve bank of India (RBI). Vivek, in-charge of HDFC bank branches in Panchkula, said, We have not been receiving enough cash from the RBI. Hope we get enough cash tomorrow. A manager at an ICICI branch in the city said though they received double the amount of cash they got yesterday, it did not meet the demand. A bank manager went on to say that the government was withholding cash on purpose to make sure that people did not have any other option but get used to mobile or e-banking. No advance salary for 15,000 UT employees Chandigarh: More than 15,000 employees of the UT Administration failed to get Rs 10,000 salary advance in cash. While officials blamed the delay in getting the required permission from banks, the employees scrambled at various city banks to draw salary. The Chandigarh Administration had earlier decided to pay part salary in advance to all non-gazetted and Class IV employees on November 24. An officer said despite the directions, the banks failed to disburse amount. On the other hand, several employees said they had been facing problems in meeting daily expenses. Cashless day for Mohali residents Mohali: Cashless banks and ATMs left local residents baffled on the first day of the month. People were seen lined up in front of ATMs. As the banks lacked cash, notices displaying no cash were seen pasted on their entrance. A large number of our clients visited the bank to withdraw money. As we have no cash, we are sending them them, said a manager of a private bank here. So far, we have received no cash. We hope that cash arrives in the afternoon, said an employee of a bank, here. Meanwhile, a number of residents were seen sulking for not being able to withdraw cash. I have to send money to my parents. Apart from that, I need to pay my rent and other bills. What should I do? I dont know, said Rajat, a private employee. Another local resident, Ritu, said she needed cash pay wages to her maids and clear dues of the milkman and purchase grocery. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 1 Four dreaded terrorists from the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen took 18 staff members and 30 students of Strawberry Fields High School hostage here today. It took 200 black cat commandos, equipped with most sophisticated arms and ammunition, to rescue the hostages in over four hours after a fierce gun battle. Thankfully, it was a plot that took the city by surprise this evening. Around 200 men from the countrys elite Special Action Group (SAG) of the National Security Guards (NSG) conducted a massive counter terrorist training activity at Strawberry Fields High School in Sector 26. A part of their ongoing exercise, this was perhaps the biggest in this part of the region. It was the same group, which fought Pakistani ultras in Pathankot and Mumbai terror attacks, a senior officer told The Tribune. A group of senior officers from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) accompanied the commandos and the entire operation, which began around 4.45 pm and continued till 9 pm, was streamed live to the MHA headquarters in New Delhi where the top bosses monitored it, the officer disclosed. The Chandigarh Administration and the local police were informed of the operation and they made requisite arrangements to facilitate the exercise. The entire exercise was kept a top secret till the onlookers were shocked to see the sniper carrying men in black atop fire crane taking control of not only the school campus but also its adjoining buildings of St Kabir School and the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration (MGSIPA). A green corridor from the airport was given to the 200-strong guard contingent and officers of the NSG, who arrived from New Delhi by a specially chartered plane. The road on both ends was barricaded and no vehicle was was allowed to enter it. Very sophisticated equipment was used and drones were seen flying over the school, a member of the operation team shared. Armed with latest sophisticated weaponry, the NSG commandos also carried technologically upgraded gadgets such as aerial view and night vision cameras. Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 2 The Heart of Asia conference with focus on Afghanistan and the proposed arrival of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani have prompted local importers and exporters to request the governments of India and Afghanistan to impress upon Pakistan to allow transit access for export of goods from India to Afghanistan via the Wagah-Attari Joint Check-Post. The international conference has revived the memories of age-old ties between Amritsar and Afghanistan in the memory of people, especially the dry-fruit traders. Many city-based business families used to import dry fruit and export green tea from here. A businessman, Rajdeep Uppal, who imports dry fruit from Afghanistan, said, Amritsar-based traders are importing dry fruit and fresh fruit from Pakistan and supplying these to the markets spread across north India. He added that the rest of the domestic market is fed by imports taking place via the sea route. The country was exporting many articles like man-made fiber, apparel, pharma, gem and jewellery, tobacco, dairy products and others to Afghanistan via the sea route. While the exports from Punjab in general and via Attari were nil. He added that there was a tremendous scope of exports from Punjab to Afghanistan and its neighbouring Central Asian countries. The state has high quality of woollen apparels, blankets, shawls, engineering goods, pharmaceuticals and goods from other sectors. These goods could be speedily delivered at cheaper freight rates to Afghanistan and Central Asian countries, which share their boundary with Afghanistan, like Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. A trader, Mukesh Kumar, said before the dark days of terrorism, Amritsar was the main supply head of dry fruit from Afghanistan while green tea, utensils and other articles were also traded between Afghanistan and the holy city. There used to be thrice a week flight between Amritsar and Kabul. Majith Mandi and its adjoining areas, located in the maze-like roads of narrow lanes of the walled city, lost their pristine glory of being the dry fruit hub of the country after the civil war broke out in Afghanistan. Many dry fruit traders have closed trade ties with their Afghan counterparts. The majority of the traders in Majith Mandi who had a flourishing business in Peshawar had to migrate to Amritsar and find a new market in Majith Mandi after the Partition. PL Seth of Shawl Club of India said Amritsar and Afghanistan share similar dressing habits and climate. He said direct export of woollen clothes, including blanket, tweeds, shawls and others be felicitated from here. He lamented that at present shawls like many other products were being exported to Afghanistan via Dubai which escalate the cost of at its destination. There is a high need for exchange of cultural programmes and trade exhibitions between both countries. He demanded opening of consulate office at Amritsar for early visa which will promote business. Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 2 SAARC nations are expecting to participate in the five-day 11th edition of the Punjab International Trade Expo (PITEX), starting from December 8. PITEX is likely to witness a massive participation of SAARC nations, including Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, during the five-day PITEX 2016 being organised in association with the Punjab Government at Ranjit Avenue here. The PHD Chamber would also host a round table conference of delegates from the SAARC nations. About 150 select buyers will be in Amritsar from SAARC nations and they would be engaged in one-to-one business meetings with Indian manufacturers and expected to sign many MoUs. Punjab-based companies will also showcase their products to foreign buyers. Nearly 450 exhibitors are participating in the trade expo, who are categorised into 11 pavilions such as agriculture, food and farm, travel, tour, auto and handicrafts. The foreign buyers who have confirmed their participation are from important sectors such as textiles, fabrics and gems and jewellery. In its last edition, PITEX generated business over Rs 400 crore with the participation from SAARC nations and domestic traders. The astonishing feature of the event will be Reserve Buyers Sellers Meet (RBSM) involving chambers representing SAARC nations which is being supported by the Ministry of Commerce. This year, we have confirmed with over 450 exhibitors from the country and abroad who will showcase their products in the five-day long event. PITEX is one of the major trade event in North India. said Parveen Rathi, Regional Director, PHDCCI, Chandigarh. It is an ideal platform for Indian manufacturers and traders to showcase goods at the international level. We have provided world-class infrastructure at the expo and like previous editions this time too we are expecting business enquiries would cross the previous benchmarks, RS Sachdeva, co-chairman, Punjab Committee, PHDCCI. PITEX will be inaugurated by Minister for Industries and Commerce Madan Mohan Mittal on December 9 in the presence of top executives of the PHDCCI. S Nihal Singh US President Barack Obamas pivot to Asia, such as it was, is an endangered species in the Trump era. Looking back, was it in essence more rhetoric than a policy to be implemented? Leaders of South-east Asia, East Asia and further afield are asking themselves this question. The Chinese, who are delighted with President-elect Trumps proposal to revoke the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) of 12 countries excluding China, have been wary of the pivot. They believe it was meant to contain their country and cite the increased pace and intensity of surveillance flights along their countrys periphery. According to semi-official Chinese sources, US reconnaissance missions by ships were raised from 200 in 2009 to 1,200 in 2014. The TPP was, of course, a key element of Mr Obamas pivot to Asia. It went hand in hand with intensifying relations with Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. Washington was also working on military partnerships with Vietnam and Indonesia and President Obama made a point of attending every East Asia Summit and his rapport with PM Modi was partly determined by balancing the China clout. President-elect Trumps foreign policy contours are still to be worked out. His promises thus far have been of wariness towards Muslim migrants, opposition to commitments such as the TPP for allegedly taking away American jobs and bashing China and India for the same reason. With India (Hindus in his dictionary) he has expressed an affinity, but it would be wise to remember that campaign rhetoric can be very different from policies implemented in governance. His ostensibly exuberant telephone talk with Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif is of little relevance. What is clear is that Mr Trump will be more hands off in determining policies towards Asia and elsewhere unless it chimes with his slogan of making America great again. Taking on the so-called Islamic State falls in that definition but work on Asia remains undefined. Factors determining President Obamas pivot included his belief in the hopelessness of the situation in the Middle East, in large part of Washingtons making, and the need to balance Chinas increasing clout and military modernisation. His administration defined intensified military activity as a peaceful effort at engagement with the region. Mr Trumps extravagant campaign rhetoric suggested that countries such as Japan and South Korea should make their own nuclear weapons unless they fully compensated the US for protecting them. There again campaign rhetoric does not boil down to the policies of the new administration. Perhaps it is all to the good that the mix of the Obama administrations policies over his nearly eight years in office will get a fresh airing. One impression it left was that Mr Obama was more inclined to peaceful resolution of problems, rather than military intervention. He received much flak when he did not fulfil his promise of a military reply to Syrian President Bashar al-Assads use of chemical weapons, the red line Washington had announced. The Trump administrations inclination will be promptly to use force if it jells with US national interests. Areas Mr Trump has already clarified after his election victory include the return of illegal Mexican residents by suggesting that two to three million of them against whom there are serious charges would be proceeded against. It is in a sense begging the question because there are an estimated 11 million illegal Mexicans living in the US. The other is the nixing of the TPP the day he assumes office to tell his supporters that he is bringing back jobs allegedly lost to cheaper manufacturing countries. Judging by some of the key appointments he has announced, President-elect Trump is set to pursue hardline policies but the precise shape they will take remains to be determined. He has already made some adjustments to his earlier pronouncements. On the vital issue of climate change, he had earlier dismissed as nonsense, he now says human activity could influence climate. He is also in the process of fine-tuning his earlier proposal to bar all Muslim migrants from terrorist-infested countries. Apart from these and other necessary adjustments, the Trump era will pursue a very different philosophy from Mr Obamas. His constituency is distinctly right wing, believing in the potency of the gun at home and abroad. At the same time, his policies will be determined by national interest untrammelled by liberal leavening. In other words, it will be a more selfish policy and US force will be used for naked national profit. It is no coincidence that racial incidents have shown a marked increase since his victory, with one right wing party meeting declaring Hail Trump after Nazi Germanys Hail Hitler slogan. Mr Trump has expressed his disapproval although the strategist he has appointed, Mr Steve Bannon, is known for his right wing and racist views. The US is going through a new cycle after decades of Democrats rule. Mr Trump rode to victory on an anti-establishment vote, in common with the advance of the far right in European countries. The causes are not hard to enumerate: growing income inequality, economic recession in the West, the fact that the US and many European countries are ruled by elites and the pain of modern technology for the less well-equipped making them redundant. How long the new cycle in the US will last remains to be seen. Much will depend upon how the new Trump administration will temper its rhetoric to take account of the citizens who did not vote for him, a majority judging by the popular vote for rival Hillary Clinton in one of the many peculiarities of the American system where states vote count determines the victor. Given this scenario, the US and the world are entering a new era. One reassuring fact is that American institutions have largely stood the test of time and can withstand shocks. One strike for Mr Trumps philosophy is that he can now appoint one new Supreme Court judge to tilt the balance to the right. New Delhi, December 2 The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has refused to permit over 10-year-old diesel vehicles in Karnal in Haryana and asked the state government to expedite the installation of CNG stations. A Bench headed by NGT chairman Justice Swatanter Kumar passed the order on the plea of the Karnal Independent Schools Association seeking permission to ply diesel vehicles over 10 years old until an adequate number of CNG filling stations are set up in their city that falls in the NCR. Why cant you buy new vehicles? Karnal is almost Delhi and it is as thickly populated as any colony here. You run international schools, charge handsomely, why cant you buy new vehicles. We are not going to permit diesel vehicles in Karnal, you can be rest assured, the Bench said. When the NGT asked the lawyer appearing for the association to file an affidavit, stating that it was ready to fit new engines in the old buses, he withdrew his petition. In its plea, the association had stated that it ran around 900 buses in 77 schools which were all private and unaided CBSE schools in Karnal. The member schools do not have substantial means and resources to immediately procure approximately 175 new diesel buses. The schools cannot purchase new CNG-fitted buses as well due to lack of adequate resources and non-availability of CNG filling stations in the area. Many children who attend these schools come from far-flung, rural and remote areas as well and have no means of transport, besides school buses. Many of these children belong to under-privileged backgrounds as well, the plea had said. The NGT had earlier asked the UP and Haryana governments to mull over the possibility of installing CNG stations in the NCR and consider the proposal after it was informed that there was no CNG station in Karnal and Meerut. On July 18, the green panel had directed the Delhi-NCR authorities to cancel the registration of all diesel-powered vehicles that were over 10 years old. PTI Sat Singh Tribune News Service Bhiwani, December 2 Major Sanjeev Lather was today cremated with full state honours at his native Budha Khera village of Jind district. Earlier in the day, his mortal remains were brought to his Bhiwani residence in Vidhya Nagar from New Delhi. Major Sanjeev, along with two other Armyofficers, was killed in Siliguri, West Bengal, in an Army helicopter crash on Wednesday. State Cooperation Minister and Rohtak MLA Manish Grover, who were present at the cremation, announced Rs 50 lakh for the family. At Major Sanjeevs residence in Bhiwani, Mahender Lather, his father, demanded the Centre and the Prime Minister to focus on the maintenance of its Army choppers to avoid such incidents in the future. He said he was proud that his son died while serving the nation. Jagram Mann, father-in-law of the deceased officer, said the tragedy was a result of outdated Cheetah helicopters by the Army. He said Chetak and Cheetah helicopters had claimed 294 lives in 98 mishaps and it was high time the government phased them out. Besides Army officers, naib tehsildar Naresh Kumar and Deputy Superintendent of Police Vijay Deswal reached his residence to pay tributes to the deceased. Sunit Dhawan Tribune News Service Rohtak, December 2 A district court today asked the CBI to file its status report about the transfer of certain cases pertaining to the incidents of arson and violence witnessed during the Jat agitation for reservation in February. Certain arson cases, including the case pertaining to the burning of the local residence of Haryana Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu, were handed over to the CBI recently. Prior to that, the SIT probing the matter had arrested 40 persons in connection with the cases of arson and violence at the properties of Capt Abhimanyu. After being handed over the cases, the CBI had approached the district court hearing the cases and requested that the cases taken over by it be transferred to the Special CBI court at Panchkula. For this, the CBI was required to move the Punjab and Haryana High Court, seek permission for the transfer of the said cases to the CBI court and present the status report in this regard before the Rohtak court. Counsel for the CBI had sought some time for this, which was granted by the Rohtak court. However, the CBI failed to file the status report before the court of Rohtak Additional Sessions Judge Sudhir Jeewan today as well. The CBI counsel sought another week to file the status report. The Judge asked the CBI to file the status report by the next hearing, which has been fixed for December 13. Pardeep Malik, counsel for some of the accused in the said cases, maintained that the fundamental rights and liberty of the accused were being curtailed owing to the inordinate delay in filing of the status report on the matter. The bail applications of 12 accused are pending due to the imbroglio, he added. We can neither pursue the bail applications at the Rohtak court nor move the Special CBI court until the status report is filed and the case is formally transferred, Malik maintained. Parvesh Sharma Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 2 Perhaps it is for the first time that the Haryana Government has released all Rs 8,040 crore for paddy purchase, but farmers are still waiting for their money, courtesy cash crunch due to demonetisation. Arhtiyas have been issuing cheques to farmers, but the absence of required cash has reduced these to merely pieces of papers. Interestingly, Haryana this time witnessed an all-time high procurement of paddy. Even after selling crops for Rs 10 lakh, I do not have money enough to purchase medicine as arhtiyas are issuing cheques and banks do not have required cash. Though I have been taking medicine on credit, but all patients may not do it, said Billu Ram, vice-president of the Haryana unit of Bharatiya Kisan Union. All agencies transfer money online to the accounts of billing-cum-paying agents (arhtiyas), but majority of farmers do not accept cheques and only take cash from arhtiyas. This time, things are different as after demonetisation, since there is acute shortage of cash in the market, arhtiyas have been issuing cheques to farmers, who are taking repeated rounds of banks to get cash against these. When contacted, Haryana Minister of State for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Karan Dev Kamboj said they had released all Rs 8,040 crore for paddy purchase. We have released all payment and there is no problem from our side. Arhtiyas are issuing cheques and not giving cash and it is causing problems to farmers, said the minister. Haryana has witnessed an all-time high procurement of over 53.24 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of paddy during the current kharif season so far. Last year, 42.69 lakh MT of paddy was procured. In all, 65.37 lakh MT of paddy has so far arrived in the grain markets of the state as against 58.14 lakh MT of paddy that reached the markets last year. Lalit Mohan Tribune News Service Dharamsala, December 2 The office of the Union Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, at McLeodganj, which houses the office of Liaison Officer to the Dalai Lama, is now bearing the brunt of the Himachal government decision to allow 100 per cent regularization of the illegal structures in the state. The office of the Liaison Officer was established in 1959 when the Tibetan leader fled into exile in India. The office is located in a heritage building on 1, Mortimer Hall at McLeodganj. The building also falls in the core zone of McLeodganj where no construction has been allowed. However, since the Himachal government has passed a bill proposing regularization of all the unauthorized structures in the state, many illegal buildings have come up around the office of Union Ministry for External Affairs. The multi-storey illegal buildings around the heritage building of the ministry have come up in such a way that its lush green lawn now resembles a ditch. The valley view of the heritage building has been covered by illegal hotels that have come up around it and the office looks like a fortress. The officials working in the department said that their privacy has also been encroached upon by the illegal buildings. The Director at the office and Liaison Officer of the Dalai Lama, Guru Sharan Singh said they had written to municipal corporation authorities, divisional commissioner, Kangra and the Town and Country Planning office regarding the illegal constructions coming up around their office. It was a heritage property and permissions from the Union Ministry for Culture were also required before raising constructions around it. Since no action was being taken by the local authorities regarding the illegal constructions coming around the office, we shall be writing for the intervention of the Union Ministry of External Affairs in the matter, Guru Sharan Singh said. Sources here said that the area around the union ministry office was the core area according to the laws of the TCP Department. As per the TCP bylaws the core area of McLeodganj had to be kept intact and no new constructions should be allowed there. While the illegal buildings have already covered the front portion of the building, illegal buildings have started coming up on the backside. Commissioner of the Dharamsala Municipal Corporation JM Pathania was not available for comments despite repeated attempts to contact him on phone. The other officials of the corporation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that since the state government announced the scheme to regularize 100 per cent deviations in the original maps people have gone ahead with illegal constructions with the hope that all of it would be regularized. The authorities are also in fix over what to do regarding the illegal structures. The office of the Ministry for External Affairs is among the very few heritage buildings left in McLeodganj that has been exploited to the hilt by commercialization by hotel owners due to the complacent attitude of the authorities. "Singapore will not be bullied and backed up against a wall," said Tim Huxley, an expert on Singapore's military at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. By Reuters: As the impounding of Singaporean troop carriers in Hong Kong exposes rising tensions between China and Singapore, the Lion City is unlikely to budge on core security interests concerning Beijing - its military relationship with Taiwan, worries over the South China Sea and its hosting of the US military. Singaporean officials, retired military officers and analysts stress that even while Singapore publicly plays down the spat, its leadership will not easily give in to what it sees as intimidation on matters of national importance. advertisement All three points - Taiwan, the South China Sea and its deepening relationship with the Pentagon - reflect positions refined over decades as the tiny island state seeks to secure itself in a region now undergoing historic strategic shifts amid China's rise. But those shifts mean the pressure is intensifying and Singapore risks being isolated as neighbours including the Philippines, a US ally, and Malaysia tilt towards Beijing. "Singapore will not be bullied and backed up against a wall," said Tim Huxley, an expert on Singapore's military at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. "(It) will take a determined stand on issues that it sees as important - and the importance of the issues at hand should not be underestimated." Hong Kong customs last week seized nine armoured troop carriers being shipped from Taiwan to Singapore after military exercises, prompting warnings from Beijing about maintaining ties with an island it regards as a breakaway province. Also Read: China asks India to 'respect concerns' as PM Modi heads to Japan VANGUARD OF ANTI-CHINA COALITION The dispute has erupted at a period of apparent vulnerability for Singapore, with its economy slowing and questions over the trade and security policies of incoming US President Donald Trump. Singapore has enhanced its long standing security relations with Washington over the last 18 months, and now hosts revolving deployments of vessels and US P-8 surveillance planes that regional military sources say routinely target Chinese submarines. While not a formal US alliance partner, regional diplomats say it has become Washington's most important military relationship in Southeast Asia - more so since President Rodrigo Duterte's Philippine election win. The shift has not gone unnoticed in Beijing. "Singapore has gone from being seen as a useful facilitator of US-China relations to being in the vanguard of an anti-China coalition, particularly on the South China Sea," said Zhang Baohui, a mainland security scholar at Hong Kong's Lingnan University. "The days of Beijing comfortably seeing Singapore has vaguely neutral are over, and it is reacting accordingly." China will find Singapore harder to crack than other countries in its orbit, however, as it less beholden to Chinese security or economic pressure, given its advanced market status and international security relationships, including with the United States, he said. "China will find Singapore defiant and able to withstand pressure, but Singapore will find itself losing influence and more isolated within Southeast Asia as countries increasingly look to China," Zhang said. advertisement OTHER ISSUES AT PLAY Since the seizure of the armoured vehicles, Beijing has stressed its opposition to any form of official contact with Taiwan. The influential state-run tabloid, the Global Times, has been more strident, suggesting the carriers should be "melted down". While other state media have run commentaries critical of Singapore through the year, they have been quiet on the troop carrier impounding. Singapore has discreetly circulated thousands of troops a year through Taiwan since 1975 - a presence that survived formalizing ties with Beijing under a "one China" policy in the early 1990s. While Singapore increasingly exploits facilities in Australia and India, as well as sending troops to Brunei and Thailand, Taiwan remains an important to Singapore given the depth of military links and diverse training options, experts and retired Singaporean officers say. Singapore has also played a role as a diplomatic bridge between the two sides, most recently hosting the historic meeting between outgoing Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November 2015. Singapore's Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan this week sought to play down the seizure, saying it was "not a strategic incident" and that Singapore's relationship with Taiwan was known to China. But behind the scenes, regional diplomats say their Chinese counterparts are also making clear their rising concern at US surveillance activities off coasts from assets stationed around the region. advertisement Advanced P-8 aircraft especially are viewed by Chinese strategists as a threat to Beijing's evolving nuclear deterrent, centred on ballistic missile submarines stationed on Hainan Island. "They are relentless on this point," one Western diplomat said. "They don't want to accept it as normal in any way." Chinese officials and state media have accused Singapore of internationalising matters in the South China Sea, where it is not a claimant. While Singapore insists it does not take sides in the disputes, it has stressed the importance of freedom of navigation and international norms. As negotiations continue over the fate of the troop carriers, Singapore's Ambassador-at-Large Bilahari Kausikan made clear the issues went deeper than military materiel. advertisement Contemporary China was "curious mixture of assertiveness and insecurity", Kausikan wrote on Facebook this week, adding he believed its leaders wanted to preserve the broader relationship. "We are a small country and larger countries - not just China - routinely try intimidation. But because China wants us to accept the appellation of 'Chinese country' and because so many Singaporeans are of Chinese descent, their actions have a special resonance." --- ENDS --- Ladakh, December 2 In an impressive passing out parade held at the highest-located drill square recently, at least 52 smartly dressed Ladakh Scouts Regimental Centre (LSRC) recruits began their lifetime journey as soldiers. The entire centre was stirred by the clap of palms on rifles, precise drill movements and ankles digging into the parade ground. The ceremony was reviewed by LSRC Commandant Col Narinderjit Singh and attended by civil service dignitaries and parents of recruits. The young soldiers, often referred as Nunos, took oath in unison to serve for the supreme cause of the nation. Colonel Narinderjit Singh congratulated the young soldiers for the march past and urged them to devote their life in the service to the nation. On behalf of the Indian Army, Colonel Narinderjit Singh extended his gratitude to parents for sending their wards to serve the nation and assured them that the Army would take best care of the new soldiers. Making a mention of LSRCs achievements in a short time, Colonel Narinderjit Singh said such achievements exhibited the brave and patriotic feelings of soldiers and the young soldiers should take pride about being a part of the Indian Army. Remember, weapons will help only those who are the masters of how to use them during the war, said the commandant. The young riflemen were awarded different prizes for their outstanding performances during training. Gaurav Padaks were also presented to the parents of the young soldiers witnessing the parade. Recruit Tsering Motup of Alfa Company was conferred with the best recruit award of the 51st training batch, followed by recruit Stanzin Chospel of Bravo Company as the second best recruit while Hav Zakir Hussain was adjudged the best instructor. ANI Tribune News Service Jammu, December 2 A BSF jawan was injured in a sniper fire by Pakistani troops on a forward post at the Line of Control in Keri sector of Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. Krishan Kumar of 163 Battalion received splinter injuries after being targeted by a sniper fire. He is undergoing treatment at Army Hospital, Rajouri, where his condition is said to be stable. The incident took place around 10 am. On November 29, the BSF had gunned down three heavily armed terrorists on the International Border in Chamliyal-Ramgarh sector of Samba district during the gun battle. The BSF had detected a tunnel used by the terrorists who had come from Pakistan to infiltrate the Indian territory. Samaan Lateef Tribune News Service Srinagar, December 2 The Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested 33 persons, including five juveniles, for allegedly burning 34 schools in Kashmir in the past few months. In total for 34 incidents, the police have arrested 33 persons, including 28 adults and five juveniles, read an official report submitted by the police in the High Court on Friday. The police have submitted before District Magistrates dossiers on 14 arrested persons for slapping the Public Safety Act on them. The police have executed the PSA against six persons to date, it said. The police have categorised 65 places which house school buildings as highly sensitive and deployed 115 police personnel on guard duty to thwart miscreants from burning schools. Depending upon the sensitivity of the location of schools, the police have gone in for permanent deployment at highly sensitive locations, permanent nakas near sensitive areas and patrolling in less sensitive areas to prevent arson. The police said it had constituted Special Investigation Teams to carry out arrests and dispose of cases. From November 7, there has been no report of any fire incident or damage to school buildings. At least 14 attempts to set schools on fire by miscreants were foiled, the police said. The High Court had directed the state government on November 7 to provide adequate fire safety measures to all schools. The court had also directed the IGP, Kashmir, to file a status report on the steps taken to prevent the burning of schools. The next hearing in the matter is on December 15. For providing safety measures, the government has directed the Chief Education Officers of all districts to install fire extinguishers in all schools. Mona Everything has its own time and place. Or else how would one explain 5 Weddings, a film that was supposed to be made 10 years ago? Namrata Singh Gujral just wrapped up the shoot of the film, starring Nargis Fakhri and Raj Kumar Rao, in Chandigarh. Director, and one of the producers for the film, she was the one to actually have starred in it, but, as they say, destiny had other plans! Back in time The film, which will be opened in Cannes, has Bollywood weddings for a theme. It talks of love and acceptance, life and death. A decade ago, Namrata had zeroed-in on Harbhajan Mann to play lead opposite her. But then breast cancer followed by blood cancer, and another film as a director; she finally could come back to the story she wanted to bring alive on screen. Nargis, an American working in India, after many auditions, selected Rajkumar Rao to play the lead. It was a revelation of sorts that Nargis real-life draws many parallels to her on-screen character, says Namrata, in Chandigarh, on Friday. Deadly disease The story, a cancer plot too, is something that was the subject of her docu-drama 1 a Minute too. It drew from herown battle with the deadly disease and many a famous women sharing their story. When I approached the subject, not many were keen on it, who would watch women with cancer film was the prejudice, but then there are issues that must make it to mainstream and, yes, we did make money on that film too. Up next The current film is not is the same genre that many in Bollywood movies are, Dealing with cancer is not easy, but it is not as melodramatic either, says this Dharamsala-born director, who studied in the US and has made forays into Hollywood first as an actor and later as director, producer. In fact, her next project too deals with the disease. Cancer Moonshot 2020, a US government project, is what she is next documenting. Medicine and technology have taken giant leaps and I am hopeful that by 2020, all kinds of cancer will have a cure. Just like diabetes, it will not be easy but hopefully in control. Divine purpose In fact, Bhatinda Express is what she wants to work on too. And she is not just making films on the subject but also working closely with many foundations, including Nargis Dutt Cancer Foundation along with Priya Dutt. Everyone comes to this world with a purpose and I have a belief that one such purpose for each of us is to alleviate pain physical, emotional and mental. I am trying to do whats been coming my way, she signs off. Choose life over death A cancer survivor, Namrata Singh Gujral banked on the Guru Granth Saheb when she was hit by the disease and that too twice. Finding strength in the scripture, her mantra to fight it out is to choose life over death. In many cases, when diagnosed with cancer, the over-reigning thought is I am dying. Think clearly, we all are going to die eventually, sooner or later, by this or that. To conquer cancer, one must choose life and live the time you have; focus on life, not impending death. mona@tribunemail.com Tribune News Service Ludhiana, December 2 A senior Canadian education expert from Douglas College, a Government of Canada Institution in Vancouver, Dr Guangwei Ouyang, said liberal policies of the Canadian government would attract more youth to study in Canada. He said, The new Liberal Government has made announcements in favour of students coming from India and other countries. These have eliminated, to a great extent, previous systems that were not conducive to international students. The policy shift includes extra points under Canadas express entry for education completed in Canada by these students. Dr Guangwei Ouyang, vice president- international, Douglas College, Canada, was here for inaugurating the office of Sunrise International, an immigration and overseas education provider. Kuldeep Singh, founder, Sunrise International, said some factors that made Canada attractive were education quality, practical education format, safety, economical tuition costs, strong Indian community present there, work permit and immigration pathway eligibility after studies. India is now the second largest market for Canada in terms of number of students going to study there, after China. Approximately, more than 40,000 students from India go to Canada for studies every year. The number is growing fast. In India, Punjab remains the biggest market for Canada, said Kuldeep Singh. Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 1 As the executive and the judiciary agreed to invoke an extraordinary provision of the Constitution to reduce pendency of higher judicial appointments, the government recently received names of 18 ex-judges for appointment in four high courts. Senior officials of the Law Ministry said 18 names had been received from the high courts of Andhra Pradesh/Telangana, MP, Allahabad and Calcutta. We are in the process of finalising on these names, an official said. There is a shortage of 450 judges in all 24 HCs, while nearly three crore cases are pending in courts across the country. The executive and the judiciary had agreed to invoke the extraordinary provision of the Constitution after a conference of the CMs and Chief Justices held here in April. As per the minutes of the conference, which could be finalised after nearly six months, it has been resolved that subject to integrity, suitability and performance of a person, who has held the office as a judge of the high court, the provisions of Article 224 A can be invoked to deal with the extraordinary situation involving the large pendency of civil and criminal cases in the high courts. As per the provision, the Chief Justice of a HC, with the previous consent of the President (Centre), can request any person, who has held the office of a judge of that court or any other HC to sit and act as a judge of the HC for that state. The minutes were prepared by the SC. But the Law Ministry said some of the points drafted by the apex court were definitive in nature, whereas talks on those issues remained inconclusive in the meeting. When the conference was held in April, DV Sadananda Gowda was the Law Minister and he kept the matter pending due to disagreement over certain points. But since new Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad took charge of the ministry in July, the matter was brought to his notice and subsequently the minutes were approved in November, an official said. Simran Sodhi Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 2 India and Afghanistan are expected to come together and take a joint stand against terrorism, and further push for mechanisms that can deal with the menace in the region during the Heart of Asia (HOA) Conference beginning on Saturday in Amritsar. Afghanistan will also push for the regional counter-terrorism framework that has been drafted by Kabul to be adopted at the conference. The aim for both India and Afghanistan will be to try and convince other nations in isolating the one country in the neighbourhood that uses terror as an instrument of state policy. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The main conference on Sunday will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. However, the presence of Sartaj Aziz, Pakistans de facto foreign minister, at the conference will ensure the attention stays very much on the India-Pakistan tensions. While there is no formal structured bilateral planned between India and Pakistan on the sidelines of the conference, an informal meeting remains a possibility. So while the primary aim of the conference is to discuss the security and economic aspects of cooperation between Afghanistan and its neighbours, the sidelines will be dominated by the usual India-Pakistan narrative. Pakistan, over the course of the last week, has made a number of public statements expressing its willingness to resume a dialogue with India. There has been no formal request for a bilateral from either side. India, in the meantime, keeping in with the domestic sentiments has hardened its stand and reiterated over the last few days that terror and talks cannot go together. At last years HOA conference in Islamabad, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met with Aziz and the two announced resumption of a comprehensive dialogue between the two countries. Since then, relations have seen a continuous downward slide starting with the Pathankot attacks. Some of the topics that will be deliberated at the conference include the Chabahar project, a five-nation railway project and TAPI (Turkmenistan Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) gas pipeline project. India is the co-chair and host this time and Afghanistan is the permanent chair of the conference. The Amritsar conference will see representatives from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and the United Arab Emirates in participation. New Delhi, December 2 Refuting Pakistan's claims that it detected and chased out an Indian submarine from its waters, Indian Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said operational necessity decided Indias submarine deployment. "Repelling submarine of any nation is not easy task. Claim made by Pakistan Navy is totally bogus," the Chief of Naval Staff told media here during an annual briefing on Navy Day. "We deploy our submarines where as per the operational necessity and where we need. We will continue to deploy our submarines," Lanba said. The Pakistan Navy on November 18 claimed that it detected and chased away an Indian submarine that India was trying to station in its waters. Speaking on the presence of the Chinese Navy's ships and submarines at Gwadar port of Balochistan in Pakistan, the Navy Chief said that India was keeping an eye on them. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) "We have capability and assets to take on any force which is deployed, and if and when this happens, we have plans in place to tackle it," he said. Saying that the Chinese Navy has not touched the Indian waters, Adm Lanba added that India launches surveillance missions to keep an eye on the People's Liberation Army's Navy ships and submarines in the Indian Ocean region. Lanba said that the Navy is finalising design of the second indigenous aircraft carrier and will soon seek the government's approval. He added that 40 ships, four submarines and 12 aircraft are deployed far and near to protect the Indian waters. IANS New Delhi, December 2 Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday that West Bengal was targeted by the Centre as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee dared to slam the demonetisation. "West Bengal is being targeted because Mamtadi dared to speak against demonetisation," Kejriwal tweeted. "Mamtadi, keep up the fight. Whole nation is with you," the Aam Aadmi Party national convenor said expressing his support. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) WB is being targetted becoz Mamtadi dared to speak against demonitization. Mamtadi, keep up the fight. Whole nation is wid u. https://t.co/yw5kA1Ma78 Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 2, 2016 The Trinamool Congress chief had accused the central government of "deploying the army" along two highway toll plazas while keeping the state government "in the dark" on Thursday night. Later, she said she would not leave the secretariat till the soldiers were withdrawn. In a dramatic turn of events, Banerjee stay put despite the withdrawal of soldiers from the toll gate till early Friday. Centre humiliating Mamata: Mayawati Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Friday dubbed the military deployment in West Bengal as a deliberate move by the Centre to humiliate Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. This is not correct, our party strongly condemn the move. The Central government is trying to humiliate Mamata Banerjee as she has been raising her voice against demonetisation, said Mayawati. This is unfair to the West Bengal Chief Minister. This step is a grave attack on the Constitution, she added. Raising the issue, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad sought a clarification from the Centre and asked as to why the state's rights are being impinged on. It seems out of the way. Army doesn't collect toll? There is no law and order issue in West Bengal for the Army to be deployed? The centre must clarify it, in fact PM must clarify as to why state's rights are being impinged on, Azad said Agenices By PTI: Sources say that Trump has struck a personal chord with Modi and several prominent leaders interested in greater bilateral cooperation between US and India. In the final trip, Japan would be the first overseas stop of the Defense Secretary where he would arrive on December 6. The next day he will meet Minister of Defense Tomomi Inada to underscore the long-term strength of the US-Japan alliance, and build upon the unprecedented progress in US-Japan security cooperation, the Pentagon said. advertisement On December 10, Carter will deliver the opening speech at the annual International Institute for Strategic Studies Manama Dialogue in Bahrain. While in Bahrain, he will also visit sailors aboard USS Monterey, and thank them and their families for their service over the holidays. Thereafter, Carter will be in Israel to meet with Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman and attend a formal ceremony to welcome the arrival of the first Israeli F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. "The arrival of the aircraft highlights the close defence cooperation between the US and Israel," the Pentagon said. From Israel, Carter will visit US troops stationed in Italy from December 13-14 to thank them for their service in support of US and coalition operations worldwide, including deterring Russian aggression in Eastern Europe and securing NATOs southern flank, the statement said. London would be the final stop of Carter where he and his British counterpart Michael Fallon will cohost a ministerial of the leading nations in the counter-ISIL coalition on December 15. Discussions at the ministerial will focus on the current status of the campaign, the capabilities needed to secure and stabilise Mosul and Raqqah, and the future of the coalition in addressing the external metastases of ISIL, the Pentagon said. PTI LKJ ZH --- ENDS --- Guwahati: The Assam Police have instructed banks to remain vigilant to thwart bids by insurgents to deposit or exchange scrapped notes by using various means. At a meeting, the special Director General (Law and Order) of the Assam Police, Kuladhar Saikia, warned officials of 13 banks that any bank officials found involved in facilitating ultras to deposit or covert demonetised notes would face charges of terror finance under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. He shared Intelligence inputs on insurgents adopting various means to convert scrapped notes with representatives of the banks and the RBI. TNS Vibha Sharma Tribune News Service New Delhi, November 2 After another washed out week, the government on Friday appealed to Opposition parties to allow the Parliament to function next week. Crucial Bills related to public importance are listed for discussion and passage in the Parliament next week, Union Minister Ananth Kumar reasoned. It is the duty of the Opposition to take up the matter of public importance, he said, even as sources in the Opposition camp indicated a status quo, at least till the first week of December while the queues outside ATMs and banks are still long. Meanwhile, dismissing the Opposition demand of Prime Minister Narendra Modi tendering an apology for his statement earlier this week, Kumar argued that the PM never took the name of any political party when he spoke outside the Parliament earlier this week. The entire country and the people are unable to understand the point they (Opposition parties) are trying to make by stalling the Parliament. If you want to highlight faults and holes in demonetisation, Parliament is the best forum to do so, Kumar said, accusing the Opposition, especially the Congress, of obstructing debate on the issue by shifting the goal post continuously. We have said it many times the government is ever ready for a discussion on demonetisation. The Prime Minister will also intervene and the reply will be given by the Finance Minister, he said. Interestingly, while the government is accusing the Opposition of not really being interested in the debate on demonetisation, rivals parties are also levelling the same charge against it. Some Left leaders said at a time the country is going through a deep crisis, the government actually allowed the two Houses on Thursday and Friday to discuss the conspiracy theories propounded by the TMC. Not just this, senior ministers also gave statements. It is quite obvious that the government wants to shift attention from the real issuethe problems people are facing, a senior CPM leader maintained. Meanwhile, Opposition parties are slated to meet on Monday to decide the strategy for the next week. However, not much change is likely in the prevailing situation in the Parliament, at least till December 7-8, or so they say. Sources say the government is considering starting a discussion on demonetisation in the Lok Sabha despite the expected uproar. Bills listed for the next week The Taxation Laws (Second Amendment) Bill The amended Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014 The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill The Employees Compensation (Amendment) Bill 2016 New Delhi, December 2 The union Ministry of Finance has suspended 27 officials of public sector banks and transferred six to non-sensitive positions over allegations of illegal transactions as the central government continues to plug holes after its announcement to invalidate old high-value banknotes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000. The suspensions come amid reports of tax authorities conducting raids at several places, including one at Bengaluru where Rs 5.7 crore cash in new currency notes was recovered from two businessmen. The ministry said in a statement that it noticed that some irregular transactions that were in violation of Reserve Bank of India's instructions. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) "Action has been taken in such cases and 27 officials of various public sector banks have been placed under suspension and six officials have been transferred to non-sensitive posts," it said, adding: Illegalities will not be tolerated and appropriate action will be taken against individuals involved in irregular and unauthorised activities". The central government announced that old banknotes were invalid from November 8, sending people across the country scurrying to banks. Several modifications have been made to the original plan since, as the government tries to crack down on possible misuse. In the biggest-ever seizure of cash in new currency, over Rs 5 crore even as the Income Tax department said it detected unaccounted income worth Rs 152 crore after it conducted searches in a dozen premises in Bengaluru and other locations. The RBI had previously asked banks to take action against errant officials to ensure cash availability for customers thronging banks. PTI Vijay C Roy Tribune News Service Chandigarh, December 1 Salary day turned out to be a disaster for Praful Sahoo (29), an IT sector employee, as most banks and ATMs remained without currency amid the ongoing cash crunch owing to demonetisation on Thursday. Thousands of people across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, including government employees, and public and private sector employees, couldnt draw their salaries as bank branches grappled to find fresh currency for disbursal. While some private sector banks complained of not receiving cash at all, those in the public sector said only limited cash was made available. A limited number that had cash rationed withdrawals to accommodate more customers. More than 90 per cent ATMs in the region remained dry for the third consecutive day, spelling more trouble for customers. Heated exchanges were witnessed outside banks as customers were turned away for want of cash. Many banks put up no cash notices. With limited withdrawals at ATMs, I went to a bank, but they had no cash. The landlord accepts rent in cash. I feel helpless, said Praful Sahoo, who hails from West Bengal but lives in Mohali. An HDFC employee said most of their branches in Chandigarh and Mohali didnt receive cash all through the day. Radhika Saini, a Punjab Government employee, said: I wanted to withdraw Rs 24,000, but the bank gave me only Rs 7,000. Sources said banks were getting limited supply, which was affecting cash dispensation. The supply is thin and we run out of cash within hours, they said. Industrialists based in Ludhiana and Jalandhar feared the situation could worsen as their workers would have to be paid wages on December 7. Washington, December 2 Donald Trump is unlikely to mediate in resolving the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan as the US President-elect has signalled his interest in deepening ties with India, a top American expert has said. It is highly doubtful that Trump administration will consider inserting itself into the volatile Indo-Pakistani dispute, especially when Trump has signalled his interest in prioritising deepening ties with India, Lisa Curtis of The Heritage Foundation said in an op-ed in The Daily Signal. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Indeed, if there is any useful role the US can play in tamping down tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals, it is to press Pakistan to crack down on anti-India militants that operate freely in Pakistani territory, Curtis said. In her op-ed, Curtis said concerns were being raised about the US President-elect Donald Trumps phone conversation with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and what it might mean for his policies towards the subcontinent. Pakistan in a statement said that Trump during a telephonic conversation with Prime Minsiter Nawaz Sharif offered to play any role in helping Pakistan address its outstanding issues, which it claimed was a reference to Kashmir issue. These comments, however, should merely be seen as friendly banter that could have been made to almost any foreign leader, Curtis said. It is not surprising that Pakistani leaders would take advantage of a polite and warm exchange to push their agenda of bringing international attention to the Indo-Pak conflict in Kashmir, Curtis wrote. Observing that the US handling of India-Pakistan relations is a delicate matter, she said it is important for US officials to avoid the mediation trap and any illusion that the US itself can resolve this nearly 70-year-old dispute. Referring to the series of attacks against Indian Army bases, Curtis said the Uri attack demonstrated Pakistans willingness to up the ante in order to draw international attention to Kashmir at a time when civil protests had been wracking the region. The US must demonstrate that such Pakistani behaviour is unacceptable and will have consequences, Curtis said. PTI New Delhi, December 2 The Income Tax Department has filed a charge sheet against former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh in a foreign assets case. Official sources said the department filed the prosecution complaint ( the department's equivalent of a police charge sheet) in a court in Ludhiana on Thursday. Singh, the chief of Punjab Congress, has been charged under section 277 of the I-T Act (false statement in verification) and IPC sections 176 (omission to give notice or information to public servant by person legally bound to give it), 177 (furnishing false information), 193 (punishment for false evidence) and 199 (false statement made in declaration which is by law receivable as evidence). I challenged @arunjaitley to fight by-elections in Amritsar and this is how he responds. So predictable! https://t.co/uUzzZ0CNP7 Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) December 2, 2016 The department claims its investigations has found Singh to be the beneficiary" of a trust and other properties owned and created by his son in a foreign territory and when questioned about these, the Congress chief ministerial candidate for the state gave a "false statement on oath" about the ownership of these assets. It has accused Captain Amarinder of being "actively involved" in the creation of these undisclosed trusts and assets. The department has already filed a similar complaint against his son, Raninder Singh. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The Punjab Congress chief accused Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who lost the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat to him of targeting him. "I challenged Arun Jaitley to fight by-elections in Amritsar and this is how he responds. So predictable!" he tweeted. Raninder Singh is currently being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate for suspected forex contraventions and holding of untaxed foreign assets. The case came to light when the Income Tax Department received reports that claimed Raninder Singh held an offshore account in Switzerland. The report was part of details the Central Board of Direct Taxes received from its French counterparts in 2011. Investigators also said they had detected some movement of funds to Switzerland and accused the Congress leaders son of having created of a trust and a few subsidiaries in British Virgin Islands a tax haven. The Singhs have denied wrongdoing. Based on a previous complaint by the Income Tax Department, the Enforcement Directorate had booked Raninder Singh under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). PTI Nikhil Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Ludhiana, December 2 Torn pages of a gutka and Hanuman Chalisa were found scattered on a road in Chandan Nagar and its surrounding localities early this morning. Sikhs in large number gathered at the spot and collected the torn pages. The police identified seven minor children aged between 12 and 14, who reportedly got the religious sculptures lying under a tree and scattered these on the road without knowing about its implication. Police Commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh said two minor boys of Kundanpuri locality were arrested. We identified them from a CCTV footage recovered from cameras installed in the locality. The remaining five have also been identified and raids are on to nab them, he added. Aulakh said the boys were living in shanties near Chandar Nagar and were illiterate. During questioning, the boys said they were not aware about the religious sculptures. They just thought that these were discarded books and tore these, he added. Sources said the nabbed boys were addicts and they committed the crime under the influence of some intoxicants. They would be produced in the juvenile court tomorrow. Meanwhile, the residents, though resentful of the sacrilege incident, did not resort to any protest and cooperated with the police. Iqbal Singh, a resident of Pritam Nagar who first noticed the torn pages, said he had gone for a morning walk at 5.30 am when he noticed some pages of a gutka scattered outside Gauri Apartments. He then informed other residents. As we started collecting the pages, we were shocked to see that the torn pages were scattered on the entire stretch leading towards the Dasehra ground, he said. Last year on November 9, torn pages of Gita and related text were found from Deep Nagar, Chander Nagar and Green Field areas. The police had then rounded up four minor boys from the Civil City area who were allegedly involved in the incident. They too were caught tearing the pages on a CCTV camera. Tribune News Service Dehradun, December 2 Governor KK Paul today highlighted the need to focus on controlling forest fires by developing fire retardants. Besides water, other ways of putting out fires need to be developed as the problem was acquiring serious dimensions in the state, he stated. The Governor was addressing the inaugural session of the 86th annual symposium of the National Academy of Sciences of India (NASI) entitled Science Technology and Entrepreneurship for Human Welfare in the Himalayan Region, organised by Uttarakhand Council of Science and Technology (UCOST) in Dehradun. Paul said it was gratifying to see that in spite of several weaknesses, emphasis on science education was growing in the country. Research must be directed at meeting practical application and if, like USA, research can be funded by industry, it would help in development greatly. Science and technology can facilitate entrepreneurship development in several ways, including identifying new innovative ideas and opportunities, bridging the gap between research and development and facilitating entrepreneurial training. Paul said drought-resistant seeds needed to be developed on a larger scale in order to help boost hill agriculture. He also stressed on the need for expansion of cultivation of aromatic plants in the hill state which was the home to many medicinal and aromatic plants. The Governor said there was only one centre in Dehradun that was working on aromatic plants and that was Centre for Aromatic Plants (CAP). More such units should be set up in the state. He said he was happy that the symposium was being held in Uttarakhand as it would pave the way for sustainable utilisation of both natural and human resources. The region was a globally recognised biodiversity hotspot. Paul said geological simulators must be used for structural stability in railways. The Rishikesh-Karnaprayag railway project, when it begins, would need scientific handling of all the aspects, such as traffic management, during its construction and also the disposal of mud that would be dug out to create the tunnels, he added. Earlier, UCOST Director General Dr Rajendra Dobhal informed the gathering about the details of the symposium. A souvenir of the symposium was also released on the occasion. A large number of researchers and students attended the symposium. Indianapolis, December 2 US President-elect Donald Trump has warned American firms wanting to relocate abroad that they will face punishment, as he announced a deal with air-conditioning manufacturer Carrier to keep jobs in the country. Companies are not going to leave the United States any more without consequences. Not going to happen, Trump told workers at the Carrier plant in Indianapolis in his first major public remarks on Thursday since winning the White House. They can leave from state to state, and negotiate deals with different states, but leaving the country will be very, very difficult, Trump added. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) During the presidential campaign, the Republican billionaire threatened to slap tariffs on firms that decamped for places like Mexico or Asia where labour costs were cheaper. It became a repeated refrain of his victorious campaign. Trump specifically singled out Carrier, a brand of United Technologies Corporation, saying he had been encouraging the company not to shift thousands of jobs to Mexico. If they did, he said his administration would impose major tariffs on Carrier products as they made their way back into the United States. But I called Greg (Hayes, UTCs chairman) and I said its really important, we have to do something because you have a lot of people leaving and you have to understand we cant allow this to happen anymore with our country, Trump said as he recalled an early exchange with the firms top executive. Under a deal hammered out with the help of Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who is Indianas outgoing governor, the state offered Carrier USD 7 million in incentives over 10 years, contingent upon factors, including employment, job retention and capital investment, the company said in a statement. Pence said the deal would keep about 1,100 jobs in the heart of the heartland. This is a great day for Indiana and its a great day for working people all across the United States of America, Pence said. The deal is seen as an extraordinary industry intervention by a president-elect. His supporters have described it as the first tangible part of Trump's jobs creation plan. AFP Aleppo, December 2 Rebels put up fierce resistance on Friday in a key district of Syria's battered Aleppo, where a regime offensive has left bodies in the streets and sparked a global outcry. The government assault on the northern city has spurred a mass exodus of tens of thousands of residents from the opposition-held east and prompted fresh calls by Russia for aid corridors. President Bashar al-Assad's forces captured the city's northeast this week and were focused on seizing Sheikh Saeed, a large district on the city's southeast edges. But anti-government fighters put up a strong defence there overnight, rolling back recent government gains, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "The regime and allied fighters... wanted to take this neighbourhood at any cost, because capturing it would allow them to target all remaining rebel-held districts," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. "But rebels put up ferocious resistance, because they knew they would be trapped if Sheikh Saeed fell." The head of the Britain-based monitor said opposition forces were now once again in control of at least 70 per cent of the neighbourhood. Sheikh Saeed borders the last remaining sections of Aleppo still in rebel hands a collection of densely populated residential neighbourhoods where thousands have sought refuge from advancing regime forces. In preparation for street-by-street fighting in these districts, hundreds of fighters from Syria's elite Republican Guard and Fourth Division arrived in Aleppo on Friday, according to the Observatory. More than 300 civilians, including dozens of children, have been killed in east Aleppo since the government began its offensive on November 15, according to the Observatory. Retaliatory rocket fire by the rebels on government-held western areas of the city has killed 55 civilians, the monitor says. According to Syrian state news agency SANA, one civilian was killed and three were wounded Friday in rebel rocket attacks. AFP In the first incident, six vehicles had collided with each other amid dense fog on the expressway. By Press Trust of India: Atleast three persons were killed and over half a dozen injured in two separate road accidents which occurred on the Yamuna Expressway on Thursday night due to fog, police said. In the first incident that occurred under Surir police station area, six vehicles had collided with each other amid dense fog on the expressway, they said. "Half a dozen persons had got down from different vehicles to see the incident when a truck hit them in the dense fog at about midnight with the result that one person was killed and others got internal injuries," state a police report filed at Surir police station. advertisement The deceased, who was proceeding to Etawah from Delhi to attend a wedding, has been identified as Sumit Narain, 51. In the second accident, a car proceeding to Noida rammed a canter going ahead of it under Baldeo police station area on Yamuna Expressway, resulting in the death of two and injury of three. "While the car driver, identified as Durvesh Kumar, 36, working in Noida Development Authority, succumbed to the injuries on the spot, his friend Gajab Singh, 38, died at S N Medical College in Agra," police said. They added that the condition others who were injured in the accident and are hospitalised in Agra is serious. All the injured and the deceased were returning to Noida from a wedding, the police said. --- ENDS --- Washington, December 2 US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen retired Marine General James Mattis as Defence Secretary. We are going to appoint Mad Dog Mattis as our Secretary of Defence. But were not announcing it until Monday so dont tell anybody, Trump said at a rally in Cincinnati, kicking off his Thank You tour. They say hes the closest thing to General George Patton that we have and its about time, he said. Mattis, who continued to rise through the ranks and establish his credentials as a military thinker, has said that Washington lacks an overall strategy in the Middle East, opting to instead handle issues in an ineffective one-by-one manner. Last year, he said responding to political Islam was the major security issue facing the US, The Washington Post reported. He emerged as the top contender for Pentagon chief soon after Trump won the White House. They met in New Jersey on November 19, with media reporting that Trump was impressed by Mattis resume. The president-elect is smart to think about putting someone as respected as Mattis in this role, said a former senior Pentagon official. Hes a warrior, scholar and straight shooterliterally and figuratively. He speaks truth to everyone and would certainly speak truth to this new commander-in-chief, the official said. US media speculated that an knowledge about the Middle East and a tough stance against extremism helped Mattis get the job. IANS ATLANTIC SKIES: Stellar asterisms eye-catching pretenders to the constellation throne and just part of the bigger picture Most everyone, or at least most amateur astronomers, are familiar with the constellations in the night sky to some degree. Many, however, may not be familiar with the numerous asterisms in the night sky. What is the difference between a constellation ... OKLAHOMA CITY Gov. Mary Fallin said Thursday her position on President-elect Donald trumps transition team is good for Oklahoma. Meanwhile, her work as a vice chair on Trumps team will not interfere with her duties as governor, said Michael McNutt, a Fallin spokesman. The governor said she has been given an opportunity to recommend people from the state for jobs in the new administration. He has over 4,000 positions to fill, so he is depending upon leaders throughout the nation to help give him advice as to who we might know that might be capable of filling all these positions, Fallin said. Fallin is among a number of vice chairs of the transition team. She campaigned for Trump in the days before the general election, and she was mentioned as a possible contender for vice president earlier in the race. Fallin said she is being contacted by fellow Oklahomans and some people from out of state who would like to be considered for positions. She is forwarding their information to the executive transition team, she said. Certainly there are a lot of great Oklahomans that would do a wonderful job in helping him in his administration, she said. It is always great to have an Oklahoman involved in the administration. Fallin said the job of a vice chairman involves conference calls with other vice chairs and the executive transition team to give policy advice and suggest names for various roles. He is leaning heavily on the governors to give him different ideas of rules, regulations, policy decisions, how to work with our Congress to have an agenda that will help grow Americas economy quickly, makes sure we are protected and to reform some of the red tape within the federal government, Fallin said. Fallin is reportedly a leading contender to head the Department of Interior. She met with Trump last week in New York at Trump Tower. It is a great honor to be mentioned for Secretary of Interior, she said. I have not been asked to take the job. I read the reports like everyone else does, but there are a lot of good people that are listed as potential candidates for that job. She said it is one of the most important agencies in the federal government, with more than 70,000 employees. It oversees a lot of the same areas that I oversee and have (overseen) as governor and lieutenant governor, Fallin said. Fallins role as a vice chair would not preclude a possible appointment to a cabinet post or another position, McNutt said. Transition committee staff stated the governors selection as vice chair does not affect her being considered for a post in the Trump administration, he said. Fallin said she hopes to attend Trumps inauguration. Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt also met with Trump last week. He has been a vocal critic of the Environmental Protection Agency and its rules. Pruitt, who has been mentioned as a potential contender for governor in 2018, was asked Thursday if he wanted to be part of the Trump administration. We just talked mainly about the regulatory overreach and regulatory rollback (which) affects many different areas of the federal government, Pruitt said. It was a joy to be part of it, very meaningful to be a part of it, and we will see what happens next. Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi today, Akhilesh said such an alliance can win "over 300 of 403 seats" in India's most crucial state election. Akhilesh was asked whether the Samajwadi Party will go for an alliance with the Congress By India Today Web Desk: The Samajwadi Party is not averse to an alliance with the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said today. Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi today, Akhilesh said such an alliance can win "over 300 of 403 seats" in India's most crucial state election. This is not the first time the 43-year-old leader has admitted that the alliance with Congress in the state is possible. advertisement Last week, speaking to reporters outside Parliament, he had said, ""We are going to win the elections on our own, but if an alliance (with Congress) takes place, the Opposition parties will face a humiliating defeat." If the two parties form an alliance, their main rivals are the BJP and Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party. However, he added that any decision regarding a possible alliance will be taken only by "Netaji" -- Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav. Akhilesh was asked whether the Samajwadi Party will go for an alliance with the Congress, as its strategist Prashant Kishor has been trying to work out. --- ENDS --- OKLAHOMA CITY Legislative leaders on Thursday agreed that a teacher pay raise was needed, but differed on the details. House Speaker-elect Charles McCall, R-Atoka, Senate Pro-Tem-Designate Mike Schulz, R-Altus, Senate Minority Leader John Sparks, D-Norman, and House Minority Leader Scott Inman, D-Del City, spoke to those attending a public affairs forum sponsored by the State Chamber of Oklahoma. About 550 people attended the event at the Cox Convention Center, said Rachael Hunter, a spokeswoman. Schulz said a pay raise will be a dominant issue next legislative session. He supported a tiered approach, giving experienced teachers more of an increase than the less experienced. He said the more experienced teachers need to be rewarded for staying. Sparks said the state needs an eight-year plan for education, much like the eight-year plan for roads put together by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. McCall said people are interested in increasing teacher pay, but lawmakers need to take into consideration the current economic condition of the state. Lawmakers had $1.3 billion less to spend in crafting the fiscal year 2017 budget due to depressed energy prices, tax cuts and an inability to reduce tax credits and incentives approved to generate economic activity. The Board of Equalization later this month will certify how much money Gov. Mary Fallin has to craft a proposed executive budget. The panel in February will certify how much lawmakers will have to spend. Officials expect another difficult budget year. McCall cautioned against focusing on teacher pay raise plans that he said sound great but have no chance of passing. He said the state may need to use a phased-in approach and fund it with money found internally. But Inman said state agencies already have been significantly cut after years of economic downturn. He said finding money internally would require additional cuts to agencies struggling to provide core services. Pay raises will not be possible unless the state broadens its revenue streams, he said. State officials last session floated expanding the sales tax to services or other goods that currently are not subject to it. Finding funding internally is not realistic because we have given away the farm, Inman said. Fallin on Thursday said a pay raise will be part of her agenda when lawmakers return to the Capitol. The first session of the 56th Oklahoma Legislature will begin at noon Feb. 6. Meanwhile, legislative leaders expressed support for repealing a law that says the state will not comply with the federal Real ID Act of 2005. The law creates minimum standards for state-issued drivers licenses following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In 2007, Oklahoma lawmakers passed a law saying the state would not comply, largely due to privacy concerns. Failure to comply means Oklahoma drivers licenses would not be accepted to board commercial aircraft and an alternative identification, such as a passport, would be required. It is not a complicated issue, said Sparks, who has filed legislation on the issue. Just repeal the old law and let the Department of Public Safety go to work. Inman said it was an embarrassment that the state has not already complied. Residents in Valsayn South are said to be marooned in their homes. Councillor for the area S Perth will get yet another brand new television station when TEN begins operations from its new state-of-the-art home in Subiaco. TEN Eyewitness News First At Five will broadcast from the new station from Monday. The change sees TEN exit its home of 28 years in Cottonwood Crescent, Dianella. TEN General Manager Adelaide, Perth and Operations, Frank Filosi, said: Our innovative new purpose-built office, newsroom and operating systems will truly transform the way we work. The long-term investment in this cutting edge work place demonstrates Network TENs commitment to the Perth market and leading the digital transformation of the television industry. The modern station is ideally located in the exciting new property development Subi XO precinct, 502 Hay Street, Subiaco, close to Perths CBD. We couldnt have found a better location and we are excited to call Subiaco our home for many years to come, he said. Nine opened its new St Georges Terrace home at the end of September and Seven moved to Osborne Park in early 2015. SBS has announced an airdate for its bold social experiment Undressed, in which couples disrobe for cameras, and claims it will be the most diverse dating experiment on Australian screens. Produced by Screentime, episodes feature two pairs of strangers meet in a room furnished only with a bed and a large-screen TV. Instructions and questions flash up on the screen, to strip each other down to their underwear, get into the bed and answer a series of personal questions. At the conclusion each person is given the choice to stay and get to know their counterpart better or to leave. Originally an Italian format, the Australian series will feature participants from a mix of different cultural backgrounds and sexualities, designed to challenge preconceptions about race and sexuality. Marshall Heald, SBS Director of Television and Online Content, said: Undressed is much more than a dating show. By bringing diverse individuals together in a new TV format for SBS, the program is an opportunity for us to explore our Charter in a fun and mischievous way. Jennifer Collins, Screentime Executive Producer, said: What I love about this series is that its as equally smart as it is funny and as honest as it is bold and daring. Undressed is sure to resonate with and enthrall a broad spectrum of Australia, especially when it comes time to decide Yes? or No? You will be surprised! It premieres Monday 16 January at 9.30pm on SBS but SBS On Demand will have a sneak preview of the first four episodes available from 12 January and, from 23 January, will feature a series of Undressed Uncuts 14 minute uncut episodes of the couples original dates. Ahlawat is accused of trafficking and exploiting foreign women to target lucrative land deals and earned huge profits in the process. By India Today Web Desk: The Saket court in New Delhi today granted bail to Retired Colonel Ahlawat in the high-profile sex-racket case. Ahlawat is accused of trafficking and exploiting foreign women to target lucrative land deals and earned huge profits in the process. The arrest of PN Sanyal, 62, on July 19 from his flat in south Delhi's Safdarjung Enclave for trafficking and exploiting foreign nationals led the police to Ahlawat. advertisement ALSO READ | Kolkata: Sex workers forced to accept old notes, refusal could hit business Ahlawat was named by a 23-year-old trafficked Central Asian woman who was found by the Income Tax Department officials in Sanyal's house during the raid on June 2. In her statement to the I-T Department, the woman said she doesn't want to live there and felt insecure. The woman had also reportedly tried to commit suicide by slashing her wrists in front of the I-T officers. According to sources, Sanyal and Ahlawat had trafficked over 50 foreign women and used them as honey traps to get their deals finalised from government officials. Ahlawat runs a chain of resorts in Rajasthan and Haryana. --- ENDS --- Contributed by Sharon Louden / Thank you, Sharon Butler, for giving me the opportunity to be a guest contributor fromthe art fairs in Miami Beach this week. I started withPulse, Untitled and Art Basel Miami Beach. Like many in the art community, given the current political climate and all thats happening in the world, my mind is in adifferent place than last year. However, Irememberedsomething artist Michael Waugh wrote in a thread on my Facebook page recently: Aesthetics and cultural production are a crucial aspect of the domination of capital. Sometimes work that directly addresses an issue can be the least engaged with the hegemonic process. True. Everything is political, and every kind of expression counts. Aesthetics in painting can be powerful. Jason Middlebrook has always impressed me not only by the rigor of his work, how it has grown over many years, but also how he shows his work professionally: he never seems to be locked into one gallery arrangement, and he shows his work in numerousplaces. I really admire that. This piece was inJeff Baileysboothat theUntitled Art Fair. I also enjoyed talking with Brad Thomas, an artist based in St. Paul, Minnesota, who was manning the Soco Gallerys booth.He shows with the gallery as well, andI love the multiple roles he playswith the gallery, which is relatively new. Here is theirinstallation of Clare Rojaspaintings. As I was leaving Untitled, I really enjoyed this wall of 90 individual works by Sean Bluechel at Galerie Laurent Godin of Paris, France. Over atthe main fair, Art Basel Miami Beach, I had a conversation with artist Mark Tribe about the 99% and what it means in the art community.Is the 99% just defined by economics or by reputation, exposure, traction? We walkedthrough the fair, discussed the notion of 99%, and saw these pieces. I love Shiela Hicks workbecause itinspires meit always has.Here is one of herwonderful linen,synthetic fiber,wood and aluminum pieces at Galerie Frank Elbaz: In the NOVA section atArtMiamiBasel, I found an impressive installation that mergespainting and sculpture by artist Kostis Velonis at Kalfayan Gallery from Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece. All of the work at Galeria Luisa Strinas booth was outstanding. I loved everythingexcept for the lighting, which was mixed and often dark. Nonetheless, here are a few things that stood out: A few other works to round out the day: Next post: What caught my eye at theSatellite Art Fair and NADA. More soon.Thanks so much! About the author: Educated at Yale University, Sharon Louden isrepresented by Morgan Lehman gallery. She isa Senior Critic at the New York Academy of Art and the editor ofLiving and Sustaining a Creative Life: Essays by 40 Working Artists. Louden is currently working on a second book entitled,The Artist as Culture Producer: Living and Sustaining a Creative Life, which will be published in early 2017 by Intellect Books and distributed by the University of Chicago Press. Related posts: Sharon Louden: Consultants, careers, and community Sharon Louden: Animated life One Ukrainian soldier was killed and three were wounded in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone in eastern Ukraine over the last day, Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Spokesperson for ATO issues Andriy Lysenko said. One Ukrainian soldier was killed and three were wounded as a result of military operations in the ATO zone over the last day, Lysenko said at a press briefing in Kyiv on Friday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. iy The General Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Poland on Cooperation in Defense Sphere has been signed following the negotiations of delegations headed by President Petro Poroshenko and President of Poland Andrzej Duda. The document has been signed by Minister of Defense of Ukraine Stepan Poltorak and Minister of National Defense of Poland Antoni Macierewicz, the press service of the Head of State reported. The General Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Poland on Cooperation in Defense Sphere has been elaborated under the Law of Ukraine on International Treaties of Ukraine pursuant to the initiative of the Polish side. The purpose of the document is to create legal framework for the development of cooperation between the parties in defense sphere on the principles of reciprocity. ish The Government supports an idea of creating industrial parks in the country, which is an effective tool enabling to create new jobs and a high quality national product in Ukraine. This was stated by Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman during the Second International Trade and Industry Conference "FTAs: Opportunities and Challenges for Ukraine and Partners" on Friday, Governments portal reported. "We are fully supportive of the creation of industrial parks. I'd prefer that by the level of business climate the whole country was an industrial park," Groysman said. "I believe that establishment of a real mechanism that will give way for new jobs and a new product in Ukraine is the topmost priority for our state. Therefore, we support and will prolong our support [for the creation of industrial parks]," the Prime Minister stressed. He noted that certain politicians were trying to prevent the adoption of this law and criticizing this idea. "Its because they just want our strong industrial policy to fail or for some other reason," the Prime Minister suggested. ish Russia has resorted to the tactics of deliberate escalation of tensions in eastern Ukraine, which makes political progress on the Minsk agreements all the more difficult to achieve. This was stated by U.S. Ambassador to OSCE Daniel B. Baer at a sitting of the OSCE Permanent Council on Thursday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. Russia has escalated tensions on the line of contact in an attempt to wrest concessions from Ukraine by force, Baer said. He stressed that fighting makes political progress on the Minsk agreements all the more difficult to achieve. If Russia truly wants agreement on modalities for local elections, on amnesty, on special status, and on decentralization, the way forward is clear: stop attacking Ukrainian forces, withdraw heavy weapons, and grant full access to the SMM throughout Ukraine, including the region along the border with Russia, Baer noted. He also emphasized that combined Russian-separatist forces repeatedly launch similar attacks throughout eastern Ukraine, and this is the Russian leadership that is responsible for these actions. iy The state government had recently increased the number of days that the ground could be used for non recreational purpose which included various programmes like December 6 and dussehra rally by Shiv Sena. By Vidya : Bombay High Court (BHC) today ordered the state government to form a committee headed by chief secretary and heads of various departments to look into a solution for Shivaji park residents who face problems as the municipal corporation takes over the recreational ground of the area to celebrate Baba Ambedkar's death anniversary. This year, December 6 will mark the 60th year of Ambedkar's death anniversary and large number of devotees are expected to converge at Dadar Chaityabhoomi where he was cremated. advertisement BHC is hearing a petition filed by the residents of Shivaji park where it is alleged that to mark the preparations for December 6, the municipal corporation takes over the recreational ground at the beginning of the month but this time around they took over the ground much earlier i.e. on November 22. Read: Development work happens only when BMC chief appears before court: Bombay High Court The state government had recently increased the number of days for which the ground can be used for non-recreational purpose which includes programmes like that on December 6, Dussehra rally by the Shiv Sena or other festivities and other rallies by MNS. All the programmes have to be managed within 45-days and thus for preparing the ground for Ambedkar's death anniversary and to set the ground back to its original form, seven days are given to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). However the agency told the court that this being the 60th death anniversary for Ambedkar, more than eight lakh people are expected to reach the ground and thus the ground had to be prepared much in advance to take care of such a huge crowd. Read: Bombay High Court summons BMC commissioner over Doppler radar issue Noting this, the Bombay High Court said that because of this change, other festivities and programmes will have to see a reduction of days if the days for this one programme are increased. Division bench headed by justice VM Kanade said, "Ensure strict compliance to the government regulation for non-sports activities which determines number of days it can be used." He added, "Shivaji Park ground doesn't belong to the Shiv Sena, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) or any political party. It belongs only to the people and citizens living there." BHC questioned if the state government proposes to consider finding a permanent solution to this issue and address it. Kanade said, "It is the duty of state and corporation to ensure that the ground is not damaged." And with this the bench ordered formation of a committee headed by the chief secretary and heads of various departments, a nominee of the residents association and one from the Buddhist society to find an alternate solution to the issue. Read: BMC ambassador Salman Khan: The new face of anti open-defecation campaign Kanade also mentioned, "With the coming of devotees, there is a huge burden on railways and other conveyances like state transport. It is the duty of the state to ensure that proper arrangements are made so that no inconvenience is caused to devotees or residents and see to it that the event takes place in a peaceful manner." advertisement Before finishing the hearing, Justice Kanade said, "If you (state) decide to apply your mind then you can do it. Government can build free accommodation for devotees at a place. Send special trains so that they don't get into other trains. Arrangements have to be made." Read: No religion allows illegal structures to be built on footpaths: Bombay High Court Read: BMC to make payments via RTGS: Municipal Commissioner --- ENDS --- The European Council at its meeting in Brussels on December 15-16 among main issues will discuss the ratification by the Netherlands of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. The agenda of the European Council meeting includes most pressing issues: migration, security, economy and youth, and external relations, according to the European Councils website. With regard to external relations, the European Council will discuss the issue of Russia and the situation in the Netherlands in the context of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. iy Despite being penniless, he proclaimed himself the Emperor of the United States and reigned the country for 21 years. He was an inspiration for many famous authors including Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Neil Garmin. He was also considered a saint of Discordianism, a religion that worships the Goddess of chaos, Discordia. Here is the story of Norton I, the Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, and the city of San Francisco, which humored his grandiose delusions and whimsical reign. Born Joshua Abraham Norton in England in circa 1818, Norton immigrated to San Francisco after the death of his parents in 1849. He was a successful businessman in the real estate market but lost his fortune after investing in Peruvian rice. Upon receiving a bequest from his fathers estate, Norton boarded the Hamburg ship Franzeska and emigrated to San Francisco with a sum of $40,000 ($1.1 million as of 2015). After his success in real estate during the 1850s, Norton found out about the famine in China and the ban the Chinese placed on rice exports. Norton felt he saw an opportunity, signed a contract with a dealer and bought 200,000 pounds of rice from Peru for $25,000. However, after he signed the contract, other ships arrived from Peru with rice, causing the price to drop forty cents per pound to just three cents. Norton tried to break the contract which resulted in a prolonged litigation that bankrupted him. Advertisements After being completely dissatisfied with politics and law, Norton decided to take action and on September 17, 1859, sent letters to various newspapers declaring himself the Emperor of the United States. On October 12, 1859, after assuming absolute control over the United States, Norton issued a decree abolishing United States Congress and summoned the Army to depose the elected officials. In 1862, he issued a mandate ordering the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant churches to publicly ordain him as Emperor hoping to resolve the disputes of the Civil War. Later on August 12, 1869, he abolished both the Democratic and Republic parties. All his attempts to overthrow the government failed and none of these orders were ever taken seriously. He was, however, humored by the citizens of San Francisco as the Emperor and the officers of the U.S. Army gave him gold-plated epaulettes and in 1870 U.S. census his occupation was listed as Emperor. Though thought insane, Emperor Norton did have visionary ideas and gave many orders and decrees, some of which, if carried out, could have resulted in the betterment of the city. Some of Nortons Imperial Decrees include the formation of a League of Nations, explicit forbidding of conflicts between religions and sects, and the construction of a suspension bridge or tunnel between San Francisco and Oakland. The bridge is, perhaps, the only one of his many decrees that had come to be real. The construction of San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge was finished on November 12, 1936 and there is a campaign that calls for the bridge to be named after him. Advertisements He even issued his own money in denominations between fifty cents and ten dollars to pay his debts, which came to be accepted as local currency and became collectors items. Upon searching his room in a boarding house on Commercial Street after his death, it was found that he had very little actual money. However, there were a handful of fake imperial bonds, telegrams, and letters too. One of the telegrams was from Emperor Alexander II of Russia congratulating him on his future marriage with Queen Victoria, another telegram from the President of France warning that such a union would be bad for world peace, and also there were letters he wrote to Queen Victoria. Norton often conducted inspections of San Franciscos streets and had once, allegedly, stopped anti-Chinese rioters from attacking the Chinese by reciting the Lords Prayer until they dispersed. He would frequently dress up in an elaborate blue uniform with gold-plated epaulettes, a beaver hat with a peacock feather and a rosette, and had a regal posture enhanced with a cane or umbrella during his inspections. He would examine the condition of sidewalks, cable cars, and public property. Norton had always made grand, gracious, and magnanimous gestures toward those who were good or kind to him. He was well loved and respected by the citizens of San Francisco and when he died on January 8, 1880, he received a grand funeral with an attendance of 30,000 people standing for two miles. Though he had no money, he visited fine restaurants to dine and the restaurateurs would put up a brass plaque at their entrances that read Appointment to his Imperial Majesty, Emperor Norton I of the United States. A seat was always reserved for him at plays and musical performances. When his uniform was worn out, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors got him a suitable replacement. When he died before help arrived after suddenly collapsing on a street, members of the Pacific Club established funds to have a handsome casket and a dignified funeral instead of a simple paupers coffin. He received a very large funeral on Sunday, January 10, with people from all walks of life and classes like rich and poor people, and in-between, gathered to give him farewell. In 1980, San Francisco even celebrated his 100th death anniversary. [source: wikipedia] Syrian Kurdish refugees cross into Turkey near the town of Kobani, Syria, in this September 2014 file photo. UNHCR/Ivor Prickett GENEVA The 1951 Refugee Convention is the cornerstone of refugee protection and the work of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. It defines a refugee as a person who has fled his country because of a well-founded fear of persecution on one of five grounds: race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. As UNHCR releases its new Guidelines on International Protection today (December 2), Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Volker Turk discusses with Global Website Editor Tim Gaynor how it still applies in todays world. Q: According to the 1951 Convention, isnt a refugee defined as someone who is specifically targeted, not someone who is fleeing generalized violence? A: The 1951 Refugee Convention was drafted in the wake of the Second World War at a time when you had massive population movements in Europe. We had about 60 million people on the move as a result of persecution, as a result of conflict, as a result of violence just in the Forties. So you can imagine that the drafters of the Convention knew very well what they had in mind and who they had in mind in order to protect for the future. It was clear that the definition applies to people who flee persecution because of what happened to them in their individual type of circumstances, but it also meant that it applies to people who flee armed conflict and violence. Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Volker Turk explains how the 1951 Refugee Convention remains relevant today. Lets not forget that most situations of violence and conflict specifically target civilians in certain circumstances they target minorities, they target opposition groups who are in civilian areas. So there is this element of clear linkage between the refugee definition of persecution, conflict and violence. Thats what the guidelines are trying to address to actually show that the refugee definition as contained in the 1951 Convention applies to people fleeing armed conflict and violence. And what we see in the definition today is as relevant as it was when it was crafted in the wake of the Second World War. Most people who flee the conflict in Syria, for example, would be recognised under the 1951 Convention. With over 1,000 different armed groups and the absence of state protection, it is clear that there is a compelling case to be made for refugee recognition under the Convention. But, quite frankly, almost each and every conflict that were dealing with today would make the case for the 1951 Convention. Q: People fleeing armed conflict are granted some form of protection. Is there a need for them to be recognized as refugees? It is important for the credibility of the international refugee protection regime to ensure that those who flee persecution, be it in armed conflict situations or not, are properly identified as such and granted the protection they deserve and they require. This is why we have consistently argued that if people flee conflict and violence, they generally fulfil the criteria of the definition and should be recognised as such. Q: Cant people living in armed conflict can just move to another part of the country or a safe zone? This is a concept that the lawyers call internal flight and, indeed, some people look at the situation in the whole of a country and identify areas where conflict does not take place. We look at this from two perspectives. First of all, it needs to be physically possible for the person to reach that part of the country that is safe. And then it needs to be reasonable for the person to stay there. For instance, in Iraq you already have millions of displaced people, people who have lived in extremely difficult circumstances the same in Afghanistan. So if you already have a huge group of people who flee to a particular part of the country because it is safe, some of them may not be able to get on with their lives because there are huge problems with absorption capacities, access to health, access to education, and access to safety in many instances. So we obviously need to look at the real situation of people and whether it is possible for them to safely go to another part of the country and whether its possible for them to survive there. In some instances, yes, it is possible, and in other instances it is not. If it is not, then refugee protection is the best way of survival. Q: Doesnt broadening the definition of who is a refugee weaken the status and protection that comes along with it? What the new guidelines actually show is that it is not about a broadening of the refugee definition. It is really about explaining and updating our understanding of the definition in todays context. As I mentioned, the drafters of the 1951 Convention knew what it meant for people to flee war and violence, and they knew very well because they came out of the Second World War. They knew what persecution meant because of the atrocities that were committed during this time. They knew what it meant to be a refugee and that understanding is also an understanding that applies today. Because as long as the realities of war, violence, human rights abuses and persecution are not addressed, we will need this definition of refugees as a lifeline for protection. What the guidelines are doing is to bring forward the understanding amongst states and judiciaries that the definition that was drafted then is as relevant today as it was at the time. Read a Briefing Note on the new guidelines. Syrian women and children recently displaced from East Aleppo take shelter at the nearby Al-Mahalij industrial zone. UNHCR/UNHCR In Syrias Aleppo, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, remains extremely concerned for the civilian population. With thousands fleeing the eastern part of the city, our focus has turned to the rapidly growing shelter needs. Many of those who have fled eastern districts are now in unfinished or partly-destroyed buildings. Unsanitary conditions and overcrowding are already challenges in a congested city with few open spaces. We have been providing tents, shelter kits and sealing-off kits to meet the most urgent needs and improve living conditions. We are also working with partners to quickly rehabilitate structures as temperatures drop. Food, water, medical care and other items are being distributed by UNHCR and partners alongside winter clothing and other relief items. We have emergency supplies of non-food items, among them blankets and tents, for 45,000 people in western Aleppo. These can be replenished at short notice. It is estimated that some 30,000 people have fled just in the last days. In all there are now some 400,000 displaced people in western Aleppo. In Jibreen, an industrial zone, recent arrivals have joined approximately 55,000 people who had already fled the fighting in recent months. The area has now reached full capacity. A UN inter-agency assessment in Jibreen found that 60-70 per cent of recent arrivals were women and children. Working through partners, a large-scale building rehabilitation has been completed in Jibreen. Further work to boost shelter capacity there will be carried out as buildings are declared safe. Buildings in the 1070 and Rayiada housing complexes in government-controlled south-western Aleppo, which are unfinished residential areas where displaced people were being housed until August 2016, are heavily damaged. UNHCR had previously upgraded over 5,000 shelters in the 1070 district. Some are now at risk of collapse and work on rehabilitation is underway. Additional UNHCR protection and shelter staff arrived in western Aleppo on Thursday as part of a UN mission. They will be providing a detailed assessment of the needs of the recently displaced. We are already offering psychological counselling as well as legal, protection, gender-based violence, education and other protection services at 15 community centres in the area and nearby. Displacement also continues within eastern Aleppo itself, with many having been forced to move several times, according to a survey recently conducted by UNHCR and NGO partners. Since September, UNHCR has supported 838,092 people in Syria, including Aleppo, with winter items, including thermal blankets, sleeping bags, plastic sheets and clothing. We are still unable to reach the many thousands without food, water and shelter in eastern Aleppo as temperatures drop and fighting rages. With its UN partners, UNHCR continues to call for an end to the hostilities to allow safe passage out, and humanitarian assistance to be delivered. Mosul distributions accelerate as displacement rises, temperatures drop In Iraq, UNHCR has been providing thousands more winter kits this week in newly retaken towns and villages east of Mosul. Around 3,500 kits, each containing two blankets and two quilts, were distributed in Gogachly; 4,745 were distributed in Nemrud and nearby villages; and nearly 3,500 extra kits will be delivered to families in the area in the coming days. In UNHCRs Qaymawa camp, accommodating more than 4,611 people, wheelchairs have been distributed and water, sanitation and hygiene facilities suitable for use by people 10,800 people, battery-powered lighting has been installed; the camp still lacks electricity and hot water. Additional winter clothing and kerosene for heating is required. As of today 77,000 Iraqis have been displaced by the recent fighting in Mosul. Some 3,321 Iraqi refugees have reached Al Hol camp in Syria camp since October 17. The camp currently hosts almost 9,200 people, including displaced Syrians. For more information on this topic, please contact: Six-year-old Syrian refugee Mohammed responds to questions in a classroom at the Father Andeweg Institute for the Deaf in Beirut, Lebanon. UNHCR/Haidar Darwish HAZMIEH, Lebanon Born deaf and living as a Syrian refugee in Lebanon, eight-year-old Mohammed has faced more hurdles than most during his short lifetime. But thanks to the support of a remarkable institution he has found his voice and the promise of a brighter future. For three years now, Mohammed has been attending the Father Andeweg Institute for the Deaf (FAID) in Hazmieh, a leafy suburb on the Damascus Road in the hills above Beirut. Originally from Idlib, Syria, he did not attend schools at home as they were not accessible to children with hearing impairments. He still needs surgery and a proper hearing aid, which his parents cannot afford as they struggle to make ends meet in Lebanon. Syrian refugee pupils with hearing impairments get a chance to fulfil their promise. In many cases, before finding the school, parents had given up hope of their children having the same opportunities as other children. But Mohammeds mother, Salima, told officials from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, during a recent tour of the school that she was delighted that her son had been given a chance. I can clearly see how much he has progressed since coming here. He can finally speak, she said. Mohammed has made friends, hes very happy there. Aid organizations have estimated that among the nearly five million refugees from the conflict in Syria in the region, one in five has a physical, sensory or intellectual impairment. In situations of forced displacement, those with disabilities often face barriers to accessing services and are given few opportunities to play an active role in their communities. I can clearly see how much he has progressed since coming here. He can finally speak. Founded in 1957 by Father Andy Andeweg, a Dutch Anglican priest who died in 1999, FAID is one of a handful of establishments in the country that offers specialist speech and auditory therapy. It welcomes Lebanese and Syrian children aged 3-18 with hearing disabilities, from different religious backgrounds. Its essential for children living with disabilities to have access to specialized education and care so that they can regain their self-confidence and become active members of their society," said Mireille Girard, UNHCRs Representative in Lebanon. Students at the Father Andeweg Institute for the Deaf practice their Arabic pronunciation. UNHCR/Haidar Darwish Students give a thumbs up when asked how they feel about their school and teachers. UNHCR/Haidar Darwish The newly constructed playground of the Father Andeweg Institute for the Deaf. Lebanon Trust/Laura Bertolotto Christy Kinsella (hat), chairman of the Lebanon Trust with others on the playground of FAID. Lebanon Trust / Laura Bertolotto The Father Andeweg Institute for the Deaf was founded in 1957 by Dutch priest, Father Andy J. Andeweg, whose photo hangs at the entrance. UNHCR/Haidar Darwish During the 2015-2016 school year, UNHCR piloted specific needs education programmes in the south and the north of the country, working with the government and other partners like Restart and Caritas. The programme will expand this year. The FAID school feels like an oasis of calm nestled above Lebanons boisterous capital. Its 60 children, 14 of whom are Syrians, have varying degrees of speech and hearing difficulties and are taught the Lebanese curriculum, in English and Arabic. Free of charge, it provides the kind of therapy, counselling and specialized support in small classes that is extremely rare in this fragile region, including extras like clothes and food. Some kids return home each night, while others board for the week before returning as far as the Bekaa valley. We work on building the whole personality of the child to prepare them for life ahead." The FAID pupils have access to expert diagnosis from medical doctor Nemer Attieh, head of speech and hearing, who has worked at the school for over 20 years. He maps phoneme frequency ranges, and fits and adapts hearing devices, referring some to local hospitals for cochlear implant surgery the insertion of electronic devices in the inner ear to improve auditory processing. The school aims to move its pupils swiftly beyond signing to lip reading and oral communication. Funding comes from the government as well as charities including Ireland-based Lebanon Trust, started by Christy Kinsella, who served three tours in Lebanon in the 1980s and 1990s as a UN peacekeeper. After retiring, he came back to Lebanon, discovered the school and was hooked. You just have to come back, Kinsella said. The difference you see in the children is amazing. Its a labour of love. Lebanon Trust finances part of the salaries for the schools staff, and conducts maintenance work Lina Atallah, FAIDs academic supervisor, said the students face particular challenges as there is little provision for their disabilities during exams or at university. Despite that, FAID students have made it to reputed universities and some are holding down good jobs. We work on building the whole personality of the child to prepare them for life ahead, she said. They need to discover what they are good at. They are all fighters. Learn more about the International Day of Persons with Disabilities By PTI: New Delhi, Dec 2 (PTI) The Health Ministry has set up a National Task Force on Sustainable Development Goal-3, which seeks to ensure health and well-being for all, to provide technical support to states, the government said today. This comes after a study, Measuring the health-related Sustainable Development Goals in 188 countries published in medical journal The Lancet, placed India at 143rd position. advertisement "The study titled - Measuring the health-related Sustainable Development Goals in 188 countries: a baseline analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015 - placed India at 143rd position. "The paper stated that statistical methods were applied to systematically compiled data to estimate the performance of 33 health-related Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators for 188 countries from 1990 to 2015," Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha. She said that the SDG-3 of health and well being of all ages was "in sync" with the vision of the proposed National Health Policy and National Health Mission. "Though the SDG 3 of health and well-being of all at all ages is in sync with the vision of proposed National Health Policy and National Health Mission (NHM). A national task force on SDG 3 has been set up by the Ministry not only to deliberate on policy and strategy but also provide technical support and guidance on SDGs to the states," she said. She said that certain key health indicators of India in comparison to some developing countries including Bhutan and Sri Lanka were brought out by UNICEF in its report, titled The state of the worlds children 2016, according to which the life expectancy at birth in 2015 in India was 68, while Infant Mortality Rate was 38. "The reasons for low performance (of India) include issues pertaining to adequacy of access and quality of healthcare, affordability, regional disparities, other socio cultural determinants of health etc," she said. PTI TDS SMN --- ENDS --- For months, hotelier Andreas Vasileiou felt helpless as he watched the news of refugees living in dire conditions across Greece. He wanted to offer them something better, a place where they would feel welcome. So this spring, his family-run, seaside hotel on Greece's second-largest island of Evia changed its clientele. Vasileiou responded to a call by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, for Greek hotels to host refugees as part of an accommodation programme funded by the European Commission. His hotel has become a temporary home for up to 88 asylum-seekers from Syria, Iraq, Eritrea and other countries. About half of them are children. The hotel is not just a place to sleep. Vasileiou has gone the extra mile. He's created a collective environment where refugees, hotel staff and locals in nearby Rovies village can eat, work and live all together and learn from each other. At Hotel Rovies, instructors hired through the accommodation programme teach refugees theatre skills and swimming at the beach just outside. Refugee women cook their traditional meals in the bustling collective kitchen, while the reception-area TV blares Arabic channels. Children attend classes in German, English and French, taught by Greek teachers as well as fellow refugees. The community they have built is an example of solidarity in action. Greece: Refugee families find a ray of hope in hotel "We live all together in the hotel," Vasileiou says. "I sleep in one room. And the staff from Athens sleeps in another. Their doors are literally always open. We make them feel that this is their home and that they are part of a family." "We make them feel that this is their home and that they are part of a family. Ten-year-old Salam, from outside Damascus, shares a room at Hotel Rovies with her two older siblings. She has, by default, become their carer: her brother, 24-year-old Ashraf, is partially blind, while her sister, 22-year-old Ghufran, has developmental disabilities. They are among many vulnerable cases staying at the hotel after being referred there from other refugee reception sites in Greece. "It's not home, but it's the closest we could have right now," Salam says. The accommodation programme is part of the EU's relocation scheme, which aims to relocate 66,400 asylum-seekers from Greece to other European countries through September 2017. Most refugees staying in Hotel Rovies are among those who could find new homes elsewhere in Europe. Several have already left for France, Spain, Switzerland, Romania and the Netherlands. Others, like Salam and her siblings, have a legal right to family reunion under the EU's Dublin Regulation. Her mother and 19-year-old brother are refugees in Sweden. Both avenues relocation and family reunion come with lengthy wait times of up to a year, and sometimes longer. In a visit to Greece in August, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi urged EU countries to speed up these procedures to ease pressure on Greece, where many of the country's 50,000-plus refugees and migrants live in overcrowded, inadequate reception sites. Young boys from Syria take part in a French language class. UNHCR/Achilleas Zavallis Ashraf, who is blind, sits with his sisters Ghufran and Salam inside the room they share at the Rovies Hotel. UNHCR/Achilleas Zavallis Syrian refugees prepare traditional bread in the kitchen of the Rovies Hotel. UNHCR/Achilleas Zavallis Andreas Vasileiou, the owner of Hotel Rovies, takes part in a French language class taught to young boys from Syria. UNHCR/Achilleas Zavallis Manar, a Syrian refugee who fled home with her three children, teaches English to a group of young children. UNHCR/Achilleas Zavallis Syrian refugees and Solidarity Now staff prepare lunch in the hotel's communal kitchen. UNHCR/Achilleas Zavallis The UNHCR accommodation programme has facilitated 18,200 stays for asylum-seekers in apartments, hotels or with host families. Through partners, the agency provides them with assistance such as food, hygiene items, interpretation, medical help and legal aid. At Hotel Rovies, SolidarityNow, a Greek non-profit, oversees the refugees' day-to-day care. "Here, everyone has their role," says SolidarityNow's local coordinator, Antonis Grigorakos Tzivakos. "We are a team." Refugees staying at Hotel Rovies also get involved with the local community. In June, at the end of Ramadan, they set up a stand to give away Syrian food to local residents. Refugee children also painted a mural on the wall of the school in Rovies village. Initially, Rovies residents were concerned about a possible backlash over the refugees' presence, creating an anti-racist committee to promote peaceful coexistence. But they needn't have worried: locals often stop by at the hotel to say hello, share food they've cooked or drop off donations. "Here, everyone has their role. We are a team." Seeing the success of Hotel Rovies' inclusive, collective approach, several other Greek hoteliers have also enquired about joining the refugee accommodation programme. Thirty-five-year-old Manar, a Syrian mother of three living in the hotel, sends her children to the local school alongside Greek children. They are learning Greek and making friends. Manar herself volunteers as an English teacher at the hotel, leading three classes a day of one hour each. Many of her pupils are far behind in their education after years of war prevented them from attending school. "When they first arrive at the hotel, many of the kids are lost and can't behave after everything they've been through," says Manar, whose family endured a traumatic escape from Syria and arrived on the Greek island of Samos in February. "Class gives them a routine and something to do. They calm down and start learning again." Refugees at the hotel are eager to leave for their new countries. But that day is often bittersweet when it finally comes. "We cry a lot," Vasileiou says. "The bonds between the refugees, the staff and the villagers are very strong. They all promise to come back." Vasileiou has a recurring daydream in which, 50 years from now, an elderly Syrian or Iraqi woman on a beach in the EU is teaching her grandchild how to swim. "I'd like to think that in that moment, shell think back to where she was when she learned how to swim," Vasileiou says. "That after fleeing war, horrible living conditions, camps, mud and cement, she found herself in a beautiful place, where people welcomed her and gave her love and affection, and taught her things, like swimming. And then maybe she'll think of me as well." After surviving three assassination attempts, Salvadoran transgender activist Karla Avelar keeps moving from home to home to try to avoid another. With threats received by phone, online, and in writing, she has changed house four times in the last year alone. I have survived three assassination attempts, but I dont think Ill survive the fourth, says Avelar, 38, showing the bullet and stab wounds that cover her body. Avelar says that she cannot rely on protection from the police, claiming that Salvadoran officers rarely take attacks on transgender people seriously. Law enforcement is also overwhelmed in what has become the country with the highest murder rate in the Western hemisphere, with more than 6,000 homicides last year in a nation of just six million. And to add to her struggles, Avelar lives with HIV. Yet despite the constant threats, Avelar goes on fighting, not only for her own life but for others like her, heading the activist group the Association for Communication and Training of Trans, known by its Spanish-language acronym COMCAVIS. Her story and research illustrate the major problems in El Salvador facing LGBTI people the term that describes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex individuals and drive many to run for their lives. I have survived three assassination attempts, but I dont think Ill survive the fourth." LGBTI people, especially the more visible transgender women, not only face attacks from people motivated by hate in a region with a long history of homophobia. They also face shakedowns from members of the bloodthirsty Mara Salvatrucha gang. The violence forces many, like Avelar, to flee their homes and move within their country or seek asylum abroad. There is a very high number of LGBTI persons that are trying to escape and find a safer place to live because they are subject to persecution based on their sexual orientation, says Elisa Carlaccini, who heads the office of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in El Salvador. The first assassination attempt against Avelar came in 1992 when she was a teenager, following a spate of killings of transgender women in what were believed to be hate crimes by a serial killer. When the assailant drew a .45 calibre pistol on Avelar, she managed to disarm him. However, he drew a second pistol and shot her nine times. A security guard found her bullet-ridden body on the street. I was lucky, she says. The second attack came in 2008 from the Mara Salvatrucha street gang. Avelar had become a sex worker, and the gang demanded a weekly protection payment of US$25 from her and her companions. Avelar refused. They threatened me and eight days later, they tried to kill me, she says. In this attack, they shot her five times. Yet she not only survived but became a public figure denouncing attacks on transgender individuals by the gangs. They (the gang members) developed a deep hatred for me. They were determined to kill me, she says. The gang members tried again in 2012, sneaking up on her and stabbing her with two knives. Again, she survived, and carried on raising public attention to the violence. In addition to the deep scars, the attacks caused injuries to her intestines, liver and a lung, forcing her to undergo various surgeries and suffer on-going complications. But she says that the psychological damage can be even worse. Every day I have to look at myself and see the scars, which have marked me for life and make me cry, she says. The number of people fleeing gang and other violence in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras has surged to levels not seen since armed conflicts wracked the region in the 1980s. In 2015 alone, asylum-seekers from this region topped nearly 110,000 a more than five-fold increase over three years. There is a very high number of LGBTI persons that are trying to escape and find a safer place to live." Most of them sought safety in Mexico and the United States, as well as Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. Many, like Avelar, have been forcibly displaced inside their own countries. UNHCR recognizes that among the most vulnerable are displaced LGBTI people, although there is a lack of data on how many are in need of assistance. For its part, UNHCR recently rolled out the largest and most comprehensive training package of its kind for staff and the wider humanitarian community working with forcibly displaced LGBTI people. It has also provided an overview of its progress made in protecting LGBTI refugees and others of concern. Inside the LGBTI community in Salvador, many others have suffered similar attacks to Avelar, including her friend Tania Vazquez, who was shot in the head in 2013 and died instantly. Since 1993, as many as 600 members of the community have been murdered in Salvador, according to COMCAVIS. Avelar complains that a key problem is that police do not take investigations into attacks on LGBTI people seriously. In a survey of Salvadoran police officers, 73 per cent of respondents said they believed that homosexuality was a mental disease. I feel that my country owes me something, and this stops me from leaving. However, the government is at least trying to improve policing in this area. A 2015 to 2019 security plan includes a target of creating better police relations with the LGBTI community. In October, a judge sentenced two police officers to four years in prison each for beating a transgender man. Meanwhile, LGBTI people continue to flee from the attacks against them. According to COMCAVIS, at least 29 LGBTI individuals left their homes in Salvador because of violence in the first quarter of 2016 alone. While some apply for asylum in other countries, claiming to be members of a distinct and persecuted social group, Avelar opted to remain in her native El Salvador, where she moves home frequently. I feel a mix of pride and pain, she says, looking back over a tumultuous life that she is determined to make count. I feel that my country owes me something, and this stops me from leaving. The official announcement for Marine General James N. Mattis to be Trump's secretary of defense is expected to be made on Monday. By Reuters: US President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday night he would nominate retired Marine Corps General James Mattis, known as "Mad Dog" and renowned for his tough talk and battlefield experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, to lead the Pentagon. "We are going to appoint 'Mad Dog' Mattis as our secretary of defense," Trump told a rally in Cincinnati. He said the formal announcement would be made on Monday. advertisement The choice of a seasoned military strategist would be another indication that Trump, a Republican, intends to steer US foreign policy away from Democratic President Barack Obama's increased reliance on US allies to fight Islamist militants and to help deter Russian and Chinese aggression in Europe and Asia. Mattis is a revered figure in the Marine Corps and known for his distrust of Iran. The Washington Post and CNN reported earlier that Trump had chosen Mattis, but Trump spokesman Jason Miller said earlier on Twitter that "no decision has been made yet with regard to Secretary of Defense." Read: Donald Trump warns of consequences for US firms sending jobs abroad While the nomination of the 66-year-old Mattis would likely be popular among US forces, it would have to clear a bureaucratic hurdle. Because he retired only in 2013, Mattis would need the U.S. Congress to waive a requirement that a defense secretary be a civilian for at least seven years before taking the top job at the Pentagon. His impressive combat record, however, may deter some Senate Democrats from trying to block his nomination. Trump has described Mattis as "a true general's general." The New York real estate magnate famously asserted last year: "I know more about ISIS than the generals do." Mattis, whose past assignments include leading Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East and South Asia, is known for his colorful expressions that unashamedly embrace the job of the US armed forces: fighting wars. In one famous line in 2003 attributed to Mattis, the general told Marines in Iraq: "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet." Read: Donald Trump bonds with Nawaz Sharif bigly, it's bromantic, so fantastic TOUGH TALK In a 2016 question-and-answer session, Mattis appeared to be moved by a Marine's question about how far out he could inflict casualties with his knife hand, known as a "kill-casualty radius." "Once you get to be a high-ranking officer, the kill-casualty radius is whatever your Marines make it, and by the time I got up to the senior ranks it was hundreds of miles," he said in a video for the Marine Corps. advertisement Still, such tough talk has gotten him in hot water. He was once rebuked for saying in 2005 that "it's fun to shoot some people." His talk, however, belies a more thoughtful side. Mattis once said the most important 6 inches in a combat zone was "between your ears." Now a fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, Mattis is also a scholar who was praised by then-U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates in 2010 as one of the country's great strategic thinkers. Mattis reads avidly, frequently quotes history and is proud that he grew up with a large library and no television. After meeting Mattis on Nov. 19, Trump described him as a strong, dignified man who persuasively argued against waterboarding, an interrogation tactic that involves pouring water over someone's face to simulate drowning. Trump had promised during the campaign he would not only revive use of waterboarding, which is widely regarded as torture and was banned under President Barack Obama, but bring back "a hell of a lot worse" if elected. advertisement "(Mattis) said: 'I've always found, give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers and I do better with that than I do with torture.' And I was very impressed by that answer," Trump told The New York Times. Read: PM Nawaz Sharif's conversation with Trump won't save him from Panama case says, Imran Khan WARY OF IRAN The Senate Armed Services Committee will consider Mattis' nomination. In a statement on Thursday night, its chairman, Republican John McCain, called him "one of the finest military officers of his generation and an extraordinary leader." Mattis would be the first former US general to become defense secretary since George C. Marshall took the job in 1950. The decision adds to Trump's national security team another Pentagon veteran who served during the Obama administration but often had a testy relationship with it. Officials who knew him before he retired in 2013 said Mattis clashed with top administration officials when he headed Central Command over his desire to better prepare for potential threats from Iran and to win more resources for Afghanistan. Trump has given the job of national security adviser to Michael Flynn, a retired three-star Army general who was pushed out of the top job at the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014 by Obama's administration. advertisement Flynn was fiercely critical of Obama during the 2016 campaign, adopting much of Trump's rhetoric. Along with Flynn and Trump's choice for CIA director, US Representative Mike Pompeo, Mattis has been critical of the deal to curb Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program, saying the threat from Tehran should outrank more immediate concerns about Islamic State or al Qaeda. "The Iranian regime, in my mind, is the single most enduring threat to stability and peace in the Middle East," Mattis said. Speaking about the Iranian nuclear deal, Mattis said: "Hoping that Iran is on the cusp of becoming a responsible, modern nation is a bridge too far." If Mattis wins Senate confirmation, he will work side by side with another Marine - General Joseph Dunford, who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Having two Marine generals in those top jobs would be highly unusual for a service that prides itself on being the most elite US fighting force. It would also raise questions about how Mattis and Dunford might divide up tasks. Both Dunford and Mattis share battlefield experience, including in Iraq. In 2003, Mattis led the 1st Marine Division during the US-led invasion of Iraq. He has said one of the toughest things he had to do was oversee the retreat of his forces from the city of Falluja in 2004, something he feared would hurt morale, but did not. "We just don't take refuge in self-pity or any of that kind of stuff. And so as a result, the Marine Corps remains a very feared organization in this world. As it should be," he said. --- ENDS --- A Delhi hospital is organising a women-only bike rally to spread awareness about breast cancer. By India Today Web Desk: In an attempt to create awareness about breast cancer, Delhi hospital Fortis La Femme (Centre for Women), is set to hold a women-only motorbike rally 'Motarde' on December 4. Fortis La Femme shared the event on its Facebook page with a photo showing female bikers all geared up for the rally. Photo: Facebook - Fortis La Femme advertisement Breast cancer is now the most common cancer in most Indian cities. Fortis La Femme had earlier held a two-month-long special campaign in Delhi and Bengaluru, where women were encouraged to learn about breast self-examination and go for regular mammography and breast checks. "We see this as crucial to our single-minded campaign for women's health and wellness," Anika Parashar, COO, Fortis La Femme, told IANS in a statement. --- ENDS --- NASA's second set of space fire experiments in the three-part Saffire program blazed to a roaring success aboard the privately owned Cygnus cargo spacecraft. Mission controllers on the ground ignited the Spacecraft Fire Experiment II (Saffire-II) on Nov. 21 shortly after the unscrewed Cygnus unlatched from the International Space Station (ISS) where it was docked for a month. Cygnus carried thousands of pounds of supplies including scientific experiments for the astronauts aboard the ISS. NASA's Saffire program aims to investigate how fires react and spread in microgravity, and to provide researchers valuable data in designing safer spacecraft. On June 14, during the Saffire-I mission, NASA burned 1.3 feet wide X 3.3 feet long cotton-fiberglass cloth in a different Cygnus vessel, which NASA says is the largest intentional fire set in space. The Saffire-II mission provided additional data by burning a kit with nine samples of various materials, according to Space.com. The experiment kit contained samples of different thicknesses of silicon; cotton-fiberglass blend; plexiglass; Nomex a material used in cargo bags and fire barrier; and a type of acrylic glass used for spacecraft windows. The Saffire-II samples are much smaller than one used in Saffire-I, each measuring only 2 inches wide by 12 inches long. According to NASA, everything went well during the conduction of the experiment. All nine samples burned as planned providing the Saffire-II team with more than 100,000 images. All data of the experiment was sent down to Earth on Nov. 25. Saffire-II was powered off on Nov. 26 at 2:36 a.m. EST on Sunday. Saffire-III will be conducted on a similar scale as that of Saffire-I. NASA officials said that the third experiment would proceed when its time comes on a future Cygnus mission. On Nov. 27, Cygnus burned up upon re-entry into the atmosphere in an intentional death dive. The disposable Cygnus vehicles are designed and built by Orbital ATK based in Virginia. Yuvraj Singh and Hazel Keech will tie the knot as per Hindu traditions in Goa today. By India Today Web Desk: If photos of Yuvraj Singh and Hazel Keech's big fat Punjabi wedding kept you hooked, then there is more in store as the wedding celebrations are still not over the newly-weds. After exchanging vows as per Sikh rituals in Chandigarh, the couple is all set to tie the knot in traditional Hindu style in Goa on December 2. advertisement ALSO READ: Yuvraj Singh and Hazel Keech, now Gurbasant Kaur, look royal at their wedding ALSO READ: Yuvraj-Hazel's star-studded sangeet ceremony And there will more baraatis and more of naach-gaana in Goa. Yuvi and Hazel are already basking in the sun, sand and beaches. The pictures of the newly-wed couple leaving for Goa have surfaced on internet and the couple seems all excited for their Goa wedding. One more latest pic. Goa is waiting for them. @yuvisofficial ?? @hazelkeechofficial #2Dec #YuviDiShadi A photo posted by Yuvraj Singh World (@yuviworld) on Dec 1, 2016 at 6:24am PST Latest click of @hazelkeechofficial at airport while en route to Goa. A photo posted by Yuvraj Singh World (@yuviworld) on Dec 1, 2016 at 6:11am PST In fact, it has been all work and fun for the couple ever since they landed in Goa. They have already begun rehearsing for their first dance together. Checkout Genny as she sings for the newly-wed couple #India's #cricketer #Yuvrajsingh and Hazel @ #Antares on the occasion of their #postweddingparty He likes the band. That's what he said ? #liveband #Raagas2Riches A photo posted by Raagas 2 Riches Live Band (@raagas2riches) on Dec 1, 2016 at 10:07am PST Venue: It will a beach-side resort wedding for Yuvraj and Hazel in Goa. The couple will tie the knot as per Hindu traditions at Teso Waterfront at Siolim in North Goa. According to a report in Pinkvilla, a huge mandap has been constructed in the hall for the wedding. Wedding costumes: Yuvraj, who wore a red sherwani for the Gurudwara wedding, has opted for a gold brocade sherwani for his Goa wedding. While his wife Hazel will wear a red-and-gold Benarasi saree for the ceremony. Baraatis: Like a typical Hindu wedding, Yuvraj will arrive at the venue on a horse. And his close friends Angad Bedi, MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar will be a part of the baraat. advertisement Wedding ceremony: The couple have decided to have an evening wedding which will be followed by a dance party. The pheras will take place around 4 pm. Menu: A wedding in Goa is incomplete without its sea food. And Hazel and mom Shabnam have kept traditional and local Goan cuisine as a major part of the menu. Post wedding party: A live band A26 will perform at the party post the wedding. And Yuvi and Hazel will perform their first dance together on the live band. --- ENDS --- Technology has always been a means of human resource. For some, it is a way to make things easier. For others, it is a way to connect people. And there are those who use technology as a negative tool. Such as breaching security and data. However, regardless of the risks, technology is said to be able to close the gap when it comes to education. Students and the younger generation of this decade are looking at a world with bigger possibilities because of the technology available. But sometimes, it is not even present in situations where it is needed most. While technology is considered to be a luxury, it may b considered as an essential learning tool in schools. The internet and various connected devices are considerably fundamental, cites Time. But regardless of this, there is still a lack of digital connectivity. This lack of connectivity is considered to be a barrier in education. And that means, millions of children and students are not given the access they need to a proper education. Marcelo Claure, the CEO of Sprint, said that he met up with some high school students at Kansas City, Mo. These kids all come from a disadvantaged background. However, these children are described to be intelligent and eager to learn. Claure adds that they have plans for their future and are working hard to make it happen. Their hard work comes from going to school early at 6:00 AM to use the Wi-Fi to finish her homework. Another student would not be able to pass her assignment on Sunday night because of the lack of internet access at home. Which is why Claure aims to fix this problem but he needs everybody's help to make it happen. The 1 Million Project is an initiative that aims to provide free devices and wireless connection to 1 million disadvantaged high school students. Students who come from a low-income family can avail of this. Fidel Castro, the former Cuban president, recently died at the age of 90 years old. He has his negative impression on the media and the world but some consider him to have left a positive legacy. Fidel Castro's plans on music education is something jazz musician Harold Lopez-Nussa hopes to see continued. For years, he has seen exchanges between Cuban and American musicians. And this approach, according to the jazz artist, will be better for everyone, cites NPR. Lopez-Nussa is known for his jazz style and classical training. Many describe him to have a level of training that is difficult to achieve anywhere else. It is all because of Fidel Castro's plan on music education. The 1959 Cuban Revolution opened up investments on music education. Culture was a priority to the Cuban government. Lopez-Nussa has been trained since he was 8 years old. According to the publication, Cuban musicians are influenced by family, conservatory, street and religion streams. With Lopez-Nussa's type of background, he plans to follow the career path of the great Ernesto Lecuona, a Cuban pianist, Frank Emilio Flynn and Chucho Valdes. And all of these were possible because of the emphasis on American and Cuban music relationships. The jazz artist hopes to see American musicians play in Cuba. In the same manner, he wants to see more Cuban musicians play in the United States. He points at the Obama administration for making the improved relations of both countries possible. Currently, President-elect Donald Trump is currently gathering and meeting with different authorities in their respective fields for his soon to be cabinet, and administration. He has currently chosen Betsy DeVos as his nominee for Education Secretary. However, not many are receptive to his decision. It is not clear if President-elect Donald Trump is going to continue this type of relationship between Cuba and the United States. But Lopez-Nussa hopes to see this as a constant in the new and upcoming administration. Verified sources claim that Tesla Model 3 car is likely to be released at the end of 2018. This is due to the fact that Tesla CEO Elon Musk supports the nemesis of US President-elect Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton. Did Musk hinted about the autopilot feature for 2018 electric car full autonomy? Read more details here! Tesla Model3 Part 2 Release Date Pushed Back to 2018 Rumor mills have started to grind for the most anticipated Tesla Model 3. The car's release date has been surrounded political rift including the launched campaign headed by Donald Trump propagandist against the American electric maker Tesla when its CEO Elon Musk has supported Hillary Clinton instead of the newly elected President. What to Expect from Tesla Model 3 It can be recalled that Tesla Model 3 part 2 was introduced by Elon Musk to the public last October. This was the second part of the features that will included in the third model of Tesla Car. Among the speculated features of Tesla Model 3 includes giant touchscreen dashboard or an Autopilot that is consist of more autonomous capabilities according to Daily Mail UK. However, the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) has sent Elon Musk a letter saying that using the term "Autopilot" is a misleading one if the American can maker only refers to driver assistance system of the car. Another speculation for the upcoming Tesla Model 3 is an electric-two wheeler just like motorcycle as suggested by the Tweeter user Edward Patel. On the other hand, Tesla has faced criticisms from their customer in Norway regarding its P85D cars that has been advertised with a "stomach-churning acceleration" but it turns out that the car is not as fast as they claimed it to be. Tesla to Manufacture 500,000 Electronic Cars in 2018 Tesla Model 3 is expected to arrive in 2018. For this reason, the American car maker is also said to manufacture about 500,000 electronic cars on that year, according to Auto Week. On the other hand, Tesla is reportedly making updates on "My Tesla" page for the reservation of Tesla Model 3. San Antonio, Texas USA (UroToday.com) Tracey Krupski, University of Virginia, discussed surveillance for kidney cancer. The current AUA guidelines apply risk stratification to renal masses with varying follow-up.These recommendations are not based on level one evidence. SEER-Medicare data among patients who underwent partial nephrectomy, approximately 15% of patients underwent guideline recommended surveillance following treatment with 33% having no abdominal imaging. Up to 40$ had more imaging than guideline recommendations. Using Monte Carlo modeling further refinement of imaging according to tumor size, costs and radiation exposure, however, there are inherent limitations of this type of modeling.Presented By: Tracey Krupski, University of VirginiaWritten By: Stephen B. Williams, MD and Ashish M. Kamat 17th Annual Meeting of the Society of Urologic Oncology - November 30 -December 2, 2016 San Antonio, Texas USA San Antonio, Texas USA (UroToday.com) Behfar Ehdaie, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discussed active surveillance in low-risk prostate cancer and how urologists can improve discussion with patients.Given the over diagnosis and increase treatment of prostate cancer with underuse of active surveillance there is an increasing need how we as urologists can communicate active surveillance to our patients. 77% of urologists in a recent survey said they would discuss active surveillance to their low-risk patients, however, far less would actually prescribe this to those same patients. Negotiations are important to realize in the communication to patients. How you say things is equally if not more important than what you say to patients. Shifting the context within which a decision maker considers an option is an underused negotiation tactic. Resetting the default recommending active surveillance as the default management option rather than a secondary or tertiary management option. Leveraging social proof can aid in patient counseling. Out of approximately 1000 patients with low risk prostate, active surveillance increased from 69% to 81% after providers underwent counseling intervention. Further research are needed to understand how providers may increase adherence of active surveillance.Presented By: Behfar Ehdaie, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterWritten By: Stephen B. Williams, MD and Ashish M. Kamat 17th Annual Meeting of the Society of Urologic Oncology - November 30 -December 2, 2016 San Antonio, Texas USA San Antonio, Texas USA (UroToday.com) Data for defining optimal lymph node yield following inguinal lymphadenectomy for penile cancer are lacking. In this oral abstract session, the authors sought to determine whether lymph node yields in these patients are associated with overall survival and to define a minimum number of lymph nodes to retrieve.The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was used to identify patients with penile squamous cell carcinoma who underwent regional lymphadenectomy from 2004-2013. A multivariable regression model was created to assess predictors of overall survival. Age, comorbidity, race, stage, grade, node status, and lymph node yield were included in the model. A total of 453 men met inclusion criteria. Median follow-up was 29.9 months and median number of lymph nodes retrieved was 16. Men with 15 or fewer lymph nodes removed demonstrated decreased 5-year overall survival compared to those with greater than 15 lymph nodes removed (73% vs. 50%, p < 0.05). Further, having had 15 or fewer lymph nodes removed was an independent predictor of worse overall survival (HR 0.61; 95% CI 0.44-0.85, p < 0.01). The authors concluded that lymph node yield is associated with overall survival in patients with penile cancer and proposed a quantitative threshold of greater than 15 lymph nodes to determine the adequacy of lymph node dissection in this setting.Presented By: Chad Ritch, MD, MBAWritten By: Benjamin T. Ristau, MD, Society of Urologic Oncology Fellow, Fox Chase Cancer Center 17th Annual Meeting of the Society of Urologic Oncology - November 30 -December 2, 2016 San Antonio, Texas USA Frank Lewis, a professor in the Electrical Engineering Department at The University of Texas at Arlingtons College of Engineering, has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Frank Lewis, a UTA electrical engineering professor, has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Lewis, who is also a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the International Federation of Automatic Control and the U.K. Institute of Measurement and Control, was cited by AAAS for his contributions in developing new neural adaptive control architectures, parameter tuning algorithms, and techniques with improved performance for nonlinear control systems. Lewis Advanced Controls and Sensors Group focuses on controls design for robotic, aerospace and autonomous systems and has garnered 80 competitive research grants worth more than $9 million since 1990. Recent funding has come from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center, the Office of Naval Research and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. His key contribution has been to add additional self-learning mechanisms to neural network controllers for dynamical systems, such as aircraft and robot systems, by making it possible to design and tune the neural adaptive controllers based on the patterns of use of different modes in the system. This tuning process provides greater reliability and stability for neural adaptive control. The American Association for the Advancement of Science is one of the oldest and largest multidisciplinary societies. Its foundation in 1848 coincided with the emergence of a true society of scientists in America. I am truly proud and personally honored to be elected as a Fellow of this prestigious society, Lewis said. Dr. Lewis has had a distinguished career in the area of neural networks and controls, and this newest honor is evidence of that. More than that, this honor recognizes that his influence on countless engineers through his academic career has now been recognized by the much larger science and engineering community, said Peter E. Crouch, dean of the UTA College of Engineering. Lewis joined UTAs College of Engineering in 1990 as the Moncrief-ODonnell Chair of Electrical Engineering after earning advanced degrees from Rice University and Georgia Institute of Technology. Since then, he has become a recognized international authority on intelligent feedback control systems and presents workshops and courses worldwide. He has published more than 300 journal papers and more than 400 refereed conference papers, and authored 22 books. He has more than 30,000 citations in Google Scholar. Among the many awards he has received are the Fulbright Research Award, the Neural Network Societys Gabor Award, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Intelligent Systems Award, and the U.K. Instrumentation and Control Honeywell Field Engineering Medal. In additional to research achievements, Lewis is an acclaimed professor who has won numerous awards for outstanding contributions and innovations in teaching, including the University of Texas System Regents Outstanding Teaching Award, membership in the UTA Academy of Distinguished Teachers and the Universitys Graduate Deans Excellence in Doctoral Mentoring Award. He has supervised more than 50 Ph.D. students, including three National Science Foundation CAREER Awardees and one Homeland Security Career Awardee. His students are now leaders in academia and industry, and count among them the President of Bogaziki University in Turkey, the Provost of the University of New Mexico and the Vice Chancellor of the University of Hawaii System. The AAAS is the world's largest multidisciplinary scientific society and a leading publisher of cutting-edge research through its Science family of journals. It has individual members in more than 91 countries around the globe and seeks to "advance science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all people." Election as a Fellow honors members whose efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its applications in service to society have distinguished them among their peers and colleagues. In 2016, 391 members in 24 sections of the Association were elevated to Fellow status. -- Written by Jeremy Agor 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 www.uta.edu to learn more, and find UTA rankings and recognition at www.uta.edu/uta/about/rankings.php. For more on the Strategic Plan, see Strategic Plan 2020: Bold Solutions | Global Impact. UTSA study describes new minimally invasive device to treat cancer and other illnesses (Dec. 2, 2016) -- A new study by Lyle Hood, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), describes a new device that could revolutionize the delivery of medicine to treat cancer as well as a host of other diseases and ailments. Hood developed the device in partnership with Alessandro Grattoni, chair of the Department of Nanomedicine at Houston Methodist Research Institute. "The problem with most drug-delivery systems is that you have a specific minimum dosage of medicine that you need to take for it to be effective," Hood said. "There's also a limit to how much of the drug can be present in your system so that it doesn't make you sick." As a result of these limitations, a person who needs frequent doses of a specific medicine is required to take a pill every day or visit a doctor for injections. Hood's creation negates the need for either of these approaches, because it's a tiny implantable drug delivery system. "It's an implantable capsule, filled with medicinal fluid that uses about 5000 nanochannels to regulate the rate of release of the medicine," Hood said. "This way, we have the proper amount of drugs in a person's system to be effective, but not so much that they'll harm that person." The capsule can deliver medicinal doses for several days or a few weeks. According to Hood, it can be used for any kind of ailment that needs a localized delivery over several days or a few weeks. This makes it especially tailored for treating cancer, while a larger version of the device, which was originally created by Grattoni, can treat diseases like HIV for up to a year. "In HIV treatment, you can bombard the virus with drugs to the point that that person is no longer infectious and shows no symptoms," Hood said. "The danger is that if that person stops taking their drugs, the amount of medicine in his or her system drops below the effective dose and the virus is able to become resistant to the treatments." The capsule, however, could provide a constant delivery of the HIV-battling drugs to prevent such an outcome. Hood noted it can also be used to deliver cortisone to damaged joints to avoid painful, frequent injections, and possibly even to pursue immunotherapy treatments for cancer patients. "The idea behind immunotherapy is to deliver a cocktail of immune drugs to call attention to the cancer in a person's body, so the immune system will be inspired to get rid of the cancer itself," he said. The current prototype of the device is permanent and injected under the skin, but Hood is working with Teja Guda, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, to collaborate on 3-D printing technology to make a new, fully biodegradable iteration of the device that could potentially be swallowed. - Joanna Carver ------------------------------- Read Lyle Hood's study,"Nanochannel Implants for Minimally-Invasive Insertion and Intratumoral Delivery." Learn more about the UTSA Department of Mechanical Engineering. Learn more about the UTSA Department of Biomedical Engineering. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. SBDC Webinar to Focus on Content Marketing Creating great online marketing content will be the subject of a Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) webinar Thursday, Jan. 5, from 2-3 p.m. Corissa St. Laurent, a small-business marketing expert and advocate, with 15 years of experience in relationship marketing, will present the webinar, Content Marketing: What to Say and How to Say It. The SBDC is a partnership among the University of Wyoming, the Wyoming Business Council and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBDC focuses on educating small-business owners and potential owners on how to successfully start and operate small businesses. The SBDCs main office is located at UW. During the webinar, St. Laurent will cover tips, including how many web links will create the most engagement; how to turn questions into high-open subject lines; using graphics, pictures and videos; and repurposing content across multiple platforms. She also will provide companies with the structure and tools to make content creation fast, easy and effective. As a former small-business owner, St. Laurent founded and operated two companies, and understands the dedication and resources necessary for a small business to grow and succeed. St. Laurent has been with Constant Contact since 2009 and is currently the northwest U.S. director. She manages a team of local marketing expert presenters who deliver marketing education throughout the Northwest. The webinar fee is $15, and attendees can register at www.wyomingsbdc.org. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities will be made if requested at least two weeks in advance. For more information, call Peggy Baker at 1-800-348-5194. The Wyoming SBDC Network is a business advising group of the Wyoming SBDC, Procurement Technical Assistance Center, Market Research Center and SBIR/STTR Initiative. The networks mission is to help Wyoming entrepreneurs succeed. Advising and most market research activities are free of charge to Wyoming residents. The SBDC is funded, in part, through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. SBA. Additional support is provided by the Wyoming Business Council and UW. Wyoming Business Tips for Dec. 11-17 A weekly look at Wyoming business questions from the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (WSBDC), part of WyomingEntrepreneur.Biz, a collection of business assistance programs at the University of Wyoming. By Brett Housholder, Wyoming Entrepreneur Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) program manager I am going to attend a local networking event with contracting staff from federal and state government agencies. What should I do to prepare so they know I am ready to work with them? Sarah, Evanston If you want to sell to the government, networking events such as the upcoming GRO-Biz Conference and Idea Expo in Casper Feb. 22-23 are a great way to get your business in front of folks from government agencies who make purchasing decisions. But, just showing up and starting a conversation is not always the most effective way to be remembered when they get back to the office and the whirlwind of everyday work. Fortunately, there are a few pieces of information you can have prepared that will let them know you are prepared and ready to work with them immediately, and the Wyoming SBDC Network PTAC can help you with the following tips: -- Have your DUNS (Data Universal Numbering System) number available. This is a nine-digit code that is unique to your business that the government will use to identify you. It is a requirement to do business with the government and can be obtained free of charge from Dun and Bradstreet by calling 1-866-705-5711 or going to https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform. -- Have an active SAM (System for Award Management). SAM is another requirement and also is free of charge. After you have a DUNS number, you can register in SAM in about 90 minutes. -- Bring a capabilities statement. This is a one-page document that replaces your traditional brochure and summarizes information relevant to government work. Most commonly, the document includes your DUNS number, Cage code (from your SAM registration), North American Industry Classification System certifications and past performance. -- Do your homework. Learn what agencies will be at the event, and do some research into what they typically purchase. This can be done in a number of ways, but a procurement forecast for the agency (if you can find it) is the best way to show you are prepared. Also, the Federal Procurement Data System (www.fpds.gov) is a publicly searchable site where you can find information on past contract awards. There isnt space here to go into details on all of these topics but, rest assured, the PTAC is available to help make sure you are prepared. Also, check www.regonline.com/2017grobizidea for updates on the GRO-Biz Conference and Idea Expo, our biggest networking event of the year. A blog version of this article and an opportunity to post comments are available at www.wyomingsbdc.org/blog1/. The WSBDC is a partnership of the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Wyoming Business Council and the University of Wyoming. To ask a question, call 1-800-348-5194, email wsbdc@uwyo.edu, or write 1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3922, Laramie, WY, 82071-3922. The latest issue of Vietnam Briefing magazine, titled Accounting and Bookkeeping in Vietnam, is out now and available to subscribers as a complimentary download in the Asia Briefing Publication Store. In this issue: Navigating VAS: A Guide to Vietnamese Accounting Standards VAS and the IAASB: Understanding Key Differences Expert Advice: Optimizing Bookkeeping in Foreign Investment Projects Managing accounting and bookkeeping in Vietnam can prove to be a time consuming and constantly changing area of compliance, even for those well-versed in investment within the country. Shifting regulations, changing interpretations of existing legislation, and convergence with international norms all coalesce to form a compliance environment with significant costs. Although adapting to Vietnams accounting framework can be a challenge, those with up-to-date information on the countrys accounting policies and a keen attention to detail will find that the benefits which Vietnam can impart far outweigh its challenges. To ensure that costs are kept to a minimum, it is critical that companies develop a firm understanding of Vietnams accounting framework prior to market entry and maintain robust systems of regulatory monitoring during the course of operations within the country. In this issue of Vietnam Briefing, we outline the basic framework of accounting regulation applied in Vietnam and provide guidance on how to ensure compliance in order to setup and carry out operations within the country in seamless manner. We highlight existing Vietnamese accounting standards, discuss differences between Vietnamese and international accounting standards, and provide expert insight on areas of the compliance process. About Us Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email vietnam@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight. Annual Audit and Compliance in Vietnam 2016 In this issue of Vietnam Briefing, we address pressing changes to audit procedures in 2016, and provide guidance on how to ensure that compliance tasks are completed in an efficient and effective manner. We highlight the continued convergence of VAS with IFRS, discuss the emergence of e-filing, and provide step-by-step instructions on audit and compliance procedures for Foreign Owned Enterprises (FOEs) as well as Representative Offices (ROs). Navigating the Vietnam Supply Chain In this edition of Vietnam Briefing, we discuss the advantages of the Vietnamese market over its regional competition and highlight where and how to implement successful investment projects. We examine tariff reduction schedules within the ACFTA and TPP, highlight considerations with regard to rules of origin, and outline the benefits of investing in Vietnams growing economic zones. Finally, we provide expert insight into the issues surrounding the creation of 100 percent Foreign Owned Enterprise in Vietnam. Tax, Accounting and Audit in Vietnam 2016 (2nd Edition) This edition of Tax, Accounting, and Audit in Vietnam, updated for 2016, offers a comprehensive overview of the major taxes foreign investors are likely to encounter when establishing or operating a business in Vietnam, as well as other tax-relevant obligations. This concise, detailed, yet pragmatic guide is ideal for CFOs, compliance officers and heads of accounting who must navigate Vietnams complex tax and accounting landscape in order to effectively manage and strategically plan their Vietnam operations. Vietnams digital economy has seen significant growth over the last decade and is expected to be valued at US$57 billion by 2025. The countrys digital... Illustrative image: Back in August 2016, also in the Binh Phuoc Province, some 300 workers in the Minh Hung - Korea Industrial Zone (located in Chon Thanh District) were hit with food poisoning following contaminated lunches served by the same food caterer. - VNA/VNS Photo The mass food poisoning occurred to workers at the Yakin Sai Gon Co. Ltd., located in the ong Phu Industrial Zone, ong Phu District, southern Binh Phuoc Province. According to the workers, who are under care at hospital, upon having the extra-shift meal last night, many late-shift workers started to show symptoms of food poisoning, such as nausea, dizziness, stomache, and even fainting. These workers were promptly rushed to Thanh Tam General Hospital and other hospitals in the ong Xoai Commune, Binh Phuoc Province. Nguyen Thi Anh, a worker of Yakin Sai Gon Co. Ltd., said that normally, late shift workers were provided with standard meals of rice. However, last night, the canteen decided to switch he menu and serve pork noodles and instant ramen with eggs instead. Some workers complained that the noodles and the broth were rather lukewarm. By 10pm last night, the number of workers suspected to be affected by food poisoning had reached over 120. Le Huu Huy, director of Thanh Tam General Hospital, said last night, upon being admitted to the hospital and receiving first-aid treatment for half an hour, health conditions of some of the workers had stablised. This morning, while some had recovered and were discharged from hospital, many others were still either unconscious or needed constant watch and intensive treatment. The provincial Food Hygiene and Safety Department in conjunction with the provincial police and relevant authorities will meet with Yakin Sai Gon Co. Ltd. representatives to investigate the case. The increasing number of food poisoning cases occuring in industrial zones throughout the years have triggered public concerns over the quality of meals for workers. Foreign geotechnical firms are seeking support roles in the myriad infrastructure projects on Vietnams horizon Geonia, a leading South Korean manufacturing firm for high-quality woven geotextiles, is expecting a surge in demand for this product. Vietnams government is boosting the construction of infrastructure nationwide, which is generating high demand for our products, said Lim Nam Chul, chief representative of Geonia in Vietnam. The companys geotextiles are instrumental in strengthening infrastructure projects. We have earned millions of dollars from Vietnams big expressway projects. For example, [our revenue from these projects] was $5 million in 2014 and 2015, [respectively]. In addition to Geonia, nearly 50 foreign firms attended last weeks Geotechnics for sustainable infrastructure development meeting in Hanoi. At the event, organised by Fecon Corporation, a local leader in foundation engineering and underground construction, these companies sought to form partnerships, establish joint ventures, and sell products. Nana Chen, sales manager of Taiwans ACE Geosynthetics, said her firm may establish partnerships with an additional five partners in Vietnam from now to the years end. Currently the firm has 13 partners, though it has yet to establish a base within Vietnams borders. [We may still] open a geogrids and geotextiles factory in Vietnam, Chen said. We enjoyed a double-digit growth rate last year, and expect the same rate for this year and beyond. Currently, ACE Geosynthetics is the leading geosynthetic exporter in Asia. Hidetaka Takeshima, director of Japanese construction firm Sanshin Corporation, said his company is considering partnering with a local enterprise to take on local infrastructure projects in the future. Since early 2016, Sanshin has been co-operating with locally-owned Technical Link Construction JSC on industrial infrastructure projects in the southern region. Many Japanese construction firms are rushing into Vietnam for infrastructure projects. So we want to [invest more heavily] here and co-operate with these firms, Takeshima said. According to Fecon chairman Pham Viet Khoa, as a developing country, Vietnam is experiencing huge demand for transport infrastructure. The government has issued special policies for infrastructure development in every sector. This is a great opportunity for enterprises and investors, he said. Also in attendance was noted geotechnics expert Professor Ikuo Towhata, from the University of Tokyos Civil Engineering Department. Towhata agreed that in addition to urban mass transit, Vietnams economic development will require speedy and widespread transportation systems such as high-speed rail and high-capacity expressways. These ideas suggest that in the near future demands for geotechnical engineering will be quite high in Vietnam. Many foreign firms are rushing there in search of business and investment opportunities, he said. While meeting with foreign infrastructure developers, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung stressed that the Vietnamese government would like to attract more foreign direct investment. Vietnams demand for infrastructure development is set to be huge over the next five or 10 years. Official development assistance for Vietnam will be high from now until 2019, but will decline gradually starting in 2020. Meanwhile, the state budget for infrastructure development will also decrease in order to prevent overspending and reduce the national debt. Thus, private investment will play a key role in Vietnams infrastructural development, Dung said. We are pleased to collaborate with Daishin Securities to provide our clients access to South Koreas deep and diverse stock exchange, which is the 6th largest in Asia and 11th largest in the world by market capitalisation as at end November 2016, Maybank Kim Eng Groups CEO Dato John Chong said. South Korea is a world leader in consumer electronic products innovation, particularly for mobile communications and televisions. It is also a key global player in the automotive industry, and Korea Stock Exchange is home to many of these companies. As ASEANs investment bank, we not only bring investments into ASEAN, we are also constantly seeking out investment ideas and opportunities for our ASEAN clients within and beyond the region. Maybank Kim Eng is the fully-owned investment banking arm of Maybank, one of Asias leading banking groups and South East Asias fourth largest bank by assets. The Maybank Kim Eng group of companies comprises businesses stretching around the globe with offices in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, India, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Great Britain and the United States of America. Maybank Kim Eng has been in Asia for more than 40 years and provides services in corporate finance, debt markets, equity capital markets, derivatives, retail and institutional securities broking and research. A leader in many of the Asian markets that it operates in, Maybank Kim Eng has won numerous prestigious awards in the markets that it serves. Maybank Kim Eng currently has the largest equities franchise in ASEAN and this collaboration will widen our footprint in North Asia. Together with our partnerships with Taiwans Cathay Securities, Japans Mizuho Securities, as well as our presence in Hong Kong, we now have a comprehensive coverage of the key capital markets in Asia. We will continue to pursue this strategy of forming non-equity based alliances with strong partners to expand into new pertinent markets, Chong said. Founded in 1961 in Korea, Nonghyup is a co-operative bank with 100 per cent of the capital contributed by farmers and local people. Nonghyup is both a commercial bank and an agriculture policy one to provide credit services for households and businesses, contributing to the Korean economy through credit financing in the field of rural agriculture. Since 2012, Nonghyup Bank has had the representative office in Vietnam. With the branch official establishment in Hanoi, Nonghyup Bank will participate in Vietnam financial market with full functions of a commercial bank and continue supporting economic development of Vietnam and activities of both countries businesses. Speaking at the launching ceremony in Hanoi, Lee Woo Sik, CEO of Nonghyup Bank Hanoi Branch said: The opening of Nonghyup branch in Hanoi not only supports financial resources for Korean entrepreneurs in Vietnam but also contributes to the financial development of both countries through interbank cooperation projects. Besides, we will always expand corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities with a wish to contribute to the prosperity of Vietnam. Over the years, Nonghyup Bank is known with the motto "sharing economy" in order to improve social welfare of farmers and disadvantaged people. Moreover, the bank is at the forefront of sustainable rural development through many meaningful activities. In particular, with Nonghyup Foundation established in 2004, the bank has implemented diversified CSR activities. Nonghyup Bank has been chosen as the No.1 in CSR activities for five consecutive years in South Korea. At present, Nonghyup Bank is implementing many CSR activities to support Vietnamese brides in multicultural families and focus on mountainous areas of Vietnam. In the future, the bank will continue deploying various CSR activities in order to support Vietnamese community, especially the activities to support Vietnamese brides and the volunteer activities in drural areas in coordination with the local community. Recently, Nonghyup Bank is one of six South Korean enterprises in Vietnam awarded with the 6th CSR Award, held by the Ministry of Planning and Investment in collaboration with Korean Embassy in Vietnam and Korean Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the start of their meeting at Mr Abe's official residence in Tokyo. (Photo: AFP/Franck Robichon) This came out of a meeting on Thursday (Dec 1) between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam, who is on his first state visit to Japan. "We agreed to continue to work together to an early entry into force of the TPP, as well as the completion of ASEAN negotiations so as not to reverse the trend of free trade," said Mr Abe in a joint news conference. Both countries are part of the 12-nation TPP that would cover about 40 per cent of the global economy. However, the future of the US-led initiaitve is now uncertain after US President-elect Donald Trump said he plans to pull out of the pact the day he takes office. "We discussed the economic and strategic importance of the TPP, and agreed that it is in the interest of all TPP partners to ensure that it is ratified and enters into force expeditiously," said Dr Tan. The leaders of Singapore and Japan have been stressing the importance of the mega trade deal. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Nov 19 that Singapore will amend legislation to bring TPP into effect by next year. In Japan, the lower house has ratified the TPP and it is now before the upper house. To take effect, the deal has to be ratified by February 2018 by at least six countries that account for 85 per cent of the group's economic output. Dr Tan also said he looks forward to "a timely conclusion" of the Regional Comprehensive Partnership Agreement, the 16-nation pact which Singapore and Japan are also part of. CLOSE AND LONG-STANDING BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP Dr Tan is on a nine-day state visit to Japan to mark 50 years of diplomatic ties (SJ50). Both leaders affirmed the long-standing and close bilateral relationship, and discussed cooperation in a wide spectrum of areas. Dr Tan said he is happy to see Singapores educational and cultural institutions stepping up cooperation with their Japanese counterparts through the various agreements signed on Thursday, which will "go a long way in promoting mutual understanding and deepening relations for generations to come," he said. In the financial sector, he noted that the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Bank of Japan (BOJ) recently signed a local currency bilateral swap agreement which will enhance the financial stability of the two countries countries. On his part, Mr Abe said that he is keen to elevate bilateral relations between Japan and Singapore to a higher level for the next 50 years. To commemorate the milestone, Singapore Post and Japan Post released a joint stamp issue on Thursday. The exchange of documents marking the collaboration was witnessed by Dr Tan and Mr Abe. The stamps feature ceramic works by renowned potters of the two countries - Singapores Cultural Medallion recipient Iskandar Jalil, and the late Mr Toyozo Arakawa who was given the title of "Living National Treasure" in 1995. The stamp issue is available at all post offices in Singapore and the Singapore Philatelic Museum. Dr Tan said: "As we round up a busy but fruitful year of SJ50 and consolidate our relations over the last half a century, I am confident that the relationship between Singapore and Japan will further strengthen and expand over the next 50 years and beyond." The award recognises Visas commitment to transparency, good governance, and sustainable business practices that create both long-term economic and social value. Visa was acknowledged as a role model for other companies as it demonstrates some of the best business practices that AmCham seeks to promote in the country. The key highlight of Visas CSR activities in Vietnam is its annual financial literacy programme Practical Money Skills, which it has run since 2012. The programme is a collaboration between Visa and the Central Committee of Vietnam Students Association to teach students across the country how to manage their money responsibly. At Visa, we feel it is our responsibility to help build stronger, more sustainable communities. We do this by providing innovative digital payment products and services, by partnering to address critical needs in the areas of financial inclusion and financial literacy, by enabling volunteerism and charitable giving by our employees, and by supporting local causes and communities throughout the year, and in moments of crisis, Sean Preston, Visa country manager for Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, said. In particular, we look forward to continuing our work with the Central Committee of Vietnam Students Association to drive financial literacy and help equip students across the country with the necessary skills to budget, save and spend responsibility. Each year the format for Visas Practical Money Skills programme changes to keep the content fresh and students engaged. However, one thing remains constant: the programme always utilises peer-based learning, with students actually helping one another to learn. Over the course of the past five years the programme has seen students engage in video-making competitions, digital gaming tournaments, and running financial literacy workshops, reaching thousands of students at universities across Vietnam. This years Practical Money Skills programme required students to create inspirational phrases and art works to promote financial literacy concepts to their peers. The programme received more than 800 entries from 84 universities across Vietnam and the best 50 pieces were toured around the country in a series of exhibitions in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang, Quang Ngai, and Haiphong, reaching nearly 16,000 students. We are incredibly happy with how successful the programne has been, and its hugely gratifying to know that what were doing will have a real, tangible benefit for the thousands of students who have been involved in the program to date, said Preston. AmChams CSR Recognition Award is designed to raise awareness of CSR among AmCham members and the community, and to provide recognition to firms with best practice CSR programmes in Vietnam. To qualify for AmChams CSR Recognition Award, a member companys CSR programme must receive high marks in four separate categories: attention to business objectives and societal needs, creation of long-term economic and social gains, communication and sharing of best practices, and programme sustainability. VMG Group announced it will sell its entire 62.25 per cent stock in VNPT EPAY to South Korean UTC Investment Company.-Photo ndh.vn The transfer agreement is expected to be completed in 2017. After withdrawing its investment from e-commerce, VMG will continue to divest from the payment sector to focus on digital content its main business in the past few years. Established in 2008, VNPT EPAY has rapidly become one of the companies with continuously high growth rate in e- payment. UTC Investment Company has managed seven investment funds with total value of US$100 million. It has been successful in investing in e-payment firms in South Korea. With UTCs investment, VNPT EPAY will have opportunities to further develop its new payment services and expand its operation to foreign markets. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Palm oil producers in Indonesia are committing gross labor abuses, according to human rights group Amnesty International. The group accuses the world's biggest producer, Wilmar, of using child labor and forcing women to work with no pay. Palm oil is found in a huge range of products from food to cosmetics.The crop's rapid growth has spawned huge plantations, especially in Southeast Asia. Amnesty International's Meghna Abraham says the burgeoning demand also is driving widespread labor abuses. "We found children as young as eight working on these plantations helping their parents. We found forced labor where women workers are forced to work for two days but only paid for one day." Amnesty interviewed an 8-year-old boy who said he helps his father pick the palm kernels after school. He told the researchers he does not get any money, and has to carry very heavy sacks full of palm kernels. Another worker told Amnesty he has no choice but to get his wife and children to help him with the harvest. The plantation is too wide, he says, so it is impossible to do it by himself without help. If I can't meet the target the company sets, he says, then he will get a warning letter from the head of the company. Other workers complain of deteriorating health because of exposure to chemicals, including lung and skin problems. All the plantations were either suppliers to, or subsidiaries of, the world's biggest palm oil exporter, Singapore-based Wilmar. Again, Amnesty's Meghna Abraham. "Wilmar as the world's largest trader is supplying virtually every big company you can think of. So we traced the palm oil from the plantations that we investigated to nine big household name companies, which include companies like Unilever, Nestle, Procter and Gamble, Kelloggs, Colgate Palmolive." Those companies all say they take rigorous steps to ensure the sustainability of their palm oil supplies and have pledged to investigate Amnesty's claims. "But there's a big gap between the policies that they have on paper and what's happening on the ground in these plantations." Wilmar has said it is deeply concerned about Amnesty's allegations and has pledged to take any necessary action to address abuses. The U.S. Senate gave Congress final approval to an extension of the American sanctions law against Iran that lawmakers of both parties say is critical to enforcing the international nuclear accord with Tehran. As VOAs Michael Bowman reports from Capitol Hill, the Iran Sanctions Act now goes to the White House after passing the Senate 99-to-0. A new United Nations report says a lack of education for girls in the developing world may be contributing to a rise in global poverty. The U.N.'s 2016 State of the World Population Report focuses on the well-being of 10-year-old girls as indicators of development success or failure. It says most of the world's 10-year-old children live in developing countries where girls face obstacles to good education, health care and safety. Zlatica Hoke reports. The founder of a Hungarian cable news and talk channel says he has sold the broadcaster to an ally of the prime minister. Industrialist Gabor Szeles said he sold Echo TV to a company owned by Lorinc Meszaros, a village mayor whose business empire has expanded greatly with the help of state contracts. In an interview published Friday in Magyar Hirlap, his own newspaper, Szeles described Echo TV as the channel closest to the government. A company linked to Meszaros recently bought a major newspaper publisher, increasing concerns about media diversity and government influence over Hungarian media. Meszaros has attributed his success partly to his friendship with Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has stressed the aim of increasing Hungarian ownership of local media outlets owned by foreign companies. Far-right Islamic parties were the driving force behind a massive religious demonstration Friday against Jakarta's governor, but those weren't the only interests represented among protesters. Hundreds of residents of poor neighborhoods like Luar Batang and Pasar Ikan, where the governor has pushed for massive evictions, also showed up in solidarity. The rally was the second major protest against the governor, Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, an ethnic Chinese Christian who has been accused of blasphemy. More than 200,000 protesters showed up for the demonstration convened by the right-wing Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) party, and they were joined by Indonesia's President Joko Widodo, who made a surprise visit and urged the crowds to remain peaceful. Many of those who gathered are upset over Ahoks aggressive eviction policies in North Jakarta. Development in the area, which abuts the waterfront and has a scenic old town and harbor, has affected more than 16,000 residents. His administration hopes to turn Luar Batang, which has a historic mosque, into a religious site, and Pasar Ikan, which means fish market, into a tourist area. They say the neighborhoods are unsuitable for residences because of frequent flooding and rising ocean levels. Less than one-third of affected residents has been offered alternative accommodations, according to the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation. And those who have are reluctant to leave for crumbling apartments in North and East Jakarta, far from their families and hyperlocal economies. FPIs opportunism Its no accident that residents of these neighborhoods were easily able to mobilize mass protests. As soon as the government threatened to evict about 1,000 Luar Batang residents in April 2016, FPI set up a charity operation there. They supplied food and clothing to potential eviction victims for three months, and when they closed shop in June, they had accrued strong ideological support from local citizens. Ive studied FPI for over a decade and they have no particular interest in poverty, social justice, or land rights, said Ian Wilson, who researches Indonesian politics at Murdoch University in Australia. I think they just saw a good opportunity to exploit popular support. People who live in evicted neighborhoods share a common enemy with FPI, which opposes Ahok for his ethnicity and liberalism. What is surprising to me, though, is how fast young people in these neighborhoods have become sucked into FPI ideology, especially on social media. Its their frame of discourse now, including the racist, sexist, and reactionary logic of FPI dogma." "FPIs support has been immense," said Mansur Amin, secretary of the Luar Batang mosque and a longtime resident. "When people were threatened with eviction, for a month, three times a day, FPI provided them with food, milk, volunteers, and other provisions. This adds up to more than 100 million rupiahs. FPI did this continuously, silently, and without exposing themselves to the media. It was done sincerely and full of goodwill." Although Amin could not attend Friday's rally for medical reasons, he enthusiastically went on November 4, and said hundreds of his friends in the neighborhood went again today. No one in Luar Batang has been evicted yet; the effort has been stalled due to complications in the low-cost apartments where residents are to resettle; but, if and when the time comes, they are ready to fight. And they have a powerful mouthpiece in FPI. An ambitious lawsuit The demo today was great: peaceful, timely, and orderly, said Dharma Dhiani, a Pasar Ikan resident and neighborhood activist. We simply demanded that the blasphemer and law-breaker is treated according to the existing laws; but, she, and her neighborhood, arent pinning their hopes for their homes just on protests or regime change. The rally was sort of a cathartic break amidst a seven-month-long class action lawsuit levied by the entire neighborhood of Pasar Ikan on the city of Jakarta for wrongful eviction. Were hoping that the court finds that the provincial government is wrong, and were also seeking [monetary] liabilities on forced evictions cases in Pasar Ikan, said Matthew Lengu, a lawyer with the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute who is overseeing the case. There are 320 residents named in the lawsuit and Dhiani is a lead plaintiff. More than 100 residents showed up at a hearing at the Jakarta state court on November 24, waiting over four hours, but the judge heard them for just a few minutes before pointing out paperwork issues and suggesting that they return in two weeks. This type of stalling is a classic technique of Jakarta courts, said Ian Wilson. Although the defendants chance of absolute success is close to zero, according to Wilson, they may yet win some useful concessions like getting the government to rebuild destroyed houses. Dhiani, who has four school-age children, is still defiantly squatting in her one-room house, just steps from Jakartas famous Sunda Kelapa harbor. Its tin roof is full of holes and whenever it rains, which is every day, the house slightly floods. Shes lived there for 21 years. Overlooked lower class We dont care about Ahoks religion or ethnicity; its his policies that are ruining our lives, said Dhiani. We are not racist. In fact, one of the lawyers on our case is Chinese! The same refrain was heard all through Luar Batang and Pasar Ikan, which are separated by a narrow strait of water. Theyve lived here for 30, 40 years, they said. And the new apartments, where about one-third of Pasar Ikan residents have resettled, are by many accounts sub par, with dirty water and cramped quarters. These peoples alignment with FPI is understandable, although not inevitable. What transpired is analogous to what has happened with similar working-class concerns across the globe. The majority party serves, or is perceived to serve, middle-class and global interests, and radical parties or politicians give voice to the marginalized poor. In Indonesias case, two sentiments that many believe have been sidelined under the current administration, fundamentalist Islam and poor peoples land rights, amplified each other's concerns. The best case scenario of the lawsuit and for these neighborhoods at large depends on who wins the gubernatorial election in February. Two months ago, I felt Ahok had it on lock, but its conceivable that he could lose next year, said Wilson. It wouldnt be the only surprising election result this year. There are no easy solutions. Ahok remains quite popular, these coastal neighborhoods will eventually become unlivable due to climate change, and its true that Jakartas tourist infrastructure needs extensive development; but, for these residents today, its better to protest robustly than submit to a poorly thought-out eviction regimen. I mean, look around this place, said Dhiani, after we walked through the flimsy houses, tents, ad hoc mosque, and piles of rubble that make up Pasar Ikan. Doesnt it make you sad? It makes me very sad. Touchy accusations of lying dominated the final televised presidential debate in Austria between far-right candidate Norbert Hofer and former Greens leader Alexander Van der Bellen on Thursday. Polls show them neck-and-neck for Sunday's vote. A Hofer victory would make him the first far-right head of state in the European Union. Van der Bellen narrowly won a runoff vote in May, which was annulled due to sloppy counting. From economy to espionage After almost a year of campaigning, the two candidates, who have left centrist rivals far behind, showed clear signs of losing patience with each other, flinging around accusations ranging from endangering Austria's economy to espionage. I get it, you were nothing, Hofer said to Van der Bellen, who is running as an independent candidate, rhetorically taunting him about his previous role with the Greens and accusing him of having been a Communist. You're lying again! Van der Bellen replied. After Hofer accused him of having been a spy, he said: This is the meanest thing I've experienced in a long time. ... This is ridiculous. Hofer said Van der Bellen had told lies about his stance on civil service and conscription laws as well as Austria's neutrality. This is another falsehood, Hofer said. Helpless moderator The moderator on public broadcaster ORF tried to force the candidates to focus on their policies, but both read out loud repeatedly from big folders full of printouts of contentious quotes by the other and aggressive Facebook posts. After an FPO official had implied on television that Van der Bellen's father might have sympathized with Nazi fascism, the independent candidate rejected such allegations and produced a photo of his father, who died 50 years ago. Hofer described this move as a bad foul and called on his rival to stop wanting to inspire pity, adding some of Van der Bellen's supporters had also called him and his father Nazis. Governors of cash-strapped Brazilian states on Thursday got President Michel Temer to bow to their demands to relax tough austerity measures, throwing the country's pledges to rebalance its depleted accounts further into doubt. Disagreements between the federal and state governments over the austerity deal to assuage their financial woes have raised fears of a full-blown crisis that could stoke a recession already threatening to stretch into a third year. Struggling to pay their pensioners and employees, many governors have accused Temer of trying to impose harsh measures in exchange for revenues from an asset repatriation amnesty that they argue states are entitled to. Pension system reform After meeting with Temer, Santa Catarina Governor Raimundo Colombo told reporters the states will work on a "general commitment" to seek measures to limit their spending and reform their pension systems to reduce their budget deficits over 10 years. Piaui Governor Wellington Dias, a member of the opposition Workers' Party who heads a forum that represents all governors, said earlier the states had agreed to enact their own measures as soon as possible without any imposition for the federal government. In the original deal, billed last week as a national pact, the government said it was going to share 5 billion reais ($1.4 billion) from an asset amnesty program with states if they freeze wages for two years, cut expenditures on contractors by one-fifth, and overhaul their pension systems. Governors worried about plan Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles later told reporters that the deal showed the fiscal commitment of states, but acknowledged that the government was going to share the funds with them independently of whether they comply with the measures. Dias and other governors had complained the government's suggested measures could suffocate their economies amid the deepest recession in memory. Newspaper Valor Economico said the government is considering drafting legislation similar to corporate bankruptcy law to help states that are in the worst financial shape. The finance ministry declined to comment. No pay for teachers, doctors, firemen Two years of back-to-back economic contraction have dragged down the revenues of states and cities now struggling to pay hefty pension and payroll bills. Rio de Janeiro state, which hosted the Olympics this year, is facing perhaps the most acute crisis. It has failed to pay teachers, doctors and firemen and to maintain public services. Violent street protests against an austerity package in Rio have put the Temer administration on alert, with some officials worried they could spread to other states and erode the already weak popularity of the president. The election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president has raised hopes in Russia for improved relations that could help investment and trade, especially if Western sanctions imposed over Ukraine are eased. U.S. and Russian companies at Moscow government-supported industrial park Technopolis are cautiously optimistic about prospects for business. If Western sanctions are eased, fast-growing Russian startup TEXEL says its 3-D scanning software business will get a boost in the domestic market. "There would be more funding available for the companies and they would be able to spend more on the new technologies, and they would be able to take a higher risk with new technologies like ours, and therefore there would be an increase in sales," said TEXEL's business development director, Sergei Klimentyev. Currency's impact If the Russian currency, the ruble, recovers, then exports could be hurt, Klimentyev acknowledged. "That would mean that the cost of our product would increase and it will make us less competitive, for example, with Chinese companies," he said. Most of TEXEL's business in scanning software, used for 3-D digitization of models and printing, is in exports to Europe and Asia. A small turnout at the Technopolis-hosted second Russian Export and Investment Fair this month did not dampen optimism from businesses located at the industrial park. U.S. company NeoPhotonics partners with Russian state nanotechnology corporation Rusnano to manufacture opto-electronic modules and subsystems for high-speed communications networks. Despite sanctions and a shrinking economy, they are confident business in Russia is changing for the better, and are considering expanding their manufacturing at Technopolis. "Cooperation and business activity on [the] Russian market it's a huge benefit for international companies," said manufacturing director Dmitry Morgun and not just for U.S. firms, but for those in European Union nations as well. Gradual process Even if Western sanctions against Russia are lifted, say analysts, it would be a gradual process requiring the Kremlin to improve relations with Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia's economy remains dependent on exports of raw materials, making it vulnerable to low oil prices. "That's why serious reforms are needed," said Mikhail Subbotin of the Russian Academy of Science's Institute of International Relations and World Economy. "And that's where the problem lies. The reforms should be of a double character, both political and economic." A lack of political will and tensions with the West mean continued or even stronger sanctions are more likely. The election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president has raised hopes in Russia for improved relations that could help investment and trade, especially if Western sanctions imposed over Ukraine are eased. U.S. and Russian companies at Moscow government-supported industrial park Technopolis are cautiously optimistic about prospects for business. VOA's Daniel Schearf reports. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. The U.S. Senate gave Congress' final approval to an extension of the American sanctions law against Iran that lawmakers of both parties say is critical to enforcing the international nuclear accord with Tehran. VOA's Michael Bowman reports from Capitol Hill. A Yazidi woman imprisoned and raped by Islamic State fighters said she had no idea about the scourge of human trafficking until she found herself enslaved with thousands of other women. Nadia Murad Basee Taha has become the face of Yazidi women captured in northwestern Iraq in the summer of 2014 and used as sex slaves by the Islamic militants. Since escaping her captors in November 2014, she has become an advocate for the Yazidis, and for refugee and women's rights in general, as well as a campaigner against human trafficking. "Before 2014 we didn't know there was something called human trafficking," Murad said Thursday, speaking at Trust Women, an annual women's rights and trafficking conference hosted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Murad, who is also a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador, said she was told she was a "slave captive" after IS fighters rounded up Yazidis in the village of Kocho, near Sinjar in northwest Iraq. The Yazidis are a religious sect whose beliefs combine elements of several ancient Middle Eastern religions. IS considers them devil worshippers. Escape to Germany, beyond Murad, now 23, was held by IS in Mosul but escaped after several months, reaching a refugee camp and eventually making her way to Germany. She has since traveled to Egypt, Greece, Kuwait, Norway, the United States and Britain to try to raise awareness about the plight of the Yazidis, urging the international community to do more to bring the jihadist militants to justice. "The world needs a lot of work to move forward," she said. "There are millions of people waiting for freedom." Nearly 46 million people globally live as slaves forced to work, sold for sex, trapped in debt bondage or born into servitude according to the 2016 Global Slavery Index by rights group Walk Free Foundation. President Francois Hollande's decision not to run for a second term may not change the outcome of French elections, analysts say, but it reflects a broader populist backlash that is upending politics in Europe and the United States. Hollande headed to Abu Dhabi Friday, hours after his announcement that he would not seek another term. The Socialist leader becomes the first president in modern French history not to run for re-election, but he also faces record unpopularity, with approval ratings recently dipping to 4 percent. "In the months to come, my only duty will be to continue to lead my country," Hollande said in a hastily scheduled televised address Thursday night, in which he did not endorse a leftist successor. Very different times All eyes are now on Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who is widely expected to announce a run in the coming days. Valls, however, is saddled with the same political legacy as Hollande, making his own presidential prospects uncertain. BFM TV, a 24-hour rolling news and weather channel based in France, described Hollande as handing his prime minister a "poisoned present." The shakeup in France may be replicated elsewhere in Europe, most immediately in Italy, where Prime Minister Matteo Renzi faces a key referendum on Sunday. In the Netherlands, far-right leader Geert Wilders is polling strongly ahead of the 2017 elections, and even German Chancellor Angela Merkel may face a tough re-election bid next year. "We're moving to new times, and very different times," said Philippe Moreau Defarges of the Paris-based Institute of International Relations. "Like the last 1920's and 30's, something is changing, and it means we are going to have new leaders." Decision is welcomed Closer to home, Hollande's departure may reflect the start of a difficult political chapter, said analyst Bruno Cautres of the Centre for Political Research at Sciences Po, a university in Paris. "We see a whole series of tensions that are putting pressure on French democracy and on the Fifth Republic," he said of a political system founded in 1958. "Citizens no longer believe in political promises. There's something that is broken in our democracy." Across the political spectrum, many saluted Hollande's announcement as "courageous" and "dignified." Some 80 percent of French also back it, according to a Harris poll Friday. Fillon next in line? Former Prime Minister Francois Fillon, who won the conservative primaries and may well be the nation's next president, said Hollande was "lucid in admitting his defeat," while describing his term in office as ending in "political turmoil and creeping rot." Far-right National Front candidate Marine Le Pen said it "marked a very heavy political failure." Hollande has steered his country during particularly tumultuous times marked by three major terrorist attacks in France and upheaval in the Middle East and Africa. He struggled to shake his image as an indecisive leader and deliver on promises to grow the economy and jobs although he said Thursday that was happening, albeit more slowly than he would have liked. Socialist primaries in January Several ministers left his Cabinet, and two of them entered the presidential race. Additionally, a recently published, tell-all book recounted deeply controversial remarks he made about Islam, immigration and even the judicial system. Hollande's departure, however, may not boost the chances of his deeply divided leftist party. "For some, Francois Hollande failed because he wasn't enough to the left, and Manuel Valls will face the same criticism," if he runs, analyst Cautres said. "For others, economic capitalism is the only solution." These battling tendencies will likely play out in next month's Socialist primaries, which could pit centrist-minded Valls against much more leftist ex-economy minister Arnaud Montebourg. "Manuel Valls' gamble will try to synthesize these two tendencies, which is no longer possible," said political researcher Etienne Schweisguth, of Sciences Po. There are other unknowns, including what happens to another ex-minister and independent candidate Emmanuel Macron, who is coasting on his outsider status. Runoff elections in May As things stand now, many analysts believe French runoff elections next May will pit conservative Fillon against far-right leader Le Pen. Fillon has strong backing from his center-right party; but, so far, he has failed to win over disgruntled working class voters who still back the far-right. Even so, most experts still discard the chances of an electoral upset similar to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's. "In every case when the extreme right had a chance of winning, we saw a large mobilization voting against the National Front," analyst Schweisguth said. "But this situation of protest and discontent is going to last. Whether it grows or not is difficult to say." Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has led the oil-rich nation for 37 years, will not stand for re-election in next year's polls. State radio said Friday that the ruling MPLA party has decided that the minister of defense, Joao Lourenco, will be the partys presidential candidate in the 2017 elections, scheduled for August. A source in the MPLA Central Committee confirmed to VOA's Portuguese to Africa Service that Lourenco, not dos Santos, will be the partys candidate. Dos Santos, 74, has led Angola since 1979 and is the second longest-serving ruler in Africa, behind only Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea. The president has previously said he will leave national politics in 2018, but this is the most tangible evidence to date that he will follow through with that plan. Opposition to his rule has grown as the Angolan economy struggles amid the prolonged slump in global oil prices. A communique issued after the MPLA meeting said only that the party's central committee had approved an internal resolution on the head of the list of candidates for the general elections of 2017." However, state radio said Lourenco will top that list, with Minister of Internal Affairs Bornito de Sousa named the candidate for vice president. Under the Angolan electoral system, parties submit a list of candidate to parliament. The head of that list becomes the president if the party wins the elections. Joao Lourenco was appointed vice president of the MPLA in August. He was born in 1954 in Benguela and received military training in the Soviet Union between 1978 and 1982. He is a longtime member of the ruling party and speaks Portuguese, English, Russian and Spanish. Between 1998 and 2003, he was the partys secretary general and in 2014 became vice president of the National Assembly. A college in Massachusetts that stopped flying the American flag decided to bring it back Friday after receiving criticism from veterans groups and other flag supporters. Hampshire College lowered the flag to half-staff after Donald Trump won the presidential election and someone burned it flag a few days later on November 11, Veterans Day in the U.S. Following the flag burning incident, Hampshire President Jonathan Lash decided to remove the flag from campus all together. The move drew widespread criticism and protests from veterans groups, which called the flags removal disrespectful. Theres other ways that [Lash] could have dealt with this, Victor Nunez Ortiz, post commander at the Amherst VFW chapter, told The Recorder, a local newspaper serving the small western Massachusetts town. [Removing] our flag is disrespectful not just to the men and women who have served, but to all Americans who believe our flag is a symbol of freedom. Ortiz and dozens of other veterans gathered at the college in Amherst last week, where they held American flags and chanted U.S.A. The decision to remove the flag wasnt meant to be a political statement, Lash said Friday, but was meant to facilitate much-needed dialogue about how to dismantle the bigotry that is prevalent in our society. We understand that many who hold the flag as a powerful symbol of national ideals and their highest aspirations for the countryincluding members of our own communityfelt hurt by our decision, and that we deeply regret, Lash said in a statement. A new smartphone app is being viewed as a possible game-changer for videographers and musicians, who can gain real traction when they team upalthough digital rights management often puts them at odds. When creating video content, the use of copyrighted music has always been a tricky issue. But a social media application called Flipagram allows users to create content with free music from the biggest stars on major record labels. The app is also a place where up-and-coming musicians, such as the PinkFurs, are getting noticed by users. When we started using it as a band it was way better," said 15-year-old band member Kierstin Kehoe. "We started getting more fans, more action on our videos. A trio of teenage sisters whose music is a mixture of pop, punk and rock, the band prefers Flipagram over other forms of social media to promote their sound, because they say it can make them famous more easily and quickly. Its really hard to blow up on YouTube and Facebook and Instagram because theyre all big apps, but Flipagram is gradually getting there, and it was cool because we started it right when the app was blowing up, said 13-year-old PinkFurs member Kami Kehoe. Differentiating factor The Flipagram app allows users to create a short video clip by mixing their own photos and videos with up to one minute of music for free. Its the music selection that makes Flipagram unique, says the companys chief executive officer, Iranian-American Farhad Mohit. Our biggest differentiating factor is that we have over 50 million songs licensed from all the music labels, so when you want to mix music with your photos and videos, you have an incredible selection, Mohit said. He negotiated deals with all the big record labels by pitching the idea that social media is a great way to promote music, either by big-name musicians or artists new to the industry. The group of influencers who dive into this head-first fastest are the emerging music artists, because they were like, 'We already have some fans but we want more fans,'" said Mohit. "By creating Flipagrams of their own and also encouraging their fans to create Flipagrams, they just created word-of-mouth promotion for their music. Users can purchase the entire music track to create longer content. Or if they are watching a video and like the music, they can just click and buy. Silicon Valley ties Launched three years ago, Flipagram now has users in 150 countries, and the app has been translated into 37 languages. Even though it has yet to turn a profit, the startup is backed by Silicon Valley investors, with board members that include prominent venture capitalists John Doerr and Michael Moritz. With such close ties to Silicon Valley, Mohit has been asked why not move the company there. His answer: because his family lives in Los Angeles. Mohit, who has been successful with other startups such as BizRate.com and Shopzilla, attributes much of his drive and accomplishments to his immigrant background. I think [when] the group of Iranians who have emigrated, or immigrants in general, come to a new culture, they have to be OK with the unknownthey have to make for themselves," he said. "Theres a little bit of an urgency, in that you dont have a legacy here. I think the combination of those things: a good education, support from the parents were all helpful and they help immigrant people of all types start businesses. What makes a success? To make a startup successful, Mohit added, specific elements need to be present. You should pick a very large market thats growing, because that leaves a lot of room for winners ... and not be too early but not be too late," he said. Then, he added, you should be prepared to spend at least 10 years of your life "grueling it out." "Persistence is the number-one attribute of a successful entrepreneur," he said. "If you can get these things rightthe timing, a good market thats exploding and growing, [and] put about 10 years of work to it with a great teamyoull be successful. In Flipagram, Mohit sees the market growing in both video content on mobile devices and advertisers who are looking to promote their products. When the two are combined, he said, musicians such as the PinkFurs and other content creators will be in high demand. Police in Germany say a gate that once adorned the entrance of what was once the Nazis' Dachau concentration camp may have been found in western Norway. The gate, which features the slogan Arbeit macht frei, or Work will set you free, was found near the city of Bergen on Norways southwestern coast, Bavaria state police said, after acting on an anonymous tip. Police did not confirm it was the stolen gate, but in a statement, said, "From the picture transmitted, police believe it is highly likely that this is the iron gate that was stolen from Dachau." The 100-kilogram gate was stolen just over two years ago from the former camp, located just a few kilometers outside Munich. The Nazis used the camp during World War II to slaughter more than 41,000 Jews before it was liberated by U.S. troops in 1945. A similar sign was stolen in 2009 from the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz in Poland by a Swedish neo-Nazi named Anders Hoegstrom. He was caught and served more than two years in prison for the theft. The 18-year-old who attacked a crowd at Ohio State University this week was buried Thursday in an unusually low-profile Islamic funeral in Columbus. Abdurazak Ali Artan was shot and killed by an campus police officer after driving his car over a curb and stabbing several bystanders on Monday, injuring at least 11 people. Authorities believe he was inspired by terrorist groups abroad to carry out the attack, but they are still investigating. Only relatives and a few members of the local Somali community attended the hour-long funeral process that started with washing Artan's body and then wrapping it in white cloth. The congregation later recited the Janazah, the Islamic funeral prayer to seek pardon for the deceased. Sheikh Husein Guled Aden, the Imam of Masjid At Taqwa in Columbus, was the man who conducted this ritual cleaning of Artans body inside a private room in the mosque. The body of Artan had two gun shots in the head and the elbow and several stitches on the chest, he said. He said the mother, Rahma, asked to see her son and kiss him for the last time. "She was crying and her face was covered with tears, and said, 'I love you my son. I know you are not a terrorist. I raised you with love and always hoped a bright future for you. May God bless you,' said Sheikh Aden. Artans mother, six siblings and other relatives appeared shocked and somber at the funeral. They refused to talk on the record with reporters about their son. But one of Artans uncles, who asked not to be identified, told VOA about the familys stance. You see a small number of people showed up here and the funeral has been kept as low profile as possible within the family, and there are no press involved, he said. There is [an] investigation going on, so the family decided not to speak before the final result." As national media networks and local press waited outside the main entrance of the Masjid Ibnu Taymiyah and Islamic Center North Columbus, Artans body was carried to the citys Muslim cemetery. Aden, a geologist and a medical student at Ohio State, said he has never seen a funeral process as a low profile as that of Artan in the Columbus-area community of Somali refugees and immigrants, which numbers as many as 40,000 people. I think it could be several factors. First, it is a winter time. Second, because of the nature of the funeral, which involves the dead body of someone accused of involving terror attack," Aden said. "Thirdly, I think people avoided to attend the funeral fearing that their faces would appear from the TVs, as reporters with cameras gathered at the mosque and finally, it is evidence showing the extent of the shock and the fears the community feels after the attack. Family and community members are shocked that federal authorities suspect terrorism as a possible motive for Artans attack. Mohamed Salah, a professor at Ohio State University, says Artan's friends and family members described him as an optimistic student with dreams." "They told me he was very optimistic and wanted to educate himself in order to help his community, Salah said. We were all shocked over what happened to the student victims at the university and his death." The head of the independent body monitoring the cease-fire in eastern Ukraine has told VOA the conflict is on the brink of a major escalation. Alexander Hug says heavy weapons are being used in civilian areas. As Henry Ridgwell reports, pro-Russian rebels continue to block monitors' access to many of the conflict zones. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has offered to negotiate with two of his countrys most violent Muslim rebel groups after months of military strikes, making his strategy for ending a complex 45-year conflict unclear despite pledges to settle it. In a recent speech, Duterte called for negotiations with Abu Sayyaf and the Maute group, another Muslim separatist camp in the countrys southwestern corner. In August, after a month in office, the president, known as a strict crime fighter, told police and the armed forces to seek them out in their lairs and destroy Abu Sayyaf, a group of about 400 people often described as a ransom-seeking business organization. Earlier success Many voters figured Duterte would get the job done because he had made peace with a rebel group in Davao City while mayor there for 22 years. Davao City is on Mindanao, a southern island of 21 million people where Abu Sayyaf and Maute also operate. There was sort of hope that perhaps there would be more progress under Duterte, but this is a long-running issue. I think any claims of being able to solve it overnight are somewhat dubious, said Christian de Guzman, vice president and senior credit officer with Moodys in Singapore. When we talk about [the core of] the issue, it goes back to before the founding of the republic. Abu Sayyaf formed in 1991 and has patched itself up quickly whenever attacked by government forces. The group gets support from local people, as well as officials, on smaller islands near Mindanao by offering a share of kidnapping ransoms. The Maute group, also known as Islamic State in Lanao, is a 3-year-old guerrilla movement. Both groups identify with the violent Islamic State organization known for terrorist acts in multiple countries. The Maute took over part of a Mindanao town last month and lost 19 people in battles with armed forces trying to retake it. Abu Sayyaf kidnapped two German tourists in November and killed one of them. Its suspected of a deadly nighttime bomb blast in a market in September. Abu Sayyaf had been driven to desperation and pushed to the wall, local media quoted Duterte telling a university alumni gathering recently in Metro Manila. Yet the group feels nationalism for the land it has historically occupied, he added, and you cannot finish (the war), because that place belongs to them. No offer, response yet Residents in Mindanao, where rebel violence has hampered economic development, hope any negotiations will help. Its kind of like new ground for us, too. Everybodys hoping, but cautiously hoping. Im hopeful, but still theres a part of me going, yeah, but we dont know what these people want, said Rhona Canoy, president of the International School Cagayan de Oro and part of a local political family. Duterte has not said what he would offer Abu Sayyaf or the Maute group in negotiations, and neither group has answered his overture. Questions about how to handle Abu Sayyaf underline the complexity of the rebel movement in Mindanao and outlying Sulu Sea, an area the Islamic Moro people have inhabited for centuries. Other Muslim rebel groups have stirred trouble since the 1960s, leading to an estimated 120,000 dead. Many want more control of the land they occupy. Duterte may be mulling dialogue with Abu Sayyaf because another rebel group is sheltering it, analysts say. The leader of that group, the Moro National Liberation Front, resented the former president for signing a 2014 peace and autonomy-sharing deal with a third group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front or MILF. The deal did not become law because of a shootout between MILF members and government troops in 2015. Filipinos are unsure how seriously to take remarks from the president, who has changed his mind on other issues since taking office. But many, particularly those from Mindanao, expect Duterte to have answers because he had pushed a once violent leftist group into the hinterlands of Davao City in the early 1990s. Duterte says the two liberation fronts are willing to hold talks with his government. Basically the way he deals with rebel groups in Davao is a very pragmatic way, keep out of my city and dont make trouble here and I wont go after you, something like that, said Jay Batongbacal, associate law professor at the University of the Philippines. At the national level, Batongbacal said, hell want to have an agreement whereby government will give the MILF whatever it needs for them to basically not make trouble. Authorities in China announced this week that five officers are expected to be charged with dereliction of duty in the controversial and closely watched case of Lei Yang, a 29-year-old environmental scientist who died in police custody earlier this year. But a big concern for many in China is whether the trial will answer a host of questions in the mysterious case. So far, very little information has been released about the yet to be indicted officers, four of whom have been released on bail. Their full names have not been released to the public and it is unclear how soon a trial could begin. Lawyers tell VOA that it may be a month before an indictment is made in the case. News of Lei Yangs death in police custody in May sparked a national outcry, with many voicing concerns online about police brutality and abuse of power. Given the circumstances of his death, the case had many asking online: Who will be the next Lei Yang? And thats why some are urging authorities to make all of the details of the trial open to the public: to ease concerns and prevent a similar tragedy from ever happening again. Discussion censored Authorities have promised an impartial investigation, but at the same time they have been working overtime to snuff out any discussion of the case. The public has been barred from commenting on the case on social media. Most of the questions that the public are interested in have not been released, said Chen Guangwu, a rights lawyer. The purpose of this is to limit public interest in the case and avoid any public opinions, which may taint the image of the nations judiciary agencies. Evidence loopholes Police have said Lei Yang was picked up during a prostitution raid on a brothel fronting as a foot massage parlor. Shortly after that, he was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead on arrival. His family said that Lei Yang, who had just become a new father two weeks before the incident, was on his way to the airport to pick up relatives. Police have said that Lei Yang was resisting arrest. When his family was allowed to see his body, several hours after he died, his head and body were covered with bruises. Police prevented them from taking pictures of his body. Piecing together what actually happened that night is likely to be difficult, notes Beijing University law professor Chen Yongsheng. Prosecutors did not open their investigation immediately after the incident, but instead it was handled by police and that could have an impact on the trial, Chen said. As far I understand, there are some questions that will be difficult to resolve. For example, it will be difficult to determine whether excessive force was used. Chen adds that evidence will also be limited as footage from CCTV cameras in the area where Lei Yang was arrested are no longer available and may have been destroyed by police. Short arm of accountability Even so, many will be looking for some clues to what happened. The problem of police and excessive force is not new in China and authorities have been working to reign in the problem of mistreatment and torture, making evidence obtained through such means inadmissible in court. But the problem is still pervasive. Police accountability is part of the problem, said Maya Wang, a researcher for Human Rights Watch in Hong Kong. She said there is a trend in cases where mistreatment and torture was allegedly involved, that police enjoy almost complete impunity. In the cases in which they are punished, usually because the case have received a lot of public attention because the suspect died in police custody then the officers, some of them, particularly the lower-level ones, get prison sentences, Wang said. She adds that typically the punishment is on the lower end of the sentencing range. Last year, Human Rights Watch released a report on police treatment of criminal suspects in China. The group found that in the first few months of 2014, there were 432 cases out of 158,000 where allegations of torture were referenced. But of those cases, only 23 resulted in evidence being thrown out by the court. Lawyers said that if found guilty, the policemen could face up to three-years in jail. South Korea and Japan have imposed unilateral sanctions on their nuclear-armed neighbor, North Korea. The announcement of the sanctions Friday followed Pyongyangs promise to retaliate against new U.N. sanctions imposed earlier this week. South Korea and Japan had sanctions in place against North Korea. The new sanctions, however, are mainly symbolic, because trade and exchange between the North and its two neighbors are largely nonexistent thanks to existing sanctions, especially those imposed by the United Nations. But North Koreas latest round of nuclear tests has prompted its neighbors to announce the new restrictions. New sanctions Seouls new sanctions ban two top aides to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un: Choe Ryong Hae and Hwang Pyong So. South Korea is also banning the entry of foreign missile and nuclear experts, if their visits to North Korea are deemed to be a threat to South Korea. Japan said Friday it will not allow ships into the country that have called at ports in North Korea. Japan said it will also freeze the assets of groups and individuals associated with North Koreas nuclear and missile programs. UN sanctions On Wednesday, the U.N. Security Council unanimously voted to impose a new round of targeted economic sanctions against North Korea because of its September 9 nuclear test. The sanctions take aim at sectors of the defiant nations economy that generate cash to fund its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and could cost Pyongyang more than $800 million a year in lost funds, the equivalent of a quarter of its total export revenues. The resolution focused its toughest action on Pyongyangs coal export industry, which, according to global trade figures, is expected to generate more than $1 billion in revenue this year and is the countrys single largest source of external funds. The resolution imposed a hard, binding cap that will cut the countrys coal exports by more than 60 percent; that could add up to some $700 million per year, experts said. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to take up cases about whether hospitals that are affiliated with religious groups can use their church affiliations to get exemptions from federal pension law. The justices agreed to hear the appeals of three nonprofit hospital systems Dignity Health in California, Advocate Health Care Network in Illinois and Saint Peter's Healthcare System in New Jersey which are being sued by employees for underfunding pension plans. The employees argue that the hospitals are big businesses that are using their religious affiliations in order to avoid fully funding employee pensions. U.S. law stipulates that pensions must be fully funded by businesses, but it makes an exception for churches and other religious organizations. Lower courts have ruled against the hospitals. If the hospitals lose their case at the Supreme Court, they could be forced to spend billions of dollars to make up the funding shortfalls. The hospitals argue that allowing the lawsuits to go forward could jeopardize the ability of nonprofit hospitals to provide care. They also argue that federal agencies have assured them for years that they are exempt from federal pension law. The three hospital networks together employ nearly 100,000 people. Syrian rebel commanders and opposition politicians insist the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad will continue even if they lose their tenuous hold on parts of Aleppo, the countrys second-largest city. Most military observers and diplomats estimate it is only a matter of weeks before the rebel-held eastern districts of Aleppo will fall entirely into the hands of the Russian-backed regime forces. Even so, rebel commanders say they will fight on, using neighboring Idlib Province to continue their guerrilla-style war against the Assad regime. The prime minister of the Syrian Interim Government, formed by an opposition umbrella alliance, added his voice to a defiant chorus, saying, in an interview with VOA, that the loss of Aleppo wont mark the end of the more than five-year-long revolution. This will go on for a few more years, says Jawad Abu Hatab. Hatab said he doesn't think there can be an overall military win for the rebels, but he argues resistance will be maintained and eventually Assad will go - he will eventually be killed, Hatab says. When that happens, a political solution will be possible. When this conflict began, I said it would take 10 years, he adds. Keep fighting Other opposition leaders, as well as rebel commanders and their supporters, say they have no alternative but to keep fighting, arguing they cant make a deal with Assad and wouldn't trust an amnesty offer. We want freedom and democracy in Syria without Assad and his security apparatus. No one can trust this regime and go back to Syria. If Bashar said, Theres no problem, come back and I did, I would be killed immediately, says Gen. Salim Idris, a former commander-in-chief of the Free Syrian Army who defected from the Syrian military in the early days of the revolt. U.S. military and intelligence officials, speaking to VOA on condition of anonymity, acknowledge the days are numbered for Syrian opposition forces in Aleppo, with one saying, The slaughter could go on for weeks. The officials also agree with Syrian rebel commanders that Aleppo will not end the fight to oust Assad. The opposition will not be easily defeated, the official said. The possibility exists for the five-year Syrian civil war to descend into a protracted battle fought through hit-and-run-style attacks, which regime forces are not prepared to handle." Such tactics, U.S. officials say, have frustrated Syrian regime forces in the past. And for the regime to even push the rebels to the brink in Aleppo, it had to resort to a scorched earth bombing campaign with considerable help from the Russians, as well as significant support from Iranian-directed Shiite militias. The moderate opposition has grown in skill and size over the years to the point where they wont disappear, said a U.S. intelligence official. One U.S. intelligence estimate puts the size of the moderate Syrian opposition forces at more than 100,000 fighters. And its not just the moderate rebel groups that are managing to survive. None of these parties, whether the moderates or whether the hard core Islamists, none of those parties has actually been dealt any decisive blows, said Stratfor senior military analyst Sim Tack. Thats something that the Syrians and the Russians have not been able to achieve, to knock anyone out of the fight. Some rebels are drawing comfort from remarks earlier this week by Qatars foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul-Rahman al-Thani, who told the Reuters news agency that the Gulf emirate wasnt thinking of abandoning the anti-Assad insurgents and would continue to arm them. This support is going to continue. We are not going to stop it. It doesnt mean that if Aleppo falls we will give up on the demands of the Syrian people, he said. Nor if President-elect Donald Trump decides to end U.S. support for the rebels, which he has indicated he may. We are not going to change our position. Even with arms supplies from the Gulf states, the rebels face a massive military dilemma - what strategy do they pursue after losing Aleppo? They are suffering losses elsewhere in the country - in the south, militias are barely holding their ground and in the Damascus suburbs, the regime is also making advances. Military strategy In recent months, Aleppo has been one of the twin geographical anchors for the rebellion. The other, Idlib, seems now to be in the sights of the regime. Russian warplanes have already started pummeling the province and in mid-November, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu announced the start of a major operation that he said would target IS and al-Qaida in Idlib. As with Aleppo, the FSA and Islamist militias are bearing much of the brunt of airstrikes, including from sorties flown by Su-33 Flanker-D fighters launched from the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov in the eastern Mediterranean. Yet some in the West think such a strategy is destined to backfire. They have succeeded in pushing many pretty moderate groups into the arms of Nusra, a U.S. official said, referring to the Syrian al-Qaida affiliate that has since rebranded itself as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham. The likely loss of Aleppo may only serve to accelerate that process, playing into al-Qaidas long-term strategy in Syria, based on intertwining itself with the local populations while carefully selling itself as the only group capable of defeating the Syrian regime. Former FSA Gen. Idris sees the strengthening of al-Qaida and groups like it as inevitable. Assad staying in power fuels the extremism, he said. If the conflict continues for many more years, it will just help al-Qaida and the other extremists - they thrive on chaos and instability. At the same time, unlike some of the U.S. officials, Idris believes the loss of Aleppo will deal an irreversible blow to the status of what remains of the moderate and more secular militias. Aron Lund, an analyst with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington-based research institution, believes the loss of Aleppo would mark, in effect, a strategic checkmate for the Syrian opposition, as currently construed. He acknowledges that foreign-backed rebel contingents in other locations could continue a fight but it wouldnt compensate for the loss of Aleppo, or lead to a dismantling of Assads regime that opposition backers seek, or even compel him to accept meaningful compromises, he adds. Already, some rebel fighters admit they may join with the al-Qaida-linked Jabhat Fatah al-Shama and the hardline Islamist group Ahrar al-Sham, which al-Qaida veterans helped to found. Others are prepared to walk away. Mohammed, a rebel fighter with a militia aligned with the Free Syrian Army, is currently resting in the Turkish border town of Kilis. He said the loss of Aleppo would end his commitment to the war. It has been too long, this war. It will end up as an even more difficult guerrilla war - I am just too tired. But many will fight on - in Idlib, in the mountains of Latakia and with the Turks in northern Syria, Mohammed added. Turkey's role Indeed, the evolving Turkish role in Syria will also likely be crucial to the fate of many militias, both in terms of supplying arms and allowing arms from other countries to cross into Syria. Some rebels fear that the Turks could be bought off in a deal with Damascus. If Assad and Moscow guarantee there will be no Kurdish state in northern Syria, at what point does Ankara decide to withdraw its support, queried a top rebel commander, who asked not to named as his militia has recently received weapons from Turkey. To be honest, I dont trust the Turks and in the end they will decide to do what is in their interests and not ours, he added. Watch related video: Twenty-eight years ago today, Benazir Bhutto was sworn in as prime minister of Pakistan, not only becoming the first woman to head a Muslim country, but at the age of 35, its youngest. Her charismatic father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, served as both Pakistan's president and prime minister, and founded the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Born into a wealthy and educated family, Benazir was groomed by her father to be his political successor. A populist who was recognized internationally as an skilled diplomat and impressive leader, he ultimately was deposed in 1977 by his army chief General Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq. Ali Bhutto was tried and convicted of authorizing the murder of a political opponent in 1979. He was executed by hanging later that year. Zia, an conservative Islamist, ruled Pakistan with an iron fist. Benazir Bhutto and her siblings spoke out often against the military government, becoming the de facto political opposition. Wary of her influence, Zia jailed Bhutto for several years. After her release, she lived in London in exile. By the time she returned to Pakistan in 1986, Benazir had become a beloved opposition politician, and frustration with Zia's dictatorship offered Bhutto the chance to politically challenge the military government. By then, she had becpme a symbol of women's empowerment in a deeply religious society. Benazir's first return from exile She won the post of prime minister in 1988, running as a moderate Muslim, who pledged to provide basic services and education to Pakistan's poor and illiterate. And Bhutto made good on some of those promises, bringing electricity, housing and other necessities to parts of rural Pakistan. But as a young and inexperienced woman in conservative Muslim country, she faced intense backlash by the political remnants of Zias dictatorship and conservative Islamist. Bhutto lost the 1990 election and was charged, along with her husband, of corruption. She returned to power in 1993, but lost her second term just three years later. While in self-imposed exile in Britain and Dubai, she was convicted in 1999 of corruption and sentenced to three years in prison. She directed the PPP from abroad, she was reaffirmed its leader in 2002. Five years later, Bhutto was determined to return to Pakistan to challenged the military government, then led by President Pervez Musharraf, who had granted her amnesty on the corruption charges. That very day she narrowly escaped an assassination attempt. Less than two months later in December 2007, she was assassinated during a gun and suicide bomb attack after a political rally. She was 54 years old. Some 31,500 civilians have fled eastern Aleppo since Syrian government forces captured more than one-third of the rebel-held besieged territory this week. The United Nations reports 18,000 civilians have fled to Jibreen, an industrial zone in eastern Aleppo; 8,500 have gone to Kurdish-inhabited Sheikh Maqsood, north of the city; and 5,000 have been displaced inside the besieged area. Jens Laerke, spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said some people fleeing eastern Aleppo reportedly were experiencing difficulties and, in some cases, putting their lives in danger. We have reports that some men and boys have been detained when crossing into government-controlled areas, and some internally displaced people have reported that they have had their documents confiscated upon crossing into government of Syria-controlled areas, he said. We also have reports that some people trying to move have been shot at, resulting in death and injuries. Laerke said rebel groups also reportedly have sought to prevent people from leaving eastern Aleppo. Council criticized In New York, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon criticized divisiveness among regional powers and the Security Council for failing to find a political solution to end the nearly six-year-old conflict, and he called again for a cessation of hostilities. "We have been trying to make a political deal. Unfortunately, all this divisiveness of politicians has led us to this very tragic situation," he told VOA in an interview Friday. The U.N. Childrens Fund reports that children constitute about 60 percent, or nearly 19,000, of those displaced by the recent fighting. The staff who met with children over the last few days noted that you could see the loss and horror in their eyes, said Christophe Boulierac, spokesman for UNICEF. Let us keep in mind that every single child under the age of 5 in Syria has known nothing but war. Boulierac said there was a race against time to provide immediate and sustained assistance for the children and their families. As part of this effort, he said, UNICEF has installed 10 water storage tanks at three locations, including the Jibreen area, to provide access to safe water and improved sanitation facilities. He told VOA that UNICEF and partners were continuing to run a lifesaving vaccination campaign, noting that many children have missed out on critical routine vaccinations, and that clearly endangers them for preventable diseases. Before the conflict began more than five years ago, about 95 percent of Syrias children were immunized against diseases such as measles, polio and respiratory infections. The coverage rate reportedly has since dropped to around 20 percent. As civilians continue to flee eastern Aleppo, the displacement problem in the western government-controlled part of the city has been growing. The United Nations reports 400,000 people have now been displaced in western Aleppo. Adrian Edwards, spokesman for the U.N. refugee agency, said temperatures in the region were dropping quickly, so providing shelter to this large population of destitute people was now the most urgent need. Many of those who have fled the eastern districts are present in unfinished or partly destroyed buildings. Unsanitary conditions, overcrowding these are already challenges in a congested city with few open spaces, Edwards said. He said his agency and partners were working to rehabilitate buildings in Jibreen, in government-controlled southwestern Aleppo and other areas where the displaced are present. He said this was crucial, because some of the buildings are now at risk of collapse. Edwards said that the UNHCR had largely shifted its humanitarian operation to government-controlled western Aleppo. He said the reason was that his agency was unable to reach the many thousands without food, water and shelter in eastern Aleppo as temperatures drop and fighting rages. Rebel-controlled eastern Aleppo has been besieged for nearly five months. The Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad has not allowed humanitarian aid into the city since early July, nor has it given the United Nations permission to evacuate hundreds of seriously wounded and sick patients in urgent need of medical care. The Russian Federation has proposed opening four corridors so these humanitarian operations can take place. Russia has questioned why the U.N. has not taken it up on its proposal for safe passage in and out of the city. In response, OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke told VOA that the U.N. would discuss with the Russian Federation how we may use these corridors to evacuate people, especially the sick and wounded, and use them to get medical supplies and other relief in." As with any humanitarian corridor, it is fundamental that all parties to the conflict guarantee safe use. He said the most urgent priority was to get access and reach everybody in need. VOA's Margaret Besheer at the United Nations contributed to this report. Were interfacing with the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending December 3, 2016. Last week we got a new champion. This week? We'll keep you in suspense, but things do change. Number 5: Twenty One Pilots "Heathens" It all starts in fifth place, where twenty one pilots dips a slot with Heathens. This Ohio duo has acquired a reputation as one of the most dynamic live acts around, but if you cant see them in person, you can at least listen to their new album. Titled Blurryface Live, its a triple-disc vinyl set recorded on Oct. 18 in Oakland, California. So far, no non-vinyl formats have been announced. Number 4: Ariana Grande Featuring Nicki Minaj "Side to Side" How long has it been since Ariana Grande reached the Top Five? Maybe longer than you think. Ariana is your newcomer this week, jumping three slots to fourth place with Side To Side featuring Nicki Minaj. Quick: what was Arianas last U.S. Top Five hit? It was Bang Bang, which peaked in third place in mid-2014. Nicki also turned up on that song and both tracks feature songwriting and production from the one and only Max Martin. Number 3: The Weeknd Featuring Daft Punk "Starboy" The Weeknd and Daft Punk hold in third place with Starboy. Rumors are flying online that The Weeknd may collaborate with Drake. Both artists hail from Toronto, Canada and are fans of each other. Drake has taken to Instagram to show support for The Weeknds new Starboy album, and The Weeknd told DJ Zane Lowe that he was open to the possibility of a collaboration. Most importantly: both artists have endorsement deals with Apple Music. Number 2: The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey "Closer" After 12 weeks, The Chainsmokers and Halsey lost their Hot 100 title with Closer, and this week they remain in second place. How does Halsey feel about the demotion? Pretty good, apparently: she went on Twitter to say After 12 absurd weeks at number 1, "Closer" has finally fell to number 2. Thank God. I was starting to worry I was living in a simulation. Halsey also loves the song that knocked her out of the box: Rae Sremmurd and Gucci Mane make it two weeks at the top with Black Beatles. Number 1: Rae Sremmurd Featuring Gucci Mane "Black Beatles" Rae Sremmurd and Gucci Mane make it two straight weeks at number one with Black Beatles. The members of Rae Sremmurd did not invent the Mannequin Challenge. They watched a video of high school students striking a pose and promptly urged their audiences to comply - and Black Beatles became the viral phenomenons theme song. Who will rule next week? Join me us seven days and well find out together! Republican legal efforts are underway to stop the recounting of U.S. presidential ballots in three states where President-elect Donald Trump scored narrow victories last month. Requests for recounts in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania were initiated by the Green Party, which has said they are attempts to ensure the integrity of the U.S. voting system and not efforts to change the results of the November election. If the votes are recounted, experts say, they are very unlikely to change the outcome of the election. In Michigan, Attorney General Bill Schuette said Friday that he had filed a suit asking the state Supreme Court to stop the recount. Schuette argues that the Green Party, whose presidential candidate was Jill Stein, could not justifiably seek a recount in Michigan because Stein was not "aggrieved" to an extent that the miscounting of votes could have caused her to lose the election. Stein captured only about 1 percent of the vote. In a statement, Schuette said a recount "threatens to silence all Michigan votes for president." The earliest a recount could begin in Michigan is next week. Supporters of the president-elect the Great America PAC, the Stop Hillary PAC and voter Ronald Johnson filed a federal lawsuit late Thursday in Wisconsin. The suit contends that the recount threatens the due process rights of Johnson and others who voted for Trump. The Wisconsin Republican Party said it had also filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission over the recount effort. Pennsylvania hearing Monday Attorneys for Trump filed legal complaints Thursday to stop similar proceedings in Pennsylvania. "There is no evidence or even an allegation that any tampering with Pennsylvania's voting systems actually occurred," the complaint says. A court hearing on the recount request will take place Monday. Stein has suggested that Trump and his supporters will try to delay the recounts so they will not be able to meet state and federal deadlines for certifying the results. Elections officials in all three states have expressed confidence in the election results, despite Trump's narrow victories. In Wisconsin, Trump won by 22,000 votes, or less than 1 percent, over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Trump defeated Clinton in Michigan by 10,700 of the 4.8 million votes cast. The president-elect edged Clinton in Pennsylvania by about 65,000 of the more than 5.8 million ballots cast. U.S. presidential elections are not decided by a national popular vote. Instead, they are decided by individual races in the 50 states, with each state's importance in the overall outcome weighted by its population. Winning presidential candidates have to amass a majority of 270 votes in the 538-member Electoral College based on the state-by-state results. Over the course of the 2016 U.S. campaign season, Donald Trump rallies became something more than an election-season stop. Supporters chanted Build the wall and Drain the swamp, playing off of their candidate as he showed his support for them, their passion sweeping the Republican candidate into a surprising win for the White House. The connection between Trump and his supporters continued this week, as the president-elect kicked off a victory tour to thank voters in several key states and to begin outlining an agenda guiding his presidency. But the rallies also represent an unusual opportunity. While many standing in line in the chill December wind in Cincinnati were attending their third, fourth or even fifth Trump rally, many Trump voters drove in from neighboring states to see the man they had voted for in person for the first time. Some still skeptical Jolliff, a 63-year-old single dad with an 8-year-old son and one lung thanks to a near-fatal battle with cancer, said he had seen too much to think one rally could change the way he thought. Hes just going to run his choppers, the former truck driver told VOA of his expectations about his first Trump rally. When hes out in the open like this, this is just about him in the spotlight, but when hes sitting behind the desk and doing his job, hes got to pipe down and open these up a little bit, he said, pointing to his eyes. Jolliff, who goes by his last name, said his vote went to Trump because of his support for veterans. But he said he was also concerned by the president-elects ability to say things without thinking through the consequences, and he hoped that would change. Everybody knows what a presidents expected to do, hes expected to keep jobs, try to end this war. Were killing ourselves over there for no reason, protect ourselves over there. Like Reagan Inside, Susan from Akron, Ohio, stood close to the podium where Trump would speak, waiting with her two young daughters, who said they had faced taunting from school classmates because of their support for Trump. Susan, who gave only her first name, said she was attending her first Trump rally with her daughters because she remembered the experience of attending a rally for President Ronald Reagan when she was their age. This world is changing, and Trump is going to be part of it. These kids are going to be a part of it, and they had a lot to do with it even though they couldnt vote, they still were able to express what they feel, and I think they helped the election. But she still said she wasnt sure if Trump could measure up to the memory of Reagan during his first 100 days in office. No one has been able to come close to that, Susan said. Not a full house The rally did not fill the US Bank Arena, a fact Trump explained by saying he had not expected his motorcade to block so much traffic. But as he settled into the familiar points of his campaign-trail speech, Trump was able to move the crowd with the familiar themes of his campaign: corruption in Washington and the ways the mainstream media underestimated his candidacy. Supporters cheered and laughed as Trump recounted media and pundits predicting his loss. We didnt break it we shattered that sucker, Trump said of the so-called blue wall of states, including Ohio, that delivered him a victory over Hillary Clinton. Trumps message of job growth and a return to American greatness resonated in these states where economic setbacks left many independent and longtime Democratic Party voters looking for a new voice. Trump told Ohio voters, Its time we moved the rust out of the Rust Belt and ushered in a new Industrial Revolution. While much of his message Thursday night focused on a rehash of campaign slights from the media and opponents, Trump told the crowd, Anything we want for our country is possible. Now is not the time to downsize our dreams. He teased the crowd, telling them he would share his pick for secretary of defense if they promised not to let it leak to the press, even with international and national media standing by watching. Supporters laughed as if they shared an inside joke with the candidate. After the rally, surrounded by her beaming daughters, Susan nodded and said, Better than Reagan. As some supporters surrounded the media riser, holding Trump-Pence campaign signs up to the cameras, other Trump voters recalled the experience of chanting Trumps familiar lines in person for the first time. When everybody starting cheering Drain the swamp, I feel like that was the most exciting part of the entire rally, Noah Kommaughton from Hamilton, Ohio, told VOA. He said his familys small ice cream store would benefit from a president who wouldnt make them pay taxes. For me, it means getting rid of everyone thats a political leader, that doesnt relate to small America and normal human beings. Hes a business owner so he has to deal with all types of people all the time, so he knows what its like to deal with small businesses and with normal people. Even though the election has ended, President-elect Trump is still finding ways to make his case to voters across the country. Three Turkish soldiers were killed Friday after clashing with Kurdish militants in the southeastern province of Hakkari, military sources said. The military launched an operation in the region, which borders Iraq, following the clashes, the sources said. The private Dogan news agency reported that several Kurdish militants had been "neutralized." Turkey's southeast has been rocked by violence following the collapse of a 2-1/2-year ceasefire between the state and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in July last year. The PKK has repeatedly targeted security forces since. Some 49 PKK militants were killed or captured in operations last week, the Interior Ministry said Monday, adding that 269 people suspected of aiding and financing the militant group had been detained. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict since the autonomy-seeking PKK took up arms in 1984. It is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon apologized to the people of Haiti on Thursday, more than six years after U.N. peacekeepers were blamed for causing a deadly cholera epidemic on the island nation. On behalf of the United Nations, I want to say very clearly: We apologize to the Haitian people, Ban told an informal meeting of U.N. member states. We simply did not do enough with regard to the cholera outbreak and its spread in Haiti. We are profoundly sorry for our role, he added. The secretary-general addressed the Haitian people directly, making his apology in both Creole and French, as well as English. Ban's apology, his most direct to date, fell short of admitting that U.N. peacekeepers brought the potentially fatal illness to Haiti. This has cast a shadow upon the relationship between the United Nations and the people of Haiti, he said. It is a blemish on the reputation of U.N. peacekeeping and the organization worldwide. Ban, who will leave office at the end of this month, said the U.N. has a moral responsibility to act and deliver for the sake of the Haitian people, but also for the sake of the United Nations itself. We now recognize that we had a role in this, but to go to the extent of taking full responsibility for all, is a step that would not be possible for us to take, Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson told reporters. More than 9,000 died It is widely accepted that Nepalese peacekeepers who were sent to assist Haiti in its recovery after the devastating 2010 earthquake, contaminated a branch of the Artibonite River with cholera. The river is the country's main water source for tens of thousands of Haitians. Subsequently more than 9,000 people died of the disease, which can cause severe diarrhea and vomiting, and some 800,000 were sickened. Haiti's U.N. Ambassador Denis Regis said the U.N.'s apology represents a radical change of attitude. The U.N. has shown it can admit making mistakes as well as draw the lessons for the future and address the harm and damage done, even when done involuntarily, the envoy said. Litigation Some of the victims sought compensation, suing the United Nations in U.S. District court, but the court ruled that the international organization is protected by diplomatic immunity. Brian Concannon of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) has represented some of the victims. He welcomed the secretary-general's apology. It appears to be a pretty strong and really historic step forward, Concannon told VOA. But he is keeping the legal option open. We did not file a lawsuit because we wanted to win a lawsuit, he said. We filed a lawsuit because we wanted the U.N. to apologize, and to install the water and sanitation necessary to stop cholera, and to compensate the victims. If the U.N. is going to do that without a lawsuit, it's better for all concerned. Eradicating cholera The United Nations released a 16-page report Thursday which details a two-track new approach to cholera in Haiti. It calls for $400 million in initial funding. The first track involves intensifying the U.N.'s support to reducing and ultimately ending the transmission of the water-borne illness through improved access to health care and treatment. It also seeks to address the longer-term issues of water, sanitation and health systems in Haiti. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and did not have an adequate sanitation infrastructure at the time of the 2010 earthquake, which contributed to the rapid spread of the disease and difficulty in containing it. The government has said it wants to eradicate cholera by 2022. The second track appears to still be under development, but would focus financial assistance packages to community-based projects to help those most affected by cholera. Haiti has struggled with thousands of new suspected cholera cases in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, which wreaked havoc on the nation on October 4. A university teacher in the U.S. state of Nevada has come under fire after he posted on social media that his classroom was not a safe space and he would report any students who were in the country illegally to authorities. In a Facebook post Wednesday night, Matt Buch, a part-time math instructor at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, said if he found out one of his students was in the country illegally, he would be forced to report the person to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. No safe spaces in my classes, Buch said, referring to students who are illegally in the country. I would have to turn you into ICE. He later apologized, but the comments quickly spread on social media, with students and other professors at the university organizing a protest and calling on UNLV President Len Jessup to punish Buch for his words. UNLV Professor Georgiann Davis wrote a letter to Zhijian Wu, chairman of the schools math department, encouraging him to take action against Buch. I sincerely hope something is done, as Im also hearing from many students (and colleagues) around campus how disturbed they are by his comments on social media, she wrote. Buch apologized for his comments late Thursday, telling UNLVs student newspaper his comment was a joke and saying he would never create a classroom of hate or intolerance. Im extremely sorry for the comments. I know how hurtful they are to many of you, he said. More than 2,000 U.S. military veterans are expected to join a protest at a camp in North Dakota Friday where thousands of activists, braving frigid conditions, are demonstrating against a pipeline project near a Native American reservation. Veterans Stand for Standing Rock will spend the day building a barracks at the Oceti Sakowin camp near Cannon Ball and coordinating with protesters who have spent months rallying against plans to route the Dakota Access Pipeline beneath a lake near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, organizers said. The veterans intend to form a human wall in front of police to protect protesters, who say the $3.8-billion pipeline poses a threat to water resources and sacred Native American sites. Protesters ordered to leave State officials Monday ordered activists to vacate the camp, on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land, citing harsh weather conditions. Officials said Wednesday they would not actively enforce the order. There is an element there of people protesting who are frightening, North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said Thursday. Its time for them to go home. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday said he supports the completion of the pipeline. Trumps transition team also said he supported peaceful protests. Members of the North Dakota Veterans Coordinating Council denounced the involvement of veterans in a protest that has damaged property and asked them not to take part. North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple has said it was probably not feasible to reroute the pipeline, but he would try to rebuild a relationship with Standing Rock Sioux leaders. State officials never contemplated forcibly removing protesters and his evacuation order was mainly because of concerns about inclement weather endangering people, Dalrymple said. Winter settles in Frigid weather makes some aspects of pipeline construction more difficult, engineers interviewed by Reuters said. The temperature in Cannon Ball is expected to fall to 4 degrees Fahrenheit (-16 Celsius) by the middle of next week, according to Weather.com forecasts. The 1,172-mile (1,885-km) pipeline project, owned by Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners LP, is mostly complete, except for a segment planned to run under Lake Oahe, a reservoir formed by a dam on the Missouri River. Winona Ryder, Patton Oswalt, and Ryan Reynolds. Photo: Getty Images No matter how seasoned the actor, auditioning is terrifying. Damp with flop-sweat, you throw yourself before a panel of overtired and impatient casting directors, who hold your fate in their hands like a fragile butterfly. Its a nervewracking experience in any setting, but when the stony-faced judges sitting across from you happen to be Joel and Ethan Cohen, its an entirely new stress nightmare. The brother-brother filmmaking team has a reputation as stoic and reserved; Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley had to consult Ethans personal friends to confirm that the mans terse review of the pilot script Yeah, good was indeed intended as praise. Across various interviews and other public appearances, several actors have shared tales of losing their cool or just coming up short when auditioning for the two titans of American film. Weve compiled some stories from around Hollywood of botched Coen auditions, from off-tune singing to ill-conceived audition tapes. Ryan Reynolds As the producer and star of Deadpool, the Canadian actor had a rosy 2016 by anyones measure. But during a recent back and forth with Empires Taraji P. Henson for Variety, the lovable Canuck recounted one of his less-proud moments. Turns out Reynoldss last audition was for the Coen Brothers either for Inside Llewyn Davis or Hail, Caesar!, hes not totally sure and they werent biting. It wasnt the right fit, mostly because theyre very high class, Reynolds said. They were just quietly shaking their heads, like, What are you doing here? Do you have a SAG card? Or do you have the Canadian version? How did you get here? A humbling experience to be sure, and just so everyone knows Canadians join ACTRA. Casey Affleck Whiffs of scandal havent prevented Casey Affleck from becoming the front-runner in this years Best Actor race for his searing performance as a closed-off custodian in Manchester by the Sea. Hes got your basic components of screen acting down, but carrying a tune gives him some trouble. When auditioning for the title role in Inside Llewyn Davis, Affleck was called upon to sing a few bars, and the traumatic recollections of his teen years kicked in immediately. In the back of my head, I was having flashbacks of being in the musical directors room in high school, Affleck told Variety. I knew I couldnt, but I sang for them anyway. That was the end of that. Its a situation Llewyn Davis himself would know all too well. Zac Brown and Jim James Plenty of real musicians worked on and around Inside Llewyn Davis: Justin Timberlake played Llewyns upbeat frenemy, Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons produced the soundtrack alongside T-Bone Burnett, and a handful of bona fide recording artists tried out for the role of Llewyn. Country superstar Zac Brown and My Morning Jacket front man Jim James both auditioned, and while their musical chops werent cause for concern, the Coen Brothers found their skills as thespians lacking. We saw Jim James for the role, we saw Zac Brown, we saw a lot of [musicians] who were all wonderful, but to carry the lead in a movie like this Burnett told Vulture back in 2013. Whatever Oscar did, it was an extraordinary feat of art, Id say. Patton Oswalt Full-time comic, part-time actor Patton Oswalt made no bones about his slavish devotion to the Coen Brothers when he appeared on Marc Marons WTF podcast in 2011. As the two men effused over the brothers morally murky black comedies, Oswalt recalled the time he unsuccessfully went out for a role in their 2009 film A Serious Man, flying to their 60s-styled offices in Minnesota to read for the role of Arthur Gopnik, the hapless brother of equally hapless title character, a part that eventually went to Richard Kind. But Oswalt was still emphatic about his love for the movie, comparing the experience of going through the story of put-upon Jewish suburbanites for the first time to reading a great novel. He added, I cant articulate it, how fun it was to read the script. Marc Maron On that same episode of WTF, Maron revealed that he had also thrown his hat into the ring for a role on A Serious Man. Maron stared down the Coen Brothers and read for the lead, losing the role to Michael Stuhlbarg, whose career took off shortly thereafter. Like his guest, Maron was wowed by what he saw as an innovative and unusual screenplay. When I read that script, I was like, How are they gonna make a movie out of this? Maron said. (He added that his youth spent among conservative Jews in New Mexico gave the script a special resonance with him.) Missing out on the gig didnt stop Maron from breaking into screen acting, or landing his own show, but its easy to imagine a very different path for his career and for the film. Winona Ryder Winona Ryder was a hot commodity in 1994, when she auditioned for the Coens old-fashioned screwball comedy The Hudsucker Proxy. Ryder stated as much during a sitdown with Charlie Rose to promote The Crucible, commenting that she had gotten pretty much every role shed wanted except for one. She worshipped the Coen Brothers, she said, and though she read for the role of romantic lead Amy Archer multiple times, it slipped through her fingers, going to Jennifer Jason Leigh instead. Ryder described the lost opportunity as the one huge devastation of her career. What a shame, too; Ryders natural dry wit would have fit perfectly in the deadpan universe of the Coens. Though after Stranger Things, we suppose theres still time. Josh Brolin (kind of) Josh Brolin was working with Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino on Grindhouse when the actor first got wind of No Country for Old Men. He figured hed receive a couple scenes over email, put together a little audition tape, and cross his fingers. But when he approached the directors about shooting the audition using his trusty camcorder, they went whole hog: Rodriguez shot the audition on his expensive movie camera, while Tarantino fed Brolin line readings. I think they got a little carried away with the lighting, Brolin recalled during an interview in Parade. Plus, they put Marley Shelton, who played my wife in Grindhouse, in the foreground, and she was taking up three-quarters of the screen. Even the most lavishly produced audition tape of all time didnt do the trick; Brolin revealed they passed on him for the role, but did ask him who did the lighting. It wasnt until a couple months later that the Coens finally warmed up to the actor and cast him in the film, and that meeting was characteristically strange: Brolin discussed poetry with Ethan, and Joel didnt say a word. Before jumping into the episode, I think its worth noting the impact Designated Survivor is having on the United States of America. What was Tom Kirkmans job before the Capitol blew up and everyone died? HUD secretary. What job did Donald Trump give to Ben Carson because he knew the capital of Maryland? HUD secretary. Would Trump have known the position of HUD secretary existed had he not been watching Designated Survivor? Of course not. Impact. Relevance. Legacy. Kal Penn begins the episode by going up to address the press pool, but then some snitch journalist asks if Nassar, the dead terrorist, is even dead. The room goes crazy, but Kal keeps it together. The journalist continues to be terrible, asking if methods of torture were used on him and Kal hits him back with something about the Geneva Convention. This wasnt supposed to happen and everyone in the presidents inner circle is shook, especially me. The media, right? We then go to FBI, where Maggie Q is looking for Malik Yoba. Finally, Yoba walks in and tells Maggie that everything is fine with his son, which is so very false. As youll remember, the last episode ended with Yobas son getting kidnapped and this evil woman telling him that if he didnt follow her instructions, the boy would die, and then she gave him a flip phone. The burner phone starts to ring and Maggie can sense that somethings up, since Yoba wont answer it until she leaves the room. When he picks up, the evil kidnapper is on the line. Yoba has set up a meeting with the president, as he was ordered, even though he doesnt know why. He asks to speak to his son, and shes like nah. Poor Yoba. You hate to see Yoba like this. Love you, Yoba. Back at the White House, HOOKSTRATEN BACK. Shes mad about stuff, and President Kirkman sits there while she tells him about the things shes mad about. But in an odd twist, they end the meeting on good terms the next day are the congressional elections, a major step in building the government back up. She promises not to let her Nassar opinions overshadow the importance of the election. But who knows what the media will do? Just as Hookstraten leaves, a new crew of people come into the room to introduce yet another blunder. Of course, with all of the other things happening, this would be the ideal time for an act of bioterrorism. What was thought to be a mere flu outbreak in the Midwest was actually a purposeful, calculated attack by way of ricin. Ninety percent of the bad things that could happen to America have happened in just eight episodes of this show. After a lengthy ricin briefing, which is concentrated in the Kansas City area, we show up at Leos high school. Its all great, until a JOURNALIST shows up, hanging outside of the school entrance like a creep who exclusively shops at Aeropostale. This dude is such a snake. First, he pretends to be Leos friend by saying, Hey Leo. The familys main Secret Service guy, Mike, is with Leo and asks if he knows this hey Leo guy. Why? Because Mike is a professional and can sniff out trouble from inches, even feet away. The guy is no friend, however: He smugly disregards Mike, saying he works for The Chronicle which is clearly not a real outlet, and then HAS THE NERVE TO ASK LEO WHAT HE THINKS ABOUT THE RUMOR THAT THE PRESIDENT IS NOT HIS FATHER A RUMOR THAT LEO DID NOT KNOW ABOUT. Photo: ABC Drain the swamp. Ban the media. This episode is going to get heavy. In addition to dealing with bioterrorism in Kansas City, Jack will probably have to tell his son that a dude in jail might be his dad. This is not great. Yoba gets another call and the evil woman tells him to get into the car. Before doing so, he demands to talk to his son, which he does, which causes a stream of Yoba tears, both in his eyes and in mine. After the call ends, he drives to a random abandoned lot. Maggie watches him leave and she gets in her car to trail him. Maggie sees Yoba and the evil woman talking to one another on a roof, and she takes photos of them from an adjacent building. The terror woman gives Yoba instructions on what to do during his meeting with the president. We dont find out what those instructions are, but Yoba says its impossible. She brings up his son again, and its suddenly unclear what Yoba will do. Another unfortunate thing happens. It turns out Maggie isnt the only one spying. Someone is also taking pictures of her from a car down below THE DREADED CATALAN. Back at the White House, POTUS and WFLOTUS are talking about some real serious stuff when Leo walks in, mid-school day. Hes not skipping school to sell Molly like the good old days, though. He just casually wants to ask his dad if hes his real father. The talk does not go well. Leo storms off rightfully so causing Pops to exalt to the heavens, Im not waiting to take that DNA test. Seconds later, he gets a call with an update about bioterrorism. Of course he does. I genuinely feel like this show might cause Trump to bow out before inauguration. If he gets it in his head that every day as president is this insane and hectic and difficult, theres no way hell go through with it. DESIGNATED SURVIVOR, WHY DIDNT YOU COME OUT 10 MONTHS AGO. For Jacks next crisis, hes updated about the ricin attack. All of the people who were infected are poll workers. The ricin was deposited on the voting machines, where it could become airborne. Essentially, the target for this terrorism seems to be voters, and in a larger sense, the upcoming election. What will they think of next? A bunch of whatever things happen, but it doesnt matter because Yoba is in the White House, talking to the president, and I shit you not he tells POTUS hes the one who poisoned Nassar. He doesnt stop there. Yoba goes on to say that he did it for his country and that a man like Nassar doesnt deserve to live and that hed do it again. He stuck to the kidnappers script and is promptly arrested. The president, speaking with Aaron and Emily, is dumbfounded and thinks something is up. Moments later, they find a suspect in the ricin case. This is good news, which means bad news is en route and its a double whammy. First, even though they found the ricin suspect, they discovered hes part of a group whose membership talked about spreading ricin at polling stations. And then, after learning the attack might not be contained, one of the exposed victims a school teacher died. Following that, Kal Penn punks that journalist who rolled up on Leo, but not before learning that the journalist took the lead because Kals press pool crush gave him the story. You dont lie to Kal Penn. There will be consequences. The is starting to get really absurd. Even more so than usual. While POTUS has an intense conversation with his inner circle about cancelling the election, his wife walks in with paternity results. In a weird way, its all starting to get funny. The show is like a run-on sentence of thrill, with the lack of breaks making it feel like a musical which, if I may suggest something, Designated Survivor: The Musical and/or On Ice. There are 16 different plot lines happening at once, but right now the two most interesting ones are Yoba and the paternity test. POTUS meets with his son; he has the results in an envelope, but gives them to Leo before looking. He doesnt want to see because he says he doesnt need to see, because hes Leos father. Its all very sweet. He does admit, however, that they shouldnt have kept him in the dark. So far, Leo hasnt opened the envelope. As for Yoba, hes in maximum-security prison. Maggie is summoned into the White House to meet with Aaron, because they want to talk to people close to Yoba. Right as shes about to go into his office, however, she gets a text from an unknown number, telling her not to say anything. She doesnt say a work, but begins the process of attempting to trace the call. Oh, and President Kirkman decides to not cancel the election, which he announces in the best speech hes given as president. Its happening, and he says hes going to vote first, which probably means hell get ricin all in his system and maybe die, but I could be off on that. The next morning, the president goes to vote and the polling station is practically empty. It is very discouraging, yet another speed bump in POTUS attempting to gather the trust of the nation. Luckily, two consecutive positive things happen later in the day. First, Leo approaches his dad and said he didnt need to open the results either, resulting in a big, cute, awkward dad-son hug. Then, reports come in that the election had massive turnout, in large part because Kirkman voted. We see these long lines, these huge crowds, and it worries me. Gives me the feeling everyone who voted is going to die. Prove me wrong, Designated Survivor. The episode ends pretty phenomenally, with POTUS finding out that he is the father. He confronts the journalist who leaked the scoop, and says this sentence aloud: I believe our country is only as strong as our journalists. What a moment. And then, one final twist. After a sketchy meeting where MacLeish and Hookstraten both announce they want Kirkman to fail, MacLeish meets up with the evil terror woman. Its revealed theyre working together, but not the way youd expect: It looks like she has also has something on MacLeish, so hes carrying out her demands like Yoba. This show is insane. This show is beautiful. This show makes no sense. Photo: ABC Told you. Photo: Robin Marchant/Getty Images Having recently gotten political with his explanation of how Donald Trumps win is a win for the kinds of regular people who watch his show, Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe has now aired his frustration with some people he does not count among that group: liberal-arts students who burn the American flag or are uncomfortable with its presence. Seemingly giving blanket treatment to those distinct attitudes, Rowe expressed his objection to any such behavior in a new message on Facebook. In it, Rowe centers his argument around a TV segment about Hampshire College, whose president removed the flag from its campus in an effort to focus our efforts on addressing racist, misogynistic, Islamophobic, anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic, and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and behaviors. Rowes problem with the decision? It lets angry or vulnerable students ignore that conditions elsewhere are worse. He explained: I couldnt help but wonder if President Lash was unaware that billions of people around the world are routinely subjected to horrific levels of racism, misogyny, and bigotry that far exceed any injustice in modern-day America Furthermore, I was curious to know if President Lash really believed that removing our flag is a better way to assuage the fears of his frightened students, than simply educating them about the undeniable fact that no country on the planet affords its citizens more liberty than this one? Rowe went on to clarify his problem as being not only with students objecting to the flag, but with students who use federal financial aid while doing so. Seemingly suggesting that one must support ones government entirely in order to deserve its benefits, Rowe questioned Hampshire College for accepting federal dollars provided by the same government whose flag was no longer suitable to fly at [the] school. Rowe also isolated the flag-related dissent as a preoccupation of liberal-arts colleges. He continued, I turned the channel, and watched another group of students dance around another pile of burning flags at another expensive university. I couldnt tell where they were, but occurred to me that wherever they were it probably wasnt a trade school. To my knowledge, no one has ever burned a flag at a trade school. Ending his message, Rowe signed off with a warning: dont play with matches. Hmmm. Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images As Donald Trump continues his preparation for taking over leadership of the free world, there is at least one cause hell be reminded of that many would like to remain not free. The Recording Academy, the organization that runs the Grammys, has written a letter to the president-elect urging him to protect music copyright laws at all costs when he steps into office. Its signed by Nile Rodgers and producer Rodney Jerkins (a.k.a. Darkchild), along with many others, in the latest of many attempts on behalf of the music industry to get the governments attention. Earlier this year, the RIAA and several dozens of musicians including Taylor Swift signed a separate letter to Congress asking it to reform the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Theyve taken particular umbrage with YouTubes long history of using loopholes to avoid proper compensation to artists. It appears the music biz is now betting on Trump himself a master of taking advantage of loopholes to now use his authority to support the music economy by appealing to his business senses: This is an important moment to ensure the continued viability of music as one of Americas greatest exports and as an integral part of the American innovation story, the Academy writes. Jennifer Aniston. Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images Over the years, Jennifer Aniston has had to talk about the possibility of doing a Friends reunion. Now, she has a good reason to explain why itll never happen: social media, which has already ruined your social life and maybe American democracy. I dont know what we would do, Aniston said in an interview with ITVs Lorraine Kelly. I think that period of time was sort of nostalgic, you know? I think people have such affection for it, even though it was only 12 years ago since it ended there was something about a time where our faces werent shoved into cell phones and we werent, like, checking Facebooks and Instagram, and we were in a room together, or at a coffee shop together, and we were talking having conversations. And weve lost that. And honestly, yes, Friends would be pretty different if everyone had smartphones, and who really wants to watch Rachel arrange her Pinterest for 30 minutes at a time? But think of the possibilities for shenanigans: Phoebe thinks a Twitter spambot is in love with her. Joey realizes hes only getting parts because theres a younger, hotter Joey Tribbiani on Instagram. Monica makes Chandler help her find the one person to give her food a bad Yelp review. Cmon, Jen, you have a whole episode right there! An Investigation: Part 2 of 2 Bled dry Hospitals fall victim to felons and fraudsters under lax regulation Daniel De La Garza spent time in a Colombian jail on drug charges and served two years in Texas for financial crimes. James R. Cheek settled a federal case over false statements promoting his chain of hospitals, many of which went bankrupt. Charles Fulner filed for bankruptcy, ran nursing homes that went broke and started a gourmet hot dog business that flopped. Despite well-documented trails of trouble, all three were able to take over hospitals in Texas and other states in the last decade without interference from state or federal regulators. Many of those hospitals closed or slid into bankruptcy. Government money vanished. Jobs disappeared. Communities lost medical care. Often, the owners raked in money even while the hospitals decayed from a lack of funds. In an era of intense focus on health-care reform and medical costs, one problem has gone overlooked: hospital operators who are reckless or worse. In Texas and across most of the country, virtually anyone can take over a hospital, The Dallas Morning News found. Bankrupt businessmen. Tax scofflaws. Fraudsters. Felons. They breeze through a patchwork of state and federal regulations that contain few, if any, eligibility standards for hospital owners and top administrators. And they get little scrutiny from the feds, states, or local officials often until it is too late. Even Fulner concedes that its too easy for businessmen such as himself to qualify for a state hospital license. It would be a good thing to have a more strenuous background testing process, Fulner said in an interview. Advertisement Hospitals in flux State regulators are the first line of defense when it comes to hospitals they issue licenses for new facilities as well as those that change owners. They also perform safety inspections, mostly in response to consumer complaints. The federal government has the power of the purse through insurance programs for the elderly, poor and disabled. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the nations primary regulator and funder of hospitals at about $188 billion a year, uses state inspectors to check out complaints of unsafe conditions. The agency tries to prevent improper spending of federal dollars. But its programs are not designed to hold hospital owners accountable for financial or safety problems. Experts say regulators havent kept up with the vast changes in the hospital industry over the last two decades. Hospitals have been changing hands more frequently since the 1990s in response to financial pressures brought on by demographic shifts and new limitations from government and private insurers. Bled dry: Part 1 At a remote Nevada hospital midway between Las Vegas and Reno, management made millions of dollars while patient care dwindled. Read Part 1 Related coverage Leading Texas lawmaker acts In particular, governments are getting out of the health care business in favor of privatization. Nonprofit hospitals are also losing ground, though they still account for the majority of the roughly 5,000 hospitals in the U.S., according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Between 2002 and 2010, 237 hospitals nationwide converted to for-profit ownership from nonprofit status or government ownership, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Some states have experienced a rise in private owners or operators, from giant corporations to small-business owners. In Texas, the number of for-profit hospitals has jumped by almost 30 since 1999; they now account for 39 percent of the states 417 facilities, far more than the national average of 21 percent. Just a few states have larger percentages of for-profit hospitals: Florida, Nevada, Tennessee and New Mexico. But for the most part, no agency vets buyers or tracks their financial or medical success. Hospitals used to be run by people who did it as a calling, but thats far from the reality anymore, said Dr. Roy Poses, president of the Foundation for Integrity and Responsibility in Medicine, based in Rhode Island. Regulations just havent kept up with profiteering and privatization. How many dead hospitals? No one seems to be tracking the overall number of hospitals that fail. Data on rural hospital closures are compiled by the North Carolina Rural Health Research Program at the University of North Carolina, using press accounts and other public information. It has found almost 80 since 2010, including 11 in Texas. Each closure stems from unique factors in its community, but there are common threads, said Mark Holmes, a health policy expert at the university. A shift to more people with government insurance, rather than private policies, can strain a hospitals income. So can a population drop. Financially strapped hospitals looking for a new owner may run into the good, the bad, and the ugly, said Michael Topchik, who leads a rural health analysis team for Chartis Group, a consulting firm. The fact that there are known bad actors out there is discouraging. In some of the Texas closures, bad management was clearly a factor. Four belonged to Dr. Tariq Mahmood, a Dallas businessman whose rural hospital system failed in 2013 amid government allegations of billing fraud and shoddy care. He employed a mango farmer to run his East Texas hospital and installed a former maintenance man to be his chains top administrator. Mahmood and the administrator were convicted of Medicare fraud; the doctor is serving 11 years, his colleague 23 months. Neither state nor federal regulators knew Mahmood owned all the facilities until The News informed them he had set up separate companies for each one. Slideshow: Renaissance Hospital Terrell Renaissance Hospital in Terrell, now closed, was one of six hospitals owned by Dallas businessman Tariq Mahmood. Mahmood and his former administrator are now serving prison sentences following convictions for Medicare fraud. (Tom Fox/Staff Photographer) Patient rooms sit empty after equipment was removed. (Tom Fox/Staff Photographer) Local authorities seized the hospital east of Dallas for unpaid taxes. (Ron Baselice/Staff Photographer) Dr. Tariq Mahmood and his wife leave a Tyler federal courthouse in July 2014 after a jury found him guilty of Medicare fraud and conspiracy. (Vernon Bryant/Staff Photographer) As his hospitals deteriorated, Mahmood lived in a 10,000-square-foot gated estate in the Dallas suburb of Cedar Hill. (G.J. McCarthy/Staff Photographer) Jack Geren, a veteran criminal investigator for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees Medicare programs, testified in Mahmoods fraud trial that the agency doesnt do enough to vet hospital owners. Whats frustrating is that weve got fraudsters or people fitting the profile knocking at the door, Geren said. But weve let them walk right in. Texas health regulators only check prospective hospital owners against a list of people they have previously sanctioned. They dont have authority under state rules to ask for information on bankruptcies or tax debts. And they would need a new law to allow them to check for criminal histories, according to a spokeswoman. In late 2013, they asked lawmakers for more flexibility to investigate and track owners. There is a growing trend in healthcare and consumer product delivery industries to hide control and ownership, officials with the Texas Department of State Health Services wrote. But the legislature did not make any changes. The News investigation found similarly lax regulation and cratered hospitals from Florida to Illinois, Pennsylvania to California. At least 35 states conduct no background checks on applicants seeking licenses to own or operate hospitals, according to a nationwide survey conducted by The News. Regulators dont investigate past criminal convictions, bankruptcies, unpaid taxes, civil fraud judgments, or safety-inspection violations, problems that can shed light on the competence and integrity of hospital operators. In several states, including Texas, qualifying for a license can be as easy as obtaining a fishing license. Texas regulators say they would need permission from the legislature to conduct more rigorous background checks. The majority of states surveyed rely on applicants to disclose problems, or use hit-or-miss approaches like Googling. Some states do more. Colorado checks several government databases for criminal histories and evidence of regulatory noncompliance. Wisconsin asks for details about bankruptcies and debts. At least seven states require education or hospital experience for top administrators. Advertisement Masking their identities Figuring out exactly who owns or runs a hospital is complex. Owners and managers can easily cloak their identities behind a maze of limited partnerships and private companies. Daniel De La Garza (The Rockport Pilot) Take the case of Daniel De La Garza, former CEO of Renaissance Healthcare Systems Inc. The company and its affiliates oversaw at least four hospitals in Dallas and Houston. Medicare and state health officials said recently they can find no record of De La Garza in their files. When De La Garza and Renaissance were in the midst of reopening a defunct Grand Prairie hospital in 2006, The News reported that the Houston businessman had been convicted of two separate felonies during the 1990s. One was for organizing an insurance fraud scheme, and another was for illegal cash transactions involving a suspected drug deal. De La Garza had been jailed in Colombia in the mid-1980s for possessing 2 kilos of cocaine, according to U.S. court records. De La Garza declined to comment for this article. But in 2006 he told The News that the Colombia charges were bogus and his past crimes had no bearing on his efforts to manage hospitals. His company issued a statement saying he had rededicated himself to providing the finest quality of healthcare to underserved communities. In 2008, De La Garza announced he was leaving Renaissance. New owners soon put the chain into bankruptcy, saying even though they had overhauled billing and taken other steps to try to save the hospitals, they ran out of time. J. Scott Douglass, a former president of Renaissance, said that De La Garza served as CEO but never owned any hospital. The hospitals problems cannot be dumped on Dan De La Garza, Douglass added. But a bankruptcy judge described Renaissance as owned by one or more of De La Garza, Douglass and their families through trusts. Douglass did not respond to questions about whether De La Garza or his criminal history were disclosed in Medicare enrollment forms. De La Garza was never charged with any crimes tied to his Texas hospitals. He filed for personal bankruptcy in 2010. Those filings revealed the IRS was investigating his tax liability for three of the years he was running hospitals. The outcome of that inquiry is unclear. The IRS doesnt comment on investigations. Today, De La Garza is president of Tobie Mining & Energy, according to Texas corporate records. The companys website says it is exploring for gold and for energy in Colombia. What the Feds do In the 1990s, federal investigators found people with criminal backgrounds and unusual pedigrees cab drivers, restaurant owners, pawnshop operators starting companies to provide medical service to patients at home. Congress passed legislation giving the Department of Health and Human Services authority to track the histories of health-care operators and to bar people with felony convictions. Medicare rolled out a plan to try to do just that a digital tripwire of sorts that would flag problem operators seeking to exploit the multibillion-dollar Medicare purse. Its called the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System, or PECOS. The database, according to the plan the agency published in 2001, would record the associations between applicants and others who have ownership or controlling interest in the entity across multiple jurisdictions, and detail problems in business histories. But the system has been plagued with problems. PECOS checks names against a limited database of those already barred from Medicare. It is supposed to flag convictions such as health care and drug-related crimes, as well as regulatory sanctions such as license revocations. But it relies on applicants themselves to disclose these problems on Medicare enrollment forms. For hospital operators, it does not conduct criminal background checks. And the system doesnt check for obvious red flags such as bankruptcies, civil judgments and major tax liens. In 2006, Medicare added disclosures of financial crimes to its enrollment application. Advertisement In 2010, the Government Accountability Office reported that it tested the database on nursing homes but found a confusing picture of the ownership and chain affiliations. In 2013, an inspector general report reviewed the systems records and found that 58 percent contained inaccurate data. And this year, the GAO found Medicare had made payments to people with criminal backgrounds. More than two years ago, The News requested a copy of the systems data on hospital operators. In February, Medicare officials released online a small subset of data, but did not include information on owners backgrounds. Medicare has not provided any examples of operators whove been denied funding based on problematic business histories. We have not found there to be a high rate of fraud among hospitals, Medicare officials said in a written statement. But the U.S. Department of Justice has found that dozens of hospitals since 2010 have defrauded or improperly taken Medicare and Medicaid funds totalling at least $850 million. Medicare and Medicaid funds have proven so vulnerable to fraud and abuse over the years that it makes sense to improve screening of hospital operators, said David Shapiro, a former FBI agent specializing in financial fraud and now a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. For years, the system has been in a pay-and-chase mode shelling out money then trying to track down the fraud or abuse later, Shapiro said. You have to change that to basic prevention. That involves beefing up eligibility checks. A string of wrecked hospitals Over three decades, James Cheek left at least 13 hospitals bankrupt or shuttered across seven states. Its the smash-and-grab, said Jim Smith, an Arkansas lawyer who worked on one of the bankruptcies, characterizing Cheeks approach of siphoning off cash while starving hospitals of resources. Yet as his public record of bankruptcies, unpaid taxes and fraud allegations grew, hospital regulatory agencies remained oblivious. Cheek declined requests for an interview and his lawyer would not comment. A Missouri native and an accountant by trade, Cheek learned hospital finance up close as co-founder of one of the countrys largest hospital chains. In the early 80s, he formed his own chain, Gateway Medical Systems, which was based in Atlanta. By 1987, Cheek had sold shares in the company to the public and acquired at least seven hospitals in Missouri, Georgia, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Texas. Many were inner-city facilities catering to Medicaid patients the kind of medical centers big companies were shunning because of the low payments from the government, according to news accounts. James Cheek was featured in an August 1986 issue of Newsweek as an "innovator trying to turn around troubled hospitals. (Jay Leviton/Newsweek) Cheek hyped a strategy of cutting waste so he could make smarter investments in the hospitals and help patients. Along the way, he drew flattering news coverage. Newsweek called him the innovator. Richard Tate says he trusted the handshake of the man in the wrinkled suits and cowboy boots and jumped at the chance to work for Cheek running a hospital in Oklahoma City. But he was soon disillusioned. In October 1988, Tate and two other staffers filed a racketeering suit against Cheek and Gateway, contending they had charged employees for health insurance that did not exist; the case was settled the next year. Other problems with the chain had begun to surface. Physicians at Cheeks New Orleans hospital, for example, had complained of cockroaches and backed-up toilets, according to news reports. In 1988, Richard Tate, former administrator of Cheeks Oklahoma City hospital, was among the first people to go public with allegations about the hospital owners practices. (Andy Jacobsohn/Staff Photographer) Cheek bragged to investors, analysts and the newspapers that Gateway hospitals were headed for record earnings. But in fact the company had severe liquidity problems, according to a complaint filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which regulates publicly traded companies. The agency sued him in 1989 for misleading investors. Cheek struck a settlement in which he agreed not to violate securities laws in the future. By the end of the year, at least five of Cheeks hospitals, including the Oklahoma City facility, filed for bankruptcy. In 1991, Cheeks Atlanta hospital closed after it flunked safety inspections. Regulators found rats, outdated medicines and unlicensed doctors, and Georgia officials said the hospital had gotten overpayments from Medicaid, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Georgia says it no longer has records on the case. Cheek kept a lower profile over the next 12 years. He started a movie-rental company called Video Wonderland in a strip mall in Marietta, Ga., 2 miles from his lakeside home. James Cheeks trail of hospital wreckage Over three decades, Georgia businessman James Cheek bankrupted or closed 13 hospitals across seven states. Despite leaving a massive trail of legal and financial woes, Cheek and his hospitals kept getting licenses and money from government health agencies. An IRS investigation stopped him and a partner after they failed to pay millions of dollars in taxes. Some of the hospitals depicted no longer exist; others continue to operate under new owners and new names. Touch the locations below to view hospital details: Michael Hogue/Staff Artist Now, small-town hospitals Despite Cheeks track record, he was able to begin buying hospitals again in 2004. Instead of targeting ailing inner-city hospitals, he focused on those in small towns. Instead of taking a single company public, he worked through several private companies with different names. By spring 2005, Cheek had operating control over a small rural hospital in Carmi, Ill., about halfway between St. Louis and Louisville, Ky., along with a partner, Herschel Breig, government records show. Breig also declined interview requests. They bought the money-losing hospital from a group of Kentucky businessmen, including Fulner, after the facility racked up multiple safety violations. Not long after Cheek took control, the hospital suddenly closed amid reports of unpaid debts to Medicare and contractors, according to government records. Illinois health inspectors found broken windows, dark-colored fluid leaking from the ceiling, doors splattered with paintballs, a flooded basement and 50 boxes of patient records the owners had abandoned, according to court filings. Four months later, the Illinois health department sued Cheek, Breig and the Kentucky businessmen for leaving the hospital and its records in disarray. In a settlement, Cheek and Breig paid a local foundation $10,000 to take custody of the records; the former owners were dismissed from the suit. In 2006, Cheek and Breig had moved on to Texas, buying Highland Medical Center in Lubbock. Only two years later they took it into bankruptcy. James Cheek, federal prison inmate Federal prosecutors and IRS investigators caught up with Cheek in 2011 when he and Breig were indicted on charges of embezzlement and failure to forward to the government $1.8 million in taxes deducted from the paychecks of their Lubbock employees. The pair also pocketed at least $135,079 that was supposed to pay for health insurance for employees, authorities said. They pleaded guilty and were later sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay more than $5 million in restitution to employees and the IRS. Cheek had purchased several more hospitals, including one in Hope, Ark. Just four months ago, he and Breig entered guilty pleas in Arkansas for failure to forward IRS payroll taxes this time $6 million worth owed by that hospital. Prosecutors are seeking three years in prison. Tom Geary, a health officer for regulatory affairs in Alabama, said hes dumbfounded by how Cheek avoided notice for decades without a hitch. Somebody should have taken notice, he said. Its a problem that needs cleaning up nationwide. From Lamour de loin at the Met. Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera Sixteen years after its world premiere, Kaija Saariahos opera Lamour de loin has finally blown into the Metropolitan Opera like a breeze in a silk emporium, all iridescent flutterings and ravishing mystery. The plot is skeletal, bordering on nonexistent: A French troubadour, Jaufre, hears tell of Clemence, a beautiful lady in Tripoli, and falls in love with his fantasy of her. He sails across the Mediterranean to meet her, falls ill on the voyage, and dies in her arms. Thats it. And yet those scant events generate music thats unlike anything I know yet is also strangely familiar, filtering the intoxicating languor of Debussy and the ecstatic jangle of Messiaen through fresh, sparkling mists of orchestration. Saariaho has produced a profoundly exotic score, not by trotting out souvenir-shop Orientalism or snaky Byzantine scales, but by fashioning a tapestry of dreams and allusions that would evoke lost horizons no matter where or when you happened to hear it. Jaufre and Clemence communicate through song across miles of open sea, and the music is heavy with distance. Saariaho has said that as a female composer, she identifies with both the lady and the troubadour, and the Mets cast gives ideal voice to all her creations and alter egos. Eric Owens sings Jaufre with touching seriousness and vulnerability, his supple, tender baritone sliding over the syllables of Armin Maloofs libretto. As Clemence, Susanna Phillips does honor to a female character of rare spine and depth. Like a wartime nurse watching over a wounded soldier, she lets herself be mesmerized by the ardor of a dying man, and in Phillipss timbre you can hear skepticism softening into curiosity and then full-throated love. Tamara Mumford sings the Pilgrim who sails back and forth across the Mediterranean, her gentle but muscular voice like a chain across the water. Despite the abstract atmospherics and the sheen of antiquity, the opera has a visceral immediacy. Its hard to watch two men drift southward across the Mediterranean in a frail vessel without thinking of the multitudes who have followed the same trajectory in reverse. At first, the journey seems pointless and punishing. Though the Pilgrim has made it many times with ease, the troubadour, who has spent his life cooing behind battlemented walls, cannot endure the limitless sea. Jaufre, who usually sings with incantatory solemnity, spits out his lines in an anxious jitter: Im afraid of not finding her, and Im afraid of finding her. Im afraid of being lost at sea before reaching Tripoli, and Im afraid of reaching Tripoli. Im afraid of dying, Pilgrim, and Im afraid of living. Do you understand me? We do, we do if only because Saariaho puts flesh on those terrors: pairs of fortissimo drumbeats and brassy snarls that shoot up from the depths of the orchestra pit. When he does arrive on the shores of Tripoli, so sick he can barely stand, let alone properly court a woman he has never met, Owenss Jaufre regains his composure and command of his voice. Here you are before me, he marvels in urgent, lilting melody haloed by a murmuring chorus and washed in the steady lapping of strings. Doomed love is a grand opera staple, but Saariahos version lingers on the poignancy of desire. The Pilgrim points out that loss gives meaning to joy: If not for your imminent death, he tells Jaufre, Clemence might have remained out of reach. The air you breathe would not be suffused with her perfume. The director Robert Lepage tries to match the scores iridescence by stretching strips of Christmas lights across the stage to form twinkling waves of LEDs. The chorus bobs among the luminous undulations, a canoe cuts through them and the principal characters hover above them, borne on a flying gangplank. That machine is one fancy piece of stage business. A truss rests on a massive center hinge so that it can swivel, tilt, and glide slowly across the stage. In computer simulations it must have looked magical and weightless. In real life the cumbersome piece of equipment undercuts the lightness of the score. Like Wagners Das Rheingold, which opens at the bottom of the Rhine, and Debussys Pelleas et Melisande, which takes place at the edge of an ominous pool, Lamour de loin is full of liquid music. Saariaho has a fine feel for the fluid dynamics of music. She conjures currents, surf, spray, and geysers, not with picturesque cliches but with a ceaseless, phosphorescent sea of sound. Nothing would kill this opera deader than a clumsy conductor; fortunately, Saariahos fellow Finn Susanna Malkki summons the scores swells and undertows with Poseidon-like powers. In this first Met engagement as in her New York Philharmonic debut last year she proves herself an indispensable marvel, drawing clarity and brilliance from the scores complexities. Both organizations passed her over for the job of music director (allowing the Los Angeles Philharmonic to nab her as principal guest conductor), so they should at least make sure she returns on a regular basis. In hiring her, the Met fielded only its fourth-ever female conductor and had her lead the second opera by a woman (and the first in more than 100 years) ever to reach its august stage. I hope the Met doesnt consider its commitment to gender equality duly fulfilled. Lamour de loin is at the Metropolitan Opera through December 29. Gareth Edwards on the set of Rogue One. Photo: Lucasfilm For a few years, it looked like Hollywood had disrupted directing. Like Silicon Valley start-ups trying to do away with inefficiencies, multiple studios had managed to forego veteran directors in favor of young, inexperienced upstarts and it seemed to be working. At the front of the pack, Marvel had handed its two flagship films, The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron, to Joss Whedon, a filmmaker known more for his facility with characters and dialogue than any action expertise. MCU mastermind Kevin Feige then gave the Captain America franchise to Joe and Anthony Russo, who had done the bulk of their work on sitcoms like Community and Happy Endings. For these gambles, Marvel was rewarded with three of the 12 highest-grossing movies of all time worldwide; the Russo brothers are now slated to direct the next Avengers installment. At the same time, Colin Trevorrow, a 38-year-old with all of one theatrically released feature under his belt the micro-budget indie Safety Not Guaranteed got the job to reboot the Jurassic Park franchise. Gareth Edwards went from Monsters, a $500,000 movie that barely got an American release, to critical darling Godzilla. Sam Taylor-Johnson turned Fifty Shades of Grey into an international hit with only one previous credit as a director, 2009s Nowhere Boy. And Warner Bros. named Jordan Vogt-Roberts, whod made coming-of-age movie The Kings of Summer and some episodes of Youre the Worst, the director of the upcoming Kong: Skull Island. Edwards, of course, chose as his follow-up to Godzilla the first Star Wars spinoff, Rogue One, meant to herald a new series of stories located in the same universe as the main films. As far as high-pressure assignments go, this was basically the volcano in Volcano, but Edwards got off on a confident foot, announcing his vision to make Rogue One a war movie. Then he saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens become the top-grossing film in domestic box-office history. When rumors of reshoots and discontent leaked out in June, then, it wasnt exactly a shocker. Lucasfilm reportedly bristled at precisely the war movie qualities that Edwards had touted when he joined the project. Meanwhile, the shine was coming off the notion of the new young director reinvigorating a franchise: Josh Tranks Fantastic Four cratered amid reports of Tranks immaturity on set, and other relatively untested studio filmmakers, including Cedric Nicolas-Troyan (The Huntsman: Winters War), James Bobin (Alice Through the Looking Glass), and Dave Green (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows), struggled at the helms of big-budget tentpoles. Of course, veteran directors movies flop, too: Steven Spielberg and Warren Beatty are about as experienced as it gets, and The BFG and Rules Dont Apply are two of the biggest underachievers of 2016; Roland Emmerichs and Ron Howards history with their respective franchises couldnt make Independence Day: Resurgence and Inferno work; and just ask Gus Van Sant how much his track record helped The Sea of Trees. The graveyard of famous flops is filled with expensive movies directed by white men who had directed a million other expensive movies already. But veteran helmers greatest asset is also the reason theyve been falling out of favor: their distinct, individual identities. When Marvel began its move toward young filmmakers, the party line was that it encouraged a fresh, unique perspective. However, most people suspected a very different reason: It gave the studios more power, both creatively and logistically. If you hire Steven Spielberg to direct a film, it becomes a Steven Spielberg film. If you hire Joe and Anthony Russo, two names essentially unknown to anyone who doesnt hang out on the Community subreddit, your studio retains control over the movies identity. This is how Marvel can make a dozen films with a handful of different people in charge, and have them all be more or less alike. For Marvel, this has worked magnificently, and much of that credit can be heaped at the feet of Feige in place of a bigger directorial name, he has functioned as the captain of the Marvel ship, steering the unprecedentedly ambitious amalgam of movies, characters, and source material through ten years and billions of dollars. Where these megafranchises have lacked a unifying figure, though, theyve struggled, the most prominent example being Warner Bros.s DC films, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, directed by Zack Snyder and David Ayer, respectively. Both made a bunch of money, but they left a sour-enough taste in the mouths of moviegoers and their parent studio that they forced major leadership changes. This is the fate that Lucasfilm will do anything to avoid. While the company has a Feige-esque character in Kathleen Kennedy, theyve been more open to hiring directors whose brands are already established. Franchise-filmmaking ringer J.J. Abrams helmed The Force Awakens, bringing along his customary snap zooms and lens flare. Rian Johnson, the brainy cult-hero behind Brick, Looper, and some of the best Breaking Bad episodes, is handling Episode VIII; Trevorrow, now a known quantity himself, got IX. And the Han Solo movie, which will be the second of the three planned spinoffs, went to Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who have developed a signature style across the Lego Movie and Jump Street franchise. With the relatively unique Godzilla under his belt, Edwards also played into that narrative, and around the time of his hiring, Lucasfilm execs consistently said they wanted the spinoff movies to be filmmaker-driven. But this week, it became unclear who exactly the filmmaker in the drivers seat might be: THR reported that Tony Gilroy, the hugely respected scribe behind the original Bourne trilogy and the writer-director of Best Picture nominee Michael Clayton, had been far more involved than previously thought. After coming on to the project as a $200,000-per-week consultant, Gilroy has reportedly earned $5 million so far for his work on Rogue One, said to include overseeing the reshoots, rewriting part of the script, and reworking the ending. Its very common for filmmakers of Gilroys caliber to come onto a studio project as hired hands, and rumors about whos worked on what movie are a regular feature of Hollywood gossip. But its rare for that kind of involvement to become as public as Gilroys has been, for obvious reasons: It undercuts the ownership of the original director, and it implies skittishness on the part of the studio over the film theyre being delivered. More than that, though, Gilroys work on Rogue One and it should be noted that we dont know the exact nature of what he did suggests that this whole franchise-filmmaking thing is harder than anyones been willing to acknowledge. For Disney, Marvel and Star Wars seem to be a license to print money, the only sure thing in a Hollywood in flux. The company has had great success plugging directors like the Russos, James Gunn, and Scott Derrickson into the MCU directors chairs. But those men also had Feige to draw on, as well as an established template of what their films should be, giving them license to bring their own flair, whether that be Gunns humor or Derricksons trippy visuals. For Edwards, though, the task of directing Rogue One was even more complex than a blank slate: He had to make an original film that would also rhyme with its hallowed predecessors, fitting into a bigger world in ways that few movies have ever had to accomplish. At least on the surface, Gilroys expanding role he already had a credit on the screenplay conveys the impression of a task that was too big, or at least too unwieldy, for the relatively novice director who assumed it. Or perhaps it represents buyers remorse on the part of Lucasfilm, which decided that it needed a steadier hand guiding its gold-plated baby. Its certainly not a dig at Edwards to say that Tony Gilroy is a more established, experienced, and battle-hardened maker of movies, whos had the experience of writing and directing a spinoff before. While nothing can prepare a person for doing a Star Wars film, Gilroy appears to be more prepared than Edwards, and the visibility of his involvement reinforces that impression. Hollywood might have tried to do away with veteran directors, but the more demanding these blockbuster assignments have become, the more the appeal of the old hands becomes apparent. At the very least, the allure of a fresh face has been complicated. Age still aint nothing but a number. L-R: Lost; Westworld. Photo: ABC, HBO During its cerebral, puzzling, and heavily analyzed first season, which comes to a close Sunday night, HBOs Westworld has often been compared to Lost, the godfather, queen mother, and true pioneer of internet-dissectible dramas. Maybe Twin Peaks would have earned that moniker had the internet been a more mainstream platform in 1990 and 1991. But like most things related to the David Lynch series, it was too ahead of its time. Lost, with its deep sense of mystery and commitment to mythological world-building, showed up at exactly the moment when viewers were armed and ready to jump down online rabbit holes. The Westworld/Lost parallels are undeniable. One of Westworlds executive producers is J.J. Abrams, co-creator and executive producer of Lost. The HBO Western traffics heavily in multiple timelines and raising questions that drive curious viewers to read recaps, Reddit threads, and explainers to make sense of it all. Westworld has enabled us to use the shorthand MIB for Man in Black in online TV discussions again. It has allowed us to explore themes related to free will and mind control, just as Lost did. It has put Rodrigo Santoro who played the famously killed-off Paulo on Lost back on a mind-bending drama again, only to immediately kill him off without actually killing him off, which might be the slyest nod to Lost on this series yet, if you dont count the time that Dolores read the exact same passage from Alices Adventures in Wonderland that Jack Shephard once read in an episode of Lost. There are a lot of connections, obviously. But theres one key thing that differentiates Westworld from Lost and it happens to be the same thing that has prevented me from fully embracing the more recent of those two series: character building. There are many things to admire about Westworld: its precise direction; the gorgeous, purposeful presentation of settings that vary from wide, open spaces to dark, spare, futuristic offices; an ensemble of actors that is as classy and convincing as it gets; and a narrative steeped in engaging the intellect. And yet, nine episodes in, I am not sure if its physically possible for me to care less about what is happening on this show, mainly because I have no strong feelings about its characters. Maybe thats by design: A show about robots who wind up having uncontrollable human emotions turns the humans watching it into emotional robots. Genius! But even if co-creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy were attempting such a sophisticated television experiment, which I seriously doubt, the result of that experiment would still be unsatisfying TV. I like a philosophically engaged mystery and a healthy breakdown of timelines and flashbacks as much as anyone. But none of that means anything if I dont care about the people (or people-esque androids) dashing through time, space, and fantasy cowboy lands in the first place. Thats what makes Lost so different from Westworld. As New York Times critic James Poniewozik wrote in a recent piece in which he noted the connective tissue between the two: Lost, even as it introduced smoke monsters and tropical polar bears, also developed an ensemble of characters with distinctive voices and rich personalities. Lost is so often discussed within the context of whether its final episode paid off, or what all of its island-shifting mythology meant, that people forget that what initially hooked audiences into the show had nothing to do with any of that. Throughout the run of the series, there were four core questions the narrative consistently aimed to address: Who are the survivors of flight Oceanic 815; how did they end up on the plane and, later, the island; what and where is the island; and will the people who crash-landed in the Smoke Monsters backyard ever be able to leave? In season one, questions one and two took precedence over those other issues. Weird stuff was always happening on the island, even in the pilot, that suggested there was something deeper, and potentially sinister, about this odd tropical setting. But the Dharma Initiative, the scientific research group whose efforts provided an initial window into understanding the island on Lost, doesnt even explicitly enter the picture until season two. Via the episodic structure established in season one, which toggled between character-focused flashbacks and the action post-crash, the show carefully made sure that the audience felt a connection to each and every key survivor. We wanted answers to questions like, How come Walt has secret powers?, which is something Im pretty sure Ill be asking on my death bed, but we wanted them because we were invested in all these people who, just like us in post 9/11 America, were struggling to get their bearings after a traumatic event. We cared even more deeply about the Live Together, Die Aloners when we knew more about the personal problems, daddy issues, and lottery-ticket disasters that had brought them to this place. In Westworld, at least so far, the characters seem to exist primarily to add to our understanding of the puzzle that is Fords alternate-reality creation. We wonder who is real (a guest) and who is manufactured (a host), but our familiarity, at this point, with their backstories is fairly limited. Even when we do learn something heartbreaking and significant about a characters past that makes us feel empathy for him like the fact that Bernard lost a child a twist in the narrative informs us that this actually never happened. In a piece for the Ringer, Alison Herman argues that the show is so focused on such twists that once viewers figure them out, which has happened in advance virtually every time this season, theres precious little for the show to fall back on. Which is another way of saying that the show is more interested in making us do TV math to determine how the plot details add up than it is in making us feel anything. (Tone is often a problem here, too; practically every conversation between Bernard/Arnold and Robert sounds like its unfolding in a library after the parties involved have drunk half a cup each of Sleepytime Tea.) Lost definitely involved doing TV math, especially in its later seasons. But before it got too deep into the numbers and the Numbers it laid a foundation built very specifically on character, and thats what made the work feel worthwhile. As much as Lost gets criticized by some who feel they wasted their time on the whole series because of the missteps in its flash-sideways final season, I would argue that, for a good portion of its run, it understood how to thread a narrative-twisty needle while also telling a story that resonated deeply on an emotional level better than any TV drama since. EU beef producers concerned with Mercosur trade deal Europe Copa-Cogeca, the EU farming body, has expressed concerns over the impact a trade deal with Latin American countries could have on the EU beef industry during an event in the European Parliament on November 30. It is alleged that member countries of the Mercosur trading bloc, comprised of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela as main members and Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Suriname as associates, do not have the same traceability standards as the EU and are users of antibiotic growth promoters. The sector is also confronted with increased competition from imports, especially when it comes to high-value cuts, said Jean-Pierre Fleury, Chairman, Copa-Cogeca, adding that a new EU trade impact study confirms the impact of the upcoming trade deals as catastrophic unless tariff-quotas are established. According to the farming body, EU beef production is carried out by 2.5 million family-owned companies, generating 30.5 billion each year. Fleury has called for a deeper analysis of the differences between the EU and South American carcase cuts in order to develop the right EU meat strategy. Earlier this year, officials from countries such as Brazil and Uruguay expressed their discontentment with the European Unions first trade deal offer to Mercosur countries because it does not include beef quotas, that would enable South American beef to push down import prices and allow for greater volumes into the EU market. Read more here. Source: Global Meat News Why arent I 50 points ahead? Hillary Clinton asked a group of labor organizers in late September, when she and Trump were neck and neck in national polls. It seemed like a fair question. Throughout his entire campaign, Donald Trump utterly humiliated and disqualified himself in new ways almost every day. Tapes of him bragging about sexual assault dominated the final weeks of the campaign. How, then, could Clinton fail? The answer is that the majority of people in this country are living in a different America than Clinton, an America in decline. For 40 years their wages have been stagnant even as productivity grows. For some groups, even life expectancy is now declining. Many who are living through this have been yearning for some sort of political revolution for years. Failing that, they would take any chance to burn down the establishment thats been lucratively managing the gradual unwinding of their way of life and means of making a living. Clinton offered more managed decline, going out of her way to warn voters against dreaming of big solutions. A vote for Trump symbolized burning it all down. Had he been the Democratic nominee, Bernie Sanders would have offered political revolution, and I believe he would have defeated Trump. It is hard for some to understand the logic of taking a hit to ones own self-interest to punish an abstract political elite for perceived wrongs. Every time this comes up, I think of a former union steelworker I met while organizing nursing homes in Allentown, Pa. He made only minimum wage in the nursing home, compared to the uppermiddle-class income hed made as a steelworker. But in the 80s, a private equity firm had bought the steel plant. The owners milked it for cash for years without reinvesting in it, then began to demand huge pay cuts every time the contract was up for negotiation, threatening that if the union didnt concede, theyd close the plant. The union members voted each time to accept the cuts because the alternative was minimum wage in the service sector. It was humiliating, he said, to cast those ratification votes consenting to his own devaluing. One year, after the union had voted to accept a 30 percent pay cut, the owners came back and demanded another dollar per hour off. The workers finally said no. And the owners had their excuse to sell off the plant for parts, freed of the few remaining restrictions against surprise plant closures. How did you vote? I asked. I voted no, he said. But even with the extra dollar cut, he still would have made far above minimum wage. So I asked, Why did you do it? Because when you get up in the morning, you have to be able to look yourself in the mirror, he replied. Clinton supporters react to election results at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. Photo by Don Emmert (AFP/Getty Images) It was in that spirit that hundreds of thousands of votersmany of whom have lived through some version of the scenario I just describedchose Trump in 2016. It wasnt about a calculation of selfinterest; it was about refusing to give consent to their own undoing. A vote for Trump could mean a number of things, many of them reprehensible, but for significant chunks of voters in key states, it symbolized a radical protest against the establishment. People like the Allentown steelworker werent anywhere on Clintons policy radar. Her infrastructure plan was a drop in the bucket compared even to Sanders relatively modest proposal. One of her frequent economic talking points was broadband internet for every household, which might have stirred enthusiasm in 1996. Her culpability prevented her from condemning the status quo, and her ideology prevented her from proposing a big fix. Unfortunately, much of the progressive movement also seems to be only vaguely aware of the concerns of, let alone the specific thoughts of, Americans who are suffering in the decline. And because of that, if Trump figures out how to lead his movement while governingas Obama inexplicably decided not to dothen were in deep, deep trouble because we will be utterly defenseless against it. One beautiful thing about this country is that we have a democracy that allows radical change, when necessary, to come peacefullyif we would ever use it for that purpose. Trump used itless for radical change than for a primal xenophobic scream, one that only 1 in 4 eligible voters supported. That raises the question: Why, over this 40-year decline, havent the leaders and movements that represent a much more American vision of a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, just society used our democracy to bring about the radical economic shake-up this country needs? Because, over the past half century, too much of the Left has somehow become part of the decline-management establishment. Our nonprofits, foundations, advocacy organizations and labor unions have, in general, bought into the same religion of low expectations and narrow horizons as the Democratic Party establishment they are supposed to challenge. For too long, progressive organizations have mainly asked people only to do very small things: Sign a petition (that is never even delivered), donate a dollar (that is wasted on staff bloat), or consent to union representation (without a movement to fight for real change on the job). And in an election where most Americans were yearning for radical change, just waiting to be asked to do something really big, Clinton mocked Sanders call for political revolution. Baylor Law School presented John B. LeJeune, a 2002 graduate, with the 2016 Baylor Law School Veterans Clinic Advocate of the Year award. LeJeune was honored at the Waco-McLennan County Bar Association Veterans Day luncheon held on Nov. 11 by Baylor Law School Dean Brad Toben. The Baylor Law School Veterans Clinic Advocate of the Year is an annual award given to a Baylor Law School Veterans Clinic volunteer lawyer who has gone above and beyond in pro bono service to veterans and their spouses in the past year. Since the veterans clinic was founded in 2012, LeJeune has served at monthly legal advice clinics held at the Heart of Texas Veterans One Stop more than any other attorney and he has mentored countless Baylor law students. LeJeune, who practices personal injury law with the Zimmerman Law Firm in Waco, served in the U.S. Army as an enlisted infantryman and later as a cavalry officer. He is a lifetime member of the 3rd U.S. Cavalry Association and the Disabled American Veterans of America. LeJeune also is a member of American Legion Post #121 in Waco and rides his motorcycle with the American Legion Riders and Patriot Guard. ----- Baylor Law School photo Nick Teixeira John LeJeune (second from right) accepts the award from Josh Borderud (from left), director of the Baylor Law School Veterans Clinic; Professor Bridget Fuselier, clinic founder; and Brad Toben, Baylor Law School dean. When 12 people on a criminal court jury hold a persons liberty in their hands, deliberations can become spirited and often heated. A jury in Wacos 19th State District Court deliberating the fate of 23-year-old William Trevunte Brown deliberated seven hours Thursday evening and Friday morning and didnt ask to go home, say they were deadlocked or even wanted to eat dinner. Their ardent deliberations were interrupted around 11:45 p.m. when a family member of one of the 11 women on the jury called Waco police to report the woman as a missing person. Two Waco police officers came to the McLennan County Courthouse to check on the womans whereabouts and to make sure she was still on jury duty. They were told she was fine and inside the jury room with other jurors trying to decide if Brown was one of two men who robbed a former smoke shop in North Waco in 2014. Just when you think you have seen it all, Judge Ralph Strother said. In his 21 years as a prosecutor and judge, having someone file a missing persons report for someone on jury duty was a first, Strother said. This was a very intense trial and deliberations obviously were very intense because they deliberated for seven hours, and I think they just got so absorbed in what they were doing. It is comforting to know that the jury was taking it seriously, but we dont want them to take it so seriously that they forget their families. We knew everything was OK, and Im sure the family member was quite concerned, and I dont blame them. But from our perspective, it kind of brought a bit of comic relief from a very intense trial, Strother said. Strother said he told the jury that court would be going late and gave jurors a break about 4:30 p.m. so they could call their families and make arrangements, if necessary, for children to be cared for. Strother said he is not sure if the woman who was reported missing spoke to her family during the break. Once a jury begins deliberations, it cannot separate before reaching a verdict unless both sides agree. In Browns case, neither the prosecution nor defense would allow the jury to go home and resume deliberations Friday morning. Court officials finally ordered sandwiches for the jury about 8 p.m., which they ate as they continued deliberating. The jury was still deliberating at 12:30 a.m. Friday when Brown and his attorneys, Alan Bennett and Jessi Freud, struck a plea bargain with prosecutors Aubrey Robertson and David Shaw. Brown pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated robbery in exchange for 25 years in prison. Prosecutors offered Brown 40 years before trial and he faced a minimum of 15 years and up to life in prison. The charges against Brown were enhanced because he spent time in a Texas Youth Commission facility as a juvenile after an aggravated robbery conviction. Brown also was charged with aggravated robbery in 2011, but was acquitted by a 54th State District Court jury in Waco. Bennett, Browns attorney, a former prosecutor, said the missing persons report on the juror was a first in his legal career, also. It was very unusual, Bennett said. But I guess its good to know and it shows the jurys deliberations were being conducted in secret because her own family didnt know about it. Commentators such as Politicos Jack Shafer argue the media should ignore President-elect Donald Trumps outlandish tweets both because they are outlandish and because they distract us from things Trump wants us to ignore. Shafer has things exactly backward. The Washington Posts Aaron Blake writes, The job comes with the so-called bully pulpit, and what he says matters and will be the subject of debate no matter what the mainstream media does. Everything he says reverberates. It doesnt matter if he says it on Twitter or at a news conference; either way its going to be consumed by tens of millions of people, and the media has an important role to play when it comes to fact-checking and providing context. We find that logic compelling and add a few additional points. First, the media can walk and chew gum at the same time. Cable TV news has 24/7 coverage. Online editions of major newspapers and of the broadcast networks have virtually unlimited pixels at their disposal. Even in print newspapers, the most space-limiting format, room can be found not only for a headline Trump invents voter fraud but also Trumps business connections threaten to deepen the swamp and Trumps ignorance of the Constitution reignites concerns. If one suspects Trump is trying to distract us, as opposed to getting himself distracted to an alarming degree, how much more important is it to explain, for example, that Trump takes to Twitter to distract from secretary of state paralysis? (But unless someone is privy to the inner thoughts of Trump, we really do not know the motive for his tweets.) In any event, covering tweets does not negate coverage of his other missteps; to the contrary, it should underscore his continued difficulty in performing a job he really never planned to hold. Second, we would argue that there is no more important story than the continuous stream of evidence of the president-elects irrationality and instability. Hillary Clinton certainly thought that was relevant to the campaign (it was); the mental and intellectual status of the man we elected should be of even greater concern. We can hardly think of more important topics than these: How are we to trust the decision-making of a president so easily waylaid by nonsense? Does Trumps lack of attention span and refusal to read make him susceptible to conspiracy theories? Can he continue his willful indifference to reality and still govern? Do his personal grievances interfere with his ability to function as president? Who, if anyone, can reason with a man this irrational? Third, our allies and enemies are constantly taking the measure of our president-elect. They will continue to assess Trumps presidency throughout the next four years. (Is he easily fooled? Does he have the attention span to stick with issues? Can he be confused and distracted? Is his word reliable?) If every world leader takes into account Trumps public pronouncements and makes strategic decisions based, in part, on those utterances, the voters surely should be privy to the same information. In sum, no one can assess at this stage whether Trump tweets strategically or compulsively, whether he means what he tweets or simply tweets to blow off steam, and whether he understands the importance of a presidents words. Perhaps clarity will come with time. For now, however, his utterances on Twitter and elsewhere give critical insight into the mind-set of the least prepared man ever to win the presidency. The medias central task now and in the months ahead is to explain to the American people precisely who it is they elected. Jennifer Rubin writes the Right Turn blog for The Post, offering reported opinion from a conservative perspective. Its a sad testament to our times that some critics regularly lambaste Texas House Speaker Joe Straus as a moderate or even a liberal. Every two years about this time, some state legislator on the far right announces yet another bid to unseat Straus for this reason. And, of course, the hard truth is Straus, a San Antonio Republican, is neither a liberal nor a moderate. Hes a thinking conservative and there seems very few of those in leadership in Austin these days. Lots of conservatives, yes. But few thinking, pragmatic, get-down-to-business conservatives. Consider what passes for leadership elsewhere. In the Texas Senate, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has garnered a lot of headlines and stoked his extremist base with talk of legislation to stem the transgender bathroom invasion. Colossal concern there. And Gov. Greg Abbott has gotten political mileage by championing rules and legislation requiring hospitals and clinics to bury or cremate the remains of aborted and miscarried fetuses, supposedly for reasons of public health. Even some of the governors supporters are gagging on this one, a measure they see as mean-spirited and cruelly punitive. Thank goodness for the one adult in state leadership. If Straus rundown of legislative priorities at a Texas Tribune event this week is any indication, hes more focused on the admittedly mundane but far more relevant duties of running Texas, creating an environment that spurs business and maintaining exacting standards of life and liberty not only for the unborn but for those born and in peril. For instance, the speaker has made clear he intends to shore up the funding, staffing and management problems bedeviling our states beleaguered Child Protective Services program. About time. Straus has signaled a stronger willingness than his Senate counterpart to follow through on the conservative Texas Supreme Courts exhortation that lawmakers fix a badly flawed (if constitutional) school finance system. While the speaker is not opposed to reasonable efforts expanding accountable school-choice initiatives, hes right that its wildly unfair to penalize public schools when state per-pupil funding is wildly inequitable from one district to the next. Similarly, Straus demonstrates prudence regarding the states revenue situation, balking at further tax-cut talk till the states costs and challenges can be fully determined a wise attitude when the price of oil, a commodity on which so much of our state budget depends, is now low enough to make a budget shortfall possible. Significantly, Straus is limiting his priorities, understanding that much of this should be determined by House consensus. Even so, Joe Straus unflappable leadership style, sense of balance, coalition-building and refusal to be drawn into irrelevant hot-button issues that inspire only pandering leave us hopeful about the 2017 legislative session at least in one chamber. Millions of immigrants in the United States woke up to a new political reality November 9: We will soon have the most rabidly anti-immigrant president in living memory. Even at the Undocumented Student Program at the University of California, Berkeley, where we have built a strong and resilient community, immigrant youth and parents walked into my office full of grief and fear. President-elect Trump has promised to undo the reforms we fought so hard to win. His plan for his first 100 days in office, laid out in October, includes revoking legal protections given to young immigrants through President Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, building a wall at the Mexican border, blocking funding for sanctuary cities, deporting people with criminal convictions and making it harder to legally immigrate to the United States. Thanks to the expansion of immigration enforcement under both Presidents Bush and Obama, the Trump administration will already have the data it needs to launch new attacks on immigrants. Trump has appointed such hardliners to his transition team as Kris Kobach, the architect of the anti-Muslim registration system initiated temporarily in 2002 as part of the War on Terror. But immigrants have already shown we can mobilize and resist under grave political circumstances. When Rep. James Sensenbrenner (RWis.) introduced legislation in 2005 that would have turned undocumented immigrants into felons, millions of demonstrators took to the streets in dozens of cities. The bill was defeated. Even as Obama deported more than 2 million undocumented people, many of them mothers and fathers, immigrants came out as undocumented and unafraid, occupying streets, political offices and lawns outside the White House and Congress. An estimated 10,000 demonstrators took the streets of Manhattan the day after the election to protest Donald Trump. Photo by Erik McGregor (Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images) Many organizers have long known that, regardless of who is in office, we will need to resist local and national immigration enforcement against all marginalized communities. Under Obama, young immigrant organizers had to fight our liberal friends to win temporary relief from deportations. A Clinton presidency would have likely brought more of the same. The end of a seemingly endless election should bring some relief. Time spent campaigning for one politician over another, while knowing that deportations would continue under a Democratic regime, took energy away from collective grassroots action. The threat looming before us is now crystal clear. Trumps victory has galvanized liberals, who cannot look away from the very real violence his supporters are already unleashing against immigrants and people of color. We need to shift away from purely electoral politics to mobilize and protect our communitiesand engage all people who are left behind by the political establishment. [and more importantly, how they should not be cross-examined, says Merpel]. This The IPKat pondering expert XX [i.e. attacks directed at the person rather than the position they are maintaining Markush formula in claim 1 Last week saw another Michaelmas decision from Mr Justice Arnold in the Patents Court in the form of [2016] EWHC 2989 (Pat) . Alongside the usual analysis of validity and infringement, the case has the attraction of providing guidance on how experts should be cross examinedfollows on from previous guidance on the instruction of experts inThe dispute concerned Shionogi's European Patent (UK) No 1 422 218. Shionogi counterclaimed infringement of the patent by Merck's product raltegravir, which is marketed under the trade mark Isentress. Raltegravir is an anti-HIV therapy, which treats HIV-1 (the most common type). It is a 'first in class' drug, being the first antiretroviral integrase inhibitor approved by the US FDA in 2007. Integrase is an enzyme found in retroviruses. It is essential for integration of the viral DNA into the host cell DNA. Integrase inhibitors target the viral integrase and interfere with integration of HIV DNA into the DNA of the infected cell.The patent was opposed by Merck at the EPO, but maintained in an amended form. That decision is under appeal, and the central amendment has therefore been suspended. In the meantime, Shionogi made an unconditional application to amend the UK designation of the patent in accordance with the claims maintained at the EPO. It also made two conditional applications to the Patents Court to amend. There are parallel proceedings in Germany and the Netherlands which are ongoing.It was common ground that the skilled team would consist of persons with expertise in three areas: medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, and virology. There was however, a disagreement as to whether the skilled team would have experience in the field of integrase inhibition. Arnold J concluded that at the priority date (Aug 2002), real research teams in the field to which the patent is directed would have acquired experience with integrase inhibition.At paras 88 - 93 of the judgment, Arnold J took the opportunity to extend his previous guidance concerning the instruction of experts in Medimmune v Novartis [2011] EWHC 1169 (Pat) (see para 99-114) into the realm of cross-examination."In my experience too much time is spent by cross-examiners in patent cases on ad hominem attacks] that are unfair to the witness, unhelpful to the court and waste expensive time. It is, of course, both legitimate and helpful to explore such matters as the witness' qualifications and experience, and hence the extent to which the witness has relevant expertise and/or is representative of the skilled person; the basis upon which the witness considers that information was or was not common general knowledge (which may include whether the witness has correctly understood the concept); the witness' approach to issues such as obviousness (which may include whether the witness has fully appreciated the need to avoid hindsight and whether he or she has actually avoided hindsight); and so on. But cross-examiners must refrain from using the fact that the expert has not mentioned something in their report as a stick to beat the witness with unless the cross-examiner has real grounds for suggesting that this reflects on the witness' impartiality, competence or approach to the issues rather than upon the instructions they have been given. (If the witness has been wrongly instructed, that is, of course, a highly relevant matter, but it is a point for submissions rather than criticism of the witness.)A particular difficulty which often arises in multiple expert cases is the distribution of responsibilities between the experts".... "This difficulty is exacerbated where there is an overlap between the expertises of the experts, as in the present case."... "In such cases it may well be legitimate and helpful for the cross-examiner to explore the division of responsibility between the experts and the extent to which, collectively, they have approached matters in a manner which reflects the approach of the notional skilled team. What will rarely be legitimate or helpful is to criticise a witness for failing to deal with a point which he or she could have dealt with when it has been addressed by another expert, because this is unlikely to have been a decision made by the witnesses."Counsel on both sides were criticised for 'unfair' cross-examine of the expert witnesses.The specification explained that the invention related to "an antiviral agent, especially, a compound having an a-hydroxy-a, unsaturated ketone as a partial structure and a pharmaceutical composition as an integrase inhibitor containing the same". Claim 1 contained a Markush formula, and the subsidiary claims related to six-sub-classes of compounds. The permissible substituents R, R, R, Y and Z were defined in claim 1 (see pargaraphs 57-59 of the judgment for the full - and lengthy - details). Merck's apparently unchallenged expert evidence was that there was a staggeringly vast number of compounds covered by the Markush formula in claim 1 of the Patent - some 10compounds. Perhaps as a consequence of that, and unusually for a patent case of this nature, disclosure on the validity issues appears to have been voluminous. Both parties had given disclosure in the usual two year window falling either side of the priority date. Data from a total of 104 compounds from Shionogi and 139 from Merck were disclosed. Unsurprisingly, there was a sufficiency/obviousness squeeze.The Court concluded that at best, a tiny fraction of the class of claimed compounds were plausible (in addition to the small number of compounds for whom data is reported in the patent specification), but this plausibility derived from the skilled team's common general knowledge and not from the patent. The scope of the monopoly claimed was not justified by the contribution to the art, and accordingly lacked an inventive step.On insufficiency, later evidence suggested that formula 1 covered large groups of compounds that were unlikely to possess integrase inhibitory activity and be suitable for treating a viral disease. In addition, the disclosure process had revealed that a significant proportion of the compounds for which there were experimental data either did not possess antiviral activity, or possessed antiviral activity but were unduly toxic. The final nail in the coffin was the fact that the patent presented the skilled team with a vast research project with a high degree of failure, but "." Accordingly, it was not possible to perform the invention across the scope of the claim.None of the proposed claim amendments overcame the obstacles on validity. The patent was found invalid on the basis of obviousness and insufficiency (but not added matter), though it would have been infringed had it been valid. Regardless of the accuracy of these specific projections, numerous other reports certainly make it clear that the practice of Christianity has persisted in recent years despite escalating efforts by the government to contain the communitys growth. The Fox News article points out that Iranian Christians obtain information and communicate with one another via banned social media and websites, and through home-based churches and other gatherings that have been declared illegal by the Iranian government. As such, even casual gatherings within the community cause its members to be subject to arrest. And indeed, there have been numerous mass arrests in recent months, not only of Christians at worship but also of Christians in private social gatherings. This situation has been publicly acknowledged by numerous international human rights organizations, 19 of which recently issued a collective statement that was published on the website of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. The statement called upon the United Nations and the international community as a whole to protect the rights of Iranian Christians, at least 79 of whom were arrested between May and August of this year. The ongoing conversions and the general support being offered to the Christian community from human rights activists are both indicative of a backlash against the crackdown that the regime has been prosecuting not only against religious minorities but also against all manner of political dissenters and against writers, artists, and ordinary Iranians considered to be engaged in pro-Western or anti-Islamic social activities. Alongside the collective actions of minorities and political or human rights organizations, some individual Iranian activists are also taking steps to both bring attention to recent abuses and exert pressure on the regime to answer for them. These activities frequently open activists and political prisoners up to additional reprisals by the regime, as evidenced by such things as the denial of medical treatment to several political prisoners currently engaged in hunger strikes. But these and other protest actions often generate international headlines, as well, potentially compelling the regime to respond to criticisms that might otherwise be ignored. The International Campaign reported on Tuesday that Atena Daemi, who had previously come to the attention of rights groups following her arrest for peaceful activities in support of childrens rights and in opposition to the death penalty, had announced plans to sue the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps over the violent and illegal way in which she was taken to Evin Prison to begin serving her seven-year sentence. In February of this year, Daemi was released on bail after having been held in pretrial detention for 16 months. She was later convicted of insulting the supreme leader and of assembly and collusion against national security, based on her alleged visits with the families of political prisoners, as well as her statements on social media criticizing the Iranian regime and its previous mass executions, including the 1988 incident in which thousands of members of the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran were hanged over the course of a single summer. Iranian convicts who have been released on bail are often made to wait periods of months before they are summoned to actual begin serving their prison sentences. But in Daemis case, instead of being formally summoned, she was approached at her home by non-uniformed IRGC agents who broke into her room, acting on the authority of a warrant that had not yet gone into effect and was not presented until after she was apprehended. The lawsuit that Daemi hopes to pursue is unlikely to yield a result that is favorable to her, especially considering the reportedly tightening relationship between the Iranian judiciary and the IRGC. However, even the threat of a lawsuit is certain to generate some publicity, and perhaps even public sympathy from a minority of Iranian lawmakers. This latter outcome seems plausible in light of the fact that some members of the Iranian parliament have taken up reformist initiatives such as the effort to reduce the death sentences that are handed down for non-violent drug offenders. In 2015, approximately 1,000 people were put to death by the Iranian judiciary, many of whom had merely been convicted of possessing or trafficking in relatively small quantities of narcotics. The international pressure that has been exerted on Iran as a result of these figures has apparently compelled some Iranian lawmakers to push back against the regimes over-reliance on hangings. However, a report by the International Campaign points out that this initiative is strongly opposed by the judiciary, which has in fact urged an increase in the speed with which death sentences are carried out. Because of this opposition, and because of the close connections among the judiciary and such hardline institutions as the IRGC and the office of the supreme leader, it is unlikely that the death penalty reform bill will actually go into effect. Even following passage by the parliament, this bill, like all others, will face review by the Guardian Council, which has blanket authority to veto any law deemed to be out of keeping with Irans hardline interpretation of Islamic law. And leading clerical authorities have strongly tended toward the retention of Irans existing legal standards, in turn rejecting virtually all international criticisms. This trend can even be seen in the issue of Irans executions of individuals who were under the age of 18 at the time of their alleged crimes. Iran is a signatory to United Nations documents prohibiting this practice, but the regime has repeatedly reaffirmed its rejection of international standards regarding legal responsibility. Iranian law considers boys to be mature in the eyes of the law before the age of 15. For girls, the age of legal responsibility is nine. In practice, this domestic standard is sometimes reexamined by individual judges on a case-by-case basis, but in almost all instances the Iranian appeals courts have determined teenage defendants to be legally mature and thus eligible for the death penalty. This is likely to be the outcome in the case of Ayoub Shahbazi, an 18-year-old whose death sentence is reportedly under review by Irans Supreme Court, according to the Iran Human Rights website. Shahbazis sentence resulted from a murder charge that was levied against him when he was just 16. The confirmation of his death sentence would likely indicate that reform legislation will continue to be blocked by powerful hardline authorities. However, the ongoing social pressures from individual activists and minority groups will surely continue to encourage dissent among a reformist minority, while also encouraging the international community to further add to those pressures. Steven Mnuchin, who runs the Dune Capital Management hedge fund, has been tapped by Donald Trump to become his Treasury secretary. Credit:Bloomberg You may remember Trump's closing ad of the campaign, in which he said, "Our movement is about replacing a failed and corrupt political establishment with a new government controlled by you, the American people" over images of Wall Street, piles of money, financiers like George Soros, and other symbols of established power and wealth. "It's a global power structure," he went on, "that is responsible for the economic decisions that have robbed our working class, stripped our country of its wealth, and put that money into the pockets of a handful of large corporations and political entities." So in order to take on that global power structure, Trump is hiring a bunch of billionaires and Wall Street tycoons, cutting taxes for corporations and the wealthy, scaling back regulatory oversight of Wall Street, and offering an infrastructure plan that consists mostly of tax breaks to corporations to encourage them to build projects that they'll then charge the public tolls in order to use. Yet the myth of Trump the populist persists. Stephen Moore, an economic adviser to Trump and perhaps the party's foremost advocate of trickle-down economics, recently proclaimed: "Just as Reagan converted the GOP into a conservative party, Trump has converted the GOP into a populist working-class party." His trips to the Rust Belt with Trump, Moore testified, made him realise just how much help the working class needs. And he intends to help Trump deliver that help in the form, of course, of tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations. What a heartwarming tale. Republicans have always struggled with a quandary presented by their economic ideology, which is that it's difficult to get majority support for a set of policies intended to shower benefits on a small portion of the population. When they argue about it explicitly they use a kind of rhetorical redirection, claiming that cutting rich people's taxes isn't really about rich people at all, but is actually intended to help the middle class and even the poor. The rich themselves are merely a vehicle to accomplish this noble end, unselfishly accepting the government's largesse on behalf of their lessers. Almost nine years after Heath Ledger's death, his former partner and fellow actor, Michelle Williams, said she will never accept his absence in their daughter's upbringing. Speaking to the latest issue of Net-a-Porter's monthly magazine, Porter, the Manchester by the Sea star, 36, said it will never be right to raise 11-year-old Matilda without the Perth-born star by her side. Almost nine years after Heath Ledger's death, his former partner and fellow actor, Michelle Williams, said she will never accept his absence in their daughter's upbringing. Credit:JEFF KRAVITZ "In all honesty, for pretty much everything else, I feel like I'm a believer in not fighting circumstances, accepting where you are and where you've been," she said. "In pretty much all senses but one, I would be able to go totally down that line of thinking were it not for Matilda not having her dad. You know, that's just something that doesn'tI mean, it just won't ever be right." She has found solace and support in women going through the same circumstance. Emily Ratajkowski has taken legal action against a book of her nude Polaroids. The model and actress spoke out on Twitter on Wednesday, days after Imperial Publishing announced the December release of a book of four-year-old, unpublished pictures by photographer Jonathan Leder. Emily Ratajkowski does not endorse a book of her nude Polaroids. Credit:Larry Busacca Ratajkowski said she initially resisted reacting to news of the book, because she wanted to avoid giving Leder publicity. The shots, taken in May of 2012, were outtakes from what Ratajkowski calls "an artful magazine shoot" and, she says, they're a "violation" used without her permission. London: A man with advanced prostate cancer is believed to have been cured after doctors "shocked" his tumour to death with huge amounts of testosterone. The result has been described as "unexpected" and "exciting", as most prostate cancer therapies work by depriving tumours of the hormone, which cancer uses as a fuel. Prostate cancer patients received high-dose injections of the hormone once every 28 days. Credit:Jim Kellar Other men taking part in the trial also showed responses that astounded scientists, with tumours shrinking and the progress of their disease halted. Levels of Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), a blood marker used to monitor prostate cancer, fell in most of the 47 participants. One individual whose PSA level dropped to zero after three months, and who shows no remaining trace of the disease after 22 cycles of treatment, appears to be cured, the researchers said. Labor MP Linda Burney, a domestic violence survivor and campaigner, snatched the seat of Barton from her Liberal incumbent in the 2016 federal election, making history as the first Aboriginal woman elected to the House of Representatives. Her maiden speech left the gallery and many more in tears after her Wiradjuri sister Lynette Riley acknowledged the occasion in song as Burney donned the kangaroo cloak given to her by her lifelong friend, paving her way to push for Aboriginal rights at Australia's highest level. After hundreds of nominations for women from all walks of life for Daily Life's 2016 Women of the Year, we have a top 10, as nominated by you and whittled down by our judging panel. This is the fourth in our series of interviews with some of our remarkable finalists. Linda Burney, member for Barton, delivers her emotional maiden speech at Parliament House. Credit:Andrew Meares Highlight of 2016 Being elected the member for Barton. If you would have said to me at the beginning of January 2016, "You'll be in federal Parliament come July" ... there was no prospect of that in my mind at that stage. When I had a call from the party saying, "We'd like you to nominate and run for the seat of Barton", I remembered my friend Wendy McCarthy, who says that we as women often apologise for ourselves and make excuses for why we're not qualified. And men don't do that. I see that, I say to young women, 'Just have a try, what's the worse that can happen?' After two days and over twelve hours, the inquiry lead by Kate Carnell into the banks' treatment of small businesses is over. Whether it achieves anything requires a longer term view but for now let's take a look at some of the issues the small business ombudsman was able to force the banks to reflect on. The government is concerned by Small Business Ombudsman Kate Carnell's investigation into CEC. Credit:Vince Caligiuri 1) Small business contracts are too complicated for the average person to understand. Ms Carnell pushed each of the banks on the matter of transparency and contract complexity. That strategy now threatens to virtually wipe out the moderate rebels, who have reportedly lost about 30 percent of their territory in Aleppo. NBC and other news outlets tend to focus on the government forces in their reporting, attributing to them the recent conquest of at least 10 Aleppo neighborhoods. But some reports also note the important role of Assads foreign backers, namely Russia, Iran, and Shiite militias like Hezbollah, which are backed by Iran. While Russia has backed up Syrian government activities with devastating airstrikes, Iran has provided advisory support on the ground as well as directly and indirectly participating in fighting on the ground, either via the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force or through various militias. Thus, a victory for Assads forces in Aleppo would certainly be regarded as a victory for Iran as well, and as a contributing factor in the expansion of Iranian influence throughout the region. This situation is evident in Iranian responses to the Assad forces advances in Aleppo. Irans Fars News Agency recently reported upon the praise offered to those forces by Amir Abdollahian, the advisor to the speaker of the Iranian parliament. In addition to congratulating the Syrian Army, he highlighted the Iranian role in supporting and fighting alongside those troops, then went on to emphasize that Iran would continue to play this role not only in Syria but also in Iraq. Various reports have explained that Iranian influence over the conflicts in those two countries has tremendous potential to turn into permanent political influence over the governments thereof. One such report appeared in The Tower on Tuesday and emphasized the increasing acceptance of Irans militant proxies as a fixture of Iraqs military and political landscape. The latest example of this came in the form of a bill passed by the Iraqi parliament allowing Iran-backed Shiite militias to retain their existing command structures even after supposedly being integrated into the countrys standing military. In theory, the militias are called upon to serve the Iraqi state instead of their own masters, but many of those organizations have openly declared allegiance to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, leading to serious questions about how a shift in loyalty can be enforced without any substantive change in the organization of the militias. The Tower notes that Sunni lawmakers expect this situation to further contribute to sectarian tensions, and it quotes one of them as saying, We believe that this is the start of partitioning Iraq and a clear rejection of the Sunnis in the country. Much of the existing sectarian strife has already been widely attributed to Iranian influence, which provided foreign support to former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as he drove Sunnis out of government and consolidated power into a small set of hardline Shiite politicians. This has in turn been blamed for the rise of ISIL in Iraq as an alternative to the Shiite power base. The Tower also points out that many of the Shiite militias currently comprising the so-called Popular Mobilization Forces have been accused of human rights violations against Sunni populations, rivaling the severity of ISIL atrocities targeting Shiites and other groups. If these Iran-backed groups continue to be legitimized and allowed to wield ongoing influence, it will certainly be a further source of anxiety for Irans Arab rivals in the region, regarding the expansion of an Iranian imperialist project. An article published by The National on Monday pointed to the fact that these anxieties have already contributed to deepening militarization of the Middle East. The article made reference to a report, Iran and the Gulf Military Balance, that was published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies and that pointed to the need for the Gulf Arab states to rely on deterrence, containment, and counterterrorism in order to compensate for the growth of Iranian influence in places like Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. The National article also quoted Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, chairman of the Arab Council for Social Sciences, as saying that this Iranian influence has contributed to a situation in which the Middle East is more militarized that at any time in its history. Meanwhile, Sabahat Khan of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis highlighted the effect of the lifting of economic sanctions on Irans ability to acquire new weapons for itself while expanding networks and alliances among armed groups elsewhere in the region. If this seems to call for a change in Western policy toward Iran, the CSIS report appears to go further. It arguably endorses regime change, at least as one potential means of interrupting the arms race in the Middle East, when it declares, Only a moderate regime in Iran, broadly based development and governance for all the people, and dealing with the causes of extremism can bring lasting security. The man who has been called the "poster boy for greedy drug company executives" and "the most hated man in the world", Martin Shkreli, has responded to reports that a group of Sydney schoolboys made a drug that his company charges at $US750 ($A1011) a tablet. Soon after the Fairfax Media report broke, people on Twitter started peppering Mr Shkreli with questions about the story. Mr Shkreli's company gained the rights to Daraprim, an anti-parasitic medication listed by the World Health Organisation as essential, and soon after he raised the price from $US13.50 ($18) to $US750 a dose. A Perth community claims its history is being bulldozed by development as it gears up for its latest fight to stop a century-old pub once used by the ANZACs from being demolished to make way for a petrol station. The Darling Range Hotel in Bellevue in Perth's east, built in 1903 on Great Eastern Highway, was a popular watering hole for World War I diggers and their families stationed at Blackboy Hill military training camp. The Federation-style hotel, which is now divided into two businesses - an Indian restaurant and skimpy's bar - is under threat of being bulldozed after the site's owners applied to have the building demolished and replaced with a service station. Locals claim if the pub is knocked down, it will become one of several historic hotels in the Midland area to be lost to fire or bulldozed for development, with hundreds rallying to protect the site. A Baldivis councillor has called for the suburb to become the 'marijuana capital' of WA. City of Rockingham councillor Matt Whitfield said the local community should look beyond the stigma associated with marijuana cultivation and begin to seriously consider it as a way to stimulate economic growth in the Baldivis area. "Baldivis is traditionally a farming area - there are a lot of experienced farmers with knowledge to share, the soils are good, we have a lot of land to use, the transport links are great with direct access to the freeway and there is a lot of land away from residential areas that could be protected," he said. Marijuana farming and supply for medicinal purposes became legal in WA as of November 1, and Cnr Whitfield is keen for Baldivis to get on board with the new opportunity. Material stolen by Russia's intelligence services was feverishly promoted by online personas and numerous fake accounts through links to leaked material and misleading narratives, according to an analysis of thousands of postings, links and documents by FireEye, which tracks Russian and Chinese hackers breaking into US systems. Russia's government didn't just hack and leak documents from US political groups during the presidential campaign: It used social media as a weapon to influence perceptions about the election , according to cybersecurity company FireEye Inc. Russian hacking like a tank in a field. Credit:AP "The dawning of Russia as a cyber power is at a whole other level than it ever was before," DeWalt said in an interview in Washington. "We've seen what I believe is the most historical event maybe in American democracy history in terms of the Russian campaign." The closeness of the November 8 election sparked scrutiny over the spread of fake news and has fuelled demands from Green Party candidate Jill Stein, backed by some Democrats and independents, for a recount in key states lost by Democrat Hillary Clinton. President-elect Donald Trump responded on Twitter that "millions" of people voted illegally, which he said may have been what cost him the popular vote, but he offered no evidence. A computer scientist for Stein said security flaws in voting machines and suspicions of Russian meddling justified the recount efforts. J. Alex Halderman, a professor at the University of Michigan, said hackers could have infected Pennsylvania's voting machines with malware designed to lay dormant for weeks, pop up on Election Day and then erase itself without a trace. Trump narrowly won Pennsylvania as well as two other states where Stein's campaign may seek recounts, Michigan and Wisconsin. Kevin Mandia, chief executive officer, of Milpitas, California-based FireEye, and DeWalt said in the interview this week that they haven't seen any evidence that US vote tabulation systems were hacked. And US officials have said they saw only "minor" cyber incidents on Election Day. Cape Canaveral: An unmanned Russian cargo ship loaded with more than 2.5 tonnes of food and supplies for the International Space Station has broken apart about six minutes after lift-off, Russia's space agency Roscosmos says. A Soyuz rocket carrying the Progress capsule blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan as planned on Thursday morning, a NASA TV broadcast showed. But ground control teams then lost radio contact with the rocket and most of the spacecraft fragments burned in the dense atmosphere, Roscosmos said in a statement. It added that the capsule was last confirmed flying at an altitude of about 190km over the remote and unpopulated area of the Republic of Tuva. On the occasion of the First Africa Trade Facilitation Forum held at African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa from 1 to 2 December 2016, the Ethiopian Revenues and Customs Authority (ERCA) invited the WCO Secretary General, Kunio Mikuriya, to a meeting with the newly appointed ERCA Director General, Mr. Kebede Chane, who is Ethiopia's former Trade Minister. Together with the Director General and his senior management team, Dr. Mikuriya reviewed the progress made in modernizing Ethiopian Customs over the past few years with IT developments such as the introduction of a Single Window and a Cargo Tracking System, as well as advances in human resource management, with the implementation of gender balance policy (women currently make up 40% of the ERCA workforce). ERCA was one of the first WCO Members to implement the Mercator Programme following a scoping mission in May this year and subsequent agreement on the Mercator Implementation Plan in October. Mr. Chane reaffirmed his commitment to provide the necessary support for the Mercator Programme on behalf of his government. Dr. Mikuriya welcomed the strong political support for Customs reform in Ethiopia, including early ratification of the Revised Kyoto Convention, and the fact that the management and reform team together with the necessary resources have already been secured. He also described the available guidance and best practices aimed at addressing identified areas for improvement, while emphasising the importance of human resource development. In this connection, the translation of the WCO e-learning and training material into Amharic has already begun under the Mercator Programme. Both Mr. Chane and Dr. Mikuriya agreed on the need to enhance communication to combat illicit trade, protect citizens and increase border security as well as to ensure efficient and fair revenue collection, which will also contribute to improving the business environment. The World Customs Organization (WCO) with the support of the Azerbaijan State Customs Committee, Korean Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF Korea) and the WCO Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB) for Europe, organized a Regional Workshop on E-Commerce and Digital Customs for the Europe Region from 28 November to 1 December 2016 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Twenty-three middle ranking Customs officers from 18 countries of the Region (Albania, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Lithuania, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan) participated in the Workshop. In his opening remarks, Mr. Rza Hasanaliyev Jahangir, Deputy Chairman of the Azerbaijan State Customs Committee highlighted the significance of growing cross-border e-commerce and the need for Customs administrations to adequately prepare to address issues stemming therefrom through the exchange of views and information. In the same vein, he noted the importance of the use of modern technologies in the Customs environment and how Azerbaijan Customs had implemented several electronic services to improve its business processes. The experts from the WCO and Korea Customs Service (KCS) provided detailed information and explanations on international and regional developments within the Europe region, including opportunities, challenges and potential solutions in the area of cross-border e-commerce and Digital Customs, and presented related WCO tools and instruments, country examples, case studies and the WCOs ongoing and future envisaged work. The representatives from the Express Industry (DHL) and the Post (AzerPost) too shared their perspective, in particular how they were adapting to the growing e-commerce environment. Several opportunities in terms of leveraging respective control and compliance mechanisms of express service providers and postal operators in improving compliance and strengthening risk management together with related working experiences were discussed. In a wide-ranging discussion, participants shared their national experiences and initiatives concerning effective risk management and efficient revenue collection on low-value shipments. The participants also shared respective practical experiences/best practices relating to the implementation various ICT solutions. Through group exercises, the participants explored different scenarios including the pros and cons of establishing a high/low threshold for low-value consignments noting that there was no one-size-fits-all approach in terms of de minimis regime. Additionally, the accession/ratification and the harmonized implementation of the WCO Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC), the WCO Immediate Release Guidelines, and the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA) were discussed in the context of further supporting e-commerce flows. Being the first of its kind in the Region, the Workshop was very well received by participants and raised a lot of interest and robust discussions. Participants acquired an enhanced understanding of issues relating to cross-border commerce and Digital Customs as well as relevant WCO instruments and tools in terms of their effective and harmonized implementation at the national/regional level. Furthermore, they learned how the different WCO instruments and tools could support the facilitation of low-value shipments whilst ensuring effective revenue collection and supply chain security. The workshop also enabled the participants in developing a broad strategy as a potential way forward, which inter alia included adoption of a risk-based approach based on advance electronic data (from e-commerce stakeholders such as Posts, express service providers, e-platforms/marketplaces ); the implementation/enhancement of ICT in close coordination with other government agencies and private sector stakeholders leading to a paperless single window environment; and the development of IT and data analytics capabilities including internet monitoring. In the postal context, some participants shared their ongoing efforts with respective postal operators which included the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and the implementation of integrated or interfaced postal-Customs systems. Participants also had an opportunity to visit the Azerbaijan Customs Targeting Center to gain first-hand practical knowledge of Unified Automated Information System and to observe the live operations of border management and Customs clearance processes through the use of IT including GPS enabled e-seals for tracking and targeting of consignments. Additionally, the Workshop provided participants with a good opportunity to establish networks with other Customs administration of the Region through an enhanced understanding of issues of mutual interest at the regional level. At the invitation of H.E. Mrs. Fatima Haram Acyl, Commissioner for Trade and Industry, African Union (AU) Commission, the WCO Secretary General, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, spoke at the Africa Trade Facilitation Forum during the Africa Trade Week. The event, held at African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) on 1 and 2 December 2016, was attended by numerous trade ministers and representatives from international organizations, Customs and businesses. In his keynote speech, Dr. Mikuriya re-iterated WCO's support for the Boost Intra-African Trade (BIAT) initiative and the Continental Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) in Africa. Given the low share of intra-regional trade in Africa in the early 2010s, standing at 12%, compared with 70% in Europe and 50% in Asia at that time, the AU estimated there should be higher intra-African trade in the era of the Global Value Chain (GVC) and had consequently launched the BIAT and CFTA initiatives in early 2012. Dr. Mikuriya explained that the WCO had helped revive the AU Sub-Committee of Directors General of Customs and offered the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC) and other tools in support of the BIAT initiative and in preparation for the CFTA. As the high-level principles of the RKC are incorporated in the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA), the RKC was proposed to guide the AU's BIAT initiative in the same way as it was already guiding TFA implementation. The Secretary General went on to outline some of the WCO's initiatives in relation to the TFA, namely the launch of the Mercator Programme in 2014 to provide tailor-made capacity building and technical assistance to Customs for TFA implementation, and which also addressed the BIAT initiative and regional integration. In addition, the WCO collaborate with the AU to develop a pool of experts on the African continent to support TFA implementation. Other WCO initiatives were highlighted, such as the development of Transit Guidelines, which would enhance trade facilitation and help boost intra-African trade, as well as the WCO's work in the area of Customs-Business Partnership, including Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programmes, initiatives for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and Coordinated Border Management (CBM). During his intervention at another panel session on Customs Reform and the BIAT initiative, alongside five African Customs administrations, Dr. Mikuriya shared best practices and lessons learned by Customs on border control and transport connections. Natural gas ETFs in the US have gained ground this winter from increased heating demand. Long-term prospects are also positive as the US becomes the third-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, according to a report by etftrends.com. Figures from S&P Global Platts show that the US has exported an average of 7.4 billion cubic feet of gas per day in November, compared to 7 billion per day imported. This marks the first time in 60 years that the US was a net exporter of natural gas, according to the US Energy Information Administration. There is optimism for the sector due to last years lifting of restrictions on crude oil exports. The move has opened up the global market for US natural gas, a by-product of shale oil production that has been increasing as a result of an ongoing industry boom. The largest export destinations for the US are Mexico and Canada, which are co-signatories in the North American Free Trade Agreement. The US is also exploring the possibility of shipping natural gas to Asian countries it has trade deals with, like Singapore and South Korea. However, some pundits are concerned over the possible adverse effect of a Donald Trump presidency on US trade with Mexico, which would slow gas exports south of the border. Related stories: Are low-volatility ETFs losing their luster? New resource-linked ETF launched [December 01, 2016] Mouser Electronics and Grant Imahara Release New Video Showing Drone Platform for Project First Responders Mouser Electronics Inc., together with Easy Aerial Inc. and celebrity engineer Grant Imahara, today launched the second video episode from the latest series in the Empowering Innovation Together program. The new Project First Responders focuses on creating a proof of concept for an autonomous, cloud-based drone platform for public safety operations during emergencies such as wildfires. The drone project is being developed in the Mouser Innovation Lab with parts from platinum sponsor TE Connectivity. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161201006281/en/ Mouser Electronics and Grant Imahara launch the second video episode from the Project First Responders series. This new video explores the challenges of launching multiple drones in public safety operations. To see the new video and more from the Empowering Innovation Together program, visit www.mouser.com/empowering-innovation. (Photo: Business Wire) With Project First Responders, the team seeks to develop new technology that can help save communities and lives - all by bringing top engineering minds together in the Mouser Innovation Lab. In the first episode, Mouser, Grant and team focused on the need for a communications network that could link multiple drones for a single purpose. By employing Easy Aerial's GlobalARC peer-to-peer communications platform, the team can control multiple drones to help first responders in natural disasters or other crises. In the latest episode, the team focuses on continuing the proof of concept by diving into the logistical hurdles of having drones available when needed, ensuring and maintaining communications between cell towers and drones during a natural disaster, and providing essential security levels for different users or government agencies. "This new series in the Empowering Innovation Together program is an opportunity to foster innovation and use technology to improve - or, even better, to save - lives," said Glenn Smith, President and CEO of Mouser Electronics. "Drones can be a huge advantage to agencies fighting natural disasters," said Grant Imahara. "They can launch immediately, gather vital data about an emergency situation, and help efficiently relay that information to all agencies involved, all without putting further lives at risk." The drone project also features products from Intel. To learn more about Mouser's Empowering Innovation Together program - featuring new projects like 3D-printing cars with drone launching technology - visit http://www.mouser.com/empowering-innovation. To watch the new video on Mouser's YouTube (News - Alert) channel, visit https://youtu.be/HnuRsqEBf9U. About Mouser Electronics Mouser Electronics, a subsidiary of TTI, Inc., is part of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway family of companies. Mouser is an award-winning, authorized semiconductor and electronic component distributor, focused on the rapid introduction of new products and technologies to electronic design engineers and buyers. Mouser.com features more than 4 million products online from more than 600 manufacturers. Mouser publishes multiple catalogs per year providing designers with up-to-date data on the components now available for the next generation of electronic devices. Mouser ships globally to over 500,000 customers in 170 countries from its 750,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility south of Dallas, Texas. For more information, visit www.mouser.com. About Grant Imahara Well known in the engineering community, Grant Imahara has paired his engineering expertise with a Hollywood TV and film career. In addition to his roles on MythBusters and BattleBots, Imahara is the inventor behind many famous robotic characters, including the Star Wars prequel-era R2-D2, talking robot sidekick Geoff Peterson from The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and the rhythmic arms on the modern-day Energizer (News - Alert) Bunny. About GlobalARC GlobalARC is a full service UAV deployment and management system with built-in airspace compliance and live video feed from drones. It was built by Easy Aerial for professionals looking to manage their fleets and engage in commercial UAV operations. GlobalARC enables companies and service providers to integrate UAV operations into their day to day activities and quickly scale while automatically complying with current rules and regulations. To learn more, visit www.globalarc.us. Trademarks Mouser and Mouser Electronics are registered trademarks of Mouser Electronics, Inc. All other products, logos, and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. TE Connectivity (News - Alert) is a trademark. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161201006281/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Your Ultimate Investing Toolkit Sign up for MarketBeat All Access to gain access to MarketBeat's full suite of research tools: Portfolio Monitoring Top Stock Lists Premium Reports Stock Screeners Live News Feed Premium Support Free for your first month. The following companies are subsidiares of MetLife: 10700 WILSHIRE LLC, 1201 TAB MANAGER LLC, 1350 EYE STREET MANAGER LLC, 1350 EYE STREET OWNER LLC, 150 NORTH RIVERSIDE PE MEMBER LLC, 1925 WJC OWNER LLC, 23RD STREET INVESTMENTS INC., 500 GRANT STREET ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, 500 GRANT STREET GP LLC, 6104 HOLLYWOOD LLC, AFP GENESIS ADMINISTRADORA DE FONDOS Y FIDECOMISOS S.A., AGENVITA S.R.L., ALICO HELLAS SINGLE MEMBER LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, ALICO OPERATIONS LLC, American Life Insurance Company, BEST MARKET S.A., BLOCK VISION HOLDINGS CORPORATION, BLOCK VISION OF TEXAS INC., BORDERLAND INVESTMENTS LIMITED, BOULEVARD RESIDENTIAL LLC, BUFORD LOGISTICS CENTER LLC, CC HOLDCO MANAGER LLC, CHESTNUT FLATS WIND LLC, CLOSED JOINT-STOCK COMPANY MASTER-D, COMPANIA INVERSORA METLIFE S.A., CORPORATE REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS LLC, COVA LIFE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, DAVIS VISION INC., DAVISVISION IPA INC., DELAWARE AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, EURO CL INVESTMENTS LLC, EXCELENCIA OPERATIVA Y TECNOLOGICA S.A de C.V., FORTISSIMO CO. LTD, FUNDACION METLIFE MEXICO A.C., GLOBAL PROPERTIES INC., General American Life Insurance Company, Grand Bank N.A., HASKELL EAST VILLAGE LLC, HOUSING FUND MANAGER LLC, INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL AND ADVISORY SERVICES LIMITED, INVERSIONES METLIFE HOLDCO DOS LIMITADA, INVERSIONES METLIFE HOLDCO TRES LIMITADA, LHC HOLDINGS LLC, LHCW HOLDINGS LLC, LHCW HOTEL HOLDING 2002 LLC, LHCW HOTEL HOLDING LLC, LHCW HOTEL OPERATING COMPANY 2002 LLC, LUMENLAB MALAYSIA SDN. BHD., Logan Circle Partners, MARKETPLACE RESIDENCES LLC, MC PORTFOLIO JV MEMBER LLC, MCJV LLC, MCPP OWNERS LLC, MCRE BLOCK 40 LP, MEC HEALTH CARE INC., MET 1065 HOTEL LLC, MET CANADA SOLAR ULC, METLIFE 1007 STEWART LLC, METLIFE 1201 TAB MEMBER LLC, METLIFE 425 MKT MANAGER LLC, METLIFE 425 MKT MEMBER LLC, METLIFE 555 12TH MEMBER LLC, METLIFE 8280 MEMBER LLC, METLIFE ACOMA OWNER LLC, METLIFE ADMINISTRADORA DE FUNDOS MULTIPATROCINADOS LTDA., METLIFE ALTERNATIVES GP LLC, METLIFE ASHTON AUSTIN OWNER LLC, METLIFE ASIA HOLDING COMPANY PTE. LTD., METLIFE ASIA LIMITED, METLIFE ASIA SERVICES SDN. BHD, METLIFE ASSET MANAGEMENT CORP., METLIFE ASSIGNMENT COMPANY INC., METLIFE BORO STATION MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CAMINO RAMON MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CAMPUS AT SGV MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CAPITAL CREDIT L.P., METLIFE CAPITAL LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, METLIFE CAPITAL TRUST IV, METLIFE CB W/A LLC, METLIFE CC MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CHILE ADMINISTRADORA DE MUTUOS HIPOTECARIOS S.A., METLIFE CHILE INVERSIONES LIMITADA, METLIFE CHILE SEGUROS DE VIDA S.A., METLIFE CHILE SEGUROS GENERALES S.A., METLIFE CHINO MEMBER LLC, METLIFE COLOMBIA SEGUROS de VIDA S.A., METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE INCOME FUND GP LLC, METLIFE CONSQUARE MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CONSUMER SERVICES INC., METLIFE CORE PROPERTY FUND GP LLC, METLIFE CREDIT CORP., METLIFE DIGITAL VENTURES INC., METLIFE ENHANCED CORE PROPERTY FUND GP LLC, METLIFE EU HOLDING COMPANY LIMITED, METLIFE EUROPE INSURANCE d.a.c., METLIFE EUROPE SERVICES LIMITED, METLIFE EUROPE d.a.c., METLIFE EUROPEAN HOLDINGS LLC., METLIFE FINANCIAL SERVICES CO. LTD, METLIFE FM HOTEL MEMBER LLC, METLIFE FUNDING INC., METLIFE GENERAL INSURANCE LIMITED, METLIFE GLOBAL BENEFITS LTD., METLIFE GLOBAL HOLDING COMPANY I GMBH, METLIFE GLOBAL HOLDING COMPANY II GMBH, METLIFE GLOBAL HOLDINGS CORPORATION S.A. De C.V., METLIFE GLOBAL INC., METLIFE GLOBAL OPERATIONS SUPPORT CENTER PRIVATE LIMITED, METLIFE GROUP INC., METLIFE HCMJV 1 GP LLC, METLIFE HCMJV 1 LP LLC, METLIFE HEALTH PLANS INC., METLIFE HOLDINGS INC., METLIFE HOME LOANS LLC, METLIFE INNOVATION CENTRE LIMITED, METLIFE INNOVATION CENTRE PTE. LTD., METLIFE INSURANCE AND INVESTMENT TRUST, METLIFE INSURANCE BROKERAGE INC., METLIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OF KOREA LTD., METLIFE INSURANCE K.K., METLIFE INSURANCE LIMITED, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL HF PARTNERS LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED LLC, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND I LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND II LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND III LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND IV LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND V LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND VI LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND VII LP, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT EUROPE LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT HOLDINGS LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LLC, METLIFE INVESTMENTS ASIA LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENTS LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENTS PTY LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENTS SECURITIES LLC, METLIFE INVESTORS DISTRIBUTION COMPANY, METLIFE INVESTORS GROUP LLC, METLIFE IRELAND TREASURY D.A.C., METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY FUND GP LLC, METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY FUND LP, METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY OWNERS BLOCKER LLC, METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY OWNERS LLC, METLIFE LATIN AMERICA ASESORIAS E INVERSIONES LIMITADA, METLIFE LEGAL PLANS INC., METLIFE LEGAL PLANS OF FLORIDA INC., METLIFE LHH MEMBER LLC, METLIFE LIFE INSURANCE S.A., METLIFE LOAN ASSET MANAGEMENT LLC, METLIFE LONG SHORT CREDIT FUND LP, METLIFE LONG SHORT CREDIT MASTER FUND LP, METLIFE LONG SHORT CREDIT PARALLEL FUND LP, METLIFE MAS S.A. DE C.V., METLIFE MEXICO HOLDINGS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., METLIFE MEXICO S.A. DE C.V., METLIFE MEXICO SERVICIOS S.A. DE C.V., METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT FUND II LP, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT GP II LLC, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT GP LLC, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT II RATED FUND LP, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT PARALLEL FUND LP, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT PARALLEL GP LLC, METLIFE MMPD II SPECIAL LLC, METLIFE MULTI-FAMILY PARTNERS III LLC, METLIFE OBS MEMBER LLC, METLIFE OFC MEMBER LLC, METLIFE ONTARIO STREET MEMBR LLC, METLIFE PARK TOWER MEMBER LLC, METLIFE PENSION TRUSTEES LIMITED, METLIFE PENSIONES MEXICO S.A., METLIFE PET INSURANCE SOLUTIONS LLC, METLIFE PLANOS ODONTOLOGICOS LTDA., METLIFE POWSZECHNE TOWARTZYSTWO EMERYTALNE S.A., METLIFE PRIVATE EQUITY HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE PROPERTIES VENTURES LLC, METLIFE RC SF MEMBER LLC, METLIFE REAL ESTATE LENDING LLC, METLIFE REINSURANCE COMPANY OF BERMUDA LTD., METLIFE REINSURANCE COMPANY OF CHARLESTON, METLIFE REINSURANCE COMPANY OF VERMONT, METLIFE RETIREMENT SERVICES LLC, METLIFE SECURITIZATION DEPOSITOR LLC, METLIFE SEGUROS S.A., METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING FINCO LLC, METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING FUND LP, METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING GP LLC, METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING HOLDINGS LP, METLIFE SERVICES AND SOLUTIONS LLC, METLIFE SERVICES CYPRUS LTD., METLIFE SERVICES EAST PRIVATE LIMITED, METLIFE SERVICES EEIG, METLIFE SERVICES EOOD, METLIFE SERVICES SOCIEDAD LIMITADA, METLIFE SERVICES SP Z.O.O, METLIFE SERVICIOS S.A., METLIFE SINGLE FAMILY RENTAL FUND GP LLC, METLIFE SINGLE FAMILY RENTAL FUND LP, METLIFE SOLUTIONS PTE. LTD., METLIFE SOLUTIONS S.A.S., METLIFE SP HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE STRATEGIC HOTEL DEBT FUND GP LLC, METLIFE SYNDICATED BANK LOAN LUX GP S.A.R.L., METLIFE THR INVESTOR LLC, METLIFE TOWARZYSTWO FUNDUSZY INWESTYCYJNYCH S.A., METLIFE TOWARZYSTWO UBEZPIECZEN NA ZYCIE I REASEKURACJI S.A., METLIFE TOWER RESOURCES GROUP INC., METLIFE TREAT TOWERS MEMBER LLC, METLIFE WORLDWIDE HOLDINGS LLC, METROPOLITAN GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN GLOBAL MANAGEMENT LLC, METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN LIFE SEGUROS E PREVIDENCIA PRIVADA S.A., METROPOLITAN LIFE SOCIETATE de ADMINISTRARE a UNUI FOND de PENSII ADMINISTRAT PRIVAT S.A., METROPOLITAN TOWER LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN TOWER REALTY COMPANY INC., MEX DF PROPERTIES LLC, MFA FINANCING VEHICLE CTR1 LLC, MIDTOWN HEIGHTS LLC, MIM CAMPUS AT SGV MANAGER LLC, MIM CLAL GENERAL PARTNER LLC, MIM CM SYNDICATOR LLC, MIM EMD GP LLC, MIM I LLC, MIM LS GP LLC, MIM METWEST INTERNATIONAL MANAGER LLC, MIM ML-AI VENTURE 5 MANAGER LLC, MIM OMD MANAGER LLC, MIM PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LLC, MIM PROPERTY MANAGEMENT OF GEORGIA 1 LLC, MIM SPOKANE INDUSTRIAL MANAGER LLC, MIM THIRD ARMY INDUSTRIAL MANAGER LLC, MISSOURI REINSURANCE INC., ML 300 THIRD MEMBER LLC, ML ARMATURE MEMBER LLC, ML BELLEVUE MANAGER LLC, ML BELLEVUE MEMBER LLC, ML CAPACITACION COMERCIAL S.A. DE C.V., ML CERRITOS TC MEMBER LLC, ML CLAL MEMBER LLC, ML CORNER 63 MEMBER LLC, ML DOLPHIN GP LLC, ML DOLPHIN MEZZ LLC, ML HUDSON MEMBER LLC, ML MATSON MILLS MEMBER LLC, ML MILILANI MEMBER LLC, ML OMD MEMBER LLC, ML ONE BEDMINSTER LLC, ML PORT CHESTER SC MEMBER LLC, ML SENTINEL SQUARE MEMBER LLC, ML SLOANS LAKE MEMEBR LLC, ML SOUTHLANDS MEMBER LLC, ML SOUTHMORE LLC, ML SPOKANE INDUSTRIAL MEMBER LLC, ML SWAN GP LLC, ML SWAN MEZZ LLC, ML TERRACES LLC, ML THIRD ARMY INDUSTRIAL MEMBER LLC, ML VENTURE 1 MANAGER S. DE R. L. DE C.V., ML VENTURE 1 SERVICER LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 1 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 2 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 3 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 4 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 5 LLC, ML-URS PORT CHESTER SC MANAGER LLC, MLIA MANAGER I LLC, MLIA PARK TOWER MANAGER LLC, MLIA SBAF COLONY MANAGER LLC, MLIA SBAF MANAGER LLC, MLIC ASSET HOLDINGS II LLC, MLIC ASSET HOLDINGS LLC, MLIC CB HOLDINGS LLC, MLJ US FEEDER LLC, MM GLOBAL OPERATIONS SUPPORT CENTER S.A. DE C.V., MMP CEDAR STREET OWNER LLC, MMP CEDAR STREET REIT LLC, MMP HOLDINGS III LLC, MMP OLIVIAN OWNER LLC, MMP OLIVIAN REIT LLC, MMP OWNERS III LLC, MMP OWNERS LLC, MMP SOUTH PARK OWNER LLC, MMP SOUTH PARK REIT LLC, MNQM TRUST 2020, MREF 425 MKT LLC, MSHDF HOLDCO I LLC, MSV IRVINE PROPERTY LLC, MTL LEASING LLC, MTU HOTEL OWNER LLC, NATILOPORTEM HOLDINGS LLC, NEWBURY INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, OCONEE GOLF COMPANY LLC, OCONEE HOTEL COMPANY LLC, OCONEE LAND COMPANY LLC, OCONEE LAND DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LLC, OCONEE MARINA COMPANY LLC, OMI MLIC INVESTMENTS LIMITED, PACIFIC LOGISTICS INDUSTRIAL NORTH LLC, PACIFIC LOGISTICS INDUSTRIAL SOUTH LLC, PARK TOWER JV MEMBER LLC, PARK TOWER REIT INC., PJSC METLIFE, PLAZA DRIVE PROPERTIES LLC, PREFCO FOURTEEN LLC, PREFCO XIV HOLDINGS LLC, PROVIDA INTERNACIONAL S.A., SAFEGUARD HEALTH ENTERPRISES INC., SAFEGUARD HEALTH PLANS INC., SAFEHEALTH LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, SOUTHCREEK INDUSTRIAL HOLDINGS LLC, ST. JAMES FLEET INVESTMENTS TWO LIMITED, SUPERIOR PROCUREMENT INC., SUPERIOR VISION BENEFIT MANAGEMENT INC., SUPERIOR VISION HOLDINGS INC., SUPERIOR VISION INSURANCE INC., SUPERIOR VISION INSURANCE PLAN OF WISCONSIN INC., SUPERIOR VISION OF NEW JERSEY INC., SUPERIOR VISION SERVICES INC., Safeguard Health Enterprises, Security First Group Inc., THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH AVENUE MEZZANINE LLC, THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH RETAIL HOLDING LLC, THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH RETAIL OWNER, THE DIRECT CALL CENTRE PTY LIMITED, TRANSMOUNTAIN LAND & LIVESTOCK COMPANY, UVC INDEPENDENT PRACTICE ASSOCIATION INC., VERSANT HEALTH CONSOLIDATIONS CORP., VERSANT HEALTH HOLDCO INC., VERSANT HEALTH INC., VERSANT HEALTH LAB LLC, VIRIDIAN MIRACLE MILE LLC, VISION 21 MANAGED EYE CARE OF TAMPA BAY INC., VISION 21 PHYSICIAN PRACTICE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, VISION TWENTY-ONE MANAGED EYE CARE IPA INC., Versant Health, WDV ACQUISITION CORP., WFP 1000 HOLDING COMPANY GP LLC, WHITE OAK ROYALTY COMPANY, WHITE TRACT II LLC, and Willing. Read More The following companies are subsidiares of PepsiCo: Alimentos Quaker Oats y Compania Limitada, Alimentos del Istmo S.A., Amavale Agricola Ltda., Anderson Hill Insurance Limited, Asia Bottlers Limited, BAESA Capital Corporation Ltd., BFY Brands, BFY Brands LLC, BFY Brands Limited, BUG de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Balmoral Industries LLC, Bare Foods Co., Barrhead LLC, Be & Cheery, Beaman Bottling Company, Bebidas Sudamerica S.A., Beech Limited, Bell Taco Funding Syndicate, Bendler Investments II Ltd, Bendler Investments S.a r.l, Beverage Services Limited, Beverages Foods & Service Industries Inc., Bishkeksut OJSC, Blaue NC S. de R.L. de C.V., Blue Cloud Distribution Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arizona Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Arkansas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Colorado Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Florida Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Georgia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Illinois Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Indiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Iowa Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Kentucky Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Louisiana Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Minnesota Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Mississippi Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Missouri Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nebraska Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Nevada Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of North Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Ohio Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Oklahoma Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Pennsylvania Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of South Carolina Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Tennessee Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Texas Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Virginia Inc., Blue Cloud Distribution of Wisconsin Inc., Blue Ridge Sales LLC, Bluebird Foods Limited, Bluecan Holdings Unlimited Company, Bokomo Zambia Limited, Bolsherechensky Molkombinat JSC, Boquitas Fiestas LLC, Boquitas Fiestas S.R.L., Bottling Group Financing LLC, Bottling Group Holdings LLC, Bottling Group LLC, Bronte Industries Ltd, C & I Leasing Inc., CB Manufacturing Company Inc., CEME Holdings LLC, CMC Investment Company, Caroni Investments LLC, Centro-Mediterranea de Bebidas Carbonicas PepsiCo S.L., Ceres Fruit Juices Pty Ltd, ChampBev Inc., China Concentrate Holdings Hong Kong Limited, Chipsy International for Food Industries S.A.E., Chipsy for Food Industries S.A.E., Chitos Internacional y Cia Ltda, Cipa Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cipa Nordeste Industrial de Produtos Alimentares Ltda., Cocina Autentica Inc., Comercializadora CMC Investment y Compania Limitada, Comercializadora Nacional SAS Ltda., Comercializadora PepsiCo Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., Compania de Bebidas PepsiCo S.L., Concentrate Holding Uruguay Pte. Ltd., Concentrate Manufacturing Singapore Pte. Ltd., Confiteria Alegro S. de R.L. de C.V., Copella Fruit Juices Limited, Copper Beech International LLC, Corina Snacks Limited, Corporativo Internacional Mexicano S. de R.L. de C.V., CytoSport Holdings Inc., CytoSport Inc., Davlyn Realty Corporation, Defosto Holdings Limited, Desarrollo Inmobiliario Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Dilexis S.A., Donon Holdings Limited, Drinkfinity USA Inc., Drinkstation Inc., Drinkstation Innovation Co. Ltd., Drinkstation Limited, Dutch Snacks Holding S.A. de C.V., Duyvis Production B.V., EPIC Enterprises Inc., Echo Bay Holdings Inc., Elaboradora Argentina de Cereales S.R.L., Enter Logistica LLC, Environ at Inverrary Partnership, Environ of Inverrary Inc., Eridanus Investments S.a r.l, Evercrisp Snack Productos de Chile S.A., FL Transportation Inc., FLI Andean LLC, FLI Colombia LLC, FLI Snacks Andean GP LLC, Fabrica PepsiCo Mexicali S. de R.L. de C.V., Fabrica de Productos Alimenticios Rene y Cia S.C.A., Fairlight International SRL, Far East Bottlers Hong Kong Limited, Food Concepts Pioneer Ltd., Forest Akers Nederland B.V., Forty-Six Peaks Holding Inc., Fovarosi Asvanyviz es Uditoipari Zartkoruen Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag, Freshwater International B.V., Frito Lay Gida Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Frito Lay Poland Sp. z o.o., Frito Lay Sp. z o.o., Frito Lay de Guatemala y Compania Limitada, Frito-Lay Australia Holdings Pty Limited, Frito-Lay Dip Company Inc., Frito-Lay Dominicana S.A., Frito-Lay Global Investments B.V., Frito-Lay Inc., Frito-Lay Investments B.V., Frito-Lay Manufacturing LLC, Frito-Lay Netherlands Holding B.V., Frito-Lay North America Inc., Frito-Lay Sales Inc., Frito-Lay Trading Company Europe GmbH, Frito-Lay Trading Company GmbH, Frito-Lay Trading Company Poland GmbH, Frito-Lay Trinidad Unlimited, Fruko Mesrubat Sanayi Limited Sirketi, GB Czech LLC, GB International Inc., GB Russia LLC, GB Slovak LLC, GMP Manufacturing Inc., Gambrinus Investments Limited, Gamesa LLC, Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Gas Natural de Merida S. A. de C. V., Gatorade Puerto Rico Company, General Bottlers of Hungary Inc., Golden Grain Company, Goveh S.R.L., Grayhawk Leasing LLC, Green Hemlock International LLC, Grupo Frito Lay y Compania Limitada, Grupo Gamesa S. de R.L. de C.V., Grupo Mabel, Grupo Sabritas S. de R.L. de C.V., Gulkevichskiy Maslozavod JSC, Hangzhou Baicaowei Corporate Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Haomusi Food Co, Hangzhou Haomusi Food Co. Ltd., Hangzhou Tao Dao Technology Co. Ltd., Health Warrior, Health Warrior Inc., Heathland LP, Helioscope Limited, Hillbrook Inc., Hillgrove Inc., Hillwood Bottling LLC, Hogganfield Limited Partnership, Holding Company "Opolie" JSC, Homefinding Company of Texas, Hudson Valley Insurance Company, IC Equities Inc., IZZE Beverage Co., Inmobiliaria Interamericana S.A. De C.V., Integrated Beverage Services Bangladesh Limited, Integrated Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd., International Bottlers Management Co. LLC, International KAS Aktiengesellschaft, Inversiones Borneo S.R.L., Inversiones PFI Chile Limitada, Inviting Foods Holdings Inc., Inviting Foods LLC, KAS Anorthosis S.a r.l, KAS S.L., KFC, Kevita Inc., Kinvara LLC, Kungursky Molkombinat JSC, Larragana S.L., Latin American Holdings Ltd., Latin American Snack Foods ApS, Latin Foods International LLC, Lebedyansky, Lebedyansky Holdings LLC, Lebedyansky LLC, Limited Liability Company "Sandora", Linkbay Limited, Lithuanian Snacks UAB, Mabel, Marbo Product d.o.o. Beograd, Marbo d.o.o. Laktasi, Matudis - Comercio de Produtos Alimentares Limitada, Matutano - Sociedade de Produtos Alimentares Lda., Mid-America Improvement Corporation, Mountainview Insurance Company Inc., Muscle Milk, NCJV LLC, New Bern Transport Corporation, New Century Beverage Company LLC, Noble Leasing LLC, Northeast Hot-Fill Co-op Inc., Office at Solyanka LLC, Onbiso Inversiones S.L., One World Enterprises LLC, One World Investors Inc., P-A Barbados Bottling Company LLC, P-A Bottlers Barbados SRL, P-Americas LLC, PAS Luxembourg S.a r.l, PAS Netherlands B.V., PBG Canada Holdings II LLC, PBG Canada Holdings Inc., PBG Cyprus Holdings Limited, PBG Investment Partnership, PBG Midwest Holdings S.a r.l, PBG Soda Can Holdings S.a r.l, PCBL LLC, PCNA Manufacturing Inc., PR Beverages Cyprus Holding Limited, PR Beverages Cyprus Russia Holding Limited, PRB Luxembourg S.a r.l, PRS Inc., PSAS Inversiones LLC, PSE Logistica S.R.L., PT Quaker Indonesia, Papas Chips S.A., Pei N.V., Pep Trade LLC, Pepsi B.V., Pepsi Beverages Holdings Inc., Pepsi Bottling Group Global Finance LLC, Pepsi Bottling Group GmbH, Pepsi Bottling Group Hoosiers B.V., Pepsi Bottling Holdings Inc., Pepsi Bugshan Investments S.A.E., Pepsi Cola Colombia Ltda, Pepsi Cola Egypt S.A.E., Pepsi Cola Panamericana S.R.L., Pepsi Cola Servis Ve Dagitim Limited Sirketi, Pepsi Cola Trading Ireland, Pepsi Logistics Company Inc., Pepsi Northwest Beverages LLC, Pepsi Overseas Investments Partnership, Pepsi Promotions Inc., Pepsi-Cola Advertising and Marketing Inc., Pepsi-Cola Bermuda Limited, Pepsi-Cola Bottlers Holding C.V., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company Of St. Louis Inc., Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Ft. Lauderdale-Palm Beach LLC, Pepsi-Cola Company, Pepsi-Cola Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Pepsi-Cola Far East Trade Development Co. Inc., Pepsi-Cola Finance LLC, Pepsi-Cola General Bottlers Poland Sp. z o.o., Pepsi-Cola Industrial da Amazonia Ltda., Pepsi-Cola International Cork, Pepsi-Cola International LLC, Pepsi-Cola International Limited, Pepsi-Cola International Limited U.S.A., Pepsi-Cola International Private Limited, Pepsi-Cola Korea Co. Ltd., Pepsi-Cola Management and Administrative Services Inc., Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing Company Of Uruguay S.R.L., Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing International Limited, Pepsi-Cola Manufacturing Mediterranean Limited, Pepsi-Cola Marketing Corp. Of P.R. Inc., Pepsi-Cola Mediterranean Ltd., Pepsi-Cola Metropolitan Bottling Company Inc., Pepsi-Cola Mexicana Holdings LLC, Pepsi-Cola Mexicana S. de R.L. de C.V., Pepsi-Cola National Marketing LLC, Pepsi-Cola Operating Company Of Chesapeake And Indianapolis, Pepsi-Cola Sales and Distribution Inc., Pepsi-Cola Technical Operations Inc., Pepsi-Cola Thai Trading Co. Ltd., Pepsi-Cola de Honduras S.R.L., Pepsi-Cola of Corvallis Inc., PepsiAmericas Nemzetkozi Szolgaltato Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, PepsiCo ANZ Holdings Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Alimentos Antioquia Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Colombia Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Ecuador Cia. Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos Z.F. Ltda., PepsiCo Alimentos de Bolivia S.R.L., PepsiCo Amacoco Bebidas Do Brasil Ltda., PepsiCo Asia Research & Development Center Company Limited, PepsiCo Australia Financing Cyprus Limited, PepsiCo Australia Financing Limited Partnership, PepsiCo Australia Financing Partner 1 LLC, PepsiCo Australia Financing Partner 2 LLC, PepsiCo Australia Financing Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Australia Holdings Pty Limited, PepsiCo Australia International, PepsiCo Austria Services GmbH, PepsiCo Azerbaijan Limited Liability Company, PepsiCo BeLux BV, PepsiCo Beverage Sales LLC, PepsiCo Beverage Singapore Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Beverages Bermuda Limited, PepsiCo Beverages Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo Beverages International Limited, PepsiCo Beverages Italia Societa' A Responsabilita' Limitata, PepsiCo Canada Finance LLC, PepsiCo Canada Holdings ULC, PepsiCo Canada Investment ULC, PepsiCo Canada ULC, PepsiCo Captive Holdings Inc., PepsiCo Caribbean Inc., PepsiCo China Limited, PepsiCo Consulting Polska Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo De Bolivia S.R.L., PepsiCo Del Paraguay S.R.L., PepsiCo Deutschland GmbH, PepsiCo Eesti AS, PepsiCo Euro Bermuda Limited, PepsiCo Euro Finance Antilles B.V., PepsiCo Europe Support Center S.L., PepsiCo Finance Americas Company, PepsiCo Finance Antilles A N.V., PepsiCo Finance Antilles B N.V., PepsiCo Finance South Africa Proprietary Limited, PepsiCo Financial Shared Services Inc., PepsiCo Food & Beverage Holdings Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo Foods A.I.E., PepsiCo Foods China Company Limited, PepsiCo Foods Group Pty Ltd, PepsiCo Foods Guangdong Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Nigeria Limited, PepsiCo Foods Private Limited, PepsiCo Foods Sichuan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Taiwan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Foods Vietnam Company, PepsiCo France SAS, PepsiCo Global Business Services India LLP, PepsiCo Global Business Services Poland Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo Global Holdings Limited, PepsiCo Global Investments B.V., PepsiCo Global Investments S.a r.l, PepsiCo Global Mobility LLC, PepsiCo Global Real Estate Inc., PepsiCo Global Trading Solutions Unlimited Company, PepsiCo Golden Holdings Inc., PepsiCo Group Finance International B.V., PepsiCo Group Holdings International B.V., PepsiCo Group Spotswood Holdings S.a r.l, PepsiCo Gulf International FZE, PepsiCo Hellas Single Member Industrial and Commercial Societe Anonyme, PepsiCo Holding de Espana S.L., PepsiCo Holdings, PepsiCo Holdings LLC, PepsiCo Holdings Toshkent LLC, PepsiCo Hong Kong LLC, PepsiCo Iberia Servicios Centrales S.L., PepsiCo India Holdings Private Limited, PepsiCo India Sales Private Limited, PepsiCo Internacional Mexico S. de R. L. de C. V., PepsiCo International Hong Kong Limited, PepsiCo International Limited, PepsiCo International Pte Ltd., PepsiCo Investments Europe I B.V., PepsiCo Investments Ltd., PepsiCo Ireland Food & Beverages Unlimited Company, PepsiCo Japan Co. Ltd., PepsiCo Light B.V., PepsiCo Logistyka Sp. z o.o., PepsiCo Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., PepsiCo Management Services SAS, PepsiCo Manufacturing A.I.E., PepsiCo Max B.V., PepsiCo Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., PepsiCo Nederland B.V., PepsiCo Nordic Denmark ApS, PepsiCo Nordic Finland Oy, PepsiCo Nordic Norway AS, PepsiCo Nutrition Trading DMCC, PepsiCo One B.V., PepsiCo Overseas Corporation, PepsiCo Overseas Financing Partnership, PepsiCo Panimex Inc, PepsiCo Products B.V., PepsiCo Products FLLC, PepsiCo Puerto Rico Inc., PepsiCo Sales Inc., PepsiCo Sales LLC, PepsiCo Services Asia Ltd., PepsiCo Services CZ s.r.o., PepsiCo Services LLC, PepsiCo Twist B.V., PepsiCo UK Pension Plan Trustee Limited, PepsiCo Ventures B.V., PepsiCo Wave Holdings LLC, PepsiCo World Trading Company Inc., PepsiCo Y LLC, PepsiCo de Argentina S.R.L., PepsiCo de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., PepsiCo do Brasil Industria e Comercio de Alimentos Ltda., PepsiCo do Brasil Ltda., PepsiCola Interamericana de Guatemala S.A., Pet Iberia S.L., Pete & Johnny Limited, Pine International LLC, Pine International Limited, Pinstripe Leasing LLC, Pioneer Food Group Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Groceries Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Group Ltd., Pioneer Foods Holdings Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods Pty Ltd, Pioneer Foods UK Ltd, Pioneer Foods Wellingtons Pty Ltd, Pipers Crisps Limited, PlayCo Inc., Pop corners, PopCorners Holdings Inc., Portfolio Concentrate Solutions Unlimited Company, Premier Nutrition Trading L.L.C., Prestwick LLC, Prev PepsiCo Sociedade Previdenciaria, Productos Alimenticios Rene LLC, Productos S.A.S. 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Bhd., QTG Development Inc., QTG Services Inc., Quadrant - Amroq Beverages S.R.L., Quaker Development B.V., Quaker European Beverages LLC, Quaker European Investments B.V., Quaker Foods, Quaker Global Investments B.V., Quaker Holdings UK Limited, Quaker Manufacturing LLC, Quaker Oats Asia Inc., Quaker Oats Australia Pty Ltd, Quaker Oats B.V., Quaker Oats Capital Corporation, Quaker Oats Europe Inc., Quaker Oats Europe LLC, Quaker Oats Limited, Quaker Sales & Distribution Inc, Raptas Finance S.a r.l., Rare Fare Foods LLC, Rare Fare Holdings Inc., Reading Industries Ltd, Real Estate Holdings LLC, Rockstar Energy Drink, Rolling Frito-Lay Sales LP, S & T of Mississippi Inc., SIH International LLC, SVC Logistics Inc., SVC Manufacturing Inc., SVE Russia Holdings GmbH, Sabritas LLC, Sabritas S. de R.L. de C.V., Sabritas Snacks America Latina de Nicaragua y Cia Ltda, Sabritas de Costa Rica S. de R.L., Sabritas y Cia. S en C de C.V., Sakata Rice Snacks Australia Pty Ltd, Sandora Holdings B.V., Saudi Snack Foods Company Limited, Sea Eagle International SRL, Seepoint Holdings Ltd., Senselet Food Processing PLC, Senselet Holding B.V., Servicios GBF Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada, Servicios GFLG y Compania Limitada, Servicios Gamesa Puerto Rico L.L.C., Servicios SYC S. de R.L. de C.V., Seven-Up Asia Inc., Seven-Up Light B.V., Seven-Up Nederland B.V., Shanghai PepsiCo Snack Company Limited, Shanghai YuHo Agricultural Development Co. Ltd, Shoebill LLC, Simba (Proprietary) Limited, Simba Proprietary Limited, Sitka Spruce, Smartfoods Inc., Smiles and Bites Holdings S.de R.L. de C.V., Smiths Crisps Limited, Snack Food Investments GmbH, Snack Food Investments II GmbH, Snack Food Investments Limited, Snack Food-Beverage Asia Products Limited, Snacks America Latina S.R.L., Snacks Guatemala Ltd., So Spark Ltd., Soda-Club CO2 Atlantic GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 GmbH, Soda-Club CO2 Ltd., Soda-Club Switzerland GmbH, Soda-Club Worldwide B.V., SodaStream, SodaStream Australia Pty Ltd, SodaStream CO2 SA, SodaStream Canada Ltd., SodaStream Enterprises N.V., SodaStream France SAS, SodaStream GmbH, SodaStream Iberia S.L., SodaStream Industries Ltd., SodaStream International B.V., SodaStream International Ltd., SodaStream Israel Ltd., SodaStream K.K., SodaStream New Zealand Ltd., SodaStream Nordics AB, SodaStream Poland Sp. z o.o., SodaStream SA Pty Ltd., SodaStream Switzerland GmbH, SodaStream USA Inc., SodaStream Osterreich GmbH, South Beach Beverage Company Inc., South Properties Inc., Spitz International Inc., Sportmex Internacional S.A. de C.V., Springboig Industries Ltd, Spruce Limited, Stacy's Pita Chip Company Incorporated, Star Foods E.M. S.R.L., Stokely-Van Camp Inc., Stratosphere Communications Pty Ltd, Stratosphere Holdings 2018 Limited, Streamfoods Ltd, TFL Holdings LLC, Tasman Finance S.a r.l, The Gatorade Company, The Good Carb Food Company Ltd., The Pepsi Bottling Group Canada ULC, The Quaker Oats Company, The Smith's Snackfood Company Pty Limited, Thomond Group Holdings Limited, Tobago Snack Holdings LLC, Tropicana Alvalle S.L., Tropicana Beverages Limited, Tropicana Europe N.V., Tropicana United Kingdom Limited, Troya-Ultra LLC, United Foods Companies Restaurantes S.A., V-Water, VentureCo Israel Ltd, Veurne Snack Foods BV, Vitamin Brands Ltd., Walkers Crisps Limited, Walkers Group Limited, Walkers Snack Foods Limited, Walkers Snacks Distribution Limited, Walkers Snacks Limited, Whitman Corporation, Whitman Insurance Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Beverages JSC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Brands Co. Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann Central Asia-Almaty LLP, Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods LLC, Wimm-Bill-Dann Georgia Ltd., Wimm-Bill-Dann JSC, and Wimm-Bill-Dann Ukraine PJSC. Read More Commencement Ceremony Planned for Dec. 16 December 1, 2016 OGDEN, Utah More than 2,324 Weber State University students have applied for graduation and will be honored during WSUs 148th commencement at the Dee Events Center, Dec. 16 beginning at 1 p.m. Using hard work, sacrifice and support, our graduates have transformed their dreams into success and achievement, said WSU President Charles A. Wight. Commencement is an opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments and to wish them well on their next adventure. Alan Hall, entrepreneur and WSU alumnus, will deliver the keynote address. Hall is the founder, chairman and former CEO of MarketStar, a global outsourced sales and marketing firm that enables brands to differentiate themselves through sales-focused relationships. MarketStar, which is headquartered in Ogden, employs approximately 3,500 people. Hall also served on WSUs Board of Trustees for nearly a decade. In 2013, Hall and his wife Jeanne helped WSU create the Alan E. Hall Center for Sales Excellence and the Hall Global Entrepreneurship Center. Hall and his relatives also donated funds to the Tracy Hall Science Center, which is named after Halls uncle, H. Tracy Hall, inventor of the process for making synthetic diamonds. The student graduate speaker will be Michelle Owens, who worked as a WSU financial aid advisor while earning her Master of Arts in English. After graduation, Owens said she plans on pursuing a doctoral degree in hopes of teaching at a college or university. During the December commencement, WSUs business school and six academic colleges will confer all degrees and certificates during one ceremony. That differs from spring commencement, when individual convocations are conducted separately to accommodate the larger number of graduates. All graduates attending commencement will receive a commemorative medallion with the WSU presidential seal in honor of their achievement. The medallions will be presented only to graduates who attend the commencement exercise. Putting Students Through, a program honoring parents, spouses and friends of graduates, will precede the ceremony in Shepherd Union Ballroom A at 9 a.m. A live broadcast of the ceremony can be viewed by visiting the WSU graduation webpage. Beginning Dec. 23, a recording will be available on WSUs YouTube channel at youtube.com/weberstateu. Guest tickets are not required for the commencement ceremonies. However, seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. American Sign Language interpreting services will be available in Section S at the base of portals 17 and 18. Disability access at the Dee Events Center is available at the east entrance. Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University. by Adrian Gibson ATTORNEY General Allyson Maynard-Gibson must be held to account for the number of nolle prosequis being issued by her office. This week, two defendants who were awaiting trial in connection with the gunpoint robbery of Deputy Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis at his home had the case against them withdrawn in the Supreme Court. The third defendant was killed in a shootout with police in September. During the hearing on Monday, Crown prosecutor Patrick Sweeting produced a nolle prosequi (no prosecution) signed by the Attorney General asking that the charge be discontinued against the two accused. The men were accused of robbing Mr Davis of jewellery worth $93,000, a jewellery box worth $200, Baraka gold jewellery worth $700, an opal top wallet worth $450, a Royal Bank of Canada credit card and a drivers licence worth $15. They were also accused of robbing Mr Davis wife, Ann Marie, of $2,953, and Wilberforce Seymour of $10. Notably, Mr Davis was Acting Prime Minister at the time of the incident as Perry Christie was out of the country. Why was a nolle issued? What happened to the video evidence? The public deserves an explanation. In no other country would accused assailants rob and hold-up an Acting Prime Minister at gunpoint and the case suddenly disappear. Was the nolle issued for a political reason? Something seems shady! Why is the Office of the Attorney General handing out nolle prosequis so habitually? How many nolles were entered this year and on what grounds? Yes, it is sometimes beneficial to enter a nolle from an administrative standpoint but what is the reason for the issuance of the nolle in this matter? Why does the public not yet know what national security issue led to a nolle prosequi being entered by then acting Attorney General Jerome Fitzgerald on Mrs Maynard-Gibson's former clients behalf? In September, Labour Minister Shane Gibson hit out at Mrs Maynard-Gibson for not informing him of her decision to stop a private prosecution against Sandals Royal Bahamian and two of its senior executives. Interestingly, Mr Davis and Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe said they were both unaware that a nolle prosequi had been issued on August 15 - the same day the hotel terminated more than 600 employees. Both ministers were critical and expressed a belief that the matter could injure the governing partys public image, specifically its deeply rooted ties to the labour movement. Mrs Maynard-Gibson shot back, dismissing the criticisms and stating that the Attorney General in the execution of her constitutional duty is never swayed by the political objectives of her colleagues or anyone else. So, can we be assured that no political objectives (or anyone else) caused the issuance of this recent nolle? And was the Deputy Prime Minister aware of the issuance of this nolle before it was presented to the Court? _________________________________________________________ First published in the The Tribune under the byline, Young Man's View, here View Adrian Gibson's archive here ____________________________________________________ The views expressed are those of the author, and not necessarily those of WeblogBahamas.com (which has no corporate view) or its Authors. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 01, 2016 | LYON COUNTY, KY By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 01, 2016 | 06:21 PM | LYON COUNTY, KY Authorities in Lyon County are searching for a Chicago, IL man who is wanted for questioning in the death of an Eddyville woman. Eddyville Police Officers and Lyon County Sheriff's Deputies responded Thursday afternoon to an address on Woodrow Street in Eddyville for a welfare check, during which they found an unresponsive elderly woman. Kentucky State Police Detectives were contacted for assistance and responded to the scene along with the Lyon County Coroner. The woman, who was identified as 68-year-old Nancy Minor of Eddyville, had sustained multiple blunt force injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said Minors vehicle, a deep gray metallic 2007 Chevrolet Malibu, KY License Plate 873 ELG, was also missing from the scene (note: police originally stated the car was silver). Detectives say they believe the vehicle may be in the possession of Minors brother, 66-year-old Arthur A. Long of Chicago, IL. KSP has obtained a warrant for Long for the charge of Theft by Unlawful Taking Auto under $10,000 (Class D Felony). Long is also wanted for questioning concerning the homicide investigation. Long is a white male. He is 6'2" tall and weighs 210 pounds. He has brown eyes and gray hair. Anyone with information on Longs whereabouts is asked to contact Detective Brian Hill with the Kentucky State Police Post 1. Detective Hill may be contacted at 270-856-3721 or anonymously at 1-800-222-5555. By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 02, 2016 | 02:36 PM | CUBA, KY A one-vehicle crash Friday morning in Graves County left one person injured. According to the Graves County Sheriff's Office, the crash happened at approximately 7:20 am on KY 94 West. Deputies said 24-year-old Ashley Doughty of Murray was traveling west when her vehicle dropped off the north side of the roadway. Police said Doughty lost control and her vehicle crossed over to the south side of the road into a ditch. The vehicle then rolled several times before coming to rest. Doughty was removed from the vehicle by Mayfield EMS and transported to Jackson Purchase Medical Center for treatment of her injuries. By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 02, 2016 | 02:13 PM | KUTTAWA, KY Federal investigators have determined what caused an airplane crash in Lyon County almost two years ago that killed four people. According to a report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board Thursday, the Piper PA-34 plane ran out of fuel. Forty-eight-year-old Marty Gutzler, 46-year-old Kimberly Gutzler, their daughter, 9-year-old Piper Gutzler, and her cousin, 14-year-old Sierra Wilder, died in the crash. All four were from Nashville, IL. The family had been vacationing in Florida and was on their way back to Illinois, when the plane went down near Kuttawa on Jan. 2, 2015. Marty and Kimberly Gutzler's other daughter, seven-year-old Sailor Gutzler, survived the crash. The girl freed herself from the wreckage and went for help. Bleeding and dressed in a short-sleeved shirt, she walked three-quarters of a mile in near-freezing temperatures through thick briar patches and woods and waded through a creek before reaching the nearest house. Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 02, 2016 | PURYEAR, TN By West Kentucky Star Staff Dec. 02, 2016 | 02:13 PM | PURYEAR, TN A Puryear man is accused of stealing dozens of cattle from a Kirksey, KY farm, and faces animal cruelty charges after authorities discovered what is being described as a grisly scene on his property. Captain Adam Jenkins with the Henry County Sheriff's Department says 23-year-old Travis Hale faces one count of theft of property over $10,000 and 21 counts of animal cruelty. The charges come after deputies were called to Hale's farm Tuesday afternoon and found 48 cattle that were reported stolen from the farm of Gary Brame. Jenkins said Kentucky State Police contacted his agency about the theft, and deputies went to the scene to investigate. When they arrived, Jenkins said deputies discovered that Hale had removed the ear tags from Brame's Cows in an effort to conceal their identities. All of the stolen cattle were reportedly in good condition, according to Jenkins. The value of the stolen cattle is estimated to be more than $33,000. Jenkins said that while deputies were at Hale's property, they found 21 dead and severely emaciated cows inside a fenced in area. He says it's unclear how long the animals had been kept in those conditions. "It was obvious some had been dead longer than others," Jenkins said. "I couldn't even begin to tell you how many that you could see their ribs and backbone. If we hadn't gone up there when we went there, there would have been way more than 21 dead." Jenkins says he's never seen a case like this during his career in law enforcement. "I've been here for 17 years, and this is the first cattle rustling case I've been a part of." Jenkins said. Hale was arraigned Thursday. His next court appearance is set for Dec. 8. He is being held in the Henry County Jail on a $125,000 bond. The Sheriff's Department says more charges are possible. [December 02, 2016] Webroot Selected for CRN's Internet of Things 50 List BROOMFIELD, Colo., Dec. 2, 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, has named Webroot to its 2016 Internet of Things 50 list. This list recognizes companies whose innovative offerings are helping connect objects, computing devices, infrastructure, data storage and data analytics to transform and improve the way we work and live. Webroot's security solutions harness 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. Webroot's 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. Experts are bullish on IoT growth, projecting anywhere from 50 to 200 billion connected devices by 2020 up from 15 billion today. According to estimations by the McKinsey Global Institute, IoT will have a total economic impact of up to $11 trillion by 2025. Yet, the recent DNS attack using a massive botnet that leveraged poorly protected IoT devices underscores a major weakness in the current infrastructure. When considering that IoT is a logistical and economic force to be reckoned with, it is clear that every organization needs an IoT security strategy. "Over the next decade, billions of devices will be connected to the Internet and cybercriminals will continue to leverage those devices as an integral part of their attacks unless the industry closes those loopholes with stronger security measures now," said David Dufour, senior director of engineering at Webroot. "Webroot's proven technology takes a smarter approach to IoT security with real-time threa intelligence and machine learning to defend against advanced IoT attacks. We are honored to be recognized as a leader and innovator by CRN." "The emerging Internet of Things market holds enormous creative potential, with the capacity to touch and streamline nearly every aspect of our daily lives," said Robert Faletra, CEO of The Channel Company. "CRN's Internet of Things 50 list celebrates vendors who are exploring this potential with utmost energy and ingenuity. On the very cutting edge of innovation, their offerings are poised to transform the way we live and work with an unprecedented level of interconnectivity. We congratulate each of these vendors on the vision and creativity that has earned them a spot on our 2016 list." The Internet of Things 50 list will be featured in the December issue of CRN and on CRN.com at http://www.crn.com/news/internet-of-things/300082968/the-2016-internet-of-things-50.htm. Tweet This: [email protected] recognizes @Webroot in 2016 @CRN #CRNIOT50 http://bit.ly/2h0EpIM 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. 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 Follow Webroot: Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Facebook Follow The Channel Company: Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook Logo- http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121016/LA94090LOGO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/webroot-selected-for-crns-internet-of-things-50-list-300372007.html SOURCE Webroot [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Loading... Watching last night's performance of The Little Matchgirl (And Other Happier Tales), I felt renewed disappointment at Emma Rice's curtailed artistic directorship of Shakespeare's Globe. Because the production, her first in the candle-lit playhouse, is an out-and-out triumph. Endlessly inventive, gloriously silly, poignant, topical, edifying. The whole shebang. Co-adapted with award-winning writer Joel Horwood (who also wrote the script), the show combines four of Hans Christian Andersen's tales, using The Little Matchgirl as its framework. Each match she lights conjures a new story from raconteur extraordinaire Ole Shuteye and his troupe of hapless performers. In a production this fine, it's hard to know who to praise first, but I'll start with Rice, whose meticulous ingenuity is in full flow here. From the smallest moments of creativity (the tiny puppet playing Thumbelina battles winds provided by a huffing, puffing Shuteye), to big, brazen visual gags, like the endless supply of mattresses flung onstage in The Princess and the Pea, every scene is jam-packed with delights. Even moments other directors might speed through, soar under Rice's touch. A vizier checks out the Emperor's new clothes offstage, and the remaining characters' awkward waiting somehow results in a salsa to "The Girl from Ipanema". Just when you think you can't grin any wider, there are the truly surreal touches like toads that don't hop but moonwalk. Complete with Michael Jackson crotch-grabs. Obviously. Of course, Rice is working with some stonking raw material in Horwood's rhyming script. Witty, infinitely original, and with clever contemporary touches that avoid down-with-the-kids desperation, it had me waiting with baited breath for the end of each couplet. The cast of seven is also universally superb, not just morphing into the show's many characters with ease, but finding just the right vocal tick or physical trait to bring them joyously to life. And while each member is as skilful as the next, the firm crowd favourites were Paul Hunter, whose asides as Shuteye brought the house down, and Bettrys Jones and Jack Shalloo as Geordie tricksters masquerading as German fashion designers. Vogueing in their prison overalls (all the rage in Shoreditch, darling) they soon have the style-conscious Emperor showering them with their design essentials: silk, nylon, gin, tonic, gold dolphin saliva. Stephen Warbeck's excellent score, by turns jaunty and haunting, is realised with some of the best singing I've heard in children's theatre; Kyle Lima and Jack Shalloo's perfect harmonies almost deserve a show of their own. Vicki Mortimer's costumes, meanwhile, are inspired. It's not all fun and games, though. The Little Matchgirl is a devastating tale in its own right but Rice's production is shot through with misery that is all too close to home. Both Thumbelina and the Little Matchgirl are refugees of war, struggling to find security: "It's lonely out here facing only closed doors / Rejected, unwanted. Such baffling laws." Shuteye is eventually revealed as a homeless man shivering in snowy London. It's a crushing but timely reminder to think of others less fortunate this Christmas. As I left the theatre, just about holding back the tears, I mused that a director who can move you from belly laughs to tissue-grabbing in the space of a scene is a very special director indeed. Catch Rice at the Globe while you still can. The Little Matchgirl (And Other Happier Tales) runs at the Sam Wanamaker Theatre until 22 January. Running time is approximately 1 hour 35 minutes without an interval A group of Mohawks from Kahnawake is preventing freight trains carrying oil or other dangerous materials from passing through the territory for 24 hours in solidarity with water protectors in North Dakota. Students from Kahnawake Survival School joined a gathering on Highway 132 against the Dakota Access Pipeline Protectors are concerned the pipeline will put drinking water on and off Indigenous land at risk. A group of Mohawks from Kahnawake is preventing freight trains carrying oil or other dangerous materials from passing through the territory on a Canadian Pacific Railway line for 24 hours.The protest is in solidarity with Indigenous groups protesting against the Dakota Access Pipeline project in North Dakota.The blockade began Thursday at midnight. Commuter trains that use the rail line are being allowed to pass.A spokeswoman for the group, Kahionwinehshon Phillips, read a statement Thursday morning to a group of reporters gathered at a small encampment the group has been maintaining at the foot of the Mercier Bridge for the past few weeks."We as the Mohawk people have a duty to protect mother earth, and we will continue to defend our mother earth for the coming generations as our ancestors did," Phillips said.Nearly 200 people gathered early Tuesday morning to along Highway 132 to protest against the controversial pipeline, which would run through the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota."The United States have a treaty with the Sioux and they should not be forcing through a pipeline," said Kenneth Deer, secretary of the Mohawk Nation at Kahnawake.Later in the morning, about 150 students from Kahnawake Survival School, the local high school, blocked part of the highway for a few minutes in solidarity. Ronald Koeman doesnt exactly strike us as the kind of chap who readily sways in the wind of public opinion, but still the Everton boss was forced to kow-tow to fans after upsetting them with the colour of his Christmas tree. With the big day just around the corner, the Dutchman proudly posted a photo of his fully-festooned tree on Twitter and a rather classy effort it was too Unforunately, it would appear that Koemans red festive decorations were a little too Liverpool for many Toffees fans to handle, with the 53-year-old facing an immediate Twitter backlash from irked supporters. However, within the space of 10 minutes, Koeman posted a second photo of his tree*, this time decked out in altogether more neutral tones I Think there are more serious problems in the world, than making a big story out of a #ChristmasTree !!! Ronald Koeman (@RonaldKoeman) December 1, 2016 Quite so Ronald, quite so. (*Yes, were aware its probably a second tree but wheres the Christmas magic in that?) In this mornings episode (231) of The Andrew Klavan Show, Klavan had a particularly witty opening monologue, poking fun at Dylan Roof, Chuck Shumer, Islamic media in Morocco condemning the use of makeup to cover spousal abuse, as well as Anthony Weiner (always an easy target). But what interested me occurred at 5:10, where Klavan mentioned the strange, giddy joy that many conservatives continue to feel with Trump in office. I have been feeling so jolly about this political situationif you had told me a month ago that I would be feeling jolly because Donald Trump had been elected president, I would have laughed twiceone, that Donald Trump would have been elected presidentbut also that I would feel this good about it. And its not just me, Im watching all of these guysKrauthammer, who said he could never vote for Trump as a matter of ethicssaying that this is going very well.Jonah Goldbergwas saying Yeah, can I pick this apart from a conservative point of view? Yes.[but there is still good news in Trumps progress so far.]. The reason I am so jolly is that, it turns out that Trump, this wild man, this man who insults people, the guy who talks about crazy stuffhe actually has a plan. Jonah Goldberg, in fact, warned Dems of this back in 2009, but they didnt listen then: Im not arguing that conservatives are poised to make some miraculous comeback. Theyre not. But American politics didnt come to an end with Obamas election, and nothing in politics breeds corrective antibodies more quickly than overreaching arrogance. And by that measure, Obamas first 100 days have been a huge down payment on the inevitable correction to come. I myself am wondering at my continued giddiness at the progress of Trump. Having pondered my own euphoria, I can identify these reasons: 1. REVENGE: The humiliation of the Elite Liberal Establishment Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18) As a Christian and pastor, I know that I should be compassionate at all times. I should never indulge in the baser pleasure of the suffering of my enemies, ideological or otherwise. Except for the fact that that perspective is not entirely biblical. Ill spare you an essay on how God and the Psalmists delighted in the establishment of justice and truth and vanquishing of the wicked, but regardless, there is a way to properly rejoice in victory. And the first victory we have in Trump is the humiliation of the arrogant left. This is no mean accusation, it is the giant zit on the nose of liberalism that it refuses to see. It is the elephant in the room that liberals excused until it cost them the election and majorities in the House and Senate. The arrogance of the Left should not be easily dismissed This fault cannot be overstated this is not a mere insult, but a diagnosis of why the left is now a huge minority in government seats across the country. To ignore it would be to perpetuate such losses in every coming election. People are fed up with the aristocratic elites and their derision of middle America. A knee-jerk reaction to this might be to point at the obvious and real flaws of the GOP. But rather than deflect, liberals should take heed, and be reflective. As the New York Post recently wrote: Donald Trumps remarkable victory is a necessary tonic, a populist corrective to the arrogant misrule of the liberal establishment. The forgotten, left-behind and betrayed Americans did the political equivalent of using a 2-by-4 to get a mules attention: Sorry for the pain, but you werent listening. Arrogance in the places of power is dangerous, especially to the party in power Extremism and lack of ability to dialogue exist on both sides of the spectrum, but the prevalence of this in the halls of power (media, universities, and the Obama administration and Congress) where liberals currently hold vast majorities makes liberal arrogance that much more dangerous to everyone. But this is dangerous to the party abusing power because a popular rebellion against arrogance and abuse of power is inevitable, and is admittedly what led to this election result. As conservative Tom Rogan wrote in 2015: Nevertheless, two deep consequences flow from this arrogance. First, fostering a liberal undercurrent of partisan purity, the arrogance fills a growing pool of sticky anti-intellectualism. Second, it deters conservatives from efforts to find common cause. Ultimately, whatever liberals believe, they would do well to remember that truly effective debate requires ones openness to the idea that he might be wrong. Absent that philosophy, the marketplace for ideas cannot open fully, and America suffers for it. That rejection of liberalism is also very strong among minorities who reject it, such as black conservative Rod Eccles of the Washington Star News: Because of your arrogance, and your idiocy, I cannot and will not, so long as I shall live, vote or promote a single Liberal to any office anywhere on this planet. You should not either unless you believe that you are inferior and not worthy of having someone think that you are smart enough to run your own life. Self-diagnosis at CBS At least in the media, they are now confessing this sin. But too late for the Democratic electorate and I dont think Dems in the House get it yet, seeing as they just re-elected Nancy Pelosi as their representative you know, the same one who egregiously said of the ACA we need to pass it to see whats in it. The stink of that statement reeks worse now than then. CBS News commentator Will Rahn recently decided he had too many friends, and published a commentary there entitled The unbearable smugness of the press. They hate us, and have for some time. And can you blame them? Journalists love mocking Trump supporters. We insult their appearances. We dismiss them as racists and sexists. We emote on Twitter about how this or that comment or policy makes us feel one way or the other, and yet we reject their feelings as invalid. Its a profound failure of empathy in the service of endless posturing. Rahn was recently interviewed in the thoughtful and excellent daily podcast from The Federalist, and repeated this theme: We kept on coming up with these resultsthey were talking about the election being a done deal, but something wasnt right in the phrasing of itthen we were playing around with the map and we got to 269 to 269 (electoral votes)and I played around with writing an article entitled Donald Trump Could Win and I thought NAH, hes not going to win!.Then Nate Silver wrote his article, and the Huffington Post wrote this takedown of him saying essentially How can you scare the liberals like this? 2. RELIEF: Trump is actually governing largely sensibly Contrary to Liberal demonization, most conservatives supported Trump somewhat unwillingly, and with grave reservations which were only exceeded by our concerns about Hillary. And we are relieved that since his election, despite Twitter outbursts, he has made some very sane choices, including: Conciliatory Tone: Giving a conciliatory acceptance speech, as well as being conciliatory towards Hillary, reversing his aim to prosecute her (many conservatives see this as a betrayal, but most of us just want to pick better fights and otherwise reduce the contentious public wrangling). Giving a conciliatory acceptance speech, as well as being conciliatory towards Hillary, reversing his aim to prosecute her (many conservatives see this as a betrayal, but most of us just want to pick better fights and otherwise reduce the contentious public wrangling). First 100 Days: Publishing a reasonable list of his tasks in the first 100 days (not perfect, but not extreme either) Publishing a reasonable list of his tasks in the first 100 days (not perfect, but not extreme either) Cabinet Positions: Choosing meaningful conservatives for cabinet positions quicker than nearly every other president in history. This sense of relief is in contrast to the sky is falling panic of the left, and our own reasoned panic regarding Trumps unstable and immature carriage. Our relief is well captured by David Harsanyi at The Federalist entitled Why Im Not Freaking Out About Donald Trump Yet: For starters, allowing liberals to determine my level of anxiety, which would be fullablown, round-the-clock histrionics, over whats nothing more than another election would be foolish. Moreover, Trump hasnt really done anything out of the ordinary, not yet. Whats really upset Democrats, it seems to me, is that traditional conservative policy proposals, the sorts of things hat Republicans have campaigned on for years the policies that have helped them win more than 1,000 local seats and governorships and two wave elections will probably be moving forward. The overwrought rhetoric used to describe overturning Obamacare or reforming entitlements, gutting and privatizing, etc. would be precisely the same if we had President-elect John Kasich. It looks like Trump will be carrying out sensible conservative approaches which are not extreme or unbalanced, but well thought out over the decades since the Republican revolution of 1994 when Newt Gingrich led congress with the Contract for America. 3. RENEWAL: Conservative economics and governance may get a chance to be tried (again) There is considerable argument about whether trickle down economics or Keynsian economics work, or if poorly constructed social programs create dependence and crime, and people love to throw out stats from all sides. Regardless of who is right, conservatives see not only a president surrounded by many of the conservative thinkers (Paul Ryan and New Gingrich not the least), but a conservative majority in congress that can finally enact a comprehensive conservative vision; eliminating the killing of children through abortion, and ending the floating of our economy on an ocean of debt which is about to trump (pun intended) the GDP. Trump is not conservative but Many of us on the right, especially liberatarians, have been calling for a more centrist conservatism, not the extremism that pervades both parties, where every position has become essential or you are branded the enemy. Trump has pardoned Hillary. Hes come out for gay marriage (Im not a fan of gay marriage, but its not the biggest fight we have abortion and big government are). Yes, hes still too hard on immigration, but hes being tempered. Many of us hope for a more reasoned and less extreme GOP. And for us, renewal means going back to a more truly Reaganesque party. CONCLUSION I really am surprised that my anxiety over the bull we sent to the China shop (Trump) is far exceeded by a continued giddiness. It is fueled in no small part by my satisfaction at the continued suffering of liberals who are detoxing from their arrogance in the glow of defeat. I can imagine what black Americans will feel like when a cop who killed an innocent black gets the death penalty finally, a flood of pent up frustration at injustice and stupidity can begin to be released. I feel a great sense of relief that those who are STILL calling me a racist have to live with the results of their lack of concern for those who opposed them. I sincerely hope our GOP representatives dont make the same mistake. But for now, my anxiety is superseded by my giddy feelings of revenge, relief, and hope for renewal. [December 02, 2016] Intellinetics, Inc. Signs a Three-Year Reseller Agreement with a Major International Remanufacturer and Distributor of Consumables and Managed Services Intellinetics, Inc. (OTCQB: INLX), an Enterprise Content Management (ECM) software company focused on IntelliCloudTM (a cloud-based document management solution for the Small to Medium Business (SMB) market and business teams within large enterprises), announced it signed a three-year reseller agreement with a major international remanufacturer and distributor of copiers and Managed Print Services (MPS) to thousands of resellers. IntelliCloud will be integrated into the managed services and solutions provided to the large dealer eco-system. The turnkey IntelliCloud program will provide a new stand-alone or program-embedded solution offered into an existing deep and well-established channel network infrastructure. The channel includes logistics, in-field sales force support, marketing automation and service delivery. The initial Q1 '17 launch will focus on the top 150 dealers in the network selected by qualifying criteria and competencies - and will be expanded throughout the year. Matthew L. Chretien, President and CEO of Intellinetics, said, "This is the second major expansion of our distribution capacity this year. IntelliCloud will be offered by both of these new strategic partners into their respective large bases via existing sales organizations. Significant planning and operations efforts for both partners are now completed and sales efforts by both companies bein in the first quarter '17 and will expand throughout the year. The foundation has been laid and I strongly believe that 2017 will be the giant step forward we have been working towards." IntelliCloudTM - Powered by the Intel (News - Alert) NUC Intellinetics, Inc. is a Columbus, Ohio based, innovative and trusted provider of its cloud-enabled document management platform - IntelliCloud. IntelliCloud is optimized for the vast SMB market segment and business teams within large enterprises stuck with paper in business-critical processes. Thousands and thousands of people at any given moment depend upon IntelliCloud to perform their work. IntelliCloud is strategically packaged with Intel technology, provides Law Enforcement Grade security and compliance tools and is supported by a growing network of market-leading reseller partners. Resellers often attach IntelliCloud to the software, hardware, and/or services they already sell without the sales or technical complexity of other less effective options in the market. About Intellinetics, Inc. Intellinetics, Inc. is a Columbus, Ohio-based ECM software company. Intellinetics partnered with Intel to create the IntelliCloud Channel Program that makes it easy to add turnkey document workflow solutions to the copiers, productivity software and services they already provide. IntelliCloud provides dealers a "deploy once, use many" innovation where one IntelliCloud customer sale/activation creates endless possibilities to add other software applications that deliver more value and increase revenue. For additional information, please visit: www.intellinetics.com. Cautionary Statement Statements in this press release which are not purely historical, including statements regarding future business associated with any reseller, Intellinetics' future revenues and growth including 2017, market penetration and product acceptance, and other intentions, beliefs, expectations, representations, projections, plans or strategies regarding future growth, financial results, and other future events are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the risks associated with the effect of changing economic conditions, trends in the products markets, variations in the company's cash flow or adequacy of capital resources, market acceptance risks, technical development risks, and other risks and uncertainties discussed in the company's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and subsequently filed Form 10-Qs and Form 8-Ks. The company cautions investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Intellinetics disclaims any obligation and does not undertake to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this press release. Expanded and historical information is made available to the public by Intellinetics and its Affiliates on its website or at www.intellinetics.com or at www.sec.gov. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161202005140/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [December 02, 2016] Software AG Acquires Artificial Intelligence Company Zementis in the US Software AG (Frankfurt TecDAX: SOW) today announced that it has acquired Zementis, Inc. with headquarters in San Diego, California. Zementis Inc. provides software for "Deep Learning", a key capability in machine learning and data science, and a fundamental technology driving "artificial intelligence" (AI) development. Software AG sees the current machine learning and AI advances as the basis for the next generation of Internet of Things applications such as self-driving cars, personal digital assistants, medical diagnosis, predictive maintenance and robotics. Software AG has already embedded Zementis' ADAPA (Adaptive Decision and Predictive Analytics) into its Digital Business Platform to offer enterprises comprehensive insights for real time business analytics. The combination of Software AG's real-time streaming analytics and ADAPA predictive analytics delivers precise business and technical insights into customer behavior, market dynamics, security risks and sensor information from the Internet of Things (IoT). "The impact of the Internet of Things on industry, business and society will dwarf anything we have experienced through technology so far," said Software AG Chief Executive Officer, Karl-Heinz Streibich. "This is now widely acknowledged by industry, as is the unique business insights that can be provided by combining predictive analytics, machine learning and streaming analytics. This combination has played a major role in the recent strategic IoT partnerships Software AG has established." Software AG has made multiple Internet of Things (or Industry 4.0) announcements in recent months including strategic alliances as Bosch, Dell or Cumulocity based on integrating digital sensors and predicting maintenance requirements. These capabilities will now be enhanced through automated decisions based on machine learning for manufacturing, logistics, or any data heavy use case. Machine learning and Artificial Intelligence are the key technologies for building smarter, next-generation IoT applications and are key competitive capabilities for innovative organizations. To accelerate time-to-insight, Zementis has focused on the rapid operational deployment of predictive models - from basic statistical algorithms to complex predictive models and deep learning capabilities - for mission-critical applications such as risk scoring, fraud detection and predictive maintenance. "Zementis was founded with the vision of delivering true interoperability for Artificial Intelligence, allowing machine learning and predictive models to rapidly move from development to deployment, allowing data-centric organizations and enterprises to easily incorporate AI into their routine operations," said Dr. Michael Zeller, CEO of Zementis. "Software AG's open standards strategy empowers clients to manage heterogeneous IT architectures, and perfectly complements the vendor-neutral AI capabilities that our solutions deliver." About Zementis, Inc. The company was founded on the principle that data science teams and IT departments can collaborate seamlessly and efficiently, allowing predictive models to rapidly move from development to deployment, so that businesses and other data-centric organizations can easily incorporate predictive analytics and machine learning into their routine operations. Agile (News - Alert) deployment of predictive solutions is the cornerstone of the Zementis philosophy. Core solutions include ADAPA, a decision engine for predictive analytics, and UPPI (News - Alert), a universal plug-in utility for industry-leading analytics and data warehouse platforms. Zementis customers can deploy these solutions on premise or on the cloud, with access via an intuitive Web-based console, via one of multiple industry-leading analytics platforms or as a simplified Hadoop interface. More information: www.zementis.com About Software AG The digital transformation is changing enterprise IT landscapes from inflexible application silos to modern software platform-driven IT architectures which deliver the openness, speed and agility needed to enable the digital real-time enterprise. Software AG offers the first end-to-end Digital Business Platform, based on open standards, with integration, process management, in-memory data, adaptive application development, real-time analytics and enterprise architecture management as core building blocks. The modular platform allows users to develop the next generation of application systems to build their digital future, today. With over 45 years of customer-centric innovation, Software AG is ranked as a leader in many innovative and digital technology categories. Software AG has more than 4,300 employees, is active in 70 countries and had revenues of 873 million in 2015. Learn more at www.softwareag.com. Software AG, 11700 Plaza America Drive, Reston, VA, 20190 Detailed press information about Software AG including a picture and multimedia database are available under: www.softwareag.com/press Follow us on Twitter (News - Alert): Software AG Germany | Software AG Global View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161202005420/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 01/12/2016 (2162 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. He said he had to kill an innocent young woman he barely knew to satisfy a drug debt, or put his own life and those of his loved ones at risk. But Treyvonne Williss claims of duress leading up to the brutal, unprovoked June 2012 murder of Kaila Tran in a St. Vital parking lot just dont hold up, Manitobas top court has ruled. Three Court of Appeal judges unanimously decided Wednesday to uphold the 24-year-olds first-degree murder conviction and have denied him a new trial. FACEBOOK Drake Moslenko (left) with Kaila Tran (right). A Manitoba Court of Queens Bench jury found Willis guilty in April 2015. Tran, 27, was ambushed while walking to her car outside her Clayton Drive apartment and stabbed 30 times. Queens Bench Chief Justice Glenn Joyal had also rejected Willis claims he had no choice but to kill Tran to try and pay off a debt he owed to a drug dealer. It was like, my life or her life, Willis told Winnipeg police after his arrest. Willis quit school to join a criminal organization and delivered cocaine to The Pas, according to the Appeal Court decision. When he was caught by police he owed a large debt to the crime ring, which ramped up pressure on him to pay up in full. Willis friends and family told him to go to the police but, Unwisely, he ignored their counsel, Justice Chris Mainella wrote on behalf of the court. Weeks before Trans murder, Willis was shot at and beaten up, Mainella said. And days before, Willis got a text from the head of the organization named in the decision as Derrick Bennett which he took as an implied threat he and two relatives would be killed if he didnt pay up, Mainella said. In spite of this ominous development, remarkably, he decided not to contact police, nor did he warn his family members of the threat. The option he chose to extricate himself from his predicament was to kill Ms. Tran, the judge wrote. Jurors heard conflicting stories of the murder plot, with Willis telling city homicide investigators it was Bennett who ordered him to kill Tran to forgive the debt, Mainella wrote. Williss friend, Tremaine Sam-Kelly, testified Willis told him Trans longtime boyfriend, Drake Moslenko, ordered her killed, claiming she was a police informant. Police interviewed Bennett but he wasnt charged. He was called as a witness at Willis and Moslenkos joint preliminary hearing in 2014. He testified he had nothing to do with Trans death. It was during the preliminary hearing that Moslenkos first-degree murder charge was stayed after a judge ruled the key Crown evidence against him Sam-Kellys testimony was inadmissible hearsay. Neither Moslenko nor Bennett testified at Willis trial. Upon conviction, he was automatically handed a life sentence without a chance at parole for 25 years. WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Kaila Tran died after being stabbed in a parking lot in the St. Vital area in 2012. Mainella said Willis telling investigators upon his arrest he had thought about, but declined, to call police about the threats he received was not enough to give his duress claim an air of reality. I am unimpressed by the accuseds explanation that he was scared and thought contacting police would make things worse, said Mainella. If there is a reasonable opportunity where an individual can feasibly escape the proverbial gun to their head brought about by the threat of another, they must do so or forfeit any plea of duress. There is also no reason to believe that law enforcement could not have intervened to protect the accused and his family (he) was advised repeatedly to go to the police and chose not to do so. He failed to turn to the police even when shot at, assaulted and had family members threatened. The only inference available on the evidence is that he wished to continue to be a drug dealer; he must bear the consequences of that misguided decision, said Mainella. A message to Willis lawyer, Ursula Goeres, was not immediately returned. It is not known whether he plans to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. The decision was released just a day after a lawyer representing Moslenko was in court to fight a separate, civil-court ruling allowing Trans family to pursue a wrongful-death lawsuit against him, alleging he was the mastermind behind the plot to kill her. The Court of Appeal reserved its decision in that case to an unknown date. city.desk@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/12/2016 (2161 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Health officials are predicting the number of drug overdose deaths in Manitoba could increase significantly this year because of the prevalence of the opioid fentanyl. Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen told the legislature Friday he has been advised that between 155 and 170 Manitobans are expected to die from drug overdoses this year, according to projections based on the first five months of the year. Last year, a total of 151 died due to drug overdoses, he said. A greater percentage of deaths this year are expected to be caused by fentanyl as opposed to other drugs, Goertzen said, as he updated MLAs on new measures to reduce drug deaths in the province. The new documentary Unstoppable: The Fentanyl Epidemic airs Thursday at 9 p.m. on CBC's Firsthand The opioid antidote naloxone is already available through Street Connections harm reduction program in Winnipeg and elsewhere, he said. As of Wednesday of this week, 191 kits have been distributed at Street Connections with 22 being used successfully to reverse an overdose, Goertzen said. He said 500 more kits will be arrive in Manitoba by mid-December, with an additional 500 arriving in January. More than 20 sites across Manitoba have been identified as naloxone distribution centres, Goertzen said, although his officials said later it was premature to name them. Training is underway on the use of naloxone at these sites, the minister said. The Progressive Conservative government recently launched a fentanyl awareness campaign on social media targeting youth. It has also lobbied for tighter federal border controls to keep the drug out of Canada. Late last week the government of Canada signed a memorandum of understanding with China to allow the RCMP to work with Chinese officials to try to stem the tide of illicit fentanyl coming into the country. Goertzen said he was pleased to hear Friday that RCMP in British Columbia had made a record seizure of the drug entering the country from China. He said hes hopeful that greater co-operation from Chinese authorities will help stem the flow of opioids into Canada. larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 01/12/2016 (2162 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. No charges will be laid against a former dance instructor at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet whos being sued for alleged sexual assault and sexual exploitation. A former dance student at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School is suing former instructor Bruce Monk and the RWB, claiming she suffered mental distress after being sexually assaulted and exploited there almost two decades ago. The woman, now 35 and a mother of three children, is suing for $300,000 in general damages and another $100,000 in punitive, aggravated and/or exemplary damages. She is also suing for unspecified special damages. KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Bruce Monk, former instructor at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, will not be charged. But the province said Thursday that there will no criminal charges laid. This matter was referred to the Crown for an opinion, said a spokesperson for Manitoba Justice. After a thorough review of the facts of the case, in November 2015 the Crown recommended that charges not be laid because a conviction was unlikely. Complainants were made aware of this decision and supports were offered through the provinces victims services branch, said the justice official. The statement of claim, filed in Manitoba Court of Queens Bench last week by Waterloo, Ont.-based lawyer Bernard Verbanac, says the woman was a student at the school from 1991 to 1998, when she was between the ages of 10 and 17. The lawsuit says because the woman was too young to live at the ballet schools residence, she and her mother and sisters moved to Winnipeg so she could enroll there. The woman claims Monk a teacher, choreographer and photographer at the school initially took studio, rehearsal and promotional photographs of her, some of which were used in a school pamphlet. The RWB has said Monk had worked there 28 years when the RWB let him go in 2015. The lawsuit states Monk, during a photo shoot in the schools locked boiler room when the woman was about 16, asked her to take off her body suit for photos and she complied out of fear of disappointing him and with full knowledge that he could negatively influence her career path in dance. She said she also recalls one other photo session where Monk asked her to take her clothes off. The woman claims the ballet schools administration knew Monk was taking private photos of its students at a studio off campus and in the schools rehearsal studio and a locked boiler room, but was wilfully blind to them because it didnt check to see whether the photo shoots were inappropriate. She also claims it was common knowledge among the schools female students Monk was creepy and that he engaged in inappropriate behaviour with young women. The lawsuit states because of the abuse and its negative effects on her, the woman who was considered an elite ballerina and won the schools most prestigious award at one point quit her promising dance career. As well, the woman alleges she continues to suffer in several ways including mental anguish, depression, body-image issues and eating disorders, nightmares, loss of enjoyment of life and loss of ability to pursue a career in dance. Kate Fennell, the RWBs director of school operations, confirmed this week that the ballet company has been served with the lawsuit. She said she couldnt comment about details in the lawsuit. Fennell said when the RWB first learned about allegations against Monk about two years ago, he was removed from his role and later fired. The RWB is committed to the safety, security and well-being of every student entrusted to our care, and we take this responsibility very seriously, she said. We have a number of protocols in place to safeguard our students, and these are reviewed on a regular basis. The allegations have not been proven in court, and no statements of defence have been filed. At the time the story broke in April of 2015, the RWB said that an internal investigation by the RWB found its staff didnt know anything about the allegations until after police informed the company of an ongoing investigation. Jeff Herd, then-executive director of the RWB, said in a formal statement at the time, Recently, local authorities informed the RWB that a faculty member was under investigation. We immediately put the individual on paid administrative leave, for the safety and well-being of our students and all concerned. We have come to a decision that the individual will no longer be associated with the RWB. It is important for us to communicate the actions we have taken as soon as possible. We cannot comment on any of the allegations or stories that are currently circulating in the media. What we do know is that there is an investigation and we are fully co-operating with the authorities through the process, Herd said in April of 2015. Our first and foremost concern is always for the safety and well-being of all our students, staff, and patrons; and we will always put these concerns at the forefront, he said. with files from Nick Martin kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/12/2016 (2161 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. MANITOBANS will be digging into their wallets to get better health care, the NDP says. In question period Friday, health critic Matt Wiebe accused Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen Friday of being hell-bent on bringing two-tier, American-style health care to Manitoba. Goertzen denied that, insisting hes looking elsewhere for innovative ideas to eliminate the high costs and long waits for health care left, which he blamed on the former NDP government. RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen The two clashed over the possibility Goertzen may emulate Saskatchewans policy. It allows private MRIs on the condition that private clinics perform a free MRI for a patient on the waiting list for every private MRI conducted. Wiebe argued such a plan is illegal under the Canada Health Act and could affect federal transfer payments to Manitoba. This is the first step in their plan to create a two-tier health system, where the size of your wallet determines your care. Is he laying the legal groundwork for the introduction of private health care? Wiebe asked. Replied Goertzen: And merry Christmas to the member as well. Goertzen said it was only a few weeks ago that Wiebe urged him to look to Quebec for health care ideas, and now Wiebe is demanding Goertzen stop looking elsewhere for innovation. Goertzen told the house that during the election campaign, Wiebe was trying to frighten cancer patients by telling them a Tory government would take away their drugs. Goertzen claimed that last summer Wiebe said the Zika virus was running rampant throughout Manitoba, a claim he had to withdraw. You shouldnt take anything as fact when its coming from that member, Goertzen said. nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/12/2016 (2161 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. You may recall a column I wrote in early 2015 about how donations of menstrual hygiene products werent exactly flowing into Winnipeg Harvest. I reported pads and tampons were among the most-requested, least-received items, with Harvest only able to fill 125 of the 6,909 requests it received that January. Longtime best friends Jackie Hunt and Christina Redmond remembered that column and last week, they emailed me telling me about a new project they were working on. They wanted to do something about that persistent need, something long term and sustainable that would help people living in poverty or experiencing homelessness have regular access to menstrual hygiene products. WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Jackie Hunt has started a new initiative called the Kindred Project that will help address the need for menstrual hygiene products. She is with a donation bin in front of her parents home in St. James and is holding bags of items that will be given to women. So, on Saturday, they will officially launch the Kindred Project. Inspired by a similar project in Melbourne, Australia, the duo will assemble Period Packs from donated products and distribute them to organizations that work with people in need. The eight organizations that have signed up to be distributors for the Kindred Project are Siloam Mission, Winnipeg Harvest, Resource Assistance for Youth, The Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba, Ikwe Widdjiitiwin, Willow Place, Rainbow Resource Centre and the Native Womens Transition Centre. Hunt recalls watching a short documentary produced by Bustle that documented the challenges American homeless women face when Aunt Flo comes to town. They point out the things many women take for granted, such as having regular access to clean washrooms or showers, or having $7 to spend on a box of tampons. Homeless women have to get creative, using everything from plastic bags to napkins to cotton balls in lieu of pads and tampons. And if they are able to get their hands on pads and tampons, they are forced to make them last, which can come with some pretty dangerous health risks including toxic shock syndrome, a potentially fatal condition most commonly associated with leaving a tampon in too long. It was kind of a light-bulb moment for me when I saw that video, says Hunt, who is the mayor of the R.M. of Ritchot. I didnt really get how desperate that need was. And that need is ongoing. In November, Winnipeg Harvest received 381 requests for menstrual hygiene products. It was able to fill 52 of them. All five Winnipeg Food Fare locations will host boxes for the Kindred Project, but individuals can also volunteer to host drop boxes at their homes. When theyre full, they call us and we pick them up, Hunt says. People dont have to knock on doors. Addresses for individual drop boxes are not disclosed online. People wishing to make a donation can head to thekindredproject.ca to see if theres a drop location in their postal code, and then contact Hunt and Redmond for the address. When I wrote about this issue last year, many people told me they had never thought about donating menstrual hygiene products to food banks or other organizations that work with marginalized people. Happily, thats starting to shift. In 2015, a proliferation of tampon and pad drives across the country started a red wave of awareness that rolled into the summer by July 1, 2015, the federal tax was removed on menstrual hygiene products. Id love to see the Canadian government do one better and follow New York Citys lead; in July, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio signed legislation making menstrual hygiene products available for free in schools, jails and shelters. As they should be. These kinds of campaigns do more than raise awareness and provide much-needed supplies to those who need them. They also go a long way in helping remove period stigma, which remains a stubborn stain on societys panties. By actually talking about tampons, pads and periods, were challenging the cultural idea that menstruation is gross, dirty, shameful, or something to be embarrassed about. We dont do anyone any good by not talking about it. Silence allows for misinformation Im sure I wasnt the only child who believed, even briefly, that menstrual blood might be blue (thanks, advertising geniuses). Silence breeds shame. Silence prevents women from asking for what they need, whether its something as simple as a tampon or something as huge as reproductive health care. Silence is also why so many people downplay their menstrual pain, which can be debilitating. When I was growing up, we didnt talk about it, Hunt says. I was embarrassed to go and get anything from the store and I didnt want to ask anyone to do it for me. I dont know why weve made it such a taboo topic. Lets bring it out in the open, she says. Its not going to solve all of the worlds problems, but if it can help someone, its worth it. jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @JenZoratti Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 01/12/2016 (2162 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA A Manitoba radiologist will launch his campaign to become the next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada at a kickoff event in Winnipeg later today. Dr. Dan Lindsay has paid the $100,000 entry fee to join the race and is now starting to outline his platform, which will have a significant focus on health care and an overhaul of the Canada Health Act. A big part of (why Im running) is Im basically a grassroots Canadian, Lindsay said, in an interview with the Free Press. SUPPLIED Overhauling the Canada Health Act to adapt to modern medicine is a central policy plank of federal Conservative leadership candidate Dan Lindsay. I just think nobody is talking about the really big issues. Lindsay says he is an outsider to politics other than being a longtime Conservative Party member and donor, as well as volunteering in the Conservative riding association in Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley. He says he offers a different perspective than most of his opponents nine of whom are sitting Conservative MPs and three of whom were sitting MPs until they were defeated in the last election. On the Canada Health Act, he says it needs to be amended to adapt to modern medicine that has changed significantly from its inception in 1984. It stops innovation, he said. He particularly takes issue with Health Minister Jane Philpott threatening to fine Saskatchewan for legislation that allows private clinics to charge for MRIs so long as they provide an equal number of the scans for free. He said he was horrified by opponent Kellie Leitchs plan to screen would-be Canadian immigrants for anti-Canadian values, saying ensuring our security is one thing, but that the language and tone Leitch is using is not acceptable. What is the problem she is trying to solve here? he asked. Lindsay will be at the next leadership debate in Moncton, N.B., Dec. 6. He also participated in the first one earlier this fall in Saskatoon. Lindsay grew up in Winnipeg and graduated from medical school at the University of Manitoba. He is currently the director of diagnostic imaging for both the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority and the Northern Regional Health Authority, and is the president-elect of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba. He served five tours in Afghanistan as a radiologist in Kandahar. The new Conservative leader will be chosen by party members at a convention on May 27, 2017. mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/12/2016 (2161 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. GIMLI Tempers flared and fishers were divided as representatives for the province attempted to sell the end of Manitobas fish monopoly to the vocal fishers of Gimli. Roughly 30 fishers gathered Thursday at Gimlis Waterfront Centre as part of the provinces consultation process as it moves to exit the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corp. a federal Crown corporation mandated to buy and sell all fish in Manitoba. Peddling the end of the single-desk marketer were Gerry Friesen and Perry Mohr, tapped by the province to travel across Manitoba to explain to fishers how it will benefit the industry and usher in new market options. They will present a final report to the province in April. photos by Kristin Annable / winnipeG free press Gimlis Waterfront Centre was the location of a raucous meeting Thursday where the end of Manitobas fish monopoly was promoted by provincial representatives. The pair cut their teeth doing similar work 20 years ago when Manitobas hog industry transitioned from a single-desk seller to an open market. Fishers were given the deadline for the fast approaching exit: the province will be out of Freshwater no later than Aug. 17, 2017, Mohr said. Please dont think I am the devil, Mohr implored the fishers, as they stood up and argued the move will bankrupt the industry. Kris Isfeld and Chris Kristjanson, two Gimli-area fishers, led the charge against the end of the fish monopoly, questioning how the province will guarantee small fishers will survive in an open market. We will be out the door faster than you can spit, Kristjanson told the crowd, arguing as more buyers enter the market, prices will drop and larger foreign fishers will take over. The crowd skewed towards keeping Freshwater, however a small but vocal crowd stood in favour of an open market. David Olson argued its time Manitoba fishers enjoy the same market freedoms as the rest of Canada. It is hard to be polite when you have been kicked to the curb by Freshwater, Olson told the Free Press after the meeting. As a fisher in the north basin of Lake Winnipeg, he said the fishery is all but bankrupt as Freshwater has opted to buy area white fish at a notoriously low price. We want what all fishermen in Canada have, Olson said. The central question for fishers was what would happen to Freshwater. With Manitobas exit from the Crown, Freshwaters primary service base will disappear. Mohr said he wants to see it remain a viable option for fishers, admitting, however, it is a federal decision. Options he floated were it remaining a Crown, being purchased by the Manitoba Metis Federation, a group or First Nations or a group of fishers. Freshwater is still going to be there it is vital to the industry, he said. (Fishers) have to vote with contracts (for Freshwater) if they want it to survive. Making good on a campaign promise to give fishers more options when it comes to selling their catch, the Pallister government announced in August it would end the monopoly that has controlled the sale of fish in Manitoba since 1969. Mohr admitted he wasnt there to prepare a report that would contradict the Pallister governments promise. When I got hired, I asked one of the people who hired me, What if I come back to you and say this is the worst idea in the world? And he said, That is not a viable option because the province has already made the decision. Friesen and Mohr have travelled around Manitoba since November speaking to crowds of fishers, beginning in the north in Thompson. In total the pair have been to 10 towns, with countless more planned, said Mohr. Their mandate is to identify new regulations, policies and systems needed to establish the new marketing system, as well as establish a process for effective and sustainable fisheries management. Mohr admitted after the meeting the Gimli crowd was the most divided, so far. There was a very distinct divide in the room. Most of the meetings you either see all for (Freshwater) or all against, he said. When asked what percentage of towns favoured Freshwater, Mohr coyly answered, I havent been keeping track. kristin.annable@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @kristinannable Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/12/2016 (2161 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Almost every pregnant woman knows its important to take folic acid in order to prevent neural tube defects in her developing fetus. Did you know there is another way to protect your unborn child? Thats right, by keeping current on your vaccinations. Shots are available to protect you against viral infections such as measles, chicken pox and influenza, and bacterial infections such as whooping cough or tetanus. These vaccinations also have the added benefit of protecting your child before and after he or she is born. Health-care professionals are urging everyone to get a flu shot. Theres a reason for this. Think back to when the H1N1 flu strain hit North America in 2009-10. That year, five per cent of influenza-related deaths were among pregnant women. Which is concerning, as pregnant women only make up one per cent of the population. Flu-related deaths continue to be a hazard faced by all Canadians, including pregnant women. The complications of influenza are not to be sneezed at. Not only will the mother-to-be come down with influenza symptoms that can cause her to have heart and lung complications, she may be in danger of having a preterm, low-weight baby, a miscarriage or a stillborn baby. So far this flu season, the current flu vaccine is proving to be a good match for the strains of influenza in circulation. The vaccine will help you boost your immunity, giving you a 70 per cent chance of fighting off the flu. When you receive a flu shot, your body creates antibodies to the flu virus strains. This immune response is transmitted via the placenta to your fetus, protecting it before and after birth. Thats right: your newborn will have the same antibodies present in hid or her system, guarding them against the flu. This is especially important because your newborn cannot have a flu shot of their own until theyre older than six months of age. The Tdap vaccine which protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough) bacteria is another vaccine all pregnant women should get. In Manitoba, pregnant women should at least get a Tdap booster if they havent received an adult booster. They can also get additional boosters if there is an outbreak. Again, not only does the vaccine protect the mother, it also protects her baby before and after birth, due to placental acquisition of the antibodies. Whooping cough (pertussis) is of particular importance. An adult may get a troubling cough, but the symptoms in infants can be hazardous. Local data show from 2006 to 2011, one-third of all infants admitted to the hospital for pertussis ended up in pediatric intensive care units requiring intubation for an average of six days, according to Dr. Sergio Fanella, a local pediatric infectious diseases doctor. He also says 55 per cent of the admitted children were less than two months old and, therefore, are not eligible for their own vaccination. If you are planning to get pregnant, its a good idea to check to see if youre up to date on your measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) booster. If youre considering travel while pregnant, check to see if you need vaccines such as the hepatitis A or B vaccines. Generally, you should have the MMR booster at least one month prior to conceiving a child, so the antibodies are already in place. With regards to travellers vaccinations, consult a travel clinic, such as the Winnipeg Health Regions Travel Health and Tropical Medicine Services clinic, to learn which vaccines are needed for your destination. So, along with taking folic acid, its also a good idea to have a talk with your primary health-care provider about the vaccinations that will ensure you have a healthy pregnancy and give your newborn a boost at avoiding viruses and bacteria that can cause them harm. Dr. Vanessa Poliquin is an obstetrician-gynecologist, with additional clinical training in reproductive infectious diseases, who works with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/12/2016 (2161 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. OTTAWA An all-party committee of the House of Commons looking at electoral reform says Canada should develop a new voting system that reduces the difference between the number of seats a party wins in the House of Commons and its share of the popular vote. It also says Canada should hold a referendum to determine which system does that the best. That was not good enough for Democratic Reform Minister Maryam Monsef, who stood in the House of Commons Thursday afternoon and accused the committee of not doing its job. FRED CHARTRAND / THE CANADIAN PRESS The electoral reform committee: BQ MP Luc Therault (from left), Tory Scott Reid, Liberal Francis Scarpaleggia, NDP MP Nathan Cullen and Green party Leader Elizabeth May. I have to admit that I am a little disappointed, because what we had hoped the committee would provide us with was a specific alternative system to first-past-the-post, Monsef said, going on to say the committee did not complete the hard work we had expected it to. The reaction to her comments was swift, with some accusing her of thinking Canadians were stupid and others demanding she apologize for insulting the committee members. Green party Leader Elizabeth May, who sat on the committee, said it was the most insulting treatment imaginable. Tej Sahota, the husband of Ontario Liberal MP and committee member Ruby Sahota, was outraged, taking to Twitter to say, My son saw his mom for total of six hours over three weeks, while #ERRE committee toured Canada. So, try again Maryam. The tweet was later deleted, but its not a good sign when even your own people throw mud on you. Monsef seems to believe the committees mandate was to tell her what to do. But if she reads the mandate, the committee did exactly what was asked of it, which was to identify and conduct a study of viable alternate voting systems to replace the first-past-the-post system. The committee was to assess how those various options advanced five principles of electoral reform, including effectiveness, engagement, accessibility, integrity and local representation. The committee produced more than 300 pages in its report, detailing all aspects of what it heard over the past six months. The only thing not that surprising about the report is that the MPs on it pretty much stuck to party ideology on electoral reform. The dissenting or supplemental reports written by the Liberals, NDP and May conform to long-standing party talking points. Monsefs response to the report is perplexing unless you understand that while the Liberals never promised what kind of electoral system they wanted to change to, the party has always preferred a ranked ballot over any other option. Since a ranked ballot isnt the top choice, or even usually the second choice, of most of the people who made their views known to the committee, her rejection of their work makes more sense. From the beginning of this exercise I said the government of the day is not going to change to an electoral system that isnt beneficial to its chances for power. No prime minister is going to be that altruistic. The Liberals enthusiasm for democratic reform something they promised in 2015 would happen before the next election waned after winning for the same reason few sitting governments favour electoral reform. Why kill the system that elected you in the first place? Prime Minister Justin Trudeau indicated as much a few weeks ago when he told a Quebec newspaper the demand for electoral reform had lessened since the defeat of Stephen Harper and the Conservatives. It is an indication the push for electoral reform wasnt about what is best for the country but it was about what is best for the Liberals. Now that the system the Liberals prefer isnt the one getting the gold star at the committee and the existing system can clearly be trusted to elect Liberals despite its flaws, it appears Trudeau and company are ready to walk away. The gobbledygook of excuses for doing so is hard to wade through. Some, like Monsef accusing the committee of failing its mandate or insisting the government only promised to act if there was broad support for change, are outright falsehoods. If the Liberals truly only wanted electoral reform if it meant a ranked ballot then that is what they should have promised. Instead they left an open-ended promise on the kind of system we would change too and pledged to consult Canadians. Now that Canadians arent giving them the answer they want, they are ready to walk away. Sunny ways, indeed. Mia Rabson is the Free Press parliamentary bureau chief. mia.rabson@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @mrabson Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/12/2016 (2161 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Manitoba government recently announced it is moving forward with a consultation initiative to bring forward paramedic self-regulation to the province. We are grateful to Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen for allowing us to be involved in these discussions. While we will endeavour to participate in the process, we feel its important to register our concerns, particularly as the current EMS system in Winnipeg serves as a model for other cities to emulate. Manitoba is staffed with dual-trained and provincially licensed firefighter-paramedics in Winnipeg, Brandon and Thompson. It is important to emphasize that these firefighter-paramedics are involved in 80 per cent of the total number of emergency medical calls received in Manitobas three largest cities every year. In Brandon and Thompson, the fire departments provide all emergency medical care for their citizens and large surrounding areas. In fact, those departments firefighter-paramedics provide every part of the emergency medical response system: from dispatch, to advanced medical care and ambulance transport to the hospital. Here in Winnipeg, our 40 fire trucks are staffed, in part, by nearly 430 firefighter-paramedics. These crews responded to approximately 48,000 EMS calls last year, of which 12,000 were run by firefighter-paramedics only without an ambulance response. More than half of our licensed paramedics have at some point worked on either rural or city ambulances. These rank-and-file firefighters would be working on these trucks even if we did not attend one EMS call they are not extra staff. We make use of current resources as a way to allow our system to be financially sustainable. We work closely with the well-trained ambulance-based paramedics, approximately half of whom are trained to the advanced care level, and who subsequently provide transport. We are proud of our important paramedic role in Manitoba, and as representatives of more than 550 licensed firefighter-paramedics, we respectfully disagree with our ambulance brothers and sisters in the Manitoba Government and General Employees Union, and the Paramedic Association of Manitoba on the value and need for self-regulation at this time. Our concerns are based on the fact that we have a tremendously successful EMS system in Winnipeg, Thompson and Brandon, and self-regulation will create another level of bureaucracy. This is needless and costly. It seems the problems in rural EMS delivery are driving this process and self-regulation will not address those issues. Our EMS system in Winnipeg is looked at by many cities in Canada as a model for patient care and financial sustainability. We continually poll as one of the most respected professions in Winnipeg, and our citizen satisfaction levels are always in the high 90s. We believe we have tremendous leadership and medical oversight in Winnipeg under emergency care specialist and WFPS medical director Dr. Rob Grierson, as well as Fire Paramedic Chief John Lane. Both are highly respected in their fields. The 2013 Provincial EMS Report states: The current medical director has been in this position for a decade and during that time has developed a very complete and effective medical oversight system. We will work with the provincially appointed consultant Reg Toews to look at ways we can move forward with self-regulation while still protecting the systems in Winnipeg, Brandon and Thompson. We need to be perfectly clear that we have nothing but respect for ambulance paramedics in the province and, in fact, are a vocal supporter of our rural counterparts. We have been vocal on the belief that our rural ambulance paramedics have substandard wages and that benefits and their working conditions need to be brought up to the levels we enjoy in Winnipeg. We continuously hear this from the many firefighter-paramedics who have, and continue to work for rural EMS departments. One thing thats clear is that self-regulation for paramedics will not help our rural ambulance brothers and sisters in the areas of wages and working conditions. We believe the people responsible for the well-being of our rural paramedics should concentrate on those priorities at this time in light of recent announcements that the provincial government is entering a period of austerity and wage pauses for provincial workers. At the end of the day, our position is clear: we want to continue delivering the best medical care model for the citizens of Manitoba. Self-regulation will not fix the major issues in rural Manitoba EMS delivery and will negatively affect our system by creating another level of needless bureaucracy. Alex Forrest is the captain of the Winnipeg Fire Department, president of the United Firefighters of Winnipeg and the Canadian trustee of the International Association of Firefighters. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/12/2016 (2161 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. In the music room of a cosy North End school, a little girl from Syria is singing with the group. She wears a pretty hijab in bright royal blue, and boots suited to muck through the slushy snows of a comparatively warm November. Her family came to Canada earlier this year, and she is still learning English. But she is confident when she sings it, belting out the lyrics eagerly and clear. When the song is finished, she turns to two little girls beside her, who appear to be indigenous. They giggle and play a game that involves wiggling their fingers. The rules are not immediately evident to an observer, but the language is unmistakable; play is the universal mother tongue of children, and all kids everywhere can speak it. In this moment, they are joyful and perfect and young. From this point, their futures stretch out long. They have time to play, and time to become, and as long as there is time, there is potential. For now, it is enough to simply sing and laugh together. This is Canada. This tiny moment in a small corner of a mid-sized Prairie city, it is part of the fabric of my Canada. Late at night, when all I have is the glow of my computer, I think that scenes such as that are why I write: to reach toward the future. Right now, that little girl likely doesnt know her presence here is political. In the future I hope for, she will never have to. In an email to supporters this week, Conservative leadership candidate Kellie Leitch stated that the media and the elite dont care about Canadian values, partly a reference to her proposal to add a values test to immigration screening. As a longtime member of the media, I would like to say this is not true. Most of us who work in media are Canadian, too. Like all Canadians, we may not always agree with each other, with politicians, or with all of our readers. We may have differing convictions and conflicting opinions about the path ahead. To say that we dont care about Canadian values, though, is categorically untrue. They are our values, too, ones we have an equal part in creating and guiding, and if we did not care about Canada then we would not care to tell its stories. My values are of this country. They were born on the Prairies, and came of age on Greyhounds between the coasts. They were shaped by history books, and graduation powwows, and by watching the grateful tears of refugees allowed to stay. When my family immigrated to Canada in the late 1960s, a dozen years before I was born, nobody asked them to prove their values. They came for a sense of peace, for a place to raise their kids and breathe, and they passed those values onto me. I was six years old. We pitched a tent somewhere in the Whiteshell, and skinned sticks to roast marshmallows over the fire. Stars spilled across the sky, and the shallow river babbled. From this, I learned the value of respecting the glory of nature. Thirteen years old. My friend, who lived next door, was moving. Her father was out of work and couldnt afford their rent anymore. She sat on the porch, kicking rocks and sighing. Her mom wasnt around, she said; in trouble for drinking. photos by Tim Smith / Brandon Sun files Three-year-old Cass Emralino waves a Canadian flag after her family were sworn in as Canadian citizens at a special citizenship ceremony at Betty Gibson School on Wednesday. The ceremony was held to welcome 58 new citizens to Canada. Emralinos family is originally from the Philippines. From this, I learned the value of understanding that anyone can need help, sometimes. I learned there is pain in families that isnt always evident from the outside, and wanting to find ways to heal these hurting places is my Canadian value, too. The years marched on, and I did too, and each of my 35 years as a Canadian has taught me something new. I have been humbled by mountains, by canola fields that link horizons, by the strength of farmers battling to save their land from floods. I have been humbled by the parents of Christine Wood, searching for their missing daughter on too many long nights. Inspired, yes, I have been inspired too: by all the folks in Steinbach, quietly working to grow the conversation around LGBTTQ* folks safety and inclusion. By Michael Champagne, and his tireless work to raise up a new North End vision. All of these things are Canada, and yet Canada is so much bigger, but to describe the entire picture would keep us here forever. If anyone wants to know where this media members values originate, well, those are just a handful of the places. They are many things, and have shaped many of my opinions. And they are all fully and authentically Canadian. Leitchs rhetoric isnt particularly subtle. The point of inspiration may be regarding her proposed immigration values test on which many of us may disagree but the choice of words used in the campaign is far broader and more divisive. The implication is that there exist monoliths that are hostile to Canadian values, and only a smaller group (Leitchs supporters, presumably) who can define and defend what being Canadian is. Setting up a classic us vs. them. This strategy is much more advanced in the United States, where history and political propaganda have thrown up a fortress around who and what can be considered real Americans. It can be a winning strategy, when sufficient anger propels it. A potential to win doesnt make it any more just, or true. It is not yet that far gone here, I think. It will take vigilance to ensure it does not go further. So for the record, let me assert that none of us can claim to be the sole owner of Canadian values. Those values are, like everything else in this nation, a constant conversation between 36 million different people. They are shaped by our vantage point on society, by our personal and community histories and by our dreams for the future. For me, I found my values again in an elementary school in the North End, watching three little girls sing and laugh and play games with their hands. And I care about them, so much: the girls, my values, and the Canada in which they all will grow. melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca None of us can claim to be the sole owner of Canadian values. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/12/2016 (2161 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. It has not been a stellar year for those women who have gathered the courage to tell police theyve been sexually assaulted. The number of these cases that ever make it to trial is markedly small. Elizabeth Sheehy, a law professor at the University of Ottawa, says only 12 of every 1,000 reported sexual assault cases result in charges laid. Only three will result in a conviction. Canadian women have watched the high-profile accusations against former CBC employee Jian Ghomeshi fall apart. Theyve watched as Donald Trump admitted he grabs women by the pussy, yet won the election as American president. Then, theyve had to endure explanations not only from Mr. Trump but from Republican strategists who assert that all men talk that way that this type of violent rhetoric is just locker-room talk. Even Bill Cosby, the man once dubbed Americas favourite dad faced accusations by 35 women that he sexually assaulted them, yet his comedy act remained popular in London and Hamilton. In fact, the 77-year old comedian made light of his charges at his performance in London, saying to a woman in the crowd: You have to be careful about drinking around me, which drew loud applause. On Tuesday, news came that an Alberta judge who asked a complainant in a sexual assault trial why she didnt keep her knees together is one step closer to being thrown off the bench. A panel convened by the Canadian Judicial Council determined that Judge Robin Camp of the Federal Court harmed the publics confidence in the courts and the only remedy would be to have him taken off the bench. JEFF MCINTOSH / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Federal Court Justice Robin Camp Mr. Camp apologized at his disciplinary hearing in September for his actions, saying I was not the good judge I thought I was. Canadians deserve more from their judges. He also underwent sensitivity training and counselling. But in the end, it wasnt enough and still isnt. The CJC decision is prudent for many reasons. Firstly, it sends a very clear message to other judges that there is no room in the courtroom for antiquated beliefs about in sexual violence a lesson that seems to have been lost on several judges, including Mr. Camp and Manitoba Judge Robert Dewar. Recall, Mr. Dewar suggested that a Thompson woman who was raped was partly to blame for the attack because of how she dressed and behaved. Secondly, it provides women with some confidence in the judicial process. Many women say the legal process is one reason they will not report sexual violence. Finally, it makes it clear that the public appetite for these types of judicial declarations is waning. Two legal professors went public with their outrage at Mr. Camps comments and the subsequent media coverage in part prompted the Alberta justice minister to file a formal complaint. For many, there is a sense that there is no accountability for judges. The CJC did not penalize Mr. Dewar for his comments. There were no ramifications in 1999, when Appeal Court Justice John McClung attacked a Supreme Court Justice who took him to task for his reliance on sexual assault myths in what became known as the no-means-no case. It seems, at long last, the CJC has decided to take this fundamental step in the face of growing public frustration. Winona Senior High School students have a safer path across one of Winonas busiest streets, thanks to the efforts of a few industrious students. This spring, the city installed a new traffic light at the intersection of South Baker and Sarnia, the entrance to Winona Senior High School, which has long been known as a dangerous intersection. Tegan Lecheler got an idea at the beginning of last school year. She said students, teachers, and faculty had voiced concerns about pedestrian safety at the intersection, adding that its also hard to get in and out of due to high traffic from vehicles and pedestrians before and after school. Lecheler said she wanted to do take action, and, along with help from fellow classmate Rhiannon Reinardy, began reaching out to people who could help school board members, city council members, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation. I dont like to complain about things without doing something about it, she said. I wanted to do something for our community and help make it safer. Initially Lecheler wanted to have a four-way stop, but MnDOT said that wasnt an option. After a few months of negotiation and discussion, the parties agreed on installing on whats known as a Rapid Rectangular Flashing Beacon, and it was approved in November 2015. Lecheler said the beacon works like a stop sign during high-traffic times. Pedestrians looking to cross the intersection press a button, and the lights start flashing similar to the pattern of an emergency vehicle, letting drivers know pedestrians are, or will be, crossing. Its a busy intersection, and we need to make sure that the people crossing it can do so safely, she said. Lecheler, a full-time PSEO student graduating in June, said shes interested in pursuing politics and doing thankless jobs that benefit people and communities. For her, the experience of advocating for a traffic signal at the intersection, and working with others to make it happen, fit what Lecheler aims to do down the road when shes done with school. She saw an issue, got an idea to fix it, and worked to make the idea a reality. Its not about getting thanks or getting noticed; its about doing something for your community, she said. I was able to take an idea and follow through with it, and I learned a lot from the process. I dont like to complain about things without doing something about it. I wanted to do something for our community and help make it safer. Tegan Lecheler, on working on a safer street crossing near the Winona High School The Womens Resource Center of Winona has a new home, after spending the past 25 years in the old Victorian house at the corner of Fifth and Lafayette. Staff and volunteers this week have been unloading furniture and supplies at the new office downtown, a second-floor suite in the historic Latsch Building where the center on Monday plans to open its doors. Being in this historic and revitalized building is a great enhancement of our message, said Diana Miller, the centers executive director. Weve been around for 40 years, which is a long time for a nonprofit. We feel were one of the crucial organizations in this community. Its nice to be here, because this building isnt going anywhere. Miller said the move has been and will be emotional because of the memories and the good things that happened at that house, where the center has helped thousands of women struggling with domestic violence, sexual assault and economic hardship. But a change of scenery makes sense, she said, for a few reasons. One, the office is nondescript and shares a building with several businesses, so that women who come to the center wont draw attention an important element of providing the safety for women the center strives for. When people would knock on the door at Fifth and Lafayette, Miller said, everyone at Midtown could see them. Two, the building is handicap-accessible with a ramp and an elevator leading to the second-floor office. And three, the move links the center to another piece of the citys history in the Latsch Building, which underwent a major restoration two years ago. Thanks to an award from the Minnesota Office of Justice Programs, the center is also getting new computers with better and more secure record-keeping capabilities a major benefit for an organization that deals with so many documents, Miller said. At the house, she said, we have a lot of paper. The new office is roughly 2,300 square feet of hardwood floors, exposed brick and tall windows. It has several small offices for the centers six employees Miller said theyve been doubling up in bedrooms at the old house and a couple larger spaces for meetings and webinars. The Winona Community Foundation contributed new desks, and volunteers from Celanese will be moving the last furnishings to the new office in the next couple days. The old house, meanwhile, is up for sale. It has new paint and relatively new windows, has been well kept by the staff and the local businesses that have done in-kind work on the home over the years. The center never had to pay a mortgage, either, because it had enough money from donations to purchase the house outright. Miller said the center was likely one of only a few womens centers in the country to own a building and property. Its a beautiful house, said Miller, who on Monday plans to hold a sort of estate sale there from 1 to 7 p.m., getting rid of all the dishes and the furniture that wont fit inside the new place. The Womens Resource Center serves roughly 800 women in a typical year, donating household supplies or helping them find a womens shelter where they can ride out a difficult stretch. The centers non-emergency phone number is 507-452-4440. Its crisis line is 507-452-4453. Our work is going to continue, Miller said. Were just in a much better place now. People Helping People founder and President Bill Harris hopes to raise $15,000 to help feed local families during the nonprofits fourth annual Stomp Out Hunger food drive Saturday. Were trying, hoping and praying that we can generate $15,000, he said. Thats our goal this year because there is tremendous need. Harris said past food drives have brought in 5,000 pounds of food on average and raised as much as $10,000 for local food pantries. This year, hes setting the bar even higher. We had to up our game, he said. We know people are going to be coming to food pantries and food banks if the shelves are empty, that doesnt do them any good. Harris said he wants the food drive to be a starting point where Baraboo residents can help their disadvantaged neighbors. Everybody wants to help, but a lot of times people dont have an avenue or a vehicle to climb aboard to get there, he said. They look to us to be that bridge. Food and money collected during the event will be used to help feed low-income families through support of food pantries in Sauk, Columbia, Juneau and Adams counties. People Helping People regularly donates to the Baraboo Food Pantry, Hope House of South Central Wisconsin, Sauk County Childrens Giving Tree, the Marine Corps League, the Hope Through Christ Ministries Warming Center and area families through the organizations Adopt-A-Family program, which distributes holiday food boxes, gifts, clothing and other items for area families in need. People Helping People Secretary Ellen Bueno has helped with the Stomp Out Hunger food drive since its inception. The most rewarding part is seeing those boxes of food go out to an actual family, she said. Or in our case, over 100 families who cant buy their own groceries but want to enjoy a holiday meal. We hope were able to ease the burden for these families in the community. Harris said preparations for the event began months in advance. Since September, hes been contacting sponsors, seeking donations and advertising across multiple platforms. Anyone interested in donating can bring nonperishable food items or monetary donations to the tent that will be set up from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. near the Cell.Plus store by the Baraboo Walmart. Santa Claus is slated to make an appearance from 2-4 p.m. Elite Catering will offer pulled pork sandwiches, chili, brats, and hot dogs, along with other hot food and beverages. Food sales also will go toward feeding local families. Harris said the most rewarding part of his work is spreading hope and love by helping to feed and clothe disadvantaged children. The strongest evidence of love is sacrifice, Harris said. We know when a donation box arrives at someones door, those people are saying, Wow, somebody loves us. Ronald Henning Ronald M. Henning, 78, Waupun, went to be with his lord, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016, at his home. Ron, the son of Floyd and Agnes (Harmsen) Henning, was born March 29, 1938, in Mayville. The family moved to the Waupun area where he was raised and went to school, graduating in 1956. During that period he enlisted in the Wisconsin Army National Guard and was deployed to Fort Lewis during the Berlin crisis. In 1958 he married Betty Perreten. They raised their two girls in Beaver Dam and moved to rural Waupun in 1978. Ron was always involved in business. Initially he ran a beer distributorship which evolved into a restaurant supply and tap cleaning business. He then bought a bulk milk truck and hauled for Alto Creamery Co-op for many years. He retired and found it did not suit his lifestyle, so he purchased a dump truck to do seasonal work (road and construction), which he did for several years. In 2000 he permanently retired. He loved driving, so in his spare time he drove vehicles for Lomira Auction and eventually for CAT Wholesale, which he loved and where he made many good friends. More than anything Ron loved his family. The years he spent exploring the U.S., Canada and Mexico with them were priceless. The brightest lights in his life were his grandchildren. Spending time with them, hearing about their lives, accomplishments and attending their activities at church and school was a priority and a joy. He simply loved the outdoors, and enjoyed hunting and bowling in his younger years. Being an avid Packers fan and attending many games with one of his favorite uncles was a cherished memory. He loved and collected classic cars for many years, selling the last of his collection (a favorite 57 Chevy convertible) last year. Fishing was also a passion for which there never was enough time. Through it all classic country music was his preference, especially Johnny Cash. Ron is survived by his wife Betty of Waupun; daughters Robin Henning of Fox Lake and Kimberly Henning of Beaver Dam; grandchildren Emma Henning-Laatsch (John Tyborski), Ellen Henning-Laatsch, Craig Wolc (Jenifer Baum) and Lindsey (Ryan) Bahr; and great-grandchild Mayci Bahr. He was preceded in death by his parents; father-in-law; brother-in-law; special fishing buddy and friend, Gene Schmidt; and many favorite aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. Visitation will be held Tuesday, Dec. 6, at Cornerstone Funeral & Cremation Services, 135 Keller Blvd., Beaver Dam, from 9 a.m. to the time of the funeral service at 11 a.m. The Rev. Jeff Nicholas will officiate. Burial will take place at Oakwood Cemetery, Beaver Dam, followed by a luncheon back at Cornerstone. Cornerstone Funeral & Cremation Services in Beaver Dam is honored to be serving the family. Send private online condolences or sign the familys guest book at cstonefs.com. Final numbers from this years gun-deer season showed an increase in the buck harvest for much of the state, but totals from both the Central Farmland Zone and Central Forest Zone which includes Juneau County dipped somewhat. This years nine-day hunting season ran from Nov. 19-27. In the Central Forest Zone, 5,067 antlered deer were harvested, while hunters nabbed 2,943 anterless deer. Both totals were two percent decreases from last year. In the Central Farmland Zone, 48,872 antlered deer were harvest (1.4 percent increase) and 62,612 antlerless (8.2 percent decrease). Juneau County is divided into the two zones, with all land north of the I-90/94 Interstate in the Central Forest Zone and land south of the interstate in the Central Farmland Zone. In preliminary registration figures provided by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), 97,892 bucks were harvested, which is a 5.7 percent increase from 2015. However, the number of antlerless deer (98,893) dipped by 6.2 percent. Overall, hunters registered 196,785 deer in this years hunt, down from 198,057 from a year ago. Hunters in the Northern Forest Zone saw a 30 percent increase in the harvest, which the DNR said was due to two-straight mild winters and limited antlerless tags. Kevin Wallenfang, big game ecologist for the DNR, said many factors influence success in the woods, but buck harvest is one of our best indicators of how the population is responding to harvest strategies in the Forest Zones. Wallenfang said deer harvests are never uniform, which correlates with population densities across the state. He said its encouraging to see more deer harvested in the northern counties and, overall, numbers similar to last year. The DNR reported about 600,000 hunters hit the woods in pursuit of a deer this season. Almost 14,000 more hunters registered for the nine-day hunt in 2015. This years hunting season was relatively safe. No fatalities were reported during the nine-day hunt. The DNR Bureau of Law Enforcement is investigating five hunting incidents in four counties. Fortunately, hunting accidents have been on a steady decline in recent years. There have been no reported fatalities in five of the last 10 hunting seasons. Chief Conservation Warden Todd Schaller said the decline in incidents could be traced to an increase in hunter safety courses and proper firearm use. Hunters still have more opportunities to enjoy time in the woods. The muzzleloader season runs through Dec. 7 and the archery season doesnt conclude until Jan. 8. A four-day antlerless-only hunt will be held Dec. 8-11, and some counties will have a holiday hunt from Dec. 24-Jan. 1. The DNR offers an interactive deer map on its website to track hunting seasons in each county at dnr.wi.gov. Hunters can also help the DNR monitor deer populations. Through the Deer Hunter Wildlife Survey, hunters can submit a report to wildlife managers of what they observed in the woods. The information will provide vital data to help the DNR determine herd estimates. The DNR has also setup County Deer Advisory Councils for hunters to provide valuable feedback. Through the councils, hunters can use several resources, including harvest and deer population data, along with public input and additional information to offer recommendations for deer management in each county. For more information on the Deer Hunter Wildlife Survey, search deer hunter wildlife and to learn about the advisory councils, search CDAC at dnr.wi.gov. Hunters are also encouraged to send hunting photos to the DNR for possible publication on its social media platforms. Gov. Scott Walkers family commission is calling for a series of state law and policy changes to alleviate poverty by strengthening families. The Future of the Family Commission on Thursday recommended the state expand taxpayer-funded vouchers for private schools, offer marriage tax credits, increase access to quality child care, and teach financial and family planning skills in school and parenting and relationship skills in prison. The commission also suggested that Wisconsin schools employ and promote the Success Sequence, an idea promoted by the Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C. think tank, that emphasizes graduating from high school, getting a job, and turning 21 and getting married before having children. The recommendations could factor into Walkers upcoming budget proposal. Governor Walker thanks members of the commission for their hard work and looks forward to reviewing their recommendations, Walker spokesman Tom Evenson said. The governor is committed to helping strengthen families as we move forward into the new year and legislative session. Walker created the 12-member commission in January as a way to identify challenges and barriers families face and to discover solutions on how we can help them overcome those hurdles. The commissions 94-page report resulting from five meetings doesnt include a price tag for its recommendations. It identified 19 different challenges facing families, including: a lack of support for mens roles in forming and sustaining families, too many barriers to marriage, unplanned pregnancies, lack of family planning, lack of quality education for high-risk youth, inadequate adult literacy and math skills, insufficient supply of high-quality early childhood education, few positive cultural messages about marriage and cultural messages that sexual activity disconnected from a committed relationship has no consequence. 12 recommendations To address those challenges, the commission made 12 recommendations, including: Increase the demand for marriage by removing barriers such as marriage license fees and tax structures that create a disincentive for two-parent households; considering marriage and child tax credits; developing healthy relationship/marriage readiness programs; reframing the concept of marriage for teens and young adults and providing divorce intervention services. Educate young people about prevention of unplanned pregnancy by highlighting family planning and opportunities available by delaying sexual activity. Provide in-home education programs, including relationship skills, for new fathers. Teach financial and life skills in high school, such as the cost of child support and the Success Sequence which prescribes graduating from high school, getting a job and waiting until marriage and age 21 before having children. Increase high school students exposure to technical fields, especially in low-income communities. Promote school choice/taxpayer-funded vouchers for private schools. Align transportation resources with available jobs. Provide support for offenders to re-enter society. Increase access to affordable, quality early childhood education. Develop and promote positive cultural messages for both men and women about healthy relationships. Provide programs for incarcerated men that build their skills in the areas of parenting, marriage and finance. Encourage community-based social support networks for families. Lawrence Berger, director of the Institute for Research on Poverty at UW-Madison, said the report addresses many of the key issues associated with family formation and stability, particularly by emphasizing the roles of men and fathers. However, he said he is less optimistic about the emphasis on marriage promotion and healthy marriage programs because the current evidence indicates these programs have not been effective. Marriage programs ineffective? This is not to say that effective programs could not be developed or that we should not continue experimenting with such programs, but the fact of the matter is that evaluations of existing programs have not demonstrated that they are effective, said Berger, who testified before the commission. He took issue with the report not recommending making long-acting reversible contraceptives such as intrauterine devices and implants more easily available to low-income women, something he deemed potentially game changing in terms of unplanned births, which account for the majority of nonmarital births, and associated family complexity and instability. He also said it didnt address financial support for those who are unable to work or face heavy barriers to employment, such as low education and skills, long periods of disconnection from the labor market, limited connection to social welfare programs, and criminal records. I would have liked to see a more explicit focus on how best to support these individuals and families not only to move into the labor market, but to also access sufficient economic resources during the process of doing so, Berger said. This, too, is crucial for family functioning and for best enabling parents to contribute to their children both financially and in terms of high quality caregiving. Julaine Appling, president of conservative Wisconsin Family Action, said she supported the commissions recommendations, particularly on marriage. Their recommendations are right in line with what we believe must be done, Appling said. I trust the state Legislature will utilize many of these recommendations and will make this a very high priority this session. Editor's Note: This story has been corrected to accurately reflect the source of the "Success Sequence." Walker created the 12-member (Future of the Family Commission) in January as a way to identify challenges and barriers families face and to discover solutions on how we can help them overcome those hurdles. The commissions 94-page report ... identified 19 different challenges facing families. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker on Friday said he would consider passing a law that would prevent a fourth-place candidate like Jill Stein from requesting a presidential recount. "Its certainly something to look at," Walker told reporters Friday morning after lighting the state Capitol Christmas tree. "I think a lot of people, no matter where they sit on the political spectrum, kind of scratch their head as to why someone would ask for a recount when they came in fourth. To me, it seems like a recount is most valuable if you think it was close and you want to challenge it to make sure that all the votes that were legitimate and legal were cast." The governor's comments came after the chairman of the state Senate Committee on Elections and Local Government said earlier this week that he would "reexamine Wisconsin law to ensure that a candidate who received 1 percent of the vote cannot hold the results of an election hostage and jeopardize the states 10 electoral votes." Sen. Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, said Republican president-elect Donald Trump was rightly criticized when he suggested on the campaign trail that the election was rigged, and suggested the recount effort deserves similar opprobrium. Wisconsin has perhaps the most decentralized elections system in the nation," LeMahieu said in a statement. "Municipal clerks administer elections in each of the states 1,852 cities, towns and villages. There is no Wisconsin Elections Mainframe to hack, and I have not yet heard of any reports of Russian spies running around polling places in Monroe County." Reached on Friday, LeMahieu said he doesn't have a bill drafted yet, but he is speaking with other lawmakers and with Legislative Council staff to make sure the right to a recount would be preserved while putting in place some restrictions. "I've heard from quite a few representatives and senators who are interested in getting something done to prevent a candidate who has no way of actually winning in a recount of holding up the electoral process," he said, adding that he thinks most lawmakers would agree a recount conducted on behalf of someone who received such a small percentage of the vote is not an effective use of local clerks' time. Trump defeated Democratic former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin by about 22,000 votes. Stein received about 31,000 votes. Walker on Friday said people should call the recount what it is: "a fundraising scheme for the Green Party." Not only is the party raising money to fund recounts in Wisconsin and other states, Walker said, it is building an email list of donors it can tap in the future. "Its perfectly legal, though. Its their right to do that," Walker said. "Theyre paying for it, the taxpayers arent being asked to pay for it. The only real concern I have is that for a lot of these clerks, local clerks, theyre already busy. Usually they like to get through the elections and then get ready for property tax bills being sent out and collected, so thats a bit of a challenge. But I have every confidence theyll get all this done in a timely basis." The recount began on Thursday, after Stein's campaign paid the $3.5 million assessed by county clerks and the state Elections Commission to cover costs. The process must be completed by Dec. 13 in order to meet a federal deadline for certification of electoral votes. Stein, with support from Clinton, pushed for the entire state to conduct the recount by hand, but instead, it is up to each of the state's 72 counties to decide whether to count manually or by machine. Most counties have chosen to count by hand. In her recount petition, Stein alleged some electronic voting machines in Wisconsin are "susceptible to compromise." She suggested there were "irregularities" in the state's vote totals that "indicate potential tampering with electronic voting systems." Walker said he thinks the results of the recount will be similar to the state's initial election results. "In the end, going through this recount might actually reaffirm peoples confidence in the system," Walker said. Elections Commission chairman Mark Thomsen, a Democrat, made a similar argument earlier this week. "Its going to reassure Wisconsin voters that we have a fair system, that were not counting illegal votes, were not counting dead peoples votes and its really, really important to know that in Wisconsin, elections are fair and accurate and conducted by hardworking people," Thomsen said Monday. Asked whether he thinks the recount results could serve as a rebuttal to Trump's claim that millions of votes were cast illegally for Clinton, Walker said they are "two separate issues." "I havent looked at the particulars as to whether thats possible or not," Walker said when asked whether he believes Trump's claim is plausible. Trump's claim was given a "Pants on Fire" rating by PolitiFact and a "Four Pinocchios" rating by the Washington Post's Fact Checker. The Republican Party of Wisconsin put up a billboard in Milwaukee on Thursday in opposition to the recount. Featuring pictures of Stein and Clinton, it reads, "Don't let liberals steal the election!" Asked whether he believes the recount is an effort to steal the election, Walker said it's important for the state GOP to watch to make sure no legitimate ballots are challenged. "I would assume the same would hold true if the tables were turned," Walker said. "I think you could switch the parties. Anytime theres a recount, you want to make sure that the party thats behind the candidate that won wants to make sure they arent kicking out votes that were legitimately cast." When I was 3 years old, my sister Sandy was born. I was delighted, as any new big sister would be. I didnt know there was anything wrong until a few months later when my parents took a plane out of Cleveland, taking Sandy, but not me. I remember standing beside my aunt Helen on the tarmac that day, waving goodbye to them and wondering why they were leaving. Years later I learned the whole story. Theyd gone to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore to meet with a specialist about Sandys condition. My mother told me Sandy was a perfectly healthy baby the day of her birth. But because babies in those days were kept in the hospitals nursery, my mother got to see and hold her only certain times of the day. The day after her birth, Sandy was completely different when the nurse brought her into my mothers room. Her body was stiff and her arms jerked spasmodically. My mother also noticed a distinct black-and-blue mark on her forehead, just below her hairline. Mom asked the nurses and doctor what was wrong and what had happened, but all of them said they didnt know. Later, my parents were convinced that Sandy had been dropped on her head while in the nursery. A few weeks later, Mom and Dad took her to a local pediatrician. He told them Sandy had cerebral palsy, which is caused by a brain injury. The doctor told my parents what they did in China when a child had a severe disability it was taken to the top of a mountain and left there. My parents were furious, of course, and Im surprised that doctor survived my fathers wrath. Eventually, they were referred to Johns Hopkins, which had specialists in cerebral palsy. They were told shed be lucky to live three years. Later, when she was 10, they were told shed probably die before she was 16. At age 18, they were told shed be lucky to live to be 21. The medical experts didnt know Sandy and her spirit. She outlived my parents and died at age 44 from ovarian cancer. Sandys condition and the amount of care she required drastically changed my parents lives. Dad worked almost constantly so he could afford to put money away for her future needs. Mom devoted her life to Sandys care, forgoing almost everything else. She had to because Sandy was never able to walk, talk clearly, feed, dress or bathe herself. She couldnt even scratch her own nose. She could push her wheelchair backward with one foot and use the little finger on her left hand to grasp things, but her spastic movements made even that difficult. Yet, she was happy almost all the time, had a wonderful sense of humor and a keen mind. She learned to read, but needed someone to turn the pages. When she was 14, my dad hired a man to put a metal grid around the keys on a typewriter so Sandy could communicate in writing, since understanding her speech was always a challenge. We didnt know if shed be able to hit the letters because her movements were so spastic, but she was eager to try. I remember that day. She wanted to be alone, so Dad pushed her to the desk and closed the office door. Then we waited. After half an hour, we asked her if she was finished. She said she wasnt. It was almost three hours before she yelled that she was done. We went in. Her face was streaming with sweat, but her smile was beaming. I bent over to see what she had written. At the bottom of a lot of unrelated letters were two perfectly-typed words: dear patty. That kind of patience and perseverance was typical of her. Eventually, she got a bit faster and wrote beautiful poems and letters. Her love of life, family and friends was expressed in all of them. When she died, her last words were, Ive had a wonderful life. That was true because of the way she lived. She made fast friends everywhere she went and offered love, laughter and hope to all she met. Thats why I was so upset when a candidate for president, on live TV, mimicked, as if it were funny, the same spastic movements my sister had. Why? Because he didnt like what the disabled journalist had written. Who would stoop so low to do something like that? Apparently, the next president of the United States. Gee, arent we proud? The City of Reedsburg has turned over all its election materials for the presidential vote recount. The recount started Dec. 1 in Wisconsin counties. Since Baraboo is the county seat for Sauk, Reedsburg sent its poll books, ballots and other relevant data to the County Clerks Office, said Reedsburg City Clerk-Treasurer Jacob Crosetto. Crosetto said the recount shouldnt take up too much of the Citys resources although staff will need to be available for calls or additional requests from the County Clerks Office. Its the first ever presidential vote recount in Wisconsin. The Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka Campaign along with the Hilary Clinton Campaign had filed a lawsuit demanding the recount, which included a requirement that all ballots be counted by hand. That request, however, was struck down by Dane County Circuit Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn due to lack of sufficient evidence to prove hacking or count inaccuracies, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. The Stein Campaign decided against appealing the decision. Even with machines it will take time to count the ballots, Crosetto said. Reedsburg poll workers used machines on election night, Nov. 8, to count about 1,300 absentee ballots. It took more than 4 hours, he said. Counting by hand would take much longer. The recount is expected to run until Dec. 12, the State Journal reported. Several wards in Reedsburg were initially selected for auditing but Crosetto is not sure if that will happen now due to the recount. Random audits are usually held after elections and do not indicate foul play or errors. Since Reedsburg turned over its ballots for the recount an audit may not be necessary. Crosetto said he will find out after Dec. 14 if random audits will still occur this year. Stein, a Green Party candidate, and her running mate, Baraka, have sought recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania after alleging the voting machines used in those states were susceptible to hacking. According to her website, www.jill2016.com/recountpr, some of the machines used in Wisconsin were banned in California due to security concerns. Steins campaign will be responsible for paying for the recount, which could top $3.5 million in Wisconsin. If it costs more her campaign will be billed, the State Journal reported. Any remaining funds would be returned to the Stein campaign. As you make your Christmas list and check it twice, be sure to remember to shop Charleston whenever you can. There are many good reasons to shop locally. Here are a few: 1. Money Spent Local Stays Local. By shopping locally, you simultaneously create jobs, fund more city services through sales tax, invest in neighborhood improvement and promote community development. 2. Local Businesses Contribute to the Community. Ninety-one percent of local business owners contribute to their community, including schools, nonprofits and community groups, by volunteering and making donations. 3. Local Businesses Provide Jobs. Small local businesses account for a large share of new jobs created each year and locally based businesses provide some of the most stable employment opportunities in a community. These employees in turn spend in the local economy. 4. Supporting Local Business Supports Your Neighbors. Local businesses in Charleston are generally owned by people who live locally and are part of our community. 5. Local Businesses Maintain Charlestons Uniqueness. Todays workers are choosing to settle in places that preserve their distinctive character. Charleston has dozens of small businesses that have been in town for years, thus contributing to the towns special quality. 6. Small Businesses Offer Unique Choices. Charleston businesses offer shoppers unique products and services. Independent shops create distinctive shopping experiences and respond more quickly to the need of local customers, stocking products to meet the changing population needs. 7. Receive Extra Attention and Quality Service. Research shows that small business owners compete by focusing on customer service and quality goods. Local business employees take the time to get to know their customers. 8. Shopping Local Saves You Money. Choosing to shop locally first saves you gas and travel time which equates to money saved. 9. Lower Environmental Impact. Local businesses make more local purchases requiring less transportation and help sustain vibrant, compact business centers. 10. Entrepreneurship. Local entrepreneurship fosters economic innovation and prosperity. The success of locally owned, independent businesses provides real-life inspiration to our young people, proving that they can stay in Charleston and prosper on their own terms. Remember, the whole community benefits when we shop Charleston. By supporting local business people, you help your neighbors who in turn help you by spending their money at your place of business. I think my favorite reason to shop locally is because you CAN! As the discount stores continue to grow to super sizes and online shopping becomes easier, shopping locally is becoming a real luxury. Small communities everywhere struggle to stay alive, particularly with the impact of Internet shopping. We know that as local retailers close, area shoppers begin finding alternatives and ALL local retailers suffer as out-shopping increases. When local shopping choices are reduced, long-time residents and prospective new residents are all affected . . . so shop locally because you CAN! *** For that hard to please person on your Christmas list, we suggest getting them a Choose Charleston Gift Check. The gift checks can be purchased at the Chamber office in any amount. The recipient of the certificate can then use it at their choice of over 200 different retail and service businesses in Charleston. Gift checks are so simple to give or receive. They are treated just like regular checks and can be deposited at the point of purchase just like any other check. Gift checks are the perfect solution for thank you gifts for your postal carrier, hairdresser, paper carrier, teachers, etc. They are a great gift idea that also helps promote Charleston and shopping locally. And, best of all, the money goes back to Chamber member businesses in the Charleston area. *** All Chamber members and their guests are invited to attend a Business After Hours next Thursday evening, Dec. 8, from 5 to 7 p.m. The event will hosted by the Charleston Kiwanis club and Whats Cookin restaurant at 409 Seventh St. in Charleston. Stop by for some great food and beverages and share a little holiday cheer. State Street Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides a range of financial products and services to institutional investors worldwide. The company offers investment servicing products and services, including custody; product accounting; daily pricing and administration; master trust and master custody; depotbank services; record-keeping; cash management; foreign exchange, brokerage and other trading services; securities finance and enhanced custody products; deposit and short-term investment facilities; loans and lease financing; investment manager and alternative investment manager operations outsourcing; performance, risk, and compliance analytics; and financial data management to support institutional investors. It also engages in the provision of portfolio management and risk analytics, as well as trading and post-trade settlement services with integrated compliance and managed data. In addition, the company offers investment management strategies and products, such as core and enhanced indexing, multi-asset strategies, active quantitative and fundamental active capabilities, and alternative investment strategies. Further, it provides services and solutions, including environmental, social, and governance investing; defined benefit and defined contribution; and global fiduciary solutions, as well as exchange-traded fund under the SPDR ETF brand. The company provides its products and services to mutual funds, collective investment funds and other investment pools, corporate and public retirement plans, insurance companies, foundations, endowments, and investment managers. State Street Corporation was founded in 1792 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. China News on Women Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page Russia and Brazil plan irradiation centre 02 December 2016 Share United Innovation Corporation (UIC), a subsidiary of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Brazilian consultancy CK3 for the development, construction and operation of an irradiation centre in Brazil. The document was signed by the director-generals of the two companies, respectively, Denis Cherednichenko and Renato Cherkezian. Rosatom said yesterday the MOU establishes cooperation between the parties and involves the coordination of efforts to implement and operate projects for an irradiation centre in Brazil, using technologies based on the use of electron accelerators for sterilization of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and healthcare products, among others applications. The project will combine Russia's experience in radiation technology and the marketing experience of CK3. "We see great potential in the Brazilian market in the field of medical products sterilization by means of irradiation technologies," Cherednichenko said. "The use of irradiation technologies in the Brazilian health area can significantly improve the safety and quality of goods and services. Hermetically packaged medical products can be effectively sterilized, which reduces the risk of contamination in the production phase. Products treated with the radiation sterilization method will also increase the export potential of Brazilian companies engaged in the production of medical goods", he said. The "fundamental difference" in Rosatom's proposals in radiation sterilization, he added, is its offer to create a "turnkey centre". He said: "We do not only create a project and equip the irradiation centre, but also train employees and provide services." Rodrigo Cherkezian, CK3's director for investor relations, said the company had been studying the irradiation market for some time, noting that there had been little investment in Brazil in this sector. "We firmly believe that after lots of negotiations we have found the right partner because Rosatom has advanced technologies in this field and at the same time has a well-recognized international presence. The complementary competencies of this union allow us to have an aggressive entry strategy for this market," he said. UIC was established as a Rosatom subsidiary in 2011. According to the statement, UIC works on: integrated solutions for nuclear medicine; multi-purpose irradiation centres in the environmental sector, including the management and treatment of hazardous medical and solid household waste; a comprehensive solution to water treatment problems; and the deployment of other possible radiation technology applications. Researched and written by World Nuclear News Related topics Illinois passes Future Energy Jobs Bill 02 December 2016 Share Legislators in the US state of Illinois yesterday passed a bill recognising the contribution of nuclear energy to the state's clean energy efforts and ensuring the continued operation of the state's nuclear power plants. The Future Energy Jobs Bill will also advance renewable energy and expand energy efficiency initiatives. The Illinois Senate passed the bill yesterday (Image: ComEd) The bill will see Illinois expand clean energy production while protecting jobs and maintaining competitive electricity rates, with caps and protections to limit the impact on consumers and businesses. It also includes zero emissions standards. Illinois has 11 nuclear reactors - all operated by Exelon - which produce nearly half the state's electricity and 90% of its zero-carbon energy. Three of those units - the single-unit Clinton and two units at Quad Cities - had been under threat of closure for economic reasons. Earlier this year Exelon announced that Clinton would close in June 2017 and Quad Cities one year later, if the state did not pass legislation supporting their continued operation. Exelon and ComEd said the bill "levels the playing field with solar and wind energy" by recognising the zero-carbon energy produced in the state's nuclear facilities. It also maintained $1.2 billion in economic activity generated by the at-risk plants and prevented the estimated $10 billion increase in costs associated with higher carbon emissions had the plants closed, they said. "This forward-looking energy policy levels the playing field and values all carbon-free energy equally, positions Illinois as a national leader in advancing clean energy, and will provide a major boost to the Illinois economy," Exelon president and CEO Chris Crane said. He encouraged the state's governor to "swiftly sign the legislation into law". State governor Bruce Rauner, whose office has provided input into amendments to the bill, said the agreement aligned with his administration's guiding principles that any energy legislation should protect jobs, ratepayers and taxpayers. "This legislation will save thousands of jobs. It protects ratepayers, through guaranteed caps, from large rate increases in years to come. It also ensures taxpayers are not on the hook to keep the power plants open and online. We thank the rank-and-file legislators and stakeholders for their perseverance and commitment to seeing this through. This process shows that when all parties are willing to negotiate in good faith, we can find agreement and move our state forward," he said. Maria Korsnick, the Nuclear Energy Institutes chief operating officer, said approval of the legislation was a "tremendous" achievement. "This is a remarkable moment for the people of Illinois and for thousands of nuclear energy industry employees," she said. The bill is an "investment" in the state's clean energy future, she said. Agneta Rising, director-general of the World Nuclear Association, said the bill would ensure continued operation of the Quad Cities and Clinton nuclear plants, providing clean and reliable electricity as part of a package of measures designed to boost a range of low-carbon energy technologies. "In the longer term we need markets to deliver the electricity mix that we need, without intervention. Markets should recognise the value of secure and reliable electricity supplies, as well as the environmental benefits of different forms of electricity generation," she said. Illinois is the second US state to pass legislation explicitly recognising the contribution of nuclear power plants to clean energy efforts. In August, the New York Public Service Commission formally approved a Clean Energy Standard recognising the zero-carbon contribution of nuclear power plants and ensuring the continued operation of four that had been at risk of premature closure. The bill was passed by both Illinois houses on the final day of their 2016 veto sessions. It must now be signed by Governor Rauner and is expected to take effect on 1 June 2017. Researched and written by World Nuclear News Related topics UK nuclear industry looks back at 'momentous' year 02 December 2016 Share With the final investment decision to build the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in Somerset, together with progress in other planned new nuclear projects, 2016 has been a "momentous" year for the UK, delegates at the Nuclear Industry Association's Nuclear2016 conference in London heard yesterday. Opening the conference, NIA chairman John Hutton said: "If you look at the industry here in the UK, if you look at current and existing operations, if you look at decommissioning and if you look now at the tremendously exciting opportunities of nuclear new build, I think that the word 'momentous' is fully justified." He added: "The one thing that has lit the tinder - the fuse of excitement across the industry - is of course the progress that we are making on new build.. He described EDF Energy's final investment decision on 28 July to go ahead with the 18 billion ($21.8 billion) project to construct two EPR reactors at Hinkley Point as "a huge milestone" for the UK nuclear industry. "If there ever was a vote of confidence on the ability and capability of the nuclear industry in the UK, that is it," Hutton said. His sentiments were echoed by UK energy minister Lucy Neville-Rolfe, who said this year has been a "truly pivotal moment" for the industry. "2016 will be a year for the industry to look back on, I hope with a sense of pride, positivity, acknowledging the important progress it has made, in partnership with government, towards making new nuclear a reality in the UK," she said. Neville-Rolfe said construction of Hinkley Point "will trigger this country's nuclear renaissance". She added, "The UK's nuclear renaissance will trigger big benefits for British businesses and it's important they are ready for the challenge. This is why today I am making sure developers will be required to show evidence that their projects support growth in the UK supply chain, improve competition, and boost innovation and skills. Having visibility of the projects will give UK companies the incentive and confidence to invest, expand their capabilities, and train and retain their skilled employees." However, the minister noted challenges facing the UK nuclear energy industry, among them the need to grow its workforce by about 30,000 by the mid-2020s at a time when some 70% of skilled workers in the new nuclear sector are retiring. In addition, the effect of the UK's vote to leave the European Union also poses uncertainties. She said the UK needs a forum to provide "strategic grip from the industry and government and to provide good governance". Such a forum, the Nuclear Industry Council (NIC), has been "waiting in the wings" following a review to make it more effective and strategic. "With a resurgent nuclear sector, the time is right to announce that we will re-establish the NIC in the new year to progress the work on industrial strategy in the nuclear sector." Hinkley relaunching industry Humphrey Cadoux-Hudson, EDF Energy's managing director of nuclear new build, said: "New nuclear build in this country is on its way again for the first time in a generation." He said the company is determined to make the Hinkley Point C project a success, saying it will "relaunch nuclear in Europe and transform the prospects of our industry". With regards to the supply chain, Cadoux-Hudson said EDF has made a commitment that 64% of construction spending on Hinkley Point C will go to UK companies. "We are setting these companies up for success, not only for Hinkley Point, but for work on other major projects," he said. EDF Energy commercial director Ken Owen noted the company has over 90 preferred bidders for its supply chain for Hinkley Point C. He said 27 of these now have live contracts and the company is going through a process of getting the other 63 partners into contracts. Other new build projects Duncan Hawthorne, CEO of Horizon Nuclear Power, said there are "many common elements" with relation to building a new nuclear power plant. Established in 2009 and acquired by Hitachi in November 2012, Horizon aims to provide at least 5.4 GWe of new capacity, expecting the first unit at Wylfa Newydd, on the Isle of Anglesey, to be operating in the first half of the 2020s. However, he noted, "What is fundamentally different about Horizon and NuGen [to EDF Energy] is that we do not have any generation to rely on. We are starting from ground-zero." He said the companies have a "massive capital-raising requirement" to fulfil. "In order to do that, we have to convince people we can be trusted to build these plants on time and on budget." NuGen CEO Tom Samson said: "What we are doing at NuGen is building a nuclear operating company for the first time in a generation in the UK, and that in itself is a tremendous undertaking." NuGen, the UK joint venture between Japan's Toshiba and France's Engie, plans to build a nuclear power plant of up to 3.8 GWe gross capacity at Moorside, in West Cumbria, using AP1000 nuclear reactor technology provided by Westinghouse Electric Company, a group company of Toshiba. Hawthorne said, "The future of the nuclear industry is in its own hands. We have a policy envelope to work within in. If we deliver cost-competitive projects and do it on-time and in-budget, then other projects will follow." Researched and written by World Nuclear News Related topics About 81% of the population of Taiwan are affiliated to a certain religious organization. Religion in Taiwan is diverse and includes aspects of Chinese traditional culture. The constitution of Taiwan allows for the freedom of worship. Religious beliefs and practices have evolved over time due to various influences from the immigrants and through interactions with different cultures within Taiwan. A large percentage of the population in Taiwan are Buddhists, Taoists, and atheists. Religious Beliefs In Taiwan Buddhism Buddhism is the most common religion in Taiwan with about 35.1% of the population confessing to adhering to the religion. Part of the Buddhist community practices Chinese Buddhism while the others practice Asian Buddhism with their primary distinction being the practice of vegetarianism. Most of the Buddhist practices in Taiwan have developed a more social approach to their practices with reduced focus on ritual and more focus on aspects such as environmental conservation, promotion of equality, freedom, and reason without engaging in politics. Buddhism has grown steadily from the time it was established in the Dutch rule with the most significant period of growth and spread during the Japanese period. The Buddhists have established various institutions such as schools, shrines, and temples. Taoism Taoism is a religious, philosophical, and ritual tradition that originated from the Chinese and forms the second most followed religion in Taiwan by 33% of the population. The religion aims at harmonizing human beings with the natural cycles and emphasizes on naturalness, spontaneity, simplicity, and detachment from desires. Taoism is believed to have been developed from a fusion of a variety of Chinese folk religions.. Taoism encourages vegetarianism and fasting. The religion includes public rituals as well as observance of particular days. Atheism Or Agnosticism About 18.7% of the population of Taiwan are irreligious either due to indifference or rejection of religion or the absence of worship. The atheists and agnostics do not believe in the existence of a god or accept only the existence of one whose existence they cannot prove. Yiguandao Yiguandao is a Chinese folk religion that emerged in the 19th century from the Xiantiandao tradition. The religion has a membership of about 3.5% of the population in Taiwan. The religion was recognized in Taiwan in 1987 after which it continued to grow. The religion focuses on an infinite mother who is represented by a flame. The religion spread through the 1930s and 40s through its missionaries who were sent to preach the religion. The Taiwan government suppressed the religion as a demonic one in 1959 up to the 1980s when its followers requested the authorities to lift the ban. The Impact Of Religion In Taiwan The religions in Taiwan have affected the spheres of life in the country. For instance, the building of schools promotes education while construction of temples is likely to attract a larger following of the religion. Other influences include longevity of the followers such as the Buddhists who are believed to live in tune with nature, therefore, increasing their lifespan. Other religious groups include protestant Christianity, Tiadism, Roman Catholics, Miledadao, Zailiism, Xuanyuanism, and other smaller religious sects. Womanas bra (illustration) By: Tanya Malhotra (Scroll down for video) A man patiently waited 30 years to take revenge against the bullies of his elementary school, according to police in Japan. Tokyo police said that they have arrested 40-year-old Shigeta Miura, after being accused of mailing 500 packages of rotten food to his former classmates. Miura has been charged with one count of being a public nuisance. According to the criminal complaint, Miura was bullied in elementary school by four classmates. He was forced to eat lunch alone and they made his life miserable in school. When Miura turned 40 years old, he decided to take revenge against the four bullies. He mailed them packages containing rotten food and womenas underwear. During questioning, Miura admitted to police that he sent the packages as he held a grudge against his former classmates since he was a child. Suspicious Vehicle Was On Legitimate Business This article is old - Published: Friday, Dec 2nd, 2016 After concerns over sinister behaviour involving a black van in the Chirk area recently, a sighting of a vehicle has been cleared by police as having no involvement. Police have said today that after an investigation by North Wales Police into the reports of a suspicious vehicle being sighted in the Chirk area in recent weeks has shown that it was on legitimate business and that there are no suspicious circumstances relating to it. Sgt Darren Whibberley said: I would like to reassure the community that we have looked into the matter thoroughly and are satisfied that the black van reported to us, and which has been the subject of concern on social media, is not connected to any sinister behaviour or to the appeal issued last month by West Mercia Police about a suspicious vehicle in Shropshire. I would like to thank the public for their vigilance and I would always encourage people to report suspicious behaviour to the police so we can establish the facts. A month ago police issued this sketch of someone they wished to trace, with another issue reported to them around 48 hours later. Aung San Suu Kyi, the head of government in Burma, has dismissed mounting allegations of killings by the countrys military of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state, bordering Bangladesh. State Counsellor Suu Kyis office issued a statement on November 19 declaring: Regarding those incidents, after asking the Tatmadaw [the military] and border guard troops in those regions, it is known the information is absolutely not true. At every point, Suu Kyi and her government, in which the military hold the key ministries of defence, home affairs and border affairs, have attempted to downplay the size of the militarys current operation and its impact on the local population. The military initiated a crackdown in northern Rakhine state after attacks on three border posts killed nine police and soldiers on October 9. The army command blamed Rohingya militants connected to the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation, a loose grouping widely thought to have been defunct since at least 2001. Aid groups and the media have been largely excluded from the operational area declared by the military around the town of Maungdaw, where it says clearance operations are being conducted. A brief tour of Maungdaw on November 2 by foreign diplomats and a UN official was described by Time as highly chaperoned. The editor of the English-language Myanmar Times, Fiona MacGregor, was sacked after she wrote an October 27 article on allegations of widespread rape of Rohingya women. She said the management claimed her article breached company policy by damaging national reconciliation. An article A Genocide in the Making published yesterday by the Foreign Policy web site stated: A recent escalation in the latest violence has raised the official death toll since the October crackdown to 134, although Rohingya advocacy groups put it at more than 420. Despite Bangladeshs refusal to take refugees, several hundred are believed to have fled to camps there. A number who crossed the Naf River separating the two countries in the middle of November were gunned down mid-river. While a number of security personnel have been killed in skirmishes, the overwhelming majority of deaths have been Rohingya. The UN has reported that some 30,000 people have been displaced in Rakhine state since October, adding to the more than 100,000 already living in squalid, heavily-guarded internment camps for those displaced in the anti-Rohingya pogroms that began in 2012. For decades, the military and Buddhist nationalist groups have terrorised and denied the Rohingya the most basic democratic rightsmany are deemed second-class citizens or denied citizenship altogether. All are officially regarded as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh despite many having lived in Burma for generations. Like the rest of the political establishment, Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD) is mired in anti-Rohingya chauvinism and opposed to the granting of citizenship and other basic democratic rights. In May 2016, Suu Kyi asked the US ambassador to Burma to refrain from using the word Rohingya as it implied recognition of an ethnic and religious group. Despite media restrictions, there is growing evidence of military atrocities in the north of Rakhine state. The US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has issued two reports based on satellite surveillance images that indicate the extent of the armys clearance operations. On November 21, its second report found that a total of 1,250 buildings had been destroyed in five villages by arson. The HRW evidence has been reinforced by other reports. Time on November 14 said the army had responded with helicopter gunships when it claimed it was confronted by 500 Rohingya in the village of Gwason armed with small guns, knives and spears. The BBC reported at least 25 suspects were killed there on November 13. A Rohingya man named Salaman told Agence France Presse that he helped bury the bodies of a man and a woman who were shot by soldiers in the village of Doetan. Soldiers came in to Doetan village in the evening of [November 19] about 5pm. Most of the men from the village ran away because they are afraid of being arrested and tortured. Then they [the soldiers] started shooting and two were killed. Presidential spokesman Zaw Htay downplayed the satellite imagery and flatly rejected reports of the two deaths in Doetan. He provided no evidence, insisting only that the government and military have strongly prohibited any human rights violations, especially against women and children. Chris Lewa, an activist with the Arakan Project, told the Voice of America the military operation was creating great hardships. Its very brutal and the issue [in] that area is access to displaced people and even non-displaced. And its not only the poor, its everyone because they cant access markets and they cannot harvestthis is going to lead to a humanitarian disaster. The brutal treatment of the Rohingya has provoked protests in neighbouring countries. The Nikkei Asian Review reported that 400 people gathered last Friday outside the Burmese Embassy in Jakarta, and on Saturday several thousand marched through the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka demanding an end to the killing of Rohingya. Suu Kyi was denounced as a butcher according to the report. There were also demonstrations in Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. The Malaysian government called in the Burmese ambassador to issue a warning and express its concern over the situation in Rakhine. At a closed meeting of the UN Security Council on November 17, US Ambassador Samantha Power expressed concern over the situation in the Rakhine and called for international observers to be allowed into the area. No credibility should be given to such statements as Washington routinely uses human rights as a means for pursuing its interests around the world through diplomatic and military interventions. For decades, the US and its allies have promoted the pro-Western Suu Kyi as Burmas democracy icon and backed her installation in power in April in a de facto coalition with the military. In reality, the military still controls the reins of power, with Suu Kyi acting as its promoter as the regime seeks investment and aid internationally. By keeping the spotlight on the atrocities in Rakhine, Washington no doubt is seeking to marginalise the Burmese military, consolidate the position of Suu Kyu and the NLD, and further draw Burma into its network of alliances and strategic partnerships in Asia aimed against China. The fate of the Rohingya people, and the fact that Suu Kyi backs the militarys repression, is of no concern to Washington. The first major statewide recount of a presidential election since the Florida standoff that determined the outcome of the 2000 election began Thursday in the state of Wisconsin, where Republican Donald Trump won by a narrow margin of 22,177 votes, less than one percent, over Democrat Hillary Clinton. In Michigan, the state where Trump won his narrowest victory on November 8, with an initial margin of 10,704 votes, Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein filed Wednesday with the State Board of Canvassers for a recount. On Thursday, lawyers acting for the Trump campaign filed an objection to block the recount, with a hearing set in Lansing on Friday morning to determine the outcome. Stein has also filed for a recount in Pennsylvania, where Trumps margin was more substantial, nearly 70,000 votes, but still well below the 1 percent mark. A full recount in Pennsylvania remains unlikely, since the procedure is prohibitively complex, requiring three voters in each of the thousands of precincts to seek a recount in that precinct. Stein has gone to court seeking a full statewide count. The recounts are being conductedor debatedunder conditions where Hillary Clintons popular-vote lead over Trump has passed the 2.5 million mark, and her percentage lead in the popular vote is approaching 2 percent, larger than those won by 10 of the countrys 44 presidents. Clintons popular-vote lead is five times that of Al Gore over George W. Bush in 2000, when the Republican became the first candidate in 112 years to win the presidency while losing the popular vote, thanks to the political intervention of the pro-Republican majority in the Supreme Court. The historical precedent of the 2000 election was clearly on the minds of officials as they began the recount in the Wisconsin state capital, Madison. State elections administrator Mike Haas declared, This is certainly not Bush v. Gore, referring to the infamous Supreme Court decision that halted the Florida recount and awarded the White House to the Republican. Bush lost the popular vote to Gore by a margin of 540,000 but edged him narrowly in the Electoral College, 271 to 267. Trump has a wider margin than Bush in the Electoral College, leading Clinton by 306 to 232, because of his narrow victories in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, the three states being recounted, with a combined 46 electoral votes. The initial results in all three states would have to be reversed to change the outcome in the Electoral College. The three recounts were initiated by Stein after she was approached by a group of academics specializing in election cybersecurity. Stein has denied that she initiated the recounts in an effort to shift the result of the election and install Clinton in the White House, claiming that she is merely seeking to verify the results of the election against any possibility of tampering by cyberattack from Russian-based hackers. But in taking up the claims by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party of a massive effort by Moscow to disrupt the 2016 election, Stein has solidarized herself politically with an effort closely akin to McCarthyite witch-hunting. No evidence of Russian government intervention in the US elections has been presented, either by the US government or the corporate media outlets, most notably the New York Times and Washington Post, which have promoted the Russian hacking story so assiduously. Despite the dubious political motivations of those who initiated the recount, there is no doubt that the widespread response to it reflects both popular hostility to Trump and anger over the prospect that he will become president despite such a massive loss in the popular vote. When Stein made an online appeal for money to pay for the legal and processing costs, more than $7 million was raised in a few days, almost entirely from small donors. This is twice the amount Stein raised for her own presidential campaign, which the Greens largely downplayed once it became clear that the contest between the two main capitalist candidates was tightening. The recounts sparked a typically big lie response from Trump himself, who claimed in a tweet that he won the Electoral College in a landslide and would have won the popular vote in a similar fashion but for millions of illegal votes cast for Clinton. He also claimed that there was ballot-rigging for Clinton in New Hampshire and Virginia, which she won narrowly, and in California, where her margin was in the millions. The Trump campaign has been equally hostile in its legal tactics, intervening in each state to oppose a recount, restrict its scope, and, if possible, prevent hand recounting of individual ballots in favor of machine recounts. In Wisconsin, press reports indicate that most of its 72 counties will recount ballots manually, with a goal of completing the process by the deadline of 8 pm on December 12. Milwaukee County, the states largest, is one of a handful that will not recount by hand, but simply feed the ballots through the same machines that counted them initially. Stein went to court seeking to compel a hand recount in every county, but lost the case. In Michigan, the Trump campaign argued that Stein was not entitled to a recount because she finished in fourth-place and therefore could not be aggrieved by any alleged fraud, as well as claiming that the recount could not be completed in time to ensure the states electoral votes are properly cast when the Electoral College meets December 19. There is no reason to rewrite Michigan election law to accommodate the conspiracy-minded requests of an acknowledged loser, the Trump petition argues. Steins lawyers in Michigan pointed to the large number of ballots where no presidential vote at all was recordedat least 60,000, far more than the 10,000-vote margin separating Trump and Clinton. Some optical scanners may fail to read faint pencil marks, they said. The Democratic Party and the Clinton campaign have taken a largely hands-off approach to the recounts, sending legal observers to participate in hearings, but not giving any material or political support. Clintons legal counsel, Marc Elias, said that the recount effort was within Steins legal rights, but would not change the outcome of the election. The Obama administration has been openly hostile, with an unnamed senior official telling the press last week, We stand behind our election results, which accurately reflect the will of the American people. This remarkable statement echoes the language used by Trump and his spokesmen, although the will of the people, at least as expressed in the popular vote, went clearly against Trump. White House spokesman Josh Earnest was pressed on the subject at a briefing November 28, when he declined several times to go beyond the statement that Obama was fulfilling his institutional responsibilities in preparing the hand-over of power to Trump, and that election administrators at the state and local level in states like Wisconsin and Michigan have a very clear set of rules and responsibilities that they should follow. And the Presidents expectation is thats what they should do. Europe London Underground staff vote to strike Clerical staff on the London Underground rail system have voted by a two-thirds majority to strike and by more than 90 percent for action short of a strike. The members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) are protesting the levels of abuse from some Tube users after the closure of all ticket offices on the system. The closure of the offices was carried through by then London Mayor Boris Johnson, in collusion with the trade unions. No date has been set for any action. Workers are currently imposing an overtime ban. Further strikes planned on southeastern UK rail network Conductors working for Southern Govia Thameslink Railways operation are set to hold a three-day strike on Tuesday next week. The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union members have been involved in a long-running dispute with the company over the plan to extend the use of driver-only operated (DOO) trains. This will eliminate the safety role of guards who currently operate the closure of doors upon departure on most services. Southern has issued three-month termination of contract notices to all conductors who refuse to sign the new contracts by December 31. The Southern GTR franchise serves the southeast of England, with services running into the capital, London. Train drivers belonging to the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) are set to strike over the same issue, with a two-day strike scheduled for December 13/14, with a further seven days of strikes planned. Drivers are imposing an overtime ban, which severely compromises the companys ability to run a full service. Strike by UK logistics firm staff Around 50 workers employed by the DHL logistics supply chain held a one-day strike Monday. They are employed at Spectrum for Arcadia, a division of DHL, at a warehouse in Shirley, near Solihull in the English Midlands. The division delivers items ordered online from Arcadia brands, including Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and Burton. Arcadia is owned by former BHS boss, Sir Philip Green. The strike impacted on the distribution of Internet-originated sales on one of the busiest days for online orders in the lead-up to Christmas. The GMB union members are currently paid the national minimum wage and are seeking to be paid the Real Living Wage, currently set at 8.45 by the Living Wage Foundation. Strike by UK post office managers Staff who manage the 300 Crown Post Officesthe main dedicated offices in towns and citiesare to strike on Saturday. This follows strikes held on September 15 and October 31. The managers are opposing plans to sell off the state-owned post offices, cut staff and end the current defined pension scheme in March next year. They are members of the Unite union and the Communications Workers Union. UK atomic weapons staff to hold further strike Staff working for the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) are to hold a further 24-hour strike on December 5. The members of the Unite union, who voted by a more than 90 percent majority for action, are based at Aldermaston and Burghfield, Berkshire. The strike is in opposition to AWEs plans to phase out the defined benefit pension scheme and replace it with an inferior one. AWE, employing around 4,000 staff, was formally a UK government Ministry of Defence establishment, but is now jointly owned by American companies Lockheed Martin and Jacobs Engineering and the UK-based Serco. Strike of Greek bus drivers over non-payment of wages Bus drivers in the Greek city of Thessaloniki struck last Saturday, in an ongoing dispute over unpaid wages. The Thessaloniki Urban Transport Organisation went to court Monday in an attempt to halt the stoppage. In September, the drivers walked off the job for 12 days, demanding three months in unpaid wages. At the time, the head of the union involved said drivers had not been paid since July. Strike by Mercedes employees in Hungary On November 24, around 80 workers at the Mercedes plant in the Hungarian city of Kecskemet held a two-hour strike to push for a 15 percent wage increase in 2017. They threatened to take further action if their demands were not met. They are members of the Vasas trade union. Irish TV staff oppose outsourcing threat Staff working for the Irish television broadcaster RTE are threatening to boycott an upcoming popular childrens TV programme, The Late Late Toy Show. The threat is in response to RTEs plans to outsource young peoples television programming. In response, RTE has extended the contracts of the staff under threat until January 31. The Services Industrial Professional and Technical Union is in talks with management over the issue. Icelandic teachers to vote on new contract Icelandic teacher are to vote on a new contract offer on December 12, following a dispute over low pay. The Union of Icelandic Grade School Teachers has negotiated a contract that, if accepted, will be backdated to December 1 and run for a year. They have twice rejected offers from the employer. More than 100 teachers have resigned in the course of the dispute. Last month teachers walked out of school on two occasions before the end of the school day. They have also protested outside Reykjavik City Hall. Middle East Work to rule by Israeli airline pilots Talks to resolve the work to rule by El Al airline pilots have broken down. The pilots are seeking a pay rise, an improvement in working conditions and for the company to stop rescheduling flights to other companies to avoid paying overtime. Pilots walked out of the talks Monday morning, saying that an agreement made the previous day had not been included in the draft agreement presented to them. Africa Kenyan flower farm workers face onslaught on jobs, pay and conditions Flower farm workers in Kenya are on strike to demand a pay increase and improved working conditions. Workers on the farms were awarded a 25 percent pay increase under a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) earlier this year. Four hundred workers at the Creative Rose farm walked out this week, demanding the repayment of wage deductions and the introduction of the CBA. For the last two years, the company has been taking subscriptions to the National Insurance Hospital Fund and pension contributions, deducted from wages, and not forwarding them to appropriate bodies. Striking workers at Creative Rose were driven off the farm by armed riot police. Several thousand workers at Kenyas flower farms have lost their jobs over the last few months, with employers blaming the reduction in the European market and the high cost of labour. Swaziland brick workers in standoff over wages Workers employed by Langa Bricks in Swaziland are continuing their strike into a third week to demand a pay increase. The workers are demanding a rise of 3 Swazi emalangeni ($0.21) an hour. The company initially offered 0.5 Swazi emalangeni an hour ($0.04), but then withdrew it. Langa accuse workers of sabotaging a scabbing operation by cutting the electricity supply to the company, saying this is why they have withdrawn their pay offer. The strikers said they would not return to work until an offer is made. Kenyan health workers prepare strike Health service providers in Isiolo County, Kenya have threatened to strike. The Kenyan National Union of Nurses says its 450 members will strike December 5 if previous promises are not met. The union demands the employment of more nurses, promotion of qualified nurses and payment of referral and health risk allowances. The union claims that pledges by management to implement these demands have been consistently broken. Kenyan water workers end strike Kenyan water workers at Siaya-Bondo Water and Sanitation Company returned to work after management promised to pay outstanding wages and deduction arrears after a two-week strike. The workers are demanding three months owed wages are paid and that all deductions be paid to appropriate bodies. Funding, from wages, of health care coverage, pension funds and other such deductions had not been passed on. The state government has blamed the Water Board management for incompetence and has demanded its resignation within two weeks. The governor promised the state would repay wages and contributions to workers within 10 days. The practice of unpaid wages and misappropriated deductions has become widespread, particularly across the public sector. South African Municipal workers sacked for striking Two hundred public sector workers employed in Msukaligwa municipality in Mpumalanga, South African have been sacked. The employees, responsible for providing water and electricity to the area, were given notice of dismissal on Monday. They were sacked in response to what was designated as an illegal strike, embarked on in October. Workers walked out in an attempt to bring a drawn-out legal dispute over grading to a conclusion. They took action demanding to be placed in grade four of the salary structure, which would have improved their earnings. The strike severely affected the provision of services to the community. The employers responded by bringing in a scab workforce. The South African Municipal Workers Union says the employers did not provide, as they had done previously, an opportunity for workers to discuss re-grading. Workers walked out because the new structure was not being implemented. In the wake of Donald Trumps election as US president, the European powers are pushing ahead rapidly with plans for military rearmament. On Wednesday, the European Union (EU) Commission presented proposals for increased military spending and closer Europe-wide coordination on the research and development of weaponry. The main change will involve the restructuring of relevant EU mechanisms and funding sources to direct them towards arms production. Following the use of the EUs institutions to implement attacks on social and democratic rights in recent years, the bureaucratic apparatus is now to be deployed to enforce a deeply unpopular policy of war and the build-up of the military. The Commission proposed the creation of a European defence fund. The goal of the plan is that member states jointly purchase, develop and retain the full spectrum of land, air, space travel and naval capabilities, a paper from the Commission states. The main areas of focus will be expanding the capacities for surveillance, the development of armed drones, unmanned access to outer space, and cybersecurity. It is precisely in these areas that the European powers remain heavily dependent upon the United States. The Commission acknowledged, Taken as a whole, Europe has the second-highest level of military spending. Yet Europe trails behind the US and suffers due to an inefficient use of means, which can be linked to overlapping structures, a lack of interoperability and technological gaps. Therefore, major investments are necessary, and defence cooperation needs to be achieved, the EU Commission states. Only in this way can the necessary expertise be obtained and its resources used effectively to secure the strategic autonomy of the union. In practice, the defence fund will comprise two parts. The first will be financed by EU funds and support research in weaponry. From the year 2020, 500 million is planned for this annually, which will most likely be raised through cuts to EU civilian programmes. Currently, all EU members spend just 2 billion on arms research. The EU fund would therefore amount to an increase in funding of 25 percent. The much larger second part would cover the development and purchase of military equipment. Member states will coordinate their purchases through this according to demand. If France, Germany and Italy all intend to buy armoured personnel carriers, for example, they should not order these individually in the future, but coordinate purchases through the defence fund. The Commission estimates a gross total of 5 billion per year. But no limits on the fund have been established. A central feature of the plan is that the investments undertaken through the defence fund will not be calculated when figuring out each states budget deficit. The Commissions paper states that such investments will be viewed as one-off measures in the spirit of the Stability and Growth Pact and will therefore not burden the efforts towards structural consolidation expected from the member states. In practice, this means that EU states which breach the deficit criteria will be punished if they use funds for civilian jobs, hospitals, infrastructure projects or schools, but not when they invest the same loans for tanks, submarines and fighter jets. In Greece, the EUs insistence on debt reduction resulted in people dying from treatable diseases, youth unemployment increasing to almost 50 percent and the decimation of wages. By contrast, the floodgates are to be opened for loans to expand the military. The military build-up is being undertaken in close collaboration with the companies which will profit from it. The defence fund is to be managed by a coordinating committee, which, along with representatives from the member states and the EU, will also include lobbyists from the arms industry. In addition, the EU Commission will inject large amounts of resources actually intended for civilian and economic projects into the arms industry. For example, the European Investment Bank (EIB) will make available loans, guarantees and its own capital for the expansion of ongoing activities in the area of goods with a double purpose, according to the paper. In this way, the regulation prohibiting the funding of arms companies will be evaded. Other EU funding sources, such as Erasmus+ and the funding of regional clusters of excellence, in which universities also participate, will be directed increasingly towards military research and production. The Commission noted that its proposals were not about creating a European army, but that the jointly developed and purchased equipment would remain in the possession of the individual member states. But the proposals correspond with the plan for a security and defence union to be discussed at the EU summit on December 15-16. The German government is the main driving force behind calls for a European army and the integration of European foreign policy. Berlin hopes in this way to dominate the EUs structures and rise to the position of a world power. On Tuesday, the European minister in the Foreign Office, Michael Roth, underscored this position at the Berlin Security Conference. Especially after Brexit and the election of Trump, Germany needed a responsible European foreign policy. In foreign and security policy, the EU cannot afford to stand on the sidelines and take no action. Roth continued, The EU must therefore now really assume responsibility for peace and security in the world-as crisis manager and negotiator, and, yes if necessary, militarily. This policy of wars and interventions is to be ramped up with the release of the EU Commission paper. Trade unions representing public sector workers have called on Irelands ruling Fine Gael government to enter talks on pay and conditions relating to more than a quarter of a million public servants. The unions are demanding the renegotiation of the Lansdowne Road Agreement reached with the government in early 2015 and which outlined measures for limited pay restoration for lower paid public sector workers following years of pay cuts and staff reductions. Following a series of one-day stoppages by secondary teachers who are outside the current Lansdowne Road Agreement, nurses and doctors have also been demanding pay increases. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) and Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) are balloting their 37,000 members for industrial action for pay restoration. Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe has reiterated his determination to stick rigidly to the previous agreement with the unions, stating, The Lansdowne Road agreement is the only agreement that the Government will be honouring and can afford to honour. The background to the Lansdowne Road Agreement lies in the economic crisis of 2008 and its devastating impact on the parasitic Irish economy, especially the banking sector and the bloated property price bubble. Facing state bankruptcy and economic decline, in 2010 Ireland received a 85 billion bailout from the European Union (EU), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European Central Bank (ECB). The cuts to social services that followed and the decline in workers wages and living standards were largely carried through by the ruling elite with the active cooperation of the unions. When workers resisted these attacks at Aer Lingus, Vita Cortex and the Energy Supply Board (ESB), the unions betrayed and sold out the workers interests. They imposed a strike ban in the public sector in 2010 as part of the Croke Park Agreement struck with the government. Billions were slashed in wages and benefits. Pay and pension cuts were introduced and the gross public service pay bill fell from 17.2 billion in 2008 to 14.2 billion in 2013. The workforce was cut by 32,000. While the unions agreed to billions of euros in pay cuts and layoffs, they also blocked any attempt by the workers concerned to resist by accepting no-strike deals. Lower paid public service workers were hit hardest, suffering the elimination of more than 10 percent of all public sector jobs. In 2013, the unions signed the Haddington Road Agreement after their members decisively repudiated the initial deal negotiated with the government to replace Croke Park. This introduced a further 1 billion in cuts. The public sector unions acceded to all of the governments key demands, including longer working hours, freezes to pay increments, pay cuts for staff members, and so-called redeployment measures that in reality paved the way for job cuts. Productivity measures, including additional hours valued at 6 percent in pay terms, and stricter work practises were introduced. The number of public sector workers fell from 320,000 to less than 290,000. On November 17 this year, the Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU), Irelands largest union, representing 60,000 public service staff, authorised its groups in the public service to ballot for strike action over pay. President Jack OConnor did the media round, insisting that the state had enough money to hammer out a better deal for public service workers. The government would have to sit down with the unions in the New Year to renegotiate the Lansdowne Road Agreement. Bernard Harbor, the head of communications for the Impact union, expanded on these sentiments, saying, If the government prizes the agreement, and it does, then it will have to do more to protect it. The call for a renegotiation of the Lansdowne Road Agreement by the unions follows a 40 million pay offer to the Garda (police) to avoid planned strike action. This has been recommended by the Labour Court, which poses as an arbitration body but has a history of anti-worker judgements in industrial disputes. This decision to better fund the repressive state apparatus to ensure its loyalty has been used by the unions to cloak the Labour Courts long record of implementing wage cuts and job losses. The muted sabre rattling regarding future strike action will similarly be a cover for SIPTU and the other unions in the public sector concocting a deal with the government which at best will restore only a fraction of the overall cuts to pay and conditions. More no-strike clauses will be added in exchange for this supposed victory. While posturing as defenders of the interests of workers, in practise the union bureaucracy is trying to re-establish the social partnership agreement with the government it enjoyed before and after 2008. Enda Kennys minority Fine Gael government are already committed to talks in June 2017 when the Lansdowne Road Agreement officially runs out. The day after Jack O Conner of SIPTU announced his strike ballot, the national executive council of the union asked its groups in the public service to postpone the ballots until December 1 to facilitate further talks by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and contacts with the government on the pay issue. The Civil Public and Services Union (CPSU), with around 13,000 members, posted a circular on its web site on November 23, stating, Unions agreed measures to help restore the public finances, but the Government committed to ensuring that when those finances were restored, the lower paid would be the first to benefit (emphasis added). Fine Gael is in reality presiding over a severe housing crisis and growing poverty levels, despite an upturn in employment. According to the Economic Research Institute one in every seven of the Irish population (15.2 percent) lives on an income below the official poverty line. Given a population of approximately 4.61 million, this means that just over 700,000 people live at risk of poverty. The union leaders have been immune to the hardships they have helped to impose on their members. All but one Irish union leader is on a salary of more than 100,000, with the highest paid on a package of just under 200,000. Many receive additional generous expenses and all are in defined benefit pension schemes. While the most devastating austerity measures and pay cuts were being shouldered by the working class in 2009, the head of the Impact union, Peter McLoone, was being paid 171,313 a year. Shay Cody, the current head of Impact, is on 162,062 a year. Irish Bank Officials Association (IBOA) head Larry Broderick is the highest paid union leader, at 198,646 annually. There is no possibility that working people will improve pay and conditions or mount a real struggle against the Irish ruling elite by depending on the unions. It is an illusion from which a growing number of workers have broken. Union membership has now plummeted from a high of 46 percent in 1994 to its present level of 29 percent. Almost 70 percent of these workers are in the public service. A genuine opposition movement can develop only to the extent that working people break organisationally and politically from the unions and build independent organisations of class struggle and a new socialist party. The first part of this article discussed the life and work of American novelist James Jones (1921-77). In mid-November, I spoke to Tony Williams, the author of a new study of the writer, James Jones: The Limits of Eternity, about his book and about Joness significance. * * * David Walsh: May I ask first, what is the reaction, or what are the reactions, at Southern Illinois University and in Carbondale to the presidential election result? Tony Williams: Ive been deliberately avoiding those who are traumatized by Donald Trumps victory, but I have a feeling that the university community is devastated. Those outside voted the way they did because they were so fed up with the Democrats in general and Hillary Clinton in particular. DW: At the university, you feel that people are in shock? TW: I think they are, but Im keeping away from them to preserve my own mental health. DW: To the matter at hand. Its a very interesting book about a very interesting guy. I am curious to know how you developed the interest in James Jones. TW: Back in the latter part of the 1980s, I was involved with a Vietnam Generation group that used to meet at the Popular Culture Association, and one of the key figures was Kali Tal, author of Worlds of Hurt, about Vietnam veterans, along with rape and incest survivors. Our interest also extended to earlier conflicts like World War II and the American Civil War. The name of James Jones cropped up in conversation, and in 1989 I picked up a paperback copy of From Here to Eternity and read it from cover to cover. I developed from there. I read all of Joness work, and decided I was going to write a book on him. I visited the Harry Ransom archives in Austin, Texas where Joness work is located, including letters and so forth. It took me about 25 years to complete the book. DW: Do you feel that Jones is underappreciated in academic circles? And if so, why? TW: Hes not appreciated because hes not a postmodernist, flamboyant writer. Hes writing about peoples everyday lives in a particular historical context, telling some very unpalatable home truths that many people dont want to hear. So if Jones crops up in academia its merely as a war novelist. Many figures are pigeon-holed in that fashion so they can be easily discussed, and misinterpreted. DW: Your book is obviously an intense study of his writings, not a biography, but for the benefit of our readers could you give some general overview of his life? TW: James Jones was born in 1921 in Robinson, Illinois, a small town in what is regarded as southeastern Illinois. His father was a dentist and his family suffered downward mobility, as well as a high degree of dysfunction. He had a cherished younger sister, Mary Ann, who eventually died of a brain tumor. His mother died of diabetes, and his father committed suicide by shooting himself in the head, both deaths occurring while Jones was in the military. In the 1930s, he couldnt go to university because his family had lost its money, so the only choice he had was to go into the military, just like many of the other victims in From Here to Eternity. He was in Hawaii, at the Schofield Barracks, during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He fought in the Pacific campaign at Guadalcanal and other battles. He not only suffered physical injuries, but PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder], which wasnt defined at that time. When he returned to Robinson, he was really angered at and appalled by the superficiality of the country club set. He also became an alcoholic. It was Lowney Handy, who established a writers colony in nearby Marshall, Illinois, who basically adopted him and helped him on the path to becoming a writer, which led to From Here to Eternity. Jones remained in Robinson after that book. He helped fund the writers colony in Marshall, but he had outgrown that area. So when the opportunity arose to relocate to Paris, in 1958, he did so. As in the days of F. Scott Fitzgerald and others, Paris was the place to be. So he remained in France for about fifteen years, until the exchange rate made it difficult for him to remain. He returned to America and first taught creative writing at Florida International University in Miami. And eventually he settled down in Long Island, New York. Throughout all this time he remained a very critical commentator on the American scene and world politics, although he played his cards very close to his chest. You have to remember this was the period of the Cold War and McCarthyism. Lingering elements of that atmosphere were still in the air and ready to tarnish any writer. He wrote in a particular manner to make evident to anyone who read his work seriously and in depth what his real subject matter was all about. To those who read him and wrote to him, if Jones felt they were on the right wavelength, he would reply in detail and go into an elaborate discussion by letter about the ideas in his books. He suffered from congestive heart failure that he inherited from his family. He died in May 1977 in hospital, one year before his final novel, Whistle, was posthumously published. DW: Did he make a living as a writer in the 1950s? TW: Yes, he did. He was alsoparticularly when he and his wife Gloria moved to Parisdoing screenplays on the side. His widow told me that he regarded it simply as a way of making money in between writing his books. He worked with American directors like Nicholas Ray and John Berry, who was blacklisted. Some of his film work, I think, had an element of seriousness and was not just done for money. He was more or less living on his royalties as a writer, which you could do in France at that time. DW: You explain a number of times that in your view Jones is not merely a war novelist, but a writer dealing with American society and its contradictions and dilemmas in the 20th century, someone who treated the historical and material aspects of American society and the oppressive mechanisms thwarting the full development of human personality. Could you elaborate on that a bit? TW: As I mentioned earlier, its very convenient to categorize Jones as a war novelist and limit him to that particular tradition. But he was a commentator on the American experience and From Here to Eternity has as much to do with the oppression of human beings in the 1930s and 1940s as it does with war. Novels like Some Came Running, which was slammed by the critics after the success of From Here to Eternity, dealt with the postwar era, from 1947 to the beginning of the Korean War. And what Jones was doing in Some Came Running was to criticize American society and its social and personal rigidity, a society in the pursuit of material wealth, a society that regarded the less well-off, the working class, as disposable. It was a society that operated within a strict system of sexual and religious morality, designed as a form of social manipulation. His novels in one way or another tried to reveal the mechanisms which instilled mental and intellectual conformity into people and got them to follow the status quo, even though it was against their best interest and caused a lot of emotional damage. DW: You mention that Some Came Running was greeted with hostility in 1957. I have to say I think its a very uneven book. I think there are wonderful passages and some far less than wonderful passages. Overall, why do you think it was treated so harshly? TW: First of all, there is the American habit of attacking someone whos had a successful first book or film. Look at Michael Cimino, and what happened to him after The Deer Hunter [1978], when he tried to make Heavens Gate [1980]. Heavens Gate is a Western critical of the status quo. I would agree that Some Came Running is uneven, its a mammoth book. Critics jumped on him because he didnt use any apostrophes or any kind of academic grammar. He was trying to reproduce everyday speech as it was performed by ordinary people, as well as revealing the total hypocrisy of small-town American society in the fictional milieu of Parkman, Indiana, which was really Robinson, Illinois. Its an attack in part on the world of Father Knows Best and Leave It To Beaver, and the type of bland movies that were coming out in the mid-1950s. DW: Theres a remarkable comment from Dewey Cole in Some Came Running, one of the young guys in the bar: My folks was always too busy fighting. What do they give my generation to believe in: A happy home. A happy home, a union to increase my wage, a new car, and an automatic washing machine. Were not even a lost generation, my generation. Were an unfound generation. The Unfound Generation of the Forties. TW: He is one of the young veterans and hes commenting on their status. A particular disposable, non-affluent generation. It is a remarkable comment. Its based on feelings Jones had and those of many of the people he associated with. He was a writer who did not treat the working class and ordinary people with disdain. He understood their feelings, frustrations and hopes, and never stereotyped them. DW: I want to speak a minute about Joness literary influences. He has his central character in Some Came Running carry around the novels of the big five, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, Thomas Wolfe. Do you think that Jones felt those were the biggest American influences on his own writing? TW: At the time, yes. In his later letters, he speaks about the influence of Stendhal, The Red and the Black, and of course Stendhals treatise on love, the demolition of romantic love. And also Dostoyevsky. DW: And you mention Jack London. Was that an unconscious influence? TW: I think hes there consciously, because the end of Whistle is pretty much a reproduction of the end of Jack Londons Martin Eden. Prewitt also discovers Londons political works in Almas apartment in the later chapters of From Here to Eternity. DW: He never mentions Theodore Dreiser, who came from nearby Terre Haute, Indiana. Why do you think that is? TW: Dreiser is one of the absences. But I think you have to look at the time he was writing. Dreiser had joined the Communist Party toward the end of his life and Jones knew very well about HUAC and the Red Scare, and the general attack on radicalism. He knew that if he wanted to be recognized as a writer and not labeled as a political writer, he had to be very careful about how he referred to certain people in certain things. It was only in the complete manuscript of From Here to Eternity that you find references to monsters like John Rankin [ultra-right Congressman from Mississippi] and others. The editor asked him to remove a lot from that manuscript and I think many of the revisions went out for political reasons. DW: When were they editing that? TW: Toward the end of the late 1940s and at the beginning of the 1950s. The first editor was the legendary Maxwell Perkins, and then someone else took over. The publishing house could see the writing on the wall in terms of what they could publish in a period of reaction in America. DW: How did Jones get his feeling, which you refer to, for the Industrial Workers of the World [IWW] and the early Socialist Party? TW: Of course, he grew up in the Great Depression and there were political influences from that period. I also have a feeling that he learned about socialism and radicalism from his fellow enlisted men in the army, many of whom had joined up to escape the Depression and several of whom had been involved politically during that time. He tapped into a particular oral tradition which was still alive. Jones was very alert to what was going on in the Soviet Union at the time and he mentions the decline of Marxism as a result of Stalinism. I think he basically gained his knowledge from working class men in the army or outside, as well as having a very deep interest in world affairs. DW: Are there any references in his correspondence to his following events in the Soviet Union? Of course there are references in From Here to Eternity. TW: His letters do refer to whats happening in the Soviet Union, the failure of the Communist experiment there and the search for a much freer form of existence. But like certain other writers he despaired of political systems because he felt they became rigid ideologies. DW: Theres a passage in From Here to Eternity where Prewitt the Bolshevik is speaking about his sympathy for the underdogs and his identification with those being persecuted by Stalin. Prewitt says if he were asked by a House Committee what his views were, he would reply that he was a sort of super arch-revolutionary, the kind that made the Revolution in Russia and that the Communists are killing now, a sort of perfect criminal type, very dangerous, a mad dog that loves underdogs. TW: He definitely knew what was going on in his historical epoch. He was never blinkered into denial. DW: Jones is unlike most (or all) present writers in expressing skepticism about the motives for war, even the good war, World War II. He is angry and mistrustful about those who are making war. TW: Yes, he poured cold water on the Greatest Generation nonsense and the notion of the self-sacrificing home front in Whistle in particular. DW: You cite him, In every war there were two wars, the war of the officers and the war of the enlisted men. Such a view is practically unheard of today, even in the best writing on Iraq and Afghanistan, even Vietnam. And you have the line of Sgt. Welsh in The Thin Red Line: Property. Property. All for property? TW: And if Jones were around and writing about the Iraq war, youd have another sergeant saying, Oil, oil, all for oil. He is very clear-eyed and almost Marxist without naming the philosophy behind that perception. DW: At the same time I think also it reflects the fact that even within the military at the time there was a far higher social consciousness. There was a far more critical view of the war than is presented 50 years later. The soldiers had come out of the Depression and they had no reason to be in love with the American ruling class. This is typical of Jones: They are sons of bitches, but the fault is not theirs. The fault belongs to the society, the system under which they livenot just the economic system, but the moral system of righteousness. That insight is largely lost today TW: This gives Joness war novels the necessarily wider context within which they really should be read, not just according to narrow generic classification. DW: Its not prettification, that comment. People do some pretty awful things, but why do they do these awful things? TW: Exactly, and he was onto the mechanisms that made them do these awful things. DW: And he was present in some of the places where the worst things were done. I would like to refer to the first piece you deal with in your book, a short story, The IceCream Headache. Its a beautiful story, one of the most perfectly composed of his works. TW: Thats why I chose to deal with it in the opening chapter. It really is the key to understanding what Joness work in all its variations is really about. DW: Because it brings together a number of themes and elements in a convincing fashion. Both the economic issuesthe Wall Street crash, the auto industry boom and all thatand the presence of the grandfather, the oppressive authority, the law, the state, the military, the repressive psychic structure of American capitalism. It also gives a very concrete feeling of small-town America. TW: Definitely, he understands it, hes from it, he knows its faults, but hes not condescending. Hes critical in the best sense of the word without putting people down, people who often are acting badly for no real inner fault of their own. DW: What do you make of the incestuous element in that story? TW: At the time, he was a deep reader of Sigmund Freud, he also read the Kinsey Report. He was concerned with the complex motivations within the human personality, good, bad and destructive. I think the critic Robin Wood once pointed out that the closeness and rigid conformity of the family system often operate in such a manner as to bring those incestuous feelings out. It is a disturbing story. He brings out the negative aspects in many of his writings of the American personality in that period. DW: Jones was not immune to the pressures of the times. How did he resist the Cold War propaganda barrage, and how did he accommodate himself to it? TW: I think he resisted it in terms of his fiction. He never participated in any demonstrations or protests, he never followed any crowd of any description. Basically, I think he isolated himself during this period from the official barrage, if only to preserve his identity as a writer living an independent existence. Jones was a product of a dysfunctional family and an equally dysfunctional society. Then he was in the military, in which the institution owns you, body and soul. I think he was very concerned to preserve his freedom of expression and not be too outspoken in that era. So in the sense of accommodation, thats how I would define it. But I would define that in terms of the goal of personal survival and not for any selfish or careerist reasons. DW: Im struck by the numerous references in Joness work to the next war. He is always predicting that the present war or the present peace is a mere interlude. Where did that understanding come from? TW: That sentiment is not confined to Jones in the postwar period. The play Fragile Fox [Norman Brooks], which is the basis for Robert Aldrichs film Attack [1956], ends with two stretcher bearers talking about the next war. In the film noir Crossfire [1947], the dubious individual played by Paul Kelly speaks about enlisting soon in the next war and making some money. The film I ran in my [filmmaker] Anthony Mann class here last night, Men in War [1957], has Robert Ryans Lieut. Benson say to Sgt. Montana [Aldo Ray], I think this war is going to last a long time. Its a Korean War film. One of the screenwriters, who was not credited because he was blacklisted, was Ben Maddow. The name on the screenplay is Philip Yordan, but he was well known to be a front for many blacklisted writers. So I think that that feeling about the next war was a common one among radical thinkers and writers in the postwar era. DW: This is from Whistle, his last novel: It was not because they were insane. He had suspected that before, from the beginning. It was not that modern war itself was insane. He had known that, too. It was not even that in ten years these same men battling down there, those who survived, would be making trade agreements with each other, signing mutual business deals for mutual profit, while the dumb luckless dead ones moldered in some hole. TW: Doesnt this fit in with what the WSWS says about the state of perpetual war? Jones is really farsighted in making that statement. DW: What do you think of the various films that were made from his books? TW: Well, Jones basically disliked [Fred Zinnemanns] From Here to Eternity [1953]. He came around to seeing why it had to be adapted. He always hated Some Came Running. That film works well as a Vincente Minnelli melodrama, if youve never read the novel. But once youve read the novel, you cant look at the film in the same way. Again, the film was made immediately after the publication of the book. Its a commercial product of its time. There is an earlier version of The Thin Red Line by [Hungarian-born director] Andrew Marton released in 1964, made by the same company that did Men in War and Gods Little Acre [1958], two films directed by Anthony Mann with Robert Ryan. The Marton film I think is more interesting in some ways than the transcendentalism that Terrence Malick chose to focus on in his later remake [1998]. I would say the film versions to one degree or another have always been unsatisfactory, because Joness ideas contain too much dynamite for a Hollywood film, which aims to please the audience and make money. DW: Malick did keep the Welsh line, or a version of it: Property! Whole fuckin things about property. Minnellis Some Came Running is a much narrower work than the book, but it does capture something about the disillusionment or disappointment with postwar America. TW: Jones praised the performance of Dean Martin as Bama Dillert. He is something of the salt-of-the-earth, charismatic American. The central character idolizes him very much like Prewitt in From Here to Eternity idolizes the Wobbly [IWW member] in the stockade. But in both cases the characters are found to have feet of clay. DW: All in all, Jones was an interesting figure and certainly someone who deserves to be read. You would obviously encourage people to read his books. TW: Yes, I would. Concluded Once again, the United Nations Security Council convened in emergency session on Wednesday to denounce Syria and Russia over the plight of civilians in the war-torn city of Aleppo. An offensive begun last weekend by pro-Syrian government forces, backed by Russia, has recaptured 40 percent of the citys sectors that were held by various Al Qaeda-linked and other Islamist militias since they launched a civil war against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in 2011. Thousands of people are fleeing from the US-backed Islamist militias. Syrian government officials have asserted they will retake all of Aleppo by the end of the year. US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power was among those who addressed the Security Council. Power spoke as the representative of the Obama administration, which actively intrigued with the Islamist militias to initiate the war against Assad. Washington has worked with Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf State monarchies, as well as the European powers, to recruit, fund and arm the rebels. It has used the Islamists as its proxies in a pro-imperialist regime-change operation. The result has been over 400,000 deaths, the displacement of over 10 million people and the destruction of much of Syria. Power spoke as Washington contemplates the prospect that large sections of its militia proxies could be destroyed over the coming weeks, signalling the general failure of its efforts to overthrow the Assad regime. She demanded an immediate ceasefire and compliance with international humanitarian laws. In emotive language, Power declared: I would ask Council members and all citizens of the world to just force yourself to a take a break from your day and watch the images from eastern Aleppo. Parents cradling their children in agony, civilians on foot mowed down literally carrying their suitcases, which then lay beside their lifeless bodies The Russian-backed Syrian government offensive in Aleppo is, without question, brutal and merciless. Professions of concern by US imperialism, however, which has ravaged much of the Middle East over the past 25 years, carry no political or moral weight. Powers rhetoric and similar statements in the Security Council by US allies, such as France, Britain, Spain and New Zealand, were even more grotesque given the character of the US-directed assault underway on the Iraqi city of Mosul. Six hundred kilometres to the east of Aleppo, the US and its allies are assisting an Iraqi government offensive against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) which, bolstered through Washingtons intrigues in Syria, crossed into Iraq and took control of Mosul in 2014. The US-backed regime in Baghdad claims the city is now fully surrounded by tens of thousands of Iraqi Army troops, Kurdish forces and various Shiite militia members. A claim, repeated in an Associated Press report, that the US-led forces are avoiding the use of overwhelming power to protect civilians, is crass propaganda. The Iraqi military has asserted that the ISIS fighters intend to fight to the death, effectively ruling out any prospect of negotiations. Leaflets have been dropped instructing the up to 1.6 million civilians trapped in the city to remain in their homes, while a coalition of American, British, French, Australian, Canadian and Jordanian aircraft bomb suspected ISIS positions. A November 24 humanitarian overview by aid organisation REACH reported that families are crowding into the lower floors of housing complexes out of fear of the airstrikes. Iraqi special forces units, accompanied in most cases by American personnel, are pushing through the eastern suburbs, clearing them block by block. The tactics they employ are simple, crude and, given the instructions to civilians to remain in their homes, murderous. They call in air attacks, artillery or tanks to destroy any building that is suspected of being occupied by ISIS or booby-trapped with explosives. Civilian casualties have been justified in advance by claiming that ISIS is using people as human shields. The Iraqi military boasted this week it has killed 1,000 ISIS fighters, while ISIS has claimed to have killed over 3,700 pro-government and Kurdish troops. No credible figures are being provided by either side on the toll inflicted on civilians, but reports suggest it is high. West Erbil Hospital, located some 80 kilometres away from Mosul, is admitting 150 military and civilian casualties every day. The only wounded civilians who could reach the hospital are those found in areas captured by government forces. Thus far, barely 70,000 people have managed to escape. Mosula city with a history stretching back over 4,000 yearsis literally being destroyed in order to save it. Bombing this week destroyed a major water pipeline in the eastern suburbs, cutting off water to some 650,000 people. Electricity is already largely cut. Food prices have reportedly doubled as supplies dwindle. The citys health system is dysfunctional. The university and numerous other public buildings have been reduced to rubble. On Wednesday, coalition aircraft bombed and disabled four major bridges over the Tigris River that link the western and eastern sectors of Mosul, further isolating the population in the east from potential resupplies of food and other essentials. The siege of Mosul is predicted to continue for weeks, if not months. As winter and freezing temperatures set in, exposure, starvation and disease will likely take more lives than the bombing, particularly among children, the infirm and the elderly. The Obama administration did not this week demand ceasefires or compliance with international humanitarian laws in Mosul. The attitude of the imperialist powers to war crimes is determined by whether they benefit from them. In Aleppo, the interests of the US and European powers are being set back, so there is condemnation and calls for action. In Mosul, US interests are being asserted, so civilian deaths are downplayed or outright denied. Whenever representatives of imperialism and the capitalist ruling elite speak of human rights, the independent standpoint of the working class must be contempt and hostility. The only way to end the criminality of imperialist war and neo-colonial intrigue is to end capitalism itself. The five year long US-led regime-change operation against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has exposed the right-wing, pro-imperialist character of the Australian pseudo-left organisation Socialist Alternative. On October 27, Socialist Alternatives website Redflag published its latest comment on the issue, entitled The western left and the Syrian war, continuing the organisations four-year support for the US proxy war. Adopting the standpoint of an imperialist military strategist, author Corey Oakley demands that the Obama administration provide its right-wing Islamist proxy forces with surface-to-air missiles to shoot down both Syrian government aircraft and Russian warplanes, which have provided key air support to the Syrian army fighting against the imperialist-backed rebels. CIA officers in Turkey, nominally in place to assist arms supply, in many cases in fact prevented the flow of weapons, particularly heavy weapons, to rebel forces, Oakley complains. He adds: After the September ceasefire collapsed, there was renewed talk that the long-enforced US ban on the supply of significant numbers of Saudi surface-to-air missiles to Syrian rebels would be lifted. But by mid-October it was clear that these plans had yet again been shelved. Oakleys prayers have since been answered. On November 20, members of the Al Qaeda-linked Ansar al-Islam front and Free Syrian Army posted a video in which they claimed to be in possession of a number of portable Manpad anti-aircraft rockets. The provision of these weapons, whether directly by the Obama administration or factions of the military/intelligence agencies, marks a dangerous and reckless escalation of the Syrian war, posing the threat of a US-Russian nuclear war. It follows increasingly bitter conflicts within the Obama administration, the Pentagon and intelligence apparatus, centring on how to respond to the defeats suffered by their proxy forces at the hands of the Russian and Syrian militaries. The recriminations have intensified in the wake of the election of Donald Trump, who has called into question Obamas policy of arming the rebels and signalled the possibility of working with Assad and Moscow against ISIS. Trumps statements are anathema to decisive sections of the US ruling establishment, who view the toppling of Assad, a Russian ally, as a component element of a broader strategy to isolate and prepare war against Russia. (See: US arms Syrian Islamists with surface-to-air missiles) Oakleys latest article demonstrates that Socialist Alternative, like its counterparts internationally, such as the International Socialist Organisation in the US, is politically aligned with the most hawkish elements of the US military-intelligence apparatus. Its specific political function is to provide a left cover for the predatory operations of US and Australian imperialism. Thus, Oakley sets out to whitewash the record of US imperialisms responsibility for the five-year carnage inflicted on the Syrian people. It is clear as day who is culpable for the crisis in Syria, Oakley writes. First, the Assad regime... Second, the Iranian regime... Third, Russia. Oakley dismisses outright what he calls the predominant narrative on the left [that] the US and its allies have pursued a strategy of regime change in Syria, and are responsible for fuelling the resistance to Assad. In fact, the opposite is true. Who is Oakley kidding? It is a publicly known fact that the CIA, and US allies in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey, have funded and armed Islamist proxy forces in Syria since at least 2012. In 2014, US Vice President Joseph Biden committed what the American media called a gaffe, by blurting out to Harvard University students that US allies had poured hundreds of millions of dollars and tens, thousands of tons of weapons into anyone who would fight against Assadexcept that the people who were being supplied were Al Nusra and Al Qaeda and the extremist elements of jihadis coming from other parts of the world. French President Francois Hollande admitted in an interview with Le Monde in August 2014 that France had been funding the Free Syrian Army, which Socialist Alternative hails as a revolutionary organisation, since 2013. Oakleys claim that Russia, Iran, and the Syrian government, and not American or European imperialism, are primarily responsible for the catastrophe in Syria, is both politically reactionary and false. Washingtons war for regime change against Assad, which has plunged the country into civil war, is the latest episode in US imperialisms drive, stretching back to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, to assert its untrammelled global dominance through military force. The countries targeted by these wars and interventions include Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, Libya, Somalia and Syria. These wars, which rank among the great crimes of the 20th and 21st centuries, have destroyed entire societies, killed millions of people, and turned 50 million into refugees. Iran has suffered years of harsh US sanctions that have crippled its economy and skyrocketed prices for basic goods and medicines, as the US government, under both Bush and Obama, has repeatedly threatened it with war. Now, these conflicts are metastasising into growing US preparations for war against both Russia and China, which Washington identifies as its major geopolitical rivals. Faced with what it recognises as an existential threat, and organically incapable of making any appeal to the anti-war sentiments of the working class, the Putin governments intervention in Syria only raises the danger of a US-Russian nuclear war. There is nothing progressive about Moscows response, which defends the interests of the oligarchs, who amassed their billions out of looting state property as the Stalinist bureaucracy restored capitalism in the former Soviet Union. Socialist Alternatives line-up with the CIA is no aberration. It flows directly from the social outlook and material basis of the upper middle class layers for which it speaks. While many of this social constituency opposed imperialist wars in the past, such as the war in Vietnam, they have shifted far to the right over the past three decades. During this period, their wealth has grown exponentially through the process of financialisationcentred in Wall Streetwhich has deepened social inequality and the polarisation between rich and poor. Today, they are fervent advocates of US imperialist war, upon which their continued enrichment depends. In August, 2012, Oakley spoke for all of them when he declared that the time for knee-jerk anti-imperialism has passed, and that US imperialism is not the central issue. Late last year, Socialist Alternative published an article that hailed the shooting of a Russian jet by Turkeya close US ally and NATO memberas a small victory for humanity. Socialist Alternatives website, Redflag, routinely publishes pro-war propaganda produced by its co-thinkers internationally, including a recent interview by the International Socialist Organisation with Anand Gopal, a fellow with the New America ruling-class think tank. In his latest article, in a section titled, The responsibility of the western left, Oakley gets to his main aim: attacking opponents of imperialism as traitors to the so-called Syrian revolution. This emerges most clearly when he denounces the invocation of the slogan of the great German revolutionary Karl Liebknecht, during World War I: The main enemy is at home. Oakley writes: The problemas is often the case when enlisting quotations from the dead for use in contemporary debateis one of context... In the Syrian context, though, all it does is say to those resisting Assad: Your enemy is not our enemy. Because you are not fighting our government, your plight is not our concern. There is not a shred of political principle here. Firstly, Liebknechts slogan was aimed at differentiating the independent political interests of the German working class from the predatory ambitions of the German ruling elite. The latter concealed its real aims of securing access to colonies, markets and spheres of influence in the war with fraudulent claims that it was seeking to defend German culture. Writing in 1915, Liebknecht declared: The main enemy of the German people is in Germany: German imperialism, the German war party, German secret diplomacy. This enemy at home must be fought by the German people in a political struggle, cooperating with the proletariat of other countries whose struggle is against their own imperialists... Everything for the international proletariat, for the sake of the German proletariat and downtrodden humanity. Oakley argues that Liebknechts slogan is inappropriate when the regime targeted for destruction by imperialism is guilty of oppressing its people. But since there is no capitalist government in the world that does not oppress and exploit its working class, his formula amounts to support for imperialist-orchestrated regime change in whichever country falls afoul of the major powers and their media propaganda mouthpieces. Oakley is merely providing a cheap imitation of the Austrian and German national chauvinists of the Second International, who justified their support for participation in World War I by declaring that they were thereby fighting against the barbaric Russian Tsarism. At no point in his article does Oakley provide any analysis of who the forces resisting Assad actually are; what political program they advocate, or what their class interests are. He simply asserts that US and European imperialisms proxies are revolutionaries and hopes no one asks any more questions. In fact, Oakleys revolutionaries consist of right-wing Islamic fundamentalist groups seeking to establish their own capitalist government and independent relations with imperialism. The World Socialist Web Site has no brief for the Syrian or Russian governments. But it is a fundamental principle of the Marxist movement that overthrowing these governments is the task of the working class, leading behind it all the oppressed sections of society, and uniting with its class brothers and sisters internationally in the fight for socialism. Oakleys attack on Karl Liebknechts slogan, which remains a bedrock principle of the socialist movement, is aimed at justifying Socialist Alternatives own alignment with imperialist wars, including the US preparations for war against Russia and China. Today, the struggle for a genuinely socialist, international anti-war movement of the working class that fights to overthrow capitalism and institute workers governments in every country, can only advance through an ongoing political exposure of the pro-imperialist politics of the pseudo-left, including Socialist Alternative. Yesterday, Chief Judge for the District of North Dakota, Daniel L. Hovland, rejected a request for a temporary restraining order to prevent law enforcement agencies from using impact munitions against Dakota Access Pipeline protesters in the Oceti Sakowin camp in North Dakota. The request was part of a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of protesters injured by police on November 20, some of whom required hospitalization and surgery following burns, shrapnel wounds, retinal detachment, broken bones and loss of consciousness caused by head trauma. The munitions cited by the request include and are not limited to: rubber bullets, lead-filled beanbags, water cannons, directed energy devices, concussion grenades, and chemical agents. The rejection is based on a technicality. According to Hovland, the Water Protector Legal Collective, which is representing the protesters, had failed to provide written proof that all the defendantsat least 76 law enforcement agencies from 10 states, including the North Dakota National Guardwere informed of the request. Illegal use of force against the water protectors has been escalating, said one of the collectives attorneys, Rachel Lederman, in a press release. It is only a matter of luck that no one has been killed. The Standing Rock Medic & Healer Council issued a letter condemning the war-like conditions confronting protesters. Others injured on the night of November 20 include two Native American tribal elders who suffered cardiac arrest, a 13-year-old girl hit by a rubber bullet in the face, and 21-year-old Sophia Walinsky, whose left arm was blown apart by a concussion grenade launched by police. Walinsky faces the possible loss of her arm. Her father, Wayne, speaking in an interview livestreamed to Facebook, pointed out, You know this is America! Where she was hit by a grenadeshes not in Iraq or Afghanistan. This is like the wound of... someone we send to fight in a war. Its not supposed to be a war. Shes peacefully trying to get people to not destroy the water supply. And theyre trying to kill her. Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier defended the use of impact munitions against unarmed protesters, telling that Bismarck Tribune that these are lawful tools to quell the advancement of protesters. Hovlands rejection of the temporary restraining order comes three days after an executive order on Wednesday from North Dakotas governor, Republican Jack Dalrymple, ordering the immediate evacuation of the protest site issued out of concern for the oncoming winter and the best interest of public safety. The governors order also specified that emergency services to the protest site would be approved only on a case-by-case by the Morton County Sheriff or the Superintendent of North Dakotas State Highway Patrol. After public outrage, Dalrymple clarified yesterday that people would not be prevented from entering the protest area, nor stopped and fined for bringing supplies into the camps. The protests have been led by the regions Sioux tribes, which oppose the oil pipelines construction out of fear of water contamination and the further destruction of cultural sites. The $3.8 billion pipeline will transport up to 570,000 barrels of crude oil a day from the Bakken Shale field in North Dakota to existing pipelines in Illinois. Energy Transfer Partners, the company that owns the pipeline, has been responsible for more than 200 recorded pipeline leaks since 2010. The protests have won support from broad layers of workers and youth, spreading through social media under the tag #WaterIsLife, with rallies being held in cities throughout the United States, including San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Minneapolis, and Washington, DC. Other sympathy demonstrations have been held internationally by indigenous groups in New Zealand, Australia, and Mongolia. Two thousand American military veterans are organizing a sympathy deployment to the Oceti Sakowin camp for December 4. The organizers, Veterans for Standing Rock, have begun organizing future mobilizations to lend continuous support to the Sioux throughout the winter. We agreed that the only people we served overseas fighting were the likes of Halliburton, KBR, AECOM, DynCorp, Raytheon, Environmental Chemical, and so many more, wrote Will Griffin, a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. We know that our own government lied to us. We know that the world is not a safer place than it was before the United States illegally occupied Iraq and Afghanistan; we understand that militaries dont bring peace. Looking into the eyes of the police at Standing Rock, we saw ourselves. Police at the protest camp are supported by armored vehicles, which have been deployed in the US imperialist wars in the Middle East. The Federal Aviation Administration has declared the area a no-fly zone, banning the use of drones to capture aerial footage of the protest site. Barbed wire lines the shores of nearby Turtle Island, and the bridge on Highway 1806 near the protest site is littered with concrete barricades. Police floodlights light the camp every night. The Democratic Party has largely remained silent on the protests, with Hillary Clinton releasing a mealy-mouthed statement during the campaign calling for the protesters to reach a compromise with the pipeline company, and Obama stating on November 1 that his administration would let it play out for several more weeks, presumably until President-Elect Donald Trump assumes the office. The leaderships of Native American tribes, a privileged layer groomed by the Democratic Party, have sought to divert the protests into the dead-end of pressure politics, issuing toothless appeals to leading figures within the Democratic Party. On November 30, a dozen Sioux tribe leaders issued an open letter to President Barack Obama imploring him to protect the US Constitution. [I]t is time for you as Commander-in-Chief to enforce the law, they write. The Obama administration is responsible for extrajudicial assassinations on a weekly basis, maintaining indefinite incarceration at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, torture, mass surveillance and more persecutions of whistle-blowers than all previous administrations combined. It defends capitalist law, which means impunity for Wall Street bankers, giant oil companies and environmental criminals, and rubber bullets and worse for impoverished Native Americans and other sections of working people fighting for their rights. Syrian rebel groups backed by the US, Turkey and other Western powers have entered into talks with Russia on brokering an end to the fighting in Aleppo, which was Syrias largest city and commercial capital before being devastated in the US-orchestrated war for regime change against the government of President Bashar al-Assad. The talks in Ankara, first reported by the Financial Times of London, were reportedly brokered by the Turkish government and convened in the context of the increasingly decisive rout of the Islamist militias that have controlled parts of eastern Aleppo for the past four years and threatened to overrun the entire city as recently as last year. Since last weekend, Syrian government troops, backed by Lebanese Hezbollah fighters and Shia militias from Iraq, have retaken some 40 percent of the territory previously occupied by the Islamists, whose strongest contingent is the group known as the Al Nusra Front, which served as Al Qaedas Syrian affiliate. Tens of thousands of civilians have poured out of the eastern section of the city, seeking refuge from both intense bombardment by Syrian government warplanes and the terror exercised by Al Nusra and similar jihadist groups. While the Western powers claimed that there were 250,000 civilians trapped in the rebel-held area, based on the inflated claims made in relation to other areas retaken from the Islamists, many believe that only a fraction of this number had resided in the eastern zone. According to the Financial Times, While the secret talks are not the first time a rebel representative has met with the Russians, those familiar with the talks said it was the first time such a large number of opposition groups were involved. The FT article highlighted the implications of the talks in terms of the sidelining of Washington and the increasingly evident debacle confronting the more than five-year-old US operation directed at arming, training and paying militias for the purpose of overthrowing Assad. The Russians and Turks are talking without the US now. It [Washington] is completely shut out of these talks, and doesnt even know whats going on in Ankara, one unnamed opposition figure told the British daily. Another opposition representative, asked why Moscow was attempting to reach a deal with the so-called rebels at this juncture, said that the Russian government was essentially saying: Screw you Americans. The more likely motivation is the desire of the government of President Vladimir Putin to use ties with the armed opposition as a bargaining chip in its dealings with both Washington and the Assad government itself under conditions in which Russias intervention on the side of Damascus, which began 14 months ago, has apparently produced a decisive turning of the tide in the Syrian war. The talks are indicative of closer relations between Ankara and Moscow, even as conflicting agendas in Syria and the wider region have led to intermittent frictions. Turkey sought a rapprochement with Russia earlier this year to break the tension caused by a November 2015 Turkish ambush and shooting down of a Russian warplane operating against Islamist militias in Syria near the Turkish border. Relations grew closer in the aftermath of the abortive July 15 military coup, which was widely blamed on the US. Turkeys own intervention into Syria, Operation Euphrates Shield, has been carried out with the tacit complicity of Russia, which controls much of Syrian airspace, even as the Assad government has denounced the Turkish incursion. Tensions boiled to the surface after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a statement Tuesday declaring that Turkey had sent its military into Syria to bring justice. It added, We are there to end the rule of the cruel Assad, who has been spreading state terror. The statement prompted demands from Moscow for an explanation. The announcement really came as news to us, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. It is a very serious statement and one which differs from previous ones and with our understanding of the situation. We hope that our Turkish partners will provide us with some kind of explanation about this. This was followed by a phone conversation Wednesday between Erdogan and Putin. On Thursday, Erdogan offered the clarification demanded by Moscow. The aim of the Euphrates Shield Operation is no country or person but only terror organizations. No one should doubt this issue that we have uttered over and over, and no one should comment on it in another fashion or try to [misrepresent its meaning], the Turkish president told a meeting of village chiefs assembled at the presidential palace in Ankara. By terror organizations, Erdogan and his government have consistently made clear they mean not only the Islamic State (ISIS), but also the Syrian Kurdish militia, the YPG, which the US has funded, trained and armed, utilizing it as its principal proxy force against ISIS. The Pentagon has declined to provide Turkish troops with air cover because of Ankaras determination to attack Washingtons Kurdish proxies. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, meanwhile, met in Turkeys Mediterranean resort city of Alanya Thursday, announcing that both countries are seeking to broker a truce in Aleppo and assure the provision of humanitarian assistance to its battered population. Russia has proposed opening up four humanitarian corridors into eastern Aleppo to permit civilians to escape the besieged zone and allow food and medical aid in. Previous attempts to open up such corridors have broken down, however, as a result of the US-backed Islamist militias shelling them and firing upon civilians attempting to escape. The US and its allies have denounced the Russian-backed offensive by the Syrian government, highlighting the humanitarian crisis in order to demand an end to the attack on the Al Qaeda-linked militias that form the backbone of the Syrian rebels. The increasing hysteria of these denunciations reflects the fact that the fall of eastern Aleppo will deprive these militias of their last urban stronghold and consolidate Syrian government control over all of the countrys major population centers. In a rally in Cincinnati, Ohio on Thursday night, US President-elect Donald Trump outlined the right-wing program of extreme America First nationalism of the incoming administration. The Cincinnati speech was unlike any delivered by a president or president-elect in US history. It was a combination of blatant contradictions, exaggerations, wild hyperbole, empty demagogy and praise for himself as the man who would fix all the problems facing the country. It combined threats against political enemies with pledges to work with anyone and everyone to overcome gridlock and restore American jobs. While couched in rhetoric about protecting the American worker, Trumps policy proposals centered on massive tax cuts to corporations and deregulation, combined with increasing the size of the military, expanding police powers and sharply curtailing immigration. During the rally Trump also announced that his choice for secretary of defense is retired general James Mad Dog Mattis. Trumps remarks were clearly shaped and likely written by Trumps chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, the former head of Breitbart News who has ties to fascistic organizations. Bannon has called for the formation of a new movementa term Trump repeated throughout his remarksbased on economic nationalism and opposition to globalists. A major theme was the need to unify the nation in opposition to Washington politicians who have subordinated American interests to foreign powers. There is a lot of talk about how we are becoming a globalized world, Trump said, but the relationships people value in this country are local There is no global anthem, no global currency, no certificate of global citizenship. We pledge allegiance to one flag, and that is the American flag. From now on it is going to be America First, Trump added. We are going to put ourselves first Our goal is to strengthen the bonds between citizens, to restore our sense of membership in a shared national community. As was the case during his campaign for president, Trump made a demagogic appeal to social anger over declining wages and social inequality. Our government has failed to protect the interests of the American worker, he said. A shrinking workforce and flat wages are not going to be the new normal. There is a vast chasm between this empty populist rhetoric and the personnel that Trump has selected to populate his government. The speech followed a series of cabinet picks, including billionaire asset strippers, Wall Street bankers, and dedicated opponents of financial and corporate regulations, public education and Medicare and Medicaid, to lead the Treasury, Commerce, Education and Health and Human Services departments. For all his talk of national unity, a Trump administration will be one of brutal class war. Trumps action plan is centered on freeing corporations from any restraints on profit-making and exploitation. Right now we punish companies for doing business in America, he said. To bring back jobs, the new administration would massively lower taxes, and make America the best place in the world to hire, to invest, to grow, to create and to expand. He added that he would eliminate every single wasteful regulation that undermines the ability of our workers and our companies to compete with companies from foreign lands. Trump touted the deal with Carrier to continue production at its Indianapolis factory, which Carriers parent company, United Technologies Corp. (UTC), planned to shut by 2019 and shift production to Mexico. Carrier will retain only 800 of the 1,400 production workers at the plant, and the deal also sanctions the closure of the UTC factory in Huntington, Indiana, which will wipe out the jobs of another 700 workers. In discussions late last month, Trump told UTC CEO Gregory Hayes that his plans to slash corporate taxes and gut labor, health and safety and environmental regulations would prove far more profitable for the company than the $65 million in annual savings it would gain from shifting production overseas. In exchange for the deal, Carrier was given another $7 million in state tax cuts and other subsidies. It is also likely that UTC, a major defense contractor, was promised even larger contracts under a Trump presidency. Trump reiterated his proposal for major infrastructure projects, a plan that would be a boondoggle for corporations and essentially hand over public infrastructure to private companies. These measures, combined with greater restrictions on trade, would usher in a new industrial revolution. Trump combined his program of tax cuts and deregulation with a call for sharp restrictions on immigration. We will restore the sovereignty of the United States, he said. We will construct a great wall at the border and liberate our communities from the epidemic of gang violence and drugs pouring into our nation. Trump said little on foreign policy, except to criticize the $6 trillion spent on wars in the Middle East. He also said the US should stop looking to topple regimes and overthrow governments and instead focus on rebuilding our country. Under a Trump administration, he asserted, the US will seek shared interests wherever possible and pursue a new era of peace, understanding and good will. In fact, Trumps America First nationalism will be accompanied by a massive escalation of military violence. In his speech, Trump pledged a national effort to build our badly depleted military and called for a major campaign to destroy ISIS. More significant is the selection of Mattis as secretary of defense. Mattis is a fanatic anti-Islamic militarist who played a significant role in the US invasion of Afghanistan and led the brutal 2004 assault on Falluja, Iraq. Speaking of his experiences in Afghanistan, Mattis said in 2005 that its a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them. While leading US Central Command under Obama from 2010 to 2013, Mattis was critical of the White House for not waging war aggressively enough in the Middle East and for being too conciliatory toward Iran. In an indication of the dominance of the military in a Trump administration, Mattis would be the first ranking general to be defense secretary since George Marshall in 195051. Federal law stipulates that generals must be retired for seven years before leading the Pentagon, but Mattis is expected to get a waiver from Congress. He has the support of Senate Republicans, including Senator John McCain, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Mattis will work closely with Trumps national security advisor, another retired general, Michael Flynn. The unions and the Democratic Party have praised Trump, echoing his economic nationalism and echoing the lie that the billionaire real estate mogul, who will head up the most right-wing government in history, is a champion of the working class. US Senator Joe Donnelly (Democrat-Indiana) said he hoped to work with Trump to build on momentum created by your agreement with United Technologies and adopt a federal outsourcing proposal that would deny and claw back certain tax benefits to companies that move jobs offshore. Directing his comment at Trump, he added, I strongly encourage you to make it clear that efforts to ship jobs offshore to chase cheap wages will be addressed head on by the Trump Administration. I stand ready to assist in any way possible. The UK Independence Party (UKIP) finally elected a new leader this week, after two ballots in as many months. Paul Nuttall, a former history lecturer and Member of the European Parliament, won 62.6 percent of the vote. Despite having been deputy party leader for six years, he is a virtual unknown as the UKIP brand has been synonymous with former City trader, Nigel Farage. Parodying US President-elect Donald Trump, Nuttall pledged to put the great back into Britain and to turn UKIP into an electoral forcelargely at the expense of the Labour Party. In reality, Farages departure as party leader after the successful campaign for Britains exit from the European Union (EU) in the June referendum has left UKIP rudderless. Nuttalls own victory was largely due to his being the last one standing. Diane James, MEP for South East England, had been elected as UKIP leader on September 19. Her landslide victory came after she won the backing of Farage and Arron Banks, UKIPs multimillionaire donor. They backed James as a safe pair of hands after their preferred candidate, Steven Woolfe, was barred from standing in the contest on a technicality. Woolfes barring was indicative of deep tensions and factional rivalry within the organisation. James stood down after just 18 days in the job, on October 5, saying that she could not exert her authority over the party. The following day, Woolfe was hospitalised after a reported altercation with a fellow UKIP MEP, after a party meeting in the European parliament in Strasbourg. Woolfe collapsed during a vote in the meeting, hours after he had allegedly been involved in a confrontation with Mike Hookem. The altercation came after Woolfe reportedly said he had considered defecting to the Conservative Party, before deciding to run in the UKIP leadership contest. Woolfe subsequently resigned from UKIP, as did James. Both now sit as Independents in the European Parliament. James resignation meant that Farage had to act as interim leader while the second leadership race that ended with Nuttalls victory took place. Like many of UKIPs leading spokesperson, Nuttall hails originally from the Conservative Party. His opposition to Brussels is combined with eulogies to unrestrained capitalism, and calls for a war against cultural Marxists. A staunch Catholic, he is anti-abortion and supports a referendum on the return of the death penalty. Nuttall has praised moves to privatise the National Health Service, telling Sky News that it is a monolithic hangover from days gone by and unfortunately or fortunately shall I say, we are becoming an older population and quite frankly I would like to see more free market introduced into the health service. Nuttall, who is from Liverpool, claims that UKIP will champion working class people. Douglas Carswell, another Tory defector and UKIPs only Westminster MP, claimed UKIP would lead an anti-oligarch insurgency as heirs to the Levellers in the English civil war. But neither Nuttall nor his party offer any social policies that will alleviate the massive decline in living standards among working people after eight years of austerity, and nothing whatsoever for the youth. Nuttalls promotion of anti-immigrant and law and order rhetoric is a right-wing populist veneer for the defence of the interests of British capital against the working class. Carswell claims that the key feature of the 21st century is the degree to which technology has fundamentally transformed the relationship between the governed and the governing. The coming of broadband and digital communication has led to the emergence of a new class of citizen-consumer, he claims. Just as Netflix and Amazon have made self-selection a cultural norm, so public services must be re-ordered accordingly. Such a policy translates into the final dismantling of universal social provision and handover to the private sector and cannot mobilise significant support. That is why Nuttall made clear that the central plank of UKIPs campaign over the immediate period would be the demand for Britains immediate exit from the EU, combined with anti-Muslim propaganda and the whipping up of English patriotism. Gerard Batten MEP has been appointed UKIP spokesman on Brexit (British Exit from the EU). He attacked Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May as someone who had supported a Remain vote in the referendum and who cannot be trusted to deliver our withdrawal from the EU. UKIP was opposed to triggering Article 50, which begins the two-year process of negotiations with the EU over Britains terms of exit, he said. Instead, Parliament should repeal the European Communities Act (1972) in order to restore law-making supremacy to the UK Parliament and put the British Government in the driving seat of negotiations not the EU. Behind the demagogy, UKIP is in deep crisis. In addition to divisions within the organisation, party donations have crashed. Between July and September, UKIP raised just 43,000, less than the extreme-right British National Party, which has no parliamentary representation. UKIP claims that this is because many donors concentrated on funding the Leave campaign in the EU referendum. But the party has reportedly lost 14,000 members in the past year and a half, as the Tories have adopted its political agenda wholesale. In addition, the UKIP-controlled Alliance for Direct Democracy in Europea group in the European Parliamenthas been accused of misspending more than half a million euros (427,000) of taxpayers money by financing Farages attempt to win a Westminster seat in the 2015 General Election and the anti-EU referendum campaign. The Alliance has been asked to return 172,655, and will miss out on 248,345 in grants as a result, deepening UKIPs financial crisis. Most importantly, Arron Banks has threatened to walk away from UKIP. He was part of the welcoming party, led by Farage, which travelled to New York to congratulate Trump immediately on his becoming president-elect. The insurance tycoon subsequently said he was planning to fund 200 candidates to drain the swamp of careerists and corruption in Parliament. He told the Times that the plan was to draw up an undesirability rating to target sitting MPs. It would be highly amusing to tease career politicians with a hot poker, he said. UKIPs crisis is in sharp contrast to Farages personal fortunes. Trumps suggestion that he would make the ideal UK ambassador to Washington drew outrage from the government. It was regarded as an unprecedented intrusion into British political life and a barely disguised demand for the sacking of the current ambassador, Sir Kim Darroch. Farage continues to insist that he would be able to negotiate a better UK-US trade deal under a Trump presidency, with his backers accusing the May government of arrogance and mendacity in blocking him for the job. Last week, Farage was afforded a champagne-fuelled party in his honour at the luxurious Ritz hotel in London. Those attending included Banks and the billionaire Barclay brothers, Sir David and Sir Fredrick, owners of the Ritz and the Telegraph newspaper. Lord Ashcroftformer deputy chairman of the Conservative Party and billionaire tax exilehelped bankroll the event, along with property entrepreneur and co-founder of Leave EU, Richard Tice, and Lord Pearson, former Tory turned one-time UKIP leader. Farage told the gathering that he suspected the Conservative party is not fit for the legacy of Brexit. I suspect there is going to be a genuine realignment of British politics over the course of the next three or four years. ... There are great battles to be fought and Im going to go on fighting those battles. The former UKIP leader is planning another visit to Washington next month to meet with the transition team who are preparing for Trumps move to the White House in January. The Express reported that he has also lined up 20 speaking events in the US for the next year, which could see him rake in a fortune. A friend of Farage was cited by the newspaper, stating, It is churlish to say he isnt rich because compared to other people he would consider himself well off, but this is his new life, this is what he is going to do going forward. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Authorities say a gunman threatened some of the 11 people held hostage at a Jacksonville, Florida, credit union before they were rescued by SWAT team members. Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams says that after the suspect on Thursday put his gun to the back of the head of one hostage, SWAT team members had resolved to storm the bank at the first opportunity. Williams says that moment came when two people who had been hiding inside the bank unbeknown to the suspect made a run for it, distracting the gunman. SWAT team members then rushed into the Community First Credit Union and put themselves between the suspect and hostages, according to the sheriff. Williams says the suspect is in custody. MIDWAY, Fla. (WTXL) -- Measurable rain arrived in parts of the local region and the Southeast in general, but recent activity hasn't been enough to reduce the extent of the long-term drought. Local North Florida counties had minimal change from last week in the Drought Monitor update Thursday. Abnormally Dry conditions persist in the lower and middle Suwannee Valley, while severe-level drought is situated in the Apalachicola River basin. The Severe category also straddles the Florida/Georgia state line west of the Withlacoochee River. An expansion of the Extreme Drought level now includes interior south Georgia areas, including Mitchell and Colquitt counties and points north. Agricultural efforts in south Georgia continue to be heavily disrupted by the worsening dryness. The Georgia state climatologist reports shortages of hay in Seminole County and irrigated crop yields reduced 15% to 20% in Cook County because of the lack of rain in the late parts of the growing season. The U.S. Department of Agriculture states topsoil moisture levels in 59% of Florida were reported "short" or "very short." TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) -- For months, protesters have rallied against plans for a multi-billion dollar pipeline being built on a Native American reservation. The Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) has garnered national attention, sparking movements across the country to support the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. The situation has inspired locals to organize a peaceful demonstration this weekend. "This is a matter of safe water, corporate greed, human rights violations, government overreach," said concerned citizen Lorinne Myatt, who has Native American ancestry. The proposed pipeline would be constructed on land sacred to the Sioux tribe. "Native Americans right now are standing on the front lines, and they are protecting the water with their lives," said Shay Matthews, who also has Native American roots. "To see violence being taken against peaceful protesters, and corporate profits being counted greater than clean water -- it concerns us all," Myatt said. The situation has prompted locals to speak up. "Many of the issues affecting the Dakota area are similar and are also going to be affecting Florida," said FSU student Ari Rabinovich, who's part of the group "Rethink Energy Florida." "When [the pipeline] busts -- because it's a fact that it will bust, they all do -- it will affect 18 million people," Matthews said. Locals aren't just concerned with the DAPL. Closer to home, they're also speaking out against the Sabal Trail pipeline. "The Sabal Trail pipeline is an example of how our government has failed to fulfill the purposes of serving the public," Rabinovich said. "[They're] not doing more to protect our individual rights, having our first amendment rights infringed upon," Myatt said. Despite being hundreds of miles from the protest, the group says it's not just a Native American issue; it's a national issue. "It takes a lot of energy and persistence to stand up for what's right," Myatt said, "and we want to give that moral support to say that we hear them and we're with them." "We praise the water. We love the water," Matthews said. "We're going to protect it -- no matter what." The event is scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. in front of the Old Capitol building. Darius McCollum is New Yorks infamous transit bandit, who, over the last three decades, has repeatedly taken control of city buses and subway trains, driving them on their routes while impersonating transit workers. Thats led to 32 arrests and McCollum spending 23 of his 50 years in jail. McCollums also a man with Aspergers syndrome, a high functioning form of autism -- a condition that cannot be dealt with by the justice system, leading to long, pointless incarceration and frustration on the part of all involved when he slips back into his train obsession. McCollum is the subject of Off The Rails, a documentary from first-time director Adam Irving that treats him not as a criminal, as does the justice system, or an attention-seeking wacko, as does the NY media, but as a man deserving of respect and, implicitly, help. That respect starts with the films primary framing device. It allows the soft-spoken, genial McCollum to tell his own story, augmenting it with interviews with attorneys, advocates, his mother, the woman to whom he was briefly married and transit workers, who are largely impressed with and not threatened by the imposter. McCollums story begins as a boy, who memorized the train and bus system by age 8, was driven underground so-to-speak after a vicious schoolyard attack and who found himself driving a train at 15 -- his first arrest. That started a cycle of joy rides, arrests and imprisonment that continue to today -- McCollum, who is in his 50s, is now in prison facing the possibility of a 15-year sentence. Thats particularly sad, for as the movie repeatedly shows, McCollum has done no damage and endangered no one with his joy riding. But the justice system cannot find a way to forgive him or get him the counseling and assistance that could help turn him away from his obsession and give him a life outside prison. That McCollum is his worst enemy in the process comes through -- each time he backslides and takes a bus or train. But with prosecutors afraid of being seen as soft, harsh judges and hamstrung advocates, McCollum doesnt have much of a chance. Nor does he have much support beyond his elderly mother, an imam he met in prison and his attorney. Off The Rails is a well-assembled picture that spins out McCollums story chronologically, through old photos, news clips, interviews and his own testimony. Its also, by the nature of its subject and his transgressions, repetitious -- which is part of the point made by Irving in telling the sad tale. SUWANNEE COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - Troopers have released the identity of the people hurt in an accident that sent a 6-year-old, a 17-year-old, and an Live Oak police officer to the hospital for serious injuries. The Florida Highway Patrol said that Officer Quinton Swader was traveling with his emergency lights on Thursday evening, when he had to swerve sharply to miss an improperly parked tractor trailer. That's when troopers said that he and another vehicle driven by Daisy Edgar, 44. hit each other. Edgar was traveling with three minors. Two of them, a 6-year-old and a 17-year-old, were airlifted to UF Health for serious injuries. The other minor, 13, was transported to Shands at Live Oak for minor injuries. Troopers said Swader was also airlifted, for serious injuries, to UF Health Hospital in Gainesville. Swader is an officer with the Live Oak Police Department. FHP said that there may be charges pending further investigation. Nebraska Repertory Theatre announced Friday it hired Andrew Park, an award-winning artistic director, stage director, playwright, lyricist and puppeteer from Chicago, as its new artistic director. He will begin Jan. 2. Park replaces Virginia Smith, who stepped down as artistic director in 2014 after 10 years, but continues as a University of Nebraska-Lincoln theater professor. "The Rep has been an integral part of the community for generations, and I'm looking forward to expanding the theater season and contributing to the theater's proud tradition," Park said in a release. "We're on the verge of creating theater together that will be impossible to ignore." Nebraska Repertory Theatre has been on hiatus since 2014. A new collaboration between the Nebraska Repertory Theatre and University Theatre is expected to begin in fall 2017. The Rep also plans to collaborate with Lied Center for Performing Arts and other community or regional organizations. "The Rep has served students and the community well for more than 45 years, providing professional, Equity theater for Lincoln, and Andy is poised to take it to the next level artistically when we relaunch it, better than ever, next year," Charles O'Connor, dean of UNL's Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, said in a release. Park is the founding artistic director of Quest Theatre Ensemble, a position he has held since 2002. He also has been artistic director of the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago since 2007, writing, directing and producing aquatic shows that feature dolphins, beluga whales, sea lions, penguins and birds of prey. In 1998, Park was appointed artistic director of the Showboat Becky Thatcher Theater in Marietta, Ohio, a position he held for three years before leaving for Chicago. In Chicago, Park has worked as a stage director and playwright. His original production "Seashore" was nominated for three Jeff Awards including best ensemble and best new work. He also conceived and directed an opening spectacle for the 2005 Lollapalooza Music Festival and was artistic director for the Chicagoland Puppetry Guild's Puppet Festival and QuesFest, a puppet and drum festival on Chicago's north side. Update 2:45 p.m.: East Valley School Superintendent John Schieche earlier said the impasse has put the renovation and expansion plans for East Described as "inspiring, thought-provoking and linguistically awesome," Rhapsody in Black chronicles writer/actor LeLand Gantts personal journey to understand and eventually transcend racism in America. Gantt's one-man show will stop in Lincoln for a sold-out, 7:30 p.m. Monday performance at the Johnny Carson Theater, 11th and Q streets. Written and performed by LeLand Gantt and developed at NYCs Actors Studio by Estelle Parsons, Rhapsody in Black follows Gantts life story from a childhood in the ghettos of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, to teenage experiments with crime and drugs, to scholastic achievement and an acting career that lands adult LeLand in situations where he is virtually the only African American in the room. How he manages to cope with the various psychological effects of consistently being marked The Other is recounted in remarkable and exquisitely moving detail. Charming and self-deprecatingly funny, Gantt confronts heavy subjects with all the passion and poignancy of a preacher speaking the Gospel. The Huffington Post wrote of Gantts performance, Can we rise above our prejudices with honest conversation? LeLand Gantt trumpets a resounding yes. Gantt first performed Rhapsody in Black at the WorkShop Theater Companys Sundays@Six reading series in March 2013. Further development at The Actors Studio by Parsons yielded a slot in their Playwrights/Directors Units spring festival in May 2013 and, subsequently, a three-week workshop run. Parsons is best known for winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1967 for her role as Blanche Barrow in "Bonnie and Clyde." She also played Roseanne Barrs mother on the award-winning ABC sitcom "Roseanne." All the players in the Syrian arena including Israel, Hezbollah and Iran are waiting curiously and even anxiously for Moscows response. It is clear to everyone that Wednesdays attack on a Syrian army outpost and a Hezbollah arms convoy , which has been attributed to Israel, is a case study for the alleged limits of the Israeli freedom of action in Syria and Lebanon. Any Russian reaction will have an impact on the regional balance of power. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter So far, the Russians have settled for quoting the Syrian army spokesmans statement on the alleged Israel Air Force attack in the Damascus area. There have been no condemnations, no commentaries, no leaks from sources in Russias top echelon. The fact that Moscow is sticking to the Syrian version suggests that as far as the Russians are concerned, they accept the fact that Israel is responsible for the attack and have no intention of participating in the Israeli hide and seek. Nevertheless, the fact that they have not issued their own statement suggests that they have yet to decide what to do with this information. Previous attack in Damascus attributed to Israel In informal conversations with sources associated with the Russian defense establishment, they ask: What are you expecting actually? A direct public Russian response? If we say that Israel coordinated the attack with us, we will have to provide explanations to our allies in Hezbollah; and if we say you did not coordinate it with us, we will have a problem explaining how Israel operates on Syrian soil without informing us. The Russian response is critical, as the attack attributed to Israel is, allegedly, a first public test of the understandings reached between the political leaderships, on the Putin and Netanyahu level. Since deploying their army in Syria in 2015, there have been fewer reports of IAF strikes in Syria, apart from along the border in the Golan Heights. While reality called for a continuation of these actions, as Hezbollah with the help of the Syrian army kept smuggling military equipment to Lebanon, it seemed that Israel had chosen not to put the understandings with Russia to the test. Israel and Russia have no cooperation agreement in Syria. The Russians do not report their aerial activity to the IDF, and Israel as far as we know is not supposed to report its aerial activity to them. But there is an understanding that each party knows where the other partys interests lie and makes every effort not to interfere with them. So the Russians fly in certain areas, and the IAF flies in different areas. The aerial radar image is transparent to both parties. About a year ago, foreign sources reported that Russian planes had been launched towards IAF planes flying somewhere in the Mediterranean. Such incidents are solved on the leadership level, the deputy chief of staff vis-a-vis his Russian counterpart, and the Israeli and Russian liaison units which engage in a dialogue on either sides flight deviations. If a Russian officer detects an Israeli plane which possibly approaching a Russian interest, he will likely submit an inquiry to his Israeli counterpart. The advanced antiaircraft missiles, the S-400 and the S-300, which the Russians installed in order to protect the seaport in Tartus and the Hamimim Airport in Syria, should not pose a threat to the IAF, apart from situations of misunderstandings, which could occur at any given moment. That is likely why the IAF is now flying in the area in a more conservative manner than before. Its reasonable to assume that every activity across the border is examined in Israel much more carefully in order to expand the security margins. Nevertheless, Israel has clarified all along that it will not give up on a single red line it has set for itself in Syrian and in Lebanon: No chemical weapons in the hands of the Syrian army or Hezbollah, no violation of the Israeli sovereignty and no smuggling of equipment which Israel considers a taboo to Lebanon. The Russians did not intervene when Israel struck in the Golan Heights after its sovereignty was violated. The third red line has been violated more than once in the past year, according to foreign reports, and therefore according to those reports Israel on Wednesday attacked a clear target which also allows it to test the limits of its understandings with the Russians. The Russian response so far may create the impression that Russia acknowledges Israels right to prevent the spillover of a certain kind of weapon from Syrian to Lebanon. Whether this situation will continue for long is uncertain. An ancient Roman inscription, discovered on a stone tablet during an underwater excavation in Tel Dor, sheds light on a previously unknown governor of Judea during the time of the Bar Kokhba revolt. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Several months earlier, research students from the Coastal Archeological Laboratory at Haifa University discovered a large stone tablet etched with an ancient Roman inscription at the bottom of the Tel Dor reserve. Stone with the inscription (Photo: Jenny Carmel) After consultations with the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Nature and Parks Authority, a decision was taken to remove the tablet from the sea as soon as possible to prevent damage to the inscription. The excavation site was led by Prof. Assaf Yasur-Landau from Haifa University, who identified the stone inscription of seven lines. The rectangular stone is roughly 85 centimeters long and weighs about 600 kilograms. "Apparently, this is the base of a statue from Roman times and according to the best of our knowledge, this is the longest inscription ever discovered underwater in Israel", explained Prof. Yasur-Landau. "Not only did we decipher for the first time the name of the governor who ruled Judea during the critical years before Bar Kokhba revolt, but this is the second time that the name Judea is mentioned in writing from the Roman period." Prof. Assaf Yasur-Landau and Dr. Gil Gambash (Photo: Jenny Carmel) Dr. Gil Gambash, head of the Department of Maritime Civilizations at Haifa University, explained that the beginning of the study was to identify the name of the governor of Judea during that period. "On the tablet, the name Gargilius Antiquus is written along with his position; governor of Judea," explained Gambash. "The name of Antiquus is found on another inscription that was discovered at Tel Dor 70 years ago, but the section of the inscription dealing with the provincial governor did not survive." Previous research posited that Antiquus was commissioner of the province of Syria, but in light of this new discovery, it is proved without a doubt that Gargilius Antiquus was the Roman governor of Judea in the years before the outbreak of the Bar Kokhba revolt in 131 CE. The only other mention of the name Judea was on a tablet discovered in Caesarea, which also bore the name of a previous governor, Pontius Pilate. "After the suppression of the Bar Kokhba revolt, Rome decided to do away with the province of Judea and to erase any trace of its name, so Rome combined it with Syria, renaming the province Syria-Palestine," explained Gambash. Brig. Gen. Eyal Karim officially took his position as chief rabbi of the IDF Thursday evening after a change of command ceremony at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv attended by Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter During the ceremony, the chief of staff said, "The appointment of chief rabbi of the IDF is an extremely significant event in the army. Unfortunately, the ceremony took place a week late," added Eisenkot. "I was convinced months ago that we are choosing Rabbi Eyal Karim for the job. He is the most fitting and appropriate choice for command and rabbinic authority in the IDF. I had no doubts." Brig. Gen. Karim getting his promotion in rank Following his official promotion, Karim took spoke at length, saying, "During this journey of thousands of years, Israel drew its strength and spirit from the Torahall its laws, values and morality. These are the foundation stones of the Jewish people. David Ben-Gurion, who asked Rabbi Goren to be chief rabbi, understood that the army has to address a wide range of people without creating a splint in the army. He understood that there had to be a way for all soldiers to have a fulfilling service in the IDF together. Karim and Eisenkot "The military rabbinate needs to be a force for unity. We will only have one army, an army of the people, that all soldiers can find their place in. The military rabbinate, by its very nature, is firmly rooted in Jewish law, values, morals and thought." The storm that surrounded Karim's appointment to the position continued Thursday when the issue of women in tanks arose in comments. Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef praised Eisenkot for "knowing to think twice about the possibility of putting a man and woman together in a tank." Eisenkot added during the ceremony, "The public and media discourse comes from ignorance, half-truths and disinformation. This is a discussion that seeks clarification on the possibility of expanding roles for women in certain positions in the army while maintaining common service and the appropriate combination. No one has put men and women together in tanks yet. This discussion requires thought. This is becoming a discourse that contributes nothing to the strengthening of the IDF and Israeli society and I regret that." US President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday night he would nominate retired Marine Corps General James Mattis, known as "Mad Dog" and renowned for his tough talk and battlefield experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, to lead the Pentagon. "We are going to appoint Mad Dog Mattis as our secretary of defense," Trump told a rally in Cincinnati. He said the formal announcement would be made on Monday. President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday he will nominate retired Gen. James Mattis to be his defense secretary, making the announcement at a post-election victory rally in Cincinnati. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Mattis, a 66-year-old Marine Corps general who retired in 2013 after serving as the commander of the US Central Command, once warned Israel that continued construction in the West Bank would decrease the chances of peace while increasing the likelihood of Israel becoming an apartheid state. He was also one of the most outspoken opponents of the Iran nuclear deal. His selection raises questions about increased military influence in a job designed to insure civilian control of the armed forces. The concerns revolve around whether a recently retired service member would rely more on military solutions to international problems, rather than take a broader, more diplomatic approach. Gen. James Mattis with President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence (Photo: Reuters) For Mattis to be confirmed, Congress would first have to approve legislation bypassing a law that bars retired military officers from becoming defense secretary within seven years of leaving active duty. Mattis has a reputation as a battle-hardened, tough-talking Marine who was entrusted with some of the most challenging commands in the US military. In a tweet last month, Trump referred to Mattis by his nickname "Mad Dog" and described him as "A true General's General!" Mattis would be only the second retired general to serve as defense secretary, the first being George C. Marshall in 1950-51 during the Korean War. Marshall was a much different figure, having previously served as US secretary of state and playing a key role in creating closer ties with Western Europe after World War II. The only previous exception to the law requiring a gap after military service was for Marshall. Although his record in combat and his credentials as a senior commander are widely admired, Mattis has little experience in the diplomatic aspects of the job of secretary of defense. Richard Fontaine, president of the Center for a New American Security, described Mattis as a defense intellectual and as a military leader who distinguished himself in combat. "He knows the Middle East, South Asia, NATO and other areas and has evinced both a nuanced approach to the wars we're in and an appreciation for the importance of allies," Fontaine said in an email exchange. "If he were to get the nomination, I suspect that he could attract a number of very talented people to work with him." But Mattis hasn't been immune to controversy. He was criticized for remarking in 2005 that he enjoyed shooting people. He also drew more recent scrutiny for his involvement with the embattled biotech company Theranos, where he serves on the board. Trump with Mattis (Photo: AP) Born in Pullman, Washington, Mattis enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1969, later earning a history degree from Central Washington University. He was commissioned as an officer in 1972. As a lieutenant colonel, Mattis led an assault battalion into Kuwait during the first US war with Iraq in 1991. As head of the Central Command from 2010 until his retirement in 2013, he was in charge of both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Mattis commanded the Marines who launched an early amphibious assault into Afghanistan and established a US foothold in the Taliban heartland. As the first wave of Marines moved toward Kandahar, Mattis declared that, "The Marines have landed, and now we own a piece of Afghanistan." Two years later, he helped lead the invasion into Iraq in 2003 as the two-star commander of the 1st Marine Division. In 2005, he raised eyebrows when he told a San Diego forum that it was "fun to shoot some people." Photo: Reuters According to a recording of his remarks, Mattis said, "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot. ... It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you, I like brawling." He added, "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil," Mattis continued. "You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." Mattis was counselled to choose his words more carefully. A year later, Mattis came under scrutiny during one of the more high-profile criminal investigations of the Iraq war, the shooting deaths of 24 Iraqis by Marines. The Iraqis, who included unarmed women and children, were killed by Marines in the town of Haditha after one of their comrades was killed by a roadside bomb. Eight Marines were charged in connection with the killings -- four enlisted men were charged with unpremeditated murder and four officers who weren't there at the time were accused of failures in investigating and reporting the deaths. As commander of the accused Marines' parent unit, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Mattis ultimately dismissed charges against most of the Marines. As a top Marine general, Mattis pushed for the military to adopt blood-testing technology developed by Theranos. As reported by The Washington Post , Mattis first met Theranos founder Elizabeth A. Holmes in 2011. A year later, according to emails obtained by The Post, Holmes used her connection to Mattis to pressure him to intervene after a Pentagon official raised concerns that the company was distributing its technology without approval by the Food and Drug Administration. The emails show within hours after Holmes asked Mattis for help, he forwarded her email to other military officials asking them,"how do we overcome this new obstacle." Mattis joined the Theranos board the same year he retired. The company, which raised hundreds of millions of dollars on the promise of breakthrough blood-testing technology, was forced to invalidate two years of patients' test results after the reliability of its proprietary blood-testing machinery was questioned by internal and government whistleblowers and investigative reporting by The Wall Street Journal. President Reuven Rivlin released a message on Thursday stating that he sought to clarify his statement of the preceding day in which he raised the possibility of allowing local authorities to decide on the degree of religious observance in the public sphere, including providing public transit within their jurisdictions on Shabbat. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter His statements, made at the Global Forum of the National Library of Israel, whose topic this year is "the Fate of Secularismthe relationship between the religious and the secular," was harshly criticized in the Haredi press, which interpreted his words as opposing the status quo in matters of religion and state. At the forum, the president called the "national question" of public transit on Shabbat a "predetermined zero-sum game between 'the State of Tel Aviv' and 'the State of Bnei Barak," contrasting the renowned secularism of the country's cultural hub with its ultra-Orthodox suburb. Reuven Rivlin addressing the forum (Photo: Kobi Gideon/GPO) "However," Rivlin continued, "while we all know and understand that those two important cities in Israel know how and are able to maintain excellent neighborly relations when they just have been given the mandate to take proper and fitting decisions for themselves, away from the spotlight, spin and political constraints. "Indeed, some of the traffic arrangements on Shabbat already embody the local logic of this theory." Evoking the pluralistic nature of Israeli society, the president wondered, "Perhaps the character and level of expression of the Jewish character of the public spherekashrut, chametz, and Shabbat to gender segregationneeds to be set principally at the local-, municipal- and even neighborhood-level, not just at the national level. For example, why should the arrangements for public transit on Shabbat be debated on the national level and not sorted out by companies and regional solutions?" He clarified that he did not seek to separate religion from state in a Jewish and democratic State of Israel. In his message released the following day, Rivlin explained, "I have said in the past, and I say again: More than Israel has kept the status quo, the status quo has kept them, us. I believe that we mustn't damage the status quo, that it is central to the design of our national outlook, especially in a matter such as the importance of Shabbat and keeping the State of Israel a Jewish state." He also communicated, "The public display of Judaism, and Shabbat at the center of it, has maintained and maintains the Jewish character of the state of Israel. In my remarks yesterday, I said clear things about religious character of the state and that it would be impossible to separate between the religion and the faith that have carried us for generations and our lives today. "We must consider anchoring arrangements to enable expression and respect for ways of life. Even today, the state shows considerable respect and support for various communities. Thus, I support closing Bar Ilan (Street) on Shabbat, and I supported the prohibition of imposing the core curriculum on the Haredi society in Israel." They are separate, but they are one in faith and humanity. That is the message the Rev. Jock Tut Paleak shares in Nuer, the language of Sudan, and in English, the language of the majority at Lincolns First Presbyterian Church. Recently, the two cultures united in worship and celebration as Paleak, a Sudanese refugee and ordained minister, officially became parish associate for Sudanese Ministry at First Presbyterian Church. Pastor Jock, as he his often called, has transformed a once dwindling Sudanese ministry into a vibrant program reaching far beyond the doors of the church, into the homes and institutions where Lincolns Sudanese live, said the Rev. Sue Coller, pastor at First Presbyterian. Over the past year, Paleak has revitalized a Sudanese ministry that had shrunk from four congregants to more than 70 attending Sudanese services on any given Sunday, Coller said. He also has a passion for teaching the Sudanese kids Nuer, so they can communicate with their parents who don't speak English, and he is looking into the high number of Sudanese youth in the criminal justice system, Coller wrote in an email. He works tirelessly, leading late-night Bible studies after his 3 to 11:30 p.m. shift as a school custodian. Sometimes, those studies continue until 2 or 3 a.m. And then hes back at church by 10 a.m. the next day, calling on Sudanese refugees, offering assistance and discerning what he can do to help so many in the Sudanese refugee community who live in poverty. Ministry is a calling Paleak, 46, discovered while living in western Ethiopia after fleeing war-torn Sudan in 1987. He was just 17 years old. In October 1983, our town (Nasir, South Sudan) was attacked by rebels and our schools were completely ruined, Paleak said. I spent three years in liberated areas where there were no schools at all. During that time I learned the Nuer language in the local churches. Once in Ethiopia, he began attending school and joined Gambella Bethel Church, a mission of the Presbyterian Church of the United States. In 1994, Paleak relocated to a Kenyan refugee camp and discovered a passion for ministry. When he came to the United States in 1996, he began the Sudanese Presbyterian Fellowship at Woodland Presbyterian Churchs Chapel in Nashville, Tennessee. There I have developed a passion to share with the Sudanese refugees the good news of Gods love for them and help nurture their spiritual development, Paleak said. In 1999, he moved to Gallatin, Tennessee, and started the Sudanese Fellowship with Hendersonville Cumberland Presbyterian Church. During his 12 years at Cumberland Presbyterian he attended Memphis Theological Seminary, as well as Western Kentucky University. He was ordained in 2003. He moved to Nebraska in 2013 in search of a better-paying job to support his family and cover his wifes emergency medical expenses following a miscarriage. He began attending Sudanese services at First Presbyterian. What he found was a ministry in trouble. I found that they are the most devoted Christians but went through a spiritual leadership crisis for years," Paleak said. "I found some of them left to different denominations and some chose to stay home (rather than go to church). But, through the help of the Holy Spirit, I will try to send them the positive message to win them back to their original church. Coller said First Presbyterian was struggling to retain its Sudanese congregation in 2015 because of conflicts with the former ministry leader. When the church and Sudanese leader parted ways, the church wasnt sure how the ministry could continue. Then Jock appeared and introduced himself, Coller recalled. He asked to purchase prayer books in Nuer. He started Bible studies for men and women and language classes for children and youth. He visited Lincolns Sudanese families in their homes. He talked openly of the ministrys past leadership struggles and of his own mission to unite the church community and the larger community of Lincoln. Many Sudanese refugee families live in poverty. Language and education barriers make it difficult to find good-paying jobs. Sudanese children, who know only the American lifestyle, often clash culturally with their parents and elders who still primarily speak Nuer. The younger generation is more comfortable speaking English. And so, Paleak preaches in Nuer at Sunday services -- sometimes mixed with a little English. He teaches Nuer to Sudanese youth. He helps their non-English speaking parents better communicate and understand their own children. He focuses on the needs of the Sudanese community -- physical and emotional. Then he turns to the Bible, using Gods word as guidance for these families. The Holy Spirit speaks to me The Holy Spirit told me to come to the church, Paleak said. Coller smiled. He (Jock) was definitely a God gift," Collersaid. "When we dismissed the previous leadership we had no idea what would come next. Then we met Jock within a week. He was a healing force. It not just in the Sudanese church but in the Sudanese community which had become a little fractured." He also is bridging a cultural divide between the refugee community and the First Presbyterian Church community. We are the members of the same church -- First Presbyterian Church, Paleak said. I believe that our shared Christian values, worship and service will bring us all together. God brought me here for a reason. The UK Labour Party's deputy leader, Tom Watson, broke out singing Am Yisrael Chai ("The people of Israel live") on Tuesday at the annual Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) lunch, where he delivered an impassioned pro-Israel speech. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter In his speech, Watsonwho is not Jewishspoke out against a number of issues including anti-Semitism Israels security. He also proclaimed his categorical opposition to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement. "Let me say something before we get any further today about taking on anti-Semitism in the Labour Party: Thats a moral responsibility. I am ashamed that I am saying anti-Semitism and Labour in the same sentence," Watson said in his prepared remarks. Tom Watson sings 'Am Yisrael Chai' X He also told his listeners of his determination to counter fallacious claims pertaining to Zionist-Nazi collaborationa claim which gathered greater credence following comments made by former London Mayor Ken Livingstone. I will not be a bystander when the perpetrators of hate suggest that the founding fathers of the Jewish state collaborated with those who murdered six million Jews, he continued. Lets have no more parallels drawn between todays tragic conflict in Israel-Palestine and the bloodlands of central and Eastern Europe. And let us never allow the myth to take root that the Holocaust wasnt a uniquely evil event that we should solemnly mark and ensure our children never forget, Watson said before segueing into a laconic encomium of what he described as Israels vibrant democracy. A state which strives for equality between men and women, Jew and Arab, gay and straight; A country with a fearless media; trade unions which battle unceasingly for a better deal for working people; and an independent judiciary which seeks to protect the powerless from the powerful, Watson listed as Israels most notable attributes. Turning his focus to the BDS Movement, Watson stated that those those in this country who campaign for boycotts, divestment and sanctions seek to demonize and delegitimize the worlds only Jewish state, and slammed it as a morally bankrupt organization. The BDS movement is morally wrong. It is failing. And it does nothing to advance the cause of peace or advance a two-state solution. Finally, Watson assured his audience, The security of Israel and the safety of its people are non-negotiable. We in the Labour Party stand by the people of Israel at this difficult time. Watson last visited Israel as part of a tour in November organized by LFI. The Palestinian from Batir who was arrested after security cameras recorded him lighting a fire outside his village during the wave of fires across Israel last week was released on Friday. This came after all the involved parties reached an agreement that the man, Jawad Qatush, had no intention of committing deliberate arson and was not acting out of nationalistic motivations. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Qatush belongs to a family of agriculturalists on the Refa'im River. On the day of his arrest, he had left his home and began weeding and pruning vegetation in a plot belonging to his family, a few dozen meters from his house. Jawad Qatush filmed by security cameras (Photo: Ziv Birman of the Nature and Parks Authority) Once he had finished, he set fire to the pile of cuttings, as is his regular custom, but when he was documented by security cameras during the midst of a wave of fires, he was arrested on suspicion of attempting to carry out nationalistic arson. After five days of investigation, his lack of criminal motive was made clear, and the decision was taken to release him from jail. His lawyers commented, "Anyone who's claiming that there's an intifada of arsonists shouldn't try to prove it by arresting innocent people." Turkey's state-run news agency says a prosecutor has asked that a case against Israeli military officials accused over the deaths of 10 Turkish activists be dropped , citing a reconciliation pact between Turkey and Israel Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter Mavi Marmara assailants attacking Israeli soldiers (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) Under a deal reached this year, Israel agreed to pay $20 million in compensation to the those killed in a 2010 Israeli naval raid on a Turkish ship trying to breach the Gaza blockade by force. The violence erupted soon after the Israeli navy called on the flotilla to stop and offered to bring the the goods to the port of Ashdod for inspection before being delivered to its intended recipients. When the activists refused to do so, Israeli commandos boarded the flotilla where they were set upon and attacked by the activists using iron bars. According to recently signed pact, in return for the compensation, Israeli nationals would not be held criminally or financially liable for the incident. The Israeli military officials, including the former military chief, were on trial in absentia in Istanbul, held responsible for the deaths of nine activists. A tenth victim died in a hospital in 2014. VILNIUS- Lithuania has opened a 24-hour hotline for citizens to report potential foreign spies in an effort to increase public awareness of potential threats. A spokeswoman for Lithuania's state security agency, Aurelija Katkuviene, says the hotline was "a response to increasing cyberattacks and other threats to the national security." Katkuviene says "every citizen can now contribute actively" by calling the hotline -- which is being promoted on national television. She said Friday that citizens in the past have helped detect people "who acted against Lithuania." BRUSSELS - Georgia urged the European Union on Friday to honour its commitments and grant citizens of the ex-Soviet state the right to visit freely but the preoccupied bloc is not likely to deliver soon. Despite promises to soon allow Georgians and Ukrainians to travel to the EU without visas, the bloc has put a brake on easing travel rules as it has grown increasingly weary of immigration. Speaking at a news conference in Brussels after talks on broadening EU-Georgia trade and cooperation, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili called for the visa-free movement to materialise "in the nearest future". "This is one of the key immediate material benefits and incentives for European integration which our citizens look forward to," he said. PABRADE- Lithuania's president on Friday urged Donald Trump to uphold the United States' security commitment to Europe amid questions about the U.S. president-elect's intentions toward his NATO allies. Watching over major NATO war games at Pabrade, near her small Baltic country's border with Belarus, President Dalia Grybauskaite said that as "the guarantor of peace after the Second World War in Europe," the United States long has shared responsibility for the continent's safety. "We expect that this mission, and this understanding, will stay," Grybauskaite said. Trump suggested during election campaigning that only NATO allies paying their fair share deserve protection from the United States. His rhetoric rattled Lithuania, its Baltic neighbors Latvia and Estonia, and Poland, which all count on NATO's collective security to deter an unpredictable Russia. WARSAW- Technicians worked across Poland to restore power to some 180,000 households on Friday as the freezing weather that has gripped the country for a month claimed two more lives. Police said two homeless men, ages 60 and 65, were found dead at two separate places in northern Poland early Thursday, after overnight temperatures fell below freezing. They said 15 people have frozen to death since Nov. 1, when temperatures started falling. Road crews also were racing to unblock roads and railway tracks on Friday after heavy snowfall and wind broke power lines and felled trees overnight. Firefighters also were called to secure torn-off roofs and to help clear roads, Pawel Fratczak, a spokesman for the national chief of Poland's firefighters, said. The Haifa District Prosecutors Office has issued an indictment to the Juvenile magistrates court against two youths from the Arab village of Judeide Maker over a fire the two allegedly set in the Ahihud Wilderness last week. They will be in custody until the termination of the investigation. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter They are being accused of arson with no nationalistic motive. The indictment quotes the youths lawyer, Mohammad Muleh, as saying that multiple fires occurred in multiple areas throughout Israel before, during, and after the arrests of his two clients due to, amongst other things, bad weather, strong winds, and dryness. Forest Fire in Neve Tzuf (Photo: Judea and Samaria Regional Firefighters) The indictment states that the two youths went to the wilderness area on November 27 and began to light matches. They then allegedly threw the still burning matches on a pile of dried leaves and branches, thus starting the wildfire. The fire caused damage to 15 trees and 80 square meters of land, amounting to approximately NIS 12,000 in damages. Police stated at a preliminary trial that a surveillance team was driving along route 70 when they saw a brush fire next to Yasif Interchange. They also saw a car pulling off the route which leads from the wilderness area where the fire was raging. The team stopped the vehicle, which carried six 17 year olds from Judeide Maker. Molotov cocktail used to start a fire in Nataf Firefighting aircraft were dispatched to the location and were able to put out the fire before it was able to spread. The six were transferred to the police station in Akko, and it was there that the decision was made to arrest them on suspicion of arson. Meanwhile on Thursday, an indictment was filed against Ali Mahajneh from Um al Fahm after he intentionally lit fires in forested areas and close to houses on the outskirts of the city. The prosecutors office claim that he has apologized for his actions and has expressed his regret for taking them. ANKARA- Iran urged Kenya on Friday to immediately release two Iranians charged with collecting information for a terrorist act after filming the Israeli Embassy in Nairobi, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The two Iranian nationals and their Kenyan driver were arrested in a car belonging to the Iranian Embassy on Tuesday. The diplomatic status of the two Iranians was unclear. Tasnim said the Kenyan ambassador to Tehran was summoned on Thursday by the Iranian Foreign Ministry over the arrest and that the "necessity for the immediate release of the two Iranians was underlined during the meeting". Iranians Sayed Ebrahimi, Abdolhosein Safafe and Kenyan driver Moses Keyah Mmboga videotaped Israeli Embassy (Photo: Reuters) A Foreign Ministry spokesman denied any wrongdoing by the arrested men, saying they were university teachers in Tehran. "The two Iranians are lawyers who had gone to Kenya to provide their jailed Iranian clients in Kenya with legal counseling," spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said. "Police arrested them as they returned from a meeting with their clients in prison". Their defense lawyer, Cohen Amanya, told Reuters after the pair's court appearance on Thursday that his clients pleaded not guilty and had been detained by Kenya's Anti Terrorism Police Unit "for further interrogation". Iran refuses to recognize Israel's existence. In 2013, a Kenyan court jailed two Iranians for life on terrorism-related charges, including possession of explosives. The sentence was reduced to 15 years on appeal. Kenya has suffered repeated militant attacks in recent years but those were mainly carried out by ethnic Somali militants who would be hostile to Iran because of sectarian differences. In 2002, 15 people died when an Israeli-owned hotel was bombed in the Kenyan coastal town of Mombasa at the same time two missiles were fired at an Israeli jet, narrowly missing it. The UN General Assembly adopted six resolutions on the situation of the Palestinians on Wednesday, including a demand for Israel to withdraw from the Golan Heights. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The move comes a day after the new President of the UN General Assembly, Peter Thompson, was seen wearing a Palestinian scarf whilst at a UN committee hearing. The resolution, called UNGA Resolution A/71/L.8, was put forth by over 35 countries, including Bahrain, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Indonesia, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and the Palestinian delegation, amongst others. Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon The resolution calls for peace talks between Syria and Israel and Lebanon and Israel to be restarted immediately, calls for the Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights, and determines that Israel being in the Golan Heights and Israels de-facto annexation of the Golan Heights represents a key stumbling block to regional peace. It was passed in the UN General assembly by a vote of 103 for, 6 against (Canada, Federated States of Micronesia, Israel, Marshall Islands, Palau, and the United States), and 56 abstentions. The resolution is one of six anti-Israel resolutions passed Wednesday, another being on the status of Jerusalem (A/71/L.22). In it, the UN expressed its determination that any actions taken by Israel, the occupying Power, to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the Holy City of Jerusalem are illegal and therefore null and void and have no validity whatsoever. The representative from Israel said in the assembly following the vote that it was shameful how some countries had yet to accept the existence of Israel and abused the General Assembly to spread baseless allegations, and that the resolutions seek to provide a biased narrative. She continued, saying since 2015, terror attacks against Israelis had claimed the lives of 42 citizens and injured over 600 and yet todays resolutions made no mention of those victims. Furthermore, the resolutions under discussion did not mention the internationally recognized terror organization Hamas. No one should delude themselves: supporting the resolutions and the inherent bias against Israel would not advance the cause of peace. Rather it would only make peace harder to achieve, the representative added. The US delegation meanwhile, said the US was profoundly troubled by the submission of a disproportionate number of one-sided resolutions that had been designed to condemn Israel. UNGA President Peter Thompson with a Palestinian scarf The delegate continued, adding that it (is) manifestly unjust that the United Nations, an institution founded on the idea that all nations should be treated equally, was so often used by Member States to treat Israel unequally. Lambasting the UN, the delegate continued, saying three United Nations bodies in particular reflected the bias and unnecessary costs of such resolutions and wasted limited resources. Costing approximately $6.1 million in 2015, they did nothing to contribute to peace in the region. The US however did reiterate that it views the settlements as a stumbling block for peace. Syria for its part, thanked the member states who voted for the resolution, saying the vote sent a clear message to Israel that its killing, settlement expansion and forcible annexation of land ran counter to international principles. The next round: The UN Security Council Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Ministry is expecting a tough fight against several anti-Israel resolutions which are due to be voted on at the UN Security Council before US President Obama leaves office. There are three initiatives which especially worry Israel; initiatives from New Zealand, the Palestinians, and France. New Zealand New Zealand, which will be vacating its position on the council soon, wants to put forth a resolution which will require Israel to condemn settlement construction, condemn violence and incitement from both the Israelis and the Palestinians, condemn the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and call for an immediate re-start of negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis. A draft resolution is expected to be submitted in the coming days The Palestinians The Palestinians are trying to pass a resolution which will term the Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal. Israel is worried that such a decision will prepare the groundwork for sanctions, and be a precursor for an indictment against Israel at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. France The French resolution calls for an international peace conference, which Israel has already expressed its opposition to. The opposition is premised on the fact that the initiative calls on a time table for discussions, and that should no agreement be reached, France will automatically recognize a Palestinian state. Israel believes that the US will use its veto power over the French and Palestinian initiatives, yet is unsure as to US action towards the New Zealand initiative. This is because the New Zealand initiative does not seem to be unilaterally condemning one side or the other for incitement and violence. While Israel is working primarily with the Americans in the Security Council, Israel is also working with other countries as well. US Secretary of State is expected to discuss the issue at the upcoming Saban Forum. The plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit that accused a Grand Island-based debt collection company of violating federal law have won a $200,000 settlement, according to documents filed Wednesday. The settlement ends a legal fight Laura Powers and Nichole and Jason Palmer brought against Credit Management Services in 2011. Federal courts have previously ruled that debt collectors can't collect attorney's fees or interest from people without first receiving judgment from a court in a debt case. But that's what Credit Management Services tried to do when the company sought payment for medical bills, according to court documents. That made their complaints misleading and deceptive under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, said Pam Car of Omaha, one of the attorneys who represented the plaintiffs. That federal law is designed to protect consumers and ensure unscrupulous debt collectors don't have an unfair advantage, Car said. In February, a federal judge agreed the complaint language deceived consumers, saying it might make an "unsophisticated consumer" believe the debt collector has the right to collect those additional fees before securing a judgment. The parties reached a settlement in November, and it was finalized Tuesday. Under it, 11,552 claimants will receive a proportional share of the $198,000 payout, according to court documents. Credit Management Services doesn't have to admit liability, but the company agreed to no longer use the complaint forms that brought about the case. Any undistributed money will go to the National Consumer Law Center and National Association of Consumer Advocates for use in consumer representation and education. Credit Management Services must also pay $315,000 in attorney's fees under the agreement. "Consumers do have rights even though they may or may not owe a debt," Car said. MOSUL- "We answer your call, O Hussein!" The traditional battle cry of Shi'ite Muslims, expressing loyalty to the 7th century martyred hero of their sect, has been spraypainted across buildings in Mosul by soldiers as they push out the hardline Sunni fighters of Islamic State. Troops and commanders say the slogan, sometimes sprayed over Islamic State's own graffiti, is meant to be an expression of victory for all Iraqis. But for many residents of the multi-ethnic but predominantly Sunni Muslim city, it is an explicitly sectarian taunt from the country's Shi'ite majority, signalling more violence to come. "Look at this. The army should be neutral and not painting such things on walls," said Abdullah Shuwaib, a Sunni blacksmith who fled the fighting, pointing to a Shi'ite slogan painted next to a nearby grocery shop. "I'm not optimistic. Iraq won't improve after Daesh is gone." NICOSIA- Talks aimed at reunifying Cyprus were back on track Friday after the leaders of the ethnically split island ended a two-week stalemate by agreeing to meet next month to tackle the most difficult issues in the way of a peace deal. In a statement issued early Friday, the United Nations said Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and breakaway Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci agreed to meet in Geneva next month to negotiate how much territory each side would control in an envisioned, two-zone federation. The final day of the four-day summit scheduled to start Jan. 9 would bring together Greece, Turkey and Cyprus' former colonial ruler, Britain, to discuss ensuring on-the-ground security after an accord is signed. PARIS- Police are searching for a gunman who tried to rob a travel agency in southern Paris, the mayor of the local district said on Friday. Police initially believed the man had taken about half a dozen people hostage, but when they entered the property they found no trace of him, Jerome Coumet told reporters. "There were two floors. The people on site were scared that the robber was still there, which was not the case. The police intervened and freed everybody," Coumet said. The travel agency, which is used in particular by Asian customers who deal in cash, has been held up in the past, a police source told Reuters. Nebraska authorities arrested a lieutenant in a Mexican drug cartel who has been on the run for four years, the Seward County Sheriff's Office said. Jesus R. Buena-Peregrina, 39, was convicted of dealing 20 kilos of cocaine after being deported for prior felonies, according to a news release. Authorities say he is a member of the Sinaloa Cartel, sometimes described as the biggest international drug trafficking, money laundering, organized crime syndicate in the Western Hemisphere. Wednesday afternoon, the Seward County Sheriff got a tip from Lancaster County Sheriff's deputies that Buena-Peregrina was passing through and pulled over the car in which he was a passenger. The car was westbound on Interstate 80, the news release said. Deputies also arrested the woman driving the car, Vanessa E. Lopez-Pena, 27, also of Arizona, and are holding her on suspicion of being an accessory to a felony. The Seward County Sheriff's Office said she tried to conceal his identity but did not say how. Deputies said they found a fake passport and IDs on Buena-Peregrina and took him and Lopez-Pena into custody, then notified federal authorities. Both remained at the Seward County jail Thursday night. Buena-Peregrina, a Mexican citizen, had been deported in 2002 and again in 2005 after he illegally re-entered the U.S. near Nogales, Arizona, according to federal court documents. Named for the region of Mexico where it was founded, the Sinaloa Cartel is a coalition of drug lords working together, according to Insight Crime, which studies organized crime in Latin America and the Caribbean. To provide some clarity around the new legislation, Queensland-based smoke alarm services company, Smoke Alarm Solutions (SAS), will be hosting a workshop for property managers at their brand new premises on Tuesday, 6 December. According to Julieanne Worchurst, national sales and marketing director at SAS, the workshop is open to all real estate property managers, even if their portfolios arent serviced by Smoke Alarm Solutions. Landlords need to ensure their property complies with the new smoke alarm legislation as soon as possible before the deadline, to save the lives of their tenants, and also to protect their investment, Worchurst said. Under the new legislation, smoke alarms need to be installed by a qualified technician or electrician. We all know that availability of electricians can be tight at critical times and seasonally busy periods, such as the Christmas and festive season. Plus, with the new legislation in place, and looming compliance deadlines, electrician appointments will be in even shorter supply than normal. Landlords should make a booking now, rather than risk being non-compliant due to the expected shortage of electrician appointments at the last minute. The new legislation provides a higher level of safety for both rental and owner-occupier dwellings. These new requirements require additional measures on top of those that have been in place since 2006. The new legislation states that, rather than in the entry of each bedroom, smoke alarms need to be installed inside every bedroom of a home (or where a person sleeps). Alarms will need to be powered by either 240 volt or a 10-year lithium battery, and photoelectric rather than ionisation. Additionally, all smoke alarms need to be interconnected with one another, so they all sound when smoke is detected, rather than just the alarm that is activated first. The first deadline is just around the corner. By 1 January 2017, newly built or significantly renovated homes need to be compliant with the new legislation. Related stories: Will More Stringent Smoke Alarm Legislation Be Passed In NSW? Landlords Urged To Speak Up In Tenancy Legislation Review A Bradshaw man has been sentenced to 16 to 20 years in prison for his role in a murder-for-hire plot that was never carried out. Derrick Shirley, 31, was sentenced Thursday and pleaded no contest to possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony in exchange for his testimony against Robert Honken. Honken, of Aurora, was convicted of trying to hire Shirley to kill Honken's wife. Authorities said Shirley was paid by Honken, but never tried to kill his wife. According to court documents, Honken then tried to hire another person, but that person instead contacted authorities. Honken was convicted of two counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in November. He's scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 20 and faces up to 50 years in prison on each count. Deputy County Attorney Benjamin Dennis said Shirley's previous diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder after military service affected his judgment and actions. The judge said Shirley probably accepted the hiring for the thrill, citing that the military probably gave him a similar feeling. Dennis thought Shirley should actually be rewarded for not going through with the crime, but said it doesn't minimize the fact that he went to great lengths to plan the murder. "The fact that Mr. Shirley became involved in the first place is troubling," Dennis said. Shirley could potentially be eligible for parole after eight years and complete his sentence after 10 years. Sharing is caring! 184 shares Share 166 Tweet 16 Pin 2 I only just got back to New Zealand after a week over on the Gold Coast in Australia, and it was ridiculously tropical, beautiful, and colorful pretty much the opposite of New Zealand. As much as I love my mountains here, sometimes you just gotta warm up. And now there are easy direct flights over from Queenstown, so I reckon Ill be over there heaps! Back to the Gold Coast! Queensland, Australia is my home away from home. And actually its the home away from home for so many kiwis, so I just fit right in (or I pretend I do anyways). There is so much to explore in this region I never get tired of it. But this time I was on the Gold Coast for round 2 of our Travel Bootcamp my very own travel conference that I helped launch this year to teach people like you guys how to build a career in travel. While we were there, my partners Lauren and Georgia and I had time to explore the Gold Coast ourselves and had so much fun bonding and winding down after the event in a stunning place. With my girls! Im drawn to colors when I am traveling and have written a fair bit about it here. In fact, on my very first trip to Queensland I wrote a color guide to it because I was so impressed by how bright and colorful this region is. It has stunning beaches, tropical forests, mountains, lakes, rivers, koalas, whats not to love? And can we just talk about how much my photography has improved since then? Shivers. I was last on the Gold Coast almost three years ago on a super fun project in Broadbeach but this time I was in Surfers Paradise. Because we were there for a week, I really felt like I had the time to get to know the area, especially with Lauren as a local with us! With so many colors, sunrises and rainbows, I just had to share. So I thought Id go ahead and share my little guide to colors of the Gold Coast this time around in the hopes it might inspire you to visit too! Enjoy! Pic by Lauren Bath The blue Gold Coast So if I had to chose a color to describe the Gold Coast, it ironically wouldnt be gold. It would be blue. But lets be fair, the Blue Coast doesnt sound nearly as good. HOWEVER, the Gold Coast is home to the most stunning shades of blue Ive ever seen. From the tropical turquoise waters to the blue waterways to the clear blue skies, its just a rainbow of warm blues, and I love it. Obviously the best way to admire the blues from the skies, preferably by chopper. Pic by Lauren Bath That bright white supermoon We were lucky enough to be over there for the latest supermoon craze. Ive never really photographed the moon before so I thought Id give it a shot. Laurens balcony was next to mine, and she is a much better photographer than I am so I was yelling over to here trying to figure out what settings to use. Ive got a list of all my gear here for those of you who are curious. Didnt turn out half bad hey? Though I think it looks suspiciously like a normal moon. What was all the fuss about? Though it was pretty special to watch it rise over the ocean from our rooms and the fact that I could shoot it from the balcony in my pajamas. Winning. White sandy beaches and glowing golden skyscrapers of Surfers Paradise Surfers is the heart of the Gold Coast, and its home to the high rises and iconic skyline we know and love. Surfers Paradise is fun, energetic and bubbly, and its a place that makes you smile. It reminds me so much of the beach towns on the east coast USA where I grew up. Can I get a hair wrap please? Hot pink donuts at breakfast the QT We based most of our trip in Surfers Paradise at the QT hotel, which is quite possibly, the coolest hotel Ive ever stayed in and that is saying A LOT, you know, because I basically live in hotels. It was so quirky and cute and had a million little unique touches that made me squeal. But the best part? The QT Gold Coast has THE BEST HOTEL BREAKFAST OF ALL TIME. Now, no arguing please. This is a fact. There is a donut menu. There is a juice bar with red stripey straws. There is an ice cream machine. End of story. Its the breakfast buffet of dreams. Pic by Lauren Bath Orange curries at Burleigh Heads The Gold Coast has some great dining! And drinking. Man do I love a good Asian fusion restaurant and Rick Shores in Burleigh Heads does not disappoint! The fried bug roll is a must! Grey koala cuddles at Currumbin Sanctuary Why do I end up with the koala doing mating yells? WHY ME?? Pic by Lauren Bath Making friends with the rainbow lorikeets at Currumbin I love Australian wildlife, especially the birds. Queensland is home to beautiful tropical birds and parrots, and the rainbow lorikeets might be my fave. If you love wildlife, one of the best ways to experience them in Australia in an ethical way is at an official ecosanctuary like Currumbin on the Gold Coast. Arrive early at Currumbin and you might get some lorikeets getting up close and personal! Also youve been warned, there are quite a few ridiculous photos of me with birds forthcoming. Watcha! Pic by Lauren Bath Lush green rainforest at Oreillys in Lamington National Park Yes, the Gold Coast has an amazing rainforest. I didnt know this, so dont be ashamed. Its its best-kept secret I reckon! All you have to do is head inland for about an hour and half and youll be in dense sub-tropical rainforest in Lamington National Park filled with birds, waterfalls and magical trees for as far as you can see. And mini kangaroos. At the end of an adventurous winding mountain road youll arrive at the heart of the hinterland OReillys Rainforest Retreat, the kind of place youll want to base yourself for a week if you have the time. Famous for its treetop walk, we headed up into the canopy in the early morning, and it was really special. My favorite part was a beautiful red parrot who followed us from tree to tree the whole way, until finally when I jokingly stick my finger out to her, she jumped on to say hello. It was so magical! Mary Poppins or what? Pics by Lauren Bath Brown birds of prey show at OReillys Yeah yeah yeah, we all know that I am a bird nerd at heart, and I was stoked to check out OReillys bird of prey show right after we arrived. Run by an absolute legend who knows and loves these creatures more than anyone, we were able to learn about Australias native eagles and owls and even get to meet them up close. Pic by Lauren Bath Blushing pink sunset at Morans Falls Morans Falls is an iconic waterfall in the national park that I was dying to see. An easy walk, we arrived at sunset with bubbles in tow to take some shots as the hills turned from gold to pink to red to blue. A steep plunge waterfall, you can walk around the top bit and its easily accessible from OReillys if you know where to look. This was the absolute highlight of the trip for me, and I would go back again in a heartbeat. The canopy of the rainforest went as far as the eye could see, and as the sun began to set it turned the mountains the most brilliant colors and made you feel like you were in a world all by yourself. It was truly special, and even more so because it was something I wasnt expecting. Pic by Lauren Bath Those purple jacaranda trees Spring on the Gold Coast is AWESOME. Sometimes you just gotta dance under a blooming jacaranda tree in a dress, amiright? Have you ever been to the Gold Coast? Did you find it as colorful as I did? Is this what you were expecting? Share! Pic by Lauren Bath Many thanks to the Gold Coast for hosting me in Australia like always Im keeping it real all opinions are my own, like you could expect less from me! Ahmedabad: For some this may seem impossible but this Gujarati businessman managed to dodge the Income Tax Department with a whopping Rs 4,500 crore tax liability for real! Mahesh Shah hails from Ahmedabad but what surprised many is his extraordinarily huge income that he revealed under the Income Declaration Scheme 2016. He had revealed to the authorities that he had not disclosed an income of Rs13,860 crore. That puts him for a direct tax liability of Rs4,500 crore. According to the Ahmedabad Mirror, he made the admission while declaring the income under the Income Declaration Scheme. After the declaration, he was reportedly asked to pay Rs 4,500 crore to the Income Tax Department. The first instalment was due on November 30. But on Friday, it was discovered that the businessman from Ahmedabad had gone missing. Meanwhile, the IT department is reportedly conducting raids at several places to find out his whereabouts. Shah reportedly owns properties in Mumbai. Ohio: US President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday announced that he will nominate retired United States Marine Corps General James Mattis, known for his tough talk and battlefield experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, to be his defence secretary. Addressing a cheering crowd at Cincinnati in Ohio in his first of the series of 'Thank You' victory tour, Trump said: "We are going to appoint 'Mad Dog' Mattis as our Secretary of Defence. "He`s our best. They say he`s the closest thing to (World War II) general George Patton that we have," Trump said. "But we are not announcing this till Monday, so don't tell anybody," the 70-year-old Republican billionaire told his supporters in his characteristic way. Mattis will require both Senate confirmation and a special waiver of a law that bans uniformed military officers from serving as secretary of defense for seven years after leaving active duty. At least one Democrat, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, already signaled she will oppose the waiver. "Civilian control of our military is a fundamental principle of American democracy," the senator tweeted from New York. Also Read: Donald Trump calls Nawaz Sharif 'a terrific guy', Pakistan 'a fantastic country` Trump`s surrounding himself with military figures -- he has picked retired general Michael Flynn to be his national security advisor and is considering retired general David Petraeus for secretary of state -- has unnerved some observers who point to America`s long tradition of civilian government. At the start of his address, Trump launched lofty appeals to unite what he called a "very divided nation" and reject "bigotry and prejudice in all of its forms." Americans will "come together -- we have no choice, we have to," he added. On the economy, "Americans will be the captains of their own destiny once again," he promised. He even vowed to try to work with Democrats to end gridlock in Congress. But the Manhattan property mogul, who defeated Hillary Clinton last month to win the White House, dramatically returned to the abrasive tone that marked his controversial and ultimately victorious campaign. He savaged the nation`s "extremely dishonest" press, slammed illegal immigration and the country`s refugee program, mocked his critics and vowed to "drain the swamp" in establishment-heavy Washington. Also Read: Another Indian-American Shalabh Kumar becomes part of Donald Trump's inauguration committee It became a loose, swerving speech that kicked off what his team has branded a "thank you tour" -- a victory lap of sorts that will take him to several political battlegrounds including Ohio, perhaps the nation`s ultimate swing state. "I love you Ohio!" the populist political novice said to a loud cheer from a crowd that filled roughly half the US Bank Arena, which has a capacity of around 17,000. Trump lamented the roadblocks surrounding the venue, which he said had depressed attendance. The tone was decidedly more boastful than his afternoon appearance in neighboring Indiana, where he visited a company and claimed credit for saving American jobs. The president-elect, who made guaranteeing jobs for blue-collar US workers a key campaign plank, strode triumphantly through an Indiana factory that makes Carrier air conditioners, trumpeting a deal to keep 1,100 manufacturing positions from moving to Mexico. He then starkly warned other US firms that they will face "consequences" if they relocate abroad. "The era of economic surrender is over," Trump assured. "We`re going to fight for every last American job. It is time to remove the rust from the rust belt and usher in a new industrial revolution."During the race, the Republican billionaire threatened to slap tariffs on firms that decamped for places like Mexico or Asia, where labor and other costs are cheaper. "Buy American and hire American," he said in Ohio. "That will be our new mantra." Carrier has announced it will preserve more than 1,000 jobs and continue to manufacture gas furnaces in Indianapolis, thanks to $7 million in state incentives negotiated with the help of Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence, Indiana`s governor. Several hundred jobs will still move to Mexico. The deal is an unorthodox industry intervention, and Trump signaled he could carry it out again when in office. "What happened today in Indiana, we`re going to do that all over the country," he said in Cincinnati. The White House avoided criticizing Trump`s effort, saying saving jobs is laudable, but expressed skepticism about the strategy of keeping jobs in America one company at a time. "Mr Trump would have to make 804 more announcements just like that to equal the standard of jobs in the manufacturing sector that were created in this country under President Obama`s watch," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. Trump appeared in his element in Cincinnati, said Beth Desch, a recently unemployed 59-year-old at the rally. "Very upbeat, very optimistic, very happy to be where he is," she said. Trump basked in the glow of a campaign-style event, looking back fondly at how he "trounced" his rivals in the most brutal campaign in modern times. "We did have a lot of fun fighting Hillary, didn`t we?" Trump quipped as his supporters cheered. (With Agency inputs) A 21-year-old Lincoln woman who threatened a group of people inside an apartment in May was sentenced to a year of probation Friday. Quanissa Rhodes, 21, pleaded no contest to third-degree assault in September. Just before 8:45 a.m. on May 21, Rhodes went to an apartment at The Willows carrying a black handgun with a curved magazine attached, police said in an affidavit to arrest her. A man inside saw Rhodes and immediately took five children inside to a back bedroom, the affidavit said. He told police he saw Rhodes, who he knew, break out a double-paned window and point the gun inside the apartment as she threatened to kill the eight people inside. She left after someone inside said they were going to call police, according to the affidavit. Defense attorney Chris Eickholt said Rhodes is back at work and taking a parenting class. He argued for probation so she could continue to make improvements in her life. Lancaster County Judge Thomas Zimmerman sentenced her to a year probation, a $500 fine and ordered her to complete an anger management class. He warned Rhodes that if she messes up on probation, she will go to jail. Bengaluru: In the biggest-ever seizure of cash in new currency, Income Tax officials on Thursday found and seized a whopping Rs 6.6 crore in cash and 7 kg gold from the residences of two state government engineers and two contractors in the Bengaluru and other locations. Yesterday, reports had said that the amount of cash seized was Rs 6 crore. However, today the amount was raised to Rs 6.6 crore. The Income Tax department said it detected unaccounted income worth Rs 152 crore after it conducted searches in a dozen premises in Bengaluru, Chennai, and Erode (Tamil Nadu). Out of Rs 6.6 cash haul, Rs 5.7 crore were in the Rs 2,000 new notes and Rs 90 lakhs in old notes. The 7 kg bullion and about 9 kg jewellery valued at approximately Rs 5 crore were found in the raid. Several property documents were also found. The major haul was from a posh flat of Public Works Department engineer SC Jayachandra at upscale Sanjaynagar in the city's northwest suburb. "A search action was initiated on Wednesday by the investigation directorate in the case of two engineers and connected persons in Bengaluru, Chennai, and Erode, in which the new notes and bullion are learnt to have been obtained by exchange of demonetised notes by payment of commission," said Alex Mathew, Income Tax Officer of Karnataka in a statement here. The investigation is in progress and the search action is continuing in 10 premises across the three cities, including two in the neighbouring Tamil Nadu state. The tax sleuths had also seized some notes of Rs 100, demonetised notes of Rs 500 and a few gold biscuits during the operation, they said, adding the department had to call in note counting machines and additional staff to ascertain the value of the cash. The seizure of the new currency notes of Rs 2,000 is said to be the highest since it was introduced after the November 8 demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. The sleuths also attached a Lamborghini and Porsche limousines of Jayachandra, parked in the basement of his multi-storey apartment. What has surprised the tax authorities is the sheer amount of new currency stashed by these individuals at a time when new notes are not available to the common public which is queueing up to withdraw even small amounts from their accounts. The department has also found a number of identity cards of various individuals from the searched premises which could have been used to illegally change the old currency with new ones. Only on Wednesday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had seized Rs 10 lakh cash in new notes of Rs 2,000 from the premises of a Kolkata-based doctor. The agency conducted nationwide search operations yesterday at 40 locations and seized about Rs 1 crore in new notes. Both the I-T department and the ED, along with other enforcement agencies and police, are undertaking these operations after reports of instances of illegal exchange of old currency and stashing of new currency notes to perpetrate hawala and money laundering like activities. Patna: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Friday heaped praise on Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. After meeting the former Bihar chief minister, the yoga guru described Lalu as socially and politically important for the country, who needs to remain in good health. While wishing good health to Lalu Yadav, the yoga guru praised the RJD chief as "social and political heritage of the country's politics." Baba Ramdev further opined that such a personality needs to stay healthy for the good of citizens. Later, Rabri Devi, wife of Lalu Prasad said that Baba Ramdev had come to see her husband as he was not keeping good health and advised him to do some yoga exercises. Earlier this year, the RJD chief, who has had a 'blow cold, blow hot' relationship with Baba Ramdev, had lauded the yoga guru for attaining "huge" success through "sheer hard work" and also advised him to be "careful as he has many enemies now". The bonhomie between the two was then apparent during the meeting with Ramdev gifting Prasad a range of Patanjali products and also applying an ayurveda cream on the politico's face - suggestive of their new-found closeness. The Hague: Terrorist groups like Islamic State are adopting new tactics to attack the West. While highlighting the changes in modus operandi of IS, Europols European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC) states ten points, which throw a light on the terror group's future plans. Further attacks in the EU, both by lone actors and groups, are likely to be attempted. Estimates from some intelligence services indicate several dozen people directed by IS may be currently present in Europe with a capability to commit terrorist attacks. In addition to France and Belgium, all other EU Member States that are part of the US-led coalition against IS may be targeted by terrorists led or inspired by IS. The most probable scenario is the use of the same modus operandi, including the same types of weapons, used in earlier attacks. If IS is defeated or severely weakened in Syria/Iraq by the coalition forces, there may be an increased rate in the return of foreign fighters and their families from the region to the EU or to other conflict areas. Counter-terrorism experts expect that IS will start planning and dispatching attacks from Libya. Modi operandi employed in Syria and Iraq, such as the use of car bombs, extortion and kidnappings may be employed as methods of attack in the EU. The apparent preference for soft targets means that attacking critical infrastructure such as power grids and nuclear facilities is currently not a priority for IS. Elements of the Syrian refugee diaspora may be vulnerable to radicalisation once in Europe and may be targeted by extremist recruiters. Given that it is in the interests of IS to inflame the migration crisis to polarise the EU population and turn sections of it against those seeking asylum, some infiltration of refugee camps and other refugee/migrant groups is likely. Contacts between terrorists and career criminals are generally of a very pragmatic and opportunistic character, and for very specific purposes only. However, the relative incidence of such cases in which there are connections appears to have increased. Typically this is because terrorists are known for previous criminal activity and/or because they make use of organised crime networks in the preparation of attacks, e.g. to obtain false identity documents and/or firearms. What should not be overlooked is that IS is not the only terrorist organisation with the intent and capability to carry out attacks against the West, or to inspire individuals and groups residing in EU Member States to do so. Al Qaeda and / or Al-Nusra affiliated or inspired groups and individuals continue to pose a serious threat to Member States of the EU and to Western interests in general. New Delhi: The Gujarat Police has claimed before the Supreme Court that social activist Teesta Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand "siphoned off" Rs 3.85 crore for "personal use" from the Rs 9.75 crore donations received by their NGOs - Sabrang Trust and Citizens for Justice and Peace - for the welfare of the 2002 riot victims. The Gujarat Police, in an 83-page affidavit, said it has collected documentary evidence in this regard. According to The Times of India, Assistant Commissioner of Police Rahul B Patel in the affidavit gave the details of non-cooperation by Setalvad, her husband and their trusts in furnishing documents required to probe into the complaints made by riots victims at Gulbarg Society that the couple did not deliver as per promise once the donations inflated. Notably, the Gulbarg Society had witnessed one of the worst carnage during the 2002 Gujarat riots. After looking into bank accounts of the couple and their two trusts from 2007 till 2014, the Gujarat Police informed the SC that Sabrang Trust and Citizens for Justice and Peace received total foreign and domestic donations of Rs 9.75 crore during this period. It further alleged that the couple "siphoned off" Rs 3.85 crore for personal expenses. The daily quoted the police as saying that the couple opened two accounts in United Bank of India, Mumbai, on January 01, 2001. No deposits were made in the accounts till December 31, 2002. However, from January 2003-December 2013, Anand put in Rs 96.43 lakh and Setalvad deposited Rs 1.53 crore in their accounts, said the daily. The police further said that Setalvad and Anand also `drew money for their personal use from the Rs 1.40 crore grant given by the HRD Ministry from February 2011 to July 2012`. The police said it knew about only three accounts of CJP and Sabrang Trust initially. "As soon as these three accounts were seized on January 23, 2014, the couple immediately transferred Rs 24.5 lakh and Rs 11.5 lakh from the other two accounts of Sabrang Trust, unknown to the investigation authority, by way of demand drafts on a single day," it said. The police accused the couple of hiding from the apex court as well as high courts that "after the seizure of the accounts by police, they opened two separate accounts of Sabrang Trust, namely Sabrang Trust General account and Sabrang Trust HRD account in another bank". "Prior to 2007, there was a negligible receipt in the accounts of CJP and Sabrang Trust. It is only after the applicant-accused, through their websites, newsletters, interviews, CDs etc expressed an urgent need for funds to save and rehabilitate riot victims and set up a 'Museum of Resistance' that donations from all over the world started pouring into these accounts," the police alleged. Seeking custodial interrogation of the couple, they also rejected Setalvad's claim that lawyers fought most of the riot-related cases free of cost. "It is revealed that more than Rs 71.40 lakh was paid to different advocates as legal fees," the police alleged. "They have calculatingly misappropriated trusts' huge funds and pocketed in their personal accounts." The couple moved the SC challenging the February 12 Gujarat High Court verdict declining them anticipatory bail in the alleged misuse of funds case. New Delhi: The Income Tax department on Friday filed a charge sheet against Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh in a case of alleged untaxed foreign assets. The charge sheet was filed against him and his son Raninder Singh. As per sources, the department filed the complaint in a court in Ludhiana in Punjab and the former chief minister was charged under section 277 of the I-T Act (false statement in verification) and IPC sections 176 (omission to give notice or information to public servant by person legally bound to give it), 177 (furnishing false information), 193 (punishment for false evidence) and 199 (false statement made in declaration which is by law receivable as evidence). Amarinder was quick to react on this and took to social media site Twitter to accuse Finance Minister Arun Jaitely of collusion. The tweet read "I challenged Arun Jaitley to fight by-elections in Amritsar and this is how he responds. So predictable!," he tweeted. As per the statement of I-T department officials, the former Punjab CM was "found to be the beneficiary" of a trust and other properties owned and created by his son Raninder in a foreign territory. It said Singh was "actively involved" in the creation of these trusts and foreign properties which were not disclosed to the department for tax purposes. New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday blamed Pakistan for having uneasy relationship with India. Addressing HT Leadership Summit, the senior Bharatiyta Janata Paty (BJP) leader put the onus on Pakistan for the deterioarating Indo-Pak relations, saying it is for Islamabad to introspect as to why there are tensions between the two neighbours. Listing out Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiatives to improve the relations bwteen the two nations, Jaitley said, This cannot be normal as far as Indo-Pak relationships are concerned. If there are tensions, it is for Pakistan to introspect really why there are tensions. The tension between India and Pakistan have been simmering ever since Indian Army conducted surgical strikes along the Line of Control. In a first, India on the intervening night of September 28 and 29 carried out surgical strikes on seven terror launch pads across the LoC with the Army inflicting "significant casualties" on terrorists preparing to infiltrate from Pakistan occupied-Kashmir, days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned Uri attack would not go unpunished. Jammu region was rocked by two terror attacks on Tuesday in which seven Army personnel, including two Major-rank officers, were killed and eight other securitymen, including a BSF DIG, were injured, before six heavily-armed terrorists were eliminated in the separate fierce encounters. In one incident, a group of heavily-armed terrorists in police uniform stormed an army unit in Nagrota, about three kms from the Corps headquarters on the outskirts of Jammu city this morning, triggering an intense gunbattle that lasted for hours. Seven Army personnel, including two officers, were killed in this attack before three terrorists were killed in an armed stand-off which also involved a hostage-like situation with 12 soldiers, two ladies and two children being held captive. Three terrorists were gunned down by BSF in Ramgarh area of Samba near the International Border after an encounter that lasted several hours and was followed by intense cross-border firing by Pakistani troops. Four security personnel, including BSF DIG, were injured in this incident. New Delhi: Amid a heightened security vigilance over the 'increased influx' of Chinese warships in the Indian Ocean region and the likelihood of terrorists taking the maritime route to enter the country, the Indian Navy on Friday reiterated that it is prepared for any challenges. Underscoring the preparedness of the armed forces, Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said that the Indian Navy is ready to meet all challenges. We have been monitoring Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean and the navy is prepared to meet all challenges, Admiral Lanba told media persons. In order to thwart any security threat to the country, and to ensure that terror attacks like Uri does not happen again, we have to stay alert, and the navy is ready for any contingency, he added. Admiral Lanba said that the Navy is working in close coordination with the government. Because When help is asked, the armed forces are the first responders in all situations, Lanba said. For the nth time in the past few years the Naval Headquarters at New Delhi has been alarmed. The frequency of Chinese submarines operating in and around the Indian Ocean region specifically near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have caused deep concern due to their increasing frequency. Defence analysts believe that both the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea have emerged as frequent hunting grounds of Chinese submarines and they could well lie waiting at choke points or off Indian harbours to operate against the Indian Naval fleet. The fact that the PLA submarines have started using the Indian Ocean as their new operating grounds is really but a foregone conclusion for anyone willing to see past indicators, security analyst P K Ghosh wrote in a commentary published in Indian Defence Review in May this year. Citing media reports, the article noted that there were at least three to four sightings of Chinese warships in the recent past in waters close to the Indian shore. Also, the Chinese ambition in the Indian Ocean region came to focus in November 2015 when the then US Army General David Rodriguez, the commander of US Africa Command, said that the Chinese Navy is going to build a permanent base in Djibouti, defence analyst Mandip Singh wrote in piece for IDSA (Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis). Djibouti is a small North African nation and a former French colony, sits at the mouth of the strategic strait of Bab al-Mandeb, between the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. New Delhi: Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Friday announced that Aam Aadmi Party leader Bhagwant Mann will not attend the house proceedings till December 9. The LS speaker extended the AAP member's quantum of punishment and said that he is being probed by a nine member LS committee for posting video of Parliament on a social media website. Mahajan had set up a panel on July 25 to probe the alleged breach of Parliament security by the AAP leader, who on July 21 posted on Facebook his route from home to Parliament House. New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has been unwell for some time, but that didn't stop her from performing her duties. Swaraj, who is recuperating from a kidney failure in AIIMS, has come to the rescue of a London-based NRI seeking help in renewing his passport. Kunwar Bisht wants to visit the country for a medical emergency in the family. Bisht had sought help from the External Affairs Minister for a visa renewal so that he could attend his ailing father, who is on ventilator support. Swaraj was quick to act and tweeted: Indian High Commission in London will help you. The Twitterratis jumped to joy seeing their favourite minister back in action. People flooded her twitter account with best wishes and recovery messages. After the news of her illness spread, several people had voiced their interests on social media platforms to donate their kidneys to Sushma Swaraj. She had herself tweeted about her illness and that she needed to undergo a kidney transplant. A team of top doctors constituted for her treatment included Nikhil Tandon, head of endocrinology, Randeep Guleria, head of pulmonary medicine and Sandeep Mahajan, chief of cardio thoracic and head of nephrology, among others. Indian High Commission in London will help you. @HCI_London https://t.co/wOvN5nvQUT Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) December 2, 2016 @amkunwar @SushmaSwaraj Mr. Bisht, please meet Mr Anurag or Mr Prem in HCI Passport Section today. They'll extend all possible assistance. India in the UK (@HCI_London) December 2, 2016 @SushmaSwaraj @HCI_London @UKinIndia @PMOIndia Thanks Maam I got a response from HCl. I am going to meet them at 0900 Kunwar Bisht (@amkunwar) December 2, 2016 @UKinIndia @SushmaSwaraj @PMOIndia Hi I need urgent help. I am currently in UK on ICT tier 2 visa Kunwar Bisht (@amkunwar) December 1, 2016 @SushmaSwaraj Pranaam ma'am hope you are fit and fine...Stay blessed Regards! garima srivastav (@gsgarima36) December 2, 2016 New Delhi: Visiting former British premier David Cameron on Friday met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed issues of mutual interests. Both the leaders discussed ways to boost bilateral ties. PM Modi thanked Cameron for close support during his 2015 UK visit. "The two leaders discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest," , PTI quoted MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup as saying. The British leader is scheduled to attend a media event on Saturday. Camerron demitted office following the Brexit vote in June 2016. University of Nebraska President Hank Bounds joined more than 450 college and university presidents across the U.S. in signing a statement of support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The immigration policy implemented by President Obama in 2012 provides protections from deportation for young immigrants brought into the country by their parents illegally when they were children. Data from the Migration Policy Institute estimates there are roughly 3,700 so-called DACA youth in Nebraska, many of whom attend schools in the state. DACA students are part of the University of Nebraska community and I want them to know we stand with them, Bounds said in a statement Friday. These young people have the same goal that most of us do -- to create a better future for themselves and their families -- and they are working hard to achieve it. Nebraska lawmakers have enacted several pieces of legislation extending opportunities to DACA youth in the last two years, both times voting to override vetoes by Gov. Pete Ricketts. Earlier this year, the Legislature voted to give deferred action youth access to professional and commercial licenses in the state -- a piece of legislation that gained support from the state Chamber of Commerce, local chambers in Lincoln and Omaha as well as the Nebraska Cattlemen. Last year, the Legislature overrode a veto to approve a bill which allowed DACA youth to obtain drivers licenses. Nebraska was the last state to pass such legislation. But the election of Donald Trump as president triggered a series of questions about what might happen to the DACA program. Trump insisted throughout his campaign that his administration would deport 11 million undocumented immigrants, although he since softened that stance in an interview with 60 Minutes to say he would deport 2 to 3 million people. The president-elect has also said he would build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico, although he has not detailed how that would occur. Trumps rhetoric has been a cause for concern for some, including University of Nebraska-Lincoln staff and students who held a Nov. 27 rally to voice their concerns. Pomona College, located in Claremont, California, first published a statement of support for DACA and undocumented immigrant students on Nov. 21, and other public and private colleges and universities quickly added their support. It states DACA youth have had highly positive impacts on our institutions and communities. DACA beneficiaries on our campuses have been exemplary student scholars and student leaders, working across campus and in the community. With DACA, our students and alumni have been able to pursue opportunities in business, education, high tech, and the nonprofit sector; they have gone to medical school, law school, and graduate schools in numerous disciplines. They are actively contributing to their local communities and economies. The countrys leaders should uphold, continue and expand the DACA program, the letter adds, and higher education leaders signing it say they are prepared to meet with (leaders) and present our case. This is both a moral imperative and a national necessity. America needs talent -- and these students, who have been raised and educated in the United States, are already part of our national community. They represent what is best about America, and as scholars and leaders they are essential to the future. Bounds joins leaders affiliated with 12 other Big Ten universities in signing the letter, as well as Creighton University President Daniel Hendrickson. Only Mitch Daniels, president of Purdue University, has yet to sign the letter from the Big Ten. I strongly support these students, as I do all students at the University of Nebraska, as they pursue their education and prepare to become successful contributors to the workforce and their communities, Bounds said. Mumbai: The two-day Heart of Asia Conference will be held on Saturday in Amritsar in the wake of the brazen Nagrota terror attack. The annual conference of the HOA Istanbul Process, which provides a platform to assist Afghanistan during its transition, will focus on the threat from terror outfits operation from Pakistani soil. Both India and Afghanistan, that have been victims of terrorism originating from Pakistan, believe that an effective system to counter terrorism must be set up in order to restore peace and stability in the region. Attended by representatives from over 30 countries, the sixth annual HOA conference will primarily focus on setting up an anti-terrorism framework to neutralise terror outfits that have been a recurrent cause of worry for both India and Afghanistan. A declaration is expected to be issued at the end of the conference and it could focus on ways to deal with terrorism. India is likely to ask countries in the region to show strong resolve to tackle terrorism. Afghanistan, that shares similar sentiments, feels that collective measures must be taken to fight terrorism and uproot safe havens that breed terrorists. Joint Secretary in the MEA Gopal and Afghan Envoy Shaida M Abdali held a joint press conference to speak about India and Afghanistans views on terrorism and the role of the Heart of Asia conference in tackling the menace. India is expected to discuss specifics on what should be done and how to deal with those who support and glorify terrorists. "Terrorism is the greatest threat to the region and we expect the HoA to approve the regional counter terrorism framework that has been drafted by Afghanistan and circulated to HoA countries. We hope the conference will adopt it," Abdali said, strongly condemning the Nagrota attack. Afghanistan was pushing for "binding" clauses in the framework to effectively contain terror infrastructure. He said terrorism is a multifaceted phenomena which requires a "multifaceted approach" and should include dismantling the "terror matrix", tackling drug trafficking and effectively dealing with radicalisation. Abdali said terrorism is "creation of the region and the solution lies in the region. Therefore the upcoming HoA is very well timed". The Afghan envoy said terror must be dealt with effectively not only for sake of countries like India and Afghanistan but also for people in the country where "terrorism is nurtured." India will echo Afghanistans views on terrorism. "Terrorism is the biggest challenge which has beset the whole region. It (terror) is responsible for the situation in Afghanistan. It is a major threat to regional peace and stability. We have to discuss this question and we have to face it very squarely. I think the HoA Ministerial conference provides us with the opportunity required to face the challenge head on," Baglay said. "Threat of Terrorism is the biggest challenge to peace and stability to the region. There is support to it in our region and where the problem lies we all know. It needs to be sqaurely addressed," he added. The conference, whose theme is security and prosperity, will also deliberate on major connectivity initiatives including Chabahar project, a five nation railway project. There may be deliberations on TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan- India) gas pipeline project. (With PTI inputs) New Delhi: Navy Cheif Sunil Lanba has categorically rejected Pakistan Navy's claim of an Indian submarine being seen in its waters. "There was no Indian submarine deployed in the area where the Pakistan navy is claiming it to be. As far as repelling submarine of any nation is concerned, it's not an easy task. The claim made by Pakistan Navy is totally bogus," he said. "We deploy our submarines where we need operational necessity and the need for them to be. We will continue to deploy our submarines," he added. Statement was made in Pakistan by a naval officer, PLA navy Spox has a different view on the deployment of placement of forces on Gwadar, Lanba said. Speaking about the maritime security environment in the Indian Ocean area, the Navy Chief said, Due to prevailing security scenario, the navy has reviewed deployment philosophy to proactively deter any menace. We remain acutely aware of our duty to shape a favourable and positive maritime environment in Indian ocean region, he said. Last week, Pakistan naval chief Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah had claimed that an Indian Navy submarine had tried to enter its territorial waters and warned of retaliation. India had dismissed the charge as "blatant lies", saying the Indian Navy did not have any underwater movement in said waters as claimed by the Pakistani Navy. New Delhi: Lashing out at the Prime Minister over demonetisation, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, Friday, accused Narendra Modi of inflicting suffering on the common man. Speaking at the Congress Parliamentary meet, Rahul said, Congress never gave India a PM who was a prisoner of his own image. Accusing the PM of being interested in TRP politics, he said, We never gave India a PM who based his entire policy making strategy on TRPs. We never gave India a PM who bypassed the experience of those sitting in the institutions, Rahul said, adding, The country has suffered tremendous damage as a result of vanity and incompetence of our PM. The Congress leader also accused the Prime Minister of being silent when Kashmir was burning. Although the Parliamentary Party Meeting is normally chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul chaired the meeting for the first time in the absence of her mother, who was recently admitted to a Delhi hospital with some ailment. Earlier, Rahul had said, The Prime Minister took this decision (demonetisation) without thinking of the consequences. ''. "Concentration of power in the hands of one individual is not good but dangerous for the country. The chaos due to the Prime Minister's decision of demonetisation is a direct result of this concentration of power," he said. "The demonetisation decision has hurt the economy in unimaginable ways and has severely dented it besides hitting the fishermen in coastal areas, farmers in northern India, labourers, artisans and daily wage earners," Rahul said. New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a plea filed by BJP leader and lawyer Ashwani Kumar Upadhyay seeking playing of national anthem in all courts before the beginning of the proceedings. A bench of justices comprising of Amitava Roy and Dipak Misra said that it is not inclined towards entertaining the plea of the BJP leader post Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said that the petitioner is required to file a proper application first. "Whether right or wrong, our order should not be overstretched. Bar (referring to Upadhyay) should show some retrain," the bench said. Earlier on Friday, the BJP leader submitted the plea before the bench which had a few days ago made it compulsory for all the cinema halls to play national anthem before the beginning of a movie Along with this, the bench had also said that the people present in the hall must stand and exhibit respect. In its November 30 order, the apex court had said that "love and respect for the motherland is reflected when one shows respect to the national anthem as well as to the national flag. That apart, it would instill the feeling within one a sense committed patriotism and nationalism." New Delhi: Extending his greetings to the people of United Arab Emirates on the occasion of their National Day, President Pranab Mukherjee said that India values the relationship between the two countries. In a message to Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President Mukherjee said ties between the two countries are firmly rooted in our age-old trade and cultural links, nourished by people-to-people contacts and regular exchange of high-level visits". Stressing that India deeply values its close, friendly and warm relations with the United Arab Emirates, President Mukherjee said, I look forward to working closely with Your Highness to further expand and deepen our bilateral relations." He said the recent contacts and exchanges at the highest political level have provided a fresh impetus to mutually beneficial ties and elevated them to a comprehensive strategic partnership. "We are delighted that His Highness the crown prince of Abu Dhabi has agreed to be our chief guest at the Republic Day 2017 celebrations," the President said. Mumbai: Since partition in 1947, India and Pakistan have always been at loggerheads over the state of Jammu & Kashmir. The stunning valley endowed with natures bounty has remained the main bone of contention. In the last few days, people in the valley have been troubled by incessant ceasefire violations, terrorism and infiltration of militants from the other side of the border. Many Indian soldiers have been brutally killed, mutilated and beheaded by spiteful forces in the Pakistani sidem media reports suggest. The Uri terror attack had killed 19 Indian soldiers. Following Uri, Pakistan resorted to unprovoked firing at Sawjian. A couple of more ceasefires were reported on the subsequent day. At the Line of Control (LoC) in Pallanwalla sector of Akhnoor, Pakistan conducted mortar shelling on October 1. A few days later, suspected terrorists carried out an attack on a police station in Yaripora, Kulgam and resorted to firing in Naushera sector. Then, the militants attacked the army camp in Baramullah, killing one soldier. Ceasefire violations and shelling took place again in Poonch, Rajouri and Kupwara. Three terrorists got killed after they attacked the army camp in Kupwara. The Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute in Pampore was attacked by militants. Militants in police uniform attacked an army artillery unit in Nagrota on the outskirts of Jammu on November 30 and killed seven soldiers. The surgical strike carried out by India had shocked Pakistan. In order to restore peace in the region, states breeding terror must be given a befitting response. Srinagar: Separatist Yasin Malik was detained on Friday after he tried to carry out a protest march in the heart of Jammu and Kashmir's winter capital. The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader, along with his supporters, started a protest march from Maisuma area to Lal Chowk after Friday prayers when police stopped them and took Malik and his core supporters into preventive custody. Sources in the JKLF said the march was intended to mount pressure on the government to release political prisoners in Kashmir. Malik was taken to police station Kothi Bagh. Ranchi: In a bid to prevent them from participating in the shutdown called by tribal organisations to protest the amendments to the two state land acts, tribal students were on Friday confined to their hostels in Jharkhand. Security forces, deployed outside the tribal students hostels in Ranchi, Dumka as well as other parts of the state, have been instructed to keep the students inside the premises. We have been directed not to allow the tribal students to come out of the hostels in groups. We are prepared for any eventualities, a police official at Ranchi College hostel told IANS. Heavy security was deployed outside our hostel before we woke up. We are not allowed to take part in the shutdown. What kind of democratic system are we living in, asked Prem Munda, a tribal student. The Jharkhand Adivasi Morcha (JAM) and other tribal organisations called for the shutdown to protest the move. The Congress, Left parties as well as the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P) have extended their support to the shutdown. The united opposition had earlier called for a shutdown on November 25. The shutdown has affected normal life in the state. The shutdown supporters burnt tyres on main roads in Lohardagga, Khuti and other districts to disrupt traffic. Trees were cut and used as road barricades at some places. Schools and shops have been closed, and long-route buses are not plying. The Raghubar Das government succeeded in passing the bills amending the two state land acts Chhotanagur Tenancy Act (CNT) and Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT) Act in the Assembly on November 23. The amendments were carried by voice votes, without holding any discussion. After the passage of the bills, agricultural land can be used for non-agricultural purposes. The government can acquire land for infrastructure, power plants, roads, canals, panchayat buildings and others. The Jharkhand government has made elaborate security arrangements to counter the shutdown. Drone and other equipments have been used to keep watch on the protests. (With IANS inputs) New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has asked the Kerala government to expedite the expedite the trial in a case of alleged rape of a Japanese woman last month. Swaraj, who is undergoing treatment at AIIMS for kidney failure, in a series of tweets said: I asked for a report from Government of Kerala about the rape of a Japanese tourist on 25 Nov 2016. We have received the report. Givng further details, the Union Minister said, The statement of the victim has been recorded before a Magistrate and the accused has been apprehended. I have asked Government of Kerala to expedite the trial and keep us informed about the case, her another tweet said. A 25-year-old Karnataka native was arrested for allegedly raping a 35-year-old Japanese woman in Kerala`s Kovalam district. The accused, Teja, was arrested last Saturday by the police officials, acting upon the complaint filed by the victim. According to police, the incident took place on Friday night. A case has been registered against Teja under section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code. Teja`s family runs a handicrafts shop at Kovalam, police had said. The woman was rushed to the government SAT Hospital by the staff after she was found injured and bleeding in her hotel room.The woman had arrived in Kovalam on Friday, police said. Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee's claim of military coup stood exposed on Friday when the Army rejected the West Bengal Chief Minister's allegations that its personnel were deployed at toll plazas without informing the state government and were collecting money. The Army added that the exercise was being conducted in coordination with the Kolkata Police. "This is being done in coordination with local police authorities. The exercise was earlier planned for November 27 and 28. The dates were changed to November 30 to December 2 on a specific request by the Kolkata Police due to Bharat Bandh called on November 28," said GOC Bengal area (officiating) Maj Gen Sunil Yadav. Denying all charges with all contempt, the officiating GOC Bengal Area said: "Allegations of collection of money by Army personnel are also totally baseless." Earlier in the day, Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar also said that the Army was conducting a routine exercise in West Bengal and the northeastern states. On Thursday, Mamata, also supremo of the ruling Trinamool Congress, had alleged that the Army had been deployed without informing the state government. "This is unprecedented and a very serious matter", she had said. She had also claimed that the Army personnel were collecting money from vehicles, which they were not supposed to. Maj Gen Yadav said a similar exercise in Eastern Command was carried out in November 2015 at the same places. Also Read: BJP slams Mamata Banerjee for politicising Army's mock drill The Maj Gen said that a recce was conducted with two inspectors of the Kolkata Police at toll plaza on November 27 last. "The issues raised by the police were addressed and were telephonically informed to the police," he said. The exercise will continue as planned earlier and will end tonight, he said. The Army also released letters written to the state government on the exercise. "It is happening in nine states now across 80 locations," he said. "We have our specific targets for data collection. After doing the work for 36 hours our work was done and we had left the toll plaza near Nabanna," he said. In Parliament, Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar rejected the allegations levelled by TMC that state government was not informed about it. "This is a routine exercise of the Army which has been continuing since last 15 to 20 years. This exercise was conducted last year too between November 19-21," Parikkar said in Lok Sabha. "Even this year, the same exercise was being conducted in West Bengal and other northeastern states. This was also done in Uttar Pradesh and Jhakhand," he added. He also accused the TMC leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of politicising the matter. Yesterday, a defence spokesperson had said that the Army conducts biennial exercise throughout the country with the aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of a contingency. "There is nothing alarming about this and it is carried out as per government orders", Wing Commander SS Birdi had said. The exercise gives an estimate about the number of vehicles passing through a certain area that could be tapped during operations, he had said (With Agency inputs) Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy New Delhi: Having positioned herself as the principal opponent of Modi government's demonetisation move, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is not letting go any opportunity to claim that she is being specifically targeted for standing up against the central government. First, the Trinamool Congress alleged a conspiracy to eliminate Mamata who was on an IndiGo flight that was put into an holding pattern over Kolkata despite being low on fuel and now the West Bengal CM has herself raised alarm over presence of Army at toll plazas across the state, including one near state secretariat 'Nabanna'. She tweeted: Very unfortunate. Army stationed in front of Nabanno, the Bengal State Secretariat in a high-security zone, inspite of Police objection. Until and unless the Army stationed in front of Nabanno, the Bengal state govt secretariat, is withdrawn I will be staying at my Secretariat to guard our democracy. A little after midnight, the Eastern Command said the Army has been asked to withdraw from the toll plaza near Nabanna as it had already collected the data it required. Past 2 am, Banerjee -- holding her third round of media conference since Thursday evening -- reiterated she would spend the night at Nabanna, fearing the Army may be back, IANS reported. However, the Indian Army has come out strongly to refute any suggestions of wrongdoing. The Army, in a statement, said its personnel were deployed at toll plazas as part of an exercise to gather statistical data about load carriers that could be made available to the Army in case of a contingency. The statement said, For this purpose, vehicles are spotted to get basic parameters like make load capacity etc. The vehicle is then marked so that the next checkpoint knows that the vehicle had already been checked for the parameters. There is nothing alarming about this and it is carried out as per government orders. This is an annual exercise which is conducted by the Army. The representatives of the District Magistrate and the local police accompany the Army personnel. The current exercise was held after a meeting with representatives of the DM and local police officials at the HQ Bengal Area, the Defence Ministry said. The Army later added that the planned exercise was in the knowledge of the local administration in Kolkata and the West Bengal government. The Army said that the exercise was initially planned to held from November 28-30 but was postponed to Nov 30-Dec 2 after Howrah police expressed doubts over carrying out the exercise on Nov 28, the day Left parties had organised a 'Bharat Bandh'. However, Trinamool MPs raised the issue in Parliament today, only to be met with a strong counter attack by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. The way a Chief Minister has talked about the Indian Army has shocked me. It was a routine exercise. It has been going on for the last 15-20 years, last year it was held in West Bengal from Nov 19-21, he said. The minister said that Eastern Command of the Indian Army is simultaneously carrying out similar exercises across other northeast states. He added that prior to the Eastern Command exercise, the Central Command had conducted the same drill at various locations spread across UP, Jharkhand, and Bihar. Hitting out at Mamata Banerjee, Parrikar said, It is wrong to turn a routine exercise into a political issue. It is political frustration, he added. Jaipur: The results of the local bodies by-elections in Rajasthan have been announced. While the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged 19 seats, the main opposition party Congress won 14, Independent candidates managed only four out of 37 respectively that went to polls on Tuesday. The elections were held for 3 zila parishad seats, 10 municipal seats and 24 panchayat samiti seats. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today thanked people of Rajasthan for BJP's "good performance" in local bodies bypolls after the ruling party bagged 19 out of 37 seats. "I thank people of Rajasthan and congratulate @BJP4Rajasthan & CM @VasundharaBJP for BJP's good performance in the local polls," the PM tweeted. Winners for three Zila Parishad seats BJP candidates Santosh Patidar and Murlidhar won in Banswara and Bhilwara Congress candidate Pyareshwari emerged winner Jalore. 24 Panchayat samiti seats BJP and Congress won 12 and 10 seats respectively while two seats were captured by Independent candidates. On 10 municipal seats in nine districts, BJP won five, Congress three and the Independents won on two seats. In a shot in the arm for BJP after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation move and ahead of Gujarat elections next year, the party swept local bodies elections by capturing 107 seats out of total 123 seats which went for polls in different parts of the state. The BJP registered an its impressive performance in the first round of civic polls in Maharashtra and emerged as the single largest gainer with 52 seats followed by Shiv Sena 23, Congress 19, NCP 16 and others 28. Kolkata: A day after Mamata Banerjee accused the Centre of creating a situation "worse than Emergency" by deploying Army personnel at two toll plazas on a national highway without informing her government, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday hit back at the West Bengal Chief Minister. The BJP lashed out at Banerjee for politicising the mock drill conducted by the Indian Army and alleged that she is least bothered about her state. "It`s so ridiculous that the CM does not know about the mock drill of the Army, which takes place every three to four years...It is quite strange that the CM is not aware about it even as the DM and state administration has proper knowledge about the same," BJP leader Rahul Sinha told news agency ANI. In a dramatic turn of events, the West Bengal Chief Minister vowed not to leave the secretariat despite the withdrawal of soldiers from a toll gate close to it early Friday. Accusing the central government of "deploying the Army" along a highway toll plaza, which is at the second Hooghly Bridge and about 500 m from the secretariat, Banerjee had previously said that the state government was kept "in the dark". "I won't leave unless the Army is withdrawn from near the secretariat. I'll keep vigil to protect democracy, to protect my democratically elected government," Banerjee told a hurriedly convened late night media meet on Thursday at the secretariat Nabanna in neighbouring Howrah district. A little after midnight, the Eastern Command said the Army has been asked to withdraw from the toll plaza near Nabanna as it had already collected the data it required. Past 2 am, Banerjee -- holding her third round of media conference since the evening -- reiterated she would spend the night at Nabanna, fearing the Army may be back. "The Army has withdrawn from the second Hooghly Bridge after 2 am. They will definitely come back. After Nabanna, they have entered various districts. The Army has been deployed in 80 percent of the areas," she alleged. "I'll remain awake all night to keep vigil. I will spend the night at Nabanna," she said. The riveting drama unfolded on Thursday evening, when Banerjee alleged the Army has been deployed at the Dankuni and Palsit toll plazas on National Highway 2 (connecting Delhi and Kolkata) without informing the state government. She said the Chief Secretary was writing to the central government and she would approach President Pranab Mukherjee seeking clarification on the issue. The Defence Ministry, however, said that the Army was conducting routine exercise with full knowledge of and co-ordination with the West Bengal Police. (With Agency inputs) New Delhi: Slamming West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for protesting over the presence of Armymen at toll plazas, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu on Friday termed the move as a "cheap political stunt. Naidu's reaction coems after the Bengal Chief Minister had accused the Centre of deploying Army along a highway toll plaza at the second Hooghly Bridge, about 500 metres from state Secretariat 'Nabanna' in neighbouring Howrah district. Naidu said an attempt was being made to drag the Army into an "unnecessary controversy". "This is a routine exercise. It happened last year, it has happened this year. So why suddenly this issue?" Naidu asked. The Indian Army too denied Trinamool Congress chief's accusation that troops were deployed at toll plazas while keeping the state government in the dark and said the exercise has been conducted in coordination with local police authorities. "We deny all charges with all contempt," said the officiating General Officer Commanding of Bengal area Major General Sunil Yadav. He said the exercise was planned earlier for November 27-28, but postponed to November 30-December 2 due to specific request by the Kolkata Police due to a shutdown called on November 28. Naidu also dismissed as "baseless" the charge that Armymen were collecting toll charges and said this was not good for the country. On Thursday evening, Banerjee claimed the Army was deployed at Dankuni and Palsit toll plazas on the National Highway 2 (connecting Delhi and Kolkata) without informing her government. Ankara: Iran on Friday warned the United States against extension sanctions against the Islamic Republic and said that such a move would violate the 2015 nuclear agreement reached with the global powers. Tehran said it will retaliate against the US Senate's vote to extend the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) for 10 years, Reuters reported. The US senate on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution to extend the sanctions, first adopted in 1996, against Iran. The US officials said that such a move would not interfere in the 2015 deal. Under the deal, Iran is expected to limit its nuclear work as a precondition for lifting economic sanctions. However, senior Iranian officials disagree. The country's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Akbar Salehi described the move as a "clear violation" of the 2015 deal. "We are closely monitoring the developments," Reuters quoted him as saying in a state television broadcast. "If they implement the ISA, Iran will take action accordingly," Salehi said. The extension risks deepening hostilities between Iran and the United States ahead of the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who said during his election campaign that he would abandon the deal. In November, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had already warned that an extension of ISA would be a violation of the accord. Bangkok: A day after being proclaimed as the new king of Thailand on Thursday, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn made his first public appearance on Friday. The 64-year-old ended a 50-day period of uncertainty since the death of his father and late King Bhumibol Adulyadej on October 13. The new King led prayers for his late father during his his public appearance at Bangkok's Grand Palace. The ceremony which was broadcast live on naitional television offered Thais the very first glimpse of their new king. The Thai monarchy is considered one of the richest in the world. Earlier, he was reportedly invited to take over the new role by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) after after weeks of protocols. "I agree to accept the wishes of the late king... for the benefit of the entire Thai people," AFP quoted Vajiralongkorn as saying. The ascension ceremony at his Bangkok palace was attended by the powerful junta leader Prayut Chan-O-Cha, the chief of the NLA, among others. Buddhist temples across the country were asked to beat drums and gongs after his proclamation, the report said. New York: Islamabad has overplayed Donald Trump's telephonic conversation with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the President-elect's transition team said in a statement on Friday, describing the decision to release it to the media as entirely inappropriate. It also said the Pakistanis exaggerated Trump's offer to play "a role" in resolving Pakistan's disputes with India. Clarifying the confusion, Trump's team on Friday stressed that the leaders had a 'productive conversation'. But the Pakistani readout of the talk had "committed the president-elect to more than what he meant". Slamming Islamabad's decision to release the phone conversation to the media, former White House press secretary and member of Trump's transition team Ari Fleischer said, "It's entirely inappropriate for the Pakistani government to release what an American president-elect says in the course of a phone call. Fleischer, a former George Bush aide, noted that no government releases such readouts. "We would never release what a foreign leader said to (ex-president) George W. Bush. We would talk about what George W. Bush said. But to release what somebody else says, I am not the spokesperson for Pakistan or any other nation," citing foreign media ANI quoted him as saying. "So, for them to do it is an entire breach of diplomatic protocol and tradition. And if they had done that to me, I would be on the phone right now with their press secretary, chewing him out. The ambassador would be on the phone with their ambassador, chewing the ambassador out. And up and down the chain," Fleischer added. The US media has also criticised the Pakistani decision to release the readout. CNN said, "Readouts of phone calls between world leaders are usually written safely in order to protect leaders from incidental backlash - like the one the Trump team put out." The Washington Post termed it "a surprisingly candid read", noting that it "focuses almost entirely on Trump's contribution to the conversation, and reproduces them in a voice that is unmistakably his (Trump's)". The New York Times called it "a bizarre conversation". So many Trumpists have written in since the election, and I am grateful for their interest and also impressed by the sheer variety of their profanity. I never learned to swear that well because by the time my mother died, at 97, it was too late for me to learn. I gather from the letters that their lives were devastated by the advent of gay marriage, political correctness, the threat of gun control, the arrogance of liberals, and now a champion rises from Fifth Avenue & 56th Street and God forbid that any dog should bark when he speaks or any pigeon drop white matter on his limousine. What the letter-writers don't grasp is that cursing is highly effective in person -- someone kicks his car in rage, forgetting he's wearing flip-flops, and flames pour from his mouth, it's impressive. But you see it in print and it's just ugly. It makes you pity the writer's wife. It's not good form to curse at someone you've just defeated. That is why the president-elect made it clear he would not be waterboarding Hillary or sending her back to Mexico. He was gracious in victory and said the Clintons are "good people." Several of his biggest applause lines seem to have been put back in the box. And his base is faced with the possibility that they may have elected a Manchurian. They know that he was a Democrat for most of his life and that the sight of Adam and Steve holding hands does not fill him with loathing. He is, after all, a New Yorker; he's not from Tulsa. He likes drama. Maybe he'll appoint his sister to the Supreme Court. Maybe he would rather row than wade. Maybe the Republicans will privatize the Pentagon and maybe the Chinese will be the low bidder. Why not run the Marines like a business? Put the "deal" back into "idealism." Meanwhile, Mr. Christie waits for the prosecutor to call and summon him to a low-ceilinged room with fluorescent lights and ask him pointed questions for the good man to answer under oath and say the same things he's said in public, that he had nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with those orange highway cones. Meanwhile, Mr. Giuliani waits for his phone to ring, the mayor who put his Emergency Command Center on the 23rd floor of the World Trade Center, over the objections of the police department, and later started his own security consulting company. This is a new level of chutzpah. This is like the captain of the Titanic, had he survived, writing a book about the art of navigation. My first election was 1948, when we stayed up late listening to returns on a Zenith radio, in our basement home in the cornfields north of Minneapolis. Mother was content with Truman's victory, believing that he cared about the poor, and Dad was dubious of politicians in general and Democrats in particular. It was interesting for a child to sense this division, though they were gentle people and evangelical Christians who refrained from voting on the assumption that the Lord was in charge and would put into power whomever He wished. If you voted, you might vote against the Lord's Will. Their reasoning seemed shaky to me -- it seemed to argue that one should not get out of bed in the morning lest you eat the wrong cereal for breakfast -- but I've inherited some of their fatalism. Maybe God did choose this bloated narcissist and compulsive liar and con man to be president, and maybe He will send a couple of Corinthians to light his pathway. It does seem like the very thing God might do. Put an idiot in charge and cluster his clueless children around him and a coterie of old hacks and opportunists and thereby teach us haughty journalists a lesson. God made Balaam's donkey open its mouth and say, "Quit hitting me, stupid." And if He could do that, He could make this moose a halfway decent president. Meanwhile, blessings on all who cursed me. May you thrive and prosper. I hope you have not cursed your children. About six out of every 10 Nebraskans who voted in November wanted state government to continue to try to implement the death penalty. So its no surprise that Gov. Pete Ricketts has taken a step toward that end. Its disappointing that the administration wants to make some parts of the execution process secret. The Journal Star editorial board, we should quickly acknowledge, was among the four in 10 Nebraskans (and the majority of Lancaster County voters) who favored replacing the death penalty with a sentence of life in prison. We continue to think that its a sad day for justice in Nebraska that the death penalty is back on the books despite the irrefutable evidence that innocent people sometimes are put on death row and that the death penalty is applied arbitrarily. The immediate question, however, is how the death penalty will be implemented now that voters have spoken. The state of Nebraska has never executed a person using lethal injection. The last person executed here died in the electric chair, which was ruled cruel and unusual punishment by the Nebraska Supreme Court. The previous system proved to be unworkable. One of the three drugs it specified sodium thiopental can no longer be purchased for executions in the United States. Now the Ricketts administration is trying devise a new system. Theres no quick fix for the process. A drug now commonly used for executions is pentobarbital. But the only injectable form of the drug licensed for sale in the United States is Nembutal, made by the Danish firm of Lunbeck, which refuses to sell it to prisons. The firm said in a statement in 2011 that it adamantly opposes the distressing misuse of our product in capital punishment. States, like Texas, use pentobarbital made in a compounding pharmacy. The proposed new protocol would keep secret the source of the execution drugs, although Attorney General Doug Peterson has pointed out that it could be supplied internally by state government, which has pharmacists on its payroll. The execution drug and a chemical analysis would be made public 60 days prior to an execution, according to the protocol that will be the subject of a public hearing on Dec. 30 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the State Office Building. The ACLU of Nebraska has already promised to fight in court the Ricketts administration to keep part of the execution process secret from the public. Regardless of how people feel about the death penalty, we should all agree that Nebraskans value government transparency and accountability in all matters, said Executive Director Danielle Conrad. Shes right. I am truly outraged by the way our government is handling the Standing Rock pipeline situation. Why does the government seem to be backing the million-dollar company and not its own people? This is causing more harm than good and it needs to be put to a stop immediately. The pipeline is risky, not necessary and, in general, not the right thing to do. The pipeline would risk water contamination and, overall, peoples health. The pipe is at risk to rupture, which leaves them with oil in the water. Oil in the water means no water at all. The pipeline is not something that needs to be done. People are getting physically hurt by our own government protecting water, which, by the way, is necessary for life. This pipeline, on the other hand, is not necessary for our existence. The pipe can move but the water source cannot. Not only is it risking the health of our own people, but it is destroying Native American burial sites and other culturally significant artifacts. Its simply wrong to disrespect another cultures ancestors, beliefs and history to make an already rich company richer. The situation at Standing Rock is delicate, unnecessary and wrong. I am disgusted the way things are turning out and it needs to end now. Our people have rights and they are being violated. Why are the protesters being intimidated by its own government to move, the same government that is supposed to be protecting them in situations like this? Annie Mason, Lincoln Venezuela angrily rejected as a "coup" its suspension from South American economic bloc Mercosur on Friday, the harshest international punishment yet for President Nicolas Maduro's crisis-racked government. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay announced Venezuela was suspended from the group after accusations that the leftist government in Caracas failed to meet democratic and trade standards. "This is a coup d'etat to Mercosur and constitutes a very grave attack on Venezuela," Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez told a press conference. Earlier, she railed against the decision in a tweet storm, calling it a "null and void action sustained by the law of the jungle of some officials who are destroying Mercosur." Although Venezuela joined Mercosur in 2012, the other members complain it has yet to ratify a number of rules governing trade, politics, democracy and human rights. Venezuela's neighbors are also becoming increasingly wary of developments in the once-booming oil exporter. Maduro's critics blame him for an economic meltdown marked by food shortages, riots and looting. The opposition also accuses the deeply unpopular president of trampling on democracy by throwing its leaders in jail and blocking its efforts to remove him constitutionally. Venezuela has been hit hard by the plunge in global prices for its crucial crude oil exports since mid-2014, pummeling the government's socialist economic model. Although not explicitly linked to the country's crisis, Mercosur's move Thursday represented the most significant gesture by a foreign entity against Maduro's leadership since the political crisis deepened this year. - Clash of Latin heavyweights - Tension between Maduro's government and its Mercosur partners were exacerbated with the election of Mauricio Macri as president of Argentina in 2015 and the replacement of Brazil's impeached former president Dilma Rousseff with Michel Temer. Story continues Both right-leaning leaders replaced leftist presidents. And both have attacked Maduro. Macri has accused him of holding "political prisoners," while Temer has condemned the Venezuelan government as "authoritarian." Macri and Temer's arrival marked a turning of the so-called "pink tide" of leftist leaders in Latin America that began in 1999 with the appearance of Maduro's late predecessor and mentor, Hugo Chavez. The region is undergoing a political shake-up as many countries -- including Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela -- struggle with recessions. Mercosur's founding members took over its rotating presidency in September to block Venezuela from the post. But in a surreal turn, Venezuela insists it is still the group's president. Rodriguez said Venezuela "will continue exercising the legitimate presidency (of Mercosur) and will participate with the right to speak and vote in all the meetings as a state party." Argentina takes over the presidency in mid-December, which could give it a platform for further moves against Venezuela. - Political shift - Rodriguez called on the people of the bloc's member countries to oppose what she described as the organization's hijacking by "intolerant bureaucrats" and "compromised officials with imperialist mandates." Maduro has so far shown a steely determination to keep Venezuela in Mercosur whether its partners want it or not. "If they kick us out the door," he has said, "we'll come back in through the window." Beyond political embarrassment, Venezuela's suspension from the group cuts it out of free-trade agreements and will end the privileges its companies and citizens enjoyed in member countries. Mercosur was founded in 1991 to promote economic integration among its members. Venezuela was allowed to join as an act of solidarity among the left-wing governments in power at the time, said political analyst Gabriel Puricelli of Argentina. But it never put in place the laws necessary to comply with Mercosur rules, he told AFP. Now that right-wing governments are coming to power, "the political will has ceased to exist to keep (Venezuela) as a full member of the group despite the fact it is not complying with the norms," he said. Funding, Grants & Awards LACCD Colleges Awarded $24 Million to Support Latino Students in STEM Over the next five years, four community colleges in the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) will each receive $6 million in grants from the United States Department of Education, in an effort to support Latino students pursuing STEM careers. Through the departments Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) STEM Articulation Program, the following institutions will receive grants: East Los Angeles College (ELAC), Los Angeles City College (LACC), Los Angeles Harbor College (LAHC) and Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC). LACCD is the largest community college district in the country and the four colleges serve students with large Latino populations. According to a statement from LACCD, the grants will fund programs that increase self-efficacy and develop model agreements between two- and four-year universities, including: ELACs Jardin de STEM Project: ELAC boasts the largest Latino enrollment in the state (80 percent), and the majority of its students enrolled in STEM classes are Latino (75 percent). The program identifies students interested in STEM careers and introduces extensive coursework, research labs, workshops and more. LACCs STEM Pathways Program: LACC will partner with feeder high schools and California State University, Los Angeles to develop a robust STEM pipeline and transfer culture, in an effort to help students start preparing early for careers in STEM. LAHCs STEM STEP (Success, Transfer and Equity Program) offers mentorship opportunities to students pursuing STEM careers. Additionally, the CC will establish an alumni association to connect students and alumni working in STEM, as well as a $100,000 HSI STEM endowment to support long-term success. LAVCs PASO (Promoting Awareness of STEM Opportunities): The program will provide academic advising and peer mentoring services; reimagined chemistry and physics courses; and an annual summer camp to help Latino and low-income students complete STEM degrees. To learn more about the HSI STEM Articulation Program, visit the U.S. Department of Education site. The company that took over driving offenders from the youth jail to court last year is doing a poor job and putting both the young people and community at risk. Thats the opinion of juvenile court judges, Lancaster County Sheriffs deputies and County Public Defender Joe Nigro who expressed their views to the County Board Thursday at the request of Commissioner Roma Amundson. They beseeched the board to have the Lancaster County Youth Services Center take the job back. The center stopped driving youth under state jurisdiction last year after the county and state were unable to come to an agreement about how much the state should be paying the county to house juveniles. The issue came to a head on the heels of a state law that prohibits young people from appearing at juvenile court hearings in shackles. State youths are those who have been adjudicated -- meaning they've been found guilty or not guilty. County youths are those whose cases have not yet progressed to that stage. The majority of the current 33 residents of the center just south of the Nebraska State Penitentiary are the state's responsibility. A year ago, the Nebraska Juvenile Probation System contracted with Midwest Special Services Inc. of Omaha to take the young offenders to court at a cost of about $53 for a round trip. Since then, Lancaster County Sheriff's deputies have come to dread providing security for juvenile court, said Sheriffs Capt. Jerry Witte, who oversees courtroom security. Dozens of times in the past year, he said, deputies have had to catch youths who slipped out of handcuffs and ran or physically restrain teenagers who got bad news from a judge. Ive never known anybody to escape Youth Services employees while they are in our building," Witte said. "It never happened. And now its happening all the time. They have had a couple of kids escape from one of their vans and run away. Current policy calls for the young offenders to be brought to the courthouse in restraints that are removed for court hearings, then put back on for the ride back to the center. Juvenile Court Judge Roger Heideman said staff from the center have professional training, have developed relationships with the young people and know how to calm potentially violent situations. They know how to de-escalate situations that somebody who doesnt work with them day in and day out and isnt trained doesnt know how to do, he said. Its what is best for the kids. Juvenile Court Judge Reggie Ryder called the transportation situation an absolute mess. Midwest Special Services doesnt always have drivers available, forcing judges to reschedule hearings or order deputies to transport, a job the Sheriffs Office has said it doesnt want. Rescheduling means changing the schedules of attorneys, telling families to come back another day and leaving kids in detention longer than necessary, Ryder said. Nebraska law say its the states responsibility to pay for transportation, said Chief Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Doug Cyr. County Public Defender Joe Nigro said the county step up to shoulder the cost of transportation for the sake of the youth the court system is attempting to reform into productive citizens. "I think we have to be realistic politically. ... The state is not going to fund this," he said. State officials have said the transportation cost should be covered by the fee the state pays Lancaster County to house youth -- $276 a day per youth and already the highest paid to any county in the state. Sarpy County gets $210 a day and Douglas County gets $256. In those counties, deputies transport youth. But county officials say the fee isnt enough to cover housing costs and has asked for $307 a day. The contract for housing services expired a year ago, and officials have been unable to come to an agreement. The state has not had a good faith discussion with the county, Commissioner Todd Wiltgen said. County Commissioner Deb Schorr called for housing and transportation fees to be separated and asked whether the state would pay Lancaster County the same fee its now paying Midwest Special Services to transport. There is no doubt we would be willing to provide these services as long as were compensated, Schorr said. We right now house these kids, we feed these kids. We cloth these kids. We educate these kids. We counsel these kids. We love these kids. State Juvenile Services Division Deputy Administrator Jeanne Brandner was unprepared to answer that question on Thursday. She said the Nebraska Legislature has said it is unwilling to budget more money to meet Lancaster Countys demands. Both commissioners Bill Avery and Larry Hudkins, who leaves the board in January, expressed a willingness to see the county take back the job of driving. "We need to quit resisting. What we need to do is step up and do the right thing for the kids," Avery said. "We have a moral obligation to these kids." NEW YORK, Dec. 01, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Korean-American snowboarding champion Chloe Kim continues to make history beyond being the first female to score a perfect 100 at the 2016 U.S. Grand Prix. Today LANEIGE, one of the worlds K-Beauty leaders, is proud to announce Chloe Kim as its first-ever North American brand ambassador as she exemplifies the spirit and power of K-Beauty and feeling confident in your own skin. Together, LANEIGE and Chloe announce Your Personal 100, a social media campaign designed to inspire everyone to look, feel and do their personal best. A video accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/34c06ca9-d990-4ec5-a8f9-5e2de325027b Photos accompanying this announcement are available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3293f773-f8b9-4a7c-b7b1-0e1c08d3b9da and http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dd69ef30-3fe4-406e-886f-32943ea5704d. LANEIGE is honored to name Chloe Kim as our first-ever North American brand ambassador because she embodies the spirit and power of K-Beauty and the beauty of feeling confident in your own skin, said Bradley Horowitz, CEO, AmorePacific North America. Chloe has the perfect formula for inspiring women around the world. We admire her determination to keep striving to reach new heights and we are thrilled that our brand will accompany her on her journey. Your Personal 100 campaign will follow Chloe Kim on her journey to the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. As part of the campaign, Chloe will inspire and engage fans through social media posts by sharing her Personal 100 stories and LANEIGE K-Beauty secrets using #YourPersonal100. Chloe has changed the face of snowboarding and always puts her best face forward thanks to her family, friends and a skincare routine that is based on tradition and nourished by K-Beauty products. For Chloe and her mom, Boran, using LANEIGE is a tradition that is passed on with pride and love from one generation to the next. Chloe knows the importance of staying hydrated and protected from the sun and other elements when she is on the slopes and learned from her mom that LANEIGE can help keep her skin healthy and glowing so she can concentrate on bringing home the gold. My skin has seen some extreme weather and Im so glad I have LANEIGE to keep it looking and feeling awesome, said Kim. First thing in the morning I use my LANEIGE cleanser, toner, emulsion, Water Bank Serum and Gel Cream, and before bed I relax and recharge with my LANEIGE Water Sleeping Mask. Its like my treat to me! About Chloe Chloe was most recently named by TIME magazine as one of The 30 Most Influential Teens of 2016 and is a favorite to compete in Korea at the 2018 Olympic Games. Her first X Games medal came at the young age of 13 (silver) and she is now the only athlete in X Games history to earn three medals before the age of 16; back-to-back X Games gold in 2016 and 2015 and silver as a rookie in the X Games Aspen 2014 SuperPipe. The partnership was negotiated by Chloes agents at CAA Sports, led by Lowell Taub. About LANEIGE LANEIGE is committed to helping you achieve younger, more radiant skin through the power of water. After 20 years of research, only LANEIGE Laboratories have unleashed scientifically engineered, skin-perfecting mineral water clinically proven to hydrate, protect and revitalize individual skin types. The result is 24-hour hydration and protection against sun, pollution and stress. Through its mastery of the science of water, LANEIGE brings skincare to a new level of excellence. For more information about the Your Personal 100 campaign or for interview requests, please contact: Dawn Maniglia (917) 862-5444 d.maniglia@vegarun.com You can download video in HD from the following location: http://www.dssimon.com/MM/Laneige/ BALTIMORE, Dec. 01, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smithfields Helping Hungry Homes campaign partnered with Shoppers this morning to provide more than 100,000 servings of protein to Maryland Food Bank just in time for the holiday season. This considerable donation is part of Smithfields 300th Helping Hungry Homes donation milestone tour, during which the company is donating more than one million servings to 20 food banks across the country through the end of the year. These 20 donations are in addition to the 42 large-scale protein donations Smithfield has made across the United States in 2016. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0d29617d-93bb-4297-9e8d-59057cfe98d8 Representatives from Smithfield and Shoppers presented the donation of 25,000 pounds of protein, equivalent to 100,000 servings, to the food bank during an event at which speakers discussed the importance of donations like this in Maryland, where one in eight individuals struggle with hunger. Throughout the end of the year, Smithfield is traveling from coast-to-coast to food banks in Florence, S.C., Charleston, S.C., Sacramento, Calif., Kansas City, Kan., Hampton, Va., Virginia Beach, Va., Bethel Heights, Ark., Baltimore, Md., Tampa, Fla, and beyond. Smithfield is continuing its long history of partnering with local retailers with a history of philanthropy to make these donations and raise awareness of hunger in these areas. High quality protein donations are often difficult to come by, which is why this gift from Smithfield and Shoppers is so valuable to us, said Mathew Whelan, interim CEO & president of the Maryland Food Bank. The holiday season is a particularly difficult time of year for those in need, but with this donation of 25,000 pounds of protein, we hope to make it brighter for thousands of hungry Marylanders. At Shoppers Food, involvement in our local communities and the act of giving back has a significant value, said Bob Gleeson, president of Shoppers. This donation is a great opportunity for us to offer some help in the communities we serve, particularly our neighbors in need, and we thank both Smithfield and the Maryland Food Bank for the opportunity to work with them on such a worthy cause. Smithfield is thrilled to join Shoppers during our 300th milestone tour to present this donation to Maryland Food Bank during the holiday season, said Dennis Pittman, senior director of hunger relief for Smithfield Foods. This is a time to reflect and be thankful for the abundance we enjoy and give back to those who may not know the source of their next meal. Through our Helping Hungry Homes tour, were proud to continue to help more than 100 food banks nationwide. We encourage others to get involved and volunteer time, funds, or food to help their local food bank. As part of its ongoing Helping Hungry Homes program, Smithfield has committed to donate more than eight million servings of protein to food banks nationwide in 2016 to help families and individuals suffering from hunger. To date, the program has provided more than 46 million servings of protein to food banks across America. About Smithfield A leading provider of high-quality pork products, Smithfield was founded in 1936 in Smithfield, Virginia, establishing the town as the Ham Capital of the World. From hand-trimmed bacon and slow-smoked holiday hams to marinated tenderloins, Smithfield brings artistry, authenticity and a commitment to heritage, flavor, and handcrafted excellence to everything it produces. With a vast product portfolio including smoked meats, hams, bacon, sausage, ribs, and a wide variety of fresh pork cuts, the company services retail, foodservice, and deli channels across the United States and 30 countries abroad. All of Smithfields products meet the highest quality and safety standards in the industry. To learn more about how Flavor Hails from Smithfield, please visit www.Smithfield.com, www.Twitter.com/SmithfieldBrand, and www.Facebook.com/CookingWithSmithfield. Smithfield is a brand of Smithfield Foods. About Smithfield Foods Smithfield Foods is a $14 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield, Eckrich, Nathan's Famous, Farmland, Armour, John Morrell, Cook's, Kretschmar, Gwaltney, Curly's, Margherita, Carando, Healthy Ones, Krakus, Morliny, and Berlinki. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com. About Shoppers Shoppers Food & Pharmacy, which is member of Supervalus corporate stores family, operates more than 50 full-service supermarkets in Baltimore, northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. Shoppers targets price-conscious consumers offering over 30,000 everyday low prices and a commitment to save up to 15 percent or more every day with no card needed. For more information, please visit www.shoppersfood.com. About the Maryland Food Bank The Maryland Food Bank is a nonprofit hunger-relief organization, leading the movement to end hunger throughout Maryland. For more than 35 years, the Maryland Food Bank has partnered with communities across the state to distribute food to individuals and families in need. Through carefully-crafted programs, the food bank aims to meet the immediate needs of Marylanders while simultaneously working to find long term ways to reduce hunger statewide. Currently distributing more than 120,000 meals per day - over 44 million meals annually - the Maryland Food Bank will continue to expand its efforts until hunger ends. To learn more about the Maryland Food Bank, visit www.mdfoodbank.org. Media Contacts: Hunter PR for Smithfield Elisabeth Garcia (212) 679-6600 egarcia@hunterpr.com Shoppers Mike Wilken (952) 828-4558 michael.c.wilken@supervalu.com Maryland Food Bank Joanna Warner (443) 297-5167 jwarner@mdfoodbank.org Oslo, 2 December 2016 Reference is made to the stock exchange release from Thin Film Electronics ASA ("Thinfilm" or the "Company") published yesterday regarding the contemplated private placement of shares in the Company. The Company announces today that it has raised NOK 529 million in gross proceeds through a private placement consisting of 135,200,000 new shares (the "Private Placement"). The subscription price in the Private Placement has been set to NOK 3.91 per share, equivalent to the closing price on the Oslo Stock Exchange yesterday. ABG Sundal Collier ASA and Arctic Securities AS acted as Joint-Lead Managers and Joint Bookrunners (the "Managers") in the Private Placement, which was carried out as an accelerated book-build after close of trading yesterday. The Private Placement attracted strong interest from existing shareholders as well as new high quality institutional investors. The new shares allocated in the Private Placement will be issued in two separate tranches. Tranche 1, consisting of 63,700,000 new shares, equivalent to approximately 9.3% of the capital of the Company, will be issued based on an authorisation to the Board of Directors granted by the Company's Annual General Meeting on 10 May 2016 (the "Tranche 1 Shares"). Tranche 2, consisting of 71,500,000 new shares, representing approximately 10.5% of the capital of the Company (the "Tranche 2 Shares"), will be subject to approval by an Extraordinary General Meeting to be held on or about 23 December 2016 (the "EGM"). Notification of allotment in Tranche 1 and conditional allotment in Tranche 2 will be sent to the applicants today by the Managers. The Tranche 1 Shares will be settled through a delivery versus payment transaction on 6 December 2016. The Tranche 2 Shares are expected be issued shortly after the EGM. Following registration of the new share capital pertaining to Tranche 1, the Company will have an issued share capital of NOK 81,978,502.87 divided into 745,259,117 shares, each with a par value of NOK 0.11. Following and subject to completion of Tranche 2, the Company will have an issued share capital of NOK 89,843,502.87 divided into 816,759,117 shares, each with a par value of NOK 0.11. For further information, please contact: Ole Ronny Thorsnes CFO Mobile: +47 91 86 66 97 E-mail: ole.thorsnes@thinfilm.no This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. About Thin Film Electronics ASA Thin Film Electronics ASA is a leader in printed electronics and NFC smart packaging solutions. The first to commercialize printed, rewritable memory, the Company today creates printed tags, labels and systems that include memory, sensing, display, and wireless communication - all at a cost-per-function unmatched by conventional electronic technologies. Thin Film's roadmap integrates technology from a strong and growing ecosystem of partners to bring intelligence to everyday items and effectively extend the traditional boundaries of the Internet of Things. Thin Film Electronics ASA is a publicly listed Norwegian company with headquarters in Oslo, Norway; product development and production in Linkoping, Sweden; product development, production, and business development in San Jose, California, USA; and sales offices in the United States, Hong Kong, and Singapore. For more information, visit www.thinfilm.no. Important information: The release is not for publication or distribution, in whole or in part directly or indirectly, in or into Australia, Canada, Japan or the United States (including its territories and possessions, any state of the United States and the District of Columbia). This release is an announcement issued pursuant to legal information obligations, and is subject of the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. It is issued for information purposes only, and does not constitute or form part of any offer or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities, in the United States or in any other jurisdiction. The securities mentioned herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "US Securities Act"). The securities may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the US Securities Act. The Company does not intend to register any portion of the offering of the securities in the United States or to conduct a public offering of the securities in the United States. Copies of this announcement are not being made and may not be distributed or sent into Australia, Canada, Japan or the United States. The issue, exercise, purchase or sale of subscription rights and the subscription or purchase of shares in the Company are subject to specific legal or regulatory restrictions in certain jurisdictions. Neither the Company nor the Managers assumes any responsibility in the event there is a violation by any person of such restrictions. The distribution of this release may in certain jurisdictions be restricted by law. Persons into whose possession this release comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restrictions. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. The Managers are acting for the Company and no one else in connection with the Private Placement and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to their respective clients or for providing advice in relation to the Private Placement and/or any other matter referred to in this release. Forward-looking statements: This release and any materials distributed in connection with this release may contain certain forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they reflect the Company's current expectations and assumptions as to future events and circumstances that may not prove accurate. A number of material factors could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. This information is subject of the disclosure requirements acc. to 5-12 vphl (Norwegian Securities Trading Act) Finnish English Tikkurila Oyj Press Release December 2, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. (CET+1) Tikkurila celebrates the 100-year-old Finland with a color card covering the whole country Next year will be the centenary of Finland's independence. Tikkurila is one of the official partners of the Finland 100 centenary. To celebrate the year, Tikkurila has looked into the favorite colors of Finnish homes and will compile them into a color card covering the whole of Finland. Tikkurila also invites the Finnish people to participate in the creation of this color collection. The official theme of the Finland 100 centenary year is "Together". This will also be reflected in Tikkurila's campaign. Colors will also be one of Tikkurila's Finland 100 campaign themes. Tikkurila will reveal the favorite colors of Finnish houses in its brochure "Suomalaisten talojen varit" (Finnish House Colors), which will be released in the spring of 2017. Have the all-time Finnish favorites, yellow and red, stood the test of time, or is the Finnish landscape now colored with more modern shades? Thanks to its 150-year history and position as a pioneer of colors and tinting, Tikkurila has amassed plenty of tried and tested knowledge on this issue. "Our long history and technology provide us with comprehensive insights into the favorite colors of the Finnish people across the decades. Since colors always involve a human aspect, we do not want to stick to data alone. Instead, we want to continue the story of the color card by sharing the personal experiences of ordinary people," says Marketing Manager Sari Kallio from Tikkurila Finland. "We will divide the country into several geographic regions to illustrate regional differences. We aim to collect a number of photographs of houses in each area, to provide a unique reference bank for everyone in Finland." The consumer campaign around the Finnish color card will take place in spring and summer 2017. Furthermore, Tikkurila will introduce Finland 100 products for both exterior and interior painting. Art for as many as possible To further celebrate the centenary, Tikkurila will donate murals to several locations in order to decorate and liven up the everyday environments of Finnish people. The murals will be designed and painted in various places around the country by Finnish artists. The murals will be painted in the summer and fall of 2017. Further information: Tikkurila Oyj, BU Finland, Marketing Manager Sari Kallio, tel. +358 40 7620601, sari.kallio@tikkurila.com Images: Tikkurila_Suomi_100 http://suomifinland100.fi/?lang=en Tikkurila is the leading paints and coatings professional in the Nordic region and Russia. With our roots in Finland, we now operate in 16 countries. Our high-quality products and extensive services ensure the best possible user experience in the market. Sustainable beauty since 1862. www.tikkurilagroup.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 Nebraska Board of Pardons said no Thursday to a former Lincoln man's attempt to commute his second-degree murder sentence. Terry Taylor, who is on parole and living in Texas, asked the board to commute his sentence to a number of years so he could eventually get off what is now lifetime parole. The three members of the board -- Gov. Pete Ricketts, Secretary of State John Gale and Attorney General Doug Peterson -- said essentially they would be content to have Taylor remain on parole for the rest of his life. Taylor, 53, killed Ben DeBaets Jr. on Dec. 21, 1984, stabbing him 51 times. He was released from prison in 1996 after serving 11 years, including county jail time, and has been on parole since then. "My personal opinion is that I like the fact that you're on parole," Ricketts told Taylor. "I like the fact that you're out and I like the fact that you can be a member of society, but I also like the fact that we can keep tabs on you." What Taylor did doesn't happen every day, he said. "People don't do this. And the fact that you have one point of this in your life that exposed that kind of violent crime gives me cause for concern because the three of us, our job is to protect the public," Ricketts said. The board could have considered setting a hearing for a later time on Taylor's request, and in the meantime getting an opinion from the Board of Parole and from DeBaets' survivors, Gale said. Peterson was not willing to consider even a hearing, he said. "This was a young man who was killed brutally, is six feet in the ground, and this guy served 12 years and has been able to go on with his life," Peterson said. Taylor was granted parole at an early time in his second-degree murder sentence, Gale said, which has been less likely to happen during the past 20 years. "You're very fortunate that you have your freedom, you have your job opportunities," he said. "This was a pretty cold-blooded killing. In terms of mitigating circumstances, I don't find them ... at this point." Tim Noerrlinger, Taylor's attorney, said he thought there were mitigating factors that the judge saw in giving him a minimum sentence, and that the Parole Board considered in paroling him so quickly due to his sterling record while he was in custody. Taylor's had no issues while on parole, Noerrlinger said. He sees a parole officer quarterly in Texas just to verify he's still working and living where he says he is. Taylor sought the commutation because his travel restrictions affect his ability to keep some jobs. Taylor works in the field of technology and has been a self-employed consultant since 2001. Taylor met DeBaets, an 18-year-old Elm Creek native, in the summer of 1984, when he was 21, according to newspaper reports. The two became friends, then lovers, before moving in together that September. The relationship ended two months later, but they remained roommates. Then, about 3 o'clock the morning of Dec. 21, Taylor called a friend from a restaurant downtown asking for a ride to the hospital, saying DeBaets had stabbed him in the hand with a knife. But the friend called 911, and a detective took Taylor to the hospital, where he reported DeBaets stabbed him after they argued over $400 DeBaets owed him, according to reports. He said he hit DeBaets, who then left the apartment near 17th and J streets. But later that day a third roommate found DeBaets' body in the trunk of his car in the parking lot. Taylor was arrested at his mother's house in Wisconsin the next day. Prosecutors charged him with first-degree murder, and he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in August 1985. At sentencing that November, Taylor told Judge Jeffre Cheuvront that anger over being rejected by DeBaets led to the killing, according to newspaper accounts. Noerrlinger acknowledged Taylor's offense was serious, and certain aspects were distasteful. He quoted from a Journal Star interview with two of the victim's sisters who said they hate what Taylor did to their brother, but don't hate Taylor and wouldn't oppose a decision to end his parole if he's shown he is a productive member of society. "Certainly, Mr. Taylor is going to have to live with what he did back in 1984 for the rest of his life. We're just asking the board to consider commuting so that there is an end to this parole," Noerrlinger said. Probably, the only way Taylor would have a chance at commutation and to get off parole in the future would be to reapply when the board's current members leave office, Noerrlinger said. Sowers Club grant money will help physically-challenged youngsters ride horses, reading-challenged youngsters improve their literacy skills, and high school students sharpen their writing skills. Those were among the community service projects to benefit from the latest round of grant monies awarded by the Sowers Club of Lincoln and its foundation. A total of $6,000 was divided by five programs and schools Nov. 21. Following is a summary of grant recipients, money totals, and the services to be funded by the grants: City Impact will use its $1,000 to help children served by its Impact Reading Center. Executive Director Brad Bryan said the program started in 2009 by helping children at the Elliott School Community Learning Center (CLC) and has expanded to reach children at McPhee, Hartley and Clinton elementary schools. The seven-year-old program, helped by more than 250 volunteers in the four schools, now reaches 600 children and is delivering results, said Bryan. One year after the average child is enrolled in the program, he or she has improved their reading by one grade level, said Bryan. Heartland Big Brothers Big Sisters will use its $800 grant to help offset expenses related to a thank-you dinner for its volunteers in January. Lincoln Animal Ambassadors will apply its $750 grant toward continuing to help income-eligible beneficiaries of its Pet Food Bank. Annually, the emergency supply reaches 500 families whose life-altering setbacks have made it difficult to maintain pet ownership, said spokesperson Brady Rivers. The program was able to provide 30,000 pounds of pet food last year. The agency recently moved its storage and distribution center to a building at 15th and Knox streets. Heartland Equine Therapeutic will apply its $1,400 grant toward a scholarship program that supports riders fees. The Gretna-based program helps children with challenges experience the joy of horseback-riding. The program serves a 21-county area in parts of Nebraska and Iowa. Lincoln North Star High School was awarded a $2,050 grant to help start and sustain a new Writing Center at the north-central Lincoln high school. The programs eight tutors help students get the assistance they need to hone their written communication skills. The Sowers grants are funded through pickle-card sales. The grant applications were reviewed by a club committee and submitted to the clubs board of directors for approval. The grants awarded in late November represented the clubs fourth and final grant cycle for 2016. The page may have moved, you may have mistyped the address, or followed a bad link. Visit our homepage, or search for whatever you were looking for RACINE The fight against the North Dakota Access Pipeline has come to Racine. Holding signs reading Respect our tribal lands and Protect our Fresh Water, more than 25 people gathered at the corner of North Memorial Drive and State Street on Thursday to protest the completion of the 1,172-mile-long pipeline, which, if completed as planned, would run beneath the Missouri River reservoir that provides water to members of the nearby Standing Rock Sioux reservation. They were also there to express solidarity with the thousands of protesters both tribal members and other activists who have congregated at the protest camp first established by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in April. In recent weeks, clashes between law enforcement and protesters have increased, and some protesters have been sprayed with both rubber bullets and cold water. Organized by the Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice, the protest was part of a Global Day of Action organized by Standing Rock protesters, which encouraged people across the world to host their own protests against the pipeline. Welcome human beings and social justice radicals, said coalition member Ken Yorgan, kicking things off as protesters did their best to keep warm in the cold, drizzly weather. The main speaker at the event was Kathy Long, a sister with the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters in Waukegan. Long was among eight Dominican nuns who traveled to the Standing Rock protest camp earlier this month. How many years do we have to disrespect the rights of our native people in this country? asked Long, who wants to see the pipeline stopped. The $3.8 billion pipeline to carry North Dakota oil to a shipping point in Illinois is nearly complete, aside from the stretch beneath a Missouri River reservoir. Pipeline developer Energy Transfer Partners says the pipeline will be safe, but the Standing Rock Sioux tribe says the project threatens the drinking water on its nearby reservation as well as some American Indian cultural sites. People from around the country have taken up the tribes cause, with thousands of them congregating at the protest camp. ETP has refused to reroute the pipeline. Police have made nearly 575 arrests since August during clashes at the protesters main camp and at protests in and around the North Dakota state capital, Bismarck, about 50 miles to the north. Noting the mounting arrests, Long encouraged people to donate money to help the protesters with legal expenses. The Associated Press contributed to this report. RACINE If you ask Bishop Lawrence L. Kirby what Sylvia Lee Cunegin meant to the St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, hell tell you she brought light and life to every situation she was involved in. Sylvia knew all the resources in the community and if the church didnt have the financial reach to meet a particular need, she knew exactly where to point people, Kirby said. She was a community person. Everybody knew her and respected her. She gave countless hours to community kinds of events. On Nov. 27, Cunegin, 67, died at her home after a two-year battle with cancer. Having lived most of her life in Racine, graduating from Park High School and attending Lane College in Tennessee, she worked for over 30 years at SC Johnson. Cunegin attended St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, located at 1123 Center St., with her parents as a child, it was the only church she knew, Kirby said. After retiring from SC Johnson in 2008, Kirby asked Cunegin to work for him at the church as an administrative assistant and was amazed by her work ethic. Sylvia would come to work, scheduled to work 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but almost every day I would have to make her go home at 7:30, Kirby said. Thats unheard of. She wasnt getting any additional pay or anything like that. Kirby said her mind was always on the needs of others. If it was helping people, she was ready and willing to do it, Kirby said. Particularly those that we consider less fortunate than others particularly she was passionate when children were involved. NAACP lifetime member Cunegin was a proud member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, continuing her drive to help people. Everyone was her friend once you met her, she was that kind of person, Gloria Rogers, NAACP Racine branch president, said. Rogers said Cunegin was committed to helping out the organization as much as she could and worked hard to get a lifetime membership. When Rogers was officially recognized as the branch president at the Freedom Fund Dinner in October, Cunegin couldnt go because her illness made it too difficult to travel much so she sent a bouquet flowers to the dinner. I took so many pictures of it, Rogers said. It just blew my mind that she would think of something like that as sick as she was. Even though she couldnt attend the dinner, Cunegin received her lifetime membership plaque. I ended up having to take it to her because she was too ill to receive it, Rogers said adding it was a moving moment. She and I cried. Cunegin is survived by her husband Daniel, mother Peggie Mae Bolton, brother Earnest Walter, and children Jonathan McPherson, Zakiya Cunegin and Zahra Cunegin. A federal judge on Friday denied a request from supporters of President-elect Donald Trump to stop the states presidential election recount. Judge James Peterson set a Dec. 9 hearing for the lawsuit filed late Thursday by Great America PAC and Stop Hillary PAC. Thats just four days before a federal deadline to resolve election conflicts before a meeting of the Electoral College to formally select a new president. In denying the motion to halt the recount that began Thursday, Peterson said the political action committees did not prove they would suffer any harm if the recount continues while the state prepares a response to the lawsuit. Great America PAC and Stop Hillary PAC moved in Wisconsins Western District court late Thursday for a temporary restraining order to bring the recount to an immediate halt. Joining them was Ronald R. Johnson, a Wisconsin voter. The Wisconsin lawsuit was one of three filed against states. The others sought to stop possible action in Michigan and Pennsylvania, the two other states targeted for recounts by Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein. Recounts are not underway yet in either of those states. Representatives from the political action committees didnt respond late Friday to requests for comment about the ruling. In court filings, the groups argued that the recount could jeopardize Wisconsins ability to comply with federal laws requiring all states to resolve election conflicts by Dec. 13 in advance of when the Electoral College meets Dec. 19 to formally elect the next president. Matthew Brinckerhoff, lead counsel for the Stein campaign recount effort, said Friday that Petersons ruling was a major victory for American voters who want the integrity of our election system restored. The courts quick denial of the request without even hearing counter-arguments shows just how frivolous the suit was and how desperate Trump and his supporters are to shut down this recount and disenfranchise voters, he said in a statement. State says Keep counting! The complaint argues that the recount violates the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution because the state lacks uniform standards to determine which votes should be counted in a recount. In that way, the complaint argues, Wisconsins recount contradicts principles laid out by the U.S. Supreme Court in its landmark Bush v. Gore ruling after the 2000 presidential election. It also suggests the recount could unfairly tarnish Trumps Electoral College victory, which came despite him losing the popular vote to Clinton. The treasurer of both PACs bringing the complaint is Dan Backer, a widely known conservative political strategist from Virginia. Great America PAC was a big player in 2016 on Trumps behalf, spending more than $14 million on ads and other expenses, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The Wisconsin Elections Commission, named as the defendant in the suit, responded earlier Friday with a Twitter post saying county officials should continue with the recount until a judge says to stop. Recount will continue unless a judge orders otherwise. Keep counting! the commission posted Friday morning. The Wisconsin Department of Justice led by Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel, which potentially would defend the recount in court was reviewing the lawsuit Friday, a spokesman said. Steins campaign said earlier Friday that it planned to intervene in the case to defend the recount. Citizens in Wisconsin and across the country have made it clear that they want a recount and deserve to see this process through to ensure integrity in the vote, Brinckerhoff said. The recount is the first of a presidential election in any state since 2004 and part of a bid by Stein to scrutinize votes in three states that tipped the Electoral College to Trump. Wisconsins recount got underway in all 72 counties Thursday. It was requested and paid for by Stein, whose campaign suggested despite a lack of evidence that fraud or error may have altered the vote total. Trump won Wisconsin by about 22,000 votes, or about 0.7 percentage points, according to official results. State Elections Commission chairman Mark Thomsen, a Democrat, has said he expects the recount to uphold Trumps victory. Steins campaign on Tuesday paid $3.5 million to the state Elections Commission for the recount. If it costs less, the campaign will be refunded the difference; if its more, the campaign will be billed for it. So far there have been no major surprises in whats expected to be a nearly two-week task of recounting nearly 3 million ballots. Iron County completed its recount on Friday, with Trump losing nine votes and Clinton gaining two votes. Stein gained six votes. Michigan, Pennsylvania recounts The Stein campaign also is seeking recounts in Michigan and Pennsylvania, states that like Wisconsin went for Trump despite him not being favored in the polls. Michigans elections board deadlocked along partisan lines Friday on a Trump campaign request to deny Steins recount request and on how a recount would be conducted, meaning it would begin Tuesday or Wednesday unless the courts intervene. It also would be conducted by hand, as Stein requested. Michigans Republican attorney general asked the state Court of Appeals and state Supreme Court to intervene, echoing the Trump campaigns arguments that Stein shouldnt be allowed to seek the costly recount because she couldnt have won, even if some votes were miscounted. Stein got about 1 percent of the vote in all three states. The Michigan courts appeared unlikely to rule immediately, with one asking for a response from elections officials by Tuesday. In Pennsylvania, a hearing is scheduled for Monday on Steins push to secure a court-ordered statewide recount. Republican lawyers filed a motion that was posted on the courts website Friday accusing Stein of engaging in legal antics and saying her recount request endangers Pennsylvanias ability to certify its electors by the federal deadline. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Welcome to Inside The Rock Poster Frame A blog about posters, art prints, movie posters, vinyl toys and other cool stuff. More than just rock posters, posters that rock. More World Premier Exclusive Releases then anyone. If you want to see it first, you will see it here. More giveaways than anyone else to the best readers in the world (that's YOU) Subscribe to the RSS feed and follow my blog. Please feel free to leave comments by clicking on comments below the title. Click on the images for larger versions of them. Click on the title banner to be taken back to the main page. Be the first to know when your favorite items are going on sale and cool events in your area. Your new source for the best information first. Contact me at insidetherockposterframe )( gmail .com Hello everyone! It's been too long (aka two weeks). Donald Trump is picking his Cabinet and, I think, doing better at it than many people expected. Keith Ellison's run for the DNC Chair is not going well. And we figured out how to fix Trump's tie issue. So, let's do this thing. The campaign manager of defeated presidential candidate Hillary Clinton admitted this week that the Democrat should have put more effort in Wisconsin -- a state that gave its 10 electoral votes to a Republican presidential candidate on Nov. 8 for the first time since 1984. "In retrospect, should we have put even more in terms of schedule and perhaps unpaid communications into Michigan, Wisconsin? Absolutely." Politico quoted campaign manager Robby Mook as saying during a contentious election post-mortem discussion held at Harvard University with officials from Clinton and President-elect Donald Trump's campaigns. Clinton did not visit Wisconsin after losing the April 5 primary to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Clinton led Trump in polling throughout the campaign, but ended up losing to the billionaire Republican by about 22,000 votes. Clinton also lost Michigan to Trump, a state that was expected to lean in Clinton's favor as well. According to Politico, Mook identified "headwinds" that faced the Clinton campaign, including the release by Wikileaks of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's emails and letters from FBI director James Comey indicating new reviews of Clinton's use of a private email server but "repeatedly declined to go in depth into his campaign's shortcomings," according to Politico. The Government of National Accord (GNA) and the Presidency Council (PC) have called on military groups in Libya to halt any planned actions on the Islamic State (IS) in Sirte until a unified front is formed. The PC describing itself as the supreme commander of the army demanded that all Libyan military forces wait for it to appoint a joint leadership for the Sirte operation. It warned that in the absence of coordination and unified leadership the assault could end up being a confrontation between those armed forces fighting IS. Prime minister-designate Fayez Serraj said ministers are coordinating security arrangements to start liberating Sirte and promised that IS will be overcome by Libyan hands and not through foreign intervention. The UN-backed government does not have control over major military forces in Libya and few militia groups are loyal to it. The Libyan National Army (LNA) loyal to the Tobruk-based government in the eastern part of the country and commanded by the renegade General Khalifa Haftar said it was fully ready for the battle of Sirte and was waiting for orders. In the west, Brigades from Misrata are also reportedly mobilizing their resources but it is unclear if they are planning to attack Sirte. They abandoned ground operations against the Islamic State in Sirte last year but have continued to conduct air strikes over the city. GNA has ruled out foreign intervention but it doesnt have the military capability to attack IS making analysts think that the extremist group will reinforce its potentials before a unified front is formed. With the Tobruk and Tripoli based governments sidelining the GNA and past announcements of assaults on Sirte not being fulfilled, the Islamic State is expected to continue operating in Libya for a while. Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former intelligence chief and former Saudi ambassador to the US and the UK, expressed support, at a meeting in Paris organized by exiled Iranian dissidents, to ending the rule of the clerical leadership established in Iran after the 1979 Islamic revolution. The exiled Iranian dissidents, gathered in the Peoples Mujahideen Organization of Iran (PMOI) or by its Persian name Mujahideen e-Khalq Organization (MKO) are seeking to end the rule of the clerical leadership in Iran. Your legitimate struggle against the regime will achieve its goal, sooner or later I, too, want the fall of the regime Prince Turki stated. He claimed that Hamas and Islamic Jihad also cooperate with Iran to destabilize the region. The speech delivered in front of several Western political figures received significant media attention in Saudi. Iran is yet to officially react to the speech but state news agency IRNA quoted a source at the Foreign Ministry saying Saudis use terrorism and terrorists to further their aims against regional Islamic countries. Hamas rejected the accusations made by the Saudi prince as lies and baseless remarks. The statement from the group which controls the Gaza Strip added that it is dedicated to fighting the Zionist occupation in the land of Palestine and has only Palestinian agendas. Hamas also went on a counter-offensive claiming that Faisals speech was geared towards serving the Zionist occupation that provides further pretexts to carry out aggression against the Palestinians. The princes statement was also condemned by the Islamic Jihad group. Analysts think that Faisals speech could be an insight of Riyadhs policies against Tehran in their increasing bout for influence in the region. With both countries accusing each other of backing armed rebel and extremist groups, they could now be modeling the approach of befriending the enemys enemy so as to form a united front against a common enemy. PMOI used to be close to Saddam Hussein in the 1980s during Iraqs war with Iran and the bond continued until the fall of his regime in 2003. WSJ: UAE tried to convince Saudi Arabia not to cut oil production Cavusoglu: Greece must stop arming the demilitarized islands in the Aegean Sea Moody's downgrades outlook for banks in Germany, Italy, and 4 other countries to negative About 40 international companies to announce their relocation to UAE by end of year Israeli Prime Minister cancels participation in climate summit in Egypt Earthquake strikes in Antalya Polish manufacturing output falls amid economic uncertainty IEF: Oil price to exceed $100 due to EU sanctions against Russia Iranian MFA denies information about country's planned attack on Saudi Arabia Lebanon: U.S. guarantees will protect maritime border agreement with Israel if Netanyahu wins Belarusian MFA responds to Armenia after reaction to statements of Alexander Lukashenko Azerbaijani propaganda machine launches anti-Iranian rumors in social networks Lavrov and Abdollahian discuss situation in Persian Gulf zone and South Caucasus Erdogan and Aliyev discuss results of Sochi meeting of Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders Goldman Sachs predicts that natural gas prices in Europe will fall by about 30% White House alleges Iran's plans to supply Russia with surface-to-surface missiles Iran to send delegation to Vienna to strengthen relations with IAEA Iranian Foreign Minister to discuss state of nuclear deal negotiations with Borrell Putin: Russia is ready to supply grain to the poorest countries even without participation in the deal First list of Armenian servicemen killed as result of Azerbaijan's September aggression is published Pentagon to supply Vampire anti-drone system to AFU Xi Jinping confirms China's readiness to invest in Pakistan Kuzmina: I don't agree that Armenia's economy will be swept away if the borders with Turkey are opened Poland to build wall on border with Kaliningrad Garo Paylan proposes opening Armenian-Turkish border Eduard Solovyov: Russia stated extreme undesirability of close contacts between Baku and NATO countries Zelenskyy: Threat of use of nuclear weapons by Russia exists and it is not related to non-compliance with ultimatums IRNA: Azerbaijani State Security Service reacted nervously to Pashinyan's visit to Tehran FLYONE ARMENIA to start operating flights on the route Yerevan - Beirut Yerevan Moscow to host meeting of Secretaries of CIS Security Councils Armenian MFA considers it inappropriate to comment on Lukashenko's rambling statements Dollar rises, euro falls in Armenia Makredonov: The Sochi summit showed that it is it's too early to write Russia off Biden's threat to impose profit tax on oil companies is more of boast than threat Vadim Mukhanov: Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh are one of main points of negotiations Russia analyst describes Karabakh Armenians fate if Western version of peace treaty is signed Armenia MFA: Lukashenko statement is disconnected from reality Russia MFA spox comments on Zangezur corridor prospects Voytolovsky: Both sides will have weighty reasons to extend Russia peacekeepers mission in Karabakh Armenia finance minister: Expenditure for PM's office will be reduced next year Finance minister: Expenses for needs of parliament staff, Armenia President will increase considerably in 2023 Zakharova on meeting of Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani FMs in Sochi Armenian President congratulates Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Azerbaijani special forces conduct exercises on border with Iran Armenia defense minister meets with head of EU monitoring mission Nikol Pashinyan: It is necessary to continue the work to reduce cash turnover Russia resumes its participation in grain deal UK shortage of F-35 fighter pilots Premier: Ministry of Internal Affairs, Foreign Intelligence Service will be established in Armenia in 2023 Shoigu: The NATO grouping near Russia's borders has grown 2.5 times since February New Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad hopes to continue talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran Security Council chief receives head of EU monitoring capacity mission to Armenia Pashinyan: Armenia-Azerbaijan borders existence was recorded both in Sochi and Prague Second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan to take part in rally on November 5 Canada to welcome 500,000 immigrants a year by 2025 Armenia PM: Communication difficulties, challenges in relations with Turkey have been overcome Pashinyan: Armenian side suggests extending mandate of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh MFA: Armenia has no misunderstandings with Iran Russia position on Karabakh status corresponds to Armenia government approach, PM says Pashinyan: Armenia attaches great importance to further development, deepening of relations with Brazil Premier: Armenia defense spending will increase by 113% in 2023 compared to 2018 Deputy PM Grigoryan to attend Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation, security commissions 3rd meeting Pashinyan: Armenia has set new record for registered jobs Israir Airlines launches flights between Tel Aviv, Yerevan Armenia envoy briefs UK House of Commons defense committee chair on impact of recent Azerbaijan attack PM: Armenia's economy is booming today Seoul, Pyongyang launch missiles Newspaper: Armenia ruling political team is in favor of western version of peace treaty with Azerbaijan State Department: US will contribute to Armenia-Azerbaijan talks Turkey parliament approves extending mandate of countrys military in occupied Aghdam of Karabakh Sweden to reach NATO's defense spending goal of 2% of GDP by 2026 Lebanon raises electricity price for first time since 1990s Lavrov and Cavusoglu discuss situation over 'grain deal' Turkey not satisfied with Sweden's promises Azerbaijan claims to have 'exposed' Azerbaijanis who acted 'under control of Iranian secret service' Taliban sets up female Interior Ministry unit in Afghanistan to disperse protests U.S. concerned about Iran's 'threats' against Saudi Arabia Lebanon is facing a power vacuum, left without a president Gas exports from Iran to Armenia to double In first 9 months about $1.7 billion is transferred to Armenia Baerbock and Scholz disagree on China Delegations of Ukraine, Turkey and UN temporarily suspend movement of ships in framework of Black Sea grain deal Qatar Energy Minister calls EU proposal to limit gas prices hypocritical Jamshidi: Any capturing of further territories is occupation Putin: Kiev must give real guarantees of strict compliance with the Istanbul agreements Putin and Erdogan discuss results of meeting of Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in Sochi Blinken goes to Germany to meet with G-7 colleagues Iranist: Cooperation between Yerevan and Tehran will prevent further Turkish activism U.S. military conducts field weapons inspections in Ukraine Defense Ministers of Russia and Turkey once again discuss suspension of 'grain deal' Armenian President and ICRC representatives discuss Armenian captives held in Azerbaijan Aliyev's aide visits Nakhchivan Berlin urges Serbia to choose between EU and Russia Armenian Deputy Prime Minister and USAID representatives discuss bilateral cooperation Erdogan: Turkey continues to make necessary initiatives on grain deal Macron promises Ukraine to survive winter and strengthen air defense The Collins British Dictionary chooses main word of 2022 Medvedev: Western countries are pushing the world into a global war Deputy Minister: 50,5 bln AMD will be allocated to North-South transport corridor construction in 2023 Georgia begins preparations for multinational exercise Agile Spirit 2023 YEREVAN. Prime Minister of Armenia, Karen Karapetyan, instructed the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technology to find mechanisms for funding construction of the North-South Highway; for example, to find private investors that will build some sections of the road, and later, these roads will become toll roads, according to Chorrord Ishkhanutyun newspaper. In fact, Karen Karapetyan is not seeking alternative sources of funding the highway [construction], but alternative mechanisms for taking away the wealth of the kulaks [i.e. the rich rural proprietors]. And, indeed, if several people, lets say, have eaten some 100 million dollars from the North-South money, this money cannot be bluntly demanded back. Instead of that, let them build the road with this money, as private investors, and then slowly bring the money back. Thus, both the road will be constructed, and their own persons will not suffer, wrote Chorrord Ishkhanutyun. STEPANAKERT. The adversary violated the ceasefire all along the line of contact between the Karabakh and Azerbaijani opposing forces about 125 times, from late Thursday night to early Friday morning. During this time the Azerbaijani armed forces fired more than 2,000 shots toward the Armenian position-holders, and by way of various caliber weapons, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR/Artsakh) Defense Army informed Armenian News-NEWS.am. More intense violations were recorded in the eastern sector of the frontline, where the adversary fired around 1,400 shots from various caliber weapons, nine shells from mortars, and one shell from an automatic grenade launcher. The Armenian side, however, suffered no casualties. As for the news which some Azerbaijani media spread on Thursday evening, according to which, allegedly, the Armenian side suffered one casualty and nine wounded during heavy fighting in an easterly direction of the line of contact, it is nothing more than yet another disinformation. The NKR Defense Army vanguard units have continued confidently carrying out the military task set before them, and have given an adequate response to the adversary, when necessary. The situation is calm, at the moment. YEREVAN. In 2017, the Ministry of Agriculture of Armenia, together with the German government-owned KfW Development Bank, will prepare a basis for agrarian insurance in the country, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Armen Harutyunyan, said at a press conference on Friday. He informed that the ministry has worked with the KfW bank for two years, and prepared a document outlining the directions for future work. Accordingly, an agrarian insurance pilot program will be developed in the coming year, and the KfW bank will allocate a 1 million grant for its preparation. We want to make sure that the insurance be accessible for farmers, and profitable for the insurer, added Harutyunyan. There is some amount [of money] between these two points, and which we ourselves want to pay. The deputy minister added that they will insure these five risk groups: hail, frost, drought, flood, and storm. Austria is ready to help in its mediation efforts during our OSCE Chairmanship, and will also support the other elements of the Minsk Process, Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurzsaid in an interview with Today.az. This is a decisive period and together with our international partners in the OSCE and the EU we are very clear that there can only be a peaceful solution to this conflict. We therefore call on all sides to focus on dialogue and diplomacy. There are ideas and offers on the table to strengthen trust and foster cooperation. The basic elements for further negotiations towards a peace agreement have been agreed upon by both Presidents - the Madrid Principles, with small adaptations, have been on the table now for nearly 10 years - so there is a basis and concrete issues to speak about, the Minister said. As a neutral country and chairman of the organization, we are fully aware of our high responsibility in this respect, Kurz added. While Austria is not a member in the Minsk Group, we are ready to help in its mediation efforts during our OSCE Chairmanship, and will also support the other elements of the Minsk Process. Azerbaijanis and Armenians can be assured that Austria is prepared to help in their search for a peaceful solution of this conflict through offering our neutral territory for negotiations, expert dialogue, youth meetings or any other activities that support to focus on peace and exclude the perspectives of war, the Minister added. Armenia came to question its steadfast loyalty to Russia when fighting with Azerbaijan over the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region erupted anew in April, reads the report of Stratfor analytical center, dedicated to Russia. ''The feud escalated perhaps in part because Russia was too distracted at the time with the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine to intervene. If the West offers Moscow fewer challenges under new administrations in the United States and Europe, however, it will be in a better position to assert its authority as the dispute's primary arbiter,'' the authors write. According to the experts, even countries that have stayed more or less neutral in the standoff between Russia and the West may adjust their stance. Thus, for instance, recently held talks aimed at strengthening military cooperation with Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, which seek to deepen ties with Moscow. f ''Moscow may also have a chance to reinvigorate integration initiatives such as the Eurasian Economic Union or the Collective Security Treaty Organization, since Europe's growing political rifts are likely to interfere with the European Union's focus on its Eastern Partnership program,'' the report reads. Overall, the authors think that after three years of economic downfall and controversies with teh West, Russia's position seems to be improving. Former Soviet states which watch the changes in Washington and Europe and will possibly reconsider their positions in regard to Moscow. According to them, over the next year, Russia may seize the opportunity to regain influence in many of its borderland states as a new administration takes over in Washington and the European Union's splits widen. ''But its comeback in the former Soviet states will fall far short of the one it experienced in the late 2000s, when Russia's economy was thriving and its political system was free of the turmoil currently bedeviling it. Even if the West eases sanctions on Moscow in 2017, moreover, the United States and NATO are hardly likely to abandon their allies in Russia's periphery. Still, the political transformations underway in Europe and the United States could give Moscow more room to restore its standing throughout Eurasia,'' the authors conclude. In the framework of expanding the geography ofthe Hour of Code IT event, the Microsoft Innovation Center of Armenia, in cooperation with the Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF), Gyumri Technology Center and SoloLearn RA company will hold the aforementioned event also in Gyumri, the second largest city of Armenia. This event, which is to be held in Armenia for already the third time, aims to teach various programming languages, as well as develop logic and problem-solving skills. ''The technology sphere is prospering in Gyumri. More and more young men come to connect their lives with the IT sphere every day. Such development in our city has mainly to do with the activity of Gyumri Technology Center. We are happy that this year the center is among the organizers of such technological events,'' noted Amalya Yeghoyan, who is in charge of capacity building at Gyumri Technology Center. Hour of Code will take place on December 7. All those, who are interested in new technologies and wish to acquire programming skills and study programming, can take part in the event. Although knowledge of programming is not required, the participants must have an elementary knowledge of English. The registrations can be made by clicking the following link. http://bit.ly/2ggv9Qp . ''It is already 14 years EIF has been implementing programs and events contributing to the development of the area. This time we will hold the Hour of Code event in Gyumri in cooperation with the technology and innovation centers opened by our strategic partners. This will give young people an opportunity to get familiarized with the technological area and acquire new knowledge. We also hope that after this event they will see their future in the area of technology,'' noted Founding Director of EIF, Bagrat Yengibaryan. ''In this technology abundant millennium, it is very important to turn children from technology consumers into technology creators. We can also create what we consume in the online domain. Such events give pupils an incentive to take interest in programming and come up with new ideas and innovative solutions in the future,'' said Director of Microsoft Innovation Center, Artashes Vardanyan, The official hashtag of the event is #hourofcodegyumri. In 2015, over 250 participantsaged 5-18from the schools of Armenia' s different provinces took part in the event. Many of the participants continued learning programming, already making their first steps as junior programmers. This year Hour of Code will be held in Yerevan, Gyumri and Vanadzor. Behind the Facades in France: What expats and the mainstream media (French and American alike) fail to notice (or fail to tell you) about French attitudes, principles, values, and official positions PLANO, Texas, Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ Alliance Data Systems Corporation (NYSE: ADS), a leading global provider of data-driven marketing and loyalty solutions, today announced its Columbus, Ohio-based card services business, a premier provider of branded private label, co-brand and commercial credit programs, has signed a long-term agreement to continue providing private label credit card services for J.Jill (www.jjill.com), a leading fashion retailer of womens apparel, accessories and footwear. Headquartered in Quincy, Mass., J.Jill has a robust and diversified omni-channel platform across 274 Retail stores, Direct-to-Consumer and industry-leading ecommerce. Building on its five-year relationship, Alliance Datas card services business will continue to deliver a suite of credit and marketing services for the J.Jill credit card program, focusing on recognizing and rewarding cardmembers with meaningful benefits for purchases made with their J.Jill credit card through both Retail and Direct channels. The program, which drives significant tender share, provides cardmembers with special offers like discounts on every purchase and experiential opportunities including exclusive special events and annual birthday month discounts. Alliance Data will also support J.Jill with ongoing integrated marketing programs designed to drive brand loyalty and repeat purchases. Through its industry-leading, data-driven marketing tools, Alliance Data delivers custom analytics and insights that have increased cardmember engagement and spend, resulting in improved performance and growth for J.Jill. Everything associated with our dynamic, omni-channel J.Jill brand and business is developed with our passionate and loyal customer in mind. Alliance Data has proven over the length of our partnership that they share a similar customer-centric mindset, said Paula Bennett, President & CEO, J.Jill. We look forward to expanding our already robust credit program by continuing to deliver new and unique cardmember benefits along with the seamless brand experience our customers have grown to expect. We are excited to extend our relationship with J. Jill, which is not only a distinguished brand, but a highly engaged and service-focused partner, said Melisa Miller, president of Alliance Datas card services business. I am confident that our knowledge of the J. Jill customer and our innovative, lifecycle marketing approach will continue creating personalized, relevant and timely messaging, positively impacting brand affinity and sales. About J.Jill Based in Quincy, Mass., near Boston, J.Jill is easy, relaxed, inspired style. An omni-channel premier retailer of misses, petite, tall and womens clothing, in addition to accessories and footwear, J.Jill is committed to delight, inspire and guide customers with a new collection every month that is delivered through 274 stores nationwide, 26 catalogs and a robust ecommerce experience. For more information, please visit www.JJill.com. About Alliance Datas card services business Alliance Datas card services business is a leading provider of tailored marketing and loyalty solutions, delivered through branded credit programs that drive more profitable relationships between our brand partners and their cardmembers. We offer private label, co-brand, and commercial products to many of the worlds most recognizable brands across a multitude of channels. We uphold our Know more. Sell more. promise by leveraging unmatched customer insights, advanced analytics, and broad-reaching innovative capabilities. Its how we deliver increased sales to our partners, build enduring loyalty to their brands, and provide more value to our cardmembers. Alliance Datas card services business is a proud part of the Alliance Data enterprise. To learn more, visit www.knowmoresellmore.com or follow us on Twitter @Know_SellMore. About Alliance Data Alliance Data (NYSE: ADS) is a leading global provider of data-driven marketing and loyalty solutions serving large, consumer-based industries. The Company creates and deploys customized solutions, enhancing the critical customer marketing experience; the result is measurably changing consumer behavior while driving business growth and profitability for some of todays most recognizable brands. Alliance Data helps its clients create and increase customer loyalty through solutions that engage millions of customers each day across multiple touch points using traditional, digital, mobile and emerging technologies. An S&P 500 and Fortune 500 company headquartered in Plano, Texas, Alliance Data consists of three businesses that together employ more than 16,000 associates at approximately 100 locations worldwide. Alliance Datas Card Services business is a leading provider of marketing-driven branded credit card programs. Epsilon is a leading provider of multichannel, data-driven technologies and marketing services, and also includes Conversant, a leader in personalized digital marketing. LoyaltyOne owns and operates the AIR MILES Reward Program, Canadas premier coalition loyalty program, and Netherlands-based BrandLoyalty, a global provider of tailor-made loyalty programs for grocers. Follow Alliance Data on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube. Forward Looking Statements This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements give our expectations or forecasts of future events and can generally be identified by the use of words such as believe, expect, anticipate, estimate, intend, project, plan, likely, may, should or other words or phrases of similar import. Similarly, statements that describe our business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions or goals also are forward-looking statements. We believe that our expectations are based on reasonable assumptions. Forward-looking statements, however, are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the projections, anticipated results or other expectations expressed in this release, and no assurances can be given that our expectations will prove to have been correct. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, factors set forth in the Risk Factors section in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year, which may be updated in Item 1A of, or elsewhere in, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed for periods subsequent to such Form 10-K. Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made, and we undertake no obligation, other than as required by applicable law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, subsequent events, anticipated or unanticipated circumstances or otherwise. Other Point of Sale blogs of interest: iATS Payments Adds Daniel Mitchell to Leadership Team VANCOUVER, BC (PRWEB) DECEMBER 01, 2016 iATS Payments is pleased to announce and welcome Daniel Mitchell as Vice President responsible for Sales and Business Development. He will join the companys leadership team, reporting to iATS President Andrew Mosawi. Daniel will be responsible for leading all aspects of iATS sales and business development, and will work closely with customers and partners to support their success. With over 20 years of sales experience, Daniel has worked with innovators across multiple sectors, built high-performance sales teams, and supported multiple clients including Fortune 100 companies. This is a very exciting time for our company. Andrew Mosawi said. We are continuing to add world-class talent to the leadership team that will help drive the organization forward and provide our clients additional value. I am enormously pleased to welcome Daniel to iATS. In addition to Daniels professional experience, he is an active volunteer and board member in the non-profit industry which will be an asset to iATS. An engaging business speaker, Daniel is also a sought-after business mentor and advisor. Its been a founding principle of iATS to help non-profits and partners achieve their goals by delivering the right products and solutions with exceptional customer service. Daniel Mitchell said. As the leading provider of processing solutions to non-profits, iATS already has established solid relationships with its customers. My goal is to take these relationships to the next level. Im delighted to be joining iATS at such an exciting time in its evolution. About iATS Payments Serving over 10,000 clients and with over 20 years of processing experience, iATS is the leading provider of payment processing to non-profit organizations around the world. Based in Vancouver (British Columbia), iATS provides secure and cost-effective credit card and direct debit (ACH) processing geared exclusively to the non-profit sector. For more information, visit http://www.iatspayments.com. Other Point of Sale blogs of interest: This release was issued by Mastercard today, Visa similarly extended its requirements. Source: Mastercard.com In 2012, we announced a roadmap in which all parties who use the Mastercard network merchants, issuers, acquirers and others would move to EMV chip technology. This approach was centered on a series of liability shift milestones built as incentives to move the U.S. payments market to a chip-enabled environment. Over the past four years, we have worked together to deliver on that roadmap, reinforcing and delivering what consumers expect a safe, secure and convenient way to pay. We have remained steadfast in this approach because driving safety and security in the payments ecosystem is a priority. EMV compliance for fuel merchants with Automatic Fuel Dispensers brings significant regulatory and implementation challenges. Over the past months, we have had extensive discussions with fuel merchants, issuers, acquirers and other stakeholders regarding these unique challenges. Today, Mastercard is modifying the automatic fuel dispenser liability shift date from October 2017 to October 2020. This decision applies only to automated fuel pumps. We are committed to EMV chip technology as the best and most effective solution for combatting counterfeit card fraud. It is a priority for Mastercard to ensure consumers can confidently shop anywhere, any time. We will be working closely with our fuel partners, station owners, industry associations and third-party vendors to ensure a smooth transition to EMV. To further assist fraud mitigation efforts, we announced this week our Decision Intelligence suite of products. These tools will allow issuers to take advantage of the new artificial intelligence baked into our global network, improving the consumer shopping experience by increasing real-time approvals of genuine transactions and reducing false declines. end Comment from Randy Vanderhoof, director of the U.S. Payments Forum: The unique challenges facing the retail petroleum industry in upgrading their outside pay-at-the-pump systems to EMV have been an active part of the EMV migration discussions over the last year within the U.S. Payments Forum and its Petroleum Working Committee. Given the migration challenges for implementing EMV in the petroleum environment, Visas and Mastercards modification of the liability shift dates will be beneficial to the retail petroleum industry and the U.S. chip migration. More POS payments news: 27 Congress MPs from Tarai want amendment As many as 27 Nepali Congress lawmakers from the Tarai have stood in favour of the constitution amendment bill registered in Parliament. SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ Narvar today announced new product enhancements to help retailers tap into the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to respond to customer demand for highly personalized experiences. Narvars platform addresses the gap between purchase and fulfillment, turning the post-purchase experience into a new moment of truth. The company is launching a bot integration for Facebook Messenger for smart, relevant communications related to package delivery status as well as Smart Knowledge Base, a bot to anticipate and answer questions that customers may have during the package tracking experience. Narvar processes more than 2 billion consumer transactions per year, so we are always learning more about when, where and why people are happy, engaged or frustrated, said Maria Latushkin, recently appointed CTO of Narvar. Retailers can now add Narvars new layer of intelligence to communicate more effectively with customers during the post-purchase experience. Narvar Chatbot on Messenger Narvars AI-driven chatbot integration with Messenger answers common natural-language questions about package tracking and delivery, personalized to that customer. Rather than encouraging customers to call support or visit a general FAQ page, retailers can send proactive delivery updates and personalized messages through the platform customers prefer. In its initial launch, Narvar has already seen 50% of consumers opt in to receive tracking updates via Messenger, while the other 50% opt in for SMS updates. In the near future, Narvars chatbot will also allow retailers to deliver other post-purchase information, including how-to guides, product offers and recommendations, all customized with their brand voice. As one of the worlds most widely adopted channels, Messenger offers a convenient way for retailers using the Narvar platform to communicate directly with shoppers, optimize customer support resources and drive incremental revenue. Many retailers are leveraging these capabilities including DSW, BCBG Max Azria, The Limited and GameStop. Smart Knowledge Base Narvars Smart Knowledge Base provides contextual help to shoppers within the package tracking experience, anticipating customer needs at different points in the journey to predict and provide the correct information at that moment. Retailers can meet customers expectations for relevant communications on their terms while reducing call center volume. In the future, the bot will also incorporate advanced AI capabilities to continuously learn and react to consumer behaviors. Retailers are shifting how they communicate with consumers, and Narvars AI is helping them transcend channels, says Amit Sharma, CEO of Narvar. Were platform-agnostic, and in the future our AI will extend brand interactions across email, voice and other emerging platforms. What consumers are looking for when interacting with their favorite brands is ever evolving, said Nathan Dierks, Director, Web Operations at BCBG Max Azria Group. Tapping into Narvars AI-driven capabilities ensures we can effortlessly integrate our post-purchase experience with communication channels, like Facebook Messenger, that our customers already trust. In todays competitive ecommerce landscape, were able to differentiate ourselves by providing shoppers the delivery information they want and need most, said Brian Seewald, Vice President of Digital at DSW. The Narvar chatbot on our Ask DSW Facebook page allows us to tap into the power of AI to serve our customers in a conversational way, and to deliver the information on demand. About Narvar Narvar offers an enterprise SaaS platform that helps leading brands and retailers build lifelong relationships with their customers beyond the buy button. More than 300 leading retailers worldwide including Nordstrom, Sephora and GameStop use Narvars shipping, tracking, returns, and analytics products to transform their customers post-purchase experiences. For more information, visit www.narvar.com. Other Point of Sale blogs of interest: Foreigners have started snapping up private residential properties here in greater numbers compared with a year ago, according to a report by property consultancy JLL. Leading the charge are buyers from China, followed by Indonesians, Malaysians and Americans. According to JLL, there were 782 transactions made by foreigners in the first nine months of this year, an 11.7% rise from a year ago. The figure excludes permanent residents. Chinese buyers were the most active, accounting for 29.4% of all foreign purchases from January to September. The Indonesians were a distant second, accounting for 14.6%. Chinese buyers have overtaken Indonesians as the top foreign buyers of private homes in Singapore since 2010. This can be attributed to the wealth growth of the Chinese and their increasing familiarity with the Singapore residential market. Malaysians accounted for 10.5% of foreign transactions, and the Americans were at 7.3%. JLL noted the growing prominence of American buyers. This is a significant increase in proportion, relative to the 1.1% in 2011. US nationals are exempted from Additional Buyers Stamp Duties under the Free Trade Agreement, which may have contributed to the rise in the number of purchases. JLL also reports that Indonesians have higher budgets among foreign buyers, with most of their deals falling within the $3 million range. It notes that Indonesians have a strong preference for pricier properties above $1,400 psf and located in the Core Central Region (CCR). The Chinese and Malaysian buyers are more budget conscious as a higher proportion of the properties they picked up were priced below $1.5 million and within the $750 to $1,700 psf range. However, in terms of geographic preference, the Chinese are more active in the Outside Central Region market while the Malaysians are more active in the CCR market. JLL expects the recovery in foreign demand seen this year to continue into next year, and homes in the CCR to remain the preferred choice of foreigners. Related Articles From TheEdgeProperty.com.sg Shedding light on the rental market Impact of Indonesian tax amnesty on Singapore property prices Nearly 1 in 2 people still looking to buy a private home: Survey No drastic downturn in Singapore property market due to US rate hike: JLL European ministers approved a 1.4-billion-euro ($1.5-billion) lifeline Friday for plans to place a life-seeking rover on Mars and maintain a presence on the International Space Station. Funding for the prestige projects represented a big chunk of investments totalling 10.3 billion euros approved at a two-day meeting of the European Space Agency (ESA) ministerial council, its boss announced. Cash concerns have long cast a shadow over Europe's plans to finally send a rover to Mars and to remain involved in the ISS with partners America, Canada, Japan and Russia. ESA had warned ahead of the meeting in Lucerne, Switzerland, that the talks could be "challenging" given "the current economic and political situation in Europe". Matters were not helped by a 230-million-euro test lander, designed to lay the groundwork for the planned rover, smashed into the Red Planet in October. But ESA director general Jan Woerner announced Friday that ministers from ESA's 22 member states plus Slovenia and Canada, which constitute the council, had agreed on "a big amount of money for the future." "It allows us to really go forward," he said at a press conference webcast from Lucerne. The government portfolios of the "space ministers" present ranged from trade, economy and technology to higher education. - What about Trump? - They agreed to invest 1.45 billion euros up to 2021 in space exploration -- including about 960 million for the ISS and an extra 436 million for the ExoMars project. Some 3.8 billion was earmarked for ESA science, research and development up to 2021, 1.3 for telecommunications projects until 2024, and 1.6 billion for satellite launchers until 2023. Ministers approved the funding just six weeks after ESA's paddling pool-sized test lander, Schiaparelli, smashed into Mars -- Europe's second failed attempt to reach the Red Planet's surface. The lander had been designed to test atmospheric and landing gear for a rover whose planned launch has already been delayed from 2018 to 2020 over funding concerns. The rover will be equipped with a drill to search for signs of life -- past or present -- under the martian surface. ESA had previously budgeted 1.5 billion euros for ExoMars, a joint project with Russia, which also includes a satellite placed in our neighbouring planet's orbit in October. The ministers on Friday also ended uncertainty over Europe's role in the ISS beyond 2020. The other participating countries had long agreed to operate and finance the orbiting science platform until at least 2024. "We can now also confirm we are going to 2024 with the International Space Station," Woerner said. - The Moon and beyond - The ministers further agreed to press ahead with building a "service module" for NASA's planned Orion spacecraft, meant to transport crews to the ISS, the Moon and beyond. The meeting came at a time of strained relations between ExoMars partners Europe and Russia over differences on Ukraine and Syria, as well as uncertainty over ISS-lead America's direction under president-elect Donald Trump. With Friday's budget approval, "Europe has placed itself in a good position... at a time that new competitors and uncertainties are emerging," France's state secretary for education Thierry Mandon, a member of the council, told AFP. Woerner said he would have meetings next week with NASA bosses, including its administrator Charlie Bolden. As Trump's plans become clearer, "we have contacts to NASA to get the best information what does it mean also for the cooperation between NASA and ESA," he said. "I cannot tell you anything about my expectations for the future. This is much too early." ESA was prompted to turn to Russia on ExoMars after US budget cuts led to NASA withdrawing from the mission in 2012. Many fear Trump will make further cuts, endangering US and international space programmes, including the ISS. Opposition candidate Adama Barrow hailed a "new Gambia" after he pulled off a stunning presidential election victory, putting an end to the 22-year rule of Yahya Jammeh. Jammeh -- who has been frequently accused over the years of suppressing his opponents -- conceded defeat on television, accepting that Gambians had "decided that I should take the backseat". Official results earlier showed Barrow, a businessman and political unknown until six months ago, comfortably winning Thursday's poll with 45.54 percent, capping a remarkable rise to prominence. Jammeh took 212,099 votes (36.66 percent) and third party candidate Mama Kandeh 102,969 votes (17.80 percent), the Independent Electoral Commission said. Gambians took to the streets to celebrate the biggest upset in the west African nation since Jammeh seized power in a 1994 coup. In Westfield, a district near the capital, teenagers piled on top of cars, taking selfies and strumming guitars, while others waved flags coloured the grey of the opposition coalition. In his first comments afterward, Barrow acknowledged the nation's huge shift. "It's time for work. It's a new Gambia," he said. Barrow was chosen as the opposition flag bearer by a group of political parties who joined forces for the first time and won unprecedented popular support. Turnout was around 65 percent. Speaking to the public on Gambian television, Jammeh congratulated Barrow for his "clear victory", adding: "I wish him all the best and I wish all Gambians the best." Jammeh, who once said he would govern for a billion years if God willed it, was attempting to win a fifth term, but said the result was a decision from the divine that he would respect. "I will never cheat or dispute the election because this is the most transparent, rig-proof elections in the whole world," he added, referring to The Gambia's unique system of voting with marbles dropped into coloured drums. Barrow will now serve a three-year term at the head of a transition reform government in the tiny ex-British colony that occupies a narrow sliver of land surrounded by French-speaking Senegal. Jammeh has 60 days to leave office, according to the Gambian constitution. - Internet blackout - The election was marked by an internet blackout that sparked condemnation from rights groups and the United States. Security forces had deployed heavily in Banjul earlier Friday amid nervousness over whether Jammeh would accept defeat, but by the end of the day the officers were shaking hands with Barrow supporters. "Never before has power changed hands (in The Gambia) through the ballot box," said US State Department Spokesman John Kirby, acknowledging the stunning result. "We encourage all Gambians to respect the election results and the government of Gambia to respect the rights of citizens to freely assemble as they respond to the results." In a separate statement, the White House hailed Jammeh's "respect for the will of the Gambian people". "The United States congratulates the people of The Gambia on a peaceful and democratic presidential election that has the potential to mark a new beginning for all Gambians," National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon sent his congratulations to Barrow and commended Jammeh's message to the president-elect. - 'Emancipation day' - At his final campaign rally, Jammeh had warned that protests over the election result would not be tolerated, saying The Gambia "does not allow" demonstrations. Many of those on the streets Friday hailed a new era for freedoms curtailed under Jammeh, and hoped political prisoners would be released. "It is a stunning day... emancipation day for Gambians. We have had 22 years of illegal arrests and suppression from Yahya Jammeh," said Maya Darboe, whose husband, head of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP), was jailed in July for attending a protest. The regional body ECOWAS, the UN and the African Union all hailed a "free, fair and transparent presidential election", and Jammeh for "gracefully conceding defeat". There were no international observers present for the election, which passed off smoothly with a diplomatic team overseeing some limited monitoring. A Senegalese security source confirmed to AFP in Dakar that The Gambia had closed its borders for the election, a common occurrence during elections in west Africa. Jammeh's tenure was marked by his surviving multiple attempts to remove him from the presidency. Some 60 percent of the population live in poverty in The Gambia, and a third survive on $1.25 (1.20 euro) or less a day, according to the UN. A sick system Dr KCs campaign to reform the countrys medical education sector deserves widespread support The crowd at EcoWorlds sales gallery at St Martins Drive off Tanglin Road On Nov 24, The Edge Property held a social networking session at the EcoWorld international property sales gallery on Tanglin Road. It brought over 50 real estate professionals together in an event that included wine tasting by The French Cellar; advice on due diligence by star lawyer Sim Mong Teck of his eponymous law firm; and talks on the importance of good photography in marketing property by Perseus Ang, partner sales manager of KodakIT, as well as buying overseas property by Alvin Chan, manager sales and marketing of EcoWorld Singapore. The French Cellar hosted the wine-tasting party at EcoWorld sales gallery The French Cellar hosted the wine-tasting party at EcoWorld sales gallery The crowd at EcoWorlds sales gallery at St Martins Drive off Tanglin Road The crowd at EcoWorlds sales gallery at St Martins Drive off Tanglin Road Guests with Etienne Croset (left), business development and marketing associate of The French Cellar Guests with Etienne Croset (left), business development and marketing associate of The French Cellar Chan talks about EcoWorlds properties around the world Chan talks about EcoWorlds properties around the world Why good photography matters for your listing was the topic of Angs talk Why good photography matters for your listing was the topic of Angs talk Sim, managing partner of Sim Mong Teck & Partners, shared advice on due diligence when buying property Sim, managing partner of Sim Mong Teck & Partners, shared advice on due Why good photography matters for your listing was the topic of Angs talk diligence when buying property From left: Sim at the event, with Bernard Tong, managing director of The Edge Property Singapore, and Steve Tan, senior manager sales and marketing of EcoWorld Singapore From left: Sim at the event, with Bernard Tong, managing director of The Edge Property Singapore, and Steve Tan, senior manager sales and marketing of EcoWorld Singapore Michael Lim of ERA Realty, a happy winner of the lucky draw, walked away with a TheEdgeProperty ProTools package worth $365 Michael Lim of ERA Realty, a happy winner of the lucky draw, walked away with a TheEdgeProperty ProTools package worth $365 This article appeared in The Edge Property Pullout, Issue 757 (Dec 5, 2016) of The Edge Singapore. Related Articles From TheEdgeProperty.com.sg EcoWorld and Ballymore to preview London City Island in Singapore 360 view on executive condominiums Examine all angles to pinpoint opportunities An iron gate with the infamous slogan "Arbeit macht frei" ("Work will set you free") stolen from the former Nazi concentration camp Dachau in Germany two years ago has been found in Norway, police said Friday. The gate was recovered outside Bergen in southwestern Norway this week following an anonymous tip-off, Bergen police spokeswoman Margrethe Myrmehl Gudbrandsen told AFP. "It was found in the open air," she said. "You can tell that it's been outside but it's in good condition." Bergen police released several photos of the black gate, one of which showed it leaning against a low wall on a bed of autumnal leaves. Police said in a statement that the gate would be returned to the German authorities "as soon as possible". There was no mention of any arrests made in connection with the theft. - 'Relief' - Police in the southern German state of Bavaria, where Dachau is located, confirmed the gate had been found. "From the picture transmitted, police believe it is highly likely that this is the iron gate that was stolen from Dachau," they said in a statement. The theft of the 100-kilo (220-pound) gate was reported on November 2, 2014, sparking an uproar, with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel calling the crime "appalling". The gate was taken on a Saturday night, between the rounds of security guards watching the site which has no video surveillance system. Police at the time said they were investigating whether neo-Nazis had committed the crime, and even offered a 10,000-euro ($11,000) reward for tips that could solve the case. The Dachau camp, located just a few kilometres (miles) from Munich, opened in 1933, less than two months after Adolf Hitler became chancellor. It was first used to incarcerate political prisoners but during World War II, it became a death camp where more than 41,000 people were slaughtered before US troops liberated it on April 29, 1945. Today some 800,000 visitors from around the world visit the camp each year. Cultural authorities in Bavaria welcomed the recovery of the gate. "It is a relief to me that this original evidence of the Nazis' cynicism and contempt for humans has been rediscovered," Karl Freller, head of the Bavarian Memorial Foundation, said in a statement. Gabriele Hammermann, director of the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, said the gate, "a highly symbolic relic of the concentration camp", would once again go on display after the authorities had finished their investigations. "Of course it will be presented to the public again following restoration," she said in the same statement, adding however that it had yet to be decided "whether that will be in its original place or as part of a permanent exhibition". Another sign with the same inscription at the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz was stolen in 2009. The mastermind of that theft, Swedish neo-Nazi Anders Hoegstroem, was caught and jailed for two and a half years. The metal sign was eventually recovered cut up into three pieces. A replica was displayed above the entrance until it was restored in 2011. TUGUEGARAO The chief of staff of the governor of Apayao was shot dead, allegedly by the lover of his wife, at their home in Diadi, Nueva Vizcaya yesterday morning. Lawyer Jemar Apada, chief of staff of Gov. Elias Bulut Jr., arrived at their home in Barangay Poblacion to find his wife Police Officer 2 Jenny Apada allegedly sleeping with her colleague, PO1 Clifford Dulnuan. Chief Inspector Alexander Cabang, town police chief, told The STAR that Apadas wife did not know her husband was coming home. Jenny is assigned at the women and childrens protection desk while Dulnuan is an intelligence officer, Cabag said. Reports said Dulnuan fled after shooting Apada, who was taken by his wife to a hospital but did not make it alive. Rob Selley Skate Crates Episode 1 Milton Keynes Montage Aside from his role as technical pioneer and MK don, Mr Rob Bobby G Selley has also been on hand to film a lot of whats gone on in MK over the last decade or so. Luckily for you all, Rob has dipped into his archive and come up with a series of Skate Crates to bring us a glimpse of a bunch of unseen MK, Barcelona and Motive Skateboards-era footage. Episode 1 is a Milton Keynes montage featuring many known and unknown locals including the likes of Sean Smith, Giles Brown, John Doe, Mark Stern, James Bush and the powerhouse of natural talent that is Robin Lee. Enjoy and look our for more from Rob soon. All previous episodes of Skate Crates can be seen here. Renting your first office space can be an exciting turning point for your business. But choosing just any office would be a mistake. You need to make sure that your office is one that will support your team and allow you to grow and thrive. Below are things to consider before renting your first office space. Tips for Renting Your First Office Space Decide If You Really Need One Businesses used to need dedicated offices in order to survive. But plenty of entrepreneurs today do just fine working from home offices or even co-working spaces. If your business could function in one of these alternative environments, you could save yourself a lot of time and money. Choose a Location Near Your Team If it is absolutely essential for you to have a dedicated office space, then the location is likely your most important consideration when renting your first office space. You first need to ensure that the office will be close enough for your team members to commute. Or if you dont have a team just yet, choose an office that close enough to an area thats populated with potential talent. Ensure That it is Easily Accessible for Others You also have to keep clients in mind when choosing a location. Is the office building youre considering easily accessible from freeways or public transportation? Will they be able to find it easily? Think About What Amenities You Want Nearby Another factor when renting your first office space that could impact your location decision is the nearby amenities. Your team will likely appreciate an office thats at least somewhat close to restaurants and coffee shops. And if there are certain places you need to visit regularly for business purposes, like meeting spaces or banks, youll want those to be nearby as well. Have a Strict Budget in Mind After location, cost is likely your next big concern. Dont choose an office that is going to put your business too far into debt and stunt its growth. Crunch the numbers before you even start looking to find a budget that will allow you to operate comfortably. Account for Extra Expenses There are a lot of expenses that go into renting an office space. The actual rent is just part of it, when it comes to most properties. And those extra expenses can really add up if you dont account for them in your original budget. Paul Miller, brokerage vice president for Office Services Group in Dayton, Ohio said in an email to Small Business Trends, Make sure you understand what is included (and not) in the quoted rent. Does the Landlord want you to pay for your utilities? Phone and data? Snow and ice removal? Make sure its clear, and that its spelled out clearly in the Lease. Make Sure the Lease is Clear Just knowing whats included is one thing when renting your first office space. You need to also make sure that all of those provisions are clearly spelled out in the lease. You dont want to just take your landlords word that some utilities are included only to be charged for them later since that wasnt officially stated in your lease. Find Out Who is Responsible for Repairs Repairs for your space can also represent a significant expense. If your landlord is responsible for those expenses, make sure they are willing to take care of them in a timely manner. But if you are, make sure theres some wiggle room into your budget. Get Help From an Expert The process of looking for office space can be overwhelming for a newbie. But if you find a commercial real estate agent or broker who is familiar with the properties in the area, they can make the whole process a lot easier. Ask around or search on an online portal like Colliers International to find someone in your target community. Find a Secure Building The building itself should offer some amenities as well. To keep you, your employees and your equipment safe and secure, find out if the building has a security guard, manned entry way and after-hours security. Choose a Space That Fits Your Team Of course, you will need a large enough space for the members of your team to each have a desk or place to sit. But you dont want something so large that youre paying for entire rooms that you never use. But Leave Some Room to Grow However, a bit of extra space can be a good thing, especially if you plan to grow within the length of your lease. Even a few extra cubicle spaces or some room to add a few desks can be helpful. Decide How You Want the Office Laid Out Do you want an open concept or more closed-off work spaces? Different bosses and teams have different preferences. So think about what style would suit your team best and choose an office that lends itself to your preferred layout. Know Exactly in What Condition Youll Receive the Space Some offices dont always come as advertised. And some might require a bit of work before you actually move your things in. If you want to know exactly what the space will look like if you actually decide to rent it, you have to ask those questions. Miller says: Make sure you understand how the space will be delivered. Do you require improvements like paint and carpet, or do you need walls and doors moved or added? Who will pay for these improvements? Consider Parking and Bike Storage Parking is another important factor that might be overlooked when renting your first office space. You need to make sure there are enough parking spaces nearby so that your team can actually get to work on time without much hassle. A secure parking lot or dedicated area is a plus. Or if youre in an area where there are more bikers, make sure theres a rack or enough space somewhere in the building for employees to store their bikes. Think About How the Office Will Appear to Others Like it or not, your office sends a message to others about your business. If you choose a building thats falling apart, that could tell clients that youre struggling. But if you overextend your budget with a lavish space for your first office, they could think that theyre paying you too much. Have a Place to Meet Aside from just desks or cubicles, youll need to think about some other spaces that could be useful to your team. Do you need a dedicated conference room or a few smaller meeting rooms? Do you need a kitchen or any other specific types of spaces? See Also: Truss Says It Has 100 Million Square Feet of Office Space Listed for Small Businesses Know What Youre Allowed to Customize You likely want to make your first office your own. But most landlords probably dont want you knocking down walls and completely changing their buildings. So before you sign anything, see what youre allowed to do to the space without them charging you for damages. Consider the Lease Length The length of your lease can be another important factor in your decision when renting your first office space. For your first office, you might not want to get tied into a really long-term commitment. You dont want to be stuck with an office space if your business folds, sells or outgrows the space. Have Confidence in Your Business Moving Forward For that reason, you really have to think about where you see your business at the end of that time period. If its a five-year lease, where do you see your business in five years? And do you have an actual plan to get there? Have Provisions in Place for an Early Exit Just in case, you should know what might happen if you have to break your lease. Make sure that youre comfortable with any fees or other penalties just in case something changes throughout the course of your lease. The goal of email marketing is to create loyal customers. Thats important when you understand that it costs a lot more to attract new clients than keep old ones. Start from scratch and learn about building an email list by reading whats below. Why Email List Building is So Important Collecting email addresses means more paying customers. Not convinced? Heres four more reasons why you need an email list. Theres Billions of Users. Its predicted there will be over 347 billion email users by 2023. Thats a ton of potential new subscribers. Its predicted there will be over 347 billion email users by 2023. Thats a ton of potential new subscribers. Theyre Personal. Theres no need for a ranking system to get in front of a potential customer. Once they opt in, youre in their inbox. Theres no need for a ranking system to get in front of a potential customer. Once they opt in, youre in their inbox. You Get Customers . Customers like personalized offers through email before they buy anything online. . Customers like personalized offers through email before they buy anything online. Emails are Targeted. Once someone clicks on one of your sign-up forms, they are interested in your products and services. That means you can send them targeted information about what you ve got to sell. Dont forget about compliance with the Can Spam Act. It covers commercial messages. How to Grow Your Email List: 52 Ideas Small businesses are always looking for new customers in the form of email subscribers. Following are some list building strategy ideas. Youll get in front of potential customers when you learn how to build an email list. 1. Create a CTA for Each Landing Page or Blog Post A call to action fosters signups on opt in forms. Use strong action words. 2. Invest in Email Marketing Software Look for marketing automation abilities. And something that works on a mobile device. 3. Personalize Your Marketing Campaigns Invite people by asking questions on forms. Address people on email signups by name. A welcome email should have a subject line and personal greeting. 4. Collect Email Addresses at Industry Events Event attendees can use apps. Meet potential clients face to face. Look for data verification ensuring lead generation. Another way to increase your email list sign up rates. 5. Include an Email Opt in Form on Your Facebook Page Social media accounts have a place with list building strategies. Theres a simple drop down menu for this. 6. Create More Landing Pages The more you create the better your email marketing efforts. Every landing page should have a supporting image. 7. Require Website Visitors to Give an Email Address to Leave Comments WordPress allows you to enable comments and get an email signature. 8. Send Targeted Content Integrate your CRM as part of a marketing strategy. Use names in subject lines to hit your target audience. 9. Use Ads to Capture Leads from Other Websites Building an email list from scratch? Add forms and ads on the blogs that get the most traffic. And link to other credible sites. 10. Give Exclusive Access to Subscribers Offer a content upgrade to subscribers. High quality content is a lead magnet. And theres generally no cost added. 11. Offer Discounts A discount coupon during the holidays will help your list building. Offer existing subscribers access to sales. 12.Use Social Media You can promote a landing page by using a link attached to your Instagram bio. 13. A Contest People sign up on social media platforms. Run a contest to boost your email campaigns. 14. Quick Videos YouTube videos can be an effective marketing platform. Add a link in the description to sign up for your email list. See Also: Beef Up Customer Experience with These 4 Tips 15. Use Share Buttons. Use mobile optimized buttons. 16. Adopt A Sign Up Sheet These work for brick and mortar stores to grow and email list. Place several signup page sheets in different spots. 17. Create Custom Content. Attach your signup form to something like a free ebook. 18. Use the Swipe Up Feature Share a link to your sign up page from your Instagram business profile. 19. Use LinkedIn You can have conversations on LinkedIn and send people to sign up forms by sharing links. 20. Use LinkedIn Again Post snippets of free content from your email newsletter on LinkedIn. Tell people to sign up to get the entire thing. Read More: how to start an email list 21. Ask for Feedback On your website pages, ask for feedback. Include an opt in form that will grow your email list. 22. Blog Create a blog post with an email sign-up form. Content marketing boosts your ranking with search engines too. 23. Guest Blog Guest blogging is a great marketing strategy. Dont forget to add an email signup form and CTA to the content. 24. Put Together A Webinar Make sure participants need to register for these via email. Thats where you can include the signup forms. 25. Use Print Marketing You can put a QR code on your printed materials. Thats an excellent lead magnet. Grow your email list by offering additional content. 26. Instagram Posts Marketing on this social media site works. Schedule videos and photos as well as posts. Create content and link it to your bio. 27. Referral Programs A large percentage of people will put their name on a sign up form if theyve heard about it from someone else. Thats why you should use referral programs. 28. Add to You Tube Videos YouTube offers what are called End Screens. Add a hyperlink to your email subscription form. 29. Use Images Grow your email list by placing a link under any image. Use a red arrow if necessary. 30. Use A CTA in Your Bio This works well with Instagram. Use a call to action there and add to your contact list. 31. Deploy A Pop Up Make sure these dont cover up the main content. Offer discounts. This company supplies exit intent pop ups using scroll depth. 32. Back in Stock These can be used on email sign-up forms to entice new subscribers 33. Check Out Opt In fields Shoppers expect you to ask for personal information at check out in brick and mortar stores. 34. Use Loyalty Programs A loyalty program is an excellent way to drive repeat sales while building an email list. Offer good benefits like free gifts on these email signup forms. 35. Use Embedded Forms These are nonintrusive. Plus theyre one of the more traditional strategies to build a subscriber list. 36. Deploy Welcome Pop-Ups Welcome pop-ups are used on web pages to greet visitors. Make sure they include a strong CTA. 37. Shorten Forms Up Shortening the length of lead capturing forms makes them more appealing. Keep it down to two or three different fields. Short copy makes for good email marketing campaigns. 38. Test Your Marketing Copy A/B testing can tell you what you need to tweak including the call to action, sign-up forms. And other features. 39. Use Customer Reviews Put these on your landing pages next to sign up forms. 40. Promote Another Website Using a link here can drive visitors to your site and your opt in pages. 41. Grab a Partner Create an e-book with someone you can share an audience with. That way you can split the leads generated. 42. Go To a Tradeshow These type of off-line events will allow you to collect sign-ups directly. Meet customers face to face. 43. Try Gamification Use quizzes and tests to encourage engagement and lead capture. 44. Try Squeeze Pages These squeeze the information you want out of direct visitors. They also have high opt out rates. But youll get a high conversion. 45. Have Pre-sale Notifications Shoppers are more willing to hand over information. They want to buy from you, but dont have time to refresh their page. Make it easy for them and increase customer retention. 46. New Arrival Notifications Visitors want to hear whats new. And theyre more likely to give out personal information when you provide it. 47. Use Direct Mail Using a QR code here that sends people to digital content. 48. Show Off Numbers Social proof highlights how many people have already subscribed. It tempts new people to do the same. 49. Time a Survey Keep these short. They need to pop up on relevant pages 50. Use Humor Like A CTA that says: No thanks, I dont want to make more money. 51. Highlight Your Value Use words in the CTA like Featured and Access rather than just Sign Up. 52. Leverage Your About Us Page People visit this page quite often. Its a good location for email sign-up forms Use Our Amazing Tips on How to Grow an Email List to Implement Your Strategy Now you have all the information on building an email list. Remember, this is an excellent way to build relationships with loyal customers and entice new ones. Robert Gilpin, R.I.P. - The Washington Post : His greatest book was written in 1981, but the main theory in it is perhaps more trenchant now... ADB okays $186m loan to upgrade key road sections The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $186.80-million loan to upgrade 160 km of the strategic road network and improve domestic and regional transport connectivity in the country. Investment Oracle Pledges $1.4 Billion for Computer Science Education in the EU In conjunction with a new collaboration between the European Commission and DigitalEurope, Oracle unveiled Thursday a three-year investment totaling $1.4 billion in direct and in-kind support of computer science education throughout the European Union member states. The European Commission and DigitalEurope have launched the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition, a multi-stakeholder partnership to bolster computer science and coding proficiency at all levels within Europes workforce and education pipeline. Nearly 1,000 EU educational institutions currently collaborate with Oracle Academy, Oracles flagship program in education philanthropy that brings computer science education to nearly 3.1 million students in 110 countries, according to a news release. As part of the $1.4 billion pledge, Oracle Academy aims to train 1,000 additional EU educators in CS, Java and Database instruction, as well as reach students across an added 1,000 EU educational institutions over the next three years. Over the last 10 years, weve seen the demand for workers with computer science and coding skills grow by 4 percent each year, said John Higgins, director general of DigitalEurope, in a statement. Oracles efforts to bring computer science into classrooms across the European Union will help strengthen our digital economy. In addition, Oracle Academy will operate several programs during the next three years, including: Invite national coalitions in EU member states to partner with Oracle Academy in delivering computer science education to teachers and students; Provide new higher education curriculum in emerging technologies; and Level Oracle Academys entire curriculum to the European Qualifications Framework. Thursdays commitment is an extension of Oracles pledge in 2013, which trained 1,246 EU educators to teach computer science, as well as added 203 EU educational institutions to Oracle Academy. To learn more about the EU Digital Skills and Job Coalition, visit this European Commission site. - A diplomatic row has ensued between Kenya and Iran over two men arrested on Tuesday at the Israeli Embassy - Iran demanded the release of its nationals held by Kenyas security agents The Iranian government on Friday ordered the Kenyan government to set free two of its nationals arrested by the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit. Iranian nationals Sayed Mansour Mousavi, center, and Ahmad Abolfathi Mohammad at Milimani law courts READ ALSO: D-Day for NYS conspirators as date set for their exposure The two Sayed Nasrollah Ebrahimi and Abdolhosein Gholi Safaee were arrested on suspicion of terrorism after they were found filming and taking photos at the Israeli Embassy. It is reported that ATPU is holding them after suspecting that they were planning an attack on the embassy. PAY ATTENTION: Get all the latest news on TUKO.co.ke The Iranian government has, however, rubbished the terrorism link saying that the two were government lawyers on an official assignment. The two men are official lawyers of the justice ministry... who traveled to Nairobi on behalf of the families of two Iranian prisoners in Kenya for a legal follow-up," the Iranian Foreign Ministry through spokesman Bahram Ghasemi stated. READ ALSO: This man Abu runs Mombasa not Joho - MP Israeli flag Before they were arrested, Nasrollah and Gholi had visited Kamiti Maximum Prison where two Iranians, Ahmad Mohammed and Sayed Mousavi are serving a 15-year term after being found in possession of explosives. Have something to add to this article or suggestions? send to news@tuko.co.ke Source: TUKO.co.ke Amendment bill registered with UML's consent: Deuba Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba has argued that the bill on constitution amendment was registered at the Legislature-Parliament based on the agreement with the major opposition CPN-UML. The natural lighting company is all about letting the sunshine in. As the premier Solatube distributor and installer of innovative skylight technology, the Natural Lighting Company delivers solar-perfect lighting that can eliminate the need for daytime electric lighting, said Brooke Nutting, company co-owner. So what exactly does that mean? Good Morning America did a study several years ago and they found that homeowners can save about $20 a month, she said. Since I work away from home, I dont think we see that, but for say, retirees who are home all day, I would say thats definitely a valid savings. The company showroom on Moon NE is testament to the power of the Solatubes as its lit entirely through natural means. Light therapy We never have to use the lights unless its really cloudy, Nutting said. Solatube delivers a precise light, natural light. This is important for people who are artists or if youre putting it in your kitchen, it gives you a true rendition of color. Its also important for people affected by seasonal affective disorder, which is often treated with light therapy. When its not bright outside and not bright in our houses, you just tend to feel sad, Nutting said. But the bright, natural light that fills a rooms nooks and crannies, or enlivens a dark passageway, helps chase the gloomy feelings away. For those who prefer a muted effect, the company also provides filters. If the bright, white light is not what youre looking for, we have whats called a warm effects lens, she said. It just adds some of the red spectrum into the Solotube. It will make it feel more like an incandescent light. Walls are more of a brown color and the floors are a little bit more warm. Long-time locals The Natural Lighting Company has been in Albuquerque since 1996; Nutting and her husband, Don Nutting, took over the company in 2010. He was working in the commercial building industry, building office buildings and they require natural sunlight in every office, which is very easy to accomplish if you only build on the perimeter of the building, she said. One of his bosses found the Natural Lighting Company and tried that out. The previous owners had put it in a number of commercial settings. But the owners, were getting ready to retire and wanted to somebody to take it over, Nutting said. So Don and I decided to go into business for ourselves. It wasnt really a difficult decision, she said, since the pair of La Cueva High School graduates also both earned degrees from the University of New Mexicos Anderson School of Management. We both grew up in small-business families, Nutting said. It was interesting for us to work together. Don has masters degree in business. Its helped us to stay local and use what we learned in college. Whats interesting is even though their lives tracked down similar paths, they did not actually meet until later in life. We went to one year of middle school, all four years of high school and college and didnt meet until our senior year of college, Nutting said with a laugh. Albuquerque is a kind of a small town and yet its a big town, which makes it kind of fun. We didnt know each other, but we had friends who were similar, we just never crossed paths until the right time. Home-grown owners Having home-grown owners is important to their customers, Nutting said, simply because of those small-city demographics. Thats actually what our customers want to know because they invite us into their homes to solve their lighting problems, she said. So they want to know who we are personally and they want to make sure they like us because they are making us a part of their home. The decision to take over the business has been a good one. We actually are growing, Nutting said. We hired a second install team. Were so busy and growing. Im actually looking for somebody to hire for my position because Im so busy with responsibilities with the Home Builders Association of Central New Mexico (HBACNM). Im the outgoing Green Build Council chair and the incoming associate at large so Ill be on the board of directors. Being a part of the association is important because, its trying really hard to look out for the homebuilding industry in Central New Mexico, she said. When people are buying homes, it helps builders be employed, which helps subs be employed, which helps stimulate everything. Its amazing how it all trickles down. We all do business with each other and we all spend our money with each other and it all helps the community. Innovative, new products The HBACNM even recognized the Natural Lighting Company for one of its new products, the solar-powered NightLight. A cellphone-sized photovoltaic panel powers two, rechargeable, AA batteries throughout the night to allow the Solatube to emit a soft light glow that remains on through the night perfect for illuminating the way to the bathroom. This is a great option, Nutting said. It was named the most innovative new product at the fall 2016 Parade of Homes. And it helps the Solatube qualify for a 30 percent tax credit, which is a great incentive. It replaces the need for an electric nightlight. Our demographic is older retirees who use a nightlight on a regular basis. It gives you that night light effect so you dont have to use electricity at night in dark bathrooms or kitchens. As for the Solatube itself, while the market share among builders particularly green builders is growing, nearly 80 percent of business is through retrofits. Purchase and installation cost about $600. The Natural Lighting Company recently added the Solar Star attic fans, which are also photovoltaic-powered and help reduce the heat that builds up in attic space. Anytime you can pull 140- to 160-degree air out of your attic on a regular basis, its going to help tremendously, Nutting said. Ultimately, this will prolong roof life and structure life. This is a great option. As a matter of fact, she added, we encourage everybody to come by our showroom and see all of the great options we have. WASHINGTON The Senate passed on Thursday a 10-year extension of existing U.S. sanctions on Iran, sending President Barack Obama a bill that his administration has protested as unnecessary with veto-proof support. Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said last month that the extension of the Iran Sanctions Act, which covers energy, trade and defense-sector sanctions against Tehrans nuclear and missile activities, would threaten the multilateral nuclear pact passed last year. He threatened that Iran would respond if the extension became law putting veto pressure on the Obama administration, which believes the president has sufficient authority to punish Iran without an extension of congressional sanctions. But Obama may be powerless to prevent the sanctions extension from becoming law, now that both chambers have voted overwhelmingly for it: senators passed the legislation on Thursday by a vote of 99 to 0, while last month, House lawmakers passed the same bill by a vote of 419 to 1. The White House argued against extending the law by stressing that the president already has substantial authorities to sanction the Iranian regime for bad behavior such as a recent spate of ballistic missile tests that U.S. officials believe run counter to the spirit, if not the letter, of the Iranian nuclear deal. We retain substantial authority to impose additional sanctions if they are warranted, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Wednesday. He added, however, that if Obama does sign the bill, it would not be the first time where the President has signed into law bills that Congress has passed that were not sure are entirely necessary. But the administration has stopped short of threatening a veto outright. And if Obama does decide to veto the bill, there are veto-proof majorities in Congress who would be able to override any blocking action the president might attempt to take. Lawmakers in both parties are concerned that if the United States doesnt keep existing sanctions against Iran on the books, it will complicate efforts to snap back those sanctions into place if Iran breaks the terms of the Iran deal a feature that was vital in gaining support for the pact in Congress. Critics of the Iran deal stressed that having the existing sanctions in place was particularly vital during the presidential transition. Extending the Iran Sanctions Act gives us the ability to reimpose the sanctions the Obama administration lifted to implement the Iran nuclear deal and ensures President-elect [Donald] Trump and his administration have the tools necessary to push back against the regimes hostile actions, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who is under consideration to become Trumps secretary of State, said in a statement. Many Republicans and Democrats who have advocated expanding existing congressional sanctions against Iran to better address Tehrans ballistic missile tests, foreign ventures in support of designated terrorist entities, and cyber-hacking and espionage activities. Some Republican leaders, including Corker, tried to use the upcoming sanctions extension as an opportunity to expand sanctions against Iran. But while most Senate Democrats disagreed with that approach, they nonetheless wanted to extend the existing sanctions regime. Now that both chambers have voted to approve the sanctions extension, Obama will have 10 days, not including Sundays, to decide whether to veto the bill before it automatically become law assuming Congress, and particularly the House, where the bill originated, is still in session. Should Congress adjourn before those 10 days are up, the president could effectively pocket-veto the bill. Lawmakers are scheduled to be in session until Dec. 16, but they are expected to depart Washington by the end of next week, which would fall within the 10-day window. However, congressional leaders have already indicated that they may not adjourn as is typical at the end of a two-year congressional session, for fear that Obama could take advantage of the several weeks window to make recess appointments before the 115th Congress convenes. iran-sanctions David Hamilton, a widely published British photographer whose alluring images of young women were variously celebrated as art and condemned as pornography, died Nov. 25 in Paris. He was 83 and had recently professed his innocence after a former child model accused him of raping her three decades ago. Emergency officials told the Associated Press that Hamilton was discovered at his apartment in cardiac arrest. Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre, a spokeswoman for the Paris prosecutors office, said on Nov. 29 that the autopsy identified asphyxiation as the cause of death. Suicide is the leading theory in the investigation, she said, but it has not yet been confirmed. In a long career that spanned film and still photography, fashion and portraiture, Hamilton became internationally known for his ethereal images of girls on the cusp of womanhood. Some models he photographed in the nude. Others wore thin, even translucent garb or floral crowns. He favored a soft-focus style that imbued his images with an immediately recognizable quality the Hamilton blur, it was called. In his photography, published in volumes with titles including Dreams of a Young Girl and The Age of Innocence, Hamilton said that he sought to depict the candor of a lost paradise. Nudity and purity, sensuality and innocence, grace and spontaneity we made contradictions of them, Hamilton once told an interviewer. I try to harmonize them, and thats my secret, and the reason for my success. That success was the subject of intense debate, with Hamiltons admirers comparing him to French painters of the 17th and 18th centuries. He sees his subjects through a shimmering haze of delight, half fatherly, half loverly, as shy, enchanting creatures who live in a world that is several degrees removed from real life, New York Times photography critic Gene Thornton wrote in 1978. It is an ideal world of the thought, Thornton continued, that in painting is associated with the names of Watteau, Boucher and Fragonard, a world that is deeply moving because it resonates with real feelings that real people have about life, yet is not, in any usual sense of the word, realistic at all. Other viewers did not see Hamiltons output in the same idyllic light. Times film critic A.O. Scott described Bilitis (1977), one of several movies that Hamilton directed in the 1970s and 1980s, as a work of gauzy, arty, breathlessness and an exemplar of soft-core artsploitation pictures. Photography critic Sarah Boxer, also writing in the Times, called The Age of Innocence and its images of bare-breasted girls as the essence of icky, and the author as someone who could be considered a dirty old man. In the 1990s, conservative radio host Randall Terry lobbied law enforcement officials to pursue charges against the bookseller Barnes & Noble for selling The Age of Innocence and other volumes containing nude images of children. In one case, a Tennessee district attorney dropped obscenity charges after Barnes & Noble agreed to display copies of Hamiltons books on higher shelves, out of childrens reach. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Hamilton dismissed his critics as the great unlaid. According to the Guardian, he located his models during what he described as shopping expeditions on the beaches of Southern France. Because of his renown, parents permitted him to photograph their children. One model, the French radio host Flavie Flament, published in October an autobiographical novel, The Consolation, in which she recalled being raped at age 13 by a photographer she did not name. Her portrait by Hamilton appeared on the cover. Flament later identified Hamilton as her alleged assailant after several women contacted her, she recounted, to say that they, too, had been victimized. Hamilton threatened to sue his accusers. Clearly the instigator of this media lynching is looking for her 15 minutes of fame by defaming me in her novel, he said in a statement reported Nov. 22 by the Agence France-Presse. He decried the media for presenting these accusations like the truth. I was accused several years ago and cleared. I am innocent and should be considered so. Hamilton was born in London on April 15, 1933. British newspapers reported that he was evacuated during the bombings of World War II to Dorset, in southwest England. He studied architecture before becoming a fashion photographer, working for magazines including Elle in France. He later became art director at the Printemps department store in Paris. His artwork appeared on postcards and in calendars, in addition to fashion magazines. The Daily Telegraph reported that his marriage to Gertrude Hamilton was dissolved. A complete list of survivors could not immediately be confirmed. Responding to critics who equated his photography with pornography, Hamilton evoked the memory of another artist he said was poorly understood: Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, the 19th-century author of Alice in Wonderland, who had intense relationships with young girls, at times photographing them in the nude. If Lewis Carroll were alive today he would be in jail! Hamilton told the Los Angeles Times, using Dodgsons pen name. He was a wonderful man! James McAuley contributed to this report. hamilton-obit SANTA FE Former luxury-home builder William Kalinowski, described as a brilliant charmer before he was financially ruined by the housing market crash in 2008, was found guilty today of multiple counts of fraud and embezzlement. He was accused of leaving investors, contractors and homebuyers high and dry, costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars, as his business went south during the recession. In 2013, Kalinowski, 71, was indicted on six counts of embezzlement over $20,000 and three counts of fraud over $20,000 for crimes that allegedly occurred in late 2007 and throughout 2008, as the economy and the housing market tumbled. His criminal trial in Santa Fe District Court lasted 12 days. Kalinowski, whos been an Albuquerque Public Schools teacher while free pending trial, is accused of bilking people by not completing homes in the affluent Las Campanas near Santa Fe. Several contractors also claimed Kalinowski never paid them for the work they did on his projects. His defense blamed the problems on a bookkeeping mess that wasnt Kalinowskis fault and emphasized that many people lost money in the housing crash. CINCINNATI Donald Trump has not changed. At his first rally since being elected president, Trump only occasionally read from his teleprompters, instead entertaining the audience with whatever was on his mind. He recounted in great detail all of the ways that he won, noted that world leaders now call him from their magnificent rooms and gleefully reflected on how it was a lot of fun fighting Democrat Hillary Clinton, to which the crowd chanted: Lock her up! Lock her up! He complained about his partys top leaders, prompted the crowd to boo their state governor, referred to a third-party candidate as that guy and told the crowd to keep going as they booed the extremely dishonest press. He announced his pick for secretary of defense, retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, but told the crowd to keep it a secret until Monday. He mocked a small group of protesters as they were led out: They dont know that Hillary lost a couple of weeks ago. Somewhere amid the insults, grievances and brags,Trump promised to heal this divided country. Ive always brought people together. I know you find that hard to believe, Trump said Thursday night as he kicked off the Donald J. Trump USA Thank You Tour 2016 of states he won. We are going to bring our country together, all of our country. Were going to find common ground, and we will get the job done properly. The election might be long over, but Trump seems intent on continuing to campaign. While many presidents-elect before him have used the weeks between Election Day and Inauguration Day to promote policy ideas and reach out to Americans who voted for someone else, Trump fired up his base. What presidents-elect often do is they try to create the impression that theres a healing period now, that theres a coming together, said Robert Dallek, a presidential historian. The impulse generally has been to create a new sense of shared national unity, rather than to show a divided country. Thats why theres usually not an impulse to hold these rallies. After George W. Bush was first elected in 2000, he held a series of roundtable discussions that focused on themes of his campaign, such as tax cuts, education reform and faith-based initiatives. In 2009, President-elect Barack Obama took a whistle-stop tour on his way to the inauguration, following part of the route taken by Abraham Lincoln on his way from Illinois to the 1861 inauguration. The speech rolling on Trumps teleprompters focused on policy and promises of unity but he couldnt stay on script. After being cloistered away in his skyscraper and private clubs for more than three weeks, Trump was clearly excited to be back on a rally stage, feeding off the energy of the half-filled US Bank Arena. At one point, his oldest son tweeted: He is having a good time tonight. Although Trump was his same self, everything had changed. He is now the president-elect. His words are now even more scrutinized. And security is even tighter leading law enforcement to shut down several bridges leading into the city for nearly two hours during rush-hour traffic, angering many Cincinnatians. Trump blamed the gridlock for his smaller than expected audience. I didnt know what came with this position, Trump said, upon taking the stage, and I didnt know that they closed down the roads. Trump lost the Republican primary here to Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who refused to endorse Trump or attend the partys convention in Cleveland in July. In the great state of Ohio, we didnt have the upper echelon of politicians, Trump said, as the crowd booed their governor. Trump told them that Kasich did call him after the election to offer his congratulations. But, Trump repeatedly reminded his crowd, he still won even though he claims the media was against him. Trump said he didnt understand why it took so long for news outlets to declare him the winner. Or why they predicted he wouldnt break through the blue wall in states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. We did break it. We shattered that sucker, Trump said. That blue wall is busted up. Meanwhile, a few dozen protesters stood guard outside, chanting love trumps hate and 2.5 million, Clintons margin over Trump in the popular vote. Throughout the night, they yelled at Trump supporters. Thanks for making life hell for women! Really appreciate it, yelled Michelle Frigault, 53, a geriatric social worker. Thanks for taking away womens rights. Frigault said that she has cried every day since the election, feeling like she lives in an alternate world. She and her wife now physically feel afraid for their safety, and they worry about their friends who are immigrants or live in poverty. I think hes got other concerns than having people come and say how great he is, she said. This is a waste of his time. He is now the president-elect of the United States. As Trump neared the end of his speech, he returned to his teleprompter and shared words of inspiration. Im asking you to join me in this next chapter of this unbelievable and unprecedented movement, Trump said. But he was distracted by a man in the crowd, stopping mid-sentence to say: Hes a believer. Youre a believer, right? Hes a believer. Trump told the crowd it is an exciting time to be alive and that the script is not yet written. He told them that he is just their messenger, although Ive been a very good messenger, lets face it. He thanked Ohio, an incredible place. He again called his victory a landslide and called reporters extremely dishonest, seemingly unwilling to end the rally . He finally concluded: We are going to come together and make America great again. As the Rolling Stones You Cant Always Get What You Want began to play, Trump stayed on stage, clapping and waving, extending the night just a couple more minutes. Anu Narayanswamy in Washington and Kevin Williams contributed to this report. trump-rally-1stld-writethru Six Chaves County residents have developed confirmed cases of Legionnaires disease since early October, and two have died, state health officials said Thursday. The bacterial illness sickens a few New Mexicans each year, but an outbreak of six patients within two months is unusual, said Chad Smelser, medical epidemiologist for the New Mexico Department of Health. New Mexico typically has fewer than 10 cases a year, he said, and we certainly dont have this many cases in a short period of time. Health officials are investigating possible sources of the Legionella bacterium, which has killed two women, ages 65 and 69. The other four patients are recovering, but some have been hospitalized, he said. They are residents of Chaves County, and they all had medical conditions that put them at higher risk of developing disease, Smelser said of the confirmed cases. We dont have it pinpointed to anything other than Chaves County at this time. Symptoms of Legionnaires disease include cough, fever, difficulty breathing, muscle aches and headaches. Sometimes patients will have diarrhea, nausea and confusion. The disease can cause severe pneumonia and is fatal in 10 percent of cases. Health officials urge anyone with those symptoms to seek medical attention, particularly those at risk of severe illness. At higher risk are older people and those with chronic illnesses, particularly lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema. Also at risk are those with weakened immune systems from diseases such as cancer, diabetes or kidney failure. Legionella bacterium typically does not spread from person to person, but is usually breathed in, often through a mist. The bacterium becomes a health risk when it contaminates man-made water systems. The bacterium was first identified in 1976 when people who had attended an American Legion convention in Philadelphia became ill and many of them died. The source was linked to the hotels air conditioning system. Mayor Javier Gonzales recently took on the role of de facto national spokesman for sanctuary cities, defending the immigrant-friendly policies of Santa Fe and other local jurisdictions around the country in a back-to-back-to-back series of interviews on Fox News, CNN and NPR. When he went up against Foxs Megyn Kelly and was asked, among other things, about high-profile murders committed by undocumented immigrants in sanctuary cities, he made this statement: Study after study have shown that sanctuary cities do not lead to an increase in crime because of the presence of people who are undocumented. Within a couple of days of that interview, I asked the City Hall staff for information to support that assertion. So did Politifact, the Pulitzer Prize-winning project of the Tampa Bay Times that fact-checks statements by politicians, commentators, bloggers and others, and ranks them on its Truth-O-Meter scale. There are assorted rankings that span the gray areas between true and false. For the most outrageous lies, Politifacts meter arrow points to Pants on Fire. Politifact, in its assessment of Gonzales statement published online, put the comment smack in the middle of the false-to-true scale. Essentially, Politifact said the mayor in fact has data and research on his side, but its not conclusive or as extensive as he described. Politifact did note a recent academic study that found sanctuary policies have no effect on crime rates, other studies that found a reduction of crime from cooperation between police and immigrant communities, and scholars findings that immigrants, including those in the country illegally, are less likely to commit crimes than native-born residents. But not enough of the research focused specifically on sanctuary cities to totally satisfy Politifact. Gonzaless statement overstates the breadth of research on this topic, but is on the right track, said Politifact. We rate the claim Half True. In Santa Fe and other sanctuary cities, local law enforcement officers are directed against asking those they arrest or otherwise encounter about their immigration status, and theyre not supposed to help enforce federal immigration law. Most of the research that City Hall provided to back up Gonzales study after study statement is about whether crime is higher among immigrants generally, not in sanctuary cities. This distinction among the various research papers is why the mayor earned only the Half True rating by Politifact, which also conducted its own fresh interviews on the topic. City Hall gave me links to: An article published in the Wall Street Journal from last year headlined The Mythical Connection Between Immigrants and Crime. While the mayors staff described the article as written by the WSJ, it was actually an op-ed opinion piece by a California labor and immigration law attorney. Still, it contains useful information. Attorney Eli Kantor cited a study by the Immigration Policy Center that found that, while the immigrant population tripled between 1990 and 2013 to more than 11.2 million, the FBI found that the violent crime rate declined by almost half over the same period and property crimes also went down significantly. Kantor mentioned another report from the same organization that found immigrants across the board have lower incarceration rates for young men than the rest of the population. (Politifact noted the Immigration Policy Centers work, but also pointed out that the organization has a pro-immigrant bias.) Kantor also referred to a 2008 report by the Public Policy Institute of California that said immigrants are underrepresented in that states prison system, with foreign-born people making up 35 percent of Californias population, but only 17 percent of prisoners. City Hall provided a separate link to this study. A report from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. The study reviewed nationwide crime statistics from the FBIs Uniform Crime Reporting program and local records from every county in the continental U.S. giving the percentage of local residents who were immigrants, covering the years 1980 to 2000. The study found no correlation between immigrants and violent crime. There was a modest correlation between immigration and property crime, present only with regard to immigrants with the poorest labor market outcome. A 2014 report by an Arizona State University researcher on the minority threat perspective cites several prior studies that found that immigration in fact may contribute to lower, not to higher, crime rates, and that, at the individual level, being an immigrant, especially a first-generation one, is not associated with greater criminality and, indeed, may be associated with a smaller likelihood of offending. A 2009 study by a University of California researcher published in the California law review does address sanctuary city policies, although without a hard focus on crime rates. Among its finding are that, in Austin, a public outreach campaign was used to increase understanding among immigrants of the citys sanctuary policy. Victim and witness reporting increased and crime levels in Austin fell, says the study. It also says that members of Los Angeles police force, in an internal report, believed sanctuary policies created a marked difference in the attitude of the immigrant community. Of the many motivations for sanctuary policies, the goal of encouraging community cooperation enjoys the strongest empirical evidence and anecdotal support, says this report. Advocates like Gonzales have long maintained that having police not ask about immigration status encourages immigrants to report crime and trust police instead of being afraid to engage with law enforcement. Most on point is a study by researchers at the University of California at Riverside and Highline College in Iowa called The Politics of Refuge: Sanctuary Cities, Crime, and Undocumented Immigration published just in October. Noted in Politifacts report, it compared sanctuary cities with similar cities where key variables are the same. So this research appears to address the question which was directed at Gonzales during his recent interviews with national media of whether sanctuary cities, by advertising their stance against helping the feds enforce immigration law, serve as magnets for undocumented criminals. We find no statistically discernible difference in violent crime rate, rape, or property crime across the cities, the new studys summary says. Our findings provide evidence that sanctuary policies have no effect on crime rates, despite narratives to the contrary. The potential benefits of sanctuary cities, such as better incorporation of the undocumented community and cooperation with the police, thus have little cost for the cities in question in terms of crime. The study itself notes that there has been little academic inquiry into the phenomena of sanctuary cities previously. One thing this episode shows is that Politifacts standards are pretty tough I may have given Gonzales a mostly true rating on the Truth-O-Meter, although Politifact is right that studies specifically addressing sanctuary cities and crime appear to be a new field. It also serves notice to the Santa Fe mayor as he stakes out something of a national profile by talking about this issue and others. He better be careful the Truth-O-Meter awaits. Online To see Politifacts Truth-O-Meter assessment of Mayor Javier Gonzales comment to Fox News Megyn Kelly, go to politifact.com and scroll down through The Latest from Politifact. SANTA FE Hugo Medina walked across a parking lot on a recent sunny day at Santa Fe Community College on his way to lunch with friends. Medina, 31, is good with numbers, studies for a double major and works at the college business office as an accounts payable cashier. But President-elect Donald Trumps election has cast a pall over this Mexican immigrant who came to Santa Fe with his parents and siblings when he was 15. Medina is not a U.S. citizen, but lives here legally, like thousands of other immigrants who came here young, under the now-tenuous auspices of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program created by the executive order of President Barack Obama in 2012. Obamas signature in this case is not indelible and what his pen authorized Trumps can eliminate. Since its an executive order our next president with one signature can revoke it and Ill be back to being undocumented again, illegal, Medina said in a recent interview. If he signs he doesnt want this program anymore, then we are going to have ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) on our door, he said. Karla Rodriguez Romero, 25, who also has legal status under DACA, works as an educational assistant for Santa Fe Public Schools and is from Chihuahua, Mexico. She was 12 when she came to the U.S. and shares Medinas fears. If Trump decides that denying us the opportunity to keep the DACA program alive is a good idea, I, like many others, will lose my job, but that is the least important thing he can take away from me, she said in an email. Even before the election, he took my peace, my sense of living at a safe place, she wrote. But Trumps camp says people are overreacting to the president-elects comments on immigration. He wants people to be here legally, said Trump adviser and former campaign spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway in a recent TV interview on the PBS News Hour. If you are a good person, if youre here and you would like to stay here, she said, They are not who he is talking about when he says, We are first going to get rid of the 2 million or so criminals who dont belong here.' She said Trump is going to secure the border and build a wall there, and then he is going to take a look at who is here and decide. Medina and Rodriguez Romero both work with the Santa Fe Dreamers Project, a nonprofit that gives free legal representation to young immigrants and their families. The issue is beyond legalities, said Rodriguez Romero. Trump has aroused hatred, racism, violence between whites and people of color, she wrote in her email. He has sent the message that it is okay and it is acceptable to classify people by the color of their skin, by where they come from, and by their language, he made it OK to hate others and make them feel less. Asked during a recent 60 Minutes about the rash of harassment incidents in schools and elsewhere targeting immigrants since his election, Trump said, I will say this, and I will say it right to the cameras: Stop it. I fear the future, now I am anxious about what awaits, said Rodriguez Romero. Everything is on the tightrope because we really do not know what is going to happen and that is the most stressful thing for me, not being able to make a plan because we simply dont know what hes (Trump) going to do. Those accepted under DACA now get a two-year, renewable work permit, and must provide authorities with current addresses and other information. We dont know what he (Trump) is going to do with this information, if he is going to provide it to ICE, said Medina. Medina and his family lived in Mexico City, but left after his father was the victim of an express, or short-lived, kidnapping by people who wanted to open a competing business in the neighborhood and used violent threats, he said. Either you close your business or you are dead, Medina said the family was told. Medina wants Trump to know that not all the undocumented people are bad or a drain on society. Many people here think because you are here illegally you dont pay taxes and they are completely wrong, he said. Critics claim DACA was an illegal overreach of executive power by Obama after Congress had repeatedly rejected versions of the so-called Dream Act that would have granted conditional or permanent residency to people who came to the country illegally as children. Trump has pledged to end Obamas executive orders on immigration, which include DACA. DACAs work authorizations and deferral of deportation for participants continue under a 2012 executive order, while a proposed 2014 expansion by Obama has been halted by a federal court order. Wednesday evening, Medinas employer and place of study Santa Fe Community College was declared a sanctuary campus by vote of the SFCCs elected board, with policies including restrictions on release of information on students immigration status and denying federal agents access to campus to enforce immigration rules. Mixed reactions Trumps positions on deportations somewhat softened since the election and his border wall plans brought mixed reactions from other Santa Fe residents originally from Mexico and Central America, several of whom gave only first names and not their legal status during recent interviews. Jose, from Michoacan, Mexico, works in construction. Trumps campaign comments were racist, he said in Spanish. Although Trump may try to stop illegal immigration, el hambre no parar (hunger does not stop), Jose said, referring to what can spur people to leave their homelands. But Luis, from Chihuahua, like Jose looking for work at the citys designated waiting spot for day laborers at downtowns DeVargas Park, thought Trump could help the economy because he is very intelligent and has large business enterprises. Alejandro, a cook from Chihuahua interviewed outside the Latinos Unidos Mini Market on Airport Road, said he is in the process of legalizing his status. He is a little afraid about Trumps comments and called the wall idea a disaster. Inside the Mini Market, where colorful, candy-filled pinatas (but none of Trump) hang from the ceiling, Jose from El Salvador is behind the counter conducting transactions with immigrants sending money home to relatives. Many people (their clients) are afraid of what may happen, said Jose. He was less certain about opposing a border wall, noting the threats of terrorism and drug smuggling. Santa Fe as sanctuary Local immigrant rights organizations are also vowing push back against Trumps plan to eliminate sanctuary cities like Santa Fe, which have non-discrimination policies that avow local law enforcement will not ask a persons immigration status. There are 340 cities in the U.S. with some form of sanctuary policies and Trump has threatened to cut the federal funds they receive. Local cops being part of that mass deportation force that Trump is promising is not acceptable for a community like Santa Fe, said Marcela Diaz, executive director of Somos Un Pueblo Unido, founded in 1999. I think we will fight for our families on so many different fronts, said Diaz. Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales, who recently became de facto spokesman for sanctuary cities in a series of interviews on Fox News, CNN and National Public Radio, denounced Trumps threats on deportation and cutting funds. Where were unique is that Mexican and the Central American and the South American immigration have been part of Santa Fes story for those 400 years, said Gonzales. While most experts agree its impossible to deport 11 million or 12 million undocumented immigrants, because of Trumps comments there is fear and uncertainty in our community, said Diaz. When you say you are going to deport people, even though you know you cant do it, what thats really meant to do is to instill fear. According to the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute website, Santa Fe has 19,000 immigrants from all countries out of a Metropolitan Statistical Area population of 146,000. The Santa Fe Dreamers Project estimates there are 15,000 dreamers in New Mexico. Rodriguez Romero, in the DACA program, is resolute. We must prepare because hard times are coming, but our community must be ready to come together and face the hard times together as we empower each other being united. Australian schoolboys outwit 'most hated man in US' Australian students cheaply recreate a life-saving drug that was famously hiked in price last year What might be described as a state-of-the-art art exhibit could come to Santa Fe next year if Mayor Javier Gonzales and City Councilor Peter Ives have their way. They recently introduced a proposal to bring a curated exhibit of digitally reproduced artwork from the world-famous Museo del Prado in Madrid that would be free to the public and displayed outdoors. There are still some hurdles to clear including approval from Museo del Prado to present the exhibit here and a City Council vote agreeing to spend $50,000 to market the exhibit, which would be held at Cathedral Park from May through October of 2017. The latter decision could come during the councils next meeting on Dec. 14. With a collection of more than 20,000 paintings, prints and drawings, and 1,000 sculptures some dating to the 12th century Museo del Prado is widely considered one of the finest art museums in the world and without a doubt houses the best collection of Spanish art. Being able to bring to Santa Fe the great art of Europe, as proposed, is not only a recognition of Santa Fe as a center for the great art of the world, but also a great educational opportunity for the citizens of Santa Fe as well as an opportunity to attract many neighbors from within the region and across the United States to Santa Fe, Ives said in a written statement. Establishing good relationships with the great museums around the world, beginning with one of the best, the Prado, expands Santa Fes capacity and reach. But bringing the exhibit here also relies heavily on the efforts of James Long, founder and CEO of Heritage Hotels & Resorts, Inc., who is a New Mexico native and operates 10 hotels in his home state, including four in Santa Fe. According to the legislative summary for the proposal, Long is expected to come up with the rest of the funding for the exhibit, which is estimated to cost $350,000. Through a spokeswoman, Long said he was not able to comment until Museo del Prado formally agrees to stage the exhibit in Santa Fe. He could have some influence on that decision. In 2012, he was named an international trustee of the Prado Museum Foundation, according to his profile on the Heritage Hotels website. In addition, he is on the international board of directors for the Spanish Colonial Arts Society, which puts on Santa Fes annual Spanish Market and operates the Museum of Spanish Colonial Arts on Museum Hill. The Spanish Colonial Arts Society would serve as the fiscal agent for the Prado exhibit. Its executive director, David Setford, did not return a phone message from the Journal . But Randy Randall, executive director of Tourism Santa Fe, did talk about it. Hes already pitched the idea to the citys Finance Committee, which unanimously approved it, and the Arts Commission, which declined to give a recommendation, saying an exhibit of reproductions from a European museum was outside its purview. The commission typically promotes original artwork by local artists. Randall said Long saw the exhibit as a great fit for Santa Fe, given the citys reputation as a renowned arts center, as well as the cultural and historical ties the city has with Spain. When he heard about (the Prados) desire to do this, he said, New Mexico is the place you need to do this, and wed love to have this in Santa Fe,' Randall said. Museo del Prado apparently staged at least one other outdoor exhibit of reproductions of its collection in Panama City earlier this year. A brief item from Panama Today found online announced that the citys France Square would be turned into an outdoors museum, where 55 reproductions of real size art work from Museo del Prado would be shown, providing a unique opportunity to the Panamanian public to approach the big masterpieces that the Prado Museum keeps in collection. But, Randall said, This would be a brand new, never-been-seen-before collection of images. He said the exhibit could include up to 100 4-by-8-foot panels displaying the digital reproductions. He provided sample images of The Annunciation, a 1559 painting by Juan Correa de Vivar, and The Triumph of Bacchus, popularly known as Los Borrachos, or The Drinkers, a 1628 painting by Diego Velazquez, though its not guaranteed those works would be a part of the exhibit. Just how the works would be hung at Cathedral Park and protected from the elements is unclear. Randall said the city recognizes that the park hosts other events during the time of the proposed exhibit. The exhibit will either be moved or incorporated into existing uses at the park, he said. Some urgency involved Randall says the exhibit is really about promoting tourism in Santa Fe in the regional market, defined as being within an 8-hour drive. With expanded airline service between Santa Fe and Phoenix beginning this month, Randall says connecting flights could conceivably expand the regional market to the West Coast. But, generally, the idea is to attract tourists who have been to Santa Fe before. This enhances repeat visits, he said. The more we create new reasons to come to Santa Fe, the better. The legislative summary says, based on a minimum of 5,000 visitors attracted by the exhibit, it would generate roughly $200,000 in lodgers and gross receipts tax revenue. Randall admitted the visitor estimate was pulled out of the air. Just as its impossible to measure the impact of the $50,000 the city spent on attracting The Bachelor to film in town, its hard to figure how many people the exhibit might attract. While the legislative summary calls for the city to put $75,000 toward the effort, Randall says thats an early draft and the actual cost would be $50,000, plus some in-kind contributions. Its also incorrect that money would be spent on a feasibility study. We now need to change the resolution to say to support the effort, rather than to study (the feasibility), he said. It still stands true that theres little risk to the city, he said. If Museo del Prado doesnt agree to bring the exhibit here, or if Long cant raise the $300,000, the city isnt out any money. If there is nothing to market, there would be nothing to spend, he said. And ours would be the last dollars in. Randall said the citys $50,000 obligation, or about one-sixth of the total cost, would be allocated to marketing. The city would also provide some in-kind services, such as maintaining the exhibit. The funding would come out of Arts Commission and tourism department funds generated through lodgers taxes and earmarked to be spent on promoting tourism. Another $150,000 from what Long raises would also go toward marketing, Randall said, while the remaining $200,000 would cover licensing, transportation and production costs. He has said he feels comfortable he can raise those funds, Randall said of Long, who stands to gain some return at his Santa Fe hotels: the Eldorado Hotel & Spa, Hotel St. Francis, the Lodge at Santa Fe and Hotel Chimayo de Santa Fe. There is some urgency on the citys part. With an intended exhibit opening in May, the tourism department would need time to work it into its marketing plans. The legislative summary says if Santa Fe doesnt nab the exhibit, it might instead go to Albuquerque, where Heritage Hotels is headquartered and operates two hotels. But such an exhibit would help paint Santa Fe in a light that fits its image, according to Randall. I see it as a one-of-a-kind opportunity that defines what the City Different really is, he said. Copyright 2016 Albuquerque Journal The Muslim shopper wasnt physically attacked and Albuquerque police say she wasnt afraid she would be. So charges will not be filed against the woman who went on a loud, racist rant against the shopper in the Smiths grocery store on Yale and Coal just before Thanksgiving. One of the dozens of shoppers in the store that morning took a picture of the ranting woman as she screamed at the shopper wearing a hijab, a head covering worn by some Muslim women. Employees stepped between the two women, ushering the yelling woman out to the parking lot, and then providing support for the shopper and walking with her to her car. Police arrived shortly after that, but the ranting woman had gone. Albuquerque police said this week that they believe they know who the woman is. That woman is believed to have a history of mental illness and drug problems, and is known to frequent the area, Albuquerque police spokesman Fred Duran said in an email. But, since police cant be sure it was her and since the shopper denied any other actions other than the slurs the female was yelling, charges will not be pursued. Based on their (officers) investigation of what the woman was doing, it was determined she was within her rights and that would fall under freedom of speech, Duran said. Barney Lopez, the shopper who caught the incident in a photo, said Thursday that he agrees with APDs interpretation of the incident. Its a very fine line between free speech and hate speech. There was no physical assault, so no crime, Lopez said. My response would be that we as people, we need to be the ones to police hate speech by saying it when we see it, by calling it out and by standing up for others who are being spoken to that way. Abbas Akhil, president of the Islamic Center of New Mexico, said the Muslim shopper, a young woman, is a fellow member at his masjid, or church. The masjid, he said Thursday, sent a package of baklava to the Smiths grocery store and to its manager, Andrew Castillo, who helped intervene in the incident. And Akhil said he plans to write to the Smiths corporation to praise the staff. What was really heartwarming was the fact that the customers immediately came to her, and the Smiths staff escorted her to her car and saw her off, Akhil said. Thats really what I would expect from Albuquerque. Ours is a very multicultural city, and people are very generous and accepting. He also said he understands that the police and prosecutors cant charge the ranting woman, even if her identity had been certain. The authorities have to follow the guidelines of the law. If you go around prosecuting everybody shouting a slur, its not practical, he said. The closest state charge to the case would likely have been assault, which in New Mexico is a petty misdemeanor defined as an attempt to commit a battery upon the person of another; any unlawful act, threat or menacing conduct which causes another person to reasonably believe that he is in danger of receiving an immediate battery; or the use of insulting language toward another impugning his honor, delicacy or reputation. The last portion of that statute is tricky and not often applied. In todays society, this would need a definition as such that everyday activities offend a person that never did in the past. An officer has to be able to articulate that the language was offensive to the degree of the law and that an individual was not merely saying they are offended to get someone into trouble, Duran said. Plus, he said, the woman they suspect of starting the disturbance likely has mental illness. A mental(ly) ill person is also not going to be held to these standards as they are not mentally aware of what they may be saying. Same with small children calling another child a name at school, Duran said. The District Attorneys Office declined to comment on the incident or explain the nuances of the statute. Copyright 2016 Albuquerque Journal Tony Torrez was sentenced Thursday to 16 years in prison in the fatal shooting of 4-year-old Lilly Garcia, who was buckled into the back seat of her fathers truck when Torrez fired shots during a road rage altercation with her father. Torrez entered his plea before Judge Charles Brown to second-degree murder in a last-minute deal with prosecutors. The hearing culminated the high-profile case on the same day jury selection was scheduled to begin. Torrez was driving a Toyota Camry on westbound Interstate 40 when he encountered Lillys father, Alan Garcia, who was driving a red pickup truck. As they drove, the two engaged in some sort of altercation, and exchanged words, police said, before Torrez opened fire. A bullet was fired from Mr. Torrezs gun into the truck that was being driven by Alan Garcia, prosecutor Elisa Dimas said. That bullet went into the skull of Lilly Garcia, killing her. Torrez took an Alford plea, which lets a defendant assert his innocence, while recognizing that prosecutors have sufficient evidence to support a conviction. https://abqjournal.com/900364/judge-denies-stimeras-at-hearing.html But Torrez, 33, addressed the court briefly, apologizing to the Garcia family and the community as a whole. He said he prays every night for the childs family and for their forgiveness. Im sorry for taking the life of Lilly, he said. That was never my intention. I had no intent of hurting anybody that day. But he also said that at the time of the incident that he thought he was about to become the victim. He said that as he engaged in the altercation, he was thinking of a friend who was ejected from her own vehicle as a result of a road rage incident. His attorney, Stephen Taylor, said that Torrezs friend was killed when her vehicle rolled over. That came into his mind at the moment in which he felt like Alan was trying to run him off the road, Taylor said. He said that Torrez was in fear for his life. He did make a quick decision, Taylor said. Who are we to judge in these moments when you feel like youre in fear for your life? Some community members, including Torrezs attorneys, have suggested that Alan Garcia also should have been charged in his daughters death. Taylor reiterated that in a statement to members of the news media after the hearing. Theres evidence from a neutral eyewitness as well as (Garcias) own son, who was in that vehicle that day, saying he played a part in the actions that led to this terrible tragedy, Taylor said. But Albuquerque police maintain that Lillys father didnt commit a crime. We looked at the totality of the circumstances, as we do in all cases, and there is no evidence that Lilly Garcias father committed child abuse related to the incident, Celina Espinoza, a police spokeswoman, said last week. Thursdays plea and sentencing hearing took place in a courtroom packed with family, friends, community members and media. Alan Garcia sat beside a large image of his smiling daughter dressed in pink. Her mother, Veronica Rael-Garcia, held a framed photograph as she cried quietly through much of the hearing. She cradled her head in her hands as Dimas said that medical investigators determined during the autopsy that the bullet that hit Lilly resulted in her immediate unconciousness, leaving her unable to feel any pain. Alan Garcia spoke of the future moments like walking Lilly down the aisle at her wedding that he will never get to experience. Regarding that tragic day, he said: If I would have known what I know now about that day, I wouldnt have swerved. Rael-Garcia described an unending physical pain in her stomach and chest since Lilly died. She said she has struggled to help her 8-year-old son cope with his sisters death. I could have lost my whole family that day, she said, sobbing, because he thought it was OK to pull out a gun and shoot multiple times into a vehicle. District Attorney Kari Brandenburg said she felt the plea agreement served justice, and would save taxpayers the cost of a lengthy trial. Of course, she said, nothing can ever relieve the pain Lillys family has endured or the anger and shock felt by the entire community. CARLSBAD The Department of Energys Waste Isolation Pilot Plant needs more than $54 million above its original budget request for fiscal year 2017. A letter sent from U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, both D-N.M., to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development requested an additional $54.5 million for WIPPs budget, which would bring the total budget to $325.5 million. Ned Adriance, Udalls press secretary, said the figure came directly from the Department of Energy. Of the additional $54.5 million, $26.8 million are designated for use on Supplemental Environmental Projects, which are projects imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency for violations in place of fines. Several supplemental environmental projects were imposed on WIPP and Los Alamos National Labs as part of a settlement between the New Mexico Environment Department and the Department of Energy after 2014 incidents involving an underground fire and a radiological release due to an improperly packaged drum from the national lab. Those included road improvements and training for emergency first responders in the communities around WIPP and Los Alamos. The increase is also needed for continued infrastructure maintenance at the storage site, including bolting to protect against roof and wall collapse, the continued mining of Panel 8 to make room for waste emplacement and a backlog of equipment maintenance. Structural maintenance in the repository, known as ground control, was unable to be performed for nine months after the February 2014 incidents. Workers have been struggling to catch up with ground control operations ever since. Several collapses inside the repository this fall prompted the closure of the southern end of the repository. The senators also asked for an additional $10 million be added to the $189 million Los Alamos budget for various cleanup efforts underway there. A continuing resolution was passed by Congress in September to avoid a government shutdown. A continuing resolution is passed by the legislature when the new budget cannot be agreed upon. Spending levels remain the same as they were in the prior year. Congress is expected to reconvene this month, when it may pass another continuing resolution that would last into 2017. The head of the Police Oversight Board said in a letter to Police Chief Gorden Eden that the civilian oversight group wants the City Council, and not the city attorney, to pick the independent investigators to look into allegations that police altered videos. Civilian oversight members asked there be a competitive process to determine what company will do the investigation. Chairwoman Beth Mohr said the group wants Ed Harness, the executive director of the Civilian Police Oversight Agency, to be part of the selection of the investigators and have some oversight during the investigation. Civilian oversight officials also said they want the FBI and New Mexico State Police to be asked to launch a criminal investigation in the matter to determine if any police officers broke any laws, like tampering with evidence. Police oversight board members voted on Wednesday night for Mohr to make such a request. Due to the urgent nature of our requests, we need an immediate response, rather than the 45 days your office normally takes to respond to our letters, Mohr wrote to Eden. If we fail to receive a prompt response, or if our requests are denied in whole or in part, we will determine the next appropriate actions, with the assistance of our independent counsel. City Attorney Jessica Hernandez in an emailed statement said she agrees with the POB on the importance of an independent inquiry. For that reason, the City Attorneys Office, the Citys Inspector General, and the Citys Office of Internal Audit met earlier this week to discuss a coordinated effort to identify forensic computer experts that possess the necessary technical expertise as well as the necessary independence, she said, adding that Harness and a Police Oversight Board member also contributed names to the list of potential experts. We are ensuring that independent oversight entities, such as the Inspector General, Office of Internal Audit, CPOA, and POB, are involved in the selection of the independent investigator to ensure public confidence in the process, she said. Mohrs letter comes in response to a sworn affidavit filed in court by the former police records custodian that alleged Albuquerque police edited or altered videos. Reynaldo Chavez, the former employee who was fired last year, said that some videos from high-profile shootings indicate that videos had been tampered with. City officials have contended that they maintain original videos from the incidents in question. Chavezs affidavit was filed in court as part of an ongoing lawsuit brought by the family of 19-year-old Mary Hawkes against the city. Hawkes was fatally shot in April 2014. The officer who shot her was wearing a lapel camera but didnt make a video. Videos from other officers on scene at the time of the shooting appeared to be altered, made blurry or had sections deleted, Chavez said in the affidavit. After two hours behind closed doors, the University of New Mexicos regents on Thursday shared no details about President Bob Frank in connection with a new critical report on the schools leader. All seven members of the Board of Regents attended the meeting that lasted from 2 to 4 p.m. Frank did not attend. The Journal reported Thursday that the regents were expected to discuss a sharp review of Frank by an outside investigator. Board President Rob Doughty said the regents didnt take any action in the closed session. He said they will meet next week, but the specifics of what they will discuss is not clear. Meanwhile, Franks attorney, Jaymeson Pegue, said that as of Thursday afternoon, neither she nor Frank had received a copy of the report obtained by the Journal . Pegue said her calls to Doughty and the outside attorney who wrote the report have not been returned. The regents have offered no explanation to President Frank regarding how the Journal obtained a copy of the report. Pegue said Frank has been provided with no information about the meeting. He has received no contact whatsoever from any of the regents or their counsel concerning this matter. The report by attorney Alice Kilborn found some staff members said Frank at times displayed a temper, and could be condescending and sarcastic. It described his behavior at times as bullying. Other people interviewed said Frank cared about his staff, was generally affable and the bulk of their interactions are pleasant. Kilborn wrote that she saw evidence of shades of a hostile working environment. Frank said Wednesday night that work in the presidents office at times has been intense and stressful, but it would be inaccurate to describe it as a hostile work environment. The Journal obtained the 10-page report Wednesday. Frank, whose salary is $362,136, announced in September that he would not seek to renew his contract as the universitys president. His contract ends May 31. At the time, Frank did not give a reason. He and the regents signed an exit agreement that gives him the option of taking a tenured faculty position in the Health Sciences Center with a salary of $350,000. CHICAGO Fake news is on peoples radar like never before due to speculation about what role it may have played in the past election. And not a moment too soon; the lack of media literacy in this country is becoming an epidemic one that, like so many other public health threats, is particularly harmful to children. Recently, researchers at Stanford Universitys History Education Group began to measure what they call civic online reasoning, which they define as the ability to judge the credibility of information viewed while on electronic devices. The Group administered 56 tasks designed to evaluate understanding of the reliability of news sources to middle school, high school and college students in both well-resourced and under-resourced schools across 12 states. What the researchers found comes as no surprise to anyone who spends time with young adults who have had digital devices in their hands since toddlerhood: Overall, young peoples ability to reason about the information on the internet can be summed up in one word: bleak, reads the studys executive summary. We would hope that middle school students could distinguish an ad from a news story. By high school, we would hope that students reading about gun laws would notice that a chart came from a gun owners political action committee. And, in 2016, we would hope college students, who spend hours each day online, would look beyond a .org URL and ask whos behind a site that presents only one side of a contentious issue. But, in every case and at every level, we were taken aback by students lack of preparation. The authors conclude that our ability to harness the power of the free flow of information is threatened by media illiteracy, and will depend on our awareness of this problem and our educational response to it. At present, we worry that democracy is threatened by the ease at which disinformation about civic issues is allowed to spread and flourish. Unfortunately, the skill of media literacy is a narrow one that is possessed mostly by people in the media. We cannot expect parents to teach their children skills like understanding that native advertising and sponsored content on a legitimate news site are not independently reported news without a hidden agenda if the parents themselves dont understand that there is a distinction. And expecting the educational system to craft a response to this major blind spot in current education curricula for tomorrows voters and citizens is practically out of the question. A 2015 study on the necessity of media literacy for teachers found that Media literacy remains perhaps the most important addition to current teacher education, even if it must be slipped in with the rest of the curriculum [because] requiring an entire course in media literacy in undergraduate teacher education may not be feasible at many colleges and universities with teacher preparation programs. As a teacher, I have seen countless students who could not spot the differences between reliable sources and plain propaganda. But, worse, Ive seen numerous examples of teaching materials that have included outdated (and therefore incorrect) news articles, handouts produced by for-profit organizations looking for future customers and untold numbers of videos from sources that were clearly produced by organizations with strong political agendas. These things jump out at trained journalists, but its sort of unfair to bash teachers for presenting such materials to their students as trustworthy and factual when teachers cant spot the inconsistencies. Our first round of piloting shocked us into reality, the Stanford History Education Group study declares. Many assume that because young people are fluent in social media they are equally savvy about what they find there. Our work shows the opposite. They believe that awareness is the first step in demonstrating the link between digital literacy and citizenship in order to mobilize educators, policymakers, and others to address this threat to democracy. But public education institutions move glacially while those who use technology to push their agendas evolve quickly to disguise their bias by making it look like impartial content. Realistically, todays citizens are on their own in learning how to spot fake news But there is a way to start: Study the URL to see if you recognize it or if it has other letters after the dot-com. Then take a quick look at some of the headlines. This can tell you a lot. Copyright, Washington Post Writers Group. Special prosecutor Randi McGinn has dropped the open count of murder that has made life a living hell for former Albuquerque Police Department SWAT officer Dominique Perez. And while McGinn filed the dismissal without prejudice, meaning it can be refiled, incoming District Attorney Raul Torrez should not pick that charge back up. There is no question the case that brought Perez to trial and to unemployment and to bankruptcy made the community face difficult and painful truths about how residents and law enforcement treat the citys mentally ill and homeless population. After an hours-long standoff in March 2014, Perez and now-retired detective Keith Sandy fatally shot James Boyd, a homeless, paranoid schizophrenic man who was camping illegally in the Sandia foothills. But re-prosecuting these officers after a jury deadlocked 9-3 for acquittal would be its own miscarriage of justice, one likely to end in another financially and emotionally costly decision that does not deliver justice to anyone involved. Perez had been on the scene all of three minutes, called to act as lethal cover for the plainclothes APD officers who had been trying to persuade Boyd to drop his knives and surrender. The officer had joined APD in 2006 after serving two tours in Iraq and receiving a Purple Heart. He was fired when he was charged with the felony. Prosecutor McGinn actually took a moment to thank Perez for his military service when he took the stand and said, I cant tell you how sorry I am that you were the one sent up into the mess that other officers created. However, McGinn did blame Sandy, who shot first, for creating the situation that led officers to use deadly force against Boyd. She maintained Sandy inserted himself into the hours-long standoff; his attorney, Sam Bregman, has denied that and argues there is no logical way in which you could prosecute one police officer who fired first and not the police officer who fired afterwards. Hopefully, (Torrez) will do the right thing and dismiss charges against Sandy, as well. It bears repeating that, after 15 days of trial and more than 17 hours of deliberations, a jury could not agree on whether Sandy and Perez were guilty of murder in Boyds shooting death. In fact, nine of the 12 jurors voted to acquit both of the former officers a strong majority message for acquittal and against re-trial. And in the meantime, the city and APD embarked on a major overhaul of the departments use-of-force policies the real culprit and paid $5 million to settle a civil suit with Boyds relatives, folks who apparently had washed their hands of a troubled man who for years had been in and out of jail, and kicked out of homeless shelters for violent behavior problems. For his part, Torrez has said on several occasions, All decisions on this case moving forward will be guided by the facts and by the law. This does not change my plans to appoint experienced independent prosecutors to review the case when I take office and make recommendations for any future actions. Without question, those recommendations should include not re-filing charges against either officer, especially Perez, and getting him back on the force. This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers. A Journal photographer said he was forced to shoot a high-profile hearing through a courtroom window Thursday morning after staff at the 2nd Judicial District court said the judge would allow only a single television camera inside a decision court officials defended as within the judges discretion. The Journal disagreed. Newspaper attorney Greg Williams said Supreme Court rule 23-107 governing cameras in the courtroom allows one video camera and not more than two still photographers. So our starting point is that in New Mexico courts, photography is specifically allowed, Williams said. https://abqjournal.com/900335/torre-zsentenced-to-16-years.html There is a provision within the rule that lets judges modify it, if theres good cause, he said, but he was not aware of any good cause in the case that would permit the court to keep still photographers out. And so its our position that, because there was not good cause, the camera should have been permitted, he said. The Journal submitted a request to photograph Tony Torrezs plea and sentencing hearing at 3 p.m. Wednesday, about 30 minutes after learning about that hearing. But at 4:41 p.m., Liz Garcia, the courts general counsel, said court administration had been informed by Judge Charles Browns chambers that one camera will be allowed inside the courtroom. Channel 13 KRQE was granted that camera access. Although Brown could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon, a member of his staff said the judges policy is that the first media outlet to make a request becomes the pool photographer. KRQE provided multiple images to the Journal for possible publication, however video captures are not ideal for print purposes. Court executive officer Jim Noel, who said he had not spoken with Brown, defended the judges decision. One of the many responsibilities the judge has during a proceeding is to make sure that there are no distractions from the proceeding itself, he said. In this particular case, the judge must have made a determination that more than one camera in the courtroom was going to be a distraction. Noel said its possible that if the Journal had contacted the court with a photo request first, the still camera would have been the only one in the hearing. This is a discretionary call on the part of the judge, he said. Brown previously has allowed a still camera as well as a television camera to record hearings in his courtroom a Journal photographer was present along with a television camera during hearings on Oct. 7 and Oct. 14. Photographer Adolphe Pierre-Louis said he showed up to the hearing with his equipment but was told that the judge would only permit one TV camera. Instead, he took photos through a window on a courtroom door and in the hallway as Lillys family and court observers flooded out. Copyright 2016 Albuquerque Journal Businesses and neighborhoods along Central Avenue could soon be getting high-speed internet service at an affordable price, thanks to a fiber optic line the city is installing from Louisiana to Coors as part of the Albuquerque Rapid Transit project. The city included the fiber line in its contract with HDR, the engineering firm managing ART construction. The fiber line will cost less than half what it would as a separate project, because ART contractors are already ripping up streets and digging ditches where the line will be installed, said Peter Ambs, the citys chief information officer. Albuquerque is paying $1 million for the line, using city bond money approved by voters in 2013. Had the fiber been laid separately from ART, it could have cost about $243,000 per mile, or a total of about $2.5 million, according to estimates by CTC Technology and Energy, a Washington, D.C., consulting firm contracted by HDR. Installation will run parallel to the ART construction timeline, allowing the fiber to come online as rapid transit service begins in late 2017, Ambs said. The city will own the fiber infrastructure. But it will provide open access for community broadband and internet service providers to hook up businesses, institutions and neighborhoods to the system. That could allow those providers to offer broadband access to end users at lower costs than what is available today, Ambs said. Well provide open access to the fiber backbone, making it available to any and all community groups and internet providers to offer broadband services to constituents along Central Avenue and adjoining neighborhoods, Ambs said. This can help them provide internet services at lower costs because the core foundation will already be installed. In addition, the project will connect the emerging Innovation District along Central Avenue, the University of New Mexico and the citys own networks together into a high-speed platform that could significantly advance research, development and deployment of next-generation smart city initiatives and potentially entice more private sector investment Downtown. Its all part of our revitalization efforts along Central Avenue, Mayor Richard Berry told the Journal. Its a digital backbone for connecting our citizens with public services online and connecting businesses along Central to high-speed internet. It can be a catalyst for investment. The fiber line will help facilitate plans for new digital services and infrastructure, such as smart LED street lighting, mobile pay and ticketing for ART users and smart parking meters, Berry said. The new fiber line will immediately offer huge broadband capacity, plus ability for easy upgrades in the future, Ambs said. The line itself includes 288 strands of fiber. With just a pair of fiber strands, you can provide gigabits of capability, so with 288 strands, its almost unlimited what you can do with it, Ambs said. The piping that holds the fiber has four separate tubes, with the current line occupying just one of those tubes. That means more fiber can be pulled through the other tubes as needed to increase capacity in the future without ripping up the streets again. We want to see the Google fiber-type service that exists in other cities become available here, with gigabit speeds at about $79 per month and 100 megabits at $49, Ambs said. Ricardo Aguilar, founder and CEO of the cloud-based computer, storage and network infrastructure provider Seamlus LLC, said the new fiber line could significantly improve the availability of affordable broadband by making the market more competitive for more internet service providers. It will provide the infrastructure needed for smaller guys to tap into and start bringing down costs, Aguilar said. It could allow them to better compete with the bigger players by offering more affordable services. That will give our citizens and our universities and research institutions better access to high-speed internet. Prithvi Man Shrestha is a political reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering the governance-related issues including corruption and irregularities in the government machinery. Before joining The Kathmandu Post in 2009, he worked at nepalnews.com and Rising Nepal primarily covering the issues of political and economic affairs for three years. MOSCOW Russias main domestic security agency says unspecified foreign special services are plotting a series of cyber attacks aimed at destabilizing the nations financial system. The Federal Security Service, known under its Russian acronym FSB, said the computer servers involved in the planned attacks are located in the Netherlands and belong to Ukrainian company BlazingFast. The FSB said Friday that the attacks would be accompanied by a stream of text messages and posts on social networks containing claims of an imminent collapse of Russias major banks and the financial systems breakdown. It said the action would target several dozen Russian cities. President Barack Obamas administration has accused Russia of conducting a series of hacks to interfere with the U.S. election, accusations Moscow has denied. Lincoln County officials are trying to determine if a portion of the cost of expanding and improving the county detention center in Carrizozo could come from a Community Development Block Grant. Commissioners want to expand the medical facility at the detention center as a beginning and are considering additional inmate pods and an enlarged fence perimeter. One of the things that can interfere with a CDBG grant application is if an entity has any outstanding grants still not closed out. Thats not the case for Lincoln County. The process for closing out a federal to state funded Community Development Block Grant for construction of the new county senior center in Carrizozo is completed, Taylor said. Specific steps are required and Dora Batista of the Southeastern New Mexico Economic Development District conducted a public hearing Nov. 9, to close out the $500,000 grant for the center. The session also served as a preliminary hearing for initial considerations for future CDBG grant requests. The state anticipates $9.5 million will be available to distribute statewide on a competitive basis, she said. The county will be eligible to apply, because it completed the center project. An application containing leveraged funding is more heavily weighted than those without such funding available, Taylor said. For example, the countys CDBG application for the senior center for a total of $1.2 million requested CDBG funds for $500,000, which was granted, and the remainder of the project was leveraged with a $245,000 state capital outlay award and local funds. Outgoing executive director Hubert Quintana said projects using capital outlay funds for leverage should be identified immediately and passed by the Department of Finance and Administration to determine if the project is eligible, she said. Taylor asked for and received commission concurrence to seek a determination of whether the detention center expansion would fall under the eligibility guideline for CDBG funding. If the project is not eligible, she did not want to waste time pursuing that avenue of funding. Commissioner Dallas Draper said that fact that most of the inmates at the county detention center in Carrizozo are county residents would help qualify the detention center for CDBG funding. In a related issue, on Nov. 5, the economic development district hosted the annual meeting for all county local governments to present their state capital outlay requests to legislative delegates. Draper and Taylor attended. The top three projects from the county were those contained on the countys Infrastructure Capital Improvement Project list, Taylor said. They are expansion of the White Oaks Fire Station, expansion of the county detention center and three miles of county road paving. Taylor said State Rep. Zach Cook, a Republican from Ruidoso, said from $118 million to $120 million is anticipated for the entire state, with one third each allocated to the Senate, the House and the state administration. Quintana said the particular pool of money comes from state severance taxes and cannot be used for other purposes, but the governor can determine not to allocate at all, or to allocate to a certain degree in any fiscal year, Taylor said. Other local governments and related entities asking for funding included the village of Ruidoso, the city of Ruidoso Downs, the town of Carrizozo, the capitan Historic Train Depot and Greentree Solid Waste Authority. 2016 the Ruidoso News (Ruidoso, N.M.) Visit the Ruidoso News (Ruidoso, N.M.) at www.ruidosonews.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. _____ SILVER CITY Ruben Torrez was recently charged with nine counts and arrested by the Silver City Police Department. He was charged with trafficking a controlled substance (meth) in a drug free school zone, seven counts of possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of drug paraphernalia. According to a police report, agent Tim Tavizon of the Silver City Police Department was investigating a narcotics complaint in the area of West Market Street. It was discovered by a female that was trying to sell insurance to businesses that a building she walked into was being occupied by a few male subjects. The female witness saw a backpack that was opened and it appeared to have drugs and several guns inside it. There was also a male subject pointing a gun at the wall and a green laser was coming out of it. After contacting law enforcement, officer Kyle Spurgeon and Sgt. Arredondo arrived at the scene and attempted to make contact with the suspects. No one answered the door and a search warrant was obtained for the residence. Tavizon and Detective Ben Villegas executed the search warrant at 800 W Market. During the search, in the suspects closet, a black Glock 19, a black Walther 9mm, a black Beretta 9mm, a stainless Taurus revolver, a camouflage Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun; and a black Ruger mini 14 were recovered. There were also two ammo cans that contained 561 rounds of .223 and 5.56 ammunition. One contained 221 rounds of .357 ammo and various other ammunition to include 12 gauge shotgun shells. On a computer chair that was near the bed, a Smith and Wesson M and P Shield 9mm with a green laser was recovered. There was also a Sentry Safe. After opening the safe, a large amount of crystal like substance was recovered that appeared to be meth but not of a personal use nature. There was also a glass water pipe that contained the substance inside it that was recovered. The field test of the substance came back positive for methamphetamine. After weighing the product it came back at 160 grams. After running the firearms through Central Dispatch, it was learned that three of them had been reported stolen. The Smith and Wesson 9mm and the stainless Taurus revolver were reported by the Silver City Police Department back in June of 2016. The black Beretta was reported stolen by the Santa Clara Police Department in December of 2014. Torrez was arrested a few days later on an arrest warrant without incident at the welding shop at Western New Mexico University. Upon search incident to arrest, it was discovered that the suspect had around $2,600 on his possession that was wrapped in rubber bands. Further investigation revealed that Torrez was a prior convicted felon as of July, 2015. His apartment is also within 1000 feet of a drug free school zone (Sixth Street Elementary). 2016 the Silver City Sun-News (Silver City, N.M.) Visit the Silver City Sun-News (Silver City, N.M.) at www.scsun-news.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. WASHINGTON Two billionaire New York City developers bidding to build a new headquarters for the FBI maybe the largest government development since the CIA moved to Langley, Virginia, in 1961 have deep ties with President-elect Donald Trump, whose victory injects new intrigue into the jockeying for the more than $2 billion project. One, Steven Roth, served as an economic adviser to Trumps presidential campaign and co-owns a building with him in Manhattan. Another, Larry Silverstein, has been referred to by Trump as a friend of mine. Roth and Silverstein have both known Trump for more than 30 years. They have been rivals on some projects and cheerleaders on others. Trump considered bidding on the FBI project himself before running for the presidency; the current FBI headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue is near his new Washington hotel. And then theres this wrinkle: The man who has lobbied hardest for a new campus, FBI Director James Comey, had his own role in the presidential campaign in publicly extending the investigation into Hillary Clintons use of a private email server as secretary of state less than two weeks before Election Day. FBI officials are nearing the finish line on a decade-long push for a secure campus in the Washington suburbs. The contract attracted some of the most prominent developers on the East Coast. And the winning development team not only would receive more than $1 billion in federal appropriations to foot the cost of a new campus but also would win control of the current FBI headquarters property, considered a once-in-a-generation development opportunity in downtown Washington. Trump is the first commercial real estate mogul turned U.S. president. Federal real estate experts say the president does not typically get personally involved in specific projects even of this magnitude, leaving such decisions to contracting officials. It would be unusual for Trump to play a role. A Trump spokeswoman declined to comment. Roth is founder and chairman of Vornado Realty Trust, which acquired a mutual stake with Trump in a 2 million-square-foot Manhattan building in 2007 and has partnered in multiple commercial properties with Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner. Trump named Roth as an economic advisers on his campaign. During his victory speech after winning the New York presidential primary in April, Trump gestured to Roth from the stage and said he had recently called Roth to congratulate him on one of his projects, 220 Central Park South. Its a tremendous success, Trump said. I said, Steve, congratulations on the building. He said, Donald, its nothing compared to whats happening with you.' Silverstein, who founded his development company in 1957, has developed, owned or managed 40 million square feet of commercial real estate. Trump proposed building two office towers with Silverstein at the former World Trade Center site four years after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. At the time, Trump called Silverstein a great guy, a good guy . . . a friend of mine in an interview on MSNBC, though they have also feuded on occasion. For years, FBI leaders have argued that their current headquarters, the dated J. Edgar Hoover Building on Pennsylvania Avenue, falls short of the security and operational needs of a modern crime-fighting agency. As a precaution, most of the entrances were sealed after the 1995 bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City. The FBI building is in such rough shape that netting hangs on the buildings east facade to prevent pieces of concrete from falling onto the sidewalk. In response to Republican spending constraints, the Obama administration has proposed an unconventional trade: offer the Hoover site to a builder as a way of helping to pay for a new campus in Greenbelt or Landover in Maryland or in Springfield, Virginia. The location will be selected at the same time as the developer. Congress, led by House Republicans, is slated to consider the property swap in coming weeks as part of a $1.7 billion appropriation request for the FBI headquarters from the Obama administration. That is in addition to $390 million that was previously appropriated. The General Services Administration, which manages federal real estate, is scheduled to choose a development team and campus location in March. The bidding process calls for a panel of government officials with relevant expertise to make the selection. It would be highly unusual for a president to intervene, said Robert A. Peck, a GSA official who oversaw the Public Buildings Service when Trump was selected for the hotel project. The FBI needs a new headquarters, he said. Presumably these guys are pro-law-enforcement and, whatever Comey did, these guys are interested in security, and thats what they will focus on. The GSA has not disclosed the names of a list of approved bidders for the project, but officials and executives say four teams are finalists those backed by the two New Yorkers and teams headed by Boston Properties of Massachusetts and the Peterson Cos. of Fairfax. Each is permitted to offer proposals for multiple sites. Officials at those companies declined to comment. Before running for office, Trump considered pursuing the project. After he won the deal to develop Washingtons Old Post Office Pavilion into a luxury hotel in 2013, he told The Washington Post that he and his daughter Ivanka would be watching the FBI as to whats going to happen with the deal. When I talked with him, he wanted to talk about the FBI building. That was what was on his mind, said Dorothy Robyn, a former real estate official at the Pentagon and the GSA, recalling a conversation at the time. He talked about how he might submit a proposal to be the developer. I didnt know if it was bluster or not, but he was definitely thinking about it. Comey has made his case on Capitol Hill for the headquarters project and keeps a piece of broken concrete from the Hoover buildings facade in his office as a reminder of the need to upgrade. During the campaign, Comey first drew Trumps ire for not pursuing criminal charges over Clintons use of a private email server. But Trump later praised him when he eschewed Justice Department guidelines in disclosing a new review of her email just over a week before Election Day. FBI spokeswoman Samantha Shero declined to speculate on Comeys relationship with the president-elect. In a statement about the project, she said: GSA and FBI have made significant progress on the procurement for the FBIs new Headquarters Consolidation Project. The teams have been working diligently together to meet the expected March date to select an awardee. If Congress provides the resources requested in the Presidents fiscal year 2017 budget request, we will be in a position to deliver a secure, consolidated headquarters for the FBI. Because the Hoover building is across the street from Trumps new D.C. hotel, he could benefit financially from its redevelopment. Trump owns about three-quarters of the hotel project personally, but he has said that he will step away from his business interests when he takes office. Anything that moves redevelopment quickly could only help the area around it, said Neil O. Albert, president of the Downtown D.C. Business Improvement District, an association of downtown developers. Roth supported Trump in the campaign. His firm, Vornado, is bidding in tandem with the JBG Cos. (which is also merging with Vornados Washington unit). W. Matthew Kelly, who is slated to become chief executive of the new company, said in October that the firms FBI proposal was a 50-50 split between Vornado and JBG. Trumps history with Silverstein, chairman of Silverstein Properties and one of New Yorks most prolific developers, appears to have had its ups and downs.Four years after the 9/11 attacks, Trump proposed building two office towers at the site, where Silverstein owned development rights. He called the Silverstein-backed design for the site the worst pile of crap architecture I have ever seen in my life. Silverstein supported Clinton for president, but the day after the election, speaking at a New York real estate conference, he complimented Trumps leadership qualities. For the FBI project, Silverstein is bidding in partnership with Lerner Enterprises, headed by Washington Nationals owner Theodore N. Lerner. Trump works hard. He is highly focused when he wants to be, Silverstein said at the conference, according to Commercial Property Executive, a trade publication. Knowing his determination, his drive, his commitment once he makes it . . . will propel him to be the best president he can possibly be. Robyn, who left the GSA two years ago, said that for the most part the FBI project has been insulated from politics and is moving forward. The FBI building is a train very, very far down the track, she said. I think theres a lot of momentum and its going to happen. fbi-headquarters One of the more common refrains during Americas nearly ever-present campaign season is that this election, this year, is the most important of our lives. We documented this in July, noting that it was first used in one form or another back in 1856, but has been common since at least 1980. Why is each election most important? Well, thats often a bit more nebulous. According to a new survey from PRRI and The Atlantic, we can describe one way in which voters in 2016 felt this was the most important election in history. Forty-one percent of respondents including two-thirds of those who voted for Donald Trump felt that the 2016 election was critical because it was our last chance to stop Americas decline. The fraction of Hillary Clinton voters who agreed with that sentiment was much smaller, at only a fifth. Trump himself positioned this election as a final opportunity for his party, at one point telling the Christian Broadcasting Networks David Brody that 2016 was the last election that the Republicans have a chance of winning in part thanks to shifting demographics. The idea of decline clearly also overlaps with the motto embroidered into his hats. America was once great; it no longer is; Trump will reverse that. The decline will stop. Responses to the question also correlate to age and economic status. Older Americans were more likely to agree with the sentiment, as were members of the white working class. The net result of the election is that those voters who were worried about the decline of the United States are now among the most optimistic about the next four years. About 28 percent of Americans think the quality of life in their local communities will improve under Trump but more than half of members of the white working class who voted for Trump think that it will. In other words, for now at least, Trumps core base of support felt that this was an unusually important election and that the results stopped what they perceived as the worst-case scenario. trump-voters PHOENIX Arizona Corporation Commissioner Bob Burns has rejected an offer from the states largest electric utility to settle their legal dispute. The Arizona Capitol Times reports (http://bit.ly/2h2t3Ef) that Arizona Public Service and its parent company Pinnacle West had asked Burns to drop his efforts to force the companies to disclose political spending and offered to support new disclosure rules on future expenditures instead. Burns rejected that offer. Burns says he wants to see what APS and Pinnacle West have spent on commission elections in the past and some sort of guarantee that any future disclosure rule would be actually be implemented. APS has been the subject of ongoing speculation that it spent $3.2 million backing the 2014 elections of two commissioners. The company wont confirm or deny that it contributed to groups backing the candidates. ___ Information from: Arizona Capitol Times, http://www.arizonacapitoltimes.com PHOENIX A 14-year-old boy bolted off his school bus and ran to rescue his dog after seeing his Phoenix familys home was on fire, authorities said. Fire Capt. Aaron Ernsberger said the boy had just gotten on the school bus at a nearby stop Friday morning. As the bus drove by his home, the boy saw smoke coming from the house and got off the bus, Ernsberger said. The boy went to the front door and opened it but could not enter because of smoke, flames and heat. He then ran to the back door and let the familys 9-year-old pit bull out, Ernsberger said. He was smart enough to not go inside, thank God, Ernsberger said. Otherwise, he would not be with us today. News video showed smoke billowing from the home and firefighters on its roof where they cut a hole to let out smoke and heat. No injuries were reported. The home sustained major smoke and fire damage, Ernsberger said. All of their belongings are a total loss. The cause of the fire wasnt immediately known. Officials previously said the boy was 16. ___ This story has been corrected to reflect that the Fire Department later said the boys age was 14, not 16. Canada has lifted visa requirements for visitors from Mexico in a bid to boost tourism and investment with a caveat that could see the barrier reimposed as Donald Trumps election threatens to shake up North America. The visa rule was imposed in 2009 to stem a spike in refugee claims, becoming a thorn in bilateral ties and cutting the number of total Mexican visitors to Canada by two thirds. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a resolution during President Enrique Pena Nietos visit to Ottawa in June, and details have since emerged ahead of Thursdays implementation date. Mexico will help weed out illegitimate claimants from flying to Canada with increased screening and information sharing, while Trudeaus government has reserved the right to re-impose restrictions if it sees too many refugees. Pena Nietos envoy in Ottawa believes the move will boost tourism and commerce, and that the two countries will be able to mitigate new claims. We see theres enormous potential for increasing trade both ways, increasing investment both ways. And I think this issue will trigger that, Ambassador Agustin Garcia-Lopez Loaeza said in an interview, predicting the number of visitors to Canada will rise to 300,000 in 2017 from about 200,000 this year. The warming of relations comes as Trump prepares to take office with calls to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement and end illegal Mexican immigration to the U.S. While Canada could face its own surge of migrants fleeing a Trump crackdown, it has less to lose than Mexico on Nafta. If the U.S. withdraws, an earlier bilateral pact with Canada will kick in. Refugee claims by Mexicans in Canada surged from 1,421 in 2000 to 9,467 in 2008, the last full year before the visa was imposed. As a share of Canadas total refugee claims, Mexico rose to 26 percent from 4 percent. Trudeaus predecessor, Stephen Harper, imposed the visa to stem the flow of claims, which then collapsed because the vast majority were denied. Some 89 percent of Mexican refugee cases were rejected in 2008, compared to 44 percent for all other countries combined. Theres a lot of cost associated with processing and deporting people who make bogus refugee claims, said Michelle Rempel, an opposition lawmaker who served in Harpers cabinet. You dont put in place a visa requirement for a country like Mexico, with our trading relationship, unless theres just cause. There was significant just cause. Refugee advocates say the visa requirement closed Canada to legitimate claimants. Trudeau campaigned last year on immediately lifting the ban; instead, hes doing so 13 months into office and attaching a caveat. If Canada receives more than an unspecified number of refugees from Mexico, it is threatening to require a visa once again. Trudeau took a similar approach to Syrian refugees, initially expanding Canadas intake only to reduce it once again after a surge. The visa requirement closed an opportunity for people facing serious human-rights abuses in Mexico from being able to find protection in Canada, said Janet Dench, executive director of the Canada Council for Refugees, a non-profit advocacy group. Unfortunately, that is the case in most of the world where the worst abuses are happening: Canada imposes a visa. Mexico viewed the visa as a cold shoulder from Harper, Garcia-Lopez said. Mexican investors and professionals avoided the country rather than toil with a visa application, which would mean delays and require frequent travelers to surrender their passport briefly, the ambassador said. Executives said they wouldnt visit Canada until the visa was lifted, he added. Its a question almost of principle, its a question of will. The barrier didnt stop business. Trade between the two countries totaled C$26.3 billion ($19.7 billion) in 2015, up from C$20.6 billion in 2010, the first full year after the visa requirement. There have been hiccups. Mexicos Grupo Bimbo completed a C$1.6 billion acquisition of Canada Bread Co. in 2014 only to since face visa delays bringing staff between the countries, the ambassador said, adding he expects a stampede of investment now that the visa requirement is gone. The impact for Mexico has to be positive, said Alejandro Martinez, a trade expert and partner at Baker & McKenzie based in Guadalajara, Mexico, who is also president of the Canada Alumni Network in Mexico. For businessmen who want to do business in Canada, itll be easier for them to take a plane and fly the next day to seek out new offers, check out an expo, get involved in a trade show, position their products. Canadian Immigration Minister John McCallum declined to say how many refugees would trigger new restrictions. We hope that the numbers will be moderate, but as a sovereign country, we retain sovereignty over our visa position so we will have to monitor it, he told reporters Nov. 23. Olivier Jacques, a Canadian immigration official in Mexico City, echoed this speaking to a parliamentary committee a week earlier. A number of risks have been identified, he said, but the visa requirement was lifted because of Nafta and the unique relationship between the countries. Garcia-Lopez said he doesnt expect as many refugee claims now because security and human rights have improved in Mexico since 2009, as has Canadas review system. However, persistent human rights concerns have reportedly held up U.S. anti-drug funding and drawn steady condemnation from advocacy groups. Nonetheless, the ambassador doesnt fear a hair-trigger return to a visa requirement. I dont think its black and white. I dont think its, well, you arrive at this threshold and back you go to the same system, he said. If we have a problem of a surge, we will talk about what the measures are we can take together. Bloombergs Nacha Cattan and Erik Hertzberg contributed. canada-mexico WASHINGTON Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., is now engaged in a very public battle for an internal Democratic job a battle that risks undermining the reason some Democrats want him to lead the party in the first place. Ellison really wants to be the Democratic National Committees next chairman, and hes got the support of powerful liberals like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., for the job. Hes a progressive black man from the Midwest who, a decade ago, became our nations first Muslim member of Congress. Today, he would present a striking contrast to President-elect Donald Trump. But Ellison is also a lightning rod, thanks to a wide range of comments he has made over the decades comparing George W. Bushs rise to Adolf Hitlers, defending the controversial leader of the Nation of Islam from accusations of anti-Semitism and suggesting the U.S. create a black state. Ellison has apologized for or backed off almost all of it. But the fact that those comments exist has put him in an unusual position for someone angling for an internal party job: He is having to publicly campaign for it against some influential outside groups who now dont want him to get it. The Anti-Defamation League had previously offered its tepid support for Ellison, but on Thursday it came close to revoking it. It wasnt for something Ellison said decades ago but rather a 2010 speech recently unearthed, where Ellison appears to question Israels influence over U.S. foreign policy. Heres what Ellison said: The United States foreign policy in the Middle East is governed by what is good or bad through a country of 7 million people. A region of 350 million all turns on a country of 7 million. Does that make sense? Is that logic? Right? When the Americans who trace their roots back to those 350 million get involved, everything changes. That crossed a red line, ADL chief executive Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement: Rep. Ellisons remarks are both deeply disturbing and disqualifying. His words imply that U.S. foreign policy is based on religiously or national origin-based special interests rather than simply on Americas best interests. Additionally, whether intentional or not, his words raise the specter of age-old stereotypes about Jewish control of our government, a poisonous myth that may persist in parts of the world where intolerance thrives, but that has no place in open societies like the U.S. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Republican Jewish Coalition described Ellisons record in a statement Thursday as disturbing. Both statements come on the heels of journalists resurfacing his vocal defenses of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and other radical black leaders. Farrakhan, who is widely considered to be anti-Semitic, is not an anti-Semite, Ellison declared in 1995. Ellisons desire to run the Democratic Party after one of its worst electoral performances in recent history has thrust him into the national spotlight. His past comments have thrust him into a position where he is publicly playing defense. He launched a public website explaining why hed be good for the job. On Thursday, he wrote an open letter to the ADL saying his comments were taken out of context (and making sure to mention in the first line that it had supported him in the past). And on the matter of his association with the Nation of Islam, he wrote an op-ed for The Washington Posts Acts of Faith blog Friday, declaring, I should have listened more and talked less: http://wapo.st/2gvm6um When I first heard criticism about Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Million Man March, I felt the marchs message of empowering young African Americans was being attacked, Ellison wrote. But I clearly didnt go deep enough. I defended the organizer of the march in writing, but I glossed over the hurtful and divisive language he directed at other communities. This has been a pattern for Ellison since he got into politics decades ago. Something he said or wrote gets dredged up, and he backs off it by saying he didnt understand the magnitude of what he said at the time. Its a pattern that is clearly repeating itself, even while he is a member of Congress. Controversy is nothing new for heads of the Democratic Party (just ask Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Donna Brazile). But controversy before you even get the job is not a good start. It puts Ellison on the defensive in a very public way, and it arguably opens the door for conservative media to bash Democrats on the very thing Ellisons candidacy is supposed to stand against: bias and bigotry. Ellisons struggles put Democrats more broadly in a tough position, too. Their ranks are once-in-a-generation thin right now. Theyre divided on which way to take the party after getting smashed at all levels over the past eight years. Ellison, baggage aside, symbolizes one direction: Get more liberal fast. If Democrats dont like that direction or the man volunteering to take them there they dont have a ton of other options. (Howard Dean wants to lead the DNC, too.) Is all this a dealbreaker for Ellison and his high-profile liberal backers? Its too soon to tell. But this isnt a great or even good start for him. Phillips writes about politics for The Fix. She was previously the Washington bureau chief for the Las Vegas Sun and has reported from Boston and Taiwan. dems-chair ORMOND-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. A U.S. Marshals task force has arrested a man in Louisville, Kentucky, who is suspected in the disappearance of his estranged wife in Florida. Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian Parrish said in a news release that 58-year-old Jarvis Wayne Madison was taken into custody on Friday. Authorities say his 44-year-old wife Rachael Madison didnt return from a jog Sunday while staying with relatives in Ormond-by-the-Sea, which is near Daytona Beach. Shed been in Florida since Nov. 16. Investigators say Jarvis Madison called his wifes relatives inquiring about her whereabouts and had threatened to kill her aunt for hiding her. Volusia County Sheriffs deputies told local news outlets earlier this week they are concerned for her well-being because of past incidents of violence. The couple lived in Indiana and Kentucky. FNJ stages demo demanding SP Lohanis transfer Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) has started phase-wise protests demanding the transfer of Saptari's Superintendent of Police (SP), Dibesh Lohani, for manhandling journalists. President-elect Donald Trump has assembled a kitchen cabinet of wealthy corporate and financial executives including current and former leaders from General Motors, JP Morgan Chase and IBM to provide him with economic advice. The 16-person group, whose membership was announced Friday, will meet for the first time at the White House in early February. Its leader Stephen Schwarzman, the CEO and co-founder of private equity giant Blackstone, is the wealthiest member of the group with an estimated net worth of $9.9 billion. This forum brings together CEOs and business leaders who know what it takes to create jobs and drive economic growth, Trump said in a statement. My administration is committed to drawing on private sector expertise and cutting the government red tape that is holding back our businesses. Trumps announcement of his Strategic and Policy Forum comes as he assembles what is already the wealthiest administration in modern American history, raising questions about his teams ability to identify with the concerns of his voters around the country. Nearly every member of the advisory panel is worth tens or hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars. Those who will advise Trump are Schwarzman; Patomak Global Partners CEO Paul Atkins, a former commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission; General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra; Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove; JP Morgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon; BlackRock Chairman and CEO Larry Fink; Walt Disney Company Chairman and CEO Bob Iger; Boston Consulting Group President and CEO Rich Lesser; Walmart Stores President and CEO Doug McMillon; former Boeing Chairman and CEO Jim McNerney; Global Infrastructure Partners Chairman Adebayo Ogunlesi; IBM President and CEO Ginni Rometty; former member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors Kevin Warsh; EY Global Chairman and CEO Mark Weinberger; former chairman and CEO of General Electric Jack Welch; and IHS Markit Vice Chairman Daniel Yergin. As our colleagues Jim Tankersley and Ana Swanson have noted of Trumps cabinet and advisers: Their collective wealth in many ways defies Trumps populist campaign promises. Their business ties, particularly to Wall Street, have drawn rebukes from Democrats. But the group also amplifies Trumps own campaign pitch: that Washington outsiders who know how to navigate and exploit a rigged system are best able to fix that system for the working class. It fits into Trumps message that hes trying to do business in an unusual way, by bringing in these outsiders, said Nicole Hemmer, an assistant professor in presidential studies at the University of Virginias Miller Center. But Trump and his team, she added, wont be able to draw on the same sort of life struggles that President Obama did, in crafting policy to lift poor and middle-class Americans. Theyre just not going to have any access to that life experience, she said. I guess it will be a test does empathy actually matter? If youre able to echo back what people are telling you, is that enough? A Trump adviser said Friday that discounting the administration based on its collective wealth is categorically unfair. Hes really evaluating talent, investor Anthony Scaramucci told reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower. If people in the United States have lived the American Dream and have been able to amass that kind of wealth, well certainly theyre super talented or, in what the president-elect says, theyre actually killers . . . What I would like us to try to get done here is to sort of end the demonization of success. We want super bright people . . . Why is it so bad to be a billionaire, ok? trump-cabinet Santa Feans shouldnt be worried about some expected fire and pyrotechnics near downtown pre-New Years Eve, a City Hall news release says. The makers of a film shooting in Santa Fe, Cliffs of Freedom, a major production starring Christopher Plummer, Patti LuPone and Billy Zane about the 1820 Greek Revolution against 400 years of Ottoman Empire rule, will be filming a house-burning scene and another where the bell tower of a church is blown off. We just want people to have an awareness that this is only a movie, said Deborah Wakshull, the location manager for the movie, which is being directed by Van Ling. Ling has been the visual effects supervisor on many major films, including Titanic and Stormship Troopers. Wakshull said there will be some smoke during the scenes that are scheduled to be shot Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 5 and 6; and on Monday, Dec. 12 and Friday, Dec. 16. The filming will take place north of downtown Santa Fe. To ensure the safety of the production and the surrounding neighborhood, the Santa Fe Fire Department and Santa Fe Police will be on site, said the citys news release. Sen. Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said today that hell keep an open mind about President-elect Donald Trumps nomination of Marine General James Mattis as the next Secretary of Defense. Trump announced his nomination of Mattis who is nicknamed Mad Dog on Thursday. Marine General James Mattis is a well-respected leader in the military and has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to his country, Heinrich said. Throughout his 44 years of service, he has proven to be a tough leader on and off the battlefield. Whether it was helping lead the initial invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11, conducting stability operations throughout the Iraq War, or overseeing military leaders across the Middle East, General Mattis has relentlessly focused on defeating the threats facing the United States and our allies. In order to confirm Mattis, Congress would have to change a law that prevents those who have been on active military duty within the last seven years from serving in the civilian post. The last secretary of defense to get such a waiver was retired Army Gen. George Marshall, who lead the Pentagon under President Harry Truman in 1950. While Mattis is expected to secure the waiver, it could take some arm-twisting in the narrowly controlled Senate where 60 votes are needed to overcome a filibuster. In order to get to 60, the Republican-controlled Senate would need eight Democrats to support the waiver. Meanwhile, Sen. Kristin Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said she would opposed the waiver for Mattis. Civilian control of our military is a fundamental principle of American democracy, and I will not vote for an exception to this rule, Gillibrand said Thursday. Heres Heinrichs full statement: As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I take the responsibility of vetting and confirming our nations Secretary of Defense very seriously. Heres Heinrichs full statement: Marine General James Mattis is a well-respected leader in the military and has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to his country. Throughout his 44 years of service, he has proven to be a tough leader on and off the battlefield. Whether it was helping lead the initial invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11, conducting stability operations throughout the Iraq War, or overseeing military leaders across the Middle East, General Mattis has relentlessly focused on defeating the threats facing the United States and our allies. Our next Secretary of Defense must be prepared to face a number of global threats not limited to the Middle Eastto include North Korea, Russia, China, Iran, and terrorist organizations across several continents. Each of these threats present their own challenges in unique ways, and I look forward to hearing General Mattis strategy for each of them. I also look forward to hearing how General Mattis would invest in our militarys capabilities, not only against ISIL and the threats we face on the battlefield today, but against those threats on the horizon and particularly how our nation can best deter and prepare for future conflicts with additional investment in research, development, and testing of next generation weapon systems as well as investing in the nuclear triad. Perhaps most importantly, the civilian leadership of our military is a cornerstone of our democracy. Since General Mattis has only recently retired from the military, Congress would need to change the law that states that a Secretary of Defense must not have been on active duty in the last seven years. I will keep that in mind throughout his nomination process. I look forward to meeting with General Mattis and receiving his testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee in the coming months. U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich SEATTLE The gunman had already shot a police officer, threatened to kill two children and barricaded himself upstairs in a house for 11 hours when one of the kids, a 6-year-old boy, escaped. As the suspect held a little girl as a human shield, his movements exposed him to a sheriffs marksman who targeted him through a window and killed him with a shot to the head, allowing the 8-year-old girl to break free from his grasp and run to safety, authorities disclosed Friday about the killing of Bruce R. Johnson in Tacoma, Washington. Once we were able to assess that the kids were still alive, it went into play, sheriffs spokesman Ed Troyer said of the SWAT teams plan to end the standoff in a suburban neighborhood south of Seattle. He had a choice to put the guns down. We werent about to let those kids get hurt. The standoff began after Police Officer Reginald Jake Gutierrez, 45, was fatally shot Wednesday night when he and his partner went into the house to investigate a domestic violence call. Gutierrezs partner returned fire and helped get Johnsons wife safely out of the house. Other officers came under fire as they worked their way into the house and pulled Gutierrez out. He later died in surgery. Police escorted his body to a funeral home Friday as people lined the streets to pay their respects. The 17-year veteran officer is survived by three daughters and a granddaughter. A fund has been set up to help the children, and the department is overseeing another fund to help with memorial services. Police went to the house Wednesday after Johnsons wife told animal control officers that he had locked her out of the house. The officers called police. Several adults and the two children had been in the home earlier in the day, but it was not initially clear whether everyone had escaped when the shooting started, Tacoma police spokeswoman Loretta Cool said. Others were saying the kids went down to the park, but nobody could confirm where they were, Cool said. There wasnt a sighting of them the whole time, no noise. As officials negotiated with Johnson, the SWAT team moved into the basement and then to the main floor of the house, cornering him upstairs, Troyer said. Thats when they confirmed the kids were still inside. Johnson had threatened to kill the children, and officers heard screaming and gunshots during the standoff, but once the officers determined the children were still alive, they executed a plan to get them out. Before they could act, the 6-year-old boy bolted down the stairs and onto the porch. Johnson held onto the girl, but the activity exposed him to the marksman outside. It only took one shot, and Johnson was dead. __ Follow Martha Bellisle at https://twitter.com/marthabellisle TAMPA The last standing cigar factory here, in what was once dubbed Cigar City, has survived two world wars, the Great Depression, smoking bans and a Cuban trade embargo that wiped out much of its tobacco supply. Its fortunes have long been linked to Cuba, the communist nation that for decades supplied the regions tobacco and continues to mint many of its workers. For years cigar executives here say they have looked to Cuba with equal parts intrigue and trepidation, a sentiment that has become more pronounced in recent years as the United States began to mend decades of strained relations with the island nation. The death of Fidel Castro the most iconic of cigar smokers marks yet another milestone for the region. Many here wonder whether the once-booming cigar industry may be on its way out as well. Among those most worried: Eric Newman, whose family has been making 31 brands of cigars, including Cuesta-Rey, Diamond Crown and La Unica, for three generations. For 121 years, the J.C. Newman Cigar Co. has churned out millions of cigars and shipped them worldwide even as, one by one, 149 surrounding factories shuttered their doors, many moving their operations overseas. But now Newman, who owns the company with his brother, Bobby, says cigar manufacturers and retailers in this stretch of town known as Ybor City face hurdles that could deal a final blow to an industry that has, until now, gone largely unregulated. The Food and Drug Administration this year introduced new guidelines that will require cigar manufacturers to get approval for new products, pay increased fees and add prominent warning labels. The FDA says the measures, which will be phased in over three years, are a matter of public safety and are meant to curb underage tobacco use. Before August, no federal law prohibited the sale of cigars, e-cigarettes or hookah tobacco to children under 18. For years, the unregulated marketplace was like the Wild, Wild West, said Mitch Zeller, director of the FDAs Center for Tobacco Products. The new rules, Zeller says, will help bring order to a corner of the tobacco industry that has long operated without oversight. Newman, though, says the regulations represent millions of dollars in new costs and increased uncertainty for his factory, which last year had sales of $10 million. On top of that, he says, the Obama administration in October loosened its ban on Cuban cigars, allowing Americans to bring back as many cigars as they like for personal use. Newman says the move, part of the thawing of relations between the nations, introduces another layer of competition at a critical time. What were dealing with right now is the worst its ever been, said Newman, whose grandfather started the business at age 20 in a family barn. On the one hand, the government is saying, smoking is bad and making us jump through all these new hoops. On the other, theyre welcoming Cuban cigars which havent been tested, which arent taxed into the country. Theyve got this backwards. And now, with the election of Donald Trump as the countrys next president, Newman says hes dealing with even more uncertainty about the future. Will the new regulations remain in place? And if so, for how much longer? In the meantime, he says there are pressing matters, including a looming deadline on Dec. 31 that requires him to register more than 1,300 cigar varieties with the government. In all, the process could cost him more than $14 million. We just have to plow ahead, Newman says, sitting up straight. If I think about it for too long, I get nauseous. A brave new world of regulation J.C. Newmans future may be up in the air, but inside the companys brick factory on the edge of town, operations are as theyve always been: Tobacco from countries such as Ecuador, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic is dried and blended on the top level, then funneled down a chute onto the factory floor, where more than 100 workers most of them women fill, bind and wrap cigars using machines that date from the 1930s. Winnie Money, 83, has been working at this plant since 1972. Juanita Green, 56, since 1988. Peaches Pickrell, 69, took a job here 37 years ago after her previous employer, a nearby emblem factory, shut down. It was here or the shrimp factory, she said, and so here she was, putting newly rolled cigars into plastic packaging. Yesterday she bundled 6,700 cigars into 335 packages. The day before, 7,300. Ana Rodriguez, who affixes bar code stickers onto individual cigars, has been here 15 years. She stays, she says, because she has a 401(k) and five weeks of paid annual leave. I say all the time, where are we going to find a job where they pay us like this? said Rodriguez, 59, who emigrated from Cuba in 1970. Were all older people. If this place closes, whos going to give us jobs? Nobody. In an election year where much of the rhetoric had focused on bringing back manufacturing jobs, Newman says he cant understand why the government would want to increase burdens on an operation like his. He says having to lay off workers or, worse, move the factory to Nicaragua, where the company already has a sprawling plant and 650 employees, would have discernible consequences for the community. Cigars are the heart and soul of Tampa, he said. Were here. Were employing more than 100 people. Just dont close us down. Zeller, of the FDA, says the agency has hosted webinars to help business owners navigate the new rules and has provided special assistance and exemptions to small businesses with less than $5 million in annual sales. He estimates the costs associated with regulatory filings to be $1,500 to $22,000 per product. These businesses are entering a brave new world of regulation and yes, there are costs associated with that, Zeller said. But the FDA is in the business of reducing the harms associated with tobacco use, and unfortunately tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the country. The requirement that worries Newman the most right now, and has two company accountants working around the clock, is having to register all products with the FDA by the end of the year. At last count, J.C. Newman produced 1,382 varieties of cigars, each requiring a set of filings. In February, Newman will have to submit health documents and an ingredient list for each item. And by May, come up with a plan for adding labels with warnings such as Cigars are not a safe alternative to cigarettes and Cigar smoking can cause lung cancer and heart disease to his velvet-lined boxes. Were having to go through, take pictures, list all of our ingredients, tell them about our packaging, said Drew Newman, Erics son. We are trying to cooperate with the law to the best of our ability, but we also have a business to run. The land of opportunity The fortunes of Ybor City have been tied to Cuba since the 1880s, when Spanish cigar maker Vicente Martinez Ybor made his way up from Havana to Key West and eventually to Tampa, lured by the regions humidity and proximity to the ocean. Ybor bought 40 acres of land and built his first cigar factory. To attract workers immigrants from Cuba, Italy, Germany and Spain he built hundreds of small houses that he rented out for about $1 a week. As business grew, so did the number of competing manufacturers who moved to the area in search of skilled workers and ready access to Cuban tobacco. By 1900, Ybor City had 232 factories making nearly 600 million cigars a year. The entire economy of Central Florida was based on cigars, said Wallace Reyes, a historian whose family owned a longtime cigar factory in Ybor City. For many immigrants, this was the land of opportunity. When the Great Depression struck in 1929, the local cigar industry was among the hardest hit. Factories closed, unemployment soared and many residents left. Decades of decline followed as Americans traded hand-rolled cigars for inexpensive, machine-made cigarettes. The biggest blow to the industry, Reyes says, came in early 1960s when the United States imposed the Cuban trade embargo, halting the flow of tobacco from the island into Ybor City. Almost all of the regions cigar makers relocated to Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic as a result. In the years since, there have been hints of promise as small storefronts crop up on Ybor Citys main stretch. But nearly everyone here agrees: The towns glory days are gone. Ybors original factory is now home to the Church of Scientology. Another factory down the street is being converted into luxury apartments. Historically, we had factories with a thousand workers, and we had smaller factories, like what my uncle owned, with just a few people, said Chantal Ruilova Hevia, president and chief executive of the Ybor City Museum Society. We had the whole gamut, but not anymore. The entire industry has deteriorated. Roll with the punches A mile from the J.C. Newman factory, on a stretch of Seventh Avenue dotted with cigar shops, Ernesto Ceijas, 39, sits in a storefront window cutting swaths of dried tobacco. He fills them with tobacco leaves, rolls them tight and seals them shut. On a good day, he makes 100 cigars which means hell make about $100. Its a hard life to make cigars, says Ceijas, who works at Long Ash Cigars, a boutique and lounge. Like the seven other rollers there, he is a Cuban immigrant who is paid about $1 for each cigar he makes. They will sell in the shop for between $3.50 and $13. But Michael Cincunegui, the shops owner, says cigar prices are likely to go up as more federal regulations take hold. Yes, theres going to be an impact, and yes, costs will go up, he said. Its just hard to tell how much. Cincunegui, whose great-grandfather emigrated from Cuba, says he was hopeful that recent strides in U.S.-Cuba relations would mean an eventual opening of trade between the two countries, allowing him to import coveted Cuban cigars and tobacco to sell in his Ybor City store. President-elect Donald Trump, however, has repeatedly vowed to terminate newly minted ties with the communist nation, leaving Cincunegui and others even more anxious about their future. Its a new administration, and we dont know the first thing about what to expect, he said. All we can do is roll with the punches. Cincunegui opened his shop four years ago, days before the 2012 Republican National Convention came to town. He is among a new crop of small-time entrepreneurs hoping to eke out a living in Tampas fading cigar industry. Like the Newmans, he is grappling with new regulations and changing ties with Cuba. So far, the people who are left are making a decent way of business, said Reyes, the historian. But with new rules, a new president, a new administration, who knows? The last plant to close in Ybor City, Hav-a-Tampa, moved its operations to Puerto Rico in 2009 after the federal government increased taxes on large cigars from 5 cents to 40 cents. Nearly 500 people lost their jobs. It was the worst time of my life, said Joe St. Charles, 51, a mechanic there who made $28.50 an hour. I was looking for a job, but so were 500 other people. He applied for 150 jobs, he said. But there were few calls back, and when there were, they were for jobs that paid $10, $11, $12 an hour. After a stint in Puerto Rico, St. Charles is back in Tampa working for J.C. Newman. He makes more than $30 an hour now, plus overtime, as the factorys lead mechanic. His fiancee, a cigar roller he met at J.C. Newman, makes about $20 an hour. If these rules shut us down, itd take out our entire household income, he said. This is the last factory left theres nowhere else for us to go. cigars The 2016 Holiday Shopping Season has arrived and so have the advertisements, free shipping offers, and the many incentives from retailers enticing you to buy from them. How do you make sure you are being a savvy shopper? According to the National Retail Federation, this holiday shopping season consumers plan to spend an average of $938.58. Retail sales are expected to be $655.8 billion with online sales topping $117 billion. As you shop, start with your BBB to help make your holiday shopping hassle free: Check out BBBs Holiday Helper. Your personal guide to gifting and giving this holiday season. Visit www.bbb.org/holidayhelper to make the best of your holiday shopping experience, get the best selection, save money, be safe, and give wisely. Understand Holiday Advertising. Be sure you know whats really being offered. Learn how to read ads and understand bad advertising at www.bbb.org/adtruth. Spot a bad ad? Use #AdTruth on social media to warn others. Remember to do your research, read the fine print, make sure websites are secure, and ask for gift receipts. Look for the Seal. Always remember to Start with Trust and Look for the BBB Accredited Business Seal when shopping this holiday season. BBB Accredited Businesses have made a commitment to BBBs Standards of Trust. Eight Principles that represent sound advertising, selling and customer service practices that enhance customer trust and confidence in business. Shop Safe Online. When shopping online, be sure to take your time, and read the fine print before submitting your order. Look for the return policy during the holidays, as some stores have different return policies depending on the item you purchase and when trying to return an item you purchased online. Although many online orders can be returned for a full refund, others have restocking fees. Look for the lock icon and https for secure URLs, watch out for look-alike websites, and use a credit, not a debit card. For more tips on getting the most out of your online shopping experience, visit www.bbb.org/digitaliq. Shop Small. The best prices and best selections are not always at the big box stores. Remember to shop small and shop local this holiday season. Research Charities. From collection kettles to toy drives to end-of-the-year tax deductions, the spirit of the holidays means giving to favorite causes and to those less fortunate. American charities receive one-third of their annual donations during the holiday season. Make sure the charity you select will be a good steward of your money. Check out www.give.org for charity reviews from BBB Wise Giving Alliance. Donate Wisely. BBB Wise Giving Alliance urges donors to research charities before giving to ensure that their generous contributions are going to trustworthy organizations. Watch out for name similarities, and make sure you are familiar with the organization seeking your donation. Be wary of emotional appeals and avoid charities that dont disclose their procedures. BBB WGA evaluations give donors insight into charity trustworthiness so that their hard-earned dollars go to charities that operate ethically. May your holiday season and New Year be filled with much happiness and success. We look forward to protecting and educating consumers all year round and for many years to come. ABOUT BBB For more than 100 years, Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2015, people turned to BBB more than 172 million times for BBB Business Profiles on more than 5.3 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at bbb.org. The Council of Better Business Bureaus is the umbrella organization for the local, independent BBBs in the United States, Canada and Mexico, as well as home to its national and international programs on dispute resolution, advertising review, and industry self-regulation. BBB serving New Mexico & Southwest Colorado was founded in 1941. SIMPSONVILLE, Ky. The Latest on the fatal shooting of a Kentucky man who had broken into a church (all times local): 4 p.m. Kentucky State Police say a man who broke into a small-town Kentucky church was holding a crowbar and moving toward a sheriffs deputy when the officer fatally shot him. State police spokesman Bernis Napier says the man was ordered multiple times to drop the crowbar but did not comply before being shot. Police identified the man as 22-year-old Dylan M. Dalzell of Shelbyville. Dalzell was white. Authorities have not identified the deputy who opened fire, but say the lawman was placed on paid administrative leave. Napier says three others were arrested as alleged accomplices serving as lookouts during the break-in at Simpsonville Baptist Church early Friday. Two are charged with burglary and receiving stolen property under $500. The third is charged with burglary. ___ 10:12 a.m. Authorities say a Kentucky sheriffs deputy shot and killed a person who had broken into a church. News media outlets quote state police trooper Bernis Napier as saying that Shelby County deputies found the unidentified male suspect inside the Simpsonville Baptist Church early Friday morning with a weapon. The type of weapon was unclear. Authorities say deputies repeatedly asked the suspect to drop the weapon, and when he didnt, one of the deputies fired, killing him. Police say there was a break-in at the church Thursday, so people were there when the second break-in attempt happened and called 911. It isnt clear whether the same suspect was responsible for both break-ins. Leslye Beltran-Paez, 34, a previously deported Mexican national, made her initial appearance in federal court Friday in Albuquerque on heroin trafficking and illegal reentry charges. Law enforcement agents in Cibola County arrested her Thursday in a moving truck that had 28 pounds of heroin in 10 wrapped bundles inside a kitchen stove in the back of the vehicle, according to the criminal complaint. Court documents show Beltran-Paez previously was deported on June 10, 2001, and had no permission to reenter. Beltran-Paez remains in federal custody pending preliminary and detention hearings, currently scheduled for Monday. She faces a statutory minimum penalty of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison for the heroin trafficking charge and a maximum penalty of two years in for the illegal reentry of a removed alien charge, the U.S. Attorneys Office said in a news release. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the New Mexico State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Samuel A. Hurtado is prosecuting the case as part of the New Mexico Heroin and Opioid Prevention and Education Initiative, according to the release. The HOPE Initiative was launched in January 2015 by the UNM Health Sciences Center and the U.S. Attorneys Office in response to the national opioid epidemic, which has had a disproportionately devastating impact on New Mexico. Working in partnership with the DEA, the Bernalillo County Opioid Accountability Initiative, Healing Addiction in our Community (HAC), Albuquerque Public Schools and other community stakeholders, HOPEs principal goals are to protect our communities from the dangers associated with heroin and opioid painkillers, and reducing the number of opioid-related deaths in New Mexico. Its an experience many shoppers have had: Youre in line at the store prepared to make a purchase, only to have your credit card declined for no apparent reason. A perfectly legitimate charge has been flagged as fraudulent, and the result is an agitated customer and a retailer with unsold merchandise. MasterCard has now turned to artificial intelligence to better differentiate between real and mistaken fraud, hoping to tamp down on the former while allowing the latter to go through. Its the latest financial services company to see the potential for the burgeoning field of machine learning to improve security on its network and enhance the customer experience. Financial institutions have for years collected data on customers habits and routines, and used the information to pinpoint cards that may have been compromised. Thats the reason your card may be declined if you make an unusually large purchase, shop at a store for the first time, or buy gas in a place far from home. The system is essentially deciding whether that behavior seems normal according to predetermined questions, then accepting or declining the purchase based on its decision. The old method was using tests and thresholds and other sorts of rules. With a rules-based approach, you get a tremendous amount of false positives, said Todd Marlin, a principal in Ernst & Youngs forensic technology and discovery services practice. What were seeing is sort of a gold rush into artificial intelligence, Marlin said. Machine learning can help fraud detection systems become smarter about what fraud actually looks like, both across the network and on an individual level. For example, the system might detect that you havent shopped at a particular merchant in the past, but still accept the purchase because customers with a similar spending history shop there often. Or perhaps you travel to a certain state or country often enough that the system learns purchases there are likely to be legitimate. Citing a survey from Javelin Advisory Services, MasterCard estimates that $118 billion in sales were declined due to falsely identified fraud in the United States in 2014 well more than the $9 billion lost to actual instances of fraud. Thats a large sum of money that retailers and credit card purveyors like MasterCard could be pocketing. Mastercards new Decision Intelligence software pulls in data, sometimes hundreds of pieces of data, about a specific transaction at the moment a customer swipes his or her credit card. The system then combines all of that information to yield a score indicating how likely the transaction is to be fraudulent. Each score builds on the one before it and informs the one after it such that the computers algorithm gets better at detecting fraud without a programmer having to engineer every change. The company called it the first use of AI being implemented on a global scale directly on the MasterCard network. For this to work we need all kinds of data coming in, said Ajay Bhalla, the president of enterprise risk and security at MasterCard. Weve been working on a strategy of getting more data points into the network. We see this as a critical component of our future strategy, Bhalla added. We are embedding AI in everything were looking at as a company. For the last decade, Visa has deployed its Visa Advanced Authorization system to detect fraud. The volume of data and the speed at which its processed has increased considerably over that time, said Mark Nelson, the companys senior vice president of risk products and business intelligence. Visa parses through those large sets of data to discern what characteristics distinguish legitimate and fraudulent spending, and then uses those characteristics to assess the veracity of future purchases. We can look at that transaction and, knowing what weve seen in the past, we can predict if this is going to be good or bad, Nelson said. Digital payment platforms are also embracing machine learning, though fraud remains more difficult to detect in online or mobile commerce. PayPal has developed its own artificial intelligence software to combat fraud, allowing the company to move from a system that can analyze tens of data points to one that can analyze thousands. Theres a magnitude of difference youll be able to analyze a lot more information and identify patterns that are a lot more sophisticated, PayPals senior director of global risk and data sciences, Hui Wang, told American Banker. But Visa, MasterCard and PayPal have the financial heft and risk appetite to explore artificial intelligence in ways that smaller and more regional players in the financial services industry do not, said Celent analyst Arin Ray. While most in the industry think AI holds promise, there remain questions about how it will impact regulatory compliance and that makes some hesitant to embrace the technology, according to a report Ray co-authored in August. The concept of AI has been there for 50 years, but it really has had a rebirth of sorts in the last three or four years. The volume of data has grown exponentially in recent times, so there is definitely the need for tools to [analyze it], Ray said in an interview. One [concern] is how this technology will impact their existing operations. Since its still unproven technology, they dont want to take that risk if they have to make major changes to their existing infrastructure, he said. ai-credit Several Jewish leaders and elected officials in Montgomery County are criticizing the administration of Gov. Larry Hogan (R) for refusing to link a surge of hate-based incidents in recent weeks to the election of Republican Donald Trump. They say they are particularly troubled that, in response to a tweet from state Sen. Cheryl Kagan (D) this week, Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford (R) replied that hate is not new. Ron Halber, the executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, said there is a direct correlation between the vitriolic rhetoric of the Trump campaign and the uptick of anti-Semitic and bigoted events happening across the country and in my home town of Montgomery County. Anyone who is denying that has their head in the sand, Halber said. At a legislative breakfast sponsored by the council on Thursday, Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal of Gaithersburgs Shaare Torah synagogue asked Rutherford about recent race-based incidents in the county, including a swastika drawn on the wall of a high school bathroom and a whites only sign taped to a boys bathroom at another local high school. Rutherford, who is African-American, condemned the incidents and encouraged people to report them, Blumenthal said Friday. Then the lieutenant governor went on to say that he did not know why the incidents are happening now, Blumenthal said. Many in the overwhelmingly Democratic audience gasped, according to several people who attended the event. Blumenthal said Friday that he was disappointed that Rutherford did not see a correlation between the incidents and the divisiveness of Trumps campaign, which featured strong support from white supremacist groups and frequent attacks on immigrants and Muslims. Kagan, who attended the breakfast, tweeted afterward that she was shocked that Rutherford was perplexed by the increase. In a reply, Rutherford tweeted: You act as though hate is new. It was always there. Id rather people show their real colors than hide. Kagan called Rutherfords tweet remarkably offensive. He should be condemning, not offering safe haven, to those with racist attitudes in our state, she said. Shareese Churchill, a spokeswoman for Rutherford, said both Rutherford and Hogan condemn racism and acts of hatred from all sides. Citizens have the right to protest peacefully, but all Marylanders must treat each other with respect, and acts of violence or damage to public or private property will not be tolerated. Churchill said Rutherford, who grew up during the civil rights movement, has stared real racism and discrimination in the face. She said his tweet was simply referencing the indisputable fact that racism and race-related tensions have been issues facing our nation for hundreds of years. Hogan, who like Rutherford disavowed Trump early in the presidential campaign, also has declined to link the president-elects rise to recent incidents in Maryland. When asked about the incidents shortly after the election, Hogan said, We would not like to see any hate crimes on either side of this issue. He noted that the only actual violence that had been reported in Maryland was anti-Trump protesters beating up a Trump supporter during a march. Halber said he spoke to Rutherford by phone on Friday and there is no doubt in my mind that he rejects bigotry. Its not as important how this began, Halber said. Im just glad that the lieutenant governor is denouncing anti-Semitism and bigotry. maryland-hatecrimes France's Hollande won't seek re-election In a surprise move Francois Hollande has announced he will not seek a second term as president of France. The Federal Council Bern, 02.12.2016 - A number of personnel changes will be made in 2017 in the Swiss representations abroad and at the head office of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). The changes will take place as part of the usual transfer rotation and on the basis of appointments made by the Federal Council. The appointment of heads of mission abroad becomes effective following approval by the respective host state. The Federal Council thanks those ambassadors entering retirement for their services. Daniel Hunn, currently deputy head of mission in Washington, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the Republic of Djibouti, the Republic of South Sudan and permanent observer to the African Union, based in Addis Ababa. Markus Dutly, currently head of mission in Riga, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Ghana, the Republic of Benin and the Togolese Republic, based in Accra. Konstantin Obolensky, currently deputy head of the Human Security Division and head of the Human Security Section I at the Directorate of Political Affairs in Bern, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Estonia and the Republic of Lithuania, based in Riga. Dominique Paravicini, currently deputy director of the Directorate for European Affairs in Bern, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Turkey. Rene Holenstein, currently head of mission in Bishkek, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the People's Republic of Bangladesh. Veronique Hulmann Marti, currently head of cooperation at the SDC cooperation office in Jerusalem, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Kyrgyz Republic. Markus-Alexander Antonietti, currently head of mission in Prague, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Peru. Daniel Cavegn, currently deputy head of mission in Abuja, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of the Sudan and the State of Eritrea, based in Khartoum. Monika Schmutz Kirgoz, currently consulate general in Istanbul, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Lebanese Republic. She will succeed Am-bassador Francois Barras, who will retire. Fabrice Filliez, currently deputy head of the Tax Division at the State Secretariat for International Financial Matters (SIF) in Bern, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Singapore and Brunei Darussalam, based in Singapore. He will succeed Ambassador Thomas Kupfer, who will retire. Markus Leitner, currently head of mission in Cairo, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Paul Garnier, currently head of the Swiss liaison office in Ramallah, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Arab Republic of Egypt. Pietro Lazzeri, currently deputy head of mission in Rome, will become the new ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Cameroon, the Central African Republic and the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, based in Yaounde. Martin Michelet, currently deputy head of mission in Warsaw, will become the new head (with the title of ambassador) of Switzerlands Permanent Delegation to UNESCO in Paris. Didier Pfirter, currently head of mission in Montevideo, has been appointed commissioner for the organisation of the 33rd International Red Cross and Red Crescent Conference, which will take place in Geneva late autumn 2019. To allow him to carry out this new function, the Federal Council has conferred on him the title of ambassador. Corinne Ciceron Buhler, currently deputy head of mission in Tel Aviv, has been appointed assistant director and head of Division II: International Law, International Treaties and Law on Transborder Relations at the Directorate of International Law in Bern. To allow her to carry out this new function, the Federal Council has conferred on her the title of ambassador. Address for enquiries FDFA Information +41 58 462 31 53 info@eda.admin.ch Publisher The Federal Council https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start.html Federal Department of Foreign Affairs https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation Bern, 02.12.2016 - The Ministers responsible for space affairs from ESA Member States came together on 1-2 December 2016 to make important decisions, namely on the strategy to ensure Europe reinforces its excellence in space science and technology; maximising the integration of space into European society and on fostering a competitive European space sector. The meeting in Lucerne, the first one on Swiss territory, was also the occasion for Switzerland and Luxembourg to pass on the Ministerial Presidency to Spain. The President of the Confederation M. Johann N. Schneider-Ammann welcomed the participants of ESAs Ministerial Council meeting for their 2-day meeting in Lucerne. The Ministers of the 22 Member States and the two associated States Slovenia and Canada came together, as is usual every 3-4 years, to agree on their respective financial commitments for the following years and consequently decide on ESAs future. Decisions were taken for the start or the continuation of about 30 different programmes covering all domains of space activities. Major decisions reached: The continued European participation in the exploitation of the International Space Station ISS until 2024, together with the international partners such as the United States of America, Russia, Japan and Canada; The further development of launcher technologies to prepare the evolution of Ariane 6 and Vega C which have been confirmed recently, and maintenance of corresponding infrastructure, assets and services to guarantee a continued autonomous European access to space; Political support and funding for the second ExoMars mission, to be developed in cooperation with Russia and launched in 2020. It will use the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), in orbit around the planet since October 2016, as a data relay station between Mars and Earth; The continuation of Earth Observation programmes that provide the basis for scientific missions, as well as for future operational missions in the domains of meteorology and environmental observations, as well as the development of user driven applications including climate change; Several programmes in the telecommunications sector with a strong cooperation with the private sector to increase the competitiveness of industry; A number of programme elements in the domain of space safety and security to safeguard space assets and ground-based infrastructure. In total, the Member States committed more than 10 billion Euros. This amount reflects the strong belief of Ministers that space activities represent an essential source for economic development, growth and innovation. In addition to programmatic decisions, Ministers also decided on the future evolution of ESA and the continued cooperation between the Agency and the European Union. The success of this Ministerial meeting strengthens ESA as an intergovernmental organisation that covers all aspects of space activities along the entire value chain. Switzerland as a full member of ESA can benefit from its focused participation. Participation in ESA programmes allows Swiss academic and industrial actors access to procurements, data and international cooperation, and also supports public sectorial policies. Main domains for Switzerland are space science, exploration, earth observation, and telecommunication. Switzerland is a founding member of ESA and contributes more than CHF 155 million to the Agencys programmes and activities anually. This investment allows the federal institutes of technology, universities, universities of applied science and Swiss industry to be involved in space missions at various levels, from cutting-edge scientific research to the development of prototypes, industrialisation and to the development of applications. The scientific excellence and technical innovations realised at national level in the space sector, as well as the close collaboration between research institutes and industry are important factors for economic growth. Address for enquiries Renator Krpoun, Head of Swiss Space Office, SERI Tel. +41 58 460 58 92, renato.krpoun@sbfi.admin.ch Publisher State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation http://www.sbfi.admin.ch A bold new plan to transform Harper Lee's hometown of Monroeville into a major tourist destination for fans of the late author and her writings is slated to roll out beginning as early as March. A tight-knit coalition, including Lee's attorney Tonja Carter and wealthy paper mill magnate George Landegger, plans to create the "Harper Lee Trail," a multifaceted collection of new Lee-related attractions aimed at drawing hundreds of thousands of additional tourists to the small Monroe County town each year. With plans to refurbish a 1909 building to serve as a museum dedicated to Harper Lee, build replicas of three homes that served as settings in her seminal novel "To Kill a Mockingbird," and provide other new offerings, the proposed trail would be a costly endeavor that would take years to complete. Pete Black, a member of the board of Mockingbird Company - a nonprofit founded in May 2015 by Lee, Carter and Montgomery accountant Paul Fields - spoke to AL.com Wednesday about the little-known plan. Carter did not respond to requests for comment via email and phone and instead instructed Black to answer questions about the project. Black said the Wednesday phone interview marked the first time the plan's details have been discussed with a media outlet. "There's a bigger vision that we're working on in Monroeville," he said. "With Ms. Lee's passing in February we've been working with leaders in Monroeville on how do we honor Ms. Lee, and our vision is, with some time, how do we create a Harper Lee Trail?" Alabama's Stratford-upon-Avon Inspired in part by visits in July by Carter, Black and Monroe County Probate Judge Greg Norris to William Shakespeare's birthplace at Stratford-upon-Avon in England to learn about how it has been turned into a popular destination for fans of the playwright, the Harper Lee Trail would fundamentally change Monroeville's tourism industry. Landegger, chairman of the Parsons & Whittemore pulp and paper company, funded Black and Norris' transatlantic trips, according to Black, who also serves as Parsons & Whittemore's Alabama business director. "We had a great trip," Norris told the Monroe Journal newspaper after he returned from England in July. "While there, we had the opportunity to meet with Juliet Short, the Stratford mayor, and she provided us with lots of ideas on how to grow tourism in our county." The only major cultural attraction in Monroeville currently dedicated largely to Lee's legacy is the old Monroe County Courthouse. Lee based the courtroom that serves as the setting for the trial in "To Kill a Mockingbird" on the one in the county courthouse, which also houses a museum of artifacts that includes many related to the novelist, who died Feb. 19 at the age of 89. But Carter's coalition hopes that the Harper Lee Trail would greatly expand the offerings that Lee pilgrims could patronize when visiting her hometown, which was the inspiration for the fictional town of Maycomb immortalized in "Mockingbird." Landegger responded to an email seeking comment with a short statement. "It's somewhat too early to go public with our planning which [is] still embryonic," he wrote Tuesday. "I will be happy to speak with you end January (sic) with good news." 'Longer-term vision' In September, Landegger purchased the Old Monroe County Bank Building on the town's historic Courthouse Square, a historic structure that once housed the offices of Lee's father's law practice. Black said the trail coalition hopes to register a foundation later this month that would raise funds to renovate the bank building and turn it into a Harper Lee museum. He described the foundation as "the first step" toward realizing the dream of a Harper Lee Trail. The entity, which Black described as "a public charity to raise funds" for the trail's development and construction, will likely be called the Harper Lee Literary Foundation. The mission of the foundation "would be to honor the literary legacy of Ms. Lee and at the same time get more people to visit Ms. Lee's Maycomb," Black explained. The coalition plans to develop a number of properties to be featured as part of the trail, and to fund the efforts largely via the foundation, assuming it can generate enough funds via donations, grants and other sources to do so. "Our longer-term vision would be doing that in Monroeville: making sure the courthouse is maintained and refurbished as necessary; restoring that bank building to the 1909 vintage and making it into a museum; refurbishing the house where the Lee sisters lived during their senior years; and a plan to replicate the three houses from the To Kill a Mockingbird neighborhood. We've got big plans, working on a big vision." The house he referred to is the last private residence where Harper and Alice Lee lived together before they fell into poor health. And the three houses he referenced are ones from Lee's youth in Monroeville that have long been torn down but that served as the inspiration for the homes of Boo Radley, Scout and other "Mockingbird" characters. '250,000 visitors' The details of the proposal have yet to be formally announced, but sources in Monroeville said that it has been discussed in general terms with a number of local leaders in recent months. In February, Landegger told attendees of the Monroeville/Monroe County Chamber of Commerce's annual dinner that "[i]t is good that over 30,000 people visit the old courthouse each year, but let's set our goal to attract 100,000 or 200,000 or 250,000 visitors annually," according to The Monroe Journal. Lee Sentell, director of the Alabama Department of Tourism and Travel, has also been told about the plans for the trail, according to Black. Sentell was traveling this week and was not available to provide comment about the proposal. "Lee Sentell was here the week before last and we met with him and he's very, very excited," Black said. "He sees the impact it will have." In March, Birmingham attorney Scott Adams registered a Montgomery company called Harper Lee LLC with the state. Little is known about the private company, but Fields confirmed Wednesday that he is its chief financial officer, and that Carter is the point person for any inquiries about the property. "I'm not authorized to give you any information other than to let you know that what you just asked me is correct," he said when asked if he was in fact the CFO of Harper Lee, LLC, as he indicates in his resume on the LinkedIn social network. "[Carter] would be one person you could contact," he said, when asked where one could obtain more information about the company. The rampant inflation currently tearing through world economies has had little to no effect on venture capital investing according to a new survey from PitchBook. Girl gang-raped in Gulariya A 19-year-old girl was gang-raped at Gulariya, the headquarters of Bardiya district, early in the morning on Friday. Govt doctors halt services to exert pressure to fulfil demands Expressing solidarity with Dr Govinda KC, whose hunger strike on Thursday entered 19th day, government doctors have decided to stop providing services across the country on Friday and Saturday. Govt moves to expedite petro pipeline project In its bid to expedite construction of much-delayed 41km Raxaul-Amlekhgunj petroleum pipeline, the Ministry of Supplies is holding a multi-stakeholder meeting in Amlekhgunj, Bara, on Friday, which will discuss issues related to environment and local land use. TV3 says it has completed the acquisition of UTV Ireland. The commercial broadcaster, which is owned by Virgin Media, says the takeover could lead to unavoidable redundancies at the station. In its restructuring programme to consolidate the two businesses into one, the broadcaster said it hopes that staff currently employed by UTV Ireland can fill 40 open vacancies in TV3. "The proposed changes may result in unavoidable redundancies in UTV Ireland but where possible, staff will be offered redeployment opportunities within TV3", Virgin Media says. The company will enter into a 30-day consultation period, and it is says it expects "various steps associated with this plan" will be completed by January 2017. As part of the deal, UTV Ireland will move from Macken House to TV3's headquarters in Ballymount. The UTV Ireland channel will also rebrand over the coming weeks. Pat Kiely, managing director of TV3, said: "Today's announcement strengthens independent television broadcasting in Ireland by bringing together great channels and great content under the one roof. "The combined TV3 Group business is now better equipped to compete against significant local and international broadcasters. "We can now also play an increasingly bigger role in the development of Irish originated production and broadcasting. I am confident that our new three channel structure will drive the future potential and long term growth of the business." Implement higher secondary policy pronto The education sub-committee of the Women, Children, Senior Citizen and Social Welfare Committee under the Legislature-Parliament has called for prompt implementation of higher education policy. Modified On Feb 24, 2017 06:59 PM By Arun for Nissan GTR I'm sure you've heard this a million times by now. The Nissan GT-R is a technological marvel. It is what you get when you use the laws of physics to your advantage. It is savagely fast; can tear apart race tracks, and yet drive you back home in comfort. You don't expect anything less from the most practical people on earth, do you? The GT-R is a legend in itself, and has often been hailed to be among the best cars on the planet. We put together a list of things that you possibly didn't know about the Nissan GT-R: The GT-R brand is nearly five decades old! Just like everything Japanese, the brand too has had an extremely long shelf life. The words 'GT-R' first appeared on a Nissan Skyline in 1969, on what's now popularly called the 'Hakosuka' (Japanese - Hako = box / Suka = skyline). The first ever version produced a rather modest 160PS from a 2.0-litre motor. To put that into perspective, that's about a fourth of what the GT-R makes today. The Obakemono connect The Japanese would refer to GT-R's as an Obakemono - that loosely translates into a shape-shifting monster. Australian motoring magazine Wheels went one step further, christening the R32 GT-R as the Godzilla - claiming it would 'slay' the Ford Sierra. The name has stuck ever since. The Silver Screen Association Among the biggest reasons for the GT-R's cult following was its portrayal on screen. It developed a huge fan base across anime fans, courtesy its appearance in the popular series - Initial D. It is hard to forget the duel between Ryosuke and Rin Hojo - the RX-7 vs the R32 GT-R, or even the epic battle between lead Takumi Fujiwara and Takeshi Nakazato - the AE86 vs R32 GT-R. And then, there's the souped-up R34 from the original Fast and Furious movie. A silver GT-R (with blue neons and a bassy exhaust, no less) was all it took for most to convert to being a petrolhead. Made in Japan. Only. You would believe the Japanese would've caught up with the concept of globalisation. They have, for all intents and purposes, but the GT-R remains 100 per cent Japanese. Over the past five decades, it has never been produced (or even assembled) outside Nissan's main factory in Yokohama, Japan. Nissan has manufacturing facilities all over the globe (including one in India), but the GT-R always leaves Japan completely built. Hand-built! Nissan takes the GT-R's core strength - performance - very, very seriously. So much so, that only five engineers in the world called 'Takumi' are allowed to hand-build the engine. The 3.8-litre twin-turbo engine is put together by hand by a single person from start to finish. Also, this is done in a hermetically sealed room where the Takumis put together close to 374 individual parts together with surgical precision. This is among the main reasons why no two GT-Rs produce exactly identical power figures. Recommended Read: Official: Nissan GT-R Pre-Bookings Open In India Nissan Launches GT-R At Rs 1.99 Crore Published On Dec 02, 2016 12:06 PM By Arun If you need more proof of the fact that the SUV market is booming, take a good look at this. Codenamed 'Cullinan', this is Rolls-Royce's first SUV. It's good to see that it isn't just a mule Phantom with a fat spoiler and a raised ground clearance, and features all-new bodywork. The big Rolls will now begin testing on public roads. Now, this means that the Internet will have a steady supply of spy pictures of the SUV. But since this is Rolls-Royce we're talking about, they've released a couple of pictures themselves. This, we assume, is because the fine gentlemen from London do not like fuzzy spy pictures. Rolls-Royce is calling it an all-terrain, high-sided vehicle. While there isn't too much information about the vehicle itself in the press release issued by the manufacturer, it does drop a few crucial hints. For instance, the SUV will be underpinned by a new aluminium platform that will form the base for other RR cars and feature a new all-wheel-drive system as well. And since this will possibly be the most bespoke SUV ever, Rolls isn't taking testing lightly. "This latest development vehicle will travel to numerous locations around the world in a challenging testing programme to ensure that the end product will be Effortless Everywhere. Just after Christmas, for example, Project Cullinan will enter the Arctic Circle to undergo cold weather durability and traction testing. Later in 2017, it will travel to the Middle East to endure the highest of temperatures and challenging desert conditions," read a press release. There's no official word on the formal public unveil of the 'Cullinan'. That said, it is safe to assume it isn't going to be anytime soon and we would see one in metal only by 2019. Modified On Dec 08, 2016 04:46 PM By akas The auto industry has seen a lot of ups and downs in 2016. The year started with the Delhi diesel ban and is ending with the deregistration of 10-year-old diesel vehicles in the national capital region. However, there were lots of upsides too. The hatchbacks segment witnessed lots of new entries; Renault launched the 1.0-litre and the AMT version of the Kwid; Tata won many hearts with its Tiago; Volkswagen made ABS and dual airbags standard on the Polo; and the Maruti premium hatchback the Baleno became a blockbuster. Let's see what the coming year has to offer. Maruti Suzuki Ignis Maruti Suzuki showcased the production-ready Ignis Concept at the 2016 Indian Auto Expo. The Ignis was supposed to be launched around the festive season this year. However, the launch has been pushed to 2017 and is likely to happen in January. With its smaller proportions and boxy styling, featuring projector headlamps with daytime running LEDs and LED tail lamps, the hatchback will stand out of the crowd. The Ignis will come loaded with features like a seven-inch Suzuki SmartPlay infotainment system with support for both Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto. It will be powered by the 1.2-litre petrol engine found in the Swift and the Baleno while the diesel variant will feature a 1.3-litre DDiS190 engine. It is expected to be priced around Rs 5 Lakh. Hyundai Grand i10 Facelift Hyundai revealed the Grand i10 facelift in August this year and the hatchback is expected to launch in India as early as January 2017. The facelift features a new 'Cascading' grille and daytime running LEDs. In terms of equipment, the hatchback has a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system with support for Apple CarPlay as well as Google Android Auto. It is likely to get the same 1.2-litre petrol engine with five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmissions, along with the 1.1-litre diesel coupled to a five-speed manual. The facelift is expected to be priced slightly higher than the current Grand i10 which starts at Rs 4.9 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi). Tata Tiago Sport The Tiago has played a crucial role in uplifting Tata's image in the passenger vehicle segment. It has gained a lot of popularity and the waiting period for the car has shot up to four months for certain variants. Now Tata is expected to launch a performance-spec Tiago in the first half of 2017, which could be named the 'Tiago Sport'. It might feature the same 120PS engine which was showcased in the Bolt Sport at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show or will have a turbocharged and remapped version of the three-cylinder Revotron petrol engine currently used in the Tiago. It is likely to be priced between Rs 6 and 7 lakh. Baleno RS The Baleno RS will be the most powerful of Maruti's hatchbacks in the country. To be powered by the Boosterjet series of engines (which will make it the first turbocharged petrol-powered Maruti Suzuki in India), the production-ready concept of the Balneo RS was showcased at the 2016 Auto Expo. It will borrow all the features from the top-spec Baleno and is likely to be priced slightly above the top-end petrol version of the Baleno, which would be around Rs 9 lakh. With several test mules being spotted on many occasions, the hatchback is likely to be launched in the first half of 2017. 2017 Maruti Suzuki Swift Spy images of the next-gen Maruti Suzuki Swift have already surfaced on the Internet. The upcoming hatchback has a similar design as compared to the current car, but it looks sharper. It features new alloy wheels, a large hexagonal front grille and a sporty new front bumper. As the leaked images suggest, there are more changes in the interior. It has a new three-spoke, flat-bottomed steering wheel, a new twin-pod instrument cluster, with a digital MID and a touchscreen infotainment system. It will have the same 1.2-litre K-Series petrol and 1.3-litre DDiS diesel engines as in the current hatchback. The global debut of the 2017 Swift is likely to be in the first half of 2017, and the India launch would be soon after that. It is expected to have a starting price tag of Rs 5 lakh. 2017 Nissan Micra Nissan showcased the fifth generation Micra at the 2016 Paris Motor Show and the hatchback will go on sale in Europe from March 2017. Although there hasn't been any official statement regarding its launch in India, we can't deny the possibility of its launch by the end of 2017, fingers crossed. If launched, the new Micra would compete with premium hatchbacks like the Baleno and the Jaaz and this could be a game changer for the Japanese manufacturer. The new Micra has a sharper and bolder styling. It has a similar dashboard as the Kicks compact SUV. It features a new flat-bottom steering wheel and a dual-pod with a large MID screen instrument cluster setup. It also has a 7-inch infotainment system with satellite navigation and Apple CarPlay. It is powered by two petrol and one diesel engines, coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission. We can expect it to have a starting price of Rs 5 to 6 lakh. 2017 Chevrolet Beat and Beat Activ Chevrolet showcased the near production-ready 2017 Beat and Beat Activ at the 2016 Auto Expo. It also released the official images of production-ready versions of both the hatchbacks later. To be clear, the Activ is a more beefed up version of the standard Beat, like a cross hatch. The interiors of the upcoming hatchback have been spied and the pics reveal the new hatch has subtle changes to its interiors. It features Chevrolet's latest MyLink infotainment system with support for both Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto. It will also have a dual-tone theme black and beige interiors with silver accents. Details regarding the mechanicals are still unknown. However, Chevrolet is expected to launch it in the second half of 2017. The standard Beat might have a starting price of Rs 4.5 lakh while the Beat Activ would start from Rs 5.5 lakh. CDC updates guidance for Little River (FL) area with active Zika transmission Media Statement For Immediate Release: Friday, December 2, 2016 Contact: Media Relations, (404) 639-3286 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated Zika guidance for people who travel to or live in the previously identified 1-square-mile area of Little River in Miami-Dade County, FL. The Little River area of Miami is no longer considered to be an area of active Zika virus transmission (red area). It is now designated as a Zika cautionary area (yellow area). There have been no new cases of local Zika virus transmission identified in the Little River area for more than 45 days, suggesting that the risk of Zika virus infection is no longer greater than in the rest of Miami-Dade County. The red area in South Miami Beach will continue until 45 days pass without new cases. The remainder of Miami-Dade County continues to have the yellow area designation. Guidance for red areas continues to apply to South Miami Beach. Guidance for yellow areas now applies to the Little River area and continues for the rest of Miami-Dade County. In addition: Women and men living in or who traveled to the identified Little River area should be aware this location was considered a red area from Oct 13 to Dec 2, 2016. Partners of pregnant women who lived in or traveled to the affected areas should consistently and correctly use condoms to prevent passing Zika during sex, or they should not have sex with their partner during the pregnancy. Pregnant women who lived in, traveled to, or had sex without a condom with a person who lived in or traveled to the designated area of Little River after Aug 1, 2016, should be tested for Zika virus. Women who traveled to the designated area of Little River after Aug 1, 2016, should wait at least 8 weeks before trying to get pregnant, regardless of whether they had symptoms. Men who traveled to the designated area of Little River after Aug 1, 2016, should wait at least 6 months before trying to get their partner pregnant, regardless of whether they had symptoms. All of Miami-Dade remains a yellow area and pregnant women are eligible for Zika virus testing. All pregnant women in the United States should be evaluated for possible Zika virus exposure during each prenatal care visit. To determine whether Zika virus testing is needed, each evaluation should include an assessment of signs and symptoms of Zika virus disease (fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes), their travel history, and their sexual partners potential exposure to Zika virus and history of any illness consistent with Zika virus disease. At this time, we are removing the red zone from the Little River area of Miami, said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. We still advise pregnant women not to travel to the red zone in South Miami Beach. Furthermore, people living in or visiting Miami-Dade County, including the Little River area, particularly pregnant women, are still encouraged to continue to take steps to prevent mosquito bites and to follow guidelines for preventing sexual transmission. We must remain vigilant. As of November 30, a total of 4,496 cases of Zika have been reported in the continental United States and Hawaii through CDCs ArboNET. These cases include 184 locally transmitted mosquito-borne cases in Florida, 36 cases believed to be the result of sexual transmission, and one case that was the result of a laboratory exposure. For more information about Zika, visit https://www.cdc.gov/zika/. ### U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESexternal icon The minister for civil society is inviting charities and organisations that work with disadvantaged women and girls to apply for the latest 15m round of funding from the Tampon Tax. Opening 2017/18 round of funding, the Rob Wilson said: Its great news that the Tampon Fax Fund is continuing for another year. I would like to encourage organisations who work to improve the lives of disadvantaged women and girls, including those who have been affected by violence, to come forward and submit bids. We want this fund to support our vision of a society that works for everyone, working through the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector to tackle the particular issues faced by women and girls. European Union rules mean that sanitary products are deemed luxury items and have to be taxed. But following a campaign, the then Chancellor George Osborne said the 15m a year raised through the tax would be given to women's charities. Before the decision to leave the EU it was later announced that an agreement had been reached to abolish the tax, so funding is expected to end by April 2018. Asked what the future of the fund is, a Treasury spokeswoman said: "The government committed to continuing the fund until EU rules allow a zero rate of VAT to be applied womens sanitary products. A decision will be made on the future of the fund once this has been achieved." Applications are now open, closing on Friday 27 January 2017. More infomation on how to apply can be found here. The mother of a girl injured in a 2014 sledding accident at a Nebraska school will get a $500,000 lump-sum payment as part of a settlement with the school districts insurance company. Valarie Potter was 14 when she was injured at what used to be known as La Vista Junior High School. She and a friend slid down a hill together and hit a chain-link fence. A lawsuit filed by Valaries mother Christina Augeri said Valaries legs were fractured and an artery in her left knee was torn. The lawsuit said Papillion-La Vista Community Schools failed to post a sign or otherwise warn people of the danger despite knowing that people often struck the fence while sledding, the Omaha World-Herald reported. District spokeswoman Annette Eyman said insurance company officials decided to settle the case, although it must still be approved by the court. Eyman doesnt anticipate that the settlement will result in district officials imposing sledding restrictions on the school property. You want your public school facilities to be used by the public, she said. Our district has always seen our schools as community buildings, and we want them to be used, but thats a risk that you run when you do that. According to the lawsuit, the medical bills for Valaries multiple medical procedures and therapy exceeded $400,000. The familys attorney Sean Rensch said Valarie seems to be progressing with her recovery. Ive been impressed with how far shes come, though she still has a long road ahead of her, he said. The school, now renamed La Vista Middle School, still has the fence in place. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. All is not lost, two experts say While millions of iPhone lovers are going ga-ga over their new iPhone 14 Plus or Pro, there are millions of iPhone owners with older versions who will be forced to sit on the sidelines after the latest version of the devices operating system came out on Monday. That could mean missing out on the ability to customize the iPhone's lock screen, live text in videos, foreground blur in portrait photos, and a new dictation experience. After a couple of years where iOS updates ... When youve taken careful measures to build a strong leadership team, it can be devastating to lose a key executive to an outside organization. $7.3 billion Randolph-Brooks Credit Union, Universal City, Texas, uses 457(f) plans to help retain its top executives and preserve leadership continuity. According to industry data, 55 percent of credit unions offer 457(f) plans to their executives. EVP/CFO Robert Zearfoss explains the strategy of Randolph-Brooks FCU. To be competitive in the marketplace, it is something that we have to offer, says the CUES member. Otherwise, our executives are going to be taken away by other institutions that have those programs. What Is a 457(f) Plan? A 457(f) plan is a type of non-qualified retirement plan that creates an opportunity to supplement executives income with no contribution limits. The assets are owned by the credit union until they are paid out to the executive. Jyamire locals demand fair land compensation Residents of Jyamire have prevented technicians from Hongshi-Shivam Cement from working at the mine site located in the village claiming that the company had disregarded their grievances. Facebook, Netflix, and companies like Apple are changing the way that consumers are perceiving a great mobile user experience. As a credit union this change the expectations of what your users are considering a great mobile experience, as well. Over the next few months or years, credit unions whether they have a mobile presence or not are going to have to step up their game and understand how to deal with these new changes and expectations that consumers have today. The biggest issue that credit unions have today, are not competing against each other, but competing up against the digital experience provided to consumer brands like Facebook, Netflix, Apple, Amazon, and other companies like them. The big picture is important and its not a matter of if or when because change is eminent! If you choose to accept this fact, its going to make the biggest difference in regards to your competitive advantage in this new environment. On a recent episode of my Bank On It Podcast Show, which airs every Tuesday morning, we spoke with the Chief Product Officer of Malauzai Software- Robb Gaynor. Gaynor stated, About 80% of the credit unions in the country now have an app in the App Store, but theres still 20% that do not. Customers are expecting app functions such as; check capture and quick balance, along with a high level of personalization. Simply stated, People expect from mobile; simplicity, and ease of use, stated Gaynor. Credit unions are using more native versus non-native applications. A native app is purposely built for a specific device. Whether that device is an iPhone, Android, or any other app, runs smoothly and doesnt cause the user to suffer. Unlike, a non-native app which is built to be manipulated to fit various devices, which can stray away from the user experience, because the customer is trying to run a program in the browser on their phone. Gaynor mentioned the Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, quoted The biggest mistake weve made as a company is betting on HTML5 over native, which he said at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco. Customers are no longer comparing banking apps to other banking apps, but to every other app that they are using. The bar is not Bank of America, the bar is Facebook, says Gaynor. More often C-suite executives are deciding that credit unions need to be great at digital channels. We are finding more Chief Digital Officers or directors being empowered to focus their organizations. Credit unions need apps that function just as well, but if its not cool, hip, or interesting, and have a great interface, it will not be used as much as you would like. Which means companies are hiring CDOs with a marketing background, an important function of employing or deploying a new mobile app or having that unique mobile experience. These apps must be developed to read like Facebook and be sensitive to all, even those who are not digitally savvy. An experienced officer also uses interchangeable skills, such as marketing and management, and know how to create great experiences, while still focusing on the bottom line. Many companies are integrating their online or mobile banking into social media. With the rate of the current changes in banking, the next 12 to 18 months, will produce some of the biggest and coolest changes. Customers will start having a more personalized experience making mobile use a lot easier. Credit unions will have new interfaces, creating a more omni-experience. These changes will blend mobile and desktop interfaces giving a seamless look. Also, companies will give consumers more control of their banking security functions from their mobile device such as; turning off their debit card because it was stolen. We live in an era where new devices come out all the time, particularly the Apple Watch, Apple TV, and multiple different devices. But how do we develop the tech with an understanding of how customers can and will use your program on these devices? Gaynor says, Dont over engineer, or over design. The most graceful experience is the simplest. He recommends we dont think about devices anymore. That we should think about form factors; extra-small to extra-large. Think about companies such as Amazon, Netflix, and HBO GO they make themselves accessible on any device. As a credit union that has online banking, mobile banking, or an app, you need to deploy technology as if you were Netflix, Amazon, or HBO GO. This is the way Chief Experience Officers should be looking at deployment when a new screen size or device comes out. Buzzwords like omnichannel approach, and user experience are very exciting, but also very challenging at the same time, because this isnt the first frontier. Now, its just second nature to human beings that they expect to have this omnichannel approach. They want to be able to just log into; whatever they want, get access to whatever they want, in the way that they want. Take a subway system as an example, you have all these different tunnels going multiple different places, each stop is an interface, and its tunnels need to be able to connect people in a way that seamlessly provide consistency and a cohesive experience. At the end of the day, its about the customer and their expectations which are having online, mobile, and branch integration seamlessly. For more on The Great Mobile Experience, you can listen to this episode of Bank On It with Robb Gaynor or subscribe to the podcast via iTunes, Stitcher, or iheartradio. Follow me on Twitter and never miss an update. Mastercard has begun using new artificial intelligence technology to help financial institutions determine whether and when to decline card transactions, the company announced Wednesday. The technology, called Decision Intelligence, uses algorithms to learn from each transaction on an account, allowing it to detect normal and abnormal spending activities. It calculates a predictive score for the card issuer, which can then make real-time decisions about an account, including defined alert and decline thresholds. The company said it is the first use of global-scale AI on the Mastercard network We are solving a major consumer pain point of being falsely declined when trying to make a purchase, Mastercard President of Enterprise Risk and Security Ajay Bhalla said. By using AI technology on our global network, were helping financial institutions and merchants improve approval rates and the consumer experience. Washington, DC - December 2, 2016 - In several clinical trials, the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus paracasei DG has been shown to promote health, but until now, the mechanism has remained a black box. New research now suggests that the health benefits arise from communication between the probiotic bacteria and the human host. That communication involves bacterial secretion of a novel polysaccharide that tells the immune system to release certain immunity-stimulating chemicals. The research is published December 2 in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology. In the study, the investigators isolated the polysaccharide, which are large polymers of sugar molecules. They form coverings over the surfaces of many bacterial cells, and the bacteria sometimes secrete them, as well. The researchers then used nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and chemical methods to determine the polysaccharide's structure and composition. "We showed that a significant proportion of the polysaccharide is made from the sugar, rhamnose," said coauthor Andrew P. Laws, PhD, Professor of Chemical Biology, University of Huddersfield, UK. "This sugar predominates in a number of polysaccharides that are secreted by probiotic bacteria." Laws' coauthor, Simone Guglielmetti, PhD, Professor of Microbiology, the University of Milan, Italy, then exposed certain human immune cells to different doses of the polysaccharide, and monitored the cells' release of immune-stimulating chemicals. Notably, they secreted pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. The release of such pro-inflammatory compounds might suggest that L. paracasei would aggravate conditions such as ulcerative colitis, or ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori, instead of mitigating them, as it has been found to do in clinical trials. But "we have evidence that our polysaccharides bind to and mildly activate the receptors which release pro-inflammatory messengers," said Laws. "We believe that this generates a lesser inflammatory response than what would occur if the same receptors were activated by pathogenic bacteria." L. paracasei DG is included in Enterolactis, one of the most popular probiotic supplements in Italy, which has been on the market for more than 20 years, said Guglielmettti. The motivation for the research was the dearth of information as to how the polysaccharides on the bacterial cells interact with the cells of the gastrointestinal tract, said Laws. ### The American Society for Microbiology is the largest single life science society, composed of over 48,000 scientists and health professionals. ASM's mission is to promote and advance the microbial sciences. ASM advances the microbial sciences through conferences, publications, certifications and educational opportunities. It enhances laboratory capacity around the globe through training and resources. It provides a network for scientists in academia, industry and clinical settings. Additionally, ASM promotes a deeper understanding of the microbial sciences to diverse audiences. Washington, D.C., December 2, 2016 -- What are the characteristics of the way you say, "hello," (or anything else for that matter) that makes you recognizable over the phone? Despite the increasing amount of literature on personal voice quality, very little is actually known about how to characterize the sound of an individual speaker. Two researchers from UCLA in Los Angeles, California, Patricia Keating and Jody Kreiman, are joining forces (as they have done many times in the past) to apply acoustics tools to their linguistics research, investigating this question. Keating and Kreiman will present preliminary findings of their research at the 172nd Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America and the 5th Joint Meeting with Acoustical Society of Japan, held Nov.28-Dec. 2, 2016, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Essentially, Keating and Kreimen want to find out how to measure what people sound like. "There's no way to quantify what that means," Kreiman said. "When you change something physical, can you predict what that will sound like?" An individual person's voice may vary over time because of their emotional state, health, the context of the conversation, or a host of other factors that make quantifying this measurement particularly difficult. A large body of evidence from phonetics, cognitive psychology and neuropsychology indicates that listeners organize all this intra-talker variability into a prototype for each talker -- an "average" representation -- and a set of deviations from that prototype. Even a single syllable can carry enough information to distinguish one voice from another, but it's not yet clear what specifically are the most important identifying characteristics within such a prototype, or how much each characteristic must vary before the voice becomes unrecognizable. "Voice quality is going to wander," Keating said. "We are looking at the point when you stop sounding like yourself and start sounding like someone else." Keating and Kreiman digitally analyzed recordings from fifty women, all native speakers of English, who read five sentences twice on three different days. This analysis looked at multiple acoustic parameters for the vowel and consonant sounds making up the read sentences, such as fundamental frequency, intensities of harmonic frequencies relative to one another, and how they compare to the underlying noise levels within the voice. These sentences provided each characteristic with a quantitative average and range, the collection of which formed a potential identifying voice profile of sorts. By comparing all of the speakers to this set of characteristics -- a particular person's voice profile -- using a random set of their sample sentences, it could be tested for accuracy in distinguishing the correct speaker and compared to how well other sets of characteristics act to distinguish a particular voice. This work expands on previous work the two have successfully completed with a sample of just three speakers. The larger sample size offers more insight to understanding which characteristics, and by what margin, make a recognizable voice unrecognizable. This is why the set of samples was comprised of similar speakers, all female and native English speakers. "Who should be confusable and under what circumstances?" Kreiman asked. "How much of an acoustical change is perceptible?" Looking ahead, answering these questions may help in generating predictions about confusability in the context of both human listeners, who tend to be able to discern recognizably in a matter of seconds, and computer algorithms, that typically require samples closer to a minute in length. ### Poster 5aSC7, "Acoustic similarities among female voices," by Patricia Keating is at 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. HAST, Dec. 2, 2016 in Room Coral 3. MORE MEETING INFORMATION The 172nd Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America The meeting is being held Nov. 28-Dec. 2, 2016 in Honolulu, Hawaii USEFUL LINKS Main meeting website: http://acousticalsociety.org/content/5th-joint-meeting-acoustical-society-america-and-acoustical-society-japan Technical program: http://acousticalsociety.org/asa2016fall.abstractcentral.com/planner.jsp Meeting/Hotel site: http://acousticalsociety.org/content/5th-joint-meeting-acoustical-society-america-and-acoustical-society-japan#hotel Press Room: http://acoustics.org/world-wide-press-room/ WORLD WIDE PRESS ROOM In the coming weeks, ASA's World Wide Press Room will be updated with additional tips on dozens of newsworthy stories and with lay-language papers, which are 300-1200 word summaries of presentations written by scientists for a general audience and accompanied by photos, audio, and video. You can visit the site during the meeting at http://acoustics.org/world-wide-press-room/. PRESS REGISTRATION We will grant free registration to credentialed journalists and professional freelance journalists. If you are a reporter and would like to attend, contact Emilie Lorditch (elorditc@aip.org, 301-209-3029) who can also help with setting up interviews and obtaining images, sound clips, or background information. LIVE MEDIA WEBCAST A press briefing featuring the acoustics of snapping shrimp and coconut beetles plus, how speech sounds influence female vocal attractiveness will be webcast live from the conference on Wednesday, Nov. 30th from 10 - 11 a.m. HAST in room Iolani I. ABOUT THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) is the premier international scientific society in acoustics devoted to the science and technology of sound. Its 7,000 members worldwide represent a broad spectrum of the study of acoustics. ASA publications include The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (the world's leading journal on acoustics), Acoustics Today magazine, books, and standards on acoustics. The society also holds two major scientific meetings each year. For more information about ASA, visit our website at http://www.acousticalsociety.org. Dec. 1, 2016--Menopausal women appear to experience an accelerated decline in lung function, according to new research published online ahead of print in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. "Women are living longer and, therefore, many years beyond menopause," said Kai Triebner, MSc, lead author and a PhD candidate in epidemiology at the University of Bergen in Norway. "Our study highlights the importance of maintaining respiratory health long after the menopausal transition." In "Menopause is Associated with Accelerated Lung Function Decline," European researchers report that both forced vital capacity (FVC), a measure of lung size, and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), a measure of how much air can be forcefully exhaled in one second, declined in women going through the menopausal transition and after menopause beyond what would be expected through normal aging. The authors wrote that the decline in FVC was comparable to smoking 20 cigarettes a day for 10 years, and the decline in FEV1 was comparable to smoking 20 cigarettes a day for 2 years. The more pronounced decline in FVC than FEV1 indicated menopause was more likely to cause restrictive, rather than obstructive, breathing problems. Obstructive breathing problems (including COPD) make it difficult to exhale air from the lungs while restrictive breathing problems (including sarcoidosis) make it difficult to fully expand the lungs upon inhaling. "Whether obstructive or restrictive, the decline in lung function may cause an increase in shortness of breath, reduced work capacity and fatigue," Mr. Triebner said. "Symptoms depend upon how much lung capacity is reduced, and a few women may actually develop respiratory failure as a result of this decline." In what they believe is the first longitudinal population-based study of lung function and menopause, the researchers analyzed data from 1,438 women enrolled in the European Respiratory Health Survey. Participants in the study ranged in age from 25 to 48 at enrollment, and none was menopausal when the study began. They were followed for 20 years and during that time most went through the menopausal transition or became postmenopausal. The researchers adjusted their findings for age, weight, height, education and smoking history. As might be expected, current and past smokers showed a steeper decline in both age- and menopause-related lung function decline. The authors said there were several possible explanations for their findings. Menopause brings hormonal changes that have been linked to systemic inflammation, which itself is associated with lung function decline. Hormonal changes are also implicated in osteoporosis, which shortens the height of the chest vertebrae and may, in turn, limit the amount of air a person can inhale. "Women, and their physicians, should be aware that respiratory health might decline considerably during and after the menopausal transition," Mr. Triebner said. "This could mean that they experience shortness of breath already with low physical activity." ### Share via Twitter "Study finds #menopause accelerates #lung function decline." Follow Us About the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (AJRCCM): ATS - @atscommunity AJRCCM - @ATSBlueEditor The AJRCCM is a peer-reviewed journal published by the American Thoracic Society. The Journal takes pride in publishing the most innovative science and the highest quality reviews, practice guidelines and statements in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. With an impact factor of 12.996, it is the highest ranked journal in pulmonology. Editor: Jadwiga Wedzicha, MD, professor of respiratory medicine at the National Heart and Lung Institute (Royal Brompton Campus), Imperial College London, UK. About the American Thoracic Society: Founded in 1905, the American Thoracic Society is the world's leading medical association dedicated to advancing pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. The Society's 15,000 members prevent and fight respiratory disease around the globe through research, education, patient care and advocacy. The ATS publishes three journals, the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Doctors often advise patients to 'drink plenty of fluids' and 'keep well hydrated' when unwell, but a new report calls for more research behind this advice. Writing in the journal BMJ Case Reports, doctors explain the case of a 59-year-old woman who developed hyponatraemia -- a condition that occurs when the level of sodium is abnormally low -- from drinking too much water to help with a recurring urinary tract infection. The patient was admitted to the Royal London Hospital Emergency Department, and was prescribed antibiotics and painkillers for her urinary tract infection. However, she became progressively shaky, muddled, vomited several times, and had significant speech difficulties. Tests revealed hyponatraemia - her sodium level was 123 mmol/L (normal range 135-145) - which the doctors say was the cause of these progressively worsening symptoms, and can result from water intoxication. The patient revealed that throughout the day, she had consumed several litres of water based on medical advice she recalled from previous similar episodes to 'flush out her system'. The condition is a medical emergency and requires prompt recognition and action. A mortality rate of almost 30% has been reported for patients with sodium levels of less than 125 mmol/L. Doctors restricted her fluid intake to 1 litre over the following 24 hours, and by the following morning, she felt improved, her blood tests were normal, and she was discharged that day. Fatal water intoxication has also been reported in endurance exercise, use of the drug MDMA, and anecdotally during university initiation activities as well as during water-based torture rituals. This incident mirrors a previous case report, in which a woman developed hyponatraemia, and later died from drinking excessive amounts of water during an episode of gastroenteritis. The doctors say it's very rare to develop water intoxication with normal renal function. However, some illnesses drive up levels of antidiuretic hormones, which reduce renal excretion of water. For these type of conditions, the doctors ask, should increased water intake be recommended? They conclude: "There is a paucity of evidence behind the advice to 'drink plenty of fluids' in the management of mild infective illness. This needs to be addressed, especially considering the significant morbidity and mortality of acute hyponatraemia." ### BMJ Case Report: When plenty is too much: water intoxication in a patient with a simple urinary tract infection http://casereports.bmj.com/content/2016/bcr-2016-216882 About BMJ Case Reports BMJ Case Reports is an award winning journal that delivers a focused, peer-reviewed, valuable collection of cases in all disciplines so that healthcare professionals, researchers and others can easily find clinically important information on common and rare conditions. This is the largest single collection of case reports online with more than 11,000 articles from over 70 countries. For more information, visit: http://www.casereports.bmj.com A veteran with a rare type of cancer may have developed the condition after being exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, reveal doctors writing in the journal BMJ Case Reports. The 69-year-old patient was admitted to hospital with a 1-year history of a painful and enlarging mass in his right thigh. Ultrasound and CT scans identified the mass, and a subsequent biopsy confirmed a rare malignant soft issue cancer, known as pleomorphic liposarcoma. The cancer was removed during surgery and this was followed by a course of radiotherapy. The patient asked if the tumour was related to his exposure to Agent Orange while serving in the Vietnam War. From 1963 to 1965, he was in frequent contact with forested areas that were sprayed with Agent Orange, a toxic chemical aimed at depriving the Viet Cong of crops and vegetation cover. 'Operation Ranch Hand' led to the deposition via helicopter, boats and trucks of 72 million litres of chemicals across the forested and rural areas of Vietnam for this sole purpose. The bulk of these chemicals was Agent Orange which included TCDD -- a toxic chemical that has been recognised to have the potential to cause cancer. Doctors from Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, say the link between the veteran's cancer and a wartime toxin exposure is possible. The patient's cancer, pleomorphic liposarcoma, is the rarest type of liposarcoma cancer and has a high rate of local recurrence and ability to spread to other parts of the body. "There has been no well-established precipitating factor for liposarcomas," they explain. "However, clinicians should have a high degree of suspicion for persistent and evolving soft tissue masses, especially in patients with a previous military background. This should prompt the search for a possible toxin exposure." They continue: "The patient was educated about his diagnosis and was counselled about the unfortunate side effects with which Agent Orange has been associated. He continues to be monitored for disease recurrence and will continue to do so for years." ### BMJ Case Report: Wartime toxin exposure: recognising the silent killer http://casereports.bmj.com/content/2016/bcr-2016-217438 About BMJ Case Reports BMJ Case Reports is an award winning journal that delivers a focused, peer-reviewed, valuable collection of cases in all disciplines so that healthcare professionals, researchers and others can easily find clinically important information on common and rare conditions. This is the largest single collection of case reports online with more than 11,000 articles from over 70 countries. For more information, visit: http://www.casereports.bmj.com Having played a central role in the advent of modern life sciences, optical microscopy is now virtually indispensable in research. However, as far as the imaging of living organisms is concerned, the technology continues to be limited to a depth of less than one millimeter due to the effect of light scattering. A research group led by Prof. Dr. Benjamin Judkewitz is planning to overcome these limitations and produce images of deeper tissue layers, such as those within the cerebral cortex. The laboratory's endeavors are being funded by the European Research Council (ERC), which has allocated a total of 1.49 million over a period of five years. When working with living tissues, no conventional microscope is capable of achieving a focus depth of more than a few hundred micrometers. Light scattering, which is responsible for this limitation, is not merely an accidental or chance occurrence, resulting in information being destroyed; rather, light scattering is the result of tissue structure and, as such, is both reproducible and reversible. For a number of years, Prof. Judkewitz's research has focused on utilizing this principle, with the aim of overcoming the limitations of optical microscopy in live tissue imaging. "In order to focus light onto a given point within the body, one would have to ensure that it can enter the tissue from a precise location and at exactly the correct angle, thus ensuring that the beam can reach the target location in spite of scattering," explains the Professor. However, as light penetrates deeper into biological tissues, the degree of scattering increases. This makes it essential to determine the necessary correction pattern, which will make it possible to produce an image or an optical simulation of any chosen point within the light-scattering tissue. Using a new approach within fluorescence microscopy, the researchers are hoping to turn high-resolution microscopy at greater tissue depths into a reality. "We are using the effects of wavefront modulation and an approach known as 'optical time reversal' to tackle light scattering," explains Prof. Judkewitz. Overcoming the depth limitations of current technologies, would open up a range of possibilities for researchers engaged in the study of biological systems and the development of new diagnostic approaches. "In combination with functional imaging and electrophysiology, these advances may make it possible to study circuits and processes within the brain that have so far been inaccessible to non-invasive optical methods." Through his close work with researchers from several different disciplines, Prof. Judkewitz is addressing the challenge of developing a new generation of imaging technology. In addition to biologists and neuroscientists, his research team includes mathematicians, physicists, and engineers. The team's work is being funded by the European Research Council (ERC), which has allocated a total of 1.49 million over five years. ERC Starting Grant The European Research Council provides support for young research scientists as part of 'Horizon 2020', the EU's 8th 'Framework Programme for Research'. Formal completion of the grant agreement means that the working group at Charite will have access to a total of 1.49 million in funding (Grant Agreement n714560). ### Contact: Prof. Dr. Benjamin Judkewitz NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence Charite - Universitatsmedizin Berlin Email: benjamin.judkewitz@charite.de Links: Judkewitz Laboratory [AG Judkewitz] NeuroCure Munich, Germany: A new anti-cancer drug that inhibits a key cell signalling process involved in many different cancers has shown that it is capable of stopping the progression of cancer and shrinking tumours. Importantly, it has been able to do this in rare cancers that are less well-studied such as adenoid cystic carcinoma. Dr Christophe Massard, a senior medical oncology consultant and chair of the Early Drug Development programme at the Institut Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus (Villejuif, France) told the 28th EORTC-NCI-AACR [1] Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Munich, Germany, today (Friday) that results from a phase I clinical trial in 103 patients showed that the drug LY3039478 was successful in inhibiting the Notch signalling pathway in patients with alterations in the Notch protein. Patients in the trial had a range of cancers, including breast, colon, parotid (salivary gland) and sarcoma, which were all advanced or had started to spread to other parts of the body (metastasise). After treatment with LY3039478, the tumour shrank in one patient with breast cancer and the disease stabilised and did not progress in another 29 patients. In addition, using PET scanning, researchers found two more cases where the tumours had shrunk: in a patient with adenoid cystic carcinoma and a patient with testicular cancer. Dr Massard said: "Research suggests that the Notch signalling pathway plays a role in helping cancer cells to grow, divide and spread around the body; it is also involved in angiogenesis, the process by which tumours grow new blood vessels, and it may contribute to tumours becoming resistant to chemotherapy. Notch signalling that is unregulated due to mutations in the Notch protein is implicated in a number of cancers. The Notch signalling pathway involves four Notch receptors (NOTCH1, 2, 3 and 4) - proteins that sit on the membranes of cells, including cancer cells, and transfer messages across the cell membrane. LY3039478 is able to inhibit all four receptors. The results from this phase I trial prove that LY3039478 has the effect on tumours that was expected, by inhibiting the Notch signalling and thereby preventing cancer cell growth and proliferation. "Notch was evaluated as a target for anti-cancer drugs several years ago, with promising results in lymphoma and rare cancers. However, because of gastrointestinal toxicity, the development of several Notch-inhibition compounds was stopped," said Dr Massard. "In this trial we have worked closely with gastrointestinal specialists to manage the toxic effects of the drug." Side effects from the drug were manageable, the most common being diarrhoea (in 48% of patients), vomiting (40%), nausea (38%), loss of strength (25%) and decreased appetite (21%). Other, less common side effects included weight loss, dry skin and mouth, and hair loss. The clinical trial also established that the recommended dose for a phase II clinical trial as 50 mg three times a week for 28 days, repeated until the disease starts to progress. The drug is taken orally. "This was a proof of concept trial that has shown that LY3039478 is successful in inhibiting unregulated Notch signalling, resulting in encouraging signs of preliminary clinical activity in several advanced and metastatic cancers. One of the interesting results with implications for some patients is that the drug was active against rare cancers such as adenoid cystic carcinoma," concluded Dr Massard. The phase I trial is continuing and there are plans for a further trial in advanced and metastatic cancers to test the drug in combination with other anti-cancer drugs such as taladegib (in breast cancer), abemaciclib (colon cancer), cisplatin (cholangiocarcinoma) and gemcitabine and carboplatin (soft tissue sarcoma). Dr Kapil Dhingra, a member of the executive committee for the Symposium and managing member of KAPital Consulting LLC (USA), commented: "Notch signalling is an important contributor to the development of a variety of cancers. However, successful development of drugs against this pathway has been challenging, in part due to unacceptable side effects. While preliminary, the results of the phase I study of LY3039478 show evidence of anti-tumour activity in a number of different tumour types with a manageable safety profile. These results warrant further investigation of this drug in clinical trials." ### [1] EORTC [European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer, NCI [National Cancer Institute], AACR [American Association for Cancer Research]. [2] PET stands for Positron Imaging Tomography. Steel production generates some hundred million tons of steel slag worldwide each year. This giant mountain of leftovers is largely dumped. Eindhoven University of Technology professor of building materials, Jos Brouwers, will be working with industrial partners to investigate whether he can make cement out of it. If he succeeds, more CO2 emissions can be cut than is yearly produced by all the traffic in the Netherlands. Steel slag is produced by the conversion of raw iron into steel - around 125 million tons of it per year. Much of that is dumped and only a small portion used, in embankments. That's a shame, professor Jos Brouwers says, because the mineralogical composition very closely resembles that of cement. It contains the same components, but in different ratios. And it is public knowledge that the cement industry emits a very high amount of CO2: five percent of the global total. A cement substitute with no extra CO2 emissions would, therefore, be most welcome. But before this can happen, Brouwers' team has to overcome a number of scientific and technical hurdles. First, the researchers will use the very latest methods to gain a good picture of the physical and chemical properties of the steel slag as well as take a detailed look at what different additives can bring in terms of cement-like qualities. They will then use this knowledge and computational models to design new types of cement and concrete, and test them out. "It is important that it is possible to change the composition of the steel slag by adjusting the steel production processes," Brouwers explains. "You can keep the quality of the steel consistent and still ensure that the properties of the steel slag are more favorable." Brouwers is hopeful that he will be able to succeed in making cement from steel slag that can replace 'normal cement'. While it may well require twice as much for the same result, this new cement will still be suitable for many common applications. It will make a difference of tens of millions of tons of CO2 emissions each year. For comparison, all the traffic and transport in the Netherlands produces emissions of around thirty million tons a year. Moreover, the new cement is also a money maker. "Steel companies now have to pay for their slag to be removed; it has a negative value. If we succeed, or only in part, it could mean tens of millions of euros in the Netherlands alone," says Brouwers. Brouwers' group is getting 750,000 euros from the STW technology foundation for this research, from the High Tech Materials funding program. With additional cash from the industrial partners, including Tata Steel, Heidelberg Cement and Inashco, the total research budget tops a million euros. In addition to Brouwers and university lecturers Qingliang Yu (co-applicant) and Miruna Florea, three PhDs and a postdoc will be working on the four-year project. ### Compensation row: Locals vandalise office of Budhigandaki hydro Disgruntled locals of Gorkha district, who have been demanding higher compensation for their land to be acquired by 1,200MW Budhigandaki Hydroelectric Project, vandalised the office of the Project Development Committee on Thursday. On November 30th, for the first time, the world had the opportunity to participate in and contribute to this unique worldwide experiment, with the aim of testing the laws of quantum physics. Coordinated by ICFO-The Institute of Photonic Sciences, twelve laboratories from around the world came together to put in motion the BIG Bell Test: worldwide quantum experiments powered by human randomness, with the aim of demonstrating experimentally that the microscopic world is in fact as strange as quantum physics predicts: particles that behave in a random way, determining their properties only when we look at them; strange instantaneous interactions at a distance ... predictions that were questioned by Einstein, who rejected them completely. During the 48 hours in which it was November 30th at some place on the planet, participants contributed to the initiative, generating sequences of zeros and ones through a video game to get participants to create sequences of numbers that were as random as possible. Each of these bits was used to control in real-time the experimental conditions of the labs. They moved mirrors, polarizing filters, waveplates ... elements located on optical tables and that affect the type of measurements that are made on the different quantum systems in each lab. Together all the participants provided scientists with millions of unpredictable, independent decisions which were used to measure their particles. This independence is a crucial feature for the conclusions of the Bell tests to be valid. Using the sequences provided by the participants, the scientists have been able to verify whether or not their particles were intertwined by the "spooky action at a distance" that Einstein could not accept. In a nutshell, the Bell test states that experimentalists have to do their measurements with the help of human decisions and calculate the "Bell parameter" (also known as the parameter S). If the world is as Einstein believes, predictable and without "spooky actions at a distance", then S cannot be greater than 2. That is, S should always be less than 2. Otherwise, the inequality has been violated, indicating the presence of intrinsically quantum phenomena. By 13:00 CET, the minimum number of participations needed to assure enough bits to power the experiments had already been surpassed, registering above 1000 bits per second in a stable manner over the course of several hours. By early afternoon CET, some of the labs had been able to obtain preliminary results, confirming violations of Bell's inequality, and thus refuting Einstein, giving their complete support to the predictions of quantum physics. ICREA Professor at ICFO Morgan Mitchell reflects that "the project required contributions from many people in very different areas: the scientists pushed their experiments to new limits, the public very generously gave us their time in support of science, and educators found new ways to communicate between these two groups. I'm thrilled with all of the different things we have learned through the BIG Bell test. " Carlos Abellan, researcher at ICFO and instigator of the Project, emphasizes that "the participation we achieved today for the Big Bell Test is absolutely astonishing and unprecedented. I'm excited about all the results we're already receiving from the labs" In Barcelona, in collaboration with "La Caixa" Foundation, the BIG Bell Test team had the opportunity to share the project with an audience of more than 300 people gathered in the Auditorium of CosmoCaixa, who witnessed in real time through several live connections, the experiments running in different labs in Shanghai (China), Concepcion (Chile), Nice (France) and Castelldefels (Spain). This group further contributed to the experiment by participating in mass in a final tournament of the video game, created with Kaitos Games, to find the most random person in the audience. The event was streamed live around the world, and in China alone generated an audience of more than 300,000 people. The BIG Bell Test has succeeded in uniting the scientific world and society in a common goal -an experiment that has demonstrated the unique value of human randomness to study certain fundamental processes of nature. The BIG Bell Test team thanks the thousands of users who have so generously and enthusiastically contributed to this initiative. Without this essential contribution, the experiment would never have been possible. Finally, we would like to thank all the institutions that have helped support this project, such as the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, the Cellex Foundation, the Mir-Puig Foundation, the Foundation Catalunya la Pedrera, "La Caixa" Foundation, AXA Research Fund , the European Research Council, Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), the Severo Ochoa program of the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness. ### http://www.thebigbelltest.org @TheBellsters A team headed by Professor Albert Rizvanov, director of the Gene and Cell Technologies Open Lab, created a gene therapy drug that encodes growth factors for the stimulation of blood vessel and bone formation. The combination was highly effective in a patient admitted to the Republican Clinical Hospital in Kazan, Russia. The treatment was approved by the ethical committee, supported by the Ministry of Healthcare of Tatarstan and published in BioNanoScience. Professor Rizvanov explains: We combined a demineralized bone transplant with recombinant genetic material, which carries genes for vascular endothelial growth factor, to stimulate new blood vessel growth (angiogenesis), and bone morphogenetic protein to stimulate bone growth (osteogenesis). Thus survival of transplant and bone tissue formation was achieved at the desired location. We were able to translate our basic and pre-clinical research and are the first to document the efficacy of such therapy in a real clinical case of pseudarthrosis. As the team leader noted, for a long time clinicians have tried standard methods of bone regeneration - osteosynthesis and osteoplasty - when an absent bone part is replaced with allogenic, cadaveric or demineralized bone matrix. In the latter case cells and minerals are removed from an animal bone tissue, and only the matrix is left - a "bone-like sponge" that can be used to fill in defects in the bone to stimulate formation of a new bone. However, current procedures often result in complications, such as resorption of the transplant. Parts of the problem are poor blood supply and low levels of pro-osteogenic growth factors. Our therapy, a combination of demineralized bone with gene therapy, is a promising solution for the currently existing complication problems in pseudarthrosis and other bone defects and fracture treatments. We now plan to offer such innovative treatments at the Kazan University Clinic as a part of a new clinical trial program at strategic academic unit Translational 7P Medicine for biomedical and translational research. ### Data from NASA's Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere, or AIM, spacecraft shows the sky over Antarctica is glowing electric blue due to the start of noctilucent, or night-shining, cloud season in the Southern Hemisphere - and an early one at that. Noctilucent clouds are Earth's highest clouds, sandwiched between Earth and space 50 miles above the ground in a layer of the atmosphere called the mesosphere. Seeded by fine debris from disintegrating meteors, these clouds of ice crystals glow a bright, shocking blue when they reflect sunlight. AIM studies noctilucent clouds in order to better understand the mesosphere, and its connections to other parts of the atmosphere, weather and climate. We observe them seasonally, during summer in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. This is when the mesosphere is most humid, with water vapor wafting up from lower altitudes. Additionally, this is also when the mesosphere is the coldest place on Earth - dropping as low as minus 210 degrees Fahrenheit - due to seasonal air flow patterns. This year, AIM saw the start of noctilucent cloud season on Nov. 17, 2016 - tying with the earliest start yet in the AIM record of the Southern Hemisphere. Scientists say this corresponds to an earlier seasonal change at lower altitudes. Winter to summer changes in the Antarctic lower atmosphere sparked a complex series of responses throughout the atmosphere - one of which is an earlier noctilucent cloud season. In the Southern Hemisphere, AIM has observed seasons beginning anywhere from Nov. 17 to Dec. 16. Since its 2007 launch, AIM data has shown us that changes in one region of the atmosphere can effect responses in another distinct, and sometimes distant, region. Scientists call these relationships atmospheric teleconnections. Now, due to natural precession, the spacecraft's orbit is evolving, allowing the measurement of atmospheric gravity waves that could be contributing to the teleconnections. ### AIM is a NASA-funded mission managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and led by the AIM principal investigator from the Center for Atmospheric Sciences at Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia. While it seems static from our vantage point on Earth 93 million miles away, the sun is constantly changing. Under the influence of complex magnetic forces, material moves throughout the solar atmosphere and can burst forth in massive eruptions. NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, or IRIS, which will continue its study of the sun thanks to a recent mission extension, watches what is known as the interface region, the lower levels of the sun's atmosphere. The solar observatory was launched in 2013 for a prime mission of two years. The mission has been extended through September 2018, with further extensions possible. IRIS collects data on the temperature and movement of solar material throughout this region to determine how it helps drive the constant changes we see on our sun. This data is crucial for answering outstanding questions about our sun, such as why its million-degree upper atmosphere, the corona, is several hundred times hotter than the fiery surface below. The interface region feeds solar material into the corona and the solar wind, the constant stream of charged particles flowing from the sun. This particular region is also responsible for generating most of the ultraviolet emission that reaches Earth. Our space weather and environment are continuously influenced by both these emissions and the solar wind. Watch the video to learn more about the mystery of coronal heating, one that has fascinated and perplexed scientists for decades, and how scientists are using IRIS to address it. One major question has been whether the corona is heated everywhere at once, or in distinct, bomb-like events. Recent studies have found evidence for the latter - the result of magnetic reconnection, in which magnetic fields in the corona clash and explosively realign. Two more years of observation is a valuable opportunity for IRIS to collect more data and increase our understanding of the sun. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the Explorer Program for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory in Palo Alto, California, built and operates the IRIS spacecraft for NASA. ### New research reveals the ease with which criminals can hack an account without ANY of the card details Dubbed the Distributed Guessing Attack, the team from Newcastle University, UK, say it can take just six seconds to find the card number, the expiry date and the CVV using nothing more than a laptop and an internet connection Circumventing all the security features put in place to protect online payments from fraud, investigators on the recent Tesco cyberattack believe that hackers used a 'guessing attack' method to defraud Tesco customers of 2.5m Working out the card number, expiry date and security code of any Visa credit or debit card can take as little as six seconds and uses nothing more than guesswork, new research has shown. Research published in the academic journal IEEE Security & Privacy, shows how the so-called Distributed Guessing Attack is able to circumvent all the security features put in place to protect online payments from fraud. Exposing the flaws in the VISA payment system, the team from Newcastle University, UK, found neither the network nor the banks were able to detect attackers making multiple, invalid attempts to get payment card data. By automatically and systematically generating different variations of the cards security data and firing it at multiple websites, within seconds hackers are able to get a 'hit' and verify all the necessary security data. Investigators believe this guessing attack method is likely to have been used in the recent Tesco cyberattack which the Newcastle team describe as "frighteningly easy if you have a laptop and an internet connection." And they say the risk is greatest at this time of year when so many of us are purchasing Christmas presents online. "This sort of attack exploits two weaknesses that on their own are not too severe but when used together, present a serious risk to the whole payment system," explains Mohammed Ali, a PhD student in Newcastle University's School of Computing Science and lead author on the paper. "Firstly, the current online payment system does not detect multiple invalid payment requests from different websites. This allows unlimited guesses on each card data field, using up to the allowed number of attempts - typically 10 or 20 guesses - on each website. "Secondly, different websites ask for different variations in the card data fields to validate an online purchase. This means it's quite easy to build up the information and piece it together like a jigsaw. "The unlimited guesses, when combined with the variations in the payment data fields make it frighteningly easy for attackers to generate all the card details one field at a time. "Each generated card field can be used in succession to generate the next field and so on. If the hits are spread across enough websites then a positive response to each question can be received within two seconds - just like any online payment. "So even starting with no details at all other than the first six digits - which tell you the bank and card type and so are the same for every card from a single provider - a hacker can obtain the three essential pieces of information to make an online purchase within as little as six seconds." How the Distributed Guessing Attack works To obtain card details, the attack uses online payment websites to guess the data and the reply to the transaction will confirm whether or not the guess was right. Different websites ask for different variations in the card data fields and these can be divided into three categories: Card Number + Expiry date (the absolute minimum); Card Number + Expiry date + CVV (Card security code); Card Number + Expiry date + CVV. Because the current online system does not detect multiple invalid payment requests on the same card from different websites, unlimited guesses can be made by distributing the guesses over many websites. However, the team found it was only the VISA network that was vulnerable. "MasterCard's centralised network was able to detect the guessing attack after less than 10 attempts - even when those payments were distributed across multiple networks," says Mohammed. At the same time, because different online merchants ask for different information, it allows the guessing attack to obtain the information one field at a time. Mohammed explains: "Most hackers will have got hold of valid card numbers as a starting point but even without that it's relatively easy to generate variations of card numbers and automatically send them out across numerous websites to validate them. "The next step is the expiry date. Banks typically issue cards that are valid for 60 months so guessing the date takes at most 60 attempts. "The CVV is your last barrier and theoretically only the card holder has that piece of information - it isn't stored anywhere else. "But guessing this three-digit number takes fewer than 1,000 attempts. Spread this out over 1,000 websites and one will come back verified within a couple of seconds. And there you have it - all the data you need to hack the account." Protecting ourselves from fraud An online payment - or "card not present" transaction - is dependent on the customer providing data that only the owner of the card could know. But unless all merchants ask for the same information then, says the team, jigsaw identification across websites is simple. So how can we keep our money safe? "Sadly there's no magic bullet," says Newcastle University's Dr Martin Emms, co-author on the paper. "But we can all take simple steps to minimise the impact if we do find ourselves the victim of a hack. For example, use just one card for online payments and keep the spending limit on that account as low as possible. If it's a bank card then keep ready funds to a minimum and transfer over money as you need it. "And be vigilant, check your statements and balance regularly and watch out for odd payments. "However, the only sure way of not being hacked is to keep your money in the mattress and that's not something I'd recommend!" ### Academics at Swansea University have carried out a dose-response analysis which suggests that pregnant women who take a specific type of antidepressant in early pregnancy have a small but significantly greater risk of having babies with major congenital anomalies (sometimes referred to as birth defects) or stillbirths compared with those who did not take these antidepressants. Professor Sue Jordan, of the College of Human and Health Sciences led the international research team1 of academics from the UK, Denmark and Norway. The study published in the PLOS ONE journal, analysed data from more than 500,000 infants in Wales, Norway and Denmark and found that women who had been prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, known as SSRIs, in the first trimester of pregnancy or 3 months before pregnancy were at a small but significantly greater risk of having infants with congenital anomalies, particularly severe heart defects or stillbirths compared with those who did not take SSRIs. The study found that where SSRIs were not prescribed, 6 in 200 pregnancies had an adverse outcome of stillbirth or a baby with a major congenital anomaly, but when SSRIs were prescribed this rose to 7 in 200. The team say this risk is of public health importance due to the severity of the outcome and because SSRIs are prescribed to 5.5% of pregnant women in Wales, 2.1% in Denmark and 1.6% in Norway. Now, the researchers are calling on health care professionals to take the following action:- review all women requesting SSRI prescriptions and not just those who are planning pregnancy. consider women who misuse substances or alcohol as being at higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes when prescribed SSRIs evaluate pre-pregnancy care when SSRIs are prescribed consider offering at-risk women enhanced scans to detect serious heart defects ensure that appropriate levels of neonatal care are available to at-risk women at birth Professor Jordan said: "To our knowledge, this is the first dose-response analysis that shows the link between SSRI doses and congenital anomalies and stillbirths. While this extra risk may seem small, in my view, the outcomes are as serious as they can be. "Women should not stop taking SSRIs without consulting their doctors, and we are not saying stop all medicines, but our message is that we want our health care professionals to be very mindful of this link and to take the appropriate action to ensure that women are given the right type of care before, during and after pregnancy to minimise the risks of congenital anomalies and stillbirths linked to SSRIs." Professor Helen Dolk, who led the EUROmediCAT project, said: "Women should not stop taking SSRIs without discussing with their doctor the benefits and risks of SSRIs and alternative nonpharmacological therapies, since good mental health is important for both mother and child". ### Read the research here: http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0165122, Notes to editors 1 Swansea University, Swansea, UK Queen Mary University of London, London UK Public Health Wales, Swansea, UK Hospital Lillebaelt, Kolding, Denmark Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway. Medical Birth Registry of Norway, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Bergen Norway Department of Pharmacoepidemiology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health Ulster University, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK EUROmediCAT EUROmediCAT is a research project, conducted within the European Union's 7th Framework Program. Financial support for the study was provided by the European Union under the 7th Framework Program (grant agreement HEALTH-F5-2011-260598). Start date: 1 March 2011. Duration: 48 months. EUROmediCAT is currently seeking further funding. Its aim is to build a European system for the evaluation of safety of medication use in pregnancy in relation to the risk of congenital anomalies. The central aim of EUROMEDICAT is to build a European system for reproductive safety evaluation, which enables us to identify systematically and comprehensively the possible adverse effects in pregnancy of a drug in humans at the earliest stage post marketing, and enables us to monitor and evaluate safety measures undertaken in Europe. Funding Financial support for the EUROmediCAT study was provided by the European Union under the 7th Framework Program (grant agreement HEALTH-F5-2011-260598). Start date: 1 March 2011. Duration: 48 months. Coordinator Prof. Helen Dolk, University of Ulster, UK Email: h.dolk@ulster.ac.uk. Further information can be found at: http://www.euromedicat.eu/whatiseuromedicat More information on the congenital anomalies' registers can be found: For Wales: CARIS: http://www.wales.nhs.uk/caris For Norway: The Medical Birth Registry: https://www.fhi.no/en/hn/health-registries/medical-birth-registry-of-norway/ The Prescription Database: http://norpd.no/ For Denmark: http://sundhedsdatastyrelsen.dk/da/registre-og-services/om-de-nationale-sundhedsregistre/graviditet-foedsler-og-boern/foedselsregisteret Swansea University is a world-class, research-led, dual campus university. The University was established in 1920 and was the first campus university in the UK. It currently offers around 350 undergraduate courses and 350 postgraduate courses to circa 20,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students. The University's 46-acre Singleton Park Campus is located in beautiful parkland with views across Swansea Bay. The University's 65-acre science and innovation Bay Campus, which opened in September 2015, is located a few miles away on the eastern approach to the city. It has the distinction of having direct access to a beach and its own seafront promenade. Both campuses are close to the Gower Peninsula, the UK's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Swansea is ranked the top university in Wales and is currently The Times and The Sunday Times 'Welsh University of the Year'. It is also ranked within the top 350 best universities in the world in the Times Higher Education World University rankings. The results of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 showed the University has achieved its ambition to be a top 30 research University, soaring up the league table to 26th in the UK, with the 'biggest leap among research-intensive institutions' (Times Higher Education, December 2014) in the UK. The University has ambitious expansion plans as it moves towards its centenary in 2020, as it continues to extend its global reach and realising its domestic and international ambitions. Swansea University is a registered charity. No.1138342. Visit http://www.swansea.ac.uk Ten years ago this month, the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)--a landmark human rights treaty among countries around the world to protect the fundamental rights of all persons with disabilities. With more than 1 billion people worldwide -- 15 percent of the global population -- living with some form of disability, CRPD has become one of the most rapidly ratified human rights treaties in history. More than 168 countries are now represented. But have the promises made 10 years ago been kept? The WORLD Policy Analysis Center at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health produced a far-reaching analysis of countries' efforts, since the adoption of CRPD, to enact and address global rights, laws and policies that affect persons with disabilities. While progress through the convention and global social movements has occurred, nations still have a long way to go in fulfilling their commitments, the analysis found. "The United States has strong laws guaranteeing equal rights in education, work, and civic life, which have led to dramatic progress in our lifetime," said Dr. Jody Heymann, founding director of the WORLD Policy Analysis Center and dean of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. "More recently, the Affordable Care Act significantly reduced barriers to affordable health care for people with disabilities by guaranteeing access to insurance regardless of pre-existing conditions. However, particularly as the ACA and other laws are facing new threats, the importance of a foundation of constitutional equal rights is clear. The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly grant equal rights to persons with disabilities--a critical gap that needs to be addressed." Only 24 percent of countries in the world have constitutions that specifically prohibit discrimination or guarantee equal rights on the basis of disability. WORLD examined concrete steps taken by countries to protect the rights of persons with disabilities and reduce inequality. Among the global findings: Overall Equal Rights Constitutional rights provide a foundation for demanding greater equity and overturning discriminatory laws. Constitutional guarantees of equal rights on the basis of disability have been used to challenge hiring discrimination in Mexico, strengthen political representation of people with disabilities in Uganda, and improve access to health services in Canada. Yet, less than 10 percent of countries' constitutions explicitly guarantee civil rights to persons with disabilities. Does the constitution guarantee equality and non-discrimination to persons with disabilities? Education Only 28 percent of countries protect through their constitutions the right to education for children with disabilities. Substantial obstacles to education and meaningful learning opportunities for children with disabilities are common. In low- and middle-income countries, school enrollment rates for children with disabilities are commonly 30 to 50 percentage points lower than their counterparts. Five percent of countries have no provisions for children with disabilities in the public school system and 12 percent only meet their needs in separate schools, some limited to specific types of disability. Is inclusive education available for children with disabilities? Work Only 18 percent of countries constitutionally protect the right to work for persons with disabilities. However, employment rights are becoming more common. Of the constitutions adopted in 2010 or later, 58 percent guarantee the right to work for persons with disabilities compared to only 11 percent of those constitutions adopted before 1990. According to preliminary findings for the 25 most populous countries focused on legislative protections against workplace discrimination, 14 broadly protect persons with disabilities from discrimination at work, and eight protect workers with disabilities from indirect discrimination. Does the constitution guarantee the right to work for adults with disabilities? Health Only 26 percent of constitutions explicitly guarantee the right to health for persons with disabilities. Access to early intervention services can be critical for children with disabilities, and paid leave policies can provide working parents with the ability to meet their children's health and developmental needs without losing income. Only 11 percent of countries provide paid leave specifically to meet the health needs of children with disabilities. Although guarantees remain uncommon, 63 percent of constitutions adopted in 2010 or later guarantee the right to health for persons with disabilities compared to only 6 percent of those adopted before 1990. Does the constitution guarantee the right to health for persons with disabilities? Among countries with constitutions adopted since 2010, 68 percent prohibit discrimination based on disability, while 58 percent guarantee the right to work for adults with disabilities, and 63 percent guarantee the right to education for children with disabilities. "The WORLD Policy Analysis Center has provided a unique and invaluable resource for anyone interested in disability social justice," said Michael Stein, executive director of the Harvard Law School Project on Disability, who participated in the drafting of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. "The data, which is accessible to all and includes easy to grasp graphics, will be used by rights advocates, policy makers, and researchers, to understand relative progress of laws and policies across the globe." Heymann summarized the findings, "The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is a promise from our global community to enact and enforce laws that guarantee equality and inclusion. Yet we are far from the world we need -- where every country has ratified the convention and every country that has ratified the convention has guaranteed people with disabilities equal rights, ensured education is fully inclusive, and protected people from discrimination at work." ### The WORLD Policy Analysis Center is the first and largest data center to provide quantitatively analyzable data on policies in all 193 UN member states in a range of critical areas, including education, health, environment, poverty, families, adult labor, marriage, childhood, child labor, equal rights and discrimination, aging, disability, and gender. The UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, founded in 1961, is dedicated to enhancing the public's health by conducting innovative research, training future leaders and health professionals from diverse backgrounds, translating research into policy and practice, and serving our local communities and the communities of the nation and the world. The school has 650 students from more than 35 nations engaged in carrying out the vision of building healthy futures in greater Los Angeles, California, the nation and the world. A student engineer from the University of Sussex has won a national car industry award for designing a new battery that could revolutionise electric vehicles. Josh de Wit, a second-year mechanical engineering student, has won the Autocar-Courland Next Generation Award for 2016 with a concept that could dramatically reduce charging times for electric vehicles. This is a massive problem for the motor industry, with many considering the battery to be the biggest obstacle to electric cars going mainstream. Existing batteries are big and heavy, take a long time to charge and run out quickly. Josh's design harnesses the remarkable qualities of graphene, a form of pure carbon in sheets that are just one atom thick. A car battery made with stacked graphene, says Josh, would take far less time to charge, store more energy and be cheaper, stronger and lighter than existing products. This is because graphene has incredible conductivity, lightness and strength, and you would need to use far less of it than traditional materials. Josh, who studies in the University's School of Engineering and Informatics, is currently on placement with electric-motor company YASA. In the spring, he will begin a six-month work experience tour of some of the biggest names in the motor industry, including Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, McLaren, Nissan, Peugeot and Toyota. He is also working with the University's business incubator, Sussex Innovation, to develop a prototype and bring his stacked-graphene battery concept to market. He said: "From the outset, this has been a challenging but rewarding experience and the mentoring programme has really helped me to develop my idea and push myself further. "I'm now excited at the prospect of working with some of the world's most renowned vehicle manufacturers, experience which I've no doubt will stand me in excellent stead for carving out a career after university." Autocar editor-in-chief Steve Cropley said: "If this award is anything to go by, the future is certainly bright for the automotive industry." ### A parliamentary watchdog says it will hold the Rural Payment Agencys feet to the fire to ensure farmers receive their Basic Payments on time. The Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) committee has written to Mark Grimshaw (pictured), the chief executive of the RPA, to remind him of commitments he made to the committee that 90% of claims would be paid by the end of December. Farm subsidy payments for the 2016 BPS scheme started to land in farmers bank accounts from Thursday (1 December). See also: BPS payments start to roll as window opens Efra committee chair Neil Parish, the Conservative MP for Tiverton and Honiton, said: Given the reliance of so many farmers and the wider rural community on the timely delivery of these payments it is vital that the RPAs words are matched by its actions. Mr Grimshaw expressed confidence in evidence to us earlier this month that the agency will meet its target of paying 90% of BPS claims by 31 December 2016. We will be holding the RPA to this commitment. In particular, the RPAs performance in paying 2015 claims for those who farm common land was lamentable and left many farmers in the lurch for many months. We expect much improved performance this year on paying these complex cases. Were holding the RPAs feet to the fire to ensure farmers get their payments on time. RPA focused on paying 90% Mr Grimshaw has promised MPs that there will be no repeat of the payments fiasco last year, which left tens of thousands of farmers still waiting for payments in the spring, in one of the toughest farming years in living memory. In the letter, which was sent to the RPA on Wednesday (30 November), on the eve of the BPS payment window opening, Mr Parish said he hoped Mr Grimshaws confidence was well placed. He writes: We note the RPAs expectation that it will deliver a much improved performance from that of last year. This will be welcome news to farmers, especially those disadvantaged by the RPAs previous failings. Defra ministers are expected to give an update in the next few days on the progress the RPA is making on processing payments under the 2016 BPS scheme. An RPA spokesman said: The focus is on paying 90% of eligible claims by the end of December. Constitution amendment: Madhes-based parties press PM to revise bill Two days after the government registered a constitution amendment bill, the Madhes-based parties, at whose insistence the move was taken, on Thursday called for revising the bill before it is put to vote, saying that their consent was not taken before it was registered. Haiti - Health : Privert calls for solidarity and to the sense of responsibility The de facto President of the Republic, Jocelerme Privert, calls for solidarity, to the sense of responsibility and renewed action by all actors in the fight against HIV AIDS, on the occasion of the World Day against the epidemic on 1 December. The Head of State welcomes on this occasion the courage of people infected with the virus, the support of their families and their relatives and the health professionals for their work of awareness, prevention and treatment of the disease. The fight must not stop at this moment; It must even intensify to minimize the risks and improve the care of patients. Haiti has made much progress over the past decade in terms offight against the disease. The Head of State sees this effort as a sign that together we can eradicate the disease by 2025, according to the UN-AIDS plan, through responsible behavior of all, infected people and other actors in the chain. The number of HIV-positive people receiving medical treatment in Haiti has more than doubled between 2010 and 2015 (more than 82,500 to date). In addition, new infections have decreased by more than 27% since 2004 and AIDS-related deaths have fallen by 49% since 2008. However, 150 961 people still live with HIV / AIDS in Haiti, according to official records, and the prevalence among girls aged 15 to 24 is three times higher than for boys of the same age. Haiti is a priority country for accelerating the elimination of HIV by 2030. By 2016, the rate of HIV transmission from mothers to their babies at 6 weeks of life has increased to 4.23% while it was more than 12% in 2010. Despite these advances, in Haiti, 7,500 HIV-positive people die each year. The prevalence rate among adults aged 15-49 years is 2.2% (1.7% for men and 2.7% for women), but it rise to 12.9% for men who have sex with men and 8.7% for sex workers. The spread of HIV in Haiti is linked to multiple factors such as poverty, low education, intergenerational sex, gender inequalities, or limited access to HIV prevention and treatment services. Sensitization actions such as screening and non-discrimination are part of the overall national strategy for the elimination of AIDS, which also includes the provision of treatment. A commemorative march will be organized on December 4th by Health Through the Walls (HTW) between Juvenat and the Champs de Mars. This event focuses on youth, prevention and awareness-raising against discrimination. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping politics... New violent demonstrations Yesterday Wednesday a large demonstration compose mainly of Lavalas supporters, but also LAPEH and Pitit Dessalines was on the Delmas road, en route to Petion-ville, was prevented at Delmas 48 from reaching Petion-ville by a major Police presence and CIMO who face the stone throwers used the water cannons and tear gas, on their way the demonstrators broke several windows of cars. Stone jets were also spotted on the Boulevard du 15 octobre near the OAVCT. Results this Friday The Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) announces that the proclamation of the preliminary results of the partial and complementary legislative and senatorial will be published on Friday, December 2, 2016. Jovenel Moise has two tasks According to deputy Gary Bodeau, there are two tasks for Jovenel Moise, launch the constructive dialogue and develop the inclusive political pact essential to stability. "Goodwill is not enough, slogans will not work, you have to make the right decisions that can influence the future." Marteen Boute heard Tuesday, Digicel CEO Marteen Boute went to the public prosecutor's office in Port-au-Prince to be heard "on the grounds that your company has published some results of the elections held in the country on November 20 in flagrant violation of the Electoral Decree governing elections" https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19333-haiti-elections-digicel-ceo-convened-to-the-public-prosecutor-s-office.html it is Mirlande Dupiche Prevost, spokesman of the prosecutor's office accompanied by several substitutes of the government commissioner who heard Mr. Boute, who will have to appear again to the public prosecutor of Port au Prince to answer again to the questions of the justice. A mafia sector at the origin of the manipulations ? Rony Timothe, one of the spokespersons of the Platform Pitit Dessalines, denounces the preliminary results of the elections and points the finger at a mafia sector at the origin of the manipulations that produced them... The part of women's vote will be known Marie Frantz Joachim, Secretary General of the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP), said she was satisfied with the electoral process, saying that "the weight of women's votes in these elections will be known at the end of the tabulation of the votes cast." HL/ HaitiLibre Jammu : Combing operations at the army camp in Nagrota on wednesday revealed the presence of a tunnel which the terrorists used to enter the Indian side. We spotted a tunnel in Chambliyal samba area this morning which might have been used for infiltration, said BSF DG KK Sharma. The BSF DG also said that efforts were underway to fill the unfenced gaps using technology. Blinds (unexploded shells) were destroyed at the site of the terror attack by a bomb disposal team during the combing operation. A part of Bangladesh border is unfenced including water bodies. It is not humanly possible for me to put manpower in such areas, said KK Sharma. The government has provided two pilot programs to mordernise the border fencing technology which will be a force multiplier in border security and will plug gaps and ensure good border protection. Army Chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag today visited the Nagrota-based 16 Corps headquarters and was briefed about Tuesdays terror attack. Jammu was rocked by two terror attacks yesterday in which 7 army personnel, including two Major-rank officers, were killed and eight other securitymen, including a BSF DIG, were injured, before six heavily-armed terrorists were eliminated in the separate fierce encounters. In one incident, a group of heavily-armed terrorists in police uniform stormed an army unit in Nagrota, about three kms from the Corps headquarters on the outskirts of Jammu city. Seven army personnel, including two officers, were killed in this attack before three terrorists were killed in an armed stand-off which also involved a hostage-like situation with 12 soldiers, two ladies and two children being held captive. All were rescued. Three terrorists were gunned down by BSF in Ramgarh area of Samba near the International Border after an encounter that lasted several hours and was followed by intense cross-border firing by Pakistani troops. Four security personnel, including BSF DIG, were injured in this incident. Source : News 18 While the mainstream and alternative media have published articles about aspects of WSPAs enormous influence over politics in the West, they haven't looked at the overall strategy of how WSPA and Big Oil exert their power and influence. CDFW map of Southern California marine protected areas: There is no better example of regulatory capture in the state than the privately-funded Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative. Catherine Reheis-Boyd, President of the Western States Association, chaired the MLPA Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force to create so-called "marine protected areas" in Southern California. She also served on the task forces for the Central Coast, North Central Coast and North Coast. These questionable "marine protected areas" fail to protect the ocean from fracking, offshore oil drilling, pollution, military testing, corporate aquaculture and all human impacts on the ocean other than fishing and gathering. Western States Petroleum Association: the biggest lobby group youve never heard ofby Dan BacherThe Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) is not a household name in California and the West, but it should be.WSPA is the trade association for the oil industry and the largest and most powerful corporate lobbying organization in California. It represents a whos who of oil companies including Aera Energy, Chevron, California Resources Corporation (formerly Occidental Petroleum), ExxonMobil, Phillips 66, Shell, Valero and many others.Yet most people I talk to even many environmental activists have never heard of the organization and the enormous influence it wields over politicians and regulators in the western states.Founded in 1907, WSPA is the oldest petroleum trade association in the United States, according to the organizations website, http://www.wspa.org . The group is a non-profit trade association that represents companies that account for the bulk of petroleum exploration, production, refining, transportation and marketing in the five western states of Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.WSPA is dedicated to ensuring that Americans continue to have reliable access to petroleum and petroleum products through policies that are socially, economically and environmentally responsible, the website proclaims. We believe the best way to achieve this goal is through a better understanding of the relevant issues by government leaders, the media and the general public. Toward that end, WSPA works to disseminate accurate information on industry issues and to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas on petroleum matters.WSPA's headquarters are located in Sacramento, just across from the State Capitol. The group also has offices in Torrance, the San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Barbara, Bakersfield, Scottsdale, Arizona and Olympia, Washington.While the mainstream and alternative media have published articles about aspects of WSPAs enormous influence over politics in the West, they haven't looked at the overall strategy of how WSPA and Big Oil exert their power and influence.In this article I will explore how WSPA and Big Oil use their money and power in 5 ways: through (1) lobbying; (2) campaign spending; (3) getting appointed to positions on and influencing regulatory panels; (4) creating Astroturf groups: and (5) working in collaboration with media.1. LobbyingFrom January 1, 2009 to November 8, 2016, the oil industry spent $112,371,214 on lobbying expenses in California according to a new report, The Chevron Way: Polluting California and Degrading Democracy. The International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) Sydney Office produced the report, in collaboration with a coalition of conservation, consumer and environmental justice groups.The Western States Petroleum Association led the oil industry lobbying expenses with $49,491,104 during this period, followed by Chevron with $24,035,901 and Phillips 66 with $4,821,144. To read the full report, go to: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/574507cde707eb332424b26a/t/582ce3f359cc68ca83033ccd/1479336951487/Chevron+CA+Report.pdf The oil industrys lobbying expenses have increased dramatically in the last three years. The biggest-ever gusher of Big Oil lobbying money into the state in one quarter was from July 1 to September 30, 2015, resulting in the gutting/amending or the defeat of every bill that the oil industry opposed in the last session of the State Legislature.WSPA set a new quarterly record for lobbying expenses by an organization when it spent an amazing $6,750,666 lobbying legislators in the third quarter of 2015 to oppose or amend Senate Bill 350, Senate Bill 32 and other environmental bills. The total spent by the oil industry in that quarter was an unprecedented $11 million.In the first 9 months of 2015 alone, oil interests spent a total $17.7 million, according to a report by the American Lung Association in California. That $17.7 million included approximately $9.3 million from WSPA, $3.3 million from Chevron and $5.1 million from Exxon, Valero and other oil companies.With help from the "Big Oil Caucus," a group of oil industry friendly Democrats, the oil industry was successful at halting other important bills aimed at better regulating its practices. These included AB 356 (Williams), SB 248 (Pavley), and SB 484 (Allen).These bills would have reformed the states Underground Injection Control (UIC) program by requiring disclosure of chemicals used in well treatments or injections; ensuring that oil and gas projects do not contaminate aquifers containing water suitable for drinking and irrigation; requiring the State Water Board to review aquifer exemption applications; and/or requiring the shutdown of illegal injection wells if regulators fail to shut them down.The industry also notably defeated a bill to protect the coast from oil spills, SB 788, sponsored by Senator Mike McGuire, despite the fact that California was still recovering from the May 2015 Refugio oil spill.In 2016, WSPA continued to dominate lobbying expenses. WSPA has spent a total of $16,619,272 in the first seven quarters of the 2015-2016 session, the most of any lobbying organization. ( http://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Lobbying/Employers/Detail.aspx?id=1147195&view=activity&session=2015 The California Oil Lobby remains the biggest spender in the 2015-16 legislative session, spending an amazing $32.4 million so far. "Thats the equivalent of dropping $50,750 EVERY DAY since January 1, 2015," reported Stop Fooling California, stopfoolingca.org.The Western States Petroleum Association usually captures the top spot in the quarterly lobbying expenses listed on the California Secretary of States website, but Tom Steyers Next Generation Climate Action, a campaign committee, actually beat the oil industry trade association in spending in the seventh quarter of the 2015-2016 Legislative Session.WSPA dumped $2.6 million into lobbying legislators and state officials in the seventh quarter, while Steyers group spent an unprecedented $7.3 million, almost 3 times the oil industry groups expenses.The spending by Steyers group helped propel the passage of Senate Bill 32, legislation that reduces greenhouse gas level to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030, in spite of strong opposition by the oil industry.Prior to the passage of this bill, virtually no legislation opposed by the oil industry in the past few years was able to make it out of the Legislature without being gutted, as in the case of Senator Fran Pavleys Senate Bill 4, considered the greenlight for fracking bill by anti-fracking activists.2. Campaign SpendingThe oil industry also contributes millions of dollars every year to political campaigns. Big Oil donated a total of $76,033,707 to candidates and communities from January 1, 2009 to November 8, 2016,Chevron led the list of donations to candidates and committees. with $37,010,511, followed by Valero Energy with $8,733,784 and Occidental Petroleum with $6,844,530, according to the Chevron Way report.2015 saw the Rise of the Big Oil Caucus, a group of Assembly members including Henry Perea, who received $24,200 from Big Oil; Adam Gray, who received $23,400 and Jim Cooper, who received $24,200. Stop Fooling California revealed that the Big Oil invested $3,070,480 in the Assembly Big Oil Caucus, based on Secretary of State data from direct contributions and Super PACs.Big Oil also dumps a lot of money into local and regional campaigns. In 2014, Chevron alone spent $3 million (unsuccessfully) to elect their selected candidates to the Richmond City Council. The oil industry also dumped $7.6 million into defeating a measure calling for a fracking ban in Santa Barbara County and nearly $2 million into an unsuccessful campaign to defeat a measure banning fracking and other extreme oil extraction techniques in San Benito County during the November 2014 election.In the November 2016 election, Big Oil spent over $5 million in their unsuccessful attempt to stop the passage of Measure Z to ban fracking in Monterey County. In spite of being outspent 30 to 1, Measure Z won with almost 56 percent of the vote, thanks to a great grassroots campaign. The No on Z spending came directly from Chevron and Aera, the two biggest companies operating in the San Ardo fields. ( http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/11/9/1594581/-Monterey-County-Bans-Fracking .)This campaign proves that everyday people can defeat Big Oils millions, even in a place where it is actively drilling, said Adam Scow, California Director of Food & Water Watch. We look forward to seeing Californians build on this momentum towards winning a statewide ban on fracking.When you combine oil industry lobbying expenses with campaign spending, that amounts to $188,404,921 from 2009 to November 8, 2016.3. Regulatory Panels & CommissionsNot only does the oil industry spend many millions on lobbying and campaign contributions, but Big Oil officials serve on regulatory panels and commissions, in a classic case of the fox guarding the hen house.For example, WSPA President Catherine Reheis- Boyd chaired the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force to create "marine protected areas" in Southern California from 2009 to 2012. She also served on the task forces for the Central Coast, North Central Coast or North Coast from 2004 to 2012.While she oversaw the crafting of "marine protected areas" that fail to protect the ocean from pollution, fracking, oil drilling, military testing, corporate aquaculture and all human impacts other than sustainable fishing and gathering, her husband, James Boyd, served as vice chair of the California Energy Commission. ( http://www.energy.ca.gov/commissioners/boyd.html )Even worse, state officials and representatives of corporate "environmental" NGOs constantly lauded the process overseen by Reheis-Boyd and other corporate operatives as "open, transparent and inclusive" when it was anything but.Big Oil also gets its buddies in key positions in regulatory agencies. In November 2011, Governor Brown fired two regulators, Derek Chernow, acting director of Department of Conservation, and his deputy, Elena Miller. Brown replaced Chernow with Mark Nechodom to expedite permits in Kern County,Nechodom, in turn resigned the day after Central Valley farmers filed a RICO lawsuit in 2015 alleging that Governor Jerry Brown's office ordered the California Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources ("DOGGR") to approve permits to inject contaminated water in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act.Governor Brown last fall announced the appointment of Bill Bartling, 61, of Bakersfield, who has worked as an oil industry executive and consultant, as district deputy for Bakersfield in the Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR) at the embattled California Department of Conservation. ( http://yubanet.com/california/Governor-Jerry-Brown-appoints-Big-Oil-executive-as-industry-regulator.php 4. Astroturf GroupsNot only does Big Oil spend millions every year on lobbying and campaign contributions, but it funds "Astroturf" campaigns to eviscerate environmental laws.Leaked documents provided to Northwest Public Radio, Business Week, and other media outlets in 2014 exposed a campaign by the Western States Petroleum Association to fund and coordinate a network of astroturf groups to oppose environmental laws and local campaigns against fracking in California, Washington, and Oregon.This network was revealed in a PowerPoint presentation from a November 11, 2014 presentation to the Washington Research Council given by Reheis-Boyd. ( http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/12/12/18765457.php The most controversial slide (9) shows a large circle with a smaller circle labeled "WSPA" in the center, surrounded by circles representing the organization's coalitions and campaigns." These include the Californians for Energy Independence, Californians Against Higher Oil Taxes, Concerned Mineral Owners of California, Kern Citizens for Energy, and Local Hydraulic Fracturing Campaigns, all described as upstream" groups.The slide also features what the organization describes as downstream groups, including the California Drivers Alliance, Fed Up at The Pump, Californians Against Higher Taxes, Save Our Jobs, Washington Consumers for Sound Fuel Policy, AB 32 Implementation Group, Tank the Tax, Oregonians for Sound Fuel Policy, Californians for Affordable & Reliable Energy, Fueling California and California Fuel Facts.Thats a total of 16 "Astroturf" groups and campaigns orchestrated and funded by WSPA and its allies.5. Media Complicity with Big OilThe mainstream media has done a poor job to date covering the connections between fracking and other extreme oil extraction methods and Big Oil money and power in Sacramento. ( http://www.projectcensored.org/oil-industry-illegally-dumps-fracking-wastewater Nor will you see mainstream media coverage of how the Los Angeles Times and the California Resources Corporation, an Occidental Petroleum spinoff, recently teamed up to create "Powering California," a Big Oil propaganda campaign website. ( http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2015/10/31/18779478.php Clean Energy California broke the story on their twitter page when they published an October 27 tweet from WSPA President Catherine Reheis-Boyd promoting the new site.Reheis-Boyd tweeted, "Learn how California's #energy industry is quietly elevating the middle class & improving our quality of life: poweringcalifornia.com"Big Oil is the most powerful lobby in the West. However, action by committed activists can defeat Big Oil in spite of its money and power, as in the case of the Richmond City Council elections and the passage of anti-fracking ordinances in San Benito County in 2014 and Monterey County in 2016.You can expect attacks on landmark environmental laws protecting our water, air, land, fish and wildlife and people from Big Oil and other corporate interests to only increase under the Trump administration, as evidenced by President-elect Donald Trump's appointment of corporate agribusiness advocates, oil industry shills and other anti-environmental extremists to his transition team. On November 21, named Doug Domenech, the director of a pro-Big-Oil think tank, to lead his Interior Department advisory group. ( http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/11/25/trump-appoints-big-oil-think-tank-director-to-lead-interior-transition-team/ Plans to launch the first transatlantic flights from Cork Airport to the US have finally been cleared for take-off after a stalled licence was sanctioned last night, writes Eoin English, Irish Examiner. It followed a decision by the US authorities to grant a foreign carrier permit to Norwegian Air International (NAI) - the Irish subsidiary of low-fares giant Norwegian, which applied for the licence almost three years ago. Bitterly opposed by several US and European airlines and labour unions, the application has been one of the longest pending applications of its kind. They accused the airline of operating a flag of convenience to skirt labour laws. However, the airline, the Irish authorities and the European Commission insisted that the application complied with the 2007 EU-US Open Skies deal. The US Department of Transportation issued a tentative decision in April flagging its intention to grant NAI a licence. However, when a final decision was not forthcoming, the European Commission triggered arbitration, as allowed under the Open Skies deal. The EC named its arbitrator and lodged formal papers on Wednesday to trigger the process. But in a surprise move last night, the US Department of Transportation confirmed that it was now issuing its final decision and granting the licence. It said the case was among the most novel and complex ever understated by the department. "We have taken the necessary amount of time to review and consider the comments from a wider range of stakeholders. "Regardless of our appreciation of the public policy arguments raised by opponents, we have been advised that the law and our bilateral obligations leave us no avenue to reject this application. "Therefore, we have decided to finalise our tentative decision to grant NAI's request for a foreign carrier air permit to enable it to conduct scheduled and charter air transportation of persons, property and mail to the full extent permitted under the EU-US agreement." It said having considered all the submissions, it found that the "clear weight of legal analysis in this case directs us to uphold the tentative findings and conclusions previously made". NAI announced plans last year to launch a Cork to Boston service first, followed by a Cork to New York route later. It also plans to launch low-cost transatlantic flights from Shannon. Norwegian Air International welcomed the news releasing a press release that said: "We welcome the long overdue news that Norwegian Air International (NAI) has finally been awarded a foreign carrier permit by the US Department of Transportation. "The decision now made by the US DOT finally paves the way for greater competition, more flights and more jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. Above all, it is a victory for millions of passengers who will benefit from more choice and lower fares." Cork Airport managing director, Niall MacCarthy, welcomed the news and described the proposed service as a game-changer for the airport and wider region. These flights will help grow inbound tourism, give Cork Airports passengers greater choice, attract more investment to the region and improve social and cultural ties between Ireland and the US. We expect Boston bound flights to take off in coming months with New York flights beginning soon afterwards. "Securing a transatlantic service for Irelands second largest airport has been an aspiration of ours for some time and Norwegian Airs service will be welcomed by business and leisure travellers throughout the region. Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune, and European Affairs Minister Dara Murphy, also welcomed the news. Ms Clune said it would be good for investment, tourism and connectivity. "It is now imperative that we facilitate these flights out of Cork and Shannon as soon as possible," she said. Lord Mayor Cllr Des Cahill said he looked forward to the Cork Boston route starting next year. "Huge credit is due to the resilience of the management team at Cork Airport and all at Norwegian who have waited patiently for this day to come," he said. Speaking in New York, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said: "On the last occasion in the White House speaking to President Obama we did raise the issue that had been around for a while, in respect of the proposal by Norwegian Air to fly direct to America from Cork and Shannon and to do for long-haul travel what Ryanair have done for short-haul travel in Europe. "And so here in the Irish consulate in New York, I am pleased to tell you that following that conversation and all of the discussions that have taken place since, approval issues today for Norwegian air." He added: "Looking to the future we will continue to stand tall and strong." Conor Healy, the CEO of Cork Chamber, said the announcement warmly was a game changer in terms of tourism and economic development for the wider Cork region. "It has taken considerable collaborative efforts by Cork airport, elected representatives, the business and tourism communities and local authorities in Cork to realise this milestone and we look forward to seeing the benefits in the time ahead," he said. "The Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Tim Lucey and Count Mayor , Cllr. Seamus McGrath congratulated the DAA and Cork Airport. "This is a significant boost to the Cork region in particular from a tourism perspective and offers a potential gamechanger opportunity to all involved in the tourism industry to drive growth in US visitors to Cork," they said. Cork County Council will continue to work alongside Cork Airport to maximise this unique opportunity. The Chief Executive and Mayor will lead a small high-powered council visit to Boston, departing Sunday, where they will meet a range of tourism and business organisations. Octogenarian ex-astronaut Buzz Aldrin has been airlifted from the South Pole to a New Zealand hospital after falling ill. Aldrin, 86, the second man to walk on the moon, who was visiting Antarctica as a tourist, was flown to Christchurch from McMurdo Station, a US research centre on the Antarctic coast. Tour company White Desert said Aldrin had fluid in his lungs, but was responding well to antibiotics. He was due to remain in hospital overnight for observation. His manager Christina Korp, who accompanied him, said he was in good spirits. Official statement about Buzz and his evacuation from the South Pole. He's recovering well in NZ. Full statement https://t.co/OacRI4577Z pic.twitter.com/QdrEaHuQHq Dr. Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) December 1, 2016 On Twitter, she said the past 24 hours had been gruelling. She posted side-by-side photos of Aldrin - one on a stretcher giving a thumbs-up with a purple knit cap on his head, another in a hospital bed, on oxygen and with an IV tube in his left arm. Aldrin and Neil Armstrong became the first men on the moon, on July 20 1969. Armstrong died in 2012. Just three weeks ago Aldrin was at Nasa's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida for the unveiling of a new astronaut exhibit. The ceremony coincided with the 50th anniversary of his launch with Jim Lovell on Gemini 12, the last of the two-man Gemini flights. Both were present and looked as energetic as usual. Aldrin has criss-crossed the globe in recent months and years, pushing hard for human exploration of Mars and promoting space and science education. His latest book, No Dream Is Too High: Life Lessons From A Man Who Walked On The Moon, came out in April. He has also teamed up with Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida, now home to the Buzz Aldrin Space Institute. Aldrin lives in nearby Satellite Beach, Florida, not far from Cape Canaveral and its launchpads. "We wish Buzz a speedy recovery," London-based White Desert said in a statement. Aldrin was part of an Antarctica sightseeing tour, along with son Andrew. The elder Aldrin was clearly excited about his adventure to the bottom of the world. "South Pole here I come!" he said via Twitter on November 28. The group departed from Cape Town, South Africa, on Tuesday, on a trip that was supposed to last just over a week. Doctors agreed an evacuation was prudent after Aldrin's condition deteriorated, according to his staff in Florida. The National Science Foundation helped provide the airlift via a ski-equipped LC-130 cargo plane from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station to McMurdo, and then on to New Zealand on another plane. - AP Power to the people Contrary to general perceptions, federalism could be a source of stability in Nepal Resident Barry Chambers appeal is based on the high number of pubs already in the Camden Street/ Wexford Street area and said approval would be an unwelcome milestone in the current trend to completely alcoholise Camden Street. JD Wetherspoon plans to build a 4m superpub comprising a 98-room hotel on the street. In his appeal to Bord Pleanala, Mr Chambers said its addition would be seriously detrimental to the residential amenity and character of the area. He said that anti-social behaviour, ranging from the benign to the very serious, which goes hand-in-hand with the drinking culture has already, regrettably, started to change the character of the area for the worse. The introduction of a superpub selling cheap alcohol into the melting pot does not bear thinking. He said the area is densely populated with young families and it is sincerely hoped that we do not go further down the Temple Bar route an area that has been blighted by the over-concentration of pubs and late night drinking. JD Wetherspoon has also appealed a condition contained in the councils permission that excludes a courtyard area. In the appeal, the company said that its plan provides for adequate protection of residential amenity, saying that the level of noise from the development would be negligible in the context of city living. However, Mr Kenny last night tried to defer any decision on paying back bills until next March, by saying a Dail vote would by then decide on refunds for almost a million people who have paid some bills. Cabinet colleagues Shane Ross and Finian McGrath want a system of refunds for bill-payers after an expert commission on water this week proposed most homes should get water for free. The Government will find it difficult to delay a decision until next March, with many Fine Gael TDs openly calling for a system of refunds, either through taxation or by cash. Speaking yesterday at Facebook HQ in Silicon Valley, California, Mr Kenny said the Government would wait until a new Oireachtas Committee does its work and the Dail votes next March. I believe that it is right and proper that the issue should be dealt with and a recommendation made by the Oireachtas committee in the context of what the commission said, that people who have paid their water charges should not be treated any less fairly than those who hadnt. Thats an issue that needs to be reflected upon by the committee, a recommendation made and the Dail, in due course, will make its decision by vote. Leo Varadkar doesn't think those who paid their water charges should be refunded https://t.co/GaxtC9c6Vs pic.twitter.com/l1KTYRFZpU Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) December 1, 2016 Mr Kenny said he had a personal opinion on refunds, but did not want to influence the committee. I have a very clear view on it, but I dont want to dictate to a Dail committee now on what might be deemed to be a policy position. However, the Independent Alliance say they want refunds for people who have paid charges to date. Transport Minister Shane Ross said he was in favour of refunds: If people are going to be let off, theres a very good case for refunding those who have already paid them. Ministers John Halligan and Finian McGrath told the Irish Examiner refunds should take place, while Office of Public Works Minister Sean Canney also agreed. Sinn Fein, Labour, the Social Democrats, the Greens, and AAA-PBP all back refunding customers. However, speaking on Tipp FM, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said as I believe in people obeying the laws, [the focus] should be on pursuing people who havent paid. The issue of refunds had to be weighed up, in the context of overall budgetary issues, he said. Fianna Fail also want a cost-benefit analysis of both refunds and pursuing non-payers to take place. A cross-party Oireachtas Committee next week will start debating the commission report before a vote on water next year. It comes after a meeting of the Fine Gael party this week heard calls from TDs, senators, as well as some ministers for money to be given back to Irish Water customers. Over 20 Fine Gael TDs contacted by the Irish Examiner yesterday were split on refunding bills. Cork South West TD Jim Daly said attachment orders should be used to pursue non-payers. The law of the land applies. Galway East TD Ciaran Cannon said refunds were economically unwise. Others, though, back refunds. Kerry TD Brendan Griffin said: People should get their money, there is no question about that. Clares Joe Carey said he was open to refunds, possibly with a tax rebate. Q&A: Frozen water charges, outstanding bills, and the question of wastage https://t.co/ien47CNOn9 via @Junomaco (GM) pic.twitter.com/HHQoGOi1z5 Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) November 30, 2016 Drugs Minister Catherine Byrne said this week she favoured refunds and wanted her money back. Some TDs, though, are refusing to decide until the new committee completes its work next year. Figures from Irish Water show 989,000, or 65%, of households paid bills, amounting to some 162m. A total of 1.5m households were billed. Canadian Zinc Corporation (TSX: CZN / OTCQB: CZICF) ("the Company" or "Canadian Zinc") announces that it intends to undertake a non-brokered private placement of 6,666,667 flow-through common shares (the "FT Shares") of the Company at a price $0.30 per FT Share (the "FT Share Price") for aggregate gross proceeds of C$2,000,000 (the "Placement"). The net proceeds of the Placement will be used to incur eligible Canadian Exploration Expenses and flow-through mining expenditures, as defined under the Income Tax Act (Canada), that will be renounced in favour of the purchasers with an effective date of no later than December 31, 2016. The funds are intended to be used to explore the Company's properties, which include the Prairie Creek project in the Northwest Territories as well as the South Tally Pond property in Newfoundland. The Company has agreed to pay a Finder's Fee equal to 6% of the gross proceeds raised in the Placement from purchasers of the FT Shares introduced to the Company by Secutor Capital Management Corp., Canaccord Genuity Corp., and Paradigm Capital Inc. The Placement is subject to the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals, including the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSX"). The FT Shares will be subject to resale restrictions for a period of four months and one day from the closing date of the Placement under applicable securities legislation. The Placement is scheduled to close on or about December 14, 2016. The FT Shares will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 (the "1933 Act"), as amended, or any applicable state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or "U.S. persons," as such term is defined in Regulation S regulated under the 1933 Act, absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States or to U.S. persons. About Canadian Zinc Canadian Zinc is a TSX-listed exploration and development company trading under the symbol "CZN". The Company's key project is the 100%-owned Prairie Creek Project, a fully permitted, advanced-staged zinc-lead-silver property, located in the Northwest Territories. Canadian Zinc also owns an extensive land package in central Newfoundland that it is exploring for copper-lead-zinc-silver-gold deposits. Source: Canadian Zinc President Park Geun-hye looks around Seomun Market in her hometown of Daegu, Thursday, after part of it was burned to the ground by a huge fire a day earlier. The visit is Park's first scheduled outing in 35 days, following the eruption of an influence-peddling scandal surrounding her and her friend Choi Soon-sil. / Yonhap By Kim Bo-eun President Park Geun-hye visited the fire-ravaged traditional market in her hometown of Daegu, Thursday, in her first outside activity in over a month, following the eruption of the massive influence-peddling scandal. Park paid a visit to a building in section four of Seomun Market, which caught fire early Wednesday and burned for over eight hours, injuring two firefighters and gutting the entire building housing 840 shops. The visit was low-profile the President was not accompanied by a crowd of reporters and only a minimal entourage considering public opinion, which has hit record lows. According to Yonhap News Agency, her visit was no more than 15 minutes. She spoke with victims at the site, who thanked her for the visit. Park didn't drop by the situation room where local authorities were working to contain the situation. Supporters cheered for Park, but some expressed their disapproval. By Lakhvinder Singh The recent visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Japan further strengthened the bilateral relationship between the two largest democracies in East Asia. During the visit, Prime Minister Modi succeeded in acquiring nuclear energy technology from Japan, despite the fact that the NPT Treaty has not been signed by India yet. Although Japan is the core of India's engagement in East Asia, Vietnam and Korea have also seen growth in bilateral relationships in recent years. During Modi's recent visit to Vietnam, both countries upgraded their economic relationship to a comprehensive economic partnership, and signed many defense and military related agreements, which Vietnam had signed only with Beijing and Moscow until then. South Korea is another country where India has been putting forth serious effort to improve bilateral relations. As a result, the economic relations have quickly grown from a few $100 million at the beginning of the century to $17 billion at the end of 2015. India and Korea are now close strategic partners and working together on many defense-related projects. As the leadership changes in the U.S., China is expected to continue its economic expansion in the region. Currently it is following a multipronged approach to make the best use of the failure of the US-led Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). Not surprisingly it is offering its own version of a free trade partnership to the regional countries called the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP). This Chinese-led free trade agreement aims to bring 21 countries, including the U.S., under one umbrella. In these changing circumstances, it is important that India prepares effective policy measures to protect its national interests. Strengthening bilateral relationships are essential, but it is not enough to protect core interests in the region. Economic engagement alone cannot save India from looming instability. A broader multilateral approach is needed. With the change in leadership in the U.S., the TPP has no more chance, but free trade in the region is not lost. Singapore and Japan are determined to take regional economic integration to its logical conclusion. Japan is not ready to give up on free trade so easily and has proposed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Even though the proposed RCEP is far less ambitious than the TPP, it still keeps the idea of free trade alive. It is important for India to support these efforts so that if the U.S. withdraws, the region will continue to function normally and maintain peace and stability. The consequences of a U.S. withdrawal from the Asia Pacific region could be very disastrous for the region. Already the collapse of the TPP, effectively removes the "US pivot "and "rebalance" in the region. In this situation it is high time countries like India and Japan come forward and build a new Asia-led security and economic multilateral mechanism. The hour of need is calling on India for leadership in the region. Let us hope the Indian political elite will rise to the occasion and play its due role in building new institutions to secure peace, prosperity, and stability in the region. The writer is visiting professor at Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul. Write to kapcenterkyu@yahoo.com. President Bhandari and Speaker Gharti hold meeting President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Speaker Onsari Gharti held a meeting at the President Office, Sheetal Niwas on Friday. Protests rage against boundary revision plan, clash in Butwal Protests against the constitution amendment bill turned violent in Butwal and Rupandehi on Thursday while demonstrations continued in several other districts. 02.12.2016 LISTEN Wide reaching reggae and dancehall musician Willing Wanna known in real life as Wellington Tettegah has announced the release of an award winning song dubbed Omor . The Mag-Army Music frontliner became a household name in the worlds reggae/dancehall fraternity with massive collaborations with top notch Jamaican artistes including Mr Vegas,Karamanti and Reddman. After debuting his Broke Man dancehall single ,the young Ghanaian musician recieved a very good response with massive airplay accross the country. Talking to hellogh.com , Willing wanna disclosed that his Omor song which translates in English as Baby or lover features popular Ghanaian hi life music duo Gallaxy. After giving a listening ear to the record, you would see eye to eye with the talented musician when he says he is ready to take over the music industry. Wellington is entreating every man jack to envision his upcoming song for its release on his social media platforms. Facebook: willing wana Twitter: @willingwannagh IG : @willingwannagh SMEN 02.12.2016 LISTEN Agona swedru based Fante Rapper SMEN said he's not impressed with the rap skills of Pappy Kojo who has been in the news for the past weeks due to his controversial video for Van Damme. Smen expressed complete disgust about the musician's rap talent after listening to some of his few songs on Pluzz FM. Smen known for releasing many hit songs including, GRIND - ft King of Accra & Teephlow making his disappointment known to the general public on Facebook said he is yet to listen to Pappy Kojo's rapping ability to know how good he is because he has already failed the rap test. Smen is versatile with his rap skills, to the extent that he can easily switch From Fante to Twi & English on the same track. The king of Agona said Pappy Kojo is over-hyped. "Is sad but Pappy Kojo is not talented listening to his rap. Wack rapper paaaaaaa yet to experience his singing tho. Hype over talent. Smen told us that his competition in the industry will be no one during the freestyle session on Pluzz FM weeks back. "He is currently out with the visuals of his newly released song GRIND - ft King of Accra & Teephlow. Watch Here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=ZxIJ9d99-EA Reform begins at home Behavioural changes are needed to remove the stigma associated with menstruation Sorry, we can't find the content you're looking for at this URL. Striking platinum miners gather at the Wonderkop Stadium in Marikana on June 12, 2014 in Marikana, South Africa. By Mujahid Safodien (AFP/File) 02.12.2016 LISTEN Johannesburg (AFP) - South Africa's economy evaded a potentially damaging blow Friday when the Standard & Poor's rating agency maintained the country's foreign currency debt status one notch above junk status. S&P however kept its negative outlook for South Africa, which has struggled with political friction under President Jacob Zuma, high unemployment and slow growth. "Political events have distracted from growth-enhancing reforms, while low GDP growth continues to affect South Africa's economic and fiscal performance," S&P warned. "The negative outlook reflects the potentially adverse consequences of persistently low GDP growth." However, the agency lowered South Africa's local currency rating to two notches above junk in a further sign of concern over the country's economic prospects. The Fitch ratings firm last week kept South Africa one notch above junk, but dropped its outlook from stable to negative. Also last week, Moody's kept South Africa unchanged two notches above junk status. "The South African economy is showing resilience, supported by strong and independent institutions," the treasury said, welcoming the earlier assessments. But this week has seen further political drama when Zuma's loyalists beat back an attempt by at least four ministers to oust him from power. The rebellion was the most serious threat to the president since he took office in 2009. Graft scandals Zuma has been engulfed by graft scandals, while South Africa's economic growth has fallen to 0.5 percent and unemployment hit a 13-year high. Efforts to avoid junk status have been at the centre of political wrangling for months, with Zuma at loggerheads with Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, a reformist widely respected among international investors. Gordhan had been due to appear in court last month on graft charges that many experts saw as an attempt by Zuma associates to oust him. Gordhan was appointed only last year to calm panicked investors when Zuma sacked two finance ministers within four days. "We could lower the ratings if we believed that institutions had become weaker due to political interference affecting the government's policy framework," S&P added in its announcement. The ruling ANC party is due to elect a new leader at the end of next year, ahead of the 2019 general election when Zuma must stand down after serving two terms. South Africa last month unveiled the proposed figure for its first minimum wage -- 3,500 rand ($242) a month -- in a move that could improve labour relations. Fitch, which said South Africa's banking sector "remains a rating strength", forecast GDP growth of 1.3 percent in 2017 and 2.1 percent in 2018. Only a few days after the closing of the COP22 conference in Marrakech and concomitantly with the opening of the second edition of the Rome Med Dialogues, today the Farnesina is hosting the Ministerial Conference on Energy of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), with the participation of 43 Countries from the two shores of the Mediterranean sitting around the Mediterranean Table designed by Michelangelo Pistoletto. The meeting, co-chaired by the European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Canete, and Jordans Energy Minister, Ibrahim Saif, will engage ministers and diplomats in a discussion on revamping energy cooperation as a source of wellbeing for the whole Region. Energy traditionally represents one of the soundest and most crucial areas of cooperation among Mediterranean Countries and their Neighbours, which are consistently among Italys and Europes top providers of hydrocarbons. Energy is increasingly becoming a strategic growth factor that Europe and the Southern Shore of the Mediterranean must commit to share in promoting a common sustainable development. Also thanks to Italys active support of the new lines of cooperation outlined in the Agenda 2030, energy cooperation between the EU and the Mediterranean Countries will increasingly underpin Europes energy policy with a view to fully exploiting the potential that it can fulfil as a key element in stabilising areas of conflict. The Union for the Mediterranean The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 2008 as a forum of debate between the two shores of the Mediterranean and groups together 43 Countries governed under a co-presidency shared between the 28 Member Countries of the European Union (EU), the Countries of the Arab Maghreb Union (Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Tunisia and Libya, with a status of special observer), the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro), Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Monaco, Palestine and Turkey. Syria suspended its membership in 2012 while the United Kingdom, already absent from the periodical meetings, has heightened its detachment from the UfM following Brexit. At present the UfM is co-presided by the European Union and Jordan. The UfMs main aim is to tackle the three priorities closely correlated to the region: human development, stability and integration through regional cooperation, and dialogue and the implementation of concrete projects and initiatives with a tangible impact on the citizens of the region, especially young people. In the aftermath of the Arab revolutions, since 2011 the UfM, in agreement with the European Commission and major European financial institutions, has been focusing its attention on infrastructure. Italy, through the EuroMed Conference held in Rome on 19 November 2014, has succeeded to assert a policy aimed at relaunching multicultural cooperation in the energy sector, with the creation of three separate cooperation platforms respectively on gas, renewable energy sources, energy efficiency and on establishing a regional power supply market. The three platforms, which were launched in 2015, now provide a reliable framework of reference in implementing cooperation programmes financed by the European Commission. The last platform launched was the one on renewable energy sources, in compliance with the COP22 conference recently held in Marrakech. Off-shore gas and oil fields in the eastern Mediterranean Energy is one of the soundest and most crucial areas of cooperation between the Mediterranean Countries and their Neighbours on the Southern Shore, which are consistently Italys primary suppliers of hydrocarbons. Also thanks to Italys constant and progressive action within the European Union, energy cooperation between the EU and the Mediterranean Countries is increasingly placed at the centre of Europes energy policy, also with a view to improving security by diversifying energy supply routes and sources, which is the priority objective of the Energy Union. The EUS Energy Diplomacy Action Plan was developed and is constantly updated to achieve this objective, attributing utmost importance to capitalising on the energy dialogue between Mediterranean Countries and by fully exploiting the potential that energy cooperation can offer in terms of stabilising the areas of conflict. The recent finds of gas in the eastern Mediterranean represent only a portion of the new gas fields in the so-called Levantine basin which includes maritime areas of Israel, Cyprus, Lebanon and Syria and lay the groundwork for a new form of cooperation and for possibly rebalancing the regional energy market. Following the success of these exploration activities, Israel has become a natural gas producer and a gas exporter for future decades. (The Tamar and Leviathan fields are estimated to contain gas reserves of almost 900 billion cubic metres and the gas fields offshore of Cyprus are estimated to contain 128 billion cubic metres). In August 2015, ENI made the major offshore gas field discovery in the Mediterranean, in the so-called Zohr exploratory prospect. The gas field has an estimated in place gas production volume of up to 850 billion cubic metres (5.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent) on an area of approximately 100 square kilometres. The development plan foresees the start of production by the end of 2017 and a progressive increase in production to a volume of approximately 75 million standard cubic metres of gas per day (approximately 500,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day) by 2019. These gas finds have given new momentum to cooperation between Egypt, Israel, Cyprus and Greece through the Cyprus-Egypt-Greece and Cyprus-Israel-Greece trilateral agreements, which Italy looks on with favour while relying on the networking action that ENI is carrying out in all the Eastern Mediterranean Countries in which it operates. The ELMED Project The ELMED (ELectricite MEDiterraneenne) electricity interconnection project between Italy and Tunisia stemmed from a 2009 agreement between TERNA and its Tunisian counterpart STEG (creating a mixed company), which was followed by a 2008 Agreement between the two competent Ministries. It envisaged the creation of a power production district in Tunisia (producing 1,200 MW, 800 MW of which earmarked for the Italian market) and a 1,000 MW export capacity submarine power cable (of approximately 230 km) from Tunisia to Italy. The cost estimate ranged from 1.7 and 2.2 billion euros, and it was to become operational in 2015/2016. The project was recently revised by eliminating the power production district in Tunisia and replacing the Tunisia-Italy export flow with a two-way flow (on the short term, the cable is planned to be used to export 600 MW of electricity from Italy to Tunisia, with the possibility of doubling this volume). The cost is estimated to total 600 million euros. President Jacob Zuma will tomorrow, 02 December 2016, host his South Sudanese counterpart, His Excellency President Salva Kiir Mayardit of the Republic of South Sudan in Pretoria. The two Heads of State are expected to review bilateral cooperation between their two countries as well as the latest regional political and security developments on the continent. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Paolo Gentiloni today met with the British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, on the sidelines of the Rome Med 2016 Conference. In addition to exchanging opinions on the perspective Brexit negotiation process, the two ministers shared their respective evaluations on the Libyan crisis and its fallout on the political, economic, security and humanitarian situation, and on Syria. The talks also focused on relations with Russia, on Moscow's role in the Syrian crisis and on the Western Balkans Process. Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, visited today the European Parliament in Brussels, where he was welcomed by Parliament President Martin Schulz. They had a meeting during which they discussed developments in Tunisia and EU-Tunisia relations. Essebsi called the visit is a "historic and highly symbolic moment" and addressed MEPs on his country's commitment to democracy and freedom. Tunisia is determined to prove that Islam is not incompatible with democracy, said Essebsi, who became president in late 2014 after winning the country's first free elections, This year is the 40th anniversary of the first cooperation agreement between Tunisia and the EU, Essebsi told MEPS during todays plenary session in Brussels: Tunisia and Europe destiny have been closely linked. We have had harmonious links and these are the links to build a strong relationship on." The President warned MEPs that Tunisia was "a target for the terrorists and a democratic experiment that was still vulnerable. "More than ever we need support of European partners, he said. Schulz praised Tunisias transformation into a democracy: "Your country is a beacon of pluralism and tolerance today. The constitution guarantees the rule of law, individual freedoms and equality for all at a crucial time when populists are actively trying to spread fear. We commend the presidential candidates and political parties of Ghana for coming together today to sign the Accra Declaration committing themselves to peaceful elections and the judicial resolution of election disputes. This demonstration of goodwill and shared commitment to peace further solidifies Ghanas reputation as a thriving democracy. The U.S. government remains committed to supporting Ghanas electoral process. As Election Day approaches, we will continue to work with the Electoral Commission, National and Regional Peace Councils, NGOs, civil society organizations, the media and others to support Ghanas efforts to hold credible and nonviolent elections. We encourage all parties to build on the positive tenor of todays event. Likewise, we urge all Ghanaians to actively and peacefully participate in the democratic processbefore, on and after Election Day. No matter which candidate emerges as the victor, we look forward to joining with Ghanaians next week to celebrate Ghanas seventh consecutive peaceful, transparent and credible elections. Sharp decline in new HIV infections in past decade: NCASC There has been a sharp decline in new HIV infection in the country, around 82 percent, over the last decade, according to National Centre of Aids and STD Control (NCASC). Ambassador-Designate to Libya, Giuseppe Perrone, and the Special Envoy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Libya, Giorgio Starace, travelled to Tripoli and Misrata today while a delivery of 3 tonnes of medicines and medical aids carried by an Italian Air Force C-130 was being made to the two Libyan cities. The material is destined for the military hospital in Tripoli and the civilian hospital in Misrata. It will allow basic care to be provided to around 10,000 people for 3 months and specific treatments to be given to 100 war-wounded people. This is the sixth shipment of medicines made to Libya by the Italian Cooperation service since the beginning of the year and it is worth a total of 2.5 million euros. The initiative is part of a multifaceted support plan for the Libyan State which, in addition to supplying healthcare materials and medicines, provides for the transport and treatment of Libyans injured while fighting Daesh in Libya. In the Libyan capital, Ambassador Perrone and Special Envoy Starace met Deputy Prime Minister Maitig and Foreign Minister Siyala. During the meetings Italy reiterated its support for the Presidential Council and the Government of National Accord in the Country's stabilisation process. In Misrata, Ambassador Perrone and Special Envoy Starace were received by the local authorities, who expressed appreciation for Italy's continued support to Libya. Before leaving the city, the Italian delegation met staff working in the "Hippocrates Task Force" field hospital. Bamako (AFP) - Clashes between armed groups near the northern Malian city of Gao left at least one person dead and a dozen injured, and the local airport was closed after being hit in a jihadist attack, sources said. Fighting erupted Thursday between the towns of Tessit and Intillit among unidentified militias, an elected official who asked not to named said. The combattants were believed either to be aligned with the ex-rebel Azawad movement or with an ethnic Touareg group called Imghad or its pro-government ally, the official said. The clashes were confirmed by a foreign security source who said the fighters were probably connected to groups involved in a peace process for Mali's volatile north. The elected official earlier said that two had died in the fighting, but a number of sources later said that one person had been killed. Meanwhile the UN mission to Mali (Minusma) announced that Gao airport -- a key transport hub -- had been shut down following a jihadist suicide attack on Tuesday night. A car bomb destroyed prefabricated hangars used by the mission's aircraft, Minusma said in a statement. Damage to the installations and debris on the runway "has made the airport unusable for the moment and it is temporarily closed," it said, adding that the clean-up would begin once the area was made safe. Minusma said a second vehicle had been "abandoned in situ, containing 500 kilos (1,100 pounds) of explosives and other devices" and these needed to be neutralised. The attack was claimed the same evening by the Algerian jihadist group of Mokhtar Belmokhtar, which said in a statement that the airport had been attacked as it was one of the most important sites used by foreign forces in Mali. The one-eyed killer of hostages and a notorious Al-Qaeda ally in North Africa, Belmokhtar was reported to have been killed in a French air strike in southern Libya last month. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Monday a report in the Wall Street Journal that US intelligence helped France target the veteran jihadist. Mali regained control of the northern cities from the jihadists after a French-led international military intervention in January 2013, but insurgents remain active across large parts of the region. 01.12.2016 LISTEN Mildred Siabi-Mensah Takoradi, Dec 1, GNA - The Acting Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Freddie Blay, says the party is prepared to galvanise the needed support and votes that could help bring it back to power. 'I know the various constituencies in the region are working hard and all things being equal, we are very convinced that the NPP would be victorious in the upcoming general election,' he said. Mr Blay said this at a media engagement as part of a working visit to the region in the round-up to the elections. 'Change is on the way to give Ghanaians better lives. This is the time to arise for the change the country needs. Change, we can assure you, is coming,' he said. Mr Blay, therefore, appealed to the party faithful across the country to be extra vigilant during the December 7 elections whilst protecting the peace of the country. Reacting to the six missing ballot boxes, the Western Regional Secretary of the NPP, Charles Onuawonto Bissue, expressed worry about the issue and asked the Electoral Commission to, as a matter of urgency, rectify it. Mr Steve Opoku-Mensah, the Western Regional Chairman of the Electoral Commission, said the Commission had been notified of the hiccup and was working to address it. GNA Accra, Dec. 1, GNA - The representatives of three key international institutions are currently in the country to sign a pact that would help ensure a peaceful election. Mr Marcel Alain de Souza, the President of the ECOWAS Commission; Dr Josephine Ojiambo, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth; and Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for West Africa and the Sahel, arrived in the country last week to sign the deal which will commit presidential candidates to work towards achieving a smooth electoral process. A statement jointly signed by representatives from the ECOWAS, Commonwealth and the United Nations and copied to the Ghana News Agency said the objective of the deal was to get a firm commitment of the Presidential candidates to work for a peaceful and open electoral process. 'The ECOWAS, Commonwealth and the United Nations called on all the Presidential candidates to commit to participate in the December 7, 2016 election, and to take the responsibility to contribute towards a non-violent, transparent and credible elections, the statement said. GNA 01.12.2016 LISTEN By Paul Achonga Kwode,GNA Tamale, Dec. 1, GNA - Most Reverend Philip Naameh, Metropolitan Archbishop of Tamale, has called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to exhibit a high sense of professionalism, fairness and integrity in the coming polls. He also called on the EC to ensure that all required logistics are provided for the polls and that such logistics should be securely packed, stored and distributed to the various centers at the right time saying 'adequate security should be provided at all times to ensure the safety of the materials'. Most Rev. Naameh, who is also the Chairman of the Northern Region Election Early Warning and Response Group (REEWARG), said this at a press briefing in Tamale. He urged international and domestic observers to offer objective and unbiased reports on the proceedings at the voting centers noting that the media is expected to demonstrate a high sense of responsibility and professionalism to ensure peace in the country. 'As we approach voting day, the messages of political party leaders must be civil devoid of intemperate language. Political platforms statements must not incite violence and politicians must caution their followers against such acts', he said. Archbishop Naameh called on the general public to reject and frown upon politicians who fan ethnic and religious divisions for political gain explaining that the upcoming elections must be won based on issues and not on ethnic, cultural or religious lines. He urged political parties to have confidence in state institutions such as the police, the court and the EC to discharge their duties free from any interference and seek redress in those institutions when the need arise. He said civil society institutions should also play their monitoring and oversight role in ensuring the sanctity of the elections is maintained stressing that traditional rulers, religious leaders and politicians must not unduly interfere in lawful processes. Archbishop Naameh appealed to Ghanaians not to attempt to prevent or make it impossible for any voter to exercise his or her franchise and that statements urging voters to vote and stay at polling stations was unacceptable and contrary to the law. He said as the nation inches towards December 7, political activities have become tenser across board since people are uncertain of the outcome of the polls. Archbishop Naameh appealed to the youth to manage and control their emotions stressing that they should reject all attempts to induce them into violent acts. GNA 01.12.2016 LISTEN Madina, Dec. 1, GNA - At the Madina Police Station where 1,195 voters are expected to cast their votes under the Special Voting exercise, Ms Priscilla Afranie, who started the queue at 0500 hours, initiated the process when the polls began at 0700 hours. She told the Ghana News Agency that: 'As a good citizen, my vote may count for something important so I came early so that I will have my chance early to return to work. 'We need a President who can manage the economy better to create job opportunities for the youth, and I hope my vote will count to make that choice.' Before the polls started, Mr Kingsley Owusu Ansah, the District Electoral Officer of La Nkwantanang Madina, called the agents representing the various political parties and advised them to seek answers to any queries they might have instead of disrupting the process. 'We are here to do a fair job, nobody here intends to do anything sinister so if you don't understand anything, ask us,' he said. 'We need to cooperate to do everything peacefully for Ghana's wellbeing. Agents of the National Democratic Congress, New Patriotic Party and the People's Convention Party were present for the meeting. Two representatives of the African Union, who were there as observers wished Ghana a successful poll. As of 0800 hours only one candidate could not find his name on the electoral roll. Mr Gamal A. Karrar, a Sudanese with the Communications Department of the Union, said a 40-member observer team, with their head of mission was expected in the country tomorrow. There would also be six-member coordination team to support their work across the country. Ms Susan Mwape, an Election analyst with the AU, said she had been in the country since October and was hopeful Ghana would have a peaceful election as usual. A total of 127, 000 registered voters who are expected to perform electoral duties on December 7 are expected to cast their ballots during the 10-hour period across the country towards electing a new president and 275 parliamentarians. Unless extended because of technical reasons, polling continues until 1700 hours. Seven presidential candidates are contesting for the highest office in the land. They are President John Dramani Mahama of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC); Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, of the New Patriotic Party (NPP); Mr Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, Convention People's Party (CPP); and Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, National Democratic Party (NDP). The others are Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, Progressive People's Party (PPP); Dr Edward N. Mahama, People's National Convention (PNC); and Mr Jacob Osei Yeboah, an independent presidential candidate. The candidate who wins 50 per cent plus one of the votes wins the presidential contest and would rule for four years. In the event of no candidate winning that 'magic number' in the first round, there would be a run-off between the top-two candidates in two weeks. GNA ACCRA, 1st December 2016 - The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) has been honoured by the 25th & 26th Presidents National Award for Export Achievement (PNAEA) with an Export Services Award. The special award was recognition of UNIDOs support to Ghana in Trade Capacity Building over the years and its hard work in supporting Ghanas export. The event was organised by the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) and was on the theme, Celebrating Export Excellence". The President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama in a speech read on his behalf by the Deputy Minister of Finance, Mrs. Mona Helen Quartey, commended exporters of non-traditional products nationwide for their contributions to national revenue. He said the sector had increased its contribution to national revenue from GH 7.2 billion in 2014 to GH 9.2 billion in 2015, in spite of the inflexible competition and Ghanas present economic challenges. Seventy- two awards were given to companies for their contributions in the country's non-traditional export sector for 2014 and 2015. Niche Cocoa Industry Limited, a private entity engaged in cocoa products and confectionery, was adjudged the Exporter of the Year for 2014 and 2015. The Chief Executive of GEPA, Mr James Zuugah Tiigah, urged exporters to take advantage of the opportunities under the preferential international trade agreements such as the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). GEPA is the national export trade support institution that facilitates the development and promotion of Ghanaian export. UNIDO is the specialised agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalisation and environmental sustainability. The Trade Capacity Building Programme for Ghana is implemented by UNIDO and funded by the Switzerland Government through the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). The TCB programme has since 2007 supported national institutions responsible for exports, given technical assistance to Ghanas national testing laboratories and upgraded their standards to internationally accepted models. It is currently seeking to support the private sector improve sustainable value chains for exports from Ghana. Many say they see the traits of the biblical David in Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo Addo and he himself confirmed that during the NPP manifesto launch. However, the sympathisers of NDC also see Mahamah as their David. The question then is: Who is who? The political contest in 2016 is seen as a straight fight between the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the biggest opposition party in Ghana and the National Democratic Congress, the ruling party has become very interesting, intense and fierce. Words are being traded from the camps of these two titanic parties. I call it the battle of words carefully released as salvos to disarm, denigrate, and destroy each other. This is a situation where the smaller political parties can best be described as the also runs. Sun Tzu posits in his seminal work, The Art of War, that "Every battle is won or lost before it's ever fought. I have carefully observed the leaders of the two leading parties and their followers carrying out their campaigning exercises and I have drawn many lessons,but one which strikes me most is the seemingly religious and spiritual statement made by Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo-Addo , the flag bearer of NPP during the launch of the Partys manifesto at the Trade Fair Centre La, Accra. At the tail end of his speech, he stated, In this election, we are faced with an opponent with unrestrained and unprincipled access to state resources, with apparently, unlimited cash,who have confidence they can buy your vote. If they cannot, they will try to bully you. That is the opponent we have in this election. So let me speak the words of David to our Goliath. You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel (Ghana), who you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel (Ghana). Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lords, and He will give you into our hands. Ladies and gentlemen, the battle is Lords. I was very mesmerized with the alacrity with which the presidential candidate for NPP elucidated the scriptures without mincing words and it has inspired me to revisit the whole story about David and Goliath in the bible and juxtapose it with the struggle between the two political colossi. In the bible, Goliath, represents a force, a giant, towering army leader, imposing and powerful figure coming under the authority and sponsorship of the Philistine government armed with all resources including state munitions and implements of war. At the time, the Philistines were in control of affairs because they had seized and besieged the governance of Israel and defied their authority. Goliath came with exuding power and confidence, Goliath was one of the most powerful in the Philistine empire before it was destroyed in the ninth century BC. Recently, Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of an enormous gate and fortified wall which are giving clues to just how formidable the city of Gath may have been. They discovered the Goliath gate as a monumental gate which is the largest to be found in Israel and much like its most famous inhabitant. The iconoclastic posture of Goliath rendered the Israelites spineless, and he derided the jurisdiction of King Saul and the army of Israel, they hid themselves in their chambers anytime he appeared on the scene. Goliath was described in the bible as champion and the NDC has, similarly, described or equated President John Mahama, as the unrivaled champion. The party claims his ephemeral achievement surpasses even that of former Presidents Kwame Nkrumah, President Jerry John Rawlings and President J. A. Kuffuor. A book "Green Book" has been produced to trumpet and propagate Mahamas supposedly unequaled achievements. It is upheld by the NDC party as a version of a bible and cleverly rile opponents so brazenly with such claims and in some cases forcefully given to christian churches. Recently, some members of the Church of Pentecost rejected the 300 copies of the Green Book donated by Vice President, Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur to the church. The prima donna posture and open display of opulence and power by champion Mahama and his team is raising a lot of concerns, a blatant display of expensive adverts on all the television networks, radio and print newspapers every day and as if it's not enough, very expensive, towering, humongous billboards and banners mounted and unfurled at every corner and street of Ghana, the ten regional capitals and 275 constituencies in Ghana. It is very important though to point out that this type of expensive publicity did not start from the Mahama led NDC, Nana NPP also benefitted immensely from such an avalanche of financial wastage prior to the 2008 election, his imposing billboards were littered in every nook and cranny of Ghana to the extent that billboards are mounted on church buildings. Several cautioning by ordinary Ghanaians to the NPP at the time to channel these finances to a useful life transforming uses fell on deaf ears. "The venom of the viper does nothing to the back of the tortoise" says a Cameroon proverb. The elephant was chased out to the bush as a result of such disrespect to taxpayers plea. Party members attributed the loss of NPP to several reasons, "One sees all sorts of knives on the day an elephant dies" Calabar - Nigeria proverb.I personally believe that when you disregard the voters whose thumb have the ability to vote you to power, you pay dearly for it. Archetypes of David found in Nana Addo Dankwah David was forgotten in the wilderness, taking care of sheep, poor Nana left alone in the wilderness Ironically, David stated in the bible that, God raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, referring to himself. In contrast, Nana was proverbially born with a silver spoon in his mouth. His father was a former Prime Minister of the republic of Ghana and so he tasted wealth right from his birth. Nana Addo Dankwah made great strides in his career as a legal luminary in both local and international legal spaces. He established one of the most successful telecommunications company in our country. He was appointed and served as Minister for Justice and Attorney General and also Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Intergration under President Kufuors administration, prestigious positions which he subliminally executed very well. He contested for the 2008 presidential election fully armed with resources, but he lost to the late Professor Atta Mills. 2012 was another opportune moment for him, but the death of the late Professor created an omen to the advantage of President John Mahamah. President John Mahama won the election with a lot of contention because the election was alleged to have been rigged by NDC. Coming into the 2016 political season has become a wilderness experience for Nana, considering the fact that all his resources have been sapped by the previous campaigns and national elections. Day in and day out, great thinkers assemble at his residence and party headquarters with great ideas to help the party secure a win in the upcoming elections but there are no funds available to move the ideas to fruition. It is no surprise that the NPP has embarked on a fundraising campaign to the extent that poor market women are even tasked to contribute a token. Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, the founder of the Databank Financial Services is seen on the streets soliciting funds from drivers and passengers. It is famine that makes one to eat the fruits of strange trees. A Yoruba proverb David was righteous before God, Nana is perceived to be incorruptible David said "I have been young, and now I am old, but I have not seen a righteous forsaken". Nana is 72 years now, and still going strong. He has demonstrated maturity and decorum even in the face of hostile and denigrating attacks from the opposition and even from his own circus. There has been several attempts by entities and individuals to tag Nana with corruption and evil deeds, but the man has always come clean, from cocaine saga, violent character, terrorist, tribalist, arrogant, you name it and several evil epithets. There was nothing to disturb Nanas carefully constructed patina of calmness, humility and reasoning. He has faced rejection from his own party cronies, the former President Kufuor even rooted for Alan Kyeremanten as the preferred candidate, but Nana has not used his platform to vilify anyone or make any statement against President Kufuor. Rather,he uses any opportunity to celebrate him as the best president whoever reigned in Ghana. It reminds me of what David said "touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm" when he got the opportunity to kill Saul who attempted severally to kill him. In the primary contest between Nana Addo and Alan Kyeremanteng for the presidential slot in 2008, several unprintable, disparaging and derogatory words were used by Alan's camp against Nana but after he's won, he has embraced Alan as a shadow key cabinet member of his team. NDC on the other hand has spewed fire on the Former President and Founder of the NDC Party, His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings, for criticizing the party he founded. They have actually barked at him because they claim he is a barking dog. Recent treatment of the former president is so bad; such that he is not invited to major functions. This suggests that there is a fractious relationship between the current President and the former. The former President has even alleged that the NDC is trying very hard to keep him at bay so they have paid Dr. Henry Lartey, GCPP party leader to use Abacha gift saga to tarnish his hard won reputation. The right time to slap a king is when a fly sits on his cheek Sudanese Proverb. Nana has publicly declared on various political platforms that he is not corrupt, and no one has challenged him on that, rather the NDC even attests to this fact when Mrs. Dzifa Attivor publicly declared that Voltarians should retain NDC in power, otherwise Nana Addo will throw them into jail. David said in the bible "in sin did my mother conceive me", it is such sin that furtively strayed Davids eyes to spy Bathsheba in her bathhouse, followed by adultery and murder of her husband. I am not sure if Nana has encountered any such voluptuous escapades, but I keep wondering how Nana Addos hand strayed to a woman's butt at the GBC studio in 2008. Eyes can stray, but if hands stray, it is unpardonable. Pardonably, David's eyes travelled beyond what he saw, but Nana hands ended right at the studio. David used 5 stones to battle Goliath; Nana Addo is placed at the 5th position on the ballot paper for the 2016 presidential election. Biblically, the number 5 stands for grace, grace means acceptance, charm and favour. Will Nana be accepted this time? It has been a long journey for Nana, coming from the backdrop of disputed elections from the past, particularly 2012 election where Nana was largely and credulously considered a winner, but for the alleged schematic manipulations from the Electoral Commission, the victory went in favor of John Manama after a long battle in the Supreme Court. Nana accepted the verdict of the court. Afterwards, the electoral commissioner at the time, Dr. Afari Gyan retired. A new commissioner, Mrs Charlotte Osei was appointed by His Excellence President John Mahama to lead Ghana to another era of our democratic process and continue where Dr. Afari Gyan left off. But her petulance, belligerence posture and inflated view on issues have raised many concerns, not only from the NPP, the victim of previous rigged election but various political parties and civil society have raised flags. Within some few years of her tenure, she has already been summoned to court on various avoidable electoral process errors which could have been easily addressed outside of court. NPP has fearfully noted various anomalies pointing to the upcoming electioneering process, but her office has vehemently rebuffed those pointers. At a recent balloting session at the Electoral Commission headquarters in Accra, the New Patriotic Party chose the fifth position, which means, in order of positions on the ballot paper, Nana Addo Dankwah and the NPP is the number five. Serendipitously, such position gives a striking correlation between Nana Akufo Addo and Mahama especially in the fight between David and Goliath respectively. The battle between David and Goliath was a life and death issue; it was a clash of death to each party. Goliath said Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field! David also responded "the Lord will deliver you into my hands and I will strike you and take your head from you". Similarly, the contest between Nana and Mahama is a tough battle in the political arena, Nana claims he is coming in the name of the Lord, and that has been his slogan since 2013. Mahama is also coming in the name of his achievements and his mantra is "transforming Ghana" and that is why they are ubiquitously inaugurating projects everywhere as the 2016 elections get closer. Before the fight against Goliath, David went to the brooks to pick five smooth stones for the fight. During the fight, he took the first stone, slung it and landed straight in the forehead of Goliath. Nana Addo is going into this battle with the number five on the ballot, will he clinch victory in the first round as David did or will Goliath demolish David? December 7, 2016 is so close and time will tell! By Original Jojo Pataku Lagos (AFP) - Efforts by Lagos authorities to turn Nigeria's chaotic commercial capital into a modern megacity have run into controversy after the demolition of an impoverished waterfront neighbourhood left 30,000 people homeless. With swanky private estates and a glittering new city under construction on land reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean, housing for some of the 20 million people living in notoriously-dysfunctional Lagos appears to be getting better. But as the city undergoes a dramatic metamorphosis, many are experiencing the brutal reality of rapid urbanisation. The latest casualty was Otodo Gbame, a poor fishing community close to the upmarket southeastern district of Lekki, which was completely razed in early November as part of a growing drive to remove shanty towns. Between November 9 and 11, the district was set alight then bulldozed, reducing tens of thousands of homes to piles of smouldering wood and corrugated iron. The demolition of shanty town Otodo Gbame has left 30,000 homeless as Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos undergoes rapid urbanisation At least three people died when armed police moved in with bulldozers, setting fire to the area and chasing some residents into the nearby lagoon, locals said. They say they were given no warning. Now homeless but with nowhere else to go, residents huddle together miserably under makeshift structures built out of rubble. Mostly from the ethnic Egun tribe, they trace their roots to Benin but say they have been living in Lagos for over a century. But like the vast majority of the city's poor, they do not have title deeds to prove it. 'We will fight this' They accuse the state authorities of conspiring with a prominent Lagos family to seize the land and sell it to the highest bidder. "They are not happy that we the poor are living close to them. "Each time, they look through the windows of their mansions and see us, their anger rises," Toshun Pascal, a pastor in the community, told AFP. "We are going to fight this injustice with the last drop of our blood." Otodo Gbame used to lie between upscale neighbourhood Lekki Phase 1 and Elegushi housing estate, an exclusive area where residents drive Mercedes and Range Rover cars. Fishermen in the Otodo Gbame waterfront fishing communities in Lagos earn around $47 a month Pascal said more than 20 residents, including the community leader, had been detained for weeks "for instigating the violence." But Lagos authorities dismissed accusations they ordered the demolitions, claiming a fight between the Egun and their Yoruba neighbours caused the fire which burnt down the community. They said police only arrived on the scene to restore order and ensure that "the arson did not spread." 'Deliberately torched' Governor Akinwunmi Ambode had in October hinted at a plan to demolish waterfront shanties in a move to rid the city of criminals, who hide there. But Amnesty International warned that such a move would risk leaving tens of thousands of people homeless. And after the fires, the London-based watchdog said the community was "deliberately set alight", demanding an independent inquiry into the "forced evictions". "Lagos State Government is trying to evade its responsibilities to Otodo Gbame residents by denying involvement in the state's biggest forced evictions in recent times," Amnesty said, insisting that those responsible be prosecuted. Lagos has a history of demolishing entire neighbourhoods. In 1990, the authorities demolished Maroko, a shanty town in the well-heeled suburb of Victoria Island, forcing some 300,000 out of their homes. On the site where it once stood, there now stands a popular South African shopping mall with international chains that caters to the city's elite. Housing for the poor? Noah Shemede, director of a floating school in Makoko, another waterfront neighbourhood in Lagos, said residents are living in fear. "We don't know when the caterpillars will roll in," Shemede told AFP. "It's Otodo Gbame today, it can be Makoko tomorrow." Government plans to build 1,000 new flats would not help those left homeless, Shemede said. "Where will a poor fisherman get 3.5 million naira ($11,000 dollars) to buy a flat?" he said, indicating that a fisherman's monthly wage is around 15,000 naira a month -- the equivalent of $47 (45 euros). Building experts say hundreds of thousands of people are in need of shelter in the city and are urging the government to provide affordable houses for the poor. "A housing scheme is meant to be a social contract between the government and the people," said Adeniyi Adams, managing director of KnightStone Properties, a Lagos-based firm of estate developers. He said the Nigerian government should provide funding for private developers to invest in lower-income housing so it isn't just the rich who prosper in the city. "It's only then we can say Lagos is truly a megacity," local conservationist Michael Kobah said. Other world-class cities look out for all their citizens, he said. "Lagos can't be an exception." Tripoli (AFP) - Rival militias clashed in Tripoli leaving at least seven people dead, Libyan media said, as AFP journalists reported hearing gunshots and explosions in the south of the capital. Tanks, trucks and heavy weapons were seen on the streets but the cause of the conflict was not immediately clear. It was not immediately possible to confirm the death toll. Tripoli is controlled by a loose alliance of militias of different political and religious factions, and clashes between them are an almost daily occurrence. Five years after Libya's 2011 revolution that toppled longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, the country is embroiled in violence and political chaos as the militias and two rival governments vie for power. A UN-backed Government of National Accord took up office in March with the hopes of re-establishing central power and stemming a jihadist threat from the Islamic State group. It was intended to replace the rival administrations but has failed to win a vote of confidence from the parliament in Tobruk while the Tripoli-based GNA considers it illegitimate. The GNA suffered a fresh setback in October after the rival Government of National Salvation seized key offices in the capital. TRC records 295 complaints on sexual assault The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has received the highest number of complaints on torture and the lowest on sexual assaults perpetrated during a decade long conflict. 02.12.2016 LISTEN The Running Mate for the Progressive People's Party (PPP), Ms. Brigitte Dzogbenuku, has advised Ghanaian parents particularly mothers, to think carefully about the future of their kids before they cast their vote on Wednesday, December 7, 2016. According to her, it is only the PPP that is assuring their wards of Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE), therefore they must endeavour to cast their vote for Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, so he can implement this all important policy which is enshrined in the 1992 Constitution. Ms. Dzorgbenuku made this known when she, together with the 2nd Vice Chairperson of PPP, Berlinda Bulley, stormed the Nyanyano town in the Gomoa East Constituency, to campaign and interact with the fisher folks and women in the community. The future of Ghana will be on the shoulders of the children we see today. That is why Dr. Nduom has said that he is going to make basic education free and compulsory for them, she indicated. She the charged the people to vote massively for Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, who is Number 4 on the presidential ballot paper, and the PPPs Parliamentary Candidate for Gomoa East, Eunice Asumeng, who is number 1 on the parliamentary ballot paper. For her part, Eunice Asumeng said she was going to restore Nyanyano to its lost glory, since it is one of the oldest towns in the Gomoa East Constituency. She added that, she was going to provide vocational training to all the young men and women in the constituency. Earlier, the PPP Running Mate, Brigitte Dzogbenuku and her team, visited the palace of Dr. Nana Obeng Wiabo (V), the Gomoa Nyanyano Odikro. By: citifmonline.com/Ghana The United Nations has made a passionate appeal to decision makers from over 190 countries to step up efforts to halt the loss of biodiversity and protect the ecosystems that support food and water security and health for billions of people. At the UN Biodiversity Conference in Cancun, Mexico, parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) begin two weeks of discussions in the shadow of data and reports showing that around two-thirds of the global Aichi Biodiversity Targets are currently not on track to be met by the 2020 deadline, with serious consequences for human well-being, unless enhanced efforts are made in the last four years of the decade. The UN Biodiversity Conference takes place at the Moon Palace Resort in Cancun Mexico, from 2 to 17 December, 2016. The Aichi Targets specify actions to protect and sustainably use the entire variety of life on our planet. The targets address issues ranging from the loss of natural habitats, sustainable agriculture and declining fish stocks, to access and sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources, indigenous knowledge and awareness of the values of biodiversity. Achievement of the Aichi Targets will be critical for achieving the three other historic global agendas agreed last year, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Ahead of the 13th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity more than 120 ministers of environment, agriculture, forestry, fisheries and tourism will discuss the mainstreaming of biodiversity into their activities by ensuring the alignment of wider Government policies, programmes and plans consistent with the need to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity. If we are going to save biodiversity, we need to work with these sectors that depend on biodiversity and whose activities have a considerable impact on the variety of life on our planet, Dr Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, CBD Executive Secretary said. Agriculture, forestry, fisheries and tourism are important sectors whose activities need to take biodiversity conservation and sustainable use into account in a coherent manner, he stated. Governments have made ambitious commitments to achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, but these declarations need to be matched with actions at the national level, Erik Solheim, Chief of UN Environment Programme also said. If countries do not ensure that national targets are set and achieved, their ambition will only remain on paper, he added. Sir Robert Watson, Chair of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services said, The Aichi Targets must be achieved, because biodiversity and ecosystems services are central to human well-being. The continued loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystem services will undermine our ability to achieve many of the SDGs, in particular those on poverty alleviation, human health, as well as food and water security, Sir Watson mentioned. The meeting will review the progress that has been made towards the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, the achievement of the Aichi Targets, as well as related means of implementation. It will also identify actions needed to meet the Targets at the national level. One of the major challenges countries still face is aligning national plans with the generally more ambitious global targets. For example, progress is being made towards achieving Aichi Target 11 with protected areas increasingly being designated. However, only half of the countries have set national targets that are at least as ambitious as the Aichi Targets. Rafael Pacchiano Alaman, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of Mexico said, Mexico is firmly committed to achieving Aichi Target 11, which we expect to meet in advance, as we are making every effort to ensure that by 2018, 17% of land areas and 10% of Mexico's maritime and coastal areas are under protection. The government of President Enrique Pena Nieto welcomes the representatives of all the countries participating in The UN Biodiversity Conference and wishes that these two weeks of work to be fruitful for the future of humanity, Alaman says. Mainstreaming Biodiversity The CBD calls on countries to integrate conservation and the sustainable use of biodiversity into relevant sectoral or cross-sectoral plans, programmes and policies a process often referred to as biodiversity mainstreaming. As proposed by Mexico, as host to the 13th meeting of the Conference of the Parties, agriculture, forestry, fisheries and tourism, will be discussed at the conference. All heavily depend on biodiversity and healthy ecosystems, and at the same time often have a severely negative impact on them. Mainstreaming biodiversity within these sectors is essential to ensure their continued economic viability and to stem the loss of biodiversity. The meetings of the Convention and its Protocols will decide on some of the most pressing issues for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, including: Marine Life Governments will address the marine agenda, with discussions about new reports on the impact of marine debris and underwater noise on biodiversity. Additional research on Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBASs) on the high seas will also be presented. Ecosystem Restoration Discussions will also take place on adoption of an action plan and the mobilization of resources for ecosystem restoration towards achieving Aichi Targets 5, 12, 14 and 15; Targets 4 and 8 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, as well as other internationally-agreed goals and targets, such as the land degradation neutrality goal under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. Bio-synthetics The emerging field of synthetic biology, in the context of the three objectives of the CBD, will also be addressed at the meeting. There are several applications where components, organisms and products of synthetic biology such as bioenergy, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and chemical production may interact with biodiversity with both positive and negative impacts at different levels, including genetic, species and ecosystems. Pollinators The Thematic Assessment of Pollinators, Pollination and Food Production by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) will also be discussed. The two-year study, the first ever assessment issued by IPBES, found that as much as $577 billion in annual global crop production is directly attributable to animal pollination, with three-quarters of the world's food crops relying, at least in part, on pollinating insects and other animals, many of which are now facing population decline and extinction. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing Governments will look at the steps for further implementation of these protocols to the Convention, with a focus on ways to promote capacity-building and enhance national implementation. Progress towards achievement of Aichi Target 16, which deals with the Nagoya Protocol, will be a particular focus. 02.12.2016 LISTEN People sleep for some time but they may not sleep forever. The grip of an ideology, religious or secular, that holds a society down may one day loosen. The mental chains unshackle some day and freedom is regained. It has happened before and will happen again. It is a wind of change and hope, a wave of promise and rebirth. That wave of transformation is simmering across Zimbabwe. The economic crunch may be biting the people hard. But it has not stopped them from thinking and reasoning. Economic difficulties have not stopped Zimbabweans from asking pertinent questions. Peddlers of otherworldly and supernatural ideologies may be having a field day mining the misery and desperation in the land. However, amidst the looming cloud of despair lies a silver lining, the emerging secularism. This is a secular awakening that promises hope and emancipation. A wind of change that draws attention to the abuse and exploitation by merchants of superstition and irrationalism. Some secular activists are championing this cause of progress and liberation and they are beginning to speak out. I was fortunate to speak to one of the activists a while ago and he highlighted some of the challenges facing a secular Zimbabwe. One of them, he noted, was witchcraft. : Witchcraft is a problem, especially in rural Zimbabwe! We have stories about witchcraft in newspapers almost every day!. Of course, this problem is not peculiar to Zimbabwe. The main issue is that there is hardly a critical perspective to the media reports on witchcraft. The newspapers report cases of witchcraft as if they are facts and not as products of fear and imagination which they are. The media outlets present witchcraft stories without balance and thereby reinforce these mistaken notions. So there is a need for a media angle to secular activism in Zimbabwe to ensure that reports of witchcraft and other paranormal cases are presented in a reasonable and responsible manner. My Zimbabwean secular activist linked the pervasive belief in witchcraft to the Bible: Almost the whole population believes in witchcraft. Why? Because if the Bible mentions witchcraft then its supposedly true, not to mention various eyewitness accounts and "legitimate" publications by the media Surely, belief in witchcraft pre-dates the Bible and instead of blaming the Bible, we should focus on those who read and interpret the Bible. Those who use what is written in the text to make sense of their problems should be blamed. They should be held responsible and accountable. My secular activist rightly agreed: And with this new school of prophets coming in, and other radical Christian denominations, the church has become a platform for witch hunts! Yes, it is the case in Zimbabwe and in other African countries because those who manage these Christian churches use the idiom of witchcraft to create the impression of understanding the cause of peoples problems. The secular activist listed some churches in Zimbabwe that are involved in this business: Notable denominations that are notorious for this phenomenon are PHD ministries under Walter Magaya, the Zion church, almost all African Apostolic sects such as John Marange and Paul Mwazha. He identified another issue that was linked to the churches in Zimbabwe: Another problem that is associated with these African Apostolic sects is child marriages. Girls are married off to church members at the tender age of 12 because the Bible says reproduce and populate the world! But increase and multiple, is it at the age of 12? It appears that the government in Zimbabwe is not doing enough to address the problem, or it might have been overwhelmed by the scale of the challenge: This is a common phenomenon and the government once again turns a blind eye. The John Masowe sect that is notorious for child marriages once had a clash with the police and they overpowered law enforcement officers! Well, the rise of secular activism is the answer to this ugly development. It may be what the government of Zimbabwe needs to enforce the rule of law and bring these churches to book. Secular activists plan to lobby and pressure the government to uphold the law and fulfill their obligations to the citizens. Ideally, church members who practice child marriage should not have overpowered law enforcement officers. Law enforcement agents should have overpowered such criminals, arrested them, and brought them to justice in a secularly awakened Zimbabwe. I write to you the security services as a former colleague officer of the Ghana Air Force, conflict analyst, peace advocate and patriot deeply troubled by potential outbreak of violence in the December 7 2016 elections. The proliferation of weapons, electoral violence, recent Ghanaians penchant for violence, vile rhetoric by the political elite and distrust of the Electoral Commission are signals of the coming danger. Unfortunately the threat is quietly shaping along the dreaded ethnic fault lines. The stakes are high because Ghanas flawed democracy promotes corruption and accompanying political violence is rewarded. The more the violence, the better the rewards. The security services remain the peoples only hope to save Ghana from imminent disaster. But they will be successful if they are honest, firm and impartial. Unfortunately the corrupt police have failed Ghanaians with their incompetency, timidity, partiality and selective justice in responding to rampant electoral violence. Despite the despicable widespread inter-party violence, internationally condemned attack on NPP presidential candidates house and Collins Daudas brothers admittance of killing people every day, there has been no arrests and prosecutions of violators to deter others. As a result the cycle of impunity continues. The Chief of Defense Staff Air Marshall Michael Samson Oje, my former senior colleague Air force Officer, has assured Ghanaians the readiness of the Ghana Armed Forces and sister security services to safeguard the sanctity of Ghanas democracy. Brigadier General Cosmos Alhassan , General Officer Commanding the Central Command of the Ghana Army, my former course commander at the Ghana Military Academy, has also affirmed the alertness of the Armed Forces to avert violence. The Ghana Armed forces has international reputation for peacekeeping and conflict resolution and most of its personnel, including the author, have experiences in violent civil wars such as Rwanda and Sierra Leone and its devastative ramifications. These conflicts testify that there will be no winners in a war; all of us will be losers. I am confident none of us wants a war in Ghana. The onus now falls on the Ghana Armed Forces and sister security services to ensure Ghanas peace. I am glad to hear of the readiness of the Ghana Armed Forces to avert violence but its success will depend on its professionalism and impartiality. I want to remind the security services that they owe allegiance only to the people of Ghana who you swore to protect by land, sea and air. Ghanas sovereignty resides in its people and not political parties or political elite. I urge you to be impartial and do not act against the will of the people. Historical examples of Burkinabes, Ivoirians and Egyptians demonstrate that the will of the people cannot be suppressed by intimidation. Do not underestimate the force, capacity and tenacity of the masses in protecting their will as the Egyptians, Ivoirians and Burkinabes showed. The world has reached a historic epoch where the will of the people reigns supreme and no amount of force will deter them from protecting their will. The world is watching and December 7 will test the professionality, integrity, impartiality and patriotism of the security services. Do not succumb to the manipulations of the powerful invincible hands of the political elite to compromise your responsibility to the Ghanaian people and the nation. I am confident you will not fail them. My advice is to go the Egyptian way and side with the people rather than the political elite and execute your national duty without fear or favor. To the violence thirsty political party supporters and masterminds, be cautioned that you may lose your precious lives or be held accountable by the international community for crimes against humanity or war crimes as occurred to former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo and Liberian president Charles Taylor. Ghanaians must seize their destiny in their hands and demand peace through disobedience of unlawful commands and peaceful mass demonstrations. BEWARE OF THE IDES OF DECEMBER 7. GOD SAVE GHANA A few months ago, I recounted how I rejected my maternal uncles appeal for some help towards the payment of his children school fees. Apparently, the punitive decision was based on the fact that my maternal uncle bizarrely rejected Nana Addos 2012 free SHS campaign message and strangely went ahead and voted against such an expedient policy. To be quite honest, back then, I never thought I violated any accepted moral standards for turning down my uncles passionate appeal for help to pay for his children school fees. But funny enough, my aggrieved uncle had an impertinent boldness and lodged a complaint with my mother for turning my back on his informal fund raising appeal towards the payment of his children school fees. So, in her attempt to resolve the simmering dissonance between my uncle and me, my mother arranged a crisis meeting. It was during the meeting that I informed my mother that my decision was based on the fact that her brother needlessly refused to accept the offer of free SHS by Nana Addo during the 2012 electioneering campaign. Well, but your uncle has never voted for NPP, my mother retorted. Oh, so even if NPP came up with an advantageous policy that could be beneficial to him, he must still turn his back on such a policy because of unbridled devoted attachment? I quizzed. I proceeded: Where is the justification for your brother to turn down such a handsome offer of free SHS? My uncle then responded: But where was the evidence that NPP was going to implement the free SHS policy? You dont have to look far for the evidence uncle, I responded. I continued: Didnt the previous NPP government deliver on its campaign promises by introducing social interventions such as the free Maternal Care, the School Feeding Programme, the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Mass Transport System, the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), the National Youth Employment Programme, now known as GYEDA, and many other social interventions? Well, my nephew, I think you are making sense but there is nothing we could do over the spilt milk, my uncle responded. You are right to some extent uncle, but we could put it right going forward, I retorted. For we should not and must not ever vote on narrow party lines, but we must rather vote according to campaign messages, competence, experience, ability, skills, knowledge and the integrity of the candidates. Well, my son, your uncle has obviously simmered down and shown remorse, so go ahead and pay for his children school fees, my mother proposed. It is too late mum; I would not be able to pay for his children school fees as I have other equally important responsibilities, I replied. I nonetheless continued by beseeching all and sundry to embrace Nana Addos 2016 campaign message of one district one factory and one constituency one million dollars. I maintained that if they refused to accept Nana Addos advantageous policy of one district one factory and one constituency one dollars on this occasion, I would not entertain any future appeals for financial assistance from anyone. Gratifyingly, both my uncle and my mother promised wholeheartedly to scrutinise future campaign messages of all political parties before settling on their preferred candidate or party. Indeed, I was over the moon because I managed to bring my mother and my uncle from darkness into the light. I must admit though, I was moved by some of the comments posted by the discussants following the publication of the article. So based on the discussants poignant advice, I engaged in a carefully considered deliberation and went ahead and paid my maternal uncles children school fees. Below are samples of the advice posted by some discussants: Author: Ken Ntiamoa Date: 2016-08-11 01:16:58 I hear you loud and clear. However, please go and pay your cousins' school fees. You cannot punish those kids because of their father. Their father may not live long. However, you may be here with your cousin's for a long while yet. My advice: Make sure you take the kids to their schools yourself and pay the fees right in front of them. But, don't let your uncle know that you did that. Take my advice. "What goes around comes around". Author: EBBY Date: 2016-08-11 01:32:44 Don't visit the sins of the father on the future generation which had no ability as children make that choice. People are dying needlessly today from collapsed NHIS and maternal care programs all because of the visionless votes cast by them or their parents. Author: TRUE GHANAIAN Date: 2016-08-11 03:54:09 YOU HAVE REVEALED TO US THAT GHANAIANS WHO VOTE FOR NDC ARE LIKE SMOKERS WHO KNOW THAT SMOKING KILLS BUT THEY KEEP SMOKING. SMOKING DOESN'T CAUSE ADDICTION. Author: Pelicles Date: 2016-08-11 03:12:25 Next time, tell your uncle to vote base on issues and not on partisan party lines. I could not agree more with Pelicles. Indeed, I cautioned my maternal uncle to vote on issues next time and he, in turn, promised to scrutinise all political parties policies next time before making his choice. Regrettably, however, my maternal uncle does not seem to have heeded to my earlier advice, as he has gone back to his old ways. He has probably pocketed his share of the vote buying largesse. He could not take a cue from the Northern Regional NPP Partys Chairman, Bugri Naabu, who rejected the alleged bribe by President Mahama and his brother Ibrahim Mahama to tarnish the image of the opposition leader, Nana Akufo Addo. Ironically, my maternal uncle has been spotted wearing the NDCs Party T shirt and following the apple-polishing bandwagon. Well, if he has made up his mind to vote for NDC Party in the forthcoming general election, then I will cease paying for his children school fees if for argument sake, NDC government is retained and failed to implement the free SHS. Given that the NDC founder J. J. Rawlings, might not vote for Mahama and the NDC Party in the forthcoming general election, I am extremely baffled over my maternal uncles unbridled devoted attachment. Former President Jerry John Rawlings is not happy with elements in the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) who are allegedly baying for his blood. He is surprised that recent attacks on him have been orchestrated by people within the NDC, the party he founded. The ex-President cited the recent petition presented by the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) leader, Henry Lartey to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) asking them to investigate circumstances under which he (Mr Rawlings) reportedly received an amount of $5 million from the late Nigerian Head of State, General Sani Abacha, as gift in 1998. Mr Rawlings says his own people in the NDC are behind the ploy to sully his hard-won reputation (See: $5m Abacha cash, NDC chasing me-says Rawlings; dailyguideafrica.com, 18/10/2016). In fact, am not least surprised that some elements in the NDC Party could go to an extent of bringing the name of their party founder into disrepute. After all, hasnt the party General Secretary Asiedu Nketsia, once called Rawlings a barking dog? Besides, Havent the NDCs boisterous brats who are not privy to their partys history been upbraiding Rawlings all the time for expressing his grievances over the rot in his party? Indeed, they have been castigating their founder Rawlings for expressing his disgust over the rot in his party. In fact, Rawlings had previously voiced out his opinion over the insulting behaviour of the NDC brats. Take, for example, Rawlings had this to say during the NDCs 2012 National Congress: Mr. President, fellow Ghanaians it is said that we should not throw out the baby with the bath water, but what we do when some of the babies in the tub are babies with hard teeth, biting and spewing some very horrible invectives? Should they not be lowered out with the dirty water? After all one bad nut is all it takes to spoil the taste in your mouth. When we find ourselves at a wooden bridge with some planks rotten, do we wait to get new planks before removing the rotten ones or do we remove the rotten ones immediately (JJ Rawlings, August 30, 2012). Uncle, as a matter of fact, the founder of the NDC Party, who also happens to be the Apostle of transparency, probity and accountability, is not happy with all the bribery and corruption cases that have tarnished the image of the party he cherishes so much. In fact, Rawlings has openly expressed his disgust over the sleaze and gargantuan corruptions in the current NDC administration. K. Badu, UK. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) is unhappy with the Electoral Commissions handling of the special voting exercise Thursday. Speaking on Eyewitness News, the NPP's Campaign Manager, Peter Mac Manu said, all I can say for now is that we are not satisfied with what happened at the special voting exercise. Mr. Mac Manu was speaking before an emergency Inter-Party Advisory Committee. Peter Mac Manu The meeting was necessitated because hundreds of special voters who queued at polling stations across the country today [Thursday] could not cast their ballots during the special voting exercise. Although the exercise; which commenced in the 275 constituencies had been largely peaceful, there were complaints of missing names. Some other people who were also supposed to vote outside their original constituencies were turned away by Returning Officers. Mr. Mac Manu indicated the NPP was collating views of all our agents across the country offices but singled out the fact the special voting register was changed at the last minute as one of the reasons for the grievances. You gave a register, changed it and then yesterday, you also changed it; a last minute change. It is not a good sign that for special voting we continued to change the register which is against the CI 94, he lamented. Challenges the creation of the EC, security agencies The National Democratic Congress' (NDC) Campaign Coordinator, Kofi Adams, also blamed the EC for the hitches. He said the exercise had been bedevilled with too many challenges, challenges that I believe have been the creation of the Commission to a large extent and also the leadership of the security agencies. When the Electoral Commission took a decision that this time around they were going to allow people who will exercise their franchise as part of the special voting to also vote for parliamentary, it became an issue for a lot of the constituencies, he said. In Mr. Adams view, persons who are not registered as voters or persons who did not transfer would be determining who becomes an MP in a particular constituency given the initial arrangement. But the Electoral Commission was forced to now prepare a new list that directed everybody to his or her original constituency where he or she registered or transferred his vote to. However, that information did not get to the affected persons until the morning when some of them walked to the special voting centres only for them to not find their names. We think that it is not in order. We cannot disenfranchise persons through these means and it is heartwarming the electoral commission has assured that it is going to put measures in place to get all these persons who for one reason or the other could not vote, Mr. Adams said. The EC has since said it is working with various security agencies to resolve the challenges with the special voters list. The EC in a statement signed by the Director of Communications of the EC, Eric Dzakpasu, however said the Commission isfully aware of the challenges some of them[voters] are facing at the various polling stations with the special voters list. By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana 02.12.2016 LISTEN The Austria branch of the New Patriotic Party on Wednesday 30th November, 2016 donated about 10,000 Euros to the New Patriotic Party to support the activities of the Party's Polling Agents in the upcoming Presidential and Parliamentary election starting from Thursday 1st of December, 2016. The donation was presented to the leadership of the party at the party's Head Quarters in Accra. Mr. Phillip Dwamena, National Patron of NPP Austria branch who led the NPP Austria delegation to present the donation to the party stated that "indeed, without any equivocation the activities of Polling Agents is key towards the Party's quest to win this year's general election especially in a period where the Electoral Commission has been sighted as taken several entrenched positions in the discharge of their duty. We want to use this our widows might to ensure that our cherished Young Patriots who have dedicated theirselves for the love of our great Party and the good future of mother Ghana are adequately resourced to vigilantly monitor the Electoral Process". He said. Again, Mr. Dwamena indicated that "inarguably, Ghanaians in the diaspora are really looking forward to a change of government in order to salvage the country from its devastating state. He lamented that rising public debt, palpable corruption, and avoidable waste and leakages has suffocated the economy of Ghana which has impose harsh living condition on Ghanaians. He added that the onus now lies on all of us to do our best to deliver the country from sinking further by vote massively for Nana Akuffo-Addo and the NPP. Because under the Presidency of Nana Akufo-Addo, graduate trainee Nurses and Teachers will be employed, SHS will be free, Trainee Allowances will be restored and jobs will be created for the thousands of unemployed youth in Ghana. He therefore admonished NPP supporters and all Ghanaians who have been impoverished under the insensitive Mahama led NDC government to come out in their numbers on 7th December to vote massively for Nana Akufo-Addo, Number 5 on the Presidential ballot and for all the NPP Parliamentary candidates. The Austria branch of the New Patriotic Party has adopted the Abirim and Krachi Nchumuru constituency and has been supporting their Campaign in both financial and product support. Mr. Anthony Kwaku Amoah, a Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ghana Education Service (GES), has urged pupils to respect their parents and teachers for good education. Mr. Anthony Amoah said there was no way a disrespectful child could perform well in school to become a great person in future, and that, You must be respectful and stop eating too much food if you want to study well to become a great person in future. Your parents and teachers will not help you if you are lazy and disrespectful towards them. Speaking recently at a special encounter with Interhomly Academy, a private early childhood development centre started in 2008 at Asuansi in Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese District and now with a total pupil enrollment of 60, Mr. Amoah urged the pupils and teachers to work hard in order for the Academy to become a centre of excellence. Interhomly can become a true centre of excellence if you, as pupils, would come to school early and study hard at all times. Your parents, teachers and everybody will be willing to help you as you speak good English like the way you speak the Fanti. Even your friends who are not here with you as pupils may then join you because they see that you are doing well and your school is also good, Mr. Amoah said. The PRO shared some packs of biscuits among the pupils and promised to support the school with institutional materials, including textbooks, wall charts and computers for enhanced teaching and learning. Mr. Alfred Ansah, the acting Head teacher of the school, expressed gratitude to the officer for having visited and interacted with the school, and appealed, This is a village and you can just imagine the problems that we go through as parents and teachers. Sometimes, even money for the kids to buy food to eat while they are in school is a big problem. School fees are always in arrears and it is not easy for the management of the school at all. We appeal to the GES and organisations to come to our aid to raise these wonderful kids. President John Mahama and his inner cycle backers have clearly adopted one basic method of operation in terms of responding to charges of corruption or serious accusations of bribery. Their modus operandi is to let the president appears to stay above the fray, but quickly let loose all the NDC attack dogs come out forcefully to deny, demonize the accusers, and trivialize the charges into oblivion. Put in another way, whenever the president or any of his top members gets entangled in corruption or bribery incident, their most effective approach is to mount sustained verbal assault while trivializing whatever the accusations are till eventually the amnesia-inclined Ghanaians forget about the whole case. Not long time ago, one of the fearless and corrupt-free Ghanaian reporters at the JOY FM did world-class investigations into GYEEDA, SADA, including the disgraced Alfred Woyomes state funds. The reporters bold work unearthed systemic corruption and widespread waste of state resources in those government-backed agencies. Rather than responding honestly, by setting up an independent team of inquiry to get to the bottom of it, the Mahama-led administration pretended like an ostrich that buries its head in the sand and pretends nothing is happening. As expected, after the GYEEDA expose, many top-ranking NDC government officials tried to trivialize, and even question the integrity and the motive of the journalist at the forefront of the investigations. One of the Somewhere last year, the same JOY FM journalist who spearheaded the GYEEDA episode conducted another matchless investigation into President Mahama and his connections with a Burkina Faso businessman. The Burkinabe man, it turned out, was said to have road construction contracts with the Ghanaian government under Mr. Mahama. We learned from the investigation that the businessman had given the president Ford Explorer or Expedition truck. Based on the circumstances and the manner in which the Ghanaian head of state accepted the vehicle from an individual bidding for, or doing business with the state of Ghana, raised serious ethical questions begging for answers. But, again, the president and his hosanna boys quickly came out singing in fawning and dismissive voice, mockingly trivializing the Ford investigation as something inconsequential as a mere gift from the Burkinabe to Mr. Mahama. The trivialization didnt just stop there. The presidents folks admitted, indeed, that the Bole darling boy accepted the Ford truck as gift but they also told the whole that the vehicle had since been added to the fleet of presidential cars at the Jubilee House. Meantime the presidents hangers-on, without an iota of shame, directed their outrage at the decent investigative reporter for exposing and hence putting an irreparable dent on their boss moral compunction. As part of their modus operandi, the presidents die-hard followers claimed the Ford bribery investigation was much ado about nothing. According to them, the whole Ford bribery inquiry was sponsored by the opposition (NPP), but incidentally it was led by a journalist with northerner extraction naively bent on bringing his fellow northerner down. Now here we go again with another trivialization from Mr. Mahamas cheerleaders relating to the unfolding bribery charges by the Northern Regional Chairman of the NPP, Daniel Bugri Naabu. At least, so far Mr. Bugri Naabu has provided one hard fact regarding President Mahama and his brothers effort to bribe him to rally against his own party and its presidential candidate for this months general elections. For the sake of argument let us ignore for a moment all the hard cash allegedly involved here, and focus on the vehicles the president and his brother were said to have given or offered to the NPP Northern Regional Chairperson. The consequential question worth examining are the provision of the documentations covering the vehicles connected with the bribery, tracing the previous owner of the cars/trucks to one of the presidential aides of Mr. Mahama. How do the president and his lackeys explain this tangible charge? Well, the Mahamas administration pattern of lies and trivialization of blatant evidence of bribery and corrupt practices continue unabated. While President Mahama and his brother are quiet about the bribery scandal, the NDC General Secretary Mr. Asiedu Nketia, for instance, is trivializing otherwise potentially constitutional infractions by a sitting president of Ghana. Bribery is a very serious offense, especially, if one of the offenders is the leader of a country. It is the main reason the smart people of South Korea is calling for the resignation of their president as we speak today. Keep in mind the loud-mouthed and the seemingly semi-literate Mr. Asiedu Nketia was brought to Accra from a village in Brong Ahafo area and polished by the former President Rawlings. The point is when Mr. Asiedu Nketia was struggling to make ends meet in his village-living days Mr. Bugri Naabu was already one of the rich prominent businessmen in the country. Yet, Mr. Asiedu Nketia as usual is going from radio station to another demonizing and trivializing Mr. Bugri Naabus stature to the effect that a man who cant even speak for himself how can he be bribed to campaign for the Mr. Mahama. What is Mr. Asiedu talking about here? He hardly makes sense that is why he always mock and insult people who disagree with him. If Mr. Naabu doesnt know how to talk for himself, why did your boss and his brother approach him with two vehicles? The evidence is documented; if you dispute it, how about you disprove it beyond doubt? Many of us are not shallow-minded to be swayed by your village antics. Please, Mr. Asiedu, whenever you pray, dont forget ex-President Rawlings; he has made you famous! The writer is based in the USA. He can be reached: [email protected] Can we now talk about Yahya Jammeh? The man who wears the most suspicious smile in the world. A cheery face is the last you would expect of an African warrior as masculine as Mr Jammeh , the man who boasts of a cure to HIV/AIDS. Indeed, Mr Jammeh is a quasi-autocratic leader, the kind that the west will call a dictator. After all, he ascended the highest throne of the land of Gambia through a coup detat, a military one. I know some of you human rights advocates are seething at my use of quasi-autocratic, but lets face it, after his coup detat he has contested and won democratic elections four times. Besides, Angela Merkel has taught us that it is legitimate so long as it is constitutional. He will surely win the December 1st elections as well, despite a fortified opposition this time, for obvious reasons. After all, what do you expect from a majority Islamic population when you declare your nation an Islamic state about a year before the polls? Also, given his style of governance and body language, it appears only Allah or death can quench his flames. Perhaps, we could as well cut him some slack. His CV doesnt match up to those of the giant dictators that have ever ruled in Africa. He joined the fold in 1994, just yesterday. Even if you decided to nullify his democratic credentials, and classify him as a dictator, he would be a freshman in the eyes of our Grandpa Bob and his cousins, Nguema and dos Santos. Before you think hes in my good books, I should say that I very much acknowledge the fact that he created a blot on his record when he declared that he would be in power for a billion years so long as Allah wills. He must rather create a monarchy that will be understandable. You may be wondering who I am a supporter or critic. Well, I must confess that I am confused. I am as confused as the often inconsistent and unpredictable Jammeh himself. He announced last year that his country was exiting the Commonwealth of Nations because the Gambia will never be a member of any neo-colonial institution and will never be a party to any institution that represents an extension of colonialism". The reasonability in his reason for exiting the British bloc was flawed two months later (December 2015) when he paradoxically declared Gambia an Islamic republic. A move opposition National Reconciliation Party member, Hamat Bah, called unconstitutional because "there is a constitutional clause that says that Gambia is a secular state," so "you cannot make such a declaration without going through a referendum." Obviously, Jammeh thinks its rational to take a step away from colonial/political influence whilst he signs his nation on to religious bondage. Who said Islam is originally African? The case of political influence versus religious imposition. In my view, the former is cosier than the latter. What could be the inspiration for his decision? Some say he had fallen out with the west largely because of his ill human rights record. He has so-so relations with far-east China and Taiwan, to say the least, and with very little to gain from ties in Africa, his last jigsaw could be the middle east where he can be a beneficiary of the charity of some oil-rich nations in the region. With more than 90% of the countrys population, it is good to say they have an Islamic identity. Lets pray everything will be okay since Jammeh says that they will be an Islamic state that would respect the rights of all citizens and non-citizens." Recent Precedents In October this year, Gambia announced their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, after Burundi and South Africa. You already know my take on the ICCs alleged persecution of African personalities. The issue has to do with the timing of the announcement. Why did Yahya Jammeh choose a date so close to the election date (1st December, 2016)? Is he seeking to score political point with that tactic, like every smart African leader would do? The interesting part The AFP news agency reports Yahya Jammeh as saying our campaign is focusing on peace and security and not for violence. Violence is like bushfire. You can know where it starts but you won't know where it will endtherefore let us campaign peacefully, vote peacefully and then celebrate our victory. My outright impression was that this statement came from a grown African sage. The bushfire rhetoric is indicative of that, but reading between the lines, I get the hint that he could either be talking to his supporters, or the nation as a whole. Either way, it is good news to know that violence isnt cool. Ten days later, and three days to the elections, the tone changes; "I am warning all Gambians against violence." "There will be zero tolerance (of) ... violence and anyone disregarding public order will face full force of the law," (as reported by Reuters Tim Cocks). This is the point where I advise my brothers and sisters in Gambia to be cautious. It is no longer an advice from Alhaji Jammeh. It is now an order. The normal progression would include an order and a threat but December 1st is already here so the last two (order and threat) will naturally be reserved as post-elections developments, in the worst case. He promised you zero tolerance after the elections but you know as well as I do that zero tolerance has been his mantra since 94. Ecowas and the African Union have no hook on him despite some disagreements with him in the past. What about the UK? Well, he is no longer part of Commonwealth. He severed ties with the European Union and didnt invite them to sniff around his backyard in the guise of election observers. The pan-African side of me believes the United States care less since Gambia is as insignificant as Burundi. Since the Middle Eastern, Far Eastern and Russian forces have virtually no interest in democratic elections, they will also be asleep. Now, who will check Jammeh when he goes haywire? My dear Gambians, who will come to your aid when Yahya locks you indoors with the wild cats? Dont you think it wise to obey and pray? Mind you, Im just asking questions. We usually do not know what he has up his sleeves, or I should say under his Kaftan, since he doesnt wear shirts. Adama Barrow, the opposition leader says If Jammeh wants advice... if he loses, let him accept the will of the people and accept the value of the Gambian people, but Mr Barrow has forgotten that Jammeh has a divine pact with Allah and not the people of Gambia I will deliver to the Gambian people and if I have to rule this country for one billion years, I will, if Allah says so. These are not my words. You have the right to scream give me my right but remember, he said "I am warning all Gambians against violence."and it was glossed with a smile. That smile. That charming smile. Raphael Kodjoe / [email protected] The writer, Raphael Kodjoe, is a Ghanaian Radio Broadcaster who thinks and talks about anything in the realm of humankind that is worth thinking or talking about. To mark its 10th anniversary, Al Jazeera is updating some of its most memorable documentaries to find out what happened next. This Thursday, as part of this Rewind series, Al Jazeera will re-broadcast excerpts from Sweet Dreams, its inspiring documentary about playwright Odile Kiki Katese, who brought together women from both sides of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, first in 2005 to form Rwandas first female drumming troupe, Ingoma Nshya, and then in 2010 to open Inzozi Nziza (Sweet Dreams), the countrys first ice-cream store, in Butare. The second part of the programme features an interview with Katese, in which she talks about the impact of the documentary Sweet Dreams, which has brought tourists to the ice-cream shop and led to the drumming troupe touring the world, from Ethiopia to Switzerland, the UK to the USA. Katese says that Rwanda has indeed entered the new era she dreamt of in the documentary. Rwanda has changed a lot, even in terms of division and conflict and everything. Now we are really working for peace and reconciliation and unity and harmony and tolerance. She says the cultural position of women, in particular, has shifted after the genocide. The genocide really transformed their lives because they became after the genocide active members of society. They didnt have a choice; they didnt make that choice but they had to play that role because of the genocide. Now the current government understands they cant just exclude the women in the process of development; they have to really focus on the women. This is the new chapter. And culturally, the women drumming is really a new chapter, where they become pioneers and change the way women are seen in Rwanda, that they can be so powerful and strong and active and positive actors of change. After the short documentary premiered on Al Jazeera in 2010, a feature-length version of Sweet Dreams went on to win three international awards during its festival run and place in the top ten for the prestigious IDFA Audience Award in 2012.The New York Times called it a nuanced and deftly edited film about a complex issue; The Village Voice said it was utterly rousing completely wrenching; and The Hollywood Reporter praised it as a rare uplifting story from a country that has seen more than its share of brutality and heartache. The documentary was co-directed by award-winning siblings Lisa and Rob Fruchtman. Rewind: Sweet Dreams screens on Al Jazeera English on Thursday, 8 December at 1630 GMT / 1830 CAT. After it airs, the programme will be available to embed from YouTube. Watch the trailer: . Accra, Dec. 1, GNA - Akan Fekuw, a Ghanaian based Akan descent group based in Copenhagen, Denmark has donated a cheque for $ 500 to support the work of the Special Mothers Project. The Special Mothers Project is an advocacy and awareness creation programme on cerebral palsy. The donation was given as the group's yearly award to a Ghanaian based organisation to support local bodies championing worthy causes. Nana Kwame Owusu Danquah I, newly installed Chief of the Akan Fekuw Group who presented the cheque to Mrs Edith Hazel, Ghana's Ambassador to Denmark for onward submission to the recipient said 'in our little attempt to help those we left in mother Ghana, members of Akan Fekuw have chosen the Special Mothers Project in Ghana as the recipient of the Akan Fekuw award for 2016'. 'Each time we celebrate this festival, we select an organisation to donate a small amount to. Over the years, the Akan Fekuw has donated monies to organisations like: The Korle-Bu Heart Foundation, The School for the Blind in Akropong, The SOS Childrens Village and the Talented Women's Club in Kasoa.' Nana Owusu Danquah explained that the group celebrates a festival that brings people of Akan descent and for that matter Ghanaians in Denmark together each year to renew cultural ties and strengthen unity. He said children with cerebral palsy in Ghana did not get the necessary education and basic health care as they were usually isolated from public activities hence the need to support the Special Mothers Project in their advocacy and awareness creation campaign. He called on other organisations both home and abroad to support bodies like the Special Mothers Project to enhance the living standard of children with cerebral palsy. Ms Perpetual Dufu, Director Europe Bureau of Ghana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration who presented the cheque to Mrs Hannah Awadzi, Initiator of the Special Mothers Project, acknowledged the lack of knowledge and awareness on cerebral palsy in Ghana. She pledged her personal support to the organisation's activities to enhance awareness creation on cerebral palsy issues in Ghana. Mrs Awadzi expressed gratitude to Akan Fekuw for the gesture and said the Special Mothers project would donate GHa500 to support the Multikids Foundation, an organisation that advocates inclusion in the Ghanaian society. 'Multikids Foundation support the Special Mothers Project with free periodic therapy training sessions for parents especially mothers with children who have cerebral palsy.' The Special Mothers Project has also adopted the Madina Demonstration School, a Unit/Special government school in Madina to upgrade to enable children with CP attend the school. Mrs Awadzi said children with cerebral palsy in Ghana were usually denied access to basic education because of their inability to walk, talk or sit and said the donation would go a long way to enhance the advocacy project. She called on other organisations to support the project to reach out to children with cerebral palsy. GNA 02.12.2016 LISTEN By Eric K. Amoh, GNA Bolgatanga, Dec 1, GNA - Police recruits who were bused from the Pwalugu Police Training Centre to vote in the special voting on Monday were rejected by polling agents at the Bolga Central Constituency Polling Centre. Mr Anthony Namoo, a member of the Regional Election Committee of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who spoke to the Ghana News Agency at the polling centre, said the recruits were about 70 in number and were not registered to vote in the special voting process. He said the recruits who were only engaged in November could not have graduated from the training to become fully fledged police officers to be assigned such national duty. Mr Namoo said once the recruits came into the Police Service after registration for the special voting had closed, it was unlawful and criminal to smuggle their names onto the register with the pretext that they were to provide security on voting day. He said the NPP has written a protest letter to the Electoral Commission (EC) and copied the Regional Police Command over the party's position adding that the NPP will use every legitimate means to ensure that the country's electoral laws worked. He said People's National Congress (PNC) and the NPP succeeded in objecting any attempt to allow the recruits to vote after a hectic deliberation. As early as 0700hrs there was a long queue of voters waiting to cast their vote at the Regional House Chiefs. At the Bolga East Constituency, which has a total of 235 registered voters, about 70 had cast their vote as of 1000hrs and in the Tongo Constituency with 498 registered voters about 100 people had cast their votes around the same time. GNA 02.12.2016 LISTEN By Iddi Yire, GNA Accra, Dec. 1, GNA - Polls for the special voting for security personnel, journalists and officials of the Electoral Commission who would be on duty on December 7 ended nationwide at 1700 hrs on Thursday. The Ghana News Agency correspondence report that although everything went on generally peacefully, some of the special voters did not find their names in the special voters register and could not exercise their franchise. However, the Electoral Commission has said such people would be given the opportunity to vote in the polling stations where they registered as voters. The Commission said more than 127,394 special voters were expected to cast their votes in today's Parliamentary and Presidential poll across the country. The Special Voting closes at 1700 hrs, but the results will be withheld and declared alongside the main election after the close of polls on December 7. GNA By Julius K. Satsi, GNA Accra, Dec 1, GNA - The Young Investors' Network (YIN) has celebrated the young investors day with 10,000 Senior High School (SHS) students in Accra. As part of activities for the day, the YIN team visited 34 senior high schools in the capital, admonishing them to cultivate a savings culture because the time to save is now. The young people were advised on the need for personal financial planning and the acquisition of sound money management skills. The Young investors day is an annual investment conference for the 50 SHSs in Accra. The theme for this year's conference was: 'Building Financial management skills in the young peoples.'. The day was also used to introduce the 'Financial Education Leadership Award' with the aim of recognising individuals who have contributed to imparting financial management skills on young people. Three individuals awarded on the day were Mr Paul Mante, the Deputy Head of the EDC Investment Limited for being the best financial literacy advocate and received his award at the Saint Thomas Aquinas Senior High School. Mr Devine Akortsu, a teacher at the Kinbu Senior High School was also awarded for forming the millionaires club and teaching students on the importance of savings and investment. The award also honoured Reverend Daniel Ogbarmey Tetteh, the Executive Director at Databank Asset Management Services Limited, for training and empowering young community leaders, church leaders and corporate Ghana as well as helping people build positive financial behaviour. The day was also used to award the participants as well as schools that partook in this year's Securities and Exchange Commission's Capital Market Quiz Competition Finals: Accra Academy, Legon Presbyterian Boys, St Thomas Aquinas, and Ngleshi Amanfro Senior High Schools organised by the Young Investor Network. As part of the awards package, participants from schools who got to the finals stage were given citations and cash prizes deposited into an account created for them by YIN. Their schools also received cash prizes for allowing students to participate in this year's quiz competition held in October. In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Joshua Mensah, the President of YIN said: 'Our mission is to create an environment for the youth with the quest to acquire financial knowledge and give them opportunity to add value to their lives through strategic investment.' Mr Mensah said many young people mismanage funds today 'partly because they are not aware of the importance and existence of investment opportunities and options in Ghana' saying that this needs to be reversed.' He said: 'There is an urgent need for a deliberate action to inculcate in the youth, the habit of personal savings and investment and bring to the fore, basic issues concerning investment in equities. 'That is the reason why, the Young Investors Network conceived this idea of reaching out to the youth with financial literacy needed to cause a change,' Mr Mensah added. The Young Investors' Network is a non-profitable volunteer organisation with a firm commitment of educating the youth and the excluded on the financial literacy in Ghana and beyond. GNA Accra, Dec. 1, GNA - All the seven presidential candidates for the 2016 General Election on Thursday pledged their commitment to ensure free and fair polls before, during and after the exercise. They have also promised to respect the political ethics by conducting peaceful campaigns and advising their supporters to stay away from any form of violence. The candidates pledged their commitment during a Public Re-affirmation of Declaration against Electoral Violence, Impunity and Justice Forum organised by the National Peace Council, National House of Chiefs and the United Nations. They signed a declaration to accept the outcome of the December 7 polls, advise their supporters against the use of violence and to conduct their campaigns peacefully. Apart from Bridget Dzogbenuku, the running mate of the Progressive People's Party, who represented the flagbearer, Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, all the others including; President John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, candidate for the Convention People's Party(CPP), and Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, for National Democratic Party (NDP), were all present. The rest are Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo, for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Edward Nasigre Mahama, Candidate for the People's National Convention (PNC) and Mr Jacob Osei Yeboah, an Independent Candidate. President John Dramani Mahama said he had always believed in peace and would continue to put in measures that would make the country an oasis peace and development. He eulogized former Presidents Jerry John Rawlings, John Agyekum Kufuor and late President John Evans Atta Mills for their efforts at maintaining peace and unity since 1992 and pledged to continue activities that would promote it in the coming years. He said: "Democracy is too precious to be swept away because of the quest for power, and I will, in my capacity as the President of this country, do everything possible to maintain peace and unity." Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo said he would want to be President of a united Ghana and would, therefore, not condone any act that could undermine the peace and unity of the country. He said as a presidential candidate, he would play his role meaningfully and urged other stakeholders to play their roles well to ensure an incident-free December polls. Dr Edward Mahama gave the assurance that he would stand by the declaration he had signed on behalf of his party to deliver peaceful campaign messages. Mr Ivor Kobina Greenstreet said there was no need to sacrifice the peace and unity the country was enjoying on the platform of politics and rather called all stakeholders to play their roles professionally to avoid nasty scenes. Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, who lost her voice in the middle of her remarks, gave the assurance that her party would adhere to all the requirements of peace and unity until the final declaration of the results. Mr Jacob Osei Yeboah was optimistic that nothing untoward would happen in so far as his quest for presidency was concerned and attributed the violence to affiliations to political parties. Madam Bridgit Dzogbenuku said her party stood for peace and progress and would use that as a springboard to ensure violent-free elections next week. GNA By George-Ramsey Benamba, GNA By Kodjo Adams, GNA Accra, Dec. 1, GNA - Mr Anthony Amuzu, Deputy Government Statistician in charge of Operations, has noted that it is necessary for government to strengthen capacity for the generation of necessary administrative data to fill existing data gap. He said data from surveys and censuses were costly to obtain and were only collected periodically while administrative data were generated routinely as part of the day-to-day activities of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs). Mr Amuzu made the call at a stakeholder's forum organised by the National Development Planning Commission in partnership with the Ghana Statistical Service on the theme: 'Strengthening National Data Production and Utilisation'. The forum was supported by the United Nations Children's Fund. The forum discussed ideas in the development of a strategic framework to guide and strengthen the production of statistics for the country's long-term national development plan. He said data and information had become crucial tools that guided planning, monitoring and evaluation. He said planning without relevant, credible and timely information was like 'groping in the dark'. Mr Amuzu said the country had gone through developmental programmes including the Ghana Poverty Reduction Programmes, adding that it was currently implementing the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda and had continental and global commitments including the AU agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals indicators to monitor. He said the decentralised administrative system in the country makes the MMDAs the lowest level of planning and this required adequate data and information to guide planning, monitoring and evaluation processes. Mr Amuzu said the GSS was implementing the Ghana Statistics Development Project aimed at strengthening statistical capacity and infrastructure for data production adding that a second National Strategy for the Development of Statistics had been prepared and would soon be launched for implementation from 2017 to 2021. Professor Samuel Annim, Director at the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy said there should be commitment at all levels to improve the production, management and the use of statistical data and increase availability of quality for effective communication. Prof Annim expressed worry about the low funding to research activities in the various ministries, adding that most of their websites were information on reports and not data, which made it difficult for effective analysis. He said there was the need to harmonise data from different and develop different methods for generating statistics. Ms Christine Evans-Klock, the UN Resident Coordinator said the production of quality data is critical for decision making, adding that without quality data, it would be difficult to undertake evidence-based development. She said effective data would help empower civil society organisations to improve partnerships with government as well ensure accountability for government programmes and policies. GNA Former Attorney General under the Kufuor Administration, Joseph Nii Ayikoi Otoo has indicated that the latest verdict of the Court of Appeal which acquitted the former GNPC Boss, Tsatsu Tsikata for willfully causing financial loss to the state does not in any way exonerate him from wrongdoing. According to Ayikoi Otoo, the judgment of the Appeals Court explored technicalities in the law to drop the accusations without necessarily determining whether Tsatsu Tsikata was right or wrong in the matter. As far as I am concerned it is a very critical narrow matter. No one has said he did nothing wrong. What they are saying is that he was not given the opportunity to call the witness that he wanted to call and it was nobody's fault. He kept calling the people who did not want to come so where are the facts that he has been proven not guilty. As to the facts of the case, whether he did the proper thing or not I don't think the judges spoke about it. If this all that the judge said my understanding is that it is a very technical, narrow issue. The decision of the Appeals Court last Wednesday held that the judgment of the High Court was a miscarriage of justice, because it did not give Mr. Tsikata a fair opportunity to defend himself. The Court further went ahead to acquit and discharge Tsatsu Tsikata of all charges brought against him. Tsatsu Tsikata is also a lawyer with many years of experience. Mr. Tsikata in June 2016, went to the Court of Appeal to challenge the decision of the High Court. In his appeal, Mr. Tsikata stated that, the verdict that led to his imprisonment was unreasonable and was not supported by evidence. He also added that, the judge erred in law in deciding that financial loss had been caused simply because payment of monies had been made by the GNPC. Background Tsatsu Tsikata was jailed for five years on June 18, 2008, by the Accra Fast Track High Court for causing financial loss to the state through a loan that the GNPC guaranteed for Valley Farms, a private cocoa-growing company. He was found guilty on three counts of willfully causing financial loss of GH230,000 to the state, and another count of misapplying public property. His trial started in 2002 under the then Kufuor administration, and travelled back and forth the court until he was sentenced, which generated a lot of controversy. Valley Farms contracted the loan from Caisse Francaise de Development in 1991, but defaulted in the payment, and the GNPC, which acted as the guarantor, was compelled to pay it in 1996. Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata was unconditionally pardoned by former President J.A. Kufuor on his last day in office, but he rejected the pardon and insisted that he would continue to pursue justice in the court of law, although he left the prison since his health was failing. By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana Follow @EfeAnsah As part of the Coalition of Muslim Organizations, Ghana (COMOG) efforts to promote credible and peaceful elections, it has been sensitizing the Muslim youth groups across the country on the forthcoming elections. Although Ghana has established a distinguished electoral track record since the return to multiparty democracy, each election has seen tension flare and accusations of electoral malpractices. It is against this background that the COMOG and its component bodies embarked on nationwide advocacy for peaceful election under the theme Peace our Choice. COMOG entreat Muslim youth to be disciplined and should avoid voting malpractices. As we are going for the elections on the 7th December 2016, the credibility of the elections with the view to ensuring the full benefits of democracy which includes peace and security, inclusive development and the respect of human rights and the rule of law. To ensure credible outcome of the results of the elections, COMOG is calling on the Electoral Commission to ensure that it will do all that will not raise eyebrow of the public, and the citizenry will have confidence in the process. The elections security committee should also ensure that any culprit found to tamper with the elections process that will affect the credibility should be treated as a criminal and must not consider the political affiliation of the one. COMOG also calls on the media to be fair in its reportage and avoid sensational reporting. As a Muslim organization, we are calling on parents and youth not to allow themselves to be used for electoral malpractices. Remember, it is our basic right to vote as Ghanaians for any political party of our choice but devoid of any action that will tamper the emotions of others. As youth, you owe it as a responsibility to maintain peace in Ghana before, during and after elections. Finally, COMOG calls on the security services, Electoral Commission and media to ensure peaceful and credible election results. . Hajj Abdel-Manan Abdel-Rahman (General Secretary) 0244470505 Hundreds of people are expected to join a march in solidarity with the government and people of Cuba over the demise of the Communist countrys former leader, Fidel Castro. A statement signed by the marchs Convener, Nii AyerteyAryeh said Mr Castro deserved to be celebrated because he has done a lot to advance the course of humanity. The Cuban revolution fought for human lives in poor countries, and in areas of the world submerged by natural disasters, the statement read. Read full statement below: PRESS RELEASE MARCH FOR FIDEL CASTRO A march in solidarity with the Government and people of Cuba under the banner Ghana Loves Fidel is being organised in memory of Commandante Fidel Castro, the late leader of the Cuban revolution. The march will take place in Accra on Saturday 3rd December 2016 at 8 am. The march which is being organised by Ghanaians from all walks of life in collaboration with the Association of Ghanaians Trained in Cuba will start from the forecourt of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and proceed to the Cuban Embassy in Accra. Fidel Castro, a colossal testament to social achievement and human endeavor to change the lives of the poor passed away in Havana on Friday 25th November, 2015. Under the Cuban government led by Fidel Castro, a true representative democracy was created with social justice as its goal. Under Fidel Castro, millions of lives were transformed in the areas of education, healthcare with sustainable development in Cuba and Africa. The Cuban revolution fought for human lives in poor countries, and in areas of the world submerged by natural disasters. They fought with courage and dignity, and also with kindness and respect, learning to communicate in local languages and valuing local cultures. Ghana-Cuba friendship began in January 1959 when Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah became the first head of state to recognise the Cuban revolution. Nkrumah in a secret pact, allowed Che Gueverra and other Cuban internationalists to use Accra as a transit to Congo now DRC to launch a revolutionary intervention in support of forces loyal to Patrice Lumumba although it failed. In July and August 1983, seven hundred (700) Ghanaian students accompanied by seven (7) Ghanaian teachers left Accra for Esbec 22 on the Isle of Youth in Cuba for their secondary education up to the University to specialize in various professions in Medicine, Agriculture, and Engineering etc. This continued for a number of years till the Kufuor government stopped it. In all under Fidel Castro, there were 23 such schools for students from Angola, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Namibia, and other African countries on the Isle of Youth. In November 1983, at the request of the government of Ghana, the first batch of 200 Cuban doctors arrived in Ghana to support Ghana Health Service in the delivery of health services. It must be placed on record that it was under Commandante Fidel Castro that Cuban Internationalists Fighters succeeded in pushing the South African armed forces that had crossed the Cunene river and were and were at the outskirts of Luanda back into South Africa. In the negotiation for truce, Cuba demanded for the freedom of Namibia in addition to Angola. The end of colonialism in Africa could not have been achieved without the help of Commandante Fidel Castro, who we mourn today. Fidels love for humanity saw him send humanitarian assistance to Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea during the Ebola scourge and to many other countries like Haiti, Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil and Nicaragua in their time of need. Nelson Mandela was right in saying that: The Cuban people hold a special place in the hearts of the people of Africa. The Cuban internationalists have made a contribution to African independence, freedom, and justice unparalleled for its principled and selfless character. For this, the people of Ghana and Africa join all Cubans in their moment of grief as they mourn, Commandante Fidel Castro who dedicated his life in the pursuit of true independence for Africa and for all suffering people. Join the march dedicated to the memory of Fidel Castro! .. Nii AyerteyAryeh Coordinator, Ghana Loves Fidel Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com The Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Peter de Clercq, today made an urgent appeal for humanitarian assistance amid worsening drought conditions that have left hundreds of thousands of Somalis facing severe food and water shortages. He made the call during a briefing with the international community in Nairobi, highlighting the urgency of responding to the drought situation in Somalia. Drought in Puntland and Somaliland has deepened and spread to southern and central regions of the country as well. The situation has become increasingly desperate for vulnerable families in need. The drought situation is extremely worrying and could deteriorate rapidly if we dont act now, said de Clercq. We are running against time. Humanitarian organisations are stretched and require additional resources to tackle the growing needs from the drought situation and other crises. The 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan seeking US$885 million is only 47 per cent funded, four weeks before end of the year. Some of the communities in the north had already endured four successive seasons of below average rainfall. Families are struggling, many already adopting desperate measures to survive. The current Deyr rainy season, which usually spans from October to December, could have provided a window of opportunity for affected families to recover, but it has so far been poor across most parts of Somalia. Significant crop and pasture losses are highly likely, with a total crop failure expected in several areas. Overall, five million Somalis more than 40 per cent of the countrys population do not have sufficient food. More than one million of these are in crisis and emergency. This figure is now projected to increase to over 1.3 million by May 2017, according to a recent Food Security Outlook. In addition, Over 320,000 children under age five are acutely malnourished, including more than 50,000 children who are severely malnourished. These children are the most vulnerable during the current drought. Surveys in rural and IDP settlements indicate an alarming Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) and Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) prevalence in a number of areas. The President of the Federal Government of Somalia appealed for humanitarian assistance on 12 November for people affected by the drought. State authorities in Jubbaland, Puntland, Somaliland and Galmudug also issued appeals on 2 October, 5 October, 17 November and 30 November, respectively, highlighting the urgency of the situation. In addition to drought, an increase in displacement related to conflict and the withdrawal of international troops have presented additional humanitarian challenges. Almost 5,000 people have been displaced in Hiraan and Bakool regions, while another 29,000 people have been uprooted from their homes in Lower Shabelle. 02.12.2016 LISTEN Dr. Annie Gaisie, a Psychologist, is urging bars, restaurants, among other public hangout points, to either close their shops or not to sell large quantities of alcoholic drinks as Ghanaians vote on Wednesday, December 7th 2016, to choose the next crop of leaders to fill the legislature and the Presidency. The concerned doctor wants this measure put in place for a number of weeks after voting and even into the Christmas season. According to her, there are a lot of people out there who, under the influence of alcohol, can break loose and would try to use that to foment trouble even after the elections have been declared. Though seven contenders are in the race in this years elections to grab Ghanas hottest seat of government, the Presidency, political watchers have predicted a two horse race between the largest opposition party New Patriotic Party (NPP) under Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) led by President John Dramani Mahama who is seeking his second term. A rather worried Dr. Gaisie was speaking in an exclusive interview with the ModernGhana editor. As Ghanas Elections and Christmas party season get underway a sort of national anarchy is sweeping across the country, taking over the erstwhile Ghanaians and turning them into dangerous binge drinkers. ...It is always astounding the effect a bit of Christmas festive spirit and the results (outcome of elections) can have. As soon as the obligatory round of parties starts, instead of a few drinks to get merry, most people seem hell-bent on oblivion. And this is not only young people, it is professional men and women in their 30s, 40s and 50s. ...This is not to killjoy, but there is too much emphasis on booze during the party season. All we hear during Christmas and post elections is about starting fights, dangerous accidents, falling over, casualties and numerous episodes of domestic violence as a Christmas ritual. Instead of alcohol being a pleasant facilitator, getting steaming drunk has become the sole reason to drink for millions. The line between having a drink and binge drinking is crossed all too frequently, she said. She went on to remind Ghanaians on some of the dangers of Alcohol intake and warned of a looming health hazard. You see, we become a nation of pie-eyed workers, swaying down the street, swigging back beer, Sprits, wine from a bottle and urinating against the wall. Not only do hospital casualty departments fill up at this time of the year with people who have injured themselves after drinking too much. Binge drinking by young people is contributing to an increase in deaths before middle age. ....Our heavy drinking culture, which goes into overdrive at this time of year, is, according to some medical doctors and psychologists, going to do more harm. The horrifying truth is that respectable businessmen, middle-aged women and just about everyone else suddenly feels they can drink to excess and everything is alright. ....Health and Medical Research recommends a maximum of 2 standard drinks per day for healthy men and women to reduce the lifetime risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury. ....A standard drink contains approximately 10 grams of alcohol e.g. a 100 mL glass of table wine; a 60 mL glass of fortified wine; a middy of regular beer; or 30 mL of spirits. For healthy men and women, drinking no more than 4 standard drinks on a single occasion reduces the risk of alcohol-related injury arising from that occasion. Avoid topping drinks up: you may lose count of how many you have had. .Try to alternate water or a non-alcoholic alternative with your alcoholic drinks, or try a non-alcoholic cocktail for a refreshing change. Learn how to say no and encourage your friends to be supportive. Remember that some beverages will contain more than one standard drink. Take this into account when calculating your intake for the evening, particularly if you are driving. The Psychologist further indicated that alcohol in general is removed from the blood at the rate of about one unit an hour but this varies from person to person and could depend on ones size and gender. As men tend to process alcohol quicker than women; how much food youve eaten; the state of your liver, and your metabolism (how quickly or slowly your body turns food into energy). ...Please avoid drinking on an empty stomach. Having food in your stomach helps slow the rate that alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream. Eating can also slow your rate of drinking, but avoid eating too many salty party snack foods which can encourage you to drink more quickly. ...If you are having problems saying no to alcohol, talk to your doctor for support. To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level, medical advice is, it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis. If you regularly drink as much as 14 units per week, it's best to spread your drinking evenly over three or more days. Whether its okay to drive the next morning depends on how much youve drunk and if youve left enough time for your system to get rid of the alcohol. Note that the amount of alcohol in your bloodstream depends on three things, the amount you take in, over what period of time and the speed at which your body gets rid of it. Follow Doctor Gaisie Via These Social Media Networks: Dr. Annie Gaisie Facebook: Annie G Mental Wellbeing Twitter: Annie G Instagram: Annie G Linkdln: Annie G Email: [email protected] SOME AGGRIEVED supporters of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Ashaiman Constituency of the Greater Accra Region have threatened to vote against President John Dramani Mahama if he fails to bring his campaign tour to the area. The party supporters, who call themselves as 'Asanka Crackers For NDC,' are angry that the president failed to appreciate their loyalty to the party by not coming to the constituency before the general election. According to them, Ashaiman is known to be one of the strongholds of the ruling party and so there is the need for the president to visit the area to appreciate their allegiance. They are therefore threatening 'skirt and blouse' voting against the president. The NDC supporters expressed their rage in a protest against the president. According to them, We shall show him where power lies by voting against him or at best, will not come out in our numbers to vote. Leader of the group, Seidu Awudu, stated categorically, We are not happy with the way the president is handling us in Ashaiman. He has decided to deliberately sideline us because he thinks this constituency is a safe haven for him; but if care is not taken, we shall show him that the people of Ashaiman cannot be taken for granted. He quizzed, How can we be voting for the NDC every election year and the president, instead of appreciating us by at least paying us a visit and sharing his plans with us, is playing games with us? From Vincent Kubi, Ashaiman The Supreme Court yesterday granted the application filed by businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome to temporarily stop the much anticipated oral examination by Martin Amidu, a former Attorney General and Minister for Justice. The court, presided over by Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, said the application was granted in the substantial interest of justice. This, the judge stated, would not occasion any injustice against the trial in view of the fact that the motion was due to be moved on December 6. This would pave the way for two judges to take a second look at the ruling which cleared Mr. Amidu to grill Mr. Woyome. Arguments Ken Anku disclosed that his client had filed a supplementary affidavit on November 28, 2016. Mr. Amidu, who raised preliminary objection, said he was again short-served with the affidavit and that Mr. Anku also did not seek leave from the court before filing the supplementary affidavit. He stated that Mr. Anku ought to have explained to the court for serving him late. According to Mr. Amidu, aka Citizen Vigilante Woyome's lawyer had not told the court the basis for the supplementary affidavit. Mr. Anku, who described the complaints of Mr. Amidu as a protest, said the supplementary affidavit would help to stay the proceedings. Anku Dazed Justice Anin-Yeboah told Mr. Anku to show the court the law which allows him to file a supplementary affidavit in a pending case without seeking leave from the court. The judge said Woyome's lawyer was making his own rules and imposing same on the court, insisting that the lawyer must show him the law under Rule 20 of the Courts Act. Mr. Anku subsequently asked the judge if he had a problem with the premise he was laying for his case. The judge, who was visibly miffed, retorted: come and look at it, I don't look for cases, this was given to me by the CJ. Justice Anin-Yeboah said: I don't have any interest, be fair to me, is it because I am handling this case that you can pounce on me and use those words on me. The judge further stated: Let's be very professional, what interest do I have? Mr. Anku, however, apologized and sought leave from the court to admit the supplementary affidavit which the judge in a ruling accepted as part of the documents in the case. Mr. Amidu did not oppose the admission of the supplementary affidavit, saying that it was entirely the decision of the court. Grounds Woyome's lawyer, in moving the motion, contended that the application was for the court to either reverse, discharge or vary the ruling dated November 16 this year. He said the NDC financier was dissatisfied with the position of the court in the said ruling, insisting that a temporary halt would not occasion any injustice. Mr. Anku contended that the request by his client was also his constitutional right. In the view of the lawyer, if the court denied his client the stay of proceedings, it would have irreversibly impact on him. The fact that the instant application was a temporary stay of proceeding would not occasion any injustice, he argued. Woyome's lawyer further posited that the motion would ensure fairness, equity and common sense as enshrined in Article 296 of the 1992 constitution. Opposition Mr. Amidu stated that his objection to the motion was aptly captured in paragraphs 5 to 9 of his affidavit in answer to the motion. He said Woyome was not entitled to the request he is seeking from the court. Woyome has the right to take advantage of the constitution and its clauses but his hands are dirty he claimed. The Citizen Vigilante noted that Woyome was before the court, whose ruling he flouted. He said the ordinary Ghanaian voter ought to know whether or not Woyome has the means to pay the GH51.2 million judgement debt paid to him by the State. The AG, represented by Dorothy Afriyie Ansah, however, did not oppose the motion. [email protected] By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson A businessman, James Essel who lives at Kasoa Amanfrom has narrated his frustration at getting medical attention for his 19-year-old level 300 student who died in his hands after paramedics at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and Korle-Bu Polyclinic refused to pay prompt attention to his dying son. Tearful James Essel stormed the offices of DAILY GUIDE yesterday and said that he was utterly surprised at the way doctors at Korle-Bu who had earlier done surgical operation on his son refused to attend to him when he developed complications even before he was due for his first medical review. According to Mr Essel, his son, Ernest Essel, a student of Ghana Telecom University suddenly complained of having serious problems with his eyesight and when checks were done on him it was realised that he had a brain tumor so they took him to Korle-Bu for operation in August, this year. Mr Essel said that after the operation was successfully carried out he was discharged in late September, this year after almost two months on admission. According to the grieving father, after nearly two weeks when his son was due for his first medical review, he bitterly complained of headache so he was immediately taken back to Korle-Bu. It was a Sunday, I think October 9 and I had to rush my son to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital straight to the Surgical Ward and was later directed to the Emergency Unit, he said pointing out that immediately he arrived at the Emergency Ward, he pleaded with them to attend to his son who was in a critical condition. He claimed that after being tossed up and down, he was told the sons folder could not be traced. He alleged that, later one Dr Mawuli who was part of the group of doctors who operated on his son told him that his son could not be admitted again because of lack of bed so he should send him to the Korle-Bu Polyclinic. He said at the Polyclinic too, the authorities said they could not attend to his son due to lack of beds. I had to go back to see Dr Mawuli to tell him about the situation but he advised me to rather send my son to the 37 Military Hospital but without the folder. According to him, he rushed the son to the 37 Military Hospital where the son did not have any medical history so he was asked to go for another folder. When I arrived, I was expecting the doctors to first attend to my son before asking for the folder because of his critical condition but these people did not mind me and for about 30 minutes my son was in my car dying before he was later attended to after the folder had been prepared but it was too late. Mr Essel lamented that he did not understand why a big hospital like Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital did not provide an ambulance to transfer his son to 37 with a nurse who could have facilitated things faster at 37 without the folder. This cannot happen abroad because I have lived in the UK for sometime. An emergency is an emergency and it should be treated with all the urgency it needed, he said adding that he is so much devastated by the loss of his son after spending about GH40,000 on his illness. He said what annoys him most was that when he went back to Korle Bu after the death of son to see if his folder had been found, he was only comforted by the doctors who asked him to go and complain to the head of administration about lack of beds at the hospital because many people have died as a result of lack of beds at the hospital. My only concern is about how doctors attend to emergency cases at our hospitals and this should be checked, he said stressing that his son was a brilliant chap who was a treasure to him but has just lost him because of supposed unprofessional attitude of doctors. By Thomas Fosu Jnr The Special Voting exercise reserved for security agents, Electoral Commission (EC) and media practitioners who will be on duty on December 7, took a nose-dive yesterday as the exercise was characterized by confusion with several eligible voters missing out. It was a baptism of fire for the new EC boss, Charlotte Osei, as the process was a complete mess, leading to the holding of an emergency Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting to find a way out of the mess occasioned by missing names of voters on the electoral roll. There were widespread reported cases of stranded voters at many polling stations nationwide because they could not locate their names in the specially prepared register and had to be turned away in disappointment, with some fuming. Some senior military and police officers were also affected by the botched exercise. Tempers Flare Up Tempers were very high in many polling stations while there were chaotic scenes in Bolgatanga, Upper East Region, when some of the parties united to prevent police recruits from taking part in the exercise. Some officials of the EC who will be supervising the December 7 exercise could not find their names in the register. The reports of missing names in the register left many wondering what will happen when the main exercise gets underway on December 7. EC's Response Electoral Commission Chairperson, Charlotte Osei, has always insisted the commission is ready for the crucial general election but the hiccups in yesterday's exercise badly exposed the commission, giving it a wake-up call. The EC issued a terse statement yesterday when the reports about the disjointed process started trickling in, urging calm after it admitted there were some 'challenges' and had promised to resolve them in no time saying, We're working with the top hierarchy of the security agencies to resolve the problem as soon as possible. Later, Eric Dzakpasu, Head of Communications at the EC, said in spite of the concerns, the December 7 contest was going to be 'error-free' saying, With the largest numbers, we are going to get it right. He said the widespread omissions in the register might be due to the fact that a large number of them have not transferred their votes, adding, The rules applying to the special voting are not in any way different from the rules applying to the general election. You cannot vote outside your constituency where you are registered. Police Service It appeared that the Ghana Police Service was the worst-affected institution as far as the voters who could not trace their names in the register are concerned. In Koforidua, Eastern Regional capital, the regional commander, DCOP Peterkin Yentumi Gyinae, reportedly could not find his name on the list while the names of the District Police Commanders of Amasaman and Ashiaman in the Greater Accra Region were also missing. Also said to be missing were names of the regional police commanders in the Northern and Upper West Regions. A good number of police officers were turned away from the various polling stations but Mr. Dzapkasu explained that the EC did its compilation of the Special Voters Register based on the information given to the commission by agencies, including the Police Service. If your ID card number is correct and valid, certainly your name must be on the Special Voters' list in the constituency where you are registered, he explained. Nima Police Station At the Nima Police Station one of the special voting centres the situation was inclement as over 300 disappointed policemen and women openly grumbled about why they had been denied their voting rights. They wondered why they as police officers who would be on duty on Election Day were being denied the opportunity to vote when persons they saw in the queue for special voting did not look like those who would be playing critical roles on December 7. Only some 20 officers were able to vote, a situation which raised the tempers of the police officers. At a point, a teenager was invited for questioning when the policemen wondered whether he was qualified to vote at all, let alone as a special voter. The Divisional Police Commander, ACP Vance Gariba and the Nima District Commander Superintendent Nchor, had to physically move in to take control of the chaos which was threatening the premises as persons who did not look like special voters and their party supporters engaged in arguments with sulking cops. Dome Kwabenya At the Kwabenya Police Station, over a hundred personnel could not find their names. There were similar reports from the Osu Police Station, Dansoman, Ablekuma West and South, Sowutuom, Kpeshie and almost every centre in Accra. Ablekuma West At the Dansoman Divisional Command, the NPP candidate for Ablekuma West, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, said the EC kept changing the special voters' register and that might have accounted for the missing names. The EC brought us a new list just last night and that is causing the confusion, she said. Ablekuma South Confusion nearly broke at the Korle-Bu police station voting centre where elections were held for the special voting exercise in the Ablekuma South Constituency. To their surprise, most of these officers could not find their names in the special voters' register and the development got most of them furious, thereby expressing disappointment in the conduct of the EC. A number of them who did not want to be named told DAILY GUIDE that they suspected it was a deliberate ploy to disenfranchise some members of the security agencies, but said they were unperturbed in their quest to vote and that they would go and vote on December 7. Others who said they have been detailed to perform election duties outside Accra on the voting day also expressed grave concern about the fact that they would not be able to vote in even the actual elections since they are scheduled to leave their posts three days before December 7. There was also a near exchange of blows when two persons [a teenager and a girl] who looked like minors pulled up to partake in the special voting. Agents of the opposition NPP and the party's parliamentary candidate for Ablekuma South, Jerry Shaib, protested while the NDC agents insisted they be allowed to vote. But after a heated argument, the EC's Returning Officer on duty cleared them to vote. Awoshie Anyaa About 117 police personnel could not cast their votes at Ga Central, also known as the Awoshie Anyaa Constituency. At Sowutoum police station, a total of 40 police officers within the district could not cast their ballots and at Anyaa police station, only two persons had their names captured in the register while 38 other names could not appear. At the Odorkor MTTD, over 38 personnel could not cast their votes because their names were not captured. La Dadekotopon The La Dadekotopon Constituency was supposed to have six polling stations three at the Cantonments Police Barracks and three at the Burma Hall. However, they were provided with only two polling stations each, resulting in long waiting hours. As at the time DAILY GUIDE was leaving the scene there had been one manual verification. Eventually, the somewhat disenfranchised cops resolved to vote first before official duties on December 7 but as to whether their names would be in the main list is also another issue. In all, over 127,000 were expected to participate in the special exercise but many could not cast their ballots due to the confusion surrounding the register. Boycott Scores of personnel from the various security agencies in Kumasi have threatened to boycott the December 7 polls. This follows their inability to cast their ballots during the Special Voting, which was held across the country on Thursday. They said they would vote at their various polling stations before they would go to their assigned places to provide security on Wednesday. Scores of them, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stated that they would not visit the places that they would be assigned to provide security. All the seven presidential candidates contesting next week's general election, yesterday converged at Movenpick Hotel in Accra to pledge their commitment to peaceful elections, but the event was overshadowed by ill-fated special voting that saw many special voters having their names missing from the voters' list. The Accra Peace Accord, initiated by the National Peace Council in conjunction with the National House of Chiefs, became necessary after several reports of attacks on supporters of the opposition party, New Patriotic Party (NPP), creating tension before the Wednesday, December 7 elections. Six of the seven presidential candidates were present at the peace pact with Progressive People's Party's (PPP's) Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, being represented. President John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the New Patriotic Party's (NPP's) Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings of the National Democratic Party (NDP), the Convention People's Party's (CPP's) Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, the People's National Conventions' (PNC's) Dr. Edward Mahama and independent candidate Jacob Osei Yeboah. Dr. Nduom, was represented by his running mate, Bridget Dzogbenuku. Lip Service The flag bearer of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, fully pledged his commitment to peace before, during and after the December 7 polls but said President John Mahama and the ruling party must stop their rhetoric over their peaceful character when they look on with glee for supporters of the ruling NDC to beat up, maim and kill NPP supporters, especially in the Asutifi South and Asunafo South Constituencies in the Brong-Ahafo Region and Odododiodoo in Accra. The NPP presidential candidate said the reason why the political atmosphere seems clouded with anxiety and increasing loud calls for peace is because the government has not tried to build any confident measures to assure Ghanaian citizens that the security agencies have a free hand to do their work in an impartial manner. He indicated that in Odododiodoo and Asunafo South Constituencies, violence is being perpetrated against members of the NPP on daily basis by operatives of the ruling party with virtually no action from the security services, stressing that what is fuelling anxiety and rumuors is that many Ghanaians do not feel that the security agencies are neutral in performing their duties. The rapid apprehension and prosecution of members of the ruling party who have been responsible for the recent violence against members of the NPP in Asutifi South, a constituency represented in parliament by a cabinet minister, will be one such measures to curb the violence, he said. Nana Akufo-Addo told the respected audience, made up of the Chairperson of the Economic Community of West African States who is also the President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf; a former president of South Africa, Thambo Mbeki and UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, that he has always stood for peace in his over 40 years in politics. He said in the 2008 general election, even though he lost by the slimmest margin of 40,000 votes after leading in the first round, he did not ask for recount and readily accepted the results. He said in the same manner when he contested the results of the 2012 presidential election in court, he accepted the Supreme Court ruling without inciting supporters of his party. We in the NPP proved to the world that we were willing and able to submerge our individual and partisan preferences for the common good. We demonstrated clearly that it was not the ambitions of Akufo-Addo, nor fortunes of the NPP that we sought to promote, he said, adding that the stability and progress of Ghana and the enhancement of her democracy were the paramount considerations that guided the action of the NPP in those difficult days. President John Mahama also promised his utmost commitment to peaceful and successful elections this year. Mahama Pledges I pray to the almighty God that it shall not be my portion and that may it not be under my watch that our dear nation Ghana would be consumed by violence, he said President Mahama said he would continue to carry out his dual role as president and a presidential candidate in a manner that will promote peace and stability of the country. I declare publicly my respect for the Electoral Commission and the authentic results that shall be declared by this Commission. I declare my confidence in the people of Ghana to make a choice of their own free will of whom they wish to lead them over the next four years. Violence cannot be a reflection of a genuine desire to serve. I have absolute confidence in Ghana's capacity to successfully clear the upcoming democratic hurdle on December 7, 2016 and stay the course of democratic and economic transformation that I have initiated over the last four years, he added The independent presidential candidate, Jacob Osei Yeboah, said the happenings within Ghana ahead of the December 7 elections do not give signals of peaceful polls. He said the monster threatening the peace of the nation is partisan politics. He therefore, called upon Ghanaians to emulate Benin by voting for a candidate not affiliated with any political party. Mr Yeboah said, I would rather wish that the seven of us should be killed rather than the nation killed for the seven of us. The chairperson of ECOWAS, Ellen Johnson, said that Ghana has an enviable record and reputation in democracy which spans three successful transfers of power from one government to another She therefore, asked all the presidential candidates and political leaders to ensure that the country preserves its democratic credentials and ensure peaceful elections on December 7. By Thomas Fosu Jnr A 22-YEAR-old boy, Kwaku Gyamfi aka Sampane, has been hauled before an Obuasi circuit court to answer charges on robbery and unlawful possession of firearm following his arrest on the night of November 22, 2016 at Adansi-Asokwa in the Ashanti Region. The suspect, who is a squatter at the Kokomba market in Accra, is accused of robbing at gunpoint a fuel attendant, Salomey Abeka and a security man, John Arthur, of Crown Petroleum Company located at Kojo Nkwanta in the Adansi North District of the region. The Obuasi circuit court, presided over by Frank Rockson, remanded the accused person into custody, pending further investigation into the case. Police prosecutor Inspect Albert Anani told the court that Kwaku Gyamfi on November 22, 2016 at about 7:00 pm, attacked and robbed the workers of Crown Petroleum Company with a locally made pistol while they were on duty. According to the prosecutor, the accused person suddenly emerged at the fuel station and ordered Salomey Abeka and John Arthur to lie down after firing warning shots. Inspector Anani said Kwaku Gyamfi then ordered Salomey to surrender her sales, which amounted to GH860, and the victim obliged. He narrated that Sampane also managed to dispossess John Arthur of his LG mobile phone valued GH200 before he bolted through the bush amidst firing of gunshots. Prosecution had it that the victims quickly relayed information about the incident to the police night patrol team which frantically searched for the accused, but could not locate him. After combing through the bush without a trace of the whereabouts of Sampane, the police officers found him and arrested him on their way back to Adansi-Asokwa. From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi It is turning out that the contract awarded to Aero Vote by the Electoral Commission (EC) for the printing of the Statement of Polls and Declaration of Results Forms popularly called Pink Sheets appeared inflated. Some local companies were said to be willing to execute the same contract for less but the EC ignored them and gave it to Aero Vote for GH7.2 million although the commissioner Mrs. Charlotte Osei had variously insisted they wanted a value-for-money transaction. Possible Intraction Documents available to DAILY GUIDE showed that there was a possible breach of procurement in the whole selection process. The actual tender at the opening was GH8.95 million which the EC announced Aero Vote a company that was bankrupt as at 2013 but relocated to Ghana somewhere in November last year as the winner but by the time it reached the public, the amount had changed to GH7.2 million. Recently when the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) raised issues about the propriety of Aero Vote's contractual obligations, the Communications Director at the EC, Eric Kofi Dzakpasu issued a statement condemning the NPP for raising what he deemed as 'false' alarm. It is false that Aero Vote was awarded a contract worth US$8.95 million for the printing of the Statement of Polls and Declaration of Results Forms. The contract awarded to Aero Vote by the Commission is way below US$2 million in value (GHS7.2 million), he said among other things in the statement. Deafening Silence Strangely, the EC has not been able to explain to the public how they ended up with GH7.2 million as the contract sum after Aero Vote had quoted GH8.9 million at the opening of the actual tender. According to the procurement rules, any transaction worth more than GH1 million should automatically go through the Central Tender Board for concurrent approval but in this Pink Sheet contract which the EC says cost the taxpayer GH7.2 million, it does not appear that rule was followed. Besides, the EC Boss, a lawyer, is said to be the Chairperson of the commission's Entity Board and the Central Tender Board was allegedly ignored. Controversial Letter The EC Boss, in a controversial letter to the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) in September asking the authority to re-open the process and admit Aero Vote to be part of the process, had laid emphasis on the issue of value-for-money as her basis for getting the company in. Curiously, the EC as far back as October 2015 had written to PPA about the procurement of electoral materials including the pink sheets and had presented a list of companies that were going to be part of the process excluding Aero Vote. However, eyebrows were raised last September, one clear year after the submission of the list, when the EC Boss wrote again to the PPA asking the authority to include Aero Vote in the process. Aero Vote Existence A source told DAILY GUIDE that he believed that as at October 2015 when the EC Boss was writing to the PPA to submit the list of companies to be engaged in the tendering process, Aero Vote was not even registered in Ghana. Everything was given to the highest bidder. There was nothing like competitive prices as claimed by the EC Chairperson, a source said, adding the whole thing looked already fixed. You could see that the commission had made up its mind to award the contract to a particular company. Procurement Breach The source further said that Aero Vote's selection appears to be in conflict with the procurement laws because the tender laws says that every participating company must have two years account (balance)sheet but that cannot be said to have been done. Documents available to DAILY GUIDE showed that apart from Aero Vote, three other companies namely Buck Press, Acts Commercials and Innolink all put in bids but what was presented by local giant Buck Press looked very affordable to the taxpayer but was overlooked. Highest Bidder Buck Press' bid had a sub-total of GH3.582,830.00 at a VAT/NHIL rate of GH626,995.25 and a grand total of GH4.209,825.25 while Aero Vote had a sub-total of GH7.617,535.25 with a VAT/NHIL rate of GH1.333.068.67 and a grand total of GH8.950,603.92. Acts Commercials presented a bid with a sub-total of GH7.753,005.00 at a VAT/NHIL rate of GH1.356,775.88 and a grand total of GH9.109,780.88 while Innolink submitted a sub-total of GH7.817,578.15 at a VAT/NHIL rate of GH1.368.076.18 and a grand total of GH9.185,654.33. Spirited Defence The EC Boss clarified the issues on BBC when she put up a spirited defence for Aero Vote saying the company has always printed it (pink sheets) for us and has now relocated to Ghana which made their pricing better for us. However, the source contested Ms. Osei's claim saying the company had never been engaged by Ghana in previous elections. He said there could not be any extra cost as claimed by the EC because the tender documents showed clearly that the election materials will be delivered at their warehouse directly. By William Yaw Owusu Killeen, TX (76540) Today Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to occasional showers overnight. Low around 65F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies this evening will give way to occasional showers overnight. Low around 65F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%. With barely a week to the December 7 elections, the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says he is unfazed by the lies, fabrications and propaganda being churned out on a daily basis against his person by functionaries of the Mahama government. According to Nana Akufo-Addo, knowing full well they have lost the elections, they are now resorting to lies, propaganda, fabrications and vicious attacks against my person, adding that such lies can never make the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) win the elections. The NPP flag bearer stressed, I remain unshaken in the face of all these attacks. I have not stolen anyone's money, neither have I killed anyone. I am not bothered by what they are saying about me because they are all lies and acts of desperation. Do not be discouraged, we are firmly on course for victory. Nana Akufo-Addo made these remarks when he was addressing a mammoth rally at Nkawkaw, the venue for the NPP's Eastern Regional rally on Wednesday, November 30. In addition to the vile campaign that will be waged against his person, Nana Akufo-Addo noted that the NDC propaganda machinery has been put in overdrive, with the aim of setting tribe against tribe, and telling Ghanaians that the NPP hates Northerners, even though my running mate is from the North. They will say the NPP will drive Muslims, Northerners and residents in Zongo communities away from Ghana. All these are not true. They are nothing but pure lies. Nana Akufo-Addo urged Ghanaians not to pay heed to the politics of division and tribalism, which has become the NDC's stock in trade, adding that We are all one people in Ghana. Let us use our energies to push Ghana forward and stop the divisive talk and reactionary politics. He also appealed to the electorate to vote into office a competent government which preoccupation will be to improve the standard of living of the Ghanaian, explaining that President Mahama, over the last eight years, has amply demonstrated that he cannot do the job, the reason why we are all suffering in Ghana. In spite of President Mahama's abysmal performance in office, Nana Akufo-Addo noted that the real reason for the president's determination to stay in office is because of the perquisites and benefits of office for himself, his family and close associates. For that reason, the NPP leader indicated that President Mahama will say and do anything and everything to hang onto power. Nana Akufo-Addo wondered why, in the midst of President Mahama's claims of having undertaken unprecedented infrastructural development, he continues to wage a campaign of character assassination and the distribution of freebies to Ghanaian voters, all in his bid for re-election. If truly he claims to have undertaken unprecedented infrastructural development in the country which is pleasing to Ghanaians, why is the president, together with his wife, going round distributing goodies to the electorate for votes? Why are they distributing monies, sewing machines and peddling all sorts of untruths in a bid to gain re-election? he asked. One out of three masked armed robbers who allegedly attacked a house at Baatsonaa Kotobabi near Spintex in Accra, has reportedly been killed by his colleague in a shootout. The deceased, yet to be identified, was allegedly struggling with one of the victims of the attack when his colleague, in a desperate attempt to shoot the victim, shot his friend. The armed robber died on the spot before the police arrived at the scene. The police have since mounted a search for the two other suspected armed robbers. Confirming the story to DAILY GUIDE, ASP Effia Tenge, Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, said the incident occurred at about 1am on November 30, 2016 at a house at Baatsona Kotobabi. The three armed robbers, she said, wearing masks and armed with a pump action gun, first attacked a house in the neighborhood and after robbing the occupants of their items, moved to another house which was being occupied by a family of four. One of the armed men stood outside to keep watch while two others, including the deceased person, went inside the room to demand for money and other valuables from the victims. After collecting their mobile phones, one of the two armed robbers came out, leaving his colleague inside the room with the victims. According to ASP Tenge, upon hearing the siren of the police vehicle, the two attempted to escape but one of the victims pounced on him inside the room and attempted to disarm him. In the process, one of his colleagues came inside the room and in his bid to shoot the victim to free his colleague, the bullets rather hit the armed robber in the head, killing him instantly. Upon realizing that he had shot his own colleague, the suspect joined his other friend outside to escape, leaving behind their dead partner-in-crime. The police later entered the house to pick the body of the murdered armed robber to the Police Hospital for preservation. The matter is still being investigated by the police. ( [email protected] ) By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey Many people do not know that Jesus did not speak Latin or English or Hebrew; he spoke Aramaic. But nobody knows that language. So were talking about the Bible itself being a translation of a translation of a translation. And, in reality, it has affected peoples lives in history (Ngugi wa Thiongo). Daniel Bugri Naabu is the Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Northern Region. The Ga word for mouth is naabu, coincidentally also Bugris second name. According to Mustapha Hamid, Akufo-Addos spokesperson says this eloquent or articulate naabu can only spit poor English and furthermore, this same vulgar naabu has no knowledge of the twi language. Are Twi and English the only languages spoken in Ghana, a unitary state whose citizenssave some ignorant ethnocentric hegemonistsare known for their expression of liberal tolerance for multilingualism and multiculturalism? Even Jesus, who did not speak English and Twi some two thousand years ago, can now speak both languages extremely well today, thanks to modern technology among others. The answer? Translation! Ngugi wa Thiongo recalls an incident, a funny one of course, in which a Western missionary, who could not stop disturbing the ears of Kenyans that Jesus spoke English, was sharply reminded that Jesus did not in fact speak English but rather Aramaic, possibly Hebrew as well. What is all this infatuation about English about? Many Ghanaian are polyglots these days and therefore Bugri could have been present at the press conference with some of these polyglots in tow. Yet these are beside the point of what we actually want to put across, which is that he could have been present and made his case at the press conference against President Mahama and his brother, Ibrahim Mahama. What language is he Bugri going to speak if he is assigned a portfolio in a potential Akufo-Addo government? How is he going to communicate with Ghanaians and the larger world as a public figure in a potential Akufo-Addo government since Hamid says his English is poor, and that he does not understand Twi? Is that what the laws say, that Ghanaians are required to speak only English and Twi? Are there not Ghanaian parliamentarians who cannot even speak English? How do these folks contribute to legislative deliberations? The misplaced idea that one is not intelligent because one does not speak Englishhowever passablyis a really sad one. No wonder Bishop Obinim reportedly said The only thing I fear is the English Language, words we put in Hamids mouth. In fact the English language does scare the wits out of loudmouths like Bishop Obinim. Unlike Bishop Obinim however, Madam Akua Donkor is not fazed by the English language. I am not illiterate as some believe. I deal with well-educated people and I express myself well to their understanding but I dont speak the English language often because its not my language. Its unfortunate Ghanaians value the English language than their mother-tongue. Even the foreigners make fun of us. No Chinese will speak English, they value theirs. Its nonsense and shameful for us [Ghanaians] to speak English after sacking our colonial masters. If we want to speak English then we should bring them back to Ghana to rule us. I will never speak EnglishI value my own language and Im proud of it. Of course while not everything she alludes to in these statements might necessarily be true in a literal sense, such as her position that no Chinese will speak English, Madam Donkor is certainly right on the Ghanaian neocolonial craze or appetite for the English language. On the other hand, she might be right if her Chinese example underscores the patriotic pride with which the Chinese embrace their language. We see how their leaders generally confidently speak Chinese (Mandarin) during press conferences in Western capitals in the presence of their Western colleagues, unlike our leaders who want to prove to the native Western English speaker that they are better at the language than the native Western English speaker. What on earth will Bugri want to say in his poor English that he could not otherwise say in his native tongue? What language(s) was the alleged bribery conducted in? What about the nature of the professional language of banking transactions in which the alleged bribery took place? If the bribery allegations go to court as Madam Joyce Bawa Mogtari has said, and Bugri is called to testify, what language is he going to speak? As a matter of fact is he going to ask people like Hamid to represent him in court, while he does not show up to defend himself? Or he is going to appear in court in his own behalf, but take to pleading the fifth on the basis of his poor English, of his lack of knowledge of Twi? Is it a crime to speak Broken or Pidgin English in Ghana? Didnt William Shakespeare use Broken English in some of his history plays? How about Amos Tuotola, the famous Nigerian writer whose classic novel The Palm-Wine Drinkard made liberal use of Pidgin English? In Ghana and across Africa we tend to look askance at intelligent men and women who are articulate in their native tongues, even disapprovingly labeling them villagers among other stigmatic labels. Ngugi wa Thiongo has railed against this tendentious posturing of Africans in a number of high-profile publications, thus buttressing his proverbial formula of publishing in both Kikuyu and English, a technique primarily aimed at reaching a wider audience of Kikuyu-speaking Kenyans and of those Kenyans who can only read in English. In the main, Hamid could have served the world better by demanding Bugris physical appearance at the said press conference where he presented his side of the story in any language of his choice, a language he speaks so wellbeyond passable acquaintanceand then allowed another person to translate for him. The irony is that Bugri allegedly took the bribery money and cars all of which have everything to do with the English language in one way or another. Lets call a spade a spade: Bugri speaks Aramaic, which Thiongo says but nobody knows that language. But by allegedly accepting the bribery gifts, he incidentally acquires English and all the possibilities it represents. A person who acquires English has access to all the things that that language makes possible (Ngugi wa Thiongo). FOOD FOR THOUGHT Now that Bugri Naabu has reportedly converted from Christianity to Islam for political expediency, rather than for personal convictions bordering on spiritual ethos, he may long have clearly understood the language Jesus spoke when he gave a press conference announcing to the world his betrayal by Judas, before his crucifixion. Between Jesus and Judas, who is the Judas here? Who betrayed whom as Alfred Mahama, the presidents brother, has recently alleged in the wake of the controversy, that he Bugri stabbed Ibrahim Mahamawho had previously given gifts to the latterin the back? Who are the benefactor here and the Judas there in this unfolding drama of labyrinthine political theatre resembling Orwellian Animal Farm? CONCLUDING REMARKS Bugri Naabus physical presence at the press conference, to present his version of events and to answer questions directly related to the bribery scandal, perhaps, will have gone a long way to disabuse the minds of those skeptics who still believe he may have been coached by some criminal minds within the NPP to tarnish the office of the presidency. In our opinion, this will probably have enhanced his public and moral credibility the more since the timing of the press conference raises more questions than answers. For instance, one wonders why he did not take up this seismic scandalous controversy with the minority NPP MPs for them to have lodged impeachment proceedings against President Mahama while still prosecuting him [the president] and his brother in the court of public opinion. This will probably have given the leadership of the NDC and its political propagandists less room to maneuver. Perhaps, the Bugri camp entertained the fear that the parliamentary majority which the NDC enjoys will have potentially led to their strategy being shot down as happened in the Rawlings-Abacha case. Regardless, what we have are lame sensational allegations and the NDCs inexcusable skirting the substantive issues surrounding the allegations. NPP should pursue this matter to its logical conclusion if it wins the elections. The NDC should also pursue this same matter to its logical conclusion should it retain its incumbency. This is the only way we come to the truth and learn from it. Nevertheless a story half told requires uncompromising finality, a moral and political denouement in the political theatre. For now, it appears the NPP may have won the propaganda contest hands down. Lets wait and see how this reflects on the general outcome of the upcoming elections. REFERENCES Ghanaweb. Its Nonsense To Speak English In GhanaAkua Donkor. November 3, 2015. The Gambias President, Yahya Jammeh, has lost the Gambian election to an estate agent, Adama Barrow, who led a collation of seven opposition parties. The head of The Gambias electoral commission declared Adama Barrow, 51, as the winner of the 2016 presidential election, with 263,515 votes to Yahya Jammehs 212,099 votes. The third candidate, Mamma Kande, polled 102,969 votes. Adama Barrow Before the declaration, there was some indication that President Jammeh was going to concede defeat via a video message. The Electoral Commissioner of Gambia, Chief Alieu Momar Njie, said it was unprecedented for a Gambian head of state to accept defeat before the final results. Ruth Maclean, a reporter with the UKs Guardian newspaper in the Gambia, was tweeting details about development that President Jammeh was about to concede defeat to Adama Barrow. According to her, President Jammeh had recorded a video accepting defeat before the final results were declared. Mr Jammeh had been in power for 22 years, after taking power in in a coup in 1994. The West African country has not had a smooth transfer of power since independence in 1965. The 55-year-old leader had been trailing Mr. Barrow in partial results and was defeated in the capital, Banjul, his stronghold. By: citifmonline.com/Ghana with files from BBC The Information Minister has described as baseless and useless claims by the NPP that President John Mahama and his brother tried to bribe its Northern Regional Chairman. Dr Omane Boamah challenged the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to provide more evidence of its claims that the president tried to bribe its Northern regional Chairman, Bugri Naabu. The opposition NPP has accused President John Dramani Mahama and his brother, Ibrahim Mahama, of attempting to bribe the Northern Regional Chairman of the party, Daniel Bugri Naabu. Mustapha Hamid Mustapha Hamid, who addressed the media, said the intention was to get Bugri Naabu to turn against the NPPs flag bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, portray him as a divisive ethnocentric bigot and destroy his chances of winning the 2016 elections. Read more: Mahama bribed NPP Northern Region chair with cars, cash to denigrate Akufo-Addo- NPP alleges Speaking on the Super Morning Show, Friday, the Information Minister said the allegation were planned by the NPP to tarnish the image of the President in response to a press conference he (Omane) organised on Monday. "I got this call on Monday after the press conference that that was what they were going to do...and I was in the car with my Deputy Felix Kwakye-Ofosu when the call came through so I was expecting it," Dr Omane Boamah claimed. He said the claim was made "just to confuse" the people as the country goes to the polls in five days and stated categorically that "the President has not and will not bribe anybody let alone Mr Bugri Naabi. For what?" He indicated that the government is ready to engage the NPP if they have "any shred of evidence that will pin President Mahama to this useless and baseless allegations." But the Communications Director of the NPP speaking on the same platform insisted that President Mahama engaged in the act. Nana Akomea Nana Akomea dismissed suggestions that Bugri Naabu bought the car himself and concocted the story and insisted that that could have been easily traced through the records of the car. "If that happened the records will show that Bugri Naabu came to this place, he bought this car for this amount, this is the cheque he issued, and this is the receipt he received," he insisted. He was resolute that the NPP presented enough evidence to prove that that President Mahama and his brother tried to bribe Bugri Naabu to damage the NPP Presidential candidate. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Akosua Asiedua Akuffo | [email protected] There is a spirited but subtle attempt to discredit the prestigious Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice given to New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in Mumbai, India recently. The organizers are being inundated with e-mails from Ghana, enquiring about the authenticity of the award for political purposes. It is not clear who are behind the plot but the organizers have expressed shock about the development since they have never witnessed this in the history of the awards. The award organizers, Harmony Foundation, are said to have received two emails with virtually the same content requesting to know whether Nana Akufo-Addo was only a speaker or award recipient at the just-ended event. The first email came through from the Indian High Commission in Accra followed by another one from one Frank Desmond who claims to be Ghanaian. Curiously, the sender signed off with Frank Desmond. He had the domain name Frank Adjornor with [email protected] as his email. Nana Akufo-Addo was not in Mumbai, India for the coveted awards ceremony due to his busy schedule ahead of the December 7 general elections. He was represented by former minister Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, Prof Mike Ocquaye and others. Apart from receiving the award, Nana Akufo-Addo, was also the main speaker and delivered a keynote address on the theme, 'Combating Terror through Education and Peace,' through Mr. Owusu-Agyeman. The award is given to people all over the world who distinguished themselves in the area of democracy, human rights and social justice. It's coming at a time when the NDC and its leadership are trying to paint him black with spurious allegation of violence. Dr. Abraham Mathai, President of the Harmony Foundation, explaining the decision to choose Nana Akufo-Addo for the award, said the manner in which you (Nana Akufo-Addo) sacrificed your presidential ambitions by accepting to preserve peace in the West African nation of Ghana at a time of high tension, thereby preventing civil war is truly remarkable. He said that your statesman-like qualities have truly distinguished you as the defender of democracy which should be emulated far and beyond. By William Yaw Owusu Sexual violence has reached epic proportions in the conflict in South Sudan and requires the urgent attention of the world, said the UN independent Commission* on Human Rights in South Sudan after a ten-day visit during which they met women survivors around the country. The scale of gang rape of civilian women as well as the horrendous nature of the rapes by armed men belonging to all groups is utterly repugnant and whats worse is that there is no sense of outrage about this horror, said the chairperson of the Commission, Yasmin Sooka. There was justifiable uproar when international humanitarian workers were gang raped in July in the capital Juba but the fact of the matter is that it is happening to South Sudanese women on a daily basis and the world is just averting its eyes. The Commission intends to call for the establishment of a special investigative team to go to South Sudan to collect evidence of the rapes so as to form the basis of prosecutions for the future. The Commission urges the Government of South Sudan and those in control of opposition territories to give UN investigators unfettered access to all areas of the country. While in South Sudan, the Commission interviewed a rape survivor whose case was mediated by village elders who ordered the perpetrator to pay compensation of a goat and a small sum of money. For many women this sort of informal mediation system is the only justice system available. It is mind boggling that a womans suffering and its lifelong impact has so little value, not to mention that serious crimes like rape must be tried in a court of law with due process, said Commissioner Ken Scott. In the capital Juba, a UN survey found seventy percent of women in Juba had suffered sexual assault since December 2013. In the outbreak of violence in the capital in July, hundreds of women reported rape. The Commission met several who had still not received the necessary medical treatment for terrible injures they sustained. An elderly woman who had left the camp to search for food thought her age would protect her from assault, only to experience beating and rape at the hands of soldiers who she said were young enough to be her sons. She explained the ethnic nature of the attacks by describing how the soldiers grabbed her cheeks, making derogatory references to her tribal markings. After the assault, her shattered body was transported back to the camp in a wheelbarrow by a passerby. Another woman who was five months pregnant described going out of the camp with four other women, all of whom were each gang raped by seven soldiers. She suffered a miscarriage afterwards but described how one of her companions died after being sexually mutilated. Rape survivors also suffer the stigma and shame of the rape with many indicating that their husbands had left them, blaming them for the rape. They are also ostracized by the community resulting in deep trauma. This has also raised concern about the longer-term psychosocial well-being of survivors. In Bentiu in Unity State, the Commission heard of a number of women raped by soldiers outside the camp for displaced people on the day they visited. Despite the stigma, a woman in Bentiu described in a public meeting how she was raped and threatened with death by soldiers in Leer three days prior to the Commissions visit and was still searching for her husband after the attack on their village. There is no stigma around rape because for us it is normal; it is happening every day to us, she said, I am speaking out because I am someone who has been attacked but I want to say yes to life. In Malakal in Upper Nile State, the UN Population Fund indicated that one in five women in the Protection of Civilian camp reported being sexually violated since the outbreak of the conflict. However conflict-related sexual violence mostly goes unreported. The Commission also heard reports of women being abducted and subjected to sexual slavery by armed groups who move them from house to house resulting in the girls not being found. Women have also been raped inside displacement camps, and there are increasingly high levels of domestic violence. What concerns us is the pattern of sexual violence targeting women all over the country, the fact that rape is one of the tools being used for ethnic cleansing and the absolute impunity for these crimes, said Ms. Sooka. All commanders at every level have an affirmative responsibility to prevent and punish rape and other sexual violence. The Commission believes the only way to curb the normalization of rape is to conduct investigations leading to prosecution for those in command. The African Union Mission to the United States, in collaboration with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, held, On November 15, 2016, a farewell event and reception to honor U.S. Congressman Charles B. Rangel for his outstanding contribution to the enduring partnership between the United States and Africa during his 45 consecutive years of service in the US House of Representatives. The Honorable Jane Harman, Director, President & CEO of the Wilson Center and former U.S. Representative gave welcoming remarks for the event and also paid tribute to Congressman Rangel, highlighting the great career of Congressman Rangel and their long working relationship as Congress Members. The Honorable Ed Royce, Chair of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, also paid tribute to Congressman Rangel for his excellent contribution to US Foreign Affairs. The Honorable Karen Bass, Ranking Member of the Africa Subcommittee in the House Foreign Affairs Committee also paid tribute to Congressman Rangel for his great work for the continent and his guidance as a great mentor to her, as another great Congressional leader on Africa. From his side, Mr. Tarek Ben Youssef, Charge dAffaires a.i. of the African Union Mission to the United States, thanked on behalf of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission H.E Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, all the participants for their presence to pay tribute to the Honorable Charles B. Rangel and celebrate his immeasurable contribution to the longstanding ties between the United Sates and Africa. Commending Congressman Rangel for his decades of work supporting Africa, and the important and lasting outcome of his efforts, including the recent 10-year renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, Mr. Ben Youssef stated that Congressman Rangel has epitomized what it means to spend ones entire life dedicated to making his nation, his community, and his fellow citizens of the world better off. He also expressed gratitude for the Congressmans tireless support to Africa and his friendship to the African Union and the ideals it defends and promotes, for a peaceful, prosperous and integrated continent. The Dean of the African Diplomatic Corp in Washington, DC H.E. Serge Mombouli, Ambassador of the Republic of Congo, gave remarks thanking Congressman Rangel for his service to Africa on behalf of all the African Ambassadors Group to the U.S. He reiterated the importance of the Congressmans role in AGOAs renewal and also mentioned his powerful work done to promote and defend the ideals of freedom and human dignity particularly his fight against apartheid in South Africa. The Ambassador of South Africa, H.E. Mninwa Mahlangu, paid a special tribute to Congressman Rangel on behalf of the Government and people of South Africa, thanking him for the important role he played in pushing for the end of Apartheid in the country. He powerfully stated that if it had not have been for his brave acts, that he as Ambassador would not be in the US today as a representative of a democratic South Africa to bid him farewell. He highlighted the important role that Congressman Rangel played in passing the Rangel Amendment, which signaled that the US would no longer support the Apartheid regime and helped spur divestment from South Africa that eventually culminated in the government releasing political prisoners and ending the oppressive system. H.E. Ambassador Tete Antonio, Permanent Representative of the African Union to the United Nations, gave a closing tribute, on behalf of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, stating that Congressmans Rangels triumph in reaffirming justice and dignity for all was Africas triumph as well. Ambassador Tete indicated that Africa found in the honoree a committed and strong ally within the House of Representatives and the Congressional Black Caucus since he first assumed Office in 1971, before adding that Congressman Rangel shared his hope for a free and inclusive Africa in times of darkness and when our path to freedom was unclear. Ambassador Tete cited numerous examples of Congressman Rangel Commitment to Africa. Ambassador Tete highlighted in his final remarks that the African Union remains always grateful for Congressman Rangel active leadership and the key role he has played in advancing our shared values and interests. Your 50 years in Congress has contributed to lay the ground of a stronger Africa, on behalf of its 6th region, the Diaspora. It is thanks to genuine friendship like yours, that Africa was able to build on strong foundations for the Africa We Want in 50 years as determined in the African Union Agenda 2063, he concluded. The Permanent Representative of the AU to the United Nations was joined by the other speakers to present, on behalf of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, to Congressman Rangel a proclamation in recognition of his outstanding accomplishments, his rich legacy and his friendship to Africa and the African Union. Congressman Rangel gave remarks and humbly thanked everyone for their kind tributes and in particular the African Union Commission for the proclamation presented to him on this occasion. He noted that he played one small part in so many larger movements for change. He praised the growth and progress of the African continent, and expressed how so much has been achieved thus far, and how much potential there is now for the people of Africa and its Diasporas around the world. Luanda (AFP) - Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, in power for 37 years, will stand down before next year's general election, state radio said Friday citing sources in the ruling MPLA party. National Radio of Angola said that Defence Minister Joao Lourenco would take over as MPLA leader, in news confirmed to AFP by Joao Pinto, a senior member of the party. The New Patriotic Party's (NPP) Northern Regional Chairman, Daniel Bugri Naabu, has promised to return the supposed bribe allegedly given to him by President John Dramani Mahama and his brother, Ibrahim Mahama. Making the revelation in an interview with Citi News' Umaru Sanda Amadu on Friday, the Presidential Candidate of the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo, said Bugri Naabu accepted the bribe from the president as a proof of his claim. He himself has decided what he is going to do with itthat he will return the money, that is my understanding; that is what he has told me. That he is going to return the money. He kept the money for proof; but now that the matter has come out he intends to return the money. He told me the story about this matter before it became public, Akufo-Addo added. Background The NPP at a press conference addressed by Nana Akufo-Addo's Spokesperson, Mustapha Hamid, alleged that the President and his brother tried to bribe Bugri Naabu with a brand new V6 Mitsubishi, a brand New V8 Land Cruiser and GHc 3.3 million for him to resign from his party and further paint Nana Akufo-Addo as a dictator and an anti-northerner. Around the same time, Ibrahim Mahama had tried to convince Bugri with money to leave the NPP to become a chief after Daniel Bugri Naabu's uncle died, but Bugri refused, he added. According to the President, Bugri should paint Akufo-Addo as a rabid anti-northern person who could never be trusted to advance the people of the north he was supposed to say that Akufo-Addo was knocking the head of one northerner against the other. Bribery claim against Mahama 'cock and bull story Meanwhile, the National Coordinator of President Mahama's 2016 election campaign, Kofi Adams, has rubbished the claims, describing them as cock and bull stories . Who in his mind collects money he says it's bribe; and goes and deposit in his account. He didn't find any police station to take that money that he considers as a bribe. He didn't find any person to witness that he took the money and was going round and looking for a Prudential bank that works on Saturday to go and deposit the money. This cock and bull stories should be told to only NPP members and not Ghanaians in generality. By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana Follow @AlloteyGodwin Banjul (Gambia) (AFP) - Opposition candidate Adama Barrow hailed a "new Gambia" Friday after he pulled off a stunning presidential election victory, putting an end to the 22-year rule of Yahya Jammeh. Official results showed Barrow, a former migrant to Britain and a political unknown until six months ago, comfortably winning Thursday's poll, capping a remarkable rise to prominence. Jammeh conceded defeat, the chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) said as Gambians began to take to the streets to celebrate the biggest upset in the west African nation since the incumbent seized power in a 1994 coup. In Westfield, a district near the capital, teenagers piled on top of cars, taking selfies and strumming guitars, while others waved flags coloured the grey of the opposition coalition. A hundred horns honked in unison. Although the mood was largely ecstatic, some Gambians expressed relief tinged with emotion as they recounted stories of difficult lives spent under constant fear during Jammeh's rule. A man waves a Gambian flag while he celebrates the victory of Gambia's opposition candidate Adama Barrow during the Presidential Elections on December 2, 2016, in Serekunda, Banjul Barrow won 54.54 percent (263,515 votes) while Jammeh took 36.66 percent (212,099) and third party candidate Mama Kandeh 102,969 votes (17.80 percent), the IEC said. In his first comments afterward, Barrow acknowledged the nation's totemic shift. "It's time for work. It's a new Gambia," he said. Turnout was around 65 percent. "It's really unique that someone who has been ruling this country for so long has accepted defeat," electoral commission chief Alieu Momar Njie told reporters. Jammeh, who once said he would govern for a billion years if God willed it, was attempting to win a fifth term with his Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC). On the streets of Bakau, on the outskirts of the capital Banjul, Gambians began an impromptu street party. "This man (Jammeh) beat and oppressed us," a young man who gave his name as Jawara told AFP. "We didn't have our freedom but definitely Barrow will give it to us," he added, choking back tears. Yahya Jammeh State television said Jammeh would later make a statement to congratulate opposition leader Barrow, 51. An estate agent who worked as a security guard in Britain, Barrow was chosen as the opposition flag bearer by a group of political parties who had joined forces for the first time, whipping up unprecedented popular support. Barrow told AFP before the vote was announced that he was "certain" he had won. If Jammeh's concession is confirmed, Barrow will likely serve a three-year term at the head of a transition reform government in the tiny ex British colony that occupies a narrow sliver of land surrounded by French-speaking Senegal and pristine Atlantic ocean beaches beloved by tourists. Banjul success Jammeh campaign manager Yankuba Colley said he was not aware of the electoral commission chairman's statement but said he believed the president would step down if the Gambian people wanted it. Gambian opposition leader Adama Barrow greets supporters on November 29, 2016 "When the Gambians make their verdict, he is someone who is faithful," he told AFP. "It is a difficult result but the man I know will accept whatever comes." The election was marked by an internet blackout that sparked condemnation from rights groups and the United States. Early results showed Barrow taking Banjul -- a traditional Jammeh stronghold. He won nearly 50 percent of the vote in the capital's three constituencies, according to the IEC, compared to 43 percent for Jammeh. Security forces had deployed heavily in Banjul earlier Friday amid nervousness over whether Jammeh would accept defeat. A woman leaves a voting booth at a polling station in Banjul on December 1, 2016 Before dawn broke, military and police, some covering their faces, set up checkpoints every few hundred metres on the outskirts of the capital, while citizens were inside sleeping or watching results come in. "Power belongs to the people. You cannot stop us and you cannot stop them," Barrow said at his final rally this week. Jammeh had predicted the biggest landslide of his political career. 'Generally peaceful conditions' The United States said the vote took place in "generally peaceful conditions", while the IEC hailed "a very successful election". At his final campaign rally, Jammeh had warned that protests over the election result would not be tolerated, saying The Gambia "does not allow" demonstrations. No professional international observers were on the ground for the vote, diplomats confirmed, but a small team of African Union experts monitored events along with Banjul-based US and European delegations already present in the country. A Senegalese security source confirmed to AFP in Dakar that The Gambia had closed the borders on Thursday, a common occurrence during elections in west Africa. Jammeh's tenure was marked by his surviving multiple attempts to remove him from the presidency. Some 60 percent of the population live in poverty in The Gambia, and a third survive on $1.25 (1.20 euro) or less a day, according to the UN. The NPP Presidential Candidate Akufo-Addo says the partys Northern Regional Chairman, Daniel Bugri Naabu has promised to return the alleged bribe items given him by President John Mahama and his brother. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in a special interview with Joy News at his Nima residence Friday said Mr Naabu has explained he kept the goodies for evidential purposes. He himself has decided what to do with it and if he has made the decision to return the money [and cars], I believe him, he said. The NPP has alleged Mr Mahama and his brother Ibrahim Mahama attempted to bribe Mr Naabu to turn against the party's flagbearer ahead of the December 7 general elections. NPP Northern Regional Chairman, Daniel Bugri Naabu At a news conference held on November 29, Nana Akufo-Addo's Spokesperson, Moustapha Hamid said Mr Naabu was promised GH3.3 million, a brand new V6 Mitsubishi and a brand new V8 Landcruiser vehicles to deflect from the NPP. In a demonstration of their commitment, Mr Hamid said the President and his brother gave the NPP Northern Regional Chairman the sum of GH500,000 and one of the promised vehicles to describe Nana Akufo-Addo as an ethnic bigot. These claims have been dismissed by government as mere fabrications concocted to tarnish the hard earned reputation of the President. The alleged Mitsubishi Communications Minister, Dr Edward Omane Boamah told Kojo Yankson, host of Joy FM's Super Morning Show Friday that the evidence provided by the NPP is pathetic. He said government is prepared to engage the NPP to get to the bottom of the allegation. But Nana Akufo-Addo said the allegation might have some substance considering the treatment of the issue by government officials. He said the alleged bribery of Mr Naabu by the President forms part of the narrative of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC). Nonetheless, Nana Akufo-Addo said the car and money would be returned to the President and his brother in the coming days. "He [Mr Naabu] told me he would return the things and I am quite satisfied with it," he said. Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com Westfield (Gambia) (AFP) - Hundreds of Gambians poured onto the streets Friday in a spontaneous outpouring of joy as President Yahya Jammeh's 22-year rule ended, ecstatically welcoming a new political era. Minutes after it was announced that opposition candidate Adama Barrow had pulled off a stunning victory and that Jammeh would concede defeat, impromptu street parties broke out across neighbourhoods close to the capital, Banjul. In the district of Westfield, teenagers piled on top of cars, taking selfies and strumming guitars, while others waved flags coloured the grey of the opposition coalition. A hundred horns honked in unison. Although the mood was ecstatic, some Gambians expressed relief tinged with emotion as they recounted stories of difficult lives spent under constant fear during Jammeh's rule. "It is a stunning day... emancipation day for Gambians. We have had 22 years of illegal arrests and suppression from Yahya Jammeh," said Maya Darboe. Her husband, opposition leader Ousainou Darboe, was arrested in April and later convicted of holding an illegal protest after taking to the streets over the death of political activist Solo Sandeng. "They bring him to court in handcuffs. He is no criminal, he was just asking for the body of Solo Sandeng dead or alive," Mrs Darboe said, shaking her head. Darboe and many others believe that Barrow and his coalition government will bring back freedoms curtailed under Jammeh, including the release of dozens of political prisoners. People hold a banner picturing Gambia's opposition candidate Adama Barrow as they celebrate his victory during the Presidential Elections on December 2, 2016, in Serekunda, Banjul "I dreamt about today," said Mamiea Jatta, a 29-year-old sporting a grey t-shirt with Barrow's face on it. "Peace will be here, we will have more freedoms, and we are expecting more development," she told AFP. In the last few years, a crackdown on journalists, opposition figures and anyone deemed disloyal within Jammeh's Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) party has intensified. Jatta's face darkened as she described operating as a political activist under Jammeh, which at one point forced her into hiding for four months. "He is a killer... He did anything he felt like doing. We are free, finally we are free," she said, raising her arms to the sky. Party time The gathered crowds were also surprisingly convivial to the security forces often characterised as the blunt edge of the regime the president oversaw for 22 years. People celebrate after the victory of Gambia's opposition candidate Adama Barrow during the Presidential Elections on December 2, 2016, in Serekunda, Banjul Soldiers and police stood to the side as the celebrations erupted, and although their presence was unmissable several could be seen shaking hands with Barrow's supporters with smiles on their faces. For others, Jammeh's downfall meant one thing tonight. "We are going to PARTY," said a woman sporting huge sunglasses, who gave her surname as Njie. "The dictator is out, we are going to party until daybreak!" Teenager Ousman Bai, standing at a traffic junction, said he believed Barrow would do more for the young people who take the perilous route across the Mediterranean to seek a better life in Europe. "Our brothers are going the Back Way (migrant route) because of the president," he said, while fielding spontaneous hugs from his entourage. "Now we have a new Gambia!" his friend interjected, causing a long round of cheers. Supporters gather to celebrate the victory of the newly elected president, Adama Barrow, outside his compound in Yarambamba, on December 2, 2016 For those who have long monitored The Gambia's disregard for freedom of speech and political assembly, these scenes are almost surreal. "Nine months ago you would never have expected this in Gambia," said Steve Cockburn, a human rights activist with Amnesty International mixing with the crowds. "Over the last two weeks we have seen a remarkable transformation in Gambia, people have come onto the streets and spoken without fear." Luanda (AFP) - Veteran Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos announced Friday he will not run in August elections, ending 37 years in power and naming his defence minister as candidate to succeed him. The autocratic 74-year-old has been the oil-rich country's president since September 1979, making him Africa's second-longest serving leader -- one month short of Equatorial Guinea's Teodoro Obiang Nguema. His rule has seen the end of civil war and an investment boom, but has also been criticised as secretive and corrupt, with Angola's citizens suffering dire poverty as his family became hugely wealthy. Dos Santos told a meeting of the ruling MPLA party in Luanda that "the party approved the name of the candidate heading the list in the August elections as (Defence Minister) Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco". Lourenco, a former general, emerged as the probable next president late last year at another meeting of the MPLA (People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola). Earlier in the year, Dos Santos had said he would step down in 2018. The party -- which faces no real political opposition -- recently issued a statement denying reports that Dos Santos was seriously ill. Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos confirmed that he would step down ahead of elections due in August, signalling the end to his 37-year long reign After constitutional changes in 2010, Angola does not directly elect a president, but the leader of the winning party automatically becomes head of state. Change awaits? Despite Lourenco being a party loyalist, the end of Dos Santos's regime could open a new chapter for a country largely closed off to the outside world. The president has been a dominating presence in daily life longer than most Angolans can remember, exercising personal authority over government, politics, media and business. When Dos Santos became president in 1979 -- following the sudden death from cancer of Angola's liberation president Agostinho Neto -- civil war was already raging between the MPLA government and UNITA rebels, four years after independence from Portugal. Peace came only after 2002, and the country is still deeply scarred by a conflict that was a vicious proxy battleground in the Cold War rivalry of the United States and the Soviet Union. After fighting ceased, a frenetic oil boom saw skyscrapers sprout up in the centre of the capital Luanda and paid for nationwide infrastructure improvements. But it left millions of ordinary Angolans living in slums, and the collapse in oil prices has triggered a full-scale national economic crisis since 2013. "In some ways he is the father figure of the nation, widely seen -- rightly or wrongly -- as the man who ended the war," Soren Kirk Jensen, an Angola specialist at the London-based Chatham House think tank, told AFP recently. In response to the release of The Gambias December 1, 2016 election results, Freedom House issued the following statement: Freedom House congratulates the people of The Gambia on a largely peaceful election day, said Vukasin Petrovic, director for Central, East and West Africa programs. Freedom House encourages all parties to accept the will of the people and positively notes President Yahya Jammehs intention to concede. This move signals a hopeful path for The Gambias future democratic prospects. Background: On December 1, 2016, The Gambias incumbent President Yahya Jammeh faced opposition candidate Adama Barrow in national elections. Despite a complete shutdown of the internet and international speculation that President Jammeh would not allow a challenge to his 22 years in power, the electoral commission announced an opposition victory. The Gambia is rated Not Free in Freedom in the World 2016 , Not Free in Freedom of the Press 2016 , and Not Free in Freedom on the Net 2016 . By Justina Paaga GNA Sekondi (WR) Dec.02, GNA - MTN Ghana Foundation Ghana has donated tools valued at GHa10,000.00 to stock the Vocational Skills Department of the Sekondi School for the Deaf in the Western Region. The items include, five sewing machines, assorted carpentry tools, different colours of dress materials and a quantity of beads to be processed into necklace and bangles as well as 'slippers' making tools. Additionally, the Foundation would sponsor the training of a teacher from the school in beads and hats making. Mr Robert Kuzoe, a Senior Manager of MTN Foundation, who presented the items to the schools in Sekondi, on Wednesday, said the initiative was to celebrate the International Day of People with Disability with the pupils of the School to make them feel loved and cared for. The Day was set aside by the United Nations in 1992 to ensure a better understanding of people living with disability. Mr Kuzoe said the Day also aimed at encouraging persons with disability to be economically independent that was why the Foundation chose the School to celebrate the Day with them. Mr Kuzoe expressed the hope that the donation would help create opportunities for the pupils to develop their talents to become self-reliant individuals. 'We urge students to make good use of the facilities, we also want to urge the teachers to adopt modern trends and teach the students how to use technology to enhance their creativity to be able to stay competitive in a fast changing environment.' Mr Kuzoe said the MTN Foundation was committed at serving and supporting persons living with disability, adding that, this year MTN staff refurbished the classroom block for the Mampong School for the Deaf and also created a resource centre within the block. He said the Foundation, in addition, provided a laptop, microphones, LCD TV, an overhead projector and installed a 'voice to Text Software to enhance teaching and learning, Mr Kuzoe said three years ago the Foundation refurbished the Kitchen and provided pipe borne water to the Sekondi School of the Deaf to make the lives of the pupils comfortable. Mr Emmanuel Mensah Tormpgah, the Deputy District Director in-charge of Supervision and Monitoring, commended the efforts of MTN Foundation over the years, saying their contributions would go a long way to enhance the education and training of people with disability. Mr Ebenezer Donkor, the Assistant Headmaster of the School, who received the items on behalf of the pupils, expressed his gratitude to the Foundation and gave the assurance that the items would be used for the purpose provided, Mr Donkor underscored the importance of educating children with disability, noting that if children with disability were given the needed training and support they would not be on the streets to beg for alms. He said the School, which started in 1971 with only 28 pupils, now had a population of 320, thereby putting pressure on the limited resources. Mr Donkor said due to the high enrolment figures recorded this academic year, there was over-crowding in the dormitories, inadequate classrooms and furniture, while the washrooms, particularly, for the girls, were overstretched. He appealed to other institutions and organisations to go to the aid of the school. GNA By GNA Election Team Takoradi Dec.1, GNA - Special voting by security agencies, media and officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) who would be on duty on December 7, took off smoothly in all the 26 constituencies in the Western Region. Security personnel from the Ghana Police, Ghana National Fires Service, Ghana Immigration Service Ghana Prison Service, the Military and the media queued at the Police Canteen, Effiakuma Parish Hall, Kwesimintim Methodist Brigade Hall and Well Road polling centres all in the Sekondi -Takoradi Metropolis to exercise their franchise. The GNA observed that at the Kwesimintim centre some of the eligible voters could not find their names on the register and as of 0820 hrs, 22 had voted comprising 18 males and four males. Mr Lawrence Arthur Jackson, the Presiding Officer at the centre, said the exercise is progressing smoothly with all the election materials as well as parties agents from the NPP, NDC and CPP available for the exercise. However, some of the security personnel could not find their names on the special voting register although they claimed they had presented their names for the exercise. They said their names appeared on their notice board at the second Infantry Battalion (2BN) barracks at Apremdo this morning before going to the polling station, and expressed disappointment about the situation. The said if they did not vote today they would not be able to vote on December 7 since they would travel to other constituencies to provide security for the election. Mr Stephen Opoku-Mensah, the Regional EC Director, said those whose names did not appear on the register probably did not transfer their names to the constituency for the special voting. He said the Suamen constituency also recorded high number of security personnel whose names were missing from the register. At the Police Canteen in Takoradi, where 656 voters are expected to vote also recorded the incidence of missing name from the register. Madam Afia Twumwaa the Presiding Officer of the station said the process started on schedule and that there was no problem with voting materials party agents and security, In all 7016 eligible voted are expected to vote in the special voting within the Western Region. GNA Accra, Dec 2, GNA - Karpowership Ghana Limited has provided a fully furnished ultra-modern computer laboratory for Manhean Anglican JHS in Tema. The laboratory comprises of 31 complete computer sets, 31 desks and everything needed to make a modern computer laboratory functional. Prior to this intervention the school had no computers and students had to be taken to nearby schools for practical ICT lessons. Speaking at the inauguration of the computer lab, Volkan Buyukbicer, Country Manager of Karpowership Ghana, said: 'This donation is fully aligned with Karpowership's Corporate Social Responsibility standpoint to support education and raise literacy levels in communities in which we operate'. 'The speedy growth in technology has made acquiring knowledge in the sector very necessary in our day to day lives,' he said. 'It has become very important for every individual to be up-to-date in the use of computers, and this is seen in the inclusion of ICT in the curricula of every school. That is why we embraced the opportunity to attend to this important need of Manhean Anglican JHS.' Mrs Marian Cobblah, Headmistress of Manhean Anglican JHS, expressed gratitude for Karpowership's continuous support. 'This donation is sure to boost students' concentration in class and enhance teachers' efficiency in the teaching of ICT. We are very delighted to have benefitted from this initiative,' she said. Isaac Ashai Odamtten, the Tema Metropolitan Executive, also lauded Karpowership for supporting education in the Tema Manhean community and envisaged a long-term relationship with the company. 'The record Karpowership has set in adopting this computer lab is going to have far reaching benefits,' he said. 'You have demonstrated strongly that there is power in friendship and I want this friendship to grow into partnership. The Tema Metropolitan Assembly assures you of a lasting support so together we can brighten the Tema Metropolitan Education system.' This donation is one of the many CSR activities Karpowership Ghana Co. Ltd has carried out since 2015. The education support programme was initiated with the arrival of Karadeniz Powership AyAYegAl Sultan to Tema, where Karpowership distributed more than 200 school bags to Manhean Anglican C Primary School. Last month, the company donated learning materials which included back packs, stationery and other learning materials to 2000 students at the Manhean Anglican Cluster of Schools. They also presented a one-year bursary to 100 needy but brilliant students at Manhean Presbyterian Primary School and Manhean TMA Primary and JHS. GNA Accra, Dec. 2, GNA - Nii Adama Latse II, Ga Mantse, has called on the media to ensure that they abide strictly by the electoral laws and avoid sensational reportage. He said he recognised how sensitive the duties of journalists were and urged them to check their facts before publishing what would end up destroying public peace. Nii Latse, who made the call at a news conference on behalf of the Ga-Dangbe people at his palace in Accra, also asked the media to be highly circumspect in their duties on December 7 and its processes to avoid confusion. He also called on stakeholders, particularly the Electoral Commission, political parties, flag-bearers and their supporters to focus on things that would promote peace instead of creating fear and panic. 'It is my fervent wish that the elections are conducted in a peaceful atmosphere, devoid of strife Ghana has been to the polls six times and earned creditably to the admiration of other countries, 'he said. The Ga Mantse said a good number of prominent people have stressed the need for utmost calm and peace in the political discourse. 'After all, we are all Ghanaians and have only one Ghana, so let us pledge to come out of this seventh election exercise as a more peaceful and peace-loving people worthy of emulation by our sister countries,' he added. He asked Government not tolerate electoral violence because it slowed down development and asked the people to report the trouble makers to the police. Nii Latse , congratulated Togbe Afede XIV, for being elected as the President of the National House of Chiefs and Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona IV , as the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs. Mr Ebenezer Tetteh Wayo of the National Commission on Civic Education took the chiefs through their rights and responsibilities of elections procedures. GNA Ho, Dec. 2, GNA - The West Africa Network for Peace building (WANEP), has trained its election observers to detect early warning signs towards averting violence at the December 7 polls. The 750 accredited observers, are expected to pick information during the opening of the polls, voting and counting of ballot and relay to the Election Situation Room (ESR) situated at the headquarters in Accra. Mr Vincent Azumah, the Regional Coordinator for Research, Monitoring and Evaluation of WANEP said although the Centre already had community monitors on the grounds, there was the need to also engage the observers whose information to the headquarters would ensure violence-free election. He said unlike other observers who were focusing on free, fair elections, WANEP and ESR were deploying personnel to 'risk areas based on hot spot mappings', to help prevent any conflict. Mr Azumah said WANEP may engage in 'quiet preventive diplomacy or political dialogue', to address escalating tensions, especially following the declaration of results when necessary. He said the ESR was designed to 'specifically monitor, report, analyse and facilitate responses to violent threats to the peaceful conduct of the polls'. Mr Azumah said the 'decision making room' was a high-profile chamber made up of the Chairman of the Peace Council and other prominent Ghanaians. He expressed confidence of event-free polls. He said two satellite situation rooms located in Kumasi and Tamale would be divided into three operational sections made up of the 'data gathering room', 'the analysis room' and the 'decision room,' to support other regions. Mr Azumah said data collated form the field would be sent to the situation room by SMS with additional information through a dedicated whatsapp or telephone lines. WANEP has presence in all ECOWAS countries and has monitored elections in Niger, Nigeria, Cote D'Ivoire, the Gambia, among others. GNA By GNA Reporter Accra, Dec. 2, GNA - Mrs Rebecca Akufo Addo, the wife of the New Patriotic Party's Presidential candidate, has donated GHa 5,000.00 to the Ageing Musicians Welfare Fund (AMWeF) being operated by the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA). Mrs Akufo Addo said her decision to make the donation was due to the deep concern both she and her husband Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo had for the welfare of the older generation of not only musicians but all creative persons. A statement issued by MUSIGA and forwarded to the Ghana News Agency by Ahuma Bosco Ocansey, the Director of Communications and Special Projects said Mr Bice Osei Kuffour the President of the organisation, who received the donation, expressed the Union's appreciation for the gesture. The statement noted that 'at the recent MUSIGA Grand Ball, which raised funds for AMWeF, various political party representatives pledged their support for free, fair and peaceful elections on December 7'. The Grand Ball is an annual event by MUSIGA to raise funds for AMWeF and other MUSIGA projects. GNA By Joyce Danso, GNA Accra, Dec. 2, GNA - The Supreme Court has granted a temporal stay of proceedings on businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome cross-examination by former Attorney General Martin Amidu over the GHa 51.2 million judgement debt. The court upheld Woyome's request to enable a three- member panel to be constituted to hear the review of his application compelling him to be cross examined. According to the Court it was vital for the proceeding before it to be put on hold as the application for review may have some impact on the cross examination. It therefore adjourned the matter to December 15 pending hearing of the application for review. Before arguing on the application for stay of proceedings Woyome's lawyer, Mr Ken Anku drew the court attention to the fact that he had filed supplementary affidavit. Mr Anku told the court that if the application for stay was granted it would not bring about any injustice as the application was temporary. According to him granting of the stay of proceeding would ensure fairness, justice, equity and common sense as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution. Mr Amidu who represented himself relied on his processes filed but lamented over how he was short served with Woyome's supplementary affidavit. According to Mr Amidu, Woyome did not deserve to be granted application for stay of proceedings although the application to stay of proceeding was at the discretion of the court. Mr Amidu disagreed with Woyome's counsel assertion that stay of proceedings was his client's constitutional rights as such it should be granted by the court. He recounted that Woyome since July 29, 2014, after the apex court of the land had declared that he should pay the money he had failed and was in court saying his Constitutional rights had been violated. 'This is a person who has no respect for the Constitution and he is saying his right had been waved. He would not suffer any hardship if the application was refused rather he was delaying payment to the state.' Mr Amid said: 'Woyome's hands are dirty because he is holding state money. He ought not come to the court to ask for mercy.' The Supreme Court in 2014 ordered Woyome to pay the GHa 51.2million judgment debt. Mr Amidu proceeded to court to grant him the opportunity to cross examine Woyome over the money he received as judgement debt and the Court obliged him on November 16, through its ruling. Woyome however filed for review of the decision of the Justice Anor Yeboah compelling him to be quizzed. He also stayed of proceedings pending hearing of the review at the Supreme Court. GNA By Edmund Quaynor, GNA Koforidua, Dec. 2, GNA - President John Dramani Mahama has called on the private sector to support the Ghana HIV Fund to enable the country to sustain investment in HIV prevention, treatment and care. He said under his leadership, Ghana has made great progress in the management of the AIDs pandemic and promised to do more if given the mandate to serve the nation for another four years. This was contained in a speech read on his behalf by Mr Julius Debrah, the Chief of Staff, at the national observation of the World AIDS Day held at Kofoidua. President Mahama said currently the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the country has stabilized. He said new infections has reduced by 40 percent with more than 50 percent reduction in HIV transmission from mother to child. The President said the country has also recorded declining trends in HIV prevalence among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics, the youth and also annual AIDS related deaths has also reduced by 43 percent. The President said there is also substantial improvement in coverage and quality in prevention, treatment and care services for People Living With HIV. He expressed his appreciation to all those who played a role in the HIV/AIDS campaign which had helped the country to achieve such success. Dr Angela El-Adas, the Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, said under a new national policy, from 2017, anybody who test HIV positive would be put on treatment without recourse to the fellows immune system. She said Ghana has also adopted an integrated approach to the management of HIV and persons who test HIV positive could be screen for TB and other related diseases to ensure that Ghana attains the HIV free generation target. Dr El-Adas said the country would also use several approaches to fight HIV related stigmas in the country. Mrs Mavis Ama Frimpong Gati, the Eastern Regional Minister, expressed her appreciation to all those who worked hard to help reduce the HIV prevalence in the region and urged more People Living With HIV to come out to help fight stigmatization. Baafour Nyantekyi Tutu Boateng, the Krontihene of the New Juaben Traditional Council, who chaired the function, called for courageous integrated efforts to ensure an HIV free generation in the country. GNA Accra, Dec. 2, GNA - A delegation of 19 Ghanaian companies has travelled to Toronto, Canada, for a Buildings Show - Construct Canada 2016 from November 30, to December 2, Canada Ghana Chamber of Commerce, said. 'The [delegation] will be in Toronto, Canada for a trade mission purposely to establish joint venture with Canadian businesses, learn more about the new techniques and products in the building industry and many more,' a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency said. The companies came from network of the High Commission of Canada to Ghana and the Canada Ghana Chamber of Commerce. The participating bodies includes: High Commission of Canada to Ghana, Canada Ghana Chamber of Commerce, Offbert Co. Limited, Edlis Int. Gh Limited and Colonial Properties. The rest are Supreme Group, Midonar Limited Association of Ghana. Industries, Steel Trust Co. Ltd , D-Com Gh. Limited Abstracus Chartered Accountants, Phil-Teck Co. Limited, Jerimanco Trading Enterprise, KRM Services Limited Landsar Developers, Lakeside Estates and Advance Construction Co. Limited. GNA Navrongo (U/E), Dec. 2, GNA - Dr Kofi Issah, the Upper East Regional Director of the Ghana Health Services (GHS), has said the region has recorded a constant decline in the Human Immune Virus (HIV) infections. He said HIV prevalence rate for the region in the last three years has been below two percent with more than 90 per cent HIV testing among clients. This was contained in a speech read for him at this year's World AIDS Day (WAD) commemoration held in Navrongo under the theme: '90% - 90% - 90%: providing comprehensive integrated services for all towards an HIV-free generation.' The Regional Director said the proportion of HIV positive pregnant women put on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) increased from 35.1 in 2013 to 94.9 per cent in 2015 with a reduction in HIV vertical infection transmission among babies from 7.3 per cent in 2012 to 5.7 per cent in 2015. He said the region recorded a total of 6,397 persons living with HIV, new HIV infections were 698, cumulative number of people living with HIV on ART were 3,886 and cumulative deaths among persons living with HIV was 669. Dr Issah said 'we are the only region in Ghana that has attained universal (100%) district ART clinic establishment coverage by increasing the number of ART clinics from 9 to 16 since 2014.' He said the region is a torch-bearer of most health interventions in this country, and has instituted a tracking system at all Antenatal clinics to ensure that HIV positive women received the needed care. He said every District in the region could now provide HIV care, treatment and support without referring any case to any other District. 'The number of facilities providing comprehensive HIV testing, counseling and Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) services increased from 237 in 2014 to 255 for PMTCT and 260 for HIV Testing and Counseling (HTC).' The Director said in spite of the positive consistent reduction in the disease at the regional level in the past three years, Navrongo recorded a consistent increase in the prevalence rate rising from 1.2 per cent in 2013, 1.6 per cent in 2014 to 1.8 per cent in 2015. He said this year's WAD observation in Navrongo was crucial and timely as it would offer opportunity to create awareness, provide HIV testing services and demand a concerted effort from all to curb the menace. Dr Issah said the region was faced with limited midwives who play pivotal roles in comprehensive PMTCT and general HIV testing services and said it had the tendency to compromise the delivery of quality services since the limited midwives were overwhelmed with work, running both static and outreach services. He said the Directorate was financially constrained in its quest to build staff capacity saying 'the number of midwives and community health nurses trained on comprehensive HIV testing services is far below the target of at least two per facility.' He said transportation to facilitate outreach services and antiretroviral delivery to lower level facilities was a major concern. Dr Gifty Apiung Aninanya, Upper East Regional Technical Coordinator at the Ghana AIDS Commission, said this year's WAD commemoration was unique as it marked the first year when Ghana and the global community signed onto the 90 -90 -90 target to be attained in 2020- towards ending AIDS in 2030. She said the day was set aside to renew HIV and AIDS awareness, support those living with the disease and to remember family members and friends who had died from the disease. GNA By Eric K. Amoh, GNA Bolgatanga, Dec. 2, GNA - Special Voting ahead of Ghana's main general election on Thursday ended peacefully recording high turnout at all the Polling Centres designated for voting in the Upper East Region. However key concerns expressed by some of the political parties was the sudden change of the original master list to a bloated one. For instance, at the Bolgatanga Central Constituency, the Master list contained 777 registered voters for the special voting, which was the official figure given by the Electoral Commission (EC) to Returning Officers and political parties until the list changed to 1,480 on the morning of the election. An Official at the EC who spoke on the condition of anonymity to the Ghana News Agency said the new list was sent to the office on Thursday morning from Accra and indicated that such practices endangered the lives of the officers of the Commission at the regional and district levels. The source said members of the public were right if they were suspicious about issues they had no knowledge of. About 120 Voters remained in the queue at the Regional House of Chiefs in the Bolgatanga Central Constituency waiting to cast their votes when voting officially ended at 1700 hours. At the Tongo Central, Bolgatanga East, and Nabdam constituencies voters trickled in to cast their votes during voting hours which was peaceful. At Nangodi, the Nabdam District capital, which also served as the Nabdam Constituency collation Centre,201 people had cast their votes at the close of voting out of 214 voters registered to vote in the special voting, while at the Tongo Central Constituency 448 registered voters had cast their votes out of 489 registered to vote in the special voting. GNA 02.12.2016 LISTEN There is no doubt this years election is a landmark election in our democratic history. The airwaves are tense and vulgar languages continue to dominate campaign platforms. Celebrity endorsement keep flying across the major political divide. From comedians to boxers, they are all involve. But it is in the light of all these, that make one question the real motive behind the seeking of political power in Ghana. Dr. Kwame Nkrumahs motive was clear in his landmark statement. Seek ye first the political kingdom and all else shall be added unto you. The motive behind this statement as opined by Ama Biney in her book The Political and Social Thought of Kwame Nkrumah was a promise of an economic paradise and riches for newly independent Ghana. And posterity did prove Nkrumah right. Because over the years no government has even come close to Nkrumah in achievements. No wonder all great monuments in Ghana are name after him. Fortunately, the politicians of this years elections are also campaigning on the same ticket of economic paradise and riches for the ordinary Ghanaian. This is very visible in their manifestoes. But listening to some of the utterances, debates and conspiracies that have made headlines, one is only left to think this of them, that they seek power only to SERVE THEMSELVES NOT US. By this I mean those who seek power seek it to further their own celebrity, better their lots and that of their families and friends and improve their CVs. So not to make the mistake of mixing good nuts with bad nuts let me rephrase. Most politicians or power seekers seek power first for their own benefits and only secondarily for the masses they claim to serve. In this article I employ the example of the infamous Victoria Hammahs one-million-dollar political dream to represent the Ghanaian political spectrum. Because Ms Vickys dream may be a drop in the ocean of such political dreams. I employed this example only because I never heard Vicky herself deny it. Although she is now in total political oblivion, her dream or political ambition was a spectacular one, the one issue that got her international headlines. The one-million-dollar political ambition of Victory Hammah. Her political career got international publicity much quicker than she had prayed for. The case of our sister Vicky is one clear issue that suggest most of our politicians seek power for their good. To say Vicky dream or ambition is as a result of her greed can be totally wrong. Vickys dream of making one million dollars before quitting politics is a true reflection of many who seek power in Ghana. They come into power for themselves because here in Ghana power is conceive a sure means to all ends. Victoria Hammahs case is only a reflection of the political motives of most politicians in Ghana. This is because Vickys political ambition or dream was not born out of vacuum. I believe her one million dollar ambition was only constructed in line with the larger landscape of such political ambitions. By this I opine that, because she is NURTURED by people with such ambitions she has no choice but to also developed or construct her ambition along such lines. Imagine if she was part of a political discourse which seek power to truly serve the people then her ambition would have been simply to serve the people. Then her statement would have sounded something like this I will not quit politics until I see food on every childs table or I will not quit politics until I see every girl child in school. But because she is in a political discourse that seek their own good she also has to focus on her own good. And that was to make one million dollars in politics. Because of such political ambitions of making millions, there are therefore no righteous ways in the pursuit of political power in Ghana. All valuable political opportunities are welcomed. Anything can be said on air and campaign platforms so far as it will get party faithfuls cheering. One can choose to insult, degrade, accuse and even curse. This is because they seek power for themselves not the masses. Otherwise how would degrade our mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters and still be at ease. And so as the 2016 elections is underway with special voting irregularities, let us be careful of the devices of the politicians especially the youth. Before you steal a ballot box, double vote or fight remember that ALL DIE NO BE DIE. Some deaths are classified suicidal, others are man slaughter, murder and many more. Also let us remember and question why Madam Dzifa Ativor is talking about prison if the NDC is not voted. Why should they who have served diligently be afraid. Unless information available to them which the public is unware suggest so. In a summary let us again remember that, politicians enter politics to make millions of dollars and so to them all die be die. They have their ambitions and that ambition must come to fruition no matter who have to die or live. But we (the masses) are stronger than them. Thus let all Ghanaians remember and observe that, we also own it our ambition first, to see Ghana live far beyond this election in peace not in pieces. So when you double vote, steal ballot boxes or fight, you are only helping politicians amass more wealth for themselves and only a penny for you. So Love yourself and love Ghana. By: Paa Kwesi Bonsu. 02.12.2016 LISTEN Media men and women we have formally invited you here on the above subject. We like to thank you for honouring our invitation. Thank you for coming. Executives of MAMSU gathered here, members of the press,ladies and gentle men. We the Mamprugu students union have unanimously endorses the flag bearer of New Patriotic Party(NPP) , his vice Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and all the NPP parliamentary candidates for all the constituencies in Mamprugu for upcoming general elections. The reasons that influenced our decisions are enormous: To start with, poverty has for years hit the youth desk by virtue of the fact that, the National Youth and Employment Scheme has been scrubbed off by the incompetent NDC government. In addition, the non Payment of Nurses and teacher trainees allowance has made life difficult not only to students but parents as well. Again,the collapse of NHIS Scheme has indeed affected us in general since anytime we attend hospital we are compelled to make additional payments to hospitals as a top up anytime we use the health facilities. Moreover the non payment of Capitation grant, couple with high school fees at both SHS and Colleges, school feeding programme has force allot of colleagues out of school. lack of drinking water ,poor road network,and embezzlement of SADA funds among others has made us pass ''vote of no confident ''on NDC and Jonh Dramani Mahama led Administration. Having suffered this,we the students of Mamprugu need change and we are therefore promising change by voting out the NDC and John Dramani Mahama. We (students)are by this release declaring our unflinching support for NPP to deliver us from the incorruptible, incompetent and insensitive government. NPP Government is a caring ,affable and will turn around the economy by the best pair (NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFU ADDO, and DR ALHAJI MAHAMUDU BAWUMIA )for Ghana. God bless everybody for coming.God bless MAMSU. Mr kasimu Uzeiru (President ) .....signed...... (0209968837) Mr. Alhassan Yidana (Secretary ) .......Signed....... (0206538502) 03.12.2016 LISTEN For four years now since sheik Abdul Karim Sentamu was murdered on April 22, 2012 and recently sheik Maj Muhammad Kigunddu on Nov 26, several theories have emerged in attempts to define the group or individuals behind this project. They include: Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) This was a line initially taken by government and often cited by president Museveni. Most of the sheiks killed had refused to join the ADF on disagreements over approaches on dawah conduct (invitation to Islam) and also the method of fighting government. Government argued that in response to this disappointment, ADF opted to eliminating these sheiks. However, immediately after the first assassination mission, its reported among the sheiks who were still alive, that the alleged leader of ADF then, sheik Jamil Mukulu sent a condolence message over the death of sheik Abdul Karim Sentamu and swore in Allahs name disassociating ADF from the responsibility of killing him. He backed this saying it would be contrary to ADFs mission of fighting for the cause of Islam while killing fellow Muslims. He, in turn pinned government as responsible for the action. Rival Factions This is pursued by members of the Muslim faction to which majority of the deceased sheiks subscribed. In fact surviving sheiks are the ones that cooperated with police to drop the ADF line and instead adopt one of the rival faction. They thus suggested all names of those arrested by police and currently detained at Luzira. However sufficient evidence has eluded police, and possiblysooner than later, since the murder spate is just continuing; all prisoners may regain their freedom. Besides, its well documented that historically, Ugandan Muslims have learned to live with their differences without resorting to killing each other. Government This is a lead pursued by the neutral Muslims and opposition politicians. Majority of the deceased were once government enemies. The late Kigunddu and his already deceased colleagues once headed a rebel group called Uganda freedom army (UFA) whose fighters were camped in South Sudan before its secession. Government clamped on the sheiks throughout the 1990s and detained them in safe houses from where they were prosecuted and detained in Katojo prison in western Uganda and from where they were abducted by ADF but due to disagreements with ADF, they sneaked back into Uganda. In Uganda they were again arrested by government, which later pardoned them under the government amnesty law in 2002. Theorists argue that the government retained suspicion over these sheiks and indeed although the battle fire had ceased, not so the war until the enemy would totally be annihilatedhence the current mysterious murders. On the other hand, the government is alleged to view these sheiks as one of the internal formidable building blocks for a future strong Muslim political movement to bargain for power. Whereas these allegations cannot be taken at face value, governments reluctance and not mere failure to conduct serious and conclusive investigations into these murders may render them currency. Former Recruits This line is advanced by Muslim neutralists. They argue that after the former rebel sheiks signed an agreement with government, themselves being integrated in public security structures, they forgot about the youth they had recruited who became disgruntled. Out of anger these youth resolved to revenge by killing off the sheiks. But this theory is weakened by the sophisticated nature in which the missions are conducted that have for nearly five years eluded the government investigation machinery. Secondly not only members of the former Kigunddu-led rebel group have been victims. The late Shia leader Sheik Dr Abdul Kadir Muwaya had never had any business with the disgruntled youth. Political Pressure Groups This theory is driven by neutral actorsboth Muslim and non-Muslim who believe that sophisticated and well connected politicians like those once in government structures and those outside the country, have the capacity and competence of conspiring to assassinate popular Muslim sheiks with huge youth following so as to ferment anger among Muslims. The intention would be to ready energetic Muslim youths to mount or join a north-Africa-like peoples power to topple the NRM government when the right time comes. That is why the timing is often when Muslims have a heated disagreement between themselves just as recently over the relationship between the slain sheik and Maama Phina, the celebrated polytheist. This theory is built on assumption that either waywhether its responsible or not Muslims have to blame and hate this government for failure to protect them and conduct conclusive investigations leading to successful prosecution of the culprits. Swaib K Nsereko Lecturer, Department of Mass Communication, Islamic University in Uganda I dont get it Whats so special about gold? In my view, its just another commodity to trade on the market. If you want to buy some physical metal, you might as well use it as a doorstop. That will change in the future, if gold becomes an underground currency as I expect. But thats a story for another day. Until then, like other commodities, theres a time to buy and a time to sell. Theres never a time to be hopeful! The major trend (which I analysed last week) is the best indicator. It removes a lot of the emotional bias, and should keep you on the right side of the trade. In golds case, despite the volatility offering the potential of short term gains, there has never been a great time to buy over the past five years. Despite the downtrend in motion, though, gold may bounce soon. After all, nothing goes up or down in a straight line. If we see a bounce towards the US$1,205 level, expect the promoters to shout that the gold correction is over. Dont believe them! Ill run you through the reasons why Indias war on cash knocked out gold Indias war on cash is one of the primary reasons weve seen gold move sharply lower. As I discussed last week, the global war on cash is largely flying beneath the radar; yet it is rapidly transforming the world. India proved that physical money is becoming an endangered species last week. As youve likely heard, the country is withdrawing a lot of cash: all its 500 rupee (US$7.40) and 1,000 rupee bills, to be precise. These notes represent 20% of the cash value in circulation and 80% of cash outstanding. Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the shock move under the cover of cracking down on corruption, unaccounted money and counterfeit currency. Make no mistake: this is a lie spun to steal a little bit more financial freedom. Governments are dead broke and want more money to pay for their mistakes. Eliminating cash so that they can track and control every dollar we earn and spend, is the easiest way for them to steal our breadcrumbs. Indians have another 30-odd days to hand in the roughly US$23.2 billion of high-denomination notes to banks and post offices. The currency crush is producing long lines, public anger, and a risk of major civil unrest. Where does the heavy gold selling come into it? Marketwatch.com explained on November 15 (my emphasis added): Estimates have been that the underground economy in India is about 20% to 25% of the total economy; the point is that it is very large. The most common method to convert black money into white money over the past 50 years has been to slowly buy gold by paying cash using large bills. Converting black money into white money has been a major source of demand for physical gold. Now that large bills used to buy gold are worthless, demand for physical gold will decline. And thats not all. The biggest bombshell in over 45 years could hit gold any day now a potential ban on gold imports into India. That would remove a massive source of gold demand from the market. Remember, Indias the second largest gold consumer worldwide. Among other things, its customary to gift jewellery in marriages. News.trust.org reported on 25 November: Mumbai resident Shashikant Zhaltes wedding this weekend will be less sparkling than his family had hoped, thanks to a cash shortage following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis shock withdrawal of high-value notes to fight black money. Zhalte bought gold jewellery for his wife-to-be months ago, but had delayed purchases for his mother and sisters. The wedding season stretches from September to April, and Thomson Reuters-owned metals consultancy GFMS says it accounts for more than half of the countrys annual demand for gold. More than two-thirds of that demand of around 800 tonnes a year comes from the countryside, where farmers are struggling to get enough cash to buy seeds and fertilisers in the sowing season. Penetration of credit or debit cards and money apps is very low in rural India. With the majority fearing for the worse, Indian gold premiums have surged to a two-year high, and jewellers have ramped up purchases. With the risk of gold becoming scarce, Indian prices have surged. Its complicated; but the Indian gold price reacts differently to the gold spot price. I wont get into the details today. No cause for alarmyet Fortunately, the Indian price panic may start to subside. The Times of India reported on Friday night: There is no such proposal before the government on restricting domestic gold holding, the source said. Thats a cleverly worded statement. There was no official denial of a gold import ban. That could still be on the cards. Indias government has trialled several initiatives to reduce gold purchases. It has argued that citizen gold hoards are unproductive, and a sign of the countrys backwardness. The government believes the gold culture needs to be eliminated for the countrys modernisation. The government has also aggressively raised tariffs on gold imports. And, as you may recall, more recently it orchestrated a scheme for citizens to swap their physical gold for paper gold products at commercial banks. This scheme, by the way, was a total failure. So, will the Indian government totally ban gold imports? Its a real possibility If it happens, gold could plummet by more than US$200 per ounce into the New Year. For now, however, the official statement over the weekend may be enough for gold to bounce to US$1,205 per ounce. Id be looking at shorting gold at that level. Regards, Jason Stevenson, Resources Analyst Nigerians are having a hard time trying to survive under the harsh economy, so when the news of a hike in data price hits the drums of their eyes, the people refuse to dance to the rhythm of more deprivation. Nigerians say the Buhari-led government cannot agree to a price increase on Data plans, stressing that any network that cannot operate at the current rates should pack up and leave the nation. The Hike Debate The recent directive by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to the five big telecoms operators in the country to increase their data tariffs is said to have been posed as to allow small operators and new entrants acquire market share and operate profitably, an official of the commission had disclosed. However the Trade Union Congress argue that such a move would only be fine, if the nation was not already experiencing a harsh economy that has seen the folding up of many business, and the demise of some Nigerians who cannot bear the intensity of the recession. Nigerians have lashed out at the Federal Government over the hike in data priced proposed by the NCC. Senate wades in The Nigerian Senate was swift to interfere in the issue, telling the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to stop the planned hike in data tariff. Senators resolved in plenary on Wednesday, November 30 that the planned increase was totally uncalled for and unfair to Nigerians. Senate says the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) should stop data tariff hike Deputy Senate Leader Ibn NAllah raised the motion on the increase in data tariffs by the telecommunications over policies of the NCC and all senators condemned it in entirety. Senator Murray-Bruce, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said he would be on the side of Nigerians to fight against the policy. He took to social media to carpet the government which he described as insensitive to the sufferings of the people. He reminded the federal government that leaders of the country live on the sweat of the poor people of the country and that the citizens must not be provoked further. Ben Bruce reminds the federal government that data price hike is only a ploy to milk the Nigerian masses. NCC suspends action Following all the uproar regarding the increase in price, the NCC announced the suspension of the planned data tariff hike. The announcement was contained in a press release made available on Wednesday, November 30 just hours after the Nigerian senate ordered NCC to stop the hike which was supposed to take effect on Thursday, December 1. The statement which was signed by NCC Director pf Public Affairs Tony Ojobo, partly read: Following the concerns that visited the directive to introduce price floor for data segment of the telecommunications sector beginning from December 1, 2016, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has suspended any further action in that direction." Senate president Bukola Saraki explained why the upper house of legislature put a stop to the proposed planned hike in data tariff. In series of tweets on his verified Twitter handle on Wednesday, November 30, Saraki explained that he and the other senators believed that the internet gives the people a voice and should therefore not be tampered with. Government in denial Nigerias minister of communication, Adebayo Shittu, distanced the federal government from the NCC directive to some telecoms operators in the country to increase their data tariffs from Thursday, December 1, 2016. The Brief reports that Shittu, speaking on RayPowers Fact File on Wednesday, November 30, said the government never ordered telecommunication providers to increase the price of data. The minister noted that he was not involved in the decision process, was not party or privy to it. He said: But I want to say that I was not privy to it, I was not a party to it, the government never gave any such instruction and the government as the representative of the people never have done that. The minister however dismissed suggestions that the proposed tariff hike had a political undertone. A new threat to Nigerians The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) on Thursday told consumers to expect poor data services, a day after the Nigerian Communications Commission was compelled by public backlash to suspend a planned tariff raise. The chairman of ALTON, Gbenga Adebayo, said in a statement in Lagos that there was need for an upward review of the tariff, so as to offer better data services to subscribers. Adebayo said the operators fully understood the public sentiments that greeted the announcement of a minimum data tariff being introduced by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). He said the NCC intervened to set the data tariff floor in view of its statutory responsibility to promote healthy competition, by periodically reviewing voice and data tariffs in the industry. According to him, the commissions intervention was to ensure the sustainability of the Nigerian telecommunications industry. He also said the regulatory body had extensive consultation with the industry prior to the finalisation of the data tariff floor. Further, the commission has since Wednesday suspended the implementation of its determination on the data tariff floor. ALTON notes that it is within the statutory remit of the NCC for it to make decisive interventions to address the data price concerns which had led to data prices falling to unreasonably low levels. This is with the effect that telecommunications operators were unable to recover the cost of providing data services and reinvest in capacity expansion to accommodate the increased usage arising from lower tariffs. The situation has been compounded by the recent economic challenges characterised by the steep depreciation of the naira. It is characterised by the need to resort to the parallel market and foreign exchange scarcity, which have considerably increased the capital and operational cost of providing telecommunications services. This has made current data tariffs unsustainable. This situation, if left unaddressed, could result in a sustained deterioration in the quality of data services across all networks and the attendant poor quality of experience for users. In this regard, our members await the conclusion of NCCs market study, when the commission will be in a position to determine its requisite intervention, Mr. Adebayo said. He said that NCC introduced the minimum price for data services to help ensure cost recovery and drive the continued investment in the telecommunications sector. The ALTON chairman said it was necessary for the provision of world-class data services for the overall benefit of the Nigerian subscriber and the Nigerian economy. Nigerians react With social media becoming a powerful tool for expression, Nigerians have aired their views on various platforms regarding the new threat of poor network services. Amuku Ford-felix said: "Nigerians are definitely wicked to themselves and the government mind is blind to that. How can a company increase tariff in a poor services they rendered. DISCO's increased electricity tarrif yet we are worst off, telecom planned to increase tariff without recourse to the bad services they provides, tariff on the importation of food increased yet even the home made food items price geared up. How can someone collect from people what he never provides for them? That's day light robbery. Let's turn from our wicked ways, God will turned his back on us like Sodom and Gomorrah." Hassan Abiodun Kabir said: "Privatization of NEPA would result in quality and stable electricity; about five years after, the electricity supply is worst than before and we are threatened with total collapse of power. * Deregulation of downstream sector of oil in Nigeria would gives us adequate supply of pms and never would be experienced fuel scarcity again in Nigeria; few years later fuel scarcity is the order of the day, with interval of four to five months every year we must have queues returning to our filling stations across the federation. *Now they will give us better service if there is increase in data tariff; I'm very sure if they succeed; service will be worst compare to what we are experiencing now. So who is deceiving who? yeye people." Sunny Agbor said: "The gang up against Nigerians is now showing its face clearly. The conivance with our government of the greedy did not work you want to use threat of poor services to intimidate us. We need you just as you need us, we have defeated our greedy government and in your case we will not only defeat you we will conquer you." Dauda Sambo Ikilama What the Telecom coys are doing is arm twisting us to succumb and accept the proposed tariff increase using different means. What am not sure of is whether it is with the connivance of the government or not. I suspect the hand of government is in it since it supported the initial proposal. I don't know why government thinks Nigerians are super humans and can take whatever is thrown at them. Maxx D Maxx said: "But they keep telling us that Buhari's government has good plans for Nigerians and that in no distance future, Nigerians will begin to notice and enjoy the change. But Mr. President, can't u see that the economy has capsized? When are we going to notice this change, when people are all dead?" Paul Monye said: "The Mobile Network Operators that most Nigerians go for are not part of this. Most people comment without knowing what they are talking about. The government through NCC are the ones who want to jack up the price of mobile data subscription in other to save the small operators and make them relevant in the market. The government are also interested interested in generating more revenue through tax with this. MTN, GLO, Airtel and Etisilat are well and fine. Those other telecom operators are selfish and want to cause panic in the industry. They just cannot compete with heavyweights like MTN and Glo. The easy way out for them is to collude with government and her agencies. The telecom industry has been deregulated. The government should not have a say at price fixing." George Iloegbulam Ndukwe said: "Poor services like earlier MTN prank of insisting we much finish our purchased credit bills in seven days else no further calls? This type of intimidation is seen in countries who have no regards for consumers protection. Saying it out is enough insult to Nigeria and to Nigerians" Alonge Emmanuel said: "This is uncalled for. Its a striking issue that has to be resolved amicably. Hiking the price of data plan tariffs and also insisting on poor services after been implemented, its really a big issue that needs to be looked into. Despite the economic recession being encountered in the country, this could lead to angry protest among the masses and all various telecom services like mtn, airtel and the likes will lose myriads of subscribers causing low source of income. How many would be able to afford the slated prices of data plan tariff? just minimal amount of persons. I think all hands must be on deck so that this said issue won't be implemented so as to put smile on the faces of telecom subscribers." Mohammed Garba said: "Are you threatening us?.... Mehn I'm getting sick and tired of the way those at the helm of affairs run this country. Very soon something will happen in this country. All this rubbish we see and hear daily is piling up. From the rubbish in the National Assembly to the ignorance in the executive and the indiscipline in the judiciary; we are watching. Note that there are Millions of graduated out there sitting idle watching and hearing all this nonsense. To have millions of educated people, most of whom are youths,sitting idle is very dangerous and a ticking time bomb. I'm very sure there are millions of us thinking the same thing. When the appointed time comes, it won't be hard attract followers." Source: Legit.ng - President Yahya Jammeh is to concede defeat in the Gambian election - Jammeh has been in power for 22 years - Observers are comparing his likely concession to that of Nigeria's Goodluck Jonathan President Yahya Jammeh has lost the presidential election in Gambia after 22 years in power. Jammeh's main opponent in the election, Adama Barrow scored 263,515 votes to defeat the president who scored 212,099 votes. Earlier the BBC quoted the head of the Gambian electoral commission as saying President Yahya Jammeh will concede defeat to his major opponent, Adama Barrow in the presidential election. President Yahya Jammeh to concede defeat in Gambian elections The electoral umpire said it is unprecedented for a Gambian head of state to accept defeat before the announcement of the final results. Jammeh had been trailing Barrow in partial results released by the electoral body in the last 24 hours. Jammeh took power in a coup in 1994 in the tiny West African nation and has been in charge for all of 22 years. His office is yet to release a statement since the results started trickling in. A reporter with the UK's Guardian newspaper in Gambia, Ruth Mclean claims the concession video by Jammeh has already been recorded. See her tweet below: As Jammeh defeat is imminent, some Gambians have taken to the streets to celebrate the end of an era. https://twitter.com/GambiaVoices/status/804629478467076096 Observers of African politics say Nigeria's Jonathan had set a good example for African leaders to follow after he conceded to incumbent Muhammadu Buhari as vote counting was still on. Source: Legit.ng On Thursday, Andrew Kaczynski, senior reporter and founder of CNNs K-File investigative reporting team, sent out a series of tweets calling attention to an article hed written about a potential controversy involving DNC chair candidate and progressive favorite, Rep. Keith Ellison. That piece, Rep. Keith Ellison faces renewed scrutiny over past ties to Nation of Islam, defense of anti-Semitic figures, recounts how in the 90s Ellisonwho is a Muslimwas involved with the controversial black separatist group the Nation of Islam. He had a connection to the groups leader, Louis Farrakhan, who, as Zaid Jilani points out, has made both anti-Semitic and anti-white comments. As it turns out, Ellison defended Farrakhan against criticism of his rhetoric. In addition, Ellison has similarly defended Kwame Ture, going so far as to write a column castigating University of Minnesota President Nils Hasselmo for criticizing Kwame Ture, who had been invited to speak at the school, and who had previously made anti-Semitic remarks. In that piece, he criticized Zionism. Still, Ellison has had nearly a decade-long career as a member of the United States House of Representatives, and in that time he has won the support of Jewish groupsa fact mentioned in the piece. However, Kaczynski has drawn criticism from notable journalists for other omissions. He does not mention that Ture was the former leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), which Zaid Jilani of The Intercept was quick to note, as well as the Honorary Prime Minister of the Black Panther Party. This is the former leader of SNCC. You left that part out of the tweet. https://t.co/Q9pE67KTR9 Zaid Jilani (@ZaidJilani) December 1, 2016 Jilani went on to write a rebuttal piece after examining Ellison's college essays. Still, as both pieces make clear, there is no denying that Keith Ellison was a radical years ago. Journalist Emmett Rensin also took issue with the report for leaving out an explanation of the historical role the Nation of Islam: It's also obvious that the point of the CNN story is to say "Muhammed" as often as possible and fail to explain NOI's role in black politics Emmett Rensin (@emmettrensin) December 1, 2016 The purpose isn't even to destroy Ellison, it's to create cover for rejecting him as DNC chair. Emmett Rensin (@emmettrensin) December 1, 2016 Much has been made about the proliferation of fake news during this election cycle. Concern has reached fever pitch lately given Trump's victory, because many in mainstream media have attributed his rise to the spread of misinformation. In large part, the responses have failed to examine the root of why false information spreads so quickly. Part of the reason for that is the fact that the answer is so simple: Besides being wired to seek out confirmation bias, Americans feel they can no longer trust mainstream media to provide diverse perspectives, report facts, or tell the stories that mattera reality that speaks volumes. Kaczynski's piece on the controversy surrounding Keith Ellison's past provides a wonderful jumping off point to illustrate just how mainstream media is in large part to blame for the spread of fake newsThe Washington Post's largely discredited blacklist notwithstanding. Besides his omissions regarding Ellison, which, if included, could have made the report feel less like a hit piece, Kaczynski's coverage of the progressive favorite's challenger for the DNC chair position, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, has been similarly one-dimensionalbut to the opposite effect. On November 16th, after Dean had entered the race, the founder of the 'K-File' wrote a piece titled, Howard Dean: This election may be young people's Kent State or Edmund Pettus Bridge, which, when read, was little more than a platform for Dean's stump speech. Literally all the piece contained was the background of Dean's candidacy, and long quotes of his, often interrupted by he said. No background is provided about Dean other than the fact that he had held the post before. Absent was any mention of the fact that the former Vermont governor now works for the firm Dentons as a lobbyist for the health industry, or that since this career development, he has abandoned many of his former progressive positions. Nowhere is it mentioned that as a superdelegate for Vermont, a state in which Sanders won handily, Dean famously cast his vote for Clinton, firing back at critics in a series of tweets claiming superedelegates do not represent people. Just as the omitted information in his piece about Ellison was important, so too are these factsespecially in light of growing calls for a new direction within the Democratic Party from progressives and millennials. Even before Clinton's catastrophic defeat, the party's power structurethe superdelegate system in particularas well as its cozy relationship to big industry, had come under fire. Surely Dean embodying these grievances bears mentioning in a piece about the former Vermont governor stressing the need to reach young people. But for whatever reason, Kaczynski did not feel this background was worth mentioning. When taken into account, the reporter's past coverage of Dean, which goes back years and includes an interview from 2013, provides further fodder for skeptical minds. There is the matter of this curious tweet crediting Dean as a trailblazer: In 2004 Howard Dean supporting civil unions was a liability as a Democrat. 2014 this. America has come a long way. pic.twitter.com/jrJNMuGGzs andrew kaczynski (@KFILE) May 11, 2014 As governor, Dean did indeed pass nation's first bill legalizing civil unions, but he was not the only Democratic presidential candidate to publicly take that position in 2004. In fact, Rep. Dennis Kucinich went even further, announcing his support for same-sex marriage. And of course, there are all of those times Kaczynski got a little too excited about Dean's screaming. C'mon Howard, give us a yaaah for the people of Philly. andrew kaczynski (@KFILE) July 27, 2016 .@GovHowardDean you did not do the most important part, can we please get a Vine? andrew kaczynski (@KFILE) July 27, 2016 Although there is no way of knowing for sure whats going on in Andrew Kaczynskis head, the CNN reporter has built a reputation around uncovering juicy scoops without regard for the outcome as it would impact particular candidates. This election cycle alone, he and his team uncovered Hillary Clintons super-predator video, Bernie Sanders Sandinista video, and Donald Trumps 2002 interview with Howard Stern in which he responded I guess so to a question of whether or not he supported the Iraq War. Few who know his work would suggest his internal preferences, whatever they may be, eclipse his pursuit of newsworthy content. As NPR noted: Andrew Kaczynski loves the hunt, but winces when he thinks about his ultimate prey. Sometimes politicians do, like, generally change their opinions on things, and there have been, like, theyve moved with the times, he says. But other times, like, it just comes off as so cynical and political that it can be somewhat disheartening. That said, thanks to a few oversights and omissions, it does not take much imagination to concoct a narrative of a mainstream media reporter targeting the enemies of the political establishment. And thats the crux of the problem. PokerNews Podcast 422: GPL, MCOP and Jessica Dawley Joins the Show December 02, 2016 PokerNews Staff This week on the PokerNews Podcast, Sarah Herring and Matthew Parvis returned to the podcast after a long holiday to talk about the end of the GPL season, our holiday gift guide, the wrapup of the Master Classics of Poker. They are joined by Jessica Dawley, who talks about her roots in Kentucky, how she got into poker, her time in the Air Force and how she learned to read people. You can subscribe to the entire iBus Media Network on iTunes here, or you can access the RSS feed here. The PokerNews Podcast family of podcasts is now available on audioBoom. This has been rumored for a while, but still: Donald Trump continues his winning streak with the appointment of General James Mattis as Secretary of Defense: Mattis, 66, is a Marine Corps general who retired in 2013 after serving as the commander of the U.S. Central Command. His selection raises questions about increased military influence in a job designed to insure civilian control of the armed forces. The concerns revolve around whether a recently retired service member would rely more on military solutions to international problems, rather than a broader, more diplomatic approach. God, we can only hope so. After all, Gen. Mattis will be Secretary of Defense, not Secretary of State. Mattis has a reputation as a battle-hardened, tough-talking Marine who was entrusted with some of the most challenging commands in the U.S. military. In a tweet Sunday, Trump referred to Mattis by his nickname Mad Dog and described him as A true Generals General! Nothing to like here Although his record in combat and his credentials as a senior commander are widely admired, Mattis has little experience in the diplomatic aspects of the job of a secretary of defense. Since when is the Secretary of Defense supposed to be a diplomat? Seriously, this is a new one on me. The Secretary of Defense runs Americas armed forces, which are called into action when diplomacy has failed and it is time to kick enemy a**. Has this basic concept somehow been forgotten? Gen. Mattis is the kind of guy who should give our enemies pause: In 2005, he raised eyebrows when he told a San Diego forum that it was fun to shoot some people. According to a recording of Mattis remarks, he said, Actually, its a lot of fun to fight. You know, its a hell of a hoot. Its fun to shoot some people. Ill be right up front with you, I like brawling. He added, You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didnt wear a veil, Mattis continued. You know, guys like that aint got no manhood left anyway. So its a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them. Mattis was counselled to choose his words more carefully. As far as I am concerned, those comments are just fine. It appears that Donald Trump feels the same way. So its another excellent appointment by Trump, as he builds what is shaping up as a very formidable administration. Contact Christine B Whittemore ***@ceramictilefoundation.org Christine B Whittemore End -- The Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) has launched a new website to better communicate the value of ceramic tile education and certified tile installation to homeowners, architects, design specifiers, dealers, distributors and tile installation contractors.Visitors to www.ceramictilefoundation.org, CTEF's new website URL, will discover many features that enhance their user experience and make finding and learning about Certified Tile Installers easier. More specifically, The site is. This is the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This link ensures that all data passed between the web server and the visitor's browser remain private and integral. The site featuresso visitors can easily navigate the content regardless of the device they use - desktop, mobile device or tablet.helps visitors easily locate content within the website. Aallows visitors to find Certified Tile Installers around the country.publishes weekly content describing quality tile installation best practices and success stories. It includes a monthly series where CTEF Director of Certification and Training Scott Carothers specifically addresses tile installation questions."The newly launched CTEF website takes the Mission of the organization to a new level," says Scott Carothers. "It allows us to explain why tile installation certification is so important and reach new audiences. Not just new tile contractors to certify, but also homeowners, architects, designers, dealers, and distributors who all benefit from quality tile installation."Visitors to the CTEF website will find educational resources about tile installation, answers to Frequently Asked Questions about certification, and downloadable information kits about becoming a Certified Tile Installer and tile installation tip sheets.The Mission of the Ceramic Tile Education Foundation is as follows:The Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) is supported by all segments of the ceramic tile industry. CTEF is headquartered in Pendleton, South Carolina, near Clemson University and in close proximity to the offices of the Tile Council of North America (TCNA). This has allowed for the Foundation to provide visitors who receive educational training a unique opportunity to visit with TCNA leaders.For more information about CTEF and how to become a corporate sponsor, visit https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/ become-a-ctef- corporate-sponsor- benefits # # #The Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF) provides education and installer certification for professionals working in the ceramic tile and stone industry. Certification programs include the CTEF Certified Tile Installer (CTI) program which is the only third-party assessment of installer skill and knowledge to be recognized by the tile industry, and the Advanced Certifications for Tile Installers (ACT). For more information, visit https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org Follow CTEF on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ctilef, on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CeramicTileEducationFoundation/, and on Google+: https://plus.google.com/+CeramictilefoundationOrg Barron Lighting Group Announces Four New Lighting Sales Agencies Contact Miranda Fuller ***@barronltg.com Miranda Fuller End -- Barron Lighting Group, the originator of the LED exit sign and brands such as Exitronix, Trace*Lite, specialtyLED and Indoor Grow Science, is proud to announce four new lighting marketing and sales teams across New York, New Jersey, New England, Oklahoma and Colorado."We are confident these four exceptional lighting representatives' and their extensive industry knowledge will exceed our customer satisfaction and build on the relationships well into the future," says Alan Tracy, owner, and president of Barron Lighting Group.Lighting Concepts and Controls, Inc. will represent all Barron brands across the Greater Cincinnati and Southwest Ohio area, the Northern Kentucky area, Greater Dayton and Centerville area and Southern Indiana and reaches out to architects, lighting designers and electrical engineers to assist in the task of specifying lighting applications and design, as well as, stocking distributors.Premier Lighting Sales will represent all Barron brands across Oklahoma. Premier Lighting Sales offers services from the initial design development stages including fixture selection, photometric layouts and 3D renderings to final contract documentation and order-entry services, PLS has the right team in place to ensure the highest quality outcome from design to implementation.Apex Lighting Solutions is an exceptional family of professionals who has grown tremendously over the last decade and recently expanded its offices and we have expanded their territory as well. Apex represents all Barron brands and serves all of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.Enterprise Lighting Sales is a vibrant and well-informed lighting agency with skilled and accredited staff. ELS will represent all Barron brands across New York City, Long Island, Southeastern New York State and Northern New Jersey.For more information about Barron Lighting Group products or where you can purchase these and other products visit the website at http://www.barronltg.com and look at the lighting representative, locator found under the Resources tab.Barron Lighting Group manufactures comprehensive lighting solutions in LED, induction, fluorescent and HID fixtures to handle the most necessary and challenging commercial and industrial applications. Barron designed, engineered and manufactured the first LED exit sign, and in 1984 the company launched the Exitronix brand. The Trace*Lite division followed soon after and enabled Barron to expand its offerings. With the introduction of specialtyLED division came custom and decorative LED lighting for both indoor and outdoor amazement.Most recently, the Indoor Grow Science division added high-performance lighting for the horticultural industry. Barron's headquarters is located in Arizona and it has nine distribution warehouses across the U.S. to efficiently supply the lighting demands across the country. For more information and a comprehensive list of products, visit http://www.BarronLTG.com or follow them on Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/ barronltg ), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/barron-lighting-group)or Twitter (https://twitter.com/barronlighting) Busy December includes Christmas open house, staffing during Group W's Country Christmas, and winter break camps By: Horses4Heroes 15027780_ 10209934080096364_ 1899288408109991466_ n Contact The PR Group ***@gmail.com The PR Group End -- It's Rodeo Week and it's a busy time for Las Vegas' own national non-profit Horses4Heroes. Here's a look at what Horses4Heroes is doing this month in the community, for the community.: Horses4Heroes was named the two--time champion of the American Horse Council's Time to Ride Challenge, large organization division! Horses4Heroes will celebrate its victory with community partners, including, during the City of Las Vegas' annual free Cowboy Christmas open house, 10 am to 2 pm, Saturday, December 3 at Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs. Activities during the open house include FREE horseback rides, free tractor-pulled hay rides and free admission to the barnyard.Thanks to a generous donation from NV Energy, Horses4Heroes purchased a 1980's John Deere Tractor, which is used to give hay ride tours of historic Floyd Lamb Park and prepares the community arena for events and daily use.Horses4Heroes has assembled a dedicated team of combat veterans, Active Duty service members, and local ropers and barrel racers to provide "boots on the ground" support to Group W, producers of Stetson's Country Christmas and the All in One Barrel Race, located this year in the Pavilions at World Market Center. The team is directing vendors, parking horse trailers, picking up after horses, and serving as "barrel setters" during the barrel race. At the conclusion of the event, Group W will be transporting dirt to the Horses4Heroes Community Arena, located within the Horses4Heroes Community Equestrian Center, now open in Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs.Registration is now open for Horses4Heroes' two-week Winter Break Camp, December 19 and December 26, Monday-Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. Activities include horseback riding, ranch chores, Horse 101, games, arts and crafts and a daily campfire. For more information or to register, email camps@horses4heroes.org.Fridays are fabulous in Floyd Lamb Park and every Friday is $5 Friday at the Horses4Heroes Community Equestrian Center. The center is open from 10 to 2 pm for $5 horseback rides, and includes barnyard admission.Every Saturday and Sunday, the community is invited to ride horses, visit barnyard animals and take a tractor-pulled hay ride tour of historic Floyd Lamb Park. Hours are 10 to noon and 1:30 to 3:30. Cost is $10 to ride a horse for ages 2 and up; $5 for Horses4Heroes members, military/veterans, and Floyd Lamb Park Pass Holders.Forand, admission to the park is $6 per car, but can be waived if guests RSVP at least 24 hours in advance. Park admission is free for those with military ID or existing park pass holders. The weight limit for all riders is 185 pounds. To RSVP, email events@horses4heroes.org."Make it your New Year's Resolution to learn how to ride a horse, spend more time with family or get outdoors and explore Las Vegas, starting with Floyd Lamb Park and the Horses4Heroes Community Equestrian Center," said Sydney Knott, founder of the Las Vegas-based non-profit."These fun, family-friendly affordable activities are designed to introduce horses to beginners and our programs to newcomers," explained Knott. "We offer horseback riding lessons, camps, birthday parties and field trips. All fees support operations at the Horses4Heroes Community Equestrian Center, including caring and feeding for 22 horses, and more than a dozen farm animals. The fees also support ourworkshops for veterans with PTS, victims of domestic abuse and violence, recovering addicts and at-risk youth. We are proud of our partnerships with US Vets, The Shade Tree and Solutions for Recovery."To make a reservation or for more information, email events@horses4heroes.org. The Horses4Heroes Community Equestrian Center is located within Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs. The center is open, by appointment, for riding lessons and other activities, Tuesday-Sunday.Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2016, Horses4Heroes is the nation's premier non-profit equestrian support group for the military, veterans, First Responders and their families. Through its growing national network, the organization provides low-cost recreational and instructional activities for all ages and all riding levels and free health and wellness programs for veterans with PTS/MST/TBI, victims of domestic abuse and violence, at-risk youth, and foster children and teens. The organization operates its flagship facility, the Horses4Heroes Community Equestrian Center, located within Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs. For more information, visit http://www.theranchlasvegas.com or call 702.645.8446. Connecticut State Senator McLachlan delivers proclamation from Danbury Mayor Boughton to Civil Air Patrol commemorating 75 years of service. By Major Peter Milano State Senator McLachlan presents Maj. Bisnov with City of Danbury proclamation. Contact Major Peter Milano, Public Affairs Officer 399th Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol ***@399cap.org Major Peter Milano, Public Affairs Officer399th Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol End -- Mark D. Boughton, Mayor of the City of Danbury, issued a proclamation commemorating Civil Air Patrol for "75 years of Missions for America" and proclaimed November 27 to December 3 as Civil Air Patrol Week in Danbury, Connecticut.Connecticut State Senator Michael McLachlan, a Major in Civil Air Patrol's Legislative Squadron, presented the proclamation to 399th Composite Squadron Commander, Major Joseph Bisnov, during a ceremony held by the squadron on November 29 at Danbury Municipal Airport.The proclamation notes that Civil Air Patrol was founded on Dec. 1, 1941, to supplement the U.S. military during World War II and in 1948 designated as the U.S. Air Force's official auxiliary with three missions emergency services, cadet programs and aerospace education.It recognizes Civil Air Patrol's contributions in locating enemy submarines during World War II, assisting rescuers and state agencies immediately following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, as well as aiding communities during natural disasters and providing vital homeland security missions. The proclamation also notes that Civil Air Patrol provides exceptional educational and growth opportunities for youth through its nearly 24,000-member strong cadet program, emphasizing leadership and teaching multidisciplinary aviation concepts.Senator McLachlan said he was honored to be with the squadron for the presentation. Addressing cadet members, Senator McLachlan said, "You have a long list of members that have gone on to do great things and so we look forward to your service as cadets and wish you the very best in your studies, because your studies are important to take you to the next step." Senator McLachlan also expressed gratitude to senior members for working with cadets.Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force's Total Force, which consists of regular Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, along with Air Force retired military and civilian employees. CAP, in its Total Force role, operates a fleet of 550 aircraft and performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 78 lives annually. Civil Air Patrol's 56,000 members nationwide also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Its members additionally play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 24,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program. Performing missions for America for the past 75 years, CAP received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014 in honor of the heroic efforts of its World War II veterans. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit http://www.capvolunteernow.com for more information.For additional information about the 399th Composite Squadron visit http://www.facebook.com/ 399thCompositeSquadron By: EcoMark Solar Food Cart Contact Laurie Anderson ***@prexperts.com Laurie Anderson End -- EcoMark Solar recently wrapped up its annual "Kilowatt Can Drive" by donating over 500 food items to Rocky Mountain Human Service's (RMHS) Thanksgiving Food Drive. RMHS is a local non-profit that helps empower people with developmental disabilities.EcoMark donated one food item for every kilowatt of solar that the company sold and installed during the two-week drive (320) and its employees also donated food items and funds independently. RMHS will distribute the food to families and individuals in time for Thanksgiving."This year marked our third annual kilowatt can drive," says Leila Clark, EcoMark chief operations officer. "The holidays are an important time to make sure people served by RMHS have enough food items, and our employees enjoy participating in this annual campaign."About EcoMarkEcoMark Solar was recently named one of the country's top solar contractors by the solar industry's leading business-to-business publication. The Denver-based company ranked number 73 of the Top Solar Residential Contractors, according to the Fifth Annual Top 500 Solar Contractor List fromEstablished in 2010, EcoMark Solar is headquartered in Denver. The company works with businesses and homeowners from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins. For more information, visit www.ecomarksolar.com or call 720-432-6411 or 855-4ECO-411 (855-432-6411) Saint Alphonsus Neighborhood Hospital to offer emergency care, short-stay inpatient beds, radiology, primary care services By: Saint Alphonsus Health System End --Saint Alphonsus will break ground on their newest addition in the parking lot of the current Saint Alphonsus hospital campus on 12Avenue. The new 40,000 square foot Saint Alphonsus Neighborhood Hospital, slated for completion in 2017, makes good on the promise to provide top-quality medical care to the residents of south Nampa by meeting the triple aim of lower cost, better care, and better health. With improved access for lower-acuity patients, the Saint Alphonsus Neighborhood Hospital employs the latest care models and medical technology in a convenient setting. The facility will offer emergency, short-stay inpatient, and radiology services, along with primary care services relocated from the current clinic on Iowa Avenue in Nampa.Saint Alphonsus staff, community leaders, and the media are invited to attend the groundbreaking event. Saint Alphonsus physicians and administration, along with constructors and architects for the project will be in attendance.Thursday, December 1, 2016 at 1:30p.For more information visit: https://www.saintalphonsus.org/ Country's bad boy turned good hitting hurricane stricken state By: Jared Blake Music Media Contact contact@them3agency.com End -- Back from his tragic motorcycle accident last year, NBC's "The Voice" season one contestant Jared Blake who debuted his new single "Stomp" on Sirius XM The Highway's "On the Horizon" show last year, is planning a special acoustic holiday tour through Florida, set to hit 9 cities over two weeks in December."Christmas Giving Tour" dates and locations are:DEC1 Ferg's LiveThu 9 PM, 490 Channelside Dr. Tampa, FLDEC2 Rattlers Old West SaloonFri 9 PM,111 W Oak St, Arcadia, FLDEC3 The Lacs w/ Jared Blake and Big Vinny at MavericksSat 7 PM, 2 Independent Dr., Jacksonville, FLDEC4 St.Colonial Oak Music ParkSun 2 PM, 33 St. George St.Saint Augustine, FLDEC6 White Eagle LoungeTue 7 PM, 5530 S US 1, Korona, FLDEC7 Otters on the RiverWed 6 PM, 4380 Carraway Pl, Sanford, FL 3DEC9 VooDoo LoungeFri 9 PM, 512 Seabreeze Blvd, Daytona Beach, FLDEC10 Cowgirls RockbarSat 10 PM, 8371 International Dr #80, Orlando, FLThe #1-rated television show semi-finalist saying, "I've worked hard to make sure the music is always giving back to those in need. I called Jeremy at Awake Late who jumped right in to coordinate the dates with venues.Continuing, "We quickly worked to create the first annual 'Christmas Giving Tour' with Western Son Vodka sponsoring the concerts, and my buddy Big Vinny from NBC's 'The Biggest Loser' has the biggest heart of anyone I know was glad to come along for the cause."Additional information and upcoming Jared Blake performances may be located at http://jaredblakemusic.com # # #About Jared BlakeJared Blake was first introduced to the world in 2011 on Season One of NBC's "The Voice" as an original member of Team Blake. Appearing before 14 million viewers weekly, the Country Rock rebel won the enthusiasm of audiences with his Grunge Rock style and R&B flair.From 2005-2008, Blake was signed with Sony Tree Publishing through hit songwriter Bob DiPiero. He went on to sign with Lucky Diamond Music where he co-wrote Texas Country music artist Curtis Grimes' hit single "Home to Me," which made it into the Top 5 on the Texas Music Charts in 2013. Blake has shared stages with Country acts as Lee Brice, Thompson Square, The Band Perry, and Randy Houser and has been featured in publications ranging from People to Rolling Stone magazines. Custom Furniture Costa Rica, a family business, is running a GoFundMe campaign to provide furniture for families who lost everything in their homes to flooding caused by the hurricane. By: Custom Furntiure Costa Rica Contact Mimi Mudd Custom Furniture Costa Rica ***@customfurniturecostarica.com Mimi MuddCustom Furniture Costa Rica End -- When Hurricane Otto touched ground in Upala, Costa Rica it destroyed homes and devastated families. Many families lost everything they own to the flood waters. One local company, a furniture maker in the Central Valley, would like to help replace some of the bigger things they lost.The Red Cross of Costa Rica collected donations for the affected communities from all around the country. Food, clothing, and personal items began flooding into Upala, but for many of the families there was no where to put these donations other than on the floor.In the days that followed the hurricane the streets of Upala were filled with beds, cabinets, sofas and more that were ruined in the disaster. Custom Furniture Costa Rica, a small family business, has some big plans to build new furniture for these families.The following slideshow contains photos that were taken in the streets of Upala during the weekend of Nov. 26, 2016, while families were still assessing the damage and emptying the water-soaked and ruined items from their homes. http://www.slideshare.net/ MimiMudd/furniture- ruined-by-hu... Custom Furniture Costa Rica has launched a GoFundMe campaign ( https://www.gofundme.com/ restore-homes- hit-by-hurricane- otto ) to provide the families in Upala with some of the essential furniture they need. Included in the campaign updates are the designs they propose to make.In one of the poorer areas of Upala that was heavily flooded many of the homes were made by the government and have the same design. These homes have small bedrooms that do not include built-in closets and kitchens that do not have enough space for cabinets and countertops.These are the homes, or families rather, that Custom Furniture Costa Rica intends to build furniture for. The proposed furniture designs, including a compact closet, small kitchen pantry, and compact beds, were made to work within the space limitations of the standard government houses.As of the time of this writing the campaign had raised one-fourth of the funds needed to provide the first furniture delivery to Upala. Their hope is to begin delivering new furniture to the hurricane victims after the first of the year. If you have ever dreamed of being a cowboy/cowgirl on a Montana ranch, "Racing the Flame" will transport you out west and take you for the ride of your life. By: Halo Publishing International Halo Publishing International Contact Halo Publishing International ***@halopublishing.com Halo Publishing International End --If you have ever dreamed of being a cowboy/cowgirl on a Montana ranch, "Racing the Flame" will transport you out west and take you for the ride of your life. Set during a drought-stricken summer in Montana on a cattle ranch, readers will meet the Landers family, a tightknit Christian family who have their faith in God in the forefront of their lives. When tragedy strikes, in the form of a raging fire that is eating up thousands of acres of prairie land, their faith is put to the test."I wrote this story based on a real life experience we had on our horse ranch," said author Lisa Phipps. "Just like Jay's father, my husband was out with the other ranchers fighting the fire day and night. I wanted to create a story that featured our ranch life and the realities we experience while also depicting a family unit that is based on their love for each other and their love and trust in God."Even before the fire strikes, the older Landers' children, Jay and his sister Katy, are introduced to readers as hard working, responsible teens who love their family and enjoy the unique life of herding cattle, riding horses and working in the barn. Readers gain a true understanding of ranch life and how different it is from the typical teen life of walking the mall and hanging out at the local burger joint."Lisa has created a wholesome, entertaining story that will capture readers of all ages," said Lisa Umina, founder and President of Publishing International. "The Landers family is a wonderful example of how family life can be if we live as God wants us to; understanding that relationships are far more important than materials things."Racing the Flame" is beautifully illustrated on the cover and throughout the book by Katie Busch. Katie has a passion for art, especially pencil and clay, but all media are fun for her. She lives in northeastern Montana with her husband and their dog, chickens, and emus. This is her first book to illustrate, however Lisa Phipps and Katie are continuing to collaborate on a series of picture books that will be coming out soon."Racing the Flame" is available from Halo Publishing as well as Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Get your copy in paperback for $11.95 or as a e-book for $3.99.Lisa Phipps grew up in west-central Minnesota. She earned her degree in elementary education at the University of Minnesota, Morris and moved to Montana to begin her teaching career in a one-room schoolhouse. She is a runner, a writer, and a Sunday school teacher, but her favorite thing to do is ride horses with her husband and their three children on their Montana cattle ranch.Halo Publishing International is a self-publishing company that publishes adult fiction and non-fiction, children's literature, self-help, spiritual, and faith-based books. We continually strive to help authors reach their publishing goals and provide many different services that help them do so. www.HaloPublishing.comLisa M. Umina, PublisherHalo Publishing International1100 NW Loop 410, Suite 700-176San Antonio, TX 78213 - USA+1 877-705-9647contact@halopublishing.com By: MBD SRILANKA End -- Sri Lanka December 02 MBD Sri Lanka is an educational company that is established with an objective to render complete educational support to the country, as per the learning needs of the students in nation. Moving on with the same, there is introduced innovative approaches of digital education across the nation. Digital Education is the newest era of education. E-learning in Sri Lanka is a step that has taken conventional education to a whole new level. Since going through numerous changes as per the need of time, education now has embraced technologies in terms of digitization, augmented reality and virtual reality.Perpetual is the change and there is need of change at every stage as the previous things might not fit in present scenario and present thing might not fit in future scenario. Surveys have proved that the rift of conventional methods of education are insufficient to meet the needs of students for better learning. As with the increased use of technology makes conventional methods look monotonous. Online Studies in Sri Lanka is an anticipated step to apprise the standard of education that is much lower in spite of higher percentage of adult literacy.Technology has been a great source to bring convenience. Commencement of science and technology has taken life, in every aspect, steps forward. Education and technology is a amalgamation of two most innate human nature that is urge to know about things and urge to implement them and take them to next level. Digital Classroom Solutions make learning better, convenient and interesting. Through digital education more discussion among students is witnessed. It enhances the encouragement to the the learning as the discussions are key to unlock one's urge to find the answers of every why.MBD Sri Lanka with all dedicated efforts is working to evolve digital learning solutions across the nation and apprise the standards of education.Contact Information:MBDSRILANKAContact Number: 0094 77 656 3471Contact mbdsrilanka@mbdgroup.comWebsite: http://mbdgroup.lk/ By: Aid & International Development Forum Media Contact Alina OKeeffe marketing@aidforum.org +44 (0)20 7871 0188 Alina OKeeffe+44 (0)20 7871 0188 End -- Globally there are an estimated 34 million people who have contracted the virus. Despite the virus only being identified in 1984, more than 35 million people have died of HIV/AIDS, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in history.Sub-Saharan Africa is the worst affected region, with around 25.6 million people living with HIV in 2015. In addition, sub-Saharan Africa accounts for two-thirds of the global total of new HIV infections.World AIDS Day aims to raise awareness and show support for people living with HIV, as well as to commemorate those who have lost their lives as a result of the virus.There has been significant progress in combating the devastating virus. In 2015, the global HIV epidemic claimed fewer lives than at any point in almost two decades. Between 2000 and 2015, the number of HIV infections declined by 35%. Furthermore, the number of AIDS-related deaths fell by 45% saving approximately 8 million lives. Part of the explanation for this is the success of national and international HIV prevention programmes and the massive expansion of antiretroviral therapy (ART).Having achieved the Millennium Development Goal of halting and reversing the spread of HIV, world leaders have set the "Fast-Track"targets to accelerate the HIV response and to eradicate AIDS by 2030. It has been projected that the expanding ART to all people living with HIV, and expanding prevention choices, will help to avert 21 million AIDS-related deaths and 28 million new infections by 2030.The biggest ever trial of a new HIV vaccine has begun in South Africa. Researchers hope the vaccine, currently named, could lead to a cure for HIV/AIDS. The trial is based on a trial from Thailand in 2009 which showed a 31% reduction in HIV after three years. In the South African study, researchers are hoping to prove HVTN 702 is at least 50% effective.Learn about innovations and best practice to tackle HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases at the 2annual Aid & Development Africa Summit on 28 February to 1 March 2017 in Nairobi, Kenya.Miriam Maluwa, Country Director, Ethiopia at UNAIDS will join expert speaker panel to share valuable insights regarding disease prevention and control, vaccinations as well as updates on regional health programmes, collaborations and rapid testing solutions. Visit event website for more details http://africa.aidforum.org By: European Union Group photo at the Making Labour Migration Easy Contact BUZZ Communications ***@buzzcomm.in BUZZ Communications End -- In light of the many challenges faced in the South Asian region in regards to migrant workers, the European Union Delegation to Nepal hosted a regional seminar on "Making Labour Migration Easy and Safe in South Asia" in Kathmandu, on December 2, with the support of DAI Europe and Centre for South Asian Studies (CSAS).The event brought together participants from government institutions, institutes, think-tanks, civil society, media, migration associations, private sector, international community, SAARC Secretariat and international participants including EU Delegations to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. During the inaugural session, Honourable Dr. Swarnim Wagle, Member of National Planning Commission was present acting as the Chief Guest.The European Union not only funds a number of migration related programmes aimed at facilitating and enhancing the management of labour migration between South and Southeast Asia and selected countries in the EU, and supports mechanisms and awareness leading to safe migration, but also ensures continuing policy dialogue in line with the Global Approach to Migration and Mobility (GAMM).The seminar brought an experience-sharing event and showcased the EU policies on Migration and the outlines of the EU funded projects and programmes in the South Asian region. Her Excellency, Rensje Teerink, EU Ambassador to Nepal and to the SAARC said "Migrants' necessities go further than the cooperation of all players that are gathering here today; Migration needs to be addressed in a multi-sector approach and focus on the human, social and labour rights of migrants, their psychological and social well-being, and the development efforts migrants workers can contribute to".In the last decade, the EU has made major steps towards building a truly comprehensive migration policy, based on common political principles and solidarity. The GAMM is, since 2005, the overarching framework of the EU external migration and asylum policy. The framework defines how the EU conducts its policy dialogues and cooperation with non-EU countries, based on clearly defined priorities and embedded in the EU's overall external action, including development cooperation. In addition, the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy launched the "Global Strategy for the European Union's Foreign and Security Policy" in June 2016, which highlights the need for a more effective migration policy and endorses that the EU will keep on working with international partners to ensure shared global responsibilities and solidarity.Looking at the challenges of Labour Migration in the South Asian region, solutions for protecting migrants were discussed during the seminar. Speakers conversed on how migration flow facilitates extensive benefits to migrants, such as remittances and cross-sharing of skills, while challenges remain as migrants are exposed to many risks such as abuse, poor working conditions or difficulty to access their rights and protection. As per the discussions, information regarding qualifications, skills and wages need to ensure informed decisions by public and private institutions as well as by migrantworkers, which will result in better training investment in both source and receiver countries. Member States in South Asia need to set a fair system of mutual recognition of educational attainment and acquired skills basedon comparable standards for low and semi-skilled occupations. At policy level, inter-state cooperation is also needed to regulate the labour migrants' flow, to develop coherent policies and activate mechanisms to facilitate better organization of legal migration, to ensure migrants' safety and rights, and to maximize the development impacts of migration and mobility.The Media was also noted to play a role in promoting safer migration by raising the awareness of the public by advocating for better policies and practices, and by facilitating discussions on this arena.Overall, through this event, participants found new ways of moving forward into a better scenario for current and future migrants' workers in South Asia. The European Union is committed to continued cooperation with the South Asian nations to make the lives of labour migrants easier and safer and for continuing the policy dialogue. By: BIO City Leipzig End -- Leipzig is home to many healthcare companies, that came out of BIO City Leipzig the local life science park. Three of these companies come to New York on December 6th to share their success stories and discuss upcoming needs and challenges. We invite you to meet the companies, the BIO City and the Invest Region Leipzig GmbH for having direct discussions. For getting a better understanding of what to expect when doing business in Germany, the host Hodgson Russ will guide you through the most important facts.is the Managing Director of this Economic Development Corporation which has two main objectives: the initiation and development of commercial direct investment which creates jobs, as well as in attracting skilled workers to the Leipzig region, from both Germany and abroad. He studied Computer Science in Leipzig and worked at the Leipzig Chamber of Commerce and the City of Leipzig, where he focused on the Media and Creative Industries as well as on advisory support for business settlements. Currently Michael Korner oversees regional projects in different sectors such as Biotech and Medtech.is Manager of Technology Transfer at the BIO City Leipzig Association of Technology Transfer. He helps business partners, who want to establish an innovative product with words and deeds. His focus are support programs and projects in the Sector of Life-Science. He studied bio-chemistry at the University of Leipzig and started working there. After having been employed at the University of Dresden, Dr. Randy Kurz became Manager of Network at the Sachsen Development and Administration Association.is Head of Marketing and Sales at Sonovum AG in Leipzig and responsible for Corporate Communications and setting up the Marketing and Sales structures for the Sonovum ACG devices. He is part of a team of specialists in Ultrasound Brain Monitoring, which is currently the only company worldwide to be able to non-invasively monitor minuscule changes in the cellular and molecular structure of brain tissue. Konrad Sell has over ten years of professional experience and worked for example at the University of Magdeburg, Sovello and ICS Malaysia. He is an MBA Graduate of HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management and contributes knowledge from Renewable Energies, Urban Farming, Software Development and Youth as well as Adult Education.is Head of Sales and Marketing at VivoSensMedical GmbH in Leipzig since more than three years. As a Media Sciences major, she has many years of experience in operational and strategic marketing in the consumer goods industry and in the technology sector. She was, among other things, responsible for brand management and product and channel marketing for Ben Sherman in New York and ASICS in Japan. Bettina Brammer also worked as Director of Marketing at Q-Cells and Product Marketing Manager at Spreadshirt in Leipzig. In early 2014 Bettina became a partner at VivoSensMedical GmbH.is General Manager and Managing Partner at SelfD Technology GmbH in Leipzig. SelfDiagnostics OU is a start-up company that was founded in spring 2008 by Estonian entrepreneurs and scientists of the University of Tartu. It focuses on product development, marketing and sale in the field of medical diagnostics to satisfy the growing market demand of IVD (In vitro diagnostics)products and services. Marko Lehes is also the owner of Capital Net, which was founded in order to provide R&D management and ICT consulting services. He studied Physics and Entrepreneurship and Technology Management at the University of Tartu. 39,000 people employed in the life science and related industry sector. Leipzig and its periphery is a steadily growing and very well connected economic area with 2,400 SME's operating worldwide in the medicine informatics, medicine logistics and medicine technology as well as bio & life science sectors. the BIO City, a start-up centre for biotech, is a perfect example for research, spin-offs and commercialization working under one roof. practical research and development at well-known institutes, i.e. the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences international and interdisciplinary apprenticeships and university courses at the healthcare sector with a high degree of practical training. Local author Pete Dulin will be available to sign copies of book End --Kansas City Beer: A History of Brewing in the Heartland is an addition to The History Press. Written by local author Pete Dulin, the book is part of the American Palate series, and explores the history of brewing in the Missouri city.Westbound immigrants, pioneers and entrepreneurs alike arrived in Kansas City with a thirst for progress and beer. Breweries both small and mighty seized opportunity in a climate of ceaseless social change and fierce regional competition. Prohibition made times tough for brewers and citizens in the Paris of the Plains, but political "Boss" Tom Pendergast kept the taps running. In 1989, Boulevard Brewing kicked off the local craft beer renaissance, and a bevy of breweries soon formed a flourishing community.Food and beer writer Pete Dulin explores Kansas City's hop-infused history and more than sixty breweries from the frontier era to the twenty-first century.Highlights ofinclude: More than a dozen breweries have opened in Kansas City since the start of the 21st century. Kansas City's railroad bridge and network of rail lines in the late 1800s attracted many regional breweries to distribute there. Scandal rocked one brewery when the developer fled the country, leaving behind a trail of $1 million in debt, bankruptcy proceedings, and suspicion of attempted arson.Barnes & Noble8625 Northwest Prairie View RoadKansas City, MO 64153Saturday, December 10th, 2016 at 1:00 p.m.Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online.The combination of Arcadia Publishing & The History Press creates the largest and most comprehensive publisher of local and regional content in the USA. By empowering local history and culture enthusiasts to write local stories for local audiences, we create exceptional books that are relevant on a local and personal level, enrich lives, and bring readers closer - to their community, their neighbors, and their past. Have we done a book on your town? Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com Revolutionary new shopping concept, for buying second citizenships and golden visas. EU Citizenship & Residency Contact CitizenshipShop.com ***@citizenshipshop.com +41 71 577 46 23 Photo: https://www.prlog.org/ 12605480/1 CitizenshipShop.com+41 71 577 46 23 End -- Global uncertainties arising from the Trump victory and Brexit have prompted the rich and wealthy to go on the run, looking for alternative second citizenships. This week a number of companies promoting investment citizenship schemes reported a surge in inquiries for second citizenships.Roughly two thousand years ago, Roman citizenship was sold to the rich and wealthy for money. In the book of Acts, Paul has a discussion with a Roman Centurion who claims he bought his citizenship "for a lot of money". Roman citizens were given the right to unimpeded travel across the empire with the right to vote and given immunity against torture and death sentence (except for treason). Nothing has changed in modern times and the concept of buying citizenship for lots of money is pretty much the same. CitizenshipShop.com is a revolutionary, never heard of new shopping concept for buying new citizenships online. As a promotional offer no initial payment required just order; we send you a free quote and you can pay later.Mr. Balakrishnan Prabhu, founder of startup CitizenshipShop.com, said, "We attract rich and wealthy in the world looking for second citizenships. Never before would people have imagined buying a citizenship online, but now it is very real. Citizenship Shop is the only online shopping platform in the world selling citizenship and residency programs under economic investment. We work with several Government appointed authorized agents, lawyers and real estate developers in promoting the citizenship by investment programs (CIP)."The cost for an alternative citizenship does not come cheap. Those who can afford large sums of money, starting from $100,000, can buy fast track citizenships in the Caribbean and Europe under the so called "citizenship by investment programs" (CIP) which are currently up and running in as many as 7 countries approved by Governments. Of the 7 countries, 2 countries in Europe (Malta, Cyprus) and 5 Caribbean nations (St Kitts, Antigua, Grenada, Dominica, St Lucia) are currently running citizenship by investment programs under economic activity.Citizenship Shop also sells "golden visa" residency programs, but golden visas only offer immediate residency not citizenship, which takes quite a lot of time, no less than 5 years.Citizenshipshop.com assists wealthy individuals and families acquiring second country citizenship and passports through economic investment. CitizenshipShop.com is a new e-platform for buying a second citizenship online. We work with Governments, law firms, authorized agents and real estate developers in over 30 countries. We imagine a "free world" without borders for free movement of people.For more information, please visit us on our website www.citizenshipshop.com R70 Business CentreRakoczi ut 70-72Budapest, HungaryT: +41 71 577 46 23 / +36 70 218 2310E: sales@citizenshipshop.comW: http://citizenshipshop.com F: http://facebook.com/ citizenshipshop Source: http://citizenshipshop.com/ blog The 399th Composite Squadron invites the public to attend wreath laying ceremonies to honor veterans in Danbury, Connecticut. By Major Peter Milano Image Credit: Wreaths Across America Contact Major Peter Milano, Public Affairs 399th Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol ***@399cap.org Major Peter Milano, Public Affairs399th Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol End -- Civil Air Patrol'sinvites the public to attend the annualceremonies scheduled to be held on Saturday, December 17, 2016 at Wooster and Old Kenosia Cemeteries, in Danbury, Connecticut.Civil Air Patrol members nationwide show their appreciation to our nation's veterans by adorning memorials and veterans' graves with evergreen wreaths. As a key partner in, Civil Air Patrol ensures the sacrifices of our nation's soldiers are not forgotten.Continuing to honor this tradition in Danbury, the 399th Composite Squadron will conduct the Wooster Cemetery ceremony at 9 a.m. in the veterans section of the cemetery, located at 20 Ellsworth Avenue. The ceremony at Old Kenosia Cemetery, located on Kenosia Avenue, will take place at 10 a.m.For information about the localceremonies or the 399th Composite Squadron contact Major Peter Milano, Public Affairs Officer, at pao@399cap.org.Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force's Total Force, which consists of regular Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, along with Air Force retired military and civilian employees. Civil Air Patrol, in its Total Force role, operates a fleet of 550 aircraft and performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 78 lives annually. Civil Air Patrol's 56,000 members nationwide also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Its members additionally play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 24,000 young people currently participating in the Civil Air Patrol cadet program. Performing missions for America for the past 75 years, Civil Air Patrol received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014 in honor of the heroic efforts of its World War II veterans. Civil Air Patrol also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit http://www.capvolunteernow.com for more information.For additional information about the 399th Composite Squadron visit http://www.facebook.com/ 399thCompositeSquadron SecureEPLS is a subscription service for verifying vendors and employees against the excluded parties databases of federal and state governments. Welcome to Montana and Nebraska. Contact Lou Liberio, Partner ***@edentech.net Photo: https://www.prlog.org/ 12605537/1 Lou Liberio, Partner End -- Edentech Solutions Group LLC is announcing the addition of 2 more states to its growing base of Excluded Providers Lists. Effective today, the company has added Montana and Nebraska. These are now choices available to subscribers on the SecureEPLS.com website. With the addition of these two states, the service now offers all Federal lists, and all but 7 state lists.SecureEPLS.com is a web-based subscription service offering online validations against many Federal, State, and Local Exclusion Lists. It is one of five modules to go live in the company's new healthcare suite, CS&S: Care, Safe & Secure (the suite offers components that address care giving, safety, cost control, risk and security focused on Healthcare Providers and Facilities)."With this announcement today, we continue on schedule to build out the product to include all available Federal and State lists by year end," according to Company Partner, Lou Liberio. "We're working on the remainders and are extremely confident that all will be included over the next few weeks."Subscriptions are available starting as low as $11 per month. These subscriptions are particularly suitable for Medical Practices, Homecare Providers, Nursing Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, & CCRCs. Enterprise pricing and Service Level Agreements are also available for the larger organizations such as Hospitals, Agencies, and Chains.During December, the company is offering a referral program for its existing subscribers that rewards both the referred prospect and the subscriber. And for all new subscribers not referred, there is a risk free promotion that allows them to sign up, use the system for 30 days, and cancel at any time if it's not right for them and receive a full refund. Both promos are running through the end of the year.More information on the product and service is available at the website, https://www.SecureEPLS.com BrickVest, the London based online real estate investment platform, has expanded the range of institutional quality real estate investment opportunities available by offering its first preferred equity deal in Switzerland in partnership with Steiner AG. After delivering three new deals at the beginning of September, BrickVest continues to scale its [] Mentor Graphics Corporation, a manufacturer of design software and electronic equipment, has signed a lease agreement on 4 417 sqm in building B of Silesia Star in Katowice. The client was represented by a Cushman & Wakefield in lease negotiations and the coordination and supervision of fit-out works in the [] First launched in India in October 2007, the i10 succeeded the Hyundai Atos. Soon, i10 became Hyundais best selling car in the country. In Feb 2015 the company revealed that i10 global sales have crossed 2 million mark. And, of the 2 million (20 lakh) i10 produced, Hyundai has produced 1.89 million (18.9 lakh) units at their plant in Chennai, India. But now, in order to make way for newer cars, Hyundai has pulled the plug on the i10 from India as well. The last unit rolled off the production facelift in Chennai, and it was a Black coloured i10. Built on the ethos of Hyundais Santro, i10 was an instant hit due to its size, price, fuel efficient range of engines, modern interior, compact footprint and design. It is from India, that the Hyundai i10 was exported to various countries in Europe. Export of Hyundai i10 to Europe stopped in late 2013, once the new i10 was launched. For Europe, the new i10 was being manufactured at Hyundais plant in Turkey. It was only after the launch of new gen i10 in 2013, that Hyundai Turkey plant also started manufacturing the i10 for Europe. Since 2013, Hyundai has sold 119,631 units of i10 in Europe. Another interesting fact to note here is that the Grand i10 in India, is in fact the new gen i10 in Europe. Only in India, Hyundai had kept the old i10 in circulation, as it garnered about 2500-3000 units of monthly sales. Also, the Grand i10 in India, is a little different as compared to the i10 in Europe. The second-generation model called Grand i10 was launched in August 2013. This model is 80mm longer, 50mm shorter and 65mm wider than the older model while boot space is also at a premium standing at 252 liters. It was named as 2014 Indian Car of the Year. It boasts of a contemporary dual toned interior with use of quality material. It also offers better comfort for rear passengers with rear AC vents and a 12V charging socket at the back below the vents. Replacing the now discontinued Hyundai i10 will be the new generation Santro, which is currently being developed at the company R&D facelift in South Korea. It will be launched in 2018, where it will be better equipped to rival the likes of Renaule Kwid, who has taken the entry level market by storm. Images Team-BHP Hyundai Motor India is one of the biggest automotive exporters in the country As most countries are currently under a stage of lockdown due to coronavirus pandemic, automotive sales have almost hit a halt globally. One of the leading car exporters from India, Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (HMIL) has reported a major drop in exports. In April 2020, the South Korean automaker could export only 1,341 units. This is still a decent figure compared to other major exporters. The situation is even worse in the domestic market, as not even a single unit was sold due to the ongoing lockdown. As the lockdown has been extended, automotive dealerships would remain closed for a longer period while OEMs gradually open their plants to work with limited resources. Auto exports have been falling ever since coronavirus started spreading across the globe. If we take Hyundai Creta exports as an example, a total of 4,538 units were exported in February 2020. The number dropped to 2,508 units in March 2020. Barring a few exceptions, this trend applies to all of Hyundais export products. In fact, Hyundai exports most of its cars that are sold in the Indian market. The export portfolio includes Creta, Venue, Verna, Elite i20, Aura, Grand i10, Grand i10 Nios, and Santro. Hyundai exports them to 88 countries located across four continents. Auto exports are a major revenue generator for Hyundai India. In January, the company achieved a new milestone by exporting 3 million cars. The three-millionth car to be exported was a Hyundai Aura. The compact sedan was launched in January at a starting price of Rs 5.80 lakh ex-showroom. HMIL started its export operations since 1999. Over the years, the company has achieved several milestones along the way. The first million-mark was achieved in 2010 and the second million came in 2014. Last year, Hyundai had a market share of 28% in the exports category. To lend a helping hand in these challenging times, Hyundai has started manufacturing ventilators. The company has partnered with Frances Air Liquide Medical Systems for this initiative. Initially, 1000 ventilators will be supplied to healthcare centres. Production would be increased depending on how the situation evolves in the coming weeks. In April, Hyundai had sourced COVID-19 testing kits from South Korea for the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). A total of 25,000 test kits (worth around Rs 4 crore) were imported by the company. The brand has also donated Rs 5 crore to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Relief Fund and Rs 7 crore to PM Cares relief fund. Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had visited the Tesla Motors factory near San Francisco last year. During the visit, the minister met top officials of the American EV maker and extended an invitation to set up a manufacturing factory in India with a local JV partner. To make a convincing case, the minister also announced various sops including land parcel if Tesla decides to locate its plant in the country. Soon it was revealed that three Indian states are already working hard to get the attention of Tesla. These three states are Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. An export hub in Asia would be of strategic importance to Tesla. But all this was talks was still taken by enthusiasts with a pinch of salt. Until in February this year, when Elon Musk surprised Tesla fans in India by confirming that they are indeed working towards launching Tesla in India. Elon Musk tweeted Hoping for summer this year (Tesla India launch). This tweet not only surprised us, but also got thousands of pro-electric car fans here in India excited as the worlds foremost carmaker in future technology had just confirmed India launch plans. But, the excitement was short lived. This is what Elon Musk tweeted earlier this week. This tweet more or less confirms that Tesla India launch plans are on the backfoot, atleast for some years now. But, if India manages to convince Tesla to establish a manufacturing facility in India, the launch plans would be accelerated. It would go a long way in increasing the acceptance of electric vehicles in the Indian market. As a part of the proposal, Mr. Gadkari also assured Tesla that he would make exports to other Asian markets from one of Indias well-established ports conducive. That is what the Indian govt is trying to do. See their latest tweet, in reply to Elon Musks tweet. A senior executive of Tesla stated that the company appreciates the Indian governments offer of cooperation and added that the proposal will certainly be considered at an appropriate time in the future. The company also stated that India will definitely be a market for its next gen low-cost sustainable models. Scientists have taken spectroscopic snapshots of nature's most mysterious relay race: the passage of extra protons from one water molecule to another during conductivity. The finding represents a major benchmark in our knowledge of how water conducts a positive electrical charge, which is a fundamental mechanism found in biology and chemistry. The researchers, led by Yale chemistry professor Mark Johnson, report their discovery in the Dec. 1 edition of the journal Science. For more than 200 years, scientists have speculated about the specific forces at work when electricity passes through water -- a process known as the Grotthuss mechanism. It occurs in vision, for example, when light hits the eye's retina. It also turns up in the way fuel cells operate. But the details have remained murky. In particular, scientists have sought an experimental way to follow the structural changes in the web of interconnected water molecules when an extra proton is transferred from one oxygen atom to another. "The oxygen atoms don't need to move much at all," Johnson said. "It is kind of like Newton's cradle, the child's toy with a line of steel balls, each one suspended by a string. If you lift one ball so that it strikes the line, only the end ball moves away, leaving the others unperturbed." Johnson's lab has spent years exploring the chemistry of water at the molecular level. Often, this is done with specially designed instruments built at Yale. Among the lab's many discoveries are innovative uses of electrospray ionization, which was developed by the late Yale Nobel laureate John Fenn. advertisement Johnson and his team have developed ways to fast-freeze the chemical process so that transient structures can be isolated, revealing the contorted arrangements of atoms during a reaction. The practical uses for these methods range from the optimization of alternative energy technologies to the development of pharmaceuticals. In the case of the proton relay race, previous attempts to capture the process hinged on using infrared color changes to see it. But the result always came out looking like a blurry photograph. "In fact, it appeared that this blurring would be too severe to ever allow a compelling connection between color and structure," Johnson said. The answer, he found, was to work with only a few molecules of "heavy water" -- water made of the deuterium isotope of hydrogen -- and chill them to almost absolute zero. Suddenly, the images of the proton in motion were dramatically sharper. "In essence, we uncovered a kind of Rosetta Stone that reveals the structural information encoded in color," Johnson said. "We were able to reveal a sequence of concerted deformations, like the frames of a movie." Johnson's lab was assisted by the experimental group of Knut Asmis at the University of Leipzig and the theory groups of Ken Jordan of the University of Pittsburgh and Anne McCoy of the University of Washington. One area where this information will be useful is in understanding chemical processes that occur at the surface of water, Johnson noted. There is active debate among scientists regarding whether the surface of water is more or less acidic than the bulk of water. At present, there is no way to measure the surface pH of water. The paper's first author is Conrad Wolke, a former Yale doctoral student in Johnson's lab. Co-authors of the paper are from the University of Chicago, Ohio State University, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Washington, the University of Leipzig, and the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society. Financial support for the research came from the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the Ohio Supercomputing Center, and the Collaborative Research Center of the German Research Foundation DFG. On 28 November 2016, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) approved the name and symbols for four elements: nihonium (Nh), moscovium (Mc), tennessine (Ts), and oganesson (Og), respectively for element 113, 115, 117, and 118. Following a 5-month period of public review, the names earlier proposed by the discoverers have been approved by the IUPAC Bureau. The following names and symbols are officially assigned: Nihonium and symbol Nh, for the element 113, Moscovium and symbol Mc, for the element 115, Tennessine and symbol Ts, for the element 117, and Oganesson and symbol Og, for the element 118. In concordance with and following the earlier reports that the claims for discovery of these elements have been fulfilled, the discoverers have been invited to propose names. Keeping with tradition, the newly discovered elements have been named after a place or geographical region, or a scientist. The ending of the names also reflects and maintains historical and chemical consistency: "-ium" for elements 113 and 115 and as for all new elements of groups 1 to 16, "-ine" for element 117 and belonging to group 17 and "-on" for element 118 element belonging to group 18. The recommendations will be published in the IUPAC journal Pure and Applied Chemistry. The name nihonium with the symbol Nh for element 113 was proposed by the discoverers at RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science (Japan); the name came from Nihon which is one of the two ways to say "Japan" in Japanese, and literally mean "the Land of Rising Sun." Moscovium with the symbol Mc for element 115 and tennessine with the symbol Ts for element 117 were proposed by the discoverers at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna (Russia), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (USA), Vanderbilt University (USA) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (USA). Both are in line with tradition honoring a place or geographical region. Moscovium is in recognition of the Moscow region and honors the ancient Russian land that is the home of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, where the discovery experiments were conducted using the Dubna Gas-Filled Recoil Separator in combination with the heavy ion accelerator capabilities of the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions. Tennessine is in recognition of the contribution of the Tennessee region of the United States, including Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, to superheavy element research. Lastly, and in line with the tradition of honoring a scientist, the name oganesson and symbol Og for element 118 was proposed by the collaborating teams of discoverers at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna (Russia) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (USA) and recognizes Professor Yuri Oganessian (born 1933) for his pioneering contributions to transactinoid elements research. His many achievements include the discovery of superheavy elements and significant advances in the nuclear physics of superheavy nuclei including experimental evidence for the "island of stability." Comments from the general public, during the 5 month period were many. Apart from many full agreements, comments were received suggesting other names, in some cases accompanied by petitions from large groups of people. However, these suggestions could not be accepted, given the fact that under the current guidelines only the discoverers have the right to propose names and symbols. Questions were also received about pronunciation of the names and the translations into other languages. Members of the chemistry community also raised the concern that Ts is one of the two commonly used abbreviations for the tosyl group. Recognizing however that many two-letter abbreviations have multiple meanings -- even in chemistry, and for example Ac and Pr -- the conclusion was made that the context in which the symbols are used, makes the meaning unambiguous. "Overall, it was a real pleasure to realize that so many people are interested in the naming of the new elements, including high-school students, making essays about possible names and telling how proud they were to have been able to participate in the discussions," said Professor Jan Reedijk, President of the Inorganic Chemistry Division. He added "It is a long process from initial discovery to the final naming, and IUPAC is thankful for the cooperation of everyone involved. For now, we can all cherish our periodic table completed down to the seventh row." "The names of the new elements reflect the realities of our present time" said IUPAC President Prof Natalia Tarasova, "universality of science, honoring places from three continents, where the elements have been discovered -- Japan, Russia, the United States -- and the pivotal role of human capital in the development of science, honoring an outstanding scientist -- Professor Yuri Oganessian." The exploration of new elements continues, and scientists are searching for elements beyond the seventh row of the periodic table. IUPAC and the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) are establishing a new joint working group which task will be to examine the criteria used to verify claims for the discovery of new elements. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, and markets biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, neuroscience, and covid-19 diseases. The company's products include Revlimid, an oral immunomodulatory drug for the treatment of multiple myeloma; Eliquis, an oral inhibitor for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Pomalyst/Imnovid indicated for patients with multiple myeloma; and Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis. It also provides Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia; Yervoy for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma; Abraxane, a protein-bound chemotherapy product; Reblozyl for the treatment of anemia in adult patients with beta thalassemia; and Empliciti for the treatment of multiple myeloma. In addition, the company offers Zeposia to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis; Breyanzi, a CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T cell immunotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma; Inrebic, an oral kinase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of adult patients with myelofibrosis; and Onureg for the treatment of adult patients with AML. It sells products to wholesalers, distributors, pharmacies, retailers, hospitals, clinics, and government agencies. The company was formerly known as Bristol-Myers Company. The company was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in New York, New York. United Parcel Service, Inc. provides letter and package delivery, transportation, logistics, and related services. It operates through two segments, U.S. Domestic Package and International Package. The U.S. Domestic Package segment offers time-definite delivery of letters, documents, small packages, and palletized freight through air and ground services in the United States. The International Package segment provides guaranteed day and time-definite international shipping services in Europe, the Asia Pacific, Canada and Latin America, the Indian sub-continent, the Middle East, and Africa. This segment offers guaranteed time-definite express options. The company also provides international air and ocean freight forwarding, customs brokerage, distribution and post-sales, and mail and consulting services in approximately 200 countries and territories. In addition, it offers truckload brokerage services; supply chain solutions to the healthcare and life sciences industry; shipping, visibility, and billing technologies; and financial and insurance services. The company operates a fleet of approximately 121,000 package cars, vans, tractors, and motorcycles; and owns 59,000 containers that are used to transport cargo in its aircraft. United Parcel Service, Inc. was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. A koala who'd gotten himself in over his head while traversing a river in Australia was pulled to safety just in time - all thanks to the quick thinking of a man who refused to ignore his struggle. Muzammil Patel, a volunteer for Australia's Great Victorian Bike Ride, had just arrived to one of the event's campsite stops on Apollo Bay when a woman there alerted him to the animal in dire threat of drowning. Wildlife officials had been called to assist, but Patel knew that situation called for a more urgent response. So, he leapt into action, wading out into the water to pull the little guy to safety. The entire rescue was caught on film. A Quebec court has ended the temporary suspension of a ban on pit bulls in Montreal. That means anyone who owns a pit bull - a wide range of breeds including American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers and Staffordshire bull terriers - have until the end of the month to register their dogs. In addition, they will have to follow a strict set of rules that includes muzzling their pets in public, keeping them on a short leash and having an adult present at all times. Owners are also subject to a criminal background check. Dodo Shows Odd Couples Dog And Wild Dolphin Play Whenever They See Each Other "Though the fight is not over, we are extremely disappointed by today's decision and particularly preoccupied by not being able to continue finding adoptive homes in Montreal for all of our healthy and behaviourally-sound dogs, regardless of their physical appearance," Alanna Devine of the SPCA Montreal said in a statement sent to The Dodo shortly after the court decision. When it comes to pit bull type dogs in the city's public shelter system, the court appears to have at least temporarily curbed a provision of the ban that could have spelled a death sentence shelter dogs. The SPCA Montreal takes about 2,000 dogs into the city shelters it runs every year. Among them, according to the organization, about a third, or 700, meet the city's standard as pit bulls. Initially, the ban would have rendered them ineligible adoption. "For dogs that don't have an 'owner' on the day of the passing of the legislation, the way the legislation is drafted, the dogs have to be euthanized," Devine told The Dodo in September. But the appeals judge decided Thursday the city cannot issue euthanasia orders based on breed or physical appearance or stop someone from reclaiming their lost dog based on breed or physical appearance. The city must allow all dogs to continue to be adopted to families residing outside of Montreal. In the weeks leading up to the ban, which was formally passed by city council on Sept. 27, rescue groups from Canada and the U.S. scrambled to move as many pit bulls out of the city as they could. "The support has been absolutely unbelievable. We're actually blown away," Carolynn Williams of One Last Chance Rescue, told The Dodo in September. "We're getting messages from all over the world." ONE LAST CHANCE RESCUE If being cute were a crime, this photogenic parrot would be facing hard time. Fortunately, it's not - but she landed a spot in a mugshot anyway. It all began on Monday, when the macaw's owner, Craig Buckner, was called before a judge in an Oregon court for failing to comply with a previous release agreement. Evidently, Buckner was under the impression he'd be given a chance to turn himself in at some later day, so he brought his feathered friend, named Bird, along with him and had her wait in a tree out front. But things didn't go according to plan. The judge ordered Buckner into custody right then and there. Washington County Sheriff's Office Buckner was distraught, most of all about his pet left outside all alone. "He told our deputy, Shoana McKelvey, about his concerns," Washington County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Bob Ray told The Dodo. "She knew the bird would not survive, and she knew the bird was a very close pet of his. We all know that pets are a part of the family." So, McKelvey headed outside to collect Bird herself, but the parrot wouldn't budge. "We then brought Mr. Buckner out," said Ray. "Bird came down and sat on his shoulder immediately. We went inside and fed Bird some peanuts, and called a friend of Mr. Buckner who could take the Bird to keep her safe." In the meantime, they decided to let Bird join her owner in his mugshot photo since she clearly meant so much to Buckner: "How could we resist? How many opportunities are there to have a feel-good moment like that?" said Ray. Washington County Sheriff's Office It's unclear how long Buckner will have to remain in custody for his minor charge, but there's a lesson we can all take away from how his booking into jail was handled with his Bird in mind: With just 45 or fewer of them left in the wild, the most endangered wolf on Earth needs help to survive. But in September, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced it was stopping the Red Wolf Recovery Program, which sought to save the last wild red wolves, who live in North Carolina. Instead USFWS suggested rounding up the animals and putting them in zoos. But 30 scientists just submitted a letter to the USFWS, urging it to reconsider. Rather than reducing the area where the wolves can roam, some conservationists want the USFWS to recommit to releasing the red wolf into the wild and establishing new places in the wild forests of the Southeast where the red wolves can live. "Unfortunately, in 2014 when USFWS halted all key management activity including captive-to-wild releases, the wild red wolf population plummeted to its lowest level in decades," Maggie Howell, executive director of the Wolf Conservation Center (WCC), told The Dodo. Howell explained that the data the USFWS used to make the decision to halt the program was misinterpreted. Scientists are saying that the government's new plan "will no doubt result in the extinction of red wolves in the wild." Dodo Shows Comeback Kids Family Stops At Nothing To Help Their Great Dane Run This browser does not support the video tag. Wolf Conservation Center This is why WCC is trying to get people to take action and speak up for the animals. The center recently posted a video of one of their red wolves involved with the Red Wolf Species Survival Plan, a national initiative whose primary purpose is to support the reestablishment of red wolves in the wild. "With less than 45 red wolves remaining in the wild, he might be the last one you see," the group wrote. "The Red wolf in the video ... is one of 8 red wolves that call the WCC home," Howell said. "M2119 represents the WCC's active participation in an effort to save a species from extinction ... Red wolves are an American icon that makes our country's wild lands whole and healthy." Now it seems that, after three decades, the government is giving up on having red wolves survive in the wild, depending on the 200 red wolves in breeding facilities to sustain the species in captivity. Gary was left behind at a livestock auction. His mother had likely given birth in the holding pens, or maybe on the truck that took her there. Where Pigs Fly/Veronica Rios Whatever the case, instead of being able to nurse and care for her baby, Gary's mom was sold and trucked off to slaughter, leaving her little baby all alone. Gary was only a few hours old. Things took a turn for the better when a farmer who was attending the livestock auction noticed Gary and decided to take him home. Then the farmer contacted Deborah Pearce, the founder of Where Pigs Fly, an animal sanctuary in New South Wales, Australia, and arranged for Pearce to adopt the lamb. Where Pigs Fly/Veronica Rios The farm was a four-hour drive away from the animal sanctuary, and while the farmer waited for Gary to be picked up, another lamb named Penny was born at the farm. Penny needed help too - her mother had rejected her. When the farmer asked Pearce if she'd take Penny as well, Pearce, of course, said, "Yes." Dodo Shows Foster Diaries This Pregnant Pittie Foster Story Is The Happiest Thing Ever Where Pigs Fly/Veronica Rios "Baby lambs do better when they have company," Pearce told The Dodo. "So we gave both Gary and Penny a home at Where Pigs Fly." Where Pigs Fly/Veronica Rios Three sanctuary volunteers made the long trip to pick up Gary and Penny. Both lambs were skittish and scared, and they snuggled up together in the car. "They were just babies and had their lives turned upside down," Pearce said. "Strange people, strange places. No mothers. I cannot imagine what was going through their minds." Where Pigs Fly/Veronica Rios Besides the fact that the lambs were traumatized, Pearce knew they hadn't gotten their mother's colostrum milk, which would have been essential in boosting their immune systems. Without colostrum, it was questionable whether they'd survive. "It's always touch and go when lambs are born and don't have the immune-building colostrum," Pearce explained. Where Pigs Fly/Veronica Rios Pearce and the sanctuary volunteers did their best to care for Gary and Penny - but the best medicine has been each other's company. Where Pigs Fly/Veronica Rios "They were instant friends, and they took comfort from each other and developed a very strong bond," Pearce said. "I suspect their bond will last a lifetime. If they can't see one another, they call out until they are back together again." Where Pigs Fly/Veronica Rios "They help each other out at feed time," she added. "If one sees the feed bottles, they call out to the other one that food has arrived. They come running together." Where Pigs Fly/Veronica Rios Penny and Gary now do everything together - they feed together, play together and sleep together. "One is never far from the other, day or night," Pearce said. "I love the way they curl up to sleep. They also take great delight in chasing the rescue hens around the sanctuary." Where Pigs Fly/Veronica Rios Penny and Gary are now about a month and a half old. The older they get, the better chance they have of surviving. Where Pigs Fly/Veronica Rios "The lambs have quickly developed a newfound confidence and energy, bounding from one end of the paddock to the other," Pearce said. "Jumping up on rocks and sprinting along with their human carers. They are individuals who want to live, just like we do." Where Pigs Fly/Veronica Rios To help lambs like Gary and Penny, you can support Where Pigs Fly by making a donation here. Spoiler alert: This story contains spoilers for Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. The opening scene in the third episode of Netflixs new Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life features Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and her daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel) sitting by a pool in Stars Hollow, doing their usual quick banter. But the snappy dialogue turns obnoxious as they start mocking their fellow poolgoers. Belly alert, Lorelai mutters as an overweight man passes by. Holy moly, Rory echoes. They scoff at a woman in a bikini (Just go naked) and then dub a heavy man in a Speedo Back Fat Pat. Meanwhile, people drop by to welcome Rory back to town, since she moved home after a rough patch in her journalism career. Im not back! she repeatedly whines to her well-wishers, even though it sure looks like shes back for good. The scene exemplifies the worst parts of Gilmore Girls, the acclaimed WB series that ran from 2000 to 2007: Lorelai and Rorys banter that could turn cruel and grating; Rorys blindness to her unbelievable privilege; the main characters simply thinking theyre better than everyone else. Already, viewers are calling out this particular scene: The Gilmore Girls Fat-Shaming Scene Was Unnecessary; About The Body-Shaming On Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life; Gilmore Girls fans are dragging the revival for its cringeworthy fat-shaming. While every great TV series has its flaws, a major problem with TV reboots is that they often focus a glaring spotlight on all of the shows initial problems, which ultimately make for a subpar viewing experience and threaten to tarnish the original series. Make no mistake, the highly anticipated Gilmore Girls revival, which landed on Netflix the day after Thanksgiving, was thrilling to many fans, some of whom cant find a negative thing to say. But it has also garnered lots of criticism over the past several days, from diehard loyal viewers to people who never saw the original show but decided to watch the revival because of all the hype. The main issues mostly involve Rory, who started the series as a quiet, brainy introvert who loved to read and didnt need a social life because her mother was her best friend. Eventually, she came out of her shell and, throughout the seven seasons, wound up in various romantic entanglements and career woes as she embarked on her dream to become a journalist. Rorys evolution was frustrating at times, especially because she never seemed to recognize how many advantages she had, thanks to her wealthy grandparents, and was often deemed special even if she didnt display extraordinary qualities. In the revival, Rory, as many have pointed out, has become insufferable a disappointment to the fans that used to look up to her. She cheats on her boyfriend, Paul (Jack Carpenter), and is embroiled in an affair with her college boyfriend, Logan (Matt Czuchry), who is engaged. Rorys career is in shambles and she cant land a full-time job. Multiple critics have pointed out that this is because she seems to be a terrible reporter, one who sleeps with a source and then doesnt prepare for a job interview at a website because she thinks shes too good for the position. (She doesnt get the job.) As one piece in the Washington Post sums it up, Rory Gilmore is a monster. Other complaints include the terrible Stars Hollow musical, which in the original series would be a quick scene; in the revival (which runs 90 minutes per episode), its a 20-minute gag that goes on and on. Some people are upset about the infamous last four words of the show, in which Rory reveals her pregnancy and ends the series on an infuriating cliffhanger. A disappointing revival or even one that doesnt live up to sky-high expectations happens all the time. Just look at Season 4 of Arrested Development, or Fuller House, or even Heroes Reborn. Worst-case scenario, they result in fans hesitation to rewatch the original series. After all, it might look different now that they know how the characters turn out in the future. Why get invested in Luke (Scott Patterson) and Lorelais love story when they turn out to be such a boring couple? And forget potential viewers who were curious about all the publicity about the revival and decided to tune in; if they cant stand the reboot, theres no way theyll go back and watch the first seven seasons. Therein lies the conundrum of TV reboots. Theyre essentially fan service, so theyre destined to alienate new viewers. But when the fans are also disappointed in the revival, then theres the risk of damaging the show that they loved all along. SHARE: Nestled in a western corner of Europe along the North Atlantic Ocean, Portugal is home to some of the most dramatic coastline in the world. At times, the sheer coastal cliffs seem to be out of Ireland, while the arid south coast features paradise-like and dream beach destinations. Whether youre a photographer looking to catch dramatic scenes, a surfer looking for wild waves, or a beach comber in search of peace and tranquility, theres a coastal gem in Portugal for you. Its no wonder that Travel + Leisure magazine has named Portugal its 2016 destination of the year. Praia do Camilo Of all the beaches in Portugal, Praia do Camilo is likely the most famous. Its near the town of Lagos, set down a beautiful boardwalk and tucked in among yellow rocks. Jagged pillars of rock jut out from the sea, weathered and carved by years of wild waves. Though the beach is busy during the day, if you come around sunset you might have the whole place to yourself. Cabo de Sao Vicente If you want to experience wild weather, come to Cabo de Sao Vicente. This is where the cold, humid air of the Atlantic Ocean collides with the dry, warm air of the Mediterranean. The result, quite often, is a wall of fog. Even 10 kilometres away, the skies could be clear, but at Cabo de Sao Vicente it can be as stormy as anywhere on the continent. Azenhas do Mar Just outside of popular tourist town of Sintra, the tiny coastal town of Azenhas do Mar is an absolute treasure. Still relatively unknown to foreign visitors, this cliffside village is one of the most photogenic places in all of Portugal. Come and wander the cobbled streets, or plop down in the seaside restaurant for some of the best seafood youll ever have. Praia do Beliche There are dozens of surf beaches in Portugal, but Praia do Beliche has quickly become the place in the country to surf. Access to the beach involves a climb down from the clifftop parking lot. Once at the bottom, youre greeted by sheer cliff walls and white sand. Most of the time, the waves here are relatively calm, which makes Praia do Beliche a popular place for surf schools. Cabo Sardao Way off the beaten path in the province of Alentejo, Cabo Sardao is one of the most dramatic places in the entire country. The flat landscape leading into it just seems to crumble into the sea. Huge waves from the Atlantic constantly batter its cliffs, which reach more than 30 metres in height. Below, there are simply stunning land forms, including rock pillars and arches. Brendan van Son is a Canadian-born digital nomad. SHARE: NOUVELLE-AQUITANE, FRANCE-This region might be best known for its quality Bordeaux wines, but its food is an epicureans paradise. To the east of Bordeaux, the department of Dordogne (historically known as Perigord) is best known for its gourmet foods. With more than 2,000 years of history and numerous regionally protected products, theres a plethora of choices to keep any food lover happy. Truffles: Native to the Dordogne, the black Perigord truffle is coveted by gourmands worldwide for its complex aroma. From November to March, the expensive delicacy can be purchased for a fair price from Perigueuxs Place St-Louis market and Sarlats Saturday market. Connoisseurs of the black diamond are known to visit Sorges, about 19 kilometres northeast of Perigueux, to learn about the fungus at its charming truffle ecomuseum and area truffle farms. Or attend Sarlats truffle festival on the third weekend of January. Foie gras: Despite its controversy, the traditional skill of force-feeding geese and ducks is still practised in Perigord and remains part of the departments identity. Foie gras, a.k.a., fattened goose or duck liver, is served at most restaurants and found in specialty shops in Sarlat. Theres even a Route de Foie Gras for those wishing to meet the more than 60 producers of the specialty. Look for products labelled Indication geographique protegee (IGP) which guarantees the high quality product is strictly from Perigord. Dordogne strawberries: Delicate, candy-sweet and a treasure of the region, the excellent, large-fleshed Dordogne strawberries are the only strawberries protected by the IGP geographic status. Thanks to ideal temperatures and soils, the region enjoys a long season that lasts from April to October. The main strawberry varieties, including Gariguette and Darselect in the spring, and Mara des Bois and Charlotte in the fall, can be found at most markets. Traditional macarons: Ursuline nuns brought the traditional macaron to Saint-Emilion in the early 17th century. Although theyre made with the same ingredients egg whites, sugar and almond flour as their gussied-up sandwiched Parisian cousins, the rustic confection is chewier, straddling a soft biscotti and almond cake. Many shops sell traditional macarons, but the original recipe (a carefully guarded secret thats only passed down to the business successor) is only available at Les Macarons de Saint-Emilion. Caviar: A pioneer in river sturgeon breeding in Aquitaine, Domaine Huso in Neuvic sur IIsle is one of three production sites in the Dordogne that specialize in high-quality caviar. Using methods that create minimal environmental impact, the prestigious products are processed and packaged, then marketed as Caviar de Neuvic. The 7.6-hecatre farm is open to visitors seven days a week. Tours of the facilities (that concludes with a caviar tasting) are available, but pre-booking is required. Walnuts: Since the Paleolithic era (with evidence found in Cro-Magnon habitations from 17,000 years ago), walnuts have been widely celebrated for its many uses. At area ecomuseums or walnut-oil mills including Moulin de la Veyssiere, youll find products such as vin de noix, a sweet and rich liqueur made from the green nuts, walnut flour, and walnut oil thats been pressed from cooked nutmeal. For quality and authenticity, look for appellation dorigine controlee (AOC)-certified Perigord walnuts. Renee S. Suen was hosted by Atout France, the Aquitaine Tourism Board and Air France, which didnt review or approve this story. SHARE: IZAMAL AND MERIDA, MEXICO-Walking through the streets of Izamal its hard not to be blinded by the bright yellow pastels that emanate from every building in sight. According to Mayan history, a man with blond hair and blue eyes founded the city in 200 A.D. Nearly 2,000 years ago, the city had been the seat of Mayan power and its walls were not the glistening ones you see today. In 1553, the Spanish Franciscan priest Diego De Landa, the archbishop of the Yucatan at the time, ordered the temple razed so it could be replaced with a monastery that sits on top of the Mayan temples ruins to this day. Although its a 45-minute drive from Merida, Izamal is undoubtedly one of the Yucatan capitals crown jewels. Its also symbolic of the clash of cultures and architectural styles that make Merida a fascinating place to visit. Related story:7 things to do in or near Merida, Mexico Meridas contemporary history is inherently tied to the henequen trade. Henequen is a thread made out of the agave plant, which is also used to make mezcal and tequila. Mayans used the thread, but it wasnt until it was exported as a commodity under the Spanish in the early 1800s that it began to blossom as an industry. The henequen trade grew exponentially in the late 19th and early 20th century, peaking in 1916 when more than 70 per cent of all cultivated land in Yucatan was used for henequen production. The evidence of the wealth accumulated during henequens glory days makes up one of Meridas main attractions: the wonderfully ornate haciendas, which the industrys magnates built for themselves. Today local heritage laws protect the haciendas, and indeed all the citys buildings, including storefronts. Some, as a result, have been preserved in the form of spas, hotels, restaurants and private houses, with some of the finest examples being located along Meridas famous Paseo De Montejo. One hacienda even houses a Starbucks. Although the Spanish succeeded in wiping out large swathes of Mayan culture, including many of their texts, some impressive sites have survived. If you wanted to just visit archaeological sites all day you could be here for weeks, explains Olivia Kragen, North American representative for Yucatan Tourism. The sheer size of some of the temples around Merida is incredible in itself, and like ancient cultures, what makes the Mayans so impressive is not just their incredible architectural skills but also their penchant for astronomy. Mayan sites, such as Chichen Itza and Dzibilchaltun, which are a 90-minute and 45-minute drive outside Merida respectively, are aligned so that when the moon reaches a certain point on either the equinox or the solstice it aligns with a stone that indicates it. Mayan culture can be measured by much more than just ancient ruins, though: While most Mexicans consider Spanish their first language, 30 per cent of the people in the Yucatan today speak Yucatec Maya. Yucatan cuisine, which includes such staples as cochinita pibil, a form of pulled pork which is cooked by marinating the meat in spices before burying it underground to be cooked, can be traced to the Mayans. A quick conversation with someone of Mayan heritage will reveal just how proud they are of their culture. One hotel bartender quickly shared videos of his theatre troupes traditional Mayan musical performances. Our passionate tour guide Jose Carrillo, who showed us around Izamal, is adamant that although conquistadors tried to wipe out all traces of Mayan culture, they were doomed to fail. You can change my tradition but my heart, never, he says of the imposition of Christianity and the Spanish language on the Mayans. After a few days in Merida its easy to see where Carrillo gets his sense of pride. Cody Punter was hosted by Yucatan Tourism, which did not review or approve this story. When you go Stay in a hacienda: Merida is famous for the haciendas built during the henequen boom in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One of the things that makes their preservation so great is that many of them have been transformed into hotels. Prices vary but its possible to get a room for as little as $200 (U.S.) If youre looking for something a little more upscale and central, then the chic Casa Lecanda is your best bet, with rooms starting at $350. Visit Izamal: Izamal is about a 45-minute drive outside Merida. You can either rent a car to get there or book a tour through Yucatan Concierge. A full-day tour with a hotel pickup starts at $75. Go for a boat ride: The ocean is just a couple of hours drive from Merida. In Celestun, which is near the ocean, you can take a boat tour of the mangroves in the Celestun Biosphere Reserve, where the fresh water meets the Gulf of Mexico. There are 300 species of birds that either live in or migrate to the area, including pink flamingos. Boats can be rented for about $120. Details: playamayayucatan.com Do your research:gotoyucatan.com Read more about: SHARE: The federal government had no legal obligation to prevent on-reserve children from losing their aboriginal identities after placement in nonindigenous homes during the so-called 60s Scoop, an Ontario court heard Thursday. In urging a class action to be thrown out, a government lawyer also argued that the notion of aboriginal culture or identity is too fuzzy to render such an obligation had it existed legally enforceable. The 2009 lawsuit seeks $1.3 billion on behalf of about 16,000 indigenous children in Ontario who claim they were harmed by being placed in non-aboriginal homes from 1965 to 1984 under terms of a federal-provincial agreement. While the arguments are legally complex, one key element of the plaintiffs claim is that the government never consulted Indian bands about the child-welfare program as required by the 1965 agreement a point seized on by Ontario Superior Court Justice Edward Belobaba. The agreement, Belobaba said, appeared to have no ambiguity as to the consultation requirement. The evidence is overwhelming that not once did the federal government consult with any Indian band, Belobaba said. They had to consult with Indian bands and they didnt. Would life have been different had they been consulted? asked government lawyer Owen Young. Belobaba suggested consultations would have afforded aboriginal leaders an opportunity to provide input into the program that might have mitigated the harm of placing the children outside their communities. The government does admit that the at-risk children may well have suffered harm from loss of their indigenous identities. However, it insists it is not liable because it had no duty of care toward them an assertion Belobaba said was clearly in dispute, given the consultation requirement. Young urged the justice to consider the agreement in the context of the time it was signed, arguing that legal and social norms were still evolving and that the consequences of transracial adoptions were not well understood. In addition, the federal government was stymied by confidentiality provisions that cloaked adoptions, preventing disclosure of the identities of a childs biological parents, Young said. You must throw yourself back to 1965 and interpret it, Young said. That interpretive exercise is affected by the standard of care of the time. The lead plaintiff, Marcia Brown Martel, says it was clear Canada knew about the anger and frustration about what was happening to the children after they placed with nonindigenous families. Brown Martel, 53, a member of the Temagami First Nation near Kirkland Lake, Ont., was adopted by a non-aboriginal couple in 1972 at age nine. She later discovered the Canadian government had declared her original identity dead. Canada took no steps to assist the adopted child post-adoption, Brown Martel says in her court filings. Young also suggested there were questions about whether the court even has jurisdiction to decide the case. The hearing, which began in August, continues Friday. Read more about: SHARE: Tireless diplomats. Brave aid workers. Journalists, both staff and freelance. Travellers, some worldly, some not so much. Risk-taking Canadians, by choice, by assignment, or by terrible miscalculation. There is no one profile of those who are kidnapped no commonality of their circumstances except that they all were abducted in regions where hostage-takings are possible, even if only remotely so. Some had kidnap insurance, training and meticulous security measures. Others had nothing but the packs on their backs. It remains a rare thing, the horror of overseas abduction. But not as rare as it used to be. Nor is it likely to remain so rare in the risk-fraught years ahead. Rarity has helped keep kidnappings off the policy radar and rarity is meaningless when it happens to someone you love. Not all hostages are created equal. And thats a problem. Sailing had long been John Ridsdels passion, following in the steps of his British father, who perfected his skills in the daunting, traffic-jammed English Channel. He used to love to tell the story of how his dad on a whim went out and bought a sailboat when my dad was in his early 20s, said Ridsdels daughter in an interview. And so my dad said Ah, huh, I better learn how to sail. So he did. He went and took a sailing course for a week and showed up and said, All right, lets do this. Robert Halls family used to tease him about being too much of a romantic, in love with being in love. He was never boring, thats certain. Robert is the most interesting man in the world! was the family joke, his sister Bonice Thomas says. From earning money to put food on the table as a welder, to learning to fly a plane, learning to drive a race car or to sail the Pacific alone, he would just take on these huge things. And he would really do his homework, find mentorship, read everything he needed to get there and then just do it, she said. Right up until the end, when it seemed all but certain Hall would be killed by his kidnappers, he refused his Filipina fiancees pleadings that he try to escape, saying he would not leave her behind. He was killed. She was later spared. In the hierarchy of Canadians hostages, Ridsdel and Hall were near the top. Two men, enjoying their retirement in the Philippines, strangers until they were taken together by the Abu Sayyaf Group on a night in September 2015. Wrong place, wrong time. Everyone can have sympathy for that terrible luck. The kidnappers stormed the marina looking for any lucrative prisoners. Had Hall not had trouble sleeping and turned on the light to make popcorn, maybe he would have been spared. Had Ridsdel not valiantly tried to save fellow sailors, perhaps he would be alive today. That is so like John while everyone else was hiding in their boats when they heard the commotion, he went to see if he could help, says Sherry McCampbell, who was at the marina on her boat at the time of the abduction. That sounds like something my dad would do, says Ridsdels daughter when she hears the story. She asked that her name not be published due to privacy concerns. These stories are only told in full now, in the wake of their deaths. That is partly by design as the governments advice to Canadian families in the grip of a hostage crisis is always Dont talk about it. But sometimes the strategy of silence feeds an indifference in a public that never learns much about the hostages or their terrified families until its too late. It also relieves pressure on politicians to act. There are no hashtag campaigns for release. No marches on Parliament Hill, no obligation for Ottawa to learn how allies are progressing toward a 21st-century response to a distinctly 21st-century problem. Bob Rae has seen this play out both as a member of parliament and as Ridsdels friend. He says families suffer the most from the indifference. The fundamental thing is that youve got to put the families first and youve got to put everything else second. You really do, said Rae. To me, its not about how somebody gets into trouble. The fundamental legal and moral obligation is, Well, theyre Canadians and therefore we have an obligation to them. For four years, the Boyle family has been forced to imagine what life is like for Joshua Boyle, his American wife, Caitlan Coleman, and their two baby boys, both delivered in captivity. They are still held by the Taliban-linked Haqqani Network. The family has also had to deal with the publics he-got-what-he-deserved dismissals. Boyle, 33, and Coleman, 31, have been pilloried as foolish backpackers. But is death the price to pay for naivety? Amanda Lindhout was dismissed as a naive freelance journalist who irresponsibly travelled to Somalia. Her mom, Lorinda Stewart, said she tried to surround herself with only positive people during Amandas 460 days of hell as she raised the $600,000 needed to free her daughter. I couldnt avoid the comments at times, she says. I even had two family members in particular who just outright said, Its her own damn fault and why should we pay money for her mistake? It was a rough ride. But when Lindhout revealed the details of what she endured in captivity in her book A House in theSky, public opinion shifted. Lindhout, whose story is being made into a Hollywood film, now brings audiences to tears during speeches that talk of forgiveness and perseverance. Jim Loney and Harmeet Singh Sooden, members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams, did generate sympathy when they were held for 118 days in Iraq, but once released, the attacks began. Why were they in Iraq? Why were taxpayers dollars wasted on securing their release when they willingly wandered into danger? They were lambasted for later continuing with their messages of peace when men of war had saved them. Colin Rutherford, who travelled to Afghanistan to study history, was freed in January after five years of brutal Taliban custody. Score for Colin, he goes to a lawless war zone to sightsee and five years later gets to come back to Canada fluent in Pashto and Dari, said one online commentator on a news story about Rutherfords suffering. What is your next go to place to visit Colin? Raqqa, Syria? Perhaps the most tragic case was the bizarre tale of Beverley Giesbrecht. Hers is not a name many Canadians know. Ive been held now for three months, and my embassy has not done anything for me, she says, her voice breaking in a video her captors forced her to make. I have guns to my head. I could be killed at any moment. She died, sick and broken, after being held for two years in the Taliban-controlled region of Pakistan. Her kidnappers were demanding only $1,200 ransom by the end little more than a weeks salary for the average Canadian, yet enough to save a life. Bev was an aggressive magazine publisher who was both charismatic and fearless, longtime friend Glen Cooper told the Star. I will never stop missing her. Giesbrecht was also an outlier with a tragic past, bouts of substance abuse, and, after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, she lost herself in a cloud of conspiracy theories. She started a website called Jihad Unspun and converted to Islam, adopting the name Khadija Abdul Qahaar. Against all advice, she left Vancouver to make a film in Pakistan, where she was set up and kidnapped. I was not told about the low ransom, says Cooper, who was the Canadian governments point of contact for the case. I would have paid it on the spot. Much of Giesbrechts kidnapping and presumed death in 2010 her body was never found remains a mystery. But her friends believe that despite an RCMP investigation called Project Spiel, her background did matter, as there was little pressure on a government already reluctant to waste political capital on a Canadian considered a jihadi sympathizer. Documents obtained first by CBC under Access to Information legislation show that while the government was publicly proclaiming the case into her death remained open in 2011, foreign affairs officials had told the RCMP to stop investigating. Its like this bizarre phenomenon at least in the U.S. and Canada, where our citizens do not give a s--- about our citizens, says a security consultant who has worked to free hostages and was interviewed by the Star but asked for anonymity. The analogy I give is when people go swimming we have lifeguards and lifeguards are generally saving the dumbasses that get in over their head and they cant swim too well. Its rarely a riptide. But we have lifeguards and to me thats how we have to view this hostage business. SHARE: SKETCH, a Toronto art space that works with street-involved, homeless and at-risk youth, has been awarded the annual $50,000 Ruth Atkinson Hindmarsh Award (RAHA). The Atkinson Foundation and Hindmarsh family, who support the award, presented it to SKETCH Thursday night during a celebration of the art spaces 20th anniversary. Now in its 18th year, the Ruth Atkinson Hindmarsh Award is given to an Ontario organization whose work supports children and youth living in precarious situations. Its namesake, Ruth Atkinson Hindmarsh, was a life-long advocate for disadvantaged children and youth and president of the Atkinson Foundation until her death in 1994. At SKETCH, young people can access unparalleled opportunities, find a sense of belonging and purpose in a community that encourages creative skill-building, said Emily Mathieu, who presented the award on behalf of the Hindmarsh family. Mathieu is Atkinson Hindmarshs great-granddaughter and a reporter for the Toronto Star. Without these kinds of supports, its often difficult for homeless youth to move towards a more meaningful path, she said. My great grandmother understood the need to bridge that gap. I know she would be very happy with SKETCH being honoured this year. SKETCH runs programs focusing on several disciplines, including visual arts, culinary arts, music, movement and performance arts, textile arts and screen printing, and also 10-week skill-building workshops that end with a showcase for street-involved and homeless youth. It also serves lunch and dinner during programs, which works out to about 5,000 meals a year, and is accessed by over 850 youth every year. More than 10,000 youth have participated in SKETCH programs since its inception in 1996. What were doing, basically, is working and partnering with young people . . . to invite them to look at their creativity, build upon those skills and develop all kinds of opportunities through the art, SKETCH program director Rose Gutierrez explained. On top of funding existing programs, the award will also help support a new program aimed at young parents with babies or small children, Gutierrez said. Its a program SKETCH was running with basically no funding before. With this money, were able to build a deeper engagement. Were able to build leadership with young people who are young parents through the arts, she said. Theres lots of support in terms of them being with young babies, but not so much in terms of them as young individuals, so this investment is about them, which, in turn, is an investment in their kids. Over the years, we have seen that young parents are a vulnerable, desperately underserved community, and face much stigma, SKETCH founder and artistic director Phyllis Novak said. This award helps us engage young parents and have a positive impact on the health, wellbeing, and sense of purpose and belonging of their families. When these young parents become more resilient and capable, they go on to build creative careers and lead social change, as do their children. The award presentation was just one part of SKETCHs massive 20th birthday party. Hundreds of attendees had the chance to explore part of SKETCHs 7,500 sq.-ft. facility, where, along the main hallway, a massive timeline art exhibit highlighted key points in each year of SKETCHs 20-year history. The collage-style pieces for each year, which stretched from floor to ceiling, featured newspaper clippings and small write-ups explaining the significance of certain programs, and also photos of youth taking part in activities such as drawing, painting, dance and spoken-word poetry. Many of the programs and art pieces revolved around themes of identity, including being indigenous, black, queer, or even identifying with the punk subculture. There was also a small marketplace, where SKETCH artists sold wares ranging from jewelry to paintings to clothing. Performances by dancers, musicians and poets peppered the evening. This is really a celebration of 20 years of home-making, said Novak, who began tearing up as she thanked the 10,000 youth who have participated in SKETCH programs for bringing their creativity and energy to our house. SHARE: A man convicted of sexually assaulting a woman while she was clearly too intoxicated to consent failed to show up to his sentencing hearing Thursday and may have fled the province. Moazzam Tariq, 29, was on $10,000 bail pending sentencing and had surrendered his passport. He was required to live with his father, his surety, and had to be home between the hours of 10 p.m and 6 a.m. Tariqs father last spoke to Tariq on Nov. 24, Crown prosecutor Jill Witkin told the court. Tariq said he was in Vancouver on business, but would return for his Dec. 1 court date. Tariq stopped returning his fathers calls and his father came to court on Nov. 24 to remove himself as a surety. A warrant for Tariqs arrest was issued. His lawyer Danielle Robitaille told the court it had been days since she last spoke to Tariq and that she did not expect him to appear in court. Ontario Court Justice Mara Greene found that Tariq has absconded to avoid being sentenced and ordered that the sentencing hearing proceed without him. The Crown is seeking a sentence of three years in prison. The victim, whose identity is subject to a publication ban, and Tariq first met at a downtown Toronto club, and he immediately and repeatedly encouraged her to drink vodka. When they left the club together 13 minutes later, she could barely walk, surveillance video shows. The last surveillance video from that night shows them in an elevator going up to a room at the Thompson Hotel. Tariq was alert and upbeat, the victim appeared to be very intoxicated, lethargic, and, at times, dazed, Greene found. I am satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that (the victim) did not appreciate where she was or what she was doing, Greene wrote in her decision. (She) did not realize she could refuse to go with Mr. Tariq and say no to sexual intercourse. Prosecutor Nathan Kruger argued Tariq showed a callous disregard for the victims will, autonomy and dignity prior to the rape. Surveillance video from the club clearly shows Tariq ignoring the victims signs of impairment and her intentions by touching her, grinding against her and encouraging her to drink after she refused, he said. (The sexual assault) was planned, deliberate and demonstrative of a significant amount of power and control over (the complainant), he said, adding that Tariq isolated the victim and assaulted her at a time of complete vulnerability. Kruger argued the sentence imposed should deter this type of behaviour that is normalized or even encouraged in bars and clubs. Robtaille, Tariqs lawyer, was removed as his counsel at her request and did not make submissions. Victim Impact Statement View document on Scribd In a three-and-a-half page impact statement submitted to the court, the victim, now 26, described the horror of waking in a hotel room with no memory of how she got there, but knowing something was terribly wrong. My friends came to get me and I collapsed into their arms, I couldnt stop crying and I could barely breathe, she said. She questioned how Tariqs behaviour could go unchecked in public especially when she could barely walk or stand unsupported in the hotel lobby and when she did not sign her own name on the check-in form. If even one person stopped to ask if I was okay, this might not have happened. I will never know, she said. But, now, when I see someone who is so intoxicated they can barely walk being carried away, I always ask if they are okay. You never know if the person with them is a predator. Farrah Khan, the coordinator for sexual violence education and support at Ryerson University, has begun using the shocking surveillance videos from this case in training workshops for servers and bartenders, so they can discuss how to intervene in similar circumstances. Sometimes its distracting the person with the woman so someone can speak to her and find out if there is someone she needs to call or if shes okay or getting her away by asking to come to the bathroom or share a cab. It could even be ensuring that people who are not behaving appropriately know they are being watched. Sometimes people who are commit acts or are planning to commit acts, when they know someone is watching them, they are less likely to keep going, she says. People often talk about their fear of being wrong, feeling awkward or that its none of their business, she says. Check in a way that feels safe for you, she says. This is your community. These are people are in your community. The Crown had not been informed of the warrant issued last week, prompting Greene to ask about a better process to keep the victim and the court informed should Tariq be apprehended. A date for a sentencing hearing is tentatively set for Dec. 19. SHARE: KITCHENER Robert Badgerow has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Diane Werendowicz. After 35 years, four trials and now two days of deliberations, the former Dofasco steelworkers precedent setting journey through the Canadian legal system has arrived at this long awaited verdict. The six men and six women of the jury began hearing evidence in mid-September. Dianes nephew, Karl Werendowicz and his mother Lorraine were often in the courtroom throughout the trial. Badgerow, who has been living in Binbrook with his family, has been supported in court by his mother, father (and his girlfriend), his brother and his eldest son. Badgerow raped, strangled and drowned Diane in a Stoney Creek ravine in June 1981. Diane, a nursing assistant on a geriatric ward at McMaster hospital, was just days away from her 24th birthday when girlfriends talked her into going out for a few beers at Malarkeys bar. Diane left alone around midnight, saying she was heading home. She never made it there. Children found her body face-down in a ravine creek behind her apartment. She was partially undressed and a tire had been placed on her head. The case went cold for 17 years before new DNA testing determined Badgerows semen was inside Diane. He was charged with first degree murder. Badgerow, 58, has always maintained he had anonymous, consensual sex with Diane in his car in a bar parking lot and that after she left him someone else killed her on her short walk home. Badgerows defence lawyers have put forward Brian Miller, a convicted serial rapist who lived in Dianes apartment building, as the alternate suspect. But his DNA was not found on Diane or at the crime scene. The jury at Badgerows first trial in 2001 found him guilty but the verdict was overturned on appeal. Jurors at a second trial in 2010 could not come to a unanimous decision and so a hung jury was declared. The very same thing happened again at his third trial in 2011. After that, a judge stayed the charge against Badgerow, saying justice had run its course. But the Crown appealed and the Supreme Court of Canada upheld an Ontario Court of Appeal decision to allow another trial, making Badgerow the first person in Canada to be tried four times on the same first degree murder charge. The jury at this trial heard evidence for the first time about the location of a phone booth where police and the Crown believe a 911 call was made from three days after the murder. The male caller knew intimate details of the crime scene. Past jurors had listened to the call, but were not allowed to hear that it likely came from a pay phone just steps away from where Badgerow worked at Hot Mill 1 at Dofasco and that the call was placed while he was working. None of the four juries heard that Badgerow was once on trial for the attempted murder of another woman. Debbie Robertson was attacked just seven weeks after Dianes murder and within half a kilometre of where her body was found. She was fondled, beaten and stabbed through her ear with a screwdriver. She told paramedics and police that she knew her attacker from high school. While in her hospital bed, she pointed the man out in her Orchard Park yearbook Robert Badgerow. Investigators interviewed Badgerow, but believed his alibi that he was watching TV with his fiance when Debbie was attacked. And so her case, and Dianes, went cold for 17 years until another team of detectives linked the two attacks and collected cast-off DNA from Badgerow. Badgerow went on trial for the attempted murder of Debbie. But by then, key witnesses had died and some evidence had gone missing. The judge stopped the trial after a few days and stayed the charge against Badgerow. Nobody has ever been convicted for the attack on Debbie. Recap: Robert Badgerow murder conviction SHARE: Ryerson University has expressed concern about complaints of anti-Semitism that erupted at a student union meeting this week after students made a motion to mark Holocaust education week on campus every year. The university is very concerned about allegations at a recent RSU (Ryerson Students Union) meeting, Johanna VanderMaas, manager of public affairs, said in an email Thursday. We are committed to providing a civil and safe environment which is free of discrimination, harassment and hate, and is respectful of the rights, responsibilities, well-being and dignity of all of its members. VanderMaas confirmed that Ryerson president Mohammed Lachemi had met with Obaid Ullah, head of the student union, to discuss the matter. Ullah said the student union is also investigating the allegations, which he called disturbing. Lachemis office has also spoken with one of the students who made the claims to provide support, guidance and to ensure their concerns are heard and contacted the Jewish student organization Hillel Ryerson, she said. The alleged incident took place Tuesday evening at an RSU general meeting, during which a student introduced a motion to commemorate Holocaust education week with events to teach and remember the tragedy. Third-year student Aedan OConnor, there to support the motion, said she and other students were subject to jeers and snickers when they spoke, which escalated to anti-Semitic comments. She also accused two groups of orchestrating a spontaneous walkout so quorum would be lost at the meeting, and with it an opportunity to vote on the motion for Holocaust remembrance which both groups denied. Several students left crying and having panic attacks, said OConnor, 20, a member of Hillel Ryerson. Some posted their experiences on the RSU and other Facebook pages. Neither Ullah or Tamara Jones, RSU vice-president of equity, said they heard any derogatory remarks from their positions on stage at the front of the room. But they said the union is disturbed by the claims. The motion for a week to mark the Holocaust has the support of the board and will likely be approved at the next meeting, said Ullah. At the end of the day we have zero tolerance for this, he said. We do not tolerate any form of oppression. Its not fair for these students to feel upset, or negative or hear such negativity on their own campus. He said he has met with two Jewish groups, Hillel Ryerson and Students Supporting Israel, and theyve been assured they have our support and the universitys support. Ullah said the controversy broke out more than three hours into the meeting, after many attending to support earlier motions had left, and attendance was hovering around the required quorum level of 100 people. When someone proposed the motion regarding Holocaust education week be broadened to a week commemorating all genocides, it definitely caused a lot of heat in the room, he said, adding that proposal was not appropriate. News of the allegations quickly spread on social media and sparked condemnation from such groups as Bnai Brith Canada and Hillel Ontario. Jones said since the meeting, she has heard from half a dozen upset students and expects to hear from more. Im shocked and disheartened that any of this had to happen, said Jones. Both groups accused of orchestrating the walkout strongly denied it on Facebook and did not respond to media requests. Allegations that we organized or directed the loss of quorum are completely false and hurtful, said a post from the Ryerson Muslim Students Association. We strongly believe in free speech, the right for all paying members of the RSU to put forth motions, and the importance of motions being debated and put to a democratic vote. A statement from the executive of Students for Justice in Palestine said it supports the call for a week to commemorate the Holocaust at Ryerson and did not engage in any manner in the planned walkout. Read more about: SHARE: When Mayor John Tory announced his proposal to implement modest tolls on the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway last week, it was no surprise when the announcement turned out to be controversial. Theres a vocal group of people who believe the city government is little more than an elaborate money-wasting machine and who oppose any new revenue proposal on those grounds. Theres also a vocal group who think there is no more virtuous an action in life one can take than driving a car and who view providing unfettered, free access to road space for automobiles as the most sacred, and urgent, service a government can deliver. To the extent that the voting block we called Ford Nation was more than a personality cult, these two opinions formed the very basis of its ideology. And so there was Doug Ford out promoting his book, rhetorically rolling coal against the proposal and threatening to run for mayor again to oppose it. The battle lines are well dug in on that front, Im not sure much is to be gained by rehashing the same arguments about road pricing that are already well developed although an op-ed in the Star by three academics on Thursday did a good job of outlining the basic case in favour of tolls and congestion charges (including the observation that in places where theyre implemented, support for them actually goes up after people have started paying them and seeing the results). But one argument in particular, one equally common outside the Ford Nation political umbrella, is worth taking a close look at. It says that you need to provide better transit alternatives before charging for road use into and out of the congested core. The thinking here, reasonable enough on its face, is that many of Torontos poorest people live in the far corners of the city where they are very poorly served by public transit, and it would be unfair and regressive to charge them for driving into downtown when they cant reasonably commute by TTC. The problem with this argument is that facts dont support the assertion that it is poor people in the transit-deprived inner suburbs driving into downtown right now. The longtime transit journalist Stephen Wickens recently pointed out on Twitter and in the Beach Metro News that a third of all car trips to downtown originate in two planning districts: midtown Toronto (District 4) and the Danforth/Beaches area (District 6). This lines up with information I pointed to last summer by transit planner Laurence Lui that shows the city wards with the highest percentage of car trips downtown in the morning are mostly clustered adjacent to downtown the Beaches, The Danforth, East York, Corso Italia, Don Valley, Yonge-Eglinton and central Etobicoke among them. (The only ward where car use is more prevalent than transit for morning trips into the downtown core is the ward including the Beach). These are not what people call transit deserts many of these neighbourhoods have subway lines running through them or next to them or quick streetcar or bus access to the subway. What they do have going for them is that their residents are, on average, affluent enough to consider car travel an option (including gas and parking costs) and that theyre close enough to downtown to make a car trip less of a nightmare than it is from further away. Meanwhile, in the notoriously worst transit areas of Toronto also known to be lower-income areas people are already using the TTC to get downtown. In the ward that includes Jane and Finch, 83 per cent of morning trips into the core are on transit. In the northeast Scarborough ward that includes Malvern, 79 per cent of downtown-bound morning commuters take transit. In short: the people with the best access to transit (other than those living inside the downtown core already) are the most likely to drive to work downtown, and the people with the worst transit service are the most likely to be suffering on the bus. (It is probably important to note that these are travel patterns into downtown travel patterns to other destinations are remarkably different. Most people in the inner and outer suburbs do drive to work, to other places in the inner suburbs or the outer suburbs. They just dont drive in high numbers if theyre going into the downtown core. Since the DVP and Gardiner, where tolls are proposed, serve traffic into and out of the core, and since much of the transit were proposing to build including the Relief Line, SmartTrack and Scarborough subway extension are primarily about facilitating riders going into and out of the core, I think the specifics of those trips, and the ways they differ from other trips, are especially relevant.) This doesnt change the urgency of improving transit service across the board if anything, it increases it. Those using the TTC the most to get downtown are suffering long, long commute times, on notoriously overcrowded vehicles. Those with easier access to fast transit are not using it to get downtown, presumably because it is unpleasantly overcrowded or unreliable and because they have the means to consider cars and alternative. What it does change is the calculation of what our priorities and strategies might be. Drivers into the core mostly have transit options, but choose driving because they can afford to and it is more attractive, so perhaps asking them to pay directly for the privilege is reasonable. Those most likely to use transit appear to be doing so out of necessity its clearly not because its so fast and convenient for them and also suffer the least convenient commutes, and so raising TTC fares on them even higher is perhaps less reasonable. The imperative to focus on building better transit (as a service to those who need it and as an enticement to those who have choices) is obvious. In this context, tolls on the main car routes into and out of downtown appear like an all the more justified way to help fund it. Edward Keenan writes on city issues ekeenan@thestar.ca . Follow: @thekeenanwire SHARE: When William Lyon Mackenzie tried overthrowing the Upper Canada government in December of 1837, a tavern north of modern-day Yonge and Eglinton became his command post and last stand. Montgomerys Tavern housed Mackenzie and roughly 1,000 armed rebels. Frustrated with the British colonys stuffy, oligarchic political elite (many of whom resided in Toronto), the rebels demanded American-style democracy at gunpoint. Mackenzie was an eloquent, charismatic politician and journalist. But he was no general. His first plan of attack marching down Yonge St. assumed citizens overwhelmingly supported his cause. In short, they didnt. A militia company turned back Mackenzies assault at Yonge and College streets with just a few shots. And on December 7, about 1,000 militiamen marched north to return the favour with artillery. The rebels stood their ground briefly as cannon fire mauled Montgomerys Tavern. What remained was looted and left to burn. The site later hosted Postal Station K, a beloved Canada Post office. Mackenzie continued sporadic resistance against Upper Canada on Navy Island, but quickly gave it up for self-imposed exile in New York. Something he didnt surrender: chutzpah. In 1849, Mackenzie returned to Canada after a pardon, ran for Parliament and won. SHARE: A Toronto sergeant has apologized for his role in a brutal attack on a prisoner inside a downtown Toronto police station, admitting I didnt do my job as the officer in charge of the booking hall. Sgt. Richard Rowsome pleaded guilty to one count of neglect of duty at the Toronto police tribunal Wednesday in connection to a bizarre case involving an assault by a former Toronto parking officer inside a police station. In April, 2011 Keith Ryan was being held in a booking cell at Toronto polices 14 Division on Dovercourt Rd. following his alleged assault on parking officer Devon Henry at Ossington Ave. and Queen St. W. Ryan was taken into custody, but 90 minutes later Henry went into the police station, somehow made his way to the room where Ryan was being held, and punched Ryan in the face and ribs. Henry was later fired and found guilty of the assault. An assault charge against Ryan was dismissed. Ryan claimed Henry was not the only officer who attacked him inside the booking hall that night. He alleged that Toronto police officers Const. Paul Ramos and Const. Manpreet Kharbar held his arms back while Henry punched him in the face, then continued to beat him up after Henry left. Following an investigation by the Special Investigations Unit, Ontarios police watchdog, Ramos and Manpreet were charged with assault. They were later cleared in 2014 by a judge who nonetheless said a thick cloud of suspicion hung over the case. During that trial, allegations arose that Rowsome, who was in charge of the booking hall, turned his back on the situation by not immediately reporting the incident. Testifying as a witness, Rowsome admitted in court that he heard sounds of a fight coming from the room where Ryan was being held, but let Henry leave unquestioned. Ryan was treated in hospital for injuries to his face, including a left bleeding eye, a two-inch cut on his face and a cracked left cheekbone. He suffered permanent bone damage to his cheekbone and jaw. At the tribunal, Rowsome admitted he failed to abide by the Toronto police service policy to keep Ryan safe. I know that I didnt do my job, I know that booking hall is my responsibility, Rowsome told investigators with the Office of the Independent Police Review Director, according to the agreed statement of facts read out at the tribunal Wednesday. I didnt see that parking officer come in that room and I should have been in place that that wouldnt be allowed. Rowsomes lawyer, Joseph Markson, apologized to Ryan on the sergeants behalf, saying his client was personally and professionally remorseful. I appreciate the apology, Ryan told the tribunal, adding its been a stressful scenario for everyone. Markson called the incident an aberration in an otherwise exemplary career. Rowsome has no previous misconduct convictions. Markson, Toronto police prosecutor Philip Wright, and Ryan are all asking for a penalty of seven days docked pay. Ryan has an ongoing $2.3-million civil suit against the Toronto police. Wendy Gillis can be reached at wgillis@thestar.ca SHARE: Tap water in some areas of Toronto might smell and taste odd, but the city says its not dangerous to drink. There were taste and smell problems on Thursday night and Friday morning, but nothing that posed a health risk, said Toronto Water general manager Lou Di Gironimo. The drinking water was entirely safe throughout the whole time, Di Gironimo told reporters at city hall. The problem affected the lower city in East York and downtown, Di Gironimo said. A number of residents there complained their water had a metallic or sulfuric taste, or smelled like boiled eggs. Di Gironimo said overnight staff found that problem was related to system upgrades at the R.C. Harris Treatment Plant. The boiled egg stink is from the aluminum sulphate (alum) thats used in water treatment, City of Toronto spokesperson Ellen Leesti said. The alum generated a gas called hydrogen sulphide that resembles the smell of boiled eggs, Leesti said. Alum is commonly used in baking, Di Gironimo said. Despite the chlorine taste to the water, chlorine levels were never dangerous, Di Gironimo said. We never, ever exceed the maximum allowable concentration, he said. Hydrogen sulphide entered treated drinking water after some system upgrades to a basin at the R.C. Harris Treatment Plant, Di Gironimo said. Leesti said the basin in question was taken out of operation and the taste and odour problems should have dissipated by the end of Friday. The problems were noted by the Gerrard East Community Organization, with complaints from as far west as Bathurst St. SHARE: Progressive Conservatives and Liberals have banded together to formally denounce the controversial BDS movement that targets Israel. Led by Tory MPP Gila Martow (Thornhill) and with support from Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca, members voted 49-5 in favour of a motion condemning the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign for promoting hatred, hostility, prejudice, racism and intolerance. Only the New Democrats opposed censuring the Israeli boycott movement. This is a very emotional issue, Martow said Thursday. Echoing Premier Kathleen Wynnes statement in Israel during her trade mission there earlier this year, Del Duca said that the Ontario government strongly rejects the BDS movement. While NDP MPP Jagmeet Singh (Bramalea-Gore-Malton) agreed that combating racism is paramount he expressed concern that the motion was contrary to the right to dissent. Berl Nadler, co-chair of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said BDS unfairly takes aim at Israeli businesses, academics and artists, adding that it can provide cover to anti-Semites. But its supporters insist BDS only boycotts businesses and institutions that contribute toward violations of Palestinians rights, notably through Jewish settlements in the West Bank. It is defamatory to suggest that those advocating for human rights through non-violent actions stand for hatred, Atif Kubursi, of the Canadian Arab Federation, said in a statement. Read more about: SHARE: SYDNEYUnder a new Australian law, convicted terrorists can be kept in prison years after the completion of their sentences if a court believes they still pose a significant threat to the community. The law, which cleared its last significant hurdle with approval by the Senate on Thursday, is part of a bundle of counterterrorism measures approved by legislators and aimed at strengthening national security. Another measure, passed last week, allows police to enforce so-called control orders to monitor children as young as 14 if they were thought to be involved in or planning a terrorist act. It is a necessary response to the serious threat that terrorism poses to Australia and its people, the attorney general, George Brandis, who introduced both of the bills, told Parliament on Thursday. Under the law, a court may order prisoners to be held for up to three years after their sentences are completed. After that period, the court can decide to extend them further, and there is no limit to the number of extensions the court may grant. The bill passed with the support of the opposition Labor Party, and Pauline Hanson, a senator from the One Nation party, and Nick Xenophon, a senator from South Australia who leads the Nick Xenophon Team. The left-wing Greens party voted against it, saying the law would erode civil liberties and human rights. What is just or predictable about being told 12 months before your sentence is due to finish that the government intends to apply to keep you in prison for another three years? Nick McKim, a Greens senator, said in Parliament on Thursday. One lawmaker who voted against the bill, David Leyonhjelm, from the Liberal Democratic Party, said, No amount of window dressing can hide the fact that this is a fundamental assault on a basic human right. It amounts to imprisonment without trial. We should not be able to effectively impose life imprisonment on someone who was not originally sentenced to life imprisonment. The Australian Human Rights Commission said there are 15 people in prison who could be subjected to the extended prison terms. And Brandis said about 110 Australians were known to be fighting with militant groups in Iraq or Syria, 40 had returned from those countries and an additional 200 were being investigated on suspicion of links to terrorists. Australia already allows for the indefinite detention of some sex offenders, and previously, children as young as 16 could be subjected to control orders without being charged with a crime. Those measures restrict who they may associate with, and when, and allow authorities to impose curfews. The new laws reflect the governments increasing concern over the radicalization of young people and the potential for attacks by so-called lone wolves. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Australia must remain hard-headed as we assess the evolving threat. In an address on national security last week that touched on the new laws, Turnbull said a single terrorist could wreak devastation. He cited the attack in Nice, France, in July that left 84 dead after a man drove a truck through revelers celebrating Bastille Day. Legislators passed the bill on extending the detention of high-risk offenders after significant amendments narrowed its scope and increased safeguards for prisoners. Under the law, a judge must be satisfied that a prisoner poses a significant threat and that no other measures can effectively contain that threat. The law itself must be reviewed in six years. Both bills were debated and redrafted in the months after a 15-year-old boy fatally shot an accountant, Curtis Cheng, in October last year. Cheng worked at Police Headquarters in Parramatta, a suburb of Sydney. Police shot and killed the boy. The president of the Law Council of Australia, Stuart Clark, said he was concerned that the governments threshold for whether a person still represented a risk was too low. And Elaine Pearson, the Australia director of Human Rights Watch, said, The law will facilitate the indefinite and arbitrary detention of prisoners. If the government had evidence a prisoner still posed a threat to society, she said, that person should be charged. Pearson said control orders imposed serious restrictions on children. They follow Australias increasing tendency toward enacting counterterrorism legislation that incrementally chips away at fundamental rights, she said. SHARE: WASHINGTONThe sons of convicted spy Ethel Rosenberg returned to the White House on Thursday, more than 50 years after pleading unsuccessfully to spare her life, in a last-ditch appeal to President Barack Obama to exonerate her amid new evidence. Rosenberg was executed in 1953 along with her husband, Julius, after being convicted of conspiring to pass secrets about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. But court records made public last year through a judges order cast doubt on the conventional narrative of a Cold War espionage case that captivated the country. This is our mother were talking about, Robert Meeropol, one of Rosenbergs two sons, said as he stood outside the White House gates. Since we cant bring her back to life, there could be nothing more satisfying to us than to have the government acknowledge that this shouldnt have happened, that this was wrong. The new documents showed that Ethel Rosenbergs brother, whose damning trial testimony against her and her husband helped secure the couples conviction, had never implicated his sister in an earlier appearance before a grand jury. The brother, David Greenglass, offered the grand jury no evidence of his sisters direct involvement and said he never discussed such matters with his sister. As young boys, Robert and Michael Meeropol visited the White House in 1953 in a failed bid to get President Dwight Eisenhower to prevent their parents executions. Half a century later, the brothers approached a guard booth outside the White House and asked to deliver their letter to Obama. They were turned away by U.S. Secret Service. Ok, well, we tried, Michael Meeropol said as he stood in the sun, peering through the gate at the West Wing. Thank you very much, anyway. No matter, the brothers said. Theyve already sent a hard copy to Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, and are hoping Obama will act before leaving office. Im sure well take a look, said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. He said he was not aware of any work that has been done thus far on the brothers request. Both brothers argued that a national reckoning over an erroneous execution is crucial, perhaps now more than ever. We have gone through cycles in our history of hysteria, targeting people, over punishing, framing people. Were in danger of that happening again, Michael Meeropol said. Recognizing that in the past weve done things we shouldnt have done might be a cautionary tale. The Meeropols are not seeking a presidential pardon, saying that would suggest their mother was guilty. They instead are seeking a public exoneration, akin to a 1977 statement by then-Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis on behalf of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, Italian immigrants who were convicted for a 1920 murder and later executed. That proclamation said the trial was permeated by prejudice and that any stigma and disgrace should be forever removed from their names. Its not clear what action, if any, the Obama administration will take in its waning weeks. But Rosenbergs supporters believe their prospects are dim once President-elect Donald Trump takes office, in part because Roy Cohn, once a lawyer for Trump, was a member of the Justice Departments prosecution team against the Rosenbergs. The ghost of Ethel Rosenberg is going to haunt the White House once Donald Trump takes office, Robert Meeropol said. The Rosenbergs both maintained their innocence, though the Meeropols are requesting only Ethels exoneration. The sons said thats because they believe their father was legally guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage, though they argue he didnt engage in atomic spying and shouldnt have been executed. Ethel Rosenbergs supporters believe their cause was helped by the 2015 release of Greenglass grand jury testimony, which a federal judge in New York unsealed after Greenglass death in response to a request from historians and archivists. That 1950 testimony conflicted with statements Greenglass made a year later during the couples trial. He was indicted as a co-conspirator and served 10 years in prison. Greenglass said he had given the Rosenbergs research data he had obtained while working as an Army machinist at the Los Alamos, New Mexico, headquarters of the top-secret Manhattan Project to build the atomic bomb. He said he recalled seeing his older sister transcribing handwritten notes to give to the Soviets on a portable typewriter at the Rosenbergs New York apartment in 1945. But the grand jury records show no mention of the typing and indicate he appeared to minimize his dealings with his sister. Greenglass told the grand jury that Julius Rosenberg was adamant that he should continue with his Army service so he could continue giving him information, but when asked whether his sister was similarly insistent, he replied, I said before, and say it again, honestly, this is a fact: I never spoke to my sister about this at all. Decades after the trial, Greenglass was quoted by a New York Times journalist as having admitted to testifying that his sister typed the notes in order to protect his wife. In a May decision ordering the records unsealed, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein noted that Greenglass said in his new statements that it was likely his wife, Ruth Greenglass, rather than Ethel Rosenberg, who typed up the notes. The brothers were adopted following their parents executions and changed their last name. Read more about: SHARE: A retired couple from Woodstock, Ont., is among the 13 dead after a firestorm ravaged the city of Gatlinburg, Tenn., this week. Marilyn and John Tegler had been spending time at their vacation home in Smoky Mountains, Tenn., to celebrate American Thanksgiving. Two of the nicest people who would do anything for you, Dave Lapointe told the Star of his wife Marnies parents. Lapointe said the Canadian couple had moved to Peachtree City, Ga., two decades ago for Johns work. He described John as an avid golfer who worked as a corporate accountant and said Marilyn had worked as an administrative assistant before she retired. Lapointe said they had three children: Scott Tegler, Marnie Lapointe and Jessica Tegler. They are going to be greatly missed by all of us. Its just a tragic way to go, Lapointe said. The couple tried to flee the fast-spreading flames of a wildfire on Monday night but werent able to reach safety, he said. They didnt make it out of the mountains, Dave Lapointe told The Canadian Press. They were found close to the home. Family members were contacted about the pairs death on Thursday night, Lapointe said, noting that his wife was on her way to Tennessee with her brother. We lost two good people, said Lapointe. They were very family oriented, all around nice people. In addition to their Smoky Mountains vacation home, the Teglers, who had dual American and Canadian citizenship, still shad a residence in Georgia as well, Lapointe said. They were going to go back to Georgia for a few weeks and return for Christmas up here, he said. Its just a tragic end. They were together and they were in a place they liked to be. On Friday, people in cars and trucks rolled into the wildfire-ravaged city on to get a first look at what remained of their homes and businesses. Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters also increased the number of buildings damaged, saying it now approaches 1,000. I cant describe to you the feelings we have over this tragedy, he said during a news conference with the governor and U.S. senators. Local officials, bowing to pressure from frustrated property owners, said they would allow people back into most parts of the city Friday morning. Residents have to pass through a checkpoint and must show some proof of ownership or residency, Gatlinburg City Manager Cindy Cameron Ogle said. The city is not implying that private property is safe, she said. People may encounter downed power lines or other hazards. Among those anxiously waiting to return was Tracy Mayberry. He and his wife, 12-year-old son and five dogs have bounced between hotels since they were forced to evacuate their rental home Monday night. They were struggling to find a place to stay Thursday as many lodges began to discontinue the special rates for evacuees. It feels like Gatlinburg is more worried about how to rebuild than they are about their people, he said. The dead included a Memphis couple who was separated from their three sons during the wildfires. The three young men Jared, Wesley and Branson Summers learned that their parents had died as they were recovering in the hospital. The boys, swaddled in bandages with tubes hanging out and machines attached, were allowed to break quarantine, and were together in the same room, briefly, when I confirmed their parents death, their uncle Jim Summers wrote on a Facebook page set up for the family. Their injuries pale in comparison with their grief. Other fatalities include May Vance, who was vacationing in Gatlinburg and died of a heart attack after she was exposed to smoke. Identities for the other victims have not been released. In communities near Gatlinburg, there were signs of normalcy. In Pigeon Forge, the Comedy House rented an electronic billboard message that said it was open. A hotel flyer urged guests to check out the scenic Cades Cove loop: Take a drive and remember what you love about the Smokies! Dollywood, the amusement park named after Parton, reopened Friday afternoon after it was spared any damage. The Associated Press was allowed access into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Thursday. A forest of bare trees standing amid a scorched landscape could be seen along with fire crews sawing up a tree stump. In Gatlinburg, the centre of the devastation, officials there hope to open the citys main roads to the public by Wednesday. Authorities searching the charred remains of homes and businesses said they expected to finish by late Friday night. Despite recent heavy rains, fire officials warned people shouldnt have a false sense of security because months of drought have left the ground bone-dry. Wildfires can rekindle, they said. The trouble began Monday when a wildfire, likely caused by a person, spread from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park into the Gatlinburg area as hurricane-force winds toppled trees and power lines, blowing embers in all directions. We had trees going down everywhere, power lines, all those power lines were just like lighting a match because of the extreme drought conditions. So we went from nothing to over 20-plus structure fires in a matter of minutes. And that grew and that grew and that grew, Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said. More than 14,000 residents and visitors in Gatlinburg were forced to evacuate, and the typically bustling tourist city has been shuttered ever since. Deputy Park Superintendent Jordan Clayton said the initial fire on area called Chimney Tops, which is a double peaked ridge line about 6 kilometres away from Gatlinburg, was caused by a person or people. Its near the end of a popular hiking trail and there were people on that trail on Nov. 23 when the fire started, as there are almost every day. Whether it was purposefully set or whether it was a careless act that was not intended to cause a fire, that we dont know, Clayton said. The origin of the fire is under investigation. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are helping investigate the cause. With files from The Associated Press, Canadian Press SHARE: BEIJINGChinas supreme court ruled Friday that a young man executed 21 years ago for rape and murder had been innocent, in a case that has drawn attention to problems in the legal system as well as the frequent application of the death penalty. Nie Shubin was 20 at the time of his 1995 execution for crimes he was accused of committing in the northern city of Shijiazhuang in August of 1994. Another man, Wang Shujin, confessed to the crimes in 2005 while in police custody, although a legal review of the case did not get underway until 2014. In its ruling, the court cited numerous examples of negligence and procedural errors by police and prosecutors, including the fact that Nie was singled out as a suspect without a shred of evidence. It also said it couldnt rule out that Nies testimony was coerced by torture or other means, a frequent accusation against the legal system that relies heavily on confessions to gain convictions. China ordered speeded-up trials and executions during anti-crime campaigns in the 1990s, leading to frequent cutting of corners by legal authorities. Two years ago, another court ruled that 18-year-old Huugjilt, an ethnic Mongolian who was executed in 1996 for rape and murder, also was innocent after another man confessed to the crime. The court awarded Huugjilts parents compensation. However, under reforms in recent years, all death penalties are now automatically reviewed by the supreme court and the justices say executions are carried out only for the most heinous crimes. The exact number of people put to death is a state secret, but rights groups say China remains the worlds top executioner. Chinese legal scholar Xu Xin, a prominent advocate of legal reforms to reduce wrongful convictions, said Nies case has emerged as highly representative of the countrys problems with miscarriages of justice. In Chinas legal and social spheres, this case has garnered the greatest concern and has the most influence. Everyones views on this case have basically been the same that there was grave injustice, Xu said. But the fact that it took this long for him to be exonerated shows the challenges ordinary people face in gaining legal redress in China, he said. A vindication like this implies that compensation would have to be made, and someone could potentially be held responsible for the mistake, so that makes authorities unwilling to make an active push to correct the injustice, he said. He credited the Chinese media, concerned defence lawyers and others who drew attention to the case for the courts overturning of the verdict, but said that the problem at the heart of the issue remained Chinas lack of an independent judiciary. The police, prosecutors and the court mainly co-operate with each other, not as checks against each other, defence lawyers arent able to play their roles fully, while officials can easily interfere in cases. These all contribute to wrongful convictions, Xu said. Read more about: SHARE: BEIRUT, LEBANONFor Wafa Daye, the matriarch of a Palestinian family that fled a Damascus suburb a year and a half ago with nothing but the clothes they were wearing, life now is six people crowded into two tiny rooms in a grim, crumbling concrete warren that houses 400 families. Wafas son-in-law made the perilous Mediterranean crossing last year and is now in Sweden, she says, but he is not yet able to help the family. So Wafa, her husband, her grown daughter and her three grandchildren survive in this place, known as Daouk, on her daughters meagre wages as a hairdresser. It was easier in Syria, she says through an interpreter, citing the difficulty of getting work in a country where discrimination against Palestinians is codified in law. And here the rent is so high. Sparsely furnished with a single bed, a salvaged couch and plastic chairs, the two rooms cost the family $450 (US) a month. On a bare concrete wall is a pencil drawing made by her 11-year-old grandson, Wafik. It depicts what he most misses: Memories of my house, he says. Asked what he brought with him on the journey out of Syria, he shrugs. Nothing. Daouk is one of three informal Palestinian communities, known locally as gatherings, that have formed just outside the official decades-old Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. The impoverished gatherings are collections of multi-storey buildings that have filled with Palestinians and people escaping the Syrian conflict. Rashid El Mansi of the local charity Popular Aid for Relief and Development (PARD) points out that Lebanon is where refugees are welcoming refugees into refugee camps. To Canadian eyes, its an apocalyptic scene. Boards are placed across the base of doorways on the lowest floors in an effort to keep out the frequent floods. A tangle of electrical wires dangles menacingly overhead in every mazelike passageway. Haphazardly constructed concrete steps lead every which way to improvised shelters built atop of, carved within and wedged between several tightly connected buildings. Sometimes just a curtain separates families. But being close to the official camps means Wafa and her family can get some of the services provided by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, set up in 1950 to provide help strictly to Palestinians scattered into Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, West Bank and Gaza after the creation of Israel. UNRWA, funded by voluntary contributions from other countries, runs 67 schools and 27 health clinics in official camps here and in other parts of Lebanon. In the gatherings, it helps fix water systems, collects garbage and assists with rent. On Nov. 16, the Canadian government controversially announced it was restoring funding for UNRWA. Canada pledged an unrestricted $20 million annually and earmarked another $5 million for Syrian refugees. The move was criticized by the Conservatives, who ended support for UNRWA in 2010 on accusations it was too tightly connected with Hamas. Im horrified, Conservative foreign affairs critic Peter Kent told The Canadian Press after the Liberal announcement. He said there is ample proof that massive amounts of UN aid have been redirected to support Palestinian military efforts against Israel. The government said the money will be accompanied by enhanced due diligence, including anti-terrorism provisions. Opponents also argue that UNRWAs existence, generations after it was assumed Palestinians would be resettled in host countries, perpetuates a dependency. But Canada had been the only core funder, which includes the United States, Britain and European Union, ever to withdraw support. Its a major contribution and its really important, given the significant deficit ($37 million) weve been struggling with, Gwyn Lewis, senior co-ordinator in UNRWAs Lebanon office, said of Canadas new commitment. It means a lot to get this, to help us maintain services and to have the renewed partnership and confidence of Canada. Classrooms are overcrowded in UNRWA schools, in part, says Lewis, because the schools werent built for that purpose. Refugees complain the free clinics dont do much more than dispense Aspirin a point Lewis disputes while acknowledging concerns about a recent change requiring refugees to pay a portion of hospital costs. In truth, some Canadian aid has already been making its way into the gatherings through other routes. Wafas clan is one of 1,288 families currently receiving monthly food vouchers of $25 per person, up to five per family, with widows, ill or disabled breadwinners and large families getting priority. The program, run by PARD, relies on funding drawn by the Canada/U.S. charity Mennonite Central Committee from the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, a food-security coalition of Canadian churches and farmers, whose funding is bolstered by four-to-one matching grants from Ottawa. Lebanon, a country of 4.5 million, is currently hosting 1.1 million registered Syrian refugees, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees a gross underestimate because the government ended registrations 18 months ago. The 31,000 Palestinians included in that number who have joined about 450,000 Palestinians already in Lebanon face additional burdens: theyre legally prohibited from working in all but 17 low-paid occupations, may not own homes or taxis, may not attend public schools and have no hope of ever gaining citizenship or the government benefits that come with it. One ray of sunshine for children in the Beirut gatherings is a kindergarten run by PARD and funded by MCC through its Syria/Lebanon representatives, Doug and Naomi Enns of Kitchener, Ont. It allows Syrian refugee children to get some grounding in English and basic education. The Lebanese school system assumes parents pay for three years of preschool before they enter Grade 1, where core subjects are taught in English, Naomi Enns explained. Syrian kids arriving after an interrupted education in a very different system are deeply disadvantaged and face discrimination and bullying. Typically, she said, they drop out in frustration. D-capital, d-small, d-dog! one class of kindergarteners chants enthusiastically as their teacher, in a floral hijab, points to letters on the whiteboard. The classroom is tiny by Canadian standards, but its bright, colourful and filled with joy. There is a new playground on the roof of the multi-storey building, a couple of blocks from their grim homes. Some of these children, the Syrians, will go on to remedial classes provided for refugees by the government. The Palestinians will enter an UNRWA school. What the future holds for them may depend on what happens here. Read more about: SHARE: TURIN, ITALYItalys prime minister, Matteo Renzi, only 41, once seemed to have solved the riddle of how to survive Europes populist, anti-establishment tempest. But with a critical national referendum on Sunday, the populist wave is now threatening to crush him and plunge Italy into a political crisis when the European Union is already reeling. From Washington to Brussels to Berlin, fears are rising that Italy may be stumbling into its own Brexit moment. What should be an inward-looking referendum on whether to overhaul Italys ossified political and electoral system has taken on much broader import. Financial analysts warn of a potential banking crisis, and pro-Europe supporters fear that a no vote in the referendum could accelerate the populist movement across the European bloc. Italy is potentially the next domino to fall, partly because of the disillusionment of young voters. They have been swept up by many of the same forces that led peers in Spain and Greece to vote for upstart parties, the British to vote to leave the European Union, and Americans to elect Donald Trump. In France, President Francois Hollande announced Thursday that he would not seek re-election another establishment figure succumbing to the political moment. Renzis supporters have taken to calling his opponents in the internet-born, populist Five Star Movement Trumpisti. They accuse their opponents numerous blogs and websites of flooding the Facebook accounts of young people with anti-Renzi, pro-Russian fake news. The referendum has essentially become a referendum on Renzi, who gave extra motivation to his political enemies by vowing to resign if voters reject the proposed political changes. A no vote is a vote against Renzi, said Matteo Roselli, 25, a liberal activist who spent a recent rainy evening in Turin handing out leaflets encouraging people to vote no. With polls indicating that Renzi may fail, the possibility that he could resign, and force new elections or perhaps bring a caretaker government, has alarmed many leaders, including President Barack Obama, who honoured the Italian prime minister in his final state dinner in Washington and urged him to hang around for a while no matter what. If Renzi does step aside, it could open the way for opponents who have threatened to carry the Continents fourth-largest economy out of the euro currency zone. Such a prospect could destabilize the shaky Italian economy; have serious implications for Italys troubled banking system, which has been in crisis for a decade; and have a contagion effect around the eurozone. The problem with Italian banks is they are fragile and they are really big, said Angel Talavera, senior eurozone economist at Oxford Economics in London. Banks of that calibre, as soon as you have any noise and rumours, it creates a really bad loop. Renzi, who captured Italians imagination by positioning himself as an outsider who would demolish an arthritic political system, is arguing that the constitutional overhaul proposed in the Sunday referendum would streamline government and create more stability in a country that has had 63 governments in 70 years. To speed up the often clogged legislative process, Renzi wants to drastically reduce the size of the Italian Senate and make it a mostly consultative body. Critically, the Senate would lose the power to bring down governing coalitions. Critics say the proposal puts too much power in the prime ministers hands. And Renzi is showing unexpected vulnerability among the young voters who helped propel his rise but now seem to want the same job protections and social benefits their parents had more than any opportunity Renzis changes might create. Much of the same dynamic has been playing out in Greece, Spain and even France. The reversal has come despite Renzis image as the Coca-Cola guzzling, Apple-gadget-pecking embodiment of young Italians eager to modernize the country. According to a poll in the newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, support for Renzis changes is strong among voters older than 65 and weak among people younger than 45, a group that opponents of the changes lead by 20 percentage points. The beneficiary of that erosion appears to be the Five Star Movement, with its ability to win voters on the left and right with a mix of social liberalism, economic populism and tough law-and-order talk. It has been led by Beppe Grillo, 68, a former comedian who last month called Renzi a serial killer and celebrated Trumps victory as a blunt rejection of the establishment. Renzi is desperately trying to persuade Italians, a large slice of them still undecided, to back him. Today, we mustnt get stuck in nostalgia, Renzi told a crowd this week in Lingotto, the section of Turin that was once home to the automaker Fiat. We must work for the future of our children. But even his young supporters worry that those words are wasted on the Italian youth, who as in so many other European countries are often unemployed. In France, where the far-right National Front has emerged as a force, the youth unemployment rate is around 25 per cent. And that looks good compared with Greece and Spain, both with more than 40 per cent youth unemployment and strong populist movements. In Italy, Renzis 2015 labour market overhaul, hailed by many investors, has so far failed to be the boon to employment his government expected. The youth unemployment rate is still around 35 per cent. In the countrys south, where opposition to the change is solid, it is nearly 50 per cent. The young are lined up against him, Davide Giani, 20, said with a resigned shrug after an afternoon spent trying to hand out leaflets in support of a yes vote on the referendum only to see young Turinese turn them down. They see this as an opportunity to lash out against the establishment. Some of Renzis older enemies across the political spectrum are latching onto the referendum to return to relevance. For them, the prospect of his premature exit has had the effect of a curtain call after a bloody opera, reanimating vengeful antagonists for a final bow on centre stage. Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, 80, mindful that Renzi needs moderate center-right supporters, reversed his previous support for the constitutional overhaul out of sudden fear of authoritarian drift. In Turin, former prime minister Massimo DAlema, a member of Renzis Democratic Party who has received little deference from the current leader, delivered a disdain-dripping speech to mobilize elderly liberals and former communists against the reform. He presents himself like the one who wants to rejuvenate the country, but the young people are against him, DAlema, 67, said in an interview, in which he mocked Renzi as a Twitter-obsessed oaf who had alienated labour unions and destroyed the left. Renzis young supporters shudder at the very mention of Italys former leaders. On a rainy evening in Milan, Alessia Giuliani, 24, sat in a field office for the yes campaign hunched over lists of phone numbers she had spent the day calling in support of Renzis changes. She spoke optimistically about all the older people who, having lived through scores of Italian governments, proclaimed their hope and confidence in Renzi. But asked if she had had any luck persuading young people, her smile vanished and her hand landed woefully on her forehead. In general, the young voters are disinterested or for no, explained her colleague, Stefano Angelinis, 24. Many young people are going for Five Star. SHARE: BERLINThe wrought iron gate to the Nazis Dachau concentration camp that was stolen two years ago, prompting an international outcry, appears to have been found in western Norway, police said Friday. The gate, bearing the slogan Arbeit macht frei, or Work sets you free, was located in the Bergen area of Norway after authorities received an anonymous tip, German police said in a statement. Authorities said they were trying to determine if the recovered gate is authentic, but police said there was a high probability it is the iron gate stolen in Dachau, Bavarian police said. The gate seemed to be good condition, and will be handed over to German authorities as soon as it is feasible, according to police in Bergen, which is located 200 kilometres northwest of Oslo. Local newspaper Bygdannytt reported the gate was found in Ytre Arna, a settlement north of Norways second-largest city. It was not immediately clear when it was found. So far, the perpetrators remain at large. The concentration camp in Dachau, Germany, near Munich, was established by the Nazis in 1933. The missing gate, measuring 190 by 95 centimetres , originally was set into a larger gate at the camps entrance. More than 200,000 people from across Europe were held at Dachau, and more than 40,000 prisoners died there. The camp was turned into a memorial site, and the gates theft in November 2014 was viewed as a desecration. The Dachau memorials director described the gate as the central symbol for the prisoners ordeal. Israels Yad Vashem memorial labeled the theft as an offensive attack on the memory of the Holocaust. A replica was installed in the missing gates place last year as part of events marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the camp by U.S. forces in April 1945. It was the second time in recent years that a Nazi camp gate was targeted by thieves. In December 2009, the Arbeit macht frei sign that spanned the main gate of the Auschwitz death camp, built by the Nazis in occupied Poland, was stolen. Police found it three days later cut into pieces in a forest on the other side of Poland. A Swedish man with a neo-Nazi past was found guilty of instigating that theft and jailed in his homeland. Five Poles also were convicted of involvement and imprisoned. SHARE: WASHINGTONBreaking once more from presidential custom, Donald Trump is turning to a military man to steer the U.S. military, choosing retired Gen. James Mattis, who will be the first career officer to lead the Pentagon since just after World War II. Mattis, 66, is a Marine Corps general who retired in 2013 after serving as commander of the U.S. Central Command, responsible for directing Americas wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The president-elect, who has referred to Mattis by his nickname Mad Dog, made the announcement of his choice for defence secretary at a postelection victory rally Thursday night in Cincinnati. The selection raises questions about increased military influence in a job designed to ensure civilian control of the armed forces. Those traditional concerns revolve around whether a recently retired service member would rely more on military solutions to international problems rather than take a broader, more diplomatic approach. For Mattis to be confirmed, Congress would first have to approve legislation bypassing a law that bars retired military officers from becoming defence secretary within seven years of leaving active duty. Mattis has a reputation as a battle-hardened, tough-talking Marine who was entrusted with some of the most challenging commands in the U.S. military. In a tweet last month, Trump described him as A true Generals General! Mattis also has talked tough on Middle East policy, and was blunt in his assessment in 2013 that the Obama administrations program of sanctions and diplomatic efforts to stop Iran from gaining nuclear weapons were not working. Tehran, he said, has a history of denial and deceit. He also warned of risks in setting up the no-fly zone over Libya in 2011. And he was vocal in his assessment that the U.S. needed to keep two Navy aircraft carriers in the Middle East to provide additional security and support for American military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan that dragged on in recent years. Mattis would be only the second retired general to serve as defence secretary, the first being George C. Marshall in 1950-51 during the Korean War. Marshall was a much different figure, having previously served as U.S. secretary of state and playing a key role in creating closer ties with Western Europe after World War II. The only previous exception to the law requiring a gap after military service was for Marshall. Although his record in combat and his credentials as a senior commander are widely admired, Mattis has little experience in the diplomatic aspects of the job of secretary of defence. Richard Fontaine, president of the Center for a New American Security, described him as a defence intellectual and as a military leader who distinguished himself in combat. He knows the Middle East, South Asia, NATO and other areas and has evinced both a nuanced approach to the wars were in and an appreciation for the importance of allies, Fontaine said in an email exchange. If he were to get the nomination, I suspect that he could attract a number of very talented people to work with him. But Mattis hasnt been free of controversy. He was criticized for remarking in 2005 that he enjoyed shooting people. He also drew more recent scrutiny for his involvement with the embattled biotech company Theranos, where he serves on the board. Born in Pullman, Washington, Mattis enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1969, later earning a history degree from Central Washington University. He was commissioned as an officer in 1972. As a lieutenant colonel, he led an assault battalion into Kuwait during the first U.S. war with Iraq in 1991. As head of Central Command from 2010 until his retirement in 2013, he was in charge of both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Mattis commanded the Marines who launched an early amphibious assault into Afghanistan and established a U.S. foothold in the Taliban heartland. As the first wave of Marines moved toward Kandahar, Mattis declared, The Marines have landed, and now we own a piece of Afghanistan. Two years later, he helped lead the invasion into Iraq in 2003 as the two-star commander of the 1st Marine Division. In 2005, he raised eyebrows when he told a San Diego forum that it was fun to shoot some people. According to a recording of his remarks, Mattis said, Actually, its a lot of fun to fight. You know, its a hell of a hoot. ... Its fun to shoot some people. Ill be right up front with you, I like brawling. He added, You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didnt wear a veil, Mattis continued. You know, guys like that aint got no manhood left anyway. So its a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them. Mattis was counselled to choose his words more carefully. A year later, Mattis came under scrutiny during one of the more high-profile criminal investigations of the Iraq War, the shooting deaths of 24 Iraqis by Marines. The Iraqis, who included unarmed women and children, were killed by Marines in the town of Haditha after one of their comrades was killed by a roadside bomb. Eight Marines were charged in connection with the killings four enlisted men were charged with unpremeditated murder, and four officers who werent there at the time were accused of failures in investigating and reporting the deaths. As commander of the accused Marines parent unit, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Mattis ultimately dismissed charges against most of the Marines. Separately, as a top Marine general, Mattis pushed for the military to adopt blood-testing technology developed by Theranos. As reported by The Washington Post, Mattis first met Theranos founder Elizabeth A. Holmes in 2011. A year later, according to emails obtained by the Post, Holmes used her connection to Mattis to pressure him to intervene after a Pentagon official raised concerns that the company was distributing its technology without approval by the Food and Drug Administration. The emails show within hours after Holmes asked Mattis for help, he forwarded her email to other military officials asking them, How do we overcome this new obstacle. Mattis joined the Theranos board the same year he retired. The company, which raised hundreds of millions of dollars on the promise of breakthrough blood-testing technology, was forced to invalidate two years of patients test results after the reliability of its proprietary blood-testing machinery was questioned by internal and government whistleblowers and investigative reporting by The Wall Street Journal. MORE ON THESTAR.COM Trumps choice to lead the Pentagon, retired Gen. James Mattis, is illegal Read more about: SHARE: WASHINGTONRetired Marine Gen. James Mattis, President-elect Donald Trumps pick for defence secretary, will need more than the usual Senate confirmation before being able to take office. U.S. law states that a nominee for defence secretary must have been out of the active-duty military for seven years. Mattis, 66, retired in 2013 after serving as the commander of the U.S. Central Command. The requirement was originally set by law in 1947, when Congress established a minimum of 10 years out of active duty. It was changed to seven years in 2008. But theres a way around that restriction: Congress can approve a law bypassing it. Thats what will have to be done for Mattis. A look at why the limitation exists: Why civilian control of the military? Civilian control of the military is ingrained in American history and was set in stone in the U.S. Constitution, which decrees that the president shall be the commander in chief. It grants Congress the power to raise and support armies. Congress also has the authority to declare war, but as recent conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria have shown, the U.S. military can wage combat without a formal declaration of war. The principle of civilian control of the military is anchored in the belief in a balance of power. It sets the U.S. and other democracies apart from countries where militaries plot coups to overturn governments. It ensures, said Spencer Meredith, an associate professor at the National Defence University, that the military is just one tool an administration can use in conflict so it isnt fighting constant and even needless wars. Presidents have rebuked military commanders who were seen as wading into political waters. Most famously, President Harry S. Truman fired Gen. Douglas MacArthur in 1951, during the Korean War, for publicly proposing wider action against the Chinese army than Truman considered wise or safe. As recently as 2010, President Barack Obama cited the tenet when he fired Gen. Stanley McChrystal after a Rolling Stone magazine profile anonymously quoted people around him criticizing members of Obamas national security team. A Pentagon inquiry later cleared McChrystal of wrongdoing. Military service Of the 25 men who have served as secretary of the modern Defence Department, only seven never served in the military, including the current Pentagon chief, Ash Carter. One served only as an enlisted military member: Chuck Hagel, who received two Purple Hearts for his service in Vietnam. Only one exception to the law requiring a gap after military service has been approved. Gen. George Marshall was appointed defence secretary in 1950 by Truman, who was looking for a highly respected leader to take over as the Korean War ramped up. Marshall needed a special law passed because he had not been out of the military for 10 years, as then required. A Pentagon history says Marshalls appointment was quickly approved, but questions were raised by some senators about a military leader holding a job intended for a civilian. Politics and the military Military leaders today still take their political neutrality seriously. During the recent tumultuous presidential campaign, both Carter and Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, steadfastly steered clear of politics. The concern is that the candidate they criticize may one day be their commander in chief, whose orders they would have to follow. And leaders must maintain their credibility with the public and lawmakers from both parties so that they can provide their best advice without raising questions of political motives. Loren DeJonge Schulman, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, a Washington think-tank, said the preservation of independent military advice and civilian control of the military are grounding principles for how the U.S. was set up and any move to make exceptions to the regulations should be weighed carefully. Granting exceptions, she said, could lead people to question in the future whether a military leader is giving particular advice to curry favour with a particular party or administration in order to get an appointment down the road. MORE ON THESTAR.COM Trump picks retired Gen. James Mad Dog Mattis for defence secretary Read more about: SHARE: Score one for Donald Trump. The U.S. president-elect promised to push back against the forces of globalization and keep jobs in America. In one case, he appears to have succeeded. This week, corporate giant United Technologies announced it has scrapped plans to close its Carrier furnace plant in Indianapolis and move production to Mexico. The decision, which is expected to save 1,000 of the 1,400 jobs that were on the line, comes after Trump threatened to slap a 35 per cent tariff on any foreign-made Carrier products imported back into the U.S. During his campaign for the presidency, Trump routinely singled out the proposed Carrier plant relocation as an example of exactly the kind of de-industrialization he was determined to stop. He blamed the North American Free Trade Agreement in particular for U.S. manufacturing woes, noting that it encourages domestic companies to shift production to low-wage Mexico. Carriers unionized Indianapolis plant, for instance, pays its workers up to $26 an hour. In Mexico, the company would have paid only $3 an hour. Trumps critics said the billionaire developer was merely posturing to win votes, that he could not stand in the way of global market forces. But apparently he could. Details of the decision are murky. There are reports that the state of Indiana offered Carrier incentives to stay. The status of a second United Technologies plant slated to move to Mexico, this one employing 700 workers in Huntington, Ind., remains unclear. There is no guarantee Carrier wont find other ways to dispense with expensive human labour through, for instance, robotics. Still, this episode demonstrates that globalization is not inevitable. It shows that government can intervene and that market forces, while powerful, need not always be supreme. In this case, the logic of market forces dictated that Carriers Indianapolis plant had to close. Moving production to Mexico would have netted United Technologies an additional $65 million in profit. In a world dominated by market logic this was more than enough reason to relocate. But in the world of real human beings, matters are always more complex. First, United Technologies is not the abstract, price-taking, competitive firm of introductory economics. It is a giant in the very political world of defence contracting, one that earns about 10 per cent of its revenue from military sales. Last year it made a profit of $4 billion. So while market logic demands that it squeeze every last drop of value from its workers, human logic suggests it might want to tread carefully when a new president, who among other things oversees military procurement, advises otherwise. Put simply, United Technologies wont go bankrupt by keeping manufacturing production in the U.S. It just wont make quite as much money for its stockholders. Had it defied Trump, it arguably would make even less. Many Canadians dont like Trump. Many on the centre and left find his positions on immigration and Muslims reprehensible. He is a notorious self-aggrandizer who, earlier in November, took credit for saving Kentucky autoworker jobs that were never at risk. Timothy Wise, a research fellow at Tufts University, argues convincingly on BillMoyers.com that Trumps critique of NAFTA focuses on all the wrong things. But at least the U.S. president-elect has a critique. And unlike Barack Obama, who also challenged NAFTA on his way to the presidency, he is willing to act on it. We shall see what happens eventually in Indiana. In spite of the Carrier reprieve, other manufacturers in the state are continuing to shutter their plants, lay off employees and move to Mexico. We shall see what Trump does to alleviate the plight of these and other rust-belt workers whose votes propelled him to the White House. Trumps detractors say he is sure to disappoint them. Perhaps he will. But this big businessman has shown that it is possible to challenge big business. This avowed free marketeer has demonstrated that the global market can be defied. Those of the centre and left who reflexively disapprove of everything Trump does might want to keep that in mind. They might also want to reflect on the fact that if mainstream Democrat Hillary Clinton had won the U.S. presidential election, those Indianapolis jobs probably would have disappeared. Thomas Walkom appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Read more about: SHARE: Defence counsel Edward Greenspan, as resolute a defender of criminal justice as this country has seen, was fond of telling audiences that even his mother decried his choice of a career. Greenspan spoke for all defence lawyers. We are forever being challenged to justify acting for those charged with horrific crimes. Safeguarding our clients presumption of innocence from public and press attacks becomes second nature. Still, the overheated attacks made against Marie Henein since she secured acquittals for CBC radio celebrity Jian Gomeshi in a series of sexual assault charges represent a new, low-water mark. Not content simply to condemn Henein for defending her client, critics have accused her of being a traitor to feminism and an apologist for the legal status quo. Now that Henein has been asked to speak in February at four universities in Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, concerns are being spread that her thoughts and opinions could damage the inquiring minds of university students. It would be hard to conjure up a more myopic, wrong-headed indictment. The attacks on Henein threaten not only free speech; they chip away at the most fundamental principles of our justice system. The first pothole into which her critics stumble is the rash assumption that lawyers identify personally with their clients. Ensuring that defendants are not steamrolled by the state or by mob sentiment does not mean defence lawyers condone the crimes they are accused of committing. No one and most assuredly, not Marie Henein would deny the impact sexual assault can have on victims. But that does not change the fact that a robust defence means compelling police and prosecutors to produce sound, reliable, legally obtained evidence. It means challenging witnesses to explain discrepancies and contradictions in their recollections and behaviour. Missing from the rhetoric generated by the Ghomeshi controversy is any recognition that convicting the innocent serves nobodys purpose. One of the themes that runs through critiques of the Ghomeshi proceedings is that defence counsel and Ms. Henein, specifically run roughshod over vulnerable sexual assault complainants whenever they testify. While isolated instances of defence excess do occur, there are well-established rules of professional conduct that curtail excessive cross-examination or abusive courtroom conduct. Lawyers are not permitted to question witnesses in an abusive, offensive or rude manner. Indeed, the fact that neither the Crown nor the trial judge in the Ghomeshi case denounced the tenor or professional integrity of Heneins defence is sound evidence in her favour. She did not engage in shock tactics or irrelevant questioning. Nor, did she rely on antiquated stereotypes about how women ought to act. At the same time, rules of conduct do not and should not shield witnesses who conceal, prevaricate or outright lie to the court. In the Ghomeshi case, Henein poked massive holes in the credibility and forthrightness of the complainants. The process was just. Ghomeshi was acquitted. When those outraged by the result go after a defence lawyer who succeeded in pulling apart a frail case, they are choosing the wrong target for their frustration. The genderized nature of many of the attacks on Henein also smacks of a double standard. Male lawyers who succeed in defending an accused rapist or murderer are almost invariably lionized. In contrast, Henein has been vilified by some as an enemy of feminism simply because she dared to defend a man accused by female complainants. To further suggest she has propagated rape culture or set back the cause of sexual assault victims is not only offensive, but represents a step backwards for feminism and gender parity. No male lawyer who zealously represents a client is accused of selling out his gender. Within the criminal law bar, Henein is widely admired for her legal knowledge and her courtroom acumen. She is a leader, a role model and a noted mentor to women in criminal law at a time when the bar has had considerable trouble retaining its female complement. Her ascension to the top ranks of her largely male-dominated profession is the embodiment of feminism. The university students who hear Henein lecture will be fortunate. They will hear a dynamic, engaging speaker who offers great insight to young women who may want to be lawyers. She offers living proof that they, too, can be successful in a difficult profession. Henein has also, albeit unwittingly, shown them how to be a model of grace and determination in the face of unwarranted persecution. Jessyca Greenwood is a criminal defence lawyer and a Toronto director with the Criminal Lawyers Association. Keli Mersereau is criminal defence lawyer in St. Thomas and a vice president of the Criminal Lawyers Association. Read more about: SHARE: The failure of democracy? An academic study published last summer, which is rather suddenly being hailed in places like the New York Times, claims an entire global generation has lost faith in democracy. Citizens have grown jaded. This applies to youth especially, who call elections unimportant and say a democratic political system is a bad way to run things. But is it really so? Young Americans who enthused over Bernie Sanders in the primaries, skipped the election because it wasnt democratic enough. People in Greece, Spain or Italy, left old parties and built new ones for similar reasons. Their despair may be not over democracy but over its absence. Generational faith loss is a tricky catch-all and you might be more likely to invoke it when votes like Brexit or Donald Trump didnt go your way. Meanwhile politics is rife with failures of all kinds, which also contain explanations. Take for instance: The failure of identity politics. Trump ran on economics, with a subtext of racism and misogyny. But his face card was the economy. Hillary Clinton ran on an elaborate version of identity politics, as if by aggregating every aggrieved minority, she could outnumber Trumps angry whites. She too had an economic agenda probably better than Trumps but it lacked credibility due to her lifelong record; she probably didnt believe it herself. Theres nothing wrong with identity politics. Western countries had grown obese with the rhetoric of respect for individuals while creating a sewer of hate and degradation for almost every version of the other, until the past 60 to 70 years. As Sanders says, it would be horrifying to reverse that progress. Yet no one lives by identity alone. They need to provision themselves, as classical economists said. In fact, the only people able to draw a living from identity politics are academics, artists or activists, who analyze, polemicize and aestheticize the stuff. Everyone else needs some economic sand. So why be surprised by the numbers of Muslims and Hispanics who voted for Trump? In fact the last great crisis of democracy happened in the 1930s. Then you had overt anti-democrats: fascists who scorned democratic trappings in favour of Duces and Fuhrers. They were rebutted not by electoral reforms but by economic policies. Roosevelt saved American democracy with the New Deal, which addressed the economic pain of the majority. Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn, among others, have shown the way back, though neither has (so far) succeeded. Absent even their challenge, Trump and his equivalents will have a clear field, despite the hypocrisy and emptiness of their economic promises. At least they occupy the terrain. Or, from the other side of the political universe: The failure of Fidel.Ive been shocked by the animosity toward Castro since his death, not just in the U.S. but among many Canadian commentators. Why not at least some balance? Fidel is among the most balanceable of figures. True, he was on billboards all over Cuba but he also decreed there would be no statues or monuments to him, and there arent. Of his support in sending Cuban troops to anti-colonial battles in southern Africa, Mandela said: It was the first time that a country had come from another continent not to take something away, but to help Africans to achieve their freedom. On political rights though, i.e., democracy, Castro utterly failed. He put his entire bet on social, or economic, rights. In the most unequal region on Earth, he created what Stephanie Nolen called a notably flat society, especially in health, housing and education. This is pretty much the classic vulgar Marxist position: settle the economic issues (ownership, etc.) and everything else will settle itself. A far more sophisticated Marxist approach was Rosa Luxembergs, who was murdered in Germany in 1919: Without general elections, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, the free battle of opinions, life in every public institution withers away, becomes a caricature of itself, and bureaucracy rises as the only deciding factor. You cant ignore democratic rights, she says, without vitiating everything economic that youre trying to achieve. Each piece needs the other. Fidel eventually acknowledged hed got a lot wrong, including economically (The Cuban model doesnt even work for us any more.) But by then he lacked the energy, or just the will, for do-overs. After all, he only lived to 90. Rick Salutins column appears every Friday. Read more about: SHARE: A senior official of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service made a worrisome admission this past week. He acknowledged that the agency may in fact have spied on the communications of Canadian journalists in the past. Thats all the more troubling since it runs counter to previous assurances from a host of top figures including the public safety minister, the head of the RCMP and the prime minister himself that federal agencies do not target journalists. And its even more of a concern since it follows on the heels of revelations that at least 10 reporters in Quebec have had their cellphone communication secretly put under surveillance by police over the last few years. In all those cases the journalist wasnt suspected of doing anything wrong. Police obtained warrants to spy on them in order to identify whistleblowers and intimidate those who might feed information to journalists in the future. It amounted to a straightforward chill on freedom of the press. At least in Quebec the concern has gone beyond journalistic circles. After a flurry of public outrage, the provincial government announced that it intends to set up an inquiry into press freedom and police surveillance of journalists. On the federal level, though, theres a disappointing lack of official interest in the issue. An independent senator from Quebec, Andre Pratte, proposed a review of federal legislation to improve protection for journalists and their sources. He suggested a parliamentary committee be set up to study possible changes to the law. Pratte, once a senior journalist with La Presse in Montreal, told the Senate this past week that the Trudeau government initially seemed open to the idea. The terms of reference for a committee were agreed on and a press release to announce this was even drafted. But, he said, the Conservatives objected and the government didnt want a fight over the issue. So it dropped the idea, thus letting freedom of the press down. The Conservatives apparently prefer to let one of their own, Sen. Claude Carignan, deal with the issue through a private members bill. Called the Journalistic Sources Protection Act, Carignans proposed law would seek to protect the privilege of journalistic sources and secrecy. Specifically, it would make it harder for police to obtain warrants to spy on journalists communications. Warrants would have to be issued by a high court judge, not simply a justice of the peace. And if such information was obtained, it would be sealed and the news organization would have a chance to argue in court that it should be kept sealed and returned unopened. Its a promising approach, but private members bills rarely make it into law. It would be far better if the Trudeau government put its muscle behind a full review of the law and showed it takes these concerns seriously. This is a national issue, with implications that go beyond the borders of Quebec. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled journalists should be able to protect their sources if they can show is in the national interest. But the current law is weak and should be updated for the digital age. Theres a much greater chance of that happening if the government leads on the issue rather than using Carignans bill as an excuse to stand on the sidelines. It should change its approach. SHARE: The concern about how the Toronto Star refers to the people who call themselves the alt-right was first raised in our newsroom by Ed Tubb, the Stars deputy foreign editor, in the days immediately following the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States. I think we should have a discussion on how were using the terms alt-right and white nationalist, both of which I think weve been using lazily and euphemistically, said Tubb, who spends considerable time every day monitoring and editing stories from the Stars wire services. In handling dozens of reports about the U.S. election, he had seen inconsistencies and in some cases outright inaccuracies in references to the alt-right movement of racist right-wing extremists who supported Trump. Were all over the place on how we define it, especially in wire copy, Tubb said, concerned that the vague, euphemistic label is confusing to readers and doesnt accurately reflect what the so-called alt-right actually stands for. Indeed, that same concern was raised by some readers too. As one woman said in an email last week, the term alt-right is, an ambiguous and fairly neutral term for a group that could also be described as white supremacist, new KKK and many other more accurate labels. We call on the media to be clear about who and what they are, and to not obfuscate in a way that will allow them to gain acceptance borne of ignorance of their true values, beliefs and intentions, she said. Clearly naming them, not calling them the alt-right would be a good start. As a result of these concerns, several senior Star editors met to discuss this issue. In order to seek some measure of consistency, we decided to consult further with our main wire services The Canadian Press and the U.S. based Associated Press. This week, both services issued style notes on how to refer to the self-labeled alt-right. The Star followed with a newsroom-wide note from Tubb outlining how we will deal with this. The main points to guide Star journalists in writing and editing: Avoid using alt-right generically. We should strive to be accurate and precise, and at least for now, the term alt-right. is neither. Terms like white nationalist or white supremacist are known, accurate and much clearer to readers. If you use the term alt-right, define it. Phrasing like the alt-right, a white nationalist movement is appropriate. In its lengthy note to newsrooms throughout the world, the Associated Press provided a clear definition of the alt-right, telling us that its a name embraced by some white supremacists and white nationalists to refer to themselves and their ideology, which emphasizes preserving and protecting the white race in the United States. And, it adds, the movement criticizes multiculturalism and more rights for non-whites, women, Jews, Muslims, gays, immigrants and other minorities. Its members reject the American democratic ideal that all should have equality under the law regardless of creed, gender, ethnic origin or race. The APs central guidance is aligned with the Stars approach on this vague term that does little to tell us of prejudice inherent in the alt-right ideology and what its believers stand for. As the AP states, the term may exist primarily as a public-relations device to make its supporters actual beliefs less clear and more acceptable to a broader audience. With all thats at stake here, journalists must not rely on euphemistic words that gloss over racism and hate. As the AP rightly tells us, be specific and call it straight: We should not limit ourselves to letting such groups define themselves, and instead should report their actions, associations, history and positions to reveal their actual beliefs and philosophy, as well as how others see them. Language matters. It is our job as journalists to provide readers with accurate, clear and precise words that tell it like it is, not veil reality. We should not serve as unquestioning heralds for those who espouse ideology abhorrent to universal values of equality. To be clear: the so-called alt-right stands for white supremacy. By any definition, that is racism. SHARE: Chinese e-commerce behemoth Alibaba (BABA) isn't ready to lose out on the Indian e-commerce market just yet. Alibaba is in talks to acquire Snapdeal, the second largest e-commerce firm in India behind Flipkart, Indian news site Factor Daily reported on Thursday. Alibaba however, has been a little late to the party and its delayed start in India has given Amazon (AMZN) the chance to claim a significant portion of the $23 billion e-commerce market. Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has poured $5 billion into the expansion of Amazon India so far, a move that has caused both Flipkart and Snapdeal to lose steam. Hangzhou, China-based Alibaba was reported to have been in talks with Flipkart for a potential buyout but it seems like the talks have fallen through as Alibaba takes an interest in acquiring Snapdeal, which has raised over $1.76 billion in 12 funding rounds. In a rush to establish itself in the region, Alibaba announced in September 2015 that it had acquired a 40% stake in India-based online payments company Paytm, which allows online shoppers to pay for purchases without having to use credit cards or cash much like Alibaba's own Alipay, a strategy likely to work well under India's newly implemented demonetization policy. As Alibaba builds up its presence in the country through acquisitions and Amazon continues to pour huge investments in the region, experts believe that it will be a long and hard battle among the four big players. "There is only so much a Flipkart or Snapdeal can fight by reducing costs and lowering margins. I don't see the Indian market as being able to sustain two big domestic players and 1 big international player," said Anindya Ghose, Professor of Marketing at New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business. "They will exist but they will keep bleeding. In about 2 years, I believe the Indian market will consolidate into 1 international and 1 domestic player. So it will be Amazon and either Flipkart or Snapdeal," said Ghose. A deal between Alibaba and Snapdeal, if reached on consensus of valuation, would add oil on troubled waters for India's largest e-commerce site Flipkart, which just received a 38% slash of its valuation by a Morgan Stanley fund on Wednesday. Neither reformers nor chair-warmers seem to be able to get a break in European politics at the moment. Late Thursday France's President Francois Hollande, a solid example of the latter, effectively bowed to his overwhelming unpopularity by announcing he will not contest next year's election, becoming the first French President since the Second World War to not seek a second term. On Sunday, it seems likely that Italy's dynamic yet divisive Prime Minister Matteo Renzi will also announce his departure, if as expected he fails to win a referendum to overhaul Italy's system of governance. Only one of those departures will actually matter to European markets, and "non," it isn't the exit of the man tasked with leading Europe's second-largest economy. Hollande has by any measure been disappointing for France and a disaster for his center-left Socialist party. He came to power in 2012 with a of fighting "his enemy ... finance" and taxing the rich, though he likely owed the greatest part of his victory to simply not being the unlikeable Nicolas Sarkozy. Unsurprisingly unable to deliver on a promise to reduce unemployment by spooking business, he later changed tack, attempting to portray himself as a pro-business reformer. The flip-flop left unemployment unmoved at above 10%, as Hollande delivered timid employment regulation reform that was then watered down by his own party. The reversal, coupled with the President's own foibles, did however succeed in alienating much of the Socialist party's remaining support and reduced Hollande's own approval rating to a staggering 4%, a post-war record for a President. Polls conducted over the past week suggest 7% of French voters would have backed Hollande in the first round of voting in next year's election, leaving him to finish a miserable fifth amongst likely candidates and out of the second round of voting, which is a straight run-off between the two most popular candidates. Francois Fillon, the center-right Republican candidate who has promised radical cuts to government spending and a sweeping simplification of employment regulation, was already favored to win the election, and will remain in the pole position following Hollande's humiliation. It is little wonder that the markets gave the President's announcement a resoundingly Gallic shrug of indifference. France's CAC 40 index was down 1.3% Friday amid wider falls in European and Asian markets. No one should expect such lack of concern at the departure of Renzi, should he make good on a promise to resign if Italy fails to grant his desire to make his country more manageable. As polls in Italy have increasingly suggested that the "No" vote will win, the spread on Italian bonds vs. the European benchmark German 10-year bund has grown, hitting a two-and-a-half year high of 188 basis points last week, though it has since narrowed to 167 basis points. Italian bank stocks, which have benefited from Renzi's reform of ownership regulations and his agitating for mergers and recapitalizations, have also tumbled in recent weeks. Italy's biggest lender Unicredit was down 2.2% on Friday, adding to its quarterly decline of 13.5%. An unlikely but possible early election following Renzi's resignation would expose the eurozone to the prospect of the rise of the anti-EU coalition in Italy. And, if all that isn't enough, there is one other potentially defining European vote to keep an eye on this weekend, as Austria goes to the polls to choose between the anti-EU far-right populist Norbert Hoffer and the Green Party candidate Alexander Van de Bellen. Polls suggest the vote is split about 50/50. Italy will head to the polls this weekend, which could result in the 64th change in the county's government in 70 years. Prime Minister Matteo Renzi finds himself in a do or die situation. His proposed referendum to the Italian Constitution would both shrink the size and power of the Senate, translating into a more centralized power in Rome and perhaps a more stable government. But, most recent polls have shown the "no" vote to be in the lead, and should that result come to fruition, Renzi has pledged to step down as prime minister. "That is what the market is now expecting; a "no" vote to win. Prime Minister Renzi then resigns and then we are talking about political instability in the third largest nation in the Eurozone," CNBC's Julia Chatterley reported from Rome on Friday. Not only could a "no" vote lead to political instability, but it would also have a significant impact on the Italian banking sector, notably the world's oldest bank Monte dei Paschi. Now, while Italian Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan has said that a "no" vote would not result in economic catastrophe, he did say that it would put more pressure on the banks, and potentially cause "48 hours of market turbulence," Padoan told newspaper Avvenire Friday. "That will mean more trouble trying to raise capital. And, we have got [Monte dei Paschi] trying to raise capital in the next couple of weeks," Chatterley noted. Should the "yes" vote prevail this weekend, it could trigger a rally in the Italian banks, she added. Hainan Airlines, the largest privately owned airline in China, made history on Friday by completing the first non-stop commercial flight to Las Vegas from Beijing. Tourism officials in the city known for its gambling anticipate this new route could give Las Vegas a $33 million boost per year, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. With the backdrop of a potential extra $33 million coming into Las Vegas, Instinet managing director Harry Curtis, and Gabelli research analyst Adam Trivison discussed stock picks in the casino space on CNBC Friday. Curtis presently has a sell rating on Wynn Resorts (WYNN) . "Partly because of Wynn's valuation, partly because its $4.4 billion new casino, the Wynn Palace in Macau, is off to a slow start," Curtis said. Wynn reported weaker than expected results from its Macau-based casino, The Wynn Palace, which is based along the south coast of China. "The ramp-up at Wynn Palace is clearly taking a little longer than we expected," Wynn Resorts President Matt Maddox said. "Our belief is that the returns on capital while they be lifting over the next 12 months, it's going to take a while for that to gain traction,' Curtis added. However, Trivison has a buy rating on Wynn stock. "I'm not concerned with [Wynn Palace slow start] I think if you look out a couple of years they are going to figure it out one way or another," he said. One current headwind the Wynn Palace may be facing is the construction of its next-door neighbor, the MGM Cotai casino. "[MGM] is causing a lot of the disruption. Construction there will wrap up in the second quarter, and I think the results start to improve," Trivison noted. Exelon (EXC) picked won a big legislative victory in Illinois on Thursday when lawmakers passed a bill at the end of a special session giving two of the company's nuclear plants there about $235 million in annual subsidies. Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner is expected to sign the bill, that Exelon said will save as many as 4,200 jobs at the Clinton and Quad Cities plants that would have closed without the subsidy. "This forward-looking energy policy levels the playing field and values all carbon-free energy equally, positions Illinois as a national leader in advancing clean energy, and will provide a major boost to the Illinois economy," Exelon CEO Chris Crane said in a statement. Exelon shares rose 3%, to $33 on Friday. The action will allow Exelon's nuclear plants to use Zero Emission Credits (ZECs), which reward the facilities for giving off virtually no carbon emissions. "It's clear from a high level that this is a bailout, there's really no other way to put it," Morningstar analyst Travis Miller said in a phone interview. "It appears that Illinois politicians were more concerned about the potential job losses than the extra cost to ratepayers. It keeps two nuclear plants running." What the extra cost to taxpayers will be has been a point of contention. A nonprofit organization of business and consumer groups, the BEST Coalition, claimed that the bill would increase average electricity rates for customers of Exelon subsidiary ComEd by about $4.20 a month. As passed, the bill is intended to cap the increase in rate payments for the average residential customer at 25 cents a month. "For months our administration has been very clear that any energy legislation should follow the guiding principles of protecting jobs, ratepayers and taxpayers. After dozens of hours of good faith negotiations, we have reached an agreement that aligns with those principles," Rauner said in a statement. "This legislation will save thousands of jobs. It protects ratepayers, through guaranteed caps, from large rate increases in years to come. It also ensures taxpayers are not on the hook to keep the power plants open and online." Despite all the back-slapping over saving jobs, the difficult difficult operating environment for the two plants persists. Low natural gas prices and weak electricity demand have swung the plants plants into money-losers. Exelon successfully petitioned New York for ZEC subsidies in August to keep two of its struggling plants in that state open. "The big boost for nuclear economics would be some kind of carbon emissions regulation that would disadvantage fossil fuel relative to nuclear," Miller said. "We don't see any end to the renewable energy buildout, which has depressed prices in Illinois. We also don't see an imminent rise in gas prices in the eastern U.S." "That makes it difficult for us to see a material improvement in nuclear economics for the foreseeable future." Nuclear fans looking for a lifeline from President-Elect Donald Trump may be waiting in vain. The incoming commander-in-chief said little about it on the campaign trail, preferring instead to extol the virtues of natural gas. "I don't see a whole lot changing for the nuclear industry based on what we've heard from Trump thus far in terms of major policy initiatives," Miller said. Validus Holdings, Ltd. provides reinsurance coverage, insurance coverage, and insurance linked securities management services worldwide. It operates through three segments: Reinsurance, Insurance, and Asset Management. The Reinsurance segment underwrites property reinsurance products on a catastrophe excess of loss, per risk excess of loss and proportional basis; and aerospace and aviation, agriculture, composite, marine, technical lines, terrorism, trade credit, workers' compensation, and other specialty lines, as well as casualty and financial lines. The Insurance segment underwrites property, accident and health, agriculture, aviation, contingency, marine, and political lines insurance products; bankers blanket bond, commercial crime, computer crime, cyber- crime, professional indemnity, and directors' and officers' insurance products for various financial institutions and other companies; and commercial and institutional risks comprising general, professional, and product liability, as well as miscellaneous malpractice insurance products. This segment also underwrites marine and energy liability, and political risk insurance products, as well as insurance products for repair, maintenance, and upkeep of aircrafts and premises for small companies. The Asset Management segment manages capital for third parties through insurance-linked securities, and other property catastrophe and specialty reinsurance investments. Validus Holdings, Ltd. was founded in 2005 and is based in Pembroke, Bermuda. AstraZeneca PLC, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the discovery, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of prescription medicines. Its marketed products include Calquence, Enhertu, Faslodex, Imfinzi, Iressa, Koselugo, Lumoxiti, Lynparza, Orpathys, Tagrisso, and Zoladex for oncology; Brilinta/Brilique, Bydureon/Byetta, BCise, Byetta, Crestor, Evrenzo, Farxiga/Forxiga, Komboglyze/Kombiglyze XR, Lokelma, Onglyza, Qtern, and Xigduo/Xigduo XR for cardiovascular, renal, and metabolism diseases; Bevespi Aerosphere, Breztri Aerosphere, Daliresp/Daxas, Duaklir Genuair, Fasenra, Pulmicort, Saphnelo, Symbicort, and Tudorza/Eklira/Bretaris for respiratory and immunology; and Andexxa/Ondexxya, Kanuma, Soliris, Strensiq, and Ultomiris for rare diseases. The company's marketed products also comprise Synagis for respiratory syncytial virus; Fluenz Tetra/FluMist Quadrivalent for Influenza; Seroquel IR/Seroquel XR for schizophrenia bipolar disease; Nexium, and Losec/Prilosec for gastroenterology; and Vaxzevria and Evusheld for covid-19. The company serves primary care and specialty care physicians through distributors and local representative offices in the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australasia. It has a collaboration agreement with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to research, develop, and commercialize small molecule medicines for obesity; Neurimmune AG to develop and commercialize NI006; Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to develop eplontersen, a liver-targeted antisense therapy in Phase III development for the treatment of transthyretin amyloidosis; Proteros Biostructures GmbH to jointly discover novel small molecules for the treatment of hematological cancers; Sierra Oncology, Inc. to develop and commercialize AZD5153. The company was formerly known as Zeneca Group PLC and changed its name to AstraZeneca PLC in April 1999. AstraZeneca PLC was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Cambridge, the United Kingdom. Support us - Help us upgrade our services! 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Improved multilanguage support Tsunami alerts Faster responsiveness Design upgrade Detailed quake stats Additional seismic data sources Download and Upgrade the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app to get one of the fastest seismic and volcano alerts online: Android | IOS to get one of the fastest seismic and volcano alerts online: We truly love working to bring you the latest volcano and earthquake data from around the world.We need financing to increase hard- and software capacity as well as support our editor team.If you find the information useful and would like to support our team in integrating further features, write great content, and in upgrading our soft- and hardware, please PayPal or Online credit card payment )., these features have been added recently: Your nest egg wont go as far when its split in two. (iStock/iStock) Sometimes till death do us part just isnt soon enough. The phenomenon of late-life divorce is growing fast and blowing apart a lot of divorcing spouses retirement plans in the process. Its almost like a gray divorce boom is unfolding just before our eyes, said Ann Dowd, vice president of Fidelity Investments. Between 1990 and 2010, the divorce rate among individuals 50 and older doubled, according to the National Center for Family and Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. In part because of increased longevity, late-life breakups now account for one in four divorces. And they can destroy even the best financial planning. Most couples plan for retirement on the assumption they will be living together. When that assumption falls apart, its not just a division of wealth but a doubling of the costs that makes both partners poorer, said Annamaria Lusardi, an economist at George Washington University. Suddenly, its not one house or apartment but two with all the related expenses. Youre not sharing the cost of a visit to the grandchildren youre visiting separately. Overall, estimates of how much more it costs for two people to live separately rather than together are as high as 30 to 40 percent. [Divorce] is the largest financial transaction of your life, because every part is moving, from car insurance to credit reports to your ability to get financing, said Jennifer Failla, a divorce financial analyst and mediator at Strada Wealth Management in Austin. People get into this process and theyre overwhelmed, she said. They dont know what to do, and they start making rash decisions. She and other experts advise beginning with the basics: Start with what you own and what you owe. Sometimes that might mean your first call should be to a financial planner or an accountant rather than a divorce lawyer especially if your spouse has handled most of the finances. A financial expert can help you understand whats at stake and also may also note anomalies in accounting for your assets that suggest less than full disclosure. And its important to understand more than just the face value of an asset, said Mark R. Parthemer, managing director and senior fiduciary counsel of Bessemer Trust of Palm Beach, Fla. You need to understand the future value of assets because real estate perhaps is going to have a different growth than a deferred retirement account, he said. Liquidating assets also can have different tax consequences. For instance a Roth IRA and a regular IRA may have equal balances, but withdrawals from the regular IRA will be taxable while those from the Roth will not because taxes were paid when the money was set aside to grow forever after tax-free. Try to peel away the money from the emotions and try to understand the outcome youre going to achieve and how thats going to launch you into the next stage, Failla said. She notes that going through mediation to obtain a divorce can save money, too. State court systems usually maintain lists of mediators. She advises clients who are divorcing to not discuss details of the divorce with anyone outside the case and to not get entangled in new financial relationships right away. Some experts say couples could learn from businesses how to anticipate future problems. Businesses always prepare for losses, but people never set money aside to pay for divorce lawyers or two households, Atlanta divorce lawyer Randall M. Kessler said. In fact, they always envision the exact opposite that one of them will die and they will have to spend on one person the income meant for two. The number one destroyer of wealth is divorce, said Rick Kahler of the Kahler Financial Group of Rapid City, S.D. Keeping a marriage strong is the best investment. Kahler is on the board of the Financial Therapy Association, which works to integrate financial goals with other aspects of well-being. Kahler said couples should examine their marital partnership to see if this is a really good business partnership, too. We tell our clients to do a buy-sell agreement. Thats a type of agreement sometimes adopted by business partners looking forward to what they would do in the case of setbacks such as bankruptcy, or if one partner wants to fire another or to leave and work for a competitor. In other words, a prenuptial agreement. Pre-nups are not very popular because theyre not very romantic, he said. Its a hard sell to look at the money aspect of a marriage, but those that do are better off. Didnt negotiate a pre-nup? Lawyer Kessler recommends a post-nup reaching agreement on similar issues after youre already wed. The best advice is when you do retirement planning, do divorce planning at the same time, he said. Laws covering postnuptial agreements vary by states, as do laws governing how assets will be divided in a divorce in the absence of an agreement. In the nine states that are community property states, assets acquired during the marriage will be split 50-50. In other states, the rule is equitable distribution, which means assets will be split fairly but not necessarily equally. One impulse to guard against, Parthemer said, is being overly generous, which seems to be more likely the longer the marriage has lasted. When its been 30 or 40 years, and you just came to the point where youve grown apart and cant recapture what you had. Its less about I hate you and more about I need to do this for me, he said. Thats where you can find the higher-earning spouse wanting to do more. But paying more than is reasonable or required can put yourself in harms way or jeopardy, he said. Kessler has a different view. To me, divorce isnt about the money, its about happiness, he said. No one gets divorced to be richer. If someone wants out, theyll probably be willing to pay more to get out or for closure, he said. I wish we could quantify closure. Are those big, warm, winter meals straining your belts? Has your doctor gently suggested you should move around more? If youre feeling sedentary but cant quite bring yourself to go for a jog on your own you may want to try a couch-to-5K program like C25K 5K Trainer Free. This program is designed to ease you back into your running shoes, or even encourage you to give them some good use for the first time. The app starts gently and, over time, ramps up the amount that you run with the ultimate goal of a 5K. Just pop in your headphones, and the app will give you instructions on when to walk and when to run. (That way, you dont have to count while wheezing.) The app suggests running three times a week; it also syncs with many music apps if you need tunes for motivation. The app promises to take you through the program in eight weeks. It goes beyond the basics and can keep you motivated without nagging. Free, for iOS and Android devices. David Burnett smokes a cigar outside Tabanero Cigars in Ybor City, while William Ochoa rolls a cigar inside the store. At one time, this stretch of town was home to 232 factories that churned out nearly 600 million cigars a year. (Eve Edelheit/For The Washington Post) The last standing cigar factory here, in what was once dubbed Cigar City, has survived two world wars, the Great Depression, smoking bans and a Cuban trade embargo that wiped out much of its tobacco supply. Its fortunes have long been linked to Cuba, the communist nation that for decades supplied the regions tobacco and continues to mint many of its workers. For years cigar executives here say they have looked to Cuba with equal parts intrigue and trepidation, a sentiment that has become more pronounced in recent years as the United States began to mend decades of strained relations with the island nation. The death of Fidel Castro the most iconic of cigar smokers marks yet another milestone for the region. Many here wonder whether the once-booming cigar industry may be on its way out as well. Among those most worried: Eric Newman, whose family has been making 31 brands of cigars, including Cuesta-Rey, Diamond Crown and La Unica, for three generations. For 121 years, the J.C. Newman Cigar Co. has churned out millions of cigars and shipped them worldwide even as, one by one, 149 surrounding factories shuttered their doors, many moving their operations overseas. But now Newman, who owns the company with his brother, Bobby, says cigar manufacturers and retailers in this stretch of town known as Ybor City face hurdles that could deal a final blow to an industry that has, until now, gone largely unregulated. The Food and Drug Administration this year introduced new guidelines that will require cigar manufacturers to get approval for new products, pay increased fees and add prominent warning labels. The FDA says the measures, which will be phased in over three years, are a matter of public safety and are meant to curb underage tobacco use. Before August, no federal law prohibited the sale of cigars, e-cigarettes or hookah tobacco to children under 18. For years, the unregulated marketplace was like the Wild, Wild West, said Mitch Zeller, director of the FDAs Center for Tobacco Products. The new rules, Zeller says, will help bring order to a corner of the tobacco industry that has long operated without oversight. Newman, though, says the regulations represent millions of dollars in new costs and increased uncertainty for his factory, which last year had sales of $10 million. On top of that, he says, the Obama administration in October loosened its ban on Cuban cigars, allowing Americans to bring back as many cigars as they like for personal use. Newman says the move, part of the thawing of relations between the nations, introduces another layer of competition at a critical time. What were dealing with right now is the worst its ever been, said Newman, whose grandfather started the business at age 20 in a family barn. On the one hand, the government is saying, smoking is bad and making us jump through all these new hoops. On the other, theyre welcoming Cuban cigars which havent been tested, which arent taxed into the country. Theyve got this backwards. And now, with the election of Donald Trump as the countrys next president, Newman says hes dealing with even more uncertainty about the future. Will the new regulations remain in place? And if so, for how much longer? In the meantime, he says there are pressing matters, including a looming deadline on Dec. 31 that requires him to register more than 1,300 cigar varieties with the government. In all, the process could cost him more than $14 million. We just have to plow ahead, Newman says, sitting up straight. If I think about it for too long, I get nauseous. Inside the J.C. Newman Cigar Co.s brick factory, workers roll cigars using machines from the early 1900s. (Eve Edelheit/For The Washington Post) A brave new world of regulation J.C. Newmans future may be up in the air, but inside the companys brick factory on the edge of town, operations are as theyve always been: Tobacco from countries such as Ecuador, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic is dried and blended on the top level, then funneled down a chute onto the factory floor, where more than 100 workers most of them women fill, bind and wrap cigars using machines that date from the 1930s. Winnie Money, 83, has been working at this plant since 1972. Juanita Green, 56, since 1988. Peaches Pickrell, 69, took a job here 37 years ago after her previous employer, a nearby emblem factory, shut down. It was here or the shrimp factory, she said, and so here she was, putting newly rolled cigars into plastic packaging. Yesterday she bundled 6,700 cigars into 335 packages. The day before, 7,300. Ana Rodriguez, who affixes bar code stickers onto individual cigars, has been here 15 years. She stays, she says, because she has a 401(k) and five weeks of paid annual leave. I say all the time, where are we going to find a job where they pay us like this? said Rodriguez, 59, who emigrated from Cuba in 1970. Were all older people. If this place closes, whos going to give us jobs? Nobody. In an election year where much of the rhetoric had focused on bringing back manufacturing jobs, Newman says he cant understand why the government would want to increase burdens on an operation like his. He says having to lay off workers or, worse, move the factory to Nicaragua, where the company already has a sprawling plant and 650 employees, would have discernible consequences for the community. Cigars are the heart and soul of Tampa, he said. Were here. Were employing more than 100 people. Just dont close us down. Zeller, of the FDA, says the agency has hosted webinars to help business owners navigate the new rules and has provided special assistance and exemptions to small businesses with less than $5 million in annual sales. He estimates the costs associated with regulatory filings to be $1,500 to $22,000 per product. These businesses are entering a brave new world of regulation and yes, there are costs associated with that, Zeller said. But the FDA is in the business of reducing the harms associated with tobacco use, and unfortunately tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the country. The requirement that worries Newman the most right now, and has two company accountants working around the clock, is having to register all products with the FDA by the end of the year. At last count, J.C. Newman produced 1,382 varieties of cigars, each requiring a set of filings. In February, Newman will have to submit health documents and an ingredient list for each item. And by May, come up with a plan for adding labels with warnings such as Cigars are not a safe alternative to cigarettes and Cigar smoking can cause lung cancer and heart disease to his velvet-lined boxes. Were having to go through, take pictures, list all of our ingredients, tell them about our packaging, said Drew Newman, Erics son. We are trying to cooperate with the law to the best of our ability, but we also have a business to run. Cigars are labeled and stacked at J.C. Newman. The company produces 31 brands of cigars, including Cuesta-Rey and Diamond Crown. (Eve Edelheit/For The Washington Post) Most of the factorys workers are women, and many have been working there for years. Here, an employee prepares dried tobacco leaves for rolling. (Eve Edelheit/For The Washington Post) The land of opportunity The fortunes of Ybor City have been tied to Cuba since the 1880s, when Spanish cigar maker Vicente Martinez Ybor made his way up from Havana to Key West and eventually to Tampa, lured by the regions humidity and proximity to the ocean. Ybor bought 40 acres of land and built his first cigar factory. To attract workers immigrants from Cuba, Italy, Germany and Spain he built hundreds of small houses that he rented out for about $1 a week. As business grew, so did the number of competing manufacturers who moved to the area in search of skilled workers and ready access to Cuban tobacco. By 1900, Ybor City had 232 factories making nearly 600 million cigars a year. The entire economy of Central Florida was based on cigars, said Wallace Reyes, a historian whose family owned a longtime cigar factory in Ybor City. For many immigrants, this was the land of opportunity. When the Great Depression struck in 1929, the local cigar industry was among the hardest hit. Factories closed, unemployment soared and many residents left. Decades of decline followed as Americans traded hand-rolled cigars for inexpensive, machine-made cigarettes. The biggest blow to the industry, Reyes says, came in early 1960s when the United States imposed the Cuban trade embargo, halting the flow of tobacco from the island into Ybor City. Almost all of the regions cigar makers relocated to Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic as a result. In the years since, there have been hints of promise as small storefronts crop up on Ybor Citys main stretch. But nearly everyone here agrees: The towns glory days are gone. Ybors original factory is now home to the Church of Scientology. Another factory down the street is being converted into luxury apartments. Historically, we had factories with a thousand workers, and we had smaller factories, like what my uncle owned, with just a few people, said Chantal Ruilova Hevia, president and chief executive of the Ybor City Museum Society. We had the whole gamut, but not anymore. The entire industry has deteriorated. Roy Hofmann and Bob Goorsky smoke outside King Corona Cigars and Cafe, one of a dozen cigar shops that line Tampas 7th Avenue. (Eve Edelheit/For The Washington Post) Roll with the punches A mile from the J.C. Newman factory, on a stretch of Seventh Avenue dotted with cigar shops, Ernesto Ceijas, 39, sits in a storefront window cutting swaths of dried tobacco. He fills them with tobacco leaves, rolls them tight and seals them shut. On a good day, he makes 100 cigars which means hell make about $100. Its a hard life to make cigars, says Ceijas, who works at Long Ash Cigars, a boutique and lounge. Like the seven other rollers there, he is a Cuban immigrant who is paid about $1 for each cigar he makes. They will sell in the shop for between $3.50 and $13. But Michael Cincunegui, the shops owner, says cigar prices are likely to go up as more federal regulations take hold. Yes, theres going to be an impact, and yes, costs will go up, he said. Its just hard to tell how much. Cincunegui, whose great-grandfather emigrated from Cuba, says he was hopeful that recent strides in U.S.-Cuba relations would mean an eventual opening of trade between the two countries, allowing him to import coveted Cuban cigars and tobacco to sell in his Ybor City store. President-elect Donald Trump, however, has repeatedly vowed to terminate newly minted ties with the communist nation, leaving Cincunegui and others even more anxious about their future. Its a new administration, and we dont know the first thing about what to expect, he said. All we can do is roll with the punches. Cincunegui opened his shop four years ago, days before the 2012 Republican National Convention came to town. He is among a new crop of small-time entrepreneurs hoping to eke out a living in Tampas fading cigar industry. Like the Newmans, he is grappling with new regulations and changing ties with Cuba. So far, the people who are left are making a decent way of business, said Reyes, the historian. But with new rules, a new president, a new administration, who knows? The last plant to close in Ybor City, Hav-a-Tampa, moved its operations to Puerto Rico in 2009 after the federal government increased taxes on large cigars from 5 cents to 40 cents. Nearly 500 people lost their jobs. It was the worst time of my life, said Joe St. Charles, 51, a mechanic there who made $28.50 an hour. I was looking for a job, but so were 500 other people. He applied for 150 jobs, he said. But there were few calls back, and when there were, they were for jobs that paid $10, $11, $12 an hour. After a stint in Puerto Rico, St. Charles is back in Tampa working for J.C. Newman. He makes more than $30 an hour now, plus overtime, as the factorys lead mechanic. His fiancee, a cigar roller he met at J.C. Newman, makes about $20 an hour. If these rules shut us down, itd take out our entire household income, he said. This is the last factory left theres nowhere else for us to go. Read more: Havana Club vs. Havana Club: Inside the rum war between Bacardi and Cuba Youll soon be able to bring back more cigars and rum from Cuba Among the hurdles U.S. hotels face in Cuba: A booming Airbnb presence Starbucks announced Thursday that Howard Schultz plans to step aside as chief executive to focus on new initiatives at the coffee giant, an abrupt change for a man widely praised for putting a once adrift company back on track and guiding it through a period of rapid global expansion. Schultz, who rarely shied away from putting Starbucks in the center of public policy debates, said he will stay on as chairman as he turns the CEO reins over to Kevin Johnson, the coffee chains chief operating officer. His sudden move revived speculation that he may one day try his hand at politics. In a conference call with investors, Schultz declared that Johnson, with his background in the technology industry that includes a 16-year stint at Microsoft, is better prepared to be the CEO on a go-forward basis than I am. Starbucks, like virtually every other retailer, is trying to adapt to an increasingly digital world. Starbucks has had unusual success at it, developing a widely used mobile payment app that has led to many headlines about how the coffee chain is transforming into a technology company. In tapping Johnson as chief executive, Starbucks is making a statement about its intentions to stay out in front in the digital realm. When the leadership handoff takes place in April, Schultz will turn his focus to an ambitious project to make major brands out of two relatively new concepts in the Starbucks portfolio: Roasteries, sprawling facilities where the company roasts and packages premium coffees and offers a tasting-room-style experience, and Starbucks Reserve, cafes that serve the fancy coffee made at the roasteries. Schultz said the company has plans for at least 20 roasteries and 1,000 Reserve stores worldwide. Schultz has been in his second stint as CEO for nearly nine years he initially stepped down in 2000 and then famously came back in early 2008. Interestingly, the first time he stepped away he also did so to take on a more strategic, high-level role: He became the companys chief global strategist. On Thursdays call with investors, Schultz sought to emphasize that this time would be different. In talking about his return as chief executive in 2008, amid a national financial crisis, Schultz said that the management team at that time just did not have the capability to navigate through that difficult period. Now, however, he said he believes the leadership team is better equipped to fend for itself. And, he added, on a personal level, I dont think I was as prepared then as I am now. Wall Street has long been a big fan of Schultz. After news of the transition broke, Starbucks stock sank nearly 4 percent in after-hours trading. The hallmark of Schultzs leadership of Starbucks has long been his willingness to speak out about societal issues more than most CEOs of companies of its size. In 2013, Schultz told an investor he could sell his shares if he didnt like the companys stance on same-sex marriage. He got credit for company programs such as offering college education benefits and promoting the hiring of young, minority workers and veterans. In March, he put together a series of online videos that offered feel-good lessons on civic engagement. Other efforts didnt work so well, such as his Race Together campaign to get baristas and customers speaking about race, which many saw as tone deaf, a company going one step too far in its effort to bring political values into the workplace. Thats led some to question whether Schultz has aims on higher office. In March, he made some presidential-sounding remarks at the companys annual stockholder meeting. Speaking in lofty terms about the lack of civility and leadership in the country, he said that there are moments when Ive had a hard time recognizing who we are and who we are becoming. We are facing a test not only of our character but of our morality as a people. He seemed to be alluding to the divisiveness of the 2016 presidential campaign. What is the role and responsibility of all of us as citizens? We must do everything we can to reclaim and reimagine the American Dream and fill the reservoir back up not with cynicism but with optimism, not with despair but with possibility, not with division but with unity, he said. In an op-ed in the New York Times in August, Schultz said he has no intention of entering the presidential fray. Asked again about it in an interview on CNN recently, he didnt entirely rule out a run, saying: Im still a young man. Lets see what the future holds. Later, Schultz added, I determined for myself that at this time, I can do more as a private citizen and as the CEO of a public company to advance the causes that I think are important for the country and for our company. In the Thursday call with investors, Schultz said: Im not leaving the company. Im here every single day. A spokeswoman for Starbucks said Schultz has no plans to run for political office. Johnson has worked as the companys chief operating officer since 2015 and has been a member of the board of directors since 2009. Previously, Johnson was chief executive of Juniper Networks and served on the National Security Telecommunication Advisory Committee. HEALTH CARE Drug prices, ACA boost spending rate The nations health-care tab grew at the fastest rate in eight years in 2015, driven by coverage expansion in the Affordable Care Act and costly prescription drugs, the government said Friday. The growth of 5.8 percent in 2015 boosted total health-care spending to $3.2 trillion, an average of $9,990 per person. Health spending grew about two percentage points faster than the overall economy in 2015, the report from nonpartisan economic experts at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said. The report found that the federal government became the largest payer for health care in 2015, accounting for 29 percent of overall health spending. That was followed by households (28 percent), businesses (20 percent), and state and local governments (17 percent). Spending by private health insurance plans increased by 7.2 percent in 2015, and Medicaid spending grew by 9.7 percent. Baklava makers roll dough in the Karakoy Gulluoglu Baklava factory on December 2, 2016 in Istanbul. (Chris Mcgrath/Getty Images) Spending on prescription drugs dispensed through pharmacies increased by 9 percent in 2015, growing faster than any other category, including hospitals and doctors. Medicare was a bright spot, growing only by 4.5 percent. Associated Press GENDER ISSUES IMF chief urges fight against misogyny International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde on Friday called for greater attention to protecting the dignity of women, saying everyone has a responsibility to combat misogyny. Asked what the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president means for gender equality, Lagarde told Bloomberg editor in chief John Micklethwait in New York that she hoped that elegance in dealing with people will prevail over low instinct and disparaging comments. She emphasized that her comments were not addressed to the president-elect, noting that there are many sectors of the world where women are suffering an attitude which puts them in a lower position. But she called misogyny inexcusable, and said it is each and every one of our responsibilities to make sure that attitudes that harm women dont take hold. Lagarde, 60, is the first woman to lead the IMF. She has been a proponent of empowering women, urging countries such as Japan to make it easier for women to enter and stay in the workforce, and she often speaks with womens groups during her visits abroad. Lagarde said Friday that global leaders who claim to be feminists need to take more action to help women enter and stay in the workforce from requirements for parental leave to removing discriminatory laws. Corporations need to do their part by ensuring gender equality on their boards of directors, Lagarde said. Bloomberg News Also in Business From news services Im no fan of Donald Trumps behavior, phony numbers and temperament, all of which Ive dissected over the years. But when it comes to bodyslamming big companies like Carrier that want to move jobs out of our country to make Wall Street happy by keeping reported profits rising, Trump and I are totally on the same side. This despite the fact that many people disapprove of Trump smacking Carrier around. Let me explain. On the whole, I think our countrys much better off than it used to be, Trumps Make American Great Again mantra notwithstanding. But when it comes to calling out giant corporations for anti-social behavior, I think were worse off than we were. Maybe just maybe a big, fat dose of public shaming from the president-to-be and some of his big hitters will get some of these companies to behave less badly. Back in the day, companies would occasionally change their behavior when some media outlet or politician made a big enough fuss about mass corporate layoffs or tax avoidance or some other distasteful activity that damaged the fabric of our country in order to propitiate Wall Street. But in recent years, fear of Wall Street has come to (forgive the expression) trump Corporate Americas fear of media or political outrage. However, watching Carrier part of the giant United Technologies conglomerate agree not to move 800 manufacturing jobs out of Indianapolis makes me hope that guilt, shame and fear could be coming back into fashion. And our country will benefit as a result. The fact that Carrier is still going to move 1,300 or so jobs from Indiana to Mexico is distressing. But its less distressing than moving 2,100 jobs. Given that were dealing with Trump, whose specialty is telling his public audience what he thinks it wants to hear and then doing whatever he wants, I wonder if there are back-room deals with Carrier, which a state agency said told it that firing 1,400 people in Indianapolis and moving furnace-making to Mexico would save $65 million a year. Given that number, the $7 million, 10-year tax break Carrier is supposedly getting from Indiana a handout that has stirred all sorts of outrage is small beer. Besides, the Indianapolis Business Journal reported on Nov. 30 that Carrier turned down a similar offer earlier this year, according to former Indiana Lt. Gov. John Mutz. Mutz is a board member of the state agency offering the break. In any event, $7 million over 10 years is almost a rounding error compared to the $300 million-plus of higher costs Carrier will presumably incur by leaving 800 of the 1,400 originally-to-be-moved jobs in Indianapolis. (Im guesstimating that cost number by taking 8/14ths of the $65 million of supposed moving-to-Mexico savings, multiplying by 10 and rounding down.) But rather than brooding about Carrier extracting a few bucks from Indiana, which the state seems to have offered before Trump got involved, lets just give Trump credit for preserving 800 American jobs. At least for now. Sure, one-off dealmaking like this doesnt solve the long-term problem of U.S. industrial employment, which is being cut by technological advances and by companies desire to reduce costs and help keep quarterly profits rising. This has led companies to export jobs; to trim expenses such as R&D and advertising that are presumably good for the bottom line long term but not short term; and to push more costs and risks for medical care and retirement onto employees. Reducing the corporate tax rate doesnt solve these cost problems. Nor does Trumps proposed ideawhich I think could run into legal difficulties of imposing tariffs on imports of companies that export jobs. But now that Ive found myself on the same side as Trump, Ive got one suggestion: Instead of just pushing other people around, Trump should lead by example and sacrifice something. If Trump truly cares about American jobs, he should insist that the licensed products that bear his familys name be made in the U.S. instead of in places like China and Vietnam. In return, he and his family should accept lower licensing payments. After all, if Trump expects Corporate America to accept lower profits by employing Americans in America, he ought to accept lower profits by doing that, too. Lucid Candles very real-looking candle is made of a synthetic material that never burns down. The candle holds liquid paraffin, which the company sells by the bottle. (Lucid Candles) Typically, I do not like fake things. I do not like fake sugar, fake wood or fake news (who does?). If given the choice, I will almost always opt for the real McCoy: a real Christmas tree, real flowers and real candles. But lately my discerning eye has been fooled. Technological developments and improved manufacturing capabilities have made it possible to create some of the best impostors ever. Some are so good that even I may change my ways. Yes, they are pricey, but trust me, if you are going to buy fake, buy the best fake you can find. The ultimate fake Christmas tree A faux Fraser fir by Balsam Hill. (Balsam Hill) This is almost sacrilege (my husband grew up on a Christmas tree farm!), but the artificial trees from Balsam Hill are the best I have ever seen. The company offers a dazzling choice of evergreen varieties, shapes and sizes including Fraser fir and Norway spruce look-alikes, from under six feet tall to over 15 feet, lit and unlit trees, and even trees pre-lit with LED color and clear lights. (You can alternate between the two with one click of a remote control.) Trees start at about $349, and each comes with a stand, storage bag and extra bulbs. The company also sends a pair of shaping gloves to wear while you shape and bend the branches into realistic formation. Full shaping instructions, including photos, are available on the Balsam Hill website. Undeniably, these artificial trees make life easier no watering, no needle dropping, no light hanging and no messy cleanup. But one thing is missing (and its arguably the most important): the smell of a real tree. Until companies figure out how to have artificial trees emit a real scent (I am sure thats coming soon), I suggest having a good-quality evergreen-scented candle or diffuser, such as the Fraser fir scent from Thymes, in the same room as your tree. The prettiest fake flowers Faux flowers from Diane James. (Diane James Home) (Diane James Home) Although decent fresh flowers are readily available at grocery stores these days (Trader Joes is an excellent source for cut flowers and Whole Foods for orchids), most of us limit our purchases to special occasions. However, flower arrangements, potted plants and orchids from Diane James made with fake stems (the company describes them as faux floral couture) are pretty enough and realistic enough to make you second-guess their status. The companys eponymous founder studied fresh floral design in Europe, and over time she perfected a just-from-the-garden style that she applies to faux arrangements. All bouquets (small ones start at $143) come in vases filled with faux water (a proprietary blend that resembles polyurethane) and are loaded with permanently arranged fabric blooms. Each flower is botanically correct in color and style, and many of the petals are hand-trimmed by one of six floral designers who work in the companys Connecticut-based studio. The arrangements are seasonal, and the company debuts two collections a year. The coolest fake candles Lucid Candles range from $56 to $110, and the liquid paraffin is $13.50 for a one-liter bottle. (Lucid Candles) The most impressive invention I have seen in a while is the dripless, waxless candle from Lucid . Heres how it works: The very real-looking candle is made of a synthetic material that never burns down. (You can even put it in the dishwasher to clean it.) The candle holds liquid paraffin, which the company sells by the bottle. Just twist off the candles top and fill the candle with the fluid. When you put the top back on, the candles fiberglass wick falls into the liquid paraffin and draws it up. Light the wick and only the liquid paraffin is burned, so there is no soot and no dripping no more wax all over your tablecloth and no more scraping wax out of votive holders! And unlike battery-operated candles, Lucid candles have real flames, so the glow is exactly what you would expect from a traditional candle. Fun fact: These candles are based on a design that the Lucid parent company has been making for use in churches for 30 years. The company has spent the past several years perfecting the technology for home use. The new designs will be available next month through Lucids website (lucidcandle.com). The candles range from $56 to $110, and the liquid paraffin is $13.50 for a one-liter bottle. The most luxurious fake fur throw Restoration Hardwares ruched faux fur throw ($159, restorationhardware.com). (Restoration Hardware) Over the past few years, faux fur throws have become a staple in decorating magazines and catalogues, but all are not equal. The first time I felt a really good faux fur throw was at the home of New York-based decorator Katie Ridder; I really couldnt tell whether it was real. When asked where it was from, Ridder shared that she regularly orders the faux fur throws from Restoration Hardware. She uses them in her projects at the foot of beds and along the backs of sofas in living rooms and family rooms. The throws, made from synthetic fibers, add textural interest to rooms as well as a soft and silky touch. Available in a number of different sizes, colors and exotic replicas, the throws start at $109. Mayhew, a Today show style expert and former magazine editor, is the author of Flip! for Decorating. The Washington Monument, one of Washington, D.C.s top tourist attractions, has been closed since August because of elevator problems. It wont reopen until 2019, the National Park Service says. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) If you have been hoping to take in the sweeping views from the Washington Monument, you had better be patient. The monument, closed since August 17 because of elevator problems, is not expected to reopen until 2019, according to the National Park Service. The elevator will receive a $2 million to $3 million overhaul, paid for by businessman and charitable donor David Rubenstein, Park Service officials announced Friday. The monument has become a symbol of our country and reminds everyone of the towering strengths of our first president. I am honored to help make this symbol safely accessible again to all Americans as soon as practicable, Rubenstein said in a statement. The elevator takes visitors to an observation deck near the top of the 555-foot monument. A rooftop view from the Department of Commerce shows the Washington Monument and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) [Take KidsPosts quiz about the Washington Monument.] Among other things, Rubensteins gift will let officials replace the computer system that controls the elevator and add a system for troubleshooting problems, officials said. Rubenstein has helped pay for repairs or improvements to several Washington icons. He gave $7.5 million to help restore the Washington Monument following an earthquake in 2011, repairs that cost $15 million and closed the monument for nearly three years. Earlier this year, he announced he would give $18 million to fix up the Lincoln Memorial. In 2015, he announced he would give more than $5 million to improve the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. A Sikorsky JRS-1 flying boat sits in the restoration hangar of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Va. The mail plane was sent out in search of the Japanese fleet after the Pearl Harbor attack. Its only armament: three old rifles, which the crew would have had to fire through the windows. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) The tattered Pearl Harbor survivor looks every bit of 78, with weathered skin, rusty bones and the faded U.S. Navy emblem the old bird got before the war. Gray from age and years in the service, the veteran of Dec. 7 sits with other World War II antiques, weary and in need of attention. But with the 75th anniversary of the 1941 attack this week, and commemorations scheduled in Hawaii and around the country, this survivor, like most who were there that day, has a story. The ungainly Navy airplane at the National Air and Space Museums Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va., is one of the few original U.S. aircraft in existence that flew against the Japanese armada that day. Then painted silver and orange-yellow, with a bright green tail and red trim, it was an unlikely combatant. Designed as a small airliner a baby clipper it was unarmed and part of a unit called Utility Squadron One, which hauled mail, sailors and Navy photographers around the Hawaiian islands. It had window curtains and a restroom with porcelain fixtures. Its top speed was just over 100 mph. With Pearl Harbor a scene of death and devastation that Sunday morning, Plane No. 1063 its insignia a pelican carrying a mailbag was ordered to seek out the enemy. For armament, the 28-year-old pilot, Ensign Wesley Hoyt Ruth, and his five-man crew were issued three World War I-era rifles. Their task: Report the location of the six Japanese aircraft carriers, two battleships, assorted escort ships and hundreds of enemy airplanes that had been involved in the attack. This is going to be a one-way trip, Ruth later said he thought. But it wasnt. An old drinking water kit was in the Sikorsky JRS-1 flying boat that sits in the restoration hangar of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) Lockbox keys also were found on the plane, which had a boat-like hull to allow it land on water and wheels to come in on a runway. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post) Seventy-five years later, the Sikorsky JRS-1 amphibian, with its boat hull for the water and big tires for the runway, sits in the Udvar-Hazy Centers restoration hangar, a venerable witness to the event that helped create modern America. The Pearl Harbor attack, which plunged the United States into World War II, killed an estimated 2,400 Americans, wounded about 1,100, and destroyed ships, planes and facilities. The fact that [Ruth] got out and got back is . . . absolutely amazing, Smithsonian museum specialist Pat Robinson said last month. The plane would not have survived an encounter with the Japanese fleet, which it did not find, Robinson said in an interview at the center. It was lucky not to have been shot down by jumpy American antiaircraft gunners when it returned to Pearl Harbor, he said. And it was a miracle that it was saved from the postwar scrapheap. Somewhere . . . someone looking at the log books realized the significance of the airplane, and where it had been, and alerted the Smithsonian, which retrieved it from military storage, Robinson said. Its a huge deal, to have this here, he said. It represents American involvement in the Second World War. It was there when it started. Indeed, the airplane has a presence, and the Smithsonian would one day like to restore it. But other historic planes are in line ahead of it. The craft, constructed for the Navy in 1938 at the Sikorsky plant in Stratford, Conn., is big, with the two huge propeller engines built into the wing above the fuselage, a hatch in the nose where a photographer could stand, and porthole-style windows. Inside it, the curators found an old emergency water purification kit and the rusted keys to a lockbox in the radio compartment. The squadron was based on Ford Island, in the middle of Pearl Harbor, where the Navys doomed battleships were parked. Ruth, the pilot, who later lived in the Washington area and taught at the Bullis School in Potomac, Md., was in his bachelors quarters on the island the morning of the attack. Wesley Hoyt Ruth, a pilot who took off and flew over Pearl Harbor after the attack on Dec. 7, 1941. He was 28 and serving in Hawaii when this photograph was made. He died last year at age 101 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. (Family photo) A seasoned aviator, he could fly anything, his son, Thomas A. Ruth II, said recently. A native of tiny De Smet, S.D., he was having breakfast when the Japanese planes came roaring in. He thought for a moment that it might be a drill, until he saw them dropping bombs. Then I knew for sure that we were in for trouble, he said. He would survive the war, but a younger brother, Thomas, who was also a Navy pilot, was shot down and killed in the South Pacific in 1943. In videotaped accounts he gave over the years, Wes Ruth said he grabbed his coat that morning, jumped into his convertible and sped with the top down for the airstrip. I drove as fast as I could because . . . I was concerned about getting strafed, he said. As he neared the runway, the battleship USS Arizona had just blown up about a quarter-mile away. Pellets of gunpowder ejected from the blast began to fall from the sky. It was snowing powder pellets about as large as my finger, Ruth said in a talk he gave in 2011. They fell into and around his car. As the Japanese attack ended, the Americans wanted to locate the fleet from which the enemy planes had come. Ruth was ordered to go find it. You take the first plane, the JRS, he said a senior officer told him. He got into the plane with co-pilot Emery C. Pappy Geise, 35, radioman Oscar W. Benenfiel Jr., plane captain Amos P. Gallupe and two other sailors, according to the Smithsonian. Before they left, the senior officer presented them with three Springfield rifles for protection. We would have to shoot through the windows, Ruth said. He thought the chances of surviving were zero. The brightly colored plane took off and flew north, looking for the enemy. Hours went by. Every second in the air was fraught with anxiety, apprehension, [and] anger, a crewman on another search plane recalled, according to Pearl Harbor historian Craig Nelson. If ever there was a suicide mission, this was one. Ruth said he flew just beneath the clouds, so he could enter the cloud cover if there was trouble. He flew 250 miles to the north but saw nothing. He turned east for 10 miles, then headed back south 250 miles toward Pearl Harbor. Still nothing. Although the enemy fleet was still lurking north of Pearl Harbor, Ruth and his crew made no contact. But then they had to get back to Ford Island without getting shot down by their comrades. Numerous American planes were mistaken for the enemy and shot at by nervous Americans on the ground, according to historians. Again, Ruth and his men were lucky. They arrived unscathed. Following the attack, the plane was moved to a base in California and later handed over to the forerunner of NASA for testing purposes, Robinson said. After that it went into storage until its importance was noticed and it was given to the Smithsonian. Ruth died last year at 101 in Matthews, N.C. He was buried in January at Arlington National Cemetery. For his actions at Pearl Harbor, he was given the Navy Cross, the services second-highest decoration for heroism. Although contact with the enemy meant almost certain destruction, his citation reads, Ruths courage, airmanship and skill were at all times inspiring and in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, accompanied by his daughter, Ivanka Trump, left, and Eric Trump, right, speaks during the grand opening of Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC on Wednesday October 26, 2016. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) After a hard-fought presidential election that bitterly divided the nation, local and federal officials are preparing for upwards of a million people to pour into the nations capital and replay some of that drama on Jan. 20, when Donald Trump takes the oath of office as the 45th president. Officials say they are anticipating a larger-than-usual number of protesters this inauguration but are unsure of exactly what to expect as they converge with Trump supporters at the inaugural ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, the parade that will follow and several planned demonstrations. But they say theyll be ready with thousands of police officers and National Guard members from across the country assigned to Washington for the weekend. D.C. hotels and rentals are filling up. And city officials are expecting more than 1,500 charter buses. Given how close and embattled the actual campaign was, I cant say wed have more or less police if the decision had gone a different way, said Christopher T. Geldart, director of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. But either way this was going to go, we knew we would be dealing with more folks requesting space for exercising their First Amendment rights. And thats what were seeing. In January, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies which is responsible for planning the event plans to give members of Congress about 240,000 tickets to the inauguration, on par with the number in years past. Individual members of Congress will then give the tickets to constituents. Workers build the Inaugural Parade Reviewing Stand for the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump outside the White House in Washington, DC, November 29, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEBSAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images So far, Geldart said, the planned security presence is similar to those of prior inaugurations. He said authorities expect that up to a million people will attend the inauguration and parade, in addition to a still-undetermined number of demonstrators. Along with D.C. police, the city will bring in 3,200 law enforcement officers from across the country to mainly work the parade route. Seven thousand members of the National Guard will also be in the District, unarmed and watching over the route. U.S. Capitol Police, which will also have a large security presence, would not comment on its inauguration plans. The District government typically foots the bill for inauguration-related expenses, with the federal government later reimbursing it. The city spent $18.2 million on the 2013 presidential inauguration and has recouped 100 percent of that, according to the citys Office of the Chief Financial Officer. Congress has already appropriated nearly $20 million to cover the citys 2017 inauguration. It is still unclear how many demonstrators will be coming to the District and what security resources they will require. About a dozen groups have applied for permits to protest and rally on federal property the day of the inauguration and the day after, according to Mike Litterst, a spokesman for the National Park Service, the federal agency that handles permitting. None of the permits has been issued yet. Litterst said they are given out on a first-come, first-served basis. The Presidential Inaugural Committee applied for sweeping permits on much of the prime federal land a year ago, which is standard, according to Litterst. As inauguration plans get underway and the committee determines which land is needed for the ceremonies, space opens up for other groups. That has not happened yet, he said. Ultimately, demonstrators applying for permits on the Mall or near it will not receive a permit until the inaugural committee decides which land it needs. This is always the way it happens, Litterst said. What makes this so complicated is that not only is this inauguration, but because there has been so much interest on both sides of this election, we are seeing all of these extra events that want to take place at the same time. Perhaps the biggest protest is expected to be at the Womens March on Washington, a planned rally on the Mall the day after the inauguration, and it has attracted significant attention on social media. Its organizers applied for a permit for 200,000 people at various locations, including the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and Lafayette Square. Geldart said officials told those with the Womens March on Washington that they would not be permitted to march along Pennsylvania Avenue the day after the inauguration because of the extensive cleanup effort scheduled. The march is happening, said Bob Bland, one of the women organizing the march. This will be one of the largest and most historic marches, certainly, to take place on the first day a president is in office. Others say they will show up without permits. Legba Carrefour, a D.C.-based participant with the D.C. Counter Inaugural Committee, said the group is preparing to disrupt the parade and inauguration ceremony and expects a few thousand people to join the cause. People are pouring in requests to participate, and we are still forming the plan, Carrefour said. Its going to be the deployment of a mass number of people aimed at using direct action to shutting down the parade. Security costs aside, the inauguration is always a boon to the city coffers, particularly for the hospitality industry. Trumps unexpected victory caused some brief concern for local hotels. Hillary Clintons backers canceled their reservations, but Trumps supporters eventually trickled into the market. As of now, hotel bookings are expected to be about on pace with those for the 2013 inauguration, according to Robin McClain, vice president of marketing and communications for Destination D.C. There are 31,000 hotel rooms in the District and 110,000 in the region, and data from Destination D.C. shows that about 65 percent were booked between Jan. 18 and Jan. 20 in 2013. Some hotels said they are seeing an uptick in reservations over 2013, when President Obama was sworn in for his second term. For us, this year was busier than the last inauguration, but that is not unusual when comparing new presidents versus second terms, Philip Wood, managing director of the upscale Jefferson Hotel in downtown Washington, wrote in an email. Bookings at the Four Seasons in Georgetown picked up significantly starting the week of Nov. 14, said public relations director Liliana Baldassari. The hotel, which requires a minimum four-night stay at a starting rate of $1,695, is no longer accepting reservations. But it filled up much slower than in 2008, when it was three-quarters booked before Election Day and full by the end of the day, Baldassari said. Hotels are seeing increased competition this inauguration from Airbnb, the popular online home-rental site. The company says it expects the inauguration to be its biggest weekend of business in Washington, with 10,000 guests using the lodging service more than seven times greater than the 1,300 Airbnb guests here for the 2013 inauguration. Prices for an Airbnb rental range from $50 a night for a room in a house to thousands of dollars a night for an entire house. It is hard to determine who is traveling to Washington to welcome the new president and who is coming to protest. Hotel and transportation companies said they do not ask customers why they are visiting the nations capital when booking. Amtrak is seeing high demand for trains to the District the day before and the day of the inauguration. The same goes for trains to the District on the Saturday after the ceremonies, which suggests that people may be traveling to attend the Womens March on Washington and other rallies. To accommodate the demand, the railroad is adding two additional round-trip trains, one for its Northeast Regional service and the other for its Acela Express. Seats are still available, and we strongly encourage customers to book tickets now for best availability and pricing, said spokeswoman Chelsea Kopta. Charter buses traveling to the District will have the option to park at RFK Stadium in Northeast Washington, which has a capacity for 1,300 buses. Inauguration is only in Washington, D.C., said McClain, the Destination DC official. So its a great opportunity for our hotel and hospitality community, and we all want it to be successful. Peter Hermann and Peter Jamison contributed to this report. THE DISTRICT Man fatally shot in citys Southwest A Prince Georges County man was fatally shot in Southwest Washington on Wednesday night, according to police. Officers responded about 11 p.m. to a call in the 100 block of Irvington Street SW, where they found a man with gunshot wounds, according to D.C. police. The victim identified as Marcus Barnes, 24 was pronounced dead at a hospital, police said. He lived in Temple Hills, Md., police said. Lynh Bui and Peter Hermann MARYLAND Beaver shows lack of holiday spirit In St. Marys County, at least one badly behaved beaver is ready for holiday shopping. The beaver was apprehended at a dollar store in Charlotte Hall, the St. Marys County Sheriffs Office said in a statement, apparently after browsing the selection of artificial Christmas trees and trashing the place. The suspect attempted to flee the area, as the sheriffs office put it, but was apprehended by animal control and released to an animal rehabilitator hopefully not just to be released into the wild, but also to be taught basic shopping etiquette. The beaver was rescued by animal control and released to wildlife rehabilitation, authorities tweeted. Justin Wm. Moyer VIRGINIA Woman set on fire dies of her injuries A Virginia woman whose boyfriend is accused of setting her on fire last month and then going on the run has died, police said Thursday. On Nov. 19 about 1:40 a.m., authorities went to a residence in the 4900 block of Keeler Court in Fairfax County to investigate a report of a house fire, Fairfax County police said. Firefighters found Delores Williams, 64, of the Alexandria area of Fairfax County, badly burned. Police said that she had argued with her live-in boyfriend, Lewis Edward Reeder, and that he set her on fire. Williams died at a hospital Wednesday. Reeder remains at large. He might be driving a green 2001 four-door Ford Taurus that may have Virginia license plates VPW1915, police said. Justin Wm. Moyer Day-care worker charged with neglect A Centreville woman has been charged with felony child neglect after a toddler she was watching walked out of a day-care center alone, Prince William County police said. Officers were dispatched to the 13900 block of Estate Manor Drive in Gainesville about 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 19 after a caller saw the 3-year-old girl alone and could not find her family, police said. Officers determined that the child had walked out of Kiddie Academy of Gainesville said. She was unharmed. Nayoung Park, an employee at the center, turned herself in to police Wednesday. Lynh Bui Maryland Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford said in response to a tweet from a state senator that hate is not new. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post) Several Jewish leaders and elected officials in Montgomery County are criticizing the administration of Gov. Larry Hogan (R) for refusing to link a surge of hate-based incidents in recent weeks to the election of Republican Donald Trump. They say they are particularly troubled that, in response to a tweet from state Sen. Cheryl C. Kagan (D) this week, Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford (R) replied that hate is not new. Ron Halber, the executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, said there is a direct correlation between the vitriolic rhetoric of the Trump campaign and the uptick of anti-Semitic and bigoted events happening across the country and in my home town of Montgomery County. Anyone who is denying that has their head in the sand, Halber said. At a legislative breakfast sponsored by the council on Thursday, Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal of Gaithersburgs Shaare Torah synagogue asked Rutherford about recent race-based incidents in the county, including a swastika drawn on the wall of a high school bathroom and a whites only sign taped to a boys bathroom at another local high school. Rutherford, who is African American, condemned the incidents and encouraged people to report them, Blumenthal said Friday. Then the lieutenant governor went on to say that he did not know why the incidents are happening now, Blumenthal said. Many in the overwhelmingly Democratic audience gasped, according to several people who attended the event. Blumenthal said Friday that he was disappointed that Rutherford did not see a correlation between the incidents and the divisiveness of Trumps campaign, which featured strong support from white supremacist groups and frequent attacks on immigrants and Muslims. Kagan, who attended the breakfast, tweeted afterward that she was shocked that Rutherford was perplexed by the increase. In a reply, Rutherford tweeted: You act as though hate is new. It was always there. Id rather people show their real colors than hide. Kagan called Rutherfords tweet remarkably offensive. He should be condemning, not offering safe haven, to those with racist attitudes in our state, she said. Shareese Churchill, a spokeswoman for Rutherford, said both Rutherford and Hogan condemn racism and acts of hatred from all sides. Citizens have the right to protest peacefully, but all Marylanders must treat each other with respect, and acts of violence or damage to public or private property will not be tolerated. Churchill said Rutherford, who grew up during the civil rights movement, has stared real racism and discrimination in the face. She said his tweet was simply referencing the indisputable fact that racism and race-related tensions have been issues facing our nation for hundreds of years. Hogan, who like Rutherford disavowed Trump early in the presidential campaign, also has declined to link the president-elects rise to recent incidents in Maryland. When asked about the incidents shortly after the election, Hogan said, We would not like to see any hate crimes on either side of this issue. He noted that the only actual violence that had been reported in Maryland was anti-Trump protesters beating up a Trump supporter during a march. Halber said he spoke to Rutherford by phone on Friday and there is no doubt in my mind that he rejects bigotry. Its not as important how this began, Halber said. Im just glad that the lieutenant governor is denouncing anti-Semitism and bigotry. The D.C. Department of Human Services will do more to help clients who dont speak English after settling a lawsuit filed by a Spanish-speaking immigrant allegedly denied prenatal care while seven months pregnant, the D.C. attorney general said Friday. The federal lawsuit, filed last year in D.C. District Court by the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, detailed the case of Minerva Nolasco, a Latin American woman who said she was denied a Spanish-speaking interpreter during several DHS visits after her health insurance was mistakenly canceled. [District officials violating law on language access, lawsuit says] Nolasco, who was experiencing pain in her abdomen, eventually learned of the cancellation in a letter written half in English and half in Spanish, the lawsuit said. It also included the allegations of Maria Amaya Torres, a woman with two children who said her food stamps were mistakenly cut from $220 per month to $87 per month after she could not secure a DHS interpreter. Such behavior ran afoul of a 2004 D.C. law that mandated access to interpreters, the women claimed. In the settlement, the city agreed to create an ombudsman for DHS service centers that is an experienced, multilingual DHS employee who will be available to personally assist DHS customers with language access, according to a statement from the D.C. attorney general. The city will also create a language access customer advisory group with community representatives, the settlement said, to monitor progress. This settlement is good news for our city, because it enhances the Department of Human Services ability to serve all District residents regardless of their primary language, Attorney General Karl A. Racine said in a statement. Our office worked closely with DHS Director Laura Green Zeilinger and senior members of her staff, and with attorneys representing the plaintiffs, to achieve a prompt and productive settlement of this litigation. Steve Hollman, an attorney for the women, praised the agreement. The District is an international city with many different dialects represented among residents, and we have the technology available to meet the demand, he said. We should be able to provide appropriate language assistance. At the end of the day, thats what the case was about. Fairfax County has agreed to pay $7.85 million to settle a lawsuit over fire department overtime pay. The suit was brought in 2014 by 176 Fairfax fire captains who argued that they were first responders who should receive overtime pay rather than supervisors who did not. The county fought back, maintaining that the captains fifth-highest in the fire department chain of command are executives and administrators who should not get overtime. In a ruling earlier this year, after a long legal battle, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the captains. Whatever the precise importance of the Captains non-firefighting duties the evaluations, the disciplinary reports, the annual conforming changes to station policies it is clear that fighting fires is the more important part of the job, a unanimous three-judge panel wrote. Unlike their superiors, Captains are part of the core group of firefighters who are required to respond to a typical call; an engine cannot leave the station without its Captain on board. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, fire department employees whose job is primarily emergency response must be paid overtime. Of the $7.85 million, $1.4 million will go to the fire captains lawyers for their fees. The rest will go to the fire captains, as back pay and half as damages. From Jan. 3, 2011 to Sept. 16, 2016, according to the settlement, the fire captains were entitled to an extra half-time of pay for every hour worked above 212 hours in a 28 day work-cycle. On Sept. 16, the county began paying overtime to fire captains. The settlement was approved by a judge in the Eastern District of Virginia on Friday. Before it takes effect it must be approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in a meeting next week. I think its absolutely a fair deal and it was well and hard fought by both sides, the captains attorney Molly Ann Elkin said. Im really proud. By Catherine Ageno African countries have been challenged to take the lead in ensuring that all humanitarian action is rights-based since all such action is about protection of rights. This was voiced during the just concluded 4th African Union Annual Humanitarian Symposium held in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on 28 30 November 2016. According to Mr. Olabisi Dare, the Head of Humanitarian Affairs, Refugees, and Displaced Persons Division at the AU Commission, African countries must do more in telling their own stories and be able to document and shape the narrative. What we dont do well as Africans is tell our own stories to shape our humanitarian narrative, said Mr. Dare. He also says humanitarian financing must be diversified to include domestic resources, crowdsourcing & seeking philanthropists and that management of disasters should be improved to avoid creating more problems as others are solved. Participants at the Symposium also asked the African Union is also asked to relax its bureaucracy in times of emergencies to allow for swift response to humanitarian crises. They also agreed that humanitarian financing should be predictable and allow for both responsibility and burden sharing. The Symposium was focused on formulating Humanitarian Architecture & 10 Year Humanitarian Action Plan under the theme; From Common African Position to Implementing a New African Humanitarian Architecture It provided the opportunity to dialogue with AU on how it can better deliver and support humanitarian action on the continent. The main objective of the Symposium was to identify critical elements of the proposed 10 year AU Plan of Action on humanitarian effectiveness in Africa, identify common threads of the various AU enunciations on humanitarian action with a view to developing a comprehensive strategy and approach for their effective implementation. Dialogue and engage with stakeholders to identify necessary areas of synergies in current local, regional and international initiatives that could support achievement of the objectives of AU humanitarian agenda in the next 10 years. It also identified partnerships and resources that are necessary to compliment implementation of the 10 year Plan of Action. Early this year, African Leaders gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia during their Ordinary Summit and adopted a new discourse to strengthen humanitarian action in the continent. This new humanitarian architecture is summarised in the Common African Position on Humanitarian Effectiveness (CAP)2, adopted by African leaders during the January 2016 Summit. The Action Plan is structured around five strategic areas, identified in the CAP, which include; strengthening role of the State in humanitarian action, reforming of the humanitarian architecture, addressing root causes and durable solutions, moving from norm setting to implementation; linking humanitarian action to sustainable development. A company that stole $1 million while managing military housing in Virginia now must repay $85.6 million. From 2004 to 2011, American Management Services skimmed money from the insurance premiums paid for privatized housing at four bases: Fort Belvoir in Virginia, Fort Benning in Georgia, and Fort Irwin and the Presidio in California. AMS was supposed to receive a set fee for managing the private housing, including arranging for liability insurance, and any extra money was to be used to improve the homes. But as part of a settlement in Alexandria federal court on Friday, the company admitted to a complex scheme to take fees from the government-delivered funds and a private real estate company to pay insurance premiums. In invoices, AMS, doing business as Pinnacle, concealed that it had taken those fees. Under the settlement, the government will defer prosecution of AMS if the company adheres to the terms of the agreement, which include paying $1.6 million to the federal government. As part of a related civil settlement, AMS will also pay $84 million to Clark Realty, the real estate company that built the housing and oversees it. A Clark spokesman said the company acted as a fiduciary agent for the $84 million civil settlement, which was distributed back to the housing projects. AMS, which is based in Seattle, will also give up all of its property-management agreements with the Defense Department, valued at approximately $94 million. AMS and Clark were chosen by the U.S. government as part of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, which was launched in 1996 with a mandate to improve the quality of housing for the armed forces. The governments investigation also led two people to plead guilty to involvement in a bribery scheme at Fort Belvoir. Eddie T. Hudspeth III, a former AMS maintenance director, was sentenced in May 2015 to two years in prison and fined $15,000 for soliciting and accepting more than $27,000 in kickbacks from a Lorton-based heating, ventilation and air-conditioning company. Philip Robrahn, a part owner of that company, was sentenced to probation and fined $10,000 for his role in the scheme. This story has been updated. A District man was sentenced Friday to five years in prison after pleading guilty in a deal with prosecutors to three federal counts of possessing drugs and an illegal gun. Renold A. Payne, 30, pleaded guilty in September after D.C. police found him with 32.9 grams of cocaine, 13.8 grams of cocaine base and a loaded, illegal, .40 caliber semiautomatic pistol after pulling over his 2004 Acura TSX near midnight Sept. 25, 2015, in a traffic stop on Montana Ave. NE. Its not my style . . . to lecture you, U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Casey Cooper of Washington said after Paynes court-appointed lawyer, Brian McDaniel, called him a well-read and thoughtful young man with a great deal of potential, if he can focus it the right way. You dont strike me as a bad guy . . . but you have made and continue to make really bad decisions, Cooper said. Cooper said if Payne liked to read, he should keep reading one book after another, naming two in particular The Autobiography of Malcolm X and The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace. If the library doesnt have them, write me a letter and Ill send you a copy of both, Cooper said. The person responsible for where youre at is you, and the sooner you come to terms with that the better it will be for you. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karla-Dee Clark said the penalty was needed to deter others and to punish Payne for his sixth such conviction since turning 18, involving four types of illegal drugs, in which he had received sentences ranging from 30 days to one year. A man, struck by a car Thursday evening while walking on an street in the Mount Vernon neighborhood, has died, Fairfax County police said. About 5:45 p.m. Thursday, officers responded to a report of an auto-pedestrian incident at Richmond Highway and Frye Road. There, they found David D. Baines, 57. Baines had been crossing Frye Road near the crosswalk when he was struck by a car turning left onto Frye Road off southbound Richmond Highway, a police statement said. The driver remained at the scene. Neither speed nor alcohol appear to be contributing factors, police said. Baines was taken to a hospital, where he died of his injuries early Friday, police said. Police asked anyone with information about the crash to contact them at 703-691-2131 or to visit fairfaxcrimesolvers.org. Robert Ellis Robinson is one of two men arrested and charged in a fatal shooting in Woodbridge. (Prince William County Police) Two men were arrested and charged Thursday in the fatal shooting of a Virginia man during a robbery in October, police said. About 6 p.m. Oct. 8, officers responded to the Bayvue Apartments in the 1400 block of Bayside Avenue in Woodbridge to investigate a report of gunshots, Prince William County police said in a statement. They found Jose Moises Garcia Flores, 40, of Woodbridge suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene, the statement said. [Two men sought in fatal shooting in Prince William County] On Thursday, police arrested Robert Ellis Robinson, 47, and Terrell Lejuan Harris, 21, both of Woodbridge. According to the statement, Flores was killed after the suspects, who did not know him, tried to rob him. Robinson and Harris, who were already in custody on unrelated charges, were charged with murder and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, police said. Two Maryland gang members were sentenced to life in prison Thursday after being convicted of the murders of other gang members, prosecutors said. On Feb. 23, 2013, 25-year-old Minor Perez-Chach of Hyattsville, a member of La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, stabbed a fellow MS-13 member to death, believing the victim had testified against the gang, the U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland said in a statement. Perez-Chach, who was convicted in May of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise, murder in aid of racketeering and related charges, received a life sentence, the statement said. On March 12, 2013, 28-year-old Juan Alberto Ortiz-Orellana of District Heights, another MS-13 member, fatally shot a member of a rival gang in Capitol Heights, the statement said. Ortiz-Orellana, who was convicted of murder and related charges in May, received a life sentence as well, prosecutors said. [Two arrested in gang-related killing in Capitol Heights] The convictions were part of a regional investigation into MS-13. Prosecutors say members of the gang commit homicides and robberies in Prince Georges, Montgomery and Frederick counties. Nine of 15 defendants charged in the investigation pleaded guilty to their roles in the racketeering conspiracy; five were convicted at trial; and one remains at large, prosecutors said. A conflicted Metro board committee voted Thursday to advance a proposal that would shorten service hours for two years a controversial decision that Jack Evans, the Metro boards chairman, said would almost certainly get a veto from the District. The proposal will go to the full Metro board for a final vote in two weeks. The 3-to-1 vote came after two hours of debate, in which the board members battled over the proposals potential impact on low-income and minority riders. Others argued that resistance to the changes, which Metro says it needs to give workers more time for much-needed track work and maintenance, would undercut Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld and system safety. The plan would shutter the system at 11:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 p.m. Sundays. The system would open at 8 a.m. on Sundays one hour later than it does now. The changes, which would take effect in July after the end of SafeTrack, are intended to give workers an additional eight hours a week for track repairs and preventive maintenance. [Preferred Metro late-night service proposal: 1 a.m. weekend closing; 11:30 p.m. on weekdays] Although the proposal has been under discussion since July, board members bandied about a range of amendments Thursday that delved into the details of how to implement the plan: Should they approve eight hours of service cuts or limit it to four? If they approve the service cuts, should they place a sunset clause on the schedule changes, meaning they would automatically revert to extended late-night hours at some point? And, if there is a sunset clause, should it be one year or two? Evans advocated for an automatic one-year sunset, saying that the D.C. Council and Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) had made it clear that they have no intention of supporting any late-night service cuts that extend past summer 2018. After the vote, Evans said he would go back to them to see if they would agree to support the two-year sunset, although later that afternoon, Bowser seemed unlikely to shift her stance. The Mayors position has not changed, said Bowser spokeswoman LaToya Foster. During the meeting, Evans bristled at suggestions that the District was being intransigent by refusing to support the two-year plan. The District did compromise. The District didnt want to do any of this, said Evans, who is also a D.C. Council member. He said that Bowser and the D.C. Council had made it clear that they expected him to veto any cuts that lasted longer than a year. Its not a threat. Of course its a threat, said board member Michael Goldman, chairman of the panels finance committee. We believe we have compromised enormously, Evans continued. The board can do what it wants to do. Ive made my decision clear, on behalf of the District of Columbia. The contentious meeting was emblematic of a more long-term evolution of the Metro board, which for years has been criticized for blindly agreeing to Metro managements requests and for marching in lockstep with one another. Thursdays meeting was very different: Members were visibly angry and exasperated as they sparred over different proposals and angled to block one anothers amendments. Evans argued that it was the boards responsibility to start taking a more hands-on approach with Metro and that reassessing the late-night service cuts on a year-by-year basis would be an important method of keeping tabs on Metros adherence to its safety plan. But after the meeting, Wiedefeld said it would be irresponsible to consider ending the expanded track-maintenance schedule after just one year. Theres no way were going to have this preventive maintenance program up and running and get real data back in a year. Its just not realistic, he said. [Metro board members, staff spar over proposal to ax late-night service] Other board members raised concerns about whether the cuts would pass legal muster. An equity analysis showed that the schedule changes would have a disproportionately adverse impact on low-income and minority riders. But Metro officials said they had received general guidance from the Federal Transit Administration that the proposal would comply with Title VI of the U.S. Civil Rights Act because, across all demographics, the largest number of respondents to a Metro survey on its proposals said they preferred this plan to the other alternatives offered. I think were really on thin ice. I want to know how bulletproof were going to be when we get sued, said board member Tom Bulger, who also represents the District. Board member Malcolm Augustine, who represents Prince Georges County, said he was very uncomfortable with the data showing the impact the cuts would have on low-income and minority riders. [After SafeTrack, Metro to shift focus to rail cars the biggest cause of delays] It is very clear from this that portions of the [proposed schedule change] do not meet the standard not even close, Augustine said. We would be creating some jeopardy for ourselves if we move forward with these hours in the way that they are presented. Augustine offered an amendment that would have provided four extra hours of track access a week, rather than eight hours, but it was voted down. As several board members made eleventh-hour entreaties to reconsider the plan or place a one-year sunset on the schedule changes, others worried that those requests were undercutting Wiedefeld. Weve heard from management that they need more time because of decisions in the past where maintenance was deferred, said board member Robert Lauby, who is chief safety officer at the Federal Railroad Administration. The longer we put it off, the bigger the problem gets. I think we need to bite the bullet here and make a decision. Goldman added in his support for Wiedefelds plan: Im not going to undercut him, and Im not going to second-guess him. After the meeting, Christian Dorsey, who represents Virginia on the board, urged D.C. board members against a jurisdictional veto. I think that would be a huge mistake on their part, Dorsey said. I understand the political reality . . . The District doesnt just want to appear as if theyre just rolling over as hours are reduced. But it would set a dangerous precedent for the troubled Metro. We dont want SafeTrack surges to be the normal for Metro. We dont want to be in such a state of disrepair that we even jeopardize closing at 1 a.m. In another example of continuing conflicts between the District and the suburbs, the city and Maryland clashed over the agencys operating budget for the next fiscal year during the boards finance committee meeting. Goldman, who represents Maryland, urged reducing the increase in subsidies from his state, the District and Virginia from a total of $130 million as proposed by Wiedefeld by at least $30 million. To do so, Goldman called for using capital funds, instead of operating money, for some preventive maintenance and spare-parts purchases. But Evans said the three jurisdictions should keep their subsidies at the proposed level, or even increase them. He also reaffirmed the Districts opposition to proposed fare increases and rail-service cuts. If anything, we support increasing the ask, Evans said. Board member Corbett A. Price, who also represents the District, reaffirmed his controversial proposal from earlier this week that Metro consider canceling the Silver Line extension to save money if Virginia is unwilling to support a regionwide sales tax or other dedicated funding source for Metro. Price reiterated his suggestion during the boards closed-door, lunchtime session, where he said the response was stunned. [Metro board member suggests killing Silver Line in apparent bid to pressure Va.] Prices idea, which was endorsed by Evans, drew harsh criticism Wednesday from Virginia officials, led by Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D). Dorsey said after the closed session, There was a general feeling it was not very helpful in terms of getting buy-in from the Commonwealth of Virginia. Robert McCartney contributed to this report. According to documents released by the National Transportation Safety Board on Dec. 1, Metro knew of Silver Line track flaws more than a year before it derailed in July and track inspectors falsified inspection reports for months. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post) Metro knew of track flaws more than a year before a July derailment, and the agencys track inspectors may have contributed to the crash by falsifying inspection reports month after month, according to documents released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB confirmed that the July 29 derailment of the Silver Line train outside East Falls Church was caused by wide gauge, a condition in which the rails spread in such a way that they cannot support a train. No one was seriously injured, but the train sustained about $150,000 in damage. The NTSB report also shows explicitly how much Metro knew in advance of the derailment: Every inspection report from January 2015 to June 2016 listed 15 deteriorating rail ties in the area of the derailment and yet the problem remained unaddressed. In the aftermath of the derailment, Metro conducted inspections on more than 60 crossovers where trains switch tracks throughout the system to ensure similar conditions werent present elsewhere. But the NTSB report underscores that Metro, already under scrutiny for its poor service and chronic safety lapses, may have been even more troubled than thought. It also shows that many of the agencys problems are self-inflicted and possibly even caused by intentional acts. A criminal investigation into the derailment was opened in August, but no charges have been announced. The report comes as Metro wrestles with issues of safety, reliability and finances, as well as a dramatic loss of ridership. Track fires, smoke incidents and other problems on the tracks have led to an unprecedented year-long safety overhaul called SafeTrack that has closed sections of several lines. And while no one was seriously injured in the derailment, it was another example of just how deep the problems run with Metros safety culture and lack of oversight. On Thursday, Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld declined to comment on the content of the transcripts, saying that the incident remains under investigation, but he said that his staff had already planned to provide updates on the investigation at a Metro board meeting later this month. He also declined to comment on the status of the track workers involved. Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), who on Friday will take part in a House Oversight subcommittee hearing on Metro, said: If confirmed, [these Metro workers] should be fired, terminated immediately, no arbitration, no appeal. They put lives at risk, knowingly, to cover for themselves. . . . They lied. They falsified inspection reports, and look what happened: We have a derailment as a result. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) said: The NTSB report on the East Falls Church derailment points to an unacceptable lack of safety culture at Metro which put the lives of 63 riders that day and potentially many others in jeopardy. Per the report, some at Metro were disregarding their own safety rules and procedures as it relates to track inspection. I fully support Metros criminal investigation into this matter. Those who abuse the public trust in such a manner must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. I look forward to the oversight hearing tomorrow where my colleagues and I will be examining this issue and many other issues at Metro further. [Read the transcripts of a Metro safety officer interviewing a track inspector] Interview transcripts suggest that Metro officials believe that track inspectors fabricated inspection reports by copying the exact same measurements of the section of track from month to month. So how did your measurements stay the same if your ties are getting worse and worse? asked Metro safety officer Robert Davis, interviewing inspector Jovito Azurin in early August. Azurin had been overseeing the crossover near East Falls Church. After three years, how did the measurements all be exactly the same? Youre not going to tell me that the track didnt move a sixteenth of an inch or an eighth of an inch or a quarter of an inch over that time, Davis added. I can go out here and gauge this track out here and I could find different gauge everywhere right now. If I believed you for one second . . . I would end this right now and move on, but you know as well as I do that you cant look me in the eye and tell me that, because youre an honest man, Davis said. Azurin repeatedly tells Davis that the numbers are accurate. Neither Azurin nor any of the other workers mentioned in the transcripts could be reached for comment. The transcripts also provide a first-person account of a recurring issue raised by Metro workers: Even when employees identify problems, their concerns often are ignored. [Metro derailment closes East Falls Church through the weekend] Track inspector Lawrence Simmons said in an interview with Davis that supervisors routinely asked him to ignore conditions such as deteriorating rail ties because they didnt seem to be a serious safety threat. When he wanted to restrict speeds on those tracks, supervisors pushed back. One supervisor, he said, routinely sweeps stuff under the rug. Simmons said that just before the derailment, track workers installed gauge rods at the crossover, essentially admitting they knew the tracks werent holding up. Gauge rods are a temporary fix for faulty tracks. Im not going to say they knew about a wide gauge, but they knew something is going on there, because they put a Band-Aid on it, Simmons said. And in this company, they do a lot of that. You know, they put on Band-Aids. And in an Aug. 9 interview with safety officer Davis, track inspector Trapp Thomas said that the problems at the crossover that caused the derailment had previously been reported to management. It was reported. Management dropped the ball as they always do, Thomas said. They never fix those ties. Wiedefeld acknowledged Thursday that employees have historically feared retaliation for reporting problems. Its an issue that has been around and is one that we made very clear that that is not acceptable, he said. If I get anything from an employee that raises any issue of that, I basically make sure that that is addressed immediately. That is a part of the culture change. In a statement released Thursday, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, which represents Metros track workers, placed the blame squarely on the agencys managers. Metro managers knew of the needed maintenance that caused the derailment and failed to act, the union said. Unless the culture of Metro changes so that the front line workers are listened to, Metro will not be able to meet its challenges. This derailment and its investigation is a terrible reminder of that. The interview transcripts reflect the difficulty Wiedefeld has ahead of him as he attempts to instill a safety culture among the agencys 13,000 employees. In his interview with track worker Azurin, safety officer Davis urges him to tell the truth. If the supervisors are telling you to do this, then weve got to deal with those supervisors, because its not safe out there for my family, your family, me, you, Davis says. I want to do a damn good job and I want to be the best I can be . . . but if were doing stuff like this, and if a supervisors telling you, damn it, JoJo, we need to take care of that. You and I both know this, Davis added, were in an age now where people are not going to be continuing to work here with this kind of stuff going on, but I cant stop whats going on unless I know whats going on. On Thursday, Metro officials defended actions taken in the days after the derailment. The site was added to the scope of the agencys SafeTrack maintenance program, officials commissioned a complete rewrite of Metros track inspection manual, and they hired outside consultants to provide improved training to inspectors. They are advocating for permission to launch a preventive maintenance program. Even so, the NTSBs new report rehashes concerns over whether the derailment could have been prevented if the Federal Railroad Administration, and not the Federal Transit Administration, had taken over Metro safety-oversight responsibilities a year ago an issue that has been raised repeatedly on Capitol Hill since Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx made the decision. FTA officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Had [the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority] been subject to the FRA regulations, WMATA track inspectors would have been required to report any conditions that did not meet FRA minimum safety standards and implement remedial actions, the NTSB said in its report. There is no exception under FRA regulation that would allow for a track with a defective condition, such as the one in East Falls Church, to remain in service beyond 30 days when loaded passenger trains operate over the track. That conclusion, Connolly said, illustrated the extraordinarily bad judgment by Secretary Anthony Foxx to go with FTA and not FRA. Earlier NTSB recommendations to shift oversight to the rail agency instead of a transit administration that does not typically oversee subways should not have been ignored, Connolly said. TENNESSEE More bodies found; fire death toll at 10 Crews discovered three more bodies as they searched the rubble of wildfires that torched hundreds of homes and businesses near the Great Smoky Mountains, bringing the death toll to 10, officials said Thursday. Authorities set up a hotline for people to report missing friends and relatives, and after following up on dozens of leads, they said many of those people had been accounted for. They did not say whether they believe anyone else is still missing. Search-and-rescue missions continued until dark, but Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said that since it had been three days since the fires, the potential is great that it could be more of a recovery than a rescue. Nearly 24 hours of rain on Wednesday helped dampen the wildfires, but fire officials said people should not have a false sense of security because months of drought have left the ground bone dry and the wildfires can rekindle. A wildfire, likely started by a person, spread Monday from the Great Smoky Mountains into the tourist town of Gatlinburg when hurricane-force winds toppled trees and power lines, blowing embers in all directions. More than 14,000 residents and visitors in Gatlinburg were forced to evacuate, and the city has been shuttered since. At least 700 buildings in the county have been damaged. Associated Press WASHINGTON Officer fatally shot, triggering standoff A Washington state police officer responding to a domestic violence call was fatally shot and his fellow officers were still taking fire as they removed him from a home, beginning an 11-hour standoff during which authorities say the gunman used two young children as shields. Dozens of officers surrounded the home in Tacoma on Wednesday night, urging nearby residents of the working-class neighborhood to shelter in place. Early Thursday, authorities say a deputy got a clear shot and killed the man as officers rescued an 8-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy. Pierce County sheriffs spokesman Ed Troyer said the gunman had refused to surrender during negotiations. His name was not released. Police released few other details about the standoff and the treatment of the children. Authorities discovered weapons inside the house. Associated Press UTAH Parents stop son who brought guns to school Police said two fast-acting Utah parents disarmed their 15-year-old son at a Utah junior high school Thursday after the teenager brought the familys shotgun and handgun to school and fired a round into a classroom ceiling without injuring anyone. Bountiful Police Chief Tom Ross said the boys mother and father became concerned about their son Thursday morning. They went to Mueller Park Junior High in the northern city of Bountiful, about 11 miles north of Salt Lake City, when they noticed a handgun and shotgun missing from their home. Ross said the parents confronted their son and disarmed him. Police did not release the teens identity. Ross would say only that the student was 15 and white. As the parents intervened, a teacher called 911 and a police officer who happened to be down the street arrived and took custody of the student, police said. Associated Press Weiner fined over campaign spending: New York Citys Campaign Finance Board has fined former U.S. representative Anthony Weiner nearly $65,000 for violating election spending rules during his failed 2013 bid for mayor. The penalties were approved by the board Thursday. Some of the penalties were for using campaign money to pay for regular living expenses, including dry cleaning and personal cellphone service. Weiners campaign derailed amid a sexting scandal. The Democrat resigned from Congress two years earlier for similar behavior. Associated Press By Davi Mafabi The Director of Public Prosecutions has brought new charges against Rwenzururu King Charles Wesley Mumbere who is already charged with the murder of a police man in March this year. The Deputy DPP Charles Ogwal says new charges will be related to crimes he allegedly committed during last weeks clashes in Kasese, which left more than 100 people dead. The violence culminated in the Sunday attack by the military on the Kings residence which left atleast 46 royal guards dead and the palace in ruins. The cultural leader was on Tuesday charged with murder at the Jinja Chief Magistrates Court and remanded to Kirinya Prison until December 13th when he returns to court for mention of his case. Meanwhile, the Omusingas mother, Christine Nyinamukama has urged her son to seek forgiveness from president Museveni. Nyinamukama who refers to the president as her brother, has also appealed to him to pardon her son whom she refers to as his nephew. The 82 year old is a known mobiliser of the ruling NRM in Kasese. The son of devout Christian Scientists, Erik Vance was raised thinking the only form of health care he needed was prayer. I used the Bible, the writings of Christian Scientists and my own mind to heal myself, he writes in his new book, Suggestible You: The Curious Science of Your Brains Ability to Deceive, Transform and Heal. But at the age of 18, while rock-climbing during a terrifying thunderstorm, he was suddenly gripped by the conviction that there was no help coming from God he was on his own. That moment led him to lose his faith, and he was solidly dropped into the chaotic, often frightening material world of medicine, disease and imperfection. And he embraced it. In fact, he chose to work in the sciences first as a biologist studying dolphin intelligence and eventually as an award-winning science journalist. Today he is a contributing editor at Discover magazine. But far from disputing the ability of our beliefs and expectations to shape our bodily well-being, he demonstrates its power in his book, which is full of anecdotes and examples of research, plus some lively reporting: He experiences firsthand the powerful effect of placebos at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda (which, he says, looks like an evil, faceless government center for mad scientists but actually is something of a modern miracle generator). At a market in Mexico City, he goes to a backroom filled with candles, oils and images of the Saint of Death, where he gets a brujo, or medicine man, to put a curse on him. Hypnosis experts at the University of Washington try a little experiment in self-hypnosis on him, and he realizes what a useful tool it can be in combating chronic pain. He explores the power of managing expectations to help deal with obesity, depression and addiction. And, yes, he spends a lot of time debunking claims made by hucksters. Throughout, Vance retains a refreshing, practical attitude. As someone who was raised using nothing but my belief to treat my body, I have a deep-seated respect for the power of expectation, he writes near the end of the book. But as someone who was also raised to fear aspirin, I remember the first time I tried it and felt my headache disappear. Belief is an amazing and mysterious thing, but there is nothing quite as impressive as a drug that really works. Vance will discuss his book Saturday at 3:30 at Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. By Damali Mukhaye Police has warned the opposition Forum for Democratic Change against going ahead with their planned fundraising campaign meant to raise Makerere Universitys lecturers incentive arrears. The University remains closed on the directive of the president after the academic staff went on strike protesting nonpayment of their incentive arrears amounting to Sh28bn. Former FDC presidential candidate Dr.Kiiza Besigye says after consulting different stake holders like former students, lecturers as well as parents, they agreed to solicit funds from the public so as to raise the 28billion demanded by lecturers. Besigye says they will convene at Makerere Universitys Freedom Square at 10:00am today to collect money and any items that be auctioned to raise money. However, the police spokesperson for Kampala Metropolitan Emilian Kayima tells KFM, they have written back to the FDC warning party officials against the fundraising campaign, adding that it will be blocked. NEW JERSEY Judge wont allow special prosecutor A judge denied a request for a special prosecutor to be appointed in a criminal misconduct complaint against Gov. Chris Christie (R) in the George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal. State Superior Court Judge Bonnie Mizdol on Friday dismissed the motion by a former firefighter who brought the complaint in October, ruling that he lacked standing. The firefighter alleges Christie failed to order subordinates to reopen bridge access lanes in September 2013. Three of Christies former allies were convicted or pleaded guilty in federal court in what prosecutors say was a scheme to punish a Democratic mayor who didnt endorse Christie. Christie wasnt charged in the federal case and denied wrongdoing. Mizdol heard arguments this week from former Teaneck firefighter and Wayne resident William Brennan. A different judge ruled in October that there was probable cause to let the complaint go forward. Associated Press TENNESSEE Residents return to Gatlinburg after fire People in cars and trucks rolled into the wildfire-ravaged city of Gatlinburg on Friday to get a first look at what remained of their homes and businesses, and a mayor raised the death toll to 13, including a woman who died of a heart attack during the firestorm. Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters also increased the number of buildings damaged, saying it now approaches 1,000. Local officials defended their response to the firestorm and the warnings to evacuate. John Matthews of the Sevier County Emergency Management Agency said a text alert telling people to evacuate went out around 9 p.m. Monday to anyone with a mobile device in the city, but by that time wildfires were raging in the area. He said some people did not receive the message due to power outages and loss of cellphone reception. Associated Press FLORIDA State: Zika halted in Miami neighborhood Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) announced Friday that the state health department has lifted a zone of active Zika transmission covering one square mile of Miamis Little River neighborhood. The Little River zone was declared an area where mosquitoes were actively spreading the Zika virus on Oct. 13. It is the third area in Miami-Dade County that the state government has cleared since Wynwood became the first neighborhood in the continental United States where mosquitoes were actively spreading Zika. Authorities have said there is no longer active transmission there or in a swath of mid-Miami Beach that was lifted Nov. 22. One zone remains: a 1.5-square-mile area in heart of South Beach. The target date for that zone to be lifted is Dec. 9. Miami Herald SAUDI ARABIA Malware linked to Iran blamed in bank attack State-sponsored hackers who unleashed a digital bomb in key parts of Saudi Arabias computer networks over the past two weeks damaged systems at the countrys central bank, known as the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, according to two people briefed on an ongoing investigation of the breach. The attacks, which afflicted at least six government entities, used a computer-killing malware known as Shamoon that is linked to Iran, they said. They had the potential to inflict damage on targets across several critical sectors, including finance and transportation. The investigation is in its early stages and the determination of responsibility could change, the two people said. The number of entities where damage occurred is likely to grow as the probe continues, a third said. Iranian officials didnt respond to repeated requests for comment on the attacks. Calls placed to the Saudi Interior Ministry about the attacks werent returned. Bloomberg News ICELAND Pirate Party asked to form a government Icelands president has asked the anti-authoritarian Pirate Party to try to form a government after two earlier rounds of coalition talks failed. The Pirates, who seek direct democracy and digital freedom, came in third in Icelands Oct. 29 election. No party won an outright majority, and President Gudni Johannesson asked the first-placed Independence Party and then the second-placed Left-Greens to try to assemble a coalition. Both failed. On Friday, Johannesson said he has asked senior Pirate lawmaker Birgitta Jonsdottir to try to assemble a government with other parties. Associated Press IVORY COAST 30,000 troops to be deployed for elections Ivory Coast will deploy 30,000 security personnel at polling stations for its Dec. 18 parliamentary elections, Youssouf Bakayoko, head of the West African countrys electoral commission, said in an emailed statement. The deployment of a large number of troops is necessary because the vote is more complicated than the presidential election held last year, government spokesman Bruno Kone said Friday. Theres a lot at stake and the risk of violence is higher. While the former ruling Ivorian Popular Front has boycotted elections since it lost power in 2010, it is participating in this vote with 187 candidates. A total of about 1,390 hopefuls will contest 255 seats in the National Assembly. Bloomberg News Brazilian conglomerate apologizes for corruption: Engineering conglomerate Odebrecht took out full-page advertisements in Brazils main newspapers to apologize to Brazilians for its involvement in the countrys biggest-ever corruption scandal. The apology by Latin Americas largest engineering firm was received with skepticism in a country with a history of political corruption and crony capitalism, and many Brazilians expressed their anger at the company on social media. The family-owned firm signed a $1.94 billion agreement with prosecutors Thursday admitting guilt and offering information on bribes paid. More than 70 of its executives, including family patriarch and chairman Emilio Odebrecht and his jailed son and former chief executive Marcelo Odebrecht, have agreed to make plea statements. Saudi king shakes up top religious, advisory councils: The Saudi king has ordered a shake-up of the countrys top religious and advisory councils in a series of royal decrees. According to the state news agency SPA, King Salman also ordered the removal of the labor minister, Mofreg al-Haqbani, and replaced him with Ali Ghafis. The reshuffles affected the countrys top religious body, known as the Council of Senior Scholars, composed of 21 members. The king also ordered a shake-up of the 150-member Shura Council, keeping the number of women at 30. In 2013, his predecessor, King Abdullah, granted women seats on the council for the first time. Militias fighting for control of Libyan capital: Clashes continued for a second day among heavily armed militias in the Libyan capital, Tripoli. The groups are vying for power and control over the city, with one dislodging another in at least two posts, a five-star hotel and a barracks, in what appears to be the worst outbreak of violence the city has seen in two years. Witnesses said gun battles rocked the southeastern Nasr Forest district and adjacent areas as residents were advised by a local emergency body affiliated with the Interior Ministry to stay home and away from windows. The clashes began Thursday and have killed at least eight people, according to state news agency LANA. From news services When Donald Trump first strides into the Oval Office as president, his perfect day is likely to be ruined by a file marked North Korea. Trumps (first? only?) term in office may include either a messy confrontation with an unpredictable and highly combustible regime, or a rogue nation gaining the power to destroy large portions of Los Angeles with nuclear weapons. Or both. Consider the viewpoint of North Koreas leader Kim Jong Un which is not easy since the exercise, properly done, should include platform shoes, Dennis Rodman and a pleasure squad of teen virgins. Kim looks at South Korea and sees political chaos, as its president is overwhelmed by a corruption scandal. He looks at the United States and sees massive uncertainty, created by an untested leader who has promised to reconsider security arrangements with South Korea and Japan and may begin an attention-diverting trade war with China. Americas new president will look at North Korea and see a sworn enemy from a bloody war that has never officially ended, sprinting toward the capability to mount nuclear weapons on long-range missiles. The regime is not in need of new technologies or facilities; it is adapting capabilities that it already possesses. Between 2009 and 2016, North Korea conducted 64 missile tests and nuclear detonations. By some estimates, it may have the ability to strike the West Coast in four years. Or less. President Trump will also see a regime of vast, bottomless cruelty, running gulags that contain more than 100,000 people subjected to violent punishment, rape, hard labor, malnutrition and execution. These ongoing crimes against humanity can be watched via satellite. (The crematorium in Camp 25 recently got an upgrade.) The picture is bleak, but not completely bleak. South Korean President Park Geun-hye, in the midst of her crisis, has taken the unpopular but necessary step of strengthening military ties with Japan, including the pooling of intelligence. A landmark 2014 U.N. Commission of Inquiry report on North Korean human rights abuses has subjected the regime to increased scrutiny and criticism. But the Obama administrations policy of strategic patience has been hard to distinguish from paralysis in the face of bad choices. If the incoming president is searching for options to jump-start American policy, he could do worse than a new report from the Human Freedom Initiative at the Bush Center. (Note: Im on the initiatives advisory council.) Light Through the Darkness was written by two Korea experts, Victor Cha and Robert Gallucci, who come from different party backgrounds. The authors make a strong case that leadership in confronting the problem cant be subcontracted to China. They set out smart proposals such as targeting the North Korean regimes export of slave labor (which helps fund proliferation) and increasing information flows into the closed and isolated country. But Cha and Gallucci are most creative in the way they integrate a focus on security and a focus on human rights normally contending policy camps into a single approach. They argue that the threat of North Korea emerges from the nature of the regime itself and that human rights criticism can be a source of leverage. What matters more than incremental policy choices, however, is where the American red line is really, truly placed not the announced one, but the red line in the back of the presidents mind. Is it acceptable to have North Korean nuclear weapons targeted on American cities? Plenty of experts will give a firm no. Accommodating the North Korean nuclear threat to America would send the message that anti-proliferation efforts are essentially dead. It would put immense destructive power in the hands of a psychopathic leader. It would invite and enable emulation. It might provide North Korea with a sense of impunity, encouraging catastrophic miscalculations. But some experts would reluctantly argue that North Korea is deterrable. Kims government is essentially a crime family, not a death cult, and would respond to the disincentive of incineration. In a certain sense, North Korea is already being deterred, because its missiles can already reach Seoul and Tokyo. Would the American people be ready for the effective resumption of the Korean War? Would South Korea be willing to risk the shelling of its capital to enforce an American nuclear red line? Strategic realities and hard choices, not business-book negotiating skills,will determine the outcome of the Korea crisis. This is reality television minus the television. Read more from Michael Gersons archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook . The Pentagon has begun briefing key allies on plans for advanced weapons technologies aimed at offsetting Russian and Chinese military gains. But the next round of these discussions is on hold, awaiting approval of the programs by the Trump administration. Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work said he met in early November for formal collaborations with close foreign partners to explain the high-tech weapons systems, which are aimed at restoring U.S. dominance in conventional warfare. This approach, which seeks to leverage U.S. leadership in computer technology, is known within the Pentagon by the cumbersome moniker the third offset strategy. The handoff to the next administration is delicate. During the Obama administration, the Pentagon has become increasingly worried about Russian and Chinese improvements in weapons technology and those nations aggressive, risk-taking behavior. The push for new weapons systems reflects those fears. But President-elect Donald Trump has said he hopes to improve relations with Russia, a process that might be complicated by a new high-tech arms race. Work summarized an unclassified version of the briefing he shared with allies. It proposes interlocking systems of computer-driven sensors, battle-management networks, kinetic weapons and logistics. The aim is to create systems that are so fast and pervasive that they could overwhelm what Work described as an adversarys OODA loop, meaning its capacity for observation, orientation, decision and action. Work briefed Trumps transition team about these technologies on Tuesday. He also shared with them a summary prepared by the Pentagons Office of Net Assessment describing in graphical form the declining U.S. edge, or overmatch, in conventional weapons, relative to Russia and China. Our conventional overmatch has been eroding for some time, Work said in an interview at his Pentagon office. Its not at a critical stage yet, but it is concerning. And as we look at the trends, we say, when it comes to conventional warfighting, we dont want fair fights. Instead, he said, the Pentagon wants short, sharp and victorious conflicts. Works spokesman wouldnt describe the Trump teams reaction to the third offset briefing, or say whether theyve signaled that they will continue the programs. Work has deferred a planned second set of meetings with allies so that these contacts can have Trumps blessing. Our hope is that, obviously, this thinking . . . will be accepted in some way, shape or form by the new administration, he said. The most powerful signal that they could give is if they had the next follow-on meeting, which would indicate to our allies, okay, you know, the ship continues to go in the [same] general direction, Work said. Support from allies is important because the new overmatch strategy is designed to allow foreign partners to plug into the complex sensor, battle-management and weapons systems, Work said. You just have to have the right plugs . . . so that machines can talk to machines. As the machines process the information, they would make it available in the cockpits of airplanes, in seaborne command centers or even on the helmet visors of individual soldiers. The power of the new systems comes from their ability to fuse different sensors, platforms and weapons, and to coordinate unmanned systems on land, sea, in the air and underwater. Some of these systems sound like video game warfare, and others have an ominous resemblance to killer robots or swarms of tiny drones. The value of such ultra-high-tech battle networks, from the Pentagons perspective, is that they would radically complicate a potential adversarys ability to plan an attack and thereby, in theory, provide better deterrence. Work has been the chief advocate of this new warfighting concept. After he gave a briefing on the third offset to a bipartisan strategy group in Aspen, Colo., over the summer, some members said that he should remain at the Pentagon, whoever was elected, to provide continuity. When asked whether he hoped to stay involved, Work responded: I am very invested in this. . . . I will help the next administration in any way I can to help make sure that this type of thinking continues. Work warned about the danger of halting or slowing the new programs. We have this momentum built up now inside the department, he said, noting that the challenge isnt just to develop the technologies, but also to incorporate them into the U.S. militarys doctrine, training and war-gaming exercises. Would this new generation of weapons provide greater strategic stability with Russia and China, or more instability? Of the many national security issues facing Trump, this is among the most consequential. Read more from David Ignatiuss archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. Rep. Barbara Comstock, reelected on Nov. 8 in the battleground communities of the Districts western Virginia suburbs, really knows the 10th Congressional District. With roughly 70 percent of the districts voters residing in Fairfax and Loudoun counties, the first-term incumbent had to walk a careful line during this year of Donald Trump. For most of the campaign, Comstock neither broke with the Republican nominee nor sang his praises, hoping to avoid losing the support of both potential swing voters and Trump loyalists. Without considerable approval among those in each group, Comstock might not have won the district, which four years ago had split 50 percent for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and 49 percent for President Obama. With its decidedly purple hue, both Democrats and Republicans recognized Virginias 10th as an unusually vulnerable seat in the nations highly gerrymandered Congress, where nearly every district was drawn to be either safely Democratic or safely Republican. As a result, more than $11.6 million in campaign cash poured into the 10th District, leading to nasty advertising wars and very aggressive voter outreach efforts from McLean to the West Virginia border. But when a recording emerged of Trump bragging about groping women, the Republican nominee went from being a drag to being an anchor, threatening to sink Comstocks reelection. Wisely, she cut Trump loose, saying that she could not support him and saying that she preferred Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, to Trump. As a result, there was more than a little tension between Trump Republicans and Comstock Republicans working within the district at political events during the campaigns final weeks. In the end, Comstock demonstrated that she was far more popular in the district than Trump was. Virginias 10th Congressional District has 200 precincts, and Comstock received more votes than Trump in every single one of them. More often than not, Comstocks advantage over Trump was substantial. Trump came within five percentage points of Comstock in only eight of those 200 precincts, and all of those eight lie in the deep-red areas of rural Frederick and Clarke counties. In 110 of those 200 precincts, Comstock ran ahead of Trump by 10 percentage points or more. Nowhere was this disparity more evident than in wealthy inside-the-Beltway precincts included in the 10th District. In Chain Bridge and Langley, for example, Comstock earned the support of 53 percent and 56 percent of the votes, respectively. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton won these same Fairfax County precincts by 16-point margins. The Rolling Ridge precinct of Loudoun County, on the other hand, was LuAnn Bennett territory. The Democratic challenger received more than 64 percent of the vote there, making it one of her best precincts. Comstocks total there was slightly less than 35 percent, but that was far better than Trumps 27 percent share of the vote in Rolling Ridge. Trump who lost the 10th District overall did very well in the Russell precinct in Clarke County, where he received two-thirds of the vote. But here, too, Comstock did better: She received 72 percent of the vote in the precinct, the largest one in Clarke County, just west of Loudoun. While Trumps economic-reform message resonated with many Virginians, the theme was most effective in more financially troubled parts of the state, like Southside and southwest Virginia. Simply put, a Republican presidential candidate saying that the jobs of many federal workers and government contractors might be in jeopardy is not an asset for a Republican congressional incumbent facing a strong challenger in Northern Virginia. As the electoral college demonstrates, Trumps message hit in enough places in the nation overall to make him the winner. But the controversial candidate was a much tougher sell in Virginias 10th District. Comstock acted accordingly and won a second term. Stephen J. Farnsworth is a professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington, where he directs the Center for Leadership and Media Studies. Stephen Hanna is a professor of geography at the University of Mary Washington. By Arthur I. Cyr The death of Cuban revolutionary and dictator Fidel Castro is a major moment, in the midst of important economic changes. Acknowledging his importance as an epic Machiavellian survivor in no way minimizes the ruthlessness of his regime. In May 2015, the United States removed Cuba from the list of states sponsoring terrorism. This greatly facilitates interchange between the two sides. Of particular significance, banking restrictions were lifted. Last March, President Barack Obama visited Cuba. President Calvin Coolidge was the last U.S. chief executive to visit the island nation, in early 1928. Slowly but also surely, the ruthless dictatorship which controls Cuba has been forced to face the reality of economic failure of communism. Fidel Castro began transition of power to younger brother Raul Castro in 2006. Four years later, Fidel suddenly reemerged in the media spotlight and proceeded dramatically to lament the shambles of the nation's economy. At the same time, the Cuban government announced layoffs of 500,000 workers, combined with liberalization designed to encourage small business and foreign purchases of real estate. This was admission of failure by Cuba's committed Communist leaders. Havana now courts foreign investment, while maintaining political controls. In 2009, the U.S. loosened extremely tight restrictions on travel and financial remittances. Additionally, telecommunications companies were allowed to pursue licensing agreements. The Soviet Union, vital subsidy source, collapsed a quarter century ago. Venezuela provided limited aid, but that economy is now a wrecked basket case. Enemies as well as admirers agree Fidel Castro demonstrated strong leadership before age and illness led him to retire. After taking power in early 1959, enforcer brother Raul handled bloody mass executions with efficient dispatch. Fidel highlighted new alliance with the Soviet Union by joining Nikita Khrushchev in a 1960 visit to the United Nations in New York. The Soviet premier was wildly disruptive at UN sessions, while the Cuban delegation provided a media sideshow, based at a Harlem hotel. The Eisenhower administration began a clandestine effort to overthrow the regime, including a CIA project to assassinate Castro. The successor Kennedy administration vastly escalated efforts. Cuba became an active far-reaching revolutionary force. The U.S. aggressively intervened against perceived threats, notably in Chile in the 1970s, where East Germany was influential. Cuban troops served as Soviet proxies in various Africa wars. When Fidel stepped down, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice endorsed "peaceful, democratic change" in that nation and suggested that the "international community" work directly with the people. We should emphasize educational and cultural exchanges, along with limited trade and investment. President Dwight Eisenhower took this approach with the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. Above all, we should avoid directly attacking the regime. Previous aggressive interventions were highly counterproductive, and for many years have provided the Castro brothers with the benefit of blaming all problems on the Yankee superpower to the north. In the past, Cuba has been extremely important in U.S. presidential politics. Democratic presidential nominee Senator John Kennedy fanned the flames of hostility to Castro in the 1960 contest with Republican Vice President Richard Nixon. This year, some Republicans have strongly denounced the rapprochement with Cuba, but Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona joined President Obama's delegation. A bipartisan congressional delegation visited Cuba in February. Vice President-elect Mike Pence used the occasion of Fidel Castro's passing to underscore hope for a democratic Cuba. Today foreign trade/investment, education and information are keys to that objective.Arthur I. Cyr is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College and author of After the Cold War' (NYU Press and Palgrave/Macmillan). Contact acyr@carthage.edu. A minimum wage of $15 is sensible and necessary for Montgomery County, where the high cost of living requires a minimum wage of more than $15 per hour. Montgomery County Council members have an opportunity to ensure that county residents earn a living wage by supporting a bill sponsored by Council member Marc Elrich (D-At Large). Montgomery County is Marylands most populous county and the most expensive in which to live. According to the Economic Policy Institute, in 2014 a single adult without children living in the Maryland suburbs of the District needed $41,424 just to make ends meet. That translates to $19.71 hourly. An adult raising just one child needs much more: nearly $64,407, or $30.97 per hour. The cost of living in Montgomery County is similar to the District, which ranks among the 10 most expensive cities in the nation and which recently approved legislation that will gradually raise its minimum wage to $15 by 2020. The holidays are here, and many Maryland workers must pick up extra shifts or a second job to make ends meet. A $15 minimum wage would bring tens of thousands of working families much closer to earning a basic-needs wage. As many as 106,800 workers in the county could benefit from an increase in the minimum wage. The majority of these workers are employed in low-wage occupations, including retail sales, food preparation, janitorial work and restaurant service, where median wages are not too different from the states current minimum of $8.75. Montgomery Countys push for $15 is not unique. Since 2013, 16 states and localities have approved $15 minimum-wage rates covering employees in all or specific private-sector industries. Ten are considering doing so. Much of this is because of the success of the Fight for $15 movement, which has spread throughout the nation and scored its most significant victories this year. While opponents claim economic catastrophe from raising the minimum wage to $15, the experience of jurisdictions that have begun phasing in a $15 minimum wage belies those claims. In the Seattle region, for example, the unemployment rate hit an eight-year low of 3.6 percent in August 2015, four months after the city executed the first of several steps toward $15. Washington states jobless rate, in comparison, was nearly two percentage points higher (5.3 percent) that same month. And the restaurant industry in the area, which is one of the most affected by an increase in the minimum wage, was well on its way to breaking the previous two years records for the number of business permits issued. A more recent analysis confirms that the $15 law in Seattle is having its intended consequence of raising pay for the citys lowest-paid workers without significant adverse effects on employment. Cost-benefit analyses and the most reliable research on the minimum wage have led more than 200 economists to endorse a federal proposal to raise the nations wage floor to $15, finding that the increase will be an effective means of improving living standards for low-wage workers and their families and will help stabilize the economy. And, as the past several months show, the Fight for $15 is increasingly gaining allies among various legislatures and political bodies. The general public also enthusiastically supports boosting the wage floor. Low-wage voters are overwhelmingly supportive of a $15 minimum wage and are more likely to support candidates at all levels of government who are in favor of raising the minimum wage. Business owners, too, support raising the minimum wage, and many already pay more than what the law requires. As the movement for higher wages gains more support from economists, legislators, business owners and the general public throughout the country, it will become imperative for Montgomery County Council members to place themselves on the right side of the issue. The writer is director of Maryland Working Families. Pamela Newkirk is the author of Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga. John Edgar Wideman was 14, the same age as Emmett Till, when Till was abducted, beaten, shot, tied to a cotton gin fan and thrown into Mississippis Tallahatchie River for allegedly whistling at a white woman. That was in 1955, and for decades the acclaimed author of the novel Philadelphia Fire and the memoir Brothers and Keepers remained haunted by the bludgeoned brown face of Till, captured in a photograph sanctioned by the boys mother. Mamie Till wanted the world to see what they did to my baby, but the two men tried in his death were acquitted. For Wideman, the plot thickened when he learned that 10 years earlier, the boys 23-year-old father, Louis Till, a World War II Army private stationed in Italy, was accused of rape and murder and hanged by the U.S. military. The twin tragedies, both evoking the mythology of black male lust for white women, sent Wideman to the archives and Louis Tills grave site in France in an attempt to reconstruct the story surrounding his court-martial, conviction and execution. The result is Writing to Save a Life: The Louis Till File, a searching tale of loss, recovery and deja vu that is part memoir and what-if speculation, part polemic and expose. At times melancholy, at others raw and rippling with rage, Wideman masterfully weaves together memory, history and archival documents with letters and conversations he imagines to capture the cruel irony of the Tills fate. He employs literary license to fill the void of the silences in the record. Pretending to be a fly on the wall of history, Wideman places himself on a boat of Confederate soldiers rowed by slaves and in Louis Tills death row isolation cell in Metato, Italy. Wideman at times conflates dates, times and episodes to underscore that while throughout history the details and circumstances have changed, the fate of blacks has not. But he returns again and again to the documentary facts of the Louis Till file, which he obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request with the U.S. Court of Criminal Appeals in Arlington, Va. But as he pores over the copious documents, Wideman struggles to sort out the truth. Time and again, he is thwarted by a jumbled chronology, conflicting testimony and a host of unasked questions that do more to muddle than to clarify what actually transpired. The military did not produce a murder weapon, nor did the victims provide positive identification of the suspects. Tills voice also is missing from the file. Nonetheless, he was executed by judicial asphyxiation on July 2, 1945, and buried in a grave for dishonorable soldiers. Louis Till, Wideman writes, an orphan in his file, just as hed started life as an orphan in New Madrid, Missouri. Guilty of being nobody long before a court-martial tries and convicts him, delivers his death sentence. He is born a colored orphan, and he dies one. A nobody. No voice, no room for Till inside or outside the files pages. Till was among the black soldiers who Wideman found were disproportionately convicted of rape. The logic of southern lynch law prevailed, Wideman says. All colored males are guilty of desiring to rape white women, so any colored soldier the agents hanged could not be innocent. Wideman travels to the American Cemetery and Memorial in Oise-Ainse, France, and finds Tills grave in Plot E, a cramped, secluded lot set aside for dishonorable and executed U.S. soldiers. Tellingly, 83 of the 96 identical 4-by-4-inch flat stones bearing only numbers mark the graves of African Americans. No future is conceivable in Plot E, he says, only endless, gray repetition, unhappy flashbacks collapsing into more unhappy flashbacks. In his rendering, the fates of father and son seem as unremarkable as those of the countless black men today caught in a centuries-long cycle of mass incarceration and unprosecuted police killings. Given the vulnerability of black life, he says Louis Till could have easily been his own father, who served in World War II during the same period; and Wideman himself, young Emmett, who left Chicago to visit Southern relatives only to return in a box. Him colored, me colored, Wideman says, recalling his reaction upon seeing the boys mangled face in Jet magazine in 1955. Him a boy, me too. Him so absolutely dead hes my death, too. At another point, he writes: Im afraid Louis Till might be inside me. Afraid that someone looking for Louis Till is coming to pry me apart. Whether recalling a family reunion when the misfortune of another relative comes to light or the tragedy that befell the Tills, Wideman is unsettled by the continuing defilement of black life. Dont start the count, he writes. The goddamn countdown. Lurid statistics a mantra of white noise. Nobody hears the appalling, shameful numbers anymore anyway. How many dead. How many trapped and dying. On principle I refuse to repeat the daunting statistics or say the word genocide. Suspicious of people who do and do nothing. During his inquiry, Wideman concludes that the truth is not determined by facts but rather by the whims and wishes of powerful whites. Fair, Wideman riffs. When are facts fair. In a not fair world where facts are fictions, how could facts be fair. Why would they want to be. Even if they tried to be. In spite of such questions, I begin at the beginning. Read the file one more time. To be fair. To seek facts. To mix facts and fiction into something fairly believable. No matter how many times Wideman re-reads the file, the facts of Louis Tills case elude him. Im diminished by what Ive learned, he writes. Any peace of mind I try to cobble together is mocked by power. Power that controls the record. Displays and deploys the record. Power that smirks at me. Power putting words in Louis Tills mouth. Power imprisoning, executing colored soldiers, young colored men cut down war or no war. Power importantly clearing its throat, Hrrrrhumph, as it delivers the last word on Louis Till. The hand of power resurfaced when Louis Tills file, stamped Confidential in 1945, was suddenly declassified 10 years later and leaked to the media. Just in time, Wideman writes, to sabotage any likelihood a Mississippi grand jury might convene and decide to try defendants J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant on kidnapping charges. The well-timed revelation of Louis Tills rape conviction planted the idea that the son was like the father and unworthy of justice. The men who were seen taking Emmett Till at gunpoint from his uncles home were exonerated. The [Emmett] Till trial serves as an unacknowledged, abiding precedent. Again and again in courtrooms across America, killers are released as if colored lives they have snatched away do not matter. By the end of Widemans investigation, the jagged pieces of fact and fiction and seemingly disassociated histories converge to form a devastatingly timeless portrait of black male desecration. While too late for the Tills, Wideman says he seeks to somehow save others his son, his brother, himself. If history is a guide, he will probably fall short. However, his haunting, provocative and inspired work nobly restores Louis Tills plundered humanity while exposing the thread that holds centuries of seemingly isolated episodes together. In the process, were brought face to face with Americas age-old tolerance of injustice. A rare glimpse of Mayflower II under full sail, captured during the filming of the PBS American Experience documentary The Pilgrims. (Kristen Oney/Plimoth Plantation/Kristen Oney) Regarding the Nov. 20 Outlook essay Five myths about Puritans : William Brewster, the leader of the Pilgrims, was imprisoned in 1608 for trying to leave England, and his followers finally escaped to the Netherlands. They left the Netherlands, not England, in 1620 because of lack of space for their growing numbers, their belief that the Protestant atmosphere was weakening the belief of their children and the impending end of the peace treaty between the Netherlands and Spain. I am among millions of Americans can who trace their ancestry to Brewster and other Puritans, including those who remained in the Netherlands and those who returned to England. Darrel Salisbury, Dumfries It is a sign of how secretive the new administration plans to be that when Donald Trump spoke this week with the Pakistani prime minister, Americans learned what was discussed not from their president-elect but from the oppressive Pakistani governments Ministry of Information. Luckily, ministry Press Release No. 298 Pakistans official readout of the phone call so perfectly captured the president-elects way of speaking that there can be little doubt it is close to a verbatim account. It is 193 words of unintentional literary genius: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif called President-elect USA Donald Trump and felicitated him on his victory. President Trump said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif you have a very good reputation. You are a terrific guy. You are doing amazing work which is visible in every way. I am looking forward to see you soon. As I am talking to you Prime Minister, I feel I am talking to a person I have known for long. Your country is amazing with tremendous opportunities. Pakistanis are one of the most intelligent people. I am ready and willing to play any role that you want me to play to address and find solutions to the outstanding problems. It will be an honor and I will personally do it. Feel free to call me any time even before 20th January that is before I assume my office. On being invited to visit Pakistan by the Prime Minister, Mr. Trump said that he would love to come to a fantastic country, fantastic place of fantastic people. Please convey to the Pakistani people that they are amazing and all Pakistanis I have known are exceptional people, said Mr. Donald Trump. What made Trumps conversation with Sharif all the more terrific, amazing, tremendous, fantastic and exceptional was that only days earlier, a member of Trumps transition team had told journalists in India that Trump is in favor of legislation declaring Pakistan a terror state. The promise, consistent with Trumps previous complaints about Pakistans betrayal and disrespect, was huge news on the subcontinent. Vice President-elect Mike Pence on Nov. 30 said senators and congressmen should buckle up for President-elect Donald Trumps legislative agenda. Pence and Trumps chief of staff Reince Priebus were meeting with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan. (The Washington Post) To summarize: Pakistan is a fantastic and exceptional state sponsor of terrorism! Sharif does amazing, tremendous work with terrorists! Terrific. Im felicitated. The contradictory messages to the nuclear-armed arch rivals tells us something about how Trump operates: He tells whoever is listening to him exactly what that person wants to hear. How else could he spend the entire campaign whipping up crowds in fear of a corrupt global elite led by Goldman Sachs and then, after securing victory, stock his administration with Goldman Sachs bankers? Its tempting to wonder how our pleaser president-elects other conversations would be described if we got verbatim readouts in the style delivered by Pakistans Ministry of Information: Paul Ryan President-elect USA Donald Trump said House Speaker Paul Ryan, as I am talking to you Speaker, I feel I am talking to a person I have known for long. Your proposal to privatize Medicare is amazing, with tremendous opportunities. I am ready and willing to play any role that you want me to play. Nancy Pelosi Donald Trump felicitated Nancy Pelosi on her victory in Democratic caucus election. You are doing amazing work to stop Medicare from being privatized, which is visible in every way. All Democrats I have known are exceptional people, said Mr. Donald Trump. Mitt Romney President-elect USA Donald Trump said Mr. Mitt Romney you have a very good reputation. I am looking forward to see you soon as secretary of state. Rudy Giuliani On being invited to visit with Mr. Rudy Giuliani, Mr. Trump said that he would love to have as secretary of state this fantastic person, fantastic mayor of fantastic people. Benjamin Netanyahu President-elect USA Donald Trump said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu it will be an honor to address and find solutions to the outstanding problem of the Iran nuclear agreement. I will personally do it. Ali Khamenei President-elect USA Donald Trump called Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and felicitated him on his fantastic nuclear agreement. Please convey to the Iranian people that they are amazing, said Mr. Donald Trump. Gregory Hayes Mr. Trump said United Technologies Chief Executive Gregory Hayes, your company is amazing, with tremendous opportunities to get billions of dollars of defense contracts, plus $7 million in tax breaks, to keep 1,069 Carrier jobs in Indiana. You are one of the most intelligent companies. Enrique Pena Nieto All Mexicans I have known are exceptional people, said President-elect USA Donald Trump to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. Mr. Trump said because of Mexicos terrific work Carrier is still sending 1,300 jobs to Mexico, a fantastic country, fantastic place of fantastic people. Vladimir Putin You are a terrific guy, said Mr. Donald Trump. Feel free to call me any time. It will be an honor. Twitter: @Milbank Read more from Dana Milbanks archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. Its good that about 1,000 Carrier Corp. workers will not be losing their jobs. But there is a whiff of Putinism in the combination of bribery and menace that may have affected Carriers decision the bribery of tax breaks, the menace of potential lost defense contracts for Carriers parent company, United Technologies. If this were to become the U.S. governments standard method of operation, the results would be Russian, too: dwindling investment, slowing economic growth, fewer jobs. On the same day that Donald Trump took a victory lap through the Carrier plant in Indiana, The Post published a coincidentally relevant article about Russias fixer-in-chief, Vladimir Putin. President-elect Donald Trump on Dec. 1 celebrated a deal that will keep jobs at a Carrier plant in Indianapolis and announced that he chose retired Marine Gen. James N. Mattis for secretary of defense. (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post) The article, by Post correspondent David Filipov, describes how government-controlled television continually features Russias president interrogating or berating factory directors and petty officials. [After a mere 25 years, the triumph of the West is over] If prices have spiked, or salaries are low, or costs have gone way over budget, then Putin lays into the unfortunate bureaucrat Whats wrong with your head? Are you crazy? What are you saying? as the cameras roll and the Russian presidents quarry stammers and squirms, the article explains. Putin has positioned himself as the one person in the country to whom citizens can turn at a time when faith in government institutions is low. The persona of fixer-in-chief the phrase comes from Putin biographer and Brookings Institution expert Fiona Hill may work politically for Putin, though any public opinion poll should be taken with several grains of salt in a country where honest criticism can get you jailed or shot. It may be appealing as a model to Americas president-elect, too. The problem is that it doesnt work. Russias economy is shrinking, year by year, and no matter how many factory directors Putin humiliates, it wont start growing again without structural and political reform. The U.S. economy has challenges, including the loss of manufacturing jobs and the insecurity many workers experience. But it is far healthier than Russias, with steady economic growth, low unemployment and a far, far higher standard of living. Why? A key reason is that the U.S. economy is governed by laws, not by the whims of the nations rulers. Companies such as Carrier, as well as foreign investors with their $3 trillion in the United States, want predictability. They want to know that if they earn a profit, it will be taxed at the same rate as the profit earned by their competitor down the street. They want to know they will not have to slip stock to the governors son in return for police protection. When the government itself is a customer, they want it to buy the best product at the best price, not from the company that provides political favors. Of course, even the United States is not pure. Local economic development agencies woo companies with competing tax breaks. Though taxpayers as a whole lose out, no state feels safe disarming unilaterally. Congressional Republicans last year nearly succeeded in defunding the Export-Import Bank, which arranges government-backed financing for U.S. exporters, because they objected to this form of crony capitalism. [Trump will helm a government of, by and for corporate America] It will be interesting to see how those same conservatives respond if the Carrier intervention becomes a model for Trumps rule. The Ex-Im Bank at least applies standards to every loan applicant. By contrast, what will determine where Trump swoops in, given that hundreds of executives are deciding every day on whether and where to invest? Will it be friendship and enmity? Will it depend on which company is in a battleground state? Or which generates the most headlines? In the long run, Americans are best served by policies that promote growth and trade at home and abroad. Five percent of the worlds population lives here, but we generate nearly one-quarter of the worlds economy. Its good for us when companies invest in Mexico, and Mexicans become wealthier, and buy more American products. True, that is cold comfort to U.S. workers who lose their jobs to foreign competition or, as is more common, to robots and other technological advances. If Trump wants conservative solutions to help them, he could abolish a lot of the failed government retraining programs and redirect the funds into vouchers or tax credits for workers who want to complete college or retrain themselves. He could support apprenticeship programs. He could make sure that workers can carry their health and retirement support with them when they change jobs, rather than being dependent on one company. (Thats where Obamacare helps, but never mind that for now.) He would invest (as he has promised) in infrastructure, but also in the nations great public universities and other research institutions. Eventually, that would allow him to take victory laps in countless factories because the benefits of his policies would have spread across the land without czarist vagary or caprice. Read more from Fred Hiatts archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. This summer, my evenings of sitting on my porch enjoying the lightning bugs in my front yard came to an abrupt end. Thats when the Districts Department of Transportation put up new LED streetlights on my street in the Woodridge area of Northeast. Intense blue-white lights, like the lights we see in prison yards in movies, now flood my street. I tried to find anything on DDOTs website about the change in the lights. I found nothing there, but elsewhere I found many posts that confirmed that my negative reaction to the very intense lights paralleled what was happening all across the country. In fact, in Davis, Calif., residents were so upset about the new LED streetlights that the city had to go back and retrofit them with different and more pleasing LED bulbs, at a cost to the city of $350,000. But my most startling find was a post from the American Medical Association. On June 14, the AMA released a guide for communities converting to LED lights to help them avoid detrimental effects on humans, especially on circadian sleep cycles. Without adequate, high-quality sleep, daytime functioning is impaired, the AMA warned. Quality-of-life issues are very important to me. I want to enjoy my porch in the summer. I want to be able to sleep at any time of the year without having to install dark shades. I want my tree-lined street to look like the friendly neighborhood it is, not a prison yard. I do not want to harm urban wildlife, including my lightning bugs. A study underway at the University of Virginia suggests that LED lights may affect their behavior. Relatively few streets in my ward, Ward 5, have had LED lights installed, but I am told that DDOT will be removing the high-pressure sodium streetlights and installing LED lights throughout the city, including, eventually, in alleys. These energy-efficient lights do save money. I am not objecting to all LED streetlights, just the very intense, glaring ones that are being pushed on us. They are inappropriate, unhealthy and invasive. Expense should not be the only consideration. I have to live with these blinding lights every night, and I cant dim them. I contacted DDOT, the mayor and my wards D.C. Council member to ask for a moratorium on installing LED streetlights until DDOT responds to the health and environmental issues and considers the wishes of their constituents. Thus far, my elected representatives are unwilling to commit to that. The Sept. 27 Health & Science article in The Post Cities take a second look at LED streetlights warned about these lights. Unfortunately, the District doesnt seem to be one of those cities taking a second look, even though there is ample data to suggest it should. People cheer at a rally Thursday in Cincinnati for President-elect Donald Trump. Many supporters say they still trust Trump despite some recent reversals in his positions. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) Susan Meyer becomes giddy as she explains just how excited she is for President-elect Donald Trump to take office. Her tone changes at the mention of secretary of state. Meyer trusts Trump, but she simply doesnt understand why he would put Mitt Romney on his shortlist to head the State Department. Its not that she doesnt like Romney; she voted for him in 2012 and considers him fully capable. But how could Trump forget the things Romney said about him during the primary? Why would he trust someone like that? He outwardly spoke against him in a malicious way, said Meyer, a retired teacher in her 70s who once taught students for whom English was a second language. Is he loyal? Is he going to be loyal to the president? I would question that. In the three weeks since Trump won the election, he has dropped or leaned away from a number of key campaign promises, puzzling some of his supporters. Appointing a special prosecutor to investigate former rival Hillary Clinton is no longer a top priority for Trump, who sympathetically said that Clinton already went through a lot. He has said he is now open to amending the Affordable Care Act instead of fully repealing it. And several of his Cabinet picks are longtime players on Wall Street or in Washington the swamp, in Trumps words, that he has pledged to drain. [The election is over, but the Trump rallies continue] President-elect Donald Trump held a rally in Cincinnati on Thursday, part of what his team has called the USA Thank You Tour 2016. (Victoria Walker/The Washington Post) Many of Trumps supporters who showed up to his first post-election rally in this Midwestern city Thursday night said they completely trust their president-elect to make the right decisions for the country, even if they dont understand his motives. And they were quick to come up with explanations for why hes doing what hes doing like suddenly being buddies with Romney. Meyer said that Trump is trying to bring the party together after the bruising election. The guy sitting behind her at the rally agreed. If he could be someone who could really benefit his Cabinet and be better for America, I say go for it, said Joe Terry, a 54-year-old father of five who works in maintenance. Terry said he has no problem with Trumps pick for treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs executive and Hollywood producer who co-founded a bank during the financial crisis that foreclosed on thousands of homeowners. Lets face it, hes going to look out for corporations, to make things work for them, to bring jobs back home, Terry said. And as things trickle down as theyre going to because its America the little guy will get something, too. For secretary of state, Meyer said she hopes Trump will ultimately pick someone like former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, who stood by Trump when few would, or retired Gen. David H. Petraeus, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified material and is still on probation. He paid the price, said Meyer, who lives across the river from Cincinnati in northern Kentucky. When you pay the price, then youre forgiven. And he did a fraction of what Hillary did. [Trumps takeover of the GOP is now complete] Meyers favorite debate moment was when Trump told Clinton that if he were president, she would be in jail. He looked right at her, and I loved it, she said. But Meyer and her husband said that while they want to see Clinton held responsible for using a private email server while secretary of state, neither of them expected Trump to take on the issue himself. I know what he was saying, but the president cant prosecute anybody, said Robert Bob Meyer. I think thats out of Trumps hands. He should leave it to the Justice Department, and she should be prosecuted. His wife agreed, adding: It was a debate. . . . He doesnt always think. Hes not a politician. He just says it. Still, at Trumps first mention of Clinton during the rally that night, the whole arena began chanting: Lock her up! Lock her up! Lock her up! Trump stood by and smiled. Sitting one section over from the Meyers was another couple in their 70s who were convinced that Trumps change in tone on Clinton is just a strategic act. [The trick to persuading Trump? Flattery, proximity and snappy pitches.] I dont think it would stick anyhow because Obama could pardon her, explained Bob Knopp, 74, a retired civil engineer. I think its really too early for him to really say a whole lot about anything. When Obama gets out of there, it might change again. For Susan Meyer, it feels like the country has already changed since the election and she gave Trump credit for keeping open a Carrier furnace factory in Indianapolis rather than letting it move all of its jobs to Mexico. It made my heart feel good to know that these families will have a Christmas, she said. I felt so good when he did that. And thats what I love about him. He didnt wait until his inauguration. He did it. Hes a worker. He started calling up, and hes Donald Trump, and they listened to him. The deal didnt happen quite that way. Carrier agreed not to shift about 800 manufacturing and management positions south of the border, in exchange for a $7 million incentive package from the state. About 1,300 jobs will still move to Mexico, however. [I will give you everything. Here are 282 of Donald Trumps campaign promises.] Meyer and other Trump supporters shrugged at these details, saying thats just how business works. At least he put forth the effort, she said. And he might not be able to do that with everybody. . . . But I want us to start producing things again. I want to buy a clothes item thats made in the good ol U.S.A. I want to buy a sweeper that comes from the U.S.A. We dont produce, and that really bothers me. Meyer is hopeful that Trump will ease environmental restrictions to allow factories to open more easily and create millions of jobs, secure the border, protect the country from terrorists, reduce the influence of wealthy lobbyists and rebuild the inner cities. She told her friends that if Trump doesnt deliver, they can boot him out. I want him to achieve, she said. He might not be able to do everything all at once, but as long as he progresses and shows that hes trying, making an effort, okay. But I will hold him to some of those promises. High-level aides to both the Clinton and Trump campaigns became involved in a heated exchange Dec. 1, during a post-election forum sponsored by Harvard Universitys Kennedy School of Government. (Harvard Universitys Kennedy School of Government) High-level aides to both the Clinton and Trump campaigns became involved in a heated exchange Dec. 1, during a post-election forum sponsored by Harvard Universitys Kennedy School of Government. (Harvard Universitys Kennedy School of Government) The raw, lingering emotion of the 2016 presidential campaign erupted into a shouting match here Thursday as top strategists of Hillary Clintons campaign accused their Republican counterparts of fueling and legitimizing racism to elect Donald Trump. The extraordinary exchange came at a postmortem session sponsored by Harvard Universitys Kennedy School of Government, where top operatives from both campaigns sat across a conference table from each other. As Trumps team basked in the glow of its victory and singled out for praise its campaigns chief executive, Stephen K. Bannon, who was absent, the row of grim-faced Clinton aides who sat opposite them bristled. Clinton communications director Jennifer Palmieri condemned Bannon, who previously ran Breitbart, a news site popular with the alt-right, a small movement known for espousing racist views. If providing a platform for white supremacists makes me a brilliant tactician, I am proud to have lost, she said. I would rather lose than win the way you guys did. President-elect Donald Trump's chief White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon decided not to attend an event at Harvard University's Institute of Politics, but protesters took to the streets of Cambridge, Mass., Nov. 30, regardless. (Twitter/Eli Gerzon of Jewish Voice for Peace) Kellyanne Conway, Trumps campaign manager, fumed: Do you think I ran a campaign where white supremacists had a platform? You did, Kellyanne. You did, interjected Palmieri, who choked up at various points of the session. Do you think you could have just had a decent message for white, working-class voters? Conway asked. How about, its Hillary Clinton, she doesnt connect with people? How about, they have nothing in common with her? How about, she doesnt have an economic message? Joel Benenson, Clintons chief strategist, piled on: There were dog whistles sent out to people. . . . Look at your rallies. He delivered it. At which point, Conway accused Clintons team of being sore losers. Guys, I can tell you are angry, but wow, she said. Hashtag hes your president. Hows that? Will you ever accept the election results? Will you tell your protesters that hes their president, too? The session was part of a two-day forum that the schools Institute of Politics has sponsored in the wake of every presidential election since 1972. It gathers operatives from nearly all of the primary and general election campaigns, as well as a large contingent of journalists, with the stated goal of beginning to compile a historical record. Hillary Clintons communications director Jennifer Palmieri and campaign manager Robby Mook speak to the traveling press corps aboard the campaign plane above Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post) [The election is over, but the Trump rallies continue: The president-elects fans turn out for him in Ohio] Generally, the quadrennial gatherings are frank but civil ones, in which political operatives at the top of their game accord each other a measure of professional respect. This year, in the wake of a brutal campaign with a surprise outcome, it was clear that the wounds have not yet begun to heal. The animosity of the campaign aides mirrors the broader feelings of millions of voters on both sides. Campaign officials lashed out at each other, and also against the media which neither side believed had treated it fairly. Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook also acknowledged that her operation had made a number of mistakes and miscalculations, while being buffeted by what he repeatedly described as a head wind of being an establishment candidate in a season where voters were eager for change. He noted, for example, that younger voters, perhaps assuming that Clinton was going to win, migrated to third-party candidates in the final days of the race. Where the campaign needed to win upward of 60 percent of young voters, it was able to garner something in the high 50s at the end of the day, Mook said. Thats why we lost. He and others also faulted FBI Director James B. Comey for deciding in the waning days of the campaign to revive the controversy over Clintons use of a private email server. Trump officials said Clintons problems went beyond tactics to her weaknesses as a candidate and the deficits of a message that consisted largely of trying to make Trump unacceptable. David Bossie, Trumps deputy campaign manager, taunted Mook: You call it head winds, I call it self-inflicted wounds. Conway added, Theres a difference for voters between what offends you and what affects you, arguing that Trump was speaking more directly to peoples anxieties and needs. Strategists for Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.), who waged a strong challenge against Clinton for the Democratic nomination, agreed. There was a large part of the Democratic primary electorate who had concerns about the secretarys veracity and forthrightness, said Jeff Weaver, Sanderss campaign manager. Clintons campaign aides insisted, again and again, that their candidate had been held to a different standard than the other contenders as evidenced by the controversy over her use of a private email server while secretary of state. Palmieri said that many political journalists had a personal dislike for the Democratic nominee and predicted that the email issue will go down in history as the most grossly overrated, over-covered and most destructive story in all of presidential politics. If I made one mistake, it was legitimizing the way the press covered this story line, Palmieri said. Mook added that Trump deftly used his rally speeches to switch up the news cycle. The media by and large was not covering what Hillary Clinton was choosing to say, Mook said. They were treating her like the likely winner, and they were constantly trying to unearth secrets and expose. For instance, Mook posited that the media did not scrutinize Trumps refusal to release his tax returns as intensively as the issue of Clintons private email server. Conway retorted: Oh, my God, that question was vomited to me every day on TV. The strangest criticism of the media, however, was by Trumps former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski. His complaint: Journalists accurately reported what Trump said. This is the problem with the media. You guys took everything that Donald Trump said so literally, Lewandowski said. The American people didnt. They understood it. They understood that sometimes when you have a conversation with people, whether its around the dinner table or at a bar youre going to say things, and sometimes you dont have all the facts to back it up. [Trump escalates his conflict with the media] At a dinner the previous evening, CNN chief executive Jeff Zucker was heckled during a panel discussion about the media by operatives from several losing Republican campaigns, who accused the network of showering Trump with free publicity. To win the GOP nomination, Trump vanquished a highly credentialed field of 16 other Republicans, some of whom were backed up by tens of millions of dollars in outside spending. What his opponents failed to recognize, until it was too late, was that 2016 would be a year unlike any other, in which the standard rules would not apply. The uniqueness of this cycle made it such that some of those traditional kind of avenues became less effective, said Danny Diaz, who managed the campaign of the presumed early front-runner, former Florida governor Jeb Bush. Money and mechanics matter, but passion about a candidate matters more, added Mike DuHaime, a strategist for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), another establishment figure in the race. Barry Bennett, the campaign manager for retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, said of voters: What they wanted more than anything else was strength, and Donald Trump was supplying it every day. Clinton consultant Mandy Grunwald had a darker interpretation, which she expressed in an icy backhanded compliment to the Trump team on Thursday: I dont think you give yourself enough credit for the negative campaign you ran. She noted that the murky corners of the Internet were rife with false stories that Clinton was in dire health, and on the verge of going to prison. I hear this heroic story of him connecting with voters, Grunwald said. But there was a very impressive gassing of her. Benenson, meanwhile, served notice that the election may be over but that the battles it spawned are not. You guys won, thats clear, Benenson said. But lets be honest. Dont act as if you have a popular mandate for your message. The fact of the matter is that more Americans voted for Hillary Clinton than for Donald Trump. At which point Conway turned to her side and said: Hey, guys, we won. You dont have to respond. He was the better candidate. Thats why he won. I am not sure anyone who was not here at Standing Rock could fully grasp the magnitude of in Nicole Kirby looks over results during a statewide presidential election recount Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016, in Milwaukee. The first candidate-driven statewide recount of a presidential election in 16 years began Thursday in Wisconsin. (Morry Gash/AP) Supporters of President-elect Donald Trump are moving aggressively to challenge Green Party presidential candidate Jill Steins push for a recount in three states, filing legal challenges and criticizing the effort as quixotic and ill-conceived. Trump and his backers have filed challenges the past two days in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, which were critical to Trumps surprise victory last month because they punctured the so-called blue wall of states expected to carry Democrat Hillary Clinton to victory. Trump narrowly won the trio of states. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette (R) on Friday tweeted that Steins request was an expensive & a risky threat as he announced he had filed an emergency motion with the Michigan Supreme Court to stop it. Stein, who has raised millions of dollars from supporters to help pay for the costly recount efforts, blasted back at what she called a politically motivated attempt by Bill Schuette to side with Donald Trump in opposition to a fair and accountable voting system. She added in a statement that citizens in Michigan and across the country of every political party have expressed their concerns around our voting system and deserve to have their votes counted. [Shouting match erupts between Clinton and Trump aides] Stein has raised concerns about possible hacking or other irregularities in the vote in the three states, but has presented no evidence of malfeasance. Election officials in all three states have expressed confidence in their results, and voting rights experts have said the effort is highly unlikely to overturn the results that are sending Trump to the White House. Clintons campaign has joined Steins recount effort, though her team has said it does not expect the outcome of the election to change. The Clinton campaign had no immediate comment on Friday. In Wisconsin, where Trump defeated Clinton by one percentage point, a recount is underway. But Great America PAC and Stop Hillary PAC, both pro-Trump groups, said Friday they had filed a legal challenge a day earlier in federal court in conjunction with a Wisconsin voter to stop the new count. Steins team said Friday that it will fight the challenge. Citizens in Wisconsin and across the country have made it clear that they want a recount and deserve to see this process through to ensure integrity in the vote, Stein attorney Matthew D. Brinckerhoff said in a statement. In Pennsylvania, where Stein has acknowledged the path to forcing a recount is more difficult but has initiated an effort to do so nonetheless, attorneys for Trump filed an objection to Steins request in state court on Thursday. Even with the heroic efforts by state and local elections officials involved in the recounts, as well as expeditious review by this Court, Steins proposed process will last weeks, perhaps even months. Either way, her request puts Pennsylvania at grave risk of having not certified its Presidential electors by December 13, the deadline for doing so, says the filing. On Friday, the focus of the escalating battle was in Michigan, as the Board of State Canvassers deadlocked 2-2 over an objection that attorneys for Trump filed Thursday against Steins recount request. Trump argued that Stein cannot, as the states fourth-place finisher, claim that she is aggrieved by the way the vote unfolded and that there isnt enough time to complete the recount by the Dec. 13 deadline to certify Michigans election results. Retired U.S. Marine Corps General James Mattis has been chosen to be secretary of defense by President-elect Donald Trump, according to people familiar with the decision. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post) Because of the deadlock, the office of Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson (R) said in a tweet that the recount is expected to commence early next week, barring court action. Schuette then filed his emergency motion with the Michigan Supreme Court. It was not immediately clear whether a hearing has been set. The earliest a Michigan recount could start would be next week. Meanwhile, the president-elect resumed his schedule of transition meetings at Manhattans Trump Tower on Friday, bringing in two well-known experts on foreign policy. The president-elect met with Robert M. Gates, who served as defense secretary under President Obama and had derided Trump as unqualified and unfit to be commander-in-chief in a September op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. Gates spoke briefly with reporters afterward, saying he had praised Trumps selection of retired Marine Gen. James N. Mattis as defense secretary, which Trump announced Thursday. I told him I thought his selection of General Mattis to be secretary of defense was terrific, very supportive, said Gates, who declined to answer further questions. Trump also sat down with John Bolton, a former ambassador to the United Nations. He was at one point considered a candidate for secretary of state, but Kellyanne Conway, one of Trumps top advisers, told Fox News on Friday that Trump has narrowed that search to four finalists. According to Conway, they are 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, retired Army Gen. David Petraeus and Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Opponents of Romney have waged an extraordinary public campaign against his nomination for the post and urged Trump to reward Giuliani for his loyalty during the campaign. It is unclear when Trump will make a final decision. Alice Crites contributed to this report. President-elect Donald Trump waves as he is greeted by Azalea Trail Maids on his way to a thank you tour event in Mobile, Ala. Dec. 17, 2016 President-elect Donald Trump waves as he is greeted by Azalea Trail Maids on his way to a thank you tour event in Mobile, Ala. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post The president-elect has visited Alabama, Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio and Indiana, where he toured the Carrier factory. President-elect Donald Trump appears in Indiana to salute workers at a factory where he says he saved hundreds of jobs from moving to Mexico and then in Ohio on the first stop of a Thank You Tour to honor the supporters in states that helped him to his stunning victory. President-elect Donald Trump appears in Indiana to salute workers at a factory where he says he saved hundreds of jobs from moving to Mexico and then in Ohio on the first stop of a Thank You Tour to honor the supporters in states that helped him to his stunning victory. President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday warned that the government would punish companies seeking to move operations overseas with consequences, setting the stage for an unusual level of intervention by the White House into private enterprise. Trumps remarks came as he triumphantly celebrated a decision by the heating and air-conditioning company Carrier to reverse its plans to close a furnace plant here and move to Mexico, helping keep 1,100 jobs in Indianapolis. About 800 of those were manufacturing positions that had been scheduled to move south of the border, said a person familiar with the negotiations. An additional 300 to 600 Carrier positions at that plant, as well as roughly 700 jobs at another facility in the area, will still be cut. Under the terms of the agreement, which have not been finalized, Carrier would receive a $7 million tax incentive package from the state of Indiana in exchange for making a $16 million investment in the facility although Trump said Thursday that amount would probably be higher. In remarks delivered inside the Carrier facility, the president-elect said more companies will decide to stay in the United States because his administration will lower corporate taxes and reduce regulations. He also warned that businesses that decide to go abroad will pay a price through a border tax on imported goods. President-elect Donald Trump on Dec. 1 celebrated a deal that will prevent jobs at the Carrier plant in Indianapolis from being shipped abroad. (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post) Companies are not going to leave the United States anymore without consequences, Trump declared Thursday. Not gonna happen. Its not gonna happen. Trump said he decided to intervene after watching a television news report that reminded him that he had vowed during the campaign, Were not going to let Carrier leave. Trumps determination to use a mixture of incentives and tariffs to keep jobs from going overseas represents a sharp break with the free-market wing of the Republican Party, including senior congressional leaders. On Thursday, top Republicans offered careful responses to the Carrier deal. I think its pretty darn good that people are keeping their jobs in Indiana instead of going to Mexico, said House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), emphasizing that the party is hoping to pass comprehensive tax changes that would be a boon to all businesses. Ryan has repeatedly criticized President Obama for allegedly trying to pick winners and losers in his stimulus package and other economic policies. [Why lots of people think Trumps deal to save 1,000 Indiana jobs was a bad idea] The Carrier deal was sharply criticized by some conservatives, who viewed it as government distortion of free markets, as well as liberals, who derided it as corporate welfare. I think it sets a pretty bad precedent, said Dan Ikenson, director of the Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. I dont think we should be addressing issues like this on an ad hoc basis. It certainly incentivizes companies to make a stink and say: Were going to leave, too. What are you going to do for me? Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, accused Trump of reversing course on a pledge to punish companies that outsource manufacturing jobs. In the case of Carrier, Trump had said he would force the company to pay a damn tax if it closed the plant. Instead of a damn tax, the company will be rewarded with a damn tax cut, Sanders wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Post. Wow! Hows that for standing up to corporate greed? Privately, some business leaders were also unnerved. It is uncharted territory for a president-elect to get involved personally in social engineering with a single company, said an adviser to major corporations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order not to anger the incoming administration. Now that Carrier is no longer the political pinata, the adviser added, chief executives are asking, Whos next? Timothy Bartik, an economist at the nonpartisan W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research in Kalamazoo, Mich., said that vague threats from the president-elect could stymie corporate investment as firms seek to avoid decisions that could draw the ire of the White House. What are these consequences? Whos in charge of them? Bartik asked. One of the worst things for corporate investment is uncertainty, he added. You would hope that the government would not add to the uncertainty. In Indianapolis, where Carrier has been a staple of the business community since the 1950s, the deal was celebrated. [The trick to persuading Trump? Flattery, proximity and snappy pitches] Our union at every level, including our local union leadership, fought to keep that plant open, said Leo Gerard, international president of the United Steelworkers, which represents the factorys workers. Gerard said that although it did not endorse Trump, the union supports crucial aspects of the president-elects agenda, including preservation of manufacturing jobs, scrapping free-trade deals and spending on infrastructure. If this step is any indication of whats to come, we look forward to working with him, Gerard said. Jennifer Volheim, a bartender at Sullys Bar and Grill, down the street from the factory, said she was heartbroken when it was on track to shut down. But, she said, she voted for Trump and knew he would make a difference. We knew Trump was on it, she said. Hes not even in office yet and hes saving . . . jobs. In fact, by Trumps own telling on Thursday, he had no plans to intervene in the Carrier case until he watched an evening news segment featuring a worker who expressed confidence that the president-elect would save the Indianapolis plant. He said his campaign vow to save the plant was a euphemism for other companies. Regardless, Trump known for his tendency to react to TV news reports said he immediately picked up the phone and called Gregory Hayes, the chief executive of Carriers parent company, United Technologies. I said, Greg, you gotta help us out here. You gotta do something, Trump recalled Thursday. Standing in front of a wall blanketed with Carriers blue-and-white logo, Trump lavished praise on the company for its decision, promising that the sales of its air-conditioning units would soar because of the goodwill you have engendered. Experts said no modern president has intervened on behalf of an individual company. Although Obama stepped in to rescue car manufacturers after the 2008 financial crisis and President John F. Kennedy intervened to prevent steel producers from increasing prices, these actions affected entire industries not decisions at a specific plant, Bartik said. Jeff Windau, an analyst at the investment firm Edward Jones in St. Louis, said that Trump might not have the bandwidth to keep up this kind of dealmaking once in the Oval Office. Having a current president-elect focus on a specific company and a specific location its a pretty micro view of the world, he said. [Trump is shocked that Carrier workers took him literally. That doesnt bode well for his many promises.] But Trump said Thursday that he planned to personally call other companies that are contemplating moving operations out of the country, even, as he said, if critics felt such outreach was not presidential. I think its very presidential. And if its not presidential, thats okay because I actually like doing it, Trump said. But were going to have a lot of phone calls made to companies when they say theyre leaving this country, because theyre not going to leave this country. Trumps aggressive stance toward outsourcing comes despite the fact that his family companies profit from low-wage laborers around the globe who produce Trump-branded merchandise. His daughter Ivanka has her own separate brand of jewelry, shoes and clothing, much of which is produced in China. Abigail Klem, president of Ivanka Trumps company, said in a statement that the brand has consistently expressed that we share industry [leaders] interest in bringing more manufacturing opportunities to the US and are looking forward to being a part of the conversation. A representative for the Trump Organization did not respond to requests for comment. On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly attacked specific companies for outsourcing, drawing huge cheers from his crowds. He blasted Ford Motor Co. for opening factories in Mexico, criticized a U.S. drug company that moved its headquarters offshore and said he would not longer eat Oreo cookies because its maker, Nabisco, moved part of its production to Mexico. He also mocked politicians who offered low-interest loans and tax abatements to keep factories in the United States. These companies dont even need the money, most of them, he said at a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., in October. They take the money. There were a couple instances where geniuses with great lawyers gave them money, and then they moved anyway. Trump repeatedly pointed to Carriers planned move to Mexico as a prime example of the perils of globalization: The company told Indiana officials it would save $65 million a year by shifting production to a 645,000-square-foot factory under construction outside Monterrey, where wages are far lower. Carrier rejected a tax incentive package the state offered earlier in the year to keep the Indianapolis plant open. But that was before Trump won the election and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence became the vice president-elect. On Thursday, Hayes said that discussions with Trump and his team gave the company a renewed confidence in the future of manufacturing in the country. Some state officials also noted that the federal government is a major customer of United Technologies. United Technologies sales to the government have dropped in recent years, from $6.3 billion in 2013 to $5.6 billion last year, making up about 10 percent of its total revenue. Defense analysts said that Trump could not legally steer contracts to United Technologies or punish the company through the Pentagons highly regulated acquisition system. The Federal Acquisition Regulations are thousands of pages long and run through an often stifling bureaucracy that determines requirements, puts out requests for proposals from industry, then embarks on a lengthy selection process that can take months, if not years. Mackenzie Eaglen, a defense analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, said that the acquisition system cant be used as a bargaining chip: The short answer is no, and it would be highly illegal. Period. Gold and Ehrenfreund reported from Washington. Christian Davenport, Mike DeBonis, Tom Hamburger and Sarah Parnass in Washington contributed to this report. BEDMINSTER TOWNSHIP, N.J. President-elect Donald Trump gets into a vehicle at the clubhouse at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in Bedminster Township, N.J., on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) President-elect Donald Trump has disclosed owning millions of dollars of stock in companies with business pending before the U.S. government and whose value could rise as a result of his policies. Trumps stock holdings, which are separate from the more high-profile real estate and branding empire that he has said he will separate from in some fashion, represent another area rife with potential conflicts of interest that Trump has yet to address as he prepares to take office. Trumps stock holdings, as of his most recent disclosure in May, included millions of dollars worth of shares in financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo, which have seen their stock prices rise with his promises to roll back regulations imposed after the 2008 financial crash. He has held substantial numbers of shares in Apple and a unit of Ford, companies whose executives he has spoken with since the election as part of his efforts to press corporations not to ship jobs overseas. Trumps portfolio also has been dotted with millions of dollars worth of shares in oil and other energy companies that could stand to gain if he follows through on promises to loosen environmental regulations and pursue more drilling including Halliburton, ExxonMobil, Occidental Petroleum and Phillips 66. Donald Trump has a lot of potential conflicts of interest as president but there's no law that specifically requires a commander in chief to remove themselves from all of their business interests. The Fix's Peter W. Stevenson explains why presidents usually put their assets in a "blind trust" to avoid problems. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post) In truth, what were looking at is a president-elect who has a personal financial stake in every major climate battle that is going on. That is indeed a troubling conflict of interest, said Carroll Muffett, president of the Center for International Environmental Law, which has clashed with Exxon. Trump tweeted Wednesday that he will hold a news conference Dec. 15 to explain how he will separate himself from his own business, the Trump Organization, to avoid the appearance of a conflict though he has continued to meet with international business partners since his election victory and acknowledged that his presidency is good for the brand. But Trump has been silent on whether that announcement will also explain what he will do about his stocks. His May disclosure showed he held stocks that were worth as much as $40 million. A Trump spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment. [Trumps pledge to leave his business prompts calls to divest] Ethics experts said Trump could solve the matter relatively easily, as have past presidents, by selling his portfolio or placing it in a blind trust over which he had no control. Trumps stock portfolio presents a smaller bore but significant example of the same problem he has with the Trump Organization, said Norm Eisen, who served as special ethics counsel to President Obama and has been critical of Trumps conflicts. Nobody will know if the decisions hes making are influenced by the public interest or by his and his familys personal financial interests, Eisen said. 1 of 35 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad Heres a look at Trumps administration so far View Photos President-elect Donald Trump faces a challenge as he prepares for his move to the White House: selecting the men and women who will fill his administration. Caption The men and women the president-elect has selected for his Cabinet and White House team. Scott Gottlieb, nominee for commissioner of FDA President Trump is set to nominate Scott Gottlieb, a conservative physician and businessman with deep ties to the pharmaceutical industry, to be commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, a White House official said. Courtesy of American Enterprise Institute/via Reuters Wait 1 second to continue. In recent years, Congress has showed particular sensitivity to the possible self-enrichment available to elected officials who hold stock. Under the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, or STOCK Act, passed in 2012 on a near-unanimous bipartisan vote and signed into law by Obama, elected officials are forbidden from using non-public information they learn through their official positions to guide stock transactions. They must also publicly disclose any stock trades worth more than $1,000 within 45 days of the transaction. The law applies to members of Congress as well as to the president and vice president and other officials, though it specifically excludes certain categories of assets, including real estate and the holdings of blind trusts. Experts said the new law, while extraordinarily narrow, may provide one of the only regular opportunities for the public to see how Trump is handling his private business interests as president, were he to continue trading on the stock market after taking office. Under conflict-of-interest laws, presidents are otherwise required to provide information about their public finances only once a year. Because Trump filed a financial disclosure as a presidential candidate in May, he will not be required to outline his private holdings again until May 2018, when he will report his 2017 finances. Trump, more than any other modern president, will test the system of disclosure. Not only does he enter office after building a large and sprawling business and substantial investments, but he also has demonstrated an unwillingness to be transparent by refusing to release his tax returns, breaking with four decades of tradition during the campaign. There is little expectation Trump will release his tax returns as president, either. Peter Schweizer, a conservative author whose 2011 book Throw Them All Out, about stock trades by members of Congress, helped inspire passage of the new law, called on Trump to use the STOCK Acts model of frequent disclosure to guide voluntary disclosures about other aspects of his business. Transparency is the best antidote to corruption, said Schweizer, who has worked closely with Trump senior adviser Stephen K. Bannon. As president of a group Bannon chaired, Schweizer wrote Clinton Cash, which alleged that Hillary Clinton faced potential conflicts of interest because of donors to her husbands foundation. The lack of regular disclosure makes assessing Trumps stock holdings as he enters office difficult. Trumps stock portfolio, as disclosed in May, was full of possible areas of conflict. However, he told Fox Business News in August that he was dumping stocks because he predicted the market was crashing. I did invest, and I got out, and it was actually very good timing, he said then. Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks did not respond to questions about whether Trump indeed sold stocks at the time. In the interview, he also predicted the market would improve if he won. So far, Hicks has confirmed only one Trump trade since his last legally required disclosure. Over the summer, she said Trump sold his shares in Energy Transfer Partners, the majority stakeholder in the $3.7 billion Dakota Access pipeline project that has drawn protests from environmentalists and Native Americans. They have hoped the federal government will intervene in support of their opposition. Trump had disclosed in May 2015 that he owned between $500,000 and $1 million worth of stock in the company. Candidates are required to disclose such holdings only in broad ranges. By May 2016, when Trump updated his annual filing, the value of the holding had fallen to less than $50,000. The companys chief executive was a major campaign donor to Trump, but its stock had declined in value in the face of protests. [Trump dumped his stock in Dakota Access pipeline] Hicks has declined to explain whether Trump sold the stock to shed himself of a potential conflict or for another reason, nor would she disclose whether he has sold his stock in Phillips 66, which also owns a stake in the pipeline. Trump has disclosed his Phillips 66 stock was worth as much as $250,000. According to Trumps May disclosure, he owned between $50,000 and $100,000 in oil-services giants Halliburton and ExxonMobil, and between $500,000 and $1 million invested in Occidental Petroleum, one of Texass biggest oil producers. He also disclosed that he owned up to $30,000 in stock in oil-pipeline giant Kinder Morgan. He listed additional holdings in Chevron and Shell. Trumps deep portfolio could allow him to directly benefit from global events. A broad oil-production deal reached this week by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, sent global oil prices climbing and boosted share prices for all of Trumps oil-company stocks. Among Trumps other holdings, according to his May disclosure, were between $1.1 million and $2.2 million in stock in Apple, the tech giant he urged Americans to boycott during the campaign. In an interview with the New York Times last week, Trump said he got a call from Apple chief executive Tim Cook, and he recalled telling Cook that it would be a real achievement for me if Apple built a big plant in the United States. Trump said he told Cook: I think well create the incentives for you, and I think youre going to do it. Were going for a very large tax cut for corporations, which youll be happy about. Apple did not respond to requests for comment. In the disclosure, Trump said he had stock worth $500,000 to $1 million in the consumer-lending units of both Toyota and Ford, the latter of which Trump loudly criticized for outsourcing factory jobs to Mexico. Shortly after the election, Trump took credit for persuading Ford to save a car-making plant in Kentucky, rather than move it to Mexico. Ford later said it had not planned to move the plant, only one production line, and that the original plan would not have led to any lost American jobs. Trump also owned between $1.1 million and $2.2 million in AT&T stock. Trump has criticized the companys proposed acquisition of Time Warner, which owns CNN, as an example of the power structure Im fighting, but he has also formally named technology advisers with a history of support for media mega-mergers and distaste for regulation. Trump, meanwhile, owns up to $1 million in stock in media conglomerate Comcast, one of AT&Ts biggest rivals. Wall Street banks have made up a large share of Trumps stock holdings. Trump also owns between $500,000 and $1 million in shares each in Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo, the latter of which is now facing federal investigation after a scandal involving millions of unauthorized bank accounts. One of those banks, JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in the United States, agreed last month to $264 million in fines to settle federal charges that the bank had given lucrative jobs to friends and family members of Chinese government officials as a means of bribery. Already, financial industry stocks have seen dramatic improvement since Trumps election, said Jamie Cox, managing partner of the Harris Financial Group, in anticipation of a rollback by Trump and a Republican Congress of regulation imposed after the 2008 financial crash thats likely to continue after Trump takes office. Youve seen them skyrocket, he said. Its one of the hottest sectors. Anu Narayanswamy contributed to this report. Gambians celebrate the victory of opposition candidate Adama Barrow by tearing down a poster of longtime President Yahya Jammeh in the streets of Serrekunda, Gambia, Dec. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay) (Jerome Delay/AP) One of Africas longest-ruling leaders, Gambias mercurial and iron-fisted President Yahya Jammeh, was voted out in a stunning election loss more than 20 years after seizing power in a military coup, ballot results showed Friday. The outcome and indications that Jammeh would accept the voters will stood in sharp contrast to the numerous African nations where strongman rulers have recently imposed changes that effectively guarantee their hold on power, sidelining the opposition. Jammeh was defeated by Adama Barrow, an estate agent and former security guard with little political experience. Few imagined that he would topple Jammeh, who has controlled the tiny West African country of 2 million since 1994 and who once vowed to rule for 1 billion years, if God wills. Despite its small size, more people have fled to Europe from Gambia than from almost any other country in Africa, leaving behind poverty and a repressive political climate. Until the last minute, when Gambias election commission announced the results, many Gambians assumed Jammeh would find a way to declare himself the victor. Internet and phone lines were cut in parts of the country, adding to speculation that Jammehs regime was laying the groundwork to stay in power. Jammeh had jailed his political opposition for years, and it seemed likely that he would take measures to maintain his grip. Supporters of President-elect Adama Barrow celebrate his election victory in Banjul, Gambia, Dec. 2, 2016. REUTERS/Thierry Gouegnon TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY (Thierry Gouegnon/Reuters) But as the vote tally became clear, the election commission chief, Alieu Momar Njie, announced that Jammeh would concede. Its unique that someone who has been ruling this country for so long has accepted defeat, Njie told reporters in Banjul, the capital. Jammeh has been one of the worlds most unpredictable, and often incoherent, leaders. He declared that he had found a cure for AIDS consisting of local herbs. He gave himself the quixotic title of Conqueror of Rivers. His face was plastered on billboards across the country. People spoke about him in whispers, worried that one of the governments plainclothes spies might be listening. This year, he withdrew from the International Criminal Court, which his minister of information called the International Caucasian Court, implying that it was a Western institution biased against Africans. Though he was widely mocked for his far-fetched pronouncements, there was a vicious dark side to his rule. He threatened to personally slit the throats of gay men. His failed efforts to boost the countrys agricultural productivity left millions of Gambians in poverty, with few prospects other than to migrate to Europe, which a disproportionate number of them have done. By October, more than 10,000 Gambians had arrived in Italy in 2016 alone, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, making Gambia the fifth-largest source of refugees in all of Africa, even though it has one of the smallest populations. Jammeh shrugged off the huge exodus, saying that true Muslims would persuade their children to stay in the country. But it appears that the same desperation that prompted thousands of Gambians to flee has now led to Jammehs electoral upset. Gambians were tired of dictatorship, tired of being poor, tired of being a pariah in the region, said Jeffrey Smith, founding director of Vanguard Africa, a nonprofit organization that has worked closely with the opposition. Its certainly a shot across the bow for entrenched, abusive governments across Africa. In recent years, the leaders of Rwanda, Burundi, Congo and Sudan have changed their constitutions or cracked down on their opponents to extend their rule. Barrow, leader of his countrys United Democratic Party, had spent several years in Britain as a department store security guard. He returned to his native country and rose through the ranks of the fledgling political opposition, whose leaders were frequently jailed by Jammehs government. In July, opposition leader Ousainou Darboe and 18 others were sentenced to three years in prison for taking part in an unauthorized demonstration. In April, another opposition leader, Solo Sandeng, was allegedly beaten to death by members of the Gambian security services, according to witnesses, after being arrested for leading a demonstration in favor of electoral reform. The government later acknowledged Sandengs death in an affidavit, saying it was caused by shock and respiratory failure. Alhamdulillah, or Praise be to God in Arabic, Sandengs daughter wrote on Facebook after the election results were announced. Unlike in previous Gambian elections, all of the countys splinter opposition groups united behind Barrow, giving him the groundswell of support he needed to defeat Jammeh. That support was evident Thursday as voters dropped marbles in different-colored buckets, each associated with a different candidate. On Friday, the marbles were counted. Barrow had 263,515 votes. Jammeh had 212,099. Jammeh had not yet publicly conceded, but the electoral commission said he soon would. It took only minutes for people to begin dancing in the streets. Read more Gambia is the latest African country deciding to pull out of International Criminal Court She was Gambias star goalkeeper. But she died as yet another drowned migrant in the Mediterranean. Tiny Gambia has a big export: Migrants desperate to reach Europe Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Dec. 2, 2016, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attending an intensive drill of KPA artillery units on the front. / AFP PHOTO / KCNA via KNS (Kcna/AFP/Getty Images) South Korea and Japan both imposed another round of direct sanctions Friday on North Korea, seeking to further ratchet up the pressure on Pyongyang after the United Nations passed new restrictions earlier this week. But the measures were largely symbolic, analysts said, and are unlikely to convince North Korea that the costs of pursuing nuclear weapons outweigh the benefits. We anticipate that these measures will have the effect of cutting off sources of [North Koreas] funding for its weapons of mass destruction program, Lee Suk-joon, South Koreas minister for government policy coordination, told reporters Friday. The measures included adding 36 people two of North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns closest aides, Hwang Pyong So and Choe Ryong Hae to the list of those banned from conducting financial transactions in South Korea. An additional 34 North Korean companies accused of selling coal and supplying North Korean workers to foreign factories and sites were blacklisted, as was Dandong Hongxiang Industrial Development, a Chinese company that has already been sanctioned by the United States and China for helping finance Pyongyangs weapons program. In this July 27, 2013, file photo, North Korean soldiers look toward their leader Kim Jong Un from a military parade vehicle as they carry packs marked with the nuclear symbol during a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice in Pyongyang, North Korea. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File) (Wong Maye-E/AP) These sanctions are largely symbolic, said Kim Kwang-jin, who worked as a North Korean bank representative in Singapore until he defected in 2003. But they are still important because they add more heat to the increasing boiling sanctions on North Korea. Sometimes even symbolic actions are needed. [China is putting the squeeze on North Korea. But for how long?] Simultaneously, Tokyo expanded its blacklist of people affiliated with the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, a pro-North Korean group also known as Chongryon or Chosen Soren. A total of 58 people will now be banned from reentering Japan after visiting North Korea. The Japanese government also blacklisted more North Koreans and banned Japanese ships that have stopped at North Korean ports from entering Japan, although it is not clear that any such ships have been to North Korean in recent years. This year, North Korea went ahead with two nuclear tests and launched more than 20 ballistic missiles, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told his cabinet Friday, introducing the sanctions. This presents a new level of threat, and such outrageous acts are absolutely unacceptable. Like the South Korean measures, Japans sanctions were unlikely to have much tangible impact, but they, too, served a psychological purpose, said Toshimitsu Shigemura of Waseda University. "These sanctions are to show North Korea as a threat that there are more things Japan could do as sanctions and Japan would impose more if necessary," he said. And they are to put pressure on China, as it has been reluctant to cooperate. [U.N. caps N. Korean coal sales in bid to deprive it of hard currency after nuclear tests] In the latest multilateral effort to punish North Korea for its defiance of bans on nuclear and missile testing, the U.N. Security Council imposed a cap Wednesday on North Koreas exports of coal, a major source of hard currency for the regime in Pyongyang. This tightens the sanctions imposed in March after North Koreas fourth nuclear test. Those measures included an exemption for coal exports that were for livelihood purposes, but American and South Korean officials privately complained that Beijing was allowing coal to flow almost unfettered out of North Korea. Recent Chinese customs data show that coal exports from North Korea have returned to normal levels after a brief dip following the March sanctions. Coal comprises about 40 percent of North Koreas exports, bringing in about $1 billion a year. But Pyongyang has remained defiant. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said after the United Nations acted this week that the latest sanctions would only escalate tensions with the United States, which North Korea branded the chief culprit behind the resolution. Obama and his lackeys are sadly mistaken if they calculate that they can force the DPRK to abandon its line of nuclear weaponization and undermine its status as a nuclear power through base sanctions to pressurize it, the spokesman said, using the official abbreviation for North Korea. Yuki Oda in Tokyo contributed to this report. Read more Being Kim Jong Un: A Chinese impersonator has little luck with the opposite sex Did North Korea just test missiles capable of hitting the U.S.? Maybe. EM-dummyText North Korea is racing towards the nuclear finish line Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news Iranian officials and clerics vowed retaliation Friday against the United States for congressional approval of an extension of nuclear-related sanctions, but Middle East analysts say they expect no substantive response from Iran in the waning weeks of the Obama administration. Instead, they said, the vote to keep sanctions on the books for another decade sets the stage for President-elect Donald Trump to adopt a more assertive posture with Tehran. Obama is likely to sign the extension, approved in the Senate on Thursday by a veto-proof vote of 99 to 0. State Department spokesman John Kirby said that Secretary of State John F. Kerry will continue to sign sanctions waivers, as stipulated in the nuclear deal reached last year, as long as Iran keeps meeting its obligations. But after January, it will be up to the Trump administration to decide whether to keep reissuing the waivers, which must be done every 120 to 180 days. Each country is daring the other to walk away from the deal first, said Michael Rubin, a Middle East analyst at the American Enterprise Institute. But no ones going to want to fire the first shot. In Tehran, the government officially referred the issue to a committee charged with implementing the agreement. But denunciations of the extension rang out from the legislature, mosques and government offices. Leaders of Friday prayers called the vote a clear violation of the nuclear deal signed between Tehran and six world powers, including the United States. Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program in exchange for an end to international sanctions. The waivers were written into the agreement so that sanctions could be snapped back if Iran violates the terms of the deal, known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. If you are to tear down the JCPOA, we will set it afire, said Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani, a prayer leader in Tehran. And the Iranian news agency FARS reported that the legislature is preparing a ban on U.S. consumer goods, something of a hollow threat because most U.S. goods in the country are sold on the black market, smuggled in by groups tied to the Revolutionary Guard Corps. We are closely monitoring the developments, said Ali Akbar Salehi, the countrys nuclear chief, according to Iranian state TV. If they implement the [Iran Sanctions Act], Iran will take action accordingly. Much of the rhetoric reflects the way the deal was presented to the Iranian public, as a straightforward end to sanctions instead of a complex set of legal and financial agreements that would only gradually see Iran reintegrated into international trade. They needed to present it as a victory, and they did, said Suzanne Maloney, a Middle East analyst at the Brookings Institution. They skimmed over the details, and they have used domestic politics as a rationale to put pressure on the Obama administration to lean forward on implementations and financial access for Iran. Maloney said Tehran may not know how to read Trump, who has called the nuclear deal a disaster and the worst deal ever, and vowed to be tougher. Theyre dealing with an unpredictable situation, she said. Theyve never faced a U.S. administration in which they have so little awareness of where it stands. Several analysts said Tehran is posturing and unlikely to turn its back on a deal that continues to provide economic and diplomatic benefits. Its possible Iran would walk away, but its highly unlikely, said James Phillips, a Middle East analyst at the Heritage Foundation. Iran is still reaping the benefits of sanctions relief. If Iran did walk away, not only would U.N. sanctions snap back but U.S. sanctions would kick in, and those could do a lot of damage to the Iranian economy. Read more: Irans nuclear deal dividend: Skies full of planes The Iran nuclear deal could collapse under Trump Assessing the Iran nuclear deal one year after it was reached Jia Lynn Yang explains the backstory on relations between the U.S., China, and Taiwan, and the ramifications of Friday's telephone call between president-elect Donald Trump and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. (Alice Li,Victoria Walker/The Washington Post) Jia Lynn Yang explains the backstory on relations between the U.S., China, and Taiwan, and the ramifications of Friday's telephone call between president-elect Donald Trump and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. (Alice Li,Victoria Walker/The Washington Post) President-elect Donald Trump spoke Friday with Taiwans president, a major departure from decades of U.S. policy in Asia and a breach of diplomatic protocol with ramifications for the incoming presidents relations with China. The call is the first known contact between a U.S. president or president-elect with a Taiwanese leader since before the United States broke diplomatic relations with the island in 1979. China considers Taiwan a province, and news of the official outreach by Trump is likely to infuriate the regional military and economic power. The exchange is one of a string of unorthodox conversations with foreign leaders that Trump has held since his election. It comes at a particularly tense time between China and Taiwan, which earlier this year elected a president, Tsai Ing-wen, who has not endorsed the notion of a unified China. Her election angered Beijing to the point of cutting off all official communication with the island government. It is not clear whether Trump intends a more formal shift in U.S. relations with Taiwan or China. On the call, Trump and Tsai congratulated each other on winning their elections, a statement from Trumps transition office said. President-elect Donald Trump talks with workers during a visit to the Carrier factory on Dec. 1 in Indianapolis. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) During the discussion, they noted the close economic, political, and security ties . . . between Taiwan and the United States, the statement said. [Taiwans leader wants to revitalize the economy. Dont expect Chinas help.] A statement from the Taiwanese presidents office said the call lasted more than 10 minutes and included discussion of economic development and national security, and about strengthening bilateral relations. Tsai expressed admiration for Trumps success in a highly competitive election, the statement said. The Trump-Tsai conversation was first reported by the Financial Times and the Taipei Times. Ned Price, a White House spokesman, declined to comment on reports that Beijing contacted the White House on Friday. Price emphasized: There is no change to our long-standing policy on cross-Strait issues. We remain firmly committed to our One China policy based on the three Joint Communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act. Our fundamental interest is in peaceful and stable cross-Strait relations. Asked about Trumps call during a conference on international affairs in Beijing early Saturday, Chinas foreign minister, Wang Yi, called it a petty action that cannot change Chinas standing in international society. The breach of protocol will not change the One China policy that the U.S. government has supported for many years, he said. The One China principle is the foundation for healthy development of Sino-U.S. relations. We dont wish for anything to obstruct or ruin this foundation. China later Saturday said it had lodged an official complaint with the United States over the Trump chat with Tsai. The president-elect tweeted out Friday evening, The president of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Later, Trump sent another tweet, apparently in response to criticism of the Taiwan call as potentially reckless: Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call. A senior adviser to Trump suggested that he knew about the long-standing U.S. policy toward Taiwan when the call occurred. Hes well aware of what U.S. policy has been, Kellyanne Conway said in an interview with CNN on Friday night. Conway bristled when asked whether Trump was properly briefed before the call on the governments long-standing policy, questioning why President Obama did not receive similar queries about his knowledge of foreign affairs. President-elect Trump is fully briefed and fully knowledgeable about these issues . . . regardless of whos on the other end of the phone, she said. Ric Grenell, a former George W. Bush administration spokesman at the United Nations, who was spotted visiting with Trump transition team officials at Trump Tower on Friday, said the president-elects call was planned in advance and that Trump took the call on purpose. It was totally planned, Grenell said. It was a simple courtesy call. People need to calm down. The One China policy wasnt changed. Washington, D.C., types need to lighten up. The United States has pursued the One China policy since 1972, when then-President Richard M. Nixon visited China. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter recognized Beijing as the legitimate government of China, and Washington closed its embassy in Taiwan a year later. A deliberately ambiguous relationship between Washington and Taiwan has existed since. China guards the structures of its formal relationship with the United States very carefully especially the founding document that established the One China policy. U.S. officials typically tiptoe around any mention of Taiwan or the Chinese goal of full reunification. This phone call calls into question whether or not Trump adheres to the basic foundation of the U.S.-China relationship, said Evan Medeiros, a former top China adviser to President Obama who is now an adviser at the Eurasia Group. This action guarantees that U.S.-China relations under Trump will get off to a very rocky start. Trumps growing team of national-security and foreign-policy advisers includes several people who have been strong supporters of Taiwan in Republican administrations. They include Stephen Yates, deputy national security adviser under Vice President Richard B. Cheney, who was reported to be visiting Taiwan when the call occurred. Trump apparently considered hotel investments in Taiwan earlier this year. The mayor of Taoyuan said last month that a representative from the Trump Organization had visited and was interested in constructing hotels in the northwestern Taiwanese city, according to China Times. Trump has said he will separate himself from his businesses before he is inaugurated. In recent years, in the face of Taiwans waning economic power and decreasing international recognition as a separate entity from mainland China, Taiwanese diplomatic representatives in Washington have been trying to raise their stature. They have courted government officials and journalists with Taiwanese film screenings, expensive soirees and other cultural events around town. For years it has looked like a losing battle. But the Trump call could constitute a major and unexpected coup for Taiwans new administration by showing the islands continued relevance. Michael J. Green, a senior Asia adviser to Bush, said the call will not necessarily lead to lasting bad blood with China. Taiwan is a very good friend, and it is good to let the world know that, Green said, adding, The president-elects phone call may have been unconventional, but its not completely unprecedented. President Ronald Reagan infuriated the Chinese by inviting a Taiwanese delegation to his inaugural ball, and his administration included a long-running tussle over whether to re-prioritize Taiwan, Green said. Bush caused a kerfuffle when he suggested the United States might defend Taiwan militarily, but that, too, blew over, Green noted. Republican reaction was mostly cautious but approving. Americas policy toward Taiwan is governed by the Taiwan Relations Act, under which we maintain close ties with Taiwan and support its democratic system, said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) I commend President-elect Trump for his conversation with President Tsai Ing-wen, which reaffirms our commitment to the only democracy on Chinese soil. The Democratic National Committee said the call may mean the businessman is prioritizing his personal fortune over the security interests of the nation. Donald Trump is either too incompetent to understand that his foolish phone call threatens our national security, or hes doing it deliberately because he reportedly wants to build hotels in Taiwan to pad his own pockets, said DNC spokesman Eric Walker. Earlier Friday, Trump reportedly extended an invitation for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to visit the United States next year. That would mark a startling turnabout for a foreign leader who famously called Obama a son of a whore. Trump transition officials confirmed the Duterte call but did not say whether Trump had issued the invitation. Perhaps not surprisingly, the mold-breaking Republican has infused the usually banal routine of congratulatory calls from foreign leaders with drama. Most of the more than 50 calls held by Trump or Vice President-elect Mike Pence came without the knowledge or guidance of the State Department. That means no government talking points about issues of particular importance or land mines to avoid. We stand by to assist and facilitate and support communication that the transition team is having with foreign leaders, State Department spokesman John Kirby said Friday. The calls have appeared haphazard and out of order Russia and Ireland before close ally Britain, for example and the conversations have a casual tone that the British press sniffed is un-presidential. Some calls, as described by Trump aides or the other country, have elicited a raised eyebrow or two. There was Trumps offhand suggestion to British Prime Minister Theresa May to let me know if she happened to be coming to town. A state visit typically takes months of planning and involves a numbing amount of diplomatic protocol of the who-sits-where variety. And there was the conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in which the two agreed, according to the Kremlin, on the absolutely unsatisfactory state of bilateral relations and committed to normalize the relationship. The United States and Russia maintain cordial official ties Secretary of State John F. Kerry met with the Russian foreign minister Friday but both countries have accused the other of meddling. Some Trump communications have yielded questions and worries among U.S. diplomats and foreign powers, most notably a call Wednesday between Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. A vivid account of the conversation released by Pakistan has Trump heaping praise on Sharif as a terrific guy and Pakistanis as one of the most intelligent people. The United States and Trump when he was a candidate have said Pakistan has not done enough to combat terrorism, and the majority-Muslim country would be heavily affected by Trumps proposed restrictions on Muslim immigration. Nonetheless, when Sharif invited him to visit Pakistan, Trump replied that he would love to come to a fantastic country, fantastic place of fantastic people, the Pakistani statement said. A Trump statement came with no such color, but transition officials did not disavow the quotes. Most disturbing to diplomats in the United States and elsewhere was the Pakistani account of Trump pledging partnership that could suggest favoritism in Pakistans eternal and nuclear armed rivalry with India. Trump told Sharif he would play any role you want me to play to address and find solutions to the countrys problems, according to the Pakistani account. China, North Korea and Russia, as well as India, are likely to take note of that, diplomats said. The one thing you learn is, youve got to be very careful what you say because everything you say or tweet matters, said William Danvers, a former senior official in the Obama State Department, Pentagon and CIA. You have a grace period when youre president and you deserve it, but its mostly a domestic grace period, Danvers said. Its not as if Kim Jong Un is going to say, Oh you just became president, so Ill hold off on my missile test. It kind of makes us look like we dont know what were doing. As for Duterte, who had announced a public breakup with the United States before the election, the State Departments Kirby said little. I dont know of any specific support that was provided for that call, he said. Our job is to make sure they know we are a ready resource. How they make decisions and how they conduct dialogue and communication with foreign leaders is really for them to decide. Trump communications director Jason Miller told reporters Friday that the calls are not off the cuff. Trump and Pence are briefed in advance of their calls, obviously working with the teams that we have put together, Miller said before news of the Duterte call had broken. White House press secretary Josh Earnest urged Trump to take advantage of diplomatic know-how as he contacts foreign leaders ahead of his inauguration in January. Im confident that as President-elect Trump takes office, those same State Department employees will stand ready to offer him advice as he conducts the business of the United States overseas, Earnest said. Hopefully hell take it. Trumps outreach to Duterte could echo Obamas election pledge to try to talk to adversaries, although Trump has denounced Obamas main claims to success in that effort openings to Iran and Cuba. Obama presided over a reversal of the U.S. relationship with the Philippines and its new leader. Dutertes denunciations of the longtime alliance between the two nations and personal insults of Obama prompted the president to cancel a planned meeting with Duterte in China in September. Duterte has said U.S. troops should leave his country within two years. He also cozied up to Chinese President Xi Jinping, alarming the Obama administration, which had backed the Philippines challenge at an international tribunal last summer over Chinas maritime claims in waters used by Filipino fishermen. The tribunal ruled against China, but Duterte has signaled a willingness to negotiate a deal with Beijing that could allow the Chinese navy to remain in control of the region. Carol Morello, John Wagner, David Nakamura, Philip Rucker, William Wan and Mark Berman in Washington and Emily Rauhala in Beijing contributed to this report. Trump called these foreign leaders the day after the election 61 not-very-positive things foreign leaders have said about Donald Trump After Trumps victory, the world is left to wonder: What happened to America? After trying for three years, the Liberal-National Coalition government this week finally secured the passage of the draconian Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) Bill, following a complex series of last-minute deals with various Senate crossbenchers. The ABCC legislation is the second of the two industrial relations bills that the government used as a trigger for the July 2 double dissolution election of all members of both houses of parliament. The central purpose of the ABCC bill is to outlaw and suppress all strikes, stoppages and work bans by workers throughout the construction, transport and offshore oil and gas industries, as well as solidarity action via picket lines involving other workers and supporters. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull declared the bill a vital element in our national economic plan. The peak employer body, the Master Builders Association, claimed its passage was a victory against bullying on construction sites. Media commentators spoke of ending union thuggery in the building industry. In reality, the target is not the trade unions, which have secured mutually-beneficial enterprise bargaining agreements (EBAs) with many major companies to enforce their requirements for ever-higher rates of productivity and profit, but workers in a wide range of construction-related industries. Formally titled the Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Bill 2013, the ABCC Bill was first introduced by Turnbulls ousted predecessor Tony Abbott after the 2013 federal election. As far as the corporate elite was concerned, it was supposed to be the first instalment of a stepped-up offensive against workers jobs, wages and conditions, starting with building workers. The bill reinstates and expands the coverage and powers of the ABCC, which was first established by the previous Howard Coalition in 2005, with extraordinary coercive powers and punitive measures, including heavy fines on construction workers for taking unlawful industrial action. The Rudd and Gillard Labor governments, which took office in 2007, retained the ABCC until 2012, and used it to attack workers taking industrial action on major construction projects, including Woodside Petroleums liquefied natural gas plants in Western Australia and the West Gate Bridge upgrade in Melbourne. In each case, the trade unions isolated the disputes and sought to prevent any political and industrial movement against the Labor government. Labor then replaced the ABCC with a Fair Work Building Industry Inspectorate, with similar but slightly modified powers. It was intended to work more closely with the unions, particularly the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), which covers most construction-related workers, to curtail resistance by workers. For the past three years, the Coalition government has employed Labors inspectorate to harass, intimidate and prosecute building workers. The agencys 201516 annual report boasts of a 30 percent increase to $1.8 million in penalties imposed on unions and workers, 34 legal proceedings and 17 compulsory interrogationsa 21 percent rise. With the passage of the ABCC Bill, this punitive assault on construction workers will be ramped up. First, penalties for unlawful industrial action or supposed coercion have tripled to $36,000 for individual workers and $180,000 for trade unions. What is unlawful will remain determined by the Fair Work Act, first introduced by the previous Labor government with the support of the unions. It prohibits all industrial action outside narrow enterprise bargaining periodsusually only once in three or four yearspoliced by the unions. Second, these penalties have been extended to any other workers, or family members or supporters, who join pickets or blockades seeking to support any struggle to defend construction workers conditions. Third, the agencys powers have been expanded beyond building sites to also cover workers involved in off-site prefabrication of building parts, the transporting or supplying of goods for building work, and offshore oil and gas platforms. This scope also can be extended by ministerial regulations. Fourth, the ABCC has a range of new powers, including to prosecute workers and unions even after they have settled or abandoned a dispute with an employer, and to pursue legal costs and uncapped compensationpotentially millions of dollarsfor damage allegedly suffered by a company. Employers can also now apply for court injunctions to stop industrial action or picketing. These provisions all provide greater scope for the use of the ABCCs police state-style coercive powers. It can compel workers or other witnesses to answer questions, hand over documents, provide information or testify in secret hearings. Anyone who refuses to comply can be jailed for up to six months. These powers overturn fundamental rights, such as to remain silent and not to self-incriminate. To gain the vote of one crossbench senator, the government agreed to retain the current fig leaf of scrutiny, introduced by Labor, of requiring an Administrative Appeals Tribunal member to approve the use of these powers. This deal also reversed the bills onus of proof on workers to prove that any industrial action was taken lawfully. However, workers still bear an evidential burdenthey must produce evidence of their justification for taking action. Finally, the industry code issued by the government under the bill will ban a host of clauses in enterprise agreements, including any that limit casualisation, excessive overtime or retrenchments, thus opening the way for unfettered sackings and replacement of workers by casual or body-hire labour. Companies that agree to such clauses also will be barred from tendering for federal government-funded infrastructure projects As a result of a split among the employers, this code will not commence for two years. Two major companies, Lendlease and ProBuild, joined the CFMEU in a lobbying push for this delay. Together with an estimated 1,500 other companies, they have signed agreements with the CFMEU since 2014 that contain such clauses, in return for the union suppressing workers discontent. Some agreements provide for employer-paid union delegates, whose essential function is to police the deals. The final horse-trading on the ABCC Bill this week highlighted the promotion of reactionary nationalism and protectionism, under the guise of defending jobs and conditions. In return for voting for the bill, Senator Nick Xenophon secured an agreement from the government on new procurement rules to require suppliers bidding for government projects worth more than $4 million to use Australian-produced materials and hire local workers. Above all, these measures are directed against imports of Chinese-made steel, in line with campaigns by the trade unions and the Labor Party to blame Chinese workerstens of thousands of whom are also losing their jobsfor the corporate destruction of steelworkers jobs in Australia. The Labor Party immediately congratulated Xenophon and the government for striking the deal. Likewise, Labor Senator Doug Cameron, an ex-union leader, successfully moved an amendment to the bills industry code, requiring employers to employ Australian residents wherever possible, not overseas workers. This is part of a reactionary campaign by Labor and the unions to bar or expel foreign workers who entered the country on temporary work visas. Photo credit: undefined From Harper's BAZAAR Even President Obama has heard the pleas for the First Lady to run for office in 2020. After the election results at the beginning of the month sent the nation into a frenzy, citizens desperately begged FLOTUS to run for president, as #Michelle2020 became a trending topic on Twitter. When Michelle Obama herself was confronted with the idea while addressing veterans at the White House, she playfully laughed it off. Audience member to FLOTUS: Run for president! @FLOTUS: Be quiet back there. (Laughter) pic.twitter.com/0yBV2flWc1 - BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) November 14, 2016 But what does POTUS himself think of his partner running for office in four years? In a new interview with Rolling Stone, which took place on the same day the election results were announced, President Obama finally broke his silence when he was asked, "Do you think Michelle should run for office?" He answered: "Michelle will never run for office. She is as talented a person as I know. You can see the incredible resonance she has with the American people. But I joke that she's too sensible to want to be in politics." So there you have it-Michelle really is too good for us. But if the First Couple won't be spending the next few years out of the White House starting another presidential campaign, what will they be doing? According to POTUS, there's not a lot of down time planned post-presidency. "I will continue to be very active, and Michelle is going to continue to be very active and [on] the very thing that brought us here, which is our belief that when you work with people on the ground at a grassroots level, change happens," he said. For President Obama, those activities include writing a book and organizing a "presidential center," which will focus on training and empowering "the next generation of leadership." But if either he or the First Lady changes their minds on a potential Michelle 2020 campaign, Barack can surely squeeze in First Gentleman prep into his schedule. Story continues Photo credit: undefined You Might Also Like Photo credit: Hearst Communications, Inc. All rights reserved From Cosmopolitan During a "thank you" rally in Cincinnati on Thursday, president-elect Donald Trump announced that he would be appointing retired Marine Gen. James Mattis as head of the Department of Defense. BREAKING: Trump announces James Mattis pick for Secretary of Defense during Cincinnati "Thank You" rally https://t.co/8g1P3El17G - MSNBC (@MSNBC) December 2, 2016 "We are going to appoint Mad Dog Mattis as our Secretary of Defense," he said. "But we're not announcing it till Monday, so don't tell anyone - Mad Dog. He's great. He is great." And on January 20th, mere hours following Trump's inauguration, the Senate confirmed Mattis's nomination. Here are just a few things you should know about Trump's latest Cabinet pick. 1. He served in the Marine Corps for four decades before retiring in 2013. NBC reports that Mattis is perhaps best known for leading the 1st Marine Division's "rapid drive into Baghdad" during the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. He served as the 11th commander of the U.S. Central Command from 2010 to 2013, and previously commanded the U.S. Joint Forces Command while concurrently serving as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Transformation. During the Iraq War, along with the 1st Marine Division, Mattis also commanded the I Marine Expeditionary Force and U.S. Marine Forces Central Command. There's actually a technicality here, because Mattis is required to have been retired for at least seven years before taking the job - but he'll easily get that waived, especially given his impressive military resume. 2. He considered running for president as an independent. Mattis was courted by conservatives wanting to counter Trump's ascent during the general election and reportedly gave a presidential bid serious consideration before ultimately deciding not to run. Story continues 3. He has admitted he enjoys "brawling" with the enemy of war and once said, "It's fun to shoot some people." "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight," he said during a 2005 forum about war strategies in San Diego. "You know, it's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up-front with you, I like brawling. You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them" Another time, he told a group of Iraqi commanders, "The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some assholes in the world that just need to be shot." 4. His nickname is "Mad Dog Mattis." He's earned the nickname in part due to his straight-talking personality, "combative nature," and the fact that he openly discusses the brutality of war - for better or worse. However, he's reportedly not a huge fan of the nickname, which NBC reports is likely because it suggests he's far less strategy-focused and cerebral than he really is. 5. He's also known as the "Warrior Monk" because of his love for military strategy. Mattis has essentially dedicated his whole life to the army, and according to ABC, "is known for a singular focus on military history, tactics and strategy, traits that, along with his unmarried status, led to his Warrior Monk nickname." Mattis has an extensive library and is himself a writer, and has always valued the importance of strategy over all else. Multiple sources report that he has famously told his Marines, "The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears." In a letter to the 1st Marine Division, he wrote, "You are part of the world's most feared and trusted force. Engage your brain before you engage your weapon." 6. He's a favored pick for Democrats and Republicans alike. In an interview with NPR, Michele Flournoy - who served in President Barack Obama's Defense Department and was rumored to be the top pick for Secretary of Defense if Hillary Clinton had won the election - praised Mattis as a wonderful choice for the role. "General Mattis is a storied and much respected military leader," she said. He's a student of history. He's a strategic thinker, and he also has real passion for, you know, the care of the men and women in the U.S. military and their families. So, you know, I think he would be an outstanding candidate." 7. He takes a strong stance on Iran. During his time as the 11th commander of the U.S. Central Command, Mattis butted heads with President Barack Obama over his Iran policy and was extremely vocal about his disapproval over the president's decision to agree to the Iranian nuclear deal. "The Iranian regime, in my mind, is the single most enduring threat to stability and peace in the Middle East," he said during an April Washington think tank. "Among all the issues facing us in the Middle East, I think Iran is actually foremost. And yet at the same time, it appears here in Washington that weve forgotten how to keep certain issues foremost." 8. He's currently a fellow at Stanford University. Mattis is Stanford University's Davies Family Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, as part of the "Military History/Contemporary Conflict Working Group" research team. He is currently studying national security issues with a focus on "strategy, innovation, the effective use of military force, and the Middle East," while also working on a book about leadership. 9. He co-wrote the Counterinsurgency Field Manuel with Army Gen. David Petraeus. As Slate reports, Mattis and Petraeus pushed for the creation of the Army/Marine Counterinsurgency Field Manuel in 2006 as a guide for troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. According to the U.S. Government Counterinsurgency Guide, "Counterinsurgency (COIN) is the blend of comprehensive civilian and military efforts designed to simultaneously contain insurgency and address its root causes. Unlike conventional warfare, non-military means are often the most effective elements, with military forces playing an enabling role." Essentially, the field manual encourages using less force in the short-term at a higher risk in order to establish longer-term relations with civilians that could benefit military efforts in the long run. 10. He has reportedly clashed with Trump's transition team. According to the Washington Post, Mattis and Trump's transition team have clashed over candidates for the top roles in the Department of Defense. Trump's team reportedly had people in mind for those positions and are not open to the idea of "Never Trump" Republicans, but Mattis thought he would have significant influence in the selections. Mattis was not happy that Trump announced Vincent Viola as secretary of the army without his input, CNN reported. Incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer responded to the Washington Post story, tweeting, "Great transition at DoD. Reports to contrary completely false and come from sources who do not have any knowledge of our transition efforts." Follow Gina on Twitter. You Might Also Like Frances pioneering Lumiere brothers, arguably the founders of the movie industry at the end of the 19th century, shot on location in Morocco. What better fact to underscore the key role of international shoots in filmmaking from the very birth of the business. This burgeoning sector of the screen trade is supported by London-based exhibition and conference Focus, whose second edition runs Dec. 6-7. Officially dubbed Focus 2016: The Meeting Place for Intl. Production, the event is mounted by The Location Guide. It aims to position itself as a leading assembly for the international production biz. More than 150 film commissions, location providers, and service companies from 55 countries will exhibit. Focus co-founder and Location Guide publishing director Jean-Frederic Garcia says the itinerant nature of production as well as the ever-growing convergence between the different sectors film, TV, gaming, new media, and advertising reinforces the demand for networking events. The show has undergone refinements this year. All the panel discussions, which include more than 70 speakers, are free and have been integrated into the exhibition side of the event. This will encourage more people to attend, and increase interaction between participants, according to program director Sue Hayes. We needed to open it up, she says. There are a lot more networking opportunities this year. Its like one big meeting place, where you have different ways of engaging with clients and peers, Garcia adds. The event has also introduced ways that [delegates] can get in touch with each other prior to the show to set up meetings. Another innovation: an advisory board, comprising representatives of bodies across all sectors of the U.K. screen trade. We didnt want to be the only ones to decide what the industry wanted to hear, Garcia says. This has helped Hayes shape the panel debates to reflect what is being discussed in industry circles. It gave us an awareness of what theyre facing, what their concerns are, Hayes says. The topics are very much a reflection of whats happening on the ground. Story continues It has prompted sessions on diversity, sustainability, and training, as well as discussions about technologies such as virtual reality and drones, and the increased use of digital applications in, for example, location scouting. National film commissions have found that competing simply with production incentives is not enough. Producers also consider such factors as the availability of high-quality crews, good facilities and infrastructure, and security, and this, too, will be evident in discussions at Focus. When incentives are so competitive, what else [a country] can offer is sometimes going to tip the balance, Garcia says. So if the Lumiere brothers were still around, theyd find Morocco offers the use of its army as extras at a reasonable rate. The Brits have made a big effort to raise their profile at Focus partly because the event is held in London, but also because the British production scene is so buoyant. This has seen the creation of a U.K. Village on the exhibition floor, grouping together screen agencies from Britains regions. There is also more U.K.-related content in the debates, with panels such as Shooting in London, U.K. Tax Breaks Beyond 25%, and Regions and Nations, which looks at the explosion of production in the U.K. outside London. Other countries are competing. Following Brexit, many producers are looking for business outside Europe, with China now being the territory du jour. One of the sessions will be devoted to a presentation by Wanda Studios, a production facility on Chinas east coast that is due to open next year and will offer a 40% incentive to filmmakers. Another session, Access China, draws on the first-hand experience of Western producers who are already doing business in the country, such as Lion TVs Daisy Newton Dunn. The recent news that U.K. visual-effects firm Framestore is to be bought by a Chinese company is a reminder of the ties being forged between the two countries. Guns N' Roses encouraged fans to destroy a pinata of President-elect Donald Trump during their concert Wednesday night at Mexico City's Palacio de los Deportes. Frontman Axl Rose and the stage crew invited fans onstage and armed them with sticks and basically let them go to town on the thing, as TMZ points out. "Let's bring up some people and give them a f - ing stick," Rose said as stagehands helped concertgoers up. "Express yourselves however you feel." And they did. Watch the video below. This article first appeared on Billboard.com. Read more: 'South Park': Donald Trump Character Easily Goaded Into Bombing Another Country This Art Basel in Miami Beach, artist Jose Parla is going back to his roots. For "Roots" - the artist's Rolls-Royce Art Programme exhibition in collaboration with the Savannah College of Art and Design at the Jewel Box at the National YoungArts Foundation - the Cuban-American artist, who was born in Miami and spent his formative years living there, created a body of work that serves as a biographical narrative that pays homage to his Cuban heritage. The Brooklyn-based Parla, whose opening was attended by Diplo and Miami Heat player Chris Bosh, and who counts Jay Z and Beyonce as fans, painted the large-scale mural on the grand floor of One World Trade Center. The exhibition, which was curated by the newly minted Detroit Institute of Arts contemporary art curator Laurie Ann Farrell, begins with "Nuevo Rumbo," a six-foot-by-24-foot painting that traces Cuba's history through an abstract landscape containing calligraphic script, pale yellows, deep greens, white and light blue. Kari Herrin "You can imagine all the turmoil from 500 years of slavery to the genocide of the tribes in Cuba, all the way through to the Cuban independence from Spain, to the next 50 years that would lead to the Cuban revolution of Fidel Castro somewhere in the middle, and then to world events like the Bay of Pigs invasion that led to Cuban Missile Crisis, and all the way to the point where Obama announces talks with the Cuban government," explained Parla. "You see the paintings start to open up, sort of as the clouds are parting and it symbolizes this hope, and now as fate would have it, and history has placed us in a time where the elections here have been really difficult, and Fidel Castro dies." Kari Herrin Parla asserted that Castro's death last week affected the Cuban community at home, in Miami and globally. "In Cuba you have people who loved and admired him who are mourning him, and in the United States and in Miami, I saw people celebrating his death, dancing in the streets," said the artist. "I don't take part in either side. I believe that Cubans now more than ever have to really examine where we're all going, and we need to collaborate with the Cubans on the island and they need to collaborate with the Cubans here, and Cubans all over the world." Story continues "Roots," which runs through December 15, also traces the journey of Parla's grandfather, aviator Agustin Parla, through a triptych named "Patria, Hatuey, and 24 de Febrero" (Cuba's independence day), after three Cuban naval ships that were supposed to guide the flight of his grandfather and Domingo Rosillo to Cuba from Key West in 1912. "My grandfather taking off late, didn't have the ships to travel the distance, so he traveled without them as a guide, and traveled with a compass under a storm, and he went further because he ended up in different changes," Parla said. Kari Herrin The artist wants viewers to reflect on their own stories while looking at the works. "They're meant to be windows for everyone's own biographical narrative, so it's like putting yourself in someone else's shoes," he said. Elton John and husband David Furnish spoke on Thursday World AIDS Day about their efforts to encourage HIV testing and the role HIV stigma and homophobia plays in fighting the disease. "It's our biggest obstacle, to be honest with you," John told the BBC. John's comments regarding stigma came after Northern Ireland politician Sammy Wilson stated that the U.K. government spends too much money on AIDS research, while politician Trevor Clarke questioned whether heterosexuals could even get AIDS. "What planet are you on?" John wondered. "We just got to get people tested," John said. "We've implemented a program at King's College Hospital in London where people can go into the hospital and just have a blood test, and they can have an HIV test at the same time. And most people who are doing it are willing to have that. Otherwise, they wouldn't have an HIV test." John encouraged the U.K. government to support this new program from the Elton John Foundation as it would save them "millions and millions and millions of pounds every year." "If people have these tests, they'll be diagnosed, they'll be put on treatment, they won't spread the disease, and we'll know where we stand with the population," John said. John and Furnish also spoke about the role homophobia plays in fostering the spread of the disease. "Driving people underground is the worst thing you can do with this disease. Leaving people behind whether they're homosexual, intravenous drug users, prisoners or transgender is the wrong thing to do because the disease will never get cured," John said. "We have to embrace everybody." John later expressed concern about what role President-elect Donald Trump would have on AIDS research and treatment, but declined to pass judgment before Trump took office. "You don't know how much the progress that's been made is going to be reversed, so that is a scary thing," John said. "We live in scary times." "We've come so far, the end is in sight. If the governments of the world take their foot off the accelerator and stop funding, then we will never beat this disease," John warned. "It will just balloon again and become another catastrophe. It is a catastrophe; it will get worse like it was 20 years ago. So we need governments to keep their mandates about AIDS." Story continues In response to the Irish politicians' aforementioned comments, British Prime Minister Theresa May issued a statement where she called HIV stigma "an unacceptable stain on our society." "But for all the progress in treatment and prevention, public attitudes have not progressed as far or as fast," May said. "The latest UK HIV Stigma Index found that almost 1 in 5 respondents living with HIV in the UK have had suicidal thoughts in the past 12 months. While around half reported feelings such as shame, guilt and low self-esteem in relation to their HIV status. This stigma is an unacceptable stain on our society and we have to wipe it out. Stigma is not just profoundly wrong. It also prevents many of those affected from accessing the testing, treatment and support that they need." Related Content: We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Photo credit: Getty From Town & Country Despite concerns from Democrats about Steven Mnuchin's role in the 2008 financial crisis, the Senate confirmed him as Treasury Secretary this morning in a 53 to 47 vote, nearly straight down party lines, with only Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia breaking rank to vote with the Republicans. Of all of Trump's Cabinet picks, Democrats considered him to be the "most troublesome," according to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Now that he has been confirmed, here are some things to know about Mnuchin: 1. First of all, it's pronounced men-oo-chin. As the below video points out, news anchors haven't quite figured out how to say it yet. so here are a bunch of news anchors who don't know how to pronounce Steven Mnuchin's name pic.twitter.com/ATmsTASUaz - M egi (@MattNegrin) November 30, 2016 2. He's a Wall Street insider. After graduating from Yale (where he was a publisher of the Yale Daily News, Mnuchin worked at Goldman Sachs for 17 years, eventually rising to the rank of partner and earning himself a small fortune. He reportedly left Goldman to start a hedge fund. When nominating Mnuchin for the position, the President emphasized the role he will play in job creation. "Steve Mnuchin is a world-class financier, banker and businessman, and has played a key role in developing our plan to build a dynamic, booming economy that will create millions of jobs," he said in a statement. But like many in the Trump administration, he has no experience in government, for better or for worse. "Over his business career, he was never particularly involved in politics, nor did he publicly express an interest in public policy," Andrew Ross Sorkin wrote in the New York Times. "He never ran a large organization or showed himself to be an accomplished economist." Story continues 3. Democrats are concerned about his role in the 2008 financial crisis. As Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said, "Steven Mnuchin is the Forrest Gump of the financial crisis - he managed to participate in all the worst practices on Wall Street." Pre-crisis, Mnuchin headed up the mortgage department at Goldman Sachs, and implemented new products like collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) and credit default swaps (CDSs); these kind of products are what led to the financial crisis in 2008. "He spent two decades at Goldman Sachs helping the bank peddle the same kind of mortgage products that blew up the economy and sucked down billions in taxpayer bailout money before he moved on to run a bank that was infamous for aggressively foreclosing on families," emphasized Warren. Then, in 2009, Mnuchin put together a coalition of wealthy buyers to purchase failing California mortgage lender IndyMac, which he renamed OneWest. Cosmopolitan reports that OneWest allegedly utilized shady business practices. "It reportedly tried to foreclose on a 90-year-old woman over a 27-cent payment error; it held back a large number of homeowners' insurance claims after Hurricane Sandy, according to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo; and it faces accusations of refusing to issue mortgage loans to people of color and not locating bank branches in minority communities." Mnuchin rejected the accusations in his hearing saying, "Since I was first nominated to serve as Treasury secretary, I have been maligned as taking advantage of others' hardships in order to earn a buck. Nothing could be further from the truth." But Democrats still remain skeptical. "The Treasury secretary ought to be somebody who works on behalf of all Americans, including those who are still waiting for the economic recovery to show up in their communities," Senator Ron Wyden, the ranking Democrat on the Semate finance committee, said. "When I look at Mr. Mnuchin's background, it's a stretch to find evidence he'd be that kind of Treasury secretary." 4. He failed to disclose $100 million in assets on his initial committee ethics questionnaire. Mnuchin said the oversight was "unintentional." "As you all can appreciate, filling out these government forms is quite complicated," he said. "The paperwork was quite a job." Democrats considered the omission to be a disqualification for the position. Mnuchin also defended his position as a director of an investment fund located in the Cayman Islands, a tax haven, during his hearing. "I did not use a Cayman Island entity in any way to avoid taxes for myself. I paid U.S. taxes on all that income, so there was no benefit to me in the Cayman entity," he said. "They were merely an accommodation to pension funds and nonprofit institutions." 5. You can thank him for a few recent blockbusters. He's a financier of high-profile movies, including last summer's Suicide Squad. He also founded a movie production company, responsible for American Sniper, Mad Max: Fury Road, and the X-Men franchise. In fact, he'll be the first treasury secretary to have his name on U.S. currency and the credit sequence of the Entourage movie. If confirmed tonight, Steve Mnuchin would become 1st Treasury sec to have his name appear on the U.S. dollar AND in the Entourage movie #wow https://t.co/jzxLKB6F1M - Brian Cheung (@bcheungz) February 13, 2017 6. He cashed out on Madoff Ponzi profits. His family withdrew $3.2 million in apparent profit from his late mother's account with Bernie Madoff. As the funds were retrieved before the Ponzi Scheme was uncovered, the Mnuchins were not required to return the money to victims. 7. He's promising to reduce taxes. Mnuchin was apparently closely involved in developing Trump's tax platform, which may translate to as much as $6 trillion in tax reductions over the next decade, but may also contribute to much larger budget deficits. "Any reductions we have in upper-income taxes will be offset by less deductions so that there will be no absolute tax cut for the upper class," Mnuchin said in an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box." 8. His wedding might be on the White House Lawn. Mnuchin is planning his nuptials with Scottish actress-producer Louise Linton. The couple celebrated their engagement with champagne and caviar in the Crystal Ballroom at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Linton's memoir, In Congo's Shadow: One girl's perilous journey to the heart of Africa, received controversial reviews. According to Quartz, Linton pulled the book off Amazon. Photo credit: Getty 9. Mnuchin did business with Trump prior to the election. It includes an investment in a Trump property in Waikiki, Hawaii, though others remain obscure. 10. He's not a die-hard Republican. He and his ex-wife Heather Crosby donated to Democrats in the past, including Hillary Clinton in previous elections and Kamala Harris. His former business partner is also George Soros, the billionaire Democrat who has called Trump a "con artist and a would-be dictator." Photo credit: NICK HUNT /Patrick McMullan via Getty Images 11. He can get a family discount on some first-rate art. Mnuchin's father is Robert Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs partner who currently owns his eponymous New York gallery-the space contains works by Kooning, Rothko, and Pollock. You Might Also Like Fossils of what may be the oldest sulfur-eating bacteria ever found have been discovered in rocks dating back a staggering 2.52 billion years. The fossils don't represent the oldest life on Earth by any stretch there are fossils of microbes that are at least a billion years older but they are the oldest of their type. They also illuminate a mysterious phase of geologic history, when there was hardly any oxygen in the air and photosynthesis the process that would eventually oxygenate the atmosphere had just evolved, said study leader Andrew Czaja, a geologist at the University of Cincinnati. Rather than using oxygen to survive, these bacteria would have turned hydrogen sulfide into sulfate (the oxidized form of sulfur), using the energy from that chemical reaction to grow, Czaja said. "There's still a lot we don't know about the early history of Earth," simply because few fossil-containing rocks still survive from that time, Czaja told Live Science. And yet the era between 3.5 billion and 2.5 billion years ago was crucial for life on the planet. "Everything was evolving; all these different bacterial metabolisms were evolving," Czaja said. [7 Wild Theories on the Origin of Life] Deep dive But until now, most of what researchers knew about this eon, called the Archean, has been based on a handful of fossils from shallow-water environments. Czaja and his colleagues wanted to know what might have been lurking in much deeper parts of the sea. They hunted for fossils in two areas of South Africa's Northern Cape province, looking for signs of ancient life in the Gamohaan Formation. A section of rock called black chert in this formation formed from sediment in the deep ocean, Czaja said, probably at least 300 feet (100 meters) down. "It's only one of a couple places you can go" to find rocks so old, Czaja said. The researchers collected samples and brought them to the lab, where they sliced them into thin, stained-glass-like sections that could be examined under a light microscope. Immediately upon looking at the section, Czaja noticed elliptical structures, wrinkled like partially deflated beach balls, embedded in the chert. Story continues "As soon as I saw them in the rock, I thought, 'That looks biological,'" he said. A geochemical analysis revealed that the structures were made of organic carbon, a hallmark of fossilized life. But the cells were about 100 to 200 microns in diameter, too big to be cyanobacteria, the type of ocean-dwelling bacteria that use photosynthesis to survive. (A micron is one-millionth of a meter; a human hair has a diameter of about 50 microns.) Czaja considered that the cells might be eukaryotic plankton, or plankton with cell walls, but the bacteria lacked the molecular structures seen on the surface of these organisms. What they resembled most was sulfur-oxidizing bacteria that live in deep ocean sediments today, Czaja found. A pre-oxygen ecosystem Other ancient sulfur eaters have been found, Czaja said, but they were a few hundred million years younger and shaped like stringy filaments. This is the first evidence of spherically shaped sulfur oxidizers, he said. If the identification is right, the smooshed little spheres might fill in an ecological gap, Czaja said. The chemistry of rocks from this time period have suggested that for at least 3.5 billion years of history, organisms that reduce sulfate into hydrogen sulfide have existed on Earth. These bacteria turn sulfate into hydrogen sulfide in order to capture and harness the energy from the reaction. But there was very little oxygen in the atmosphere to create oxidized sulfur before about 2.3 billion years ago, when photosynthetic organisms permanently altered the atmosphere with their oxygen emissions. The newly discovered sulfur oxidizers could be a source of the oxidized sulfur that sulfate reducers of the era needed for fuel, Czaja said. "These organisms that I discovered could potentially help close that loop by being the organisms that take reduced sulfur and convert it to oxidized sulfur," he said. In modern-day deep ocean sediments, bacteria do just that, he added: Sulfur-oxidizing bacteria often live right on top of sulfur-reducing bacteria in the sediments, and the two recycle each other's waste products. Czaja and his colleagues plan to further analyze the chemistry of the fossils to find out more about their metabolism. "I want to get back to South Africa and try to search for more," Czaja said. The researchers reported their findings in the December issue of the journal Geology. Original article on Live Science. Editor's Recommendations Photo credit: BMW From Road & Track Like a bad paint job, BMW's 2003 5-series looks better the further away from it you get. Now, almost 15 years away, it's an occasional reminder of BMW's brave flame-surfaced past. Maybe you loved that E60 Five, the original Z4 and the 1-series. Could be that you hated them. But you definitely had an opinion. The latest 5-series (codename G30 for BMW geeks) doesn't engender such debate. Visually, it's a shrunken 7-series with a sprinkle of Three: blandly handsome, but don't be surprised if your automobile ambivalent neighbor mistakes it for last year's car. Sure, we got some stares on the streets of shabby chic Lisbon, but expensive cars are so rare here you could drive past a bus stop in a 15-year old TT and someone would still immortalize you on Instagram. Inside and out it's such a careful evolution of the car it replaces that chief sculptor Adrian van Hooydonk's team must have worn radiation suits as they worked on the clays, just in case any dangerously interesting ideas leaked out during the design process. Flair is in short supply, and that's a shame because this is a far smarter car than the outgoing 5-series. Greater use of aluminum and high-strength steel means it's almost 210lb lighter than the old model, but factor in the new model's extra equipment and the reality is BMW's engineers actually had to banish over 300lb. As before, there are double wishbones under the front end, but this time there's the option of steerable wheels at the rear. Photo credit: BMW Interior changes follow the lead of the exterior: subtle as a seasoned auction bidder's nods. The highlight is a new generation iDrive system that looks at first glance like the kit you get in a 3-series but can be operated either by the traditional control wheel, by touching the screen itself, using voice commands - which no longer require you to affect a bad Inglish Eccent-or by throwing gestures at the screen like you're auditioning for an NWA tribute band. That gives it one-upmanship over its Mercedes E-class arch rival, but with its optional dual-screen setup, and sweeping dash design with Bentley-esque air vents, Benz has it licked for pizazz. Story continues But if Munich hasn't taken a leaf out of the Mercedes book of interior design, it's certainly paid attention to its rival's refinement. This latest 5-series doesn't only look like a 7-series, it glides like one too. Road noise and surface imperfections are as unnoticed as kitchen chaos when you're dining at a high end restaurant, and the options list includes now expected sleep-promoting tech like adaptive cruise control and automatic steering in lanes for brief periods. You don't have to delegate driving duties, but the 5-series does such an impressive job of cocooning you, you might think you have anyway. This is not a bad handling car. In fact a future comparison test will likely prove our hunch that it's the best in the class. Steering response is improved, as is agility on cars fitted with the rear-wheel steering setup. For a big car, this thing really hustles. But it's far more fun going fast than slow. That steering is disconcertingly overlight at low speeds and feels slightly less natural on rear-steer cars than it does on those with the traditional fixed rear toe angle. Photo credit: BMW The 540i-whose badge signified a V8 once upon a time-has a turbo six that makes way more power. Three-thirty-five horses, in this case. It rips through its eight gears on the way to 62mph in 4.8sec in xDrive all-wheel drive guise, sounding crisp and purposeful-but also like its fitted to the car in front, rather than your own. It's hard to imagine rationalizing the need for more performance than this, but if you can, the 550i V8 (62mph in 4.0sec, and there's still an M5 to come, remember), will oblige. Unconfirmed, but likely to appear, is the six-cylinder 530i diesel, now with 261bhp and enough torque to warrant BMW offering a fifth-wheel hitch on the trunklid. Other models are the new 248bhp 530i with four-cylinder turbo power, and a plug-in hybrid version of the same, the 530e. BMW has shifted almost eight million 5-series since the first in 1972 and claims it's the model people most associate with the brand. If you're going to get a car wrong this isn't the one. BMW hasn't got it wrong. The extra refinement is astounding, the chassis still better than anyone else's. But how about a sprinkle of E60 ballsiness, next time, Munich? You Might Also Like escobar death On December 2, 1993, Pablo Escobar, the wealthiest drug kingpin the world has ever seen, attempted to flee from a hideout in his home base of Medellin, Colombia, by scrambling across a neighboring rooftop. Instead, he was cut down by gunfire, and the resulting image has been seared into the public memory the bloody corpse of the world's most powerful drug lord splayed across a tile roof in the city that was once his safest redoubt. escobar death The other men in that image, a group of Colombian troops, have long been regarded as the ones responsible for delivering to Escobar the justice he had so long avoided. But accounts from rival traffickers and gang members, intelligence documents, and Escobar's own family indicate that those troops, soldiers backed by the legitimacy of the state, may not have been responsible for the demise of El Patron. Bloque de Busqueda In late 1989, after a series of bloody humiliations dealt by Escobar to the forces and officials of the Colombian government, then President Virgilio Barco created a special police unit to deal with the kingpin and his cartel. While its initial encounters with the Medellin network left the Bloque de Busqueda, or Search Bloc, dazed and weakened, it eventually became a hardened task force that hunted down Escobar and his associates. Assisted by US special forces, US Army intelligence, and members of the CIA and Drug Enforcement Administration, the Search Bloc pursued Escobar throughout 1992 and 1993. According to official accounts, it was the Search Bloc that ultimately killed Escobar. pablo escobar family On December 2, 1993, one day after Escobar's birthday according to Mark Bowden's book "Killing Pablo," he celebrated with marijuana, a birthday cake, and wine the Search Bloc tracked the drug baron to Los Olivos neighborhood in Medellin. Story continues The Search Bloc was able to converge on the house where Escobar was speaking on the phone with his son. In Bowden's account, despite all of the group's gadgets, a positive ID was made only when a member spotted Escobar through a second-story window. Members of the Search Bloc surrounded the home while others stormed through the door. Alerted, Escobar and a bodyguard stumbled out a back window onto an orange-tiled roof. They were met with a hail of gunfire, and both fell from shots to their heads Escobar with one that entered his right ear and killed him instantly. Once the gun blasts had subsided, Col. Hugo Martinez, the Search Bloc leader who had pursued Escobar for three bloody years but was not on the scene, heard one of his men shouting into the radio. "Viva Colombia!" the soldier said. "We have just killed Pablo Escobar!" Reports emerged afterward that Escobar had gone down firing his own weapon, and the confusion of the encounter has left the question of who fired the fatal shot open to speculation. Los Pepes In January 1993, according to Bowden, a new group had joined the hunt for Escobar. "Perseguidos por Pablo Escobar," or People Persecuted by Pablo Escobar known as Los Pepes was made up of rival drug traffickers, paramilitaries, and others scorned by the Medellin cartel boss. Pablo Escobar soccer charity Earlier, in mid-1992, Pablo's execution of two lieutenants had broken his cartel into warring factions. And according to journalist Alma Guillermoprieto, who spoke with a former Los Pepes member, the group was most likely led by former members of the Medellin cartel who, seeking vengeance, had offered money to members of Escobar's crew, members of the Search Bloc, or anyone else who was willing to take on the kingpin. Los Pepes were, in Bowden's words, "some extralegal muscle who didn't mind crossing the lines of legality and morality that Pablo so blithely ignored." Many in the Colombian government were said to be open to their participation in the hunt. According DEA documents cited by Bowden, the group probably received funding from the rival Cali cartel and likely got information from the Colombian National Police and, allegedly, American intelligence agents operating in the country. A 2015 court ruling ordered the CIA to release more documents that could shed light on the suspected cooperation between the American government, Colombian security forces, and Los Pepes. Hacienda Napoles home of Pablo Escobar Los Pepes quickly mounted a campaign that rivaled that of Escobar's in sheer violence. In early 1993, there were up to six killings a day. Low-level cartel managers, former state officials linked to the cartel, Escobar's attorneys anyone was fair game. Escobar retaliated with more bombings in urban areas, and Los Pepes responded in kind, destroying numerous properties belonging to Escobar and his associates. An account from Diego Fernando Murillo, aka Don Berna a central figure in Los Pepes, according to Insight Crime also indicates that members of Los Pepes accompanied the Search Bloc on its raid of Escobar's hideout in Medellin. In Don Berna's telling, it was his brother, Rodolfo, who delivered the coup de grace, shooting Escobar in the head with an M-16. Envigado escobar Despite evidence that the Search Bloc was working with Los Pepes and evidence, cited by Bowden, that Don Berna worked with both the Search Bloc and the DEA the accuracy of Don Berna's account hasn't been confirmed. A 2003 confession by a former paramilitary member seemed to corroborate Don Berna's claim that it was a joint operation. "It was an agreement that they had because Escobar was a common enemy," said the former fighter. escobar wanted poster However, paramilitary leader Fidel Castano, a cofounder of Los Pepes, had previously denied such involvement, saying in a 1994 interview that it "never performed any operation with the Search Bloc." "The operation during which Escobar was killed was realized exclusively by the police, as is public knowledge," he said. Here, too, Bowden's account contradicts Castano's, describing missions on which the paramilitary leader accompanied the Search Bloc, as well as a DEA cable that referred to Castano as "a cooperating individual." Pablo himself A third actor to whom Escobar's death has been attributed is Escobar himself. His son, Juan Pablo Escobar Henao, who has changed his name to Sebastian Marroquin, has insisted that his father took his own life on that Medellin rooftop. "I have no doubt" that Pablo Escobar planned his own death, Marroquin said in a 2014 interview. In his book, "Pablo Escobar: My Father" released that year, Marroquin detailed the basis for his claim. Escobar told his son numerous times that he would shoot himself in the right ear to avoid being captured alive, he said. Moreover, images of the drug lord on the rooftop show his Sig Sauer pistol, which Marroquin says his father would've used to shoot himself, lying next to his body. Other members of the Escobar family have posed this theory. After an exhumation of the drug baron's body led by his mother and widow in 2006, the family said a hole in his head confirmed the theory that the fatal wound had been self-inflicted. But according to Martinez, a gunshot from within 3 feet would've left gunpowder marks on Escobar's skin marks that are not visible in autopsy photos, according to Bowden. Colombia pablo escobar The question of who killed Pablo Escobar is likely to go unresolved, probably by design. His death, like his life, left a dark stain on Colombia, and the commitment to forgetting how he died seems to be one shared by Colombians and Americans alike. "Nobody is ever going to tell you" whether Los Pepes killed Escobar or if it was someone else, an American soldier involved in the hunt told Bowden. "You have to surmise." NOW WATCH: Inside the dangerous life of Mexican drug lord 'El Chapo' More From Business Insider Some designers are refusing to dress Melania Trump [Photo: Getty] Its been almost three weeks since Donald Trump, ahem, trumped Hillary Clinton in the US presidential election. And while many anti Trump-ers have licked their wounds and found a way to carry on regardless, the same cant be said for pro-Clinton designers in the fashion industry. Last week French-born designer Sophie Theallet revealed that she would not be dressing incoming First Lady Melania Trump and urged her fellow designers to issue a similar boycott. In an open letter shared to social media, the fashion designer stated that she cant condone the discriminatory platforms on which Mrs Trumps husband ran. As one who celebrates and strives for diversity, individual freedom and respect for all lifestyles, I will not participate in dressing or associating in any way with the next First Lady, she wrote. The rhetoric of racism, sexism, and xenophobia unleashed by her husbands presidential campaign are incompatible with the shared values we live by. I encourage my fellow designers to do the same. Designer Sophie Theallet issued an open letter on Twitter urging other designers not to dress Melania Trump [Photo: Twitter/@sophietheallet] And some were more than happy to oblige. I have no interest whatsoever in dressing Melania Trump Personally, Id rather put my energy into helping out those who will be hurt by [Donald] Trump and his supporters, Marc Jacobs told Womens Wear Daily. Tom Ford has also revealed his intent to refuse to dress the first lady although his reasoning has less to do with politics and more to do with Melanias appearance. I was asked to dress [Melania Trump] quite a few years ago and I declined, he told The View. Shes not necessarily my image. Its a similar story amongst fashion publications who, having spent years religiously covering every outfit Michelle Obama wears, are now considering how to or even whether to feature Melania. One US company have apparently decided none of their publications will write about her style. 2016 Time 100 Gala, Time's Most Influential People In The World - Red Carpet Is it right that designers are boycotting Melania Trump? [Photos: Getty] But isnt this all a bit hypocritical? Making a stand against discrimination, by, er discriminating? Claiming to be against prejudice, but effectively being prejudiced about who they will offer their services to? Mmm. Story continues The irony hasnt gone unnoticed by some social media users. When People magazine shared the news of the First Lady designer boycott, some were quick to point out the hypocrisy. These people shout equality for all, yet they have no problem showing their own prejudiceswhat hypocrites, one user wrote. Theallet believes so strongly in tolerance that she wont tolerate Melania Trump wearing her clothes, added another. And is it not somewhat unfair to boycott Melania because of the views of her husband and his party? We might not agree with Donald Trump or his opinions and policies, but does that mean we have the right to tarnish his wife with the same brush? Maybe we dont like Donald Trump and the views he stands for, but does that mean we have the right to punish his wife? Besides is it not a bit churlish to publicly refuse to support the new First Lady? The Trumps have been elected the First Family fair and square, so effectively refusing to dress Melania is the fashion equivalent of throwing your toys out of the pram. And if designers really cant bring themselves to offer their style support, they could at least refuse to do so quietly. Releasing a very public letter to social media declaring their intentions to boycott and urging other designers to do the same, is a pretty low move. If a certain designer wants to refuse to dress Melania Trump, it is their right to do so, but trying to encourage others to do the same is a classic bully tactic last seen in the playground. Thankfully, it seems not all fashion designers share the anti-Melania stance and some have stepped forward to offer their support to the incoming First Lady. The most high profile being Tommy Hilfiger who earlier this week urged his fellow fashion designers to put their political views to one side. I think Melania is a very beautiful woman and I think any designer should be proud to dress her, he told Womens Wear Daily. I dont think people should become political about it. Everyone was very happy to dress Michelle [Obama] as well. Diane von Furstenberg, creator of the iconic wrap dress, agreed. Melania deserves the respect of any first lady before her, she told WWD. Our role as part of the fashion industry is to promote beauty, inclusiveness, diversity. We should each be the best we can be and influence by our example. Thom Browne, another American designer, offered some more tentative support. Out of respect for the position of the first lady of our United States, I would be honored to be considered to design for any first lady of the United States. Meanwhile Marcus Wainwright of American clothing company Rag & Bone told The New York Times: It would be hypocritical to say no to dressing a Trump. If we say we are about inclusivity and making American manufacturing great again, then we have to put that before personal political beliefs. Carolina Herrera believes that this initial wave of defiance from some designers will eventually settle down and she herself would be reaching out to Melania within two or three months. The American designer who has dressed numerous first ladies told Business of Fashion she believes everyone will be dressing the president-elects wife because shes representing the United States. Will Melania Trump have the last laugh? [Photo: Getty] And the business side of things is worth mentioning, too. Youd think that dressing the First Lady would be a designers dream. Indeed, many have seen their businesses boom thanks to their designs being showcased on the world stage during Michelle Obamas time in the White House. So, is refusing to dress someone so high profile therefore not tantamount to career suicide? Indeed Melania herself is no stranger to the Kate Middleton effect i.e. seeing the clothes she showcases sell out within minutes of her wearing them. The seemingly pointed Gucci pussy bow blouse she wore in the wake of Trumps pussy grabbing scandal sold out on Net-A-Porter within hours. And no doubt we will see a similar effect from January when she takes up her official role. Because Melania knows fashion and though she may not be dressed in Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs or the like, she will look great in other talented designers, who havent chosen to air their political views on the catwalk. What are your views? Should designers refuse to dress Melania? Let us know @YahooStyleUK First Lady style: The sartorial evolution of Melania Trump Did Gigi Hadid go too far with her Melania Trump impression? Four new chemical elements now have official names and symbols, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) announced this week. After a five-month review, IUPAC chemists have approved the four names for superheavy elements 113, 115, 117 and 118 proposed by the elements' discoverers. Such superheavy elements, whose atomic numbers indicate how many protons reside in each nucleus, don't occur naturally in nature, so they must be created in labs. Following tradition, the names needed to honor a place, geographic region or scientist, with the name endings following specific protocols related to each element's placement on the periodic table of elements. Here are the new names: Element 113: nihonium (Nh) Element 115: moscovium (Mc) Element 117: tennessine (Ts) Element 118: oganesson (Og) The IUPAC announced in January that the four elements would land on the periodic table, though the elements remained nameless. Then, in June, the IUPAC announced the new names, which had yet to be finalized. [Elementary, My Dear: 8 Elements You've Never Heard Of] The five-month window was meant to give the public a chance to make suggestions or raise concerns about the element names, considering these names will be used around the world, in many languages, Cleveland Evans, a professor of psychology who studies names and naming at Bellevue University in Nebraska and chairs the Name of the Year committee for the American Name Society, told Live Science in June. The proposed names seem to have sailed through unscathed, though that doesn't mean interest was lacking. "Overall, it was a real pleasure to realize that so many people are interested in the naming of the new elements, including high-school students, making essays about possible names and telling how proud they were to have been able to participate in the discussions," Jan Reedijk, president of the IUPAC's Inorganic Chemistry Division, said in a statement. "It is a long process from initial discovery to the final naming, and IUPAC is thankful for the cooperation of everyone involved. For now, we can all cherish our periodic table completed down to the seventh row." Story continues Scientists with Japan's RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science proposed the element name nihonium, which is one way to say "Japan" in Japanese and means "the land of the rising sun," according to the IUPAC. Kosuke Morita and his colleagues created the elusive element on Aug. 12, 2012, after colliding zinc nuclei together in a thin layer of bismuth. Like other superheavy elements, after 113 was created, it quickly decayed, ultimately turning element 113 into 111, and then 109, 107, 105, 103 and finally into element 101, according to Morita. Names for elements 115 and 117 were proposed by their discoverers at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia; the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee; Vanderbilt University in Tennessee; and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. Both element names, moscovium and tennessine, honor regions where experiments linked to creating the elements took place. The name oganesson, for element 118, honors Yuri Oganessian "for his pioneering contributions to transactinide elements research," IUPAC officials said, referring to elements with atomic numbers 104 through 120. "His many achievements include the discovery of super-heavy elements and significant advances in the nuclear physics of super-heavy nuclei, including experimental evidence for the 'island of stability,'" an idea suggesting that super-heavy elements can become stable at some point in their existence. Though there is no certain limit for the number of protons that can be stuffed into an atomic nucleus, the higher the number, the more unstable the element, chemists say. Now that the seventh row (called a period) of the periodic table has been completed with element 118, according to the IUPAC, chemists will continue to search for heavier elements beyond that. Original article on Live Science. Editor's Recommendations Wanting to give children everything is a right of passage for parents, an urge that may never go away. From the new toy to the fancy car, showering children and grandchildren with gifts is something that financial advisor Celia Brugge sees often. For one set of clients, those who have become grandparents, it's unclear if they will have enough saved for retirement. And, yet, with the little grandkids around, the clients continue to want to spend on them. [See: 7 Ways to Avoid Financial Stress Over the Holidays.] "You can have very smart, motivated clients that know exactly what they need to do," Brugge says. But when kids become part of the equation, "some of that intellect goes out the window." Of course, the grandparents' situation isn't unique. According to the most recent data analyzed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, parents will spend $245,000 on their children by the time junior turns 18. But straight dollars and cents isn't the only way that growing tikes sap resources. Nor are they the only family members that cut into one's financial strength. Families have a way of mixing and matching financials, leaving everyone hurting when one makes a mistake. Know how much use the credit card gets. It's not unusual to share a credit card with a spouse or partner. According to CreditCards.com, 48 percent of credit card users do so. But it's unusual to look at what the spouse or partner spends on the card, with only 20 percent viewing what other authorized users spent on the account. This leaves many unaware of the family's total spending impact. While it's more unusual to allow a child to have access to a card -- only 5 percent of empower children with a card linked to the parents' account -- the impact can be dramatic if the child overspends. Brugge, an advisor at Dogwood Financial Planning in Memphis, Tennessee, says she only allowed her children to use a debit card while they were young, since it's easier to control how much they spend that way. Story continues But it's also important to set parameters around the use of the card, whether it's debit or credit. "If a child is accustomed to receiving almost anything they want, there will be little need to be prudent and conserve," says Leonard Wright, a member of American Institute of CPA's consumer financial educations advocates group. If choosing a joint credit card remains the best option for the family, ensure alerts and warnings are set up to notify you when to pay for the card, and if high spending occurs without your knowledge. [Read: 5 Reasons Not to Use Credit Cards This Holiday Season.] With children come unexpected costs. With children, unexpected expenses arise. Even small expenses can become exponential, depending on the number of kids in the brood. Wright points to advanced classes, as an example. A high school student may take five advanced classes, which can lead to spending on a variety of different supplies needed in order to excel. Even if you just buy prep books, times that cost by five and it's a headache of an expense. "It is easy to injure financial security because of normal demands put on the family with good intentions," Wright says. Having a budget in place is a good start to ensure that the children's demands are met. It also protects the parents' savings. Based on the budget, set aside whatever amount is available for retirement savings. Automatically deduct that amount from paychecks into the retirement account. This keeps the retirement plan safe from these unexpected situations. Set aside time to avoid overspending. It's not uncommon in a family for one member to take on the role of overseeing the finances. That doesn't mean that the other spouse or partner should remain in the dark about the financial situation within the home. The more both partners know the financial story, the less likely one will overspend. To ensure both family members remain knowledgeable of the financial situation at home, Brugge suggests that the two partners sit down once a month to discuss the family's balance sheet. The financial date sets aside 15 to 20 minutes every month to discuss what's pressing when it comes to the finances. Early in the relationship, it might discuss budgeting. Then as one ages the priorities may change to buying a home or retirement planning. But both partners should be a part of these discussions, in order to make sure they remain on the same page. "Even if they're just being involved because the other person thinks it's important, make the effort," Brugge says. Elder care can drag down a child. With the baby boomer age group hitting retirement, more Americans have found themselves caring for an elderly parent. Nearly one-in-four say they have a parent above 65 that needs care, and 79 percent of those above 65 that need help receive it from a family member, according to Pew Research. "Dealing with long-term care can sink finances in short order," Brugge says. This can also leave a family's finances in disarray, if it falls upon the child to pay for everything. But instead of taking it upon themselves, Brugge advises the children of an elderly parent to seek strategic advice. She arranges for them to meet with a number of experts, including a geriatric care manager or an elder law attorney, depending on the person's needs. They can find resources that the parent can utilize to ensure security, without it all falling on the child. [Read: 4 Kinds of Insurance That Can Save Your Retirement.] "Most elderly folks who still have their faculties still want to be independent as much as possible," she says. And finding the right help allows them to, without leaving the child's finances upended. No Yes, a light case Yes, two or more light cases One serious case Two or more serious bouts Vote View Results Campaign promises are a special kind of lie. Voters know they cant be kept, yet still love grandiose ideas that sound too good to be true. Donald Trump made a lot of unkeepable promises during the presidential campaign, and voters rewarded him with a startling victory on Election Day. Now that hes filling out his cabinet and fleshing out his ideas, the hype from the campaign is morphing into more pragmatic plans that can actually be implemented. Here are four important ways Trumps economic plan has been changing: Fewer tax breaks for the wealthy. Trumps tax plan during the campaign included a huge tax cut for the wealthy, on the supply-side principle that theyd spend more and help create more jobs. In October, the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center estimated that Trumps plan would save the top 1% of earners an average of $215,000 per year, while middle earners would only save $1,000 or so. That no longer seems to be the plan. Steve Mnuchin, Trumps nominee for Treasury Secretary, said recently there will be no absolute tax cut for the wealthy. What he means by absolute is that tax rates will still come down, perhaps according to Trumps original plan, which would lower the top rate from 39.6% to 33%. But Trump would also put new limits on the amount of deductions filers can claim, and the wealthy tend to claim far more deductions than other filers, for things like charitable deductions, state and local taxes, deferred retirement savings and mortgage interest on second homes. Its certainly possible to cap deductions at a level that would offset gains from a lower tax rate. That would insulate Trump from criticism that his policies favor the wealthy, and limit the increase in deficit spending needed to finance a tax cut. If done right, such zero-sum tax reform would also leave more room for genuine middle-class tax cuts. Of course, tax reform could also be dressed up to look like a middle-class benefit, but with arcane provisions that surreptitiously favor the rich. Story continues A softer touch on trade. Trump talks tough about punishing trade partners if they dont help create more American jobs, but Trumps nominee for commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, is far more diplomatic. He recently told Yahoo Finance, there arent going to be trade wars, and explained why: The Trump administration will start by asking trading partners such as China and Mexico to buy more American-made products. Examples: energy and cotton. It will also ask trading partners to reduce their own limits on imports from the United States. Threats of tariffs would only be used as a cudgel if other tactics fail. If Ross is right, it will be a huge relief for big US companies heavily reliant on trade. A lower infrastructure target. The Trump campaign plan called for $1 trillion in new infrastructure spending. The target has now been cut to $550 billion, according to Trumps transition web site. This plan is likely to change a lot more. Trump wants to tap private investors for most of the new spending, but that would only work on toll roads or other projects with user fees that send a revenue stream back to investors. Congress seems very unlikely to turn US highways over to private owners charging tolls, and it will probably never approve a tab as high as $550 billion in taxpayer funds. Compromise is the art of the deal, somebody once said. Janet Yellen is okay after all. Trump strongly suggested that if elected, hed replace Yellen as chair of the Federal Reserve, arguing that she had politicized the central bank by favoring the policies of President Obama. But Mnuchin and Ross both praised Yellen after receiving their cabinet appointments, reflecting the view of much of the business community that she has been a steady hand on the economy during turbulent times. So expect no fireworks at the Fed. Trump has plenty of other battles to fight. Rick Newman is the author of four books, including Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman. The Daily Beast Amy Beth Bennett/Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via GettyIn the final hours of the two-day sentencing hearing for Nikolas Cruz, the gunman who killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the family members of some of his victims fiercely confronted not only him, but also his defense team.Cruzs attorneys locked horns with Judge Elizabeth Scherer frequently before, during, and after a nearly four-week death penalty trial, crescendoing in an explosive exchange on Tuesday that saw Net profit, also referred to as the bottom line, is one of the key tools that gauges the financial health of an enterprise. The figure demonstrates a companys ability to convert per dollar sales into profits. A low profit margin indicates higher risks, implying that a drop in revenues might dent profits, pushing the company into the red (net loss). Net Profit Margin = Net profit /Sales * 100. In simple terms, net income is the residual of all revenues and gains over all expenses and losses during a particular period. It can also be defined as the net increase in shareholders equity, which the company can retain as earnings or distribute among shareholders as dividend. Net margin helps investors assess the risks of investing in a company. Creditors also view it as a major factor in determining a companys ability to clear debts. Moreover, the strength in the metric not only attracts new investors but also draws well-skilled employees who eventually add to the value of the business. Moreover, a higher net profit margin as compared to peers lends a competitive edge. Pros and Cons Net profit margin helps investors gain clarity on a companys business model in terms of pricing policy, cost structure and manufacturing efficiency. Hence, a strong net profit margin is preferred by all classes of investors. However, net profit margin as an investment criterion has its own share of pitfalls. The metric varies widely from industry to industry. While net income is a key metric for investment measurement in traditional industries, it is not that crucial for technology companies. Moreover, the difference in accounting treatment of various items especially non-cash expenses like depreciation and stock-based compensation makes comparison a complex task. Further, for companies preferring to grow with debt instead of equity funding, higher interest expenses usually weigh on the net profit. In such cases, the measure is rendered ineffective for the analysis of a companys performance. The Winning Strategy A healthy net profit margin and solid EPS growth are the two most sought-after elements in a business model. Apart from these, we have added a few other criteria to ensure maximum returns from this strategy. Screening Parameters Net Margin 12 months Most Recent (%) greater than equal to 0: High net profit margin indicates solid profitability. Percentage Change in EPS F(0)/(F-1) greater than equal to 0: It indicates earnings growth. Average Broker Rating (1-5) equal to 1: A rating of #1 indicates brokers extreme bullishness on the prospects of the stock. Zacks Rank equal to 1: In good markets or bad, stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) continue to outperform. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. VGM Score of A or B: Our research shows that stocks with a VGM Score of 'A' or 'B' when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 (Buy) offer the best upside potential. Here are five of the seven stocks that qualified the screen: Greece, Athens-based Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc. ANW is a marine fuel logistics company, engaged in supplying and marketing refined marine fuel and lubricants to ships in ports and at sea. The company has managed to beat earnings twice in the trailing four quarters, with an average positive surprise of 11.06%. The company has a VGM Score of A. Its earnings estimate for the current year has increased by 7 cents (5.6%) to $1.31 per share over the last 30 days. Notably, Aegean Marines year-to-date return of 34.57% is way better than the Zacks Transportation-Ship Industrys negative return of 22.41% East Rutherford, NJ-based Cambrex Corporation CBM provides products and services that accelerate and improve the development and commercialization of new and generic therapeutics. The company has beaten earnings thrice in the trailing four quarters, with an average positive surprise of 19.78%. The stock has a VGM score of A. Moreover, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2016 earnings has increased by 9 cents (3.7%) to $2.55 per share over the last 30 days. Moreover, Cambexs year-to-date return of 6.5% is way better than the Zacks Medical-Biomed/Genetics Industrys negative return of 24.80%. Gibraltar Industries Inc. ROCK manufactures and distributes products to the industrial and buildings market. The company has its headquarters at Buffalo, NY. Gibraltar has outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in all of the trailing four quarters, with an average positive surprise of 67.30%. The stock has a VGM score of B. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2016 earnings remained steady at $1.58 per share over the last 30 days. Gibraltars year-to-date return of 75.51% is way better than the Zacks Building& Construction Products- Miscellaneous Industrys return of 17.53%. Bedford, TX-based State National Companies Inc. SNC is a leading specialty provider of property and casualty insurance in the U.S. The company has managed to beat earnings twice in the trailing four quarters, with an average positive surprise of 21.28%. The stock has a VGM score of B. Moreover, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2016 earnings has increased by a dime (10.5%) to $1.05 per share over the last 30 days. State Nationals year-to-date return of 35.47% is much better than the Zacks Insurance-Property/ Casualty Industrys return of 16.70%. El Segundo, CA-based Stamps.com Inc STMP provides Internet-based services for mailing or shipping letters, packages or parcels anywhere in the U.S. The company has outperformed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in all of the trailing four quarters, with an average positive surprise of 66.72%.The stock has a VGM score of B. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2016 earnings has risen by $1.08 (19.8%) to $6.53 per share over the last 30 days. Story continues Get the rest of the stocks on the list and start putting this and other ideas to the test. It can all be done with the Research Wizard stock picking and back testing software. The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out. Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today. Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks' portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance. Zacks Restaurant Recommendations: In addition to dining at these special places, you can feast on their stock shares. A Zacks Special Report spotlights 5 recent IPOs to watch plus 2 stocks that offer immediate promise in a booming sector. Download it free Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report AEGEAN MARINE (ANW): Free Stock Analysis Report STAMPS.COM INC (STMP): Free Stock Analysis Report CAMBREX CORP (CBM): Free Stock Analysis Report GIBRALTAR INDUS (ROCK): Free Stock Analysis Report STATE NATL COS (SNC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research On the afternoon of March 13, 2008, Dr. William Hunter, a Residency Program Director for the Department of Pathology at Creighton University, discovered the bodies of his 11-year-old son and housekeeper, Shirlee Sherman, in their Omaha home. Both victims were brutally stabbed in the right side of the neck. Five years later, tragedy struck again at Creighton Universitys pathology program: Police discovered the bodies of Roger and Mary Brumback, both 65, in their West Omaha home on May 14, 2013. Roger, the former chair of Creightons Department of Pathology, was discovered in the entranceway, shot three times and stabbed six times in the neck. Mary was found nearby in the living room, stabbed more than 20 times in the neck. Months later, the chilling truth came out when police arrested their prime suspect, Anthony Garcia, a former Creighton pathology resident. Authorities believe the killings were fueled by Garcias long-simmering rage after Brumback and Hunter fired him from Creighton University in 2001 and later wrote letters that kept him from getting medical licenses in different states and acceptance to other residency programs. For more on the revenge killings by Dr. Anthony Garcia, subscribe now to PEOPLE, or pick up this weeks issue, on newsstands today. Garcia was charged with four counts of first-degree murder in July of 2013. In October, a jury found Garcia guilty of the murders. He was also was convicted of four counts of use of a deadly weapon and one count of attempted burglary. He has yet to be sentenced. Here are five things to know about the serial killer doctor who murdered for revenge. 1. Anthony Garcia Was a Regular at Terra Haute Strip Clubs Garcia was a regular customer at strip clubs in Indiana, where he was known as Dr. Tony. The week after his arrest, police interviewed a stripper who told police that Garcia admitted to killing a young boy and an old lady, says Sean Lynch, deputy Douglas County attorney. Story continues 2. Garcia was Terminated from Creighton After Attempting to Sabotage a Fellow Resident Police learned Garcia was put on review status after a botched autopsy and was later terminated by Brumback and Turner for attempting to sabotage a fellow resident who was taking a high stakes exam. He called the guys wife and said your husband was supposed to work tonight at Creighton and he needs to drop what he is doing and get to work, explains Omaha Police Department detective Derek Mois. He wanted to derail him taking the exam. 3. The First Two Victims Were Killed Two Weeks After Garcia Was Fired from Another Residency Program Authorities believe Garcia finally snapped in February of 2008 when he was fired from the Louisiana State University residency program for having failed to disclose his termination at Creighton. LSU officials had confirmed his dismissal with William Hunter. 4. Garcia Was Initially Booked for DUI on the Day of His Arrest Police say when Garcia was pulled over, he was intoxicated and initially booked on a DUI charge. When I told him he was under arrest for the murder of four people, his only response was, Oh ok,' says Mois. An innocent guy is going to pull a complete tantrum in my mind. This guy was as calm as a cucumber. He had zero reaction. I dont think he blinked. What we walked away from is this was a guy who knew this day was coming. It was reckoning day. 5. Garcia Allegedly Had More Targets Police believe that Garcia wasnt finished killing. He had done research on other people who had perceivably wronged him, says Mois. I believe he had another victim in mind. We found enough that makes me say fairly confidently that if he had not been arrested when he was, there was going to be another potential victim. While many found Kanye Wests breakdown and hospitalization shocking, fellow rapper 50 Cent says he actually wasnt too surprised. That was interesting because I kind of felt like you could see that coming, 50 Cent said on the topic during a Watch What Happens Live appearance, Thursday. He added, It was like little outbursts. When Andy Cohen further asked the star what he thought of the rappers wife Kim Kardashian Wests October robbery in Paris, 50 Cent surmised, I think that was a part of Kanyes breakdown. 50 Cent, 41, appeared on the New York City-filmed Bravo talk show with actress Leah Remini. They also discussed theories and rumors about the cause of Wests crisis. West was taken to UCLA Medical Center for sleep deprivation and exhaustion over a week ago, where he remained until being discharged earlier this week. Audio of the Nov. 21 911 call that led to Wests hospitalization was just released on Thursday. In the recording, a male who identified himself as one of Wests doctors asked for paramedics. Hes definitely going to need to be hospitalized. I wouldnt just do the police by itself, said the caller, whom TMZ identified as Dr. Michael Farzam. During the stars UCLA stay, a source previously told PEOPLE he was under constant watch. The source said that West generally has big ups and big downs, but this bout seems to be much more serious. In the hospital he has been very paranoid. RELATED VIDEO: Inside Kanye Wests Breakdown: Rapper Feels Like Hes Under Spiritual Attack, Source Says Now, another insider close to the family told PEOPLE, West is relaxing at home with Kim and the kids. Kanye will continue to receive treatment and help with how to cope with stress. He needs to learn how to better balance his work and family life. Kiev (AFP) - International monitors warned on Friday that around 600,000 impoverished people could be left without water or heat in war-scarred eastern Ukraine this winter. The words of caution came with few signs of an end to the 31-month-long conflict between Kiev and the pro-Russian separatists that has killed nearly 10,000 people in the EU's backyard. Alexander Hug of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's special monitoring mission for Ukraine said the situation in the war zone in the east of the country was becoming dire as temperatures turned freezing in the ex-Soviet state. "Urgent steps needed as 600,000 people in the Lugansk region (are) at risk of being left without water, electricity and heating," Hug tweeted. Lugansk and its larger neighbour Donetsk were overrun by pro-Russian militias less than two months after Ukraine ousted its Moscow-backed president in a February 2014 pro-EU revolt. Kiev accuses Moscow of plotting and backing the conflict in retaliation for Ukraine's decision to drop out of Russia's orbit and anchor its ties with the West. But the geopolitics of a war that has also destabilised eastern Europe and played a role in the US presidential election has created a heavy toll for civilians who have survived the daily bombs and shells. The rebel-run parts of Lugansk receive about a fifth of their water from Kiev-controlled portions of Ukraine and occasional humanitarian assistance from Russia. But the two Ukrainian companies that had been supplying the water for free throughout most of the fighting have been forced to cut off supplies because they could no longer pay their own electricity bills. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced on October 5 that it would step in to pay Lugansk's debt to Ukraine on an emergency basis. But the ICRC also called it "a stop-gap measure, not a sustainable solution". The official news agency of the Lugansk insurgents said parts of the region had stopped receiving water from the Kiev-controlled part of the splintered country on Thursday. Story continues Kiev has also threatened to cut off the region's electricity if the Lugansk rebel authorities do not cover outstanding bills in the coming days. Such social disputes are supposed to be worked out at periodic talks the sides hold in the Belarusian capital Minsk. But a Tuesday meeting between the foreign ministers of France and Germany -- the cosponsors of the Ukrainian peace process -- ended in yet another stalemate. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said during a visit to Poland on Friday that "we note an absence of any progress about a roadmap" for peace in the separatist east. couple kissing comforting Often, money equals power. That can become especially true within a marriage, where sharing finances with a partner depends on mutual trust, respect, and understanding principles that can be easily breached, leading to anger and suspicion. But armed with the right tools, spouses can prevent letting money ever become a point of contention. Business Insider spoke with a relationship expert and several financial planners to discern how couples can avoid fighting about money. Here's what they had to say. Learn how to talk about it Choosing to facilitate open and honest communication around money is the most important financial decision couples can make for a successful future. According to Michael McNulty, a Ph.D. at The Chicago Relationship Center and Master Trainer with The Gottman Institute, the majority of issues couples face within a relationship are "perpetual problems," meaning that they continue to come up again and again. As one of these "perpetual problems," money is something spouses should learn to talk about and work through from day one. "When perpetual problems become gridlocked, when they've become too much to talk about, they have these negative reactions: They feel more tense, it's hard to take the information from one another, they tend to use negative patterns of communication," McNulty explains. "And then what ends up happening is they stop talking about the issue." As soon as they get married or ideally, before successful couples show their entire hand to their partner: student loans, credit card debt, everything. From there, they can start developing a structure that allows for continual open dialogue and find ways to tend to both of their needs and wants going forward. Money can be awkward and uncomfortable to open up about, but getting everything out in the open will pay off in spades. Develop goals together When you're sharing your finances, it's important to decide together what you want to do with those resources. Successful couples come up with goals as a team and check in frequently to make sure they're on the same page. Story continues Financial goals set the course for the rest of your life goals Should we blow our money on a trip to Italy or save up to buy a home? so it's imperative that couples operate from the same starting point. "If partners in particular have two different sets of goals and they're just not on the same page, that can lead to a lot of acting out financially," McNulty says. "One partner might spend without the other knowing and that sort of thing." Schedule time to check in every week As a way to maintain open, honest dialogue, McNulty often recommends weekly "state of the marriage" meetings to clients, where they can discuss any perpetual issues that might be flaring up, from how to divvy up chores to how to handle their finances. "If any of those problems get gridlocked, which means that they're stuck and they're really hard to talk about, we have to work extra hard on how to talk about them," he says. "Usually having this weekly meeting helps us to talk about them." Katie Gampietro Burke, CFP at Wealth by Empowerment, also advocates regular check-ins. Even though she primarily handles their finances, she and her husband sit down every Saturday to talk through things such as how much they're spending, how their bills are paid, or where they want to put any extra income for the month. She recommends scheduling it in at a specific time each week so it becomes a natural part of your routine. dating date couple love Understand your partner's money philosophy Understanding how your partner developed their philosophy toward money is crucial in finding common ground and developing compromises that work for both of you. Was money tight when they were growing up? Had they been deceived about money in a prior relationship? Has handling money been an issue for them in the past? "If you get those stories back and forth, often it's easier for partners to understand one another," McNulty says. McNulty gives the example of a minister's daughter who grew up with very little and was made fun of by her classmates for the way she dressed. Once she was out on her own, she developed an interest in fashion and started purchasing more expensive clothing to counterbalance the issues she dealt with as a child. She conflated dressing nicely with doing well in life and feeling connected to others, McNulty explained. But to her money-conscious husband, her spending just seemed irresponsible. Only once she opened up about her history was her husband able to understand and compromise on a higher clothing budget. Reflect on your own money philosophy As much as you need an open mind to grapple with your partner's views on money, you need to fully understand your own bias as well. Taking the time to think through why you hold certain beliefs when it comes to money and where those ideas stem from will help you identify exactly where you differ from your partner. "I think that it really can be very helpful if people know their individual relationship with money and why they spend the way they spend, and why they save the way they save, and what's behind all that in terms of their life story and their needs and their goals and everything like that," McNulty says. "That prepares them to have the dialogue with one another." Respect your partner's decisions No couple will agree on every single decision. Everyone has different priorities, and part of operating within a partnership is to respect your partner's choices. That includes keeping an open mind if your spouse's spending habits differ from your own. "Don't judge what your spouse spends their money on," Pamela Capalad, CFP and founder of Brunch and Budget, told Business Insider. "If you truly think your partner has a spending problem, then it's time to have an honest and loving conversation with them. If you're just annoyed that they spent money on something that you would never spend money on, then take a step back, take a breath, and give your partner the benefit of the doubt." For some couples, this means adding personal discretionary funds to the monthly budget that each spouse can use for whatever they want, no questions asked. "It's knowing what the other person is spending on or saying, 'Hey, this other person has $200 a month that I don't know what they're spending on, and that's okay.' It's being okay and trusting that other person that they can spend their money on whatever," Pam Horack, CFP and "Your Financial Mom" at Pathfinder Planning LLC, told Business Insider. Create a support system Couples don't have to tackle their money issues alone. A financial planner can help them make sense of all the numbers, while a therapist can help them address any deeper issues simultaneously brought up. "First and foremost what I recommend to couples, especially if they're noting different approaches to finances, is to get some couples counseling besides getting some good financial counseling before they get married so they can begin to learn how to dialogue about such an important issue," McNulty says. NOW WATCH: Here's how much you need to make to be in the top 1% of every state More From Business Insider It was hard to work out what was spookier, the fact that Donald Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States of America, or that The Simpsons actually predicted it would happen 16 years ago back in 2001. Both are unsettling, but now Dr John Donaldson over at the University Of Glasgow has looked to provide an explanation as to why The Simpsons has such clairvoyance, something it has showcased throughout its 28 series run. The philosophy professor, who recently announced that he and the institutions Philosophy Department will be teaching a one-day class next month called, Doh! The Simpsons Introduce Philosophy, explained to Business Insider, Its a show about life. It deals with situations close to our own hearts and touches on themes we see in our day-to-day lives, so its unsurprising that some of the things they touch on can become a reality. Donaldson continued, Coincidences happen. The Simpsons set out to make a joke about Donald Trump because it seemed so ridiculous, and it just so happened that political circumstances changed to the point that someone like Trump could become president. What that says about the state of the world is pretty crystal clear, as satire and reality are now overlapping at an alarming rate. Earlier this month Dan Greaney, the man who wrote the episode that joked Donald Trump became president, spoke about why he originally scribed the quip, insisting it came from a much lighter place. He seems like a Simpsons-esque figure, Greaney told the Washington Post. He fits right in there, in an over-the-top way. But now I see that in a much darker way. He seemed kind of lovable in the old days, in a blowhard way. Lets hope that President elect Trump reverts back to his lovable ways over the course of his presidency, even though there wasnt much of it on show during his campaign. [Image via Fox] Im sorry to tell you this, but Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazers friendship is better than yours with your best friend. Dont feel bad, because its better than mine with my best friend, too. In fact it pretty much tops any friendship that any of us have ever borne witness to. Im not just talking about on television, though. Because while you probably thought the love and devotion of Abbi and Ilanas friendship on Broad City surely eclipsed their real-life companionship, Jacobsons comments to Bustle made it clear that wasnt the case. The friendship on the show is based on our friendship in real life, Jacobson explained, which is something that die-hard Broad City fans have known for quite some time. Jacobson also went on to recall how the pair met in 2007 at an indie improv practice group, but it was the detail that she then gave about their first ever night together that will truly make your heart a flutter. Thats because not only did Jacobson confess that there was an immediate friendship between the pair, but she then discussed how a quick drink in the bar after their session blossomed into an all-night chat that cemented their BFFship. I remember we sat a the bar and just talked the night away, Jacobson admitted. I have a lot of amazing friends in my life that happen to be women, but Ilana was the first one in New York that really felt important. I guess we were right. Yes you were right. And now Broad City fans get to reap the benefits. [Images via Comedy Central] If you do not leave these areas urgently, you will be annihilated. You know that everyone has given up on you. They left you alone to face your doom, and nobody will give you any help. These chilling words come from leaflets dropped over the besieged area of Aleppo by Syrian and Russian aircraft, before the final bloody assault on the city. And during the last few days, they have rung truer than anyone in Aleppo, or anywhere else, had dared to imagine. But the warnings were there, and not just in the form of leaflets. After five years of war, the world cant claim it lacked information about the Syrians desperate need, or opportunities to respond. Eastern Aleppo is now the epicenter of the Syrian conflict, forced to endure wave after wave of ferocious bombardment that threatens to reduce it to a pile of broken concrete and dust. With the pro-government forces latest push to seize control of the area, the conflict has turned more bitter and bloody than ever before. In a matter of days, Syrian government forces advancing on eastern Aleppo have captured new territories held by armed opposition groups, including the districts of Jabal Badro and Masaken Hanano, where at least 100 families are living. Since Nov. 25, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that 25,000 people have fled the besieged area. Some of the areas beleaguered residents have given up all hope of international action to halt their suffering. There is nowhere to run or hide, said one resident, Nizar. Before the latest assault, in anticipation of the renewed bombardment, another resident, Um Mohamed, said she felt it was only a matter of time before hell is unleashed again. With callous disregard for civilian lives and international humanitarian law, Syrian government forces and their Russian allies have used massive firepower to inflict maximum human suffering, destroy civilian infrastructure, and impose a crippling starvation siege on the area. Story continues Residential buildings, hospitals, medical clinics, and schools have been repeatedly targeted in unlawful attacks. The attacking forces have used barrel bombs and internationally banned cluster munitions, in many cases amounting to war crimes. The threat from aerial attacks is so intense it has forced the residents of Aleppo to eke out an existence in a warren of underground safe houses. Scores of hospitals in Aleppo have been targeted during the past year, most recently a childrens hospital in the al-Shaar neighborhood last week. In March, Amnesty International documented how medical facilities in opposition-held areas around Aleppo have been targeted as part of a military strategy to empty areas of residents in order to facilitate a ground invasion. As thousands of civilians have poured out of eastern Aleppo, many of those left behind live in fear of arbitrary arrests, torture, or enforced disappearance by government forces. Around 8,000 people have fled to the Kurdish-controlled area of Sheikh Maqsoud because they are too scared to flee to government-held areas. In the face of devastation and suffering on such a massive scale, the world has time and again failed to help civilians in eastern Aleppo. This is emblematic of the impotence of the international community, which has repeatedly failed to do anything to stop rampant abuses and violations of international law as the Syrian catastrophe has worsened over the last five years. The U.N. Security Council has been held hostage by Russia, which has repeatedly used its veto to shield the Syrian government. During the past five years, Moscow has vetoed five resolutions that sought to end some of the horrific abuses and to bring to justice those responsible by referring the situation to the International Criminal Court. Just last month, Moscow vetoed a resolution aimed at ending airstrikes and bloodshed in Aleppo. The two U.N. Security Council resolutions, 2139 and 2165, that eventually were approved demanded unfettered access for humanitarian relief, the lifting of sieges on the city, and an end to attacks on civilians, torture, and enforced disappearances. They have, however, been flouted on a daily basis with no consequences for the perpetrators. And even when it hasnt been used outright, the threat of Russias veto power has been enough to paralyze the Security Council and prevent it from imposing targeted sanctions on Syrian government officials for not complying with the two resolutions. U.N. officials and world leaders have expressed shock and outrage at the continuing bloodshed. But the people of Aleppo need more than their words of condemnation. To stand any real chance of ending crimes against humanity in Syria, concrete measures are needed such as sanctions that target officials who have ordered unlawful attacks, a comprehensive arms embargo to stop the flow of weapons to the Syrian regime, and a means of bringing perpetrators of war crimes to justice. A Security Council decision to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court would at the very least signal that those responsible for Syrias atrocities will not go unpunished. Absent such steps, these horrors will continue to proliferate not just across Syria, but across the globe. The cruel betrayal of eastern Aleppos civilians will be a stain on the worlds conscience for years to come. Nothing can make amends for the failures that have led to global inaction on this catastrophe. The least we can do is to try to ensure that the horrors they have endured are not allowed to happen again. AMEER ALHALBI/AFP/Getty Images The Canadian Pacifics Holiday Train passed through DeKalb and Noble counties on the Norfolk Southern tracks early Thursday morning, headed for Chicago. The train, shown approaching the S.R. 1 crossing in Butler around 12:45 a.m., features a mix of flashing and color-changing LED lights showing Santa Claus and his reindeer, snowflakes, Christmas trees and greetings. The train is scheduled for a return trip Sunday night, and the Waterloo Depot will be open for people who want to watch it pass through the town. Spectators filled the depot parking lot Wednesday night to watch the train, Town Manager Tena Woenker said. Railroad officials said fans can watch Facebook for updates on the trains progress at facebook.com/HolidayTrain. JEFF JONES By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Romanian-born man was sentenced on Friday to 10 years in prison after he was convicted on U.S. charges that he conspired with two former European officials to sell $17 million worth of weapons to undercover informants posing as Colombian rebels. Virgil Flaviu Georgescu, 44, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams in Manhattan after a federal jury in May found him guilty on charges, including that he conspired to kill officers and employees of the United States. At trial, Georgescu denied wrongdoing and claimed he engaged in the deal to help the Central Intelligence Agency, calling the agency in 2012 to inform it of what he understood was a plot by the Colombian rebel group FARC to procure weapons. But Abrams said she did not accept that claim, saying Georgescu appeared to have at best had a "change of heart" after those calls and later "simply chose to lie and try to get others to lie to avoid the consequences of his conduct." Georgescu, a U.S. citizen born in Romania, was arrested in Montenegro in 2014 following a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration sting operation. That sting also resulted in the arrests of Cristian Vintila, a former director of the Romanian agency responsible for buying arms for its military, and Massimo Romagnoli, a former member of Italy's parliament. Vintila, 46, and Romagnoli, 45, pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges and agreed to testify against Georgescu. Both men were sentenced in September to four years in prison. Prosecutors said that in 2014 Georgescu was introduced to a paid DEA informant posing as an associate of the Colombian rebel group FARC, which the U.S. government has designated a foreign terrorist organization. The informant was told that Georgescu was a well-connected arms broker, prosecutors said. As a result, he told Georgescu that FARC was seeking weapons to shoot down American helicopters to protect its cocaine trafficking operations. Story continues Prosecutors said Georgescu agreed to participate in the $17 million weapons deal, and recruited Vintila and Romagnoli to help facilitate it, in order to secure a multimillion-dollar profit. "Mr. Georgescu was motivated by greed," Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Surrat said in court on Friday. Georgescu, who said he sought to help the CIA after working as a Federal Bureau of Investigation informant in the early 2000s, is expected to appeal. "It's hard for me to believe I'm standing before you for sentencing," Georgescu said to Abrams. "It's embarrassing to be in this situation." (Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) Home: Some pets never have one to call their own. Wed like to help change that by introducing you to an adoptable pet every week. Today, meet Lucy, a 2-year-old pit bull mix currently residing at the Anderson Animal Shelter in South Elgin, Illinois. A long story comes with the longing eyes you see in the photo: This pup, who has been nicknamed the bouncing pittie because of all the moving around shes done in her short life, has a unique set of needs, and for that reason the shelter has waived her adoption fee. Fearful of strangers, she needs a well-coordinated initial meet-and-greet, says a bio for the pup. But a calm voice and a handful of hot dogs goes a long way towards Lucy being your best friend! And once youre in with her, youre in! She will however, need an adult-only home or a home with responsible older teens, as well as being the only dog in the home. Lucys recorded history begins in the spring of 2015, when she was transferred from animal control to a rescue in Wisconsin. She was in a foster home but was soon forced to transfer and ended up in a veterinary boarding facility in Valparaiso, Indiana. The Anderson Animal Shelter says the pup received little handling or enrichment in the boarding facility for many months. During a meeting with one potential adopter, Lucy caused a superficial scratch on the adopters nose, the shelters bio says. She was then relinquished to another animal hospital in Indiana, which worked with her on clicker skills. Because of her fears, gradual introductions are key for Lucy. Shes described as extremely playful, loves to run and chase toys, but shes also highly excitable and easily aroused. In August, Lucy was transferred to the Anderson Animal Shelter, where she currently resides and continues to do well, and has been introduced to new people without incident. Lucy has made an incredible transformation with the dedicated and compassionate treatment and training shes received at Anderson through our positive reinforcement programs, said Steve Frost KPA CTP, SBA, animal behavior and enrichment manager at the shelter. Abounding with love, Lucy is patiently awaiting her forever home, and I will be envious of whoever ends up getting to call her theirs. Story continues After an assessment with other dogs, its been determined that Lucy needs to be the only dog in a household. Because she has touched so many people along the way, Lucys new parents will receive a plethora of support tools to help her succeed in her new home: * A generous donor has offered to pay for her behavioral medications for one year after she has been adopted. * Shell get continued behavior consultation services from Dr. Fiia Jokela, DVM, Dipl. ABVP * Shell have in-home training support and consultation from Julie Dorsey-Oskerka, President of A Sound Beginning * Shell also have in-home training support and consultation from Steve Frost, KPA CTP, Animal Enrichment and Behavior Manager for Anderson Animal Shelter. If youd like to meet the pretty pup, contact the Anderson Animal Shelter at 847-697-2880. To learn more details about Lucys journey, click here. Click here to meet last weeks adoptable pet, Matilda Love. Adopting a pet is an amazing experience and a big decision! Before bringing a pet into your home, its important to consider your family circumstances and do your research. Photo credit: undefined From ELLE Longtime Victoria's Secret Angel Adriana Lima made her support of Kendall Jenner known earlier this week in an interview with E! News. "I have worked with Kendall on runways before when we were in Europe, like Versace and also with Victoria's Secret," she said, addressing the silly "Is Kendall Jenner a real supermodel or not" debate that has been in the headlines for months. "Kendall is very sweet and very nice, and it's always pleasant to work with someone like that. You know, she works as hard as we do, so I give her credit for all the effort. And I think she is going to do great because Victoria's Secret is all about personality, and she has her own personality." And on the runway, Lima made it clear again just where she stands on Jenner. As she walked past Jenner during during the Victoria's Secret Show, Lima applauded Jenner and cheered her name: Jenner, her sister Khloe Kardashian noted, was in her first set of wings: You Might Also Like Afghan security forces have lost control over a small percentage of the terrain they previously held, but are getting better at repelling the Taliban overall, a top US general said Friday. Kabul now directly controls about 64 percent of the country's population of 30 million, General John Nicholson, the chief US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, said -- down slightly from 68 percent he cited earlier this year. The Afghans now no longer under government control are not in the hands of the Taliban, but live in areas that are being "contested," he said. "While the enemy controls slightly more terrain than before, they do not control more of the population than they did in April," Nicholson said. All told, Kabul still directly controls about two-thirds of the population. "The enemy holds less than 10 percent, and the balance is contested," Nicholson said. Afghan police and army units took over providing security for Afghanistan from NATO in 2015. Their first year was something of a disaster, when they sustained more than 5,000 fatalities and saw the regional capital Kunduz briefly captured by the Taliban. Despite tracking even higher casualty numbers so far this year, Nicholson said the Afghans had inflicted a high death toll on the Taliban and are improving, having prevented eight Taliban attempts to seize another regional capital. "Every one of these attempts failed," he said. "This is a sign of an army that's growing in capability, that's maturing in terms of its ability to handle (simultaneous attacks) and complexity on the battlefield." The Taliban have been especially active in Helmand province -- a global center for opium production -- and are working with traffickers, Nicholson said. "There's a nexus here between the insurgency and criminal networks that's occurring in Helmand that makes Helmand such a difficult fight," he added. Nicholson also blasted the "malign influence" of "external actors," including Pakistan, Russia and Iran, which he said enabled or legitimized insurgent groups inside Afghanistan. LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 2, 2016 / New Age Beverages Corporation (OTC PINK: NBEV), a Colorado-based healthy functional beverage company, announced today that it will be presenting at the 9th Annual LD Micro Main Event on Tuesday, December 6 at 9:30 AM PST /12:30 PM EST at the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. Brent David Willis, Chief Executive Officer of New Age Beverages Corporation, and Dan Epstein, Corporate Controller, Former COO, and CFO of Marley Beverage Company, will be presenting, as well as meeting with investors. The LD Micro Main Event is the largest independent conference for small/microcap companies and will feature 240 presenting names. The audio and visual of the presentation can be followed using the attached link @: http://wsw.com/webcast/ldmicro11/nBEV View New Age Beverages Corporation profile here: http://www.ldmicro.com/profile/NBEV News Compliments of Accesswire. About New Age Beverages Corporation New Age Beverages Corporation is a Colorado-based, healthy, functional beverage company originally founded in 2003 and re-created via the combination of XingTea, Aspen Pure Artesian Water, Bucha Live Kombucha, and New Age Beverages in June 2016. In October 2016, the Company added the Marley One Drop RTD Coffee, and Marley Mellow Mood Relaxation Drinks brands to the portfolio. The Company trades under the newly issued symbol NBEV on the OTC exchange. The Company competes in the fast growing healthy functional beverage segments including Ready to Drink (RTD) Tea, RTD Coffee, Kombucha, Energy Drinks, Relaxation Drinks, and Functional Waters with the Brands XingTea, Bucha Live Kombucha, XingEnergy, Marley One Drop, Marley Mellow Mood, and Aspen Pure. The brands are sold in 46 states within the US and in more than 10 countries internationally across all channels via direct store delivery distribution systems. The company operates the websites www.mybucha.com, www.xingtea.com, www.aspenpure.com, and www.drinkmarley.com. Story continues About LD Micro LD Micro was founded in 2006 with the sole purpose of being an independent resource in the microcap space. What started out as a newsletter highlighting unique companies has transformed into an event platform hosting several influential conferences annually (Invitational, Summit, and Main Event). In 2015, LDM launched the first pure microcap index (the LDMi) to exclusively provide intraday information on the entire sector. LD will continue to provide valuable tools for the benefit of everyone in the small and microcap universe. For those interested in attending, please contact David Scher at david@ldmicro.com or visit www.ldmicro.com/events for more information. Contact: Name: Scott Biddick, Amato and Partners, LLC Phone: 619-786-1023 Address: 619 S. Vulcan Ave, Suite 209, Encinitas, CA 92024 Email: scott@amatoandpartners.com SOURCE: New Age Beverages Corporation via LD Micro By Katya Golubkova MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia plans to use its November oil production, which was its highest in almost 30 years, as its baseline when it cuts output under this week's deal with OPEC, Deputy Energy Minister Kirill Molodtsov said on Friday. Russia has promised to gradually cut output by up to 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the first half of 2017 as part of a deal with other producers aimed at supporting oil prices. Its daily oil production rose to an average of 11.21 million bpd in November, Russia's highest since the Soviet era, energy ministry data showed on Friday. That was 500,000 bpd higher than in August, the month before Russia and OPEC reached a preliminary agreement in Algiers to cap production. Under this week's follow-up agreement, the first between OPEC and Russia since 2001, specific cuts for individual states were set, with almost all OPEC members agreeing to cut from October levels. But Russia will use its November-December output levels, Energy Minister Alexander Novak told reporters on Thursday. November's production rose only slightly from October, by just 10,000 bpd, ministry data showed. "The peak of daily production for November was 11.231 million barrels," Deputy Energy Minister Molodtsov told a conference in Moscow. "All our agreements will clearly be formed around this figure," he said. According to his presentation, Russian production could grow to 11.3 million bpd in December. NEW FIELDS Lukoil and Surgutneftegas raised output in November while production slipped at fields operated by Rosneft, Gazprom Neft and their joint venture Slavneft, preliminary data showed. (O/RUS1) "The most important thing is that we had growth plans for another 200,000 bpd (in Russia in total) above the current level, so practically, 0.5 million bpd will not reach the market," Lukoil vice-president Leonid Fedun told reporters. Rosneft, Gazprom Neft and Lukoil have all launched new fields this year and increased drilling, despite low oil prices. Story continues Novak has said that all companies will join the cut. Details should be finalised close to the end of the next week for a meeting between OPEC and non-OPEC nations, which may happen in Moscow on Dec. 10. Fedun said that cuts from Russia are likely only from the second quarter of the next year because it needs time to lower output - technically challenging due to severe weather. "There are low-marginal wells which will be stopped during this agreement," Fedun said when asked how Lukoil is going to contribute. "A year is enough for the market to rebalance... The balance will be reached - and (we) could restart again." Novak also said Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Oman, Bahrain and other non-OPEC producers could join the deal and he expected them to jointly match Russia's cut of 300,000 bpd. (Editing by Christian Lowe and Ruth Pitchford) By Katya Golubkova MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia plans to use its November oil production, which was its highest in almost 30 years, as its baseline when it cuts output under this week's deal with OPEC, Deputy Energy Minister Kirill Molodtsov said on Friday. Russia has promised to gradually cut output by up to 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the first half of 2017 as part of a deal with other producers aimed at supporting oil prices. Its daily oil production rose to an average of 11.21 million bpd in November, Russia's highest since the Soviet era, energy ministry data showed on Friday. That was 500,000 bpd higher than in August, the month before Russia and OPEC reached a preliminary agreement in Algiers to cap production. Under this week's follow-up agreement, the first between OPEC and Russia since 2001, specific cuts for individual states were set, with almost all OPEC members agreeing to cut from October levels. But Russia will use its November-December output levels, Energy Minister Alexander Novak told reporters on Thursday. November's production rose only slightly from October, by just 10,000 bpd, ministry data showed. "The peak of daily production for November was 11.231 million barrels," Deputy Energy Minister Molodtsov told a conference in Moscow. "All our agreements will clearly be formed around this figure," he said. According to his presentation, Russian production could grow to 11.3 million bpd in December. NEW FIELDS Lukoil and Surgutneftegas raised output in November while production slipped at fields operated by Rosneft, Gazprom Neft and their joint venture Slavneft, preliminary data showed. "The most important thing is that we had growth plans for another 200,000 bpd (in Russia in total) above the current level, so practically, 0.5 million bpd will not reach the market," Lukoil vice-president Leonid Fedun told reporters. Rosneft, Gazprom Neft and Lukoil have all launched new fields this year and increased drilling, despite low oil prices. Story continues Novak has said that all companies will join the cut. Details should be finalised close to the end of the next week for a meeting between OPEC and non-OPEC nations, which may happen in Moscow on Dec. 10. Fedun said that cuts from Russia are likely only from the second quarter of the next year because it needs time to lower output - technically challenging due to severe weather. "There are low-marginal wells which will be stopped during this agreement," Fedun said when asked how Lukoil is going to contribute. "A year is enough for the market to rebalance... The balance will be reached - and (we) could restart again." Novak also said Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Oman, Bahrain and other non-OPEC producers could join the deal and he expected them to jointly match Russia's cut of 300,000 bpd. (Editing by Christian Lowe and Ruth Pitchford) LONDON (Reuters) - Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has joined an Amnesty International campaign to encourage people to write messages supporting 11 people, including former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, the rights group said on Friday. In its "Write for Rights" campaign, Amnesty International is asking supporters to write to authorities to highlight human rights cases. The group said the campaign is focusing on 11 cases this year, including a jailed Egyptian photojournalist as well as Snowden. Ai, one of China's most high-profile artists and political activists, has created 11 portraits out of Lego for each case. "For Edward Snowden, we're asking people to write to Barack Obama in the final days of his presidency," Amnesty International campaigner May Carolan said. "Because Barack Obama has a unique opportunity to grant Edward a pardon that will enable him to return to his country as a free man." Snowden fled the United States in 2013 after leaking details about the U.S. government's surveillance programs and was granted asylum in Russia. U.S. officials have previously said Washington will not budge on its demand that Snowden face prosecution for stealing thousands of classified intelligence documents. (Reporting By Georgina Cooper, editing by Larry King) Boeing 757 La Compagnie On Friday, French low-cost carrier XL Airways announced that it had merged with boutique business-class upstart La Compagnie. The two Paris-based airlines will form the new XL Airways-La Compagnie Group and will continue to specialize in low-cost, international, long-haul service. The newly merged company will be led by XL Airways CEO Laurent Magnin while La Compagnie founder Frantz Yvelin has resigned from his post and will not participate in the newly merged venture. The financial terms of the deal were not released. The new XL Airways-La Compagnie Group will be better-positioned to capitalize on the cost advantages of a larger operation. This is especially the case for La Compagnie, which operates only two aircraft. The combined company is expected to boast 800 employees and 400 million ($425 million) in annual revenue. "It was inspiring to see how favorably the two airlines' employees received the news and underscores the shared spirit and mission,"Magnin said in a statement. "Our companies will join forces under our French flag, in the premiere tourist destination in the world." XL Airways Airbus A330-243 In the same statement, the departing Yvelin added, "I am very proud and grateful to have created and run La Compagnie and to have successfully contributed to this new group. Most importantly, I would like to thank my wonderful teams, on the ground and in the air, for their outstanding dedication and hard work." This is the second airline the serial-aviation entrepreneur has launched and sold an airline. In 2008, Yvelin sold L'Avion to British Airways for 54 million. L'Avion now operates under BA's OpenSkies brand. XL Airways is expected to continue to focus on budget economy-class travel with its fleet of Airbus A330 aircraft, while La Compagnie's pair of Boeing 757s will remain business-class-only. (Business Insider sampled La Compagnie this past spring and found the service to be worth the $1,800 for a Paris-to-New York, round-trip excursion if only to enjoy the business-class experience when you aren't a frequent customer for that level of pampering.) Story continues Both Parisian brands will compete with Air France in the traditionally lucrative, but currently struggling trans-Atlantic market. In a bid to lower costs and become more competitive, Air France announced in November that it will launch an experimental airline called Boost. NOW WATCH: Here's why Boeing 747s have a giant hump in the front More From Business Insider Alan Ritchson has joined Brenton Thwaites in the zombie action movie Office Uprising, as which has started filming in Alabama. Ritchsons credits include The Hunger Games: Catching Fire as the Gloss character and Raphael in the two recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies. Lin Oeding is directing from a script written by Ian Shorr and Peter Gamble. The film is produced by Giulia Prenna (The Evil Gene) Jim Steele, Sean Lydiard and William Clevinger. Office Uprising is set inside one of the worlds leading arms manufacturers where a substance is slipped into the employees drinks by the board of directors that supposedly makes them work more efficiently. Due to a slacker within the company, though, they are fed the wrong formula and start turning into homicidal maniacs leaving the slacker needing to step up his game to rescue himself and his friends from the growing zombie plague inside the company compound. Brenton Thwaites, Stephanie Pinola, and Chris Conover are executive producing and Dan Spilo is co-executive producing. The Exchange began selling international rights in February at the Berlin Film Festival. Alan Ritchson paired with Brenton Thwaites, Jane Levy, Zachary Levi and Ian Harding, helps to make this already attractive cast, even more appealing to a global audience, said Brian OShea from The Exchange. Oeding, a stunts veteran with credits on Straight Outta Compton and Ant-Man, came on to the project in late October. Related stories 'Pirates of the Caribbean' Actor Brenton Thwaites to Star in Action-Thriller 'Entry Level' Lin Oeding to Direct Brenton Thwaites' Action-Fantasy 'Office Uprising' Brenton Thwaites, David Strathairn Starring in 'An Interview with God' Customer Service 2 This story was delivered to BI Intelligence Apps and Platforms Briefing subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here. Amazon is opening up its machine-learning capabilities to third-party developers with its new AI platform, according to TechCrunch. The service, which was introduced at Amazon's re:Invent developer conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday, boasts three new tools that span the whole gamut of machine learning image recognition, text-to-speech, and a platform that lets developers build conversational applications: Rekognition is an image-recognition service similar to Google's, Microsoft's, and Facebook's image-recognition offerings. Image recognition is an increasingly important tool as smartphone cameras become more prevalent in search and communications. Polly is Amazons text-to-speech service that uses machine learning and natural-language understanding (NLU) to produce more natural, life-like speech. It can distinguish between words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently, such as in I live in Seattle and Live from New York, Amazon explains. This is an important feature for developers looking to build apps with voice assistants. Lex is arguably the most important of the three announcements. Effectively, this is the technology that powers Alexa, Amazons virtual assistant featured in the Echo. Lex will enable developers to build all kinds of conversation applications, including chatbots and mobile and web applications. The apps can be launched on platforms like Facebook Messenger and eventually Slack, as well as existing communications platforms such as Twilio, Salesforce, and Zendesk, VentureBeat reports. Amazons announcement strengthens its position in the burgeoning chatbot and machine-learning industry. It also puts it in the company of other tech giants like Microsoft and Facebook, which are looking to leverage their in-house expertise in the growing AI field. The sheer size of Amazon and Amazon Web Services (AWS) the largest cloud company globally means that a larger audience of developers and businesses will have access to build, deploy, and run conversational applications. Story continues This will help encourage greater awareness of the technology, and likely indicates that intelligent, conversational software is another step closer to mass adoption and use. Advancements in artificial intelligence, coupled with the proliferation of messaging apps, are fueling the development of chatbots software programs that use messaging as the interface through which to carry out any number of tasks, from scheduling a meeting, to reporting weather, to helping users buy a pair of shoes. Foreseeing immense potential, businesses are starting to invest heavily in the burgeoning bot economy. A number of brands and publishers have already deployed bots on messaging and collaboration channels, including HP, 1-800-Flowers, and CNN. While the bot revolution is still in the early phase, many believe 2016 will be the year these conversational interactions take off. Laurie Beaver, research associate for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on chatbots that explores the growing and disruptive bot landscape by investigating what bots are, how businesses are leveraging them, and where they will have the biggest impact. The report outlines the burgeoning bot ecosystem by segment, looks at companies that offer bot-enabling technology, distribution channels, and some of the key third-party bots already on offer. The report also forecasts the potential annual savings that businesses could realize if chatbots replace some of their customer service and sales reps. Finally, it compares the potential of chatbot monetization on a platform like Facebook Messenger against the iOS App Store and Google Play store. Here are some of the key takeaways: AI has reached a stage in which chatbots can have increasingly engaging and human conversations, allowing businesses to leverage the inexpensive and wide-reaching technology to engage with more consumers. Chatbots are particularly well suited for mobile perhaps more so than apps. Messaging is at the heart of the mobile experience, as the rapid adoption of chat apps demonstrates. The chatbot ecosystem is already robust, encompassing many different third-party chat bots, native bots, distribution channels, and enabling technology companies. Chatbots could be lucrative for messaging apps and the developers who build bots for these platforms, similar to how app stores have developed into moneymaking ecosystems. In full, the report: Breaks down the pros and cons of chatbots. Explains the different ways businesses can access, utilize, and distribute content via chatbots. Forecasts the potential impact chatbots could have for businesses. Looks at the potential barriers that could limit the growth, adoption, and use of chatbots. To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options: Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, youve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of chatbots. More From Business Insider Good Girls Revolt, the retro drama that told the story of female journalists battling for recognition at a revered newsweekly in the 1960s and early 1970s, is in danger of becoming part of history. Amazon Studios has declined to pick up the show for a second cycle, according to people with knowledge of the situation. An Amazon Studios spokesperson could not be reached for immediate comment. Sony, the studio behind the program, intends to shop the series to other outlets, these people said. The drama depicts a staff of editors and reporters at the fictional News of the Week, all grappling with a singular challenge: The men are reporters who get all the glory, while the women are researchers who are often cheated of it. The series, which was created by Dana Calvo and stars Genevieve Angelson, Anna Camp and Erin Drake, is based on the book The Good Girls Revolt, written by Lynn Povich. The cancellation comes despite data commissioned by Sony showing the series had gained traction among Amazons subscribers, according to one of these people. Data from Symphony Advanced Media, a company that tracks mobile streaming, suggested Good Girls had a significant audience with an 80% completion rate, this person said, and a viewership larger than Amazon series like Goliath and Transparent. The Symphony numbers can be controversial, and not every party in the media business takes them as a proxy for viewer streaming activity. In the absence of hard data released by subscription-video-on-demand players like Netflix and Amazon, however, they are used as a directional guide. Related stories Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Thriller 'The Wall' Gets March Release Date Amazon Working on Echo Kitchen Speaker With Touch Screen (Report) Amazon Reviving Sid and Marty Krofft's 'Sigmund and the Sea Monsters' for Prime Video Amber Heard and Johnny Depp's divorce is close to being finalized. Heard's lawyer, Pierce O'Donnell, tells ET that "the parties are in the process of finalizing the settlement agreements and submitting to the court next week," adding that they are very close to wrapping up the divorce, but haven't yet signed the final document. RELATED: Amber Heard Speaks Out Against Violence Towards Women in Emotional Facebook Video Under the former couple's agreement, Heard is expected to receive $6.8 million -- $200,000 less than their original $7 million settlement. Depp donated $200,000 directly to Heard's chosen charities, the American Civil Liberties Union and Children's Hospital Los Angeles, in August. Heard is set to receive the settlement over the next 12 months, which she will in turn donate to the ACLU and Children's Hospital LA by the end of 2018. The actress is also allowing Depp to receive the tax deduction on his donations. Heard's team initially criticized the 53-year-old actor at the time of his first donation to her chosen charities, insisting that in order to fulfill his settlement without tax deductions, he must double the amount donated. "Amber Heard appreciates Johnny Depp's novel interest in supporting two of her favorite charities, the ACLU for domestic violence and the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. This is great and unexpected news," a member of Heard's team said in a statement said at the time. "However, if Johnny wishes to change the settlement agreement, we must insist that he honor the full amount by donating $14M to charity, which, after accounting for his tax deduction, is equal to his $7M payment obligation to Amber. We would also insist that the full amount be paid immediately and not drawn out over many years." RELATED: Johnny Depp Begins Donating Amber Heard's Settlement Money to Charity: Her Generosity Is 'Deeply Respected' Story continues "Anything less would be a transparent attempt by Johnny's counsel, Laura Wasser and Patti Glaser, to reduce their client's true payment by half under the guise of newfound concern for charities that he has never previously supported," the statement continued. See more in the video below. Related Articles By Alana Wise NEW YORK, Dec 1 (Reuters) - American Airlines Group Inc will cut nearly 25 percent of its flights to Cuba in 2017, a company spokesman said on Thursday, attributing the move to travel demand rather than the election of Republican Donald Trump as U.S. president. Starting in mid-February, American, the world's largest airline, will offer one trip a day instead of two from Miami to Holguin, Santa Clara and Varadero, reducing its daily service to 10 round-trip flights from the current 13, spokesman Matt Miller said in a telephone interview. The airline also hopes to lower the airplane capacity on three of the routes in a move to prop up prices. It will place a 128-seat aircraft between Miami and Holguin instead of a 160-seater, and hopes to contract out Camaguey and Cienfuegos flights to a regional carrier that would use 76-seat aircraft, pending U.S. regulatory approval. The regional partner is Republic Airways Holdings Inc. "This was done purely to remain competitive in the market," Miller said. "We can't speculate on what the next administration may do." Airlines are generally expected to perform poorly when entering a previously restricted market, but American's decision to prune its Cuban itinerary two months after starting service may come as a surprise in light of the industry's enthusiasm to fly to the Communist-run island. Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, threatened on Monday to end the recent rapprochement between the United States and its former Cold War foe unless Havana was willing to "make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban/American people and the U.S. as a whole.". The United States and Cuba began normalizing relations in December 2014 after 18 months of secret talks and have since restored full diplomatic ties. They reached a memorandum of understanding that allowed U.S. airlines to start scheduled flights to Cuba after a half-century hiatus. President Barack Obama's administration has eased travel restrictions for U.S. citizens, although general tourism remains illegal. Republican leaders in the U.S. Congress oppose ending the decades-long trade embargo against Cuba. Story continues U.S. airlines launched the first regular flights to Havana in more than five decades on Monday. American started five daily Havana flights this week. "Even after these adjustments, we still will be the largest carrier between the U.S. and Cuba," Miller added. (Additional reporting by Jeffrey Dastin in New York; Editing by Peter Cooney) (Adds analyst comment) By Alana Wise NEW YORK, Dec 1 (Reuters) - American Airlines Group Inc will cut nearly 25 percent of its flights to Cuba in 2017, a company spokesman said on Thursday, attributing the move to travel demand rather than the election of Republican Donald Trump as U.S. president. Starting in mid-February, American, the world's largest airline, will offer one trip a day instead of two from Miami to Holguin, Santa Clara and Varadero, reducing its daily service to 10 round-trip flights from the current 13, spokesman Matt Miller said in a telephone interview. The airline also hopes to lower capacity on three of the seven routes it operates to Cuba. It plans to use a 128-seat aircraft between Miami and Holguin instead of a 160-seater, and hopes to contract out flights to Camaguey and Cienfuegos to a regional carrier that would use 76-seat aircraft, pending U.S. regulatory approval. The regional partner is Republic Airways Holdings Inc. "This was done purely to remain competitive in the market," Miller said. "We can't speculate on what the next administration may do." Airlines are generally expected to perform poorly when entering a previously restricted market, but American's decision to prune its Cuban itinerary two months after starting service may come as a surprise in light of the industry's enthusiasm to fly to the Communist-run island. "If American can't earn the profit that it requires from these routes, they're going to cut back on the flying. It's as simple as that," said Henry Harteveldt, founder of the travel consultancy Atmosphere Research Group. Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, threatened on Monday to end the recent rapprochement between the United States and its former Cold War foe unless Havana was willing to "make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban/American people and the U.S. as a whole.". The United States and Cuba began normalizing relations in December 2014 after 18 months of secret talks and have since restored full diplomatic ties. Story continues They reached a memorandum of understanding that allowed U.S. airlines to start scheduled flights to Cuba this year after a half-century hiatus. President Barack Obama's administration has eased travel restrictions for U.S. citizens, although general tourism remains illegal. Republican leaders in the U.S. Congress oppose ending the decades-long trade embargo against Cuba. (Additional reporting by Jeffrey Dastin in New York; Editing by Peter Cooney and Tom Hogue) By Alana Wise NEW YORK (Reuters) - American Airlines Group Inc will cut nearly 25 percent of its flights to Cuba in 2017, a company spokesman said on Thursday, attributing the move to travel demand rather than the election of Republican Donald Trump as U.S. president. Starting in mid-February, American, the world's largest airline, will offer one trip a day instead of two from Miami to Holguin, Santa Clara and Varadero, reducing its daily service to 10 round-trip flights from the current 13, spokesman Matt Miller said in a telephone interview. The airline also hopes to lower capacity on three of the seven routes it operates to Cuba. It plans to use a 128-seat aircraft between Miami and Holguin instead of a 160-seater, and hopes to contract out flights to Camaguey and Cienfuegos to a regional carrier that would use 76-seat aircraft, pending U.S. regulatory approval. The regional partner is Republic Airways Holdings Inc . "This was done purely to remain competitive in the market, Miller said. "We can't speculate on what the next administration may do." Airlines are generally expected to perform poorly when entering a previously restricted market, but American's decision to prune its Cuban itinerary two months after starting service may come as a surprise in light of the industry's enthusiasm to fly to the Communist-run island. "If American can't earn the profit that it requires from these routes, they're going to cut back on the flying. It's as simple as that," said Henry Harteveldt, founder of the travel consultancy Atmosphere Research Group. Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, threatened on Monday to end the recent rapprochement between the United States and its former Cold War foe unless Havana was willing to "make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban/American people and the U.S. as a whole.". The United States and Cuba began normalizing relations in December 2014 after 18 months of secret talks and have since restored full diplomatic ties. Story continues They reached a memorandum of understanding that allowed U.S. airlines to start scheduled flights to Cuba this year after a half-century hiatus. President Barack Obama's administration has eased travel restrictions for U.S. citizens, although general tourism remains illegal. Republican leaders in the U.S. Congress oppose ending the decades-long trade embargo against Cuba. (Additional reporting by Jeffrey Dastin in New York; Editing by Peter Cooney and Tom Hogue) Photo credit: undefined From Esquire Here's another in our continuing saga of People With Whom I Empathize But Will Never Understand, this one courtesy of The Seattle Times. (h/t brother Driftglass for flagging it.) It's nothing that we don't already know, but the sadness has a kind of accumulating effect that will do nothing but accelerate going forward. Not since Herbert Hoover won back in 1928 had the county voted for the Republican, which it did this time, going hard for Donald Trump. "I trace everything to the radiating fear and loathing against Seattle liberals," is how John Hughes, the former publisher of the Aberdeen Daily World, explained the Trump vote to my colleague Jonathan Martin. That analysis sounds as true as any. The trouble with it, though - for Grays Harbor County - is that loathsome Seattle liberals were not on the ballot. The health insurance of their friends and neighbors was. It turns out Grays Harbor County is one of the places in our state that the dreaded Obamacare has been propping up the most. This issue got barely any attention in the election - though I bet it will now. A few years ago, 19 percent of the people there had no health coverage, one of the higher uninsured rates in the state. Today, only 9 percent remain uninsured. Almost all of that improvement is because Obamacare provided Medicaid coverage, for free or nearly free, for more than 8,000 Grays Harbor adults. And when that goes away, the people who destroyed it will blame liberals and the black guy who made it happen, thereby "wrecking" the Finest Medical System In The World, and most of these people will buy that. It's the red counties in our state that have flocked to Obamacare, using its subsidies and Medicaid expansion the most, according to data from the state insurance commissioner's office. Nine of the top 10 counties where the Affordable Care Act reduced the ranks of the uninsured the most also voted for Trump. Number one is deep-red Adams County, in Eastern Washington, home of rolling wheat farms and I-90 truck stops. Its uninsured rate plunged from 23 percent to 10 percent, almost all because Obamacare bought Medicaid coverage for about one in five Adams County adults between 18 and 65. Adams County voted for Trump by 38 percentage points. Story continues (For the love of god, stay out of the comments section, where one Medicare recipient refers to being a Medicare recipient as being "government employment.") [contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Story" customtitles="Look!%20Over%20There!%20It's%20the%20Art%20of%20the%20Deal!" customimages="" content="article.51149"] These folks should pay particular attention to Washington, because the Republicans in Congress there appear to be whittling "repeal and replace" down by half. From Politico: With buy-in from Donald Trump's transition team, GOP leaders on both sides of the Capitol are coalescing around a plan to vote to repeal the law in early 2017 - but delay the effective date for that repeal for as long as three years.They're crossing their fingers that the delay will help them get their own house in order, as well as pressure a handful of Senate Democrats - who would likely be needed to pass replacement legislation - to come onboard before the clock runs out and 20 million Americans lose their health insurance. The idea is to satisfy conservative critics who want President Barack Obama's signature initiative gone now, but reassure Americans that Republicans won't upend the entire health care system without a viable alternative that preserves the law's popular provisions. Naturally, the zombie-eyed granny starver from the state of Wisconsin is all in on using the health of struggling people as chips in his great game. Most Republicans, particularly in the House, want to repeal as soon as possible and deal with the replacement later. Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.), a staunch conservative, said the party must "take no chances; do it now." And House leadership has heard those demands clearly."This law, you have to remember, is hurting families in America," said Speaker Paul Ryan during a news conference on Wednesday. "So we have to bring Obamacare relief as fast as we possibly can in 2017." This is quite a variation on the old game of Chicken. Two cars are driving right towards each other, head on, but, in this version, the folks from Adams County are standing in between them. Who will turn away first? Will anybody? What's worse, those folks likely don't even know they're standing in the middle of the road. Click here to respond to this post on the official Esquire Politics Facebook page. You Might Also Like As the deadline for enrolling in an Affordable Care Act marketplace insurance plan approaches on Dec. 15, some people are finding themselves left out. Since the ACA went into effect in 2013, more than 20 million additional Americans have been able to buy health insurance, cutting the rate of uninsured from 18.2 percent in 2010 to 10 percent in 2016, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Of the 27 million Americans under 65 still without health insurance, the KFF estimates that 5.3 million could get assistance paying for marketplace plans and another 7.5 million could buy plans at full price. And another 6.4 million could be eligible for Medicaid, according to the organization. But as Congress and President-elect Donald Trump consider whether to repeal, replace or modify the insurance marketplace, there are still people who cannot find affordable insurance and remain shut out of the marketplace, which enrolled about 12.7 million Americans last year. "Affordability remains a primary barrier," says Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow at the Kaiser Family Foundation. [Read: How Affordable Care Act Marketplace Insurance Plans Will Change in 2017.] While some people like undocumented immigrants aren't eligible to use the marketplace even without subsidies, others who are eligible find themselves unable to purchase plans because of cost. While the ACA cannot reject someone because of pre-existing conditions, its plans can charge more for people who are older or those who smoke. Anyone who makes more than $47,520 a year ($64,080 for a couple and $97,200 for a family of four) is not eligible for a subsidy, which means they pay full price. The ACA marketplace offers four tiers of plans: Bronze, which is estimated to cover 60 percent of medical costs; Silver, which is estimated to cover 70 percent; Gold, 80 percent; and Platinum, 90 percent. Most people choose Bronze or Silver plans, and those tiers have the most plan options. Story continues In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for example, the cheapest Bronze plan available for a 60-year-old woman who doesn't smoke is an HMO for $582 a month, with a $7,150 deductible, which comes out to $6,984 in premiums and $7,150 in medical costs before any services are covered. That's nearly 30 percent of before-tax income for someone who makes $48,000 a year. The premiums alone are 15 percent of income. For a couple, both 60, making $65,000 a year, premiums would be $1,164 for that plan, with a $14,300 family deductible. The $13,968 premiums would eat up more than 20 percent of their income, and a serious illness would cost the couple 43 percent of their income before insurance kicked in. A 25-year-old would pay $215 a month for the same plan. A family of four, comprised of two 40-year-old adults and two children, would pay $820 a month with a $14,300 family deductible. The new Simple Choice plans, available for slightly more, would allow for primary doctor visits for a $45 copay and generic drugs for a $35 copay before the deductible is reached. But the plans charge a hefty coinsurance amount until the out-of-pocket limit of $7,150 for an individual or $14,300 for a family is reached. The people hardest hit by these costs are those who earn too much to qualify for a subsidy but too little to pay the premiums, or people who can't afford the premiums even with a subsidy. Another sizable group who are left out are the spouses and some children of Americans who are offered health insurance through their workplace but can't afford it. Whether the coverage is considered affordable is based only on the cost of the employee's plan, and many companies charge family members more for coverage, sometimes full price. [Read: 10 Things to Do When Choosing an Obamacare Health Plan.] Many spouses who fall into what is called the ACA's "family glitch" have incomes low enough to quality for subsidized marketplace plans, but they aren't eligible because they have access to other insurance -- even though they can't afford it. Their children often qualify for the Children's Health Insurance Program or Medicaid. "It is something we are concerned about and would urge lawmakers to take action," says Lydia Mitts, senior policy analyst for Families USA, which trains navigators who provide guidance to health care consumers. "It needs to be fixed so these people have access to affordable coverage." But she notes that people shouldn't assume they don't quality for plans or premium tax credits without talking to someone who can help them evaluate their situation. You can find local help on the healthcare.gov site. Those who aren't eligible for the ACA marketplace can buy insurance directly from insurance companies, though that is sometimes more expensive. Other options are health care sharing ministries and short-term policies. But the reality is that people left out of the ACA have few good options, which is why most remain uninsured. The best way to check on options is to consider tapping a knowledgeable local insurance broker. These are the major groups who are left out of the ACA: People who are eligible but can't afford the premiums. Among this group are the self-employed workers, retirees younger than 65 and those whose employers don't offer insurance. The KFF estimates that 3 million Americans fall into this group. People who can't afford the insurance offered by their employers. While most large employers subsidize the cost of health insurance for employees and often for dependents, some small employers offer insurance at full cost or charge dependents more. If the insurance is offered, those employees and their families can't get financial help with marketplace plans. About 4.5 million uninsured Americans fall into this group, according to the KFF analysis. People who don't get Medicaid but don't make enough to qualify for the ACA. In the 19 states that opted against expanding Medicaid, an individual must earn at least $11,880 a year to be eligible for marketplace coverage with subsidies. Someone who can't work at all, perhaps because of an illness or unemployment, would not qualify. The KFF estimates that about 2.6 million people fall into this group in those 19 states. [See: A Consumer's Guide to Obamacare.] Undocumented immigrants. Those who are not citizens, legal permanent residents or otherwise lawfully present are not eligible to buy marketplace plans, even at full price. That accounts for about 5.4 million uninsured people. Teresa Mears writes about personal finance, real estate and retirement for U.S. News and other publications. She was previously the real estate blogger for MSN Money and worked as the Home & Design editor for The Miami Herald. During her journalism career, she worked on coverage of immigration, religion, national and international news and local news, serving on the staffs of The Miami Herald, The Los Angeles Times and the St. Petersburg Times. She has also been a contributor for The New York Times and The Boston Globe, among other publications. She publishes Living on the Cheap and Miami on the Cheap. Follow her on Twitter @TeresaMears. As the deadline for enrolling in an Affordable Care Act marketplace insurance plan approaches on Dec. 15, some people are finding themselves left out. Since the ACA went into effect in 2013, more than 20 million additional Americans have been able to buy health insurance, cutting the rate of uninsured from 18.2 percent in 2010 to 10 percent in 2016, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Of the 27 million Americans under 65 still without health insurance, the KFF estimates that 5.3 million could get assistance paying for marketplace plans and another 7.5 million could buy plans at full price. And another 6.4 million could be eligible for Medicaid, according to the organization. But as Congress and President-elect Donald Trump consider whether to repeal, replace or modify the insurance marketplace, there are still people who cannot find affordable insurance and remain shut out of the marketplace, which enrolled about 12.7 million Americans last year. "Affordability remains a primary barrier," says Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow at the Kaiser Family Foundation. [Read: How Affordable Care Act Marketplace Insurance Plans Will Change in 2017.] While some people like undocumented immigrants aren't eligible to use the marketplace even without subsidies, others who are eligible find themselves unable to purchase plans because of cost. While the ACA cannot reject someone because of pre-existing conditions, its plans can charge more for people who are older or those who smoke. Anyone who makes more than $47,520 a year ($64,080 for a couple and $97,200 for a family of four) is not eligible for a subsidy, which means they pay full price. The ACA marketplace offers four tiers of plans: Bronze, which is estimated to cover 60 percent of medical costs; Silver, which is estimated to cover 70 percent; Gold, 80 percent; and Platinum, 90 percent. Most people choose Bronze or Silver plans, and those tiers have the most plan options. In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for example, the cheapest Bronze plan available for a 60-year-old woman who doesn't smoke is an HMO for $582 a month, with a $7,150 deductible, which comes out to $6,984 in premiums and $7,150 in medical costs before any services are covered. That's nearly 30 percent of before-tax income for someone who makes $48,000 a year. The premiums alone are 15 percent of income. Story continues For a couple, both 60, making $65,000 a year, premiums would be $1,164 for that plan, with a $14,300 family deductible. The $13,968 premiums would eat up more than 20 percent of their income, and a serious illness would cost the couple 43 percent of their income before insurance kicked in. A 25-year-old would pay $215 a month for the same plan. A family of four, comprised of two 40-year-old adults and two children, would pay $820 a month with a $14,300 family deductible. The new Simple Choice plans, available for slightly more, would allow for primary doctor visits for a $45 copay and generic drugs for a $35 copay before the deductible is reached. But the plans charge a hefty coinsurance amount until the out-of-pocket limit of $7,150 for an individual or $14,300 for a family is reached. The people hardest hit by these costs are those who earn too much to qualify for a subsidy but too little to pay the premiums, or people who can't afford the premiums even with a subsidy. Another sizable group who are left out are the spouses and some children of Americans who are offered health insurance through their workplace but can't afford it. Whether the coverage is considered affordable is based only on the cost of the employee's plan, and many companies charge family members more for coverage, sometimes full price. [Read: 10 Things to Do When Choosing an Obamacare Health Plan.] Many spouses who fall into what is called the ACA's "family glitch" have incomes low enough to quality for subsidized marketplace plans, but they aren't eligible because they have access to other insurance -- even though they can't afford it. Their children often qualify for the Children's Health Insurance Program or Medicaid. "It is something we are concerned about and would urge lawmakers to take action," says Lydia Mitts, senior policy analyst for Families USA, which trains navigators who provide guidance to health care consumers. "It needs to be fixed so these people have access to affordable coverage." But she notes that people shouldn't assume they don't quality for plans or premium tax credits without talking to someone who can help them evaluate their situation. You can find local help on the healthcare.gov site. Those who aren't eligible for the ACA marketplace can buy insurance directly from insurance companies, though that is sometimes more expensive. Other options are health care sharing ministries and short-term policies. But the reality is that people left out of the ACA have few good options, which is why most remain uninsured. The best way to check on options is to consider tapping a knowledgeable local insurance broker. These are the major groups who are left out of the ACA: People who are eligible but can't afford the premiums. Among this group are the self-employed workers, retirees younger than 65 and those whose employers don't offer insurance. The KFF estimates that 3 million Americans fall into this group. People who can't afford the insurance offered by their employers. While most large employers subsidize the cost of health insurance for employees and often for dependents, some small employers offer insurance at full cost or charge dependents more. If the insurance is offered, those employees and their families can't get financial help with marketplace plans. About 4.5 million uninsured Americans fall into this group, according to the KFF analysis. People who don't get Medicaid but don't make enough to qualify for the ACA. In the 19 states that opted against expanding Medicaid, an individual must earn at least $11,880 a year to be eligible for marketplace coverage with subsidies. Someone who can't work at all, perhaps because of an illness or unemployment, would not qualify. The KFF estimates that about 2.6 million people fall into this group in those 19 states. [See: A Consumer's Guide to Obamacare.] Undocumented immigrants. Those who are not citizens, legal permanent residents or otherwise lawfully present are not eligible to buy marketplace plans, even at full price. That accounts for about 5.4 million uninsured people. More From US News & World Report Amy Schumer is in negotiations to play the title role in Barbie, the live-action Sony Pictures film based on the venerable Mattel toyline. The PG movie will begin production in the spring for a global summer 2018 tentpole bow, after Schumer puts her imprint on the Hilary Winston script, doing a rewrite with her sister Kim Caramele. Given her edgy stand-up comedy and her movie breakthrough writing and starring in the R-rated Trainwreck, what makes Schumer the right actress to play the embodiment of a beloved toyline that for years featured a doll with impossibly perfect physical proportions? Aside from the fact that she has Barbie hair, Schumers growing stature as a role model for female empowerment fits perfectly with how the film will exploit Barbies evolution into dolls of different sizes and shapes. Schumer will play a character who lives in Barbieland, among all of the various Barbie characters beloved by doll collectors (there are dolls covering over 180 careers). In a fish-out-of-water story reminiscent of films like Splash and Big, Schumers Barbie gets kicked out, basically because shes not perfect enough, is a bit eccentric and doesnt quite fit the mold. She then goes on an adventure in the real world and by the time she returns to Barbieland to save it, she has gained the realization that perfection comes on the inside, not the outside, and that the key to happiness is belief in oneself, free of the obligation to adhere to some unattainable standard of perfection. Mattel, with a lot at stake since the toyline has generated $3 billion in sales, signed off on the take. While Sony, and the films producers Walter Parkes & Lori MacDonald (who won the rights from the toymaker in 2014), and Amy Pascal (who bought the project as Sony Pictures chairman before joining as producer) worked on numerous drafts by top female writers for several years, this one came together like a bolt from the blue after Winston and the producers cracked the code with a funny empowerment take that sparked the interest of Schumer and made her want to fit it into her crowded movie schedule. Sony chief Tom Rothman brought the script to Schumer personally, and pitched the take to her. After she read Winstons script, Schumer emailed that she was in. A deal is now being finalized. The studio will now lock in a director, and the clear intention is that the filmmaker be a woman. Word around Hollywood is there is a short list of directors including Me Before You helmer Thea Sharrock (who is apparently unavailable for the slot), but its a big job and the studio expects to fill it shortly. Schumer, who wrapped an untitled Jonathan Levine-directed comedy for Fox and the Jason Hall-directed DreamWorks drama Thank You For Your Service, also co-wrote with Jennifer Lawrence a script they will star in together. She is repped by UTA and Maverick Managements Guy Oseary and Carrie Byalick at B, and attorney Isaac Dunham. Related stories Rodney Rothman To Script & Direct '21 Jump Street' Spinoff Paramount Hires Andrew Gumpert As COO Sony Pictures Collars 'Love In The Time Of Dick Pics' Movie Script Amy Schumer will star in Sony's live-action Barbie movie. Mattel and producers Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, and Amy Pascal have teamed up for the project, which will try to take a contemporary spin on beauty, feminism and identity. A year ago, Sony hired three scribes to pen separate screenplays with the studio picking Hilary Winston's idea and script with which to work off. It is expected that Schumer will rewrite the script with her sister, Kim Caramele. A search for a director is also underway. The Barbie doll, launched in March 1959 from El Segundo, California-based Mattel, is one of the biggest toy brands in the world, bringing in $3 billion annually. But it's a brand that has had to address issues of self-image and race in modern times. The feature, with Schumer in the lead, will try to address those in a story that begins in a perfect land of Barbies where one woman slowly awakens to the fact that she doesn't fit it. She is expelled from the idealistic land and journeys to the real world, where she discovers that being unique is an asset. The studio is hoping to make an imaginative family comedy with plenty of heart, using the Tom Hanks classics Splash and Big, as well as Disney's more recent Enchanted, which starred Amy Adams, as touchstones. The road to a Barbie movie has not been an easy one and finding the right take has been critical. One point the project was looking to be a buddy comedy, a two-hander that teams Barbie with an overworked bureaucrat looking for an assistant. Schumer's casting is sure to raise eyebrows. One, it goes against the classic image of Barbie being a thin beauty that has come under fire in recent times, which is precisely the point of this casting. And two, Schumer has cultivated a brand of saucy comedy that can clash with Mattel's pristine image of a gal who has unlimited career options. Schumer is repped by UTA, management firms Maverick and B. and law firm Schreck Rose This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter. Andrew Sachs, a Germany-born British actor best known for his role opposite John Cleese on the seminal UK sitcom Fawlty Towers, has died. He was 86. He died November 23 in a London nursing home, but the news was announced today. Born on April 7, 1930, in Berlin, Sachs moved with his parents to England at age 8, when they fled the increasing persecution of the Nazi regime. Growing up in London, Sachs began his career as an assistant stage manager in Bexhill, East Sussex, while performing in plays. He later served as a stage manager in Liverpool and finally moved back to London, where he auditioned constantly for roles with BBC before being hired as a writer. During the period he also appeared onstage in the Whitehall farce Simple Spymen. His film debut came in 1958 with The Night We Dropped a Clanger, before going on to a host of roles on television throughout the 1960s, including appearances on such shows as The Saint and Randall and Hopkirk. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Bryn Colton/Daily Mail/REX/Shutterstock (889199a) The Cast Of The Fawlty Towers Series A Slapstick Creation Set In A South Coast Hotel. From Left To Right: Prunella Scales Connie Booth John Cleese And Andrew Sachs. The Cast Of The Fawlty Towers Series A Slapstick Creation Set In A South Coast Hotel. From Left To Right: Prunella Scales Connie Booth John Cleese And Andrew Sachs. In 1975 he would land his best-known role, the bumbling Spanish waiter Manuel on Fawlty Towers. One of British sitcom historys most iconic characters, Manuel was a well-intentioned but confused and disorganized waiter from Barcelona whose English was spotty and who was constantly berated and assaulted by his boss Basil Fawlty (Cleese). Sachs paid a physical price for the role, being injured twice on set, including once being burned by acid. The character proved one of the most popular of the series; Sachs appeared in both of the shows series and would reprise the role in radio adaptations of Fawlty Towers, providing linking narration. After Fawlty Towers ended, Sachs continued to work regularly. In 2009, at age 79, he was brought on for 29 episodes of the long-running soap Coronation Street, and he appeared in the 2012 films Run for Your Wife and Quartet. Other film and TV appearances from throughout his career include Nothing Barred (1961), Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973), Are You Being Served? (1977) and Mel Brooks History of the World, Part I (1981), in which he appeared during the films French Revolution-set final segment. Story continues Sachs also had numerous radio roles and voice-over narration roles. They include Father Brown in an adaptation of GK Chestertons detective priest stories, radio productions of Sherlock Holmes and PG Wodehouses The Code of the Woosters and narrating all five series of BBCs The Trouble Shooters. Sachs briefly was catapulted into international notoriety in 2008 after receiving an obscene phone call from Russell Brand and television presenter Jonathan Ross during an episode of Brands BBC radio show. Brand had been bragging about having had a sexual relationship with Sachs granddaughter. The BBC would later issue an apology for Brands behavior, and Brand resigned from the network. Sachs retired from acting in 2012 after being diagnosed with vascular dementia. Hes survived by his wife of 56 years, Melody Lang; his three children; and grandchildren. Related stories Charlotte Riley To Play Kate Middleton In 'King Charles III' For BBC, Masterpiece Mary Berry Reteams With BBC For Brit Stately Home Show, 'Harry Potter' West End Play Extends Run --- Global Briefs BBC Two Orders David Bowie's Final Years Documentary Andrew Sachs, who played the Spanish waiter Manuel on the beloved 1970s British TV series Fawlty Towers, has died. He was 86. The actor died Nov. 23, according to several British reports. His wife Melody told the Daily Mail that Sachs was diagnosed with dementia and died in a private-care home after a four-year battle with the disease. Aside from acting opposite John Cleese on the BBC comedy (Cleese created the series with his wife, Connie Booth), Sachs also appeared on Doctor Who, The History of Mr. Polly and Radio 4's Jeeves and Wooster. Eight years ago, Sachs fell prey to prank phone calls made by Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand during a BBC radio show. Several of his fellow actors paid tribute to Sachs on Thursday upon hearing the news. Just heard about Andy Sachs. Very sad.... I knew he was having problems with his memory as his wife Melody told me a couple of years ago...- John Cleese (@JohnCleese) December 1, 2016 ...and I heard very recently that he had been admitted to Denham Hall,but I had no idea that his life was in danger. A very sweet gentle... - John Cleese (@JohnCleese) December 1, 2016 ...and kind man and a truly great farceur.I first saw him in Habeas Corpus on stage in 1973.I could not have found a better Manuel. Inspired - John Cleese (@JohnCleese) December 1, 2016 Que? No entiendo... estoy muy triste. Lo que es un hombre maravilloso. #andrewsachs #manuel #FawltyTowers #sincerely 2016, you're awful. - Minnie Driver (@driverminnie) December 2, 2016 So sad that Andrew Sachs has died. A true friend and a kindred spirit. I still have the wonderful baby pictures he took of my children. RIP. - Tony Robinson (@Tony_Robinson) December 1, 2016 RIP Andrew Sachs who spun comic gold as Manuel in 'Fawlty Towers'. pic.twitter.com/nutlKpxK52 - edgarwright (@edgarwright) December 1, 2016 I had the pleasure of working with #AndrewSachs in 'Attachments'. A beautiful soul who never tired of all my 'Fawlty Towers' questions. Story continues - David Walliams (@davidwalliams) December 2, 2016 RIP Andrew Sachs. Many happy days spent in a sound studio with him. A talented man and a lovely kind gentleman. - Josie Lawrence (@josielawrence1) December 2, 2016 RIP Junior Postman Tolliver Groat #andrewsachs pic.twitter.com/0cbdaMehBr - Terry Pratchett (@terryandrob) December 1, 2016 Andrew Sachs, a British television star known best for playing Spanish waiter Manuel in Fawlty Towers, has died. He was 86. The actor died in a care home last week after a four-year battle with vascular dementia, and was buried on Thursday, his wife, Melody Lang, told the Daily Mail. Sachs was born in 1930 in Berlin to a Jewish father and a Catholic mother. When he was 8 years old, Sachs and his family moved to England to escape the Nazis. Before taking on his role in Fawlty Towers in the 1970s, Sachs worked on radio productions for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. In 1959, he made his on-screen debut in the film The Night We Dropped a Clanger. In the 1960s, he made appearances in several television series, including the British soap opera Coronation Street. In 2008, Sachs was inadvertently entangled in a major controversy when Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross made several vulgar messages on Sachs answering machine, where Brand gloated he had sex with his granddaughter, a burlesque dancer, which was later broadcast on his BBC Radio 2 show. Brand and controller of Radio 2 Lesley Douglass resigned from BBC after the scandal. Sachs is survived by his wife and three children. New Delhi (AFP) - Indians endured more turmoil Friday as they rushed to spend old notes at petrol stations before a midnight deadline as the opposition denounced the scrapping of high denomination bills as a catastrophe. Indians had been given until December 15 to use the old bills at filling stations but the government rushed forward the deadline on Thursday evening, giving people barely 24 hours to spend their old notes. The surprise move sparked uproar among millions of commuters who queued outside filling station to use their bills while an attendant said fights had broken out among frustrated motorists. "This cannot be right. First you say we have until December 15 and suddenly now you are saying something else," said R. S. Yadav as he waited for his turn on a rickety two-wheeler in New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi unleashed chaos with his shock announcement last month that all 500 rupee ($7.30) and 1,000 rupee notes -- some 86 percent of all bills in circulation -- would cease to be legal tender. The sweeping abolition was meant to bring billions in so-called "black", or undeclared, money back into the formal system, the government says. The so-called demonetisation initially won widespread approval but the government has been forced onto the defensive as frustration grows at limits on withdrawing new banknotes. Cash accounts for 90 percent of transactions in India and the government has said it would take time before new bills are distributed. "I was using my old notes up till now for filling petrol. Now I am dreading going to the bank. The government has no clue what we are being made to go through," said Saurav Mallik, who works in the private sector. - 'Catastrophic experiment' - As anger mounted at the continued shortage of cash, the leader of the opposition Congress party accused Modi of experimenting "with the financial future of 1.3 billion people". In a speech to party supporters, Rahul Gandhi said "the results of this catastrophic experiment will soon be revealed" as a report said that there had already been a sharp fall in consumer spending. Story continues "Every economist of any repute has already condemned it," added Gandhi. Some people have found themselves queuing for many hours to access their own cash while ATMs have been regularly running out of notes. Frequent rule changes in response to pressure from various groups and growing disorder have made matters worse. Those with old notes are allowed to deposit them into their bank accounts until year end but long bank queues had prompted many to use them at gas stations. This option has now been cut off. "I worry that there is going to be more confusion and chaos in the days ahead," Saima, who works as an attendant at a petrol filling station, told AFP. "Fights have already been breaking out," Saima, who uses only one name, added. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley acknowledged it was inevitable that the move would result in queues in a country the size of India. "If you are replacing 86 percent of a country's cash... it is going to be a time consuming exercise," he told a conference in Delhi. But Jaitley insisted the decision would ultimately have a positive impact as more consumers switch to digital currency rather than cash. "You will reduce the quantum of paper currency and take the country more towards further digitisation," he said. "The shortage of currency itself is forcing this to happen but that's a development which is for the better." India's economy grew 7.3 percent during the last quarter, but many economists have predicted that the demonetisation will make a big dent in the next set of figures. A report in The Hindustan Times on Friday said the squeeze was already being felt in many sectors of the economy, including a big drop in sales of mobile phones, home appliances, cars and real estate. Luanda (AFP) - An Angolan court was on Friday shown automatic weapons allegedly used in a coup attempt against long-ruling President Jose Eduardo dos Santos in January. The 35 accused men, said to be former fighters from the UNITA opposition group, appeared in court dressed in brown uniform on the first day of their trial in Luanda. Two other men are still being sought by police. An indictment read out by judge Joao Carlos Eduardo Agostinho said the men were arrested on January 30 and 31 close to the presidential palace and the public television and radio station. It said they had eight guns, as well as knives and bayonets. The men were accused of plotting "to take over (the television station) after capturing the head of state at the presidential palace," the indictment said. The defendants, who deny all charges, are aged between 31 and 60. Their lawyer said the weapons were taken from the house of one accused man and were intended for private security work. Reports of the alleged coup only emerged in state media last week. The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), which was the main rebel group during a 27-year civil war and is now the main opposition party, has denied any links to the alleged coup. Dos Santos, 74, has ruled Angola for 37 years. Luanda (AFP) - Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has ruled for 37 years, will stand down before next year's general election, state radio said Friday citing sources in the ruling MPLA party. The autocratic Dos Santos, 74, became president in 1979, making him Africa's second-longest serving leader -- one month short of Equatorial Guinea's Teodoro Obiang Nguema. His reign has seen the end of civil war and an investment boom, but has also been criticised as secretive and corrupt with Angola's citizens suffering grim poverty as his family became hugely wealthy. National Radio of Angola said that Defence Minister Joao Lourenco would take over as MPLA leader, in news confirmed to AFP by Joao Pinto, a senior member of the party. "The president will not be a candidate and he already has a successor," Pinto told AFP. "It will be Joao Lourenco, who will be presented to members of the party on December 10 when we celebrate the party's anniversary." At a meeting of the MPLA (People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola) on Friday in Luanda, Dos Santos launched his party's campaign for the election, but he did not address whether he would seek a new term. "Our goal is to win the election," he told delegates. "The key to success will be the discipline and the unity of all our candidates." - Authoritarian leader - In March, Dos Santos made a surprise announcement that he would step down in 2018, but has since given no further details about any resignation plan. After constitutional changes in 2010, Angola does not directly elect a president, rather the leader of the winning party automatically becomes head of state. In August, Dos Santos was re-elected head of the MPLA, extending his mandate by up to five years if the party wins the election, as expected. The MPLA on Thursday issued a statement denying widespread reports that the veteran leader was seriously ill. Story continues "Dos Santos has personally directed the work of the MPLA and the state," it said. "The MPLA party, which supports the Angolan government, warns all citizens to be aware of the circulation of false information against Angola on social media." Angolan rapper and political activist Luaty Beirao, who was jailed for several months under Dos Santos's regime, said he was "very satisfied" at the prospect of his leaving office. "Angola is the hostage of his decisions and whims and, fortunately, he has decided on his own that this was enough," he told Portuguese news agency Lusa, calling for "new faces and new blood in Angola". Beirao and 16 others were arrested last year for "acts of rebellion" for attending a book club meeting where one of the works discussed was about non-violent resistance to repressive regimes. They were granted amnesty in October in a case that attracted international attention to rights issues in Angola. - New era - The end of Dos Santos's regime will shake up Angola, where he has been a looming presence in daily life longer than most people can remember, exercising almost total authority over government, politics, media and business. He was sworn in 1979 following the sudden death from cancer of Angola's liberation president Agostinho Neto. Both his eldest daughter Isabel and his son Zenu have been spoken of as possible future presidents. Isabel, 43, is a British-educated billionaire businesswoman, dubbed the richest woman in Africa. Forbes magazine values her fortune at $3 billion, based on her stakes in Unitel, Angola's largest phone operator, Portugese oil and gas giant Galp Energia, and in banks in both countries. Also on Friday in Luanda, a trial opened of 37 men accused of planning a coup against Dos Santos in January. The men, said to be former UNITA fighters, are alleged to have plotted armed attacks on the presidential palace and the public television and radio station. They deny the charges. Deutsche Bank A senior executive at Deutsche Bank is set to leave the bank. Brad McKee, an emerging markets specialist who was most recently head of Latin America structured debt, will leave at the end of the year, according to people familiar with the matter. McKee joined the bank 10 years ago, and held a number of roles at the bank including global cohead of emerging markets structured credit trading. He previously spent 13 years at JPMorgan in New York, Mexico, and Buenos Aires. It has been a tough year for Deutsche Bank's markets unit, and the emerging markets business in particular has taken a hit. The bank has exited some parts of the securitized debt-trading market and cut its emerging-markets debt trading business, with the bank reporting "significantly lower" emerging market debt revenues in the third quarter, driven by "lower client flow, rationalisation of country presence and macro uncertainty." John Cryan, the bank's CEO, was remarkably honest about the challenges the bank has faced during a third-quarter earnings call. He spoke about "infuriating" news stories about the bank, and the fact that clients don't call as much when the bank is in the headlines. "The only way to combat this is actually to deliver what we said we're going to deliver and improve the bank and, where possible, meet our targets," he said. "And hopefully, people get immune to the fact that there's all sorts of nonsense spoken about the bank from time to time, and they listen to the official communications and not to speculation." Deutsche Bank declined to comment. NOW WATCH: Here's how much it costs to produce money in the U.S. More From Business Insider The CW So Ive had a lot going on lately, and I kind of forgot the Heroes v Aliens episode of Arrow was also its 100th episode. That milestone may have attributed to my feeling that someone was going to die or at leave the show last night. Hey, you never know. We have one more entry to wrap up the DC TV superhero crossover, tonights Legends of Tomorrow, so I dont want to go too much into my overall thoughts yet. But I will say the other installment (I say other in the singular sense because lets face it, Supergirl got the shaft) was pretty different from this one in tone and style. Last nights Arrow episode, Invasion!, took a wonderful sci-fi detour from the shows normally gritty and realistic style. It was good! I lamented recently that I wished thered be more meta heroes on The Flash, but praised Arrow for finally bringing in someone to the team with powers since they were all regular fighters. If that simple aspect helps the show feel more superhero-ish than you can bet a visit to an alien spaceship makes me feel right at home. But we technically didnt spend a lot of time in the spaceship itself because our heroes Oliver, Diggle, Thea, Sara, and Ray were projected into a type of dream world in which characters long dead returned to the show. They took part in a shared hallucination, thanks to the Dominators matrix, where everyone existed in a happier place. Though I have some serious questions for Diggle. Executive producer Marc Guggenheim spoke to reporters about the episode explaining, This was sort of Olivers version of Flashpoint and its a little bit Olivers version of The Girl Who Has Everything from last years Supergirl. Theres a reason why these stories are iconic or familiar tropes, even in comic books. Its because when you show the protagonist the path not taken and you basically put them in the situation where they can choose to stay on that path or go back to their life with all of its ugly aspects and challenges, and they choose the selfless choice of returning to that ugly past, it makes your character stronger because it forced Oliver to double down on his mission and commit to this life with all of its losses and failures and challenges. Story continues It was an interesting episode. While the returning cast members were a welcomed sight (to me, anyway), it also provided several callbacks to past seasons of the series. Oliver running in the woods is a running gag of sorts. Theas hozen gift, Deathstroke, the Felicity/Ray relationship (which I really, really liked on the show but also didnt make a lot of sense as Rays fantasy), and even Thea aiming an arrow at Sara (this time she catches it instead of being killed by it). But when the characters realized it was a shared hallucination, Thea was the one person who thought, Hey, this is actually so much better than my normal life. Why would I leave? It was a thought that could have only really come from Thea. While most of the characters have lost loved ones theyd want to be with again, shes the only one who didnt have much going for her in the real world. Ray and Sara are traveling with a great crew and doing a lot of good, Oliver has his never-ending mission to save Star City (which is not necessarily enjoyable but something he feels compelled to do), and Diggle has a wife and baby. Thea has given up crime fighting to work in the Mayors office, which hasnt given her much character development, and she was seeing a guy who we havent caught sight of in a while. At that point, I honestly wondered if Willa Holland was moving on from Arrow. And they made us believe it for a while too. While in terms of the show itself I wasnt convinced leaving the matrix without her would actually work, we didnt have to wonder about that for long as she quickly changed her mind and rejoined the heroes. Ok, I thought, shes safe. And then I thought Oliver was going to die. I know, I know, the show is called Arrow, it would have been one hell of a big deal if Stephen Amell left, but considering the dilemma Thea had just gone through, I now wondered if they were setting her up as the lead. When they were just about to exit the matrix, Oliver gets visions (for no real discernible reason) of his mom and dad, Felicity, Tommy, Roy, and Laurel which give him the inspiration to go on in his fight. This didnt seem like something the Dominators would want going through his head while they tried to keep them captive, so it was something he already knew. They just confirmed he was on the right path. It felt like closure. Was that what star Stephen Amell was teasing when he said, I do really believe that this season is sort of a throw-down-the-gauntlet year for us, where were either going to do what we do and do it well, or its the last year. If I didnt know there were plenty more episodes to come, this one would have also felt like a series finale. Oliver going on to fight the good fight with a rejuvenated purpose. But considering the huge scope of this crossover and the situation they were walking into once they left the matrix, I really thought he was a goner. Hes not, of course, but it was a surprisingly powerful scene for me that, as it turns out, wasnt even in the episode to begin with according to Guggenheim. Perhaps it was a missed opportunity too. Leading independent energy player, Apache Corporation APA recently signed an agreement to divest its stake in a North Sea pipeline system.Buyer for the transaction is U.K. pension funds managed by London-based Ancala Partners. The deal is estimated to be worth multi-million pounds but no specific figures have been revealed. The deal is expected to complete during the first half of 2017. Apache will be offloading both its 30.28% share in the Scottish Area Gas Evacuation system and a 60.56% stake in the Beryl pipeline to Ancala Midstream Acquisitions. The Scottish Area Gas Evacuation pipeline transports output from nine North Sea fields around 200 miles for processing at a terminal at St. Fergus North of Aberdeen. Crude prices, which reached $110 per barrel in mid-2014, fell to a 12-year low of $26.21 in February. The commodity is now trading below $50 per barrel owing to a supply glut amid slowing demand. Hence, energy companies that are facing tough cash flow positions have been taking austere cost-control measures to protect their already squeezed profits. The latest asset sale announcement by Apache is a step in the same direction. We believe that the divestments will boost the companys financials and lower its cost profile via reduction in the headcount and sale of non-core assets. Moreover, Apache intends to use the raised proceeds to fund the development of assets in the Alpine High oil fields in the Delaware Basin. Founded in 1954, Houston, TX-based Apache is one of the world's leading independent energy companies engaged in the exploration, development and production of natural gas, crude oil and natural gas liquids. Currently, Apache carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which implies that the stock will perform in line with the broader U.S. equity market over the next one to three months. APACHE CORP Price APACHE CORP Price | APACHE CORP Quote Stocks to Consider Some better-ranked players in the broader energy sector include Braskem S.A. BAK, Ultra Petroleum Corp. UPLMQ and McDermott International Inc. MDR . All these stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Story continues In the last four quarters, Braskem posted an average positive earnings surprise of 105.5%. Ultra Petroleum, on the other hand, posted an average positive earnings surprise of 65.91% in the last four quarters. In the last four quarters, McDermott posted an average positive earnings surprise of 250.00%. 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Click to get this free report MCDERMOTT INTL (MDR): Free Stock Analysis Report BRASKEM SA (BAK): Free Stock Analysis Report APACHE CORP (APA): Free Stock Analysis Report ULTRA PETRO CP (UPLMQ): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Apple Store Employee A serious bug (or two) is causing iPhone batteries to malfunction, and Apple Stores are inundated with customer complaints, employees tell Business Insider. Over the past few weeks, complaints that something is causing iPhones to suddenly shut off with 30% battery have been mounting. In a statement posted to its Chinese website on Friday, Apple restated that the issue is with hardware, and that it affects only certain iPhone 6S devices. iPhones with qualifying serial numbers can be brought into an Apple Store for a free battery swap. But technicians and Apple Store employees have told Business Insider that the issue is very common, and that it seems to affect more models than just the 6S. Apple has declined to comment several times when asked by Business Insider about whether the issue may affect other devices. Complaints at Apple Stores are rising Apple Store Apple Stores are seeing large numbers of complaints from customers concerned about why their devices are malfunctioning, several store employees have told Business Insider. An Apple Store Genius employee in Manhattan said that 80% of its cases are currently a result of the bug. It appears to be affecting more iPhone models than the 6S, the employee said. "We have been seeing a lot of customers for this particular issue, and I have personally dealt with the issue on not just the 6S, but the 6S Plus, which is not part of the program," said an Apple Store manager in another part of the US. "I've also seen the issue a lot for batteries outside of the manufacturing date." Another US-based Genius said his store had placed 80 part orders for batteries after the replacement program was introduced, and that there weren't enough batteries on hand when Apple announced the program. "It really hasn't been that bad, to be honest," he told Business Insider. iphone battery A different Apple Store employee in the US told Business Insider that they don't believe the reports of battery failures are related to iOS, but rather the failure is caused by a hardware problem, as Apple has stated. But even though the batteries shut down when they get to about 30% charge, Apple's battery diagnostics tool still says they are healthy, this employee said. Story continues The employee also said they were getting several returns because of the battery issue but had no guidance from Apple on how to fix the problem until recently, so they ended up replacing phones instead of just the batteries, in most cases. Another longtime Apple Store employee said customers frequently complain about battery issues after installing beta software or failing to install the newest version of iOS. "A lot of times it's older phones with consumed batteries or really old software," the person said. One person who went to get their iPhone 6S fixed at an authorized Apple service provider in London said they were told the shop had a huge backlog of phones to fix and couldn't even provide a date for when it might be able to fix theirs. Two bugs Apple Store red There is some debate about the cause of the problem. Apple says it's related to "a battery component that was exposed to controlled ambient air longer than it should have been." But some have pointed to a recent iOS 10.1 update that was pushed to people's iPhones. People with the problem including several Business Insider staff members whose phones are not covered by the replacement program are seeing their batteries drain abnormally fast and switch off around the 30% charge mark. A Chinese government watchdog group is also claiming the 6S hardware issue is affecting other devices, including the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, and 6S Plus. For now, it's unclear what the relationship is between the hardware issue and the iOS issue. Apple is replacing batteries in affected 6S devices free of charge, but it isn't talking about an apparent 10.1 bug. An Apple spokesperson declined Business Insider's repeated requests for comment on the 10.1 bug. If you're having the issue, you can check if your device is covered under Apple's current replacement program, and if it is, you can have your battery swapped at an Apple Store. If Apple says your phone is not eligible for a battery replacement but you are seeing the random shutdown bug, email kleswing@businessinsider.com. NOW WATCH: Here's why Boeing 747s have a giant hump in the front More From Business Insider The Dubai Intl. Film Festival, which is one of the worlds top Arab cinema showcases, is dominated by women this year, whether it be behind camera or on screen as is the case with the fests tense thriller opener Miss Sloane, starring Jessica Chastain as a ruthless political lobbyist in Washington. The 13th edition of the year-end event, which runs Dec. 7-14, boasts world premieres, and mixes the cream of the Arabic crop with the best thats surfaced on the international circuit, including movies poised to vie for upcoming U.S. awards. This years fest has assembled a rich, well-rounded roster with a fresh batch of female-centric films at its core, starting with the Arabian Nights section, which combines films from Arab and non-Arab directors depicting the that world. In Arabian Nights, for starters, there are quite a few women directors, says its programmer Delphine Garde-Mroueh. But there is also a thematic dominance of women, and not necessarily in a feminist way. They are just very dominant in the storylines of almost all the films. Several of the films premiering in this section portray Arab women from fresh, nuanced angles. French director Henri Barges dark comedy Nuts, for example, takes a look at two bored, upper-crust Beirut housewives who become addicted to gambling and descend into the citys sex, drugs, and gaming underbelly. In another different type of dark comedy, Solitaire, by Lebanese director Sophie Boutros, the protagonist is haunted by the memory of her dead brother, killed by a Syrian bomb during the Lebanese civil war, just as she is being pursued by a Syrian suitor for an arranged marriage. Islamic terrorism, fast becoming a cinematic trope, is present in Dutch director Mijke De Jongs timely Layla M, about the radicalization of a young Muslim woman from a Moroccan family in Amsterdam. She moves to Syria to fight with ISIS only to realize she has no place in the new, male-dominated world for which she gave up her former life. After the film received a positive reaction in Toronto, it will be interesting to see how Layla sits with Arab audiences. Story continues As is customary, Dubai has a significant Bollywood component which is particularly prominent this year due to the world premiere of Paris-set Hindi romancer Befikre, directed by Aditya Chopra. Yash Raj Films is touting the film as a very progressive Indian take on modern love. Dubai fest chairman Abdulhamid Juma has predicted the racy pic will appeal not just to Dubais large Indian expat community, but also to Arabs who have a strong affinity for Bollywood films. The fest is very excited to get this a world premiere, says DIFF general manager Shivani Pandya. Generally Bollywood movies premiere in India before going anywhere else. Hollywood will also have a substantial presence in Dubai, not only in terms of movies and talent, but also high-caliber industry representatives. The most significant of these will be Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Cheryl Boone Isaacs, scheduled to make the trek for an In Conversation event. Samuel L. Jackson is being feted with a Lifetime Achievement Award, along with Bollywood star the mono-monikered Rekha, and Oscar-winning French-Lebanese composer Gabriel Yared (The English Patient). U.S. titles unspooling include La La Land, Nocturnal Animals, Manchester by the Sea, Will Smith-starrer Collateral Beauty, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which will launch into the Middle East from Dubai, as the fests closer, on Dec. 7. Riding the current virtual reality craze, Dubai is launching an entire section this year called DIFFerent Reality in a specially equipped, state-of-the-art venue where 10 VR films will screen. Films to screen include Lake Baikal: The Science and Spirituality of Extreme Water, a Russia/U.S. collaboration co-directed by Georgy Molodtsov and Michael Owen. The immersive piece about the earths most ancient and deepest lake, Lake Baikal in Siberia, is touted as making audiences shiver with cold, which could provide welcome relief to Dubai audiences subjected to sweltering heat for most of the year. Additionally, a panel titled Is the Future Really Virtual?, moderated by USC School of Cinematic Arts dean Elizabeth M. Daley, will thrash out some of the main issues faced by the budding VR industry forecast to become worth more than $100 billion by 2020. Related stories International Market Makes Waves at Dubai Film Festival 'La La Land' Composer's Long Duet With Damien Chazelle Started in College 'La La Land,' 'Arrival,' 'Moonlight' Lead Critics' Choice Movie Nominations There are 250 million cars in the U.S. Most of them are sitting idle 23 hours per day. Increasing utilization would reduce pollution and congestion. It would also change the world. Getaround is now one step closer to helping with that dilemma thanks to a $10 million investment from a Toyota unit called Mirai Creation. The money will help the startup expand its peer-to-peer marketplace for on-demand car-sharing in Chicago, Washington D.C., San Francisco and other cities. If that sounds familiar, think AirBnB, except for cars. Members rent out their own cars hourly, daily or weekly based on rates they set. Its a great idea. There is just one catch. Its disruptive for companies that make cars. Toyota executives see the writing on the wall, and theyre staking a claim. In addition to the money, the Japanese firm will provide a Mobility Service Platform and a smart-key box. It allows customers to unlock andstart the shared car with no more than a smartphone. Getaround founders Sam Zaid, Jessica Scorpio and Elliot Kroo solved a big model problem way back in 2009. They approached a firm owned by Warren Buffets Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and came up with a bulletproof fleet insurance policy. Customers are pre-screened for membership and insured for collision, comprehensive and liability up to $1 million. The car owners policy is not vulnerable. The business opportunity for Getaround whose app includes rental ads like the one above is in line with many other disruptive businesses we have talked about this year: It is using software to turn car ownership into a service. It takes a hefty 40% fee for getting the parties together, arranging the insurance and collecting the money. It does all of this in a sleek smartphone app. This Mobility-as-a-Service business model is not lost on car makers. In addition to Getaround, Toyota is a strategic investor in Uber. Avis Budget Group (CAR) owns Zipcar, a ride-sharing business with more than 1 million members. And General Motors (GM) and Audi announced similar services for the San Francisco area this year. Story continues What sets Getaround apart is the peer-to-peer nature of the business model. Although it did recently absorb 200 vehicles from San Francisco-based City CarShare, there is no other fleet. In fact, the corporate mission is to reduce overall car fleets through increased utilization. The company claims more than 200,000 members and 25,000 car owners willing to share their vehicles for a fee. Getaround currently operates in only a few cities but its ambitions are national and beyond. In 2009, Zaid and Scorpio were challenged by Google founder Larry Page to build a business that could benefit 1 billion people in 10 years. They decided to change the world by eliminating car ownership. We see a true long-term shift in how consumers will access transportation in the future, moving away from ownership toward access, Zaid told Entrepreneur magazine in 2014. We have an opportunity to help shape that future. Theyre off to a slow but steady start, and should accelerate in the next couple of years. (And no, you cannot rent my Zero. At least not yet.) Click here to sign up for my free VIP newsletter on the intersection of business, technology and culture By Ahmed Elumami TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Gunfire could be heard over Tripoli on Thursday as armed groups mobilised heavy weapons and took up positions in several parts of the Libyan capital. Militias that hold effective power across the city clash frequently, but the shooting was heavier than usual and tanks and armed convoys could be seen in some areas. The immediate cause of the latest violence was not clear. Tripoli is controlled by a patchwork of armed groups, some with a quasi official status. Fighting is often sparked by turf wars or revenge attacks, while armed groups are also divided between those that support a U.N.-backed government that arrived in the capital in March and those that oppose it. After the 2011 uprising against Muammar Gaddafi, Libya splintered into rival fiefdoms controlled by groups originally made up of former rebels. Rival alliances fought for control of the capital in 2014, after which competing governments and parliaments were set up in Tripoli and the east. The U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) was tasked with uniting Libya's warring factions but has struggled to assert its authority in Tripoli and has been rejected by power brokers in the east. Recently the government it displaced in Tripoli has attempted a comeback, regaining control of the Rixos hotel, which was meant to house a new legislative body under the deal that created the GNA. Military vehicles were seen mobilising near the Rixos on Thursday and shops in the area closed amid rising tension. Military vehicles including tanks could also be seen in Bab Benghashir and Abu Salim neighbourhoods, while clashes were reported in Abu Salim and Hadba districts. The city centre was calm but residents were rushing to do shopping and head home before nightfall. The French Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying France was "very worried by the escalation of violence between armed groups in Tripoli". "(France) is in close contact with (GNA) Prime Minister Fayez Seraj and supports his efforts to restore the authority of the state, especially in Tripoli," the statement said. There was also fighting on Thursday in Libya's second city, Benghazi, where forces loyal to eastern commander Khalifa Haftar have been waging a military campaign against Islamists and other opponents for more than two years. There were sporadic clashes and air raids around the besieged district of Ganfouda, one of the last holdouts against Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA). The LNA launched its latest assault on the area on Wednesday. A medical official said 11 men from the LNA had been killed and 36 wounded in two days of fighting. (Additional reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli in Benghazi and John Irish in Paris; Writing by Aidan Lewis) Paris (AFP) - Several people taken hostage Friday evening in a Paris travel agency were released safe and sound, police said, but the armed robber who seized them was on the run. "Armed robbery on Massena Boulevard in Paris: operation over," police tweeted. "Six people have left. The thief is not on the premises." Other police sources said seven hostages had been "found safe and sound" after the hold-up at the travel agency in the Chinatown area of southern Paris' 13th arrondissement. The incident sparked a major police operation in the French capital, where security jitters remain high after a string of terrorist attacks over the last two years, including the November 2015 Paris attacks which left 132 people dead. Police set up a security perimeter around the Asieland travel agency, which specialises in Asian travel. Drivers were warned to stay away from the area. Police sources told AFP earlier that the robber was armed with a handgun. The agency sits in Paris' 13th arrondissement, a residential area that is packed with Asian restaurants and is home to a large Chinese community. The ground-floor offices sit at the base of a large residential tower block and next to one of Paris' main tram lines. The robber had attacked the company at around 6:30 pm (1730 GMT), trapping several people inside. The hostages were let out around two and a half hours later, "their hands on their heads", a police source said, adding that they were "taken into the care of emergency services in a neighbouring building". Police then searched the building and realised the attacker had fled the scene. "We saw four or five people coming out with their hands on their heads, followed by around 15 officers," local resident Zinedine told AFP. "There was no shooting, we heard no explosion. It's over," said the 55-year-old, who had left home to buy cigarettes. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo thanked police for their "speed and professionalism" on Twitter, adding: "I offer all my support to the staff and customers of the agency that were confronted with this criminal act." Story continues The capital is under tight security, with troops patrolling the streets daily, under a state of emergency imposed by President Francois Hollande after last year's Paris attacks. The hold-up in Chinatown comes at a time of heightened safety concerns among Paris' large Chinese community following a fatal attack on a tailor in August and a series of muggings. More than 10,000 Chinese Parisians staged a protest march in September calling for increased security for the community following the killing of Zhang Chaolin, beaten to death during a robbery. One of the fashion world's greatest platonic love stories almost never came to pass, when in the 1950s French couturier Hubert de Givenchy at first refused a request to design for Audrey Hepburn. "When Audrey came to me and asked me to make her dresses for the film 'Sabrina', I didn't know who she was. I was expecting Katharine Hepburn," Givenchy said in an emotional press conference for the opening of a new exhibition of his creations in The Netherlands. "She arrived looking so vulnerable, so graceful, so young and sparkling" dressed like "a young girl today" in cotton trousers, ballerina flats and T-shirt which showed off her belly-button, carrying a straw gondolier's hat, the designer recalled. "But I wasn't really in any condition to make a major wardrobe for 'Sabrina' and I told her, 'No, Mademoiselle, I can't dress you.'" Luckily for fashionistas everywhere, Hepburn was not to be dissuaded and sweetly invited Givenchy to dinner. By the end of that meal in 1953, the aristocratic French designer had fallen under the spell of the petite actress. So began a creative friendship which lasted down the decades until the British film star died of cancer in 1993. "She persuaded me, how lucky I was to have accepted," Givenchy said. - Creator of personality - The retrospective of Givenchy's designs for his friend and style icon entitled "To Audrey with Love" has just opened at the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague, and lasts until late March. It is the designer's homage to his muse and Givenchy has personally selected many of the 100 outfits featured in the collection, a few of which have never been seen in public before, in what he calls a "journey through her wardrobe". In the 1954 romantic comedy "Sabrina", Hepburn appeared alongside then screen heart-throb Humphrey Bogart, and in one key screen wore a sophisticated, floating ivory ball dress edged in black with embroidered black flowers -- a Givenchy creation. Story continues The same year, she wore a delicate ivory lace Givenchy creation for the Oscars where she won the Best Actress award for "Roman Holiday". Givenchy was to remain by her side for many of her most iconic films such as the 1961 "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "Charade" in 1963 and some of his most memorable outfits from those films are on show. Using everything from satin to tulle and silk, his imagination flourished as he designed for Hepburn both on and off-screen. "Givenchy's clothes are the only ones I feel myself in. He is more than a designer, he is a creator of personality," she once said. The exhibition has taken a year to put together, with Givenchy, now 89, overseeing every detail, and hoping to pay tribute to his muse's "elegance and style." It also includes a collection of beautiful jewellery, accessories, scarves and hats, as well as sketches, drawings, photos and film stills. - Protected by silk - Imbued with a sense of nostalgia for the fashion of decades past, the collection nonetheless shows how the actress's style has remained remarkably fresh and contemporary. Hepburn knew how to bring her clothes to life through "her beauty, personality and lightness of spirit," Givenchy said. In some ways it is also a homecoming, as Hepburn was the daughter of a British banker and a Dutch baroness, and had deep ties to The Netherlands. After Hepburn was appointed in 1988 as a goodwill ambassador for the UN children's agency UNICEF, she would often give interviews wearing a simple silk or satin T-shirt. She told Givenchy recounting the horrors of war she had seen that "thanks to this small piece of silk, I feel protected because you are close to me." At the end of her life, they were again united through a piece of material when he visited her at her home in Switzerland as she battled cancer. Hepburn gave him a navy blue quilted coat urging him "when you are sad, wear this and it will give you courage." "From Geneva to Paris, I wept in the jacket she had given me," he said, still overcome with emotion two decades after her death. "Audrey will never go out of fashion. She is current. And her image continues to amaze us." Earlier today, Harlem producer and DJ Austin Millz shared his high-energy new single "Cyclone." The track is set to appear on his upcoming EP of the same name along with "Limelite," his first release from the project. The thumping party cut features an appearance from Nigerian rapper Tunji Ige, who caught our attention earlier this year with his sunshine-inflected track "Bring Yo Friends." He contributes sharp, braggadocio-filled verses to the track, complimenting the room-rattling instrumental flawlessly. The release of Millz's new track comes with exciting news for the young artist, who recently became the newest signee of A-Trak's independent label, Fools Gold Records. He caught the label's attention with his unprecedented blend of electronic dance music and hip-hop. "A-Trak and I first got into Austin's music from hearing him at parties and seeing him on flyers right in our backyard," label co-founder Nick Catchdubs says of his latest signee. "He keeps evolving as a producer, and the time was right to do a proper release. These songs would be cool on their own, but their roots in a real musical community and club culture are what make them special." Before he got signed, Millz landed placements with G.O.O.D. Music, Jim Jones, Maybach Music Group, and Wale. He also made a name for himself as a party DJ, spinning at events in Harlem. Cyclone is set to drop in February. Listen to the title track below. Continue Reading On PigeonsandPlanes More from PigeonsandPlanes Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Whether you're planning to whip up some guacamole or add a few avocado slices to your tacos and burritos this Cinco de Mayo, you may be wondering: Are avocados good for you? Despite recent reports that avocado prices are on the rise (increased demand paired with a smaller-than-normal crop size has caused prices to shoot to the highest they've been in 19 years), avocados are indeed a healthy addition to any meal. For decades, the Food and Drug Administrations definition of healthy has been synonymous with low fat, which avocados decidedly are not. But the FDA is currently re-evaluating the terms meaning on packaged food labels. Right now, a food can be labeled healthy if its fat content is predominantly mono- or polyunsaturated. Thats because the most recent scientific evidence suggests that eating more of those types of fat and less of artery-clogging saturated and trans fats can help your health. Avocados aren't packaged food, but whether high-fat food can be called healthy is still something many people are confused about. Here's what you need to know about this nutritious and versatile fruit. Health Perks Half of a medium avocado has 114 calories and 10 grams of fat. Thats a lot of fat for a fruit or vegetable, but it is the type of fat we want people to eat, says Lisa Sasson, M.S., R.D., a clinical associate professor of nutrition at New York University. About 64 percent of the fat in avocados is monounsaturated, which lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. And in contrast to junk foods, which supply little to no nutrition in exchange for a load of calories, says Sasson, avocados give you a healthy array of vitamins and minerals not often found together in one place. These include folic acid and vitamins B6, C, E, and K. Avocados are particularly rich in blood-pressure-lowering potassium (avocados have more potassium than bananas) and fiber. Half of an avocado contains almost 5 grams of fiber, about 20 percent of the amount you need in a day. Story continues They also contain the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which are linked to eye health and help to give the fruits interior its color. These antioxidants accumulate in the retina and lens of the eye, says Marvin M. Lipman, M.D., Consumer Reports chief medical adviser. There, they are thought to filter the blue UV rays from the sunwhich can damage these eye partshelping to prevent macular degeneration and possibly cataracts. Dark leafy greens such as spinach and kale, other dark green vegetables such as broccoli and zucchini, and egg yolks are also sources of these two healthful compounds. But avocados have the additional perk of being rich in monounsaturated fats, which some research suggests may help reduce the risk of macular degeneration. Even more beneficial: The fat in avocados helps the body better absorb antioxidants, including lutein and zeaxanthin, not just from the avocado itself but from other fruits and vegetables you eat at the same time. So pairing guacamole with crudites or tossing avocado chunks into a smoothie, salad, or omelet are good vision-saving diet strategies. What to Do With an Avocado Avocados one-two punch of fat and fiber makes them a particularly filling food. Guacamole is probably the most familiar avocado-based dish, but there are plenty of other ways to use the fruit. People claim they dont have time to make breakfast or lunch, says Sasson, but all you have to do is cut and mash an avocado with a little salt and pepper, spread it on toast, and top with slices of tomato. In three minutes or less you can have a delicious, healthy meal. Other ideas: Whip avocados into smoothies, blend into dressings, work into egg dishes, add to salads, or use to top a burger or in place of butter or mayonnaise on a sandwich; fill halved avocados with chopped veggies and serve as a side; or drizzle slices with a little balsamic vinegar for a snack. Shopping and Storage Tips Consumer Reports food-safety experts say that conventional avocados from Chile, Mexico, and Peru have very low levels of pesticides. Choose avocados that are firm; they should ripen in three to four days (though you can speed that up by storing them out of the sun in a paper bag with a banana). That long ripening time means you have to plan your avocado eating. But Sasson notes that its a small price to pay for near-perfection in the food world. Nowadays everybody is eating supplemented and fortified foods, she says. Avocados have all of these wonderful nutrients and nothing is added; this is the way we should be eating. More from Consumer Reports: Top pick tires for 2016 Best used cars for $25,000 and less 7 best mattresses for couples Copyright 2006-2017 Consumer Reports, Inc. Sydney (AFP) - "Bad boy" pharmaceutical chief Martin Shkreli, who raised the cost of an HIV drug by 5,000 percent, has mocked a group of Sydney school students who recreated the life-saving medicine on the cheap. The teenagers said they were spurred to try recreate the drug after Shkreli became a global figure of hate by buying the rights to Daraprim and then hiking the price in the United States from $13.50 a tablet to $750. In response Shkreli tweeted some sarcastic remarks about the students' successful recreation of pyrimethamine, the active ingredient for Daraprim, an anti-parasitic used to treat people with low immune systems such as those with HIV. "Labor and equipment costs? Didn't know you could get physical chemists to work for free?" Shkreli tweeted. "I should use high school kids to make my medicines! "And why buy my equipment when I can use the lab's for free?! And those teachers who told them what to do, they'll work for free, right." Student James Wood said this week he and his friends, with the help of University of Sydney chemists, had started off with just $20 of the drug, and in one reaction had produced thousands of dollars' worth. Turing Pharmaceuticals, which Shkreli used to head, continue to sell the only FDA-approved form of the drug in the US, but reportedly cut the price in half for hospitals after an outcry. Daraprim, which figures on the World Health Organisation list of essential medicines, is cheap in most countries, with 50 tablets selling in Australia for $10. In another tweet about the students Shkreli said: "We know they made this, how? Cause they said so?" Several hours after being blasted on Twitter for his comments, Shkreli was more gracious in a short YouTube clip Friday. "These Australian students are proof that the 21st century economy will solve problems of human suffering through science and technology," he said. "We should congratulate these students for their interest in chemistry and all be excited about what is to come in this stem-focused 21st century." Photo credit: undefined From Delish Cupcakes are officially dead. Cronuts are so last year. I hereby declare 2016 the Year Of The Donut. What gives me this authority? Nearly half of of the 15 most popular bakeries and cafes on Instagram this year-based on total number of U.S.-based geo-tags-are donut shops, so I think it's safe to say that we're all totally obsessed. To see what other bakeries and cafes people couldn't resist Instagramming in 2016, check out the full list here and get ready to add a lot of sweets to your bucket list. 1 Cafe du Monde, New Orleans, LA No trip to the Big Easy is complete without a trip to this French Quarter spot to devour (and 'gram!) a pile of powdered-sugar covered beignets and a cup of chicory coffee. 2 Voodoo Doughnuts, Austin, TX The Austin location of this bakery beat out the original two locations in Portland, Oregon-maybe thanks to its location right smack in the middle of downtown. 3 California Donuts, Los Angeles, CA This L.A. bakery makes a panda donut that is pretty much impossible not to Instagram. 4 Georgetown Cupcake, Washington, DC Georgetown Cupcake has expanded to New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta, but the original location in DC is still the go-to spot to 'gram their adorable cupcakes. 5 Levain Bakery, New York, NY People stand in line at this Upper West Side bakery for the ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookie that is often deemed New York's best. 6 Carlo's Bakery, Hoboken, NJ Devotees of the Cake Boss flock to the original Hoboken bakery to Instagram themselves in front of the old-timey storefront. 7 Balthazar, New York, NY While this list is definitely donut-heavy, this classic NYC boulangerie grabbed the #7 spot for its beautiful and crusty baguettes and croissants. 8 Donut Bar, San Diego, CA The menu changes daily at this downtown donut shop, so go early and go often if you want to get your hands on a pretzel donut, french toast donut or one in the shape of Spongebob. 9 Spot Dessert Bar, New York, NY Can't pick between the Golden Toast and any of the other seasonal dessert "tapas" at this East Village dessert-only restaurant? Follow this person's lead and get them all! Story continues 10 Jo's Hot Coffee Good Food, Austin, TX Most Instagrammers come to this Austin spot to get a photo of the "I love you so much" mural on the side of the building-but don't miss the Iced Turbo if you like your coffee sweet. 11 Extraordinary Desserts, San Diego, CA Good luck picking just one dessert to eat at this gourmet bakery. Go ahead and order two-it'll make your Instagram look better. 12 Leonard's Bakery, Honolulu, HI Between the old-school signage, pink-and-blue pastry boxes and hole-less malasada donuts it's no surprise this Honolulu institution made it on this list. 13 Tartine Bakery, San Francisco, CA You might be tempted to move to San Francisco after one bite of the perfectly flakey croissant at this French-inspired bakery in the Mission District. 14 Five Daughters Bakery 12south, Nashville, TN Even though this Nashville bakery has only been around since 2015, it quickly gained an Instagram following when they started baking their own version of the cronut called the 100 layer donut. (It even ranked higher than the bakery that created the cronut, which was the #2 bakery on this list last year!) 15 Randy's Donuts, Inglewood, CA This giant donut is an L.A. landmark in its own right. Follow Delish on Instagram. You Might Also Like Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f305627%2fd74875b5b7df43c4a69b9ab694b890ea On Friday, Mic released an article called "Obama considering post-presidential media career, sources say." Even though the article contains a statement from White House communications director Jen Psaki in which she states, "While the president will remain actively engaged in inspiring young people and he is interested in the changing ways people consume information, he has no plans to get into the media business after he leaves office," we're all spending our Friday evening talking about these rumors. SEE ALSO: Rory Gilmore is not a good journalist So why would Barack Obama desire a career in new media after spending eight years rapidly aging due to the massive stress of being president of the USA? Could it be a love for content, a passion for meals consisting of free cereal and seltzer or a desire to download sick apps like Meerkat that will inevitably fade before ever catching on with the general public? The reality is that he doesn't want a career in media. This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Jen Psaki regarding the matter: "He has no plans to get into the media business after he leaves office." Regardless, we assume he'd have more success than Rory Gilmore, who, SPOILER ALERT!!!!, is very bad at working in media. We've all watched the new episodes of Gilmore Girls, right? And we've all been like, "Why does Rory have a work phone if she's unemployed? And what's that little phone really for? And why's that other phone so big?" One of the phones is just for Vine, a cool app Obama could've gotten into Image: netflix/a year in the life Journalists shouldn't follow in Rory's footsteps (maybe the career is just wrong for you, Rory!), a topic that has been covered in great pieces on Vulture and The Atlantic. Even without years of experience (if that's really what Rory was doing all those years! It's left pretty open-ended!), Obama would foreseeably have more success in digital media than Rory Gilmore. Story continues I mean, Rory considered turning down an opportunity to be a journalist on Barack Obama's campaign to ride rollercoasters instead during Season 7. So here's what Obama probably won't do that Rory did: 1. Obama probably won't fall asleep when interviewing someone. 2. Obama probably won't sleep with one of his sources for an article. 3. While he might forget his phone from time to time, he probably won't have three. Or at least, definitely won't have a flip phone. 4. Obama probably won't be super unprepared for an interview for a staff writing job. 5. Maybe he'd like, try to write a story on a topic he cared about instead of flying to London all the time? 6. Obama probably won't spend most days talking about a big meeting and rarely ever writing. I don't know, but it reminds me of something the great Jen Psaki once said about Barack Obama's career in digital media: "He has no plans to get into the media business after he leaves office." From the grisly crime scene to the shocking motive, the murder of Hervey Medellin has all the makings of a Hollywood screenplay. Medellins murder is the focus of the upcoming People Magazine Investigates episode Hollywood Horror Story, which airs Monday night at 10 p.m. ET on Investigation Discovery. Ahead of that airing, PEOPLE Senior Editor Alicia Dennis sat down on Fridays People Now to preview the episode and discuss some key features of the case. Medellins Remains Were Found in an Iconic Spot In January 2012, a dog walker and her mother discovered a bag containing a severed headjust off a wooded trail near the famed Hollywood sign. They first thought the head belonged to a mannequin, but soon learned that the head belonged to the 66-year old Medellin. His feet and hands were located about 50 yards from the head. It wasnt until years later that hunks of Medellins flesh were retrieved from deep inside the bat cave. His torso was never found. The quarry in which the cave was found had once appeared as the entrance of the Batcave in the 60s Batman TV series. For more on the case of the Hollywood Head, watch Hollywood Horror Story on our 10-part true crime show, People Magazine Investigates, airing Monday nights at 10 p.m. ET on Investigation Discovery Police Investigated Several Possible Suspects Authorities seemingly left no stone unturned in their investigation. In an email to friends, Medellins boyfriend alleged that he had gone to Tijuana and never returned. That fact that Harvey worked for the cartels as a concierge in the 1990s prompted authorities to consider that Mexican drug cartels were involved. They also looked into Luka Magnotta, a Canadian porn actor convicted last December of dismembering a Chinese exchange student and sending some of his body parts to members of the Canadian Parliament. Neither of these leads panned out, however, and police soon began searching closer to home for the killer. WATCH: Hollywood Horror Story on People Magazine Investigates The Motive: Love Gone Wrong While authorities investigated several possible motives, they eventually zeroed in on Medellins boyfriend and roommate, Gabriel Campos-Martinez. But there was another potential suspect: William Ladewig, the man Campos-Martinez had left so he could be with Medellin. Story continues Authorities said Ladewig hadnt handled the breakup well, and began intimidating the new couple. His behavior became so threatening that Campos-Martinez sought a restraining order against Ladewig. Police eventually determined that Ladewig had no involvement in Medellins killing and arrested Campos-Martinez in 2014. Campos-Martinez was convicted of the murder in 2015, and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. To find out more about this case, watch the Hollywood Horror Story episode of People Magazine Investigates this Monday (10 p.m. ET) on Investigation Discovery. Gambian President Yahya Jammeh once vowed to rule his country for one billion years. He was only 999,999,978 years off. On Friday, Jammeh lost his countrys general election to opposition leader Adama Barrow after 22 years in power. The defeat comes as a huge shock not only because an unlikely opposition leader ousted an authoritarian president with a penchant for coups, but also because the president accepted the loss. Its really unique that someone who has been ruling this country for so long has accepted defeat, Gambian electoral commission chief Alieu Momar Njie told reporters. Barrow earned 45.5 percent of the vote, while Jammeh trailed with 36.7 percent, according to the BBC. The surprise win by an opposition figure and Jammehs even more surprising acceptance of his loss is a historic moment for the tiny West African nation, which hasnt had a smooth power transfer since gaining independence in 1965. Jammeh has ruled Africas smallest nation with an iron fist since first wresting power in a coup in 1994. His repressive regime impoverished an already underdeveloped country; the poverty rate that has hovered around 50 percent for years, according to the World Bank. Since taking power, hes unleashed his security forces to torture, intimidate, arrest, and suppress dissenters to keep his grip on power, according to Human Rights Watch. Instances of dictators losing their own window dressing election are rare. But there was a perfect storm of various factors that turned the tide in Gambian oppositions favor, said Jeff Smith, founder of Vanguard Africa. First, the opposition was unified and energized in a way that they had never been before, Smith told Foreign Policy. The governments brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in April and May garnered international scrutiny and galvanized various opposition factions. It was the longest and most defiant act of public disobedience the country witnessed since Jammeh came to power, Smith said. Story continues Then theres Europes refugee crisis. Gambia plays an outsized role in the crisis, Smith said. Its the fourth largest exporter of refugees to Italy this year, despite being one of Africas smallest countries. This raised Europes awareness of the plights of Gambians and ratcheted up international scrutiny on Jammehs regime. And then, theres the enigmatic dictator himself. Jammehs brutal and bizarre antics have drawn an international media spotlight that both enraged his people and energized the opposition over the years. It starts with his public proclamations. He led state-sanctioned witch hunts and threatened to personally slit the throats of gay men in a public speech. He also isolated Gambia abroad. When he won reelection in 2011 in results that many international observers questioned, he told critics to go to hell. In 2013, he withdrew from the Commonwealth, the 54-nation group of former British colonies, after the United Kingdoms Foreign Office released a report charging Gambia with human rights abuses. Jammeh also pulled Gambia out of the International Criminal Court for alleged bias against African nations; one of his ministers called it the International Caucasian Court when explaining the governments decision to withdraw. Suffice it to say, Gambians were clearly ready for change. And facing a wave of popular dissent and international pressures, he had to relent. Jammeh faced such a surprising groundswell of support for the opposition that they couldnt fudge the numbers to the point where they could make it credible that they won, Smith said. That hasnt stopped dictators before, but international pressure made have tipped the scale, particularly pressure from his own neighborhood of relatively successful West African democracies. For a number of years, the regional leaders have become fed up with Jammeh, Smith said. Hes a black eye on a region thats performed overwhelmingly well writ large. The United States and European Union also made clear an intent to slap sanctions on the country if Jammeh stole the elections again, as did neighboring countries like Senegal, which surrounds the tiny sliver of land that comprises Gambia. This, coupled with a determined and unified opposition, convinced the president to accept his loss. Jammeh, to defend his dictatorial cred, did try to make things difficult for the opposition as his country headed to the polls. In a classically authoritarian move, his regime banned internet and international phone calls when the country took to the polls. He also barred EU election observers from monitoring the process. But it didnt deter Gambians from voting him out. His successor is a relatively new and inexperienced figure in Gambian politics. Adama Barrow is a real estate manager with little government experience (though he was reportedly a former retail store security guard in London before he threw his hat into the ring of Gambian politics.) He wasnt supposed to be the face of the opposition, but Jammeh threw many other would-be frontrunners in jail. He was thrust into this position because the leaders of party hes a member of, the United Democratic Party, are all in prison, Smith said. When Barrow takes office, he has a tough road ahead. The first item on the agenda is healing a nation that has suffered a traumatic dictatorship for over two decades. And then theres the administrative challenges. Jammeh ran Gambia as a mafia state, said Smith. The state does not exist without him, so theres a huge void that Barrow has to fill. He said theres little economic opportunity but Gambians are hopeful for the change new leadership could usher in. That void is a particularly deep and bizarre rabbit hole, starting quite simply with Jammehs resume. Officially, it painstakingly lists some 80 awards hes received as president, ranging from the Admiral in the Great Navy of the State of Nebraska (yes, that one is real) to an Honorary Degree in Herbal and Homeopathic Medicine from Belgiums Jean Monnet European University, to the Most Student Loving and Innovative President in Africa award to the Kentucky Colonel Award from the governor of Kentucky. Oh, and dont forget that Jammeh can cure asthma and (at least, he claims) AIDS but dont think that makes him a witch. I am not a witch doctor, and in fact you cannot have a witch doctor. You are either a witch or a doctor, he said, when his purported medical miracles came to light. And if titles alone won elections, Jammeh would have clinched a win; his formal title is His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Doctor Yahya AJJ Jammeh Babili Mansa. (He added Babili Mansa, meaning conqueror of rivers, to his title in 2015). A 2014 coup attempt adds another strange layer to his story. The coup ringleaders were a Texan real estate developer and a Minnesotan computer studies teacher who served 10 years in the U.S. Army. Because of course. The FBI later arrested the two men, both U.S. citizens of Gambian descent. None of Jammehs awards, strange antics, or his ability to dodge coup attempts, curried favor with his people, as the voters showed Friday. Its an upset few including Barrow himself expected. But international scrutiny on the bizarre and brutal dictator may have been the final nail in the coffin of Jammehs reign. For years, the opposition struggled and put their lives on the line without anyone taking note, Smith said. But when international media shed light on the Gambian leader, they also brought the plight of his people to light. The opposition wouldnt back down, Smith said. This time, they knew the world was watching. Photo credit: MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images SHAWANO, Wis. (AP) At least four people have been arrested and linked to a series of burglaries in northeastern Wisconsin, including thefts of more than 60 guns. Keith Bernarde, Lorenzo Thiex, Ayesha Dodge and Forrest Sparks all face charges, WLUK-TV reported. Bernarde was charged with three felonies related to the burglaries and Thiex 16 felonies. Dodge and Sparks each were charged with one felony for allegedly helping with the burglaries. It wasn't immediately clear if any have attorneys. Investigators in Shawano County said the suspects might be linked to about 30 burglaries this year in the county and neighboring ones. Authorities searched homes in Mattoon and Almon the past two weeks and said they recovered about $70,000 in stolen items, including more than 60 guns from Bernarde's property in Almon. "He's a hoarder," Sheriff Adam Bieber said of Bernarde, adding that the man's property was so filled with items that it was difficult to walk around. "He collects items and keeps them forever." Criminal complaints in the case show that besides the guns, investigators also found stolen hunting equipment, power tools and TVs in their searches. Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, the CEO of $12 billion Pershing Square Capital Management, saw his investments in Fannie Mae (FNMA) and Freddie Mac (FMCC) jump by more than $200 million in value this week. And according to our calculations, hes made close to $400 million (on paper) since initiating the positions back in 2013. Shares of the mortgage giants have been on an absolute tear since Donald J. Trump won the presidential election. The government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) are up about 172% since election night on the belief that they will be released from the governments control. And perhaps its no wonder that Ackman, the largest hedge fund shareholder in the GSEs, said he woke up the morning after the election extremely bullish on Trump. Ackman expects the new administration fix the problems at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. I think Fannie and Freddie are going to get resolved in the first 12 months of this new administration. And, Im looking forward to having my second meeting with Donald Trump and negotiating a deal, Ackman said at the Dealbook Conference on November 10. His first time meeting Trump was 20 years ago. A spokesperson for Ackman declined to comment for this article. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been on a tear. Fannie and Freddie remain one of the legacy issues from the financial crisis. As home prices cratered and mortgage delinquencies and defaults surged, they experienced tremendous losses and needed significant bailouts. They were subsequently taken over by the government. By 2012, Fannie and Freddie returned to profitability. In August 2012, the Treasury amended the terms of its senior preferred stock agreement, requiring the GSEs to pay dividends equal to 100% of their earnings. This is the so-called net-worth sweep. Its been eight years and Fannie and Freddie still operate in a state of conservatorship. They make billions in profits all of which goes directly to the Treasury as a way to reduce the deficit. Shareholders, like Ackman, dont benefit. Story continues Ackman, whos called this an illegal act, has been in the process of suing the government, claiming the net-worth sweep violates the Fifth Amendment by taking private property for public use without just compensation. Fannie Mae HQ Change could be on the horizon though with a new administration. On Wednesday, Fannie Mae and Freddie Macs stock saw a nearly 46% spike after Trumps pick for Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin, told Fox Business Networks Maria Bartiromo in an interview that hed like to see Fannie and Freddie privatized. Weve got to get Fannie and Freddie out of government ownership. It makes no sense that these are owned by the government and have been controlled by the government for as long as they have. In many cases this displaces private lending in the mortgage markets and we need these entities that will be safe; so let me just be clear well make sure that when theyre restructured theyre absolutely safe and they dont get taken over again but we got to get them out of government control, Mnuchin said. Mnuchin, a former partner at Goldman Sachs who ran the banks mortgage-backed bond trading desk, said this is a top priority for the Trump administration. Well, I think with this [Obama] administration it hasnt been a priority. If it had been a priority it would have. And in our administration its right up there in the list of the top 10 things that were going to get done and well get it done reasonably fast. Steve Mnuchin Its certainly much-needed good news for Ackman, whose fund suffered a double-digit loss in 2015 and is in negative territory again this year. An activist investor, Ackman is known for making large, concentrated bets in a handful of companies and pushing for changes. In the last two years, the funds returns have largely been dragged down by Canadian pharmaceutical company Valeants (VRX) massive decline. Since the election, Pershing Square has pared back some of its losses, most likely benefiting from the surge in the GSEs. Whats more, Fannie and Freddie appears to be a classic Ackman situation. He first got involved in Fannie and Freddie in 2013. That November, Pershing Square disclosed that it held 115,569,796 shares of Fannie and 63,505,693 shares of Freddie. Pershing Square began building its positions in October 2013 with an average cost of $2.29 for Fannie Mae and $2.14 for Freddie Mac. Hes previously given the GSEs a price target ranging from $23 to $47. The stocks were last hovering in the mid-$4 range at new 52-week highs. If things go according to plan, the payout could be tremendous. In May of 2014, Ackman delivered a 110-slide presentation at the Sohn Conference outlining his big bets on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In that presentation, he recommended reforming, not liquidating the GSEs. Specifically, Ackman believes they should focus on being pure mortgage guarantors and wind down the risky fixed-income arbitrage (FIA) business. He also believes there should be significant increases to the GSEs capital requirements, increased regulatory oversight, and appropriate compensation and governance policies. For now, hell have to wait to see if a deal is reached and how it plays out. I couldnt image a better person to negotiate with than someone who knows something about real estate, Ackman said of Trump at the Dealbook Conference. Julia La Roche is a finance reporter at Yahoo Finance. Read more: SCARAMUCCI: The governments new rule will hurt investors Trumps win is a grand slam for Wall Street banks Paris (AFP) - A new outbreak of bird flu hit France's foie gras producers just as a ban on exports outside Europe was about to be lifted in time for the crucial holiday period. The agriculture ministry said the outbreak of the "highly pathogenic" H5N8 strain of the virus was detected Thursday on a duck farm in the southwestern Tarn region, the heart of the lucrative, though controversial, foie gras industry. Exports outside the European Union had been suspended after an outbreak a year ago, and producers were waiting for the green light -- which had been set for Saturday -- to resume shipments just in time for the Christmas holidays, when the delicacy is especially popular. Japan, a top export market for foie gras, banned imports from France last December after the H5N1 strain was detected on 69 farms in southwestern France. As a result of the fresh outbreak, France will be unable to "recover, as anticipated, its status as (a country) free of bird flu" on Saturday, the ministry said in a statement. Sales within the EU can continue, however, the ministry said. It said migratory birds were the likely source of the outbreak. Some 7,000 ducks were slaughtered while a further 4,500 had died from illness in the region, officials said. Authorities later announced a number of confirmed or suspected cases of bird flu in the southwestern regions of Gers, Hautes-Pyrenees and Lot-et-Garonne -- where ducks from the supplier of the Tarn farm had been transported -- leading to around 7,000 further birds being culled. Producers must now wait another three months for the export go-ahead, as long as no further cases are discovered. A protection zone has been declared within a three-kilometre (two-mile) radius of the Tarn farm, as well as a 10-kilometre surveillance zone. Foie gras has become a battleground between animals rights campaigners and defenders of France's gourmet traditions. Force-feeding of geese and ducks to produce foie gras (fatty liver) has been banned in several countries but is legal in France. Story continues The process fattens the birds to around four times their natural body weight. The H5N8 variant of bird flu, which also hit duck farmers in the Netherlands last month, is highly infectious for poultry but poses little danger to humans. The H5N1 strain, however, has killed more than 420 people, mainly in southeast Asia, since first appearing in 2003. Lyle Denniston, Constitution Dailys Supreme Court correspondent, looks at the latest developments in the court battle over Obamacare and birth-control access for women who work for religious non-profits. healthcaresite The Obama administration, apparently ready to pass on to the new government of President-elect Donald Trump the deep controversy over birth-control access for women who work for religious non-profits, has now asked several appeals courts to keep pending cases on hold until February 28 almost six weeks after Trump is sworn in. Several of the non-profits have gone along with that suggestion, but a Christian college in Missouri is balking, saying it wants something done sooner to resolve the controversy. This is the health care dispute that the Supreme Court confronted at its last term, in the latest fight there over the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). But the Court wound up settling nothing; instead, it told the two sides to talk over a possible compromise that would insulate objecting religious institutions from the contraceptive mandate even while assuring their women workers that they could get the services free. Although the two sides did get together, at least once, the only public activity over the past few months has been the filing of status reports by both sides in the eight federal appeals courts where specific cases are pending in the wake of the Supreme Courts May 16 order for lawyers to get together. While the federal governments filings within the past few weeks have differed in some detail, on Wednesday the Obama administration asked three of those appeals courts to take no action until February 28. Those requests did not mention the change in government that takes place on inauguration day, January 20, but it was obvious that the administrations lawyers were signaling that the agencies would not have a workable compromise proposal ready to propose in their final weeks under current leadership. The reason given in each of those government filings was that federal officials were still mulling over some 54,000 replies they got in response to a request they put out in July for comments on how to protect the religious views of non-profit hospitals, colleges and charities and still make contraceptives available to their workers and students. Story continues In one appeals court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, four religious colleges and two groups of Roman Catholic charities filed a request to keep their cases on hold until February 21, a week earlier than the government proposal. Those groups request specifically mentioned the coming change in the government, suggesting that a postponement will allow the newly-inaugurated President and new Administration an opportunity to take a fresh look at this litigation and consider potential resolutions acceptable to all sides. While the status reports have mostly reflected a strong degree of harmony in continuing to pursue a way out of the ongoing controversy, one contrary development occurred in a status report filed on Thursday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, by lawyers for Heartland Christian College, an institution in Newark, Mo., and its corporate sponsor, CNS International Ministries, Inc. (Their case is one in which government lawyers on Wednesday had sought a delay until February 28.) The colleges filing brought back to the surface one of the underlying uncertainties about what the Supreme Court intended in its order calling for a negotiated compromise. The Justices order did not mention non-profit groups that insure their own health coverage, rather than contracting it out to an insurer, It is not clear that the compromise would even apply to those entities, because there may be no way to separate them from a role in providing contraceptive coverage for their women employees, and thus their religious objections could not be avoided. The Justices order seemed to be focusing on religious entities that have outside insurers for their health coverage, through whom the government could arrange to provide contraceptive services and methods. The lawyers for Heartland College argued in their filing Wednesday that the government has never demonstrated that it has the authority to direct an objecting employers plan administrator to provide access to drugs that could be used to bring about abortion without the religious entitys consent or approval. So, the colleges lawyers asked the Circuit Court to set a firm date for the government to come up with a way to accommodate the self-insured religious entities. As an alternative, the filing suggested that the government drop its effort to enforce the birth-control mandate in this specific case, or agree to have the Circuit Court go ahead and rule on the legality of the birth-control mandate itself. The document, though, did go on to note that there will be a change in the government, and said that may significantly affect some or all of the contraceptive mandate cases. Existing regulations to implement the mandate could be changed or, at least, the government could change its stance in the pending cases, the filing said. But, it added, those potential charges are uncertain, so the Circuit Court at a minimum should require the government by a specific date to propose a workable accommodation of the self-insured entities concerns. It is uncertain when, or if, the government will respond to the colleges new demand. It may simply stick with its proposal for inaction until February 28. Legendary journalist Lyle Denniston is Constitution Dailys Supreme Court correspondent. Denniston has written for us as a contributor since June 2011 and he has covered the Supreme Court since 1958. His work also appears on lyldenlawnews.com. Recent Stories on Constitution Daily Flag burning and the First Amendment: Yet another look at the two Last-ditch presidential recount efforts face a tough task Dont expect Electoral College drama on December 19 Coal sales and purchase contract signed on 1 December 2016 Confirmed tonnage of 500,000 per annum Contract for coal supply to PLN is confirmed for an initial period of 5 years, with the option to extend for three additional 5-year terms SINGAPORE / ACCESSWIRE / December 1, 2016 / BlackGold Natural Resources Limited ("BlackGold" or the "Company", and together with its subsidiaries, the "Group") is pleased to announce that through its subsidiary, PT Samantaka Batubara ("PT SB"), the Group has signed a coal sales and purchase contract ("Coal Sales Contract") on 1 December 2016 with the Indonesian state-owned electricity company, PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara ("PT PLN Persero"), for the annual delivery of 500,000 tonnes of coal to the PT Tenayan project, a new 2 x 110 MW power plant in Riau Province, Indonesia. The Coal Sales Contract shall be for an initial term of 5 years with an option to extend the contract for three additional 5-year terms, subject to mutual agreement between the parties. The first coal delivery is expected to commence in early 2017. Commenting on the Coal Sales Contract, Mr Philip Rickard, the Chief Executive Officer of the Group, said: "We are very pleased to sign this coal sales contract with the state-owned electricity company, PT PLN Persero. Signing of the contract attests to PT PLN Persero's confidence in the Group and we will continue to work hard to enhance the Group's reputation in quality and reliability. As we embark on this new significant milestone, the Group is confident that this long-term contract shall provide ongoing revenue which will strengthen the Group's position in the market." ABOUT BLACKGOLD (Bloomberg Ticker: BHR:SP) The Group is an Indonesia-focused coal mining company targeting Indonesia's rapidlygrowing power plant industry. The Group, through its local subsidiaries, has the rights to three coal concessions in Riau, Indonesia. Currently, the Group, through its subsidiary PT Samantaka Batubara, has coal concession for an area of 15,000 hectares, and has over 200 million tonnes of coal resources (JORC code). Story continues For more information, please visit www.blackgold-group.com. SOURCE: BlackGold Natural Resources Limited (Recats, adds analyst, company comment, detail) MELBOURNE, Dec 2 (Reuters) - A blackout that forced Alcoa Corp to shut one of two potlines at its Portland aluminium smelter in Australia will ratchet up costs further and may put the plant's future in jeopardy, analysts said on Friday. The smelter was hit when a power interconnector between the states of Victoria and South Australia went down on Thursday, knocking out power to both of the plant's potlines for about five-and-a-half hours. Speculation has grown about the future of the Portland smelter after a recent rise in electricity prices added to pressure from a years-long glut in the global aluminim market. "Restarting potlines is a messy, time-consuming, expensive business," said analyst Lachlan Shaw of UBS in Melbourne. "It's unquestionably another headwind to keep that operation open." The smelter, co-owned by Alcoa, CITIC Resources and an arm of Marubeni Corp, produces about 300,000 tonnes of aluminium a year. Alcoa said that one potline had been curtailed as a result of the outage, and to ensure the safety of people inside the plant. "Efforts are focussed on maintaining production in the smelter's second potline," Alcoa said in a statement, adding that it was too early to speculate on the full impact of the power outage, or on how long it may take to restore normal operations. "We are not speculating at all about the future of the smelter as a result of this latest power outage," Alcoa spokesman Brian Doy told Reuters. The smelter moved to a power contract with utility AGL Energy last month, following the end of a power contract with the state government, raising its costs. Global aluminium market have only recently picked up from seven-year lows, thanks in part to a coal shortage in China that many expect to prove temporary. "(It's) a bad time with metal prices so high. It will take months to jack hammer all the frozen metal and carbon from out of the pots, then repair," said Managing Director Paul Adkins of consultancy AZ China. "So Alcoa have a difficult decision to make." (Reporting by Sonali Paul and Melanie Burton; Editing by Richard Pullin) It may take a while for Donald Trump to disentangle himself from his businesses, Blackstone (BX)'s Stephen Schwarzman said Friday on CNBC's " Closing Bell ." "I think that's a tough one because he is so intertwined and his life has been basically his company ... so disconnecting from that is an unnatural act for him," Schwarzman, a billionaire, said. While "it'll take a while to work this out," Schwarzman claimed the president-elect is "sensitive to the issue." Earlier this week, Trump tweeted that he would be holding a news conference with his children in December "to discuss the fact that I will be leaving my great business in total." But he did not outline any specifics as to how that process would work. Trump has generated concerns about the possible blurring of politics and business when he takes office in January. Some have argued that Trump could run afoul of a constitutional clause guarding against enrichment from foreign governments, but it is not entirely clear if that rule applies to the president. Earlier on Friday, Trump announced that Blackstone co-founder, Chairman and CEO Schwarzman will chair his strategic and policy forum , which will feature the heads of some of the largest financial, industrial and media companies in the United States. Schwarzman told CNBC that he selected the business leaders for the forum and that the president-elect "loved them all." When asked if he had been offered a Cabinet position, Schwarzman said, "That's not a relevant discussion." "This is something that worked for me because I can't do something full time, given all the different things I'm doing now both not for profit and for profit," Schwarzman said. CNBC's Jacob Pramuk and NBC News contributed to this report. More From CNBC Election officials in four western Wisconsin counties began sifting through more than 89,000 state Senate ballots Monday in what will be the first of two recounts. Republican Dan Kapanke last week requested a recount in his bid to unseat Sen. Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, alleging mistakes were made in the more than 130 voting wards that make up the 32nd Senate District. Shilling, the Senate minority leader, won by just 56 votes. Meanwhile the Wisconsin Elections Commission on Monday ordered counties to begin recounting presidential votes on Thursday, providing either of the two third-party candidates who requested a recount submit the $3.5 million fee on Tuesday. Republican Donald Trump edged Hillary Clinton by just 22,177 votes to win Wisconsins 10 electoral college votes. Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who received 31,006 votes, requested a recount and as of Sunday said she had raised more than $6 million to pursue additional recounts in Michigan and Pennsylvania, two other states where Trump won by a narrow margin. Stein cited concerns that voting machines used in Wisconsin are vulnerable to hackers. After a divisive and painful presidential race, reported hacks into voter and party databases and individual email accounts are causing many American to wonder if our election results are reliable, Stein said. These concerns need to be investigated before the 2016 presidential election is certified. We deserve elections we can trust. Of Wisconsins 1,853 municipalities, 813 count most of their ballots by hand. The remaining 56 percent use some combination of seven tabulating machines from three different vendors, according to data from the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Voting machines are programmed at the county level, either by county clerks or by the machine vendor. Elections Commission Administrator Michael Haas has called Wisconsins the most decentralized election system in the nation, and that tampering with the machines would require unfettered access to offices throughout the state. Rocky Roque de la Fuente, an independent candidate who got just 1,514 votes, also petitioned Wisconsin for a recount, though it was unclear whether he planned to pay for it. Clerks in Crawford, La Crosse, Monroe and Vernon counties have estimated it will take between two and six days to complete the Senate recount. About 70 percent of the votes were cast in La Crosse County, and more than a third were absentee ballots, which take more time to process as poll workers must check the names on the envelopes against voter rolls. Dozens of poll workers began that process Monday morning. Because of how close that race was, Kapanke is not required to pay for the recount. Those costs will have to be absorbed by each county. Its not clear what will happen if the Senate recount is not completed before the presidential recount is supposed to begin. Haas said some of the work for that recount, such as reviewing poll books and absentee ballot envelopes, will not need to be repeated when those counties conduct their presidential recount. La Crosse County Clerk Ginny Dankmeyer said if that is the case, the presidential recount may only take a couple of days. Haas said he expects most counties will complete the presidential recount in about a week, though some large urban counties may take longer. Counties have a deadline of Dec. 12. Each of the states 72 county clerks can decide whether to recount ballots by hand or using tabulating machines, although Stein has asked a Dane County judge to order a hand recount. Dankmeyer said La Crosse County will hand count ballots because it is faster. Mark Thomsen, chairman of the bipartisan Elections Commission, said Monday he does not expect the recount will change the outcome of the election, and he criticized president-elect Donald Trump for claiming, without evidence, that millions of people voted illegally. What the president says about our system is very important, Thomsen said. Someone has the bully pulpit and somebody has impact on our citizens right to trust what happens down the block at their polling stations. Ive never seen this kind of attack on poll workers and how this system works. (Recasts lead, adds implication of leniency) SAO PAULO, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Shares in Braskem SA soared 10 percent in their biggest intraday gain in more than two months on Friday after Latin America's largest petrochemical firm said it is in advanced talks with authorities in Brazil and the United States for a leniency agreement related to a massive corruption scandal. Class-B preferred shares, Braskem's most widely traded class of stock, rose 9.77 percent to 29.77 reais ($8.62) after the announcement, the highest intraday rise since Sept. 28. Braskem did not provide additional details of the leniency talks in the statement. On Thursday, Braskem's parent Odebrecht SA signed a $2 billion leniency deal with prosecutors to settle its own liabilities in Brazil's biggest-ever graft case. The imminent agreement could help disentangle a series of aspects preventing controllers Odebrecht SA and Petroleo Brasileiro SA to sell their stakes in Braskem, as it could eliminate liabilities related to the corruption probe, making it easier to attract a bidder. The so-called Car Wash probe, started by prosecutors in Brazil in 2014, unveiled a sweeping graft scheme involving several construction companies and state-controlled Petroleo Brasileiro SA, known as Petrobras. Petrobras owns a 47 percent voting stake in Braskem. Reuters reported in March that Odebrecht, which owns 50.1 percent of the voting shares in Braskem, was considering selling a stake in the petrochemical producer in a joint transaction with Petrobras. Under terms Odebrecht's agreement, the firm will pay the hefty fine over 20 years. The money will be divided between authorities in the United States, Switzerland and Brazil, which would be the main beneficiary. ($1 = 3.4552 reais) (Reporting by Ana Mano; Editing by Jane Merriman and Marguerita Choy) (Adds comments, background, Cerberus moves) By Guillermo Parra-Bernal and Tatiana Bautzer SAO PAULO, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Oi SA could scrap a proposed three-year restriction on creditors swapping part of their debt for equity, in a sign that Brazil's No. 4 wireless carrier wants to lure bondholder support to exit bankruptcy protection faster, two people with knowledge of the matter said on Friday. The limit, which Oi included in a reorganization proposal on Sept. 5, drew creditor anger and helped slow the carrier's in-court restructuring. Chief Executive Officer Marco Schroeder told Oi's two bondholder groups this week that shareholders now seem less reluctant to accept a debt-for-equity swap, the people said. According to the sources, Schroeder met on Monday with Sao Paulo-based G5 Evercore, the advisor to a recently created bondholder group, to discuss the restructuring. He met bankers at a Moelis & Co-led creditor group on Friday, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity. That change in strategy would underscore how mounting government pressure to find a solution for Oi has forced creditors and shareholders to rapidly find common ground. Schroeder became Oi's CEO after a first round of talks with the Moelis-led group collapsed in June. Rio de Janeiro-based Oi declined to comment, as did Moelis. Efforts to obtain comments from G5 Evercore were unsuccessful. Oi's 65.4 billion-real ($19 billion) bankruptcy protection case, Brazil's biggest ever, has been complicated by September's reorganization proposal, which creditors alleged favors shareholders at their expense. The government may intervene if the rift persists. Reuters reported on Sept. 2 that the government would only act if "disruptive investors" sought to take control of Oi during the in-court reorganization plan. The Moelis-led group is working with Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris to present an alternative reorganization plan for Oi, drawing opposition from some government officials. Story continues A resolution of the conflict between bondholders and shareholders could draw more interested parties to Oi, which filed for creditor protection after succumbing to years of excessive borrowing and Brazil's harshest recession in eight decades. A third source said that a group of investors led by U.S. distressed debt fund Cerberus Capital Management LP is considering examining Oi's books to decide whether to place a bid during the reorganization talks. The same person said the Cerberus-led plan had already garnered support from government officials and banks. New York-based Cerberus did not have an immediate comment. ($1 = 3.4660 reais) (Additional reporting by Ana Mano in Sao Paulo; Editing by Paul Simao) Brexit fears for U.K. based companies were stoked on Friday as multi-national businesses continued to eye a move abroad and Nissan (7201.T-JP)'s alleged "sweetheart" deal with the U.K government faced calls for an investigation. Nissan committed to building two new car models at its biggest UK car plant in Sunderland, north east England, in October despite uncertainty as the country's government prepared for Brexit negotiations with the European Union (EU). Andrew Tyrie, chair of the Treasury Select Committee, sent an open letter to the U.K.'s National Audit Office (NAO) on Wednesday to begin an investigation into the alleged "sweetheart" deal between Nissan and the U.K. "The Treasury Select Committee would be grateful if you could examine whether contingent liabilities have arisen as a result of Government commitments, and/or assurances, to secure the Nissan investment for the UK," Tyrie wrote to the NAO on Wednesday. The Japanese carmaker reached a deal with the U.K. government to commit its immediate future to the country however the agreement has raised concerns that EU laws may have been breached. U.K. based financial services' companies have also been exploring alternatives to Britain after the country voted to leave the EU. Ireland's central bank has witnessed a substantial spike in the number of inquiries for such companies to operate from Dublin post-Brexit. "Since the UK referendum, there has been a material increase in the number of authorization queries from UK-authorized entities," Cyril Roux, deputy governor of Ireland's central bank, told reporters on Thursday. "We're seeing applications throughout the whole spectrum. We have applications for new business, the licensing of firms who are not present here but we also see very significant indications from regulated firms that are small today but want to be big tomorrow," he added. London (AFP) - British foreign minister Boris Johnson, a leading Brexit campaigner, on Friday denied contradicting government policy on immigration during private conversations with EU ambassadors, saying "we have to have control". Answering questions after his first keynote speech on foreign affairs, Johnson defended his support for free movement of people from the European Union -- which Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to end as Britain leaves the bloc. "I'm a liberal internationalist. I believe that immigration can do great things and when I was mayor of this great city I saw the strength and dynamism that immigration helped to give to the economy," the former London mayor said. "But what I also said at that breakfast (with ambassadors), is we have to have control." Asked by a French journalist about the suggestion that he was saying one thing in private and another in public, Johnson replied in French "not at all". Sky News on Wednesday quoted four ambassadors as saying Johnson privately told them he supports freedom of movement, despite leading a campaign that made ending mass migration a key issue ahead of the June referendum on EU membership. "Boris Johnson has been openly telling us that he is personally in favour of free movement," one diplomat was quoted as saying on condition of anonymity. Nick Clegg, former leader of the pro-EU Liberal Democrats, accused Johnson of "treating voters like fools". Speaking about Brexit in his speech at the Chatham House think tank, Johnson said observers had been "too quick to draw comparisons with populist movements across the world". "There are many people who voted to leave the EU not because they dislike or fear foreigners, but because they believe in democracy... Brexit emphatically does not mean a Britain that turns in on herself," he said. By David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - British fighter planes visiting Japan will fly over the South China Sea and Britain will sail aircraft carriers in the Pacific once they are operational in 2020, given concerns about freedom of navigation there, Britain's ambassador to the United States said on Thursday. The envoy, Kim Darroch, told a Washington think tank that British Typhoon aircraft currently deployed on a visit to Japan would fly across disputed parts of the South China Sea to assert international overflight rights, but gave no time frame. Speaking at an event also attended by Japan's ambassador to Washington, Darroch said that most future British defense capacity would have to be directed toward the Middle East, but added: "Certainly, as we bring our two new aircraft carriers onstream in 2020, and as we renew and update our defense forces, they will be seen in the Pacific. "And we absolutely share the objective of this U.S. administration, and the next one, to protect freedom of navigation and to keep sea routes and air routes open." In spite of Britain's preoccupations in the Middle East, "we will try to play our part" in the Pacific, he said. Four British fighter planes arrived in Japan in October to take part in exercises with Japanese forces at a time of rising tensions over China's pursuit of disputed territory in East Asia, including the South and East China Seas. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said all countries had freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, in accordance with international law, and there was no dispute about that. "We hope the relevant party can earnestly respect regional countries' efforts to safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea," he told a daily news briefing. A commentary on the official Chinese news agency Xinhua took a stronger tone, saying UK-China ties could be hurt. "Such remarks create the impression that London may soon deviate from a largely aloof attitude over the South China Sea issue and start playing a meddling role there like the United States and Japan," it said. "Should a British warplane embark on a so-called "freedom of navigation" mission in the South China Sea, it would only serve to further complicate the issue and weigh on thriving China-Britain ties." Japan's ambassador, Kenichiro Sasae, said the United States, Japan and Britain discussed greater naval cooperation at a meeting at the Pentagon in October and Tokyo welcomed greater British involvement in Asian security. Darroch said British Prime Minister Theresa May and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump discussed the importance of all NATO members meeting their defense spending commitments in a telephone call this week, their second since Trump's Nov. 8 election. Darroch said all NATO states had committed to spending at least 2 percent of GDP on defense, yet only five, including the United States and Britain, were doing so. "I think the criticism ... during this election campaign that a number of NATO countries aren't doing everything they can ... is entirely fair and we will see how the incoming administration wants to take that forward," he said. Trump has criticized European NATO members for not meeting their spending commitments and has also called on U.S. Asian allies Japan and South Korea to pay more for their defense or risk the alliances. Trump has said he plans to build up the U.S. military, and advisers have said he will pursue a policy of "peace through strength" in the Pacific in the face of China's growing assertiveness. The advisers say Trump can also be expected to take a more "robust" approach to naval operations to assert navigation rights in the South China Sea, a vital global trade route. (Additional reporting by Michael Martina in Beijing; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Clarence Fernandez) From Popular Mechanics Former American astronaut Buzz Aldrin, one of the first men to walk on the moon, has been evacuated by plane from the South Pole for medical reasons, officials said Thursday. Aldrin, 86, was visiting the South Pole as part of a private tourist group when his health deteriorated, the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators said on its website. It said he was taken as a precaution on the first available flight to McMurdo Station, a U.S. research center on the Antarctic coast. It described his condition as stable. The National Science Foundation, which manages the U.S. Antarctic program, described Aldrin as "ailing" and said he was being flown on a ski-equipped LC-130 cargo plane to McMurdo. From there, he would be flown to New Zealand, it said on its website. Aldrin became the second man to walk on the moon in 1969 as part of the U.S. Apollo 11 mission. You Might Also Like (This November 29 story has been corrected in the penultimate paragraph to say two rupees is around three U.S. cents and not a third of a U.S. cent) By Rajendra Jadhav, Euan Rocha and Rahul Bhatia MUMBAI (Reuters) - In late September, a woman in National City, California, received a voice message on her phone saying she was in trouble with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over "tax evasion or tax fraud". Panicking, she rang the number and told a man who said he was from the IRS: "I can pay $500," half the sum demanded. "I could do a payment plan. I just can't pay all of it at once." "Ma'am, you can pay $500 today itself. You can do that?" the man asked, adding that lawyers would look at her accounts and work out a monthly payment plan, but she had to pay half now. In transcripts of the conversation that investigators shared with Reuters, the man told her to keep the phone line open and drive to a nearby grocery store, where she bought $500 worth of iTunes gift cards and gave the 'agent' the redemption codes. She had just been scammed - one of at least 15,000 people the U.S. Justice Department says lost more than $300 million in an "enormous and complex fraud" running since 2013. The department last month brought grand jury charges against 56 people in India and the United States for "telefraud" scams run from fake call centers in India. Investigators have arrested 20 people in the United States, and Indian authorities have made 75 arrests following October raids on three premises in the Thane suburb of Mumbai. Charges include conspiracy to commit identity theft, impersonation of an officer of the United States, wire fraud and money laundering. Indian police say they are looking for Sagar Thakkar, a man in his early 30s also known as Shaggy, who they believe masterminded the scam. Thakkar was also among those named by the U.S. Department of Justice. Reuters was unable to contact Thakkar for comment; he is not known to have a lawyer, and police believe he fled to Dubai last month. "We are trying to complete the procedure to issue a red corner notice for Thakkar," Parag Manere, a deputy commissioner at Thane police, told Reuters, referring to an Interpol arrest warrant. Police said Thakkar led a lavish lifestyle, frequenting 5-star hotels and driving expensive cars with proceeds from the scam. He gave one, a 25 million rupee ($365,000) Audi R8, to his girlfriend. "We have seized an Audi car, and are trying to find other assets of Thakkar," Manere said. The FBI, which is involved in the investigations, declined to comment. The Department of Justice did not respond to requests for comment for this article. At a news conference last month, Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell said the U.S. would seek the extradition of suspects in India, and warned others engaged in similar schemes they could face jail terms. In interviews before the U.S. charges were filed, police, suspects and call center workers in India told Reuters how the scam was run. Training materials and taped conversations, which investigators believe were made by call center instructors for training purposes, shed some light on an operation aimed to exploit the aged and gullible. "TAUGHT TO BE TOUGH" "The revenue was unpredictable. Some days were good, some were bad," Haider Ali Ayub Mansuri, who said he managed operations at one fake call center, told Reuters as he was returned to jail in India last month after a court extended his custody. He is among the 75 arrested by Indian police. "On a good day, we extracted as much as $20,000 from a single U.S. citizen," he said. In India, the sheer scale of the operation surprised many. For months, hundreds of young men and women worked nights at several call centers in Thane. Callers posed as IRS officers and threatened their victims, often newly-arrived immigrants and the elderly, into paying fictitious tax penalties electronically - sometimes by buying gift cards and turning over the redemption codes, Indian investigators said. "They used to blast out pre-recorded messages to thousands of citizens who were asked to call back. When they called back, there was a center just like this," said Manere at Thane police. Acting on a tip-off, police raided premises in early October as call center workers settled in for their shift. The buildings housed seven call centers, and over a few days more than 700 people were detained. Most have since been released, but told not to leave the city. Callers bullied their victims with the threat of arrest, jail, seized homes and confiscated passports. "There was one instance where an old lady was crying," because she didn't have the money to pay, said a former call center worker who spoke only on condition of anonymity. "But we kept insisting on the money. We were taught to be tough," he told Reuters. On a follow-up raid in Ahmedabad, 500 kms (310 miles) north of Mumbai, police uncovered what they believe was "a nerve center for these centers," said Manere. "A lot of money has been transacted. It's been going on for a few years." The police raids found little in the way of documentation, beyond some training materials. Another former worker said this was likely because call center managers stopped employees from bringing pens and phones to work. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the accounts provided by call center workers. WEEKLY INCENTIVES Another former worker, an economics graduate, told Reuters she took a job without knowing what the center did. The 12,000 rupee ($180) monthly salary was well below the going rate for a graduate, she said, but it was a job, and "people aren't hiring." She said several of her colleagues looked as though they had just left high school. Her first week was spent in training with floor managers. While callers spoke to their victims, she said dozens of trainees squeezed in around the room, and had to memorize pages of dialogue for use on calls. Another former employee said his instructors told him his work was illegal, but there was "nothing to worry about." Callers made "fast money", another former caller told Reuters. In comments confirmed by investigating officer Mukund Hatote, the worker said: "For every dollar you brought in, you were given two rupees (around three U.S. cents)." People wanted to leave rather than be involved in something they suspected was illegal, he said, but carried on because managers offered weekly incentives, such as cash or gadgets, for meeting their targets. (Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav, Euan Rocha and Rahul Bhatia; Writing by Rahul Bhatia; Editing by Ian Geoghegan) A suspected drunken driver was arrested Thanksgiving morning after leading La Crosse police on a high-speed chase that ended when he crashed into a North Side home. According to police reports, 41-year-old Terrance Traylor of Onalaska was heading north on Rose Street about 2:30 a.m. when an officer tried to pull him over for veering from his lane. Traylor pulled into the parking lot of the Econo Lodge motel and then sped out the back, jumping a curb. Traylor fled east for six blocks on North Street, running a stop sign at what the officer estimated to be more than 70 mph, before plowing into a home at 1903 Loomis St., according to the reports. The collision damaged the homes porch and ruptured a natural gas line. A woman who was home escaped without injury, while Traylor took off on foot. The officer heard a man several doors away yelling at someone to get off his property and then chased Traylor through an alley as he shouted, I know you know who I am, and Im not going back to jail. Traylor was arrested nearby after the officer threatened him with a Taser. According to the report he was bleeding from his head and hands and said he knew that he was in a lot of trouble. Traylor refused a breath test and was arrested on suspicion of fourth offense drunken driving, fleeing police, resisting an officer and operating after revocation. He was expected to appear in court to face charges Tuesday. A judge on Monday imposed a $2,500 cash bond. Homeowner Anne Nicklay said she was on her couch watching a movie when she heard a godawful bang. She said she peeked out the curtains, and heres a van smoking right in the corner of my house. Nicklay said firefighters wouldnt let her back in the house until the next day because of the gas leak. She said it will likely cost $60,000 or more to repair the damage, which includes the porch as well as a 25-foot row of lilacs. Hollywood director Oliver Stone just got his good name back - at least online. A Canadian fan of the auteur director, Bill Sweetman, has returned the domain name OliverStone.com to Ixtlan Productions, Stone's Los Angeles-based production shingle. That's after the previous registrant of the domain, Universal City Studios, failed to renew Stone's dot-com namesake, known to users as The Oliver Stone Experience, prompting Sweetman's heroic rescue. "I've long admired Oliver Stone's work, especially his fearlessness at tackling controversial subjects," Sweetman, president of Name Ninja, a Toronto-based domain name acquisition firm, tells The Hollywood Reporter. "I didn't want this 19-year-old domain to fall into the wrong hands because Universal City Studios had failed to properly safeguard Mr. Stone's domain," the domain broker adds about the Snowden director's brush with celebrity cyber-squatting seemingly right out of the NSA leaker's playbook. So Sweetman got wind of the dropped domain site, purchased it at auction a week ago and has since returned it to Stone. A representative for Ixtlan confirmed that the expired domain is back with the director, who covered Sweetman's costs for his effort. Despite that happy ending, revealing what Sweetman knew about Stone's expired domain site will shed light on the risks celebrities face when their work or performances drive huge traffic to websites, only to see control lost overnight. It's no surprise that celebrities go to great lengths to control and protect brands built up over years of connection to their fans. They trademark their personal names, for example. Read more: Oliver Stone Says He Has No Plans for a Trump Biopic: "People Are Fascinated by Him, but Im Not" But celebrities occasionally allow their domain sites with personal names to expire, either by error or oversight. Often those domain sites aren't trademarked. So, while someone can purchase a dropped domain name and sell it back to the previous owner, it can't be done for the wrong reasons. Story continues Seeking a windfall profit or causing mischief risks violating the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, for example. "If a bad actor now has control over the domain name, they could do nasty things like forward the domain to an adult website, or the celebrity's competitor, or launch a fake 'official' website containinginformation about the celebrity, or sell fake merchandise," Sweetman warns. And if a star has other services, like a Twitter or Facebook account, tied to emails using the lost domain, a bad actor can use those emails to hijack the other services as well. "If the new owner wanted to be mercenary, they could hold the domain hostage and try to extort a ridiculous amount of money from the celebrity in exchange for transferring the domain," Sweetman explains. With OliverStone.com, representatives of the auteur director purchased the namesake URL from a domain speculator for $6,000 in 2012, Sweetman recounts. Later that year, the domain began hosting The Oliver Stone Experience website to spotlight Stone's life and work. But on Oct. 16, Universal City Studios, the third party to which Stone's domain was registered and managed, dropped the ball and allowed the domain to expire. That immediately took Oliverstone.com offline and eventually headed to auction. Of course, around this time, Stone had other matters on his mind, as his latest film Snowden, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the NSA leaker, had just hit theaters on Sept. 16. Luckily for Stone, Sweetman got wind of the dropped domain after it landed on an expiry list. On Nov. 24, he purchased the errant domain at auction for $1,500. Once the domain was in his possession, Sweetman reinstated the original domain name servers, bringing Stone's website back online. Read more: Oliver Stone-Produced Ukraine Doc Causes Stir in Russia, TV Network Ramps up Security Amid Threats The Canadian domain name broker next contacted Stone's production shingle to allow the director to reclaim the site, and at no profit to Sweetman as he received a payment of $1,508 from Stone to cover his expenses. This time Stone may want to personally register his dot-com site. "Regardless of whether you're an Oscar-winning film director or a member of the general public, having your important domain names registered in the name of a third party instead of your name is inherently risky," Sweetman says. He adds, "If that third party fails to renew your domain name, as was the case here, it can be difficult or impossible for you to retrieve the domain name since, legally and technically, you are not the owner and never were." Sweetman has rescued and returned other valuable domain names to stars he admires. He led the rescue of the FreddieMercury.com domain in June 2010 while then working at Tucows, a major domain name registrar. Yet again, the domain was owned by someone other than Mercury's estate and was allowed to expire. Sweetman worked with a former executive at EMI Music to contact Mercury's estate, to whom the namesake domain was donated free of charge. "We would openly like to thank Bill Sweetman and his team for their gift and allowing us to have the use of the best domain name for Freddie's musical legacy," the estate for Mercury's band Queen responded in 2010. Sweetman recalls in 2009 also retrieving the domain PhilCollins.com, also then owned by someone connected to Collins, but not the rock star himself. And in 2012 he spotted DarthVader.com on an expiry list, and donated it to Lucasfilm, which agreed to support one of Sweetman's charitable causes. "We're thrilled to be the new owners of DarthVader.com. ... We regret having to refuse Bill's request that we deliver the children's toys in the Millennium Falcon. It was heartbreaking having to explain to him that it's not real," Lucasfilm spokesperson Miles Perkins said in a statement at the time. Port-au-Prince (AFP) - Three Haitian presidential candidates have formally contested the election's preliminary results, their parties said Friday, after the vote count gave the ruling party's Jovenel Moise an outright victory in last month's first-round. Jude Celestin, Moise Jean-Charles and Maryse Narcisse are challenging the tally giving more than 55 percent of the vote to Moise, chosen by former president Michel Martelly to represent his party, Tet Kale (PHTK). He claimed victory in an interview with AFP. "The people have had their say," Moise said Thursday. "The country can no longer put up with this endless presidential campaign." If officially verified, the results would mean there would be no run-off round in the impoverished Caribbean country. Celestin is second so far with 19.52 percent of the vote, according to the preliminary results. They gave Jean-Charles 11.04 percent and Narcisse 8.99 percent in the November 20 balloting. All candidates had the right to file disputes by 10:00 am (1500 GMT) Friday. After the country's electoral courts analyze the vote count and issue their verdict, the official results will be published no sooner than December 29. Celestin's opposition LAPEH Party filed a challenge with the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) even before the preliminary results were announced. It accused the council of ignoring the requirement that voters sign their ballots or mark them with fingerprints, Celestin adviser Gerald Germain told AFP. "Unfortunately the CEP chose not to consider that aspect," he said. "We thought we were going to have a break with the way we usually organize elections in Haiti. Now we will have to go to court to assert our rights." Jean-Charles's left-wing party, Platform Pitit Dessalines, went further, accusing the CEP of corruption on Friday. "According to many witnesses, there were vehicles at roadblocks at the hotel where the Provisional Electoral Council was on Monday night, with a lot of dollars for bargaining with the CEP's members," said Evelt Fanfan, a lawyer for the party. Story continues "For proof, three CEP members refused to sign (the results) because they did not agree with the practice." - 'Order and discipline' - CEP president Leopold Berlanger on Monday declined to comment about the decision by the three -- of the council's nine members -- not to sign the tally. However, after hundreds of protesters clashed with riot police on Wednesday, the council issued a statement reminding Haitians that the results are only preliminary and urging "parties, political groups and candidates to refrain from declaring themselves elected." Moise urged his competitors to act in what he said are Haiti's best interests. "We need order and discipline to put the country back on the road to development," he told AFP, adding that it was now time for his rivals "to begin to realize that the country can no longer wallow in this history of violence." The vote, which took place without major incident, is seen as an essential step to allow the country to return to political order after the cancellation of the results from the first round of the presidential election held in October 2015. The results from that election -- which put Moise on top with 33 percent -- were scrapped after violence broke out and an independent commission found massive fraud. Only 21 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots in the first-round voting last month. Haiti has been headed by a temporary president, Jocelerme Privert -- previously Senate president -- since February. His mandate was supposed to end in June. ATLANTA (AP) -- The Atlanta Braves made another move in the dramatic offseason retooling of their rotation on Thursday by acquiring left-hander Jaime Garcia from the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals got a trio of prospects, including second baseman Luke Dykstra, the son of former All-Star Lenny Dykstra. The Cardinals also landed right-handers John Gant and Chris Ellis. Tied for the fewest wins in the NL this season, the Braves began to reconstruct their 2017 rotation by recently agreeing to one-year deals with veteran right-handers R.A. Dickey and Bartolo Colon. Garcia's $12 million option for 2017 was recently exercised by the Cardinals. Like Dickey and Colon, Garcia could be a bridge to young pitching prospects. Julio Teheran returns as a fixture atop the rotation. Among other candidates for the rotation are Mike Foltynewicz, Josh Collmenter and Matt Wisler. Braves general manager John Coppolella said he the team had interest in Garcia long before the offseason deal. ''We had targeted him for a number of years and feel he will be an impactful part of a revamped rotation,'' Coppolella told The Associated Press. ''It was tough to trade away three kids we really liked, but we want to win and we want to create competition for our young pitchers. I spoke with Jaime and he's feeling great and really excited about this opportunity.'' The Braves are moving into new suburban SunTrust Park in 2017. Garcia has spent his entire injury-interrupted career with the Cardinals, going 62-45 with a 3.57 ERA. He was third in rookie of the year voting in 2010, went 13-7 the following season while helping St. Louis win the World Series, and threw 171 2/3 innings last season - the second-most of his career. But the 30-year-old with a history of shoulder trouble was also just 10-13 with a 4.67 ERA last season, and a glut of starting pitchers made him expendable. The Cardinals are expected to have Lance Lynn back after missing last season to an elbow injury, and Adam Wainwright, Carlos Martinez, Mike Leake and rookie Alex Reyes are expected to solidify the rotation. Story continues The Cardinals also plan to have Michael Wacha start again, and general manager John Mozeliak has indicated former closer Trevor Rosenthal could be stretched out to start. By trading Garcia and his $12 million option for next season, the Cardinals gain the financial flexibility to chase down an outfielder, their biggest remaining hole. They already shored by their bullpen by signing left-handed reliever Brett Cecil to a four-year, $30.5 million contract. The 21-year-old Dykstra, a seventh-round pick of the Braves in 2014, hit .304 in 81 games for Class-A Rome. He was voted an All-Star in the South Atlantic League. He may have the biggest name recognition, but the two pitching prospects may offer more upside. The 24-year-old Gant debuted with Atlanta last season, making seven starts and going 1-4 with a 4.86 ERA in 20 games. He also made 12 appearances for Triple-A Gwinnett, going 3-3 with a 4.18 ERA. Ellis made 28 starts for Gwinnett and Double-A Mississippi, going 12-9 with a 4.49 ERA. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound right-hander was a third-round draft pick of the Angels in 2014. The Braves also have signed utility player Sean Rodriguez, who played for Pittsburgh the last two years, to an $11.5 million, two-year contract and acquired outfield prospect Alex Jackson, the No. 6 overall pick of the 2014 amateur draft, from Seattle for right-handers Rob Whalen and Max Povse. Jackson may be given an opportunity to play catcher, his high school position. --- AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta contributed to this report. By Rajesh Kumar Singh NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Friday that a cash crunch following the scrapping of high-value banknotes would ease by Dec. 30 with the release of new 500 and 2,000 rupee notes. Jaitley said, however, that the amount of new banknotes being released would not be the same as that circulating before Nov. 8, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the so-called demonetisation to purge the economy of illicit "black money". Modi, at a stroke, removed from circulation banknotes worth an estimated 17 trillion rupees ($249 billion). Finance ministry sources say they plan to reissue just over half of this - a task that would take months given the capacity of India's four banknote printing presses. Modi set a 50-day deadline that runs to Dec. 30 for people to swap or deposit their old banknotes. He has promised the situation would stabilise by then and urged Indians to adopt cashless payment forms such as debit cards and mobile wallets. "Obviously, one of the advantages of this exercise is going to be that you won't have the same level of paper currency which existed," Jaitley told the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit. Officials expect some illicit cash never to be returned and to expire worthless, while other money that is deposited will remain in the banking system. The government's goal is to encourage the use of cashless forms of payment, a challenge for most Indians who live and work in the informal economy. The dislocation resulting from the cash swap has been huge - workers seeking to collect their monthly pay have been turned away as banks ran out of cash, while car makers have reported a steep downturn in their November sales. "It does create a disruption," said Jaitley. "But I don't see the disruption lasting for very long. You may see some impact for a quarter or so." Jaitley also repudiated a call by the left-wing government of India's state of West Bengal to delay a planned Goods and Services Tax (GST) to avoid inflicting another economic shock in the wake of demonetisation. Story continues He said the plan was still to launch the new tax on April 1. Time was tight because, under a constitutional amendment that enabled the GST, India's old system of indirect taxation would lapse next September. "If on Sept 16, 2017, there's no GST, then there's no taxation," he said. "Our intention is to make sure it gets implemented from April 1, 2017." ($1 = 68.3450 Indian rupees) (Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh; Writing by Douglas Busvine; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) CBS has filed a copyright-infringement lawsuit against a YouTube channel for posting 16 episodes of the classic 1960s series The Andy Griffith Show online. The complaint, filed Thursday in New York federal court, claims that 8thManDVD.com Cartoon Channel garnered some 2 million views from the shows posted on the video-sharing platform. Named in the lawsuit is Edward Heldman III, who is the founder and president of ComedyMX, which runs the channel. The episodes at issue in the suit fell into the public domain in the '90s because the copyright-renewal application was rejected for being filed too late and, according to the suit, that's one of the reasons Heldman thinks his posting them was legitimate. However, CBS attorney Jonathan Zavin argues that just because episodes 80 to 95 aren't registered themselves, that doesn't mean they are wholly unprotected. The show, which starred Andy Griffith, Don Knotts and Ron Howard, ran on CBS from 1960 to 1968. Zavin argues that, because CBS holds valid and existing copyrights for the first 79 episodes of the series, the "copyrighted characters and numerous other original creative elements" that appeared in those episodes would still be protected in the middle episodes. "Accordingly, the newly-added elements, and only the newly-added elements, of these Middle Episodes which did not previously appear in the first 79 episodes of The Andy Griffith Show (which remain protected by statutory copyright) have fallen into the public domain in the United States," he writes. According to the complaint, Heldman has argued that the channel's exploitation of the episodes is not infringing because not only are the episodes in the public domain, but they are also "remastered" and therefore should be considered derivative works. CBS is seeking an injunction and either actual damages plus any profits Heldman made from posting the episodes or statutory damages, which range from $750 to $150,000 per infringement. Here CBS is citing 79 instances, so Heldman could be on the hook for up to $11.8 million if he's found liable. LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 2, 2016 / Cemtrex Inc. (CETX), a world leading industrial and manufacturing solutions company, announced today that it will be presenting at the 9th annual LD Micro Main Event on Wednesday, December 7 at 9:30 AM PST / 12:30 PM EST at the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. Cemtrexs chairman and CEO, Saagar Govil, will be presenting, as well as meeting with investors. The LD Micro Main Event is the largest independent conference for small/microcap companies and will feature 240 presenting names. Cemtrex, recently ranked among the fastest growing companies on Deloittes Technology Fast 500 2016 list, is a global, diversified industrial and manufacturing solutions company serving the automotive, medical, industrial automation, refining, power, chemical, metallurgical processing and utility industries, among others. Revenue has grown over sevenfold over a six-year period, reaching approximately $94 million in 2016 according to preliminary numbers released by management. The company has been profitable for over 22 straight quarters. By focusing on multiple industries with a healthy exposure to fast growing markets, Cemtrex has diversified risk while positioning itself for attractive long-term growth. To listen to the webcast, please click http://wsw.com/webcast/ldmicro11/cetx View Cemtrexs profile here: http://www.ldmicro.com/profile/CETX News Compliments of Accesswire About Cemtrex Cemtrex, Inc. (CETX) is a global, diversified industrial and manufacturing company that provides a wide array of solutions to meet today's technology challenges and is rapidly growing through acquisitions. Cemtrex provides: manufacturing services of advanced custom engineered electronics, industrial contracting services, monitoring instruments for industrial processes and environmental compliance, and equipment for controlling particulates, hazardous pollutants, and Greenhouse gases used in carbon trading globally. Story continues www.cemtrex.com About LD Micro LD Micro was founded in 2006 with the sole purpose of being an independent resource in the microcap space. What started out as a newsletter highlighting unique companies has transformed into an event platform hosting several influential conferences annually (Invitational, Summit, and Main Event). In 2015, LDM launched the first pure microcap index (the LDMi) to exclusively provide intraday information on the entire sector. LD will continue to provide valuable tools for the benefit of everyone in the small and microcap universe. For those interested in attending, please contact David Scher at david@ldmicro.com or visit www.ldmicro.com/events for more information. Contact: Investor Relations Cemtrex, Inc. Phone: 631-756-9116 investors@cemtrex.com SOURCE: Cemtrex, Inc. via LD Micro CenturyLink Inc. CTL, leading regional wireline service provider in the U.S., is forging ahead with new deals and business expansion schemes to fortify its fiber foothold. The telco is presently focused on delivering fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) 1 Gbps (gigabit per second) services in three states Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota in the Midwestern region of the U.S. This fiber facility will equip 484 multitenant unit (MTU) office buildings and reach out to 4,318 small to large businesses in these states. This will allow customers to integrate 1 Gbps with VoIP, cloud-based services like Microsoft Office 365 and other managed IT solutions. This FTTP drive is basically a follow-up of the companys initial 1 Gbps fiber-based services provision scheme covering 16 cities, which was announced in Aug 2014. CenturyLink plans to offer 1 Gbps service to multiple fiber-ready businesses in several cities but the impact will be most significant in seven cities of the three states. In Nebraska, the service will be provided in the cities of Omaha, Papillion and Grand Island. In South Dakota, CenturyLink will make the service available to businesses in one of its largest city, Sioux Falls and Rapid City. In North Dakota, the same will be provided to the most populous city, Fargo and its capital city, Bismarck. Further, the $34 billion (including debt) deal to acquire Level 3 Communications Inc. LVLT in a cash and stock transaction will help CenturyLink expand its near-net and on-net fiber presence. The equity value of this deal is approximately $25 billion. This deal is expected to help both the companies maintain their business momentum in the wake of severe competitive threat from large telecom operators such as Verizon Communications Inc. VZ, AT&T Inc. T and Comcast Corp. CMCSA. If the proposed merger materializes, it will expand CenturyLink's network by 200,000 route miles of fiber, including 64,000 route miles in 350 metropolitan areas and 33,000 subsea route miles connecting multiple continents. CenturyLink's on-net buildings are expected to increase by nearly 75% to approximately 75,000, including 10,000 buildings in EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) and Latin America. Therefore, a merged CenturyLink and Level 3 Communications will become a formidable challenger to their large counterparts. Story continues To Conclude We believe that such fiber expansion deals will help CenturyLink pursue more fiber-related deals and thus open up the scope to cater to many new locations and buildings which are not yet equipped with its fiber plans. CenturyLinks investment in fiber-to-the-tower (FTTT) has also expanded its fiber-based backhaul services. The company is also focused on establishing itself as a global leader in cloud infrastructure and hosted IT solutions arena designed for enterprise customers. For businesses, the 1 Gbps speeds are meant to help customers take better advantage of CenturyLink's growing set of cloud and managed service capabilities. CENTURYLINK INC Price CENTURYLINK INC Price | CENTURYLINK INC Quote CenturyLink currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Zacks Best Private Investment Ideas In addition to the recommendations that are available to the public on our website, how would you like to follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time? Our experts cover all kinds of trades from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Starting today, for the next month, you can have unrestricted access. Click here for Zacks' private 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 AT&T INC (T): Free Stock Analysis Report LEVEL 3 COMM (LVLT): Free Stock Analysis Report VERIZON COMM (VZ): Free Stock Analysis Report COMCAST CORP A (CMCSA): Free Stock Analysis Report CENTURYLINK INC (CTL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Howard Schultz did not exactly found Starbucks Corp. (SBUX). He started at the company when it had four stores. However, based on the wild success of Starbucks since then, the distinction does not matter. He steps down as chief executive officer at a time when the coffee store company is considered to be among the most successful in the United States. There are other public company CEOs who should follow his lead, but do so because their companies are failures. First among these is Eddie Lampert of Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD). He started the retail conglomerate by putting Sears and Kmart together under one company umbrella. Neither chain has flourished. As a matter of fact, both are in deep trouble. Stores are old, same-store sales are plunging and Wall Street wonders if Sear Holdings can survive. ALSO READ: America's Richest Cities Twitter Inc. (TWTR) was founded by Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone, Noah Glass and Evan Williams. Dorsey is the CEO of the once promising social network, which is now in tatters. Rumors that the company might be for sale appeared to be a way out. Twitter's user base growth has almost stalled. It cannot find a formula to attract advertisers or e-commerce. It has been flanked by other social media, like Snapchat. And, to make matters worse, Dorsey is also CEO of Square Inc. (SQ). Twitter is at least a full-time job, one that Dorsey has done poorly. ALSO READ: The Richest Countries in the World Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. (CMG) was founded by Steve Ellis, the current co-CEO, 23 years ago. After years of rapid sales it has had a series of food poisoning outbreaks. Management has been faulted for a culture in which food safety was not a priority and running a company that had inadequate food safety rules and regulations. Whole Foods Market Inc. (WFM) was founded by John Mackey in 1980. It grew rapidly as a healthy food alternative to large grocery chains. The company has been attacked for exaggerating the healthy nature of its produce and whether any of it has contaminants, as well as troubled labor relations, misleading comments about its relationships with suppliers and, worst of all, overcharging customers. Ironically Mackey will become sole CEO as Walter Rob, longtime co-CEO, leaves the company Story continues ALSO READ: Analyst's Top Pharmaceutical Buys Offer Big Dividends and Growth Potential Schultz leaves his job as a great success. Several other CEO-founders should leave because they are failures. Related Articles As President-elect Donald Trump looks to Make America Great Again, hell be relying on advice from a whos who of Wall Street titans and corporate executives, including his picks for Treasury and Commerce secretaries, Steve Mnuchin and Wilbur Ross. That list of Wall Street advisors grew longer on Friday as the Trump transition team announced the creation of whats being called the Presidents Strategic and Policy Forum, a group of 16 business leaders who will be asked to meet with Trump frequently and share their views on how government policy impacts economic growth, job creation, and productivity. Related: Trump the Populist Could Have the Wealthiest Cabinet in US History My administration is committed to drawing on private sector expertise and cutting the government red tape that is holding back our businesses from hiring, innovating, and expanding right here in America, Trump said in a statement. Never mind that the unemployment rate as of today stands at 4.6 percent, the lowest since August 2007. Or that, as the Obama White House points out, U.S. businesses have added 15.6 million jobs since early 2010. Or that the number of people who are working part-time but would rather be working full-time is now 5.7 million, an improvement of more than 400,000 over the course of this year. Those numbers all suggest that the labor market has, by and large, been making steady progress and bringing back jobs for years now. But theres still clearly more progress to be made wage growth, for example, has shown signs of picking up in recent months but could still be stronger. Related: Deficit Hawks Take Trump on an Ominous Tour of the Fiscal Cliff So theres certainly room for an advisory board like this to make recommendations for further strengthening the job market. And Trumps group is reminiscent of President Barack Obamas Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, which was chaired by General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt and also included one of the names below, Jim McNerney of Boeing, though Trumps board has more names from Wall Street than Obamas. Story continues The question is just what kind of advice the next president might be expected to get from this group and who on this list will be looking out for the interests of Trumps voters, or the American worker more generally. Some of the companies represented by forum members have spotty records when it comes to jobs. Disney, for example, has been embroiled in a controversy over outsourcing IT jobs held by Americans in Florida. Boeing has been accused of fleeing Washington state for South Carolina in order to pay lower wages to non-union workers. And Walmart, the largest employer in the U.S, has long been accused of paying crushingly low wages to its more than 2 million domestic employees. Heres the list of members, as released by the Trump transition team. Youll see a number of Wall Street financiers and a couple of large employers, with some members known to be Republican (Schwarzman, Welch) and some Democrats (Dimon, Fink): Stephen A. Schwarzman (Forum Chairman), Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder of Blackstone; Paul Atkins, CEO, Patomak Global Partners, LLC, Former Commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission; Mary Barra, Chairman and CEO, General Motors; Toby Cosgrove, CEO, Cleveland Clinic; Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO, JPMorgan Chase & Co; Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO, BlackRock; Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company; Rich Lesser, President and CEO, Boston Consulting Group; Doug McMillon, President and CEO, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.; Jim McNerney, Former Chairman, President, and CEO, Boeing; Adebayo Bayo Ogunlesi, Chairman and Managing Partner, Global Infrastructure Partners; Ginni Rometty, Chairman, President, and CEO, IBM; Kevin Warsh, Shepard Family Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Economics, Hoover Institute, Former Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Mark Weinberger, Global Chairman and CEO, EY; Jack Welch, Former Chairman and CEO, General Electric; Daniel Yergin, Pulitzer Prize-winner, Vice Chairman of IHS Markit Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: Anglers still cast lines and hunters head to deer camp each year, but the percentage of Minnesotans who hunt or fish is shrinking. To help grow the number of hunters and anglers, organizations can apply for grants from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Groups that will help move people through the process of becoming hunters and anglers, or of continuing to hunt or fish, are encouraged to apply for funding, said Jeff Ledermann, DNR angler recruitment and retention supervisor. We give priority to programs for underserved audiences, new immigrant populations and those with an ongoing impact rather than one-time events. Types of activities could include fishing and hunting educational programs, clinics, workshops, and camps, and funding for fishing and hunting equipment and transportation. Groups must apply for this round of grants by Jan. 9, 2017. The grant program began this year and this is the third round of grants. In this round, awards will range from $5,000 to $50,000. The DNR anticipates a total of $100,000 will be available. Third-round projects must be completed in Minnesota and be finished by June 30, 2018. New in this round, there is no longer a requirement of a funding match. Organizations are nonetheless encouraged to include a match in their project that can be funding, or donated labor, materials or services. Match amounts will be considered in the selection process. The grant program began this year and the first two rounds were competitive, with more than 50 applicants, Ledermann said. The groups we chose shared a commitment to ongoing support for helping people enjoy the outdoors through hunting or fishing. To learn more about the DNRs work in recruitment, retention and reactivation, and to find grant application requirements, visit www.mndnr.gov/r3. Details about the grant and a list of award winners can be found at the link under Help others discover. Protests outside Taiwan's parliament descended into chaos on Friday as workers angry over a proposed cut to public holidays attacked a lawmaker and threw smoke bombs. The controversial amendment to the labour law has already sparked a number of rallies and a hunger strike, with protesters accusing new President Tsai Ing-wen of betraying her campaign promises to protect labour rights. Tsai has seen her popularity plummet since taking office in May as her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government attempts to tackle a raft of domestic issues from gay marriage to pension reform. Workers would be guaranteed one mandatory day off a week under the revised law, in keeping with existing rules. They would also be given an additional "rest day" and would be paid a higher rate if they are asked to work on that day. But seven annual holidays would be scrapped. Lawmakers may vote on the bill as soon as Friday, prompting more than 100 protesters to clash with police outside the parliament building in Taipei. They held up banners with "Oppose the cut of seven holidays" scrawled on them and a some threw coloured smoke bombs. Senior DPP official Ker Chien-ming was pushed over, punched and had water splashed on him as he left the legislative complex, local media footage showed. After Ker was escorted away by police, protesters spat in a shoe they claim was one lost by the legislator in the scuffle, according to local media. Ker is the DPP caucus whip, who protesters blame for trying to force the bill through parliament. The DPP condemned the violence on Friday and called on the police to open investigations. "Labour groups have the right to express their demands, but violent behaviour like throwing water and beating is not something a democratic society can accept," it said in a statement. Tsai and her party rose to power after a landslide victory over the Kuomintang (KMT) in January, campaigning on a platform of progressive policies and improving prospects for young people in Taiwan. But recent polling by the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation showed her popularity had fallen to a record low of 41.1 percent, compared to nearly 70 percent when she first took office. Protests are common in Taiwan, but in recent months they have become more regular and heated over a range of domestic social issues, taking place mostly on the landmark boulevard outside the presidential office and the parliament building. The widespread effects of the U.K.s controversial Brexit vote remain to be seen, but British chef Jamie Oliver already has concerns for his industry. If it affects me, it will affect every restaurant and every farm and everyone in the food industry, which is the biggest industry on the planet, Oliver tells Good Housekeeping UK in their January issue. The vote, which has the U.K. on track to be withdrawn from the European Union by 2019, will make it even harder for restaurants to find workers, Oliver says. We are constantly short-staffed. We havent got queues of people wanting jobs. We havent got enough chefs. Its an impossibility that Britain can function without European staff. Oliver, who owns multiple restaurants in London and a chain of Italian restaurants across the U.K., is not convinced about the solutions that state officials are presenting. As far as Im told by the Government, it is going to be law that every restaurant has to have apprenticeships, which is kind of cute and nice, but you cant force it if there is no one who wants it, he says. RELATED VIDEO: Jamie Oliver Battles L.A. in Food Revolution The EU has a free migration policy, which means citizens of member states are free to move to any other country within it. A major part of the argument for Brexit revolved around immigration, with concerns that foreign workers are depressing wages and making it more difficult for Britons to get jobs. After the vote took place in June, the Wall Street Journal reported that 28% of British hospitality workers are foreign-born, with nearly half of those coming from the countries in the EU. The country also faces a well-documented shortage of chefs. Photo credit: Designed by Mariel Tylerundefined From ELLE Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie holds a unique place in our current culture, sitting at the intersection of the high brow literary world (her best-selling novels-Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun, Americanah-have racked up numerous awards and in 2008 she was awarded the prestigious MacArthur "genius" fellowship), pop culture (after her TED Talk, 'We Should All Be Feminists', was sampled by Beyonce in "Flawless," she pretty much secured a place in the pop culture hall of fame), and fashion and beauty (sitting front row at the Spring 2017 Dior show in Paris, fronting a beauty campaign for beloved UK drugstore brand Boots). [contentlinks align="left" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Story" customtitles="Why%20Chimamanda%20Adichie's%20Beauty%20Campaign%20Matters" customimages="" content="article.40177"] Adichie's role in what is often perceived as that most superficial slice of culture-fashion and beauty-makes a bolder statement than the red lipstick she now shills for Boots. It's a statement for so many women around the world who've felt that they had to choose: plainness or dowdiness, or risk being accused of caring more about appearances than their work; fashion or career advancement. [contentlinks align="left" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Story" customtitles="The%20New%20Dior%20Puts%20Feminism%20Front%20and%20Center" customimages="" content="article.39695"] So perhaps it's not surprising that when Maria Grazia Chiuri presented her first collection for Dior, she invited Adichie to sit in the front row. Chiuri seemed to be acutely aware of the magnitude of her own career advancement. Not only was she taking the reins at one of the most prestigious French fashion houses, but she would also be the first woman to ever hold the role. T-shirts that read "We Should All Be Feminists" marched down the runway tucked into intricately embroidered tulle skirts, asserting Chiuri, and by extension Dior's, stance on feminism. Story continues Photo credit: Christian Vierigundefined In an exclusive interview with ELLE.com, Adichie comments on her relationship with Grazia Chiuri, and with fashion in general. I hope this is the beginning of a turning point in societies across the world and that we look back on writers like Adichie with appreciation for their work in creating a language and dialogue about and for women who love their very serious work and their very serious stilettos. Your words showed up on the runway of Maria Grazia Chiuri's debut collection for Dior. How did that come about? Dior invited me to their show and I thought it was sweet of them but I didn't plan to go. I thought: not really my sort of thing. Then Maria Grazia wrote to me-a handwritten letter!-and I read it and was quite moved and decided to go. So the letter was the first reason, and the second reason is that a free trip to Paris is a fairly good way to bribe me. When I met her, I was so inspired by her. Inspired is an over-used word now but it is the only word that feels right. She is a very thoughtful, real, intelligent, confident woman. There are certain women I meet who make me proud to be a woman. She is one. Photo credit: Antonello Trioundefined What did it mean to you to see a storied French brand like Dior take such a feminist stance? And under its first woman create lead? I've never been very interested in the politics of couture fashion and so I was stunned to learn that Dior had never had a woman as creative director. Especially as Dior is iconic for a specific kind of female aesthetic. Maria Grazia's collection was very confident and felt very true, if that makes sense. It was the voice of a woman saying exactly what she wanted to say, and exactly how she wanted to say it, and I admired that enormously. And of course it helped that the clothes themselves were so beautiful; the dresses were ethereal and the jackets had a strong sort of grace-and that WSABF T-shirt wasn't bad! What was it like to see your words on the runway that day in Paris? Overall, how was your Paris fashion week experience? I was chuffed, but mostly I was applauding Maria Grazia because ours is a world in which 'feminist' is still, sadly, a contested word and idea and she made a courageous and honest stand. Dior showed me the loveliest hospitality, and so, personally, I had a very good time over all. Fashion Week has a particular sub-culture that is interesting if at times baffling. As a fiction writer I like to watch the world, and I collect material in an almost anthropological way. I thought most of the models were painfully skinny and I found that curious and troubling. Your love of fashion doesn't have to be a metaphor for the consciousness of multiple metaphysical selves or something. Your love of fashion can just be your love of fashion. Do you think that we're close to a tipping point, where society can handle women that influence politics and culture and still care about fashion? I hope so. I sometimes wonder whether being 'open' about fashion is something women still have to 'earn.' That you are still expected to prove your ability first otherwise your appearance will still be used as a proxy for your ability or intelligence. Which is a shame. One of the tragedies of our lives as women is how much we internalize about what a woman should and should not be/do. Sometimes the harsh appearance-based assumptions about women come from other women. For serious writers that also seriously love fashion and often feel that they have to choose, what advice would you give them? You don't have to choose. And you don't have to try to intellectualize it to make it more acceptable. So no your love of fashion doesn't have to be a metaphor for the consciousness of multiple metaphysical selves or something. Your love of fashion can just be your love of fashion. And keep doing the serious writing and reading, keep pushing, keep growing. You've been outspoken about your love of fashion and beauty-and that it runs in the family. Is there a moment that you remember, or an outfit that you wore as a child that made you think, "I really enjoy fashion?" Not really. I don't think I necessarily thought in those terms. Maybe it was also growing up in Nigeria, where dressing-up is generally expected. My mother raised us to think of our appearance as an act of courtesy to others. You Might Also Like At least 59 people have been killed in two separate Chinese coal mine blasts, according to death tolls reported by state media. An explosion Saturday at a colliery in the northern Inner Mongolia region killed 32, Xinhua news agency said. A total of 181 people were working underground when the gas explosion struck the mine in the city of Chifeng, with 149 managing to escape. In a separate incident, a blast occurred late Tuesday at a private mine in Qitaihe City, in northeast Heilongjiang province, trapping 22 workers, Xinhua said. Twenty-one were confirmed dead Friday night, it said, citing provincial authorities. Rescue efforts were hampered by debris from the blast in some of the tunnels, according to an earlier report. China is the world's largest coal producer and deadly accidents are common. A further 33 miners were killed in a colliery explosion on October 31 in the southwestern municipality of Chongqing, and in September at least 18 were killed in a mine blast in the northwestern Ningxia region. Officials say the number dying annually in the country's mines has fallen substantially in the past decade, to fewer than 1,000 a year. But some rights groups argue the actual figures are significantly higher due to under-reporting in a sector with poor oversight. BEIJING (Reuters) - China's highest legal body on Friday exonerated a 21-year-old man executed in 1995 following a conviction of rape and murder, saying the evidence against him had been insufficient. Nie Shubin was found guilty 21 years ago of raping and killing a woman in the city of Shijiazhuang in China's northern province of Hebei. He was executed on April 27, 1995, after a provincial court upheld the decision, in an appeal against his conviction by a city court. The exoneration by the Supreme People's Court followed a second re-examination of the case, that began in June. "The facts are unclear, the evidence is insufficient", the official Xinhua news agency said. Much of the evidence used against Nie was suspect, the court ruled, adding that there were doubts about the legitimacy of his confession. A Supreme People's Court official said in an interview with Xinhua there were "profound lessons" to be learnt from the case, which it called "typical" of poorly evidenced convictions. Videos of Nie's family bursting into tears at the news of Friday's verdict were shared thousands of times on the microblog Weibo, China's equivalent of social network Twitter. The Hebei provincial court offered its "sincere apologies" to Nie's family, and said it would immediately begin a compensation application process, as well as launching an investigation into its role in the case. The original decision had been thrown into doubt in 2005, when another man, Wang Shujin, confessed to the murder and rape, provoking wide discussion of Nie's case and an outpouring of support for his bereft parents. Following an appeal by the parents in 2007, legal authorities decided there was enough doubt to justify a re-examination by the Supreme People's Procurate. Wrongful executions have often stirred public outrage in China, particularly over confessions extracted under torture, but capital punishment itself has wide support. In 2014, a court posthumously acquitted an ethnic Mongol, Huugjilt, who had been executed for raping and killing a woman in a public restroom, a miscarriage of justice that sparked widespread anger. Huugjilt, like many ethnic Mongols, went by a single name. Another man was later sentenced to death for the crime. China guards as a state secret the number of people it executes annually, but campaigners against the death penalty say it is used more extensively than elsewhere. (Reporting by Christian Shepherd; Editing by Clarence Fernandez) MANILA (Reuters) - China's coastguard rescued two Filipino fishermen from a capsized boat near a disputed South China Sea shoal on Friday, underlining the fast thawing of ties between two countries long at odds over sovereignty. A Philippine coastguard vessel navigated choppy waters to collect the two fishermen from the Chinese ship, in what would be the first time in four years both countries' coastguards were in close proximity in the Scarborough Shoal, a rocky outcrop at the heart of years of diplomatic tension. "As we speak, the Chinese vessel is linking up with our own ship to turn over the two Filipino fishermen," said Philippine coastguard spokesman Commander Armand Balilo. "It is taking some time because the waters in the area are very rough." In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said the fishermen were in good health and that efforts were continuing to get them on to the Philippine ship. China "will continue to patrol and keep watch in waters around Huangyan Island and faithfully carry out its responsibilities and mission to safeguard the peace, tranquility and order in relevant waters", he said, using the Chinese name for Scarborough Shoal. The rescue illustrates the rapid changes in the relationship between the two countries under Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who in only a few months has sought to turn a historic foe into a friend. He visited Beijing in October and has met twice with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, to whom he has expressed admiration. The last time coastguards of the two countries were both at the shoal was in June 2012, during a protracted face-off sparked by Philippine attempts to arrest Chinese fishermen. That led to the Philippines lodging a case with the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, which infuriated China and put its claims to most of the South China Sea in the international spotlight. The Philippines won that case in July, with the arbitral award voiding China's U-shaped line of sovereignty on its maps. The ruling made clear the Scarborough Shoal was under the jurisdiction of no country and claimants China, the Philippines and Vietnam were entitled to exploit its plentiful fish stocks. China was until recently overseeing a blockade of the shoal some 124 miles off the Philippines coast, chasing away Filipino fishermen and sometimes blasting them with water cannon. Duterte has told Xi he will unilaterally turn the shoal into a marine sanctuary, banning fishing within the lagoon and restricting it to the peripherals. It is unclear whether Xi will agree to that and how it would be enforced. (Reporting by Manuel Mogato; Additional reporting by Michael Martina in Beijing; Editing by Martin Petty) BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Friday urged the United States to abandon a surrogate country approach it uses to calculate anti-dumping measures against Chinese exports, as a related clause in China's World Trade Organization (WTO) deal is set to expire. When China joined the WTO in 2001, it agreed to let WTO members treat it as a non-market economy when assessing dumping duties for 15 years. That gave trade partners the advantage of using a third country's prices to gauge whether China was selling its goods below market value. But that clause is due to expire on Dec. 11, and China has demanded that countries abide by the agreement. U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said in November the time was "not ripe" for the United States to change the way it evaluates whether China has achieved market economy status, and there was no international trade rules requiring changes in the way U.S. anti-dumping duties are calculated. Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman Shen Danyang said the United States should stop using its own market economy evaluations to deny China's "rights". "It's a right that China must enjoy as a WTO member and an obligation that all WTO countries must fulfill," Shen told reporters during a regular briefing. "China advises the United States to stop mixing things and escaping its international obligations. China calls for the United States to fully comply with the rule in a timely manner, and push for healthy development of China-U.S. trade relations." The United States has repeatedly argued that China's market reforms have fallen short of expectations, especially in aluminum and steel where state intervention has led to oversupply and overcapacity, threatening industries around the world. (Reporting by Yawen Chen and Michael Martina; Editing by Robert Birsel) In 2007, a Chinese company bought Mount Toromocho in Peru. Thats right. A mountain, in another country. Its more than half the height of Mount Everest, but aesthetic beauty wasnt a factor. Beneath the mountains surface sits two billion tons of copper, one of the largest reserves in the world. Through a state-owned company, the Chinese government secured access to yet another natural resource overseas. Over the last 20 years, the country has employed a kind of economic imperialism, buying minerals, farms, and water rights in far-flung places around the globe. Now the country is developing the technical know-how of high-end production, which will allow the Chinese to complete another part of the manufacturing process domestically. With the resources and knowledge required for advanced production, China can slowly reduce its interdependence with the rest of the world. China is big. The country represents 20% of the worlds population and 13% of its economy. When it comes to consuming commodities, the country is even bigger. China accounts for 60% of the worlds concrete, 48% of copper and coal, 30% of rice, and 54% of aluminum. Some of that is used for domestic consumption and building, while part of it goes into creating goods for export. Given such a huge appetite, it makes sense that Chinese imports shot through the roof since 2000, increasing from less than $500 billion to almost $2 trillion in 2014. But then something happened. Chinese imports fell off a cliff, diving to $1.68 trillion in 2015, and have fallen further since then. Part of the trend reflects lower energy prices, while falling demand for Chinese exports is part of it, too. But theres no doubt that Chinese companies now buy more resources from other Chinese firms, even when the raw inputs themselves sit halfway around the world. By taking control of mines, farms, and deposits in South America and Africa, the Chinese have ensured willing sellers to meet their increasing demand. Story continues What once appeared as trade when a Chinese company would buy natural resources on the open market, now shows up as investment when the same company buys the entire deposit. At the same time, Chinese companies are quickly building expertise in high-end manufacturing. Companies historically would buy Japanese or South Korean steel and ship it to China to be used in production, because locally produced steel held too many imperfections. Thats no longer the case. With each passing year domestic Chinese companies are capable of producing higher-quality chemicals, like silicone-based coatings, and are undercutting international competitors. The annual value of Chinas high-tech and new-tech imports peaked in 2013 and have fallen in successive years. None of this means that China will be economically independent from the rest of the world in the months or years ahead. The country remains the largest exporter on the planet by far, shipping $2.3 trillion worth of goods and services overseas, easily outpacing the next closest exporter, the United States, at $1.6 trillion. Chinas business model requires the rest of us to buy the stuff they make, and they need the foreign currency to buy food, energy, and other necessities. But the trend is obvious, and can lead to problems as the global economy slows down. If economic cooperation drops and a globalization retreat is something Harry has talked about in recent weeks then economic sanctions and other trade-related repercussions have less influence. The Chinese could become more aggressive in their quest to control the South China Sea. Or worse, they react badly when they have an issue with one of their foreign holdings. Eventually, somewhere on the planet, a government will decide that the sale of a natural resource to the Chinese by a previous administration was a bad idea. This will lead to nationalization or appropriation of the resource, like Peru taking back Mount Toromocho (which I do not expect; its just an example). With greater independence from the rest of the world, the Chinese might be more inclined to use force when compelling the foreign government to uphold its end of the bargain. Depending on the country involved and the treaties signed, this could very well lead to a conflict that we all want to avoid. The point is not to hold up Chinese development or the countrys pursuit of resources, but simply to acknowledge that, just as there is a cost to deep integration, there is also a potential cost to disengagement particularly when the other party has the worlds second-largest economy, and is the most populous country on the planet. Rodney Read the original article on Economy & Markets. To stay ahead of the curve and allow yourself to survive and prosper throughout all up-and-coming economic trends, sign up for our FREE daily newsletter. Dear doc: Thank you so much for your article in the paper on being proactive about discussing depression with your doctor. What a critical point! I also have been writing about this for years in whatever local publication will have me. I am very passionate on this topic. I suffered from depression, and I suffered from the inability to act on my depression. My family suffered, too. Good job. Keep up the good work. J.P. Dear J.P.: Thanks for your kind comments. Depression is often a disease of shame. People are afraid to admit they have it and they need help. Counseling, medications and improving your home and work life only come after you just say yes and then seek help. We need to move depression, and for that matter all mental-illness issues, out of the closet and into the open so we can shed light on those dark spaces so many people are in. Dear Dr. Zorba: I fell two weeks ago backward. I had no warning, just felt my head hitting the floor. I had a big goose egg but didnt blackout or vomit, so I knew I was OK. But the next day, boy, oh, boy, was I hurting. I went to my doctor, who took X-rays. Nothing broken, but the pain still hurts and hurts. Last night, I had a Southern Comfort before dinner, but, of course, thats something I cant do every day. Ive had three falls in the past four years, and all took time to get better. Should I see a neurologist? Im a very fit 83-year-old who doesnt think shes really that old. M.B. Dear M.B.: Congrats on being an 83-year-old who doesnt think shes an 83-year-old. Youre right to have that view but Im afraid your bones and joints may not agree with you. Ive been watching my beautiful 1-year-old granddaughter walk, fall, walk and fall. Nothing breaks. She cries for a moment and then moves on. I wish I could say that, and I bet you wish you could say that, too. Falls are a big risk factor in premature death in seniors. The low-hanging fruit you can reach to help prevent falls includes: night lights; getting rid of throw rugs, or tacking them down so you dont trip; and getting up slowly to let your body adjust, which is especially important if youre on blood pressure medications or other pills that can lower your BP. If you Google fall prevention Mayo clinic youll get more simple tips on preventing falls. Now, do you need a neurologist? Start with your primary care clinician. They often can do a screening that will help determine if you need a further examination. You need a face-to-face visit to find out whats up. Update: Finally, heres some news on prostate-cancer screening. Recent research published in the Journal of the American Medical Associations Surgery publication showed that since the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended against prostate screening, prostate biopsies have dropped precipitously by nearly 30 percent. The Task Force gave prostate screening a flunking grade because it determined the practice didnt save lives in the long run. While death from prostate cancer was reduced with screening, overall death rates from all causes lumped together were unchanged. Whether to screen or not is an individual decision each man should make with his doctor. It is in cases like this where the art of medicine shines. Stay well. A team of designers at Column Five, a creative content agency, recently decided to redesign 13 city flags from around New York and California. The revamp was meant as a creative challenge for the companys designers. While creating the new flags, designers were encouraged to stick to five tenets of good flag design: The flag should be simple enough that a child can draw it from memory, it should use meaningful symbols, contain only two or three colors, refrain from writing of any kind, and be completely distinctive from other flags. Most of the flags that the Column Five team was tasked with redesigning featured a seal or Latin inscription. Designers took elements from the clunky city flags and transformed them into modern, minimalist representations of the cities. Many of the designers grew up or currently reside in the cities they redesigned, Nate Butler, creative director of Column Five, told Travel + Leisure. On top of having a familiar understanding of the environment, each designer spent time doing deeper, historical research on their city. The real challenge, then, became how to visually distill the city's identity and heritage into a simple, readable, composition without sacrificing its rich history. City Flags Manhattans flag takes a cue from the physical geography of the island (surrounded by water, with gridded streets and a park in the center) while Staten Islands flag took elements from the old flag (waves) and simplified its look. City Flags Meanwhile in California, flag designs were inspired by what each city is known for: San Juan Capistranos new flag took inspiration from the famous California missions and Huntington Beach was inspired by its surf scene. City Flags Surfing is a big part of Huntington Beachs identity, designer Erin Safreno said of the flag. It seemed appropriate to include a wave on the flag to showcase the citys identity. The waves composition also plays off the traditional diagonal line flag design. City Flags Unfortunately, the redesign was solely meant as a creative experiment for the team and will not be implemented as any citys official flag. However, there is still a chance for modern design to make its way onto an official city flag: Theres currently a petition outsponsored by Roman Mars, host of the 99% Invisible podcast, and inspiration behind the Column Five projectto redesign the city flag of San Francisco. For inspiration they could look to the flags of New Mexico, South Africa, Canada and Seychelles. Butler pointed to these as some of the best flag designs in the world for their simple, bold and distinct appeal. Correction appended, Dec. 2, 2016 Face to face with the foe, top aides from Hillary Clintons and Donald Trumps campaigns clashed furiously, at time shouting over each other and tossing out catty asides about their opposite candidates. It was a fitting postlude to a caustic campaign. Harvards Kennedy School hosted its quadrennial Campaign Managers Conference on Wednesday and Thursday, and the deeply divided camps offered an often unfiltered oral history of their campaigns. Trumps victorious team wasnt shy about reminding the vanquished of their defeat, and the loss was still raw for Clintons team. For some of the operatives, it was the first time meeting their rivals, and, in the case of the Clinton aides, it was their first public appearance since the Nov. 8 surprise. Youre making me remember such a wonderful moment in my life, Clinton campaign chief Robby Mook said with more than a hint of woe, before dutifully taking his grilling from reporters and Harvard students about what went wrong. The diagnosis was inconclusive. Over two days, the top aides from every major campaign but two those of Ohio Governor John Kasich and former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania were no shows reflected for the Kennedy School project on the first postelection history of a campaign that saw a billionaire, former reality-show star catapult past rivals with more traditional credentials. But there were flashes of frustration if not anger for winners and losers alike. Dont act as if you have some kind of mandate, Obama strategist Joel Benenson said of Clintons victory in the popular vote but not the all-important Electoral College. Hey, guys, we won, fired back Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway. You guys are bitter, Conway added after another exchange. Youre all bitter. Her assessment wasnt far off, and winning did little to instill a sense of humility. Story continues I would rather lose than win the way you guys did, said Clinton communications director Jennifer Palmieri, attacking Trumps courting of the alt-right. I am more proud of Hillary Clintons alt-right speech than any other moment on the campaign. Some key takeaways: Ted Cruzs campaign advised Trump Heading into the final weekend before New Hampshire voted, Cruz campaign maven Jeff Roe called his counterpart in Trumps organization. The blustery New Yorker was on track to win the state that Cruz was largely ceding it. Cruzs research showed voters were on the precipice of switching allegiances. If Trump could tone down some of his fireworks and campaign with a bit less acidity, he could sew up the state. Trump took the good advice, and he used a win in the state to start his string of wins. Donald Trump changed his strategy on Thursday before the Tuesday election, to be positive, said Corey Lewandowski, Trumps manager at the time. That was the recipe moving forward. Everyone hates the media The press was a target of every campaign team, who objected to everything from the time given to Donald Trumps rallies to the rules used for debate qualifications. Trumps campaign blasted the press for its coverage of their candidate. The largest super PAC, called the media, his digital director Brad Parscale sneered. We had media bias that we had to spend money and energy to push and correct the message We had to fight media bias and corporate bias. And Mook said the political forecasters signaled that a Clinton win was inevitable, driving down voting numbers. When the New York Times or the other prognosticators say you have a 90% chance of winning, that suppresses [voters], Mook said. It was a good tactic. Surveys consistently say they do not trust the media, and Trumps war on them boosted his appeal to the working-class voters who were looking for a candidate who would fight for them. We actively picked fights with the Union Leader, Lewandowski said of New Hampshires largest newspaper and called its publisher Joe McQuaid a bad guy. But the Clinton campaign really hates the media Palmieri criticized the press for providing airtime to Trump and ignoring their candidate. He gets all the coverage and you guys only covered her when she was talking about him, she said. The Clinton team also piled on attacks for how the media covered Clintons use of a private email server. Its going to go down in history as the most grossly overrated, overcovered and most destructive story in all of presidential politics, Palmieri said. If I made one mistake it was legitimizing the way the press covered this story line. Mook echoed with a critique of the coverage of WikiLeaks emails stolen private messages of Democratic National Committee staffers and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. The media didnt seem willing to put that in the proper context of the deep connections that Donald Trump had [with Russia], he said. Clinton aides repeatedly asserted that their boss a former First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State was treated as an incumbent President from the first day of the campaign. A frequent point of frustration was her paid speeches between her time at the State Department and her campaign. Palmieri said she read the speeches and initially favored just releasing them to get them out there. However, she came to realize it would never be enough. They would be poured over, comma by comma, Palmieri said. CNN takes a lashing CNN honcho Jeff Zucker came under sustained fire while participating in a media panel over Wednesday evening dinner of fish. The former NBC executive who green-lit The Apprentice faced questions about his networks extensive and unedited coverage of Trump. He was jeered and heckled by the audience of campaign operatives and journalists, who questioned his decision to hire former Trump campaign manager Lewandowski and to allow Trump surrogates to continuously air falsehoods on his air. One reporter questioned Zuckers decision to ask Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson a nut job in her estimation on shows even after she was shown to be factually challenged. Twitter is king Trump fundamentally changed how campaigns are fought, and Twitter was the favorite battlefield for Trump. Donald Trump has just tweeted from his pajamas, Lewandowski marveled. Fox News would cover it live. True. And it bedeviled his rivals who couldnt match the machismo online. It was like owning the New York Times without the overhead or the debt, Trump aide Michael Glassner said. And when Trump stepped into controversy, he could fire off a late-night tweet and turn the page. He has the ability to change the narrative with 140 characters, Lewandowski said. The result was that the traditional campaign infrastructure didnt much matter. People were really, really excited about President-elect Trump. They were not about Hillary Clinton, said Mike DuHaime, New Jersey Governor Chris Christies campaign strategist. The candidates have to be exciting for that to matter. Hillary is self-critical Clinton, who has said she lacks the political talents of her husband, remained in a dark place even heading into Election Day. She was still bracing for a loss, even as polls showed her campaign heading toward a victory. There was no one who was less surprised that she lost than Hillary Clinton, said Palmieri, who added that Clinton insisted on expecting the worst. She doesnt expect everything to go her way. Palmieri said. Mook also said former President Bill Clinton remains deeply upset about the results. Mook wanted his team in foxhole Seeing polls showing Clinton heading toward a loss in her primary against Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire, Mook put out the call: everyone head north, whether they were tech engineers or political professionals. The entire campaign was there. We literally emptied out our headquarters, Mook said. Clinton lost by 22 percentage points. We went through that experience together, Mook said, saying he wanted his team unified in loss. In part, it is why no one blames Mook for the campaign loss. The Clinton campaign also hates James Comey The FBI director was a frequent target of the Clinton team, for providing what Mook called the single greatest headwinds we had in this campaign. That is, his pair of letters in the final 10 days of the campaign. Clintons team believes the first letter alienated some soft Clinton supporters, while the second energized Trumps base. Mr. Comey seems to care little about FBI precedents, sniped Benenson, Clintons strategist and pollster. Earlier in the campaign, Mook was on the phone with White House political director David Simas when Comey went to the television cameras for an unprecedented press conference to criticize Clintons use of private email. I think we had better got off the phone and watch this, Mook said to his counterpart. Neither knew just how far Comey would go. Cruz wasnt trying to get booed at the GOP convention I dont think that he understood the conscience, the loaded word that that was, said Jamie Johnson, of Cruzs speech at the partys confab in Cleveland. Cruz withheld his endorsement of Trump and encouraged Republicans to vote their conscience. We understood that he could get booed but the eventual outcome of what he was trying to accomplish he thought he could pull it off and he didnt get it done, he added. Donald Trump does what he wants to do Trumps first campaign chief Lewandowski said the boss wealth was always to be embraced. He insisted on rolling into airports with his Trump-branded plane. He wanted expensive cars to ferry him around. Trump aides also recounted that their pleas for the President-elect to stay on message often fell on deaf ears. After Trump attacked Senator John McCains military service, Lewandowski said he advised Trump to apologize. Donald Trump does what Donald Trump always does, which is doubles down, he said. His instincts are so different. Instead, Trump went to meet with reporters and repeat his criticism. And for his attack on Judge Gonzalo Curiel, that was also premeditated and against the advice of staff. We had talked about it on the way to the venue and I made the strategic recommendation, as did others, not to do that, but Donald Trump does what Donald Trump wants to do, Lewandowski said later. They were just the latest examples of Trump ignoring tradition. For instance, he refused to release his tax returnsthe first in decades to ignore that call. No one cared, Conway said glibly. Instead, Lewandowski said New York Times editor Dean Baquet, who told a separate Harvard audience that he would risk jail time to publish Trumps tax returns. Hes willing to commit a felony, Lewandowski said. Its egregious. He should be in jail. The Muslim ban wasnt a fluke and it helped Trump Lewandowski explained that the campaign spent days working on the language for his Dec. 7 statement calling for the halt of Muslim immigration to the U.S. The media wants to focus on what the statement said, he said, before being interrupted by laughter. He continued to tout how the campaign spent multiple days vetting the policy. We actually called a lot of people, he said, adding, Donald Trump spent a lot of time thinking about this before we wrote this statement. Rubio strategist Terry Sullivan noted that the controversy only helped Trump, even among those who didnt agree with the constitutionally dubious plan, because it pitted Trump against elites. It was this elite attitude, it wasnt Middle America, he said of the press coverage. Polls were weaponized Former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal planted himself in Iowa, betting he would go all-in in the state and notch an early win to prove he wasnt an also-ran. The path to victory was to throw everything into Iowa, Timmy Teepell said. Then, the media bifurcated the field into the main debate and also-rans based on polling standing. It became a national primary at that point, he said. You need to have the time to grow in Iowa, to meet people, to see your polls go up slowly. That didnt happen. Other campaigns also groused about the emphasis on polls, both for debates and for coverage. Ultimately that strategy broke down when the media decided to have a different kind of debate criteria, said Christian Ferry, who managed Senator Lindsey Grahams campaign. And once relegated to the undercard debate, they were stuck there. No candidate ever moved from the second tier to this first without the media changing the rules along the way. Team Trump cant accept a win Time and again, Trumps aides crowed about their genius. I dont think you give yourself enough credit for the negative campaign you ran, said Mandy Grunwald, a longtime Clinton adviser and one of the savviest media strategists in the party. She then praised the Trump campaigns use of the National Enquirer to publish outlandish claims that Clinton was mortally ill or bound for jail at any time. Trumps team objected and stammered that they won. Take the compliment, Kellyann, Grunwald said. I would if it were one, Conway said. Grunwald merely shrugged. We gave you the material to work with, she said. America almost got a fourth debate The Clinton campaign mulled pitching one more meeting of Clinton and Trump, Palmieri said, because those sessions were the only way that made clear the differences between the two nominees. Conway said the Trump team would have accepted the invitation. After all, Trump improved with each debate. When we were at our best when we could be on stage with Donald Trump, Palmieri said. We could never replicate that when they were in their separate silos. Correction: The original version of this story incorrectly attributed a quote about the 2016 election. It was Jennifer Palmieri who said, There was no one who was less surprised that she lost than Hillary Clinton. By Devidutta Tripathy and Jatindra Dash BHUBANESWAR, India (Reuters) - Power and coal minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday there was no value in splitting up India's biggest coal producer Coal India Ltd and denied any plans to break it up. In a presentation seen by Reuters on Thursday, government officials recommend that Coal India - with a stock market valuation of $28 billion - should be broken up into seven companies, which they say would make it more competitive and efficient. The proposal, dated November 30, is expected to be presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon, three government officials with direct knowledge of the situation said. But Goyal said on the sidelines of an investment summit held in the capital city of the eastern state of Odisha that the report was "unfounded" and "untrue". "I haven't seen it. If somebody else has seen it then I don't know," Goyal said, referring to the proposal. "I have made my view known in June 2014. Coal India's strength comes from it being one company," Goyal said. Goyal also said he has asked the board of state-owned aluminium producer National Aluminium Co. to "reconsider" a proposal to set up a smelter in Iran. The company, majority owned by the government, had been scouting for an overseas location to set up a smelting plant. "I believe that we should Make-In-India... Ideally it should be in Odisha where the material is mined," Goyal said. (Reporting by Devidutta Tripathy and Jatindra Dash; Editing by David clarke and Susan Thomas) U.S.-led coalition forces have killed 173 civilians since starting their 2014 operations against the Islamic State group, also called ISIS, in Iraq and Syria. The Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) said Thursday 54 civilians died in airstrikes that took place between March 31 and October 22. We regret the unintentional loss of civilian lives resulting from Coalition efforts to defeat ISIL in Iraq and Syria and express our deepest sympathies to the families and others affected by these strikes, the CJTF-OIR said in a statement. The U.S.-led coalition has conducted 16,291 airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria of which 12,633 were conducted by American warplanes. The coalition force periodically probes reports on civilian deaths to determine their credibility and publishes updates on its investigations. In its statement, the CJTF-OIR said it investigates all reports of possible civilian casualties using traditional investigative methods, such as interviewing witnesses and examining the site, the Coalition interviews pilots, reviews strike video when available, and analyzes information provided by government agencies, non-governmental organizations, partner forces and traditional and social media. In addition, we consider new information when it becomes available in order to promote a thorough and continuous review process. The CJTF-OIR investigated 276 allegations of civilian casualties of which they found 83 of them to be credible. The U. S. military suffered its first casualty in Syria when a soldier died last week of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated. The solider, who was part of the CJTF-OIR, was near Ayn Issa in northern Syria when the device exploded. Related Articles The Senates vote to renew sanctions against Iran for another 10 years has delivered a symbolic warning to Tehran and a bipartisan snub of the White House, which worries the move could raise tensions with Iran. Secretary of State John Kerry and other officials had discreetly lobbied lawmakers to drop the measure, arguing that the U.S. president already has sweeping authority to reimpose sanctions that were lifted under a nuclear agreement with Iran. American officials also unsuccessfully warned that even threatening to revive sanctions could undercut the more moderate elements of the clerical regime, led by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who is pressed to show his public the benefits of the nuclear deal before elections in 2017. But lawmakers who backed the legislation on Thursday including Democrats who supported the Iran nuclear agreement signed last year said it was vital to convey that Tehran would be held accountable if it violated the terms of the nuclear deal. And they emphasized that extending the Iran Sanctions Act, which was first adopted in 1996, did not violate the nuclear accord. Congress action today should send a signal to the Iranian government and to the world that the United States is serious about enforcement of the nuclear agreement, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement after Thursdays 99-0 vote. The House approved renewing the legislation two weeks ago by a lopsided 419-1 margin. And despite the administrations view that the renewal is unnecessary, President Barack Obama is expected to sign the law into force. The July 2015 agreement between world powers Russia, China, Germany, Britain, France, and the United States and Iran imposed strict limits on Tehrans nuclear program in return for a lifting of an array of international and U.S. sanctions that had crippled Irans economy. The negotiations also opened a diplomatic dialogue between the United States and Iran not seen since the Islamic Republics 1979 revolution. Story continues Although the two countries have not had formal diplomatic relations since the revolution, which toppled the countrys monarch, Kerry and Irans foreign minister, the American-educated Mohammad Javad Zarif, have forged a rapport that offered the possibility of a U.S.-Iran detente. But Donald Trumps victory in the U.S. presidential election likely has killed off any prospect of a continued thaw between the two governments, as the president-elect and the Republican-controlled Congress have vowed to ratchet up pressure on Iran and possibly jettison the nuclear accord. Trumps picks for national security advisor, CIA director and defense secretary are all outspoken critics of the deal who describe Iran as the single biggest threat to the United States. Since the election, European diplomats have appealed to Trumps team and advisors not to abandon the nuclear agreement. The Europeans say that tearing up the accord or sabotaging it would mean the end of intrusive international inspections of Irans atomic sites, prompt Tehran to rush to build a bomb and possibly trigger a dangerous confrontation leading to war. Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, slammed the Senate action through his Instagram account, with a post repeating his earlier warning that Tehran would be ready to retaliate if sanctions were renewed by Congress. The extension of the Iran Sanctions Act would represent a violation of the nuclear agreement and the Islamic Republic would definitely react to it, he told members of the countrys Revolutionary Guard last week. Even if the nuclear agreement remains in place, Thursdays vote could mark the first step in a new cycle of tension between the United States and Iran as Republican lawmakers and Trumps conservative policy advisors take a tougher line with the Tehran regime. Republican members in Congress plan to introduce new sanctions by March separate from the nuclear deal that would penalize Iran over its ballistic missile tests, its support for militants across the Middle East, its armed backing of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and its alleged arms shipments to Houthi rebels in Yemen, congressional staffers and experts said. Trumps administration also likely will adopt a more aggressive interpretation of existing U.S. sanctions against Iran. The incoming administrations Treasury Department could opt to issue new guidelines that would have the effect of discouraging foreign banks from financing commercial transactions with Iranian companies without requiring breaching the nuclear deal or adopting new legislation. One option favored by conservative policy experts would have the Treasury Department impose a wider prohibition on Iranian companies subject to sanctions. Iranian firms in which the Revolutionary Guard has a 51 percent majority share are blacklisted under current rules, but the threshold could be dropped to a 25 percent share. Such a change could mean hundreds of Iranian firms would be blacklisted, forcing foreign investors to cancel some potential deals. The Obama administration has tried to reassure European and other foreign banks they will not run afoul of U.S. prohibitions if they arrange commercial deals in Iran. But a Trump White House is expected to deliver a different message, experts said. Critics of the Iran nuclear deal argue the United States is under no obligation from the agreement to help Iran attract foreign investment, and that Tehran has become emboldened as a result of the Obama administrations approach. Trumps advisors and Republicans in Congress have rejected the Obama administrations concerns that any strengthening of sanctions could tip the balance in favor of a more hardline faction in Iran. They say that despite internal divisions inside the regime over tactics, the countrys leadership as a whole shares the goal of pursuing nuclear weapons. Our weakness has been an inducement for Irans accelerated malign activities. A show of strength in the U.S. Congress and a new administration could actually provide a deterrent, said Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, who has advised lawmakers on sanctions policy. Photo credit: ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images Washington (AFP) - The US Senate on Thursday approved a 10-year extension of sanctions against Iran, a bipartisan measure that would have expired at year's end but now goes to President Barack Obama's desk. The Iran Sanctions Act passed the Senate 99-0, after easily clearing the House of Representatives in November. Obama is expected to sign the measure, a White House official said, adding that the administration does not believe the extension violates the nuclear agreement that was reached last year with Iran. The legislation does not directly address the nuclear pact. But some say the restrictions in the bill go against the spirit of the agreement, under which Tehran curbed its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief from the United States and other nations. Senate Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Tim Kaine, who both backed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran, said that while the president is currently waiving some sanctions as part of the agreement, "sanctions legislation must remain in place to allow an immediate 'snap-back' should Iran violate the JCPOA." The extension signals congressional commitment to vigorously enforce the pact, and would "make clear that there will be immediate consequences should Iran break the terms of the agreement, including the re-imposition of sanctions," they said. The bill includes penalties against Iran's banking sector, as well as its energy and defense industries. Last month Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that the Islamic republic would "react against" the new sanctions extension if it becomes law. US President-elect Donald Trump heavily criticized the pact as he campaigned for the White House over the past year. Several fellow Republicans remain vehemently opposed to the nuclear deal and have called for its termination. Extending the sanctions "ensures President-elect Trump and his administration have the tools necessary to push back against the regime's hostile actions," said Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker, who Trump has been considering as a possible pick for secretary of state. A decade ago, cheap Chinese cloth was hammering American textile makers. Companies like Burlington Industries and Cone Mills, two big U.S. makers of denim, mattress coverings, upholstery, and carpets, were bankrupt and shedding jobs. Thats when Wilbur Ross, a billionaire corporate raider who cut his teeth at Rothschild, the famed British investment bank, spotted an opportunity. He snapped up Burlington and Cone Mills, both of which had filed for bankruptcy, and bundled them together into a new company, the International Textile Group (ITG). Then he drafted a blueprint to compete with low-wage Chinese workers: move up the value chain to sew more specialized textiles. He ended up saving hundreds of jobs, even as rival textile firms continued to hemorrhage jobsand, still now, go belly up. The jury would say Wilbur Ross was a very good thing for those companies, said Augustine Tantillo, the president of the National Council of Textile Organizations, the industrys trade association. Ross is now President-elect Donald Trumps choice for commerce secretary. Nobody has made better deals than Wilbur Ross, a spokesman for the real estate magnate said on Wednesday when announcing Rosss nomination. Together with Steven Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs trader who served as Trumps campaign finance chief and has been tapped to be Treasury secretary, the Wall Street duo is tasked with fulfilling Trumps campaign promises to his blue-collar supporters. That includes somehow bringing back manufacturing jobs to the Rust Belt and doubling recent U.S. economic growth rates while also scrapping or renegotiating trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement and threatening destructive trade disputes with Americas biggest trading partners. Its a tall order. Manufacturing makes up but a tiny slice of the U.S. workforce, and most of the 5 million manufacturing jobs lost since the turn of the century are due more to automation than trade deals or globalization. The structure of the global economy has also changed since Rosss revival of textile mills and other industries in the 2000s. Now, the aftershocks of Chinas economic slowdown rather than its rise pose a direct threat to the kind of blue-collar workers Trump pledged to protect; Chinese overcapacity in steel production, for instance, has swamped the global market and driven down prices. Story continues Meanwhile, few economists consider GDP growth of 4 percent a year likely, when it has only averaged half that since the 2008-2009 fiscal crisis. Many experts do worry, though, that Trumps tax cuts and spending plans will increase the budget deficit. Muddying the waters even further, its not even clear that Trumps prospective cabinet picks are fully in step with him on economic policies: According to the Palm Beach Post, Ross was a registered Democrat until two weeks ago. Democrats in Congress are already raising the alarm about Trumps nominees. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders issued a joined statement blasting Trumps choice for Treasury secretary. Steve Mnuchin is just another Wall Street insider. That is not the type of change that Donald Trump promised to bring to Washington that is hypocrisy at its worst, they said. Mark Paustenbach, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, added, Donald Trump continues to stack his administration with the same insiders and financial elites he railed against during the campaign. Those concerns echo much of what worries big labor organizations. The AFL-CIO has long warned of the dangers of a Trump presidency to its working-class members and endorsed his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. So did the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees; the Service Employees International Union; and the National Education Association. But many union voters ignored their leadership, particularly in the Rust Belt. Trump had the best showing among union workers by a Republican since Ronald Reagan in 1984. The acid test for them will be whether, when it comes to saving traditional manufacturing jobs, Trump and his team, including Ross, can deliver. Trump can already point to some early successes before he even takes office. Air-conditioner manufacturer Carrier said this week that it would keep 1,000 factory jobs in Indiana, rather than move them to Mexico. That announcement came after Vice President-elect and current Indiana Gov. Mike Pence dangled $7 million in state tax breaks before Carriers parent company, United Technologies. This is about the president-elect and vice president-elect making good on their promise to go to bat for American workers, Trump spokesman Jason Miller said during a conference call with reporters Thursday. A decade ago, in textile plants in North Carolina and South Carolina, Ross opted to transform U.S. mills into more sophisticated operations. Instead of competing with low-wage Chinese workers on basic piecework, he shifted ITGs focus to more complicated products, like uniforms for the U.S. military and other entities. That gave them a competitive edge over cheap but less-skilled overseas workers. The results of his investment are mixed. From 2004 to 2014, North Carolina gained 1,945 jobs making nonwoven textile products and $719 million in nonwoven textile factory investment. But Ross hasnt been able to save all the jobs at ITG. In 2012, Bloomberg reported that in the 1970s, before widespread automation, 2,800 workers were employed at a Cone Mills factory in White Oak, North Carolina. In 2012, that same facility had 300 workers. Smaller payrolls beat shuttered factories, argued Tantillo, the industry lobbyist. When you look at our situation in 2016 compared to 10 years ago, its exponentially better, he said. The industry was contracting at a rate where people were honestly concerned about whether there would be an industry. But he stuck in there for the better part of 12 to 14 years [and] made those companies much more stable. Ross also sought to stabilize the troubled U.S. steel industry, but with even more mixed results, said Scott Paul, the president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, a partnership between manufacturers and U.S. steelworkers advocating more job-friendly policies. In 2002, Ross bought bankrupt American steelmaker LTV just before then-President George W. Bush slapped steep tariffs on foreign steel, which would act as a shield of sorts for U.S. producers. Ross then bought a handful of other struggling firms Bethlehem Steel, Weirton Steel, and Acme Steel to form the International Steel Group, a smaller rival to behemoth U.S. Steel. To turn them around, he slashed costs. Ross cut retirement benefits for more than 190,000 steelworkers and retirees by moving private pensions to the federal Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. At one Acme site in the Midwest, he cut the number of salaried personnel from 200 to 25. At Bethlehem Steel, he got rid of 3,000 jobs through buyouts and voluntary departures. A year later, in 2003, he took the company public and then sold it for $4.5 billion to Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal in 2004. Mittal merged the International Steel Group into what is now ArcelorMittal, the worlds largest steel producer. Since then, the company has cut jobs around the world, but American employees have been largely spared. It might be hard for Ross to re-create, in government, even the moderate success he had in textiles and steel. American manufacturing is not ailing output is at an all-time high and has doubled since 1984. It just requires fewer and fewer workers. In many cases, there is little need to create new jobs to keep production booming. Even as Carrier jobs were saved, bearings maker Rexnord, which has operations near the Carrier plant in Indianapolis, plans to lay off about 350 workers while electronics manufacturer CTS will get rid of more than 200 jobs at its Elkhart plant. And plenty of other factors shape firms employment decisions: governmental regulations, infrastructure, proximity to supply chains and final markets, and the cost and education of the local workforce. Carriers parent company required a subsidy from state coffers to keep jobs in Indiana that by market logic would have fled abroad but thats hardly a model for boosting manufacturing employment nationwide. And the ArcelorMittal acquisition of Rosss steel group underscored the increasingly globalized nature of a heavy industry like steelmaking, where cheaper labor costs and lax environmental regulations make it easier for overseas factories to undercut U.S. producers and make it all the harder to shake the rust out of the Rust Belt. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, America has lost 48,000 steel jobs since Ross dove into the sector. It might have been even worse; according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, a steel union boss in 2005 called the deal a good [arrangement] for Wilbur Ross and his return on investment, and its been a good deal for us. Were it not for Wilbur Ross, there would be thousands upon thousands fewer steelworker jobs in the United States than there are today, Paul said, but conceded that U.S. manufacturers are still swimming upstream when it comes to job creation. He was able to save some jobs, not all the jobs, Paul said. Photo credit: DREW ANGERER/Getty Images The rancher who wanted to kill the mountain lion that has been terrorizing Malibu recently says she will not hunt the animal after receiving backlash for applying for a permit to shoot the creature. Read: Monsters, Gorillas and Santa Claus Captured on Surveillance Cameras Set Up Around Local Park Rancher Victoria Vaughn-Perling says she will work with Californias Department of Fish and Wildlife and the National Park Service to find a way to capture the mountain lion, named P-45. The mountain lion slaughtered 10 alpacas at Vaughn-Perlings ranch. It was so extreme. It didn't eat anything. It just killed and left it there. It was so horrific, the distraught rancher told Inside Edition of one alpaca death. The rancher was granted a permit to shoot P-45 by state officials Monday, but it caused uproar at a public gathering, where one P-45 supporter said: They bring these alpaca from South America into mountain lion country and when the mountain lions eat the alpaca they want to kill the mountain lions! Wendell Phillips said P-45 killed 11 animals on his ranch. "If he was just eating one animal once in a while because he was hungry, everybody would understand that. But this? No," he said. P-45 wears a tracking device in a collar and wildlife authorities are able to follow his every move. Victoria Vaughn-Perling told Inside Edition: I hope it is put somewhere where it will be safe because if it continues to keep eating the local livestock, someone is going to shoot it. Read: Cougar Snoozer: Mountain Lion Discovered Taking a Cat Nap on Suburban Family's Doorstep Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl issued a statement Thursday saying: I am very grateful to the property owner for her willingness to work with my office, the National Park Service, the National Wildlife Federation, and others, to spare the life of one of the precious few mountain lions left in our Santa Monica Mountains. Story continues "This is a great example of the constructive ways that government, residents, nonprofits and activists can work together to forge a common-sense solution that is a win-win for wildlife and ranchers." Watch: Best Fur-ends: Adorable Lion Cub and Spunky Sea Otter Play Game of Cat and Mouse Related Articles: Could you spend over 100 days in the car with your loved one? Greg and Heather prove its possible to spend months trapped in a small space with your significant other and not kill them! They join The Doctors fresh off of their world record setting, 36,500 miles, 48 state epic road trip that began in July. The couple says the most common question they have received since the trip is how they were able to get along after spending that much time in the car with each other. Watch: Tips For Traveling With Kids Its not so easy but you get to learn when someone is in a bad mood and how to handle it and not to let things stick around for too long and to let go, Greg says. The couple slept in their car while on the trip, but Greg still managed to get in mediation and 120 push-ups every day. Heather says that to avoid cramping and other medical issues related to driving for an extended period of time; they would stop often and enjoy long walks and hiking and they managed to visit 25 National Parks during their trip. While crisscrossing the country, the couple learned where one can legally sleep overnight a truck stop, a rest area and surprisingly a Wal-Mart parking lot. Watch: Staying Regular While You Travel And after traveling through the entire continental United States, they both tell The Doctors that their favorite place they visited was Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. The La Crosse Fire Department's hazardous materials team responded to a liquid ammonium hydroxide spill Thursday at Davy Engineering, in the 100 block of South Sixth Street. Fire and hazmat crews absorbed the spilled liquid and neutralized the residual contamination, according to the department. The call was received at 1:22 p.m., and the scene was cleared at 5:11 p.m. News Channel 8 offices were used as a warming center for evacuated employees of Davy Engineering during the incident. No injuries to employees or emergency responders were reported. SAO PAULO, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Brazilian telephone company Oi SA, which is under creditor protection, said court administrators had filed a petition in an Amsterdam court to convert the suspension of payment status of two Oi subsidiaries into bankruptcy. Earlier this week, Oi said that Dutch judicial authorities could enforce bankruptcy proceedings on the Netherlands-based units, which issued most of its bond debt. Oi has said it hopes any potential Dutch bankruptcy proceedings do not have a significant impact on the process in Brazil, where in June it filed for creditor protection to restructure about 65.4 billion real ($18.3 billion) in debt. A hearing in Amsterdam has been scheduled for Jan. 12 to decide on the matter, according to a filing from Oi late on Thursday in Brazil. The petition relates to Oi's Netherlands-based subsidiaries, Oi Brasil Holdings Cooperatief UA and Portugal Telecom International Finance B.V. which have suspension of payments legal standing, protecting them from creditors and giving them time to restructure. However, if bankruptcy is declared, the assets of a company may be liquidated to repay creditors, law firm LVH-Advocaten, which is based in Rotterdam, says on its website. ($1 = 3.5751 reais) (Reporting by Ana Mano; Editing by Alexander Smith) This crew of amazing women is going to Antarctica and its #SquadGoals of a lifetime Women are making history, and its incredible! A crew of women are sailing to Antarctica this month, and theyre the largest group of women to ever do it. The Homeward Bound Initiative has recruited 76 female scientists to observe the impact of climate change in Antarctica during a 20-day expedition. Homeward Bound, launched earlier this year, is now a global movement to increase the influence that female scientists have on the field which, like many industries, is traditionally male-dominated. The message of Homeward Bound is to bring together this intelligent, capable group of women who are not seen, not recognized, and in large part somewhat sidelined, Fabian Dattner, leadership activist and Homeward co-founder, told Reuters. A group of intelligent women destined to change the world? Ultimate squad goals. Were missing half the voice at the leadership table, Dr. Thomas told BBC. Homeward Bound came out of discussions aroundthe lack of representation of women in science. She and her co-founder, Dr. Jessica Melbourne-Thomas, were inspired to launch Homeward after they heard a group of scientists joking that only men could hold leadership roles in the field of Antarctic science. Story continues Well just go ahead and say that Dattner and Thomas initiated the best clapback EVER. As if this group of women wasnt inspiring enough, Dattner revealed that theyve all experienced some sort of discrimination, misogyny, or sexual harassment throughout their careers. We have so much admiration for the fact that theyve bounced back and used that as motivation for this awesome project. A documentary inspired by this mission, called Beautiful Minds Agents of Change, is also in progress. The historic expedition starts December 2, leaving from Argentina, and continues until December 21st. The wait is over! Today is the day. Now we make history and lead the change we want for our planet. #antarcticabound #letsdothis #homewardbound16 #mothernaturesdaughters #leadership #homewardbound A photo posted by Homeward Bound (@homewardboundprojects) on Dec 2, 2016 at 4:54am PST It will include lectures, leadership workshops, and networking opportunities for the scientists to participate in. The next trip leaves in 2018, and anyone interested can apply starting January 17, 2017. The post This crew of amazing women is going to Antarctica and its #SquadGoals of a lifetime appeared first on HelloGiggles. Trump victory tour Cincinnati President-elect Donald Trump held a raucous rally in Ohio on Thursday night, celebrating his victory in the US presidential election. After thanking the crowd, Trump said, "America is going to start winning again, big league." The president-elect's remarks Thursday night closely resembled those from his campaign rallies, touching upon his positions on the US economy, jobs, domestic policy, and immigration. Trump also made a surprise announcement, confirming the nomination of retired Marine Gen. James "Mad Dog" Mattis for the role of defense secretary. "But were not announcing it until Monday, so dont tell anybody," he quipped. Trump also appeared to take a stand against far-right, white-supremacist nationalist groups that have appeared emboldened by his campaign. "We condemn bigotry and prejudice in all its forms," he said to some applause and cheers. "We denounce all of the hatred and forcefully reject the language of exclusion." Trump, who hasn't held a press conference in months, revived his attacks on news organizations from his podium. He pointed directly to reporters covering the event inside the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati: "The people back there the extremely dishonest press. Very dishonest people ... I mean how dishonest." He then went on a lengthy tirade against journalists and pundits who predicted he would lose the election to Democrat Hillary Clinton. Chants of "lock her up" were heard at the mention of Clinton a common refrain at Trump rallies before the election. After Trump won, he reversed an earlier promise to seek the prosecution of the former secretary of state over her use of a private email server. Trump victory tour Cincinnati The victory rally came nearly one month after Trump's surprise win and amid a bustle of new Cabinet selections ahead of the president-elect's inauguration on January 20. Story continues Thursday night's rally also played out under the lingering specter of vote recounts in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. Ohio's secretary of state, Jon Husted, dismissed those efforts in remarks at the event, saying "as your chief elections official, I signed the document certifying President-elect Donald Trump as the winner of the state of Ohio." The crowd erupted. Trump Cincinnati Calling the results "remarkable," Husted said Trump "won by a margin of 450,000 votes in our state." Before the president-elect took the stage, a handful of speakers delivered remarks applauding Trump's positions on domestic and foreign policy as the crowd chanted sporadically at one point reviving the "drain the swamp" and "build the wall" chants often heard on the campaign trail. Since the election, however, Trump appears not to have spent much time contemplating such matters. The Washington Post reported last week that the president-elect had turned away daily classified intelligence briefings and had added some billionaire Wall Street bankers to his Cabinet, despite railing against such individuals before his supporters gave him the keys to the White House. All told, Trump will preside over the wealthiest Cabinet in US history, according to the Los Angeles Times, if his picks are ultimately confirmed by Congress. Trump closed his speech on Thursday night by asking supporters to keep believing in him. "The script is not yet written," he said. "We do not know what the next page will read. "What we do know is that the pages will be authored by each one of you." NOW WATCH: Wisconsin has started recounting over 2 million votes from the presidential election More From Business Insider Ghosted, a new travel series from Crypt TV and Complex Networks newly launched digital video network Rated Red, will take fans of the paranormal on unorthodox vacation tips. The show will explore spooky locations across America, as host LeeAnna Vamp journeys to the sites of notorious murders, hauntings, and catastrophes. In addition, the producers will also distribute one-minute companion content through Crypt TVs Facebook and Snapchat channels. Crypt TV is a digital studio geared at lovers of the horror genre and represents a collaboration between Jack Davis, Hostel director Eli Roth, and The Purge producer Blumhouse Productions. Theyve been involved in a number of innovative productions, including a 60-minute Facebook Live play and a Snapchat murder mystery. The platform averages 30 million monthly video views. Ghosted is an eight-part series that will include locations in five different states, including Hotel Villa Convento in New Orleans, where visitors come to learn about voodoo; Camp Creek train wreck, the Georgia location of a famous railroad disaster; and Windsor Ruins, the remains of a famous mansion that was destroyed by fire. Vamp, a model and entrepreneur, created and produced the YouTube series Best Friends Forever, Star Wars Girls, Nerd Forever Talk Nerd to Me. Complex is jointly owned by Verizon and Hearst, and its brands include Complex, Collider, and First We Feast. Executive producers on Ghosted are Jack Davis and Kate Krantz for Crypt TV; and Justin Killion and Corey Moss for Complex Networks; and Chad Calek. Andrew Alter serves as a producer on the series. Related stories Ex-Fox News Chief Roger Ailes Will Be Subject of Proposed TV Mini-Series Immersive Horror: YouTube, Blumhouse Team With 100 Creators to Create Scary VR Videos for Halloween Craig Robinson, Adam Scott to Star in 'X-Files'-Esque Comedy Pilot at Fox By Diego Ore and Sarah Marsh CAMAGUEY, Cuba (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Cubans greeted Fidel Castro's funeral cortege on its journey across Cuba on Thursday, unflagging in their admiration for one of the towering figures of the 20th Century who is equally loathed by his adversaries. Waving flags and singing the national anthem, Cubans thickly lined pastel-colored colonial streets to pay their respects to Castro. He died on Friday at age 90, a decade after stepping down as president but defiant to the end toward the United States, the world power he tormented from just 90 miles (145 km) away. The government declared nine days of mourning for the man who built a Communist state, aligned Cuba with the Soviet Union and survived what his government claimed were more than 600 U.S. assassination attempts. The cause of his death has not been made public, but Castro had been weak since an intestinal ailment believed to be diverticulitis forced him to relinquish power in 2006. The outpouring from ordinary Cubans contrasts with the hatred of many Cuban exiles who saw Castro as a tyrant who jailed opponents and ruined the economy with socialism. Whether out of revolutionary zeal, nationalist pride or a sense of obligation in a one-party state that tolerates little dissent, Cubans have poured onto the streets to bid their final farewell. "I was born with him, I lived with him, and I wanted to die before him," said Ivan Castillo, 44, a public health worker. He carried his 6-year-old son with the words "I am Fidel" across his forehead, a repetition of a phrase that has become the national slogan for the mourning period, shouted from streets and squares. "Now it's on those of us who lived with Fidel to teach the youth to continue fighting for his ideals," Castillo said, in the city of Camaguey, where Castro's ashes will stay overnight 336 miles (542 km) east of Havana. On Wednesday, his casket spent the night alongside the remains of Che Guevara in the city of Santa Clara. The procession was slowly making its way east, destined for the final resting place of his ashes in Santiago de Cuba, where Castro's rebels first launched an attack on the U.S.-backed forces of Fulgencio Batista in 1953. Batista was finally driven from Cuba on Jan. 1, 1959, and the cortege is retracing the trek Castro made from that day until he arrived in Havana a week later. Castro would go on to build a healthcare system for the poor, he sent doctors around the world but also soldiers to Africa to help Namibia achieve independence and weaken apartheid in South Africa. Many lined up for hours on Monday and Tuesday to pass through a memorial in Havana's Revolution Square. Tens, if not hundreds of thousands, gathered there on Tuesday night for a four-hour ceremony in which presidents from around the world delivered eulogies. (Writing by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Bernadette Baum, Jonathan Oatis and Andrew Hay) Nicosia (AFP) - Rival Cypriot leaders have agreed to resume UN-backed reunification talks in what was hailed Friday as a "significant development" after negotiations broke down in Switzerland last month. The agreement was "an important development because it removes the problems created in Mont Pelerin without consolidating the deadlock with unforeseeable consequences", President Nicos Anastasiades said in a televised address. "The momentum that existed has been preserved and can continue at the point where talks broke off" in the Swiss resort, the Greek Cypriot leader said. Anastasiades said a prolonged deadlock could have killed off the peace process and that "political powers" had wanted the stalled negotiations to resume. The decision to return to the negotiating table was taken during a UN-hosted dinner for the two leaders in Nicosia's UN-controlled buffer zone late on Thursday. It was the first time that Anastasiades and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart Mustafa Akinci had met face-to-face since last month's disappointment in Switzerland. There had been mounting international pressure for the leaders to pick up where they left off in an effort to reach a deal before the end of this year, although that deadline now appears to have lapsed. "The leaders have decided to immediately re-engage in their negotiations and have instructed their negotiators to continue meeting in order to achieve further progress on all outstanding issues interdependently," a UN statement said. "In line with their joint resolve to reach a comprehensive settlement as soon as possible, they further decided that they will meet in Geneva on 9, January, 2017," it added. - Boundary proposals - On January 11, they will present maps of their respective proposals for the internal boundaries of a future federation. "From 12 January, a conference on Cyprus will be convened with the added participation of the guarantor powers (Greece, Turkey and Britain). Other relevant parties shall be invited as needed," the UN said. Story continues Anastasiades said the Turkish Cypriot side had pledged to submit a map on territory in Geneva. "Progress on the above issues will take us within reach of an agreement, creating the conditions and prospects for a successful outcome in the discussion of the fundamental issue of security and guarantees that will follow." Crunch talks between the two leaders on ending the island's decades-old division collapsed with the two sides still far apart on the issue of territory and no date set for a new round. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded the island in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking union with Greece. It has always been agreed that some of the territory currently controlled by the Turkish Cypriots will be ceded to Greek Cypriot control in any peace deal. Turkish Cypriots made up just 18 percent of the island's population in 1974, but they currently control more than a third of its territory. Just how much and which land they should give up has bedevilled four decades of peace talks. There are also differences over post-solution security arrangements with Anastasiades wanting all Turkish troops on the island to leave but Akinci determined to keep a Turkish military presence. - Guarantor powers - UN envoy Espen Barth Eide was in Athens on Friday for talks with Greek leaders and was to travel to Ankara on Monday. He said he "strongly supported the idea of a meeting at a highest level between Greece and Turkey" to discuss Cyprus. "I'm trying to inspire that to happen because I think this is healthy, that those two (guarantor) powers have direct contact," Eide said. "The purpose is not to solve all the questions but to have a better understanding of what we have to do and what to achieve in the conference." Greece, like former colonial power Britain, has said it is willing to give up its right of intervention as a guarantor power. Turkey says it is ready to discuss security issues in five-way talks but without any preconditions. Greece on Friday welcomed the resumption of talks. "Athens is going to intensify its diplomatic efforts within the framework of the European Union so that there is a convergence of views on the crucial problem of security and guarantees," government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said. Anastasiades and Akinci have been among the most outspoken proponents of a deal within their own communities, but any agreement they reach will have to be approved by their respective voters. In 2004, a UN-drafted peace blueprint was approved by Turkish Cypriots but resoundingly rejected by Greek Cypriots in simultaneous referendums. Maxwell Osborne and Dao-Yi Chow are stepping down from their positions as co-creative directors of DKNY after less than two years at the helm, a rep for the brand confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. DKNY CEO Caroline Brown, who assumed her role in January 2015 and oversaw the appointment of Osborne and Chow, also will exit. The move comes on the heels of G-III Apparel's acquisition of Donna Karan International, which was finalized Thursday. The news of the sale of DKI to G-III from LVMH for $650 million was first announced in July of this year, when CEO Morris Goldfarb told investors he planned to double the size of the business and build a "dominant power lifestyle brand." Read more: G-III Buys Donna Karan from LVMH, Plans to Build Billion Dollar Business Though he did not address the co-creative directors directly in July, Goldfarb praised the work of Brown's team and said that "the product is doing well." The pair's third and most recent collection for spring 2017 was a sexy take on athleisure which saw top models Bella Hadid, Soo Joo Park and Taylor Hill on the runway and Emily Ratajkowski and Russell Westbrook front row. In a joint statement to WWD, Osborne and Chow said, "Given the company sale and subsequent change in strategies, we have decided to step down and focus on our own business Public School. It's been an unbelievable experience to work side by side with the wonderful people at DKNY, especially our amazing design team and atelier. We wish the company success in the future." The duo are currently in Miami, where Public School is hosting an afterparty at Art Basel this evening. Added Brown: "As Donna Karan International transitions to new ownership and therefore new directions, I have decided it is the right time to step down and explore new opportunities. This decision accompanies much appreciation and admiration for all of the talented teams here, our founder Donna Karan and our creative directors Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne. I know the company rests in good hands under the new leadership of G-III for the next stage of its development." December 2nd is a landmark day in Senate history, marking that chambers historic censure of Joseph McCarthy for his conduct during public hearings. A censure is a public rebuke of a member by the Senate as a body and not the expulsion of a Senator. But a censure vote can have a powerful effect on a Senators public image, and his or her ability to participate in Senate decisions. The constitutional precedent for the censure motion comes from Article 1, Section 5, Clause 2, which says that each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly behavior, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member. However, there is nothing in the Constitution about Congress having the ability to pass a censure motion against a member of another branch of the government. And the word censure doesnt appear in the Constitution. In McCarthys case, his political power went mostly unchallenged since 1950, when he made a Lincoln Day speech in West Virginia, claiming that Communists had infiltrated the State Department. I have in my hand 57 cases of individuals who would appear to be either card-carrying members or certainly loyal to the Communist Party, but who nevertheless are still helping to shape our foreign policy, McCarthy reportedly said. (There is some dispute about the actual number of alleged Communists he cited in the live speech.) McCarthys controversial remarks found welcoming ears in those early Cold War years. Republican leaders appointed McCarthy as chairman of the Senate Committee on Government Operations in 1953, which included the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Later that year, McCarthy pressed for hearings into Communist infiltration into the U.S. Army. But in 1954, the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations held its own hearings about accusations exchanged between McCarthy and the Army. The hearings were watched on TV by more than 20 million Americans. In a dramatic moment, Army counsel Joseph Welch lashed out at McCarthy after the Senator refused to produce a list of Communists and instead attacked a young attorney on Welchs staff who wasnt at the hearing. Story continues Senator; youve done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency? Welch said to an ovation from the Senate gallery. By the summer of 1954, the Senate decided to take action against McCarthy. On July 30, 1954, Ralph Flanders, a Republican, introduced a censure motion that his conduct as chairman of the Senates Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations was contrary to senatorial traditions. McCarthy verbally abused some of his colleagues during hearings that started in August. The Senate then reconvened in a lame-duck session after the November election to consider two charges. And McCarthy again attacked committee members who leveled the challenges. But Republican Arthur Watkins of Utah, who led the selected committee, spoke about how McCarthy violated the Senates dignity. On December 2, 1954, the Senate voted on a motion said that McCarthy acted contrary to senatorial ethics and tended to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute, to obstruct the constitutional processes of the Senate, and to impair its dignity; and such conduct is hereby condemned. The motion passed by a 67-22 vote. The effective punishment came against McCarthy in a separate motion, where he lost a key committee chairmanship. But after December 2nd, McCarthy faded away as a factor in national politics. He died in 1957, by all accounts deeply affected by his rapid fall from power. Recent Historic Stories on Constitution Daily On this day, Rosa Parks wouldnt give up her bus seat Flag burning and the First Amendment: Yet another look at the two On this day, the Amistad captives return home By Steve Gorman (Reuters) - The death toll from a devastating blaze in and around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee rose to 11 on Thursday, the highest loss of civilian life from a single U.S. wildfire in 13 years. Investigators have determined the so-called Chimney Tops 2 fire, which laid waste to whole neighborhoods in the resort town of Gatlinburg earlier this week, was caused by unspecified human activity, officials said. Total property losses from the fire have been put at more than 700 structures, with most of the destruction in Gatlinburg, known as the "gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains," in eastern Tennessee, about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Knoxville. A total of 11 people were killed in the fire, up from seven deaths reported Wednesday, according to Dean Flener, a spokesman for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. That made Chimney Tops 2 the nation's single deadliest wildfire since 2013, when 19 firefighters died near Prescott, Arizona. It also ranks as the largest civilian death toll from a U.S. wildfire since 15 people, including a firefighter, were killed in Southern California's Cedar Fire in 2003, according to Jessica Gardetto, a spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. None of the Tennessee victims has been publicly identified, but all were presumed to be civilians, officials from the fire command center told Reuters. As many as 45 people have been reported injured. The blaze erupted on Nov. 23, Thanksgiving eve, in a remote area of rugged terrain dubbed Chimney Tops in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg, authorities said. Fed by drought-parched brush and trees and stoked by fierce winds, the flames spread quickly days later, igniting numerous spot fires and exploding on Monday into an inferno that roared out of the park into surrounding homes and businesses. "The wildfire was determined to be human-caused and is currently under investigation," according to a bulletin released on Thursday by fire commanders and the National Park Service. It gave no further details. Aerial television news footage showed the burned-out, smoking ruins of dozens of homes surrounded by blackened trees in several neighborhoods. Steady rains on Tuesday night and into Wednesday helped firefighters slow the blaze, but by Thursday morning officials were still reporting no containment around a fire zone that spanned more than 17,000 acres (6,880 hectares). "The fire is not out; it is just knocked down," fire operations chief Mark Jamieson said in the bulletin. Some 14,000 people were forced to flee their homes at the height of the fire, and most of Gatlinburg, a city of nearly 4,000 residents, remained under mandatory evacuation on Thursday. Evacuation orders were lifted on Wednesday for the nearby town of Pigeon Forge, home of country music star Dolly Parton's theme park, Dollywood. (Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Cooney, Lisa Shumaker and Paul Tait) (Gatlinburg Tenn.) Crews discovered the remains of more people as they searched the rubble of wildfires that torched hundreds of homes and businesses near the Great Smoky Mountains, bringing the death toll to 11, officials said Thursday. Authorities set up a hotline for people to report missing friends and relatives, and after following up on dozens of leads, they said many of those people had been accounted for. They did not say whether they believe anyone else is still missing or may have died. I think its fair to say that the search is winding down, Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said. And hopefully we will not find any more. He said the searches would likely be completed Friday. Nearly 24 hours of rain on Wednesday helped dampen the wildfires, but fire officials struck a cautious tone, saying people shouldnt have a false sense of security because months of drought have left the ground bone-dry and wildfires can rekindle. The trouble began Monday when a wildfire, likely caused by a person, spread from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park into the tourist city of Gatlinburg as hurricane-force winds toppled trees and power lines, blowing embers in all directions. We had trees going down everywhere, power lines, all those power lines were just like lighting a match because of the extreme drought conditions. So we went from nothing to over 20-plus structure fires in a matter of minutes. And that grew and that grew and that grew, Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said. More than 14,000 residents and visitors in Gatlinburg were forced to evacuate, and the typically bustling tourist city has been shuttered ever since. At least 700 buildings in the county have been damaged. Gatlinburg is the people; thats what Gatlinburg is. Its not the buildings, its not the stuff in the buildings, Mayor Mike Werner said. Were gonna be back better than ever. Just be patient. Story continues Starting Friday, homeowners, business owners, renters and lease holders will be allowed to go see most of their Gatlinburg properties, said City Manager Cindy Cameron Ogle. The city is hoping to open main roads to the general public Wednesday. There were other signs of recovery. Waters declared that Sevier County was open for business. In nearby Pigeon Forge, the Comedy House rented an electronic billboard message that said it was open for laughs, and a flyer at a hotel urged guests to check out the scenic Cades Cove loop. Take a drive and remember what you love about the Smokies! the flyer said. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash has said the fires were likely to be human-caused but he has refused to elaborate, saying only that the investigation continues. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are helping investigate the cause. About 10,000 acres, or 15 square miles, burned inside the countrys most visited national park. Another 6,000 acres were scorched outside of the park. One of the victims was identified as Alice Hagler. Her son Lyle Wood said his mother and brother lived in a home at Chalet Village in Gatlinburg and she frantically called his brother Monday night because the house had caught fire. The call dropped as Woods brother raced up the fiery mountain trying to get to his mother. He didnt make it in time. My mom was a very warm, loving, personable person. She never met a stranger. She would talk to anybody, Wood said. Authorities said they were still working to identify the dead and did not release any details about how they were killed. Three brothers being treated at a Nashville hospital said they had not heard from their parents since they were separated while fleeing the fiery scene during their vacation. A number of funds have been established to help victims of the wildfires, including one set up by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and another by country music legend and native Dolly Parton. The flames reached the doorstep of Dollywood, the theme park named after Parton, but the park was spared any significant damage and will reopen Friday. About 240 people stayed overnight in shelters, including Mark Howard, who was flat on his back in the hospital with pneumonia when the wildfires started. He called 911 when he heard his house was consumed. I had no insurance. Its a total loss, the 57-year-old owner of a handyman business said. ___ Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press writers Rebecca Yonker in Louisville, Kentucky, and Kristin M. Hall in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, contributed to this report. A few of the nations most prominent deficit hawks made their pitch to Republican President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday to rearrange his budget and economic priorities and help contain an exploding long-term debt. But trying to convince the billionaire New York real estate businessman to curb his $9.5 trillion tax cut proposal, a $1 trillion infrastructure spending binge, a defense buildup and a hands-off posture on Social Security reform may well be mission impossible, as the anti-deficit crowd readily admits. Moreover, Trump is no stranger to debt and has used it to his advantage often throughout his high-flying career. Related: Clinton and Trump Agree: Lets Ignore the $19 Trillion National Debt This guy has lived on debt, for god sake, former CIA director Leon Panetta quipped on Thursday at a conference staged in Washington by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a premier anti-deficit research organization. He doesnt think its a bad thing. Panetta, a Democrat who also served as President Obamas secretary of defense and President Bill Clintons White House budget director, teamed up with former Rep. Tim Penny (D-MN) and former Republican Indiana governor Mitch Daniels to draft a ten-point fiscal agenda for Trump to avert what some fear will be the worst debt crisis since the aftermath of World War II. But none of them seemed hopeful the message would get through. With the exception of President Harry Truman during World War II, no new president has entered office with a debt burden as high as the one you will face upon being sworn in, they wrote. And unlike under Trumans presidency, when debt was expected to come down quickly, during your administration debt levels are projected to grow continuously and rapidly. Indeed, on the day Trump takes office Jan. 20, the publicly held debt will be at a post-World War II record high of 77 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and is projected to double by 2050. The federal budget deficit the annual gap between spending and tax revenue currently stands at $600 billion and will surge to $800 billion by the final year of Trumps first term. Story continues Related: Why Its Time to Worry Again About Americas Rising Federal Debt More than eight of every ten dollars of federal revenue will go for auto-pilot spending on Social Security, Medicare, and interest on the government debt, gradually crowding out spending for other priorities. And Trump will have the misfortune of presiding over a gross national debt that will shortly exceed $20 trillion. Throughout the presidential campaign, Trump frequently sought to overshadow Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton with promises to grow the economy with major corporate and individual income tax cuts, $1 trillion of new highway, bridge and airport construction, a far more robust defense, affordable child care, and family leave benefits and more affordable health care and insurance. Trump boasted that his administration could deliver on these and other initiatives without driving up the debt. He insisted that the dynamic effect of his tax cuts and the elimination of government waste, fraud and abuse would be enough to offset any revenue losses. Last April, he told The Washington Post that he could retire the nearly $20 trillion national debt in eight years through his tax cuts, budget savings and renegotiated trade deals with China, Mexico, Canada and other countries. Economist Doug Holtz-Eakin, president of the conservative American Action Forum and a former director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), responded that It strikes me as wildly implausible at best. Related: As the Debt Hits $19 Trillion, Has the US Reached a Tipping Point? Panetta, Penny, and Daniels, the president of Purdue University and a former budget director in the administration of Republican George W. Bush, are all veterans of past Washington budget battles and negotiations. They are leading proponents of so-called grand bargains of combined spending cuts, tax increases and Social Security and Medicare savings as the best way of controlling the long-term debt. One of their touchstones is the December 2010 report of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, which was co-chaired by Republican Alan Simpson and Democrat Erskine Bowles. Although those far-reaching proposals never gained traction in Congress, they are frequently cited by deficit hawks as a viable path to averting exploding deficits as baby boomer retire and more and more of the budget is consumed by entitlements and government interest costs. The Congressional Budget Office has warned that the U.S. will return to trillion-dollar annual budget deficits by 2024 unless Congress and the White House intervene before then. The three men cautioned Trump that none of his campaign goals and promises can ultimately be achieved and sustained if you neglect our high and rising debt. Related: Trump Is Trouncing Clinton When It Comes to Running Up the Debt Slowing the unsustainable growth of our national debt is a key ingredient to growing the economy and ensuring adequate government resources to afford other important priorities, they wrote. Unfortunately, you will enter office with a deteriorating fiscal outlook. Among their recommendations: Trump should use the presidency as a bully pulpit to put the debt issue on the national agenda. He must set fiscal goals for the short, medium and long-term and use his storied negotiating skills to enact a bipartisan budget and tax deal that would eliminate the need for current discretionary spending caps and automatic across the board cuts. They lectured the president-elect against embracing pie-in-the-sky economic growth forecasts and assumptions to hide the effects of his tax cuts and spending plans. And they insisted that Trump pay for his proposed domestic spending initiatives and veto legislation that adds to the debt. Among their most politically sensitive and risky proposals, the three urged the new administration to press for major cost containment In Medicare and Medicaid, and to take initial steps to save Social Security by appointing a new commission to break the political stalemate. Related: Growing Debt Threatens US National Security: Defense Leaders During remarks at the conference, Panetta, Penny and Daniels all voiced skepticism that Trump and Republican and Democratic leaders can come to a consensus on a sustainable fiscal outlook. Penny, a Democratic House member from Minnesota between 1983 and 1995, said that a comprehensive deficit reduction package is a tough sell in his district because the very voters who say they care terribly about the deficit havent made the connection with [the cost of] Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Panetta declared that none of this is easy, but we should have solved this problem a long time ago. The problem is that Republicans dont want to raise taxes to cut the debt and the Democrats dont want to touch Social Security and Medicare, he said. Thats the politics of it. Neither of them wants to touch programs that are important to their constituencies. So the only way youre ever going to get a deal is if both are willing to put both issues on the table. Thats the only way were going to get a budget deal. They both have to walk the plank, he added. But no one is holding his breath expecting that to happen anytime soon. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: chris murphy Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut blasted Donald Trump in a Friday evening tweetstorm after the president-elect made a phone call to the president of Taiwan. The move that could strain US relations with China. Trump's call to President Tsai Ing-wen is the first time a US president has directly spoken with Taiwan's leadership in more than 30 years. The US suspended formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979 after establishing a One China position in an effort to establish diplomatic channels with Beijing. In a tweetstorm, Murphy warned that Trump's "major pivots in foreign policy" are "how wars start": (1) Foreign policy consistency is a means, not an end. It's not sacred. Thus, it's Trump's right to shift policy, alliances, strategy. Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) December 2, 2016 (2) What has happened in the last 48 hours is not a shift. These are major pivots in foreign policy w/out any plan. That's how wars start. Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) December 2, 2016 (3) And if they aren't pivots - just radical temporary deviations - allies will walk if they have no clue what we stand for. Just as bad. Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) December 2, 2016 (4) It's probably time we get a Secretary of State nominee on board. Preferably w experience. Like, really really soon. Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) December 2, 2016 Trump has not yet announced his pick for secretary of state, but former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and retired Gen. David Petraeus are all said to be in the running. At least one sitting US senator backed Trump's phone call on Friday. Republican Sen. Tom Cotton posted a statement on his website saying: "I commend President-elect Trump for his conversation with President Tsai Ing-wen, which reaffirms our commitment to the only democracy on Chinese soil." NOW WATCH: Its surreal to watch this 2011 video of Obama and Seth Meyers taunting Trump about a presidential run More From Business Insider Calls by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and other conservatives to overhaul Medicare next year as part of a major realignment of federal health care policy are encountering strong resistance from Senate Republicans, who argue that the GOP-controlled Congress already has its hands full attempting to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. President-elect Donald Trump repeatedly vowed during the campaign that if elected, he would leave untouched Social Security and Medicare, the premier federal retirement and health care programs for seniors. Related: GOP Cuts in Medicare May Be Next After Dismantling Obamacare But since the election, Trump has signaled support for modernizing Medicare to meet the budgetary challenges of caring for baby boomers. Ryan, meanwhile, has renewed his call for a premium-support approach. The Speakers plan would gradually transform Medicare from an entitlement to a voucher-type program in which seniors would be provided with a fixed amount to purchase coverage in the private market. The highly popular Medicare program currently covers 57 million elderly and disabled Americans and is widely considered to be the most politically sacred federal program next to Social Security. While Ryan and other champions of reform say its essential to controlling the long term debt, many Senate Republicans concerned about preserving or expanding their majority consider an assault on Medicare next year borderline suicidal. Over a dozen Senate GOP lawmakers indicated they were not planning or inclined to pursue substantial changes in Medicare, at least not during the first year of the new Trump administration, Politico reported on Friday. Other reports substantiated that Ryan and Trumps calls for a fundamental revamping of the popular health care program for seniors had triggered a backlash in the upper chamber. We are not inclined to lead with our chin, Senate Republican Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas said, according to the Associated Press. And right now, weve got a lot on our plate. Story continues Indeed, the Republicans post-election euphoria is giving way to more sobering and pragmatic calculations on how to best fulfill their campaign pledge to repeal and replace Obamacare without triggering a major upheaval in the insurance and health care industries and stripping 20 million Americans of their subsidized health care coverage. Related: Deficit Hawks Take Trump on an Ominous Tour of the Fiscal Cliff Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) are currently plotting strategy to swiftly pass legislation to repeal major portions of the Affordable Care Act as early as mid-January, around the time that Trump is sworn in as the nations 45th president. However, GOP leaders in both chambers say it may take two or three years before they have a politically and economically feasible replacement for Obamacare. If that proves to be the case, then the uncertainty caused by the long delay would likely accelerate the already troubling retreat of major insurers like UnitedHealthcare and Aetna from the Obamacare market and severely undercut the profits of hospitals and other health care providers. Congressional Republicans reportedly have begun talks with health insurers about possible new incentives that would keep them in the market following the repeal of the Obamacare legislation. Both parties have used cuts in Medicare to offset the cost of their spending initiatives, as President Obama and the Democrats did in passing the Affordable Care Act in 2010 and the Republicans did in pursuing a balanced budget. Ryan said in an interview shortly after the Nov. 8 election that any legislation to replace Obamacare would necessarily require cuts in Medicare and Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor and disabled. But past efforts by Republicans to privatize Medicare for future beneficiaries have invariably failed. And Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) almost gleefully are preparing to wage all-out warfare next year to block GOP attempts to revolutionize the program. Related: Why Its Time to Worry Again About Americas Rising Federal Debt For the Democrats, Medicare is sacred, Ross Baker, a political scientist with Rutgers University, said today. Its something theyre willing to die for. And for Republicans, I think, there is a concern . . . that people just dont want it tampered with. There is a lot of uncertainty right now over Obamacare, he added in an interview. The question is, how much more uncertainty do you want to introduce? I think people are fearful of losing those Medicare benefits . . . Even people who profess to want change, they dont want that kind of change. Its a non-starter as far as I can see. Or as Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) put it: When you take a look at the menu, thats probably one of the last courses, according to the AP. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: A key Republican says the Senate has run out of time this year to lock in tough U.S. sanctions against Russia for annexing Crimea in 2014 opening attacks from Democrats who for years have been accused of being too soft on Moscow. Senate Foreign Relations Chair Bob Corker told Foreign Policy there simply isnt enough time to move on a House bill to keep U.S. sanctions in place for an additional five years. Corker said senators are more focused on a host of other issues, which include funding the government, medical research, and authorizing defense priorities for 2017. The current sanctions were imposed by President Barack Obama in an executive order, but could be scrapped by President-elect Donald Trump, who has pledged warming relations with Russia in his incoming administration. The House bill would ensure they remain in place for five years. Senate Democrats say the reason Republicans arent moving the sanctions is for fear of falling out of step with Trump, who has long televised his goal of getting along with Russia. It is unnerving that some of my Republican colleagues would consider walking away from longstanding, responsible policies to counter Russian aggression at the behest of an ill-informed Donald Trump seeking rapprochement with dictator Vladimir Putin, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) told FP. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) a member of the Senate National Security Working Group, said the sanctions in question dont even account for the war crimes in Syria that the Russian Federation is complicit in. Its far past time for Senate Republicans to send a message to the world that the U.S. will stand up to Putins aggression and defend our allies, he told FP. The remarks demonstrate how quickly the political issue of U.S.-Russia relations have changed. For nearly eight years, the Obama administration fended off Republicans criticism for engaging with Moscow on a range of geopolitical issues, a process that began with the White Houses reset with then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Story continues The Stability and Democracy for Ukraine Act, passed unanimously in the House in September, would lock in place the Crimea-related sanctions against Moscow unless Ukraines sovereignty over the peninsula is restored. It was originally sponsored by Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) who is urging Republican senators to take up the bill. Its up to Corker to advance the bill in the Senate. The chairman met this week with Trump in New York, and is currently being considered to be the next secretary of state. But he denied the job in Foggy Bottom influenced the delay of the House legislation. No, no, no, no, no, he told FP on Thursday. I can assure you no conversations of any type have occurred on anything like that. Weve got three or four things that will happen next week and I think thats going to be it, he added. I dont think theres an avenue for that to occur but were certainly not in any way holding it up. GOP Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham both said they were hoping to pass the bill before the end of the year but said it was unclear if they would succeed. The legislation, which is being pushed by the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, isnt the only issue Democrats are using to test the Republican Partys historic hawkish line toward Russia. A number of Democrats are also supporting House-approved legislation targeting providers of financial, material, or technological support to the Syrian government which would include Russia. The bill is currently stalled in Corkers committee, as is a resolution to approve the accession of Montenegro into NATO a move Moscow strongly opposes. Throughout the presidential campaign, Trump maintained improved relations with Moscow is in Americas best interest, and could be crucial for cooperation against terrorists such as the Islamic State in Syria. But longtime foreign policy hands said the latest congressional spats demonstrate how difficult it will be to change Washingtons default position of antagonism with Russia. Many senior U.S. officials and experts are critical of Russia; top soldiers and civilians have said Russia is Americas biggest security threat, said Cameron Munter, a former U.S. ambassador who is now head of the EastWest Institute, which focuses on conflict resolution. If Trump seeks improved relations with Russia, he will likely need to win over this powerful lobby. Chief national security correspondent Dan De Luce contributed to this report. Photo credit: Getty From Cosmopolitan Ever since Sophie Theallet penned an open letter in January claiming that she would refuse to dress first lady Melania Trump, other fashion designers have been asked to weigh in too. While many have chosen to keep quiet on the matter, those who have given their opinions so far seem to be split. Some have sided in favor of Trump, adding what an honor it would be to dress Melania. However, a few seem to have echoed Theallet's sentiments, making it clear they are simply not interested in dressing the Trump family now that they're in the White House. Here's what 19 designers have said so far about dressing FLOTUS: 1. Gucci's Creative Director, Alessandro Michele (The Washington Post) Photo credit: Getty "We have all kinds of customers. Everybody is free to do what they want," he said of both Melania and Kellyanne Conway buying his garments off the rack. "To be against something or someone, it's a dangerous thing. It's easy to be against your enemy, but if you give them a big hug..." 2. Christian Siriano (TIME) Photo credit: Getty "I don't think I would [dress Melania Trump]. I think for a while everyone was trying to figure out what to do. Unfortunately, it really doesn't have anything to do with her, but she is representing what's happening politically and what's happening politically right now is not really good for anyone. I think to an extent, it's important [that designers speak out about this], that's the only voice we have. But it's not just her. If I got a call from somebody tomorrow that was, say, a musician, who was all over Twitter or Instagram hate-bashing people, I wouldn't dress her either. I dress people that I can support. ... That's why it's important to me and it should be important to every designer because the people that you put in your brand represent the brand." 3. Zac Posen (The Daily Beast) Photo credit: Getty "[I have] no current plans to dress members of the first family. Right now, I'm staying away from bringing my brand into politics. There are issues that are being questioned that are fundamentally upsetting to me - deeply: LGBT rights, immigration, funding for the arts, Planned Parenthood, and women's rights. These are just issues that are very close to my heart, and I use my own private voice and funds to fight for them and in support of them. I think it's important to use your voice. I think that every brand and person has a right to be vocal. ... I am very upset with the state of affairs right now. I always try to be optimistic. I think freedom will prevail. And I don't dictate who buys my clothing in a store." Story continues 4. Sophie Theallet (Twitter) Photo credit: Getty "As one who celebrates and strives for diversity, individual freedom, and respect for all lifestyles. I will not participate in dressing or associate myself in any way with the next First Lady. The rhetoric of racism, sexism, and xenophobia unleashed by her husbands presidential campaign are incompatible with the shared values we live by." 5. Tommy Hilfiger (WWD) Photo credit: Getty "I think Melania is a very beautiful woman and I think any designer should be proud to dress her. Ivanka is equally as beautiful and smart, although she wears her own clothes. I dont think people should become political about it." 6. Tom Ford (The View) Photo credit: Getty "I was asked to dress [Melania Trump] quite a few years ago and I declined. Shes not necessarily my image ... Even had Hillary [Clinton] won, she shouldn't be wearing my clothes. They're too expensive. And I don't mean that in a bad way, they're not artificially expensive. It's how much it costs to make these things. But I think to relate to everybody, you shouldn't necessarily [wear such expensive clothes]." 7. Carolina Herrera (Business of Fashion) Photo credit: Getty "I think that in two or three months theyll reach out, because its fashion. Youll see everyone dressing Melania. Shes representing the United States." 8. Diane von Furstenberg (WWD) Photo credit: Getty "Melania deserves the respect of any first lady before her. Our role as part of the fashion industry is to promote beauty, inclusiveness, diversity." 9. Marc Jacobs (WWD) Photo credit: Getty "I have no interest whatsoever in dressing Melania Trump ... Personally, Id rather put my energy into helping out those who will be hurt by [Donald] Trump and his supporters." 10. Joseph Altuzarra (The New York Times) Photo credit: Getty "I dont want to not dress people I disagree with." 11. Thom Browne (WWD) Photo credit: Getty "Out of respect for the position of the first lady of our United States, I would be honored to be considered to design for any first lady of the United States." 12. Marcus Wainwright, Rag & Bone (The New York Times) Photo credit: Getty "It would be hypocritical to say no to dressing a Trump. If we say we are about inclusivity and making American manufacturing great again, then we have to put that before personal political beliefs." 13. Cynthia Rowley (WWD) Photo credit: Getty "In the midst of this heated debate, the question actually seems somewhat irrelevant. She can simply purchase whatever she wants, so how can we control it? Just because shes shown wearing a designer does not mean that designer is endorsing her, her husband or any of their beliefs. Checking someones ethical beliefs before theyre allowed to purchase, sets up an exclusionary dynamic that feeds into the exact mentality that is preventing us from moving forward in a positive direction. Some people say fashion and politics should never mix, but when given the choice, I think you should address and dress your conscience." 14. Phillip Lim (WWD) Photo credit: Getty "Its been such an emotional roller coaster of an election process. The result has only confirmed my belief that we must stand for what we represent as a brand, so my sentiment is still the same. As a global brand, we are always looking to partner with individuals that we have authentic relationships with - ultimately, women and men that share similar set of values, desires and ideologies: inclusion, diversity, justice, consciousness, innovation ... With that said, we do not have a current relationship with Mrs. Trump and I dont foresee a relationship developing under the Trump administration." 15. Humberto Leon, Kenzo and Opening Ceremony (Facebook) Photo credit: Getty "No one should and if she buys your clothes, tell people you dont support it. You know who you are!" 16. Derek Lam (WWD) Photo credit: Getty "[While] I have incredible respect for our countrys political institutions, I find it challenging to be personally involved in dressing the new first lady. I would rather concentrate my energies on efforts towards a more just, honorable, and a mutually respectful world. I dont know Melania Trump personally, so I dont wish my comments to seem I am prejudging her personal values, but I really dont see myself getting involved with the Trump presidency." 17. Vera Wang (WWD) Photo credit: Getty "We have not been contacted by the Trump campaign or administration thus far. But the first lady-elect should support American fashion, as did her predecessors." 18. Naeem Khan (Elle.com) Photo credit: Getty "I'm not a politician, I'm a fashion designer - but I do have a point of view and I do have loyalty. I really care for the values of our country and I feel like there's something missing in the new administration. I am very skeptical and I'm afraid of where it's going. But, I think we have to see." 19. Tanya Taylor (Elle.com) Photo credit: Getty "Well, when we have an opportunity to dress anyone, we're selective. I tend to like to support women that I personally support - even when it comes to actresses or musicians. I think there needs to be a reason why you are dressing them outside of their title. That's really why Michelle Obama was really exciting, so I think that I want to give it some time. I feel like they're not in office yet, maybe [...] she will do something that is really meaningful and then you can reevaluate it. I think right now it's a little bit too soon to call." Designers who have so far declined to comment on whether they will dress Trump include Jason Wu, Prabal Gurung, Narciso Rodriguez, Barbar Tfank, and Michael Kors. Follow Gina on Twitter. You Might Also Like Photo credit: Twitter From Good Housekeeping Update, December 5, 2016: Michael Reed's heartbreaking search for his family came to a tragic conclusion this weekend. Authorities identified the bodies of Constance, Chloe and Lily Reed almost week after a horrific fire swept through Gatlinburg, Tennessee. "With profound sadness that is now a part of my soul I am sorry to share the passing of Constance, Chloe and Lily," Grant Reed, Michael's father, wrote on Facebook. "Please continue to pray for my son Michael and his son." Michael's father also shared his son's Facebook status after finding out about the death of his two daughters and wife. "My beautiful babies ... It's been the longest week of my life. I sit here this morning with tears in my eyes trying to find the words. I can't. There are no words." The Reed family captured national attention as the loving father went shelter to shelter searching for his wife and two daughters. Sadly, the deadly disaster took their lives, along with another 11 victims. A GoFundMe managed by the family is now accepting donations to help them find new housing and pay for funeral costs. "Your continued prayers are so needed for Michael and Nicholas, so that these wounds will be turned into wonderful memories of their time together," the page reads. "May God bless you all." HELP FIND THESE GIRLS! Michael Reed hasnt seen his wife Constance or daughters Chloe&Lily since last night. Evac'd off Wiley Oakley rd @wbir pic.twitter.com/paGkpUw0Ml - Brittany Bade (@BrittanyWBIR) November 29, 2016 Original Story, November 30, 2016: When Constance Reed of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, called her husband on Monday, she told him flames were across the street from their house. That was the last time Michael heard from her. Story continues Earlier that night, the father of three took his son Nicholas, 15, for a drive. When he received Constance's call, he told her to contact 911 and tried to turn the car around. But by then, he wasn't allowed to head back towards the blaze. The growing Tennessee wildfire had reached their tourist town by Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and would soon destroy the Reeds' neighborhood. Photo credit: Brian Blancoundefined Now Michael is desperately looking for Constance along with their two daughters: Chloe, 12, and Lily, 9. When he finally reached their home, everything was destroyed, but Michael learned something more important. He told WATE there were signs they did escape. "We are just hoping for a miracle," he said in tears. Michael explained to WBIR that while his wife didn't have a car, he's hoping someone else picked them up and they're in a safe place without cell service. As of Wednesday morning, there's been no sign of Constance, Chloe or Lily, but deputies are still searching for them. The fire has since forced the evacuation of 14,000 residents, and caused at least four deaths, NBC reports. While he waits for more information, Michael is asking for prayers that his family is safe. To help victims of the wildfires, contact the American Red Cross (1-800-Red Cross) or text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate ten dollars to the American Red Cross disaster relief fund. [h/t WATE] You Might Also Like By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank AG (DBKGn.DE) has agreed to pay $60 million to settle private U.S. antitrust litigation by traders and other investors who accused the German bank of conspiring to manipulate gold prices at their expense. The preliminary settlement was filed on Friday with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, and requires a judge's approval. Deutsche Bank denied wrongdoing. The bank in October agreed to pay $38 million to settle similar litigation over alleged silver price manipulation. Amanda Williams, a spokeswoman for the bank, declined to comment. Lawyers for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The case is one of many in the Manhattan court in which investors accused banks of conspiring to rig rates and prices in financial and commodities markets. Investors sued Deutsche Bank, Barclays Plc (BARC.L), Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS.TO), HSBC Holdings Plc (HSBA.L) and Societe Generale (SOGN.PA) in 2014, claiming that they conspired to fix gold prices from 2004 to 2013. While the investors did not estimate the size of the banks' gold portfolios, they said the gold derivatives market alone reached $650 billion during the class period. Deutsche Bank had agreed to settle its part of the case in April, but the terms were not disclosed until now. In an Oct. 3 decision, U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan said investors could pursue much of their lawsuit against the other four banks. Deutsche Bank has separately been in talks with U.S. authorities on a potential multibillion-dollar penalty related to mortgage securities. The case is In re: Commodity Exchange Inc Gold Futures and Options Trading Litigation, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 14-mc-02548. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; editing by Diane Craft) By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank AG has agreed to pay $60 million to settle private U.S. antitrust litigation by traders and other investors who accused the German bank of conspiring to manipulate gold prices at their expense. The preliminary settlement was filed on Friday with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, and requires a judge's approval. Deutsche Bank denied wrongdoing. The bank in October agreed to pay $38 million to settle similar litigation over alleged silver price manipulation. Amanda Williams, a spokeswoman for the bank, declined to comment. Lawyers for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The case is one of many in the Manhattan court in which investors accused banks of conspiring to rig rates and prices in financial and commodities markets. Investors sued Deutsche Bank, Barclays Plc, Bank of Nova Scotia, HSBC Holdings Plc and Societe Generale in 2014, claiming that they conspired to fix gold prices from 2004 to 2013. While the investors did not estimate the size of the banks' gold portfolios, they said the gold derivatives market alone reached $650 billion during the class period. Deutsche Bank had agreed to settle its part of the case in April, but the terms were not disclosed until now. In an Oct. 3 decision, U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan said investors could pursue much of their lawsuit against the other four banks. Deutsche Bank has separately been in talks with U.S. authorities on a potential multibillion-dollar penalty related to mortgage securities. The case is In re: Commodity Exchange Inc Gold Futures and Options Trading Litigation, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 14-mc-02548. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; editing by Diane Craft) A La Crosse home care worker is accused of sexually assaulting the child of a man he was hired to take care of and having child pornography on his computer. According to a police report, the 8-year-old boy told police in November that Lawrence Worthington held him the wrong way and touched his genitals on multiple occasions beginning in the summer. Worthington, an independent care worker, visited the boys father twice a day to assist with household tasks. The boys father said hed known Worthington for about five years. Worthington, 45, told an investigator the boys pants sometimes came off when they were rough housing, according to the report. He later admitted to touching him inappropriately. The investigator asked to look at Worthingtons computer and found several images of pre-pubescent boys. According to the report, Worthington said hed been looking at child pornography on and off for the last couple of years and said some of the children pictured might be toddlers. Worthington told police he had one other client. Asked if there were any additional sex assault victims, he replied, None that I know of. Worthington told police he is homeless and has been staying with friends and living in his vehicle. A public defender told a judge Thursday he could post $24 bail. Judge Elliott Levine imposed a $1,000 cash bond. Worthington is scheduled to return to court Tuesday when he faces possible charges of first-degree sexual assault of a child and possession of child pornography. Photo credit: Getty From Harper's BAZAAR Update, 3/11/17: Zac Posen is the latest designer to speak out against the idea of dressing the First Lady. "[I have] no current plans to dress members of the first family," he told The Daily Beast. "Right now, I'm staying away from bringing my brand into politics. There are issues that are being questioned that are fundamentally upsetting to me - deeply: LGBT rights, immigration, funding for the arts, Planned Parenthood, and women's rights. These are just issues that are very close to my heart, and I use my own private voice and funds to fight for them and in support of them. I think it's important to use your voice. I think that every brand and person has a right to be vocal. ... I am very upset with the state of affairs right now. I always try to be optimistic. I think freedom will prevail. And I don't dictate who buys my clothing in a store." Update, 1/2/17: Another major designer has chimed in on the debate of dressing the future First Lady. Stefano Gabbana took to Instagram last night to happily show off Melania Trump wearing a Dolce & Gabbana dress on New Year's Eve, a black figure-hugging sleeveless design with an embellished bow on each strap. Gabbana even dubbed her a "DG woman." "Melania Trump#DGwoman thank you #madeinitaly," he wrote in the caption. Trump was also seen sporting Dolce & Gabbana in the days leading up to the election, along with looks by Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors and other brands, which she reportedly bought in New York City or online. Gabbana joins designers like Tommy Hilfiger, Diane Von Furstenberg and Thom Browne, who have expressed that they would dress the future FLOTUS. Others like Sophie Theallet (the first designer to openly speak out on the topic after the election),Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Phillip Lim and others have publicly refused. Original post, 11/30/16: "Will you dress future First Lady Melania Trump?" seems to be the question of the moment for fashion designers. After the fashion industry as a whole predominantly voiced enthusiastic support for Hillary Clinton throughout the 2016 election, designers are now faced with the possibility of dressing Melania Trump instead-something many designers seem to be conflicted about. Story continues Sophie Theallet was the first designer to take a stance on the issue, releasing an open letter announcing she will not dress the future First Lady and urging other designers to do the same. On the other side of the debate is Tommy Hilfiger, who revealed he would be "proud" to dress both Melania and Ivanka Trump. Until today, those two designers were the only ones to publicly comment on the topic. This morning, WWD brought more of fashion's influential voices into the conversation, publishing a piece which posed the question, "Would you dress Melania Trump?" to nine designers, including Marc Jacobs, Thom Browne, Vera Wang and CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg. Von Furstenberg remained pretty neutral on the subject, saying, "Donald Trump was elected and he will be our president. Melania deserves the respect of any First Lady before her. Our role as part of the fashion industry is to promote beauty, inclusiveness, diversity. We should each be the best we can be and influence by our example." Photo credit: Getty But Jacobs didn't hide his feelings: "I have no interest whatsoever in dressing Melania Trump. I didn't see [Sophie Theallet's] letter. Personally, I'd rather put my energy into helping out those who will be hurt by [Donald] Trump and his supporters," Jacobs told WWD. Meanwhile, Cynthia Rowley stepped in as a voice of reason, commenting on the entire discussion as a whole: "In the midst of this heated debate, the question actually seems somewhat irrelevant," she said. "[Melania] can simply purchase whatever she wants, so how can we control it? Just because she's shown wearing a designer does not mean that designer is endorsing her, her husband or any of their beliefs. Checking someone's ethical beliefs before they're allowed to purchase sets up an exclusionary dynamic that feeds into the exact mentality that is preventing us from moving forward in a positive direction." Read all nine of the designers' responses on WWD. You Might Also Like Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f305201%2fhttps---blueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com-uploads-card-image-232700-jcole SurpriseJ. Cole is back. In October, the North Carolina rapper announced that he would be disappearing for a bit. Fans were disappointed, only to have their emotions flip after an unexpected album, called 4 Your Eyez Only, was uncovered on iTunes preorder for a release next week. The first track to drop from the project is "False Prophets," after hearing the song, many listeners are convinced Cole talking about the one and only Kanye West. SEE ALSO: Kanye West reportedly hospitalized following concert cancellations In the track, Cole speaks about West's career and calls him out for ghost writing and more. "Ego in charge of every move, he's a star / And we can't look away," Cole raps on the track. "He's fallin' apart, but we deny it / Justifying that half-ass shit he dropped, we always buy it / When he tell us he a genius but it's clearer lately / It's been hard for him to look into the mirror lately." A photo posted by Only Hip Hop Facts (@onlyhiphopfacts) on Dec 2, 2016 at 6:07am PST He goes on to address the fact that few have had the gumption to challenge West throughout his long-lasting career. "Maybe it's my fault for idolizing niggas / Based off the words they be rappin'/ But come to find out, these niggas don't even write they shit," he said, adding fuel to the fire Kid Cudi started earlier this year when he called out top rappers not writing their own songs. The reactions were mixed on Twitter, and fans shared their frustrations with Cole's songparticularly as West is currently hospitalized for his health and safety. As demonstrated in a few tweets, the situation is reminiscent of Drake's track this year that threw shade in the midst of Kid Cudi's recovery. Lol where the outrage. J. Cole tooks jabs at kanye while he recovering Y'all was up in arms when Drake dissed Cudi Six (@Sixfever) December 2, 2016 I didn't like J. Cole putting out a Kanye diss at his down moment. DJ HD (@djHDliketheTV) December 2, 2016 But while the whole thing may seem like a diss at the surface, Cole ends the verse on a positive note, reminding us all that seeking help for mental health is nothing to be ashamed of: "Well, fuck it, what's more important is he's cryin' out for help / While the world's eggin' him on, I'm beggin' him to stop..." Story continues If you want to talk to someone or are experiencing suicidal thoughts, text the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. For international resources, this list is a good place to start. BONUS: The Old Kanye Freestyles in 2007 BONUS: The Old Kanye Freestyles in 2007 Weve got questions, and youve (maybe) got answers! With another week of TV gone by, were lobbing queries left and right about shows including Gilmore Girls, Shameless, Gotham and Arrow! RELATEDGilmore Girls Amy Sherman-Palladino: The Revival Post Mortem Interview Youve Been Waiting For Gilmore Girls Revival Tristan 1 | The Gilmore Girls revivals Life & Death Brigade segment: Top notch, or time suck? (Either way, nowhere near as long as the Stars Hollow Musical, right?) Finally, did everyone forget that Tristan got kicked out/didnt graduate from Chilton? Why was he at an alumni event? 2 | Shameless fans, is Sierra who doesnt take any of Lips crap and pushes him to be better the best love interest the eldest Gallagher son has had in years? 3 | Wasnt it bad enough that The Walking Dead dedicated an entire episode to B-players Tara and Heath. Did it have to be extra-long, too? 4 | The convo between Gothams Barbara, Edward and Tabitha has us wondering: Do those in the criminal underworld actually refer to themselves as working in the criminal underworld? 5 | Wouldnt Supergirl using her heat vision to quickly cook a turkey result in overly dry meat? Also, wouldnt the Medusa virus have affected humans, who are also alien to Krypton? (On that note, TVLine reader Sarah asks: Why not use Karas blood to find a cure, since she was immune? Finally, do you subscribe to the theory that Mon-El is hiding his true identity? RELATEDThe Flash EP Talks Crossovers Future Twist, Wally and H.R.s Partnership 6 | If Jane the Virgins Rogelio wants a baby so badly, why does he have to go to a matchmaker? Wouldnt he have thousands of fans lining up to carry the heir to the De La Vega throne? 7 | Can any Timeless viewers confirm whether or not the Space Race episode featured a commercial for Hidden Figure, the movie in which Taraji P. Henson plays NASA scientist/mathematician Katherine Johnson? Because if it didnt, talk about a missed opportunity! Story continues 8 | Does The Voices habit of showing live voting percentages for the Instant Save spur you to tweet more aggressively, or merely kill any suspense around whos going to survive? This Is Us 9 | Did This Is Us engage in time travel this week, when Kates iPhone clock went from 4:22 pm to 11:01 am over the course of two scenes? Should we be worried about Randall and Beth both failing a drug test, since he accidentally got dosed with mushrooms this week and she recently enjoyed some pot brownies? (And do magic mushrooms really lead to entire conversations with dead parents? And who drinks a total strangers strange smoothie, anyway?) 10 | On The Middle, how can Dr. Fulton (played by Dave Foley) still be Bricks guidance counselor? Did he receive some sort of promotion from middle school to high school guidance counselor that we werent made privy to? Chicago Fire RELATEDScoop: Big Severide Story During Fire/PD Crossover 11 | When the Chicago Fire characters glam up, are you wowed to this day by the uniform-to-formal wear transition? 12 | For all the concern that Arrows 100th episode would be overshadowed by the crossover, was it actually the other way around? RELATEDArrow EPs Talk Episode 100s Surprise Cameos, Olivers New Focus and More 13 | Designated Survivor fans, dont you think the FBI would have a protocol in place in case an agent is compromised by, say, a kidnapped son? 14 | On Criminal Minds: Upon finding Taras real brother in that precarious situation, why didnt an agent promptly drape a Kevlar vest in front of the gun barrel? Supernatural 15 | Can Supernatural find a way to keep Dean and Sam in those black jackets all the time? Please? RELATED Arrow-verse EPs on Flashpoint Fallout, Dominators Return, More Crossovers 16 | Given all the #DCWeek ratings superlatives, couldnt you practically hear CW boss Mark Pedowitz cheering at home when Cisco handed Kara that handy, portable crossover device? 17 | Big Bang Theory fans, were you underwhelmed by Back to the Future vet Christopher Lloyds role as Leonard and Pennys temporary new roommate? And surprised Bernadettes already going into labor? Also, why cant Stuart just move in with Raj again, as he did for a short time during Season 6? 18 | If Pitchs Ginny and Mike just wrapped a home game in San Diego, why show them coming out of an iconic Hollywood bar such as Boardners? Also, could Ginny have any less chemistry with the videogame dude? Hit the comments with your answers and any other Qs you care to share! Save Related stories 2016 in Review: The 10 Best Comedies Gilmore Girls Revival: [Spoiler] Was Originally a 'Much Bigger Deal' Arrow Boss Reveals Season 5 Finale Scene, How It Changes the Series Finale Walt Disney Co. chairman and CEO Bob Iger is among the list of business leaders who will make up President-elect Donald Trumps strategic and policy forum, with the first meeting slated for February at the White House. Stephen. A Schwarzman, the chairman and CEO of The Blackstone Group, will chair the group. According to a press release, members will be charged with providing their individual views to the President informed by their unique vantage points in the private sector on how government policy impacts economic growth, job creation, and productivity. The Forum is designed to provide direct input to the President from many of the best and brightest in the business world in a frank, non-bureaucratic, and non-partisan manner. In a statement, Trump said, This forum brings together CEOs and business leaders who know what it takes to create jobs and drive economic growth. My administration is committed to drawing on private sector expertise and cutting the government red tape that is holding back our businesses from hiring, innovating, and expanding right here in America. Iger donated to Hillary Clinton in the recent presidential election. He also has been a member of President Obamas export council. Other members of the forum include: Paul Atkins, CEO, Patomak Global Partners and former commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission; Mary Barra, chairman and CEO, General Motors; Toby Cosgrove, CEO of Cleveland Clinic; Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO, JPMorgan Chase; Larry Fink, chairman and CEO, BlackRock; Rich Lesser, president and CEO, Boston Consulting Group; Doug McMillon, president and CEO, Wal-Mart Stores; Jim McNerney, former chairman, president and CEO of Boeing; Adebayo Bayo Ogunlesi, chairman and managing partner, Global Infrastructure Partners; Ginni Rometty, chairman, president and CEO, IBM; Kevin Warsh, Shepard Family Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Economics, Hoover Institute, former member of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System; Mark Weinberger, global chairman and CEO, EY; Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO, General Electric; and Daniel Yergin, vice chairman of IHS Markit. Story continues Related stories Donald Trump Supporters File Suit to Stop Wisconsin Recount Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton Campaign Staffers Clash in Post-Election Forum Election Results Spur New Wave of Activism in Hollywood President-elect Donald Trump said today he is establishing the Presidents Strategic and Policy Forum, which is composed of some of the countrys most respected and successful business leaders. The Forum will be chaired by Blackstone chairman, CEO and co-founder Stephen A. Schwarzman, and it will be called upon to meet with Trump frequently. The first meeting is set for February at the White House. The lone figure on the list from Trumps so-called dishonest media is Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger, who joins a group that includes General Electric boss Jack Welch, GM chief Mary Berra, JPMorgan Chases Jamie Dimon and former SEC commissioner Paul Atkins (see the full list below). Members will be charged with providing their individual views to Trump on how government policy impacts economic growth, job creation and productivity. The release today said the group is designed to provide direct input to the president in a frank, non-bureaucratic, and non-partisan manner. This forum brings together CEOs and business leaders who know what it takes to create jobs and drive economic growth, Trump said. My administration is committed to drawing on private sector expertise and cutting the government red tape that is holding back our businesses from hiring, innovating and expanding right here in America. RelatedTreasury Secretary-Designate Steven Mnuchin Stirs Markets, And Opponents Earlier this week, Trump appointed hedge-fund boss Steve Mnuchin as Treasury Secretary as a key member of his economic team. Mnuchins Dune Capital has been active in Hollywood, helping to finance the X-Men franchise, Gravity, The Lego Movie, Life of Pi and Avatar. He also briefly served as co-chairman of Relativity Media, leaving before mid-2015 when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Here are the Presidents Strategic and Policy Forum members announced today: Stephen A. Schwarzman (Forum Chairman), Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder of Blackstone; Story continues Paul Atkins, CEO, Patomak Global Partners, LLC, Former Commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission; Mary Barra, Chairman and CEO, General Motors; Toby Cosgrove, CEO, Cleveland Clinic; Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO, JPMorgan Chase & Co; Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO, BlackRock; Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company; Rich Lesser, President and CEO, Boston Consulting Group; Doug McMillon, President and CEO, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.; Jim McNerney, Former Chairman, President, and CEO, Boeing; Adebayo Bayo Ogunlesi, Chairman and Managing Partner, Global Infrastructure Partners; Ginni Rometty, Chairman, President, and CEO, IBM; Kevin Warsh, Shepard Family Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Economics, Hoover Institute, Former Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Mark Weinberger, Global Chairman and CEO, EY; Jack Welch, Former Chairman and CEO, General Electric; Daniel Yergin, Pulitzer Prize-winner, Vice Chairman of IHS Markit Related stories 'SNL' Pokes At Donald Trump's CNN Tweets - And Gives Shout-Out To Real-Life High School Supporter Haim Saban Slams DNC Chair Hopeful Keith Ellison: "Anti-Semitic And Anti-Israel" Seth MacFarlane Tweets Thoughts On Trump And Why Hollywood "Hates" Him; Trump Fans Hate Seth Back The Caucus for Producers, Writers & Directors held its 34th annual Caucus Awards dinner tonight at the Skirball Cultural Center, celebrating outstanding achievement in television and new media. The 42-year-old hyphenatess organization also celebrated diversity, and there was lots of it to go around: from presenters and hosts, to awards recipients and members of the audience. What used to be mostly an older white guys club has become one of the most diverse organizations in Hollywood. Its motto is Leading the Evolution, and as one presenter put it, We dont just talk diversity, we practice it. Roots director Thomas Carter won the Directors Honor Award; Robert and Michelle King, creators of The Good Wife and BrainDead, won the Writers Honor Award, and Marta Kauffman and Howard J. Morris won the Producers Honor Award for Grace and Frankie. Michael T. Fries Michael T. Fries, co-chair, president and CEO of Liberty Global, received the executive of the year award; Roy Price, vice president and head of Amazon Studios was presented with the New Visions Award; producer Stephanie Allain received the Chairs Award; producer/director Kevin Bright accepted the Caucus Lifetime Achievement Award, and Frank Chindamo, professor and founder of Fun Little Movies, was presented the Caucus Distinguished Service Award. The Caucus is especially proud of funding and mentoring of student filmmakers, and standing on stage, this years six honorees looked they could have been representatives from the United Nations. Elle Foumbi won the top student prize and $60,000 for a student film about the war in Syria, and Julio Vincent Gambuto won second place and $20,000 for a comedic film about his familys business. Hosts Charissa Jean Thompson and James Pickens, Jr. did a great job of holding the show together. For the past 42 years, the Caucus has provided a forum for writers, producers and directors to network as the creative conscience of the television industry, advocating for better and more meaningful television. Story continues Related stories Caucus For Producers, Writers & Directors Unveils Honorees & Nominees Ted Cruz "Excellence" Award Raises Questions About Caucus' Union Ties Johnny Depp, Sam Raimi & Others Contribute To Film By 16-Year Old Cancer Patient His name means good luck in Japanese and apparently luck was with pup Yoshi when a man named Michael Lee Britton threw him into oncoming traffic. According to FOX 35 News, who first reported the story, Yoshi survived a toss into a busy stretch of road in Ocala, Florida, by Britton, who was subsequently arrested and charged with animal cruelty, assault on a police officer and resisting arrest. He had said to somebody at the scene or jail, he was trying to put the dog out of its misery, because it had been shot with an arrow, Ocala Police Lt. Brian Young told the station. (No arrow wounds were found on the dog.) According to Brittons arrest affidavit, obtained by the station, the dog was hit and run over by two separate vehicles as numerous witnesses watched. On Thursday, an update on the Marion County Lost and Found Pets Facebook page said that Yoshi is recovering well and being fostered by an officer involved in the case, as felony charges are pending. Buck now named Yoshi his original name is doing great! says the post. Staff veterinarian and vet techs of the MCAS evaluated him late last night and today. They will continue to give him all the necessary medical treatment, monitor him, and give him all the love, hugs and kisses until this case is resolved. A Facebook comment from the person who runs the page said a family had come forward claiming ownership of the pup, who can be seen smiling in photos, despite his horrific ordeal. But it wasnt yet confirmed if Yoshi actually belonged to them. Yoshi AKA Buck is not microchipped, the comment said. The family claiming ownership, their dog had been missing nearly 3 years, they have photos and paperwork and have submitted it to the MCAS their missing dog was not microchipped Yoshi will not be released to anyone until the judge determines the felony cruelty charges and makes a ruling. Dolly Parton is proving that her heart will always be in Tennessee. The country music icon has launched the My People Fund to raise money for victims of the wildfires that have ravaged the Great Smokey Mountains region and resulted in 2,000 people being evacuated. Around 100 buildings have been destroyed, with the hardest hit areas being Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, according to ABC News. As part of The Dollywood Company and The Dollywood Foundation, Partons fund will provide $1,000 each month to Sevier County families who lost their homes. Also Read: Can Dolly Parton's 'Coat of Many Colors' Sequel Warm As Many Viewers? Ive always believed charity begins at home and my home is some place special, Parton said in a video message released Wednesday. Thats why Ive asked my Dollywood Companies including the Dollywood theme park, and DreamMore Resort; my dinner theater attractions including Dixie Stampede and Lumberjack Adventure; and my Dollywood Foundation to help me establish the My People Fund. We want to provide a hand up to those families who have lost everything in the fires. I know it has been a trying time for my people and this assistance will help get them back on their feet, she continued. Also Read: Dolly Parton, Trace Adkins Laugh Through Pain in 'Mean Tweets': CMA Awards Edition (Video) Parton, 70, was born in Sevier County as the fourth of 12 children. Her father was a farmer and construction worker and the family which she has since described as dirt poor lived in a one-room cabin. She went on to become the most honored female country performer of all time and started in the film 9 to 5. Her latest project is Dolly Partons Christmas of Many Colors on NBC. Anyone who would like to contribute to the My People Fund can visit dollywoodfoundation.org. More information on the program will be released on Friday. A spokesperson with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said Tuesday that the fires were right on the doorstep of Dollywood, ABC News reported, but crews were able to stop the flames from damaging the park overnight. Story continues Related stories from TheWrap: Can Dolly Parton's 'Coat of Many Colors' Sequel Warm As Many Viewers? Watch Dolly Parton, Pentatonix Team Up on 'Jolene' (Video) Merle Haggard Remembered by Icons Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Ringo Starr Dollywood, a theme park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, partially owned by Dolly Parton, announced its plans to set up a fund for victims of recent wildfires, local news outlets reported Thursday. We want to provide a hand up to those families who have lost everything in the fires, Parton said in a video announcing the plan. To aid in their recovery effort, the Dollywood Foundation will provide $1,000 a month to all of those families who lost their homes in the fires for six months so that they can get back on their feet." Wildfires in Gatlinburg earlier this week destroyed over 150 buildings and forced the evacuation of at least 14,000 people. High winds and a historic drought caused the fires that spread across Gatlinburg and nearby Pigeon Forge, both resort towns near the Smoky Mountains. Parton's companies, including the Dollywood Theme Park, DreamMore Resort, and the Dollywood Foundation, among others, came together to create the "My People Fund" to help families displaced by this natural disaster. Dollywood isnt the only local entity that has looked to help the community rebuild in the wake of the fires. The Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce announced their Gatlinburg Relief Fund in partnership with a local bank that allows people to donate to community efforts in rebuilding. Other local groups, including the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and Remote Area Medical, are collecting and distributing funds and resources for those affected. Related Articles The price tag of the La Crosses new parking ramp at the intersection of Third and Pine streets could go up $400,000 under an amendment to the citys purchase agreement considered Thursday by a city committee. La Crosses Finance and Personnel Committee unanimously voted to refer the amendment to a special meeting of the full La Crosse Common Council while city officials investigate the reasons behind the increase. The committee also approved the vacation of right-of-way on Seventh Street over the objection of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The referred amendment to the agreement would be the first to the contract approved late last year to purchase the $17 million, 600-space ramp from a Don Weber-owned development company. Third and Pine LLC, the company managed by Logistics Health Inc. founder and CEO Weber, began construction this summer on the parking ramp, demolishing the former Collins Outdoor Advertising property at 325 N. Third St. and preparing the site for construction. Mayor Tim Kabat said in an interview Wednesday that the changes to the agreement would increase the price to $17.4 million and approve the inclusion of a retail wing. While Kabat was unable to speak in detail about the reasons behind the price increase, he said the developer had faced environmental challenges and unexpected costs associated with moving some utility lines in the alley adjacent to the ramp. After speaking with representatives of the development company, Kabat said they were able to absorb some of the extra costs, but were still left with expenses of $400,000 more than anticipated. They felt like that was as far as they could cut the cost and still provide us with the quality of product we expect, Kabat said. The financing for the project was pulled from Thursdays agenda after there was some confusion over the inclusion of retail space. The question of commercial space needs to be settled before financing can finalized, and the citys finance department will need to research what portion of the ramp would be privately-owned and therefore taxable and which would be owned by the city and therefore nontaxable. With so many unanswered questions, Council President Richard Swantz didnt think it wise to vote on the agreement, suggesting at Thursdays meeting that the full council take a closer look at the changes next week. We dont really have complete financial data as we sit here this evening, Swantz said. Id be more comfortable and Im sure my colleagues would as well if we refer this to a special council meeting. The council will discuss the matter immediately prior to its Dec. 8 regular meeting. The ramp is expected to be completed by September 2017. In other business, the committee approved vacating a portion of city right of way at the intersection of Seventh and La Crosse streets connected with a new development on that corner over the objections of the Wisconsin DOT. Nick Roush of Roush Rentals made the request to pave the way for his plans to construct a mixed-use building intended to house apartments, community and office space. The DOT objected to the city giving up the right of way, noting that it could potentially impact one of the solutions included in the Coulee Region Transportation Study; however, the committee approved it over the objection, noting that the one solution it would impact is the controversial North-South Corridor through the La Crosse River Marsh. Dominion Midstream Partners, LP DM announced that it expanded the natural gas storage and distribution business through the acquisition of Questar Pipeline from Dominion Resources, Inc. D. The deal was valued at $1.725 billion, of which the partnership paid $823 million in cash, and issued $167 million of common units and $300 million of convertible preferred units to Dominion. Moreover, the partnership Questar Pipeline's outstanding debt of $435 million. Planned DropDowns Continue Dominion Midstream is a Delaware limited partnership formed by Dominion Resources in Mar 2014 in its efforts to create a portfolio of natural gas terminaling, processing, storage, transportation and related assets. Note that on Oct 31, following the closure of the Dominion-Questar merger, Dominion announced the decision to drop down Questar Pipeline to the midstream partnership and utilize the net proceeds to lower its existing debt. In Apr 2015, the partnership acquired Dominion Carolina Gas Transmission from Dominion for $495 million. This dropdown added nearly 1,500 miles of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)-regulated interstate natural gas pipeline in South Carolina and southeastern Georgia to Dominion Midstreams assets and became immediately accretive to its earnings. How will Dominion Midstream Benefit? The acquisition will add FERC-regulated natural gas transmission and storage assets owned by Questar Pipeline in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming to Dominion Midstreams existing asset base. These high-quality assets will be immediate accretive to the partnerships cash flow and support its cash distribution growth goal. The asset dropdown will also provide Dominion Midstream with an alternative source of earnings to support growth and cash distribution rate, without another asset dropdown or additional equity, until the second half of 2018. Price Movement Over the last one year, Dominion Midstream has been underperforming the Oil and Gas Pipeline industry. The partnerships units lost 9.8%, compared with the Zacks Categorized industrys 23.4% gain. Story continues DOMINION MIDSTR Price and Consensus DOMINION MIDSTR Price and Consensus | DOMINION MIDSTR Quote When compared to the industry, the partnerships unit returns were higher up to Apr 2016. The subsequent drop resulted from a persistently dismal in comparison to market expectations in the last three quarters. We expect the strategic acquisition of Questar Pipeline to help the partnership to improve its performance going ahead. Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks Dominion Midstream currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). A couple of other favorably placed stocks in the same space include Azure Midstream Partners, LP AZUR and Transmontaigne Partners L.P. TLP. Both the stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here Azure Midstreams earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 288% in the preceding quarter. Its 2016 loss estimates narrowed to $2.00 from $3.51 in the last 60 days. Transmontaigne Partners earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 18.4% in the prior quarter. Its 2016 earnings estimates improved 5.3% to $1.90 in the last 60 days. 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Click to get this free report DOMINION RES VA (D): Free Stock Analysis Report TRANSMONTN PTNR (TLP): Free Stock Analysis Report DOMINION MIDSTR (DM): Free Stock Analysis Report AZURE MIDSTREAM (AZUR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Don Calfa (top left) in the 1985 film The Return of the Living Dead (Photo: MGM/Photofest) By Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter Don Calfa, a top-notch character actor who portrayed the embalmer Ernie Kaltenbrunner in the 1985 cult horror comedy The Return of the Living Dead, has died. He was 76. Calfa died Thursday two days before his birthday at his home in Yucca Valley, Calif., actor-producer Mark Terry (Live Evil, Brothers Blood) told The Hollywood Reporter. Related: Hollywoods Notable Deaths of 2016 A native of Brooklyn, Calfa also portrayed Paulie, the hitman who murders Hamptons rich guy Bernie Lomax (Terry Kiser) by giving him a heroin overdose, in the classic comedy Weekend at Bernies (1989). Weekend at Bernies: Watch the trailer: Calfa was cast by some of the top directors of his time, including Peter Bogdanovich (1976s Nickelodeon), Martin Scorsese (1977s New York, New York), Blake Edwards (1979s 10), Steven Spielberg (1979s 1941), Bob Rafelson (the 1981 remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice), and Barry Levinson (1991s Bugsy). Calfa also collaborated several times with director (and fellow New Yorker) Peter Hyams; they worked together on Peeper (1976), The Star Chamber (1983), Running Scared (1986), The Presidio (1988), and Stay Tuned (1992). He also was in Cinderella Liberty (1973), Bank Shot (1974), Foul Play (1978), The Rose (1979), and the remake of Doctor Dolittle (1998). In The Return of the Living Dead, written and directed by Dan OBannon, an employee at a medical supply warehouse accidentally releases toxic gas into the air in Louisville, Ky., bringing to life dead people who want nothing but to eat brains. Related: Alien Writer Dan OBannon Dies Calfas blond-haired Kaltenbrunner character enjoys listening to Wehrmacht marching songs and has this memorable exchange with half of a corpse in the film: Kaltenbrunner: Why do you eat people? Corpse: Not people. Brains. Kaltenbrunner: Brains only? Corpse: Yes. Kaltenbrunner: Why? Corpse: The pain! Kaltenbrunner: What about the pain? Corpse: The pain of being dead! Story continues Watch a short excerpt from the scene described above in a featurette on the design work for The Return of the Living Dead: On Doogie Howser, M.D., starring Neil Patrick Harris, Calfa played Carmine Delpino, the father of Doogies best friend Vinnie (Max Casella). On Beverly Hills, 90210, he showed up as beach-house landlord Mr. Pitts. And on Barney Miller, he worked on seven episodes, playing a different character each time. Early in his career, Calfa appeared on Broadway in Mating Dance in 1965 and Lenny in 1971. Don Calfa, a top-notch character actor who portrayed the embalmer Ernie Kaltenbrunner in the 1985 cult horror comedy The Return of the Living Dead, has died. He was 76. Calfa died Thursday - two days before his birthday - at his home in Yucca Valley, Calif., actor-producer Mark Terry (Live Evil, Brother's Blood) told The Hollywood Reporter. A native of Brooklyn, Calfa also portrayed Paulie, the hitman who murders Hamptons rich guy Bernie Lomax (Terry Kiser) by giving him a heroin overdose, in the classic comedy Weekend at Bernie's (1989). Calfa was cast by some of the top directors of his time, including Peter Bogdanovich (1976's Nickelodeon), Martin Scorsese (1977's New York, New York), Blake Edwards (1979's 10), Steven Spielberg (1979's 1941), Bob Rafelson (the 1981 remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice) and Barry Levinson (1991's Bugsy). Calfa also collaborated several times with director (and fellow New Yorker) Peter Hyams; they worked together on Peeper (1976), The Star Chamber (1983), Running Scared (1986), The Presidio (1988) and Stay Tuned (1992). He also was in Cinderella Liberty (1973), Bank Shot (1974), Foul Play (1978), The Rose (1979) and the remake of Doctor Dolittle (1998). In The Return of the Living Dead, written and directed by Dan O'Bannon, an employee at a medical supply warehouse accidentally releases toxic gas into the air in Louisville, Ky., bringing to life dead people who want nothing but to eat brains. Calfa's blond-haired Kaltenbrunner character enjoys listening to Wehrmacht marching songs and has this memorable exchange with half of a corpse in the film: Kaltenbrunner: Why do you eat people? Corpse: Not people. Brains. Kaltenbrunner: Brains only? Corpse: Yes. Kaltenbrunner: Why? Corpse: The pain! Kaltenbrunner: What about the pain? Corpse: The pain of being dead! On Doogie Howser, M.D., starring Neil Patrick Harris, Calfa played Carmine Delpino, the father of Doogie's best friend Vinnie (Max Casella). On Beverly Hills, 90210, he showed up as beach-house landlord Mr. Pitts. And on Barney Miller, he worked on seven episodes, playing a different character each time. Early in his career, Calfa appeared on Broadway in Mating Dance in 1965 and Lenny in 1971. Read more: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2016 Donald Trump invited Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to the White House in 2017 during a telephone conversation, according to an aide to Duterte. Reuters reported on Friday that the conversation between the two had been described by Duterte aide Christopher Go as a very engaging, animated one, lasting more than seven minutes. Some have drawn similarities between the two leaders based on their unexpected rises to power and their controversial statements and provocative personalities. Immediately after the U.S. election last month, Duterte extended an olive branch to Trump, despite fractious relations between the two countries since the Philippine Presidents election in May this year. Duterte also invited Trump to the Philippines next year when the country chairs the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Go said. It is tradition for the U.S. president to attend the proceedings. At the summit in October, Duterte called President Obama the son of a whore. [Reuters] CINCINNATI President-elect Donald Trump isnt quite done with the campaign. His first postelection event on Thursday featured a speech in which he delivered extensive riffs boasting about his performance in the election and airing old grievances. Trumps event was the kickoff for what his team is billing as a Thank You tour, and his aides are quick to correct anyone who refers to it as a victory lap. All the rallies are expected to take place in key states where Trump scored victories. He told his supporters at the U.S. Bank Arena that there were two reasons for these postelection events to express his gratitude and unveil plans for his presidency. However, throughout the speech, he focused on replaying triumphs and feuds from his race against Democrat Hillary Clinton. Im here today for one main reason to say thank you to Ohio. We won the state by almost 10 points! Trump said. He added, The second reason that Im here today, Im going to discuss our action plan to make America great again. Were going to discuss it. Although we did have a lot of fun fighting Hillary, didnt we? Even though Trumps team has backed off his campaign promise to prosecute Clinton, this jab at her set off the chants of Lock her up! that were a staple of his campaign rallies. Related: Donald Trumps Thank You tour >>> Trumps speech was not only focused on election nostalgia. He rolled out a series of bold promises to revitalize the economy, destroy the jihadi group the Islamic State, and even announced a Cabinet pick, confirming that he had decided to offer Gen. Jim Mattis the position of defense secretary. But even in discussing his agenda, Trump steered his remarks back to the presidential race. People are constantly telling me and telling you to reduce our expectations. Those people are fools are fools, said Trump. This campaign proved that the old rules no longer apply, that anything we want for our country is now possible. Story continues As he did at his campaign rallies, Trump also targeted the media or as he put it, the extremely dishonest press. For about eight minutes, he railed against the pundits who predicted that his chances of winning the election were slim. As he spoke, the crowd rained boos down on the members of the media who were observing the event. Trumps tirade also included shots at one of his lesser rivals, the relatively low-profile independent candidate Evan McMullin, who some pundits thought might take enough votes away from Trump in Utah to win the states electoral votes. As a Republican, Im supposed to win the great state of Utah, Trump said. Remember when they said Donald Trump is going to lose to some guy I never even heard of? Who was that guy? Hes going to lose to this guy, but the people of Utah were amazing. And by the way, Hillary came in second and that guy came in third. At one point during Trumps nearly hourlong speech, a group of protesters attempted to unfurl a banner in the arena. They dont know that Hillary lost a couple of weeks ago, Trump said of the protesters. You know, a lot of the people that protested, we said, Did you vote? No, I didnt vote. They dont vote. They never vote. Donald Trump at a campaign rally Thursday in Cincinnati. (Photo: Mike Segar/Reuters) Many of Trumps supporters who were in attendance at the event were clearly eager to relive the campaign with him. Drew Powell, an Indiana resident who had driven for about an hour to attend the rally, was wearing a T-shirt proclaiming him a Proud Member of the Basket of Deplorables. This alluded to a comment Clinton made during the race in referring to certain Trump supporters. Powell said Clintons comments insulted half the country. I think it was a mistake, and if it helped us win, Im happy to wear this shirt, Powell told Yahoo News. Powell also said that he isnt necessarily bothered by indications that Trump might abandon his vow to prosecute Clinton, provided that Democrats end their participation in election recounts. I think that, if she lets off some of the recount stuff, then lets try to heal the nation and not make a further divide, Powell said of Clinton. But if the Democrats push for recounts that are useless, then maybe that needs to be thought about again. Another man in the crowd was dressed as a cross between Trump and the Internet meme Pepe the Frog. He wore green face paint and a Trump-style wig and suit. Throughout his conversation with Yahoo News, the man refused to break character and would not give his real name. Pepe the Frog is a cartoon character that has been used in anti-Semitic and racist imagery embraced by many Trump supporters. Asked about Pepes popularity among neo-Nazis, the costumed man argued that he didnt control the characters image. He also told Yahoo News that he had decided to attend the rally because of his animosity toward Clinton. Im here because Hillary Clinton hates memes. Shes a meme-ist and she calls me deplorable, the man said. I dont like people calling memes deplorable. Apparently, not all of Trumps supporters were as eager to relive the campaign as their candidate. When Trump visited the arena in October, in the final weeks of the race, he packed the house. On Thursday, there were large numbers of empty seats, including the entire upper section of the venue. In his speech, Trump suggested that the rush-hour traffic problems his motorcade had caused might have affected attendance. I didnt know that they close down the roads around the stadium for an hour and a half, said Trump. Weve got to work out a new deal with our Secret Service, but we love them, right? Whatever the reason, the atmosphere was clearly different from the campaign rallies at which Trump was regularly able to brag about overflowing crowds. Just prior to the event, one of Trumps staffers walked up to another and offered a sarcastic assessment of the audience. Its packed, she said, before twisting her face into an exaggerated grimace. At the first stop of his Thank You Tour in Cincinnati on Thursday, president-elect Donald Trump mocked ABC News Martha Raddatz for appearing to get emotional on election night. How about when a major anchor who hosted a debate started crying when she realized that we won? How about that? he said, mocking the anchor by mimicking a person crying. Tears. No, tell me this isnt true.' Raddatz, who hosted the third presidential debate with CNNs Anderson Cooper, appeared to get choked up on air while discussing Trumps surprise victory on Election Night last month. Also Read: ABC News' Martha Raddatz Appears to Choke Up Over Donald Trump Victory (Video) An ABC News spokesperson denied that Raddatz cried on air, calling the assertion ridiculous and untrue in a statement to TheWrap the following day. Raddatz herself denied the assertion on Twitter, writing It is FICTION that I was choked up.' Thank you Brian. You are correct. It is FICTION that I was "choked up." https://t.co/od5A9I86g9 Martha Raddatz (@MarthaRaddatz) November 10, 2016 This isnt the first time Trump has mocked Raddatz for appearing to get emotional on election night. The topic also came up at the president-elects media summit at Trump Tower last month. At the off-the-record meeting with 30 to 40 news executives, journalists and anchors, Trump reportedly called out Raddatz, as well as NBCs Katy Tur, CNN and Jeff Zucker, among others. Trump didnt say [NBC reporter] Katy Tur by name, but talked about an NBC female correspondent who got it wrong, then he referred to a horrible network correspondent who cried when Hillary lost who hosted a debate which was Martha Raddatz, who was also in the room, an unnamed source told the New York Post. Watch the video. Related stories from TheWrap: Guns N' Roses Fans Beat Donald Trump in Effigy During Mexico Concert (Video) Where Are These Trump Voters Getting Their Fake News? They Aren't Sure (Video) When Donald Trump Met Rosa Parks (Photo) A pair of pro-Donald Trump superPACs filed a federal lawsuit to halt a recount of votes in Wisconsin, one of three states that were key to Trumps stunning victory in the presidential race. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Madison late on Thursday by the Great America PAC, the Stop Hillary PAC and voter Ronald R. Johnson. It seeks a temporary restraining order to halt the recount, arguing that it violates the due process clause of the Constitution and that it may unjustifiably cast doubt upon the legitimacy of President Donald J. Trumps victory. The also contend that there is no reasonable assurance that the recount can accurately and carefully be conducted by Dec. 13, the so-called safe harbor deadline set by Congress for states to certify their results in advance of the electoral collage vote later this month. But officials with the Wisconsin Elections Board, which started the recount this week at the request of Green Party candidate Jill Stein, said on Twitter that it could continue unless a judge orders otherwise. Keep counting! Stein has been raising money online to pay for the recount, as is required by law. Matthew D. Brinckerhoff, lead counsel for the Stein recount effort, said that they plan to intervene and join the Wisconsin Elections Commission in defending the recount. Citizens in Wisconsin and across the country have made it clear that they want a recount and deserve to see this process through to ensure integrity in the vote. Meanwhile, the attorney general of Michigan, Bill Schuette, on Friday asked the state Supreme Court to block any potential recount there, according to the Associated Press. Stein is also seeking a recount in that state. The Trump campaign also is asking state elections officials to block the recount there, arguing that Stein does not have a vested interest given that she received just 1% of the vote. Stein also is seeking a recount in Pennsylvania. Related stories Story continues Trump, Clinton Campaign Staffers Clash in Post-Election Forum Election Results Spur New Wave of Activism in Hollywood Donald Trump Announces Dec. 15 Press Conference to Discuss Leaving His Business President-elect Donald Trump gave another rally speech in Cincinnati tonight, though its been nearly a month since hes won the Electoral College count that will deliver him the White House. In one of the speechs spontaneous moments, the ebullient Trump confided to the crowd and TV cameras that he will nominate retired Marine Gen. James Mattis as his Secretary of Defense on Monday. We are going to appoint Mad Dog Mattis as our Secretary of Defense. But were not announcing it until Monday, so dont tell anybody, Trump said in kicking off what is being billed as his Thank You Tour of key states that gave him an Election Night win that stunned many members of the media. They say hes the closest thing to Gen. George Patton that we have. And its about time, Trump said of the retired four-star general. Are we doing a great job with our Cabinet and our people? Trump asked the crowd rhetorically, to enthusiastic response. He noted some political pundits have attacked him for nominating a former Goldman Sachs billionaire to lead Commerce. Well, thats because this guy knows how to make money, folks! Trump said. He knows how to make money! I put in a killer. I said were going to put in the greatest killers of all time. We need that. Its time. In a speech reiterating his campaign promise for a nativist agenda, Trump again detailed plans to scrap NAFTA, suspend immigration from regions where people cannot be safely processed and plow under Obamacare, which he said would be replaced with an American health care plan. From now on its going to be America first, OK? Were going to put ourselves first, he said. We seek peace and harmony with nations of the world, but that means recognizing the right of every country, including our own, to look after its citizens. We had people running our country that truly didnt know what the hell they were doing. They forgot it was the American worker who truly built this country. Story continues While Trump said he was there for one reason: to say thank you to Ohio, which he won handily, it quickly segued into a sort of Election Night trip down memory lane-cum-media bashing, which always plays well with his supporters. The extremely dishonest press, very dishonest people, Trump began, mocking ABC News Martha Raddatz, though not by name, with talk of a major anchor, who hosted a debate, started crying when she realized that we won. How about that? Tears! And you know what she doesnt understand? Things are going to be much better now! he said. Trump called his election our great movement, adding, You are the movement; Im the messenger. Then, thinking better of that, he added, I been a very good messenger. Ive been a pretty good messenger! Related stories Seth MacFarlane Tweets Thoughts On Trump And Why Hollywood "Hates" Him; Trump Fans Hate Seth Back CNN Apologizes To Trump Team For Producer's Plane-Crash Crack Caught On Camera Disney's Bob Iger Lone Media Boss On Donald Trump's New Policy Forum Team TOMAH A veteran in the troubled Veteran Assistance Foundation program at the Tomah VA Medical Center is recovering from injuries sustained when he jumped from a third-story window in the VAF day room. Details of the incident, which occurred early Wednesday morning, have not been released, other than confirmation from medical center and VAF officials that it occurred and that the unidentified veteran was taken initially to Tomah Memorial Hospital and possibly transferred later to a La Crosse hospital. Victoria Brahm, the medical centers interim director, informed employees of the incident in an email Wednesday that also encouraged them to be vigilant about veterans who might be considering suicide. The statistics are staggering. Nationally, 20 veterans commit suicide every day. That is 20 too many, Brahms email said. But what can we do? Im asking you to be there for veterans. Small and thoughtful acts calling up an old friend, checking in on a neighbor, cooking someone dinner or inviting a colleague on a walk can have a big impact on people who could use some support. Don Roach, executive director of the Tomah-based VAF, said Thursday that the organization would issue a statement later in the day, but the Tribune had not received it by its deadline. The incident came at a tough time for the VAF, a Tomah-based nonprofit that the VA has told to vacate the two floors of a building it has been using to house and provide treatment for 40 to 50 homeless veterans. Among the reasons the VA cited for terminating the programs $17,000-a-month lease were safety concerns that could endanger other veterans being treated on the center's sprawling campus. Also at issue is the death of a 54-year-old woman who was staying in the VAF quarters at the medical center. On Oct. 27, Brahm issued a statement explaining that the VAF lease would end on Jan. 13, adding, "The safety and well-being of our veterans is of the utmost concern. Unfortunately, the Veterans Assistance Foundation has failed significantly in their responsibility to take care of the veterans in their care." On Tuesday, Brahm said the medical center had offered to extend the eviction until the end of April. Roach acknowledged the extension offer Thursday but said the two sides haven't agreed to the terms. The VA wants to charge the same amount for rent and utilities, no matter how many veterans are being housed. Only 29 were there as of Thursday, said Roach, who expressed skepticism about reaching an accord. "They don't want us there," Roach said. "Their intent is to use that space for other purposes." Brahm said VAF didn't pass a recent annual inspection of the services and has 30 days to comply. If it passes, VA personnel would be able to help move the vets to facilities off the medical center campus, which she said would "be a better fit." No veteran will go without housing, regardless of the fate of the lease, she said. "I guarantee you that nothing will happen to these veterans," she said. "We will make sure they are all placed." (Reuters) - Dubai-based ports operator DP World Ltd said it had partnered with Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, Canada's second-biggest public pension fund, to create a C$5 billion ($3.76 billion) investment vehicle. The partnership will invest in ports and terminals, focusing on investment grade countries, the companies said on Friday. DP World will have a 55 percent stake in the partnership, while Caisse will hold the rest, the companies said. The partnership will initially include two of DP World's Canadian container terminals in British Columbia, of which Caisse will buy a 45 percent stake for C$865 million. Cannacord Genuity, Dubai, served as financial adviser to DP World and BMO Capital Markets as financial adviser to CDPQ. (Reporting by Arathy S Nair and Ahmed Farhatha in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva) BEIJING (Reuters) - China's county-level police will be able to censor internet coverage of natural and man-made disasters, according to a revised draft of the country's policing law that the Chinese Public Security Bureau released late on Thursday. China reports a high rate of accidents and natural disasters every year due its vast geography and its relatively low public safety and building standards. The government has pledged to improve the country's poor safety record. Incidents are often met with an outpouring of public grief and anger that the authorities seek to contain using internet controls and state-media coverage focusing on successful relief work. The provisional adjustment to China's policing law, posted on the security bureau's website, would grant county-level police new powers when dealing with disasters in their jurisdiction. "When necessary", local police will be allowed to "implement internet controls" if approved by a province-level public security bureau, the draft said. Local police will also be able to cordon off disaster areas, and limit or block individuals or vehicles from entry into a certain area in the name of safety. The draft law is in its public consultation phase, with suggestions accepted up until the end of 2016, a notice on the bureau's website said. It did not give a time frame for the revised law's implementation. Local police have in practice always been able to block access to disaster areas and could negotiate with websites and censorship authorities to guide discussion. But the new law, if enacted, would see this practice formalized and ratified by the central government. Incidents that range from chemical explosions to factory fires to mine cave-ins mar China's three decades of rapid growth. Two weeks ago, a collapsing crane at a power plant in eastern China's Jiangxi province killed 74 people. After chemical blasts in the port city of Tianjin on Aug. 12 last year killed more than 170, President Xi Jinping said authorities would learn the lessons paid for with blood. (Reporting by Christian Shepherd; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman) Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f304328%2f86c4849216ef4ecaad56f77cd3a3f9fc The holidays in Australia is scorching hot. Instead of eggnog and mulled wine, Australians are usually punching cans of cold beer. It's no wonder why Wes Boyd from Perth has built a giant Christmas tree made of 2536 cans of Victoria Bitter or VB. Measuring 4.4 metres (14.4 feet) high, it's less a tree and more an almighty tribute to the beverage. SEE ALSO: Little wombat named George just wants to play with his human friend "I wanted to build it to make people happy," Boyd told PerthNow. "Me and some mates love drinking VBs, and two to three mates have been bringing empty cans over here every week for the past 14 months." Boyd built the impressive tree, which also lights up at night, with the help of said mates. While it might seem a pretty whimsical celebration of beer, the tree is also dedicated to a good cause. It's helping to raise money for charity Alzheimer's Australia, with Boyd collecting donations for the cause every night until the rest of December. The neurodegenerative disease affected both his mother and grandmother before they died, he told the news outlet. A good cause and beer? It's a match made in holiday heaven. BONUS: Enjoy draft beer anywhere with this portable tap The Hague (AFP) - The Dutch government will seek EU support to temporarily freeze accession talks with Turkey, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Friday, in a move set to ratchet up tensions between Ankara and Brussels. "We are going to see whether there's support in Europe... to suspend talks for half a year," Rutte said at his weekly press conference. Turkey and the EU had agreed to speed up the long-stalled membership talks after both sides reached a deal in March to curb the flow of migrants into the European Union. But the process has stalled after a failed coup in July by a rogue military faction was followed by a crackdown that saw some 37,000 arrests. Rutte on Friday reiterated his Foreign Minister Bert Koenders' statement earlier this week, who said the accession talks were "comatose". Koenders' comments come after Dutch lawmakers on Wednesday voted by majority for a temporary freeze of the talks, the public broadcaster NOS reported. The top Dutch diplomat "was not in favour of a suspension of the talks but caved in after pressure from lawmakers, saying he would now take the temperature among other European partners," the NOS said. The latest call follows a non-binding vote in the European Parliament last week when parliamentarians overwhelmingly voted in favour of suspending the talks. That vote infuriated Ankara, which immediately labelled it as "insignificant and worthless". Most EU states want to keep the Turkey talks on track -- but the leaders of the EU's 28 nations have a final say on Turkey's bid join the bloc. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has meanwhile threatened to retaliate by rupturing the March deal that sharply reduced the flow of migrants to Europe. Turkey formally applied to become an EU member in 1987 and accession talks only began in 2005, even though Ankara's aspirations to become part of the bloc date back to the 1960s. Erdogan on Tuesday said his country has not yet given up on its ambition to join the EU, but has "many other alternatives" if the stalled process goes nowhere. PORTLAND, OR / ACCESSWIRE / December 2, 2016 / Eastside Distilling, Inc. (ESDI) ("Eastside" or the "Company"), a producer of award-winning master-crafted spirits, announced today that it will be presenting at the 9th annual LD Micro Main Event on Thursday, December 8th at 11:00 AM PST / 8:00 AM EST at the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. Steve Shum, CFO, and Melissa Heim, Executive VP of Operations and the Master Distiller of Eastside Distilling, Inc., will be presenting, as well as meeting with investors. The LD Micro Main Event is the largest independent conference for small/microcap companies and will feature 240 presenting names. View Eastside Distilling's profile here: http://www.ldmicro.com/profile/ESDI News Compliments of Accesswire. About LD Micro LD Micro was founded in 2006 with the sole purpose of being an independent resource in the microcap space. What started out as a newsletter highlighting unique companies has transformed into an event platform hosting several influential conferences annually (Invitational, Summit, and Main Event). In 2015, LDM launched the first pure microcap index (the LDMi) to exclusively provide intraday information on the entire sector. LD will continue to provide valuable tools for the benefit of everyone in the small and microcap universe. For those interested in attending, please contact David Scher at david@ldmicro.com or visit www.ldmicro.com/events for more information. About Eastside Distilling Eastside Distilling, Inc. (ESDI) is located in Southeast Portland's Distillery Row, and has been producing high-quality, master crafted spirits since 2008. Makers of award winning spirits, the company is unique in the marketplace and distinguished by its highly decorated product lineup that includes Barrel Hitch American Whiskies, Burnside Bourbon, Below Deck Rums, Portland Potato Vodka, and a distinctive line of infused whiskeys. All Eastside spirits are master crafted from natural ingredients for unparalleled quality and taste. The company is publicly traded under the symbol OTC QB: ESDI. For more information visit: www.eastsidedistilling.com or follow the company on Twitter and Facebook. Story continues Important Cautions Regarding Forward-Looking Statements Certain matters discussed in this press release may be forward-looking statements. Such matters involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the following: changes in economic conditions; general competitive factors; acceptance of the Company's products in the market; the Company's success in obtaining new customers; the Company's success in product development; the Company's ability to execute its business model and strategic plans; the Company's success in integrating acquired entities and assets, and all the risks and related information described from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including the financial statements and related information contained in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and interim Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Examples of forward-looking statements in this release may include statements related to our strategic focus, product verticals, anticipated revenue, and profitability. The Company assumes no obligation to update the cautionary information in this release. Investors: Robert Blum, Joe Diaz or Joe Dorame Lytham Partners, LLC (602) 889-9700 esdi@lythampartners.com SOURCE: Eastside Distilling, Inc. via LD Micro By Ahmed Aboulenein CAIRO (Reuters) - Azza Soliman was due to board a plane to attend a conference in Jordan when security officials at Cairo airport turned her away, saying a court order banned her from traveling. The veteran human rights lawyer and feminist was one of at least six activists, lawyers and journalists prevented from leaving Egypt in the space of a week. Rights groups say 217 people were banned from travel between June 2014 and September 2016 -- 115 of them government critics. They see restrictions as part of a wider move by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to silence opponents and erase freedoms won in the 2011 uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule. Soliman said she discovered after being turned back at the airport on Nov. 19 that her personal assets and those of her non-governmental organization (NGO) had been frozen, even though she was not aware of any legal case against her. "We are in a state that tramples on the law and constitution. They are acting like thieves in the night," she told Reuters. "I wasn't shown a single official paper saying I've been banned from travel or that my assets were frozen." Four days later on Nov. 23, officials banned from travel a veteran activist who runs a center that rehabilitates torture victims and a journalist who aired a television segment critical of the government. Another journalist was banned on Nov. 24 and a prominent women's rights campaigner on Nov. 25. The rash of travel bans prompted a rebuke from the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, who said they were part of an effort to silence critics. "Restrictions imposed on...freedom of movement have regrettably become routine in what is seen as a broader crackdown against Egyptian civil society that has continued unabated since 2011," Michel Forst said in a statement. An Interior Ministry spokesman said police do not stop anyone from travel unless a court or prosecutor has ordered it. "It is not the airport security officer's job to tell people why they are banned," he said. Airport security officials echoed those points but said that when prominent activists attempt to travel, passport control can consult security or intelligence agencies who sometimes order people stopped. The Interior Ministry denied there was a government crackdown. But Egypt's human rights record is coming under increasing scrutiny, including from close ally the United States. The U.S. State Department's 2015 rights report, released in April, highlighted restrictions on academic freedom and civil society as well as the impunity for security forces who torture and kill. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in March he was deeply concerned by the deterioration in rights, including the decision to reopen an investigation of NGOs which were documenting abuses. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said in April Egypt's human rights record made it more difficult to support Cairo. But U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke last month of his admiration for Sisi and called the Egyptian president "a fantastic guy." Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, in a joint statement in November, urged Egyptian authorities to stop imposing the travel bans on human rights defenders. "The Egyptian authorities want to sever the connection between the Egyptian human rights movement and the outside world," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. Amnesty said the authorities were using the bans to intimidate human rights defenders and hamper their work. GIANT PRISON Mohamed Zaree was on his way to a workshop in Tunis in May when he was turned back from the airport. The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, where he works, is among several rights groups facing investigation in a 2011 case, accused of taking foreign funds to sow chaos. But Zaree has not been officially charged and received no explanation for or prior notice of any travel restrictions. "This whole thing is very Kafkaesque. I don't know why I am banned or by whom, I don't know where to get any official notice," he said, referring to the Franz Kafka novel "The Trial" in which the protagonist is tried in mysterious circumstances. "I feel like the entire country is a giant prison I cannot leave, and I am not sure how long my sentence is." Hundreds of Islamists have been killed and thousands jailed since Sisi seized power in mid-2013, promising stability after a divisive year of Muslim Brotherhood rule. But the dragnet has since widened to include secular activists who opposed the Brotherhood but clung to hopes of political change. Parliament passed in November a law regulating NGOs, which human rights groups say effectively bans their work and makes it harder for development groups and charities to operate. One of its provisions jails NGO workers for collaborating with international institutions like the United Nations without prior permission. Rights lawyers and NGO workers said they now feared the travel bans could be used to intimidate them whether or not they had broken any law. Malek Adly, a human rights lawyer who was banned from travel earlier in November, said he was given no explanation. Part of a legal team trying to block the transfer of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, Adly said he believed he was targeted because of his opposition to Sisi. "I was neither given nor shown any official paperwork saying I am banned from travel," he said. (Additional reporting by Stephanie Ulmer-Nebehay in Geneva, Editing by Lin Noueihed and Angus MacSwan) What Were Following Fight for a Cure: The U.S. Congress is close to approving the 21st Century Cures Act, which would put more than $6 billion behind efforts to cure cancer, reform mental health treatment, test new drugs and medical tools, and more. The legislation, three years in the making, has gathered broad bipartisan supportbut its backers were surprised this week when Senator Elizabeth Warren denounced the bill as extortion and fraud to benefit pharmaceutical companies. In some ways, the debate illustrates a strategic split in the aftermath of the presidential election: While some Democrats are eager for the bill to pass before Donald Trump takes office, Warren sees it as an opportunity for progressives within her party to show some spine and start fighting back. Uncertainty About Trump: A new poll conducted by PRRI and The Atlantic finds some doubt among his supporters about whether hell make their lives better. About half of the president-elects voters think life in their communities will stay the same, while five percent think it might even get worse. One group that is generally optimistic about his presidency is white evangelicals, 39 percent of whom said they expect their lives to improve. Their survey answers, including a widespread concern that the U.S. is becoming too soft and feminine, speak to a sense that American values have been changing. Recommended: I Dialed a Wrong Number and Stumbled Into International Phone Fraud Life During Wartime: In the Philippines, where president Rodrigo Duterte has declared a brutal war on drug traffickers and users, 5,617 people have reportedly been killed during raids by police and by vigilantes. The anti-drug campaign is widely popular, but the left-behind loved ones are grappling with the violent results. Meanwhile in Colombia, as a civil war thats lasted for generations nears a close, teachers and therapists are working to help children deal with the aftermath. Story continues Snapshot The Antennae galaxies, shown here, mark the first installment of our annual Hubble Space Telescope Advent Calendar. Check back here for new images every day until Sunday, December 25. (NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team) Who Were Talking To Greg Stanton, the mayor of Phoenix, Arizona, discusses how hes preparing to respond to Trumps changes in policy. Recommended: Trevor Noah Finds His Late-Night Voice Rick Raemish, executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, explains why the practice of solitary confinement needs to change. Charles Lloyd, a jazz saxophonist and star of the 1960s, shares why he left the music worldand why hes coming back. Evening Read Adrienne LaFrance on the Antikythera Mechanism, a 2,000-year-old device recovered from a shipwreck and often described as the worlds oldest computer: The mechanism as it was recovered is split into three pieces and represents only a portion of the device as it was built. Scholars believe the rest of it was either destroyed, or is still on the seafloor, covered in sand. Clearly, this mechanism wasnt a one-off, Marchant told me. It was too sophisticated. It must be part of a whole tradition of these mechanisms. What I believe is that it cannot be just one mechanism and there must be more of them somewhere else, said Theotokis Theodoulou, an archaeologist and the head of Underwater Antiquities for Greeces Ministry of Culture. The Antikythera shipwreck could be such a site. Another possibility is more startling: What if other objects like the Antikythera Mechanism have already been discovered and forgotten? There may well be documented evidence of such finds somewhere in the world, in the vast archives of human research, scholarly and otherwise, but simply no way to search for them. Until now. Keep reading here, as Adrienne explores how artificial intelligence is changing the way people search for lost knowledge. Recommended: The Case Against Reality What Do You Know? 1. ____________ percent of American adults agree that science has made their lives easier. Scroll down for the answer, or find it here. 2. The U.S. state of ____________ has a 40 percent chance of experiencing a major earthquake in 2017. Scroll down for the answer, or find it here. 3. The word celebrity began to be used for people instead of situations around the year ____________. Scroll down for the answer, or find it here. Reader Response This reader has a suggestion for how we should cover false statements from Trump, such as his recent untrue claim that Hillary Clintons popular-vote lead is due to voter fraud: What if instead of making this illegal votes episode a story about a tweet or a lie or even a liar, the media made it a story about a serious and dangerous claim by our president-elect? What if you actually doubled-down on the normalizing and gave Trump every opportunity to back up his claims with evidence? What if you refused to move on from this very serious issue and instead demanded that he explain seriously and at length why he believes that three million illegal votes were cast, and why they were cast only for Clinton? What if you refused to move on from this one tweet for several weeks? What if the media did that for every dangerous claim made by this (elected) administration, baseless or otherwise? Dont accuse him of lying. Instead, force him to use his platform to either back it up or back down. Dont try to shoot him; give him a rope to hang himself with. Read more here, and go here for one journalists very different recommendation for dealing with Trumps tweets. Verbs Hamilton romance remixed, worst commercial relived, Trevor Noah succeeds. The Atlantic Daily is written by Rosa Inocencio Smith. To contact us, email hello@theatlantic.com. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. WINONA, Minn. IcyEagle has been brought to earth. Charged in June for peddling stolen bank account information on the dark recesses of the internet, Aaron James Glende, 35, of Winona also known as IcyEagle was sentenced Thursday to four years and two months in federal prison, followed by three years federal probation. Glende pleaded guilty to access device fraud and aggravated identity theft on Sept. 21 in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. This case generated numerous victims with varied degrees of financial losses but, with todays sentencing, the FBI hopes that these victims can have some solace that Glende, a.k.a. IcyEagle, is being held fully accountable for his criminal actions, said David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office in a prepared statement. In November 2015, Glende began advertising on AlphaBay, a dark web market not accessible through regular web browsers and used to market drugs, weapons, stolen property, criminal services and other illegal items, according to information provided by the U.S. Attorneys Office and the FBI. The website is sophisticated, including search functions and the ability to rate and review sellers by name, similar to legitimate online retailers, officials said. Beginning in March 2016, Glende posted ads for freshly hacked SunTrust Bank Account Logins, offering them at prices ranging from $9.99 to $69.99, depending on the available account balance. Undercover FBI agents found the offers too attractive to pass up and made several purchases from Glende, a.k.a. IcyEagle, using the online currency Bitcoin. After affirming that the purchased account information was indeed linked to real accounts that Glende was not authorized to access, the information was brought before a federal grand jury and an indictment was handed down June 28. A search of Glendes computer after his arrest turned up over 2,800 unauthorized access devices, including 944 usernames and passwords for bank accounts, 1,243 usernames and passwords for other electronic accounts, 123 Social Security numbers, 386 credit card numbers, and 123 bank account numbers, according to the U.S. attorney prosecuting the case. Glende also has trouble waiting for him closer to home. On March 11, Winona law enforcement officers, acting on information provided by the U.S. Postal Service, executed a search warrant at Glendes home and seized significant quantities of prescription drugs not prescribed for him, including nearly 600 Xanax capsules, several dozen other pills, $1,300 in cash, and two packages containing drugs that were addressed and ready to mail. As a result, Glende was charged in Winona County District Court with second-degree sale of oxycodone in a park zone, third-degree possession of oxycodone, fourth-degree sale of amphetamine, fifth-degree sale of alprazolam, fifth-degree sale of diazepam and fifth degree possession of marijuana resin. Those charges have not been resolved. SAO PAULO, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Brazilian planemaker Embraer said on Thursday it has revised its initial projection of certification and entry into service of the E175 E2 jet from 2020 to 2021. The rescheduling is partly based on continued interest in the current generation E175 jet in the North American market, the company said in a statement. But it also reflects recent negotiations between U.S. airlines and pilot unions that left unchanged the maximum takeoff weight restrictions for 76-seat aircraft in the relevant "scope clauses." "The next round of negotiations between the major U.S. airlines and their respective pilot unions is scheduled to occur in 2019, at which time such restrictions may be revisited," Embraer said. Pilot unions are negotiating to keep the scope clause in labor contracts that restricts planes heavier than 86,000 pounds (39,009 kg) and with more than 76 seats from being flown on regional routes. This effectively protects well-paid pilot jobs as it prevents carriers from using bigger planes. Refusal of pilots to approve heavier regional jets is a problem for Embraer's E175 E2 and Mitsubishi's MRJ90 jet, slated for delivery in mid-2018, which both exceed the current weight limit. The expected timeframes of certification and entry into service for other Embraer models in the same family of aircraft, the E190 E2 and the E195 E2, remained unchanged and should take place in the first half of 2018 and 2019, respectively. Embraer said its order backlog for aircraft in the E2 family also remains unchanged, with 272 firm orders and 275 options. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle, editing by G Crosse) From the beginning, stop-motion animation house Laika set itself apart from the rest. The company is based in Oregon. It focuses on a technique that gives its stories a deeply unique look, and uses pioneering technology like rapid prototyping to create its films. And, while many studios lag behind in putting together a diverse workforce, it turns out women hold significant creative roles in the organization. Costume designer Deborah Cook; head of production Arianne Sutner; creative supervisor of puppet fabrication Georgina Hayns; and Alice Bird, art director on Kubo and the Two Strings, are four of the high-profile women creating, managing and collaborating on Laikas films. With our boss, Travis Knight, hes just looking for talent, for effective people, says Sutner, who was a producer on Kubo and the Two Strings and ParaNorman. The more diverse we can become, the richer the kinds of stories we can tell. Bird, art director on Kubo and the Two Strings, has been with the company for six years and found it easy to make a home at the stop-motion studio. With a steady flow of material that pushed boundaries and a supportive crew, it became the best of all worlds. Its definitely true that there are some experienced women in more concentration at Laika than there are at other companies, says Bird, who notes that having Sutner on staff is one of the things that drew her there. [Sutner] is a really warm and engaging person who makes an effort to get to know her staff. Hayns, creative supervisor of puppet fabrication with credits on The Boxtrolls, ParaNorman, and Coraline, also believes the company attracts the kind of quirky talents who can find kindred spirits at Laika and feel comfortable in the eclectic Portland area. Artists who come here often have highly specialized talents that work well in one of the few parts of animation thats still truly hands-on, she says. There are special legal benefits for those working in the state that make the company even more appealing for some. Oregon offers 12 weeks of job-protected unpaid maternity or paternity leave, California doesnt have job-protected leave. This makes the already family-friendly state even more attractive for residents. Story continues I never thought it was going to be the end of my career if I had a baby, says Hayns, who has two young children and feels supported by Laika on a personal level as well. Some industries are not like that. Since animated films often take years to complete, Hayns has been able to coordinate and plan with fellow crew members to structure her leave so that it wouldnt disrupt production. Laika has been attracting strong female talents for a decade. Cook, the lauded costume designer who worked on Kubo, The Boxtrolls, Corpse Bride, and Fantastic Mr. Fox, arrived at the studio 10 years ago just as it was launching. Though she thought shed just help out with a few projects, she quickly began to see the company as a great place to stay. Cook saw that the studio developed material that brought her strong creative challenges and the company also attracted other talents who were solid collaborators. It was a combination that made the studio just right for her. Before I came to Laika, Id worked in quite a few places where I was the only woman or one of two [women], says Cook. Were a pretty strong bunch here and were drawn to each other, I think. Hayns agrees and also believes the company is focused on attracting talent more than anything. People from all walks of life, all countries come here to work on these movies, she says. What theyre really looking for is people with an enthusiasm to make things. Related stories 'Zootopia' Tops Annie Awards Nominations, 'Kubo and the Two Strings' in Close Second 'Kubo and the Two Strings' Again Tops TV Ad Spending Box Office: 'Ben-Hur' Trailing Rivals With Dismal $12 Million U.S. Weekend Panama City (AFP) - Getting rid of tax havens depends on the United States and Europe, but is unlikely to happen anytime soon, journalists behind the publication of the Panama Papers said Friday. "The biggest tax haven in the world today is probably in the United States," Jake Bernstein, a US investigative reporter with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), told a conference in Panama hosted by anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International. "The biggest offshore providers have traditionally been American and European" and the banks they use "are often American or European," he said. "Much of this corruption could be stamped out if the United States and Europe decided to act." Frederik Obermaier, a German journalist for the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily who received the Panama Papers leak and passed it on to the ICIJ, said the only real prospect for shutting down tax havens was if the public demanded governments do so. "I am currently rather pessimistic that it will be possible very soon because real change in the offshore world is only possible if the big players go for it as well. The big players are the UK and the US," he told reporters. "And both countries now have governments that I fear are not in favor of more transparency." Obermaier noted that the Panama Papers revelations were based on a leak from an anonymous source who handed over digital files from a Panama law firm, Mossack Fonseca, which showed how it had set up offshore structures to allow the world's wealthy to stash assets away from scrutiny. But he said there were many tax havens around the world -- and "some of them are within the borders of the US and some of them are UK overseas territories." Obermaier added that he hoped Panama Papers-style information will one day peel the secrecy back from structures set up in the US states of Delaware and Nevada, and in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). "I have to admit I really would like to see Delaware leaks and Nevada leaks and BVI leaks. So hopefully there are whistleblowers out there that may turn something like that over in the future to authorities or -- and that's a personal wish -- to journalists," he said. "If societies really want change, they need the US and the UK joining this fight for more transparency," he said. For investors seeking momentum, Vanguard Energy ETF VDE is probably on radar now. The fund just hit a 52-week high and is up about 51% from its 52-week low price of $68.64/share. But are more gains in store for this ETF? Lets take a quick look at the fund and the near-term outlook on it to get a better idea on where it might be headed: VDE in Focus VDE focuses on the energy segment of the U.S. market, holding a basket of 133 stocks. It is a large-cap centric fund with key holdings in the integrated oil & gas, and oil exploration and production segments. The fund charges investors 10 basis points a year in fees and has top holdings in Exxon Mobil XOM and Chevron CVX (see: all the Energy ETFs here). Why the Move? The energy sector has been an area to watch lately especially after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) reached a historic deal to cap its oil production for the first time in eight years. The 14-member cartel will reduce production by 1.2 million barrels per day from the current 33.6 million barrels for six months starting in January 2017. If the deal is implemented, the oil market will regain its balance and shift from surplus to deficit very quickly in 2017, ending the two-year crude-oil rout. More Gains Ahead? Currently, VDE has a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 or Hold rating with a High risk outlook, so it is hard to get a handle on its future returns one way or the other. However, many of the segments that make up this ETF have a strong Zacks Industry Rank, so there is definitely some promise for those who want to ride this surging ETF a little further. Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox? Zacks free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week. Get it free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report CHEVRON CORP (CVX): Free Stock Analysis Report EXXON MOBIL CRP (XOM): Free Stock Analysis Report VIPERS-ENERGY (VDE): ETF Research Reports To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research 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 Photo credit: undefined From Esquire Some mathematical models suggest that in 1981, when Dr. Michael Gottlieb first reported a mysterious disease he saw in five patients, more than 250,000 Americans had already been infected with HIV. Today, 36.7 million people live with HIV/AIDS worldwide, 1.2 million of those in the United States. We have made tremendous progress since the disease was first identified; we've implemented effective prevention efforts (such as teaching safe sex, de-stigmatizing HIV and the populations most vulnerable to infection, and addressing structural issues like stable housing and access to healthcare), and we've introduced advanced biomedical tools (like antiretroviral treatment, ART, and PREP). These steps have led to a 19 percent decline in HIV diagnoses over the past decade and the possibility of normal, healthy lifespans for people living with HIV. Still, more than 20,000 HIV-positive individuals die-and nearly 40,000 are infected-every week. What is the future of this epidemic? What is its present? We spoke with nine experts on the state of the disease today and where it's headed. When will HIV/AIDS be eradicated-or will it ever? There are 37,000 new HIV infections a week around the world. Eradication would take an HIV vaccine and a cure. There are three or four vaccine trials in the field right now, after decades of ongoing research. The research for a cure to date [has examined] how you get the virus. HIV actually goes into your own genomic material; it can be there quietly, so how do you get the virus out of the body when it's not expressing itself? A lot of work has tried to shock the virus into expressing and then kill it, but all those clients have had to go back onto ART [antiretroviral therapy]. That doesn't stop us from doing everything we can with the tools we already have. HIV can hide and thrive in communities like it can in bodies. We're working on a program [DREAMS] that addresses the social determinates of health among girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa. Ninety percent of the funding addresses structural issues: a lack of empowerment, a lack of access to education, a lack of access to commodities, especially for pregnancy prevention, and the normalization of sexual assault. To succeed, we all have to be better and better to each other. That, to me, is the exciting thing about this. Story continues - Dr. Deborah Birx, U.S. ambassador-at-large, U.S. global AIDS coordinator, and U.S. special representative for global health diplomacy "To succeed, we all have to be better and better to each other. That, to me, is the exciting thing about this." What are the most pressing priorities in HIV/AIDS research? It's necessary to keep working on ARTs, because there are issues of individuals developing resistance to them. We can improve the durability of treatment by developing agents that themselves resist resistance, and by developing drugs that are safer and cheaper. There's more to the treatment of HIV than treating HIV itself: We do have the tools, both medical, in the sense of treatment and responses, and also social, in terms of prevention education and combating stigma. You can't solve problems just with chemicals. [Government] funding in general has been very poor-all the initiatives now come from entities who see a profit in HIV. - Dr. Joseph Sonnabend, pioneering HIV/AIDS researcher Where are new infections coming from? Let's look at the U.S. population for a moment-1.2 million people are living with HIV in the United States. Fifty thousand new cases of HIV are transmitted annually. Sixty percent of new infections are coming from people who are aware of their HIV status but who aren't receiving medical care; 30 percent of new infections are coming from people who have not yet been diagnosed. Sixty percent of HIV-positive people under 30 are unaware of their status. The old-fashioned modalities of testing-in storefronts, at vans at public events, as a part of a primary care physician's routine care-work. It's the labor-intensive and expensive work of reaching out to people that makes a difference. - Dr. Michael Gottlieb, founding co-chair of the American Foundation for AIDS Research [contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Story" customtitles="The%20AIDS%20Crisis:%20Hope%20in%20the%20Numbers%20" customimages="" content="article.50785"] What kind of stigma exists against HIV today? In the '80s and '90s, there was some degree of compassion for people with HIV because there was visible human suffering. Now people with HIV are no longer dying, but living many years-we are around longer to potentially affect others. More often than not, media coverage now mentions HIV-positive people in criminal contexts. The phenomenon of HIV criminalization is so much more massive than people understand. HIV-positive people can lose custody of their children, lose their housing, and face intimate partner violence. There are laws that only apply to people with HIV-we're becoming a viral underclass. There's a man in Texas who is serving 35 years for spitting at a police officer; his saliva was ruled to be a deadly weapon. U.S. House Representative Barbara Lee has proposed the Repeal HIV Discrimination Act that bans federal and state laws that would discriminate against someone solely as a result of their HIV status. Decriminalizing bodies-this is a big and growing movement. - Sean Strub, founder of POZ magazine and executive director of the Sero Project How does HIV/AIDS affect the homeless? The possibility of you taking your meds and keeping your health up drastically changes due to your housing. If you take a drug and then stop taking it suddenly, it builds a drug resistance. If you exhaust those resources early in your infection, the medication you've taken will never work again. The New England Journal of Medicine published a study in 2013 that said HIV-positive people can live a normal lifespan if on the proper medication-and the regimens now are one pill a day. If you do find out you're HIV positive, your life is not over. You're not alone. But a lot of young people come here [to the Center] feeling that way. - Joey Lopez, Director of Outreach and Health Services, Ali Forney Center "There are laws that only apply to people with HIV-we're becoming a viral underclass." How does HIV/AIDS affect trans people? It's a very complex puzzle. Trans people have to also juggle issues of economic security, food security, shelter, mental health, physical health, as well as trauma we've experienced-as trans people, as people with HIV, as people of color. Ultimately, preventing and treating HIV is [also] about racism, xenophobia, transphobia. And we have no concrete data about how large the trans community actually is. We cannot really address something that we don't have the whole picture of, just like you won't perform brain surgery in the dark. - Cecelia Chung, senior strategist of the Transgender Law Center What prevention and treatment methods work? HIV/AIDS is a social justice issue with public health implications. To end the AIDS epidemic, we need everyone to be involved and to remove the idea that it's an individual failure. It's governmental failure and community failure. Along with housing, biomedical prevention strategies (PrEP as a supplement, not a replacement, for condom usage), and knowing your status in an affirming way, [our group] asks the most high-risk individuals-those who have been incarcerated and recently released, young men who have sex with men, trans communities, homeless LGBT youth-what do you need from us to support you? It's working. - Jason Walker, HIV/AIDS organizer, VOCAL-NY "To end the AIDS epidemic, we need everyone to be involved and to remove the idea that it's an individual failure." What are the root causes of the HIV/AIDS epidemic today? The causes are greed and the absolute resilience of AIDS stigma. Because we're in a country where there's no effective, universal health care delivery, too many people remain infectious. [In addition,] HIV criminalization is a global trend, but surprisingly Canada has some of the worst HIV laws in the world-they have incarcerated 200 people to date who have not infected anyone, and half of them are black. This is emotional manipulation that began as an anti-immigrant measure and has devolved into an exploitation of sexual anxiety. It's a crisis of meaning. ACT UP was successful because it tolerated difference. You have to have coalitions in order to make change in America. If we love and identity people with HIV and other oppressed people, we can help transform the epidemic. - Sarah Schulman, co-creator of the ACT UP Oral History Project These interviews have been edited and condensed for length. [contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Story" customtitles="Why%20Discussing%20My%20HIV-Positive%20Status%20Is%20Important" customimages="" content="article.50793"] You Might Also Like London (AFP) - The greatest risks facing European Union banks are high levels of bad loans and lower profitability, the bloc's financial regulator said in a report Friday. The European Banking Authority said that while EU-wide lenders had strengthened their capital buffers, technology-related risks were increasing amid lingering litigation concerns. Presenting its ninth report on "risks and vulnerabilities in the EU banking sector", the EBA pointed to "high levels of non-performing loans (NPLs) and sustained low profitability" as being the main risks. But it said that overall, the 131 banks had "further strengthened their capital position, allowing them to continue the process of repair" against a backdrop of high volatility in funding markets. The regulator noted that the NPL ratio for the assessed banks as set against total loans had decreased overall to 5.4 percent in the second half of 2016 from 6.5 percent at the end of 2014. "While there are signs of potential improvements, asset quality is still weak compared to historical figures and other regions," the EBA said. "Material differences persist in asset quality across countries, with more than one third of EU jurisdictions showing NPL ratios above 10 percent." "Further gradual improvements in asset quality are expected by banks and market analysts" but will depend on how the risk posed by NPLs is addressed, the EBA added. The EBA's figures showed that the level of bad loans in the Italian banks surveyed was at 16.4 percent, well above the European average. The figure was below the level of Greece (47 percent) and Portugal (20 percent) but still well above the likes of Spain at six percent. France was at four percent and Germany at 2.7 percent, confirming the overall good health of their banking systems. Italy's third-biggest lender Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS) was considered in a poor position, with a bad loans at 33.3 percent. Story continues All eyes are now on Italy, where Prime Minister Matteo Renzi heads into a make-or-break constitutional referendum this weekend insisting everything is still to play for in his fight to hold on to power. Economically, the biggest concern is that post-referendum political instability could scupper Italy's efforts to resolve a bad loans crisis in the banking sector and spark turmoil across the eurozone. Italian banking stocks have halved in value this year and government borrowing costs have edged higher in the run-up to the vote. The EBA recommended tackling the problem of bad debts by mobilising the regulators, implementing structural reforms and developing a secondary market that could ease the sale of particular loan portfolios. By Julia Fioretti BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union ministers on Friday backed lowering the caps for how much mobile telecoms operators can charge each other to keep their customers connected while abroad, although they are likely to be cut further in subsequent negotiations. Ministers gave Slovakia, which holds the rotating EU presidency, a mandate to start negotiations with the European Parliament on a series of wholesale price caps for handling voice, SMS and data traffic between different EU countries. Key to ensuring that Europeans will no longer pay extra for using their phones abroad as of June next year, the EU has been racing to lower the cap on the wholesale charges operators impose on each other to make the roaming system work, fearing that a failure to do so would derail the flagship EU policy. States agreed to cap wholesale data roaming fees at 1 euro cent per megabyte, or 10 euros per gigabyte, from June, declining to half that in 2021. The European Commission had proposed a cap of 8.5 euros per gigabyte while the European Parliament on Tuesday pushed for an initial cap of 4 euros, declining to just 1 euro. Member states and EU lawmakers will now embark on negotiations to find a compromise by March next year so that the new rules can come into force by June. "Who does not wish to remain connected and to communicate when traveling or on holiday? Abolition of roaming charges is in the eyes of many the most concrete achievement of the Union," said Arpad Ersek, Slovak Minister for Transport, Construction and Regional Development, who chaired the meeting on Friday. Member states have been split on the roaming issues due to different domestic phone prices and consumption habits. Countries in northern and eastern Europe with low domestic prices and generous packages favor lower wholesale caps to avoid companies raising prices in their home markets, effectively making poorer customers subsidize frequent travelers. However countries in the tourist-magnet south say lowering the caps too much will deter investment in networks and may force their operators to raise domestic prices to accommodate all the extra tourist traffic. Story continues "We're asking those who aren't lucky enough to travel in Europe to pay just for the tourists and business people," said Axelle Lemaire, French Secretary of State for Digital and Innovation. In parallel EU member states are trying to reach an agreement on a "fair use" policy to avoid permanent roaming whereby customers buy a SIM card in a cheap country while living elsewhere. (Reporting by Julia Fioretti; editing by Susan Thomas) Paris (AFP) - European ministers approved a 1.4-billion-euro ($1.5-billion) lifeline Friday for plans to place a life-seeking rover on Mars and maintain a presence on the International Space Station. Funding for the prestige projects represented a big chunk of investments totalling 10.3 billion euros approved at a two-day meeting of the European Space Agency (ESA) ministerial council, its boss announced. Cash concerns have long cast a shadow over Europe's plans to finally send a rover to Mars and to remain involved in the ISS with partners America, Canada, Japan and Russia. ESA had warned ahead of the meeting in Lucerne, Switzerland, that the talks could be "challenging" given "the current economic and political situation in Europe". Matters were not helped by a 230-million-euro test lander, designed to lay the groundwork for the planned rover, smashed into the Red Planet in October. But ESA director general Jan Woerner announced Friday that ministers from ESA's 22 member states plus Slovenia and Canada, which constitute the council, had agreed on "a big amount of money for the future." "It allows us to really go forward," he said at a press conference webcast from Lucerne. The government portfolios of the "space ministers" present ranged from trade, economy and technology to higher education. - What about Trump? - They agreed to invest 1.45 billion euros up to 2021 in space exploration -- including about 960 million for the ISS and an extra 436 million for the ExoMars project. Some 3.8 billion was earmarked for ESA science, research and development up to 2021, 1.3 for telecommunications projects until 2024, and 1.6 billion for satellite launchers until 2023. Ministers approved the funding just six weeks after ESA's paddling pool-sized test lander, Schiaparelli, smashed into Mars -- Europe's second failed attempt to reach the Red Planet's surface. The lander had been designed to test atmospheric and landing gear for a rover whose planned launch has already been delayed from 2018 to 2020 over funding concerns. Story continues The rover will be equipped with a drill to search for signs of life -- past or present -- under the martian surface. ESA had previously budgeted 1.5 billion euros for ExoMars, a joint project with Russia, which also includes a satellite placed in our neighbouring planet's orbit in October. The ministers on Friday also ended uncertainty over Europe's role in the ISS beyond 2020. The other participating countries had long agreed to operate and finance the orbiting science platform until at least 2024. "We can now also confirm we are going to 2024 with the International Space Station," Woerner said. - The Moon and beyond - The ministers further agreed to press ahead with building a "service module" for NASA's planned Orion spacecraft, meant to transport crews to the ISS, the Moon and beyond. The meeting came at a time of strained relations between ExoMars partners Europe and Russia over differences on Ukraine and Syria, as well as uncertainty over ISS-lead America's direction under president-elect Donald Trump. With Friday's budget approval, "Europe has placed itself in a good position... at a time that new competitors and uncertainties are emerging," France's state secretary for education Thierry Mandon, a member of the council, told AFP. Woerner said he would have meetings next week with NASA bosses, including its administrator Charlie Bolden. As Trump's plans become clearer, "we have contacts to NASA to get the best information what does it mean also for the cooperation between NASA and ESA," he said. "I cannot tell you anything about my expectations for the future. This is much too early." ESA was prompted to turn to Russia on ExoMars after US budget cuts led to NASA withdrawing from the mission in 2012. Many fear Trump will make further cuts, endangering US and international space programmes, including the ISS. LUCERNE, Switzerland (Reuters) - European space agency (ESA) member states have approved another 450 million euros ($479 million) in funding for the ExoMars mission to the Red Planet, even after a test lander that was part of the program crashed in October, ESA said on Friday. The European-Russian ExoMars program sent a gas-sniffing orbiter and the test lander to Mars this year to search for signs of past or present life on the Red Planet and to lay the groundwork for a rover that is due to follow in 2020. The Schiaparelli lander crashed after a sensor failure caused it to cast away its parachute and turn off braking thrusters more than two miles (3.7 km) above the surface of the planet, as though it had already landed. ESA Director General Jan Woerner said ESA scientists needed to work hard now to meet the schedule for the Mars rover, especially as a delay to the mission beyond 2020 was not an option. "It's not an easy thing, but we are confident we will succeed," Woerner said. The money for ExoMars is part of an overall 10.3 billion euros - close to the 11 billion ESA has requested - for European space programs that the ESA's 22 member states approved at a two-day meeting in Lucerne which ended on Friday. That funding includes just over 800 million euros for Europe's role in the International Space Station (ISS), plus another 153 million for science projects that involve the ISS. The member states also approved a commitment to extend European participation in the space station to 2024, which will allow ESA to send further astronauts to the ISS. European astronaut Thomas Pesquet arrived at the ISS last month, around five months after the return of Britain's first official astronaut, Tim Peake. Among programs that were not fully backed by ESA members was the Asteroid Impact Mission, which was meant to be part of a mission to explore how to deflect an asteroid heading for Earth. "The program AIM could not get the full subscription we needed to ensure this program runs smoothly," Woerner said, adding that asteroid-defense study would continue in other venues within the agency. "These asteroid activities, looking at how we can really defend our planet in case something is happening and Bruce Willis is not ready to do it a second time... will be continued," he said, in reference to the 1998 film Armageddon, in which actor Bruce Willis plays a member of a team sent to destroy an asteroid to save planet Earth. (Reporting by John Miller; Writing by Maria Sheahan; editing by Mark Heinrich) Photo credit: undefined From Town & Country There's no end in sight to the "true crime" trend in television, and with Manifesto, Discovery Channel hopes to take on the Unabomber. According to Variety, actor Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind, Avengers) has been cast as Ted Kaczynski, the domestic terrorist who, from 1978 to 1995, mailed and planted homemade bombs, ultimately killing three people, and injuring 23 others. A math prodigy who was accepted by Harvard when he was 16, Kaczynski earned a PhD from the University of Michigan and became an assistant professor at UC Berkeley. He resigned after two years, and famously moved to Montana and began his 17 year campaign of terror, mailing bombs to people he thought responsible for an "industrial-technological system" that was ruining humanity. Spoiler alert (as if there can be such a thing, some 20 years later): He was eventually caught after his manifesto was published and his family recognized his idiosyncratic writing style. The series, for which Kevin Bacon will serve as an executive producer, will focus on the Unabomber's "downfall," following FBI profiler Jim "Fitz" Fitzgerald as he searches for Kaczynski. The date for the series debut has yet to be made public, but Variety reports that it will air sometime in 2017. [contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="For%20More%20True%20Crime" customtitles="A%20Look%20at%20the%20Preppy%20Killer%20Case,%2030%20Years%20Later" customimages="" content="article.7587"] You Might Also Like Dohuk (Iraq) (AFP) - Haifa, an Iraqi Yazidi, held up her fingers to show the number of fighters from the Islamic State jihadist group who had bought and sold her for sex during her more than two years in captivity. With an Iraqi campaign now in full swing to wrest back control of Mosul from IS, the Yazidis are fearful for as many as thousands of members of their community still in jihadist hands in the city. "There were seven," Haifa said, including men from Egypt, Morocco and a Palestinian. Haifa, 36, and her family were among thousands of members of the Yazidi minority shown no mercy by IS when it swept through areas north and west of the Iraqi capital in 2014. The Yazidis are neither Muslims nor Arabs, and the Kurdish-speaking community follows a unique faith despised by the Sunni jihadists. As the extremists advanced, they were singled out for especially cruel persecution in a campaign of violence and kidnapping which the United Nations has branded a genocide. Men were gunned down and thousands of women -- including Haifa and her younger sister -- were taken as sex slaves. "There was a place like a market where they put all the Yazidi women, and the fighters came and bought them," Haifa told AFP, asking for a pseudonym to be used. "One fighter bought 21 women at once." She was taken from her home region of Sinjar to the jihadist's Iraqi stronghold of Mosul before being transported to their Syrian bastion Raqa. "They dealt with us in a really harsh way. They did very bad things to us," she said. Twice Haifa tried but failed to escape. Just a few days ago, she finally managed to run away. She put her freedom down to the help of "good people" but gave no more details. Some Yazidi women who have managed to get away from IS have escaped, others have had their freedom bought. - Thousands remain - Now, as Iraqi forces push into Mosul as part of a major operation to eventually oust IS from the country, the hope for the devastated Yazidi community is that more can be liberated. Story continues It is Hussein al-Qaidi's job to help track them down. From an anonymous two-storey building in the city of Dohuk in Iraqi Kurdistan, he runs an "Office for Kidnapped Affairs" funded by the local Kurdish authorities. Orginally over 6,000 Yazidis -- men, women and children -- were seized by IS and now some 3,000 remain in jihadist hands, he said. So far only a few Yazidis have been freed as the security forces push their assault on Mosul. As during previous operations to capture cities from the jihadists, IS fighters are believed to take their Yazidi captives with them as they retreat. But now Iraqi forces have cut the last remaining route from Mosul to IS-controlled territory in Syria -- leaving the city surrounded. Qaidi says there could be thousands of Yazidis left in Mosul -- and hopes that eventually the community will be able to rebuild. "This was a fierce campaign against us and it was not expected in the 21st century that some terrorist groups would rape our women and kill the men and the children," he said. "But we as Yazidis are committed to our land." After her own escape from years of torment under IS, Haifa said she faces a long struggle ahead to put her shattered life back together. She has been home but feels too ashamed to talk to old friends and relatives, and she is also suffering from a string of diseases. "I am so exhausted," she said. And while she has managed to escape, she is still desperate over the fate of other Yazidi women left behind, among them a younger sister aged 20. "I ask everyone, the whole world to help set them free," she said. "They are still there, they are still suffering." Oprah Winfrey's BFF, Gayle King, opened up to ET about O, The Oprah Magazine's upcoming Year of Adventure and what that means for Lady O. Winfrey actually tackled her first adventure of the new year a little early by hiking the Grand Canyon with King and longtime boyfriend Stedman Graham. @Oprah had dubbed 2017 the #YearOfAdventure, so she's exploring the great wide open and inviting you to do the same! The January issue hits stands 12/6 (: @ruvenafanador) A photo posted by O, The Oprah Magazine (@oprahmagazine) on Dec 1, 2016 at 7:43am PST King revealed that this was the trio's second trip to the Grand Canyon. "We went years ago in 1993, doing a shoot for the show," King tells ET. "And Oprah said, 'I didn't really get to see it then.' She says, 'I was busy working. I didn't really get to see it.'" The return trip gave King a chance to redeem herself, admitting that she had difficulty keeping up with the famous couple during their first outing 23 years ago. WATCH: Gayle King Talks Oprah's Favorite Things 2016 "I don't want to say that I'm a whiner or complainer. Those two were hiking. They were like goats," King recalls. "We had these 75-pound backpacks on, and I literally said, 'I can't do it. I can't go another step. This is hard!' So Oprah wound up carrying her backpack and mine, too." This time around it was only the heights that got to her. "Oprah really is fearless about most things," King says. "She got right on the edge and looked over. I'm the one standing in the background going, 'No! Be careful!'" Winfrey documented part of her trip on video and was brought to tears by the breathtaking sunrise during a photo shoot for her magazine. WATCH: EXCLUSIVE: 30 Years After the Debut of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' Oprah Says She Left at the 'Right Moment' "So it's a new year, 2017, and no better way to start it off, I think, than with grandness and grandeur here overlooking the fantastic, amazing Grand Canyon," Winfrey says in a clip. "This is kicking off our great 'Year of Adventure' in O magazine, and I'm hoping it will be a year of great adventures and experiences as well." Story continues Another adventure Winfrey wants to do is go truffle hunting in Italy. "And they don't do it with pigs. They do it with dogs," King says. "So the dogs go and dig up the truffles for you. We're thinking that could be a fun thing." But if you aren't able to jet across the world in the coming year, King says there are still plenty of adventures to be had in your own backyard. RELATED: Oprah Is Releasing a Cookbook! You Get a Recipe! You Get a Recipe! Everybody Gets a Recipe!!! "Adventures can be big and small," she says. "Adventures can be a cooking class. Adventures can be a job. Adventures can be a relationship. Adventures can be trying something that you haven't done before." The January issue of O, The Oprah Magazine hits newsstands on Tuesday. Related Articles By Maiya Keidan LONDON (Reuters) - Staff numbers at CQS, the hedge fund run by billionaire investor Michael Hintze, have fallen sharply, with the Australian saying rivals must adapt to a rapidly changing industry. Over the past 18 months, headcount at CQS has fallen by 18.5 percent, or roughly 50 people, a person familiar with the company told Reuters. After a tough 2015, all the main funds of CQS, which manages $12 billion, are now in the black. The industry, which is famed for its stellar returns and high fees, is generally under pressure due to heavy withdrawals this year. "The industry needs to adapt and we, as a business, are also doing so," Hintze said in an email to Reuters. "We have streamlined the business and we are focused on delivering performance for investors," he added. "We have an organization that is focused on targeting returns and growth." Hintze is one of the wealthiest London-based fund managers, with the 2016 Sunday Times Rich List putting his fortune at 1.28 billion pounds ($1.6 billion). Investment returns in the industry are generally shrinking as the global economy remains slow and the cost of borrowing stays at rock bottom. Many investors, disappointed with hedge fund performance in general, have withdrawn money, prompting cuts to fees. They globally pulled $67 billion from hedge funds in the first three quarters of 2016, data from industry tracker Preqin showed. NEW CHAPTER Hintze, who set up the firm in 1999, acknowledged changes, saying the industry was facing "a new paradigm". CQS has a number of funds, some of which struggled in 2015. Its Directional Opportunities fund ended 2015 down by 7.9 percent while the Diversified and ABS (Asset Backed Securities) funds lost 2.6 percent and 2.4 percent respectively, according to documents seen by Reuters. By comparison, the average credit hedge fund lost 1 percent last year, data from Hedge Fund Research (HFR) showed. In the same year, three of CQS's funds made money, including the Credit Multi-Asset fund, Global Convertible Arbitrage fund and long-only convertibles fund, which made 3.6 percent, 7.5 percent and 5 percent, respectively. Story continues A number of management changes followed this mixed performance. The number of individuals registered as portfolio managers or in senior roles with the British regulator at the London office of CQS fell by about one fifth between Jan. 1 and Oct. 13, with 23 people deregistering, filings on the website of the Financial Conduct Authority showed. This could be explained by departures but also by managers taking on a role at the same firm that is not required to be registered with the regulator. As of Nov. 30, six out of the 23 people had registered with new firms under the FCA. They include former global head of client services Leila Kotlar-Bouget, who is now registered at CDR Capital, and ex-general counsel James Lightbourne, who is now with Cantor Fitzgerald Europe and BCG Brokers. Two others no longer registered with the FCA, who did not wish to be named, told Reuters they had been made redundant. FCA data showed CQS also hired staff during the 18 months, including Head of Strategy Matthew James, hired from Brevan Howard Asset Management, and Ivelina Dimitrova Green, who joined from Goldman Sachs. "We have engaged the next generation of managers," Hintze said. "We have a broad and deep bench of talent." Amid the overhaul, CQS's flagship Directional Opportunities fund has performed strongly so far this year, rising 22.7 percent to Oct. 31, alongside gains of 9.9 percent and 6.1 percent for the firm's Diversified and ABS funds. The first source told Reuters that some of this year's returns were due to a repositioning in energy and commodities, based on the belief that oil would not remain for long above or below a $30-$50 range and that China was not going to collapse - as some investors had feared. The average credit hedge fund, meanwhile, is up 5.8 percent over the same time period, data from HFR showed. (Editing by John O'Donnell and David Stamp) Tim Matheson is no stranger to politics -- onscreen and off. On The West Wing, the longtime actor -- perhaps still fondly remembered for playing Otter in Animal House -- played Vice President John Hoynes, earning two Emmy nominations for the role. Most recently, he portrayed President Ronald Reagan in National Geographic Channel's adaptation of Killing Reagan. The part earned him well-deserved award buzz, including a Critics' Choice Television Award nomination for Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries. "I was not politically aligned with Ronald Reagan -- nor am I today -- but you can't act politics," Matheson tells ET by phone, just a week after the election. The 68-year-old actor has made no secret of his support of Hillary Clinton or dismay over the election of Donald Trump. While he's steadfast in his own politics, which vastly differ from the likes of Reagan or even Trump, Matheson set those feelings aside to portray the president in the days before and in the aftermath of his assassination attempt by John Hinckley Jr. "You could just get carried away or in the wrong direction if you let those things influence your performance," Matheson says, revealing that he instead focused on finding Reagan's voice. Meticulous about research, the actor studied speeches, phonetically spelling out Reagan's words in order to capture his cadence and style. He also read Reagan's diaries and autobiography. "I wanted to play the man, not the myth or the persona of who he was to so many people." And while Matheson had preconceptions about who Reagan was, he found value in diving deep into the psyche of the president. "The biggest lesson -- which was something Reagan believed in -- is just because I don't like your politics doesn't mean I can't like you," he says. "And I find that in today's political world, that's something that's been lost." Offscreen, when it comes to Trump, Matheson believes Reagan wouldn't be able to make sense of the incoming president. "He was a man who felt he had something to give, giving his life to being of service. It wasn't about him," the actor says. "I think that sense of selflessness and that sense of higher purpose and the greatness of American and service to America is something that's not present in this man who has been elected." Story continues Two days after the election, still reeling from the outcome, Matheson retweeted an open letter that West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin had written to his daughter about the results. "Thank you, Aaron Sorkin," he wrote. When asked about what that letter, which expressed feelings of anxiety and guilt, meant to him, Matheson says it captured "a sense of loss and a loss of innocence." "We're all coming to terms with it, my family and my children," Matheson continues, adding that he's shifting his focus to the day-to-day moments and personal connections. "I found that I got a bit obsessive about the politics and now that's over." MORE: Cynthia Nixon Sets Aside Politics to Play Nancy Reagan Although he's since tweeted stories about the election results, Matheson says he's trying take a step back from what he calls Twitter's "echo chamber" of news and like-minded followers. "I've disengaged," Matheson says, revealing he felt let down by the outlets he trusted most. In fact, Killing Reagan is a welcome respite from the current political madness, offering perspective on the situation. "What's exciting about these stories is what comes out of this," Matheson says of the film and other true-crime series. "It speaks to events like this election, semicataclysmic events like an assassination. What can we make of that? What helps us go on and find greater purpose? That's what I'm left with after the election and that's what I'm left with of what Reagan did." With that said, could Matheson ever see himself portraying the 45th president? "You have to divorce yourself from the politics and find the character underneath," he says, pointing to Alec Baldwin's "brilliant" portrayal of Trump on Saturday Night Live. "We all, as actors, look for the greatest challenge. So, yes, I think that would be an interesting challenge. It would be a good wig, too!" Related Articles By Lesley Wroughton and Yeganeh Torbati WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has warned China it will blacklist Chinese companies and banks that do illicit business with North Korea if Beijing fails to enforce U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang, according to senior State Department officials. The tougher U.S. approach reflects growing impatience with China and a view that it has not strictly enforced existing sanctions to help curb Pyongyang's nuclear program, which a U.S. policy of both sanctions and diplomacy has failed to dent. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave the message to Chinese officials in meetings in Beijing in October after North Korea conducted its fifth and largest nuclear test, the officials said. U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice and Secretary of State John Kerry stressed the importance of choking off financial flows to Pyongyang during a meeting with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi in New York on Nov. 1. In response to the U.S. warning, Chinese officials said they believe pressure alone on North Korea will not work, and that they oppose any U.S. action that would hurt Chinese companies, officials said. U.S. sanctions on Chinese businesses and banks would likely exacerbate tense relations between the two major powers, who disagree over China's claims in the South China Sea and the U.S. deployment of an anti-missile battery to South Korea. With President Barack Obama's administration in its final weeks, officials said any major steps would likely be left to Donald Trump's administration, which takes over in January. Though a frequent critic of China, it is unclear whether Trump will pursue the sanctions. The U.N. Security Council, which includes China, unanimously voted to impose new, tougher sanctions on North Korea on Wednesday, to cut its annual export revenue by a quarter in response to the September nuclear test. [nL1N1DV0WP] North Korea has rejected the resolution. "We do expect that China will implement the resolution, but if we detect that Chinese companies in violation of the resolution are conducting business, aiding and abetting North Korea proscribed entities, we will tell the Chinese what we know, with the expectation that the Chinese will act on it," Danny Russel, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, told Reuters. Story continues "If the Chinese decline or fail to act, then we've made absolutely clear, not only that we reserve the right to take action on a national basis under our authorities but that we will have no choice but to do so," he said. One option being considered is to impose sanctions on Chinese steel companies that make use of cheap North Korean coal, the officials said. The measures could also target North Koreans who work through Chinese banks. SUPPORT FOR UNILATERAL SANCTIONS The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday blacklisted individuals and companies it said were helping the North Korean government or its nuclear and weapons programs, but no Chinese firms were on the list. South Korea and Japan also said they would impose new unilateral sanctions on North Korea. Support within Obama's administration for unilateral sanctions against North Korea has increased gradually over the past six to eight months as concerns increased over Pyongyang's growing nuclear capabilities, one official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "If we are serious about leaning on the North, we have to go after the economy generally," the official said. "As it turns out, the Chinese tolerance for North Korea misbehavior is higher than ours and that gap is not sustainable." Trump, whose real estate business has had dealings with the Bank of China, has urged Beijing to do more to rein in its neighbor and lambasted China mostly for its trade practices on the campaign trail. He told Reuters in May he was willing to talk to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to try to stop Pyongyang's nuclear program. Neither sanctions, imposed by Washington since 1950, nor the so-called six-party talks with Pyongyang to suspend its nuclear program in return for diplomatic rewards and energy assistance, have stopped North Korea from testing nuclear devices. While Beijing has voted to impose sanctions on North Korea and condemned the nuclear tests, Chinese officials worry that tighter sanctions could lead to the collapse of the government and send tens of millions of refugees across its borders. Pyongyang's collapse would also remove a buffer between China and South Korea, home to 28,500 U.S. troops. In fact, China this year has increased its imports of North Korean coal, one of the North's only sources of hard currency and its largest single export item. Beijing is by far Pyongyang's most important trading partner, and has been its economic lifeline, though there have been signs in recent weeks that it is doing more to squeeze commerce with the isolated country. Sanctions imposed by the United States banish companies and individuals from the international banking system, making it difficult for them to find financing or partners on foreign deals. The United States used so-called secondary sanctions on foreign firms that deal with banned entities to pressure Iran, and the measures were credited by sanctions experts as key to inducing Tehran to compromise on its nuclear program. Such sanctions could serve as a guidepost for unilateral actions against Pyongyang. China opposes unilateral sanctions on North Korea, and is especially sensitive to U.S. measures against China-based firms. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said on Thursday that the new U.N. sanctions are not intended to harm "normal" trade with North Korea, and that China has always enforced U.N. resolutions responsibly. (Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations and Ben Blanchard in Beijing, Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Alistair Bell) By Lesley Wroughton and Yeganeh Torbati WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has warned China it will blacklist Chinese companies and banks that do illicit business with North Korea if Beijing fails to enforce U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang, according to senior State Department officials. The tougher U.S. approach reflects growing impatience with China and a view that it has not strictly enforced existing sanctions to help curb Pyongyang's nuclear program, which a U.S. policy of both sanctions and diplomacy has failed to dent. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave the message to Chinese officials in meetings in Beijing in October after North Korea conducted its fifth and largest nuclear test, the officials said. U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice and Secretary of State John Kerry stressed the importance of choking off financial flows to Pyongyang during a meeting with Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi in New York on Nov. 1. In response to the U.S. warning, Chinese officials said they believe pressure alone on North Korea will not work, and that they oppose any U.S. action that would hurt Chinese companies, officials said. U.S. sanctions on Chinese businesses and banks would likely exacerbate tense relations between the two major powers, who disagree over China's claims in the South China Sea and the U.S. deployment of an anti-missile battery to South Korea. With President Barack Obama's administration in its final weeks, officials said any major steps would likely be left to Donald Trump's administration, which takes over in January. Though a frequent critic of China, it is unclear whether Trump will pursue the sanctions. The U.N. Security Council, which includes China, unanimously voted to impose new, tougher sanctions on North Korea on Wednesday, to cut its annual export revenue by a quarter in response to the September nuclear test. North Korea has rejected the resolution. "We do expect that China will implement the resolution, but if we detect that Chinese companies in violation of the resolution are conducting business, aiding and abetting North Korea proscribed entities, we will tell the Chinese what we know, with the expectation that the Chinese will act on it," Danny Russel, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, told Reuters. "If the Chinese decline or fail to act, then we've made absolutely clear, not only that we reserve the right to take action on a national basis under our authorities but that we will have no choice but to do so," he said. One option being considered is to impose sanctions on Chinese steel companies that make use of cheap North Korean coal, the officials said. The measures could also target North Koreans who work through Chinese banks. SUPPORT FOR UNILATERAL SANCTIONS The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday blacklisted individuals and companies it said were helping the North Korean government or its nuclear and weapons programs, but no Chinese firms were on the list. South Korea and Japan also said they would impose new unilateral sanctions on North Korea. Support within Obama's administration for unilateral sanctions against North Korea has increased gradually over the past six to eight months as concerns increased over Pyongyang's growing nuclear capabilities, one official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "If we are serious about leaning on the North, we have to go after the economy generally," the official said. "As it turns out, the Chinese tolerance for North Korea misbehavior is higher than ours and that gap is not sustainable." Trump, whose real estate business has had dealings with the Bank of China, has urged Beijing to do more to rein in its neighbor and lambasted China mostly for its trade practices on the campaign trail. He told Reuters in May he was willing to talk to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to try to stop Pyongyang's nuclear program. Neither sanctions, imposed by Washington since 1950, nor the so-called six-party talks with Pyongyang to suspend its nuclear program in return for diplomatic rewards and energy assistance, have stopped North Korea from testing nuclear devices. While Beijing has voted to impose sanctions on North Korea and condemned the nuclear tests, Chinese officials worry that tighter sanctions could lead to the collapse of the government and send tens of millions of refugees across its borders. Pyongyang's collapse would also remove a buffer between China and South Korea, home to 28,500 U.S. troops. In fact, China this year has increased its imports of North Korean coal, one of the North's only sources of hard currency and its largest single export item. Beijing is by far Pyongyang's most important trading partner, and has been its economic lifeline, though there have been signs in recent weeks that it is doing more to squeeze commerce with the isolated country. Sanctions imposed by the United States banish companies and individuals from the international banking system, making it difficult for them to find financing or partners on foreign deals. The United States used so-called secondary sanctions on foreign firms that deal with banned entities to pressure Iran, and the measures were credited by sanctions experts as key to inducing Tehran to compromise on its nuclear program. Such sanctions could serve as a guidepost for unilateral actions against Pyongyang. China opposes unilateral sanctions on North Korea, and is especially sensitive to U.S. measures against China-based firms. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said on Thursday that the new U.N. sanctions are not intended to harm "normal" trade with North Korea, and that China has always enforced U.N. resolutions responsibly. (Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations and Ben Blanchard in Beijing, Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Alistair Bell) Vin Diesel and his Fast and Furious co-stars will never forget Paul Walker. The xXx: Return of Xander Cage star opened up to ET's Carly Steel at Brazil Comic-Con on Thursday after honoring the third anniversary of his co-star's death on social media earlier this week. "We've felt the loss," Diesel said of the close-knit cast. "The last three years have been some of the hardest of my life because of losing my brother like that." WATCH: Paul Walker's 'Fast and Furious' Co-Stars Pay Tribute to Actor on 3rd Anniversary of His Death The action star also remarked that it felt strange to be in Brazil without Walker. So proud of this franchise, built on brotherhood... loyalty. Wait until you see this next chapter... I have pledged to make Pablo proud... All love. #happytorettotuesday A photo posted by Vin Diesel (@vindiesel) on Nov 22, 2016 at 6:54pm PST "I'd been to Brazil two times before and both times that I've been here, I've always been with my brother, Pablo. Even if I talked on ET in Brazil or any talk show, any press or while we were filming in the favelas, it was Pablo and me," he said, using his nickname for Walker. "It was a lot of tissues and it was a hard morning for me yesterday because I was here. But the irony is the whole cast reached out and his daughter, Meadow, reached out and all that stuff helps you get through it." Diesel also found strength and joy in filming xXx after the somber mood on the Furious 7 set following Walker's passing. "Making this movie came after a very difficult time making Furious 7, and so never in my life did I need to do a movie where I could laugh and smile and enjoy myself more than right now, more than the time I made this movie," he said of the action flick. "I needed to do this movie and I'm so blessed that I had the opportunity to make a movie, not to have to do a brooding character, not to have to go to a dark place." Story continues The same can't be said for his character Dom in the upcoming Fast 8. WATCH: EXCLUSIVE: Vin Diesel Says 'Fast 8' Might Get F. Gary Gray the Oscar Love that 'Straight Outta Compton' Didn't "The irony is, right after doing this, of course, I went to do Fast 8 and Fast 8 was a very dark place and the darkest place Dom's ever been," he recalled. "So it was important for me, for my soul and for my family and for all the people that love me, for me to do xXx and for me to enjoy myself the way that I did." xXx: Return of Xander Cage hits theaters on Jan. 20, 2017. Related Articles President-elect Donald Trump has set lofty goals for the next four years, suggesting he wants to double the rate of GDP growth in the country, win back American jobs and cut taxes. But can this be done? Over time, I think it is [achievable], but its not going to happen overnight, EY Chairman and CEO Mark Weinberger told Yahoo Finance editor-in-chief Andy Serwer at the EY Strategic Growth Forum. The US stock market has rallied since Election Day, with major indices reaching record highs as investors anticipate lower taxes and less regulation under the new administration. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development revised its global growth forecasts higher, saying it believes the Trump administrations planned tax cuts and government spending will spur global growth faster than previously estimated. The OECD predicts global growth will increase from 2.9% this year to 3.3% in 2017, and climb to 3.6% in 2018. In terms of how best to achieve significant GDP growth during Trumps term, Weinberger, who served under both President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush, said tax reform is key. Both the Democrats and Republicans know something has to be done and the devil is in the details. Im guessing that the Republicans, certainly the [proposal from the] Ways and Means Committee under chairman Brady, signed off by Rep. Ryan, will be front and center. [Their plan] is lowering the corporate rates, lowering the individual rates and moving to a system that is more territorial, said Weinberger. Thats the theory, thats the plan, thats the direction. After being announced Trumps pick for Treasury secretary earlier this week, Steve Mnuchin has said tax reform will be his top priority, promising the biggest tax overhaul since the Reagan administration. If the Trump administration stays true to its word, Weinberger thinks a new anti-competitive tax system will increase business investment, which in turn will trigger job creation and boost economic growth. Most of the money corporations are making with good profitability is being paid out in share buybacks and dividends, said Weinberger. Now you hope, with the lower tax rate and a more competitive system, [businesses] will be reinvesting for future growth, and that will create overall GDP growth and jobs. Now its up to Washington to settle on new policies that will help Trump reach his goal of doubling economic growth. Veteran entrepreneurs and business owners are integral to Wisconsins communities and our economy. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, veterans are twice as likely to own a business as the general population. However, due to the unique challenges veterans face, the percentage of veteran-owned businesses surviving 10 years or more is significantly lower than the percentage of all businesses surviving the same time period. The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act creates additional barriers to success for veteran business owners, and presents serious consequences for our military service members. This legislation is intended to allow the families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to sue the government of Saudi Arabia for any role it had in terrorist operations. Congress voted to approve the legislation earlier this year, and voted to override President Barack Obamas veto in September. While the aim of the legislation is certainly admirable, it carries serious consequences for veterans, service members, and military families in Wisconsin and across the country. Of most concern is the possibility of civil or criminal liability by foreign governments for U.S. military personnel. This legislation risks reciprocal treatment of U.S. service members by foreign governments. The increased possibility of litigation or liability would have a chilling effect on service members and veterans taking the personal and financial risk of starting businesses. The consequences for current business owners would have a similar chilling effect, discouraging growth opportunities such as equipment or expansion investment or workforce growth. There are also broader economic effects of this legislation. If Saudi Arabia makes good on their threat to sell off their American assets, that could have a devastating impact on our economy not only here in Wisconsin, but across the nation. In addition, the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act presents serious consequences for our national security and the ability of our military to execute their mission. Litigants pursuing action against a foreign government in U.S. court, or those pursuing action against the United States in a foreign court, could seek sensitive government information, including classified material, in order to establish their case. This would jeopardize national security or place the United States in the position of disclosing sensitive or classified information or suffering adverse rulings. The desire to give the families of those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, their day in court is understandable. However, the precedent set by this legislation, and the consequences it presents for our economic prosperity and national security, are too grave to ignore. Please contact Sens. Tammy Baldwin and Ron Johnson, and tell them to repeal the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, and work to find a way to bring justice to the families of the victims of 9/11 without these negative consequences. saint mattis The social media team behind the Facebook page of Marine Special Operations Command was apparently pretty excited about retired Marine Gen. Jim Mattis getting tapped for Secretary of Defense. So much so, in fact, that they posted a picture of the 66-year-old former four-star commander as a saint holding a grenade in one hand and a Ka-Bar knife in the other. The page posted up the meme photo with a caption that parodied the Catholic "Hail Mary" prayer, writing, "Hail Mattis, full of hate. Our troops stand with thee. Blessed art though among enlisted. And blessed is the fruit of thy knife hand. Holy Mattis, father of War. Pray for us heathen, Now and at the hour of combat. Amen." The photo depicting Mattis as the "Patron Saint of Chaos" (Chaos was Mattis' radio callsign in Iraq) has been floating around the Internet for quite some time, having been passed around in the military ranks by many of his adoring fans. Mattis is a legend within the ranks for both his strategic genius and love of his troops, and it's clear that those same troops love him back. saint mattis meme marsoc The meme has been along the sidebar of the /r/usmc community on Reddit for a while, and was shared on a thread talking about Mattis' announcement as Secretary of Defense on the incredibly popular Facebook page of Terminal Lance, a web comic that was created for active-duty infantry Marines. While it's not much of a surprise for many Marines to see the retired general portrayed in such a way, the posting by MarSoc got at least one negative comment, which spurred administrators to remove it, according to Marine Corps Times. "MARSOC is committed to professionalism and supporting our great country," Maj. Nicholas Mannweiler, a MarSoc spokesman, told The Times. "No offense was intended." NOW WATCH: This is why a US aircraft carrier is a force to be reckoned with More From Business Insider ROME (Reuters) - Italians will vote on Dec. 4 in a referendum on constitutional reform being pushed by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. The fate of his administration is expected to hinge on the outcome. Here are key facts about how the referendum will work and how and when the results will be announced: -Around 52 million Italians are eligible to vote, of whom just over 4 million are expats living abroad. -Polls will open at 7 a.m. (0600 GMT) and close at 11 p.m. -The result of exit polls will be announced on Italian television as soon as polls close. These polls will be conducted by five polling agencies commissioned by four TV stations. -State-owned RAI will announce the result of a joint poll by the Piepoli Institute and IPR Marketing, Mediaset will use the Tecne Institute, Sky Italia will use the Quorum agency and La 7 will use EMG Acqua. -The vote count will begin as soon as polls close. After around 30 minutes, the first projections of the result will be announced on the basis of actual votes counted. The projections will be made by the same agencies that do the exit polls. -The projections will then be updated at regular intervals of around 30 minutes as the count progresses. Each projection should be more accurate than the last. -If the result is not close, the winner is likely to be clear after the second projection, some time between midnight and 1 a.m. (0000 GMT) -If the outcome is extremely close, the winner may not be known until the count is completed, probably between 2:00 and 3:00 am. -The question on the ballot sheet, which has sparked fierce protests from Renzi's opponents who say it does not accurately reflect the contents of the reform and is biased towards 'Yes,' is as follows: "Do you approve the text of the constitutional law concerning measures to end equal powers for the upper and lower houses of parliament, the reduction of the number of parliamentarians, the containment of costs in running political institutions, the abolition of (public advisory body) Cnel and the amendment of article five of the second part of the Constitution, approved by parliament and published in the official Gazette number 88 on April 15, 2016." (Reporting by Gavin Jones; Editing by Catherine Evans) A New York couple was in the midst of a divorce when the wife and her $450-per-hour lawyer had an affair. The trouble began when Atesa and Anthony Pacelli reluctantly decided to get a divorce after eight years of marriage. Neither one of us really wanted to get divorced we have a young child, Anthony told Inside Edition. Read: Angelina Jolie Files For Divorce From Brad Pitt When they reconciled briefly, Anthony said he found out his wife was having an affair. Shockingly, he said the other man was his wife's $450-an-hour divorce at attorney. "I discovered text messages on her iPad that were a complete exchange from the time they met, he said. The text exchanges were flirty and Atesa had even sent him bikini selfies. Atesa said she takes responsibility for sending the messages, "but what I would say, they weren't who I am," she told Inside Edition. "They're the representation of a very screwed up period in my life." According to court documents, Atesa and her attorney got drunk during a lunch meeting and went back to her apartment, where they had sex. It was a situation where I felt at the time I didnt know what was going on. I was so intoxicated, she recalled. I remember saying no, I remember him on top of me, I remember having sex. I know I was not in any state of mind to consent." At one point after the incident she sent Cedeno a text saying, "I miss you." She explained: "These text messages were between an emotionally wrecked women who had just been taken advantage of. And I was also deeply in denial about what had just happened. When Anthony discovered the affair, he says he was furious and the divorce was back on. But he later came to the conclusion that his wife had been manipulated by her lawyer. This guy is a bad guy," he said. "It's very difficult and Im working on the forgiveness aspect. Story continues Read: Husband of 'Supermom' Jogger Speaks Out, as Experts Suggest She Was Taken by Cult or Sex Traffickers For the sake of their 4-year-old daughter, the couple is now back together. They have filed suit against the Manhattan divorce lawyer, Peter Cedeno, alleging malpractice and sexual assault. Their attorney, Joshua Bauchner, told Inside Edition: It is the attorney's burden, it is the attorney's obligation to make sure something like this never happens, there can be no consent in a relationship like this. A lawyer for Cedeno, Michael Green, says the case of wrongdoing against his client is without merit. We categorically deny the allegations in the complaint, Green told the New York Daily News. We believe at the end of the day, Mr. Cedeno will be proven innocent. Watch: After Johnny Depp Split, Amber Heard to Give Away Entire $7 Million Divorce Settlement Related Articles: Vienna (AFP) - The two candidates for Austria's presidency held a feisty final TV debate Thursday, three days before the vote, clashing over issues ranging from the EU to Donald Trump to spying. The election pits Norbert Hofer, seeking to become Europe's first far-right president since 1945, against independent ecologist Alexander Van der Bellen. The post of Austrian president is largely ceremonial but a win for Hofer and his Freedom Party (FPOe) would be a major symbolic victory for populists across Europe ahead of several elections in 2017. Hofer, 45, appeared to accuse Van der Bellen, 72, of being a spy for the Soviet Union during the Cold War, citing claims made in a book written by a former Austrian security official. "That is the most appalling thing I have heard in a long time," Van der Bellen said. "If I had known about these claims in the book we would have sued... It's ridiculous." Van der Bellen meanwhile said that Hofer and the FPOe wanted to pull Austria out of the European Union, prompting Hofer to call him a "liar". Hofer has said that he will press for a referendum on Austria's EU membership if Turkey joins the bloc or if the 28-nation group becomes too centralised. Hofer said that Van der Bellen had insulted US president-elect Donald Trump. Van der Bellen said that he had been appalled by the "sexist comments" made during Trump's campaign for the White House. Hofer and Van der Bellen are due to hold their final campaign events Friday, with opinion polls suggesting the race is too close to call. The election is a re-run of the presidential poll held in May, when Van der Bellen beat Hofer by just 31,000 votes. The FPOe managed to get the result of that vote overturned due to procedural irregularities. By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter makes his last scheduled trip to Asia next week, and he will try to sooth anxieties caused by Donald Trump's election, U.S. officials said. The Obama administration made Asia and U.S. alliances there a priority. While details of Trump's approach to the region remain scant, his calls for allies to pay more to sustain U.S. forces or face their possible withdrawal have alarmed Japan and South Korea. In Tokyo, Carter will emphasise the importance of the U.S.-Japanese alliance and the presence of some 50,000 U.S. troops there, given China's rise and the increasing threat from nuclear-armed North Korea, a U.S. defence official said. But the soothing effect of anything Carter has to say will be limited because he is a "lame-duck", and does not represent Trump's still-undefined policies. A source who has advised the incoming president's transition team downplayed concerns about a dramatic break with the past or possibly allowing Japan and South Korea to develop nuclear weapons rather than relying on the U.S. nuclear umbrella. Trump wants the allies to shoulder a greater share of defence costs, but this would be a matter for negotiation, the source said. "It's not an ultimatum; it's not saying 'Let's crush the alliance,'" he said. "It will be a negotiation like we always have," the source said. Trump caused alarm during his campaign by suggesting that Japan and South Korea could acquire nuclear weapons to defend themselves, although he has not repeated those remarks since his election. "As president-elect, there has never been any question other than supporting the existing (nuclear) umbrella and the existing non-proliferation regime," he said. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the first foreign leader to meet Trump after the election, and said afterwards that alliances must be based on trust and that he saw the future president as a "trustworthy leader." However, Trump plans to quit the trans-Pacific trade pact that was the economic pillar of Obama's "pivot" to Asia, which had Japan as its main partner. "Regardless of what (Carter) conveys, the reverberations caused by Trump's election have made many countries envisage a future where a robust U.S. presence may not be a certainty," said Reed Foster, a defence analyst for IHS Jane's. Carter will also visit India. Trump pledged in his campaign that the United States and India would be "best friends" and would boost intelligence-sharing against Islamist militants. In August, the two countries reached a deal on using each other's military bases for repairs, and they have been cooperating on an Indian aircraft carrier project. A senior U.S. defence official said two pacts that would allow secure communications and the exchange of nautical and other data would not be sealed before Obama leaves office. India is pushing for faster movement on a request to buy U.S. Predator drone aircraft. (Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom in Washington, Timothy Kelly in Tokyo and Sanjeev Miglani in New Delhi; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Alistair Bell) The pastor for Christian Fixer Upper hosts Chip and Joanna Gaines has responded to a recent Buzzfeed article accusing his church and possibly the HGTV personalities that attend it of being anti-gay. Absolutely not, Pastor Jimmy Seibert told Fox News Todd Starnes when asked point-blank if his church is against same-sex marriage. We are not only not anti-gay, we are just pro-helping people in their journey to find out who God is and who He has made them to be. For us our heart has always been to love Jesus, preach the word of God and help people in their journey, Siebart added, citing people from all walks of life attend his masses. Also Read: 'Property Brothers' Star Jonathan Scott Avoids Charges in Fargo Bar Fight Buzzfeeds Kate Aurthur posted a story earlier this week titled, Chip And Joanna Gaines Church Is Firmly Against Same-Sex Marriage. The sub-hed reads: Their pastor considers homosexuality to be a sin caused by abuse whether the Fixer Upper couple agrees is unclear. Aurthur and BuzzFeed attempted to get comment from HGTV and the Gaines, but neither returned those requests. When reached by phone, their Antioch Community Churchs communications director pointed the reporter toward the churchs website under beliefs, where it states, Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime, she wrote. Per Aurthurs research, Seibert, who founded the church 17 years ago, has taken and maintained a hard line in considering homosexuality a sin. He also allegedly subscribes to conversion to a heterosexual lifestyle as an option and choice. Also Read: 'Flip or Flop' Co-Host Tarek el Moussa Saved by Fan Who Spotted Cancerous Lump In a statement to TheWrap, a spokesperson for HGTV said, We dont discriminate against members of the LGBT community in any of our shows. HGTV is proud to have a crystal clear, consistent record of including people from all walks of life in its series. Story continues Fixer Upper is one of the networks most popular programs. In addition to their television job of remodeling old homes in the Waco, Texas area, Chip and Joanna Gaines run a successful home store and are now best-selling authors. Several HGTV series, such as House Hunters and Property Brothers, have featured same-sex couples Fixer Upper has not. Related stories from TheWrap: 'Ellen's Design Challenge' Closes With Disqualified Winner, Qualified Ratings Success for HGTV HGTV's Booted Benham Brothers Say Christians 'Must Be Willing to Die' to Uphold Traditional Values (Video) Benham Brothers Blame HGTV Cancellation on Anti-Faith Agenda: 'We Love Homosexuals' Benham Brothers Speak Out on HGTV Show Being Canned: We're Committed to Biblical Principles HGTV Cancels Pilot From Anti-Gay Hosts Following Fan Backlash One major goal that President-elect Donald Trumps administration will be focused on come January 20, 2017 will be to reinvigorate what it calls a lackluster American economy. Trumps Treasury Secretary-designate Steve Mnuchin told the FOX Business Network on Wednesday that his teams first priority is a sustained economic growth rate of between 3% and 4%. But one billionaire and former tech CEO said despite the new administrations goals, he doesnt think the government will have much of an effect on rousing growth in the long-term. Theres very little the government can do to stimulate the economy in the long run, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told FOX Business Networks Neil Cavuto in an exclusive interview. At the end of the day, I think the inexorable advance of innovation in the private sector is whats going to stimulate jobs in Americamaybe jobs abroad toobut jobs here in America. Ballmer, who served as chief executive of the tech giant from 2000 until his retirement in 2014, also commented on the stock market, which has seen substantial gains since Election Day upward strength thats been dubbed the Trump Rally. I think theres an excitement about what might be, Ballmer said. [The incoming administration] has talked somehow about reduced taxes, which means theres going to be more money to go buy thingsthat should propel stocks up. The Trump administration is also focused on keeping U.S. companies from moving jobs and manufacturing overseas. Earlier this week, the president-elect and vice president-elect made a deal with Carrier, a maker of air-conditioning units, and its parent company United Technologies (NYSE:UTX) to keep about 1,000 jobs in the state. Carrier originally planned to move 2,000 jobs from the Hoosier State to Mexico. Having the general theme out there for companies to think abouti.e. can we think about ways to engineer our costs lower and still do great work in the United States; thats a perfectly great theme. Doesnt mean there still wont be things that happen outside the U.S., but I think it will force companies just to think a little harder, Ballmer said. Related Articles (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co said on Friday it will recall about 680,000 of its Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ sedans to fix a seat belt issue. About 602,000 of the vehicles recalled are in the U.S. market and about 650,000 of them are in North America as a whole. A small amount of Ford Mondeo sedans are also being recalled, but none of them are in North America. Ford said it is aware of two accidents and two injuries associated with the issue. Model years of the cars involved differs, depending on the specific versions, but all in a range of 2013 to 2016. The recall campaign seeks to fix seat belts that do not operate properly in high temperatures. (Bernie Woodall) Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in his trademark gray tee. (Photo: Getty) A group of former Hillary Clinton campaign staffers is asking Facebook to expand its election alerts to include local races in time for a crucial Louisiana run-off election this month. The Clinton staffers formed a nonprofit called Flippable in the wake of their partys crushing losses in November, in order to inform and organize Democrats around state and local races. They are hoping to win back some of the more than 1,000 seats in state legislatures that Democrats have lost around the country since 2010 and to reclaim U.S. House and Senate seats theyve ceded to Republicans as well. Chris Walsh, a founder of Flippable who was the Clinton campaigns Ohio regional out-of-state coordinator, said Facebook will consider their request if they are able to demonstrate a popular outpouring of support. The group has started a petition to prove that Facebook users would like to be reminded of local elections. Getting it done before Louisiana would be incredible, Walsh said. Im not sure it would swing the election, but its a great way to start getting people involved. A Facebook spokesman would not comment on whether it was specifically considering Flippables request to remind voters about Louisianas Senate race and other nonpresidential elections. But the spokesman did acknowledge that the company might expand its election reminders to local races in the future. As we continue to look for ways to encourage participation, we are exploring how we can increase awareness for local elections, a spokesman said in a statement. If Democrats win the long-shot Louisiana run-off election on Dec. 10, they would trail Republicans by only one seat in the Senate, 49-51, making it easier for them to oppose the all-GOP Congress and White House. Democratic candidate Foster Campbell has raised $2.5 million in the four-week period that included the election, as Democrats both in and outside Louisiana have sought to bolster his bid. Turnout tends to be low for elections that are not held in November, so Campbells chances could be significantly enhanced with Facebooks help. Story continues Facebook has reminded its more than 190 million American users about upcoming presidential elections and allowed them to share with their friends the fact that they have voted since 2008. During the 2016 election, Facebook unveiled a new feature directing users to a page where they could register to vote. This led to 2 million new voter registrations, according to the companys internal data. Meanwhile, more than 10.5 million users shared on Facebook that they voted this Election Day. I think they have a duty to use their platform for good in a totally nonpartisan way, Walsh said. This is just about giving people more information and helping them enfranchise themselves. The social media giant has been in the crosshairs after the election as critics pointed out that false stories generated by fake news sites were shared more on Facebook than stories about the election from legitimate news sites in the final weeks before the election. Facebook is reportedly testing out warnings to label fake news to its users. Sonny West once rode Elvis Presley's coattails to fame as his best friend and bodyguard, but decades later, the glitz and glamor has faded away. Speaking from his hospital bed, 78-year-old West said he is now facing foreclosure this month due to the medical bills associated with his cancer diagnosis. Read: 50 Cent Spends $108,000 a Month on Expenses, Bankruptcy Filing Reveals "I don't want to leave my family behind, penniless, leave them with nothing," he told InsideEdition.com. "I just want to be back to where I can carry the love that I need to carry." West is currently undergoing treatment for cancer shortly after celebrating five years in remission. His wife of 46 years, Judy Jordan, is also undergoing treatment for cancer and will be admitted into surgery next week. Because of their mounting medical bills, and debt of nearly $22,000, the couple said they are now facing foreclosure, scheduled later this month. "I just feel very depressed," West said. Decades ago, West was one of the integral members of Elvis Presley's posse, known as the "Memphis Mafia." West started out as one of his bodyguards, and eventually broke into The King's inner circle, where he remained his good friend for 17 years. He appeared in Presley's 1968 hit film Stay Away, Joe, and Presley reciprocated by acting as the best man in West and Jordan's wedding. "I felt good, ambitious, going around the world doing shows, entertaining people, standing up for hours [with] all my energy and everything," West said. His lucky streak ended about five years ago, when he was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer. West has been on a feeding tube ever since. Read: Girl, 4, Dies After Dad Shared Her Photo to Call Attention to Harsh Reality of Childhood Cancer "My parents' finances started going downhill after my dad first had cancer," their son, Bryan West, told InsideEdition.com. Story continues Jordan, an actress known for roles in The Jackie Gleason Show and The Beverly Hillbillies, was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer soon after. "When I was diagnosed, everything fell apart," Jordan told InsideEdition.com. "We got caught on payments and couldn't catch up. It's devastating me. It's one thing after another. I had to be a warrior to not fall apart." They said they eventually racked up nearly $22,000 in debt, and have been threatened with the foreclosure of their Nashville, Tennessee home, where they have lived since 2007. To pay off debt they accrued for the various treatments, the couple said they began selling Presley's memorabilia, including the jewelry he gifted West, and a briefcase. They also started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to pay off their debt. An Elvis impersonator sympathetic to their cause donated $1,000 to the campaign. Read: Woman Searches for Long-Lost Father, Discovers He's a Famous Elvis Impersonator However, the couple claims the Presley estate has not been willing to contribute. According to their son Bryan West, their home is still scheduled for foreclosure December 15. "They will have nowhere to go," he told InsideEdition.com. "They don't want to lose their home. I can tell hope is slowly slipping away. " To donate, visit their GoFundMe page here. Watch: Dolly Parton Pledges $1,000 Per Month to Families Who Lost Homes to Tennessee Fire Related Articles: OSLO (Reuters) - A Norwegian appeals court acquitted the former chief executive of fertiliser maker Yara, Thorleif Enger, and two other former top executives in a bribery case on Friday, reversing the verdicts of a lower court. The Borgarting Appeals Court, a regional court in southeast Norway, upheld a guilty verdict on former chief legal officer Kendrick Wallace, an American, while Norwegian Enger was acquitted along with compatriot Tor Holba and Daniel Clauw, a French citizen. In July 2015, all four had been sentenced to between two and three years in prison. Prosecutors had accused the four of paying bribes to officials in India and Libya - including to the family of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's oil minister and the family of a financial adviser in India's Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. "In total the case concerns agreements to pay bribes of more than $8 million," the police said when launching its prosecution in 2014. A jury in the appeals court rejected the guilty verdict on Enger, Holba and Clauw on Friday and its decision was immediately affirmed by judges in the case, who have the right, though rarely used, to reject verdicts and order retrials if they believe the jury is wrong. Wallace, whose guilty verdict was upheld, will later learn whether his sentence of 2-1/2 years in prison will be maintained or changed. The case started in 2011 when Yara, one of the world's biggest nitrate fertiliser makers, contacted Norwegian authorities, saying it had uncovered cases of corruption dating to prior to 2008. Oslo-based Yara acknowledged in 2014 that it had paid the bribes and agreed to pay a 295 million Norwegian crowns ($36 million) fine. (Reporting by Ole Petter Skonnord; writing by Stine Jacobsen; editing by Terje Solsvika and Susan Fenton) Paris (AFP) - Fourteen former and current executives of the Wendel investment company will face trial for tax fraud while US bank JP Morgan Chase is to be pursued for complicity, legal sources told AFP on Friday. The former head of Wendel, Jean-Bernard Lafonta, and Ernest-Antoine Seilliere, ex-chief of the main French employer's association, are among those to be tried, legal sources said. An investigation was opened in 2012 following complaints by tax authorities over a scheme called Solfur that saw Wendel executives buy shares at a knockdown price. Financial prosecutors estimated in 2015 that the executives made a net gain of 315 million euros ($336 million) euros in 2007 for an investment of just under one million euros without paying any taxes, according to documents seen by AFP. JP Morgan Chase and a tax lawyer are to face trial for complicity in tax fraud over suspicions they participated in the creation of the scheme. The investigation focused on email exchanges between Wendel's managers, the law firm and the bank which demonstrated "recurring concern" about escaping paying taxes, according to prosecution documents. Jean-Bernard Lafonta, who has been called the "Mozart of finance", was convicted last December for spreading false information and insider trading, and fined 1.5 million euros, but has since appealed. Lafonta's lawyer declined to comment when contacted by AFP Friday. By Alan Baldwin LONDON (Reuters) - The French Formula One Grand Prix is set to return in 2018 after a 10-year absence, the sport's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone said on Friday. "Yes, I think it will happen," the 86-year-old Briton told Reuters when asked about French media reports that a deal had been agreed to host the race at the Le Castellet circuit in southern France. Also known as the Circuit Paul Ricard after the local pastis magnate who financed it, Le Castellet last hosted a grand prix in 1990. The most recent Formula One race in France was at Magny-Cours in 2008. Ecclestone indicated that France was likely to be scheduled for a July date rather than the late August or early September slot reported in French media. "More or less sort of the German date, probably," he said, referring to a race under threat that has traditionally occupied a late July slot. Germany has been axed from the 2017 calendar due to financial reasons, despite the country having world champions in Mercedes and Nico Rosberg, but Hockenheim still has a contract to host the loss-making race in 2018. Le Castellet, which features the long Mistral straight, has been fully renovated and is now owned by Ecclestone's family trust, which will not be involved in hosting the race. "It's nothing to do with them at all. I think they are renting it to the people that are going to be the promoters," said the Briton. L'Equipe reported that a five-year deal had been agreed with the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur (PACA) region in association with the city of Toulon, department of Var and the French motorsport association (FFSA). PACA president Christian Estrosi is a an ex-mayor of Nice and also a former car and motorcycle racer who finished fourth in the 1978 French 500cc Grand Prix at Nogaro. The race's return is expected to be announced formally at a news conference scheduled for Monday in Paris. (Editing by John O'Brien) Paris (AFP) - Maurel & Prom, a French oil operator that pumps mostly in Africa, recommended Friday that shareholders accept a planned buyout offer from Indonesia's state oil company Pertamina. "The board of directors of Maurel & Prom ... considered that the offer is in the interests of the company, its shareholders and its holders (of convertible bonds) and its employees" and recommended by a unanimous vote they tender their shares, a company statement said. At the end of August, Pertamina took a 24.5 percent stake in Maurel & Prom as a prelude to making a buyout offer. "This project is part of Pertamina's five strategic pillars implementation to enhance its upstream footprint around the world" and ensure Indonesia's energy security, Wianda Pusponegoro, Pertamina's vice president for corporate communication, said at the time. The acquisition of Maurel & Prom would help Pertamina expand its footprint in Africa. Already present in Algeria, Pertamina would gain operations in Gabon and Tanzania. The stake in August was acquired at a price of 4.20 euros ($4.47) per share, plus a complement of 50 cents depending on the evolution of oil prices in 2017, which valued the company at 822 million euros (without the complement). France's AMF financial markets regulator announced late Friday that Pertamina had submitted to it a draft for a public buyout offer. It also noted that the offer, the calendar for which was not indicated, would be made under the previous financial terms and that Pertamina did not intend to delist the firm. (Reuters) - Fruit of the Loom, a Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) unit, said it named Melissa Burgess-Taylor as the chief executive officer and chairman, following the death of Rick Medlin. Medlin, who had held the top post at the apparel company since 2010, died on Sunday of natural causes, the company said. "Rick lived and breathed Fruit of the Loom, and he was an inspirational leader to everyone associated with the company, Warren Buffett, chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, said in a statement. Burgess-Taylor, who has been with the company for more than 17 years, is currently senior vice president of brand management and sales for Fruit of the Loom and Vanity Fair Brands. (Reporting by Sruthi Shankar in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie Adler) By Cheikh Sadibou Mane BANJUL (Reuters) - Gambian authorities cut the internet, barred international calls and sealed land borders for an election on Thursday that poses the first serious challenge to President Yahya Jammeh since he seized power in a coup 22 years ago. Jammeh, who this week said only Allah can remove him from office, has pledged to rule the tiny riverside West African nation for "a billion years". He has made frequent headlines by claiming to have a herbal cure for AIDS that only works on Thursdays, declaring Gambia an Islamic republic and threatening to slit the throats of homosexuals. A Western diplomatic source said the National Intelligence Agency had informed them that internet and phone outages would last until Sunday. The same source said that land borders had been shut, but sea and air remained open. Reuters could not independently verify the border crossing closures. Dressed in flowing white robes, carrying strings of prayer beads and surrounded by soldiers, Jammeh voted in the capital Banjul without speaking to reporters. Nearby, in the sleepy, palm-fringed streets, residents formed long lines outside polling stations where they cast ballots by dropping marbles into drums painted green, silver and purple for the three candidates, each with his picture on. Gambian officials say the system is designed to avoid spoiled ballots and to simplify the process for illiterate voters. Britain, whose nationals swarm to the former colony's white-sand beaches in search of winter sun, advised its tourists on Thursday that international calls had been blocked in an apparent attempt to control scrutiny of elections. Activist Jeggan Grey Johnson with Open Society Foundation called the outages a "deliberate attempt by the incumbent to control any sort of information sharing". Gambia's communications minister could not be reached for comment. European Union observers have been barred from monitoring the polls; African Union observers have been admitted. RARE OPPOSITION CHALLENGE Rallies for the main opposition challenger, businessman Adama Barrow, have attracted crowds of thousands - a rare show of defiance towards a leader who rights groups say frequently imprisons and tortures opposition figures. Barrow has promised to revive Gambia's economy, one of the region's most sluggish, end widespread human rights abuses and to step down after three years as a boost to democracy. Jammeh's supporters deny allegations of atrocities and he frequently rails against Western interference in Africa's internal affairs. The president has touted his record on healthcare and has won support among women owing to alleged herbal cures for infertility that he personally administers in the grounds of State House. He drew huge crowds during rallies across Gambia. Gambia made headlines recently by withdrawing from the International Criminal Court, calling it the "Infamous Caucasian Court". Gambia also withdrew from the Commonwealth in 2013. "My presidency and power are in the hands of Allah and only Allah can take it from me," Jammeh said earlier this week. In April, small protests in Banjul calling for electoral reform led to dozens of arrests, including that of the leader of the main UDP opposition party, Ousainu Darboe. Two UDP members have since died in custody; others remain in jail. (Writing and additional reporting by Emma Farge and Edward McAllister in Dakar; Editing by Tim Cocks, Mark Trevelyan and Richard Lough) Banjul (Gambia) (AFP) - Opposition candidate Adama Barrow hailed a "new Gambia" after he pulled off a stunning presidential election victory, putting an end to the 22-year rule of Yahya Jammeh. Jammeh -- who has been frequently accused over the years of suppressing his opponents -- conceded defeat on television, accepting that Gambians had "decided that I should take the backseat". Official results earlier showed Barrow, a businessman and political unknown until six months ago, comfortably winning Thursday's poll with 45.54 percent, capping a remarkable rise to prominence. Jammeh took 212,099 votes (36.66 percent) and third party candidate Mama Kandeh 102,969 votes (17.80 percent), the Independent Electoral Commission said. Gambians took to the streets to celebrate the biggest upset in the west African nation since Jammeh seized power in a 1994 coup. In Westfield, a district near the capital, teenagers piled on top of cars, taking selfies and strumming guitars, while others waved flags coloured the grey of the opposition coalition. In his first comments afterward, Barrow acknowledged the nation's huge shift. "It's time for work. It's a new Gambia," he said. Barrow was chosen as the opposition flag bearer by a group of political parties who joined forces for the first time and won unprecedented popular support. Turnout was around 65 percent. Speaking to the public on Gambian television, Jammeh congratulated Barrow for his "clear victory", adding: "I wish him all the best and I wish all Gambians the best." Jammeh, who once said he would govern for a billion years if God willed it, was attempting to win a fifth term, but said the result was a decision from the divine that he would respect. "I will never cheat or dispute the election because this is the most transparent, rig-proof elections in the whole world," he added, referring to The Gambia's unique system of voting with marbles dropped into coloured drums. Story continues Barrow will now serve a three-year term at the head of a transition reform government in the tiny ex-British colony that occupies a narrow sliver of land surrounded by French-speaking Senegal. Jammeh has 60 days to leave office, according to the Gambian constitution. - Internet blackout - The election was marked by an internet blackout that sparked condemnation from rights groups and the United States. Security forces had deployed heavily in Banjul earlier Friday amid nervousness over whether Jammeh would accept defeat, but by the end of the day the officers were shaking hands with Barrow supporters. "Never before has power changed hands (in The Gambia) through the ballot box," said US State Department Spokesman John Kirby, acknowledging the stunning result. "We encourage all Gambians to respect the election results and the government of Gambia to respect the rights of citizens to freely assemble as they respond to the results." In a separate statement, the White House hailed Jammeh's "respect for the will of the Gambian people". "The United States congratulates the people of The Gambia on a peaceful and democratic presidential election that has the potential to mark a new beginning for all Gambians," National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon sent his congratulations to Barrow and commended Jammeh's message to the president-elect. - 'Emancipation day' - At his final campaign rally, Jammeh had warned that protests over the election result would not be tolerated, saying The Gambia "does not allow" demonstrations. Many of those on the streets Friday hailed a new era for freedoms curtailed under Jammeh, and hoped political prisoners would be released. "It is a stunning day... emancipation day for Gambians. We have had 22 years of illegal arrests and suppression from Yahya Jammeh," said Maya Darboe, whose husband, head of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP), was jailed in July for attending a protest. The regional body ECOWAS, the UN and the African Union all hailed a "free, fair and transparent presidential election", and Jammeh for "gracefully conceding defeat". There were no international observers present for the election, which passed off smoothly with a diplomatic team overseeing some limited monitoring. A Senegalese security source confirmed to AFP in Dakar that The Gambia had closed its borders for the election, a common occurrence during elections in west Africa. Jammeh's tenure was marked by his surviving multiple attempts to remove him from the presidency. Some 60 percent of the population live in poverty in The Gambia, and a third survive on $1.25 (1.20 euro) or less a day, according to the UN. An iron gate with the infamous Nazi slogan Arbeit Macht Frei (Work sets you free) has been found in Norway two years after it was stolen from a former concentration camp at Dachau in southern Germany, police believe. Around 40,000 people were murdered by the Nazis in Dachau before it was liberated by U.S. troops in 1945. It was one of the first concentration camps that Adolf Hitler installed in Germany and it was initially intended to hold political prisoners. The site, which is near Munich, is now a memorial. The 200-pound gate was reported missing on Nov. 2 2014 and its theft caused global outrage. German Chancellor Angela Merkel described it as appalling and called for those responsible to be caught quickly and held to account. Now police believe the gate has been recovered in the southwestern Norweigan city of Bergen thanks to an anonymous tip-off. According to the BBC, after reviewing photos, German police say it is highly likely to be the Dachau gate. This is not the first time a sign reading Arbeit Macht Frei has been stolen. In 2009, the iron sign bearing the same slogan above the entrance to the former Auschwitz death camp was stolen. Polands Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich said that if the culprits were pranksters, theyd have to be sick pranksters. The sign was recovered in three pieces a few days later. Washington (AFP) - Retired general James "Mad Dog" Mattis -- who for years oversaw US war efforts in the Middle East and was tapped Thursday by President-elect Donald Trump as his new defense secretary -- did not come by his nickname lightly. Mattis, 66, commanded a Marine battalion during the First Gulf War and a marine division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In 2010, the tough-talking native of Washington state was named to head the US Central Command. That gave him authority over troops in Iraq, where he helped develop a counterinsurgency approach before overseeing the US withdrawal, and Afghanistan, where he implemented a troop surge. It also gave him responsibility for an area including Syria, Yemen and Iran. Previously, the four-star general led the US Joint Forces Command and a NATO command charged with preparing the alliance's forces to meet future challenges. A colorful commander, he earned the nickname "Mad Dog" with his battle-hardened swagger and the sort of blunt language Marines are famous for. He has been quoted as saying, "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet." Trump announced the nomination Thursday at his first post-election rally in Ohio. "We are going to appoint 'Mad Dog' Mattis as our secretary of defense," Trump told a large crowd of supporters in Cincinnati. "He's our best. They say he's the closest thing to (World War II-era) general George Patton that we have," Trump said, If confirmed by the Senate, Mattis will be the first recently retired general to serve as Pentagon chief since George Marshall in 1950, who served under president Harry Truman. - 'Warrior Monk' - Mattis's salty language has at times gotten him into hot water, such as when he said during a panel discussion in San Diego, California in 2005: "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." Story continues He later apologized for those words. But for all the bluster, Mattis has a cerebral side. He has issued required reading lists to Marines under his command, and instructed them that the most important territory on a battlefield is the space "between your ears." A scholar of warfare, he is said to have a personal library of more than 7,000 volumes. And as a lifelong bachelor, he has another nickname: the "Warrior Monk." Like Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, Trump's choice as national security adviser, Mattis has been highly critical of the multination agreement reached last year with Iran to curtail its nuclear program. But while Trump has spoken positively of working with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, Mattis has warned that Moscow wants to "break NATO apart." Senator John McCain of Arizona, who chairs the Armed Services committee that would hold confirmation hearings for the next defense secretary, has said Mattis is "one of the finest military officers of his generation and an extraordinary leader." But to serve as defense secretary, Mattis also would need a waiver of a law that bans uniformed military officers from serving as secretary of defense for seven years after leaving active duty. The law is intended to ensure the bedrock notion of civilian control of the nation's military. Marshall was granted the same waiver in 1950. On Dec 2, we issued an updated research report on General Mills, Inc. GIS a global manufacturer and marketer of branded consumer food products through retail stores. General Mills' shares have outperformed the Zacks categorized Food-Miscellaeous Preparation/Diversified industry year to date. While the stock has gained around 5%, the broader market had witnessed a gain of 3.4% in the same time period. Advantages General Mills has an impressive portfolio of growth products and brands, especially its healthy and convenience packages. Currently, 75% of its cereals are free of artificial flavors and colors. The company is committed toward removing such ingredients from its entire cereals portfolio by 2017. The company focuses on maintaining a steady pipeline of products to boost sales momentum and capture market share. In fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2018 General Mills plans to invest in growing brands and platforms. Most of the growth businesses showed positive momentum in fiscal 2016 and management plans to drive growth in these businesses in 2017 through innovation, renovation along with media and in-store support. General Mills is gradually shifting the geographic mix of its business towards the international markets with particular focus on the emerging markets such as China, Brazil, India and Russia where consumer spending growth is positive. The rising pool of middle-class consumers in emerging markets thus represents a huge opportunity for branded consumer companies. General Mills is currently pursuing many multi-year restructuring initiatives focused at improving operational efficiency to generate cost savings and support its key growth strategies. US Sales Down General Mills, like many other U.S. food producers, has been struggling due to the shift in consumer preference toward natural and organic food. Sales and profits at its U.S. Retail segment, which contributes 60% to sales, have been declining since fiscal 2015. Also, in the first quarter of fiscal 2017, net sales at the segment dipped 7.1% year over year. Organically, year-over-year sales growth is anticipated in the range of flat to down 2% for fiscal 2017. The U.S. cereal category has been declining in the recent years. Lower demand for cereals due to competitive pressure from alternatives including yogurt, eggs, bread and peanut butter is hurting the category growth. Zacks Rank & Key Picks General Mills carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks in the industry include Mondelez International, Inc. MDLZ, Ingredion Inc. INGR and Lancaster Colony Corp. LANC. All three companies carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Full-year 2016 earnings for Mondelez are expected to grow 11.6%. Ingredion is expected to witness 20.1% growth in full-year 2016 earnings. Fiscal 2016 earnings for Lancaster are expected to rise 7.3%. Zacks Best Private Investment Ideas In addition to the recommendations that are available to the public on our website, how would you like to follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time? Our experts cover all kinds of trades from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Starting today, for the next month, you can have unrestricted access. Click here for Zacks' private 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 GENL MILLS (GIS): Free Stock Analysis Report INGREDION INC (INGR): Free Stock Analysis Report MONDELEZ INTL (MDLZ): Free Stock Analysis Report LANCASTER COLON (LANC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research According to reports, President-elect Donald Trump has tapped recently retired Marine General James Mattis to be his secretary of defense. The Mattis pick has been circulating as a rumor for weeks, and most of the commentary have focused on two aspects: 1) Mattis penchant for offering highly quotable, pithy, but slightly impolitic observations, and 2) to be confirmed, he would need Congress to pass a law lifting the restriction on recently retired general officers serving in this post. The first aspect likely attracted Trump to Mattis. In their plainspoken defiance of political correctness, the two are birds of a feather. The second clearly did not repel Trump from Mattis, and rightly so. Mattis is a very strong pick for Secretary of Defense and I believe a good case can be made to get Congress to lift the restriction. There is little doubt that a Congress willing to confirm Mattis would be willing to pass the additional law required. As Robert Chesney, a professor of law at the University of Texas at Austin, explains, it is not quite as straightforward as renaming a post office. But lets not pretend it is a high legislative hurdle. Once a candidate has been cleared by the relevant oversight committee, most confirmations, even for very senior positions, are passed under unanimous consent procedures that fly through very quickly. Of course, a senator who wants to block a confirmation can put a hold on it or filibuster it. That sometimes happens, especially for controversial nominees, but if it does not, then a simple majority of the Senate can confirm an appointment. That same threshold is needed to pass the law that removes the legal restriction barring Mattis. While it is an extra step, it is likely not any more difficult than the confirmation process itself. In other words, if Mattis has confirmation troubles, they will occur at confirmation, regardless of the waiver issue. If he doesnt have confirmation troubles, the waiver is manageable. Also, it has been done before. In fact, within a few short years of passing the law forbidding uniformed military from serving as secretary of defense, Congress voted to lift it to allow General George Marshall to take the post. To be sure, in passing that law, Congress explicitly argued that it viewed this as a one-time exception that should not set a precedent; it wanted Marshall to be the first and last such exception. He was, for 65 years. Congress cannot legally bind future Congress in this way this was a sense of Congress declaration anyway but even morally, 65 years is long enough to view a second exception as exceptional. In addition, while the logic behind the ban is a good one, it does not trump all other considerations. The logic for banning recently retired generals is as follows: The secretary of defense and the president (commander-in-chief) collectively embody the National Command Authority and, as such, collectively represent the civilian in civilian control. They must actually be civilians to embody civilian control. If they have prior military experience, they must nevertheless operate as civilians while being the National Command Authority. This is why President George Washington refused to wear a uniform or command troops in battle while president (commander-in-chief), even though his former experience as wartime commander arguably made him the most qualified battlefield commander in the republic. Ditto for President Dwight Eisenhower. The secretary of defense is the person in government who embodies civilian control 24-7; he or she has no other duty, unlike the president or the Congress, the two civilian institutions named in the Constitution, and so on a day-to-day basis he or she IS the face of civilian control closest to the troops. That it is a civilian face, wearing civilian clothes, receiving salutes and courtesies from uniformed personnel, is a powerful visible symbol of civilian control. Retired generals, especially retired four-star generals, never retire in quite the same way as do more junior military officers and enlisted. Even in retirement, their first name is general or admiral. They enjoy courtesies and influence that extend well into retirement, and so in some sense remain military professionals. That is why it is inappropriate for them to do things that are fine for other people to do, such as making partisan endorsements during campaigns. Moreover, if recently retired as a four-star, that means the individual has reached the pinnacle of their individual service and so has developed exceptionally strong service loyalties and ties. It will be harder for such a person to then move into an honest broker position that is supposed to be above service rivalry. Such an individual may also have personal scores to settle, which again would complicate their new role as boss. For all these reasons, as a general rule it is preferable for the secretary of defense to be more of a civilian than a recently retired four-star would be. But exceptions can be made, and in this case, they should be made. Mattis has exceptional command of national security matters. He is not the only person in America with such a command, but he would be near the top of most peoples lists. Trumps list is shorter than would customarily be the case because so many other logical candidates signed letters opposing him during the campaign, effectively taking themselves out of the running for consideration for a post like this. Moreover, Mattis is respected on both sides of the aisle. The secretaries that have been most successful in the past 25 years have been those who could command bipartisan respect think Bill Perry and Bob Gates and thus helped provide at least some small measure of insulation from partisan pressures. Finally, Mattis has shown himself to have the respect and confidence of Trump himself, one of the most exacting of requirements a cabinet official that Trump does not respect and listen to is not going to be effective, regardless of qualifications. I think Mattis will also work well with Mike Flynn, who as national security advisor will have the challenging task of trying to coordinate policy development and execution across the Department of Defense and the other key agencies. Speaking of Flynn, however, raises the civil-military question once again. Is it a bad thing to have so many retired generals in these senior positions? It is certainly possible to have too many retired generals but I would not say two is too many. And if you were going to make the exception, Mattis is the one to make it for. Moreover, the civil-military concerns, while important, can be mitigated: Mattis will have to work harder than a more civilian nominee would to embody the civilian in civilian control. If you are going to make this exception, then you should make it for a general who has thought long and hard about civil-military relations. Not all general and flag officers have, but Mattis is among the small group who have done so. He co-edited a book on the subject (disclosure: I co-authored one of the chapters in that book) and I know his interest extends well beyond that. This long awareness and historical perspective will help him figure out a way to compensate for his generalness. Mattis will have a leg up on most other possible secretaries of defense in winning the trust and confidence of the uniformed military. It is not widely appreciated outside the Pentagon, but these years have been difficult years for civil-military relations. The next administration, whoever took office, was going to face serious challenges. There is already a readiness crisis caused by the combination of the sequester and continued high operational deployments. The uniformed military has had to adjust in extraordinarily rapid fashion to changing social mores. The loss of the hard-won gains of the surge in Iraq, the uncertain progress in Afghanistan, and the ongoing threats of the Islamic states mean the military, which has borne the brunt of the global war on terror, is having to keep on fighting under emotionally and psychologically draining times. At the same time, intensified conventional and hybrid threats have contributed to making this the most dangerous security environment in 25 years. A steady and trusted hand at the helm will go a long way to smoothing the waters and heading off civil-military crises. As for service loyalties, the chairman and vice-chairman posts show that it is possible to reach the top of one service and then earn the respect of the others. Mattis is fortunate in that he is joining the Department of Defense at a time when there is both a strong chairman and a strong rest of the Joint Chiefs. To be sure, sequester and other challenges have strained interservice comity, but it is to the great credit of current Chairman Joe Dunford and previous Chairman Martin Dempsey that the interservice problems are nothing like they were the last time this exception was granted in 1950. And some civil-military concerns are just overdrawn. You do not militarize national security by having a retired military as NSA and retired military as Secretary of Defense. The canard that generals are like three-year olds with a hammer, thinking everything is a nail, is simply false, as Chris Gelpi and I have shown. Retired Generals may even be more cautious about the use of force; certainly Colin Powell was when he was Secretary of State. Of course, individuals can differ from a general pattern, but that is the point: case-specific judgments must be made and not some blanket assertion based on background. All in all, this is an appointment I applaud, and I trust Congress will see it the same way. I am also hopeful this will give added confidence to good people who are considering joining the Administration. Many people I know would gladly follow Mattis into battle, literally and figuratively. As a card-carrying member of the tiny group of specialists who fret about American civil-military relations on a daily basis, I feel pretty confident saying appointing Mattis to a post that requires a congressional waiver is one civil-military issue I will not lose any sleep over. Photo credit: DREW ANGERER/Getty Images Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f304884%2fgtchicken It's been a rough week for food pioneers. First the creator of the Big Mac passed away, and now General Tso's chicken inventor Peng Chang-kuei died at age 98, reports Taiwan News. A photo posted by Seiyu Hosono (@seiyuhosono) on Dec 1, 2016 at 9:08am PST SEE ALSO: McDonald's Big Mac inventor dies at 98 The sticky, spicy dish is widely credited to the chef, who was trained from age 13. Taiwan News reports, "After WWII, he was put in charge of running Nationalist government banquets, and in 1949 he fled to Taiwan after the Nationalist forces were defeated by the Communists in the Chinese Civil War." Chef Peng leaves behind a chain of Hunan-style restaurants in Taiwan. Image: Pengyuan The chef said in an interview that he created General Tso's chicken in 1952 when he was cooking for U.S. Seventh Fleet commander Admiral Arthur W. Radford. Apparently, the dish was created to ensure his guests wouldn't tire of his repertoire, and Peng named the dish on the fly, honoring famous Hunan military leader, General Tso. It's worth noting that in another interview, Peng Chang-kuei says he can't remember exactly when he first cooked the iconic dish. In the same interview, he also says, "The original General Tsos chicken was Hunanese in taste and made without sugar,[...] But when I began cooking for non-Hunanese people in the United States, I altered the recipe." In 1973, Peng Chang-kuei opened Peng's (the restaurant has since closed and the chef returned to Taipei in the late 1980s) in New York City and one of the first published references to the dish appears in 1977. New York Times food critic Mimi Sheraton called General Tso's chicken, " a stirfried masterpiece, sizzling hot both in flavor and temperature." The beloved dish is the subject of a 2014 documentary that traces the roots and diaspora of General Tso's chicken. The dish is beloved worldwide and Twitter is mourning the death of this iconic chef. First the inventor of the Big Mac dies at 98. Now the inventor of General Tso's dies...at 98. Who will be the third? https://t.co/qIZ8VfeFG6 Chris Averill (@applecore6ca) December 2, 2016 The inventor of General Tso's chicken died. 2016 can't get worse. Shane Boyce (@getboyce) December 2, 2016 Peng Chang-kuei leaves behind a successful Hunan-style restaurant chain in Taiwan and a legion of people devoted to the recipe he made famous. As central Europes largest German-speaking countries, Germany and Austria could hardly be more alike. One need only consider, side by side, their national cultures roots in Christianity, musical brilliance, technological creativity, strong work ethics and their present social and political challenges, which range from integrating immigrants and replacing aging workforces to finding a modus vivendi with a newly aggressive Russia. And yet, the front-runners in the two countries upcoming national elections could hardly be more different. Norbert Hofer, who is expected on Sunday to defeat Alexander Van der Bellen to become Austrias next president and the European Unions first far-right head of state, is a member of Austrian Freedom Party (FPO), a far-right outfit founded in the 1950s by neo-Nazis, which opposes immigration by Muslims and continued rule by liberal elites. When Germans go to the polls to elect a new parliament in September 2017, by contrast, they will almost certainly declare their preference that Angela Merkel, famous for her advocacy of liberal democracy, pluralism, and openness, remain their chancellor. (Austrias president doesnt run the government, as does Germanys chancellor, but does represent the country internationally and as commander-in-chief.) The vast differences currently on display between Austrian and German political culture may seem surprising. In truth, they are as predictable as they are lamentable. They spring from the vastly different relationships the countries have always had to one major thing they have in common their shared responsibility for the cataclysms of the Third Reich. Austria, with some 8 percent of the population of the Greater German Reich, punched far above its weight in Hitlers killing machine. Along with the Fuhrer himself, many leading figures in the Final Solution were Austrian. Yet once it was all over Austrians were determined to avoid any responsibility for the horrors they had helped inflict upon the world. The crimes of the Third Reich, they insisted, were exclusively a German matter. Fortunately for postwar Austria, the Reichs Allied conquerors abetted this convenient fable. In 1943, anxious to split Austria off from Germany, the Allies issued a declaration calling Austria the first free country to fall victim to Hitlerite aggression. Twelve years later, in the Austrian State Treaty granting its independence, the Allied signatories agreed to remove a paragraph that had posited Austrian complicity in Nazi-era crimes. Blessed with its Persilscheine (whitewash certificates) from the Allies, Austrian authorities did as little as they could in the realm of de-Nazification. Leaders focused primarily on reintegrating former Nazis into the mainstream body politic. A corollary of this policy was the re-marginalization of Nazisms primary victims, the Jews. Austrias first postwar president, Karl Renner of the Socialist Party, refused to compensate surviving Jews or the families of Jews murdered in the Holocaust, choosing instead to aid fellow Socialists and union members. Renner found plenty of support for this policy in the population at large. A national public opinion poll in 1946 revealed that roughly half the population thought it had been necessary in the Third Reich to place limits on the Jews. Polls conducted in the late 1940s in once-cosmopolitan (but still deeply anti-Semitic) Vienna showed that more than 40 percent of the townsfolk felt unfriendly toward Jews because Jews only want to cheat Christians. Starting in the mid-1950s, freed from foreign occupation and fired by Marshall Plan assistance, the little Alpine republic honed through its mass media a marketable public image combining its cherished victim-of-German-aggression status with Habsburg-era nostalgia (Mozart, Franz Josef, the Vienna Boys Choir, the Lipizzaner horse breed, and sachertorte mit schlag, a sugary confection). In the mid-1960s the outside world again reinforced this wishful self-image via that apogee of cinematic schmaltz, The Sound of Music, featuring those aristocratic von Trapps stoutly resisting German barbarism while filling the hills with the sound of their song. The movie played to packed houses across Austria for almost a year. Tellingly, Austrias romance with its whitewashed past continued during the 1970s under Chancellor Bruno Kreisky, who happened to be Jewish. Kreisky garnished his first cabinet with four former Nazis, a move that earned him condemnation from the Viennese-born Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal, who in frustration moved his documentation center to Los Angeles in 1977. Kreisky responded to the criticism by calling Wiesenthal a Jewish fascist and likening his organization to the mafia. Austrias success in repressing and obscuring its Nazi heritage in making most of the world think that Hitler was a German and Beethoven an Austrian understandably irritated the Germans. Germany was thus filled with schadenfreude when what Der Spiegel magazine labeled Austrias life-lie came under sudden scrutiny in the Waldheim affair. Kurt Waldheim, former U.N. General Secretary and candidate for the Austrian presidency in 1986, had airbrushed from his autobiography wartime services with a Wehrmacht unit involved in atrocities against Bosnian and Greek civilians. Waldheims exposure came courtesy of the Jewish World Congress based in New York. While Waldheim suffered opprobrium abroad due to his dubious past and strategic amnesia (Waldheimers Disease, mocked the Economist and other Western media), at home he profited from the foreign criticism, which he characterized as an attack on all of Austria. Now more than ever! shouted his campaign posters. He won handily. Waldheims success notwithstanding, many Austrians, especially younger ones, were embarrassed by the xenophobic, anti-Semitic tenor of his campaign. A new generation of Austrian historians began investigating the role their country had played in the Third Reich. The result was a more accurate picture of Austrias Nazi past but also a nativist backlash against this scholarly Nestbeschmutzung, or soiling of ones own nest. The chief profiteer of this backlash was the Austrian Freedom Party, which gained huge support in the 1980s under its new leader, Jorg Haider. Herr Haider, a media-savvy rabble-rouser from Carinthia who looked good in lederhosen, proved very adept at tapping into the darkest recesses of the Austrian psyche. Far from expressing remorse over Nazi crimes, Haider praised various Nazi policies, most notably Hitlers full-employment program. He also exploited a growing nativist sentiment against migrants, especially those from the Middle East. Muslim Turks had stood at the gates of Vienna in 1683; now militant Islam was assaulting Christian Europe once again! In 2000 Haiders party, though not Haider himself, joined a coalition with the mainstream center-right party under Chancellor Wolfgang Schussel. The EU responded by imposing mild sanctions against Austria. (Haider died in a car accident in 2008, but he continues to haunt the Austrian political landscape like a brown-sheeted ghost.) Jorg Haider could not have achieved the political success in Germany that he managed in Austria. In fact, no far-right party has ever been part of a ruling coalition at the federal level in Germany. This has roots in the history of German Verganenheitsbewaltigung (reckoning with the past). True, there are many similarities between Germanys and Austrias confrontation with their common past a widespread refusal early on to confront it; lingering resentment of Jews; laxity in de-Nazification procedures; reemployment of former Nazi functionaries in civil service and governmental posts but in the end, it is the differences which are more striking. Unlike Austria, West Germany made financial restitution to direct survivors of the Holocaust beginning in 1953; the sum eventually amounted over 100 billion marks. (East Germany was a different story: It denied any responsibility for Nazi criminality, claiming that as a socialist state it had nothing in common with the fascist capitalism that animated Hitlers Reich.) Starting in the late 1940s, West Germany established institutions to record and investigate the Nazi past: the Institute for Contemporary History in Munich (1949); the Central Investigation Office for National Socialist Crimes in Ludwigsburg (1958); the Military History Research Office in Freiburg (1957), which among many other contributions undercut a prevailing myth of Wehrmacht innocence in Nazi criminality. West Germanys attempt to remember the Nazi past via memory sites (something the Austrians did little of until recently) went from focusing on resistance to Nazism (sites at Plotzensee Prison and the Bendlerblock in Berlin memorialized the July 20, 1944 resisters) to encompassing a wide range of Nazi criminality (Berlins Topography of Terror museum (which examines the crimes of the Gestapo), Haus am Wannsee (a memorial to the site where the Final Solution was formalized), and the National Holocaust Memorial near Brandenburg Gate are just a few examples). West Germanys student rebellion of the 1960s (again something Austria lacked) sparked a vigorous, albeit belated, effort in the schools and mainstream media to confront Germanys Nazi past. By the 1980s one could hardly turn the TV dial without encountering some documentary on Nazism or World War II. It was however an American TV miniseries, simply titled Holocaust, which truly brought this horrific chapter in German history home to the masses. One might say that Holocaust did for the Germans what The Sound of Music did for the Austrians, but in an opposite ideological direction. We dont yet know the electoral fate of either Norbert Hofer or Angela Merkel. But we can be sure that in these heated contests of the present and near-future, sharply varying views of the past are very much at work. Photo credit: HELMUT FOHRINGER/AFP/Getty Images Were getting closer to the release of Too Faceds Sweet Peach collection, so here is everything were DYING to get our hands on Makeup lovers, brace yourselves. Adding Too Faceds highly anticipated Sweet Peach Collection to your makeup battle station is getting closer and closer to becoming a reality. The beauty brand known for rolling out insanely clever products, like this peanut-butter-jelly-inspired palette and this chocolate bar-themed palette, is about to drop what may be their yummiest collection yet, and we have some early deets to share with you. For those of you who arent lurking Too Faceds social media 24/7, the Sweet Peach collection will be composed of yup, you guessed it makeup products inspired by the delicious fruit. These items will be so great for spring and summer, but we cant wait to get them in our hot little hands even though its only Decemberand were pretty sure youll feel the same way once you hear more about them. A photo posted by Agence Ohlala (@agenceohlala) on Dec 1, 2016 at 9:15am PST Heres what you can expect to find: Papa Dont Peach This perfectly flattering blush is infused with actual peach, which means it isnt just packaged adorably, it also smells like fresh peaches and contains skin-loving fruit extracts. The shade is, predictably enough, a soft, universal peach. Too Faced co-founder Jerrod Blandino was inspired to bring this product back during a moment in Paris he had with a peach trifle dessert! Sweet Peach Creamy Lip Oil We love a good moisturizing lip product, and this one isnt just nice and nourishing, its also provides the perfect sheer, shiny wash of color for everyday wear. It comes in several shades, so if you dont have great luck peach-colored makeup, youre in luck! Sweet Peach Eyeshadow Collection The shadows in this palette arent all peach-colored, but they all have the collections signature peach scent. There are tons of peach-y, coral-y colors too, and we bet theyd double beautifully as blush! Story continues Sweet Peach Glow If you want to get your hands on the collections gorgeous blush shade (see above), a soft, universal highlight AND a universally flattering bronzer, this is your best bet! Last night at the Sweet Peach release party, Jerrod dropped a very exciting surprise: a limited amount of Sweet Peach palettes were available for purchase on the website at toofaced.com/peach. As expected, everyone and their momma was trying to snag one of these beauties. Unfortunately, when we tried getting on the site ourselves, we were hit with this very bleak news: A WAIT LINE OF OVER 22K! Clearly, the Sweet Peach collection is the belle of the ball! @toofaced #TFMagicalPeachOrchard #tfsweetpeach #december2016 A photo posted by Jerrod Blandino (@jerrodblandino) on Sep 16, 2016 at 10:46am PDT Luckily, that wasnt the only opportunity to get your greedy lil paws on the coveted Sweet Peach line. The entire collection will be available at TooFaced.com, Sephora.com, and Ulta.com on December 15th. While the Sweet Peach Eyeshadow Palette will be available in stores on December 26th, the rest of the collection will hit stores on January 15th. Taping a brand new episode of "Its Happening"! Guess what it's about? @toofaced #toofaced TFSweetPeach #comingsoon A photo posted by Jerrod Blandino (@jerrodblandino) on Oct 25, 2016 at 2:02pm PDT We cant wait to take a bite out of it! The post Were getting closer to the release of Too Faceds Sweet Peach collection, so here is everything were DYING to get our hands on appeared first on HelloGiggles. Next week, Ghana, a relatively stable West African democracy, heads once again to the polls to elect a president. How have things been going in the lead up to the election? Not well. This week, Nana Akufo-Addo, leader of the New Patriotic Party and President John Mahamas main opposition, skipped the only presidential debate (aides apparently said that this was because he decided to keep campaign commitments; he was not, apparently, committed to the debate.) On Thursday, early voting took place, and some names seemed to be missing from the voter register. On Friday, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace flagged just what to watch for in elections in Ghana. High on the list: Ghanas Electoral Commission, which was criticized in 2012 for failing to protect the elections from irregularities such as over voting, is still a politicized entity, and has been unable to quell concern over the clearly problematic voter register. The New Patriotic Party wants the register overhauled entirely. Also, the commission got off to a good start by disqualifying 13 of 17 presidential hopefuls over alleged errors in nomination forms in October of this year. Several successfully appealed the decision in court. But this, too, is an issue: Challenges to the Electoral Commission are typically resolved by the judiciary, but that, too, is seen as being politicized. And, with a fraught economic situation and a historical playbook full of intimidation on both sides, the fear of disturbances haunts the elections, though Carnegie reports that large-scale violence is unlikely. Nevertheless, the countrys police have identified 5,000 potential points at which conflicts could break out. That makes President Mahamas latest promise all the more encouraging: He has vowed that there will be no violence, and on Friday, media reported that all of the candidates signed a peace pact, promising to follow the electoral rules and keep the peace for the sake of the country they all hope to rule which, to be fair, is more than the U.S. president-elect vowed to do. Photo credit: CRISTINA ALDEHUELA/AFP/Getty Images Photo credit: Netflix From Cosmopolitan Photo credit: Netflix This post contains spoilers about Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, which is now streaming on Netflix. Throughout the four episodes of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, Rorys boyfriend Paul becomes something of a running joke. She always forgets about him. No one really knows his name. Even Emily doesnt remember meeting him. Opinions about Paul, who was not even given a last name on the show, have been divided since Netflix premiered the revival less than a week ago. On Tuesday, the Gilmore girls - Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, and Kelly Bishop - and Luke Danes himself, Scott Patterson, took part in a Facebook Live panel hosted by SAG-AFTRA in New York City to discuss the revival. They also addressed the backlash characters like Rory have been getting. (Can she live?) According to Lauren, the cast has largely avoided the criticism simply by not being online. None of us are on the internet, almost at all. So I know what you mean, but the show has a sense of humor, and thats its sense of humor. And I think maybe it feels a little different: Rorys not in high school anymore, so yes, as grown women constantly forgetting . . . I just thought it was a funny runner. Scott had a different take on Paul, calling him the sacrificial lamb of the revival. And he knew it! The audience knew it! Photo credit: Netflix The revival ends with Paul breaking up with Rory via text and Rory announcing her pregnancy via the final four words. Shes seemingly also gotten rid of Logan, who may or may not be the father. Like many hardcore Gilmore fans (and waves of Jess and Rory shippers), Alexis has had a hard time making sense of her characters love life. I think Im always trying to understand where Rorys coming from in the choices she makes in her romantic life, because shes so together and so successful in everything she does, really, until these episodes start, she said at the panel. But shes just so hardworking, and I think its an interesting part of her character, but one that Ive always struggled to understand - she always kind of picks people who are very different from one another and who challenge her, fortunately, but who dont necessarily bring out the best in her. Watch the full discussion here. Follow Peggy on Twitter. You Might Also Like FRANKFURT, Dec 2 (Reuters) - A junior banker at Goldman Sachs' Frankfurt office collapsed while working into the early hours, prompting management to ask staff to look after their health more seriously, people who attended the meeting said. The banker had come to the office despite feeling unwell to work on a deal and broke down at around 2.30 am local time, the people said. Goldman Sachs confirmed that a doctor was summoned because a junior staff member felt unwell. "The health of our employees is a priority for us," a spokeswoman for Goldman Sachs said, adding staff were being trained regularly to act responsibly, including with their own health. She declined to give details on the incident involving the junior banker. In a profession known for its gruelling schedules, banks around the world are trying to lighten workloads to lower stress levels, especially among junior bankers. In 2013, a Bank of America Merrill Lynch intern died after allegedly working 72 hours without sleep. An inquest later ruled that he had died of natural causes, and BAML launched an internal review into working conditions for junior employees. At UBS, investment bankers can now take at least two hours of "personal time" a week in the latest attempt by a bank to retain staff with a better work-life balance. (Reporting by Alexander Hubner; Writing by Arno Schuetze; editing by Susan Thomas) This Immigrant Doctor Is Reimagining Health in the American City Four centuries after beavers were hunted into extinction in Scotland, the fabulously furry swimming mammals are back, and theyre here to stay. The Scottish government last week declared beavers to be a native and protected species following a five-year trial program to bring the animals back to the rivers in which they once swam. So far the beavers have been reintroduced in two sites, with potentially more to come. We hope the announcement will pave the way for future formal releases in other locations, said Gavrielle Kirk-Cohen, public relations coordinator for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which works with the Scottish Wildlife Trust to manage the Scottish Beaver Trial. The population of wild Scottish beavers currently stands at about 160 animals. That includes 10 beavers in Knapdale Forest in western Scotland and a group of about 150 in Tayside in eastern Scotland. Kirk-Cohen said the Tayside population is reproducing well and would be considered self-sustaining, but the smaller group at Knapdale, which has produced a handful of baby beavers, will need additional animals added before that happens there. That would probably require the import of more Eurasian beavers (a different species than the one in North America) from Norway, the source of the trial animals. The Tayside population would be much bigger than it is right now, but about 20 beavers, including pregnant females and newborns, have been shot over the years by landowners who accused the animals of damaging trees and flooding fields. Thats ironic, because the presence of beavers has tended to have a positive effect on the Scottish ecosystem. By building dams, beavers have already created new ponds and wetlands, providing habitats for birds, amphibians, fish, and aquatic plants and insects. That process is expected to accelerate now that the beavers have been officially protected, although the government has retained the option of removing any animals found to be creating problems for agricultural landowners. Story continues RELATED: Its Time for the Fur Trade to Pay Reparations The beavers are also expected to help forests become more diverse by cutting back trees, allowing other plants to grow. They may also help improve water quality. Most interestingly, they have also already helped improve the Scottish tourism industry. The reintroduction site at Knapdale Forest, about a two-and-a-half-hour drive west of Glasgow, has become a popular tourist attraction. The animals have also helped scientists learn more about the Scottish ecosystem and beaver genetics. A lot of information was learned during the five year trial, said Kirk-Cohen, noting that researchers have published at least 13 papers in scientific journals. The trial team also conducted extensive outreach programs, teaching kids and adults about the value of having beavers back in their native land. It paid off: A poll in 2014 showed that 74 percent of adults in Scotland supported the reintroduction, and now the beavers are back on the landscape, hopefully for good. Take the Pledge: Keep the Iraq and Syria Regional Crises in the News! Related stories on TakePart: A New Move to Bring the Grizzly Bear Back to California Two Endangered Wolf Species Get Separate and Unequal Treatment When You Walk Into a Zoo, Are You Helping Animals or Hurting Them? Original article from TakePart Photo credit: CHP - Red Bluffundefined From Road & Track Back in 1976, Modesto Fleming, a woman living in Anaheim, California had her C2 Corvette stolen. At the time, the police were unable to track the car down, and she believed her car was gone forever. Until October, that was the case. But thanks to one hard-working police officer and a little bit of luck, Fleming finally has her car back. Earlier this year, the then-owner took the 1964 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray to a car show. As the Red Bluff Daily News reports, there, someone pointed out that the car's VIN didn't actually belong to a Corvette. As it turned out, the VIN was actually from a 1964 Impala. Using a different identifying number, the officer was able to verify with the National Insurance Crime Bureau that the car had been stolen. "The number returned to a 1964 Chevy Corvette that was an unrecovered stolen vehicle out of Anaheim Police Department in September of 1976," Officer Madrigal told the Red Bluff Daily News. "I contacted Anaheim and advised them of the situation. They then located the victim from 1976, who is currently living in Arizona, and told her we had her car." Four decades after it was originally stolen, Fleming has her stolen Corvette back. Sadly, the man who the car was recovered from had owned the car since his wife gave it to him in 1987. At the time, she bought it from a dealership that is now out of business. So while it's great to see the original owner get her car back, the fact that it was found with a family that had owned it for nearly 20 years makes this story more bittersweet than anything else. via Corvette Blogger You Might Also Like Sydney (AFP) - The Great Barrier Reef is "not dying", Australia insisted Friday as it updated UNESCO on efforts to protect the natural wonder while scientists blasted a lack of urgency in dealing with climate change. Canberra last year narrowly avoided the UN body putting the site on its endangered list and was ordered to report to the World Heritage committee by December 1 on its "Reef 2050" rescue plan. The giant ecosystem -- a major tourist attraction -- is under pressure from farming run-off, development, the crown-of-thorns starfish and climate change, which led to its worst-ever bleaching event this year that devastated swathes of coral. In the report, the government said 32 of the plan's 151 actions to improve the reef had been achieved. Another 103 were under way, four were delayed, and 12 were not yet due. "When we came to government we inherited a reef on UNESCO's endangered watch list," Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg told Sky News. "We've done everything possible since that time to put in place a plan, to invest huge amounts of resources to improve water quality, to work with the farming community to tackle the crown-of-thorns starfish and to preserve this natural wonder of the world. "We have to put the facts on the table," he added. "The reef is not dead, it's not dying, it's resilient, it's healthy and we've made great strides forward in the last few years." The government has committed more than Aus$2.0 billion (US$1.5 billion) to protect the reef over the next decade with the update highlighting progress on land management practices to prevent sediment run off, which helps spawn the coral-eating starfish. It also pointed to a ban on sea-based disposal of dredge material in the area and restrictions on new port developments. But the rescue plan included no new funding or commitments to tackle climate change despite acknowledging this was the reef's biggest threat. Story continues This year's bleaching, due to warming sea temperatures, killed two-thirds of shallow-water corals in the north of the 2,300-kilometre (1,400-mile) long reef, although central and southern areas escaped with less damage. - 'Not credible' - The update said Canberra was acting on global warming through the United Nations talks that led to the recent Paris climate deal, but scientists said it was not enough to rein in Australia's carbon pollution. "Funding water quality efforts on the reef while failing to do anything about climate change is a bit like fixing a window while the house is on fire, said Tim Flannery from the independent Climate Council. "Im not even sure you can call a plan that includes no new funding and no new actions on climate change a plan -- its simply a re-announcement of old commitments. Greenpeace Australia was equally scathing, saying it was unacceptable that while recognising the impact of global warming on the reef the government "then completely fails to do anything about it". "This plan does not even consider a significant reduction in carbon emissions so is simply not credible," said reef campaigner Shani Tager. "If the government was serious about protecting the Great Barrier Reef, a ban on new coal mines would have been the first point in its report to UNESCO." Frydenberg said the government was committed to tackling global warming and recently ratified the Paris agreement, the world's first universal climate pact, which came into force in early November. "We've adopted targets that are 26 to 28 percent reduction of our emissions by 2030 on our 2005 levels. On a per capita basis, that's more than 50 percent," he said. "We are doing a lot of things in a lot of areas and the reef is strong." With heavy use of coal-fired power and a relatively small population of 24 million, Australia is considered one of the world's worst per capita greenhouse gas polluters. Chicago (AFP) - The number of murders in Chicago topped 700 for the first time in almost two decades, the US city's police department said Thursday. With a month to go in 2016, the number of killings, almost all involving guns, is now more than 50 percent higher than last year and stands at 701 -- the most since 704 murders took place in 1998. There are more murders in the nation's third largest city than in the two largest (Los Angeles and New York) combined. "The levels of violence we have seen this year in some of our communities is absolutely unacceptable," the city's police chief Eddie Johnson said in a statement. Law enforcement officials say much of the violence is related to the drug trade, illegal guns and gang battles. "Gangs and criminal elements appear to be more emboldened than in years past," police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told AFP earlier this month. There have been 3,315 shooting incidents in the city so far, police said, 316 of them in November alone. The city is awash in illegally obtained guns, which is a major contributor to the problem, Guglielmi said. "Most cities are seeing a lot more guns being seized. Gun arrests are up," he said. City and state officials are attempting to change laws to crack down on gun offenders and make sure they serve longer sentences. The increase in bloodshed has come at a time of increased scrutiny for the Chicago Police Department, which is under a federal civil rights investigation for its treatment of African Americans. Relations with majority-black communities are strained, especially after the release late last year of a video showing a white police officer fatally shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times, even after he had fallen to the ground. The video of the 2014 shooting -- which was withheld from the public at first -- shocked the city and the nation, and led to murder charges against officer Jason Van Dyke, who shot McDonald. Story continues The police chief moved to fire seven other officers involved in allegedly covering up Van Dyke's actions. Their cases are still under investigation. Chicago police "will use every tool available to hold violent offenders accountable and will continue to work strategically to address crime and uphold its commitment to rebuild public trust," Johnson said. The city is planning to hire nearly 1,000 additional police officers over the next two years to bolster its force and help combat the rise in crime. Some inmates of the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are distraught about their future under a Trump presidency, according to a CBS News report. While President Barack Obama has worked toward winding down the facility, President-elect Donald Trump has promised to keep it running. The Guantanamo Bay facility, also known as Gitmo, has gained notoriety for its practice of detaining people without charging them with a crime. And critics of the facility have spoken up against keeping the prison open, arguing that it hurts the fight against terrorism. Sixty prisoners still remain at the facility, of which almost half of whom have never been charged with any crime, despite being detained for years. David Remes, a lawyer, citing one of his clients who is an inmate, told CBS News: He said that many detainees thought that it was the end of the world and felt terrible and that many detainees asked for tranquilizers, sleeping pills, because they were so distraught. While Obama has said that he is absolutely committed to closing the detention facility at Guantanamo, and his administration has expedited the process of transferring prisoners out of the facility and relocating them to other countries, it is now running out of time with President-elect Trump scheduled to take office in January. At a campaign rally in February, Trump reportedly said: This morning, I watched President Obama talking about Gitmo, right, Guantanamo Bay, which by the way, which by the way, we are keeping open. Which we are keeping open ... and were gonna load it up with some bad dudes, believe me, we're gonna load it up. According to the CBS News report, Saifullah Paracha the oldest detainee at 69 maintains that his interaction with Osama bin Laden and 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was innocent and his son Mustafa insists that something needs to be done for his father. Remes, Parachas lawyer, added that the general mood in the facility since election night had been gloomy. Story continues Prisoners are reportedly being freed only after it is confirmed that they are not a security threat. Even though administration officials argue that they are not hastening the process by rushing out any prisoners, the Republican-led Congress has voiced concerns that the countries these inmates are being sent to will not monitor them efficiently or be able to stop them from posing a threat anytime in the future. Rear Admiral Peter Clarke, commander of the U.S. military joint task force based at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, told CBS News: I know that the detainees we have here today are not folks who were accidentally rounded up. There is a reason why theyre still here. Related Articles Greg Chow Everything has come full circle for Full House fans! Remember how the Tanner housefeatured in the opening credits of this hit 1990s showwent on sale earlier this year, and was soon snapped up by a mystery buyer? Well, you can stop pondering who that may be, because news has surfaced that this iconic house at 1709 Broderick St. in San Francisco, CA, was purchased by none other than the sitcoms creator, Jeff Franklin. The house came on the market and really, I just thought, I have to buy this house, Franklin told The Hollywood Reporter. Im so sentimental about the house. Its great to have the house in our Full House family and be able to preserve it for the fans. Seriously, I love owning this house. Could there have been a more perfect ending to this story? Only its not so much an ending as a new chapter for this stately Victorian home. Here are some must-known facts about its future. 1. It will be renovated to match what you see on TV Right now, the interior of the Full House home looks nothing like what you saw on the original sitcom or the Netflix spinoff Fuller House, because those shows were filmed on a Los Angeles set. But get this: Franklin plans to renovate the house so it matches the set. Talk about life imitating art! 2. The house isnt up to code Another reason for this major six-month renovation? The building isnt built to code. So Franklin plans to bring it up to snuff. My new house in San Francisco. Look familiar?! A photo posted by Jeff Franklin (@fullerhouseguy) on Dec 1, 2016 at 10:44am PST 3. The door will be repainted red The former owners didnt only flout building codes, they also saddened fans by painting the iconic red front door a sea-foam blue. Well, Franklins first order of business is to repaint it red, thank you very much. There are probably 250 fans per day that show up and take a picture in front of it, Franklin noted. It will be a lot more fun for the fans because now the house will look like the Tanners really live there. Story continues 4. Fuller House may be filmed there And as long as the homes interior is going to look like the set, why not film Fuller House there? Thats exactly what Franklin hopes to do. We would take advantage of the fact that I now own the house, and we could go up there and shoot some new footage and maybe bring the cast up and shoot with them up there, said Franklin. 5. The house will host a sleepover for the cast And as long as youre filming there, why not host a cast sleepover afterward? Yet again, Franklin is on the case, planning to do so on Sept. 22, 2017the shows 30th anniversary. I hope to bring the cast up to the house and have a big slumber party here so people can drive by and actually see the Tanner family living there for one whole day, Franklin said. 6. You might be able to rent the house! Franklin would like to give fans a chance to stay in the Tanner house, although theres no word on whether that means renting it for a couple of days or months at a time. I will be renting it out, but Im not sure yet what, where, when, or how, he said. At some point soon I will figure that out. Please do, Jeff! As a child of the 90s who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I couldnt think of a better place to rent for my high school reunion next year. The post Guess Who Bought the Full House Home? 6 Shockers Fans Should Know appeared first on Real Estate News and Advice - realtor.com. A thief who was shamed on social media for taking holiday decorations from a New York home has since returned the goods with a letter of apology. A man reportedly seen in surveillance footage plucking the festive holiday laser lights from a Staten Island front yard recently was chastised by Community Education Council 31 President Michael Reilly on Facebook following the theft. Read: Gold Rush: Man Scurries Away After Stealing Pot of Gold Worth More Than $1M From Truck "There is no fun in being the grinch, you're going to ruin someone's holiday," Reilly wrote. Reilly's video has since been viewed more than 130,000 times on Facebook. Then, on Tuesday, Reilly issued an update. "The man in the video returned the lights with a note apologizing," Reilly wrote. "The family who owned the lights extends a big THANK YOU to everyone for sharing!" Read: Woman's Car Attacked by Vandal for 6 Hours While People Take Photos: Surveillance Video According to CBS New York, the handwritten apology read: "I wanna humbly apologize for stealing your lights. It wasnt til I seen what you posted on Facebook that I realized what I did. I am not that person you see on the video." Watch: Man Gets Job at Popeye's After Nabbing Robber During His Interview Related Articles: This story was originally published on Dec. 2. To mark the fourth anniversary of the Sandy Hook school shooting, it is being republished. Sandy Hook Promise, an organization devoted to protecting children from gun violence that was launched in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, has issued a powerful public service announcement urging people to look for warning signs of potential shooters. In the Dec. 2 PSA, part of the organizations Know the Signs campaign, viewers are introduced to Evan, a typical teenager, trying to find summer love as the school year winds down. We see Evan scratch I am bored into a desk in his schools library, and he returns the next day to find a response from a female student. Evan and the mystery girl scratch flirtatious messages back and forth, and Evan tries to find out who his secret pen pal is. On the final day of school, as yearbooks are being passed around for signatures, Evans chat partner recognizes his handwriting and reveals herself. But while she does, an ominous figure emerges through a door in the background, drops a large duffel bag, and cocks an assault rifle. Viewers are then shown a shortened version of the same PSA: The message is that while viewers were distracted by Evans romance, they neglected the warning signs of a male student in the background who reads gun-enthusiast magazines, searches for gun videos on YouTube, and is bullied in the schools halls. Towards the end of the PSA, viewers see the male student make a menacing gesture towards his teacher after receiving a poor test grade. Text appears in the ad: While you were watching Evan, another student was showing signs of planning a shooting. But no one noticed. The ad says, Gun violence is preventable when you know the signs. The PSA demonstrates how easy it is for one to overlook the signs of an at-risk individual demonstrating signs of violence, particularly gun violence, and that when one knows the signs, it can be prevented, says a statement from Sandy Hook Promise. Story continues The organization hopes the PSA will teach people how to recognize someone exhibiting at-risk behaviors and empower them to intervene. Sandy Hook Promise states that 80 percent of school shooters and 70 percent of individuals who killed themselves told someone of their violent plans prior to taking action yet nobody intervened. Halle Berry attends Revlons 2nd Annual Love Is On Million Dollar Challenge Finale Party. (Photo: Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic) Halle Berry showed up to support an event for a good cause Thursday night and used the opportunity to poke at her employer and show some event-staging magic. While prepping for the beauty behemoths Love Is On: Million Dollar Challenge finale, the model gave fans a glimpse behind the scenes with a cute Instagram story in which she playfully took aim at the brand. So here I am, at my Revlon event, the 50-year-old actress and longtime brand-face began as she stood on a red carpet in front of two plain white chairs, a branded backdrop, and a small black stand with a bowl of roses on it. And, as you can see, Revlon goes all out for me. They spare no expense, she added with a laugh. When the person recording then started panning the room to reveal a cavernously barren but stunning space with sweeping views of the New York City skyline, Berry jokingly shouted, Wait, no, no! Dont show all of that! No, hey! before the video cut out. Last nights video was clearly just for laughs as Berry later appeared to be happily shaking her stuff with a giant red heart in honor of the cause. (For the record, Revlons Million Dollar Challenge helped raise almost $6.4 million for womens health-related charities, and the company gave an additional $1.25 million prize to the five charities that raised the most money.) Halle Berry Berry also danced around with some fancy lips and a few beautiful friends. ????????????@REVLON A video posted by Halle Berry (@halleberry) on Dec 1, 2016 at 4:56pm PST Additionally, the modeling vet shared a pic celebrating her own gorgeousness while lamenting the cold New York weather. Says its 48 outside But its hot AF in my house, she wrote beside an image of herself perched on a windowsill, giving the camera her best come-hither stare. Says it's 48 outside But it's hot AF in my house. ???? A photo posted by Halle Berry (@halleberry) on Dec 1, 2016 at 3:08pm PST Maybe thinking of home helped her heat things up with that sultry look, since she took a red-eye straight back to L.A. after the event. There is a distinct possibility that at least one Electoral College member will switch votes on December 19. So what happens to an elector when a person doesnt vote for their pledged candidate and to the election in general? Alexander Hamilton, an inspiration for faithless electors? On Thursday, two electors indicated in an op-ed on the political website The Hill that they could opt to vote for a presidential candidate during the December 19 Electoral College meetings other than the candidate they are pledged to vote for. Polly Baca from Colorado and Levi Guerra from Washington state are electors, Democrats and pledged to vote for Hillary Clinton after the former Secretary of State won those two states on November 8 in the general election. Though we come from different generations, as a retired elected official and the youngest 2016 Elector, we agree with millions of Americans that Donald Trump is unfit to be president, they wrote. Special Podcast: Should we abolish the Electoral College? Baca and Guerra may switch their Electoral College votes to a candidate other than Trump (and seemingly Clinton) if such a candidate emerges, or they may not vote at all. Electors of good conscience should exercise their Constitutional right to elect the best person for the job of President or simply abstain from voting for either of the major party candidates, they said. Guerra, who is 19 years old, explained her decision at a Wednesday press conference. Im only 19 and this is my first time being involved in politics, but I hope that my willingness to put my country before my party will show that my generation cares about all Americans, Guerra said. There could be as many as seven Democrats in Colorado and Washington state, who call themselves the Hamilton Electors, who will cast protest Electoral College votes for a candidate not named Trump or Clinton on December 19. The group cites Alexander Hamilton as its inspiration and in particular, his writings in Federalist 68, where the Founding Father said that the Electoral College affords a moral certainty, that the office of the President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications. Story continues Electoral College members who dont vote for their pledged candidate are popularly known as faithless electors or on occasion, they are called unfaithful electors. Neither term is complimentary; in fact, 29 states and the District of Columbia have laws on the books that punish Electoral College members who dont vote for their pledged candidates. There is no requirement under the Constitution for Electoral College members to remain faithful. Colorado and Washington state have laws that attempt to bind electors to the candidate they pledged to support. The punishment for Faithless Electors in Washington is as follows: Any elector who votes for a person or persons not nominated by the party of which he or she is an elector is subject to a civil penalty of up to one thousand dollars. And in Colorado, the situation is different; an Electoral College member who votes for another candidate, under the state law, is disqualified and replaced with a new member who will vote for the pledged candidate. In reality, unless there is an unprecedented run of 38 electors who switch their votes from Trump to Clinton on December 19 (with states allowing those votes), the faithless electors can make a symbolic statement at best. But there could unintended consequences if the longest of longshots happens. Concurrently, the Green Party is leading a recount effort in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. If those efforts were to result in no presidential candidate having 270 electoral votes, the presidential election goes to the House of Representatives where the three top presidential Electoral College vote-getters are in the run-off, or contingent, election. That means if there is one protest electoral vote for a third candidate, such as Mitt Romney, John McCain, Condoleezza Rice or John Kasich (as suggested by Baca and Guerra in their op-ed), the third candidate with the most Electoral College votes joins Trump and Clinton on the House ballot. Few people remember today that in the 1825 House contingent election where John Quincy Adams defeated Andrew Jackson that William Crawford was the third candidate in that House election and he won the support of four states even though Crawford had suffered a stroke before the election. Scott Bomboy is the editor in chief of the National Constitution Center. Recent Stories on Constitution Daily Flag burning and the First Amendment: Yet another look at the two Last-ditch presidential recount efforts face a tough task Dont expect Electoral College drama on December 19 Stateside Potterphiles rejoice. The wait is over, or it will be in a year and a half. Ending months of speculation, producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callendar on Thursday announced that they are in exclusive advanced discussions with Ambassador Theatre Group to open Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway in spring 2018 at ATG's Lyric Theatre. One of Broadway's largest venues, the Lyric will be reconfigured from its current 1,900-seat capacity to a cozier 1,500 in a refit scheduled to follow the April 16 departure of the theater's current tenant, Cirque du Soleil's Paramour. "We are thrilled about ATG's ambitious plans, which will provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a unique theater space tailored to the specific needs of the production over the play's two parts," said Friedman and Callendar in a statement. "The remodeled Lyric will include a smaller auditorium redesigned to the specifications of the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child team, as well as an adapted proscenium and stage that can house designer Christine Jones' glorious set without swamping or compromising director John Tiffany's brilliant staging. The spacious front-of-house environment will also be transformed to optimize the atmosphere and audience experience." Read more: 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two': Theater Review The producers added: "Above all, ATG's plans will provide Harry Potter and the Cursed Child with a bespoke home that will be intimate enough for a drama, yet big enough for us to deliver on our commitment to provide audiences with access to low-priced tickets throughout the auditorium." Commenting on the news, J.K. Rowling said, "I'm delighted we are one step closer in bringing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to Broadway and very excited by the proposed plans." Written by Jack Thorne from an original story by Rowling, Thorne and Tiffany, the two-part play has a combined running time of just over five hours. It follows the challenges of Harry, Hermione and Ron as they face the unknown territory of parenting teenagers, picking up on the beloved characters, as well as the next generation, 19 years after the final Hogwarts battle chronicled in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Theater industry pundits have been buzzing about which Broadway theater would secure what is expected to be a monster hit since the plays opened at London's Palace Theatre in July to stellar reviews and sell-out business. The London production recently released an additional block of tickets for performances through February 2018. The published play script, released the day after the London premiere, is Amazon's best-selling book of 2016. Locking in the Harry Potter production will represent a major coup for ATG in the company's bid to expand beyond its U.K. and international footprint with a stronger Broadway presence. In addition to the Lyric, ATG owns the long-closed Hudson Theatre, which has been extensively renovated and is scheduled to reopen as a Broadway venue next year. UPDATE 7:45 P.M.: The mystery of the Putsch Of Paramour is solved: Cirque Du Soleils $25 million Broadway venture at Ambassador Theatre Groups Lyric Theatre has been vanquished by Harry Potter as the Wizarding World heads for the Great White Way. The London smash Harry Potter And The Cursed Child will move into the Lyric in 2018, after extensive renovations to reduce Broadways ungainliest barn into a more intimate space.. Exciting, Cursed Child producer Colin Callender told Deadline, Our very own home in NYC. EARLIER: ATG plans a multi-million dollar renovation to completely transform, remodel and reconfigure the 1,900 seat theater into a scaled down, more intimate playhouse, with approximately 1,500 seats. Producers Sonia Friedman and Callender, and J.K. Rowling confirmed the plan Thursday afternoon. We are thrilled about ATGs ambitious plans, which will provide a once in a lifetime opportunity to create a unique theatre space tailored to the specific needs of the production over the plays two parts, they said in a joint statement. The remodeled Lyric will include a smaller auditorium redesigned to the specifications of the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child team, as well as an adapted proscenium and stage that can house designer Christine Jones glorious set without swamping or compromising director John Tiffanys brilliant staging. The spacious front of house environment will also be transformed to optimize the atmosphere and audience experience, But above all, Friedman and Callender further commented, ATGs plans will provide Harry Potter and the Cursed Child with a bespoke home that will be intimate enough for a drama, yet big enough for us to deliver on our commitment to provide audiences with access to low priced tickets throughout the auditorium. Rowling said Im delighted we are one step closer in bringing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to Broadway and very excited by the proposed plans. Story continues The booking along with the promised renovation, which is expected to cost millions demonstrates the lengths Broadway landlords were willing to go to get Cursed Child, which is shaping up to be one of the biggest hits of all time. Not since the Shubert Organization spent a sizable sum to reinforce the Majestic Theatre in order to accommodate The Phantom Of The Opera, has a show demanded such a commitment. (It was money well spent, of course. The Phantom has been printing money at the Majestic since 1988.) In the case of Cursed Child, the expenses are somewhat in the family, as Friedmans production company is part of ATG, the largest theater owner in the UK. Related Magic On The Streets Of London: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Gala Opening Review The booking at the Lyric, one of Broadways two larges houses, represents a major blow to Broadways traditional landlords, the Shubert Organization (which owns 17 theaters), the Nederlander Organization (nine) and Jujamcyn (five). The UK-based Ambassador is the new kid on the block and looks to have booked a show that could prove to be The Lion King and Hamilton combined. ATGs other Main Stem house, the Hudson Theater, is expected to open this spring after renovations and updating. Meanwhile, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is killing it at the Palace Theatre in the West End, playing to sold-out houses, earning rave reviews and tickets being scalped for as much as $8,000. Related stories Broadway Shocker: Cirque Du Soleil's 'Paramour' To Close At Lyric Ambassador Theatre Group Taps Key Execs In Expansion Of North American Operations David Heyman Signs On To Produce 'Warriors' For Alibaba HGTV has issued a statement in response to a Buzzfeed report that the stars of its popular Fixer Upper series attend a church that has taken a stand against same-sex marriage. We dont discriminate against members of the LGBT community in any of our shows, the network said in a statement sent to Deadline. HGTV is proud to have a crystal clear, consistent record of including people from all walks of life in its series. The statement comes more than two years after HGTV scrapped plans for a new series called Flip It Forward, when a report emerged identifying one of its stars, David Benham as an activist against gay marriage and abortion. That move, in May of 2014, came after Right Wing Watch a project of People For the American Way reported David Benham had, among other things, led protests outside abortion clinics during which he praised demonstrators for taking a stand at the gates of hell, compared the Christian churchs unwillingness to stand up to the gay agenda to the strategy of appeasing the Nazis in Germany, and made statements against Muslims. Buzzfeed has not been able to ascertain whether Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines take a hard line against same-sex marriage and promote converting LGBT people into being straight only that they belong to the Antioch Community Church, a nondenominational, evangelical, mission-based megachurch whose pastor, Jimmy Seiert, describes the Gaineses as dear friends and does take those positions, the web site reports. So are the Gaineses against same-sex marriage? And would they ever feature a same-sex couple on the show, as have HGTVs House Hunters and Property Brothers? the site is left wondering, because emails to HGTV reps were not returned, nor were emails sent to the public relations director at the couples company, Magnolia. That company includes an shop in Waco, Texas where fans come to buy Gaines-ian merchandise, as well as a real estate company, a paint line, a furniture line, and a magazine. Story continues Buzzfeed notes the HGTV series is loved by Christians, but also by feminists and LGBT viewers, by way of explaining why, in the absence of a response from reps, the site is looking at the church. The Buzzfeed article appears to be playing catch-up with a month-old post on Vox Medias Curbed.com. That article previously noted Chip and Joanna are longtime members of the Antioch Community Church, which condemns same-sex marriage and also supports a local anti-abortion pregnancy center. The Curbed post pondered what would happen should a gay couple apply to have a home renovated by the Gaineses which, Curbed reports, has not happened to date. A so-called Christian writer is quoted in that piece saying, My hope would be, if they are given that situation, they will just love on [the gay couple], though she imagined that some of the shows very conservative Christians might take issue. The Curbed piece noted how HGTV is taking incoming from both sides on this issue, quoting another conservative Christians blogger who blasted the Gaines family, writing: If there is a babysitter on scene because mommy is working late a lot, and fast food, and daddy taking on roles he is not biblically mandated to, then that is not putting Christ first. Related stories HGTV Slate Includes New Series From Dwyane Wade & Gabrielle Union And Monica Potter Ellen DeGeneres' 'Design Challenge' Returns To HGTV In January 'The View' Co-Exec Producer Exits To Rejoin HGTV By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Highland Capital Management LP on Thursday asked a New York state judge to order the operator of Dealbreaker.com to disclose information that could help it identify whoever posted a comment that the hedge fund firm considered "defamatory." According to a public court filing, a person using the pseudonym "Low"land Realist on Nov. 2 posted a comment on the Dealbreaker website, which is run by Breaking Media Inc, that appeared to implicate the Dallas-based firm founded by James Dondero and Mark Okada in criminal behavior. In response to another post that said "Dealing with idiot investors is hard man," "Low"land Realist wrote: "Especially ones that get tired of having their money stolen from them ... well, Highland will just have to find some new suckers, to quote PT Barnum, who aren't smart enough to do a Google search about their tried and true criminal behavior," the filing said. Breaking Media and Dealbreaker were not accused of wrongdoing by Highland, which according to its website has about $15.4 billion of assets under management. "Low"land Realist is also called "John Doe" in the court filing. "John Doe's comment falsely asserted that petitioner stole money from its investors, and engaged in 'tried and true criminal behavior,'" Highland's lawyer Miguel Lopez wrote in the filing. "Petitioner has never stolen money from its clients, or been charged with or convicted of any other crime." Highland is seeking information about John Doe such as his IP address, frequency of posts and any other aliases, to help it pursue its "meritorious claim for defamation." It said Breaking Media has refused to turn over such information. "Today's filing is an appropriate next step to obtain the information," Highland general counsel Scott Ellington said in a statement. Dealbreaker executive editor Thornton McEnery declined to comment. Highland is the latest investment firm to use courts to target posters of online comments, who may be hard to trace or have their own agendas. Story continues In November 2013, David Einhorn's hedge fund firm Greenlight Capital Inc filed court papers to unmask an anonymous blogger on the Seeking Alpha website who leaked how Greenlight had been building a stake in Micron Technology Inc. Greenlight dropped that case six months later, saying it had identified the blogger. The case is In re: Application of Highland Capital Management LP to compel disclosure from Breaking Media Inc, New York State Supreme Court, New York County, No. 160059/2016. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by David Gregorio) On Wednesday, the far-right news website Breitbart whose ex-CEO Steve Bannon is now President-elect Donald Trumps chief strategist published an article lambasting climate change alarmists in the mainstream media. A few hours later, the House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology chaired by the outspoken climate change denier U.S. Representative Lamar Smith (R-Texas) retweeted the article. Icy Silence from Climate Alarmists, the retweet, quoting from the headline of the Breitbart article itself a rehash of a story published last week by Daily Mail said. However it was quickly pointed out that the assertions made in the Daily Mail and Breitbart articles, which cite this NASA-funded study published on Nov. 22, were largely unscientific and misleading. Many scientists and journalists also argued that the House Science Committee whose chairman, Smith, recently defended ExxonMobil during an investigation into its holdings by the Securities and Exchange Commission was tacitly endorsing climate change denial. Its so, so wrong for so many reasons, mainly that greenhouse gas emissions and naturally occurring climate cycles like El Nino aren't mutually exclusive possible causes of longer term global warming; rather, they can and do interact/co-occur, Karen James, a staff scientist at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory in Maine, wrote in a Facebook post. I feel very sorry for the climate scientists and agencies whose work was twisted no, mutilated both in this and in the Daily Mail article it cites as a source. In the article, Breitbart states: Thanks whats now recognised as an unusually strong El Nino, global temperatures were driven to sufficiently high levels to revive the alarmist narrative after an unhelpful pause period of nearly 20 years that the world had got hotter than ever before. Story continues The Daily Mail article, which cites NASA satellite measurements of the lower atmosphere, also posits that global land temperatures have plummeted since the middle of this year in the wake of a powerful El Nino event of 2015-16. It is almost certain that next year, large falls will also be measured over the oceans, and by weather station thermometers on the surface of the planet exactly as happened after the end of the last very strong El Nino in 1998. If so, some experts will be forced to eat their words, Daily Mails David Rose wrote. However, the fall in global land temperature is something that is in line with what happens when an El Nino event transitions to La Nina, and this drop, as the most recent data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows, is far from the "biggest and steepest" ever recorded. imrs Photo: NOAA Moreover, the pause, or the hiatus, in global warming between 1998 and 2013 mentioned in the articles never actually happened in the strictest sense of the word. Even the authors of the study cited by the two publications recently suggested replacing the term global warming hiatus with global surface warming slowdown to eliminate misinterpretation. This terminology more accurately describes the slowdown in global mean surface temperature rise in the late 20th century, the studys lead author, Xiao-Hai Yan of the University of Delaware, Newark, said in a statement. The authors argue that even the temporary slowdown in the global mean surface temperature (GSTM) warming trend in this period was a redistribution of energy within the Earth's system, with oceans absorbing the extra heat. As a result of this redistribution, the average global sea surface temperature today is higher than it has ever been since observations began in 1880. This, in turn, has resulted in 15 of the 16 warmest years on record to occur in this century the sole outlier being 1998, when a strong El Nino raised the planets temperature 0.63 degrees Celsius above the 20th century average. sea-surface-temp-download1-2016 Photo: NOAA Arguably, ocean heat content from the surface to the seafloor might be a more appropriate measure of how much our planet is warming, the researchers wrote in the study. The overwhelming scientific consensus currently is that climate change is real, and that humans are its leading cause. Preliminary estimates indicate that this year, the global average temperature may be up to 1.2 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels bringing the planet perilously close to breaching the Paris climate agreements perhaps unrealistic target of limiting the rise to 2 degrees Celsius. The accord, which Trump, during his campaign, said he would cancel, also speaks of the aspiration to keep the rise within 1.5 degrees Celsius. global_temp_2016 Photo: NOAA/NASA/UK Met Office/CRU Scientists have more confidence now that Earths ocean has continued to warm continuously through time, study co-author Veronica Nieves from NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of California, Los Angeles, said in a statement. But the rate of global surface warming can fluctuate due to natural variations in the climate system over periods of a decade or so. Related Articles A picture is worth a thousand workers. Its a moving picture, but stilla picture. On Feb. 10 of this year, supervisors called workers together at a Carrier factory in Indianapolis. The news was bad: Carrier would be shutting down the plant, starting in 2017, and moving 1,400 jobs to Mexico. The announcement was big news in Indiana, which had fought hard to keep Carrier by offering tax breaks and other incentives. Beyond the states borders, however, hardly anybody noticed. US employers announced more than 60,000 layoffs that month, and 1,400 job losses at one plant was hardly national news. But two days later, a Carrier employee named LaKeisha Austin posted a three-and-a-half minute video to her Facebook account showing Carrier workers revolting as a man in a suit recites a corporate statement about the move. Workers shout and swear at him, and sneer when he says, this is strictly a business decision. The video promptly went viral, making the Carrier layoffs a national story. CNN picked it up right away, as did most other news organizations. The video caught on for a couple reasons. First, it was a rare instance of a recording capturing the exact moment workers learn their employer plans to dismiss them. Second, the contrast between a monotone corporate boss reading a statement from a podium and rambunctious workers in jeans and sweatshirts suddenly fearing for their future was an almost perfect microcosm of economic changes that have been roiling the middle class for well over a decade. Donald Trump saw the video like millions of other Americans, and commented on it the very day it became public. On the campaign trail during the following months, he referred many times to Carriers move to Mexico, telling voters that he was the only candidate who understood what was going on in the offshored economy, and the only one who would do something about. Given that hundreds of companies have announced job cuts this year, it seems safe to say Trump would not have fixated on Carrier if not for the gripping video shot by a worker who happened to pull out her smartphone at an opportune moment. Story continues That video has now led to a remarkable reversal by Carrier, which says it will keep nearly half of the jobs in Indiana that it had been planning to move to Mexico. Some will be at the Carrier plant where the video was shot, and others will be at the factory of an affiliated company. Overall, roughly 1,000 Indianans will end up keeping jobs they otherwise would have lost. The turning point came when Trump himself, now the president-elect, chose to negotiate directly with Carrier to find a way to prevent some of those jobs from disappearing. Trumps intervention in the business dealings of a private-sector company is troubling and controversial, because it distorts the efficient allocation of capital and other principles that normally guide business decisions. But business decisions become political controversies when they harm enough people, and thats when business principles go out the window. In Carriers case, one short video transformed a business matter into a political brouhaha, which led to a totally different outcome. Watch out for those smartphones, bosses. Rick Newman is the author of four books, including Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman. Starbucks' Howard Schultz is stepping down as CEO from the business he transformed into the world's largest coffee brand over the past 30 years. Schultz made the announcement Thursday (Dec. 1), saying he will make the transition April 3, 2017, and remain at the company as executive chairman. Since purchasing the Starbucks chain in 1987, Schultz built the brand's empire with more than 25,000 stores in 75 countries and a market value of $84 billion, according to the New York Times. Schultz has been a highly visible CEO while leading the company to take on social and political issues such as gun violence, race relations, gay rights, student debt, veterans rights and more. His successor will be the company's current president and chief operating officer, Kevin Johnson. Schultz said he plans to continue to lead Starbucks' social efforts, while focusing on developing its higher-end shops, such as the 15,000-square-foot flagship Reserve Roastery in downtown Seattle, as well as smaller premium stores and "bars" in current Starbucks stores. Schultz's move is sure to feed speculation he has plans to enter politics, though he has said that is not in his current plans. Under Schultz's direction, Starbucks as not only grown as a coffee brand but a powerful player in music. The company's investment began with the acquisition of music retailer Hear Music in 1999, initially focusing on compilations for music discovery sold in their coffee shops. In the mid-aughts, the company developed a partnership with William Morris to help identify music to feature in their stores and Schultz helped bring in a number of exclusive music releases under the Hear Music record label in partnership with Concord Music Group. This incentive included albums by Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Sia, Elvis Costello, James Taylor and more. Hear Music also developed into a branded retail store with several Starbucks Hear Music Coffeehouses around the country, as well as "media bars" within existing Starbucks locations. Story continues A 2006 Billboard article cites annual album sales of 3.6 million units or approximately $65 million in music revenue via Starbucks. In a 2004 interview with Fast Company, Schultz noted of Starbucks' jump into music: "The nature of shopping for a CD or a piece of music at a traditional record store is, at its best, a very poor consumer experience. ... The Starbucks customer [who] might want to find a Diana Krall album, a Tony Bennett album, or anything that was not being played on the radio, well, they would have a hard time going into Tower Records. Maybe they'd find the album there, but they could not find someone who could talk to them about it. That consumer has disposable income and has had a long history of buying and enjoying music, but they have nowhere to go." The Hear Music Coffeehouses shut down in 2008, as the company transferred the record label's day-to-day management fully to Concord that same year. And in 2015, the Starbucks coffee shops stopped selling CDs but has continued its music efforts, this year announcing a partnership with Spotify. On Thursday, Howard Schultz, Starbucks CEO and Chairman, announced he would step down but would remain executive chairman. Kevin Johnson, Starbucks President and COO, will become the new CEO. Here are the full remarks Schultz made in a call with investors and the media. Kevin and I are very excited to have this opportunity to provide additional context around this afternoon's announcement and to answer any questions you might have. You may recall that it was three years ago that I shared with you what I sensed were the early signs of a seismic shift in consumer behavior - away from bricks-and-mortar and towards mobile and online retailing. Today, that shift has taken firm hold around the world, both disrupting and redefining retailing and significantly reducing the consumer foot-traffic that traditional retailers have relied on for decades. Despite the shift, Starbucks has been able to consistently outperform the retail industry. We've been able to do so because our stores, our offerings and the experiences our partners create make us a destination, and because we invested way ahead of the curve to create world-class mobile, loyalty and digital capabilities that enable us to provide our customers with an increasingly elevated Starbucks Experience to our customers. Evidence of the correctness, and the success, of the core strategy that is driving our business are the facts that we continue to deliver quarter after quarter of record, industry-leading revenue, comp sales and profit growth, and that each successive new class of Starbucks stores is delivering record-breaking revenues, AUVs, ROI - both in the U.S. and around the world. This trend was repeated most recently in the 2016 fiscal year that just ended. I also shared with you the view that the U.S. was over-retailed. To survive - let alone succeed - traditional bricks-and-mortar retailers would have to evolve their physical spaces into relevant customer destinations, as Starbucks stores have been for the last 40 years through the environments we create and the beverages and foods we serve - and create premiumized, experiential consumer venues. Story continues That view is what inspired development of the Starbucks Roastery and Reserve brand. Since its opening two years ago, our Seattle Roastery has become widely recognized as the world's most immersive, coffee-forward retail experience. Executives from premier global retailers like , and Zara have shared with me their view that the Roastery delivers the best retail experience - in or out of coffee - that they have ever encountered. Our Roastery is attracting customers and visitors to Seattle alike, and casting a bright halo across the entire Starbucks global brand and ecosystem. With the Roastery, we introduced into the coffee category a previously unattained level of premiumization. Its success is unparalled, last year achieving a comp sales increase of 24% and delivering a ticket that is four times the ticket of a typical Starbucks store. The Roastery has become a learning laboratory for breakthrough innovation and experiential design and a beacon for the next wave of Starbucks global growth and evolution. Going forward, we will open at least 20 Roasteries around the world, six by the end of calendar 2019 alone. At the same time, elements of the Roastery are forming the basis of the 1,000 or more Starbucks Reserve stores we will be opening around the world in the years ahead. Starbucks Reserve is a new, premium retail coffee format that will showcase the newest coffee-brewing methods and offer customers the finest assortment of exclusive, micro-lot coffees sourced from around the world in an all sensory experience emblematic of our Seattle Roastery, paired with artisanal food offerings developed with our partners from Italian artisanal baker Princi. We expect Starbucks Reserve stores to deliver twice the unit economics of the typical Starbucks store. We will also add Reserve bars into thousands of existing Starbucks stores over time. Let me explain what a Reserve bar is and what that means to the company. The Roastery has taught us and demonstrated that we can create customized, handcrafted beverages for our customers, using cutting-edge brewing methods and profitably deliver them at scale. Over time, you will see us introduce this unique capability into thousands of existing Starbucks stores around the world, further elevating the Starbucks Experience we deliver to our customers and further extending the halo that the Roastery casts across the entire Starbucks brand. Like our current stores - and the new classes of Starbucks stores we will be opening globally in the years to come - Roasteries, Reserve Stores and Reserve bars that will be customer destination venues. They will broaden, deepen and elevate our customer experience, and represent an unprecedented new global growth opportunity for the company. I am personally as passionate about developing the Reserve brand, and opening more Roasteries, as I was about opening our first espresso bar more than 30 years ago in Seattle. As I shift my focus to this next wave of retail innovation, I am sincerely pleased that Kevin Johnson - our current president, coo, a seven-year board member, and my partner in running every facet of Starbucks business day-to-day over the last two years - will be assuming the duties of Starbucks chief executive officer in April 2017. This move ideally positions Starbucks to continue to profitably grow our core business around the world. Let me tell you why I personally asked Kevin to take on the ceo role, and why the Board and I believe that he is the ideal ceo for Starbucks at this moment in our journey. Many of you are familiar with the breadth of global management experience and the deep consumer and technology expertise that Kevin brought to Starbucks when he joined our board in 2009. Since then, Kevin has been a wise and supportive resource for me, personally, both during and following our company's transformation. For years he has provided invaluable insights into how we scale the company around the world, and how to best integrate industry leading customer facing technology into our customer experience and operations. Ill simply note that Kevin has been immersed with us on management and operations issues and opportunities well before he took over the coo role two years ago. And that the two fiscal years following his engagement have been the best years in the history of Starbucks Coffee Company, with the most recent year producing record-shattering financial results and operating metrics across the board. Let me just say he deserves a tremendous amount of credit. Along the way, Kevin and I have formed a trusting partnership, and Kevin's collaborative leadership style has won the loyalty and respect of our people while driving the team to deliver record performance. Kevin brings to the ceo role an unparalleled understanding of the market dynamics and strategic choices that have driven Starbucks to become one of the world's most recognized and respected companies and brand. We share a passion for customer-focused innovation and a commitment to preserving Starbucks heritage. Our complementary backgrounds - my entrepreneurial journey building Starbucks and Kevin's decades spent scaling global businesses - will continue to help Starbucks navigate this new period of worldwide growth and innovation. Kevin is, in every respect, a true servant leader and a person whose courage, compassion and empathy model the very characteristics we want for all partners and all our leaders. His approach to solving complex problems and his ability to bring out the best in people will continue to make all of us at Starbucks better in the same context that he has made me better. I will remain Starbucks executive chairman, focusing full-time on the incredible growth opportunities we have in expanding Roasteries and building out our portfolio of Reserve stores and on Starbucks social impact agenda which will be a significant part of the focus going forward. The truth is, in all my years at Starbucks I have never been more energized or exhilarated about the opportunities that lie ahead. Please join me in congratulating Kevin. These are exciting times for all of us. See original article on Fortune.com More from Fortune.com Despite saying that he will be leaving the United States if Donald Trump wins the presidential election, Ian Somerhalder does not show signs of moving to another country anytime soon. In fact, Nina Dobrevs ex is now more determined to make an impact on the countrys conservation campaign. On Thursday, the Vampire Diaries actor took to Instagram to share a snap of himself and his pet horse, which he considers his kid. Somerhalder revealed in the caption that he was enjoying the brisk air of the deep American South when he took the picture. Aside from the beautiful environment, however, the television actor also revealed that he just spoke with his Republican brothers and sisters in Washington and came up with a strong plan to find the sound economics of conservation. Somerhalder also reminded everyone the importance of protecting the lands and waters of the country to ensure its health and wealth remains intact. Although he has yet to divulge the details of the strong plan he mentioned in his Instagram post, he is positive that were going to come together as strong, smart and compassionate nation. The 37-year-old Lost alum is a philanthropist and conservationist. Ever since he married Nikki Reed, his desire to be an agent of change has expanded to a larger footprint. Somerhalder has even encouraged and motivated his social media followers to join him and his wife in their advocacies. Just this Wednesday, he proudly shared a teaser photo of his wifes report on global warming on Nat Geo Channel. Reed also does the same on her Instagram account. The 28-year-old Twilight actress has also been documenting and sharing her engagements with certain movements that aim to conserve and protect the people in general. Amid the Dakota Access Pipeline controversy, Reed posted updates to ask for support from other people in standing up against agitators. Meanwhile, though Somerhalder and his wife are preoccupied with their conservation goals, the former is still working on The CWs Vampire Diaries Season 8. This season will mark the last time Somerhalder will be portraying the broody, handsome vampire Damon Salvatore. He revealed this April that he is already done with the show, as per CelebBuzz. His revelation comes in the wake of never-ending rumors that his leading lady and ex-girlfriend Dobrev is returning for the shows finale. Story continues Ian Somerhalder Photo: Reuters/Danny Moloshok Related Articles Ice Cubes Cube Vision has signed a wide-ranging first-look deal with 20th Century Fox TV and its division Fox 21 Television Studios for TV projects targeting broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. Under the two-year pact, Cube has teamed up with his longtime manager Jeff Kwatinetz of The Firm to run Cube Visions television production operation. Together, they will serve as executive producers on projects they develop spanning various genres, including comedy, reality, drama, animation and specials. In addition to securing Ice Cube and Kwatinetzs producing services, the deal allows 20th TV and Fox 21 to tap into Cube Visions music publishing library for use in television properties. For Kwatinetz, his producing duties at Cube Vision under the Fox deal will be separate from his production activities at his company, The Firm (Salem, Notorious). Its hard to think of a more multidimensional artist than Ice Cube, whose influence on the culture and enormous talent is virtually unrivaled, said Fox Television Group Chairmen and CEOs Dana Walden and Gary Newman. Hes a performer, a songwriter, a recording artist, an actor and a filmmaker, and his work speaks to a broad, multigenerational audience. Weve been dying to be in business with him for years, and we think the combination of Cube and his incredibly talented producing partner Jeff Kwatinetz is going to result in some very compelling television. Cube Vision is producing the upcoming Hollywood Squares reboot for VH1. The series, Hip Hop Squares, debuts in Spring 2017. Cubes next big on-screen role is in the Warner Bros. Pictures Fist Fight which will be released in February 2017. He will also will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Summer 2017. Im very happy and excited to work with the talented and creative people at Fox, Ice Cube said. Their ability to bring groundbreaking television of every type through both cable and broadcast makes them the perfect partner for Cube Vision. Story continues Kwatinetz praised N.W.A. alum Ice Cube, producer/star of the hit Barbershop and Ride Along franchises, producer of Straight Outta Compton, and star of the 21 Jump Street franchise. In TV, Ice Cube previously executive produced the TBS sitcom Are We There Yet? Ice Cubes creative prowess spanning writing, music, producing and a rich understanding of story coupled with Foxs commitment to this partnership will surely bring meaningful and exciting programming to television, said Kwatinetz, who was instrumental in negotiating the deal. We cannot wait to get started. Ice Cube also is repped by attorney Matt Johnson. Related stories Phil Lord & Christopher Miller Re-Up 20th Century Fox TV Pod Deal 'The Simpsons' Celebrates 600th Episode With Virtual Reality Experience 'Fist Fight' Teaser Trailer: Ice Cube Vs. Charlie Day In The Fight Of The Century Reykjavik (AFP) - Iceland's president on Friday invited the anti-establishment Pirate Party to form a government, after both the right and left-wing parties each failed in their bids. President Gudni Johannesson made the announcement after meeting with the head of the Pirates parliamentary group, Birgitta Jonsdottir. "Earlier today I met with the leaders of all parties and asked their opinion on who should lead those talks. After that I summoned Birgitta Jonsdottir and handed her the mandate," he told reporters. Iceland held snap legislative elections on October 29, in which none of the seven parties or alliances obtained a clear majority. The conservative Independence Party, which performed best at the polls, initially tried to form a government with the liberal, centre-right Reform Party and the centrist Bright Future. But they failed to find common ground on a range of divisive issues including relations with the European Union, institutional reform and fishing. The president then called on the Left-Green Movement, the second-biggest party, to form a government. Despite holding talks to build a broad, five-party coalition ranging from the centre-right to the far-left, disagreements over taxes and other issues led the negotiations to collapse in late November. The president then allowed the parties to hold informal talks among themselves, which led the Independence Party and the Left-Green Movement to discuss terms for sharing power. But the diametrically opposed parties could not find enough common ground. Giving the Pirate Party, which came third in the election, the chance to build a government has been seen as a bold move that is not guaranteed to be a success. "I am optimistic that we will find a way to work together," Jonsdottir said. The scandal over the Panama Papers, released in April, ensnared several Icelandic officials and led to the resignation of former prime minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, prompting the snap October 29 vote. With voters keen to see political change, the small and controversial Pirate Party had vowed during the election campaign to implement radical institutional reforms for more direct democracy and greater transparency in public life. It won 14.5 percent of votes, less than pollsters had predicted. LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 2, 2016 / ICTV Brands, Inc. (ICTV), (CSE:ITV), a digitally focused, direct response marketing and branding company specializing in the health, wellness, and beauty sector, announced today that it will be presenting at the 9th annual LD Micro Main Event on Wednesday, December 7th at 7:30 AM PST / 10:30 AM EST at the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. Richard Ransom, President of ICTV Brands, will be presenting, as well as meeting with investors. The LD Micro Main Event is the largest independent conference for small/microcap companies and will feature 240 presenting names. View ICTV Brands profile here: http://www.ldmicro.com/profile/ICTV News Compliments of Accesswire. About ICTV Brands, Inc. ICTV Brands, Inc. sells various health, wellness, and beauty products through a multi-channel distribution strategy. ICTV utilizes a distinctive marketing strategy and multi-channel distribution model to develop, market, and sell products through direct response television (DRTV), Internet/digital, e-commerce, international third party distributors, live television shopping, and retail. Its products are sold in North America and are available in over 65 countries. Its products include DermaWand, a skin care device that reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and helps improve skin tone and texture, DermaVital, a professional quality skin care line that effects superior hydration, the CoralActives brand of acne treatment and skin cleansing products, and Derma Brilliance, a sonic exfoliation skin care system which helps reduce visible signs of aging, Jidue, a facial massager device which helps alleviate stress, and Good Planet Super Solution, a multi-use cleaning agent. ICTV Brands, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania. For more information on our current initiatives, please visit www.ictvbrands.com. About LD Micro LD Micro was founded in 2006 with the sole purpose of being an independent resource in the microcap space. What started out as a newsletter highlighting unique companies has transformed into an event platform hosting several influential conferences annually (Invitational, Summit, and Main Event). Story continues In 2015, LDM launched the first pure microcap index (the LDMi) to exclusively provide intraday information on the entire sector. LD will continue to provide valuable tools for the benefit of everyone in the small and microcap universe. For those interested in attending, please contact David Scher at david@ldmicro.com or visit www.ldmicro.com/events for more information. Contact: Name: Richard Ransom Phone: 484-598-2313 Address: 489 Devon Park Dr. Suite 315, Wayne, PA 19087 Email: ransom@ictvbrands.com SOURCE: ICTV Brands Inc. via LD Micro (Adds House decision not to call an override vote) CHICAGO, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed on Thursday a bill to give the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) a one-time $215 million state payment to help cover the financially ailing district's escalating pension costs. While the veto was quickly overridden in the Senate, the House adjourned until Jan. 9 without attempting a vote. A spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat, said it was unlikely the 71-vote threshold required for an override would be reached, leaving the veto in place. Rauner, a Republican, said Democrats reneged on a June deal that tied the bill's enactment to the legislature's passage of comprehensive pension reform, which did not gain any traction in the fall legislative session that ended on Thursday. CPS, the nation's third-largest public school system, included the money in its $5.46 billion fiscal 2017 operating budget. CPS is struggling with pension payments that will jump to about $720 million this fiscal year from $676 million in fiscal 2016, as well as drained reserves and debt dependency. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who controls the school district, condemned the governor's move. "This action is both reckless and irresponsible, and make no mistake, it's our children who will pay the price," Emanuel said in a statement. Democratic Senate President John Cullerton earlier on Thursday told reporters there was no definitive contingency tied to the bill's enactment. Ahead of the Senate's override vote, he said he was prepared to continue negotiating on pensions. Illinois is limping through its second straight year without a complete budget. It also lacks a plan to curb a huge $130 billion unfunded pension liability in the wake of an Illinois Supreme Court ruling that found the state constitution prohibits pension benefit cuts for public sector workers. "Despite my repeated request for daily negotiations and hope to reach a comprehensive agreement by the end of next week, we are no closer to ending the (budget) impasse or enacting pension reform," Rauner said in his veto message. Story continues A temporary budget approved in June expires at the end of this month. There was no legislative action on the budget, but leaders of the House and Senate vowed to keep meeting. Early on Thursday, Rauner in a Facebook post said he could accept another stopgap budget only if Democrats agree to term limits and a permanent property tax freeze. (Reporting by Karen Pierog; Additional reporting by Renita D. Young; Editing by Andrea Ricci and Leslie Adler) Donald Trump was expecting a very different answer when he asked retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, at a meeting last month, for his views on the use of waterboarding. Misled, perhaps, by Mattiss nickname, Mad Dog, and his reputation as a hard-charging commander of American forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, the president-elect expected Mattis to echo his own loudly expressed view, that in dealing with terrorists You have to fight fire with fire. Instead, Trump recalled, He said I was surprised he said, Ive never found it to be useful. He said, Ive always found, give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers, and I do better with that than I do with torture. That anecdote says at least two things about the man who, as Trump announced at a rally Thursday, is his choice to head the Defense Department, and if confirmed by the Senate, would be the highest- ranking military veteran in the post since the five-star Gen. George Marshall in 1951: He thinks for himself, and he is unafraid to speak his mind even at the risk of alienating the future president. We are going to appoint Mad Dog Mattis as our secretary of defense. But were not announcing it until Monday, so dont tell anybody, Trump told his supporters in Cincinnati, Ohio. Keep it inside the room, he added jokingly. Mattis, who served in the Marines from 1969 until his retirement in 2013, represents a big change from the current secretary of defense, the bookish Ashton Carter, a former Harvard professor who was trained as a physicist. But he is also nothing like the other high-profile general tapped by Trump for an important national security post, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the hypercombative choice for national security adviser, who wrote in a tweet earlier this year: Fear of Muslims is RATIONAL. Donald Trump and retired Marine Gen. James Mattis appeared after meeting at the main clubhouse at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J. (Photo: Mike Segar/Reuters) Mattis is a complicated figure, with a reputation as a supremely competent commander, aggressive in the pursuit of American interests. In one meeting in 2011, Mattis, then head of U.S. Central Command, pushed for what would have been a controversial airstrike against a gathering of al-Qaida leaders in Yemen. He was overruled by Homeland Security Adviser John Brennan on the grounds that it risked killing some militants who were not designated targets for direct action. When Mattis retired two years later, it was widely understood that he had clashed with his superiors over his desire for a more confrontational posture toward Iran. Story continues I have a lot of secrets, and I plan to take them to my grave, he told a reporter once. But I will say there are a few people over there in Yemen who wont be collecting their 401(k)s. But he is also an exceptionally serious, well-read and thoughtful commander, who went to battle with his well-thumbed copy of the Meditations of the Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius. (His other mentors included Sun Tzu and von Clausewitz.) Thanks to my reading, he wrote in an email as he was preparing to deploy to Iraq in 2004, I have never been caught flat-footed by any situation, never at a loss for how any problem has been addressed (successfully or unsuccessfully) before. It doesnt give me all the answers, but it lights what is often a dark path ahead. He is an ascetic, a warrior monk, who has never married or according to retired Gen. John Allen, who served under Mattis as the head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan even owned a television set. Like many who served under Mattis, Allen is intensely loyal to him. No combat commander was ever better served than I was by my friend and commander, Jim Mattis, Allen wrote in an email Thursday. Donald Trump at a campaign rally Thursday in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo: Mike Segar/Reuters) Mattis blunt manner has landed him in hot water at times, notably in 2005, when he remarked at a panel discussion that Its fun to shoot some people. He later admitted he should have spoken more carefully, but the remark is slightly less alarming in context, with the emphasis on some, as he went on to explain: You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didnt wear a veil. You know, guys like that aint got no manhood left anyway. So its a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them. However unartfully expressed, this is a central part of Mattis worldview, that combat has been central to the human experience since the beginning of time, and that a nation that engages in it should be prepared to do it right. He is co-editor of a collection of essays, Warriors & Citizens, that explores some of the tensions and paradoxes in the relationship between soldiers and the civilians they protect. Civilians tend to overstate what military force can achieve, to assume a wider margin of error than those with knowledge and experience from military service, and to lack the analytic discipline essential to developing clear and achievable war aims, he wrote. In particular, he has thought deeply about the return of combat veterans to civilian life. Remarks he made in 2013 were widely viewed as casting doubt on the reality of post-traumatic stress disorder, but that, too, is a misreading of his views. What he opposes is the automatic assumption that the experience of combat necessarily marks one for life: For those close in on the enemy, who kill the enemy, it is an atavistic, primitive environment, and there is post-traumatic stress for anyone whos been through it. Its not an insignificant moment the first time you draw down and shoot your fellow man, or you see your buddy hit next to you. Theres going to be stress. But there doesnt have to be post-traumatic disorder, or syndrome. You dont have to come at it from a position of illness, you can come out of it from a position of wellness, of growth as a human being, Ive seen people come out of it better men, better husbands kinder, more compassionate. In his new role assuming hes confirmed, as seems likely, Mattis may have the opportunity to put this belief to the test. On a personal level, though, he seems to have settled the issue long ago. As he told a reporter, I dont have warrior stress. I cause warrior stress. As tensions escalate between South Asian neighbors India and Pakistan, the Indian government has on Wednesday signed a long-awaited contract worth $737 million for acquiring 145 M777A2 LW155 ultralight howitzer artillery pieces from the United States, reports say. The U.S. subsidiary of BAE Systems, the original equipment manufacturer, was awarded the contract for the artillery guns, which India wants delivered as quickly as possible. Over the next 15 years the Indian Army hopes to acquire a total of 220 ultralight howitzers. BAE Systems is partnering with Indian private sector defense company Mahindra Defence Systems for the assembly of 120 ultralight howitzers, while the remaining 25 guns will be supplied within the next three years. According to the terms of the contract, BAE Systems will be setting up an assembly integration and test facility in India, in collaboration with Mahindra Defence Systems. The howitzers can fire up to five rounds in two minutes with an assisted range of over 30 kilometers (over 18 miles) and a maximum unassisted range of 24.7 kilometers (about 15 miles). Independent defense and aerospace consultant Colonel K.V. Kuber was quoted as saying by the Financial Express: The modern artillery was much needed for the Indian army. The howitzer procurement deal is the first overseas artillery gun acquisition for India in about 30 years, after a political scandal surrounding the acquisition of Swedish Bofors howitzers. In 2005, a previous competitive global tender was cancelled after allegations of corruption by Singapore Technology Kinetics emerged, causing the defense company to be blacklisted. The deal is headlining Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led governments push to upgrade Indias military hardware and replace its armys aging arsenal at a time when tensions are rife with neighboring country Pakistan. With President-elect Donald Trump taking office early next year, India is yet to see the change in U.S. foreign policy in the region. However, in a statement on Thursday, Pakistans Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria said Islamabad is hoping to strengthen relations with the U.S. and welcomed Trumps enthusiasm to help resolve the long-standing conflict between the two countries. Related Articles Jakarta (AFP) - More than 200,000 Indonesian Muslims prayed in unison and chanted Koranic verses Friday in the second major demonstration against Jakarta's Christian governor, as conservative groups push for his arrest for allegedly insulting Islam. People in white Islamic robes and skullcaps packed out a massive park in the capital, with over 20,000 security personnel deployed to prevent a repeat of violence that erupted at the last protest against Basuki Tjahaja Purnama. Purnama, known by his nickname Ahok, is being prosecuted for blasphemy over election campaign comments he made about the Koran, which have sparked widespread anger in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country. The case is seen in part as a test of religious tolerance in Indonesia, where a reputation for pluralism has been eroded by a surge in attacks on minorities, but critics say it is also about politics as the governor's foes whip up anger to reduce his support. The decision to prosecute Purnama, Jakarta's first non-Muslim governor for half a century and a member of the country's tiny ethnic Chinese minority, has not been enough to quell anger and conservative groups are now demanding his arrest. Protesters waved banners that read "jail Ahok" as they marched en masse through the city's streets in the early hours to converge on the park, which surrounds the National Monument, a tall tower that looms over downtown Jakarta. "Let's defend our religion," Rizieq Shihab, leader of hardline group the Islamic Defenders' Front (FPI), told the crowd as he delivered a fiery sermon. "Stop all forms of religious blasphemy and put all violators on trial." President Joko Widodo, an ally of Purnama who has been meeting with Islamic and political leaders in recent days to calm tensions, joined the mass prayer, thanking the protesters for being peaceful and urging them to return home. Jakarta police spokesman Raden Prabowo Argo Yuwono said more than 200,000 joined Friday's rally, dwarfing the last protest on November 4. He said it had passed off peacefully and protesters were starting to head home. Story continues - Tough blasphemy laws - Meanwhile police said eight people were detained in early morning raids on suspicion of treason before the protest, with reports saying they included the sister of an ex-president and a retired general. They did not release details about what they were accused of but observers have expressed fears that opponents of Purnama and Widodo could try to take advantage of the chaotic protests to destabilise the government. The November rally drew 100,000 Muslims onto the streets. It was peaceful during the day but descended into violence as night fell, with hardliners hurling missiles and setting fire to police cars, leaving one person dead and hundreds injured. In a bid to prevent violence at Friday's rally, authorities and Islamic leaders agreed to restrict it to the park and end the event in the early afternoon. Purnama is due to face trial and could be jailed for up to five years if found guilty of breaking Indonesia's tough blasphemy laws. The controversy started in September when the governor accused his opponents of fooling the electorate by misusing a Koranic verse to persuade voters not to support him in governorship elections. Purnama's opponents said the verse forbids Muslims from choosing non-Muslims as leaders. Purnama has apologised for the remarks, saying he was criticising his political rivals who were using the verse rather than the Koran itself, but the scandal has seen him slip into second place in the polls. He had long been the favourite to win the February election, popular for his no-nonsense style and determination to clean up Jakarta, a crowded, polluted metropolis of 10 million. After suffering a bit of a slump, the Dubai festival is making strides on its market side thanks to what appears to be a strong lineup of its Dubai Film Connection co-production platform in which 13 promising Arab film projects will vie for funding and networking opportunities provided by what has become the only bona-fide co-production platform in the Middle East. We have a lot of returning directors and producers. So its pretty nice to see that it helps them, says DIFF managing director Shivani Pandya, who is launching the Dubai Investors Club, a two-day component of the Dubai mart where high-net-worth individuals from the region will gain insight and connections with people from the international film community to learn about film financing as an avenue or an investment opportunity. As for projects at the Dubai Film Connection, which is run by Jane Williams, they include Palestinian director Najwa Najjars drama The Son of a Very Important Man, about the complicated divorce of the son of a famous Palestinian revolutionary from his Nazareth-born wife; Israeli-Arab actress Hiam Abbass, who will appear in the upcoming as-yet untitled Blade Runner sequel, will present her sophomore directorial effort, A Girl Made of Dust, about a family living in a village near Beirut during the 1980s Lebanese civil war; and Egyptian director Nadine Khans In the Land of Wonder, a contemporary Cairo-set adaptation of Lewis Carrolls Alice in Wonderland. Najjar won the top Dubai Film Connection prize in 2011 for her sophomore film Eyes of a Thief, a psychological thriller that sold in several international territories and was submitted by Palestine as its 2015 foreign-lingo Oscar contender. The DFC provides prizes from supporting institutions including $10,000 from exhibitor-distributor duo Cinescape/Front Row; $10,000 from Arab broadcaster Art; $5,500 from international organization La Francophone; and $25,000 from the Dubai fest. In addition to the cash prizes, they will also be selecting five filmmakers for complimentary accreditation to the prestigious Producers Network at Cannes. Story continues We play a fundamental role in supporting filmmakers from the Arab region to build strong networks with film industry professionals from across the international industry, boasts Williams, who set up the Dubai fests Industry Office in 2009 and has been instrumental in growing the Dubai mart into the worlds main Arab cinema mart. Two years ago Dubai also zeroed in on local distribution woes for Arab movies by forging a deal with some of the regions biggest distributors, including Gulf Film, Empire, Front Row and Vox, under which they release at least one locally produced film unspooling at the fest. Related stories 'Arabian Nights' and 'Layla M' Provide Feminist Slant to Dubai Film Fest 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' to Launch From Dubai Film Fest Into Middle East Film Review: 'Al Medina' IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 2, 2016 / Khang & Khang LLP (the "Firm") announces a class action lawsuit against Pilgrim's Pride Corporation ("Pilgrim's Pride" or the "Company") (PPC). Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired shares between February 21, 2014 and October 6, 2016 inclusive (the "Class Period"), are encouraged to contact the Firm in advance of the December 19, 2016 lead plaintiff motion deadline. If you purchased Pilgrim's Pride 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 yet. 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, Pilgrim's Pride made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: the Company systematically colluded with several of its industry peers to fix prices in the market for broiler chickens; that the foregoing conduct constituted a violation of federal antitrust laws; that Pilgrim's Pride's revenues during the class period were the result of illegal conduct; that as a result of the above, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. On October 7, 2016, Pivotal Research downgraded its peer company Tyson Foods, Inc. from "buy" to "sell," due to fears of a class action against Tyson Foods, Pilgrim's Pride, and other peers over price collusion in the broiler-chicken market. Allegedly, in 2008, Tyson Foods, Pilgrim's Pride, and several other companies conspired by sharing proprietary data and reducing production to support prices. When this news was announced to the public, the stock price of Pilgrim's Pride decreased, causing investors serious harm. If you wish to learn more about this lawsuit, at no charge to you, or if you have 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. Story continues This press release may constitute Attorney Advertising in certain jurisdictions. Contact: Joon M. Khang, Esq. Telephone: 949-419-3834 Facsimile: 949-225-4474 joon@khanglaw.com SOURCE: Khang & Khang LLP IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 2, 2016 / Khang & Khang LLP (the "Firm") announces a class action lawsuit against Adeptus Health Inc. ("Adeptus" or the "Company") (ADPT). Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired shares pursuant and/or traceable to the Company's secondary public offering (the "SPO") on or about July 31, 2015, or purchasers of common shares between June 25, 2014 and November 1, 2016, inclusive (the "Class Period"), are encouraged to contact the Firm in advance of the December 27, 2016 lead plaintiff motion deadline. If you purchased shares of Adeptus during the SPO or 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 via 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 throughout the Class Period, Adeptus Health made material false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose: that the Company engaged in widespread predatory billing practices, particularly with respect to lower acuity level patients; that Adeptus Health's predatory billing practices subjected the Company to numerous known but undisclosed risks, such as financial risks, reputational risks, risks associated with improper financial reporting, civil or criminal sanctions, and even exclusion from federal and state healthcare programs; that the Company's financial statements were not prepared in conformity with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles; that contrary to the Company's representations about its practice of referring lower acuity patients to urgent care facilities, Adeptus Health routinely treated lower acuity patients and excessively billed them for services; and that as a result of the above, Adeptus Health lacked a reasonable basis for its statements about its business and future financial prospects at all relevant times. On November 17, 2015, an NBC-affiliated television station located in Denver, Colorado aired an investigative report about the predatory billing practices at the Company's Colorado First Choice emergency rooms. When this information was released to the public, the value of Adeptus fell, causing investors harm. If you wish to learn more about this lawsuit, or if you have 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 some jurisdictions. Contact: Joon M. Khang, Esq. Telephone: 949-419-3834 Facsimile: 949-225-4474 joon@khanglaw.com SOURCE: Khang & Khang LLP Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate Viroqua at Twinklefest this year. We had a lovely evening, and witnessed many smiles, hugs and holiday warmth. It was fantastic to see and to celebrate as a community. The weeks have flown by and December is here! Please remember to make conscious, local choices when shopping for the holidays. Continue to patronize local business and in December, Pop-Up Shops on have one month remaining to make decisions about whether or not they will stay long term. Be sure to visit Cowboy Davids Bake Shop, Firefly Arts Studio, Jessicas Boutique and Jaalis Dollies. Viroqua Bucks make the perfect gift and are available at the Viroqua Chamber-Main Street Visitors Center. Buy local. Travel Wisconsins Big Bundle Up The Viroqua Chamber-Main Street is a donation location for The Big Bundle Up, which is an annual charity drive that invites Wisconsin residents and travelers to donate warm winter items for those in need. Tourism organizations across the state collect new or gently used coats, mittens, hats, scarves, snow pants and other warm clothing items that are then donated to local charities. Now in its sixth year, the program has been a great success, collecting more than 71,800 items for those in need across Wisconsin. Thank you for helping us keep Wisconsin warm this winter. Drop off items for local people at our office, 201 N. Main St. For more information, call us at 637-2575. Candy Cane Tour of Homes, Dec. 4 The Vernon County Historical Society is planning its annual Candy Cane Tour of Homes for Sunday, Dec. 4, from 1 to 5 p.m. The tour begins with holiday refreshments at the museum, where visitors will receive a map to the six houses in and around Viroqua and Westby. For more information, visit the Vernon County Historical Society website, www.vernoncountyhistory.org. Toys for Tots Chili Supper, Dec. 7 As we all begin our preparations for the holiday season, lets help a great local tradition... its almost time for the Toys for Tots Chili Supper! It will be Wednesday, Dec. 7, from 4:30 to 8 p.m., or until the food is gone. Stop by the fire department at 702 E. Broadway enjoy a bowl or two. Meet up with family, friends and neighbors. New toys or other gifts are appreciated. Lets make this another great year for the tots! Quickbooks class, Dec. 7 Sign up to attend this free beginners class on Quickbooks Online! This will be held Wednesday, Dec. 7, 6 p.m. in the VEDA conference room at the Food Enterprise Center. In this class, CPA and Certified Quickbooks ProAdvisor Michelle Halverson will address the pros/cons of QuickBooks Online and how to determine which QBO plan level is right for your business; navigation around QuickBooks Online; customizing QBO settings and preferences for your company; managing sales and customer transactions; managing expense and vendor transactions; syncing your bank and credit card accounts to QBO Online Banking; performing monthly bank reconciliations; and how to successfully work with an outside accountant and get the most value for your money. This is sponsored by the Wisconsin Womens Business Initiative Corp. and Vernon Economic Development Association RSVP required. Space is limited. For more information or to RSVP, contact jemslie@wwbic.com or 608-632-8041 Cookie walk, Dec. 10 The Good Shepherd cookie walk will be held Saturday, Dec. 10, in the fellowship hall located in the lower level of the church on South Main Street. The sale begins at 9 a.m. and ends when the cookies are sold out. Buyers may choose from an assortment of cookies, including frosted cutouts. Prepackaged one-pound trays of assorted cookies may also be purchased. Norwegian specialties will be sold by the package. Proceeds from the cookie walk will go to local and global missions. The cookie walk is sponsored by the Good Shepherd Women of the ELCA who say, Let us do your Christmas baking! By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Billionaire investor Mark Cuban will be among the witnesses scheduled to testify at a U.S. Senate Judiciary panel hearing on Dec. 7 on AT&T Inc's proposed $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner Inc . Cuban confirmed that he will testify in an email to Reuters on Friday after a committee spokesman had disclosed it. AT&T Chief Executive Officer Randall Stephenson and Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes will also testify at the meeting of the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights. Cuban, who owns the Dallas Mavericks and Landmark Theatres movie chain, has been a vocal supporter of the deal, saying on Twitter and in published interviews that the combined company could be a counterweight to big digital companies like Facebook Inc , Apple Inc , Netflix Inc , Alphabet Inc , Amazon.com Inc and Snapchat Inc. Gene Kimmelman, president and CEO of consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge and a former chief counsel for the Justice Department's Antitrust Division, is also expected to testify, the spokesman said. The group has raised concerns about the merger. (Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe) ANKARA (Reuters) - Iran urged Kenya on Friday to immediately release two Iranians charged with collecting information for a terrorist act after filming the Israeli Embassy in Nairobi, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. The two Iranian nationals and their Kenyan driver were arrested in a car belonging to the Iranian Embassy on Tuesday. The diplomatic status of the two Iranians was unclear. Tasnim said the Kenyan ambassador to Tehran was summoned on Thursday by the Iranian Foreign Ministry over the arrest and that the "necessity for the immediate release of the two Iranians was underlined during the meeting". A Foreign Ministry spokesman denied any wrongdoing by the arrested men, saying they were university teachers in Tehran. "The two Iranians are lawyers who had gone to Kenya to provide their jailed Iranian clients in Kenya with legal counseling," spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said. "Police arrested them as they returned from a meeting with their clients in prison". Their defense lawyer, Cohen Amanya, told Reuters after the pair's court appearance on Thursday that his clients pleaded not guilty and had been detained by Kenya's Anti Terrorism Police Unit "for further interrogation". Iran refuses to recognize Israel's existence. In 2013, a Kenyan court jailed two Iranians for life on terrorism-related charges, including possession of explosives. The sentence was reduced to 15 years on appeal. Kenya has suffered repeated militant attacks in recent years but those were mainly carried out by ethnic Somali militants who would be hostile to Iran because of sectarian differences. In 2002, 15 people died when an Israeli-owned hotel was bombed in the Kenyan coastal town of Mombasa at the same time two missiles were fired at an Israeli jet, narrowly missing it. (Writing by Parisa Hafezi; editing by Mark Heinrich) Travel experts at National Geographic Traveller have compiled their list of the best destinations to visit in 2017, giving the top spot to the county of Donegal, Ireland, which boasts one of the most dramatic coastal drives in the world, and a starring role in the upcoming Star Wars film. It's a destination that doesn't exactly come top of mind when it comes to sexy vacation hotspots. But the diviners at the British edition of Nat Geo Traveller highlighted "Ireland's forgotten county" on their annual Cool List 2017 for their British readers. Expect to see the upcoming release of "Star Wars: Episode VIII" turn Donegal into a tourism hotspot in 2017 for fans of the franchise. Scenes were filmed at Malin Head on the Inishowen Peninsula, capturing the dramatic coastal cliffs of the island of Ireland's northernmost point. Beyond its starring role in a Hollywood blockbuster, editors also point out that Donegal offers visitors surfing beaches and forms part of the 1,600-mile coastal Wild Atlantic Way, a route that can be biked, driven or trekked. A feast for nature lovers, the county boasts the highest sea cliffs in Europe, while history buffs will appreciate the area for its ancient clan strongholds, castles and preserved monuments. For the selection, editor Pat Riddell said destinations represent "what's happening in the world, what's interesting, and most importantly, what's in it for you?" Other destinations which cracked the top 10 list included Helsinki, presented as an alternative to more popular Scandinavian destinations like Copenhagen and Stockholm, and Aarhus, Denmark, which will enjoy the spotlight as the European Capital of Culture 2017. Canada also made the list for feting its 150th anniversary, as did Portland, Oregon, described as the "high temple of American hipsterism." The list is strikingly different from National Geographic Traveler US, which released its picks for the must-visit destinations of 2017 last month and included places like Banff, Canada, Ecuador's Cloud Forests, Seoul, South Korea and Moscow, Russia. The destinations were listed under categories like cities, culture and nature and not ranked. Story continues Here are the top 10 destinations on Nat Geo Traveller's Cool List 2017 for their largely British readers: 1. Donegal, Ireland 2. Santiago, Chile 3. Helsinki, Finland 4. Greenland 5. Peru 6. Aarhus 7. Canada 8. Portland, Oregon 9. India 10. South Africa Read the full list at www.natgeotraveller.co.uk/smart-travel/features/cool-list-17-2017 or in the January/February 2017 issue, already on newsstands. The Islamic State group has set its sights on recruiting and radicalizing refugees across Europe. The move is meant to further divide a continent politically and socially torn asunder by recent terrorist attacks and the flood of asylum-seekers from the war-rocked Middle East, a Europol report published Friday stated. Titled Changes In Modus Operandi Of Islamic State (IS) Revisited, the report posits more attacks like the ones perpetrated in Belgium and France in 2015 and 2016 are likely to take place in the near future with the explicit intent of forcing European Union countries to alter policies towards Syrian refugees, believing such changes would further ostracize the Syrians and lead to fresh recruits. Other terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and Al-Nusra also continue to pose a grave threat to the EU. Given that it is in the interests of IS (Islamic State) to inflame the migration crisis to polarise the EU population and turn sections of it against those seeking asylum, there is a risk of some infiltration of refugee camps and other groups, the report read according to The Guardian. A real and imminent danger is the possibility of elements of the (Sunni Muslim) Syrian refugee diaspora becoming vulnerable to radicalisation once in Europe and being specifically targeted by Islamic extremist recruiters. Europol also suggested that actually defeating ISIS, or IS, in Syria and Iraq, could be a double-edged sword of sorts. As ISIS clings to Mosul in northern Iraq, even if its completely driven out of the region other foreign fighters may then head to Europe, thus increasing the potential security threat to the continent. Since March 2011, roughly 11 million Syrians have fled their civil-war torn homeland and while most have settled in other Arab countries about 1 million have requested asylum in Europe. A report from the United Nations, citing numbers from September, estimated that 4.8 million have traveled to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq, and another 6.6 million have scrambled around Turkey. Story continues However, Germany, with 300,000 applying for asylum, and Sweden with 100,000, is the most desired European destination for the refugees. Related Articles MILAN (Reuters) - Italy is discussing with the European Commission the terms of a state bailout of ailing bank Monte dei Paschi that has already been requested and could be launched next week if needed, Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported on Friday. Italy's third-largest bank needs to raise 5 billion euros ($5.3 billion) by the end of the year to plug a capital shortfall identified by European Central Bank stress tests or face the risk of being wound down. Quoting sources with knowledge of the matter, Corriere said that Italy had already filed a request to launch a public recapitalization of Monte dei Paschi as early as next week. The newspaper reported that the Commission was willing to limit the burden on shareholders and subordinated bondholders and it was being discussed to what extent retail investors who held subordinated bonds could be spared. A Commission spokesman declined to comment. Treasury representatives were not reachable for immediate comment. The bank's finance chief Francesco Mele said this week that the Commission was expected to agree that only shareholders and junior bondholders share the bank's losses before Monte dei Paschi is given any state aid. New EU rules on state aid to banks require investors to take a hit before lenders tap public money, but a lighter version of the rules can apply in cases such as Monte dei Paschi's. Sources told Reuters last week that authorities would apply EU rules with flexibility with regard to a Monte dei Paschi bailout to avoid damage to the entire Italian banking system. A debt-to-equity swap aimed at reducing the size of a share sale ends on Friday, with Monte dei Paschi planning to launch its share issue after Italy's referendum on constitutional reform this Sunday. The share sale is widely expected to be shelved if Italian voters reject the proposed reform, prompting the government to resign and fuelling political instability and market jitters. (Writing by Valentina Za; Editing by David Goodman) MILAN (Reuters) - There will be no impact on public finances if Italians reject a referendum on constitutional reform on Sunday but there could be "48 hours of market turbulence", Italy's economy minister Pier Carlo Padoan told daily newspaper Avvenire on Friday. Asked if a No vote would make it more difficult to achieve growth of 1 percent in 2017, making an extra budget necessary, Padoan said "no, I do not see any impact from a No vote on public finances." The minister said there was no risk of any "financial earthquake" from the vote even though markets could be unsettled for 48 hours. "But then, as with Brexit, the fog will lift and normality will return," he said. Padoan said there was no systemic risk for Italian banks, adding financial analysts believed a No vote was priced in by the market, meaning a Yes vote could only be good news. "Should there be a different scenario we will evaluate whether some kind of intervention is needed." Asked about troubled lender Banca Monte dei Paschi Padoan said it would return to being a "dynamic and competitive bank" after its planned capital increase. (Reporting by Stephen Jewkes) Natalie Portman in Jackie. (Photo: Fox Searchlight) Chilean director Pablo Larrain has had an exceedingly busy 2016. Earlier this year, he debuted The Club, a sober story about disgraced priests living together in supervised isolation in a remote coastal town. And this December, hell follow that stinging drama up with two high-profile gems: Jackie (Dec. 2), starring Natalie Portman as Jackie Kennedy during the week following JFKs assassination; and Neruda (Dec. 16), featuring Gael Garcia Bernal as a detective on the trail of communist poet/politician Pablo Neruda in 40s and 50s Chile. Taken together, they continue the 40-year-old directors career-long interest in the relationship between leaders and citizens he previously helmed the Oscar-nominated 2012 political drama No as well as reconfirm his eagerness to shake up traditional genres. While in New York City in October for the New York Film Festival, Larrain spoke with us about casting Natalie Portman for Jackie, his fascination with the former first lady, and the differences between his latest two films. Yahoo Movies: The Club came out in February, and now, within a span of two weeks, youll have both Jackie and Neruda in American theaters. Are you tired? And was this deliberate? Pablo Larrain: Somehow, my brother [producing partner Juan] and I created this unexpected accident. We were going to make Neruda, and we needed our lead actor Louis [Gnecco] to gain weight. Then we had to wait for Gael [Garcia Bernal]. And my brother couldnt find the financial elements, so we had to push it back six months. When we pushed the production for six months, I was like, What are we going to do now? Im unemployed! Its so weird. So I did a play, and then we crazily went and shot The Club. So you did The Club waiting? Waiting for Neruda, yes. So Neruda was about to get made, and then The Club goes to the Berlin International Film Festival and gets an award there [the Jury Grand Prix]. At the afterparty, everybody is so weird, because you have your award in your hand and a drink in the other one. And nobody wants to leave it there, because, I dont know you could lose it or something. Actually, my brother left it in a taxi, but thats another story Story continues So [Jackie producer] Darren Aronofsky, who was head of the [Berlin] jury, shows up, and hes like, What are you doing? He was very generous and nice, and a week later, he sends me the script for Jackie. I then came to Brooklyn to the office of Protozoa [Aronofskys production company], and Im like, Look, man, Im about to start production on a movie. And he goes, Right, but, look, this is an invitation, and you can do what you want. And I just said, Lets do it! But I did ask for Natalie and said that if she wouldnt do it, I wouldnt make it either. That complicated things a little bit, because we needed her, and once she was on board, the movie got made really quickly while I was in post-production on Neruda. Gael Garcia Bernal and Pablo Larrain on Oct. 5, 2016, in New York City. (Photo: Mike Pont/WireImage) Neruda seems like a subject youd have greater knowledge/familiarity with Yeah, Neruda is in the water in Chile. And Jackie seems like something more foreign to you. Absolutely. Of course. Was it daunting to tackle a project like Jackie, to which you didnt have a deep personal connection? That was my first question to Darren why are you calling a Chilean guy to do this? Because, of course, it doesnt make a lot of sense. I dont feel any attachment to the American presidency. I do have it for my own culture, for my own flag. I first spoke with my mother thats what I did. [Laughs.] I called my mother and told her that someone in the world wanted me to make a movie about Jackie Kennedy. She was crying and said, Just go and do it, son. I was like, Mom! And she was like, Just go and do it! Ill tell you, man I just started Googling. Thats when I found the White House tour, which was not in the script. Im not lying, I watched it like 40 times. Its 50 minutes long, and I would just rewatch specific scenes and moments multiple times. I just fell in love with her. For me, it was also a very big, new opportunity. Jackie is my seventh movie, and the other six movies are based on male characters. So it was an opportunity to have an approach to a woman that, after all Ive learned, is the most unknown of the known people. No one really knows who she was, thats the truth. And that mystery couldnt be more exciting. Watch the Jackie cast talk about recreating the assassination: What, in particular, did you find most fascinating about her? I just thought she had an incredible sensibility and political smell, and she was very sophisticated in terms of communications. The previous idea I had of her, that she was more about fashion and fabrics and style it was just the skin of someone who was incredibly complex. I didnt connect with the big history. Of course, its in the movie thats the ground. But I did the film through her eyes, through the way she smells, through the way she walks. Thats why 60 to 70 percent of the movie is super-close-up on her. She [Portman] wouldnt care. Its very intimidating for an actor to have someone like this [mimics getting right up in my face]. And shell take it. My connection was my fascination with her humanity and that woman at risk. Its a woman in danger. She has the elements that I think a good movie needs to have: rage, curiosity, and love. If you have those elements in a character, then you can put her in a dangerous perspective Im not talking about physical danger and then you can create an interesting accident that can go somewhere. You said you wouldnt have made Jackie without Natalie Portman. Why was she so key to your vision for the film? And how did you work with her, to prepare for the role? I never do rehearsals. I dont like them. I think we read the script once, but in pieces just talk. Im sure there are a lot of actresses who could make a great Jackie, but not for me. I couldnt imagine the movie without her. Id never met her, personally You just knew, from her prior work alone, that she was your Jackie? Yes. I never met her before. I met her in Paris, when I just said, Come and do this movie. And I will propose to the writer to wipe away all the scenes where you are not in it. So itll be you the whole movie. I think most biopics are so obsessed with the image. Youll be in a meeting, and the production designer Jean Rabasse with Jackie and Estefania Larrain in the case of Neruda will show up with a thousand pictures of the person. Then makeup artists will show up to say well do this and that. And the same with costume design. Then, all of a sudden, he or she looks just like the person. It feels to me that a lot of biopics do that, and they focus so much on it, and then you get to the set, and youre like, Wheres the movie? Natalie resembles the real person. But Im not that into the way they look. I mean, of course we worked on it cmon, there are a lot of professionals, and they did an amazing job. But its not where my heart is. I look for someone who can create the illusion of that person. Im not a journalist or a historian. Jackie and Neruda are both interested in legacies and tradition and the way words and images shape history. Yet here, youre focused less on people who are influenced by leaders and more on the leaders themselves. Was that an intentional shift? What happens is, theres a political context in both movies and, I guess, in all the movies Ive made. Those circumstances will affect the character in a way that they think they can control. What Im looking for is to try to find a way to look at the things they dont control, and they think they do. That will create an uncontrollable effect on the character that will bring them into a situation that is absolutely volatile. That volatility is where I think you can connect to other things that are more abstract like human desire, poetry, fascination, love, friction, danger, death. Both Jackie and Neruda are unconventional biopics if you even dare to call them biopics. Yeah, I dont do it. [Laughs] Watch the Neruda trailer: Was there resistance to taking such unconventional approaches to major historical figures especially since youre titling the films Neruda and Jackie? Not really, no. I guess at this point in my life, when somebody invites me to make a movie, I assume they know what kind of filmmaker I am. So I dont think anybody was expecting the classical biopic. And especially in Neruda, which went so far! Its a movie about the Nerudian world his cosmos. Its not about him. Its like going to his house and playing with his toys. Thats what we did. Its a very cubist movie. Thats why Picasso is the hidden key of the film. Hes there, helping Neruda and whatever. But the reality is that was my entire approach. That if you look at it close, like Guernica, you will see multiple ideas. And then if you go far, it will be almost like a patchwork out of different ideas that will create one single thing thats very hard to describe. Yes, its a hard movie to describe. [Laughs] Its so hard to talk about it! And the more you talk about it, the more the complications arise. Whereas Jackie is an easier one to discuss. Yeah. Its a little bit clearer, thats true. One of the things I loved about Neruda was its focus on his poetry and how it had this enormous impact on others lives. Yes, its so dangerous to mix poetry and cinema. It struck me that his poetry and the written word were the key to the film. And in Jackie, too, whether shes showing off items in the White House or manipulating a journalists article, theres something similar going on, about how words and images define personal and national histories. Its about people who have control of their own image. I dont know if its accurate or not, but someone told me and its probably true that Jackie Kennedy was the most photographed woman of the 20th century. And Neruda, when he got the Nobel award in the 70s, he read a speech, and in it, he specifically referred to these two years in the 40s [covered by the film]. At the end of the speech, he says about these years that he doesnt know if he wrote it, lived it, or dreamed it. And that was the key of Neruda. In both cases, they were trying to shape their public image. And Neruda used this persecution not only to write one of his biggest books, but also to create and shape his own legend, in order to become the giant he was, in order to protect his people. You could say it was something he did for himself, but then just like a mirror, it was a reflection for the people and the political project that he was protecting. Jackie, meanwhile, was someone who, by trying to protect JFKs legacy, made him a legend. And in turn, she became an icon without knowing it. Thats why at the end [Editors note: Spoiler alert], shes in the car, and I put the scene in when she sees the mannequins of herself. Thats a phenomenal shot. I saw it on Google, man. You can Google Jackie Kennedy Mannequin, and theres a guy right here in New York, off-loading Jackie Kennedy mannequins from a truck. I couldnt believe it. I went to our production people and said, We need to make these mannequins, and they were like, Theyre very expensive. I was calling my brother, who produced it, and saying, How do we get this made? He found a way, and we had 14 mannequins. I wanted 60, and he told me, Forget it. Its, like, the reflection of Camelot on her. She made JFK a legend, and she became a mannequin. Its amazing to see someone trying to control an image and then it just going somewhere else that they cant control. That gap is where I try to focus my eyes. Because that is what I think cinema does. What I try to do is just fabricate an accident. You put a lot of things together, and then they just go into an unknown direction. Dear reader, we're asking for your help to keep local reporting available for all today during our fall fundraiser. Your financial support keeps stories like this one free to read, instead of hidden behind paywalls. We believe when reliable local reporting is widely available, the entire community benefits. Thank you for investing in your neighborhood. Start your day with LAist Sign up for How To LA, delivered weekday mornings. Subscribe The district attorney's office has cleared the LAPD officers who were involved in the 2015 Skid Row shooting death of Charly Leundeu Keunang, reports the L.A. Times. Keunanga homeless black man known to many as "Africa"was shot and killed by LAPD officers during a struggle on Skid Row. The incident happened in broad daylight and was captured on camera by a bystander. The video was widely-shared and raised questions about, among other things, the LAPD's use of force among the homeless and mentally ill. The D.A.'s office released a memo detailing their investigation, as well as its findings. In the memo, which is dated November 9, the D.A.'s office said that it had determined that the officers had "acted lawfully in self-defense and in defense of others." Prosecutors say that footage from a body camera worn by one of the officersas well as the recording made by the bystandershow that Keunang had reached for a firearm belonging to Joshua Volasgis, who was a rookie cop at the time of the incident. The gun was in a holster worn by Volasgis. The memo adds that, in reaching for the gun, Keunang "presented an apparent, present, and immediate lethal threat that needed to be dealt with instantly." It goes on to say that: At the instant Keunang was shot, he had virtually removed Volasgis' firearm from the holster, and the barrel was pointing in the direction of Sergeant Syed and the crowd gathering behind him. Keunang had pulled the firearm almost entirely free of the holster. Although Volasgis was still struggling to maintain partial control of the firearm, Keunang could well have caused the gun to discharge. According to the memo, Sergeant Chand Syed and officers Francisco Martinez and Daniel Torres had fired shots at the scene. Martinez had also discharged his taser before the shooting, but the memo claims that there was no evidence suggesting it had struck Keunang. There are accounts that seem to conflict with claims that Keunang had a grasp of Volasgis' gun. According to the Times, an enhancement of the bystander's video showed that Keunang had reached for the firearm, but did not show that he'd made contact with it. The Times also noted that the firearm was still in Volasgis' holster after Kuenang was shot. In 2015, GQ writer Jeff Sharlet said that he was shown the body camera footage, and maintained that Keunang did not have control of the firearm. The memo also details the events that lead up to the confrontation. According to the D.A.'s office, on the day of the shooting, a homeless man had called 9-1-1 saying that Keunang had assaulted him and threatened to steal from him. Officers arrived at the scene and ordered Keunang to get out of his tent and to put his body against a wall. The officers said that he would be Tased if he didn't comply, adding that "the Taser's gonna hurt." At some point, Keunang, who was by his tent entrance the entire time, retreated into his tent and concealed himself. The officers then attempted to take down the tent, which later led to the physical confrontation between Keunang and the officers. In August of 2015, Keunang's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the department and the city of Los Angeles today. Keunang, who was 43 at the time of his death, was born in Douala, Cameroon. He reportedly moved to France sometime in the '90s, and then later to America to pursue a career in acting. According to an acquaintance, Keunang said that he'd been treated for mental illness in the past. TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will impose additional sanctions on North Korea following the country's fifth nuclear test in September and consider further measures depending on Pyongyang's moves, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Friday. Japan will expand a list of people prohibited from reentering Japan after visiting North Korea, while also banning all ships that have called at ports in North Korea, Suga told a news conference. Tokyo will also freeze the assets of more groups and individuals connected to North Korea's nuclear and missiles development, he said. Japan's decision came after the U.N. Security Council imposed new sanctions on North Korea this week aimed at cutting its annual export revenue by a quarter. (Reporting by Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim) Jeff Bridges in Iron Man (Photo: Everett) By Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter Iron Man is one of the most influential comic book movies of all time and Jeff Bridges says he played a bigger role than the villain. The actor teamed up with director Jon Favreau and actor Robert Downey Jr. to rework the script with just weeks to go before shooting. Iron Man we read the script, and it wasnt really right, you know? We had two weeks rehearsal, and we basically rewrote the script, Bridges recalled during The Hollywood Reporter Actor Roundtable. And the day before we were going to shoot, we get a call from the Marvel guy, saying, Oh, no, no, no. None of this is right. So we would muster in my trailer and rehearse while the guys were in the studio tapping their foot, saying, When are they going to come? We were still trying to figure out the [scenes] we were going to shoot. Related: Watch the full clip of the Bridges interview here Bridges Obadiah Stane has the distinction of being the first chief villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and the speaker of one of its finest lines: Tony Stark was able to build this in a cave!). The actor said he wouldnt rule out doing another superhero film (he also starred in the ill-fated 2013 comic book adaptation R.I.P.D.). I really set out to not develop a strong persona and mix it up so the audience would have an easier time projecting whatever character I was playing, he says of the possibility of doing another superhero film. Read the full Actor Roundtable here. It features plenty of fun superhero tidbits, such as Andrew Garfield expressing regret over his Amazing Spider-Man movies. Photo credit: undefined From ELLE In July, Jennifer Aniston powerfully spoke out against the constant tabloid pregnancy rumors about her that have circulated through the years, in an op-ed for Huffington Post. "For the record, I am not pregnant," she wrote in it. "What I am is fed up. I'm fed up with the sport-like scrutiny and body shaming that occurs daily under the guise of 'journalism,' the 'First Amendment,' and 'celebrity news.'" "If I am some kind of symbol to some people out there, then clearly I am an example of the lens through which we, as a society, view our mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, female friends and colleagues. The objectification and scrutiny we put women through is absurd and disturbing." The post went viral-but initially, Aniston wasn't even planning on publishing it. She told Ellen DeGeneres this week that she wrote it at first just for herself. "You know how we kind of write and don't necessarily send it? Or at least when I was a kid I did that. And yeah, I kind of hit a wall. I was pretty raw at the time, just came back from a vacation. My mother sort of-had sort of?-she passed [away]," Aniston said. She and husband Justin Theroux had gone away to the Bahamas in the middle of "nowhere". But "we were mobbed, like a scary kind of mob. Like, I didn't know what was happening. I kept thinking, 'Is Kim Kardashian behind me or something? This is very strange.' And then it turns out that another wonderful photograph, which I've had to sort of live with for the last 10 to 15 years: a picture of me with a bump and a circle around my stomach with an arrow pointing to it. Just in this sort of kind of objectifying way, and I was just fed up with it." She then poignantly echoed the point she made in her piece: that women are defined by more than just being mothers: I think these tabloids, all of us, need to take responsibility on what we ingest into our brains. Just because we are women, we have a uterus, we have a vagina, we have ovaries, we need to like, "Get to work, lady!" As opposed to, hello, Freedom Medal. We as women do a lot of incredible things in this world other than just procreate-and not that that is not-but it's like we just get boxed in. They love the narrative, they love the story, they love the "She's jealous of this person, and she's depressed, and oh my god she's never going to have a" Whatever the horrible little headline is, we've just got to break out of that and go whoa, whoa. And women, I have to say, are many of the authors of these horrible articles that are written in these B.S. tabloids. So, we have to stop listening to them, we have to stop buying them because we have to support each other, especially at this time, to love each other, to support, and to be proud of women, of whatever your choice is in life. It's up to us what makes us happy and fulfilled. Story continues Watch her speech below: You Might Also Like Jennifer Aniston is happy with her life, just the way it is. The 47-year-old actress, who has defended herself against constant tabloid scrunity -- in particular all those pregnancy rumors -- opened up about the importance of speaking out in an interview on ITV's Lorraine on Thursday. WATCH: Jennifer Aniston Talks Being 'Shamed' for Her Divorce From Brad Pitt, Explains Why Justin Theroux is the Right Guy for Her "We're seeing women through that very narrow lens," Aniston told host Lorraine Kelly. "If we don't have a baby or a white picket fence or a husband, then we're useless. We're aren't living up to our purpose." "It's shocking to me that we are not changing the conversation," she added, agreeing that women sadly have a long way to go. Watch her full interview below. WATCH: Jennifer Aniston Explains Why She Wants to Keep 'Friends' in the Past Aniston next stars in Office Christmas Party, though the actress recently revealed to pal Chelsea Handler that she's considering a move back to television. "We're so all over that. Television is where it's at," the former Friends star explains on an upcoming episode of the comedian's talk show on Netflix. "I really do believe the shows are more interesting," she adds. "There's more opportunity for women ...unless they want you as a superhero." See more in the video below. Related Articles Jennifer Lawrence is on a style hot streak. The actress has been busy promoting her new film Passengers, wearing one jaw-dropping number after the next. Between her flawless makeup, playful hairstyles and constantly surprising outfits, shes officially hit her style stride. And were celebrating every outfit below. Just when we thought the crop top movement was slowing down, Lawrence is resurrecting the trend in a very chic way, with a cute polka-dot-print top and a high-waisted fitted midi skirt at a photo call for Passengers in Berlin Friday. At a at a photo call in London Thursday, the actress went pretty feminine in a long-sleeve Proenza Schouler dress with a handkerchief hemline, nipped in at the waist with a black belt and paired with peep-toe Christian Louboutin heels RELATED PHOTOS: Celeb Hair Makeovers: Better Before or After? Then she had a fun take on winter whites with her long blazer and matching mini skirt worn with a black tank (all 3.1 Phillip Lim), plus peep-toe Roger Vivier heels and Randall Scott jewelry at a photo call in Madrid, Spain. Lawrence was the leader in Hollywoods latest trend: sweatshirts on the red carpet. She wore a star-print sweater with a matching letoile-print full-length skirt (both Dior) at a photocall in Paris. And she even tried her hand at the fancy pajamas trend stars are loving on The Graham Norton Show in London, selecting a loose-fitting black jacket and wide-leg pants worn with a low-cut tank. Tell us: Which look is your favorite? As Fawlty Tower fans mourned the death of Andrew Sachs, who played well-meaning but disorganized Spanish waiter Manuel on the cult BBC series, John Cleese paid an emotional tribute to his former co-star. Just heard about Andy Sachs. Very sad I knew he was having problems with his memory as his wife Melody told me a couple of years ago and I heard very recently that he had been admitted to Denham Hall, but I had no idea that his life was in danger, the Monty Python co-founder wrote on Twitter Thursday after news of Sachs death at age 86 on Nov. 23 was made public. A very sweet gentle and kind man and a truly great farceur. I first saw him in Habeas Corpus on stage in 1973. I could not have found a better Manuel. Inspired, he said. Also Read: Andrew Sachs, 'Fawlty Towers' Star, Dies at 86 (Report) Cleese added that he wrote the foreword to his book a couple of years ago, which apparently moved him to tears,' before closing out by saying that he was going on stage now. The A Fish Called Wanda star is currently on tour with Monty Python sidekick and Cambridge University classmate, Eric Idle. According to Andrew Sachs wife, Melody, the actor had suffered from macular dementia, with which he was diagnosed in 2012. Also Read: Ex-NFL Player Joe McKnight Fatally Shot in New Orleans We were happy, we were always laughing, we never had a dull moment, the Daily Mail reported Melody Sachs as saying. He had dementia for four years and we didnt really notice it at first until the memory started going. Despite he illness, his widow said, I never once heard him grumble. Also Read: Keo Woolford, 'Hawaii 5-0' Actor, Dies at 49 Fawlty Towers, which starred Cleese as inept hotel owner Basil Fawlty, ran for two seasons from 1975 to 1979, but went on to become a comedy classic both in the U.K. and America. Born in Germany, Sachs moved to England with his family in 1938. Initially working in radio and on stage, Sachs made his screen debut in 1959s The Night We Dropped a Clanger. Story continues In addition to Fawlty Towers, Sachs television credits included The Saint and Randall and Hopkirk. See Cleeses tweets below. Just heard about Andy Sachs. Very sad. I knew he was having problems with his memory as his wife Melody told me a couple of years ago John Cleese (@JohnCleese) December 1, 2016 and I heard very recently that he had been admitted to Denham Hall,but I had no idea that his life was in danger. A very sweet gentle John Cleese (@JohnCleese) December 1, 2016 and kind man and a truly great farceur.I first saw him in Habeas Corpus on stage in 1973.I could not have found a better Manuel. Inspired John Cleese (@JohnCleese) December 1, 2016 If media folk need more, I wrote the foreword to his book a couple of years ago,which apparently 'moved him to tears' Going onstage now John Cleese (@JohnCleese) December 1, 2016 Related stories from TheWrap: Andrew Sachs, 'Fawlty Towers' Star, Dies at 86 (Report) Jake Harris Assault: Arrests Made in Robbery of 'Deadliest Catch' Star John Cleese Recaps 'Walking Dead' and It's Amazing (Video) John Cleese, Taylor Swift Get Into Real-Life Cat Fight (Video) Some A-list Hollywood talent didn't wait until Thanksgiving to give back. Filmmakers Sam Raimi, Catherine Hardwicke and Ted Melfi joined Johnny Depp, David Lynch, J.K. Simmons, Laura Dern, Penelope Ann Miller, Richard Chamberlain, Jade Pettyjohn, Chad Coleman, Pritesh Shah and Keith Allan to help make a dream film project come alive for Anthony Conti, a 16-year-old who is facing down stage IV adrenal cortical cancer. Make a Film Foundation - a nonprofit launched in 2007 by Tamika Lamison (who also works as a researcher/consultant in the Education Department at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) that grants film wishes for children with serious or life-threatening medical conditions - collaborated with Conti to get the short film off the ground, a zombie project called The Black Ghiandola which Conti wrote with Scott Kosar (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and additional writing by Wash Westmoreland (Still Alice). Goodluck Road Photography by Jenna Hagel/Courtesy of Make a Film Foundation Black Ghiandola tells the story of a young man, played by Conti, who risks his life saving a young girl he has grown to love after his family has been killed during a zombie apocalypse. Producers included Lamison, Adele Rene and Bettina Fisher with supervising producers Peter Farrelly and Sean Furst. The three directors, Rami, Hardwicke and Melfi, took turns behind the camera during the five-day shoot, which Lamison described as a magical piece of "guerrilla filmmaking." The project, which went before cameras in mid-November, marked the fastest preproduction and production schedule in Make a Film Foundation's history. The org, which typically plans each project out for almost a year, saw Conti's idea go from conception to set in one month, all with the help of the aforementioned talent who generously donated their time. Goodluck Road Photography by Jenna Hagel/Courtesy of Make a Film Foundation "Anthony is an alchemist - there was magic happening all around the set," Lamison tells The Hollywood Reporter. "It was like a magnet that kept attracting the best in so many people and attracting the extraordinary 'yes' at every turn." Story continues Among those offering support, according to Lamison, were Teamsters Local 399 drivers, Star Waggons, Wooden Nickel, Panavision, AMPAS, AMC, The Walking Dead, L.A. Grips, Plan U Prods., St. Joseph's Hospital, Big Sky Ranch, Friar Tux, Nature's Bakery, Gala Minasova's Picture Car, Western Costumes, Essential Water, Cinepower & Light, Avon, Galpin, Quixote Rentals, Zio Rentals, Durable Medical Equipment Aid Society, Enterprise, Alex's Catering, Skye Props, Boston Mass General, Bear Creek Restrooms, Ruskin Theatre, Constantine FX, Bloodlust Unlimited, MovieInsure, Domino's, Starbucks, Warner Bros., and Anthony's father, Brian Conti, and grandmother, Anita King. Goodluck Road Photography by Jenna Hagel/Courtesy of Make a Film Foundation "It was remarkable in the energy of giving," she notes. Conti's project is the fourth film to come out of Make a Film Foundation's premier program, the short-narrative program, which sees participants write and star in the their own short films with notable names joining them in the creative process. According to Lamison, Conti discovered Make a Film Foundation on his own, eventually reaching out to request a copy of one of the org's short film projects, The Magic Bracelet. After watching it, he hoped to collaborate on his own film and he reached out several times. Those plans sprung into action when his child care specialist, Jessica LeSage, sent Lamison an email informing her that Conti had exited a summer film camp due to his diagnosis. Goodluck Road Photography by Jenna Hagel/Courtesy of Make a Film Foundation "His film has nothing to do with cancer. It's him making his film, his way," Lamison notes of Conti, who also recently participated in an Academy experience that included a screening of his previous short film Twinkle, Twinkle on the big screen at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre, and a surprise video clip showing a shout-out from the cast of The Walking Dead. "What I love about Anthony is his courage, his sense of humor, his profound sense of self, his huge heart and intensity as a human being and a filmmaker. We are all better for having Anthony Conti invite us to be a part of his life and his film." Goodluck Road Photography by Jenna Hagel/Courtesy of Make a Film Foundation A version of this story first appeared in the Dec. 9 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. Read more: Johnny Depp Supports Ukrainian Director Oleg Sentsov in "Imprisoned for Art" Campaign Dear reader, we're asking for your help to keep local reporting available for all today during our fall fundraiser. Your financial support keeps stories like this one free to read, instead of hidden behind paywalls. We believe when reliable local reporting is widely available, the entire community benefits. Thank you for investing in your neighborhood. Start your day with LAist Sign up for How To LA, delivered weekday mornings. Subscribe Finding 'La La Land' (Designed by Brian Miller, courtesy of Fandango) Watching the trailers for La La Land, which comes out next week, one can't help but notice that the every shot seems to incorporate at least one memorable L.A. landmark. Oh look, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are kissing on Angels Flight! Hey, there's people dancing in the middle of a traffic jam. In fact, the film was shot at 48 locations across Southern California over a breakneck schedule of just 42 days. They range from the iconic (Griffith Observatory) to the mundane (the Harbor Freeway)but the one thing they all have in common is that they are all distinctively L.A. Designer Brian Miller of Oktopolis highlights eleven of these locations in to a retro-cool map made for Fandango. Miller's map is inspired by the pictographic tourist maps of the mid-20th Centurythe ones that served more as advertising than an actual road map. "For the look and feel of the map I found inspiration in vintage travel maps featuring roadside attractions," Miller told LAist. "Today we use our phones for navigationwe simply need directions to our destination. In the past the maps needed to grab your attention with art and color to inspire you to make the journey to see some place new." It's a fitting style for both the designer and La La Land. The film itself is contemporary, but has the sensibility of a classic Hollywood musical. A look at Miller's portfolio, which includes posters and comic book covers, shows a reverence for the patriotic/propaganda posters of the Cold War. And while the map only covers a fourth of all the locations used in the film, there's a helpful reason behind the ones that were selected. "La La Land is likely to inspire a new wave of movie-mad tourists wanting to visit its filming locations, so they can feel like they're re-experiencing the movie," said Fandango managing editor Erik Davis. "For Fandango's Finding La La Land map, we deliberately chose landmarks that figured prominently in the film and are also places that you can visit." Fandango's post also includes a guide to the context in which these locations appear in the film. "After the film is released, it wouldn't be surprising to see couples Instagramming themselves in the same spot where Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone dance and sing about that 'view tailor-made for two' on Mt. Hollywood Drive," Davis added. La La Land has been garnering Oscar buzz after it played at few festivals this fall and today was named the best film of the year by the New York Film Critics Circle. It opens next Friday at select theaters in New York and L.A. (including another L.A. landmark, the Cinerama Dome at the Arclight) and you can buy tickets on Fandango now. By Harriet McLeod CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - Jurors weighing a murder charge against a white South Carolina former police officer who shot and killed a fleeing black motorist last year will resume their deliberations on Monday after struggling to reach a unanimous verdict.

Jurors twice told a state judge on Friday, their third day of deliberations, that they were deadlocked in the case against ex-North Charleston patrolman Michael Slager, 35. His shooting of 50-year-old Walter Scott after an April 2015 traffic stop was captured in a bystander's cellphone video and intensified debate in the United States over racial bias by police.

The jury foreman said one member of the 12-person panel disagreed with the rest. But jurors later said further deliberation could prove fruitful if the judge provided more explanation of the law. "I cannot in good conscience consider a guilty verdict," the holdout juror told Judge Clifton Newman in a note, adding, "At the same time, my heart does not want to tell the Scott family that the man who killed their son, brother and father is innocent."

Jurors first indicated they were unable to reach a consensus Friday afternoon.

The judge at that point said they had a duty "to make every reasonable effort to reach a unanimous verdict" and instructed them to continue their deliberations.

Newman said he would declare a mistrial if no verdict was reached and retry the case later with a different jury.

Last year, two juries deadlocked on a murder charge against a white former Eutawville, South Carolina, police chief accused of killing a black man in 2011 after an argument about a traffic ticket issued to the man's daughter.

Prosecutors charged Slager with murder, but jurors also had the option of finding him guilty of voluntary manslaughter if they decided Slager killed Scott in the heat of passion after provocation rather than with malice.

Story continues Or they could acquit the former officer if they believed he acted in self-defense.

The jury of 11 white people and one black person heard four weeks of testimony from more than 50 witnesses. Prosecutors repeatedly showed the video in court and said the footage proved Slager was not in danger when he fired eight shots at the fleeing Scott, hitting him with five bullets.

But Slager said he did not know at the time that Scott was unarmed. The ex-cop testified he felt "total fear" after the motorist grabbed his stun gun during a scuffle between the two men.

(Reporting by Harriet McLeod; Writing by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Grant McCool and Jonathan Oatis) Michael Slager walter scott The South Carolina jury tasked with deciding the fate of a former police officer charged with murder is at a standstill after more than 14 hours of deliberation, prompting the judge to urge them to reach consensus. Michael Slager, the North Charleston patrolman who was filmed in 2015 shooting at unarmed black motorist Walter Scott eight times as Scott ran away, could be facing life in prison if he is convicted of murder. The jury is also considering a manslaughter charge, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years. But there is no indication a verdict will be reached anytime soon, if it's reached at all. At various times over the three days of deliberation, the jury requested transcripts of testimony from some of the 55 witnesses who spoke during the monthlong trial. On Thursday, Judge Clifton Newman announced that the jury had written a note asking about "the difference between fear and passion," ostensibly alluding to the different criteria for murder and manslaughter. Newman declined to provide the jurors an answer, saying, "This is a matter solely for you to determine." The 12 jurors 11 of whom are white must reach a unanimous decision. walter scott On Friday, after jurors reported their standstill, Newman invited them into the courtroom and warned them of the consequences of failing to reach a verdict, which would result in a mistrial. "In that case, it does not mean that anybody wins. It just means that at some future time, I will try this case with some other jury sitting where you now sit," Newman told the jurors. "The same participants will come, and the same lawyers will likely ask basically the same questions and get basically the same answers, and we will go through this whole process again," he continued. "There is no reason for me to suppose that the case will ever be submitted to 12 more intelligent, conscientious, and competent jurors than you, or that more clearer evidence will be produced on one side than the other. Story continues "I therefore ask that you return to your deliberations, if you will." The trial hinges on whether the jury believes Slager, who is white, could reasonably think he was in life-threatening danger during his interaction with Scott. Slager testified that Scott, after fleeing a routine traffic stop, had wrestled Slager's Taser away from him and lunged at the officer. However, that account was denied by Feidin Santana, a bystander who filmed part of the incident. NOW WATCH: Watch the Trump protest that shut down parts of New York City More From Business Insider Justin Chon and Ellie Bamber are starring in the independent romance Taipei, with shooting starting this week in New York. Jason Lester is directing the film from his own script, based on Tao Lins 2013 novel. Mark L. Lester and Jesy Odio are producing with Jeff Sackman and Berry Meyerowitz executive producing. Taipei follows an unexpected, fast-blooming romance between Brooklyn writers Erin and Paul. The story covers a spontaneous wedding, drug binges, all-night urban revels and a trip to Pauls native Taiwan where the couple confronts their individual alienation. Taipei is about love, alienation, loneliness, drugs, writing, technology how we can exist and connect amidst all of the cultural detritus of the Internet age, said Lester. Im thrilled to be able to bring Tao Lins vision to the screen. Bamber stars in Tom Fords Nocturnal Animals, portraying the daughter of Jake Gyllenhaals character, and has been cast in Disneys upcoming The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. Chon starred in the Twilight franchise and in the film 21 and Over. His film Gook, in which he stars in and directs, was selected this week to premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Jason Lester is a filmmaker and photographer from Los Angeles. Music video credits include work for Mayer Hawthorne, Beach Slang, We The Kings, The Griswolds, Thrice, La Sera, The Soft Moon, EMA, and Tancred. Related stories Ray Liotta, Justin Chon, Harry Shum Join 'Green Dragons' Intandem Raises Coin for Expansion (EXCLUSIVE) Luis Tosar Set for 'El Desconocido' (EXCLUSIVE) Kate Maras whimsical Dior dress looks like an art project and we love it There is perhaps nobody quite as fascinating as actress and fashionista Kate Mara. Her genetics are just godly (Maras sister is fellow actress and bombshell Rooney Mara), her parents families are founders of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants, and shes a face of the Humane Society of the United States. Most recently though? Mara wore a dainty yet totally rebellious Dior dress as she attended the premiere of Man Down at ArcLight Hollywood this week. Mara strutted the red carpet displaying what looked like hand-drawn designs on a tan, short gown of many light, flowy layers. She met up with friend and actor Shia LaBouf, who she recently went to bat for during a time when his somewhat odd behaviors made the occasional headline. With or without Shia, Kate Mara looks chic, feminine and yet kinda rock n roll in this faux-graffitid look. Is it just us or is this dress some major art project inspo? Los Angeles Premiere of "Man Down" Michael Kovac / WireImage / Getty Images The Man Down star wore a deep side part in her flirty blonde bob, pairing her eye-catching nude dress with some intricate peep-toe heels. Steve Granitz / WireImage / Getty Images This dress has us impressed and mesmerized, for sure. Its like a hidden picture puzzle from an old Highlights magazine! *cough* Smile Jamie Bell it was just a joke. Premiere Of Lionsgate Premiere's "Man Down" - Arrivals Jason LaVeris / FilmMagic / Getty Images Kate added a little drama on her famously flawless face by swiping on a vampy fall-inspired lip and using a brow pencil to elongate her thin eyebrows. The 33-year-old wore a smudged black rim around her dark eyes and kept distracting jewelery to a minimum. No jewels necessary when your dress is a beaded accessory all on its own! Premiere Of Lionsgate Premiere's "Man Down" - Arrivals Jason LaVeris / FilmMagic / Getty Images While Man Down was actually filmed and wrapped in 2015, its making its rounds at art house theaters this winter. Catch the post-apocalyptic thriller near you starting Dec. 2! The post Kate Maras whimsical Dior dress looks like an art project and we love it appeared first on HelloGiggles. Deciding who will chair a political party probably isnt the most effective place to fight for the soul of that party. Did Reince Priebus or any of the people who supported his run for Republican National Committee chair foresee president Trump? But DNC chair is the slot thats open now, so thats where Democrat are hashing out their differences. Almost all of the pressures on and contradictions within the party can be projected onto Keith Ellison, the U.S. representative from Minnesota, who announced his bid for the spot shortly after the disastrous election for Democrats. That follows several years of disastrous cycles for the partydespite President Obamas two terms, Democrats have been pummeled at the state and national levelsand the party stewardship of Debbie Wasserman Schultz, which is widely viewed as shiftless and failed. With the Democratic field for 2020 diffuse and enigmatic, the chairmanship is one place to fight the battle. Related Story Nancy Pelosi Wins Another Term as Democratic Leader The central disagreement within the Democratic Party is being described as a debate between economic populism and identity politics, which were supposedly represented by the Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton campaigns, though that gloss is so simplistic as to be misleading. And of course thats also not really the question: Its less about which approach to pursue, than how to reconcile those two strains. The Democratic Party cant afford to abandon the espousal of minority rights, but as the presidential race showed, it also faces difficulties winning a presidential race without appealing to white working-class voters. Theres also a generational struggle, between the aging, typically more centrist wing of the party and a younger, more liberal wing. Ellison, who at 53 is part of the younger guard, sits at an interesting intersection for these issues. On the one hand, as a black man and one of two Muslims in the House, he cant really avoid identity politics. (This is also the refrain from people of color, queer people, and others during the debate: We didnt choose identity politics; we have no choice but to live them.) But Ellison is also an economic progressive and the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and he was an early and fervent endorser of Sanders presidential bid, back in the days when Sanders was struggling to gain supporters of color. (In a moment that has gone viral, he also predicted that Donald Trump could win the nomination when few others believed it.) Story continues Recommended: So, Why Can't You Call Taiwan? Ellison has already collected a hefty list of endorsements, ranging from middle-of-the-road Democratslike outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and his presumptive successor, Chuck Schumeras well as leaders of the partys progressive wing, including Senator Elizabeth Warren and Sanders. On Thursday, he released a platform for his run for DNC chair, which emphasizes a focus on working people, putting accountability and inclusion not far behind it. But the leading bullet points are about the nuts-and-bolts work of building grassroots support and revitalizing a party whose local parties have been battered. In a speech last week, Sanders criticized what he portrayed as a myopic focus on identity issues among Democrats. Its not good enough for someone to say, Im a woman! Vote for me! he said. No, thats not good enough. What we need is a woman who has the guts to stand up to Wall Street, to the insurance companies, to the drug companies, to the fossil fuel industry. The Vermont senator wasnt saying it wasnt important to have women and people of color in leadership; he was saying it was insufficient. Ellison has tried to reconcile these two ideas in a slightly smoother fashion. Its about the money. A lot has been made about the white working class. I think wed better take a look at the working class of all colors, he said on the Keepin It 1600 podcast. For many young liberals and leftists, Ellisons attempt to fuse these ideas may look like the future of the Democratic Party, fluent in both identity issues and progressive economics. Recommended: The Real Reason Why Hillary Clinton Got Fewer Votes Than Barack Obama But the biggest impediment to Ellison winning might be his past. Critics are focusing on statements he made, particularly involving Israel and Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam. Ellison has said he was never a member of the Nation, but he was involved with the group, including helping to organize a Minnesota delegation to the 1995 Million Man March. He also defended Farrakhan, an open anti-Semite. He has also been critical of Israeli policy toward Palestinians. These statements have been known for a while, and Ellison has apologized for them in the past. He said he should have looked into Farrakhan more closely and disavowed the leader once he had, and during his run for chair he has said that he supports the Democratic Party positions in favor of Israel and its right to self-defense, for a two-state solution, and against the Boycott-Divest-Sanctions Movement. For the most part, that seemed to satisfy the Jewish left. The progressive group J Street backed Ellison, and so did Schumer, a stalwart defender of Israel. The Anti-Defamation League issued a long, carefully worded statement, basically saying that Ellison needed to be very clear about distancing himself from past comments but that they took him at his word. On Thursday, CNN published a report detailing more of Ellisons past statements. One episode involved a speech by Stokely Carmichael, the civil-rights leader, at the University of Minnesota. The universitys president criticized Carmichael, then going by the name Kwame Ture, for suggesting collaboration between Nazis and Zionists. Ellison, in turn, defended Carmichael and his right to speak on campus: The University's position appears to be this: Political Zionism is off-limits no matter what dubious circumstances Israel was founded under; no matter what the Zionists do to the Palestinians; and no matter what wicked regimes Israel allies itself withlike South Africa. This position is untenable. That comment upset conservatives, although many on the right have spent the last year warning that liberal students trying to bar controversial speakers from college campuses posed a threat to free speech. Recommended: How Trump Could Wage a War on Scientific Expertise In addition, a tape emerged that is apparently of Ellison speaking in 2010, complaining that U.S. policy in the Middle East was too focused on Israel. The United States foreign policy in the Middle East is governed by what is good or bad through a country of 7 million people, he says in the tape. A region of 350 million all turns on a country of 7 million. Does that make sense? Is that logic? In response, the ADL changed its mind. Rep. Ellisons remarks are both deeply disturbing and disqualifying, CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. His words imply that U.S. foreign policy is based on religiously or national origin-based special interests rather than simply on Americas best interests and added that they raised the specter of myths about Jewish control of the government. Ellison responded in an open letter that the audio had been selectively edited and taken out of context and restated his support for Israel. Will this be enough to derail Ellison? Its likely that younger Democrats as a whole, which is to say the partys base going forward, are less concerned than the ADL. They tend to be less tied to Israel and more friendly to Palestinians, while Louis Farrakhan is a dim and distant figure, assuming they have any idea who he is, or what the Nation of Islam stands for. (The very oldest Millennials were 14 at the time of the Million Man March.) Schumer, meanwhile, has not changed his mind. "I stand by Rep. Ellison for DNC chair, he said in an emailed statement. We have discussed his views on Israel at length, and while I disagree with some of his past positions, I saw him orchestrate one of the most pro-Israel platforms in decades by successfully persuading other skeptical committee members to adopt such a strong platform. As Chair of the DNC he has committed to continuing to uphold that platform and to convince others that they support it as well. Is there anything Ellison could say to redeem himself in the eyes of critics for these comments, and if so, what it would be? Even if he can find those words, or even if the current controversy is not enough to stop him, Ellison still wont have a totally clear path to the chairmanship. For one, theres more than one vision for changing the party, and Ellison may still focus too much on identity issues for some Democrats tasteshes also still a long way from the lunchpail economic liberalism of Tim Ryan, the Northeast Ohio congressman who unsuccessfully challenged Nancy Pelosi for the Democratic House leadership this week. Meanwhile, the Democratic establishment still carries some punch, as demonstrated by both Clintons nomination and Pelosis reelection as leader. Obama loyalists are also said to be uneasy about Ellison and seeking alternative candidates. Ellison could represent one future for the Democratic Party, but the current leaders arent necessarily ready to accept relegation to the past. Read more from The Atlantic: This article was originally published on The Atlantic. Kim Jong Un instructed North Korean troops to "wipe out South Korea" in the latest sign of aggression from North Korea's supreme leader. Kim's remarks came during a military border exercise this week as the United Nations Security Council adopted sanctions targeting Pyongyang's coal exports. "This is how we must forcefully respond to those South Koreans. At first strike we must completely break the will of those South Koreans and wipe them all out," Kim said according state-controlled television network KCTV. Kim spoke directly to a marine brigade and a frontline unit that has been tasked with fighting Seoul. The drills included the rapid firing of artillery and Kim was briefed on their training plan, UPI reported Friday. The annual winter training exercise was held near a disputed maritime border in the Yellow Sea. North Korea state media said an island targeted during the training saw loud explosions and light that simulated "the enemy's cities and military targets submerged in a sea of fire." The South Korean island of Yeonpyeong, which North Korea attacked in 2010, killing four South Koreans, sits near the disputed border. Pyongyang warned of another "brutal baptism of fire" in November. South Korea hasn't taken Kim's threats lightly, especially after Pyongyang claimed earlier this year it had carried out a successful test of a nuclear warhead and tested a high powered rocket engine that could be used for an intercontinental ballistic missile. In September, South Korea's defense minister revealed it has a plan to assassinate Kim if necessary. "Yes, we do have such a plan," Han Min-koo said during a parliamentary meeting. "If it becomes clear the enemy is moving to attack the South with nuclear missile, in order to suppress its aims, the concept [of the special forces] is to destroy key figures and areas [that] include the North Korean leadership." Story continues The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Wednesday imposing new sanctions against North Korea's exports of coal, its biggest export. Related Articles Kim Kardashian threw baby Saint a super low-key first birthday right as Kanye got out of the hospital These days, since her Paris robbery, its been a little more difficult to keep up with Kim Kardashian for obvious reasons, but Vanity Fair reports that the reality star threw Saint West a super low-key first birthday party on Wednesday. However, the gathering was so under the radar that the only evidence of the baby boys bash were photos of a set of gold star balloons that Khloe, Kourtney and Kylie Jenner all shared on Snapchat. Also worth noting is the fact that the party took place just as Kanye West was released from the hospital, where Kardashian remained by his side during the rappers two-week stay for sleep deprivation and exhaustion. A photo posted by Khloe Kardashian Snapchats (@khloesnapchats) on Nov 30, 2016 at 6:28pm PST A photo posted by Kylie Jenner Snapchats (@kylizzlesnapchats) on Nov 30, 2016 at 8:08pm PST A source described the birthday gathering for Kardashian and Wests son to US Weekly as a little celebration with a little cake but it was very low-key. A video posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Aug 6, 2016 at 8:35pm PDT GAH! What a super sweet and adorable little human! Baby Saints actual birthday isnt until December 5th, but we honestly couldnt think of a more fitting homecoming for West. The post Kim Kardashian threw baby Saint a super low-key first birthday right as Kanye got out of the hospital appeared first on HelloGiggles. kjun WASHINGTON, DC The only nation to have used nuclear weapons this century will be able to strike Seattle in four years, former CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden said on Wednesday. "I really do think that it is very likely by the end of Mr. Trump's first term the North Koreans will be able to reach Seattle with a nuclear weapon onboard an indigenously produced intercontinental ballistic missile," Hayden said on MSNBC's Morning Joe. "Now, will it be a high-probability shot? They have technical issues, so probably not," Hayden said. "But then again, what kind of odds are you comfortable with when it comes to Pyongyang?" south korea nk test North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has conducted 25 ballistic-missile tests and two nuclear tests this year. A timeline of North Korea's missile tests so far in 2016 Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow of Northeast Asia at the Heritage Foundation and former CIA deputy division chief for Korea, says the North Korean threat isn't four years away it's nearly here. "Hayden is a bit behind the curve on the North Korea ICBM threat," Klingner told Business Insider. "After the December 2012 launch, the South Korean navy dredged up off the ocean floor the stages of the North Korean missile," Klingner said. "South Korean and US officials assessed the missile had a 10,000-kilometer range, which covers a large part of the US." Fast forward to this year, on February 7, a month after North Korea's purported hydrogen-bomb test, the rogue regime fired a long-range rocket it claimed was carrying a satellite for its space program. The launch, which was largely viewed as a front for testing an intercontinental ballistic missile, was not only successful but also showcased the North's technological advancements. Story continues "After the February 2016 launch, experts assessed it could have a range of 13,000 km, covering the entire US," Klingner said, which makes the Seattle range estimate "outdated," Klingner added. According to Klingner, even the rocket with a range of 10,000 km would compromise approximately 120 million people in the US. bruce klingner nk In 2015, US commanders of US Forces Korea, Pacific Command, and North American Aerospace Defense Command publicly assessed that Pyongyang was able to strike to the US with a nuclear weapon. NOW WATCH: Meet THAAD: Americas answer to North Korean threats More From Business Insider The confidence Donald Trump's election has given white nationalist groups is expected to culminate this weekend with a Ku Klux Klan rally in North Carolina. The white supremacist group, which is infamous in American history for brutal lynchings of black people and cross burnings, has planned the Saturday event in an undisclosed location and even featured the president-elects image and a version of one of his best known campaign lines law and order on its website prominently. Trump, who received the endorsement of the KKK and one of its former leaders David Duke while on the campaign trail, has formally denounced support from the group. However, the Klan seems to feel as though it has an ally headed into the White House. The groups Saturday rally was expected to come on the heels of a burgeoning membership for the organization, Agence France-Presse reported Friday. Our membership grows by the day, Gary Munker, who said he is a spokesman for the KKK, told AFP. Munker indicated that Trumps election was a sign that people are beginning to wake up to what America has become, which may be a reference to an America that is increasingly diverse with a decreasing proportional population of white people compared to minorities. It would take a lot of registrations to bring the Klan back to its former prominence, however. Its current membership of 6,000 people falls well shy of the 40,000 members in the 1960s and the millions it had in the 1920s. The organization has been identified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for targeting Jews, immigrants, the LGBTQ community and black people. Much of Trumps election coverage has centered on the rise of a white supremacist political movement going by another name, the "alt-right." That group, given a platform by news organizations like Breitbart (which, in its posting of the AFP Klan story, appeared to try to downplay the emergence of the KKK) has secured strong representation in the Trump administration. Steve Bannon, a former executive at Breitbart, has been tapped for a key role in the White House come January. Related Articles Retired Marine general James Mad Dog Mattis is President-elect Donald Trumps pick to become Secretary of Defense. The next commander-in-chief is betting that Congress will give the tough-talking leatherneck the waiver he needs to run the Pentagon well short of the seven-year ban on retired military officers serving as the Pentagons civilian boss. We are going to appoint Mad Dog Mattis as our Secretary of Defense, Trump to a rally Thursday night in Cincinnati. Early indications from Capitol Hill suggest Congress will exempt Mattis from the ban on a retired military officer serving as Defense Secretary until he has been retired for at least seven years. He is without a doubt one of the finest military officers of his generation and an extraordinary leader who inspires a rare and special admiration of his troops, said Senator John McCain, the Arizona Republican who chairs the armed services committee and will conduct Mattis confirmation hearing. McCain made it clear that, to him, the ban is a non-issue. America will be fortunate to have General Mattis in its service once again, he said in a statement. A 66-year-old lifelong bachelor, Mattis spent his final years in uniform as head of U.S. Central Command from 2010 to 2013, responsible for the arc of crisis stretching from Egypt to Afghanistan. His hawkish views toward Iran, Pentagon officials say, led the Obama Administration to ease him out of that sensitive post and into retirement. Mattis has returned the favor. In August, he told TIME that the Administrations war on ISIS has been unguided by a sustained policy or sound strategy [and is] replete with half-measures. Jim Mattis a warrior-monk-intellectual, says Barry McCaffrey, a retired four-star Army general, adding that Mattis would badly scare the enemies of the United States. Mattis was and still is loved by his fellow Marines, who revere him as much for his willingness to endure hardship as his pithy quotes: Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet. He also is known to pack a copy of Marcus Aureliuss Meditations. Story continues This is a great pick, but its vitally important that he be paired with a deputy deeply schooled in budget and procurement processes, adds Charles Dunlap, a retired Air Force major general now teaching law at Duke University. During his 44 years in uniform, part of Mattis attraction was his willingness to offer his unvarnished, and sometimes, impolitic, opinions. You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didnt wear a veil. You know, guys like that aint got no manhood left anyway, Mattis said in 2005. So its a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them. But Dunlap cautioned that Mattis may be in for a surprise when he swaps his uniform for a suit. I believe than some retired generals are less politically astute than they think they are, and they may not fully appreciate the polarized environment they are diving into, he says. When an officer takes the uniform off and dons the politicians attire, much of the deference and even some of the hard-earned respect goes with it. When Congress created the position of Defense Secretary, along with the Department of Defense, in 1947, it said that a military officer would have to be out of uniform for seven years before becoming eligible for the job. Mattis retired from the corps in May 2013, leaving him more than three years short of meeting that requirement, which was instituted to ensure civilian control of the military. President Truman sought, and won, from Congress an exception when he nominated George C. Marshall to run the Pentagon in 1950. The five-star Army general had already served as Secretary of State when Truman asked him to run the U.S. military in the dark early days of the Korean War. In giving Marshalls appointment a green light, Congress made clear it was granting a one-time waiver. Its approval was not to be construed as approval by Congress of continuing appointments of military men to the office of Secretary of Defense in the future, it said. Following Marshall, it added, no additional appointments of military men to that office shall be approved. It remains to be seen if Trump and Mattis can turn that around. Seoul (AFP) - Hundreds of thousands of protestors marched in Seoul for the sixth-straight week Saturday to demand the ouster and arrest of scandal-hit President Park Geun-Hye ahead of an impeachment vote in parliament. Organisers of the candlelight rally in the South Korean capital said it was the biggest protest so far with a turnout of 1.6 million. Police put the number at 320,000. The latest in a series of massive anti-Park demonstrations came just hours after opposition parties filed an impeachment motion that will be put to a vote by lawmakers on Friday. Whether the motion is adopted or not, Park is firmly on course to become the first democratically-elected South Korean president not to complete a full, five-year term. The 64-year-old stands accused of colluding with an old friend who has been formally indicted for attempted fraud and abuse of power. Along with the now-normal slogans for Park to step down, there were growing calls at Saturday's rally for her to face criminal charges, arrest and imprisonment. Dozens of life-size cardboard cut-outs of the president showed her wearing a jail uniform and bound by ropes. While the protestors want her out immediately, the political establishment is struggling to find a similar unity of purpose. The impeachment motion introduced in the early hours of Saturday morning carried 171 signatures -- accounting for every legislator from the three opposition parties and independents. In order to secure the two-thirds majority required for impeachment in the 300-seat national assembly, it will need the support of more than two-dozen lawmakers from Park's ruling Saenuri Party. - Shifting alliances - Just a week ago, the backing of enough Saenuri rebels seemed assured, but a rather confused resignation offer by Park on Tuesday strengthened the hand of her loyalists who insist she be allowed to step down voluntarily. The party has since proposed she resign in April -- a timeline it justifies as more conducive to a calm and steady preparation for an early presidential election. Story continues Observers say the Saenuri rebels are likely to fall in line with the proposal and vote against the motion on Friday. The prospect of an April departure for Park will do little to assuage the public anger that has driven the mass street protests of recent weeks. "I no longer believe a word the president or her party says," said bank employee Kim Hak-Won who was marching Saturday with his teenage daughter. "How can we tell our children to respect the law when our own president refuses to do so?" Kim said. And there was widespread anger with the Saenuri party over what were seen as its efforts to block the impeachment process. "I am so full of rage right now, I could set fire to the party headquarters," said 30-year-old office worker Park Sung-Jin. - Lengthy process - But even if impeachment were approved by the assembly on Friday, Park would likely remain in office for some considerable time. An adopted motion would still require approval of the Constitutional Court -- a process that could take up to six months. Saturday's mass rally culminated in a march to the presidential Blue House, led by 50 protestors holding flaming torches. Following a court order, police allowed the marchers within 100 meters of the complex housing Park's residence and offices. As well as the huge crowd in Seoul, there were reports of large rallies elsewhere including 40,000 people in the southeast city of Daegu -- considered a staunch Park stronghold. The scandal that has engulfed Park and paralysed her administration has focused on her friendship with long-time confidante Choi Soon-Sil. Choi has been charged with meddling in state affairs and using her Blue House connections to force dozens of conglomerates to donate around $70 million to two foundations she controlled. In a first for a sitting South Korean president, Park has been named a "suspect" by prosecutors investigating Choi. As president, Park cannot be charged with a criminal offence except insurrection or treason, but she would lose that immunity once she steps down. Kylie Jenner takes Miami! The 19-year-old cosmetics queen traveled to Florida for the annual Art Basel show with her longtime love, Tyga. WATCH: Kylie Jenner Cuddles Up to Tyga While Hosting Friendsgiving -- See Their Sweet Kiss! On Thursday night, the pair were spotted out in Miami together. Kylie wore a skin-tight red mini dress with red heels. But when her shoes turned out to be too painful, her pal switched with her. A video posted by Kylie Jenner Snapchats (@kylizzlesnapchats) on Dec 1, 2016 at 6:47pm PST "True friends swap shoes when ur in pain," the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star captioned a Snapchat shot. A video posted by Kylie Jenner Snapchats (@kylizzlesnapchats) on Dec 1, 2016 at 4:52pm PST She also posted a video of herself from behind the wheel of a Lamborghini. A video posted by Kylie Jenner Snapchats (@kylizzlesnapchats) on Dec 2, 2016 at 5:39am PST But when she got back to her hotel room, Kylie got a little racy. A video posted by Kylie Jenner Snapchats (@kylizzlesnapchats) on Dec 2, 2016 at 5:40am PST She posted several photos and videos to Snapchat and Instagram panning over her long legs in sparkly fishnet tights (and no undies) as she twisted around in her sheets. A photo posted by Kylie (@kyliejenner) on Dec 1, 2016 at 10:59pm PST WATCH: Kylie Jenner Celebrates Tyga's Birthday in White Hot Dress -- See the Snaps! Miami is just one of the latest moments Kylie has documented with her beau, Tyga. Last week they co-hosted a Friendsgiving meal together, sharing a sweet kiss on Snapchat. A photo posted by Kylie Jenner Snapchats (@kylizzlesnapchats) on Dec 2, 2016 at 5:39am PST For more from the couple's fun dinner, watch the clip below! Related Articles Kylie Jenner and boyfriend Tyga have been known to rock matching outfits before. But the couple really stepped up their sartorial game on Thursday night, when they hit the streets of Miami in ensembles that perfectly coordinated with their favorite accessory an expensive car. It wasnt a Ferrari this time though. (Which, is probably a good thing for Tyga). Instead, the couple tried the Italian sport cars rival brand a Lamborghini. The 19-year-old cosmetics maven was red-hot as she made her way to the vehicle, wearing a fitted custom cocktail dress by red carpet designer to the stars (and Project Runway alum) Michael Costello. Jenner kept her makeup and hair simple with the look letting the low-cut mini dress do the talking. (Also doing some talking? Her favorite faux engagement ring). Tyga, meanwhile, wore a matching red-and-yellow plaid shirt with a red San Francisco 49ers hat and jeans his shirt unbuttoned so his gold necklaces would pop more on his white T-shirt. And their Lamborghini? Stark black with an Italian flag running over the top of the car its red stripe picking up the red in Kygas outfit, natch. Of course, this being Kylie Jenner, she shared every moment of her Miami night out with Tyga and friends on Snapchat including some close up shots of the car and her usual mirror selfies. There were also a series of snaps showing off some very sparkly fishnet tights. These r everything she wrote on one of the videos. RELATED VIDEO: Kylie Jenner Celebrates Tygas Birthday with Guns and Diamonds Jenner and Tyga were much less Miami and much more Miami Vice last month when they fired shots at an Arizona shooting range. The outing was to celebrate Tygas birthday, which also included a night out on the town and a birthday cake decorated with a throwback photo from the rappers younger years. She also gifted her boyfriend with a fabulous diamond bracelet. 60 carats for my baby, Jenner captioned a Snapchat video, cuddling with Tyga as he flaunted his new bling. What do you think of the couples coordinating style? Share below! Lagos (AFP) - Efforts by Lagos authorities to turn Nigeria's chaotic commercial capital into a modern megacity have run into controversy after the demolition of an impoverished waterfront neighbourhood left 30,000 people homeless. With swanky private estates and a glittering new city under construction on land reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean, housing for some of the 20 million people living in notoriously-dysfunctional Lagos appears to be getting better. But as the city undergoes a dramatic metamorphosis, many are experiencing the brutal reality of rapid urbanisation. The latest casualty was Otodo Gbame, a poor fishing community close to the upmarket southeastern district of Lekki, which was completely razed in early November as part of a growing drive to remove shanty towns. Between November 9 and 11, the district was set alight then bulldozed, reducing tens of thousands of homes to piles of smouldering wood and corrugated iron. At least three people died when armed police moved in with bulldozers, setting fire to the area and chasing some residents into the nearby lagoon, locals said. They say they were given no warning. Now homeless but with nowhere else to go, residents huddle together miserably under makeshift structures built out of rubble. Mostly from the ethnic Egun tribe, they trace their roots to Benin but say they have been living in Lagos for over a century. But like the vast majority of the city's poor, they do not have title deeds to prove it. - 'We will fight this' - They accuse the state authorities of conspiring with a prominent Lagos family to seize the land and sell it to the highest bidder. "They are not happy that we the poor are living close to them. "Each time, they look through the windows of their mansions and see us, their anger rises," Toshun Pascal, a pastor in the community, told AFP. "We are going to fight this injustice with the last drop of our blood." Otodo Gbame used to lie between upscale neighbourhood Lekki Phase 1 and Elegushi housing estate, an exclusive area where residents drive Mercedes and Range Rover cars. Story continues Pascal said more than 20 residents, including the community leader, had been detained for weeks "for instigating the violence." But Lagos authorities dismissed accusations they ordered the demolitions, claiming a fight between the Egun and their Yoruba neighbours caused the fire which burnt down the community. They said police only arrived on the scene to restore order and ensure that "the arson did not spread." - 'Deliberately torched' - Governor Akinwunmi Ambode had in October hinted at a plan to demolish waterfront shanties in a move to rid the city of criminals, who hide there. But Amnesty International warned that such a move would risk leaving tens of thousands of people homeless. And after the fires, the London-based watchdog said the community was "deliberately set alight", demanding an independent inquiry into the "forced evictions". "Lagos State Government is trying to evade its responsibilities to Otodo Gbame residents by denying involvement in the state's biggest forced evictions in recent times," Amnesty said, insisting that those responsible be prosecuted. Lagos has a history of demolishing entire neighbourhoods. In 1990, the authorities demolished Maroko, a shanty town in the well-heeled suburb of Victoria Island, forcing some 300,000 out of their homes. On the site where it once stood, there now stands a popular South African shopping mall with international chains that caters to the city's elite. - Housing for the poor? - Noah Shemede, director of a floating school in Makoko, another waterfront neighbourhood in Lagos, said residents are living in fear. "We don't know when the caterpillars will roll in," Shemede told AFP. "It's Otodo Gbame today, it can be Makoko tomorrow." Government plans to build 1,000 new flats would not help those left homeless, Shemede said. "Where will a poor fisherman get 3.5 million naira ($11,000 dollars) to buy a flat?" he said, indicating that a fisherman's monthly wage is around 15,000 naira a month -- the equivalent of $47 (45 euros). Building experts say hundreds of thousands of people are in need of shelter in the city and are urging the government to provide affordable houses for the poor. "A housing scheme is meant to be a social contract between the government and the people," said Adeniyi Adams, managing director of KnightStone Properties, a Lagos-based firm of estate developers. He said the Nigerian government should provide funding for private developers to invest in lower-income housing so it isn't just the rich who prosper in the city. "It's only then we can say Lagos is truly a megacity," local conservationist Michael Kobah said. Other world-class cities look out for all their citizens, he said. "Lagos can't be an exception." Republican billionaire businessman Ken Langone told CNBC on Friday that Donald Trump should not make a habit of pressuring companies to keep jobs in the United States. This week, Trump traveled to Indiana to tout the deal he helped cut to keep a United Technologies (UTX)-owned Carrier plant in Indianapolis open, preventing about 1,100 jobs from going to Mexico. The deal drew mixed praise at best, with even one Trump ally, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, criticizing the real estate mogul for indulging in 'crony capitalism.' At the press conference following the announcement, Trump promised to make it "very, very" difficult for companies to ship jobs abroad. "Trump has to understand, and he will no doubt about it, ... we don't have a managed economy. We don't say to companies you can't go and you won't go. That's scary," the co-founder of Home Depot (HD) said Friday on "Squawk Box." A managed economy refers to economies in nations such as China that control growth and business practices at the governmental level, instead of allowing the free market to guide them. "He took a little situation, a thousand jobs, and he made it a symbolism of honoring his word," Langone said. "I hope we don't take any more out of that yesterday than that." Yet not to be outdone, the president-elect on Friday took aim at Rexnord, an industrial supplier based in Milwaukee. The company recently announced plans to move a bearing plant, and its 300 jobs, from Indianapolis to Mexico, drawing a rebuke from Trump. Langone said he was encouraged that Trump is not going to forget about the promises and issues he focused on during the campaign that got him elected president. Before endorsing Trump, Langone first supported New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and then Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the Republican race. --Reuters contributed to this article. More From CNBC Lena Dunham is serious about America Ferrera running for President one day and her future campaign slogan is great! America for America! Thats Lena Dunhams campaign slogan for bestie America Ferrera, should she ever run for President. For which Lena IS holding her breath. Ferrera campaigned hard for Hillary Clinton, as did Dunham, and were thinking (but not certain) that this is how the friends met. Theyre both incredibly passionate, educated and crazy smart, so their friendship is like an obvious duh. And Wednesday night, Dunham gushed about Ferrera on Instagram. Whenever Im near @americaferrera I truly cant stop beaming. She appeared in my life like an angel and I aint never letting go. Cant wait til she runs for prez and I can shout #americaforamerica America for America We love it. Whenever I'm near @americaferrera I truly can't stop beaming. She appeared in my life like an angel and I ain't never letting go. Can't wait til she runs for prez and I can shout #americaforamerica A photo posted by Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) on Nov 30, 2016 at 11:30pm PST You might remember, the two gave a joint speech at the Democratic National Convention. Hi. Im Lena Dunham, and according to Donald Trump, my body is probably, like, a 2. And Im America Ferrera, and according to Donald Trump, Im probably a rapist. But America, youre not Mexican, Dunham responded. And President Obama isnt Kenyan, Lena, but that doesnt stop Donald, Ferrera retorted. You can (and should) watch Dunham and Ferreras whole DNC speech here: Though the election went directly opposite of their hopes, both Ferrera and Dunham have transformed their shock and grief into action. #community #organize A photo posted by America Ferrera (@americaferrera) on Nov 16, 2016 at 10:18am PST Theyre regularly calling upon their fans, friends and family to keep fighting for what they believe. Were following suit. The post Lena Dunham is serious about America Ferrera running for President one day and her future campaign slogan is great! appeared first on HelloGiggles. For Any Guelmann, a Brooklyn-based senior maker specialist at Etsy, artistic exploration is a passion that extends beyond her professional world. Shes an experienced solo traveler who prefers seeking out educational, creative outlets in lieu of the big red bus and tour guide. I always get the audio tour at the cathedral or the museum, she told Travel + Leisure. Im really interested in learning the story behind the things youre looking at when you travel. When a colleague introduced her to VAWAA, a startup that facilitates vacation experiences in artist studios around the world, Guelmann was intrigued. When she discovered that one of the vacations listed on the site was fileteado, or traditional artistic drawing in Buenos Aires, with master Alfredo Genovese, it seemed more like fate: Shed wanted to learn the art form for years, but hadnt been able to find a class, let alone a master artist, to guide her. Its hard to find something that you cant learn or take a class on in New York Citybut fileteado was one of those things, she said. Over the course of a few days in Buenos Aires, not only did Guelmann learn the basics of the craft she so admired, but Genovese also invited her to contribute a few brush strokes to a commissioned piece. Theres a sign by Master Genovese out there that has tiny blue shadows that I painted, she said. For travelers eschewing traditional tourist activities, the startup offers intimate, customized studio time with creatives around the worlda fresh take on finding local perspectives. For artists, the experience elevates their work to an international stage. Katja piler, a ceramics artist, has hosted three guests in her small studio in the picturesque village of Krie, Slovenia. piler enjoys that, through VAWAA, she can go about her everyday work in the small town and still reap the benefits of cross-cultural exposure. VAWAA matches travelers with artists for unique vacations. The world comes to me, she told T+L. No two experiences have been alike. pilers first guest, Juliet Imbert from Paris, had a very specific, ambitious project in mind when she arrived: In a five-day stay, Imbert crafted a small vase in the shape of a dolls face. A professional fashion designer, she now uses the piece in many of her photo shoots. Story continues Alexandre Mamane, another of pilers guests from France, had a completely different approach to his stay: Coming from a scientific background, he found himself drawn to clay as a medium, and approached his project with an air of experimentalism and a technical eye. VAWAA founder Geetika Agrawal says the inspiration for the company came from a personal need. I love to travel and engage with locals, and Im a creative myself, she said. One day while traveling in Indonesia, Agrawal stumbled upon a jewelry designer crafting silver pieces by hand. I wanted to hang out and make jewelry with her, but it was my second to last day. I thought to myself, what if I knew about her before? A typical experience includes anywhere from 10-36 hours of studio time over the course of three to six days. The cost of the trip doesnt typically include accommodations or transportation unless an artists studio is located in a particularly remote region, such as the natural cloth-dyeing vacation with Vietnamese artist Vu Thao. Prices vary, but typically begin around a couple hundred dollars. Agrawal says that the majority of the cost goes directly to the artist, studio time and tools, plus a small service fee. Agrawal also explains that VAWAA experiences are not intended for groups larger than two. This makes it less intimidating for the artists. Their art is their livelihood, she said. Guests are simply introduced into their everyday life and routine, without taking too much time away from their work. Agrawal personally vets each artist through her own travels. Not all of the vacations available on the site concentrate on traditional forms of art in the most literal sense: While visitors can learn a local craft, such as Japanese Ikebana (flower arrangement) or calligraphy, there are also a number of out-of-the-box experiences, such as this music production vacation in Uruguay. VAWAA matches travelers with artists for unique vacations. Ultimately, the vacations leave lasting impressions on both artist and guest. The experience of learning fileteado didnt stay in the studio, said Guelmann. VAWAA was a revelation for mea whole new level of travel. You can actually visit someone who produces something beautiful and historical. You can go inside their universe and learn something. Now, Guelmann adds, when she visits a market or craft shop while traveling, she finds herself curiously looking around for the artist behind the counter. Imbert, too, took away more from her vacation with piler than the doll-faced vase; the two have formed an enduring friendship and hope to collaborate on future projects together. VAWAA is currently in nine countries and offers 26 vacation experiences. Agrawal has grand visions for the year-old companys future, including an expanding roster of artists and cities, artist-to-artist collaborations and events, and multilingual experiences. (Currently, vacations are only available for travelers and artists who speak English.) The end goal for VAWAA is to create an extraordinary community of travelers and artists who are international, well-traveled and interested in adding beauty to the world, said Agrawal. Related Articles Berlin (AFP) - Robert Lewandowski scored twice as Bayern Munich moved back top of the Bundesliga on Friday after coming from an early goal down to win 3-1 at Mainz. It puts the onus back on surprise-package RB Leipzig, who drop to second on goal difference but can reclaim top spot on Saturday with a draw or victory at home to mid-table Schalke. German champions Bayern looked back to their best after a poor run by their high standards that saw them lose at Borussia Dortmund and then Russia's Rostov in the Champions League. They got back on track by beating Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 last weekend and were good value for the three points at Mainz, who stunned the Bavarians last season on Bayern's way to the Bundesliga title. Friday's game was preceded by a minute's silence for the victims of this week's plane crash in Colombia that wiped out the Brazilian team Chapecoense. The visitors were caught cold however after just four minutes when Jhon Cordoba -- a Colombian -- scored at Opel Arena to thrill most in the 34,000 crowd. Carlo Ancelotti's men reacted, with Franck Ribery wasting an opportunity before prolific Polish striker Lewandowski made it 1-1 on eight minutes. Misfiring Thomas Mueller twice squandered opportunities to increase Bayern's lead, but on 21 minutes Dutch wing wizard Arjen Robben -- who had set up the equaliser for Lewandowski -- made it 2-1 when he headed home. Robben, making his 150th Bundesliga appearance, should have made it 3-1 minutes later but he poked over when through on goal. The second half was all Bayern but it took until injury time for them to make the pressure count, Lewandowski stepping up to curl the ball beautifully into the top corner from a free-kick that he had won. It was the forward's fourth consecutive brace at Mainz. LONDON (Reuters) - Discount supermarket Lidl plans to spend 70 million pounds building a new distribution centre in Britain next year, it said on Friday, showing its appetite for investment has not been diminished by the Brexit vote. German-owned Lidl, which has won market share from bigger rivals Tesco , Sainsbury's , Asda and Morrisons , but seen its rate of sales growth slow this year, said the new 58,400 square metre depot in Doncaster, northern England, would create 500 jobs. The site will be the supermarkets 13th warehouse in Britain. Before the UK's referendum in June, campaigners in favour of remaining in the European Union had warned that international companies could seek to reduce their presence in Britain as a withdrawal from the bloc would make it a less attractive place to invest. But Lidl is sticking to plans announced in 2015 to invest 1.5 billion pounds over three years on expanding its store and logistics network with a view to having 1,500 stores in Britain in the long term. It currently trades from 640. In September the firm parted company with long-term chief executive Ronny Gottschlich, replacing him with Christian Hartnagel, a little known Lidl executive who was previously incharge of sales and operations in Austria. (Reporting by James Davey; editing by Susan Thomas) Sia gets seriously inspirational on the new ballad "Angel by the Wings," a sweeping track she recorded for the documentary The Eagle Huntress. The movie -- executive produced and narrated by Star Wars: The Force Awakens star Daisy Ridley -- tells the story of a 13-year-old Mongolian girl, Aisholpan, who is determined to break through 12 generations of family tradition to become the first female eagle hunter to compete at the prestigious Golden Eagle Festival. Sia's song is appropriately soaring, opening with stately piano and slowly building to a crescendo as she sings, "Take an angel by the wings/ Beg her now for everything/ Beg her now for one more day/ Take an angel by the wings/ Time to tell her anything/ Ask her for the strength to stay." The chorus says it all: "You can do anything." Some description of the film from a synopsis on the official site: "Set against the breathtaking expanse of the Mongolian steppe, THE EAGLE HUNTRESS features some of the most awe-inspiring cinematography ever captured in a documentary, giving this intimate tale of a young girl's quest the dramatic force of an epic narrative film. While there are many old Kazakh eagle hunters who vehemently reject the idea of any female taking part in their ancient tradition, Aisholpan's father Nurgaiv believes that a girl can do anything a boy can, as long as she's determined." (Learn more about the incredible story behind the film here.) Check out the trailer: Photo credit: Getty + Dana Tepper From Seventeen Once you get over the sticker shock of college tuition, the cost of student housing can feel like a second punch to the gut. Administrators at New York University are trying to lessen the pain with an interesting new program: having students move in with strangers who are old enough to be their grandparents. NYU is calling the unlikely roommate pairings "intergenerational homestays." The pilot program will aim to match juniors, seniors and grad students with older residents who are willing to rent out their spare bedrooms for bargain prices. Ten students will be chosen for the program, and only if their party days are behind them. In a recent blog post about making student life more affordable, reps from the university said they expect the program to launch next fall. Just 10 students will be selected at first, and they must be "mature." (In other words, don't count on being chosen if you're still turning up on Tuesday nights.) The program is expected to cut housing costs to about $5,000, the New York Post reports - about 38 percent less than the $13,000 it typically costs to live on the NYU campus. The benefits of intergenerational homestays are real - but so are the #struggles. Some NYU students have lived with older people before. NYU junior Morgan Sperry, currently studying abroad in Buenos Aires, is enjoying her experience with her host parents, a couple in their 60s. "I've loved living in an actual home and will miss it a lot next semester," she told Seventeen.com. "For that reason, I would definitely consider living with an older New York City resident, both to save money and to reside in a warm, homey environment that's not a sterile dorm." Difficulties can arise, however. Izzie Ramirez, a freshman, lived with an 81-year-old woman during an independent study trip in San Sebastian, Spain, this past summer. While her host mom was "amazing," there were some issues. Story continues "No matter how much I tried to help out, she refused, even though she would become out of breath while stirring soup," Izzie told Seventeen.com . "The one night I decided to go out, my host mom fell in the shower. When I came home later than she expected, she started to cry and yell. I realized that she relied on me as much as I relied on her. I didn't go out again after that." Despite the challenges, Izzie says she'd be open to applying for NYU's program when she becomes eligible in two years. "I'm a very sad, broke college student," she said. "I would rather deal with all of these minor issues than pay more student loans." Some students doubt the program will make a difference. Not everyone feels homestays are a smart financial solution to steep college housing costs. Kyla Bills, an NYU senior and the editor-in-chief of campus blog NYU Local, called the forthcoming program "a mostly symbolic gesture." "The main response on campus has really been, Who cares?" Kyla told Seventeen.com. "As it's only 10 students, it's such a small population of NYU that it's not greatly affecting an average NYU student's life." It remains to be seen whether the program is feasible - or could be expanded. In the meantime, those 10 budget-minded students can likely look forward to some excellent home-cooked meals. Hannah Orenstein is a writer at Seventeen.com. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram. You Might Also Like There's a new way to visit the White House--without leaving home. The Obama administration released an app on Thursday that lets users see an interactive, 3-D video of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as it goes through a whole year of seasonal and state events. The app, called 1600, can be downloaded for both Apple and Android devices. Then, when app users point their smartphone camera at a dollar bill, they will see the White House come to life. The video is not explicitly political, but the White House seemed to recognize that some Americans are looking for a sense of stability as President Barack Obama prepares to hand the country over to Donald Trump next month. "You'll see that even as seasons and people change, the White House endures as an institution of American democracy," Press Secretary Josh Earnest wrote in a White House blog post announcing the app. Get Data Sheet, Fortune's technology newsletter. Users may not get to sit next to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a State Dinner or roll an Easter egg with Beyonce and Jay Z in person, but the app does offer a glimpse at events including state visits, July Fourth fireworks and animated snowmen on the White House lawn. This story was originally published on TIME.com. See original article on Fortune.com More from Fortune.com Potterheads, brace yourselves. It looks like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child could finally come to Broadway in spring 2018. Author J.K. Rowlings fan website Pottermore announced Thursday that the plays producers are in exclusive talks with Ambassador Theatre Group to bring the show to the Lyric Theatre in New York. Were delighted to share the news that #CursedChild is in talks to open on Broadway in Spring 2018! https://t.co/nQQOaoPytV pic.twitter.com/ILPctUitDX Pottermore (@pottermore) December 1, 2016 The Lyric is one of Broadways largest venues and currently houses Cirque du Soleils Paramour. But that show will leave April 16, according to The Hollywood Reporter, allowing the Potter producers to make renovations to the theater in preparation for their magic. Written by Jack Thorne from an original story by Rowling, the play has been a sold-out hit on Londons West End and its arrival across the pond has been highly anticipated. Rowling responded to the plans for an American production of the play on Thursday, saying: Im delighted we are one step closer in bringing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to Broadway and very excited by the proposed plans, according to THR. While a generation of Harry Potter fans may have been disappointed they didnt receive an owl carrying a letter to Hogwarts, now even more muggles or nomajs as non-magical people are called in America will get another chance to enter the wizarding world. Get Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 & 2, Special Rehearsal Edition Script here VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 2, 2016 / Los Andes Copper Ltd. (LA.V) ("Los Andes", or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it intends to raise up to $9 million in gross proceeds from a non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement"). The Company is arranging for the sale of up to 30,000,000 units (the "Units") priced at $0.30 per Unit, with each Unit consisting of one common share of the Company (a "Unit Share") and one detachable share purchase warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one additional common share of the Company (a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.45 per Warrant Share for a period of 3 years. Turnbrook Mining Ltd. ("Turnbrook"), the Company's largest shareholder, has committed to purchase 26,800,000 units for a total amount of $8,040,000. The proceeds of the Private Placement will be used to fund a proposed work program on the Company's Vizcachitas project and for general working capital purposes. The Private Placement is subject to acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV"). The sale of Units to Turnbrook constitutes a related party transaction under TSXV Policy 5.9. The Company intends to close the Private Placement by the end of next week as Turnbrook has advised that its financing commitment is of limited duration. The Unit Shares and Warrant Shares will be subject to a hold period of four months from the date of issuance of the Units, in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. For more information please contact: Antony Amberg, President & CEO Tel: (56-22) 954-0450 Aurora Davidson, Chief Financial Officer Tel: 604-697-6207 E-Mail: info@losandescopper.com or visit our website at: www.losandescopper.com Certain of the information and statements contained herein that are not historical facts, constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the Securities Act (British Columbia) and the Securities Act (Alberta) ("Forward-Looking Information"). Forward-Looking Information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect" and "intend"; statements that an event or result is "due" on or "may", "will", "should", "could", or might" occur or be achieved; and, other similar expressions. More specifically, Forward-Looking Information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such Forward-Looking Information; including, without limitation, the achievement and maintenance of planned production rates, the evolving legal and political policies of Chile, the volatility in the Chilean economy, military unrest or terrorist actions, metal and energy price fluctuations, favourable governmental relations, the availability of financing for activities when required and on acceptable terms, the estimation of mineral resources and reserves, current and future environmental and regulatory requirements, the availability and timely receipt of permits, approvals and licenses, industrial or environmental accidents, equipment breakdowns, availability of and competition for future acquisition opportunities, availability and cost of insurance, labour disputes, land claims, the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates, currency fluctuations, expectations and beliefs of management and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in Management's Discussion and Analysis in the Company's financial statements. Such Forward-Looking Information is based upon the Company's assumptions regarding global and Chilean economic, political and market conditions and the price of metals and energy, and the Company's production. Among the factors that have a direct bearing on the Company's future results of operations and financial conditions are changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, a change in government policies, competition, currency fluctuations and restrictions and technological changes, among other things. Should one or more of any of the aforementioned risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from any conclusions, forecasts or projections described in the Forward-Looking Information. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise Forward-Looking Information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Story continues Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Not for distribution to United States Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States SOURCE: Los Andes Copper Ltd. FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German airline Lufthansa's (LHAG.DE) budget carrier Eurowings has reached an agreement over pay with cabin crew staff, trade union Verdi said on Friday, staving off further strikes. Eurowings last week had to cancel more than 60 flights due to a strike by cabin crew at Duessseldorf and Hamburg airports. [nL8N1DN152] Flight attendants are getting a retroactive pay increase of 2.5 percent from Oct. 1, followed by another raise of 2.5 percent on Oct. 1 next year and a 1.25 percent raise in October 2018 with a total duration of the deal until end-March 2019, the union said in a statement on Friday. Parent Lufthansa remains at loggerheads over pay with its pilots, who could resume more strike action soon because the pilots want more information from the company on any new offer before talks resume. [nL8N1DW5G9] (Reporting by Ludwig Burger. Editing by Jane Merriman) By Lova Rabary PARIS (Reuters) - Madagascar needs to achieve growth of 6.5 percent to help it reduce poverty, the president told a donor conference in Paris on Thursday. Madagascar's economy has been struggling since a 2009 coup scared off foreign investors. The country is one of the world's poorest, despite reserves of nickel, cobalt, gold, uranium and other minerals. "We need at least 6.5 percent annual growth rate. It is the only guarantor of the structural change that the country needs to reduce poverty," President Hery Rajaonarimampianina told the conference. General Herilanto Raveloharison, the minister of economy and planning, said the government aimed to reach this target by 2019. Madagascar's population of 24 million people is growing at 2.8 percent annually, according to the World Bank. In July, the International Monetary Fund announced a package worth $304.7 million in financial assistance for the Indian Ocean island nation under a 40-month extended credit facility. The Fund also said it had trimmed the country's economic growth forecast for 2015 to 3.1 percent. (Writing by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Alison Williams) "There was a lot there that I was concerned about," Mahershala Ali told The Hollywood Reporter during the Actor Oscar Roundtable about playing a drug dealer in Barry Jenkins' film Moonlight. "It was a time when I was literally doing three other jobs." Ali also was working on Netflix's House of Cards and Luke Cage. "It was trying to really be conscious of what part I was playing that day, and really concerned, and [I] had a lot of fear about bleed from one part into the other." In order to "cross the boundary" between each character, Ali "made playlists specific to each character. When I would get in my trailer or be traveling to that gig, I would really only listen to that character's music, so I used that as a beginning and an end to that world because they're very different places and characters and different experiences." Read more: Naomie Harris Was Hesitant to Play a Crack Addict as Black Woman | Actress Oscar Roundtable About the need to create more opportunities for minorities' stories to be told in Hollywood, Ali said: "There have to be people with more unique experiences or people of color being in positions to create content. ... I also think that part of the challenge is, in some way as an individual, to sort of transcend race, so you bring something unique to a character that maybe wasn't written for a black person to play, per se." Ali has dreams of directing, but he said, "It's taken me a long time to get to this place. In some ways, I feel like I'm right at the beginning of having an opportunity to explore characters in a fuller way, so I want to be in that place for a time because I've been wanting to grow as an actor." More roundtables featuring actresses, screenwriters, songwriters, documentarians, directors, composers and producers will continue throughout February in print and online. Tune in to new episodes of Close Up With 'The Hollywood Reporter' starting Jan. 15 on Sundance TV, and look for clips at THR.com/topic/roundtables with full episodes on THR.com after broadcast. 2 Dec - Rumours of Maine Mendoza being the first guest for Kris Aquino's new online project proved to be true, as the Queen of Dubsmash arrived at the UP Town Center in Quezon City to watch a movie with the Queen of All Media. As reported on Coconuts Manila, Aquino, who previously hinted about the possibility of Mendoza being her first guest, discussed various subjects with the "Imagine You & Me" star including the aforementioned movie, Aquino's son Joshua, and many more as they walked to the cinema. The two also spoke about the premiere of "Enteng Kabisote and the Abangers", which opened on 30 November. Both Mendoza and her onscreen partner Alden Richards appear in the movie, which is competing with Vice Ganda's new comedy, "The Super Parental Guardians". Aquino unveiled her digital project, which she dubbed her first ever Facebook Live Experience, on 30 November, following several issues concerning her television comeback. After her project with GMA didn't push through, Aquino also failed to get her one-on-one interview with President Rodrigo Duterte early in November, which she jokingly called "an epic snub". (Photo source: facebook.com/KrisAquinoOfficial) Its that time of year when children line up in malls across the country for their chance to have a picture taken on Santa Clauss lap and divulge their deepest Christmas wishes. Its a longstanding American tradition, and this year, families that make the yuletide pilgrimage to the nations largest mall will be greeted by its first African-American Santa. This is a long time coming, Landon Luther told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Luther is the co-owner of the Santa Experience, a photo studio that, for the past 10 years, has offered families the chance to skip the line at the Mall of Americas standard, come-one-come-all Santa meet-and-greet and make an appointment with the jolly old elf by purchasing a photo package. We want Santa to be for everyone, period, Luther said. So this spring, he set out on a nationwide search for a Kris Kringle of color. Santa Larry Jefferson smiles with Jack Kivel, 3, of Prior Lake for photos at the Santa Experience at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Mn. (Photo: Leila Navidi/Star Tribune/Zuma Press) It was like finding a needle in a haystack, he said. But eventually, at a Santa Claus convention held in July in Branson, Mo., Luther finally met Larry Jefferson the only black Santa out of close to 1,000 Santas in attendance. On Thursday, Jefferson started his four-day stint in Minnesota. Jefferson, a retired U.S. Army veteran from Texas, has been transforming himself into St. Nick since 1999. Though a black Santa may be a first for the Mall of America crowd, Jefferson told the Star Tribune that, in his experience, when it comes to Santa Claus, kids dont see color. What they see most of the time is this red suit and candy, he said. Im just a messenger to bring hope, love and peace to girls and boys. According to the Star-Tribune, many of the parents of biracial youngsters who arrived at the Mall of America Thursday were excited to show their kids that Santa doesnt have to be white. Others praised the mall on social media for making diversity a priority. I appreciate the @mallofamerica having a Black Santa who reflects the diversity of its patrons. More malls should follow suit. April (@ReignOfApril) December 2, 2016 It seems that not everyone was as thrilled about the news, however. Star Tribune editor Scott Gillespie tweeted that the comments section on its Black Santa story had to be disabled, presumably due to blowback from some readers. Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fstory%2fthumbnail%2f29729%2fhttps-_2f_2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com_2fuploads_2fstory_2fthumbnail_2f29729_2f25851cc49a734936910db76f1449dcd8 The word "fish" doesn't do this creature justice. "Loch Ness Monster" or "small whale" might be more appropriate for this 112-pound catfish caught in the Northeast Cape Fear River in North Carolina. SEE ALSO: Teens who drifted out to sea on inflatable toys rescued by fishermen On the day before Thanksgiving, Riahn Brewington found this monstrous catfish. Brewington told a North Carolina ABC affiliate about the fish, saying, In the water, it felt like it was pretty big, but like I said being that big I thought it would have already snapped the line, but I didnt realize how big he was until I actually got my hands underneath him." He was fishing with a 10-pound line, so the catch is pretty remarkable. While the catfish's location is currently unknown, Brewington said he released it back into the river after staging a photoshoot with it. The man who created one of the most popular takeout Chinese dishes, General Tsos Chicken, died at the age of 98 Wednesday, November 30, due to complications from pneumonia, the Taiwan News reported Friday, December 2. PHOTOS: Think Outside the Latte: 43 More Pumpkin-Flavored Foods to Try This Fall Chef Peng Chang-kuei, originally from Hunan Province in China, began training as a chef at age 13, under well-renowned Hunan chef Cao Jing-chen. Once World War II ended, Peng ran Nationalist government banquets and then fled to Taiwan after the Communists defeated the Kuomintang, before later moving to the United States. PHOTOS: Celebrity Chefs Peng brought his well-known dish to the U.S. when he opened his restaurant, Pengs, in New York in 1973. Because of its proximity to the United Nations headquarters, officials often frequented his restaurant in search of the famous dish. McDonalds Franchisee Who Invented the Big Mac, Michael 'Jim Delligatti, Dies at 98 In a 1977 New York Times article, the popular dish was described as: a stir-fired masterpiece, sizzling hot both in flavor and temperature, and dragon and phoenix was a combination of pearly, dewy fresh lobster chunks on one side of the platter and stir-fried chicken with peanuts on the other. Today, a typical General Tsos Chicken recipe is comprised of deep fried, breaded chicken tossed in a sticky, sweet-and-spicy ginger garlic sauce known for its golden red color, and is typically served with broccoli. Peng named the iconic dish after a Hunan war general during the Qing dynasty, Tso Tsung Tang. Related Content: Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. MMC continues on its inorganic growth path with three acquisitions. While its subsidiary Mercer took over Presidio Benefits Group and Pillar Administration, another unit Oliver Wyman acquired LShift Limited. Since 2009, the company made 120 acquisitions and investments totaling approximately $5 billion. In each of the last six years, the company has grown consolidated underlying revenue in the 3% to 5% range. Acquisitions have added two percentage points on average over that same time period. The positive effects of numerous acquisitions and their synergistic effects are reflected in the companys share price which is up 176.26% since 2009 to date, outperforming the gain of 106.1% logged by the Zacks categorised Insurance Brokers industry. Coming back to the news, Mercer, a wholly owned subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, has acquired Pillar Administration. The buyout will firmly place the company as a leading outsourced superannuation provider in Australia. The company finds Pillar an attractive buyout by virtue of its business scale, with more than $100 billion in funds under administration across 1.1 million member accounts. MARSH &MCLENNAN Price MARSH &MCLENNAN Price | MARSH &MCLENNAN Quote Mercer has also acquired Presidio Benefits Group, a San Francisco-based employee benefits consulting firm providing an array of employee benefits and human resource services to employers in the Bay Area. Yet another unit, a global management consultancy named Oliver Wyman, also announced the purchase of LShift Limited, an independent software development company. This deal will enhance the acquirers technology and data offerings. During the first half of 2016, the company used $168 million for acquisitions and has completed the takeovers of New York-based insurance brokerage and human resource consulting firm Corporate Consulting Services Ltd; a leading aviation risk advisor Aviation Solutions LLC and one of Floridas largest independent agencies Celedinas Insurance Group. Story continues Last month, Marsh inked a deal to acquire Bluefin Insurance Group Limited, a unit of AXA Group. In October, the company acquired Vero Insurance, Inc., known for its insurance products and personal service to high net worth individuals, families and small businesses. The companys inorganic growth boosts investors confidence in the stock. Moreover, its investments are broad based and includes geographic expansion, segmentation, and new capabilities and innovations. These poise the company for long-term growth. Marsh & McLennan carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Investors may consider players like Alleghany Corp. Y, Arch Capital Group Limited ACGL and First American Financial Corporation FAF. Each of these stocks carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Alleghany delivered positive surprises in three of the last four quarters, with an average beat of 20.52%. Arch Capital beat expectations in each of the last four quarters, with an average beat of 9.27%. First American Financial Corporation delivered positive surprises in each of the last four quarters, with an average beat of 62.8%. 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Click to get this free report MARSH &MCLENNAN (MMC): Free Stock Analysis Report FIRST AMER FINL (FAF): Free Stock Analysis Report ALLEGHANY CORP (Y): Free Stock Analysis Report ARCH CAP GP LTD (ACGL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research A prohibition order against Goldman Sach's ex-director is also underway. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has imposed financial penalties of S$5.2m and S$2.4 million respectively on Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore Branch (SCB) and Coutts & Co Ltd, Singapore Branch (Coutts) for breaches of MAS anti-money laundering (AML) requirements. These breaches occurred in the context of 1MDB-related fund flows through these banks. MAS has also served notice of its intention to issue a Prohibition Order against Tim Leissner, a former director of Goldman Sachs (Singapore) Pte (GS Spore) for making false statements on behalf of Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C., without the latters knowledge or consent. Mr Leissner had overall responsibility for managing the relationship with 1MDB when Goldman Sachs was engaged by 1MDB to arrange three bond issuances from 2012 to 2013. More From Singapore Business Review In the 1990s, during Bill Clintons second term, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (A), National Security Advisor Sandy Berger (B), and Secretary of Defense William Cohen (C) would meet weekly for what was called the ABC lunch. When the rest of us minions gathered in the White House Situation Room for one crisis or problem or another, we always had the sense that the agenda was kind of fixed, with the statements of the principals a choreographed ballet reflecting agreements already reached at that lunch table. If current trends from President-elect Donald Trumps cabinet appointees continue, the new lunch crowd may all be senior generals in the U.S. military. With National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn now joined by Secretary of Defense Gen. James Mattis, and both Gen. David Petraeus and Gen. John Kelly being considered as a possible secretary of state, three of the five institutions most centrally involved in U.S. national security policy could be headed by former senior military officers. That would be an unprecedented event in American history, a serious challenge to the tradition of civilian control over the military, and a danger to U.S. national security. This dominance of U.S. national security policy by retired general officers is a trend long in the making, but Trumps appointees would seal the deal, upsetting the delicate balance of civil-military power in U.S. foreign-policy institutions. Since the start of the Cold War, and particularly in the shaping of a containment policy that emphasized the growth and use of military force (largely at the hand of Paul Nitze in National Security Council memorandum 68 in 1950), the Department of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, military service chiefs, and combatant commanders have become the 800-pound gorillas of U.S. foreign-policy making. Arguably, the last secretary of state to articulate U.S. national security strategy was John Foster Dulles. Since then, no secretary of state has led the development of national security policy, whereas the Defense Department has regularly trotted out a National Defense Strategy and the Joint Chiefs a National Military Strategy. The gap between the money and people available to the civilian foreign-policy institutions has grown exponentially, with defense budgets running as much as 12 times that for civilian foreign-policy engagement. The responsibility for dealing with international tensions and conflicts is still embedded in a Cold War context. U.S. security assistance support to other countries, while nominally channeled through the State Department budget, is almost entirely designed and implemented by the military services and defense contractors. The exceptional ex-general that proves the rule, Dwight Eisenhower, who happened to be president, was concerned about the rising influence of the Defense Department and the military in U.S. policy and society, leading to his coining of the term military-industrial complex in his 1961 Farewell Address, though very little changed, as a result. In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the expansion of military responsibility for U.S. national security policy and international engagement has grown exponentially. The invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan turned the U.S. military into an occupying power, with a broad expansion of the role the armed services played in foreign-policy making and implementation. As governance and development became military missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, money for security assistance in those two countries plus Jordan, Pakistan, and, eventually, dozens of countries around the world flowed into the Pentagon. The Defense Department deliberately sought a wide expansion of its statutory authorities to provide foreign and military assistance, programs historically the responsibility of the State Department under the Foreign Assistance Act. From Iran to Iraq to the war on terrorism, the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have been largely left in the dust, both in terms of budgets and responsibilities. Flynn, Mattis, and the other generals who may emerge at the top of Trumps policy machine were all involved in this expansion of authority and in these wars. Why should we care? If they are competent individuals, so the argument goes, it shouldnt matter if they were military men once upon a time, right? Arent generals the best people for these jobs, given the troubled world we live in? No and no. There are four reasons why the emergence of generals at the top of U.S. national security policy is a bad idea for the United States. First, these appointments break an important tradition of separation between civilians and the military in U.S. governance. Although some military officers have ended up in politics (Ulysses S. Grant, Eisenhower, among others), it is uncommon; as Samuel Huntington emphasized in his classic 1957 study of U.S. civil-military relations, The Soldier and the State: The military officer must remain neutral politically. The antithesis of objective civilian control is military participation in politics: civilian control decreases as the military become progressively involved in institutional, class, and constitutional politics. There has been a history of struggle over this principle, but Huntingtons point is that policymakers and particularly the president are best served when generals stick to their profession and provide their best military advice to the civilians, who are in charge of making policy decisions. Putting a gaggle of military men at the apex of policy (and not just military policy) advice to the president simply sets that foundational principle aside. The second reason begins with a caveat: There is ample evidence that having military officers at the policymaking table is important and that they are frequently conservative about the use of military force. Indeed, generals are well-educated in strategy but not particularly in statecraft the combination of the tools a competent head of state needs to have at his or her disposal when engaging the world. When generals talk strategy, they are talking deterrence and the conduct of combat, not about the other means in Carl von Clausewitzs classical formulation. Sitting atop the State Department does not suddenly make a general an expert in diplomacy. The fundamental bias and a necessary bias of trained officers is to create a military and to advise civilians about the contribution of that military to national security policy. It is a military mindset, a necessary part of their professional expertise, and borne of years of training and education. But it is not a balanced view of how the United States should engage the world. As such, the military paradigm is likely to be the dominant narrative, to the detriment of broader thinking about statecraft. That paradigm focuses on solutions to tactical and strategic problems but not on the nuances of managing intractable international issues. One can readily imagine the starting point to a conversation among generals about the Syrian crisis being about the application of greater or lesser U.S. military force, rather than the tools of diplomacy or negotiation. But thats an easy one. Is the answer to Nigerian instability and the scourge of Boko Haram further deployment of U.S. forces, training, and weaponry or a deeper engagement in civil institutions and placing pressure on the Nigerian regime to eliminate corruption and establish effective governance? Is the key to dealing with Chinas assertive presence in the South China Sea an aggressive U.S. military buildup in the Pacific or a diplomatic strategy that deals with the surrounding countries and seeks to resolve the most contentious issues? Its not that the generals are ignorant, but simply that diplomacy is not their stock in trade nor what theyve spent their lives thinking about and planning for. The differences may appear slight, but they send U.S. global engagement in two very different directions. Third, despite the widespread public respect for the military, the United States has yet to confront the reality that after 15 years of using armed forces to establish order and security in Iraq, Afghanistan, and against terrorist organizations, the record is largely one of failure. Americans live with a myth that the military is the only effective can-do organization and that failure in missions such as Iraq and Afghanistan was only because the military was not tasked with doing more. But a decade of training, assistance, and governance support in Iraq led directly to a regime that was nearly overwhelmed by the Islamic State. Afghanistan teeters on the edge of takeover by a combination of Taliban and warlords. And the aggressive, invasive counterterrorism effort in more than 80 countries, led by a more militarized CIA and U.S. special operations forces, may have killed a lot of people but has resulted in the death of not one terrorist organization that existed before 9/11. In fact, it has arguably stimulated their growth and the expansion in the number of terrorist attacks. This history of failures has gone unremarked; the Defense Department and the services continue to whistle through the graveyard of buried policies, rearranging the next step as if it were the first, and patting themselves on the back as heroes for what they have accomplished. As Huntington warned long ago: Battle transforms generals into heroes; the heroes transform themselves into politicians; and the result is a loss of professional military restraint and caution. Despite his campaign rhetoric about firing generals, President-elect Trump is on the verge of rewarding the very same men he recently derided for a cant-do record. But the rest of the world knows well the failures. They are a result of local incompetence, the inability of military personnel to carry out nonmilitary tasks, institutional inflexibility, and, most basically, an abiding ignorance about the difficulty of changing another country through the use of force. Trying harder doesnt do it better; trying harder has the tragic outcome of reinforcing a record of failure and alienating the very populations the strategy is designed to help. And finally, the continued recourse to military officers as the answer to our national security needs makes the imbalance at the heart of American statecraft a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more we act as if the military is the best instrument of statecraft, the more we reinforce the notion that civilians are not competent to carry out national security policy. Moreover, the most difficult long-term national security issues we face, like climate change, are not easily susceptible to military solutions but require instead a significant investment in civilian statecraft. Although many actions could strengthen these instruments from the State Department to USAID developing a robust set of civilian institutions will not be a policy or budgetary priority in the next administration. And although some retired generals have urged greater funding for State Department programs, when budgetary push comes to shove and trade-offs need to be made, defense resources and authorities are not volunteered as part of the bargain. (The services have lobbied hard, for example, to concentrate and expand the Pentagons foreign assistance authorities in the latest National Defense Authorization Act.) We dont yet know for sure who will be named to head the State Department. It could be a civilian (Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani are currently being considered), but it appears that two generals Petraeus and Kelly are clearly still in the running. Even with a civilian pick, Trump would still have two generals at the table. And having a generals club running national security policy risks becoming the very definition the Greeks gave to tragedy: Acts taken to avoid one outcome lead directly to that disastrous outcome. A more direct U.S. military operation in Syria leads to conflict with Russia and a third military failure in the Middle East, for example. Or putting U.S. soldiers in Nigeria leads to combat deaths and greater recruitment to Boko Haram. Its not hard to imagine an expansion of policies and deployments we think will make us more secure, but which actually lead us directly to greater insecurity. Civilian control over the military is a fundamental value of our democracy. Generals even retired ones should advise, not make policy. A successful national security policy depends on restoring the civil-military balance that has been lost in the lopsided approach of the last 15 years, one that has clearly failed to the detriment of U.S. security. Our civilian national security institutions need reinforcement to help restore that balance; but with two generals in place and a possible third to come, it is very late in the day to restore this important equity. Photo credit: JABIN BOTSFORD/The Washington Post via Getty Images On Dec 1, President-elect Donald Trump announced that retired marine general James Mattis was his choice for Secretary of Defense. Speaking at a rally in Cincinnati, OH, Trump said he was the closest thing we have to General George Patton. Mattis will require a special waiver from Congress since he has yet to complete the seven years out of service necessary to be eligible for the position. However, as a candidate who enjoys wide ranging support both within the military and on Capitol Hill, Mattis is likely to be confirmed largely unopposed. Known for his hawkish views, Mattis will have a strong impact on U.S. defense policy. This is why it is necessary to examine whether his presence in the Trump administration will have a significant impact on defense stocks which have been on an upswing ever since election results were announced. Mad Dog and his Methods During his final years in service, Mattis was leading United States Central Command. However, his stint as head of military operations in the Middle East and South East Asia came to an end after the Obama administration thought that he had adopted a hardline approach on Iran. Mattis believes that Iran is the primary threat to lasting peace in the Middle East, in keeping with Trumps views. Additionally, his criticism of the last administrations methods while pursing the conflict in Iraq and Syria has made him a natural choice for Trump. However, Mattis is at variance with the President elect on several issues. For instance, he believes that Trumps overtures toward Russia are unnecessary if not ill advised. Despite his tough stance on Iran, he believes that upholding the nuclear agreement would benefit the U.S. He has also opposed Trumps position on torture. But for those who feel that Mattis will help moderate Trumps views, he still has enough points of agreement with the new administration to help facilitate his integration. Story continues Trumps Impact on Defense Companies When considering the importance of Mattis selection it becomes necessary to note that like Trump, he has little administrative experience. Nor does the former general have any exposure to public life. A former senior military officer has said that he was a good choice but would require a deputy with keen knowledge of budget and procurement procedures. Additionally, Trumps proposed defense spending program is at variance with his foreign policy views. The president elect envisions recalling U.S. troops home and rich allies sharing a larger portion of the burden of expenditure. However, when it comes to the armed forces, Trump is likely to step up expenditure by nearly $60 billion every year. The president elect would like to enlarge the size of both the army and the marines substantially which also requires a concurrent increase in spending on arms and other supplies. He also proposes that the air force have at least 1,200 fighter aircraft, a hundred more than its current strength. Additionally, Trump calls for a navy with 350 ships which is near the far end of the size proposed by the National Defense Panel. Most, if not all off these proposals are likely to meet with Mattis approval. It is only on matters of deployment and strategy that he is likely to temper the presidents influence. It seems that good times are likely to last for defense stocks in an era where rearmament could be the watchword. Defense Stocks to Watch Since election results were announced on Nov 8, the iShares US Aerospace & Defense (ITA) has gained 10.5%, indicating the rising popularity of defense stocks. Both Clinton and Trump had urged in favor of substantial increases to the defense budget. This is probably why ITA has risen 21.7% year-to-date. Below we examine some of the key stocks which investors are likely to focus on in such a scenario. Performance of Key Defense Stocks Vs. Sector (Since Nov 8, 2016) Northrop Grumman Corporation NOC provides systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, and technical service areas. The companys share price has outperformed the Zacks Categorized Aerospace/Defense industry price over the last one year on the back of its systematic and consistent investment in research and development. Northrop Grumman has expected earnings growth of 27.5% for the current year. The stock returned 8.4% between Nov 8, 2016 and Dec 1, 2016, underperforming the Zacks Aerospace/Defense industry, which has returned 9.7% over the same period. The stock has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Lockheed Martin Corp. LMT is the largest defense contractor in the world. Its third-quarter 2016 earnings as well as revenues surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Meanwhile, the 10% hike in quarterly dividend raises investors optimism. Lockheed Martin has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The company has expected earnings growth of 5.6% for the current year. The stock returned 11.4% between Nov 8, 2016 and Dec 1, 2016, outperforming the Zacks Aerospace/Defense industry, which has returned 9.7% over the same period. General Dynamics Corp. GD is one of the only two contractors in the world equipped to build nuclear-powered submarines. Its revenues are derived from a broad portfolio of products and services that help to keep the overall growth momentum steady. The company's share price has outperformed the Zacks Aerospace/Defense industry price in the last one year General Dynamics has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). The company has expected earnings growth of 7.8% for the current year. The stock returned 14.7% between Nov 8, 2016 and Dec 1, 2016, outperforming the Zacks Aerospace/Defense industry, which has returned 9.7% over the same period. Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. HII designs, builds and maintains nuclear-powered ships such as aircraft carriers and submarines, as well as non-nuclear ships. Being the nations largest military shipbuilder, Huntington Ingalls continues to boast stable financials and regular cash returns to shareholders. Huntington Ingalls has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). The company has expected earnings growth of 19.6% for the current year. Its earnings estimate for the current year has improved by 0.2% over the last 30 days. The stock returned 19.2% between Nov 8, 2016 and Dec 1, 2016, outperforming the Zacks Aerospace/Defense industry, which has returned 9.7% over the same period. Confidential from Zacks This week, Zacks researchers have named 7 other stocks that look to break out even sooner than today's Bull of the Day. You can see these time-sensitive tickers free, and access additional trades that are not available to the public. Simply click here>>. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report NORTHROP GRUMMN (NOC): Free Stock Analysis Report GENL DYNAMICS (GD): Free Stock Analysis Report LOCKHEED MARTIN (LMT): Free Stock Analysis Report HUNTINGTON INGL (HII): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congress is expected to approve President-elect Donald Trump's choice of retired Marine Corps General James "Mad Dog" Mattis as secretary of defense, despite Democratic concerns that it ignores a long tradition of civilian control of the military. For Mattis to be confirmed, the Senate and the House of Representatives both must pass a waiver exempting him from a law written when the Department of Defense was created to ensure that the military is under civilian command.Legislators have granted such a waiver only once, in 1950, when Congress passed an act that allowed General George Marshall, who had retired in 1945, to serve as Pentagon chief. The 66-year-old Mattis, who is revered by fellow Marines, retired 3-1/2 years ago. The 1947 National Security Act requires a seven-year gap between active duty military service and the Cabinet position, leaving the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff as the Pentagon's top uniformed military position. Another Marine general, Joseph Dunford, is the current chairman, serving a two-year term that ends in mid-2017. Mattis was once Dunford's commander. Lawrence Korb, who was an assistant secretary of defense under Republican President Ronald Reagan, said having a military officer as secretary of defense would rob the Pentagon of needed perspective. He noted, for example, that social change in the military - from ending segregation to allowing women in combat - has always been pushed by civilians. "I don't think it's a good idea to have a military person as secretary of defense," he said Friday in a telephone interview. Trump takes office on Jan. 20. After Trump announced his selection on Thursday, Democrats joined many Republicans, who control majorities in both houses of Congress, to heap praise on Mattis. DEMOCRATS' CONCERNS But a few also raised concerns about having too many generals in the top tiers of the government. Trump's choice for national security adviser is Michael Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general and former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. The president-elect is also said to be considering David Petraeus, another retired Army general, as secretary of state, and retired Marine General John Kelly to head the Department of Homeland Security. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, a Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said on Thursday she would not back a waiver for Mattis. Chris Murphy, another Senate Democrat, said on Friday he was "deeply fearful" that the precedent of civilian control of the military could wither, although he would talk to Mattis and spoke highly of the military leader. "It would be a really dangerous precedent to break here," he told a news conference in Connecticut, his home state. Representative Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, had high praise for Mattis but said the House should perform a full review, including committee hearings, if it were to consider overriding the prohibition on recent military officers leading the Pentagon. "Civil control of the military is not something to be casually cast aside," Smith said in a statement. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) ODA 574 Karzai Retired Marine Corps General James Mattis, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary, is known for being an eminently quotable and beloved military commander. However, an incident in Afghanistan in 2001 is being touted as a potential smudge on Mattis' record. At the start of the war in Afghanistan, US clandestine operatives had to operate in exceedingly complex and dangerous environments behind the scenes. Consisting of 11 members, Special Forces A-Team ODA 574 was one of these clandestine groups. Having deployed with a mission to escort the future Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai, this elite team, specializing in free-fall operations, neared Kandahar, the countrys second-largest city. Karzai, who was at the time an exile, had been raising a Pashtun militia to overtake the Taliban while ODA 574 provided protection by calling in precision airstrikes. JDAM One day, disaster struck when a 2,000 pound joint direct attack munition (JDAM) accidentally struck the team. Amidst the chaos, ODA 574 Captain Jason Amerine sent a mass casualty evacuation request which was acknowledged by the nearest base, Camp Rhino a 45 minute flight by helicopter. Besides the Marines located at Camp Rhino, the closest support that 574 had was in Uzbekistan and Pakistan, some three hours away. A Special Forces liaison informed General Mattis, commander of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, of the situation. Author Eric Blehm describes the tense scene in his New York Times bestseller, The Only Thing Worth Dying For: Mattis asked if they were still in contact and wanted more specifics, which Cairnes did not have. Well, if theyve taken fire, said the general, and you cant tell me definitively how they got all scuffed up, Im not going to send anything until you can assure me that the situation on the ground is secure. Mattis went on to explain that there were nearly a thousand Marines at Camp Rhino for him to worry about, and he was not willing to dilute base security and risk sending his air squadron on a dangerous daylight mission just to assist an unknown number of casualties. Story continues Later, members of the Special Forces team discussed the situation amongst themselves: They could understand why Mattis wouldnt send all of his helicopters, but no one in the tent could fathom why he wouldnt do something to help their guys. Wheres the love from the Marines? said another member of the team. Theyre supposed to be frothing at the mouth for this kind of s***. These helicopters outside would be airborne already if it were Marines that were bleeding, said the B-teams communications sergeant. You know what, said Lee, who had watched the Marines endure abysmal conditions at the base since theyd arrived. Its not the Marines. Its Mattis. AP110201148779 Twenty minutes after being denied by Mattis and hearing that there was at least one confirmed American KIA, the soldiers decided that the situation was dire and the Marine general needed to be persuaded for the second time: Inside, the expressions on the faces of Mattis staff showed their frustration and embarrassment. One Marine glanced away as they walked past, unable to meet their eyes. Mattis greeted the two Green Berets at the heavy wood door that led into his spartan concrete-floored office. He held a military-issue canteen cup filled with coffee in his left hand and gestured them inside with the other. After closing the door to a crack, he sat down at a small writing desk where a map was laid out. Lets hear it, said Mattis Sir, said Lee, weve got reports of mass casualties, and word is they expect the numbers to continue to rise. You are the closest American with the ability to respond. Do you have an update on how they got all scuffed up? Are they still in contact? With all due respect, said Leithead, we think thats irrelevant. I hear you, but no, Im not sending a rescue mission, Mattis said. We. Dont. Know. The situation. The situation, sir, said Lee, is that Americans are dying. And they need your help. Look, when I have fighters over the scene so that Ive got air superiority, then Ill send choppers. That, or we wait till nightfall. Exchanging a look with Leithead, Lee said, Thats not good enough, sir. Standing up, the general cleared his throat. Sergeant, Mattis called to his sergeant at arms, positioned outside the office. Were done. Escort these men out of here. Without another word, Lee and Leithead walked out of the office toward the door to the command post, again passing Marines who wouldnt make eye contact. Behind them, they heard Mattis say, Nobody gets into my office. Eventually, US military teams in Uzbekistan and Pakistan launched rescue efforts in broad daylight. When the dust finally settled, three members of 574 were killed, along with several of Karzais forces. Blehm explained to Business Insider that after several attempts, Mattis agreed to be interviewed about the incident, however, by the time he did, the book had already been published. As far as ... those guys were concerned, it didn't matter. Americans were wounded, dead, or dying and Mattis was the closest with the ability to respond and they refused, Blehm said. Black Hawk Down Super 61 Just like the developing situation in Afghanistan, an answer of exactly who was at fault here would be, at best, complicated. As a career Marine educated in the art of war, Mattis would have undoubtedly recounted the harrowing events that unfolded during the Black Hawk Down Battle of Mogadishu in 1993, where several members of a rescue team were killed. Conversely, leaving any servicemember unattended for would not only be against policy, but would tarnish the reputation of the US military. This is even confirmed by the resounding mottos of the military, such as the 9th Cavalry Regiments, We can, We will. Perhaps more importantly, however, is that a delay in rescue operations may lower the chance of survival for injured servicemembers. As most veterans know, a general rule of thumb in the military is to expect the unexpected, and to develop a contingency plan for the worst. However, when time is of the essence and lives are on the line, there may be instances where years of military training cannot prepare oneself, or indoctrinated protocols may have to be compromised. In any case, the only thing permanent is that that the fateful day will probably be analyzed by military tacticians for years to come, and that the lives of Master Sergeant Jefferson Davis, Sergeant First Class Daniel Petithory, and Staff Sergeant Brian Prosser were abruptly cut short. An earlier version of this post was written by David Choi. NOW WATCH: These 6.2 billion aircraft carriers are the navy's largest ships ever built More From Business Insider Medical device major, Medtronic plc MDT recently announced the receipt of reimbursement approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) for its transcatheter CoreValve Evolut R System. This approval will particularly benefit patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) who are unfit for a surgery and for whom transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is the best treatment option. Thus, it is the first and only Recapturable TAVI System to be introduced in Japan. We note that, Medtronic has been undertaking initiatives to strengthen its foothold in the growing medical device market of Japan of late. Before this reimbursement approval, Medtronic received the Shonin regulatory approval from the MHLW in November for the CoreValve Evolut R. Medtronic has been going through a rough phase since its earnings release in November. While its share price has consistently remained above the broader Medical product industry over the last six months, the mixed second-quarter performance disrupted the trend. As per the latest movement, the stock is down 10.7%, wider than the loss of 7.2% for the broader industry of Medical Products over the last six months. Additionally, Medtronic has seen 13 downward revisions with no upward movement for the full year over the last one month. Similarly, for the same period, current year estimates have slid 8 cents from $4.65 to $4.58. However, we believe that the companys latest initiatives to expand portfolio and strengthen its position in the global market are expected to boost the stock price. Notably, Medtronic's earlier version of CoreValve System was approved in Japan in Mar 2015. The new system consists of the CoreValve Evolut R transcatheter valve and the EnVeo R Delivery System, which features an Enveo R InLine. The Evolut R System, with its self-expanding nitinol frame, is designed to optimally fit within the native aortic valve, using its supra-annular valve position to normalize blood circulation. Story continues Aortic stenosis is a condition where the aortic valve narrows and reduces blood flow from the aorta to the rest of the body. Thus, the TAVI procedure has successfully continued to grow as a less invasive treatment for inoperable AS patients in Japan. The use of CoreValve Evolut R System during this procedure has demonstrated exceptional clinical results in studies globally. Evolut R gives physicians more confidence and provides various advantages which are not currently available in other TAVI systems. MEDTRONIC Price MEDTRONIC Price | MEDTRONIC Quote Globally, the heart valves market is estimated to grow at an impressive CAGR of about 14% by 2020, according to a Technavio report. There is growing demand for less complicated cardiac treatment procedures as normal invasive ones cause complications in patients. The latest launch can be a boost for Medtronics global commitment to build a market-leading innovation pipeline in the transcatheter space as Evolut R's entrance into the Japanese market was expected in the second half of fiscal 2017. In the recently concluded quarter, Medtronic reported revenues of $753 million on the back of growth in transcatheter heart valves as a result of strong customer adoption of the CoreValve Evolut R. Zacks Rank & Key Picks Medtronic currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). Better-ranked medical stocks are NxStage Medical Inc. NXTM, Baxter International Inc. BAX and Bovie Medical Corporation BVX. NxStage Medical and Baxter International sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) while Bovie Medical carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. NxStage Medical surged 22.5% over the last one year compared to the S&P 500s 6.9% over the same period. The company has a four-quarter average positive earnings surprise of 50.00%. Baxter International rallied 18.3% over one year, much higher than the S&P 500. It has a trailing four-quarter average positive earnings surprise of 27%. Bovie Medical recorded a 116.5% gain in the past one year, way better than the S&P 500. The company has a trailing four-quarter positive average earnings surprise of 28.7%. Zacks Best Private Investment Ideas In addition to the recommendations that are available to the public on our website, how would you like to follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time? Our experts cover all kinds of trades from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Starting today, for the next month, you can have unrestricted access. Click here for Zacks' private 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 MEDTRONIC (MDT): Free Stock Analysis Report BAXTER INTL (BAX): Free Stock Analysis Report NXSTAGE MEDICAL (NXTM): Free Stock Analysis Report BOVIE MEDICAL (BVX): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Writer/producer Melissa Carter has signed a multi-year overall deal with Warner Horizon Television. Under the pact, Carter will develop new scripted programming for cable and streaming services at the studio, a division of Warner Bros. TV. The overall deal extends Carters long-standing relationship with WHTV. She most recently served as an executive producer on WHTVs upcoming Freeform drama series Famous in Love, from Pretty Little Liars I. Marlene King, which is based on the novel by Rebecca Serle. Before that, Carter served as executive producer/co-showrunner alongside creator Ava DuVernay on the first season of OWNs breakout WHTV drama Queen Sugar, exec produced by Oprah Winfrey. Carter won a WGA Award in 2015 for writing the TV movie/backdoor pilot Deliverance Creek, also produced by WHTV, which aired simultaneously on Lifetime, A&E and History. Carters TV series credits also include Mistresses for ABC, Jane by Design and WHTVs The Lying Game for ABC Family, and WHTVs The Lottery for Lifetime. Carter began her career as the co-writer of the feature film Little Black Book, which starred Holly Hunter and the late Brittany Murphy. She is repped by ICM Partners. Related stories Ashley Tisdale Inks Development Deal With Warner Horizon Television Warner Horizon TV Ups Leigh London Redman To SVP Scripted Programming Brooke Karzen Upped To EVP Alternative Programming & Development At Warner Horizon TV After President-elect Donald Trump's election victory, fascism has become the fourth-most-searched word in the history of the Merriam-Webster dictionarys website and it soon could be declared its word of the year. The unusual interest in the political term comes after many critics, from celebrities to activists, have labeled the next president a fascist for his sweeping statements against Muslims, Mexicans, immigrants and women. Other words under consideration for word of the year include science, integrity, socialism, bailout, truthiness and the slang interjection w00t, in a nod to the nation's obsession with political issues this year and, apparently, expressing joy by using numbers as letters. Some social media users have sought to organize a protest against the word of the year outcome and are searching for the definition of flummadiddle, meaning nonsense, to keep fascism from being declared the winner. To become the winner, Americans would need to look up the definition of flummadiddle twice a day for the rest of the year. 'Fascism' is still our #1 lookup, Merriam Webster tweeted Tuesday. There's still time to look something else up. Guys, 2016 is so bad it made the dictionary sad, wrote one social media user in response. So what exactly is fascism? Merriam-Webster defines it as: "1 A political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition. 2 A tendency toward or actual exercise of strong autocratic or dictatorial control." Fascism isn't new to the American political landscape. It was the No. 3 most looked-up word in 2015. Trump has called women ugly and fat, vowed to deport undocumented immigrants and ban Muslims and called Mexicans rapists. But some historians have warned that linking Trump to fascism might be a dangerous distraction. Story continues The problem with fascism is that its a sort of boo word, Richard Bosworth, a professor of history at Oxford and award-winning biographer of Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, told the Guardian. If you tag somebody with it, then on the one hand youre saying that person is going to murder six million Jews and invade Russia, and on the other hand you feel rather good about using the term and so you dont engage in proper analysis. The result, Bosworth said, is you don't work out more clearly what Trump stands for, and what the contemporary United States stands for. Related Articles (Updates and rewrites with comments) MEXICO CITY, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Mexico's auto industry has not yet registered any postponements to planned investment since the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president, two leading business associations said on Thursday. Trump stirred fears of a loss of investment during the presidential campaign by threatening to tear up a joint trade deal and impose tariffs on Mexican-made goods, complaining the country was "killing" the United States on trade. The New York real estate tycoon condemned U.S. manufacturers for investing in Mexico during the campaign, accusing companies like Ford and General Motors of being unpatriotic. So far, however, Trump's threats have not hit the business in Mexico, two of the biggest industry lobbies said. "I do not know of any investments or plants that have been halted," Eduardo Solis, the president of automakers industry group AMIA told a news conference in Mexico City. "I don't know of any company that wants to leave." Oscar Albin, head of the auto parts group INA, agreed. "Of the plans that have already been set, fortunately nobody has delayed or canceled them," he said. "We have not seen any curb on the arrival of new auto parts makers or on the expansion of plants already here in Mexico." Another target of Trump's criticism, United Technologies Corp's unit Carrier, said this week it would keep jobs at its air conditioner plant in Indianapolis that the company had previously said would move to Mexico. (Reporting by Joanna Zuckerman Bernstein; Additional reporting by Enrique Andres Pretel; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Andrew Hay) A Mexican official from the city that just lost out on 1,000 jobs it expected to take from an Indiana Carrier plant says that Donald Trump is "telling the truth" when he rails against U.S. job losses . Jaime Garcia Astorga, secretary of economic development of Santa Catarina in the state of Nuevo Leon, told CNBC on Friday that "nobody" believed the president-elect was serious when he "made a lot of declarations" to voters about keeping U.S. jobs in the United States. Since Carrier agreed Thursday not to ship out some of those jobs, however, "this is a learning experience lesson for our city. This is a learning lesson for our state," said Garcia. "Mr. President Trump is telling the truth. I don't know if it is correct or not correct, but he is telling the truth," Garcia said. "And he is making the thing that he has promised." Trump flew out for an on-camera trip to a Carrier plant in Indianapolis on Thursday, where he touted a deal with Carrier parent United Technologies (UTX) to keep open a plant there rather than move those operations to Mexico. "Companies are not going to leave the United States anymore without consequences," Trump said Thursday. "Not gonna happen." United Technologies may not be suffering any real consequences, however. The company is still going to move 700 other jobs from Indiana to Mexico . And the company confirmed on Thursday that it got a multiyear, $7 million package from the state of Indiana in exchange for keeping 1,000 jobs there. Since 2000, the United States has hemorrhaged around 5 million manufacturing jobs , according to NBC News. The Carrier workers in Mexico will make $3 an hour, compared with the $20 an hour paid to their U.S. counterparts, according to Reuters. Garcia, whose city of around 260,000 people is in the Monterrey metro area, told CNBC his city "respects the internal process" in the United States, but that the government there would learn from the Carrier developments and be "prepared" for future Trump actions. Story continues CNBC's Katie Slaman contributed to this report. More From CNBC VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December 2, 2016 / Mezzi Holdings Inc. ("MEZZI", "MEZZI BRAND GROUP" or the "Company") (TSX-V: MZI, FRA: 0MZ) is pleased to announce that it has retained the services of ChicExecs for retail channel management and public relations services in the United States. ChicExecs Store Placement and Channel Management has one of the largest virtual rolodex's including a massive personalized database and maintains strategic relationships with Buyers and Merchandise Directors at every major retailer across the United States. ChicExecs PR is an "out of the box" PR company, which represents over 70 clients. ChicExecs has created an innovative approach to PR dedicated to helping brands receive major media coverage. Their revolutionary automated system is changing the face of PR. Under the terms of the agreement, ChicExecs, starting in December, will be seeking to greatly expand the distribution of MEZZI's line of smart luxury accessories into boutiques and major retailers across the US. "We're thrilled to have concluded this agreement with ChicExecs. They are a uniquely experienced group who previously built a highly successful fashtech brand and have the necessary relationships with US-based retailers to continue our rapid growth of stockists carrying MEZZI," commented Keir Reynolds, chief executive officer. Also, the Company has granted 2,000,000 incentive stock options under its stock option plan to consultants of the Company. The options are exercisable at a price of $0.07 per share for a period of five years. Further to the Company's news release dated August 25, 2016, the Company has issued 400,000 shares for services, issuance occurred at a price of $0.13. About MEZZI BRAND GROUP MEZZI Brand Group is a Vancouver-based consumer accessory brand management company. We believe that great brands are built one great product and one valued customer at a time. We have gathered a group of young talented experts ranging from accessory design, product development, marketing, branding, e-commerce, digital media and PR to build and scale our millennial-customer focused brands. A well-defined, strategic philosophy and clear mission statement promotes and protects MEZZI Brand Group's most valuable assets our brands MEZZI Smart Luxury, Capital Eyewear and MLine Cases. Story continues For further information, please contact: Mr. Keir Reynolds CEO Tel: (778) 998-9242 Email: keir@mezzi.com ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Keir Reynolds Chief Executive Officer Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws. SOURCE: Mezzi Holdings Inc. Michigan's elections board is set to consider Friday a request from the lawyers of President-elect Donald Trump that could block a recount effort in the state. Green Party candidate Jill Stein filed a hand recount of some 4.8 million Michigan ballots just before a deadline earlier this week. Trump lawyers have gone after Stein, calling her a "bottom-dwelling candidate," in their efforts to block the recount, according to the Associated Press. The Trump lawyers argued Stein, who received about 1 percent of the vote in the state, didn't have good reason to push for an recount. In her filing for the recount, Stein stated she was "aggrieved on account of fraud or mistake," a claim the Trump lawyers rejected, reported the Detroit Free Press. "Indeed, on the basis of nothing more than speculation, Stein asks that Michigan residents endure an expensive, time-consuming recount, and the scrutiny and hardship that comes with it," wrote Eric Doster, general counsel for the Michigan Republican Party, via the Free Press. The Trump lawyers also argued the recount would be hard to complete before a Dec. 13 deadline, would prove costly and is unlikely to change the results of the election. Trump won Michigan over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by the relatively slim margin of 10,704 votes. Libertarian Gary Johnson garnered 172,136 votes while Stein finished fourth with 51,463. Stein has also filed for a recounts in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Wisconsin has already begun re-tallying the votes, but Trump lawyers have moved to block the effort in Pennsylvania as they did in Michigan. "Despite being no more than a blip on the electoral radar, Stein has now commandeered Pennsylvania's electoral process, with an eye toward doing the same to the Electoral College," Trump lawyers wrote in a complaint filed in Pennsylvania Thursday. "There is no evidence -- or even an allegation -- that any tampering with Pennsylvania's voting systems actually occurred." Story continues Stein filed for the recounts amid reports of possible discrepancies with voting machines. Most observers agree, however, that the election results are very unlikely to change. Despite Clinton winning the popular vote by some 2.5 million, Trump won 306 electoral votes, comfortably over the 270 needed to clinch the presidency. Related Articles Photo credit: Amy Weasel/Facebook From Good Housekeeping Traveling on Thanksgiving can be hectic, but we all do it to be home with our loved ones for the holiday and to enjoy a delicious meal together sadly the Weasel family didn't make it home in time for their dinner after being kicked off their original flight. Amy Weasel, her husband, their 12-year-old disabled son and Chugg, his 110 pound golden doodle service dog, were traveling home on Thanksgiving Day to Evansville, Indiana after a vacation in Myrtle Beach when their travel plans were disrupted. As they were connecting in Charlotte-Douglas in North Carolina, the fourth flight on their itinerary, an American Airlines flight attendant told them that Chugg was too big too fly, even though Weasel had gotten the okay from the airline days before. "You could tell right away from her demeanor, her attitude, and her body language that she did not like animals." Weasel told Fox News Charlotte. "She said I've already contacted management and they're coming to speak with you, and the management got on the plane and told me that I needed to exit the aircraft." Weasel and her husband, along with their son who has severe epilepsy and is prone to seizures, begrudgingly exited their original flight. Afterwards, they were rerouted to St. Louis, where they had to rent a car and drive the three hours home, by which time, their Thanksgiving dinner was long over. To make matters worse, Weasel had to drive the rented car all the way back the next day. American Airlines has since issued a statement apologizing to the family. It also offered a $150 voucher, but it's clearly not about money for them. "Hopefully they will hire people that have some compassion for the disabled folks in the community," Weasel said. "And my hope is that nobody else will have to go through this." Unfortunately, this isn't the first time this has happened on American Airlines, but we hope it is the last. [ h/t Fox News + Fox News Charlotte] You Might Also Like The disappearance of a Hawaii boy who became the face of missing and abused children is back in the news now that his mother has pleaded guilty to manslaughter 19 years on. Jaylin Kema made the plea in a Hilo courtroom Thursday morning, KGMB reports. Her son, who they called Peter Boy, hasn't been seen since 1997. Watch: Man Charged With Rape and Murder of Family Friend's 1-Year-Old Daughter Mrs. Kema's plea confirms the boy, whose name and face for years appeared on bumper stickers and posters with the words "Where's Peter Boy," is dead. Kema and her husband, Peter Kema Sr., have long been suspects in their son's disappearance but prosecutors said they lacked sufficient evidence to prosecute. Four years ago, Hawaii County Prosecuting Attorney Mitch Roth reopened the cold case. The couple was indicted by a grand jury earlier this year. The Kemas initially pleaded not guilty to murder charges in April. But following her guilty plea, Mrs. Kema will now testify against her husband in his upcoming murder trial. According to prosecutors, Mrs. Kema agreed in court to facts the prosecution laid out about abuse the boy suffered and of her subsequent failure to get him medical treatment. Prosecutors say Peter Boy had an arm injury that was left untreated to fester until there was a hole so deep a finger could fit inside it, Damerville said. Investigators believe Peter Boy died from septic shock. Exactly what become of his body has not been revealed. However, those facts could come to light in April when Jaylin Kema testifies against her husband. Watch: Mother Sobs as 7-Year-Old Daughter's Murder, Rape Suspect Pleads Not Guilty At the time of his disappearance, Mr. Kema told authorities he took his son to Oahu to live with an aunt, however police say no records of such a trip were ever found, nor was the aunt. Peter Kema has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. Watch: Mom of Daughter Drugged and Killed on 10th Birthday Sought Men to Rape Her Story continues Related Articles: By Silvia Aloisi MILAN (Reuters) - Ailing Italian bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS.MI) said on Friday provisional data showed the take-up of a debt swap offer that is a crucial plank of its rescue plan exceeded 1 billion euros (0.87 billion pounds). Sources have said Italy's third biggest bank, which needs to raise 5 billion euros by year end to avert the risk of being wound down, is aiming to net between 1 billion euros and 1.5 billion euros from the conversion of subordinated bonds into shares. Final results of the swap offer will be released by Monday, the bank said in a statement. The Tuscan lender, which fared the worst in a European stress test of the sector this summer, is looking to raise the rest of the cash through a private placement to one or more anchor investors and a share sale on the market. But a referendum this Sunday that could unseat the government of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and sour market sentiment towards Italian banks has cast a pall over the privately-backed rescue scheme. The bank has so far failed to secure a firm commitment from investors ahead of the referendum, with all opinion polls predicting a defeat for Renzi before a blackout on the publication of surveys was imposed on Nov. 18. Chief Financial Officer Francesco Mele said this week the bank was hoping to win the backing of an anchor investor by Monday and sources have said Qatar Investment Authority could inject up to 1 billion euros in the bank, but wanted to wait for the outcome of the vote. A source close to the matter said on Friday a consortium of investment banks that has signed a preliminary commitment to underwrite the cash call - which is expected to start on Dec. 7 or 8 - will meet the bank's management on Monday to decide whether to go ahead with the capital raise as planned. A "no" vote could pave the way for state intervention to prop up the bank. Italy is discussing with the European Commission the terms of a state bailout that has already been requested and could be launched next week if needed, Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported on Friday. Story continues That would almost certainly entail losses for the bank's subordinated bondholders, in line with tougher European rules for dealing with bank crises that came into force this year. Corriere della Sera said Rome and the Commission were still debating to what extent retail investors who hold the bank's junior debt could be spared. The EU Commission and the Italian treasury declined to comment. (Editing by Elaine Hardcastle) More than 380,000 registered Afghan refugees have returned from Pakistan this year, the highest number since 2007, the United Nations said Friday, adding it handed out $135 million in cash assistance in the last three months alone. Fears of a crackdown on refugees in Pakistan along with a doubling of the UN's cash grant for voluntary returnees to $400 saw a surge over the border after July this year, the UN has said. "These are unprecedented numbers we did not anticipate. In October alone some 148,000 returned, which is the highest number of returns in one months (sic) since August 2005," Duniya Aslam Khan, a spokesman for UNHCR, told AFP. At one point UNHCR was processing an average of 5,500 refugees per day, she added. Estimates suggest that a further half a million unregistered refugees may also have returned this year, though the figure could not be verified by officials. The returnees face an uncertain future in an Afghanistan still torn apart by decades of war, where a record half a million people were internally displaced by the fighting in 2016, according to UN figures. The mass migrations are draining local resources, especially in safer urban areas, officials have said. UNHCR said Friday the voluntary repatriations will be halted from December 1 for a routine winter break, resuming in March. The break will also allow the agency time to mobilise additional resources, Khan said. UNHCR had estimated just 50,000 refugees would return in 2016, based on trends from previous years. Khan said some 1.34 million registered refugees still reside in Pakistan. A further half a million undocumented refugees are also estimated to still be in the country, making Pakistan one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world. Pakistan has extended a deadline for the refugees to leave its territory from March 2017 to December next year. Some Afghan refugees have been sheltering in Pakistan for decades, first fleeing over the border after the Soviet invasion of 1979. Some 4.2 million Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan voluntarily under the UNHCR-funded Voluntary Repatriation programme since 2002. Rabat (AFP) - Morocco has arrested eight men with alleged ties to the Islamic State jihadist group active in the cities of Fez and Tangiers, the interior ministry said on Friday. A rifle, ammunition "and documents inciting towards jihad" were seized during the operation on Thursday, it said in a statement. An initial investigation pointed towards the men having ties with IS in Syria and Iraq, "recruiting and sending Moroccan volunteers" there. A study by the US-based Soufan Group said last December that at least 1,200 Moroccans had travelled to fight alongside IS in Iraq and Syria in the previous 18 months. In 2011, a cafe bombing killed 17 people, mostly foreign tourists, in the central city of Marrakesh. It was the deadliest attack in Morocco since Casablanca blasts in 2003 that killed 45 people, including 12 suicide bombers, and were claimed by Islamic militants. From Delish We like taking photos of our food almost as much as we love eating it. If you feel the same way, you're probably always on the lookout for delicious-and Instagrammable-restaurant dishes to add to your bucket list. From places that serve over-the-top milkshakes to waterfront restaurants with stunning views to even, er, a Medieval Times, here are the 15 most popular restaurants this year on Instagram, based on the total number of times people geo-tagged each location in 2016. 1. Sugar Factory Meatpacking District, New York, NY This spot has a full menu, but people flock here to Instagram the over-the-top cocktails mostly. 2. Nobu Malibu, Malibu, CA It's hard to pay attention to your food when you can take photos of sunsets like this. 3. TAO Downtown, New York, NY This clubby restaurant provides plenty of fodder for your Instagram, from the giant fortune cookie you had for dessert to the (even bigger) buddha statue behind your table. 4. Katz's Delicatessen, New York, NY Most tourists go here to see where they shot that scene from When Harry Met Sally, but Instagrammers head here to get the perfect #foodporn shot of their giant pastrami sandwich. 5. Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer Meatpacking District, New York, NY These milkshakes bring all the boys Instagrammers to the yard. 6. Bottega Louie Restaurant and Gourmet Market, Los Angeles, CA From the pastel packaging to the marble countertops, everything about this restaurant makes it look like you had lunch in Paris-without actually having to fly there. 7. San Pedro Fish Market and Restaurant, San Pedro, CA Its waterfront location is a beautiful spot to take pictures, but most people prefer to share pictures of the epic seafood platters here instead. 8. LAVO, New York, NY People can't get enough of sharing their photos of a night out on the town, so it's no surprise that this Italian restaurant/nightclub made it on this list. 9. La Marina, New York, NY Location, location, location is what earned this waterfront cafe at the tip of Manhattan a spot on this list. Story continues 10. Perch, Los Angeles, CA People love sharing the view from this restaurant-located at the 15th floor of a building in Downtown L.A.-with their followers too. 11. The Abbey Food & Bar, West Hollywood, CA While most of the Instagrams of this famous gay bar in WeHo aren't exactly of food, they do serve a full menu, which earns it a place on this list. 12. Stubb's Austin, Austin, TX Get your music with a side of BBQ at this popular downtown restaurant/music venue. 13. Acme Feed & Seed, Nashville, TN Food, music and cocktails are all on the menu at this spot on Broadway, but most people prefer to 'gram the epic view from the rooftop patio. 14. Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, Buena Park, CA We wouldn't be able to resist 'gramming that turkey leg dinner/knight-in-shining-armor combo either. 15. Sugar Factory, Miami Beach, FL These restaurants are so popular that Sugar Factory nabbed two spots on this list with its Instagram-friendly cocktails. Follow Delish on Instagram. You Might Also Like By Alan Baldwin LONDON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The French Formula One Grand Prix is set to return in 2018 after a 10-year absence, the sport's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone said on Friday. "Yes, I think it will happen," the 86-year-old Briton told Reuters when asked about French media reports that a deal had been agreed to host the race at the Le Castellet circuit in southern France. Also known as the Circuit Paul Ricard after the local pastis magnate who financed it, Le Castellet last hosted a grand prix in 1990. The most recent Formula One race in France was at Magny-Cours in 2008. Ecclestone indicated that France was likely to be scheduled for a July date rather than the late August or early September slot reported in French media. "More or less sort of the German date, probably," he said, referring to a race under threat that has traditionally occupied a late July slot. Germany has been axed from the 2017 calendar due to financial reasons, despite the country having world champions in Mercedes and Nico Rosberg, but Hockenheim still has a contract to host the loss-making race in 2018. Le Castellet, which features the long Mistral straight, has been fully renovated and is now owned by Ecclestone's family trust, which will not be involved in hosting the race. "It's nothing to do with them at all. I think they are renting it to the people that are going to be the promoters," said the Briton. L'Equipe reported that a five-year deal had been agreed with the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur (PACA) region in association with the city of Toulon, department of Var and the French motorsport association (FFSA). PACA president Christian Estrosi is a an ex-mayor of Nice and also a former car and motorcycle racer who finished fourth in the 1978 French 500cc Grand Prix at Nogaro. The race's return is expected to be announced formally at a news conference scheduled for Monday in Paris. (Editing by John O'Brien) Days before the first anniversary of a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, an attack at Ohio State University this week once again led to Muslims being cast into an uncomfortable spotlight. Yet, while terrorist attacks carried out by Muslim extremists are on the rise in the Western world, statistics continue to show that assaults motivated by other causes also remain a threat. In San Bernardino a year ago on Friday, 14 people were killed and 22 seriously injured at the hands of attackers in investigators say were inspired by the Islamic State group. This week, a Somali refugee drove his car into a sidewalk full of pedestrians at Ohio State before stabbing people with a butcher knife, leaving 11 injured. Immediately, the nations largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) denounced the attack. President-elect Donald Trump, meanwhile, quickly attempted to use the incident to defend his proposals for stricter checks on refugees and even a ban on all Muslims entering the United States. ISIS is taking credit for the terrible stabbing attack at Ohio State University by a Somali refugee who should not have been in our country, Trump tweeted this week, receiving more than 100,000 Likes. The facts, however, paint a more nuanced picture about the nature of terror threats. Between 1980 and 2005, only six percent of terrorist attacks in the U.S. were committed by Muslim extremists, according to FBI data. In the years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, more lethal attacks have been carried out by non-Muslim extremists than Islamic militants, according to a report from New America, a Washington Research Center. Many more were carried out by those motivated by extreme right-wing causes. Abdul Razak Artan Photo: Kevin Stankiewicz for The Lantern/Handout via Reuters In terms of the greatest number of victims, attacks carried out by those professing an extreme Islamic ideology now top those perpetrated by right-wing terrorists. A mass shooting at an Orlando nightclub earlier this year that left 49 people dead helped fuel that trend. In Europe, there have also been a recent spate of high-profile terror attacks, notably in France, where 137 people were killed in a series of assaults in Paris in November 2015, coordinated by ISIS. Yet between 2009 and 2013, less than two percent of all terrorist attacks in European Union countries were religiously motivated, according to data from Europol. Instead, the vast majority were perpetrated by separatist organizations. Sparked by conflicts in Iraq and Syria, those numbers are on the rise. Europol data for 2015 shows that Jihadist terrorists were responsible for 17 of the 211 terrorist attacks in EU-member nations. Still, that represents only eight percent of all terrorist attacks and is far less than the 65 carried out by separatists. Related Articles By Rafael Nam and Abhirup Roy MUMBAI (Reuters) - National Stock Exchange stunned investors on Friday when its chief executive Chitra Ramkrishna quit for "personal reasons", only weeks before the country's biggest bourse is due to kick off its own initial public offering. A source familiar with NSE's operations told Reuters that Ramkrishna had clashed with some board members over the timing of the listing, saying she had favoured a slower timeline. Reuters reported in May that the timing of the IPO had caused friction with some of NSE's foreign shareholders, who alleged the exchange's management ignored them and purged their views from minutes of meetings. The exchange appointed a new chairman, Ashok Chawla, a former head of the Competition Commission of India, in May and in June said it would forge ahead with a domestic listing, reducing the tension with investors. NSE's board had accepted Ramkrishna's resignation and J. Ravichandran, who is NSE President, had been appointed interim CEO with immediate effect, while the board starts the process of finding a new CEO, the exchange said in a statement on Friday. "The Board, while accepting her request, appreciated her sterling contribution to the growth of the organisation over the long years that she had been associated with it," it added. Ramkrishna, who was not immediately available for comment, was among a group of executives who in the early 1990s started NSE as a challenger to the more established BSE Ltd, then known as Bombay Stock Exchange. The 53-year-old was appointed joint managing director of NSE in 2009 and promoted to CEO in 2013. INVESTORS STUNNED NSE is now India's largest bourse with average daily volumes of about 3.6 trillion rupees ($52.75 billion) in equity derivatives and 214 billion rupees in equities, dwarfing the volumes of its older rival. Under Ramkrishna's tenure the NSE has continued to push into the more lucrative derivatives markets, launching a trading platform for bond futures in 2014. Story continues However, it was also marked by the bitter feud with foreign shareholders over the timing of the listing and allegations that the exchange had provided unfair access to market data and trading systems - which exchange officials have long denied. A panel gathered by capital markets regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India, to look into those allegations had recommended in April the exchange needed to further examine the alleged ties. SEBI and NSE have not officially commented on the status of that internal examination. Shareholders said they were stunned by Ramkrishna's sudden resignation, and expressed concern about how it would now impact NSE's listing. The NSE has not disclosed how much money it would seek to raise. State Bank of India in July sold a 5 percent stake in the exchange NSE for 9.11 billion rupees, valuing it at 182 billion rupees. "Listing is a key event for companies and even for professionals," said Amit Jain, managing director of GTI Capital, a shareholder in NSE, who said he was shocked that Ramkrishna had decided to leave at this moment. ($1 = 68.2455 Indian rupees) (Editing by Alexander Smith) Maybe it's the Instagram effect, but it's not enough anymore for fashion retailers to just stock labels everyone has already heard of. Because now, there's so much cachet in wearing something nobody else has heard of - yet. Hence the new focus at the 16-year-old luxury fashion e-comm shopping site Net-a-Porter on emerging designers. Sarah Rutson, Vice President of Global Buying and Lisa Aiken, Retail Fashion Director, brought some of their newest discoveries to Los Angeles this week, and hosted a coming out party for them in Beverly Hills Thursday night that was attended by Rachel Zoe, Jaime King, Katie Nehra, Alana Hadid and other stylish ladies on the L.A. scene. "We want to be the headquarters of discovery," said Rutson, dressed in a ruby red sequin dress with an unfinished look by Magda Butrym, a Warsaw-based designer who was also at the party. "It's super important that Net-a-porter is supporting new designers and giving them a platform," added Rutson, who has been known to sniff out new talent on Instagram. "The reality is, you want to walk into a room and say, 'What is that, I haven't seen that before.'" Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for NET-A-PORTER Butrym, dressed in a cropped black jacket of her own design, and high-waist jeans, was visiting Los Angeles for the first time. "I love it," she said, noting the highlight of her trip was seeing Rodeo Drive, which played a key role in her favorite film, Pretty Woman. "Because of the movies, you feel like you've seen this place before." As for Butrym's 2-year-old label, she said, "We do a lot of crochet and hand embroideries but I like to mix the two worlds of romantic and punk, so it's also deconstructed with an edge." "No stone is left unturned, even in Warsaw," Rutson joked, of discovering the designer. Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for NET-A-PORTER Another label represented at the coming-out party was Attico, the lingerie lifestyle brand by Milan-based street style stars-turned-designers Gilda Ambrosio and Giorgia Tordini, who are inspired by vintage peignoirs, having seen plenty of them in classic movies. Story continues Ambrosio likes to come to L.A. to visit the vintage stores, particularly Golyester and The Way We Wore on La Brea, as well as the Rose Bowl Flea Market. "There's always inspiration from the 1940s," said the designer, dressed in a leopard-print slip dress of her own design, with a giant panther brooch pinned to the front, looking very Gloria Swanson. Net-a-porter was one of the one-year-old label's first retail accounts. Slip dresses are the best-seller. "Each style we do has a different feminine name," she explained. Maybe Gloria Swanson will be next? ROME Top Italian commercial TV network Mediaset has announced the sale to Netflix of its event mini-series Call Me Francis, which portrays Jorge Maria Bergoglios path from Jesuit priest to groundbreaking pontiff. The four-part skein is the most ambitious title destined for the international TV market so far by the broadcaster, which is owned by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Presenting the $15 -million series to the Italian press in Milan, Mediaset Chief Executive Pier Silvio Berlusconi said Netflix had acquired global rights outside Europe to Call Me Francis and would release it in 40 territories. He added that Mediaset held on to European rights, even though Netflix wanted to purchase them, in order to pursue a pan-European over-the-top platform project which it intends to carry out with other unspecified European partners in the wake of its breakup with French media company Vivendi. A European representative for Netflix did not immediately respond to a confirmation request. However, Call Me Francis is among titles listed by the Netflix media center in its first run category. Directed by Italian filmmaker Daniele Luchetti, Call Me Francis chronicles the life of Bergoglio as a young man in Buenos Aires before he finds his calling to become a Jesuit priest, and follows him as he rises through the ranks of archbishop and cardinal. Along the way, he struggles with difficult decisions under Argentinas military dictatorship, and eventually becomes the first pontiff from the Americas, in 2013. Argentinian actor Rodrigo De la Serna, who played alongside Gael Garcia Bernal in Walter Salless The Motorcycle Diaries, stars in the title role for most of the show. Chilean actor Sergio Hernandez (Gloria) plays Bergoglio in his later years. Call Me Francis, which was conceived and shot to be both a feature film and a TV series, is produced by Pietro Valsecchi for Mediasets film unit, Medusa, in collaboration with Mediasets Taodue production unit. Story continues The Call Me Francis feature film was released in December 2015 in Italian cinemas, where it opened at No. 2 and scored a robust roughly $4 million overall. Netflix has not purchased the feature film version. Mediaset will air the mini-series in Italy on its flagship Canale 5 generalist channel on Dec. 8, the popes 80th birthday. Related stories 'Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life' Ratings: Solid Start for Netflix Series 10 Things We Learned About Latin America's New TV Scene at Ventana Sur Netflix's Ted Sarandos Sticks Up for Network Neutrality Amid Repeal Concerns On Friday, press freedoms turned 250 years old. On Dec. 2, 1766, Swedens parliament passed the Freedom of the Press Act the first legislation of its kind anywhere in the world. The freedom of a nation is always proportional to its freedom of the press, Anders Chydenius, a renowned Swedish parliamentarian who helped pass the law way back in the 18th century, said at the time. But dont break out the party favors just yet. Multiple studies show a backslide in world freedoms, as duly highlighted by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As we celebrate this important landmark, the fundamental rights and freedoms the Act sets out to defend are increasingly under threat around the world, the Ministry said. A Freedom House study tracked the backslide, saying press freedoms have declined to its lowest point in 12 years in 2015 as political, criminal, and terrorist forces sought to co-opt or silence the media in their broader struggle for power. And 41 percent of the worlds population lives in a country with partly free press, while a full 46 percent live in not free media environments, the report concluded. Sweden ranked eighth in the annual Reporters Without Borders 2016 World Press Freedom Index. That doesnt mean its perfect; it fell from fifth place in 2015. And one poll found a third of journalists said they had been threatened in the line of duty. Dont tell Anders Chydenius. And as for the United States? It ranks 41st in the world for press freedom, just ahead of Burkina Faso but behind countries like South Africa, Chile, Cyprus, and Jamaica. Thats because of what Reporters Without Borders calls the governments war on whistleblowers and the fact that American journalists arent protected by federal laws that specifically guarantee their rights not to reveal sources. Swedens neighbor Finland holds the coveted No. 1 spot on the annual world index. To commemorate the anniversary and raise awareness for the troubling decline in press freedoms, the Swedish government released a (quiet) new video on Friday: Photo credit: Adam Berry/Getty Images Queen Elizabeth cast her spell on Friday when she honored Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne. The Fantastic Beasts actor , 34, was welcomed at Windsor Castle to receive his Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire award (OBE), given for his services to drama. Dapper in a black tailcoat and striped pants, he attended the ceremony with his parents and his wife Hannah. The castle will be very familiar to him. It is a short walk from Eton College, where he went to school alongside the Queens grandson, Prince William. She was asking me whether I prefer film or theater, and asked me if I enjoyed it, he told reporters of his exchange with the monarch. Im very lucky to do something I am passionate about, he added. Im very grateful to do something I love, because it is a rare thing. He called the honor extraordinary, adding, it is something that I had never thought of and it was never in my wildest imagination . . . the whole experience is incredibly humbling, and also getting to be in Windsor Castle is breathtaking, around Christmas as well with all the decorations. He also spoke about his baby daughter Iris, who was born in June. Noting that he is going to take a little break over the holidays and eat a lot of ham, he said he found it wonderful being a parent: Except does have the habit of knowing when you have a big day, like today. And she was up until four in the morning, so both my wife and I came today with matchsticks under our eyes. Other than that she is on cracking form. Nick Cannon may be feeling some type of way about Mariah Carey's romantic beach pics with Bryan Tanaka. The America's Got Talent host went to Instagram with a very curiously timed #TBT on Thursday, featuring himself holding his former wife's beach body, with the pointed caption, "#TBT This is how you do it! LOL #IkeTurnUp #WePetty." #TBT This is how you do it! LOL #IkeTurnUp #WePetty A photo posted by LORD NCREDIBLE ALMIGHTY IkeT (@nickcannon) on Dec 1, 2016 at 10:30am PST PICS: Inside Mariah Carey and Bryan Tanaka's Romantic PDA-Filled Day of Fun in the Sun Shortly after, the 36-year-old actor followed up with another beach photo of his former wife that appeared to walk back his first caption a bit. "It's all love! No hate! But damn we looked Amazing!!! Energy evolves and Frequencies change but love never dies," Cannon clarified. "@MariahCarey will always be my family and the Queen so anyone looking to divide that or spew hate, check that s**t at the door! Salute to the Queen!!!" #TBT It's all love! No hate! But damn we looked Amazing!!! Energy evolves and Frequencies change but love never dies... @MariahCarey will always be my family and the Queen so anyone looking to divide that or spew hate, check that shit at the door! Salute to the Queen!!! A photo posted by LORD NCREDIBLE ALMIGHTY IkeT (@nickcannon) on Dec 1, 2016 at 10:34am PST EXCLUSIVE: Nick Cannon Talks 'Outstanding' Feeling Expecting Another Child: 'That's What Life Is All About' Cannon and Carey have been very amicable exes, even spending part of their Thanksgiving vacation in Hawaii together, which the TV personality told ET recently was "all about the kids." "Nick has been really supportive and amazing," a source told ET last week about the nature of Carey's relationship with Cannon after her split from fiance James Packer. "They are in a great place and had a wonderful festive Thanksgiving with the kids in Honolulu and they all helped cook together." Story continues Watch the video below. Related Articles Nearly six months after Brexit, there are three big political events currently in focus that could have a global impact: Austrias upcoming presidential election, Italys upcoming vote on constitutional reform and French President Francois Hollandes recent announcement that he will not seek re-election. As concerns mount that the European Union is headed for collapse, former U.K. Independence Party Leader Nigel Farage weighed in on whether a change of course was possible toward a more unified Europe. They cant, the European Union is dying before your very eyes. Look, the most significant event thats taken place in the 60 odd years this unions been around is the Brexit vote that took place in June of this year, Farage told the FOX Business Networks Stuart Varney. According to Farage, European Union leadership did not learn from the Brexit decision and is continuing down a path of centralizing power. Now the lesson they could have learned from that was that actually, nation states want to have a bit more of a say over their own lives. So they could have concluded, lets hand back powers. Nope, theyre doing the opposite. They want to pull more and more powers to the center. I think the Eurozone is whats really going to play out in this referendum on Sunday in Italy. In a list of the top five baby boy names in Britain this year, Muhammed, the central figure of the Islamic religion, was second. When asked if this was a factor behind the British decision to leave Europe, Farage responded, I think the Brexit vote wasnt about Islam in particular. What it was about was open doors, numbers, pressure on wages. I think the debate about Islam is the one that will rage in France in their presidential election next year. Related Articles By Camillus Eboh ABUJA, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Nigeria is planning a budget of more than 7 trillion naira ($22.2 billion) next year, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said, to boost spending and help pull the economy out of its worst crisis in more than two decades. "Our entire budget for 2016 is ... just over 6 trillion naira. We will probably be moving to about 7 trillion naira in the 2017 budget," Osinbajo said during visits to manufacturers on Thursday. He said Nigeria's economy of around 90 trillion naira ($285.3 billion) needed more spending to make an impact. The West African country planned a record 6.06 trillion naira budget for 2016, but it has struggled to fund it. Nigeria is in its deepest recession in 25 years and needs to find money to make up for a shortfall in its budget this year. Its revenues from oil have plunged along as the price of crude fell and militants attacked its crude-producing heartland, the Niger Delta, cutting its output. Ratings agency Moody's forecast the Nigerian economy would expand 2.5 percent next year if it could produce 2.2 million barrels of oil per day - the level at which the government made its 2016 budget calculations. On Wednesday, Budget Minister Udoma Udo Udoma said the cabinet had approved next year's budget without providing details. The vice president told Reuters this week the president will present 2017 budget to parliament by mid-December. ($1 = 315.50 naira) (Writing by Chijioke Ohuocha, editing by Larry King) Bride groom dancing wedding When you say "I do," it's a vow to share everything with your partner: Your fears, your dreams, your home, and even your money. Deciding how to combine your finances with your partner's includes myriad practical aspects Should we get a joint bank account? How much should we save for retirement? but much of the money conversation comes down to a non-monetary factor: communication. Successful married couples make it a priority to talk about their finances and stay on the same page. In the same vein, the No. 1 thing successful couples never do is hide their money habits from each other. "Don't hide anything from your partner when it comes to your finances," says Pamela Capalad, CFP and founder of Brunch and Budget. "This includes secret stashes or big debt or a low credit score or a major tax liability. They will find out one way or another." Successful marriages start with couples putting everything on the table. "They're transparent, they're open, they're honest," Michael McNulty, a Ph.D. at The Chicago Relationship Center and Master Trainer with The Gottman Institute, told Business Insider. "There's an ongoing dialogue, people know what's coming in, what's going out. There's a strong sense of trust." As soon as they get married or ideally, before couples should show their entire hand to their partner. That means coming clean about their salaries, credit card debt, student loans, credit score, and anything else that might affect their financial future as a couple. "They should sit down and have a very open and honest discussion about their money and what they have," Pam Horack, CFP and "Your Financial Mom" at Pathfinder Planning LLC, told Business Insider. From there, it's imperative to keep the dialogue open so that both spouses feel comfortable talking about finances and bringing up related issues at any time. couple autumn walking behind Story continues This trust and openness becomes especially important when one party messes up. If one partner forgets to pay a bill or overspends on a silly purchase, they should be able to tell their spouse without fear of retaliation or judgement. No matter how big or small the transgression, the prospect of coming clean should never induce fear. "If people can't trust each other around money, more than likely, they can't trust each other about a lot of things," McNulty explains. "Money is such a basic thing in a relationship, both partners depend upon it to survive. Trust is so very important, so couples that hide things from each other around money don't do well." Understanding how your partner developed their philosophy toward money is also crucial in finding common ground and developing compromises that work for both of you. Was money tight when they were growing up? Had they been deceived about money in a prior relationship? Has handling money been an issue for them in the past? "If you get those stories back and forth, often it's easier for partners to understand one another," McNulty says. Talking about money is hard, and getting to a point of complete openness will likely require difficult conversations, but it's worthwhile to prevent financial issues from stretching into other areas of the relationship. "There is a lot of embarrassment and shame when it comes to sharing your money situation," Capalad says. "It can represent mistakes you've made in the past, decisions you regret, and take a big toll on your self worth. These are all feelings you should be able to share with your spouse and work through together." NOW WATCH: Here's how much money you need to make to live in the 7 biggest US cities More From Business Insider After an exhaustive search, three pygmy marmosets have been reunited with their family after vanishing for several days. Read: Pair Accused Of Trying to Sell Stolen Dog to Its Actual Owners for $2,500 The three tiny marmosets 10-year-old Gomez, 10-month-old Sophia, and a 4-week-old that has not yet been named were stolen out of Symbio Wildlife Park in Sydney, Australia, last weekend, according to a statement from authorities. Two men in their twenties, who were believed to have broken into the zoo overnight, were reportedly arrested on charges relating to theft the following day, after their car was found nearly 20 miles from the zoo. Inside the vehicle, authorities found the baby marmoset alive. In a statement authorities released after the rare monkeys' theft, "the younger animal is at a particularly fragile age and needs to be reunited with its mother in order to be fed." Sophia was found by police later that same evening and turned over to the zoo in "OK condition, hungry and understandably scared." The following day, Gomez was found left in a box on a veterinarian's doorstep. He was later reunited with his family at the zoo. Although the entire pygmy marmoset family was shaken up and traumatized by their disappearance, the Symbio Wildlife Park reported on Wednesday that the family is slowly reverting back to their normal selves. "Mum [is] starting to return to her usual cheeky and confident self," the zoo wrote. "Some of the other family members are still a bit shy in the presence of people, but all doing well." Read: Vindictive Squirrel Leaves City Council Member Hospitalized After He Spoke Out Against 'Aggressive' Rodents In a video released by the zoo, the returned trio could even be seen bonding with their family, and munching on their favorite treats. The exhibit continues to be closed to the public in order for the pygmy marmosets to bond and readjust to their family. Story continues Reunited, and it feels so good! Watch: Video Shows Shelter Dog's Joy as Adoptive Family Returns - but They Want Another Pooch Related Articles: The University of Nevada, Las Vegas launched an investigation this week into an instructor who claimed on Facebook that he'd turn in undocumented immigrant students to federal law enforcement. School representatives told the Las Vegas Sun in a statement Thursday they were "looking into" part-time math teacher George Buch amid backlash from staff and students at the university, which in 2015 was ranked the second most diverse campus in the United States. Buch's views went viral Thursday after a student at the university shared two Facebook screenshots of a discussion he was having with another user. Buch began by defending the term "illegal aliens" and criticizing people who come to the U.S. unlawfully because of the difficulty of legal immigration in some countries. "I've never won Powerball," he wrote. "Doesn't mean I get to rob a bank because others have millions." The second screenshot displayed another part of the two users' conversation. Buch, responding to a post offscreen, wrote "and then I would have to turn you into ICE :)," using an acronym for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "No safe spaces in my classes :)," he added. Buch may have been referring to a recent push within higher education to designate institutions as "sanctuary campuses," where administrators vow to protect undocumented immigrants against potential actions by President-elect Donald Trump. Trump has vowed to reverse President Barack Obama's executive actions aimed at protecting immigrants including the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which relieves the risk of deportation for youth and allows many college students to access in-state tuition and driver's licenses. Various organizations, including the undergraduate student government, immediately released statements condemning Buch's post. Story continues "We cant take these issues lightly any more, thats how we got here," student Caitlyn Caruso told the Las Vegas Review Journal. "We cant take discrimination and hate and allow it to thrive on our campus. We have to recognize that this sort of behavior is not new. Its been happening on campus and we cant allow it to continue." Buch apologized Thursday in a statement obtained by the UNLV Rebel Yell, saying he intended the comments to be a joke and was sorry they offended people. "I have never, nor will I ever, create a classroom of hate or intolerance," he added. Related Articles On Dec 2, we issued an updated research report on Nokia Corporation NOK. The company has witnessed remarkable revenue growth at the Nokia Technologies, Group Common and Other segments. Moreover, Nokia is actively working on improving its product portfolio. Strategic Investments We are positive on Nokia's acquisitions of Withings S.A. and Gainspeed. The company has also inking deals or pursuing acquisitions to drive growth. The company recently took over U.S.-based startup Eta Devices to improve base station energy efficiency. Also, the company has divested its HERE maps navigation unit to a consortium of German automakers. We believe that this decision to sell the unit will allow Nokia to focus on its core area of strength the wireless-network business. Opportunities Aggressive deployment of 4GLTE network across China and the rest of the world coupled with higher capital expenses related to network restructuring in India, Korea and Indonesia may create additional opportunities for the company. Rising popularity of the Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and the Voice over Wi-Fi services may further propel growth for network upgrade in the forthcoming years. Also, we are optimistic about the companys efforts to expand its product portfolio through the enhancement of its Mobile Edge Computing Application, launch of the Everything as a Service (Xaas) platform and expansion of the AirScale Radio Access Portfolio. Potential Headwinds We are concerned about the recent below-par performance of Nokias primary division the Networks unit. The company does not expect its struggling unit to show any recovery this year. Nokia expects net sales at the division to continue to fall due to softness in the wireless infrastructure market, among other headwinds. Additionally, the companys growth-through-acquisition strategy poses integration risks. Nokia has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Better-ranked stocks in this industry are Harris Corporation HRS, Juniper Networks, Inc. JNPR and Motorola Solutions, Inc. MSI. All of them carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Story continues NOKIA CP-ADR A Price NOKIA CP-ADR A Price | NOKIA CP-ADR A Quote Zacks Best Private Investment Ideas In addition to the recommendations that are available to the public on our website, how would you like to follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time? Our experts cover all kinds of trades from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Starting today, for the next month, you can have unrestricted access. Click here for Zacks' private 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 JUNIPER NETWRKS (JNPR): Free Stock Analysis Report NOKIA CP-ADR A (NOK): Free Stock Analysis Report HARRIS CORP (HRS): Free Stock Analysis Report MOTOROLA SOLUTN (MSI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. This nonprofit invented a genius coat converts into a sleeping bag to help homeless people An awesome nonprofit created a coat that doubles as a sleeping bag for homeless people and theyre employing homeless people to make them. Veronika Scott, founder of The Empowerment Plan, designed the EMPWR coat as part of a college assignment in 2010. Her professor told her to design something that filled a need. In Detroit, theres this large homeless population, and they kind of just disappear into the landscape, Scott said. I wanted to design for this whole population of people that we just dont see. The coat is waterproof, fully insulated, and with sleeves that snap together to double as a pillow. Theyre designed to keep homeless people warm, Scott said, but also to offer some dignity. Now, Scotts nonprofit employs homeless parents from the Detroit area to make and distribute the coats, paying them a livable wage and offering support and job training. With skills and paychecks under their belt, Empowerment Plan employees are able to secure permanent housing for themselves. Its awesome to see companies like this working to change the world! The post This nonprofit invented a genius coat converts into a sleeping bag to help homeless people appeared first on HelloGiggles. OSLO, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Norway's minority right-wing government made new proposals in a bid to resolve deadlocked negotiations for a 2017 fiscal budget on Friday, but the prospects of a deal remain slim, the leader of a small centrist party said. "We've received input that will lead to further meetings. There is still a greater probability that there won't be a solution," Christian Democrats leader Knut Arild Hareide told reporters. The government of the Conservatives and the Progress Party must obtain support from either the Christian Democrats or the Liberal Party by Dec. 5 to win a majority in parliament for a spending plan, or otherwise risk having to step down. (Reporting by Joachim Dagenborg, writing by Terje Solsvik, editing by Stine Jacobsen) * Attempt to relaunch budget talks ends in failure - NRK * Minority government unable to win backing for 2017 budget * Prime minister may ask for vote of confidence (Updates with report of talks ending) OSLO, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Norway's minority right-wing government failed to rekindle deadlocked negotiations over next year's budget on Friday, just two days after the previous round of talks collapsed, public broadcaster NRK reported. The government of the Conservatives and the Progress Party must obtain support from either the Christian Democrats or the Liberal Party by Monday to win a majority in parliament for a spending plan, or otherwise risks having to step down. Conservative Prime Minister Erna Solberg met with the leaders of the two centrist parties early on Friday to offer new concessions, but to no avail. With a sovereign wealth fund worth $858 billion, more than twice Norway's annual gross domestic product, the key debate is not over how much money to spend but rather how to compromise on the four parties' conflicting policy goals. There are big differences, for example, over petrol and diesel taxes, which the centrists want to raise sharply to help cut greenhouse gas emissions, while the government has only agreed to a small increase. Without support for a budget, Solberg may ask parliament for a vote of confidence, a rarely used last-ditch measure to prevent a government collapse. As early elections are not permitted under Norway's constitution, and the next vote is not due until September 2017, the Christian Democrats are seen by some analysts as a potential white knight that may help a weakened government stay in power. But if a confidence motion were to fail, it would force Solberg to resign and trigger a complex round of talks to determine whether or not the main opposition Labour Party should replace the coalition. (Reporting by Joachim Dagenborg, writing by Terje Solsvik; Editing by Mark Trevelyan) By Joseph Menn (Reuters) - The U.S. government and the private sector must cooperate to improve the security of digital networks, a U.S. presidential commission on cyber security recommended in a wide-ranging report issued on Friday. The commission created by President Barack Obama earlier this year also recommended that the president and Congress accelerate the pace at which technology is updated in the federal sector and that the president appoint an ambassador for cyber security for efforts abroad. "Technological advancement is outpacing security and will continue to do so unless we change how we approach and implement cybersecurity strategies and practices," the 100-page report said. Obama said in a statement after meeting the commission's head, his former national security adviser Tom Donilon, on Friday that his administration strongly supported the commission's "thoughtful and pragmatic" recommendations. Obama, who leaves office on Jan. 20, said he had asked the commission to brief the transition team of President-elect Donald Trump at the earliest opportunity. Among other recommendations, the report urged the United States to seek harmonized international cyber-security policies and global norms of behavior. It called for a cyber-security "nutritional label" for impartial product safety ratings, and recommended that the Justice Department and other agencies assess the law on liabilities for harm caused by insecure internet-connected devices. (Additional reporting by Ayesha Rascoe in Washington) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday said he was confident that United Nations secretary general-elect Antonio Guterres would be an effective leader of the international organization. "He has an extraordinary reputation," Obama told reporters ahead of his meeting at the White House with Guterres, a former prime minister of Portugal. Noting that Guterres had led multilateral delegations at the highest levels, Obama said he had "great confidence" that Guterres would be able to ensure that the U.N. would be able to operate efficiently and effectively when taking on issues such as climate change and the international refugee crisis. "At a time when those challenges are mounting, having an effective partner in the United Nations secretary general will be critically important," Obama said. Guterres will take over as head of the world body for five years on Jan. 1, 2017. He was Portugal's prime minister from 1995 to 2002 and U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005 to 2015. Obama and Guterres were expected to discuss cooperation between the United States and the United Nations. Guterres said he was ready to forge a relationship with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's administration. He said he was totally committed "to work closely with the United States in the present administration" and "also with the next administration." Trump, who takes office Jan. 20, has named South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who has relatively little foreign policy experience, as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. The real estate magnate's unconventional campaign prompted uncertainty about how his administration will handle international relations. Some of his campaign promises, such as building a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border and suggesting NATO partners need to pay more for their security, have raised concerns among allies. Trump was slated to meet with John Bolton, who served as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. under President George W. Bush, on Friday. Bolton, who is in the running for a cabinet position, has called for major reforms to the U.N. (Reporting by Ayesha Rascoe; Editing by James Dalgleish) President Barack Obama is considering a post-White House career in digital media, according to a report on the website Mic. Citing multiple unnamed sources, Mic reports that Obama is considering launching his own digital-media company after he leaves office next month, with possible offshoots including a series on a Netflix-style platform or a show on a comedy website. According to the site, Obama also met in Lima, Peru on the sidelines of the recent APEC summit with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to discuss the potential media venture. White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told Mic in a statement, While the president will remain actively engaged in inspiring young people and he is interested in the changing ways people consume information, he has no plans to get into the media business after he leaves office. The Mic report also cautions that the President, in regards to launching a digital-media company, has reportedly cooled on the idea of late. Obama has had an active presence in digital media during his candidacy, becoming the first sitting president to use Twitter and other forms of social media, and using platforms such as Zach Galifianakis comedy web series Between Two Ferns to promote elements of his legislative agenda, such as the Affordable Care Act. Related stories Rumors of Obama Home Purchase in Rancho Mirage Persist President Obama Chimes in on Fake News Phenomenon, Warns It Could Weaken Democracy Obama Urges Trump to Send 'Signals of Unity,' Hopes President-Elect 'Makes Things Better' The state of marijuana legalization across the United States is arguably at a crossroads. On the one hand, the judgmental prism through which society has traditionally viewed marijuana usage has become decidedly less harsh over the last few years. Whereas the drug was previously stigmatized as a gateway drug that would inevitably lead to a life of crime and heroin addition, societal acceptance of marijuana as a safe recreational drug seems to be taking hold in many regions across the country. To this point, the recent election saw four new states California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada pass laws legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. Meanwhile, the number of states that have legalized marijuana use for medical reasons now stands at 25. DONT MISS: Somehow, the NES Classic wasnt the hottest game console this Thanksgiving All that said, Donald Trump is our new President-elect and he recently picked Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions for the role of attorney general. This is an interesting development for a few reasons. Whereas President Obama urged the Federal Government to handle marijuana-related indiscretions with kid gloves, Sessions has been on the anti-weed bandwagon for a number of years and will likely be keen on curbing the societal shift towards marijuana reform. Its important to note here that marijuana still remains an illegal drug under federal law. Just this past April, Sessions during a legislative hearing said that mairjuana is dangerous and that good people dont smoke it. We need grown-ups in charge in Washington to say marijuana is not the kind of thing that ought to be legalized, Sessions added. It ought not to be minimized. It is in fact a very real danger. Whats more, Sessions blamed the growing acceptance of marijuana squarely on Obama, arguing that one of his greatest failures has been his lax treatment in comments on marijuana. Interestingly enough, with Trump set to take office next month, President Obama has seemingly opened up even more about his own personal thoughts vis a vis mary jane. Story continues During a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Obama intimated that marijuana should be treated the same way that we currently treat alcohol and tobacco, which is to say that it shouldnt be categorized as a crime under federal law. And I am not somebody who believes that legalization is a panacea. But I do believe that treating this as a public-health issue, the same way we do with cigarettes or alcohol, is the much smarter way to deal with it. And I will have the opportunity as a private citizen to describe where I think we need to go. But in light of these referenda passing, including in California, Ive already said, and as I think I mentioned on Bill Mahers show, where he asked me about the same issue, that it is untenable over the long term for the Justice Department or the DEA to be enforcing a patchwork of laws, where something thats legal in one state could get you a 20-year prison sentence in another. So this is a debate that is now ripe, much in the same way that we ended up making progress on same-sex marriage. Its worth noting that the percentage of Americans who support the legalization of marijuana now stands at 56%, a marked increase from 1979 when the percentage was 27%. Whats more, the percentage of Americans who support marijuana usage for medical use now stands at 87%. Trending right now: See the original version of this article on BGR.com (Corrects paragraph 6 to show President Obama blocked the deal) Dec 2 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama is poised to block the sale of German chip equipment maker Aixtron to China's Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund (FGC), Bloomberg reported, citing sources. Obama, on Friday, is expected to uphold the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States' (CFIUS) recommendation that Aixtron's sale to the Chinese investment fund be stopped, Bloomberg said, citing sources. http://bloom.bg/2geoLp4 Obama's office could not be reached for comment immediately by Reuters outside regular business hours. In November, Aixtron said that the CFIUS told the company it would recommend that its pending takeover by Fujian be blocked. The German firm said CFIUS, which reviews deals that may be national security risks, had told the chip equipment maker that it plans to recommend to the U.S. president that the deal be blocked due to security concerns, and that it had advised the companies to drop the deal. The last time a president blocked a deal on national security grounds was in 2012, when Obama stopped a privately owned Chinese company from building wind turbines close to a Navy military site in Oregon, due to national security concerns. The German government, in October, withdrew its approval for the deal. The deal, announced in May, valued Aixtron at 670 million euros ($715.56 million). Aixtron and Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund could not be immediately reached by Reuters for comment. ($1=0.9363 euros) (Reporting by Sangameswaran S in Bengaluru; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman) By Matthias Inverardi and Diane Bartz FRANKFURT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama blocked a Chinese investment fund from acquiring the U.S. business of German semiconductor equipment maker Aixtron (AIXGn.DE) because the deal posed a risk to American national security, the Treasury Department said on Friday. Obama's executive order barring China's Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund (FGC) from completing the acquisition of a German company with American assets was one of few such instances in which a U.S. president has blocked a transaction due to national security concerns. His action appeared to be based on concerns about China gaining access to the secrets of producing a material called gallium nitride used in military equipment. In 2012, Obama ordered Ralls Corp, owned by China's Sany Group, to sell its interest in wind farms near sensitive U.S. naval installations in Oregon. An Aixtron spokesman said the FGC deal would be called off if Obama took such action. Aixtron has said scrapping the proposed deal would mean it would have to take action to balance income and costs, including potential job cuts. The Treasury Department said Obama was blocking the deal following an assessment by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an inter-agency task force that the department leads. "The national security risk posed by the transaction relates, among other things, to the military applications of the overall technical body of knowledge and experience of Aixtron, a producer and innovator of semiconductor manufacturing equipment and technology," the department said. Gallium nitride, a powdery yellow compound used in light-emitting diodes (LED), radar, antennas and lasers, is grown using Aixtron-manufactured technology, which has in the past been sold to U.S. military equipment maker Northrop Grumman (NOC.N). The Treasury Department, in announcing the order, noted that Aixtron makes equipment for the semiconductor industry, including Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) systems used to grow crystalline layers for semiconductors, especially those based on gallium nitride. Story continues Gallium nitride technology can boost the power and sensitivity of weapons systems while cutting their cost because it needs less electricity. The technology is being used to upgrade the radars of both American and foreign-owned Patriot missile defense systems. CFIUS never gives reasons for its decisions. But sources have previously told Reuters it blocked the $3.3 billion sale of Philips' (PHG.AS) lighting business, Lumileds, to a consortium of Chinese investors last January over gallium nitride concerns. AIXTRON'S FUTURE Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters at a regular briefing on Friday that the deal was "normal commercial activity" and that China hoped the world would not interfere politically. The German Economy Ministry withdrew its approval for the deal in October and is now doing its own review of the transaction. It said the German process was independent of the U.S. scrutiny. Analysts have said Aixtron has a bleak future as a stand-alone company as it struggles with market overcapacity. Aixtron had 713 employees at the end of the third quarter, 5 percent less than a year ago. A fall in Aixtron's shares took them below Grand Chip Investment's offer price of 6.00 euros per share. The stock is hovering around a nine-month low. Bigger chipmakers such as Germany's Infineon (IFXGn.DE) and French-Italian STMicroelectronics (STM.PA) were also slightly lower, shrugging off fears of an M&A slowdown following two years of consolidation of the global semiconductor industry. (Reporting by Matthias Inverardi and Harro ten Wolde; Additional reporting by Anneli Palmen in Duesseldorf, Eric Auchard in Frankfurt, Greg Roumeliotis in New York and Michael Martina in Beijing; Editing by Jane Merriman and Will Dunham) Air cargo volume increased by 6.2% year over year in October, on top of a 5% increase posted in September, according to data reported Friday by WorldACD Market Data. While volume growth has been steady and steadily improving, revenues and yields have been dropping, although there is now a gradual flattening of revenue and yield declines. Yields, which are equal to the average price paid by customers to transport one ton a distance of one mile, rose 3% year over year in October. In January, yield fell by 16%. Volume growth from American and European carries contributed most to a month-over-month gain in yield. ALSO READ: America's Richest Cities WorldACD reported that the undisputed driver of October results was the Asia-Pacific region, particularly from goods leaving China and Taiwan. Year over year, volume growth from China came in at 12%, while Taiwanese volume growth was 9%. The WorldACD divides the world into 36 geographical markets, and among those markets exactly half are contracting and half are expanding, but the size of the expanding markets is not split evenly: "Expanding markets accounted for 77% of total business. Simply put, the 'haves' outperformed the 'have nots'." Among freight forwarders the top 20 grew less than the rest by a small margin. The Europe-to-Asia market grew by 11% year over year. Worldwide, European carriers performed best with volumes up 6.4% over the past three months. Asia-Pacific carriers ranked second with growth of 4.8%. Related Articles Over the course of 2016, the government of Slovakia made it quite clear what it considers Islams place in its country to be. Last March, far-right and populist parties emerged as winners in and of the parliamentary election. A neo-Nazi party won seats in Parliament for the first time. And the Slovak prime minister, Robert Fico, warned of the dangers of Muslims ahead of the election. In May, Fico gave an interview in which he said, Islam has no place in Slovakia The problem is not migrants coming in, rather in them changing the face of the country. In July, Slovakia took over the presidency of the EU Council, a change about which other European officials were apparently unenthusiastic given that Europe was (and is) in the throes of a refugee crisis and Slovakia sought to fight a refugee distribution scheme, saying it did not want to take any more refugees. Last month, Slovakia presented a plan to the EU of which, again, it currently presides over to allow countries to spend more money or otherwise do more to enforce external borders or deporting people, instead of taking in their share of migrants. Also, Slovakia suggested EU member states should agree to emergency measures on a voluntary basis in response to peak refugee arrivals. Slovakia, like all other Visegrad 4 countries, has refused to take in refugees and migrants from Italy and Greece despite, or perhaps because of, a record number of asylum seekers reached Italy by boat this year. And now, Slovakias government has approved a law that will, in effect, ban Islam from becoming a state religion. The legislation stated that a religion must have at least 50,000 followers to qualify for state subsidy. Per the latest census, there are about 2,000 Muslims in Slovakia, a number the governments own policies have worked to keep relatively low. The law was approved by a two-thirds majority. It was proposed by the Slovak National Party, the chairman of which said, We must do everything we can so that no mosque is built in the future. Slovakias internal politics are unlikely to change in the near future, even with 2017 regional elections. But European politics might: Malta takes over the EU Council presidency in January, and has already suggested that it will seek a mandatory relocation plan for resettling refugees and migrants throughout Europe. Including in Slovakia. Photo credit: SAMUEL KUBANI/AFP/Getty Images miley cyrus money cash dollars pop star happy Rates traders are making it rain. The rates business has been the standout performer on Wall Street in 2016, with revenue at $21 billion for the first nine months of the year, according to Coalition, up 24% from the same period. And early indications suggest total compensation will increase for the top performers. According to an annual survey by the Wall Street recruiting firm Options Group, total compensation for rates traders in the US will be up 9% from last year on average. For rates salespeople, compensation will be up 5% on average. The survey takes in the views of the top 25% of performers at the top 10 firms in each business line. They are asked what they expect to earn for 2016, which includes their base salary through 2016 and the bonus paid out in early 2017 for work through 2016. That means there are some caveats to the numbers, which take in the views of only the top performers and could be overly optimistic or pessimistic on bonus payouts. The numbers also don't reflect activity since the US election, as the survey research was conducted before Donald Trump won the presidency. Options and Treasurys traders will see the biggest bump, with Treasurys traders focused on the long end of the curve expecting a 15% jump in compensation. "Usually that seat is super hard to fill and very profitable," one rates specialist told Business Insider. "The flows are technical and large." Another senior fixed-income executive pointed out that here had been a large variance in the yields of long-dated bonds in 2016, with yields on 30-year Treasurys starting the year at 3%, dropping to 2.1%, and then rebounding to 3.1%. He said that range was "pretty enormous" and had most likely helped long-end traders. "There has been nothing like that in the last three or four years," he said. Story continues Here is the breakdown of total compensation expectations for US rates traders and salespeople from Options Group's survey: rates banker raises NOW WATCH: A penny costs 1.43 cents to make heres what the rest of US currency costs More From Business Insider Lyons is a Self-Taught Internet Marketing Professional OWINGS MILLS, MD / ACCESSWIRE / December 2, 2016 / The founders of The Link Builders, one of the world's top online management agencies, are pleased to announce that they have hired Christopher Lyons to be their new Social Media Director. To learn more about Lyons and his extensive background, please visit http://www.thelinkbuilders.com/team/chris-lyons/. As a company spokesperson noted, Lyons is a self-taught Internet marketing professional who specializes in social media marketing, brand development, lead generation, and competitive analysis. His understanding of social media and its importance to a company's success has helped earn him a reputation as a dynamic influencer when working with brands. After his studies at LaSalle University, Lyons began his career in the hospitality industry, which allowed him the chance to manage multi-million dollar venues in Las Vegas. Next, Lyons opened and managed his own restaurant in Philadelphia, where he stayed until 2010. Since that time, Lyons has worked as an independent consultant with numerous companies and business owners around the world on their digital marketing. In 2013 he founded Nextd Media Group, an online marketing agency. Through his work with his own company, Lyons became well-known for his attention to detail, his ability to recognize the importance and ever-changing landscape of social media, and how to turn good ideas into great and successful ones. As the company spokesperson noted, Lyons is a perfect fit for the hard-working team at The Link Builders. "We've experienced explosive growth in 2016 and will continue down that path into 2017 under Chris's new leadership role," the spokesperson said, adding that bringing Lyons on as Social Media Director was a strategic decision that will help the company's continuing success. The fact that The Link Builders has had such a successful year will not surprise the many clients who have worked with the company since it first opened in January 2011. Since then, they have earned a well-deserved reputation for their exceptional brand and reputation management services, all at an affordable price. Story continues "We believe our focus and success in delivering quantifiable results, setting realistic expectations, and overall customer service set us apart, as does our ability to provide help in the most sensitive and critical circumstances for individuals or brands," the spokesperson said. About The Link Builders: The Link Builders are recognized as one of the top Online Reputation Management agencies in the world. For more information, go to: http://www.thelinkbuilders.com/. SOURCE: The Link Builders In the torrent of data and media coverage about sales discounts, industry success (or lack thereof), Thanksgiving shopping activity, Black Friday results and Cyber Monday winners and losers, one fact has been lost. The battle for revenue and market share between now and Christmas is when many of the winners and losers are determined. Data from FedEx, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service show that the busiest shipping day of the year falls on December 14 or 15. This means, no matter how much e-commerce business is done between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, there is still a great deal to come. ALSO READ: America's Richest Cities When the National Retail Federation announced Thanksgiving holiday data, it made the fact clear that only a small fraction of Americans were done with their shopping: Strong deals and promotions encouraged more consumers to shop over the holiday weekend. More than 154 million consumers will shop over Thanksgiving weekend, up from 151 million shoppers in 2015. NRF's annual Thanksgiving weekend survey conducted by Prosper Insights found that 44 percent went online and 40 percent shopped in-store. Only 9 percent of consumers have finished their holiday shopping. Between now and Christmas the frenzy of sales events and discount promotions will die down somewhat, but the bloodiest hand-to-hand combat among retailers is hardly over. ALSO READ: The Richest Countries in the World One of the tactics retailers will use is deeper and deeper discounts as the chance to draw revenue shrinks as the days pass. The theory is that the need for retailers to offload inventory and drive their top lines is bad for them and good for consumers. Without any question, the consumer part of the equation is accurate. J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (JCP) is pushing discounts as high as 30% and free shipping for as little as $49. J.C. Penney net income ratios to revenue have been razor thin recently, after a number of quarters of losses. How much thinner can they get? Story continues ALSO READ: Analyst's Top Pharmaceutical Buys Offer Big Dividends and Growth Potential Sears Holdings Corp.'s (SHLD) Kmart is also discounting some items as much as 30%. Sears stores are equally aggressive, with an offer for 25% discounts for shoppers who spend over $75 on some items online only. Mighty Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) also offers a long list of shipping, credit card and discount deals. Even at its size, the retailer is not immune from the need to discount and keep or drive up its market share in a jam-packed industry. 23 days until Christmas, with every retailer clawing its way forward. Related Articles The Baltic Dry Index (Exchange: .BADI) (BDI), an indicator of the shipping rates for bulk commodities, climbed 50 percent over the course of November, but the OPEC deal to reduce oil production and other issues could prove harmful to the industry, according to experts. Earlier in the week, members of OPEC agreed to reduce oil production in order to reduce oversupply. The decision was great news for oil prices and commodity stocks, but may prove to be a big negative for the shipping tanker industry, according to Rahul Kapoor, director of Drewry Financial Research Services. "Shipping is a volume game, so higher OPEC production has supported the tanker rates over the past few years," Kapoor said. "We don't have the numbers yet, we don't know how much has been cut and we'll have to look at the compliance, but if all were to come true in terms of cuts, this would be negative for the market." Following the announcement on Wednesday that an OPEC deal would be achieved, shares in several tanker companies fell. For instance, shares in Belgium-based crude oil shipping company Euronav have fallen around 9 percent since Wednesday morning, and shares in KNOT Offshore partners are down around 2.3 percent. Despite this, rates in the shipping industry have been improving in recent months. The BDI hit an all-time low of 290 in February, but has gradually recovered due to growing demand. The index shot up from around 830 at the start of November to around 1,200 points by the start of December. This movement was driven by the capesize segment of the BDI (these are the largest ships used for transporting coal and other raw materials), explained Kapoor. "That had a pretty big move, basically the rates went up from around $5,000 (per day to hire a vessel) to all the way up to $15,000 to $18,000. That's why the move in the Baltic Dry Index looks very amplified," he told CNBC during a phone interview. Shipping rates have been recovering for the last six months as China's economy stabilized, according to Kapoor. Year-to-date, the index is up around 150 percent. Story continues "At the start of the year, we were penciling in a very, very negative demand growth from China, but demand growth has been pretty good from the last few quarters." However, problems remain for shipping and rates are still historically low, according to Zvi Schreiber, CEO of freight rate database Freightos. "Despite the recent uptick in maritime prices, overcapacity continues to impact carriers; 2016 prices were close to 50 percent lower than 2014 ocean prices," he told CNBC via email. Market consolidation, such as Moller-Maersk's announcement this week about buying the German shipping line Hamburg Sud , may not be enough to improve rates. "Acquisitions by the carriers with large enough war chests to weather the storm is inevitable but fewer ship owners doesn't mean fewer ships or less capacity. It may bring a brief respite but the underlying overcapacity has not changed and is in fact getting worse," Schreiber said. Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. More From CNBC Crude oil prices have added about $5 a barrel since Wednesday's announcement from OPEC that the cartel had reached an agreement to slice about 1.2 million barrels a day from production beginning in January. That's good news for producers, if OPEC members keep their agreement. Saudi Arabia has agreed to chop nearly half a million barrels from its current production level, while Iraq has agreed to cut 210,000 barrels, the United Arab Emirates has signed on for a reduction of 139,000 barrels, and Kuwait has agreed to cut 131,000 barrels. With the possible exception of Iraq, these are the countries that toe the Saudi Arabian line on policy. ALSO READ: America's Richest Cities What the Saudis really won were promised production caps from Iran and Russia that may or may not materialize. The win was primarily a political victory for the Saudis, who can say that they are not bearing the burden of OPEC production cuts by themselves. It is also worth noting that the OPEC agreement refers only to production, not exports. The Saudis have been shipping crude from a stockpile of near 280 million barrels and will continue to meet its market commitments from those stockpiles. Cutting production by half a million barrels a day has no short-term impact on how much oil the Saudis export. ALSO READ: The Richest Countries in the World In September, for example, Saudi Arabia's crude stocks dropped by about 2.3 million barrels, according to JODI data, and the country ended the month with 278.7 million barrels in its stockpile. Cutting production by half a million barrels a day would require 18 months to completely drain the Saudi stocks if production were cut to zero. Cutting half a million barrels a day would have reduced Saudi production from 319.5 million barrels in September to around 305 million barrels. The country exported over 234 million barrels, consumed nearly 15 million barrels and refined nearly 73 million barrels, of which about half the refined products (42.5 million barrels) are exported. Story continues ALSO READ: Analyst's Top Pharmaceutical Buys Offer Big Dividends and Growth Potential The pain for Saudi Arabia, if it comes at all, is at least a year away. Other producers, like Iraq, with a stockpile of about 8 million barrels, will feel the pain much sooner and are unlikely to suffer voluntarily. The Iraqis will simply pump more oil because they have no other choice. One final observation: as of Friday morning, the futures price for WTI crude in December 2017 was $54.15, less than $4 a barrel higher than the price of crude of delivery in January 2017. That's a healthy contango, with most of the gains coming in the first half of the year. Traders are optimistic, and as we'll see in the next couple of reports on futures and options trading, speculators are probably even more optimistic. Related Articles (Reuters) - The world's largest oil exporters agreed on Wednesday to cut output for the first time in eight years to erode a global supply overhang that has persisted for two years and halved the value of a barrel of crude. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said it would agree to limit crude oil output to a maximum of 32.5 million barrels per day (bpd) starting Jan. 1 for six months. The cut was at the low end of production of a preliminary agreement struck in Algiers in September, and reduces production from a current 33.64 million bpd. Saudi Arabia, OPEC's largest producer, has agreed to bear the lion's share of the cuts, but most member countries, including Iraq, which had initially refused to freeze its output, will limit their production. Iran, Libya and Nigeria were all given special dispensation not to join in with the reduction, as the three are still fighting to boost their exports and regain market share lost to international sanctions, or civil unrest and violence. Mohammed al-Sada, the Energy Minister for Qatar, and current OPEC President, said key non-OPEC members had agreed to cuts of 600,000 bpd, of which Russia had committed to 300,000 bpd. OPEC members on Dec. 9 will meet its non-cartel counterparts to discuss their contribution to the effort to limit output. Oil soared more than 10 percent to over $50 a barrel and its highest in a month, as investors prepared for the possibility that lower OPEC output would lead to a swifter rebalancing between global crude supply and demand. [O/R] The following are analyst comments on the OPEC announcement: SOCIETE GENERALE: "OPEC usually does not reach its production goals; compliance with agreements is never perfect - far from it. We expect actual OPEC crude output to average 33.0 Mb/d (million bpd) by February or March, for an actual cut of 0.7 Mb/d. This is 0.5 Mb/d higher than OPEC's target of 32.5 Mb/d. In other words, we expect non-compliance to be 0.5 Mb/d, which is broadly in line with historical figures, in percentage terms. Story continues "We do expect another agreement in May. OPEC will assess the market at that time, both fundamentals and prices. We are expecting somewhat higher output in the second half of next year, either formally in an adjusted target, or informally via lower compliance. Global demand is always significantly higher in the second half, an important seasonal pattern." ANZ: "The cuts will go a long way toward accelerating the drawdown in global inventories of oil in 2017. "In the short term, we expect prices to break new highs for the year (~ $53/barrel). However, how the U.S. shale oil industry reacts will dictate whether prices can be sustained above $60/bbl in 2017." GOLDMAN SACHS: "While the inclusion of non-OPEC producers makes this a bigger headline cut than was announced in Algiers, we believe that the catalysts for a further rally in prices will need to come from confirmation of participation by non-OPEC producers, evidence of compliance by OPEC producers and more clarity on what Iran has agreed to do given conflicting numbers in the official agreement. "We reiterate our view that this is a short duration cut, targeting excess inventories and not high oil prices, which would instead unleash a sharp production response both in the U.S. and in the rest of the world." MACQUARIE CAPITAL: "The OPEC agreement meets or beats the criteria we were looking for in terms of size, tenor and quality. Winners include (1) OPEC members in the short term; (2) U.S. E&Ps; (3) simple refiners, and (4) the petrochemical sector. Losers include (1) over the (short term), complex refiners and (2) U.S. natural gas prices given a likely resumption of meaningful associated gas growth. The rally in drillers and offshore is a false positive in our view and has created a good selling opportunity." ANDY BROGAN, GLOBAL OIL & GAS TRANSACTIONS LEADER, E&Y:"OPEC's decision to set up an independent governance committee shows a new focus on discipline. That approach gives me more confidence that we'll see OPEC members abide by the agreement made today. We won't know the real impact on the market until those production cuts are made, however. Until then, as with decisions made at past meetings, we expect to see short-term market gyration." TORBJRN KJUS, OIL MARKET ANALYST, DNB BANK ASA: "The OPEC communique specifies the cuts per country. This was very positive for the oil price and makes the agreement strong. There will be a monitoring committee that will follow up on the promised cuts by country. This was also very positive. The deal was also made stronger by the OPEC president's statement that secondary sources will be used to monitor the cuts. This means the published numbers will be more trustworthy. "If demand is weak and even falling, you do not give away market share to others, like you would do when the root cause for the price weakness instead is coming from the supply side, which is the story now. This is why we think compliance might be weaker this time than in 2001-02 and in 2008-09." GARETH LEWIS-DAVIES, BNP PARIBAS COMMODITIES STRATEGIST: "They've come up with an agreement with which their political credibility has been maintained and they've come up with a number. The question is the degree of compliance. "The question that was avoided was to what extent is OPEC's commitment to cut dependent on the ... 600,000 bpd (of cuts) from non-OPEC. We remain rather cautious over whether this is a cut from current levels for a cut from proposed levels for 2017 and, as a consequence, would not be real cuts." PAUL HORSNELL, HEAD OF COMMODITIES RESEARCH, STANDARD CHARTERED: "If you compare it with the case of if there hadn't been an agreement, quite clearly, it's probably at the upper end of the expectations of what was going to be possible at this particular meeting. And all in all, one of OPECs better days. "It doesnt say (the cuts are) contingent on non-OPEC. It says it's reached an understanding with key non-OPEC producers, but clearly what's involved in there is non-OPEC is supposed to do its bit. It's in nobody's interest here to be seen as collapsing this ... For what it is at the moment, it looks pretty credible." HAMZA KHAN, HEAD OF COMMODITIES STRATEGY, ING: "OPEC says all of the members have taken Indonesia's level upon themselves but they haven't. Does that mean the effective cut is 700,000 bpd? If you look at the numbers, are they adding up? That's what we're trying to figure out. "We haven't heard from the non-OPEC members and we don't know where the other 300,000 bpd will come from (aside from the 300,000 bpd which OPEC says Russia has committed to). It's a little bit strange for us. "The last two years have been full of atypical meetings but this one was unusual. They basically talked themselves into a corner; everyone started saying OPEC will cease to be a viable organization if they don't say anything, so they had to say something, but it's unclear what it means." CARSTEN FRITSCH, COMMODITY ANALYST, COMMERZBANK: "It's clear that OPEC is speaking with one voice. Non-OPEC is not very important anymore ... If the OPEC cuts are implemented, it means there will be a deficit in early 2017 as the call on OPEC oil is 33.1 million barrels per day, according to the IEA." VIKTOR NOSSEK, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH, WISDOMTREE: "The price of oil has surged today as OPEC finally acted to reduce production, implementing its first cut in eight years. However, while prices may climb further in the very near term, we expect any gains will be short-lived, with U.S. production likely to ramp up to exploit higher prices. "Put simply, OPEC has not solved the supply glut, and indeed this merely shows how much Saudi Arabia's position has weakened when it comes to its role as the price maker in oil markets. With a more stable supply side situation now the norm thanks to U.S. shale production, any further upside for the oil price from current levels is unlikely to be sustainable, but that does not mean there will not be a spike in volatility around the price." MIHIR KAPADIA, CEO AND FOUNDER OF SUN GLOBAL INVESTMENTS: "As expected, OPEC is also very keen for non-OPEC members to make a contribution of a 600,000 barrel reduction for the benefit of the oil industry. This is something that has to be respected and hopefully adhered to by the non-members as it is for the largest benefit of all - something which cannot be burdened just on OPEC. We expect oil prices to be on course toward $55 very soon which has been our forecast for end-2016 since February when it was trading at $28 per barrel." ANTHONY STARKEY, MANAGER ENERGY ANALYSIS, PLATTS ANALYTICS: "This is a drastic shift in policy for OPEC, whose key members have argued about retaining market share being more important than supporting higher oil prices. This cut is obviously going to reduce their percentage of global market share relative to non-OPEC, especially when you shift Indonesia from the OPEC column to the non-OPEC column." ROB THUMMEL, MANAGING DIRECTOR AND PORTFOLIO MANAGER, TORTOISE CAPITAL: "We feel OPEC's announcement sets the table for the energy sector bringing stability to oil prices, and OPEC is relevant again, but its compliance with the new stated production quota is key to bringing global inventory levels back in-line with historical levels. Despite OPEC's production cut, OPEC's spare capacity remains tight; therefore, low cost U.S. oil production is expected to be a critical supplier as future demand for crude oil rises." CLEMENT THIBAULT, SENIOR EDITOR, INVESTING.COM: "This deal won't solve the global oil glut in the very short term. And there are still quite a few wild cards that might trigger the cancellation of this deal at any time - including Russia and other non-OPEC countries as well as the necessity for specific measures that would monitor and guarantee the production cuts." (Reporting by Julia Payne, Sabina Zawadzki, Veronica Brown and Amanda Cooper in London and Bengaluru Commodities desk; editing by Jane Merriman, Lisa Shumaker and G Crosse) CHICAGO, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The primary clearinghouse for U.S. options trades named a new chief financial officer and chief compliance officer on Friday in a C-suite shake-up it said was aimed at improving its management culture. OCC, or the Options Clearing Corp, also said it had created a new treasurer's position and hired a CME Group Inc executive to fill it. The overhaul "strengthens the breadth and depth of experience we believe is necessary to strengthen OCC's financial management and risk governance culture," Chief Executive Officer Craig Donohue said in a statement. Donohue became OCC's executive chairman in 2014 and later took on the role of CEO, following reports in 2013 that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had criticized regulatory compliance, governance and risk management at the company. OCC said Amy Shelly, a former CFO for trading firm Optiver U.S., will replace Kimberly McGarry as its new CFO on Monday. McGarry also joined OCC in 2014, according to the company's website. Effective immediately, OCC's deputy general counsel, Joe Adamczyk, will become chief compliance officer, the statement said. He replaces Richard Wallace, who joined the company in December 2013. OCC said James Pribel, formerly CME's treasurer, would immediately fill the new position of first vice president of Treasury. Donohue was formerly a chief executive at CME. (Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing by Sandra Maler) As Kevin Johnson takes over the reins from Starbucks (SBUX) CEO Howard Schultz, he'll be stepping into a role once filled by a visionary leader who earned his reputation building an iconic brand. In an interview with CNBC's " Squawk Box ," Schultz expressed confidence in Johnson's ability to meet this challenge. Schultz said that his 56-year-old hand-selected successor is "well-equipped to take the company to the next level." "What was clear was Kevin's ability," Schultz said. "He is much better prepared to manage the global operations of the company than I am at this stage." Schultz, 63, also touted Johnson's technology experience, which Schultz expects will be able to be used to enhance the consumer experience. Johnson has led efforts to integrate mobile pay apps into Starbucks' customer experience and operations. Before joining Starbucks, he worked closely with Steve Ballmer at Microsoft (MSFT) and served as the CEO of Juniper Networks. Johnson also seems to understand that comparisons will be made between him and Schultz. "I can't try to be Howard. I'm not Howard." Johnson said, explaining that he needs to be authentic in his new role. Schultz and Johnson have a solid working relationship, forged over the last decade, and the two co-authored an "ambitious five-year plan" that will drive sales throughout the company. As part of that plan, Johnson said the company will continue to develop its in-store and digital customer experiences globally and with its licensed partners as well as work to "crack the code on lunch," a notoriously difficult venture for the company. Schultz was quick to remind investors on Friday that he will still be part of the company, just in a different capacity, and that Johnson is the ideal candidate for CEO. "He is managing the business. He's managing the team. He's setting the strategy. I'm here to help and support," Schultz said. "There should be no misunderstanding whatsoever. And Kevin Johnson is well-equipped to take the company to the next level. And that's going to be a wonderful opportunity for our shareholders." Story continues The changes will take place on April 3 and will allow Schultz, who will remain executive chairman, the time to focus on converting Starbucks' Reserve Roastery-branded coffee bars into destination restaurants. These "megastores," at 4,000 square-feet are twice the sizeof typical Starbucks and are designed to offer small-batch roastings of "rare and exotic" Reserve coffees. The company's flagship Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room opened in its home market of Seattle in 2014. The company plans to open six Roastery locations by the end of 2019. One of these large emporium stores is planned for Manhattan and another in Shanghai, with others to come in the next few years. The hope is that these locations will become destinations in their own right, rather than a place to stop while you're at the mall. This is key to future growth as more consumers shop online and visit brick-and-mortar stores less often. Schultz joined Starbucks in 1982 as director of operations and marketing when the company had only four stores. Over time, he grew it to more than 25,000 stores in 75 countries. This will not be the first time Schultz has vacated the CEO role: He had previously served as the company's chief executive from 1987 to 2000 and returned to the position in 2008. This time is different, he said. "I left right at the beginning of the cataclysmic financial crisis, and Starbucks had a very difficult time navigating through that," he said. "We did not have the quality of the team and the resources we have now." On a more personal note, Schultz of his previous departure, "I don't think I was emotionally prepared to leave the company and not meddle at that time in my life." Johnson joined the Starbucks' management team in 2015 and has served on the board since 2009. Still, news of the departure was surprising to investors, who sent shares tumbling after the market close on Thursday. Just ahead of the bell Friday, the stock was down 3.2 percent. "The negative initial perception (and stock reaction) to the leadership transition is understandable and the timing likely will raise questions," BMO said. "The transition of Howard Schultz, the visionary at the core of Starbucks' success over time, away from the CEO role is likely to create a sense of trepidation among investors, particularly given the eventual deterioration in the company's performance after he last stepped down from the position." Stifel analyst Mark Astrachan wrote in a research note Thursday, "We are not surprised that Mr. Schultz has chosen to step back from day-to-day operations and that Mr. Johnson was appointed his replacement, but we view the timing as notable given the heightened level of strategic endeavors the company currently has ongoing." More From CNBC Westfield (Gambia) (AFP) - Hundreds of Gambians poured onto the streets Friday in a spontaneous outpouring of joy as President Yahya Jammeh's 22-year rule ended, ecstatically welcoming a new political era. Minutes after it was announced that opposition candidate Adama Barrow had pulled off a stunning victory and that Jammeh would concede defeat, impromptu street parties broke out across neighbourhoods close to the capital, Banjul. In the district of Westfield, teenagers piled on top of cars, taking selfies and strumming guitars, while others waved flags coloured the grey of the opposition coalition. A hundred horns honked in unison. Although the mood was ecstatic, some Gambians expressed relief tinged with emotion as they recounted stories of difficult lives spent under constant fear during Jammeh's rule. "It is a stunning day... emancipation day for Gambians. We have had 22 years of illegal arrests and suppression from Yahya Jammeh," said Maya Darboe. Her husband, opposition leader Ousainou Darboe, was arrested in April and later convicted of holding an illegal protest after taking to the streets over the death of political activist Solo Sandeng. "They bring him to court in handcuffs. He is no criminal, he was just asking for the body of Solo Sandeng dead or alive," Mrs Darboe said, shaking her head. Darboe and many others believe that Barrow and his coalition government will bring back freedoms curtailed under Jammeh, including the release of dozens of political prisoners. "I dreamt about today," said Mamiea Jatta, a 29-year-old sporting a grey t-shirt with Barrow's face on it. "Peace will be here, we will have more freedoms, and we are expecting more development," she told AFP. In the last few years, a crackdown on journalists, opposition figures and anyone deemed disloyal within Jammeh's Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) party has intensified. Story continues Jatta's face darkened as she described operating as a political activist under Jammeh, which at one point forced her into hiding for four months. "He is a killer... He did anything he felt like doing. We are free, finally we are free," she said, raising her arms to the sky. - Party time - The gathered crowds were also surprisingly convivial to the security forces often characterised as the blunt edge of the regime the president oversaw for 22 years. Soldiers and police stood to the side as the celebrations erupted, and although their presence was unmissable several could be seen shaking hands with Barrow's supporters with smiles on their faces. For others, Jammeh's downfall meant one thing tonight. "We are going to PARTY," said a woman sporting huge sunglasses, who gave her surname as Njie. "The dictator is out, we are going to party until daybreak!" Teenager Ousman Bai, standing at a traffic junction, said he believed Barrow would do more for the young people who take the perilous route across the Mediterranean to seek a better life in Europe. "Our brothers are going the Back Way (migrant route) because of the president," he said, while fielding spontaneous hugs from his entourage. "Now we have a new Gambia!" his friend interjected, causing a long round of cheers. For those who have long monitored The Gambia's disregard for freedom of speech and political assembly, these scenes are almost surreal. "Nine months ago you would never have expected this in Gambia," said Steve Cockburn, a human rights activist with Amnesty International mixing with the crowds. "Over the last two weeks we have seen a remarkable transformation in Gambia, people have come onto the streets and spoken without fear." From ELLE Alex Katz is like the Robert De Niro of art: classic but cool, blunt but charming, and, of course, very famous. A founding father of pop art, Katz has paintings in the MoMA, Tate Modern, Pompadou...and, as of this morning, on pillows at H&M. (There are also tees, bathing suits, dresses, and tin plates.) We spoke with the 89-year-old just before his Paper magazine dinner at Art Basel Miami Beach, where purists can still buy his actual paintings for about $70,000. Barring that, we highly recommend the hoodie. Mr. Katz, were you an H&M shopper before this project? Well, they approached me first with a bunch of ideas. Then I bought some polo shirts there, and that's what sold me. They were great. And I have to say, this collection turned out even better than I thought it would. The stuff looks really sharp. Do you have any favorites? I like the tin plate because it's so retro. The girls like the pocketbooks, and I agree. I think they're a "ten." I like the orange hoodie a lot; that's right on the money. I didn't peg you for a hoodie kind of guy. It's extremely stylish. All those colors, you know, it's really sharp! And the T-shirt with [art dealer] Gavin Brown on it is a killer. Is he going to wear it? No! He's too self conscious. But just wait until the ad campaign comes out. I think he'll be in a state of shock when he sees himself on the back of a bus! It's going to be hysterical. The swimsuits are cool, too. I know people can be a little nervous about swimsuits, but have some fun with it. Believe you can hold it down. If you believe you can hold it down, you can wear it. Your portrait subjects often wear designer sunglasses or bold lipstick. Do you choose what they're wearing? Never. The people I pick [to paint] are all very stylish. With those women, most are good dressers. And if they're not good dressers they're very stylish. That's the bottom [requirement]. You know, once, a few years ago, I was doing something with a fashion magazine, and they gave me a whole bunch of clothes for people to wear in my portraits. And for that series, I would tell some of them what to wear. But then Tilda Swinton came into my studio, and listen: You couldn't tell her anything! Her clothes were better than anything I was handing out. Story continues You painted Kate Moss, too, right? I painted her for the Kate Moss Festival! Really, it was for the W Magazine issue with her on all the covers, but that's what I called it. Most of those portraits that other artists did were from photos, but she came over to my studio, and we did her with nude back and her face looking over her shoulder. How'd it go? It came out okay. I think she's sort of fabulous looking. But the thing about her is her size. She's only 5'8 or something. Her ordinariness is spectacular. If we had more time I'd done something different. But she was very professional. How was her studio visit different from Tilda Swinton's? Well, Tilda Swinton came in and starts talking about art, and culture, and all kinds of stuff. I mean, obviously, she's very well-read, incredibly intelligent, and she's funny but in kind of a dark way. She said, 'You must have had a hard time in the '60s.' Tilda Swinton was very sophisticated about art. But Kate Moss is interesting because she's sophisticated about herself. Is there anyone you want to paint who you haven't yet? Not really. It's not like a list where I want to paint movie stars. What's in front of me is what's most interesting. Have you ever intervened with a subject's wardrobe? One woman came to my studio, a long time ago, and she wore everything. Red lips, blond wig, eye shadow, brows, lashes, and I thought, "Well, that might be a lot. Aren't you supposed to do one or the other, the lip or something else?" But it was her. It was truly how she loved to look. So I said, "That's fabulous; if you want to do it, go for it." And that portrait, it went well. It was great! So I've learned not to step in. What do you think of selfies and Snapchat filters? It seems totally weird to me! I use the iPhone now for information. But with selfies, I don't know what those people are doing. It's like they believe what they see is real, even with the [filters]. And God bless them! But to me, it's not a self-portrait, it's a reality project. Maybe you don't take selfies, but you do model! You were in the J.Crew catalog and some Barneys ads, too. I like doing it! To me, it's very easy. I can figure out what [the photographer] wants and I can do it, you know? I can feel what their head is like and I can pose really easily. What are you working on now? Now I'm in the middle of painting a batch of women in clothes walking away from me. I'm on the sixth one now. And I'm getting bored, to be honest. I'll do one more maybe. You Might Also Like Panama City (AFP) - A Dutch journalist jailed in Panama on charges of defamation for reporting on alleged corruption should be freed immediately, the anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International said Friday. "The premise is that any conviction against freedom of expression is always going to be questioned by Transparency International," the Panamanian representative of the group, Carlos Gasnell, told AFP. He urged that the case against the journalist, Okke Ornstein, be heard as a civil, not criminal, matter. The chairman of Transparency International's board of directors, Jose Ugaz, on Thursday called for the "immediate release and exoneration" of Ornstein. The journalist, who manages a website called Bananama Republic, was arrested on November 15 when he arrived at Panama's airport, according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), which is also campaigning for his release. The Panamanian government says he faces up to 20 months in prison if convicted of slander and libel against four people in relation to cases started in 2011 and 2012. The IFJ says the matter concerns articles Ornstein wrote about alleged fraudulent activities by a Canadian citizen facing criminal proceedings in Panama. Panama's president, Juan Carlos Varela, has asked the head of his country's supreme court to "evaluate" Ornstein's case, while stressing that the tribunal was independent. Last April activist investor Keith Meister sent . Pandora paid no attention. In July Pandora turned down an informal offer of $15 a share from Liberty Media Corp. (LMCA), the majority owner of Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (SIRI). Now CNBC is reporting that Pandora is willing to pursue a deal with SiriusXM, according to sources. SiriusXM is reportedly interested, too, and Pandora's stock price has climbed to $12.50 on the report, up from $11.48 at Thursday's close. And while it's true that the company's share price has bounced back from its April lows of around $8 a share, one could argue that the share price gains reflect shareholders hopes that the company will be acquired. In mid-October analysts at Goldman Sachs added Pandora to the firm's prized Conviction Buy list and raised the price target from $17 to $19 a share. Shares haven't traded above $15 since December 17, 2015. ALSO READ: America's Richest Cities A week later Pandora reported third-quarter earning that were below expectations and the stock got driven down more than 3% to around $11.75. Not only that, active listener numbers had fallen and total listener hours rose just 5%. Pandora's is and has been a growth story and when growth falters so does the share price. In his April letter to Pandora's management Meister said, "Pandora increasingly competes against some of the largest, most sophisticated and well-capitalized companies in the world, many of whom do not need a music service to be a profitable business in its own right." He's talking about Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook, and privately held Spotify. None but Spotify needs its streaming music service to be a major revenue contributor. That is an awfully tough league to play in. ALSO READ: The Richest Countries in the World A SiriusXM-Pandora combination could work some new magic, but that's not a slam dunk either. The long and the short of it, though, is that Pandora needs to find a buyer and the sooner the better. Story continues In any event, Pandora traded up more than 12% in the early afternoon Friday at $12.90 in a 52-week range of $7.10 to $16.23. The consensus 12-month price target on the stock is $14.16. Related Articles Shares of music-streaming provider Pandora shot up as much as 17% Friday, after CNBC reported the company was open to discussing a sale to satellite-radio service SiriusXM. Following the CNBC report, Reuters reported that Pandora is not undertaking any new effort to find a buyer, citing an anonymous source. Thats consistent with what Pandora execs said earlier this year, after a New York Times report in February that the company was seeking to sell itself. Pandora stock was trading up nearly 10% in mid-morning trading after the initial spike. According to the CNBC, Pandora has expressed a willingness to engage in deal talks with longtime suitor SiriusXM, which is majority-owned by John Malones Liberty Media. The potential talks between the companies were in the first inning of the process, per the report, citing unidentified sources. Pandora faces numerous competitors in the music-streaming space, including Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, Google and YouTube, and iHeartRadio. Pandora was founded in 2000 as an ad-supported internet radio service that plays a stream of songs based on artist or genre, and has since rolled out an ad-free subscription offering. In September the company reached deals with the three big record labels and smaller players, and announced plans to debut an on-demand music-subscription service by the end of 2016. Activist investor Corvex Management, which is Pandoras biggest shareholder, has called for the company to seek a sale. We have become increasingly concerned that the company may be pursuing a costly and uncertain business plan, without a thorough evaluation of all shareholder value-maximizing alternatives, Corvex managing partner Keith Meister wrote in a May 2016 letter addressed to Pandora chairman Jim Feuille. Meister urged the company enlist an investment bank to evalute a sales process and to evaluate the results against other options including the risk-adjusted value of continuing to operate on a standalone basis. Story continues Related stories SiriusXM Agrees to Settlement of Up to $99 Million in Turtles Class Action Lawsuit SiriusXM Stands Out in Subscription Content Space by Bucking Trends Netflix Acquires Global Rights to Korean Nuclear Disaster Film 'Pandora' Shares of Parker-Hannifin Corporation PH rallied 3.3% at the close of trading on Dec 1, following the companys most notable acquisition to date. Encouragingly, Parker-Hannifin has had a solid run on the bourse, returning over three times the Zacks-categorized Machinery-Gen industry average of 5.1% over the last three months. The provider of motion and control technologies inked a definitive agreement to acquire air filtration systems provider CLARCOR Inc. CLC for about $4.3 billion in cash, including net debt. Headquartered in Franklin, TN, CLARCORs market value was $3.4 billion on Wednesday and Parker-Hannifins cash offer of $83 a share represents a premium of 17.8% of Clarcors closing price on Wednesday. The Transaction in Detail The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by CLARCOR's shareholders and other regulatory approvals. This deal is expected to be complete by or during the first quarter of Parker-Hannifins next fiscal year, which begins Jul 1, 2017. Also, this price reflects a premium of roughly 17.1% to CLARCORs all-time and 52-week high. Financing of the transaction will be done by using a combination of $1.5 million in cash and $3 billion in new debt. The analyst camp is divided, with the cautious expecting this funding to mar Parker-Hannifins credit rating and the others remaining bullish. Parker-Hannifin affirmed that it will be able to maintain its record of annual dividend increases, without jeopardizing its debt reduction priority in the near term.The company is bullish that it will have sufficient cash flow after the acquisition to reduce debt. In addition, no material impact is expected on its dividend payout target of 30% of net income. Filtration Portfolio Boost Marketer and manufacturer of mobile, industrial and environmental filtration products, CLARCOR has annual sales of $1.4 billion. The company is bringing a range of industrial air and liquid filtration products and technologies on the table, which will significantly bolster Parker-Hannifins filtration product suite. As a matter of fact, Parker-Hannifin and CLARCORs overlapping products and markets are expected to fortify the formers foothold in key geographies. Story continues Moreover, this acquisition will unlock fresh recurring revenue streams for Parker-Hannifins Filtration Groupas 80% of CLARCORs revenue is generated through aftermarket sales. Leveraging on CLARCORs leading brands, including Baldwin, Fuel Manager, PECOFacet, Airguard and Altair, Parker-Hannifin believes that it will be able to expand its filtration solutions. The company is bullish on the integration of CLARCOR with the filtration business which will help double sales at this unit and counter the ongoing softness in the mining as well as oil & gas markets. Parker-Hannifin has been grappling with these issues which have resulted in a precipitous decline in its revenues for the past few quarters. This is because most of CLARCORs products, including maintaining existing equipments are insulated from these downturns. Financial Gains Parker-Hannifin believes that this consolidation of the supply chains and a successful implementation of Win strategy will help it realize annual run rate cost synergies of approximately $140 million, over a span of three years after closing. Further, this acquisition is expected to generate sustained value for Parker-Hannifins shareholders, moving ahead. Post buyout, the companys filtration business is projected to generate about 20% of total revenue. Key financials of Parker-Hannifin, including cash flow, earnings per share and EBITDA margins, are likely to improve significantly right from the first year following the buyout, after adjusting for one-time costs. The high percentage of CLARCORs recurring sales in aftermarket is likely to prove conducive to Parker-Hannifins top quartile financial performance. Acquisitions: A key Growth Strategy Parker-Hannifin has been proactive in making acquisitions religiously to strengthen its core business. The company concluded major investments recently. During fiscal year 2016, the company acquired two of Germany-based equipment manufacturer Arnold Jager Holding GmbHs operating units, Jager Automobil-Technik GmbH and Jager Automotive Polska Sp. z.o.o. The acquisition has reinforced the companys position in the global sealing markets. Also, the company purchased UK-based Company President Engineering Group which was later integrated with its Instrumentation Group business. Undoubtedly, it has been benefiting from such transactions. The latest CLARCOR acquisition is the companys biggest to date and we believe that it will be a major catalyst for future growth. Upward Trending Estimate Revisions This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has a striking earnings surprise history, with an average surprise of 10.5% in the trailing four quarters, beating estimates all through. Parker-Hannifn has also been witnessing solid activity on the earnings estimate revision front. Analysts have become increasingly bullish on the company in the past couple of months, as the Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2017 earnings has trended up in the past two months, from $6.79 to $6.86, on the back of seven upward estimate revisions versus just one lower. Stocks to Consider Some better-ranked stocks in the broader sector include Applied Industrial Technologies Inc. AIT and The Middleby Corporation MIDD. Both companies carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Applied Industrial Technologies has managed to beat estimates twice in the trailing four quarters and has a positive earnings surprise of 4.9%. Middleby Corporation beat earnings in each of the trailing four quarters, resulting in an average surprise of 15.9%. Zacks Best Private Investment Ideas In addition to the recommendations that are available to the public on our website, how would you like to follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time? Our experts cover all kinds of trades from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Starting today, for the next month, you can have unrestricted access. Click here for Zacks' private 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 CLARCOR INC (CLC): Free Stock Analysis Report PARKER HANNIFIN (PH): Free Stock Analysis Report APPLD INDL TECH (AIT): Free Stock Analysis Report MIDDLEBY CORP (MIDD): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research A 14-year-old boy was arrested Wednesday and charged with allegedly fatally shooting his mother and little brother while they slept, say Pennsylvania state police. He allegedly then called 911 and tried to blame his father for the killings, allegedly saying, Why didnt he kill me? I need help, according to a criminal complaint obtained by CBS Pittsburgh. Jacob Remaley of New Stanton, Pennsylvania, has been charged as an adult with two counts of criminal homicide and two counts of first-degree murder, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE. His mother, Dana Remaley, 46, and his younger brother, Caleb Remaley, 8, were both shot once in the head, Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Stephen Limani said at a news conference Thursday. 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. After his 911 call, Remaley allegedly confessed to police that after his father left for work, he retrieved an unloaded handgun from on top of the refrigerator, loaded it and shot his mother and brother in their bedrooms. Before state troopers arrived at the scene, Remaley allegedly took the gun out of the house and was walking down the street with the weapon, Limani said. PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: Cases that Shocked America is out now. But neighbor he encountered encouraged him to discard the gun, Limani said. That neighbor did a very good job in de-escalating the situation, Limani said. The last thing we want to do is approach a 14-year-old with a firearm. Authorities are still trying to determine a motive for the alleged killings, Limani said. Its very difficult to have an answer for why, Limani said. We dont specifically have an answer for why. The only real conclusion that we could draw from some of our investigation was that he had some difference with his parents when it came to just not getting along with them well, Limani said. Remaley is awaiting arraignment, when he is expected to enter a plea. He is also expected to undergo a mental health evaluation, say authorities. It is unclear whether he has hired an attorney. Jean Byrne, a weather reporter, delivered the news in a silver dress. (Photo: RTE) People in Ireland are so frustrated with their meteorologistss wardrobe, theyve filed official complaints. Met Eireann, the Irish National Meteorological Service, received 78 complaints from members of the public between the start of 2016 and Nov. 1, according to Newstalk, which obtained the information via a Freedom of Information request. The main criticism is that the clothing the meteorologists wear is too glamorous for the weather they are describing. One can hardly believe that we are having the coldest weather at the moment by the way the female presenters are dressed. It looks so ridiculous, said one viewer. I find Met Eireann reports more glamour-orientated, said another. If people arent happy thats their prerogative, deputy head of forecasting at Met Eireann Evelyn Cusack told the Irish Examiner. If theyre not happy about how people are dressed, thats down to individual taste. Meteorologists have taken a lot of heat for their appearances recently. This past May, Liberte Chan, a meteorologist from Los Angeles-area TV station KTLA, was delivering her weather report in a sleeveless sparkly LBD when a male colleague handed her a sweater on air. You want me to put this on? asked Chan, somewhat stunned. Why, because its cold? Not exactly. Apparently viewers were commenting on her appearance; were getting a lot of emails, her co-worker put it as the cameras were still rolling. Heres what some of the emails said: She cooperatively put on the sweater, joking that it made her look like a librarian. It might have been a unique outfit choice to report on morning weather, but it was not inappropriate or revealing enough to invoke an ugly sweater issue. Her fans were not as cooperative. Can't believe @libertechan had to "cover up" a sleeveless dress. Women are attacked for being too sexy AND not sexy enough! @KTLAMorningNews (((Claudia Miles))) (@claudiamiles) May 15, 2016 @libertechan should of walked off the set when they handed you that sweater Lando (9-2) (@LtwoP) May 15, 2016 In 2015, meteorologist Kristi Gordon of British Columbias Global News read letters from a viewers who bashed her pregnant body. Story continues Nowhere on North America TV have we seen a weather reader so gross as you, your front-end looks like the Hindenburg and your rear-end looks like a brick [obscenity] house, an anonymous viewer wrote to Gordon. Buy some decent clothes and have more respect for your unborn child, another astonishingly wrote. One viewer was nice enough to give their fashion advice. Looser tops would look more professional, said a third. Why do we have a feeling if she wore looser tops, shed get complaints that she looked sloppy? Gordon maturely laughed it off, but unfortunately, attacking women for the way they choose to cover their bodies is not a laughing matter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. LOS ANGELES, CA and ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / December 2, 2016 / Perma-Fix Environmental Services, Inc. (PESI), a nuclear services company, announced today that it will be presenting at the 9th annual LD Micro Main Event on Tuesday, December 6, 2016 at 12:30-01:00 PM PT in Track 4 at the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. Dr. Louis Centofanti, Chief Executive Officer of Perma-Fix Environmental Services will be presenting, as well as meeting with investors. The LD Micro Main Event is the largest independent conference for small/microcap companies and will feature 240 presenting names. View Perma-Fix's profile here: http://www.ldmicro.com/profile/PESI News Compliments of Accesswire About Perma-Fix Environmental Services Perma-Fix Environmental Services, Inc. is a nuclear services company and leading provider of nuclear and mixed waste management services. The Company's nuclear waste services include management and treatment of radioactive and mixed waste for hospitals, research labs and institutions, federal agencies, including the Department of Energy ("DOE"), the Department of Defense ("DOD"), and the commercial nuclear industry. The Company's nuclear services group provides project management, waste management, environmental restoration, decontamination and decommissioning, and radiological protection, safety and industrial hygiene capability to our clients. The Company operates four nuclear waste treatment facilities and provides nuclear services at DOE, DOD, and commercial facilities, nationwide. For more information please visit http://www.perma-fix.com. About LD Micro LD Micro was founded in 2006 with the sole purpose of being an independent resource in the microcap space. What started out as a newsletter highlighting unique companies has transformed into an event platform hosting several influential conferences annually (Invitational, Summit, and Main Event). In 2015, LDM launched the first pure microcap index (the LDMi) to exclusively provide intraday information on the entire sector. LD will continue to provide valuable tools for the benefit of everyone in the small and microcap universe. Story continues For those interested in attending, please contact David Scher at david@ldmicro.com or visit www.ldmicro.com/events for more information. Investor Relations Contact: David K. Waldman Crescendo Communications, LLC Tel. (212) 671-1021 SOURCE: Perma-Fix Environmental Services via LD Micro Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - A petrol tanker skidded off the road and exploded in central Nigeria, killing at least 14 people on Friday, witnesses told AFP. They said eight houses were razed following the accident which happened around 8:00 am (0700GMT) in the transit town of Tegina in Niger state. "We buried 14 people including a six-month-old baby who died in the tanker explosion this morning," said Muhammad Sani who took part in the rescue operation. Eight more victims were taken to hospital with burns, two of them in "very critical condition" while eight homes were burnt in the inferno, said another resident Abdullahi Egiworo. A spokesman for Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the state confirmed the accident, but refused to give casualty figures. "We received reports of an accident involving a petrol tanker in Tegina this morning but we are still awaiting details," Bitrus Max told AFP. He said emergency officials were heading to the scene to assist in the evacuation of victims. Accidents involving petrol tankers happen frequently on Nigeria's poorly maintained roads because of speeding and disregard for traffic rules. Last month, three people were killed when a petrol tanker collided with a trailer and exploded on a road linking Nigeria's commercial hub of Lagos with the rest of the country. Several pharma companies provided pipeline and regulatory updates this week. While Nivalis NVLS plunged on disappointing data from a phase II study, Merck MRK got priority review for a couple of regulatory applications for its promising cancer treatment, Keytruda. Recap of the Weeks Most Important Stories Nivalis Plunges on Mid-Stage Study Data: Clinical-stage pharma company Nivalis lost more than half of its market cap on the failure of its investigational cystic fibrosis treatment, cavosonstat, in a mid-stage study. Following the disappointing results, Nivalis said that it will continue to investigate the therapeutic potential of cavosonstat and its GSNOR inhibitor portfolio to determine the path forward (Read more: Nivalis Cystic Fibrosis Study Misses Primary Endpoint). Priority Review for Keytruda Label Expansion: Mercks anti-PD-1 therapy, Keytruda, got priority review from the FDA for a couple of indications this week. Merck is looking to expand Keytrudas label for the treatment of patients with refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) or patients who have relapsed after three or more prior lines of therapy and for the treatment of previously treated patients with advanced microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) cancer. While a response for the cHL indication is expected on Mar 15, 2017, a response regarding the MSI-H indication should be out on Mar 8, 2017 (Read more: Merck: Keytruda's Priority Review for New Cancer Indication). Keytruda is one of the most important and promising new products in Mercks portfolio and the company is working on expanding its label into additional indications. J&J to Appeal Jury Verdict: Johnson & Johnson JNJ and DePuy announced that they intend to appeal a jury verdict returned against the companies in a federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) proceeding in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Dallas. The $1 billion plus verdict was given in the trial that consolidated six individual cases concerning DePuys ULTAMET Metal-on-Metal Articulation hip replacement. J&J and Merck are some of the better-performing pharma stocks having outperformed the Zacks categorized Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry -- while J&J and Merck gained 8.4% and 15%, respectively, year-to-date (YTD), the Zacks categorized Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry declined 8.1% during this period. J&J and Merck are both Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stocks. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. AstraZeneca Inks Deal with Bicycle Therapeutics: AstraZeneca AZN is teaming up with biotech company, Bicycle Therapeutics, for the identification and development of bicyclic peptides (Bicycles - small molecule medicines designed to overcome many of the limitations of existing drug modalities) for the treatment of respiratory, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. AstraZeneca could end up shelling out more than $1 billion under the deal including an upfront payment, future R&D funding, development, regulatory and commercialization milestone payments. The company will also pay royalties on products resulting from the collaboration. Pfizer Signs Deal with IBM Watson, Provides Pipeline Updates: Pfizer PFE and IBM Watson Health will collaborate for the use of IBM Watson's cognitive computing capabilities to speed up Pfizers immune-oncology efforts. Watson for Drug Discovery is a cloud-based offering that aims to help discover new drug targets and alternative drug indications. Pfizer also provided some pipeline updates -- the company announced positive data from a study conducted on its biosimilar version of Roches RHHBY blockbuster cancer drug, Herceptin (trastuzumab), for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (Read more: Pfizer's Herceptin Biosimilar Meets Primary Endpoint in Study). Pfizer also announced positive top-line data from a study evaluating Lyrica as adjunctive therapy in pediatric epilepsy patients (4 to 16 years of age) with partial onset seizures. Meanwhile, Pfizer and Merck KGaA announced that they got priority review from the FDA for avelumab for metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). Approval could make avelumab the first treatment to gain FDA approval for metastatic MCC, a rare and aggressive skin cancer estimated to affect about 2,500 Americans every year (Read more: Pfizer/Merck KGaA: Priority Review for Cancer Drug Avelumab). Performance Story continues Large Cap Pharmaceuticals Industry Price Index Large Cap Pharmaceuticals Industry Price Index The NYSE ARCA Pharmaceutical Index declined 1.3% over the last five trading days with Lilly declining almost 3%. Lillys shares continue to feel the impact of the solanezumab setback. We note that Lilly has underperformed the Zacks categorized Large Cap Pharmaceuticals industry with the company declining 21.7% YTD. Meanwhile, Pfizers shares were up slightly (0.1%) over the last five trading days. Over the last six months, Merck gained 7.9% while Bristol-Myers BMY declined 22.4% (See the last pharma stock roundup here: Lilly Alzheimer's Drug Fails, J&J in Acquisition Talks with ALIOF). What's Next in the Pharma World? Watch out for the usual pipeline and regulatory updates as well as deals and collaborations. Several companies including Merck and AstraZeneca will be present at the World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) hosted by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer with data on approved and pipeline cancer drugs. Where Do Zacks' Investment Ideas Come From? You are welcome to download the full, up-to-the-minute list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buy" stocks free of charge. There is no better place to start your own stock search. Plus you can access the full list of must-avoid Zacks Rank #5 "Strong Sells" and other private research. See the stocks free >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report ROCHE HLDG LTD (RHHBY): Free Stock Analysis Report ASTRAZENECA PLC (AZN): Free Stock Analysis Report BRISTOL-MYERS (BMY): Free Stock Analysis Report PFIZER INC (PFE): Free Stock Analysis Report JOHNSON & JOHNS (JNJ): Free Stock Analysis Report MERCK & CO INC (MRK): Free Stock Analysis Report NIVALIS THERAPT (NVLS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research An image depicting firefighters taking a rest from battling Tennessee's wildfires for the first time in 36 hours has gone viral. "As close as we got to seeing sleep in 36 hours," Adam Scott Momberger, of Jonesborough, wrote on Facebook as he shared the image of his comrades lying on a sidewalk. Read: Dolly Parton Pledges $1,000 Per Month to Families Who Lost Homes in Tennessee Fire The photo was taken after wildfires began in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last week. A drought in the area and strong winds helped the fire spread, and by Friday, more than 17,000 acres had been destroyed by the flames. At a press conference Friday, Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said the death toll has climbed to at least 13, including one person who appeared to die of a heart attack. Dozens more have been injured. Family members are desperately waiting for word about missing loved ones as first responders begin to search previously inaccessible areas. On Friday, Gatlinburg residents were allowed to return to the resort town for the first time since more than 14,000 people were forced to evacuate Monday. It was their first chance to survey the damage close-up, from burned-down homes to wrecked cars. Mayor Waters said that at least 1,000 buildings in the area were destroyed or severely damaged. Read: Dollywood Employee Finds Burned Bible Page With Haunting Message "I can't describe to you the feelings we have over this tragedy," he said during a news conference. Authorities believe someone is responsible for starting the fires, although it is not yet clear if it was intentionally set. "There were no natural factors," Clayton Jordan, Deputy Superintendent for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park said at a press conference. "There were no lightning strikes that could have started this. So it's very obvious that this was a human caused fire." Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are helping investigate the cause. Story continues Watch: Aspiring Weatherman Started Forest Fire So He Could Report on It Related Articles: (Reuters) - Pacific Investment Management Co (Pimco) and a top U.S. regulator have settled claims the bond manager mismarked securities in a fund formerly managed by investor Bill Gross, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources. Pimco agreed to pay about $20 million to the Securities and Exchange Commission, people familiar with the matter told the WSJ. (http://on.wsj.com/2gEr854) "Pimco is pleased to have resolved the BOND ETF matter with the SEC," a Pimco spokesman said in an email. "Accordingly, the firm has enhanced its policies and procedures relating to valuation of smaller-sized positions and performance attribution disclosure," the spokesman said. (Reporting by Sruthi Shankar in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel) Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f305059%2f2016_2f02_2f05_2f7d_2fap_09092909.46daf An Indian airline learned the hard way not to piss off a gaggle of stressed out wedding guests. A domestic flight in India had to delay its departure by 90 minutes Friday morning after a "technical glitch" resulted in overbooking passengers, blocking some of the roughly 80 wedding goers from getting on the flight. Guests who had boarded the plane and refused to leave their fellow revelers behind caused an unruly scene that forced law enforcement to respond. Jet Airways flight 9W7 083 (S2 4621) scheduled to leave Mumbai at 6 a.m. local time to Bhopal ran into an unexpected issue: More passengers than the plane could accommodate showed up at the airport, the company told Mashable India in a statement. SEE ALSO: Indian plane takes off without tyre but lands safely The wedding goers on the flight, as seen in video footage, disrupted crew members, preventing the plane from shutting the door and taking off without the rest of the gang. Things soured even more when wedding guests aboard the flight tried to offer money to other passengers to give up their seats for their friends. Some likened the compensation to bribery. And when the airline tried to compensate those who couldn't get on the flight, the wedding guests delayed the flight even further. "The offloaded guests - part of a larger group, refused to accept the airlines offer of compensation / re-accommodation on alternative flights, and together with other members of the group, proceeded to hold the flight," Jet Airways told Mashable India. In the meantime, people onboard demanded the crew to sic security on the wedding goers. Some angry passengers reportedly murmured that the wedding party was "hijacking" the plane. "This led to an unruly situation, necessitating the intervention of law enforcement officials, causing the flight to be delayed by 90 minutes and inconveniencing other guests who were already on board the aircraft," the airline added. At the end, Jet Airways compensated people who couldnt board. The technical glitch has been "corrected for subsequent bookings," the airlines said. Warsaw (AFP) - Polish lawmakers on Friday voted to amend the freedom of assembly law to give preference to rallies organised by religious and state institutions over citizen initiatives, sparking human rights concerns at home and abroad. The conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party introduced the amendment after a year in power, a period marked by several large anti-government protests staged by the liberal opposition and pro-democracy activists. "Priority is given to assemblies organised by public authorities as well as assemblies held as part of church activity," reads the amendment passed by the lower house of parliament, which still needs approval from the senate and the president. It would allow authorities to prohibit citizens from holding a demonstration if the Catholic Church or the state decides to organise its own rally at the same time and place. Cyclical rallies that take place several times a year or annually on national holidays would also take precedence over citizen initiatives. Permission to stage rallies up to now has been handed out on a first come, first serve basis. Interior Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said the amendment will prevent "confrontations between rival demonstrators," since two rallies will no longer be able to take place at the same location. But critics said the amendment will only restrict fundamental rights. This is "an attempt to silence Poles who are not happy with the government," said Dorota Oko, spokeswoman for the leftist extra-parliamentary party Razem, in a statement quoted by the Gazeta Wyborcza daily. Poland's human rights commissioner Adam Bodnar said the amendment violates the constitution, while his European counterpart Nils Muiznieks said he was "very concerned". "These amendments would restrict unnecessarily and in a disproportionate way the possibility for a large part of the population to enjoy their human right to freedom of assembly," said Muiznieks, human rights commissioner for the Council of Europe. He also urged Polish authorities "to slow down the legislative process on matters affecting... human rights". The PiS had earlier adopted policies giving the government more control over the media and other institutions while weakening the constitutional court. trump park WASHINGTON As the world adjusts to America's newest commander in chief, uncertainties about what policies President-elect Donald Trump will pursue toward North Korea in particular remain. "Trying to predict President Trump's policy toward Asia, or any global region for that matter, is difficult if not impossible," Bruce Klingner, the senior research fellow of Northeast Asia at the Heritage Foundation, told Business Insider. "We are in uncharted territory because Trump has not articulated an Asian policy nor does he even have an identifiable cadre of Asian advisers," Klingner added. Echoing that sentiment, David Straub, a former State Department Korea director who is now the associate director of the Korea Program at Stanford University, told Business Insider that Trump knew "next to nothing" about the region. "He didn't say very much about North Korea during the campaign, and what he did say was incoherent," Straub told Business Insider. In one instance on the campaign trail, Trump said he would hold a summit with the North's reckless leader, Kim Jong Un, over hamburgers. "It's clear he knows next to nothing about the area and the problems there, and it will take him and his administration a long time to get up to speed," Straub said. trump foreign policy speech "I can't see Trump negotiating a denuclearization agreement with North Korea," Jeffrey Lewis, the director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the California-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies, told Business Insider. "And after Libya and what I anticipate will be the collapse of the agreement with Iran, I don't see any appetite in North Korea either." Trump also said he would remove US troops from host nations throughout Asia and Europe if these countries did not pay their share of the costs. Story continues Straub added that Trump should focus on North Korean threats instead of "complaining about how much our allies South Korea and Japan are paying for the upkeep of US forces in their country." "The fact is that they already pay a great deal of those costs, and that it would cost more to move them to the US than keep them where they are, not to mention the fact that strategic stability in Northeast Asia is very much in US interests as well as in the interests of our allies," Straub said. 'Bewilderment' and 'uncertainty' will be the keywords for the assessing the 2016 presidential election and the path ahead. Regarding China, Pyongyang's closest ally and the region's most powerful nation, Trump has said he will pressure Chinese President Xi Jinping to address North Korea's nuclear ambitions. "Given Trump's statements on trade policy with China, it is difficult to imagine how he can get China to do what he wants," Eric Gomez, a policy analyst for defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, told Business Insider. "Despite the instability North Korea causes, Beijing is willing to keep supporting it so long as it can be a hedge against US military power in the region. China probably has the best chance of pressuring North Korea on the nuclear weapons issue, but right now it's difficult to see how Trump would get Beijing to change its current position," Gomez added. Similarly, Melik Kaylan, a coauthor of "The Russia-China Axis," says Trump will most likely be unable to adjust Beijing's stance. Xi Jinping "China uses North Korea as a lever to distract its regional rivals," Kaylan said. "If Trump is true to his words, he will try to confront China on a series of issues. China will play the North Korea card." "Trump will ultimately fall back on the alliances as they exist," Kaylan added. Straub notes that Trump may even follow the same policy carried out by President Barack Obama when dealing with North Korea. "If Trump is guided by our government experts and institutions, he will eventually follow roughly the same policy as President Obama, i.e., ratchet up US and international pressure on North Korea to give up nuclear weapons each time it commits a provocation, at the same time bolstering our missile and other defenses against the North and preparing for all manner of contingencies," Straub said. And while the current administration has slapped Pyongyang with several rounds of heavy sanctions, the Hermit Kingdom's brazen rocket launches and nuclear detonations continue. A timeline of North Korea's missile tests so far in 2016 "This year, Pyongyang successfully conducted two nuclear tests, an intercontinental ballistic missile test, breakthrough successes with its road-mobile intermediate-range missile and submarine-launched ballistic missile, reentry vehicle technology, a new solid-fuel rocket engine, and an improved liquid-fuel ICBM engine," Klingner told Business Insider in a previous interview. This year alone, Kim has carried out 25 ballistic-missile tests and two nuclear tests. What's more, during one week in October the North launched what are thought to be two Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missiles one on October 15 and another on October 19. "This twice-in-a-week stuff also suggests that they must have an inventory of these things that they're willing and able to expend to advance the program," Thomas Karako, the director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Business Insider in a previous interview. kju Hours after the two missile tests, US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter met with South Korea's minister of defense, Han Min Koo, at the Pentagon. "Make no mistake: Any attack on America or our allies will not only be defeated, but any use of nuclear weapons will be met with an overwhelming and effective response," Carter said during the news conference. "The United States remains committed to defending our allies against any threat with the full spectrum of American military might," Carter added. One step taken to further defend the region amid the North's missile tests is the formal agreement to equip Seoul with THAAD, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system. We spent a day with THAAD read more about how this system works Negotiations to deploy a THAAD battery to South Korea have been ongoing since President Park Geun-Hye visited the White House in October of last year. And despite the recent scandal over Park's murky relationship with a family friend, which could result in her impeachment or resignation, US commitment to deploy THAAD to the region "continues forward." "Our THAAD deployment continues," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told Business Insider during a press briefing on Tuesday. "The effort to do that as quickly as possible continues forward, and I am not aware of any plans to alter that at this point." missile defense THAAD Earlier this week, Park announced in a brief televised speech that she was willing to leave office early and have parliament decide her fate. If Park is unseated, an election must be held within 60 days to find her successor. "I don't think THAAD deployment will change unless a new administration in South Korea even a progressive one thinks little of providing for the country's national defense," Victor Cha, a senior adviser and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Business Insider. In November, US Army Gen. Vincent Brooks, the commander of US Forces Korea, said deployment was scheduled in eight to 10 months. Pentagon on THAAD deployment: 'We want to do this as quickly as possible' Looking to the future, experts agree that Trump's policies will not be known for many months after he transitions to the country's highest office. "North Korea will of course seek to use that time to its own advantage, which will not be to ours," Straub said. "'Bewilderment' and 'uncertainty' will be the keywords for the assessing the 2016 presidential election and the path ahead," Klingner said. NOW WATCH: Meet THAAD: Americas answer to North Korean threats More From Business Insider Dec 2 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in the Wall Street Journal. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. - President-elect Donald Trump has tapped retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis to become secretary of defense-a choice that requires Congress to pass a special law for the recently retired military officer to take up the Pentagon's top post. http://on.wsj.com/2fM5XBp - The worst bond rout in three years deepened Thursday, hammering debt issued in emerging markets and many U.S. states and cities, while sparing large companies the brunt of the impact. http://on.wsj.com/2gGafqD - Howard Schultz is stepping down as chief executive of Starbucks Corp to lead an effort at the company to build high-end coffee shops that will charge as much as $12 a cup, his next attempt to revolutionize the way Americans consume coffee. http://on.wsj.com/2h05yM1 - Vice President-elect Mike Pence said Thursday that the incoming Trump administration is planning a burst of activity that would take aim at the gridlock in Washington, pressing forward with its goals to overhaul the tax code, health care and immigration laws. http://on.wsj.com/2geJtoS - Chief Executive of United Technologies Corp Greg Hayes' pilgrimage to Trump Tower ended roughly two weeks of intensive talks between representatives of Vice President-elect Pence and United Technologies. Under the deal, the company will get $7 million over 10 years to keep jobs in Indiana. http://on.wsj.com/2fW1UkA - Investigators probing the missing billions at Malaysia's 1MDB state development fund believe two former officials of the Abu Dhabi sovereign-wealth fund IPIC played a central role in the alleged global fraud. http://on.wsj.com/2geJKYS (Compiled by Aurindom Mukherjee in Bengaluru) Dec 2 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the New York Times business pages. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. - President-elect Donald Trump said he chose James Mattis, a hard-charging retired general who led a Marine division to Baghdad during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, to serve as his secretary of defense. http://nyti.ms/2gtd6FI - Three months after one of its rockets exploded on a launchpad, SpaceX hopes to resume launching in a couple of weeks. Iridium Communications, which provides communications services through a constellation of over 60 satellites, said it was aiming to launch the first batch of its next-generation satellites on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Dec. 16. http://nyti.ms/2gtdZhw - Howard Schultz, the visionary leader of Starbucks , said on he would step down as chief executive next year. He will be succeeded by his close friend Kevin Johnson, the company's current president and a longtime Starbucks board member. Schultz has made Starbucks a vocal part of the national conversation on issues like gun violence, gay rights, race relations, veterans rights and student debt. http://nyti.ms/2gt1Ity - The governor of Mexico's central bank, Agustin Carstens, said he would leave his position next July, adding to the uncertainty that has rattled the country's economy since the election U.S. election. He will leave the Bank of Mexico to lead the Bank for International Settlements, a financial institution based in Basel, Switzerland. http://nyti.ms/2gt7afW (Compiled by Sangameswaran S in Bengaluru) (This version of the December 1 story corrects to show that lawyer did not phone the pizzeria) By Marja Novak SEVNICA, Slovenia (Reuters) - When Donald Trump was elected president of the United States last month, the Pizzeria Rondo in Sevnica created a cake named after his wife Melania, who grew up in the Slovenian town. Mascarpone enriched with strawberry mousse with small candies of gold and silver color on top. The pizzeria also offered a burger called Trump, notable for the spicy pepperoni it featured. But after a public warning earlier this week from a lawyer representing Melania Trump, who said that using Melania's name and photo without her consent is not allowed, the burger has changed its name to the Presidential Burger. Lawyer Natasa Pirc Musar's office issued a statement saying that the names Trump or Melania Trump are protected trademarks. "Using a photograph for commercial purposes is not allowed without a consent of the person on the photo," Musar said. Jars of locally-made honey with Melania's picture have disappeared from shop shelves in the past few days. The cakes are sticking with the label for now on the grounds that they only use her first name. "After consulting Mrs. Trump we only warned the public that there are borders...but we did not send concrete warnings or call anyone specifically," Musar told Reuters. The legal intervention may have dampened immediate hopes in this town of 4,500 people that it can benefit from its link to international celebrity and political power, although some are optimistic that it will in due course. Sevnica lies on the banks of the River Sava amid forest-covered hills. Local products include honey, wine, and fittingly, shoes and lingerie. Melania was born in a hospital in Novo Mesto in 1970, when Slovenia was part of the former Yugoslavia, to car dealer Viktor Knavs and his wife Amalija and she was raised in Sevnica. She started modeling at the age of 16, then pursued a career in Paris and Milan before moving to New York in 1996. She married Trump in a lavish wedding in Florida in 2005 and will become first lady of the United States on Jan. 20, 2017 -- only the second to have been born outside the country. At a roundabout leading into Sevnica, a local newspaper has put up a giant poster featuring Melania Trump's picture and the greeting: "Welcome to the hometown of the First Lady of the USA". But since the burger and honey flap, there's not a lot more evidence of its illustrious connections. EDIBLE GOLD Mojca Pernovsek, head of local tourism bureau KSTM, told Reuters the number of visitors may have gone up by about 5 to 10 percent this year but she expects more will come from next spring, when a new tourist season starts. "Sevnica gained recognition and I believe sooner or later this will show in economic growth, in higher number of guests in local restaurants, purchases of local products and souvenirs," Pernovsek said. However, the bureau has no plans to sell tours that would show visitors Melania's former home. "We are offering tours of the city, which has a lot to show, starting with the castle, but we would not use Melania's name without her consent," Pernovsek said. The dedicated Melania fan is still able to track down some delights. The coffee shop Julija was selling a cake carrying Melanias name, made of white chocolate and covered with edible gold. In a restaurant in Zavratec, about 13 km from Sevnica, tourists can also try a special menu with trout called Melania. On a hill above Sevnica, a cottage was selling Melania pancakes which include vanilla cream, blueberries, and yet more edible golden dust. "I was told that it is not prohibited to use the name Melania since it does not come along with the name Trump," cottage manager Franc Krasovec told Reuters. "So far we did not get many tourists but we expect more when the weather improves," Krasovec said. (Reporting by Marja Novak in Sevnica, Editing by Angus MacSwan) London (AFP) - Prime Minister Theresa May suffered a rebuke on Friday over her plans for Brexit after voters in the London suburb of Richmond ousted a eurosceptic lawmaker in favour of a pro-European candidate. In a stunning upset, Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney defeated Zac Goldsmith, who had held the seat for May's Conservative party since 2010, in a battle that became a mini-referendum on Brexit. "Our message is clear: we do not want a hard Brexit," Olney said as she became her party's ninth MP with 49.68 percent of the vote, compared to 45.15 percent for Goldsmith. "We do not want to be pulled out of the single market, and we will not let intolerance, division and fear win." Goldsmith had resigned in protest at the government's decision to back a new runway at London's Heathrow airport, prompting a by-election in which he stood as an independent, although with Conservative support. The Lib Dems, who had previously held the seat, sensed an opportunity to win it back by focusing on Goldsmith's support for Brexit, which was at odds with most of his constituents. Flooding the area with campaigners, they highlighted their demands for Britain to stay in the single market and for a second referendum on the final terms of Brexit. "That message has been resoundingly backed by the people of Richmond Park," said party leader Tim Farron. - 'Doesn't change anything' - The result was seized upon by the European Parliament's lead Brexit negotiator, Guy Verhofstadt, a Liberal, who tweeted: "Europe is watching and we are proud." Eurosceptic Conservative lawmaker Iain Duncan Smith told the Daily Telegraph newspaper that the MEP should "mind his own bloody business". The Conservative party did not field a candidate in Thursday's by-election and offered its "commiserations" to Goldsmith, who had been re-elected only last year with a 23,000 majority. Story continues But a spokesman said: "This result doesn't change anything. "The government remains committed to leaving the European Union and triggering Article 50 (beginning the formal exit process) by the end of March next year." Visibly downcast, Goldsmith acknowledged the result with a brief statement that defended his decision to resign over Heathrow's expansion, which is strongly opposed in west London due to noise and pollution concerns. But the importance of Brexit was highlighted by the endorsement of his campaign by the UK Independence Party (UKIP), a leading force in securing the vote to quit the European Union in the June referendum. Some 52 percent of Britons nationwide voted to leave, while 69 percent of voters in Richmond Park opted to stay in. The defeat caps a tough year for Goldsmith, an environmental campaigner and son of the late tycoon financier Jimmy Goldsmith, who founded the now defunct anti-European Referendum Party. The 41-year-old lost his bid to become mayor of London in May in a bitter and divisive campaign that saw his party try to paint Labour's Muslim candidate Sadiq Khan as an extremist. - 'Real opposition' - The result reduces the government's already slim majority in the House of Commons to 13, which could become a problem if the decision to trigger Brexit is put to parliament. May is currently appealing a High Court ruling that she must secure lawmakers' approval before triggering Article 50, which she has told EU leaders she will do by the end of March. The turnout was unusually high for a by-election, at 53.6 percent. Olney, 39, is a newcomer to politics -- an accountant who joined the Lib Dems only in May 2015. But her victory is a huge boost for the party, which was almost destroyed in last year's general election after five years in coalition government with the Conservatives. "The message is clear: the Liberal Democrats are back and we are carrying the torch for all of those who want a real opposition to this Conservative Brexit government," Farron said. Professor Watchlist In late November, a website called "Professor Watchlist" launched with the mission to " expose and document" college professors the website claims "discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom." Created by a nonprofit organization called Turning Point USA, the site currently has more than 100 professors listed, and includes their photographs and a brief description of the reason why they are included on the list. George Yancy, a professor of Philosophy at Emory University, is one such professor the website has included on its list. A screenshot from Professor Watchlist Yancy hit back at the site in an op-ed in The New York Times titled "I Am a Dangerous Professor," taking particular aim at the intimidation tactics he says the site employs. "The new 'watchlist' is essentially a new species of McCarthyism, especially in terms of its overtones of 'disloyalty' to the American republic," Yancy wrote. "And it is reminiscent of Cointelpro, the secret F.B.I. program that spied on, infiltrated and discredited American political organizations in the '50s and '60s. Its goal of 'outing' professors for their views helps to create the appearance of something secretly subversive. It is a form of exposure designed to mark, shame and silence," he continued. It's criticism that other professors echo. "This is an ugly attempt to shut down free academic inquiry for teachers and students alike," Richard D. Wolff, who used to teach economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, told The Boston Globe. Wolff is also listed on the website, which erroneously says he is a current professor at UMass Amherst. Turning Point USA, the company which launched the watchlist, was founded by 22-year-old Charlie Kirk, who has previously struck out at the culture on college campuses. Story continues "It's no secret that some of America's college professors are totally out of line," he wrote online. "Every day I hear stories about professors who attack and target conservatives, promote liberal propaganda, and use their position of power to advance liberal agendas in their classroom." Some professors are urging the academic community to speak out against the watchlist without overreacting to its perceived threat, The New York Times reported. "In the past, I have taken the position that we ignore such challenges to free speech and the hate mail that usually accompanies it, but no longer," Joan Neuberger, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, told the Times. "Now I say we fight as hard as we can against people who don't care about accuracy, who can't recognize fake news and who seek to monitor what we do as educators." NOW WATCH: Heres the difference between a button-up and a button-down shirt More From Business Insider College educators included on a recently published Professor Watchlistwhich accuses them of discriminating against conservative studentsare criticizing the list as harmful to academic values. The list, which was compiled by conservative group Turning Point USA and launched online on Nov. 21, includes professors who discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom, according to the criteria on the site. I think a lot of professors are both upset about this, and some actually wear it as a badge of honor because it means Im doing something right in helping my students to critically think about issues, said University of Pennsylvania professor Anthea Butler, who was included on the list. Its obviously an attempt to silence people. What this does is it makes it seem like youre some kind of professor who doesnt do good work. It makes it seem like youre being seditious to the country, which is not the case, she added. Butler is listed on the site because of a tweet in which she used a racial slur in response to former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carsons belief in the right to fly the Confederate flag. Butler, who is black, said the tweet, which has since been deleted, was a blanket statement, not intended as a reference to Carson. She also said her analysis of the book, Is God a White Racist?, was taken out of context by Turning Point USA. Charlie Kirk, executive director of the group, said the list aims to change campus culture by highlighting previously reported incidents and remarks. I think there are more students in college who believe in a center-right conservative ideology who have been silenced, ostracized or marginalized, Kirk said, and we hope we can be part of a movement to at least make the campus more comfortable for people who believe in liberty and conservative values. Story continues Kirk said the group had been preparing the list for months and its publication soon after the presidential election was coincidental. But some professors said the current political climate amplified its impact. One of the things my university said on this round is that this is concerning because of the climate that were in now. In any other climate, it might be OK to just let it go, said Enrique Neblett Jr., a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. But I live in North Carolina, where there are Klansmen celebrating Trumps victory. Neblett also took issue with the accuracy of his listing, saying he was misquoted during a speech at another university. My biggest fear is that people will see my name on this list and target me or my family as a result, he added. Kirk said the group condemns any threats made against professors on the list. Were not trying to intimidate. Were not trying to make these professors feel any less secure, he said. The inspiration was just to shine a light on what we feel has been an unfair balance toward left-leaning ideas and biases in our universities But not all incidents that earned professors a spot on the list took place in lecture halls, nor represented discrimination. John Traphagan, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, was placed on the list because of a Dallas Morning News column in which he advocated for gun control measures. Kirk said the column was relevant to students with conservative beliefs who might now opt out of taking Traphagans class. I dont know what that has to do with anything I do in the classroom. I dont know how thats related to discrimination against conservatives, Traphagan said. If youre trying to harm other people, then thats a different story, but if its just a political opinion, a policy position, thats not discrimination, thats voicing an opinion. Traphagan said similar lists have been published before, and he thinks the group had a right to create one, but he doesnt think it accomplishes anything. Its very poorly conceived, he said. It accomplishes very little, if anything, and the one thing it can do is intimidate people who might voice their opinions Moscow (AFP) - Vladimir Putin on Friday told artists not to confuse freedom of expression with "outrageously dangerous behaviour" and suggested the Charlie Hebdo massacre could have been avoided if the magazine had not insulted Islam. The Russian President told members of the artistic community not to "divide society" during a televised debate with theatre and screen star Yevgeny Mironov who voiced concerns about growing restrictions on artistic freedom in Russia. The Russian strongman said there was a "very subtle line between what I would call dangerously outrageous behaviour and creative freedom". "It's a very subtle thing, a very subtle line. It depends on a feeling of tact, from all of us: officialdom on the one hand and people in creative professions on the other," he said. "Those activists -- I'm speaking approximately -- at Charlie Hebdo's offices, they came and shot people. The question is, did those cartoonists have to insult Muslim believers?" Putin said of the 2015 attack by Islamic militants on the French satirical magazine that left 12 dead. "Officials often act not because they want to block something... many don't want tragedies like in Paris to be repeated here," he said. "We must keep this in mind and not let it come to that." Mironov, who heads the Theatre of Nations in Moscow, told Putin in the televised exchange that fears are growing in creative circles over restrictions on artistic expression. "Creative freedom is guaranteed by the law of our country" and bans "can be enforced only through a legal process," Mironov said. In recent months, religious and politically conservative activists have interrupted theatre productions and stormed galleries and defaced exhibits. Orthodox activists this year campaigned to close a provincial staging of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "Jesus Christ Superstar". Story continues Theatre director Konstantin Raikin in October warned of a risk of "return to Stalin's times". Last year the director of a Siberian staging of Richard Wagner's opera Tannhaeuser went on trial for offending believers, although the charges were eventually dropped. The Russian arts scene, particularly its lively theatre productions, depend on state funding, making them particularly vulnerable to official decisions and self-censorship. Photo credit: Courtesy of Rakia Reynolds From ELLE Working women get all sorts of advice: Lean in, lean out, ask for a raise (but don't ask in the wrong way), be aggressive-but not too aggressive. We're also told to nurture our personal lives, lest we end up forgoing families or love or travel or friendship in service of our careers. It's confusing and maddening, and we're all still struggling to figure it out. "This Woman's Work" is an ongoing series meant to highlight how women in different industries are living their lives. We hope to show that there's no one "right" way to succeed. There are so many ways, and so many different experiences. As the owner of Skai Blue Media, a full-service public relations agency based in Philadelphia, Reynolds knows what it takes to launch your own small business and make it succeed. Before founding Skai Blue Media, Reynolds worked in TV and has brought visual storytelling to her work as a PR maven. Her company, formed in 2008, relies on creative storytelling rather than press releases, and has worked with everyone from Ted Baker London to Global Citizen to Dell. Here, the branding genius shares her path and her brightest tips for bringing your unique skills into the business world. What was your career path to Skai Blue Media? I always say that I started my company through a series of unfortunate events. I [was] laid off from a job in television. I then worked at a traditional PR agency, which wasn't a really good fit. [Then,] I took the best of all of the things I'd learned in television and online and traditional PR and started my own multimedia communications agency. For me, it was about taking little pieces from all the unfortunate events to say, "How would I design my perfect world?" So, my perfect world was creating my own agency. You have to really believe in the power of your own brand. You have to believe in the power of you. For those who don't know, what does Skai Blue Media do? We're a multimedia communications agency. When I started the company, I really wanted to see what the future would hold for digital public relations, telling stories online and in a mixed media space in the verticals of lifestyle, technology, and nonprofits. We do non-traditional communications and experiential marketing; we're also brand strategists and storytellers. [For example,] we've worked with top models to heighten the visibility of their brand. Or people will come to us with an idea and we give them strategy. We've worked with corporate companies on how to change their internal corporate culture. We want to take an idea, especially for small businesses and entrepreneurs, and bring it to life in the real world. Story continues What advice do you have for someone who wants to start their own company? You have to really believe in the power of your own brand. You have to believe in the power of you. Sometimes when you're starting something, you can get easily intimidated or you start listening to other people when they talk about limitations. It's not about what you can't do, but what you can do. If you have a good grasp on what your unique value proposition is and the core competency you offer to the world, then you can take the power of your own influence and your own brand and build from there. What characteristics do you think somebody has to have if they want to start their own business? The biggest thing is a high level of tenacity. In the world of entrepreneurship, you are going to be pulled back, slapped down, pushed sideways and inside out. So you have to have a level of tenacity where you're so passionate about what you do and what you're bringing to the table that no one can knock you down. Many people are going to tell you that you're not going to be able to do it, and there's going to be ways you're distracted from the main purpose. What do you look for when you're hiring new talent? I look for creatives. Because I take a nontraditional approach to media, I am not looking at someone who has gone to school for public relations or media, or sometimes even now social media. I look for people who are creative thinkers and quick problem-solvers. They have the capability to tell stories through words and images. It's not something everyone can do. For us, everything is a curatorial approach. Because of my background in television, I put my casting director hat on. It's looking at people like you would look at talent. I've never been one to hire traditionally. Can you tell a really great story? Do you know how to make an impact? Can you make an impression in a meeting? I want people in my office, sitting at my table, who are unique storytellers and can leave a lasting impression. Photo credit: undefined Do you have any tips on asking for a raise? No one should ever be afraid to ask for a raise, especially if you can present case studies to say, "Here's what I've done over the past year. This is how I've added value. This is how I've increased the bottom line." You should be fully invested in the company and I'm speaking as a small business owner and their success. It's not just about metrics or placements you've gotten; you should present that in a creative way to your employer. Be able to answer questions about it. Be able to present your core positioning strategy. And be able to give specifics. What's the best piece of career advice you've gotten? One of my mentors taught me the importance of being decisive in executing your vision. In business, it can feel like every decision is huge, and many of them are. But wavering back and forth because you're afraid of the risk is one of the easiest ways to miss good opportunities. Some of the best decisions I've made for Skai Blue Media have been risky, but I understand that in order to make big dreams happen, I have to be willing to leap. That's the very definition of entrepreneurship. It's not about being impulsive, but once you've weighed the options, you have to make a decision. In business, it can feel like every decision is huge and many of them are. But wavering back and forth because you're afraid of the risk is one of the easiest ways to miss good opportunities. What's the worst piece of career advice you've gotten? I know my mother meant well when she told me once that I "can't be on every ship that sails," but I have to say I adamantly disagree and I've made it my mission to prove her wrong. My career shouldn't have to be narrowly focused on succeeding at just one thing. I believe that I can do everything I put my mind to, and do it all well. So, my career has been diverse and exciting. I've worked in television production, created a fashion line, been a brand representative and a fashion ambassador and managed public relations strategy for amazing brands. I'm never afraid to think outside the box and push innovative ideas, and the result has always been rewarding. What are your tips for staying organized? I start every day with a plan of action, including the list of things that must get done. Starting the day with intention helps me keep track of my time and my priorities. In the same vein, I'm a big believer in the value of business plans for keeping business ideas organized and the vision clear. For making sure finances are in order, I'm a huge fan of Quickbooks. Where do you hope to see Skai Blue Media go in the next few years? When I started Skai Blue Media, I had recently been laid off from my media job, and shortly after, an ex-business partner took everything from the business we built together and moved across the country. Like a lot of companies, Skai Blue came out of difficult times, but I've been able to grow it into the business I always envisioned. I'd like to have Skai Blue Media help others do the same thing. I hope to take us global and cover areas like South America, south Africa, and India where we would offer services at little to no cost to women and micro businesses that need business, branding, and bragging the most. You Might Also Like Rare photographs of John F. Kennedy left in an Arizona widow's garage for more than half a century have been released, and shedding light on the former president's legacy. Read: Did Robert F. Kennedy Stray In His Marriage? New Book Reveals Shocking Rumors of Infidelity The Michigan History Project released more than 90 photos of John F. Kennedy on an old-fashioned whistle-stop campaign tour through Michigan, taken just hours after making his famous Peace Corps speech at the University of Michigan on October 14, 1960. The rare photographs of the tour through 10 cities were taken by Doug Fulton, who worked for the Ann Arbor News from the mid-1950s to the early 1980s, according to the Michigan History Project. When Fulton retired, he moved to Arizona, where he and his wife lived until he passed away in 1996. The organization's president, Alan Glenn, said they received a tip years later that Fulton may have possessed some worthwhile photographs from his time with the newspaper. They then got in touch with his widow, whom Glenn estimated to be about 90 years old. "It turned out that there was a largish collection of his negatives in Arizona, being kept at his home where his widow still lived," Glenn told InsideEdition.com. "I don't think she remembered that there were any pictures of JFK in the collection. I'd guess that it was a case of something being stored away and forgotten about." Despite finding no information other than the negatives labeled simply, "JFK," researchers were able to piece together information, and identify landmarks like the Kellogg Auditorium in Battle Creek, and the State Capitol in Lansing. Read: 'Wizard of Oz' Fans Trying to Raise $300G to Save Dorothy's Deteriorating Ruby Red Slippers "There's all sorts of historical treasures out there, forgotten and packed away in attics and garages," Glenn said. "You've got to go out and find this stuff before it's tossed in the trash. Because when history is lost, it's gone forever." Story continues The photographs will be collected into a larger project with the mission of preserving the state's history for generations to come. Watch: Marilyn Monroe's 'Happy Birthday, Mr. President' Gown Expected to Fetch $3 Million at Auction Related Articles: Belgrade (AFP) - Ratko Mladic, whose war crimes trial reaches a climax next week, is a former Serb army commander whose brutish leadership during Bosnia's 1990s conflict was blamed for the worst atrocities in Europe since World War II. The 74-year-old came to symbolise a barbaric plan to rid multi-ethnic Bosnia of Croats and Muslims, fuelled by the desire for a "Greater Serbia" that would establish an ethnically pure state. The epitome of Serb defiance after the breakup of Yugoslavia, Mladic once said chillingly: "Borders are always drawn in blood and states marked out with graves." Closing arguments in his protracted UN war crimes trial at The Hague begin on Monday, with families of the victims in Bosnia's 1992-95 conflict waiting anxiously for its completion. The wartime Bosnian Serb military chief, who has been dogged by health problems in detention, will long be associated with the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in a campaign of ethnic cleansing. But his role in the conflict made him a hero to many Serbs and a one-time favourite of the late Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic -- himself a fanatical nationalist who was also indicted for war crimes. Mladic is also accused of being the architect of the bloody 44-month siege of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, which claimed an estimated 10,000 lives, according to the UN war crimes indictment against him. The defiance of the man dubbed the "Butcher of Bosnia" by international media seems undimmed by age and years on the run, and he insists he was only "defending my country". - 'A cynic and a sadist' - Born on March 12, 1942 at Bozinovici in eastern Bosnia, Mladic was named Ratko, a diminutive of a Serb name meaning war and peace, usually given to a male baby during wars, his biographer Ljiljana Bulatovic wrote. His life was quickly struck by bloodshed and tragedy when aged two, his father was killed by the Ustasha, Croatia's World War II fascist regime. Story continues In June 1991, as Yugoslavia crumbled and war broke out in Croatia, Mladic, then a colonel in the Yugoslav National Army, was given the task of organising the Serb-dominated army in Croatia. The following May, Mladic, by now a general, was made commander of the Bosnian Serb forces and fought to link Serb-held lands in eastern and western Bosnia. Former Yugoslav army spokesman Ljubodrag Stojadinovic described Mladic as "narcissistic, conceited, vain and arrogant," while a former colonel, Gaja Petkovic, said he was a "cynic and a sadist". - Over the edge - Mladic's daughter Ana, unable to cope with the burden of accusations of his wartime crimes, committed suicide in Belgrade in 1994 aged 23, reportedly with her father's favourite pistol. Those close to the general were reported as saying her suicide pushed him over the edge. A year later, Mladic was accused of setting in motion Europe's worst atrocity since the Nazi era, with his troops rounding up and killing Muslim men and boys in the UN-protected enclave of Srebrenica. In under-siege Sarajevo, the ferocious Mladic refused to bow to Western demands to withdraw his heavy weapons and it took the combined might of NATO warplanes and cruise missiles to blow apart his military advantage in September 1995. Never just a simple soldier, Mladic once enjoyed considerable political influence within the Bosnian Serb leadership and was never shy of using it. He was indicted by The Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in July 1995, a few months before the war ended, on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. After the conflict, Mladic became too much of a liability and was sacked by the Bosnian Serb government in 1997. For a long time he holed up in his former main command bunker, calmly defying NATO attempts to arrest him before moving to the Serbian capital Belgrade in 2000. At first he lived openly, but soon went underground as his popularity waned amongst Serbian politicians, increasingly concerned that failure to transfer him to the ICTY would further delay the country's accession to the European Union. Mladic was finally arrested in May 2011 at a relative's house in northern Serbia and transferred to the Hague to stand trial. FLORENCE -- After two days of heavy rain in November of 1966, the muddy waters of the Arno, the great Tuscan river flowing through Florence, flooded the city's historic center. Mixing with oil and sewage, the sludge rose up to 3 meters (10 feet), destroying ancient artworks and manuscripts and displacing hundreds of people. The golden anniversary of the flood last month was a grim reminder of the challenges the country faces after a series of powerful earthquakes this year killed hundreds and reduced entire towns to rubble in the nation's center. The earthquakes have renewed skepticism about the ability of the debt-strapped Italian government to preserve its architectural treasures and rebuild efficiently, while the results of a constitutional reform referendum on Dec. 4 may make recovery even more difficult. [ People see Italy as shaping history through its culture.] After a 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit the Marche and Umbria regions at the end of August, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi assured the public that his government will restore the damaged areas. "We will rebuild everything -- the houses, the churches, the shops," he reiterated just days after the medieval town of Norcia was hit by a 6.6-magnitude tremor, leaving more than 22,000 people homeless. Yet how quickly this can be done remains in question. As aftershocks continue and the first wave of frost and snow set to hit the region, hundreds of residents reportedly still remain in tents. Similarly, the 2009 earthquake near the city of L'Aquila, which killed more than 300 and left around 60,000 homeless, resulted in months of tent housing despite promises of speedy relocation. Unlawful building practices, organized crime and painfully slow bureaucracy are among the challenges that have led many to question the government's promises to ensure Italy's buildings and citizens remain unharmed during future seismic activity. [ Images from the August earthquake .] Story continues This weekend's constitutional reform referendum could shape the course of earthquake reconstruction. Renzi has staked his premiership on passage, which he says is needed to streamline a government that is inefficient, contributes to stagnant growth and high unemployment. A former mayor of Florence -- the birthplace of the Renaissance -- Renzi claims the referendum will be a transformative event for the country. Critics, however, warn that Renzi's proposal hearkens to another son of Florence, Niccolo Machiavelli. They say approving the referendum may limit the power of the senate and override vital checks and balances, thus nurturing corruption. "The senate would then be made of representatives of regional and local administrations, and this is the layer of government that's most corrupt in Italy" says Marcus How, a senior political analyst for ViennEast Ltd., a regional risk consultancy. "It's basically going to become a viper's nest of vested interests, so in a sense, the actual input the senate would have on legislation, although it would be more limited, would probably be more negative." Corrupt regional and local officials would have the ability to influence future reconstruction funding, such as that contained in the 2017 budget still awaiting approval, adds How. "That said, most of the corruption will mainly occur 'on-site' as mafia clans try to muscle in on public contracts." [ Learn which countries people view as the most corrupt.] Earthquake reconstruction zones are already rife with unlawful construction that put residents in danger. In Italy, such construction occurs at "dimensions unparalleled in other advanced economies," according to a report from the government statistics office. The collapse of public buildings, notably a school and hospital in Amatrice built to withstand seismic activity only four years ago recently triggered a criminal investigation into alleged violations of building regulations. After the L'Aquila earthquake, a European Parliament report found that part of the money allotted for reconstruction went to companies with ties to the mafia. "We know that in the past half of what was spent on similar efforts has been taken by the mafia or wasted through Italian bureaucracy" says Marc DiDomenico, director of the Florence Institute of Design International, which started a fundraiser for towns damaged by earthquakes. "That's what happens and that's how people do business." Sarah Hucal is a Berlin-based journalist. You can follow her on Twitter here. Rome (AFP) - Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi headed into a constitutional referendum this weekend insisting he could still win his fight for political survival. But in a frantic final round of campaigning, his domestic rivals vowed to knock down proposals to streamline parliament and force the centre-left leader out of office. "If Renzi wants to preserve the minimum of credibility he has left, he should not only leave the government but quit politics altogether," former premier Silvio Berlusconi said in a rallying cry ahead of Sunday's vote. Berlusconi initially gave his blessing to the proposed reform but he switched sides as a rising tide of opposition put Renzi's job on the line. Thousands of supporters of a "No" vote were joined by TV crews from all over the world in Turin to hear Beppe Grillo, the comic who founded the populist Five Star Movement, give his final rallying call. Renzi meanwhile was clinging to hope of a last-minute turnaround in voter sentiment. "Never have there been so many people undecided. The referendum match will be decided in the last 48 hours," he said, despite polls pointing to a victory for the "No" camp. Such an outcome is expected to trigger the reformist premier's resignation after just under three years in office and plunge the country into a phase of political uncertainty. - High stakes - After Britain's vote to leave the EU and Donald Trump's presidential triumph in the United States, Renzi is being portrayed as next in line to suffer a populist backlash from fed-up and forgotten voters. His pledge to quit if he loses the vote has focused the campaign on his record and exacerbated fears of political instability and economic turbulence if he loses. At stake Sunday is whether to slash the size and powers of the second-chamber Senate and transfer other powers from the regions to the national government. Renzi says this will mean more effective leadership of a country that has had 60 different governments since the constitution was approved in 1948. Story continues As a result, it seems certain some disgruntled voters will vote "No" as a form of protest either against Renzi or over years of economic stagnation. But the proposals have also come under fire from opponents who see them as ill-considered and potentially opening the door to the kind of authoritarian rule the constitution is designed to prevent. Politically and economically, the stakes are high. Renzi sees the emasculation of the second chamber as key to ensuring difficult but necessary legislation does not get blocked or delayed in parliament while saving nearly 500 million euros ($532 million) a year in operating costs. "If you want to abolish the privileges of the most expensive political caste in the world, you have to vote yes," the youthful premier said Friday. Opponents insist the savings will be much smaller and that the legislative gridlock problem is exaggerated: Renzi did not have any trouble getting his controversial Jobs Act through parliament last year. A "No" vote is seen as bolstering Grillo, potentially giving Five Star a platform for an assault on power nationally, as well as Matteo Salvini, leader of the anti-immigrant, anti-EU Northern League. - No camp well ahead - Economically, the biggest concern is that post-referendum political instability could scupper Italy's efforts to resolve a bad loans crisis in the banking sector and spark turmoil across the eurozone. A lot of variables need to come together for that to happen. But the fear of defaults and contagion looms in the background: Italian banking stocks have halved in value this year, government borrowing costs have edged higher and markets were jittery Friday in the final trading sessions before the vote. Renzi's allies say the most likely "No" scenario would involve Renzi handing over the premier's role to Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan, but remaining head of his Democratic Party with an eye on a comeback at the next election, due by spring 2018. The last permitted polls, published on November 18, gave the "No" camp at least a five to eight point lead, with more than a quarter of voters undecided. The "Yes" camp received a boost Friday when it was reported that around 40 percent of the four million Italians overseas who are entitled to vote had cast ballots through embassies and consulates. Media see the high turnout, compared with previous votes, as helpful for the "Yes" camp. The "No" side meanwhile are worried a low turnout in southern Italy could hit their chances. By Tatiana Jancarikova BYSTRANY, Slovakia (Reuters) - Bystrany, a town in eastern Slovakia with a majority Roma population, has thrived in the past decade thanks to remittances from locals who grabbed the benefits of European Union membership and sought work in Britain. Colorful brick houses with satellite dishes, new cars parked outside, have filled once-rundown neighborhoods that had lacked running water, supported by the more than 1,000 people - almost one in three residents - who have moved to work in England. Locals have even named a small open-air amphitheatre "Sheffield Square" in reference to their preferred English destination. But after Britain's vote to leave the EU, Bystrany Roma are worried they might have to return home to what they call the harsh reality of unemployment and discrimination. "My sons have renovated their houses in Slovakia, furnished them with luxury; they don't drink, they have jobs and invest everything in housing," said Jan Sandor, whose three sons, a nephew and their families have moved to Britain. "It would be a disaster if they had to return for good. There's no work, nobody wants to employ the Roma but they keep saying it's us who don't want to work." There are around 400,000 Roma in Slovakia, the second largest minority in the country of 5.4 million. Large numbers are cut off from society, some living on the outskirts of towns without electricity or sewerage. Roma are also more likely to be unemployed. In the region where Bystrany is located, unemployment is 13 percent, above the national rate of 9 percent. Bystrany residents say almost all Roma who remained are out of jobs. Experts say one of the main reasons is discrimination and lack of education. In Britain, they encounter fewer obstacles. Up to 10,000 Slovak Roma live or work in Britain, said Peter Pollak, the first Roma lawmaker in Slovakia's parliament. With Britain wanting control over immigration, the free movement of people will be a major sticking point in talks over future British-EU relations. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said free movement must remain to keep an estimated 80,000 Slovaks working in Britain from becoming "second-class citizens". BUYING HOUSES Frantisek Ziga, Bystrany's mayor for 16 years, said Roma started leaving immediately after Slovakia and nine other mostly central and eastern European countries joined the European Union in 2004. "The town has changed a lot. Not only have the Roma refurbished their homes ... they have even bought houses in the previously mostly non-Roma main part of town," he said. Roma face integration challenges across eastern Europe. The Council of Europe's Human Rights Commissioner, Nils Muiznieks, said last year Roma children were subject to chronic and pervasive segregation in Slovak schools. A United Nations Development Programme survey showed almost one in five Slovak Roma did not finish primary school and only 17 percent continued past that. Pollak said Roma children were often placed in schools for people with mental disabilities in Slovakia, while in Britain they managed to integrate into the education system. In Slovakia, Roma also face being labeled as lazy. But for Sandor, his family's case disproves that. "When people travel thousands of miles for work, they are hardly lazy," he said. (Editing by Jason Hovet and Janet Lawrence) President-elect Trumps behaving like a 70-year-old Hamlet these days: Will he or wont he name Mitt Romney his Secretary of State? Or will it be Rudy Giuliani, David Petraeus, Bob Corker or an outsider. This is big and Trump must know it since hes delayed this appointment even as he makes numerous others. American foreign policy hangs in the balance now more than it has for many decades, and Trumps nominee for State will signal its likely character for the next four years. Related: Russias New Main Battle Tank Is Raising Alarms in Europe Foreign policy turns on who takes the chair on the seventh floor in Foggy Bottom, but one question figures more than any other. What are Trump and his chief diplomat going to do about Russia? Again, Trump strikes the Hamlet pose. Will he deliver on his often-repeated commitment to a new detente with Moscow? Or will he drop his criticism of NATO and take up the confrontational, Cold War-like stance hell inherit from the Obama administration on January 20? This is a hard read for the moment. And all the TrumpPutin bromance business is of no consequence whatsoever. On one hand, Trump has given no indication he will abandon his idea of rebuilding relations with Moscow based on shared interests. While a lot of his thinking on foreign affairs is either hazy, self-contradicting, or simply not in evidence, the record suggests strongly that his position on Russia is solid and serious. Related: Russia Revels In Trump Victory, Looks to Sanctions Relief On the other, no one now in the running to lead the State Department seems to be on Trumps we-can-be-friends wavelength. On Wednesday the Washington Post quoted a Trump spokesperson saying Romney and Giuliani are the sum total of the president-elects shortlist, and both are hawks. Romney is on record saying he considers Russia the No. 1 threat to Americas national securitythis dating to his 2012 debates with Obama. Giuliani has been critical of President Obama for not using the term Islamic terrorists to describe ISIS and al-Qaeda and others who seek to destroy the west. Story continues In an Op-ed in The Wall Street Journal last December, he said, it is foolish to refuse to call these Islamic terrorists by the name they give themselves or to refuse to acknowledge their overriding religious rationale. Of the two, Romneys the wiser choice by magnitudes. Hes seasoned in global affairs, at least relatively, and can stitch Trump into the GOPs mainstream. As to Giuliani, the record suggests he cant tell foreign affairs from Shinola. Serving as a tough-minded mayor given to law-and-order policing tactics is not, sorry, applicable experience. The best that can be said is Giuliani will do whatever President Trump tells him to do. Related: Conservatives Are Trying to Break Up Trumps Bromance with Putin If youre wondering why a man favoring detente has a shortlist for State consisting of two hawks, step right in. As things stand now, its likely both men would insist that President Putin cave to Washingtons pre-eminence, Gorbachev-style, before relations can improve, and thats simply not going to happen. Putin seemed to address this very question in his annual speech to the Federal Assembly on Thursday. We will not allow any infringement on the interests of the Russian Federation, he told Russian legislators, and we will manage our own destiny without tips and unsolicited advice. Behind these two front-runners, we need to note, are two live factors weighing heavily on the Russia question. One, national security experts whove served in previous Republican administrations have vigorously and very publicly opposed Trumps position all yearand havent let up since the election. This means Trump will have a very formidable fight on his hands once in the White House no matter whom he names at State. How hell wage this if his secretary of state sides with the national security establishment is another mystery well have to wait to resolve. Related: Putin and Trump Plan to Meet Face-to-Face Soon Two, theres mounting evidence that attitudes toward Russia are softening in Europe, and this could weigh significantly in Trumps favor should he press ahead with his new version of detente. The most recent sign of this came last Sunday when French voters chose Francois Fillon as the right-wing candidate in presidential elections due next spring. Fillon is straight from the Trump molda conservative who favors better ties with Moscow. Russia poses no threat to the West, Fillon said on Europe1 Radio before the election. That view isnt newEuropeans have long been restive with the sanctions regime imposed on Russia after it annexed Crimea two years agobut it is gaining adherents across the Continent in line with the populist surge Trump also represents. Bottom line: The relationship with Russia is once again the linchpin of U.S. foreign policy. This makes naming his top diplomat by far the most important decision Trump will make before January 20. Hes right to take his time, edgy as this leaves us. Hell have a big battle on his hands if he holds to his position on the U.S.Russia relationship. But hes right about that, too: As The Atlantic put it last summer, The time is ripe for Detente 2.0 . And the political drift in Europe leaves him a lot less isolated on this point than he may seem inside the Washington Beltway. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: Rosie ODonnell has extended a social-media olive branch to First Lady-to-be Melania Trump, apologizing for speculating that Trumps 10-year-old son is autistic. ODonnell apologized to Trump on Thursday via Twitter, the same platform through which she spread the speculation. I apologize to @MELANIATRUMP i was insensitive in my RT i am sorry for the pain i caused it was not my intent i am truly sorry, ODonnell wrote, CBS reports. (The View alum ODonnell has since set her Twitter account to private.) Also Read: Barron Trump Autism Video YouTuber Yanks Clip, Issues Apology ODonnell came under heavy fire for retweeting a video suggesting that Barron Trump might have autism. Barron Trump Autistic? ODonnell wrote in her re-tweet of the video. If so what an amazing opportunity to bring attention to the AUTISM epidemic. Later, ODonnell defended the speculation, writing that her daughter was recently diagnosed with the condition. Also Read: Melania Trump Threatens Lawsuit Over Barron Trump Autism Video Here is how it went down, ODonnell wrote. My 3.5 year old daughter Dakota was diagnosed in September with HFA high functioning autism. I have been immersed in that world/reality since learning reading asking questions. Its all autism all the time for the newly diagnosed. As we try to grab onto anything to keep us standing, the knowledge we r not alone there r others living this too. The video itself sparked the threat of a lawsuit from Melania Trump on Monday. The following day, the man who posted the video to YouTube, James Hunter, pulled the video from YouTube and issued an apology, calling the video false, defamatory and malicious. In the video, I suggested Barron Trump might suffer from autism. That is in fact 100 percent false, Hunter said. It was incredibly irresponsible of me to diagnose Barron Trump using a selection of misleading videos. Related stories from TheWrap: Rosie O'Donnell Explains Her Speculation That Barron Trump Is Autistic Rosie O'Donnell Berated for Asking Is 'Barron Trump Autistic?' (Video) Rosie O'Donnell Joins Showtime Comedy Pilot 'SMILF' By Tom Polansek CHICAGO (Reuters) - CME Group Inc plans to strengthen efforts to deter wrongdoing in markets by raising the maximum possible fine for rule breakers, the company said on Thursday, further raising the stakes for rogue traders following the first U.S. criminal convictions for the manipulative trading practice known as spoofing. The owner of the Chicago Board of Trade, New York Mercantile Exchange and other markets is preparing to increase the top monetary penalty to $5 million per offense from $1 million starting on Dec. 14, according to a notice sent to clients. The CME is making that change and others to address the "increasing complexity of disciplinary matters," after reviewing its procedures, the notice said. The company, a self-regulatory organization, fines firms and individuals and suspends them from its markets for violations ranging from failing to supervise employees to wash trading, in which traders sell contracts to themselves to make a market look more active than it is. The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and National Futures Association also oversee market participants. Lawyers and traders said the rise of computerized and algorithmic trading has complicated regulatory work due to the large size and speed of transactions. They have focused recently on spoofing, after a provision against the trading practice was implemented as part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform, lawyers said. Spoofing usually involves using algorithms to place orders with the intent to cancel them before execution. By creating an illusion of demand, spoofers can influence prices. "Previously, traders were on the floor, trading physical products," said Braden Perry, who was formerly a senior trial attorney for the CFTC. "It's a whole new world now." Raising the maximum fine helps the CME address "the realities of the world that sometimes a $1 million penalty might not be enough to deter a certain kind of behavior," said Perry, a partner at the law firm Kennyhertz Perry in Kansas City, Missouri. Story continues Last month, a British trader, Navinder Sarao, became the second person convicted of spoofing U.S. futures markets. The first, Michael Coscia, is appealing his conviction. The CME notice said it wanted to make its rules "more applicable to the types of disciplinary cases going through the enforcement process." A spokeswoman did not respond to a question about what types of cases the notice referred to. Bill Harts, chief executive of Modern Markets Initiative, which represents high-speed traders, said algorithmic trading did not make disciplinary matters more complex. "When trades are executed by computer, there is a robust, immutable audit trail that is simple for regulators to look at, analyze, and act on," he said. 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10 (8) Nov 09 (8) Nov 08 (7) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (6) Nov 03 (5) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (5) Oct 31 (4) Oct 30 (3) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (5) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (2) Oct 23 (3) Oct 22 (5) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (6) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (4) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (5) Oct 15 (2) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (3) Oct 11 (7) Oct 10 (3) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (2) Oct 07 (7) Oct 06 (2) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (5) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (8) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (6) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (4) Sep 26 (4) Sep 25 (4) Sep 24 (1) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (2) Sep 20 (5) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (3) Sep 15 (4) Sep 14 (4) Sep 13 (4) Sep 12 (3) Sep 11 (3) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (5) Sep 04 (2) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (3) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (4) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (4) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (3) Aug 23 (2) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (4) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (4) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (5) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (3) Aug 08 (4) Aug 07 (3) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (3) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (4) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (4) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (3) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (4) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (5) Jul 19 (4) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (3) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (3) Jul 11 (3) Jul 10 (3) Jul 09 (4) Jul 08 (4) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (3) Jul 05 (5) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (4) Jul 01 (4) Jun 30 (3) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (3) Jun 26 (3) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (5) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (3) Jun 18 (3) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (4) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (4) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (5) Jun 07 (3) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (5) Jun 04 (5) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (5) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (3) May 30 (5) May 29 (3) May 28 (4) May 27 (5) May 26 (7) May 25 (4) May 24 (4) May 23 (4) May 22 (6) May 21 (4) May 20 (3) May 19 (5) May 18 (4) May 17 (4) May 16 (5) May 15 (4) May 14 (4) May 13 (5) May 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Mar 18 (1) Mar 16 (1) Mar 15 (2) Mar 13 (1) Mar 12 (1) Mar 11 (1) Mar 10 (1) A top official in the Russian government has accused Ukraine of attempting to sabotage Donald Trumps presidential campaign. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharov said Ukraine had planted stories about Paul Manafort, Trumps former campaign chairman, in the U.S. media. Ukraine seriously complicated the work of Trumps election campaign headquarters by planting information according to which Paul Manafort, Trumps campaign chairman, allegedly accepted money from Ukrainian oligarchs, said Zakharova in a briefing in Moscow on Nov. 30. All of you have heard this remarkable story. Manafort resigned his post as chairman of Trumps campaign in August, after he became embroiled in controversy when a New York Times report found that political leaders in Ukraine earmarked millions in undisclosed cash for him. Manafort said at the time that the findings were unfounded, silly, and nonsensical. I never understood why I was the target, Manafort told Politico on Thursday. I wasnt the candidate. I was just caught in the crossfire. Meanwhile, its Russia that has actually been accused of tampering with the U.S. election. Russian hackers are suspected of releasing damaging emails from the Democratic National Committee ahead of the Democratic convention, as well as emails from Hillary Clintons campaign chairman. Read TIMEs September cover story: How Russia Wants to Undermine the U.S. Election By Christian Lowe and Natalia Zinets MOSCOW/KIEV (Reuters) - Russia said on Friday it had uncovered a plot by foreign spy agencies to sow chaos in Russia's banking system via a coordinated wave of cyber attacks and fake social media reports about banks going bust. Russia's domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service (FSB), said that the servers to be used in the alleged cyber attack were located in the Netherlands and registered to a Ukrainian web hosting company called BlazingFast. The attack, which was to target major national and provincial banks in several Russian cities, was meant to start on Dec. 5, the FSB said in a statement. "It was planned that the cyber attack would be accompanied by a mass send-out of SMS messages and publications in social media of a provocative nature regarding a crisis in the Russian banking system, bankruptcies and license withdrawals," it said. "The FSB is carrying out the necessary measures to neutralize threats to Russia's economic and information security." The statement did not say which countries' intelligence agencies were behind the alleged plot. SITUATION 'UNDER CONTROL' Russia's central bank said it was aware of the threat and was in constant contact with the security services. In a statement sent to Reuters, it said it had drawn up a plan to counteract any attack. "The situation is under control. Banks have been given necessary guidance," the central bank said. Anton Onoprichuk, director of Kiev-based BlazingFast, said neither the FSB nor any other intelligence agency had been in touch with his company. He told Reuters he was waiting for more information so his firm could investigate. Asked if his servers could be used to mount a cyber attack he said: "Technically it is possible. It is possible with any hosting company, where you rent a server. You can attack whatever (you want) from it and in 99 percent of cases it will become known only after the event." Russia has been on high alert for foreign-inspired cyber attacks since U.S. officials accused the Kremlin of being involved in hacks on Democratic Party emails during the U.S. presidential election. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said at the time that the United States would mount a "proportional" response to Russia. Since then, there have been a number of cyber attacks affecting Russian institutions, though it is unclear if they were linked to the row between Moscow and Washington. In October, a network of Ukrainian hackers released a cache of emails obtained from the account of an aide to Kremlin adviser Vladislav Surkov. And on Nov. 11, Russian lenders Sberbank and Alfa Bank said they had been hit by cyber attacks Sberbank on Friday declined to comment on the FSB's statement. The press service of VTB, Russia's second-largest state-run lender, said its security systems guaranteed clients' transactions were completely protected. (Additional reporting by Natalia Zinets in KIEV, Elena Fabrichnaya and Kira Zavyalova in MOSCOW; Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Andrew Osborn) Foreign intelligence agencies are planning large-scale cyberattacks to disrupt Russias financial system, the countrys Federal Security Service (FSB) said Friday, adding that the attacks are scheduled to start next week. The FSB received information about preparations by foreign intelligence services for large-scale cyberattacks starting Dec. 5, 2016, in order to destabilize Russias financial system, including the activities of a number of major Russian banks, the FSB reportedly said. The FSB said Kiev is likely to be behind the attacks after an investigation found servers located in the Netherlands belonging to Ukraines BlazingFast hosting company. The agency added that the attacks will target banks in several Russian cities and also involve sending mass text messages as well as messages on social networking sites about a crisis in the Russian credit and financial system, bankruptcy and withdrawal of licenses of leading federal and regional banks. The FSB said it was taking steps to combat these threats. Meanwhile, BlazingFast reportedly confirmed on Friday it had clients in the Netherlands, adding that the hosting company will quickly begin to investigate. In the past, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence have formally accused Russia of attempting to influence the outcome of the U.S. election, alleging that Russian hackers compromised servers belonging to the Democratic National Committee. Moscow dismissed the allegations, accusing the U.S. of distracting voters from domestic issues. Bruno Kahl, the president of Germanys foreign intelligence agency Bundesnachrichtendienst, said Tuesday that Germany is likely to be the next target for Russian hackers. German federal elections are set to take place in 2017. Europe is now the focus of these interference attempts, and Germany in particular, Kahl said, adding that cyberattacks are taking place with no other motive than to cause political uncertainty. Related Articles A Russian serviceman walks past Russian Iskander-M missile launchers before a rehearsal for the Victory Day parade, with the Moscow International Business Center also known as In recent years, Russia has made a habit of nuclear saber-rattling at its neighbors, but lately Moscow has taken a decidedly more menacing tone. NATO states in the Baltics recently expressed their agitation with Russia for placing Iskander nuclear-capable missiles in the enclave of Kaliningrad, that borders Poland. While this isn't the first time Russia has deployed the destabilizing missiles to Europe, Dr. Jeffrey Lewis, founding publisher of Arms Control Wonk, a blog on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, says this time is different. Through a "crowdsourcing experiment" on Geo4nonpro.org, Lewis and his colleagues have been examining satellite imagery of Kaliningrad. According to Lewis, the results are disturbing. Instead of a routine deployment with routine drills, Lewis sees the Russians "knocking buildings down like crazy and building new buildings," in what he considers an attempt to permanently house the nuclear-capable missiles in Europe. "I think construction at the missile base is consistent with permanent deployment. We found the missile base using Russian social media and found the training area. Every time there are reports that theres an exercise we go take a look at the missile base," said Lewis of his methodology. The military bases in Kaliningrad seem to be undergoing a change to accommodate the missiles and vehicles that accompany them. kaliningrad skitch russia The Russians are "probably not there yet, but absolutely making changes consistent with the imminent deployment of the Iskanders," said Lewis. "From Kaliningrad, a couple hundred kilometer range ground launched cruise missile can really get into Western Europe," said Lewis. And because Kaliningrad belongs to Russia, there is little the international community can do to stop Russia from placing its missiles there. Story continues NOW WATCH: The Secret Service seized $30 million in fake money in its biggest bust ever More From Business Insider Russia's last independent broadcaster, TV2 Tomsk - which was forced off air two years ago when authorities pulled the plug on its transmissions - is making a comeback, thanks to new website. The website has been supported by Boris Zimin, a billionaire Russian businessman whose father, Dmitry Zimin, founded Russian telecoms company Vimpelcom, alongside crowdfunding and the sale of TV2 souvenirs to supporters, the station's editor in chief Viktor Muchnik tells The Hollywood Reporter. "The website is still at a test stage," he says. "It will be refined further. Technically, we can broadcast news program on it, though we cannot yet afford that as the production costs are too high for us." The Russian-language site enables TV2 to get its trademark independent journalism to audiences not only across the country but to Russian speakers worldwide. It currently receives 250,000 unique users per month, 60 percent of them in Tomsk, but Muchnik claims this number is growing, adding that getting its message across in a country where the public's only access to television news is controlled by the Kremlin is an important one. Read more: Authorities Pull Plug on Russia's Last Politically Independent TV Station "Over the past two years all media associated with TV2 - radio stations - have been destroyed through license review or forced sales at a low price," he tells THR. "Our site does not need a license and video can be displayed on it." But the situation still remain challenging. "To think that current Russian conditions allow for a viable future for independent media would be naive," Muchnik says. "We constantly feel the pressure of the authorities in one form or another. But until then, while keeping at least some opportunity to work, we work." TV2 fought hard to keep its license but eventually state transmission pulled the plug moments after President Vladimir Putin's state broadcast at midnight December 14, 2014, the screens going blank as the national anthem played to a backdrop of fluttering Russian tricolor flags. Story continues Zimin's support for TV2 - and for TV Rain, Moscow, another independent station forced off air a year before the Siberian station - has brought him into conflict with the Kremlin. In July 2015 his Sreda Foundation, which supports independent media in Russia, was labeled a "foreign agent" under a controversial law designed to identify charitable groups that receive foreign funding. Zimin has insisted that all of Sreda's money comes exclusively from a fund accumulated by his father from his Russian telecoms business. Read more: Russia Fines Supporters of Independent Online TV Station MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's southern Krasnodar region has imposed restrictions on the movement of live pigs, setting up police checkpoints in a bid to stop the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF), the regional agriculture ministry said on Friday. There were 10 outbreaks of ASF, a highly contagious fever among pigs, in Krasnodar last month, according to Russia's agriculture safety watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor which proposed on Thursday to quarantine the entire region. Analysts have said a quarantine in the region, which is a major grain exporter via its Black Sea ports, could limit the transportation of grain due to concerns the fever could be transmitted via animal feed. The Krasnodar ministry said, however, that the latest safety measures had not affected the movement of grain in the region. The measures include a ban on the sale of pork produced by small farms at farmers' markets and the strengthening overall veterinary surveillance in the region. (Reporting by Polina Devitt; Writing by Maria Kiselyova; Editing by David Clarke and David Holmes) By Clement Uwiringiyimana KIGALI (Reuters) - Rwanda's state-owned airline RwandAir plans to expand its fleet to 16 from 11 aircraft over the next five years, Chief Executive John Mirenge said. The airline, which took delivery of its second Airbus A330-300 this week, plans to buy two new Airbus by 2019 at the latest "but it could be even earlier, Mirenge said. RwandAir signed a $160 million loan with PTA Bank to finance the purchase of the new Airbus planes. RwandAir is also scheduled to take delivery of a Boeing 737-800 in mid-2017. The airline plans to expand its network of destinations beyond Africa to the United States, Europe and India and will start flights to New York, London and Mumbai in 2017. "On the continent of Africa well be launching six new destinations, Mirenge told Reuters, adding that these would include Harare, Lilongwe, Conakry and Bamako in 2017. RwandAir, the flag carrier of the central African nation of 11 million people, carried almost 600,000 passengers in 2015 and expects to carry about 780,000 this year, Mirenge said. "Within the next five years, we plan to be carrying in excess of 1.5 million customers a year, he said, adding the investment in the fleet and its expansion plans meant the airline was not yet making a profit. In future, Mirenge said the airline would consider listing on Kigali's stock exchange. "The time will come. We still want to grow the business to a point where it becomes viable and attractive and by that time well list for sure," he said. Rwanda's government signed a deal with Portuguese construction firm Mota-Engil this year to build and operate a bigger airport in Bugesera, south of the capital. The new airport is due for completion in 2019. (Editing by Edmund Blair and Jason Neely) And the award for Man of Honor goes to Ryan Seacrest! The TV host, 41, celebrated his only sisters Nov. 5 nuptials with a bang all of which he planned. I was the lead bridesmaid, Seacrest told Harry Connick Jr. during an appearance on the daytime program Harry, airing on Friday. I called my sister and said, What does it mean Man of Honor? and she said, Well youve got to do everything a Maid of Honor would do. I said, A bachelorette party? She said, Yeah. I said, Okay. Seacrest, who celebrated his sister, Merediths, marriage to Jimmy Leach, a senior executive at TOMS, last month, admitted that although the planning wasnt all that difficult, there was one challenge. Oh yeah, I had to take 17 women to Napa, he said. The challenge youll appreciate this because you have only girls in your house the challenge was keeping them on schedule because there were limited bathrooms for 17 women. They did a pretty good job but that was the biggest hurdle was telling them what time they had to be ready and what time reality was, said Seacrest, who added, It was really really cool, so emotional but so proud of my little sister. Last October, the executive producer revealed that his sister asked him to accept the honorary role at her wedding. Youve been by my side all of my life, and I wouldnt want you anywhere else, when I become a wife, Merediths poem to Ryan read. Im so lucky to have you as my brother, and couldnt imagine celebrating with any other. So basically what Im trying to say Will you be my Man of Honor on my special day?! For more on Harry, check your local listings or visit HarryTV.com for details. "Avatar" star Sam Worthington is set to star in Discovery's upcoming drama "Manifesto" reports The Hollywood Reporter. The actor will star opposite Paul Bettany in the eight-episode series, which is being co-produced by Kevin Spacey. The drama will tell the story of how the FBI captured Ted Kaczynski, to be played by Bettany, one of the most infamous criminal masterminds in the world. Worthington will play FBI agent Jim "Fitz" Fitzgerald, one of the most decorated profilers in the history of the bureau, whose radical approach to intelligence brought Kaczynski to justice. Known for his leading role in "Avatar," Worthington can currently be seen in Mel Gibson's "Hacksaw Ridge." "Manifesto" will be the actor's first major leading U.S. TV role. A premiere date for Manifesto has not yet been set. Los Angeles (AFP) - One year after a newlywed couple stormed an office party in San Bernardino, California, killing 14 people and injuring 22 others, the country is still grappling with how best to thwart such lone wolf attacks. The evolving threat facing law enforcement, experts say, was illustrated again this week in the car-and-knife attack by a Somali-born student in Ohio, the latest in a string of such assaults over the past 12 months. "We are entering a very dangerous phase because the type of attacks that are occurring are ones that are incredibly difficult to fend against," said Jens David Ohlin, an international law professor and security expert at Cornell University. "These are very low-tech attacks with one or two individuals using a firearm, possibly an automatic weapon ... and in the Ohio attack it was just a car and a knife." Such attacks have exposed the new challenge facing the United States and other western countries as the Islamic State group and other jihadists take their message into cyberspace, using the internet and social media to encourage radicalization. By far the bloodiest occurred in June, when 49 people died in a mass shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, carried out by a gunman who pledged loyalty to the Islamic State group. But last year's December 2 shooting in San Bernardino by Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik -- who left behind a six-month-old daughter -- at the time marked the deadliest terror assault in the United States since the September 11, 2001 attacks. Authorities say the Pakistani-born Malik -- who met her future US-born husband on a Muslim dating website and married him in Saudi Arabia -- had pledged allegiance to IS on Facebook and was instrumental in radicalizing Farook. San Bernardino brought home to many Americans the reality of the threat from jihadist violence. A number of commemorative events, including a memorial mass, a vigil and a remembrance ceremony, were being held in the area on Friday to mark the one-year anniversary of the attack. Story continues - 'That world is gone' - Experts say such homegrown attacks are likely to occur more and more often as radical networks exploit the web to recruit and spread jihadist propaganda. Investigators believe the student who injured 11 people in Ohio this week was also inspired by IS, which identified him as a "soldier" of the group. "You're living in a far different world where you don't have this sort of 9/11 model with some terrorist trained overseas coming into the US with a legal or phony visa and then perpetrating an attack," said Abraham Wagner, a senior fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies on Terrorism. "That world has basically passed by... and now you have people recruited often on the internet ... and groups (like IS) are getting better and better at it." Reflecting the view of many in the law enforcement community, Wagner said US intelligence services had failed to monitor and analyze social media postings by IS and its followers because the various agencies were not pooling resources and "connecting the dots" when trying to identify potential threats. One example of this disconnect, he said, was the Orlando attacker who had been interviewed three times by the FBI for suspected terrorist sympathies but was never charged for lack of evidence. "The FBI didn't have a case against him but had they looked at his social media postings" it would have raised a red flag, Wagner said. "We could do a great deal better with the kinds of technologies and resources we have." - Power of rhetoric - There is also some concern that President-elect Donald Trump's anti-Muslim campaign rhetoric could embolden potential attackers. Trump's choice of national security advisor, Michael Flynn, is a former military intelligence chief who sees militant Islam as the biggest threat to global stability and has courted controversy with statements that critics say border on Islamophobia. "Certainly, the way the Trump campaign couched this as a clash of civilizations between the West and Islam was not helpful and it may make matters worse," Ohlin said. "But it's also important not to overstate the point because the United States was already engaged in a military campaign against ISIS ... before Trump showed up," he said, using an alternate acronym for the group. One other challenge facing the intelligence community as it deals with IS's unprecedented use of the web to further its agenda, is how to protect the country without infringing on basic human rights and international law. But the new reality, for both Ohlin and Wagner, is that the number of lone-wolf attacks on US soil is likely to continue to rise, even with the best possible intelligence. "At the end of the day, there are some you are going to catch and some you are not," Wagner said. Saturday Night Live is closing out 2016 with a bang. The final three hosts and musical guests of the year were revealed on the show's official Twitter account Friday (Dec. 2), and SNL is certainly recognizing some of 2016's biggest ascendent musicians. Closing out the year are Shawn Mendes (this weekend, as previously announced), Billboard's Women in Music Breakthrough artist Maren Morris (Dec. 10) and Chance the Rapper (Dec. 17). The SNL hosts for the last shows of the year are Emma Stone, John Cena and Casey Affleck, respectively. Closing out 2016 with three great shows! #SNL pic.twitter.com/V1aDa9EHxU - Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) December 2, 2016 SNL has been spot-on with its musical guests this year, featuring some of music's biggest names (The Weeknd, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga) while also representing just about every genre (for example, The xx performed the week after A Tribe Called Quest). The final three are no different, bringing in a pop heartthrob, country starlet and, in the words of Kanye West, "the future" of rap -- setting the bar awfully high for 2017. Riyadh (AFP) - Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Friday sacked the labour minister who headed efforts to help tens of thousands of unpaid foreign workers. Mufarrej al-Haqbani, named to the portfolio almost seven months ago, was replaced by Ali al-Ghifaidh, according to a royal order published by the official Saudi Press Agency. A crisis in the construction sector peaked shortly after Haqbani's appointment, as some workers who had gone months without salaries were left also without food and other essentials. The government stepped in, offering to pay for the workers' flights home and to cover food and accommodation when the employer was no longer meeting obligations. After Saudi Arabia's oil revenues collapsed, the government was left owing billions of dollars to private firms, chiefly in the construction sector, which in turn could not pay their workers. The government has vowed to clear the arrears by this month. Haqbani was appointed in May as part of a major government reshuffle which merged various ministries -- including labour and social affairs -- to reflect new priorities under a wide-ranging plan to diversify the economy. The plan, Vision 2030, also seeks greater government accountability and is driven by Salman's powerful son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 31. On November 1 King Salman sacked veteran finance minister Ibrahim al-Assaf and replaced him with Mohammed Aljadaan, head of the Capital Market Authority which regulates the stock market. In other decrees on Friday, Salman removed the director general of the customs department, and fired the secretary general of the Shura Council which advises cabinet. The king appointed 150 members of the Council, including 30 women, some of whom were new. They will serve a four-year term on the body which has no legislative authority. Salman also named members of the Grand Ulemas Council, the kingdom's top religious body. Most of the members appeared to be unchanged and it will continue to be led by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh, a descendant of 18th century Sunni preacher Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Wahhab, on whose conservative teachings the Islamic kingdom is founded. Scott Foleys got a killer (or is it?) new role. The Scandal star has signed on to Investigation Discoverys Fatal Vision, in which hell play an Army captain convicted of murdering his family, our sister site Deadline reports. RELATEDScandal Season 6 Poster Teases a Dark Post-Election Future for Olivia Pope The TV movie, based on Joe McGinniss nonfiction bestseller of the same name, chronicles the 1970 murders of pregnant Colette MacDonald and her daughters, Kimberly and Kristen. Foleys character, Jeffery MacDonald, also was wounded in what he later told investigators was a ritualistic, Manson Family-style home invasion. Despite his claims of innocence, MacDonald was sentenced to consecutive life sentences in prison years later for killing his entire family. Linda Berman (Madoff) will produce alongside Lincoln Square Productions and ABC Studios. Production will begin this month. Fatal Vision will be the second TV-movie treatment of the material; a 1984 miniseries of the same name starred Gary Cole (Veep) and Karl Malden (The Streets of San Francisco), the latter of whom won an Emmy for his performance as MacDonalds father-in-law. Related stories Scandal's Scott Foley on Jake's Next Move, That 'Great' Olivia/Fitz Moment and More Season Finale Twists Pilot News: ABC Orders Shondaland's Toast Comedy, Reverse Will & Grace Scandal: Will Jake Reunite With Olivia? 'I Think He's Done,' Says Scott Foley Anthony Scaramucci, founder of SkyBridge Capital, speaks to reporters at Trump Tower. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Fund manager and Trump adviser Anthony Scaramucci came to the defense of the billionaire business titans being tapped for positions in president-elect Donald J. Trumps administration. So far, Trump has picked billionaires Wilbur Ross (Secretary of Commerce), Todd Rickets (Deputy Secretary of Commerce), and Betsy DeVos (Secretary of Education) for positions in his cabinet. He also chose Steve Mnuchin, a millionaire Hollywood producer and former Goldman Sachs partner, for Treasury Secretary. I think thats categorically unfair, Scaramucci told a press pool inside Trump Tower on Friday. Ill say something to all of you guys that I think the American people need to hear is that hes really evaluating talent and so if people in the United States have lived the American dream and have been able to amass that kind of wealth, well certainly theyre super talented or in what the president-elect says theyre actually killers. He continued: What youll find about some of the nations billionaires, its not like they have their money located in a swimming pool in $100 bills. Their money is actually in their businesses, theyre in the capital accounts, the capital equipment structure of their businesses and theyre putting people to work in those businesses. And so what I think is really unfair and what I would like us to try to get done here is to sort of end the demonization of success. We want super bright people. We want super bright academics. We want super bright military experts. We want super bright people along a whole cross section of the economy, diplomats etc. And so if youre putting people in trade and treasury or commerce as an example that are super successful, I think the American people should get the assurance that they picked a leader whose judgement they can trust and respect. So I really want to push back very strongly on this whole billionaire criticism. Why is it so bad to be a billionaire, OK? I think its pretty good and by the way these guys who I know personally that hes selected, are some of the most charitable people in the world. Story continues Scaramucci, who grew up in a working-class family on New Yorks Long Island, is the co-founder of SkyBridge Capital, a fund-of-funds with $13 billion in assets under management. Hes also the co-host of Wall Street Week, an iconic financial program he revived that airs on Fox Business Network. Julia La Roche is a finance reporter at Yahoo Finance. Read more: SCARAMUCCI: The governments new rule will hurt investors Bill Ackman made close to $400M on Fannie and Freddie Scientists say that starting the school day even just a little later would make a BIG impact on teens health A new study says even just ten more minutes in bed could make a world of difference adding to what we already know, which is that making teens wake up too early is bad for their health A research lab observed 1,377 students from two Hong Kong schools one started at 7:45 a.m., and one started at 7:55 a.m. After five months of observation, students in the delayed-start group showed clear improvements in social behavior, peer relationships, and concentration. They were also late to class less often and fell asleep in class fewer times than the students who started school ten minutes earlier. Even a modest delay could lead to a number of positive outcomes, lead author Yun Kwok Wing, of The Chinese University of Hong Kong told Reuters Health by email. Later school start time is an effective intervention in improving adolescent sleep and health. The American Academy of Pediatrics advocates for an 8:30 a.m. start time for high schools, claiming the change would drastically improve the mental and physical health of teens. Were all for it who doesnt love more sleep? The post Scientists say that starting the school day even just a little later would make a BIG impact on teens health appeared first on HelloGiggles. Alibaba Pictures Group has confirmed that a second company executive has been detained by Chinese authorities. Chinese media report that Kong Qi has been detained by security forces on suspicion of corruption in July. Kong was a VP at Alibaba Pictures Group, and general manager of Tao Piaopiao, its online ticketing unit. We are declining comment as the case is under litigation, an APG spokesman told Variety. Patrick Liu Chunning, another former APG executive was arrested last year and tried this year on charges of accepting $308,000 (RMB2.14 million) of bribes while working at a previous job with Tencent Video. The local media sources say that Kongs alleged offences also occurred prior to his joining APG, and while he was working at Tencent. King is alleged to have accepted bribes of some $1.44 million (RMB10 million.) Liu was dismissed from APG in January this year for repeatedly failing to attend board meetings. APG has its shares listed in Hong Kong and Singapore. No statement has been made to either stock market on the Kong case. Related stories Sony Pictures Television Partners With China's iQIYI for 'Chosen' Series China to Build $2 Billion Film Studios at Chongqing Alibaba Buys Stake in Hehe Pictures Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks with reporters on Capitol Hill on Nov. 15. (Photo: Cliff Owen/AP) Democratic and Republican senators are reportedly crafting legislation that would put a limit on how many people President-elect Donald Trump would be allowed to deport if he reverses President Obamas executive orders concerning illegal immigration. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., are working on a bill that would allow children who are in the United States illegally to stay if they grew up in the country and have not had significant run-ins with the law, The Hill and Politico reported. Durbin, Graham and other lawmakers are worried that if Trump rescinds Obamas executive action shielding the children of undocumented immigrants from deportation, it would result in chaos for hundreds of thousands of young people. You cant blame these kids for coming here, you cant blame these kids for coming out of the shadows, Graham told The Hill. Theyre out of the shadows, and now we know who they are. If we cancel the executive order, what happens to them? We deport them all? Graham has previously told reporters that he is particularly concerned for children who applied for protection under Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive order, which Trump vowed during the campaign to undo. Trump has muddled a number of his policy positions since winning the election last month. According to the secretary of homeland security, DACA allows certain undocumented immigrants to apply for renewable two-year deferred action from deportation as well as work permit eligibility. The policy was eligible to people who came to the U.S. before turning 16 years old and continuously lived in the U.S. from June 15, 2007, until the present time. The anticipated Graham-Durbin legislation is intended to be a temporary solution until Congress passes comprehensive immigration reform that deals with the polarizing issue of undocumented residents. Graham, a relatively moderate Republican on immigration issues, ran against Trump for the Republican Partys nomination and refused to endorse the billionaire businessman after his victory. Its unclear what support, if any, such a measure could garner from the Republican leadership in the House and Senate. REUTERS - Indian shares ended down over 1 percent on Friday, resulting in a weekly loss, dragged by financials after the country raised the limit of bonds that can be issued under the market stabilisation scheme, while the sentiment was also subdued ahead of U.S. payrolls expected later in the day. The Sensex fell 1.24 percent to 26,230.66, ending 0.33 percent lower for the week. The Nifty fell 1.3 percent to 8,086.80 and fell 0.34 percent for the week. (Reporting by Tanvi Mehta in Bengaluru; Editing by Swati Bhat) During the presidential campaign, most of Hollywood supported Hillary Clinton and denounced Donald Trump. Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane recently attempted to explain why his fellow actors, writers, and producers dislike the president-elect so much. He tweeted: Weve learned to recognize the blustery showmanship of a lying con man because we encounter it every day in our business. MacFarlane continued about Trump, saying: Trump is not of the People. Trump is of Hollywood. And thats the problem. MacFarlane has a history of mocking the president-elect. In 2011, he hosted a Comedy Central roast of Trump, long before the billionaire formally announced his run for president. And this past October, Family Guy parodied Trumps infamous Access Hollywood tape, this time with Peter, voiced by MacFarlane, joining in on Billy Bushs and Trumps offensive banter. While Trump didnt have as many A-list celebrity supporters as Clinton, he did have some, including Ted Nugent, Scott Baio, and Superman himself, Dean Cain. Watch Kristen Stewart in the Rolling Stones latest music video: Following Donald Trumps win in the U.S. presidential election people have been vocal about their unhappiness with the results. Several celebrities have shared their opinion about the president-elect with the latest perspective coming from Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane. On Friday, the actor posted a message to his Twitter account in which he explained why people in Hollywood dislike Trump. We live and work amongst his kind every day here. His tactics are employed by the shiftiest of agents, lawyers, and publicists, MacFarlane wrote. Weve learned to recognize the blustery showmanship of a lying con man because we encounter every day in our business, he stated. The actor, who voices several characters on the Fox series, went on to explain that methods used by Trump are familiar to people in Hollywood because they have faced negative outcomes from similar actions. Trump is not of the people. Trump is of Hollywood. And thats the problem, the television producer ended his statement. Seth MacFarlane Photo: Getty Following his post the actor received some backlash from Twitter users. @SethMacFarlane should go back in his safe-space and go colour! wrote one user. I courdially thank you for the impourtant little moursel of advice. Maybe I'm beating a dead hourse. Or I just have an anxiety disourder, MacFarlane replied. The actor attempted to take a break from all the nonsense but shortly after posted another tweet. You are so delusional - you'd rather have a criminal in the WH than a con man who puts USA first - I still love Teds 1&2, wrote another Twitter user to which MacFarlane responded, I feel like this sums up my complex relationship with my viewers. This is not the first time MacFarlane has shared his dislike of Trump. Following the results of the presidential election in November, he tweeted about his disappointment over Hillary Clinton's loss. "Some didn't like Bush. Some didn't like Obama. But this is different. Forget dislike. Many are genuinely fearful now. This is new," the actor wrote. Story continues Related Articles Seth MacFarlane on Friday attempted to explain why so many celebrities have such disdain for Donald Trump. The Family Guy creator and star posted a lengthy message to social media explaining that the president-elect represented the downside of fame to people who have tasted success. "His tactics are those employed by the shiftiest of agents, lawyers and publicists," MacFarlane wrote. "We've learned to recognize the blustery showmanship of a lying con man because we encounter it everyday in our business." MacFarlane, who hosted the Comedy Central Roast of Trump in March 2011, has been one of his most vocal celebrity critics through his massive social media following. His show also made fun of Trump and utilized the leaked 2005 Billy Bush tape in an episode before the election. On Friday, MacFarlane wrote that people who have made it in Tinseltown "love America" and don't want to see it conned. "Trump is not of the People," he penned. "Trump is of Hollywood. And that's the problem." pic.twitter.com/Fr5UElofyx - Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) December 2, 2016 By Thomas Escritt AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A top lieutenant of Lord's Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony goes on trial in The Hague on Tuesday accused of war crimes ranging from child kidnapping and forced marriage to rape and murder during the rebel group's long rampage in northern Uganda. The trial of Dominic Ongwen opens as the International Criminal Court faces the biggest crisis in its 15-year history, with several member states quitting over claims it unfairly singles out Africans for prosecution. Ongwen was himself a victim of the LRA's child kidnapping campaign in 1988, pressed into service as a young teenager in Kony's war against the government of President Yoweri Museveni, who had seized power two years before. At his first appearance in court last year, the unschooled former child soldier seemed lost and ill at ease in a setting unlike the remote forests in which he had spent the previous two decades, rising to thank God for "creating heaven and earth". The court will focus more on Ongwen's alleged sex crimes and crimes against women after criticism that past ICC cases neglected these crimes. It will be the first time charges of forced marriage are central to an ICC prosecutor's case. Ongwen faces 70 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for attacks on refugee camps in northern Uganda between 2002 and 2005, including committing or directing acts of rape, sexual enslavement and of conscripting child soldiers. He will be asked to plead guilty or not guilty, after which prosecutors and lawyers representing the conflict's victims will outline their case. On a later date his lawyers are expected to argue he is as much victim as perpetrator. The ICC brought charges against Ongwen, Kony and four others who are believed dead, in 2005. Ongwen gave himself up to U.S. troops last January after a decade on the run, fearing for his life after falling out with Kony, who is still at large. For the ICC, the start of the trial is a rare positive, coming after South Africa and Gambia announced their withdrawal from the court over allegations of anti-African bias and amid criticism from President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, one of the court's few Asian members. (Reporting By Thomas Escritt; editing by Richard Lough) NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / December 2, 2016 / The following statement is being issued by Levi & Korsinsky, LLP: To: All Persons or Entities who purchased Vascular Solutions, Inc. ("Vascular Solutions") (VASC) stock prior to December 2, 2016 . You are hereby notified that Levi & Korsinsky, LLP has commenced an investigation into the fairness of the sale of Vascular Solutions to Teleflex Incorporated (NYSE:TFX) for $56 per share. To learn more about the action and your rights, go to: http://zlk.9nl.com/vascular-solutions-vasc or contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. either via email at jlevi@zlk.com or by telephone at (212) 363-7500, toll-free: (877) 363-5972. There is no cost or obligation to you. Levi & Korsinsky is a national firm with offices in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California, and Washington D.C. The firm's attorneys have extensive expertise in prosecuting securities litigation involving financial fraud, representing investors throughout the nation in securities lawsuits, and have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for aggrieved shareholders. For more information, please feel free to contact any of the attorneys listed below. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Levi & Korsinsky, LLP Joseph E. Levi, Esq. Eduard Korsinsky, Esq. 30 Broad Street - 24th Floor New York, NY 10004 Tel: (212) 363-7500 Toll Free: (877) 363-5972 Fax: (212) 363-7171 www.zlk.com SOURCE: Levi & Korsinsky, LLP Barbershop Photo: REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach Admit it, you are so ready for "Movember" to be over. The annual 30-day event in involves the tradition of men growing mustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of men's health issues. Founded in Australia in 2004, the Movember Foundation encourages men (referred to as "Mo Bros") to get involved to raise awareness of the benefits of early cancer detection, diagnosis and effective treatments, and ultimately reduce the number of preventable deaths. The trendy philanthropic endeavor spread like wildfire, and by 2007, events were launched internationally, including in the United States. The Movember Foundation has since raised more than $650 million worldwide and has more than a million participants each year. Now that December is finally here, it's time to say goodbye to those scratchy staches. To send off your facial hair with a fashionable farewell, we rounded up the best shaves in Los Angeles. So lather up and check out the barbershops below. The Shave Beverly Hills Photo: The Shave Beverly Hills The Shave Beverly Hills The Shave Beverly Hills is a luxury barber and retail shop with a mens club feel and a classic barbershop vibe. The Shaves mission is to help clients get in touch with their gentleman side. In addition to old-fashioned shaves, The Shaves offers everything from haircuts and shoe shines to massages and signature services such as Uni-brow Surgery and Sweater Removal." Bolt Barbers Photo: Bolt Barbers Bolt Barbers Whatever you do, don't call this downtown LA spot a "salon". Bolt Barbers is an authentic old school barbershop staffed only with barbers. It's also a social community. With any service and Bolts Hairy Beast Card ($3.33 forever), you can enjoy a Frozen Mug of Draft Root Beer. You can also try the 22-foot vintage shuffleboard, a shoot out on the Vintage Cops & Robbers Crooks Saloon 1954 Gun Shooting Gallery or play your favorite PS/3 Game. Bolt is also stocked with its own line of shaving cream and bay rum after shave, Bolt Barbers Hawks Molton Brown Men's Grooming Essentials, the Art of Shaving products, Cock Grease and Redken Styling products. Story continues Blind Barber Photo: Blind Barber Blind Barber Don't worry, we promise your barber won't actually be blind. This Culver City hotspot just mixes sips and shaves in the same place. Founded in New York City, Blind Barber expanded in 2012, bringing the bar-and-barbershop concept to the west coast. A service here includes a specialty drink, chosen from an extensive mixology menu. You can also leave with a handful of products from the custom Blind Barber line, featuring cocktail-inspired ingredients such as the juniper berry, which is found in gin. After your service, pass through a secret door and find yourself unwinding over even more drinks in Blind Barber's adjacent speakeasy. Gornik and Drucker Photo: Gornik and Drucker Gornik and Drucker Gornik and Drucker is the oldest barbershop in Beverly Hills. Harry Drucker drew in an A-list client base, including Frank Sinatra, Ronald Regan and Clark Gable when he established his barbershop in 1936. In 1989, the renowned barbershop joined forces with William Gornik of Rothschilds fame, who boasted an impressive clientele of his own including John F. Kennedy, Danny Thomas and Tony Curtis. The two former rivals unified under one name and roof. Now on the lower level of the Montage Hotel, Gornik and Drucker continues to be a go traditional shave spot for LA gentleman. You can also enjoy a haircut, manicure and shoeshine and take home exclusive Gornik and Drucker products. Sweeney Todd's Barber Shop Photo: Sweeney Todd's Barber Shop Sweeney Todd This Los Feliz shop is such a throwback that no cell phones are even allowed. Sween Lahman bought the space in 2007, formerly Andys Barbershop, and restored it to its 1947 glory days. Sweeney Todd boasts the original floor, chairs and fixtures all intact, and the soothing music from an earlier time is the old-fashioned cherry on top. The shop is available for private bachelor parties, complete with a projector and vintage bachelor movies. Related Articles Meowmaste chances are good that youll hear the term at least once at the shelter cat yoga sessions offered by Good Mews, a cage-free cat shelter in Marietta, Georgia. The shelter started the yoga classes in July as a way to attract new adopters to their facility, and classes are now filling up fast: The next class with spots still available is in January. Our mission is finding good homes for good kitties, and the volunteer marketing committee, which I lead, does all we can to help carry out this mission by thinking of new ways to introduce our cats to potential adopters, says Nancy Riley, who is marketing chair and on the Good Mews Animal Foundation board of directors. Weve had a kitten shower, a Meows & Meowmosas brunch, and we regularly bring school kids into the shelter to read aloud to the cats. Downward dog (gasp!) with cats started out as a silly idea that quickly turned into something pretty paw-some for both the humans and the cats involved. We have about 100 cats in the shelter, and at least half usually wander through a yoga class and choose a mat to call their own, Riley tells PEOPLE. Its a great nap spot. They love the soft music, dim lighting and the fact that the people are down on their level. It really is fun to watch how much some of the cats get into it. Good Mews Animal Foundation Besides the obviously zen experienced by both species, the best part of the program is that the $20 class participation fee goes straight to the care of the cats and kittens (all classes are taught by a certified yoga instructor who is a shelter volunteer and donates her time to teach). While they havent tallied yet how many cats have found homes through the classes, Riley says theyve had several yoga students bring friends and family members back adopt a forever friend. Our classes sell out very quickly, adds Riley, so it must be a hit. To sign up for a shelter cat yoga class, click here. When the news broke that Redding, California, mom Sherri Papini was found safe on Thanksgiving morning after being missing for three weeks, residents exhaled with relief, the citys mayor tells PEOPLE exclusively. Everyone, says Missy McNulty, is absolutely relieved she was found safe. Papini, 34, vanished while out for a jog on Nov. 2. After three weeks, the mom-of-two was found around 4:30 a.m. Thanksgiving Day on the side of a road about 150 miles south of her Redding home. For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available now on iOS and Android. 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. From the beginning, the community embraced Sherris husband, Keith Papini, and supported the search efforts, McNulty says. On Nov. 15, Keith was first to speak at a city council meeting, urging residents to continue spreading the word about Sherri in the hopes of finding her. He was convinced she was out there and we would find her, McNulty says. He was a big inspiration for all of us. On Thanksgiving Day, hours before the news broke that Papini was found battered and chained but alive, the community gathered at a Turkey Trot race for a somber balloon release to raise awareness of her disappearance, according to the Record Searchlight. PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: Cases that Shocked America is out now. And once the mayor learned Sherri was safe, she texted the couple and said Hallelujah. She also spoke to Sherri on the phone. She was tearful and thankful, McNulty says. Sherri and I were all kind of choked up. It is emotional. Saturday, residents will continue their outpouring of support when they converge on the Redding Civic Auditorium lawn in pink Papinis favorite color and create a video and giant picture saying Sherri Merry Christmas. We are saying glad you are okay, McNulty says, and our community cares about you. Keith Papini remembers the first words he exchanged with his wife Sherri, the California mom who mysteriously vanished for three weeks before being found along a rural road on Thanksgiving Day. When he got the call from a California Highway Patrol officer, he said in an interview with 20/20s Matt Gutman, It was my wife screaming in the background, yelling my name. He added that he remembered thinking, I already know its her. I can tell her voice. Papini was allegedly kidnapped while out for a jog on Nov. 2. She was found around 4:30 a.m. last Thursday in Yolo County about 150 miles south of her Redding home, where she was last seen. PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: Cases that Shocked America is out now. Of speaking to Sherri directly, Keith said, I get the phone and, , Oh my God, honey. And of course shes screaming. He added, Its very emotional. And, I love you, I love you, I love you, Oh my God, youre here. Youre back. Where are you? And then the phone gets taken away from her. Like, super quick. Im panicked but Im happy because at this point this is the first time Ive heard her voice, he added. I know shes alive. Papini also recounted the moment he told the couples son about finding Sherri. I sat him down, and I was on my knees and he was standing up, Papini said. And I said, You know what, buddy? I found mom, and he got the biggest grin and he started, like, Where is she? 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. RELATED VIDEO: Private Investigator Believes Sex Trafficking Could Be Motive Behind Sherri Papini Kidnapping Case Papini has described the brutal condition she was in the first time he saw her after her release by her captors. My first sight was my wife in a hospital bed. Her face covered in bruises ranging from yellow to black because of her repeated beatings. The bridge of her nose broken, Keith Papini wrote in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. She has been branded and I could feel the rise of her scabs under my fingers. Story continues He added that Papini weighed only 87 lbs. and her long, blonde hair had been chopped off. He wrote that Sherri had been thrown from a vehicle with a chain around her waist which was also attached to her wrists and a bag over her head. Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko has said that Papini told police her captors were two adult Hispanic women, armed with a handgun and driving a dark colored SUV, and that authorities currently have no reason to disbelieve Sherri Papinis story. The motive behind the alleged kidnapping is still unclear as authorities continue to investigate. The full interview featuring Keith Papini airs on ABCs 20/20 Friday, Dec. 2 at 10 p.m. ET. A private investigator hired by the husband of a California woman who went missing in a violent, mysterious criminal case that has gripped the nation in recent weeks said her story is real. After Sherri Papini, 34, went missing in November and then later was found injured by the side of a road on Thanksgiving, some have questioned the details of her shocking story. But while Papini's story seems highly unusual, she is telling the truth, private investigator Cody Salfen told local reporters. Its clear that this is a legitimate case of abduction and the other scenarios that people have talked about are improbable, he said of hoax theories circulating on the internet. The fact that she was recovered alive such a long period of time after her initial disappearance that really defies my experience with abduction cases. The young mother was beaten and branded and then left on the side of Interstate 5. The Shasta County Sheriff has not named the two suspects, described simply as two Hispanic adult women armed with a gun and driving a dark SUV. When you have a criminal duo essentially or a pair of people, traditionally that would involve a male or a female. in most criminal duo relationships or situations youll have the male dominant role and the more subservient female role, Salfen said. Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko has said Papini was branded in an unknown area of her body to terrorize her. A motive also remains unknown. I would think that that was some sort of either an exertion of power and control and/or maybe some type of message, Bosenko said, adding, We do not know if she was a specific target or if this was a random abduction. Papini, the mother of two small children, went missing while jogging on Nov. 2. She was bound she had a metal chain around her waist," her husband, Keith Papini, told reporters. "She had a bag over her head...she was chained anytime she was in a vehicle." Story continues Her captors apparently were driving on the interstate when they stopped the vehicle, pushed her out onto the road and then left her about 150 miles from her California home. "She screamed so much, shes coughing up blood from the screaming trying to get somebody to stop," Keith Papini said in an exclusive interview slated to air on ABC News "20/20" FRIDAY, Dec. 2 at 10 p.m. EST. "And again just another sign of how my wife is, shes so wonderful. Shes saying, 'Well maybe people arent stopping because I have a chain that looks like I broke out of prison' so she tried to tuck in her chain under her clothes." Related Articles According to her husband, Sherri Papinis face was covered in bruises ranging from yellow to black because of repeated beatings. The bridge of her nose was broken. She was branded, and her long blond hair was chopped off. When private investigator Bill Garcia heard Keiths account of seeing his wife Sherri for the first time after her release by captors, Garcia thought immediately the abduction was the work of sex traffickers. I literally got the chills. I know who it is, I know who did this, Gracia, who worked with Papinis family while Sherri was missing, tells PEOPLE. Because of the injuries, the broken nose, apparently she had other burns, the discoloration. Of the alleged branding, Garcia says, It indicates a person belongs to a particular group. Garcia stresses that Papini is lucky to be alive. The fact that she wasnt killed is absolutely amazing. If they were so into hurting her as much as they did, these people have no heart. If they dont catch these people, Garcia says, theyll do it again. Garcia says marijuana cultivation is a big business in the area near the Papinis home in Redding, California. He says drug cartels are prominent, and the sex trade is one of their higher resources of cash. In a 2014 article in Time, Redding was named as one of the countrys top 10 cities where violent crime is soaring. According to the article, some area residents believe that the areas crime rates may be related to marijuana cultivation. PEOPLEs special edition True Crime Stories: Cases that Shocked America is out now. Garcia also notes that the corridor between Los Angeles to Portland is an infamous sex-trafficking corridor. Last year, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Office announced a new task force that includes the FBI and other agencies to combat human trafficking, according to the Los Angeles Times. When asked at a Wednesday press conference if Papinis abduction might be related to a cartel or a sex trafficking operation, Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko said, according to CBS, We do not have specific information if it was related to a cartel or human trafficking. Story continues Redding mayor Missy McArthur tells PEOPLE she thinks Papinis abduction on Nov. 2 was just a random act of violence. Who knows what is in the two crazy womens heads, McArthur said. They are not obviously thinking right. Papini vanished while out for a jog on Nov. 2. The mom-of-two was found around 4:30 a.m. Thanksgiving Day on the side of a rural Yolo County road about 150 miles south of her Redding home. 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. Papini told investigators the women who abducted her were Hispanic, armed and driving a dark SUV. Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which people use force, fraud, or coercion to control victims and make them engage in commercial sex acts or labor services against their will, according to The National Human Trafficking Hotline. With reporting by CHRISTINE PELISEK On Thursdays Conan, The Big Bang Theorys Simon Helberg revealed his and Hugh Grants surprising tricks for relieving anxiety when acting. When filming Florence Foster Jenkins, he learned Hugh Grant carries around something called a panic sack. The oddly named bag contains homeopathic remedies that are said to calm the nerves. Though he does not have a panic sack of his own, Helberg explained that he has an odd place to keep his anxiety remedy. Helberg said, My wife had given me all these little, like, cocaine vials of essential oils. Thankfully, Helberg doesnt have cocaine in those vials. Cocaine isnt known for calming the nerves. Conan airs weeknights at 11 p.m. on TBS. Watch: Sen. Bernie Sanders calls out media for election coverage Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Cynthia LuCiette, on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore's central bank said on Friday it imposed penalties on the local units of Standard Chartered Bank and Coutts for money laundering breaches related to Malaysia's scandal-tainted 1MDB fund. The penalties are S$5.2 million ($3.65 million)and S$2.4 million, respectively. The Monetary Authority of Singapore has also served notice of its intention to issue a prohibition order against Tim Leissner, a former director and representative of Goldman Sachs Singapore. The proposed order will prohibit Leissner for a period of 10 years from performing any regulated activity under the Securities Future Act or taking part, directly or indirectly, in the management of any capital market services firm in Singapore. The central bank said it was nearing the end of its 1MDB-related investigations and will provide a final update early next year. ($1 = 1.4250 Singapore dollars) (Reporting by Marius Zaharia; Editing by Michael Perry) Singapore's financial regulator said Friday it has fined two British banks and barred a former Goldman Sachs banker in a widening crackdown on money laundering linked to Malaysian state fund 1MDB. Standard Chartered Bank was slapped with a Sg$5.2 million ($3.65 million) penalty while Coutts bank was fined Sg$2.4 million for breaching anti-money laundering regulations in 1MDB-linked transactions, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said in a statement. The fines came after MAS, also the city-state's central bank, shut down the local branches of Swiss lenders BSI and Falcon Private Bank earlier this year for their role in facilitating illicit cross-border fund transfers involving 1MDB. The scandal has embroiled Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who had set up 1MDB. Najib has consistently denied any wrongdoing. An inspection of Standard Chartered Bank revealed "significant lapses" in due diligence measures, the MAS said, adding that some staff were unaware of money laundering risks. MAS said while the breaches were "serious", its investigation "did not find pervasive control weakness or wilful misconduct" at the lender. British bank Coutts, which in 2015 was sold to Union Bancaire Privee, was sanctioned for a lack of due diligence on customers deemed "politically exposed persons", a term for people with close government connections. Yak Yew Chee, a former Coutts private banker who had joined BSI, was last month jailed in Singapore on fraud charges related to the multi-billion dollar scandal. Yak was also a private banker for Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, a close family friend of Najib who had helped the Malaysian leader set up 1MDB. Low has also denied any wrongdoing. MAS also said it would ban former Goldman Sachs director Tim Leissner from working in the Singapore finance industry for 10 years. Leissner, who oversaw the 1MDB account, had issued an unauthorised reference letter saying that due diligence had been carried out on Low and his family, and that no money laundering concerns had been detected. Story continues MAS said "these statements were untrue and were made by Mr Leissner without Goldman Sachs' knowledge or consent". Leissner resigned from the bank in February. MAS said it would continue to work with other regulators to examine Goldman Sachs' role in 1MDB bond transactions. "MAS has taken tough regulatory actions against various financial institutions this year for AML (anti-money laundering) control lapses," said MAS managing director Ravi Menon. "These actions send a strong signal that we will not tolerate the abuse of Singapores financial system for illicit purposes." Singapore,a regional financial hub, last year launched a probe into alleged unlawful fund flows linked to 1MDB. Switzerland and the United States are also conducting their own investigations into 1MDB. The travel time between the two cities will be 90 minutes. The signing of the High-Speed Rail (HSR)s Bilateral Agreement (BA) between Singapore and Malaysia will most likely to take place on Dec 21, says Minister in the Prime Ministers Department Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan . "Both sides are now taking the necessary follow-up action to comply with their respective internal procedures and legal requirements for the signing of the Agreement," he said. The 350km HSR project which is expected to run in 2026, will link Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. With a top speed of more than 300kph, it promises to cut travel time between the two cities to just 90 minutes. According to the minister, he met with Singapore's Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Khaw Boon Wan, on Nov 29 to discuss the remaining details of the agreement. The two prime ministers had witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two cities on the HSR project in July. Construction works for the project will begin in 2018. The HSR terminus will be located in Jurong East in Singapore, while Malaysia will have seven stations. More From Singapore Business Review By Greg Torode and Marius Zaharia HONG KONG/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - As the impounding of Singaporean troop carriers in Hong Kong exposes rising tensions between China and Singapore, the Lion City is unlikely to budge on core security interests concerning Beijing its military relationship with Taiwan, worries over the South China Sea and its hosting of the U.S. military. Singaporean officials, retired military officers and analysts stress that even while Singapore publicly plays down the spat, its leadership will not easily give in to what it sees as intimidation on matters of national importance. All three points Taiwan, the South China Sea and its deepening relationship with the Pentagon - reflect positions refined over decades as the tiny island state seeks to secure itself in a region now undergoing historic strategic shifts amid China's rise. But those shifts mean the pressure is intensifying and Singapore risks being isolated as neighbors including the Philippines, a U.S. ally, and Malaysia tilt towards Beijing. "Singapore will not be bullied and backed up against a wall," said Tim Huxley, an expert on Singapore's military at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. "(It) will take a determined stand on issues that it sees as important and the importance of the issues at hand should not be underestimated." Hong Kong customs last week seized nine armored troop carriers being shipped from Taiwan to Singapore after military exercises, prompting warnings from Beijing about maintaining ties with an island it regards as a breakaway province. "VANGUARD OF ANTI-CHINA COALITION" The dispute has erupted at a period of apparent vulnerability for Singapore, with its economy slowing and questions over the trade and security policies of incoming U.S. President Donald Trump. Singapore has enhanced its long standing security relations with Washington over the last 18 months, and now hosts revolving deployments of vessels and U.S. P-8 surveillance planes that regional military sources say routinely target Chinese submarines. While not a formal U.S. alliance partner, regional diplomats say it has become Washington's most important military relationship in Southeast Asia - more so since President Rodrigo Duterte's Philippine election win. The shift has not gone unnoticed in Beijing. "Singapore has gone from being seen as a useful facilitator of U.S.-China relations to being in the vanguard of an anti-China coalition, particularly on the South China Sea," said Zhang Baohui, a mainland security scholar at Hong Kong's Lingnan University. "The days of Beijing comfortably seeing Singapore has vaguely neutral are over, and it is reacting accordingly." China will find Singapore harder to crack than other countries in its orbit, however, as it less beholden to Chinese security or economic pressure, given its advanced market status and international security relationships, including with the United States, he said. "China will find Singapore defiant and able to withstand pressure, but Singapore will find itself losing influence and more isolated within Southeast Asia as countries increasingly look to China," Zhang said. OTHER ISSUES AT PLAY Since the seizure of the armored vehicles, Beijing has stressed its opposition to any form of official contact with Taiwan. The influential state-run tabloid, the Global Times, has been more strident, suggesting the carriers should be "melted down". While other state media have run commentaries critical of Singapore through the year, they have been quiet on the troop carrier impounding. Singapore has discreetly circulated thousands of troops a year through Taiwan since 1975 a presence that survived formalizing ties with Beijing under a "one China" policy in the early 1990s. While Singapore increasingly exploits facilities in Australia and India, as well as sending troops to Brunei and Thailand, Taiwan remains an important to Singapore given the depth of military links and diverse training options, experts and retired Singaporean officers say. Singapore has also played a role as a diplomatic bridge between the two sides, most recently hosting the historic meeting between outgoing Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November 2015. Singapore's Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan this week sought to play down the seizure, saying it was "not a strategic incident" and that Singapore's relationship with Taiwan was known to China. But behind the scenes, regional diplomats say their Chinese counterparts are also making clear their rising concern at U.S. surveillance activities off coasts from assets stationed around the region. Advanced P-8 aircraft especially are viewed by Chinese strategists as a threat to Beijing's evolving nuclear deterrent, centered on ballistic missile submarines stationed on Hainan Island. "They are relentless on this point," one Western diplomat said. "They don't want to accept it as normal in any way." Chinese officials and state media have accused Singapore of internationalizing matters in the South China Sea, where it is not a claimant. While Singapore insists it does not take sides in the disputes, it has stressed the importance of freedom of navigation and international norms. As negotiations continue over the fate of the troop carriers, Singapore's Ambassador-at-Large Bilahari Kausikan made clear the issues went deeper than military materiel. Contemporary China was "curious mixture of assertiveness and insecurity", Kausikan wrote on Facebook this week, adding he believed its leaders wanted to preserve the broader relationship. "We are a small country and larger countries not just China routinely try intimidation. But because China wants us to accept the appellation of 'Chinese country' and because so many Singaporeans are of Chinese descent, their actions have a special resonance." (Additional reporting by Christian Shepherd and Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by Lincoln Feast) Local travel agencies could bag over $20m from outbound travel to Myanmar. Strong growth in outbound travel to Myanmar from Singapore as a result of the visa-free entry between the two countries can deliver more than $20 million in revenue for Singapore travel agencies, according to Myanmar Tourism Marketing. "We have witnessed a surge of Singaporean travelers in recent years and look forward to this growing exponentially, says MTM Chairperson May Myat Mon Win. The number of Singaporean travellers to Myanmar is predicted to increase by 35 percent due to the 30-day visa exemption which came into force yesterday, 1st December. In 2015, there were 43,000 Singaporeans who traveled to Myanmar. As of August 2016, more than 32,000 Singaporeans have visited the country, an increase of 18 percent compared to the same period last year. We estimate outbound travel would increase in double digits and the outlook for the coming year alone would deliver well over US$15 million (SG$20 million) in new revenue, says MTM Chairperson May Myat Mon Win. More From Singapore Business Review The guy. When he launched his presidential bid on June 16, 2015, Donald Trump promised, I will find the General Patton or I will find General MacArthur. I will find the right guy. I will find the guy thats going to take that military and make it really work. Looks like he found his guy. On Thursday night, President-elect Donald Trump announced during a rally in Cincinnati, Ohio that he plans to nominate retired Marine Corps general James Mattis as his defense secretary. We are going to appoint Mad Dog Mattis as our secretary of defense, Trump told the crowd, using one of Mattis nicknames. Later, he added, they say hes the closest thing to Gen. George Patton that we have and its about time. More on Mattis and what he brings to the table from FPs Dan De Luce and Paul McLeary here. To the Hill! The retired general, of course, would need Congress to grant a waiver of a law that forbids retired military officers from serving as SecDef for seven years after retirement. While its a near certainty hell get the waiver, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said Thursday shell oppose it. Civilian control of our military is a fundamental principle of American democracy, and I will not vote for an exception to this rule. General rule. Mattis would join fellow retired general Mike Flynn in Trumps cabinet, with David Petraeus still in the running for Secretary of State. Plenty of people think thats just too many retired generals serving on one administration. But former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, speaking with U.S. News and World Reports Paul Shinkman on Thursday, dismissed such concerns, saying he wouldnt be that worried about it. Considering what other options are out there, the ones hes at least considering are people Ive worked with and are pretty reputable, Panetta added. The longest war. One of the problems facing Mattis and the incoming administration is the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan. U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Joseph Votel said at a conference in Washington Thursday that the government in Kabul controls only about 60 percent of the country, while the Taliban holds about 10 percent and the rest is up for grabs. Story continues We have to be concerned about this about the Taliban pulling together and cooperating and collaborating with other terrorist organizations, Votel said. The New York Times reports that Afghanistans security problems are fueling new opportunities for al Qaeda, the Islamic State and other extremist groups, Afghan and American officials say, voicing new concerns that the original American mission in the country removing its use as a terrorist haven is at risk. ISIS making a stand. It looks like Islamic State fighters are bracing for a serious fight in the oil rich Deir Ezzour province in Syria. The Wall Street Journal spoke to one of the groups commanders, who said that keeping the oil spigots pumping in the region is key to the groups finances: the red line is where the oil and the resources exist, it will be protected as much as possible, the commander said. Its not important where Islamic State is locatedwe proved that we can come back anywhere, anytime. But places like Deir Ezzour are irreplaceable. U.S.-backed Kurdish and Arab fighters are pushing to retake towns and villages in the area. 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 The Royal Navy is planning on joining the fray over freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. Reuters reports that British Ambassador to the U.S. Kim Darroch says the Brits will send their two aircraft carriers to the South China Sea at some point once theyre finished construction in 2020. The carriers will be there to keep sea routes and air routes open or in other words, flying and sailing in areas where China has made disputed claims of sovereignty. The U.K. has been trying to assert a more active role in Asia, sending Royal Air Force Typhoon jets to Japan to participate in exercises with Japanese and American forces. Iraq The Islamic State is sending out vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) at the astounding rate of 14 per day around Mosul, according to the Washington Post. The group has innovated its use of the weapons, up-armoring the vehicles and sending them towards Iraqi forces lines to break through and cause chaos. The bombs are causing heavy casualties among Iraqi forces and slowing down whats already a frustratingly slow fight to dislodge the terrorist group from its urban stronghold. Islamic State engineers have also been working on a different kind of VBIED, according to Kurdistan24. The news outlet found that the group has made at least one small remotely controlled ground vehicle equipped with an IED. Iraqi security forces say the device was capable of delivering a charge of 20 kilograms worth of TNT. Hold the phone That next text could be your last, the Islamic State is telling its followers. The famously social media-fluent terrorist group is now warning users to put down their phones and not use messaging app like WhatsApp and Telegram, according to Reuters. The group claims the U.S.-led coalition is able to track members using of the apps, assess their significance in the group, and target them in airstrikes. As long as it has power, the phone is spying on you, an Islamic State newsletter warned. Homegrown The San Bernardino attackers who killed 14 people in an attack a year ago had to consult a search engine to figure out who the leader of the Islamic State was before claiming to carry out the massacre in his name, ABC News reports. The apparent ignorance raises questions about how much the jihadist groups ideology actually played a role in the minds of attackers Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik. San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan told ABC that the motivation for the attack likely came from Maliks anger over her husband having to attend a Christmas party at work something which she, as a Muslim, felt incensed about. Cyber A new strain of malware is attacking IT systems in Saudi Arabia, destroying data and causing headaches for the Kingdoms government offices. Bloomberg reports that the malware appears to be an updated version of the Shamoon virus that hit Saudi energy companies in 2012. U.S. intelligence documents leaked by National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden claim that Iran created and deployed the original Shamoon virus using knowledge gleaned from the reportedly American-made Stuxnet, Flame, and Duqu malware that targeted Irans nuclear program. Investigators looking into the breach tell Bloomberg they believe that Iran might be behind the current attack. Navy The Government Accountability Office (GAO) dropped a new report on Thursday outlining the myriad problems with the Navys Littoral Combat Ship, Bloomberg reports. The GAO framed the issue as whether Congress should spend an additional $14 billion to buy a dozen more of the ships which are more expensive and less capable than originally promised. The incoming Trump administration has pledged to increase the number of ships in the Navy to 350, which seems to bode well for the ships fortunes but members of Congress like Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) are livid over the repeated problems with the ships. And finally The soldier of the future, 1956 edition. (Glow belt not included) Photo Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images SARAJEVO (Reuters) - A Bosnian war crimes prosecutor indicted six Bosnian Serbs on Friday on charges of killing at least 40 Muslims and Roma early in the Bosnian war of the 1990s and attacking about 1,000 people from the Srebrenica area in eastern Bosnia. More than 20 years after the Bosnian 1992-95 war ended, many suspected war criminals remain at large and victims are still being found in mass graves. The six men, who were officials at the Bosnian Serb headquarters in the village of Skelani, are accused of killing civilians, including children, and organized attacks on villages, the Sarajevo-based prosecutor's office said in a statement. "In those attacks, at least 40 victims were killed and at least 1,000 (Muslim) Bosniak and Roma victims persecuted from the area of Skelani," the statement said. Bosnian Serb forces, helped by the Serb-dominated Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), attacked Bosnian Muslims in eastern Bosnia in April 1992 with the goal of ethnically cleansing the area slated for their exclusive Serb statelet. Skelani is near Srebrenica, where Bosnian Serb forces, commanded by General Ratko Mladic, killed around 8,000 men and boys in July 1995, in Europe's worst atrocity since World War Two. The killings have been declared a genocide by the U.N. war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Mladic has been on trial since 2012 at the ICTY over the Srebrenica massacre. Closing arguments are due to begin next week. He has pleaded not guilty and faces a life sentence if convicted. (Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic, editing by Larry King) Washington (AFP) - How will President-elect Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary, retired Marine general James Mattis, steer America's largest bureaucracy and the world's biggest war machine through what likely will be turbulent years to come? Here are six of the most pressing issues that will land on Mattis's plate if he is confirmed: - Iran - Mattis is hawkish on Iran and has publicly called it the "single most belligerent actor in the Middle East." The former Marine general, who commanded a division during the invasion of Iraq, has blamed the deaths of some US troops on Iranian support for Shiite militias in Anbar province. And Mattis has accused Tehran of continuing to finance extremist networks that are destabilizing the Middle East. Trump has slammed the Iran nuclear deal, and Mattis has also challenged it. He has said the White House isn't doing enough to counter Iranian military moves in the region -- and is likely to push for a hard line against the Islamic Republic. - Defeating the Islamic State group - During the campaign, Trump said he would "bomb the shit" out of the IS group, pledged to kill the relatives of suspected terrorists and to torture captives. Mattis, however, has told Trump that he doesn't agree and the president-elect has seemed to cool on his torture pledge. Mattis may struggle to come up with an anti-IS plan that diverges massively from the one already being pursued by the Obama administration -- namely, to bomb IS targets and train and equip local forces to kill the jihadists. We will "pursue aggressive joint and coalition military operations to crush and destroy" IS, Trump said in his foreign policy statement. Trump last year suggested sending US troops into the region to snatch oil fields, but his public plan does not mention this. - Military spending boom? - The US military is by far the world's most powerful and most expensive -- with bases spanning the globe, an annual budget of more than $600 billion and about 1.3 million active-duty troops. Story continues China is the world's second biggest defense spender, but with an annual budget that is about a quarter the size. Trump said Thursday that his administration "will begin a major national effort to rebuild our badly depleted military." He wants more ships, troops, planes and weaponry. Mattis would oversee a surge in active troop numbers, with the Army growing to 540,000 under Trump's pledges (up from the current planned number of 450,000) and an increase of ships and submarines to 350 (up from 308). Trump also wants more warplanes and a "state of the art" missile defense system. US arms firms have seen stock prices surge amid a broader market rally. But Trump's plans to boost spending would require Congressional approval. - Demanding more from allies - During his campaign, Trump accused NATO members and Asian allies of not paying their fair share to long-standing alliances underpinning regional security. But since his election, Trump has dialed back some of this rhetoric. A first order of business for Mattis would be to clarify with allies just what the new administration's position is. The United States maintains hundreds of bases and military sites around the world and currently has more than 200,000 military personnel deployed across dozens of nations, including 28,500 in South Korea and about 50,000 in Japan. - Afghanistan - Fifteen years and hundreds of billions of dollars since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the security situation in the country remains fraught and Afghan security forces are struggling to contain a resurgent Taliban. President Barack Obama was forced to slow a planned withdrawal of US troops, and about 8,400 will remain in the country when he leaves office. Afghanistan got scarcely a mention during the campaign, but Trump on Thursday indicated a reluctance to intervene overseas. "We will stop looking to topple regimes and overthrow governments, folks," he said. "Our goal is stability, not chaos." Mattis, who has led troops in Afghanistan, had criticized Obama's plan to pull forces from the country. - Russia - Trump has openly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin's leadership abilities and was accused by his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton of being a "puppet" for America's longtime foe. Russia has seized Crimea, carried out military exercises on its border with Eastern Europe and has for more than a year conducted an intense bombing campaign in Syria to prop up President Bashar al-Assad. It remains to be seen whether Trump could ask Mattis to find ways to better coordinate with Russia in Syria or elsewhere, an idea once unthinkable for the US military. SM Energy Company SM recently declared the closure of the earlier announced divestiture of its Williston Basin assets for a total consideration of $765.8 million of net cash proceeds. SM Energys price chart reveals that it has significantly outpaced the Zacks-categorised Zacks Sub Industry Oil & Gas U.S. Exploration &Production Market, year to date. While SM Energy has surged 104.4%, the broader market has increased only 47%. The impact of the aforesaid announcement on the stock price remains to be seen. Located outside of Divide County, ND, the Williston Basin assets were sold to Oasis Petroleum North America LLC. The transaction, which has an effective date of Oct 1, 2016, was completed on Dec 1, 2016. Third-quarter 2016 production related to these assets was about 14,350 barrels of oil equivalent per day (Boe/d) (78% oil). SM Energy intends to apply the proceeds from this divestiture to purchase assets from QStar LLC and a related entity. The transaction is anticipated to close later in December. The remainder of the aforesaid proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes. SM ENERGY CO Price SM ENERGY CO Price | SM ENERGY CO Quote In a separate announcement, SM Energy declared the pricing of an upsized underwritten public offering of 9,500,000 shares of common stock for gross proceeds of about $363.4 million. The company extended a 30-day option to underwriters to purchase up to 1,425,000 additional shares of common stock. Subject to customary closing conditions, the offering is anticipated to close on Dec 7, 2016. The proceeds from the offering will be utilized by the company to purchase about 4,100 net acres of additional oil and gas assets in the Midland Basin. We expect this buyout to help the company reduce debt. The balance of the proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes. SM Energy currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked players in the same sector include SunCoke Energy Inc. SXC, Suncor Energy, Inc. SU and Futurefuel Corp. FF. All these stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. SunCoke Energy posted a positive earnings surprise of 177.78% in the last reported quarter. It reported a positive earnings surprise in three of the four preceding quarters. Suncor Energy posted a positive earnings surprise of 300.00% in the preceding quarter. It reported an average earnings surprise of 40.55% for the four preceding quarters. Futurefuel Corp. posted a positive earnings surprise of 20.83% in the last reported quarter. It reported a positive earnings surprise in all of the four preceding quarters. 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Click to get this free report SUNCOR ENERGY (SU): Free Stock Analysis Report SM ENERGY CO (SM): Free Stock Analysis Report FUTUREFUEL CORP (FF): Free Stock Analysis Report SUNCOKE ENERGY (SXC): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Ko Daeyoung, the sometimes controversial president and CEO of South Koreas KBS, says the broadcasters public service role must be maintained despite the countrys political turmoil. Variety: What brings you to Singapore this week? Ko: Two things. First Im here to receive an honor at the Asian Television Awards. But also Im here to explore the market in this region, as we are looking to expand within SE Asia. We are looking at more than content sales. We know that we cannot do everything ourselves and are looking at possible co-production partners. The ATF market is well positioned to help us. Variety: Your show Descendants of the Sun was a huge hit across Asia. What are your content highlights since then? Ko: We are in discussion with some of the Hollywood majors about blockbuster drama and melodramas that we might co-produce from next year. Love in the Moonlight, a period drama that we broadcast in summer is doing well in Asia. Im happy to say that was a completely in-house production. Weve also done well with Hwarang, a melodrama set in the Shilla dynasty. We expect to see a Chinese online company broadcast that in China. Variety: Are web productions yet profitable for KBS? Ko: They dont make big profits yet. But probably soon. We are making them because previously audiences took an appointment to watch a show at a fixed time and date, but these days these is more demand for the flexibility of video. Audiences want shorter format shows and delivered quicker. Variety: What is going to be new and different about Descendants 2 in 2017? Ko: We are looking at this, but cannot yet be sure that it will be in 2017 or 2018. The protagonists were a soldier and a doctor in the first series. We might consider changing the characters. It is a bit of a headache. Variety: Where do you stand on editorial independence within news? Ko: KBS is a public broadcaster. We need to achieve fairness and balance. Historically speaking, Korean broadcasters have been influenced by power. We would like to avoid that and retain balance. KBS has not always been free of that influence, we are not perfect. Our society is much more complicated today. Power can be manifested by politics, labor, bug business and civic groups. Wed like to be aloof. Somewhere in the middle. Story continues Variety: You came under fire for putting yourself in the middle of a parliamentary enquiry into to coverage of the Sewol ferry disaster and preventing a manager answering all their questions. Ko: KBS is a public broadcaster, receiving a license fee, so it is normal that parliament should act as a watchdog. I told the managing director in charge of the newsroom not to answer because it was wrong that parliament was asking him directly. As CEO, Im the one that is responsible. They should not have been putting pressure on the news editor and influencing his future news judgement. Variety: These are very difficult times in Korea. How will the media in Korea media steer its way through? Ko: We have very explicit principles. We need proof and evidence before KBS can report something. One or two million people may be on the street and calling for the president to step down. But there is a constitutional procedure, and we should not be taking a prejudiced position. Variety: That is a very scrupulous position. But Korea is a very fast-moving society propelled by social media. Wont traditional media get left behind if they play by the principles that you describe? Ko: Yes people are using multiple sources, including social media for speedy information, but it is another question whether they trust that information. We see that people turn to KBS to clarify and check the news that they heard elsewhere. KBS remains the standard. Variety: Does KBS have a China strategy? Ko: We are working very well with China. Our latest co-production is Japanese Invasion (aka Imjinwaeran 1592) made with CCTV. Political factors are said to be influencing media relations between the two countries, but we believe they can be a major part of the cultural exchange between the two nations. I believe this situation will improve. Variety: Your career at KBS has involved a demotion in 2010 and no confidence vote. Yet each time you have bounced back from such setbacks. What is your secret? Ko: Theres no secret. I was a journalist for most of my career. I try to stick to my principles through good times or bad. Sometime that was a helpful position, sometimes not. Maybe Im not flexible enough. But I like to believe that Im a man of principle. Related stories SGIFF: 'White Sun,' 'Live from Dhaka' Share Silver Screen Awards Asian Television Awards: 'Descendants,' 'Green' Share Top Honors Singapore's Maiden Sundance Selection 'Pop Aye' Picked Up by Cercamon Nestled smack in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and rightly considered a tropical paradise due to its soft-sand beaches, vacationers and Hawaii residents would normally believe they are completely free of anything even close to resembling snow. Unfortunately, due to low-pressure levels providing freezing temperatures and moisture flying in from the southeast, as much as 20 to 30 inches of snow could cover Mauna Kea and Mauna Loas summits and a winter storm warning is in effect until Saturday evening for locations above 8,000 feet, CBS affiliate KGMB-TV reported Thursday. Winds near or gusting around the summits and running east to southeast could also reach speeds as fast as 10 to 20 miles per hour, which might also lead to drifting snow and freezing fog. Mauna Kea, which stands as Hawaiis highest point at 13,802 feet above sea level on the Big Island, is often a very busy tourist attraction but access to its summit has been closed off because of the potentially dangerous snow. Mauna Loa, considered the largest volcano on the planet and only 120 feet shorter than Mauna Kea, could also accumulate snow at its summit. Given the elevation levels, the snowfall shouldnt be too surprising. "It snows here every year, but only at the very summits of our 3 tallest volcanoes (Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea and Haleakala)," University of Hawaii geology and geophysics professor Ken Run told Weather.com last year. "The snow level almost never gets below 9,000 feet in Hawaii during the winter, but since these mountains are taller than 13,000 feet, 13,000 feet, and 10,000 feet, respectively, they get dusted with snow a few times a year. It rarely stays on the ground for more than a few days though." Its certainly a surprising occurrence, but, lest anyone blame climate change, snowfall is common in Hawaii in low doses. In June, the National Weather Service reported snow had dusted Mauna Kea and it also occurred in July 2015. However, visitors and residents closer to sea level are highly unlikely to see snow with the current forecast showing temperatures of 47 degrees Fahrenheit and rain throughout the next seven days. Sony Pictures Television and Chinese online video platform iQIYI have partnered to co-produce a Mandarin-language version of the Crackle series Chosen. Remade as a trilogy, the Chinese adaptation will be produced by SPT's Sydney-based Playmaker Media with financial support from Screen NSW. The series is expected to feature an A-list Chinese cast, as well as international talent and crew. Production will begin in spring 2017 with an anticipated launch on iQIYI's platforms in the fall. Chosen began airing on Sony's Crackle in 2013 and aired for three cycles. The U.S. version starred Milo Ventimiglia, Chad Michael Murray and Rose McGowan. An action thriller, the show follows a family that becomes drawn into a deadly game but ultimately binds together to save each other. iQIYI, a subsidiary of Chinese search giant Baidu, is at the vanguard of China's booming online video market. The streamer's senior vice president, Yang Xianghua, said at a Beijing press conference Thursday: "Quality control is key to the development of any industry and iQIYI strives to make the best possible resources available to raise the level of craft in net film production." Earlier this week, iQIYI extended a major output deal with Lionsgate. The agreement includes top upcoming releases from the mini-major, such as Mark Wahlberg's Patriots Day and American Assassin, as well some library titles. Sony's other tie-ups in the Middle Kingdom include an alliance with Dalian Wanda Group, under which the Chinese conglomerate will provide local marketing support for Sony's theatrical releases in China, as well as take minority equity stakes in some tentpoles. Read more: China's Wanda to Receive Further Scrutiny for U.S. Entertainment Takeovers (Report) Sophia Bush has shared her thoughts on the prospect of having a One Tree Hill revival. In an interview with E! News, the actress said that while shes hopeful for a revival, she doesnt know how she can squeeze filming for it in her packed schedule. I dont know how I could cut myself in half to make that happen because I shoot Chicago P.D. for 10 months out of the year, Bush, who played Brooke Davis on One Tree Hill, said. I guess if the stars align for all of the producers who have other jobs to do another job and then miraculously 15 people could manage to be free for a special, that would be cool. I just dont know how we would ever make it work, but its certainly flattering that people want us to. Bush also shared what she thinks her character would be up to if the series is still on today. The character put up a clothing company in the series original run, and Bush is certain that Brooke is still busy putting up companies these days, only now she will focus on tech. I think she absolutely would have been a leader in the tech market and would have an incredible app, Bush said. Some of the shows cast members attended the EyeCon Convention in Chicago in November. Aside from that, an informal reunion also happened in August 2015 in Montreal. Meanwhile, its not just Bush who has opened up about the idea of reviving the beloved show. Chad Michael Murray, who played Lucas Scott, also said that he doesnt see the show being rebooted in the near future. The actor also told Wonderwall that while he is not averse to the idea of returning to the series, he would need a good reason to do so. One Tree Hill debuted in 2003. The show ran for 9 seasons. Sophia Bush Photo: Reuters/Gus Ruelas Related Articles JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has ordered an investigation into the tax collection authority, officials told parliament on Thursday, underlining rising tensions between the Treasury and the revenue agency. Gordhan has expressed concerns at the leadership of the South African Revenue Service (SARS), saying earlier this week he could not vouch for the accuracy of the information it provided because of a lack of accountability and cooperation from its top management. SARS said in a statement on Thursday it was concerned over the comments questioning the integrity of its leadership. News of the latest investigation adds to the impression of a system in turmoil after months of tension between President Jacob Zuma and the finance minister, who himself survived a separate probe into allegations of fraud while he was the head of SARS. The tensions have unnerved investors at a time when Africa's most industrialized economy is stalling, with growth forecast at 0.5 percent this year by the Treasury. An 8-member team set up by the Treasury to investigate governance at SARS said in a presentation to parliament, seen by Reuters, that it was studying whether the agency was sufficiently accountable and had the capacity to deal with illicit financial flows. It was unclear when the probe was initiated, but Business Day newspaper quoted the head of the committee, Dennis Davis, as saying it had been carrying out its work for several months. Davis could not be reached for comment at the number provided on the committee's website. SARS spokesman Sandile Memela and Treasury spokeswoman Yolisa Tantsi did not immediately reply to telephone and email requests for comment. "The implication is that he has a lack of confidence in the top leadership at SARS," political analyst Daniel Silke said, referring to Gordhan. Gordhan and SARS commissioner Tom Moyane, who was appointed in 2014 by Zuma, were at loggerheads earlier this year when Moyane refused to halt an operational turnaround plan that had been vetoed by the minister. At the time, media reported that Gordhan had threatened to resign from the cabinet unless Moyane was removed from his role. (Reporting by Tiisetso Motsoeneng and Mfuneko Toyana; Editing by James Macharia and Mark Trevelyan) By Harriet McLeod CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - Jurors trying to reach a verdict will begin a third day of deliberations on Friday in the murder trial of a white former South Carolina police officer who fatally shot a fleeing, unarmed black motorist last year. Ex-North Charleston patrolman Michael Slager, 35, faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if found guilty of murder in the death of 50-year-old Walter Scott in April 2015. Civil rights activists have vowed to protest should Slager be acquitted. "We won't sit idly by," said James Johnson, state director for the National Action Network in South Carolina. Conviction on a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter would carry a prison term between two and 30 years. The jury of 11 whites and one black began deliberations on Wednesday in a case that gained widespread attention after a bystander's cellphone video footage of the officer shooting at Scott's back was made public. The video added fuel to a national debate over the use of force by U.S. law enforcement against minorities in the wake of police killings of black men in New York, Baltimore, Ferguson, Missouri, and other cities. Jurors viewed the video multiple times and heard testimony from dozens of witnesses during the state court trial in Charleston over the past month. On Thursday afternoon, they requested transcripts of the testimony given by Slager and the chief investigator on the case. They later sent the judge a note asking for guidance in distinguishing between "fear" and "passion." Soon after that they were sent home for the night and were to resume deliberations on Friday morning. Slager told jurors earlier this week that Scott ran after being pulled over for a broken brake light and resisted the patrolman's orders to stop. Prosecutors said Scott likely fled because he was behind on child support payments and feared arrest. Scott was not armed, but Slager's lawyers said the officer did not know that at the time of the confrontation. Story continues Slager said Scott grabbed his stun gun as the two men scuffled. Feeling "total fear," Slager said he drew his gun and opened fire until he had stopped the threat. Prosecutors argued the video proved Slager was not in danger when he fired eight shots at the fleeing Scott, hitting him with five bullets. Outside the courthouse on Thursday, Scott's brother, Anthony, waited with television crews, police, chaplains and bystanders for a verdict. "It's gonna be OK," he said. "If it's not OK, we're not done." (Reporting by Harriet McLeod; Writing by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Leslie Adler and Simon Cameron-Moore) By Ju-min Park SEOUL (Reuters) - When South Korean President Park Geun-hye turned to a lawyer known as her "Bulletproof Vest" to defend her in a corruption case that could lead to impeachment and criminal prosecution, she may have had little choice. Although Yoo Yeong-ha is not among the country's better-known lawyers, he wears his die-hard loyalty to the embattled president as a badge of honor, a rarity for Park as the scandal around her deepens. A remote figure even at the height of her popularity, Park has now been deserted by many of her allies, including her own justice minister. For weeks, hundreds of thousands of people have come out on the streets of Seoul demanding Park resign. Her current popularity rating is just 4 percent, a record low. On Thursday, she made her first public appearance in over three weeks. Yoo is slightly built and youthful-looking for his 54 years. Dressed casually in jeans and a sweater under a knit jacket, he met Reuters at a location he insisted be kept confidential to fend off media attention. "I did not hesitate even one second when offered the job as her lawyer," he said, speaking over sips of flower tea. "I have complete faith in the president." Yoo was a legal adviser to Park's Saenuri Party, standing for parliament three times under its banner, and losing each time. Park, then a lawmaker, gave Yoo a ringing personal endorsement during his unsuccessful 2008 run for parliament. "Candidate Yoo Yeong-ha is a partner with whom I have long thought and felt alike, and a person that I know and trust more than anyone else," Park said in a videotaped statement. Yoo said he meets with Park in the presidential Blue House, where he takes notes by hand as he is not allowed to take his personal laptop inside. He later transcribes his notes to a desktop computer. Yoo declined to provide details of his conversations with Park, 64, but described her as calm and strong. "Korean presidents in general are lonely. She is keeping a cool head now and I believe she will get through this dark tunnel," he said. DEFERENCE AND PROFANITY Yoo refers to Park deferentially and calls her his political mentor. However, he became known for profanity-laced tweets in defense of Park during and after her successful presidential campaign in 2012. "Can you just shut your mouth and be quiet? To your eyes 51.6 percent of people look like Nazi traitors?", he tweeted in 2012 to a famous novelist who was critical of Park, after Park won with 51.6 percent of the vote. That kind of language led local media to nickname him Park's "Bulletproof Vest". Yoo later closed his Twitter account, and acknowledged that emotion may have gotten the better of him. As a criminal lawyer, he is best known for defending a teenager in a notorious rape case eight years ago. The defendant was initially convicted but his jail term was suspended on appeal. Legal experts said Yoo's loyalty secured him the president's brief. "This case is very difficult for lawyers to take because public anger is so strong," said Lee Heon-hwan, a professor at Ajou University Law School in Suwon, south of Seoul, adding it made sense for Park to hire a lawyer she trusts. "Her scandal is so messy and fuelling so much anger. Her lawyer will also get blamed, rather than being able to raise his or her name value." Rho Young-hee, a lawyer at Seoul law firm Cheon Il, said Park's hiring of Yoo shows how much she prizes loyalty. "I wouldn't take that case even if I was offered. I don't want my life to be ruined," Rho said. CARELESSNESS Park is alleged by prosecutors to have colluded with a long-time friend, Choi Soon-sil, to enable her to wield improper influence in government affairs and in fundraising by two foundations set up to back Park's initiatives. Park has denied wrongdoing but acknowledged carelessness in her ties with Choi. She has offered to resign, but the opposition has said it will vote next week on whether to impeach her. On Wednesday, Park appointed a special prosecutor who will take over the probe by state prosecutors. She is protected from indictment as long as she is president but she remains subject to an investigation and would lose her immunity if she leaves office. Yoo declined to discuss his legal strategy. He said he is working day and night to defend Park during the investigation, and has lost 4 kgs (9 lb) since he was appointed on Nov 15. "I never surrender to what is wrong, I don't back down," he said. "It is my calling to clear all allegations laid against the president and find the truth. I am going together with the president till the end." (Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Tony Munroe and Raju Gopalakrishnan) JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Nigeria's Nobel Prize-winning author Wole Soyinka has torn up his United States green card and renounced his American residency in protest at Donald Trump's U.S. election win, the writer told news channel eNCA on Thursday. "I've done it," said Soyinka, 82, when asked if he had followed through on an earlier vow to leave the United States if Trump triumphed in the race for the White House. "When I was ready, when I'd finished, I negotiated my departure," the Nigerian born author said in Johannesburg on the sidelines of a university conference. Soyinka has had regular teaching stints at America's ivy league universities since the mid 1990s following his Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. He was the first African writer to win the award. A frequent and fierce critic of his own government, particularly over the carnage being inflicted by Boko Haram militants in northeastern Nigeria, Soyinka said he felt ill at ease in the wake of Trump's shock victory. "We on the African continent could boast that we had a contemporary descendent ruling the United States," Soyinka said referring to outgoing President Barack Obama, whose father was a Kenyan. "Suddenly, somebody is making speeches which are meant to reverse those gains." (Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana; editing by Richard Lough) By Steve Stecklow and Alexandra Harney SHANGHAI/SHELTER ISLAND, New York (Reuters) - Thomas Benson once ran a small liberal arts college in Vermont. Stephen Gessner served as president of the school board for New Yorks Shelter Island. More recently, theyve been opening doors for Chinese education companies seeking a competitive edge: getting their students direct access to admissions officers at top U.S. universities. Over the past seven years, Benson and Gessner have worked as consultants for three major Chinese companies. They recruited dozens of U.S. admissions officers to fly to China and meet in person with the companies' student clients, with the companies picking up most of the travel expenses. Among the schools that participated: Cornell University, the University of Chicago, Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley. Two companies Benson and Gessner have represented New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc and Dipont Education Management Group offer services to students that go far beyond meet-and-greets with admissions officers. Eight former and current New Oriental employees and 17 former Dipont employees told Reuters the firms have engaged in college application fraud, including writing application essays and teacher recommendations, and falsifying high school transcripts. The New Oriental employees said most clients lacked the language skills to write their own essays or personal statements, so counselors wrote them; only the top students did original work. New Oriental and Dipont deny condoning or wittingly engaging in application fraud. Building on a model they pioneered for Dipont, Benson and Gessner helped New Oriental introduce its clients to U.S. admissions officers, linchpin players in the fast-growing business of supplying Chinese students a prestigious American education. Beijing-based New Oriental is a behemoth. Founded in 1993, the company is Chinas largest provider of private education services, serving more than two million Chinese students a year. Its shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange. The company generates about $1.5 billion in annual net revenue from programs that include test preparation and English language classes. This year, about 10,000 of its clients were enrolled in American colleges and graduate schools. Winning the trust of American college admissions officers is an important part of the business model. New Orientals counseling division - Beijing New Oriental Vision Overseas Consultancy Co - has centers throughout China and 3,300 counselors and staff. It typically charges students between $1,450 and $7,300 to recommend colleges and prepare applications. "IT'S THE NATURE OF THE INDUSTRY" A New Oriental student contract reviewed by Reuters states that its services include writing or polishing parts of college applications. The contract says New Oriental will set up an email account on behalf of the client for communicating with colleges, keeping sole control of the password. Several former employees said some students never even saw their applications because the company controlled the entire process, including submitting them to colleges. The new insight into the business practices of Chinese education companies comes at a time when American colleges are relying more heavily on Chinese undergraduates, who tend to pay full tuition. Their numbers grew 9 percent to 135,629 in the 2015-2016 school year and represent nearly a third of all international undergraduates, according to the Institute of International Education. Helping Chinese kids get into U.S. schools has become a significant industry, with hundreds of companies having sprung up in China to cash in. These businesses often charge large sums for services that sometimes include helping students cheat on standardized tests and falsifying their college applications. Ghost-writing applications for students is so common in China that some who do it speak openly about the practice. I wrote essays and recommendation letters for students when I worked at New Oriental, which I still do right now for my own consultancy, former New Oriental employee David Shi told Reuters. I know there is an ethical dilemma but its the nature of the industry. Many of the colleges participating in the New Oriental and Dipont trips said accepting travel expenses from the Chinese companies was appropriate, that they hadnt been aware of the fraud accusations, and that none of the students received special consideration. Some said they have stopped or will stop participating in the subsidized trips. Comments from the U.S. colleges named in this article are summarized in this table: http://tmsnrt.rs/2fX8GWZ Benson, in a statement responding to the fraud accusations, said: There are many bad actors and bad practices in the world of admissions counseling, in both China and the United States. In every visit we have made to China, we have been strong advocates for the highest standards of honesty in the admissions process. We believe that we and those who have traveled with us have upheld these standards. New Oriental said its counseling division prides itself on its longstanding commitment to education and the very high standards it has. It added: The companys operations are governed by robust policies and procedures designed to guard against any unendorsed behavior by employees who are assisting students. Benson, who is 76 and speaks Mandarin, used to be president of Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont. He said he has had a lifelong fascination with China. He had a Chinese roommate in college and led a program for a spring term in China as a professor at the University of Maryland in the 1980s. Benson also is the co-founder of ASIANetwork, a consortium of about 170 colleges that promotes Asian studies. China has been in my blood and in my family history all the way through, he said. He said he first met Gessner, 72, about eight years ago. At the time, Gessner was a consultant to Shanghai-based Dipont, which runs international programs in Chinese high schools and college-counseling services that can cost a student more than $32,000. ESTABLISHING CREDIBILITY Dipont executives said they wanted to help more students study in the United States. So, they initially hired Gessner, and later Benson, to help train guidance counselors and develop student exchange programs. Beginning in 2009, Gessner and Benson launched tours and summer camps for U.S. admissions officers to meet Dipont students in China and advise them on applying to colleges. Benson said he and Gessner recruited the universities through contacts in secondary and higher education. To establish credibility with the colleges, they said, they set up a New York-based non-profit called the Council for American Culture and Education Inc, or CACE. It was a more respectable way to work as consultants. It helped us to recruit colleges, said Gessner. The strategy worked. The early participants included admissions officers from such prestigious institutions as Cornell, Stanford, Swarthmore College, Emory University and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Reuters reported in October that the New York Attorney Generals office planned to review the charity, which had failed to disclose its ties to Dipont in U.S. and New York State tax filings. The review could lead to a formal investigation if authorities find evidence that CACE violated New York law. Reuters also reported that eight former Dipont employees had described how the company had engaged in application fraud, including writing essays for students and altering recommendation letters. Since the story, Reuters has interviewed nine additional former Dipont employees who gave similar accounts. In a statement, Dipont said: We will promptly and thoroughly investigate any credible evidence of any situation in which the company's legal and/or ethical standards may not have been upheld by any of its employees, and will take appropriate action if we find that there have been lapses. In 2012, Benson and Gessner said, they were recruited as consultants by New Oriental and ceded control of CACE to Dipont. Benson described their financial arrangement with New Oriental as almost a carbon copy of their deal with Dipont: The two Americans received $50,000 for arranging each tour. They also set up another New York-based nonprofit, the Council for International Culture and Education, or CICE. Benson said New Oriental has no control over CICE. The duo enlisted many of the same colleges that had participated in Dipont camps, and added some others, including Haverford College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Florida. New Oriental covered travel expenses for tours to various cities in China. THE COST OF ACCESS To get the colleges to participate in the New Oriental trips, Benson and Gessner used the playbook they perfected at Dipont. Both Chinese companies paid airfare, hotel and other travel expenses for each of the admissions officers whom Benson and Gessner brought to China between 2009 and last year. They wouldnt go otherwise, Benson said. The ethics code for college admissions officers doesnt address the propriety of such arrangements. Cigus Vanni, a retired high school counselor from Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, said it was absolutely unethical for colleges to accept the money. He likened it to a pay-for-play scheme in which prospective Chinese students get special treatment. Many American applicants to elite U.S. colleges - which can receive five to 20 applications for each available slot - dont get to directly interact with admissions officers. Youre giving these people direct access to college admissions officers that no one else has, said Vanni, who serves on the admissions practices committee of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. And theres something expected in return for that. New Oriental touts the benefits of this access to prospective clients. In promotional material on its website, the company described how, during the 2014 tour, it arranged for one of its students to have opportunities to have close contact with a Carleton admissions officer. The testimonial ends with the young woman receiving an acceptance letter from Carleton College. Carleton admissions officers went on tours subsidized by New Oriental in 2013, 2014 and 2015 and participated in six Dipont-subsidized summer camps. Paul Thiboutot, Carletons vice president and dean of admissions, said the Northfield, Minnesota, college was unaware of the New Oriental ad. He said Carleton is now reconsidering its involvement in such programs and most likely will no longer participate. We do indeed see ethical issues in accepting all-expense-paid trips from Chinese companies if these companies allegedly engage in college application fraud, he said in an email. Dan Warner, director of admission at Rice University in Houston, said when Rice agreed to send an admissions officer on a tour in 2014, it believed the trip was underwritten by CICE, not New Oriental. He said Rice probably wouldnt have participated had it known of the companys role. Benson said New Orientals role was made clear. Olivia Qiu said she used New Oriental to apply to eight U.S. colleges in 2010. After completing a questionnaire, the counselors took over. I didnt write anything. They wrote everything for me, she said. Qiu ultimately didnt attend any of those eight colleges. Before university, she took a job at New Oriental in Tianjin and said she wrote essays for students. Other employees, she said, wrote personal statements, supplemental essays and recommendation letters. Sometimes, the student didnt even see (the application) before they submitted it to colleges, she said. She said she quit over ethical concerns. I just thought thats not right, thats not how you help students, she said. FEELING "REALLY CONFLICTED" A current New Oriental employee said he once falsified an entire high school transcript for a student. A former employee who worked in 2014 and 2015 compared New Orientals college application process to an assembly line: One person was in charge of signing a service contract with parents, another compiling a college list, a third completing the application, and a fourth submitting it to universities. Alan Li worked on applications in 2012 and 2013 in Shanghai. He said he wrote personal statements and edited recommendation letters students had written about themselves. He said he would use material for essays from questionnaires the students completed but would invent stories if necessary. Li said he initially felt really conflicted but ultimately decided that a good student who was a horrible writer deserved a break. By early this year, Benson and Gessner had stopped working for New Oriental and were focusing on new markets, including India, Sri Lanka and Africa. But the duo hasnt abandoned China. In June, CICE organized a tour for admissions officers from seven U.S. colleges on behalf of another Chinese company, EIC Group. I am getting a late start in putting out invitations for the summer 2016 China tour, primarily because we (CICE) have moved from New Oriental to a new Chinese partner, Benson emailed an admissions officer at the University of Florida in March. We were invited by EIC, a large, much more innovative Chinese organization to partner with them on a series of summer tours - boarding school, college, and graduate school. In addition to Florida, the schools included Colorado College, Cornell, Macalester College, Smith College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Rochester. EIC Group paid CICE $35,000, according to Benson, and promoted the tour with an advertisement on its website. By schmoozing and exchanging ideas with admissions officers, you are halfway to a successful application to a famous school, said the Chinese-language ad. The ad disappeared after Reuters questioned the company about it. A spokeswoman for EIC said the events were open to the public, and aimed to improve Chinese students applications. She didnt respond to questions about the ad. Benson said he hadnt seen it. That is really bad, horrible, he said. My goodness. (Additional reporting by Renee Dudley in Boston, James Pomfret in Hong Kong and the Reuters Shanghai newsroom. Edited by Blake Morrison and Michael Williams) Star hairstylist Frederic Fekkai is launching a new beauty brand inspired by and celebrating the French area of Provence, reports WWD. The new launch will be a reboot of a 26-year-old Aix-en-Provence-based company, Cote Bastide, which Fekkai will transform into new brand Bastide. The reboot will focus on skincare products with high-quality, natural ingredients from local suppliers. The brand was to start posting information and original content via its official Instagram account on Friday, with the company website launching in France on December 20 and in the US on January 11. A flagship boutique is also expected to open in Aix-en-Provence in March 2017 with plans also to open in Paris and New York. So far the collection includes a hand and body section with prices ranging from $8 to $45, candles priced at $65 each and three eau de toilette fragrances retailing at $130 for 100 ml or $32 for 10 ml. The original company, Cote Bastide, was founded in 1990 by Nicole Houques and at one time had retail outlets in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris, London and the US. Starbucks' Howard Schultz is stepping down as CEO from the business he transformed into the world's largest coffee brand over the past 30 years. Schultz made the announcement Thursday, saying he will make the transition on April 3 and remain at the company as executive chairman. Since purchasing the Starbucks chain in 1987, Schultz built the brand's empire with more than 25,000 stores in 75 countries and a market value of $84 billion, according to The New York Times. Schultz has been a highly visible CEO while leading the company to take on social and political issues such as gun violence, race relations, gay rights, student debt, veterans rights and more. His successor will be Kevin Johnson, the company's current president and chief operating officer. Schultz said he plans to continue to lead Starbucks' social efforts while focusing on developing its higher-end shops, such as the 15,000-square-foot flagship Reserve Roastery in downtown Seattle, as well as smaller premium stores and "bars" in current Starbucks stores. Schultz's move is sure to feed speculation that he has plans to enter politics, though he has said that is not in his current plans. Under Schultz's direction, Starbucks has not only grown as a coffee brand but a powerful player in music. The company's investment began with the acquisition of music retailer Hear Music in 1999, initially focusing on compilations for music discovery sold in its coffee shops. In the mid-2000s, the company developed a partnership with William Morris to help identify music to feature in its stores and Schultz helped bring in a number of exclusive music releases under the Hear Music record label in partnership with Concord Music Group. This incentive included albums by Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Sia, Elvis Costello, James Taylor and more. Hear Music also developed into a branded retail store with several Starbucks Hear Music Coffeehouses around the country, as well as "media bars" within existing Starbucks locations. Story continues A 2006 Billboard article cites annual album sales of 3.6 million units, or approximately $65 million in music revenue, via Starbucks. In a 2004 interview with Fast Company, Schultz noted of Starbucks' jump into music: "The nature of shopping for a CD or a piece of music at a traditional record store is, at its best, a very poor consumer experience. ... The Starbucks customer [who] might want to find a Diana Krall album, a Tony Bennett album, or anything that was not being played on the radio, well, they would have a hard time going into Tower Records. Maybe they'd find the album there, but they could not find someone who could talk to them about it. That consumer has disposable income and has had a long history of buying and enjoying music, but they have nowhere to go." The Hear Music Coffeehouses shut down in 2008, as the company transferred the record label's day-to-day management fully to Concord that same year. And in 2015, the Starbucks coffee shops stopped selling CDs but has continued its music efforts, this year announcing a partnership with Spotify. This story originally appeared on Billboard.com. Its the end of an era for the global corner coffeeshop: Howard Schultz is stepping down as Starbucks CEO. And investors are uneasy about it. Shultz announced the move Thursday in a statement released right after the stock markets official trading session ended. He will take on the title of executive chairman, while Starbucks President and COO Kevin Johnson will assume the CEO role. Both men held a conference call to reassure investors that, far from disrupting Starbucks long history of success, the moves will pave the way for future growth. Shultz will remain at Starbucks, but will focus on building out new categories of stores, such as the high-end, 15,000 square-foot Roastery it opened in Seattle. Johnson will focus on running the 25,000 stores Starbucks has in 75 countries, drawing on his experience at Microsoft and Juniper Networks to employ technology aimed at keeping customers coming to its coffeeshops. So iconic is Shultz as a retail CEO, however, that Starbucks shares dropped 4% on the announcement. Nor did the stock recover much after repeated assurances from both executives that this was an evolutionary process that has been in the works for several months as Starbucks charted out a five-year strategic plan. Evolutionary or not, it came as a surprise to investors. Im here every single day, Shultz said. And Im going contribute to what I think is a significant growth opportunity of a new franchise within Starbucks. For his part, Johnson underscored he wont be running Starbucks alone. Over the last two years, weve worked much more closely together, he said. Our offices are connected. We talk several times a day. We brainstorm. Read more: TIMEs 2015 cover story about outgoing Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz Shultz joined Starbucks in 1982 after working for a Swedish housewares company and noticing the a small Seattle store was buying more cone filters than anyone. He bought Starbucks in 1987, expanded into other cities and took the company public in 1992. In 2000, having brought the company to $2.2 billion in annual revenue, Schultz stepped down. Story continues Eight years later, Schultz returned as CEO after the stock entered a prolonged slump that saw its value decline 80% over a two-and-a-half year period. Once Schultz returned, Starbucks stock went on a tear that pushed it to new heights, rising more than 500%. Over the past year, however, that rally has stalled, with the stock down 9% from its record high of $64 a share. Schultz says retailers in general are undergoing a seismic shift away from bricks and mortar toward online retailing. Starbucks isnt immune to the loss of foot traffic, which is why hes embarking on a new kind of coffeeshop designed to become what he calls relevant consumer destinations. Starbucks plans to open as many as 30 Roastery stores in coming years, including one in New York and another in Shanghai, which feature on-site roasting and $12 cups of coffee. Schultz said the Roastery stores will feature baked goods from the Italian restaurant Princi as well as a broader category that Starbucks will unveil at its investor day on Dec. 7. The company will also build as many as 1,000 smaller stores under the Starbucks Reserve brand, which will offer high-end coffee without the on-site roasting, while remodeling many older stores to include Reserve espresso bars. Johnson, meanwhile, will work to improve customer engagement with initiatives like loyalty programs, app-driven orders and digital payments. Given Schultz lifelong entrepreneurial bent, the plan the company has outlined for growth into high-end stores makes sense. The chief concerns are that the new stores could cannibalize business from its traditional stores and that pulling Schultz away from a $21 billion enterprise could lead the stock lower. One analyst on todays call called Schultz a master merchant and asked whether that merchant gene and level of entrepreneurial spirit would remain in the managerial team. Another asked why this changing of the guard would be different from the last time Schultz stepped down 16 years ago. The differences between then and now couldnt be greater, Schultz said. I dont think theres ever been a time in the companys history with a pipeline of product innovation. For now, investors dont seem so sure. The new roles for Johnson and Schultz may prove to be just what Starbucks needs for its next chapter. But dont change the fact that there is a difference between a capable CEO and an iconic one. By Sruthi Ramakrishnan (Reuters) - Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz's decision to step down is unlikely to disrupt growth at the world's biggest coffee chain as his successor Kevin Johnson is well suited to take the helm, analysts said. Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O) said on Thursday that Schultz would step down as CEO on April 3 to focus on new high-end coffee shops, handing the top job to Chief Operating Officer Johnson, a long-time technology executive. The company's shares were down 2.6 percent in premarket trading as investors worried that the legendary CEO's exit would spell trouble for the company. The last time Schultz stepped down as CEO - in 2000 - the company's shares had plunged. Schultz returned to the top job in 2008. Since then the company's annual sales have more than doubled and its stock has risen six-fold. "Unlike the period surrounding Mr. Schultz's previous departure, we believe the company is transitioning to a new CEO during a period of strength, with a solid macro-economic backdrop, a strong leadership team, and a robust pipeline of innovation in technology, food, beverages," RBC Capital Markets analyst David Palmer wrote in a note. Johnson's experience of working with Schultz for nearly two years as well as his technology background, including stints at Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Juniper Networks Inc (JNPR.N), sets him up for the job, analysts said. Schultz said on Thursday that he had personally asked Johnson to take the CEO job, highlighting Johnson's technology chops at a time when the company is trying to project itself as a pioneer in mobile payments technology. Starbucks was the first to push into mobile ordering and payments through its app, allowing customers to avoid standing in long lines and forcing rivals like Dunkin' Brands Group Inc (DNKN.O) and Panera Bread Co (PNRA.O) to follow suit. The mobile payments strategy has proved hugely successful - a quarter of all transactions in Starbucks' latest quarter was through mobile phones. Story continues Starbucks' quarterly revenue has risen at a pace of least 7 percent since 2009, much faster than that of Dunkin' and McDonald's Corp (MCD.N). "While we acknowledge that Schultz is without question one of the strongest and most visionary leaders in the consumer/retail world, we believe the succession planning put in place several years ago assures the recent exceptional performance will likely continue," Wells Fargo Securities analyst Bonnie Herzog said in a note. Schultz's plans to "premiumize" the Starbucks brand should allow the broader store network to continue to thrive, Herzog added. The outgoing CEO said on Thursday that in his new role he would focus on building the ultra-premium Starbucks Reserve stores and showcase Roastery and Tasting Rooms around the world. These efforts come as Starbucks is trying to stave off competition from super-premium coffee rivals such as Blue Bottle and Intelligentsia. The company opened its first Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room in 2014 in Seattle - Starbucks' birthplace - to roast and sell limited-supply Reserve coffees. It plans to open three more in Shanghai, New York and Tokyo. (Reporting by Sruthi Ramakrishnan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty) Shares of coffee chain giant Starbucks Corporation SBUX fell over 3% in afterhours trading on Dec 1, following the announcement that Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Howard Schultz, will step down from his post effective Apr 3, 2017. Notably, Kevin Johnson the current President and Chief Operating Officer who served as a board member of the company for several years before joining its executive team two years ago will take over as CEO. Meanwhile, Schultz will assume the role of executive chairman, shifting his focus to innovation, design and expansion of the high-end Starbucks Reserve Roastery concept globally. STARBUCKS CORP Price STARBUCKS CORP Price | STARBUCKS CORP Quote Whats the Fuss About? Interestingly, this is not the first time Schultz has taken a hiatus from the CEO position. Post a 13-year stint with the company, Schultz had stepped down in 2000 in order to focus on the companys global strategy. However, the company clearly struggled in his absence with the stock plummeting and comps declining and thus Schultz had to return in 2008 to rescue the ailing stock. In fact, he played a major role in turning around the companys fortunes by overseeing the expansion of the chain's food and beverage offerings and the growth of its popular loyalty program and mobile app. Going by the companys performance the last time he left and the impact he has had on the companys growth story, investors concerns about the change are quite obvious. Rationale Behind & Plans Ahead Starbuckss move toward high-end coffee is intended at refreshing its brand, which has been facing escalating competition from specialty roasters such as Stumptown and Intelligentsia, as well as from mass coffee suppliers like Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc.s DNKN Dunkin Donuts, which has been launching more high-end drinks such as cold-brewed coffee. Schultz also aims to entice people who are increasingly shopping online to leave their homes by providing a deluxe experience via high-end coffee shops, thereby bolstering traffic. In Dec 2014, the company opened its first such store, the Seattle Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room, a 15,000-square-foot store where coffee is roasted and customers can purchase $12 cups of small-batch reserve coffees made with a siphon brewing technique. The massive sales performance of the companys first such shop has in part encouraged Schultz in believing that the new concept can bring growth to the company. Starbucks is thus planning to open 20 to 30 more of the high-end stores in prominent cities around the world. The company also plans to build up to 1,000 smaller stores reminiscent of the Roastery, under the "Starbucks Reserve" brand, barring the on-site roasting. Starbucks is also remodeling several of its over 24,000 stores with Reserve-branded coffee bars where customers can get the same kind of coffee education and range of brewing methods as at the Reserve stores. Interestingly, Schultz believes that the move to open high-end coffee shops marks the company's biggest strategic initiative since Starbucks began opening stores overseas 20 years ago. Our Take Though Schultz is pretty confident of the growth prospects of its new high-end coffee shops concept, a challenging environment in the U.S. restaurant space may actually draw few customers and in fact add to the companys costs for building these new stores. We note that Starbucks shares have been outperforming the broader Zacks categorized Retail-Food & Restaurant Market over the past six months. While the stock has gained over 7%, the broader market had witnessed a gain of mere 1% in the same time period. Story continues Though Starbucks continues to outperform the broader market, its growth has slowed more recently and traffic trends have remained soft of late. Thus, with the news of Schultzs departure coming at a critical juncture, it remains to be seen whether investors would still be keen on Starbucks shares sans Schultz or will history repeat itself. Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider Starbucks currently has a Zacks Rank #3 ((Hold). Better-ranked stocks in this sector include McDonald's Corp. MCD and Papa Johns International, Inc. PZZA. Both the stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for McDonald's full-year 2016 earnings climbed 2.3% over the last 60 days. The companys earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, with an average beat of 6.16%. Papa Johns earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters, with an average beat of 11.31%. Further, for 2016, earnings per share are expected to grow 19.9%. Zacks Best Private Investment Ideas In addition to the recommendations that are available to the public on our website, how would you like to follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time? Our experts cover all kinds of trades from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Starting today, for the next month, you can have unrestricted access. Click here for Zacks' private 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 STARBUCKS CORP (SBUX): Free Stock Analysis Report MCDONALDS CORP (MCD): Free Stock Analysis Report PAPA JOHNS INTL (PZZA): Free Stock Analysis Report DUNKIN BRANDS (DNKN): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Beirut (AFP) - Here are the latest developments on the main battle fronts in Iraq and Syria, as of 1700 GMT on Saturday: SYRIA - Battle for Aleppo - Syria's army has advanced deeper into east Aleppo where by Saturday it controlled more than half of the former rebel stronghold. Tens of thousands of civilians have fled eastern neighbourhoods of the battered northern city since President Bashar al-Assad's regime began its latest offensive in mid-November. Overnight, government troops and allied forces seized the district of Tariq al-Bab where heavy fighting had raged a day earlier, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Around 310 civilians have been killed in the government's assault on east Aleppo since November 15, the Britain-based Observatory said. At least 69 civilians have been killed in the same period by rebel fire on regime-held west Aleppo, it said. The fighting has prompted more than 50,000 people to leave east Aleppo for territory controlled by either the government or Kurdish forces. Of those who have fled, nearly 20,000 are children, the UN's children's agency estimates. - Raqa - The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance, is trying to push closer to the Islamic State group's de facto Syrian capital of Raqa. The SDF has been battling the jihadists to drive them from positions around 25 kilometres (15 miles) north of the city. IRAQ - Battle for Mosul - Forces from the Iraqi army retook four villages from IS northeast of the city of Mosul on Saturday, the Joint Operations Command said. The recapture by the army's 16th division of the villages between Bashiqa and Mosul clears the way for Iraqi forces to enter the city from the northeast. Tens of thousands of Iraqi forces launched a massive operation to retake Mosul, the jihadists' last major bastion in Iraq, on October 17. The main push has come from the east, where elite forces from the Counter-Terrorism Service have retaken several neighbourhoods despite fierce resistance. Some 74,000 people have fled the fighting, but upwards of a million are estimated to remain in the city. UN figures show that around 2,000 members of Iraqi forces and more than 900 civilians were killed in fighting across the country in November. British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, one of the world's most celebrated scientists, said the election of President-elect Donald Trump comes at "the most dangerous time for our planet." Hawking linked Trump's election to the so-called Brexit referendum on leaving the European Union in Britain, calling it a sign that educated elites have far too long ignored working class voters. Hawking had urged Brits to remain in the European Union before the June refernedum. "Whatever we might think about the decision by the British electorate to reject membership of the European Union and by the American public to embrace Donald Trump as their next president, there is no doubt in the minds of commentators that this was a cry of anger by people who felt they had been abandoned by their leaders," Hawking wrote in an op-ed for the Guardian. "It was, everyone seems to agree, the moment when the forgotten spoke, finding their voices to reject the advice and guidance of experts and the elite everywhere." He added: "We face awesome environmental challenges: climate change, food production, overpopulation, the decimation of other species, epidemic disease, acidification of the oceans. Together, they are a reminder that we are at the most dangerous moment in the development of humanity...We can do this, I am an enormous optimist for my species; but it will require the elites, from London to Harvard, from Cambridge to Hollywood, to learn the lessons of the past year. To learn above all a measure of humility." Hawking has expressed his reservations about Trump before. "He is a demagogue, who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator," Hawking told ITV's "Good Morning Britain" program in May. Hawking has also argued that immigration benefits the U.K. by encouraging the exchange of scientific ideas. Trump, meanwhile, has vowed to immediately deport 3 million undocumented immigrants and limit immigration from Arab nations. Related Articles ROME (Reuters) - British physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking has been hospitalised in Rome for checks after not feeling well but his condition is not believed to be serious, a spokesman said. Hawking, 74, who was in Rome to attend a conference at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and met Pope Francis on Monday, was taken to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Thursday night. Both the spokesman and a Vatican source said Hawking, who suffers from motor neurone disease, was not believed to be in serious condition. The Vatican source said plans for Hawking and his entourage to leave on Saturday had not been changed. A hospital source said Hawking would spend a second night in the Gemelli "as a precaution" but that "the situation was under control". Hawking, author of "A Brief History of Time," speaks through a computer and travels with a staff that includes two nurses. He gave a talk at the Vatican on Nov. 25 on the origin of the universe. The Gemelli is considered one of Rome's best hospitals and it is where popes are treated. (Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Catherine Evans) Munich (Germany) (AFP) - An iron gate with the infamous slogan "Arbeit macht frei" ("Work will set you free") stolen from the former Nazi concentration camp Dachau in Germany two years ago has been found in Norway, police said Friday. The gate was recovered outside Bergen in southwestern Norway this week following an anonymous tip-off, Bergen police spokeswoman Margrethe Myrmehl Gudbrandsen told AFP. "It was found in the open air," she said. "You can tell that it's been outside but it's in good condition." Bergen police released several photos of the black gate, one of which showed it leaning against a low wall on a bed of autumnal leaves. Police said in a statement that the gate would be returned to the German authorities "as soon as possible". There was no mention of any arrests made in connection with the theft. - 'Relief' - Police in the southern German state of Bavaria, where Dachau is located, confirmed the gate had been found. "From the picture transmitted, police believe it is highly likely that this is the iron gate that was stolen from Dachau," they said in a statement. The theft of the 100-kilo (220-pound) gate was reported on November 2, 2014, sparking an uproar, with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel calling the crime "appalling". The gate was taken on a Saturday night, between the rounds of security guards watching the site which has no video surveillance system. Police at the time said they were investigating whether neo-Nazis had committed the crime, and even offered a 10,000-euro ($11,000) reward for tips that could solve the case. The Dachau camp, located just a few kilometres (miles) from Munich, opened in 1933, less than two months after Adolf Hitler became chancellor. It was first used to incarcerate political prisoners but during World War II, it became a death camp where more than 41,000 people were slaughtered before US troops liberated it on April 29, 1945. Story continues Today some 800,000 visitors from around the world visit the camp each year. Cultural authorities in Bavaria welcomed the recovery of the gate. "It is a relief to me that this original evidence of the Nazis' cynicism and contempt for humans has been rediscovered," Karl Freller, head of the Bavarian Memorial Foundation, said in a statement. Gabriele Hammermann, director of the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, said the gate, "a highly symbolic relic of the concentration camp", would once again go on display after the authorities had finished their investigations. "Of course it will be presented to the public again following restoration," she said in the same statement, adding however that it had yet to be decided "whether that will be in its original place or as part of a permanent exhibition". Another sign with the same inscription at the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz was stolen in 2009. The mastermind of that theft, Swedish neo-Nazi Anders Hoegstroem, was caught and jailed for two and a half years. The metal sign was eventually recovered cut up into three pieces. A replica was displayed above the entrance until it was restored in 2011. CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 2, 2016 / InvestorsHub NewsWire -- Sugarmade, Inc. (SGMD), today announces the purchase of international paper contracts from Bao Coc International Paper and Plastics Limited, located in Vietnam. Under the terms of the asset purchase agreement, Sugarmade will assume contracts for international paper products bound for delivery into the U.S. Sugarmade estimates the acquisition will boost its revenue production by approximately $500,000 to $600,000 annually. Sugarmade also expects the deal to have a significantly positive impact on other portions of its business operations. These contracts are important not only relating to the revenue boost we will receive, but also relating to cost reductions across our product lines. Because Bao Coc ships dozens of containers into the U.S. each year, we will be able to combine transpacific shipping contracts, which will reduce freight charges relating to our other products, commented, Jimmy Chan, CEO. This is especially important relative to our new CannaShroud cannabis transport system, the components of which are manufactured in Asia. The significant reductions in freight charges will allow Sugarmade to be even more competitive in the marketplace and will allow us to further boost our already expanding gross margins. Sugarmade expects the asset acquisition to close in the month of December. The Company will issue Bao Coc five million restricted shares in exchange for assumption of the Bao Coc contracts. About Sugarmade, Inc. (SGMD) Sugarmade, Inc. is a product and brand marketing company investing in products and brands with disruptive potential. Sugarmade's brands include CarryOutSupplies.com, Sugarmade Tree Free Paper, FreeHand ThumbTray and CannaShroud, the world's first Cannabis specific shipping systems. The Company will soon be launching Sriracha Stix, a revolutionary culinary seasoning product under official license from Irwindale, California-based Huy Fong Foods, Inc., the maker of Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce. Story continues For inquiries please contact Jimmy Chan at (888) 982-1628 or info@Sugarmade.com. SOURCE: Sugarmade, Inc. The 2017 Download Festival is shaping up to be one of the biggest hard rock events of the year. After announcing System of a Down, Billy Clyro and Aerosmith as headline acts on June 9, 10 and 11 respectively, event organizers on Friday confirmed a second wave of high profile acts that will be packing out the show's other stages. Sum 41 will headline the Encore stage as will Rob Zombie and Slayer. They will be joined by Coheed and Cambria plus Good Charlotte and Ministry. Meanwhile on the Avalanche stage Sleeping with Sirens and Simple Plan are now confirmed. The annual rock festival is held at Donington Park, Derbyshire, in the UK from June 9-11 and more acts are still to be named. Keith Papini has opened up about the moment he learned his wife Sherri was still alive after she was kidnapped in early November, describing his "panic" and relief when he received the good news. Read: Husband of 'Supermom' Jogger Speaks Out, as Experts Suggest She Was Taken by Cult or Sex Traffickers In a 20/20 special airing Friday night, he spoke about the phone call he received early Thanksgiving morning, three weeks after his wife vanished while jogging. It was my wife screaming in the background, yelling my name, and a CHP [California Highway Patrol] officer that seemed somewhat confused at the moment, like, What is going on?'" Papini said. "And [the officer] said, I need you to be calm. I need you to be calm. I already know its her. I can tell her voice, he said. He said he panicked but ultimately happy because "this is the first time I've heard her voice. The father of two then told their children their mother had been found after missing for three weeks. He first spoke to his 4-year-old son, Tyler, saying: I sat him down, and I was on my knees and he was standing up. And I said, 'you know what, buddy? I found mom,' and he got the biggest grin." Sherri was branded, her nose was broken, and she had her hair "chopped off." Many believe she was kidnapped by sex traffickers. Jennifer Kempton is a victim of human trafficking who now runs Survivor's Ink, an organization that offers tattoos to cover up branding and other scars of sex trafficking survivors. She says she herself was branded three times. One brand called her "Property of Salen," another says "King Munch." Read: Jogger's Husband Insists Kidnapping Wasn't a Hoax, Says She Was Emaciated and Had Hair 'Chopped Off' "Each trafficker has their own identifier to use to mark their victims as property," Kempton told Inside Edition. "We see a lot of dollar signs, we see a lot of names." Story continues Kempton believes Sherri, the 34-year-old known as "Supermom," was a victim of sex trafficking. The region where Sherri was abducted is known as The Emerald Triangle three counties in Northern California notorious for marijuana cultivation. It is also a hotspot for sex trafficking and drug cartels. Watch: California Jogger Found Alive After Disappearing a Month Ago, Cops Say She Was Abducted Related Articles: Days after a Swedish comedian sent Facebook co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg an open letter disparaging the social networks allowances of hate speech and false news, the countrys culture minister told the local Expressen newspaper Thursday that she planned to invite the tech billionaire overseas to discuss the issues. I am convinced that they do not want to be an arena for threats, hate and false news, Alice Bah Kuhnke told the papers culture section. She added that the spread of hateful messaging and baseless stories on Facebook has gone over the limit and that if the Menlo Park, California-based company doesnt make any changes, Sweden and its Nordic neighbors are prepared to take the next step. Jonas Gardell, a famed Swedish comedian and author who is openly gay, urged Zuckerberg to consider hiring an editor or publisher who takes responsibility for verifying false information propagated on the social network, and pointed to the presidential election victory of Donald Trump as a consequence of Facebooks present lack of an editorial filter. Gardell called Trump godless and told Zuckerberg he should be ashamed of the lies the social network allowed to spread in the months leading up to the election. According to Facebooks Help Center, the social network defines hate speech as content that attacks people based on their actual or perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or disease, and makes exceptions for jokes considered to be a possible threat or attack or simply in bad taste. Facebook pledges to remove content and accounts that pose physical safety risks, according to its Community Standards page, and offers directions for reporting abuse. As for the issue of false information, Facebook followed Google Inc.s lead in mid-November when the social network updated its Audience Network policy to specifically ban the display or integration of fake news in its apps or websites. Story continues The debate over social networks role in the spread of hate speech and misinformation paraded as facts has gained steam in the wake of the Nov. 8 election, as manyeven Facebook executives themselvespointed to the social network as a generous platform for false stories that may have influenced the way Americans voted. Facebook did not respond to inquiries from International Business Times by press time. Related Articles The Hague (AFP) - A British-Dutch project aiming to send an unmanned mission to Mars by 2018 announced Friday that the shareholders of a Swiss financial services company have agreed a takeover bid. "The acquisition is now only pending approval by the board of Mars One Ventures," the company said in a joint statement with InFin Innovative Finance AG, adding approval from the Mars board would come "as soon as possible." "The takeover provides a solid path to funding the next steps of Mars One's mission to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars," the statement added. Mars One consists of two entities: the Dutch not-for-profit Mars One Foundation and a British public limited company Mars One Ventures. Mars One aims to establish a permanent human settlement on the Red Planet, and is currently "in the early mission concept phase," the company says, adding securing funding is one of its major challenges. Some 200,000 hopefuls from 140 countries initially signed up for the Mars One project, which is to be partly funded by a television reality show about the endeavour. Those have now been whittled down to just 100, out of which 24 will be selected for one-way trips to Mars due to start in 2026 after several unmanned missions have been completed. "Once this deal is completed, we'll be in a much stronger financial position as we begin the next phase of our mission. Very exciting times," said Mars One chief executive Bas Lansdorp. NASA is currently working on three Mars missions with the European Space Agency and plans to send another rover to Mars in 2020. But NASA has no plans for a manned mission to Mars until the 2030s. Geneva (AFP) - Swiss authorities said Friday they had seized cultural relics looted from Syria's ancient city of Palmyra, as well as from Libya and Yemen, which were being stored in Geneva's free ports. The free ports provide highly secured warehouses where basically anything can be stashed tax-free with few questions asked. The confiscated objects, from the third and fourth centuries, include a head of Aphrodite and two funereal bas-reliefs. Most of the items reached Switzerland via Qatar and were taken by looters, Geneva's public prosecutor said in a statement. They were deposited at the free ports in 2009 and 2010 and the alarm was first raised in April 2013 during a customs inspection, prosecutors added. It was not immediately clear when they were seized. The customs office contacted the cultural authorities in Bern whose expert confirmed the artefacts were genuine, prompting the start of criminal proceedings in February. Three of the pieces came from Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site devastated by Islamic State group jihadists who seized it in May 2015. The Islamists sent shock waves around the world as they systematically destroyed the central city's monuments. Five of the confiscated objects were from Yemen. Last year the UN cultural agency placed two ancient cities in conflict-torn Yemen, Sanaa and Shibam, on its list of endangered World Heritage sites. UNESCO said Sanaa, known for its many Islamic sites and multi-storey rammed earth houses, "sustained serious damage due to armed conflict" between Iran-backed rebels and the beleaguered Saudi-supported government. The Aphrodite relic was from Libya and characterised "the Hellenisation of north Africa" the statement said. While awaiting return to their countries of origin the archaeological contraband is being looked after by the Geneva Museum of Art and History where the relics will be put on public display. Last month French Finance Minister Michel Sapin complained that Swiss, and other, free ports were a "weak link" in countering terrorist financing. Aleppo (Syria) (AFP) - Syrian government forces have recaptured half the former rebel stronghold of east Aleppo, a monitor said, with the UN now facing a "race against time" to aid children forced out by the bloody offensive. President Bashar al-Assad's forces have made swift gains since their offensive against Aleppo -- once Syria's commercial powerhouse -- began on November 15. Tens of thousands of civilians have streamed out of the city's east, and Russia has renewed calls for humanitarian corridors so aid can enter and desperate residents can leave. Regime forces Friday "consolidated their control" over two eastern districts and were pushing further to squeeze the shrinking rebel enclave, said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights head Rami Abdel Rahman. "After the recent advances, the regime is comfortably in control of half of former rebel territory in the city's east," he said Friday. Dozens of families trickled out Friday, adding to the more than 50,000 people who have poured from east Aleppo into territory controlled by government forces or local Kurdish authorities, the Observatory said. Among those fleeing are nearly 20,000 children, according to estimates by the UN's children's agency. "What is critical now is that we provide the immediate and sustained assistance that these children and their families desperately need," UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac said. "It's a race against time, as winter is here and conditions are basic." - 'A giant graveyard' - The loss of east Aleppo -- a rebel stronghold since 2012 -- would be the biggest blow to Syria's opposition in more than five years. Earlier Friday, anti-government fighters had successfully rolled back regime gains in Sheikh Saeed on Aleppo's southeastern outskirts. Sheikh Saeed borders the last remaining parts of Aleppo still in rebel hands -- a collection of densely populated residential neighbourhoods where thousands have sought refuge from advancing regime forces. Story continues In preparation for street-by-street fighting in these districts, hundreds of fighters from Syria's elite Republican Guard and Fourth Division arrived in Aleppo Friday, the Britain-based Observatory said. It said four civilians were killed in rebel rocket fire on government-held areas, bringing to 59 the civilian toll in the city's west. More than 300 civilians, including dozens of children, have been killed in east Aleppo since the offensive began, according to the Observatory. Intermittent clashes rocked residential buildings on Aleppo's eastern edges Friday, as regime forces sought to secure the road towards the airport. AFP's correspondent in east Aleppo said ferocious clashes could be heard in the Tariq al-Bab district, where regime forces advanced Thursday. Civilians had already totally emptied the adjacent neighbourhood of Al-Shaar, where a few rebels manned positions in front of shuttered shops and bakeries. Vegetable stalls -- empty for months because of a devastating government siege -- now lay shattered by heavy artillery fire. The escalating violence has been met with international outrage, including a UN warning that east Aleppo could become "a giant graveyard". - Wary of Russian offers - Moscow has proposed setting up four humanitarian corridors into east Aleppo. "We have informed the UN in New York and Geneva that there is no longer a problem with the delivery of humanitarian cargo to eastern Aleppo," Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. He said the UN was coming up with a plan and approval from Syrian authorities remained essential. Moscow has announced several humanitarian pauses in Aleppo to allow civilians to flee, but until the recent escalation, only a handful did so. East Aleppo residents have been wary of previous such offers because of Russia's support for Assad, including a bombing campaign backing his forces since September 2015. US Secretary of State John Kerry late Friday said he had spoken to Lavrov about the situation in Aleppo. "We are deeply concerned about the humanitarian disaster that continues to unfold in Aleppo," he said. "It is absolutely vital that the killings be replaced by immediate moves of humanitarian goods." The conflict erupted in March 2011 with protests calling for Assad's ouster, and has since evolved into a highly globalised war that has killed more than 300,000 people. Also Friday, around 2,000 people including rebels and their families quit an opposition-held town north of Damascus under a deal with the government. The evacuation of Al-Tal was the sixth such operation in three months. AT&T feels confident about its pending purchase of Time Warner following a meeting with the transition team of President-elect Donald Trump, a report from the Financial Times has indicated. According to the report, the Trump administration plans to scrutinize the proposed merger of the massive communications company and programming entity that owns CNN and HBO, but will do so "without prejudice." The talks apparently left the heads of AT&T feeling confident about the likelihood the deal would pass regulatory muster. The newfound confidence in the $85.4 billion deal may come as a surprise given Trump's fiery campaign rhetoric, in which he regularly rallied against the purchase, positioning himself as an adversary to the type of consolidation of power that would take place. "As an example of the power structure I'm fighting, AT&T is buying Time Warner and thus CNN, a deal we will not approve in my administration because it's too much concentration of power in the hands of too few," Trump said during a campaign speech on October 22. Just over a month later, the report from Financial Times may indicate President-elect Trump has softened his views. The members of the transition team who oversee the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may have been the first signal the AT&T-Time Warner deal would be a go under President Trump. Two of the appointeesJeffrey Eisenach and Mark Jamisonhave served as lobbyists for telecommunications companies in the past. This week, the two were joined by American Enterprise Institute scholar Rosyln Layton. All three have been outspoken opponents to net neutrality. Jamison's views are of particular interest regarding the future of the AT&T-Time Warner deal. The former Sprint lobbyist has suggested there is rarely such a thing as a telecommunications monopoly and believes the FCC has outlived its purpose. "Most of the original motivations for having an FCC have gone away," Jamison wrote in an October 2016 blog post. "Telecommunications network providers and ISPs are rarely, if ever, monopolies. If there are instances where there are monopolies, it would seem overkill to have an entire federal agency dedicated to ex ante regulation of their services." Story continues Eisenach, who once served as a consultant for Verizon, has similar views on the role of the FCC, which may indicate a more hands off approach to regulating deals like AT&T's purchase of Time Warner. Joshua Wright, a law professor who has been tapped to lead the transition of the Federal Trade Commission, has also shown to be favorable toward telecom consolidation. In an opinion piece for the New York Times, Wright argued the "new antimerger fervor" is based upon the presumption that mergers lead to higher prices and worse services, which he called "demonstrably false." While none of Trump's appointments indicate a sure-fire approval for AT&T's bid for Time Warner, it does signal the incoming administration will be friendlier to telecom dealings than Obama's FCC. During the Obama presidency, AT&T was blocked from buying T-Mobile and was warned about behavior that may have violated net neutrality. The FCC under President Obama also blocked Comcast's attempted purchase of Time Warner Cablea separate entity from Time Warnerin 2015. Related Articles The Hague (AFP) - Terror networks such as the Islamic State group are evolving their tactics to attack soft targets in Europe, which could see the use of deadly car bombs, Europol warned on Friday. Jihadist attacks on EU member states have not yet involved "the use of home-made, commercial or military explosives in vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices" as in Syria or Iraq, Europe's police agency said in a report issued in The Hague. But "given the fact that the (techniques) used in Middle Eastern countries tend to be copied by terrorists operating in Europe... it is conceivable that jihadist groups will use this means at some stage," it said. The group responsible for attacks in Paris a year ago and in Brussels in March wanted to deploy such devices until police actions forced them to change their plans, the report said. Jihadists massacred 130 people in November 2015 in attacks on the Bataclan concert hall, a handful of bars and restaurants in eastern Paris, and France's national stadium. In Belgium, suicide bombers struck Brussels airport and a metro station near the European Union headquarters on March 22, killing 32 people. The 14-page report, an update on methods and tactics used by IS, also said counter-terror experts were concerned that strife-torn Libya could develop into a "second springboard for IS, after Syria, for attacks in the EU and North Africa". Since the armed revolt five years ago that overthrew dictator Moamer Kadhafi, the North African country has been plagued by violence and political instability. "Experts expect that IS will start planning and dispatching attacks from Libya if the current phase, in which they are primarily focused on taking territory and dispatching of local enemies, comes to an end." Europe's security services arrested 667 suspects for suspected jihadist activities in 2015, the report added. A Belgian mayor said he had been told that his country was under threat again, following the March 22 suicide bombings at Brussels airport and on the metro. Story continues "It's new for Belgium, it's new for Europe... that there is a call from the highest level of IS on using car bombs in Europe," Vilvoorde Mayor Hans Bonte, who has contacts with Belgian intelligence and police, told AFP. "Belgium is clearly mentioned as one of the target countries," added Bonte, whose town just north of Brussels has seen a number of young people leave to fight jihad in Syria. A Belgian official told AFP on condition of anonymity that it is likely that the Belgian government will issue new detailed instructions over the next few days to police agencies about how to deal with the risk of car bombs. The official also said the alert level will stay at three, the second-highest level in Belgium, not because of the new car bomb threat but because there are several large upcoming public gatherings for Christmas and other seasonal events. Taliban insurgents have killed 23 civilians after they lost 29 of their fighters in an abortive attack on police in southern Afghanistan, police sources said Friday. "The Taliban insurgents have launched coordinated attacks on police checkpoints in Nesh district of Kandahar yesterday (Thursday), and they faced resistance from Afghan forces," Kandahar police said in a press statement. "Following the Taliban attack, 29 Taliban fighters were killed and a number of others sustained injuries, and large numbers of weapons and ammunition were confiscated from them," the statement added. "The brutal enemy after suffering defeat against Afghan forces, took their revenge by killing 23 civilians including five children and two women," it said. The police statement said the Taliban had sought refuge in the homes of civilians and killed them after they opposed the insurgents. According to Nesh district police commander Niaz Mohammed the attacks occurred Wednesday and Thursday. "After their defeat, the Taliban wanted to hide in the houses and when the civilians showed their opposition, the Taliban killed them," he told AFP. "Six members of a policeman's family were among the victims. In total 23 people (civilians) were killed." Contacted by AFP, Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi rejected the claims as false. While Nesh district borders Uruzgan province, which is a major opium producer and has a high Taliban presence, its population is considered pro-government and Islamists insurgents rarely intervene there. During the last Taliban offensive in October on Kunduz, the economic capital of northeast Afghanistan, civilians who had fled the fighting accused the insurgents of hiding in their houses or seeking to establish their positions there. As in Nesh, they told AFP that those who resisted were killed. The security situation has eased on most fronts in recent weeks with the coming of winter after a particularly brutal fighting season in which nearly 2,600 civilians were killed and another 5,800 wounded in the first nine months of the year, according to the UN. The Afghan military has also suffered at least 2,000 deaths since January, according to a security source, while a record half million people have been displaced by fighting. Tens of thousands of Muslims gathered near Jakartas National Monument on December 2 to protests against a Christian governor who they say has disrespected the Koran. President Joko Widodo reportedly joined the protesters for Friday prayers before asking the crowd to disperse. The protest against Gov Basuki Tjahaja Purnama followed a march from Ciamis to Jakarta that began on November 29, a distance of about 270 km. Purnama reportedly fended off attacks that questioned the legitimacy of his role as governor by dismissing a passage in the Koran that has been interpreted as prohibiting voting for Christians or Jews. Credit: Instagram/Ryennaldy Zulkarnain via Storyful Paris (AFP) - Francois Hollande's presidency has been overshadowed by an unprecedented wave of jihadist attacks, violent protests over labour reforms and revelations about his messy private life. Following are some of the defining moments of his mandate which began in 2012 and which he confirmed Thursday would be his last. - Three major terror attacks - Since January 2015, 238 people have been killed in a series of jihadist attacks, mostly the work of French radicals acting in the name of Islamic State (IS) or other extremist groups. Hollande won praise for rallying a shocked nation after the first attacks on the satirical Charlie Hebdo magazine and a Jewish supermarket. Around 50 heads of state joined him on a march against terror that brought over 3.7 million people onto the streets of France. Ten months later, he reacted quickly when IS massacred 130 people in Paris at the Bataclan concert hall, at cafes and bars, and outside the national stadium. Hollande immediately announced a state of emergency, declaring that France was "at war" and deploying troops to patrol the streets. But in July, when a 31-year-old Tunisian mowed down 86 people enjoying Bastille Day festivities in Nice, accusations began to mount that Hollande's government was failing to rise to the threat of extremism. - A tumultuous private life - Before coming to office Hollande took jabs at the romantic antics of his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy -- who married supermodel Carla Bruni while president -- vowing that on personal matters, he himself would be "exemplary". But cracks quickly began to show in Hollande's relationship with long-term partner Valerie Trierweiler, and the couple split after it emerged he had been having an affair with an actress nearly 20 years his junior, Julie Gayet. Trierweiler published a best-selling memoir that proved deeply embarrassing to Hollande, not least through its claim that the Socialist leader disdained the poor. Story continues To make matters more complicated, Hollande has four children from an earlier relationship with Environment Minister Segolene Royal. - Violent labour protests - Hollande came to power on a leftist platform -- including a top tax rate of 75 percent -- but later shifted towards business-friendly policies, notably trying to tackle France's famously rigid labour laws. His government suffered months of violent protests this year over reforms designed to make it easier to hire people but also easier to fire them, before finally managing to get a watered-down version passed over the summer. - Foreign wars - Hollande launched a military operation in Mali in January 2013 to stop the advance of Islamists who had taken over swathes of northern Mali, a former French colony. The following December, a second operation was launched in the Central African Republic -- another former colonial possession -- in a bid to restore stability to a country gripped by religious violence. Jihadists remain active in Mali and a vast portion of the country remains out of government control, while violence also remains rife in CAR. Hollande also sought to intervene in Syria in 2013, but backed out of air strikes when it became clear that US President Barack Obama did not intend to follow suit. France only began air strikes in Syria in late 2015 as part of an international coalition targeting IS. French raids against IS in Iraq had begun a year earlier in September 2014. - Row over French nationality - After the Paris attacks, Hollande sought to modify the constitution to allow convicted terrorists to be stripped of their French nationality if they were dual-nationals. The issue sparked fierce debate over the ethics of such a move, with Hollande's Justice Minister Christiane Taubira quitting in protest. Hollande finally axed the idea in March. In his announcement Thursday that he would not seek re-election, he flagged up the row as the one major regret of his presidency. - Global climate deal - Hollande campaigned hard for the historic climate agreement signed in Paris last December, and hailed it in his speech Thursday as one of his key achievements. - Gay marriage - The Socialist leader had made "marriage for all" one of his election pledges, and same-sex marriages were signed into law in April 2013, despite angry protests by tens of thousands of social conservatives. Johnny Luzzini, Mary Berry, Nia Vardalos, and Ian Gomez on The Great American Baking Show. (Credit: Mark Bourdillion/ABC) There are plenty of British reality shows that survive the trip across the pond: Antiques Roadshow, Dancing With the Stars, and ironically American Idol all came from the U.K. The Great British Bake Off is so peculiarly British, though, that an Americanized version The American Baking Competition, hosted by Jeff Foxworthy has already been tried and failed. So how does ABC fare with a second attempt, The Great American Baking Show? Surprisingly well, actually. Some will say that the secret is in bringing Mary Berry over from the original series, but the truth is, it works because its only American in name. This time, the producers did everything they could to make the show feel like the original British competition. That means the music remains pastoral. The hosts are low-key and given to making terrible puns. The colors of the set are the same. The contestants arent encouraged to be at each others throats, and there are no secret confessionals to stir drama. The only thing thats changed is the name (Pillsbury owns the rights to the term Bake Off), and the baby goats that inexplicably populate the interstitial shots of the U.K. version have been left at home. What has made the GBBO successful worldwide (it airs as The Great British Baking Show on PBS and Netflix) is its singular lack of conflict. After years of reality contestants screaming, insulting, and assaulting each other, fans are comforted by the shows friendliness, calm, and complete lack of bluster. In seven seasons, theres only been one blowup, and the biggest scandal was the year when the hosts got a little too racy with their innuendos. Courtney Carey, Ian Gomez, Mary Berry, and Johnny Luzzini on The Great American Baking Show. (Credit: Mark Bourdillion/ABC) Berry is, of course, key in making this all work. She gives off a grandmotherly vibe, but the kind of grandmother who was a spy back in the day and still knows a dozen ways to kill a man with a pastry bag. The breadth and depth of her baking knowledge is both comforting and terrifying. You know youre in good hands, but you also feel for the contestants who cant sneak any mistakes by her. Story continues Berrys fellow judge, Johnny Iuzzini, is no stranger to reality competitions: He was the head judge on Top Chef: Just Desserts. But hes still finding his place on this show. His British counterpart, Paul Hollywood, was more outwardly critical of the bakers than Berry, but Iuzzini restrains himself probably to keep the show from devolving into just another shouty competition like Hells Kitchen or Beat Bobby Flay. With only eight episodes, it will be interesting to see if Iuzzini and Berry form as complementary a relationship as the old Berry/Hollywood pairing. Paul Hollywood, Mary Berry, Sue Perkins, and Mel Giedroyc on The Great British Bake Off. (Credit: PBS) Ian Gomez (Supergirl) and Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) are enjoyable presences and dont do anything you could call wrong, but if theres an aspect of the show that doesnt live up to the original, they are it. Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroycs jokes border on the vaudevillian but are delivered with an understated primness that is completely disarming. Its almost unfair to compare anyone to them because its kind of impossible to replicate what they do. Like Iuzzini, they hope to find a way to live up to the originals while finding their own spin. Its ironic that a reality show that, for seven seasons, has defined itself by how little drama occurs onscreen should have so much drama off. When GBBO left the BBC for the piles of cash offered by another network in September, three of the four hosts decided to stay with the BBC, Berry among them. This series was probably filmed before they parted ways, so shes unlikely to return for another season. Johnny Luzzini, Mary Berry, Nia Vardalos, and Ian Gomez on The Great American Baking Show. (Credit: Mark Bourdillion/ABC) Would the show survive without Berry? Possibly, but they have a lot of work to do. The original GBBO spawned a revival in traditional British baking around the U.K. Its unlikely that this show will have that much of a cultural impact, but if it can tap into that same nostalgia, it might find life, post-Berry. The Great American Baking Show airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on ABC. coal miners trump supporters Were now hearing it very loudly from political prognosticators, after hearing it from millions of Americans: Government and politics have not served a growing group of Americans. Last months surprise election outcome taught us that the two political parties, and those in the industry of politics and governing, dont have satisfactory answers for Americans who feel left behind by macroeconomic realities. Americans have sent a clear message: They are frustrated by the institutions that should be helping them government, education, health care, and banks, and are demanding a change. While the widespread frustration demonstrated on November 8 has shaken up politicians and policy makers, business leaders should also recognize this as a wake-up call. There is a growing majority of working Americans who are under greater financial pressures than ever before. They face increased income volatility with eroded savings and have little hope of higher wages. However, innovation - our countrys greatest competitive advantage is still largely targeted at serving those who already have so much. We see billions of dollars invested in exciting new spaces such as electric and driverless vehicles. But is anyone innovating to profitably build and market a $5,000 car so the school teacher with the 15-year-old junker can be assured shell get to work? Quite the opposite, it often seems like American companies are far more focused on providing the well-to-do with ever more expensive gourmet foods, mobile devices, and home delivery services. My own industry consumer lending is experiencing tremendous innovation, and investment has poured into fintech firms that have the potential to revolutionize lending. However, so far these new offerings are almost exclusively aimed at giving credit to those who already are swimming in it. A year ago, excitement overflowed about peer-to-peer lending models, in which consumer lenders are matched with prime-credit-scored consumer borrowers in an effort to disintermediate banks. But with prime-credit consumers now making up less than one-third of American adults, its no surprise that the model has struggled for growth and profitability. Story continues Goldman Sachs Marcus ad Now Goldman Sachs is getting into the business of serving the already-well-served prime consumer, with a promising new product called Marcus that offers low rates to the highest-quality borrowers (those with FICO scores greater than 680). At a massive banking conference recently, every question seemed to have some relation to Marcus and what it would do for (and to) the industry. None of this has helped the struggling blue-collar worker who faced a liquidity crisis a couple years ago and missed a few payments when his spouse was laid off. This couple now lives with the realities of a 600 credit score. In total, there are 160 million Americans now a majority with credit scores below 700, who have seen very little benefit from all this investment and innovation in the prime lending space. Indeed, nearly half of Americans now say they dont have savings sufficient to cover an unexpected expense of only $400. These hard-working but financially strapped people instead often must turn to the least innovative of businesses bad actors, payday lenders and predators when faced with short-term needs for credit. The increasing anger and frustration among voters has surprised the pollsters and pundits but working Americans arent looking for charity or paternalism. They need a new generation of products and services that address their unique needs with sustainable business models that are convenient and hassle-free. Many will argue that its hard to make money innovating to help credit-deprived consumers with less disposable income. Others will say that it just isnt sexy enough to attract Silicon Valley investors. I would argue otherwise. The needs of underserved Americans are so vast that there is great opportunity to do good by them, and do well for business. This is a vast, wide-open competitive space. New leaders will ultimately emerge both from the world of banking as well as from fintech. In fact, we believe the best new models for serving nonprime consumers will be hybrid bank/fintech offerings. payday-loans Banks in particular have an exciting opportunity to recapture the mainstream Americans that they have lost to payday lenders, title lenders, and others. However, this ignored and underserved invisible majority isnt interested in legacy bank products. They dont have time to stand in line at branches and they certainly dont want to go through lengthy application processes for a few hundred dollars of credit. Nor do they want to be surprised by unexpected or complicated fee structures. Fintech firms can help banks by bringing new perspectives on the unique needs of these customers and new technology and analytics to serve them profitably. Although many nonprime consumers are often in their situations through no real fault of their own and want to act responsibly, they can all look risky to traditional bank underwriting approaches. So banks and regulators will need to support ongoing innovation in underwriting in addition to the strong proposed regulations on small-dollar lending proposed by the CFPB. Banks also will need to price the credit to the risk of the customer without relying on punitive fee structures and aggressive collections. And most importantly, banks need to provide their customers a path to improved financial wellness and help them expand their credit options. However, at present we dont see many firms who have recognized this unmet need and are committed to pursuing the opportunity. We can only hope that this election spurs new awareness of the financial pain felt across the country by hard-working Americans who often by no fault of their own find themselves in tough financial circumstances. We think business, writ large, would be smart to consider opportunities to improve the lives of underserved Americans by unleashing innovation. Its good business. And as we saw on November 8, theres a huge market clamoring for it. Ken Rees is the CEO of Elevate, a fintech firm using technology and advanced analytics to disrupt the nonprime lending space NOW WATCH: Yale history professor: Trump's path to tyranny is unfolding More From Business Insider IBM Ginni Rometty President-elect Donald Trump has created a new advisory group of business leaders to "frequently" advise him on economic matters. The list includes big names like Jack Welch, the former Chairman and CEO of General Electric, Jamie Dimon, the Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co and Bob Iger, The Walt Disney Company Chairman and CEO. But there is only CEO from the tech industry. IBM's Ginni Rometty. Rometty is an interesting choice for a lot of reasons. She's not from the center of the tech universe, Silicon Valley. IBM is headquartered in New York. We don't know if she knows Trump personally or not, but as a fellow New Yorker, its likely they've at least hobnobbed a time or two. Rometty is a bona fide geek who definitely has a vision for how tech is going to change the world. She calls it "cognitive computing" and she believes the day is coming when humans will consult thinking, learning, rational computers for every decision that they make. She's sees this brave new computing world changing actually "changing who you are," she's said in various keynote speeches. And IBM under Rometty has publicly taken stances regarding potentially discriminatory state laws. Her name was among 80 who signed a letter asking North Carolina to repeal its controversial bathroom law, which forbids transgender people from using bathrooms based on their gender identify and also forbids local governments from creating other ordinances that outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. At odds on outsourcing On the other hand, IBM, particularly under her leadership, is a classic global American company that routinely lays off US workers. The company employs about 380,000 people and in 2010 it stopped disclosing its US headcount, amidst criticisms that it has been offshoring jobs to countries like India. This is the kind of thing Trump campaigned against. He even criticized IBM's layoffs in a Nov. 6 campaign speech in Minnesota, the Wall Street Journal reported. Story continues Shortly after Trump won the election, Rometty penned an open letter to him. In it, she praised his ideas and suggested that the federal government (which is a huge IBM customer) buy more IBM technology in the future. She gave pitches on hiring IBM to "fight government waste" and to help the Department of Veterans Affairs with its health care issues. She also suggested Trump focus on vocational training as an alternative to college, offering IBM's model of 6-year high-schools as a model. And she applauded his tax reform ideas, which promise to cut corporate taxes and allow companies to bring home their offshored cash hoards at a low tax rate, too. The letter didn't, however, mention any of his campaign positions on social issues that were the subject of protests and riots nationwide at the time. And that caused one IBM employee to write her own open letter to Rometty to announce her resignation in protest of Rometty's letter to Trump. The employee's letter went viral. It accused IBM under Rometty of "a willingness to legitimize threats to our country for financial gain." So all-in-all, a very interesting choice of the CEO selected to represent the tech industry. Here's the full list from a press release issued by Blackstone. Stephen Schwarzman (forum chairman) , chairman, CEO, and cofounder of Blackstone Paul Atkins , CEO of Patomak Global Partners, former commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission Mary Barra , chairwoman and CEO, General Motors Toby Cosgrove , CEO, Cleveland Clinic Jamie Dimon , chairman and CEO, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Larry Fink , chairman and CEO, BlackRock Bob Iger , chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company Rich Lesser , president and CEO, Boston Consulting Group Doug McMillon , president and CEO, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Jim McNerney , former chairman, president, and CEO of Boeing Adebayo "Bayo" Ogunlesi , chairman and managing partner, Global Infrastructure Partners Ginni Rometty , chairwoman, president, and CEO of IBM Kevin Warsh , Shepard Family Distinguished Visiting Fellow in economics at the Hoover Institute, former member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Mark Weinberger , global chairman and CEO, EY Jack Welch , former chairman and CEO, General Electric Daniel Yergin, Pulitzer Prize winner, vice chairman of IHS Markit NOW WATCH: Here's why Boeing 747s have a giant hump in the front More From Business Insider Photo credit: Joe Raedleundefined From Esquire My lord, it's a bad day at Tiger Beat On The Potomac. First, we have this bit of business regarding a likely fruitless effort by some folks, most of them Democratic activists, to use the Electoral College as an escape pod. It's not the story so much as the apocalyptic framing thereof. Anti-Trump forces are preparing an unprecedented assault on the Electoral College, marked by a wave of lawsuits and an intensive lobbying effort aimed at persuading 37 Republican electors to vote for a candidate other than Donald Trump. It's a bracing stress-test for an institution that Alexander Hamilton envisioned as a safeguard against popular whims, and a direct challenge to the role that the Electoral College has evolved to play in picking the president: constitutional rubber stamp. An "unprecedented assault." Wow, that sounds bad. What does it mean? RPGs? Ground troops? Catapults and buckets of flaming pitch? (And, as we've pointed out before, the "assault" is not unprecedented, either. The Republicans were fully prepared to do the same thing in 2000.) [contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Story" customtitles="Where%20Are%20the%20Big%20Macs%20and%20Taco%20Bowls?" customimages="" content="article.51099"] And, if you're wondering how returning the EC to its, ahem, original intent is somehow an assault upon it, well, you're not alone. There is absolutely no question that the Founders designed the EC to be a fail-safe mechanism against the ascension of popular demagogues and mountebanks. Hamilton was completely clear on the subject in Federalist 68. The process of election affords a moral certainty, that the office of President will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications. Talents for low intrigue, and the little arts of popularity, may alone suffice to elevate a man to the first honors in a single State; but it will require other talents, and a different kind of merit, to establish him in the esteem and confidence of the whole Union, or of so considerable a portion of it as would be necessary to make him a successful candidate for the distinguished office of President of the United States. It will not be too strong to say, that there will be a constant probability of seeing the station filled by characters pre-eminent for ability and virtue. And this will be thought no inconsiderable recommendation of the Constitution, by those who are able to estimate the share which the executive in every government must necessarily have in its good or ill administration. Though we cannot acquiesce in the political heresy of the poet who says: "For forms of government let fools contest That which is best administered is best,'' yet we may safely pronounce, that the true test of a good government is its aptitude and tendency to produce a good administration. Story continues Well, it was a good idea at the time, I guess. But the truly spectacular floundering comes from this fellow who has decided that the best way to follow his political principles is to follow them right into Breitbart's Mausoleum For Chronic Unemployables. Gaze in awe. From Politico: My reasoning is very simple: I believe we are living in a new political order, where populism is a permanent fixture in our democracy. I might vehemently disagree with some of the anti-immigration and militaristic beliefs that Trump used to excite his supporters. But if I want to persuade those supporters-and I do-I have to reach them on the platform where they are getting their ideas. In the meantime, I just might be persuaded a bit myself. It wasn't always this way. In the golden era of the gatekeeper model, journalists could just scrub the news of ideas they found offensive and quickly marginalize "abnormal" candidates. But the internet eradicated the mainstream media's gatekeeper power. Today, anyone can publish an idea and, if it's popular, will garner an overwhelmingly powerful following. In this new media world, I believe we're going to have to practice journalism through persuasion rather than censorship. This is the kind of Internet messianism that drives me crazy. If I were exercising my magic gatekeeper powers, I would point out that this fellow knows fck-all about what "populism" actually is. (Pro Tip: It involves more than flipping the bird at Wolf Blitzer every night.) And, I don't believe I'm alone in believing that the country would be having somewhat less of a public nervous breakdown if it hadn't elected the abnormal candidate that it elected. [contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Story" customtitles="Trump%20Is%20Trying%20to%20Distract%20Us%20From%20...%20Something" customimages="" content="article.51066"] But do not tarry here long, because the author's anxious to confess his coastal elitism. I might not agree with how these readers are expressing their anger, but as small-town middle America sinks, this anti-establishment response is not unreasonable. I, and perhaps many of my colleagues, discounted this election how much pain middle America was experiencing. And I don't want that to happen again. I live in San Francisco. I am surrounded by cosmopolitan people who embrace rapid disruption. But Breitbart's audience keeps me connected to the rest of the country and teaches me that I should pay much more attention to policies that can protect American culture while promoting global expansion. For instance, I'm a big proponent of immigration and free trade, but evidence from Mathematica research suggests that government-run retraining programs do a pretty inadequate job of making up declining wages for those who lose their jobs. If we are going to commit to those globalist goals, the country also needs to make sure it's protecting American workers. I wonder if they let him keep his belt and shoes while he was typing this. I've learned that Breitbart's editors, rather than being blindly ideological as critics assume, are quite comfortable with an unencumbered marketplace of ideas. Breitbart will accept a wide range of opinions. Yes, this includes opinions that many find intolerant, among them, "There's No Hiring Bias Against Women in Tech, They Just Suck at Interviews" and "Bill Kristol: Republican Spoiler, Renegade Jew." There's no question that Breitbart errs towards the strident. Strident op-eds are its weapon of choice for fighting against what it fears is a dangerous tendency toward idea suppression. Indeed, it's traditional newsrooms that scrub their editorial pages of offensive material, while their readers publicly shame any notable figure for expressing abnormal opinions. This traditional editorial policy is based on a well-intentioned philosophy: Publishing offensive ideas legitimizes them. But, in the post-gatekeeper world of the 21st century, Breitbart's editorial philosophy may be much healthier for democracy. Rather than labeling ideas taboo, we try to persuade one another. Oh, piss off. Breitbart "errs toward the strident" because it is staffed by assholes who have found a place at which being a public dick is a solid career path. This isn't revolution. It's a shiny new brand of authoritarian palaver, a fundamentalist vision of the gospel of disruption as promulgated by a bunch of feckless Silicon Valley zillionaires who will not be affected in the least by the policies of the administration that Breitbart helped elevate. If you want to cash the check, dude, just cash the check. Spare us the philosophy. Click here to respond to this post on the official Esquire Politics Facebook page. You Might Also Like Photo credit: CNN From Esquire Just a few days after Trump made wild, unsubstantiated claims on Twitter about "millions of people who voted illegally" in the 2016 election, there's video proof why Trump's tweets are truly scary: because his supporters view them as gospel. CNN's New Day aired a disturbing segment with five Trump voters, all of whom truly, actually believe that President Barack Obama encourages illegal voting and that 3 million people voted illegally in California alone. "Where are you getting your information?" CNN host Alisyn Camerota asked Trump voter Paula Johnson. The Trump supporters cited "the media," including Google and Facebook. "I believe in California that there were illegals that voted," Johnson told Camerota. "Do you think three dozen or do you think 3 million?" Camerota asked carefully. "I think there was a good amount because the president told people that they could vote. They said, 'The president said I could vote. I'm here illegally,'" Johnson responded. When Camerota asked if the supporters actually heard Obama say "illegal people" could vote, several responded yes, either verbally or by nodding their heads. When Camerota pressed further, one responded, "Google it, you can find it on Facebook." In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016 On Sunday, Trump claimed with absolutely no evidence that the election he won is based on illegal votes, and that's why Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by over 2 million votes. Story continues This fake news spread across various media outlets, who reported on the tweet without pointing out in the headline that Trump was blatantly lying and making entirely unsubstantiated claims. This is what a profound failure in journalism looks like. It is not journalism but a repetition of propaganda & participation in diversion. pic.twitter.com/OSAmHlMR6F - (@leahmcelrath) November 27, 2016 Trump's constant Twitter tantrums have become a sort of morning ritual in today's America. It seems we live in a post-fact era-he doesn't need facts to believe his own claims, and his supporters don't need facts to believe them, either. He used his massive platform-16.5 million followers-to start a fire, and with every tweet, it spreads bigger and brighter. The five Trump supporters in the video are just a part of the whole. Here's hoping Twitter understands its responsibility here and bans Trump for good. You Might Also Like Tens of thousands of Muslims gathered near Jakartas National Monument on December 2 to protests against a Christian governor who they say has disrespected the Koran. President Joko Widodo reportedly joined the protesters for Friday prayers before asking the crowd to disperse. The protest against Gov Basuki Tjahaja Purnama followed a march from Ciamis to Jakarta that began on November 29, a distance of about 270 km. Purnama reportedly fended off attacks that questioned the legitimacy of his role as governor by dismissing a passage in the Koran that has been interpreted as prohibiting voting for Christians or Jews. The protesters braved wet weather on December 2, as seen in this video. Credit: Instagram/Elvi Zubaidah via Storyful Managua (AFP) - Thousands of Nicaraguans marched in their capital on Thursday to protest President Daniel Ortega's re-election last month, calling it an "electoral farce." Wearing the blue and white colors of the national flag, the demonstrators headed to the hotel where the visiting secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, was staying, close to the Supreme Electoral Council's (CSE) headquarters. "Democracy yes, dictatorship no!" the protesters yelled, watched by a large number of riot police. No violent incidents were seen. Protest leaders said the government had prevented buses carrying more demonstrators from making it to the capital. The protest was organized by opposition groups sidelined by the CSE or courts in the run-up to the November 6 legislative and presidential elections. Some of the demonstrators were also opposing a government plan to build a cross-country canal to rival Panama's, which would remove many rural dwellers from their land. A 71-year-old former guerrilla, Ortega handily won a third-straight term with 72.5 percent of the vote. His running mate was his wife, Rosario Murillo, who will become vice president when his new mandate begins next month. By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Three Los Angeles policemen who fatally shot a homeless man last year were justified in using lethal force because the man had nearly gotten hold of an officer's holstered gun as they scuffled, the District Attorney's Office has determined. A 22-page report on the incident, released on Thursday, concluded the officers "acted lawfully in self-defense and in defense of others" in their deadly encounter with 39-year-old Charley Leundeu Keunang, known by the street name of Africa. The findings by the D.A.'s justice system integrity division clears the policemen - Sergeant Chand Syed and officers Francisco Martinez and Daniel Torres - who opened fire on Keunang when he tried to grab a fourth officer's gun. Police confronted the man when they responded to a report of an attempted robbery outside a Union Rescue Mission in the heart of L.A.'s Skid Row, a square-mile downtown area with one of the highest concentrations of homeless people in the United States. The mission's director said in the aftermath of the March 1, 2015, shooting that Keunang had a history of violent, erratic behavior. Video footage of the incident, which went viral on the Internet, highlighted the often volatile interactions between law enforcement and the mentally ill and helped fuel a national debate over police tactics. It also drew calls for reform from local civil rights activists. But the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office report concluded that the three officers under review in the shooting were "justified in using deadly force." "We are closing our file and will take no further action in this matter," it added. Among other findings, the report said that at the instant he was shot, Keunang had "virtually removed" a service weapon from the holster of a fourth officer as they struggled on the ground, and "the barrel was pointing in the direction of Sergeant Syed and the crowd gathering behind him." Story continues While the report did not delve into Keunang's background, a law enforcement source and public records disclosed he was a convicted bank robber who had been released from federal prison in 2014. Immigration officials further revealed that U.S. authorities had sought to deport Keunang to his home country of Cameroon in 2013, but the government there failed to provide a necessary travel document before he was freed from prison. (Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Tom Hogue) DIYARBAKIR (Reuters) - Three Turkish soldiers were killed on Friday after clashing with Kurdish militants in the southeastern province of Hakkari, military sources said. The military launched an operation in the region, which borders Iraq, following the clashes, the sources said. The private Dogan news agency reported that several Kurdish militants had been "neutralized". Turkey's southeast has been rocked by violence following the collapse of a 2-1/2-year ceasefire between the state and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in July last year. The PKK has repeatedly targeted security forces since. Some 49 PKK militants were killed or captured in operations last week, the Interior Ministry said on Monday, adding that 269 people suspected of aiding and financing the militant group had been detained. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict since the autonomy-seeking PKK took up arms in 1984. It is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. (Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by David Dolan) Tilda Swinton at San Diego Comic-Con 2016 Marvel Panel on July 23, 2016 (Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney) For all her eccentric artistic impulses, Tilda Swinton is also an Oscar winner (Best Supporting Actress for 2008s Michael Clayton) whos perfectly comfortable in big-budget studio franchises, be it The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe or Marvels Doctor Strange. There is, however, one high-profile series with which she wants nothing to do and for a highly personal reason. Related: Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone: What Director Chris Columbus Got Right In a new interview with Scots Magazine (via EW.com), Swinton currently in theaters in Doctor Strange as the Ancient One, who mentors Benedict Cumberbatchs title character in the ways of mystical magic explains her distaste for the Harry Potter films, which over the course of eight installments have featured just about every one of her fellow England-to-Hollywood acting compatriots. Its not the subject of wizardry that turns her off, however, but the sagas depiction of Hogwarts, since she felt that Londons West Heath boarding school which she attended as a youth was a very lonely and isolating environment. Thats why I dislike films like Harry Potter, which tend to romanticize such places. I think they are a very cruel setting in which to grow up and I dont feel children benefit from that type of education. Children need their parents and the love parents can provide. Related: Eddie Redmayne Makes a House Call In Fun New PSA: I Am a Proud Hufflepuff In light of this objection to J.K. Rowlings fantasy, one wonders if Swinton is fonder of the later Harry Potter chapters, which are far less focused on the Dumbledore-administered academy, or of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which is set in 1920s New York. Either way, it doesnt seem, at least for now, that Swinton will be rushing to join Johnny Depp, Eddie Redmayne, and Co. in any of the four planned future installments of the new Rowling-penned Potter-prequel franchise. Harry Potter Superfan Gets J.K. Rowling Inspirational Quote Tattooed On Her Arm: We wanted to formally welcome the newest addition to the Alpha Architect team, Doug Pugliese, who joins us as Director of Portfolio Services and heads up the firms 1042 ESOP solutions practice. 3 doug Im Dougs personal fan because he was willing to do push-ups with us for the Alpha Architect Veterans Awareness video we put together this summer. Plus, Doug tells bad jokes, grills a good steak, and even lived on a sailboat in the Caribbean. He also served as a pilot in the US Navy for over 6 years. Heres a picture of him from the good old days: Doug brings over 20 years of experience working as a top-tier professional in the financial industry: Director, Wealth Transition Strategies, at SEI Private Wealth Management, a multifamily office, where he focused on advising business owners. Marshall & Stevens, Inc., a financial consultancy, where he was an Executive Managing Director and Principal, managing activities in the Northeast region, including the firms New York and Philadelphia offices. Managing Director in the Investment Banking Division at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. During his twelve years tenure there he developed and executed strategic merger & acquisition and financing transactions worth more than $12 billion and was based in the Firms New York and London offices. Officer and pilot in the United States Navy, where he was also an admirals aide and translator. Doug also happens to be pretty smart with dual degrees in Economics and Spanish Literature (with honors) from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Stern School of Business at New York University, where he was a Deans Scholar and a Stern Scholar. As if that werent enough, Doug speaks a handful of languagesseveral of them fluentlywhich he picked up during the 10 years that he lived and worked in Europe and South America. Not too shabby. Doug is passionate about our mission to empower investors through education and loves thinking about financial markets. He is also skilled in advising business owners on the strategic use of ESOPs and how to best invest the proceeds in our affordable and transparent 1042 qualified replacement property solutions. Story continues Welcome to the team, Doug! *** Note: This site provides no information on our value investing ETFs or our momentum investing ETFs. Please refer to this site. *** *** Join thousands of other readers and subscribe to our blog. *** Please remember that past performance is not an indicator of future results. Please read our full disclaimer. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Alpha Architect, its affiliates or its employees. This material has been provided to you solely for information and educational purposes and does not constitute an offer or solicitation of an offer or any advice or recommendation to purchase any securities or other financial instruments and may not be construed as such. The factual information set forth herein has been obtained or derived from sources believed by the author and Alpha Architect to be reliable but it is not necessarily all-inclusive and is not guaranteed as to its accuracy and is not to be regarded as a representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the informations accuracy or completeness, nor should the attached information serve as the basis of any investment decision. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission from Alpha Architect. Notes: If you have no clue what 1042, ESOP, qualified replacement property, or QRP means, here is an explanation. If you have no clue what 1042, ESOP, qualified replacement property, or QRP means, here is an explanation. If you have no clue what 1042, ESOP, qualified replacement property, or QRP means, here is an explanation. Tom Cruise Watch out! We got a new 1042 ESOP QRP Expert on Deck! originally appeared on http://blog.alphaarchitect.com/?p=25620 President Tom Kirkmans (Kiefer Sutherland) cluelessness to a conspiracy brewing in The White House initially provided fodder for suspense-filled story arcs in ABC series Designated Survivor. Now, however, with so many people being a part of Catalans grand plan, its high time the former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development got a whiff of what is actually happening behind the doors of his pristine Oval Office. Kirkman better learn of the conspiracy quickly because episode 8 revealed that his life is in danger. The mysterious Catalan plans to assassinate him after poisoning Al-Sakar terrorist Majid Massar (Nicholas Massouh) and forcing FBI Deputy Director Jason Atwood (Malik Yoba) to confess killing him. What will happen in episode 9? Well, Tom finally realizes that there is a traitor hiding in The White House. Will he finally discover that Congressman Peter MacLeish (Ashley Zukerman) is part of a conspiracy? Designated Survivor Photo: ABC/John Medland The official synopsis of the upcoming Designated Survivor episode, titled The Blueprint, reveals that classified government documents will be leaked online. Taking a page from real-life former CIA employee Edward Snowdens story, the promo shows a whistleblower in Washington walking out of the NSA with sensitive information. The information that this whistleblower leaks will not only take several politicians down but it will also drop a bombshell of a secret. Unfortunately, Kirkman will learn that the party responsible for leaking this information has taken refuge in a foreign embassy. Even he, the most powerful man in the country, cannot touch him. Elsewhere, Atwood dons an orange jumpsuit and gets interrogated by the FBI. Furthermore, FBI Agent Hannah Wells (Maggie Q) better get in a room with Kirkman fast because MacLeish is close to being confirmed as the countrys next Vice President. She is the only one who knows what is really happening. Story continues Designated Survivor Season 1, episode 9 premieres Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 10 p.m. EST on ABC. Related Articles Ankara (AFP) - Measures taken in Turkey after the July 15 coup attempt created an "environment conducive to torture", and ill treatment appears to have been widespread immediately after the failed putsch, a UN expert said Friday. Turkey is under a state of emergency, extended for 12 weeks in October, after a rogue military faction tried to remove President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from power on July 15. "Some recently passed legislation and statutory decrees created an environment conducive to torture," UN special rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer told reporters in Ankara. Melzer's visit, the first by a UN torture expert to Turkey since 1998, comes a month after US-based watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Turkish police of torturing detainees. Since July, more than 100,000 people in the judiciary, military, media, civil service and education sector have been detained, dismissed or suspended. In total, 37,000 people have been arrested and some have claimed torture, according to human rights groups. Just over a week after the coup bid, Amnesty International said it had "credible evidence" of the abuse and torture of people detained in the sweeping arrests. According to Melzer, torture appears to have been widespread in the immediate after July 15, based on information given during his week-long visit. "Testimonies received from inmates and their lawyers suggests that in the days and weeks following the failed coup torture and other forms of ill treatment were widespread." He added that ill treatment seemed to have ceased for those prisoners arrested for reasons related to the attempted coup. During his six-day visit, he went to places of detention in Ankara, Diyarbakir, Sanliurfa and Istanbul where conditions were "satisfactory", he said. And the independent expert stressed that Turkey had the safeguards in place to prevent abuse and "thanks to the government's commitment, substantial progress has been made against torture since the 1990s". The Turkish government has previously denied all forms of torture have taken place while insisting that it is dealing with an extraordinary situation within the rule of law. LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 2, 2016 / The Trendlines Group Ltd. (OTCQX: TRNLY, SGX: 42T), an Israeli company that invests in and incubates innovation-based medical and agricultural companies and technologies, announces that it will be presenting at the 9th annual LD Micro Main Event on Tuesday, December 6th at 3:30/PM PST or 6:30PM EST at the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. Chairman and CEO Steve Rhodes of The Trendlines Group will be presenting, as well as meeting with investors. If you wish to meet with Mr. Rhodes at the conference, please contact Adam Holdsworth at adamh@pcgadvisory.com, or 646-862-4607. Key Corporate Highlights: Trendlines operates two incubators in Israel and one in Singapore, benefiting from non-dilutive government funding, reducing early-stage investment risk Trendlines benefits from the strong deal flow of Israel's start-up ecosystem and Singapore's and Israel's universities and research institutions Trendlines has more than 40 medtech and agtech companies in its portfolio with 8-10 new companies added annually Trendlines' portfolio value exceeds $83 million Strategic plans to accelerate portfolio growth with overseas expansion Over the past six years, Trendlines has had six exits through M&A transactions; two of those companies were public prior to being acquired With 15 companies in the commercialization-stage, an increasing number of portfolio companies are poised for exit Trendlines has established strategic partnerships with multinational corporations in the U.S., Germany, and Japan, including Bayer AG and global medical device company, B. Braun Melsungen AG. The LD Micro Main Event is the largest independent conference for small/microcap companies and will feature 240 presenting names. View Trendlines' profile here: http://www.ldmicro.com/profile/TRNLY News Compliments of Accesswire. About The Trendlines Group The Trendlines Group is an innovation commercialization company that invents, discovers, invests in, and incubates innovation-based medical and agricultural technologies to fulfill its mission to improve the human condition. As intensely hands-on investors, Trendlines is involved in all aspects of its portfolio companies from technology development to business building. The Trendlines Group is traded on the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX:42T) and in the United States as an American Depositary Receipt (ADR) on the OTCQX International (TRNLY). Story continues About LD Micro LD Micro was founded in 2006 with the sole purpose of being an independent resource in the microcap space. What started out as a newsletter highlighting unique companies has transformed into an event platform hosting several influential conferences annually (Invitational, Summit, and Main Event). In 2015, LDM launched the first pure microcap index (the LDMi) to exclusively provide intraday information on the entire sector. LD will continue to provide valuable tools for the benefit of everyone in the small and microcap universe. For those interested in attending, please contact David Scher at david@ldmicro.com or visit www.ldmicro.com/events for more information. Investor Contact Information Israel Judith Kleinman, Director, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications judith@trendlines.com +972.72.260.7000 US Adam Holdsworth, Managing Director of Investor Relations adamh@pcgadvisory.com 646-862-4607 SOURCE: The Trendlines Group via LD Micro Photo credit: Hannah Smothers From Cosmopolitan Period panties, PMS coaches, flow trackers, menstrual brownies: Cosmo goes on an adventure through the wild wilderness (and still-developing science) of the new period lifestyle. Once upon a time, I was a spoiled little B who didnt really know about period cramps, because I never had any. Cramps? Whatever, you big baby, I would sneer at other women who were doubled over in pain, grabbing at their bellies. My period lasted all of three days and was practically a treat. But then, shortly after turning 20, everything changed. I got a Paragard IUD (known for causing heavier bleeding and cramps), and while I love it with the entirety of my heart, it effectively ruined my dainty flow and replaced it with one that lasts seven days and feels like a tiny, angry man doing Tae Bo in my uterus every month. Photo credit: Hearst Owned Now, to combat my cramps on The Worst Days, I inhale four regular-strength ibuprofen. Popping it (never on an empty stomach) calms my pain enough that I can work, but I hate the idea of having to take a handful of pills to function for a week out of every month. What Im saying is that if theres a solution that doesnt involve pumping NSAIDs into my body, I would embrace it with open uterus. So, to seek out a better pain-management solution to a problem most women deal with, I embarked on a noble journalistic mission to find remedies that dont make me worry about my liver. Over the course of six crampy months, I tested six cures that arent ibuprofen. The Pulitzer committee knows where to find me. Photo credit: . If you've been anywhere in public or online in the past year, you've heard of CBD and the myriad ailments it claims to ease, a big one being menstrual cramps. You can get it basically everywhere, but the version I chose is a tonic by Foria, a brand that solves period and sex probs using products made from cannabis and hemp. The Basics Tonic is made with CBD-rich hemp extract and coconut oil (organic!) and comes in a little blue bottle with an eye-dropper for proper dosing. The packaging suggested I start with 0.5 milliliters, and the messaging on Foria's website promised the stuff wouldn't get me, you know, high. So when cramps kicked in on a Thursday morning at work, I asked a coworker if I really was just supposed to drop this stuff on my tongue, a la Alice in Wonderland, and dropped away. Story continues It tasted, thankfully, like nothing. And, much less thankfully, it did nothing, too. I had so-bad-I'm-dizzy cramps, so maybe the full milliliter of CBD oil I eventually dropped just couldn't combat that kind of muscle tomfoolery. I had to switch to harder stuff (ibuprofen) to get through the workday. I felt a bit ~lighter~ and ~calm~, but it's hard to feel extremely zen when you're on the verge of puking from period pain. I'd consider taking this daily only for the relaxing effect. My rating: 1.5 stars, because the bottle is so pretty but this shit didn't work for me. Photo credit: . New to the market in April 2016, the Livia is a teeny little thing that cures cramps via mild electricity. As Bari Kaplan, the chief medical adviser behind Livia, told Cosmopolitan earlier that year, the device is like a small version of the electrical stimulation machines typically found in doctor's and physical trainer's offices. It promotes itself as an "off switch for your menstrual cramps" and operates at a set frequency (which the creators wont reveal) designed to penetrate and soothe muscles that cause pain. It transmits that frequency through two small sticky pads that youre supposed to stick on your lower belly. Photo credit: Hannah Smothers "It blocks any pain sensation message thats going through the spinal cord," Kaplan says. "Everything else will continue normally, it doesnt change the flow [of your period]." In theory, the Livia sounded great to me. It did seem a bit impractical to attach a colorful square device to my waistband and walk around with little sticky pads on my stomach, but since I work in basically an all-female office, hiding signs of menstruation isnt a huge concern for me. And so on day one of my period-when my cramps are at their worst-I went to the bathroom to stick the pads on my lower stomach, clipped the Livia to my jeans, and waited for that sweet, promised pain relief. Only the relief never came. I jacked up the intensity of that little device as high as I could stand it, thinking maybe I just wasnt going hard enough, but that didnt help. I kept the thing on for maybe 20 minutes before ripping off the sticky pads in frustration. I felt worse than before Id put it on-borderline nauseous. When it was on, the Livia tickled my skin on my lower abdomen, only drawing more attention to a part of my body I really was trying to forget about. I haven't touched the Livia since. I hate it. I hate it so much! My rating: Half a star, only because this was slightly fun to play with. Photo credit: . The "Bitch Massage," offered at a spa called Haven in downtown Manhattan, is designed to help treat PMS symptoms, one of which is cramps. "The idea was basically that, as women, we all have the same experience of not feeling happy with ourselves at times, says creator Lara Katzman. And, well, yes, thats true. But also, a $140-an-hour massage called the "bitch massage" that promotes a relaxing way to kiss PMS goodbye surely sells like hotcakes at a spa in Soho. The Bitch technique, as Katzman says, combines a few treatment modalities-Katzman uses traditional massage as well as pressure points borrowed from Chinese medicine. She compares utilizing these pressure points to locating "small windows in your body" that allow external pressure to communicate with your cramping, upset insides. During my massage, I noticed she spent time rubbing my belly (a truly new experience for me) and then parts of my legs and feet, which she later explained are pressure points for abdominal pain. The experience was lovely, as could be expected of any spa visit. I was covered by a heated blanket the whole time and felt like a warm infant. Katzman spent time on my shoulders, which felt incredible because I sit at a desk and my shoulders are pretty much always hovering directly next to my earlobes. She also pressed on parts of my face near my forehead, as well as points near my collarbone, which felt the most soothing to me. It might have been the combination of being in a quiet room, lying down on a comfy table, and being covered in a blanket that felt like hot bread, but something about the Bitch Massage experience worked for me. I came in with level-four cramps; I left feeling remarkably human. I didnt take any ibuprofen that evening, not even after I got home and rinsed off the massage oil in the shower. My rating: Three stars, because while this made me feel like a Fancy Pampered Lady, it's also expensive and only available in NYC. Photo credit: . Disclaimer: I live in New York City. While marijuana is kinda sorta decriminalized in the state of New York, its still not legal. This, however, did not stop me from procuring a tin of Forias Relief suppositories to shove up my vagina in the name of the journalistic process. I may not work for Spotlight, but I remain steadfast in my quest to uncover period cramp truths, even at the risk of a possible $100 fine. Photo credit: Hannah Smothers According to a report from CNN, pain management is the most commonly prescribed use for medical marijuana in the United States. Foria's website says their little butter-encased suppository works to "directly impact the immune system and the nerve endings of the uterus, cervix, ovaries and surrounding smooth muscle tissues." Or in other words, it targets all the parts of you that hurt while you're on your period and tries to relax them. Inside my Foria tin was a plastic row of tiny, bullet-shaped butter suppositories. Theyre infused with THC, or the active chemical in weed that makes you feel high (so not actual weed, but pretty close). The instructions were simultaneously comforting and daunting, commanding me to create a relaxing environment for myself and to use Foria only after eating something (the directions didn't explain why, but maybe because I'd feel high?). So I lit a couple candles and ate a chocolate chip cookie. The packaging also warned me that the butter might, um, melt once inside my warm little body, so, you know, prepare for that reality however you want. The best instruction, though, was the one that said I should lie down for a while and relax. After cultivating my ideal vagina-weed environment, I messaged my editor, OK, its weed time, and shoved in the suppository with the help of a tampon applicator. Photo credit: Hannah Smothers The accompanying instructions told me I wouldnt necessarily feel high. But let me tell you...I felt high. Not like, I-cant-perform-my-job-anymore-today, but definitely things-are-funny!!!! high. I ate my cookie, followed by approximately 45 Annies white cheddar bunnies. And then I ordered a sandwich. But! I totally felt no pain. My cramps, which had been firing away at full blast, subsided as the weed butter melted in my vagina. In short, I loved these little THC butter bullets. Not quite enough to move to California (I dont trust a state with that much sunshine), but definitely enough to hoard my remaining three for days when my cramps are truly awful. My rating: Four stars, because I truly was in awe of this weed butter vagina experience. Photo credit: . As evidenced by my extreme reliance on NSAIDs, I was skeptical about acupuncture as a cramp cure. But it didn't take me long to find an acupuncturist in New York who specializes in womens health and fertility, and book my first-ever appointment on the first day of yet another period. Photo credit: Ruben Chamorro As Susan Wallmeyer, my acupuncturist, explained, the process isnt usually just a one-time visit sort of thing. With most patients who arent just looking for a quick fix (like I was), she develops a highly individualized treatment plan that involves more than just being poked with needles. During the needle part of my appointment, which lasted about 30 minutes, Wallmeyer had a heat lamp pointed at my lower abdomen. This felt incredible on its own. The needles didnt hurt at all, which is what everyone always says about acupuncture because, hey, its true. I had tiny needles sticking out sort of all over-most notably, in my stomach, feet, hands, and ears. When I asked, Excuse me, but why the ear? Wallmeyer explained that our ears are like tiny maps to the rest of our bodies, and the ear is especially effective at pain treatment in acupuncture. Wallmeyer warned me I might not feel any relief from just a single session, and so maybe it was all psychosomatic, but I did feel better by the time I left her office. It could be that lying down in a quiet room under a heat lamp like a lizard in a tank is simply very relaxing, but my cramps were nearly gone when I stepped back out onto the loud, Midtown street. Wallmeyer offered an explanation. While the acupuncture needles are in, we know that endorphins and enkephalins-your bodys natural painkillers-are being released, she says. The traditional Chinese medicine view is that acupuncture needles are unblocking any pain-producing areas of stuck energy, as well as correcting imbalances in other body systems. Look, Im not so sure about stuck energy, but I felt what I felt. And what I felt was a relieving absence of cramps that had been plaguing me all morning that day. My rating: Three stars, because having needles stuck in my ear was wild but seemed to work pretty well. Photo credit: . Any time Ive Googled help please period cramps possibly death soon, the internet tells me to slap a heating pad on my belly. And every single time, I scroll past that suggestion, roll my eyes, and laugh maniacally at the thought that the thing that might help me most is a household item thats been around, in various iterations, for centuries. Have you tried a heating pad? feels the same to me as suggesting someone whos just sliced off their finger to put a Band-aid on it. Like, Im dealing with extreme cramps here-not a tummy ache from eating too many white cheddar bunnies. I only included the humble heating pad as a courtesy to all those other internet lists that suggest it. I set out to debunk its powers, which I was sure were total bullshit. But I cannot, in good conscience, smear its good reputation. Of all the things I tried-needles in my ear, weed butter in my vagina, electrodes on my stomach-it by far was the best solution to my ceaseless cramps. The only catch: It doesnt work right away. Like watching the night sky to see a shooting star, if you're not patient, you might never witness the magic of the heating pad. Wait long enough, however, and true, drug-free bliss awaits you on the other side. Photo credit: Hannah Smothers I found the best way to use the heating pad to cure my cramps was to slap that puppy on my stomach at the first sign of discomfort and then wait for it to work its wonders. My cramps were totally gone within 30 minutes and didnt seem to come back when I took off the pad. The way it works is so simple and intuitive, I felt dumb not trusting it from the very beginning. Heat helps relax the muscles in your lower abdomen and uterus that are contracting and causing the pain we know as HORRIBLE CRAMPS. The only real downside to the device is that most of them have to be plugged in, and its a little awkward to sit around in public with this thing resting just above your vagina. I feel like a true idiot for not giving the heating pad a try before all this. But now that Ive found it, Im much less afraid of all the period cramps Im due to experience throughout the rest of my life. I cant wait to sing its praises to any and all menstruating individuals. Not to sound like the entire rest of the internet and also your grandmother, but EVERYONE PLEASE JUST TRY IT. It is truly the period cramp remedy of my dreams, and it could also be the period cramp remedy of your dreams too. My rating: Five stars, because this was the most obvious and most effective method of them all. READ MORE ('You Might Also Like',) A Harvard tradition ended up as a shouting match on Thursday night. During a political forum meant to analyze the key moments of the presidential campaign at Harvard University's Institute of Politics, a three-hour conversation with top campaign officials from both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton camps was plagued by an impassioned argument between Trump senior adviser Kellyanne Conway and Clinton campaign communications director Jennifer Palmieri. "If providing a platform for white supremacists makes me a brilliant strategist, a brilliant tactician, I am glad to have lost," Palmieri said after Trump's deputy campaign manager David Bossie praised the president-elect's controversial pick for senior adviser and campaign chairman Steve Bannon - who was absent from the event - as a "brilliant strategist." She added, "I would rather lose than win the way you guys did." Conway then shot back, "Do you think I ran a campaign where white supremacists had a platform? You're going to look me in the face and tell me that?" "It did!" charged Palmieri. Conway then replied, "Do you think you could have just had a decent message for white, working-class voters? You think this woman who has nothing in common with anybody?" The heated back-and-forth between the pair continued, with Palmieri saying Trump "needs to show me that white supremacy is not acceptable just steps from the Oval Office." The panel was the first of the day and intended to be "a first draft of history, and we are trying to capture what happened here for generations to come." Outside the building, hundreds of students protested against Bannon, the former head of Breitbart News and Harvard alumni, and alt-right values. Read more: Ringside With Steve Bannon at Trump Tower as the President-Elect's Strategist Plots "An Entirely New Political Movement" (Exclusive) Since 1972, Harvard's Kennedy School has held a two-day conference on the presidential campaign, which is attended by journalists and political observers. Story continues Elsewhere during the conference, CNN President Jeff Zucker was heckled by GOP campaign managers during a Wednesday night dinner at the Charles Hotel. The formal event featured Zucker in conversation with members of the media - Washington Post's Marty Baron, AP's Kathleen Carol, Facebook's Elliot Schrage and moderator Sasha Issenberg - about CNN's coverage of the presidential campaign. When he defended the amount of airtime the network gave Trump and his rallies, the GOP campaign managers in the room, according to Politco, grew animated and offered audible reactions. "I have to respectfully push back on the campaign managers who spoke here today, because frankly, respectfully, I think that's bullshit. Donald Trump was on CNN a lot," Zucker said in defense of the network. "That's because we asked him to do interviews and he agreed to do them. We continuously asked the other candidates to come on and do interviews." "I don't remember getting invited to call in, though," replied Sarah Isgur Flores, Carly Fiorina's deputy campaign manager. Others then echoed her statement, interrupting Zucker. "You showed hours upon hours of unfiltered unscripted coverage of Trump, this was not about interviews," said Marco Rubio senior advisor Todd Harris. After the argument was opened up to the room, Zucker offered: "I understand emotions continue to run high, but that's the reality. That's not cable news' fault, and that's not CNN's fault." He was also criticized for CNN's decision to hire Trump's former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski as a contributor for the network. Read more: Top TV Execs Meet With President-Elect Trump in Tower Summit On Friday, Conway told CBS This Morning that Palmieri's accusations surrounding the white-supremacy platform were "completely ." "I took that personally, and I know that's not true," Conway said. "President-elect Trump has denounced every single element of that awful movement. He's never met these people. He doesn't ask for their endorsement." Conway also attempted to clarify her criticism for Trump's potential pick of Mitt Romney as secretary of state, saying the president-elect gave her permission to talk publicly. "There are four people as of yesterday," Conway said of the secretary of state contenders. "That list may expand, that list may narrow." On Tuesday night, Trump and Romney had their second sit-down when they dined in New York City. The former Massachusetts governor described their dinner at Jean Georges inside the Trump International Hotel and Tower as a "wonderful evening." Read more: Jeff Zucker Talks Trump TV and CNN's Ratings Hot Streak: We've "Outshined Everybody" Crowds in Ohio cheered wildly on Thursday when President-elect Donald Trump announced he had picked an iconic former Marine Corps general to run the Pentagon. We are going to appoint Mad Dog Mattis as our secretary of defense, Trump told people who attended the Cincinnati leg of his post-election thank you tour. Calling Mattis the closest thing to General Patton that we have, Trump highly praised the retired four-star general. Here are five things to know about Gen. James Mad Dog Mattis, who retired from the military in 2013 after serving his final duty assignment as chief of the militarys U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). 1. He is held in the highest regard by other warfighters He is one of the finest military officers in American history, says historian and former Army Infantry officer James Lechner, who served under Mattis in combat in Iraq. I put him right up there with Patton and Robert E. Lee. The warriors admire Mattis for a range of qualities. His positive energy emanates to the entire force, says Frank Grippe, himself a legendary soldier who served as Command Sergeant Major of CENTCOM under Mattis. He is a scholar, a gentleman, and among the most gritty, courageous, at-home-in-the-dirt warriors our great nation ever produced. Mattis understands how to balance the approach to war, insiders say. Not only is he as tough and as dynamic a warrior as anyone who commanded U.S. troops, but he can turn right around in the same breath and be one of the most prescient diplomats Ive ever encountered, Lechner says. He is a master of counterinsurgency. He is one of the few people who know how to fight a counterinsurgency at the tactical and strategic level. He is a self-actualized package of mind, body and spirit, Grippe says. 2. He is devoted to warfighters in a personal way Mattis is known for putting the troops first, and for caring deeply about their welfare. The former commandant of the Marine Corps, General Charles Krulak, has been quoted as saying he once was shocked to find Mattis pulling guard duty on Christmas Day at Marine Base Quantico in Virginia. The officer who originally was scheduled for guard duty that day had a family, and Mattis decided to take the mans place so that the young Marine could spend Christmas at home. Story continues The devotion hasnt lessened over time. Several weeks ago, this reporter was at an Irish pub in Tampa with some wounded warriors, Grippe, and Jill Kelley, when the group decided to call Mattis. During the call, Mattis spoke to Joel Tavera, who was blinded and seriously wounded in 2008 in Iraq. While on the phone, Mattis repeatedly asked Tavera how he was doing, listened at length, and expressed sincere gratitude for the Army vets service. 3. He is a bookworm and an intellectual Mattis owns an extensive personal library that is said to include some 7,000 volumes. He is a prolific reader, Lechner says. He reads constantly. The scuttlebutt among other warfighters is that Mattis loves reading so much that he brought his entire library with him in packing crates on each deployment. He once engaged in an email exchange where he extolled the virtues of reading. Mattis practiced what he prescribed. He was said to have been spotted often in quiet moments after hours, reading contentedly. One particularly dog-eared tract was Meditations by Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Mattis reputation as an intellectual has spread to the civilian world. On Monday, Newt Gingrich told reporters Mattis is one of the smartest people in the military. When he sets down his books and his weapons, Mattis also seems to enjoy talking about military history and operations. Last summer, this reporter called Mattis on his cell phone to ask about combat operations in Kunar Province, Afghanistan in 2011. After first saying he did not have time to talk, Mattis spent some 30 minutes discussing Afghanistan war operations, policy, and combat theory in general, offering keen insights and observations. RELATED VIDEO: Donald Trump Falsely Claims He Won the Electoral College and Popular Vote by a Landslide 4. He is known for his Mattisisms Mattis has the ability to craft memorable phrases that can wind up as popular memes. Some of his best known Mattisisms are as follows. I come in peace. I didnt bring artillery. But Im pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you f with me, Ill kill you all. Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet. Im going to plead with you, do not cross us. Because if you do, the survivors will write about what we do here for 10,000 years. 5. He has been given colorful nicknames Unlike other secretaries of defense, who have gone by Sir, or Mister Secretary, Trumps pick for the position also answers to three nicknames. Mad Dog comes from his demeanor in combat. Chaos was his Marine Corps callsign. Mattis reportedly has said it is an acronym for Colonel Has An Outstanding Solution. But the Marines reportedly believe the callsign means chaos. The Warrior Monk because he is a bachelor who has devoted his life to studying and waging war. By Ernest Scheyder HOUSTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump is considering Democratic U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota for either the interior or energy secretary positions in his Cabinet, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday. Trump is also considering Joe Manchin, another conservative Democratic senator who represents the coal state of West Virginia, and Gary Cohn, president and chief operating officer of Goldman Sachs Group Inc, for energy secretary, U.S. media reported on Thursday. Reuters previously reported that Trump planned to meet with Heitkamp on Friday, according to his transition team. Trump requested the meeting with Heitkamp, the source said. In a statement, Heitkamp said she appreciated "the president-elect inviting me for a meeting," adding she hoped to "work with the president-elect and all of my colleagues in Congress on both sides of the aisle to best support my state." The statement did not address whether a Cabinet position was being discussed, but Heitkamp's spokeswoman, Abbie McDonough, said the senator "has a long record of working with both Republicans and Democrats." Heitkamp, along with Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, negotiated a deal in Congress last December to lift the decades-old ban on crude oil exports in exchange for a multi-year extension of tax credits for wind and solar energy. Heitkamp has been a supporter of domestic energy development, both in fossil fuels and renewable resources. North Dakota is a major source of crude oil, coal and wind power. Heitkamp is popular in her home state, though not all North Dakota state politicians voiced full support for the senator potentially joining the Trump administration. "I don't see (Heitkamp) being in any Cabinet position," Wayne Stenehjem, a Republican and North Dakota's attorney general, told Reuters. She was elected to the Senate in 2012 in a close race, putting her up for re-election in two years. Should she join the Cabinet, her Senate seat would be filled by an appointment by North Dakota's Republican governor. Republicans expect to hold 52 seats in the 100-seat chamber when the new Congress meets in January. 'SERIOUS ABOUT COAL' Politico, citing unnamed sources, said Manchin was being considered for energy secretary. It quoted one of the sources as saying Manchin "is being considered to show the coal people how serious Trump is about coal." Politico said Manchin told the website that he and his staff had not been contacted by Trump's transition team, adding: "If I can do anything that would help my state of West Virginia, and my country, I would be happy to talk to anybody." Manchin's office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Manchin is up for re-election in 2018 in West Virginia, an increasingly Republican state where coal jobs have been threatened by cheaper natural gas prices. His 2012 election campaign stressed his opposition to climate change legislation that would have brought federal incentives for the United States to transition to cleaner-burning energy sources and away from fossil fuels such as coal. Reuters had reported on Wednesday that Goldman's Cohn was being considered to head the White House budget office or another post in the Trump administration. Citing unnamed sources, Fox Business Network reported on Thursday that Trump was also considering nominating Cohn to head the Energy Department. Cohn met with Trump in New York on Tuesday. Cohn, a former Goldman commodities trader who joined the firm in 1990, has been widely considered to be the heir apparent to Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Blankfein. Another reported contender for the Energy and Interior positions, Oklahoma oil magnate Harold Hamm, said on Thursday he would recommend that Trump nominate Republican U.S. Representative Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, one of the president-elect's energy advisers, for energy secretary. "I've put his name forward," Hamm said on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" program. "He'd sort of do a better job in that post than me." (Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Additional reporting by Valerie Volcovici and Richard Cowan in Washington; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Peter Cooney and Bill Rigby) By Martin Petty and David Brunnstrom MANILA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump invited Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte to the White House next year during a "very engaging, animated" phone conversation, a Duterte aide said on Friday, amid rocky relations between their two countries. A statement issued by Trump's transition team, however, made no mention of an invitation. Trump's brief chat with the firebrand Philippine president follows a period of uncertainty about one of Washington's most important Asian alliances, stoked by Duterte's hostility towards President Barack Obama and repeated threats to sever decades-old defence ties. The call lasted just over seven minutes, Duterte's special adviser, Christopher Go, said in a text message to media, which gave few details. Duterte congratulated the U.S. president-elect, the Trump team's statement said, and the two men "noted the long history of friendship and cooperation between the two nations, and agreed that the two governments would continue to work together closely on matters of shared interest and concern." In five months in office, Duterte has upended Philippine foreign policy by berating the United States, making overtures towards historic rival China and pursuing a new alliance with Russia. His diplomacy has created jitters among Asian countries wary about Beijing's rising influence and Washington's staying power as a regional counterbalance. Duterte has praised China and told Obama to "go to hell" and called him a "son of a bitch" whom he would humiliate if he visited the Philippines. The anger was unleashed after Democrat Obama expressed concern about possible human rights abuses in Duterte's war on drugs, during which more than 2,000 people have been killed. Duterte initially expressed optimism about having Trump in the Oval Office, saying he no longer wanted quarrels. But he has continued to rail against U.S. "hypocrisy" and "bullying". Republican Trump, a New York businessman who has never previously held public office, told Reuters during the election campaign that Duterte's comments showed "a lack of respect for our country." But he also stressed the "very important strategic location" of the Philippines and blamed Obama for failing to take the time to get to know world leaders. 'CLEAN SLATE' A source who has advised Trump's transition team on security policy told Reuters last week the president-elect would start a "clean slate" with Duterte, and analysts see some similarities in their blunt style. "He is perfectly capable of talking to Duterte in an open way without being wedded to previous policy failures," the source said of Trump, while stressing the importance of security ties. Sometimes called the "Trump of the East" because of his mercurial ways, Duterte has threatened repeatedly to sever U.S. defence ties, saying he "hates" having foreign soldiers in his country. Joint military exercises look set to be scaled back as Duterte has demanded and a question mark hangs over the future of a 2014 Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), a deal of strategic importance to Washington because it allows U.S. forces access to Philippine bases on a troop rotation basis. "EDCA is a concern and some of the things Duterte has said are a concern," the source who has advised Trump's transition said. "That is not going to change based on who the president is." Duterte caused a stir when he visited China in October and announced his "separation" from the United States. He has said Washington could not be trusted to support the Philippines if it were attacked, as mandated in a joint defence treaty. In an article published just before the U.S. election, Trump advisers Peter Navarro and Alex Gray blamed the breakdown on the Obama administration's failure to intervene in 2012 when China seized the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, which the Philippines considers its fishing ground. "Washington's utter failure to uphold its obligations to a longtime, pivotal ally during one of its most humiliating crises has no doubt contributed to (Duterte's) low opinion of American security guarantees and his recent move toward a China alliance," they wrote. Some experts say Duterte's appointment of special envoys to Washington suggest he aims to keep good ties. Among the envoys is multi-millionaire real estate tycoon Jose Antonio, who bought the rights to name a new office tower in Manila "Trump Towers". U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said he did not know whether the department had assisted in setting up Trump's call with Duterte, but stood ready to provide such help. Philippines expert Ernest Bower of the Bower Group Asia consultancy said it was likely the call was facilitated by Trump's business partners in the Philippines and a core group of advisers, who include his children. Bower said Trump's election victory could offer Duterte a face-saving way to move back from his anti-U.S. rhetoric, while Duterte could provide Trump with a way to stress the importance of Asian alliances, which he appeared to question during the campaign. Murray Hiebert of the Center for Strategic and International Studies noted that the Philippines would be chairing the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations next year and it was common for the United States to extend an invitation to the chair ahead of the U.S.-ASEAN summit. Bower said this may have been fortuitous on Trump's part. "My guess is he was more interested in making a point - that he could deal with Duterte in ways Obama couldn't - than in the strategic wisdom of driving alignment with the ASEAN chair ahead of the ASEAN and East Asian summits." (Addtional reporting by Manuel Mogato in Manila and Steve Holland and Yeganeh Torbati in Washington; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Grant McCool and James Dalgleish) By Martin Petty and David Brunnstrom MANILA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump invited Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte to the White House next year during a "very engaging, animated" phone conversation, a Duterte aide said on Friday, amid rocky relations between their two countries. A statement issued by Trump's transition team, however, made no mention of an invitation. Trump's brief chat with the firebrand Philippine president follows a period of uncertainty about one of Washington's most important Asian alliances, stoked by Duterte's hostility toward President Barack Obama and repeated threats to sever decades-old defense ties. The call lasted just over seven minutes, Duterte's special adviser, Christopher Go, said in a text message to media, which gave few details. Duterte congratulated the U.S. president-elect, the Trump team's statement said, and the two men "noted the long history of friendship and cooperation between the two nations, and agreed that the two governments would continue to work together closely on matters of shared interest and concern." In five months in office, Duterte has upended Philippine foreign policy by berating the United States, making overtures toward historic rival China and pursuing a new alliance with Russia. His diplomacy has created jitters among Asian countries wary about Beijing's rising influence and Washington's staying power as a regional counterbalance. Duterte has praised China and told Obama to "go to hell" and called him a "son of a bitch" whom he would humiliate if he visited the Philippines. The anger was unleashed after Democrat Obama expressed concern about possible human rights abuses in Duterte's war on drugs, during which more than 2,000 people have been killed. Duterte initially expressed optimism about having Trump in the Oval Office, saying he no longer wanted quarrels. But he has continued to rail against U.S. "hypocrisy" and "bullying". Republican Trump, a New York businessman who has never previously held public office, told Reuters during the election campaign that Duterte's comments showed "a lack of respect for our country." But he also stressed the "very important strategic location" of the Philippines and blamed Obama for failing to take the time to get to know world leaders. 'CLEAN SLATE' A source who has advised Trump's transition team on security policy told Reuters last week the president-elect would start a "clean slate" with Duterte, and analysts see some similarities in their blunt style. "He is perfectly capable of talking to Duterte in an open way without being wedded to previous policy failures," the source said of Trump, while stressing the importance of security ties. Sometimes called the "Trump of the East" because of his mercurial ways, Duterte has threatened repeatedly to sever U.S. defense ties, saying he "hates" having foreign soldiers in his country. Joint military exercises look set to be scaled back as Duterte has demanded and a question mark hangs over the future of a 2014 Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), a deal of strategic importance to Washington because it allows U.S. forces access to Philippine bases on a troop rotation basis. "EDCA is a concern and some of the things Duterte has said are a concern," the source who has advised Trump's transition said. "That is not going to change based on who the president is." Duterte caused a stir when he visited China in October and announced his "separation" from the United States. He has said Washington could not be trusted to support the Philippines if it were attacked, as mandated in a joint defense treaty. In an article published just before the U.S. election, Trump advisers Peter Navarro and Alex Gray blamed the breakdown on the Obama administration's failure to intervene in 2012 when China seized the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, which the Philippines considers its fishing ground. "Washington's utter failure to uphold its obligations to a longtime, pivotal ally during one of its most humiliating crises has no doubt contributed to (Duterte's) low opinion of American security guarantees and his recent move toward a China alliance," they wrote. Some experts say Duterte's appointment of special envoys to Washington suggest he aims to keep good ties. Among the envoys is multi-millionaire real estate tycoon Jose Antonio, who bought the rights to name a new office tower in Manila "Trump Towers". U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said he did not know whether the department had assisted in setting up Trump's call with Duterte, but stood ready to provide such help. Philippines expert Ernest Bower of the Bower Group Asia consultancy said it was likely the call was facilitated by Trump's business partners in the Philippines and a core group of advisers, who include his children. Bower said Trump's election victory could offer Duterte a face-saving way to move back from his anti-U.S. rhetoric, while Duterte could provide Trump with a way to stress the importance of Asian alliances, which he appeared to question during the campaign. Murray Hiebert of the Center for Strategic and International Studies noted that the Philippines would be chairing the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations next year and it was common for the United States to extend an invitation to the chair ahead of the U.S.-ASEAN summit. Bower said this may have been fortuitous on Trump's part. "My guess is he was more interested in making a point - that he could deal with Duterte in ways Obama couldn't - than in the strategic wisdom of driving alignment with the ASEAN chair ahead of the ASEAN and East Asian summits." (Addtional reporting by Manuel Mogato in Manila and Steve Holland and Yeganeh Torbati in Washington; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Grant McCool and James Dalgleish) From Popular Mechanics In just over a month, Donald J. Trump will become the 45th President of the United States. As Chief Executive, he will have power unmatched not only in Washington but the entire world. The most solemn and terrifying of his responsibilities will be the judicious custodianship of American's nuclear arsenal, all 1,367 nuclear weapons current deployed on American ships, bombers, and ballistic missiles- ready for use. Yes, he can use them. That much is obvious. But could anyone stop him if they wanted to? Well, no. And the system was built that way on purpose. Nuclear scholar Alex Wellerstein, writing for The Washington Post, explains that America's nuclear protocols evolved during the course of the Cold War. During the 1950s, President Eisenhower "pre-delegated" the use of tactical, low-yield nukes to his generals, in case the Red Army rolled towards Paris. Under certain clearly-defined circumstances, they could use nukes without asking anyone's permission. The experience of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which many feared would spiral out of control into all-out nuclear warfare, caused policymakers to reconsider pre-delegation. Ultimate command authority was turned over to the President, and the President alone. While individuals in the complex chain between the Oval Office and Minuteman III Launch Control Centers might refuse the orders, they are trained not to and to acknowledge the President's authority. Regardless of who is sitting behind the button, it might be wise to evaluate the process one more time. Source: The Washington Post You Might Also Like San Francisco Police Commission President Suzy Loftus knocked a new advertisement from the citys police union as a misleading piece of fearmongering. The advertisement, posted on YouTube Wednesday, depicts an angry man driving a truck into a crowd of protesters on a sunny autumn day. A narrator says that under a proposed city policy, police officers would be prohibited from shooting at the driver in this case potentially leading to many deaths and injuries. As the dramatization ends, Officer Reggie Scott tells viewers that the new proposal barring cops from shooting at moving vehicles would prevent them from stopping senseless slaughter. This could actually happen with the proposal before the city police commission. In Nice, France, 86 people died before police shot and killed the terrorist driver, Scott says in the ad. Thirteen years ago I was forced to use my weapon to stop a driver determined to run people down in the Taraval district. Lives were saved. Loftus told the San Francisco Chronicle that the ad was misleading and amounts to Trump-like fearmongering. The facts matter, now more than ever, Loftus told the paper. Twenty-five percent of officer-involved shootings in San Francisco since 2000 involved officers shooting at cars. These were not terror attacks, as we see in the tragic case highlighted in the video. San Francisco Police Commission President Suzy Loftus listens to community members during a meeting at City Hall. (Ekevara Kitpowsong/San Francisco Examiner) Scott was one of two police officers who shot and killed Michael Moll, 18, in 2003 after he allegedly backed a stolen Honda Civic into a third, plainclothes officer. Russell Moll, the young mans father, told the Chronicle that he was angry that the police union would compare his troubled son to a terrorist for political purposes. Citing police reports, he said there was no crowd, and his son was simply trying to escape, only bumping into other cars. A news article at the time said nothing of Moll attempting to ram the vehicle into a crowd of pedestrians. The provocative ad concludes with Scott urging viewers to call or email Loftus to oppose the proposal. Story continues According to the Chronicle, The new policy bars officers from firing at a moving vehicle unless the driver poses an immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury to the public or an officer by means other than the vehicle. Under this language, a person who poses a threat with a gun while driving can be shot. Loftus vehemently denied the claims in the police unions ad to local media. She told the San Francisco Examiner that the proposal was borrowed from the New York Police Department and other law enforcement agencies which already have bans on shooting at cars and that these policies have reduced lethal shootings by up to 33 percent. Related video: In his farewell address, President Dwight Eisenhower warned that for security and liberty to prosper together, We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. Fifty-five years later, a new president is planning to have his Pentagon run by a top official at one of the worlds largest defense contractors. President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that he will appoint retired General James Mattis as the U.S. Secretary of Defense. Not only would Mattis be the first general to hold the traditionally civilian position, he would move into the job directly from his position helping to run General Dynamics a $30-billion colossus that heavily relies on Pentagon contracts overseen by the Defense Secretary. Mattis is currently listed as one of 13 independent directors of the company. Financial filings reviewed by International Business Times show that since taking the position in 2013, Mattis has been paid $594,369 by General Dynamics, and has amassed more than $900,000 worth of company stock. While on the General Dynamics board, Mattis testified before Congress, where he called caps on defense spending known as the sequestration a national security threat. No foe in the field can wreak such havoc on our security that mindless sequestration is achieving, he said during the 2015 hearing. Some legislators have already questioned the legality of a military official being appointed to a traditionally civilian position. Meanwhile, ethics experts interviewed by IBT say Mattis link to General Dynamics poses major conflict-of-interest questions for a Defense Department that annually directs more than $250 billion worth of spending to private military contractors. General Dynamics could try to use this relationships to get access into the Pentagon, Richard W. Painter, the former chief ethics counsel to President George W. Bush, told IBT. I am very worried about this. General Dynamics and the Trump transition team declined to comment. Over the last few years, lawmakers and watchdog groups have raised alarms about what they say is a corrupting revolving-door culture between the Pentagon and private industry. In 2008, a survey conducted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that 2,435 former generals, senior executives and acquisition officers later went to work for 52 different major defense contractors. More than 400 of those military figures, the GAO found, took private sector jobs where they competed for specific Pentagon contracts that they previously oversaw. In the case of Mattis and General Dynamics, the potential conflicts could reach a level never seen before in the modern era, said William Hartung, the author of Prophets of War: Lockheed Martin and the Making of the Military-Industrial Complex. Youd have to go back to Eisenhower, who appointed the head of General Electric then a major defense contractor to be secretary of defense. Story continues RTSUDP4 Photo: Reuters General Dynamics is not just any run-of-the-mill weapons manufacturer that a defense secretary might easily avoid in the job. It routinely ranks among the top five Pentagon contractors and reliably receives over $10 billion a year in deals. The company offers a full spectrum of services to the Pentagon, from information technology support to retrofitting armored combat vehicles. It is also the main exporter of tanks abroad to U.S. allies like Saudi Arabia and Egypt deals that will rely upon approvals from the incoming Trump administration. As secretary of defense, Mattis could oversee lucrative new General Dynamics deals: The company has won a number of contracts to build the $100 billion replacement fleet for the Ohio class nuclear submarines. Disagreement over how many submarines will be built and how much each unit should cost has already generated major friction among lawmakers, the Pentagon and watchdogs. General Dynamics business model relies on a significant investment in lobbying. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the company has spent over $100 million pushing its interests in Washington over the last decade. And filing reports show that it is consistently among the top three contractors directly lobbying the Department of Defense. With Mattis at the head of the Pentagon, his former employers business interests could be a priority, said Hartung, who is now the director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy. It's got to be reassuring to them that a former board member will be running the Pentagon, he told IBT. The possibility of Mattis intervening on their behalf if one of their programs gets into trouble is always there. There are some provisions in place to guard against unethical behavior. Painter, the former Bush administration ethics official, says conflicts laws will require Matthis to sell his holdings in the company. With Mattis on the board, General Dynamics stock price has nearly tripled, and he will be able to take advantage of a tax loophole that allows appointees to postpone capital gains tax when selling stocks to comply with conflict of interest rules. Painter expects Mattis will be required to recuse himself from any decisions involving General Dynamics for one year. But those working directly below Mattis in the Pentagon hierarchy would have no such prohibition. And theres nothing to stop Mattis from staying in close contact with his former employer even as it seeks contracts from a Mattis-run Pentagon. Id like him to promise to cease contact as well, Painter said. But the law doesnt extend that far. Concerned about corporate-military crossover, Congress in 2008 tasked the Pentagon with keeping a database to track the revolving door. Six years later, though, an Inspector General report found that the Pentagon failed to update its database. We really think its become corrosive how many senior military officers go to work for defense contractors, Mandy Smithburger, director of the Straus Military Reform Project at the Center for Defense Information at the Project On Government Oversight, told IBT. The revolving door, Smithburger said, isnt just a question of optics: It promotes bad policy decisions. She highlighted a number of examples, including the infamous case of Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright, who fought for a flawed missile defense system furnished by Raytheon and then joined the Raytheon board. Mattis has also mixed business interests with his military career. Emails disclosed by the Washington Post Friday show that in 2012, a year before Mattis left the military, he personally intervened to help the controversial blood-testing company Theranos secure approval for military field tests. After he left the Pentagon, Mattis joined the Theranos board. So he has not only had potential conflicts, he has acted on behalf of a firm that he later received compensation from a clear conflict, in my opinion, Hartung said. This does not bode well for his treatment of weapons contractors as secretary of defense. Trump campaigned on a pledge to tighten federal ethics rules and slow down the revolving door between government and lobbying firms. As an executive branch employee in a Trump administration, Mattis will be obligated to sign an ethics agreement that the federal Office of Government Ethics approves. Painter, though, said those safeguards shouldnt reassure Americans concerned about undue corporate influence on government: Can someone in the White House tell him with a straight face to recuse himself, with Trump sitting on top of his own business organization? Related Articles By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday night he would nominate retired Marine Corps General James Mattis, known as "Mad Dog" and renowned for his tough talk and battlefield experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, to lead the Pentagon. "We are going to appoint 'Mad Dog' Mattis as our secretary of defense," Trump told a rally in Cincinnati. He said the formal announcement would be made on Monday. The choice of a seasoned military strategist would be another indication that Trump, a Republican, intends to steer U.S. foreign policy away from Democratic President Barack Obama's increased reliance on U.S. allies to fight Islamist militants and to help deter Russian and Chinese aggression in Europe and Asia. Mattis is a revered figure in the Marine Corps and known for his distrust of Iran. The Washington Post and CNN reported earlier that Trump had chosen Mattis, but Trump spokesman Jason Miller said earlier on Twitter that "no decision has been made yet with regard to Secretary of Defense." While the nomination of the 66-year-old Mattis would likely be popular among U.S. forces, it would have to clear a bureaucratic hurdle. Because he retired only in 2013, Mattis would need the U.S. Congress to waive a requirement that a defense secretary be a civilian for at least seven years before taking the top job at the Pentagon. His impressive combat record, however, may deter some Senate Democrats from trying to block his nomination. Trump has described Mattis as "a true general's general." The New York real estate magnate famously asserted last year: "I know more about ISIS than the generals do." Mattis, whose past assignments include leading Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East and South Asia, is known for his colorful expressions that unashamedly embrace the job of the U.S. armed forces: fighting wars. In one famous line in 2003 attributed to Mattis, the general told Marines in Iraq: "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet." TOUGH TALK In a 2016 question-and-answer session, Mattis appeared to be moved by a Marine's question about how far out he could inflict casualties with his knife hand, known as a "kill-casualty radius." "Once you get to be a high-ranking officer, the kill-casualty radius is whatever your Marines make it, and by the time I got up to the senior ranks it was hundreds of miles," he said in a video for the Marine Corps. Still, such tough talk has gotten him in hot water. He was once rebuked for saying in 2005 that "it's fun to shoot some people." His talk, however, belies a more thoughtful side. Mattis once said the most important 6 inches in a combat zone was "between your ears." Now a fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution, Mattis is also a scholar who was praised by then-U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates in 2010 as one of the country's great strategic thinkers. Mattis reads avidly, frequently quotes history and is proud that he grew up with a large library and no television. After meeting Mattis on Nov. 19, Trump described him as a strong, dignified man who persuasively argued against waterboarding, an interrogation tactic that involves pouring water over someone's face to simulate drowning. Trump had promised during the campaign he would not only revive use of waterboarding, which is widely regarded as torture and was banned under President Barack Obama, but bring back "a hell of a lot worse" if elected. "(Mattis) said: 'Ive always found, give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers and I do better with that than I do with torture. And I was very impressed by that answer," Trump told The New York Times. WARY OF IRAN The Senate Armed Services Committee will consider Mattis' nomination. In a statement on Thursday night, its chairman, Republican John McCain, called him "one of the finest military officers of his generation and an extraordinary leader." Mattis would be the first former U.S. general to become defense secretary since George C. Marshall took the job in 1950. The decision adds to Trump's national security team another Pentagon veteran who served during the Obama administration but often had a testy relationship with it. Officials who knew him before he retired in 2013 said Mattis clashed with top administration officials when he headed Central Command over his desire to better prepare for potential threats from Iran and to win more resources for Afghanistan. Trump has given the job of national security adviser to Michael Flynn, a retired three-star Army general who was pushed out of the top job at the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014 by Obama's administration. Flynn was fiercely critical of Obama during the 2016 campaign, adopting much of Trump's rhetoric. Along with Flynn and Trump's choice for CIA director, U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo, Mattis has been critical of the deal to curb Irans suspected nuclear weapons program, saying the threat from Tehran should outrank more immediate concerns about Islamic State or al Qaeda. "The Iranian regime, in my mind, is the single most enduring threat to stability and peace in the Middle East," Mattis said. Speaking about the Iranian nuclear deal, Mattis said: "Hoping that Iran is on the cusp of becoming a responsible, modern nation is a bridge too far." If Mattis wins Senate confirmation, he will work side by side with another Marine - General Joseph Dunford, who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Having two Marine generals in those top jobs would be highly unusual for a service that prides itself on being the most elite U.S. fighting force. It would also raise questions about how Mattis and Dunford might divide up tasks. Both Dunford and Mattis share battlefield experience, including in Iraq. In 2003, Mattis led the 1st Marine Division during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. He has said one of the toughest things he had to do was oversee the retreat of his forces from the city of Falluja in 2004, something he feared would hurt morale, but did not. "We just don't take refuge in self-pity or any of that kind of stuff. And so as a result, the Marine Corps remains a very feared organization in this world. As it should be," he said. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Additional reporting by Emily Stephenson in Cincinnati and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Editing by Sandra Maler and Peter Cooney) President-elect Donald Trump Thursday selected retired Marine Gen. James N. Mattis to be the next defense secretary. Mattis, 66, nicknamed Mad Dog and Warrior Monk, headed the U.S. Central Command for three years before retiring as a four-star general in 2013 after 44 years in the Marine Corps. He retired after clashing with the Obama administration over outreach to Iran, which he called unwise. Earlier this year, anti-Trump Republicans tried to get Mattis to run for president as a third-party candidate. Trump made the announcement during his rally in Ohio but had telegraphed his decision last week in a meeting with New York Times editors and reporters. I think its time maybe, its time for a general [at the Pentagon], said Trump, who was critical of the military during his campaign, claiming to know more about the Islamic State group than the generals. Look whats going on. We dont win, we cant beat anybody. The Los Angeles Times said Mattis is known as a hard-charging but scholarly leader who is as likely to quote from Shakespeare or Greek poets as military strategists in speeches. He is the combination of strategic thinker and successful operator at all levels of warfare, retired Marine Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro, author of On War and Politics: The Battlefield Inside Washington's Beltway, told the Times. His entire life has been learning about and implementing a strong national defense. Before Mattis could be confirmed as head of the Pentagon, Congress would have to grant a waiver because he has not been out of the military for seven years, a requirement meant to keep the government out of the hands of the militarys control. The only other time such a waiver was granted was 1950 when President Harry Truman nominated Gen. George Marshall, who already had served as secretary of state. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who heads the committee that will hold confirmation hearings on the defense chief, described Mattis as one of the finest military officers of his generation. Story continues Mattis view on Iran appears to coincide with Trumps, and he appears to have changed Trumps mind on the effectiveness of waterboarding. Trump said he was impressed with Mattis opinion that a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers are more effective at eliciting useful information. Trump already has nominated retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn as his national security adviser and has interviewed retired Army Gen. David Petraeus, who headed the CIA until he was forced to resign for turning over classified material to a biographer with whom he was having an affair, for secretary of state. Most of these officers are relatively non-partisan, publicly endorsed no candidate during the campaign, and have lifelong records of public service leading large, complex organizations, Dave Barno, a retired Army general, told Time magazine. They could bring a wealth of sober judgment and experience to a Trump foreign policy team in need of both. Related Articles Photo credit: The Washington Postundefined From Esquire President-Elect Donald Trump lives his entire life like the kid in class who didn't do the reading. The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, called Trump today to congratulate him on his victory and discuss future partnership. Here is the text of that call, in what seems like near-verbatim, courtesy of Pakistan's Press Information Bureau: Oh God, this is an actual readout of a phone call between Trump and Pakistan's Prime Minister. via @rezhasan https://t.co/2Azj8FAmNH pic.twitter.com/RvascIjFqs - DavidKenner (@DavidKenner) November 30, 2016 Is anything not "terrific" or "fantastic"? "Fantastic country, fantastic place of fantastic people." There is basically nothing in here to indicate Trump knows anything about this country, which is a (deeply troubled) strategic ally of the nation he's about to start commander-in-chiefing. He may not be much interested in this kind of thing, but couldn't someone at least give him a briefing before the call? What this does indicate is that, as we've come to realize, Trump will sometimes say whatever it takes to please someone he's in a private conversation with-in a room or on the phone. Unlike his rallies, where he enjoys yelling at everyone who's not there, in small, private meetings, he can avoid conflict and seek approval. How do we know he doesn't actually think Pakistan is fantastic? Why, Twitter, of course! He's cranked out more than a few non-fantastic descriptions of the place through the years: Get it straight: Pakistan is not our friend. When our tremendous Navy SEALS took out Osama bin Laden, they did (cont) http://t.co/s6u5o8Co - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2011 When will Pakistan apologize to us for providing safe sanctuary to Osama Bin Laden for 6 years?! Some "ally." - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 5, 2012 Another radical Islamic attack, this time in Pakistan, targeting Christian women & children. At least 67 dead,400 injured. I alone can solve - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 27, 2016 He's really shaking things up! You Might Also Like (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke by phone on Friday with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, the Trump transition team said in a statement. "The two men discussed the grave terrorism threats facing both countries and pledged to work more closely together in order to meet these growing threats," the statement said. Trump also spoke on Friday with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. "The two men discussed the long history of good economic, political, and security relations between the United States and Singapore," according to the statement. (Reporting by Eric Beech in Washington; Editing by Mohammad Zargham) Amid an outpouring of condemnation over President-elect Donald Trump's telephone conversation with President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, some prominent US conservatives are commending his decision to take her call. Trump's conversation with Tsai on Friday broke decades of US diplomatic policy, risking a serious rift with China by calling into question one of Beijing's self-described "core interests" -- the "One China" policy. Washington cut formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979 and no US president or president-elect is believed to have spoken to a Taiwanese leader since then. Some US conservatives however see no evil in the Friday call. "I would much rather have Donald Trump talking to President Tsai than to Cuba's Raul Castro or Iran's Hasan Rouhani," Texas Senator Ted Cruz -- Trump's main challenger and a fierce critic during this year's Republican primary race -- tweeted on Saturday. "This is an improvement." President Barack Obama has spoken with Rouhani by phone, and met Castro on a trip to Cuba. Ari Fleischer, White House spokesman under former president George W. Bush, didn't think that accepting the call was a bad idea. "China has been increasingly aggressive with us because they know we won't do anything meaningful about it," Fleischer tweeted. "I don't mind Trump pushing back." China regards self-ruling Taiwan as part of its own territory awaiting reunification under Beijing's rule, and any US move implying support for independence -- even calling Tsai "president," as Trump did in a tweet announcing the call -- prompts grave offense in China. - Foreign policy pivot? - But some critics thought that Trump had crossed a dangerous line. "What has happened in the last 48 hours is not a shift. These are major pivots in foreign policy w/out any plan. That's how wars start," tweeted Democratic Senator Chris Murphy. Story continues Senior Trump aide Kellyanne Conway brushed aside the criticism, insisting that the call did not necessarily indicate a change of policy. "Senator Murphy's tweet is pretty incendiary," she told CNN late Friday. "This is how wars are starting and it is a major policy shift because you get a phone call? That is pretty negative." Asked whether Trump's decision to take Tsai's call was the result of a mistake by an inexperienced staff, she said the real estate billionaire was fully aware of the implications. Trump's other defenders included Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton. "I commend President-elect Trump for his conversation with President Tsai Ing-wen, which reaffirms our commitment to the only democracy on Chinese soil," he said in a statement. "Obama breaks w/decades of US policy on Cuba & gets endless fawning coverage," the conservative journalist Stephen Hayes tweeted. "Trump breaks w/US policy by phoning Taiwan & he's reckless?" - Surprise Palin criticism - Trump received criticism on another matter from an unexpected source on Friday: the outspoken former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, who strongly supported him during his campaign. A favorite of the powerful far-right Tea Party movement, Palin condemned Trump's deal with the Carrier air conditioner company this week to keep 1,100 jobs in Indiana instead of shipping hundreds to Mexico, in return for what the company said would be a $7 million tax-break package from the state. "When government steps in arbitrarily with individual subsidies, favoring one business over others, it sets inconsistent, unfair, illogical precedent," Palin wrote on the website Young Conservatives. "We support competition on a level playing field, remember? Because we know special interest crony capitalism is one big fail." Trump's transition team is believed to be considering Palin, a former Republican candidate for vice president, for a cabinet position. During his presidential campaign, the Republican billionaire repeatedly threatened to slap tariffs on firms that decamped for Mexico, Asia and other regions with cheaper labor costs. On Friday, Trump singled out another industrial company, tweeting, "Rexnord of Indiana is moving to Mexico and rather viciously firing all of its 300 workers. This is happening all over our country. No more!" By David Brunnstrom and Emily Stephenson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke by phone on Friday with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, a transition team spokeswoman said, in a move likely to infuriate China and expected to complicate relations. The call, confirmed by Trump transition spokeswoman Hope Hicks, was the first such contact with Taiwan by a president-elect or president since President Jimmy Carter adopted a one-China policy in 1979. The transition team later issued a statement saying that the two had noted that "close economic, political and security ties exist between Taiwan and the United States." An official of Taiwan's representative office in Washington could not confirm the call but said it would be "historic" and the first contact between U.S. and Taiwanese leaders since diplomatic ties were severed in 1979 and Washington established official ties with Beijing. The official said the Washington office was not involved in setting up the call. There was no immediate comment from China, which is likely to be angered because it views Taiwan as a renegade province. A former diplomat who helped arrange the call and did not want to be identified said Chinese officials he spoke to beforehand said they were not troubled by Trumps phone call because he was not yet president. Trump takes office on Jan. 20. Tsai Ing-wen was one of four world leaders contacted by Trump on Friday, raising questions about whether he is effectively coordinating with the U.S. State Department before reaching out to leaders overseas. Advisers to the Republican president-elect have indicated that he is likely to take a more robust policy toward China than Democratic President Barack Obama and that he plans to boost the U.S. military in part in response to China's increasing power in Asia. However, details of his plans remain scant. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Trump was entitled to change policy, but his approach was potentially dangerous. "Foreign policy consistency is a means, not an end. It's not sacred. Thus, it's Trump's right to shift policy, alliances, strategy," he said in an note on Twitter. However, he added: "What has happened in the last 48 hours is not a shift. These are major pivots in foreign policy w/out any plan. That's how wars start." Winston Lord, former U.S. ambassador to China and former assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said the strategic importance of Trump's move was unclear. "Like so many things with Trump, who knows? This man is ignorant about foreign policy and is flying by the seat of his pants, so it is difficult to assess the significance. "Having said that, I have no problem with his talking to Madame Tsai; Taiwan is a good friend and although our relations are unofficial, I think its important to maintain close bonds with Taiwan." Douglas Paal, a former official of the U.S. National Security Council who served as U.S. representative to Taiwan from 2002-2006, said nothing Trump had said in the campaign suggested he wanted to rebuild the relationship with Taiwan relationship at the expense of the China relationship. "From the information I have so far, this is a standalone item, but the Chinese will feel the need to make a major protest so there isnt more of this." (Reporting by David Brunnstrom, Emily Stephenson, Valerie Volcovici, David Alexander, Yara Baroumy, John Walcott and Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Jonathan Oatis) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday said for the first time that he supports the completion of a pipeline project near a North Dakota Indian reservation, which has been the subject of months of protests by tribes and environmentalists. A communications briefing from Trump's transition team said despite media reports that Trump owns a stake in Energy Transfer Partners , the company building the pipeline, Trump's support of the pipeline "has nothing to do with his personal investments and everything to do with promoting policies that benefit all Americans." "Those making such a claim are only attempting to distract from the fact that President-elect Trump has put forth serious policy proposals he plans to set in motion on Day One," said the daily briefing note sent to campaign supporters and congressional staff. Activists have spent months protesting plans to route the $3.8 billion Dakota Access Pipeline beneath a lake near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation, saying the project poses a threat to water resources and sacred Native American sites. On Thursday, U.S. military veterans were arriving at a camp to join thousands of activists braving snow and freezing temperatures to protest the pipeline. Republican Trump has been a vocal supporter of another high-profile pipeline project, Transcanada's Keystone XL, which Democratic President Barack Obama denied a permit for last year. Republican North Dakota Senator John Hoeven said he met with Trump's transition team to discuss the delayed pipeline. "Today, Mr. Trump expressed his support for the Dakota Access Pipeline, which has met or exceeded all environmental standards set forth by four states and the Army Corps of Engineers," Hoeven said in a statement. "It is important to know that the new administration will work to help us grow and diversify our energy economy and build the energy infrastructure necessary to move it from where it is produced to where it is needed," he said. (Reporting By Valerie Volcovici; editing by Grant McCool) By Emily Stephenson CINCINNATI (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump kicked off his post-election "thank you tour" on Thursday by railing against globalization, promising the return of manufacturing jobs to American workers, and vowing to shut U.S. borders to some Middle East migrants. Speaking in an arena that was about three-quarters full, Trump rallied the crowd by repeatedly attacking the "extremely dishonest" media and invoking the populist message that resonated with millions of voters. "There is no global anthem, no global currency, no certificate of global citizenship. We pledge allegiance to one flag and that flag is the American flag," Trump said. "From now on it's going to be America first, okay?" Trump said as he stressed job-creation spurred by trade deals he intends to renegotiate, including the North American Free Trade Agreement. The New York real estate magnate also announced that he would nominate Marine General James Mattis - calling him "Mad Dog Mattis" - to be his secretary of defense. Noting an attack on the Ohio State University campus in Columbus earlier this week by a Somali immigrant, Trump said such threats against Americans were "created by our very, very stupid politicians; refugee programs." In order to keep the United States safe from further attacks, Trump said he will suspend immigration "from regions where it cannot be safely processed," including some countries in the Middle East. "People are pouring in from regions of the Middle East. We have no idea who they are, where they come from, what they're thinking and we're going to stop that dead, cold flat," Trump said. In the past, Trump also has said he would stop the entry of all Muslims into the United States. In a Twitter message earlier on Thursday, Trump said: "ISIS is taking credit for the terrible stabbing attack at Ohio State University by a Somali refugee who should not have been in our country." The Council on American-Islamic Relations accused Trump of seeking to exploit the "tragic situation in Ohio." SAVING JOBS Trump's remarks came at the end of a day in which he also traveled to neighboring Indiana to celebrate a decision by the Carrier Corp., an air conditioner maker, to keep about 1,000 jobs in the United States rather than move them to Mexico. That decision came after Trump, during the long presidential campaign, publicly called on the company to retain the jobs in Indianapolis and threatened to punish American companies that move operations abroad with stiff import tariffs. The company, which is owned by United Technologies (UTX.N), still intends to move 1,300 other jobs from Indiana to Mexico. In the run-up to his Jan. 20 swearing in as president, Trump is expected to tour cities in swing states, like Ohio, that contributed to his shock election victory on Nov. 8. During a nearly hour-long speech in this southwestern Ohio city, Trump promised to deliver new tax cuts to the middle-class, roll back federal regulations that he said hurt companies and build a wall along the southwestern border with Mexico. While he promised in the speech to talk about the "action plan" that would guide the beginning of his administration, Trump did not provide new details on policies he has been pushing since announcing his White House run in 2015. In mocking detractors who did not think he could burst through the blue wall of states that have typically voted for Democrats, Trump proclaimed to roaring cheers, "We didnt break it, we shattered that sucker." Over the past few weeks, Trump has mainly been holed up in the Trump Tower in New York City, weighing who to name to top jobs in his incoming administration. He has interviewed several candidates for secretary of state, including the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, who attacked Trump throughout the 2016 campaigns but lately has spoken glowingly of the president-elect. On Wednesday, Trump said he would nominate former Goldman Sachs banker Steven Mnuchin to lead the Treasury Department. Trump named Wilbur Ross, a billionaire known for his investments in distressed industries, as his nominee for commerce secretary. In an interview with Fox News, Trump said he has whittled a list of potential Supreme Court nominees down to "probably three or four" and that an announcement would be made soon. A seat on the nine-member Supreme Court has been vacant since last February, when Justice Antonin Scalia died and the Republican-controlled Senate refused to consider President Barack Obama's choice of Merrick Garland. Trump stirred controversy in recent days by suggesting that those who protest the United States by burning the American flag should possibly lose their citizenship or serve a jail sentence. While flag burning is protected under the U.S. Constitution, according to a Supreme Court ruling, Trump nevertheless returned to the issue again on Thursday, telling his audience in Cincinnati: "If people burn the American flag, there should be consequences." (Additional reporting by Steve Holland, Doina Chiacu and David Shepardson in Washington; Writing by Richard Cowan; Editing by Peter Cooney and Simon Cameron-Moore) Photo credit: Getty From Cosmopolitan Photo credit: Getty Heres a sentence I never thought I would write: Twitter is the publics best window into our president-elects soul. Donald Trump, who will be sworn into the highest office of the United States in January, cant stay off the social media platform, and the more he tweets - which he does profusely - the better picture we get of our new leader. Its not a pretty one. In 140 characters or less, Trump has shown us time and again that hes a reactionary who trends toward repressing dissent, that hes a narcissist, and that he doesnt understand the basics of our constitution and rule of law. Some in the media are suggesting that journalists ignore Trumps tweets and focus on the real issues - policy, appointments, his incredible volume of professional conflicts, the fact that he may simply be unfit to serve as president. Thats the wrong path. In Trumps tweets, he tells us exactly what he thinks and exactly who he is, unedited (at least usually) by a more polished staff of sycophants willing to sugarcoat Trumps terrible ideas to make them palatable to the public. Of course policy matters more than talk (or type). But what Trump blurts out online at 3 a.m. gives us a sense of where his presidency will go - and its a chilling preview. 1. No one should be allowed to burn the American flag - if they do, there must be consequences - perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail! Nobody should be allowed to burn the American flag - if they do, there must be consequences - perhaps loss of citizenship or year in jail! - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2016 Many people find burning the American flag to be offensive, a desecration of a treasured national symbol. But flag-burning is a long-standing and common act of dissent, whether or not you agree with the message behind it. Its also a form of expression protected by the First Amendment - something the Supreme Court ruled on decades ago. That a future president either doesnt know that or doesnt care is scary enough; that he suggests an act of expression and speech, even one many find deeply offensive, could be punished by stripping Americans of their citizenship is one of the more flagrantly authoritarian and tyrannical ideas to enter mainstream American political discourse in recent memory. Our First Amendment constitutional protections are ideals that all of us should hold dear, no matter our political persuasion. No American should lose their citizenship for saying a terrible thing (or engaging in an expressive act many find offensive), whether thats calling someone a racial slur, marching with the KKK, protesting an abortion clinic, or burning the American flag. That our president-elect suggests expatriating flag-burners - who are essentially political dissidents and protesters - indicates he is happy to disregard our most basic American values and our nations laws when it suits his opinions and whims. Story continues 2. In addition to winning the Electoral College by a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016 Lets first state for the record that there is no evidence of millions of people voting illegally, and when pressed to produce it, Trump simply lashed out at the journalists questioning his specious claim of voter fraud. Instead of explaining what he was talking about, Trump simply called CNN and one of their reporters pathetic and a bad reporter (more on that next). Whats scary about this tweet is the brazen lie taken from conspiracy-mongering websites, and Trumps own willingness to compromise the integrity of the entire American electoral system to stroke his own ego. The United States is renowned worldwide for our free and fair elections; we may be an imperfect country in many ways, but our commitment to democracy and our electoral process is an international point of pride and a benefit not available to millions of people around the world. There are legitimate problems with our system - chief among them conservative efforts to suppress the black and Hispanic vote through an increasingly complex series of voter ID laws. But the claim that millions of people voted illegally was simply made up, and it undermines basic confidence in our electoral system. Doing so sets us on a scary path, with Trump suggesting that Americans cant trust the democratic systems and institutions that have been in place for two centuries. Undermining confidence in democracy is how many authoritarian leaders have risen to power in the past, and Trump seems to be setting the stage for the suggestion that Americans cant trust our most valued systems - and should put all of our trust in him instead. 3. "@Hllcrest: @jeffzeleny: what PROOF do u have DonaldTrump did not suffer from millions of FRAUD votes? Journalist? Do your job! @CNN" "@JoeBowman12: @jeffzeleny just another generic CNN part time wannabe journalist! @CNN still doesn't get it. They will never learn!" "@sdcritic: @HighonHillcrest @jeffzeleny @CNN There is NO QUESTION THAT #voterfraud did take place, and in favor of #CorruptHillary !" "I thought that @CNN would get better after they failed so badly in their support of Hillary Clinton however, since election, they are worse!" "@HighonHillcrest: @jeffzeleny what PROOF do u have DonaldTrump did not suffer from millions of FRAUD votes? Journalist? Do your job! @CNN" - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2016 "@JoeBowman12: @jeffzeleny just another generic CNN part time wannabe journalist !" @CNN still doesn't get it. They will never learn! - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2016 I thought that @CNN would get better after they failed so badly in their support of Hillary Clinton however, since election, they are worse! - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2016 The first and third of these are tweets Trump retweeted; the second is a retweet plus a little Trump commentary; the last is his own words. In addition to undermining confidence in democratic systems and institutions, political strongmen the world over have also routinely targeted the media, claiming its corrupt, biased, unpatriotic, or even actively undermining the interest of the state. Its a quick trail from there to prosecuting journalists or simply taking over the entire media landscape. Is Trump poised to put reporters in prison and run CNN himself? No. But his obsession with outlets that criticize him, and his thin-skinned lashing out at any journalist who questions his repeated lies, does not bode well for the American press or the American public. A primary function of the press is to hold the powerful accountable and to report on whats happening in our government; American presidents have historically respected this inherently adversarial relationship, talking to the press and giving them access to information and opportunities to observe. Not every president has been perfectly transparent - many reporters complained, for example, that they didnt get as much access to Barack Obama as they would have liked, and Richard Nixon was notoriously suspicious of the press and tried to keep reporters at bay - but none have been as overtly hostile as Trump. Trump instead relies on right-wing media mouthpieces happy to spread disinformation. When confronted with his own lies, he often hides behind retweets of his supporters - like here, where a man nonsensically demands CNN produce evidence that there werent millions of fraudulent voters, instead of accepting that Trump should be the one to back up his own claim. By constantly scolding the press - Trump also calls reporters scum and says were basically sub-human - our president-elect is trying to control what is said about him and how its said. By tweeting about reporters and their outlets, he directs a toxic stream of Twitter abuse their way. All of that can have a chilling effect on the press, and encourages the public to distrust real news and reporting in favor of websites that confirm their own biases and assumptions - a dangerous situation for any democracy. 4. ISIS is taking credit for the terrible stabbing attack at Ohio State University by a Somali refugee who should not have been in our country. ISIS is taking credit for the terrible stabbing attack at Ohio State University by a Somali refugee who should not have been in our country. - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2016 A tragic attack at Ohio State University has been dominating the news, but theres much we still dont know. That Trump would take to Twitter and sow discord and paranoia in the wake of such a terrible act of violence demonstrates horrible judgment, and shows hes more interested in making a rhetorical point than responsibly leading the nation. Trumps first impulse, tellingly, was to say that the OSU attacker should never have been in the country in the first place - a statement he made ostensibly without knowing much about the process that went into approving the young mans legal permanent resident status, and seems based only on the fact that he was Muslim. That harkens back to his campaign promise that he would ban Muslims from entering the United States - a likely unconstitutional, and surely thoroughly bigoted, claim. 5. "Our wonderful future V.P. Mike Pence was harassed last night at the theater by the cast of Hamilton, cameras blazing.This should not happen!" The Theater must always be a safe and special place.The cast of Hamilton was very rude last night to a very good man, Mike Pence. Apologize! The cast and producers of Hamilton, which I hear is highly overrated, should immediately apologize to Mike Pence for their terrible behavior Our wonderful future V.P. Mike Pence was harassed last night at the theater by the cast of Hamilton, cameras blazing.This should not happen! - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2016 The Theater must always be a safe and special place.The cast of Hamilton was very rude last night to a very good man, Mike Pence. Apologize! - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2016 The cast and producers of Hamilton, which I hear is highly overrated, should immediately apologize to Mike Pence for their terrible behavior - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 20, 2016 Another example of a Trump Twitter rant, his outrage over the cast of Hamilton respectfully imploring Vice-President-elect Mike Pence to consider the fear held by many minorities, speaks to something darker than simply taking offense at his running mates humiliation: It suggests that Trump believes those in power should not be held to account and that dissent is not to be tolerated. Throughout American history (and world history), artistic expression - whether through literature, visual arts, film, music, or theater - has been a primary means through which artists and creators interpret events, critique the powerful, mold the historical narrative, and bring to light people and ideas who are often invisible. Hamilton, after all, is about American politics, and our traditions of dissent and vigorous debate and unencumbered speech. When Pence attended the show, actor Brandon Dixon, who plays Aaron Burr, stood up and told Pence, We, sir, we are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights. We truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us. It was less a public tarring and feathering than a respectful plea for safety and recognition. Pence, to his credit, was gracious about it, but Trump flew into a social media rage. What Trump doesnt seem to realize - or perhaps realizes but doesnt respect - is that the theater is not a safe space, and part of the purpose of art is to unsettle and challenge and defy existing norms (it was also ironic wording, given Trump and his bases hostility to PC culture and his campaign persona of an unapologetically rude straight talker telling it like it is, even if he offends people). Trump, it seems, can dish it out but cant take it. His demands that the cast apologize are just a little peek into how Trump will treat insurgent artists, of which there will inevitably be many. Will he, like some Republicans before him, try to cut funding to the National Endowment for the Arts? Publicly humiliate and encourage his followers to target those who dare challenge him? Seek legal penalties against artists, writers, or even comedians who spurn him? 6. An 'extremely credible source' has called my office and told me that @BarackObama's birth certificate is a fraud. An 'extremely credible source' has called my office and told me that @BarackObama's birth certificate is a fraud. - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 6, 2012 This tweet, from 2012, was Trumps de facto inauguration as leader of the racist birther movement - the conspiracy theory that Obama was actually born in Kenya and was therefore barred from the presidency. Obama released his birth certificate in 2008 but the lie lived on, largely because people like Trump insisted on repeating it. That Trump would buy into and spread such a toxic and repeatedly debunked lie should have been a source of great shame and should have marginalized him in public life; this kind of denial of reality also makes him unfit for public office and should have disqualified him from the White House. The tweet is four years old but Trump continued to spread the conspiracy theory years after that tweet. In 2013, he implied that Obama may have killed off the only person capable of verifying his birth certificate: How amazing, he tweeted, the State Health Director who verified copies of Obamas birth certificate died in plane crash today. All others lived. In 2014, he implored hackers, please hack Obamas college records (destroyed?) and check place of birth. Finally, just this past September, he declared that Obama was in fact born in the United States - and then made up a new lie, that Hillary Clinton started the birther movement. Trump is a serial fabulist, and both a conspiracy theorist and conspiracy monger. This tweet was just the beginning of a repulsive habit that has continued throughout his political career. 7. 26,000 unreported sexual assults in the military-only 238 convictions. What did these geniuses expect when they put men & women together? 26,000 unreported sexual assults in the military-only 238 convictions. What did these geniuses expect when they put men & women together? - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 7, 2013 Ill tell you what we thought: that men are capable of occupying the same space as women without raping them. Feminists often get a reputation as man-haters, but Trumps comment here shows just how little he thinks of men. This should have raised red flags about Trumps own ideas and behaviors about men, women, and sexual assault back when he tweeted it in 2013, and since then, many women have accused Trump of assaulting them. Women and men are together in all kinds of settings - in our homes, in our schools, in our workplaces. If Trump believes that putting men and women together means men will rape - and thats not the fault of rapist men but the fault of the geniuses who think women should have access to traditionally male-only spaces - that speaks to a pretty dark view of men, and perhaps some pretty dark behaviors from Trump himself. 8. The U.S. cannot allow EBOLA infected people back. People that go to far away places to help out are great-but must suffer the consequences! The U.S. cannot allow EBOLA infected people back. People that go to far away places to help out are great-but must suffer the consequences! - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 2, 2014 At the height of Ebola panic in 2014, a handful of conservative politicians and talking heads insisted that we should disregard the advice of public health officials and seal our borders from the West African nations where Ebola was endemic. Trump took this one step further with this tweet, saying that people who traveled to help combat the crisis should be barred from returning to the United States as a consequence of their brave, selfless volunteerism. This is terrible public health policy, and a quick way to ensure that international epidemics grow worse and that Americans who have been exposed simply dont disclose it and risk infecting many others. This tweet may be a preview of how Trump will handle future epidemics - and its a plan that will cost many lives here and abroad. 9. @realDonaldTrump: I would like to extend my best wishes to all, even the haters and losers, on this special date, September 11th. @realDonaldTrump: I would like to extend my best wishes to all, even the haters and losers, on this special date, September 11th. - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 12, 2013 Only Donald Trump would use 9/11 to complain about haters and losers. Some armchair psychologists (and some professional ones) have suggested that Trump has narcissistic personality disorder or that hes a psychopath, and this tweet is one piece of evidence. It takes some serious self-involvement to use the anniversary of a terrorist attack to whine about people you feel have wronged you, but Trump did just that - and called them childish names in the process. And thats in addition to Trump extending his best wishes to all on the special date of Sept. 11 - an odd way to mark a somber event, and more suited for a day of celebration. Trump seems to wholly lack empathy and is concerned almost entirely with himself; this tweet brings that into sharp, and disturbing, focus. 10. This election is a total sham and a travesty. We are not a democracy! This election is a total sham and a travesty. We are not a democracy! - Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2012 Trump has been thumping the system is rigged line since Obama was reelected in 2012. There was no evidence then, as now, that the election results were invalid or that there was election fraud, but Trump nonetheless fanned the flames of conspiracy and anti-Americanism. For someone who claims to be a great patriot, Trump doesnt seem to believe in American institutions or our system of democracy. Thats a scary thing from any elected official, but a president who thinks our elections are a total sham and a travesty and that we are not a democracy is a president who may be setting the stage to end free and fair elections as we know them. That hes been touting this line since 2012 demonstrates his campaign trail comments about rigged systems werent just about his own poor performance in polls; they were a genuine reflection of his belief that American elections are invalid. Its hard to imagine how American democracy survives a president who doesnt believe America is a democracy. There are a great many more where this came from - including dozens of crude and cruel sexist comments about women, from retweeting a supporter calling Megyn Kelly a bimbo to saying Hillary Clinton couldnt please her husband to deeming Arianna Huffington unattractive and applauding her husband for leaving her for a man to encouraging his followers to check out Miss Universe Alicia Machados sex tape (there was no sex tape). Trumps aggressive Twitter persona was a point of mockery during the campaign, but many, myself included, figured hed tone it down once he had been elected leader of the free world. The fact that he hasnt - that hes still tweeting thin-skinned demands and egregious lies - suggests that any hope Trump would be a normal president is gone. Our president will be the same unhinged, vulgar, vile, power-hungry con man who merrily tweeted about bimbos and Mexican killers on his way into office. That we elected him in the first place, even knowing all of this, is a national shame. That hes still tweeting such outrageous things shows weve emboldened him. And what hes saying on Twitter is just a taste of what he might do off of it - and that his new position of power is not going to be a moderating force. Follow Jill on Twitter. You Might Also Like Photo credit: Getty From Cosmopolitan Today in news that will surprise no one, Donald Trumps administration is projected to be the richest - by far - in American history, the Washington Post reports. The Post points out single members' net worth of Trump's picks so far already dwarf the combined worth of George W. Bushs administration, which, at the time, was touted as the wealthiest ever. Conservatively, members of Bushs administration were worth between $186250 million. Wilbur Ross, Trumps commerce secretary nominee, is worth $2.5 billion alone. Betsy DeVos, Trumps pick for education secretary, is the daughter-in-law of billionaire founder of direct-selling company Amway, Dick DeVos, who is said to be worth $5.1 billion. DeVos herself recently donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to political organizations, the Post reports, as did Steven Mnuchin (treasury secretary nominee, worth around $40 million) and Ross. These appointments have drawn criticism from many progressives, saying Trumps picks directly contradict the drain the swamp message he campaigned on. Im not shocked by this. Its a billionaire president being surrounded by a billionaire and millionaire cabinet, with a billionaire agenda ... to hurt the middle class, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown told the Post. The appointments suggest that hes going to break his campaign promises. Follow Tess on Twitter. You Might Also Like Washington (AFP) - US President-elect Donald Trump has added a new name to his cabinet, tapping retired general James Mattis to be his secretary of defense. He was the second retired general to be picked for the cabinet after lieutenant general Mike Flynn, Trump's choice as national security adviser. The following is a list of key nominations made by Trump so far: - Cabinet-level - Attorney General: Jeff Sessions, 69 One of Trump's earliest supporters during the campaign, the anti-immigration senator from Alabama has a much criticized record on race relations and was once denied a judgeship amid concerns over past comments about blacks. CIA Director: Mike Pompeo, 52 A strident critic of the Iran nuclear deal, the hawkish Kansas congressman was elected in 2010 to the House of Representatives, where he was a member of the hardline Tea Party faction and one of the leaders of the controversial Benghazi Committee that targeted Trump's Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton. Commerce: Wilbur Ross, 79 A US asset investor and billionaire, Ross is best known for investing in failing steel and coal firms and selling them for profit. He was once known as the "king of bankruptcy" for his history of investing in such businesses. Defense Secretary: James Mattis, 66 A retired four star Marine general, Mattis commanded US forces in the Middle East and Southwest Asia from 2010 to 2013, capping a career as a combat commander that earned him the nickname "Mad Dog." A scholar of warfare, he is said to have a particular interest in the challenge posed by Iran. He opposes the use of torture, bluntly telling Trump in their first interview he could do better with a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers. To become secretary of defense, Mattis would have to get a congressional waiver from a law that bars generals from serving as defense secretary for seven years after leaving active duty. Education: Betsy DeVos, 58 Story continues A wealthy activist and Republican megadonor from Michigan, DeVos is a champion of alternatives to local government schools, a movement that advocates the use of tax credits and vouchers to allow parents to opt out of the public school system. Health and Human Services: Tom Price, 62 The Georgia lawmaker and former orthopedic surgeon is a robust critic of President Barack Obama's signature health care reform law, the Affordable Care Act, which has provided health coverage to 20 million Americans. National Security Advisor: Retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, 57 A top military counsel to Trump, the retired three-star general, a veteran of America's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, has courted controversy with extreme statements that critics say border on Islamophobia, but has taken a more flexible line on Russia and China. Transportation: Elaine Chao, 63 The Taiwan-born former US labor secretary under president George W. Bush also served as the deputy secretary of transportation in his administration. She was the first Asian-American woman to serve in the cabinet and is the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Treasury: Steven Mnuchin, 53 The Wall Street veteran was a partner at Goldman Sachs before he launched an investment fund backed by Democratic Party supporter George Soros and financed Hollywood blockbusters like "Avatar" and "Suicide Squad." Ambassador to the UN: Nikki Haley, 44 As South Carolina's governor, Haley rose to prominence when she led efforts for the divisive Confederate flag to be pulled from the state's capitol following a 2015 massacre at a historic black church in Charleston. The daughter of Indian immigrants was sharply critical of Trump during the election campaign. - Non-cabinet positions - Chief of Staff: Reince Priebus, 44 Head of the Republican National Committee, Priebus is a seasoned political operative who can build bridges between Trump and a skittish Republican leadership, particularly House Speaker Paul Ryan, a longtime ally. Chief Strategist: Steve Bannon, 63 A key figure in Trump's victorious election campaign, Bannon served as the executive chairman of conservative news platform Breitbart, a favorite news source of the so-called "alt right," an offshoot conservative movement that embraces a mixture of populism, racism and white nationalism. His appointment, which does not require Senate confirmation, has been controversial. White House Counsel: Donald McGahn A former commissioner and chairman of the Federal Election Commission, McGahn represents "elected officials, candidates, national state parties, political consultants, and others on political law issues," as a partner at the Jones Day law firm in Washington. - Key positions still outstanding - State Trump has led a contentious search for secretary of state. The prospective candidates touted most frequently have been erstwhile Trump critic and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and outspoken former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, along with disgraced general David Petraeus and Senator Bob Corker. Homeland Security Those believed to be under consideration include Marine General John Kelly; Fran Townsend, the former Homeland Security advisor to president George W. Bush; and Congressman Michael McCaul, the head of the House Homeland Security Committee. By Alexandra Alper MONTERREY, Mexico (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's intervention to stop jobs at a plant in Indiana going to Mexico is typical of what happens in countries that Americans call "banana" republics, a senior Mexican state official said on Thursday. Carrier, a unit of United Technologies Corp , said on Thursday that state officials had pledged $7 million in tax breaks to encourage the firm to keep around 1,100 jobs in Indianapolis after Trump stepped in to protect U.S. workers. A heating and air-conditioning company, Carrier said in February it would cut some 2,100 jobs in closing two Indiana plants and move production near to the city of Monterrey in Nuevo Leon, a state bordering Texas in northern Mexico. On the campaign trail, Trump criticized Carrier and other U.S. companies investing in Mexico as unpatriotic and threatened to impose tariffs on Mexican-made goods as part of his pledge to put "America first." Trump's deal with Carrier created an "uncomfortable" situation for the company, and went beyond politicians' remit, Fernando Turner, economy minister for Nuevo Leon, said in an interview. "It's not our job. It's up to companies to take their own decisions, not politicians; that's what's done in Latin American countries that they call banana (republics) in the United States," he said, laughing. "It's not something that was done up until now in the United States. But anyway, things change." Trump has threatened to abandon the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the United States, Canada and Mexico if he cannot renegotiate better terms for the U.S., arguing the agreement has hollowed out U.S. manufacturing to Mexico's benefit. But Turner said that Mexico had not been a winner from NAFTA. The trade deal had both failed to lift Mexican economic growth and had cost the country millions of jobs, he argued. Story continues Mexican economic growth averaged 2.6 percent in the 22 years since NAFTA took effect in 1994, compared with 2.5 percent for the far wealthier United States, according to World Bank data. "(Trump) is sending a message to (U.S.) workers, to unions that they don't need to change, that everything is fine, that Mexico is the problem. But the problem is not Mexico," Turner added. "They're barking up the wrong tree." Still, Turner said Trump was "intelligent" and his ambition to grow the U.S. economy would benefit Mexico if it came off. "Trade between Mexico and the United States did not begin with NAFTA," he said. (Additional reporting by Christine Murray; Editing by Dave Graham) Photo credit: undefined From ELLE President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Georgia Rep. Tom Price to be secretary of health and human services in his new administration. The former orthopedic surgeon has been a tireless opponent of the Affordable Care Act since it passed in 2012. Come January 21, he'll have some power to enact his plan to repeal and replace it. Given that Price has earned zeroes across the board from the Human Rights Campaign and Planned Parenthood, his nomination should terrify women who care for their uteruses and their reproductive freedom. But worse still, perhaps, is his apparent conviction that women should suffer for the mere offense of their existence. As New York Magazine outlines, Price opposes free birth control and doesn't believe that "one woman" wouldn't be able to afford it if the stipulation in Obamacare that keeps it free were to be eliminated. But the Atlantic explains that millions of women struggled to afford birth control until Obamacare made it available. And the magazine went further, adding that the "rapid decline" in teen pregnancies is widely attributed to "the proliferation of free long-term reversible contraceptives, which can cost hundreds of dollars if not covered by insurance." Price is so opposed to women's bodily autonomy (ergo freedom) that he thinks employers should be allowed to fire women if they exercise it. In 2015, he opposed a nondiscrimination bill that would have barred bosses from firing workers for using birth control or having an abortion. And that same year, he introduced a budget reconciliation bill that would have repealed Obama's health law and defunded Planned Parenthood in one fell swoop. [contentlinks align="left" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="What%20now?" customtitles="What%20Trump%20Means%20for%20Reproductive%20Rights%7CMHP:%20A%20Definitive%20Syllabus%20for%20the%202016%20Election" customimages="|" content="article.40941|article.41063"] Story continues And if Price sees to it that Trump ditches Obamacare or rewrites it, much more is at stake for women. Before Obama passed the ACA, insurers didn't have to charge men and women the same rates for the same services. They could make people pay copays or deductibles for preventive services, which meant that women would have to pony up for breast and cervical cancer screenings and testing for the BRCA 1 and 2 genetic mutations that increase women's risk of breast cancer even though the earlier women can treat these diseases, the smaller their overall financial burden will be. And until the ACA was enacted, insurance plans didn't have to cover prenatal care or childbirth. Under Obamacare, those services are considered one of "10 essential health benefits." All this isn't some nice nod to ladies. Cervical cancer and breast cancer can be treated, if detected early. NPR cited a study from 2010 in which the total payment for a vaginal birth was $18,329. These numbers add up. Price has spent six years trying to gut Obamacare and it decades hating women's freedom. So, what's it going to cost you to be a woman under his leadership? If you've made it this far, it's already too high. Under Price, get ready to pay more. You Might Also Like TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian security forces dismantled 160 jihadist cells in the first 10 months of this year, about 45 percent more than during the whole of 2015, the interior ministry said on Friday. Tunisia has been the only Arab state to achieve a relatively peaceful democratic transition since the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011 but has struggled to contain Islamist militancy, partly because of a spillover of instability from neighboring Libya. An interior ministry statement said the number of terrorism suspects arrested between January and October this year was 850, compared with 547 for all of 2015. Security forces stepped up efforts to track down militants after the North African country suffered three major deadly attacks last year, including two targeting foreign tourists. In March this year, security forces repelled an attempted Islamic State takeover of the town of Ben Guerdan near the border with Libya. (Reporting by Tarek Amara; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Mark Heinrich) Istanbul (AFP) - A Turkish prosecutor called for charges related to a deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound ship to be dropped following diplomatic reconciliation between Turkey and Israel, state media reported on Friday Nine Turkish activists died when Israeli marines stormed the Mavi Marmara as it headed to the Gaza Strip in 2010, and a 10th died in hospital in 2014. The raid triggered a crisis in relations, with both countries withdrawing their respective ambassadors from the country capitals, though diplomatic ties were never fully severed. The bitter rift came to an end in June this year after they held long-running secret talks in third countries with Israel offering an apology over the raid and $20 million in compensation. Israel also agreed to allow Turkish aid to reach Gaza as part of the agreement. Under the terms of the deal, both sides also agreed individual Israeli citizens or those acting on behalf of the Israeli government would not be held liable -- either criminally or financially -- for the raid. On Friday the prosecutor told an Istanbul court that the case against the Israeli individuals should be dropped because of the agreement, state-run news agency Anadolu said. Prosecutors had been seeking life sentences for the alleged involvement of former military chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi, former navy chief Eliezer Marom, former military intelligence head Amos Yadlin and former air force intelligence chief Avishai Levy, who went on trial in absentia in 2012. The demand is likely to anger families and lawyers, who told AFP in October they had no intention of dropping the lawsuits despite the deal. One of the final key elements of returning to normal relations was the exchange of ambassadors, which will formally take place this month. Israel's envoy Eitan Naeh arrived in Ankara on Thursday, and he is due to present his letter of credence to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan within days. Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim's policy advisor Kemal Okem will start work as Turkey's ambassador to Israel on December 12, Anadolu said on Friday. Dec 2 (Reuters) - Canadian copper miner Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd said on Friday it had suspended shipments from its Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia across the Chinese border, a day after the imposition of new fees on commodity shipments between the two countries. The fee was imposed following a diplomatic row sparked by last week's visit of Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to Ulaanbaatar. The Dalai Lama is cherished as a spiritual leader in predominantly Buddhist Mongolia, but China regards him as a dangerous separatist and warned the visit could damage bilateral relations. Turquoise Hill said on Friday that a new requirement at the Chinese-Mongolian border to use one joint coal-and-concentrate crossing route had led to safety and security concerns as well as long waiting times. The company said it was not clear for how long it would suspend shipments and that it was seeking to clarify the situation with authorities in Mongolia and China. Rio Tinto Plc operates the copper-gold Oyu Tolgoi mine, which is 66 percent owned by its Turquoise Hill arm and 34 percent owned by the Mongolian government. (Reporting by Vishaka George in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza) (Adds stock price, analyst comment, production data, mine expansion details) By Susan Taylor TORONTO, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd said on Friday it has suspended concentrate shipments from its giant copper-gold Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia across the Chinese border, blaming problems with a crossing route. Vancouver-based Turquoise Hill said it suspended shipments effective Thursday, after a new requirement at the Chinese-Mongolian border to use one joint coal and concentrate route created "unreasonably" long waits to cross the border along with safety and security concerns. The company, whose shares fell 2.5 percent to C$4.34 in early trade on Friday, said in a statement it was unclear how long the suspension would continue and it was trying to clarify the matter with Mongolian and Chinese authorities. Turquoise Hill was not immediately available for comment. In 2016, the south Gobi desert mine is forecast to produce 175,000 to 195,000 tonnes of copper in concentrates and 255,000 to 285,000 ounces of gold in concentrates, the company said in early November. RBC Capital Markets analyst Fraser Phillips said in a note to clients that the suspension was a negative. It comes one day after new fees were levied on commodity shipments between Mongolia and China, following a diplomatic row sparked by last week's visit of Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to Ulaanbaatar. The Dalai Lama is cherished as a spiritual leader in predominantly Buddhist Mongolia, but China regards him as a dangerous separatist and warned the visit could damage bilateral relations. Rio Tinto Plc's majority-owned Turquoise Hill has a 66 percent stake in the mine, with the Mongolian government holding the remainder. Rio Tinto operates Oyu Tolgoi. In June, Rio gave the go-ahead for a $5.3 billion underground expansion of the mine, with first production expected in 2020. When fully ramped in 2027, copper output is forecast at more than 500,000 tonnes annually. (Additional reporting by Reporting by Vishaka George in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Jeffrey Benkoe) Justin Chon, better known to Twilight fans as Eric Yorkie, together with Ellie Bamber, most recently seen in Nocturnal Animals and now cast in Disney's big screen remake of The Nutcracker, have nabbed lead roles in upcoming drama Taipei. The film, which began principal photography Friday, is being directed by Jason Lester in his feature length debut and is based on the acclaimed 2013 novel by Tao Lin. The story follows the fast-blooming romance between Brooklyn writers Erin and Paul, tracking the pair through a spontaneous wedding, drug binges, all-night urban revels, and to Taiwan, the country of Paul's birth, where the couple confront their individual alienation. Jason Lester directs from his own script, with Mark L. Lester and Jesy Odio producing and Jeff Sackman and Berry Meyerowitz exec producing. "Taipai is about love, alienation, loneliness, drugs, writing, technology - how we can exist and connect amidst all of the cultural detritus of the Internet age," said director Lester. "I'm thrilled to be able to bring Tao Lin's vision to the screen." On top of Taipei, Chon will be premiering his film Gook - which he directed and stars in - at next year's Sundance Film Festival. Read more: Tom Ford's 'Nocturnal Animals' Gets a Teaser Trailer By Jeffrey Dastin (Reuters) - The U.S. Transportation Department said on Friday it granted flying rights to Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA's (NWC.OL) Irish unit, setting the stage for a new battle among airlines for leisure travellers across the Atlantic. The order finalises a tentative ruling made by the department in April and comes shortly after the European Commission formally filed for arbitration over Norwegian's request, which had languished for three years. U.S. airlines and unions have said the subsidiary, Norwegian Air International, would undermine U.S. wages and working standards, claims Norwegian has dismissed. The accusations have come as a fare war has escalated over the Atlantic, forcing large and established airlines to consider chopping prices, redesigning cabins and adding restrictions to win budget-conscious vacationers back from the likes of Norwegian. "Regardless of our appreciation of the public policy arguments raised by opponents, we have been advised that the law and our bilateral obligations leave us no avenue to reject this application," the U.S. order said. Norwegian and the Washington-based trade group representing U.S. airlines did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin in New York; Additional reporting by Alana Wise; Editing by James Dalgleish) By Jeffrey Dastin (Reuters) - The U.S. Transportation Department said on Friday it granted flying rights to Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA's (NWC.OL) Irish unit, setting the stage for a new battle among airlines for leisure travelers across the Atlantic. The order finalizes a tentative ruling made by the department in April and comes shortly after the European Commission formally filed for arbitration over Norwegian's request, which had languished for three years. U.S. airlines and unions have said the subsidiary, Norwegian Air International, would undermine U.S. wages and working standards, claims Norwegian has dismissed. The accusations have come as a fare war has escalated over the Atlantic, forcing large and established airlines to consider chopping prices, redesigning cabins and adding restrictions to win budget-conscious vacationers back from the likes of Norwegian. "Regardless of our appreciation of the public policy arguments raised by opponents, we have been advised that the law and our bilateral obligations leave us no avenue to reject this application," the U.S. order said. Norwegian and the Washington-based trade group representing U.S. airlines did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin in New York; Additional reporting by Alana Wise; Editing by James Dalgleish) By Jeffrey Dastin (Reuters) - The U.S. Transportation Department said on Friday it granted flying rights to Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA's Irish unit, setting the stage for a new battle among airlines for leisure travelers across the Atlantic. The order finalizes a tentative ruling made by the department in April and comes shortly after the European Commission formally filed for arbitration over Norwegian's request, which had languished for three years. U.S. airlines and unions have said the subsidiary, Norwegian Air International, would undermine U.S. wages and working standards, claims Norwegian has dismissed. The accusations have come as a fare war has escalated over the Atlantic, forcing large and established airlines to consider chopping prices, redesigning cabins and adding restrictions to win budget-conscious vacationers back from the likes of Norwegian. "Regardless of our appreciation of the public policy arguments raised by opponents, we have been advised that the law and our bilateral obligations leave us no avenue to reject this application," the U.S. order said. Norwegian and the Washington-based trade group representing U.S. airlines did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (Reporting by Jeffrey Dastin in New York; Additional reporting by Alana Wise; Editing by James Dalgleish) By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to consider overturning $4 million in damages awarded to a homeless couple who sued after being shot 15 times in a backyard shack by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies who were searching for another man. The justices will hear an appeal by the two deputies, Christopher Conley and Jennifer Pederson, and the county of a lower court's ruling upholding the damages awarded by a judge in 2013 to Angel and Jennifer Mendez, who resided in the wooden shack and sustained serious injuries in the 2010 incident. The Supreme Court will consider whether the two deputies can claim immunity in their defense of the civil rights lawsuit filed by the couple. The case comes before the justices at a time of heightened concern over use of excessive force by U.S. police after a series of fatal shootings in recent years. The incident took place in Lancaster, a city within Los Angeles County, after 12 officers responded to a call that a wanted parolee named Ronnie O'Dell had been spotted in the area. Deputies decided to search a shack at the rear of a house and conducted a warrantless raid. The two deputies opened the door to the shack unannounced, saw Angel Mendez holding what they thought was a rifle and opened fire 15 times. Angel Mendez was in fact holding a BB gun that he used to kill rodents. His right leg was amputated below the knee as a result of the shooting. Jennifer Mendez, pregnant at the time, was shot in the back. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in March ruled in favor of the couple, saying the deputies were not immune from the lawsuit because they provoked a violent confrontation. The district judge who awarded the damages found that the deputies did not use excessive force but were nevertheless liable for damages because of the provocation. The appeal by the deputies and county took issue with the judge's reasoning. If the justices agree with that argument, their ruling could protect police officers facing civil lawsuits in similar cases. Story continues Police officers are generally protected from civil rights claims relating to use of force unless plaintiffs can show that the action clearly violated the U.S. Constitution's Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures. The court will hear arguments and issue a ruling by the end of June. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham) (Adds details about protester meeting with law enforcement and Morton County Sheriff call with U.S. Attorney General) By Ernest Scheyder and Terray Sylvester CANNON BALL, N.D., Dec 2 (Reuters) - U.S. military veterans were building barracks on Friday at a protest camp in North Dakota to support thousands of activists who have squared off against authorities in frigid conditions to oppose a multibillion-dollar pipeline project near a Native American reservation. Veterans volunteering to be human shields have been arriving at the Oceti Sakowin camp near the small town of Cannon Ball, where they will work with protesters who have spent months demonstrating against plans to route the Dakota Access Pipeline beneath a lake near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, organizers said. The Native Americans and protesters say the $3.8 billion pipeline threatens water resources and sacred sites. Some of the more than 2,100 veterans who signed up on the Veterans Stand for Standing Rock group's Facebook page are at the camp, with hundreds more expected during the weekend. Tribal leaders asked the veterans, who aim to form a wall in front of police to protect the protesters, to avoid confrontation with authorities and not get arrested. Wesley Clark Jr, a writer whose father is retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark, met with law enforcement on Friday to tell them potentially 3,500 veterans would join the protest and the demonstrations would be carried out peacefully, protest leaders said. The plan is for veterans to gather in Eagle Butte, a few hours away, and then travel by bus to the main protest camp, organizers said, adding that a big procession is planned for Monday. Protesters began setting up tents, tepees and other structures in April and the numbers swelled in August at the main camp. Joshua Tree, 42, from Los Angeles, who has been visiting the camp for weeks at a time since September, said he felt pulled to the protest. "Destiny called me here," he said at the main camp. "We're committed." Story continues 'GO HOME' Those voices have been heard by companies linked to the pipeline as well, including banks that have been targeted by protesters for their financing of the pipeline. Wells Fargo & Co said in a Thursday letter it would meet with Standing Rock elders before Jan. 1 "to discuss their concerns related to Wells Fargo's investment" in the project. There have been violent confrontations near the route of the pipeline with state and local law enforcement, who used tear gas, rubber bullets and water hoses on the protesters, even in freezing weather. The number of protesters in recent weeks has topped 1,000. State officials on Monday ordered them to leave the snowy camp, which is on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers land, citing harsh weather, but on Wednesday they said they would not enforce the order. "There is an element there of people protesting who are frightening," North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said on Thursday. "It's time for them to go home." Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier spoke by phone on Friday with U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, but assistance for law enforcement and a timeline for a resolution to the situation were not offered, the sheriff's office said. "It's time for more actions from the federal government, not more words," Kirchmeier said in a statement. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday he supported the completion of the pipeline and his transition team also said he supported peaceful protests. North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple said on Wednesday it was "probably not feasible" to reroute the pipeline but he would try to rebuild a relationship with Standing Rock Sioux leaders. On Friday, Morton County Commission Chairman Cody Schulz said his office has been working in conjunction with the governor's office to meet with tribal leaders soon. FREEZING COLD Since the start of demonstrations, 564 people have been arrested, the Morton County Sheriff's Department said. State officials never contemplated forcibly removing protesters, and Dalrymple said his evacuation order stemmed mainly from concerns about dangerously cold temperatures. The temperature in Cannon Ball is expected to fall to 4 degrees Fahrenheit (-16 Celsius) by the middle of next week, according to Weather.com forecasts. The 1,172-mile (1,885-km) pipeline project, owned by Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners LP, is mostly complete, except for a segment planned to run under Lake Oahe, a reservoir formed by a dam on the Missouri River. Protesters, who refer to themselves as "water protectors," have been gearing up for the winter while they await the Army Corps decision on whether to allow Energy Transfer to tunnel under the river. The Army Corps has twice delayed that decision. (Additional reporting by Timothy Mclaughlin in Chicago and David Gaffen in New York; Editing by Bill Trott and Matthew Lewis) By Patrick Rucker and Anna Irrera WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Online credit companies and paperless lenders would be able to get federal charters to do business nationwide under a plan outlined on Friday by a U.S. banking regulator. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the main regulator for federal banks, said it hoped offering a charter for "fintech" companies would spur banking sector innovation. "Technology-based products and services are the future of banking and the economy," OCC director Thomas Curry said, outlining the proposal in a speech at the Georgetown University Law Center. The move might change the regulatory landscape for online lenders such as On Deck, Kabbage Inc and Quicken Loans that now operate under a variety of state licenses. The OCC will allow fintech companies to operate nationally through a special-purpose charter. Curry said his agency is open to discussing specific terms of what a charter would entail. Because they do not accept customer deposits, fintech companies are not subject to many federal banking laws. On Friday, Curry said the tailor-made charters for fintech companies would help those lenders reach underserved communities and uphold consumer protections. Ken Rees, chief executive of subprime online lender Elevate, said his firm supported the OCC's efforts. "Given that so much fintech innovation has gone to help give credit to people who already have it, it's important that the needs of the truly underserved are taken into account," he said. Curry said companies obtaining a fintech charter would be "examined regularly and held to the high standards the OCC has established for all federally chartered institutions." He said worldwide investment in the fintech industry has grown in the past five years from $1.8 billion to $24 billion. Online lenders and other fintech companies have encroached on traditional banking services in recent years with lower overhead and less paperwork. Banks and other established institutions have complained that lack of federal oversight gave online lenders undue competitive advantages. Story continues The American Bankers Association welcomed the OCCs pledge to hold fintech companies to high standards. Maintaining high standards is the best way to ensure customers have access to the best financial products and services, said Rob Nichols, the trade group's president and chief executive. The Independent Community Bankers of America said fintech regulations "should be no less stringent than that which applies to insured depository institutions". New York State Department of Financial Services Superintendent Maria T. Vullo said in a statement her agency opposed "any effort to federalize what states have been doing and doing well for over a century." Vullo said any federal fintech regulatory framework would "be irresponsible if it were to ignore the states historical role and longstanding expertise in this arena". Regulators around the world have ramped up initiatives aimed at better understanding and supporting innovation in the nascent industry. Britains Financial Conduct Authority is widely seen as among the most active financial watchdogs, launching a special unit more than two years ago to assist young companies in the fintech sector. Federal fintech charters would bring the United States in line with other progressive fintech countries like Australia, the U.K. and Singapore, said Sam Taussig, head of government affairs at online small business lender Kabbage. Unlike other financial sectors that view regulation as a threat to growth, fintech firms have generally welcomed more attention from regulators as a means of legitimizing their businesses. This is a reminder that strong regulation can be a beneficial thing, not only for consumer protection but also from the prospective of entities that seek out these charters, as it gives them legitimacy, said Kevin Petrasic, a partner at law firm White & Case in Washington. (Reporting By Patrick Rucker and Anna Irrera; Editing by Bill Trott, Jonathan Oatis and David Gregorio) By Patrick Rucker and Anna Irrera WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Online credit companies and paperless lenders would be able to get federal charters to do business nationwide under a plan outlined on Friday by a U.S. banking regulator. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the main regulator for federal banks, said it hoped offering a charter for "fintech" companies would spur banking sector innovation. "Technology-based products and services are the future of banking and the economy," OCC director Thomas Curry said, outlining the proposal in a speech at the Georgetown University Law Center. The move might change the regulatory landscape for online lenders such as On Deck, Kabbage Inc and Quicken Loans that now operate under a variety of state licenses. The OCC will allow fintech companies to operate nationally through a special-purpose charter. Curry said his agency is open to discussing specific terms of what a charter would entail. Because they do not accept customer deposits, fintech companies are not subject to many federal banking laws. On Friday, Curry said the tailor-made charters for fintech companies would help those lenders reach underserved communities and uphold consumer protections. Ken Rees, chief executive of subprime online lender Elevate, said his firm supported the OCC's efforts. "Given that so much fintech innovation has gone to help give credit to people who already have it, it's important that the needs of the truly underserved are taken into account," he said. Curry said companies obtaining a fintech charter would be "examined regularly and held to the high standards the OCC has established for all federally chartered institutions." He said worldwide investment in the fintech industry has grown in the past five years from $1.8 billion to $24 billion. Online lenders and other fintech companies have encroached on traditional banking services in recent years with lower overhead and less paperwork. Banks and other established institutions have complained that lack of federal oversight gave online lenders undue competitive advantages. Story continues The American Bankers Association welcomed the OCCs pledge to hold fintech companies to high standards. Maintaining high standards is the best way to ensure customers have access to the best financial products and services, said Rob Nichols, the trade group's president and chief executive. The Independent Community Bankers of America said fintech regulations "should be no less stringent than that which applies to insured depository institutions". New York State Department of Financial Services Superintendent Maria T. Vullo said in a statement her agency opposed "any effort to federalize what states have been doing and doing well for over a century." Vullo said any federal fintech regulatory framework would "be irresponsible if it were to ignore the states historical role and longstanding expertise in this arena". Regulators around the world have ramped up initiatives aimed at better understanding and supporting innovation in the nascent industry. Britains Financial Conduct Authority is widely seen as among the most active financial watchdogs, launching a special unit more than two years ago to assist young companies in the fintech sector. Federal fintech charters would bring the United States in line with other progressive fintech countries like Australia, the U.K. and Singapore, said Sam Taussig, head of government affairs at online small business lender Kabbage. Unlike other financial sectors that view regulation as a threat to growth, fintech firms have generally welcomed more attention from regulators as a means of legitimising their businesses. This is a reminder that strong regulation can be a beneficial thing, not only for consumer protection but also from the prospective of entities that seek out these charters, as it gives them legitimacy, said Kevin Petrasic, a partner at law firm White & Case in Washington. (Reporting By Patrick Rucker and Anna Irrera; Editing by Bill Trott, Jonathan Oatis and David Gregorio) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Friday blacklisted seven people and 16 North Korean companies for ties to the North Korean government or its nuclear and weapons programs, the U.S. Treasury said in a statement. The measures come after North Korea conducted its fifth and largest nuclear test in September. The United States opposes the development of nuclear arms by North Korea and its missile program, but a U.S. policy of both sanctions and diplomacy has failed so far to dent North Korea's aims. Treasury blacklisted several individuals who it said were North Korean officials, including at the Ministry of Atomic Energy Industry, which oversees the nuclear program, and the Workers' Party of Korea, the ruling party. Three of the people it sanctioned on Friday were also named in a United Nations Security Council resolution passed unanimously on Wednesday that blocked their assets and instituted a travel ban, in addition to imposing new sanctions on North Korea aimed at cutting its export revenue. "These sanctions aim to cut the flow of financial resources to North Korea and further counter the regime's destabilizing and provocative behavior," said Adam Szubin, the Treasury's acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, in the statement. "From financial services to mining and energy, today's action targets individuals and entities operating in key industries that support North Korea's illicit activities." The companies sanctioned on Friday include Air Koryo, North Korea's national carrier, and 16 aircraft it has an interest in, as well as six financial services companies, and companies which the U.S. Treasury said trade in North Korean metal, coal and minerals or supply North Korean laborers overseas. U.S. President Barack Obama signed an executive order in March that targeted North Korea's mining, transportation, energy, and financial services sectors, its trade in graphite, metal, and coal, and the revenue it earns from North Korean laborers abroad. (Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati; Editing by Tom Brown) London (AFP) - A British pensioner has returned a library book to her school some 63 years after taking it out, the librarian said Friday. The woman, now in her 70s, found the 1929 copy of "Travels With A Donkey In The Cevennes" by Robert Louis Stevenson while clearing out her house. The book, which charts the author's 120-mile (195-kilometre) solo hike through the Cevennes mountains in southern France, contained a stamp showing it was due to be returned to North Walsham High School in Norfolk, eastern England, in 1953. Luckily for the student, the market town school has a policy of not fining students for overdue books. "The lady who brought back the Robert Louis Stevenson book apologised for not returning it sooner -- but better late than never," school librarian Liz Sawyer said, appealing for others with overdue books to do the same. "While we don't lose many books, there must have been a few which have been inadvertently retained by students over the years," she said, adding: "It would be really nice to get some of them back." The world's largest fine for an overdue library book is $345.14 (323 euros) according to Guinness World Records. That book, returned after 47 years by the borrower's daughter, was lent out by Kewanee Public Library in the US state of Illinois, and was due back in April 1955. By Kylie MacLellan LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will not play a bit-part on the world stage following its exit from the European Union and must help prevent the emergence of a more brutal world order, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Friday. Making his first major foreign policy speech, Johnson, known for his gaffe-prone and often-outlandish persona, said the June 23 Brexit vote did not mean Britain was turning in on itself. "The world is not now in good shape. Indeed it is more dangerous and volatile than for several decades," he said. "We have the cult of the strong man, we have democracy in retreat, we have an arc of instability across the Middle East ... Is it our answer to cower and put our heads under the pillow? Emphatically not," he added in a speech at think-tank Chatham House. "We need to redouble our resolve to defend and preserve the best of the rules-based international order," he said. "If we fail then we risk reverting to an older and more brutal system where the strong are free to bully or devour the weak." Britain, he said, was a global player. "We are not some bit-part or spear-carrier on the world stage. We are a protagonist a global Britain running a truly global foreign policy." Johnson said Britain would not block attempts by the EU to forge a common defence policy. Defence minister Michael Fallon has said he would stop the creation of an EU army while Britain remained in the bloc as it would undermine NATO. "There is a conversation going on now about the EU's desire to build a common security and defence policy, new architecture for that," he said. "If they want to do that fine ... We are not there to block or to impede further steps towards EU integration." Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman said the government did not agree with the idea of an EU defence force and that any EU defence policy should complement rather than duplicate NATO. Britain's commitment to fulfil its NATO obligations is "unbreakable", Johnson said, adding that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump was right to point out that the alliance should not rely so heavily on one country's defence spending. He also said he would seek to "stress some of the positives" of the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump railed against during his election campaign, to the new U.S. administration. (Additional reporting by Costas Pitas; editing by Stephen Addison) LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will not block attempts by the European Union to forge a closer common defense policy as it negotiates its exit from the bloc, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Friday. Defense minister Michael Fallon had previously said he would stop the creation of an EU army for as long as Britain remained inside the European Union as the new force would undermine the NATO military alliance. "There is a conversation going on now about the EU's desire to build a common security and defense policy, new architecture for that," Johnson told a London audience on Friday. "If they want to do that fine ... We are not there to block or to impede further steps towards EU integration if that is what they so desire," he said. (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan, writing by Costas Pitas) Tripoli (AFP) - The UN's special envoy to Libya appealed for calm on Friday after clashes between rival militias in the south of the capital killed at least eight people. Tripoli is controlled by a loose alliance of militias of different political and religious factions, and clashes between them are an almost daily occurrence. The fighting that erupted in the city on Thursday continued on Friday, with shooting heard throughout the day as most residents stayed at home. UN envoy Martin Kobler in a statement called on forces involved in the violence to stop immediately "and for wisdom to prevail". "It is completely unacceptable for armed groups to fight to assert their interest and control, particularly in residential areas, terrorising the population," Kobler said. He said the United Nations was in contact with parties on the ground to urge "an immediate end to this fighting". At least eight people were killed on Thursday and Friday, a source at the Al-Khadhra hospital in Tripoli said. Five years after Libya's 2011 revolution that toppled longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, the country remains embroiled in violence and political chaos as the militias and two rival governments vie for power. A UN-backed Government of National Accord took up office in March with the hopes of re-establishing central power and stemming a jihadist threat from the Islamic State group. It was intended to replace the rival administrations but has failed to win a vote of confidence from the parliament in Tobruk while the Tripoli-based GNA considers it illegitimate. The GNA suffered a fresh setback in October after the rival Government of National Salvation seized key offices in the capital. The reasons for the latest clashes are not clear, but pro-GNA militias late Friday announced the end of an "operation" aimed at chasing a group of "extremists". How do you ensure that labor is fairand accessible to even more people globallyamid a technological revolution that stands to automate and replace an enormous number of jobs? That question was a subject of debate as the Fortune TIME Global Forum 2016 kicked off Friday morning in Rome. First, Ghanaian Catholic leader Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace at the Vatican, defined dignified work as not merely one that pays a fair wage; its also about workers having an outlet for their talent and creativity and, critically, feeling connected to society and the world at large. But those values face new and significant challenges today, thanks in large part to the global uberification of the workforce, said Guy Ryder, Director General of the UNs International Labor Organization (ILO), the UN worker rights body, in a conversation with Nancy Gibbs, TIME editor-in-chief and editorial director of the Time Inc. news group. Work is one of the absolutely fundamental socializing processes at work in our countries, he added. But as the structure of work changes, does the role of work change, too? Today, Ryder said, just 25% of the global work force has so-called traditional employment: jobs that are permanent, full-time and exist within the typical employer-employee dyad. The rest is informally employed or, increasingly, part of the so-called gig or platform economy. The Uber phenomenon is taking over, said Ryder. We see the increasing atomization in the way in which work is organized. That puts us on the cusp of yet another technological revolution. That raises two major challenges, quantitative and qualitative. On the first, there is a widely cited fear that the current tech revolution will eliminate hundreds of millions of jobs globally, but Ryder says that need not be the case.We need to decide how we want this to play out. Story continues The second challengethe qualitative oneis perhaps more pressing. The tech advances wrought by companies like Uber have in their nature the power to change the nature of how work is performed in the first place. The benefits of these changesas well of the challenges they proposedepend on your perspective. Some say the platform economy is an expression of freedom, he said, citing the oft repeated claim that the gig economy puts workers in charge of their own professional fate. I would rather ask if this [kind of employment] is restrictive, if it is something that is being imposed on people, as opposed to an act people choose themselves. Which way the gig economy takes us, says Ryder, is up to business leaders and workers alike. It isnt written in the stars. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has apologized for the Haiti cholera outbreak that has killed thousands since 2010. Ban said he was profoundly sorry in a speech delivered on December 1. Haiti was a cholera-free nation prior to 2010, when UN peacekeepers arrived in the country from Nepal, where the cholera is common. These peacekeepers lived on a base where sewage was dumped into a river, and the spread of the disease occurred shortly afterwards. In the past six years, cholera has infected approximately 800,000 people and killed more than 9,300, according to Reuters reports and The New York Times. Bans apology, made in English, French and Haitian Creole, marks the first time the UN has expressed regret for the outbreak, which the Secretary-General called a blemish on the reputation of UN peacekeeping. Despite this, Bans speech did not say whether UN peacekeepers were directly responsible for bringing cholera to the country, and was instead focused on detailing the steps of a $400 million aid effort for those affected by the disease. Credit: UN Web TV via Storyful Washington (AFP) - The parent company of United Airlines will pay a $2.4 million fine after reviving a money-losing air route to please a now-disgraced New Jersey politician, US market regulators announced Friday. The penalty by the Securities and Exchange Commission follows a $2.25 million fine imposed earlier this year by federal prosecutors in the bribery case. United's chief executive and two other senior officials stepped down in 2015 as the investigation unfolded revealing how the airline shareholders footed the bill to restore an unprofitable flight between Newark, New Jersey and Columbia, South Carolina, bowing to pressure from David Samson, the former chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and former New Jersey attorney general. Samson used a lobbyist to pressure United into reinstating the non-stop service even though the company had canceled the route in 2009 for lack of profit, officials said. The airline lost nearly $1 million on the route which ran from September 2012 until April 2014. As Port Authority chairman, Samson held sway over a proposed United hangar project at the Newark airport, a major hub, which the company believed would return $47.5 million in value to the airline as a result of more efficient routings. "United initiated a money-losing flight solely to curry favor with a public official," Andrew Calamari, head of the SEC's New York Regional Office, said in a statement. The flight was cancelled again shortly after Samson's resignation in the unrelated New Jersey "Bridgegate" scandal in which state officials deliberately blocked traffic into New York to punish a political enemy of Governor Chris Christie, an unsuccessful presidential candidate, according to the SEC. Samson, 77, whose legal team includes former Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff, pleaded guilty in July in a parallel criminal matter to a single count of bribery. He is due to be sentenced next month in a New Jersey federal court. UNITED NATIONS Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon apologized Thursday for the U.N. not doing enough to contain the spread of a cholera outbreak in Haiti, but he stopped short of apologizing for bringing the disease to the Caribbean nation. Ban made his remarks in a speech announcing the U.N.s new approach to cholera in Haiti, which seeks to provide aid to communities affected by the disease that has afflicted some 800,000 Haitians and killed over 9,000. On behalf of the United Nations, I want to say very clearly we apologize to the Haitian people. We simply did not do enough with regard to the cholera outbreak and its spread in Haiti. We are profoundly sorry for our role, Ban said, speaking first in Creole, then repeating himself in French and English. This has cast a shadow upon the relationship between the United Nations and the people of Haiti. It is a blemish on the reputation of U.N. peacekeeping and the organization world-wide, Ban added. Researchers say cholera was introduced to Haiti by Nepalese troops who were part of a U.N. peacekeeping mission. For years the U.N. had denied or been silent on longstanding allegations that it was responsible for the outbreak, while responding to lawsuits in U.S. courts by claiming diplomatic immunity. In August, a U.S. appeals court upheld the United Nations immunity from a lawsuit filed on behalf of 5,000 Haitian cholera victims who blame the U.N. for the epidemic. After the ruling, Ban said he deeply regretted the suffering that cholera has caused and the U.N. had a moral responsibility to the victims. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said Bans apology did not go further because a panel that studied the outbreak attributed it to a number of factors. We now recognize that we had a role in this but to go to the extent of taking full responsibility for all is a step that would not be possible for us to take, Eliasson told reporters before Bans speech. Story continues Haitis Ambassador Jean Wesley Cazeau praised Bans new approach, which seeks to raise $400 million from U.N. member states to provide aid to the afflicted communities and to help eradicate the disease, but he squarely laid the blame for the epidemic on the peacekeepers. This approach, Im happy to highlight represents a radical change of attitude away from the morally unjustifiable approach used until now by the U.N. regarding its responsibility in cases where it created or contributed to a serious health crisis by finally recognizing it has a fatal for in the outbreak and the terrible suffering by the Haitian people by admitting it has a moral responsibility, Cazeau said. The U.N. showed it can admit to making mistakes. Sen. Edward Markey, the top Democrat on the Senates Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, praised Bans apology in a statement. The people of Haiti have long deserved more than just acknowledgment for the pain and sacrifice they have suffered in great part due to UN negligence. The UN must now put its money where its mouth is and provide compensation to the Haitian people suffering from the devastation caused by the cholera epidemic, Markey said. By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON (Reuters) - United Airlines' parent company (UAL.N) will pay $2.4 million to resolve civil books and records violations after it reinstated an unprofitable flight route to accommodate the chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the U.S. securities regulator said. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said United Airlines' decision in December 2011 to add a nonstop flight between Newark, New Jersey and Columbia, South Carolina for then chairman David Samson's personal benefit harmed shareholders, who were forced to foot the bill. The SEC said its investigation would continue. Megan McCarthy, a spokeswoman for United Continental Holdings, said the company is pleased to have resolved the matter. The SEC's civil case against United Airlines marks the latest in a series of legal actions involving the airline and Samson, who at one time was a close confidant of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. In July, Samson pleaded guilty in a parallel criminal matter for using his position to try to pressure the airline to accommodate his travel with a more convenient flight path, which prosecutors said Samson called the "Chairman's Flight." At the time, the airline separately agreed to pay a $2.25 million penalty as part of a non-prosecution agreement with the government that also mandates improvements in the company's anti-bribery program. The investigation into Samson and United Airlines grew out of a probe into the now infamous "Bridgegate" scandal in New Jersey, in which political associates of Christie shut down lanes on the George Washington Bridge. Last month, two of those associates were convicted for their roles in the lane closures. The airlines scheme involving Samson is unrelated to the lane closures on the bridge. The SEC said on Friday that the flight route between New Jersey and South Carolina had previously been canceled by Continental - before its merger with United Airlines - because of poor financial performance. Story continues Despite knowing the route was a money-loser, the airline caved to pressure by Samson to reinstate it amid concern that crossing him could harm its business interests. The SEC added that it "circumvented its standard process for initiating new routes" and brought it back, costing the company approximately $945,000 before it ceased again. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Grant McCool) (Adds comment from United Continental Holdings spokeswoman, background) By Sarah N. Lynch WASHINGTON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - United Airlines' parent company will pay $2.4 million to resolve civil books and records violations after it reinstated an unprofitable flight route to accommodate the chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the U.S. securities regulator said. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said United Airlines' decision in December 2011 to add a nonstop flight between Newark, New Jersey and Columbia, South Carolina for then chairman David Samson's personal benefit harmed shareholders, who were forced to foot the bill. The SEC said its investigation would continue. Megan McCarthy, a spokeswoman for United Continental Holdings, said the company is pleased to have resolved the matter. The SEC's civil case against United Airlines marks the latest in a series of legal actions involving the airline and Samson, who at one time was a close confidant of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. In July, Samson pleaded guilty in a parallel criminal matter for using his position to try to pressure the airline to accommodate his travel with a more convenient flight path, which prosecutors said Samson called the "Chairman's Flight." At the time, the airline separately agreed to pay a $2.25 million penalty as part of a non-prosecution agreement with the government that also mandates improvements in the company's anti-bribery program. The investigation into Samson and United Airlines grew out of a probe into the now infamous "Bridgegate" scandal in New Jersey, in which political associates of Christie shut down lanes on the George Washington Bridge. Last month, two of those associates were convicted for their roles in the lane closures. The airlines scheme involving Samson is unrelated to the lane closures on the bridge. The SEC said on Friday that the flight route between New Jersey and South Carolina had previously been canceled by Continental - before its merger with United Airlines - because of poor financial performance. Story continues Despite knowing the route was a money-loser, the airline caved to pressure by Samson to reinstate it amid concern that crossing him could harm its business interests. The SEC added that it "circumvented its standard process for initiating new routes" and brought it back, costing the company approximately $945,000 before it ceased again. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Grant McCool) Washington (AFP) - America's closest partners are putting a brave face on Donald Trump's surprise election win while reaching out to try to shape his worldview and to preserve traditional alliances. Allies were rattled by Trump's nationalist campaign rhetoric and by the haphazard way he has approached his first round of calls with world leaders since becoming president-elect. But they are not panicking. Trump may have no foreign policy experience, but he does not appear to have any deep-rooted ideology either, and seems open to discussion. And, despite Trump's threats to tear up trade deals and his vaguely worded calls for warmer ties with Russia, Washington's closest partners believe a crisis can be avoided. "The US alliance system is one of the crown jewels of America's national security," said John Hannah of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, who served as a senior foreign policy adviser to three US administrations. While Russia and China have increasingly sophisticated militaries, they cannot match Washington's network of allies. And, Hannah told AFP, any president "should think not once, not twice, but 100 times before taking steps that might undermine or jeopardize" those friendships. This week, envoys from America's most important allies in the Pacific and the Atlantic, respectively -- Japan and Britain -- said they were keen to engage with Trump's team. - Brutal dismissal - Concerns were raised in Japan during the US campaign when Trump suggested America's military allies are not pulling their own weight and might be left to face foes on their own. And Trump's brutal dismissal of the "terrible" Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade deal did not bode well for ties with America's premier friend in Asia. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had made TPP a key plank of Japan's economic policy, and he was the first world leader to rush to meet the US president-elect in New York. Story continues Trump received no briefing from the US State Department ahead of the informal talks, and was accompanied by his daughter Ivanka, a business executive with no official role. But, according to Japan's Ambassador Kenichiro Sasae, Abe's team left the meeting reassured that the US-Japan alliance is important to Trump and could even be strengthened. "I'm given to understand that the president-elect is different when there is a person-to-person talk," the envoy said, playing down the "high tone" of Trump's campaign speeches. "We got the impression that he's a good listener. He listened to a lot of views and tried to digest them." So, while the TPP remains a dead letter -- "meaningless," in Abe's view, without US support -- Japan is not ready to abandon the general principle of a multilateral pact. And once Trump takes office in January and assembles a team of experts to advise him, something may be salvaged. "I don't think many Americans read the text of this agreement, to be honest," Sasae said, at an event promoting the "Value of Strong Alliances" at the Heritage Foundation think tank. - Ruffled feathers - Trump has yet to nominate anyone to act as his secretary of state, and in the weeks since he won the election, he has ruffled diplomatic feathers on several occasions. Britain, supposedly the proud owner of a "special relationship" with Washington, has found itself embarrassed. In his first call with Prime Minister Theresa May, Trump -- rather than inviting her to Washington -- breezily suggested that if she comes over, she should "get in touch." And in a stark breach of protocol, Trump suggested on Twitter that the British ambassador be replaced by his euroskeptic friend Nigel Farage, former leader of the UK Independence Party. Britain's actual ambassador, Kim Darroch, nevertheless insists that ties between Trump Tower and Number 10 are off to a better start than they may seem to be on the surface. Appearing alongside his Japanese colleague, Darroch said May has now spoken twice to Trump and that a formal visit is being arranged for "very soon" after his January inauguration. - Closest cooperation - He acknowledged the challenge of keeping up with any US administration in transition -- some 4,000 officials will be replaced, and 1,200 face Senate confirmation hearings. But he said Britain would continue to seek the closest cooperation -- while still making its own views known. Britain is keen that the United States maintain Western solidarity in the face of aggression from Vladimir Putin's Russia -- despite Trump's warm words for the strongman. "That's one of the things we will cover when we talk to his foreign policy team," Darroch said, noting Russia's annexation of part of Ukraine and role "in the carnage" in Syria. Darroch said Washington and other western capitals talk to the Kremlin and "as long as we're all expressing similar views on the challenge we face, I think that's a good thing." The United States blacklisted 23 North Korean companies and officials Friday, notably flag carrier Air Koryo, in response to the country's September 9 nuclear test. It follows the UN Security Council's newest and toughest sanctions resolution against Pyongyang yet, aimed at increasingly isolating the Asian country politically and economically after its nuclear bomb test two months ago. The US Treasury Department laid sanctions, which aim to lock companies and individuals out of the global financial system, on several North Korean banks, construction and trading companies, as well as an oil company. New on the US sanctions list was Air Koryo, which the Treasury Department painted as a part of Pyongyang's military network after one of its aircraft "undertook a fly-over in the Victory Day military parade" in July 2013. The airline also transported spare parts or other items used in North Korea's SCUD-B ballistic missile systems, and the country's leader Kim Jong Un uses a private jet with the Air Koryo logo, the department said. The Treasury Department said the new sanction designation would "block" Air Koryo's 16 aircraft, though it did not respond to queries on what that meant specifically. Air Koryo primarily flies domestically and to Beijing, the main hub for flying to and from the country. The Treasury Department also blacklisted seven officials from government bodies and companies, all allegedly tied to government nuclear or weapons programs. "From financial services to mining and energy, today's action targets individuals and entities operating in key industries that support North Korea's illicit activities," said Adam Szubin, acting undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, in a statement. "Treasury will continue to use all of its financial tools to intensify the pressure on North Korea and those supporting the regime's nuclear ambitions and WMD programs." Moscow (AFP) - Held at diplomatic arm's-length for years, Russian President Vladimir Putin is pivoting back to centre stage as his admirers and international allies rise to power, a move that analysts say the Kremlin will be quick to exploit. Most notable among newly-elected leaders is Donald Trump, who on the campaign trail loudly proclaimed his esteem for Putin and met with a round of Kremlin applause in return. In Europe, France's presidential primaries saw former prime minister Francois Fillon, who favours closer relations with Moscow, become the rightwing champion for next year's vote. And in Russia's back yard, pro-Moscow candidates Rumen Radev and Igor Dodon have triumphed in presidential polls in Bulgaria and Moldova respectively. These elections show how Putin's standing has surged, said independent analyst Maria Lipman. "Russia has been able to considerably strengthen its position on the international scene, and its leader has become attractive in the world," she said. Putin, she said, is riding an "anti-establishment" trend, although unlike figures such as Trump or Radev, he "has been putting this political course into practice successfully for a very long time." "Leaders who reach out to less educated people, who speak against the establishment, against globalisation... are becoming more and more popular," she said. "Putin fits very well into the image of such a leader." A former KGB officer, Putin has been a bogey figure to many on both sides of the Atlantic. He found himself ostracised after the March 2014 seizure of Crimea, which prompted European and US sanctions that hit Russia's economy hard. Then, in September 2015, he began a bombing campaign in support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad -- a ruthless move that prompted accusations by western countries and watchdogs of complicity in war crimes. Today, much of this criticism has been muted, an "evident" sign of strategic success, Lipman said. Story continues Putin has ensured that Assad's departure is now more or less off the table -- and Russia has gained a strong bargaining position on other issues as a result. But Putin's gains have also come as a result of fumbling by the United States, which has made Russia suddenly look like a viable partner, analysts say. "The warm reception for Putin is mainly the flip side of anti-Americanism and a desire to leave a unipolar world, a yearning to find a new balance in the world," said commentator Konstantin Kalachev. - European jitters - The European Union, which had already been weakened by the growing power of populist nationalist movements, suffered a serious blow from Britain's June referendum on EU membership. Trump then sent shockwaves through European capitals by appearing to question US commitment to NATO -- the alliance that has underpinned western European security for nearly seven decades. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, one of the stronger proponents of Russia sanctions who is up for reelection next year, has already expressed worry for Trump's admiration for Putin, and observers say the EU's main France-Germany alliance would be strained by differences in attitudes toward Putin if Fillon wins. "For Putin it makes more sense to negotiate with an out-of-balance Europe," Kalachev said. "It's easier to reach separate agreements." Washington's global authority eroded "after a number of major international errors," said Lipman. A divided and worried Europe "plays into Putin's hands" by fracturing Western solidarity, she said. - Sanctions eased? - Easing the restrictions imposed for the Crimea annexation is a priority for the Kremlin. Combined with low oil prices and structural problems, the sanctions have badly damaged the Russian economy and shrunk Russians' purchasing power. With his new friends, Putin is likelier to find a sympathetic ear for removing the clamp, Lipman said. "The international context allows us to consider the possibility of their softening." In a state-of-the-nation speech on Thursday, Putin struck a conciliatory tone towards the West. "We are not looking for, and have never sought, enemies," he said. "We need friends." Charleston (United States) (AFP) - The judge in the murder trial of a white former South Carolina policeman accused of shooting an unarmed black suspect in the back sent the jury back for more deliberations Friday after they said they could not reach a consensus. Michael Slager -- who is facing murder and voluntary manslaughter charges -- stands accused of shooting and killing motorist Walter Scott after Scott fled a traffic stop and struggled with the officer on April 4, 2015, in North Charleston. Slager's lawyers argue that Scott's disregard for authority, aberrant behavior and aggressive actions justified the deadly encounter. "It isn't always easy for two people to agree," said Judge Clifton Newman as he instructed the jury to try again. "So when 12 people must agree, it becomes even more difficult." The case is one of several fatal shootings of black suspects across the United States that have thrown the spotlight on how police use deadly force -- and whether a suspect's race plays a role in that decision. North Charleston, located just north of the historic port city of Charleston, has a history of strained race relations between the city's police department and large black community. Much of the trial focused on a single piece of evidence: a bystander's video of the incident that captured a portion of the struggle, Scott's attempt to flee, and Slager firing eight shots at the suspect, five of them hitting their mark. The 34-year-old Slager has said he feared for his life when he tried to subdue the suspect, alleging that Scott grabbed his stun gun and charged at him. Jurors began deliberations on Wednesday after a month of testimony. On Friday, they initially asked to rehear testimony from Feidin Santana, the lone eyewitness to the encounter between Slager and Scott and the man who made the video. Santana had disputed Slager's account of the struggle, saying Scott never charged at him, and was only attempting to flee the policeman's grip. Story continues But only 12 minutes later, the jurors said they did not need to review the testimony and that they could not reach a consensus. It appeared the jury had one holdout. Newman made a plea for them to try harder, saying a mistrial would only mean a new trial with the same evidence, and a different panel of jurors. "We will go through this whole process again," Newman warned, asking jurors: "Carefully consider and respect the opinions of each other and reevaluate your position." If convicted of murder, Slager faces a sentence of 30 years to life imprisonment. The manslaughter charge carries a sentence of two to 30 years. The jury was set to resume deliberations on Monday. Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama on Friday moved to block a Chinese company's purchase of German semiconductor equipment maker Aixtron by rejecting the inclusion of Aixtron's US business in the deal. The US Treasury Department said a review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) chaired by Obama found the risks posed by the deal, which could place sensitive technology with potential military applications in Chinese hands, were too great. "CFIUS and the president assess that the transaction poses a risk to the national security of the United States that cannot be resolved through mitigation," the Treasury said in a statement. It said publicly-traded Aixtron SE's expertise in technology key to making advanced compound semiconductors used for LED lighting, lasers and solar cells also has military applications. Washington does not want to see such technology end up in the hands of the Chinese government-backed company which wants to buy Aixtron, Grand Chip Investment. The Treasury said Aixtron's US business is an important contributor to that technology. In late October, the German government withdrew its initial approval for the 670 million euro ($714 million) takeover after Washington raised security concerns. Citing German intelligence sources, Handelsblatt daily reported that the United States had expressed fears that China could use Aixtron technology to bolster its nuclear program. After receiving the information, the German economy ministry said on October 24 that it would reopen its review of the deal. - Chinese government role cited - The US Treasury said Friday that Grand Chip is a German company expressly set up for the deal and is "ultimately owned by investors in China, some of whom have Chinese government ownership." It added that the deal would be financed by a unit of China IC Industry Investment Fund, a Chinese government-supported industrial investment fund designed to support the country's integrated circuit industry. Story continues The Treasury statement did not say what military application of the German company's technology had concerned US officials. Aixtron's specialty is a technology for depositing thin layers of atoms on semiconductor wafers that are used in electronic devices and systems that produce, control and convert light. It is popularly used in making solar cells. There was no immediate reaction from Aixtron or Grand Chip. In a November 21 US securities filing, the two said they were awaiting the US presidential review and that they "plan to continue to actively engage in further discussions to explore means of resolving the US national security concerns identified by CFIUS." If the US rejected the deal, they said there were no assurances that they would be able to proceed with the transaction. CFIUS reviews foreign investments in US companies, and has both approved and turned down a number of Chinese takeovers in recent years. In 2005 it blocked China National Offshore Oil Corporation's bid for Unocal, and in 2008 electronics giant Huawei dropped its offer for US communications company 3Com before an expected rejection by the committee. In 2014 it approved Lenovo's purchase of IBM's computer server unit, but early this year its concerns led to Dutch electronics giant Philips dropping a planned $2.8-billion majority share sale of its Lumileds lighting unit to Beijing-based GO Scale Capital. Also early this year Chinese tech firm Unisplendour Corp dropped its $3.8 billion offer for 15 percent of US hard disk maker Western Digital before a CFIUS review. But in August the committee gave its OK for state-owned China National Chemical Corp's $43 billion takeover of Swiss pesticide and seed giant Syngenta. The Treasury statement Friday said the CFIUS panel was not opposed to foreign investment and was only focused on national security issues. "The president's decision is specific to this transaction and is not a determination with regard to any other foreign direct investment from China or any other country," it said. Christie Jameson sometimes wonders if the idea to adopt 35 children was planted when she was 12. She came home from a doctors appointment with her mother one afternoon and discovered that her only sibling, Buddy, 15, had accidentally hung himself while playing on a rope. He was such a sweet, outgoing brother everybody loved him, Jameson, now 73, tells PEOPLE. It left a huge hole in my heart. After she married and gave birth to two children of her own, Jameson, who now lives in South Jordan, Utah, decided with her husband, Alva, that nobody can ever be loved too much. She and Alva felt they had room in their home and their hearts for several more children, so they began to adopt. One child led to two, then five, then 10, then 20. Over three decades, the Jamesons adopted 35 children in all 26 of them with special needs. We didnt go looking for our family most of them came to us, once the word got out that we would take the kids nobody else wanted, says Jameson, now a single mom (Alva died of cancer in 2009) caring for 11 disabled children at home, including six with serious heart defects. All kids deserve a real home of their own and I just couldnt bear the thought of my kids going into institutions, Jameson tells PEOPLE. In my heart, I knew there was always room for one more. And I know there must be other people out there who would do the very same. Although silence was rare and the kitchen table was always crowded, I loved watching my parents get to know the needs of each child that joined our family, Kristin Jameson, 45, one of Christies two biological children, tells PEOPLE. I loved all of my siblings and enjoyed helping to raise some of them. It was really difficult when I had to leave home and go away to college. Now a special education teacher in southern Arizona, Kristin says that her career choice was inspired by her mother. The knowledge I have as a teacher didnt come from college, but rather from living and working with my siblings, she says. My parents instilled such a strong work ethic in each of us. From them, I learned the importance of teaching each child to reach their own special potential. Story continues Over the years, Christie Jameson has adopted children who have Down syndrome, spina bifida, cerebral palsy and fetal alcohol syndrome. Some of her children were physically or sexually abused and some are blind or deaf, while others have weak immune systems and are not expected to live full lives. Of the 35 we took in, weve lost 12, she says. Every time, its heart-wrenching, but if I had to do it all over again, I would. They deserved every happiness they could get in the short time that they were here. They brought a lot of joy into my life. At each of her childrens funerals, Jameson played Garth Brooks The Dance, because she relates to the lyrics, I could have missed the pain, but Id have had to miss the dance. Thats honestly how I feel I simply cant imagine missing the dance in any of my kids lives, she says. Its been an honor to be their mother. Of the children living at home, the youngest, Eli, who was born with Soto syndrome (cerebral gigantism) is now 22. Hes 6 feet, 6 inches tall, wears a size 20 shoe and functions on the level of a 2-year-old, says Jameson, but you should see that kid put a puzzle together. Hes capable of so much more than most people imagine. Every one of them are. All of her special needs children went to school until they were 21, and now its up to me to keep them motivated and learning, says Jameson, who takes those who are able to the gym three days a week and to volunteer at a local thrift store. Right now, theyre crocheting caps to give to refugees in our community, she says. They, more than anyone, know the importance of giving back. Although she now has two assistants come in daily to help with bathing and feeding, Jameson didnt receive state subsidies for her familys care until just before her husband died. Alva worked as an accountant, and for 15 years, I cleaned toilets and mopped floors at our church to bring in a little extra to augment his salary, she tells PEOPLE. Weve always made our own meals and lived a very simple life. But its been a good life, a happy life. Nobody has ever gone wanting. To ensure that her family is cared for once she is gone, Jameson put her home and her life savings in a trust so that theyll always feel loved and protected, she says. For the rest of their lives, I want my kids to be loved and cared for. Theyve done the same for me for my entire life. Theyve given me much more than I could ever give them. Years of drought and over-irrigation have caused Utah's Great Salt Lake to shrink at an alarming rate, recent satellite photos show. After the Great Lakes, Utah's Great Salt Lake is the largest body of water (by area) in the United States. Back in the middle of the 19th century, when pioneers first arrived in the area, the lake spread across roughly 1,600 square miles (4,100 square kilometers). Now, the lake covers an area of only about 1,050 square miles (2,700 square km), new satellite photos from NASA reveal. In October, the Great Salt Lake reached its lowest level in recorded history, with the waters surface elevation at only 4,191 feet (1,277 meters). These dramatic declines in water levels come from years of human activity namely, diverting river water, which would normally fill the lake, for agriculture and industry, according to NASA. The agency estimates that about 40 percent of the river's water is diverted from the lake. These activities, along with the ongoing drought in the West, have drained the historic lake. [Gallery: Rainbow of Life in Great Salt Lake] The NASA images show changes in the Farmington Bay basin of Great Salt Lake, an area that is home to many diverse wildlife, including migratory birds. Decreasing water levels in the Bay not only affect the ecology of the area, but could divert the bird populations who migrate to the basin for food. "Farmington Bay has been nearly desiccated as the result of the combined effects of drought and water withdrawals from the rivers feeding the lake," Wayne Wurtsbaugh, a watershed sciences researcher at Utah State University, said in a statement. "Farmington Bay is an immensely important feeding area for migratory shorebirds and waterfowl. Even at the low level we have now, it is still important, but the greatly reduced size has diminished its value." The NASA satellite images show changes in the Farmington Bay basin from 2011 to 2016. Scientists estimate that more than three-quarters of the lake bed is now exposed in the bay, significantly diminishing the food available for wildlife. Story continues In February, Wurtsbaugh and his colleagues released a white paper on how water development has impacted the Great Salt Lake. Their study found that river flow into the basin has been reduced by 39 percent since the middle of the 19th century. Reversing this trend would involve more conservation efforts, especially for agricultural irrigation, which accounts for approximately 63 percent of water usage in Utah, Wurtsbaugh said. Even with conservation efforts and more ecologically conscious development, the lake could continue to diminish due to climate change, the researchers said. "A wild card for the fate of the lake is what global climate change may do to the basin, Wurtsbaugh said. "Warmer air temperatures are projected to lower runoff, but our data shown in the white paper suggests there haven't been climate change effects on the runoff yet." Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story stated the lakes lowest level was 4,191 feet deep. The story has been updated to reflect the correct measurement was 4,191 feet of elevation above sea level. Original article on Live Science. Editor's Recommendations Caracas (AFP) - Venezuela angrily rejected as a "coup" its suspension from South American economic bloc Mercosur on Friday, the harshest international punishment yet for President Nicolas Maduro's crisis-racked government. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay announced Venezuela was suspended from the group after accusations that the leftist government in Caracas failed to meet democratic and trade standards. "This is a coup d'etat to Mercosur and constitutes a very grave attack on Venezuela," Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez told a press conference. Earlier, she railed against the decision in a tweet storm, calling it a "null and void action sustained by the law of the jungle of some officials who are destroying Mercosur." Although Venezuela joined Mercosur in 2012, the other members complain it has yet to ratify a number of rules governing trade, politics, democracy and human rights. Venezuela's neighbors are also becoming increasingly wary of developments in the once-booming oil exporter. Maduro's critics blame him for an economic meltdown marked by food shortages, riots and looting. The opposition also accuses the deeply unpopular president of trampling on democracy by throwing its leaders in jail and blocking its efforts to remove him constitutionally. Venezuela has been hit hard by the plunge in global prices for its crucial crude oil exports since mid-2014, pummeling the government's socialist economic model. Although not explicitly linked to the country's crisis, Mercosur's move Thursday represented the most significant gesture by a foreign entity against Maduro's leadership since the political crisis deepened this year. - Clash of Latin heavyweights - Tension between Maduro's government and its Mercosur partners were exacerbated with the election of Mauricio Macri as president of Argentina in 2015 and the replacement of Brazil's impeached former president Dilma Rousseff with Michel Temer. Story continues Both right-leaning leaders replaced leftist presidents. And both have attacked Maduro. Macri has accused him of holding "political prisoners," while Temer has condemned the Venezuelan government as "authoritarian." Macri and Temer's arrival marked a turning of the so-called "pink tide" of leftist leaders in Latin America that began in 1999 with the appearance of Maduro's late predecessor and mentor, Hugo Chavez. The region is undergoing a political shake-up as many countries -- including Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela -- struggle with recessions. Mercosur's founding members took over its rotating presidency in September to block Venezuela from the post. But in a surreal turn, Venezuela insists it is still the group's president. Rodriguez said Venezuela "will continue exercising the legitimate presidency (of Mercosur) and will participate with the right to speak and vote in all the meetings as a state party." Argentina takes over the presidency in mid-December, which could give it a platform for further moves against Venezuela. - Political shift - Rodriguez called on the people of the bloc's member countries to oppose what she described as the organization's hijacking by "intolerant bureaucrats" and "compromised officials with imperialist mandates." Maduro has so far shown a steely determination to keep Venezuela in Mercosur whether its partners want it or not. "If they kick us out the door," he has said, "we'll come back in through the window." Beyond political embarrassment, Venezuela's suspension from the group cuts it out of free-trade agreements and will end the privileges its companies and citizens enjoyed in member countries. Mercosur was founded in 1991 to promote economic integration among its members. Venezuela was allowed to join as an act of solidarity among the left-wing governments in power at the time, said political analyst Gabriel Puricelli of Argentina. But it never put in place the laws necessary to comply with Mercosur rules, he told AFP. Now that right-wing governments are coming to power, "the political will has ceased to exist to keep (Venezuela) as a full member of the group despite the fact it is not complying with the norms," he said. (Photo: Getty Images) The world has officially turned upside down: Victoria Beckham went out in public wearing shoes that were not heels. We knowwe cannot believe what we just wrote, but its true. If you dont know the glamour girl like we do, this might not come as a shock to you, especially since she swore off heels earlier this year. I just cant do heels anymore. At least not when Im working, the 41-year-old designer shockingly told The Telegraph in a February interview. I travel a lot. Clothes have to be simple and comfortable. Of course, we didnt believe that would actually happen were not sure the woman knows how to walk in flats and we were right. The star sported a pair of sexy red stilettos on Thursday and a pair of black pumps a few weeks after making that bold statement about not wearing the things. She just cant stay away. So much fun!!!x @unaidsglobal #bornfree @lorenridinger love u x X VB A photo posted by Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) on Dec 1, 2016 at 9:50pm PST High kicks in Cannes X I @Evalongoria Good night Cannes X #Girlsgirl x ???????? VB A photo posted by Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) on May 11, 2016 at 5:15pm PDT But in all honesty, for a woman who sleeps in heels, not doing heels anymore means wearing them only like four times a week. And shes kept to that promise, wearing flip-flops in Kenya and flat gladiator sandals to promote her VBxEsteeLauder collection. Hanging out with teenagers in Kenya.Get tested,know your status,get treatment.NO STIGMA! @unaidsglobal @brooklynbeckham XVB A photo posted by Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) on Oct 8, 2016 at 4:00am PDT Such an amazing week showing #VBSS17 in NYC and launching my #VBxEsteeLauder collection! Thank u X VB A photo posted by Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) on Sep 16, 2016 at 11:10am PDT Its weird to see her in flats, but its even weirder to see her in Birkenstocks. OK, theyre not definitely Birkenstocks, but they look like the crunchy beloved-by-hippy shoes. Beckham attended an Art Basel event in Miami, Fla., yesterday sporting a white button down, jeans rolled up at the ankle and a pair of black strappy Birkenstock-esque sandals. Since the photo is from behind, our first thoughts were, it cant be her, but wed recognize that lob anywhere. Story continues Cheeky! Kisses from Miami X VB A photo posted by Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) on Dec 1, 2016 at 12:09pm PST Of course, her fans are stunned. Omg a picture without heals! You are a real woman!! ???? one follower wrote. Youve changed vicky another noted. I am happy for your feet ;p said another. Youre wearing flats @victoriabeckham !! ???? They just couldnt get over it. surprising ! youre not with the heels :D not high heels! What kind of sandals are those? asked a commenter. Were wondering the same thing. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain are among the most challenged books in U.S. history. (Photo combination: Yahoo News) A school district in Virginia temporarily suspended the use of two classic American novels after a concerned mother complained about the racial slurs in them. The novels in question are To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Scholars hold both books in high regard for their literary merit and the anti-racist themes that were progressive for their respective eras. Nevertheless, both novels have been repeatedly challenged in school libraries over the years for the books frequent use of the N word, which appears 219 times in Huckleberry Finn and 48 times in To Kill a Mockingbird. Both books rank among the most banned and challenged in U.S. history. In the latest case, a parent of a child in Accomack County Public Schools filed a Request for Reconsideration of Learning Resources form challenging the use of both books in the school curriculum after speaking at a school board meeting last month, CBS affiliate WTVR reported Thursday. On Nov. 15, she told the school board that her child is biracial and that hes having trouble reading past one page that has the N word on it seven times. She suggested that the students read other books because assigning Huckleberry Finn, she argued, validates that these words are acceptable. I keep hearing This is a classic, this is a classic. I understand that but at some point I feel the children do not truly get the classic part but there are so much racial slurs in there and offensive wording that you cant get past that, the mother can be heard saying in an audio recording of the meeting. Right now, our nation is divided as it is. I teach my son he is the best of both worlds, and I do not want him to feel otherwise. The superintendent for Accomack County Public Schools did not respond to a request for comment from Yahoo News. Roger Lathbury, a professor of English at George Mason University, said the N word was freely used in many 19th-century books and even in early 20th-century ones. Story continues That the word did not have the same racial charge in the 19th century, when Twain wrote, does not count for the banners, he told Yahoo News on Friday. That partly is understandable, because grade school and high school students usually do not read with a sophisticated historical sense; on the other hand, it is simplistic thinking. Lathbury, who specializes in early American fiction and modern British poetry, pointed out that Huckleberry Finn was banned in Boston and elsewhere when it was first published in the U.S. in 1885 for reasons that had nothing to do with racial slurs. The reason was that Huckleberry Finn was judged to be too low-class for literature, too rough and uncivilized a person for readers to focus on, he said. Of course, that is exactly Twains point to be sivilized is to be on the wrong side of human values but the banners did not redline the book for that reason; they wanted a more acceptable hero, closer to Tom Sawyer. The American Library Association (ALA), a pro-library nonprofit that promotes freedom of expression, says books are usually challenged on the grounds of shielding children from sexual content or offensive language, which was the case in Accomack County. According to the ALAs Library Bill of Rights, librarians and governing bodies should respect that only parents have the right to restrict their own childrens access to library resources. The organization maintains that libraries violate the First Amendment if they censor constitutionally protected speech. Some people have attempted to thread the needle on the controversy. In 2011, professor Alan Gribben sparked widespread controversy when he announced that he would publish expurgated versions of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, another Twain book that uses the N word. In the forward to this edition, Gribben explained that he has given instruction on both books for nearly 40 years and would always recoil from uttering the racial epithet during his lessons. He started to substitute other words for the N word to the students relief and wanted to provide an alternative edition for teachers who felt uncomfortable with the word but did not want to abandon Twains masterpiece altogether. I invariably substituted the word slave for Twains ubiquitous N word whenever I read any passages aloud, he wrote. Students and audience members seemed to prefer this expedient, and I could detect a visible sense of relief each time, as though a nagging problem with the text had been addressed. Indeed, numerous communities currently ban Huckleberry Finn as required reading in public schools owing to its offensive racial language and have quietly moved the title to voluntary reading lists. The reaction was fiercely divided. Many argued that readers cannot fully comprehend the evils of slavery if texts that realistically depict the era are bowdlerized. But Gribben maintained that it is preferable to salvage the text, which is central to the history of American literature, than to have it banned in various public schools. After all, author Ernest Hemingway once famously said, All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since. Dec 2 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp, the world's largest publicly traded oil company, said Tom Walters, president of ExxonMobil Production Co, will retire after 38 years with the company. Neil Duffin, president of ExxonMobil Development Co, has been appointed by the board to replace Walters, the company said on Friday. Liam Mallon, vice president of ExxonMobil Development Co, will assume the role of president of the development company. The news comes a day after media reports that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is considering former ExxonMobil Chief Executive Lee Raymond and current CEO Rex Tillerson as candidates for secretary of state. (Reporting by Ahmed Farhatha in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta) Get your wands ready, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is coming to Broadway in 2018! If the only thing you want for the holidays is a Broadway run of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, then oh Dumbledore, you are in luck. It has just been announced that while still not completely official Harry Potter is getting ready to make the leap from the West End to the Great White Way, and were going to need to accio about a thousand tickets. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is currently enjoying a very good run over in London, but right now, its only in London. Harry Potter mastermind, J.K. Rowling, has been pretty vocal about her desire to bring the play not only stateside, but all around the WORLD, and it looks like this is finally going to start happening. Only downside, it wont happen until 2018. But hey, weve been waiting long enough for more Harry Potter stories as it is, whats the harm in waiting another year? Over the coming year, the play will start moving into the 1,500 seat Lyric Theater in New York City, but this only after the Lyric Theater goes through a complete transformation for the scope and scale of the play. The entire theater will undergo renovations, including the lobby, to fit in with the storytelling aspect of Harry Potter according to the New York Post, who first broke this big news, everything will be done in the style of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. "Harry Potter & The Cursed Child" - Press Preview - Backstage As for how much tickets to this two-part show will cost, thats yet to be determined, but it sounds like the creative team (and Rowling) are really pushing for cheaper tickets, rather than say, Hamilton level prices. According to producer Sonia Friedman, Rowling has been adamant that Harry Potter be accessible to everyone.' These tickets will still probably cost more than a few Galleons and Sickle. So start saving up, and plan to make your way to NYC via flying car or broom, doesnt matter for the 2018 Broadway season. The post Get your wands ready, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is coming to Broadway in 2018! appeared first on HelloGiggles. With the news that Donald Trump will nominate former Marine General James Mad Dog Mattis for secretary of defense, the president-elect seems to be surrounding himself with a powerful cadre of war hawks. Related: Day of the Generals: Trumps Tilt Toward the Military But while Mattis oversaw military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as chief of U.S. Central Command from 2010-1013 and would be the first general to serve as secretary of defense since General George Marshall in 1950, he could also be a moderating influence among those advising Trump about how to confront radical Islam. On the campaign trail and in GOP primary debates, candidate Trump often see-sawed between bellicosity and pulling America back from being the policeman of the world. He denounced the war in Iraq as a big fat mistake and sometimes seemed more in tune with Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders when he talked about keeping the country out of incursions overseas. On the other hand, Trump frequently railed against radical Islam and vowed to eradicate the Islamic State. Positions laid out on the Trump-Pence website include pursuing aggressive joint and coalition military operations to crush and destroy ISIS. Mike Flynn, the former Army lieutenant general selected to be National Security Adviser, has gone considerably further than Trump in describing the threat from jihadists. In the introduction to his book The Field of Fight: How We Can Win the Global War Against Radical Islam and Its Allies (written with Michael Ledeen and released earlier this year), Flynn says he was fired by President Obama as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014 after telling a congressional committee that the country was not as safe as it had been a few years earlier. But the threat he identifies goes beyond a vicious, barbaric enemy. Flynn writes: Were in a world war against a messianic mass movement of evil people, most of them inspired by a totalitarian ideology: Radical Islam. He goes on to say that he doesnt believe all cultures are morally equivalent and thinks the West, and America especially, is more civilized, ethical and moral than the system embraced by al Qaeda and ISIS, who are driven by a systemic vision of how to conquer the world and impose their religious ideology on all of us. Flynn says they must be destroyed. Story continues Flynn isnt the only potential member of the new administration who may be more hawkish than the incoming commander-in chief. K.T. McFarland, a former deputy assistant defense secretary and security analyst who will be Flynns number two, wrote in a column for Fox News last March: Global Islamist jihad is at war with all of Western civilization. President Obama and other Western leaders may not see it as a war, but the other side does Not all the worlds 1.6 billion Muslims are extremists or terrorists. Not by a long shot. But even if just 10 percent of 1 percent are radicalized, thats a staggering 1.6 million people bent on destroying Western civilization and the values we hold dear. Related: Trump Does a U-Turn on How Hed Fight ISIS And neither Steve Bannon, the controversial campaign chief who has been appointed chief White House strategist, nor Mike Pompeo, the congressman from Kansas and member of the House Intelligence Committee who has been chosen to head the CIA, are exactly doves of peace. In remarks to a Vatican conference in 2014 when he was head of Breitbart News, Bannon, a former Naval officer, said: We are in an outright war against jihadist Islamic fascism. And this war is, I think, metastasizing far quicker than governments can handle it. Pompeo, who graduated first in his class at West Point before serving as an Army tank commander and then going on to Harvard Law School, has cautioned against equating Islam and terrorism. But he has the enemy in his sights. In a speech in 2015, Pompeo said: The line is drawn not between faiths but between extremists, and those who accept modernity and those who are barbarians. We should understand that line, and we should never be fearful to walk right up to the line, find those on the other side, and crush them. There is no doubt that Mattis, too, recognizes the threat from al Qaeda, ISIS and radical Islam. He has said: Find the enemy that wants to end this experiment [in American democracy] and kill every one of them until theyre so sick of the killing that they leave us and our freedoms intact. But at the same time, Mattis is known as a cerebral and thoughtful warrior and could rein in any rush to commit ground troops to do battle with ISIS though not everyone agrees that he would be a force for restraint. Related: Iran's Guards Using Trump Victory to Claw Back Power In a column on Nov. 30 before the news about Mattis broke, military historian Andrew Bacevich of Boston University wrote: President Trump is also likely to double down on the use of conventional military force. In that regard, his promise to quickly and decisively bomb the hell out of ISIS offers a hint of what is to come. His appointment of the uber-hawkish Lieutenant General Michael Flynn as his national security adviser and his rumored selection of retired Marine Corps General James (Mad Dog) Mattis as defense secretary suggest that he means what he says. For Mattis, Pompeo and Flynn, the threat from what Mattis calls political Islam isnt just about al Qaeda or ISIS, though. They all seem to think the biggest danger to America is Iran. Like Flynn, Mattis was pushed out by President Obama, but his sin was being too openly critical of the nuclear agreement with Iran. And in an op-ed in July, Pompeo said Washington should walk away from this deal. Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: GOLETA, Calif. Kirk Douglas, Rules Dont Apply star Lily Collins and Don Cheadle turned out to salute Warren Beatty at the Santa Barbara International Film Festivals Kirk Douglas Award celebration of the Hollywood legend Thursday night. The honor, annually presented at a fundraising dinner for the festival, has previously gone to stars like Jane Fonda, Jessica Lange, Forest Whitaker, Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford, Quentin Tarantino, Ed Harris and John Travolta. I learned more and more each day that Warren pushes you beyond what you knew you were capable of, Collins said after reading a series of observations she jotted in her diary while shooting Beattys latest film. He challenges and inspires you beyond your wildest dreams. The 27-year-old rising star thanked Beatty for encouraging her to let go, to be present, and enjoy all the details along the way. If you taught me one thing its that the stories of our lives are made up of endless rewrites and as long as were surrounded by characters we admire, our stories will always be filled with love and inspiration. Cheadle, who presented the honor, kept the crowd in stitches while noting Beattys towering bona fides: the eight films Beatty has produced have earned 53 nominations, while he remains the only person to be twice nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as an actor, writer, director and producer of the same film. Usually when you wear all of those hats, one of them falls off, Cheadle said. But Warren wears them all handsomely. One of those two films that yielded record Oscar numbers for Beatty was Reds, and Cheadle noted the multi-hyphenate could have stopped there and retained all the credibility and mystique of an Orson Welles. The balls it must have taken, Cheadle said. Imagine the pitch meeting: So listen, Im thinking of making a three-hour, 20-minute movie set around the time of the Bolshevik Revolution. Its going to be in English, Russian and German. Our main protagonist is a left-wing journalist enamored with communism, so much so that Diane Keaton is going to fall in love with his idealism more than with him, and were going to release it wide two or three thousand screens in the heart of Ronald Reagans rise in popularity. Its going to take about two-and-a-half million feet of film, a year or two, probably, to edit, and its going to cost three times as much as the original Star Wars to make. So, you guys in? You want to do it? Story continues Cheadle, who starred in Beattys 1998 political satire Bulworth, mentioned that Beatty always has a vision, but he respects the fact that his collaborators have theirs as well. He called Beatty a master of the unconventional, and marveled at how each of his films as a director stands as a singular accomplishment in his filmography, never treading the same water. In lesser hands, Bulworth would have been written off as silly, an old white guy doing hip-hop, Cheadle said. But under Beattys direction, the big laughs are complemented by sharp social commentary, never forced, or worse, didactic. In lesser hands Dick Tracy is just another comic book exploitation, but under Warrens watchful eye it becomes a dazzling primary-color art piece packed with emotion and action and actual real resonance. Cheadle called Beatty our Ted Williams, pointing out his staggering batting average, and remarked that the legend has outshined, outwitted and outlasted all of his contemporaries. He also drew attention to Beattys efforts in the realm of politics. Warren took a year off from one of the highest points in his career to join the McGovern campaign, which was probably an early indicator that big name Hollywood celebrities actually have no effect in persuading the electorate, Cheadle quipped. As a key figure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Cheadle even feigned bewilderment that Beatty has been in this business nearly 60 years and somehow never made a sequel. How is that even possible, he asked. Ive done seven of them. When is Shampoo 2 coming out? Brazilian Blowout.' And while Beatty has been called a playboy, Cheadle said, his 25-year marriage to Annette Bening is enviable and a true accomplishment in Hollywood. Beatty, in receiving the honor, remarked about that as well. Twenty-five years ago I brilliantly convinced the worlds best actress to marry me, Beatty said. I became a devoted husband and father, and I have to say that it has given me the most enthralling years of my life with our four fantastic kids. Beatty noted that Douglas, who sent pre-recorded sentiments and will celebrate his 100th birthday on Dec. 9, was an inspiring influence when he first arrived in Hollywood in 1958. I could see clearly about you the possibilities and the reality of producing and acting in a movie at the same time, he said. Ultimately, the evening provided for Beatty the opportunity to look at his life and career through an uncommon prism. When you look at movies you made a long time ago, it does give a person a unique view of himself to contemplate, he said. But my life remains about movies as an art form, and politics as a life form, and enjoying the access that fame has given me to get to know the people that I wanted to know and the places that I wanted to go and one of those places is Santa Barbara! Who wouldnt want to go to Santa Barbara? Related stories Annette Bening to Be Honored by Casting Society of America Annette Bening, Naomie Harris on Vulnerability in Acting: 'Our Business Is Intimacy' Naomie Harris' Role in 'Moonlight' Was Initially One She Promised She Would Never Play Chance the Rapper made the most of what might be his last chance to rock the White House. The Chicago MC brought a choir along with him to Thursday night's (Dec. 1) 94th annual National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony for a rousing rendition of "Sunday Candy." You could tell he nailed it because not only were President Obama and the First Lady bobbing their heads, but daughter Sasha was singing along with a big smile on her face as Chance warmed the crowd with help from Nico Segal and the Social Experiment. Enjoying their final #WHHolidays tree lighting ceremony @POTUS + @FLOTUS enjoy @chancetherapper's performance of "Sunday Candy." pic.twitter.com/EMwY8mKS9v - errol barnett (@errolbarnett) December 1, 2016 Sasha Obama just lip-synced to Chance the Rapper at the National Christmas Tree Lighting pic.twitter.com/yDlubgAZK9 - GIF The News (@NowThisGIF) December 1, 2016 He got into it for sure. We don't deserve @chancetherapper pic.twitter.com/nmjTIG2hCQ - Billy Viau (@BVfor3) December 2, 2016 And did we mention Pres. Obama sang "Jingle Bells"? if you were having a bad day, here's Obama singing "Jingle Bells" https://t.co/D45Gv5qip1 - Common White Girl (@girlposts) December 2, 2016 The ceremony -- hosted by Eva Longoria -- also featured performances from Kelly Clarkson, the Lumineers, James Taylor, Yolanda Adams, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. Some scenes from their night. Hanging backstage with @BaileeMadison before I perform at the #NCTL2016 at @npspresidentspark today! #FindYourPark pic.twitter.com/2JVocNYSVn - Kelly Clarkson (@kelly_clarkson) December 1, 2016 .@WhiteHouse soundcheck -- pic.twitter.com/CIXi2YRw0y - The Lumineers (@thelumineers) December 1, 2016 Nice to meet you, @chancetherapper #NCTL2016 #FindYourPark pic.twitter.com/Gj5E4tu7wm - The Lumineers (@thelumineers) December 1, 2016 Time to light the #RockCenterXMAS tree with the Queen (looking GORGEOUS)... tonight on @NBC!!! love, g pic.twitter.com/oRscy6gpPF - Garth Brooks (@garthbrooks) November 30, 2016 The musicians all performed holiday songs. The event was taped for broadcast Dec. 5 on Hallmark Channel. The tree is on the Ellipse south of the White House. President Calvin Coolidge started the National Christmas Tree tradition in 1923. The Running Man Challenge may have been a passing fad, but it looks like Ghost Town DJs' "My Boo," the trend's official anthem, is not. Flume recently stopped by Triple J in Australia, and during his guest appearance, he performed "My Boo" for the show's "Like A Version" segment. The DJ and producer updated the classic song with his signature glitchy synth pads and trap-influenced percussion. To make his rendition complete, he brought Vince Staples, Kucka, Vera Blue, and Ngaiire along to perform with him. Staples and Kucka were both guests on Flume's latest album Skin, so it comes as no surprise that he would tap them for the performance. All three of them appeared together on "Smoke & Retribution," one of the album's highlights. Flume and the gang gave a slick performance that included two brand new verses from Staples, who recently debuted his new Beats 1 show. He muses about love and redemption during the cover, rapping directly to a special woman in his life. Kucka, Vera Blue and Ngaiire deliver beautifully layered harmonies on the song's infectious hook, doing the original version justice. Flume and Kucka also performed their collaboration "Never Be Like You" on the show before launching into their memorable cover of "My Boo." Check out their take on "My Boo" above, and watch them perform "Never Be Like You" below. Continue Reading On PigeonsandPlanes More from PigeonsandPlanes Guns N Roses got political at their show in Mexico, inviting fans onstage to bash a Donald Trump pinata. Lets bring up some people and give them a fing stick, frontman Axl Rose said Wednesday during a performance at Mexico Citys Palacio de los Deportes, Billboard reports. Express yourselves however you feel. A video of the incident was first released by TMZ. Hit him in the head! Rose encouraged moments later as a few fans thwacked the arms and legs off the Trump effigy. Many Mexicans have had concerns about Trump, given his harsh criticisms of the country and promises to build a border wall that Mexico would pay for, deport undocumented immigrants and reject trade deals. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto found himself in hot water when he hosted Trump before the election, and the morning after the election, TIMEs Ioan Grillo in Mexico City woke up in a country he said was beset by shock, sadness, anger and fear. Watch the video above. NASA has declared its latest round of fire-in-space experiments a success. On Nov. 21, mission controllers on the ground lit up the Spacecraft Fire Experiment II (Saffire-II) aboard the private, uncrewed Cygnus cargo spacecraft, shortly after the freighter had left the International Space Station (ISS). You can watch some of the space fires burn in this NASA video released after the successful experiment. Saffire-II burned nine different samples, in an effort to gauge the flammability of various materials in a microgravity environment. These 12-by-2-inch (30 by 5 centimeters) samples included silicon of different thicknesses; a cotton-fiberglass blend; plexiglass; and Nomex, a commercially available material that's used in spacecraft on cargo bags and as a fire barrier, NASA officials said. Everything went well during the experiment, they added: All nine samples burned as planned, and the Saffire-II team collected more than 100,000 images. All data had come back down to Earth by Friday (Nov. 25), at which point Saffire-II achieved "complete mission success," NASA officials wrote in an update. A sample of acrylic glass material used in spacecraft windows burns aboard the private Cygnus cargo vessel on Nov. 21, 2016, during NASA's Spacecraft Fire Experiment II (Saffire-II). NASA The three-phase Saffire program investigates how fires spread in space, with the aim of helping engineers design safer crewed vessels down the road. Saffire-I ignited a single, large piece of cotton-fiberglass material aboard a different Cygnus in June, and Saffire-III will set a similarly large-scale fire when its time comes on a future Cygnus mission, NASA officials have said. You can learn more about the Saffire program here: https://www.nasa.gov/saffire The Cygnus that housed Saffire-II arrived at the ISS on Oct. 23, delivering thousands of pounds of supplies and scientific experiments to the astronauts aboard the orbiting lab. The freighter departed the space station on Nov. 21, and then it hung around in orbit long enough for the Saffire-II experiments to take place and to deploy several tiny cubesats. The Cygnus then re-entered Earth's atmosphere on Sunday (Nov. 27), burning up in an intentional death dive. (Cygnus vehicles, which are built by the Virginia-based aerospace company Orbital ATK, are designed to be disposable.) Story continues Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. Editor's Recommendations Wells Fargo & Company WFC announced that it will continue offering individual fee-based retirement accounts to clients. However, the company will make some adjustments to its compliance procedure with the U.S. Department of Labors (DOL) new fiduciary rule, which is expected to come into effect from April next year. Per the rule, all financial advisors are required to act as fiduciaries to their clients while giving investment advice, and managing their clients retirement accounts. The regulation aims to prevent advisors from placing their own interests before their clients to earn high commissions and fees from retirement accounts. Per a memo sent by Wells Fargo, the company is likely to offer such commissions-paying accounts in a way that complies with the rule's "best interest contract exemption." Under this, firms are allowed to offer commissions-paying products, provided they give better disclosure about fees to their clients. Moreover, in the weeks ahead, the bank will provide more information on the specific adjustments it is expected to incorporate, in order to remain under compliance with the DOLs fiduciary rule. After the announcement, Wells Fargo has become the latest firm to adopt the rule. Earlier, banks like JPMorgan Chase & Co. JPM, Bank of America Corporation BAC and Morgan Stanley MS already unveiled their plans to comply with the regulation. While Morgan Stanley will also offer fee-based retirement accounts under the best interest contract exemption, both BofA and JPMorgan will discontinue providing such accounts to its clients. Additionally, after the cross-selling scandal, which has been in the news for quite a long time now, Wells Fargo decided to separate its Chairman and CEO roles. The bank announced that its Board of Directors has approved the amendments in the Companys By-Laws. The amendment, which will be in effect immediately, requires the separation of the Chairman and CEO roles, and also for the Chairman and Vice Chairman to be independent directors. Also, per a legislation introduced by lawmakers recently, customers at Wells Fargo will be allowed to go to the court to settle their claims about cross selling, instead of engaging in private arbitration. This comes as a bad news for the company, which had earlier filed a motion in the U.S. District Court in Utah to instruct customers, who have sued the bank for fraud, breach of contract and invasion of privacy, to settle their disputes in private arbitrations rather than in court. Notably, in the last three months, shares of Wells Fargo gained 7.5%. However, the sales scam along with some other concerns led the company to significantly underperform the Zacks categorized Major Regional Banks industry, which gained 16.5% over the same time period. Story continues Currently, Wells Fargo carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Of the banks mentioned above, Bank of America and Morgan Stanley carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Zacks Best Private Investment Ideas In addition to the recommendations that are available to the public on our website, how would you like to follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time? Our experts cover all kinds of trades from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Starting today, for the next month, you can have unrestricted access. Click here for Zacks' private 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 JPMORGAN CHASE (JPM): Free Stock Analysis Report WELLS FARGO-NEW (WFC): Free Stock Analysis Report BANK OF AMER CP (BAC): Free Stock Analysis Report MORGAN STANLEY (MS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research (Reuters) - Wells Fargo & Co said it would "be pleased" to meet with tribal elders from the Standing Rock Sioux tribe before year-end to discuss the U.S. bank's investment in the Dakota Access Pipeline, the company told the tribe in a letter dated Thursday. A Wells Fargo spokesman confirmed the authenticity of the letter, and pictures of the document appeared on Twitter on Friday. In a statement, a spokesman added that the company has met with the Standing Rock tribe several times, most recently in October. Wells Fargo is one of more than a dozen financial institutions with investments in the pipeline; others include Citigroup Inc and TD Bank [TDUSA.UL]. Activists have protested outside bank headquarters and branches in recent months to try to persuade the company to divest its investment in the line. (Reporting by Timothy Mclaughlin in Chicago; Editing by Matthew Lewis) Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier Those who habitually put items in their recycling bins that don't belong there are the target of the ordinance amendment, not those who make an occasional, accidental mistake, said Public Works Director Jeff Demers. London (AFP) - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has defended the club's handling of Santi Cazorla after it emerged that the midfielder could miss a further three months because of impending ankle surgery. The 31-year-old's Achilles problem had already sidelined the Spain international for nine games. Wenger said last week he hope Cazorla would be back in a fortnight and there was further bad news Friday for the veteran French manager when it was announced that full-back Mathieu Debuchy could be out for six weeks with a "severe" hamstring injury. Asked if he had any regrets over Arsenal's treatment of Cazorla, Wenger replied: "No I don't, because we always liaise with Santi's people and he is treated the way we wanted him to be treated. "It is always very sensitive. Bone inflammation, you never know how long it will last. For me it's very bad news. You always know the date of the surgery but never the date where the player will play again. "I always try to put absolutely everything in place to avoid surgery because it creates anxiety and rehab. When you can avoid it, you have to avoid it. "In this case, unfortunately we have come to that conclusion. Now they tell me that he will be out for two months at least but two months can sometimes be three as well. "What's going wrong is that he has an inflammation at the back of his foot. The anti-inflammatory injections have not got rid of it. The surgeon decided to have an exploratory surgery -- that means open and see what's going on in there." Arsenal, currently three points adrift of Premier League leaders and London rivals Chelsea, do have alternative midfield options in Francis Coquelin, Aaron Ramsey, Mohamed Elneny and Granit Xhaka, with Wenger saying he had no plans to seek a replacement for Cazorla during the January transfer window. Debuchy injured his hamstring just 16 minutes into his comeback, the France international in the XI that beat Bournemouth 3-1 last weekend despite not starting an Arsenal game in over a year. Story continues "It's a severe hamstring injury. Six weeks (out), I think," said Wenger. "Look, it's frustrating for me, but even more for him because he fights very hard. He is a guy who has exceptional attitude and is very serious. "Overall, I think that he is absolutely disappointed, but he is as well a fighter and he will fight to come back," added Wenger ahead of Arsenal's trip across London to West Ham on Saturday. barack obama white house us president The White House's director of communications, Jen Psaki, tweeted on Friday that Obama "is interested in the changing ways people consume info, but he has no plans to get into the media business after he leaves office." Psaki was likely responding to a story posted Friday on Mic.com that "Obama has been discussing a post-presidential career in digital media and is considering launching his own media company." The Mic story, citing multiple anonymous sources, said that Obama met with Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima, Peru last month to discuss his ambitions in the media industry. Psaki's tweet, however, seemed to rule that out. The Obamas recently bought a house in the Kalorama section of Washington, DC and will live there after Donald Trump is inaugurated on January 20. NOW WATCH: Heres the $5.3 million mansion the Obamas will live in after the White House More From Business Insider The Train to Busan actor reveals why he rejected numerous dramas, including DOTS By Pamela Chow for Weekender Singapore; Photos: Courtesy of Oh!K %e2%94%bc%e2%8c%90%e2%96%92%ce%b3%e2%95%91%e2%95%9a__js_3719-%e2%95%91%e2%95%a3%e2%95%97%cf%84 Before shooting to success with Train to Busan, Gong Yoo could have enjoyed Song Joong Kis fame with Descendants of the Sun (DOTS). Thats right Gong Yoo was a top choice of DOTS scriptwriter Kim Eun Sook to play the popular role of Captain Yoo Shi Jin. Also read: 10 Reasons Legend Of The Blue Sea Is Your New DOTS This gleaming nugget was revealed in a press conference for Kims latest production, Goblin, which Gong Yoo finally decided to join after five years of rejecting roles in Kims dramas. In this new modern romantic thriller, Gong Yoo plays Dokkaebi, a goblin, who must learn to work together with the Reaper (Lee Dong Wook) to find a human bride. Weekender finds out more about what made Gong Yoo change his mind. %e2%94%bc%e2%8c%90%e2%96%92%ce%b3%e2%95%91%e2%95%9a__js_6777-%e2%95%91%e2%95%a3%e2%95%97%cf%84 Why did you decline Kims offers for so many years? Writer Kim has been really kind, offering me roles over and over again. The reason I rejected previous offers was not because I feel like I was special, but because I was afraid about shooting a drama. Why were you afraid? Unless it is a pre-made drama, the physical conditions are quite different. I am not putting the blame on the environment, but as an actor, I want to show my performance when I am in my best condition. But when we produce a TV series, we usually do not have enough time, so we always work under the pressure of time limitation. So, I did not want to miss out on things that I could share with the audience because of some of these physical limitations. Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. IDRA is a drug discovery and development company that could be an interesting play for investors. That is because, not only does the stock have decent short-term momentum, but it is seeing solid activity on the earnings estimate revision front as well. These positive earnings estimate revisions suggest that analysts are becoming more optimistic on IDRAs earnings for the coming quarter and year. In fact, consensus estimates have moved sharply higher for both of these time frames over the past four weeks, suggesting that Idera Pharmaceuticals could be a solid choice for investors. Current Quarter Estimates for IDRA In the past 30 days, 3 estimates have gone higher for Idera Pharmaceuticals while none have gone lower in the same time period. The trend has been pretty favorable too, with estimates with estimates narrowing from a loss of 11 cents a share 30 days ago, to a loss of 8 cents today, a move of 27.3%. Current Year Estimates for IDRA Meanwhile, Idera Pharmaceuticalss current year figures are also looking quite promising, with 4 estimates moving higher in the past month, compared to none lower. The consensus estimate trend has also seen a boost for this time frame, narrowing from a loss of 45 cents per share 30 days ago to a loss of 38 cents per share today, an increase of 15.6%. IDERA PHARMACT Price and Consensus IDERA PHARMACT Price and Consensus | IDERA PHARMACT Quote Bottom Line The stock has also started to move higher lately, adding 7.6% over the past four weeks, suggesting that investors are starting to take note of this impressive story. So investors may definitely want to consider this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock to profit in the near future. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Zacks Best Private Investment Ideas While we are happy to share many articles like this on the website, our best recommendations and most in-depth research are not available to the public. Starting today, for the next month, you can follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time. Our experts cover all kinds of trades from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Click here for Zacks' private 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 IDERA PHARMACT (IDRA): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research The private sector has both a moral and commercial interest in harnessing the power of women and girls to grow their business, argued Cherie Blair and Bineta Diop during a panel at the Fortune-TIME Global Forum in Rome. The two women spoke with New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, who has made this a central focus of his books and columns. All three speakers affirmed the principle that focusing on girls education and female economic empowerment is not just a matter of social responsibility but is instrumental in driving growth. Its not just about doing good, argued Diop, Special Envoy for Women, Peace and Security for the African Union. Its also doing the smart things because women have the capacity and knowledge and competence to bring another dimension into the workplace. They pointed to extensive research suggesting that money invested in women, whether in education or in supporting women as entrepreneurs, is highly cost effective: Give a development dollar to a woman and 90 cents of it goes to the good of her family and the community, observed Blair, founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women. So why do most development programs today give to men, which is half as effective? While particularly in very traditional societies there has been backlash against efforts to educate and empower women, Blair noted that men are often very pragmatic: If they see it is going to benefit their life, you will be surprised at how many are glad to take the money, she said. The U.S. Presidential campaign raised the prospect that the backlash is felt in the developed world as well, Blair said. In the U.S., some people clearly felt that they were missing out, that women are emasculating men. Its important, she argued, that no job is treated as being the rightful property of any individual or group. Everybody should have the chance to get a job, she said. Its about skills and talents, not this is a job only for men, and women are taking our jobs. Thats at the CEO level, the boardroom, right down to every level. Diop went a step further: This revolution has to be led by men. We know if men get engaged in this revolution, it will succeed. Without the women I dont think the economy in Africa would be where it is. It should be embedded in your strategy and solutions, not something you just add. It should be in your business model. Value investing is always a very popular strategy, and for good reason. After all, who doesnt want to find stocks that have low PEs, solid outlooks, and decent dividends? Fortunately for investors looking for this combination, we have identified a strong candidate which may be an impressive value; Sanderson Farms, Inc. SAFM. Sanderson Farms in Focus SAFM may be an interesting play thanks to its forward PE of 9.96, its P/S ratio of 0.67, and its decent dividend yield of 1.2%. These factors suggest that Sanderson Farms is a pretty good value pick, as investors have to pay a relatively low level for each dollar of earnings, and that SAFM has decent revenue metrics to back up its earnings. SANDERSON FARMS PE Ratio (TTM) SANDERSON FARMS PE Ratio (TTM) | SANDERSON FARMS Quote But before you think that Sanderson Farms is just a pure value play, it is important to note that it has been seeing solid activity on the earnings estimate front as well. For current year earnings, the consensus has gone up by 4% in the past 60 days, thanks to 1 upward revision in the past two months compared to 1 lower. This estimate strength is actually enough to push SAFM a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), suggesting it is poised to outperform. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. So really, Sanderson Farms is looking great from a number of angles thanks to its PE below 20, a P/S ratio below one, and a strong Zacks Rank, meaning that this company could be a great choice for value investors at this time. Zacks Best Private Investment Ideas While we are happy to share many articles like this on the website, our best recommendations and most in-depth research are not available to the public. Starting today, for the next month, you can follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time. Our experts cover all kinds of trades from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Click here for Zacks' private 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 SANDERSON FARMS (SAFM): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research By Robin Emmott and Andrius Sytas PABRADE, Lithuania (Reuters) - Troops from 11 NATO countries including the United States rehearsed battle skills in a snowy Lithuanian forest on Friday, and the leader of the Baltic state voiced confidence that U.S. commitment to Europe's defense would survive the election of Donald Trump as president. Trump upset U.S. allies during the election campaign by praising Russian President Vladimir Putin, describing NATO as 'obsolete' and questioning whether Washington should protect European allies who did not spend enough on their own defense. But Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite played down those comments as she inspected some of the 4,000 allied troops taking part in an exercise in a pine forest near the border with Belarus, including Canadian snipers, U.S. infantry and German soldiers with missile launchers. "The United States has been the guarantor of peace since the Second World War and we expect that to remain," she said. "Things mentioned in (Trump's) election campaign - we are leaving them in the past." Underlining the point, U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania Anne Hall stressed U.S. commitment to the NATO treaty clause that commits its members to each other's protection. "This is a clear demonstration of NATOs interoperability, its resolve and its commitment to the collective defense. And the U.S. commitment to NATOs Article 5 is iron clad, and this exercise is a good demonstration of that," she said. "WE HAVE TO BE READY" In moves prompted by Russia's annexation of Crimea and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine, NATO is deploying four battalions of up to 1,000 troops each from early next year to defend Poland and the former Soviet Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The deployment was planned months before the election of Trump, who unnerved the central and east Europeans by suggesting the United States should set conditions for defending its allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Moscow says it has no intention of invading the Baltics or Poland and accuses NATO of destabilizing Europe by placing U.S. missile systems in eastern Europe and moving troops closer to Russia's borders. NATO says its response is aimed at creating a "credible deterrent", citing not only the annexation of Crimea but Russia's actions in conducting unannounced snap exercises and placing nuclear-capable missiles in its Kaliningrad region, which borders Lithuania. A German battalion will deploy to Lithuania from February, while British, Canadian and U.S. battalions will go to Estonia, Latvia and Poland respectively. Smaller rotating contingents of U.S. troops have been deployed across the region since Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014. Asked if a Russian attack was possible, Lithuania's Chief of Defence Jonas Zukas told Reuters: "I hope it won't be the case, but who knows? We have to be ready every day." "SENSE OF PURPOSE" Just 15 km (9.3 miles) from Lithuania's frontier with Russian ally Belarus, NATO soldiers in green camouflage and face paint set off simulated explosions and fired automatic weapons to retake a mock village from an unidentified enemy, ending the last major exercises before next year's deployments. No officials mentioned Russia by name during speeches to the visiting Lithuania president. But U.S. soldiers said training so near to NATO's eastern limits made any perceived threat more real, especially as some had never exercised in snow conditions. "It provides a sense of purpose, having a mission," said U.S. Lieutenant Colonel Michael Kloepper. NATO commanders concede next year's 4,000-strong force in the Baltics and Poland is no match for Russia, which NATO believes has amassed 330,000 troops near Moscow. Russia's anti-ship and anti-missile systems in Kaliningrad already represent a major challenge for NATO planners, while Baltic nations also want stronger air defense systems. "Every day we need more, and every day we will have more," Grybauskaite said. German Brigadier General Michael Podzus said the goal was not to outgun Russia but to form a functioning multinational force and show that an attack against one is an attack against all, underscoring NATO's founding principle which Trump called into question during his campaign. "You might be right that a battlegroup will not be able to fight against an army. That's not the point," Podzus said. "If an aggressor chose to attack this country, he would have to deal with other countries as well. That may drive the aggressor to rethink his intent." (Writing by Robin Emmott; Editing by Mark Trevelyan) Photo credit: David McNewundefined From Esquire (Permanent Musical Accompaniment To This Post) Being our semi-regular weekly survey of what's goin' down in the several states where, as you know, the real work of governmentin' gets done, and where they sing "Amazing Grace" all the way to the Swiss Banks. One of our favorite subjects in our weekly tour is water-whose is it, where can we find it, and can you light it on fire. So we begin this week in Michigan, where Flint's water is still the chemistry set over which people around the country were so upset once, and where a court's ruling that the state deliver bottled water to residents now is opposed not only by the state but also by the city government of Flint. Meanwhile, in Ann Arbor, there's a rising problem with a toxic bloom in the groundwater, the legacy of years of chemical contamination. Per The Detroit Free Press: The groundwater plume, more than 4 miles long and a mile wide, comes from the former Gelman Sciences medical filter manufacturing plant at 600 Wagner Road in Washtenaw County's Scio Township. It contains 1,4-dioxane, a synthetic industrial chemical "likely to be carcinogenic to humans" through contact, inhalation or ingestion, according to the EPA. Gelman, from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, disposed of dioxane in lagoons on its property, even using a sprinkler system at one point to spray it onto the ground. The company was purchased by New York-based Pall Life Sciences Inc. in 1997, which shut down manufacturing at the site in 2007. Pall was since acquired by Danaher Corp. last year. Many in the community are concerned about whether the DEQ is requiring enough of the company in the cleanup and containment of the plume as ordered under a Washtenaw County Circuit Court consent judgment amended multiple times since 1992. The folks in the contaminated area want to remove jurisdiction over the tainted water from the now legendary Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and hand it over to the EPA as a SuperFund site. Sometimes, there's just no pleasing people. Story continues DEQ spokesman Michael Shore responded to Free Press inquiries with a statement, saying the department was working with Pall/Danaher to achieve voluntary compliance with the state's "new and significantly stricter standard." The appeal by local townships to have the site declared a Superfund "is a separate action that may or may not bring the sought-for results," Shore stated. "Both are aimed to address the issue, and time will tell which approach works better and faster to resolve the concerns of all involved." The groundwater pollution, and lack of control of it, is on more local residents' minds than ever before - particularly after the Flint water crisis, Moran said. "Enforcement has certainly been lacking," he said. "Currently, the company is pumping somewhere in the neighborhood of a third of the water that it was pumping and treating in years past. Discussions between DEQ and the company are not something we are a part of. "It was only recently that the DEQ was telling us there was no urgency because nobody is drinking the water," having been switched from residential wells to the city system. "Now we know that's not true. They don't know the extent of the plume, and we identified a family who have been drinking affected well water for a number of years." While folks in Ann Arbor and Flint are looking at their taps the way that you look at a cobra in your shoe, the state's clean water is being mined like diamonds. Also, per the Free Press: Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation sued Nestle in 2001 over the potential damage to lakes, rivers and streams that its bottled water plant's groundwater withdrawals would cause. After years of court battles, the two sides reached a settlement agreement in 2009, reducing Nestle's siphoning to 218 gallons per minute from 400, with additional restrictions on spring and summer withdrawals. The litigation cost the nonprofit more than $1 million, which was covered by supporters. Now, the proposed permit from the DEQ would take the bottled-water plant's groundwater withdrawals back up to the level that prompted the lawsuit, though the suit involved four other, Nestle-owned wells nearby in Mecosta County, where water withdrawals remain at 218 gallons per minute on average. "I'm not sure if there is a reasonable amount of water that should be allowed to be taken from an aquifer," said Jeff Ostahowski, vice president of the nonprofit Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation. "But 400 gallons per minute seems more than a bit too much." Optics, people. Doesn't anyone remember optics? [contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Story" customtitles="The%20Nation's%20Poisonous%20Water%20Problem" customimages="" content="article.45451"] As we leave Michigano, wait, what's this over here? My god, it's full of frauds! Lay it on us, Grand Haven Tribune. Hall was charged with election law fraud after forging signatures on petitions in a 2012 effort to get judicial candidate Chris Houghtaling on the ballot. Local courts initially agreed with Hall's position that the case should be tried as a misdemeanor, based on a statement printed on the petitions, but the Attorney General's Office appealed the case through the court system until the Michigan Supreme Court made the decision. That's why it took so long for the case to come to trial. Hall was formally charged with the felonies again in August. The case was eventually set for this week's trial after he pleaded not guilty to the charges. At one point, during the years of appeals, both the defense and the Attorney General's Office agreed to a list of stipulated facts. Those facts included the following: that Hall was helping Houghtaling get signatures on petitions for a May 1, 2012, filing deadline; that Hall and a friend, Zachary Savage, filled in the petitions using different colored pens and different hands; that Houghtaling drove Hall and Savage to Lansing while they continued to fill in the signatures; and that Hall copied numerous names from a 2010 petition. Alas for Mr. Hall, it looks like he might be busy elsewhere on Inauguration Day. Hall has stayed busy the past few years working on various political campaigns across the country and most recently ran for the state House 89th District seat, but he was defeated in the Republican primary in August. He also worked on President-elect Donald Trump's campaign. "Donald Trump has made claim after claim calling the integrity of the election into question, but his Michigan campaign had no problem hiring a staff member facing election law charges," Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan, said following Hall's conviction on Wednesday. "The fact that the Trump campaign and the Michigan Republican Party embraced Brandon Hall is just one more reason to recount and audit the vote in Michigan." Let's slip over the border before our chortling gives us away. And we find ourselves in South Carolina, the home office of American sedition, where there's a serious fight going on over pipelines. Two years ago, a hiker in the woods near Belton spotted a great deal of dead vegetation and the reek of gasoline. On Wednesday, a committee of the state legislature heard testimony concerning legislation designed to tighten the state's regulations on pipelines. From The State: The study committee that held Wednesday's session is examining whether to recommend tightening state law, a response to Kinder Morgan's plan last year for a $1 billion oil pipe through South Carolina and Georgia. Among the complaints, which were not disputed by government regulators: Oil pipeline companies, despite assurances that sophisticated leak detection systems work, continue to leak petroleum into the environment of South Carolina and other states; the state's environmental department has limited authority to oversee operating petroleum pipelines; oil pipeline companies don't go through rigorous siting requirements before they lay new lines; oil pipeline companies, unlike natural gas pipe corporations, can seize people's land with limited state and federal review. The ability of a private oil pipeline company to condemn land for a new project is a particular sore spot with property rights advocates, forest companies, environmentalists and some state legislators. During testimony Wednesday, they questioned why for-profit oil companies have the right to condemn land without showing a public need. Pipeline companies say they prefer not to condemn land. The latter complaint follows the brilliant strategy first forged by Jane Kleeb and Bold Nebraska in their fight to stop the Keystone XL pipeline. The abuse of the state's powers of eminent domain in the service of corporate power has proven to be a formidable rallying point for pipeline opponents on both sides of the conventional political aisle. Conservatives don't like the misuse of eminent domain any more than liberals like tar sands. This kind of alliance has caught the extraction industries wrong-footed in a number of different places and now, lo and behold, it's in South Carolina. [contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related%20Story" customtitles="Here's%20a%20Lump%20of%20Coal%20from%20President-Elect%20Trump" customimages="" content="article.51073"] You want a message that Democratic politicians can bring to those places where they rarely win? This is one of them, as is an overall demand for environmental justice. You can school folks on climate change at their leisure, but every farmer, and all the small businessmen whose livelihoods depend on the farmers, can understand dead land and poisoned water. Start small and build. And line up with the water protectors in North Dakota, because Jack Dalrymple, the governor of that newly created petro-state, is pulling the old Grover Cleveland to, you'll pardon the expression, carry water for the people building the Dakota access pipeline, who are themselves pulling the old George Pullman. From The Bismarck Tribune: Col. John Henderson, Omaha District Commander, said he is clarifying a message sent Friday to Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Chairman Dave Archambault that the Oceti Sakowin protest camp would be closed to the public after Dec. 5 and anyone remaining after that date would be subject to possible trespass charges. Henderson says, while there are no plans for a forcible removal of the estimated 5,000 people occupying the protest camp, people who stay do so at their own risk, subject to enforcement under federal, state or local laws. The corps is encouraging people in the large encampment to move from corps' land on the north side of the Cannonball River to a "free speech zone" on the south side of the river inside the reservation boundary, reachable by emergency and other services. The transition is necessary to protect the public from dangerous confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement, according to Henderson. There are a number of ways this can end. The safest way is probably the oncoming winter. And we conclude, as is our custom, in the great state of Oklahoma, where Official Blog Bell Jingler Friedman of the Plains brings us the startling news that the deer have begun to get their own back. Tulsa World, bring us the 411. He killed deer for his freezer in the woods of Wisconsin and in Nebraska both years, but on Oct. 26, 2015, and on the same day in 2016 he also killed deer (and wrecked his truck) on the highway while traveling to and from his hunting destination. He hit the first buck in Wisconsin, but the second wreck was at 2 a.m. on U.S. 412 right outside Sand Springs - and it may spell the end for his 2010 Dodge 2500 diesel pickup. "It's going to be at least $10,000," he said. "I'm waiting on the full amount. It might be so much it's totaled." Robert is not alone, as Farmers Insurance Seasonal Smarts Digest reported that animal collisions account for 39 percent of all comprehensive insurance claims filed in Oklahoma during the fall. That's a 67 percent increase over the summer months. Nationally the number was 36 percent, a figure that was 2 percent higher for 2015 over 2014. Crafty old ruminants. And it's working. Hunter success is down about 8.5 percent from last year at this time, and that can be an indicator of deer activity, he said. Bartholomew explained that even though the weather has been warm, deer still put on a heavier winter coat. With higher than normal daytime temperatures, the deer, until the past few days, have been most active in the middle of the night to avoid the heat, he said. However, as the peak of the rut draws near, hormones take over and more deer become involved in "chasing" behavior. A doe in retreat or a buck on the chase may pay little attention to anything but one another - including speeding vehicles. "Leading up to the rut, they're more active at all times of the day," Bartholomew said. The same can be said of various dance halls along Highway 169. So drive safely. Somewhere out there, there's a four-point buck with your name on it, cowboy. This is your democracy, America. Cherish it. Click here to respond to this post on the official Esquire Politics Facebook page. You Might Also Like Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fstory%2fthumbnail%2f29732%2f1e759fd17cba4159929a8a3654095c7a This week has shown a trend of Americans trumping hate with love in the form of rainbow flags. Mike Pence's D.C. neighbors' have been hanging rainbow flags on their houses to protest his homophobic views, and about 20 residents of a Michigan neighborhood hung pride flags after a neighbor expressed distaste for them. Lexi Magnusson, 34, is following suit but with a luminescent twist. After her neighbor in the Seattle area expressed anti-LGBTQ opinions, Magnusson covered her own lawn in 10,000 rainbow Christmas lights. SEE ALSO: Mike Pence's neighbors are calling him out with rainbow flags "Our new neighbors are bigots. Since regular aggression leads to assault charges, I went with passive aggression. 10,000 lights later," she captioned the photo on Reddit. Image: missroseycrotch/reddit "We had a new neighbor stop by our house to eagerly meet us. She's Mormon, and heard that we were, too. My guess is that she thought we were still believers, even though my husband told her we no longer attend," Magnusson wrote to Mashable. "I imagine she thought we still held the same belief about LGBT issues as the Church does. We absolutely do not. It's why I left the Mormon church." Magnusson then explained to Mashable the ways in which her neighbor expressed anti-LGBTQ views. Even though Magnusson's instinct was to respond to her neighbor with anger, she forced herself to take a calmer approach. While Magnusson's Reddit post jokes about her hanging the lights as an act of passive aggression, she explained that it is more than that. "It wasn't just a passive aggressive middle finger at my neighbor, I wanted it something more to show my solidarity and belief than just the Human Rights Campaign stickers on our cars," she said. "I've worked in the background to support LGBT causes and have been very vocal on Facebook but in real life it's still really hard for me. It's probably the wimpy way to go, but it's not nothing." Story continues The lights are pretty impressive in themselves. She decorated them with old Christmas lights she had laying around, and she spray painted some white ones yellow and orange to fully achieve the rainbow effect. And there are more rainbow lights to come. "I haven't finished the roofline because my husband has been out of town and he doesn't love when I go climbing around on the roof by myself," Magnusson said. Hopefully passive aggression can also lend a hand in trumping hate. BONUS: Time-lapse shows huge rainbow flag being unfurled at Mexico City's Pride parade From LennyLetter We are thrilled to bring you the second season of Women of the Hour, Lena's podcast, now available on iTunes and Soundcloud with new episodes every Thursday. Here's a taste of our first three shows! On our first episode of Women of the Hour, we discuss feeling trapped in all kinds of ways. Lena shares a time she felt stuck in a bad relationship, while Kim Dadou tells us about finding love in prison. Ashley Ford speaks with Lena about her relationship with her father, who has been incarcerated for all of Ashley's life and is due to be released this winter. Journalist Laura Ling describes her favorite indulgences upon her release from captivity in North Korea, and twin sisters Anastasia and Alba Somaza provide insight into life as quadriplegics. On the lighter side, we hear from humorist Patricia Marx about how she can't seem to stop getting stuck in elevators. Listen here. Next, we explore faith and spirituality. Lena kicks things off with a tale of one bad psychic who once charged her $300 for a curse-breaking tea bag. She also interviews Terry Iacuzzo, another psychic of hers who is a lot less fraudulent and a lot more charming. Comedian Elna Baker talks about sex, Mormonism, and her very unconventional first encounter with a penis, and Eliana Sagarin tells how she, the daughter of a rabbi, wound up as the model for naked Jesus in a figure-drawing class. We meet a group of young praise dancers and their parents, and blogger Nadia Hadid shares her top tips for dating while Muslim. Listen here. Our latest episode talks about solitude and loneliness. We start out of this world (literally!) as we hear from astronaut Kate Rubins aboard the ISS about how she managed to stay connected to life on Earth while in orbit. Lena shares some truly bleak letters she wrote as a child from camp to her therapist, and Lenny's Dianca Potts recounts her surreal time as the only black historical reenactor in Old Salem, Massachusetts. We also hear from the "Great Eight," a group of black PhD candidates from Indiana University who formed a community of friendship and support in the face of racial isolation. Julie Metz closes us out with a story about the loneliness she experienced after her husband's death at 44 - a loneliness that grew more complicated after he began to haunt her house. Listen here. To subscribe to Women of the Hour, visit iTunes or stream it from your desktop. Be sure to tune in later on this season as we explore topics ranging from aging to reproductive rights to cats (yes!), and to hear from Allison Williams, Janet Mock, Megan Mullally, and many, many more! -Liz Watson, producer for Women of the Hour [Photo: Pexels] At their very best, offices are warm, quiet places to work but at their worst freezing, noisy and incredibly distracting. Which is why it may not come as a surprise that if we could all work in cafes, wed actually be more productive according to a study. Yes, cafes are technically often more noisy with that background noise of the coffee machine and people chatting but rather than a hindrance, its this extra noise that helps us to be more productive. Because think about it: Whats more distracting, two colleagues having a conversation you can hear clearly, or the sound of several conversations that you cant make out individually? [Photo: Pexels] Japanese researchers asked volunteers to do something simple on a computer once with meaningless noise in the background, and again with audible, clear conversations. According to The Telegraph, their brains were also monitored to see if they were processing the noises or ignoring them. The study found that specific noises like meaningful conversation or music caused more annoyance than meaningless noises, and had the participants struggling to perform on tasks more. Dr Takahiro Tamesue of Yamaguchi University Japan said: Surrounding conversations often disturb the business operations conducted in such open offices. [Photo: Pexels] Because it is difficult to soundproof an open office, a way to mask meaningful speech with some other sound would be of great benefit for achieving a comfortable sound environment. He added: The experiments suggest that when designing sound environments in spaces used for cognitive tasks such as the workplace or schools it is appropriate to consider not only the sound level, but also meaningfulness of the noise that is likely to be present. Great news for freelancers. But for the rest of us, we can but dream. Do you think its easier to work in a cafe than an office? Tweet us at @YahooStyleUK. Sleep deprived? You may eat an extra 385 calories today because of this This yoga loving pilot is giving us all the #travelgoals The U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan says that the country, which has been in a state of civil war for the duration of its three-year existence, is now on the brink of catastrophe. In a statement released on Dec. 1, the group said that following a visit in late November, it had observed the stage being set for a repeat of what happened in Rwanda in 1994 when 800,000 people were killed in a three-month period. There is already a steady process of ethnic cleansing under way in several areas of South Sudan using starvation, gang rape and the burning of villages, said Yasmin Sooka, the chairperson of the three-person commission. Everywhere we went across this country we heard villagers saying they are ready to shed blood to get their land back, said Sooka. Other disturbing indicators included an increase in hate speech, a deepening divide between the countrys 64 tribes, and a crackdown on media. The report said a picture had emerged showing the presence of armed groups, displacement based on ethnicity, torching of houses, food insecurity and denial of freedom of movement. Corpses reportedly lie scattered along main roads, the threat of starvation looms daily, and a mass exodus of people fleeing the country continues. An estimated 2.2 million people have fled South Sudan in the past 36 months, reports the BBC. Sooka said the international community was under an obligation to prevent genocide. This post and its headline originally misattributed the report to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refuges. The report was completed by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan. The post has been corrected. Getty Image WWE has been adding some international names to their NXT and Performance Center rosters over the past year, and recently held a big European tryout in Glasgow. While they are of course attempting to fortify NXT with future call-ups in mind, and are preparing for events like their upcoming womens tournament, it appears theyre willing to lock up European talent to not wrestle for them, as well. In the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required), Dave Meltzer reports that a UK promotional war is brewing, and WWE is trying to ensure they get a leg up on the competition. WWEs programming in the UK currently airs on Sky Sports, which is a subscription/premium cable channel. Meanwhile, ITV the No. 2 network in the UK has taped a pilot for a revival of World of Sport, which was a program synonymous with British wrestling for 20 years, from 1965 until 1985. Related Links: While World of Sport has not been picked up, any wrestling airing on ITV will likely reach a much more massive audience than WWE pulls in in the UK from week to week. Since they dont want to lose a hold on their claim to the dominant wrestling company in the UK, Meltzer reports that WWE has begun offering very unorthodox contracts to a number of British wrestlers, in hopes they can keep talent away from ITV and World of Sport. ITV has sent out amendments to their wrestlers contracts that dont allow them to appear on shows on major networks (although they are still allowed to work non-televised independent dates), and WWE is responding in kind. WWE at the same time is starting to offer unique contracts to the key U.K. wrestlers who are marketable or have some name value that dont already have deals. The deals were described as different from anything theyve done in the past. These are not main roster deals, nor developmental deals. Those in the U.K., and for that matter even some in WWE who are friends with talent that have been offered the deals, have termed then competition-killer deals. They are low dollar guarantees, the talent would stay in the U.K. and be allowed to continue to work indies, but now would have a small cushion. The key would be in locking the talent down to where they cant go to the ITV promotion, but would also not be allowed to appear for promotions like WCPW (a group that spends big money for foreign talent and does its own Internet weekly television show and iPPV shows), or with promotions that have streaming services. The contracts would give WWE the right to approve or not approve of their indie dates. Story continues While he doesnt offer any specific names, Meltzer says WWE is casting a wide net with these deals, offering them both to fairly well known names, as well as complete unknowns. In addition, just about everyone that attended the Glasgow tryouts has been offered one of these deals, regardless of whether WWE was actually interested in signing them to contracts. It appears these new contracts might become the source of some divisiveness among wrestlers, as the transparency of their nature is leading some to derisively refer to them as mark deals and encouraging others not to sign. At the ICW show in Glasgow, the WWE contracts were major talk, and the peer group pressure was to not sign with people calling them mark deals, with the idea that They dont want you, they just dont want anyone else to have you. The World of Sport vs. WWE battle will be a close one to monitor, and well have to see whether this ever leads to any further influx of Banjul (Gambia) (AFP) - Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, who was defeated in this week's poll, seized power in a 1994 coup and clung to office for 22 years with a blend of severity, mysticism and iron-clad self-belief. "No matter what people say about me, I am not moved... I don't listen to anybody because I know what is important," he said as he sought a fifth consecutive term at the helm of the small west African nation. Governing, he said, "is between me and God Almighty." A deeply devout Muslim, Jammeh was born in the western village of Kanilai in 1965, the year that The Gambia, a long east-west sliver of land bordered by Senegal, gained independence from Britain. His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Doctor Yahya Abdul-Azziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh Naasiru Deen joined the army in 1984 -- his military title is the only one he has lost. Ten years later, Jammeh mounted a coup with fellow army officers against Dawda Jawara, who had ruled the country since independence, pledging to root out corruption and hold elections. After giving up his rank of colonel to allow him to contest elections as a civilian, Jammeh swept the vote in 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011, following a 2002 constitutional amendment removing presidential term limits. - Rights abuses - Now 51, Jammeh has attracted worldwide attention for declaring The Gambia an Islamic nation, withdrawing the country from the International Criminal Court, and claiming he had concocted a herbal cure for HIV/AIDS. The longtime ruler has woven a shroud of mysticism around himself using religion and rumours of secret powers. Never seen without his Koran, sceptre and prayer beads, Jammeh's billowing white robes are rumoured to hide a bulletproof vest, the legacy of several coup attempts by his own guards. In the last few years, a crackdown on journalists, opposition figures and anyone deemed disloyal within the ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), has intensified. Story continues He has promised to bury critics "nine feet deep" and told the UN Secretary-General to "go to hell" after Ban Ki-moon called for an investigation into an activist's death in custody. But in another moment he urged his supporters to restrain themselves from violence and allow this week's election to go ahead peacefully. Rights groups allege that those who defy him end up in the country's notorious Mile Two prison, where the UN in 2014 said it had obtained evidence of torture and executions by the country's National Intelligence Agency, which reports directly to Jammeh. This was supplemented by "interference with the independence of the judiciary, denial of due process, prolonged pretrial and incommunicado detention," Special Rapporteur Christof Heyns said. "The security forces are his tools, and he uses them to control Gambia by arresting people who don't share his views," a prominent opposition figure told Human Rights Watch. - Isolated - Gambia's diplomatic relations have also been precarious of late. In December 2014, the EU cut off 13 million of funding, and threatened to block another 150 million in response to the country's poor human rights record. International criticism followed the introduction of an "aggravated homosexuality" law in October 2014 that imposed life sentences for a series of new offences. And the presidential vote this week was carried out without the presence of EU and ECOWAS observers. Relations with neighbouring Senegal too are at an all-time low. A huge increase on customs fees for trucks entering Gambian territory was put into place without warning in February, cutting the country off from vital supplies for months. One Banjul-based diplomat told AFP that the blockade, the effects of a 2013 drought, and tourist fears of Ebola in a country that relies on sunseekers for up to 20 percent of its GDP, had made economic conditions unbearable for many Gambians. Jammeh controls several businesses in the country and has in the past seized them without warning, discouraging foreign investment. The state of the economy has pushed many young Gambians to take the "Back Way", or migrant route across the Sahara to Libya, where they board boats bound for Italy. But others remain grateful for investment in education and the health system, which were severely neglected under his predecessor. "He has totally changed the life of the Gambian people," said Yankuba Colley, a key Jammeh campaign organiser. "The future of The Gambia lies in his hands." NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two members of New York City's council are calling on President-elect Donald Trump to provide federal funds to reimburse the city for the $1 million-a-day cost of protecting him and his family in their home in Trump Tower on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue. In an online petition launched on Friday, Speaker of the New York City Council Melissa Mark Viverito and council member Dan Garodnick said the cost of the Trump's security should be borne by the federal government, not by the city. "We ask you to commit the necessary federal funds to reimburse New York for all costs of protecting you and your family, both before and after your inauguration as president of the United States of America," it said. A representative for the New York City Council said it had not received any response from Trump's team about the petition, which had more than 500 supporters on Friday. Since Trump's surprise victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 election, New York City police have increased protection for the president-elect and his family at their Midtown home. Police have set up barriers and security details at the luxury skyscraper, which has been the headquarters for his transition team as he prepares for his inauguration on Jan. 20. City officials have estimated the security cost at more than $1 million a day, which would total over $1 billion during his four-year term as president, according to the petition. Trump has said that his wife and son will remain in New York after the inauguration so 10-year-old Barron can finish school. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has also remarked about the costs of protection Trump and his family. "We are particularly concerned about overtime costs, and we think it's a very valid situation to turn to the federal government for the maximum possible reimbursement for those costs," he told reporters last month. The petition said New York City's budget is already stretched by providing police, sanitation and education for city residents, all of which would suffer if funds were diverted to protecting Trump. "Donald Trump's protection is creating a huge headache for everyone in Midtown, and must not come at the expense of New York City taxpayers," Garodnick said in a statement. "We are not going to compromise the security of the president-elect, but the feds need to step in and pick up the tab." (Reporting by Patricia Reaney; Editing by Scott Malone and Steve Orlofsky) For Immediate Release Chicago, IL December 02, 2016 Today, Zacks Equity Research discusses the Medical Devices, Part 1, including Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ Free Report),Medtronic (NYSE:MDT Free Report),Zimmer Biomet (NYSE:ZBH Free Report) and Roche (OTCMKTS:RHHBY Free Report). Industry: Medical Devices, Part 1 Link: https://www.zacks.com/commentary/97124/medtech-industry-stock-outlook---december-2016 Fate of U.S. Healthcare: Trump Policies to Replace Obamacare The United States is clearly divided into we need and dont need when it comes to existing healthcare policy. Currently we envision the change not just a makeover, but a high chance of full retraction and replacement of Obamacare. And most economists believe that the transition is not going to be an easy one. Why a Strong No to Obamacare? A number of times during his presidential campaign, Donald Trump labeled Affordable Care Act (ACA) as a disaster which requires immediate, less-expensive replacement. According to him, Obamacare is replete with special interest handouts, budget gimmicks and tax increases, all leading to higher premiums and deductibles with reduced access to care. In particular, he talked about the adversities of the Medicaid expansion plan and the two highly controversial taxes the Cadillac plan and the temporarily repealed medical-device tax. Replacement Outlined by the Republicans at a Glance The President-elect recently released a sketch of his healthcare offers which highlight a patient-centric healthcare system endorsing choice, quality and affordability with health insurance and healthcare. According to him, the new policy aims at taking necessary actions to alleviate the burdens imposed on American families and businesses by the law. He also talked about Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), a tax-exempt account in which anyone can deposit funds on ones behalf, and about his plan to once again return the role of regulating health insurance to the States. According to the plan, the States, with maximized flexibility in administering Medicaid, can go for innovative methods to deliver healthcare to low-income citizens. Also, the plan aims to modernize Medicare to better cope with the pressure of the imminent retirement of the Baby Boom generation. Story continues What the Nation Is Thinking We await a detailed Trump action plan and are not yet clear on how Obamacare, which has extended health insurance to 21 million Americans, can totally be substituted. Dont forget, this was the plan that drove the rate of the uninsured to an historic low. According to a survey released by the Pew Research Center, 54% of Americans disapprove of the 2010 ACA while 44% favor it. However, US News reported that though more Americans say they oppose the law than support it, data also show that people find certain provisions of the law favorable, including mandating coverage to those with pre-existing conditions and allowing children to stay on a parent's plan until age 26. MedTech Is Hopeful The Republican win marked a great victory for the entire medical device industry as the likelihood of a permanent repeal of the 2.3% medical device excise tax will come as a big bonus for both the behemoths and the small players. According to medical device trade association AdvaMed, the entire MedTech fraternity is looking forward to the new policymakers who are expected be work toward improving the FDA regulatory process, repealing the medical device tax, and ensuring that the coverage process allows patient access to the latest innovations. According to the MedTech community, the repeal of this dreadful tax, commonly referred to as fund of the ACA will directly address issues like lack of opportunity in research and development, innovation, pipeline development and in making investments needed to accelerate patient and provider access to innovative health care products. This will also help in boosting job creation and quality of patient care, enabling the companies to strengthen their position to cope with any new situation that they can after this two-year period. MedTech Trend at a Glance Let us now keep aside the political game change and its consequences and see whats there in it for MedTech investors to gain from. While this sector is generally not in the limelight from an investment perspective, what makes it a compelling choice in this extremely volatile global market is its fundamental defensive nature. Products of this sector are mostly essential and hence less sensitive to business cycle fluctuations. A recent EvaluateMedTech World Preview claims that the MedTech space is positioned for impressive growth in the near term. Worldwide, Medtech sales are expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% to $529.8 billion by 2022. Steering ahead of Cardiology and Diagnostics, In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) is expected to emerge as the sector leader in 2022 (13.4% of the industrys total sales). Neurology, meanwhile, holds promise as the fastest growing division by 2022 (CAGR of 7.6%). On the other hand, Orthopedics, which is already going downhill, may prove to be one of the slowest growing segments in 2022 with a CAGR of 3.8% per year. While Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ Free Report) was the largest device maker of 2014, the picture altered last year following Medtronics (NYSE:MDT Free Report) $50 billion acquisition of Covidien. Medtronic is expected to retain this position in 2022 with a revenue forecast of $39.9 billion. While Medtronic enjoys a competitive edge with its huge and growing Cardiac and Vascular portfolio, J&Js forte lies in the orthopedic space (24.1% of market share in 2022). However Zimmer Biomet (NYSE:ZBH Free Report) is fast catching up to be the second lead in the orthopedic market with 20.6% share by 2022. Roche (OTCMKTS:RHHBY Free Report), as usual, is expected to remain the leading player in the IVD market in 2022, too. Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has nearly tripled the market from 1988 through 2015. Its average gain has been a stellar +26% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>. Get the full Report on JNJ - FREE Get the full Report on MDT - FREE Get the full Report on ZBH - FREE Get the full Report on RHHBY - FREE Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zacksresearch Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates. Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 support@zacks.com https://www.zacks.com/ Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report JOHNSON & JOHNS (JNJ): Free Stock Analysis Report MEDTRONIC (MDT): Free Stock Analysis Report ZIMMER BIOMET (ZBH): Free Stock Analysis Report ROCHE HLDG LTD (RHHBY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Photo credit: Facebook/Gardner Police Department From Good Housekeeping Mountain lion sightings in Kansas are few and far between, according to local news station KTLA 5. But the Gardner Police Department spotted something even stranger when they set up two cameras to catch a reported cougar in action. When officers reviewed the footage from November 21 to 28, the "wildlife" didn't include any big cats at all. Instead, they saw coyotes, raccoons and skunks, plus a few gorillas, a werewolf and even Santa. Just check out the photo evidence for yourself. First a masked women in heels wanders by: Then two gorillas start a fight: This guy is straight out of a horror movie: The bogeyman is alive and well in Kansas: Grandma decided to take a midnight stroll (with a knife?!): And let's not forget December's biggest celebrity, Mr. Claus: While the average person might be terrified by these creepy nighttime shenanigans, the Gardner Police Department took it in stride. They posted the photos to their Facebook page on Monday, saying that while they were "glad to report" they did not see a mountain lion, they "now have another different concern." "We would like to sincerely thank the persons responsible as it made our day when we pulled up what we expected to be hundreds of pictures of coyotes, foxes and raccoons," the caption says. "Your effort and sense of humor are greatly appreciated." Gardner Police Lieutenant Lee Krout reiterated they really did love the surprise in an interview with KSHB. "Even if they weren't looking to make us laugh, they were looking to make somebody laugh and that's why we wanted to put it out there," he said. While the pranksters haven't come forward yet, the photos have now been shared thousands of times as the internet tries to figure out what the heck is going on. Whoever the characters are, they certainly have a lot of time (and costumes) on their hands. [h/t Bored Panda] You Might Also Like Can you believe were less than a month away from 2017? New Years Eve is just four short weeks away, but weve still got plenty of paid iPhone and iPad apps on sale for free to share with you before 2016 comes to a close. Todays list features 12 different apps on sale, and some of them are almost never made available for free so youll definitely want to check them out. MUST SEE: How to enable the secret emoticon keyboard hiding in your iPhone These are paid iPhone and iPad apps that have been made available for free for a limited time by their developers. There is no way to tell how long they will be free. These sales could end an hour from now or a week from now obviously, the only thing we can guarantee is that they were free at the time this post was written. If you click on a link and see a price listed next to an app instead of the word get, it is no longer free. The sale has ended. If you download the app, you will be charged. Onion Browser onion-browser Normally $0.99. Onion Browser is the original Tor-powered web browser that helps you bypass censorship and access the internet with more privacy. The best Tor-related offering on iOS right now is Onion Browser The Daily Dot, October 14, 2015. Featured in: The New York Times, The Guardian, Salon, TechCrunch, Gizmodo, Boing Boing, Lifehacker, Macworld, The Daily Dot, & others. Internet access tunneled over the Tor network: Websites do not see your real IP address. ISPs and insecure wireless networks cannot see your browsing. 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Download Live Memories dB meter db-meter Normally $0.99. dBA Meter app well calibrated with professional noise meter tool OKTAVA 110A-PRO. Measure sound SPL level/noise: -Current average SPL level -Peak SPL level -Average maximum SPL level -Absolute maximum SPL level Graph histogram for (change in settings): -Current average SPL level -Peak SPL level Additional features: -Save measurements -Upside down orientation to easy use. Download dB meter Trending right now: See the original version of this article on BGR.com By Matthias Inverardi and Harro Ten Wolde FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Aixtron will have to take action to balance income and costs, including potential job cuts, if U.S. President Barack Obama blocks its takeover by China's Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund (FGC). Shares in the German semiconductor equipment maker fell more than 5 percent on Friday following a report by Bloomberg, citing sources, that said Obama was poised to block the deal. An Aixtron spokesman said it had not received a ruling, but that the deal would be called off if Obama formally blocked it. Last month, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) recommended that Aixtron's sale to the Chinese investment fund be stopped due to security concerns. "After the decision in the U.S. management will have to put their heads together. Costs and income need to be balanced again," the spokesman said. Loss-making Aixtron has said it would have to cut jobs and scale down if the transaction fails. Aixtron had 713 employees at the end of the third quarter, 5 percent less than a year ago. Analysts consider Aixtron has a bleak future as a stand-alone company as it struggles with market overcapacity. Tim Wunderlich, analyst at German brokerage Hauck & Aufhaeuser, said last month when it became clear the deal might be blocked that Aixtron needed a white knight from Europe or the United States to have a viable future. The fall in Aixtron's shares took them below Grand Chip Investment's offer price of 6.00 euros per share. The stock is hovering around a nine-month low and was the biggest faller in the STOXX Europe 600 Technology <.SX8P>, which was down 1.7 percent. Other semiconductor companies in Europe were hit. ASML , the second most valuable European tech stock, fell 2.4 percent. The Dutch company had also come up against national security hurdles with SIFIUS 15 years ago, but eventually succeeded in buying U.S. based rival Silicon Valley Group. Midcap European chipmakers, seen as possible M&A targets, were also down, including Anglo-German Dialog Semiconductor , down 4.4 percent, Austria's AMS , down 3.3 percent and BE Semiconductor, down 2.6 percent. But analysts and traders said a report that Apple Inc was cutting orders for iPhone 7 components could also have put pressure on Dialog and AMS shares. Bigger chipmakers such as Germany's Infineon and French-Italian STMicroelectronics were only slightly lower, shrugging off fears of an M&A slowdown following two years of consolidation of the global semiconductor industry. GALLIUM NITRIDE AND NANOTUBE U.S. concerns over China gaining access to the production of gallium nitride - a powdery yellow compound used in light-emitting diodes (LED), radar, antennas and lasers which is made using Aixtron-manufactured technology - was the main reason for the U.S. block, security sources said. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters at a regular briefing on Friday that the deal was "normal commercial activity" and that China hoped the world would not interfere politically. CFIUS never gives reasons for its decisions. But sources have previously told Reuters it blocked the $3.3 billion sale of Philips' lighting business, Lumileds, to a consortium of Chinese investors last January over gallium nitride concerns. Another source told Reuters that Aixtron's nanotube technology acquired through its 2007 acquisition of a Cambridge-based company Nanoinstruments was a concern too. Their products also have military applications. The German Economy Ministry, which withdrew its approval for the deal in October and is now doing its own review of the transaction, said the German process was independent of the U.S. scrutiny. (additional reporting by Anneli Palmen in Duesseldorf, Eric Auchard in Frankfurt, Greg Roumeliotis in New York and Michael Martina in Beijing) Attendees visiting and Android booth during the 2013 I/O Conference. At long last, the Android 7.0 Nougat update is now hitting the Verizon variant of LG G5. Also, Sonys Xperia XZ is starting the receive Googles latest Android iteration. LG G5 units located in South Korea got the Android Nougat flavor first. Afterward, LG G5 owners in the U.S. were able to taste the Android 7.0 Nougat through firmware updates released by major network carriers Sprint, U.S. Cellular, and T-Mobile. And now, a fresh report from Droid Life revealed that Verizon is also releasing the Android 7.0 Nougat update for its LG G5 model. The 1.6GB firmware update with build number VS98726B brings an assortment of new features of the Android Nougat to the LG G5. The change-log also specified that upon installation, G5 owners will be able to choose from the new themes to help them further personalize their device. Google Downloads app is also replacing LGs own app. Through this update, LG G5 users will also be able to restore deleted images from the trash folder for 7 days. Furthermore, one of the highlights of the Android Nougat OS is the multi-window support which lets the users split the screen and utilize two apps simultaneously. Verizon Wireless official support page explains how to use the Multi-Window feature of the Android 7.0 Nougat. Click here to continue and read more... Android 7.0 Nougat Update Hitting Verizon LG G5 And Sony Xperia XZ is an article from: The Inquisitr News Enuf is Enuf - time to fight back!! Education Readings By Allan Alach I welcome suggested articles, so if you come across a gem, email it to me at allanalach@inspire.net.nz Teacher Stress & Anxiety in New Zealand Schools The results clearly illustrate the extent of the problem of stress and anxiety in NZ schools today: the majority, 54% of respondents (365) answered Yes. 44% (296) answered No, and understandably, The Problem with Choice I know too many people who are not educators (and some who are) that are in favor of the choice movement in education. The biggest reason people want choice is to improve the education for their own children and then create competition so that other schools will be forced to improve or shut down. Unfortunately, both reasons are based in misconceptions about education. The biggest reason people want choice is to improve the education for their own children and then create competition so that other schools will be forced to improve or shut down. Unfortunately, both Russell Stannard: Why are digital literacies so important? Russell Stannard I have just returned from Finland where if you cant use the internet you are massively hindered in your day to day activities as almost all government/ municipal contact is done online. They have huge problems for example with older people, immigrants and refugees, who cannot interact with the system. It is becoming harder and harder to survive in society without having the basic digital literacies. s as almost all government/ municipal contact is done online. They have huge problems for example with older people, immigrants and refugees, who cannot interact with the system. I Instead of Job Creation, How About Less Work? Increased automation has not reduced our workload. Why not? What if it did? So, I say, down with the work ethic, up with the play ethic! We are designed to play, not to work. We are at our shining best when playing. Lets get our economists thinking about how to create a world that maximizes play and minimizes work. It seems like a solvable problem. We d all be better off if people doing useless or harmful jobs were playing, instead, and we all shared equally the necessary work and the benefits that accrue from it . What Kills Creativity in Kids? Creativity is a choiceand if children are going to choose to be creative then parents (and teachers) have to be careful not to stifle it. What kills kids creativity? Heres what to avoid. . What kills kids creativity? Heres what to avoid. Standardizing Whiteness: the Essential Racism of Standardized Testing But when you define a standard, an ideal, you make certain choices you privilege some attributes and denigrate others. Since the people creating the tests are almost exclusively upper middle class white people, it should come as no surprise that that is the measure by which they assess success. Is it any wonder then that poor kids and children of color dont score as well on these tests? Is it any wonder that upper middle class white kids score so well? you privilege some attributes and denigrate others.Is it any wonder then that poor kids and children of color dont score as well on these tests? I Contributed by Bruce Hammonds: The Big Picture Learning Schools story In the schools that Big Picture Learning envisioned, students would be at the center their own education. They would spend considerable time in the community under the tutelage of mentors and The school of the future has opened in Finland C hild psychologists have long argued that changing the approach we take to education would help many children learn to love school rather than hate it. We've all heard pre-schoolers talk about how they can't wait to sit at their school desk and run to their next lesson with their rucksack over their shoulder. In fact, we probably remember that feeling of excitement ourselves the first time we To Advance Education, We Must First Reimagine Society John Abbott Because disaffection with the education system reflects a much deeper societal malaise, its imperative that we first figure out what kind of world we really want: a world populated by responsible adults who thrive on interdependence and community, or a world of customers who feel dependent on products, services, and authority figures, and dont take full responsibility for their actions? The answer, he says, will point to the changes needed in all three pillars of education schools, families, and communities. From Bruces goldie oldies file: Frank Smith Quotes from Frank Smith and John Taylor Gatto Both of these authors should be on your reading list. 'A Different Kind Of Teacher'. Frank Smith's book is called 'An Insult To Intelligence. As well, Smiths book Reading is a must read. John Taylor Gatto is the author of. Frank Smith's book is called. As well, Smiths book is a must read. Teaching for thinki ng There is a lot of talk about teaching thinking in schools and all sorts of thinking processes are often seen on classroom walls. The trouble is that more than talk and processes are required - there ought to be some real evidence of students thinking to be seen. All too often was is seen is 'higher order thinking for thin learning!.' and all sorts of thinking processes are often seen on classroom walls.- there ought to be some real evidence of students thinking to be seen. Importance of School Values (Reuters) - Aixtron SE's takeover by China's Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund may soon be on the list of deals called off due to increased U.S. regulatory scrutiny. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has recommended that the 670 million-euro deal be blocked due to security concerns. The CFIUS, that examines deals to determine the effect on national security, has targeted Chinese companies aggressively pursuing acquisitions in the United States and has already derailed several high-profile deals. Following are few deals that have come under the regulator's scrutiny over the years and were abandoned. 2016 -- CFIUS blocked Philips' $3.3 billion proposed sale of lighting unit to a consortium of Asian buyers, citing the U.S. government may be troubled by the prospects of a Chinese company acquiring advanced technologies to make LED lights. -- China's Unisplendour Corp Ltd <000938.SZ> scrapped a $3.8 billion investment in Western Digital Corp after CFIUS said it would investigate the transaction. 2015 -- China's Tsinghua Unigroup Ltd abandoned its offer to buy Micron Technology Inc after the Boise, Idaho-based chipmaker said the deal was not realistic because U.S. authorities would block the deal due to national security concerns. (http://reut.rs/2gV4KnC) 2014 -- Rosneft, headed by Igor Sechin, a long-standing ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, terminated its acquisition of Morgan Stanley's oil trading business because of the refusal by U.S. regulators to grant clearance. (http://reut.rs/2gh2o2p) 2012 -- President Barack Obama blocked Ralls Corp, a privately owned Chinese company, from building wind turbines close to a navy military site in Oregon due to national security concerns, and the company said it would challenge the action in court. (http://reut.rs/2guMS5W) 2011 -- China's Huawei backed away from its acquisition of U.S. server technology company 3Leaf's assets, bowing to pressure from a U.S. government panel that had suggested it should divest the assets. (http://bit.ly/2gUDSnz) (Compiled by Sweta Singh, Diptendu Lahiri and Nikhil Subba in Bengaluru; Edited by Shounak Dasgupta) By Dustin Volz WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A last-ditch effort in the Senate to block or delay rule changes that would expand the U.S. government's hacking powers failed Wednesday, despite concerns the changes would jeopardize the privacy rights of innocent Americans and risk possible abuse by the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump. Democratic Senator Ron Wyden attempted three times to delay the changes, which will take effect on Thursday and allow U.S. judges will be able to issue search warrants that give the FBI the authority to remotely access computers in any jurisdiction, potentially even overseas. His efforts were blocked by Senator John Cornyn of Texas, the Senate's second-ranking Republican. The changes will allow judges to issue warrants in cases when a suspect uses anonymizing technology to conceal the location of his or her computer or for an investigation into a network of hacked or infected computers, such as a botnet. Magistrate judges can currently only order searches within the jurisdiction of their court, which is typically limited to a few counties. In a speech from the Senate floor, Wyden said that the changes to Rule 41 of the federal rules of criminal procedure amounted to "one of the biggest mistakes in surveillance policy in years." The government will have "unprecedented authority to hack into Americans' personal phones, computers and other devices," Wyden said. He added that such authority, which was approved by the Supreme Court in a private vote earlier this year, but was not subject to congressional approval, was especially troubling in the hands of an administration of President-elect Trump, a Republican who has "openly said he wants the power to hack his political opponents the same way Russia does." Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware and Republican Senator Steve Daines of Montana also delivered speeches voicing opposition to the rule changes. The U.S. Justice Department has pushed for the changes to the federal rules of criminal procedure for years, arguing they are procedural in nature and the criminal code needed to be modernized for the digital age. In an effort to address concerns, U.S. Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell wrote a blog post this week arguing that the benefits given to authorities from the rule changes outweighed any potential for "unintended harm." "The possibility of such harm must be balanced against the very real and ongoing harms perpetrated by criminals - such as hackers, who continue to harm the security and invade the privacy of Americans through an ongoing botnet, or pedophiles who openly and brazenly discuss their plans to sexually assault children," Caldwell wrote. A handful of judges in recent months had dismissed evidence brought as part of a sweeping FBI child pornography sting, saying the search warrants used to hack suspects' computers exceeded their jurisdiction. The new rules are expected to make such searches generally valid. Blocking the changes would have required legislation to pass both houses of Congress, then be signed into law by the president. (Reporting by Dustin Volz, editing by G Crosse) Tsai, a former senior manager at Foxconn, stole and then sold some 5,700 iPhones in recent years, which netted him and his accomplices about $1.56 million. An internal audit at Foxconn discovered the scheme earlier this year, and Tsai now faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. MUST SEE: How to enable the secret emoticon keyboard hiding in your iPhone Tsai worked in a testing department, AFP reports, where he instructed eight employees to smuggle out thousands of iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s units that were supposed to be destroyed. He then sold the phones to stores in Shenzen between 2013 and 2014. Foxconn reported the case to authorities after discovering the issue during an internal audit. Tsai was questioned upon his return to Taiwan, and has since been released on bail. Hes now awaiting trial on breach of trust charges. Foxconn is the largest electronics manufacturer in the world and Apples primary supplier of iPhones. The lucrative iPhone contract does not extend to Foxconns employee, though; the giant company has been criticized in the past for its low wages and poor working conditions. Tsai isnt the only former Foxconn employee to be charged with breach of trust. In 2014, five Foxconn employees faced similar charges after soliciting more than $5 million in kickbacks from Foxconn suppliers in exchange for clearing quality checks and buying equipment. They were sentenced by a court in Taipei last month to up to 10 years and six months in prison each. Trending right now: See the original version of this article on BGR.com By Jake Spring and Norihiko Shirouzu BEIJING (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co's <7267.T> sales in China surpassed those of Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> for the first 11 months of 2016 as new models lured consumers and set the Japanese rivals up for a photo finish in their rankings for full-year sales in the world's top auto market. Chinese consumers have flocked to Honda's raft of new models, including a new version of the staple Civic sedan, as well as particularly strong offerings in the booming sport-utility vehicle (SUVs) segment. To meet rising demand, Japan's No. 3 automaker plans to break ground on Dec. 8 on a factory in central China's Wuhan, according to a media invitation Honda has sent out. Auto sales in China remain under pressure from slowing economic growth, with analysts predicting weak growth next year despite a rebound in 2016 thanks to tax incentives. SUVs, though, have been a major exception, with the segment growing 45.6 percent year-to-date, as Chinese warm to larger cars. A Beijing-based Toyota spokesman declined to comment on its sales performance vis-a-vis rivals. "We don't have a blind focus on boosting sales," he said. "Our main objective in China is to achieve steady growth of our business, by focusing on customer satisfaction, including creating a quality sales and service environment." Honda sold roughly 14,500 cars more than Toyota for January to November to surpass it for the first time this year, according to sales reports released by the two firms on Friday, potentially setting up the Tokyo-based company to narrowly overtake Toyota in full-year sales if the trend continues. "Beating a particular rival brand isn't our business objective in China," a Beijing-based Honda spokeswoman said. "We focus on Chinese consumer needs and feel the strong sales momentum we have in China now is evidence that our strategies are working." Honda has recorded nine consecutive months of double-digit sales growth in China and is nearing its sales target of 1.18 million vehicles, which it revised upward by roughly 100,000 units in October. Toyota, Japan's top automaker, fell about 50,000 vehicles short of reaching its 1.15 million vehicle sales target as of November. The automaker has traditionally lead its rival in the Chinese market, selling 240,000 cars more than Honda as recently as 2014. The Japanese automakers still trail far behind market leaders General Motors Co and Volkswagen AG , which both sold around 3.6 million vehicles last year in China. (This story corrects sales figure in second to last paragraph) (Reporting by Jake Spring and Norihiko Shirouzu; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman) Motley Fool Shares of newly public fintech companies Upstart Holdings (NASDAQ: UPST), SoFi Technology (NASDAQ: SOFI), and Lemonade (NYSE: LMND) were plunging today, down 5.2%, 9.3%, and 3.1%, respectively, as of 1:25 p.m. ET. It wasn't a good first half of the trading day for growth stocks in general, as investors may be worried about the Federal Reserve meeting today, in which the Fed is widely expected to raise interest rates by 75 basis points and give commentary on the rate hike outlook into next year. The decline even took hold of SoFi, which handily beat revenue and earnings estimates just yesterday, as the stock gave back all of its post-earnings gains, and then some. A volunteer who helped entertain children in war-torn Syria reportedly has been killed. The man, 24-year-old Anas al-Basha, was center director for the group Space for Hope. It supports hundreds of children who lost parents in Syrias civil war. The Associated Press reported Basha was killed in an air strike Tuesday in the northern city of Aleppo. Syrian rebels control eastern Aleppo, where an estimated 250,000 civilians are trapped. An estimated 100,000 of them are believed to be children. The rebels are fighting government forces, supported by Russia, that are trying to retake Aleppo. United Nations officials have said intense bombing in eastern Aleppo had left every neighborhood there unsafe. They said the fighting has devastated civilian living conditions. Attacks have also killed and wounded aid workers. The Space for Hope supports 12 schools and four centers providing psychological and financial aid to children. Anas al-Basha helped lead these efforts. He also was known for dressing as a clown to try to cheer up the children and make them laugh. The Associated Press reported that Basha was killed in an air strike in the Mashhad neighborhood of eastern Aleppo. Many civilians, including Bashas parents, had already fled the increasing attacks in the city. Bashas brother Mahmoud wrote about the loss on his Facebook page. He said his brother remained in Aleppo to help the civilians and give gifts for the children in the streets to bring hope for them. He said Basha lived to make children laugh and happy in the darkest, most dangerous place. A co-worker of Basha told the AP she will remember him as a friend who loved his work with children. He would act out skits for the children to break the walls between them, she said. She noted that workers trying to help suffering children in Syria are currently exhausted. She said they are trying to stay strong so they can provide psychological support to young war victims. Anas al-Bashas wife remains trapped in Aleppo. The two got married just two months ago. Im Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on a report from the Associated Press. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story devastated adj. completely destroyed psychological adj. relating to the human mind and feelings clown n. someone who dresses in funny clothes and has a painted face and makes people laugh seal v. to close off to prevent people from entering or leaving skit n. a short, funny performance If the next physician you see has a robotic bedside manner, it could be for good reason: That doctor might actually be a robot. Surgical robots that help perform delicate, minimally invasive procedures have been around for more than 15 years. Now, telemedicine robots are roving through emergency rooms, allowing remote specialists to rapidly assess and diagnose patients experiencing strokes when every second counts. Here's a glimpse at how robotic devices add another dimension to health care. [See: 8 Cool Uses for 3-D Printers in Health Care.] Tele-stroke networks allow patients at satellite facilities, for instance an isolated rural hospital, to receive immediate consultations from specialists based at major medical centers, says Gerry Popolow, vice president for international client services with InTouch Health, which implements and manages a global tele-stroke network and makes a range of health-care robotic devices. One such network hub is Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, with 37 member hospitals. "There's a specialty neurologist -- a tele-stroke neurologist -- on call at the big hospital," Popolow says. "And their response time is amazing, which is vitally important because in stroke treatment, physicians say, 'Time is brain.'" This network covers the three-state area of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Robot-assisted care can start at home, as paramedics respond to an emergency call. A portable device, the Xpress, allows first responders to quickly connect a patient with a physician in the emergency department. That physician uses patient-provider access software -- installed on a laptop, iPad or iPhone -- to get an instant read on the patient's condition. From the patient's perspective, Popolow says, this portable device looks like a computer screen showing the doctor's face, but it's much more sophisticated. "It is robotic in that the physician is able to have the opportunity to monitor the patient's vital signs," she says. "The EMT attaches diagnostic devices in the ambulance to the robot. It is robotic in that the physician in the emergency room is able to move the high-resolution camera in the device to zoom, pan and tilt to assess the patient -- just as if they were in the ambulance. The patient experiences the doctor's face and voice in a very natural way so the patient feels as if they are talking to a real person. And very importantly, the connectivity is very reliable." Story continues Through that connection, the doctor asks patients how they feel and what symptoms they're having while viewing the patient -- learning enough to make a diagnosis. That way, the right treatment can be started as soon as possible. [See: When Health Treatments Go From Hospital to DIY.] At the hospital, the ER team might include the life-size, 5-foot-6-inch "Vita" robot. "It's moving around, controlled by the physician or automatically programmed to move about the emergency room to specific bedsides," Popolow says. "That's when the patient is seeing something that really looks like a robot to them." With navigation enabled by scanning systems, similar to operating a self-driving car, and sophisticated cameras, the robot allows the operator to zoom in and examine key stroke signs like pupil reactions. The robot transmits data from the ER, as well as images and other test results available in the tele-stroke data cloud. This allows instant access to the patient's electronic medical record, real-time vital signs and other health monitors to enable the on-call, off-site specialist to give a diagnostic and treatment opinion from his or her remote location. Growing Networks Tele-stroke capabilities exist at Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic and more than 1,500 other large and small hospitals throughout the world, Popolow says. Cost-efficiency, as always, is an issue. "In the U.S., we lease our solutions to hospital systems, and depending on the complexity of the requirement, these [costs] range from hundreds of dollars per month to thousands," Popolow says. Compared to the expense of hiring a full-time specialist for individual hospitals, she says, that's "a fraction of the cost." Patients are less startled than you'd expect when receiving care from a robot, Popolow says: "The fact that they see a physician right there, treating them and diagnosing them and asking the right questions -- it becomes a very real experience to them, and it's like they're talking to a person." Disinfection, Robot Style Other robots are making their mark in a different way as they disinfect hospitals by zapping stubborn bacteria to prevent infections from spreading. Hospital-acquired infections are a serious problem, and the Xenex robot is a serious piece of equipment. The robot technology works by pulsing an inert gas called xenon to produce a bright, high-intensity UV light. The robot emits the flashing ray, which penetrates and kills organisms on hospital surfaces, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile, both notorious for spreading disease through hospitals and making sick patients sicker. Recently, Marin General Hospital in Greenbrae, California, purchased the robot at a cost of about $100,000 to help reduce hospital infection rates, as reported August 27 in the Marin Independent Journal. Now, a few months after the robot's deployment, it's too early for data to show decreased infection rates, but based on study results from other facilities, the hospital expects significant improvement, says Dr. Joel Sklar, the chief medical officer. "The ultraviolet light is powerful enough that it just kills everything that you can't get with regular cleaning with alcohol and with disinfectants," Sklar says. "It gets in little corners. Anything in the line of sight that the light goes to is killed, including spores." For instance, he says, the robot's beam destroys hard-to-kill C. diff bacterial spores, which can cause severe diarrheal illness. [See: 7 Ways Technology Can Torpedo Your Health.] The robot, named "R2Clean2" by hospital staff, does its part after housekeeping services have completed their standard cleaning procedures. Nobody can be in the room while the robot works, although curious observers can watch through a window. At Marin General, Sklar says, the robot's primary assignments have been critical and intensive care units, operating rooms and rooms where patients with infectious conditions have stayed, often isolation rooms. Sklar emphasizes that the robot is only one piece of the hospital's larger, comprehensive infection-control effort, which includes greater hygiene vigilance starting with the lowest-tech method of all: hand-washing. Lisa Esposito is a Patient Advice reporter at U.S. News. She covers health conditions, drawing on experience as an RN in oncology and other areas and as a research coordinator at the National Institutes of Health. Esposito previously reported on health care with Gannett, and she received her journalism master's degree at Georgetown University. You can follow her on Twitter, connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at lesposito@usnews.com. By Christian Lowe and Natalia Zinets MOSCOW/KIEV (Reuters) - Russia said on Friday it had uncovered a plot by foreign spy agencies to sow chaos in Russia's banking system via a coordinated wave of cyber attacks and fake social media reports about banks going bust. Russia's domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service (FSB), said that the servers to be used in the alleged cyber attack were located in the Netherlands and registered to a Ukrainian web hosting company called BlazingFast. The attack, which was to target major national and provincial banks in several Russian cities, was meant to start on Dec. 5, the FSB said in a statement. "It was planned that the cyber attack would be accompanied by a mass send-out of SMS messages and publications in social media of a provocative nature regarding a crisis in the Russian banking system, bankruptcies and license withdrawals," it said. "The FSB is carrying out the necessary measures to neutralise threats to Russia's economic and information security." The statement did not say which countries' intelligence agencies were behind the alleged plot. SITUATION 'UNDER CONTROL' Russia's central bank said it was aware of the threat and was in constant contact with the security services. In a statement sent to Reuters, it said it had drawn up a plan to counteract any attack. "The situation is under control. Banks have been given necessary guidance," the central bank said. Anton Onoprichuk, director of Kiev-based BlazingFast, said neither the FSB nor any other intelligence agency had been in touch with his company. He told Reuters he was waiting for more information so his firm could investigate. Asked if his servers could be used to mount a cyber attack he said: "Technically it is possible. It is possible with any hosting company, where you rent a server. You can attack whatever (you want) from it and in 99 percent of cases it will become known only after the event." Russia has been on high alert for foreign-inspired cyber attacks since U.S. officials accused the Kremlin of being involved in hacks on Democratic Party emails during the U.S. presidential election. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said at the time that the United States would mount a "proportional" response to Russia. Since then, there have been a number of cyber attacks affecting Russian institutions, though it is unclear if they were linked to the row between Moscow and Washington. In October, a network of Ukrainian hackers released a cache of emails obtained from the account of an aide to Kremlin adviser Vladislav Surkov. And on Nov. 11, Russian lenders Sberbank and Alfa Bank said they had been hit by cyber attacks Sberbank on Friday declined to comment on the FSB's statement. The press service of VTB, Russia's second-largest state-run lender, said its security systems guaranteed clients' transactions were completely protected. (Additional reporting by Natalia Zinets in KIEV, Elena Fabrichnaya and Kira Zavyalova in MOSCOW; Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Andrew Osborn) MOSCOW (Reuters) - Hackers stole more than 2 billion roubles ($31 million) from correspondent accounts at the Russian central bank, the bank said on Friday, the latest example of an escalation of cyber attacks on financial institutions around the globe. Central bank official Artyom Sychyov discussed the losses at a briefing, saying that the hackers had attempted to steal about 5 billion roubles. Sychyov was commenting on a central bank report released earlier in the day, that told about hackers breaking into accounts there by faking a client's credentials. The bank provided few other details in its lengthy report. Financial regulators around the world have recently urged banks to beef up cyber security in the wake of a string of high-profile heists on banks around the world. Fears about attacks on banks have mounted since February when unknown cyber criminals stole $81 million in funds that Bangladesh's central bank had on deposit at the New York Fed. Law enforcement agencies around the globe are hunting for the criminals who stole the money using fraudulent wire-transfer requests sent over the SWIFT bank messaging network. Separately, Russia said on Friday that it had uncovered a plot by foreign spy agencies to sow chaos in the country's banking system via a coordinated wave of cyber attacks and fake social media reports about banks going bust. ($1 = 63.8300 roubles) (Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh and Elena Fabrichnaya; writing by Katya Golubkova and Jim Finkle; editing by Vladimir Soldatkin and David Gregorio) Austrian voters could elect the European Unions first far-right leader in a presidential election on Sunday. Norbert Hofer of the far-right Freedom Party is running against Alexander Van der Bellen. Van der Bellen is an independent candidate who led The Greens party earlier. Recent public opinion studies have shown the two candidates with about equal support. Austria held a presidential election in May. Van der Bellen won that election narrowly. But those results were overturned by Austrias constitutional court because of problems with voting procedures. Hofer has taken a strong anti-immigration position during his campaign. Earlier in the campaign, he said he might call a referendum on whether Austria should leave the European Union. Hofer also opposes Turkeys efforts to join the EU and has spoken out against EU attempts to get too much control over individual states. Van der Bellen criticized Hofer for his positions during a recent presidential debate. He said Austrias possible withdrawal from the EU could result in a flood of right-wing populism. Van der Bellen has called for continued close relations with Germany, Austrias neighbor to the north and biggest trading partner. Hofer has said he wants to strengthen relations with other central and eastern European nations, including Russia. He denounced German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a debate. Hofer said Merkel had caused serious damage to Europe by supporting open policies for migrants. He said her actions had allowed hundreds of thousands of migrants to pass through Austria, including terrorists. Experts say the presidential campaign in Austria has been heavily influenced by the election of Donald Trump in the United States. President-elect Trump has called for severe immigration enforcement and criticized Merkels policies on migrants. Political experts say Britains vote in June to leave the EU often called Brexit - also drew attention to the immigration issue. An opinion study by the U.S.-based Gallup organization asked 800 Austrians how Trumps victory might affect the voting. About 53 percent said Trumps win will be better for Hofer, while 9 percent said it will help Van der Bellen. The office of president in Austria is largely ceremonial. But the president does hold the power to shape policies, appoint and dismiss government ministers and call parliamentary elections. Some political observers say the outcome in Austria could mark the beginning of a wave of populist candidates across Europe. In France, the leader of the far-right National Front, Marine Le Pen, says she believes the Trump and Brexit votes gave her campaign momentum. Le Pen is seen as a possible competitor in Frances presidential election next year. On Sunday, right-leaning presidential candidate Francois Fillon won a primary election for Frances Republican Party. Fillon, a former prime minister, could face Le Pen in a runoff vote in the countrys two-round election system. Frances Socialist President Francois Hollande has announced he will not run for re-election. The leaders of right-wing movements in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands are also hoping to gain from Trumps election. Opinion studies show support for the Freedom Party of Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders. A general election will take place in March. Wilders has repeatedly made statements against Islam. He was also tried for violating a hate speech law and is waiting for the courts decision. A court charged him with inciting hatred after leading a chant at a meeting calling for the Netherlands to accept fewer Moroccan immigrants. Wilders recently described a worldwide movement that, he says, agrees with his political message and the ideas of other far-right leaders. He says the movement is driven by voters. He says they are tired of politically correct ideas from traditional politicians and media companies. "Brexit proved it. The American election proved it, he said. Im Jill Robbins. And I'm Bryan Lynn. Henry Ridgwell and Luis Ramirez reported on this story for VOA News. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English, with additional material from the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse. Mario Ritter was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story procedure n. the official or usual way of doing something referendum n. a direct vote in which people cast ballots to decide on a specific issue or policy populism n. related to policies that supposedly represent the opinions of ordinary people momentum n. the strength or force allowing something to continue or grow stronger chant n. the repeated saying of a word, phrase or slogan by a crowd of people Protests over the English language in Cameroon have grown violent. A strike, called to increase the use of English, has spread to schools and universities in English-speaking areas. Lawyers and teachers, supported by young people, refused to call off the strike as protesters clashed with members of the military. The governor of Cameroons North-West Region says at least one person has been killed in the clashes. Investigations are ongoing to establish the responsibilities, said governor Adolphe Lele LAfrique Deben Tchoffo. But media reports suggest that as many as four people were killed. The protesters are demanding greater rights for English speakers in a country that has both English and French as official languages. The roots of the strike The current strike has created more debate and caused more concern among government officials and local rulers than any other issue in recent years. The roots of this strike go deep. English speakers make up about 20 percent of Cameroon's population. The constitution says that English and French languages that come from the colonial period should be equally important. However, many official documents are written only in French. Some government ministers give speeches in French, even in English-speaking areas. No English speaker has held an important position, such as minister of defense, finance, or territorial administration, in Cameroon's nearly 60-year history as an independent country. Lawyers and the Government Lawyers have been at the front of the strike. Harmony Bogda, spokesperson for the striking lawyers, says that after discussions lasting 72 hours, lawyers left with the idea that the government does not want to listen to them. As such, Bogda says, the strike will continue. Ben Muna is a lawyer and a member of the Cameroon Bar Council Association. He says his colleagues are angry because security forces increased tensions and beat them for demonstrating peacefully. Communication minister and government spokesperson Issa Tchiroma says the government is unable to approve some of the requests. He says the lawyers are responsible for the recent violence in English-speaking areas. "Those who are responsible for such abuses must know that nowhere in the world, disorder has ever led to anything constructive. We therefore call on all our compatriots to show proof of reserve, self-control, high sense of responsibility and citizenship in a spirit of dialogue." Schools have remained closed since the clashes started last Monday. Im John Russell. Moki Edwin Kindzeka wrote this report from Yaounde, Cameroon. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story degenerate v. to become worse colleague n. a person who works with you region n. an area or territory spokesperson n. a man or women who claims to represent and speak for others constructive adj. helpful More than 2,000 U.S. military veterans are expected to join a protest at a camp in North Dakota. Thousands of activists have been protesting against a large oil pipeline project near a Native American reservation. A reservation is an area of land in the United States that is kept separate for Native Americans to live and govern. The protesters, who call themselves "water protectors," are concerned about drinking water on the reservation and downstream on the Missouri River. At the camp, activists are facing snow, storms and below-freezing temperatures. The veterans are part of a group called Veterans Stand for Standing Rock. They are building temporary housing and working with protesters. Protesters have spent months opposing plans to build the Dakota Access Pipeline beneath a lake near the Standing Rock Sioux tribes reservation. The protesters say the $3.8-billion pipeline is a threat to water resources and holy Native American burial grounds. The veterans plan to form a human wall in front of police to protect protesters. Local police officers say they have made more than 525 arrests connected to the protest since August. On November 21, police fired tear gas and large water cannons in below-freezing temperatures. They also fired rubber bullets. Some people were wounded. A spokesperson for the sheriffs department said protesters had started fires on the bridge and other places that night. But protesters said they lit controlled fires for warmth. CNN reported that protesters also said police flares started fires in the grass. Protesters ordered to leave On Monday, North Dakora state officials ordered that activists leave the camp because of dangerous weather conditions. On Wednesday, however, officials also said they would not force the people to leave. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineeres controls the land where the protest is taking place. However, the protesters say the Standing Rock Sioux tribe owns the land under a treaty from the 1800s. On Thursday, North Dakota's chief law enforcement official called some of the protesters frightening and said it was "time for them to go home. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday said he supports the completion of the pipeline. Trumps transition team also said he supports peaceful protests. Members of the North Dakota Veterans Coordinating Council condemned the involvement of veterans and asked them not to take part. North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple has said it was probably not possible to build the pipeline in a different place. But, he said he would try to rebuild a relationship with Standing Rock Sioux leaders. Dalrymple said that state officials never thought about forcibly removing protesters. He also said his order for them to leave was mostly because of concerns about extreme weather putting people in danger. The Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, LP, owns the 1,885-kilometer pipeline project. It is complete except for the part under protest. I'm Alice Bryant. And I'm Anne Ball. Alice Bryant adapted this story for Learning English from Reuters. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story veteran - n. someone who fought in a war as a soldier, sailor, et cetera pipeline - n. a line of connected pipes that are used for carrying liquids and gases over a long distance downstream - adv. in the direction in which a stream, river, etc., flows water cannon - n. a machine that shoots a large, powerful stream of water and that is used by police to control violent crowds flare - n. a weapon that fires out a large flame often used to attract attention attorney - n. lawyer; a person whose job is to guide and assist people in legal matters transition team - n. a group of people who manage the change between one system or administrative regime and another The United States Air Force is reporting a shortage of pilots of fighter airplanes. The lack is so severe that some generals say it may affect the services ability to carry out operations as soon as next year. The Air Force is training about 135 more fighter pilots this year than two years ago. But it will be a long time before they are ready for action. Pilots must train for years -- at a cost of millions of dollars -- before they are qualified to fly fighter jets. The high-tech aircraft could be described as flying supercomputers so lengthy training is required. The Air Force is permitted to have 3,500 fighter pilots. However, there are now about 725 fewer. Major General Scott Vander Hamm and Lieutenant General John Cooper supervise Air Force pilots and mechanics who take care of the planes. They recently spoke with VOA about the pilot shortage. General Vander Hamm says the Air Force does not have enough pilots to meet the needs of commanders. Pilot numbers began to fall following budget cuts that took effect after the United States left Iraq in 2010 and had plans to leave Afghanistan. But General Cooper says that did not happen. We didnt plan for ISIS -- we planned to come home. VOA spoke with some fighter pilots at an Air Force base in Virginia. They said longer and additional deployments have hurt morale. One pilot said the rotations were 45 days at first. Then they increased to 90 and later 120, he said. Now, he said, the pilots are deployed for six months or even a year. And pilots must often spend much of their non-deployed time on administrative duties and additional training. After 10 years of service, jet fighter pilots are offered an additional payment if they agree to stay on active duty. But this year only about 40 percent of the pilots agreed to stay. The Air Force says it must keep at least 65 percent of its pilots to complete its missions. The fighter pilot shortage has happened at the same time private airlines are hiring more pilots. Private airlines pay more and their pilots spend less time away from home. This Air Force fighter pilot said his family will decide whether he stays in the service. If its up to just me, I definitely would stay in, but my family has a vote and so if they're doing well and they're enjoying where were at, then well stay. If they want me to leave to do something else, then thats probably what Ill end up doing. Tom Hunt left the Air Force in 2013. He earns more money working as a lawyer in Washington, D.C. than he was paid as a fighter pilot. He says the Air Force could end the shortage if it paid the pilots a large bonus. Some people say you cant throw money at everything (but) you can. You absolutely can. If you said The pilot bonus is now $500,000, single-lump sum payment, (I) guarantee you will solve your pilot shortage. The Air Force is asking Congress for money to increase the bonus from its current $25,000 to $48,000 a year. It would be the first bonus increase since 1999. The Air Force hopes that amount will be enough to persuade experienced pilots to stay in the service. It says they are needed to help the Air Force succeed in its missions and to train new pilots. The generals also have agreed to reduce administrative work for pilots who are not deployed. The generals say they are still able to meet the demands for fighter jet support. But they say if more pilots do not join the Air Force and stay in, the service will soon be unable to meet the demands of commanders. They warn that this could possibly cost the lives of troops and civilians. Im Christopher Jones-Cruise. VOA Pentagon Correspondent Carla Babb reported this story from Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the report for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story qualify v. to have the necessary skill or knowledge to do a particular job or activity; to have the qualifications to do something morale n. the feelings of enthusiasm and loyalty that a person or group has about a task or job rotation n. the group of people who take turns doing something mission n. a specific military or naval task bonus n. an extra amount of money that is given to an employee throw money at expression. to try to solve (a problem) by spending a large amount of money on it, sometimes without giving enough thought to exactly what should be done absolutely adv. completely or totally (often used to make a statement more forceful) lump sum n. an amount of money that is paid at one time; a single sum of money The laciest, if not raciest, catwalk event of the year aka, the Victoria's Secret fashion show took place Wednesday night in in the City o Except for carrying forward the name of a character 'Vidya' for the first half of the movie, Sujoy Ghosh's Kahaani 2 (also known as Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh) starring Vidya Balan and Arjun Rampal, is an entirely different movie from its predecessor in the franchise. The plot is new, so are the characters. Kahaani 2 is set in Kolkata and is the story of Durga Rani Singh, played by Vidya Balan, who has been accused of kidnapping a 6-year-old called Mili, and murdering her grandmother. There is a also a parallel life she leads as Vidya Sinha, who has a daughter named Mili. Confusing enough? You will have to watch the movie to find out how this plot plays out. The movie revolves around child sexual abuse. The first half of the movie gives you all the possible thrills and chills as Durga Rani Singh sets out in a mission to rescue a child from a possible abuser. This is one of those movies for which the trailer is a curse. Two of the most startling moments in the film lose all their shock factor if you've already watched the trailer, and that's sad. The movie also has Inspector Inderjit, played by Arjun Rampal. 'Hot', I'm sure is the correct terminology here. He is entirely convincing as an inspector who has been transferred to a small town and is waiting for a promotion so that he along with his family could shift back to the city. The first half is gripping, and 100 percent entertaining. But the second half turns out to be slightly off track. While Sujoy Ghosh with his magical attention to detail has scripted out what was meant to be an amazing narrative, the second half drags, and is not as entertaining. The director also flavours the second half with subtle humour in the midst of intense moments. While I was with a theatreful of people laughing along at those subtleties, I felt like it might be taking the seriousness away from the issue of child sexual abuse. And the way CSA is dealt with in the movie is good, but not moving enough perhaps. Powerful, strong and riveting, Vidya Balan gives a performance which is definitely worth watching multiple times. Arjun Rampal puts up a great show as well. The two childactors who play the character Mili are spot on. While the performances take Kahaani 2 a notch higher, a not-so-thoroughly thought out second half pulls it down. The married couple from That '70s Show, actors Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher have welcomed their second child together a son. The child was born on Wednesday, 30 November 2016, their representative told People.com. The couple, who married in a low-key ceremony in July 2015, also have a two-year-old daughter Wyatt Isabelle. In October, Kutcher spilled the beans on their second child's sex. "She points to Mila and she's like, 'Baby brother!' when she points to the belly," Kutcher said on the "Today" show of how Isabelle was preparing to be a big sister. Unfortunately, they have yet to release the babys name. But maybe Ashton got his wish and they named him Hawkeye? Watch the Conan video for evidence below: Mila Kunis's pregnancy news broke out when the Jupiter Ascending actress was on The Ellen DeGeneres Show when she said that Ashton and she were actively trying to conceive a second child. Ashton and Milas pregnancy news broke back in June soon after Mila admitted on the May 6 episode of "After we had Wyatt, the second I gave birth, I knew we had to have another baby," Kunis said in an interview with Ryan Seacrest. "We both knew it, we just felt it." Compiled using IANS inputs Its kind of surreal that Underworld sequels are still being made. The original 2003 film by Len Wiseman had a great idea but was executed in an okay-ish manner and there was nothing in that film that made one want more. And yet here we stand with the fifth film in the franchise, titled Blood Wars. If youve been a fan of the last four films you might be able to sit through the predictable thrills of this film, but for the rest of us theres little in the film to recommend. Its hard to keep track of what the protagonist of the films, Selene, played by Kate Beckinsale in glossy tight leather has been doing all these years, because it seems like shes been stuck in the war between vampires and werewolves for an eternity now, without much progress. Its also hard to keep track of where the establishing storylines have gone because at various points we were introduced to vampire-werewolf combos but they just disappeared and were never brought up again. In Blood Wars nothing really has changed vampires are still fighting werewolves. Were reminded that Selene had a child and the film begins with the mother explaining the events of the previous films to her daughter. Were also told that Selene now has a new flame in the form of David (Theo James, because Scott Speedman from the first two films is presumably now too old). Davids father Thomas (Charles Dance) and Selene discover that her child is the target of the villainous Samira (Laura Pulver from Sherlock) and that her daughters blood may be of special value. What follows is the same, tired cliches of a clan of vampires being attacked by a clan of werewolves and vice versa, and a sub clan of vampires turning against its own. Its quite remarkable to note that the film has four credited writers considering theres not an iota of newness to see. Perhaps sticking to the formula was the norm, but that doesnt explain how four writers are needed to execute something thats already been done four times before. The juxtaposition of the gun-brandishing chic black vampires with the feral weaponless werewolves is as unsubtle as always, and theres bullets flying everywhere as Selene and her daughter jump from one place to another. The problem isnt the cliched action bits but how little action there is in the film. For some unknown reason, director Anna Foerster assumes long-winded monologues and endless morose banter is far more interesting than vampires punching werewolves, so you get two hours of uninteresting people saying uninteresting things and around seven minutes of action. What is even more frustrating is that the central plot of Selenes daughter and what is so magical and special about her blood is left unanswered even at the end of the film. We leave the theater with the tease that the question will be answered in the next film not the best strategy considering anyone who watches Blood Wars would not exactly be excited for the next one. Ultimately if youre looking for footage of Beckinsale looking really classy in black leather go and see the film at the earliest, if youre looking for an entertaining film youll need to look elsewhere. The Mummy has returned yet again. However, this time it is not the Egyptian priest Imhotep who has risen from the dead. It's a woman. Universal Monsters Cinematic Universe has released a teaser for The Mummy, which is the first installment of the series that is a spin off of The Mummy Trilogy by filmmakers Stephen Sommers and Rob Cohen. The new Mummy series stars Tom Cruise in the lead role and he will be seen battling The Mummy in this action-packed horror adventure. The teaser hooks you right at the start as you see a group of men pulling up an ancient casket from a fissure in Earth, with the help of ropes. The tension escalates quickly as we see Cruise's character in the next shot mouthing the words, "I saw her. She is real." The next shot sees The Mummy come to life. However, her resurrection is not depicted like that of The Undertaker sitting up in a casket. It is smartly and rather effectively portrayed through her eyes. The iris in her eyes turn golden brown and 'bud' out. The budding symbolises her assuming the power of regeneration while the colour gives out a hint of the supernatural. Also, the idea of keeping her eyes as the focal point of her resurrection attaches a feminine quality to The Mummy. The rest of the teaser is predictable as all hell breaks loose. The final shot sees Sofia Boutella, who plays The Mummy, at her furious best. There are dark blue ancient imprints all over her body and her fingertips are also done up in dark blue. She does look like a lifeless walking mummy with her eyes the only sign of life. Also, one cannot help but notice the strips of 'mummy bandages' wrapped around her body. Goosebumps! The teaser indeed serves as a not-so-warm welcome into 'new world of gods and monsters.' The Mummy is directed by Alex Kurtzman and is slated to release on 9 June 2017. Watch the teaser here: Gold as a mode of investment has always been a favourite with Indians. Be it a marriage or festival, our penchant for possessing the yellow metal has never subsided. But such was the rush to buy this discretionary item when Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the demonetisation announcement on 8 November that India's imports of gold for November was estimated to be at a whopping 100 tonnes of gold. And this came in a month when the government was making a bid to flush out black money and fake currencies from the system. Looking at the spike in gold imports, several recent reports suggested that black money hoarders could have made a beeline to convert their unaccounted wealth into purchase of gold, especially, post the note ban, a News18 report said. The estimated 100 tons of gold import in November is the highest for this year and accounts for a fifth of the 500 tonne of this precious metal imported in the current year so far, the report said. In the four hours between the Prime Ministers announcement and midnight on November 8, gold was selling in the informal markets at Rs 50,000 to 55,000 per 10 grams when the normal price is around Rs 30,000, News18 reported quoting Ravi Singh, Research Head at SMC Commodities Trade. This price, along with the level of imports, is an indication that black money was being converted, Singh added. In fact, gold imports had contracted for eight straight months between February and September before the fall was arrested in October. Gold imports more than doubled to $3.5 billion in October 2016 on account of high festival demand as against imports of $1.67 billion the previous year. The country's total official gold imports declined to 60 tonnes in April-July of this fiscal, much lower than 250 tonnes in the year-ago period. India, the world's second biggest gold consumer after China, imported 650 tonnes in 2015-16. Given the current scenario where indications of black money was seen in the conversion of gold, there were concerns about a new crackdown on gold as part of the war on black money as promised by Prime Minister Modi. However, the finance ministry clarified on Thursday through a statement that any gold or jewellery purchased out of disclosed income or out of exempted income like agricultural income or out of reasonable household savings or legally inherited which has been acquired out of explained sources will not be taxed. A change in the narrative of demonetisation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his last Mann ki Baat programme from black money to a cashless economy has bolstered his critics. There is almost a month still left before the government deadline to deposit old Rs 500, Rs 1,000 notes comes to end, but the big question is already here: Is the pain inflicted on the common man by the demonetisation-linked cash crunch worth the final outcome? What defines the success or failure of this whole exercise? It is too early to pass a verdict as the scheme is still a work in progress. But, when the whole exercise is over, the only tangible outcome that one needs to watch out for is how much unaccounted cash has returned to the system post the exercise. That would define its success or failure. Lets look at the numbers. There was about Rs 16 lakh crore currency in circulation when Modi announced the plan, out of which Rs 14 lakh crore was demonetized. But, remember, the entire stock of Rs 14 lakh crore was not in use---some of it was hoarded by tax evaders and some was in the banking system. If the current exercise can force this money back into the system for use, get the taxmen to lay their hands on hoarders---the scheme can be considered as a success. There are two ways to look at the success of the demonetisation as far as the net recovery is concerned. First, out of the total deposits, how much unaccounted cash (money that has no genuine source/ not taxed) comes back to the formal banking system and gets taxed and put to productive use. Second, how much of the black money is destroyed, ie, out of the Rs 14 lakh crore, how much money is not coming back to the banking system at all. In this case, the currency liability goes down for the RBI and government can then think of ways to claim that money from the RBI as surplus or dividend. The number game Now, what if the entire Rs 14 lakh crore comes back? Even if the entire Rs 14 lakh crore comes back into the banking system and no substantial part is found/declared illegal, then the plan didn't work. We are just getting back the money demonetised. Given the hit on economy during this process, the economy is then taking a net loss. But, if through the exercise, taxmen manage to get hoarders taxed for a substantial amount, the plan is a success, since that money is now taxed and up for productive use. The unaccounted cash could come back to the banking system either in the form of voluntary deposits or when the taxman knocks on the doors of tax evaders. In the first case, the tax and penalty will together be around 50 percent plus 25 percent of the deposits get locked for four years. If they get caught with the illegal cash, they will have to pay a penalty of 85 percent. Certainly, it isnt an easy exercise for the taxman, for sure, to identify the wrongdoers. Even before the demonetization was announced, between the July-September quarter, there was a massive surge in bank deposits, which has raised the suspicion that black money hoarders who knew about the impending move deposited their money in small dozes into the banking channels to avoid bigger scrutiny post the demonetization announcement. Here, the hoarders can use multiple benami accounts, which arent easy to identify for the taxmen. For instance, a businessman can give a few lakhs each to his several employees and ask them to deposit further in smaller doses in their family members accounts as advance salaries for a year or so. But, here again, if the taxman is smart enough, he can track the sudden spike in several related bank accounts to the source and knock his door. Now, how likely is that the government gets the expected Rs3-4 lakh crore windfall profit at the end of demonetisation pain, which it can use to recapitalize banks, fund infrastructure and build houses for poor? According to a report by CNBC TV 18, which quoted government sources, over Rs 11 lakh crore out of the Rs 14 lakh crore demonetized currency has already come back to the banking system as deposits. This is with almost a month left for the expiry of the deadline to deposit old currency. This means chances of the rumored windfall looks weak. If the demonetisation exercise doesnt lead to a tangible outcome, the government will be in serious trouble to justify the pain the whole exercise has caused to general public and the potential damage the currency ban will inflict on the economy. Damage to economy As pointed out in earlier articles, the cash crunch will take a major toll on the economy in the approaching quarters, the extent of which is difficult to say at this point. The GDP forecasts post the note ban deepens the worry. On Thursday, India ratings said that de-legalisation of currency notes will erase about Rs 1.5 lakh crore from fiscal year 2017 GDP and the growth is likely to fall to a 3-year low. India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) has revised its gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for FY17 to 6.8 percent, 100bp lower than its earlier projection of 7.8 percent (FY16: 7.6 percent, FY15: 7.2 percent). The downward revision is a fallout of the disruption caused at various levels in the economy due to the de-legalisation of banknotes of INR500 and INR1,000 denominations from midnight of 8 November 2016. Ind-Ras analysis shows that the economic cost of the de-legalisation will be INR 1.5trn for FY17, the agency said. It isnt difficult to understand the change in governments demonetisation narrative, after three weeks of the currency ban, from black money to a cashless economy. It is probably an outcome of its late realisation of the ground realities that corruption and terror cannot be tackled with a currency ban. True, if the demonetisation inspires more people to shift to cashless payments systems, it is a good thing. But, this shift should have been done in a more gradual manner in a country mainly inhabited by lower-income population, rather than done through an overnight shock therapy. About 70-80 percent of the population here is still heavily dependent on cash transactions and even the developed countries, including Singapore and US have not managed yet to get rid of cash. The short point is this: The success of PM Modis demonetisation plan mainly rests with the taxman. The whole exercise could take any turn from here. At this stage, it is hard to say which. Jack Ringquist, global leader, consumer products, Deloitte, was recently in Mumbai. Firstpost spoke to him on the likely impact of demonetisation on consumers and India's switchover to cashless economy. Ringquist talks about how the US took time to go fully cashless and the changes it brought about in the economy and consumer behaviour. He also points out that it the next generation that finds it easy to adapt to change than the generation that witnesses the shift in economy and the pains that go with it. Edited excerpts from the conversation: What was the experience of the US in adopting cashless mode of payment? It took a long time for the US in terms of penetration and comfort to accept other modes of payments than cash. This switchover takes time. To be honest, even I generally pay cash towards everyday purchases. I use credit cards and debit cards typically only when I have to. But my children pay through credit card or through Paypal. So it's a generational issue mostly. What I am talking about is the technology and consumer behaviour. Sometimes it can take a generation or two. How do you see the present Indian situation? My perspective is that all these changes are very positive signs. Despite the likely slowdown after the move, India is still the bright spot. Look at the rate of growth you have. It is still in high single digits and the rest of the world is in low single digits. India is doing well. You have the youngest population and a growing population of consumers. That also helps the growth of your nation. All the companies will see that potential. These are all challenges, but are also good steps going forward. What I hear from clients is that there is conversations happening between the businesses and the government today. The government is ready to hold discussions and work together. That will help the country tide over challenges like these and the future challenges like GST. Is there a deflationary tendency for demonetisation? I might assume in the short-term, there may be. When these kinds of changes happen, or when there is uncertainty, consumers decide to save and wait. But in the medium to longer-term, as the policy uncertainties become clear, typically the younger generation will be all for the new economy. E-commerce companies like Flipkart had stopped cash on delivery after the demonetisation announcement. But then they restarted it. How do you see this development? Cash will be there because for businesses it is important that they don't lose their customers. Not everybody is a saint. The mistake here is to say that there is a tipping point when a country switches to cashless economy. Change happens in waves. The technology is being developed as we are speaking. Over time people become more comfortable to use technology. As generation evolve, they adapt. In the US, it was a 20-25 year journey. But that is not an excuse to wait to begin. It important to begin begin now. There are sizeable benefits even if it is only the cities that are adapting now. Eventually, the consumer behaviour will evolve. The true benefits of electronic payments is that you will see over time greater upticks as consumers become more educated. Excerpts from an exclusive conversation with Sachin Sandhir, Global Managing Director Emerging Business, RICS There are several reasons why black money exists within real estate, and some of these are natural consequences of legacy structural issues. The most complex issue is that of tax. Taxation in real estate is considerably regressive. The corrupting areas in real estate land transactions, for the most part, followed by permissions, followed by use of creative accounting practices by developers to conceal income all of this is fuelled by a common urge to treat tax overheads as a liability. In terms of tax base, real estate has been consistently treated as a direct tax cash cow with current tax overheads being in the range of 22 to 25 percent. How black money gets accumulated in real estate Eradication of black money has a different impact on real estate as opposed to eradication of cash, which has an entirely different set of impacts. Imagine for a moment that there is a marginal farmer, who has something like 2 acres of land which is being used for agriculture. Now, one fine day, this is notified as nazul land, i.e. land that is declared as suitable for development for purposes other than agriculture, such as urban and/or industrial purposes. The new Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation & Relief Act, 2013 specifies compensation (in case of forced acquisition) by way of multiples of market value. However, developers have their way of being able to convince farmers to sell their land for less also considering that market values in many States have now actually become higher than prevailing rates! Now, for the farmer the proceeds from sale of this land is capital gains and also cannot be classified as income from agriculture making such proceeds from sale taxable both in terms of income as well as capital gains, effectively reducing the amount of liquidity the farmer has in his hand. One way a farmer can avoid this is to take up part (or even whole) of the amount in unaccounted cash, thereby reducing tax liabilities and making surplus amounts available for investment in other forms of wealth, as in land and/or gold. The same issue arises for a person who may have purchased some property at a low price at some point of time, but now when s/he wishes to dispose it of, is faced with the prospect of a significant tax overhead on the value that such property will carry. Besides, there is no dearth of landlords who will accept rents for their premises only in cash, as they do not wish to disclose that amount for the fear of taxation. The other problem is fuelled by the fact that a lot of sales that are generated within emerging real estate markets is made towards investors, people who invest in real estate assets without any intent of ever using them, but holding the same for future capital gains. Unutilised land or property is barely penalised or taxed in India making it profitable to hold on to such assets as long term wealth. The way our mind-sets work, we are always seeking rent, i.e. if we know that we sell an item for Rs 10/- to a person who can potentially make Rs 50/- from it, we will seek to capitalise on that future value, often in terms of monies that will not be accounted. So, in addition to the Rs 10/-, we will seek another Rs 2/- for the gain our purchaser may make at a later time. Again, to minimise tax liabilities on both buyer and seller, this surplus rent will be never be accounted effectively making it black. This is one of the other facts that drives the incentive for a seller to seek a component of the sale price in unaccounted money. The same issue is seen when seeking development permissions, where every permission comes for a price with a legitimate as well as an illegitimate component. No, single window doesnt work to solve the problem. The way government business is arranged (Rules of Business Allocation), there are distinct responsibilities which can be performed only by one department and not the other, so a single window, by itself cannot legally take responsibility for securing the approvals which the owner of the window cannot provide in the first place. The only place where this can be done is in a planned environment, where a parcel of land is pre-provisioned all the necessary approvals for a certain range of development. But then the way spatial planning works in India very, very few places can offer that kind of predictability. Even in a city like Bengaluru, there is a statutory requirement that any development with 20 or more apartments must have its own wastewater handling system which is odd for the fact that the city is well positioned to provision for trunk infrastructure in wastewater management that can handle a lot more than 20 apartments! These apart, we have a situation where a person who earns 20 lakh per annum and a person who earns 1 crore per annum have the same tax incidence rate of 30 percent! As long as these kinds of disincentives remain for people to pay tax, the impetus for generating black money is unlikely to subside. GST could alleviate the impact of tax overheads to an extent, but there has to be careful re-categorisation of both real estate products as well as inputs that can generate tax credits in a way that reduces effective tax liability. The problem in doing this is that as of this time, the GST Council is more involved in ensuring that States do not end up facing losses in revenue from the legacy pre-GST mechanism. Accordingly the tax regime needs to be re-organised so that tax avoidance is no longer worth the effort. This requires a very general change in Government attitude an understanding that real estate, by itself is not the cash cow it is made out to be but an enabler to several businesses, trades which contribute to the economy! By Steve Stecklow | MIAMI MIAMI A U.S. standards-setting body said it would investigate New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc (EDU.N) in the wake of a Reuters report that detailed allegations of academic fraud at the company.The American International Recruitment Council, which certifies agencies that recruit foreign students on behalf of U.S. colleges, will investigate the company in response to the report, said Jeet Joshee, AIRCs president-elect. Its concerning, highly concerning, he said of the allegations in the report.The article can be read here: reut.rs/2gHWbwZAIRC is a non-profit membership organisation comprised of 289 colleges and universities and 78 agencies that refer foreign students to U.S. schools often for a commission. It establishes best practices for international student recruitment and certifies agencies in a process that includes inspections.Joshee said AIRC certified New Orientals counselling division Beijing New Oriental Vision Overseas Consultancy Co -- about three or four years ago. He said AIRC could revoke the certification if the fraud accusations are confirmed. Reuters reported today that eight former and current New Oriental employees had told the news agency that the Beijing-based company had helped to write college application essays and teacher recommendations, and had falsified a high school transcript. A New Oriental student contract reviewed by Reuters stated that its services included writing or polishing parts of applications. The contract also said New Oriental would set up an email account on behalf of the client for communicating with colleges, keeping sole control of the password. Several former employees said some students never even saw their applications.Its most concerning that they would actually handle the whole application for a student, said Joshee, who chairs AIRCs certification body. Joshee also serves as associate vice president for international education at California State University, Long Beach. New Oriental denies condoning or wittingly engaging in application fraud. The publicly listed company, with annual revenue of $1.5 billion, is Chinas largest provider of private education services.The company's American Depositary Receipts, which trade on the New York Stock Exchange, were down $1.02 Friday afternoon at $47.97 a share, off 2.1 percent on the day. In addition to offering college counselling services to thousands of Chinese students seeking to study in the U.S., New Oriental has contracts with colleges including Arizona State University, the University of Cincinnati and Temple University. Those colleges pay New Oriental commissions when it refers students who enrol.Two New Oriental employees at AIRCs annual convention in Miami told Reuters the company had relationships with about 100 U.S. colleges and universities. They declined to say how many of those schools pay commissions to New Oriental.Joshee said his school - California State, Long Beach - signed a contract this year with New Oriental, although it hasnt provided any students to date. He said the university normally pays agents $1,500 to $2,000 for each student who enrols. He said his university would await the results of AIRCs probe before taking any action. (Edited by Michael Williams) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Steve Stecklow | MIAMI MIAMI A U.S. standards-setting body said it would investigate New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc (EDU.N) in the wake of a Reuters report that detailed allegations of academic fraud at the company.The American International Recruitment Council, which certifies agencies that recruit foreign students on behalf of U.S. colleges, will investigate the company in response to the report, said Jeet Joshee, AIRCs president-elect. Its concerning, highly concerning, he said of the allegations in the report.The article can be read here: reut.rs/2gHWbwZShares of New Oriental plunged after the council told Reuters of its plan to open a probe. The drop in the stock, as much as 24 percent at one point on Friday afternoon, wiped out more than $1.8 billion from the company's stock market value at its lowest point. It was last down about 14 percent at $42.16.AIRC is a non-profit membership organisation comprised of 289 colleges and universities and 78 agencies that refer foreign students to U.S. schools often for a commission. It establishes best practices for international student recruitment and certifies agencies in a process that includes inspections. Joshee said AIRC certified New Orientals counselling division - Beijing New Oriental Vision Overseas Consultancy Co -- about three or four years ago. He said AIRC could revoke the certification if the fraud accusations are confirmed.Reuters reported today that eight former and current New Oriental employees had told the news agency that the Beijing-based company had helped to write college application essays and teacher recommendations, and had falsified a high school transcript. A New Oriental student contract reviewed by Reuters stated that its services included writing or polishing parts of applications. The contract also said New Oriental would set up an email account on behalf of the client for communicating with colleges, keeping sole control of the password. Several former employees said some students never even saw their applications. Its most concerning that they would actually handle the whole application for a student, said Joshee, who chairs AIRCs certification body. Joshee also serves as associate vice president for international education at California State University, Long Beach.New Oriental denies condoning or wittingly engaging in application fraud. The publicly listed company, with annual revenue of $1.5 billion, is Chinas largest provider of private education services.The company's American Depositary Receipts, which trade on the New York Stock Exchange, were down $1.02 Friday afternoon at $47.97 a share, off 2.1 percent on the day. In addition to offering college counselling services to thousands of Chinese students seeking to study in the United States, New Oriental has contracts with colleges including Arizona State University, the University of Cincinnati and Temple University. Those colleges pay New Oriental commissions when it refers students who enrol.Two New Oriental employees at AIRCs annual convention in Miami told Reuters the company had relationships with about 100 U.S. colleges and universities. They declined to say how many of those schools pay commissions to New Oriental.Joshee said his school - California State, Long Beach - signed a contract this year with New Oriental, although it has not provided any students to date. He said the university normally pays agents $1,500 to $2,000 for each student who enrols. He said his university would await the results of AIRCs probe before taking any action. (Edited by Michael Williams and Lisa Shumaker) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. New Delhi: The row over army taking over road toll plazas in West Bengal on Friday echoed in Parliament with Trinamool Congress (TMC) seeing "sinister" designs behind the move and the government vehemently denying the charge, saying it was a routine exercise conducted in full knowledge of the local authorities. The issue was raised in both Houses of Parliament with main opposition Congress too seeking clarification on the army deployment at 19 toll plazas in West Bengal. In Lok Sabha, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar termed it a "routine exercise not unique to West Bengal" and saying that similar operations to collect information on heavy vehicle movement that can be used during national emergencies had last month being conducted in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. Along with West Bengal, similar exercise was carried out in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghlaya and Mizoram, he said while responding to TMC and Congress MPs. He also stated that originally the exercise was planned for 28-30 November but was shifted to 1 and 2 December at the request of Kolkata police as those dates were clashing with the protests against demonetisation. "It is shocking that a chief minister is saying this. The Army's deployment was part of routine exercise which has been going on for last 15-20 years. Even last year it was held on 19 to 21 November," Parrikar said. The minister said Army's Eastern Command has been carrying out the exercise in West Bengal, Assam and other North Eastern states and a similar exercise has already been carried out in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. "Concerned officials were informed in West Bengal. The original date was fixed for 28 to 30 November but due to Bharat Bandh the local police had advised the army to shift it to 1 and 2 December," he said. "Due to traffic congestion, the exercise is being done with the help of local police." TMC leaders in both Houses alleged that neither the state government, nor local administration including police were taken into confidence on the exercise or their permission sought. Congress and BSP too wanted to know from the government how such an unprecedented move to carry out an army exercise without taking state government into confidence was done. "It was very unfortunate that army has been dragged into an unnecessary controversy," Parrikar said. "It was political frustration rather than projection of correct situation." As soon as Lok Sabha assembled this morning, TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay raised the issue of army deployment at 19 places in West Bengal, claiming that the move was a challenge to the federal structure of the country and completely politically motivated. He said army personnel were deployed at these places, including near the state secretariat, "without informing anyone in the state secretariat". "It is a fantastic situation. Army today said that it was a routine exercise being carried out in the North Eastern states. But West Bengal does not come under the territorial jurisdiction of the Northeast," he said. Bandyopadhyay said the people of the country have great faith in the Army but if indeed such an exercise was scheduled, the Centre should have communicated to the state government. He said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been staging a 'dharna' in the Secretariat demanding withdrawal of the Army. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar asked the TMC not to drag Army into politics and added that the defence personnel have been protecting the country as well as democracy. "Whatever the army has done was part of a routine exercise. It is completely wrong to drag army into politics," he said. Raising the issue in Rajya Sabha, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said army is India's pride as it has upheld its unity and integrity beside protecting the borders. It has also come to the rescue during emergency situtions like flood and riots, he said adding that army is requisitioned at the request of a state government. But in West Bengal, the chief secretary, administration and Director General of Police had no information of army taking over toll plazas at 19 locations in the state, he said. "This is probably the first time that the chief minister of West Bengal has lodged this kind of protest where she stayed put for the night in the State Secretariat and is still there," he said. "This is a strange thing happening. Without asking state government, chief secretary or DGP, toll plazas of state government are taken over." Azad said it is being said that Army was collecting information on truck movements but such an exercise is not even done in Jammu and Kashmir. All such information is available with National Highways Authority of India or road transport departments. "This is an issue of grave concern." Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (TMC) said what happened in West Bengal has never been witnessed in the state's history. Army seized toll plazas and started putting stickers on vehicles. "I will not drag the army in any controversy. We are very proud of the army," he said wanting to know under what provisions of law and Constitution was such a deployment carried out and alleging "sinister design" to "defame the leader opposing demonetisation" and creating "fear psychosis". Mayawati, BSP supremo and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh said the move to deploy army without the state government's permission was an attack on the federal structure of the country. Terming the statements as factually incorrect, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said such exercises have been carried out in coordination with the local police. Earlier the exercise was planned for 28 November but was shifted on specific request by Kolkata Police in view of the Bharat Bandh, he said, adding that the exercise was to ascertain availability of vehicles during national emergency. The annual exercise are carried out for collection of data and similar exercises were also carried out in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, he said, adding that letters were written to the Police Commissioner as well as District Magistrates for conducting it. At this point, slogan-shouting TMC and Congress members contested the minister's statement and trooped into the Well. Deputy Chairman P J Kurien had a tough time controlling the situation and even had an angry spat with Congress members including Pramod Tiwari as they continued to shout even when he stood up to control the noisy scenes. "If you don't know the basic rule of not disturbing the Chair, you are not deserving to be a member," he angrily remarked without naming any member. "Mr Tiwari, I will take action against you. This is unheard of that the Chair will not be allowed to say," he said as members piped down and returned to their places. Kurien said if the members found any part of the statement made by the minister as misleading or incorrect, they can invoke the rule book and give notice. Roy continued to insist that the minister was misleading. "If any member or minister misleads the House, give notice, chairman will consider it," Kurien said. As Roy continued to insist that the minister was misleading the House by saying that the state government had been informed, treasury benches joined in to protest. At this point, an angry Kurien snapped at Bhupender Yadav (BJP) saying "shut up... you are not in the Chair." Roy said the minister was not stating if specific permission was taken for December 1 deployment and comparing the exercise to national emergency. I&B Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said the reference to emergency was to situations like floods or tsunami and said similar exercises are annually carried out and had happened in West Bengal previously as well. And recently, it has been carried out in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar, and along with West Bengal it was also being carried out in North Eastern states, he said, adding "it is a sensitive matter. Let us not politise it." Kurien told Roy that he can give a notice on any misleading statement being made in the House and he will consider it. Derek O'Brien raised a Point of Order under Rule 249 related to authentication of papers laid by the government on the floor of the House. He claimed that it is "selective placing of papers" by the government and added that he will place some papers on the floor of the House to prove his point on Monday. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee continued to stay put at the state secretariat today protesting against army presence at toll plazas in several parts of the state and asked whether it was an "army coup". Army personnel, however, had left the toll plaza near the secretariat on Thursday night. Speaking to reporters late night on Thursday at 'Nabanna', the state secretariat, she said, "I will stay at the secretariat to guard our democracy". "Is this a military coup," she asked. She said that army personnel were there in different districts like Murshidabad, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, North 24 Paragans, Burdwan, Howrah, Hooghly etc. "The army is deployed without informing the state government. This is unprecedented and a very serious matter", she had said. The TMC leadership has decided to raise the issue in both the houses of Parliament and also inform President Pranab Mukherjee about the incident. "We are talking to all political parties. We are planning to raise the issue in Parliament today. Lets see," TMC national spokesperson Derek O' Brien told PTI. A senior TMC leader on condition of anonymity said, "We are planning to meet President Pranab Mukherjee and inform him about the incident. The entire country should know, how BJP is engaged in vindictive politics,". The senior TMC leader said they have spoken to Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and discussed how to counter this issue jointly. Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel had called up Banerjee in the morning and inquired about the incident. A defence spokesperson had said that the army conducts bi-annual exercise throughout the country with an aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of a contingency. "There is nothing alarming about this and it is carried out as per government orders", Wing Commander S S Birdi had said. The army had said they were conducting routine exercise with full knowledge and coordination with West Bengal police. Derek O'Brien, however, said the army claim that the exercises were conducted in coordination with police was "incorrect". "All respect for army, but must set record straight 1) Data is already available 2. Cannot do vehicle check, not authorized to do so. Saying exercise by @easterncomd was coordinated with police is absolutely incorrect. Also, troops were moved into districts even after midnight. Chief minister kept watch from Secretariat overnight. She is still there," Brien said on twitter. Major General Sunil Yadav, while briefing the media said that "The deployment was a routine exercise and is being carried out in nine other states as well, the operation will end tonight." When asked if the army had informed the state officials about the exercise, he asserted that "It was communicated to the state police on phone that this exercise will be conducted." He added that such an exercise was also conducted last year, from 19 to 21 November with a troop of the same size and strength. He categorically denied the allegations on army put by TMC. With inputs from PTI Kolkata: As Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stayed put overnight at the state secretariat over army's presence at toll plazas in West Bengal, her TMC MLAs and ministers staged a dharna outside the Raj Bhavan protesting the "dictatorial tendencies" of the central government. More than 150 MLAs and ministers marched to the Raj Bhavan from state assembly to submit to Governor K N Tripathi a memorandum against the "ill motives of the central government" and demanding immediate withdrawal of the army personnel. They sat outside the Raj Bhavan with placards and posters criticising the Narendra Modi government besides raising slogans like 'Modi haaye haaye' and 'Modi should go'. The group could not, however, meet Governor K N Tripathi as he is in New Delhi. Alleging that the Centre is trying to topple the state government as TMC has raised its voice against demonetisation, Bengal Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee said, "Today we came here to protest against the dictatorial tendencies of the central government, which is trying to finish off the federal structure in the country. The state government in Bengal has been democratically-elected and that too with a huge mandate. "The people of this country will give a befitting reply to the dictatorial tendencies. A conspiracy is being hatched to topple a democratically-elected government. People will give the reply whether they want an army coup or federally-elected government," he said. TMC, he said, would go to Raj Bhavan again on Saturday to meet the governor and lodge its complaints. "We contacted him (Tripathi) over telephone. He told us that he has read about the incident in newspapers. He has asked us to come tomorrow." After a high drama over "deployment of army" at certain toll plazas in West Bengal without informing the state government, Banerjee stayed put at the state secretariat overnight. Army on its part strongly rebutted Banerjee's allegations and said the exercise was being carried out in coordination with Kolkata Police. Asked to comment on the army's statement, Chatterjee quipped, "There is difference between informing and getting permission." Earlier in the day, Tripathi told PTI when contacted, "I have read about it newspapers. Army has already given a clarification. I have nothing more to say." Asked to comment on Banerjee's allegation of "army coup", Tripathi said, "It is the chief minister's view. I have nothing more to say." Today was the first day of winter session of the state assembly and Chatterjee had wanted to raise and discuss the issue in the house. However, Speaker Biman Banerjee stopped him, saying that in order to raise and discuss an issue on the floor of the assembly it has to be first discussed in the Business Advisory committee of the house. Reports from Jalpaiguri said TMC workers held day-long protest outside the army camp at Binnaguri too. New Delhi: Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar said on Friday that the army was conducting a routine exercise in West Bengal and the northeastern states and also rejected the allegations levelled by TMC that state government was not informed about it. "This is a routine exercise of the Army which has been continuing since last 15 to 20 years. This exercise was conducted last year too between 19 to 21 November," Parikkar said in Lok Sabha. "Even this year, the same exercise was being conducted in West Bengal and other northeastern states. This was also done in Uttar Pradesh and Jhakhand," he added. "Earlier, it was decided that the exercises would take place between 28 to 30 November. But state police urged to extend to dates as there was shut down on 28 November. So it was decided that the exercises would take place between 1 to 3 December," Parikkar said. He also accused the TMC leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of politicising the matter. "It is saddening that a routine exercise has been made a controversy now. It is wrong to politicise it. This is politics in frustration rather than correct aspect being pointed out," Parikkar said. Earlier, raising the matter during question hour, TMC leader Sudip Bandopadhyay the army deployment was done by keeping the state government in dark. He said that army was deployed along a highway toll plaza, which is at the second Hooghly Bridge and about 500m from the secretariat. "The Chief Minister is still sitting on Dharna inside the secretariat demanding immediate withdrawal of the army," he said. New Delhi: Amid the indefinite sit-in by JNUSU in the campus, the JNU administration has blamed a section of student protesters of "maligning the image" of the university by "propagating false information" related to an incident leading to the disappearance of Najeeb Ahmed. Members of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) have been protesting for the last four days at the varsity's administrative block protesting the university's decision to not allow protests over the missing student case. "Despite all these steps, certain groups of students and the university's students union have been consistently spreading false information and making unfounded allegations against the administration. "Outsiders are invited into the campus to participate in agitations aimed more against the administration and less on the need for all-out cooperation in the efforts made by the administration to locate Najeeb. Unnecessary politicisation of this incident has created hindrances for locating Najeeb and resolving the issue," the JNU administration said. In a statement released on Thursday, the administration also said it has written several times to JNUSU to refrain from indulging in dharnas, sit-ins, loud protest marches, and offensive sloganeering in and around the administration building as per the university rules, but the JNUSU has "not desisted" from doing so. "Due to the persistent defiance of protesters, the academic atmosphere and the administrative functioning of the university have been adversely affected," it said. The administration has also earmarked alternative spaces for organising democratic and lawful protests, it added. JNUSU president Mohit Pandey has rejected the allegation about the students, as a "bunch of lies" and instead posed few questions to the administration over the issue. Pandey alleged that the vice-chancellor was hell-bent on "destroying the culture of JNU through his high-handedness". He also accused him of not making public the proctorial report, which says that some "ABVP activists have been found guilty of hitting Najeeb." The students are protesting against alleged inaction by the administration on the issue. Najeeb Ahmed, a first-year MSc student, went missing from the campus on October 15 after he was allegedly assaulted by ABVP members during a hostel election campaign a night before. While the effects of demonetisation on urban India are visibly apparent to those with access to mainstream English media, its impact on rural lives is so far vague. We travelled into the interiors of Maharashtra to examine the depth of the impact. Firstpost sent out Apoorv Mishra, who was accompanied by his friends Tahir Alimansoor and Kush Shah, into rural Maharashtra with an iPhone, a couple of mics, a GoPro and no institutional monetary support they had borrowed money from friends and withdrawn all the cash permitted under prevalent restrictions. Their journey began on a train from Mumbai to Kasara, where they heard progressively worsening tales of woe as they moved further away from Mumbai. If you missed it, you can catch that episode here. The trio arrived in Kasara on 18 November and spent some time talking to the people and documenting their daily struggles in a post-demonetised India. Kasara only has two banks and four ATMs. Being a small village that primarily relied on cash transactions, this was enough. Following the demonetisation move, however, the situation appears to have dramatically worsened. "We have to stand for hours in line just to get a small amount of money," said one lady. "People are falling unconscious in the heat," said another. One man tells Mishra that he's been standing in line since 8 am (it's 2 pm at the time our reporters speak to him) and that he hasn't had a chance to either eat or drink since. An old man complains that he's been in the line since 8 am and that his knees are aching. Local businesses have also been hit hard. An owner of a sabzi mandi (vegetable stall) ranted about the drop in earnings. "I used to make Rs 4,000 - Rs 5,000," he says, adding, "Now I only make Rs 500 to Rs 1,000." He also complained that it's not worth going to the bank for money, "My whole day would be wasted." Some people have seen opportunity in demonetisation. Certain stores are reportedly charging a Rs 100 premium on old notes, others have set up stalls that charge illiterate people a fee for filling bank forms. The fee might be meagre Rs 10 but as we later found out, that fee might amount to 10 percent of someone's daily earnings. Amid these tales of hardship are also rare tales of hope. Those who can afford it are giving out goods on credit. Others, like Trimbakutal Shinde, a retired policeman, is housing the physically challenged and offering water to those who want it. Despite their hardships, the people still seem to be largely in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's move. Their only complaint, in fact, is that demonetisation should have been planned better. "You don't see the rich standing in line, do you?" is the common refrain. Firstpost broadcasted Mishras road trip on our live blog and our Facebook page. It is now releasing the videos in the form of a series of documentary shorts. I, hereby remembering the Almighty and my ancestors, take a pledge that, I have become a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to protect the sacred Hindu Dharma, Hindu Sanskriti and Hindu Society, and to make this Hindu Rashtra independent This was the pledge that was taken by 99 selected swayamsevaks (volunteers) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Nagpur in March 1928. The original pledge was a hand-written one in Marathi by the then Sangh chief Dr KB Hedgewar. Almost nine decades later, the present RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday evening, while referring to Hedgewar, gave a call to unite and organise Hindus across the world, at an event in New Delhi. Hindu(ism) is not a sect; whosoever believes in our diversity is a Hindu. Whether one calls oneself Hindu or a Bharatiya it means the same. Who were our ancestors in this country? It was Hindus. Hedgewar had said that while you want to see the whole world as a family, first unite those who believe in Hindutva, bring them to your fold not in fear of Muslims or Christian missionaries. Even if there is no Muslim or Christian, the duty lies in uniting the Hindus as they are unorganised. The others, who are skeptical of being a Hindu due to any reason or are outside the fold, will follow automatically, said Bhagwat while speaking at an event to commemorate 90 years of the RSS. Sending out a strong message, the RSS chief asked the Hindu community to first set its house in order. the problem is not with others. First, set your own house in order. We talk of having a global family, but we discriminate against our own people the Dalits. That needs to be stopped. Keep your own principles of life in order. Thats what Sangh says for it, the importance lies in what a man is and not on what hes doing'. Emphasising the role of India as a global leader, he said Bharat has to organise and strengthen itself first, so that we can organise at the global level. An hour-long address by Bhagwat was more about making people understand the genesis, principles and functioning of the 90-year old RSS. And that is what its publication division, the Bharat Prakashan has attempted to do by bringing out collectors editions of its bilingual magazines Organiser (English) and Panchajanya (Hindi). The magazines have covered the journey and evolution of the Sangh since its inception in 1925, by digging out information from archives and old communications. After releasing the collectors edition, Bhagwat urged that while the magazines would help people to know about the Sangh, those willing to know more could visit an RSS shakha. His emphasis was on making people understand the Sangh as an entity. The existence and functioning of the RSS has always been a debatable subject that has often led to controversies. Speculations have been made on the role (read interference) of the Sangh in the policy-making of the government and that of the swayamsevaks in the public domain. The collectors edition divides the RSS journey into four phases 1925 to 1947, 1947 to 1977, 1977 to 2005 and thereafter, vis-a-vis the roles played by the respective Sarsanghchalaks. The Sangh is a nothing but a thought process, which evolved out of collective thinking of all in the country over the years. There are misconceptions about the Sangh in the public domain. We never get into any argument and try to avoid any kind of opposition and controversy. Instead, we ensure maintaining a cordial and friendly interaction with all. If anyone wants to know about the RSS, one needs to be free from prejudices and look into it objectively with an open mind. If you have pre-decided notions, youre bound to have misconceptions, emphasised Bhagwat. The Sanghs sole objective is man-making and to run shakhas, and its the swayamsevaks who perform their duties in society. Theres no other means to know the Sangh than to visit a shakha. One cant be informed about the RSS by talking about it. You visit a Sangh shakha, if you feel good, stay with it. If not, you can move ahead. But, get your misconceptions cleared. Theres no sanction on visiting us, Bhagwat signed off. The attempt has been made to do an objective analysis of the Sangh through this collectors edition and answer many queries in the public domain that has taken the shape of enigma or misconception. Questions have been raised from time to time on the role played by the RSS during Indias freedom movement, post-Independence, during the Emergency and the organisational structure of the Sangh. The two editions will help people to better understand the RSS, said Jagdish Upasane, group editor Bharat Prakashan, who also spearheaded the collectors edition along with its two editors Praful Ketkar and Hitesh Shankar. New Delhi: Blaming Pakistan for having an uneasy relationship with India, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday said it is for Islamabad to introspect as to why there are tensions between the two neighbours. "It is a serious situation. Right from the day this government had been formed and even prior to that, India has taken one step after another honestly trying to improve relations with Pakistan," he said at HT Leadership Summit in New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a lot of initiatives, including unconventional ones but then the response was Pathankot or Uri attack, prompted by Pakistan, he said. "This cannot be normal as far as Indo-Pak relationships are concerned. If there are tensions, it's for the Pakistan to introspect really why there are tensions," he said. Asked about the impact of the change in regime in the US, Jaitley said the relationship between the two countries is expected to strengthen further. "I have not the least doubt that India's relations with the United States would continue to be on the same plank as it was, probably growing and maturing almost by the day," he said. "This was an unusual election as far as the US was concerned. When one of the world's most powerful democracies through a fair electoral process takes a decision, we have to accept the decision," he added. The Supreme Court's verdict directing cinema halls across the nation to play the National Anthem before a movie screening has elements that can also explain the success of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in recently concluded Assembly and Parliamentary bypolls in Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Sikkim and Tamil Nadu, and civic/panchayat polls in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan. These victories came despite the BJP's image taking a beating following the Narendra Modi government's demonetisation decision. In fact, these common elements (of the Supreme Court order and the government's demonitisation policy) add to the "global" discourse on liberalism and nationalism (including patriotism). I am using the word "global" because this debate is taking place all over the world, particularly in Europe and America. The question of whether a man or woman should remain strictly an individual with all the "rights" of one, or do they become part of a group (as a social animal) that demands some "duties" (including loyalty). In its order, the Supreme Court has said, "The directions are issued, for love and respect for the motherland is reflected when one shows respect to the National Anthem as well as to the National Flag. That apart, it would instill the feeling within one, a sense committed patriotism and nationalism." According to the apex court, "A time has come, the citizens of the country must realise that they live in a nation and are duty bound to show respect to National Anthem, which is the symbol of constitutional patriotism to inherent national quality." It referred in this context to Article 51(A) (a) of the Constitution, which states that "it shall be the duty of every citizen of India to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem". It seems that the court isn't impressed by arguments presented by Left-liberals that this particular article is part of the non-enforceable "directive principles" of the Indian Constitution. Inherent in the order is the notion that it is incumbent on every individual citizen to think beyond oneself and think about the greater good of the nation. In my considered view, it's in this same vein that Prime Minister Narendra Modi tells people to tolerate miseries and pain for some more time, as it's a "bitter measure" that is good for the country as a whole in the long-term. It will bring unaccounted money into the national banking stream, reduce black money and curtail corruption, all of which will accelerate the national development, create jobs and reduce the gap between the rich and the poor. The point here is that individual sacrifices for collective good or national interests are needed at times. This fits into Modi's slogans of "India First" and "Sab ke Saath, Sab ke Vikaas". And it appears that more and more Indians have bought the logic of Modi rather than that of his Left/liberal critics (including the opposition parties), who are highlighting only individual or sectional rights, particularly in ethnic terms. More and more Indians seem to be siding with the Prime Minister, as they dislike the prospect of balkanisation of India into identity groups, particularly when those groups dismiss the nation's centuries-old history and culture as majoritarianism. Accordingly, reactions of the Left liberals to the National Anthem verdict or about demonitisation have been very predictable: "Who are you to force me to display my patriotism?", "Nationalism is a vital component of fascism, patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel", and talking of "national interests is a manifestation of majoritarianism and xenophobia" etc. They aren't impressed by the argument that their agenda is essentially divisive, not inclusive. In fact, they have no problems when ethnic minorities talk of having their own civil laws and disrespect national symbols like the National Anthem, National Song or Yoga, saying that these are impositions of Hinduism. And they have no issues with illegal immigration from neighboring countries and slogans challenging the unity and integrity of India. They justify casteism in Indian politics as politicisation of caste and magnify separatist outlook as essential to "democratisation" of the polity. Such examples are only illustrative, not exhaustive. It just so happens that at the intellectual level (level of the elites of the country), it has been an unequal battle between the "liberals" and "nationalists", because the former has been overwhelmingly dominating the intellectual space (national media, educational establishments, think-tanks, NGOs, bureaucracy etc). Their influence on public policy has hitherto been inversely proportional to their number. However, at the ground level, it's the nationalists who're gaining momentum and succeeding. This explains the Modi phenomenon in India and the Trump phenomenon in the US. As the noted weekly The Economist found out in one of its recent issues, "All around the world, nationalists are gaining ground." Examples it has cited include Nigel Farage of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), who played an important role for Brexit; the Rightist National Front (FN) leader Marine Le Pen having a great chance to do well in the coming French elections; Geert Wilders, leader of the anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant Party for Freedom in the Netherlands; Egypt president Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi legitimising his authoritarianism; and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan suppressing democracy for building a new Turkey. The magazine has also dealt with the phenomenon of Modi in India, Xi Jinping in China and Vladimir Putin in Russia. Among the many reasons that the magazine cited, it said, "Communication tools have accelerated the spread of the new nationalism. Facebook and Twitter allow people to bypass the mainstream media's cosmopolitan filter to talk to each other, swap news, meet and organise rallies." And, ironically, common men and the marginalised sections of the society (the blue-collar workers in particular) tend to repose their trust in the "nationalists", who promise provide them jobs. However, the above explanation is not fully satisfying given the fact that the Left liberals also talk of poor and jobs. In my considered view, therefore, Jonathan Haidt's 2012 book The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion makes a better sense. A social psychologist at the University of Virginia who, until 2009, considered himself a "partisan liberal", Haidt explains human behaviour (including the choice of voting) through a catalog of six fundamental ideas: Care, fairness, liberty, loyalty, authority and sanctity" (alongside these, he also found related themes that carry moral weight like divinity, community, hierarchy, tradition, sin and degradation). Going by Haidt, the Left liberals go by only the first three in his catalogue: Care, fairness and liberty; whereas the nationalists deal with all six, including loyalty, authority and sanctity. The worldviews Haidt discusses start with the group, not with the individual. And the group here could be families, armies and nations that nationalists exalt. "They assume that people should be treated differently according to social role or status elders should be honored, subordinates should be protected. They suppress forms of self-expression that might weaken the social fabric. They assume interdependence, not autonomy. They prize order, not equality," Haidt argues. "They're common in history and are so across the globe, because they fit human nature." Through research, he shows how people punish cheaters, accept hierarchies and do not support equal distribution of benefits when contributions are unequal. These are the ideas that one finds the most in the parties and leaders believing in nationalism, and most of them happen to be conservative. "And those who vote for them are not fools," aren't fools. As Haidt says, drawing from the experience of blue collared workers voting for the Republican party in the US, "They are voting for their moral interests that include moral capital norms, practices and institutions, like religion and family values, that facilitate cooperation by constraining individualism." However, all this does not suggest that liberalism is a lost cause. What it means is that they need to reexamine their thought processes. There are innate contradictions among the nationalists too. Trump's "America First" implies relative isolation of the country in global affairs, as was the case between two World Wars, and hence a challenge to the phenomenon of globalisation. But Modi's "India First" depends more and more on globalisation itself. Also, it is equally a paradox that at a higher level Modi's support for globalisation is something that the Left liberals will not find fault with. All told, globalisation does not go with distinctiveness and yearns for an across-the-board leveling in which everything is the same be it in sexual conduct, values, morality or religion. In other words, there are meeting points between liberalism and nationalism. But unfortunately, it's the liberals, as the recent events in India and the US show, who are not prepared for a debate. They are increasingly becoming uncompromising, dogmatic and often malicious, their slogans for "dissent" notwithstanding The Pakistani chaiwala (tea vendor), Arshad Khan, is a popular fashion model in his country now. If you look at him today, youll find it hard to believe that just a few months back, this handsome, blue-eyed model was once served chai on a little street in Islamabad. His sudden rise to fame is a story of internet stardom that could have only happened in todays hyper-connected world. Khans story started with an Instagram photo by photographer, Jiah Ali. A budding photographer, Ali said that she looks for simplicity and raw emotion in any image that she captures. Thats what she saw in Khan and thats what she captured in her photograph. Her image, titled Hot tea, garnered over 32,000 likes in just a few days, transforming Khan from a mere chaiwala to overnight viral sensation. His latest success comes in the form of a music video thats simply titled, Chai Wala. The music video, courtesy of a band called Lil Mafia Mundeer, is rather strange. And it does manage to show off Arshad Khan at his modelling best. The video shows Khan all spruced up, serving tea in a suit, surrounded by fawning women and charming everyone with his smile. Last we checked, the video had over 7,70,000 views. This blue-eyed boy from Pakistan is certainly going places! His modelling career is doing rather well. He also captured the attention of a global audience, when media houses like the BBC and The Telegraph highlighted his story. The #Chaiwala Arshad Khan walks the ramp at Bridal Couture Week #qhbcw pic.twitter.com/94DwWMifjZ (@aurAdil) November 27, 2016 Interestingly, there are striking parallels between Khans story and that of UKs One-pound-fish man. Of Pakistani origin, Muhammad Shahid Nazir went to the UK on a student visa and ended up dropping his studies in favour of a career selling fish at Queens Market, London. His rather unique traders call, come on ladies, come on ladies, one pound fish became so popular on social media that the Warner Music Group signed him up for a single. Sadly for Nazir, he was forced to leave the UK and return to Pakistan since he only had a student visa. That said, Nazir was already very popular in his home country and returned to a large fan base. He plans to return to the UK soon. Hopefully, the chaiwalas story will have a happier ending. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should really give herself a pat on the back. For in just a matter of hours, she allegedly managed to foil a military coup, thus undertaking the arduous task of 'guarding the democracy.' She locked herself up at the state government secretariat on Thursday, after she 'uncovered' the Indian Armys attempt to usurp the government in her state. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) should celebrate 29 November as 'victory day', in honour of the valour and grit displayed by its leader. Her party men and women, as well as her followers in West Bengal and elsewhere in the country, should be rejoicing in her victory instead of protesting against demonetisation. After all, Mamata had achieved what no one in the world could have even thought of thwarting an armed coup that was allegedly backed by the ruling dispensation at the Centre, not by application of counter force but by merely tweeting. It seems that in her mind, tweets were enough to lay off the imagined coup. The senior TMC leader's reaction, or rather over-reaction, was based on army presence at toll plazas in several parts of the state; which the Eastern Command of the Indian Army claimed was a part of a routine exercise in all North-East states. But the army's explanation, it seems, was not enough for her or other TMC leaders in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Sudip Badhopadhayay and Derek O'Brien were seen speaking to some TV news channels, saying that they had spoken to the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, about the issue and that they were prepared to raise the issue in the Parliament the next day. But when the Parliament opened on Friday morning, and the issue was raised by Congress, TMC and other Opposition parties, they ended up with egg on their faces. The government seemed prepared and countered every accusation with facts. The likes of Azad, Sudendhu Roy, O'Brien, Bandhopadhayay and Mayawati were left speechless in countering the facts offered by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in Lok Sabha and by his deputy Subhash Bhamre in Rajya Sabha. In response, all they could manage to do was to rush into the well, shout slogans and disrupt the proceedings of Parliament. Parrikar started by reiterating the Eastern Command's stand. His contention was that Mamata was trying to create a controversy out of a routine military exercise done in coordination with state authorities and said that her actions were reflective of her "political frustration." https://twitter.com/easterncomd/status/804376400278921216 The routine exercise, as mentioned by Parrikar, is the army's way of generating its own analytic data on a given route average vehicular traffic, potential congestion and so on to prepare a route for mobilisation of the forces in case of a national emergency. And this is not the first time that this exercise has been conducted either. Last year, the army had conducted the exercise on 19-21 November in West Bengal and this year, the exercise was pegged for 28-30 November but the state police asked the army to defer it by a few days because of the Bharat bandh on 28 November. The police and administration had prior information about the 1-2 December exercise, so much so that the traffic congestion mapping was done in coordination with the state police. "Earlier this year, this exercise had also taken place in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand," Parrikar said. https://twitter.com/MamataOfficial/status/804385388437454848 It seems that Mamata's over-eagerness to position herself as a challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi is driving her politics to touch new irritation levels. At a public rally on 18 November, Mamata had pledged to remove Modi from politics. Today, I am taking the pledge that either Ill die or live but will remove PM Modi from Indian politics, Mamata had said. It seems that she has her eyes set on the prime minister's seat; for the one to topple an existing regime would naturally be in contention to be the next leader. In that regard, she is fighting to bring an end to demonetisation, effectively giving a free run to black money hoarders, fake currency holders, hawala dealers and terrorists. Her commitment to this cause is so strong that she has put the governance of her state on auto pilot. But the fact that her outcries yielded no dividend seems to have frustrated the leader. Her failure to evoke any popular response against Modi and his demonetisation move seems to have got the better of her. Add to it the fact that Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav refused to share the dais with her on 29 November and that she was snubbed by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar the following day, seems to have only made things worse. Apart from Nitish, Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, sons Tejashwi and Tejpratap, and daughter Misa all stayed away from her rally in Bihar. Only a handful of people, that too after great efforts, turned up at the venue. Angered by the snub, Mamata called Nitish a gaddar (traitor) and reached out to the Lalu clan in the evening in an attempt to keep herself relevant and newsworthy. But that was not all for the TMC chief. On her flight back to Kolkata, Mamata claimed that an "authoritarian" regime at the Centre was trying to "assassinate" her when her Indigo flight's landing was delayed despite the fact that it was low on fuel. Her concerns, bordering on paranoia, were quickly dispelled by the civil aviation ministry and the airline. Following the announcement of the demonetisation move, Mamata, along with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, had threatened Modi that he 'must roll back demonetisation in three days, or else face popular revolts from all corners of the country.' Mamata may still be going strong in West Bengal, but her actions in the last few days have surely done her more harm than good. If nothing else, it has surely damaged her credibility in front of the vast majority of the country. It is a very well-known fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an excellent orator. Even Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, who in past had called Modi a 'psychopath', had earlier also admitted that Modi is a "great orator" and has sent all the "right" messages (even though he felt that the delivery of his promises was "very low"). Modi has always been a clever politician who knows how to handle criticism and also how to respond properly to the Opposition (more on this later). Now, let's take a look at what the prime minister has said so far on the issue of demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. If one briefly summarises the most prominent speeches or statements made by the prime minister since he announced demonetisation on 8 November, one concludes that Modi has addressed the people on the issue of demonetisation sometimes emotionally at rallies and through his radio address Mann Ki Baat. He has also spoken many times against the Opposition on the issue of demonetisation, whether it is asking people to choose between those trying to call for a 'Bharat Bandh' and those trying to fight against black money or whether it is alleging at a rally that the politicians behind chit fund scams are now attacking him. The prime minister has also addressed BJP MPs at parliamentary party meetings, sometimes emotionally appealing to them to endorse his "crusade" and sometimes asking them to submit bank account statements. Probably the only thing the prime minister has not done so far when it comes to making statements on demonetisation is the most significant because it has caused a massive uproar in the Parliament. Despite the Opposition leaders shouting 'Pradhan mantri jawab do!' slogans in both Houses of Parliament and leaving the Speakers in both the Houses no option but to adjourn the proceedings over their demand for a statement from the prime minister in the Parliament over demonetisation, Modi has not made a single statement in either of the Houses of Parliament on this issue so far. Of course, it is mostly because of the Opposition that the Winter Session so far has almost always descended into a shouting match. But a speech from the prime minister would only make the government's charge against the Opposition of unnecessarily disrupting the proceedings of the House only stronger. But it wasn't always like this. In the past, Modi has given the Opposition scathing responses in Parliament. For example, in March this year, Modi had responded to Opposition's uproar in the Lok Sabha and had implied that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was reluctant to learn with age. "Some people learn with age but some don't," he had said, also suggesting that Rahul tearing an Ordinance during a press conference in 2013 had embarrassed the Congress. The prime minister had also cleverly quoted Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Rajendra Prasad to ask the Opposition to cooperate in the Parliament. Why have we not seen such witty barbs and sharp statements from the prime minister during the current Winter Session so far? Some people may argue that the prime minister making a statement in the House may make the Opposition look stronger by creating an impression that Modi finally gave in to Opposition demand. But the prime minister's silence in the Parliament has only made the Opposition look stronger and their claims that Modi is scared of speaking in the Parliament more noticeable. On Friday, Rahul Gandhi said that Modi was only interested in doing "TRP politics". Congress leader Kapil Sibal had earlier told Times Now outside the Parliament that the prime minister was not coming to Parliament because he was crying. Now, while such statements are silly and made purely to gain political points, Modi's silence in Parliament gives more weight to such attacks from the Opposition. Moreover, there are specific points like the deaths allegedly linked to demonetisation or Manmohan Singh's claims in his Rajya Sabha speech that the GDP will fall by two percentage points due to demonetisation and his "monumental mismanagement" and "organised loot" barbs which Modi has not responded to. It is partly because of a lack of response from the prime minister that Manmohan Singh's speech had a huge impact on many people in the country. For the moment, let's forget about whether or not demonetisation was a correct move. Let's forget about whether or not Opposition leaders were making substantial points on demonetisation. The deafening silence of the prime minister in the Parliament so far has made the Opposition's points stronger, irrespective of whether or not they make sense. With inputs from agencies Mamata Banerjee is angry. No, make that very, very angry. She has been raging since 8 November when the prime minister abruptly brought the curtains down on high value notes. Lakhs of crores of old currencies have since been deposited, some new ones have been printed, queues at banks have gotten longer, shorter and longer again, opposition parties have aligned and realigned their formations and the BJP has registered victories in by-elections and civic polls. In all these 20-odd days though, the West Bengal chief minister's temper hasn't abated. It has been rising steadily instead, crossing all levels of reasonable and unreasonable danger, touching frantic heights till she exploded in a fit of apoplectic frenzy on Thursday, crying assassination attempt, coup and civil war all in a matter of few hours. Let the charges sink in a bit. People familiar with the Trinamool Congress chief's style of politics knows that she has never let facts come in the way of rhetoric. But even by her mercurial standards, the latest charges are weird and worrying. The hysterical meltdown that she has suffered since Thursday night well into Friday morning, locking herself up in a chamber at the state secretariat building vowing to "guard democracy" seems straight out of The Yellow Wallpaper script, not the conduct expected of a senior politician and the chief minister of a state. It will be wrong to dismiss Mamata's behavior as delusional. Far from it. There is not a small amount of calculation in her histrionics. Media loves a scene. It thrives on theatrics. The manicured paranoia is likely to cement the TMC supremo's cult farther among followers and may even catapult her into national consciousness. In a season of opportunities when some opposition leaders are busy outdoing each other in leveling fantastic allegations, Mamata has put clear daylight between herself and the chasing pack. Take the alleged assassination plot, for instance. It certainly indicates the high degree of self-importance Mamata places on herself but it is reckless to propose, without any evidence whatsoever, that someone or some forces were trying to eliminate her. The airline in question has released a statement categorically clarifying that the flight, along with two other flights, were kept on hold due to congestion at the Kolkata airport and had a "normal landing". Speaking to The Indian Express, director of Kolkata airport Atul Dixit said "The flight was short on fuel for holding. While holding time was 13 minutes, the flight had fuel for 8 minutes. But additional fuel for diversion to nearest destination was available in the aircraft. Laid down procedures were followed and it was a safe landing." According to IndiGo as reported by the newspaper captain of flight 6E 342 from Patna "at no stage declared a fuel priority or an emergency. Subsequently, the airplane made a normal landing at Kolkata airport at 8.40 pm (delayed by an hour due to congestion). The fuel on arrival was more than the minimum diversion fuel." This should have cleared all apprehensions. But that didnt stop TMC minister Firhad Hakim from saying that this was a "conspiracy to eliminate" his leader while another MP interjected that the plane was "about to crash". With the DGCA launching a probe into alleged miscommunication between the pilot and the ATC, more details would soon emerge but in trading these irresponsible and outlandish charges, she is irreparably damaging the Centre-state relationship. Hardly had the embers died of the 'assassination plot', Thursday evening saw a panic-stricken Mamata alleging that the Narendra Modi government is out to stage a coup by deploying the army and seizing power. For good measure, she also sniffed a civil war plot. First, it is unclear why the Centre would try to unseat Mamata Banerjee through a coup. She runs a democratically elected government which has just returned to power with an overwhelming mandate. The Centre has little political benefit to gain and absolutely no legal, moral or ethical right to dismiss the Trinamool-run government. Even if we were to assume, for reasons known only to herself, that the Centre indeed wants to topple her, Modi government just needs to invoke Article 356 and declare President's Rule in the state instead of staging an Army-backed elaborate coup. Unless the Centre has been struck with a bout of sudden lunacy, it makes zero sense for Modi to try and topple Mamata government who in the larger scheme of national politics has little relevance. The NDA runs a government at the Centre with brute majority, the Prime Minister continues to enjoy popular support and his party has just won crucial by-elections in different parts of the country. By no stretch of imagination is the NDA government even under the remotest threat. Under the circumstances, Mamata's charges of coup appear frivolous, irresponsible and mischievous. Moreover, by dragging the army into the picture while it was involved in a routine drill, the Bengal chief minister is bent on erasing her credibility even more. If she really wants to become a national player and all this hue and cry would suggest that she believes the resultant noise will serve a political purpose Mamata must understand that these reckless allegations are weakening her case. Addressing the media in the wake of the allegations, the Army on Friday rebutted Mamata's charges of a coup and said it had sought prior permission from the state government a key bone of contention. Army formations in Eastern Command at local level are carrying out routine data collection exercises on availability on load carriers at all the major entry points in various states. This is being done in coordination with local police authorities. The exercise was earlier planned on the night of November 27-28, 2016. The dates were changed to 30th November to 2nd December on a specific request by Kolkata police due to Bharat Bandh on November 28, Major General Sunil Yadav stated while addressing the media on the charges, according to a report in TimesNow. The Eastern Command had released a tweet on Thursday night detailing the states where similar operations were taking place and Wing Commander SS Birdi, ministry of defence, CPRO, Kolkata, had addressed Mamata's concerns on Thursday night itself by saying that "there is nothing alarming about this and it is carried out in accordance with government orders. This gives us an estimate about the number of vehicles that are passing through a certain area, which can be tapped during operations." Routine exercise in all NE states. In Assam @ 18 places, Arunanchal@13, WB@19, Manipur@6, Nagaland@5, Meghalaya@5, Tripura & Mizoram@1@adgpi EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) December 1, 2016 But as Mamata and her party's extraordinary tirade went on all through the day in both Houses of the Parliament on Friday, the Army was forced to release a series of letters that showed that it was in communication with the West Bengal police on the annual exercise to "gather statistical data about load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of a contingency". The Army further said that this annual exercise is also being carried out in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar from September 26 to October1 this year, according to a ANI report carried in Business Standard. In Parliament, Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar expressed "shock and dismay" and clarified that such an exercise had been carried out in the state last year as well from 19-21 November and that this is a 15-20-year-old practice. He refuted allegations that the state was kept in the dark and said: "concerned officials were informed in West Bengal. The original date was fixed for 28-30 November but due to Bharat Bandh the local police had advised the Army to shift it to 1-2 December Due to traffic congestion, the exercise is being done with the help of local police." But the TMC chief remains unconvinced and resolute on her extraordinary plot. A part of the math could be that through her vociferous and bizarre protestations, she is trying to ensure headlines and clinch the empty opposition slot. This may fit well with the latest development where Mamata's overtures of a united front were rebuffed by a key regional satrap, Nitish Kumar, who also persuaded alliance partner Lalu Prasad Yadav to refrain from joining Mamata's anti-Modi front. The Bengal chief minister, who has vowed to "oust Modi from politics", thus might be feeling a little insecure about her future. The opposition that includes the state BJP, Congress and the Left Front has repeatedly alleged that Mamata has been rattled by the wiping out of unaccounted wealth amassed by her party. Though they have offered zero evidence in support of their claims, it has certainly come to the notice of tax officials that West Bengal leads a sudden spurt in deposits into Jan Dhan accounts. In a report published on 24 November, Business Standard details that close to Rs 21,000 crore has been deposited in jan dhan accounts across the country since demonetisation with Bengal recording one of the highest deposits. In areas bordering Bangladesh, some have received strikingly high deposits in accounts meant for the poor, said the report, adding through a source in a PSU bank that for the first few days after demonetisation banks in other subdivisions received close to Rs 1 crore per day while that amount was nearly Rs 5 crore in some banks in a sub-division bordering Bangladesh. There is little point in trying to decipher reason in Mamata's polemical protestations. She is driven by own rules which admittedly have served her well in regional politics. While operating on the national scene though, she must temper her rage with wisdom. Else King Lear is a handy example. New Delhi: Congress leader Digvijaya Singh came out in support of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee over her protest against the Indian Army's presence at toll plazas in West Bengal and suggested that the troops were deployed after the TMC chief took a stand against demonetisation. Singh said that in view of the "seriousness" of the matter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar should issue a clarification in this regard. "Mamata Banerjee's only fault is that she has taken up the cause of the poor, the middle class and the deprived vigorously. She is going from state to state, talking about the problems caused by demonetisaiton. Therefore, it is a serious case," Singh told reporters outside Parliament. Singh said a clarification in this regard should come from "not less than either the defence minister or preferably by the prime minister". CPM MP Mohammed Salim alleged that the TMC chief was engaging in theatrics to grab attention. "Banerjee engaging in theatrics over the deployment of the army is nothing new for people of West Bengal. She has been practicing such politics over the past 10 years. Now, people of the country will come to know how she is defaming others, even the army, out of her paranoia," he said. Banerjee remained at the state secretariat on Friday to protest the army's presence at toll plazas in several parts of the state and asked whether it was an "army coup". Army personnel, however, had evacuated the toll plaza near he office last night. How defensive the defence minister sounded. Quite unlike the Manohar Parrikar who is known for lashing out at opponents and quite intemperately at that. Even his barb that he was shocked and hurt at the army being dragged into controversy because of what he called Mamata Banerjees political frustration lacked its usual verve. On Friday in the Lok Sabha, the defence minister stood up to answer charges of a military coup by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee armed with facts and figures which he reeled out dutifully. The presence of army jawans at toll booths that had so enraged Bengals chief minister was nothing new, he said. It is a routine exercise that the army has been conducting across the country every year for decades now, even in Bengal as recently as last November and in those very check-posts that are now in the glare of the limelight. Its being done not just in Bengal but is taking place right now in the entire eastern region, after completion in Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. Its done in consultation with the state governments, the defence minister droned on and on. It doesnt matter. Mamata Banerjee has got him and his government precisely where she wanted them on the defensive. The entire Opposition was behind her, even if many of them may have been aware about how flimsy her charges were. While letters from the Army proving the state police had been informed of the exercise several days in advance had no effect in her state. Trinamool supporters demonstrated with gusto against the autocratic Centre at the gates of the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata, the most visible outpost of the Centre in this city. Just as she has got the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to launch an investigation into her flight from Patna a couple of days ago that was made to circle the skies over Kolkata even after the captain had informed Air Traffic Control that he was running low on fuel. Whether the flight hovered over Kolkata for 30 minutes as she claims or 13 as claimed by the authorities, whether there was genuinely a miscommunication between the pilot and the control tower are matters of detail, inconsequential in the larger scheme of things where she emerges as the prime target of the government and hence the first among the confused Opposition. If you want real-life demonstrations of post-truths in action then look no further. The word may have entered the Oxford English Dictionary only last month and thanks to Brexited Britain and Trumped America, but Mamata Banerjee has been practising it for decades now and has perfected it into quite an art. Seizing the moment, whether the issue had substance or not, has brought her where she is today. Some stuck and snowballed into something far bigger, many didnt. It didnt matter. The point was always to whip up emotions, create issues, be in the centre of the vortex. For that anything would do. Until, finally, she could pick up something substantive like Singur and Nandigram and storm the red bastion. But the run-up to that triumphant hour was what went into making Didi what she is today the most visible, most strident counterpoint to Narendra Modi and his pet demonetisation project. Like an unerring news editor, Mamata Banerjee has developed an uncanny knack for zeroing in on issues that would leave others unmoved but which she could use to whip up into a talking point at least, take for example her diatribe against an emergency-like situation brought about by the current survey of check-posts by the army throughout the eastern region. Issues that are always aimed at kicking up a storm in public and give her an opportunity to tug at heartstrings. She has never shied away from spelling out the sacrifices she has made for her cause, she has never felt inhibited to declare her life is in danger for doing so, she never hesitates to point out she has devoted her life to the cause of the people and there is nothing she wouldnt do to further their cause. Even the Americans, with no love lost for the Communists then ruling Bengal and eager to extend all support to her, had likened her to a drama queen with a keen eye towards theatrics in a March 2009 cable from the US consulate in Kolkata as revealed by Wikileaks in September 2011. In short, the common touch that has made her such a winner in mass politics. And exactly the weapons Narendra Modi has never shirked from deploying. No stranger to post-truth himself, Narendra Modi has been selling demonetisation not through logic and reason but with the aid of emotion and sentiment. His voice trembles, his eyes tear up, he recounts his sacrifices to the nation, he declares he is ready to lay down his life to free his country of black money, he taunts his critics as black money hoarders. With Mamata Banerjee taking up the mantle of the chief adversary, a battle royale is in the offing. A made for television contest for which Banerjee has already started taking Hindi lessons it is being said. A match which will not be good versus evil but of equals as neither suffers from middle class sensibilities of politically correct squeamishness, as both are capable of giving as good as they get. A clash in which the advantage lies with the lady as she really does not have that much to lose. As she pointed out to the press a few days ago, I have no elections soon. True, with the Left evaporating and the Congress already a spent force in the state, the BJP is emerging as the primary opposition in the state. Which is what makes Didis challenge to Modi so win-win. Even if it does not earn her the prize in Delhi any time soon, it will certainly consolidate her position in the state. Narendra Modi could find out from the previous chief minister of West Bengal on what not to do. The rift between the Naga People's Front (NPF) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance in Nagaland deepens as both the parties engage in issuing press releases criticising each other. In a recently released statement, the BJP spokesman Yanghose Sangtam asked why was NPF questioning the visits to villages by the Governor since as head of the state, he could go to any place and meet people in order to understand problems. The BJP spokesman also said that NGOs, organisations or political parties were free to call on the Governor of the state at Raj Bhavan to air grievances. Sangtam also reminded the NPF that the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland was running on the oxygen of the BJP-led NDA government. In an interesting note on the present NPF-BJP alliance, the spokesperson also said that the ties between both the parties were broken in 2009 when two MLAs of the national party joined the regional party and only was revived in assembly election held in the year 2013. The BJP statement was issued as a reply to criticism held by two NPF legislators' 'spewed venom' which said that the governor should not visit places without informing the government and to just find faults. The NPF leaders had also alleged that the Governors office has become a place for RSS and BJP. The NPF has long been feeling disgruntled after the state BJP laid a memorandum in the hands of the Governor PB Acharya on 10 November alleging massive corruption in the NPF-led government and requested his intervention. BJPs move came close on the heels of the Governors statement that the NPF-led government was corrupt. The Governor made this statement after he made a visit to villages in Nagaland and was reportedly taken aback by the corruption taking place there in the name of implementing schemes such as mid-day meal distribution. Analysts say that it is interesting to note that the BJPs version on NPF was harshest of its kind and even hinted a possible severance of ties when it reminded its ally that the alliance was not continuous but was once broken when two BJP MLAs changed sides. "It seems that the BJP is trying to hint that its alliance with the NPF is not unbreakable," says an analyst. BJP's stance on the NPF raises the question whether the saffron party is willing to break ties with it. In an answer to this question, a leader in the state BJP on condition of anonymity said, "The right to decide whether or not to pull out of the government rests on the central leadership of the party. "We are preparing a memorandum to let our leadership know about the impression the NPF-led government has on the people of the state. We stand behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi's clarion call against corruption and hence we cannot support corruption carried on by the incumbent NPF-led government anymore," he said. On contrary to BJP's harsh stand, NPF's counter statement was softer. In a press statement issued by the NPF as a response to BJP spokesperson Yanghose Sangtams release, it mostly held the communication gap between the Nagaland government and the Governor responsible for the recent controversy. The statement also consisted do's and don'ts for the Governor, reiterating a comment expressed earlier by one of the NPF legislators, that the state governors' function according to the parliamentary system, further suggesting that Governors visits, especially, or particularly to villages, needs to be informed in advance and arrangements to be made properly, considering the fact that Governor is head of the state. This would help lessen a lot of avoidable hardships, confusion and misunderstandings. The party reasserted that the integrity of Raj Bhawan should be upheld and no political party, including BJP, should misuse the Raj Bhawan. It also said that the Governor should be a little diplomatic while echoing views as he is the head of the state. Going soft on its alliance partner, the statement said, "The BJP Nagaland should not feel agitated because it was BJP themselves who raked up the differences of opinion within the alliance. Both achievements and failures should be jointly owned by all the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland partners. BJP seems to be acting holier than thou. BJP should realise that they won just one seat in the last election. The NDA running the Centre could be the reason why the BJP Nagaland unit has suddenly become so arrogant." New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi on Friday launched an all-out attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of practising TRP politics and said the country has suffered damage due to his "vanity and incompetence." Addressing MPs at the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) meeting in the absence of his mother Sonia Gandhi, who is indisposed, Rahul described the Prime Minister as being "a prisoner of his own image" and one who is inflicting "tremendous suffering" on the people of India to protect his own persona. With the opposition attacking the Prime Minister for not hearing them out in Parliament over demonetisation, the Congress Vice President said if Modi listened to the views of democratically elected members it could potentially prevent him from making the "catastrophic" policy mistakes he is currently making. "We never gave India a Prime Minister who bypassed the experience of those sitting in the institutions. The country has suffered tremendous damage as a result of the vanity and incompetence of our PM," he charged. "The Congress never gave India a Prime Minister who was a prisoner of his own image. We never gave India a Prime Minister who was ready to inflict such tremendous suffering on the people of India to protect his own persona. We never gave India a Prime Minister who based his entire policy making strategy on TRPs." "Listening to the voices of the people of this country is the only thing that can free him from the clutches of his own image and make him an effective Prime Minister. Yet he consistently refuses to do so," he said. Accusing Modi of single handedly declaring a war on the world's fastest growing economy due to the "catastrophic experiment" of demonetisation which is "badly conceived and incompetently implemented", he said its results will soon be revealed to the entire world. "Every economist of repute has already condemned it and questioned its capacity to realize the goals it is supposed to achieve. Modiji has created a massive new corrupt black market that is working overtime to convert the black money to white," he charged. Gandhi said the PM "confused" India's entire cash economy with black economy and demonetised 86 percent of Indian bank notes and decided to experiment with the financial future of 1.3 billion people. "All cash is not black money and all black money is not cash," he said, adding that instead of attacking black money, he attacked the very foundations of the country's economy. Gandhi also accused Modi of sitting silently when Kashmir continues to burn and said he has "gifted massive political space" to anti-India forces by forging an alliance with PDP. Rahul also attacked the Prime Minister over his policy towards Pakistan and said he is the same person who used to ridicule UPA's Pak policy that led to isolation of Pakistan and brought peace to Kashmir. "Today the same person who used to ridicule us sits silently while Kashmir burns. Narendra Modi will be judged by history as the man who gifted massive political space to anti-India forces by creating an opportunistic political alliance between the BJP and the PDP. He has created the political vacuum that gives the terrorists space to operate," he said. Accusing the Government of getting itself into a "complete mess" with regards to Pakistan, the Congress leader said, "Their policy on Pakistan is a complete failure. Why must the people of India suffer long speeches and irresponsible statements while militants supported by Pakistan walk into our army bases and kill our jawans at will?" Gandhi said Congress gave full support to government on the surgical strikes and will always support any action that helps India defeat terrorism. "But policy cannot be based on ad hoc responses to events. The price of not thinking actions is simply too high. It is high time that the government develops a coherent strategy," he said, adding that the idea behind the strikes was to stop Pakistan from cross border attacks but there have been 21 major attacks after that instead. It is not the Prime Minster or the Defence Minister who is paying the price, but the soldiers and their families, he said, noting that 85 soldiers have been martyred so far, the highest in a decade. Recalling how terrorists walked into highly defended army base in Jammu and killed officers and men in cold blood, Gandhi asked, "Is the government not responsible for maintaining the security of our bases? Are these young men just statistics destined to gather dust in the records of the government of India? Does the Govt not owe them an apology?" Gandhi said while GDP growth will be "devastated" due to demonetisation, which has also given a "body blow" to the poor with millions of migrant labourers and farmers having been "crushed" and industry "destroyed". Taking a dig at the government's tax amnesty scheme, he said, "Cash has been snatched from the hands of our women and most disturbingly, people have lost the right to access their own hard earned money. The poor stand in line while the corrupt are been given a free bypass through the new income tax law." The Congress leader said a big portion of India's poor use cash and they are honest, hard working people. He said that farmers need cash to buy seeds, small shopkeepers need cash to trade their products, fishermen and daily labourers need cash, as also housewives who save cash to use it on a rainy day. "It is a documented fact that only 6 percent of black money is held in cash. The remaining 94 percent is held in gold, real estate and dollars stashed abroad. This is well understood by the Prime Minister," he said. Gandhi recalled that in 2014, Modi had promised to bring back black money held in foreign banks and deposit 15 lakh rupees in every Indian bank account. "How much money has he got back? Not one rupee. How many people has he put behind bars? Not one. He has clearly failed to deliver his promise," he said. He also said that as a responsible political party, Congress will keep the interests of the country foremost, but warned that "the next few weeks are going to be critical and we will do our best to support the nation as it struggles to overcome the shock it has received as a result of this badly conceived and incompetently implemented experiment." The Congress Parliamentary Party has also condemned the terror attack on Nagrota base in the strongest possible terms. The CPP also extended condolences to the families of soldiers, officers and civilians who have lost their lives to terrorists this year and said it was grateful for the tremendous sacrifice they have made to safeguard the nation. Gandhi also paid homage and offered condolence to the families of 80 people died allegedly a result of demonetization and to the victims of the train accident in Pukhrayan in Kanpur. The All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and All India Bank Officers Association (AIBOA) have in a letter to the Finance Ministry urged the ministry to ensure that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) takes steps to supply adequate cash to all banks; details of notes supplied to banks be announced publicly by the RBI on a daily basis; enable all ATMs in the country to function with immediate effect and ensure proper protection to bank employees and officers from public ire. The issue When PM Modi announced demonetisation on late evening of 8 November, it sent the country into a tizzy with the immediate cancellation of use of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes. The government made provision for exchange of notes and also deposits of notes in banks. ATMs were not calibrated and could not dispense the new currency notes on account of change in size of notes. It has been 24 days since the announcement and yet there are many ATMs in the country which are non-functional and many run dry of the currency due to the large-scale withdrawal of money. Another issue is that banks have not been able to get adequate cash in new currency notes and also currency notes in permitted denominations of Rs 100 notes. Bank staff have been severely stressed and tested by the humongous rush for cash. C H Venkatachalam, general secretary, AIBEA and S Nagarajan, Secretary, general secretary AIBOA, have mentioned in the letter that the banks are awaiting some respite from the problems on account of acute shortage of currency notes. Banks are confronting currency issues on multiple fronts. Many bank branches are yet to receive the new Rs 500 currency notes. Customers are reluctant and some refuse to accept Rs 2,000 notes since they are not able to transact the same in the market. There is also acute shortage of Rs 100 notes which has also resulted in ATMs being non-functional, the letter pointed out. This has led to a difficult situation for the banks who have to answer irate customers, he said. Besides, the Rs 100 notes which were being supplied by the RBI are those that were withdrawn from circulation as they were soiled. However, the letter highlighted that these notes were being put back in circulation and were becoming a big health hazard for bank staff. With hardly adequate cash available to disburse to customers, most of them salaried employees and workers, banks are being forced to ration the existing cash stock and permit lesser amount than what the customers want to withdraw. This has, predictably, resulted in tensions and exchange of words between bank staffs and customers which, the letter said, was building physical and mental pressure on the staff. Bank staff are unable to tell customers when normal supply and flow of cash would be restored or when all ATMs would function normally with adequate cash in them. The letter said that there were repeated allegations that RBI is supplying more number of currency notes to some private banks. Public sector banks are being denied or supplied lesser number of currency notes, the letter said, adding that they wished this information was wrong. RBI announcement Though the RBI is repeatedly making public statements that adequate cash is being supplied to banks, the reality is otherwise, the letter said. These statements are making the public to feel that RBI is supplying cash to banks and bank staff are deliberately not extending payments, it said. Citing the issue, the letter urged that it was highly imperative that the RBI should be advised to publicly announce the details of currency notes supplied by them to various currency chests/banks on a daily basis so that the allegations that some selected banks are being favoured with more currency notes and public sector banks are discriminated can be answered properly. New Delhi: Parliament failed to transact any business again on Friday, the 13th consecutive day, as Opposition continued to disrupt the proceedings by demanding apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his statements outside the House. However, both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha saw Trinamool Congress, joined by Congress, BSP and some other Opposition parties, targeting the government over the deployment of army at toll plazas in West Bengal. They cried foul but the government, which termed it as a "routine exercise", slammed the Opposition parties for trying to politicise army and its activities, saying it reflected "political frustration". In the Rajya Sabha, as soon as the topic got over and Chairman Hamid Ansari called for the first question, members of Congress, Trinamool, SP and BSP created ruckus, shouting slogans demanding Modi's presence and an apology from him. Ansari told the protesting members to maintain order in the House and urged them not to "trample upon the rights of members asking starred questions." But unrelenting members intensified shouting slogans "Pradhan Mantri Maafi Maango (PM should apologise), Rona Dhona Bandh Karo, Pradhan Mantri House mein aao (Stop crying, Prime Minister come to House). The BJP members were on their feet to counter the Opposition and shouted "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan" slogans. Observing that "this is unfair", Ansari said "Why aren't you doing slogan shouting in the streets. This is not the place to shout." The Chair's pleas to maintain order went unheeded and the House was adjourned till 2 pm. As soon as the House reconvened, the Opposition members again trooped into Well of the House and created ruckus by shouting slogans such as "Modi teri taanasahi nahin chalegi" (Modi, your dictatorship will not be allowed)". BJP members were also shouting slogans countering the Opposition parties but nothing could be heard in the din. The AIADMK members were also in the Well of the House, raising some demand but it was not clear what those were. With Oppostion members unrelenting, Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien adjourned the House for the day. However, before adjourning the House, Kurien took up private members' legislative business amid din. In the Lok Sabha too, a combative Opposition continued vociferous protests over the demonetisation issue, forcing adjournment of the House for the day without transacting much business. Marking another week of virtual washout of proceedings barring the passage of the Bill to amend the I-T Act without discussion, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the proceedings for the day little past 12.30 pm. Opposition members, including those from Congress, TMC, AIUDF and the Left parties, trooped into the Well, resorting to high-decibel sloganeering. Some of them were even howling as the proceedings went on. AIADMK, RJD and NCP members were seen standing at their seats. As the ruckus continued during Question Hour, a visibly peeved Mahajan said it was not proper to disturb other members and also warned the protesting members not to disrupt Ministers when they were giving replies. "I am warning you, I will have to name you... I am again requesting you, this is not good, this is not proper, don't disturb others," she said. While mentioning that they have been doing it for several days, Mahajan said, "I have not prevented you but please don't curb the rights of other members... Don't come to this side (in front of Treasury benches). Don't disrupt the Ministers who are replying to questions". Notices for the adjournment motion moved by various members of the Opposition were not allowed by the Speaker. Amid the din, the House was adjourned for a brief while till noon amid protests during Question Hour, where as many as seven questions and supplementaries were taken up. Members continued their protests after the House resumed at noon. The Zero Hour went on for little over half-an-hour before Mahajan adjourned the proceedings for the day. Earlier, the row over Army taking over road toll plazas in West Bengal on Friday echoed in both the Houses. Trinamool Congress leaders in both Houses alleged that neither the state government nor local administration, including police were taken into confidence on the exercise nor was their permission sought. Congress and BSP too wanted to know from the government how such an unprecedented move to carry out an army exercise without taking state government into confidence was done. In Lok Sabha, Defence Minister Manmohar Parrikar termed it a "routine exercise not unique to West Bengal". He said similar operations had last month being conducted in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand to collect information on heavy vehicle movement that can be used during national emergencies. Along with West Bengal, a similar exercise was carried out in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram, he said while responding to TMC and Congress MPs. He also stated that originally the exercise was planned for 28-30 November but was shifted to 1 and 2 December at the request of Kolkata Police as those dates were clashing with the protests against demonetisation. "It is shocking that a Chief Minister is saying this. The Army's deployment was part of routine exercise which has been going on for several years, which has been going on for last 15-20 years. Even last year it was held on 19 to 21 November," Parrikar said. The Defence Minister said Army's Eastern Command has been carrying out the exercise in West Bengal, Assam and other North Eastern states and a similar exercise has already been carried out in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. "Concerned officials were informed in West Bengal. The original date was fixed for 28 to 30 November but due to Bharat Bandh the local police had advised the army to shift it to 1 and 2 December," he said. "Due to traffic congestion, the exercise is being done with the help of local police." "It is very unfortunate that army has been dragged into an unnecessary controversy," Parrikar said. "It was political frustration rather than the projection of correct situation." Trinamool leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay earlier raised the issue of army deployment at 19 places in West Bengal, claiming that the move was a challenge to the federal structure of the country and completely politically motivated. He said army personnel were deployed at these places, including near the state secretariat, "without informing anyone in the state secretariat". "It is a fantastic situation. Army today said that it was a routine exercise being carried out in the North Eastern states. But West Bengal does not come under the territorial jurisdiction of the Northeast," he said. Bandyopadhyay said the people of the country have great faith in the Army but if indeed such an exercise was scheduled, the Centre should have communicated to the state government. He said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been staging a 'dharna' in the Secretariat demanding the withdrawal of the Army. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar asked the TMC not to drag Army into politics saying defence personnel have been protecting the country as well as democracy. "Whatever the Army has done was part of a routine exercise. It is completely wrong to drag Army into politics," he said. Raising the issue in Rajya Sabha, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the Army is India's pride as it has upheld its unity and integrity besides protecting the borders. It has also come to the rescue during emergency situations like flood and riots, he said adding that army is requisitioned at the request of a state government. But in West Bengal, the chief secretary, administration and DG Police had no information of army taking over toll plazas at 19 locations in the state, he said. "This is probably the first time that the chief minister of West Bengal has lodged this kind of protest where she stayed put for the night in the State Secretariat and is still there," he said. "This is a strange thing happening. Without asking state government, chief secretary or DGP, toll plazas of state government are taken over." Azad said it is being said that Army was collecting information on truck movements but such an exercise is not even done in Jammu and Kashmir. All such information is available with National Highways Authority of India or road transport departments. "This is an issue of grave concern." Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (TMC) said what happened in West Bengal has never been witnessed in the state's history. Army seized toll plazas and started putting stickers on vehicles. "I will not drag the army in any controversy. We are very proud of the army," he said wanting to know under what provisions of law and Constitution was such a deployment carried out and alleging "sinister design" to "defame the leader opposing demonetisation" and creating "fear psychosis". Washington: Outgoing US President Barack Obama at the beginning of his term had expressed his desire to visit Pakistan, but could not do so because of a "complicated relationship" with the country, the White House said on Friday. "At one point in his presidency, I do recall President Obama expressing a desire to travel to Pakistan. For a variety of reasons, some of them relating to the complicated relationship between our two countries at certain times over the last eight years, President Obama was not able to realise that ambition," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters at his daily news conference. The White House Secretary was responding to a question over Pakistan's statement that President-elect Donald Trump in his telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had said that he would love to visit the country. "But one thing we do know is that it sends a powerful message to the people of a country when the President of the United States goes to visit. That's true whether it's some of our closest allies, or that's also true if it's a country like Pakistan, with whom our relationship is somewhat more complicated," he said. "But ultimately, when President Trump begins planning his overseas travel, he'll have a range of places to consider, and Pakistan would certainly be one of them," Earnest said. Asked about the telephonic conversation between Trump and Sharif and Pakistan's claim that President-elect lavished praise on the Prime Minister and offered to play any role in helping it to address its outstanding issues, he said "I saw the readout of the telephone call that you're referring to. I can't speak to the accuracy or to the tone of that phone call. "I'd refer you to the President-elect's team for more of a description of what the President-elect may have communicated to the Prime Minister of Pakistan." Trump's critics have used Pakistan's readout on the telephonic conversations to slam him on his "poor foreign policy" judgment. Earnest said the US relationship with Pakistan is one that's quite complicated, particularly in view of the "overlapping national security interests". "Obviously, President Obama's conversations with his counterpart in Pakistan have been an important priority. The US relationship with Pakistan is one that's quite complicated, particularly when you consider our overlapping national security interests," he said. "The relations between our two countries, particularly over the last eight years, have not been consistently smooth, particularly in the aftermath of the raid on Pakistani soil that President Obama ordered to take Osama bin Laden off the battlefield," he added. Noting that this obviously is an important relationship, Earnest said there have been areas where the US and Pakistan have been able to effectively coordinate their efforts. Earnest said Obama benefited from the professionalism and expertise of career diplomats at the State Department who were able to offer him good advice about engaging with world leaders. "President Obama benefited enormously from the advice and expertise that's been shared by those who serve at the State Department. And I'm confident that as President-elect Trump takes office, those same State Department employees will stand ready to offer him advice as he conducts the business of the United States overseas. Hopefully he'll take it," he said. By Lisandra Paraguassu | BRASILIA BRASILIA Brazil's Supreme Court indicted the president of the Senate, Renan Calheiros, on Thursday for embezzlement, a ruling that is expected to fan growing tensions between the judiciary and Congress over corruption cases.The top court voted 8-3 to try the senator charges of misusing public funds in a nine-year-old case involving the payment of child support for a daughter Calheiros had in an extramarital affair. Calheiros was indicted for billing the Senate for car rentals with false contracts. But the court dismissed charges he had falsified documents, including receipts for cow sales, to mask palimony payments prosecutors said came from an engineering firm.Renan, a key ally for President Michel Temer's drive to restore fiscal discipline and pull Brazil from recession, faces 11 investigations for corruption, eight of them for what prosecutors describe as kickbacks in the massive graft scandal centred on state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro S.A., known as Petrobras (PETR4.SA). A skilled politician, Calheiros has survived accusations that he took an Air Force jet to get hair implants, among other corruption charges.When he was accused in 2007 of letting a lobbyist pay support for his illegitimate daughter, Calheiros stepped down as Senate boss to save his seat and he re-emerged as a power broker in Brasilia politics some years later.Calheiros' term as head of the Senate expires in February, long before his case can reach a conclusion, so the fallout for Temer is limited. But it does further tarnish the image of an unpopular government and the scandal-plagued ruling PMDB party. It will also worsen relations between Congress and the judiciary, which have soured over attempts by lawmakers to curb the authority of prosecutors and judges in a move to shield themselves from corruption charges.Calheiros on Wednesday failed to rush through the Senate a corruption bill sent up by the lower chamber of Congress that would undermine the authority of prosecutors and establish penalties for judges for abusing their authority. Prosecutors see the bill as an attempt to intimidate them as they prepare to implicate dozens of politicians in a plea deal with a major contractor involved in the Petrobras scandal.Elected officials such as Calheiros can only be tried by the Supreme Court. Despite the indictment, he will keep his seat which only a Senate ethics committee can strip from him. (Writing by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Richard Chang) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. London: British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson supported India's quest for permanent membership of the UN Security Council, as he called for its expansion to include India for a more "realistic" re-alignment of the world order. Delivering his first major foreign policy speech at the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House in London, titled 'Beyond Brexit: A Global Britain', the senior minister in Prime Minister Theresa May's Cabinet also said as Britain leaves the European Union (EU), it would look to engage deeply with Asia. "We should be realistic enough to accept that the international order needs to change. That is why Britain supports enlarging the permanent membership of the (UN) Security Council to other global powers, including India," Johnson said. "It is right that we should make a distinctive approach to policy-making as regards China and East Asia. Our approach in that region must go beyond the quest for exports and commercial contracts, vital though they are." "The emerging balance of power system in Asia needs the influence of friendly countries, with our emphasis on the rules-based system, in order to reduce the risk of miscalculation and unwanted confrontation," he said. India has long been seeking a permanent place in the UN Security Council to reflect its importance as a trillion dollar economy and a major South Asian power. Johnson also used the speech to throw his weight behind US President-elect Donald Trump's campaign to get NATO countries to spend more on defence. "Trump has a point. It cannot be justified that one NATO ally, America, accounts for about 70 percent of the alliance's defence spending while the other 27 countries manage only 30 per cent between them. I want every NATO member to meet the agreed target of spending two percent of GDP on defence and 20 percent of their defence budget on new equipment. Britain already abides by this target and I note that NATO's most exposed members including Estonia and Poland do so as well," he said. The foreign minister also laid out a post-Brexit scenario where Britain would not oppose attempts by the EU to form a common defence policy. "You know, if they want to do that, fine. Obviously they should also spend two per cent of their GDP on defence, it might be the first thing to get right, but we are not there to block or to impede further steps towards EU integration if that is what they so desire," he said. But he also stressed that strong defence did not preclude negotiations and that he believed pressure could be exerted on Russia amid tensions with Nato over Crimea and the bombing campaign in Syria. "We cannot normalise relations with Russia or go back to business as usual. But as I have said time and again, Russia could win the acclaim of the world by halting its bombing campaign of Syria, delivering Assad to peace talks, abiding by the letter of the Minsk agreements in Ukraine," Johnson added. Shanghai: Construction of the world's first full-size replica of the Titanic has begun in China, state media reported Thursday, where it is expected to enjoy smoother sailing as a lakeside tourist draw than its namesake. The 269-metre (883-foot) long, 28-metre wide ship will be docked permanently on a reservoir in a rural area of Sichuan province, the official Xinhua news agency cited a senior executive of the shipbuilder as saying. It will feature an interior reproducing some of the grandeur of the original including a ballroom, theatre, swimming pool and first-class cabins, with the addition of wifi, said Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group's deputy general manager Wang Weiling. A keel-laying ceremony complete with confetti and fireworks was held Wednesday, attended by former British government minister and EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson. The supposedly unsinkable ocean liner, which struck an iceberg and went down in the north Atlantic in 1912, killing more than 1,500 people, is a subject of immense fascination for many in China. Interest became particularly intense after the 1997 movie starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, which was hugely popular in China. Director James Cameron had a 90 percent scale replica vessel built for filming purposes. The new ship will be the centrepiece of a theme park hundreds of kilometres (miles) from China's coast bankrolled by Chinese energy company Seven Star Energy Investment Group. The company first announced plans for the 1 billion yuan ($150 million) project in 2014. The ship's design is based on the original, and construction will involve assistance from US and British designers and technicians, Xinhua said. AFP was unable to immediately reach the companies involved. Flamboyant Australian tycoon Clive Palmer in 2013 unveiled plans to build a replica of the Titanic that could actually take to sea and would seek to complete the original ship's doomed Atlantic crossing, but that project has reportedly run aground amid funding difficulties. Domestic tourism is booming in China, promoted by the government as a way of fuelling consumer-driven growth rather than its decades-old model of investment and industry. Theme parks are being built in the country faster than anywhere else in the world, with more than 300 projects reportedly funded in recent years. Cincinnati: US President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday that he has picked the tough-talking retired general James Mattis to be his defence secretary as he soaked up adulation at a buoyant Ohio rally that recalled this year's rough-and-tumble campaign. The splash of hard news came during a sea of soaring and then blunt rhetoric from the 70-year-old Republican billionaire, who was speaking at his first post-election event following days of meetings about forming his cabinet. "We are going to appoint 'Mad Dog' Mattis as our secretary of defence," Trump told cheering supporters in Cincinnati, referring by nickname to the four-star Marine general who headed the US Central Command, with authority over troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. "He's our best. They say he's the closest thing to (World War II) general George Patton that we have," Trump said, apparently divulging his pick days ahead of schedule as his transition team had already said there would be no more cabinet announcements this week. Mattis will require both Senate confirmation and a special waiver of a law that bans uniformed military officers from serving as secretary of defence for seven years after leaving active duty. At least one Democrat, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, already signaled she will oppose the waiver. "Civilian control of our military is a fundamental principle of American democracy," the senator tweeted from New York. Trump's surrounding himself with military figures he has picked retired general Michael Flynn to be his national security advisor and is considering retired general David Petraeus for secretary of state has unnerved some observers who point to America's long tradition of civilian government. 'No choice' but unify At the start of his address, Trump launched lofty appeals to unite what he called a "very divided nation" and reject "bigotry and prejudice in all of its forms." Americans will "come together we have no choice, we have to," he added. On the economy, "Americans will be the captains of their own destiny once again," he promised. He even vowed to try to work with Democrats to end gridlock in Congress. But the Manhattan property mogul, who defeated Hillary Clinton last month to win the White House, dramatically returned to the abrasive tone that marked his controversial and ultimately victorious campaign. He savaged the nation's "extremely dishonest" press, slammed illegal immigration and the country's refugee program, mocked his critics and vowed to "drain the swamp" in establishment-heavy Washington. It became a loose, swerving speech that kicked off what his team has branded a "thank you tour" a victory lap of sorts that will take him to several political battlegrounds including Ohio, perhaps the nation's ultimate swing state. "I love you Ohio!" the populist political novice said to a loud cheer from a crowd that filled roughly half the US Bank Arena, which has a capacity of around 17,000. Trump lamented the roadblocks surrounding the venue, which he said had depressed attendance. The tone was decidedly more boastful than his afternoon appearance in neighboring Indiana, where he visited a company and claimed credit for saving American jobs. The president-elect, who made guaranteeing jobs for blue-collar US workers a key campaign plank, strode triumphantly through an Indiana factory that makes Carrier air conditioners, trumpeting a deal to keep 1,100 manufacturing positions from moving to Mexico. He then starkly warned other US firms that they will face "consequences" if they relocate abroad. "The era of economic surrender is over," Trump assured. "We're going to fight for every last American job. It is time to remove the rust from the rust belt and usher in a new industrial revolution." 'Buy American, hire American' During the race, the Republican billionaire threatened to slap tariffs on firms that decamped for places like Mexico or Asia, where labor and other costs are cheaper. "Buy American and hire American," he said in Ohio. "That will be our new mantra." Carrier has announced it will preserve more than 1,000 jobs and continue to manufacture gas furnaces in Indianapolis, thanks to $7 million in state incentives negotiated with the help of Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence, Indiana's governor. Several hundred jobs will still move to Mexico. The deal is an unorthodox industry intervention, and Trump signaled he could carry it out again when in office. "What happened today in Indiana, we're going to do that all over the country," he said in Cincinnati. The White House avoided criticizing Trump's effort, saying saving jobs is laudable, but expressed skepticism about the strategy of keeping jobs in America one company at a time. "Mr Trump would have to make 804 more announcements just like that to equal the standard of jobs in the manufacturing sector that were created in this country under President Obama's watch," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. Trump appeared in his element in Cincinnati, said Beth Desch, a recently unemployed 59-year-old at the rally. "Very upbeat, very optimistic, very happy to be where he is," she said. Trump basked in the glow of a campaign-style event, looking back fondly at how he "trounced" his rivals in the most brutal campaign in modern times. "We did have a lot of fun fighting Hillary, didn't we?" Trump quipped as his supporters cheered. Authority over troops in Iraq Mattis, 66, commanded a Marine battalion during the First Gulf War and a marine division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In 2010, the tough-talking native of Washington state was named to head the US Central Command. That gave him authority over troops in Iraq, where he helped develop a counterinsurgency approach before overseeing the US withdrawal, and Afghanistan, where he implemented a troop surge. It also gave him responsibility for an area including Syria, Yemen and Iran. Previously, the four-star general led the US Joint Forces Command and a Nato command charged with preparing the alliance's forces to meet future challenges. A colorful commander, he earned the nickname "Mad Dog" with his battle-hardened swagger and the sort of blunt language Marines are famous for. He has been quoted as saying, "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet." Trump announced the nomination Thursday at his first post-election rally in Ohio. "We are going to appoint 'Mad Dog' Mattis as our secretary of defence," Trump told a large crowd of supporters in Cincinnati. "He's our best. They say he's the closest thing to (World War II-era) general George Patton that we have," Trump said, If confirmed by the Senate, Mattis will be the first recently retired general to serve as Pentagon chief since George Marshall in 1950, who served under president Harry Truman. 'Warrior Monk' Mattis's salty language has at times gotten him into hot water, such as when he said during a panel discussion in San Diego, California in 2005: "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." He later apologized for those words. But for all the bluster, Mattis has a cerebral side. He has issued required reading lists to Marines under his command, and instructed them that the most important territory on a battlefield is the space "between your ears." A scholar of warfare, he is said to have a personal library of more than 7,000 volumes. And as a lifelong bachelor, he has another nickname: the "Warrior Monk." Like Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, Trump's choice as national security adviser, Mattis has been highly critical of the multination agreement reached last year with Iran to curtail its nuclear program. But while Trump has spoken positively of working with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, Mattis has warned that Moscow wants to "break NATO apart." Senator John McCain of Arizona, who chairs the Armed Services committee that would hold confirmation hearings for the next defence secretary, has said Mattis is "one of the finest military officers of his generation and an extraordinary leader." But to serve as defence secretary, Mattis also would need a waiver of a law that bans uniformed military officers from serving as secretary of defence for seven years after leaving active duty. The law is intended to ensure the bedrock notion of civilian control of the nation's military. Marshall was granted the same waiver in 1950. Cincinnati: President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday that he will nominate US Marine retired general James Mattis, who oversaw US war efforts in the Middle East, to be his defense secretary. "We are going to appoint 'Mad Dog' Mattis as our secretary of defense," Trump told a large crowd in Cincinnati, Ohio, referring by nickname to the tough-talking general who headed the US Central Command, giving him authority over troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. "He's our best. They say he's the closest thing to (World War II-era) general George Patton that we have," Trump said, apparently divulging his pick days ahead of schedule as his transition team had already said there would be no more cabinet announcements this week. "Okay. So I gave up a little secret. My people over there are probably saying, 'You weren't supposed to do that, Mr Trump,'" the president-elect quipped. Mattis, who is 66, commanded a Marine battalion during the First Gulf War and a Marine division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In 2010, the tough-talking native of Washington state was named to head the US Central Command. That gave him authority over troops in Iraq, where he helped develop a counterinsurgency approach before overseeing the US withdrawal, and Afghanistan, where he implemented a troop surge. It also gave him responsibility for an area including Syria, Yemen and Iran. Previously, he led the US Joint Forces Command and a Nato command charged with preparing the alliance's forces to meet future challenges. A colorful commander, he earned the nickname "Mad Dog" with his battle-hardened swagger and the sort of blunt language marines are famous for. He has been quoted as saying, "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet." But to serve as defense secretary, Mattis would need Senate confirmation and a waiver of a law that bans uniformed military officers from serving in that post for seven years after leaving active duty. The law is intended to ensure the bedrock notion of civilian control of the nation's military. By Diego Ore and Sarah Marsh | SANTA CLARA, Cuba SANTA CLARA, Cuba Thousands of people greeted Fidel Castro's funeral cortege on its journey across Cuba on Thursday after a symbolic overnight reunion at the mausoleum in Santa Clara housing the bones of fellow revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara.Waving flags and chanting "I am Fidel," Cubans thickly lined pastel-coloured colonial streets in admiration of Castro, who died on Friday at age 90 as one of the towering figures of the 20th century after establishing a Communist state 90 miles (145 km) from the United States. The government declared nine days of mourning.The outpouring from ordinary Cubans contrasts with the hatred of many Cuban exiles who saw Castro as a tyrant who jailed opponents and ruined the economy with socialism."With the death of Fidel, the revolution must continue on its path, no steps backwards," said Pedro Sanchez, 81, who said he fought in Castro's rebellion against a U.S.-backed president in the 1950s. The procession was slowly making its way east, destined for the final resting place of his ashes in Santiago de Cuba, where Castro's rebels first launched an attack on the U.S.-backed forces of Fulgencio Batista in 1953.Batista was finally driven from Cuba on Jan. 1, 1959, and the cortege is retracing the trek Castro made from that day until he arrived in Havana a week later. Castro would go on to rule for 49 years, attempting to erase U.S. influence from a country that had been dominated by its northern neighbour for decades. Building a healthcare system for the poor, he sent doctors around the world but also soldiers to Africa to help Namibia achieve independence and weaken apartheid in South Africa.Guevara, who once approximated Castro's charisma and influence, also embarked on guerrilla missions in Latin America, dying in battle in Bolivia in 1967. His monument was placed in Santa Clara, where he also led a crucial fight against Batista forces in December 1958. Whether out of revolutionary zeal, nationalist pride or a sense of obligation in a one-party state, Cubans have poured onto the streets to bid their final farewell to Castro.Many lined up for hours to pass through a memorial in Havana's Revolution Square. Tens, if not hundreds of thousands, gathered there on Tuesday night for a four-hour ceremony in which presidents from around the world delivered eulogies. (Writing by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Jonathan Oatis) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Dhaka: Before Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury orchestrated Bangladesh's worst militant attack, he sought and won approval for it from the Islamic State. A Canadian of Bangladeshi origin, he was told by his contact in the militant group, Abu Terek Mohammad Tajuddin Kausar, to target foreigners, according to a senior police official who has seen communications between the two men. Chowdhury, located in Bangladesh at the time, proposed an attack on a Dhaka eatery frequented by expatriates. On 1 July, a group of gunmen stormed the Holey Artisan cafe in the city's Gulshan neighborhood, murdering 22 people, most of them foreigners, in an overnight siege that shocked the country. The back-and-forth between Chowdhury, 30, and Kausar, 35, which includes drafts of articles later published in Islamic State magazines, has not been previously reported. Together with attempts by people linked to Islamic State to recruit and fund militancy in the country, the documents show the extremist organization has built deeper connections with Bangladeshi militants than was previously known. The police official declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the information. Reuters could not independently verify the contents of the communications. As Islamic State comes under pressure in its home base of Syria and Iraq, its activities in outposts such as Bangladesh could intensify, experts have said. The extent of Islamic State's influence in Bangladesh will be key to the country's garment sector that employs millions of people and earns $28 billion a year in exports. Any sign the global jihadi network is making inroads could force Western brands to look elsewhere for cheap clothes. In the year before the cafe atrocity, a string of grisly individual murders, including of bloggers and foreigners, had already raised the alarm for overseas investors. In its Rumiyah magazine published after the cafe massacre, Islamic State claimed two dozen attacks in the country since September 2015. The claim could not be independently verified. Local Militants or Islamic State? After the siege, police raided suspected jihadi hideouts and said they killed dozens of militants and arrested hundreds more. Still, the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said Islamic State does not exist in the impoverished South Asian nation of 160 million people, and instead blames the rise in political violence on the Islamist opposition. Opposition leaders deny any link and say it can be traced to the bitter rivalry, which has long poisoned politics in the country, between Hasina's ruling Awami League and its main rival, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), as well as Jamaat-e-Islami. "These are all home-grown people," said Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, adding that the siege militants belonged to a new faction of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a banned group he said had ties to the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami party. An aide to Hasina said that, while local militant groups had links with Islamic State, the extent of support was limited. "They are not an organized group here. People with Islamic State links are here. But that is not to say Islamic State is here." Funding and recruiting Bangladesh police first came to know about Chowdhury around fall of last year, but they did not know his whereabouts, the police official said. In December, Dhaka police seized about 3.9 million taka ($50,000) destined for a close associate of Chowdhury's. The money, which the police official said was sent via the informal hawala cash transfer network, came from a UK-based company. The company's founder, Siful Sujan, was killed a few days later in Syria. At the time, investigators could not establish the money had been sent on Islamic State's instructions, the police official said. Chowdhury's group, meanwhile, was recruiting. Tanvir Kaderi and his wife, Abedatul Fatema, had a comfortable middle-class life in Dhaka, with two children and steady jobs. "We were a very happy family," Kaderi's son Mohammed Tahrim Kaderi Abir wrote in a confession presented before a magistrate. Abir, an eighth grade student, wrote that his parents' behavior started to change after they went on the Haj pilgrimage in 2014. After that, Kaderi told a preacher he had dreamed he was standing with a weapon in his hand in the middle of a desert. Kaderi also started spending time with acquaintances from the local mosque, who introduced the family to others, including associates of Chowdhury. They in turn preached to the family about faith and jihad and showed them videos of the war in Syria. One gave them a copy of Dabiq magazine, an Islamic State publication, according to the confession. The preparations for the cafe attack began at least as early as June, around the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, according to Abir's confession. Kaderi rented an apartment in Basundhara area of Dhaka, near the cafe. A few days later the five militants who conducted the attack showed up at the house. Kaderi's family moved to Dhaka's old city the night of the raid. Magazine interviews Chowdhury was killed on 27 August. That and the other raids gave police access to his correspondence with Kausar. In one, Chowdhury was asked by Kausar to answer questions for an interview, which was eventually published in Dabiq in April under the nom de guerre Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif. Al-Hanif was identified in the magazine as head of Islamic State in Bangladesh. Also in politics special reports In another raid, Chowdhury sent the draft of an article about the cafe attack, which was published after his death in Rumiyah magazine, the police official said. Kausar's mother said he moved to Australia in 2006 and she had not heard from him since before the attack. Tahera Begum, who lives in a town 135 miles from Dhaka, said she did not know whether he had links with Islamic State. Before his death, Chowdhury made Kaderi the new point of contact with Kausar, the police official said. At around 7:30 pm on 10 September, police knocked on the door of Kaderi's apartment, where his wife, one of his sons and some associates were hiding. In the ensuing chaos, police were attacked with grenades and knives, while some women in the apartment threw chili powder at them. Kaderi ran into a room. As they tried to apprehend him, he swung a scythe at police, who were using his son as a shield. Kaderi told his son, "If you get hit, you will either be martyred or Allah will reward you." By the time the raid was over, Kaderi had slit his own throat. The last known link to Islamic State in Bangladesh was dead, although the police official said they did not know if anyone else was in contact with the militant group. Political strife Opposition leaders accuse the government of using militancy as an excuse to stifle dissent. "A democracy deficit is definitely encouraging the extremists," said Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, BNP's secretary general who spent months in jail and now faces prosecution in dozens of cases. The Jamaat leadership has gone into hiding after several of its top leaders were executed during the past two years for war crimes committed during the country's 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. In an email, Maqbul Ahmad, the head of the party, denied any connections with JMB or other militants. "The government is consistently denying the actual presence of terrorism in Bangladesh," Ahmad wrote. "Rather they are using it as an effective instrument of repression of Islamists." Soon after the cafe attack, the government placed a bounty of 2 million taka ($25,000) on Chowdhury's head. A series of raids on militant hideouts followed. By 3 October police said they had killed 42 militants and arrested at least 221 people, according to an internal police report. Militant groups, including a faction ideologically linked to al Qaeda, have gone quiet and police say the overall security situation is under control, although the threat is not over. London: In a setback to UK Prime Minister Theresa May, a pro-European Union lawmaker registered a massive victory on Friday in by-elections in a posh London suburb, indicating a rebuke over the government's plans to pull Britain out of the 28-nation EU. Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney, who fought on an anti-Brexit platform, overturned a whopping 23,015 majority of the ruling Conservative party in South West London. She defeated Zac Goldsmith, brother of Jemima Goldsmith Khan, by polling 20,510 votes, compared to his 18,638. Goldsmith had held the seat for May's Conservative party since 2010. In contrast to the rest of the country, London had voted for 'Remain' in the 23 June referendum, with Richmond a strong pro-Remain constituency. "The people of Richmond Park and North Kingston have sent shockwaves through this Conservative Brexit government, and our message is clear: we do not want a hard Brexit. We do not want to be pulled out of the single market, and we will not let intolerance, division and fear win," Olney said in her victory speech. Goldsmith had triggered by-elections after he resigned from the Conservative party in October to stand as an Independent to keep his manifesto pledge to protest the government's decision to back a third runway at Heathrow. Labour's Christian Wolmar lost his 500 deposit, as he trailed a distant third. The other five candidates including British Kashmiri Ankit Love from the One Love party also lost their deposits, as they did not receive a big enough share of the vote. The Conservative Party, UK Independence Party (UKIP) and Green Party did not field candidates in the by-poll. "This was not just about a 'Remain' versus 'Leave' rerun this was about people trying to say to Theresa May, 'We do not like the extreme version of Brexit outside the single market you're taking us down'," Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said. "The other thing that was clearly a concern to voters was they desperately wanted a moderate, decent alternative to the Tories now that Labour has shuffled off the main stage and they were delighted to give the Liberal Democrats the opportunity to be just that," he added. Goldsmith, who had campaigned for 'Leave' in the June referendum, quit as MP for the constituency in October so he could fight a by-election, held on Thursday, as an Independent on an anti-Heathrow Airport expansion ticket. "It was a promise that I made and it was a promise that I kept. I wish Sarah well in her very, very important job and I hope she serves this community as well as this community deserves," he said after his defeat. A Conservative Party spokesperson said the result would make no difference to Brexit plans. "This result doesn't change anything. The government remains committed to leaving the European Union and triggering Article 50 by the end of March next year," he said. WASHINGTON Donald Trump's transition team is examining proposals for new non-nuclear sanctions on Iran, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing congressional sources who have been in contact with the president-elect's team.Officials with Trump's team have been in touch with fellow Republicans in Congress, where they hold the majority, to discuss possible sanctions separate from last year's Iran nuclear deal that could focus on its ballistic missile program or human rights, the sources told the FT.They (Trump team members) are already looking closely at their options and that very much includes non-nuclear sanctions, a congressional official told the media outlet.The deal that was reached last year between Iran, the United States and five other world powers lifted some sanctions against Tehran in return for restrictions on its nuclear program. On the campaign trail, Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, vowed to tear up the agreement with Iran and negotiate a better one. He also criticized sanctions that blocked U.S. companies from Iran and noted the difficulty of discarding a deal with U.N. backing.The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed a 10-year extension of sanctions against Iran that lawmakers and the Obama administration have said would not violate the nuclear agreement reached last year with Iran. On Friday, Iran threatened retaliation, saying the vote breached the deal. The measure, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives last month, now goes to the White House for President Barack Obama to sign into law. That would delay potentially tougher actions until next year.Several Republican U.S. lawmakers already have introduced proposals for additional sanctions on Iran separate from the nuclear pact or plan to do so. "The big difference next year is that we will go from a White House that did everything it could to block these bills to a White House that will be in favor and maybe even sponsor some of these proposals," a congressional source told the Financial Times. (Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Bill Trott) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Emily Stephenson | INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANAPOLIS, President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday warned that U.S. companies will face "consequences" for outsourcing jobs overseas, as he touted his early success in persuading an air conditioner maker to keep around 1,000 jobs in the United States rather than move them to Mexico. "Companies are not going to leave the United States any more without consequences. Not going to happen," the Republican said on a visit to a Carrier Corp plant in Indianapolis.Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, did not say what the consequences would be but during the election campaign he frequently threatened U.S. firms that his administration would put a 35 percent import tariff on goods made by American manufacturers who moved jobs offshore.Trump made keeping jobs in the United States one of the main issues of his election campaign and frequently pilloried Carrier for planning to move production to Mexico as he appealed to blue-collar voters in the Midwest.Apparently under pressure from Trump, Carrier announced this week it had agreed to keep more than 1,000 jobs at the plant and at its headquarters, while still planning to move more than 1,000 other U.S. jobs to Mexico.Trump said his negotiations with the maker of air conditioning units were a model for how he would approach other U.S. businesses that are tempted to move jobs overseas to save money. He pledged to create a healthy environment for business via lower taxes and fewer regulations. "I just want to let all of the other companies know that we're going to do great things for business. There's no reason for them to leave any more," Trump said.If that approach did not work, there would be penalties, Trump warned. Though the company is still outsourcing Indiana jobs to Mexico, the deal marks a quick win for Trump, who has spent most of his time since the Nov. 8 election in New York building his team ahead of the handover of power from President Barack Obama.He toured the plant in Indianapolis and shook hands with workers on an assembly line. Some workers yelled out "Thank you Mr. Trump" and "Thanks Donald" as he greeted them. Carrier confirmed that Indiana agreed to give the company $7 million in tax incentives. A source briefed on the matter said the tax incentives are over 10 years and the company has agreed to invest $16 million in the state, which is run by Governor Mike Pence, Trump's vice president-elect.Carrier, a unit of United Technologies Corp (UTX.N), still plans to move 600 jobs from the plant to Mexico, the Wall Street Journal said. Reuters reported earlier this week Carrier also still intends to close a factory in Huntington, Indiana, that employs 700 people making controls for heating, cooling and refrigeration and move the jobs to Mexico by 2018.SANDERS CRITICISM U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, who lost the Democratic primary to Hillary Clinton, said the Carrier deal is incomplete and leaves the incoming Trump administration open to threats from companies."Trump has endangered the jobs of workers who were previously safe in the United States. Why? Because he has signalled to every corporation in America that they can threaten to offshore jobs in exchange for business-friendly tax benefits and incentives," Sanders wrote in a Washington Post opinion piece on Thursday. He noted that Trump had originally said he would save 2,100 jobs that Carrier planned to move to Mexico."Lets be clear: It is not good enough to save some of these jobs," Sanders said.Despite Trump's deal, employers elsewhere in Indiana are laying off five times that many workers because of foreign competition.Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim said on Thursday that if Trump succeeds as U.S. president, it would benefit major trading partner Mexico because of increased employment and U.S. economic growth.Trump was due to hold a rally in Cincinnati, Ohio, later on Thursday and address supporters who helped him win that swing state in his stunning victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton. The Indiana and Ohio stops will be Trump's first public events since he won the presidency. At the Cincinnati event, Trump and Pence will talk about what is ahead and the positive change Trump will bring to the country, spokesman Miller said. Trump's Cincinnati rally looks like it will echoes the raucous events that characterized his campaign, in which he railed against Washington insiders and Wall Street and vowed to "drain the swamp."But now Trump is turning to establishment figures to fill critical positions in his administration.On Wednesday, Trump said he would nominate former Goldman Sachs banker Steven Mnuchin, to lead the Treasury Department. Trump named Wilbur Ross, a billionaire known for his investments in distressed industries, as his nominee for commerce secretary. The Trump team has also tapped a series of experienced Washington hands to oversee the transfer of power within government departments and agencies. The Cincinnati rally follows a car and knife attack this week by a Somali immigrant and Muslim student, Abdul Razak Ali Artan, at Ohio State University in Columbus that left 11 people injured, for which Islamic State claimed responsibility.In a Twitter message, Trump said, "ISIS is taking credit for the terrible stabbing attack at Ohio State University by a Somali refugee who should not have been in our country."The Council on American-Islamic Relations accused Trump of seeking to exploit the "tragic situation in Ohio." (Additional reporting by Steve Holland, Doina Chiacu and David Shepardson. Writing by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Alistair Bell) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. DUBAI An American-Iranian dual national and his wife have been in detention in Iran without charge or access to lawyers since their arrest by elite Revolutionary Guards in July, a New York-based rights group said on Friday.The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran (ICHRI) said Karan Vafadari and his wife Afarin Niasari, who run an art gallery in Tehran, were being held in Tehran's Evin Prison.The Islamic Republic does not recognise dual nationality, a position that prevents Western embassy officials from visiting such detainees."Yet another case of a dual national snatched and held without charge or access to a lawyer represents an alarming continuation of a judicial system run by intelligence agencies with no respect for the law and no accountability," said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the human rights group.The statement said families of the arrested couple decided not to publicize their cases, hoping it would be resolved. "Then when the family started receiving anonymous phone threats and demands for money, they decided to go public and write a letter to Iran's supreme leader," the statement said.In the letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Vafadari's Washington-based sister Kateh said her sister-in-law was detained at Tehran airport as she was about to board a flight to attend a family wedding abroad, the statement said. "She was told to call her husband and ask him to come to the airport. When he arrived, he, too, was arrested and both were taken to Evin Prison."There was no immediate Iranian comment on the human rights group report.U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a news briefing on Friday that U.S. officials were aware of reports that a U.S. citizen and U.S. permanent resident had been detained in Iran, but he declined to comment further. In August, Tehran Prosecutor Abbas Jafari-Dolatabadi was quoted in Iranian media as saying that two Iranian dual nationals had been arrested the previous week, linking them to a home that had hosted mixed-gender parties for foreign diplomats. Security forces discovered 4,000 litres of alcohol in the home, he said, without naming Vafadari or Niasari. Only members of religious minorities - Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians - are allowed to brew, distil, ferment and drink liquor discreetly in the privacy of their homes. Trade in liquor is forbidden. The ICHRI said Vafadari is Zoroastrian.Several people with dual Iranian and foreign nationalities have been arrested in Iran since 2015, when Iran and six major powers reached a nuclear deal at a time of tentative detente after many years of antagonism between Tehran and the West. An Iranian-American businessman, Siamak Namazi, and his elderly father Baquer Namazi, were sentenced to 10 years in prison in October for collaborating with a foreign government, a sentence their family said was unjust. In September, the family of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 39, a dual British-Iranian national, was sentenced to five years in jail on charges that were kept secret.Zaghari-Ratcliffe works for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, a London-based charity that is independent of Thomson Reuters and operates independently of Reuters News. The Foundation and her husband have dismissed Iran's accusations against her. (Writing by Dubai newsroom, additional reporting by Yeganeh Torbati in Washington, editing by Mark Heinrich and Richard Chang) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. United Nations: The UN formally apologized to Haiti for its role in the country's cholera epidemic after refusing to admit its responsibility up until this year. "On behalf of the United Nations, I want to say very clearly: we apologize to the Haitian people. We simply did not do enough with regard to the cholera outbreak and its spread in Haiti. We are profoundly sorry for our role," Efe news agency quoted UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as saying on Thursday. Speaking at the General Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York, went on to say that eliminating cholera from Haiti and living up to our moral responsibility to those who have been most directly affected, will require commitment of the international community and the resources necessary. Ban will end his tenure as UN chief at the end of December. The cholera epidemic in the impoverished Caribbean nation has killed more than 9,000 people since 2010. According to experts, it originated when human waste was dumped into a local river by UN peacekeepers from Nepal. For years, the international body has resisted admitting its role in the epidemic, while victims' groups have tried to secure compensation from the organisation in the courts. SIRTE, Libya Several women blew themselves up on Friday in suicide attacks that killed four Libyan soldiers who had granted them safe passage to leave buildings under the control of Islamic State militants, a spokesman for government forces said.The Libyan forces, backed by U.S. air strikes, are close to taking full control of the former IS stronghold of Sirte after a campaign lasting more than six months. But they have had difficulty dislodging Islamic State from a final patch of land near the city's Mediterranean sea front, partly because of concerns about families or captives still held by the militants. During a pause in fighting on Friday, Reuters journalists saw one woman escorting three young children through an alleyway towards waiting Libyan forces. Shortly after the children were driven away in an ambulance there was a blast as the woman detonated explosives, wounding about a dozen people.Rida Issa, a spokesman for the Libyan forces, said two similar incidents, which he said were suicide attacks, had taken place as other women and children were leaving Islamic State-held ground. Four members of the Libyan forces had been killed and 38 wounded, Issa said. Earlier this week there was a lull in the fighting in Sirte before Libyan forces resumed a heavy artillery assault on Islamic State positions on Thursday. U.S. air strikes have continued, but Islamic State has largely held its ground and even retook control of one row of buildings that had been mostly demolished in previous fighting.As of Thursday, U.S. forces had carried out 470 air strikes on Sirte since starting their air campaign over the city on Aug. 1, U.S. Africa Command said. Issa said field commanders had noticed especially fierce resistance on Friday from one of the buildings still held by Islamic State, and believed that senior militants might be positioned there.Several groups of families or hostages have been freed or escaped from Islamic State in Sirte in recent weeks, some of them migrants from sub-Saharan Africa who were captured by Islamic State as they crossed Libya. "The investigation will tell us whether these women were fighting with Daesh (Islamic State), or if they were captives," Issa said of those who got out on Friday.Islamic State took full control of Sirte in early 2015, imposing its ultra-hardline rule over the city in the months that followed. Forces led by brigades from Misrata began a campaign to retake Sirte after Islamic State advanced towards their city in early May. (Reporting by Ahmed Elumami and Ismail Zeitouni, Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Mark Trevelyan) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. HENDERSONVILLE, Tennessee The U.S. hotel industry reported positive results in the three key performance metrics during the week of 20-26 November 2016, according to data from STR. In year-over-year comparisons, the industry's occupancy rose 2.7% to 50.7%. Average daily rate (ADR) increased 2.8% to US$107.66. Revenue per available room (RevPAR) grew 5.5% to US$54.62. Five Top 25 Markets experienced double-digit growth in RevPAR for the week: Washington, D.C.-Maryland-Virginia (+16.6% to US$50.90); Dallas, Texas (+15.4% to US$45.82); Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Virginia (+15.1% to US$38.91); Los Angeles/Long Beach, California (+12.9% to US$92.36); and Phoenix, Arizona (+10.6% to US$51.06). In ADR, Los Angeles/Long Beach (+8.0% to US$144.65) and Washington, D.C. (+7.4% to US$106.90) posted the largest year-over-year increases. Norfolk/Virginia Beach, saw the only double-digit increase in occupancy (+12.5% to 47.2%). Houston, Texas, experienced the steepest declines in occupancy (-9.0% to 42.2%) and RevPAR (-15.2% to US$33.72). Miami/Hialeah, Florida, reported the largest drop in ADR (-8.7% to US$161.30) and the only other double-digit decrease in RevPAR (-14.5% to US$104.30). About STR STR provides premium data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights for the global hospitality industry. Founded in 1985, STR maintains a presence in 15 countries with a corporate North American headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee, an international headquarters in London, and an Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore. STR was acquired in October 2019 by CoStar Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGP), the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces. For more information, please visit str.com and costargroup.com. Jeff Higley (STR) VP, Digital Media & Communications +1 (615) 824-8664 ext. 3318 STR GET OUR APP Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Download it here. The second batch of the Sands China team members graduated yesterday from the one-year diploma program in business management at the University of Macau (UM). Forty-four team members for the 2015-2016 academic year participated in the program that features coursework tailor-made for Sands China team members an initiative of the Sands China Academy. The academy provides a platform through which Sands China can focus on team member training and development and the professional development of locals, including associates, such as staff hired by Sands Chinas partner retailers. Antonio Ramirez, Sands Chinas senior vice president of human resources, touted the importance of investing in its team members. The gaming operator covered 55 percent of the course fees for the diploma participants. It offers a firm foundation for our local team members to develop their talents further, and provides them with an opportunity to advance their business knowledge, he said. By gaining knowledge and a broader set of skills in the program, they are investing in their own career enhancement and future development. The company further supported team members attendance in the initiative by asking affected departments to arrange rosters according to team members class schedules. Ronnie Leong, one of the participating team members who works in the Human Resources Training and Development department, told the Times that the program was a helpful opportunity for the employees, adding that he was particularly fond of the programs business psychology module. Through this program, Ive gained a lot of knowledge in the area of management, and have also developed a broad set of skills, such as communication skills, mental toughness and English language proficiency, he said. This program has helped us become more productive at work, and has improved our interpersonal skills. Its helping us communicate more effectively with our colleagues and friends, Leong added. Initiated by the company and in cooperation with UMs Centre for Continuing Education, the exclusive Corporate-University Partnership Program was developed to give Sands Chinas local team members an opportunity to earn a diploma in business management. According to the casino operator, the one-year diploma program contributes to the push for non-gaming diversification in the territory, citing its commitment to developing the careers of locals. LV Caritas Macau is set to launch a new center next month to provide essential support services to ethnic minority groups in the territory. According to Paul Pun, Caritas Macau secretary general, the charity outreach aims to expand its services to reach out to the growing minority groups. Welancer Center will continually host Caritas quarterly legal seminars on topics such as labor relations law and minimum wage discussions in partnership with the Philippine Consulate. Caritas has also been running an Overseas Laborer Service to provide necessary support to migrant workers. We will continue our work [on hosting] legal seminars, social adjustment program, some counseling services [and] also networking services for them, he told the Times through a phone interview. He added that they are also looking into hosting cultural activities for ethnic groups. The center will also focus on assisting the non-Chinese speaking community in adapting to the local culture, so that the migrant workers will gain a sense of belonging to the region. As language barriers are one of the main difficulties the groups face, Pun hopes that the new center will assist the migrant workers in being integrated into the local culture and lifestyle. Some of them [also] face marital problems, problems with the neighborhood and landlords, he noted, adding that they would also assist migrant workers in communicating with property-owners. Welancer Center, which has a budget of MOP2 million, is set to accommodate both residents and non-residents. According to Pun, there are still several permanent residents who are estranged in Macau. LV For decades, Singapore has walked a careful line between the U.S. and China. Now, the tiny Southeast Asian state is finding itself in Beijings cross hairs. China has gone public in recent months to chastise Singapore for a perceived alignment with the U.S. against Chinas actions in the disputed South China Sea. For Singapore, which the American Navy uses as a launch point for patrols of the strategic Strait of Malacca, the tensions cast doubt on its long-cherished ability to steer clear of political spats and focus on trade and investment. The latest episode has the added wrinkle of Taiwan, which China considers its territory. Nine Singaporean armored personnel carriers were seized by Hong Kong customs last week, with the vehicles en route from Taiwan on a commercial ship after being used in training exercises. Singapore army chief Major General Melvyn Ong said the military was still seeking to ascertain the exact reason the vehicles were impounded. While Ong said Hong Kong was a common port of call for foreign militaries and noted there have been no issues in the past, the shipment elicited a formal protest from Beijing, which warned Singapore to abide by Hong Kong law and the One-China principle that China uses to guide its affairs with Taiwan. This is not the first time Singapore ships equipment from Taiwan through Hong Kong, said Bilahari Kausikan, an ambassador-at-large for Singapore. The fact this particular consignment was picked up shows China wants to send a signal not only to us, but to all Southeast Asian nations. Chinas long-term strategy is to turn Singapore into an ally and mouthpiece for its positions, he said. China might be seeking to gain the advantage ahead of Donald Trumps January inauguration as U.S. president and amid questions about the future of President Barack Obamas military and economic pivot to Asia by prodding countries like Singapore to stay out of political disputes like the South China Sea. The spat highlights the difficulty for smaller Asian nations amid the broader tussle for regional influence between China and the U.S. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has warned several times that the regions nations dont want to take sides. While countries are building economic links with China, some have also sought the buffer of strategic relations with America. Singapore has strong historical and cultural ties to China, since the ancestors of many residents were traders from the mainland. The late Lee Kuan Yew the former prime minister and current leaders father was regarded as a conduit for China to the rest of the region. Singapore last year hosted the first summit between presidents of China and Taiwan since their civil war. For quite some time, Singapore has been pretending to seek a balance between China and the U.S., yet has been taking Washingtons side in reality, Chinas state-run Global Times newspaper said in an editorial on Monday. This has turned Singapore into a platform for Washington to contain and deter Beijing. Singapore has strengthened military ties with the U.S. over the past year, allowing Poseidon surveillance aircraft to operate out of its territory, as well as littoral combat ships. Neither Singapore nor the U.S. are claimants in the South China Sea. The Global Times warned that Singapores actions could deal a huge blow to bilateral ties, result in a possible adjustment to Beijings foreign policies and profoundly impact Singapores economy. Singapore has said it wants a diplomatic solution to the maritime disputes, and for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to take a joint position. China is Singapores largest trading partner, closely followed by the U.S. More than a fifth of Singapores gross domestic product is linked to China, according to Natixis SA. Singapore has a growing role as a gateway to Southeast Asia for President Xi Jinpings One Belt, One Road initiative, which aims to revive ancient trading routes to Europe. Still, the tensions wont necessarily hit economic ties. The issue between Singapore and China needs to be handled between the two governments in accordance with the applicable laws and in the context of a deep and wide-ranging relationship, Simon Tay, chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, said in a statement. The military vehicles seized in Hong Kong lacked appropriate permits, and werent specifically declared on the ships manifest, the South China Morning Post reported yesterday, citing an unnamed person with knowledge of the matter. The Singaporean Defense Ministry said in a statement that Hong Kong authorities gave the shipping firm no formal reason for the seizure. It urged cooperation with the investigation. For now, Singapore is reacting cautiously. No single issue would hijack Singapores longstanding, wide-ranging relationship with China, Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said at a forum this week in Singapore, according to the Straits Times. Singapore hasnt said it if plans to alert or stop military training in Taiwan. It has used the island for decades, in part because of its own limited size. Chinas relationship with Taiwan has deteriorated since January, when the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party swept the more conciliatory Kuomintang from power. Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said the seizure kills two birds with one stone by demonstrating Chinas displeasure with Taiwans military engagement with other countries. The risk now is other behavior that was previously tolerated becomes a problem, said Jia Xiudong, former counselor for political affairs with the Chinese embassy in Washington. Its getting really hard for Asian nations to balance between China and the U.S. when the two powers have shown growing signs of friction, said Jia, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies under the foreign ministry. One may have to pick a side, or at least it has to be very careful to not damage the core interest of any side. Bloomberg Father and daughter duo, Mischa and Lily Maisky, are set to take the stage of the Macao Cultural Centres (CCM) Grand Auditorium tonight, for a recital of several renowned classical works, including some from Gabriel Faure, Cesar Franck and Astor Piazzolla. Described by CCM as a true heir of Russias delicate poetic and technical brilliance, the 68-year-old, Latvian-born Mischa Maisky was the sole disciple of master cellists Mstislav Rostropovich and Gregor Piatigorsky. Proudly donning a traditional Chinese silk jacket (a minap) that Mischa Maisky told the Times he purchased in Shanghai, the renowned cellist yesterday recalled his dozens of performances in East Asia, debuting in the region during a concert in Hong Kong in 1974, and visiting Macau just once before in 2003. Its nice, right? he asked, in reference to the jacket. The 68-year-olds history is an unusual one. Although he was born in Latvia, Mischa Maisky received most of his formal musical education in Soviet Russia; a fact to which he says he is ultimately grateful. After his later repatriation to Israel, the first-rate musician turned his attention to the major music centers of the world, including London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, New York and Tokyo. Having toured and lived in many places around the globe, Mischa Maisky holds himself to be a citizen of the world. I say [that I am a] Citizen of the World as I feel this way, he replied yesterday when asked on the matter. But I also have many factors that prove this; Ive lived in many, many places. I think this [mix of culture] is very healthy. The personality of a musician is influenced by his or her life experiences. I was lucky, in a way, to grow up in the Soviet Union as I received an excellent musical education, explained the cellist. At the time, and strangely on a daily basis, I used to bump into great musicians [in the USSR]. Its quite unbelievable really. However, his years living in the Soviet Union which Mischa Maisky frequently terms his first life also came at a cost. The other side of the coin was that in the last few years of my first life in the Soviet Union, I was arrested and sent to labor camps, spent time in a mental hospital to avoid military service I didnt see my cello for years [at one point]. Despite the hardships, the musician settled with an optimistic note on the fact the he remains grateful to [his] destiny for having received that history, as it has inevitably shaped his style and ability as a performer. It may have also been the key differential that has set him apart from his colleagues who have also mastered their respective instruments. His experiences act as a sort of emotional reserve, providing a limitless source of vigor that Mischa Maisky is able to draw upon and convey through his work. There are thousands of musicians who master this level and play their instruments perfectly. [ What differentiates them] are the philosophical elements that go past what people can just hear that which goes past [ones] ears and reaches the mind. This is a higher emotional element which is a heart-to-heart [connection], he explained. Mischa Maiskys daughter, Lily Maisky, plays the piano and has received critical acclaim in her own right, described by The Scotsman newspaper as an equal partner in a gritty and thrilling performance. When asked about what it is like to work with such a renowned musician as her father, Lily Maisky held her own without evidencing that she feels in any way overshadowed. Its a great privilege to play with my father its very natural, she said yesterday, We tried it [first] at a dinner party and we found it so easy and natural, so we just started doing it in concert. We dont even need to rehearse that much. East Asian children on the rise as musicians Mischa Maisky also remarked yesterday on the boom of East Asian children in the global orchestra scene. While recognizing that the populations of China, South Korea and Japan are significant and therefore it is no surprise that these countries are fielding huge numbers of talented musicians Maisky said that he has been overwhelmed by the changes he has observed within the last few decades. Maisky first visited Asia in 1974, but would not make it to Beijing until 1999. After many more concerts in the Chinese capital, the cellist told reporters yesterday that the change in [the number of] talented Chinese musicians has been extraordinary both in the professionalism of orchestras and the opera halls that have mushroomed [sprung up] since my first visit. Mexican airline Interjet says it has found an 8-year-old dog named Mika who had escaped her cage and gotten lost at Mexico Citys international airport. Photographs on the airlines Twitter account this week show Mika reunited with her owner Pamela Alvarez of Houston. Details were not immediately available on where the dog was found. But a post by Alvarez on Twitter thanks friends, family and Interjet for helping find Mika. The airline had posted photos of the search effort and flyers with a picture of Mika with a pink neckerchief. The flyer offered a 5,000-peso (USD250) reward. Alvarez was not informed of Mikas disappearance until her flight arrived in Houston. Mika apparently escaped when her cage fell at the airport. The laciest, if not raciest, catwalk event of the year aka, the Victorias Secret fashion show took place yesterday in in the City of Light. Among the takeaways: performances by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, sisters Bella and Gigi Hadid joining forces, as well as a USD3 million Fantasy bra modelled by Jasmine Tookes. Here are the highlights of the Paris show, inside Extra. READ MORE * Movies: Jackie * Books: Ruler of the Night by David Morrell * Music: 24K Magic by Bruno Mars * Wine: The Vinous Bel Canto * Food and beverage: Culture you can drink: Belgian beer gets UN approval DOWNLOAD PDF Extra 2697 Paris Secret As a property owner about to lease out your property for the first time, the road ahead may appear straightforward. But are there hidden costs waiting for you? Experienced landlords know what to expect. The cost of owning and leasing a property does not end with the purchase price, landlords have numerous costs to consider when renting a property and these can be broken down into three different areas; Property Costs Improvements and furnishing, negative cash-flow Administration Costs Legal Fees, Agency Fees Maintenance Costs Ongoing maintenance Property Costs The first decision to be made by a landlord is what type of rental property they are going to provide. Unfurnished, Furnished, Fully Furnished? This very much depends on the property type, and who the target audience is of course. Furnishing Even when a property is unfurnished it usually contains white goods such as a fridge and washing machine. Furnished means basic furniture such as a sofa, beds, tables and chairs, whilst fully furnished usually means cutlery, plates and cups etc. The budget will depend on the size of the property and the choice of furnishing level. Be warned that unfurnished apartments are less popular and take longer to rent, and money saved on furnishing is often a false economy if a unfurnished property sits empty for months. Improvements Landlords may want to invest some money improving a property. Painting walls, a new TV and new audio equipment are all popular ways of improving an apartment and making it an attractive rental proposition. Cash Flow This is often overlooked, but whilst a property is under renovation and without a tenant, the landlord is still paying a mortgage. With no income, this means a negative cash flow, which must be accounted for when considering the overall cost. Once a property is rented, if the rent does not cover mortgage payments the cash flow shortfall must also be taken into account. Administration Costs Legal & Tax Costs An often overlooked cost, landlords may have cause to consult lawyers on contractual issues, but they will certainly have to consider rental income tax. The rental income tax is 10 percent of the rental revenue received, with a maximum allowance of 10 percent of the annual rent for maintenance costs. Insurance The contents of the property are the responsibility of the tenant, and tenants should take out insurance in case of fire or burglary. However, landlords must purchase insurance to cover the cost of a re-build should something happen to the structure. This is often a bank requirement if the property has a loan. Agency Fees Agency fees vary from country to country. In Macau, the standard agency fee is equivalent to one months rent when renting an apartment. Maintenance Costs Ongoing maintenance Once a tenant is renting your property, there will be some ongoing maintenance costs. It is usual that most of these costs will occur during the first three months of occupancy. As the tenant moves in and uses the facilities, it soon becomes obvious if something is not working properly. Periodic Maintenance During the tenancy there will be some periodic maintenance required. Landlords may be tempted into thinking that all costs should be paid by tenants, but in many cases this is a false economy. For example, re-gassing air-cons every two years keeps them in good shape and means they will last a lot longer, and therefore do not need to be replaced. * Figures expressed in MOP unless otherwise stated Juliet Risdon is a Director of JML Property and a property investor. Having been established in 1994, JML Property offers Investment Property & Homes. It specializes in managing properties for owners and investors, and providing attractive and comfortable homes for tenants. www.JMLProperty.com info@JMLProperty.com - 1 2022 2 290,9 , 18% 2021 36,6% . TWIN FALLS A fight outside a Twin Falls nightclub between two unrelated men who share the surname Juarez resulted in a brain hemorrhage for one and an aggravated battery charge for the other. Samuel Juarez, 34, of Rupert was arraigned Tuesday in Twin Falls County Magistrate Court on a felony count of aggravated battery causing great bodily harm. Hes accused of punching David Juarez on Aug. 13 outside Bumpin Bernies nightclub, knocking him unconscious and sending him to a Boise hospital with a brain hemorrhage. David Juarez told police the two men were each at the Twin Falls nightclub, located at 139 Shoshone St. N., the night of the attack. David Juarez said that during the night, he and his friends noticed Samuel Juarez staring them down. As the club closed for the night, David Juarez and his friends waited for Samuel Juarez and his friends to leave, court documents said. (David) Juarez thought it was (OK) to leave without encountering Samuel, a Twin Falls detective wrote in a sworn affidavit. As he was walking through the parking lot, he saw Samuel punch his friend as (David) Juarez tried to intervene and break up the fight, Samuel punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious. A witness to the fight said David Juarezs head hit the pavement as he collapsed, and when police arrived they found him lying on the ground, unresponsive, bleeding from his mouth and face, court documents said. He was taken to the emergency room at St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center before he was flown to St. Alphonsus Medical Center in Boise because of bleeding in his brain. The medical records from St. Alphonsus indicate that (David) Juarez suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which is bleeding in between the brain and membrane that surrounds the brain, the detective wrote. This type of injury can cause brain damage, stroke, or death. Witnesses outside the club told police that Samuel Juarez was the aggressor, and David Juarez identified Samuel in a photo lineup without hesitation, court documents said. A judge issued a $200,000 arrest warrant for Samuel Juarez on Nov. 16, and he was arrested Sunday in Cassia County. A Twin Falls judge set his bond at $100,000 during Tuesdays arraignment. Samuel Juarez posted bond Wednesday and is out of custody awaiting a Dec. 9 preliminary hearing. Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy TWIN FALLS After months of inactivity in the case, a judge set a trial date this week for a man prosecutors describe as a willing accomplice in the July 25, 2015 murder of Kent Wayne Storrer, though attorneys on both sides said theyre willing to discuss a plea bargain. Jerry Burton Kimball, 23, is charged with murder and five other felonies in Twin Falls County District Court. Hes accused of driving convicted murder Jacob Lyn Marshall to the Twin Falls home where they were meeting with Storrers son-in-law to test drive a car. After testing the car, Marshall, 21, opened fire with an AR-15 rifle, killing Storrer and wounding his son-in-law, Jasper Qualls. Marshall was sentenced in August to 70 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder. But until Monday, Kimball had not appeared in court since July, exactly one year after the murder, when he and his attorney won the right to access Marshalls psychological evaluation, conducted while prosecutors were determining whether to seek the death penalty. Kimballs attorney, Steven McRae, argued in July that Marshalls evaluation would allow McRae to prove Marshall had a psychological episode and Kimball drove Marshall the day of the murder without any indication of Marshalls intentions. But McRae indicated during a hearing Monday he has yet to hire an expert to analyze Marshalls psychological evaluation. Mondays hearing was scheduled by 5th District Judge Randy Stoker, who expressed a desire to get Kimballs case moving toward a resolution. The judge set a trial date for April 24 in hopes that firm deadline would prompt action. McRae said he was hoping to sit down later this month for a settlement conference with Twin Falls County Prosecutor Grant Loebs to hammer out the details of a plea agreement. Whether (settlement talks) will be fruitful or not, I dont know, McRae told Stoker. Loebs said he was certainly willing to discuss a settlement and acknowledged there has been little communication about Kimballs case. But the prosecutor seemed confident in the states position, thanks largely to Marshalls plea agreement. As part of that deal, Marshall wrote a detailed letter explaining Kimballs involvement in the murder. If the settlement talks dont lead to a plea agreement, Kimball will next appear in court for a March 6 status conference to ensure both sides will be ready for trial. Jury selection would take all day on Friday, April 21, and the trial would begin Monday, April 24. Stoker said hed be prepared for a trial lasting two or three weeks. Kimball, who has been in custody at the Twin Falls County Jail after turning himself in the day after the murder, faces up to life in prison. TWIN FALLS - Sharon Irene Cook, loving wife, mother and shining light passed away at home with family. Sharon was born October 15, 1931 in Detroit, Michigan to Alfred Adrian Hudon and Jean Dyer. She met her life-long love Bob on Friday the thirteenth in June of 1952 and married August 2, the same year. Bob and Sharon traveled the world with their four children as an Air Force family before retiring 1976 to Albuquerque, New Mexico where they lived and continued their travels until moving to Twin Falls, Idaho in 2014. Sharon leaves behind her spouse Bob, daughter Debra (Jeff) Matier of Twin Falls, Idaho, son David (Debbie) Cook of Albuquerque, New Mexico, as well as 14 grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren. Sharon is preceded by her parents Alfred and Jean and sons Darren and Rob. She was kind, giving and always had a smile and encouraging words. In lieu of flowers the family requests your smile and donations to magicatsrescue.org. No public services are planned. Sharon will be cremated and her ashes interned with husband Bob at the Santa Fe National Cemetery, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Carolyn Deuel TWIN FALLS Carolyn Deuel of Twin Falls, funeral services at 1 p.m. Friday, December 2, at Amazing Grace Fellowship, Twin Falls (Rosenau Funeral Home). Hallie West Weighall FILER Hallie West Weighall of Filer, celebration of life at 1 p.m. Friday, December 2, 2016, at the Filer High School Gymnasium, Filer, Idaho (Serenity Funeral Chapel Life Celebration Center & Cremation Services of Idaho, Twin Falls). Gary Rumfelt TWIN FALLS Gary Rumfelt of Filer, funeral service at 11 am on Saturday, December 3, at White Mortuary Chapel by the Park. Viewing will be Friday, December 2 from 6-8 pm and one hour prior to the service on Saturday. Sharon Vedder TWIN FALLS Sharon Vedder of Twin Falls, celebration of life at 3 p.m. Saturday, December 3, 2016, at Immanuel Lutheran Church 2055 Filer Ave. E., Twin Falls (Parkes Magic Valley Funeral Home of Twin Falls, Idaho). William Curry TWIN FALLS William Bill Curry of Twin Falls, celebration of life at 2 p.m. Friday, December 2, 2016, at White Mortuary, 136 4th Ave. East, Twin Falls. Cindy J. Wiser TWIN FALLS Cindy J Wiser of Twin Falls, celebration of life from 6 until 8 p.m., Friday, December 2 at Rosenau Funeral Home with services at 1 p.m. Saturday, December 3 at the First Church of the Nazarene, Twin Falls. Galan Rogers BURLEY Galan Melvin Rogers of Burley, funeral at 11 a.m. Friday, December 2, at the Burley LDS Stake Center, 2050 Normal Ave. A graveside service will be held at 12 noon, Saturday, December 3, at the Liberty Cemetery in Liberty, Utah. Friends may call from 6 until 8 p.m. Thursday, December 1, at the Rasmussen Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th St., in Burley, and from 10 until 10:45 a.m. Friday, at the church preceding the service. Miriam Becker NAMPA Miriam Becker of Nampa, funeral services at 11 a.m. Friday, December 2 at Hansen Mortuary, 710 Sixth Street South, Rupert. A viewing will be held prior to services at the mortuary from 10 until 10:45 a.m. Patricia Rasmussen HAZELTON Patricia Rasmussen of Hazelton, funeral service at 11 a.m. Saturday, December 3 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hazelton. Grace Munsee TWIN FALLS Grace Munsee of Twin Falls, funeral services at 11 a.m. Saturday, December 3, at the LDS Church at 2680 Elizabeth Blvd, TWin Falls. A viewing will be held from 6 until 8 p.m. Friday, December 2 at Parkes Magic Valley Funeral Home, 2551 Kimberly Road, Twin Falls and one hour prior to the service at the church. Barbara Ann Hansen PAUL Barbara Ann Hansen of Paul, funeral at 11 a.m. Saturday, December 10, at the Paul LDS Stake Center, 424 W. Ellis Ave., in Paul. Friends may call from 10 until 10:45 a.m. preceding the service at the church. Robert D. Hamblen BURLEY Robert D. Hamblen of Burley, funeral at 11 a.m. Monday, December 5, at the Burley LDS 3rd and 7th Ward Church, 2200 Oakley Ave. Friends may call from 5 until 7 p.m. Sunday, December 4, at the Rasmussen Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th St., in Burley, and from 10 until 10:45 a.m. Monday, at the church preceding the funeral. Jimmy Lee Ethridge KIMBERLY Jimmy Lee Ethridge of Kimberly, graveside service at 11 am on Monday, December 5, at Sunset Memorial Park. Funeral arrangements under the direction of White Mortuary Chapel by the Park. Sandra Hess FT. MOHAVE Sandra Hess funeral services at 11 a.m. Monday December 5 at the Burley 2nd and 4th Ward building, 515 East 16th St, Burley. A visitation will be held from 10 until 10:45 a.m. Monday at the church prior to the service. King Mohammed VI started Thursday an official visit to Nigeria, the first ever by a Moroccan Monarch to the African country, heralding thus the start of a new era in relations between the two countries. The visit evidences, if need be, the Sovereigns insightful vision and clear-sighted leadership in strengthening his countrys relations with the rest of Africa, the ultimate goal being the integration of the continent and the advent of an Africa that is in control of its own destiny. The royal visit also illustrates Moroccos choice to diversify its partnerships, both geopolitically and economically, confirms that Moroccos African policy has a continental scope that goes beyond West and Central Africa, and seeks to extend the model of South-South cooperation that Morocco has developed with its traditional partners on the continent. It is precisely in this context that the royal visit to Nigeria is taking place, and through which the King hopes to open a new page in relations between Rabat and Abuja. These relations, dating back to 1960 when Nigeria recovered its independence, were marked for many years with the seal of solidarity, rapprochement and respect for territorial integrity. Nigerian Foreign minister, Goeffrey Onyeama, said in a statement to the media that King Mohammed VIs visit will definitely mark the beginning of a promising chapter in cooperation relations between the two countries. This royal visit represents a milestone in the strengthening of bilateral relations at political, economic and human levels, Onyeama said, adding that Rabat and Abuja are determined to strengthen their economic and trade exchanges. The visit will promote exchanges and a better understanding between the two brotherly countries on many issues related to bilateral relations as well as to the situation in the African continent, the Nigerian official was quoted by the Moroccan News Agency MAP as saying. He said Morocco and Nigeria have all assets to initiate a mutually beneficial cooperation and develop a win-win partnership in accordance with the principles of South-South solidarity, advocated by King Mohammed VI. The Nigerian official cited, among the strategic sectors that will be at the core of Moroccan-Nigerian partnership, agriculture, infrastructure and energy, mainly renewable energies. Beyond economic spheres, he said bilateral cooperation will encompass issues related to peace and the fight against terrorism and extremism. The Nigerian official hailed in this regard Moroccos recognized expertise in combating terrorism and spreading the values of peace and tolerance around the world. Morocco has undoubtedly so many achievements in the fight against terrorism, radicalism and violent extremism, he said underscoring that Morocco is a reliable partner, particularly for many sub-Saharan African countries and that all the countries of the region would like to develop closer cooperation with Morocco in this area. The fight against terrorism, violent extremism and radicalism requires close cooperation between all countries, he said. During King Mohammed VIs visit to Nigeria, the third leg of his new African tour that already took him to Ethiopia and Madagascar, the two countries are expected to seal several cooperation agreements, through which Morocco will contribute to the economic and commercial development of Nigeria, within the framework of a fruitful and mutually beneficial South/South cooperation. 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. The United States and African Union on Wednesday condemned the failed assassination attempt on President Nkurunzizas spokesperson. Mr Nyamitwe escaped the assassination attempt of Monday night but he was wounded. Burundis police spokesman Pierre Nkurukiye said the instructions and plan were passed from the Rwandan capital, Kigali, to someone within the military. The police disclosed further that they had known about the plot for some time and had already arrested a colonel and corporal. Another corporal was arrested on Tuesday morning during an investigation into the shooting. Whiles expressing the AUs condolences to the family of the slain security official, the African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security, Smail Chergui said, nothing justifies political violence. AU continues to stress that political differences should be resolved through sincere (and) inclusive dialogue. The United States Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, Thomas Porriello, also condemned the attack on Willy Nyamitwe whiles sharing condolences with victims and their families. Sporadic political violence has plagued Burundi since April 2015, when President Pierre Nkurunziza announced he would seek a third term in office amid significant opposition. Hundreds of people have been killed and the United Nations is investigating reports of torture and rape. Two Iranians and their Kenyan driver, who worked for the Iranian embassy in Nairobi, have been arrested and charged on Thursday with collecting information for a terrorist act after filming the Israeli embassy in the country. According to a charge sheet produced in court, Sayed Nasrollah Ebrahimi, Abdolhosein Ghola Safafe and driver Moses Keyah Mmboga were found taking video clips of the Israeli embassy for the use in the commission of a terrorist act. The driver separately faced a count of aiding a terrorist offence in which the prosecution alleged that he drove the two Iranians in a vehicle belonging to Iranians Embassy who took a video clip of the Embassy. Prosecutor Duncan Ondimu said the two Iranians were visiting Kenya but gave no further details. The three were detained in Nairobi on Tuesday. They had been visiting Kamiti Prison earlier in the day to meet with two other Iranians who have spent 15 years imprisoned on terrorism charges, the Time of Israel reported. Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Joyce Gadani remanded the three suspects until December 6 when the court will rule on whether they will be released on bail pending trial. The magistrate noted that the two foreigners do not enjoy diplomatic immunity as their lawyers had alleged. In 2002, terrorists bombed an Israeli-owned hotel in Kenyas second largest city, Mombasa, killing 15 people. The HIV/AIDS epidemic is now almost through its fourth decade since becoming established as a major public health concern in the early 1980s. The global health community has made immense progress in understanding the biologic basis of the virus; the epidemiology behind its spread through populations; treatments that are effective in suppressing the virus; and the social and cultural factors that have influenced how individuals are living with the disease. However, there is a dearth of information regarding the role of political leadership, and how it can successfully or detrimentally affect populations as it relates to the HIV epidemic, and other diseases more generally. On World AIDS Day 2016, we are calling for a renewed commitment by political leaders in Sub-Saharan Africa to commit to accurate and de-stigmatizing public communications that will greatly benefit HIV prevention, diagnosis, and treatment efforts. Sub-Saharan Africa, the region with over two-thirds (estimated 25.5 million out of 36.7 million globally) of HIV/AIDS in the world, is an important focal point in examining how political leadership can influence people's behaviors. HIV prevention has primarily focused on individual decision-making as it relates to sexual behaviors, and leaders have the potential to effect such change through passionate, motivational rhetoric. Beyond prevention, however, both testing and treatment are equally important factors that have met substantial roadblocks due to misinformation and stigma, and herein lays an important opportunity for political will and influence. African political leaders' responses to HIV over the last several decades have been varied, with some leaders demonstrating exemplary approaches, while others have been unfortunately harmful. The political infrastructure in most Sub-Saharan African countries is hierarchical, but the levels of public influence do not necessarily follow in that hierarchy. In a Gallup poll from 2014, African leaders had a wide range in their public approval ratings, and this is likely to affect the ultimate efficacy of their public health messages. There is even fewer data with regard to the public approval of specific health leaders, such as Ministers of Health, but one would expect a similar disconnect between public popularity and the power of public narrative. This highlights an opportunity at the intersection of health and politics not only for the HIV epidemic, but other diseases as well, including Ebola and Zika, both which have also worsened because of political inaction and instability. One particular aspect of political leadership that has been of pivotal importance is the role of public demonstrations. These include speeches, rallies, and health-related events, such as HIV testing and male circumcision campaigns that many African governments have used to influence their public. Generally speaking, these have traditionally aimed to provide health information about HIV, reduce associated disease stigma, increase HIV testing rates, reduce sexual multiplicity, delay the age of sexual debut, encourage use of condoms, and motivate populations to unite against the epidemic. In most Sub-Saharan African nations, Presidents, Vice Presidents, First Ladies, Ministers of Health, Prime Ministers, and international Ambassadors have played critical roles in local health movements around the HIV epidemic. In a number of countries, these officials have directly spearheaded campaigns and ensured public involvement to better connect with people in civil society. Others have utilized directed and technical public health messagingsuch as the uptake of Option B+ in Uganda for prevention of mother to child transmissionthat is explicit but avoids stigmatization or undermining risk. Involvement of First Ladies through cross-border initiatives, such as the Organization of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS, has also been essential in creating momentum around new campaigns. As new HIV therapy regimens and public health strategies are introduced into the market, the need for proper communication, especially in countries in which health literacy is low, will become essential. Creative efforts to de-stigmatize HIV testing have been of particular importance in this effort. In some countries, for instance, public health officials and even Presidents have undergone public testing for HIV as a means for public engagement. There have been parallel efforts in the circumcision movement as well, notably in Zimbabwe among Members of Parliament. Moreover, effective stigma reduction must permeate through all ranks of society. To this extent, African leaders in the past decade have become more open with personal stories, including how HIV had affected members of their own families and administrations, a stark contrast to the previous AIDS denialism. Politicians have also stood in the way of progress, with the most notable and detrimental examples being speeches that bolster stigmatization, and false science. The President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, has been notorious for particularly stigmatizing assertions in recent years, and South African President Jacob Zuma has made comments, including reducing HIV risk from showering, that are baseless and harmful. Before President Zuma, President Mbeki of South Africa questioned the relationship between HIV and AIDS and the benefits of anti-retroviral medication. The challenge of communication surrounding health issues such as HIV is that wrong information, or stigma-inducing rhetoric, is far more detrimental than the benefit of correct information, largely because farfetched myths tend to stick in people's minds. This highlights the essential need for smart, thoughtful, and careful framing of messages by political elite. Many studies have illustrated the existence of numerous myths regarding HIV transmission and cure both globally and in the Sub-Saharan African context. We must ensure that political leaders serve to dispel rather than contribute to this growing body of folklore. Aside from using stigmatizing language, there are numerous countries in which high-level political leaders, such as the President, have promoted legal frameworks that marginalize vulnerable groups. One such example is the criminalization of same-sex activity in the country of Zambia among many others in Sub-Saharan Africa. Uganda has also gained notoriety for blatant homophobia, with President Museveni supporting such sentiment with comments describing homosexuals as "disgusting" and also passing anti-gay bills into law. It is immensely challenging to create national movements that support people living with HIV/AIDS when country leaders remain fundamentally opposed to the beliefs of certain groups that are highly affected by the epidemic. We need to establish a much stronger research base to demonstrate how the actions of political leaders in Sub-Saharan Africa have correlated with shifts in HIV prevalence, self-reported behavior change, and other traditional metrics assessing the growth of the epidemic. Ecological study models may begin to provide a first glance at this. Nonetheless, there needs to be a stronger emphasis on unified messaging around HIV/AIDS, and on a more serious avoidance of harmful messaging as highlighted. While the fields of epidemiology, global health, medicine, and economics have contributed significantly to curbing the HIV epidemic, the efforts from the political side of the equation have been relatively weaker with regard to organization and execution. An immense potential remains for political leaders to take the helm of the epidemic, and to steer their countries toward large-scale behavioral and cultural change. While political support will in no way be enough on its own, it is equally unlikely for the epidemic to be curtailed without concerted efforts from governmental leaders. Importantly, the relationship between governments and civil societies must be deliberately strengthened. The tumultuous histories of political violence and unrest in many of the countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have created large divides that have serious implications for epidemic control for HIV and other infectious diseases. Through civil society partnerships, advice from public health research agencies, including the Center for Disease Control (where author AK worked as part of a team advising strategy for the US Ambassador and the Mozambican President, Armando Guebuza, in 2013) and Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs (which focuses specifically on the role of communication in public health), and by leveraging political good will and sound scientific understanding, leaders in Sub-Saharan Africa can help create a more robust response to HIV control and eradication. We must not allow the opportunity to pass. The dangers of weak leadership are many fold and have already proven consequential in the past and present. The future must be different for those living with HIV/AIDS, and those who are at risk of contracting the virus. A partnership between politics and science is greatly needed if the global HIV community is going to continue attempting large-scale behavior-change, destigmatization, testing, or treatment campaigns. We believe that time must be now. This story is republished courtesy of PLOS Blogs: blogs.plos.org. Today is World AIDS Day. More than three decades after the virus was first discovered, 5,753 people will become HIV infected today. About the same number will become infected tomorrow, and the same number the day after that. While it is true that two-thirds of people living with HIV are in sub-Saharan Africa, HIV is a disease of the vulnerable and the poor everywhere. Globally, half of those living with HIV are women. Much less is known about the levels of infection among other vulnerable populations who may be forced to hide their risk, such as men who have sex with men, or drug users, or those whose risk is less appreciated or simply ignored, such as refugees and migrants or the disabled. In the U.S. alone, between 40,000 and 50,000 Americans test HIV positive for the first time each year, with African-Americans and Latinos vastly overrepresented. This has been the case for the last two decades. Every year, the number of people in the U.S. who learn they are now living with HIV is equivalent to the number of people who live in the city of Annapolis, Maryland. Why aren't we screaming and jumping up and down with fury at the sheer magnitude of the AIDS epidemic? As an HIV prevention researcher for more than two decades, I conducted a rather unscientific survey to find out. I asked a smattering of people in their 20's a cohort known for their willingness to jump up and down in fury what they would like to know about HIV that they didn't know already. What I found is that younger people see AIDS as a chronic medical condition rather than a death sentence. However, they also expressed a general feeling of unease that, even though they didn't often think or talk about it, HIV is a bigger problem than is let on by the general media. They suspect but don't fully appreciate the social factors that make HIV/AIDS so hard to prevent and ultimately eradicate. They, like many of us, may not understand that AIDS is fueled more by poverty, discrimination and social injustice than anything else. This, I believe, is a main reason for the disease still being rampant. Awareness of disease but not of the struggles This exercise made me remember the reasons I became an HIV researcher. I moved to New York City in the 1980s, when I myself was in my 20's. I came home one day to find my next door neighbors sobbing in each others arms one had just been diagnosed with AIDS, the other knew he was about to be. I remember the scare as the story spread of three young women running around the neighborhood stabbing people with hypodermic syringes, yelling gleefully "Now you have AIDS!" I saw the beautiful, young busboy from the restaurant where I worked: homeless, begging for money, for food, dying publicly on the street with no health insurance and nowhere to go. Variants of these scenes continue to play out around the globe, day in and day out. The AIDS epidemic has led to significant medical advances and increased the scientific understanding of viruses in general. Anti-HIV treatment drugs have been found to prolong the life of many people living with HIV. In fact, treatment has resulted in a decrease in the number of AIDS deaths and has led to a dramatic increase in the number of people living with HIV over the last five years. One thing hasn't changed: The number of people who are newly infected with HIV each year has remained relatively stable for decades. Root causes that a vaccine cannot cure AIDS is clever. After all this time we still don't have a vaccine to prevent the virus. That's not to say that developing prevention strategies hasn't kept people up at night. Indeed, the inability to develop an effective vaccine has given rise to the field of HIV prevention medicine. This version of prevention relies on the use of anti-HIV treatment drugs to prevent an individual from either acquiring or transmitting HIV: stopping mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT); "test and treat" to identify and medically manage people with HIV; post-HIV exposure prophylaxis (PEP); and pre-HIV exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Unfortunately, this prevention approach, which relies on anti-HIV treatment drugs, creates additional anti-HIV treatment availability shortages and contributes to drug resistance already on the rise. Also, with the exception of PMTCT, anti-HIV drugs are not available to the vast majority of the global population. I, and many others, have spent much of our adult lives trying to figure out how to prevent the spread of HIV in the absence of a vaccine, without relying on anti-HIV treatment drugs. I can say unequivocally that we have failed to put a significant dent in the number of new HIV cases that occur each year. It's not that there haven't been success stories along the way. Syringe exchange programs have been around for over 30 years, yet remain rare and underfunded. Condoms came out from under the covers and sparked a hunger for conversations about sex and sexuality. The problem with condoms both male and female is that they require two voices in the negotiation of their use. In the meantime, we're still stuck arguing about making them available, instead of exploring ways to make them a fun and essential part of sex. Future successes must go beyond prevention tools. They must deal with the social factors that face populations at greater vulnerability of acquiring HIV, such as poverty; discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity or religion; and illicit drug use. And everything is amplified for people aged 15-24, who bear the brunt of new HIV infections. A recent report found that sexually transmitted infections in the U.S. are at their highest levels ever. Syphilis, which was the harbinger of the massive increase in HIV infections in the U.S. in the late 1980s, rose most sharply last year by 19 percent. Is it much of a leap to suggest that history may repeat itself? Increasingly, experts warn that AIDS will not be ended by medical means alone. AIDS will be conquered only by prevention that addresses the hard issues of inequality, discrimination and social justice. I'd say that's something 20-year-olds are already screaming about. Consider this more fuel for that fire. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. In several clinical trials, the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus paracasei DG has been shown to promote health, but until now, the mechanism has remained a black box. New research now suggests that the health benefits arise from communication between the probiotic bacteria and the human host. That communication involves bacterial secretion of a novel polysaccharide that tells the immune system to release certain immunity-stimulating chemicals. The research is published December 2 in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology. In the study, the investigators isolated the polysaccharide, which are large polymers of sugar molecules. They form coverings over the surfaces of many bacterial cells, and the bacteria sometimes secrete them, as well. The researchers then used nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and chemical methods to determine the polysaccharide's structure and composition. "We showed that a significant proportion of the polysaccharide is made from the sugar, rhamnose," said coauthor Andrew P. Laws, PhD, Professor of Chemical Biology, University of Huddersfield, UK. "This sugar predominates in a number of polysaccharides that are secreted by probiotic bacteria." Laws' coauthor, Simone Guglielmetti, PhD, Professor of Microbiology, the University of Milan, Italy, then exposed certain human immune cells to different doses of the polysaccharide, and monitored the cells' release of immune-stimulating chemicals. Notably, they secreted pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. The release of such pro-inflammatory compounds might suggest that L. paracasei would aggravate conditions such as ulcerative colitis, or ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori, instead of mitigating them, as it has been found to do in clinical trials. But "we have evidence that our polysaccharides bind to and mildly activate the receptors which release pro-inflammatory messengers," said Laws. "We believe that this generates a lesser inflammatory response than what would occur if the same receptors were activated by pathogenic bacteria." L. paracasei DG is included in Enterolactis, one of the most popular probiotic supplements in Italy, which has been on the market for more than 20 years, said Guglielmettti. The motivation for the research was the dearth of information as to how the polysaccharides on the bacterial cells interact with the cells of the gastrointestinal tract, said Laws. The News in Brief Georgian interior minister lists achievements ahead of confidence vote Acting Interior Minister Giorgi Mghebrishvili showed up at several committee hearings on Wednesday as parliamentarians were preparing for a vote of confidence in the new cabinet. Listing his ministrys achievements, Mghebrishvili said police in Georgia last year seized a total of 37kg cocaine, 181kg heroin and 15kg psychotropic substances. Further, that law enforcement also have confiscated 1,482 illegal firearms. Another case Mghebrishvili discussed with lawmakers was the murder of Giga Otkhozoria, a Georgian refugee, at a de facto border point with breakaway Abkhazia on May 19. The suspect, a border guard, fled into separatist-run Abkhazia, while the Prosecutors Office in Samegerelo-Zemo Svaneti charged the suspect Rashid Kankioghli in absentia with premeditated murder. The acting interior minister told MPs that Interpol next year will issue a red alert for the border guard. Apart from asking for Interpol to issue an alert, the government has also brought up the murder case at at the regular Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism in Gali hosted by the EU and OSCE. (DF watch) Increased Russias military presence in Abkhazia not true Maria Zakharova Information released by Georgian media outlets saying Russias military presence in Russia has increased is not true, - official representative of Russias Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova has declared. According to her the comment referred to information according to which Gali will become a military town as Russian military bases and airports will be built there and a huge contingent of troops will also be deployed. As we suppose all this is related with the agreement ratified in Russia concerning establishment of joint troops of Russia and Abkhazia. We would like to remind you of the fact that the document reflects the strategic partnership between the two sovereign states that does not pose any threat for neighbors. Insinuations spread in Georgia show us that those being against normalization of Russia-Georgia relations are active, Zakharova said. (IPN) US trained Colonel Janjgava named First Deputy Army Chief Georgias newly appointed Chief of General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces (GAF), Brigadier General Vladimer Chachibaia, named his three deputies. Colonel Nikoloz Janjgava, who has served in the Georgian Army since 1992 and was one of the first Georgian officers trained in the United States, has been named as First Deputy Chief of General Staff of the GAF. Janjgava had three times collided with Georgian authorities over the country's defence policy and was allegedly involved in corruption in the military, which led to his dismissals from the Army in 1998, 2002, and 2012, all under the previous state leaderships of Georgia. Janjgava received his military training at the Joint Military Academy of the Ministry of Defence of Georgia in 1993 and continued his education in Germany in 1994 and the US in 1995, eventually graduating from the US Army Command and General Staff College in 2002. Colonel Janjgava will be tasked to coordinate relations with our partners and deepen our partnership with them, said Chachibaia while presenting his deputies. The remaining two deputy posts were offered to Colonels Shalva Jabakhidze and Zaza Chkhaidze. Colonel Chkhaidze, who has served in the Georgian Army since 1994, will be responsible for coordinating activities within the General Staff. Meanwhile, Colonel Jabakhidze, who has served in the Army since 1998, will be in charge of maneuvering, combat and support elements of the General Staff. (Agenda.ge) via @learyreports With concerns over the Trump administration stripping legal status from Dreamers, a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by Sen. Lindsey Graham is working on legislation to provide that protection. The group does not include Sen. Marco Rubio, who had gained widespread attention years ago for proposing legislation aimed at young immigrants brought to the country illegally by their parents. Rubios office declined comment. Rubios legislation was never filed and President Obama followed through with his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals plan, which has shielded more than 740,000 Dreamers, including more than 20,000 in Florida. President-elect Donald Trump has talked about rescinding the program. Rubio criticized Obama's executive action, too, but has said the legal status already granted should not be retroactively removed. My recommendation would be that there are people that have already availed themselves of that, and that there's a period of time for that, he said last week on Meet The Press. I would not retroactively remove their status. I would say that, from some point forward, people will not be allowed to apply for renewal for that status. And that will give us a defined period of time to work through this, beginning with border security and modernization of the legal immigration system. Its unclear whether Rubio, who has been singed by the immigration debate, plans to get involved in legislative efforts. The plan discussed by Graham, as reported by Politico, would apply just to the immigrants who had been approved under the 2012 directive from Obama. Graham indicated that the legislation would be a bridge from a repeal of DACA until we can fix the overall problem. Its going to be basically, if you have legal status, youll continue legal status, Graham told Politico. I think it would pass overwhelmingly. --ALEX LEARY, Tampa Bay Times @PatriciaMazzei @ngameztorres As a candidate, President-elect Donald Trump looked into the possibility of establishing hotels in Cuba, according to the head of a major Spanish hotel chain. Miguel Fluxa, chief executive of the Iberostar Group, said at a public event Thursday that Trumps interest in Cuba existed no more than six months ago. Trump until recently has tried to negotiate for hotels he wanted to have in Cuba, Fluxa said at a 60-year anniversary event for Iberostar in Mallorca, according to the Spanish newspaper ABC. If American tourism continues, Havana will be a top-of-the-line global destination, as it already is, Fluxa added. He announced that his company planned further investments in Cuba and thanked the Cuban government when he mentioned Trump. Fluxa did not respond to a request for comment from el Nuevo Herald. More here. Photo credit: Daniel Acker, Bloomberg Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy Barbara Morrison's a fan of naive art, which is characterized by flat planes and bright colors. The skies in her paintings might be red, but not in an ominous way. Or green in a buoyant way. In one of her gouache paintings, a horse's interior is embedded with rows of tiny lines that turn into fish and then out into amphibians and then back into something smaller as they move through its body. In another picture, a cat has a hole in its stomach that's filled with a bird and fish. A horse might be filled with a night sky. She's a member of an international group of naive artists, Naive Art Extraordinaire, and recently sent some of her work to Belgium for a showing there. She thinks her newer work, now up at Montana Art and Framing's Gallery 709, was influenced by two years living in Beijing. "There's a form of Chinese painting that's kind of flat," she said. "People from the country do little paintings like that about everyday life." Morrison prefers gouache, which can be used to make an even surface. Her figures, some floating in the sky, might pull from Peruvian art. The patterns in the sky are influences by art from the Chumash tribe in California. "My dad was an artist in Billings, so I grew up doing a lot of art," she said. Robert Morrison, an art professor, made wood-cuts and was a painter and a calligrapher, which might explain Morrison's preference for tiny lines. She did some calligraphy with him, but has her own ideas about wabi-sabi, the Japanese idea that acknowledges the importance of mistakes. With tiny brushes and paper, there's not much time to correct an error. Instead, any seeming mistake has to be worked around and woven into the picture. Looking at one of the horse tails, rendered with a row of single lines, Don Mundt said "the tail is all these little strokes of her brush." Mundt, the Gallery 709 owner, has been showing her work for about six years now. The Gallery 709 show also has her Christmas ornaments and figurative sculptures and hats. The ornaments are miniatures that require tweezers to build: fantastical, small scenes. The fetish dolls, Morrison thinks, more reflect her college years in New Mexico. They have highly-patterned fabric designs and seemingly reference myths. A figure staring in a mirror has an open stomach with a snake inside. Another sculpture of a figure has a globe for a head. His open torso has a castle scene inside. The largest piece is a Christmas castle, a three-story assemblage piece built from thrift-store finds that no longer resembles anything from a thrift-store. On each of the shelves is a set of figures from the nativity scene: angels with gifts, shepherds and more. "Did you look inside this house?" Mundt asked of another sculpture piece. "She built a castle from scratch," he said. Then added a waterfall. Windows made from needle-point mesh. A tiny goose in a tiny pond. She titled it after a quote from G.K. Chesterton: "There are no rules of architecture for a castle in the clouds." Jeff Kleinsmith has served as art director for Seattle-based Sub Pop Records for more than 20 years. His artwork has been used on the covers for records by Nirvana, Mudhoney, Sleater-Kinney, the Postal Service, David Cross, the Fruit Bats, Low and Patton Oswalt. He's working on a monograph on his artwork. Here's a condensed email Q&A with Kleinsmith: Q: With so many years worth of material, how did you select the pieces for the Missoula showing? A: Having been around so long doing this, my poster "career" loosely breaks down into eras. Ha. Im that old. I tried to pick mostly recent works that graphically worked together as a whole exhibit, and whose bands might link back back to Montana in some way (Silkworm, The Gits, etc.). I also included a couple of film posters that I did for Mondo in Austin a few years back. Q: Hank Trotter mentioned that you two were working during the time period when gig posters were changing from Xeroxed paper to larger formats and silk-screening. Was there a particular moment when you realized people were going to collect and hang this work after the concert? Did that change the work from a designers perspective? A: I would say the main catalyst for that transition was a citywide ban on telephone pole posters in 1992-93. Poster designers/bands/promoters would either have to stop making posters altogether or move to other mediums. Fortunately for Hank and me (and so many others), two of my bandmates had just started a screen-printing operation on Capitol Hill. Local rock clubs started commissioning posters from us and others around town to put inside the club. They were framed and given as gifts. It didnt take long for rock posters to become more merchandise than promotion. Xerox posters on telephone poles were advertisements for shows, while a Red Hot Chili Peppers poster released one day before the show is a merch item. Because the posters were seen up close in cafe windows and inside rock clubs, we designers werent held to typical telephone pole design conventions (big type, attention-grabbing image). These new screen prints could be colorful and big and weird. The type could be small and artful. We could start playing with the medium: we printed on metal and plastic and cut them into odd shapes, etc. Q: Are there early gig posters you made that have been lost because no one knew the historical value, or have you kept archives of them? A: Im pretty sure I have some copies of every poster Ive made. I think I only have two of my Afghan Whigs "Band-Aid" poster left, but generally I have some of everything. Q: Regarding posters vs. album art, do the posters allow the graphic designer more freedom than the covers? What are some ways in which the art is inspired by the music? A: I try to reflect the music with poster art as much as I can. I think in the early days I was equally trying to reflect the music while also trying to find my voice. I made a lot of mistakes along the way some led to pushing the envelope and some were just dumb mistakes. I guess I learned from those as well but not as fun as the pushing the envelope mistakes. Generally speaking, bands tend to be hands-on with album cover art and they should be! A band might only make one or two records ever so the art and packaging should fully represent their artistic goals. My job is to hopefully keep them from making bad decisions and to show them a lot of different design approaches. I have laid out/designed hundreds and hundreds of record covers, so my personal artistic goals take a backseat. These are their songs and their band and they have to live with it for the rest of their lives, it should be something they are proud of. Do I cringe at their choices sometimes? Yes. Do I get privately frustrated when the band stupidly picks the worst option? Yes. On the flip side, and maybe because of this dynamic described, Im not really interested in making posters this way. I think rock posters are most successful when its a singular voice just the designer/illustrator doing their thing. There might be a rock poster for every show on a tour so I think bands are a lot less concerned with being ideally represented in tour-poster art. Q: Speaking of archives, what can you tell readers about the monograph? Whos writing it and whats the scope? A: I started something a few years ago, and it was a direction I realized I wasnt comfortable with at all: the story of Jeff. I scrapped that and am focusing on just making an arty book of all of the work Ive done for the last nearly 30 years. Big image crops, different papers and printing mediums, and maybe some pull-outs and pop-ups. Ha. Mostly visual and only a small amount of text. Q: Regarding the benefit aspect of the show, why did you pick the Southern Poverty Law Center? A: There are many groups fighting for the protection of rights. I give to other charities already and this one seemed fitting in these times. HELENA A move by the state Supreme Court late Friday afternoon has left the Secretary of State's office unsure about certifying the passage of a voter-approved amendment to Montana's Constitution. The court ordered Secretary of State Linda McCulloch to not declare an effective date for Constitutional Initiative 116, also known as Marsy's Law. Election results must be certified by Monday. The Board of Canvassers, which certifies election results, is set to meet at 10 a.m. that day, but it's unclear now what action they can take. The confusing situation came about after the the ACLU of Montana filed a lawsuit earlier in the day asking for Marsy's Law, a so-called "victims bill of rights" that voters passed in November, to take effect in July instead of the immediate start date printed on ballots statewide. Twice this week the Board of Canvassers did not sign off on a certificate validating the passage of the law. Two of the board's three members said they did not think the ballot language calling for an immediate start date, which also appears on the certificate, was correct. The language of the law itself does not call for an immediate implementation, but uses the phrase "self-executing." Marsy's Law will create a new section of the state Constitution and includes 18 rights for crime victims, including the right to refuse interviews and to be notified of all steps of the legal process. Emily Dean, a spokeswoman for the Secretary of State, said the office's legal counsel is looking at the court's order. The Supreme Court said it needs a response from the state, McCulloch and Attorney General Tim Fox, who is named in the suit, within 14 days. On ballots statewide, voters saw the sentence: CI-116, if passed by the electorate, will become effective immediately. The Department of Justice, which drafts the language that appears on the ballot, interpreted "self-executing" to mean immediately effective, but state Auditor Monica Lindeen and Superintendent of Public Institution Denise Juneau, two of the three Board and Canvassers members, disagree with that decision. The board's third member is Attorney General Tim Fox, who is in charge of the Department of Justice. Fox supports certifying the results as-is. The ACLU is arguing that the state Constitution reads, in part, that amendments "shall become a part of the constitution effective the first day of July following its approval, unless the amendment provides otherwise." The Board of Canvassers already approved election results for local and statewide candidates and Initiative 182, which repealed a three-patient limit for medical marijuana patients. That initiative has its own struggles with an effective date: Due to a drafting error it will not take effect for eight months. The suit is brought by the ACLU, the Montana County Attorneys Association, the Montana League of Cities and Towns, the Montana Association of Counties, Lewis and Clark County Attorney Leo Gallagher and Helena City Attorney Thomas Jodoin. Chuck Denowh, state director of Marsys Law for Montana, called the lawsuit disappointing. "We think it's clear that the effective date should be immediate upon the certification of the election. That's what was on the ballots for the 325,000 Montanans who voted for Marsy's Law." The law passed with 66 percent of the vote. He said it's unclear if Marsy's Law for Montana would take any action and the group needs to wait and see what the Supreme Court decides. Cities and counties worry that they will have to cut services or raise taxes to pay for additional staff to work with victims and comply with the new law and need as much time as possible to get ready. The ACLU, in a release, said it creates significant administrative, financial and compliance burdens. "A July 1, 2017, effective date is not only legally required, but makes practical sense as it allows for organizations time to comply with the procedures mandated by CI 116," the release said. Denowh said he thinks cities and counties can comply with Marsy's Law now. "Most of what's in Marsy's Law they were already doing," he said. "The law expands on those pre-existing requirements a little bit but not in a huge way." Outgoing Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau said Friday she may apply to be the next president of the University of Montana. "I think I have the qualifications and the vision, and I think it's an exciting opportunity," Juneau said. Juneau is completing her second term as state superintendent. In November, the Democrat lost the race for U.S. House of Representatives against Congressman Ryan Zinke, the incumbent Republican. Thursday, the Montana Commissioner of Higher Education asked UM President Royce Engstrom to depart on Dec. 31 and said a national search will take place spring semester for a permanent president. Former Commissioner of Higher Education Sheila Stearns will serve as interim president starting January 1. The same day the Commissioner's Office announced Engstrom's departure, Juneau's supporters started signing an online petition calling for the outgoing superintendent to be named the next University of Montana president. "With the news that Royce Engstrom is stepping down, Montana has the opportunity to catch a rising star in Denise Juneau," reads the petition at change.org. Juneau has a law degree from the University of Montana. She received her English degree from Montana State University and a master's degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Tyler Gernant of Missoula said he launched the petition calling for a "dynamic leader" at UM. Gernant is elected clerk and recorder/treasurer for Missoula County, but he took action as a private citizen. "My wife and I had long thought that Denise would make a great university president, but obviously Royce was there," said Gernant, a Democrat. Engstrom's departure opens the door for Juneau to fill the job, he said, and she is "uniquely qualified for that position." Gernant said Juneau has been pushing up graduation rates as superintendent while UM's enrollment has been falling. Montana Board of Regents Chairman Paul Tuss said he would welcome Juneau's application along with those of other interested candidates. As superintendent, Juneau has served as an ex officio Board of Regents member representing kindergarten through 12th grade, and Tuss said she served admirably for eight years. "Certainly, we would welcome her and other people that are interested to serve in this capacity, but most assuredly, we will indeed be conducting an exhaustive national search for this very important position," Tuss said. Gernant, who lost a bid for the U.S. House in 2010, agreed a national search should take place. He said he did not believe instating Juneau would be a consolation prize after losing a statewide election as much as an opportunity to put a qualified person at the helm. As an elected officer, Gernant also said UM has a vital economic role in the community. The petition estimates that the increased graduation rates pushed by Juneau's Graduation Matters initiative translate into an estimated $6 million boost to the Montana economy. An open letter to the president-elect: Perhaps we can help you bring us together on the most important issue facing humankind. More than 97 percent of climate scientists have given you a flying start. Theyve proven that global warming is real, and we are causing it by burning too much fossil fuel. Backed by that scientific consensus, hopefully you can demonstrate your leadership ability by bringing climate change deniers and doubters on board. Eighteen U.S. scientific organizations and the National Academies of Science from 80 countries want to help you. They already support the consensus view. Their scientists are joined by every major religious faith in officially acknowledging that human-caused climate change is not a hoax. Scroll down to see if your faith is among them at www.mtcares.org/welcome-to-mtcares. Climate change and our reinforcement of it no more requires a belief to be real than does gravity. The damage were doing to the planet has not and will not spare the children of deniers, Democrats or Republicans. Since faith leaders want to see the country unite, joining with them on this issue would be a good place to begin. In your own political party, four (Republican) former Environmental Protection Agency administrators also know human-caused climate change is not a hoax. Please bring the rest of your faction together with them. And those secret briefings youll now get? Many of us respect the generals involved. Their studies advise of threats to U.S. national security within the next 20 years posed by global warming: political instability, mass refugee migration, terrorism, or conflicts over water and other resources. They conclude that human-caused climate change is at least as great a threat to our security as terrorism. Surely we can be duty-bound together in support of our military and intelligence professionals from the National Intelligence Council (classified study for Congress), Council on Foreign Relations, Center for Navel Analysis, CIA, U.S. Defense Department and Institute for Strategic Studies. Nobody wants to see projections from the World Bank and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change come true. They warn that unless we put the brakes on global warming, more economic migrants will be clamoring at our door as increased desertification and higher seas from melting ice help drive hundreds of millions from their homes to ours. Oceans provide more than $20 trillion each year in goods and services. This bounty depends on the temperature of warming oceans and the concentration of acidifying carbon dioxide in them. Surely you do not want to see increased ocean acidification continue to destroy food sources for millions, or bleach more coral reefs adjacent to luxury hotels. And the Paris Climate Accord you vowed to scuttle the one all 195 participating UNFCCC member states and the European Union came together to unanimously support? Please dont rip that togetherness apart! All but Iraq, Syria, Uzbekistan and Nicaragua have followed up by signing it. As of Nov. 23, 114 nations completed the process with ratification. They comprise 78.96 percent of global CO2 emissions. We understand we owe a debt to fossil fuel workers who built our world economy. They should not be disadvantaged because the world is transitioning to an economy where electricity from the wind and sun is now cheaper than electricity generated by fossil fuel. The Pew Research Centers May-June 2016 poll indicated support for renewable energy is overwhelming. It found 89 percent of us want more solar farms; 83 percent want more wind farms. Thus, fossil fuel workers will need climate justice along with those in countless areas becoming dryer or more riddled with the stronger cold and warm weather becoming the norm in our changing climate. We must care for fossil fuel workers, just as we need to look after the innumerable jobs in agricultural, ocean-food, ski, sport-fishing, tourism and other industries that will continue to be damaged if we warm the earth even more. So be a great leader. Bring us together. Embrace the POWER+ plan put forth by President Obama to help coal communities find new routes to economic prosperity. Or champion similar measures suggested by Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders which ease acceptance into the renewable energy economy. Humankind needs your bold leadership to survive. We write this letter on behalf of landowners along the Smith River who share a grave concern regarding the proposed copper mine at the headwaters of the Smith River. Tintina Resources, a Canadian company that is controlled by Sandfire Resources, an Australian company, is proposing a large underground copper mine that would be next to and go underneath Sheep Creek, the most important tributary to the Smith River. The Smith River isnt just the crown jewel of the Montana rivers and state park system because of the recreational floating and fishery. It holds sentimental, historical and cultural values upon which you cannot put a price. Long before Europeans arrived, the Smith River valley was home to several Native American tribes, a fact made evident by more than 70 pictograph sites in the area. State archeologists have said, Its a high density of sites, unlike any other found in the state. Scotty Allen was a trapper, fur trader and hermit who wandered into the Smith Valley in the mid 1920s. He spent the majority of his life in different camps and cabins in the mountains along the river. His cabins and some belongings can still be seen there today. One can only imagine what this canyon was like all those years ago. Though the Smith River may be a little more populated today, it is still the same precious place. Generations of families have farmed and ranched along the Smith, and depended upon its clean water for their crops and livestock. Kids have grown up spending their summers on the Smith at the cabins built by their great-great-grandparents. It is a very precious place in the world to them, and a place that they would do anything to protect. Concerned landowners understand the need for mining and precious metals in our modern society and are not against responsible mining. However, responsible mining isnt just how you mine, but where you mine. The Smith River and the landowners along its banks are in the cross-hairs when something goes wrong at this mine and it impacts water quality and quantity in the Smith River. Many of the families and landowners have decided to take it upon themselves to begin documenting the precious river and surrounding landscape this year with photographs and well-water tests. In conclusion, these landowners are joining the conservation community who are demanding zero risk to the Smith River. We are calling on Gov. Steve Bullock and his Department of Environmental Quality to make sure this mine is reviewed, critiqued and held to a standard higher than anything we have ever seen in Montana. Tintina must prove this mine will cause no harm now or after it is closed. Many of these landowners are property taxpayers in Meagher County, and they are calling on the Meagher County commissioners to look at all sides of the issues and listen to everyones comments and concerns, not just the rhetoric of the mine company. With the horrible track record of modern mining in Montana and the bottom-of-the-barrel prices of these metals, there is no reason to risk building a mine that puts this area in grave danger for the benefit of foreign interests. In the opinion piece, Consider the grizzly bear, while you can, Monday, Nov. 28, the author, Rick Bass, lost all credibility in the very first paragraph when he stated, Gone from California since 1924, despite gracing the state flag. Gone from Utah the year before that, when Mormon Boy Scouts stoned to death a bear called Old Ephraim. As a boy growing up in the Logan, Utah, area, I heard many times the real story of Old Ephraim. The bear was trapped and shot Aug. 22, 1923 by Frank Clark of Malad, Idaho. Clark was a part owner of Ward Clark Sheep Company. They ran sheep in the summers in Logan Canyon on the Cache National Forest, and in 1911 counted 154 adult sheep killed by bears in the area. In 1914, Frank Clark began trying to catch Old Ephraim, but the traps were always removed, not sprung or flung away. Despite Clarks efforts, and more sheep being killed, he was not successful killing the bear until nine years later, in 1923. Old Ephraim was skinned and buried, but was later dug up by Boy Scout Troop 43, which sent the skull to the Smithsonian, where it was identified as a grizzly. According to Clark, a pile of rocks was later erected by Boy Scouts over the bears remains. For more details, check out "Old Ephraim" on Wikipedia. Just exactly how do a few Boy Scouts go about stoning to death an 1,100-pound grizzly bear anyway? Steve Kohler, Missoula HELENA A financial audit of the Office of the State Public Defender found the agency doesn't know how much money it is owed by criminal defendants and that the office is not trying to collect the money while facing a $3.5 million budget shortfall. The November audit said the defender's office estimates it was owed $3.95 million in court-ordered fees as of June 30, but has written off $2.8 million as uncollectible. "These unpaid assessments represent money due to the office that could be used to fund a portion of the office's operations instead of the (state) General Fund," auditors found. State agencies should have policies in place to ensure timely billing and should make all reasonable efforts to collect money owed to them, the audit said. Office managers told auditors there are several obstacles to collecting the fees that state law allows if judges determine defendants have the ability to pay. OPD says it's been unsuccessful in getting complete information from courts about the amount of fees owed and paid by individual defendants. It also notes there is no centralized database allowing the state to track the amounts due by each defendant and the order in which defendants are to pay for fines, restitution and public defender fees. "It is up to each clerk of each court to decide what their level of cooperation will be," Scott Cruse, outgoing chief administrator wrote in a response to the audit. Managers also question whether they have the legal authority to collect the money, and believe that work should fall on the court system. The audit notes the legislature's Task Force on State Public Defender Operations is supporting legislation to transfer the responsibility for collecting public defender fees to the Department of Revenue. "Due to this, we will make no further recommendations at this time," the audit said. State law allows judges to sentence defendants to pay up to $250 if they are assigned a public defender and plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge, up to $800 if they plead guilty to a felony charge or up to the full court costs if they go to trial depending on their ability to pay. David Carroll, the executive director of the Sixth Amendment Center in Boston, said no jurisdiction nationally is successful at collecting public defender fees. Montana's Office of Public Defender, which was created in 2006 to provide consistent public defender services statewide, is struggling with a high caseload and a budget shortfall. Cruse submitted his letter of resignation last month, less than three months after he started the job, saying he was facing pushback from program managers against budget cuts. Richard "Fritz" Gillespie, chairman of the Public Defender Commission, resigned soon after, saying he did not have the energy to represent the office during the upcoming legislative session, the Billings Gazette reported. The Public Defender Commission has proposed hiring 62 part-time attorneys to handle cases at a rate of between $37 and $48 an hour rather than contracting out some cases to private attorneys for $62 an hour. The commission said the move could save the office $2.2 million during Fiscal Year 2017. The Legislative Audit Committee is scheduled to meet Dec. 9 to discuss this and other recent audit reports. BUTTE - Jefferson County has agreed to settle for $125,000 with a man who sued the county in federal court after he was raped in the Boulder jail by other prisoners in 2013. The two parties met on Nov. 17 in Butte federal court to begin settlement negotiations before the lawsuit went to trial. Both parties have now agreed to drop the suit, according to court documentation. According to court documents, Audemio Orozco-Ramirez, a Mexican national and long-term U.S. resident, was taken into custody on Oct. 2, 2013, after being racially profiled and arrested by police in Sidney in northeastern Montana as a passenger in a traffic stop, documents show. Sidney police turned Orozco-Ramirez over to border patrol officers, who sent him 500 miles west to be held in the Jefferson County jail in Boulder, a facility contracted with the Department of Homeland Security. Orozco-Ramirez alleged in the lawsuit that he was raped by a group of other inmates at the jail, which would not have happened had Jefferson County followed the requirements of the Prison Rape Elimination Act. A stipulation of the deal means Jefferson County is not admitting liability despite negotiating and settling with Orozco-Ramirez. "The amount of the settlement reflects the merit of the lawsuit and the seriousness of the county's failure to protect Mr. Orozco-Ramirez when he was sexually assaulted in their custody," said Orozco-Ramirez's attorney, Shahid Haque-Hausrath of Helena. The lawsuit now settled, Orozco-Ramirez, a father of seven, faces deportation. According to Haque-Hausrath, his client has not yet been granted a "U visa" the type created by Congress for victims who cooperate with investigations by law enforcement. Haque-Hausrath said proof of Orozco-Ramirez's cooperation has yet to be provided. How that debate will play out in the new administration has become a central question among Afghan officials here. The immediate existential threat to the Afghan government has been a resurgent Taliban, who officials say have been killing 30 to 50 members of the security forces each day in recent months. The insurgents are directly threatening important provincial capitals and have again made important roadways hazardous or impassable to government forces. The Taliban, whose leadership is mostly taking shelter in Pakistan, insist that they are focused only on regaining power within Afghanistan. And some Russian officials, including the special envoy to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, have openly acknowledged maintaining some contact with the Taliban as a possible hedge against other militant groups if the government fails, though the officials insist that has not extended to aiding the insurgency. Still, the insurgencys recent success is directly threatening the Afghan governments stability, and it is creating a territorial vacuum that other groups are trying to exploit. An increasing focus of the United States counterterrorism operation has been the local affiliate of the Islamic State, which calls itself the Islamic State in the Khorasan, an ancient name for this region. What we consider before using anonymous sources. Do the sources know the information? Whats their motivation for telling us? Have they proved reliable in the past? Can we corroborate the information? Even with these questions satisfied, The Times uses anonymous sources as a last resort. The reporter and at least one editor know the identity of the source. Learn more about our process. After heavy losses over the past year to American airstrikes and Afghan ground operations, the Islamic State cell is estimated at no more than a thousand fighters, most of them former members of the Pakistani Taliban from the tribal areas, according to a senior American official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence. MISSOULA Some legislators had been expressing dissatisfaction with the leadership at the University of Montana in the months leading up to Thursdays announcement that President Royce Engstrom would step down Dec. 31. What I have heard from other legislators is that UM has dropped the ball in that they have not kept up with recruitment and retention of students, and that theyve fallen behind MSU because of that, said Rep. Tom Woods, a Democrat who also teaches biology at Montana State University and will serve on the joint education appropriations committee in the 2017 Legislature. Woods called the change analogous to a corporation changing CEOs after tough times. I understand, but its tempered by the fact that Ive met Royce Engstrom, he said. I like him and think hes a bright guy. Theres some sadness involved. Rep. Bradley Hamlett, a Cascade Democrat who also serves on the joint education appropriations committee, said it is less clear to him why Engstrom is leaving. He called for the regents to give a more forthright explanation. Lets face facts, he said. Royce went through a very difficult time for the institution and for the community and then, yeah, theres been some declining enrollment, but I dont think you can lay that at his feet. Hamlett suspected that Engstrom and the regents might have had different plans for how to reverse declining enrollment at UM. He cautioned against the idea that a new president will be a magic fix. If you think just changing somebody at the head is going to totally turn something around, youre fooling yourself, he said, pointing to broader economic forces at play. There wasnt any incompetency that I saw. Sen. Jeff Welborn, R-Dillon, likewise questioned how much Engstrom could be blamed for the universitys current challenges. From a policy makers perspective, whats happening in Missoula is the fault of no one, he said. Its not that MSU or UM are managed better than the other; its just the timing of it. Some fields are less marketable. I dont feel thats a reflection of the current administration. Its just a sign of the times. Rep. Tom Burnett, a Bozeman Republican who serves on the joint education appropriations committee, said that although he did not participate in the legislative calls for Engstrom's departure, he does support the decision. "Any time an institution that's seen its brand slip that much, (it) has to look for new leadership, no matter how much of the responsibility can be laid directly at his doorstep," he said. "The leader is charged with that responsibility, rightly or wrongly." After reviewing files, Gov. Steve Bullocks Spokesman Tim Crowe said the governor had not received any letters, calls, or emails from the public about President Royce Engstrom, positive or negative, in the last 90 days. He said the governor was unavailable Thursday to comment on whether legislators had spoken to him about any concerns with Engstroms leadership. Sen. Eric Moore, R-Miles City, said whoever the regents select as UMs next president should be ready to make the tough choices that come with the states tight budget situation. Moore serves as vice chairman of the joint education appropriations committee. I think the entire university system is going to share in the challenges of the budget this session. Find someone whos sharp with a pencil and is good at managing expenses, he said. Theyre going to have to like everybody else do more with less. DEER LODGE In a plea agreement, Ronald J. Goodsell, 36, pleaded guilty in Deer Lodge district court this week to an amended charge of failure to register as a sex/violent offender. He could be sentenced to up to five years in prison and fined up to $10,000, with the sentence consecutive to others in Flathead for rape and in Missoula County for failure to register. Goodsell admitted that he resided in Powell County between April 20 and May 4 without registering with the sheriffs office as required by Montana law. Per the plea agreement, County Attorney Lewis Smith moved to dismiss charges of aggravated burglary and sexual intercourse without consent without prejudice, and Judge Ray Dayton reluctantly agreed. Dayton stated that after the pre-sentence investigation, if he chooses to sentence Goodsell more harshly than the sentence proposed in the plea agreement, the defendant can withdraw his guilty plea and go to trial, but all three charges would be reinstated. Goodsell is in jail on $50,000 bond. In other court proceedings: Andrew Greyson Keeney, 36, was sentenced for assault of a peace officer to two years at Montana State Prison, consecutive to the sentence he is serving for robbery and escape. Keeney admitted he refused orders of a correctional officer, and as officers attempted to restrain him, he bit one, causing injury. Mark Phillip Duffy pleaded guilty to receiving tobacco, an illegal article, in violation of Montana law while an inmate at Montana State Prison. In a plea agreement, the state dismissed with prejudice a second count of illegal transfer when the defendant agreed to truthfully testify at any hearing or trial regarding other transfer crimes that involved a former correctional officer and others. Jordan Mark Garrison, 23, pleaded guilty to criminal endangerment, a felony. He admitted that on March 31, he got into a fight with his brother and stabbed him with a knife, causing injury. Garrison pleaded guilty by Alford plea to two counts of misdemeanor partner/family member assault for physically abusing a child under the age of 8. In an Alford guilty plea, a defendant does not admit to the criminal act and asserts innocence. In September, Garrison pleaded not guilty to amended charges accusing him of eight felony charges of violent physical abuse of the child between January 2013 and April 2016. In the plea agreement, two charges were reduced to misdemeanors and six charges were dismissed by county attorney Lewis Smith with the stipulation that Garrison have no contact with the victim unless supervised by an adult. After listening to testimony during a bond hearing, Judge Dayton ordered a pre-sentence investigation and released Garrison into the custody of his mother with numerous conditions. Luke S. Ray pleaded not guilty to felony charges of burglary and theft by common scheme. He is accused of entering a residence without permission between June 1 and Sept 1, 2016, and taking a debit card belonging to the resident then withdrawing more than $2,000 from her account at Peoples Bank. Ray is free on his own recognizance pending further court proceedings. Francis Wilkin Swisher, 51, of Helena pleaded nolo contendere to felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs with intent to distribute and guilty to a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. According to the court record, Swisher is accused of making regular trips to Washington State to purchase methamphetamine, which she then redistributed in Helena. Authorities stopped her vehicle Aug. 11 on Highway 12 and found a manila envelope with 37 grams of meth as well as a glass pipe. Keith W. Cook pleaded guilty to felony theft by common scheme. He admitted that between Feb. 22, 2011, and July 6, 2012, he filed for and received unemployment benefits while still working. Cook was sentenced to six years with the Department of Corrections, suspended, during which he will be supervised by the Adult Probation and Parole Bureau. He was ordered to pay restitution of $12,879. Tawnee Ahnna Felde, 26, pleaded guilty to felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs, methamphetamine, and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. She is free on $5,000 bond with conditions pending sentencing. James Edward Green, 31, was sentenced to the Department of Corrections for five years, with three years suspended, for a fourth offense of partner/family member assault of his wife on Feb. 29 during a domestic dispute. He was ordered to pay a $500 fine and $110 in court fees. Commissioners have streamlined the approval process for putting up new traffic signals and stop signs in Butte so even no-brainer decisions dont take months to make. Their first proposal under the new practice a new stop sign at Aluminum Street at its T intersection with Western Avenue is likely to get a nod Wednesday after just a few weeks of being before council. One citizen had asked Commissioner Dan Foley to seek a new stop sign at that spot, and another wanted him to pursue stop signs going north and south on Ophir Street at its intersection with Steele Street. Commissioners get such requests often. These two residents brought them to me a couple of months ago, but we were in the process of changing our process on how we amend ordinances to put in traffic signs, Foley said this week. Even though Foley waited two months to bring them forward, a new stop sign could still go up in less time than it usually took. Under years of previous practice, putting up or taking down signals or stop signs would require an ordinance change. The proposal would be introduced, referred to the Public Works Committee for discussion, and then sent to the county attorney for drafting language. That can take quite a while, since the county attorney often has more pressing matters to address. When the wording is ready, it must go through three separate readings and a public hearing before it gains final approval. Just those procedural steps take at least four weeks. Under a change that itself took months to make, signal and sign requests must still be approved by council, but it doesnt take weeks and weeks to get done. Thats seen as a plus by Public Works and the council. Foley submitted requests Nov. 10 asking the council and Public Works Department to consider whether stops signs were warranted at the Aluminum and Ophir Street locations. They went before council Nov. 16 and were referred to the Public Works Committee, which discussed them with department officials briefly this past Wednesday night. The panel agreed to recommend a new stop sign on Aluminum, and the council could make it a done deal next week. There were initial concerns about the streamlined process. Some commissioners questioned the legality of it, that if there was an accident, the county could be liable for that, Foley said. There was some concern that it could really open us up for more liability. But the county attorneys office determined that no additional liabilities would result as long as requests were still approved by commissioners, Foley said. Nick Sandford, road manager for Public Works, said both intersections involved in the latest requests were analyzed to determine if new stop signs were warranted. Factors considered included history of accidents, traffic volume, and whether the street is a main thoroughfare. Analysis showed a stop sign on Aluminum Street is warranted, but there is already a two-way stop at Steele and Ophir, and making it a four-way stop is not justified. Foley said many years ago in Butte, people sometimes put up stop signs on their own. Editor's note: This story was updated Friday, Dec. 2, to correct the following: The Butte High School Student Council -- not the National Honor Society students -- donated 70 turkeys to the Butte Emergency Food Bank for Thanksgiving. --- Like Santa making an important Christmas run, Thompson Distributing Food Drive volunteers are right on schedule to collect holiday food staples city-wide this Saturday, Dec. 3. It marks the 28th annual drive for busy elves putting it all together. Between 10 a.m. and noon on Saturday, 20 groups of volunteers will hit 20 different sectors of the city to collect non-perishables residents are asked to set near their mailboxes. If their food is not picked up, contact the Butte Emergency Food Bank at 782-6230, said Scott Thompson, owner of Thompson Distributing. Like reliable Santa prepping all year for one big night, Thompson continues the tradition his parents, Jim and Margie Thompson, started in 1989. Kathy Griffith, food bank director, said the facility hopes to raise $47,000 and 70,000 pounds' worth of food during the drive. The needs are not slowing down, said Griffith. People work two jobs these days. They could not afford to buy these things in stores and afford to get it all. She estimated the cost for turkey and all the trimmings with no added treats runs about $80 in the grocery store. Those in need may stop by the food bank, 1019 E. Second St., from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and between 9 and 11 a.m. to register. Stacks of colorful, fresh produce and neatly packaged boxes of carefully selected groceries fill the expansive work room at the food bank. Bustling volunteers inspect the produce before repackaging while others take much-deserved coffee breaks on one side of the room. We have over 125 volunteers, Griffith said. Theyre amazing and all very professional. They give their hearts and souls. For Thanksgiving, the food bank handed out 830 turkeys, including 300 at the Butte Rescue Mission, she said. Butte High School Student Council students donated 70 of the turkeys. Beyond the holiday baskets, Griffiths staff comprised of volunteers already delivers to an estimated 700 to 750 households a month. To volunteer to help with Saturdays food drive, call Thompson at 406-494-7598. The center of operations will be the Racetrack Fire Hall, 2344 Grand Ave. It wouldnt even be possible with the 15-90 Search and Rescue group, local volunteer fire departments, and Zip Beverage volunteers, said Thompson. In the past, hundreds have given up their Saturday to make the food drive a rousing success. Of course, none of it would be possible without the people of Butte, he added. I dont think we could do it anywhere else." WASHINGTON -- Let them eat cake. Specifically, let them eat Jean-Georges Warm Chocolate Cake. But let them start with Young Garlic Soup with Thyme and Sauteed Frog Legs. Let them follow that with Diver Scallops, Caramelized Cauliflower and Caper-Raisin Emulsion. And let them proceed to Niman Ranch Lamb Chops with Mushroom Bolognese and Pecorino, as well as Dry Aged Prime Sirloin with Citrus Glazed and Roasted Carrots, Miso Butter and Dill. That's what President-elect Donald Trump and Mitt Romney ate when the billionaire met Tuesday night with Mr. Forty-Seven Percent to discuss a job in the incoming administration. Compared with the billionaire Trump, Romney is a relative piker, with a net worth of a mere quarter billion. Romney's wealth would be dwarfed by at least three billionaires in Trump's Cabinet and sub-cabinet, in addition to Trump himself: would-be education secretary Betsy DeVos, whose family worth is $5.1 billion, commerce secretary pick Wilbur Ross ($2.9 billion), and deputy commerce choice Todd Ricketts, whose family fortune is also in the billions. Harold Hamm, a possible energy secretary, is worth $15 billion. Remember Trump's talk about taking on the elites and the well-connected? Well, you can stick a sterling-silver fork in it. The Trump campaign, a revolution of sans-culottes, has yielded to a Trump transition that feels more like Mel Brooks's "History of the World, Part I." Count de Monet: It is said that the people are revolting. King Louis XVI: You said it. They stink on ice! If you feared that Trump would destabilize markets and impose reckless protectionism, his early appointments are reassuring. If you wanted him to shake up the system and depose the coastal elites -- well, early signs are you've been had. Goldman Sachs was a bete noire of the Trump campaign, figuring prominently in his closing ad, widely seen as anti-Semitic, denouncing a "global power structure" controlling the country. Trump blasted Hillary Clinton's speeches to the investment bank and highlighted it as a pillar of the corrupt establishment, saying it had "total control" over his opponents. But Trump just named former Goldman Sachs partner (and Hollywood executive) Steven Mnuchin to be his treasury secretary. And he's reportedly in talks to hire Goldman's No. 2 executive, Gary Cohn, to be his budget director. Both men are Jewish -- a welcome sign that Trump is dropping the sinister themes of his campaign, but no doubt a disappointment to the bigoted alt-right, who cheered Trump's rise. (Alt-right ally Stephen K. Bannon, to be Trump's White House strategist, also used to work at Goldman.) Mnuchin, worth about $40 million, and Cohn, who according to Bloomberg News owns at least $175 million in Goldman stock, are lightweights on Trump's Team of Oligarchs. But they are ahead of Trump's pick for transportation secretary (Elaine Chao and her husband, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, are worth a paltry $22 million) and Health and Human Services (Tom Price is a pauper at $14 million). Possible Labor pick Andrew Puzder, who earns only $4 million a year as a restaurant-chain executive, might need food stamps to afford Cabinet lunches. These must be who Trump had in mind when he promised to help the "forgotten men and women." They will profit hugely from his plan to reduce the top income tax rate to 33 percent from 39.6 percent. Remember Trump's vow to "drain the swamp," and his boast that he's too rich to be bought by donors? Those who funded Trump are getting a good return on their investments: As The Washington Post's Matea Gold reported, Mnuchin, Ross, Ricketts and their families gave hundreds of thousands to help Trump win. And foreign diplomats are flocking to the new Trump International Hotel in Washington to curry favor. Trump made a core issue of Clinton's conflicts of interest because of the Clinton Foundation. But his transition has been full of such entanglements, as he and his children mix affairs of state and business interests with Indian, Japanese and Turkish counterparts. Trump remains vague about whether and how he will separate his presidency from the business ties he has to two dozen countries. Trump's inaugural extravaganza is shaping up to be a new standard for the pay-to-play politics he campaigned against. Those giving $1 million or more toward the $75 million party weekend will get perks including an "intimate dinner" with Vice President-elect Mike Pence and his wife. Those who can only afford $250,000 get an "intimate policy discussion and dinner with select Cabinet officials." No word yet on the menu for when these high rollers meet Trump's billionaire appointees. But you can bet it will be rich. Follow Dana Milbank on Twitter, @Milbank. (c) 2016, Washington Post Writers Group My family and I have a holiday tradition, not unique to many Montanans. We cook Thanksgiving dinner early, pack it in Tupperware containers, and spend the long weekend with family and friends at a local Forest Service cabin. Some years we ski, some years we walk, on the rare occasion we drive. In the past weve packed my now 8-year-old son in on our backs or pulled him in a sled. Its a chance to put down our computers, our phones, our busy schedules. It gives us a moment to reflect on what we are thankful for. This year, Im thankful for my community amongst the mountains of Montana. Im thankful for kind neighbors. Im thankful for a shared love of our public lands and waters. In the weeks post-election, many who appreciate and care for our public lands are nursing burgeoning ulcers over what the new administration in Washington, D.C. might mean for our way of life here in the West. Many things changed on November 9, but some things havent. Our broad, bi-partisan support of our public lands will only continue to grow regardless of which politicians are in power. The Wilderness Society has always taken the long view, and our goal now more than ever is to maintain the integrity of our shared public lands and waters. This is not a time to mourn for what we do not have, or to walk away because the challenge seems too great, the odds stacked against us. Independent of who is in charge in Washington D.C., we have seen the greatest successes in Montana conservation over recent decades when diverse interests came together and focused on what we have in common, instead of what we dont. Places like the Rocky Mountain Front, the North Fork of the Flathead, the Blackfoot Valley and the Kootenai are recent case studies of Montanans coming together and doing what is best for Montanas public lands, instead of what is best for partisan politics. Montana is a place where all people are equal on our public lands. We all have the same ability to shoot an elk, catch a trout on a fly, climb a peak or camp under the recent super moon. We all have the ability to shape and decide how our public lands are managed, which is one of the greatest expressions of our democracy. People from different walks of life are coming together to chart a future for our shared public lands right now across Montana. Vital wildlife habitat and storied places like Monture Creek on the Lolo National Forest where diverse interests have crafted the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship proposal. Or Nevada Mountain at the southern tip of the Crown of the Continent, which is in the midst of a travel plan revision on the Helena National Forest. And here outside my community of Bozeman, the wild backyard of the Gallatin Range is part of the first forest plan revision for the Custer-Gallatin National Forest in over 30 years. Instead of lamenting over what "could" happen or fretting over the worst case scenarios for the next four years, my colleagues and I are focusing our energy and passion on where we have always found strength, solutions and common ground: our neighbors, our friends, our fellow recreationists and public land users. Our Montanans. Here we will find and cultivate what brought us all together under the Big Sky: a vibrant love of place. Here we will call upon our best strengths to bring citizens together to stand up for our public lands and against any ill formed, damaging proposals that might be coming. And for this, I am thankful. -- Peter Aengst is the regional director at The Wilderness Society for the Northern Rockies and Alaska. Peter resides in Bozeman where he regularly enjoys nearby public lands on foot, ski, and bike. MISSOULA A 25-year-old woman is in custody after leading officers on a high-speed chase that reached speeds of 110 miles per hour going the wrong way on Interstate 90 west of Missoula on Thursday morning. The chase began just before 10 a.m. when a sheriffs deputy attempted to pull over the silver Dodge Intrepid which was reported stolen on North Reserve Street. Brenda Bassett, public information officer with the Missoula County Sheriffs Office, said the driver Amy Sondra Johnson sped away and drove onto I-90 heading west. Just east of Frenchtown, a spike strip popped the front passenger-side tire of the vehicle, and Johnson crossed over the median and continued driving westbound in the eastbound lanes of traffic, running other cars off the road. Deputies stayed in the correct lanes and pulled back, Bassett said. Officers contacted the Montana Department of Transportation and had highway snowplows block eastbound traffic near the Huson exit to prevent more drivers from heading toward the erratic vehicle. "Those snowplows saved somebody's life today," Bassett said. At the interstate exit, Johnson crossed back over into the westbound lanes and spun out, Bassett said. She attempted to drive away again but was rammed by a deputys vehicle. The Montana Highway Patrol assisted in the chase. Johnson is being held on suspicion of felony theft and criminal endangerment as well as misdemeanors for driving under the influence of drugs, fleeing officers, and driving with a suspended license. Bassett is asking anyone who was run off the road or nearly hit by the driver to call 406-258-4810 to provide a statement to officers so they can complete an investigation and make sure all appropriate charges are filed against the driver. Fancy automatic coffee grinders can make the taste and are abundant, but they can be pricey. Treat your java lover but do your research. Not looking to break your bank and got a DIY-er? Go for a manual grinder. There are plenty, including the Hario Skerton Ceramic Coffee Grinder available at Williams-Sonoma.com for $49.95. It promises burrs that easily adjust to produce a range of grind sizes, from super fine espresso to coarse for French press brewing. And it looks cool. The Muscatine County Board of Supervisors met in regular session at 9:00 A.M. with Howard, Kelly, Sorensen, Sauer and Bonebrake present. Chairperson Sorensen presiding. On a motion by Kelly, second by Bonebrake, the agenda was approved as amended. Ayes: All. On a motion by Howard, second by Sauer, claims dated November 21, 2016 were approved as amended in the amount of $1,239,139.51. Ayes: All. A Public Hearing was called to order by Chairperson Sorensen at 9:02 A.M. on proposed amendments to the Fiscal Year 2016/17 Muscatine County Budget. Administrative Services Director Nancy Schreiber reviewed the proposed amendments with the Board. No one spoke for or against the proposed amendments. On a motion by Kelly, second by Sauer, the public hearing was closed at 9:07 A.M. Roll call vote: Ayes: All. On a motion by Kelly, second by Sauer, the Board approved Resolution #11-21-16-01 Amending the Fiscal Year 2016-17 County Budget. Roll call vote: Ayes: All. On a motion by Kelly, second by Sauer, the Board approved Resolution #11-21-16-02 Fiscal Year 2016-17 Budget Appropriations. Roll call vote: Ayes: All. On a motion by Kelly, second by Sauer, the Board approved Resolution #11-21-16-03 Approval of a Combined Preliminary and Final Plat of Shoultz Acres Subdivision, Lot 1, containing approximately 4 acres in Fruitland Township. Roll call vote: Ayes: All. On a motion by Sauer, second by Howard, the Board approved Resolution #11-21-16-04 Approval of a Combined Preliminary and Final Plat of Carey Bend Acres, Lot 1, containing approximately 4.80 acres in Wapsie Township. Roll call vote: Ayes: All. On a motion by Howard, second by Sauer, the Board approved Resolution #11-21-16-05 Granting a 90-day Extension for Filing the Final Plat for Riggan's Addition. Roll call vote: Ayes: All. The Board reviewed a variance granted by the Muscatine County Board of Adjustment on Friday, November 4, 2016. Case #16-11-01 is an application filed by Twin City Concrete Products Company, Record Owner by Scott L. Ellingson. This property is located in Fruitland Township, 2510 Pettibone Avenue, Muscatine, Iowa, West of Pettibone Avenue, in the NW of Sec. 22-T76N-R2W, containing approximately 5.64 acres, and is zoned I-2 Heavy Industrial District. This request, if approved, would allow the Zoning Administrator to issue a Variance in order for an industrial building to be built 30 feet from the front lot line, instead of the 40 foot setback as stipulated by the Board of Adjustment. The Board of Adjustment approved this request. On a motion by Kelly, second by Bonebrake, the Board accepted the variance. Ayes: All. Discussion was held with Muscatine County Conservation Director Curt Weiss regarding a grant application for Heron Hideaway Pond improvements. On a motion by Kelly, second by Sauer, the Board affirmed a Muscatine County Conservation Board grant application to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in the amount of $12,000 for Heron Hideaway Pond improvements. Ayes: All. On a motion by Kelly, second by Sauer, the Board approved the FY2016 Annual Urban Renewal Report for Muscatine County. Ayes: All. On a motion by Howard, second by Bonebrake, minutes of the Monday, November 14, 2016 regular meeting and Tuesday, November 15, 2016 special meeting were approved as written. Ayes: All. Correspondence: The Board received the Seventh Judicial District's 2016 Annual Report. The Board received the October 2016 Muscatine-Mercer Revolving Loan Fund Financial Summary Report. Howard and Sorensen reported a complaint regarding washboarding along a portion of 152nd Street near its intersection with North Mulberry Road. Sauer reported a conversation regarding hog confinements. Committee Reports: Howard attended a Muscatine County Veterans Affairs meeting November 15th. Howard and Sauer attended a Muscatine County Joint Communications meeting November 16th. Howard attended an Emergency Management Commission meeting November 16th. Kelly attended an Eastern Iowa Mental Health/Disability Services Region meeting November 16th. Kelly and Sorensen attended a Bi-State Regional meeting November 16th. Kelly attended a Seventh Judicial District meeting November 18th. Sorensen attended a West Liberty Economic Area Development meeting November 17th. Sorensen attended a Region IX Transportation meeting November 16th. Sauer attended a Riverbend Transit meeting November 16th. Sauer attended a Muscatine County Board of Health meeting November 16th. Sauer attended a Muscatine County Fair Board meeting November 17th. Kelly attended a Riverfront Community meeting November 16th. Howard and Sorensen met with the Ukranian Sister Cities Delegation November 16th. On a motion by Kelly, second by Howard, the Board accepted a bid from Holland, JB Construction, Inc. in the total amount of $369,857.63 for L-(FEMA2013C)--73-70, two culvert replacements on 215th Street; and L-(CUL 17)--73-70, a culvert replacement on Bayfield Road. Ayes: All. Discussion was held regarding bids received two weeks ago for the water main extension on Park Avenue West. Administrative Services Director Nancy Schreiber stated that the original apparent low bidder was Sulzco, but County Engineer Keith White is recommending disqualification of Sulzco because they did not submit all of the required documentation. On a motion by Kelly, second by Sauer, the Board accepted a bid from Triple B Construction Corporation in the total amount of $149,005.00 for L-(WATER)--73-70 for a water main extension on Park Avenue West. Ayes: All. On a motion by Howard, second by Kelly, Clyde Evans was appointed to the Muscatine County Zoning Commission for a 5-year term ending November 6, 2021. Ayes: All. Discussion was held regarding the possible expansion of the Muscatine County Board of Health to seven members. Sauer stated the Board does not want to lose a pharmacist that has held a position on that Board since the 1980s. Administrative Services Director Nancy Schreiber explained two terms are expiring with one person who has a lot of experience being eliminated in order to deal with gender balance issues. Schreiber stated the Board of Health thought if the Board was increased by two members and two females were appointed, then the gender balance issue would be solved without eliminating the experienced pharmacist. Kelly suggested looking for a female pharmacist to appoint. Sorensen stated he sees value in the experience, but has a little concern with going to a seven member board. Schreiber stated the Board has never had trouble meeting quorum. Howard stated he does not know if the Board has ever increased the size of a commission because of dealing with gender balance. Kelly suggested the Board of Health attempt to find a female pharmacist to meet the gender balance requirement. Schreiber stated she will communicate to the Board of Health the Board's desire that they attempt to recruit a female pharmacist. Discussion was held regarding tree removal and replacement on the Courthouse lawn. Budget Administrator Sherry Seright stated the Urban Forestry Coordinator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources informed her all of the Ash trees are diseased and should be removed. Seright stated she has a bid from Freers Tree Service to remove the nine Ash trees and trim a few other trees for $2,800.00. The Board directed staff to proceed with the removal of the trees and return with a tree replacement plan before Spring. Discussion was held on a request from the City of Muscatine to salvage various items from the former DHS Building. The Board directed Budget Administrator Sherry Seright to proceed with allowing the City of Muscatine to salvage various items from the former DHS Building. Discussion was held regarding a possible road use/condition amendment to the purchase agreement for 3500 Harmony Court. Steve Kundel, Attorney for the purchaser, stated they are in agreement with the proposed amendment except that it places responsibility for damage repair on the buyer regardless of who drives on the specified section of the road. Kundel suggested an amendment include the following sentence: Construction loads and/or equipment in excess of 10 ton are prohibited. Budget Administrator Sherry Seright asked who would be responsible for snow removal. Conservation Director Curt Weiss stated his staff would plow a path up to the arboretum parking lot. Tom Meeker, Downtown Investments, stated he will not be doing any major construction of the property before their private drive is completed. On a motion by Kelly, second by Howard, the Board approved a road use/condition amendment to the purchase agreement for 3500 Harmony Court. Ayes: All. Schreiber presented the Board with a proposed FY17-18 Budget Calendar. The meeting was adjourned at 10:27 A.M. ATTEST: Betty L. Wamback First Deputy Auditor Jeff Sorensen, Chairperson Board of Supervisors The Muscatine County Board of Supervisors announces two vacancies on the Muscatine County Board of Health. The openings are for three-year terms beginning January 1, 2017 and ending December 31, 2019. Duties include attendance at bi-monthly Board meetings and other meetings and functions deemed necessary to fulfill the mission of the Board. Responsible to facilitate resolution of issues that come before the Board pertaining to disease prevention, family/community health, health promotion and administration. Must remain abreast of public health issues as they affect Muscatine County. In order to achieve gender balance in accordance with Section 69.16A, Code of Iowa, Muscatine County is seeking and will give preferential consideration to female applicants who meet the necessary qualifications for at least one of the vacancies. Application forms are available in the Muscatine County Administration Office, 414 E. Third Street, Suite 101, Muscatine, Iowa 52761-4142 and on the County website, www.co.muscatine.ia.us under How Do IVolunteer Opportunities. Completed applications should be returned to the Muscatine County Administration Office or emailed to nschreiber@co.muscatine.ia.us by 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 28, 2016. MUSCATINE, Iowa Oscar Grossheim, an early 20th century photographer from Muscatine, would have seen a modern take on several of his well-known photographs had he been able to attend the Musser Public Library's Spark Plugs program Thursday night. Spark Plugs, part of the library's family literacy program geared toward 5- to 8-year-old children and their family members, began last week. Each six-week session has a different theme. This session's theme is history, and children begin each week by traveling back in time to learn about a topic. Children began Thursday's event by crawling through a triangular wooden tunnel to enter their Wayback Machine: an area with tables on three sides filled with buttons, lights and other homemade parts of the machine. Created by children and their families, the machine is complete with a lever children can pull to begin their trip to another time. Six-year-old Bridget Tracy and her family made the lever portion of the Wayback Machine. "I pull the lever, then we go way back in time," she said. They traveled back to the early 1900s, to learn about Grossheim and his photographs. "It's very unusual for a town of our size to have such an extensive photographic collection, especially from the years that these are from, right about the turn of the century up through the mid-20th century," said Betty Collins, children's librarian at Musser Public Library. During previous Spark Plugs sessions Collins said she has organized other projects with Grossheim photos, and they have been widely popular. "And I think it's because to me that seems like a long time ago, but to people this age that seems forever ago," she said. "And yet we have the same buildings, we have the same streets, the same places, and what I always like to point out to the kids is that people still do many of the same things." Children began their trip back in time on Thursday recreating a photo of students moving to climb out the window of their classroom during a fire drill at the original Grant School in Muscatine. The more than 10 children at the Spark Plugs event all clamored to be allowed to stand on the table set up to mirror the table children stood on in the original photo, as their parents watched carefully to ensure their safety. Parents then helped organize children into positions similar to the students Grossheim photographed. Drew Kurriger, 10, and his sister, 7-year-old Eva, said they enjoy traveling back in time to learn. "It's cool," Drew said. The next Spark Plugs event will be held from 6-7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, at the Musser Public Library, 304 Iowa Ave. The theme will be Toys Through Time, and staff from the Iowa Children's Museum will bring toys from various eras for children to learn about and play with. WAPELLO, Iowa - Skepticism over the need to supply 200 Chromebook computers to Wapello Elementary students contributed to a decision by the school board Wednesday to table any action on purchasing the computers. Board members also learned during the special meeting that difficulties over a switch to a new student information software program were continuing and said they were concerned technology director Nate Miller might not have enough time to supervise both the software changeover and the computer acquisition and distribution program. According to earlier discussions, the school board agreed to investigate the computer purchase at the elementary after implementing a 1:1 computer program at the high school earlier this year. Around 300 of the machines were purchased for the secondary building and assigned to students to use in the classroom or at home. According to officials, the 200 elementary Chromebooks would be placed on carts that could move between classrooms and be available primarily to the upper elementary grades during the day. They would replace other computers that would likely be shifted down to use in the lower elementary grades. Elementary students would not take the computers home. The board tabled action on purchasing the computers during its regular November meeting to give Miller time to determine the cost of adding more wireless access sites to the elementary building to handle the additional Chromebooks. Miller provided a quote from ITS Technology, Monticello, at Wednesdays meeting that showed it would cost $11,307 to add the additional points. However, board members quickly discovered they were still unsure over the actual purchase, especially since the effort to change from JMC student information software to PowerSchool was continuing to draw Millers time. Miller said JMC was not providing needed information that could be done manually by school staff, but would take longer. I would like to see (the changeover) wrapped up as soon as possible and unless there is a huge economic reason, we table (the computer purchase) until (the changeover is completed), board member Doug Housman said. Board president Duane Boysen and board member Matt Stewart said they agreed and also suggested they wanted more details on why all elementary students needed access to Chromebooks. Im not sure how they will be using (the computers), Stewart said, adding he would discuss that concern with elementary school officials. Boysen, who had expressed skepticism at the earlier November meeting that lower elementary students would benefit from the computers, continued to hold that opinion. Id rather just see fifth and sixth grade get them and possibly fourth grade. Its pretty hard to teach them to write cursive on a computer, he said. Superintendent Mike Peterson said he would direct school staff to complete the student information software changeover manually and board members said once that was done they would consider the Chromebook purchase. In other action, the board: Accepted the resignation of Spanish teacher Sarah McCormick; Held a public hearing on participating in the Instructional Support Program and later approved a participation resolution after receiving no comments; Approved a $106,816 application for additional modified growth for the districts At-Risk and Dropout Prevention programs; Approved several change orders for the schools new gymnasium construction project. Every school day in Muscatine, just like in all other towns across America, cars are lined up to drop kids off in the morning and to pick them up in the afternoon. School staff diligently monitors the drop-off and pick-up points to make sure students get to and from the cars or buses safely. Each time I see these lines of cars I am reminded how society has changed drastically the last 60 years. The school I attended from fourth-sixth grade was seven blocks from our house. Mother made sure I was dressed for rain, snow, sleet, or sub-zero temperatures. I cant remember a single time she drove me to school or picked me up. I walked the same seven block route four times a day; in the morning, home for lunch (no hot lunch program), back to school by 1:00 and home before 4:00. I walked 28 blocks a day for 180 days each year for those three years. Sometimes I walked with friends, other times by myself. I wasnt treated any different than the rest of the kids. Walking to school was simply a way of life for all of us in the late 1950s and we never questioned it. At noon we were dismissed for lunch and I arrived home about 12:15 (earlier if I had to go to the bathroom). Mother had lunch prepared and we talked about what went on at school that morning. At 12:45 I walked out the door (ran if I was late) and when the tardy bell rang at 1:00 I was always in my assigned seat. No way did I want to experience the dreaded consequences from both school and home if I was late. When school was dismissed around 3:30 I usually took more time walking home and fooled around with my friends. When I arrived home, Mother was usually there, wearing a printed housedress and apron (definitely not dressed like June Clever), offering me a snack, and inquiring how my afternoon went. Walking to school allowed us to get up close and personal with our surroundings. In the fall we skipped through the crisp leaves and placed nickel bets on the World Series. In winter we caught snowflakes on our tongues and made snow angels. In the spring we watched for the first robin to appear, and ran home super-fast if we got caught in an unexpected rain. Yes, its a much different world today and I understand why parents are hesitant to let their children walk to school unsupervised. Its a sad reflection on society. A compromise is the walking school bus when groups of children, accompanied by one to two adults, walk to and from school together. This provides a wholesome time of interaction with peers and is a healthy alternative to being transported by car. Heres a big shout out of appreciation to the adults who walk with children to school and leave the car at home thank you. Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes [] SABC acting head of corporate affairs Hlaudi Motsoeneng waxed lyrical on job creation, business economics and empowerment at an ANCYL KwaZulu-Natal lecture on economic freedom in Durban on Thursday night. The agenda was set early in the evening when the ANCYL in eThekwini backed Motsoeneng to be voted onto the ANCs national executive committee (NEC) in 2017. Motsoeneng weighed in on race relations and gave suggestions for what he would do if he were the countrys president. There is no problem when it comes to white people. There are problems with black people. Black people are in charge and they cant complain about transformation when they are in charge of transformation themselves, he said. I am speaking as a professional and not as a politician. I can turn this country around in six months and I am honoured that you believe that, he added. We as blacks are a serious problem. We dont want black people to emerge and do well in their lives. He said if he were president, he would not appoint people to ministerial posts merely because they were on the NEC. He would appoint them only if he knew they could deliver. Motsoeneng touched on the implementation of policy, saying he was not a believer in research. You know why we are not moving with speed in South Africa? Because we have copied the West. We are in Africa. We should have our own standard. When you do research it takes three years, and two years to implement. I dont believe in research. It is not how I operate. If I see a problem I solve it now. He said there was a difference between a certificated person and an educated one. But I wont go there, Motsoeneng said. Former public protector Thuli Madonsela found in a 2014 report into the SABC, titled When Governance and Ethics Fail that Motsoeneng lied about having passed matric in 1991, when he first applied to work there. The controversial former COO said South Africans should re-examine the Freedom Charter. It was a good document, but outdated. A new Freedom Charter that people could touch and feel was needed. Before Motsoeneng spoke, ANCYL Ethekwini secretary general Thinta Cibane said the structure would support him to become a member of the ANCs NEC. News24 Now read: SABC radio stations fined for violating municipal election rules WASHINGTON When Donald Trump named his Treasury secretary, Teena Colebrook felt her heart sink. She had voted for the president-elect on the belief that he would knock the moneyed elites from their perch in Washington, D.C. And she knew Trump's pick for Treasury_Steven Mnuchin_all too well. OneWest, a bank formerly owned by a group of investors headed by Mnuchin, had foreclosed on her Los Angeles-area home in the aftermath of the Great Recession, stripping her of the two units she rented as a primary source of income. "I just wish that I had not voted," said Colebrook, 59. "I have no faith in our government anymore at all. They all promise you the world at the end of a stick and take it away once they get in." Less than a month after his presidential win, Trump's populist appeal has started to clash with a Cabinet of billionaires and millionaires that he believes can energize economic growth. The prospect of Mnuchin leading the Treasury Department drew plaudits from many in the financial sector. A former Goldman Sachs executive who pivoted in the early 2000s to hedge fund management and movie production, he seemed an ideal emissary to Wall Street. When asked on Wednesday about his credentials to be Treasury secretary, Mnuchin emphasized his time running OneWest_which not only foreclosed on Colebrook but also on thousands of others in the aftermath of the housing crisis caused by subprime mortgages. "What I've really been focused on is being a regional banker for the last eight years," Mnuchin said. "I know what it takes to make sure that we can make loans to small and midmarket companies and that's going to be our big focus, making sure we scale back regulation so that we make sure the banks are lending." But the prospect of Mnuchin leading the Treasury Department prompted Colebrook and other OneWest borrowers who say they unfairly faced foreclosure to contact The Associated Press. Colebrook wishes she could meet with Trump to explain why she feels betrayed by his Cabinet selection after believing that his presidency could restore the balance of power to everyday people. "He doesn't want the truth," she said. "He's now backing his buddies." The Trump transition team has been sensitive to preserving trust with its voters. Senior adviser Kellyanne Conway publicly warned that supporters would feel "betrayed" if former critic Mitt Romney was named secretary of state, for instance. For Mnuchin, the fundamental problem stems from the Great Recession. His investor group was the sole bidder to take control of the troubled bank IndyMac in 2009. The group struck a deal that left the Federal Deposit Insurance Commission responsible for taking as much as 80 percent of the losses on former IndyMac assets and rebranded the troubled bank as OneWest. The combination of OneWest's profitability, government guarantees and foreclosure activities drew the ire of activist groups like the California Reinvestment Coalition. It found the bank to be consistently one of the most difficult to work out loan modifications with even though OneWest never drew a major response from government regulators. By June of 2014, five years after taking over OneWest, Mnuchin sold the bank for $3.4 billion at a tremendous profit. Colebrook said she learned the hard way about OneWest's tactics, after the regional bank acquired her home lender, First Federal Bank of California, in late 2009. In 1998, she bought a triplex for $248,000 in Hawthorne, California, not too far from Los Angeles International Airport. She rented out two of the units and lived in the third. Colebrook refinanced her mortgage in order to renovate the property and help buy additional homes to generate rental income. By the time the financial crisis struck in 2008, she had an interest-only mortgage on the triplex known as a "pick-a-payment" loan. Her monthly payments ran as high as $2,000 and only covered the interest on the debt. Then she got ensnarled in the economic downturn. "All my tenants lost their jobs in the crash," Colebrook said. "They couldn't pay. It was a knock-on effect." Over five years, she tried unsuccessfully to adjust her loan with OneWest through the Treasury Department's Home Affordable Modification Program. But she said that One West Bank lost paperwork, provided conflicting statements about ownership of the loan and fees and submitted charges that were unverified and caused her loan balance to balloon. By the time she lost her home in foreclosure in April 2015, the payoff balance totaled $517,662. Colebrook said she is still challenging the foreclosure in court. She now lives with her boyfriend in the small California city of San Luis Obispo. She volunteers at a homeless shelter, knowing that she could just as easily have ended up there. "I cook at the homeless shelter because there but the grace of God go I." Shafer Vineyards announced that Matthew Sharp has been named director of sales. Sharp has extensive experience working within the domestic and international world of fine wine sales, said a news release. His background in wine started as a sommelier in Los Angeles in the early 2000s. We could not be more pleased to welcome Matthew to our team, said Doug Shafer, president of Shafer Vineyards. Sharp, who was born in Canada and has also lived and worked in London, is based at Shafer Vineyards and oversees domestic and international sales. He joined Shafer in September. The percentage of cabernet sauvignon grown in the Napa Valley continues to be on the rise. This is primarily due to economic considerations: When a vineyard owner can get two to 10 times more for cabernet grapes than any other alternative varietal, then there really is often no other choice. In the 1960s and 70s, it was not uncommon for Napa Valley vineyards to grow pinot noir, Napa gamay, zinfandel, petite sirah, gray or white riesling, chenin blanc and gewurztraminer, but because of consumer preferences and the economic realities of modern-day wine grape-growing and -making, these have been mostly replaced. For those vintners interested in gaining high scores from their Napa Valley wines, there is only one varietal to consider cabernet sauvignon. For those producers looking to maximize their bottle price there is also only one option cabernet sauvignon. So from growers, to winemakers and owners, each is almost forced into growing and making cabernet sauvignon. And thats fine for the most part because Napa cabs can be spectacular, full of jammy black fruit and silky tannins. For those rare Napa vintners who venture beyond cabernet and chardonnay, however, the world can be a cold and lonely place. But it is often within this dark wilderness that the Napa Valley seems to express its raw and wild roots, where history and potential merge and create something wonderfully different and delicious. One of my personal favorite trends is a newfound interest in chenin blanc. A few producers are making a few cases of the wonderfully expressive white wine: Casa Nuestra, Chappellet and John Skupny, the proprietor of Lang & Reed Wine Co. When my wife, Tracey, and I arrived in Napa in the early 1980s, there were about 2,000 acres of chenin blanc and 1,600 of chardonnay, Skupny said. Now theres probably over 7,000 of chardonnay and only 14 acres left of chenin blanc. I feel lucky to have access to some of it. Tasting the 2015 Lang & Reed Chenin Blanc ($27 per bottle) makes it clear why this varietal was so widely planted even up to a generation ago. The bright, light-straw-colored wine is full of aromas of dried white peach and mango and waxy honeycomb, with flavors of red apple and quince that culminate in a refreshing tartness. Another of what used to be a common varietal, but is now pushed near extinction, are the old-head-trained zinfandel vineyards that used to dot the valley, their vines often propped up, as if leaning on canes, with sinewy redwood stakes. A few of these vineyards survive, including two of the most spectacular: the Hayne Vineyard in St. Helena (Chase Cellars) and the Aldo's Vineyard (owned by the Robert Biale Winery) in Napa. The pressure on these decades-old vineyards is staggering. Often surrounded by encroaching cabernet sauvignon vineyards, or in the case of the Aldo's Vineyard, completely surrounded by a subdivision, these stalwart vineyards stand as fortresses against the trend toward homogenization, each vineyard producing some of the finest wines in the valley. The Biale family is totally committed to keeping these wonderful vineyards intact, said Tres Goetting, winemaker at Robert Biale Vineyards. I love these old-vine zins because there is really nothing else like them. Zinfandel in general, and old vines in particular, can produce wines that never cease to amaze me in their complexity and depth. Every single old vine, be it this varietal or any others, is like a sacred old soul that has so much to say if wed just take some time and listen. When theyre gone, they cannot be replaced. If you dont know Chase Cellars or the wines from Biale, I suggest you take time and go taste some of these stunning examples of what zinfandel and other varietals can aspire to. If you do go to Biale winery, youll learn about the story of the black chicken, which was a secret code during Prohibition. Customers placing their order for eggs, zucchini and milk from the Biale farm might also include a request for one or more black chickens, which actually meant a gallon of wine. Today, you can still order one of these delicious black chicken wines and now without risk of imprisonment. Any of the Biale wines are worth seeking out, but it is the Aldo's zinfandel that reaches the absolute pinnacle of achievement for California zinfandel. The grapes come from a head-trained, non-irrigated vineyard planted in 1937. Boxed in by tract houses, the Aldo's Vineyard produces a wine that is as nuanced and mysterious as any in the world. You think Im kidding? Go ahead, find yourself a bottle of the 2013 Aldo's Vineyard Zinfandel (if you can, they are now sold out) and try it for yourself. The Aldo's Vineyard produces garnet wine that is full of aromas of dried figs, Worcestershire sauce and spiced rum. On the palate, this wine sings with baked cherry and blackberry cobbler, clove-infused dark chocolate and sweet plum syrup. The finish of this wine is stunningly long with hints of black tea, pepper and red-ripe raspberries that urge you on to another sip. ST. HELENA The St. Helena City Council has approved sharp increases to the citys water and wastewater rates, over the objections of residents who urged the council to postpone the decision pending further study. At Tuesdays hearing, council members said they sympathized with ratepayers, but insisted they had to take immediate action to get the underfunded water and wastewater systems in the black and avoid financially crippling fines and lawsuits. More than 80 people attended the standing-room-only meeting, and more than 20 spoke out against the proposed rate increases and recommended a delay. Councilmember Paul Dohring acknowledged the fear and anxiety that residents are feeling, but said that years of poor planning and inadequate financial reserves have left the city with critical infrastructure needs and very little money to pay for them. With increases to base rates and use rates, a typical water and wastewater bill for a single-family home during a peak water use month would increase from $185 under the current rates to $225 in February 2017 and $342 by 2021. The citys operational costs already exceed revenues, and the gap will only get wider as the city undertakes long-delayed capital projects. Without expensive improvements, the city could face multi-million-dollar fines and major litigation, according to City Manager Jennifer Phillips. Imposing higher taxes and rates is the last thing I want, but we have a financial shortfall thats very serious, said Councilmember Greg Pitts. And if you dont pay for it through wastewater and water utilities, then its going to take the General Fund, and you risk going bankrupt. These are black and white facts. Failure to act at Tuesdays meeting would invite unwelcome scrutiny from regulatory agencies that are already pressuring St. Helena to improve its systems, he added. Objections Ratepayers questioned whether the rates were equitable for all customer classes and asked the council to consider sticking with a tiered rate structure, investigate whether bonds could pay a greater share of the cost of infrastructure improvements, reevaluate the heavy impact on residents of Vineyard Valley Mobile Home Park, and let the new city council make the final decision, since they will have to deal with the aftermath, as Vineyard Valley resident Tom Vence put it. Incoming councilmembers Geoff Ellsworth and Mary Koberstein were among those calling for a postponement. Making greater use of bonds could help keep rates down, and the rates proposed by a consultant and backed by city staff would exacerbate the ever-growing chasm between the cost of living and what people on a fixed income can afford, Koberstein said. There needs to be a goal of public acceptance, and I dont think weve quite gotten to that point yet, Koberstein said. Speakers said they didnt necessarily object to higher rates; they just wanted the council to look at a range of options. We had an election, we gave you Measure D, and now youre trying to take more money, said Phil Murphy. Were not against rates. Were against these types of rates. Many of those who spoke were from Vineyard Valley, which will see some of the steepest increases since the park is being put into a new rate class. Since the park doesnt have individual water meters, residents of the 212 homes arent considered individual ratepayers and couldnt formally protest the new rates. Park residents arent even eligible for the citys rate subsidies for low-income ratepayers, said Pat Dell, who urged the council to hold a town hall meeting where council members and citizens could have a back-and-forth dialogue. Since we have no water meters we have no voice, Dell said, adding that park residents would see their rates increase by 127 percent. The rates would complete the gentrification of St. Helena, she said. Protest falls short An effort by ratepayers to defeat the rates through mail-in protests fell short. Under state law, the council would not have been able to impose the new rates if more than half of the citys ratepayers had filed protests. The city received 430 protests of the water rates, far short of the 1,237 needed to block the rates. The city received 350 protests of the wastewater rates, fewer than the 880 that were needed. Many speakers suggested that the rates wouldnt have to be so high if the city were to use bond debt rather than cash to pay for capital improvements. However, Finance Director April Mitts said the city is already violating the covenants of its current bonds because revenues are lagging behind operating costs. The city could still theoretically seek to sell more bonds, but the rates would not be favorable, she said. Failure to raise more revenue could also bring down the citys A-bond rating, Mitts said. More generally, relying too heavily on bonds kicks the can to future generations, said Pitts. Speakers also suggested retaining the current tiered rate structure, in which people who use more than a certain amount of water pay more for that additional water. The tiers are intended to incentivize conservation, discourage waste, and spread out the cost of the water system. However, a 2015 court ruling involving the city of San Juan Capistrano made it more difficult for California cities to impose tiered rate structures, said Catherine Hansford, the citys rate consultant. In order to maintain the tiers, St. Helena would have to demonstrate that the per-gallon cost of providing water increases as customers use more. Thats not the case for St. Helenas water system, where the cost of providing water actually goes down as consumption increases. Regulatory pressure The city is facing mounting pressure from regulatory agencies like the Regional Water Quality Control Board, which is requiring St. Helenas wastewater treatment plant to meet higher treatment standards. That pressure increased in a Nov. 7 letter, in which the water board told the city it would have to meet even stricter standards than the ones that had been previously mandated. The rate study was designed to bring the plant into compliance with the water boards previous order, but the new restrictions will probably be even more expensive, Phillips said. That additional cost might have to be incorporated into a future rate study. Decades of poor management have left the city on poor terms with the water board, although the current city staff has done its best to repair that relationship, Phillips said. Youre looking at a quarter century of neglect that now needs to be addressed, she said. City staff estimated that without the new rates the General Fund would have to pump $15.6 million into the water fund by 2022, and $9.8 million into the wastewater fund. The water fund has been operating at a loss for three consecutive years and had to draw $1.3 million from reserves in the last fiscal year. The wastewater fund has already exhausted its reserves. A few speakers questioned why the city was seeking more rate hikes only five years after the last increases were approved. Councilmember Peter White said the 2011 rate hike didnt generate as much revenue as the city had hoped, in part because aggressive water conservation cut into the citys revenues, while the fixed costs of operating the system stayed the same. Tapping the General Fund to subsidize the water and wastewater systems would mean cuts to programs like the library and recreation, said Councilmember Sharon Crull. Those programs are discretionary, whereas capital improvements are mandatory. We need to protect ourselves from going bankrupt, Crull said. Mayor Alan Galbraith said theres nothing that prevents a future city council from reducing the rates if some of the alternatives suggested by the public turn out to be viable. The city could also use some of the revenue from Measure D to expand its rate subsidies for low-income residents, he said. I was recently asked to explain why a steady stream of police cadets are applying for admission to the Napa Valley College Criminal Justice Training Center (CJTC), and why nearly 80 percent of our Police Academy graduates get law enforcement jobs. The CJTC includes the Basic Police Academy, the 9-1-1 Dispatcher Academy, the Corrections Academy and Advanced Officer Training for graduates of the Basic Academy. Law enforcement agencies from all over the state select Napa Valley College Police Academy graduates for a variety of reasons: The reputation of our teaching staff. Our instructors include police chiefs, sheriffs, current and retired officers and deputies, deputy district attorneys, fitness training experts, firearms experts, and other specialized training professionals. We recognize and appreciate cultural competence. The 32-year-old Police Academy Program at Napa Valley College is on the leading edge of providing training on community policing and cultural competence. We consistently strive to address the complex relationship between law enforcement and the communities the profession serves. We advocate building trust and understanding as the foundation for effective peacekeeping. We also strive to recruit cadets who are representative of the communities they will serve. Community policing principles are found in the 42 learning domains taught in the police academy. Cultural competence is essential for officer safety and effective community relationships. The high level of student achievement. Our 22-week basic academy includes cultural experiences, in which cadets are immersed in cultures with which they are least familiar or of which they are most fearful. In teaching the importance of developing cultural competence, the academy requires cadets to immerse themselves in a foreign culture and to interact, face-to-face, with members of that culture as part of their basic police training. The academy also immerses the entire class into two different communities by way of community engagement activities. Napa Valley College has a longstanding partnership with the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance to provide training on how to teach cultural diversity for law enforcement. Our training experiences also include a state-of-the-art indoor firearms training facility, use-of-force virtual reality interactive facilities and self-directed student training. Law enforcement agencies have access to our staff, students and training programs. Police agencies appreciate the level of training our students receive, because they observe our program first-hand. The consensus among law enforcement agencies is that the Napa Valley College Justice Training Center produces a well-prepared graduate who is ready to enter law-enforcement field training. Inter-connectivity between law enforcement agencies, the academy and four-year degrees. Our academy graduates can continue their law enforcement education by using these community college units to further their career goals at four-year institutions of higher learning. We celebrate success. One way for residents of the North Bay to get a more intimate understanding and appreciation of the quality of our academy graduates would be to attend our free and public 100th graduating class commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10, at the college gymnasium. This particular group of graduates models the notion that a richly diverse group of individuals can come together as a cohesive body, dedicating themselves to helping others improve as they serve their communities. The benchmark is an achievement in itself. These graduates have persevered and achieved commendable success. Rich in diversity, boasting a wide array of Californians, Class 100 is a model for what is possible when people dedicate themselves to service. Interestingly, 12 of the 29 students are female. Some students were born outside the U.S. Several spoke a language other than English as a first language. Many are multi-lingual. More than half of the graduates are persons of color. The graduating class includes members of the LGBT community. It is a privilege to be a part of such a committed team of people, dedicated to providing such a high level of police training. We pride ourselves on professionalism, commitment to excellence, and dedication to student success. Damien Sandoval retired from the Walnut Creek Police Department in 2008, and has been director of the Napa Valley College Criminal Justice Training Center for eight years. He has more than 28 years of law enforcement experience and serves as president of the California Academy Directors Association. (As delivered) Prime Minister Kvirikashvili, it is a great pleasure and a great honour to welcome you once again to NATO Headquarters. And I think that your visit here just reconfirms the very strong partnership we have developed over several years, and also the friendship and the partnership that you and I have developed over the years, meeting in different formats in Brussels, in Tbilisi and also other places and always expressing strong support together to enhancing the partnership between NATO and Georgia. I would also like to start by thanking Georgia and the soldiers in the quick reaction force in Resolute Support in Afghanistan for the way they reacted very quickly in defence of the German consulate that was attacked in Mazar and where the Georgian soldiers were very brave and professional in defending the consulate. And luckily no one was wounded and there were no casualties, so this is just yet another example of how Georgia contributes to our shared security and how Georgia contributes to NATO and the important role and the professionalism of your soldiers when they conduct operations in NATO, in Resolute Support in Afghanistan. NATOs partnership with Georgia is something we really appreciate and we attach very great importance to and its a partnership which we have developed over many years. We discussed during our meeting how we can strengthen that partnership and how we can develop it further. The North-Atlantic Council visited Georgia in September, there we met with you and many of your ministers and we also assessed the progress we are making when it comes to the implementation of the substantial NATO-Georgia Package which we agreed at the Warsaw Summit. I would also like to congratulate you on the elections in Georgia. Your reappointment as Prime Minister but also the way you conducted the elections in Georgia, free and fair elections which have been conducted in a way which has been highly recognised by the international community and it just expresses the progress you are making on the reform path and NATO will continue to support you in implementing those reforms and we will continue to provide both political support and practical support for Georgia. We will provide strong political support for your independence, for your territorial integrity and sovereignty and we will continue to provide practical support for both the importance of implementing the reforms but also to continue to conduct exercises, to make sure that we fill and strengthen the Joint Training Centre and also that we make sure that the NATO-Georgia Commission continues to be an important platform and tool for political dialogue but also for practical cooperation. As we have stated many times before, Georgia has all the practical tools for membership, we will continue to support you in your aspirations and in your efforts to strengthen your ties with NATO and we are here to provide that kind of support and that kind of help. So we will also continue to work with Georgia on the challenges we see in the broader Black Sea region, we have made an assessment of the security situation in the Black Sea region and of course Georgia being a little state, Georgia is one of the countries which are important for NATO to work closely with because the Black Sea region is of strategic importance for the whole NATO Alliance and the partnership with Georgia is an important part of that. So once again I welcome you to NATO, its always a pleasure to meet with you and I look forward to continue to work with you and your government and the ministers that you had with you in your delegation today. So welcome. MODERATOR: Okay, we have time for a few questions. Q: Georgian Public Broadcasting Mr. Secretary General, I have three topics. First, you mentioned about Black Sea region security; we want to hear more if it is possible about involvement of Georgia, for example, formats, and so on. Second, Russia today signed a decree approving Russias new foreign policy concept, and there is talk about NATO expansion, future expansion and it is considered by Russia as a threat. What is your main message; and third, upcoming NATO Summit in Brussels in 2017 - what Georgia should wait for? You always tell us during the interviews dont concentrate only on summits but still we want to hear from you. Thank you very much for shedding light on these three issues. JENS STOLTENBERG (NATO Secretary General): First on the Black Sea region, we are working with Georgia in addressing the, and assessing the security situation in the Black Sea region. Thats something we do regularly in the different meetings we have with Georgia on different levels. Our military committee will visit Georgia, the plan is to do it early next year and I expect them also to then discuss and address the security situation in the Black Sea region and also the Committee of the Deputy Permanent Representatives at NATO will meet with Georgia next year to discuss our partnership, our cooperation but part of that is also to of course address the security situation in the Black Sea region. Because as the Prime Minister said the security and the stability in the Black Sea region is important for the whole of Europe and of course for NATO. So this is one of the reasons why I so much appreciate the close partnership with Georgia because thats one way to contribute to stability in the Black Sea region. NATO is of course concerned about the significant Russian military buildup in the Black Sea region especially in Crimea and one of the issues we addressed at our Summit in Warsaw in July was of course the increased presence of Russian forces in the Black Sea region and we decided also to have what we call tailored forward-presence in the southeast of the Alliance which is also then relevant for the Black Sea region. So, we are constantly assessing, constantly adapting to the security challenges we see in the Black Sea region and we appreciate very much the dialogue with Georgia on this and I expect that dialogue to also take place when the military committee meets in Georgia early next year. The second question, well NATO enlargement is something which has contributed to stability and peace in Europe. NATO enlargement is something which has been an important building block together with E.U. enlargement to create a Europe whole, free and at peace and we will continue to strive for that and I think its extremely important to underline that every nation including Georgia has of course the right to decide its own path including what kind of security arrangements it wants to be part of. So whether Georgia is going to become member of NATO or not is something which is up to Georgia and NATO allies to decide. No one else has the right to intervene or try to interfere in such a process and NATO is a defensive alliance, everything we do is proportionate and defensive and no one - we dont pose any threat to no one - because we are a defensive alliance. And again Georgia is an independent sovereign nation and therefore the aspirations of Georgia to join NATO is something everyone should respect and no one should try to intervene or to interfere in those aspirations. The last question was about NATO Summit. I would just say that we have decided to have a Summit next year but that will be a Summit with a smaller format than normal because its a Summit which will provide the platform for the newly-elected President - for the incoming President President-elect Donald Trump to meet with NATO. We had something similar back in 2001 when Bush was newly elected, then he met actually here in this building at a small Summit which we then convened and we had something similar again in 2009. So, its too early to say when the Summit is going to take place and its too early to say exactly anything about the format, but this is going to be most likely a Summit with not many meetings because theres one main purpose and that is to have a meeting between NATO and the incoming U.S. President. MODERATOR: One last question. Q: (inaudible) Secretary General you always talking that NATO not only military union, this is union for democratic values. So what do you think how important for Georgia to have critical media. I mean our Rustavi-2 case because we are still waiting court final decision, thank you? JENS STOLTENBERG: Free media and the freedom of speech is a core part of any open democratic society and NATOs core values are democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law and of course free media is part of democratic society. When it comes to this special case then this is an ongoing court case and I think it is important to now leave to the courts to decide on the legal issues but it is of course important that the rule of law is fully applied and fully respected and NATO attaches great importance to the rule of law which is one of our core values. The Prime Minister told me that the government will continue an inclusive dialogue with the opposition and the civil society and I welcome that and the Prime Minister has also strongly underlined the importance of strengthening the democratic institutions in Georgia and I also congratulated him not only the election victory but also that elections in Georgia were conducted in a free and fair way which has obtained a strong international recognition. GIORGI KVIRIKASHVILI (Prime Minister of Georgia): Thank you Secretary General. Once again I would like to mention why NATO is important for Georgia because this is a family with shared values and principles and of course for Georgia it matters a lot. For Georgia the decision to build democratic state is irreversible. For Georgia the decision to move Georgia towards this family again with institutions in full compliance with European western standards is very important. It is a strategy defined by the Georgian nation and as Secretary General mentioned this is a sovereign decision of Georgia. And I would like to touch the issue of new strategy of Russia. Of course on one hand there is an expression of willingness to normalize relations with Georgia in the areas possible and of course we join that desire; but on the other hand there is talk about new realities in Georgia, about new independent states which can never be acceptable for Georgian people and Georgian government and any desire to normalize bilateral relations between Russia and Georgia should be based on the respect of Georgias territorial integrity in internationally recognized borders and based on the respect of sovereign decisions of Georgian nation to be a member of one or another family and the decision is clear as I already mentioned. On the media freedom I would like to echo your comments, media freedom is fundamental for Georgia. I should mention that just several years ago we had only three nation-wide channels, unfortunately managed by the Administration of the government. Today we had one of the most successful reforms - it is called a digital switchover reform where we have more than forty channels nation-wide. And registering new TV station only takes ten days and there is no licensing requirements, there is only very technical process of authorization so it tends to take only maximum ten days to register a new nation-wide TV station. But on Rustavi-2, again it was mentioned this is a court case. On our side we will ensure maximum transparency of the court process and again notwithstanding of the result of the outcome of this court process that any attempts to intervene in the editorial policy of independent TV stations will be excluded from our agenda. This is very important to note and by the way we have public broadcasting representative next to (inaudible) I want to mention and they are not less critical than other independent stations which shows again the degree of freedom of media in Georgia. Thank you very much. MODERATOR: Thank you very much. This concludes this press point. Thank you. 00:23 A 16-year-old Indian environmental activist based in the UAE has won this year's prestigious International Children's Peace Prize for her fight for climate justice and combating environmental degradation. Kehkashan Basu was presented the award by Bangladesh's Nobel peace laureate Mohammad Yunus at a glittering ceremony in The Hague. Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his efforts for economic and social development, underlined the urgency and importance of Kehkashan's work, as more than three million children under the age of five die every year from environment-related diseases and many more suffer deeply from environmental issues. "It is a great achievement for such a young person to already have such reach and impact with her important message," Yunus said. "A healthy environment is essential for the survival, wellbeing and development of children, and therefore it is a precondition for the realisation of the rights of the child. Kehkashan teaches us that we all have a responsibility to work towards a sustainable future," he said. After receiving the prize, Basu said she would "keep campaigning to encourage children and adults to create a more sustainable future". "I call upon everyone to think of how they can contribute to the preservation of the environment... Time is not on our side -- we have to act now, or we will have polar bears under palm trees," she said. Image: Kehkashan Basu, 16, receives the International Children's Peace Prize from Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus in the Hague, Netherlands, December 2 2016. Photograph: Courtesy KidsRights Foundation The requested page is currently unavailable on this server. Back to [RTHK News Homepage] I am pleased to share the following UC statement of emphatic support for undocumented members of our community. Issued yesterday by the UC Office of the President, this statement clearly articulates UCs commitment to the privacy and civil rights of everyone in our community. This affirmation of our values, in the wake of divisive presidential campaign rhetoric and uncertainty regarding federal policies under the new administration, makes me proud to be part of this great public university. These principles reflect input from leaders across the UC system, including myself, and I look forward to continuing to work with partners on this campus and beyond to protect all members of our community. The statement is also available online. The University of California today (Nov. 30) announced that it will vigorously protect the privacy and civil rights of the undocumented members of the UC community and will direct its police departments not to undertake joint efforts with any government agencies to enforce federal immigration law. While we still do not know what policies and practices the incoming federal administration may adopt, given the many public pronouncements made during the presidential campaign and its aftermath, we felt it necessary to reaffirm that UC will act upon its deeply held conviction that all members of our community have the right to work, study, and live safely and without fear at all UC locations, said UC President Janet Napolitano. The University issued its Statement of Principles in Support of Undocumented Members of the UC Community after Napolitano met earlier today with UC staff coordinators who support undocumented students at all 10 UC campuses. Napolitano also reviewed the recommendations of a UC task force that she established to study the most effective ways to protect undocumented students and other undocumented members of the UC community. The principles are to be implemented through policies and procedures at all UC campuses and medical facilities. They include the following: UF student selected as Schwarzman Scholar Out of nearly 3,000 applicants from 119 countries, University of Florida student body president Susan Webster has been chosen as a Schwarzman Scholar, receiving a full scholarship to pursue a one-year masters degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Webster, a masters student in management in UFs Hough Graduate School of Business, was one of 125 scholars selected. The program, which prepares emerging leaders for the geopolitical landscape of the 21st century, identifies scholars based on their academic excellence and leadership potential. In her time at the University of Florida, Webster established herself as a leader in student government and the Gainesville community. She viewed the Schwarzman Scholar Program as a unique opportunity to combine her experience in public policy with her passion about the Chinese-American relationship. Webster became interested in the Chinese-American relationship after enrolling in a Chinese language course as an undergraduate. She studied abroad in Chengdu the summer after her freshman year and gained further appreciation of Chinese culture, which she carried into mentoring Chinese exchange students in Gainesville. I was able to help acclimate them to the university, whether that was through helping them run for office in student government or showing them what a Gator game day was like. Likewise, when I went to China, they truly took me in as family as well it showed me the true meaning of what the Gator Nation is, Webster said. Webster is excited to continue her education as a Schwarzman Scholar in Beijing, where she will spend a year immersed in an international community of intellectual and cultural engagement. I am looking forward to meeting the other scholars that are from many different countries and experiences, she said. Im also excited to learn more about public policy and I am very thankful for this experience. New Delhi [India], Dec.2 (ANI) These are challenging times with global and local developments of unprecedented nature taking place around us. The markets in India have reacted sharply to recent changes and now present an ideal opportunity for a long term investor to initiate a portfolio. Given the peculiar features of the Indian economy and markets, there is a need for an approach to investing in India, specifically tailored to the country. Considering the above, author Anshuman Khanna, Director, Valpro has launched his new book titled ''EQUITY: IN, A Hitchhiker''s Guide To Investing In The Indian Markets''. Published by Notion Press, the book is aimed at offering readers a systematic approach to investing specifically adapted to the unique aspects of the Indian markets especially in prevailing conditions with wild market fluctuation and demonetization. Khanna is a Chartered Accountant and Lawyer by qualification with over 15 years'' experience in Indian corporate arena. He is one of the promoter directors of ANG Group which is a diversified business group that includes Valpro, which is a boutique investment banking firm, advising corporate companies in sectors such as oil & gas, infrastructure and education. He is also the founding director of Enablers a web based start-up funding platform which has helped many startups in raising funds from HNIs, angel investors and VC funds. Khanna said, "While the jury on the effects of demonetization is still out, it is an opportune time for anyone looking to play the long term India story, to initiate positions in their portfolio. The need of the hour is to enable people to evaluate the impact of various regulatory and economic changes on companies and their businesses. The goal is to enable the investors to identify investment worthy stocks and also explain the do and don''ts of investing in the Indian stock market. EQUITY: IN. is targeted towards readers who are uninitiated to the Indian stock markets and the casual investors who may not be having a financial background or expertise but look to adopt a systematic approach to investing in Indian equities." he added. ''The EQUITY: IN, A Hitchhiker''s Guide to Investing in the Indian Markets'' provides an overview of the Indian equity markets highlighting what makes Indian markets unique and elaborates on the regulatory framework of India and the structure of ownership of companies in the Indian listed space. It discusses a step by step approach to investment and discusses financials and valuation of companies with the use of case studies and price graphs. The book uses examples from actual corporate events in the recent history to elucidate the points made by the author. Numerous case studies and live examples of actual corporate and regulatory events have been discussed to elucidate the impact of these on companies and their stock prices. The book is India centric and thus makes it an ideal read for not only Indian investors and readers but also foreign readers looking to participate in the India growth story at this opportune time. (ANI) New Delhi [India], Dec.2 (ANI-Newsvoir):The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his decision to permit the use of old Rs 500 notes for prepaid mobile recharges. This will allow customers to use mobile services without disruption and ease their anxiety, allowing them continuous communication, telephony being an essential service. Commenting on the positive move, COAI Director General Rajan Mathews said: "We are delighted that the Government acceded to our request prioritising consumer interest, so that citizens can continue to top-up and use mobile phones, which are an essential service. COAI thanks the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for leading an extremely responsive and sensitive government and congratulates the Prime Minister on this historic move. Despite initial teething problems, demonetisation will immensely benefit the nation by driving increased digital transactions, promoting transparency, boosting tax collection and ensuring social equity. COAI remains committed towards working closely with the government in furthering the government's vision of a digitally connected and fully empowered India" Continuing the use of old Rs 500 notes as legal tender for prepaid mobile services is crucial because industry estimates indicate between 30 percent and 50 percent fall in demand as customers are still struggling with less cash in hand due to demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. Keeping people's interests in mind, COAI on behalf of the telecom service providers had submitted to the government that dealers and distributors should be permitted to accept the old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes till adequate replacement currency is available for the daily needs of ordinary citizens. The department of Telecommunications notification has extended the deadline for the acceptance of 500 rupee notes as legal tender for recharging prepaid phones for top ups till December 15th, 2016. Mathews added: "Globally, empirical evidence reveals the ability to communicate instantly fosters a sense of empowerment among common people, which is imperative given the ongoing - though temporary - inconvenience customers are undergoing. It's therefore important that mobile services for prepaid users continue unabated to facilitate their daily activities." COAI reiterated its support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to move the country towards becoming a 'less cash' society in order to curb corruption and black money, advancing social equity and financial inclusion among all sections of society. Such measures will increase the drive towards 'Digital India', benefitting every stakeholder, including the public. The telecom industry supports such endeavours that drive banking transactions towards mobile phones, reducing the cost per transaction for all stakeholders and benefitting banking eco-systems too. With the extension on usage of Rs 500 notes in public utilities, including mobile recharge services, prepaid dealers can continue to accept these notes till 15 December. Since the prepaid segment accounts for more than 90% of India's mobile market, the extension will help customers and dealers tremendously in continuing their daily operations. (ANI-Newsvoir) New Delhi [India], Dec 2 (ANI-BusinessWireIndia): Bajaj Finance Ltd., the lending arm of Bajaj Finserv Ltd., is offering free airline vouchers worth Rs.12,000 on a personal loan. This limited offer comes with the dual advantage of availing a loan with a free airline voucher to the destination of the choice of customer. The promotional scheme, called 'November 2016 SOL Promotion', is valid only in select Indian cities. Bajaj Finserv is offering three types of airline vouchers based on the amount of Personal Loan, applied for. Under this scheme, customers have to apply anytime between 12:00 am on November 28, 2016 to 11:59 pm on December 4, 2016. An Airline Voucher will be given to those customers who have applied for an online Personal Loan amounting Rs.four lakh or above, in a single loan application from Bajaj Finserv during the 'Scheme Period' and where the loan is disbursed before December 14, 2016. Those who have applied for an online Personal Loan amount of Rs. eight lakh and above will be given an airline voucher worth Rs.12,000. While those who have applied for an online Personal Loan of Rs.5 lakh to Rs.7.99 lakh will be given a voucher of Rs.7,000. Whereas a Rs.5,000 airline voucher will be handed to those customers who have applied for an online Personal Loan amounting to Rs.4 Lakh upto Rs.4.99 lakh in a single loan application during the 'Scheme Period'. To participate in this scheme, the customer should have submitted all the documents to the satisfaction of Bajaj Finance Limited. This will be followed by an allocation of a loan account number on or before December 8, 2016 for the online Personal Loan applied for, by Bajaj Finserv during the Scheme Period. A Processing Fee at the rate of 2.25 percent of the loan amount will be charged on all loans applied under the Scheme. (ANI-BusinessWireIndia) One of the most awaited comic-drama of 2017, 'Fukrey 2,' which went on floor in November, was recently seen shooting at Nehru Place in the national capital. People, all excited, had gathered in numbers to see the peppy cast of the movie, shooting in the city. The audiences connected extremely well with the cast as the actors looked and behaved no less than Delhiites. The second installment of the 2013 hit comedy 'Fukrey,' has roped in the same cast from the prequel consisting of Pulkit Samrat, Ali Fazal, Varun Sharma, Manjot Singh, Richa Chadda, Vishakha Singh and Priya Anand. The prequel that was a comic hit was lauded as one of the most entertaining movies of 2013. It had connected very well with its phenomenal story line and catchy names of the characters. Pulkit, who has gained weight and built a muscular physique for his last film, was recently prepping up for the sequel. The actor followed a special fitness regime to get back a toned and lean body as demanded by his role in the upcoming. (ANI) The actor's team has denied the news and said that he was reportedly in the island city not to spend time with `someone special' but for a business meeting with Hollywood executives. Hrithik's spokesperson told, "Hrithik visited Singapore three days ago purely for work. He was there to meet a team of executives from a Hollywood studio and had gone alone. He returned to India within a day, on Wednesday morning." On a related note, the 42-year-old actor is currently busy with promotions of 'Kaabil', opposite Yami Gautam that is set for a Republic Day weekend release along with Shah Rukh Khan-starrer 'Raees'. (ANI) Provision of accessible, affordable and safe healthcare facilities to people was the Centre's topmost priority, informed Union Minister of State (IndependentCharge), AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik here today. Inaugurating the 7th World Ayurveda Congress and ArogyaExpo here, Mr Naik, said, "Government of India is committed to the promotion of ayurveda and otherforms of traditional medicines and have formed policies for that purpose". He mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a great step by announcing the formationof a separate ministry of AYUSH, which was earlier just a Department andthereby laid great importance to the practice and study of traditionalmedicines and for also conducting more research on them. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Naik said, thisevent and seminars which brings together worldwide experts, patrons,practitioners and enthusiasts of Ayurveda and traditional medicines provides anappropriate stage for discussing the strengths and weaknesses and alsopromoting ayurveda at national and international levels. "AYUSH is set to meet healthcare needs throughout the world", said the Minister. AYUSH treatment facilities have, therefore,been provided at all levels of healthcare, right from primary health centre tosuper-specialty hospitals like AIIMS, the Minister further added. Earlier, two important Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) were signed by the CentralCouncil for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Chennai, under the UnionMinistry of AYUSH with universities in Argentina and Israel in the presence ofSecretary, Minstry of AYUSH yesterday. These MoUs will pave the way forintroducing study of Ayurveda in those countries. The Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH Ajit Sharan, Joint Secretary Anil Kumar Ganeriwala, NationalPresident of Vijnana Bharati Dr Vijay P. Bhatkar, CEO of National MedicinalPlants Board Shomita Biswas, ProvincialMinister of Sri Lanka Bandula Yalegama and Senator from Italy Dr. MaurizioRomani were also present among the dignitaries today. UNI BM SJC -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0213-1047285.Xml The Supreme Court on Thursday sought response from 13 drought-affected states as to why they were not lifting enough food grain to made available at subsidised rates to the priority and vulnerable sections of the people in affected areas. The bench of Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice N.V. Ramana sought response from the 13 states as NGO Swaraj Abhiyan told the court that they were not lifting sufficient food grains as the central government was asking them to pay minimum support prices (MSP) beyond the 75 per cent limit under the National Food Security Act, 2013. The National Food Security Act says that "the entitlements of the persons belonging to the eligible households ... at subsidised prices shall extend up to seventy-five per cent of the rural population and up to fifty per cent. of the urban population." Telling the court that while it had ordered that all those affected by the drought conditions would be given food grains at subsidised rates as available to the people living below poverty line and vulnerable sections, the NGO said that this was not happening as states were not lifting required food grains due to the central government's stand. Counsel Prashant Bhushan told the bench that the court had earlier said that all those who don't come under priority households or don't have a ration card too would get food grains under the NFS Act. Responding to the submission by Bhushan, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said: "Suppose a person (in drought-affected area) is a Zamindar, he will not get it (subsidised food grains)." In the course of the hearing, Bhushan defended Swaraj Abhiyan knocking the doors of the top court raising the issues of general public interest including relief to drought-affected people saying that it was not for getting any political mileage or benefit or garnering votes. Opposing the government's plea during last hearing of the matter on October 21 that the PIL by the Swaraj Abhiyan can't be entertained as they are now wandering into political field after graduating into a political party, he sought to clarify that what is sought to be registered as a political party was 'Swaraj India' and Swaraj Abhiyan would retain its identity and agitate for the issues of general public interest. He told the bench that, as it is, 'Swaraj India' has not been registered by the Election Commission so far. Contesting the stand taken by Bhushan, Rohatgi told the court that he wanted to show what this political party was doing in the public. "It has a political agenda to gain votes and to run down the ruling party at the Centre and in the State." Citing the instance of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Bihar leader Sushil Modi approaching the court against Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad in fodder scam, Bhushan said the question is whether it is a justiceable issue in public interest, if it concerns the people's legal and fundamental rights. "Merely because political party has a platform, it should not be stopped from doing it. Political parties should be encouraged for pursuing a PIL which is for public interest," he contended. Noting that the Election Commission has yet to decide on the application by Swaraj India to be registered as a political party, the bench observed: "The apprehension is that this will shift politics to the courts. We do not want this. We do not want politics to shift to the courts." It then adjourned the hearing and directed the listing of the matter on January 18. --IANS pk/vd ( 602 Words) 2016-12-01-23:10:13 (IANS) In a dramatic turn of events, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee vowed to stay put at the secretariat despite the withdrawal of soldiers from a toll gate close to it early Friday. Accusing the central government of "deploying the army" along a highway toll plaza, which is at the second Hooghly Bridge and about 500 m from the secretariat, Banerjee had previously said that the state government was kept "in the dark". "I won't leave unless the army is withdrawn from near the secretariat. I'll keep vigil to protect democracy, to protect my democratically elected government," Banerjee told a hurriedly convened late night media meet on Thursday at the secretariat Nabanna in neighbouring Howrah district. A little after midnight, the Eastern Command said the army has been asked to withdraw from the toll plaza near Nabanna as it had already collected the data it required. Past 2 a.m., Banerjee -- holding her third round of media conference since the evening -- reiterated she would spend the night at Nabanna, fearing the Army may be back. "The army has withdrawn from the second Hooghly Bridge after 2 am. They will definitely come back. After Nabanna, they have entered various districts. The army has been deployed in 80 per cent of the areas," she said. "I'll remain awake all night to keep vigil. I will spend the night at Nabanna," she said. The riveting drama unfolded on Thursday evening, when Banerjee alleged the army has been deployed at the Dankuni and Palsit toll plazas on National Highway 2 (connecting Delhi and Kolkata) without informing the state government. She said the Chief Secretary was writing to the central government and she would approach President Pranab Mukherjee seeking clarification on the issue. "This is unacceptable. Federal structure has been disrupted and democracy twisted. Has Emergency been declared?" she asserted. The Defence Ministry said the army was conducting routine exercise with full knowledge of and co-ordination with West Bengal police. "The army conducts the annual exercise throughout the country with the aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of a contingency," said a Defence ministry spokesman. Around 10 p.m., Banerjee held the second round of media conference, rubbishing the spokesman's clarification and declaring she would camp at the secretariat. "The National Highway Authority of India has all this data. They have records of the number of cars plying in each state, and through each highway." She also tweeted: "Absolutely wrong and misleading facts byA@easterncomdAWe have great respect for you, but please please don't mislead the people." Banerjee, also supremo of the ruling Trinamool Congress, said she has collected information from Maharashtra, Kerala, Odisha and Chhattisgarh and nowhere such a thing was been done. "Why is it been done in Bengal? Is it because I am speaking for the people?" she asked, claiming the army has been positioned in Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Darjeeling, North 24Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Kolkata, Murshidabad and Burdwan districts. Banerjee said: "The secretariat "Nabanna" is a sensitive zone. The toll plaza on the second Hooghly Bridge is within the sensitive zone. It is under our secretariat." Demanding to know whether a military coup has taken place, she said "the motive is political, vindictive, unconstitutional, unethical and undemocratic". Besides the Chief Minister, a number of ministers and the Home Secretary, State Director General of Police, the Kolkata Police Commissioner were all camping at the secretariat. Banerjee said despite the city police commissioner informing the army about the state government's objection to their presence, the army men had refused to budge. Banerjee alleged that the army was taking money from the people at the toll plazas, and called it "loot". "Even if the Army carried out a mock exercise, the state government should have been kept in the loop. If this is happening in a civil area in Bengal, this could happen in Bihar, next in Uttar Pradesh, then in Tamil Nadu and other states as well. It is a very serious situation and it is dangerous than Emergency. We are facing an extremely black day," she said. "I'll urge all state governments to look into the matter. A team of Opposition... all political leaders... will meet the president (soon)," she added. Soon after Banerjee's allegations, the spokesman said the routine exercise was being carried out in all states of the eastern region. "Permission for carrying out this exercise in West Bengal was initially sought for November 28. On specific request of the police the date had been shifted to December 1. No permission has been withdrawn so far," the spokesman added. "Routine exercise in all NE states. In Assam @ 18 places, Arunanchal@13, WB@19, Manipur@6, Nagaland@5, Meghalaya@5, Tripura & Mizoram," the Eastern Command tweeted. But the Kolkata police said they had given their objection in writing. "Army exercise at Toll Plaza was objected to in writing by Kolkata Police, citing security reasons & traffic inconvenience," the Kolkata police claimed on its twitter handle. --IANS ssp/vgu/ ( 842 Words) 2016-12-02-03:36:13 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has hit back at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for politicising the mock drill conducted by the Indian Army and alleged that she is least bothered about her state and of late has been campaigning across the country against the Centre's demonetisation move. "It's so ridiculous that the CM does not know about the mock drill of the army, which takes place every three to four years.. It is quite strange that the CM is not aware about it even as the DM and state administration has proper knowledge about the same," BJP leader Rahul Sinha told ANI. Mamata has said that she is waiting at the Bengal State Secretariat "to guard democracy" as the army is still stationed at the spot even hours after she expressed her apprehensions on the same. Mamata described the event as extremely unfortunate. "Very unfortunate. Army stationed in front of Nabanno, the Bengal State Secretariat in a high security zone, in-spite of police objection ," she tweeted "I am waiting here at the Secretariat and watching, to guard our democracy," she added. Earlier, Mamata alleged that the army was deployed at the behest of the Centre at two toll plazas, Palsit and Dankuni, on NH 2 without informing the state government. Mamata said this move clearly violates the nation's federal structure. "The state was not informed about this development. In a federal structure, the functions of Centre and state are clearly divided. But this act clearly violates our jurisdiction," she said. According to reports, at least six vehicles of military police were spotted at the toll plaza Vidyasagar Setu, a bridge that connects Kolkata to Howrah. However, it was later reported to be a mere routine exercise. Reacting to this, the chief minister stated that the permission of the government is needed even if the army was to conduct a mock trial in the state. "Even if the army conducted mock trial, the permission of the state should have been sought," she said. Mamata said that she would not take this incident lightly as she would approach President Pranab Mukherjee and apprise him of the matter. (ANI) A government notification said old notes will continue to be accepted for the other utility bill payments as well as at railway ticketing counters and counters of government or public sector undertaking buses for purchase of bus tickets till December 15. While junking old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes on November 8 last month, the government had allowed their use for utility bill payments for 72 hours. The deadline was extended twice and when the last one was to expire on November 24, it amended it to state that only the old 500 rupee notes could be used for payment of utility bills like electricity and water, school fees, pre-paid mobile top-up, fuel purchase and airline ticket booking. Also, the government has dropped its earlier announced plan to allow the use of old 500 rupee notes for payment of toll at national highways from Saturday. (ANI) With the deployment of the army at various check points across West Bengal dominating discourse in parliament on Friday, Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said it was a routine exercise and insisted that an apolitical institution like the army must not be dragged into controversies. Naidu also said that casting aspersions on Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unacceptable. "It is a sensitive matter as it pertains to the army, let us not derail from important issues. Bengal was taken into confidence, it happened last year and last to last year. Let's not drag the army into controversy," Naidu said. Raising the issue, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad sought a clarification from the Centre and asked as to why the state's rights are being impinged on. "It seems out of the way. Army doesn't collect toll? There is no law and order issue in WB for Army to be deployed? The centre must clarify it, in fact PM must clarify as to why state's rights are being impinged on," Azad said After Opposition allegation, MoS Defence Subhash Ramrao Bhamre said that the information that this House has is "factually incorrect." "Army was in Bengal for a routine exercise," adding that the Opposition raised a ruckus. While Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien tried to calm the Upper House, Opposition leaders raised slogans against Narendra Modi government and its "tanashahi" (dictatorship). The Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleged that the RS is being mislead by MoS Defence Subhash Bhamre and no conclusive answer in being given by centre on Army deployment (ANI) Kids digital learning platform found that a majority of parents aspire to provide their children with an environment that encourages learning. A subscription-based platform for children's curated content, AppyStore.in, has released some insightful findings, based on an extensive survey that examined the relationship between parents' participation in their child's development and the role of the school. However, most parents are unsatisfied with the steps they take to boost their child's progress, and feel dependent on the school to know what activities and exercises are appropriate for development. Only 14.98 percent of the parents, who were a part of the survey claimed that they have been making conscious investments in planning their child's developmental activities from a very early age. The section of respondents who claimed to take initiative and support their child's learning journey was marginally bigger, at 22.3 percent. A staggering 52.96 percent parents admitted to letting the school their child attends decide the right pace of development for him or her. At the same time, a positive change in the attitude towards learning priorities was discovered, with only 6.62 percent of parents expressing the conservative sentiment that the school should focus more on academics than extracurricular activities. These figures make it apparent that many parents are passive participants in their child's intellectual development and look to schools to guide their children in the right direction. This also underlines the need for a curated plan to help parents in taking a more active role towards the holistic education of their wards. Home and school are two of the most important institutions in an individual's life, and greatly influence a child's mental growth. Both centres of knowledge are equally instrumental in a child's growth, and thus need to work in tandem. Manoj Barot, Director Marketing, Mauj Mobile (parent company of AppyStore.in), said, "AppyStore.in is committed to the development of young children, and demographic studies are very important to understand the way parents and kids approach learning. Our recent findings are crucial to our mission of involving parents in the process of providing children with balanced education. We have observed that parents are enthusiastic about helping their children learn and excel, and trust the opinion of school teachers and administration. While this represents a positive relationship between home and school, parents need to participate more actively and put in just as much effort as the school does. Using digital tools will help both parents and teachers to make development simple and fun for young minds." AppyStore.in ensures standard delivery of content to kids in the form of videos, games, apps and worksheets, which are rated and reviewed by AppyStore.in's child development experts and are in sync with school curricula in India and across the globe. (ANI) Traffic on the East Coast Road was affected for half-an-hour as the fishermen of Bommayarpalayam in Villippuram District of Tamil Nadu resorted to road blockade today to press their demands. They were demanding among other things the immediate setting up of Groin in Bommayarpalayam coast to prevent sea erosion. It may be noted that the Bommayarpalayam fishermen lost two thatched houses and a boat in high tide and sea erosion. Stating that they had put forth the demand to set up Groin since long time and the Tamil Nadu government failed to respond, the fishermen resorted to the agitation. On hearing about the road blockade, Thasildar and other revenue officials rushed to the spot and assured them to start work for setting up Groin before the end of this month. Based on this assurance,the fishermen called off the agitation.UNI PAB CS 1047 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1047960.Xml A released militant, who had allegedly decamped with a weapon from a police station, was killed in retaliatory fire by Army in south Kashmir district of Anantnag, a police spokesman said here today. He said at about 1720 hrs last evening, an accused, identified as Sajad Malik alias Bita Malik, decamped with an AK rifle along with one magazine from Police Station Dooru in Anantnag district. After firing some shots near the market, and taking advantage of the darkness, he managed to escape towards Zamalgam, the spokesman said, adding that on way near Cherikari, he fired towards an Army patrol. The fire was retaliated and in the exchange of fire, Malik was killed, police spokesman claimed. The deceased was a released militant and a history-sheeter. However, the family members and locals alleged that Malik was arrested for taking part in the demonstrations against the government during the unrest in the valley. Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) Chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir termed the killing of Malik, a former Congress 'sarpanch' as politically motivated. He demanded a judicial inquiry alleging that it was a clear case of custodial killing and a fake encounter. Mr Mir said people have seen him riding on a motorbike driven by an SPO who later dropped him near Aagnoo village where he was killed by Army. Despite bail order by the court, police was not releasing him and he had been under detention for more than one-and-a-half months, the PCC chief said and demanded a judicial inquiry so that truth comes to fore," Mr Mir said, adding that he too had pleaded for his release after he was granted bail.UNI BAS SV SB 1030 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-1047947.Xml With opposition parties leaving no stone unturned to corner the Centre over its demonetisation move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to address a Parivartan rally here tomorrow. Amid tight security arrangements, the Prime Minister would again give his version of the demonetisation before the masses in Uttar Pradesh, which is going to polls early next year. Security personnel have already been deployed with SPG sleuths taking over the rally ground, which is in sector two of the city. This would be the fourth parivartan rally of the PM, first being on November 14 in Ghazipur, second in Agra on November 20 and the third in Kushinagar on November 27. After Moradabad, Mr Modi will address two more Parivartan rallies, at Bariach on December 11 and in Kanpur on December 19. BJP leaders in the region are preparing to go with all guns blazing in this Parivartan rally and the party has kept a target of gathering a crowd of more than two lakh to showcase that public is supporting demonetisation move. The party's Moradabad district unit president Hari Om Sharma said here today that more than two lakh people belonging to Moradabad division, including Moradabad, Rampur, Amroha, Sambhal and Bijnor, are expected to participate in the rally "As a large number of people will attend the rally,it will showcase that public is with PM Narendra Modi. If people are angry or disappointed with demonetisation move of the PM, the public will never make efforts to attend his rally," Sharma said. He added that a high turnout at Mr Modi's rally will give a befitting reply to the opposition parties which have been criticising scrapping of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 currency notes. For ensuring adequate gathering at the rally, BJP leaders have been publicising about the proposed Modi's Parivartan rally in remote villages. "Though public is enthusiastic about the rally, we are informing them about the schedule at the block level and interiors. A large number of people want to attend the rally but we lack adequate vehicles to help them to visit the rally ground," said Sharma. Apart from the PM, state party chief Keshav Prasad Maurya and party state in charge Om Mathur are expected to participate in the rally there. Local leaders have started preparation for of the grand event. The yatra, which was started from four corners of UP Saharanpur, Laliltpur, Sonbhadra and Ballia was flagged off by party president Amit Shah at Saharanpur on November 5. After travelling all 403 assembly constituencies, the four yatras will culminate on December 24 in Lucknow. The yatra, which began from Saharanpur, will reach Moradabad on December 3 and will stay there for two days before leaving for Rampur. It will reach Bareilly by December 8.UNI MB SB 1144 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0196-1047969.Xml Lalji Singh son of a retired constable Tehsildar Singh used to go for morning walk everyday and like other days, he went out for walk at around 0530 hrs when the unidentified gunmen opened two rounds of fire at him killing him on the spot. The body was sent for post-mortem and a case was registered against unidentified miscreants.UNI XC-BDG SB 1312 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-1048136.Xml The Indian Army on Friday denied West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's accusation that troops were deployed at toll plazas while keeping the state government in the dark and said the exercise has been conducted in coordination with local police authorities. "We deny all charges with all contempt," said the officiating General Officer Commanding of Bengal area Major General Sunil Yadav. "Allegations of collection of money by Army from passing vehicles are totally baseless," he said. "The Army personnel of Eastern command at the local level are carrying out routine annual data collection exercises on the availability of load carriers at all major entry points in various states. This is being done in coordination with local police authorities," Major General Yadav told the media. He said the exercise was planned earlier for November 27-28, but postponed to November 30-December 2 due to specific request by the Kolkata Police due to a shutdown called on November 28. "This is an annual exercise. A similar exercise was carried out in 2015 at the same locations from November 19-21. There was a similar exercise in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar from September 26-October 1 under the South Western Command," he said. He said the Army intimated the Kolkata Police as also various authorities of the West Bengal government on November 24 regarding this exercise. "After receiving certain observations from local police, we replied on November 26, clarifying on the points." The Army officer said a joint reconnaisance was conducted by army personnel and two inspectors of Kolkata Police on November 27. "We mutually identified the locations and telephonically conveyed that the issue has been resolved. This is how we conducted the exercise," Major General Yadav said. Asked if there were coordination issues between the state goverment and the Army, the officer said: "There was no coordination problem from our side." He refused to comment when asked if the Army would reach out to the West Bengal government to resolve the issue. The Chief Miniter had accused the Centre of deploying army along a highway toll plaza at the second Hooghly Bridge, about 500 metres from state Secretariat 'Nabanna' in neighbouring Howrah district. On Thursday evening, Banerjee claimed the Army was deployed at Dankuni and Palsit toll plazas on the National Highway 2 (connecting Delhi and Kolkata) without informing her government. --IANS ssp/tsb/vm ( 400 Words) 2016-12-02-15:26:13 (IANS) All water bodies were again frozen in Ladakh region as minimum temperature recorded considerable drop while night became again chilly in the Kashmir Valley. A Met Department spokesman today said weather will remain dry in Jammu and Kashmir during the next 24 hours which could result in further chill during the night. There will be no change in weather during subsequent two days. All water bodies, including rivers, were frozen as the minimum temperature witnessed considerable drop. At Leh the minimum temperature dropped and settled at minus 9.1 degrees Celsius against. However, temperature at all heights, including on border with Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) and China was between minus 20 degrees and 30 degrees. However, security forces remained deployed on the border to prevent any infiltration from the PoK. The spokesman said the sky would be mainly clear and the maximum and minimum temperature would be around 11 degrees and minus 4 degrees respectively during the next 24 hours in Leh. The Valley continued to reel under severe cold as minimum temperature witnessed a considerable drop due to clear sky during night. In mosques "Hamams" are being used for warm water for devotees and also warming inner side of the worship places. Government has provided wood for Hamams on subsidised rates in the Valley. The minimum temperature in Srinagar recorded drop and settled at minus 2 degrees, though the Sun was out and cold winds also continued. The spokesman said the sky would be mainly clear with haze and the maximum and minimum temperatures would be around 14 degrees and minus 2 degrees in the summer capital during next 24 hours. At winter capital, Jammu, where the Government is functioning, the sky would be mainly clear and the maximum and minimum temperatures would be around 25 degrees and 10 degrees respectively during the next 24 hours. UNI BAS SW SNU 1426 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0153-1048100.Xml Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah todayassured a delegation of religious heads from Northern Karnataka that the government will reconsider its decision to withdraw thenotification declaring 17,872 hectares of the reserved forest areasof Kappatagudda Hills in Gadag district after declaring it as'conservation reserve'. He gave the assurance to a delegation of over fifty seers fromvarious mutts of North Karnataka who met him and appealed to him toprotect Kappatgudda forest area in Mundargi Taluk of Gadag District. He said he would head a committee that would soon review thedecision and take appropriate decision soon after the end of thewinter session of the legislature. It may be recalled here that the Karnataka State Board ofWildlife had cleared the proposal to declare 17,872 ha conservationreserve out of the total 32,346.524 ha of the Kappatagudda forestsarea. The notification in according the 'conservation reserve' tagwas issued under Section 36A of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 onDecember 19 last year following strong pressure from the variousenvironmental organisations and activists and religious institutionsof Gadag and adjoining districts of the North Karnataka region. Tontadarya Swami reminded the Chief Minister a reference made inthe notification that the reserved forest areas had rich naturalforest cover comprising many of the features similar to that of theWestern Ghats and was popularly known as Western Ghats of Northern Karnataka. Tontadarya swami said these forests are home to many medicinalplants and wildlife and is spread over Gadag (401 ha), Mundargi(15,453.6 ha), Shirahatti (2,016.7 ha) taluks of Gadag district.There were reports of deposits of different minerals, such as gold,manganese and copper. There was 63 per cent iron content in the ironore available in these forests and around 4 gram of gold from out ofone tone of ore. That apart there were more than 30 water tanks,water-streams and other water bodies. Seers said, the government was serving the 'hidden agenda' ofleasing out these forest areas to mining companies and thereforeducked to the pressure. The government should not go against thepeople's demand to protect the Kappatagudda forests to serve thecause of the exploitative mining companies. Already, several miningcompanies had caused huge destruction of forests areas and exploitedmineral wealth and cause environmental pollution. This should nothappen again, other seers said. They suggested to develop an exclusive deer park within theKappataguda forests to protect both the deers and black bucks andalso preventing them from straying out of forests for green fodderand standing agricultural crops. Chief Minister assured to seers and said we will discuss thismatter with related officials. Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister H.K. Patil, who isalso district incharge of Gadag explained the struggle of seers toprotect the Kappatagudda forests for the past several years.UNI HVN CNR GM1420 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0284-1048221.Xml West Bengal's opposition parties on Friday lashed out at Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee for trying to use the army to score political brownie points. The state Bharatiya Janata Party even demanded her resignation. Accusing the central government of deploying the army at several highway toll plazas while keeping her government in the dark, Banerjee stayed put at the state secretariat Nibanna on Thursday night and continued to remain there till Friday afternoon. Banerjee has argued that she was keeping vigil at the secretariat to protect democracy, the federal structure and her elected government. But her political opponents in the state were far from impressed. "Mamata is trying to create a mountain out of a molehill without having proper knowledge of civil administration and armed force interface," Communist Party of India-Marxist MP Md. Salim told IANS over phone. "Instead of addressing the common man's suffering after demonetisation, she is trying to hog the political limelight by creating controversies. It is unfortunate that the army is being used to gain political mileage," he said. State Congress chief Adhir Chowdhury said the deputation of army has got nothing to do with Trinamool's anti-demonetisation push. "We have complete faith and respect towards the Indian Army. The army deployment has got nothing to do with demonetisation or threatening the state. I refuse to believe in the Chief Minister's conspiracy theories," Chowdhury told IANS. The BJP, on the other hand, went a step further, accusing Banerjee of being completely oblivious to the administrative developments in the state. "Mamata has understood that her anti-demonetisation drive has failed and people are whole-heartedly supporting (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji's fight against black money. Now she is trying to divert people's attention by highlighting a non issue," BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha told IANS. Sinha said the army wrote letters to not just the city administration but even to the district magistrates in West Bengal informing them about the routine exercise. "May be she is not aware of local developments as she is blindly running for the limelight in national politics. I think she should resign as the Chief Minister as these communication gaps can be dangerous for the state," he said. --IANS mgr/ssp/py/bg ( 381 Words) 2016-12-02-17:06:13 (IANS) The BJP today exuded confidence that notwithstanding differences between the Government and the Opposition parties that led to collapse of proceedings in Parliament during last three weeks, there would be possibly some "breakthrough" next week. "We think Parliament will function normally next week," a party leader said. The Government floor managers are also reaching out to NDA allies especially the Shiv Sena to give push for the passage of three Goods and Services Tax (GST) enabling Bills. The BJP issued whips directing party MPs to be present in both the Houses, sources said here today. The winter session of Parliament that commenced on November 16 was initially considered to have early passage of Central GST and related Integrated GST legislation as the chief priority. Normally, the winter session used to begin only in the third week of November but the session was advanced to November 16 this year ostensibly only to pass the key GST-related bills. In the winter session, Parliament, according to the Government's agenda, was also likely to take up at least 15 new Bills, sources had said. The Central Government is also expected to push for passage of the ordinance which seeks to amend the Enemy Property Act. The ordinance to amend the nearly 50-year-old Enemy Property Law was promulgated more than once. The Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016 seeks to guard against claims of succession or transfer of properties left by people who migrated to Pakistan after wars. The Government had earlier set April 1, 2017 as the deadline to migrate country's economy and trading system to the new tax regime (GST). On the vexed currency ban issue, the ruling party feels that other than Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, most parties in Lok Sabha would support a resolution that would "welcome demonetisation drive as a good objective". According to BJP leaders, Trinamool is against any such resolution. Meanwhile, Trinamool sources said another key regional outfit AIADMK of Tamil Nadu would also support Trinamool in opposing the demonetisation scheme "lock, stock and barrel". "A section of BJP leaders and floor managers are insisting that the motion or the draft note for a resolution should say this House in principle supports demonetisation," a source said. The BJP leaders, however, said Ms Banerjee is indulging "in negative politics" and indulging in "wild allegations" by making baseless charges against Indian Army. "There is a new line...my life is under threat. A plane delayed, it is her life. And then comes army patrol at toll plaza. It's all publicity game," another BJP leader said. "Defence Minister Manohor Parrikar has rightly put in the Lok Sabha that Trinamool behaviour was both shocking and only reflected political frustration," he said on the condition of anonymity. Meanwhile, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said in a tweet: "Accusing Central Govt. of a Military Coup against a State Govt, Mamata Didi @MamataOfficial, this is height of Schizophrenia". BJP's official Twitter account said in a posting, "Saddening that a routine exercise by the Army has been turned into a controversy by West Bengal CM." Babul Supriyo, Union Minister and a BJP MP from Asansol in his tweet said, "Army stopping trucks to EXTORT money from them" --- Says Mamata Banerjee, Honble CM of Bengal !!! How low can politics go !!!!" Ms Banerjee, who has been steadfastly opposing currency ban, is also likely to visit Gujarat as part of her nationwide campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies. During her visit to the western state, she is also likely to interact with Hardik Patel, the convener of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti, Trinamool sources said.UNI DEVN SW SNU 1727 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0445-1048553.Xml A report of the Karnataka legislative assemblyon alleged irregularities in implementation of Bangalore-MysoreInfrastructure Corridor Project (BMICP) has recommended a probe byCBI or Enforcement Directorate (ED) or any other investigativeagency of equal standing at the national level. In its 391-page report, the House Committee pointed out that NICEcompany which is implementing the project had illegally collected Rs1350 crore as highway toll fee since 2008 as it had laid a bitumenroad while the Frame Work Agreement (FWA) had laid condition that itshould be concrete road. The report observed that the company has violated 16 of 22schedules made in the agreement with the Government. During 1997, Karnataka government and NISEL the parent company ofNandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) which is executingthe project, entered into FWA to build 111 km expressway betweenBengaluru and Mysuru and 41 km peripheral road around Bengaluru. The report tabled in the Karnataka legislative Assembly today byChairman of the committee and Law Minister T B Jayachandra has alsosuggested withdrawal of about 11,660 acres of prime land aroundBengaluru city in position of the company which is in excess of theland required for the project. These land were lingering for a long time under various stagesof acquisition in the absence of Cledstal Maps which the privatepartner was yet to submit even after two decades after the date ofcommencement of the project. The committee felt is appropriateto exclude these lands from acquisition. Land owners have beenundergoing undue hardship both due to delay in implementation ofproject and protracted retention of these lands. It also pointed out that land meant for inter changeconnectivity has been misused by the company thereby earning anillegal revenue of Rs 4956 crore. It had accused the company of acquiring the land for the projectat Government rate and commercially exploiting it without completingthe project till date. It also says that the company illegally builta quarry on the land for mining, thereby cheating the Government ofRs 250 crore in terms of royalty. The leader of the Opposition in legislative Assembly JagadishShetter pointed out that the company has cheated the farmers who arestill awaiting compensation for the land lost by them and the scamshould be handed over to CBI or Enforcement Directorate. The report said, ''The committee feels there is an urgent needto finalise particulars of 'Companies events of Default and 'GOKevent of Default' to facilitate specific identification of omissionsand commissions. Considering these developments, the current stagesof the project, amendments and modifications to the project profileand irregularities in FWA management, there is an urgent need toinstitute an enquiry fixing accountability and also for takingremedial measures. The committee, therefore recommended for anexhaustive inquiry by CBI or investigative agencies of equalstanding, under changed circumstances''.UNI RS CNR CS 1607 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0284-1048439.Xml The house in Batipora village of Tral -- the hometown of Wani -- was raided in a crackdown on over-ground networks of militants. "During preliminary investigation it was established that Zakir alias Mosa used to record videos in one of the rooms of the house," a police statement said. "Some clothes and other material used by Zakir in different videos and photographs were also recovered. A manhunt has been launched for the absconding house owner. Zakir became the Hizbul commander after Wani was killed in a gunfight with security forces on July 8. --IANS sq/sar/bg ( 137 Words) 2016-12-02-18:48:16 (IANS) The U S Ambassador to India Richard R Verma arrived here yesterday on his maiden visit to attend Nagaland's 53rd Statehood Day. US Consulate Media Coordinator Ipshita Nandi Banerjee in a release said this visit was part of Ambassador Verma's familiarization tour through North East India from November 29 to December 3 and during this trip Ambassador Verma underscored several key aspects of the strong US-India partnership. He attended the Hornbill Festival in Naga Heritage Village Kisama to understand and celebrate Naga traditions and the state's unique culture. He also enjoyed walking through the Hornbill Night Carnival from 'Y' Junction to Razhu Point last evening, where he remarked that he had heard a lot about Nagaland's tribal way of life and customs, its clean environment and natural beauty. He said he has seen Nagaland's immense potential as a tourism destination and opportunities for U S partnership. Today Ambassador Verma toured the Kohima War cemetery and paid tribute to the brave soldiers of India and the allied forces, which fought together during World War II. While in Kohima, Ambassador Verma also made a courtesy call on Chief Minister T.R. Zeliang and met with Government of Nagaland officials and civil society leaders, the release said. UNI AS KK -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0212-1049053.Xml The Mahindra Ecole Centrale (MEC) College ofEngineering, an Indo-French Technology institution based inHyderabad, has recently organized an industry connect session on the central theme of 'EQ versus IQ' here, targeted at human resource (HR) specialists. The event witnessed participation from around 40 industry leaders from HR domain, who deliberated on the role of the Emotional Quotient (EQ) and Intelligence Quotient (IQ) within the organization and life. The Industry Connect platform of MEC sought to bring together human resources professionals from leading enterprises, business leaders and strategic thinkers to deliberate on the changing role of human capital in reshaping businesses in the near future as well as in shaping career growth opportunities and leadership roles for employees in organisations worldwide. The event sought to delve into the realm of IQ and EQ and what is the importance of each in today's evolved workplace: the age-old question of superiority of reason or emotions: IQ is a number derived from a person's reasoning ability which is measured using problem solving skills, while EQ is a person's capability torecognize emotions and to use these to guide behaviour and thinking. The event brought to fore the equal importance that needs to be put on both for the organizations to grow.UNI ST SS SM1915 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0171-1049044.Xml He is the first Indian at the University-level to be conferredthis special honour, according to an official release here today. The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), World's largestProfessional Organisation in Computing from 70 Countries has named45 Distinguished Members for their individual contributions to thefield of computing this year. ACM President Vicki L Hanson said that "Our global roster of2016 Distinguished Members reminds us that excellence in our fieldknows no borders. For all our new Distinguished Members, wecelebrate their dedication to computing, their creativity, and theirexemplary professional accomplishments." Prof Venugopal serving in Bangalore University for the last fourdecades. He has authored and edited 64 books published by SpringerVerlag, Tata McGraw Hill, IEEE Elsevier and published more than 600papers in refereed International Journals and InternationalConferences. He was a visiting Professor at University of SouthernCalifornia in USA. With his recognition as ACM Distinguished Educator and IEEEFellow, Prof Venugopal is the only academician, who has beenconferred both the prestigeous honours in the country.UNI MSP CNR GM1810 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0284-1048841.Xml T-Hub, in partnership with Anthill, invites applications for the national finals of Global Mobile Challenge 2016, to be held in the T-Hub campus here on December 9 and 10. Winners from Hyderabad will represent India at The Global Mobile Challenge Asia Pacific event in Singapore and subsequently at the global event, the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, 2017, T-Hub Chief Executive Officer Jay Krishnan said in a statement here today. Launched in 2013 in the Middle East, Global Mobile Challenge is the largest global competition, held across 5 continents which distinguishes the best apps and solutions for mobile devices developed by young entrepreneurs around the world. Speaking on the occasion, he said "We are glad to be hosting the national finals for Global Mobile Challenge 2016 and partnering with Anthill on the initiative. It's a great platform for entrepreneurs from around the world to compete and display their innovations. The startups will also get a unique opportunity to network and scale their businesses." Global mobile challenge is known to bring together teams from each participating continents through regional finals, which culminates in the grand finale. The event also brings together entrepreneurs and innovators who have developed apps and other mobile solutions in both software and hardware sectors. The winning teams will be provided with training, education and access to an international network of mentors, angel investors, venture capitalists and industry leaders. Mr Sailesh Sigatapu, partner at Anthill said, "Global Mobile Challenge is a unique platform where entrepreneurs from around the world assemble at one place and get the opportunity to interact with the top influencers, mentors and investors. Conducting the national finals with T-Hub is a matter of pride and also close to Anthill's mission of helping startups in Asia Scale with Speed."UNI VV RJ 1946 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0098-1049107.Xml Police detained four Class 9 students for attacking two same class students of another school with a knife after a squabble in a running Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) town bus, here today. Police said the detained and injured students belonged to two different communities and studying in two different schools. The students quarrel with each other while travelling in the bus over the communities they belong to. The students had a fistfight last evening while returning from their respective schools in the bus and the passengers intervened and pacified them. However, the boys from Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, decided to take revenge on the other group of students. The quartet attacked two students of other group with a knife after a heated quarrel in the running bus. The passengers managed to overpower the students and handed over them to Muthiahpuram police. The two injured students were admitted to the government hospital for treatment. Further investigations were on. UNI GSM CS 1937 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-1049078.Xml Slamming Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi "a prisoner of his own image", the BJP today said it was the Congress that had made the whole country a captive of black money hoarders and led it to corruption, policy paralysis and social insecurity. BJP general secretary Shrikant Sharma in a statement said, "We have made efforts to eliminate corruption and check price rise and provide social security to the common man". Hitting out at Mr Gandhi for accusing Mr Modi of working only for TRP gain, the BJP leader said, "As far as the TRP was concerned, Rahul Gandhi was himself a champion of "photo op" politics. "You (Rahul Gandhi) are fighting TRP war with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal," Mr Sharma said. The BJP leader asserted that there had been a quantum jump in the TRP of the country in the world after Mr Modi took over as the Prime Minister. He said Mr Gandhi should not run away from debate by giving irrelevant statements. Another party spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said Mr Gandhi had been gripped by "Modi phobia" and he can't think and talk of anything else. Earlier, addressing a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party, Mr Gandhi said, ''The Congress never gave India a Prime Minister who is a prisoner of his own image. ''We never gave India a Prime Minister who based his entire policy making strategy on TRPs. We never gave India a PM who by-passed the experience of those sitting in the institutions. The country has suffered tremendous damage as a result of vanity and incompetence of our PM.''UNI NY-RBE SW SHK 1931 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0427-1049058.Xml The Goa Tourism has won awards in three different categories during the last two weeks. A press release issued here today said that, Goa Tourism bagged Best Conference Destination award at IITM, Pune, Best Wedding Destination by Travel+Leisure India and Favorite Indian Leisure Destination by Conde Nast Traveller Reader's Travel Awards 2016. While in the past, Goa Tourism was accredited with several awards for Best Wedding and Leisure Destination, this is the first time that Goa Tourism has been endorsed as the Best Conference Destination at the recently concluded IITM, Pune. Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar said, ''Goa is a preferred destination by corporates for conferences as the state has the state of-the-art infrastructure to host events of national and international repute. Goa also has a good connectivity, luxury resorts and starred hotels which is an added advantage for MICE tourism. Goa also has an attractive portfolio of activities that makes it a destination for conferences, put together with tourism activities and events. The demand for hosting of conventions and exhibitions is growing. The award won for Best Conference Destination endorses Goa as a perfect location for MICE activities.'' GTDC chairman Nilesh Cabral said, ''Goa is the perfect Wedding and Leisure Destination with a stunning coastline, scenic beauty, adventure and a picturesque backdrop for a perfect bespoke wedding.We are extremely honoured to receive such prestigious awards that take the tourism industry of Goa to higher level.''UNI AKM SS SM AKC SHK 1934 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0169-1048869.Xml Former British Prime Minister David Cameron called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Friday and the two discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said Modi recalled his successful visit to the UK in November 2015, and thanked Cameron for his "personal support and contribution to strengthening India-UK ties during his tenure as Prime Minister of the UK". Cameron is in India to attend a media event on Saturday. This is his first trip to India since he stepped down following the referendum victory of supporters of UK's exit from the European Union. --IANS sar/dg ( 112 Words) 2016-12-02-20:16:13 (IANS) A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) constable was today seriously injured in an encounter with Naxals in a forest of Turpunguda village in Chhattisgarh's Naxal-affected Sukma district, police said. A team of CRPF's 201 Cobra Battalion had set out on patrol in the forest when Naxals opened fire on them. Constable Rajesh Tomar was injured during the firing. Police claimed that it gunned down two Naxals but no bodies could be recovered. In another instance, a joint police team was engaged in combing operation near Hiroli village when the feet of CRPF's 2014 Cobra Battalion's two constables Mumendra Kumar and Tarun Kumar got stuck into a spike hole. The injured constables were provided primary treatment at Bijapur and referred to Mekaj.UNI XC-PS AKC SHK 2127 -- (UNI) -- C-1-DL0044-1049262.Xml American Airlines Group Inc will cut nearly 25 per cent of its flights to Cuba in 2017, a company spokesman said, attributing the move to travel demand rather than the election of Republican Donald Trump as US president.Starting in mid-February, American, the world's largest airline, will offer one trip a day instead of two from Miami to Holguin, Santa Clara and Varadero, reducing its daily service to 10 round-trip flights from the current 13, spokesman Matt Miller said in a telephone interview.The airline also hopes to lower capacity on three of the seven routes it operates to Cuba. It plans to use a 128-seat aircraft between Miami and Holguin instead of a 160-seater, and hopes to contract out flights to Camaguey and Cienfuegos to a regional carrier that would use 76-seat aircraft, pending US regulatory approval. The regional partner is Republic Airways Holdings Inc."This was done purely to remain competitive in the market," Miller said. "We can't speculate on what the next administration may do."Airlines are generally expected to perform poorly when entering a previously restricted market, but American's decision to prune its Cuban itinerary two months after starting service may come as a surprise in light of the industry's enthusiasm to fly to the Communist-run island."If American can't earn the profit that it requires from these routes, they're going to cut back on the flying. It's as simple as that," said Henry Harteveldt, founder of the travel consultancy Atmosphere Research Group.Trump, who takes office on Jan 20, threatened on Monday to end the recent rapprochement between the United States and its former Cold War foe unless Havana was willing to "make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban/American people and the US as a whole.".The United States and Cuba began normalizing relations in December 2014 after 18 months of secret talks and have since restored full diplomatic ties.They reached a memorandum of understanding that allowed US airlines to start scheduled flights to Cuba this year after a half-century hiatus. President Barack Obama's administration has eased travel restrictions for US citizens, although general tourism remains illegal.Republican leaders in the US Congress oppose ending the decades-long trade embargo against Cuba.REUTERS SDR PR1057 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-1047965.Xml Tens of thousands of Muslims poured into central Jakarta today to protest against the city's governor, a Christian accused of insulting the Koran, fuelling tension that has alarmed Indonesian President Joko Widodo.Widodo has blamed "political actors" for exploiting the popular fury over Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama to destabilise his government. Underlining those concerns, police announced today that 10 people had been detained for alleged treason.A sea of white-clad protesters had built up around the National Monument by mid-morning and, with no more room there, the roads around it filled up with protesters chanting, praying and carrying banners demanding that Purnama be jailed.Police officials estimated that at least 150,000 people, including many who travelled to Jakarta from towns and cities across the island of Java, had gathered under quickening rain.Some reports put the number of protesters at more than 200,000.When asked what his message was for the military and police, Widodo told reporters at an event some distance from the rally: "Stand guard so that everything runs safely."National news agency Antara said 22,000 police personnel would be deployed to avoid a repeat of violence that flared during a protest led by hardline Islamists last month when more than 100 people were injured in clashes with police.Jakarta Governor Purnama, an ethnic Chinese popularly known as Ahok and a long-time ally of the president, is running for re-election in February against two Muslim candidates.The contest has generated high political tension for weeks, with rumours of plots to undermine Widodo and scupper his chances of winning a second term in 2019.Widodo is a long-time ally of Purnama. Police have warned against attempts to destabilise the government.Police spokesman Rikwanto told a news conference that 10 people who he identified only by their initials had been detained before dawn, citing articles of the criminal code that cover conspiracy and acts of treason. Two of them were charged under the law of information technology for hate speech."They have now been detained and are undergoing investigation," said Rikwanto, who goes by only one name.Indonesia has the world's biggest Muslim population but recognises six religions and is home to dozens of ethnic groups, some of which follow traditional beliefs.Purnama is being investigated over comments he made about his opponents' use of the Koran in campaigning. He denies wrongdoing but has apologised for the remarks.Police yesterday handed over a dossier from their investigation of his comments to prosecutors, who are expected to take the case of alleged blasphemy to court in coming weeks."This gathering is an expression of Muslims being united as one people, one body," said Salist Nursolikhah, 49, who flew into Jakarta from the city of Yogjakarta to join the rally."It's not against a particular person because of his ethnicity. We are only against his action," she said.Simmering religious and ethnic tension last month prompted Widodo to rally top military, political and religious figures in a sign of unity amid fears of attempts to undermine the stability of his government.The Jakarta government has put up billboards on major roads calling for national unity and displaying pictures of independence heroes who fought against colonial rule.Purnama is popular with many for pushing through tough reforms to modernise the traffic-plagued capital.But opinion polls have shown him slipping into second place in the race for re-election as governor, a position that Widodo himself, who is popularly known as Jokowi, used as a stepping-stone to the presidency."Jokowi's handling has been inadequate because it looks like he's defending Ahok," said protester Rini Pupitasari. "We will keep demonstrating until he is detained. But we will do so peacefully." REUTERS SDR PR1105 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-1047976.Xml Islamic State is likely to launch more attacks in Europe, the EU police agency Europol warned today, with several dozen militants already in place and more possibly arriving as IS faces setbacks in Syria and Iraq.In a report on the threat the Islamist group poses to the 28-nation bloc, Europol said the most probable forms of attack would be those used in recent years, from the mass shootings and suicide bombings seen in Paris and Brussels to stabbings and other assaults by radicals acting alone.Car bombs and kidnappings, common in Syria, could emerge as tactics in Europe, it said, while protected sites such as power grids and nuclear power stations were not seen as top targets.Essentially the entire European Union is under threat as almost all its governments back the US-led coalition in Syria, the agency said, warning that IS was likely to infiltrate Syrian refugee communities in Europe in an effort to inflame hostility to immigrants that has shaken many EU governments."If IS is defeated or severely weakened in Syria/Iraq by the coalition forces, there may be an increased rate in the return of foreign fighters and their families from the region to the EU or to other conflict areas," Europol said in a statement.It said Islamic State was also likely to start planning attacks and sending militants to Europe from Libya and that other groups, including al Qaeda and its affiliates, also continue to pose a threat to the continent.Europol Director Rob Wainwright said EU states had stepped up their security cooperation in the wake of IS attacks in the last couple of years, allowing more plots to be thwarted."Nevertheless," he said, "Today's report shows that the threat is still high and includes diverse components which can be only tackled by even better collaboration."REUTERS VS BL1533 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1048375.Xml China today expressed concern that an annual US defence policy bill suggests a plan to conduct high-level military exchanges with Taiwan, the self-governed island that Beijing sees as a breakaway province.The $618.7 billion dollar National Defense Authorization Act will likely come up for a vote in the US House of Representatives this week, and the Senate next week.Part of the bill "expresses the sense of Congress that (the US Department of Defense) should conduct a program of senior military exchanges between the United States and Taiwan".China has "serious concerns" about the bill and urges the United States to "scrupulously abide" by the one-China policy so as to not damage broader US-China relations, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said."China firmly opposes the United States and Taiwan carrying out any form of official contact or military exchange," Geng told reporters at a regular press briefing.China calls on all countries to recognise only one China, and its Beijing-based government, and not recognise Taiwan as a separate state.Nevertheless, Taiwan and the United States have close security ties, which infuriates Beijing.China is deeply suspicious of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, who took office this year, as it suspects she will push for formal independence.Tsai, who heads the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, says she wants to maintain the status quo with China and is committed to ensuring peace.Defeated Nationalist forces fled to Taiwan in 1949 after a civil war with the Communists. China has also never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.REUTERS VS BL1652 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1048577.Xml Police and fire officials in Southern California who dealt with the carnage of a mass shooting by Islamic militants that left 14 people dead will mark the one-year anniversary today of the attack that shook even the most hardened emergency responders.The massacre on Dec. 2, 2015, in San Bernardino by a married couple was one of the deadliest attacks by militants in the United States since the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked plane attacks.Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, 29, opened fire during a party and training session for San Bernardino County employees, who were Farook's co-workers, wounding 22 people in addition to the 14 killed.Police officers were stunned as they entered the conference room where Farook and Malik had fired on dozens of people, according to a report issued this year by the Police Foundation, which spoke to emergency responders and witnesses."It looked like a bomb had gone off," the report said, with blood covering the room and the smell of gunpowder filling the air.Today, the victims will be remembered with a ceremony at a San Bernardino blood bank, a 14-mile (23 km) bicycle ride - representing one mile for each person killed - and a moment of silence.The ceremony at the blood bank will be attended by officials and emergency responders, and residents are expected to line up to donate blood. The bike ride by police officers and others will be held a short time later, organizers said.The moment of silence will be held at 10:58 a.m., the time when the shooting was reported to emergency responders, San Bernardino city spokeswoman Monica Lagos said.In the evening, another local event is expected to draw at least 2,000 participants to an arena, she said.Authorities have said that US-born Farook and Malik, a native of Pakistan, were inspired by Islamic extremism. The couple died in a shootout with police four hours after the massacre.A special report this week by ABC News showed a photo of the gathering the couple had targeted, which included elements of a holiday party such as a Christmas tree and costumes.San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan told ABC News that Malik had previously expressed discontent with the party."She had essentially made the statement in an online account that she didn't think that a Muslim (her husband) should have to participate in a non-Muslim holiday or event," Burguan told ABC News.REUTERS VS AS1804 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0440-1048751.Xml US President-elect Donald Trump spoke on the telephone today with Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte and invited him to visit the White House next year during a "very engaging, animated" talk, an aide to Duterte said.The call lasted just over seven minutes, Duterte's special advisor, Christopher Go, said in a text message to media.Go, Duterte's longtime aide and better known as "Bong Go", said the Philippines president had invited Trump to come to his country next year when it is chair of a series of summits of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).REUTERS RSD GC2141 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0435-1049312.Xml by Xinhua writers Peter Barker, Gui Tao LONDON, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- The full effects of Brexit on Britain's trading relations may not be resolved for a further 20 years, a leading economics commentator has claimed. "Brexit negotiation -- narrowly defined -- will be over in two years; but the creation of a post-Brexit environment... is going to take, certainly, far longer," British economist and writer Martin Wolf told Xinhua in a recent exclusive interview. However, in an assessment of the complex road ahead for Britain as it creates new economic and trade ties, Wolf warned that exit from the European Union (EU) was merely the first step on the journey. "We will be making up a new trade policy which will probably take us 20 years," said Wolf, who is the associate editor of the London-based daily newspaper the Financial Times and also its chief economics commentator. After the referendum vote on June 23 to leave the EU, making Britain the first nation in the 28-member bloc to do so, Britain's path to exit and beyond has been unclear. Only two milestones are certain; the first is that exit is triggered by Britain activating Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. This was adopted by the EU in 2009 and provides a mechanism for a country to quit. The second is that the triggering of Article 50 starts a countdown of two years, during which time negotiations on exit take place. At the end of that time, the Britain leaves the EU. But even that exit of the EU may not be final. Negotiators on both sides may choose to create a transitional period between a formal exit and a formal cessation of EU rules and regulations by Britain. Some business leaders, politicians, and economists are in favor of this approach as it would allow trade and services to plan for a new environment rather than quickly jumping from the old EU business regime to a new Britain-only one. For Wolf, the Brexit negotiations are a forest of problems, and it is difficult to see light beyond their gloom. "This negotiation will largely be about exit and there are a lot of issues to discuss. It is quite possible this is all it will be about and it is quite possible there won't be agreement, in which case Britain will find itself exited without agreement and we will be in limbo," he said. Wolf believed that the four pillar principles of the EU single market -- the free movement of goods, capital, services and people -- were incompatible with the mandate that British Prime Minister Theresa May's new government has taken from the referendum result. He saw membership of the EU customs union, which provides tariff-free trade within the EU and imposes tariffs on selected external trade entering the union area, as incompatible with the government's Brexit stance. Wolf said: "I presume that our government will try to reach an agreement on at least a transitional trade arrangement with the EU. We don't know what it will try to seek, but I think given that it wishes to impose controls on immigration -- the PM sees that as the paramount objective -- that means we cannot stay in the single market. I don't believe the EU will agree to let us in the single market. "I don't think it will be politically tenable for the UK to stay in the customs union, because that means we cannot have our own trade policy, and I think the Brexiteers will break the government if we don't get out of the customs union." Wolf believed that there was a possibility of trying to reach, at least as a transitional arrangement, a free trade agreement with the existing members of the EU; an arrangement that would allow the Britain to make Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with other countries. The EU negotiates on trade as a bloc, and as long as the Britain remains in the EU it cannot begin FTA negotiations with other nations. But Wolf pointed out that a UK-EU FTA would not replicate current conditions, and there would be change and turbulence. "The change will be somewhere between bad and disastrous. It is absolutely unambiguous that the UK's access to the EU market will be worse and we won't have better access to anywhere because no one is going to negotiate with us until we have left the EU," said Wolf. There could be an FTA with the EU, but rules of origin restrictions -- where parts, for instance, of cars or aircraft were manufactured -- would be complex. Wolf said: "We can have an FTA on goods, with absolutely nothing in the service sector; I believe it could be decided by the EU under qualified majority voting and that would make it relatively easy to agree. "Since there are a number of EU countries for whom the UK is an important market, Germany for instance, it is conceivable to me that a FTA in goods could be agreed. "It might also be possible to get agreement on some areas of services on the basis of equivalence regimes, but here as far as I can see we would probably need unanimity and I'm not sure unanimity could be agreed," he noted. Wolf said his estimate was that at the end of two years the "best that we could hope for is an FTA in goods, probably nothing in services, just conceivable coverage of some financial services." But what of trade with the rest of the world? After an EU deal, Britain would deal with its English-speaking potential partners -- the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand "because they are relatively simple and straightforward and would indicate (the government) is doing something; if TPP existed we might try to dock on it, but it doesn't look likely," said Wolf. Or Britain might go for trade deals across the globe with other partners. "China for sure, India, possibly some Latin American countries. These are all going to be big, complicated things to do because the comparative advantage in relationships are quite complicated between these countries," he said. The journey is a long one, and Wolf sees more downsides than upsides, at least in the short to medium term. "The immediate effect will clearly be worse than what we have got now. The only question we are discussing is how much worse," he said. OSLO, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Norway's central bank said Thursday it has recommended increasing the proportion of the sovereign wealth fund's investments in equities to 75 percent from 60 percent. "The Executive Board of Norges Bank advises the Ministry of Finance to increase the equity share in the fund's strategic benchmark index to 75 percent," the bank said in a statement. "The expected average annual real return on a portfolio with 40 percent bonds and 60 percent equities is estimated at 2.1 percent over 10 years and 2.6 percent over 30 years," the bank said. "If the equity allocation is increased to 75 percent, the expected average annual real return over 10 years increases to 2.5 percent and to 3.5 percent over 30 years," it said. Norges Bank was requested in February to assess whether the relationship between expected return and risk for equities and bonds respectively had changed since the equity share was evaluated and changed in 2006, and whether there are conditions that warrant a change in equity share in the fund's strategic benchmark index. "The expected volatility of a portfolio comprising 75 percent equities and 25 percent bonds is currently lower than it was reasonable to assume in 2006. The expected excess return of equities over bonds currently appears to be somewhat higher, and the fund now accounts for a much larger proportion of total petroleum wealth," the bank said. "As is the case today, there will be considerable volatility in the value of the fund. A high equity share presupposes that the investment strategy can be maintained," it added. The fund had a market value of 7,118 billion kroner (844 billion U.S. dollars) at the end of the third quarter and was invested 60.6 percent in equities, 36.6 percent in fixed income and 3.1 percent in real estate. Enditem HELSINKI, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Part of terminal two at Helsinki Airport was evacuated after 24 airport employees suffered from minor breathing symptoms on Thursday, Finnish national broadcaster Yle reported. All the employees were reported to have mild symptoms of breathing difficulties, as well as throat and eye irritations and nine of them were sent to hospital for treatment. Heini Harve-Rytsala, a physician at Peijas Hospital where the nine people were hospitalized, told Yle they had very mild symptoms. A better-equipped unit of Finland's defense forces was called in to investigate after the rescue workers failed to find what had cause the incident, according to Yle. Police have ruled out the possibility of the incident being a criminal offence. They believe the incident was most likely caused by a malfunction of the air-conditioning system. The part of the airport which was evacuated at Helsinki Airport was reopened in the evening. UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday apologized to the Haitian people for the United Nations' role in the cholera outbreak and spread in Haiti. "On behalf of the United Nations, I want to say very clearly: we apologize to the Haitian people," said Ban. "We simply did not do enough with regard to the cholera outbreak and its spread in Haiti," said Ban. "We are profoundly sorry for our role." "It is a blemish on the reputation of UN peacekeeping and the Organization world-wide," he said. Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacteria. It can cause severe acute watery diarrhoea. It is believed that cholera epidemic was introduced to Haiti by UN peacekeepers from Nepal, where cholera is endemic, after a massive earthquake hit Haiti in 2010. Over the past six years, cholera has afflicted nearly 800,000 people and claimed the lives of more than 9,000 Haitians, Ban said. Ban said Haiti remains home to the highest number of cholera cases in the world, and that the United Nations has a responsibility to act. The UN chief has presented to the UN General Assembly a new approach to cholera in Haiti which requested 400 million U.S. dollars over two years. The approach consists of intensified effort to respond to and reduce the incidence of cholera in Haiti and calls for material assistance to those most severely impacted by cholera. It would also require sufficient funding to provide money to the families of those who died of cholera. CANBERRA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Australian soldiers taking part in coalition operations against Islamic State (IS) in the Middle East have been given a 'license to kill', after the government passed last-minute legislation in the Senate on Thursday evening. As the government scrambled to get key legislation passed before both Houses began the Christmas break, the Criminal Code Amendment (War Crimes) Bill 2016, which gives Australian Defence Force personnel power to use lethal force against terrorists outside of direct combat, breezed through the Senate with bipartisan support. In a joint statement released late on Thursday, Australia's Prime Minister and Defence Minister said the laws would mean Australia's Defence Force personnel would be protected from criminal charges if they engage terrorists outside of "direct hostilities". "The (legislation) aligns Australia's domestic law with international humanitarian law and provides legal certainty for Defence personnel fighting terrorist groups in combat zones," the statement said. "Until now, Australian domestic law restricted the ADF from targeting key players in IS combat operations who were not directly involved in hostilities. "Targeting these individuals could have exposed ADF personnel to prosecution under the Criminal Code, even if their actions were consistent with international law. "This meant that members of IS and other organised armed groups had greater protection from attack than members of an ordinary state's armed forces." The government said the amendment to the law "eliminates this problem and brings ADF operations into line with our key coalition partners fighting IS in Iraq and Syria". Austrian presidential candidate, the Freedom Party's Norbert Hofer, delivers a speech at his last campaign rally ahead of the country's presidential election, at Vienna Stock Exchange in Vienna, Austria, on Dec. 2, 2016. Austrian Greens-backed independent candidate Alexander Van der Bellen and the Freedom Party's Norbert Hofer attended their third and final television debate Thursday evening, ahead of a rerun of the country's presidential election on Sunday. (Xinhua/Liu Xiang) VIENNA, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- The two candidates for the Austrian presidency attended their third and final television debate Thursday evening, ahead of a rerun of the country's presidential election on Sunday. Aired on Austrian television channel ORF2, Greens-backed independent candidate Alexander Van der Bellen and the Freedom Party's Norbert Hofer touched on topics ranging from domestic politics to Austria's ties with the European Union(EU) and other major countries in the world. The two candidates voiced their opinions on Austria's membership in the EU and whether Austria should leave the bloc. They also talked about the protection of EU's borders and Turkey's accession to the bloc. Both candidates elaborated how to handle relations with Turkey, Russia, China, and the United States. They also focused in their debate on unemployment, citizenship, compulsory military service, and Austria's neutral position in military matters. At the end of the debate, the two candidates were asked what makes an ideal president, Hofer stated that listening to people is key, while Van der Bellen said a president should be non-partisan and represent people of various political backgrounds. In the previous presidential elections held in May, Hofer lost to Van der Bellen by a narrow margin. But Hofer's party found counting problems in a recount of the vote, which was annulled then. WASHINGTON, Dec.1 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Senate Thursday voted without objection to extend an Iran sanctions law for 10 more years, to which the White House said it will "take a look" The law, named the Iran Sanctions Extension Act, reauthorized the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 which restricted Iran's banking, defense and energy sectors. "Preserving these sanctions is critical given Iran's disturbing pattern of aggression and its persistent efforts to expand its sphere of influence across the Middle East," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. The vote was backed by the entire chamber except Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who didn't vote. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the president "will take a look at the bill that's been passed by Congress." "There are plenty of times where the President has signed into law bills that Congress has passed that we're not sure are entirely necessary," Earnest commented on the issue previously. The bill, passed through the House of Representatives last week 419-1, is strongly opposed by the Iranian government, which says the bill runs against the nuclear treaty both country signed last year. "The Islamic Republic will definitely react to it," Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said. SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- A suspect who engaged police in a shootout and staged a nearly 12-hour standoff was shot and killed on Thursday morning in Tacoma, an urban port city in Washington state, police said. An officer of Tacoma Police Department, identified by the department as Reginald "Jake" Gutierrez, was fatally shot at the early stage of the incident, which began around 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday as a domestic disturbance incident. The male shooter, identified by his family as Bruce R. Johnson II, then barricaded himself inside the house with a 6-year-old boy and a 8-year-old girl. "We negotiated through the night. Negotiations failed," Pierce County Sheriff's Office spokesman Ed Troyer said. At around 3:30 a.m. on Thursday, a SWAT team moved into the house, rescued one the children and a sheriff's deputy outside the house fired a shot through a bedroom window while the suspect tried to grab the other child, killing the man. The second child was safe and later sent to a hospital together with the first one as a precaution. About the fallen officer, a 45-year-old veteran of the local police force since 1999, Tacoma Police Department spokeswoman Loretta Cool told a press briefing that "we've suffered a great loss, and I think the community has suffered a great loss." The incident took place in a working class neighborhood of Tacoma, the third largest city in Washington state with a population of about 200,000, and 32 miles, or 51 kilometers, southwest of Seattle, the largest city in the U.S. Pacific Northwest state. LONDON, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) reported here Thursday that Florida-based Princess Cruise Lines has been fined for 40 million U.S. dollars for deliberate pollution. The MCA said in a statement it worked with the U.S. Coast Guard and the United States Attorney's Office to investigate a serious incident of deliberate pollution of the seas by the cruise-line. "The case began after a British engineer working on one of the company's vessels reported the matter to the Maritime & Coastguard Agency when the ship called at Southampton, England," said an MCA spokesman. The United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida said in a statement released on Thursday that Princess Cruise Lines has to pay 40 million U.S. dollars. Princess Cruise Lines agreed to plead guilty to seven felony charges stemming from its deliberate pollution of the seas and intentional acts to cover it up, said the official statement. The plea agreement was announced Thursday in Miami. Princess Cruise Lines, headquartered in Santa Clarita, California, is a subsidiary of Miami-based Carnival Corporation, which owns and operates multiple cruise lines. As part of the plea agreement with Princess, cruise ships from eight Carnival cruise line companies will be under a court supervised Environmental Compliance Program (ECP) for five years. The investigation was initiated after information was provided to the U.S. Coast Guard by the MCA that a newly hired engineer on the Caribbean Princess reported that a so-called "magic pipe" had been used on Aug. 23, 2013, to illegally discharge oily waste off the coast of England. The whistleblowing engineer quit his position when the ship reached Southampton, England. The official statement said the chief engineer and senior first engineer ordered a cover-up, including removal of the magic pipe and directing subordinates to lie. The MCA shared evidence with the U.S. Coast Guard, including before and after photos of the bypass used to make the discharge and showing its disappearance. "The U.S. Coast Guard conducted an examination of the Caribbean Princess upon its arrival in New York City, New York, on Sept. 14, 2013, during which certain crew members continued to lie in accordance with orders they had received from Princess employees," added the statement. It said: "According to papers filed in court, the Caribbean Princess had been making illegal discharges through bypass equipment since 2005, one year after the ship began operations. The discharge on Aug. 26, 2013, involved approximately 4,227 gallons, 23 miles off the coast of England within the country's Exclusive Economic Zone." MELBOURNE, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The police force of Australia's Victoria state will be boosted by more than 2000 new recruits to cope with the state's rising youth crime epidemic. The rise of car jackings and burglaries by violent street gangs such as the Apex gang in suburban Melbourne has significantly intensified the pressure on the state's government, led by Premier Daniel Andrews, to tackle the law-and-order challenge. The commitment, which represents an unprecedented 20 percent increase in the police force, will cost the state an estimated 750 million U.S. dollars. Despite the soaring crime rate across most of Melbourne many police districts have had police officers taken away from the front line. An analysis by Fairfax Media revealed that three quarters of Melbourne police districts have fewer uniformed officers than 15 months ago while the crime rate in some of those suburbs rose by more than 10 percent. Worst hit by police cuts was Melbourne's northwest suburbs where most suburbs lost more than 10 percent of their police officers. In addition to recruiting more police the government has also committed to introducing a crime-reporting website and hotline to reduce the strain on officers. Despite the commitment to law enforcement, opposition police spokesman Ed O'Donohue said the government was just falling further behind as Victoria's population grows. "Since Daniel Andrews became premier, Victoria's population has grown by more than 200,000 people, so this announcement is playing catch-up for the cuts to frontline police under the Labor government and population growth," O'Donohue told News Limited on Friday. "Having allowed frontline police numbers to fall in the last two years as well as reducing the operational hours of suburban police stations, Daniel Andrews is trying to repair a problem he created." UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Spain on Thursday assumed the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council for December. During Spain's presidency, there will be a high-level debate on prevention of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to non-state actors, Roman Oyarzun Marchesi, Spain's ambassador to the UN, told reporters here. In addition, there will be meetings on topics of international judicial cooperation to combat terrorism and trafficking of persons in conflict situation, said Oyarzun Marchesi. Throughout the month, Security Council members will continue to follow developments in South Sudan, Libya and Syria. The council is also expected to adopt a resolution to pay tribute to outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, according to the council's program of work. Under the UN Charter, the Security Council has the primary responsibility for maintaining peace and security in the world at large. It also bears the responsibility to work on the mandate of UN peacekeeping operations. The Council is composed of five permanent members - China, the US, Britain, France, and the Russia - and 10 non-permanent members that are elected in groups of five, with a tenure of two years on the council. The presidency of the council rotates among its 15 member states based on the English-language alphabetical order of the countries' names on a monthly basis. WELLINGTON, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Trade Minister Todd McClay led New Zealand's first trade mission to Tehran in 12 years Friday, in a bid to revive exports after the lifting of UN sanctions against Iran. "There is enormous opportunity for Iran and New Zealand to work together to boost two-way trade," McClay said in a statement from his office. Iran and New Zealand had a long-standing trade relationship, dating back to 1975 when New Zealand established an embassy in Tehran, its first in the Middle East. "Iran has traditionally been a very important market for our sheep meat and butter, however exports have diminished over a number of years," said McClay, who is leading a delegation of 18 New Zealand businesses. "Since the lifting of UN sanctions there are now renewed opportunities to reestablish this trade as well as new opportunities in the education, construction, food and beverage, energy, forestry, specialised manufacturing and services sectors," he said. New Zealand officially lifted its United Nations sanctions against Iran in February and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited in March. McClay said Zarif had presented New Zealand with trade prospects with an estimated value of one billion NZ dollars (708.8 million U.S. dollars). "This mission will be an important first step towards delivering on this exciting opportunity," said McClay. This file photo taken on Oct.15, 2016 shows UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visiting a shelter in the Lycee Phillipe Guerrier, in the city of Les Cayes, Haiti. (AFP/HECTOR RETAMAL) UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday apologized to the Haitian people for the United Nations' role in the cholera outbreak and spread in Haiti. "On behalf of the United Nations, I want to say very clearly: we apologize to the Haitian people," said Ban. "We simply did not do enough with regard to the cholera outbreak and its spread in Haiti," said Ban. "We are profoundly sorry for our role." "It is a blemish on the reputation of UN peacekeeping and the Organization world-wide," he said. Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacteria. It can cause severe acute watery diarrhoea. It is believed that cholera epidemic was introduced to Haiti by UN peacekeepers from Nepal, where cholera is endemic, after a massive earthquake hit Haiti in 2010. Over the past six years, cholera has afflicted nearly 800,000 people and claimed the lives of more than 9,000 Haitians, Ban said. Ban said Haiti remains home to the highest number of cholera cases in the world, and that the United Nations has a responsibility to act. The UN chief has presented to the UN General Assembly a new approach to cholera in Haiti which requested 400 million U.S. dollars over two years. The approach consists of intensified effort to respond to and reduce the incidence of cholera in Haiti and calls for material assistance to those most severely impacted by cholera. It would also require sufficient funding to provide money to the families of those who died of cholera. File photo taken on Nov. 14, 2016 shows the French President Francois Hollande outside Elysee Palace in Paris, France. Hollande on Thursday said he will not seek a second mandate in 2017 presidential election due to broken promise on unemployment and long sliding approval rating. (Xinhua) PARIS, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- French President Francois Hollande on Thursday said he will not seek a second mandate in 2017 presidential election due to broken promise on unemployment and long sliding approval rating. "Today, I am aware of the risks that would trigger a process that would not gather enough support. So, I decided not to be a candidate in the presidential election," said Hollande. "I do this by taking all my responsibility, but also by calling for a progressive start. What is at stake is not a person but the future of the country. I do not want France to expose itself to dangerous adventures," he added. Meanwhile, the Socialist leader defended his reforms, saying reform "results are coming" but later than predicted. In a 10-minute televised speech, Hollande said he would now focus on leading euro zone's main powerhouse in the months until the presidential election scheduled for April 23 and May 7. After five years in power, the Socialists and the broader Left are weakened by internal upheavals and their popularity was affected by high unemployment rate and rising security concerns. Many believe it is very difficult for them to take on the right-wing and the far right party in the upcoming presidential election. Besides, long-sliding popularity of Hollande has increased pressure on the Socialists to seek a right candidate who has enough credentials to pass the first round. As left primary is approaching, Hollande's decision to quit the race for a second term is likely to pave the way for his prime minister Manuel Valls who said "ready" to take part in the competition. Seven contenders including former ministers Aranud Montebourg and Benoit Hamon have announced to participate in the two-round left-wing primary scheduled for Jan. 22 and 29. Ex-economy minister Emmanuel Macron has launched his own campaign, a fact likely to splinter votes and pulverize the Left parties' hope to maintain power in 2017. French pollsters predicted the incumbent French president would lose in the first round of upcoming election by winning only 15 percent of the votes. Opinions polls also showed that no left-wing candidate will cruise to the run-off in May 7. In May 2012, Hollande was elected the first Socialist president in 17 years with nearly 52 percent of votes over the conservative Nicolas Sarkozy. He imposed more taxes on the rich, moved away from austerity-only policies and introduced measures to boost economic growth. However, during his days in office, he suffered a setback due to broken promises to bring down unemployment rate and his launch of controversial labor reforms which triggered massive streets protests. Adding to that, a publication of private conversations with two journalists in a book titled "A President Should Not Say That," he drew criticism from many people. Critics doubt his presidential credentials, saying a president should not confess so much and unveil classified information few months ahead presidential elections. MELBOURNE, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Australian farmers and fruit growers have welcomed the nation's new 15 percent "backpacker tax." The tax, passed by Australia's parliament 18 months after it was first proposed, means that backpackers working in Australia will be taxed 15 percent of their income. The government, led by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, dropped its initial proposal of a 32.5 percent tax rate to 19 percent in September due to strong opposition from agricultural workers. Under further pressure from the Opposition and cross-benchers the government then lowered the tax to 15 percent, which looked unlikely to pass through parliament before the end of the sitting year but was pushed through on the last day due to last minute support from the Greens Party. Phil Pyke, business development manager for Fruit Growers Tasmania, said there was relief across the agricultural industry now there was certainty. "We can now start to work for European backpackers to start planning and we are quite happy that we have a baseline to which we can move forward," Pyke said. Pyke said he was confident that local workers, refugee migrants and international students would be able to fill the backpacker void for this picking season. "We've got a growing migrant community, from the Sudanese and Congolese in Tasmania, which we can draw on," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Friday. "Backpackers are a supplementary workforce and that's what we've learnt about this is we can't rely on this system." Pyke said the months of debate had damaged many politicians' reputation within the agricultural industry. "This is a shining example of how the bureaucracy has failed government and government has failed the industry," he said. PRAGUE, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Czech President Milos Zeman on Thursday called on Czech companies to invest in Tajikistan in hydro energy industry. In a meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Zeman said Tajikistan has potential in develping hydro energy industry, which could supply electric power to a broad area if it is used fully. Rahmon said Czech Republic is an important partner of Tajikistan in Europe. The two countries have carried out a wide range of cooperation in economy, trade, investments, education, tourism and security. Rahmon said Tajikistan is ready to create favorable conditions for Czech companies to invest. During their meeting, the two presidents also talked about bilateral relations, increasing risk of terrorism, among other issues. At the end of their meeting, representatives from both countries signed an agreement on aviation services. SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Friday announced its standalone sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) over Pyongyang's fifth nuclear test in September. Government ministries, including foreign, unification and finance ministries, announced the country's unilateral sanctions after UN Security Council adopted tougher-than-ever resolution against the DPRK on Wednesday. South Korea blacklisted 36 individuals and 35 entities suspected of supporting the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs, increasing the total number to 79 individuals and 69 entities. They will be subject to financial sanctions. The individuals included in the blacklist are Hwang Pyong So, director of the general political bureau of the Korean People's Army, and Choe Ryong Hae, vice chairman of the central committee of the ruling Workers' Part of Korea. The entities newly subject to the standalone sanctions are the Workers Party of Korea, the party's Central Defense Commission, the State Affairs Commission and the country's national flag carrier Air Koryo. The sanctions would have a symbolic meaning as transactions and exchange of personnel between the two countries have been actually severed for years. New sanctions were imposed by South Korea and the UN Security Council to take punitive action on the DPRK over its fifth nuclear test on Sept. 9 that is seen as the most powerful ever. The fifth test came just eight months after Pyongyang's fourth nuclear detonation in January and the launch in February of a long-range rocket. TUNIS, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) Thursday announced its intention to introduce the Chinese yuan into Tunisian foreign currency reserves. The CBT unveiled this in an official statement, saying the move was recommended by the Monetary Policy Committee of Tunisia at the end of November. Citing financial experts, some Tunisian media estimate that the introduction of the Chinese yuan in the settlement of invoices of Tunisian importations from China would reduce currency risks. Tunisian importers "would no longer be forced to pay their bills in U.S. dollars even though their Chinese suppliers set prices for them in Chinese yuan," commented the Tunisian online news magazine Leaders. This online magazine explained that Tunisians are facing a double currency exchange risk between the Tunisian dinar and the U.S. dollar on one side, and between the U.S. dollar and the Chinese yuan on the other side. In addition, some financial analysts specialized in Tunisian monetary policy estimate that the parity between the Tunisian dinar and the Chinese yuan will be able to reduce the risks linked to the floating U.S. dollar, without influencing the Tunisian importations. The dinar-Chinese yuan parity helps cut euro domination in commercial transactions, thus having a reservoir of diversified currencies will help reduce the volatility and the instability of different currencies, analysts said. File photo taken on Nov. 14, 2016 shows the French President Francois Hollande outside Elysee Palace in Paris, France. Hollande on Thursday said he will not seek a second mandate in 2017 presidential election due to broken promise on unemployment and long sliding approval rating. (Xinhua) PARIS, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- French President Francois Hollande said Thursday he would not seek a second mandate in 2017 presidential election as he suffered weak majority and long sliding approval rating. "Today, I am aware of the risks that would trigger a process that would not gather enough support. So, I decided not to be a candidate in the presidential election," Hollande said. "I do this by taking all my responsibility, but also by calling for a progressive start. What is at stake is not a person but the future of the country. I do not want France to expose itself to dangerous adventures," he added. Hollande's decision, the first such move in France's fifth Republic, came after months of speculations raised by his record low popularity. In a 10-minute televised address, Hollande said he would now focus on leading eurozone's main powerhouse in the months until the presidential election scheduled for Apr. 23 and May 7, 2017. After five years in power clouded by high unemployment and rising security concerns, the Socialists and the broader Left are weakened by internal upheavals that made it hard for them to build momentum to take on the right-wing and the far right party. Besides, a long-sliding popularity of Hollande has mounted pressure on the Socialists to seek the right candidate who has enough credentials to pass the first round. As left primary is approaching, Hollande's decision not to launch a bid for a second term is likely to pave the way for his prime minister Manuel Valls who said he is "ready" to take part in the competition. Seven contenders including former ministers Aranud Montebourg and Benoit Hamon have announced their intention to participate in the two-round left-wing primary scheduled for Jan. 22 and Jan. 29. Former economy minister Emmanuel Macron and six other candidates have launched their own campaign, a fact likely to splinter votes and smashed the Left parties' hope to maintain power in 2017. French pollsters predicted the French president would lose in the first round of the upcoming election with an expected vote intentions set up to 15 percent of votes. Opinion polls also showed that no left-wing candidate would cruise to the run-off in May 7. In May 2012, Hollande was elected the first Socialist president in 17 years with nearly 52 percent of votes over the conservative Nicolas Sarkozy. He presented different tax receipts for the country with more taxes on the rich to help restore its finances and for Europe with acts to move away from austerity-only policies and improved measures to boost growth. However, during his ruling period, he suffered a setback due to his failed promises to bring down joblessness, controversial reforms to muscle growth, and a softened labor market that triggered massive street protests. Moreover, a publication of private conversations with two journalists in a book titled "A President Should Not Say That" has added insult to the injury and tainted his image as a statesman. Critics cast doubt on his presidential credentials, saying a president should not confess so much and unveil classified information few months ahead the presidential elections. WELLINGTON, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- International investors and companies are showing greater confidence in the New Zealand economy, Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce said on Friday. A report from the government's New Zealand Trade and Enterprise agency showed the country was attracting a higher level of quality international investment in three key areas, Joyce said in a statement. "We are seeing increased foreign direct investment, increased investment in international research and development, and more commitments from migrant investors," said Joyce. New Zealand's stock of foreign direct investment (FDI) stood at 38 percent of gross domestic product last year - "about average for a small, open, advanced economy," said the report. Most of the investment - 52 percent - came from Australia and 32 percent was invested into the financial sector. In 2015, FDI in New Zealand stood at 96.4 billion NZ dollars (68.35 billion U.S. dollars). The report said the agency was trying to attract investment that provided access to major high-growth opportunities, created sustainable export and employment growth, and integrated with global value chains. It was also looking for investment that required engineering, business, skills investment, promoted renewable services industries, and provided research and development linkages. "The market for global growth capital is very competitive and investors have lots of options. It's crucial New Zealand markets itself effectively so we can attract our share of the available investment and grow more jobs here," said Joyce. "In the past year alone we have seen 59 significant foreign direct investment deals, as well as three confirmed research and development deals by large multinational companies," he said. "Over the last seven years migrant investors have committed to invest over 4 billion NZ dollars (2.84 billion U.S. dollars) here, while the government has recently announced a four-year pilot of up to 400 visas for high impact entrepreneurs from around the world to develop and launch their ideas from New Zealand." WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump Thursday nominated retired Marine Corps General James Mattis as his secretary of defense. Born on Sept. 8, 1950 in Pullman Washington, Mattis was enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1969, and was commissioned a second lieutenant through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps in 1972. Mattis was promoted through the ranks during his service in the First Gulf War, the Afghanistan War and the Second Gulf War. In 2007, Mattis was officially lifted to the rank of general to command the U.S. Joint Forces Command, and in 2010, he replaced David Petraeus as the commander of the U.S. Central Command. Mattis retired from the military in 2013 after bumpy relationship with Obama caused by dividing views on the U.S. role in Afghanistan and how the United States should deal with Iran. Mattis has been fiercely against withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan, saying Washington cannot unilaterally claim an end to the campaign, and that its adversary, the Taliban, also has a say. As an advocate for a military strategy that places more focus on the Navy, Mattis said in a Senate hearing in 2015 that more money should be allocated to building warships. Mattis is known to be a scholarly figure among the U.S. top brass, famously taking along a copy of Meditations by Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. A bachelor all his life, Mattis earned the nickname "Warrior Monk" and "Mad Dog" for his tough talk and battlefield experience. WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) --- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday he has chosen retired Marine General James Mattis for secretary of defense. "We are going to appoint 'Mad Dog' Mattis as our secretary of defense. But we're not announcing it until Monday so don't tell anybody," Trump said at a rally in Cincinnati, kicking off his post-election "Thank You" tour. "They say he's the closest thing to Gen. George Patton that we have and it's about time." he added. Mattis emerged as the top contender for Pentagon chief soon after Trump won the White House. The two men met in New Jersey on Nov. 19, with media reporting that Trump was impressed by Mattis' resume. U.S. media speculated that an extensive knowledge about the Middle East and a tough stance against extremism helped Mattis get the job. Since the U.S. law prohibits military officers from becoming defense secretary within seven years of retirement, Mattis must acquire a special waiver from the Congress to become eligible. The waiver has only been given once before. Mattis, 66, enlisted in the military in 1969, was promoted through the ranks for his performances in the first and second gulf wars and the Afghanistan War. Known as "Mad Dog" and "Warrior Monk," he retired as chief of U.S. Central Command in 2013. He has often criticized Washington for lacking an overall strategy in the Middle East. SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye's approval rating stayed at an all-time low of 4 percent for two weeks even after she addressed the nation earlier this week over the scandal involving herself. Support for Park was unchanged this week at the lowest for any South Korean president, according to a Gallup Korea survey released on Friday. It was based on a poll of 1,003 voters conducted from Tuesday to Thursday. Park's approval scores stood at five percent for three weeks in a row, before falling further to four percent last week. The embattled president issued the national address on Tuesday, a third since the biggest political crisis Park ever faced emerged in October, but it enraged the general public further as she admitted to no wrongdoing. During the speech, Park said she had not pursued any personal gains "for a flash" as she believed that things would be in the public interests. Prosecutors branded the scandal-hit president as a criminal accomplice to Choi Soon-sil, Park's longtime confidante who was indicted on multiple counts including abuse of power and extortion. Park became the first South Korean leader to be investigated by prosecutors as a suspect. Park offered to rival political parties coming up with schedules and legal procedures on her resignation, but it divided the political arena, triggering public fury that the president made the overtures as part of efforts to delay her resignation. The ruling party suggested a timeline to let President Park step down by April next year and hold a presidential election two months later. Describing the suggestion as a ploy to buy time, the opposition bloc agreed to impeach President Park next Friday. The biggest opposition Minjoo Party maintained the first place with its approval rating of 34 percent this week. It was followed by the ruling Saenuri Party with 15 percent and the minor opposition People's Party with 14 percent. MEXICO CITY, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese company BYD on Thursday unveiled its innovative and cost-effective SkyRail mass transit solution at the 2016 C40 Mayors Summit in Mexico City. The elevated monorail system has been specially designed to tackle the biggest challenges which today's bustling urban centers are facing: air pollution, traffic congestion and climate change. Pollution and congestion "have become the world's two major ills," as residents of major cities across the planet can prove it, BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu said at a press conference. What makes SkyRail particularly suitable to the world's major capitals and cities is "its adaptability to existing streets ... and building density," Wang said. The rail system's "small footprint," or support structure, is made of columns that are only one meter in diameter, meaning they can be built on existing medians, and costly demolition will not be required, Wang stressed. The monorail's "excellent topographic adaptability" also means it can be built to pass through buildings. According to BYD, the SkyRail costs only a fifth of what it does to build a subway line, and it can save the construction time by one third. Stella Li, BYD Vice President for the Americas, told Xinhua, "Any city with a population of more than 5 million to 7 million should consider the SkyRail" as a public transit alternative. As one of the world's largest makers of rechargeable batteries, BYD has made it its mission to innovate more environment-friendly battery technologies. The company's long-lasting and fully-recyclable iron-phosphate battery, known as the Fe Battery, "has become the core of its clean energy platform," and is expanding into more fields such as electric cars, buses, trucks, and utility vehicles. Wang also officially kicked off BYD's "Cool the Earth by One Degree" program, an invitation to mayors and other officials around the world to reverse global warming by embracing clean technologies. At the press conference, Wang also signed a purchase contract with the city of Cape Town, South Africa, making it the first African city to incorporate electric buses into its mass transit fleet. "Today, we become the first city in Africa to buy our first 10 electric buses. Thank you for helping us to reduce carbon emissions and saving our planet," Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille said after the signing. In Latin America, BYD's electric buses already form part of transit fleets in cities in Colombia and Brazil. C40 brings megacities together to address their common problems, mainly climate change. Local residents and media reporters watch South Korean President Park Geun-hye delivering a speech on TV at a railway station in Seoul, capital of South Korea, Nov. 29, 2016. Park said Tuesday that she will follow parliamentary decision including her shortened presidency. (Xinhua/Yao Qilin) SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Three main opposition parties of South Korea have agreed to vote on a bill to impeach embattled President Park Geun-hye next Friday, after handing in the impeachment motion on Friday. Floor leaders of the biggest opposition Minjoo Party, minor oppositions People's Party and the Justice Party met on Friday to discuss a way to let President Park resign after the president threw the ball of decision on her fate in parliamentary court. The opposition bloc agreed to propose the impeachment motion on Friday and vote on the bill on Dec. 9. The impeachment proposal requires a half support of the 300-seat National Assembly. Passing the motion must have the two-thirds ayes from the unicameral assembly. As there are 172 opposition and independent lawmakers, at least 28 legislators of the ruling Saenuri Party must be secured to pass the impeachment motion through the parliament. Up to 50 lawmakers of the anti-Park faction in the ruling party had agreed to impeach President Park, but the figure reportedly declined to an undefined number after Park's national address on Tuesday. During her third public speech since the scandal involving herself emerged in October, Park said she would step down from the presidency if the governing and opposition parties find a way to ensure a stable transfer of power while minimizing confusion and vacuum in state affairs. After the presidential speech, the ruling party's pro-Park faction loyal to President Park sought to stop impeachment efforts, while opposition parties denounced the address as a ploy to block impeachment. Opposition lawmakers were originally supposed to put forward the impeachment motion on Thursday and vote on it on Friday. The Saenuri Party has adopted a party line of letting President Park stand down in a gradual and orderly manner, demanding Park voluntarily depart from office by next April and a presidential election be held two months later. It was denounced as a political strategy to buy time given that the ruling party has little possibility to regain government power in early presidential election. Approval rating for the Saenuri Party kept falling together with the president's approval scores that have fallen to the single digits. The non-Park faction members of the governing party, who are not loyal to Park, have been divided over how to remove the scandal-plagued president from office. They have called on Park to specify a date for her resignation by 6 p.m. local time next Wednesday. Some non-Park faction members reportedly claim to join the impeachment vote unless rival parties agree on a specific date for Park's resignation. Others insist on no need to impeach Park if she picks a date for her departure. Opposition lawmakers plan to vote on the impeachment as scheduled though the scandal-hit president specifies a date for her voluntary resignation. They have refused to negotiate the date with the ruling bloc. The opposition bloc doesn't believe that President Park would keep her promise to bow out of office at a specific date given that the president repeatedly refused prosecutors' call for face-to-face questioning. Park had vowed to accept the interrogation during her second address over the scandal on Nov. 4. Prosecutors branded Park as an accomplice to Choi Soon-sil, the president's longtime confidante who was indicted on multiple counts including abuse of power and extortion. Amid soaring public anger, the president said during her third public speech that she will actively cooperate with the investigation by a special prosecutor who will probe the case independently. The independent counsel was appointed earlier this week. Related: S.Korean president's approval rating stays at 4 pct after national address SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye's approval rating stayed at an all-time low of 4 percent for two weeks even after she addressed the nation earlier this week over the scandal involving herself. SHENYANG, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Nie Shubin, who was executed 21 years ago for rape and murder, had his conviction overturned by China's top court on Friday. The second circuit court under the Supreme People's Court revoked the verdict. Nie was convicted of raping and murdering a woman in Hebei provincial capital, Shijiazhuang, in 1995 and executed the same year at the age of 21. The case reemerged in 2005 when another man, Wang Shujin, admitted guilt in the case and said Nie was innocent. In December 2014, the SPC assigned the higher court of Shandong Province to review the case and the latter found there were too many questions about the previous trials to uphold the conviction. The SPC decided to retry the case in June 2016. The retrial panel of the second SPC circuit court reviewed all documents on the case, visited the crime scene, verified evidence and questioned former personnel who had handled the case. It also heard opinions from the Supreme People's Procuratorate, which insisted that the evidence presented in the original trial was insufficient. The SPC finally announced Nie was innocent on Friday. It ruled that the evidence was lacking; the time of the crime and tools used to commit the crime could not be confirmed; the victim's time and cause of death could not be confirmed; several key documents, including some records of the questioning of Nie and witnesses, had been lost; and the truth and legitimacy of Nie's confession were questionable. The evidence used to convict Nie was not accurate and sufficient and did not meet the requirements for a conviction, it said. SYDNEY, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Australian market continued its selloff throughout Friday as investors exercised caution ahead of key market events in the United States and Europe. The benchmark S&P/ASX index was down 56.02 points or 1.02 percent at 5,444.00 points, while the broader All Ordinaries index was down 57.80 points or 1.04 percent at 5,502.60 points. "This is caution ahead of the Italian referendum (on constitutional reform)... and that comes against the background of markets (having) quite a good run, making the risks elevated," CMC Markets chief market analyst Ric Spooner told Xinhua. Investors are also eyeing key U.S. non-farm payrolls data overnight, which if it comes below consensus, could slow the momentum in global markets. ANZ fell 0.77 percent, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia lost 1.17 percent, the National Australia Bank fell 1.06 percent and Westpac lost 0.98 percent. BHP Billiton shed 2.30 percent, rival Rio Tinto slid 1.12 percent, and gold miner Newcrest slipped 0.11 percent. Oil Search dipped 0.14 percent, Santos dove 0.46 percent and Woodside Petroleum was 1.90 percent weaker. Wesfarmers and rival Woolworths tumbled 1.52 percent and 0.86 percent respectively. Qantas lifted 1.24 percent, but Telstra was down 1.00 percent. PANAMA CITY, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Panama's positioning itself as a platform to distribute Chinese goods to Latin America offers a lot of potential, said Wang Weihua, permanent representative of China's Office of Commercial Development in Panama. "Panama is already acting as a bridge, a window to transit Chinese merchandise to Latin America. I think that, given Panama's logistical development, this role will increase and will be enjoyed by more Chinese companies," he said in an interview with Xinhua on Thursday. Wang added that Panama is a potential base for manufacturing plants, which is helped by the country's reputation as a logistical center. According to Wang, the fact that a ship belonging to China's Cosco Shipping was the first to pass through the newly expanded Panama Canal on June 26 attracted a lot of attention to the country. Wang said that a big Chinese business delegation arrived in Panama this week and visited the Panama Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (CCIAP). During a meeting with the Chinese business delegation, Nestor Gonzales, Panama's vice minister of foreign trade, said that his government is seeking to get closer to China. Wang said the Chinese delegation was made up of around 35 Chinese entrepreneurs, led by Zhang Wei, vice president of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT). The delegates mainly come from the telecommunications, banking and construction sectors and expressed a particular interest in investing in the energy and port sectors. The Chinese delegation will stay in Panama until Friday, when it will visit the Colon Free Trade Zone to learn about its infrastructure and port capacity. The Colon Free Trade Zone is a large Panamian free port located near the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal, dedicated to re-exporting a wide variety of merchandise to Latin America and the Caribbean. An agreement was also signed between the CCIAP and the CCPIT to jointly develop business and to seek opportunities to expand Panamanian exports to the Chinese market. "Business between the Americas and China will continue to grow, representing a big opportunity for SMEs (small and medium enterprises)," Jorge Garcia, president of the CCIAP, told the Chinese delegation during the meeting. KABUL, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Five Taliban bomb-making experts were killed Thursday after Afghan army personnel raided a militants' hideout in the country's southern province of Helmand, the Defense Ministry said on Friday. "Five insurgents' Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and landmine making experts, including their commander named Aktar Mohammad, died following an army operation in surrounding areas of Nad Ali district, Helmand province," the ministry said in a statement. A total of 50 IEDs, five sacks of Ammonium Nitrate and IED making material were also found and sized by army. The security forces also detained one militant named Spin Kalai and destroyed the targeted IED making factory after the operation in the restive province, the statement said. The Taliban militants and other insurgent groups have been using IEDs to target security forces but the lethal weapons also inflict casualties on civilians, according to military officials. The Afghan government has banned use, production, storage and sale of fertilizer Ammonium Nitrate, which has been used by militants in making IEDs since 2010. In addition, 15 militants had been killed, nine wounded and one other was detained by Afghan security forces during separate operations in the countryside since early Thursday, the statement added. The Taliban has yet to make comments. WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.-led coalition killed 54 civilians between March 31 and Oct. 22 in airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria and Iraq, raising the death toll of civilians to 173 since the start of the campaign in 2014, said the Pentagon on Thursday. The civilian deaths occurred in six airstrikes in Syria and one airstrike in Iraq during the period, according to a Pentagon statement, which said some casualties were "unavoidable." Three more reports received in October were still under assessment, said the Pentagon. The most deadly airstrike occurred on July 18, 2016 near Manbij, Syria, which claimed 24 civilian lives while killing about 100 IS militants, it said. The Pentagon also said the civilians killed were people "who had been interspersed with combatants" in a known IS staging area where no civilian was seen in the 24 hours before the strike. The Pentagon's figures contradict the assessment by London-based Amnesty International, which estimated that about 300 civilians have been killed in 11 coalition airstrikes in Syria alone. HOUSTON, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- One student was killed and 10 others were injured after a school van was hit by a truck in Trinity, a city in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas. A Trinity Independent School District van loaded with eight children was stopped to pick up a child when it was struck from behind by a 2008 Ford pick-up, occupied by a 17-year-old student driver and three students, local media reported. Police confirmed the accident, saying that the 7-year-old girl on the van died later at a hospital. The 10 others, including the driver of the van, were rushed to hospital for medical treatment, and they were in fair condition. The cause of the accident is under investigation but authorities believe that the sun might have blinded the pickup driver as the vehicle came over a hill. AMMAN, Dec. 2 (Xinhua)-- Countries are urged to invest in girls as the majority of the world's 10-year-olds live in developing countries and girls are substantially outnumbered by boys, according to a UN report. The 2016 State of the World Population report, released by the United Nations Population Fund on Thursday, focuses on the well-being of 10-year-old girls as indicators of development success or failure. An estimated 125 million 10-year-olds are alive today and among them, over 60 million are girls and 65 million are boys, said the report. More than half of the global cohort of 10-year-olds live in Asia and the Pacific, where there are 111 boys for 100 girls, it said. Almost 9 in 10 of the world's 10-year-olds live in developing countries where girls face obstacles to equal education, healthcare and safety, said the report. "Failing to invest in girls is nothing less than planned poverty. Unless we invest in girls, we're planning to have a poorer future," Daniel Baker, regional humanitarian coordinator and head of the fund's Jordan country office, was quoted by media as saying. The report also indicated that the world's population grew 1.1 percent in 2016 to 7.433 billion from 7.349 billion in the previous year. CPC members take their oath in a gathering in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province on July 1, 2015. (Xinhua/Zhang Wenkui) Sunday marks the fourth anniversary of the adoption of the eight-point discipline regulation of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which has helped change the overall Chinese political environment in many ways. Here is a summary of what has happened since the adoption of the regulation. ADOPTION In a meeting on Dec. 4, 2012, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee adopted a document making explicit requirements on how Political Bureau members should improve their work style in eight aspects, which was later referred to as the eight-point regulation. The regulation specifies details of dos and don'ts for senior leaders, such as "no welcome banner, no red carpet, no floral arrangement or grand receptions for officials' visits." It underscores the exemplary role of officials, especially high-ranking ones, in improving the Party's work style. Party organizations and officials at all levels are required to implement the eight requirements. Disciplinary and auditing authorities are ordered to play their role to ensure the implementation at various levels. File cartoon. (Xinhua/Xu Jun) INFLUENCE By the end of August, 2016, a total of 139,622 violations of the regulations had been investigated, and 91,913 individuals were punished through disciplinary measures, according to the CPC's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Fifteen of the punished were officials of minister level. The most frequent offenses involved the use of official vehicles, accounting for 26,172 cases. Other violations included illegal distribution of allowances and holding extravagant wedding or funeral ceremonies. Another notable achievement was the sharp fall of public expenditures on overseas travel, vehicle and reception, which are popularly known as the "three public expenditures." Cars from government agencies are auctioned in Beijing on March 30, 2015 as part of reform measures to slash spending. (Xinhua/Liu Xianguo) In 2012, such expenditures by ministries and agencies under the central government was more than 8 billion yuan (1.2 billion U.S. dollars). The figure dropped to 5.4 billion yuan in 2015, according to official reports. STRENGTHENED SUPERVISION Over the last four years, the central authorities introduced a series of guidelines to implement the eight-point regulation, such as the rules of reception, use of training fees and procurement of office furniture. The latest move was made on Wednesday, as the Political Bureau adopted new measures on the arrangement of life of retired leaders and senior officials, including their offices, housing and secretaries and guards. Retired leaders and officials should vacate their offices in a timely manner, according to the new rules. The new rules were hailed as "an expansion and upgrade" to the eight-point regulation introduced four years ago. HARBIN, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Infrared cameras have captured incredible scenes of wild Amur leopards and Siberian tigers this year after being installed at a national nature reserve in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. Amur leopards were spotted 17 times this year at Laoyeling Nature Reserve, equalling the total number from 2012 to 2015. Siberian tigers were spotted five times, including twice when they were found roaming during the daytime. Zhang Chunlei, head of the reserve, said Thursday more animal activities, especially in the daytime, show the rare species have become more active thanks to human retreat. Zhang said Siberian tigers were rarely found in the daytime for fear of human-related noise, such as logging saws and vehicle engines at the reserve, which used to be a timber base. In 2011, the local forestry bureau ordered the stop of logging and initiated a program to build a nature reserve for wild Siberian tigers. In 2014, the reserve was upgraded to the national level. Since humans made way for the reserve, prey for the carnivores, such as boars and deer, has increased, which helped the big cat population rebound. According to Zhang, at least four Siberian tigers and seven Amur leopards currently live at the reserve. The numbers change as the animals often roam back and forth across the China-Russia border. As one of the world's most endangered species, the Amur leopard was put under top national protection in 1983. There are less than 70 Amur leopards in the world, mostly living in Russia's Far East, the northeastern Chinese provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang, and the northern part of the Korean Peninsular; about 500 Siberian tigers are believed to survive in the wild, living in the same areas. MOSCOW, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Russian military specialists have begun to help train the Tajik armed forces, said the press service of the Russian Central Military District on Friday. Russian military men are providing help in organization of full cycle of Tajik's army military training, including individual military training, troop coordination and combat training. The training is held according to the agreements between Russian and Tajik military departments, and will be conducted at the three Tajik training grounds of Laur, Sambuli and Momirak. Earlier the officers of Russian 201 military base have already provided training of 2,000 junior specialists for the Tajik armed forces. The Russian military has also provided help in armament and equipment repair. NEW DELHI, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Indian main opposition Congress party's second-in-command Rahul Gandhi on Friday again took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation, saying he has become a prisoner of his own image. The Nehru-Gandhi scion said that the prime minister has been indulging in "TRP politics" and has forced "a catastrophic experiment" on the country in demonetization as a result of his own "vanity and incompetence". "Modi is more interested in TRP politics. Congress has never given India a prime minister who was a prisoner of his or her own image. We never gave India a prime minister who bypassed the experience of those sitting in institutions," Gandhi said in the national capital. "The country has suffered tremendous damage as a result of the vanity and incompetence of our prime minister," he said while chairing a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party in the absence of his mother and party chief Sonia Gandhi who is reportedly unwell. Gandhi and his Congress party have been continuously attacking Prime Minister Modi's government since the demonetisation move earlier this month, saying the decision to scrap currency notes of higher denominations has hit the country's poor hard. The Congress-led opposition parties have also been paralysing the Parliament since the beginning of its Winter Session, first demanding an explanation from Modi on his demonetisation drive and then an apology for saying those questioning the reform are "supporters of corruption and black money". Modi had on November 8, in a sudden televised address to the nation, announced the scrapping of currency notes of 500 rupees and 1,000 rupees (7.5 U.S. dollars and 15 U.S. dollars respectively) in a bid to curb the menace of black money and prevent the circulation of fake notes among terrorists. Though the demonetisation move has been widely praised by Indians, but the Indian government has been criticised for inadequate preparations for controlling the fallout of the cash ban. MEXICO CITY, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The world's major cities will invest some 375 billion U.S. dollars in the next four years to combat climate change, prominent mayors said Thursday. At the 2016 C40 Mayors Summit being held here, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and Rio Mayor Roberto Paes said that given the huge sum, international organizations and the private sector need to work together. Most of that money needs to be spent on switching from fossil fuels to electric mass and clean energy sources, such as solar and wind. "Cities need help. We are very committed to these challenges, but we need help," Hidalgo told reporters. Cities are looking to comply with the targets set by the Paris Agreement reached in December 2015. The Rio mayor said some of that money has already been earmarked by cities to fight climate change. "When we say 375 billion dollars, it is not necessarily new funding. Cities have already been investing for countering global warming," Paes said. The 2016 C40 Mayors Summit, scheduled for Wednesday-Friday, has brought together mayors and other officials from 90 cities, as well as industry leaders. HONG KONG, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Two men were given jail sentences by Hong Kong Kowloon City Court for their part in Mong Kok riot which took place from Feb. 8 to Feb. 9. Chan Yu-kei, 20, was sentenced to three months' imprisonment for attacking a police officer, while Chan Cheuk-hin, 28, three weeks' imprisonment for throwing a bin on to Nathan Road. Veronica Heung, the magistrate, said Chan Cheuk-hin's actions amounted to a challenge to the police, and that Chan Yu-kei was hostile to the officer he attacked. She said jail sentences were the only option in order to discourage people from committing similar offenses. The two defendants were granted bail of 10,000 Hong Kong dollars (about 1,290 U.S. dollars) each, pending appeal. Over 90 police officers were injured in a clash with rioters following a clearance operation on illegal hawkers in Mong Kok, a busy commercial district. BEIJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The text of President Xi Jinping's remarks at a conference on literary and artistic work held Wednesday has been published by the People's Publishing House. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 10th Congress of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC) and the ninth Congress of the Chinese Writers Association (CWA), Xi called for Chinese artists and writers to strengthen their confidence in Chinese culture and create excellent works to inspire the nation. Describing the people as "creators of history and sculptors of time," the president called for artists and writers to serve the people and reflect people's lives. "Promoting socialist core values should be fundamental to artists and writers, who should firmly resort to Chinese people's thoughts, emotions and aesthetics to create works catering to the times that feature notable Chinese elements," Xi said. SHIJIAZHUANG, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The coal industry of northern China's Hebei Province returned to profit for the first time since 2014, provincial authorities said Friday. From January to October, Hebei's major coal mining and washing industry registered a profit of 140 million yuan (around 20 million U.S. dollars), reversing the 4.5 billion yuan loss over the same period in 2015, according to the Hebei Provincial Bureau of Statistics. It is the first time that the heavy-industry province has seen profits in its coal sector since early 2014 when the whole industry plunged into loss due to declining coal prices, structural adjustment of energy supply, and pressure in cutting redundant production capacity for environmental protection. Experts said Hebei's coal industry has turned profitable, after ending a two-year-plus loss, responsible for a 2.7 percentage-point growth in the provincial economy in 2016. China is the world's largest consumer of coal. The industry has long been plagued by overcapacity and has felt the pinch over the past two years as the economy cooled and demand fell. In the first ten months of 2016, Hebei closed a total of 54 coal mines, cutting coal production capacity by 14 million tonnes. As of late November, China's coal production capacity has been reduced by about 250 million tonnes. ANKARA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Three Turkish soldiers were killed in a clash with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants in the southeastern province of Hakkari early Friday, Dogan News Agency reported. The clash, taking place between Turkish security forces and PKK militants in the Mt. Guven area, close to Turkey's border with Iraq, also wounded three others, Dogan said. The military immediately struck back by air raids and killed many militants. The Turkish government has intensified its counter-terror operations following the recent attacks carried out by the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the EU and Turkey. TOKYO, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Japan announced on Friday to tighten its unilateral sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), following United Nations Security Council's adoption of a tougher-than-ever resolution against the DPRK on Wednesday. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a meeting attended by cabinet ministers that the DPRK carried out two nuclear tests this year and launched more than 20 ballistic missiles. It presents "a new level of threat and such outrageous acts are absolutely unacceptable," said Abe. According to the revised sanctions, Japan will expand the scope of asset freeze program for individuals and groups related to Pyongyang's nuclear or missile projects. The new sanctions also prohibit Japan-registered ships which have stopped at ports in the DPRK from entering Japan. In addition, the fresh sanctions expand the targets of a re-entry ban for a list of people including officials of the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan and foreign nationals with expertise in nuclear and missile technology living in Japan. Under the new sanctions, exporting new helicopters or vessels to the DPRK or importing certain commodities from the DPRK including copper, nickel and zinc are also banned. In February, Japan imposed unilateral sanctions against the DPRK after a long-range ballistic missile was believed to be launched by the DPRK. The UN Security Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution to tighten sanctions on the DPRK in response to the country's fifth nuclear test in September. Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli (C rear) speaks at a meeting on building the ecological civilization, in Huzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Dec. 2, 2016. (Xinhua/Wang Ye) BEIJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping has called for more to be done to deepen reforms and establish a framework of institutions to promote ecological civilization in China. The goal of achieving an ecological civilization is a key part of China's overall development strategy and governments at all levels should remember that clear waters and green mountains are invaluable assets, said Xi, according to a statement released Friday by the central authorities. More should be done to create a legal and operational ecological civilization framework, which will feature green, renewable and low-carbon growth and economical and environmentally-friendly way of life, Xi pointed out. China will increase environmental inspections and punish polluters accordingly to ensure the environment improves, Xi said. Ecological civilization should be an important task for governments and Communist Party of China branches at all levels. They should implement policies earnestly and contribute more to a greener China and global ecological security, Xi added. Premier Li Keqiang spoke about ecological civilization's key role in achieving sustainable growth, adding that local governments should bare this in mind when drafting supply-side structural reforms. China will continue to optimize its industrial structure, cut excess capacity, reduce pollution and improve air, water and soil quality, Li added. A national meeting on ecological progress was held Friday in Zhejiang Province, where Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli urged local governments to use their previous achievements to kick-start faster and better ecological civilization development. Moreover, more should be done to promote green urbanization and sustainable industrial structure, and improve the efficiency of resource utilization, Zhang added. Related: Interview: Xi's understanding of Marxism a light on path toward ecological civilization LOS ANGELES, May 19 (Xinhua) -- A noted U.S. philosopher has praised Chinese President Xi Jinping's remarks on updated Marxism, saying Xi's understanding of Marxism is a light on the path toward a new global ecological civilization. NAIROBI, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Chang Rong Light Centre, a primary school funded by Chinese situated deep inside Nairobi's Mathare slums is only a few kilometers from the city's central business district. In the slum, one will come across kiosks run by Chinese citizens who easily mingle with the residents and children who have mastered the basics of the Mandarin language. It is also not uncommon to hear them drop a few lines in the language. "Ni hao!" John Kinyua blurted in greetings while waving his hand when we passed by one of the kiosks being run by a Chinese national in one of the most difficult slums in the country. "I'm a student at Chang Rong Light Centre and this is where I spend most of my time. Our teacher has been teaching us Chinese language and culture, and we hope to get a chance one day to visit China and get to sample the culture first hand," Kinyua told Xinhua on Friday. China is Kenya's most important investor in infrastructural development and its interest in education has positively been accepted especially by the underprivileged children living in such slums. Kinyua said he dropped out of school at Class Six to help his mother sell boiled maize in order to raise rent and educate his other siblings as the first born. His dream of becoming an engineer, he said, is still valid as the centre has revived his hope. "Chinese is actually my favorite class. Our Chinese teacher Liu is very friendly and generous and ensures we understand everything she teaches us," Kinyua remarked. His father, David Ngugi, who terms the education program as a timely blessing, said he wished a similar program could be extended to adults who are interested in learning Mandarin. "China has done a lot of positive things for Kenya and their venture into education is a major boost to us, considering the fact that some of our children do not even attend local schools," Ngugi said. Beatrice Mwende whose daughter is also a student said the centre has acted as a link between them and China and hoped her daughter will one day get a chance to further her education in China. "Some people are skeptical about this venture in the slums but we find it is a good thing because even learning material is provided, so we don't have to spend any cash," Mwende said. China-Kenya cooperation in education and skills transfer has blossomed over the years. The Chinese Embassy in Kenya in November provided 20 scholarships worth 20,000 U.S. dollars to needy university students to enable them pursue humanities and science courses. So far, 58 Kenyan university students from poor backgrounds have benefited from the Chinese Ambassador's scholarship launched in 2013. The scholarship program is a co-venture between the embassy and the University of Nairobi where they pay tuition fees for students from poor families pursuing courses like engineering, medicine, economics and finance. The University of Nairobi hosts one of the largest Confucius institutes in sub-Saharan Africa, and has also forged link with Chinese academic institutions on modern skills training. Recently, China Telecommunications Corporation's (China Telecom) donated text books and sanitary towels worth 2,000 dollars to pupils of Olgumi Adventist Primary situated in Kajiado County in southern Kenya. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs at the University of Nairobi, Henry Mutoro, said the partnership will transform the lives of many children who hail from underprivileged backgrounds. HANGZHOU, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- He Jiacheng, former vice president of the Chinese Academy of Governance, stood trial Friday for taking bribes. He was accused of taking advantage of his official positions from 1995 to 2014 to help others in business and with promotions. He accepted bribes worth 7.1 million yuan (around 1.03 million U.S. dollars) either himself or through his relatives, according the People's Procuratorate of Ningbo City in eastern China's Zhejiang Province. The procuratorate filed the charges with the Intermediate People's Court of Ningbo City. He pleaded guilty and expressed remorse in the court. More than 60 people including journalists and members of the public attended the hearing. The ruling will be announced at a later date. The academy is a ministerial-level institution directly affiliated with the central government. It is an important body for training high and mid-level civil servants as well as high-level administrators and policy researchers. YANGON, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar had amended visa extension requirement, the Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population said Friday. According to the amendment, starting Thursday foreigners who want to extend their stay permit in the country no longer need to leave and re-enter the country and visa fees are raised , the ministry said. According to the amendment,visitors holding Business Visa, Religious Visa, Social Visa, Official Visa , Education Visa and Crew Visa no longer need to show re-entry for visa extension. The country allows 12 types of visa to foreigners to enter the country -- Gratis Diplomatic/Official Courtesy Visa, Tourist Visa, Business Visa,Social Visa ,Religious Visa, Transit Visa, Official Visa , Employment Visa, Education Visa, Journalist Visa, Crew Visa and Workshop/Seminar/ Meeting/ Research Visa. To facilitate foreign visitors, the country also grants visa-on-arrival for Business Visa, Workshop/ Seminar/ Meeting/ Research Visa, Crew Visa and Transit Visa. Moreover, visitors can apply e-visa for Tourist Visa and Business Visa. File photo taken on Nov.16, 2015, shows refugee children playing games at a refugee camp in Juba, South Sudan. (Xinhua/Pan Siwei) JUBA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan is on the menace of catastrophe amid deepening ethnic divisions and renewed armed forces recruitment, a three-member UN commission on human rights said Wednesday in the country, calling for sanctions. Chairperson of the commission Yasmin Sooka told reporters in Juba, capital of South Sudan, at the end of a ten-day visit that there were disturbing indicators of a looming genocide if the international community failed to make efforts to prevent it. "There is already a steady process of ethnic cleaning underway in several areas of South Sudan using starvation, gang rape and the burning of villages," Sooka said. The human rights experts said other areas of the country that had been relatively unaffected by three years of civil conflict -- such as the Equatoria region -- were now seeing an emerging trend of armed groups, displacement based on ethnicity and looting. File photo of 2015 shows Chinese peacekeepers stand in formation for inspection by representatives of the Untied Nations at their camp in South Sudan. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng) The commission urged the international community to take immediate steps to avert mass blood by expediting the arrival of the 4,000 protection force authorized by the UN Security Council in August to boost the UN peacekeeping mission, impose targeted sanctions and implement an arms embargo on South Sudan. Sooka also expressed disappointment with the African Union (AU) and the South Sudanese government for delaying the process of setting up a transitional justice system to try human rights violators. She said the initial assessment indicated that armed groups in South Sudan had increased new recruitment in preparation for war during the dry season. "Everywhere we went across this country we heard villagers saying they are ready to shed blood to get their land back. Many told us it already reached a point of no return," Sooka said. During their mission, the commission members met government officials, civil society activists, diplomatic missions and visited displaced people in Juba, Bentiu and Wau. File photo shows Muslims pray duiring the Eid al-Adha festival in Juba, capital of South Sudan, Sept. 12, 2016. (Xinhua/Gale Julius) They said victims of human rights abuses gave them terrible accounts of continued violence against civilians by armed groups. South Sudan has been embroiled in civil conflict since December 2013 following a political rivalry between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and more than two million people displaced since then. A peace deal signed in August last year led to the formation of a transitional unity government in April but was later shattered as fresh clashes erupted in the capital Juba in July between forces of the rival leaders. The UN has on several occasions accused the warring parties in South Sudan of committing horrific human rights abuses. HOHHOT, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Yang Shuqi, 58, on his motorcycle, is patrolling the bushwood he manages in the Tengger Desert in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Yang spends half of every month caring for the 300,000 mu (20,000 hectares) of bushwood in the 40,000-square-kilometer desert. "When I was young, sand dunes surrounded our houses, and the sheep pen would be buried with sand after a night's storm," said Yang. "With more trees and less storms now, our life is better." Yang lives in Alxa Left Banner in Alxa League Prefecture, which has three deserts. The deserts, including Tengger Desert, which extends into neighboring Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Gansu Province, stretch for 90,000 square kilometers in total, almost the area of Hungary. Before the 1990s, dry climate and over-grazing led to serious desertification, affecting water sources, grasslands and their lives. "There was not much grass for sheep, which drove down our wool production and the price of lamb. We couldn't make ends meet," Wang Cuiying, Yang's wife, said. In 1992, the local forestry department began an aerial seeding project to reforest the county. "Aerial seeding was carried out on 60,000 mu of land, and over 60 percent survived." said Liu Hongyi, head of the county's forestry bureau. Yang and his wife were among the 20 families who benefited from the afforestation drive that year. "The government has not only helped us plant trees to improve the environment, but they are concerned about our income as well," said Yang. According to Yang, each farmer who gives up herding so that their land can be planted with trees receives 13,000 yuan each year (about 1,800 U.S. dollars) from the government. The compensation system, which is covered by the central government, officially began in 2004 following three years of trials. Over 100 billion yuan has been poured into the management and protection of the forests over the past ten years, with 16.5 billion yuan this year alone. The farmers also make money from harvesting seeds from the trees, which are sold to the government for other aerial seeding projects. "Every family can earn over 10,000 yuan annually, more than they earned from herding sheep," said Yang. The county's herdsmen have provided around 30 tonnes of seeds for the forestry department each year since 2004. Thanks, in part, to their efforts, 790,000 mu of trees have been planted in the county over the past two decades. Farmers also choose to plant drought-enduring economic trees, such as sacsaoul, generating more income. Sacsaoul, a bush that anchors into sand with its roots, is often grafted with herbs such as cistanche and cynomorium, which are both used in traditional Chinese medicine. According to Liu, in 2011 Alxa Left Banner set the ambitious goal of growing 400,000 mu of sacsaoul trees. To date, 350,000 mu has been planted. Farmers are also granted 60 yuan per mu if they grow a particular type of tree. Among the trees, 26,000 mu have been grafted with the herb cistanche, which farmers will be able to harvest and sell next year. According to forestry department statistics, a 350 km sand belt has been built to stop sand from invading the nearby counties. "Several projects have been carried out in Alxa League since 2000, including the building of forest shelters, the return of grazing land to grassland, and the planting of non-commercial forests to protect the environment ecology, not to mention the compensation system," said Qiao Yongxiang, deputy director of forestry bureau of Alxa. "The income of farmers has increased thanks to our sand control and afforestation efforts," said Liu. TEHRAN, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian Foreign Ministry said Friday that the U.S. Senate's vote to extend sanctions against the Islamic republic is a violation of an international deal on Tehran's nuclear issue clinched in July 2015. "As it was repeatedly announced by senior Iranian officials, the recent decision by the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate to extend sanctions against Iran runs counter to the JCPOA (or the nuclear deal)," said Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi. "It is also against the U.S. obligations under international law on non-interference in domestic and international relations of other countries," Qasemi was quoted as saying by Press TV. Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted for the extension of the ISA for another 10 years, which was endorsed by the the U.S. Senate on Thursday. To become a law, the bill has still to be signed by the U.S. president. The ISA was first adopted in 1996 to sanction Iran over its controversial nuclear program. Qasemi said Friday that "the political developments inside the United States and interactions between its legislative and executive branches cannot justify the country's failure to abide by its international commitments." Iran has already "proved its commitment to international agreements and has made necessary preparations to effectively, firmly and prudently safeguard the nation's rights," he said. The Iranian Foreign Ministry is closely monitoring the U.S. administration's conduct, and will present a report to the committee tasked with monitoring the JCPOA's implementation, he added. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last week that if the United States renews the ISA, the Islamic republic will "definitely" react. "So far, the incumbent U.S. government has committed several violations with regard to the nuclear agreement," Khamenei said, adding that "If these sanctions are executed, this will surely constitute a violation of the JCPOA and they (the U.S. officials) should know that the Islamic republic will definitely react to it." Iran and six world major countries -- the United States, Britain, China, Russia, France and Germany -- reached an agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue in July 2015 that puts Iran on the path of sanctions relief but more strict limits on its nuclear program. The deal sets limits on Iran's nuclear activities as it will take Tehran at least one year to produce enough fissile materials for producing a nuclear weapon, and allows regular inspections of the facilities inside Iran. In return, the United States and the European Union will suspend nuclear-related sanctions against Tehran, with the lifting of all past UN Security Council sanction resolutions. Many members of the U.S. Congress had expressed deep concern over the deal, warning that Tehran could evade inspections and use the money from sanction relief to destabilize the region. JERUSALEM, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Israel's police said Friday that Sara Netanyahu, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife, was interrogated for 11 hours on Thursday on suspicion of misusing public money. The questioning, which continued into the early morning hours Friday, took place at the offices of Lahav 443, Israel's anti-corruption police unit, according to a police statement sent to Xinhua. The Prime Minister's Office, however, released a statement denying any misconduct. "Once again, we say, there won't be anything, because there isn't anything," the statement read. It was the second time Sara had been interrogated over claims that she used state funds to cover the expenses of the Netanyahus' private residence in Caesarea. In May, the police recommended indicting Sara for aggravated fraud over embezzling public funds assigned to the official Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem for private use. Israel's Ha'aretz newspaper reported that the questioning on Thursday was carried out to complete the ongoing investigation before the State Attorney's Office will decide whether to press charges against the prime minister's wife. SOFIA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The GERB party, the largest party in Bulgarian parliament, on Friday refused the president's offer to form a new government, increasing the likelihood of early parliamentary elections. On Friday, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev appointed GERB party leader Boyko Borissov as Prime Minister-designate to form a government, but Borissov immediately returned the mandate. Should a Prime Minister-designate nominated by the second largest parliamentary group, BSP Left Bulgaria, also fail to form a government, Plevneliev shall entrust the task to one of the minor parliamentary groups. Under the Bulgarian Constitution, if the parties in the parliament fail to form a new cabinet after the three attempts, the president shall appoint a caretaker government. If that's the case, early parliamentary elections would be held in late March or early April 2017. The GERB party-led coalition government resigned in mid-November after the opposition-backed candidate Rumen Radev won the presidential election in the Balkan country. NICOSIA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The leaders of Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities agreed to resume their stalled negotiations for reunifying the eastern Mediterranean island and drew a roadmap putting off their conclusion from the end of this month to mid-January, the United Nations said on Friday. A United Nations statement after a four-hour long dinner hosted by the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide said the leaders will meet from Jan. 9 to 11 in Geneva to exchange maps on territorial adjustments. Their meetings will be followed by a conference on Jan. 12 with the guarantor powers -- Britain, Greece and Turkey -- to agree security arrangements. BRUSSELS/BEIJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The European Union should look at the whole picture of the China-EU trade ties, instead of being hesitant to fully fulfill its obligation under the Protocol on China's Accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Under Article 15 of the Protocol on China's Accession to the WTO, the EU must end its "surrogate country system" by Dec. 11, 2016. Under the system, costs of production in a third country are used to calculate the value of products from "non-market economies." The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, last month presented to the European Council and the European Parliament a proposal on changing its anti-dumping and anti-subsidy methodologies. Some WTO members, including China, labeled by the EU as "non-market economies," would no longer be applied to "surrogate country" calculation, the commission said. But it left open the option to use "international" price and cost reference in further anti-dumping cases if "market distortion" was found. In this way, the EU's new methodology would still fall short of its obligation to international trade rules, Renato Antonini, partner at Brussels-based law firm Jones Day, told Xinhua. The commission replaced the concept and standards of "non-market economies" with those of "market distortion," which was groundless under the WTO framework, to safeguard its trade defense instruments in anti-dumping cases, he added. Brussels showed a trade protectionism leaning in its new anti-dumping regime and could jeopardize its trade ties with China, experts said, urging the EU to adopt real legislative changes in its new anti-dumping methodology. Brussels would damage its own interests, particularly after a WTO panel ruled in March that the EU broke WTO rules by miscalculating anti-dumping tariffs it imposed on Argentine biodiesel, experts warned. Moreover, the EU has become China's biggest trade partner and the two sides have enjoyed sound development of economic cooperation in recent years. Data from Chinese customs authorities showed that bilateral trade witnessed growth between January and October this year, making China-EU trade value reach 2.94 trillion yuan (around 427 billion U.S. dollars ) in the first 10 months. China and the EU have a solid foundation of cooperation and the two sides have enhanced cooperation on connectivity, investment plans, and other strategies including "Made in China 2025" and Germany's "Industry 4.0," said Wang Yiwei, director of the Center for European Studies at China's Renmin University. Anti-dumping cases accounted for less than 2 percent of the total EU-China trade and it was not worthy for Brussels to put bilateral trade ties on edge, Pierre Defraigne, executive director of the Brussels-based think tank the Madariaga-College of Europe Foundation, told Xinhua. Amid the surge of protectionism in global trade and the gloom about the outlook of an EU-U.S. free trade deal, Europe's foreign trade policy should focus more on Eurasia, especially China, Defraigne added. China and the EU could work closer to further explore cooperation and promote bilateral trade ties, Wang said. Photo taken on Jan. 6 shows Chinese soldiers are on patrol on a breakwater on the Yongshu Jiao at the South China Sea. (Xinhua/Zha Chunming) BEIJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Perhaps in an attempt to impress his Japanese colleague, British ambassador to the United States Kim Darroch told a Washington think tank Thursday that British fighter planes visiting Japan will fly over the South China Sea. Such remarks create the impression that London may soon deviate from a largely aloof attitude over the South China Sea issue and start playing a meddling role there like the United States and Japan. Should a British warplane embark on a so-called "freedom of navigation" mission in the South China Sea, it would only serve to further complicate the issue and weigh on thriving China-Britain ties. Thanks to tons of biased Western media reports and a string of irresponsible U.S. military maneuvers in the South China Sea in the past few years, freedom of navigation now seems like a ready excuse for outsider parties to impose themselves over the issue, but the reality is that there's never been any problem with the legitimate passage of ships and planes in the area. With trillions of dollars worth of goods traversing the patch of water every year, the South China Sea is vital both to global trade and to China's development. China itself needs unimpeded passage in the body of water more than any other country, and maintaining peace and stability has been the overriding consideration of its South China Sea policy. Meanwhile, despite the fact that some Chinese islands in the South China Sea have been illegally occupied by other countries, Beijing has always insisted on settling the disputes through peaceful means. British policymakers should be well aware that by copying provocative actions of Washington and Tokyo over the South China Sea, it stands to lose on at least two sides: its credibility as as responsible global player and its relations with China. At a time when the memory is still fresh for many about the opening of the golden era for China-Britain ties, Darroch's South China Sea remarks indeed struck an alarming note. The good atmosphere surrounding China-Britain relations is the result of years of joint efforts and it is most unwise to mar the prospects of the thriving ties by threatening hardly justified military maneuvers. Related: Stop meddling in South China Sea dispute, Chinese diplomat demands London, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Liu Xiaoming, Chinese ambassador to Britain, has demanded stopping meddling in the South China Sea dispute by some politicians and media outlets in the United States and Britain, in a signed article to the Times published Wednesday. "The issue of the South China Sea is being ramped up by those in the US and the UK who accuse China of causing tension in the region. They proclaim the principle of free navigation and over-flight but in reality their prejudice and partiality will only increase tension," he said. SINGAPORE, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Singapore has accepted the invitation to participate in the G20 Meetings and the Hamburg Summit in 2017, according to a joint statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Ministry of Finance (MOF) on Friday. In a separate statement, MFA revealed that Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has written a letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel in response to her invitation. PM Lee said Singapore welcomes Germany's priorities on resilience, responsibility and sustainability. The G20's leadership in steering the global economy is especially crucial at a time of subdued global economic outlook, as well as sluggish growth in trade and investment. "As an open economy and a major financial center, Singapore will continue our active contributions to the G20's ongoing discussions on key economic and financial policy issues," said PM Lee. In his letter to Merkel, Lee also noted Singapore firmly supports Germany's efforts to enrich the inclusiveness and transparency of the G20 process by reaching out to non-G20 countries. "Singapore seeks to promote stronger engagement between the G20 and the wider United Nations membership through the Global Governance Group (3G)," he added. Singapore and Germany enjoy excellent relations and cooperate closely in multilateral fora. As a major financial center and hub for investments into Asia, Singapore looks forward to contributing to G20 discussions on global financial reforms, the multilateral trading system, employment and digitalization, according to the joint statement by MFA and MOF. The Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mohammad Javad Zarif addresses the media after a meeting with his Romanian counterpart at the Romanian Foreign Ministry in Bucharest November 9, 2016. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) TEHRAN, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian Foreign Ministry said Friday that the U.S. Senate's vote to extend sanctions against the Islamic republic is a violation of an international deal on Tehran's nuclear issue clinched in July 2015. "As it was repeatedly announced by senior Iranian officials, the recent decision by the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate to extend sanctions against Iran runs counter to the JCPOA (or the nuclear deal)," said Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi. "It is also against the U.S. obligations under international law on non-interference in domestic and international relations of other countries," Qasemi was quoted as saying by Press TV. Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted for the extension of the ISA for another 10 years, which was endorsed by the the U.S. Senate on Thursday. To become a law, the bill has still to be signed by the U.S. president. The ISA was first adopted in 1996 to sanction Iran over its controversial nuclear program. Qasemi said Friday that "the political developments inside the United States and interactions between its legislative and executive branches cannot justify the country's failure to abide by its international commitments." Iran has already "proved its commitment to international agreements and has made necessary preparations to effectively, firmly and prudently safeguard the nation's rights," he said. The Iranian Foreign Ministry is closely monitoring the U.S. administration's conduct, and will present a report to the committee tasked with monitoring the JCPOA's implementation, he added. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last week that if the United States renews the ISA, the Islamic republic will "definitely" react. "So far, the incumbent U.S. government has committed several violations with regard to the nuclear agreement," Khamenei said, adding that "If these sanctions are executed, this will surely constitute a violation of the JCPOA and they (the U.S. officials) should know that the Islamic republic will definitely react to it." Iran and six world major countries -- the United States, Britain, China, Russia, France and Germany -- reached an agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue in July 2015 that puts Iran on the path of sanctions relief but more strict limits on its nuclear program. The deal sets limits on Iran's nuclear activities as it will take Tehran at least one year to produce enough fissile materials for producing a nuclear weapon, and allows regular inspections of the facilities inside Iran. In return, the United States and the European Union will suspend nuclear-related sanctions against Tehran, with the lifting of all past UN Security Council sanction resolutions. Many members of the U.S. Congress had expressed deep concern over the deal, warning that Tehran could evade inspections and use the money from sanction relief to destabilize the region. PARIS, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- With his decision on Thursday not to seek a second term, Francois Hollande has become the first president of the 58-year-old Fifth Republic to do so. Pundits attribute his decision to pathetic approval ratings and a strategic choice to avoid split among the leftists. The 62-year-old Socialist is no doubt France's most unpopular post-war president. A new poll on Wednesday predicted that, if he chooses to run, he would win only 7 percent of the vote in the first round of next year's presidential election. His popularity has nosedived since he defeated incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy in 2012, with 52 percent of the vote. His flip-flops on key issues, such as shifting wealth super-tax to pro-business reform, dismayed many on the left. His labor-market reform frustrated grassroots supporters and triggered protests. His popularity was also undermined by high unemployment, lackluster economic growth, terrorist attacks and wavering security reforms. Hollande's image was also negatively affected by his private life. After his tryst with actress Julie Gayet was disclosed, his ex-girlfriend claimed in her book that he made crass comments, including calling the poor "toothless." Moreover, a book titled "A President Shouldn't Say That" written by two journalists from Le Monde newspaper revealed that he let loose about senior lawyers and judges, describing the justice system as "a cowardly institution." His comments on Claude Bartolone, head of the National Assembly and a Socialist veteran, disclosed in the book, triggered the latter's dissatisfaction and showed the split within the Left. Analysts believed that Hollande's withdrawal from the presidential race would avoid bigger split among leftists and pave the way for Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who has announced his readiness to run for president. Following Hollande's announcement, Valls said on Thursday night that the president had made "the choice of a statesman." Seven contenders including former ministers Arnaud Montebourg and Benoit Hamon have announced to participate in the two-round left-wing primary scheduled for Jan. 22 and 29. Former Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron and Jean-Luc Melenchon, two left-wing politicians, have said they will run for president as independents. A left-wing candidate will face strong competition from former Prime Minister Francois Fillon, who represents the center-right, and Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Front. NEW DELHI, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Indian army Friday dispelled speculations of a "military coup" raised by chief minister of the eastern state of West Bengal, saying it was conducting a routine exercise with full knowledge and coordination with state police. "Army formations in eastern command at local levels are carrying out routine annual data collection exercise on availability of load carriers at major entry points," a statement issued by army said. "The ongoing exercise involves collection of vehicular data at 18 places in Assam, 13 in Arunanchal Pradesh, 19 in West Bengal, 6 in Manipur, 5 each in Nagaland and Meghalaya and one in Tripura and Mizoram." On Thursday West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stayed put at her office, raising fears of a "military coup." "I will be staying at my Secretariat to guard our democracy," Banerjee wrote on twitter. Banerjee's party - Trinamool Congress (TMC) raised the issue in the parliament. Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said the routine exercise was being conducted throughout the country to get data about the load carriers to be made available to the army during contingency situations. Banerjee spent over 24 hours inside her office amid fears, saying her government was not informed about the exercise. She also accused Indian army's eastern command of propagating wrong information. "Absolutely wrong and misleading facts by eastern command. We have great respect for you, but please please don't mislead the people," Banerjee wrote. The West Bengal chief minister is on the forefront to criticize Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetization move of withdrawing currency notes of 500 and 1,000 Indian rupees from India's financial system. NANJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Four people received jail terms Friday for fly-tipping on the bank of a river in eastern China's Jiangsu Province, according to a local court. The defendants were sentenced to 18 to 21 months in prison and fined 50,000 yuan (7,260 U.S. dollars) to 60,000 yuan, said a statement from the court in Xishan district, Wuxi City. The court found that Xu Guoqiang, without a license for disposing garbage, signed a contract with Yangpu district government, Shanghai, to help handle household trash from 2013. In May 2015, three other defendants shipped garbage to Wuxi, dumped it and buried it with construction materials and soil. The garbage polluted the local environment. Tests found heavy metals, including lead and chromium, in the solid waste. The garbage was disposed of by local authorities in July 2015. The dumping was first spotted by local residents on May 19, when a vessel carried the trash to Huishan District, Wuxi. Four other vessels carrying garbage came a week later and were seized by local authorities. The Xishan court accepted the case in November 2015, holding two hearings. GENEVA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Some 31,500 civilians have been displaced within Aleppo since fighting between warring factions escalated on Nov. 24, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported Friday. Over half (18,000) of those who have been forced to flee their homes have done so to Jibreen, a government-held district of western Aleppo, OCHA indicated in a press briefing here. A further 8,500 have fled to the Kurdish area of Sheikh Maqsood, while 5,000 have been displaced within east Aleppo which has been under siege for almost five months, the UN body added. According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), around 60 percent of those displaced by clashes between Syrian government forces seeking to take over rebel-held eastern districts are children. Though unable to reach civilians who have not left eastern parts of the war-torn city, the UN said Thursday that it is able to provide much needed food and medical aid to those who have done so. OCHA also said that the UN had acknowledged a Russian proposal to open four humanitarian corridors servicing east Aleppo. If safety guarantees are provided by all parties to the conflict and pending discussions with Moscow, the UN hopes to use these corridors to carry out medical evacuations while bringing much needed relief items to east Aleppo. Once Syria's economic hub, Aleppo has been bitterly contested by the Syrian army and opposition groups since 2012. According to OCHA, Damascus has regained control of several neighbourhoods and civilian infrastructure in east Aleppo, including the Suleiman Al-Halabi water station. BEIJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Zhang Zhiquan is illiterate, but the old farmer knows exactly the right thing to do at each time of a year. "Greater Snow, collect manure; Spring Equinox, fertilize the seeds; Grain Full, watch the worm..." The 78-year-old Zhang of Pingyu County in central China's Henan province has been relying on the 24 solar terms for farming for more than half a century. Greater Snow, Spring Equinox and Grain Full are three of the 24 solar terms of the Chinese lunisolar calendar that has guided farming in China for thousands of years. This agricultural handbook was added Wednesday to the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. SHADOWS OF THE PAST Believed to be China's fifth significant invention after the compass, gunpowder, paper and woodblock printing, the calendar was created by using astronomy, changes in temperature and precipitation as the basis. The Yellow River Basin where Zhang lives was cradle of the system. An observatory built in the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368) still stands today in Dengfeng, Henan. "Our ancestors measured the shadows at noon," said Yan Songtao, a cultural official in Dengfeng. "The shadows were short in summer and long in winter. In this way they divided the time equally into the solar terms." For centuries, solar terms were vital for Chinese farmers, and at that time, almost everyone was a farmer. "How can you be a farmer if you don't know the solar terms?" said Zhang Zhiquan. "When the cuckoo sings, we know it is the time of 'Grain in Ear,'" And sure enough, when the cuckoo does actually sing, Zhang heads for the fields with his hoe, and knows exactly what to do when he gets there. The solar terms were adopted by ethnic groups across China and beyond. In central China's Hunan province, at "The Beginning of Autumn," people from the Miao ethnic group gather to celebrate with traditional dance. On the day of the Spring Equinox, a man called the "Spring Official" visits villagers door to door to remind them to start farming. "Spring officials" during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907) were appointed by the emperor. They carried a symbolic wooden ox with three burning incense sticks on its head. Today they are trained in a class, funded by the provincial government. Other specific days of the solar terms are also celebrated in unique ways. On the Winter Solstice, dumplings are served in north China. Wen Xiangui from Henan remembers how they made dumplings in college. "Each dormitory was provided with dough and stuffing," he recalled. His son is a senior student in the same college now and is following the same tradition. "The shape of dumpling resembles an ear, and people believed that those who didn't eat dumplings on that day would have their ears frozen off by the biting cold," Wen said. On the day of Grain Rain, farmers pick tea leaves. On the day of Greater Heat, people eat pineapple. The day of Pure Brightness is also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day, when millions visit the grave of their ancestors and pay homage. THE CALENDAR OF THE FUTURE? Almost everyone in China knows the poem of the solar terms, and although the customs are no longer strictly followed in China, the tradition spread to Korea, Vietnam, Japan and other East Asian countries. The pronunciation of the terms in Korean and Japanese is very similar to their Chinese names. For example, Li Chun (The Beginning of Spring) is Ipchun in Korean and Risshun in Japanese. "The solar terms are significant in astronomy, farming and folk culture," Yan Songtao said. "They affect the lives of almost everyone." In a modern industrial setting however, solar terms have lost some of their importance. "With technology and climate change, people can no longer rely on a weather forecast from the calendar," Yan said. "Western culture has also encroached on tradition. With more Western holidays to celebrate, people tend to ignore traditional holidays." Yan believes inclusion in the UNESCO list a good opportunity for people to pay more attention to a dying legacy, a view shared by writer, artist and calligrapher Feng Jicai. "We need specific measures to preserve our culture," he said. Chen Lun is founder of a company that spent almost a year designing and producing a calendar of solar terms. "We would like it to be a guide," he said. "Solar terms embody centuries of wisdom and can still guide us in what to do and what to eat in different seasons." They began selling the calendar online on August 15 and more than 100,000 copies have been sold. Yang Chao, marketing manager of the Hundred Create Culture company told Xinhua they are developing other products based on solar terms. "As people get richer, they are more interested in keeping healthy. We are considering how to combine solar terms with healthy food and folk activities." The next solar term, the Greater Snow, begins next Tuesday. Zhang Zhiquan is preparing to loosen the soil to preserve its moisture. "After that, I will be waiting for the snow," he smiled. "A big snow always promises a good harvest." SINGAPORE, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, CapitaLand and China's leading co-working space operator, UrWork, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Friday to facilitate Singapore companies' entry into China amid a growing trend of the sharing economy. This first-of-its-kind tripartite partnership will provide a conducive working environment, leads and business advisory services, helping small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in their market entry process. Under the partnership, CapitaLand will work with UrWork to provide co-working spaces in CapitaLand's properties in China and Singapore. IE Singapore will identify and link potential Singapore SMEs to these co-working spaces in China. IE Singapore and UrWork will jointly attract and groom a group of talents to drive innovation, entrepreneurship and internationalization through regular seminars, thematic exchanges, networking sessions and internship opportunities, added the release. Lee Ark Boon, CEO of IE Singapore, noted that this tripartite partnership strengthens IE Singapore's networks, allowing Singapore to provide ready and better support to Singapore's companies to accelerate their market expansion into China. "I hope that Singapore companies can tap on these mature network and platform set forth by UrWork and CapitaLand to ease way through the China market and also to promote your innovations to achieve greater international successes," said Yew Sung Pei, Assistant CEO of IE Singapore. UrWork's founder Mao Daqing said, "Through this tripartite MoU, Singapore start-ups will gain access to China's market, while Chinese start-ups will have an international platform to exhibit and grow their businesses." HANGZHOU, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- China will step up efforts to promote industrial design to help enhance the country's manufacturing sector, Chinese Vice Premier Ma Kai said Friday. Ma made the remarks when delivering a speech at the first World Industrial Design Conference in the eastern city of Hangzhou. China will make significant efforts to improve the environment for developing the industrial design sector and accelerate its upgrading so as to bring about a more competitive manufacturing sector, Ma said. The vice premier called for more international cooperation to make the sector more digitalized, more Internet-based, smarter and greener. All countries should also work together to promote innovation of the industrial design sector and improve the global system for design innovation, Ma added. The vice premier also urged all countries to boost policy communication, encourage exchange of talent, facilitate mutual recognition of standards and jointly fight intellectual property infringements. GENEVA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Some 77,826 civilians have fled Mosul and its adjacent districts since Iraq's military operations to recapture Mosul, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported Friday. "We are deeply concerned about both the displaced and host communities' ability to cope with the winter weather," IOM Iraq Chief of Mission Thomas Lothar Weiss said in a statement. "Now that the rains have begun, people living in makeshift shelters or unfinished buildings are at risk from the cold, damp weather, which is affecting their health and wellbeing, particularly the elderly and children," he added. According to the organization's latest statistics, 80 percent of those recently displaced by military operations are living in formal camps. A further 14 percent have taken shelter in private settings, while five percent are in critical shelter arrangements and one percent is passing through screening sites. Meanwhile, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has distributed over 8,000 kits containing blankets and quilts to recently retaken towns and villages to the east of Mosul. A further 3,500 kits will be delivered to families living in the area over the coming days, the agency added. On Oct. 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the start of a major offensive to retake Mosul, the country's second largest city, in a bid to liberate the northern Iraqi city, the last major Islamic State (IS) stronghold in Iraq. Mosul, some 400 km north of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014. The UN Refugee Agency had warned prior to the military campaign that as many as 1.2 million civilians could be displaced by the fighting. ZHENGZHOU, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- China will send an infantry battalion of 700 peacekeepers in South Sudan, including a 13-soldier female squad, the army unit dispatching them said Friday. It is the third batch of Chinese peacekeepers sent to South Sudan. From Sunday, they will take United Nations charter flights to the mission area, replacing the second batch of Chinese peacekeepers. The female infantry squad will carry out humanitarian relief and protect the rights of women and children, said Ding Hailong, battalion commander. The battalion is comprised of officers and soldiers from the 54th Group Army, including foot soldiers, armored units, artillery forces, signal troops and special warfare troops and others. A total of 138 have conducted peacekeeping missions before, and 166 peacekeepers have won merits of third-class and above. The infantry battalion will be deployed in South Sudan's capital city of Juba, protecting civilians, UN staff and humanitarian relief programs, with patrols, escorts and other missions. Ding Hailong said all peacekeepers have been trained for three months and passed all related tests so they are capable of carrying out peacekeeping missions. Since April last year, China has deployed peacekeeping infantry battalions in South Sudan. In July this year, two Chinese peacekeeping soldiers were killed in fighting between South Sudan's rival army factions in Juba. LUSAKA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government has assured that the banking sector was stable despite the takeover of one bank by the country's central bank, senior official said on Friday. On Tuesday, the country's central bank, the Bank of Zambia (BoZ), took over operations of Intermarket Banking Corporation after it became insolvent and not in a position to meet its obligations as they fall due. This has caused consternation among stakeholders, with unconfirmed reports indicating that more banks are expected to be closed because of the high minimum capital requirement. But Minister of Finance Felix Mutati said the financial market in the country was stable despite what has happened to Intermarket Bank. He said in a ministerial statement delivered in parliament that all banks in the country were sound and urged customers to continue keeping their money with the banking institutions. "Mr. Speaker, the government wishes to inform the general public, the banking community and all interested parties, the banking sector currently remains stable," he said. He said the possession of Intermarket Bank b7 the central bank was done in line with the financial and banking law and one way of ensuring that there was minimization of losses to depositors and employees. He however said the government will wait for a report from the central bank on what will happen to depositors and employees of the bank. He has since urged members of the general public to refrain from speculating on matters that have the potential to cause alarm and panic to customers of banks because of the sensitivity of the financial sector. But Dr. Lubinda Haabazoka, a Senior Lecturer of Economics at the Copperbelt University (CBU) said the takeover of one bank by the centrl bank was an early warning sign that more banks with less capital will go the same route. He has since urged the central bank to quickly operationalize the operation of a Deposit Insurance Scheme to ensure the protection of depositors. "The current situation where depositors and other lenders have to wait for BoZ to establish the asset and liability status of the bank then follow the priority of creditors list will mean that some depositors will have to wait for years to lay their hands on their deposits," he said. HARARE, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- At least 1.1 million Zimbabweans in urban areas will require food aid between now and the next harvest in March 2017 following a devastating El-Nino induced drought this year, an official said Friday. Already, 4.1 million Zimbabweans in rural areas are food insecure, bringing to 5.2 million the total number of Zimbabweans who require food aid until March next year. About 70 percent of Zimbabwe's population lives in rural areas. An official from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Zimbabwe Office Constance Oka told journalists the figure of 1.1 million food insecure urban dwellers came out from the just concluded urban vulnerability assessment carried out by the government. The government announced in July that once the results of the assessment were out, it would start providing food insecure households in urban areas with food aid as the country grapples with its worst drought in 35 years. The drought also affected the entire southern African region where 40 million people require food assistance before March next year. For its drought response program, FAO has targeted to assist 486,000 vulnerable households in Zimbabwe and requires a total budget of 35.2 million U.S. dollars. However, Oka lamented that the UN agency's drought response program was severely underfunded, as 8 million dollars had so far been secured. "Without adequate support for agriculture recovery, the humanitarian needs faced by small holder farmers will stretch beyond 2017," she said. The Zimbabwe government declared the 2015/16 agriculture season a national disaster in February and lunched a food aid appeal of 1.5 billion dollars. BEIJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- International experts exchanged views on China's aging population at a two-day conference concluding Friday. Soyoltuya Bayaraa, a representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) China, said that China's efforts in investing in older people will offer valuable experience to the international community, citing robust political commitment, proper planning and forward-looking policies. According to UN data from the World Population Prospects, people aged 60 and older accounted for 12.3 percent of the world's population in 2015, and will increase to 16.5 percent by 2030. China will see a much greater increase, from 16.1 percent to 25.3 percent by 2030. "The increased percentage of elderly people in China means an increased demand for more and higher quality services and products tailored to seniors," Du Peng, director of the Institute of Gerontology of Renmin University of China (RUC), told Xinhua. The Chinese attach great importance to their aging population and have pledged to improve the elderly care service system based on families and supported by communities and institutions. According to China's 13th Five-Year Plan, the country aims to address challenges brought by the aging population through enhancing employability, providing more elderly care and products as well as strengthening protection of their rights and interests. In addition, China wants to increase its citizens' average life expectancy to 77.3 by 2020 and 79 by 2030, up from 76.34 in 2015, according to the "Healthy China 2030" blueprint, released by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council in October. "Many low-age old people in China want to work beyond their retirement age. We should allow them to have the opportunities to sustain their contribution to society," said Dang Junwu, deputy director of the China Gerontology Institute, adding this would also help alleviate labor shortages posed by an aging population. Dang's opinion was echoed by Bayaraa, who thinks that many seniors in China represent a great untapped potential to be harnessed as human capital, due to higher education attainment and invaluable experience. "China could consider providing opportunities for seniors to continue to make active contributions to society if they are willing and capable to do so," Bayaraa said. Bayaraa acknowledged the strong commitment of the Chinese government to the aging population by placing it high on the national development agenda. "Older persons should have equal rights to participate in and benefit from national development," Bayaraa said. She added that UNFPA China has also contributed data, evidence and analysis to China's 12th and 13th Five-Year Plans to inform policy discussions. "Our partnership on aging is aligned with the national context of China," Bayaraa said. The conference was co-organized by the UNFPA, the Institute of Gerontology of RUC and the China Population Association, attracting about 200 representatives. The event was held in the wake of the one-year anniversary of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted at the United Nations, which provides a broader context for responses to aging to ensure that no one is left behind. Zhang Dejiang (R), chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, holds talks with Mohamed Larbi Ould Khelifa, speaker of the Algerian People's National Assembly (Lower House of Parliament), in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 2, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Tao) BEIJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Top legislator Zhang Dejiang held talks with Mohamed Larbi Ould Khelifa, speaker of the Algerian People's National Assembly (Lower House of Parliament) on Friday. Describing China and Algeria as "brothers and friends," Zhang said both countries have forged a profound friendship and mutual trust in the cause of national liberation and rejuvenation. China will promote all-round cooperation with Algeria and work with Algeria to advance China-Africa and China-Arab countries relations, said Zhang, who is chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC). Zhang called on the NPC and People's National Assembly to enhance cooperation and boost the bilateral relationship, including respecting each other's core interests and major concerns to lay a solid political foundation for the relationship. "China supports Algeria's efforts to safeguard national stability and economic development," Zhang said. He urged the the NPC and People's National Assembly to improve the investment environment from the perspective of laws and regulations to create suitable conditions for practical cooperation. Zhang hoped for more exchanges between the two sides in economic transformation and improvement of people's lives. Ould Khelifa said Algeria admired China's outstanding achievement in economic and social development, and added the country was looking forward to more mutually beneficial cooperation with China in all areas. The People's National Assembly is willing to strengthen friendly exchanges with the NPC to inject new vitality to bilateral relations, Ould Khelifa said. NICOSIA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The leaders of Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities agreed to resume their stalled negotiations for reunifying the eastern Mediterranean island and drew a roadmap putting off their conclusion from the end of this month to mid-January, the United Nations said on Friday. A UN statement after a four-hour long dinner hosted by the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide said the leaders will meet from Jan. 9 to 11 in Geneva to exchange maps on territorial adjustments. Their meetings will be followed by a conference on Jan. 12 with the guarantor powers -- Britain, Greece and Turkey -- to agree security arrangements. Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci had failed to reach an agreement during negotiations in the Swiss resort of Mont Pelerin two weeks ago on the amount of territory each of the two communities will control in a federal state and the number of displaced people who will return to their homes. The negotiations aim at bringing down the territory under Turkish Cypriot control closer to their population ratio, allowing part of the 170,000 Greek Cypriots displaced in 1974 to return to their cities and villages. A contentious point in the negotiations related to the timing of an agreement for territorial adjustments relative to convening a conference to discuss security arrangements. The Turkish Cypriot side insisted on a conference of the three guarantor powers and the two Cypriot sides to agree on all outstanding issues, including security and maintaining some kind of guarantees after a solution. The Greek Cypriot side insisted on convening a wider conference with the participation of the Cyprus Republic and the permanent members of the UN Security Council after all other issues would have been agreed upon. It also opposed any guarantee rights that would give Turkey intervention rights. On that point, the UN statement said that the two sides will exchange maps on Jan. 11 and "a conference on Cyprus will be convened with the added participation of the guarantor powers. Other relevant parties shall be invited as needed." BEIJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The United States should not shirk its international obligations in the name of "market economy status (MES)," a Chinese official said Friday, urging the U.S. to grant MES to China. Recognizing China's MES and abandoning a surrogate country approach when calculating anti-dumping measures against Chinese exports are two different issues, said Shen Danyang, spokesman for the Commerce Ministry. Shen made the remarks in response to U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker who said in November that the time was "not ripe" for the U.S. to grant China the MES. When a surrogate country approach is in effect, a third country or region's prices can be used to assess if a certain country is exporting below market value or dumping. The approach applicable to China is due to expire on Dec. 11, according to Article 15 of the protocols for China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001. It is a right that China should enjoy and an obligation that all WTO members must abide by, said Shen, asking the U.S. to stop using a surrogate country approach against China from Dec. 11. Shen asked the U.S. to fulfill the obligations of the Article 15 on time, fully and completely, so as to promote the smooth development of China-US economic and trade relations. Enditem TAIPEI, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Producing adulterated counterfeit food or food with unauthorized additives, no matter whether it is harmful to human health, is illegal, Taiwan's highest court announced Friday. According to a statement by the court, violations of food safety rules in that regard shall lead to imprisonment of up to seven years with a fine less than 80 million new Taiwan dollars (around 2.5 million U.S. dollars). The court's decision was made to unify local courts' understanding of food safety rules following a series of major safety scandals in 2013, which mainly involved substandard food production for cost-saving and profiteering, the statement said. SHANGHAI, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Foreign enterprises are upbeat about the country's economy and some plan to increase investment in China in 2017. Mahesh Kini, managing director and head of trade finance and corporate cash management of Deutsche Bank, called China "a production hub for the world," noting that there was great demand for commodities to support infrastructure development. The Chinese government is looking for new drivers to boost its economy. It is clear that the economy is rebalancing after a journey from relying on exports to being the production hub of the world to becoming a more domestic-consumption oriented economy, Mahesh Kini said. "With increasing household incomes, domestic market demand is really expanding and upgrading. From that perspective, we really see a big change and shift in the local economy. This change also has a tremendous impact on the banking system," said Mahesh Kini. "As a financial institution, we grow with the economy. We are focusing more on local trade finance, local cash management in addition to import and export flows." PwC released its latest APEC CEO survey "China Summary" at the end of November. The survey found that 59 percent of Chinese mainland and Hong Kong executives were planning to increase investment in China over the next year, compared with 54 percent last year. Among other APEC executives with businesses in China, 43 percent said they were increasing investment. "It is significant that APEC business leaders look beyond a slowdown to the long term. China's slower economic growth is not enough to put business leaders off investment and expansion. China remains a powerhouse of potential for APEC businesses for new products and partnerships," said Raymund Chao, PwC Greater China chairman. Zhou Hao, senior EM economist Asia with Commerzbank AG, said China's manufacturing PMI came in at 51.7 for November, up from 51.2 in the prior month, the highest since July 2014. The continued improvement in China's PMI reflects rising demand and surging commodity prices, led by steel and coal. From the aspect of the job market, industry insiders forecast that the level of mainland employment will remain stable in 2017. According to Michael Page, an international recruitment consultative agency, which collected the opinions of nearly 1,000 employers on the Chinese mainland across all industries on employment trends in the coming year, 48 percent of companies were planning to hire in 2017. In addition, 45 percent of companies surveyed also said they expected to offer a six to ten percent salary increase to staff in 2017. Andy Bentote, senior managing director of Greater China Michael Page, is optimistic that hiring trends in China will remain positive in 2017 despite the rebalancing of the economy. Competition for talent is also likely to intensify in China as domestic companies are rapidly becoming employers of choice with the ability to attract and retain strong candidates, he said. BUJUMBURA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- About 200 Burundian cataract patients are to be operated upon by Chinese doctors in a two-week campaign dubbed "Walking towards Light", the Burundian health minister said Friday at the launch of the campaign. "Chinese doctors have deployed here to provide free operations to those patients," said Burundian Health and AIDS Control Minister Dr Josiane Nijimbere at the launch of the campaign. The ceremony was attended by several officials including Chinese Ambassador to Burundi Zhuo Ruisheng and members of the Chinese community living in Burundi. Nijimbere highly commended cooperation existing between Burundi and China especially in the medical sector. "The equipment that will be used during this campaign of operating cataract will be donated to this hospital (Prince Regent Charles Hospital) and our medical doctors will use. During this campaign, they will, at the same time, learn how to use them," said Nijimbere. The Chinese Ambassador said that the Chinese government increased the number of patients to be operated because seekers of the operation became numerous. "Taking into account the increasing number of applicants for cataract operation in Burundi, we have decided to move from 150 beneficiaries to over 200 this year," the Chinese official said. Those beneficiaries were selected among 1,217 patients from the east African country's 18 provinces. The head of the delegation of Chinese ophthalmologists, Li Xiaodong, indicated that next year (2017), Burundi and China will celebrate the 30th anniversary of cooperation in the medical sector. According to him, for 30 years, China has sent 17 medical missions to Burundi, with a total of 343 doctors. MOMBASA, Kenya, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan authorities on Friday announced elaborate security measures in the coastal city of Mombasa following reports of terrorist attack during the festive season. Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Achoki said the measures are aimed at averting any impending attack by the Al-Shabaab terror group. Achoki said more police have been deployed to key installations that might be targeted by the militant group. "We have put strict security measures at airport and shopping malls in the county. We urge all security agents to be vigilant during the festive season," Achoki told journalists in Mombasa. The government administrator assured both local and foreign tourists expected to tour the port city of adequate security, noting that Al-Shabaab still remains a major threat and urged security agents and residents to be extra vigilant. Achoki announced the establishment of command center to coordinate security operation to respond swiftly to any incidents that might occur. The move comes after Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet issued an alert following alleged plans by terror groups Al-Shabaab and the Islamic State to attack public service vehicles in border regions and Mombasa. This is based on intelligence gathered on the groups' planned activities ahead of the festive season. Police are yet to arrest four terror suspects who allegedly sneaked into the country from Somalia to carry out the attack. Intelligence reports indicate four terror suspects arrived in Malindi on November 7 and were using a Toyota Prado to coordinate the attacks. Anti-terror detectives linked them to Jaysh Ayman, a faction of the Somali-based terror group that operates in Boni Forest, Lamu County. Enditem BANGKOK, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- New Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn has reappointed Prem Tinsulanonda as the Privy Council chairman on Friday, according to the Royal Thai Government Gazette. The announcement is the first royal decree of King Vajiralongkorn since he took the throne on Thursday. It said that Prem has fulfilled his duty as the regent of the country since the new king has ascended the throne and asked to resign from his previous position as chairman of the privy council. But King Vajiralongkorn decided to reappoint him to remain in office as Privy Council chairman. Revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away on Oct. 13. The throne has been vacant after the then Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn refused to carry out the royal succession immediately and asked for time to grieve his father. Privy Council Chairman Prem then became the country's regent. The 96-year-old Prem is one of the most experienced and influential political figures in modern Thai history. Prem served as the prime minister and stepped down in 1988. He has chaired the 19-member Privy Council of the king's official advisors since 1998. BEIRUT, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said here Friday that the assistance of Lebanon in assuming the burden of refugees is persisting, announcing a contribution of 10 million Euros to deal with this crisis. Steinmeier highlighted the importance of reaching a solution to the Syrian war, pointing following a joint press conference with his Lebanese counterpart Gebran Bassil that "the Lebanese people managed to overcome political obstacles in order to build a better future for their country," the National News Agency (NNA) reported. For his part, Bassil said that Lebanon and Germany agreed on the fight against terrorism and the need to prevent its funding resources. He hailed Berlin's "important role in ensuring stability and security that could only be anchored through the eradication of terrorism". "Lebanon suffers from a shortage of resources while it is receiving the largest number of refugees," Bassil said, thanking Germany for its help in this context. Steinmeier arrived in Beirut on Friday and held a meeting with President Michel Aoun at the presidential palace. Aoun described the Lebanese-German relations as excellent "because both countries work for the sake of accomplishing peace in the Middle East through adopting fair political solutions." MANILA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine government on Friday thanked the Chinese Coast Guard for the rescue of two Filipino fishermen near the Huangyan Island in the South China Sea. Presidential Communications Office Secretary Martin Andanar said the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) coordinated with the Chinese Coast Guard to help in the search operations of the missing Filipino fishermen. He said the PCG received information on Thursday night that the Filipino fishermen had been rescued and the Chinese Coast Guard transferred the two to a Philippine patrol ship Friday afternoon. "We thank the Chinese Coast Guard for the assistance. This act demonstrates that the Philippines-China relationship is now back on friendly footing after the recent successful visit of President (Rodrigo) Duterte to China, and we expect the ties between the two countries to further improve in the years ahead," Andanar said. HONG KONG, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government on Friday launched a new round of legal actions to disqualify four more members of the Legislative Council (LegCo) for their invalid oaths. On behalf of the Hong Kong Chief Executive, the Department of Justice submitted an application for a judicial review to the High Court, which requests the court to rule whether the four LegCo members' oaths comply with the Hong Kong Basic Law and whether they are still qualified to serve. The four legislators are Lau Siu-lai, Yiu Chung-yim, Law Kwun-Chung and Leung Kwok-hung. The SAR government's legal actions came two days after an appeal court upheld the government's legal bid to disqualify two legislators-elect who used derogatory language insulting the country and nation when taking oaths at a swearing-in ceremony of the new LegCo on Oct. 12. Also on that occasion, Lau deliberately took the oath very slowly by pausing for five to six seconds in between every word in order to, by her own explanation, make the oath meaningless. The LegCo president invalidated Lau's oath but allowed her to retake the oath. The SAR government's judicial review also challenged the LegCo president's decision to allow Lau to have a second chance to take the oath. The other three LegCo members targeted in the judicial review added political slogans and appeals to the standard oaths or used strange tones when swearing allegiance to the Hong Kong SAR of the People's Republic of China. A statement released by the SAR government on Friday said the Basic Law clearly stipulates that the LegCo members should swear allegiance to the Basic Law and the Hong Kong SAR, so any person who declines or neglects to take an oath duly requested should vacate his office if he has already entered on it or be disqualified if he has not. An SAR government spokesperson said the Chief Executive shoulder the constitutional responsibility to safeguard and implement the Hong Kong Basic Law and relevant laws, and the legal actions were launched after consulting independent senior counsels. KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) announced a series of measures on Friday to encourage investors and exporters to hold the ringgit instead of the U.S. dollar, in a bid to prop up the underperforming Malaysian currency. From Monday, exporters are only allowed to retain up to 25 percent of foreign currency from its exports of goods, the central bank said, adding conversion of ringgit must be made within six months. Previously, exporters had the right to choose whether to convert ringgit into a foreign currency. Exporters can only hold a higher balance with the approval from the central bank. Since Donald Trump was elected the next U.S. president, major Asian currencies have been on a losing streak, but the ringgit seemed to be the worst performer, depreciating almost 6 percent, from 4.2200 ringgits for one U.S. dollar on Nov. 9 to 4.4480 ringgits for one dollar on Friday. Prior to Friday's announcement, BNM already asked major banks to stop the trading of ringgit in the offshore non-deliverable forwards market. It also intervened in the forex market with its foreign reserve. In addition to rules for exporters, BNM also allowed residents, including resident fund managers, to hedge the U.S. dollar and renminbi, the Chinese currency, to exposures up to a limit of 6 million ringgit per client per bank, another measure to stimulate the liquidity of the foreign exchange market. These measures, said BNM, are intended to accelerate the development of Malaysian financial market and promote financial stability. BEIJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese police have dismantled 75 criminal gangs that held mute and hearing-impaired people in captivity and forced them to commit crimes such as theft, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) announced Friday. Police rescued 98 victims, and detained 464 suspects in a campaign that spanned 13 provincial regions, according to the MPS. In November 2015, police in Changchun in northeastern province of Jilin were alerted to the criminal activity of a suspect identified only as Yang. Yang was the ringleader of a gang that had abducted mute and hearing-impaired people and forced them to commit crimes with physical and verbal abuse. It is alleged that the gang members posed as recruiters to gain the trust of the victims before abducting them. BEIJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday voiced support to Yemen's legitimate government and disapproval of unilateral moves that could complicate the situation. Yemen's Shiite Houthi group and its ally -- former President Ali Abdullah Saleh's party -- on Monday declared the formation of a "national salvation government," a step taken unilaterally away from Yemen's legitimate and internationally-recognized government. "We are not in favor of unilateral moves by any side that could complicate the situation, as this is not conducive to solving the issue through political means," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said, according to a press release from the ministry. He called on relevant sides to continue negotiations to narrow differences, and strive to reach a balanced solution accepted by all sides, based on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) initiative and relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. COLOMBO, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government would introduce new legislation for the acceleration of approvals for all types of investments, a minister said on Friday. Highways and Higher Education Minister Lakshman Kiriella said the government was targeting foreign direct investments (FDI) for the development of the economy. The Sri Lankan government has paid attention for high powered committees in place for approval of investments. It has assigned the legal Draftsman's Department to work out the proposed Investment (Special Provisions) Bill. Enditem GARISSA, Kenya, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan police are set to launch disarmament exercise in its northeast region in a bid to recover illegal weapons and enhance security in the restive region which borders Somalia and Ethiopia. Regional government official urged civilians in the three counties of Mandera, Wajir and Garissa with unlicensed firearms to surrender the illicit weapons to police or face forceful disarmament. The move came as the East African nation prepares for general elections in 2017. Politics normally trigger tribal clashes among the communities in the region. Northeastern Regional Coordinator Mohamud Saleh said they believe that there is a huge number of illegal firearms in the wrong hands in the three counties, which have faced increased terror attacks from Al-Shabaab militants from Somalia. Saleh said the government will not hesitate to use "necessary force" if needed and if "we would not be satisfied with response of the surrender amnesty." The government has deployed security forces and commissioned disarmament exercises in the affected areas of northeast Kenya in a bid to restore peace among the warring communities. Warring communities in northern Kenyan towns of Garissa, Mandera and Wajir which border Somalia and Ethiopia have also been feuding over natural resources and political representations for years. Enditem RABAT, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Morocco announced Friday the arrest of eight people with suspected links to the Islamic State (IS) group after the bust of a terror cell in the cities of Fez and Tangier. According to a statement from the interior ministry, the cell includes two former detainees in terror-related cases, who were operating within a terror cell that was led in 2003 by a French national and which had planned terrorist attacks in Morocco and abroad. A shotgun, ammunition, bladed weapons as well as documents containing suspicious chemical formulas were retrieved, the ministry added. Preliminary investigations show that the cell's members have close links with IS active elements in Syria and Iraq as part of coordination to recruit and send Moroccan volunteers for jihad in the ranks of IS, the source said. The recruitment of extremist elements to be sent in Syria and Iraq is intended to enable them benefit from military training in IS camps before returning to Morocco to carry out terrorist plots, the interior ministry said. The suspects will be brought before justice after the completion of the investigation, conducted under the competent public prosecutor's office. Morocco is facing a growing threat from terrorist groups, especially the IS militant group. Authorities said over 160 terrorist cells have been busted since 2002, including over 40 in the past three years with ties to extremists groups in both Iraq and Syria. Enditem COLOMBO, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena called on parties and scholars Friday to join in the efforts to strengthen reconciliation and support the new constitution to solve issues in the island nation. "If we cannot strengthen reconciliation among all communities it is a massive disaster," President Sirisena said. "The root cause of many of the wars, conflicts and bloodshed in world history has been mostly language, religious, racial and cast differences." He said that politicians attempting to become "so-called patriots and heroes" have never attempted to find solutions to genuine issues of the people. He pointed out that these politicians who create problems in the country aimed at only winning votes were committing a national crime that would affect the future generation. "We are attempting to introduce a new constitution," the president said. "Discussions are made in that direction and some are trying to point out that the government is attempting to divide the country." He further said the country needed a mechanism that would bring about lasting peace and reconciliation among the communities. "We are not solving the issues by the gun as ours is a harmless government. Everyone should join hands with us to find a solution." Enditem NICOSIA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The leaders of Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities agreed to resume their stalled negotiations for reunifying the eastern Mediterranean island and drew a roadmap putting off their conclusion from the end of this month to mid-January, the United Nations said on Friday. A UN statement after a four-hour long dinner hosted by the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide said the leaders will meet from Jan. 9 to 11 in Geneva to exchange maps on territorial adjustments. Their meetings will be followed by a conference on Jan. 12 with the guarantor powers -- Britain, Greece and Turkey -- to agree security arrangements. A UN statement after a four-hour long dinner hosted by the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser Espen Barth Eide said the leaders will meet from Jan. 9 to 11 in Geneva to exchange maps on territorial adjustments. Their meetings will be followed by a conference on Jan. 12 with the guarantor powers -- Britain, Greece and Turkey -- to agree security arrangements. Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci had failed to reach an agreement during negotiations in the Swiss resort of Mont Pelerin two weeks ago on the amount of territory each of the two communities will control in a federal state and the number of displaced people who will return to their homes. Turkey occupied about 37 percent of the Cypriot territory in 1974, reacting to a coup organized by the military rulers of Greece at the time. The negotiations aim at bringing down the territory under Turkish Cypriot control closer to their population ratio, allowing part of the 170,000 Greek Cypriots displaced in 1974 to return to their cities and villages. A contentious point in the negotiations related to the timing of an agreement for territorial adjustments relative to convening a conference to discuss security arrangements. The Turkish Cypriot side insisted on a conference of the three guarantor powers and the two Cypriot sides to agree on all outstanding issues, including security and maintaining some kind of guarantees after a solution. The Greek Cypriot side insisted on convening a wider conference with the participation of the Cyprus Republic and the permanent members of the UN Security Council after all other issues would have been agreed upon. It also opposed any guarantee rights that would give Turkey intervention rights. On that point, the UN statement said that the two sides will exchange maps on Jan. 11 and "a conference on Cyprus will be convened with the added participation of the guarantor powers. Other relevant parties shall be invited as needed." Cypriot President Anastasiades said that until the meetings in Geneva the two sides will try to close any gaps still existing on all chapters, so as to reach "a final stage that will lead us either to success or if there is no longer any possibility (for agreement) to a point where each one will know the course to follow." He expected that there is a great margin to conclude an agreement on the vast majority of issues and complete the talks successfully during the three-day conference in Geneva. GENEVA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- A group of United Nations experts on Friday urged governments worldwide to take actions so as to remove obstacles to the right to development. Extreme poverty and growing inequality had fuelled crises and conflicts with far-reaching consequences, according to a joint statement marking the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration on the Right to Development by the UN General Assembly, which falls on Dec. 4. The experts said that governments worldwide must move from rhetoric to action and urgently honor their political and financial commitments to development. The experts, including UN Special Rapporteurs on the right of everyone, the right to food, the right to education and other UN rights experts, stressed that without fresh commitment and finance, the ground-breaking Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will not be met by their target date of 2030. "The SDGs will remain empty promises without proper political and financial commitment, regulation, management, and related safeguards," they noted. "The test now is whether governments will go beyond rhetoric and act on promises to leave no one behind," the experts added. According to the experts, transparency, effective participation and accountability at national and international levels, were crucial to developing real partnerships to make a change. JUBA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- A spokesman for the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) on Friday refuted allegations of an ongoing ethnic cleansing in Juba and a planned military offensive against civilians in the Central Equatoria State. Lul Ruai Koang termed the allegations by UN human rights experts and U.S. envoy to the Human Rights Council as baseless, claiming that government troops are only engaging opposition fighters across the country to restore rule of law. "This is baseless accusation tailored by anti-peace elements who are always trying to divide the people of South Sudan in order to achieve their personal political interests," Koang told reporters in Juba. Koang further said fresh clashes between government troops and forces loyal to ousted deputy president Riek Machar killed at least 11 people in northern South Sudan since Nov. 25. Keith Harper, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council, on Wednesday said the South Sudanese government organized a militia of 4,000 to launch attacks within weeks. UN human experts warned on Wednesday that there is steady ethnic cleansing in South Sudan amid deepening ethnic divisions and renewed armed forces recruitment in areas that had enjoyed relative peace before the July violence. A new round of violence flared in South Sudan in July after fighting broke out between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and former first vice president Riek Machar, causing hundreds of deaths and massive displacement into neighboring countries. Enditem NAIROBI, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The UN top relief official for Somalia has appealed to donors to scale up humanitarian assistance in the Horn of Africa nation amid severe drought. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia Peter de Clercq said in Nairobi on Friday that the situation has become increasingly desperate for vulnerable families in need. "We are running against time. Humanitarian organizations are stretched and require additional resources to tackle the growing needs from the drought situation and other crises," he said. The UN official said the 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan seeking 885 million U.S. dollars is only 47 percent funded four weeks before the end of the year while worsening drought conditions have left hundreds of thousands of Somalis facing severe food and water shortages. The UN official highlighted the urgency of responding to the drought situation in Somalia, noting that drought in Puntland and Somaliland has deepened and spread to southern and central regions of the country. According to the UN, 5 million Somalis -- more than 40 percent of the country's population -- do not have sufficient food. In addition, over 320,000 children under five are acutely malnourished, including more than 50,000 severely malnourished. MANILA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte congratulated U.S. President-elect Donald Trump Friday night on his victory in the recently concluded election. Duterte extended his congratulations by calling up Trump from the southern City of Davao. "Very engaging and animated phone conversation between President Duterte and President-elect Trump," Special Assistant to the President Christopher "Bong" Go posted on his Facebook page in describing the talks of the two leaders. The conversation lasted for about seven minutes, he said. According to Go, Trump invited Duterte to visit the White House next year. Duterte, for his part, invited Trump to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit and related summits, which the Philippines will be hosting next year, he added. ASEAN will be celebrating its 50th founding anniversary in 2017. Some 31,500 civilians have been displaced since fighting between warring factions escalated on Nov. 24 in Aleppo. (Reuters photo) TEHRAN, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Iran sent a consignment of humanitarian aid to the people in Syria's northwestern city of Aleppo, Press TV reported on Friday. The shipment contained 150,000 food cans, the head of the Relief and Rescue Organization of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, Morteza Salimi, said. Salimi said that Iran has so far dispatched 28,000 blankets, 400 tents, 800 rugs, 5,000 oil heaters, 1,400 boxes of dried bread, eight tonnes of medicines, 700 sets of dishware and 165,000 food cans to Aleppo. Some 31,500 civilians have been displaced since fighting between warring factions escalated on Nov. 24 in Aleppo, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported Friday. Once Syria's economic hub, Aleppo has been bitterly contested by the Syrian army and opposition groups since 2012. NICOSIA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades vowed on Friday that any agreement on the reunification of the partitioned eastern Mediterranean island will meet all expectations and concerns of the people. "I want to stress and assure Greek Cypriots that no solution will be put before them if it does not satisfy their expectations and does not answer all their reasonable anxieties," said Anastasiades in a televised address. Anastasiades was commenting on fears that the procedure decided overnight with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci will offer Turkey the opportunity to maintain guarantee rights over Cyprus. The leaders of Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities met on a UN-hosted dinner for the two in Nicosia's UN-controlled buffer zone late on Thursday. During the dinner, the leaders agreed to resume their stalled negotiations for reunification and drew a roadmap, putting off their conclusion from the end of this month to mid-January. Enditem Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier meets with a Syrian family inside their tent in a refugee camp in the Bekaa valley, Lebanon on Dec. 2, 2016. (Reuters photo) BEIRUT, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said here Friday that the assistance of Lebanon in assuming the burden of refugees is persisting, announcing a contribution of 10 million euros to deal with this crisis. Steinmeier highlighted the importance of reaching a solution to the Syrian war, pointing following a joint press conference with his Lebanese counterpart Gebran Bassil that "the Lebanese people managed to overcome political obstacles in order to build a better future for their country," the National News Agency (NNA) reported. For his part, Bassil said that Lebanon and Germany agreed on the fight against terrorism and the need to prevent its funding resources. He hailed Berlin's "important role in ensuring stability and security that could only be anchored through the eradication of terrorism". "Lebanon suffers from a shortage of resources while it is receiving the largest number of refugees," Bassil said, thanking Germany for its help in this context. Steinmeier arrived in Beirut on Friday and held a meeting with President Michel Aoun at the presidential palace. Aoun described the Lebanese-German relations as excellent "because both countries work for the sake of accomplishing peace in the Middle East through adopting fair political solutions." South Korean President Park Geun-hye addresses the nation at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Nov. 29, 2016. South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday that she will follow parliamentary decision including her shortened presidency. (Xinhua/Blue House) SEOUL, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- South Korean lawmakers put forward a historic bill to impeach scandal-hit President Park Geun-hye early Saturday, after the opposition bloc heralded a vote on the motion on Dec. 9. A parliamentary official told Xinhua on the phone that the bill was handed in to the relevant office at about 4:10 a.m. local time (1910 GMT). It marks the second impeachment proposal since the country's constitutional government was launched about seven decades ago. The latest was in 2004 for late President Roh Moo-hyun. The impeachment motion was filed with the National Assembly by 171 opposition and independent legislators. The ruling Saenuri Party, which has 128 lawmakers, refrained from taking part in the proposal. The assembly's speaker Chung Se-kyun of the biggest opposition Minjoo Party failed to join the move for political neutrality rules, but he reportedly plans to participate in the vote. Three main opposition parties, including the Minjoo Party, People's Party and the Justice Party, have agreed to vote on the impeachment on Dec. 9 when the regular session ends. The impeachment motion states that President Park comprehensively and gravely violated laws and the constitution in her office for nearly four years. Park took office in February 2013. It says Park's breach of laws and constitution was threatening enough to justify the expulsion of the president and that Park betrayed legitimacy and trust granted by the general public. The constitutional violations, according to the impeachment bill, include the president's permission of her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil and other associates of Choi to meddle in state affairs and influence the appointment of government officials behind the scenes. Also included in the breach of the constitution is the government's initial bungling of rescue operations in one of the country's most devastating maritime disasters on April 16, 2014 when a passenger ferry Sewol sank in waters off southwestern South Korea. Controversy arose over the whereabouts of the president for seven hours right after the ferry tragedy occurred. The impeachment bill says President Park failed to recognize what was happening during the "golden time" for rescue. Park's inappropriate response to the disaster has been denounced for contributing the most to the death of over 300 passengers, mostly high school students on a class trip to the southern resort island of Jeju. The infraction of laws referred to by the impeachment motion is the bribery. Park's decades-long friend has been charged with extorting tens of millions of U.S. dollars from large conglomerates to set up two nonprofit foundations controlled by Choi. Prosecutors branded President Park as a criminal accomplice to Choi in multiple charges including abuse of power and extortion. The prosecution office was investigating whether Choi used her relationship with the president to grant business favors in return for donations. The headquarters of Samsung Group was raided by prosecutors on suspicion that the country's largest family-run conglomerate bribed Choi in exchange for support from the national pension fund in last year's controversial merger of two subsidiaries of the group to create a de-facto holding company. The offices of Lotte and SK, two of the country's top five chaebols, were also searched on charges of offering kickbacks to Choi in return for getting licenses for lucrative duty-free shop operation. Related: Spotlight: Political turmoil in S. Korea adds to concerns over faltering economy HAVANA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The car carrying the ashes of Cuba's revolutionary leader, Fidel Castro, left the city of Camaguey at 7:00 am on Friday and continued its journey toward eastern provinces. The people of Camaguey gathered on Thursday night along the route of the cortege to bid farewell to the country's historic leader, with the procession broadcast live on television. Chants of "I am Fidel" could be heard along the way as the procession traces the opposite route of the "Caravan of Freedom", the journey Castro took with his guerrilla army to take power in Havana in January 1959, after dictator Fulgencio Batista fled the country. On Friday night, the ashes will rest in the city of Bayamo, in the former Carlos Manuel de Cespedes barracks, which a group of revolutionaries attacked on July 26, 1953, while Castro led a squad against the Moncada barracks in Santiago de Cuba. Friday also marked the 60th anniversary of Castro's landing in Cuba with 81 followers aboard the Granma yacht. On Saturday, Castro's ashes will end the journey in Santiago de Cuba, where a massive rally will be held in his honor before his ashes are buried at the Santa Ifigenia cemetery on Sunday morning. South Korean President Park Geun-hye addresses the nation at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Nov. 29, 2016. South Korean President Park Geun-hye said Tuesday that she will follow parliamentary decision including her shortened presidency. (Xinhua/Blue House) By Yoo Seungki SEOUL, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's parliament has put forward a historic bill to impeach President Park Geun-hye, but it has a long way to go when taking into account the political bickering between rival parties and uncertainty about the constitutional court ruling. During the plenary session that kicked off late Friday night, 171 opposition and independent lawmakers handed in the impeachment bill. The ruling party, which has 128 legislators, refrained from joining the move, and the parliamentary speaker failed to participate for political neutrality rules. The impeachment motion states the president's grave and comprehensive violation of the constitution and laws in her office for nearly four years. Park took office in February 2013. It marks the second impeachment proposal since the constitution-based government was launched in South Korea about seven decades ago. The latest was in 2004 for late President Roh Moo-hyun. Proposing the impeachment bill requires a half support from the 300-seat National Assembly. To pass the bill through the unicameral assembly, the two-thirds threshold must be overcome at the aye and no vote, which three main opposition parties have agreed to hold on Dec. 9. POLITICAL OBSTACLE There are many obstacles to the forcible removal of President Park from office because at least 28 ruling party lawmakers must be secured to endorse the impeachment. The governing party attempts to stop impeachment efforts, dimming prospects for next Friday's vote. A faction of the ruling Saenuri Party, which is not loyal to the embattled president, had shown willingness to take part in the impeachment, but its position subtly changed after Park's national address on Tuesday. Addressing the nation for the third time since a scandal involving herself emerged in October, Park offered to rival parties deciding on her fate. The chief executive called for a road map, which governing and opposition parties agree upon, to cut short her single, five-year term. Following the four-minute speech, the anti-Park faction said its members will vote for it unless Park accepts the Saenuri-proposed resignation outline referring to her voluntary departure from office by next April and an early presidential election two months later. It was denounced as a political ploy to buy time as the party's approval rating sank together with support for President Park, which tumbled to single digit for five weeks. The opposition bloc has demanded Park's immediate resignation. Some members of the ruling party's anti-Park clan even insist on no need for impeachment if the president accepts the resignation timeline, but opposition parties plan to vote on the impeachment motion as scheduled. CONSERVATIVE-LEANING COURT Adding to the uncertainties, there is a possibility for the constitutional court to reject the impeachment motion as seen in 2004 when late President Roh Moo-hyun returned to office after the court's rejection. Roh, the most respected leader among all South Korean presidents, was accused by lawmakers of calling on voters to support his party's candidates in parliamentary elections, violating the election law requiring the president's political neutrality. After impeaching and suspending Roh, enraged South Koreans took to the streets in large numbers and gave a landslide victory to his party in the elections. The constitutional court ruled that his breach of the election law was not grave enough to justify his impeachment. Now, situations are totally different. Hundreds of thousands of South Koreans held candlelight rallies for five straight Saturdays, shouting for President Park's immediate resignation. After her third speech, three out of four South Koreans began to demand her impeachment, according to a local survey. Prosecutors branded Park as a criminal accomplice to Choi Soon-sil, Park's decades-long friend who was charged with multiple counts including abuse of power and extortion. A recently-appointed independent counsel reportedly plans to look into bribery concerning Park. Uncertainty remains about the conservative-leaning constitutional court. Six of the court's nine judges are seen as being close to the ruling party or President Park, according to local media speculations. Two of the judges, including the chief justice, are scheduled to end their tenure in January and March each next year. By law, the impeachment bill is required to be upheld by two-thirds of the nine-strong court. If the court's review takes long, six of the remaining seven judges must uphold the impeachment. The court has as long as 180 days to rule on it. UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Humanitarian emergency directors are seeking more than 1 billion U.S. dollars for the 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan for Nigeria that would allow them to address the needs of almost 7 million people in crisis in the three most affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, a UN spokesman said here Friday. During the course of 2016, as the Nigerian Armed Forces pushed back Boko Haram-held areas, the scale of the human suffering became more apparent and the humanitarian community scaled up the response, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here. Peter Lundberg, the deputy UN humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria, said that while this is the largest crisis on the African continent, with the support of the international community and the private sector, we can begin to bring hope to the people of the northeast. Some 4.6 million people are going hungry in northeastern Nigeria, of whom nearly two million need urgent humanitarian assistance. In some areas, more than 50 percent of children under the age of five suffer from moderate acute malnutrition or severe acute malnutrition. Since August, the number of people in an emergency phase -- needing urgent food assistance -- has nearly doubled, from about 1 million to 1.8 million people in Borno and Yobe states, according to the latest food insecurity assessment. Nigeria's northeast region has been a stronghold of the extremist group Boko Haram. Over past months, the Nigerian government has launched several military operations to eliminate the terrorist threat. By Wu Yilong BEIJING, Dec. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- Predatory mites usually prey on pest mites and do little about pest insects, especially adult ones. However, mass-bred predatory mites, while moving around to catch pest mites, are now turned into the carrier of pathogens which infect and destroy pest insects, hence reducing the use of pesticides. Its like killing two birds with one stone, said Zhang Yanxuan, one of the top Chinese researchers on bio-control through natural enemies. Weve used the new multi-target bio-control method on more than 1.2 million hectares of over 20 crops since 2013. Zhang and her team officially concluded a 3-year-long project dealing with the research and application of predatory mites as the pathogen carrier to control pests last Monday. Professor of the Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhang introduced a foreign predatory mite into China in mid-1990s and soon became the first Chinese scientist ever succeeding in the commercialization of predatory mites. Pest mites destroy all kinds of crops worldwide, resulting in the overuse of pesticides. Zhangs mass-produced predatory mites, Neoseiulus cucumeris and Amblyseius swirskii, have proved efficient in eating such mites as spider mites and rust mites in the field and greenhouse. But there exist other pests, which make the use of pesticides unavoidable and hamper the further application of bio-control. In 2012, Zhang put forward a brand-new solution: establishing a predator-mediated pathogen disseminating system for multi-target control, arousing great interest among the fellow scientists in the world. In 2013, she and her team started the research project. They first experimented with predatory mites carrying the spores of Beauveria bassiana, and proved the spore-dusted mites are able to deliver the lethal pathogen to Diaphorina citri, known for causing the devastating disease of huanglongbing on citrus around the world. Since 2013, they have screened out 16 strains of fungal pathogen, which, dusted around fluffy predatory mites, can infect and kill different pest insects but cause little harm to the vector mites and no harm to the human beings, according to Zhang. We first conducted tests in the lab and then in the field, said Zhang. Our predatory mites carrying insect pathogens sell well in the market. In Beiliao village of Zhangping, a mountainous city in southeast Chinas Fujian Province, the cooperative of shuixian tea promises to compensate 10 times for any amount of tea found with excessive residues of pesticides. All of our members have used predatory mites carrying pathogens for years, said the cooperative director Zhang Lianying. We have no need of using pesticides, so where is the residue in our tea? To further facilitate the field use, Zhang invented a patent container for releasing predatory mites dusted with pathogens, and they even managed to use drones on the vast cotton fields in Xinjiang. Zhangs new bio-control technique has been applied in 274 cities and counties of more than 20 provinces in China. Our technology can reduce the use of pesticides by 40 to 50 percent, said Zhang. We hope to accelerate its application both at home and abroad. Bail for man accused of shooting at cops The offences allegedly took place last week Tuesday. Acting ASP Ali of the Princes Town Police Station laid the charges. Antoine, who walked with a limp, informed the magistrate that police shot him for nothing in his right foot. The accused was unrepresented by counsel while attorney Cleyon Seedan prosecuted. Dubay granted him $150,000 bail to be approved by a Clerk of the Peace and adjourned the matter to December 28. Only on Wednesday, Deputy Chief Magistrate Nanette Forde- John, who presided over the same courtroom, granted him $75,000 bail with a surety when he appeared before her charged with armed robbery. Antoine had appeared alongside Jerron Gill and Zitari Newark jointly charged with the offence. It is alleged that the three, armed with a firearm, robbed two people of their phones on November 22 at Nice Time Restaurant and Bar at Ben Lomond Village, Williamsville. PC Lodher laid the charge. Newark was also charged with robbing a woman of a cellular phone valued $2,000 at Pleasantville on November 17. Cpl Nanan laid the charge. Policeman shot Reports are that PC Hakeem Blake of the Eastern Division Task Force was shot in both legs by two unknown assailants, who were in a grey Nissan Tiida car. As the officer collapsed after being shot, the gunmen sped off in the car. The vehicle which was later found abandoned in the Brazil area. Blake was taken to the Sangre Grande Hospital where he is currently receiving treatment. A release from the TT Police Service revealed that an operation aimed at apprehending the assailants is underway and is being supervised by Acting Superintendent Robert Phillip and members of the Guard and Emergency Branch (GEB). Deportee shot in head When the passenger exited the car, he shot Koon Koon in the head. The injured Koon Koon was rushed to the Point Fortin Area Hospital and subsequently transferred to the San Fernando General Hospital. Attorney: Court judgements impacting business Ali said Industrial Court appointments should not always be left to be made by the political directorate and the influence of trade unions. Ali also said that Contract labour has all but been abolished in Trinidad and Tobago because of decisions of the Industrial Court. He said that in the case of a contract employee, if his contract expires and the employer renews that contract then the contract worker automatically becomes an employee of the company. Ali added that he does not foresee any reform of the Industrial Act because of judicial activism, adding that the impact of Industrial Court judgements on business is not good. During the question and answer session, businessman Frank Mouttet said the level of productivity in this country is shameful and blamed the Industrial Court for this situation. He said he would advise Sandals not to bring its proposed resort to this country because you cant fire anybody. He said he had employees lined up to be fired for various reasons but was worried that he might be found to have dismissed the workers wrongfully and the minimum fine imposed by the Industrial Court for wrongful dismissal is $75,000. He charged that the Industrial Court is harsh and oppressive in its judgements against employers, suggesting, to much laughter from the audience, that the judges of the court must have been brought up in Siberia under Joseph Stalin. When will this madness stop? he asked. The country is going down the tubes! He said, again to much laughter, that there is no tripartite there is onepartite. Asked to respond to Mouttets charges, Industrial Court judge, Patrick Rabathaly, who earlier delivered a feature address setting out the reasons for the existence of the court and reviewing some major past judgements, said employers can dismiss workers but, if they do so, they must have the evidence to support their decision. He said if they are brave enough to fire a worker then they must have the evidence to come to the Industrial Court and defend their action. Ali said, We can do our best to reduce disputes but we will never eliminate disputes because capital and labour will always be in conflict. He said the trade union movements ability to get access to the Industrial Court and get large settlements is a business and the trade union movement is highly organised. He said they discuss ways of improving the terms and conditions of their members and have conferences locally where union federations comprising several unions meet to share ideas and have further discussion. He added that after this they attend international conferences and absorb first world ideas on worker compensation and benefits and then come back home and put them into effect. He said business is nowhere near as organised as the trade union movement and added that employers needed to develop something that would allow them to meet the trade unions across the table on an equal footing. Rabathaly said that the decisions of the Industrial Court have been recognised by superior courts as being sound and both sides won and lost at the court in equal measure, so I dont know where harsh and oppressive comes in, really. He added that the judgements of the court do not bear out any accusation that the court is anti-business. He said the trade unions make the same accusation as well, that the court is anti-union. Relief is coming Newsday yesterday reported that up to 3,000 villagers in these vulnerable rural areas are in desperate need of food, water, mattresses and in some cases shelter as heavy winds blew the roofs of an undetermined number of houses. Up to late last night, many were without power, as electricity poles were pounded down by the wind and rain. Water lines were also broken, according to reports, and damage to the infrastructure has been described as extensive. Responding to a question on this issue at the post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair, the Prime Minister said, Our immediate response is to bring relief to people trapped inside of Matelot as we are making our way from Toco, clearing the landslides in towards Matelot. Rowley said he has been kept abreast of what is happening there from Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan, who went up to Matelot yesterday with other personnel from his ministry. We are aware of the hardships being experienced by that area and also that Tobago has suffered some damage as well, Rowley said. Indicating that the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) is in charge of what is taking place in Tobago, Rowley stated, With respect to Matelot, You know that there is one road into Matelot along the coast and there are 11 locations along the road where landslides have come down. The Prime Minister said equipment is on site and the Defence Force is also rendering assistance to the affected communities in north-east Trinidad. There is an access problem which by now I hope would have been cleared sufficiently, Rowley said. He also said some bridges (in the area) have been damaged significantly. On Wednesday, Sinanan indicated his ministry would be taking two bailey bridges up to Matelot. Reiterating that restoring access to Matelot was top priority at this time, Rowley said, When the access is reopened. We will make an immediate assessment. The Prime Minister said he has already spoke with Sinanan that, we will make special efforts to ensure that we do some reconstructing so that the people of Matelot in very short order will have the access back and that the immediate personal and household needs are met. He added, So we are on top of that. Hopefully by the end of the day, all the immediate relief from the various agencies would have been brought to bear and the situation would be under control. The Prime Minister also said he has directed Finance Minister Colm Imbert to, make whatever short term interventions that are required to respond to this development, which fortunately is only confined to one small area in the country. Rowley explained that once a post-mortem of the situation is done, consideration would be given to ideas such as a relief centre in the Toco area and the placing of resources in the area to deal with natural disaster Tobago elections up next As he thanked the electorate in Trinidad for participating in Mondays Local Government Elections and expressing the Governments satisfaction with the way the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) oversaw that exercise, Rowley said, The THA (Tobago House of Assembly) has been dissolved on the advice of the Chief Secretary (Orville London) to the President (Anthony Carmona). Rowley explained,. That was done in October. That dissolution requires by law that an election be held within 90 days. The Prime Minister said the 90th day is in the first week in February and London has advised President Carmona as to what date he would like the THA elections to be held. However the Prime Minister said, It is President who will make that call after the relevant consultations and more importantly the EBCs report which has been available. Rowley explained that the EBCs report on the boundaries for the 12 electoral districts in Tobago (currently all held by the PNM) has been laid in Parliament. He said Leader of Government Business in the House of Representatives Camille Robinson-Regis, has advised that the House will sit next Wednesday to approve the report. Rowley said once the report is approved, the President will be, in a position to call the election date for the THA. After night at secretariat, Mamata stays put at Nabanna West Bengal,National,Politics,Defence/Security, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Kolkata, Dec 2 (IANS) After spending the night at the secretariat, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stayed put there on Friday demanding "withdrawal of the army" from the state and alleging it has been done by keeping her government "in the dark". Accusing the central government of "deploying the army" along a highway toll plaza at the second Hooghly Bridge, about 500 metres from the secretariat 'Nabanna' in neighbouring Howrah district, Banerjee had said she would not leave till the army was withdrawn from there. "I'll keep vigil to protect the democracy, to protect my democratically elected government," she said. Shortly after midnight, the Eastern Command said the army has been asked to withdraw from the toll plaza near Nabanna as it had already collected the data it required. Past 2 a.m., Banerjee -- holding her third round of media conference since the evening -- reiterated she would spend the night at Nabanna, fearing the army may be back. "The army has withdrawn from the second Hooghly Bridge after 2 a.m. They will definitely come back. After Nabanna, they have entered various districts. The army has been deployed in 80 per cent of the areas," she said. "I'll remain awake all night to keep vigil. I will spend the night at Nabanna," she said. In the morning, Banerjee held parleys with senior police officers and bureaucrats on the issue. Trinamool Congress sources said a pen-drive containing videos of the army activities at the second Hooghly bridge toll plaza has been forwarded to President Pranab Mukherjee. The riveting drama unfolded on Thursday evening, when Banerjee alleged the army has been deployed at the Dankuni and Palsit toll plazas on National Highway 2 (connecting Delhi and Kolkata) without informing the state government. Banerjee said the Chief Secretary was writing to the central government and that she would approach Mukherjee seeking clarification on the issue. The Defence Ministry said the army was conducting routine exercise with full knowledge of and co-ordination with West Bengal police. "The army conducts the annual exercise throughout the country with the aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of a contingency," said a Defence Ministry spokesman. Banerjee rubbished the spokesman's clarification. "Absolutely wrong and misleading facts by @easterncomd. We have great respect for you, but please please don't mislead the people," she tweeted. Banerjee, also supremo of the ruling Trinamool Congress, said she has collected information from Maharashtra, Kerala, Odisha and Chhattisgarh and nowhere such a thing was been done. "Why is it been done in Bengal? Is it because I am speaking for the people?" she asked, claiming the army has been positioned in Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Darjeeling, North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Kolkata, Murshidabad and Burdwan districts. "The secretariat Nabanna' is a sensitive zone. The toll plaza on the second Hooghly Bridge is within the sensitive zone. It is under our secretariat," she said. Demanding to know whether a military coup has taken place, she said: "The motive is political, vindictive, unconstitutional, unethical and undemocratic." "Even if the Army carried out a mock exercise, the state government should have been kept in the loop. If this is happening in a civil area in Bengal, this could happen in Bihar, next in Uttar Pradesh, then in Tamil Nadu and other states as well. It is a very serious situation and it is dangerous than Emergency. We are facing an extremely black day," she said. "I'll urge all state governments to look into the matter. A team of Opposition... all political leaders... will meet the President (soon)," she said. On the other hand, the spokesman said the routine exercise was being carried out in all states of the eastern region. "Permission for carrying out this exercise in West Bengal was initially sought for November 28. On specific request of the police the date had been shifted to December 1. No permission has been withdrawn so far," the spokesman added. "Routine exercise in all NE states. In Assam @ 18 places, Arunanchal@13, WB@19, Manipur@6, Nagaland@5, Meghalaya@5, Tripura & Mizoram," the Eastern Command tweeted. Trinamool leader in the Rajya Sabha, Derek O'Brien,termed as "incorrect" the army claim that the exercises were carried out in coordination with the police. "All respect for army, but must set record straight 1. Data is already available 2. Cannot do vehicle check, not authorised to do so. Saying exercise by @easterncomd was coordinated with the police is absolutely incorrect," he twitted on Friday. In a separate post on his twitter handle, O'Brien said: "Also, troops were moved into districts even after midnight. Bengal Chief Minister kept watch from the Secretariat overnight. She is still there." --IANS ssp/py/vm Land registration hit hard in Bihar after Nov 8 Bihar,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Patna, Dec 2 (IANS) Sambhu Prasad Singh, a deed writer, is worried as registration rates for plots of land and flats in Bihar have fallen drastically after the demonetisation on November 8. There are 124 registry offices across Bihar. At the Patna registry office both flat and shop registrations have been badly affected. This has led to a steep dip in Singh's and his half-a-dozen agents' earnings. They are struggling for livelihood. "It is not only my story. Demonetisation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has caused a havoc for deed writers, their agents and others directly or indirectly dependant on land deals at registry offices across the state," Singh, a resident of Kankarbagh here, told IANS. Janesar Akhtar, another deed writer here, said the ongoing cash crunch was bound to hit them hard. "Where is cash with people to go for land or flat registration? Demonetisation has taken away everything. It will take months for the situation to become normal again," Akhtar said. He showed serious reservation about the Centre's claim of making things normal by 2017. Apart from deed writers and their associates, state government's own revenue earning were also hit due to low registration of land plots and flats after November 8. "Land registrations figure shows that there has been a dip of nearly 32 per cent from November 8 to November 24 as per the records of registry offices," an official of the registration department told IANS. According to the state government's data, from October 25 to November 8 the number of land registrations in Bihar was 22,178, while it has dwindled to 15,118 between November 9 to November 24. "In the first week after demonetisation, hardly any registrations happened, but later it slowly improved in view of the cash flow," an official said. "The state revenue earning also decreased. In October, the state government earned Rs 169.36 crore through 54,769 land and flat registrations. But in November, the registration numbers fell to 26,251, roughly half of the October number, and the government earned merely 83.17 crore," the official said. A senior official of registration department, A.K. Das admitted that the number of registrations has decreased after demonetisation. "It is an outcome of lack of cash flow in the market," he said. Das said only 10 to 12 per cent of registry fee and stamp duty can be deposited online and other duties are usually in cash. (Imran Khan can be contacted at imran.k@ians.in) --IANS ik/in/vt Manufacturing of steam generators for Kudankulam n-plants 3, 4 begins Tamil Nadu,National,Technology,Business/Economy, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Chennai, Dec 2 (IANS) Russian company JSC AEM-technology on Friday said it has started manufacturing two sets of steam generators for the third and fourth 1,000MW nuclear power units to be set up at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu. According JSC AEM-technology, blanks for two sets of steam generators have to date been delivered and machining work for steam generator body shells and large branch pipes have begun. "After inspections of shell blocks being conducted in the presence of the customer's representative, it is planned to start the assembly of SG (steam generator) bodies," the company said. The steam generator is an article of safety class 1. Its diameter is over 4 m, length 15 m, and weight 340 tonnes. The SG body is a horizontally oriented vessel with two elliptical end heads, in the middle of which hot coolant supply and removal headers are located. At the top of the vessel, there is steam room, while the bottom accommodates a heat exchange surface composed of 11,000 stainless steel tubes of 16 mm diameter and 10 to 15 m length. The ends of the tubes are joined to the two headers. The set of equipment for one power unit of an nuclear power plant of this type includes four steam generators. According to the company, the steam generators will be shipped to India in 2018. India's nuclear power plant operator, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) is setting up 1,000 MW units at Kudankulam in Tirunelvelli district, around 650km from here. The company has completed two units and construction activities for the third and fourth units have started. The general agreement for the construction ofA Units 3 and 4 was signed with Russian atomic power company Rosatom in 2014. --IANS vj/vd Kidman begged for her 'To Die For' role United States,Cinema/Showbiz,Hollywood, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Los Angeles, Dec 2 (IANS) Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman had to beg for her role in the 1995 film "To Die For". Kidman and her "To Die For" co-star Casey Affleck reminisced about the 1995 Gus Van Sant thriller during the "Actors on Actors" session of variety.com. At that point in her career, Kidman was mainly known for her roles opposite her then boyfriend Tom Cruise, including "Days of Thunder" and "Far and Away". "No one thought I could do it and I think the studio didn't want me, and I think it went through a bunch of other actors," Kidman said. "I called Gus and I said, 'Please, give me the chance, I beg you,' because the writing was so strong," she added. Kidman later went on to become one of the highest rated actresses of Hollywood. --IANS sas/nn/vt India-Israel ties: Growing warmth and set to flourish (Comment) Delhi,National,Opinion/Commentary,Diplomacy, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Israeli President Reuven Rivlin's November 14-21 visit to India came a year after President Pranab Mukherjee visited Israel in October 2015. In the meanwhile, Home Minister Rajnath Singh (November 2015) and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj (January 2016) visited Israel, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to be in the country early next year. The spurt in high-level political engagements apart, India-Israel relations have been robust with growing cooperation in various areas. No surprise, therefore, that a large delegation of government officials, businessmen and academics was accompanying the Israeli President. President Rivlin held discussions with Prime Minister Modi followed by signing of an agreement to improve cooperation in the field of agriculture and water resource management. He visited the Centre of Excellence in Agriculture (CEA) in Karnal, Haryana, that has been set up with Israeli assistance, and travelled to Agra where, besides visiting the iconic Taj Mahal, he inspected the "Aqwise" water treatment plant put up by Israel. He, along with President Pranab Mukherjee, also inaugurated the Agro Tech 2016 in Chandigarh. In one of his media interactions, Rivlin underscored the growing comfort level in bilateral relations, saying: "This is not a friendship we should be hiding." India-Israel relations have witnessed significant strides in the past few years with growing defence trade and Israeli willingness to share its technological expertise in various areas, including agriculture, irrigation and water treatment. Counter-terrorism cooperation and intelligence-sharing add to the bilateral ties. Yet, India continues to face a dilemma with its support to the Palestinian question. Analysts, however, argue that of late India has toned down criticism of Israeli actions against Palestinians. Since the Modi government came to power in New Delhi, a degree of openness has emerged demonstrating New Delhi's unapologetic stance over its relations with Israel and support to Palestine. India's engagements with Israel, especially in defence trade, have grown steadily over the past decade. It is the third-largest trading partner of Israel in Asia after China and Hong Kong, and defence equipment comprise a significant proportion of Indian imports. With the coming into power of the Modi government, the possibility of further strengthening of defence trade gained ground. Giving credence to such a possibility, in October 2014, India decided to buy $525 million-worth of missiles and launchers from Israel. During Rivlin's visit, away from media glare, India signed contracts with Israel Aerospace Industries to purchase two Phalcon/IL-76 AWACS and 10 Heron TP UAVs worth $1.4 billion. An Israeli proposal to jointly develop Heron UAVs with the Defence Research and Development Organisation in India was also discussed. Highlighting the possibilities of partnership with Indian industries in defence manufacturing, Rivlin declared that Israel is ready for both "Make in India" and "make with India". Further, there has been growing cooperation between India and Israel in counter-terrorism and intelligence-sharing. The two share similar views with an uncompromising attitude towards any form of terrorism. Emphasising the need for countering terror of all hues, Rivlin, during an interview with an Indian news agency, said: "Terror is terror, whoever carries it out and whoever are its victims. And we all have the duty to condemn (it) and fight with... against this terrible evil." He also visited Mumbai and paid tributes to the victims of the 26/11 terrorist attack. Addressing a gathering of the Jewish community, he said "Indians are no strangers to the threat and to the reality of modern global terrorism", adding that Indian and Israeli values of "democracy and freedom are strong, and we are defending (them) with all our might". The highlight of the visit was the focus on cooperation in areas of science and technology, agriculture and water management. An agreement was signed to further strengthen cooperation in these areas. Israeli technology has been used to improve the irrigation system in arid regions in Rajasthan and Haryana while it has also set up CEAs in 12 locations across six Indian states -- Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu -- under the Indo-Israel Agriculture Project. Further, Israel has offered to invest in river-cleaning and water treatment projects. Signifying the thrust on cooperation in science and technology and agriculture, Rivlin tweeted before leaving for India: "Filled with pride as I depart for a state visit to India to see how Israeli innovation is improving the lives of millions." Bilateral relations have come a long way and are set to flourish with Israeli willingness to share technology and invest in India's development projects. India's search for a reliable source of technology to improve its defence and agriculture sectors finds a willing partner in Israel. As India and Israel prepare to complete 25 years of establishment of diplomatic relations, the growing warmth in bilateral ties can hardly be missed. (Dr. Md. Muddassir Quamar is Associate Fellow at the Institute of Defence Studies & Analyses, New Delhi. The article is in special arrangement with South Asia Monitor/www.southasiamonitor.org) --IANS qamar/vm/ky/sac Foreign make-up artistes paid thrice more than Indians: Subhash Shinde Delhi,Cinema/Showbiz,Bollywood,Lifestyle/Fashion, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) Indian filmmakers lack trust in homegrown make-up artistes and are sometimes even ready to shell out thrice their budget to sign up foreign talent, says Subhash Shinde, who has been working with movie stars -- especially in Bollywood -- for over two decades. For several years, Shinde assisted senior make-up artistes and it was in 2005 that he landed an independent project in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Black". He has since also tried his hand at prosthetics, which he proudly used without any training, in "Mary Kom" and "Sarbjit" -- giving Priyanka Chopra and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan dramatic makeovers. "I am also doing prosthetics for 'Haseena' and 'Mom'. People have started becoming aware that prosthetics are available in India as well," Shinde, who recently visited Paris for the French European Indian Fashion Week, told IANS. In the 2009 film "Paa", Hollywood make-up artiste Christien Tinsley was roped in to lend megastar Amitabh Bachchan his look as a child affected by progeria. Multiple Oscar winning artiste Richard Taylor came on board to use his expertise for Shankar's Tamil movie "I". These are just two examples in a list of many instances. "People (Indian filmmakers) don't trust Indians only. I feel that they can at least trust us and give us a chance. The budgets for international make-up artistes is three times that is set aside for us Indians... Why? "If you give us the same budget here, we will deliver better too. But the trust is not there," said Shinde, who has also worked in the TV, fashion and ad industries apart from his portfolio of 39 film projects in 22 years. Having primarily worked in the field of glamour make-up for the majority of his career, he says doing prosthetics was a "risk" he took without any formal training. It was by way of observing its nuances and by doing some trials that he learnt it. Now, through his Subhash Shinde International Academy -- which offers courses in Professional Make-up Artistry, Advanced Professional Make-up Artistry, Prosthetics, Professional Hairstyling, Bridal Make-up, Bridal Hairstyling and Personal Make-up -- he hopes to share his talent and knowledge about the craft with young aspirants. "I want to share my talent. There's no point of keeping it to myself. We do batches of 25 students and I believe it's a superb career option for those who are serious about it and creative enough," said Shinde, whose assistants and co-workers also train students at the academy. He feels newcomers are increasingly getting a chance in the industry as there is demand for "freshness". "Also, there is something new to learn from them all the time. Even I get to learn interesting things when my assistants or students come up with something creative," he said, adding that while "links" may be helpful, "ultimately, if your work is good, people automatically recommend you and you get noticed". That apart, Shinde said there is a definite progress in the type of make-up done in Indian films. "Earlier, there used to be normal make-up with typical cuttings. Nowadays, there's more interest towards natural make-up and get-ups that match a character. With more real stories coming to cinemas, everything, including the actors' look and make-up, is changing. "And as make-up artistes, we go as per a project's script. We can't do things on our own." --IANS rb/nn/vm Demonetisation will help shift offline retail to online: Report Delhi,Cinema/Showbiz,Business/Economy,Lifestyle/Fashion, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) The demonetisation move acts as a further impetus for online players to leverage the shift to digital platforms for consumers, reveals a report by premium lifestyle online portal Luxehues.com. The study, conducted in November, is a result of approximately 150 qualitative interviews based on a structured questionnaire. On being asked if demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes would impact the way brick-and-mortar retailing of premium and affordable luxury products had been operating so far, the general consensus was that it would not have an affect on consumers already shopping via credit or debit cards. However, there is a feeling that some of the retail offline demand will eventually move to online due to sheer convenience and value that the channel offers. The study reads: "A lot of the high-end purchases made at the stores using cash were primarily discretionary spends because consumers could easily afford it. There is one section of consumers who would not be able to convert this card purchase and hence demand from this segment will go out of equation over the next two to three years until fresh cycle of liquidity in the new currency became easy to access. "By then the online channel would also have grown significantly. At the same time, several felt that if the cash-on-delivery facility dried up, it would impact online sales in the near term even as transactions would start to become much healthier." Puneet Gupta of Puneet Gupta Invitations, which provides bespoke invitation cards, says he is hopeful this will lead to a structured and simplified style of business in the Indian market. "A lot of Indian clients prefer to pay in cash and we are hoping that this demonetisation move will streamline things and make it all digital," Gupta told IANS. As per the study; e-commerce will propel faster growth in the affordable luxury segment by providing distribution access, authenticity of goods purchased is a key criterion for online shoppers, and niche brands must invest in creating brand awareness to facilitate faster growth. Woodsia is a brand known for manufacturing exclusive gold and silver plated decorative items using natural products and their by products. It is also retailed via Luxehues.com. Anuj Malik, the brand's proprietor told IANS here that the Indian market lacks takers of these products which are made using flowers, leaves and more to create immortal gifting items through electroplating technology -- as there's dearth of understanding the thought and value behind these. He said they get better response from clients in Canada, US, Australia, New Zealand and Belgium. --IANS rb/nn/vm Tripura bids tearful adieu to soldier killed in Jammu Tripura,National,Defence/Security, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Khowai (Tripura), Dec 2 (IANS) Thousands of villagers on Friday bid a tearful adieu to an Indian Army soldier, Chittaranjan Debbarma, who was killed in a terror attack on an army camp near Jammu on Tuesday. Men, women and children had assembled in huge numbers at the cemetary when Debbarma's last rites were performed at Gaishing Para, 80 km north of Agartala. Naik Debbarma, 36, a Christian by faith, was laid to rest with full military honours in the presence of his father Madhusudhan, 84, mother Sanchani, 79, wife Namita and two children aged 11 and 7 years. State Forest Minister Naresh Jamatia, and senior civil, army and security officials were present. The body of the soldier was flown to Tripura on Thursday -- two days after he and six of his colleagues were killed in a gun battle with militants at an army camp in Nagrota, 15 km from Jammu. Debbarma joined the army's engineering wing in 1998. A few months ago, he was transferred to Nagrota military base from West Bengal's Kanchrapara. "He called us when the terrorist attacked the military camp. He told us to pray for him. He was saying that he might be killed as the militants encircled the camp. After a minute, the phone went silent. We called back many a time but...," slain soldier's wife Namita said. "He came home in June this year and told us that he would come home next month. We were keenly waiting for him. But got only his mortal remains." Debbarma's elder brother Arun retired from the army in March this year. He is the second Tripura man in services killed in a militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir within a week. Earlier, 34-year-old Border Security Force (BSF) Havildar Sambhu Satmura was killed in a landmine blast along the India-Pakistan border in Poonch district on November 22. --IANS sc/sar/vt Technology used in Netflix, Google can help planetary research Canada,Science/Tech,Technology, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Toronto, Dec 2 (IANS) Machine learning -- a powerful tool used for a variety of tasks in modern life, from fraud detection and sorting spam in Google, to making movie recommendations on Netflix -- can help scientists determine whether planetary systems are stable or not, a study says. "Machine learning offers a powerful way to tackle a problem in astrophysics, and that's predicting whether planetary systems are stable," said study lead author Dan Tamayo from the University of Toronto Scarborough in Canada. Machine learning is a form of artificial intelligence that gives computers the ability to learn without having to be constantly programmed for a specific task. The benefit is that it can teach computers to learn and change when exposed to new data, not to mention it's also very efficient. The researchers found that the same class of algorithms used by Google and Netflix can also tell us if distant planetary systems are stable or not. The method developed by Tamayo and his team is 1,000 times faster than traditional methods in predicting stability. "In the past we've been hamstrung in trying to figure out whether planetary systems are stable by methods that couldn't handle the amount of data we were throwing at it," Tamayo said. It's important to know whether planetary systems are stable or not because it can tell us a great deal about how these systems formed. It can also offer valuable new information about exoplanets that is not offered by current methods of observation. There are several current methods of detecting exoplanets that provide information such as the size of the planet and its orbital period, but they may not provide the planet's mass or how elliptical their orbit is, which are all factors that affect stability, Tamayo noted. The method developed by Tamayo and his team was published online in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. "What's encouraging is that our findings tell us that investing weeks of computation to train machine learning models is worth it because not only is this tool accurate, it also works much faster," he added. It may also come in handy when analysing data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) set to launch next year. The two-year mission will focus on discovering new exoplanets by focusing on the brightest stars near our solar system. "It could be a useful tool because predicting stability would allow us to learn more about the system, from the upper limits of mass to the eccentricities of these planets," Tamayo said. --IANS gb/vt Kourtney Kardashian, Scott Disick back together United States,Cinema/Showbiz,Hollywood, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Los Angeles, Dec 2 (IANS) Reality TV stars Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick, who ended their nine-year-long relationship last year, have reportedly become a couple again. "They are back together and giving their relationship a try again," aceshowbiz.com quoted a source as saying. The couple separated in July 2015 after Disick was spotted getting too close to his former girlfriend Chloe Bartoli during a vacation in France. "Scott's mellowed out a lot and hasn't been partying," the source added. Another source said that the duo "want to make it work for them and their kids" Mason, Penelope and Reign. --IANS sas/nn/bg Rajya Sabha adjourned for day amid protests over troops in Bengal Delhi,National,Politics, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) The Rajya Sabha was on Friday adjourned for the day amid continuous protests by the opposition who alleged the government was "misleading" the house on the issue of the army "deployment" in West Bengal. After repeated disruptions, as soon as the house began its sitting at 2.30 p.m. post lunch, it was adjourned again when the opposition members continued to protest. The house was adjourned earlier around noon when the opposition members created a ruckus and refused to let the Question Hour continue. As soon as proceedings began, opposition members protested again over the deployment of soldiers at toll plazas in West Bengal, raising the issue during Zero Hour. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad alleged that the state government had no prior information about it. "In West Bengal, the army has taken over toll plazas at 19 places. The state Chief Secretary, state administration or the state Director General of Police (DGP) were not given any information about this. We are unable to understand what is this," Azad said. "The army is sometimes deployed in emergency situations, but there is no emergency in Bengal. The law and order is alright. This is not a matter of concern for one state government or one party, but for the entire country," he said, seeking a clarification from the government, and also a statement on the issue from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Trinamool Congress member Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, whose party is ruling West Bengal, and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati also joined Azad. Roy said it was a central government attempt to instil fear, while Mayawati dubbed the move as an "attack on the federal structure" of the nation. But the government played down the issue, saying it was a routine exercise done every year of which the state government was informed in advance and the opposition reading too much into it. "This was a routine annual data collection exercise by the Eastern Command of the army. Earlier, it was planned for November 27-28 but was rescheduled to November 30 and December 2 on a specific request by Kolkata Police due to Bharat Bandh," Minister of State of Defence Subhash Bhamre said in a statement. He said the exercise was meant to identify the number of vehicles to be used during a national emergency. The opposition members were, however, not impressed with the government's response, and accused the government of "misleading" the house on the issue, and continued protesting. "Modi teri Hitlershahi, nahi chalegi, nahi chalegi (Modi, you can't govern like Hitler)", they thundered and trooped towards the Chairman's podium, forcing Chairman Hamid Ansari to adjourn the house till 2.30 p.m. --IANS mak/vd/vt Indian pleads guilty to student visa fraud in US United States,Crime/Disaster/Accident,Diaspora, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS null Washington, Dec 2 (IANS) An Indian in the US has pleaded guilty to committing student visa fraud, according to an attorney, local media reported on Friday. Tejesh Kodali, 45, of Edison, New Jersey, admitted to recruiting foreign nationals and enrolling them at a fake New Jersey college to maintain their "student-visa status and obtain full-time work authorisations without having to attend classes," US Attorney Paul J. Fishman said in a statement, reported New Jersey online reported. Kodali, who is the CEO and manager of two Middlesex county firms, pleaded guilty in Newark federal court on Thursday to a charge of conspiracy to commit visa fraud in the scheme to enrol foreign nationals at the University of Northern New Jersey in Cranford -- a fake college created by federal officials to uncover visa fraud, the attorney's statement said. Kodali faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. His sentencing is scheduled for March 13, 2017. The Indian was the director of operations of Promatrix Corp. and Blue Cloud Techs Corp. -- two "purported international student recruiting and consulting companies" in Edison, New Jersey. Kodali admitted he was getting commissions by outsourcing the foreign nationals as information technology consultants to US companies, according to Attorney Fishman. Kodali and his accomplices also attempted to obtain 37 student visas or work authorisations. He caused the foreign nationals to be reported in government databases as legitimate foreign students. Kodali and his foreign clients obtained and created fraudulent student documents, including attendance records and transcripts, and thus deceived immigration officials. --IANS soni/ahm/vt null North Korea slams 'Obama and his lackeys' in response to sanctions South Korea,Defence/Security,Diplomacy, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Seoul, Dec 2 (IANS) Criticising UN sanctions imposed on it, North Korea has accused Security Council members of being puppets of the US. North Korea's statement on Thursday came as both South Korea and Japan announced further restrictions on the communist nation, including on visits by foreign missile and nuclear experts, CNN reported. The UNSC voted unanimously on November 30 to impose their "toughest" sanctions yet on North Korea, stopping about $800 million in exports including coal and copper. The new restrictions came in response to North Korea's nuclear warhead test in September, its fifth and potentially most powerful yet. North Korea in a statement said many countries that are members of the UNSC had already conducted their own nuclear tests and missile launches. "Obama and his lackeys are sadly mistaken if they calculate that they can force North Korea to abandon its line of nuclear weaponisation and undermine its status as a nuclear power through base sanctions to pressurise it," it said. South Korea said it would block entry to North Korea for all foreign missile and nuclear experts if their work threatened the South. Senior North Korean officials will also be blacklisted as part of the new embargo, the South Korean statement said. On Friday, the Japanese government confirmed they would adopt similar measures as South Korea, while also prohibiting entry to Japanese vessels that had docked in North Korea. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday said the government had decided to tighten sanctions due to North Korea's repeated nuclear tests and abduction of foreign nationals. The UNSC already imposed one set of sanctions on North Korea in 2016, also in response to a nuclear test by the rogue state in January. Wednesday's sanctions aimed to cut off North Korea's supply of cash to continue their missile programmes, cutting exports of coal, nonferrous metals and giant statues. --IANS py/dg Will continue deploying our submarines as needed: Navy chief Delhi,National,Defence/Security, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) Refuting Pakistan's claims that it detected and chased out an Indian submarine from its waters, Indian Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on Friday said that India deploys its submarines as per operational necessity. He also said that the presence of the Chinese Navy at Gwadar port in Balochistan, Pakistan, is being monitored and that India is ready to tackle it. "Repelling submarine of any nation is not easy task. Claim made by Pakistan Navy is totally bogus," the Chief of Naval Staff told media here during an annual briefing on Navy Day. "We deploy our submarines where as per the operational necessity and where we need. We will continue to deploy our submarines," Lanba said. The Pakistan Navy on November 18 claimed that it detected and chased away an Indian submarine which India was trying to station in its waters. Speaking on the presence of the Chinese Navy's ships and submarines at Gwadar port of Balochistan in Pakistan, the Navy Chief said that India is keeping a close eye on them. "We have capability and assets to take on any force which is deployed, and if and when this happens, we have plans in place to tackle it," he said. Saying that the Chinese Navy has not touched the Indian waters, Adm Lanba added that India launches surveillance missions to keep an eye on the People's Liberation Army's Navy ships and submarines in the Indian Ocean region. Lanba said that the Navy is finalising design of the second indigenous aircraft carrier and will soon seek the government's approval. He added that 40 ships, four submarines and 12 aircraft are deployed far and near to protect the Indian waters. --IANS rs-kd/lok/vt Chitra Ramkrishna quits NSE as MD and CEO Maharashtra,Business/Economy, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Mumbai, Dec 2 (IANS) The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) on Friday appointed J. Ravichandran to "hold charge" of the office of CEO in place of Chitra Ramkrishna, who tendered her resignation due to personal reasons. "The board of directors of the NSE met today and accepted the resignation of Chitra Ramkrishna, MD and CEO," the NSE said in a statement. "Ramkrishna had tendered her resignation due to personal reasons and expressed her desire to step down with immediate effect." The NSE said that its board of directors has set up a committee for the selection of a new managing director and chief executive. According to the NSE, the board of directors, while accepting her request, appreciated Chitra Ramkrishna's "sterling contribution" to the growth of the organisation over the long years that she had been associated with it. "She was part of the team that set up the stock exchange, was appointed as the joint managing director in September 2009 and was elevated to the post of MD and CEO with effect from April 1, 2013," the statement said. "The board of NSE has appointed J. Ravichandran, Group President, to hold charge of the office of CEO with immediate effect. Ravichandran has been associated with NSE for long years and brings with him a wealth of experience and full understanding of the functioning of the organisation." --IANS rv/vt People suffer in Kerala as treasuries run dry Kerala,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 2 (IANS) For the second consecutive day on Friday, people, including pensioners, stood in queues since early morning across Kerala as many treasuries in the state were running dry and couldn't disburse salaries and pensions to people. State Finance Minister Thomas Isaac said: "Today, a request for Rs 127 crore went to the banking authorities and, so far, Rs 57 crore were received. Fifty treasuries are yet to get the money." There are 157 banking treasuries in the state. People formed long queues waiting for their turn to collect the money, the way they did on Thursday, the first salary-pension day after the declaration of demonetisation of high-value currency on November 8. According to banking authorities, the Reserve Bank of India has given Rs 580 crore to various banks for disbursal. In Kerala, almost half a million people and state government staff get their salaries and pensions through the treasuries, while the remaining half a million are linked to banks for these disbursals. The treasury officials have to collect the cash from the respective commercial banks to which their treasury is linked and, depending on the availability of cash in the banks, they are given their share to be distributed. In Neyattinkara, a suburb here, there are 7,000 pensioners linked to the treasury and on Thursday, about 700 people had turned up but only 40 got the money as the allocation was a mere Rs 20 lakh. "I came around 5 a.m. with the token that I got yesterday and am waiting and expecting that I will get the money today (Friday)," said an aged pensioner. An official said: "In the state secretariat, there are 6,000 employees, of which 5,000 are non-gazetted. Yesterday, not even fifty per cent could get their salaries." Isaac, who is in Delhi to attend a GST meeting, told reporters that it's most unfortunate that the states were not taken into confidence by the Centre in the disbursement of salaries and pensions. "Even though there was a few informal consultations, there was not a single official meeting to manage the present impasse in the distribution of salary and pension," said Isaac. --IANS sg/sm/sac Mamata right in raising voice against Centre: Akhilesh Delhi,National,Politics, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday extended support to his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee who has accused the Union government of "deploying the army" along two highway toll plazas while keeping the state government "in the dark". "I feel whatever Mamataji is doing, the way she is raising her voice against the Centre, is a good thing. Things should happen within the knowledge of the state government. Mamataji has the right to know what is being done in her state by the centre, she is doing the right thing by voicing her concerns," he said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit here. "I don't feel it is a healthy democracy where things happen in a state without the knowledge of the state government," said the Samajwadi Party leader. While the Indian Army has denied the Chief Minister's charges asserting the exercise has been conducted in coordination with local police authorities, Banerjee wondered if there was a military coup. Akhilesh Yadav said similar incidents also happened in his state. "I am the Chief Minister of UP... don't I have right to know how much money is being sent to the banks? "For example if a terrorist is arrested (by the central agencies) from a state and the Chief Minister is not aware of that, is that acceptable? Such incidents have happened in UP also but I kept quiet as it was matter involving the country's security," he said. Banerjee who has been virtually at war with the Modi government over the demonetisation issue, spent Thursday night at the state secretariat, demanding "withdrawal of the army" and dubbed the motive behind the deployment "political, vindictive, unconstitutional, unethical and undemocratic". She has also got support from her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, who earlier on Friday said that Banerjee was targeted by the central government for daring it on demonetisation. --IANS and/vd/bg Our choice makes our life: Tara Sharma Maharashtra,Cinema/Showbiz,Bollywood, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS null Mumbai, Dec 2 (IANS) Actress-turned-producer and host Tara Sharma Saluja believes that people's choices make their life, and that gender equality is about having the choice of being a caregiver or a working mother. Tara, a mother of two children -- Zen and Kai, manages to balance her personal and professional lives well. Talking about the freedom of choice, Tara, whose new season of "The Tara Sharma Show" will soon go on air, told IANS here: "Gender equality is about having the choice of being a caregiver or a working mom because our choice makes our life." "Moreover, the society should not be judgmental about one's choice. So, one does not have to prove how good working mom she is by staying in office for 12 hours and taking care of her kids. You are equally cool as a mom even if you are staying home and nurturing your baby." She said that it was her choice to be involved in every step of her children's upbringing. "However, I could not just sit at home. So, I conceptualised my show about parenting where I can balance my profession and parenting at the same time." Though there is celebration of working mothers and that is considered a sign of gender equality, according to Tara, it is only the perspective that has changed. Sharing an example, she said: "When I was interviewing actress Kajol, she told me how Tanuja ji (veteran actress and Kajol's mother) would go to work and she would stay with her grandmother. That is when I realised that the acknowledgement of a working mother has grown over period of time and our society celebrates it largely." It is interesting to observe how in five years, the show, which will air on Star World and Star World HD, has transformed from just a parenting and child care to broaden its horizon to parental issues, social changes and conversations on unexplored topics between parents and their children. Explaining the reason behind such changes, Tara said: "Here, I would like to refer to my father, writer and theatre personality Pratap Sharma who always told me how reinventing yourself is important. When I started the show, my kids were babies. "They are growing up and developing their individual mind, and so, as a parent I am also growing. Therefore, many topics crossed my mind that I think are very important to discuss as a parent regarding family issues, child sexual abuse, identifying kids' talent and encouraging them to follow their passion. "So, the change that you can see in my show is a journey of continuation that we are taking to the next level." Tara started the show by inviting celebrity mothers like Kajol, Konkona Sen Sharma and Juhi Chawla. In later seasons, based on the topic of discussion, celebrities like Virat Kohli, Soha Ali Khan, John Abraham, Farah Khan, Prince Manvendra, Emraan Hashmi, Sonam Kapoor, Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh graced her show. Many actresses are celebrating motherhood. For instance, actress Kareena Kapoor Khan recently walked on the ramp flaunting her baby bump. Even former Miss Universe and now an actress Sushmita Sen has been vocal about being a single mother. According to Tara, actresses are reinventing themselves with motherhood. "For instance, Konkona after being a successful actress and mother, has now become a filmmaker. Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan set a desirability on screen and is balancing both motherhood and stardom nicely," she shared. (Arundhuti Banerjee can be contacted at arundhuti.b@ians.in) --IANS aru/nn/dg null Shweta Tiwari welcomes son Maharashtra,Cinema/Showbiz, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Mumbai, Dec 2 (IANS) Actress Shweta Tiwari has given birth to her second child, a boy. Shweta, who married actor Abhinav Kohli in 2013 after dating him for almost three years, welcomed their son on November 27 at the Surya Child Care Hospital here. "Baby boy is doing fine and healthy, the process was smooth," Shobha Sharma, a pediatrician at the hospital, said in a statement. This is the couple's first child together. Shweta, best known for her stint in shows like "Kasautii Zindagii Kay", "Comedy Circus Ka Naya Daur", "Big Boss season 4" and "Begusarai", was previously married to actor Raja Chaudhary, with whom she has daughter Palak. --IANS sas/nn/bg Morocco dismantles pro-IS terror cell Malta,Defence/Security,Terrorism, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Rabat, Dec 2 (IANS/MAP) The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation has dismantled a terror cell composed of eight pro-Islamic State individuals in the cities of Fez and Tangier, the Interior Ministry announced on Friday. The operation was conducted on Thursday and led to the seizure of a shotgun, ammunition, bladed weapons as well as documents containing suspicious chemical formulas. The cell includes two former detainees in terror-related cases, who planned terrorist attacks in Morocco and abroad, the Ministry said in a statement. Preliminary investigations show that the cell members have close links with IS active elements in Syria and Iraq as part of coordination to recruit and send Moroccan volunteers for jihad in the ranks of IS, the statement said. The recruitment of extremist elements to be sent to Syria and Iraq is intended to enable them receive military training in IS camps before returning to Morocco to carry out terrorist plots, the Interior Ministry added. --IANS/MAP sm/dg Rakesh Asthana named interim CBI director Delhi,National,Crime/Disaster/Accident,Business/Economy, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) Central Bureau of Investigation's Additional Director Rakesh Asthana was named as the agency's interim director replacing incumbent Anil Sinha whose tenure ended on Friday, an official statement said. "The competent authority has approved assignment of additional charge of the post of Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), to Rakesh Asthana, IPS, Additional Director, CBI, with effect from the date of relinquishment of charge by Anil Kumar Sinha, IPS, on completion of his tenure with immediate effect and until further orders," said an order issued by the Ministry of Personnel and Training. Asthana, a 1984 Gujarat cadre Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, was appointed as CBI Additional Director General in April. A key investigator in the multi-crore-rupee fodder scam, Asthana, as Superintendent of Police, CBI in Dhanbad, had arrested then Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad in 1997. Asthana, who had been the Commissioner of Police in Vadodara and Surat in Gujarat, also headed a special investigation team (SIT) that probed the burning of Sabarmati Express train in which 59 people were burnt to death near Godhra railway station in February 2002. He also headed an SIT probing the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal and the alleged loan fraud by former liquor baron Vijay Mallya. --IANS and/vd/dg Parliament logjam continues over demonetisation (Roundup) Delhi,National,Politics,Business/Economy, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) Demonetisation deadlocked Parliament functioning on Friday too as it failed to transact any meaningful business due to unrelenting opposition members adamant on their respective demands in both the houses. While the opposition in Rajya Sabha reiterated its demand for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's apology for allegedly painting the entire opposition in a bad light during his public addresses, members in the Lok Sabha demanded a discussion on demonetisation under an adjournment motion that entails voting. Both the houses saw an opposition uproar over Army personnel's presence at toll plazas in West Bengal which was allegedly done without informing the state government. The Union government, however, dubbed it a "routine exercise". In the upper house, the matter was raised by Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad during the Zero Hour. "This is not a matter of concern for one state government or one party only, but for the entire country," Azad said. Azad sought a clarification from the government and a statement from the Prime Minister. Soon after, Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati raised the issue. While Roy called it an attempt by the Centre to instil fear in the state, Mayawati called the move an attack on the federal structure of the nation. "This was a routine annual data collection exercise by the Army," Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bahmre said in a statement. The members also raised various other issues during the Zero Hour, but as soon as the Chair gave a call for Question Hour at noon, the opposition members started making noise. "Modi teri Hitlershahi, nahi chalegi, nahi chalegi (Modi, you can't govern like Hitler)," the opposition shouted and trooped near the Chairman's podium. Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the upper house till 2.30 p.m. amid the pandemonium. But as soon as the House met again at 2.30 p.m., the opposition members, mainly of the Congress, resumed sloganeering. The Chair then adjourned the House till December 5. In the Lok Sabha, the opposition continued to create ruckus over demonetisation. The Congress and the TMC pressed with their demand for a discussion under the rule entailing voting. Trinamool leader Sudip Bandopadhyay also raised the issue of the army deployment in West Bengal, saying the state government was kept in the dark. The claim was denied by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who dubbed it a routine exercise held annually for the past many years. The Congress, Trinamool and the Left members then trooped near the Speaker's podium and shouted slogans against November 8 demonetisation, while members of the AIADMK, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Nationalist Congress Party stood near their seats. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan urged the agitating members not to disturb the Question Hour but the opposition did not relent. As the din continued during the Question Hour, Mahajan adjourned the lower house briefly till 12. When the House reassembled, she disallowed all adjournment motion notices given by dozens of opposition leaders on different issues. As the notices were disallowed, the opposition members again trooped near the Speaker's podium and continued their protest. After half an hour, when the protests showed no signs of abating, Mahajan adjourned the house for the day. --IANS mak/tsb/vm Samajwadi Party-Congress combine can win more than 300 seats: Akhilesh Delhi,National,Politics, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) Asserting the ruling Samajwadi Party will retain power in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday kept the doors open for an alliance with the Congress for next years assembly polls, saying the combine can win over 300 seats in the 403-member House. Talking about Congress poll strategist Prashant Kishor meeting SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav as also himself, he said the onus was on Congress to decide on a possible alliance. "Prashant Kishor met Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) and also had a meeting with me. I told him that the SP would get a majority on its own, but if there was an alliance, we would win more than 300 seats," said Akhilesh Yadav at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit here. "In an alliance, one has to contend with fewer number of seats to contest, but if gain and loss become the consideration, then it doesn't work out. The SP will be forming the government again with a majority and if Congress also joins in, we will cross 300. However, it is for the Congress to decide," he said. Akhilesh Yadav also asserted that his party will not perceive the Congress as a "junior partner" in case of an alliance. Referring to his earlier remarks of "Mulayam Singh as the Prime Minister and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi as the Deputy Prime Minister", he said his offer was still valid and that it was for the Congress leadership to take a call. "Rahulji is not in the audience today, but the message can be passed on to him by people close to him," he said pointing to Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law Robert Vadra who were present in the audience. While the Kishor-Mulayam Singh meeting had triggered speculation of a "grand alliance" like Bihar to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh, he said it was not possible in his state as the "political dynamics in UP are different from Bihar". Rubbished suggestions that his party was close to the BJP, Akhilesh refused to single out whether the BJP or the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party was SP's main rival. "Its the SP which will come to power again, and it is for the Bharatiya Janata Party and the BSP to decide who wants to take the second and third spots," he quipped. About the bitter family feud within the Yadav family, he, without taking names, hit out at uncle Shivpal Yadav and party leader and Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh. "I will listen to Netaji (Mulayam) and accept whatever he says. But if a typewriter comes from somewhere to remove me, I will not accept it," he said but refused to elaborate if the "typewriter" was Amar Singh. About his repeated run-ins with Shivpal Yadav, he said: "Political wisdom dictates if someone wants to remove you (from the party), you remove him." --IANS and/vd Former British PM meets Modi Delhi,National,Diplomacy, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) Former British Prime Minister David Cameron called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Friday and the two discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said Modi recalled his successful visit to the UK in November 2015, and thanked Cameron for his "personal support and contribution to strengthening India-UK ties during his tenure as Prime Minister of the UK". Cameron is in India to attend a media event on Saturday. This is his first trip to India since he stepped down following the referendum victory of supporters of UK's exit from the European Union. --IANS sar/dg It is monetisation, not demonetisation: Medha Patkar Bihar,National,Politics, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Patna, Dec 2 (IANS) Social activist Medha Patkar on Friday said it is wrong to term Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to ban Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes as demonetisation, it is monetisation of least developed communities in the country and it will not address the issue of black money. "It is certainly not demonetisation. It is monetisation of least developed communities across the country by the government led by Modi to help market and corporate," Patkar, National Alliance of People's Movement (NAPM) leader, told IANS on the sidelines of its 11th biennial National Convention. She said the government's decision has created such a situation where money has become an important tool in dealing with every aspect of life, even for the poorest of the poor. Patkar said monetisation is a dangerous trend for the people and the country. Black money will not end through the government's so-called demonetisation move. Patkar said like 'Ghar Wapsi', 'Note-Wapsi' will fail because people are being hit hard. Patkar called for a "broader unity" among the people's movement -- from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and northeast to Gujarat -- to address a "rising threat on our natural resources, our constitutional values and the principles of equality and justice". "If we fail to unite and don't come forward, it will be difficult to protect constitutional values in the country," she warned. In her address to nearly 1,000 activists gathered here, Patkar said the time has come to not only protect land (zameen) but conscience (zameer) and to protect self-respect and self-honour. "At a time when electoral politics and political parties are becoming increasingly opportunistic, exclusive and anti-poor, people's struggles have to lead the way towards a better tomorrow. We have to fight the battles of our own lands, forests, rivers but we also need to locate ourselves in the larger ongoing struggles the world over," she said. She also congratulated the various movements rising across the country, including the struggle for self-determination in Kashmir. "The younger generation is rising and speaking up. We old ones should learn to sit back and give them space... they are not a force that can or should be stopped." --IANS ik/lok/dg Bank vandalised in Manipur due to non-payment Manipur,National,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Imphal, Dec 2 (IANS) Angry customers on Friday vandalised the State Bank of India branch at Moreh, the border town in Manipur, and indulged in stone pelting on being denied cash, eyewitnesses said. However, as the situation took a violent turn, bank employees pulled down the shutters to save themselves inside. The branch has been shut indefinitely. B. Haokip, a customer in the long queue, told IANS that the customers got infuriated due to the insensitive attitude of the bank employees. Earlier, they had been informed that each customer would be given Rs 5,000, but later they were told that no token would be issued to them as the cash had been exhausted. N. Nipamacha, another customer, said: "There were also rumours that some bank employees were favouring their friends and acquaintances by giving them cash without following the procedure." Realising that they would not get any money, the people in the queue became angry and pelted stones, damaging the facade of the bank building. Police rushed in to restore normalcy. However, no arrests were made. The bank was closed and the officials refused to say when it will reopen. This is the third bank branch which was attacked by angry customers over the past few days. People vandalised the SBI branches at the Manipur University complex and Leimakhong, both in Imphal West district, this week. Protesting against the vandalism, bank employees took out a silent procession on Thursday and held a candlelight protest in Imphal city. --IANS il/nir/bg International Science Fest will focus on Modi's cashless call: Minister Delhi,National,Science/Tech,Education, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) Union Science and Technology Miniser Dr Harsh Vardhan on Friday announced that the upcoming India International Science Fest (IISF) will focus on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a "Cashless Society". "All transactions at the fest will be cashless," the minister said. The IISF will be held here December 7-11 December here. Israeli Science, Technology and Space Minister Ofir Akunis will pay special visit to the fest, which will be inaugurated by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on December 8. Harsh Vardhan added that beside a cashless economy, the theme of this year's fest would be "science for masses". "Emphasis would be to take science to the rural areas," he saide. The budget of the festival has been increased to Rs 12 crore this year compared to last year's Rs 4 crore. The minister informed that over 3,000 students from the villages adopted by MPs will also participate in the fest. The fest also sees to break its own world record of maximum number of students performing a scientific experiment. Total 2,500 children will be perform a scientific experiment to break its previous record of 2,000 students. The record was first held by Northern Ireland, with 1300 students performing a scientific experiment. "We are a government that believes and supports scientific research, including an appropriate balance between fundamental research to support new discoveries and the commercialization of ideas, will lead to provide an ample employment opportunities for India's sustainable economic growth," said Harsh Vardhan. --IANS kd/vd Indian navy in high state of combat readiness: Western command chief Maharashtra,National,Defence/Security, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Mumbai, Dec 2 (IANS) The Indian Navy is in a "high degree of operational and combat readiness" to ensure safety and security from any challenges originating from the seas, Western Naval Command chief Vice Admiral Girish Luthra said on Friday. Interacting with media personnel aboard the aircraft carier INS Vikramaditya ahead of Navy Day 2016, he said that the maritime environment in the Indian Ocean Region is both challenging and complex. Besides developments in the region necessitating high degree of operational and combat readiness, it had led to a very high tempo of operations, including deployments, surveillance and patrolling, he said. In this context, Luthra referred to the conduct of major exercise "Paschim Leher" in which a large number of ships, submarines and aircraft participated to test and improve Indian Navy's operational readiness, including mobilisation and synchronisation. Describing the current security scenario as "dynamic", he said ships, submarines and aircraft of the command "continue to be deployed and tasked in widely dispersed and diverse locations" at sea to beef up maritime defence and security. He assured that the Indian Navy is "alert, watchful and fully ready to safeguard the country's maritime interests and address any threats that may emerge". In addition to strengthening physical security, Luthra said impetus is also being given to cyber security. Following the immensely successful induction of Delhi-Class and Kolkata-Class destroyers into the Navy, he said now it was working towards the "next-generation destroyers" to give an edge to the three-dimensional blue-water force. "We are conceptualising and planning the next-gen destroyers which would be of new designs and more potent. We shall take up the proposal with the centre in due course," he said. The planned project would encompass additional features compared to the earlier Projects 15, 15A and 15B. Giving hints, he said the next-gen destroyers would be far advanced in terms of capability with more stealth features and an even more deadlier weapons package. The Indian Navy celebrates Navy Day on December 4 every year to mark the date of its ships attacking Karachi during the 1971 India-Pakistan war. --IANS qn/vd Comments about Pakistan mistranslated, exaggerated: Parrikar Goa,National,Politics,Defence/Security, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Panaji, Dec 2 (IANS) Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday said his comments on Pakistan last week were mistranslated from Konkani to English, adding that his remarks published in a section of English media were "exaggerated". "They do not understand the nuances much. Therefore, I do not know what 'glaring of eyes' means in English. When I read an English newspaper, I was wondering when did I say this," Parrikar said at a poll meeting in Shiroda assembly constituency, around 40 km from Panaji. "Then I read a Hindi newspaper and I realised it (remarks) was correct in Hindi as the issue was analysed on the basis of what I had explained. One of the correspondents from here, while translating the remarks to English did so literally," Parrikar said, adding that his comments published in the English media were exaggerated. "... you can say with pride to the entire country that one of our own went there and slapped the enemy -- which in the past was glaring (staring) at us -- four times across its cheeks," Parrikar said at a poll rally in Goa on November 26. "Over the last three days, the borders are quiet because if we are fired upon once, we fire twice... when they realised it, they came to us and said enough. We do not want to wage war," he had added. On Friday, Parrikar said he will not comment on defence-related issues during his speeches in Goa. "... cannot speak about defence issues here... the moment I speak, national media listens in Konkani and translates it in English. (But) we understand our language," Parrikar said. "So, I decided I will speak only on local issues here (Goa)... when one speaks from the heart, it goes to the heart of the common man. But, sometimes, it creates controversies, big and small," he said. --IANS maya/tsb/dg 'One fifth of brain stroke patients aged 40 and below' Haryana,National,Health/Medicine, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Gurugram, Dec 2 (IANS) Neurosciences experts from around the world on Friday warned that patients with brain stroke are continuously rising in India and nearly one-fifth of patients with first-ever stroke admitted to hospitals are aged 40 years or less. Doctors participating at a three-day international meet to discuss the epidemic of stroke cases, also said that India had witnessed a extreme rise in smoking, systolic hypertension, high fasting blood glucose level, and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the population at a younger age predisposing to a stroke sooner. The first day on Friday saw discussions on Indian scenario, when experts said that most of the patients with stroke in the country are not accessing appropriate healthcare probably due to non-affordability, usage of alternative medicines, and difficulty in conveyance. "Stroke unit implementation remains a big challenge in India. At present in India, there are approximately 35 stroke units and they are predominantly in private sector hospitals in the cities. "Many of the private hospitals lack CT scan facility and they refer for incentives to other hospitals or centres. This results in crucial time being lost. On the other hand, public hospitals lack a dedicated team and place to manage stroke patients," said Vipul Gupta, Director, Neurointervention, Agrim institute for Neurosciences at Artemis Hospital. Doctors also said that in certain parts of the country, women are five times more prone to stroke incidences than men. "More cases in women is attributable to the poor socioeconomic status and literacy rates. The average age of patients with stroke in developing countries (India) is 15 years younger than those in developed countries like US," says Aditya Gupta, director, Neurology, at the Agrim institute. --IANS rup/vd Soldiers in toll plazas to counter to Mamata's anti-demonetisation stand: Trinamool West Bengal,National,Politics, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Kolkata, Dec 2 (IANS) West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress on Friday claimed the deployment of soldiers at toll plazas in the state without the state government's approval, was an attempt to disrupt the federal structure as a counter to party supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's protest against the centre's demonetisation move. Trinamool leader Partha Chatterjee apprised Governor K.N. Tripathi of the situation on Friday. "I spoke to the governor over phone. In 18 places, the Army was deployed without any approval of state government. This is against the federal structure and is an attempt to destroy the democracy," he told the media here. "Following demonetisation, Mamata Banerjee has been raising a storm as the voice of the Opposition. There is an attempt to disrupt the federal structure in the state, in different ways ... sometimes on flight, on ground and sometimes by deploying the Army," he said. The Trinamool has claimed a conspiracy in the issue of alleged safety lapse in an aircraft ferrying Banerjee. Accusing the central government of deploying the army at several highway toll plazas while keeping her government in the dark, Banerjee stayed put at the state secretariat Nibanna on Thursday night and continued to remain there till Friday afternoon. But the Indian Army on Friday denied the charge, saying the exercise has been conducted in coordination with local police authorities. --IANS sgh/vd Four robbers arrested after gunfight Delhi,National,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) Delhi Police on Friday said it has busted a gang of robbers, arresting four of its members after a brief gunfight, while six others managed to escape. Sunil, 30, a resident of Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly, Krishan Kumar, 30, Manish, 23, and Goverdhan Vishwakarma, 26, all Delhi residents, were arrested from near Vishwakarma Colony in south Delhi at around 11.40 p.m. on Thursday after police received a tip-off about a gang of robbers coming to commit dacoity in the MB road area. "We made elaborate arrangement post demonetisation in view of increased sensitivity on salary payment day in Okhla industrial area at Badarpur and Pul Prahaladpur to prevent criminal activities like snatching and robbery," said Deputy Commissioner of Police Romil Baaniya. A waiting police team, led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Amit Kaushik, spotted two cars - a Maruti and a Honda City, stopped the Maruti and asked those inside to come out, Baaniya said. The gang members, finding themselves trapped, started firing at the police team. Police fired back and managed to apprehend four, while the other six in the Honda City managed to escape, police said, adding efforts are on to arrest them. --IANS sp/vd Pakistan welcomes Trump's offer in disputes resolution: FM Pakistan,Politics,Diplomacy, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Islamabad, Dec 2 (IANS) Pakistan welcomed US President-elect Donald Trump's offer of playing a role in resolution of longstanding issues, media reports said. "We welcome Trump's desire to play a role in resolution of longstanding issues," Xinhua news agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria as saying on Thursday. Trump, who spoke with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday, said he is ready to play "any role to address the outstanding problems" and "find solutions" to them, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry. This was the first telephone conversation between the two leaders after Trump's victory in elections last month. The spokesman said at his weekly briefing that Trump had previously expressed his desire of playing a role in resolution of Kashmir dispute with India. The Foreign Ministry said Sharif had also invited the US president-elect to visit Pakistan. Zakaria said Sharif's call to Trump was a routine matter to felicitate him on his victory in elections. --IANS vgu/ France warns of Russian cyber-attacks during presidential campaign France,Media,Politics,Crime/Disaster/Accident, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Paris, Dec 2 (IANS) French authorities have warned the officials of the country's political parties of potential Russian cyber-attacks during the presidential election campaign, local media reports said. Suspicions arose from incidents during the recent presidential elections in the US which involved hacking the private email account of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of state, Efe news agency reported. France reiterated Germany's concerns over possible cyber-attacks, as the latter is also holding its legislative elections in September next year. The director of France's national agency of IT security Guillaume Poupard, estimates that cyber-attacks can have a real impact and change the voting results. Elections are scheduled to be held in 2017. --IANS vgu/ Trump picks retired Gen James Mattis for Secretary of Defense United States,Politics,Defence/Security, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Washington, Dec 2 (IANS) US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen retired Marine General James N. Mattis to be his Secretary of Defense, reports said on Friday. The US President-elect announced his choice at a rally on Thursday, but the official announcement is expected to be on Monday, reported the Washington Post. Trump picked the former senior military officer who had said that responding to "political Islam" was "the major security issue facing the US". "We are going to appoint 'Mad Dog' Mattis as our secretary of defense," Trump told in a rally in Cincinnati, his first stop after the November 8 election, also his "thank-you tour". Trump joked that the media and audience should keep the news to themselves. "We are going to be announcing him Monday of next week," Trump said. "Keep it inside the room". Mattis, who retired as chief of the US Central Command in 2013, has often said that Washington lacks an overall strategy in the Middle East, opting to instead handle issues in an ineffective one-by-one manner. "Is political Islam in the best interest of the US?" Mattis said at the Heritage Foundation in 2015, speaking about the separate challenges of the Islamic State (IS) and Iranian-backed terrorism. "I suggest the answer is no, but we need to have the discussion. If we won't even ask the question, how do we even recognise which is our side in a fight?" he had said. To take the job, Mattis will need Congress to pass legislation to bypass a federal law stating that defense secretaries must not have been on active duty in the previous seven years. Congress had granted a similar exception just once, when General George C. Marshall was appointed to the job in 1950. --IANS in/ South Korea announces sanctions against North Korea South Korea,Defence/Security,Diplomacy,Business/Economy, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Seoul, Dec 2 (IANS) South Korea on Friday announced its standalone sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) over Pyongyang's fifth nuclear test. South Korean ministries, including foreign, unification and finance ministries, announced the country's unilateral sanctions, Xinhua news reported. This came two days after the UN Security Council adopted tougher-than-ever resolution against the DPRK on Wednesday. The sanctions were symbolic as transactions and exchange of personnel between the two countries have been actually severed for years. South Korea blacklisted 36 individuals and 35 entities suspected of supporting the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs. This took the total number of blacklisted individuals to 79, and entities to 69. They would be subject to financial sanctions. Those blacklisted included Hwang Pyong So, director of the general political bureau of the Korean People's Army, and Choe Ryong Hae, vice chairman of the central committee of the ruling Workers' Part of Korea. The entities newly subject to the standalone sanctions are the Workers Party of Korea, the party's Central Defense Commission, the State Affairs Commission and the country's national flag carrier Air Koryo. New sanctions were imposed by South Korea and the UN Security Council to take punitive action on the DPRK over its fifth nuclear test on September 9 that was seen as the most powerful ever. --IANS in/ More proof that irony rules the universe (The Funny Side) India,Features, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS I think all journalists should end every report with IDK THO LOL ("I don't know though laugh out loud") so people can't sue them in case all their facts are wrong. Clever, no? Legal matters are on my mind thanks to news reports sent in by readers. First up, police officers in India were thrilled to have tracked down and jailed the Forgery Kings, a sneaky duo reputed to be able to fabricate any document. The forgers then showed officers a document instructing them to immediately let them go -- and they did. The penny didn't drop until almost a month later. This recent case in Mumbai reminded me of a case in Japan in which a guy nicknamed the God of Lockpickers was caught breaking into a building. Police locked him up, high-fived each other and went off to celebrate. He let himself out and switched off the light. These cases I put into my Heavily Ironic True Crime Reports file. But neither of them take the top spot from possibly the most ironic case ever, one I followed closely in Hong Kong some years ago. A scary businessman was accused of intimidating witnesses, causing them to have sudden memory losses and withdraw from court cases. The case had barely started when the judge was told that all the witnesses had sudden memory losses and withdrawn from the case. In one stroke, the accused man secured an acquittal and provided strong evidence that he was guilty. What more proof is needed that irony is the guiding principle of the universe? A colleague just read the paragraphs above and told me about Choi Gap-Bok, known as the Slipperiest Man in the World. After a lengthy chase, police in South Korea caught him and threw him in the slammer. He asked a prison guard to bring him his "skin cream". He slapped it on and slipped through the tiny food slot in the jail door, just 5.9 inches (15 cm) high. It sounds impossible, but I totally believe it for two reasons: first, there are videos of him on the Internet and second, I read a lot of superhero comics, where this sort of thing happens practically every issue. It happens in the West too. A foreign correspondent told me that in 2007 in France, gendarmes arrested members of the infamous Helicopter Gang and then let them exercise on the prison roof, where they were of course whisked to freedom in a helicopter. But the US correspondent had the best tale. In 1947, cops caught Willie Sutton, Master of Disguise, and jailed him for life. He disguised himself as a prison warder and climbed up a ladder to get over the wall. When the spotlight operator shone a light directly on him, the Master of Disguise coolly called out: "It's okay!" and the watchman let him go. Don't blame the guard. He was being guided by the Universal Law of Irony. In fact, I think I will hereby inaugurate International Irony Day which I will mark with an animal rights barbecue. IDK THO LOL. (Nury Vittachi is an Asia-based frequent traveller. Send ideas and comments via his Facebook page) --IANS sac/ky India refused any talk with Pakistan: Indian Foreign Ministry New Delhi, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 NI Wire After the Nagrota attack on the army camp by the militants who sneaked in India from the Pakistan side by crossing the International Border line. In this attack seven Indian army men sacrificed their lives. According to which India cancelled talk with Pakistan and said India will do everything which will be in favour of countrys security, on Thursday. Spokesperson of Foreign Ministry Vikas Swaroop said, terrorism in Pakistan is a serious issue and Islamabad has to stop influencing terrorism against India as a weapon in their Foreign Policy Vikas Swaroop said, Before reaching on any conclusion we are waiting for the details of Nagrota attacks. On the other hand our government had taken it very seriously. After two days of the Nagrota attacks in which militants who came from Pakistan dressed as army men, by crossing the International Border line and at a distance of 15 Km from Jammu they attacked on the army camp, these statements came from the Foreign Ministry Spokesperson. After blaming Pakistan, Swaroop said that, Pakistan is a country which has long record of terrorist activity as its countrys policy. He further said, with support of Pakistan and its plan many terrorist activities were performed in India and it shows about the Pakistans view on maintaining good relations with India. Pakistan on one side shows that it wants to do friendship with India while on the other hand it supports terrorist activities which were practiced on its land. Swaroop said, it is clear that it is not a matter of a week or a month. Actually it is a challenge or a problem that we are facing from decades. He clarified that India will not take part in any peace talk with Pakistan and said, India will not take part in any peace talk with Pakistan. We will talk only when Pakistan stop terrorism. The Nagrota attack was happened on November 29, in which seven army men sacrificed their lives for the country and security forces killed five militants who sneaked in India from Pakistan by crossing the International Border line. --with agency inputs Pakistan reminded India on obligations of Indus Water Treaty New Delhi, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 NI Wire Under the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), Pakistan has reminded India of its province and warned India. Pakistan indicated that if India will violate in the treaty then Government of India would have to suffer. An official said, New Delhis own credibility would suffer if the accord was violated. India has to abide by its international obligations, if it wants to be taken seriously by the International community, said by Foreign Office spokesperson nafees Zakaira at the Weekly Media briefing. After the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis that the water that rightfully belongs to Inida under the water sharing accord could not be allowed to go to Pakistan, the Foreign Office Spokesperson of Pakistan commented on Thursday evening. Zakaria said that the Indus Waters Treaty was a binding agreement under the Vienna Convention. After the raise in tensions from Uri-militant attack, India has been indication its intention to change the accord. After the Uri-militant attacks, recently Nagrota militant attack was held near Jammu on November 29, in which seven army men sacrificed their lives for the country and killed five militants. In this attack, militants attacked on the army camp at a distance of 15 Km away from Jammu. The militants sneaked in India from Pakistan by crossing the International Border line and started firing on the camp. When the security forces started the operation then the heavy exchange of fire happened. After the killing the militants, the security forces started the search operation in which they got a bomb which was later difused by them. In this attack 2 officers and 5 soldiers martyred. --with agency inputs Mamata Banerjee stays put at Nabanna, demanding withdrawal of army West Bengal, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 NI Wire The West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after spending the night at the secretriat, stayed put there demanding about the withdrawal of the army from the state and alleging it has been done by keeping her government in the dark on Friday. Banerjee had said she would not leave till the army was withdrawn from there, and she accused the central government of deploying the army along a highway toll plaza at the second Hooghly Bridge about 500 metres from the secretariat Nabanna in neighbouring Howrah district. She said, I'll keep vigil to protect the democracy, to protect my democratically elected government. After midnight, the Eastern Command said it had already collected the data it required at the time of the army has been asked to withdraw from the toll plaza near Nabanna. Mamata Banerjee in her third round of media conference since the evening repeated that, she would spend the night at Nabanna, fearing the army may be back. She said, The army has withdrawn from the second Hooghly Bridge after 2 a.m. They will definitely come back. After Nabanna, they have entered various districts. The army has been deployed in 80 per cent of the areas. She also said, I'll remain awake all night to keep vigil. I will spend the night at Nabanna On the issue the Chief Minister of Mamata Banerjee held parleys with senior police officers and bureaucrats in the morning. A pen-drive containing videos of the army activities at the second Hooghly bridge toll plaza has been forwarded to President Pranab Mukherjee, said the sources of Trinamool Congress. This whole drama was unfolded on the evening of Thursday when Mamata Banerjee alleged the army has been deployed at the Dankuni and Palsit toll plazas on National Highway 2 (connecting Delhi and Kolkata) without informing the state government. She said, for the clarification of the issue she would approach to the President and the Chief Secretary was writing to the Central government. The Defense Ministry said on the issue that the army was only conducting its routine exercise with full knowledge of and co-ordination with West Bengal police. A Defense Ministry spokeman said, The army conducts the annual exercise throughout the country with the aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of a contingency. On the spokesmans clarification, Trinamool Congress chief tweeted, Absolutely wrong and misleading facts by @easterncomd. We have great respect for you, but please please don't mislead the people. She said, she has collected informaton from Maharashtra, Kerala, Odisha and Chhattisgarh and nowhere such a thing was been done. Mamata asked, claiming the army has been positioned in Jalpaiguri,Alipurdar, Darjeeling, North24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Kolkata, Murshidabad and Burdwan districts that, Why is it been done in Bengal? Is it because I am speaking for the people. She also said, The secretariat Nabanna' is a sensitive zone. The toll plaza on the second Hooghly Bridge is within the sensitive zone. It is under our secretariat. She demanded to know about whether the military coup has taken place and said, The motive is political, vindictive, unconstitutional, unethical and undemocratic. She further added, Even if the Army carried out a mock exercise, the state government should have been kept in the loop. If this is happening in a civil area in Bengal, this could happen in Bihar, next in Uttar Pradesh, then in Tamil Nadu and other states as well. It is a very serious situation and it is dangerous than Emergency. We are facing an extremely black day. I'll urge all state governments to look into the matter. A team of Opposition... all political leaders... will meet the President (soon). Whereas, the spokesman justified that the routine exercise was being carried out in all states of the eastern region. The spokesman said, Permission for carrying out this exercise in West Bengal was initially sought for November 28. On specific request of the police the date had been shifted to December 1. No permission has been withdrawn so far. After this, the Eastern command tweeted, Routine exercise in all NE states. In Assam @ 18 places, Arunanchal@13, WB@19, Manipur@6, Nagaland@5, Meghalaya@5, Tripura & Mizoram. The leader of :Trinamool Congress Derek O'Brien termed incorrect the claim that the exercises were carried out in coordination with the police, in Rajya Sabha. He tweeted on Friday that, All respect for army, but must set record straight 1. Data is already available 2. Cannot do vehicle check, not authorised to do so. Saying exercise by @easterncomd was coordinated with the police is absolutely incorrect. On his twitter account, OBrien said, Also, troops were moved into districts even after midnight. Bengal Chief Minister kept watch from the Secretariat overnight. She is still there. The Chief Minister of West Bengal and the Chief of Trinamool Congress Mamata Banerjee is protesting against the demonetisation announcement by the government. While returning from Patna this incident happened. --with agency inputs Army should not be dragged into politics: Sachin Pilot Kolkata, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 NI Wire Following the row over the deployment of soldiers at toll plazas in West Bengal, Congress leader Sachin Pilot asked from political parties not to drag the army into politics. The Congress leader urged to both the Trinamool Congress the ruling party in West Bengal and the Bharatiya Janata Party the central government not to involve army in the political issues. The Congress leader, Sachin Pilot said, Army should not be dragged into politics. The army fights for the nation, sacrifices their life for the safety and security of our country. The former Union Minister said, If the army was doing the checking without informing the state, then defence minister should make a statement and if the army has done the checking after informing the state, then the state government should come out clean on why they are making such statements. The drama over the army taking over road toll plazas in the state was raised in Parliament with the government strongly denying the charge, and stated that it was a routine exercise conducted with full knowledge of the local authorities and the Trinamool Congress smelling sinister motives behind the move. This issue was raised in both the Houses of Parliament in which the main opposition Congress wants a clarification on the army deployment at 19 toll plazas in West Bengal. The Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in Lok Sabha that, routine exercise not unique to West Bengal. The Chief Minister of West Benal Mamata Banerjee stayed put at the secratriat in Nabanna last night and she was protesting against the army presence at toll plazas in several places going to the extent of saying whether it was an army coup. --with agency inputs The Congress leader urged to both the Trinamool Congress the ruling party in West Bengal and the Bharatiya Janata Party the central government not to involve army in the political issues. The Congress leader, Sachin Pilot said, Army should not be dragged into politics. The army fights for the nation, sacrifices their life for the safety and security of our country. The former Union Minister said, If the army was doing the checking without informing the state, then defence minister should make a statement and if the army has done the checking after informing the state, then the state government should come out clean on why they are making such statements. The drama over the army taking over road toll plazas in the state was raised in Parliament with the government strongly denying the charge, and stated that it was a routine exercise conducted with full knowledge of the local authorities and the Trinamool Congress smelling sinister motives behind the move. This issue was raised in both the Houses of Parliament in which the main opposition Congress wants a clarification on the army deployment at 19 toll plazas in West Bengal. The Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in Lok Sabha that, routine exercise not unique to West Bengal. The Chief Minister of West Benal Mamata Banerjee stayed put at the secratriat in Nabanna last night and she was protesting against the army presence at toll plazas in several places going to the extent of saying whether it was an army coup. --with agency inputs The Congress leader urged to both the Trinamool Congress the ruling party in West Bengal and the Bharatiya Janata Party the central government not to involve army in the political issues. The Congress leader, Sachin Pilot said, Army should not be dragged into politics. The army fights for the nation, sacrifices their life for the safety and security of our country. The former Union Minister said, If the army was doing the checking without informing the state, then defence minister should make a statement and if the army has done the checking after informing the state, then the state government should come out clean on why they are making such statements. The drama over the army taking over road toll plazas in the state was raised in Parliament with the government strongly denying the charge, and stated that it was a routine exercise conducted with full knowledge of the local authorities and the Trinamool Congress smelling sinister motives behind the move. This issue was raised in both the Houses of Parliament in which the main opposition Congress wants a clarification on the army deployment at 19 toll plazas in West Bengal. The Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in Lok Sabha that, routine exercise not unique to West Bengal. The Chief Minister of West Benal Mamata Banerjee stayed put at the secratriat in Nabanna last night and she was protesting against the army presence at toll plazas in several places going to the extent of saying whether it was an army coup. --with agency inputs SLIMEFEST 2017 performers (L-R) Alessio Bernabei, Fred De Palma and Irama Il Pagante Nickelodeon Italy has announced the very exciting news in a post on their official blog, Nickelodeon Magazine , that, following the tremendous success of their inaugural, completely sold-out SLIMEFEST event earlier this year , SLIMEFEST will be back in 2017, bigger slimier than ever before!Nickelodeon Italy (Italia) will be holding their second annual SLIMEFEST concert, the BIGGEST kid-powered, star filled family slimefest of the year, on Sunday 26th March 2017 at Alcatraz di Milano!Nickelodeon SlimeFest is no ordinary concert! SlimeFest Milano will feature performances and appearances by some of the hottest stars around. The first guests confirmed to be appearing on the SLIMEFEST stage in 2017 are Alessio Bernabei, Fred De Palma, Il Pagante (), Irama, and YouTube star Luca Chikovani! But this is just the beginning: SlimeFest will also feature crazy surprises, slime-tastic challenges, special guests and lots and lots and lots of Nickelodeon's world famous green slime, which will flood the stage, covering the artists and audience! SLIMEFEST 2017 promises to be an afternoon of absolute fun for all ages!Tickets to attend SLIMEFEST 2017 are now available to purchase on Ticketone ( www.ticketone.it )!In addition to the standard SlimeFest entry ticket, which costs 22 euros (plus booking fee) and allows visitors to watch the show, Nickelodeon are offering fans the chance to amp up the slime factor with the SlimeFest Experience entry ticket, which guarantees mega-slime-action! The SlimeFest Experience ticket costs 26 euros (plus booking fee), and allows fans to watch the show from the Slime Pit, the area closest to the stage, providing fans with the ultimate slime experience!SLIMEFEST 2017 is organised by Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Italia, and is a production of Massimo Levantini.Visit nicktv.it/slimefest for more information about SLIMEFEST 2017, exclusives videos, aweslime photo galleries, and much more!Can't wait for SlimeFest 2017? Relive all the fun of SLIMEFEST 2016, featuring guests such as Alessio Bernabei, Benji & Fede, Madh, Gemeliers, and Michele Bravi, among many others, here on 10elol We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Moroccan and Nigerian business stakeholders are pondering over ways to increase economic ties between the two continent giants as King Mohamed VI visits President Buhari in Abuja. Moroccan and Nigerian private and public sector investors have been meeting since Wednesday in economic capital Lagos to detect investment opportunities between the two countries. Nigeria, the second largest economy of the continent only represents 8.4 per cent of Moroccos exports to Sub-Sahara while it stands as the second goods supplier of the North African country, with a margin of 14 per cent, according to the Moroccan trade ministry, online media huffpostmaghreb.com reports. The forum is a buildup to a major forum dubbed business climate and investment opportunities to take place during King Mohamed VI visit in Abuja. Muda Yusuf, Director of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry points out that enhancement of trade ties will improve regional integration between the two countries. Morocco according to Yewande Sadiku, Director of Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission will win a lot with investments in the agriculture sector, infrastructure, information technology, communication, tourism, oil and gas sector. Nigeria is an important springboard if Morocco wants to enter Anglophone market, Abdou Souleye Diop, President of Africa and South-South Commission at Confederation of companies of Morocco says. Diop further notes, Moroccan investors mission in Lagos is to identify with their Nigeria counterparts sectors where both countries can establish cooperation and partnership. A first instance court at Nabeul has sentenced eleven people to fourteen years in prison for attacking a police office and using arms in 2013 at Kelibia as they protested against assassination of Chokri Belaid, a political figure, a judiciary officer says. The ruling according to Rihab Mhadhbi, spokesperson of the court, was made in October but was only made public this week. The attackers were arrested in February 7th, 2013 during a nation-wide violent protest against the shooting of Chokri Belaid. The leader of opposition El-Watad movement, opposed to Islamists Ennahda, was killed by two gunmen early in the morning the previous day as he came out of his house, in El-Menzah VI, in Tunis. His killers managed to escape. The Islamic State group (IS) in July 2013 claimed responsibility for the attack. His death sparked violent protest across the country and in capital Tunis. The accused now aged between 21 and 28, have been charged for voluntarily setting ablaze a non-residential place, participation in armed rebellion and aggression on public worker. Right activist and local director Tunisian Human Right League, Nabil Mtaallah slammed the court decision which she deems too harsh. She has been working the case since its inception. The arrestees have rejected the ruling and expect to lodge an appeal. Some of the accused Mtaallah noted were only photographed in front of the police station, one with a stone in one hand and the other holding a police helmet. The latter was charged for theft. 24 people arrested in June 17th, 2015, in connection to assassination have not been tried yet. The trial was initially postponed to October 28 but has been again put off to December 27, Jeune Afrique reports. Few hours before the arrival of King Mohammed in Abuja, a video has been circulating on the internet showing the hoisting of the Moroccan flag in Abuja in the place of that of the Algerian-backed separatist entity, RASD. This is reflective of a new milestone in Moroccan-Nigerian relations. As Nigeria is welcoming King Mohammed VI, who is on an African tour, Rabat and Lagos are on track to usher a new diplomatic era marked by economic cooperation and political consultation. The visit by King Mohammed VI to Lagos, the economic capital of Nigeria, signals a change in Nigerias position in favor of supporting Moroccos territorial integrity. The rapprochement between the two countries started with the election of Mohamadu Buhari who remembers the principled position of King Mohammed VI in refusing to answer a phone call by Buharis rival Goodluck Ebel Jonathan who attempted during the presidential election campaign to use the influence of the Moroccan Monarch to attract Muslim Nigerian votes. Since Buhari took office, senior officials from the two countries exchanged visits focusing on boosting economic ties. In this respect, a forum bringing together Moroccan and Nigerian businessmen was held on November 30 with the aim of seeking joint-venture opportunities. Nigeria has lots of potential to offer to Moroccan companies that are well established in Africa, notably insurance and banks. With its 186 million people, Nigeria is Africas second economic powerhouse offering Moroccan companies large investment opportunities. In this respect, Moroccos state-run phosphates company, OCP, intends to create a plant in the most populous African country called OCP Africa Fertilizers Nigeria. The plant will help Nigeria diversify its economy to reduce dependence on oil by developing the agricultural sector. Nigeria, which faces serious security challenges linked to religious extremism in the north of the country, is also interested in Moroccos religious model. Numerous Nigerian Imams have been trained in the Kingdom. In this vein, Nigerian Foreign minister, Goeffrey Onyeama, told the media that beyond economic relations, bilateral cooperation will also cover peace and the fight against terrorism and extremism. The Nigerian official hailed Moroccos recognized expertise in combating terrorism and in spreading the values of peace and tolerance around the world and said that Morocco is a reliable partner, particularly for many sub-Saharan African countries and that all the countries of the region would like to develop closer cooperation with Morocco in this area. The fight against terrorism, violent extremism and radicalism requires close cooperation between all countries, he said. The Kings visit to Nigeria will undoubtedly add momentum to Moroccos African foreign policy and bring closer a main player on the African scene on the Moroccan side. As was the case with previous visits, the Royal visit will be an opportunity to sign different cooperation agreements in various spheres. Is America too soft and feminine for followers of Jesus? Observers from Southern Baptist spokesman Russell Moore to yours truly frequently argued during the late election campaign that white evangelical voters who viewed Donald Trump as the champion of, or even an participant in, their faith might be mistaking the mogul for somebody else. Aside from his rather casual attitude toward such tenets of Christian faith as the need for forgiveness of sins, Trump conspicuously embraced such heathenish concepts as worldly success as the measure of personal worth and vengeance as the appropriate response to wrongdoing. But some data from the Public Religion Research Institute provides a different perspective on evangelical affection for Trump. The Atlantics Emma Green slices and dices it: A new survey by the Public Religion Research Institute and The Atlantic found that 39 percent of self-identified evangelicals who are white feel that the quality of life in their local community is about to get better following the election. The poll is a follow-up to an even bigger survey taken about a month before the election; at that point, only 24 percent of white evangelicals who still live in their hometown said their communities had gotten better since they were young Two-thirds of white evangelicals said theyre excited or satisfied about the [election] outcome, compared to less than half of white mainline Protestants and white Catholics and less than one-third of people who are religiously unaffiliated. So after decades of perceived decline, it seems Americas godliest communities are about to show dramatic improvements. If you wonder what that means, consider another finding: In general, they are worried about America becoming weak: 64 percent of white evangelicals completely or mostly agreed that society as a whole has become too soft and feminine, compared to 48 percent of white mainline Protestants, 40 percent of Catholics, and 35 percent of people who are religiously unaffiliated. This is a pretty telling data point, although it does not surprise those of us who have long feared conservative evangelicals have a tendency to confuse Christianity with the patriarchal heartland American culture of the 1950s. It certainly does help explain why self-proclaimed followers of the Prince of Peace are attracted to a leader who supports torturing prisoners of war, killing noncombatant relatives of terrorism suspects, and expanding the use of racial and religious profiling. The ideas of loving ones enemies or turning the other cheek are about as far away from Trumps worldview as is possible. He would undoubtedly call these values soft and feminine, if not something more vulgar. Maybe its not Trump who is the object of mistaken identity among white evangelicals. Maybe its Jesus, or at least the Jesus who called on his disciples to eschew worldly values and sacrifice all for love. Im out. Photo: Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty Images French president Francois Hollandes chances of winning a second term did not look good the Socialist president has some of the most abysmal approval ratings in the history of the office. On Thursday, he apparently acceded to that reality and announced that he would not seek reelection in 2017. Hollande made it official on French television, telling the public he wanted to give his leftist party the chance to beat conservative and extremism. By bowing out, Hollande is opening the way for a more viable leftist candidate to run against a very extreme center-right Republican candidate in Francois Fillon, and an even more extreme candidate in the far-right Marine le Pen of the National Front. I am aware of the risks that going down a route that would not gather sufficient support would entail, Hollande said in his speech, so I have decided not to be a candidate in the presidential election. Hollande took office in 2012, defeating the center-right Nicolas Sarkozy. But his popularity has tanked, accelerated by Frances economic woes and high-profile terrorist attacks including the Paris attacks last November that killed 130. The Socialist Party will pick its candidate in January. Emmanuel Macron, Hollandes former economic minister, and Arnaud Montebourg, the former industry minister, have launched leftist bids for the presidency, as has the far-left Jean-Luc Melenchon, who came in fourth among the Socialists in 2012. A likely contender and possibly the front-runner once he declares will be Manuel Valls, the French prime minister. Now waiting for Valls to declare, maybe resign, and for Hollande's popularity to surge in next six months. French like their presidents gone Pierre Briancon (@pierrebri) December 1, 2016 Hollande is the first French president since 1958 not to seek a second term, but, as Americans can appreciate, French politics are also in a state of turmoil. Le Pens anti-immigrant, antiEuropean Union platform has seen a surge in support, though she probably wont edge out Fillon, whos favored to win it all. (Presidential elections take place in April and May.) Fillon is a Margaret Thatcher fan and social conservative who ran on a platform of harsher immigration rules and closer ties with Russia. If that sounds familiar, he apparently also takes to Twitter to eviscerate political rivals, writing after Hollandes announcement: This evening, the President of the Republic admits with lucidity, that his patent failure prevents him from going on further. Ce soir, le President de la Republique admet, avec lucidite, que son echec patent lui interdit d'aller plus loin. #DirectPR Francois Fillon (@FrancoisFillon) December 1, 2016 He added: This five-year term is ending in a political mess and the dissolving of power. Ce quinquennat s'acheve dans la pagaille politique et la deliquescence du pouvoir. #DirectPR Francois Fillon (@FrancoisFillon) December 1, 2016 At least it all sounds better in French. Keith Ellison. Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Keith Ellison thinks he should be the next chair of the Democratic National Committee. And a lot of powerful Democratic leaders and constituencies do too outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, his successor Chuck Schumer, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, the presidents of two major public-sector unions and leadership of the AFL-CIO, and a wide range of progressive activist groups have all thrown their support behind the Minnesota congressman. And its not hard to see why. As an African-American Muslim who backed Bernie Sanders in the this years primary, Ellison both embodies and practices the synthesis between identity politics and economic populism that the left longs to achieve. And he has established that such a synthesis can routinely win reelection in a heavily white (albeit, also heavily liberal) district. Further, hes shown a knack for generating voter turnout, lays claim to Sanderss grassroots base and said, Ya know, the sky isnt falling yet, but it totally could, long before most anyone else did: After quickly consolidating the support of Democratic leaders both left and center, Ellison appeared on the path to victory. But in recent days, that path has grown more thicketed, and its ultimate destination, less clear. Specifically, the Obama White House leaked its skepticism about handing the keys to the DNC to a Sanders proxy last week. And then Ellisons past involvement with the Nation of Islam and his more recent criticisms of Israel came under renewed scrutiny. This backlash culminated in the Anti-Defamation League declaring its official opposition to Ellisons bid in a statement Thursday night. The ADL had previously accepted Ellisons contrition for his decades-old association with Louis Farakhans organization. But a newly surfaced speech on American foreign policy, which Ellison delivered in 2010, struck the ADL as less forgivable. The United States foreign policy in the Middle East is governed by what is good or bad through a country of seven million people, Ellison told a group of supporters. A region of 350 million all turns on a country of seven million. Does that make sense? Is that logic? Right? When the Americans who trace their roots back to those 350 million get involved, everything changes. ADL CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt described those remarks as deeply disturbing and disqualifying. His words imply that U.S. foreign policy is based on religiously or national origin-based special interests rather than simply on Americas best interests, Greenblatt continued, in a written statement. Additionally, whether intentional or not, his words raise the specter of age-old stereotypes about Jewish control of our government, a poisonous myth that may persist in parts of the world where intolerance thrives, but that has no place in open societies like the U.S. Ellison, for his part, issued a statement that reiterated his unequivocal support for the Jewish state and its security, saying of his past remarks, My memory is that I was responding to a question about how Americans with roots in the Middle East could engage in the political process in a more effective way. My advice was simply to get involved. I believe that Israel and the U.S.-Israel relationship are, and should be, key considerations in shaping U.S. policy in the Middle East. It seems doubtful that a staunchly pro-Israel organization which already had doubts about where Ellison stood on the Israel-Palestine conflict will find much solace in this explanation. Read in conjunction with Ellisons past reflects on Israel, theres little doubt that if the would-be DNC chair were king of America, he would not pursue Jonathan Greenblatts preferred Middle East policy. Which doesnt mean that Ellisons comments can be fairly characterized as anti-Semitic. While hyperbolic in his claims about the degree to which Israeli interests shape American foreign policy, there is little doubt that the U.S. geopolitical strategy is influenced by religiously or national origin-based special interests and it should be! We live in a democracy. Many voters views of foreign affairs are colored by their religious and ethnic identities. Those voters often organize to lobby their elected leaders on behalf of those views. Can anyone seriously claim that American foreign policy would be identical if there were as many Palestinian-Americans as Jews in the United States and if the former population had invested copious resources into funding groups to lobby Congress on behalf of Palestines interests? (To be sure, most members of AIPAC and the ADL believe that it is in the interests of the United States to pursue a foreign policy that favors Israel in its dispute with the Palestinians. But you dont need to embrace anti-Semitic tropes about dual loyalty to recognize that Arab Americans often hold the opposite view, and thus, that the greater political power of American Jews is a factor that shapes American policy.) Ellisons broader history on the subject of Israel-Palestine further suggests that his present unqualified support for the Jewish state is less than sincere even as his condemnation of anti-Semitism is wholly earnest. In its review of Ellisons most controversial statements and associations, CNNs KFile found no examples of Ellison making any anti-Semitic comments himself. But they did find Ellison defending a speech that radical civil-rights leader Kwame Ture (a.k.a., Stokely Carmichael) gave at his law school, in which Ture reportedly said, the Zionists joined with the Nazis in murdering Jews, so they would flee to Palestine. Concerning Zionism and Tures speech, the ASCCs position is simply this: Whether one supports or opposes the establishment of Israel in Palestine and Israels present policies, Zionism, the ideological undergirding of Israel, is a debatable political philosophy, Ellison wrote in an op-ed, referring to the African Student Cultural Centers decision to invite Ture to campus. Anyone, including black people, has the right to hear and voice alternative views on the subject notwithstanding our nominal citizenship. That political Zionism is an ideology which one can oppose while also rejecting anti-Semitism is reflected in the existence of anti-Zionist Jews. And the point may be even more obvious when viewed in the abstract: Plenty of people who dont have strong views on Zionism, per se, believe in open borders an ideal incompatible with the nation-state, let alone with the concept of a nation-state that is religiously defined. Still, Ellison papered over Tures most libelous and offensive claim, which wasnt that Zionism is a flawed ideology, but that Zionists joined Nazis in murdering Jews. And Ellison was guilty of similar elisions throughout his time as a young black radical, repeatedly defending Louis Farrakhan against credible accusations of anti-Semitism. Ellison reiterated his regret over his defenses of the indefensible, in a post on Medium this week. In my effort to pursue justice for the African-American community, I neglected to scrutinize the words of those like Khalid Muhammed and Farrakhan who mixed a message of African American empowerment with scapegoating of other communities, Ellison wrote. These men organize by sowing hatred and division, including, anti-Semitism, homophobia and a chauvinistic model of manhood. I disavowed them long ago, condemned their views, and apologized. That Ellison always defended these leaders by denying their anti-Semitism as opposed to justifying it lends credence to the claim that he was attracted to the Nation of Islam for its veneration of black empowerment, not its demonization of Jews. And that claim is further bolstered by his warm relations with the Jewish community in his subsequent career in state and federal politics, as well as his decision to endorse a Jewish presidential candidate in 2016. (Ironically, as mentioned above, that endorsement is Ellisons chief disqualification in the eyes of many who oppose his bid for chair.) All of which is to say: If its important to you that the Democratic Party not elevate members who dissent from the status quo policy of challenging Israeli settlements only rhetorically while providing its military billions of dollars in unconditional aid you should probably oppose Ellisons campaign for DNC chair. (Or, put more generously: If you do not wish to see the Democrats elevate one of the few people in Congress who has ever publicly evinced sympathy for anti-Zionism, Ellison is not your man). The ADL might not phrase its position on Israel-Palestine in these terms, but its fair to say that it does not wish to see Americas current policy on the conflict challenged from the left. And so the organizations rebuke of Ellison is perfectly understandable. But if you are a Democrat who does not share the ADLs concerns about American policy toward Israel but does share the organizations concerns about anti-Semitism you shouldnt mistake its rebuke of Ellison as a sign that he is tainted by the latter. Hillary Clinton. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Marge: The moral of the story is that a good deed is its own reward! Bart: But we got a reward, the head is cool! Marge: Well, then maybe the moral is, no good deed goes unrewarded. Homer: Wait a minute! If I hadnt written that nasty letter we wouldnt have gotten anything. Marge: Mmmm then I guess the moral is, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Lisa: Maybe there is no moral, Mom. Homer: Exactly! Its just a bunch of stuff that happened. The Simpsons, 1991 Back in the 1980s, when Democrats used to lose presidential elections on the regular, The New Republic would publish a post-election Recriminations Issue, which at some point was billed its Quadrennial Recriminations Issue, a tradition that finally ended in 1992. The ritual called for every faction within the Democratic Party to air its grievances with every other faction, and to blame them for the defeat. Donald Trumps surprising victory has given liberals their first chance in a dozen years to revive this bygone tradition. We are all inclined to believe that great events must have great causes, which is why so many people refused to believe that a lone assassin killed John F. Kennedy. In politics, the temptation to attribute a political defeat to the errors of ones ideological rivals is overwhelming, and liberal intellectuals are wantonly indulging the temptation. Many of the disputes are so abstract they only barely touch upon actual political choices that may have impacted this, or any, future election. Everybody is simply rebranding their own doctrinal beliefs as a political road map. I have my own grievances, especially concerning the trend toward illiberal suppression of discourse in some spaces dominated by the left. But, while Im concerned about the long-term impact on the progressive movements ability to retain its liberal character, I doubt this played much of a role in the campaign. I dont think any of the partys ideological schisms played much of a role, actually. It is hard to think of an election defeat more singularly absent of important lessons, since the most important lesson of the election is glaringly obvious and shared by all sides: Dont nominate Hillary Clinton for president again. If you listened to the political scientists, Hillary Clintons defeat was relatively predictable winning a third term for a party is pretty difficult. Most of us believed that dynamic wouldnt matter in 2016 because the Republican Party nominated a singularly unfit candidate for office. But it turned out this factor was cancelled out by Hillary Clintons almost equal level of unpopularity. To many people who follow politics closely, it was hard to believe that the voters might see the ordinary flaws of a consummate establishmentarian pol as equivalent to those of a raving ignorant sociopathic sexual predator. And yet. The liberal writer Amy Sullivan actually nailed the problem as early as 2005, in a Washington Monthly story arguing that Clinton suffered fatal distrust by swing voters. While Clinton can win nearly any debate that is about issues, she cannot avoid becoming the issue in a national campaign, she wrote. And when that happens, she will very likely lose. Eleven years later, this prophecy came true, though by a somewhat roundabout means. The Democratic Establishment cleared the field for Clinton, whose favorable ratings had risen during her time away from the partisan conflict, and who they assumed was a fully known commodity. In reality, Clinton had not actually been vetted. In the time since her last presidential run, she and her husband had allowed their foundation work and private speech business to become enmeshed in ways rife with ethical conflict. The revelation that Clinton had inappropriately used a private email server came out in March 2015. This resulted in new batches of her emails being published every month for the remainder of the campaign. The email story dominated coverage of Clintons campaign, creating a hook upon which the public and the media could hang the long-standing (and mostly, if not entirely, irrational) distrust of her that Sullivan had described a decade before. It was compounded by a series of aggravating factors. A two-term Democratic presidency had created a backdrop of liberal complacency and elevated expectations. The Democratic primary took place in a mood that took winning largely for granted, and focused instead on extracting maximal ideological concessions. In that atmosphere, Bernie Sanderss success was a warning sign that the partys base had come to see the alleged timorousness of its own leaders, rather than a Republican Party that controlled Congress, as the primary obstacle to social reform. Month after month of his slashing attacks on her as an untrustworthy shill for Goldman Sachs left an indelible residue of distrust. It never went away. Russian intelligence carried out a successful campaign to steal emails from Democratic officials and use them to seed anti-Clinton stories in the mainstream media. And then FBI Director James Comey made the extraordinary, precedent-breaking decision to float the prospect of new charges against her, re-centering suspicions about her character and causing undecided voters to break sharply against her in swing states. Sanders loyalists saw all the above as a reason why the party made a horrible mistake in nominating her rather than their man. Of course, how Sanders might have fared as the nominee cant be proven either way, but the evidence suggests that his liabilities were at least as large. He identifies his policies with a term, socialism, that is wildly unpopular, as well as with specific policies, like higher taxes on the middle class, that are also highly unpopular. Reporter Kurt Eichenwald, who saw the Republican Partys opposition research on Sanders, called it brutal, and described a small taste of it: Then theres the fact that Sanders was on unemployment until his mid-30s, and that he stole electricity from a neighbor after failing to pay his bills, and that he co-sponsored a bill to ship Vermonts nuclear waste to a poor Hispanic community in Texas, where it could be dumped. You can just see the words environmental racist on Republican billboards. And if you cant, I already did. They were in the Republican opposition research book as a proposal on how to frame the nuclear waste issue. Also on the list: Sanders violated campaign finance laws, criticized Clinton for supporting the 1994 crime bill that he voted for, and he voted against the Amber Alert system. His pitch for universal health care would have been used against him too, since it was tried in his home state of Vermont and collapsed due to excessive costs. Worst of all, the Republicans also had video of Sanders at a 1985 rally thrown by the leftist Sandinista government in Nicaragua where half a million people chanted, Here, there, everywhere/the Yankee will die, while President Daniel Ortega condemned state terrorism by America. Sanders said, on camera, supporting the Sandinistas was patriotic. Clinton barely aired these themes in the primary in part because some of Sanderss general-election vulnerabilities were popular among primary voters, and in part because she led the race all along and deemed it counterproductive to attack an opponent whose supporters she knew she would eventually need. Once Clinton had elbowed out every other plausible nominee like Elizabeth Warren, or Joe Biden Democrats only real alternative was a message candidate who had no remotely plausible strategy to overcome his glaring general-election liabilities. Clinton would have beaten Trump anyway, if not for the combined efforts of Russian intelligence and the FBI to bring her down. The post-election debate on the left has largely relitigated the primary debate, substituting out the characters of Clinton and Sanders while returning to the dispute between the virtues of identity politics versus economic populism. One can follow this argument down any number of fascinating historical or philosophical rabbit holes, but the truth is that the Democratic Party is going to muddle through the problem in more or less the same way it always has. The party is going to run on some combination of more stringent regulation of finance and polluters, higher taxes on the rich, and more generous social-welfare spending, along with themes of racial and gender egalitarianism. Intellectuals who are invested in promoting one of these values over the others can emphasize tensions among them, but its a tension Clinton, Barack Obama, John Kerry, and Al Gore all managed to resolve. In the meantime, Republican government will quickly make liberal fixation with the shortcomings of Democratic governance quaint. Everybody from soulless neoliberal corporate shills to Marxist flag-burners can agree on a shared critique of the party in power. The Trump administration and its legislative partners are engaged in a program of self-enrichment, of both the venal self-dealing variety and the policy variety. Everything from Trumps extraordinary profiting off his power to his team of millionaires to his agenda of deregulating Wall Street and cutting taxes on the rich can be attacked with the same simple, unified theme. The unflattering things that Americans believe about politicians in general, and Republicans in particular, happen in this case to be completely true. The alliance of Trumps corruption and Paul Ryans social Darwinism presents Democrats with the simplest messaging challenge any opposition party has faced in memory. The most unpopular nominee in the recorded history of polling managed to very, very narrowly beat the second-most-unpopular nominee in the recorded history of polling in a handful of swing states, while losing the national vote by 2 percent. Because of this, Democrats can escape their nominating disaster. Republicans cant. None of us can, of course a fact that is very bad for the country, but also good for the opposing party. Consider how the world looked eight years ago. The Republicans lost power amid having let Osama bin Laden and his followers escape in Afghanistan, launched a failed war on the basis of misleading intelligence, managed a scandal-ridden administration stuffed with hacks, handed off an economy plunging into the worst crisis since the Great Depression, and had its outgoing presidents approval ratings bottoming out in the 20s. Barack Obama leaves office with a growing economy throwing off wage gains up and down the income ladder, and with a president whose approval rating has risen into the upper 50s. Some conservative intellectuals tried to grapple with their partys governing failure in the Bush years, but their mental exertions wound up having no bearing at all on the circumstances that brought their party back to power. Sometimes there is no moral, just a bunch of stuff that happens. The party that needs to search its soul about whether it has the capacity to govern competently is not the one out of power. And what should concern Democrats is not whether theyll get back in power but what will be left of the country when they do. This is a photo op. Photo: Lev Radin/Getty Images On Thursday, Donald Trump scored a big public-relations victory, which may prove to be the first step on a road to widespread corporate blackmail and systemic corruption, a long-term pattern in which Trump camouflages his Wall Street agenda with small-scale gestures of populist beneficence or just a somewhat more secure and happy period in the lives of a bunch of manufacturing workers in Indiana. To be more concrete: Carrier, a company that makes air conditioners and the like, announced earlier this year that it planned to shut down two of its facilities in Indiana and shift their production lines to Mexico. Carrier did not pursue this move out of financial necessity, but just to increase their medium-term profitability by a little bit. For a right-wing populist running a campaign against bad trade deals particularly ones involving Mexico this was a tremendously useful story. And so Trump made keeping the Carrier plants in Indiana one of his campaigns clearest promises. For the past couple of weeks, Trump periodically tweeted about his frenzied efforts to convince Carriers senior management not to turn their backs on the Hoosier State. And this week, the president-elect reached a deal with the company, in which Carrier will receive $7 million in tax incentives from Indiana on the condition that it keep one of its facilities in the state, while also investing $16 million into that facility over the next two years. The deal is expected to save more than 1,000 jobs at the plant, and possibly more in the surrounding community, where restaurants and stores profit off the patronage of those manufacturing workers. Carrier will still be shifting production out of its other Indiana plant, which employs roughly 700 people. There are a lot of questions swirling around this story. Among them: Did Carrier cut this deal because its parent company was afraid of losing federal contracts? If so, does that mean Trump will use the coercive power of such contracts to pick winners and losers in the economy on the basis of political expediency or something far more malignant than that? Will this inspire a wave of companies to threaten to leave the country in search of tax incentives? Or is this just a harmless little one-off stunt that has the effect of making a major, positive difference in the lives of one Indiana community? But on one key question that of Donald Trumps primary motive for pursuing this unorthodox deal we appear to have a definitive answer. Or, at least, we have an official answer. Per the Washington Post: Trump said he called up Gregory Hayes, chief executive of Carriers parent company, United Technology, after watching a nightly news report about Trumps campaign promise to keep the plant open. Trump said at first he did not recall the statement, then said he had not intended it to be taken literally. But the broadcast moved him to take action. I said, Greg, you gotta help us out here. You gotta do something, Trump recalled Thursday. So: According to the president-elect, the story here is that he improvised some nice-sounding populist baloney, realized that cable news was taking it seriously, and begged Carrier to help him save face. Now that Trump has actually won the presidency, its hard to keep characterizing his victories as random accidents moments when a garbage fire just happened to be in the right garbage place, at the right garbage time. So maybe Trump is lying about the origins of the deal and simply recognized a useful political prop and then leaned on it as hard as he could. But if thats true, we return to a whole new set of questions: Why would he tell a national newspaper that he never intended his promise to be taken literally? Why would he portray himself as desperate, powerless phony begging a CEO to bail us out (in a context where us seems to refer to his political team, not the people of Indiana)? Trumps America is a disorienting place. Trump and Pence pose with Mattis after their meeting last month. Photo: DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images During the first stop on his post-election victory tour, Donald Trump announced that hes selected retired Marine general James Mattis to be his secretary of Defense. Or rather, Trump announced that he intends to announce Mad Dog is his Defense secretary. He jokingly asked the crowd in Cincinnati to keep it inside the room, since the official reveal is slated for Monday. BREAKING: Trump tells Ohio "Thank You" rally that James "Mad Dog" Mattis will be America's next secretary of defense https://t.co/rNmUSohAjM pic.twitter.com/UNhh1nmpMD CBS News (@CBSNews) December 2, 2016 Mattis, 66, is one of the most respected and influential military leaders of his generation. Over a 41-year career, Mattis led an assault battalion into Kuwait in the first Iraq war, commanded the first post-9/11 Marine assault in Afghanistan, establishing a U.S. foothold in the country, and took a Marine division into Baghdad during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He was NATOs supreme allied commander of transformation from 2007 to 2010, then served as chief of U.S. Central Command, overseeing U.S. military operations in the Middle East and Southwest Asia until his retirement in 2013. But as with pretty much every one of Trumps picks so far, theres a catch: Technically, Mattis cant serve as secretary of Defense, because theres a law barring retired military officers from that position for seven years after leaving active duty. The law is in place to ensure that the armed forces remain under civilian control, so Mattis would need a special congressional waiver to serve as Defense secretary. Congress granted a waiver once before, but that was for General George Marshall, who led the army during World War II and served as Defense secretary from 1950 to 1951, during the Korean War. When Congress passed a waiver for Marshall, a report accompanying the legislation said it did not intend to set a precedent. Shortly after Trumps announcement, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York said she plans to vote against a waiver. While I deeply respect General Mattiss service, I will oppose a waiver, she said in a statement. Civilian control of our military is a fundamental principle of American democracy, and I will not vote for an exception to this rule. Senator John McCain, who sits on the Armed Services committee with Gillibrand, is one of Mattiss biggest supporters. He said on Thursday night, America will be fortunate to have General Mattis in its service once again. Retired Army lieutenant general Mick Bednarek, who was the top U.S. military adviser in Iraq until last year, told Politico he doesnt think the law will prevent his former colleague from serving. Waivers are waivers, he said. In the case of Jim Mattis, that would not be too contentious. The real issue is his views and perspectives. Those views and perspectives include many that contradict the president-elects. Mattis has criticized the Obama administrations approach to defeating ISIS, and there are reports that he retired several months early because he was considered too hawkish on Iran. Hes called Iran the single most enduring threat to stability and peace in the Middle East, but unlike his future boss, he thinks its too late for the U.S. to back out of the Iran nuclear deal. Mattis is also against cozying-up to Russia, and he told Trump last month that torture doesnt work. Mattis criticized Trump during the campaign, calling his claim that NATO is obsolete kooky, and saying his talk about banning Muslim immigrants makes U.S. allies think we have lost faith in reason. The general was courted by both Trump and Clinton to speak at their political conventions, and some wanted him to run for president as an independent. In a normal year, there might be more controversy over Mattis serving on the board of the embattled biotech company Theranos, his views on women in combat, and his history of blunt remarks. (You go into Afghanistan, you got guys that slap women around for five years because they didnt wear a veil, he said in 2005. So its a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them.) But the incoming administration has far bigger issues surrounding business conflicts, sexism, and salty language. In many ways, Mattis and Trump could not be more dissimilar. The general is known as the warrior monk for the extensive library he carried from post to post, which includes classical literature and books on military history. Its a safe bet that Mattis hasnt seen Trump on The Apprentice, since hes never even owned a TV. Photo: Waring Abbott/Getty Images A subway mishap turned bloody Thursday night, after two people were injured including one who nearly had his ear chopped off in a fight over a train seat. The fracas began on an an uptown 6 train at around 8:45 p.m. Thursday night. A 57-year-old man sat down and grazed the leg of another man, reports DNAinfo. An argument then broke out over the seat space, which spilled onto the platform at the 110th Street Station at Lexington Avenue. Thats when things turned gory: The suspects a man and his friend, believed to be in their 20s attacked the leg grazer and his friend, a 35-year-old man. At least one of the suspects had a sharp object, and slashed the 35-year-old across the face, slicing part of his ear lobe, which needed to be reattached at the hospital. The suspects also pepper-sprayed the injured man. Blood all over, so I didnt really know, one witness told CBS 2, I knew his ear was like leaking, halfway off. The 57-year-old was beaten up, punched over and over in the face, and also blasted with pepper spray. Surveillance footage captured some of the brawl, which left blood spattered across the station. A few brave bystanders tried to prevent the suspects from getting away, according to witnesses, but the assailants managed to flee. Police are searching for the attackers. 30 items in this article 5 items on sale! Photo-Illustration: From the retailers. What do you get for the mom whose taste for the finer things means shes only ever filling her closets and shelves with designer goods? Oftentimes, for nearly impossible-to-please mothers, size doesnt matter but a fancy brand name does. And the nice thing about many fancy brands is that unwrapping their less expensive stuff offers the same thrill as unwrapping any of their pricier things. Below, weve rounded up 30 of the most affordable gifts that are still really thoughtful from the nicest brands, any of which we think would impress the very picky mother (or mother figure) in your life. Smythson Wafer Notebook in Panama $60 $60 A petite pocket-size notebook with lined, gilt-edged pages and a lambskin cover from English stationer Smythson that Mom can keep with her at all times for whenever inspiration hits. The brand packages its stationery in smart blue boxes, so wrapping would be taken care of, too. $60 at Smythson Buy Acne Studios Elmas S Card Case $130 $130 Even for the hippest mom, lots of Acne stuff can be a bit too trendy. But theres something very timeless about this slim Italian-leather cardholder that can be easily slipped into a pocket or fanny pack. $130 at Nordstrom Buy Laura Lombardi Mini Cusp Hoop Earrings $100 $100 If shes more of a hoops kind of girl, consider these mini brass earrings from Laura Lombardi that have a sculptural dome shape. $100 at Nordstrom Buy Hermes Ulysse PM Plain Notebook Refill $65 $65 This is technically a notebook insert meant to be slipped inside a leather notebook cover. But with a springy green cover stamped with the Hermes seal, we think its impressive enough to use on its own. (Also impressive: finding something for under $50 from Hermes!) The notebooks pages are unlined, allowing for more free-form scribbling, and it comes in a few other colors beyond green if thats not Moms style. $65 at Hermes Buy St. John Collection Boucle Slub Knit Scrunchie $95 $95 Heres a subtle nod to the knitwear label St. Johns signature boucle slub knit in the form of a scrunchie perfect for accessorizing her bun or ponytail. $95 at Nordstrom Buy Sophie Buhai Small Mollusc Oval Barrette $115 $115 Or for the mom who likes to throw her hair into a simple French twist, heres an elegant barrette from jewelry designer Sophie Buhai. $115 at Nordstrom Buy Comme Des Garcons Orange Super Fluo Cardholder $85 $85 If she prefers a slim bifold to a chunky purse, this compact Comme des Garcons card case comes in neon orange leather with exciting bright blue and green interior accents. $85 at Farfetch Buy Astier De Villatte Small Peggy Incense Holder $82 $82 Mom could use this tiny, most delicate Astier de Villatte vessel to burn that Gucci (or any other) incense or as a special place to keep sentimental jewelry like her wedding ring. $82 at John Derian Buy Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti Heart Box $75 $75 You truly cant go wrong with anything that comes wrapped in a Tiffany-blue package, but we dont know any mom who would refuse this crystal catchall that can hold even more of her baubles. $75 at Tiffany Buy Missoni Home Giacomo Bath Towel $90 $90 Shell love the bright, zigzag pattern on this (full-size) bath towel from Missoni, which can double as a decor in her bathroom thanks to its graphic print. $90 at Bloomingdale's Buy Christofle Iriana Highball Glass $155 $155 If shes got a nightly happy-hour ritual, Moms gin fizz will look a lot nicer sipped from this Christofle crystal highball glass. (Bookmark it for Fathers Day, and come June, your parents will have a matching set.) $155 at Zola Buy get the strategist newsletter Actually good deals, smart shopping advice, and exclusive discounts. Email This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice and to receive email correspondence from us. The Strategist is a new site designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best notebook, black T-shirts, fashion-editor-approved jeans, toothbrush, and apartment decor. Note that all prices are subject to change. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission. Photo: Courtesy of Flickr/ELP_LAB On Monday, lawsuits were filed by two female students at Kansas State University, alleging that the university refused to investigate the case of a man raping one woman, which enabled him to allegedly rape a second. That day, a third woman requested to be added to the suit, claiming that she was raped by one of the alleged rapists after the university refused to investigate. While Kansas State has denied any wrongdoing, saying that reports in the media are not accurate, and that blanket statements that K-State does not investigate incidents that happen off campus are simply not true, a new batch of evidence and testimonies from groups at the university point to the fact that KSUs controversial policy against investigating sexual assault cases that happen off-campus had been questioned for a long time. Danielle Dempsey-Swopes was hired as a senior investigator at Kansas State University in 2015, and in an interview with BuzzFeed News, she claims that within seven days of being on the job, she came to understand, It was the universitys position that we were not to investigate complaints [of sexual assault] that take place at fraternities or sororities. Dempsey-Swopes claims that other members of her office also knew there was something off about the policy. The policy at KSU goes in direct opposition to Title IX, which states that off-campus sexual assault must be investigated. But Dempsey-Swopes claimed that the universitys Title IX coordinator was working against her: In a letter she sent to the US Department of Education, submitted in court documents, she wrote that the universitys top Title IX coordinator told her in August 2015 to stall for at least a week before responding to a students complaint that she was sexually assaulted at a fraternity. Dempsey-Swopes wrote that she was verbally reprimanded when the Title IX coordinator thought that she was looking into the allegation. Fraternities were even asking for the university to reasses their policy. The president of the universitys intra-fraternity council, Zach Lowry, told BuzzFeed News that with the current policy, leaders of the IFC are given a report on what is said to have happened, which would make it difficult for their governing body to determine how to proceed. Itd be tough for us to determine what steps to take or what we should actually do because we had no information about whether the student was guilty, he said, adding that the group had been petitioning the university for over two years to make a change. Melania Trump; Megyn Kelly. Photo: Getty Images Fox News anchor Megyn Kellys relationship with feminism is complicated, to say the least. My problem with the word feminist is that its exclusionary and alienating, she wrote in her recently published memoir, Settle for More. But many of Kellys own beliefs could be considered feminist: She defended maternity leave on air, stood up to sexist attacks, and grilled Donald Trumps campaign manager on his sexist comments. And, in an interview for Net-a-Porters Porter magazine scheduled to hit newsstands December 2, Kelly again played into her illusory identity of a feminist icon by defending Melania Trump. Shes been subjected to some really staunch sexism, and Ive been really offended on her behalf, Kelly told the magazine. Kelly went on, The New York Times called her a trophy wife and a mannequin, which is f-ed up and really offensive. Just because shes gorgeous doesnt mean you get to dismiss her. She speaks I think five languages. Shes a mother. Shes a supportive wife. Shes an entrepreneur. I dont know how successful her businesses are, but shes out there trying. Screw them for saying that. Its hard to say whether Kelly is friendly with the Trumps she and the president-elect started a very public feud that lasted until she called him to request a private meeting. Shes since spoken out about her treatment at Donald Trumps hands, saying, Theres no question that Donald Trump is thin-skinned and he can be mean-spirited, he can be vindictive But my own experience with him proves that hes able to let them go if he so chooses. This post has been updated to reflect the fact that Kelly said staunch sexism instead of staunch feminism; Kellys publicist told us Porter magazine misquoted her, and Porter magazine confirmed the correction. The OECD Observer online archive takes you on a journey through half a century of public policy and world progress. Since November 1962, the OECDs experts and leading guests offer insights on the questions facing our member countries with concise and authoritative analysis, and provide our audiences with an excellent opportunity to understand policy debates and consider solutions. Each edition of the OECD Observer reports on a core theme of the OECDs on-going work, from economics and society through governance, finance, and the environment, and articles are bolstered by tables and graphs. I'm gonna really, sincerely hope Britney does NOT watch it. Reply Thread Link She looks like a Peldon. Reply Thread Link this throwback sisters comment omg Reply Parent Thread Link "Check your local listings to see when the Britney biopic will air! Edited at 2016-12-02 12:41 am (UTC) Reply Thread Link Why would you hire someone that doesn't know how to dance to be young Britney? Will they have a body double for the performances? Reply Thread Link Forreal. It might've made sense if she looked exactly like her and they couldn't find a better match, but this girl doesn't even kind of sort of look like Brittany. It's so weird Reply Parent Thread Link That was embarrassing. That girl is stiffer than a board. Reply Thread Link considering they changed the whole umbrella freakout to brintey driving down the road, getting out of her car, and swinging the umbrella around at actual people like a crazy cavewoman i'm gonna have to say it's NOT a love letter to her Reply Thread Link Reminded me of AHS. really?Reminded me of AHS. Reply Parent Thread Link oh jeez lol....oh jeez ohjeez Reply Thread Link The film will include the kiss with Madonna at the VMAs as well as the snake performance Yas! Show me a busted looking orange Christina with terrible eyebrows*! *No offense to Christina, but her style was tragic back in the day. Tragic! Reply Thread Link Back in the day? Her style has always been and continues to be tragic which is sad bc she's actually very very pretty. Reply Parent Thread Link have we made a post about joe mcknight Reply Thread Link OT comments aren't allowed Reply Parent Thread Link This is so sad. Yet America and its love for guns... Reply Parent Thread Expand Link god i just looked it up :( Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Shot by a 54-year-old white man, who shot him while McKnight was apologizing and then yelled over the dead body I told you not to fuck with me and then shot the final shot. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Something about seeing the year him and the Miami baseball player they were born just hits me so hard. 1988. 1992. That should happen. Reply Parent Thread Link This is my neck of the woods. Not too far from my grandmother's house. The nola area is rougher than usual rn. It's fucking scary out here if you aren't white. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Jesus Christ... Reply Parent Thread Link She couldn't look less like Britney. Reply Thread Link God, so glad someone else said it too Reply Parent Thread Link Srsly Reply Parent Thread Link she hopes Britney will watch the movie since it's a love letter to her Reply Thread Link was lilo busy Reply Thread Link A love letter to Britney?! lmao Who's playing Madonna? Reply Thread Link I am not going to act like I wont be watching this. Reply Thread Link mte Reply Parent Thread Link Jesus fuck that actress has zero rhythm. What in the fresh fuck?? Reply Thread Link lol...I know that celebrities don't "owe" their fans anything, but damn, these people pay your bills Reply Thread Link well and its not like they bombarded her at a kohl's, like she's at a damn screening - at least fake your enthusiasm. Reply Parent Thread Link I mean, I get that argument, but by that excuse the fact that I'm a nurse means my patients pay my bills so I owe them something. And fuck, if they were waiting outside my clinic when I got off work, I'd be running for the hills. Reply Parent Thread Link not really tho. they pay your bills so that you administer proper care with the hopefully adequate training you have, thats your requirement and expectation. An actor is a public figure for one, and when promoting a movie or project ESPECIALLY at shit like screenings, kinda has to interact with the fans...they're the ones who see the movies and make them money, that's the intended audience, thats the whole point of promotion~ and being a public figure. Reply Parent Thread Link this is why doctors get their own cafeteria! Reply Parent Thread Link LOL, right? Some celebs are ice cold. I understand not wanting to be bothered when they're out and about, but if they're at a screening, their ass is at work! Wave hello, sign some funky little autographs, and keep it moving. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Her work is making films and promoting them. They pay her bills, but it's not like she's not doing the work. Reply Parent Thread Link dead at her only having 3 or 4 fans waiting outside the lobby Reply Thread Link that write up was so shady lmao Reply Parent Thread Link I for real lol'd Reply Parent Thread Link SLAYmy adams continues to be a generous queen! too bad i can't say the same for NOTalie portman. Reply Thread Link Lmao get it girl. Amy Adams has arrival AND nocturnal animals this year..wat a queen Reply Parent Thread Link i still need to see arrival but i have heard only good things about it! Reply Parent Thread Expand Link WORST behavior I feel like I've never read this kind of over-the-topness about a guy THE WORST lmao Reply Thread Link When actors do this shit, the fan gets blamed for invading their space. Reply Parent Thread Link Mte Reply Parent Thread Link i never thought about it like that before... you're right! wtf. people do always compare other actresses to amy adams because she's 'demure' and maternal.. Reply Parent Thread Link and amy puts up with waaaaaaaaaay too much bullshit that she shouldn't have to. it makes me sad. Reply Parent Thread Link Harrison Ford. Reply Parent Thread Link What is a Naughty Gossip? Reply Thread Link a reputable source Reply Parent Thread Link Nobody knows what it is, but it's provocative! Reply Parent Thread Link Was she obligated to? Sounds like not if she wasn't even supposed to be there on time. Sources say Amy Adams did the same type of screenings this week and "couldn't have been sweeter!" :) Reply Thread Link The politest person in hollywood. Reply Parent Thread Link 2000 and late, but do you listen to We Hate Movies? They went on a long tangent about this very topic. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link yup I thought that even before I was ever impressed by her acting Reply Parent Thread Link i thought she didn't do "fan interactions" either but i guess that's changed? i went to a premiere for the master and overheard ppl saying "amy doesn't ever do photos or autographs" and they were right, she just glanced and walked by. (i still love her tho) Reply Parent Thread Link Not exactly a fan encounter but I saw Any and her family at LAX once and no one bothered her cause it's LAX and no one cares but she was very nice to the airline staff that was tending to them at the gate. She was very friendly with them from what I could see despite having her hands full with a toddler at the time. That's my Amy story lol Reply Parent Thread Link maybe it was the pregnancy hormones Reply Thread Link Yeah IA. Girl is heavily pregnant, probably wanted to get off her feet, need to give her a break on this one imo. Reply Parent Thread Link I blame Ranbir Kapoor. He ruined it for all her fans. Reply Thread Link lmao I love that story. random as fuck, and yet, typical ranbir Reply Parent Thread Link Unless this is common behavior, I'm gonna let it slide since she's pregnant. Reply Thread Link Rooting for fucking Amy Adams this awards season! Reply Thread Link Exactly. Let's just hope that the Emma Stone blitz was not worth it. Reply Parent Thread Link saaame Reply Parent Thread Link i will be so upset if natalie wins Reply Parent Thread Link same, I love her Reply Parent Thread Link me too Reply Parent Thread Link I love Amy Adams and Natalie Portman, and Arrival is probably the best movie I've seen in years, but I don't think the material was anything in the realm of an Oscar worthy performance. Not sure who else is up for a nomination this year but I feel like pregnant Natalie will strike the award season again. Reply Parent Thread Link Lmao Reply Parent Thread Link sis is hustling in advance of Disenchanted Reply Parent Thread Link She's always seemed like an ice queen to me idk. Reply Thread Link I love an ice princess. Reply Parent Thread Link Natalie's been my girl for like 20 years now but she definitely wouldn't be my #1 choice of people to meet. I feel like she doesn't have the patience for the typical annoying screaming tongue-wagging fan. Like I've seen the Drag Race queens at Roscoes a bunch and the type of people who get in line to meet them are really fucking outer suburbia kind of scary. They fake interest in these nobodies really well. Reply Parent Thread Link I read the title as Not fat-friendly, so was expecting more body shaming till I read the post oops Reply Thread Link i didn't know this was news to anyone lol i live in Toronto, and i do the film festival every year and it's really interesting to see which people are into interacting with others, or only fan-friendly in front of cameras (lol) Natalie doesn't give a fuck though, she's never been nice or even acknowledged anyone in any of the events/red carpets/after parties that i've been to. it's kind of a known fact, it's gotten to the point that we don't acknowledge her either lmao. she just rushes from car to entrance without even waving to people, so why waste your time tbh but it's always sad to see fans that it's their first time doing an event, bc they're so hopeful and then sometimes their fave ends up being a complete douche. Reply Thread Link Who else is fan friendly only when cameras are on? Reply Parent Thread Link most people are tbh but to the point that it feels downright hypocritical: taylor swift, matthew fox, liev schreiber (this guy is the wORST!) some are even rude in front of cameras so... (i.e. tommy lee jones) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I'd be bummed if that happened to me tbh. Reply Parent Thread Link Omfg she will be insufferable if she does... Reply Thread Link She already is though. Reply Parent Thread Link Even more insufferable... Reply Parent Thread Link mte Reply Parent Thread Link Has April Fools come early? Reply Thread Link If only all of 2016 was a massive April's fool joke Reply Parent Thread Link It sure as fuck feels like it! 2016 -- one whole year of jokes and bullshit Reply Parent Thread Link I don't like her, but this sounds interesting. Reply Thread Link No Reply Thread Link the press tour for this is gonna be a mess Reply Thread Link yep same lmao Reply Parent Thread Link I'd watch it too....oop Reply Parent Thread Link I'd watch the shit out of it Reply Parent Thread Link me too. loooooooool. v_v Reply Parent Thread Link Glad you know yourself sis Reply Parent Thread Link I am though, like i thought everyone here knew my taste has always been questionable. Reply Parent Thread Link it's giving me a bit of... Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Me too Reply Parent Thread Link I'm not a fan of amy but I like the idea of this movie, it sounds cute I'll torrent it Reply Parent Thread Link mte Reply Parent Thread Link MTE Reply Parent Thread Link Mte. Except I would like it to be more like The House Bunny than a full on kids movie. Reply Parent Thread Link Shut up Reply Parent Thread Link It will follow the title character as she gets kicked out of Barbieland for not being perfect enough sooooooooooooo Skipper? Reply Thread Link HDU I think you mean that rat face Kelly...or Stacie Leave flawless Kira and Theresa out of this. Reply Parent Thread Link the Barbie family already kicked Kelly out. now they've got Chelsea (she's taller & skinnier!) Reply Parent Thread Expand Link Skipper can be played by Miranda Lambert Reply Parent Thread Link Mte. If this is crass and inappropriate, i could see it potentially working. Reply Parent Thread Link Mattel would never. Reply Parent Thread Link That's the only way I would watch it. So this is going to be a 'children's movie'?? Idk... Reply Parent Thread Link perfect enough.. so she was perfect at some point to be living in Barbieland in the first place. Reply Thread Link and have it named after her Reply Parent Thread Link RME. Just the synopsis already annoys the crap out off me. It will a huge "I'm not like the other girls! I'm not a plastic bitch lol! *fart noise*" then she will end up with a hot (and white) Ken looking guy. Go away Amy! Edited at 2016-12-02 09:46 pm (UTC) Reply Thread Link mte, these people are so boring Reply Parent Thread Link Meh, her ending up with a hot, even if basic, guy would be refreshing AF. Normally shlubby men end up with hot chicks. It would be nice to have a not-hot lady end up with a hot guy without herself undergoing a makeover. Reply Parent Thread Link But isn't it hypocrite for a kid movie to go and say "girls, it's ok if you don't look like a Barbie" when the male love interest looks like a model? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link yeeeep Reply Parent Thread Link Mattel and producers Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, and Amy Pascal have teamed up for the project, which will try to take a contemporary spin on beauty, feminism and identity. A year ago, Sony hired three scribes to pen separate screenplays with the studio picking Hilary Winstons idea and script with which to work off. It is expected that Schumer will rewrite the script with her sister, Kim Caramele. A search for a director is also underway. The Barbie doll, launched in March 1959 from El Segundo, California-based Mattel, is one of the biggest toy brands in the world, bringing in $3 billion annually. But its a brand that has had to address issues of self-image and race in modern times. The feature, with Schumer in the lead, will try to address those in a story that begins in a perfect land of Barbies where one woman slowly awakens to the fact that she doesnt fit it. She is expelled from the idealistic land and journeys to the real world, where she discovers that being unique is an asset. The studio is hoping to make an imaginative family comedy with plenty of heart, using the Tom Hanks classics Splash and Big, as well as Disneys more recent Enchanted, which starred Amy Adams, as touchstones. The road to a Barbie movie has not been an easy one and finding the right take has been critical. One point the project was looking to be a buddy comedy, a two-hander that teams Barbie with an overworked bureaucrat looking for an assistant. Reply Thread Link real world, where she discovers that being unique is an asset. ..... lmao k Reply Parent Thread Link This movie will never. get. made. Period. It has development hell written all over it. Reply Parent Thread Link lol if you read the synopsis her casting actually makes sense Schumer will play a character who lives in Barbieland, among all of the various Barbie characters beloved by doll collectors (there are dolls covering over 180 careers). In a fish-out-of-water story reminiscent of films like Splash and Big, Schumers Barbie gets kicked out, basically because shes not perfect enough, is a bit eccentric and doesnt quite fit the mold. She then goes on an adventure in the real world and by the time she returns to Barbieland to save it, she has gained the realization that perfection comes on the inside, not the outside, and that the key to happiness is belief in oneself, free of the obligation to adhere to some unattainable standard of perfection. Mattel, with a lot at stake since the toyline has generated $3 billion in sales, signed off on the take. Reply Thread Link I like it Reply Parent Thread Link OPEC will discuss and possibly finalize a deal with producers outside the cartel to reduce global crude oil supply on December 10 in Russias capital Moscow, Reuters reported on Friday, citing two OPEC sources. Earlier reports had put the date and place of the OPEC-non-OPEC meeting for December 9 in Doha, Qatar. When OPEC said on Wednesday it agreed to cut the cartels total production to 32.5 million bpd, effective January, it hinged the deal on persuading non-OPEC producers to cut around 600,000 bpd. Russia, which had previously said it would agree to a freeze at current levels, has promised to shave 300,000 bpd off its production, which, it emerged today, hit a high of 11.21 million bpd in November. Deputy energy minister Kirill Molodtsov said Russia would use the November figures in OPEC agreements. His boss, energy minister Alexander Novak said on Thursday that all Russian oil companies are on board with the 300,000-bpd cut. If Russia sticks to its pledge, the other non-OPEC producers would have to distribute among themselves the remaining 300,000-bpd cut that OPEC is asking for. Novak said yesterday that other non-OPEC nations, including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Oman, and Bahrain, were also ready to join in the cut. Welcoming the OPEC deal, Mexico said on Wednesday that it would keep its 2017 production target at 1.944 million barrels per day, as set out in state oil company Pemexs plans, and lower than the expected 2.159 million bpd output for the end of this year. This reduction would help to stabilize the crude oil market and is mostly the result of the natural decline of Mexicos oil fields, which started in 2004, the countrys energy department said. Then, its Oman that had said weeks before the OPEC meeting that it was ready to cut by 5-10 percent if the cartel agreed to a deal. Omans crude oil production is expected to average more than 1 million barrels per day this year for the first time ever. Related: Private Equity Hunting For Oil & Gas Assets In South-East Asia Kazakhstan, for its part, said on Friday that it supports the global efforts to freeze oil production. Kazakhstan will announce its position on the volume of oil production after the meeting of the OPEC and non-OPEC nations, its energy ministry said in a brief statement. Azerbaijan supports any decision towards stabilizing oil prices in the world market, Azeri media report today. It is widely known that President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev unilaterally declared that Azerbaijan will not increase oil production and export. We say once again that Azerbaijan has no intention to take measures towards rise of oil production, Energy Minister Natig Aliyev said, as quoted by Azertag. Azerbaijan is ready to accept proposals and make its contribution to the process of raising oil price, the minister added. According to Bloomberg News Will Kennedy, Mexico and Azerbaijan have many ageing fields and their production would fall naturally anyway. OPEC may use this natural decline and claim it as a cut when it actually isnt, Kennedy said. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Its no secret Ive been one of the consistent naysayers about the OEPC deal. I was confident a deal wouldnt be had, and that if they did manage to reach a dealwhich seemed an impossibility given Iran/Saudi relationsit would have little to no effect on the supply glut. I was wrong on one accountthey did manage to solidify a deal. Its important to note before we look at the cold, hard facts of the deal specifics that Im a proponent of letting markets correct themselves, and as such, I found it disturbing that the world was expectant that OPEC needed to solve the worlds oil supply glut by essentially manipulating oil prices through a controlled production cut, but nonetheless, all eyes were on OPEC. Solve the supply glut! the world seemed to scream. This perplexed me. What was also fascinating about the deal, which began in April and mercifully concluded yesterday, was the carefully planned and constant rhetoric, leaks from OPEC officials to the media, Russias personality-disordered flip-floppy comments about their willingness to join OPEC in cutting production, their efforts to ramp up production, and their apparent disagreement between Russias oil ministers and Putin himself. Markets went up and down depending on the headlines of the day, which were duplicitous and vague, and could beand wereinterpreted any number of ways. Markets see-sawed in response, and Im sure many an investor reveled in the ensuing volatility. Of course, no one cares what I think, and no one should care what the OPEC jawboning is from this point onward. Less talk, more action. And yesterday, they acted. Who knew? I will humbly eat my just portion of crow, although I may be eating it again in due time, because I still think its an extremely fast-moving shell game, with desperate countries who have almost their entire wellbeing tied up in oil willing to do whatever needs to be done to hold their head above watereverything, that is, except to cut production. But much more important than what I think, or what OPEC members or Russia have to say about the matter, is the fact that there are numbers now. There are actual production figures, actual cut figures by country, and actual timeframestoday, we have details. What do these numbers mean, without the commentary or spin? Related: $3 Billion In 3 Hours: Energy Mogul Hamm Cashes In On OPEC Deal Lets look at where OPEC was with production when the talks began at the April 17 meeting in Dohaa meeting that ended without resolution. First, the spot price for Brent was $41.32. The supply glut was looming large, and the markets were unhappy. The talks at that time, like this time, were aimed at a production cutbut it failed. Heres what they were producing on average in the first quarter 2016, the quarter leading up to the Doha meeting when everyone was panicking about the glut and crying over the low prices. On average in Q1 2016, per secondary sources, OPEC was producing 32.5 million barrels per day. A couple of weeks later, they met to discuss a cut. They failedor so everyone thought. In the months that followed, whilst jawboning and posturing relentlessly about how they would make it happen, they ramped up production (collectively), to 33.6 million barrels per day. Then yesterday, they agreed to cut this figure for production to wait for it 32.5 million barrels per dayexactly where they were before Doha, when everyone was calling for OPEC to cut. Brilliant move on OPECs part. The markets cheered! Prices rose! Brent spot prices today, with only a promise of a return to previously unacceptable production levels a month from now, is $50.47 per barrel. Thats a remarkable increase for steady-as-she-goes productionalmost $9 per barrel! Not to mention that the deal only holds production at this levela level that was far too high in Aprilfor six months. The numbers dont lie, and what really happened was nothing. We are right back where we started. OPEC is producing exactly what they were when everyone was badgering them to slow their roll. But now the narrative has changed. The bar or expectation has changed over the last few months, and now everyone is suddenly pacified with a return to pre-Doha levels. OPEC did what they needed to do: change the sentiment, not the fundamentals. Now, for individual OPEC members, the distribution of the cuts is interesting. Saudi Arabia, who was taking a hardline throughout the whole process, said repeatedly that they wouldnt bear the brunt of the cuts unless Iran joined, is seemingly taking the brunt of the cuts if you were to match the figures from yesterday to October production. But thats not the case if you look at pre-Doha figures. In Q1 2016, Saudi Arabia was producing 10.147 million barrels per day. The cut agreed to would have them cut back to 10.058 million barrels per day, or a 0.9 percent cut. So while Saudi Arabia is one of the members to cut (although collectively its not really a cut), they are indeed cutting a small percentage. But since this is a zero sum game, another member must be ramping up. Which lucky countries get this distinction? Lets see what the numbers say about which countries benefitted from the Doha meeting failure: Related: $1 Trillion Money Manager Downplays The OPEC Deal The biggest winners just so happen to be some of the biggest producers, with UAE, Iraq, and Iranthree of the four largest OPEC producersactually increasing production from the pre-Doha era. Win. Indonesia, although they are operating outside of OPEC now with a frozen OPEC membership, are producing more than pre-Doha levels as well, at 722,000 barrels per day. Win. Libya and Nigeria are also exempt from the cuts and will be ramping up as they are able. Win. Meanwhile, Venezuela, who has been one of the OPEC cuts loudest champions, is actually taking a huge 13 percent cut, as is tiny-producer Gabon. Qatar is also taking a hefty cut at over 7 percent. So while the overall OPEC production figures will not change from pre-Doha to now, the distribution of production within the group is shifting. Regardless of this internal shakeup, before we get too excited about the production cuts from yesterday, it should be noted that this meeting was the same exact result that came out of the failed Doha meetingproduction is stagnate. No cuts have been proposed or agreed to. But while Doha was viewed as a failure, yesterdays meeting in Vienna is viewed as a success. And in some ways, I guess you can say it was. Success in pulling up markets, despite the supply fundamentals staying the same. By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Oil prices inched up on Friday as a result of a positive U.S. jobs report after rallying 14 percent in two days. (Click to enlarge) (Click to enlarge) Friday, December 2, 2016 The two-and-a-half-year oil bust could be coming to an end, thanks to OPEC. The oil cartel pulled off a surprise agreement, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. The deal calls for collective cuts from 13 members (Indonesia suspended its membership), reducing output by 1.2 million barrels per day to 32.5 mb/d. Also, non-OPEC countries will cut output by 600,000 barrels per day, including 300,000 bpd from Russia. The deal will take effect in January. Oil prices surge. WTI and Brent shot up on the news, rising by more than 14 percent since Tuesday. On Friday, investors took a breather, pocketing some profits. WTI and Brent hovered at $51 and $53 per barrel, respectively, during early trading hours. Brent crude is on track for its biggest weekly increase since 2009. Oil analysts around the globe see further price gains in the next few months. OPEC deal almost didnt happen. Bloomberg reports that the negotiations came down to the wire. With a gulf still between several OPEC members, the breakthrough came from a 2 a.m. phone call on the eve of the final meeting from Russian energy minister Alexander Novak to Saudi energy minister Khalid al-Falih. Novak told his Saudi counterpart that Russia was not only willing to freeze but to actually cut output, a surprise concession that jolted the talks back to life. Al-Falih then went to his colleagues in OPEC and demanded concrete reductions. With Russia on board, others were willing to play ball. Saudis need higher oil prices. The WSJ reports on Saudi Arabias motivation for departing from its strategy over the past two years and deciding to pursue a production cut. Saudi Arabia needs oil prices to average $70 per barrel for its budget to breakeven. With prices much lower, Riyadh is running large budget deficits and burning through cash reserves. Meanwhile, the oil kingdom is trying to diversify its economy to develop non-oil sources of revenue. But in the interim, it needs oil revenues to make the necessary investments. Related: Winners And Losers Of The OPEC Deal Banks are also happy with OPEC. Another constituency pleased with higher oil prices is the banking sector, which will benefit from improved prospects of loan repayment to energy companies. Banks have had to set aside cash reserves to cover from expected defaults on their loans. Earlier this year, 15 of the largest U.S. banks stockpiled $6 billion in cash to cover energy losses, however, as the WSJ reports, defaults have not been as bad as expected. Higher oil prices will likely mean that most banks will emerge in decent shape from the two year oil bust. BP greenlights deepwater project. The timing might have been mere coincidence, but a day after OPEC agreed to cut production, which saw oil prices shoot up more than 8 percent, BP (NYSE: BP) gave the go-ahead to a major deepwater drilling project in the Gulf of Mexico. The Mad Dog phase 2 is a $9 billion project could add 140,000 barrels per day in output to the project that is already producing 80,000 barrels per day. It could begin operations in 2021. Mad Dog Phase 2 is one of a handful of major final investment decisions from the oil industry during the past year. BP says that it has more than halved the price tag for the project from an original estimate of $20 billion. The greenlight is a sign that the oil majors could begin to cautiously return to some high-profile drilling projects, especially now that oil prices are on the upswing. Canada approves two major oil pipelines. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tried to split the difference between industry demands and environmental opposition, approving two major oil pipelines this week while rejecting another. He gave the OK to the Trans Mountain Expansion Project, a Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI) pipeline that will run from Alberta to the Pacific Coast and triple the systems capacity from 300,000 barrels per day up to 890,000 barrels per day. Also, he approved Enbridges (NYSE: ENB) Line 3 replacement, a more than 1,000 mile replacement for an existing line that runs from Alberta to Wisconsin in the U.S. Together, the pipelines could add almost 1 million barrels per day of pipeline capacity when completed. Trudeau also rejected the Northern Gateway Pipeline, which would run through sensitive rainforest in British Columbia. The multiple decisions could put years of conflict to rest, throwing an enormous lifeline to Alberta oil sands producers. But environmentalists were not mollified, and vowed to oppose construction of the Trans Mountain expansion. The controversy surrounding long distance oil pipelines is long from over. U.S. renewables 15 percent of electricity in 2016. New data from the EIA shows that renewable energy accounted for 15 percent of total U.S. electricity generation in the first three quarters of this year, up substantially from just 13 percent last year. Solar in particular rose from less than 1 percent in 2015 to 1.4 percent this year still a small share, but growing quickly. Renewables have been capturing the majority of new generation capacity added in the U.S. for the better part of two years; it remains to be seen if that continues in the Trump administration. ExxonMobils Tillerson to U.S. State Department? Rumors should always be taken with a grain of salt, especially in the theatrical atmosphere that President-elect Donald Trump has created around his transition, but news reports surfaced that Trump is considering ExxonMobils CEO Rex Tillerson for U.S. Secretary of State. The search for Sec. of State has been one of the most lengthy and circuitous efforts of all of Trumps selections, with a long list of candidates in the running. Exxon declined to comment on the news. By Evan Kelly of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Mexico will keep its 2017 production target at 1.944 million barrels per day, as set out in state oil company Pemexs plans, and lower than the expected 2.159 million bpd output for the end of this year, the countrys energy department said on Wednesday. This reduction would help stabilize the crude oil market and is mostly the result of the natural decline of Mexicos oil fields, which started in 2004, the department said. Mexico, which is not a member of OPEC, believes that the cartels decision to cut production by 1.2 million bpd as of January would help to stabilize oil prices, which in turn could favor new investments in exploration and production, the energy department noted. The country also believes that the deal would boost global energy security. Pemexs business plan 2017-2021 that was unveiled last month includes conservative underlying assumptions for production of 1.944 million barrels per day, and a conservative oil price projection of US$42 per barrel. Now it looks like the energy department will keep the 1.944 million bpd target, rather than the expected year-end production for 2016, in a sort of contribution to the OPEC-non-OPEC production cuts. On Wednesday, just before OPEC said it agreed to cut, Mexican finance minister Jose Antonio Meade had said that any OPEC cut would be positive for Mexico and its oil company Pemex. It was becoming clear that there could be an accord, Im not sure that it was reached, I dont know the details, but if it is the case then its good news, Meade said in Mexico City, as quoted by Reuters. This past September, minister Meade said that around US$5.4 billion in funds for Pemex would be eliminated from the proposed federal budget in 2017. Pemex is making the biggest contribution to the cuts, Meade said about the company that will see an 18 percent reduction in funds and will make up some 41 percent of the US$12.83 billion slashed from the budget. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Russias crude oil production came in at 11.231 million barrels per day in November, and the country will use this figure as reference for all potential agreements with OPEC, Russias deputy energy minister Kirill Molodtsov said at a Lukoil conference on Friday. Russia has, as was said by Alexander Novak, has stopped at the frontier that we have reached, the peak. The average daily oil production for November stands at 11.231 million barrels. In this sense, all agreements will be formed around this figure that we have reached in November, Sputnik quoted Molodtsov as saying. Russias energy ministry and Russian companies are actively working on drafting the countrys final position regarding joining an OPEC cut and work would continue until December 9, Molodtsov noted. Russia and other non-OPEC producers are expected to meet on December 9 to discuss and possibly agree to joining OPEC cuts. The meeting is expected to take place in Doha, Qatar. On Wednesday, OPEC reached an agreement to cut, effective in January, collective output to 32.5 million bpd, which is around 1.2 million bpd down from October levels. The deal to cut production in order to prop up prices is contingent on non-OPEC producers, including Russia, cutting a combined 600,000 bpd. Russia is expected to cut 300,000 bpd of that figure. Related: Winners And Losers Of The OPEC Deal Yesterday, Russias Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that all Russian oil companies are on board with the 300,000-bpd cut agreed by Moscow as part of OPECs efforts to prop up oil prices through a production cut. Russias November crude output, which Molodtsov announced today, is even higher than the October production of 11.2 million bpd, which was a new post-Soviet era high. Russias increased production in recent months may not only be because it can, but also to possibly hedge against agreeing to a cut and joining an OPEC deal to lift crude oil prices. By Tsvetana Paraskova by Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: From the distressed wood farm table parked in the living room of her Whitefish Bay home, Patricia Chevako works day and night, creating one-of-a-kind handcrafted jewelry. For the past seven years, her business called random balance has created a personal, often an emotional experience for her hundreds of customers spellbound by the colorful beaded wrap bracelets and sterling-silver yoga-themed necklaces. But two years ago, a necklace called "Sophies Circle" became her most intimate creation. "The diagnosis of my daughters diabetes was a complete change of everything," said Chevako. "It means for the rest of Sophies life she is going to have to monitor everything she puts in her body to stay alive. Everyone gets it handed to them in some way. Everyone has their struggle in their life. I knew my daughter just got hers really early." random balance, a successful business buoyed only by word of mouth (and branded with those lower-case letters), draws customers from around the world. Chevako and business partner Kelly Levin created random balance in 2009, inspiring a deeply loyal following of clients who celebrated jewelry designed just for them. Meaningful handcrafted touches include international coins as clasps, bracelets which mark both good and bad days using hand-stamped dates, and silver tins to hold the jewelry containing origami messages featuring healing descriptions of the stones. "For some reason, random balance connects with people in times of adversity," said Chevako. My followers are not people who had everything turn out perfectly for them in life. They almost come seeking balance." When Chevakos daughter Sophie Mahnke was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 12, the family was overwhelmed with support from the Whitefish Bay community. That doesnt mean it wasnt frightening. For Chevakos husband of 18 years, Micah Mahnke, and their second-born daughter Sydney, then 8, they all had to figure out how to face the greatest adversity of their lives. "My husband pointed out, its not just the diagnosis but the reality that her pancreas failed. Theres a sense of guilt. I made this kid, I gave her life," said Chevako. "There were flashes of you know, Im so sorry. Yet we knew she could do it, because shes strong and positive. But its scary. With diabetes, there is no cure. "If I was Sophies rock, my husband was mine. He always supported my business, my ideas, and my creative process." While in the emergency room, Sophie saw a necklace her mother had recently made and asked if she could have one. Her sister Syd, who never left Sophies side, asked if she could have one too. "I just like everything she does," said Sophie about her mom. "It made me feel connected to her. Right then when I was diagnosed I felt like I didnt know myself and didnt know what was next or what was going to happen. But I wasnt scared. I felt like I had enough support and there really wasnt anything wrong." "Sophies Circle" took off when Chevako wanted to thank family and friends, and give them something to feel connected to Sophie. But as time passed, the necklace came to represent hardship of all kinds for all people. "Whether its getting them through their chemotherapy, their sobriety journey or their divorce, they have their own circle to thank," said Chevako. The sterling silver necklace has no clasp, representing the continuity of the chain of support. It features a labradorite stone, known for its vitality and strength. A portion of the profits is donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The message included in the tin with "Sophies Circle" says: "You listened, you worried. You offered help when there was little anyone could do. You have become a part of the healing process because you needed to heal with us. We could hear you. We found strength through your concern and we have never felt alone. Wear this as a reminder of the circle of the caregivers in your life." Longtime friend and supporter Brooke Brodersen says not a day goes by when she isnt wearing a piece of random balance jewelry. "When I think of Sophie, I think of grace. She is doing it all herself, " said Brodersen. "Her mother has mastered taking our core emotions in life and turning them into a tangible art form, which she did with Sophies Circle. She takes a feeling, an experience, and puts it into a symbol so we can all touch it, hold on to it, and remember it. "Theres no sadness connected to "Sophies Circle." Its a sign of strength and triumph, representing a mothers devotion to her daughter. And were all in it together with her." Items from random balance can be found on their website, including "Sophies Circle." From Code Pink The CODEPINK Tribunal taking place December 1 and 2, and live streamed by The Real News, is an historic collection of testimonies about the lies and costs of the Iraq war. It takes on new meaning with the incoming Trump administration, and the hawks who are flocking to join that administration with their sights set on starting yet another war in the Middle East, this time in Iran. My testimony started with the first CODEPINK action against the war that took place in Congress. It was September 18, 2002, the day Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld testified before the House Armed Services Committee about why the US military should invade Iraq. He accused Saddam Hussein of having and hiding weapons of mass destruction, raised the specter of an Iraqi-initiated September 11-style attack and told the Committee that Iraq under Saddam Hussein was a global threat. My colleague Diane Wilson and I were in the audience, just behind Rumsfeld and a row of generals. It was the first time we had ever attended a Congressional hearing. Shaking, I got up and belted out: "Mr. Rumsfeld, we need weapons inspections, not war. Why are you obstructing the inspections? Isn't this really about oil? How many civilians will be killed? How many Iraqis will be killed?" We unfurled banners that said: "UN Weapons Inspection, Not US War" and repeated that chant over and over until the police came to forcibly remove us. Once we were out of the room, Rumsfeld joked about us and said: "Of course, the country that threw the inspectors out was not the United States. It was not the United Nations. It was Iraq that threw the inspectors out." That was a lie. Iraq did not expel the inspectors. In December 1998, the weapons inspectors withdrew for their safety in anticipation of a US-British bombing campaign. But this was just one of so many lies about Saddam Hussein's supposed weapons of mass destruction and his unwillingness to yield to weapons inspections. In February 2003, just weeks before the US invasion, CODEPINK led a delegation to Iraq. We wanted to see for ourselves what the Iraqis were thinking, particularly the women. We found them terrified at the prospect of a US invasion. Some said to us, in hushed voices, "Yes, Saddam is a dictator, but we don't want the U.S. military to liberate us. That is something we must do ourselves." We also wanted to meet with the UN weapons inspectors, and we did. They told us there were no weapons of mass destruction and that even if there were, the very presence of so many inspectors in the country guaranteed that they would not be used. Two weeks after we returned, on March 7, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported to the UN Security Council. Based on more than a hundred visits to suspect sites and private interviews with a number of individual scientists known to have been involved with WMD programs in the past, IAEA leader ElBaradei stated that the IAEA had "to date found no evidence or plausible indication of the revival of a nuclear weapons program in Iraq." Hans Blix of the UN Special Commission on Iraq (UNMOVIC) said no stockpiles or active programs had been found, but it had not yet been possible to document destruction of all the weapons known to have been produced prior to the 1991 Gulf War. Blix predicted that months but not years, would be needed to complete the job. The Bush administration dismissed the inspectors' findings because their conclusions contradicted the US government allegations. The next day, President George W. Bush delivered a radio address to the American people, arguing that the inspection teams did not need any more time, because Saddam was "still refusing to disarm." The rest is history. Iraq posed absolutely no threat to the United States. But the US people, traumatized by the 9/11 attack, were easily duped by the Bush administration's propaganda that Iraq was a terrorist state linked to al-Qaeda, and that it was only minutes away from launching attacks on America with weapons of mass destruction. Americans were the victims of an elaborate public relations campaign, barraged every day with distortions, deceptions and lies. By the start of the war in March 2003, 66% of Americans mistakenly thought Saddam Hussein was behind the 9/11 attacks and 79% thought he was close to having a nuclear weapon. Of course, Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks, and had no nuclear weapons and no functional chemical or biological weapons. This massive deception was only achieved with the complicity of the US mainstream press, a press that refused to air the voices of dissenters like us and instead sought to commercialize the Iraq war, embed with the military and profit from the invasion. At CODEPINK, we worked furiously to stop the invasion and continued to protest the war after it started. We held a daily vigil in front of the White House in the freezing cold for four months, we went on a month-long hunger strike, we organized massive demonstrations, we protested at the homes of VP Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, as well as the offices and homes of Democratic and Republican congresspeople. We interrupted dozens of Congressional hearings to speak out against the war. Over and over again, we were arrested for acts of nonviolent civil disobedience, spending much time in cold, bleak jail cells. For our work speaking truth to power and confronting an illegal, immoral war, we were attacked viciously for being "unpatriotic" and treated like traitors. Conservative groups began coming out every Wednesday night in Washington DC to picket our CODEPINK DC house and launched a campaign to try to get us evicted. The hate mail, death threats and violent phone calls were a constant. The police on Capitol Hill cracked down on CODEPINK activists and judges issued us "stay-away orders" to keep us away from the Capitol. One of our cofounders, Diane Wilson, was even banned from all of Washington DC for a year. Some of us discovered that our names were put on an FBI criminal database, something that has caused us much hardship as we travel overseas for our peace work. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). The recent death of Cuba's fabled former "Jefe," Fidel Castro Ruiz, undoubtedly one of the major political figures of the 20th century, provoked a predictably broad range of reactions reflecting the bitter controversies over his legacy. Castro's death at 90 came nearly 10 years after he surrendered the reins of unchallenged power he exercised over Cuba's political life. For nearly half a century "El Jefe" -- the Chief -- as many dubbed him, was quite literally "president for life," first secretary of the ruling Communist Party and commander-in-chief of the Cuban military. This authority he passed dynastically into the hands of his younger brother, Raul, who is now 85. Fidel Castro's rule outlasted that of ten US presidents, from Eisenhower to George W. Bush, all of whom were united across timelines in their unity and zealous commitment to the overthrowing of his regime, including by means of the abortive CIA-organized Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961, literally hundreds of assassination attempts, and the longest economic blockade of any country in world history. He leaves Cuba less the hated American created pariah than it was at the height of the Cold War and a country that hitherto Caribbean leaders had, out of nearsightedness and ignorance, looked at with contempt and scorn. Indeed the longevity of Castro's political career was, without a doubt, quite astonishing. There can be no doubt that he exhibited some of the machismo elements of the old, traditional, Latin American caudillo during his rule. He could be ruthless in relation to those he saw as political rivals and opponents of the Cuban Revolution. But, undeniably and simultaneously, he also possessed an unquestionably personal charisma, charm and a degree of humanism that attracted support from both the oppressed masses of Cuba and wider layers of intellectuals and radicalized youth internationally. So the reaction to his death by the US media was predictable. There was no love lost between the United States and the old uncompromising revolutionary even after the historic visit of President Obama. Castro had heaped derision on the U.S. president's visit writing pointedly "Cuba does not need lessons from imperialism." Editorial denunciations in the US media by politicians and reactionary Cuban e'migre' elements in Miami all celebrated the death of the "brutal dictator." The shameless dancing in the streets of Miami's Little Havana and the non-stop coverage, replete with the most ugly anti-Castro language by the mainstream media, bordered on outright triumphalism driven by a deliberate neglect of the historical context of Castro, the revolution, and Cuba. For one, all of the coverage and superficial analyses downplayed the open hostility of the United States against Cuba and its endless failures to enact regime change in a small, poor Caribbean island just 90 miles from its shores. The narrative that "what matters is that Fidel Castro was a dictator" deliberately obfuscates the historical context and the realities of Latin America and the world when he came to power in 1959. The fact is that in those days Latin America was dominated by rightwing despots, the vast majority backed, armed, encouraged, and mollycoddled by successive United States governments. Any and all attempts to replace these governments with more democratic and progressive people-oriented ones usually ended with death by military force -- something that continued right into the 1980s. Castro, an astute and skilled political leader, understood that with United States companies expanding in the Latin American and Caribbean regions, the only way to transform Cuban society was through revolution and armed overthrow. But nowhere in Latin America suffered more from the brutal and baleful influence of US intervention more than Cuba, for reasons of both of history and geography. Today, many ignore and conveniently forget the fact that the Fulgencio Batista Zaldvar regime was one of the most barbarous on the continent. The degree of corruption in Cuba under Batista was accentuated by the United States based criminal organization, the Mafia that exerted an unprecedented level of control on all of Havana's main businesses, yet successive US governments unflinchingly supported this gangster regime. After 1959 Castro had to defend the revolution's hard-won achievements against the threats of successive US governments and of the Miami-based terrorist groups who bombed Cuban planes and hotels with impunity, well into the 1990s. Nor has any other country so dependent on US commerce seen its economy so completely strangled by a 50-year embargo, which applies not to just to US firms but to any firm that trades with the US. And while Castro was no saint and could be intractable when it came to so-called "enemies of the Revolution," there is no getting around the fact that even with the brutal and illegal American embargo Cuba progressed under Castro and helped a number of nations caught up in the throes of the post-World War II liberation movements to gain their independence. One cannot speak of African independence without evoking the commitment and support from the revolutionary people of Cuba. It was the Cuban military that crippled and defeated the United States backed apartheid armies of South Africa helping Angola and Namibia gain their independence. It was to Cuba that Ethiopia turned to when Italy threatened to invade. And while rightwing Cubans and their enablers in the United States Congress crow about the demise of the former Cuban president, the fact is that he enjoyed widespread support and admiration from among all of Cuba's diverse groups. Older Cubans remind their grandchildren today that the freedoms they now enjoy did not come easy and the improvements among the poorest sections of Cuban society were caused by Fidel Castro and the revolution that he led in 1959. Let me use just one neighboring comparison to explain the forward march of the Cuban people. Today, the murder rate in Cuba is less than one quarter that in the Dominican Republic that is roughly the size of Cuba; life expectancy is six years higher (79 vs. 73), and the Cuban infant mortality rate is roughly one-sixth the Dominican. Cuba's literacy levels and infant mortality rates, it should be added, are also superior to those in the United States. Indeed, the simplistic commentaries in the US media that promoted a common theme of "Castro as dictator," and his alleged penchant for political repression, deserves to be placed in historical context. After all, as history so eloquently notes, the United States has, over the course of a century, supported countless dictatorships responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in Latin America. In Batista's Cuba torture was routine. President John F. Kennedy himself, not me, commented that the "regime was responsible for the political murders of at least 20,000 Cubans." Again, historical facts tell us that as vicious as the Batista regime was, it was not unique to the region. During the same period, Washington supported and armed true despots like Raphael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier in Haiti, Augusto Pinochet in Chile, and Anastasio Somoza in Nicaragua all of whom murdered, tortured and killed thousands of their own people. Successive United States presidents "looked the other way." Those who attempted to alter the existing order by democratic means were dispatched with brutal violence, as seen in the CIA-organized overthrow of the Jacobo Arbenz government in Guatemala in 1954. By 1950 -- nine years before the Cuban Revolution - the masses of Latin America and Cuba held a seething resentment for Washington and its support of vicious dictators. This dual oppression became so pronounced that it sparked popular uprisings all over the continent. It was in this climate that the Cuban Revolution was born. This is the historical context of the Cuban Revolution. It was and is the DIRECT result of the contradictions rendering Cuban society apart due to the DIRECT behavior and policies of the United States government. The Cuban Revolution is the illegitimate child of the United States government. They cannot be separated. The Cuban Revolution was and is hated by the United States ruling class because of it SYMBOLISM. It demonstrates an ALTERNATIVE path to socio-economic development. That was the reason for the blockade and the hostility towards Cuba. If the Cuban Revolution succeeded successive American Administrations FEARED its social and political impact and consequences on the American people long told that capitalism was the only system with the ability to "lift all boats." Fidel Castro, Marxism And The United States After the overthrow of Batista, United States political, civic and business leaders genuinely believed that the Cuban Revolution was going to be short-lived and things would settle down and get back to "normal" -- gambling, corruption, greed and criminality -- all money making enterprises. But that did not happen and the United States ruling class was horrified and angry that Castro was actually serious about changing social conditions on the island and raising the living standard of its impoverished masses. So, in response to limited land reform, Washington sought to strangle the Cuban economy, cutting Cuba's sugar export quota and then denying the island nation oil. Castro retaliated with nationalizing of US property and Cuban-owned enterprises, and turned to the Soviet Union for help, thus stoking Washington's anger to red-hot. Striking a Faustian Bargain, Castro turned to the utterly discredited Cuban Stalinist Popular Socialist Party, which supported Batista, and strongly opposed his guerrilla movement. The Stalinists provided him with the political apparatus that he and the nascent Cuban Revolution lacked. To put things in historical context Castro was representative of a broader bourgeois-nationalist and anti-imperialist movement that swept the colonial and oppressed countries in the post-World War II period, that gave rise to figures like Ben Bella in Algeria, Nasser in Egypt, Nkrumah in Ghana and Lumumba in the Congo, among others. Like Castro, many of them attempted to exploit the Cold War conflict between Washington and Moscow to secure their own interests. While the rising expectations of the Cuban masses and the obstinate reaction of US imperialism served to push Castro to the left, he was in no sense a Marxist Leninist. While sincere in his original intentions to implement significant reforms of Cuban society, his political orientation was always of a pragmatic character. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). At a vigil on November 20, 2016 outside the gates of Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, speakers underscored the need for pressure in the next six weeks on President Obama, before he leaves office on January 19, 2017 to approve clemency for U.S. Army whistleblower Private First Class Chelsea Manning. Manning's lawyers filed a Petition for Clemency on November 10, 2016. Chelsea Manning has been in prison for six and one-half years, three in pre-trial confinement and three since her 2013 conviction by court-martial of stealing and disseminating 750,000 pages of documents and videos to Wikileaks in what has been described as the largest leak of classified material in U.S. history. Manning was found guilty of 20 of the 22 charges against her, including violations of the US Espionage Act. Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison. The speakers at the vigil in front of Fort Leavenworth included Chase Strangio, attorney and friend of Chelsea's; Christine Gibbs, founder of the Transgender Institute in Kansas City; Dr. Yolanda Huet-Vaughn, a former US Army doctor who refused to go to Gulf War I and who was court-martialed and sentenced to 30 months in prison, of which she spent eight months in Leavenworth; Brian Terrell who spent six months in federal prison for challenging the US assassin drone program at Whiteman Air Force Base; Peaceworks Kansas City peace activist and attorney Henry Stoever; and Ann Wright, retired US Army Colonel (29 years in Army and Army Reserve) and former US diplomat who resigned in 2003 in opposition to Bush's war on Iraq. The vigil was called after Chelsea's second suicide attempt inside the Leavenworth military prison. During the six and one-half years she has been imprisoned, Manning spent nearly a year in solitary confinement. A United Nations investigation into her isolation at Quantico Marine base, which involved being forced to strip naked every night, described her situation as "cruel, inhuman, and degrading." In 2015, Manning was threatened with solitary confinement again after she was charged for violations including storing a tube of expired toothpaste in her cell and having a copy of Vanity Fair. More than 100,000 people signed a petition against those charges. Manning was found guilty but was not put in solitary; instead, she faced three weeks of restricted access to the gym, the library, and the outdoors. The other two charges involved "prohibited property" and "conduct which threatens." Manning was authorized to have the property in question, her attorney Strangio said, but she allegedly used it in a prohibited way while attempting to take her life. It is unclear whether other prisoners at Fort Leavenworth would face similar administrative charges after a suicide attempt, or whether the "nature of the charges, and the aggressiveness with which they may be being pursued, is unique to her," Strangio said. On July 28, the Army announced it was considering filing three administrative charges in connection with the suicide attempt, among them an allegation that Manning had resisted "the force cell move team" during or after her suicide attempt, according to the official charge sheet . But Manning's lawyers say their client could not have resisted because she was unconscious when officials found her in her cell at Fort Leavenworth detention center in Kansas. Her lawyers and the Army have not disclosed how she attempted to kill herself. After her arrest in 2010, the whistleblower formerly known as Bradley Manning was diagnosed with gender dysphoria , a condition of extreme distress that results when a person's gender identity does not match his or her biological sex. In 2015, she sued the Army to be allowed to start hormone therapy. However, according to her lawyers, the Army has not taken other steps to treat her like a female prisoner. "She has identified her ongoing deterioration of her mental health state as stemming in particular from the continued refusal to adequately treat her gender dysphoria as an ongoing need," her attorney Chase Strangio reported. Manning's attorney's filed a Petition for Clemency on November 10, 2016. Her three page petition asks that President Obama approve clemency to give Chelsea a first chance to live a "real, meaningful life." The petition states that Chelsea never made excuses for disclosing classified materials to the news media and that she accepted responsibility at trial by pleading guilty without the benefit of a plea agreement, which her lawyers state was an unusual act of courage in a case such as hers. The petition notes that the military judge had no way of knowing what constitutes fair and reasonable punishment as there was no historical precedence for the case. Additionally, the petition comments that the military judge did not "appreciate the context in which Ms. Manning committed these offenses. Ms. Manning is transgender. When she entered the military she was, as a young adult, attempting to make sense of her feelings and place in the world," and that many of Ms. Manning's fellow soldiers teased and bullied her because she was "different."... "While the military culture has improved since then, these events had a detrimental effect on her mentally and emotionally leading to the disclosures." Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). by Sen. Doug Whitsett Political discourse before, during and following the recent elections seems to have been more divisive than usual. The rhetoric has often been inaccurate, sometimes intentionally misleading, or otherwise just plain malicious. During the past several months, such dialogue was commonly employed at the national, state and local levels. Citizens have protested in the streets carrying acrimonious signage and chanting slogans that many find offensive. Some of those demonstrations turned violent and resulted in personal injuries and significant damage to private property. Those responsible for injuries and property damage should be held responsible. Many continue to express their outrage. They allege feeling upset, hurt, offended, or suffering personal insult by seeing, hearing or reading passionately expressed diverse political opinion. Incredibly, many of our universities are the focus of this ferment of indignation. Several of the same campuses that developed celebrating diversity have become hotbeds of political correctness. Both students and faculty seek out safe havens where they are protected from free speech. However, it is not all that divisive and acrimonious discourse that threatens our nation. Rather, it is the attempts to suppress the freedom to assemble and speak freely that is our greatest danger. Benjamin Franklin wrote in 1755: Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. Throughout history, political despots have acquired and maintained tyrannical power by persuading their citizens to give up their freedom in exchange for security. First, political leaders disarm their subjects by convincing them the confiscation of their weapons will create a safer society. Once their citizens have no means of self- protection, any who dare to express divergent political opinions are persecuted, prosecuted and often imprisoned. Hundreds of millions have lost their lives for expressing political opinions that are unpopular with their rulers. Our nations founders clearly understood that inherent danger. Rough and tumble political rhetoric has been the American Way since before our constitutions were drafted. In 1765, more than 20 years before he helped draft the United States Constitution, John Adams, our Second President wrote: Be not intimidatednor suffer yourselves to be wheedled out of your liberties by any pretense of politeness, delicacy, or decency. These, as they are often used, are but three different names for hypocrisy, chicanery and cowardice. His words are as true today as they were 250 years ago. The first Amendment to the United States Constitution states in part: Congress shall make no law. abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble Section 8 of the Oregon Constitutions Bill of Rights states: No law shall be passed restraining the free expression of opinion, or restricting the right to speak, write, or print freely on any subject whatever; BUT every person shall be responsible for the abuse of this right. Our founders clearly reserved for Americans the constitutional rights to freely speak, and write our opinions, on any matter whatsoever. Those rights of free expression are only limited by personal responsibility and the laws governing libel, slander and malicious lies. In the United States, federal laws regarding defamation are closely tied to the First Amendment. In short, that body of law has consistently and reliably determined that opinion is not considered defamation in the United States. The only expression that is not protected under our Constitutional free-speech provisions are false statements of fact that harm the reputation of an individual or business. Only those who willfully make harmful, declarative statements that can be proven false in a court of law can be lawfully prosecuted for what they say or write. This remains true, no matter how offensive some may consider the rhetoric. Yet too many Americans are allowing ourselves to be intimidated from expressing our political views. We refrain from expressing our opinions out of our concern for the threat that others may consider our thoughts indelicate, impolite, offensive, indecent or even hateful. Moreover, much of the press, the broadcast media and too many universities are quick to label dissenting opinion as hate speech. The tools of these would-be speech police are labels such as racist, bigots, sexist, homophobe, misogynist and supremacists. They employ those terms to discourage opposing political discourse through applying peer pressure and using the media to create public shame and humiliation. They imply the threat of potential prosecution under laws that forbid hate speech. Their purpose is intimidation and their desired result is to quash opposing political discourse. Our country was formed as a constitutional republic. It was to be ruled by duly enacted laws that conform to the principles enumerated in our Constitution. We all should respect that rule of law. However, we must never give up our rights to freely assemble and to express our free and unfettered opinions. We must especially maintain our right to express our grievances regarding how well our laws comport with those constitutional principles. No duly enacted law can constitutionally restrict our freedom to speak and write our thoughts and opinions. We still have the constitutional right to express our opinions to anyone, on any subject matter, whatsoever! That right is under attack today to a greater degree than anytime during my lifetime. We must not succumb. It must not be our generation that trades essential freedoms for a little temporary security. Senator Doug Whitsett is the Republican state senator representing Senate District 28 Klamath Falls Westerly Winds: Early Aviation in the Outside Lands by John Freeman (Originally appeared in SF West History, Apr-June 2015) Flying into SFO airport recently, I got a great view of the Bay Area as we banked to line up for the runway approach, and I began thinking about the role our peninsula has played in early aviation. With the centennial of the Panama Pacific International Exposition (PPIE), there has been interest about daredevil flyers like Art Smith, Lincoln Beachey, and the Loughead Brotherswho gave passenger rides at the fair, and used that income and a name change to become Lockheed Aircraft Company. There is a rich history of aviation in the Bay Area, but the focus of this article is about a pioneer aviator whose remarkable exploits began with a flight out of San Franciscos Outside Lands. Early aviation depended to a great extent on staying aloft by the aid of the wind. The westerly winds that came through the Golden Gate and across the hills of the San Francisco peninsula could be fairly reliable to provide the updrafts for early biplanes. Those early aeroplanes had evolved from gliders, but with an engine to boost the plane off the ground and soar to greater heights. One of the many technical problems aviation designers faced was creating a light enough engine that provided enough horsepower to lift their airplane off the ground and above the obstacles below them. In the Richmond District of San Francisco, the Gonzales twins, Arthur and Willie, were captivated by aviation. They lived at 435 16th Avenue, with their rear yard facing the great sand dunes where they experimented with flying kites in the strong westerly winds. They graduated from kites to gliders and eventually to a motorized airplane by 1912. The strong winds, lack of obstructions, and soft landing in the sand were great aviation advantages for gliders. But that same soft sand would be a major obstacle to get lift-off for a heavier motorized plane. The Gonzales brothers were ambitious hobbyists, but had to earn a living with paying jobs. By 1918, the brothers had moved to Los Angeles and abandoned their lofty aviation pursuits. NA showed displeasure over NAB performance ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly's Standing Committee on Finance has shown its displeasure over the performance of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) with regard to the delay in investigation against officials involved in National Bank of Pakistan's (NBP) Bangladesh scam. The committee met under the chairmanship of Qaiser Ahmad Sheikh on Thursday and discussed the agenda of inquiry status. The NAB director, while briefing the committee, said that the bureau was interrogating senior officials of the bank. He said that 814 violations had been surfaced during the process. "Investigation in the case is almost complete; we just have to examine the directors of the NBP to finalise the inquiry," he further added. The committee chairman said that the NAB had abruptly completed an inquiry against a small businessman, while this inquiry was underway for the last eight to 10 years and nothing concrete had emerged. A member of the committee, Asad Umer, said that state institutions had been crippled. "If there is lacuna in the law than it should be amended, and if employees are not working properly than they should be sent home." The committee ought to summon the regional head of the NAB for briefing in this case, he said. The NBP president informed the committee that the bank had conducted its internal inquiry in which 62 officers were involved. "The bank has recovered Rs 35 million out of 185 million, and efforts are underway to recover the remaining amount." On this, the committee chairman asked the NBP president if NAB officials had interrogated him, because a story had been published in newspapers regarding that. The NBP president kept mum, whereas the NAB director said that the bureau had conducted an inquiry against the top officials of the bank but "we cannot tell whether the NAB interrogated the sitting president". The committee directed NAB officials to present a detailed inquiry report of the NBP' Bangladesh scam within three weeks. The committee members also showed their concern over the appointment and promotion policies of the bank. The committee chairman said the NBP had adopted discriminatory policies while making appointments and promotions. He said that the NBP gave higher rating to the candidates coming from LUMS and other such institutions. The committee unanimously decided that the NBP would have to furnish its appointment and promotion policies to the National Assembly Secretariat, and the same matter would thoroughly be discussed in the upcoming meeting of the committee. Asad Umer showed his concern over the advertisement published in newspapers regarding marketing of property in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He said that according to the Dubai authorities' report, Pakistani people had invested $6.6 billion in property and other sector during the last three years and "I am trying to obtain the investment information from the SBP through this forum for the last eight months". He further said that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had informed him that law prohibited individuals from investing in foreign companies, so this way investors were violating the law by making investment in Dubai and other countries. He said that the committee should call the SBP authorities for briefing on the transfer of funds by individuals or companies to the UAE. On this, the committee decided to summon officials from the SBP and other departments concerned in the next meeting. Asad Umer also asked the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) chairman to inform the committee about the investigation initiated against the Ramzan Sugar Mill over suspicious transaction to the tune of Rs 680 million in 2008. An SECP official stated that the institution had sent a letter to the British tax authorities about this activity, but they denied providing any information in this regard. Asad Umer further said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was the director of the Ramzan Sugar Mill at that time, and that it was not possible that British tax authorities did not provide information to the country's sole regulator. To this, the official said that the SECP had initiated investigation against the company, and it was later shelved due to non-availability of proof. Another member of the committee, Talal Chaudhry, stated that a parallel case was being heard in the Supreme Court, so it was not wise to discuss the matter. 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... Koforidua Technical University (KTU), formerly known as Koforidua Polytechnic, has inaugurated its Faculty of Health and Allied Sciences (FHAS) at a colourful ceremony at the Abba Bentil Andam theatre in Koforidua. The theme for the occasion was building a healthy and wealthy people for development through health technology. The inaugural ceremony was chaired by Prof Esther Sakyi Dawson, the Universitys Council Chairman. Also in attendance were Prof (Mrs) Smile Dzisi, Vice Chancellor, Dr Nicholas Apreh Siaw, the Dean of FHAS, managers of major health institutions in the Eastern Region and other traditional leaders in the Koforidua Municipality. Staff, management members and students of the University were also present at the inaugural ceremony. The Faculty currently has a student population of 238 in the Department of Biomedical Engineering Technology and Medical Laboratory Science. The first batch of students was admitted in the 2015/16 academic year. Its current programmes include Higher National Diploma (HND) in Biomedical Engineering and Medical Laboratory Science. The programmes in the faculty will be expanded to train students in the fields of Radiology, Optometry, Dispensing Technology, Nursing, Medical Assistantship, Health Promotion, and Health Records Management. Prof Momar Ndao, Director of National Reference Centre for Parasitology, Canada, made a presentation on technological advancement and disease control while Prof Dominic Adotei Eddoh of the Department of Animal Biology and Conservation, University of Ghana, spoke on the topic the role of allied health scientists in the prevention, control and treatment of communicable diseases. In his address, Dr Siaw stated that FHAS was established in 2014 in fulfilment of the Strategic Thrust One (1) of the 2010/14 Strategic plan of the then Koforidua Polytechnic. He disclosed that the setting up of the faculty fits into the mission of the national Council for Tertiary Education and the Ministry of Health to increase science related programmes, and to ensure access to quality health, reproduction and nutrition services to all people living in Ghana. Dr Siaw was optimistic that the faculty would help promote the development of the local health industry. The faculty works in close partnership with management of the university, local and international stakeholders to offer a range of unparalleled services to staff and students. In partnership with 4H Ghana, Herbalife Company, Koforidua Central Hospital and St. Josephs Hospital, the faculty successfully conducted a two-day community medical screening on KTU campus and Koforidua Jacksons Park. Over 500 patients were screened free of charge for blood pressure, HBSAg, syphilis, HIV, glaucoma, body fat, visceral fat and others. Prof Momar Ndao received a citation of appreciation for donating laboratory equipment for the setting up of the facultys two teaching laboratories. Nana Daniel Yaw Frimpong, the Universitys Dean of Students, was also acknowledged for donating 200 stethoscopes, 100 digital thermometres and assorted syringes to support teaching and learning at the faculty. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video " " Good Samaritan laws have been enacted in many countries to protect people who try to help others. Steve Debenport/Getty Images The story is chilling. In 1964, young Kitty Genovese of New York was repeatedly stabbed and raped around 3:00 one morning just in front of her apartment building. She later died at the hospital. The story gained national attention after a New York Times article claimed 38 people had watched the attack and did nothing. Although this was not completely true (only a few people witnessed it and a couple did call the police) the case gained national attention for something later called the bystander effect that the more eyewitnesses who are present, the less likely they are to help a victim. Studies about this behavior led to America's first Good Samaritan laws [source: Worthen]. Good Samaritan laws are in force in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and around the globe. Aimed at ensuring regular folks don't ignore strangers in need, the basic premise of these laws is this: If you act in good faith to assist someone who is injured or in peril, you won't be held responsible if your actions actually cause further harm [source: Miller]. Advertisement Good Samaritan laws get their name from a well-known Biblical parable (Luke 10:25-37) that goes like this: A Jew was assaulted and robbed by bandits, then left for dead on the road. Both a Jewish priest and a Levite, an assistant to priests, passed the man without rendering aid. But when a Samaritan (a resident of the area called Samaria) came upon the Jew, he immediately cared for him, brought him to an inn and paid the innkeeper's fee even though at that time in history, Jews and Samaritans hated each other. On the surface, Good Samaritan laws seem like a win-win. Injured people are helped, and rescuers don't have to worry their actions might have negative repercussions for themselves. But it isn't quite so simple. Most, if not all, laws have just two things in common: One, rescuers can't be compensated for their assistance, and, two, they can't act with recklessness, intentional misconduct or gross negligence. Beyond that, the laws' provisions can differ greatly, and not every do-gooder is protected from liability [source: Crowe]. Oklahoma's Good Samaritan law, for example, only affords protection to untrained rescuers aka regular citizens if their assistance is related to CPR or preventing blood loss. On the other hand, in Vermont, you can be fined if you pass someone in need and do nothing. Meanwhile, Michigan's law protects those who decline to offer assistance. In Argentina, you could face imprisonment either for "putting a person in jeopardy" or "abandoning [them] to their fate." In Israel, you may receive compensation for stepping in to help [sources: The Oklahoma State Courts Network, Crowe, Miller, Thorpe.] Before you provide aid to a stranger in danger, it helps to know the particulars of the locale's Good Samaritan law. Of course, that's not always possible. And sometimes, things go wrong. Data for 2.4 million items of beach litter were studied. Credit: NOAA Photo Library via Flickr Researchers from the University of Exeter and Plymouth Marine Laboratory have studied the findings from beach litter surveys carried out over a ten year period by volunteers for the Marine Conservation Society's Beachwatch programme. They found that some types of litter increased significantly over the period, and recommend that urgent action should be taken to tackle them. Data for 2.4 million items of litter collected through over 73,000 volunteer hours during the period 2005-14 were studied. To define statistically significant trends in litter levels, the researchers took into account variations in numbers of people taking part in surveys, the amount of time spent carrying out each survey, and differences in the lengths of beaches covered by volunteers. They found that, while overall quantities of litter recorded by volunteers showed no statistically significant change over the decade, several types of litter had increased. These include small plastic fragments, plastic food packaging, wet wipes, polystyrene foam, balloons and large fishing nets. There were clear variations in litter levels between regions. The beaches of South West of England and South Wales were observed to have the highest abundance of litter items, whilst beaches to the North and West of Scotland had the lowest. The South West of England and South Wales exhibited the highest levels fishing litter and food and drinks packaging, while Eastern England showed the highest numbers of wet wipes. The majority of material was identified as being of land-based origin, mainly from public littering. Sarah Nelms, a PhD researcher from Plymouth Marine Laboratory and University of Exeter, said: "Our finding that the majority of beach litter originates from the public is very concerning and indicates a need for better education on the consequences of dropping rubbish. Clean seas and beaches are hugely important for the environment and the economy as well as our own health and well-being." Laura Foster, Head of Pollution at the Marine Conservation Society said: "This independent study has clearly identified a rise in several litter items, such as food and drink waste and wet wipes found on British beaches. MCS is seeking to address these sources of litter by running targeted campaigns to establish bottle deposit schemes, and to raise awareness with the public and retailers that 'Wet Wipes Turn Nasty'. Governments, through developing litter strategies, can be better informed by studies such as these to put effective measures together to reduce litter." The researchers concluded that organised citizen-science programmes such as Beachwatch, which define a sampling methodology and record effort, provide a valid and effective means of monitoring marine litter. They also provide a highly cost-effective method of collecting data on a large scale and engaging citizens in an issue that affects us all. More information: SE Nelms et al. Marine anthropogenic litter on British beaches: A 10-year nationwide assessment using citizen science data, Science of The Total Environment (2016). DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.11.137 Journal information: Science of the Total Environment Grant Mathews believes the event that led the Magi Zoroastrian priests of ancient Babylon and Mesopotamia was an extremely rare planetary alignment occurring in 6 B.C., and the likes of which may never be seen again. Credit: University of Notre Dame It is the nature of astronomers and astrophysicists to look up at the stars with wonder, searching for answers to the still-unsolved mysteries of the universe. The Star of Bethlehem, and its origin, has been one of those mysteries, pondered by scientists for centuries and something Grant Mathews, professor of theoretical astrophysics and cosmology in the Department of Physics in the University of Notre Dame's College of Science, has studied for more than a decade. "Astronomers, historians and theologians have pondered the question of the 'Christmas Star' for many years," said Mathews. "Where and when did it appear? What did it look like? Of the billions of stars out there, which among them shone bright on that day so long ago? Modern astrophysics is how we attempt to explain one of history's greatest astronomical events." Spoiler alert: It may not have been a star at all. Studying historical, astronomical and biblical records, Mathews believes the event that led the MagiZoroastrian priests of ancient Babylon and Mesopotamiawas an extremely rare planetary alignment occurring in 6 B.C., and the likes of which may never be seen again. During this alignment, the sun, Jupiter, the moon and Saturn were all in Aries, while Venus was next door in Pisces, and Mercury and Mars were on the other side in Taurus. At the time, Aries was also the location of the vernal equinox. The presence of Jupiter and the moon signified the birth of a ruler with a special destiny. Saturn was a symbol of the giving of life, as was the presence of Aries in the vernal equinox also marking the start of spring. That the alignment occurred in Aries, Mathews said, signified a newborn ruler in Judea. "The Magi would have seen this in the east and recognized that it symbolized a regal birth in Judea," ultimately leading them in search of the newborn ruler, Mathews said. Based on his calculations, it will be 16,000 years before a similar alignment is seen againand even then, the vernal equinox would not be in Aries. Running calculations forward, Mathews couldn't find an alignment like the one known as the Bethlehem Star going out as far as 500,000 years. "I feel a kindred connection to these ancient Magi," said Mathews, "who earnestly scanned the heavens for insight into the truth about the nature and evolution of the universe, just as we do today." Mathews is at work on a book about his findings and gives an annual public lecture at the University of Notre Dame's Digital Visualization Theater, where he maps the history of the sky dating back to 6 B.C. A new outbreak of bird flu hit France's foie gras producers on Friday just as a ban on exports outside Europe was about to be lifted in time for the crucial holiday period. The agriculture ministry said the outbreak of the "highly pathogenic" H5N8 strain of the virus was detected Thursday on a duck farm in the southwestern Tarn region, the heart of the lucrative, though controversial, foie gras industry. Exports outside the European Union had been suspended after an outbreak a year ago, and producers were waiting for the green lightwhich had been set for Saturdayto resume shipments just in time for the holidays. Japan, a top export market for foie gras, banned imports from France last December after the H5N1 strain was detected on 69 farms in southwestern France. As a result of the fresh outbreak, France will be unable to "recover, as anticipated, its status as (a country) free of bird flu" on Saturday, the ministry said in a statement. Sales within the EU can continue, however, under the norms of the World Organisation for Animal Health, the ministry said. It said migratory birds were the likely source of the outbreak, which affected 2,000 of the Tarn farm's 5,000 ducks. Producers must now wait another three months for the export go-ahead, as long as no further cases are discovered. All the ducks on the affected farm will be slaughtered, as well as any birds which inspectors deem to be epidemiologically linked to the infected ones. In addition, a protection zone has been declared within a three-kilometre (two-mile) radius of the farm, as well as a 10-kilometre surveillance zone. Foie gras has become a battleground between animals rights campaigners and defenders of France's gourmet traditions. Force-feeding known as "gavage" in Franceof geese and ducks to produce foie gras (fatty liver) has been banned in several countries but is legal in France. The process fattens the birds to around four times their natural body weight. The H5N8 variant of bird flu, which also hit duck farmers in the Netherlands last month, is highly infectious for poultry but poses little danger to humans. The H5N1 strain, however, has killed more than 420 people, mainly in southeast Asia, since first appearing in 2003. 2016 AFP Imagine a commute where, instead of steering yourself through traffic, you can sip your coffee, get some work done or even nap while your self-driving vehicle makes your commute for you. Or perhaps your whole family could pile into a hotel-like car, sleeping through the night while your car takes you home for the holidays. It sounds futuristic, but experts at the University of Virginia are already thinking about the implications as companies like Google, Amazon, Uber and Tesla design and test their first self-driving cars. Google's autonomous vehicles have hit the streets in California, and the startup NuTonomy just announced that it will begin testing a U.S. fleet in Boston after successful tests in Singapore. In October, Uber put the first autonomous truck on the nation's highways, transferring 50,000 cans of Budweiser from a brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado to Colorado Springs, 120 miles away. Urbanization vs. 'Hyper-Sprawl' At UVA, Andrew Mondschein, an assistant professor of urban and environmental planning in the School of Architecture, is one of several professors studying how these vehicles could impact everything from the design of our cities and roadways to the quality of our environment. According to Mondschein, there are two ways the future could go: "a very sustainable, very urban-oriented future, or something that is basically hyper-sprawl." In the first scenario, Mondschein said, shared fleets of self-driving cars could shuttle people around cities and reduce the need for privately owned vehicles, thereby reducing vehicle emissions. More people might also walk, cycle or use public transit for short distances while hiring self-driving cars for longer distances. His colleague in the School of Engineering, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering Donna Chen, found that, compared to current transportation modes, a fleet of self-driving vehicles could offer price-competitive transportation making around 22 trips per day, roughly four to seven times the rate of individually owned, driver-operated vehicles. If a ride-sharing program were instituted, she said, that rate could double. "Self-driving vehicles could be a perfect option for overcoming barriers currently limiting car-sharing and green vehicle adoption," Chen said. In his second scenario, Mondschein points out that self-driving cars could exacerbate suburban sprawl, because people could be more productive while commuting and more willing to undertake longer commutes and move further from their jobs. Cars could function as extended living spaces, where people spend more and more of their time. "Already, we are seeing both of these trends develop, as our cities are getting denser and using a mix of walking, biking and transit, while people are also moving further away from their jobs in search of affordable places to live," Mondschein said. "We will probably confront an even more bifurcated way of thinking about our cities and how we get around." New Choices in Urban Design The choice between those two futures could be up to planners and public officials in individual cities, Mondschein said. He points to London as one example. There, city officials chose to use revenue from a congestion charge to narrow central London's roadways, leaving less room for cars and more for cyclists and pedestrians. "Some drivers complained, but it did create a much higher level of service for pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders," Mondschein said. Because self-driving cars are expected to be more accurate than human drivers, widespread adoption could lead to more highway capacity, narrower lanes and more space. "We will need to decide if we want to use the surplus road width to pack more cars in or to widen sidewalks and bike lanes. Every city is empowered to make those choices," Mondschein said. "I think there is a lot of potential to make gains in efficiencies." Certain infrastructure changes will also depend on exactly how the technology develops. Some companies, like Google, are developing autonomous vehicles that drive independently of any network, relying on very detailed mapping programs. Others are developing connected vehicles, which rely on external infrastructure such as sensors and alert systems to provide information about speed, terrain and obstacles. "Right now, there is a lot of research surrounding both models," Mondschein said. "There are important differences between the two that will affect how we build our cities." Social and Ethical Dilemmas Of course, such decisions carry significant social and ethical consequences. Mondschein has already given a presentation to the U.S. Marines discussing the potential security implications of self-driving cars. "They had a lot of specific concerns about, for example, what happens when no one grows up knowing how to drive," he said. "What if the self-driving systems fail or are shut down? How could we be more resilient?" For citizens, self-driving cars could significantly improve the lives of those currently facing limited mobility, such as senior citizens. On the other hand, Mondschein pointed out that there are significant ethical concerns about, for example, having self-driving cars drop children off at school. "Ultimately, we will have to look at this from a social point of view," he said. "Discussions on the ethics of driverless cars have already begun." The Engineering School's Chen also pointed out potential benefits for a group she calls "captive riders" those who are forced to rely on public transportation because they cannot afford to own a car. Those riders are fairly well-served in large urban areas, she said, but often endure long waits and irregular service in less-urban settings. Self-driving cars could improve their mobility, provided that the services are not cost-prohibitive. "We would need to think about cooperation between public agencies and private entities, who might own and operate self-driving fleets, and what might happen to those who cannot afford the price per trip," Chen said. Chen also said that the proliferation of self-driving cars could change the housing landscape by reducing the need to live so close to major transit hubs and thus reducing price hikes in those areas. "It could challenge ideas of gentrification and dilute land value so that it is not quite as extreme," she said. Both Mondschein and Chen acknowledge that answers to many of these questions remain unknown. The technology is simply not there yet, though both believe it is coming. "I am not skeptical that this will eventually happen, because it does seem that many things are lining up to facilitate this future," he said. "But, there is a lot to go through first. There are a lot of systems that have to be developed in order for this driverless future to occur." Credit: Imperial College London An Imperial engineer has been discussing how the College can play a greater role in helping to formulate policy, following a recent workshop. In late November, Imperial hosted a one-day workshop for policymakers and researchers in energy and climate change to enable policymakers to make use of Imperial's expertise in this field, and increase understanding between policymakers and academics. Dr Niall MacDowell from Imperial's Centre for Environmental Policy organised the workshop, which was supported by Professor Nick Jennings, Vice-Provost (Research). Dr MacDowell talked to Colin Smith about how Imperial can help the UK Government to be pre-emptive in its approach to formulating complex policies in an uncertain environment. In terms of climate change and energy issues, what are some of the challenges that policymakers face? There are multiple stakeholders and competing and urgent priorities that must be addressed and factored in when considering climate and energy policy. These days, it is not just a case of finding the cheapest energy source. Our energy supplies need to be the most cost effective available, while at the same time being sustainable. We must also think about climate change and the environment, in addition to security of supply, and keeping prices at a reasonable level because of socio-economic issues. It is a sad reality that many people each year die because of fuel poverty. In early 2008 it was estimated by Energywatch that there were around 4.4 million households living in fuel poverty in the UK, with just over three million in England alone. This was more than double the number in 2003. So, it is fundamentally not feasible to sacrifice affordability for the most environmentally benign energy system. This is just a fraction of the challenges that need to be considered by decision-makers. Imperial has a wealth of expertise in these fields, but how are we currently working with policymakers? Researchers at Imperial are very good at working with policymakers in government. For example - I've been working with Whitehall in various forms, mostly with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (now the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy), for around five or six years. We provide coordinated input primarily through our global institutes, such as the Energy Futures Lab and the Grantham Institute. One of the things we are great at is producing policy briefs, which are digestible and easy-to-read documents that policymakers and ministers can read to learn more about a range of climate and energy issues. What are the challenges we face in engaging more deeply with policymakers? Perhaps what we are not communicating to civil servants clearly enough is the depth and breadth of the technical expertise we have at Imperial. Our ability to pool the expertise of many academics in multi-disciplinary teams means that we can meaningfully contribute to solving a range of very complex issues. Why do you think that we haven't been able to effectively communicate this to policy-makers in the past? I think there is perhaps a perception that scientists are very good at providing yes/no answers, but that we are not as comfortable dealing with the complexities of government. In many cases, the government is dealing with multiple stakeholders who have competing priorities and very different world views, which need to be factored in when policies are being formulated. However, the reality is that Imperial does this type of complex problem solving very well - it is our bread and butter. We call this multi-stakeholder, multi-criteria decision making under uncertainty. This is what we do on a day-to-day basis and the challenge is to get policymakers to see our capabilities. Often the problem is one of language scientists and engineers don't naturally speak the same language as economists, lawyers, and policy makers. Bridging this gap requires the investment of time and energy from both sides, but I'm confident that this investment will pay off. Is that why you held the meeting with a team from Whitehall recently? A big part of what we were trying to do was to get policymakers to Imperial and give them a very detailed 'download' of our capacity. In this instance, we focused on technology design and whole energy systems optimisation, explicitly focusing on how we deal with timescales over many decades and information uncertainty. So far, the feedback has been very positive. The workshop was a really good example of the College's approach to influencing policy, which is a core part of our strategy. What are the next steps? This is a long-term effort. I think that the key goals for our policy briefings are the relationship building and trust building side of things. What we want to have is a long-term relationship with government and decision-makers. We need to help them to solve their problems because their challenges are ultimately challenges for everyone in society. In the near to medium term, we identified opportunities for collaborations via secondments, where we could be sending academics to Whitehall. We've also invited government officials to come to Imperial, where we'd be part of consultations on a range of technical documents and research projects. More broadly, the idea is to have more events with policymakers around key societal issues. For example, we have the Data Science Institute and also the Institute for Cyber Security and Engineering here. Both work closely with government, but there could be a further exploration on many more projects. There are many more areas that we can help the government in such as in water and food security and healthcare to name a few. Ultimately, how could greater engagement with academia help the UK? What I would like to see is government using the technical excellence that we have at Imperial in science, business, engineering and medicine to help make policy formation more predictive of the problems that may lie ahead. For example, it is totally within Imperial's capabilities to develop models of the whole of the UK, region-by-region, taking into account the specifics of each regional economy, and the jobs and skills-sets of the people that live and work there. So, if company X moves out of region Y then we will know from our modelling the capabilities of the people in the area. The government could then swiftly move into action and attract new direct investment into the area that could benefit from the skills the region has to offer. Good government should be able to pre-emptively identify the challenges that lie ahead, a type of predictive governance, to help our country run smoothly and more importantly smartly. We at Imperial can all help with that. The prize trophy was designed by Alicia Bergsten."The black chromosome symbolizes that last piece that makes the puzzle complete and solves the scientific question. It's for finding this piece that the awardees have received the Prize," says Alicia Bergsten. Credit: Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse/Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences Promising environmental researcher David Seekell has been awarded a prestigious prize: the Science and SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists. He was awarded the prize for his dissertation at Umea University that developed early warning indicators for environmental tipping points practically usable to government officials and landowners. The Science and SciLifeLab Prize is global and is only awarded to four young scientists per year for the best dissertation work, of which only one goes to someone in the field of environmental science. This year's award-winner in the category of Ecology and Environment is David Seekell who is associate senior lecturer at the Department of Ecology and Environmental Science at Umea University in Sweden. "It's a great honour to win this prize. I'm excited for the international visibility this will bring my research programme and I feel a renewed energy to continue addressing difficult and important questions that are worthy of the prize," says David Seekell. David Seekell received the Prize for Young Scientists for research that contributed to the development of early warning indicators for environmental tipping points including desertification in arid regions, fisheries collapses in the oceans, and algae blooms in lakes. His praised essay, published in Science, describes an experiment where an entire lake was instrumented and then manipulated to create a tipping point. Early warning indicators were apparent well in advance of the experimental tipping point. This study was proof-of-concept that government officials and landowners may one day be able to use early warning indicators to adapt policy and management to avoid costly or potentially irreversible environmental degradation. "For me it's very exciting to be able to communicate my research to Science's broad audience. I think that fundamental environmental science, the type of research I conduct, creates important societal benefits and I hope that the dissertation that won me the prize will convey this to Science's readers." While the award is addressed to him, he sees it as a reflection of a broader commitment of the Department of Ecology and Environmental Science to research excellence. Besides being awarded a trophy and USD 10 000, he is given the opportunity to publish a scientific paper in Science, and also attend a discussion panel at Karolinska Institutet with the editor of Science. The prize ceremony takes place in Stockholm, Sweden, on 9 December in the Hall of Mirrors at the Grand Hotel. More information: D. Seekell. Passing the point of no return, Science (2016). DOI: 10.1126/science.aal2188 Journal information: Science A Lake George man who sold heroin throughout the region has pleaded guilty to felony charges in Washington and Saratoga counties. Fred G. Jubin, 46, pleaded guilty to felony counts of attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance in both counties in recent weeks, satisfying indictments that allege he sold heroin in Kingsbury and the South Glens Falls area earlier this year. He is to be sentenced Dec. 16 in Washington County Court and Dec. 19 in Saratoga County Court. He faces 4 years in state prison and 2 years on parole in Washington County, and an unspecified sentence in Saratoga County. Jubin was arrested in May and June after investigations by the sheriff's offices in Washington and Saratoga counties. SCHENECTADY The local mixed martial arts fighter who brutally beat a Schenectady police officer last year was sentenced Friday to 13 years in state prison. James D. Hilton, 34, of Lake George, apologized as he was sentenced on felony charges of assault on a police officer, strangulation and second-degree assault, according to Post-Star newspartner NewsChannel 13. He will spend up to 5 years on parole after he is released. The charges stemmed from a late-night confrontation Aug. 1 on State Street that knocked the officer out of work for months. The officer, Mark Weekes, suffered a fractured skull, broken finger and numerous lesser injuries to an officer who approached him about his possession of a traffic cone as he wandered downtown Schenectady. Hilton hit him more than two dozen times and choked him, knocking the officer unconscious and causing injuries that left him out of work for more than three months. A microphone from the officers patrol car camera captured audio of the attack, but the beating was not within range of the camera, so it was not videotaped. Weekes has returned to work and was in court Friday to make a victims impact statement in the case and asked for the maximum sentence, saying he did not show any remorse and even glared at Weekes after he was convicted at trial. The Schenectady County District Attorneys Office asked for the maximum sentence, which is 15 years. Hilton had six amateur mixed martial arts fights before his arrest, amassing a record of two wins and four losses. His lawyer, Lincy Jacob, had argued that Hilton, a former U.S. Marine who served in Iraq, suffered from post-traumatic disorder and bipolar disorder. She said Friday in court that he had a mental disconnect. He will have to serve more than 11 years before becoming eligible for parole. Bolton Supervisor Ron Conover appears to be in line to become the next chairman of the Warren County Board of Supervisors. A Warren County Republican Committee caucus will be held later this month, and the board will vote on its chairman at its January organizational meeting. Republicans have 14 seats on the board, and sufficient weighted votes to elect a chairman if they vote together. Conover and Stony Creek Supervisor Frank Thomas, the county boards budget officer, had expressed interest earlier this fall in succeeding Warrensburg Supervisor Kevin Geraghty, who has decided not to seek another term as chairman. He has spent four years heading the board. Conover, 66, chairs the county boards Finance, Personnel & Higher Education Committee. He said he did plan to seek the boards support to lead it in 2017. I told the chairman (Geraghty) that if the board supported me, I would serve, he said. I really dont want to get too out in front of it at this point. He said he would like to see Geraghty continue as acting county administrator after his term as chairman ends. Conover has been Bolton town supervisor since 2010. He worked as a municipal planner and county legislator in central New York before moving back to Bolton upon retirement. Thomas said Friday that he has decided he probably will not seek the chairmanship, but would like to stay as budget officer. I like where I am at, he said. Warren County Republican Committee Chairman Michael Grasso said a county GOP caucus could be held as early as next week, and that Conover appears to have significant support. My polling shows him (Conover) to be the heavy favorite, he said. The caucus results are not binding, but with the board makeup 70 percent Republican, a unified GOP has the votes to get its candidate appointed. Historically the budget officer position has served as the springboard for the chairmanship, as Geraghty was budget officer for five years before he became chairman. But Conover pointed out that former Queensbury Supervisor Dan Stec, a former board chairman, did not serve as budget officer first. Stec has since been elected to the state Assembly. The board chairman is paid a $21,000 stipend on top of the annual supervisor salary of $16,786. The budget officer receives a stipend of just under $10,000 on top of the supervisor salary. Inventory needs to be managed and managed well, or you are going to get in recurring trouble, and lose your credibility and hard-earned conversions, whether Read more Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Credit cards are issued by financial institutions to customers to allow them to pay for products and services and pay back the financial institution at a later time. Despite its wide usage all over the world, the credit cards are new in Ghana and Barclays Bank is hoping this will satisfy the Ghanaian customer's need for easy and convenient payment for goods and services. The cards are in two kinds namely the Barclays Classic Card and the Barclays Platinum Card. Customers who earn below 5,000 Ghana Cedis qualify for the Classic Card while those who earn above that threshold can apply for the Platinum Card. In an interview with Pulse.com.gh, Nana Essilfuah Boison, the Marketing and Corporate Relations Director of Barclays Bank Ghana said the new service is a response to a growing customer demand. The launch was attended by customers and senior managers of the Bank including its Managing Director Mrs Patience Akyianu. Speaking at the launch, Mr. Emezino Afiegbe, Business Development Manager, Visa West Africa, congratulated Barclays and expressed his delight at the collaboration with Barclays to deliver this unique product on to the Ghanaian market. He believed that the product would excite existing customers and attract new customers to the bank as the credit card offers many benefits as a payment instrument. In his remarks, Mr Isaac Tetteh, Business Banking Director said the credit card solution is in response to the growing demand from their customers and provides the best basket of benefits on the market. We have launched the cards for our existing and potential customers who would love to have a convenient way of paying. Customers from all income brackets can apply for our cards. he added. According to him, even though the comments were misconstrued, he realises that they were unfortunate. The All-die-be-die comments made the headlines in the 2012 elections when the then New Patriotic Party flagebearer, Nana Akufo-Addo admonished party members to be vigilant and be ready to defend themselves even at the peril of their lives. His opponents, particularly, the National Democratic Congress described the call as violent and tagged Nana Akufo-Addo as a violent person who wanted to win the 2012 elections at all cost. With four years down the lane, many feel Akufo-Addo must officially apologise for the comments. Speaking on Accra-based Peace FM, Nana Addo explained that the All-die-be-die comments were meant to debunk the notion that the NPP was an Akan and a violent party, and also to indicate that no one can escape death, irrespective of tribe. I know that the way it [All-die-be-die] comments were twisted, it proved to be an unfortunate statement from me. Im prepared to accept all of that, but that is the origin it, with the exact opposite of a tribal statement, he said. He further denied allegations that he will move Ghanas capital from Accra to Kyebi if he becomes president. He argued that the claims are mere propaganda being used by his opponents to make him unpopular among the Ga-Dangme tribe who are the traditional owners of Accra. I have heard rumours that I will relocate the capital to Kyebi because I come from Kyebi. Its a pity the level of engagement they want to reduce this to. READ MORE:NDC demands immediate arrest of Bugri Naabu "I will not sustain the NPP and Mr Bugri Nabu's concoction," he said on Joy FM's Super Morning Show Friday. The NPP on Thursday 29 November 2016 alleged that President Mahama and his brother Ibrahim Mahama tried bribing Mr Nabu to tarnish Nana Addo as anti-Northern. Sheik Mustapha Hamid, the spokesperson of Nana Addo said the incident happened on Friday, October 28 when the NDC led by Ibrahim Mahama called the NPP northern Regional chairman, Bugri Naabu for a meeting. He said the meeting took place in the house of Ibrahim Mahama, after 9 pm that Friday and in the meeting was Bugri Naabu, the president and his brother. He alleged that Ibrahim Mahama offered Bugri an amount of 500,000 Ghana cedis and a V8 vehicle to ensure that Nana Addo is tagged as anti-Northern. Asked where the president was on October 28, Omane Boamah said he was returning from the Eastern Region by road. "In fact, that day was even when the rally at Akosombo where one of the chiefs had said something which I think even Nana Ansah Kwao raised some issues with," he said. "It became a little bit controversial. That day it was a rally in the Eastern Region and we were returning from the region," he added. But the Communications Director of the NPP, Nana Akomea, who was also on the show insisted that the president attempted to bribe Mr Nabu. According to him, there is evidence to show that Mr Nabu was bribed, adding that the car bribe could easily be traced through the records of the car. He explained that the EC can only deliver a free and fair election if the general public cooperates with the electoral body. It is good that it[challenges] came up early enough. We still have time between now and election day which is December 7 so let us allow institutions to work. READ ALSO: EC develops an app So far all the challenges that have come up have been resolved satisfactorily to the political parties and it is important that I emphasize this because they are the ones in the competition and the Electoral Commission is determined to work in a manner such that there is full consultation with political parties in whatever solutions it comes up to problems that arise. However, the Chairperson of ECOWAS Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has charged Ghanaians to choose peace, since a country without peace will not develop. READ ALSO: EC announces 8 measures for transparency on Dec 7 I can tell you that if there is violence during the elections and it spills over to the communities, there is a likelihood that a lot of people will get hurt, some people will die, properties will be destroyed, and when that starts people take advantage of the situation and it spreads beyond control. That is why we want to make sure Ghana maintains its good reputation. Civil servants, teachers, sailors and hospital doctors walked off the job to protest the new austerity measures currently negotiated with the country's creditors. Some 6,500 people demonstrated in Athens in support of the strike, police said. "(A government) elected to stop the austerity slide is now carrying out neoliberal policies in their entirety," the civil servants' union Adedy said. The country's international creditors -- fellow EU states and the International Monetary Fund -- want Greece to overhaul its labour legislation to make crippling strikes less likely while also facilitating layoffs. The government earlier this week also tabled a new budget containing around a billion euros from extra taxation on items including cars, fixed telephony, pay TV, fuel, tobacco, coffee and beer. Public spending on salaries and pensions will also be cut by 5.7 billion euros next year. Unions are also angry about plans to raise over two billion euros ($2.1 billion) next year from privatisations, including 1.2 billion euros from the sale of regional airports. Kanu is currently under incarceration due to his separatist agenda calling for the Igbo people to secede from Nigeria. An idea that was promoted during the time of General Chukwuemeka Ojukwu who was the president of Biafra from May 30, 1967 to January 8, 1970. Olunloyo has advised Biafra supporters against nursing any hope of an imminent release of Kanu, who already turned down an opportunity to gain freedom. She wrote on her Facebook, Biafra my LAST ADVICE to you in 2016 is to take it or swallow it with a grain of salt. This Christmas, the Nigerian military has launched #OperationPython. Try to agitate and they will SIMPLY KILL YOU. The Amnesty report doesnt bother our government. Even your GEJ watched the army kill boys and men in #Borno state with no accountability. Stay at home and enjoy your families. #NnamdiKanu aint coming out soon. The only two people that could have done that are the Igbo leaders who are not united and the #British government who support Aso Rock in labeling Kanu an alleged terrorist, which I believe, after calling for mass murder of Nigerians on his radio show. Na by force? #BiafraOrDeath killed his case. He brainwashed you, he paid for it! I warned you, you ignored me. He was offered freedom in exchange for ending agitation and he refused. One year old child in UK and wasting his family life." Kemi Olunloyo has shown a flair for sharing her thoughts concerning all sorts of issues, both social and political in nature. She has impressively displayed an in-depth knowledge about topics relating to nation building. Rhythm FM OAP, Toke Makinwa is the latest to be criticised by Olunloyo. Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Their will be free medical aid, free drugs, medical examination and also Santa Claus to put smiles on the faces of these special children. Imagine you were given a $100 bill for every life youve touched, how rich would you be? If our lives were reduced by a year for every single hand of love and kindness youve extended to the total stranger in need, how much younger will you become? The beauty of expressing love and touching lives isnt in the commendation or recognition but more in the peace and profound joy realized from the genuine smiles and laughter on the faces of the helpless people you have brought hope to. Imagine a day without sunshine or a night without the beautiful constellation of stars or the glow of the moon? Unimaginable! Golden Hearts solicit continuous support as we continue to touch lives in diverse ways including providing health services for our neighbours in need. Bear in mind that you might just be the sunshine to the rainy days of the less privileged around you, the glow of the moon to the darkness of the societally down-trodden close to you, the strength to the physically and intellectually challenged next to you, so please lets not be weary in doing good Golden Hearts Touching Lives Initiative is a registered not-for-profit organization (CAC/IT/NO30911), situated in Lagos, Nigeria and operates via the generosity of donors. Please visit to learn more about whom we are and what we do. You may also contact us on +2348023233385 or goldenheartsngo@gmail.com. Come celebrate Christmas with these Special Children of Ojuwoye Inclusive Unit Donations can be made into the Golden Hearts TLI account. Details below: Account Details: Account Name: Golden Hearts TLI Account Number: 1771069088 Africa is fast becoming a destination for top technology companies and players. Global brands and personalities like Mark Zuckerberg and Y Combinator have visited and invested in the continent in recent months, and Lagos, in particular, is on its way to becoming an influential stage in the global tech space. "Were especially excited to host ATS in a city and a country that we believe is really going to take off, says MEST founder Jorn Lyseggen. Speakers include Mitchell Elegbe, Founder & CEO, Interswitch, Funke Opeke, Founder, MainOne, Omobola Johnson, Chairperson, Global Alliance for Affordable Internet, Jason Njoku, Founder, Spark & Founder & CEO, Iroko, Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, Country Manager, Nigeria, Google. Other speakers are Ebi Atawodi, General Manager, West Africa, Uber, Wale Ayeni, Senior Investment Officer, IFC World Bank Group, Sam Ajadi, Insights Manager - Ecosystem Accelerator, GSMA, Tayo Oviosu, Founder & CEO, Pagatech, Chika Nwobi, Partner, Rise Capital & Founder/CEO, Level 5 Lab. New to this years program is a MEST Demo Day on December 7 where MESTs top portfolio companies will pitch in front of a range of investors. ATS also coincides with MESTs recent launch of its Lagos Incubator, which currently has a portfolio of five startups sitting in Nigeria. "ATS is a great venue for bringing the different pockets of Sub-Saharan Africa together in one place, under one roof, for two days of exchanging ideas, says MEST Lagos Incubator General Manager, Neku Atawodi. This years panel topics include: comparing tech landscapes across regions, building the infrastructure to support Africa's ambitions, leaders in fintech, developments in agritech, corporate venture capitalism, investing in African tech, and finally a MEST Startup Demo Day. Date: Tuesday Wednesday, December 6th 7th 2016 Venue: Intercontinental Hotel, Lagos. Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! The Prosecutor, ASP Pelumi Adejuwon, told the court that the duo conspired with others at large, to fraudulently convert the money to their personal use, being property of Mount Oliver Nigeria Limited, Akure. Adejumo said the accused persons committed the offences while working for Mount Oliver Nigeria Limited as store keeper and cashier respectively. He said the accused persons committed the offence between January to Nov.9, 2016 at Mount Oliver Nigeria Limited, located on Ondo Road, Akure. According to him, the offence is contrary to and punishable under Sections 516 and 383(1)(2)(a)(b)(c) of the Criminal Code Cap 37, Vol. 1 Laws of Ondo State of Nigeria. However, the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge of conspiracy and fraud. The two counsel to the accused persons, Femi Adetoye and Hope Daramola, prayed the court to grant their clients bail in the most liberal terms. They assured the court that the duo were ready to provide the court with a reliable and substantial surety who would ensure their appearance in court. In his ruling, Chief Magistrate Segun Adedapo, granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N1.5 million each with one reliable and substantial surety each in like sum. Sherifat told the court that apart from starving her of sex, Saheed was also in the habit of beating and biting her whenever they have domestic quarrels. There is no doubt about his ability to provide food, money and other material things for me and the two children of the union but I am not satisfied with all these without sex. He abandoned me deliberately, I cannot take it anymore because I am still young and I see no reason for his action. To make the issue worst, he was in the habit of beating and biting me whenever we have misunderstanding over minor issues, she alleged. The husband, who is a motor spare parts dealer, admitted that he had starved his wife of sex, as he was on sex strike in the last one month, to punish the woman for her bad character. According to him, his action is to punish the complainant and make her to turn a new leaf. The husband told the court that he had warned her several times to stop associating with bad friends, but had ignored him. Saheed also told the court that he would not prevent his wife from getting the divorce she asked for, if that is what will make her satisfied. Chief Mukaila Balogun, the president of the court upheld the prayer of the woman and approved the dissolution of the marriage. Oloyede was arraigned by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on a one-count charge bordering on the offence. He, however, pleaded guilty to the charge. He had no legal representation. Following his plea, the Prosecutor, Mr Jeremiah Aernan tendered several evidences before the court to establish his case. They included: a written statement of the accused, a request for scientific aid form, a drug analysis form as well as a bulk of the exhibit. These were accordingly admitted by the court and marked as exhibits. Before his sentence, the accused begged the court to be lenient on him, and promised to turn a new leaf if granted the opportunity. Delivering judgment, the trial judge, Justice Muslim Hassan, found the accused guilty as charged, and convicted him. On the evidence adduced by prosecution, the accused is found guilty as charged and is accordingly convicted. He is hereby sentenced to a term of one year imprisonment to begin from the date of his arrest, she said. The court also ordered the drug exhibit to be destroyed if no appeal subsists against the judgment. In the charge, the accused was said to have committed the offence on July 13 at Igbo-Efon in Aja Lagos. The prosecutor said that 1.1kg of Cannabis Sativa, popularly known as Indian Hemp was recovered from the accused who reportedly traded in same. A total of 917 Nigerians voted for MMM while 147 Nigerians voted for the CBN. "MMM has healed the wound of Nigerian wise citizens caused by Nigerian corrupt government... MMM is the best testimony after good health" wrote Ikem Azubike on Pulse Nigeria's Facebook page. Chidiebere Ukagha was of a different opinion. "I support CBN am afraid MMM killing the future of Nigeria. because of MMM nothing like creativity. MMM shows how the level of lazy folks we have in our country Nigeria." By the result of the poll, it is evident that Nigerians have lost faith in this administration and are relying on Ponzi schemes such as MMM Nigeria and Ultimate Cycler to survive. In November, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) finally issued a warning about the Ponzi scheme. The head of the Consumer Protection Department of the CBN, Suleja Kassim warned Nigerians not to invest their hard earned money in the scheme during a mentoring program for students. "We have heard about the activities of MMM. I want to warn you against it because they are wonder banks that are not regulated. Desist from their activities because they are fraudulent" he stated. MMM, which has been banned in China and Russia has seen Nigerians falling head over heels for it. On Sunday, October 30, 2016, MMM was advertised in a Redeemed Christian Church of God parish in Abuja. Members of the Ponzi scheme were not able to login since yesterday, Thursday, November 1, 2016. "Be right back. We are currently updating the site to give you a more pleasurable experience and will be back online shortly. Our update estimation is to be complete over the next 6 12 hours. Thank you, Peter Wolfing" read the message on the website when it was down. The Twitter account also acknowledged that the website had crashed. "Sorry for d inconveniences the problem of accessing d website has caused all day. It is currently being worked on n will be back up shortly" tweeted the Ultimate Cycler Nigeria account. The website was back up early this morning, Friday, November 2, 2016. According to the Twitter account, the website was down because the servers were being upgraded. The popularity of Ultimate Cycler has increased tremendously within the last few weeks. The Ponzi scheme promises better returns than MMM. The hook for Ultimate Cycler is this; sign up by and paying N12,500 to a fellow member you registered under. When your donation has been confirmed, the Ultimate Cycler admin puts four people under you who will pay N12,500 you resulting in N50,000. In summary, pay N12,500 and get N50,000. When you have four people under you, Ultimate Cycler bumps you up to the second level. In this stage, you will pay N25,000 from your N50,000 largess to a grade 2 member. After this, the system will put 16 people under you who will pay you N25,000. At this stage, your grand total will be N400,000. The Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr Mansur Dada, stated this on Thursday while briefing newsmen in Bauchi to mark the 2016 World AIDS Day. He said that the agency had designated 113 centers across the state for the implementation of programmes on Prevention from Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. Dada also stated that there was a significant decrease in the states HIV/AIDS prevalencerate, dropping from 6.8 per cent in 2000, to 0.6 per cent currently. He commended the Bauchi State government and all other stakeholders for their commitment to fight the menace of HIV AIDS in the state. Meanwhile, a Bauchi-based non-governmental organization, Community Initiative for Healthy and Peacxeful Society,on Thursday embarked on free screening of members of the public to mark the AIDS Day. Coordinator of the organization, Mr Aminu Wagani, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the exercise was conducted at the central motor park of Alkaleri town, about 44km from Bauchi metropolis. Wagani said 30 people were screened, all of them indicating negative. The teenagers said they were spurred to try recreate the drug after Shkreli became a global figure of hate by buying the rights to Daraprim and then hiking the price in the United States from $13.50 a tablet to $750. In response Shkreli tweeted some sarcastic remarks about the students' successful recreation of pyrimethamine, the active ingredient for Daraprim, an anti-parasitic used to treat people with low immune systems such as those with HIV. "Labor and equipment costs? Didn't know you could get physical chemists to work for free?" Shkreli tweeted. "I should use high school kids to make my medicines! "And why buy my equipment when I can use the lab's for free?! And those teachers who told them what to do, they'll work for free, right." Student James Wood said this week he and his friends, with the help of University of Sydney chemists, had started off with just $20 of the drug, and in one reaction had produced thousands of dollars' worth. Turing Pharmaceuticals, which Shkreli used to head, continue to sell the only FDA-approved form of the drug in the US, but reportedly cut the price in half for hospitals after an outcry. Daraprim, which figures on the World Health Organisation list of essential medicines, is cheap in most countries, with 50 tablets selling in Australia for $10. In another tweet about the students Shkreli said: "We know they made this, how? Cause they said so?" Several hours after being blasted on Twitter for his comments, Shkreli was more gracious in a short YouTube clip Friday. "These Australian students are proof that the 21st century economy will solve problems of human suffering through science and technology," he said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the king, on arrival at the Presidential Villa at about 1.20p.m., inspected a guard of honour mounted by men of the Guards Brigade. The Guards Brigade also honoured the visiting King with 21-gun salute. NAN reports that shortly after the inspection of the guard of honour, Buhari and Mohammed met behind closed doors, before leaving the Presidential Villa for National Mosque to perform the 2-rakaat Jumaat Prayer. NAN further reports that King Mohammed, who is leading a 300-man delegation, is visiting Nigeria for the first time since he ascended the throne in July 23, 1999. The meeting between President Buhari and King Mohammed, which would continue after the Jumaat prayer, would focus on bilateral trade and economic relations. Mr Laoye Jaiyeola, Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), was quoted as saying that public and private sectors of both countries would collaborate to leverage on opportunities for sustainable economic growth.Jaiyeola spoke at the Nigeria-Morocco Business Meeting, with the theme: Business Climate and Investment Opportunities. According to him, improved business relations between Nigeria and Morocco will create mutual benefits, connect the continents markets and enhance competitiveness. The President made the commendation in a birthday message to the wife of the Chairman, Progressive Governors Forum. In a statement issued by Malam Garba Shehu, Buharis Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, the president expressed delight with Mrs Okorochas humanitarian activities. He said, I am particularly happy with the life of service you have led so far. He noted that as Chairperson of She Needs A Roof Project, the governors wife had been transforming and uplifting the quality of life of widows and the less privileged members of society. It is heartening to note that Mrs Okorocha has so far delivered more than 200 homes to widows as part of her charitable undertakings. He urged the First Lady to continue in her invaluable support to her husband as he brings CHANGE to Imo State. Buhari also urged her to strive to do more for widows and the less privileged members of the society at a time the country is going through painful but unintended consequences of CHANGE. According to a statement issued by the army Spokesman, Col. Sani Usman on Friday in Abuja, the theme of conference is Consolidating on the Gains of Counter Insurgency Operations Toward Achieving National Security. Usman said that the conference which was part of activities in the Nigerian armys forecast of events was designed to critically appraise its activities and operations in the preceding year. According to him, it will also make projections for the incoming year. He said that in line with the theme, special emphasis and appraisal of the counter insurgency and military operations in the North-East and South-South regions, as well as other operations would feature prominently. The conference appraisal is aimed at making the Nigerian Army more responsive in the fulfillment of its constitutional role of protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria and providing aid to civil authorities. The choice of holding it in the South-East region of the country is in consonance with COAS desire of moving the hierarchy of the army to dialogue with all regions of the country. This is to tailor security solutions peculiar to the people closely affected with their active participation, he said. Usman noted that it was in that light that Exercise Python Dance would feature as part of the activities for the conference. Exercise Python Dance, a field training exercise is designed to exercise troops in the South-East region of the country, he said. ALSO READ:Buratai urges Nigerians to support troops in frontline The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training, the eighth under the programme, was targeted at some of the unemployed youths from the companys host communities. Alhaji Abdullahi Idris, KRPC Executive Director, Services, said the more than 900 youths had benefited since the programme was introduced in 2008. According to him, the programme is part of the companys corporate social responsibility and is designed to support governments efforts in poverty eradication, containing youth restiveness and tackling unemployment. Idris said the training covered more than 16 trades that include : Plaster of Paris (POP), welding and fabrication, plumbing, pipe-fitting, electrical installation, rewiring, carpentry, woodwork, and fashion design. It also includes : poultry farming, auto-mechanic, auto- spray painting, handset repair, photography and visual imaging and panel beating, he said. I want to reassure you that the general review of the programme will soon commence and all areas including consultancy fees will be given serious attention in the next edition of the programme, he said. Mr Aminu Daneji, Manager, Public Affairs Division of the company, said the 100 youths would be empowered with skills so that they could become engaged in useful ventures. Also, Mr A. B, Makama, who spoke on behalf of the host communities, commended the company for the initiative, stressing that the youths were the backbone of any country. Makama said the involvement of youths in skills acquisition would make them become responsible citizens, who would contribute positively to national building. Fashola made the statement on Thursday in Abuja during an inspection tour of some housing units built through private sector initiative. NAN reports that a two bedroom flat in some of housing units inspected by the minister goes for between N15 million and N27 million, while a four bedroom flat goes for between N27 million and N29.5 million. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister inspected several blocks of flats at Brains and Hammers Estate, Citec International Estate Limited and Sunny Vale Estate, Abuja. Fashola said the collaboration was in line with the ministrys efforts at ensuring a `well designed programme that would accommodate cost reduction, supply and programme design of buildings. He said that the Habitat 111 programme was launched to address some of the housing problems. He said: From our first housing summit and the hosting of the Habitat 111, we clearly articulated that the national housing project of affordable housing was the way to go. The mission of the programme is to develop a programme that will accommodate the design, building type, cost reduction and supply. Ultimately, government has never been able to supply unilaterally the need of the people; no government in the world has done that but we are doing our best to reduce cost. So if we really want to solve the problem, we are going to need the private sector to really come in and build as well as bridge the market demand. The minister noted that majority of Nigerians in need of houses were not actually looking for a five bedroom apartment but a house that would fit into their income. He said that the programme would also be in such a way that it would also attract the private sector to supply them the house of their type. He said that the ministry was working tirelessly on more research and assistance to improve the design and quality of houses built by the private sector. Fashola said that the coming in of the private sector in the housing programme would pave ways for Nigerians to be gainfully employed. He added that it would also help to address some of the problems the economy is currently faced with. In her remarks, Mrs Ifeoma Okoye, Executive Director, Business Development, Brains and Hammers, said that her company would collaborate with the federal government on building designs. Ganduje was reacting to questions from State House correspondents after a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in the Presidential Villa, Abuja. I came to brief Mr President on the security situation in Kano especially on the fallout from the North Eastern part of this country in which some of the Boko Haram (insurgents) kidnappers will like to dominate Falgore where they will be operating to other parts of the North Western part of the country. "So, the security agencies are working very hard and a lot of arrest had been made, investigation is going on. "We will not allow them to dominate Kano and to make it as a launching pad. "Certainly, we expect if they are dismantled from the North East part of this country they will find another location and Kano being an older city, is an attractive place for such elements to come in, he said. According to him, security agencies have apprehended three persons believed to be leaders of the criminal group. He said the APC would ensure a free and fair election in the state. "We have fresh ideas even though the environment in Rivers is quiet different. We are consulting, we are coordinating and this time around, like in Ondo state, we must ensure free and fair election. "You know in that part of the country, having free and fair election is not normal and we must make it normal this time around. We must make sure that there is security so that people can come out and vote and vote the person they like. "That is our main preoccupation at the moment. We are making wider consultations with stakeholders and we believe we will succeed, he said. ALSO READ:Ganduje says Shiite should respect security officials Obaseki made the disclosure while hosting the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Up Stream), when the committee members paid him a courtesy visit on Friday in Benin. According to him, the impact of multinational oil companies operating in the state is not felt anywhere. He said that the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company was the heart of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and was located in the state but that its impact was never felt in the state. The governor lamented that other multinational companies operating in the state were similarly, not making any impact on the economy of the state. He said To us this is an issue of concern and we want the house and indeed the National Assembly to look into it. Companies operating in states should be made to contribute and add value to their host states, while federal agencies should be encouraged to do more for the states. The governor told the committee members, led by the committee Chairman Sen. Omotayo Alasodura, that the most salient issue in the state was availability of security. He said that there was no record of violence or attacks on oil facilities in the state, a development that should have made the companies to make positive impact in their host communities. Alasodura said that the committee members were in the state for an oversight function on some federal institutions in the state. ALSO READ: Obaseki to partner with private sector to create 200,000 jobs He congratulated the governor on his recent election, expressing his optimism that the governor would build on the legacies of the previous administration. The judgment was given by Justice Gabriel Kolawole on Friday, December 2. In giving his ruling, the judge rejected the argument of the Department of State Services (DSS) which said it was holding El-Zakzaky for his own protection. I have not been shown any incident report or any complaint lodged by residents around the neighbourhood that the applicant has become a nuisance to his neigbourhood, Justice Kolawole said. If the applicant dies in custody which I do not pray for, it could result in many needless deaths, he added. Kolawole also ordered the government to release El-Zakzaky to the police within 45 days and instructed the DSS to pay the sum of N50 million to El-Zakzaky and his wife as compensation. ALSO READ:Kaduna Governor declares Shiite sect illegal El-Zakzaky has been in custody since December 14, 2015, after a clash between members of his group and soldiers of the Nigerian Army. George Tannenbaum on the future of advertising, the decline of the English Language and other frivolities. 100% jargon free. A Business Insider "Most Influential" blog. They said eight houses were razed following the accident which happened around 8:00 am (0700GMT) in the transit town of Tegina in Niger state. "We buried 14 people including a six-month-old baby who died in the tanker explosion this morning," said Muhammad Sani who took part in the rescue operation. Eight more victims were taken to hospital with burns, two of them in "very critical condition" while eight homes were burnt in the inferno, said another resident Abdullahi Egiworo. A spokesman for Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the state confirmed the accident, but refused to give casualty figures. "We received reports of an accident involving a petrol tanker in Tegina this morning but we are still awaiting details," Bitrus Max told AFP. He said emergency officials were heading to the scene to assist in the evacuation of victims. Accidents involving petrol tankers happen frequently on Nigeria's poorly maintained roads because of speeding and disregard for traffic rules. Its spokesman, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, said in a statement on Thursday that the arrest followed high-level intelligence and surveillance by the agency. Men and officers of the NNS Pathfinder, Naval Base, Port Harcourt, also offered professional support and facilitation of the operation. The vessel, H.W. BECHMAN, an oil tanker, with Registration Number: 4014030, was caught off-loading products into a Tank Farm housed in the premises of NEPAS Limited in the Iwofe area of Port Harcourt. It was the first- ever oil vessel interception made by the EFCC since its reception. he said. He said preliminary investigations by the commission showed that the oil vessel was loaded with products in 12 compartments. He added that seven of the compartments had already been offloaded into the tank farm at the point of arrest, while products were still found in five other compartments. The products were suspected to have been sourced from the proceeds of pipeline vandalisation in the creeks of the Niger Delta. On sighting the EFCC operatives, operators of the vessel escaped in a speed boat but a quick response and support by men of the NNS Pathfinder ensured that the oil vessel was not moved. Jammeh was defeated by opposition candidate, Adama Barrow. According to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Barrow won 54.54 percent (263,515 votes) while Jammeh took home 36.66 percent (212,099 votes), with third party candidate Mama Kandeh making away with 102,969 votes (17.80 percent). ALSO READ: "It's really unique that someone who has been ruling this country for so long has accepted defeat,"Alieu Momar Njie, a Gambian, told reporters. "This man (Jammeh) beat and oppressed us," a young man who gave his name as Jawara told AFP. "We didn't have our freedom but definitely Barrow will give it to us," he added, fighting back tears. Barrow may have won the vote, but we have a different winner from where we seat, fam. The Gambia election ballot box is the real MVP here. Can't tell us nothing! Just take a look at these steel drums/barrels called ballot boxes: The Nigerian ballot box is definitely a learner where the Gambian ballot box is: And the Americans are jokers for calling these light contraptions, ballot boxes: Seriously, what were the Americans thinking when they called these 'match boxes' ballot boxes? These chaps from the Central African Republic haven't even started. Moi Moi buckets or what? Nigeria has been battling an age-old problem--how to stop thugs from picking up and running away with ballot boxes while police gives chase. Gambia has just shown the way. Make the darn boxes bigger. And make sure they are made of steel. Real freagin' steel. A Nigerian thug who wants to disappear with a ballot box like Gambia's, will certainly have second thoughts. He'll need to hit the gym months before the election and ain't nobody got time for that. Did you also notice that the Gambian ballot boxes can be chained?! C'mon guys, you can't even make this thing up! The House resolved that all its standing committees should invite relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government for the defence of their proposals. The lawmakers took the decision having taken the first and second readings of the budget proposal. Some of the lawmakers, who took turns to debate the components of the estimates, expressed satisfaction over the budget proposal. Mr Bisi Yusuff, Chairman House Committee on Public Accounts (local), noted that it would address the challenges of unemployment. Mr Gbolahan Yishawu, Chairman House Committee on Waterfront Infrastructures, also commended the spirit of the proposal, saying it was designed to empower the people. Yishawu, however, urged the House to scrutinise road projects to be constructed under Public Private Partnership (PPP), and ensure they follow laid down rules. The Majority Leader, Mr Sanai Agunbiade, urged various committees of the House to get all the necessary papers from the MDAs in order to assist in carrying out thorough verification of their proposals The Speaker of the House, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, who presided over the plenary, directed the committees to report back to the House committee on Budget and Economic Planning within two weeks. Ambode had on Tuesday proposed N812.99 billion as the states budget for 2017, comprising recurrent expenditure of N300.53 billion and capital expenditure of N512.46billion. Meanwhile, Obasa also spoke on reports in the media on the debt profile of the state, which was described as the highest among states in the country. According to the Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, the agencies have been audited by the Federal Government which is set to recover about N450 billion operating surpluses that were not returned by 33 agencies from 2010 to 2015. Adeosun further said other agencies that have been listed for probe after the audit include the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Export-Import Bank, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, National Open University of Nigeria, Nigerian Railway Corporation, West African Examination Council, Joint Administrations and Matriculation Board and the National Hospital, Abuja. The minister revealed that a committee headed by the accountant-general of the federation (AGF) had been set up to recover the money from the agencies after they had been audited. In her words: We know that in some cases that money would have already been spent so they will now give us a proposal of how they are going to repay but the money has to be paid, she said. We are also looking at their Treasury Single Account (TSA) to understand how much money they actually have because in some cases these surpluses are in their accounts. Our plan is not to grind to a halt the activities of any agency but to institute fiscal discipline in all the agencies," she said. ALSO READ: Shippers Council returns N640M as FG audits 33 agencies Umar was a member of the Presidential Investigative Committee on Arms Procurement set up by President Buhari to probe arms purchase by the military. The DSS arraigned Umar in court in July 21, 2016, over allegations of money laundering, possession of fire arms and violation of official secret act. He was however granted bail in the sum of N100 million and two sureties in the sum of N50 million each, by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba. The DSS refused to grant him bail despite several reprimands by Justice Dimgba. According to Premium Times, Justice Dimgba then vowed not to continue with the case Umars case, unless the DSS releases him. As desperation from the Goodluck Jonathan camp to win re-election for the former President reached fever pitch, Diezani took to bribing more than 100 personnel on the payroll of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It was a last ditch attempt to rig the election for the PDP. All of the bribe money came from coffers belonging to the federal government, investigators have said. The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) accounts became Diezani's personal playthings, EFCC sources allege. "In all, Diezani bribed electoral officers to the tune of N23B", an EFCC source told Pulse on the basis of anonymity because he hadn't been authorised to comment on the subject. Among the INEC officers who benefited from the Diezani bazaar is Mrs. Gesila Khan. Khan served as the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Rivers State during the 2015 general elections. She's currently the REC for Cross River State. According to investigators, Khan allegedly received close to N200M from Diezani to rig the Rivers vote for Jonathan; a task investigators allege she dutifully carried out. The EFCC has been spreading its dragnet further afield. Investigators say electoral officers across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones also benefited from the Diezani bazaar. EFCC operatives have since picked up Edem Okon Effanga, Mohammed Zannah, Godwin Maiyaki, Ishaku Yusuf, Babagana Malami and Immaculata Asuquo, among a host of others. "We'll soon be shepherding them to the courtrooms for prosecution", another EFCC operative told Pulse. Jonathan lost the 2015 contest to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari. Diezani is presently holed up in the United Kingdom where she's reportedly battling Cancer. She had fled the country as soon as Jonathan lost the election. Muhammadu gave the warning in Badagry, Lagos during the passing out parade of 200 officers and men of the corps trained by the Nigerian Army in handling arms and other combat drills. The NSCDC boss, who was represented by the Assistant Commandant-General, Zone A, Lagos, Mr Waheed Popoola, said accidental discharge was not permitted by anyone in the corps. Accidental discharge is a capital offence in the NSCDC. You have been trained on how to handle of arms; this should guide you in the discharge of your duties. Anyone that misuses arms will never go near it again. The four-week training is meant to help corps personnel discharge their responsibilities as expected of them, he said. He said the training had improved the necessary skills of the officers and men of the corps and boosted their performance in the discharge of their official duties. Muhammadu, who commended the Army and Lagos State Government for their assistance, however, requested for more equipment. The representative of the Army, Col. U. Garuba of the 82 Division, said the training was a testimony of the cordial relationship between the Army and NSCDC. Garuba said that the training would continue to assist the officers and men of the corps in the discharge of the functions. The Commandant, Lagos State Command NSCDC, Mr Tajudeen Balogun, who expressed joy over the training, stressed that with the calibre of officers of the corps, life and property would be protected in the state. He assured the people that the corps would join other sister agencies to provide adequate security during the yuletide in the area. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the officers and men demonstrated their new skills in handling arms to the admiration of officers and family members present. THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER Nigeria ranks top in AIDS-related fatalities Nigeria has the highest number of Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)-related deaths in the world with 180,000 toll yearly. She also contributes one in every three new infections among children. Terror attacks loom at nations airports over porous security Security experts in the aviation industry yesterday warned that terror attacks were imminent at airports around the country.The experts, after a close look at happenings in and around the aerodromes, said that the news of another stowaway on Arik Air aircraft suggested that attacks might just be closer than the authorities were aware of. Southeast leaders urge caution as Kalu loses bail bid The Federal Government is under pressure from the Southeast region to reconsider sundry demands made by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as the Federal High Court Abuja yesterday refused to grant bail to its leader, Mr. Nnamdi Kalu, and three other members. VANGUARD NEWSPAPER Why Nigeria was exempted from OPECs output cut Petroleum Ministry The Ministry of Petroleum Resources, yesterday, disclosed that the decision of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, to exempt Nigeria from the oil output cut deal was as a result of strategic negotiations and the worrying incidences of vandalisation of the countrys petroleum installations. Non-remittance of N450bn: FG seeks prosecution of 33 agencies, forwards audit reports to EFCC THE Federal Government is seeking prosecution of 33 of its agencies over non-remittance of N450 billion revenue generated between 2010 and 2015. Anti-graft war: You are no saints, NLC blasts Sagays cttee THE Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, yesterday, blasted members of the Professor Itse Sagay led Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, PACAC and asked them to stop living in the delusion of being corruption free because there is no saint among them. THE NATION NEWSPAPER Buhari may propose N7.3tr estimate for 2017 President Muhammadu Buhari may present a N7.3 trillion 2017 budget proposal to the National Assembly on December 8, it was learnt yesterday. Fayose: loss of Ondo wont make me join APC For the second time in 24 hours, Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose has spoken on his political future ahead of the 2018 governorship election. EFCC: N2.8b cash for ex-militants stipends withdrawn 35 times Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) detectives have uncovered how N2.8billion meant for the training of ex-Niger Delta militants was diverted. THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER Perish the thought of Biafra, Buhari tells agitators To ethno-cultural militant groups calling for the break-up of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari has these words for them: Nigeria will not disintegrate. FG sacks 12 Auchi poly randy lecturers after Punch report Five senior lecturers and seven other workers at the Auchi Polytechnic have been sacked for offences bordering on sexual harassment and extortion of female students in the school. I have destroyed my green card Soyinka Nobel prize-winning author Wole Soyinka said Thursday he has fulfilled his pledge to throw away his US residency green card and leave the country if Donald Trump won the presidential election. THE BUSINESSDAY NEWSPAPER Nigerias 33 grain silos empty Nigeria has 33 silos meant for storing grains against periods of poor harvest but all the silos are empty, as fear of famine stalks the country. Digital music downloads revenue hits $20m monthly Digital music downloads in Nigeria have become the fastest and most resilient revenue source for local musicians, with revenues from the segment now estimated at between $US15 million and $US20 million monthly. FG looks to private sector to turn round economic crisis Ribadu made this known on Thursday, December 1, 2016 at an annual lecture that held in Abuja. The first chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had reportedly said an ex-Attorney General and ex-EFCC boss were part of the individuals that frustrated the corruption battle he began during his reign at the anti-graft agency. He said: "I still recall with amazement and shock how some very senior lawyers made it a duty upon themselves to bring down the EFCC and stop the work we were doing. Many of them, like Prof. Ben Nwabueze, SAN, teamed up with politicians to wage a very serious propaganda to discredit the work we were doing. Continuing, Ribadu said: "Take the case of Mr. Michael Aondoakaa, whose most cardinal agenda as the AGF seemed to be destroying EFCC by every means possible and frustrating all the cases. In that regard he attempted to take over the prosecutorial powers of the commission, which would have rendered the EFCC into a toothless bulldog. But of course we resisted, he said. Citing one of the instances for calling out his successor, Farida Waziri, Ribadu said she inflicted serious damages on the EFCC from which the commission is still struggling to recover. ALSO READ: Stop celebrating criminals- Ex EFCC boss says The monarch said this at a forum organised by the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development (SCDDD), in Abuja. Sanusi also warned that crude oil will never make Nigeria rich, adding that it will also not bring the country out of its current economic woes. The Emir said I can tell you for free, if the Senate today approves that we can borrow $30 billion, honestly, no one will lend us. It should be approved and I will like to see how you will go to the international market with an economy that has five exchange rates. There is one rate for petroleum marketers, there is inter-bank rate, there is another for money market operators such as western union, money gram, there is bureau de change rate and there is a special rate you get when you call the CBN for a transaction. So, who will borrow you when they dont know your exact reserve and exchange rate. I want to see who will borrow you money when the Niger Delta bombing of oil is there when the main source of the loan repayment is oil. Gov. Seriake Dickson stated this on Friday while paying tribute to the departed Tobi during a valedictory court session held in his honour at the State High Court in Yenagoa. He said that Bayelsa and the Ijaw nation are proud of the significant achievements and legacies left behind by the jurist. The governor described Tobi as a quintessential Ijaw man, who discharged his duties excellently in his lifetime. According to Dickson, the Ijaw nation grieves with the people of Esama in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta and as part of efforts to immortalise him, a befitting monument would be named after him in Bayelsa. Dickson, who prayed God to grant the soul of Justice Tobi eternal repose, said the government would continue to support the bereaved family to sustain his legacies for the sake of posterity. In her remarks, the State Chief Judge, Justice Kate Abiri, likened Justice Tobi to a legal colossus, who bestrode the judicial space with an uncommon brilliance. Abiri said the late Justice Tobi was one of the greatest legal minds of the times, adding that the country would not forget him in a hurry. Eulogising Tobi, the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Kemasuode Wodu, described the departed legal luminary as an ardent custodian of the law. Wodu said that Tobi was a distinguished and an outstanding jurist, who recorded a huge success in his chosen career. ALSO READ:Bayelsa govt declares fast over recession He was an apostle of hard work with sterling literary abilities and the legal profession would miss him, Wodu said. Soyinka is no fan of U.S President-elect, Donald Trump. Days before the vote, Soyinka promised to rip his green card apart in the event of a Trump victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton. If in the unlikely event he does win, the first thing hell do is to say [that] all green-card holders must reapply to come back into the US. Well, Im not waiting for that. ALSO READ: Nobel laureate vows to leave US if Donald Trump wins The moment they announce his victory, I will cut my green card myself and start packing up. According to the Prof, he's fulfilled his promise. Here are five things this whole green card saga has taught us: 1. Victory for Internet trolls Soyinka probably doesn't run a Facebook or Twitter account, but the Internet trolls successfully got under his skin. As the TV networks called the election for Trump, the social media crowd mounted enormous pressure on Soyinka to be a man of his words. In a fit of rage, Soyinka lashed back. He called the baying social media crowd "noisome creatures; nattering nitwits of the internet", but not once did they back off. Soyinka also pleaded with the "nattering nitwits" to lay off him because he wouldn't rip the green card before the media, but no one was listening. Soyinka was still so livid, he asked the "noisome creatures" to go back to school if they really wanted to understand what he meant. Well, three weeks after Trump's "unlikely" victory, Soyinka announced he had kept his promise. I have already done it, I have disengaged (from the). I have done what I said I would do, the 82-year-old said on the sidelines of an education conference at the University of Johannesburg. I had a horror of what is to come with Trump I threw away the (green) card, and I have relocated, and Im back to where I have always been". Be careful what you ask for, Prof. If you are an Internet troll, drink up already. This is for you. 2. Soyinka didn't really keep his word There's a difference between "I will cut my green card" and "I threw away the (green) card". The former denotes using a scissor or some sharp object to rip something to shreds. The latter means hurling something into some garbage heap. We can infer that as a man of letters, Soyinka was speaking figuratively when he said "I will cut my green card". Yeah, it's all semantics, you'd say, but isn't that what a Soyinka would have done if the shoe were on the other foot? 'Cut' and 'throw' aren't one and the same, but let's move on.... 3. Nigerian Universities are winners too Back in the United States where Soyinka 'once' enjoyed the esteemed permanent residence status, Harvard, Cornell and Yale University classrooms were his workplace addresses. Well, their ill luck now because our erudite Professor is not theirs anymore. He's coming home to Daddy! "I am back (home)", Soyinka said. University of Ibadan, Ogun State University, University of Ife and even MAULAG (sorry, UNILAG), should make a scramble for this guy while it is still day. Soyinka still has a lot to offer the academia. 4. Green cards are still very useful Its useful in many ways. I wouldnt for one single moment discourage any Nigerians or anybody from acquiring a green card but I have had enough of it, Soyinka said. So, there you have it. If you thought U.S green cards have become so useless just because Soyinka now trashes them into dustbins at will, think again. Berra go ahead, fast and pray so you can get yours. And when you are 82, you can get really angry and trash your hard earned green card for LAWMA. Hey! 5. Trump is still not welcome in Nigeria, though In Olamide's voice, Dear Trump, do not f***ng come to the mainland Any U.S politician who can make our beloved, silver-haired Professor trash his beloved green card just to return to his beloved home country, is not our friend again. Yes...there..we said it. We don't hate you, Trump. We just don't love you. The track features bouncy bass thumps and tells the story of PatricKxxLees anime alter ego, who is of the kind that controls the night and day and wakes up with superpowers that let him double-jump over m*therfu*king scums, fly to Saturn and skip class in the superhero academy so he can take down haters that are in his way. It wouldnt be a PatricKxxLee track though, if it wasnt for the darker second verse, where his alter ego admits that he actually thrives off the haters. The National Secretary of the party, Alhaji Abubakar Sokoto, said this in a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday in Abuja. Sokoto issued the statement in reaction to a media interview credited to Alhaji Buba Galadima where he (Galadima) was quoted to have said that Buhari may be alone in 2019. Galadima was a former APC stalwart and Buhari promoter. Galadima should know that people of his Yobe state in particular and North East states will never leave Buhari alone for what his government achieved against Boko Haram insurgency within a short period of time. All patriotic, sensible and enlightened people of this country and those who are having interest of Nigeria at heart will continue to support President Buhari. Nigerians will continue to support him to achieve success in his fight against corruption, insecurity, unemployment and his effort to full out Nigeria from recession. According to Sokoto, One of the reasons he advanced is that All Progressives Congress (APC), the party the President used to win 2015 election, cannot pay for electricity, water bills as well as staff salaries for months. Have you ever seen in the history of Nigeria where in the secretariat of the ruling political party, water is disconnected, electricity is disconnected, salaries of aids and workers are not paid for six months? Galadima said in the interview. But Sokoto said that Galadima was politically disconnected, if that was one of the reasons he (Galadima) was basing his assumptions. Is Buhari the only beneficiary of the APC electoral fortunes? What about all the Governors, Senators, Members of the National and State Assemblies elected on the platform of the party? Cant these elected officers contribute from the fortunes they are making to save the party from its financial predicaments. What we expect Galadima to have done is profer solution on how the APC will come out from its financial problems. Sokoto reminded Galadima on what UPN did during the second republic under the leadership of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo to maintain its National Headquarters and offices in the then 19 States, was to levy all its elected officers. The party levied all its elected officers: Governors, Members of the National and State Houses of Assemblies and Local Government officials to raise funds for the maintenance of its secretariats. Interestingly all states branch offices of the party were manned by not less than seven staffers whom were placed on monthly salaries. With only five Governors of Lagos, Oyo, Ondo, Bendel and Ogun States (LOOBO) states some members of the national assemblies, in those UPN controlled states, the party successfully maintained its offices, the scribe said. Sokoto said that with monumental problems of insecurity, fight against corruption and battered economy which bedevilled Buharis government, it must be mischievous for anyone to expect him to focus on challenges of water and electricity at the party office. He advised all APC members and elected officers from state governors to local government councillors, including those on political appointment, to contribute certain amount of money for maintenance of their party offices and stop expecting Buhari to pay the bills. However, he commended the statement of Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Communication, in response to Galadima. Fayose also denied reports that he was planning to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The governor made the comments on Thursday, December 1, while speaking at the palace of the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Rufus Adejugbe. I will never dump PDP for APC. I remain strong and unshaken for the PDP. I cant jump the boat; even if I want to jump, I wont jump into the red sea, he said. Why should I leave the PDP and join a party of hunger like APC? Ekiti is different from Ondo. By the grace of God, there will be a repeat of history here in 2018; I shall repeat the 16-0 that I gave them in 2014. I operate like the biblical Elisha because those with us are greater than theirs. The God of Israel that conquered Philistines shall be on our side I am not a general without an army. You dont just walk out of relationships just like that. Nigerians have a lot of respect for me and my voice. This I cannot trade for a piece of morsel like the biblical Esau. What I said is that if the current man-made crisis rocking the PDP persists till 2018, rather than allow them mess us up like they did in Ondo, we may have to seek an alternative and credible platform. We are not people who betray the confidence of our people. If there will be change at all, it will not be spur-of-the-moment. We shall carry our leaders and the people along. All men and women of goodwill, backed up by God will, in the fullness of time, roll back and roll away those oppressive, repressive, and satanic forces; their sinister motives and anti-people agenda will be quashed in Nigeria. I want to say categorically that the shenanigans of Ondo governorship elections cannot be repeated in Ekiti; they delude themselves if they think they can. I want to also assure them that even if they bring all the funds in Treasury Single Account (TSA) to Ekiti in 2018, supported by all the machinery the presidency can muster, they will be treated like the Philistines and Egyptians of the Bible. I am the Biblical Israel that has never and can never be defeated. The fact that they rigged PDP out of Ondo state does not mean that they won the hearts of the people, he added. He has also been fluttering his eyelashes and showing the governing party plenty of skirt. Should we be worried? In a recent interview, Fayose said he isn't sure he'll still be a card carrying member of the PDP before 2019. "I dont know the platform I will use for the 2018 election yet... and at the appropriate time, I will tell you, he said. Fayose also bemoaned the fact that he's the only Governor from Nigeria's South West region in the opposition PDP. A suggestion that he's become increasingly lonely. The PDP recently lost Ondo to the APC. ALSO READ: Here is why Ekiti State Governor may dump PDP in 2018 You all saw how people sold their votes in Ondo state, I am confident that that will not happen in Ekiti. I am close to the people. You are the source of my strength . Even if it requires just 48 hours to any election, if I tell you where to go, you will surely follow me there, the Governor said. When a Governor says he doesn't know what political platform he'll piggyback on for the 2018 election; with the likelihood that there'll only be two formidable political parties in Nigeria heading into 2018, his comments are bound to leave plenty of room for speculation. The APC noticed the Fayose advances and was flattered. Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong who spoke on the sidelines of the North Central Zonal Congress of the APC in Abuja, warned Fayose not to come anywhere near the APC. The one I am waiting for is Ekiti. I understand that after Ondo, the man (Fayose) has been saying he wants to come to APC. He should remain in the PDP till after the elections.....Before now, some people were looking down on APC, but now people with ambition for 2019 are withdrawing from the PDP and coming to the APC. "We are going toand we will win the elections there. After there, we are moving to Anambra and that one is a done deal. With the speculation around a possible Fayose defection to the APC assuming a life of its own, the man at the center of it all, had to offer a clarification. What I said is that if the current man-made crisis rocking the PDP persists till 2018, rather than allow them to mess us up like they did in Ondo, we may have to seek an alternative and credible platform. We are not people who betray the confidence of their people. We shall carry our leaders and the people along", the Governor said, leaving even more room for speculation about where his political future lies. If the current crisis in the PDP persists.... But then, he added this: I will never dump PDP for APC. I remain strong and unshaken for the PDP. I cant jump the boat , even if I want to jump, I wont jump into the red sea. Why should I leave the PDP and join a party of hunger like APC? Ekiti is different from Ondo. By the grace of God, there will be a repeat of history here in 2018, I shall repeat the 16-0 that I gave them in 2014. I operate like the biblical Elisha because those with us are greater than theirs. The God of Israel that conquered Philistines shall be on our side. The fact that they rigged PDP out of Ondo state does not mean they won the hearts of the people. Sooner than later, the joy they procured by dubious means will turn into ashes in their mouths. Their so-called victory is nothing but pyrrhic, Fayose said. We certainly won't be speculating if Fayose hadn't implied he is looking at jumping ship. Is Fayose seriously considering a defection to the political camp he's spent all of his years in office insulting? ALSO READ: He had once swapped the PDP for the AC--one of the legacy parties which collapsed into the APC. Is he on his way down that route again? These are still early days but Fayose looks to be up to some game. put calls across to Fayose's spokesperson, Lere Olayinka, for a response to this story. However, those calls went unanswered. The Secretary to the State Government, Mr Tunji Bello, in a statement, also urged all other residents across the state to go about their lawful businesses in an orderly manner. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Elijah Adewale of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who represented the constituency in the House of Representatives, died on July 20, necessitating the Dec. 3 by-election to fill the vacant seat. The election which is being organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is to be contested by candidates of six political parties. Bello said that there would be no restriction of movement during the exercise. Governor Ganduje, while speaking to newsmen in Abuja, said elections in Rivers state are not normal. According to Punch, Wike said he will be waiting for the Kano Governor to come and perform his magic. The Rivers state Governor also said It is unfortunate if he (Ganduje) said so. As far as I am concerned, elections have been normal in my part of the country. All we are asking for is free and fair election. Is Governor Ganduje speaking on behalf of INEC? Is he the one conducting the elections now? I have respect for him as an elderly person but his statement is unfortunate. When his friend won the governorship election in Rivers State, the election was normal. The election was also normal in Edo State where his party won. We are waiting for him to come and perform the magic he did in Kano State. According to Sam Omatseye, Chairman of the Editorial Board, The Nation newspaper, CAN needs to balance the terror by arming Christians. "102 killed and 500000 houses razed in southern Kaduna. Isn't it time for CAN to use its tithes to buy arms for Christians for self defense? Sorry it is 50,000 houses not 500k. I punched an excess 0," he wrote on Twitter. "Same happened when govt didn't defend Itsekiris against Ijaws, they armed themselves and ended the war. It's called balance of terror," he added. Most people did not take this advice well and proceeded to vent. ALSO READ: CAN calls for concerted efforts to stop killings in Kaduna However, there were a few supporters, who appreciated Omatseye's idea. He later responded by writing, "those attacking me don't know English. I only called for self-defence. If no one attacks them then there will be peace. FG should do its job." New York Post reported that Fairweather had visited her boyfriend, Carlos Guzman,at his Red Hook neighborhood apartment located in Brooklyn. It was a Monday night and the young lady decided to take a stroll with the puppy at a nearby park. On reaching the place, Fairweather reported let Apollo off the leash so it can move freely. At this point, she was listening to some music through her headphones when she noticed someone tug at her. She had assumed that the culprit was her boyfriend, Guzman, but to her surprise, it was a total stranger who had an intention of raping her. As she tried to pull off from her attacker, Apollo came to scene and bit the unknown man hard on his leg, leaving him with no choice but to let go of the lady. The dog eventually let hold of the attacker, who took to his heels after getting released by the dog. Fairweather, who is filled with gratitude, thinks the incident might have gone bad for her if the dog was not present. The bride, Mercedez Ortiz walked into her own wedding, thinking she was only a guest at her friends ceremony. Her boyfriend, Gustavo, had arranged with a church in Sarandi, Buenos Aires, Argentina, without Mercedez suspecting a thing. The childhood sweethearts have known each other for 30 years when the groom was nine and the bride seven, before they finally tied the knot in a truly remarkable fashion in November, 2016. The Bubble reports that the couple already had a civil wedding ceremony in 2003 but Gustavo always wanted a church wedding to seal the deal. So in 2011, he started playing with the idea of having a surprise wedding ceremony for his bride but the churches turned him down until the priest of Sacred Heart of Barracas Church agreed to do it this year. After the ceremony, and during the reception, while the couple danced, Mercedez said to him: "I can't believe you did this, you're crazy." Of course, that is what love does to you; it makes you think of all the best ways to bring a smile to the face of the one you love, so we totally agree with the bride on that one. The post of Austrian president is largely ceremonial but a win for Hofer and his Freedom Party (FPOe) would be a major symbolic victory for populists across Europe ahead of several elections in 2017. Hofer, 45, appeared to accuse Van der Bellen, 72, of being a spy for the Soviet Union during the Cold War, citing claims made in a book written by a former Austrian security official. "That is the most appalling thing I have heard in a long time," Van der Bellen said. "If I had known about these claims in the book we would have sued... It's ridiculous." Van der Bellen meanwhile said that Hofer and the FPOe wanted to pull Austria out of the European Union, prompting Hofer to call him a "liar". Hofer has said that he will press for a referendum on Austria's EU membership if Turkey joins the bloc or if the 28-nation group becomes too centralised. Hofer said that Van der Bellen had insulted US president-elect Donald Trump. Van der Bellen said that he had been appalled by the "sexist comments" made during Trump's campaign for the White House. Hofer and Van der Bellen are due to hold their final campaign events Friday, with opinion polls suggesting the race is too close to call. "This figure is confirmed," said presidential spokesman Albert Mopkem, referring to a toll provided by Adama Dieng, a UN special envoy for the prevention of genocide. Nearly half the population needs humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations which has appealed for $399 million from donors to cover the country's aid needs next year. The latest deaths in the town of Bria, 400 kilometres (250 miles) northeast of Bangui, were amplified by 76 wounded and nearly 11,000 people being displaced in battles between factions of the former "Seleka" Muslim rebel group last week, Dieng said. The Central African Republic is struggling to emerge from a civil war which erupted in 2013 following the overthrow of former president Francois Bozize, a Christian, by a Seleka coalition. The government is trying to bring together 14 armed groups under a disarmament deal in the former French colony. But militias have flourished in the power vacuum left by a weak state. Fighting is taking place between the Popular Front for the Renaissance of the Central African Republic (FPRC) and the Union for Peace in Central Africa (UPC). Merera Gudina, the 60-year-old chairman of the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) was arrested at his home in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Wednesday and is being held in an unknown location with three others, said Beyenne Petros, president of the Medrek opposition alliance of which the OFC is a member. The government confirmed his arrest to the state-controlled Fana Broadcasting Corporate, saying that he was held for "violating (the) state of emergency". Officials told the broadcaster that Gudina is accused of meeting Berhanu Nega, the leader of a banned group, while he was in Belgium. Earlier this month Gudina addressed the European Parliament in Brussels, alongside Olympic silver medallist runner and fellow Oromo tribe member, Feyisa Lilesa. Nega, an opposition activist sentenced to death in absentia, attended the same meeting. At home in Ethiopia, Gudina has strongly criticised repression of the unprecedented protests that have posed the biggest challenge to the quarter-century rule of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). "This is the first time they are targeting the highest level of leadership. I don't fully understand. Merera has always done things peacefully and played by the rules," Petros said of Gudina, a veteran political leader. During the Rio games, Lilesa drew attention to an Oromo anti-government movement by crossing his wrists above his head -- a gesture that has become a symbol of the protest movement. He has been in self-imposed exile since then. Hundreds have been killed in a government crackdown since the unrest began about a year ago, according to human rights groups. A state of emergency was announced in October, a week after more than 50 people died in a stampede in the Oromia region when security forces teargassed a religious festival where protesters were chanting anti-government slogans. Since then, official figures show over 11,000 people have been arrested in the Oromia, Amhara and Addis Ababa regions where protests had been centred. Among those arrested are leaders of small opposition parties, journalists and at least two bloggers. Ethiopian authorities said last month that 2,000 of those detained had been released after undergoing a "re-education" and "counselling" programme. A key complaint of the protesters is a political system which has meant that the ruling party holds all 546 seats in parliament. "There is already a steady process of ethnic cleansing underway in several areas of South Sudan using starvation, gang rape and the burning of villages; everywhere we went across this country we heard villagers saying they are ready to shed blood to get their land back," said Yasmin Sooka of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan. "Many told us it's already reached a point of no return." Sooka was part of a three-member team which travelled to battleground towns including Bentiu, Malakal and Wau to gather facts about the situation in the world's youngest country. Jarring testimony gathered by the team during their 10-day visit shows a nation on the brink of "catastrophe", said a statement issued by the commission. "The stage is being set for a repeat of what happened in Rwanda and the international community is under an obligation to prevent it," said Sooka. At a press conference in Juba on Wednesday, Sooka warned of "unprecedented levels of violence and ethnic tension" without using the term ethnic cleansing, a war crime closely related to genocide which refers more to groups being forcibly removed from a particular area. South Sudan's current conflict began nearly three years ago when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy and political rival, Riek Machar, of plotting a coup. Hopes that an August 2015 peace deal would bring peace to the young nation were dashed when fighting erupted in Juba in July, leading to a surge of violence around the country characterised by divisions between the country's 64 tribes. 'Still time to prevent it' Sooka said on Wednesday that government and rebel armies were both forcibly recruiting soldiers -- including children -- and warned that "renewed recruitment is an indicator that all the parties are preparing for the next conflict". She said fighting was expected to get worse as the dry season settles in. Keith Harper, the US ambassador to the UN rights council warned that the government appeared to be preparing for large scale attacks, and had in the past two weeks mobilised at least 4,000 militia fighters to the southern Equatoria region. Among the atrocities reported to the commission was widespread gang rape, with some women unable to receive medical treatment for the complications suffered after sexual attacks. "The scale of rape of women and girls perpetrated by all armed groups in South Sudan is utterly unacceptable and is frankly mind boggling," said Sooka. jpegMpeg4-1280x720After decades of civil war South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in July 2011. However hopes of a fresh start for the oil-rich nation were quickly dashed as internal political divisions burst to the surface, fracturing the government and people along ethnic lines with devastating consequences. Sooka said that many of the warning signals of impending genocide are already there. "They say that I said I will send terrorists to Europe to kill themselves. I don't know why they lie in their translations," the top Sunni cleric said, speaking in Arabic through an interpreter. "I said, don't bombard Syria or Lebanon. If fire gets burning in Syria or Lebanon there are dormant cells in the world that will be awakened. I feared for Europe," he said in comments before an Irish parliamentary committee. However, a 2011 speech of his available on YouTube suggests otherwise. Hassoun issued a clear warning against intervention in Syria, saying: "From the first round fired, the sons of Syria and Lebanon will become fighters who will carry out suicide attacks on the land of Europe and Palestine. "I say to Europe and the United States: we will prepare the fedayeen (fighters) if you strike Syria, because now it's an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth," he said at the time. Hassoun often appears alongside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for religious occasions. In 2012, a US group promoting peace in the Middle East rescinded an invitation for him to speak saying that it had not properly researched his background. Hassoun arrived in Ireland on Tuesday as part of a religious delegation of Syrian religious leaders and visited Trinity College Dublin on Wednesday. The Irish Syria Solidarity Movement has called for Hassoun to be arrested for hate crimes. It said his support for Assad made him "repugnant" and called him a "horrible prop of a vile dictator". Ali Salim, a senior member of the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland, was quoted by The New Arab as calling him a "war criminal" and adding: "He's not welcome." Abdel-Mahdi al-Karbali, who represented Al- Sistani, said in a sermon at a mosque in Karbala. Confidence grows in the ability and will of the Armed Forces and their supporters in achieving a final victory that is not distant, al-Sistani said. Al-Sistani called on Iraqi forces to protect civilians from bombings carried out by Islamic State in the country. In mid-October, government forces, backed by a U.S.-led air coalition and Kurdish fighters, started a long-awaited offensive to retake Mosul from Islamic State. The militants are believed to be holding thousands of Iraqis in and around Mosul to use them as human shields. Mosul, Iraqs second-largest city has been under Islamic States control since mid-2014. In an attempt to slow down Iraqi forces Mosul mission, Islamic State fighters have mounted a series of counter-attacks and suicide bombings in different parts of the country. The 74-year-old came to symbolise a barbaric plan to rid multi-ethnic Bosnia of Croats and Muslims, fuelled by the desire for a "Greater Serbia" that would establish an ethnically pure state. The epitome of Serb defiance after the breakup of Yugoslavia, Mladic once said chillingly: "Borders are always drawn in blood and states marked out with graves." Closing arguments in his protracted UN war crimes trial at The Hague begin on Monday, with families of the victims in Bosnia's 1992-95 conflict waiting anxiously for its completion. The wartime Bosnian Serb military chief, who has been dogged by health problems in detention, will long be associated with the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in a campaign of ethnic cleansing. But his role in the conflict made him a hero to many Serbs and a one-time favourite of the late Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic -- himself a fanatical nationalist who was also indicted for war crimes. Mladic is also accused of being the architect of the bloody 44-month siege of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, which claimed an estimated 10,000 lives, according to the UN war crimes indictment against him. The defiance of the man dubbed the "Butcher of Bosnia" by international media seems undimmed by age and years on the run, and he insists he was only "defending my country". 'A cynic and a sadist' Born on March 12, 1942 at Bozinovici in eastern Bosnia, Mladic was named Ratko, a diminutive of a Serb name meaning war and peace, usually given to a male baby during wars, his biographer Ljiljana Bulatovic wrote. His life was quickly struck by bloodshed and tragedy when aged two, his father was killed by the Ustasha, Croatia's World War II fascist regime. In June 1991, as Yugoslavia crumbled and war broke out in Croatia, Mladic, then a colonel in the Yugoslav National Army, was given the task of organising the Serb-dominated army in Croatia. The following May, Mladic, by now a general, was made commander of the Bosnian Serb forces and fought to link Serb-held lands in eastern and western Bosnia. Former Yugoslav army spokesman Ljubodrag Stojadinovic described Mladic as "narcissistic, conceited, vain and arrogant," while a former colonel, Gaja Petkovic, said he was a "cynic and a sadist". Over the edge Mladic's daughter Ana, unable to cope with the burden of accusations of his wartime crimes, committed suicide in Belgrade in 1994 aged 23, reportedly with her father's favourite pistol. Those close to the general were reported as saying her suicide pushed him over the edge. A year later, Mladic was accused of setting in motion Europe's worst atrocity since the Nazi era, with his troops rounding up and killing Muslim men and boys in the UN-protected enclave of Srebrenica. In under-siege Sarajevo, the ferocious Mladic refused to bow to Western demands to withdraw his heavy weapons and it took the combined might of NATO warplanes and cruise missiles to blow apart his military advantage in September 1995. Never just a simple soldier, Mladic once enjoyed considerable political influence within the Bosnian Serb leadership and was never shy of using it. He was indicted by The Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in July 1995, a few months before the war ended, on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. After the conflict, Mladic became too much of a liability and was sacked by the Bosnian Serb government in 1997. For a long time he holed up in his former main command bunker, calmly defying NATO attempts to arrest him before moving to the Serbian capital Belgrade in 2000. At first he lived openly, but soon went underground as his popularity waned amongst Serbian politicians, increasingly concerned that failure to transfer him to the ICTY would further delay the country's accession to the European Union. ITS AN INTERNATIONAL WEEK AHEAD FOR WWE AND NXT The big show of the weekend for the main roster is the Smackdown brands TLC PPV from Dallas, TX. Of course, we will have complete coverage of the show here on the site. Before the PPV, Smackdown has a show tomorrow night in Oklahoma City, OK. After the PPV, they have a house show on Monday in Tyler, TX before heading to Houston, TX on Tuesday for Smackdown Live. The Raw brand starts their tour tonight in Albuquerque, NM. Then they leave New Mexico to south TO Mexico for shows tomorrow in Mexico City and Sunday in Monterrey. They return to the US for Mondays Raw, which emanates from Austin, TX. The big show of the weekend for NXT is their live event in Osaka, Japan. That should be a hell of a show. After the Japan show, NXT is off to Australia for shows on Monday in Perth, Wednesday in Canberra and Thursday in Melbourne. The local NXT group has a show tonight in Crystal River, FL and tomorrow in Largo, FL. They also have an event on Thursday in St. Petersburg, FL. If you are going to any of the shows and can send a report, please drop me a line. If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here! SPRINGFIELD The holidays will be much happier for families of 1,500 workers at Exelon Corp.s Clinton and Quad-Cities nuclear power plants after the Illinois General Assembly voted Thursday to approve an energy policy overhaul that will keep the plants open for another decade. On the final day of the fall veto session, the House voted 63-38 and the Senate voted 32-18 in favor of a massive package that will funnel $235 million in annual ratepayer subsidies to the unprofitable nuclear power plants and increase investments in renewable power and energy efficiency. Gov. Bruce Rauner said he will sign the bill when it reaches his desk. For jobs, for ratepayers, for the state of Illinois, this is a good bill, Sen. Neil Anderson, R-Rock Island, said when the bill came to the upper chamber Thursday evening. Exelon had said it would take official steps toward shutting down the Clinton plant on June 1 if lawmakers didnt approve the bill during the veto session. The Quad-City plant, in Cordova, was set to close a year later. The Cordova facility employs about 800 people and is Rock Island County's largest real estate taxpayer. After the proposal passed out of a House committee Wednesday with apparent agreement from the Rauner administration, it appeared headed for passage. But lawmakers were kept waiting for several hours Thursday as amendments were drafted to address last-minute concerns from the administration. Among other changes, one amendment removed language that would have guaranteed union-level wages for workers on projects funded through the legislation, and another delayed the effective date to June 1 to lower the vote total needed to pass the bill. Bills passed in the veto session that take effect immediately need three-fifths majorities in both chambers. Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, who also represents the Clinton plant and sponsored the legislation in the Senate, said passage appeared uncertain for much of the day. Rose credited Rauner for getting involved in negotiations over the last two weeks, which he said ended up producing a stronger bill. After the administration weighed in, Exelon dropped a controversial proposal to change the way customers are charged for their power. The so-called demand charge, based on a monthly average of peak demand rather than overall consumption, drew widespread criticism from consumer groups and the Illinois attorney generals office. Critics said it could have created unpredictable bill spikes. The biggest brick on this bill was that demand charge because there was no defense to it, frankly, Rose said, adding that it wouldnt have come out without Rauners involvement. He and Anderson also credited the administration for pushing for rate caps to limit the cost for customers. Representative os Exelon subsidiary Commonwealth Edison estimate that the entire package will result in an average monthly bill increase of less than 25 cents for residential customers in northern Illinois over a 13-year period. The bill caps the increase at that level. Ameren Illinois, meanwhile, estimates that its downstate residential customers will see a 12-cent increase on average. The average increase over the 13-year period is capped at 35 cents for Ameren customers. In the end, the measure passed with bipartisan support. Rep. Mike Smiddy, D-Hillsdale, said it will provide an economic boost to his district and the state. Smiddy, who lost a re-election bid last month, added that it was meaningful to see the bill passed before he departs. Going out on this legislation is something I can hang my hat on, he said. However, the bill also faced strong opposition from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, many of whom viewed it as a bailout for a profitable corporation. The bill faced intense opposition from some business groups, including the Illinois Manufacturers Association and other large energy users. The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, made up of environmental and consumer groups, praised the bills passage. This bill includes elements of difficult compromise, but ultimately this is a tremendous victory for Illinois, the coalition said in a prepared statement. We commend members of the General Assembly from both sides of the aisle for their passage of the bill and we urge Governor Rauner to sign it to jump start Illinois clean energy economy. Hunters who call both the Illinois and Iowa Quad-Cities home will aim to harvest a deer this weekend during the peak of each state's respective firearm and shotgun seasons. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources expects 75,000 hunters decked in blaze orange-colored clothing for safety to head into the timber during the five-day shotgun season, which officially begins Saturday. As of Friday morning, 65 percent of the state's licenses had been sold. Meanwhile, Illinois' second weekend of the firearm season began on Thursday and ends Sunday. Hunters in Illinois harvested 54,452 deer during the state's first weekend of firearm season, according to the DNR. From Nov. 18-20, hunters harvested a combined total of 1,346 deer in the following Quad-City-area counties: Rock Island County: 552 Henry County: 404 Whiteside County: 390 Successful hunters in Illinois must report their harvest by 10 p.m. on the day of the kill. Hunters can report their deer online using the automated check-in system at dnr.illinois.gov or by calling 1-866-452-4325. In Iowa, hunters must report their harvest by midnight the day after recovering the deer. Hunters can report their deer online at iowadnr.gov, by calling the toll free reporting number 1-800-771-4692 or at any license vendor. While state officials say the number of hunters in Iowa has slowly decreased over the past decade, active hunters have noticed fewer whitetails the past several years than in the early 2000s. A decade ago, state lawmakers instructed the agency to reduce the deer population following decades of steady growth. Throughout all of last year's seasons, hunters in Iowa harvested 105,401 deer, down 30 percent from the 2006 peak. Andrew Norton, state deer biologist for the Iowa DNR, predicts a similar harvest in 2016. The late and mild winter Iowa experienced during the 2015-16 deer season will be good news for hunters, Norton said, as food sources were readily available and deer were not overly stressed by inclement weather. About 50,000 hunters are expected to participate in the second shotgun deer season in Iowa from Dec. 10-18. CWD testing The Iowa DNR will continue collecting tissue samples this year from harvested deer to test for chronic wasting disease, or CWD, in the state's wild herd. To date, Allamakee County is the only county in the state where CWD has been detected. However, the disease remains a constant threat along some of Iowa's borders with neighboring states, including Illinois and Wisconsin, where CWD cases have been confirmed. Curt Kemmerer, a Maquoketa-based wildlife biologist for the DNR, said he needs as many hunters as possible to participate in counties along the Mississippi River. "Our crews will come to you to collect the tissue sample," he said, noting the process takes just a few minutes. "We're particularly interested in working with new hunters, as their samples may provide data for areas where we currently have none." The DNR hopes to collect 4,500 samples this year, and most of them will be taken during the first half of this month. More than 120,000 hunters are expected to participate in the two shotgun seasons. Sampling involves removing and testing the lymph nodes of mature deer. Since 2002, more than 55,000 wild deer in Iowa have been tested. CWD was first detected in Allamakee County's wild herd in 2013. Contact Kemmerer at 563-357-2035 or curt.kemmerer@dnr.iowa.gov. HUSH Quad-Citians Jim and Amy Mitchell process their first harvest every year at Johnnie's Meat Market in west Davenport and donate it through Iowa's Help Us Stop Hunger, or HUSH, program. During the 2015-16 hunting season, 3,361 deer were donated, generating 604,088 meals. HUSH works with 81 participating lockers to provide high-quality meat to needy Iowans through the Food Bank of Iowa. Field-dressed deer are skinned, de-boned, ground into two-pound packages and distributed to needy families. Hunters fund the program by paying a $1 surcharge with each deer tag purchase. Processors receive $75 for their end of the work. The Food Bank of Iowa oversees distribution and picks up $5. Each locker will accept whole deer and require the hunter to fill out a Hunter HUSH card. Hunters do not need to pay a fee at any locker. For a list of participating sites, go to iowahush.com. Q. I was with some friends the other evening, and we were discussing how Americans "pull together" when needed. Being a car guy, I am aware of what Ford, Studebaker, Chrysler, Packard and General Motors did during World War II to convert auto production into the war effort. None of us knew what happened locally with Case, Farmall and Deere inside their manufacturing plants. We know they had to keep producing some farm equipment ... but did they also convert to military manufacturing as well? Duane, Eldridge A. Here is what we found: "With the start of World War II, Case's tractors were in even greater demand. More than 15,000 of its tractors went to the military between 1941 and 1945. New tractors were designed and manufactured with war-needs in mind. Case was also producing items such as shells, aircraft wings, and gun mounts for the war effort. Case devoted much more wartime engineering to federal production than did Deere or Caterpillar, which left it at a disadvantage at the war's end. Nonetheless, the postwar demand for farm machinery outpaced supply and Case's lost wartime share soon seemed recoverable." "With the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, the United States found itself at war. During the next few years, all efforts were aimed at winning the war. To supply American troops with war materials, tanks, planes, and a complete array of military hardware, normal civilian production was curtailed, and in some cases completely halted. "International Harvester Company produced a wide variety of war materials at its various manufacturing plants including tanks, trucks, crawler tractors, torpedoes, and literally thousands of other items. Harvester's patriotic role during World War II, and later, during the Korean conflict, deserves special mention." Source: 150 Years of International Harvester by Charles H. Wendel, page 407 Here is a link to more detailed information from "The Big Book of Farmall Tractors:" bit.ly/1XcK6A7. International Harvester also produced a video about its war effort during World War II: bit.ly/2gFBZME. "Nationalistic pride swelled at John Deeres U.S. facilities during World War I and II. This employee was helping assemble the tail wheel for a P-47 fighter plane in 1942. Eleven John Deere factories had a hand in assembling 2,190 MG-1 military tractors. The company also had contracts to produce ammunition and mobile laundry units. By the end of World War II, about 4,500 employees almost one-third of the workforce had entered military service. There was even a John Deere ordnance battalion with 700 employee enlistees who spent 28 months in the European theater." Source: Genuine Value: The John Deere Journey, pages 50-51 To view original pages about war production in the Quad-Cities during World War II, visit qctimes.com/askthetimes. The East Moline Police Department is seeking the public's help in solving a recent string of business burglaries. The burglaries have been in the city's industrial park area. Over the past week suspects have broken into several buildings and taken three John Deere zero turn, 1026R and 455 riding lawn mowers along with shop tools and other items. A Viola, Illinois, man was sentenced Thursday to 11 years in federal prison for robbing a U.S. Post Office in Taylor Ridge last year. Walker L. Hampton, 41, pleaded guilty in June in U.S. District Court, Rock Island, to robbery of U.S. government property, brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, felon in possession of firearms and possession of stolen firearms. At 8:35 a.m. Jan. 24, 2015, a man later identified as Hampton walked into the Post Office at 6928 134th Ave. W. and displayed a Jimenez Arms 9mm handgun, according to police and court documents. Hampton demanded money from two employees and then left on foot with an undetermined amount of money, according to the documents. Prosecutors have said Hampton went on to commit several burglaries in Viola and Rock Island County after the post office robbery. He was arrested a month later by the Mercer County Sheriff's deputies. A federal grand jury indicted Hampton in May 2015. In a short statement before sentencing, Hampton apologized to the victims and his family and said he had been "desperate," destitute and in a deeply depressed state at the time of the robbery. "I wasn't right in my head," he said. "I wasn't right emotionally, and I really regret it. All of it." U.S. District Judge Sara Darrow sentenced Hampton to a mandatory seven-year sentence on the brandishing a firearm charge and three four-year concurrent sentences on the remaining charges. The brandishing a firearm charge will run consecutive, or back-to-back, with the three other sentences for a total of 11 years. Once he completes his prison sentence, he will serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Darrow also ordered Hampton to pay $102.80 in restitution to the post office and $21 to the two employees. A Bettendorf man on parole for an Illinois drug offense was back behind bars after police say they found cocaine and crack cocaine in a rental vehicle he was using. Cortez D. Harris, 22, appeared in Scott County District Court Friday via closed circuit-TV. He faces two counts of controlled substance violation and used or expired drug tax stamp. One of the controlled substance charges is a Class B felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison. Bond was set at $50,000 cash-only. He will be arraigned Dec. 22. Harris was arrested Thursday morning during a traffic stop on the Interstate 74 bridge, Bettendorf Police Capt. Keith Kimball said. According to court records, police executed a search warrant on Harris home in the 2100 block of Oak Street at 8:23 a.m. Nov. 15. Officers found a half pound of marijuana, which Harris said was his, in an easily accessible drawer in the kitchen. Harris was charged with a controlled substance violation and failure to affix a drug stamp. He also was wanted on an outstanding warrant in Rock Island County. He posted $10,300 through a bail bonds company and was released from the Scott County Jail on Nov. 16. A second person, Kierra S. Mayes, 22, was arrested on misdemeanor drug and child endangerment charges. In an arrest affidavit filed in support of the new charges, police say a rental car that Harris was seen operating was towed to the Bettendorf Police Department following the search of his home. After obtaining a warrant, police searched the vehicle and found 64.33 grams of cocaine, 30.13 grams of crack cocaine, three individual bags containing 8.3 grams of cocaine, one bag containing 8.17 grams of cocaine and a digital scale. None of the drugs found in the vehicle was affixed with an Iowa drug tax stamp, according to the affidavit. A witness told police that Harris said after bonding out of jail that he had cocaine in the rental vehicle, according to the affidavit. Harris was paroled in June 2015 after serving a little more than a year of a four-year sentence on a cocaine charge in Rock Island County. A recent study on the effectiveness of summer reading programs calls into question a state law designed to help all Iowa children learn to read by third grade. The study is by the Iowa Reading Research Center, affiliated with the University of Iowa College of Education, Iowa City. It found that summer school does help struggling readers maintain their skills, but not necessarily at grade level. That's the general experience of David Hlas, principal at Armstrong Elementary School, Bettendorf. Hlas said school officials can't force students to attend the school's summer reading program, and a good percentage of those who need extra help the most won't be there. "No one is forcing them, no one is holding their feet to the fire," Hlas said. In addition, the state keeps adjusting a deadline on a state law that requires students who are behind in reading by the end of third grade to be given the choice to either repeat the grade or attend summer school. "They keep pushing back the deadline," Hlas said. While the students involved might not be reading at grade level, Hlas referred to a current report that shows Iowa students progress well in reading overall. According to the recently released data from the Iowa Testing Programs and the University of Iowa, students showed more growth than expected and the highest growth came among "not-proficient" readers. The tests were on fourth-graders this year, who were in third grade last year. The "not-proficient" group was expected to grow to 12 percent, but instead improved 19 percent. The "proficient" group was expected to grow to 15 percent; it was actually 23 percent. The "advanced" group showed the smallest jump; expected to grow 20 percent, they attained 21 percent. Armstrong school in Bettendorf works on a year-round, or balanced calendar. This means the students are off six weeks during the summertime, with other off-weeks set during the school year. Hlas wishes more children would attend the summer school, which is held during the six-week summer period, but children are often on vacations or with their families. "They can't always come so we work on that," he said. (The Associated Press contributed to this report.) DES MOINES President-elect Donald Trumps victory tour includes a scheduled stop in Iowa. Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence are scheduled to hold a rally Thursday at the Iowa Events Center in downtown Des Moines, the Trump campaign confirmed Friday. Trump has been visiting various cities to celebrate his election victory and rally supporters across the country. He started the tour this week in Cincinnati and has another scheduled stop in North Carolina. Trump won Iowa by nearly 10 percentage points en route to his Nov. 8 election victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton. Back in February, Trump finished second in the Iowa Republican caucuses to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. Trump made a strong play for Iowa during the general election, appearing at seven events over six campaign trips here, according to the National Journals campaign tracker. During his final campaign stop in Iowa, in Sioux City on the Sunday before the election, Trump told supporters there was an urgency to the election. As our country, this is never going to happen again, he said at that event. This is your last chance to make our country truly, truly great again. Iowa Democrats, in anticipation of Trumps victory tour visit, said Thursday at a news conference that they think their role under President-elect Trump is to hold his administration accountable. Were asking for (Trump) to start acting like the president-elect and less like candidate Trump, Nate Boulton, an incoming Iowa state senator, said at a news conference at a Des Moines union hall. I think thats the point that were trying to make here: Going around doing continued rallies and continued tweeting seems to feel like a campaign more. We want to see that transition into governing and governing responsibly. Sorry, Gov. Rauner. Voting fraud is basically non-existent in U.S. elections, regardless of what your party's standard-bearer says. Illinois' Republican lawmakers bailed Tuesday on a bill that would have instituted automatic voter registration, a much-needed component of expanding voter participation. Many House Republicans supported the legislation earlier this year, only to slither away this week during a failed override of Bruce Rauner's veto. Rauner claimed he liked the "intent" of the legislation in his veto message. He scuttled it, apparently, because it lacked protections against "fraud." No. Stop right there. Voter fraud has, for years, been a GOP straw man used to suppress voters who, because of race or income, aren't likely to support Republicans. Court after court has lambasted states for shamelessly disenfranchising racial minorities, particularly blacks. Just this week, President-elect Donald Trump referenced the long-time GOP bugaboo during a patented Twitter tirade about why he lost the popular vote on Nov. 8. Even members of Trump's own party rejected his unhinged rantings, which are a direct attack on the credibility of local and state elections officials of all political stripes. Election experts have repeatedly shown that documented cases of voter fraud are literally in the dozens in national elections. Fact-averse Trump reckons, without support, it's actually in the "millions" and only in states he lost to Democrat Hillary Clinton. Again, there is no consequential fraud in American elections. It's one of the "great" things about the U.S., in fact. Anecdotally, the handful of documented cases from Nov. 8 indicate a small movement among Trump supporters to game the system, including one case right here in Iowa. Revved up by Trump's rantings about a "rigged" election, they showed up blind to the irony and committed the very fraud their preferred candidate railed against. Love Rauner or hate him, though, he's no Trump. He doesn't call for crackdowns on dissent. He doesn't rail against the rights of those who oppose him. Nor is he hoping to distract from accusations of fraud and conflicts of interest. Rauner's no wanna-be strongman. Yet he and his General Assembly minions opted to carry the same reprehensible banner of political repression. In reality, it's about politics. Rauner's interest isn't some narcissistic need for self affirmation like Trump. He simply wants to win. Instituting the program now could empower tens of thousands of would-be voters prior to Rauner's re-election bid. Keeping them from the polls is the cynical strategy. Representing these voters and their interests, after all, would take actual work. Illinois Democrats own much of the historic blame for Illinois' spiraling crisis. That said, the assault on democracy mounted by Rauner and General Assembly Republicans is just as shameful as when Democrats draw district maps that ensure their continued stranglehold on the state. Supporting Rauner's goals to increase efficiency and cut costs is one thing. Backing the GOP's blatant war on voters is something no one should stomach. CEDAR FALLS Throughout his time on campus, University of Northern Iowa presidential finalist Mark Nook has been asking people the question, "What makes the university special?" Nook told the crowd gathered for a public forum Thursday that hes gotten a universal answer. Its community. And everyone knows how to talk about it, Nook said. Nook, who currently serves as chancellor at Montana State University Billings, said he was loath to talk about the best way to sell UNI to others until he learned more from the people on campus. But he said the concepts of community and student success have been clear messages in his research about the university and through his conversations on campus. Another thing we need to articulate that I havent heard people talk about until I started to mention it and that is we educate Iowans for Iowa, and nobody else does it like we do, Nook said. Thats a place we can put a stake in the ground and nobody else can claim," he said. "We need to put that stake in the ground and it needs to be a big, tall stake, with a purple and gold flag at the top of it, and let other people try to take it away from us. They wont be able to. Nook, 58, is one of three finalists vying for the job of UNIs 11th president. Neil Theobald, former president at Temple University, and Jim Wohlpart, the university's interim president, have already been interviewed. In the spring, former UNI President Bill Ruud announced he was taking a job at a small liberal arts college in Ohio. The presidential search committee will receive feedback over the weekend and meet Monday to discuss the candidate visits. They will then meet with the Iowa Board of Regents, which will interview the three finalists Tuesday. The regents are expected to announce the universitys next president Tuesday afternoon. Nooks presentation centered on the role and place for comprehensive public universities like UNI, that he said are not on a continuum between large public research institutions and small private liberal arts colleges, but rather are their own entity that overlaps both, and has room for research and a commitment to the liberal arts. We take Iowa students and we make Iowa leaders and Iowa professionals. Its the real hallmark of comprehensives, Nook said. Its more important that we educate Iowans to stay in Iowa and grow Iowa and UNI will do that as well as and better than almost anywhere else you can think of and find in our state. Nook, who said he was raised in Iowa, said Iowans sometimes suffer from heroic humility or militant modesty, in failing to adequately celebrate their successes. He said the role of the president is to be aware of and publicly celebrate the universitys successes. He also discussed the myriad challenges and opportunities facing UNI, particularly the way the outside describes and questions the role of universities. Among them, he said were questions surrounding the value of higher education, the value of the liberal arts and the value of tenure. Nook then went on to defend the importance of each. He praised the universitys recently completed strategic plan for placing so highly the values of student success and growing diversity and inclusion on campus. Nook praised universities like UNI for growing its diversity, but he said they still had a ways to go to be fully inclusive. Particularly, Nook noted that UNIs retention rates for underrepresented students on campus was below its general retention rates and below that of its peers. I believe the future is bright for regional comprehensive universities, public comprehensive universities but especially here, because I have seen a commitment from the students, from the faculty and the staff to making this a place focused on student success, Nook said. The public forum is available online at iowaregents.edu. This afternoon will be cloudy with a high near 41 degrees, but get ready for some possible weekend snow. The National Weather Service is forecasting a 40 percent chance of snow late Saturday and into Sunday. The high temperature for the day will be in the upper 30s. On Sunday snow is likely before 11 a.m. then rain and snow with new snow accumulation of around an inch possible. Skies will be cloudy with a high near 40 degrees and a low around 30 degrees. Snow in Hawaii too? Yep, up to a foot predicted It's wintertime in Hawaii. The National Weather Service in Honolulu has issued a winter storm warning for the summits of Hawaii's Big Island as wind and snow engulf the high peaks. Up to a foot of snow is possible on the summits of Hawaii's Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa volcanoes above 12,000 feet. Workers at the summit of Mauna Kea, where several of the world's most advanced telescopes are located, have been removing wind swept snow drifts along the access road all day. The summit is currently closed to the public because of icy and dangerous conditions. Meteorologists say the summits could see periods of heavy snow with wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour through tonight. East Moline police seek burglary suspects The East Moline Police Department is seeking the public's help in solving a recent string of business burglaries. The burglaries have been in the city's industrial park area. Over the past week suspects have broken into several buildings and taken three John Deere zero turn, 1026R and 455 riding lawn mowers along with shop tools and other items. Anyone with information is asked to contact the East Moline Police at 309-797-0401 or Crime Stoppers at 309-762-9500. Eager beaver knocks over store's Christmas decorations Even beavers are getting into the holiday spirit. That's what one sheriff's office discovered this week when it spotted a curious beaver checking out Christmas decorations at a dollar store outside of Washington, D.C. The St. Mary County Sheriff's office in Maryland says the beaver walked through the door at the Dollar General, wandered into the Christmas section checked out the artificial trees before knocking down a few items. The disgruntled shopper was finally safely removed by animal control. Sheriff's office Spokeswoman Jennifer Stone says the animal has since been released to a wildlife rehabilitator. Stone says the animal did not cause any property damage. The sheriff's office wrote on Facebook that as an officer "you never know what your next call may be." PIERRE | How dire is the financial situation facing state government? The people of South Dakota will find out from the governor Tuesday. The budget recommendations that Gov. Dennis Daugaard delivers to a joint assembly will mark the second time he must take a difficult message to state lawmakers. This isnt the same level of crisis he faced in January 2011, when he took office as South Dakota and the nation were struggling back from the Great Recession. But in many ways South Dakotas economy has remained stuck in slow gear during the years since, failing to get back to the same growth track as before the crashes of 2007 and 2008. One point the governor must make Tuesday is that state government has been overspending this year. State sales-tax receipts came in below estimates each month from July through October. The November numbers arent in yet. The shortfall for those four months has produced $20 million less in revenue, so far, for the current fiscal 2017 budget, which the Legislature set in March. The Legislature starts the new session on Jan. 10, past the halfway point of the 2017 fiscal year as lawmakers start considering possible changes in the current budget. Some Republican legislators and the Republican governor considered whether a special session of the Legislature might be called to repeal or amend Initiated Measure 22, the anti-corruption act that voters approved Nov. 8. The legislators went with a lawsuit instead. There has been no discussion about calling a special session before the end of the year relating to the budget, Tony Venhuizen, the governors chief of staff, said Thursday. Sen. Corey Brown, R-Gettysburg, said he didnt think anyone was expecting a special session on the budget situation. My guess is, he'll lay out a plan during his budget address and then give legislators some time to think that through and gauge their reaction, Brown said Thursday. If there are any big moves required by the Legislature, I'm guessing that three or four weeks probably wouldn't change much." Venhuizen said the governor will ask legislators to adjust the current budget and will make his recommendations for the fiscal 2018 budget, which will start July 1. The Governors Budget Address always includes both updates to the current years budget and a proposal for next years budget, and this year will be no different, Venhuizen said. The state Bureau of Finance and Management posted a photo of the budget proposal booklet on Twitter on Thursday morning. The governor goes into the 2017 legislative session without Jason Dilges, who was commissioner of finance and management for eight years under previous governor Mike Rounds and nearly six years under Daugaard. The governor placed Dilges on administrative leave in November for an undisclosed reason. Dilges later resigned. Since that incident, Lt. Gov. Matt Michels has overseen the bureau and state economist Jim Terwilliger is leading the budget work. Venhuizen said the governor will make a permanent appointment at some point after the budget speech. If the current $20 million shortfall for four months continued for a full year, state government would be $60 million below the budget plan. That would be the equivalent of the additional funding for K-12 teachers and schools that was sought by the governor and approved by the Legislature in the 2016 session. To pay for it, the Legislature raised the state sales tax, at the governors request, to 4.5 percent from 4 percent. The governors position is that the situation will turn around and that specific circumstances led to the under-performance of sales-tax revenue in each of the four months reported so far. Tight revenue would be felt in many areas of state government and in the institutions and services that are funded through state revenues. A partial list would include: Payments to providers of Medicaid services; Salaries for state government employees; Aid to public schools; and Tuition at state universities. Special projects also would be affected, such as a new animal-disease laboratory at South Dakota State University. DEADWOOD | South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard told a gathering of forest and rangeland managers, timber industry representatives and conservation groups Thursday that the only way they will achieve their goals is through collaboration. Speaking to about 60 attendees at the Western Governors Association conference on its National Forest and Rangeland Management Initiative, Daugaard lauded the WGAs non-partisan efforts to manage public resources, battle mountain pine beetles and address issues common to all 19 Western states the group represents. Over the last few years, I have been an active member of the Western Governors Association because its a non-partisan organization that gets things done, he said. In an election year, its easy to see how America can become polarized, and we are polarized in many ways. But Daugaard said that through the leadership of Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, who chairs the WGA, state and federal agencies as well as private landowners and timber industry representatives worked together to examine existing forest management programs to determine strengths and weaknesses, created mechanisms to share best practices, and conducted a detailed examination to understand how collaboration could lead to healthier forests and rangelands. Located in the highest reaches of the fabled Black Hills, the popular tourist destination was a beautiful forest and an economic engine, as well, said Daugaard, who will become the WGA's chairman in June. The Black Hills has been a model of active forest management for years, he said. It has continually been a top lumber-producing forest while also maintaining its scenic value to visitors. I think a big part of the success of the Black Hills is tied to the relationships that have been developed amongst federal, state and local governments together with industry and other stakeholders." This weeks two-day workshop in Deadwood is the final of three meetings on the initiative, from which the WGA will issue a report next summer. A Pine Ridge man who will stand trial in the 2015 murder of his son is facing one fewer offense after federal prosecutors dropped his charge of felony child abuse and neglect. James Shangreaux, 34, is still charged with first-degree murder and felony child abuse-aggravated battery of an infant in the death of his 20-month-old son in April 2015. Shangreauxs charging document says he inflicted head and abdominal injuries on the toddler in March 2015, causing brain damage and internal bleeding. The U.S. Attorneys Office asked the federal court on Nov. 15 to dismiss Shangreauxs third charge in the interest of justice, according to court records. This came two weeks after John Murphy, Shangreauxs attorney, had asked the court to dismiss the felony child abuse and neglect charge, saying it is legally and factually deficient and fails to describe a public offense. In an Oct. 28 court filing, Murphy said the charge does not exist as a crime in either federal or South Dakota law. He said federal prosecutors combined provisions of federal, state criminal and state civil law, which is not allowed and does not clearly lay out the elements of a criminal offense. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Collins said her office was not conceding to the defenses request but felt it was best to dismiss the charge to not cause undue confusion for the jury. The district courts chief judge, Jeffrey Viken, granted the dismissal on Tuesday. Shangreaux is detained without bond at the Pennington County Jail. He is scheduled to go on trial in federal court in Rapid City on Jan. 3. If convicted of the murder charge, Shangreaux will face life in prison. The deceased childs mother, Emmy Rouillard, is serving 2 years in federal prison for injuring the boy during a drunken fight with her boyfriend last year. Rouillards boyfriend, Robert Red Shirt, was sentenced to four years for the same crime, which happened about three weeks before the toddler died. PIERRE | South Dakota farmers produced winter wheat during the past growing season like never before, but much of it remains in storage because of weak wheat prices. With so much wheat still on hand, more land in South Dakota probably will be planted to stronger-priced soybeans for the coming season. Those were two key points of a discussion Monday among members of the South Dakota Wheat Commission at its regular meeting. Farmers planted 1,180,000 acres to winter wheat in fall 2015. That was down 17 percent from 2014. Yet they harvested 63.8 million bushels this year, a 49 percent increase over the prior year. The average yield of 58 bushels per acre set a South Dakota record for winter wheat, passing the 55 bushels mark from 2008 and 2014. Winter wheat, the good news was, it was a record; the bad news was, it was a record, said Reid Christopherson, wheat commission executive director. It was quite exceptional, commissioner Chet Edinger of Mitchell said. Spring wheat was average but was disease-free and there was good milling quality, according to Christopherson. South Dakota farmers planted 1,080,000 acres to spring wheat this year, a decrease of 19 percent. The yield averaged 45 bushels per acre, down three bushels from 2015. The overall harvest of spring wheat totaled 47.3 million bushels for South Dakota, a 22 percent decline from 2015. As of Sept. 30, wheat stocks stood at 129 million bushels in South Dakota, with 66 million bushels on hand on farms and 62.9 million bushels in off-farm storage. Commissioner Tregg Cronin of Gettysburg said wheat prices fell so far so fast in late spring and early summer that farmers he knew, facing $1.98 per bushel, gave up. Everybody threw in the towel the 10nth of June, he said. Cronin said theres no price premium right now. Wheat is wheat on the spring wheat side, he said. Millers are using as much high-grade winter wheat as they can, he added. This falls winter wheat looked to be progressing almost as good as one year ago through mid-November. Edinger said wheat acres are down considerably in his area. Everybody is gaga soybeans now, he said. Commissioner Clint Vanneman of Ideal said conditions had been a little dry for winter wheat. Commissioner Leo Warrington of Bristol said he had good production of spring wheat. He said conditions in his area arent as wet as they had been. Our potholes are all dry. Our sloughs are going down, Warrington said. The commission hosted Jason Scott, chairman of U.S. Wheat Associates, for a presentation on marketing and export efforts. Scott, who farms in Maryland, said wheat prices arent good, exports are up and the market is in a fourth year of record consumption, with a lot more competition including from the Black Sea region where wheat is selling for 50 to 75 cents less than U.S. wheat. We know we can beat the Black Sea on quality. We just cant beat them on price, he said. The U.S. market share is down but the global wheat market is growing, Scott said. He explained that U.S. Wheat closed its office in Egypt because U.S. exports cant compete there. But the U.S. exports are still strong in Taiwan and Japan. Some of the new growth areas for U.S. wheat include the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, according to Scott. U.S. wheat exports to those four nations were up 55 percent, at 32.4 million bushels so far in the 2016-2017 marketing year through Nov. 15. That included growth of U.S. wheat exports to Philippines from 13.1 million bushels as of last November to 20 million this November. Another area of emphasis is Latin America and Caribbean countries. Hurting U.S. wheat producers has been Chinas decision to set its 2017 wheat price at $9.50 per bushel for what its farmers shall be paid. Scott said that has a $653 million negative impact on U.S. farm revenue. Detention of Federal Guard Service General in bribery case upheld MOSCOW, December 2 (RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko) The Third District Military Court of Moscow has upheld detention of the head of the Federal Guard Service (FSO) in Caucasus region, General Gennady Lopyrev who stands charged with taking a grand bribe, his lawyer Ruslan Zakolyuzhny told RAPSI on Friday. The ruling will be appealed, the attorney added. Lopyrev was arrested on November 25 following an internal check conducted in the FSO units in Caucasus region. Later in the evening, the 94th Garrison Military Court ruled to put him in jail until January 23. Investigators claim that Lopyrev took bribes from businessmen for protection during signing and execution of government contracts on construction and repair works. He pleaded not guilty. Russian media outlets reported earlier that the case may be connected with the construction of the Olympic venues in Sochi. Yandex still seeks to be third party in Googles dispute with antimonopoly agency MOSCOW, December 2 (RAPSI) The Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals has set the date it will consider a Yandex motion seeking to overturn a decision refusing it to intervene in the lawsuit filed by Google against Russias Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) over a 438 million rubles ($6.7 million) fine on December 22, the courts records show on Friday. Earlier, a court dismissed Yandex petition to join the lawsuit as a third party and ruled to try the case in camera. The case is to be examined on merits on December 8 by the Moscow Commercial Court. On August 17, the Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals dismissed an appeal filed by Google against a ruling that the U.S. company had broken Russian anti-monopoly legislation by abusing its dominance on the Russian market of mobile applications. In early August, FAS announced that it had fined Google 438 million rubles ($6.7 million) for violating administrative legislation. On September 18, 2015, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) found Google guilty of violation the legislation. On March 15, 2016, the Moscow Commercial Court dismissed Googles petition requesting to abolish the FAS decision and order issued in September 2015, which stated that the company had violated the Federal Law on Protection of Competition and accusing it of abuse of dominance on the market of preinstalled applications in the Android operating system. Russian national sentenced to 3 years in prison for attempt to join ISIS MOSCOW, December 2 (RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko) A military court in Rostov-on-Don, a Russian city in the Northern Caucasus, had convicted Feitulakh Nametulayev for an attempt to join Islamic State, a terrorist organization banned in Russia, and sentenced him to three years in jail, the courts press service told RAPSI on Friday. The court had found Nametulayev guilty of organizing activities of a terrorist group and participation in the activities carried out by such a group and sentenced him to three years in prison, RAPSI learnt in the court. The court and investigators established that in 2014 Nametulayev became a supporter of religions ideology of radical Islam and decided to travel to Syria seeking to join ISIS. In 2015, the defendant undertook three attempts to go to Syria. The case was tried according to a special procedure that being an indication of a plea bargain on the part of the defendant and his complete abandonment of the criminal purpose. The Islamic State, an organization which is prohibited in Russia, is currently one of the major threats to global security. Over three years, these terrorists have managed to seize large areas of Iraq and Syria. The organization is also attempting to spread its influence to North Africa particularly, Libya. The area controlled by ISIS covers up to 90,000 square kilometers. Foreign intelligence agencies planned cyberattacks against Russian financial system - FSB MOSCOW, December 2 (RAPSI) - Foreign intelligence agencies were preparing massive cyberattacks aimed to destabilize the financial system of Russia, the Federal Security Service (FSB) reported Friday. The FSB found out that a command center and server powers for the planned attacks are based in the Netherlands and owned by the Ukrainian web hosting company BlazingFast, the statement on its website reads. The cyberattacks, namely SMS spamming and provocative publications on social networks about Russias credit crunch, revocation of the leading banks licenses and bankruptcy, were to be launched on December 5. Scores of Russian cities could become their targets, according to the FSB. The Federal Security Service's officers are currently doing everything they can to neutralize threats to the countrys economic and information security, the statement says. The fishing reports have been rolling in from all over Montana. The nice weather the state has been experiencing has definitely made for an uptick in anglers getting out and spending time on the water. Matt Mackinaw and I made a trip over to Holter Reservoir last week, where we found the trout fishing to be fantastic. We were trolling the Oxbow Bend area by the cabins for the best luck. A pink Syclops and a brown trout-colored Viking worked best for us as we trolled 2 miles per hour with the lures about 10 feet below the surface. Bob Culp made the trip to Holter last weekend and did very well fishing with his grandson from Great Falls, Cash Clark. I also heard from Scott Arnold of the Bitterroot Valley, who made the trip to Holter and got into perch. "I found a large school of perch and caught a lot of nice size perch most in the 10- to 11-inch range," Arnold said. Arnold also reported a friend of his was fishing for walleye by the Gates of the Mountains last weekend on Holter and did very well using jigs tipped with leeches in 20 to 25 feet of water. Steve Hellegaard of Missoula went to Holter last Friday with Brian Jones and Gregg Cooney, also from Missoula, and they said the trout bite was red hot. So the trout season is off to a roaring start over at Holter, as it is at Hauser and Canyon Ferry reservoirs, too. The trout bite is normally good for the whole month of May. I received a report from Adam Strainer of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks concerning the spring spawning survey on Canyon Ferry. The spawn has yet to materialize at our standard locations on the south end of Canyon Ferry Reservoir or mother nature hasnt allowed us to leave our traps out fishing," he said. "Recent springtime weather patterns simply havent produced optimal conditions and the lack of fish continues to tell the same story. Also, water levels in the reservoir are higher than normal for this time of year and effective sampling may potentially be a factor in 2015. To date, weve sampled 105 walleye, primarily males, and almost 900 rainbow trout. Smaller walleye, fewer rainbow trout and an increase in the number of suckers is what FWP staff are seeing right now in the reservoir and is typically an indicator that the spawning window is closing." Strainer also said they are tagging fish, but have not reached their objective on that either. To date, weve surgically implanted seven brown trout in the river, five walleye in the river and four walleye in the reservoir," he said. "Our goal is to implant 10 total brown trout, 10 total northern pike and eight walleye each in the river and reservoir, respectively. So, were getting closer to meeting our objectives for brown trout and walleye." Over east on Fort Peck Reservoir, the walleye spawn is over and those big females that head to the Dry Arm to spawn are now on the bite, reports Bill of Rock Creek Marina. Brady Babb from Wolf Point caught a 32.24-inch walleye that weighed 12.15 pounds, and then Tim Markle caught a 23-pound catfish near the marina in an area we call the China Wall at McGuire Creek on a minnow," he said. *** Mark Wards statewide Montana Outdoor Radio Show airs Saturdays from 6 to 8 a.m. in Missoula on KGVO 1290 AM. Email Ward at captain@montanaoutdoor.com. Memorial Day weekend should offer some good fishing opportunities for families on lakes and rivers across Montana. Rock Creek might be the one local river in prime condition as the watch is on for its famed salmonfly hatch. The blue-ribbon trout stream east of Missoula could be right in the middle of the salmonfly hatch by the time the weekend arrives. Call the Rock Creek Fishermans Mercantile at (406) 825-6440 for river and fishing conditions. Lakes this time of the year are always a good bet. The three-day holiday weekend makes it possible for families to spend time together while they enjoy camping and fishing. The first lake that comes to mind for a great family camping/fishing experience is Lake Mary Ronan. The lake is, without question, one of the prettiest in western Montana. The kokanee fishing is normally good on Lake Mary Ronan anglers young and old alike can enjoy catching salmon while anchored over a school of fish. It's not uncommon to see boats loaded with silvers from 9 to 12 inches. Every day, the salmon seem to want something a little bit different. It might be raw shrimp with a splash of shrimp oil, or maggots with a splash of shrimp lotion. Most anglers will have a setup that consists of a colored Swedish Pimple followed by a Glo Hook, with about 4 to as much as 10 inches of leader below the Swedish Pimple. My son William, Devin Huntley, Alex Jehle of Missoula and I had good luck on Lake Mary Ronan last weekend jigging in 27 feet of water. Trollers like using a flasher with a wedding ring that is tipped with a maggot. Bring along nightcrawlers because Lake Mary Ronan can also offer some great perch fishing. Browns Lake is another very popular lake this time of the year. Try trolling a Midge Wobbler or a Mepps Spinner; some anglers also seem to do well trolling a wooly bugger about 5 to 10 feet below the surface. Anglers like to go to Georgetown Lake for the kokanee salmon and trout bite during Memorial Day weekend. And dont forget, Lake Como south of Darby is another lake with fishing opportunities and magnificent scenery. Salmon, Placid and Seeley lakes are great places to enjoy camping or just a day fishing. I fished for kokanee on Salmon Lake on Monday evening and caught my limit of five fish in less than an hour trolling a wedding ring with a flasher with two colors East of the mountains, Holter, Hauser and Canyon Ferry might be the place to go. This time of year, trout are running 5 to 18 feet below the surface. Trolling the Jointed Rapalas of orange, fire tiger, gold, brown and brookie color seem to work best for me in those depths. A green Needlefish, a gold Thomas Cyclone or a fire tiger Lindy Viking spoon will also produce fish. Walleye fishing should start to pick up on Canyon Ferry any day now, so it might be a good idea to give the south end of the lake at try. On Holter, the perch fishing has been very good. If you want to go after king salmon, head to the Clearwater River in Idaho. If the river doesnt blow out like it did earlier this week after it rained, the salmon fishing should be excellent. *** Mark Wards statewide "Montana Outdoor Radio Show" airs Saturdays from 6 to 8 a.m. in Missoula on KGVO 1290 AM. Email Ward at captain@montanaoutdoor.com. The Corvallis Primary Art Show is underway with the school hallways lined with framed works by budding artists in preparation for an art sale during parent teacher conference, Dec. 6-8. Parents At Work in our Schools (PAWS) is a new parent group initiated by parents to support Corvallis Primary School. Volunteers assist with fundraising, classroom supplies, communication and in-class help. They offer their energy, talents and time to the school. Its a group of parents coming together to help out with school, said Tisha Weber a PAWS volunteer. Harlene Marks has taken it on and is organizing everyone. This is our first year and any money we raise goes directly to the school. We are working closely with Principal Mrs. Stranahan and the teachers to find needs we can help with. Weber said the group discovered the school needed additional funding to bring in the Artist-In-Resident program this year. We all knew from our kids positive experiences in the past that the program has a positive impact, Weber said. We decided to create an art show and sale. We came together and made it happen. The students at Corvallis Primary School learn art from their classroom teachers. The teachers selected the sample for their students and art creation began. All 450 students created works of art, like 3-D drawing and directed drawing, knowing the works were part of the show and sale. During the Thanksgiving break, PAWS volunteers framed each piece of art and created displays of the work. The school halls are filled with masterpieces that parents, grandparents or guardians will make a donation toward and take with them at parent teacher conferences. The suggested donation is $5. We know some people can give more and some can give less, Weber said. Our goal is to raise $600-$900, which is a portion of the cost of bringing in the Artist in Residency Program. Then there is the additional cost of supplies. We are not providing the whole amount. The school is making up the difference. This is the first year fundraising was needed to make the Artist in Residency Program possible. Principal Janice Stranahan said the Artist in Residency Program is an educational bonus. The teachers do an excellent job of teaching art, Stranahan said. This is a way to enhance the curriculum because there are so many artists and artistic styles out there. Second grade student Haley Weber said she loved the Artist in Residency Program last year and treasurers the 3-D owl watch and jewelry tray she made in first grade. We used clay to make the shape, she said. We let it dry, painted it then the artist fired it for us. I liked doing the art and I learned how to build ceramic items. Fourth grade student Lucile Greenwood created a 3-D drawing for the art show. She said the project was fun. It was tricky, she said. You drew a line then eight dots, then more lines, then coloring with crayons, markers or colored pencils. I like art, the best is painting. Fourth grade student Rogan Sutherland created a 3-D drawing filled with primary colors and black. He said he like coloring and making a design that seems to curve. Corvallis Primary School Students examine the works of great artists, like Kandinsky and Monet, and then create something similar. First grade teacher Jan St. George created a systematic YouTube video detailing how to draw and paint a fox. She shared the directed drawing training video with the other first grade teachers. Stranahan said the art curriculum is specific. It gives the teachers the focus of each grade level so the students are exposed to a number of different artists as they go through the grades in school, she said. We supplement that with something that isnt in the curriculum. We bring in different types of art - clay, stained glass, mural painting and dance. Sometimes we do acting. We try to switch it up. The Artist in Residency Program is scheduled for February. It gives the students the opportunity to work in different artistic mediums and meet artists that are making a living in the art world, Stranahan said. Weber recommends viewing the full Corvallis Primary Art Show soon. Once parent teacher conferences begin it will slowly start disappearing, she said. If you want to see the gallery, come between now and then, or at the start of the conferences. Dont wait to the end, the art will be gone. For more information on Parents At Work in our Schools like them on Facebook at facebook.com/PAWSCorvallis or email them at PAWSCorvallis@gmail.com. The numbers of students looking for a quick route into the work world continues to climb at the Bitterroot College in Hamilton. The college is holding steady on its more traditional offerings. Unofficial numbers show a slight drop in full time students this fall. As of Thursday, the numbers stood at 103.5 full time equivalents, which equates to one student taking 15 credits. Last fall semester, that number was 110.5. Bitterroot College Director Victoria Clark said the college has seen an increase in students taking career and technical training certification courses, like Commercial Drivers License (CDL), Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Phlebotomy, which are all taught through Continuing Education. We are thrilled to get these industry requests for specialized programs, Clark said. We are looking to expand to meet the requests for food service industry training called Food Entrepreneurship. Clark said the food service industry has approached the college to expand the offerings. We are expanding through Continuing Education. It allows us to be responsive in a timely manner and meets the needs of the community, she said. It is exciting and we are thrilled. Word is getting out that we can provide training and that is what we are here to do. Clark said changing careers is one reason students take classes at Bitterroot College but moving up the ladder in their current career is more common. Maybe theyve been a welder for a long time but want the certification that would enable them to continue to advance their career, she said. Expanded job skills, personal ability and marketability are important in todays job market. Clark said the college has proven itself an essential part of the pathway to education for local high school students who are unsure of their future direction. We have opened a path for local students to get their basics, she said. We are reaching out and are an easy stepping stone because we are a convenient way to experience college, have success close to home and at less cost. Clark said Bitterroot College offers smaller classes with an invested teaching staff committed to assisting students. We are a transition spot, Clark said. High school graduates may choose not go to college or might not have success without this experience first. Using us as the in-between builds confidence and experience to succeed at a bigger campus, especially if they come from a small rural school. Clark said students need multiple paths to college and attending locally helps students learn to navigate the world of attending college. She said Bitterroot College has many non-traditional students including veterans, parents and children from the same family. She said younger students see that older students have wisdom to share. The variety of age provides for an element of diverse experience for our students, Clarke said. This is not a high school experience but a step up and a step forward. Clark referred all questions about changes in administration at the University of Montana to the UM Relations Office. As the news broke about President Royce Engstrom stepping down and former Commissioner of Higher Education Sheila Stearns serving as interim president, Clark said she was uncertain of how those changes would affect the Bitterroot College. HELENA - State game wardens have identified an elk hunter mauled in November after surprising a female grizzly with cubs on the Rocky Mountain Front west of Choteau. Paul Johnson, 55, of Billings, was with a group of hunters, Nov. 20, who had shot at elk. They were hunting private land on the south fork of Willow Creek. About 9 a.m., Johnson went into a creek bottom to see if there was a wounded elk when he surprised the grizzly at about 20 yards. The bear attack lasted about 30 seconds and left Johnson with multiple injuries. As other hunters in his party approached the scene the bears left unharmed. Johnson was transported by private vehicle to the Benefis Teton Medical Center in Choteau, then by Mercy flight to Benefis Hospital in Great Falls. He has since been released from the hospital. Fish, Wildlife and Parks game wardens decided not to pursue the bear as the attack was defensive and not predatory. 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FENG YONGBIN / CHINA DAILY When the deadly Ebola epidemic was raging in Sierra Leone and other West African countries, China stepped up to provide medical personnel, drugs and other assistance. Now that the epidemic is over, China is continuing to lend a hand to Sierra Leone, as shown by the hospital assistance partnership that the two countries signed on Thursday. The agreement, between China's National Health and Family Planning Commission and Sierra Leone's Ministry of Health, was among the six cooperative documents whose signing in Beijing was overseen by President Xi Jinping and Sierra Leonean President Ernest Bai Koroma. Koroma is on a six-day visit to China. China also agreed to forgive the hard-hit African country's debt, and the two countries agreed to require no visas from holders of each other's diplomatic and other government passports. During their talks, Xi said that when the Ebola epidemic was devastating parts of West Africa in 2014, China provided more medical assistance to Sierra Leone than it had to any African country. The epidemic hit not only Sierra Leone, but also Guinea and Liberia, which also received assistance. In March 2016, the World Health Organization announced the end of Ebola flare-ups in Sierra Leone. The latest flare-up brings to 3,590 the number of dead in Sierra Leone, according to the WHO. Wu Peng, China's ambassador to Sierra Leone, said that China is helping the country build a West African tropical disease research center, which will help strengthen its health and medical services. "When the Sierra Leoneans were in difficulties, China did not let them down. We not only transported drugs and equipment in a timely way, but also dispatched medical teams and established a biological laboratory," Wu said. China provided "all of what was required in terms of personnel, drugs and medical supplies", Koroma said. On Thursday, Koroma visited the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing's Changping district, where he expressed gratitude for China's assistance. Zhang Ming, vice-foreign minister, said that the two countries have agreed to upgrade bilateral ties to the new level of comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership, which he said is the most important fruit of Koroma's visit. Sierra Leone has firmly supported China in its core interests, including the South China Sea issue and the Taiwan question, showing the high level of two-way political trust, he said. Koroma's visit to China started Wednesday. He will travel to Shandong province on Saturday and visit a steel company there. Jin Yong, deputy head of the School of Foreign Studies at the Communication University of China, said that China-Sierra Leone cooperation will benefit both sides, given that China is seeking investment opportunities overseas while Sierra Leone is still in a post-Ebola period and in great need of infrastructure construction. Chen Qiqi contributed to this story. A Letter to All of the Veterans Standing for Standing Rock From Carl Dix December 1, 2016 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us Carl Dix is a courageous freedom fighter from the 1960s who went on to become a revolutionary fighter and a communist. Dix spent two years in military prison for refusing to fight in the unjust Vietnam War. He emerged unrepentant and went on to become a founding member of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP), USA, dedicating his life to the emancipation of all humanity. Today, Carl is a follower of and advocate for Bob Avakian, his leadership and his visionary new synthesis of communism. Carl Dix and Cornel West co-founded the Stop Mass Incarceration Network (SMIN), and Rise Up October that brought thousands into the streets in New York City demanding a stop to police terror. The battle to stop the Dakota Access Pipe Line is nearing a crucial juncture. The authorities have already viciously attacked the Water Protectors of the Standing Rock Reservation and their supporters. They have unleashed security guards and law enforcement officers with attack dogs, mace, sound cannons, rubber bullets, tasers and more on the people fighting to stop the pipeline. They have arrested children, elders and others, marked them with numbers and kept them in dog kennels. They used water cannons on people in freezing temperatures and launched concussion grenades at protesters. This is outrageousand it recalls the whole horrible history of how this country and system has treated Native Americans. Now the Army Corps of Engineers has issued an order to evacuate federal lands by Monday, December 5, and threatened to arrest anyone who doesn't comply with this order. The Governor of North Dakota has piled onto this attack by issuing his own evacuation ordereffective immediately. The Water Protectors have defiantly responded to these threats by declaring, We aren't going anywhere. Shortly before this order was issued, a group of veterans began organizing to come to Standing Rock to support the Water Protectors. The organizers of this mobilization feel that as veterans they have a special role to play in stopping this injustice. While Im not part of that contingent, I too am a veteran of the U.S. military. In 1970, they ordered me to go to Vietnam. But I was able to find out that this war was being fought to crush other oppressed people, to drown the liberation struggle of the Vietnamese people in blood. So, along with five other soldiers, known as the Fort Lewis 6, I refused these orders. I was sent to Leavenworth Military Penitentiary for two years for taking this stand. The way I see it, Veterans Standing for Standing Rock could flip the script on the history of savagery the U.S. military has inflicted on Native people in this country. But there is a problem if we see this as part of the great tradition of the U.S. military. We need to be clear: the tradition of this military is a bloody, genocidal one, beginning with the way it nearly wiped out the Native peoples of this land! The U.S. military carried out massacres in which whole villages were wiped out, and men, women and children were slaughtered. The U.S. military drove Native people on the Trails of Tears, the long forced marches when tribes were forced from their land to distant areas, with many people dying en route. Every time the government violated a treaty with a tribal group, the U.S. military enforced that violation. And then that same U.S. military, once it had done all this shameful genocidal stuff to the Native American Indians, was sent all over the world to do it to other oppressed people. Ask yourself this: Who and what have we been sent to fight for over and over again? The revolutionary leader Bob Avakian has said: It is not uncommon to hear these days, from government officials and others, that only 1 percent of the population is in the U.S. military but that this 1 percent is fighting for the freedom of the other 99 percent. The truth, however, is this : That 1 percent, in the military, is in reality fighting for the other 1 percent: the big capitalist-imperialists who run this countrywho control the economy, the political system, the military, the media, and the other key institutionsand who dominate large parts of the world, wreaking havoc and causing great suffering for literally billions of people. It is the freedom of these capitalist-imperialists their freedom to exploit, oppress, and plunderthat this 1 percent in the military is actually killing and sometimes dying for. (BAsics, from the talks and writings of Bob Avakian, 1:5) So why should any of us feel proud of having fought for that 1 percentthe capitalist-imperialists who run this country? Why should we uphold any part of that? While doing time in Leavenworth for refusing to go to Vietnam, I learned what the real nature of this system was and the actual role the military plays in keeping all that in effect. So I decided to fight, alrightbut for the oppressed people, to bring about a whole better world and to fight AGAINST that system that tried to force me to kill other people who were fighting for liberation. I joined protests with Vietnam Veterans Against the War, and I became a revolutionary, eventually becoming a member of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA, led by Bob Avakian. Find out more about the revolution Find out about BA, the leader of the revolution To the veterans who are coming to Standing Rock to play a different role: I will stand side by side with you and everyone else who is coming together to stop the attack on the rights of Native people and on the environment. Together, we will support these Water Protectors heart and soul. While we do, lets talk about the REAL nature of this system and its armed forces. And lets talk about a truly liberating future where we can get out of this madness. Bob Avakian has written a blueprint for a radically better societythe Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America. Weve developed the strategy to actually win a revolution and to work for it today. And weve got the leadership for doing this in Bob Avakian and the party he leads. Coming to Standing Rock, you are taking an important step. As we fight shoulder to shoulder here, let the next step be beginning the dialogue, the debate, and the organizing for the fight for the futurethe emancipation of all humanity. For full coverage and the current issue of REVOLUTION click here Kathmandu, Nepal: Tribhuwan University Institute of the Medical Science dean KP Singh has resigned saying that the he resigned to save the life of agitating Dr Govinda KC. With the resignation, the way is paved to end the strikes of agitating dr kc though his six points demands that he forward before starting his strike is not fulfilled yet. He has forwarded demands including the resignation of TU dean. The talks held between the government's talk team and the representatives of the agitating Dr KC has not been bearing any fruit. The leaders of Algeria and the Polisario Front have been deeply irritated over the past few days by several issues related to the Moroccan Sahara known as Western Sahara, which has long become an obsession for Algerian rulers. The issue of the diversion of humanitarian aid destined to the Polisario-run Tindouf camps, the census of the Sahrawis sequestered in these camps, the taxation of European aid by the Algerian State, are all sensitive subjects that the European Commission has just put on the table for discussions. The summons addressed to the Polisario leader, Brahim Ghali, to appear before the National Audience, the highest Spanish criminal court; the announcement that the coming session of the Crans Montana Forum will be held in Dakhla in March, and Frances Tuesday statement reaffirming support to the Morocco-proposed autonomy plan are all issues that irritated Algerian leaders and their protege, the Polisario. European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Christos Stylianides said this week that the European Commission takes the problem of the diversion of humanitarian aid very seriously and that the Commission has taken in this regard vigorous prudential and corrective measures. Members of the European Parliament also asked the Commission to demand explanations from Algeria on the taxation (5%) of European aid and the application of VAT to local purchases of goods intended for the Tindouf camps populations. The MEPs also questioned the commission on the measures taken by the European executive to put pressure on Algeria to conduct a census of the beneficiaries of these aids to stop diversions. On the French side, the spokesman of the Quai dOrsay, Romain Nadal made a statement to the media to set the record straight among the detractors and opponents of Morocco and its territorial integrity. He reaffirmed Tuesday at a briefing that Frances position on this issue (Western Sahara) is known and constant, specifying that his country considers the autonomy plan presented by Morocco in 2007 as a serious and credible basis for a negotiated, just, lasting and mutually accepted solution under the aegis of the United Nations and in accordance with Security Council resolutions. SNc Channels: Search About Salem-News.com Dec-02-2016 15:20 TweetFollow @OregonNews Oregon Switches Gears to Revive Cannabis Industry The OHA says the temporary rules provide relief for the industry while maintaining "public health protection". Oregon Cannabis testing rules have changed again, this time for the better (we hope). Image: Salem-News.com Photo: Kevin Saunders (SALEM, Ore.) - The outcry has apparently been heard. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) announced today it is modifying testing standards for medical and recreational marijuana products with new, temporary rules that balance testing costs for the marijuana industry with public health protection for consumers. According to those most affected, testing costs have driven up consumer prices, created product shortages, and caused some processors to actually cease operations (temporarily) and furlough employees just as the holidays are upon us. Oregon Governor Kate Brown requested that the temporary rules be developed so producers and processors are able to test fewer samples, which should lower costs and create a more efficient process. The temporary rules take effect TODAY, Friday, Dec. 2. OHA is responsible for adopting testing standards for marijuana products that are necessary to protect public health and safety. These standards must take into account how the costs of testing will affect the cost to marijuana consumers. Highlights of the temporary rules: Replaces process validation with control study Cuts three process validation tests to one control study. A processor with a process lot that passes one control study can combine samples into one composite sample, plus a field duplicate for testing, for one year, unless the manufacturing of the product changes. Removes alcohol-based solvents from testing requirement Butanol, propanol and ethanol are removed from solvent analyte list. Combines some batches for testing Samples from multiple batches may be combined for the purposes of testing for THC and CBD if the batches are the same strain. Samples from multiple batches, even if different strains, may be combined for the purposes of testing for pesticides if the total weight of the batches does not exceed 10 pounds. Changes variance for potency testing of edibles Increases the amount of homogeneity variance in edible products to plus five percent (+ 5%). Changes labeling for potency The THC and CDB amount required to be on a label must be within plus or minus five percent of the value calculated by the laboratory. Since OHA permanent testing rules became enforceable on Oct. 1, 2016, the marijuana industry has reported to regulating authorities that testing costs are driving up consumer prices, creating product shortages, and causing some processors to temporarily cease operations and furlough employees. "The Governor has been clear about the importance of the marijuana industry to Oregon's economy," said Jeff Rhoades, marijuana policy adviser, Office of Governor Kate Brown. "This approach keeps Oregonians employed, prevents marijuana product from slipping back into the illegal market, and continues to protect public health and safety." Oregon labs have notified OHA of a total of 307 samples taken from marijuana products--from dried flower to extracts--that failed for either pesticides, solvents or both since Oct. 1, 2016. Andre Ourso, manager of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program at OHA, says he's confident the temporary emergency rules will immediately alleviate some of the regulatory burden on the industry while still ensuring that cannabis is reasonably safe for consumers and patients. "OHA understood the difficult situation that cannabis producers and growers were in with regard to the authority's Oct 1. testing regulations," Ourso said. "OHA looks forward to working with the Governor's Office and its sister agencies in developing permanent testing rules in the near future that protect the public from harmful substances, such as illegal pesticides, yet allow for the cannabis industry to succeed in a robust regulatory environment." For more information, visit the OHA website at: healthoregon.org/ommp. Source: Oregon Health Authority _________________________________________ Prohibition | Marijuana | Medicine | Business | Most Commented on Articles for December 1, 2016 | Articles for December 2, 2016 | Articles for December 3, 2016 Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. You have permission to edit this collection. Edit Close "You're just like your mother!" Depending on your age and circumstances, that can be either complementary or derogatory. For Francisca, it's the story of her life. Strikingly presented in black and white, The Eyes of My Mother (Os Olhos de Minha Mae) follows Francisca from childhood to adulthood as she adapts to changing circumstances in her household. Told in quietly played, funereal tones, the style matches Francisca's personality. Raised on a farm, with no interaction with others, young Francisca (Olivia Bond) is taught to be self-sufficient by her parents. One day a stranger appears, and a common act of neighborly kindness by Francisca's mother (Diana Agostini) leads to tragedy. When Francisca's father (Paul Nazak) arrives home, he commits an act of violent retribution that affects the rest of their lives. The 'nature vs. nurture' debate has been ongoing for decades. Because Francisca remains at her parents' farm and lives in their house, and is otherwise entirely self-sufficient, the debate is settled: nature and nurture are intertwined tightly. Never attending school, never having friends her own age, never having relatives or friends visit, never having any nearby neighbors ... all these factors are an integral part of Francisca's personality. As far as her nature is concerned, she is an only child and is completely influenced by her parents and by her experiences on the farm, watching and caring for the animals from birth to death. Her understanding of life is, therefore, both rudimentary and also comprehensive. Francisca's father is not exactly a great communicator, to put it mildly, though that doesn't lessen the girl's deepening love for him as she grows into a young woman. Absent any other human relationships, she remains close to her mother after her death, unwilling -- or unable -- to let her go. Really, Francisca's beliefs about death are murky, but probably unique; she has to make sense of death on her own terms, which are vastly different than those of anyone else alive. Kika Magalhaes portrays Francisca as a young woman, and hers is a startling performance. She is intensely shy and rarely speaks, as though she has difficulty finding and forming the words; her body language ranges from stiff and obviously timid to a kind of looping, comfortable gait while walking. Making his film debut, Nicolas Pesce wrote and directed, and it is remarkable to see the sureness of his command. Certainly it can be acknowledged that there are a few holes in the plot, yet those points are secondary to the portrait of Francisca that is painted in a scant 76 minutes. The Eyes of My Mother is a very impressive debut, mostly because Francsica is a full-bodied and achingly cracked personality. She is only doing the best she can, even if she doesn't fully comprehend the horrifying consequences of her twisted actions. Via Magnet Releasing, the film opens in select theaters in the U.S. on Friday, December 2. It will also be available to watch on Demand, and via Amazon Video and iTunes. This week sees the American wide release of Pablo Larrain's, starring Natalie Portman as the famous First Lady in the week following the murder of her husband John F. Kennedy. Other notable actors in the film are Peter Sarsgaard, John Hurt and Richard E. Grant.Richard E. Grant is a funny one to pick for this quiz, as he only seems to have one face he's famous for: the pompous hysterical one. But whenever he's used well, the man becomes nothing short of glorious, and then it's impossible to take your eyes off of him.So once again I'm going to use eleven close-ups of one of my favourite thespians to make a quiz. Click through the images and guess which movies or shows they're from. No competition, no prizes, just for fun. Try to see how far you get without using IMDb!And I'll post the answers next Thursday (or earlier if someone gets all eleven of them right). Kurt Halfyard and Stuart Muller contributed to this story. That James Gunn used his elevated status following Guardians of the Galaxy to get his long gestating shocker, The Belko Experiment, into production says a lot about how much the project means to him. Forget all the great reviews out of TIFF, or how this red band trailer makes the film look tailor made for me, that passion alone has me excited. Directed by Wolf Creek's Greg McLean from a script by Gunn, the film premiered at TIFF back in September, where it was snatched up for distribution by BH Tilt, an mprint of Blumhouse. In the film, a group of 80 Americans are locked in their high-rise corporate office in Bogota, Colombia, and ordered by an unknown voice coming from the company's intercom system to participate in a deadly game of kill or be killed. The Belko Experiment stars John Gallagher Jr., Tony Goldwyn, John C. McGinley and Michael Rooker. BH Tilt and Orion will release The Belko Experiment on March 17, 2017. If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE). US Sentencing Commission getting an early start on possible guideline amendment | Main | Prez-Elect Trump says he now has a SCOTUS short list among his not-so-short list of 21 December 2, 2016 Should I be more troubled by Dylann Storm Roof being allowed to defend himself at his federal capital trial? The question in the title of this post is prompted by this intriguing commentary authored by Chandra Bozelko and headlined "Dylann Roof shouldnt be allowed to act as his own lawyer." Here are excerpts: Dylann Roof, the avowed white supremacist accused of killing nine black parishioners at a historic Charleston, South Carolina church last year, is a 22-year-old man with a presumed history of drug use. He did not graduate from high school. He could be sentenced to death if a jury finds him guilty. And yet he is acting as his own lawyer to defend himself against 33 federal charges of murder and hate crimes. Roof is representing himself in court against the advice of the presiding judge, Richard Gergel. And by doing so, Roof will likely go the way of other self-represented defendants like Joan of Arc, Jesus, Socrates and Ted Bundy: hes probably going to be convicted and killed. But what many people dont understand is that the judge had no choice but to let Roof represent himself. Since the Supreme Court decided Faretta v. California in 1975, the right to represent oneself is absolute regardless of intellect or educational attainment. Requests to relinquish counsel must be honored out of that respect for the individual which is the lifeblood of the law. Because its likely to be little more than a spectacular suicide, the Roof trial should get us to admit that the lifeblood of the law has clots in it. Unprepared defendants shouldnt be allowed to represent themselves in capital trials; the Supreme Court precedent established in Faretta needs to be overturned or modified in a meaningful way. I wasnt as successful as Dylann Roof. In 2007, I tried to represent myself in a criminal trial but was denied, Princeton degree and two years of law school notwithstanding. The judge claimed that, because my request came after jury selection but before the start of the states evidence, it was a delay tactic and made my motion untimely. I hadnt asked for a continuance and was prepared to start right away. I had a lawyer forced upon me, one who admitted she hadnt read the police reports and went on to advise the jury that there was no reasonable doubt about my guilt. I ended up being convicted of ten felonies and four misdemeanors and sentenced to five years in prison for identity theft-related crimes, but without a lawyer I might have been sentenced to the maximum on every charge consecutively, which was 185 years in jail. I wasnt facing the death penalty and the judge assigned to my case still wouldnt let me represent myself. Scholars, judges and attorneys have long seen self-represented defendants as calves pulling their own leads to slaughter. Accordingly, theyve chipped away at Faretta with decisions like the one in my case. Courts look for ways to deny requests for self-representation because they know the unfairness that can ensue. Federal circuit courts are actually split on what constitutes a valid self-representation request. The Supreme Court itself curbed the Faretta right in 2008 in Indiana v. Edwards when it held that defendants can be competent to stand trial yet not competent to represent themselves. Whether self-representation would hurt every defendant who engaged in it is debatable. The limited evidence we have on the number of self-represented defendants who win is encouraging. But many of those successes come in cases where lethal injection isnt a possible penalty. Every self-represented person in a capital case has lost. And yet we still allow defendants like Dylann Roof to act as their own attorneys, despite their obvious inability to do so.... Saying that minimally educated or mentally ill criminal defendants who face lethal penalties must be free from government intrusion in the form of counsel is the same thing as saying suicide is part of individual liberty. While it may be true, it contradicts our countrys alleged respect for life. What is judicially permissible may not be moral.... Removing self-representation as a possibility in capital cases could and should be corrected for with some type of minimum standards for capital defenders.... This denigration of the right to effective assistance of counsel is what makes it easy to allow defendants like Dylann Roof to represent themselves. If appointed counsel wont do much better, why not let people exercise their rights under Faretta and get themselves killed? Especially when the trial will add glorious sound bites and scenes of an allegedly racist killer getting to cross-examine his African-American victims. In the name of individual liberties that weve already stopped protecting, we will watch Roofs slow, elaborate, taxpayer-funded self-harm unfold. The trial of the Charleston church shooter places us at a crossroads of Constitution and conscience. If we overturn Faretta v. California and prevent defendants in capital cases from defending themselves while providing them with qualified and paid counsel, we wont have to choose. I am tempted to assail many contentions in this commentary, and yet I feel I must give it some respect because it was authored by someone who seemed to have been burned by his her own inability to serve as his her own attorney. I will just comment that I always look for principles of liberty and personal freedom to guide me when I think I might be "at a crossroads of Constitution and conscience." And principles of liberty and personal freedom lead me to the view that persons who are competent should generally be allowed to represent themselves when on trial for their lives or for any other interest. A few of many prior related posts on prosecution of Dylann Storm Roof: December 2, 2016 at 08:54 AM | Permalink Comments At the end of the day, I would probably agree with someone's right to defend themselves especially with the presence of stand by counsel. I say "probably" since I'm somewhat less firm about it than other things. But, partially since provision in the Bill of Rights really shouldn't just be seen in a vacuum here, it is not a total simple call. An actual defense counsel is very useful to protect the overall sanctity of the trial and the safeguards of the Bill of Rights generally. So, e.g., if someone is ignorant of the law and doesn't know how to object, blatantly unfair results can occur by default. Also, the trial's truth finding aspects can be cited with some cynicism, but again, the whole idea is to have two actual lawyers there to have a sort of battle with the end result being some form of justice. Finally, it will be harder for the witnesses to be questioned by an unhinged uninformed (if allegedly competent) defendant here. Posted by: Joe | Dec 2, 2016 9:43:31 AM I haven't followed the court proceedings closely and have no access to his confidential mental health information, so I can't comment on his particular choice or the district court's ruling. The law is clear, however, that competence to stand trial and competence to act as your own attorney are different, and the standard for competency for the second is higher. Particularly in a death case, I think the court should give real weight to the distinction and pause before letting any person represent themselves when death is on the table. Posted by: defendergirl | Dec 2, 2016 9:53:14 AM I also read analysis arguing that the judge in the case is applying the rules with too heavy of a hand and should let's say let the standby counsel be able to object in certain cases (unless Dylann Roof clearly opposes it) & that other judges handled it differently. Posted by: Joe | Dec 2, 2016 10:35:13 AM He did it. There's no doubt he did it, and he deserves to die for it. Who cares? This handwringing is just pathetic. Posted by: federalist | Dec 2, 2016 10:35:32 AM The author of this piece sounds like he had an amazing Faretta issue on appeal, if he's accurate about his trial. And for the record, of COURSE people should have the right to represent themselves, if they're sane enough to manage it. It's an important right, and it exists to stop people from having incompetent or conflicted counsel foisted on them to prevent them from speaking their piece. That judges sometimes punish pro se defendants with consecutive sentences doesn't mean we should stop people from representing themselves--it just means we should be looking more closely at such trial taxes to ensure fair sentencing. Posted by: Andrew Fleischman | Dec 2, 2016 11:03:02 AM I got curious and looked up the opinion. It makes more sense now. https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=137246112903201289&q=Chandra+Bozelko&hl=en&as_sdt=4,7#[8] "The representation of counsel that the defendant "was willingor she's prepared to go forward pro se, if need be," is not precisely the same as a representation that the defendant would proceed without any delay or disruption and that none would occur during trial. The circumstances, of course, would be different had trial not begun." Posted by: Andrew Fleischman | Dec 2, 2016 11:07:22 AM "it exists to stop people from having incompetent or conflicted counsel foisted on them to prevent them from speaking their piece" The defendants are likely to be less competent than even counsel so incompetent that even a conservative would find appeals on the point sound. If they merely want to "speak their piece," do that. Relying on the person to question/challenge jurors etc. isn't necessary for that, I gather. Basically, it seems Dylann Roof didn't want his counsel to put on a defense suggesting he is unhinged. Anyway, even if he's obviously guilty, etc., one would think some might worry about the victims here, who now have to have him asking them questions. Colin Ferguson asking people in that train questions, I gather, was pretty hard, harder than if his counsel to. Or, if a rapist "obviously guilty" was asking his/her victim questions directly especially a child. And, how much harder it makes for the judge etc. Posted by: Joe | Dec 2, 2016 11:10:59 AM "Anyway, even if he's obviously guilty, etc., one would think some might worry about the victims here, who now have to have him asking them questions. Colin Ferguson asking people in that train questions, I gather, was pretty hard, harder than if his counsel to. Or, if a rapist "obviously guilty" was asking his/her victim questions directly especially a child. And, how much harder it makes for the judge etc." Not relevant to the inquiry. If he gets to, he gets to, and those issues do not bear on the question. Stop handwringing and get on with it. Posted by: federalist | Dec 2, 2016 12:26:39 PM The constitutional right is "to have the assistance of counsel." The rules of professional conduct give the final say over most defense decisions to defense counsel. At least in my experience (both as a public defender and as a prosecutor), it is not unusual for defendant's and defense counsel to have different opinions on what the defense should be. If after receiving the advice of counsel on how the case should be defended, competent (in the Edwards sense) defendants decide that they do not want "assistance" that amounts to counsel overriding the defendant's wishes, then that seems to me to be part of the concept of "ordered liberty" that the Bill of Rights as a whole protects. While we all wish for a fairness and accuracy in legal proceeding, some values take higher priority. The issue is not whether counsel being foisted on defendant is competent (although that is a frequent complaint that those seeking to represent themselves make), the issue is whether a defendant has to surrender control of his case to a counsel when they disagree about how the case should be managed. There is always the question of standby (i.e. ready to step-in), hybrid (shared responsibilities), and advisory counsel. But all of these variations are ways of cluttering up the fact that nobody in the legal system likes the fact that defendants have a right to represent themselves. Assuming that the judge dotted the i's and crossed the t's during the Faretta hearing (and appellate judges are prone to seize on the tiniest errors in those hearings), I am not "bothered" that Root gets to represent himself. I think that it's probably a dumb move that increases the likelihood that Root will not outlast the Trump Administration, but it's his right to cut his own throat in court. Posted by: tmm | Dec 2, 2016 12:42:46 PM He wants to represent himself so he can spew his racism. This is a trial that people really need to listen too. Let him talk about the sites on the internet he got his information from. AS a Blk Man, I want to hear this, you should too. it shows a Cancer growing in this country. Not saying this to be Racist, but White's need to listen very closely, this type of mindset is growing in this country. He is not Cutting his own Throat, this is what he believes. he told the Cop's he did it because of Racism. We minorities have been complaining about racism in courts, policing, education and how we are perceived. America needs to look at it's self because this country is getting more diverse everyday. Almost 1000 hate related incidents since the election of 2016, and there are more people like him in this country. People need to quit ignoring what's happening and pay some attention because this is going to get worse. Posted by: Kevin Newbill | Dec 2, 2016 4:33:54 PM The "assistance of counsel" -- and this was brought up during oral argument in Faretta -- doesn't suddenly mean ipse facto he himself can act like counsel here. It is not merely that he is waiving counsel. He is making decisions now a counsel makes. He is not saying "judge, you decide" or something. That's a major concern even if "ordered liberty" gives him the right to act as his own counsel. That's why to me it's a tad harder than some here appear to be making it. federalist notes: "Not relevant to the inquiry. If he gets to, he gets to, and those issues do not bear on the question. Stop handwringing and get on with it. " The fact someone "gets to" do things doesn't mean there shouldn't be a concern about it. It's a major reason why we don't blithely accept certain things, like guys like this causing problems -- including to victims, which federalist repeatedly cites as an important concern -- by being their own counsel. Legal and something to worry about is not the same thing. Posted by: Joe | Dec 2, 2016 8:15:16 PM Defendergirl. The success of the pro se litigant in criminal court is better than your success rate, much better. You stink at your job. Any criminal off the street, uneducated, unhinged, and unpaid can do a better job than you kind can. http://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=advocate Posted by: David Behar | Dec 3, 2016 1:44:27 AM Adherence to the constitutional protections enshrined in the Bill of Rights = "handwringing." It's good to be reminded that there are those who really think this way. Posted by: Mark M. | Dec 3, 2016 8:49:05 AM Professor Berman, the author of the commentary you reference, Chandra Bozelko, is a woman. I think there should be a special rule at least for capital trials, in which the court can determine whether it is in a defendant's best interest to represent herself in capital trials. I think it could be fairly argued that a defendant who insists upon representing herself is either attempting to fail or uneducated about her ability to succeed/ the system she is working within. If the individual is attempting to fail, that is indicative of a suicidal intent. How can the adversarial system work if the defense counsel is ineffective and willing to lose? The state wields great power in sentencing someone to death, and even lay-bystanders can see that Dylann Roof is "troubled." Surely the process by which this person's life could be ended, in our name, should have more dignity than the three ring circus it will be if Roof represents himself. If not for Roof's dignity, than for ours. Though I especially think this is true when considering liberty and personal dignity for Roof himself-- perhaps in the very short term, he will have the liberty of saying (some of) what he pleases in court. But in the long run, it seems clear that he will face the ultimate deprivation of his liberty and personal dignity. Posted by: Law student | Dec 4, 2016 12:26:10 AM Dear Student: I want you to learn about the Rent Seeking Theory. See the good Wikipedia review. The lawyer adds no value to the defense, indeed has an inferior performance to the pro se criminal litigant. Stop being a rent seeker to generate lawyer jobs with false propaganda. Such propaganda violates the Rules of Conduct and the fiduciary responsibility of the lawyer to be candid about the benefit of representation. Posted by: David Behar | Dec 4, 2016 12:49:40 PM I have fixed my pronoun reference, law student, and thanks for reminding me I needed to do so. But speaking of pronouns, though, I think it is misguided to talk of a woman wanting to "represent herself in capital trials" because only about 5 of every 100 charged with capital crimes are women. On substance, the point of the adversarial system is to serve defense interests, which is why defendants can waive so many of its features and plead guilty. If rather than plead guilty, if a defendant wants to just tank his own defense, so be it. I agree that Dylann Roof is "troubled," but the same can be said about most serious criminal defendants. Meanwhile, what does it mean for a system to have "dignity" and whose choice is that. Is it dignified for Roof to have court decisions made by someone not of his choosing? (Make this personal: would you like some govt-appointed person completely in charge of picking what law school courses you take, what jobs you work and how you spend your salary? Would that feel dignified to you?) And isn't it a given, whether forced to have representation by a govt-appointed lawyer or going on his own, that Roof "will face the ultimate deprivation of his liberty and personal dignity" via either an LWOP or death sentence? Posted by: Doug B. | Dec 4, 2016 5:35:22 PM Post a comment Fourth Circuit panel rejects North Carolina's efforts to defend constitutionally hinky provisions of state sex offender rules | Main | Should I be more troubled by Dylann Storm Roof being allowed to defend himself at his federal capital trial? December 1, 2016 US Sentencing Commission getting an early start on possible guideline amendment Traditionally, the US Sentencing Commission holds a meeting in January to proposed amendments to the federal sentencing guidelines for the year. But via email today I received this notice about the USSC getting off to a quicker start this season: Please join the United States Sentencing Commission for a public meeting on December 9th at 11:30 a.m. (ET) where commissioners may vote to publish proposed amendments to the federal sentencing guidelines. Amendments proposed during the meeting will stem from this years list of policy priorities. The meeting will be held at the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building, One Columbus Circle NE, in Suite 2-500 (South Lobby). Please note that if you cannot attend in person, it will be broadcast live. The agenda is as follows: Vote to Adopt August 2016 Meeting Minutes Report from the Chair Possible Vote to Publish Proposed Guideline Amendments and Issues for Comment December 1, 2016 at 07:05 PM | Permalink Comments This is happening because these shameless ruiners of sentencing procedure won't have the required 4 voting members after the 1st of the new year. Their continued desperate struggle for relevance is pathetic. Posted by: USPO | Dec 4, 2016 2:02:06 AM Post a comment A man was rushed to a San Francisco hospital by a family member Wednesday, after a collision on a Bay Bridge ramp turned violent. According to the San Francisco Police Department, a 21-year-old man was shot at 10 p.m. Wednesday at Fremont and Folsom Streets, near the Bay Bridge. Police say that the victim, who had been headed west on the Bay Bridge, was rear-ended by another driver as they exited the bridge on a SoMa ramp. Both men pulled over and exited their vehicles, police say. Then the driver of the car that struck the victim's " pulled out a handgun and shot" him, according to the SFPD. The suspect, who police say was in his mid-20s, "got back in the vehicle and fled in an unknown direction." The victim was driven to the hospital by a relative, for treatment of injuries police say are not life threatening. According to the SFPD, the suspect remains at large, and no arrests have been made in the case. "Most of the patients I see as a psychiatry resident at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital are very ill," Alison Hwong, a psychiatrist in her residency at UCSF, writes in an op-ed piece for the Chronicle. "It doesnt take a medical degree to determine that jail is not a therapeutic environment for people with severe mental illness and that it will prolong behavioral and legal problems." The dilemma: 35 to 40 percent of San Francisco jail inmates are receiving treatment for mental illness, and presumably more ought to be. Hwong implores the city to "invest in more psychiatric beds, community-based mental health support, and housing rather than jails." The report whose numbers she cites: "Justice That Heals: Promoting Behavioral Health, Safeguarding the Public, and Ending Our Overreliance on Jails." Its authors are UC Santa Cruz Psychology professor Craig Haney, Ph.D., J.D., San Francisco Behavioral Health Court co-founder Jennifer K. Johnson, J.D., UCSF Citywide Case Management Forensic Program director Kathleen Lacey, LCSW, and Stanford Law School Justice Advocacy Project director Michael Romano, J.D. The group claims that according to those percentages of mentally ill inmates, county jail is the city's largest mental health facility. As such it proposes the creation of a "Behavioral Health Justice Center," an institution "providing mental health services designed to interrupt the cycle of homelessness, addiction, and criminal activity." Hwong notes that such a facility has backing from the DA's office, and though it's "promising," notably, "psychiatrists have not been part of the discussion." More generally, Hwong proposes providing alternatives to incarceration, which she feels the need to argue is the "moral" thing to do. Of course it is, and to imply that others in the liberal city of San Francisco might disagree is vaguely insulting. But a more practical argument is her last one: It's simply cheaper to create incarceration alternatives. "It is estimated to cost roughly $50,000 per year to incarcerate someone at 850 Bryant, versus $7,000 to 10,000 to provide safe, supportive housing plus mobile treatment teams for people living with chronic mental illness," Hwong points out. Related: Inspired By Spate Of Palo Alto Deaths, Facebook Makes Suicide Prevention Tools Available To All Users #EXCLUSIVE Photo: 26 yr old Michael Higginbotham booked on murder charges for killing #SF #DPW worker Jermaine Jackson on the job #KTVU pic.twitter.com/HpcgxcUZks taramoriarty (@taramoriarty1) December 1, 2016 The afternoon after a Department of Public works staffer was fatally shot as he worked to remove some Mission District graffiti, police say they found and arrested his killer. As previously reported, 27-year-old San Francisco resident Jermaine Jackson was killed Wednesday as he worked on the 2500 block of 25th Street, which is between San Bruno and Vermont Streets. His death is San Francisco's 50th homicide for 2016. According to a press release sent to media by the San Francisco Police Department, officers were called to the scene at 8 a.m. Wednesday, and found "Jackson laying on the ground suffering from multiple gunshot wounds." He died of his injuries at San Francisco General Hospital, according to the SFPD. DPW Director Mohammed Nuru told CBS 5 that Jackson was a motivated, hard-working and well-liked employee. This was a young man who worked very hard to build a good life for himself and his children," Mayor Ed Lee said in a statement, "and was committed to his work keeping the City of San Francisco and our neighborhoods clean." Police said Thursday that "Homicide investigators commenced an investigation that led to the identity of the suspect," and that on "November 30, 2016, at approximately 5:30 PM SFPD and Vallejo Police Department officers located and arrested 26 year-old San Francisco resident, Michael Higginbotham in Vallejo Ca." This is not Higginbotham's first brush with the law: In 2010, ABC 7 reports, Higginbotham was shot in the leg by an IRS agent he was allegedly attempting to rob. The Chron reported at the time that Higginbotham first told emergency room workers that he'd sustained the injuries in an altercation at Market and Turk Streets, but his mother ended up admitting to officials that the story was falsified. He was also part of a group arrested during the filming of a rap video this March, ABC 7 reports, resulting in drug charges for Higginbotham that were later dismissed. The filmmakers have since filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the SFPD for the arrests. "Higginbotham was booked for murder at the San Francisco County Jail," police say. He is set to be arraigned Friday afternoon, the Chron reports. You know its bittersweet for us," Jacksons Aunt Monica Autry told CBS 5, "because it doesnt bring back Jermaine, but yeah, we are relieved, and hopefully justice will be served." Despite Higginbotham's arrest, police say that "investigators are asking anyone with information on this case to contact the San Francisco Police anonymously." You can do so at 415-575-4444 or by texting a tip to TIP411 with SFPD at the start of the message. Previously: Department Of Public Works Employee Dead Following Mission District Shooting LE MARS, Iowa Americas largest ice cream cone producer has scooped up BoDeans Baking Group in Le Mars. Hermitage, Pennsylvania-based Joy Cone Company acquired BoDeans in late September after two years of negotiations. BoDeans will retain its name and operate as a subsidiary of Joy Cone. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. It was really a perfect match because its a product we understand and it gets us into a market that we always wanted to get into, but were unable to before, said David George, president and CEO of Joy Cone. BoDeans, which makes cones, wafers and dessert crumbs, has about 250 employees at its three sites in Le Mars. No jobs were lost in the transaction. Additionally, the workers now own 100 percent of the company through an employee stock option plan that was a requirement of the deal. BoDeans was started by Dean Jacobsen and his wife, Bo, in February 2000. The company found success immediately and was listed as one of Americas fastest growing privately owned companies by Inc. magazine in 2005. Le Mars is the self-proclaimed Ice Cream Capital of the World and home to Wells Enterprises Inc., maker of the Blue Bunny brand of ice cream and frozen novelties. Wells, a major customer of BoDeans, helped lure the business to the Plymouth County seat. Joy Cone was started in 1918 by Albert George, an immigrant from Lebanon. The company operates an eastern facility in Hermitage and a western facility in Flagstaff, Arizona. Le Mars' central location and the products that BoDeans produces were among the reasons that attracted Joy Cone, George said. In the cone industry, Joy has been the leader in the restaurant and food service industry and BoDeans has been the clear leader in what we call the novelty market, he said. Thats a market we werent really in prior to the acquisition and they also produce wafers and inclusions, which were items we did not make before this acquisition. Although BoDeans has only been in business for 16 years, the company experienced significant growth during this time. The original cone manufacturing plant expanded from 20,000 square feet to 50,000 within its first year of operation. In 2004, BoDeans underwent another expansion and added another 25,000 square feet in manufacturing and warehouse space. The manufacturer added wafers to its production line in 2006 and built a 134,000-square-foot plant to support that endeavor. Over the next decade, BoDeans continued to grow and the original cone production facility is now 90,000 square feet and has an annual production capacity of 1 billion cones a year. The company also has the capacity to produce 50 million pounds of wafers and 15 million pounds of crumbs/inclusions annually. BoDeans acquired Altesa, Mexicos largest cone producer, in 2013. The Altesa facility, which is located outside of Mexico City, was included in the Joy Cone deal. George said when he and other executives visited Le Mars during negotiations, the quality of the BoDeans facilities sold them on making the purchase. Theyre first-class facilities and frankly that was one of the selling points, he said. Their operation is first rate facilities and equipment are top of the line and you can tell right away its a great operation. SIOUX CITY -- A cast of actresses in their 50s and 60s is set to take off their clothes for a good cause. Sioux City Community Theatre will present "Calendar Girls," the story of 11 middle-aged British women who raised money for charity by posing for a nude calendar. Throughout the run of the show -- which begins Friday -- cancer ribbon-shaped cookies from Sugar Shack will be on sale to benefit the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. In addition, a 13-month calendar featuring the cast, and styled after the show, will be available for purchase. During the scene when the characters are photographed for the calendar, the actresses wear special undergarments while they're scantily clad. "That aspect of the show is very quick," said director Joanne Fox. "They will take off their robes for the photo shoot scene, and I told them to wear whatever they are comfortable with underneath. "Not wearing clothing is not what the play is about," Fox added. "It's the watching of their relationships." MINNEAPOLIS Prince's estate is worth about $200 million, a new court filing suggests. It's the first time a specific estimate has emerged publicly from court proceedings following Prince's April overdose death. Since he left no known will, the rock superstar's sister and five half-siblings are in line to inherit equal shares of the estate after taxes gobble up about half of it. By comparison, David Bowie's estate was worth about $100 million when he died in January, according to his will. Shortly after Prince's death, when officials were beginning to place a value on his musical catalog, unreleased music, the Paisley Park studio complex and other assets, one lawyer for the company overseeing the estate, Bremer Trust, said it could be worth somewhere between $100 million and $300 million. Attorneys have avoided giving specific figures in public since then, but based on a court filing made public this week, Bremer Trust puts the value of the estate at about $200 million, The Associated Press has calculated. That figure is based on a memo that mentioned the company's fee, which is based on the value of an estate, was $90,000 per month about $1.08 million per year. The AP calculated that that annual fee works out to an estate worth $200 million. Two estate law experts not connected with the Prince case who reviewed the documents agreed with that conclusion. It's possible the value will rise or fall. The final total won't be determined until after more appraisals and taxing authorities decide what they think the estate is worth. Because of the looming tax bill, Bremer Trust may be lowballing the estate's estimated value, Minneapolis estate law attorney Susan Link. The estates of some other dead rock superstars continue to generate big bucks. Forbes magazine's annual list of top-earning dead celebrities for 2016 showed Michael Jackson's estate collected $825 million, Elvis Presley's earned $27 million and Bowie's took in $10.5 million. Prince's estate took in $25 million and sold more albums than any other dead musician to earn the No. 5 spot on the list. Prince's estate has until Jan. 21 to file federal and state estate tax returns. Ringing in the Holiday Season with Red Kettles Allison Liska, Volunteer and Development Director at the Sioux City Salvation Army is very busy this time of year as it is time for the annual Red Kettle Event. As the biggest yearly fund raiser for the Salvation Army, the Red Kettle event has been around since 1888 and continues to grow as an iconic event. The funds collected for this event support all of the programs for the local Salvation Army. Funds are raised for their Pathway of Hope Project, their Food Pantry, and for specific social services, such as housing. They hope, through all of those pennies, nickels and dimesto raise more than $102,000. Whew! We should all throw in a few quarters, too! In the late 1800s, Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee was saddened to see so many poor individuals in San Francisco, particularly children and he decided to do something about it. His goal was to find a way to give everyone in need a Christmas dinner. He remembered back in England how at one of the major boat landings, boats came in and there a large, iron kettle was called Simpsons Pot where sailors and passengers could throw in a coin or two to raise money. He tried something similar and posted a sign that read, Keep the Pot Boiling. This raised enough money for him to feed many people. The idea spread to Boston and six years later, 150,000 dinners were made to share during the holiday season. Currently, the Salvation Army partners with local stores to place the Red Kettles in front during the Christmas and Holiday season. This year, beginning on November 8th and ending on December 24th, the night before Christmas, the Sioux City Salvation Army is preparing for a wonderful year. As mentioned before, it will take a great deal of quarters, dimes, and nickels to get to that $102,00. The money is used for some many great charities and special programs such as their Food Pantry and Pathway of Hope. Have you noticed the folk by the Red Kettles in shopping centers lately? Our own Sioux City Salvation Army is out there volunteering for a great cause. Allison shared that, Its a blessing for those in need...what makes this so special is that the Red Kettle has become an iconic symbol of the holidays. Once you hear the ringers, you know that the holiday season has truly begun. The Red Kettles have changed lives. Last year, one of the money sorters for the Salvation Army found a note among the many coins, batteries, silver dollars, lint and crumpled bills. The note was from a woman who had been helped previously by the Red Kettle Eventwhen she was at her lowest, this assistance brought her back on her feet and it completely changed her life. She expressed her gratitude and wanted to give back. Along with the Red Kettle event, the Angel Tree Project also helps during the holiday seasongiving to children, a special holiday gift. 500 families will come to shop during that time and find that perfect gift for a child. Hey...if you are interested in being a Santa Ringer you can volunteer at www.registertoring.com. You will feel great if you sign up and spend a little time ringing the bell, visiting with people and helping those in need. There are a few paid individuals when the venue is larger, but most are volunteers. Allison meets with as many of the volunteers and bell ringers as she can and knows that they represent the cause in a great way. As Allison said, it is worth it to stand outside in the cold and know you are helping people in need. Isabel Martinez, Olivia Greaves Holy Cross Grade 7 Have you ever gone to Wal-Mart and seen a person ringing a bell during the holidays? Well, they are a part of the Salvation Army, a great organization. When you donate, the money goes to people in need. When you donate, it gives you a good feeling. Its for a good cause and you will feel it was important. During the winter season, homeless people are in need of shelter and food. Imagine about not having a home during a snow storm. You might be inside, enjoying the heat and a hot chocolate while someone might be outside just hoping to get warm. It doesnt take much to donate. The next time you go shopping, look out for them. Its the right decision to give to someone in need. When you get your allowance, save $1 each time thats all you need! The next time you see a Salvation Army bell ringer, just give up that dollaror more Its a great way to help those in need Joe Adams Mater Dei Grade 8 What can you do to give money to someone in need during the Christmas season? Well, you can go around your neighborhood and ask for donations and then you can bring that money to the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army is a program that takes donations during the Christmas season. They have coats and hats that people can have. You could just do something as simple as going to church and praying for those in need and for those who need food and clothing to get them through the Christmas season. Imagine people out in the cold during the winter, freezing cold, and wishing to have a warm house to be in or a nice warm coat and hat. We really dont know that we have everything that we need and there are people who dont have anything. Ireland Uhl Mater Dei Grade 7 Each month, Claudia Hessa, owner of Sugar Shack Bakery and NIESiouxland honor a student-nominated classroom teacher with a special gift basket. So many great teachers and nominations from our region, it is very difficult to select just one. This month, preschool teacher Mrs. Mennenga from the Jackson Primary Building of the Ponca, Nebraska district shed a few tears when student Teygan Schram handed her the goodie basket. Mrs. Mennenga, in Teygans eye is very special because: Mrs. M dances and sings with us every day. She even uses funny voices. Claudia Hess, NIESiouxland, and local business folk applaud Mrs. Mennenga and her hands-on classroom approach to learning. KUDOS! Mrs. M is so kind. If I need help finding a mitten for recess, she helps me. She is so much fun, too. She took us to the Pumpkin Patch in the big bus. We all got to bring a pumpkin back to our class to decorate with DUCT TAPE! Mrs. M dances and sings with us every single day. She even uses funny voices, sometimes. Mrs. M does awesome projects with us that are really cool. She helps us learn to use really cool stuff like scissors, glue, paint, and markers. She plays great games with us, too, like B-I-N-G-O. She is just the best teacher and makes going to school so much fun. Screenings Free blood pressure screenings, 9:30 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays at Countryside Senior Living, front lobby. No appointment necessary. Programs/Self-Help Groups Al-Anon Information Center, call 712-255-6724. Al-Anon and Alateen, meetings locally. For times, dates and locations of area meetings, call 712-255-6724. Alcoholics Anonymous, beginners information, call 712-252-1333. Arc of Woodbury County, serving the mentally challenged, 5:15 p.m. meeting, second Monday of the month at Mid-Step Services, 4303 Stone Ave. For families and interested persons. Child Care Resource and Referral, provides resources, education and advocacy for children, parents, and child care providers. Assists in child care needs. For more information, call 712-277-1180. Co-Dependence Anonymous, 7 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays at First Lutheran Church, Fireside Room. Co-Dependents Anonymous (CODA), 10 a.m. Saturdays at Hawkeye Club, 420 Jones St. Compassionate Friends, 7 p.m. fourth Wednesday of each month (third Thursday in November and second Sunday December) in Mercy Medical Center's Leiter Room. For families who have lost children. Contact Nancy Webb 712-212-4032 or Don Mulder 712-541-5512. Eating disorder coalition awareness event, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 29 at Boy's and Girl's home and family services, 2101 Court St. Contact Lisa 712-251-0570 or Michele 712-898-2351. Clinics Siouxland District Health immunization clinics, call for appointment, 712-279-6119 or 1-800-587-3005. Information Family and Addictive Illness series, for more information, call 234-2300. Iowa Fathers, 6 to 8 p.m. fourth Tuesday of each month at Hope Lutheran Church, Education Building, 218 W. 18th St., South Sioux City, Neb. Support group to help single, divorcing and divorced parents residing in the state of Iowa. Mercy Pathways Outpatient Program, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, on the third floor, Mercy's Central Medical Building, 801 Fifth St., Suite 360. Provides hope, help, opportunity to connect through group therapy for individuals experiencing personal, relationship, psychiatric issues. For more information, call 712-279-5991. Narcotics Anonymous, meetings daily, various times, dates and locations. For more information, call 712-279-0733. Overeaters Anonymous, 1 p.m. Tuesdays at Wesley United Methodist Church, 3700 Indian Hills Drive; 6 p.m. Tuesdays at St. John's Lutheran Church, 402 Lane Ave., Storm Lake; 7 p.m. Tuesdays at Church of the Nazarene, 226 N. Main St., Viborg, S.D.; 5:30 p.m. Thursdays and 9 a.m. Saturdays at Newman Center, 320 E. Cherry St., Vermillion, S.D.; 10:30 a.m. Saturdays at Hawkeye Club, 420 Jones St. A 12-step recovery program for people who have problems with food and weight. No fees. St. Lukes Outpatient Behavioral Health Program, 9 a.m. to noon Monday, Tuesday and Thursday on fifth floor of St. Luke's, located at 2720 Stone Park Blvd. Offers several levels of outpatient care including partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and group therapy. This program provides support and integrated treatment to individuals experiencing personal or relationship issues as a result of their mental illness. For more information and admission criteria, call 712-279-3906. Sobriety By Faith, 8:30 a.m. Saturdays at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1421 Geneva St. For more information, call James Mothershead at 712-577-9715. The Link-Recovery and Freedom, 1603 Glen Ellen Road; 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday workshop, and Christian 12-step meeting 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. For all ages. Call Dee at 389-7432. Women in Recovery, meets monthly at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1421 Geneva St. For details, call 712-255-4623. Tarahouse Meditation Center, 8 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 6:30 p.m. Fridays; 10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays, all at 3112 Rebecca St. Three easy 10-minute sessions in small group; beginners welcome. For more information, call 490-6410. Blood pressure and blood sugar screening, 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays in the lobby at Westwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Free to public. Support Groups Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous, 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Hawkeye Club basement, 420 Jones St. For more information, call 277-5935. Celebrate Recovery, Bible-based 12-step recovery group. Thursdays at 6 p.m. at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive. Childcare provided. 712-490-3343. All welcome. PFLAG of Siouxland, (Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays), 7 p.m., fourth Monday of January, March, May, July, September and November. St. Mark ELCA Church, 5200 Glenn Ave., in the upstairs meeting area. 712-258-3116. Singles widowed and divorced, all ages, 4 p.m., Sundays. McDonald's at Sixth Street and Lewis Boulevard. 712-252-2675. GriefShare, 6:30 -8:30 p.m. every Tuesday until Dec. 6 at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive, Sioux City. 712-276-5814. HIV/AIDS Support Group, meets weekly. For more information, call Darla or Teri at Siouxland Community Health Center, 712-252-2477 or 888-371-1965. Hospice of Siouxland, seeking volunteers. For more information, call 712-233-4144 and ask for a volunteer coordinator. La Leche League of Siouxland, breastfeeding support group meets every third Thursday at 11 a.m. at Morningside Lutheran Church. Children are welcome. For more information, call Mary at 712-546-7280 or Jacquie at 712-255-2998. Living Each Day Cancer Support Group, 7-8 p.m. second Thursday of the month, Floyd Valley Hospital, Conference Center Room 2, Le Mars, Iowa. Open to all cancer patients, cancer survivors and family members. No charge. Pre-register by calling 712-546-3441 or 800-642-6074, ext. 441. Mom and Baby Support Group, 10-11 a.m. last Monday of the month at the Orange City (Iowa) Hospital, lower level. For new moms and babies. 712-737-5260. Tri-State Sober Project, 12-step meeting, 7:30-8:30 p.m., Tuesdays, Friendship Community Church, 305 Sergeant Square Drive, Sergeant Bluff. 6-7 p.m., Thursdays, Transitional Services of Iowa, 1221 Pierce St., Sioux City. Doug's Donors Support Group, information for organ donors and recipients, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Fridays, 5:15-6:30 p.m. second Thursdays of the month at Mercy Cafeteria Woodbury Room. 712-277-1050. Divorce Care, 6:30 -8:30 p.m. every Tuesday until Dec. 6 at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive, Sioux City. 712-276-5814. NAMI Siouxland, (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Support Group meets 6:30 p.m., second Tuesday of the month at Friendship House, 1101 Court St. For individuals and family members dealing with mental illness. 712-255-4209. New Life Life Support Group, 3:30 p.m. every Saturday at 2929 W. Fourth St. Spiritual 12-step program. For more information, call Donald at 712-574-1744 or James at 712-255-7624. Orphan Sunday, 3:30-5 p.m. Sunday at Sunnybrook Community Church loft, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive. Post Polio Support Group, 11 a.m. first Thursday of the month at Perkins Restaurant by Menards. 712-490-8213. Relationship Support Group, 7 p.m. Fridays at Marketplace Mall. For more information, call 239-3129. Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, Individual and Support Groups. For more information, call CSADV in Sioux City at 712-258-7233; Plymouth County at 712-546-6764; Monona County at 712-423-3443. Advocacy and support available 24 hours a day at 1-800-982-7233. All services free of charge and confidential. Sickle Cell Disease Support Group, 11 a.m. third Saturday of each month at St. Luke's Hospital, meeting room 1. For patients, their family and any concerned member. Call La'Keshia Rainey at 712-203-2019 for more information. Single and Parenting, 6:30 -8:30 p.m. every Tuesday until Dec. 6 at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive, Sioux City. 712-276-5814. Sioux City Association of the Deaf, 7 p.m. third Saturday of the month at Morningside Church of Christ, 5015 Garretson Ave. Regular meeting, September-May; no meeting, June, July, August and December. Siouxland Autism Support Group, second Thursday of the month at Northwest Area Education Agency, 1520 Morningside Ave. For more information, call Julie Case at 712-490-8939. Siouxland Epilepsy Support Group, 5 p.m. third Tuesday of the month at Prestwick Apartment Clubhouse, 4230 Hickory Lane. For anyone diagnosed with seizures or epilepsy and family or friends. For more information, call Steve at 274-6927. Siouxland IC support group, meets quarterly in Sioux City. For patients struggling with interstital cystitis. For more information, call Jacque Dundas 316-641-9766. Siouxland Informational Group for the Blind, 2-5 p.m. second Tuesday of the month at Northern Hills Retirement Community, 4002 Teton Trace. For more information, call 712-266-8926 or 258-8151. Grief support group, 5:30-7:30 p.m., beginning Oct. 5 for 13 weeks (may join at any time), Crescent Park United Methodist Church, 2826 Myrtle St., Sioux City. Scott, 712-899-6315. Siouxland Ostomy Association, 2 p.m. first Sunday of each month (except September, which will be second Sunday; and no meetings June, July, August), in Room 300 at Mercy Medical Center, 801 Fifth St. For more information, call Dick Lindblom at 251-2453. Siouxland Parkinson Disease Support Group, 1 p.m. fourth Monday of the month at Siouxland Center for Active Generations, 313 Cook St. For more information, call Sally Reinert at 402-987-3516. Sojourners, support group for families of persons with life-threatening illness, 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays at St. Luke's Regional Medical Center, Room 416. For more information, call Marjorie Jarvill at 402-241-8637. South Sioux City Weight Support Group, 8:30 a.m. Wednesdays at St. Paul United Methodist Church, South Sioux City. For more information, call 494-1401 or 494-2133. Disabilities Resource Center of Siouxland, 520 Nebraska St., Suite 101: Women's Support Group, 1:30 p.m. first Wednesday of the month; LGBT Support Group, 1:30 p.m. first Friday of the month; Adult ADHD, 6 p.m. second Tuesday of the month; Advocacy Group, 1:30 p.m. third Tuesday of the month. For more information, call 712-255-1065. Take Off Pounds Sensibly, group meetings various times, days and locations in Siouxland. For information on the chapter in your area, call 1-800-932-TOPS. Voice Disorder Support Group, meets as needed at Mercy Medical Center, Buena Vista Room. 712-279-2686. Women's Peer Support Group, in Wayne and South Sioux City, Neb., for those who have experienced domestic abuse. For more information, call the Wayne office at 402-375-4633 or 1-800-440-4633; in South Sioux City, call 402-494-7592. Help and support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Services free and confidential. Woodbury County D.M.D.A., noon-2 p.m. first Saturday of the month at Country Friendship Acres, 4501 West St.; 7-8 p.m. first Tuesday of the month at 515 Court St. in the Community Room; 7-8 p.m. second Tuesday of the month at 441 W. Third St. in the Community Room; 7-8 p.m. third Tuesday of the month at 409 W. Third St. in the Community Room. Support group for people with disabilities and mental disorders. Natural Mamas in Siouxland, 1 p.m., third Tuesday of each month in the Garretson room of the Morningside Public Library. All ages of children are welcome to come with moms. For sharing natural living tips, recipes, natural remedies and health, homemaking, mothering, etc. For more information, call 402-913-0038 or visit their Facebook page. A Step Beyond support group, 3:30 p.m. second Tuesday of the month, except for August, November and December when it meets at 5:30 p.m. (no meeting in January) at the Christy-Smith Resource Center, 1819 Morningside Ave. For more information, call 712-276-7319. Divorce care, 5 p.m., Sundays. Fireside room, Morningside Lutheran Church, 700 South Martha St. Gamblers Anonymous meetings, 4 p.m. Thursdays at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 315 Hamilton Blvd.; 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Morningside Presbyterian Church, 4327 Morningside Ave.; 7 p.m. Tuesdays, St. John Lutheran Church; 7 p.m. Sundays, Hawkeye Club, 420 Jones St.. 712-277-2901. Art therapy support group, 5:30 p.m. second Thursday of the month at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. Registration required, call 252-9387. After Breast Cancer Support Group, 5:30 p.m. third Tuesday of the month at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. For more information, call Brenda, 252-9370. After Prostate Cancer Support Group, 5:15 p.m. first Tuesday of the month at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. For more information, call 252-9426. Alzheimer's Association, Big Sioux Chapter Support Group, 2 p.m. second Tuesday of the month; 4 p.m. third Tuesday of the month (under age 65) at 201 Pierce St., Suite 110 (Famous Dave's building); and 6 p.m. first Tuesday of the month at the Barnes and Noble Cafe. For more information, call Emily Lord at 712-279-5802. Christy-Smith Funeral Homes of Sioux City, extensive grief library at the Morningside location. Open to the public during weekday hours. For more information, call 276-7319. Chronic Pain/Chronic Illness Support Group, 7:30 p.m. fourth Wednesday of the month in the lower level of the Orange City Hospital. For more information, call 712-737-5260. Connections Area Agency on Aging, and Mercy Medical Centers Older Adult Services Welcome to Medicare, 1:30-4 p.m., the first Friday of every month at Connections Area Agency on Aging, 2301 Pierce St. To pre-register, or for more information, contact Connections Area Agency on Aging at 712-279-6900. Grace children present Christmas program SIOUX CITY | Children from the congregation of Grace United Methodist Church will present the Christmas program, "The Forgotten Child," during the 10 a.m. worship service Sunday at 1735 Morningside Ave. Gospel quartet concert set in Anthon ANTHON, Iowa | The Blackwood Gospel Quartet will present a Christmas celebration concert at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Anthon Community Center, 110 N. Fifth Ave. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the door, in person from the Anthon United Methodist Church, 401 E. Bridge St., or by calling 712-373-5288. Traveling nativity is this weekend MAURICE, Iowa | Maurice First Reformed Church invites the public to its traveling nativity event from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the church, 410 Main St. Advent services set at Redeemer Lutheran SIOUX CITY | The public is invited to Advent services featuring African missionaries, the John Wolf family, at 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3204 S. Lakeport Road. The sixth- through eighth-grade confirmation students will present music during the 7 p.m. service. Chicken strip meals will be offered from 12:15-1 p.m. and again from 3-7 p.m. Donations will be collected for the Wolf Family. Lutefisk and meatballs dinner in Elk Point ELK POINT, S.D. | A lutefisk and meatballs dinner will be held from 4-7:30 p.m. Saturday at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 31903 475th Ave. Chartered bus and dinner combo tickets are available from the Siouxland Center for Active Generations for $20. Dinner-only admission is $15. There also will be a bake sale; the venue handicapped accessible. Contact Glenn and Pat Olson at 712-277-4043 for additional information. Swedish rye bread sale ongoing SIOUX CITY | Youth and adults from Augustana Lutheran Church will be baking homemade Swedish rye bread to raise money for mission projects for the Augustana Lutheran Youth Organization. Anyone interested in the fundraiser may order the $6.50 loaves, with or without caraway seeds, by calling 712-255-7694 or by emailing pastordel@augustanaasc.org. Purchases may be picked up between noon and 2 p.m. Dec. 10 at the church, 600 Court St. Sunday service at First Unitarian SIOUX CITY | The congregation of First Unitarian Church will hear the topic "Risk as Necessity for Change in Life in Society" presented by Sara Caine at 11 a.m. Sunday at First Unitarian Church, 2508 Jackson St. St. Mark celebrates 60 years SIOUX CITY | St. Mark Lutheran Church ELCA, 5200 Glenn Ave., will celebrate its 60th anniversary on Sunday. Worship services will begin at 8:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., followed by an anniversary dinner at 11:45 a.m. NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D.| A city of North Sioux City department has given $25,000 to an upcoming playground project in a nearby South Dakota state park. The city on Friday announced the donation by the parks and recreation department to the Cottonwood Playground Project at Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve. The park has an estimated cost of $250,000. Construction is slated to begin in spring 2017, with completion set by the end of summer. Park manager Jodi Moats said the playground will be the first of its kind in North Sioux City, with a focus on promoting outdoor play by engaging children with nature. The new play area also will be an outdoor classroom for people to learn about the massive cottonwood forest ecosystem prevalent at Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve. The Cottonwood Playground will offer kids of all levels of ability opportunities to exercise their minds and bodies, use problem-solving skills, express creativity and explore the many other activities at the park," Moats said. WEST OKOBOJI, Iowa | A one-of-a-kind funeral befitting a one-of-a-kind pastor sprang to life at First Lutheran Church in West Okoboji on Thursday, as more than 1,100 mourners celebrated the spirit of the Rev. Robert Vaage. Mourners celebrating represents an oxymoron. And yet, that's what it was, a funeral highlighting the spiritual, professional and familial touch for an immensely popular 57-year-old pastor whose reach fanned across Iowa, from Mason City to Sibley, to Sioux City, and, finally, to the Iowa Great Lakes, where Vaage served the past 20 years at First Lutheran Church. There were other places, too, as evidenced by floral arrangements from friends as far as away as Norway gracing the entrance to a spectacular church Vaage helped build one decade ago. Vaage, 57, died unexpectedly on Saturday at Spencer Hospital in Spencer, Iowa, leaving behind his wife, DeeAnn Vaage, and their three sons, Jonathan, Christopher and Erik. He also left behind a wealth of friends, some 500 who attended his visitation on Wednesday evening, then double that many who turned out Thursday. The crowd, which included 64 clergy members, was so immense that leaders in Milford hatched a plan to run two shuttle buses from St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milford to First Lutheran Church at West Okoboji. The idea was to alleviate a crush of vehicles expected at First Lutheran, a number that likely couldn't be handled by parking facilities on church grounds. As it was, church members still had to direct hundreds of cars onto a grass lot east of the church. "Each bus made seven trips," said driver Scott Titterington, disclosing how the shuttles he and his father, Steve Titterington, operated, began delivering folks to the church two hours prior to the funeral. In another rarity, the funeral luncheon wasn't held at First Lutheran. With the crowd taking up nearly every inch of the church, folks at St. Joseph Catholic Church, working with other churches in town, offered their Parish Center for the luncheon. The fact a funeral lunch for the pastor of a Lutheran church was held at a Catholic church illustrated the widespread reach of one Bob Vaage. Additionally, the Okoboji Community School District closed for the day, an almost unheard of development for the funeral of a person who wasn't a student, wasn't an alum, and wasn't a staff member. Again, Bob Vaage had that kind of wingspan. During his internship at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sibley, for example, Vaage helped co-write then portrayed Jesus in the community's first Passion Play, one that remains a Holy Week draw in Sibley three decades later. Vaage played the role of Jesus again at First Lutheran Church in Sioux City and remained on the cross on Good Friday until everyone went home. "When they hang the minister on the cross, you know it's time for him to go," he said, displaying his trademark wit while prepping for a move from Woodbury County to Dickinson County. He was also a musician, breaking out as a washtub bass player in the Sonshine Band at Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa. He met his future wife, DeeAnn Simpson, while they sang together on an outreach team at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. When church leaders last summer put up a banner that read "Come Together" to celebrate the 10th anniversary of this building endeavor, Vaage broke into the Beatles song by the same name. The Rev. Perry Aalgaard, associate pastor at First Lutheran Church, couldn't help but notice that phrase as folks came together by the hundreds this week, nearly all of them sharing a hug with DeeAnn and their sons. "Come together, hold each other tight," Aalgaard said, referencing one of the last Gospel messages from which Vaage prepared a sermon. Aalgaard mentioned how Vaage took up yoga recently. The practice lent itself to a talk Vaage conducted on the subject of pride, one in which he preached for a time while standing on his head. When Aalgaard had the topic of envy the following week, it was easy for him to note how envious he was of Vaage's many gifts. Bishop Rodger Prois offered a sermon on expectations, one based in the Father's expectation presented through his Son, namely, to love one another as Jesus has loved us. Bob Vaage attempted to do that, daily. And he did so with humility, saying it wasn't his doing, but the Holy Spirit at work in him. "We expect our loved ones to outlive us," Prois added, "to be super-human." And when the unexpected happens, like the death of a 57-year-old full of life and warmth and endless energy presents us with a hurdle, how do we cope? To whom do we look? Prois looked to Paul's Letter to the Romans and all around a church at West Okoboji teeming with good works and good people. Said Paul, "For nothing can separate the love of God in Christ Jesus." "The expectations moving forward," Prois said, "there will be hard times for you. We will keep you in prayer. Call me." And, he added, remember in conversation, in prayer, and in action the lead of the man so many gathered to celebrate: "Love mercy, do justly and walk humbly with God." SIOUX CITY | A 32-year-old convicted sex offender escaped a Sioux City work release facility Thursday, the Iowa Department of Corrections said. Michael Allen Meyer failed to return to the facility from employment. He is serving a lifetime sex offender special supervision sentence. He was released from custody in 2014 after he served time for a sexual abuse charge. Meyer is white, 6 feet tall and 216 pounds. He has brown hair and green eyes. He has tattoos on both upper arms, left calf, chest, left elbow, right forearm, right hand and left wrist, the release said. Anyone with information on Meyer's whereabouts should contact the Sioux City Police Department or Woodbury County Sheriff's Department. SIOUX CITY | A convicted sex offender is back in custody Friday, less than a day after he failed to return to a Sioux City work release facility. The Iowa Department of Corrections reported Michael Allen Meyer, 32, failed to return to the city facility from employment on Thursday. A department spokesman reported Meyer was apprehended at 1 a.m. Friday and taken to the Woodbury County Law Enforcement Center jail. Meyer is serving a lifetime sex offender special supervision sentence. He was released from custody in 2014 after he served time for a sexual abuse charge. SIOUX CITY | A Sioux City man faces felony drug charges, after police said he sold cocaine. The Sioux City Police Department arrested Aaron Jones, 26, on Thursday. Jones was charged with multiple counts of possessing narcotics with the intent to deliver. Iowa District Court documents available Friday said Jones sold crack cocaine to an undercover officer. Police described finding packaging materials and a measuring scale in his apartment. Jones was held Friday in Woodbury County Jail in Sioux City on bond of $25,000. His first court date is Dec. 12. SIOUX CITY | A Sioux City man has pleaded not guilty to charges that he pointed a shotgun at officers during a standoff with police. John Albenesius, 41, entered his written plea Thursday in Woodbury County District Court to two counts of assault on a peace officer. According to court documents, Albenesius racked and pointed a shotgun at two officers who had responded to a Nov. 6 call to an apartment in the 1100 block of Fourth Street. A four-hour standoff ensued, and Albenesius surrendered after police deployed gas. No one was injured. OMAHA | A Sioux City man was sentenced to three years in federal prison Thursday in connection with stabbings on the Omaha and Winnebago Indian reservations. Allen Weitzel, 24, had previously pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Omaha to two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. Weitzel stabbed Derek Webster in the left forearm with a knife during an Aug. 6, 2015, altercation in Macy, Nebraska, which is located on the Omaha Indian Reservation. On Nov. 29, 2015, he stabbed Coty Blackhawk in the back of his left side three times with a knife on the Winnebago Indian Reservation. President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly considering seriously at least two men for the critical position of secretary of state. One, former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, has divided the Trump team between those who think it is a good idea and those who think Romney's severe criticism of Trump during the campaign disqualifies him. The other is retired general and former CIA Director David Petraeus. A major problem for Petraeus is his mishandling of classified documents, which he reportedly leaked to his biographer-mistress, Paula Broadwell. After Trump hammered Hillary Clinton for her "extremely careless" handling of classified material when she was secretary of state, it would be hypocritical of Trump to name Petraeus. Though also in the running, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani is thought to be running a distant third, if the number of visits in and out of Trump Tower are any indication. So, of the top two contenders, who? How about someone with experience as a diplomat, including within the State Department and as a former U.N. ambassador? John Bolton, now a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a regular commentator on cable news, does not engage in wishful thinking, or project American morals on those who don't share them in the vain hope they might be contagious. Here is Bolton on the threat of radical Islamic terrorism: "When you have a regime that would be happier in the afterlife than in this life, this is not a regime that is subject to classic theories of deterrence." In his book "Surrendering is Not an Option: Defending America at the United Nations," Bolton is unrelenting in his criticism of the toothless UN and of many U.S. policies that have not produced results in America's best interests -- precisely the attitude of President-elect Trump, who wants to look out for America and its interests first. In this pursuit he is not unlike one of his predecessors, Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, who said, "What takes place in the Security Council more closely resembles a mugging than either a political debate or an effort at problem-solving." It is a mugging, and too often it is the United States and Israel who get mugged. Here's another Bolton quote: "Negotiation is not a policy. It's a technique. It's something you use when it's to your advantage, and something that you don't use when it's not to your advantage." That is the opposite of wishful thinking. In a July 2015 column for the Dallas Morning News, Bolton wrote that it is a fiction to believe Iran won't violate terms of the nuclear weapons deal it made with the Obama administration. He argues that "snapback" sanctions won't work because sanctions failed before. He thinks the only option for keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of the ayatollahs is Israel. "However, Iran may well retaliate," Bolton acknowledges. "At that point, Washington must be ready to immediately resupply Israel for losses incurred by its armed forces in the initial attack, so that Israel will still be able to effectively counter Tehran's proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, which will be its vehicles for retaliation. The United States must also provide muscular political support, explaining that Israel legitimately exercised its inherent right of self-defense. Whatever Obama's view, public and congressional support for Israel will be overwhelming." Who is to blame for this situation? Bolton writes: "American weakness has brought us to this difficult moment. While we obsessed about its economic discomfort, Iran wore its duress with pride. It was never an even match. We now have to rely on a tiny ally to do the job for us. But unless we are ready to accept a nuclear Iran (and, in relatively short order, several other nuclear Middle Eastern states), get ready. The easy ways out disappeared long ago." This is sober reality and precisely the worldview that is needed at the Department of State. A significant share of people in European countries support the idea of holding a referendum on leaving the EU, according to the results of a Sputnik.Polls survey. More than half of respondents in Italy (53%) said they support holding a referendum of this kind, followed by France (47%), Germany (43%), Spain (39%), and Poland (38%). The poll was conducted by Ifop for Sputnik news agency and radio. When asked "Do you want your country to hold a referendum on leaving the EU like in Britain?" 62% of respondents in Poland, 61% in Spain, 57% in Germany, 53% in France and 47% in Italy answered in the negative. It is worth noting that compared to July 2016* the share of those supporting a referendum increased in Spain from 34% to 39%, from 46% to 53% in Italy, and from 33% to 38% in Poland. The poll was conducted by Ifop, France's oldest opinion and market research company, between October 22 and 26, 2016. In total, 5,019 respondents aged 18 and older took part in the poll in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Poland. The sample was representative in terms of gender, age, and location. The margin of error was 3.1 percent by country, with a 95 percent confidence interval. Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is a New York writer focusing on radical Islam.The left aided Islamic terrorists most not with street protests, but by embedding counterintuitive narratives into the framework of counterterrorism. These narratives turned reality on its head.In counterterrorism, counterintuitive narratives transformed inaction into a virtue.One of the most pervasive myths was that Islamic terrorists actually wanted us to fight them and that we could only defeat them by ignoring them. The irrationality of the myth that terrorists wanted us to bomb and kill them was exceeded only by its persistence among experts and political officials.Popularly known as Playing into their hands, the goal of this counterintuitive narrative was to make the ostrich approach appear prudent and masterful while flipping around patriotism by accusing national security hawks of playing into the hands of the terrorists by killing them.Only the appeasers had the secret to defeating Islamic terrorism while the patriots were truly traitors.Trump faced repeated accusation from Hillary and her proxies that he was playing into the hands of ISIS with calls to get tough on Islamic terrorism. And you can expect the smear that hes playing into the hands of the terrorists by bombing and killing them to recur throughout his administration.But the myth has been shredded by James E. Mitchell's book, Enhanced Interrogation: Inside the Minds and Motives of the Islamic Terrorists Trying To Destroy America. As the man who helped the CIA break terrorists, Mitchell had written the book on effective methods for fighting Islamic terror. And now he actually wrote the book on what the terrorists really wanted and fear.And no, they didnt want to be bombed. We werent playing into their hands by killing them or by making it harder for them to come to America. It was the left that was playing into Al Qaedas hands.And that still is.Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the September 11 attacks, revealed that Al Qaeda shared the leftist panic and disaster over Bushs cowboy approach to fighting terrorists. The United States had backed down from Islamic terrorists so many times that they had come to take our defeatism for granted. Al Qaeda didnt have a masterful plan to lure us into Afghanistan, as the left liked to insist, instead it expected President Bush to follow in Clintons footsteps by delivering an empty speech and then writing it off as a law enforcement problem. Much as Obama had done with Benghazi.It wasnt expecting the roar of jets over Kandahar.How was I supposed to know that cowboy George Bush would announce he wanted us dead or alive and then invade Afghanistan to hunt us down? Khalid Sheikh Mohammed whined.KSM explained that if the United States had treated 9/11 like a law enforcement matter, he would have had time to launch a second wave of attacks, but instead Al Qaeda and its plans for the next wave of attacks were crushed by the ferocity and swiftness of George W. Bushs response.Like Saddams WMDs, the left has made great sport of the lack of major follow-up attacks by Al Qaeda. But Al Qaeda couldnt follow up because it was under too much pressure. Unsurprisingly, killing terrorists actually worked. Unknown numbers of American lives were saved because President Bush believed that killing terrorists was more effective than appeasing them.The left had always insisted on treating 9/11 as a law enforcement matter. That is why Obama aggressively pushed to move Islamic terrorists into criminal courts. Even his Osama bin Laden bid was only an effort to capture the top Al Qaeda terrorist so that he could put him on trial in a criminal court.My belief was if we had captured him, that I would be in a pretty strong position, politically, here, to argue that displaying due process and rule of law would be our best weapon against al-Qaeda, Obama had argued, showcasing a typical counterintuitive narrative myth.Osamas death proved to be a lucky political break for Obama, but he hadnt been trying to fight terror. Instead he was working to appease it.Various counterintuitive narratives were invoked in defense of this bad policy, including the Playing into their hands myth. But now we know that it was leftists who were playing into Al Qaedas hands.The mastermind of 9/11 wanted us to send the cops after Al Qaeda. He wasnt looking to dance with an A-10. And had Bill Clinton turned over the White House to Al Gore instead of George W. Bush, 9/11 would have been far more devastating as the opening round of a series of major Islamic terror attacks.Another great counterintuitive myth is that Islamic immigration, which provides fertile recruiting ground for foreign terror groups such as Al Qaeda and ISIS to pursue their Jihad on America using operatives already embedded in the country, is actually the best way to fight Islamic terrorism.When Trump called for a ban on Muslim migration, counterintuitive narratives were deployed that accused him, once again, of playing into the hands of ISIS and Al Qaeda. Islamic immigration, the counterintuitive myth claimed, disproved the claims of Islamic terrorists about America. The more Muslim migrants we took in, the more Muslims would come to love us and reject Islamic terrorism.But Khalid Sheikh Mohammed revealed that he did not oppose Islamic immigration. He viewed it as the certain way for Muslims to defeat America and the free world. Islamic terrorism was a short range gamble. The moonshot of Islamic conquest wasnt terrorism, it was Muslim migration to the West.And even in the short term, Islamic terror was still enabled by Islamic immigration."Jihadi-minded brothers would immigrate into the United States and wrap themselves in Americas rights and laws while continuing their attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed admitted.While the counterintuitive narrative deeply embedded in CVE insists that Islamist civil rights groups like CAIR are our best partners in fighting Islamic terrorism and that extending every possible legal protection to Islamic terrorists will help discredit them, Mohammed saw Islamic migration and the whole Islamist civil rights scam enabled by the radicals at the ACLU and elsewhere, as cover for Islamic terrorism.All of this is obvious to any thinking person who possesses enough common sense to come out of the rain. So why did so many important people fall for the counterintuitive myths of counterterrorism?The strange seductiveness of counterintuitive narratives lies in their rejection of common sense solutions. Instead they follow the standard leftist pattern of descending into the matrix of a logically illogical system which is internally consistent, but makes no sense when applied to the real world.Counterintuitive narratives make elites and experts feel smart for appearing to transcend common sense to grasp deeper insights into human nature and how the world works. Such gnostic revelations are a big part of the lefts appeal, particularly to college students, but these mythologies are a myth.The left loves to play with language, but word games dont change reality. They just seduce those who consider themselves bright into believing that their cleverness is more meaningful than reality.But eventually the ivory towers fall, the sand castles are washed away by the tide and the lies die.Common sense was always right. Killing terrorists works. Appeasing them doesnt. Terrorists are broken through pressure, not milk and cookies. Trumps proposals work. Those of the left only enable terrorism.America will expose her neck for us to slaughter, Mohammed predicted. And it did.But just as the mastermind of September 11 had not anticipated what President Bush would do, Islamic terrorists never saw President Trump coming. 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. Every Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Pride Center, BrothasSpeak Fort Lauderdale meets as a gathering place for black gay, same-gender-loving, bisexual and transgender men that encourages openness, comradery and pride. The thing that brings us together is our black African heritage and the fact that we are the same gender loving men, BrothasSpeak Coordinator Paul Smith said during a phone call. But beyond that, [the goal] is to create solidarity among all of us. We are all part of this South Florida Community. The group is not only a social group, but is also a group that strives to educate its members as well as the immediate community. Alongside potlucks and holiday parties, the group discusses topics such as the implications of the Trump presidency on the LGBT community, as well as discussing the unique struggles faced by black gay men in South Florida. Since our inception, our energy has been focused inward on the (inter)personal, emotional, social, cultural, political, spiritual, economic and health realities that concern black gay men in our communities in South Florida, reads a BrothasSpeak press release. BrothasSpeak also works closely with the Pride Center and local churches to reach out to those in the community with HIV/AIDS and to serve as resources for those seeking education and advice. Weve joined forces with the Pride Center to explore with community leaders how to curb that rate of infection, Smith said. BrothasSpeak Fort Lauderdale has grown to a group of 25-30 members and is making moves to meet more than once a week such as their Thursday nights out at Wolf bar. One of the biggest goals of the group, according to Smith, is reaching out and drawing in more gay, bi and transgender black men from all cultural backgrounds. [Black gay men] have been scattered throughout the community, and have not felt welcomed in the mainstream community, Smith said. Part of the effort, as well, is to create its own unique sense of community and gradually make forays into the larger LGBT community in South Florida. ESA Council meeting at Ministerial Level, Lucerne, on 1 December 2016 ESA ESA today concluded a two-day Council meeting at ministerial level in Lucerne, Switzerland. Ministers in charge for space matters from ESAs 22 member states plus Slovenia and Canada allocated 10.3 billion for space activities and programmes based on the vision of a United Space in Europe in the era of Space 4.0. The high level of subscriptions demonstrates once more that ESAs Member States consider space as a strategic and attractive investment with a particularly high socio-economic value. It also underlines that ESA is THE European Space Agency capable of channeling their investment to respond effectively to regional, national and European needs by covering all elements of space: science, human spaceflight, exploration, launchers, telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, applications (combining space, airborne and terrestrial technology), operations and technologies; as well as responding to the needs and challenges of Europe and the Member States by bringing together all stakeholders. Ministers confirmed the confidence that ESA can conceptualize, shape and organize the change in the European space sector and in ESA itself. While also acting as a global player, broker and mediator at the centre of international cooperation in space activities, in areas ranging from the far away in exploration (with the concept of a Moon Village for instance) to supporting closer to home the international global climate research effort following the Paris Agreement of 2015. At this summit, Ministers in charge of space matters have declared support for ESAs Director Generals vision for Europe in space and the role and development of ESA: now the Space 4.0i era can start with ESA committing to inform, innovate, interact and inspire. And, building on commercialization, participation, digitalization, jobs and growth, the concept of United Space in Europe will soon become a reality. The following Resolutions were adopted: Towards Space 4.0 for a United Space in Europe, Level of Resources for the Agencys Mandatory Activities 2017-2021, CSG (Guiana Space Centre) (2017-2021), ESA Programmes Additionally, a Resolution on setting up the ESA Grand Challenge (PDF) was approved in regular Council on 30 November. The Resolutions (PDF) are available on ESAs website. The sums allocated by Ministers to allow ESA to reach its future goals can be summarized as follows: Maximise the integration of space into European society and economy Amount: 2.5 billion Foster a globally competitive European space sector Amount: 1.4 billion Ensure European autonomy in accessing and using space in a safe and secure environment Amount: 1.8 billion Foundation: excellence in space science and technology Amount: 4.6 billion The same amounts can also be seen spread in a more traditional approach by programme families. The figures above include Member States additional subscriptions to already-running optional programmes not tabled at the Ministerial. Next Council at Ministerial Level Ministers decided to hold the next Council at ministerial level during late 2019 in Spain under the Chairmanship of Luis de Guindos, Minister of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness. ESA Ministerial Council Media Briefing About the European Space Agency The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europes gateway to space. ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europes space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. ESA has 22 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Slovenia is an Associate Member. ESA has established formal cooperation with six Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement. By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with EUMETSAT for the development of meteorological missions. ESA develops the launchers, spacecraft and ground facilities needed to keep Europe at the forefront of global space activities. Today, it develops and launches satellites for Earth observation, navigation, telecommunications and astronomy, sends probes to the far reaches of the Solar System and cooperates in the human exploration of space. ESA also has a strong applications programme developing services in the Earth observation, navigation and telecommunications domain. Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int The Progress 65 spacecraft is pictured at its launch pad Nov. 29 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. RSC Energia Launch of the ISS Progress 65 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan occurred at 9:51 a.m. EST (8:51 p.m. Baikonur time). An anomaly occurred sometime during the third stage operation. The Russian space agency Roscosmos has confirmed a Progress cargo resupply spacecraft bound for the International Space Station has been lost. The spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Thursday on a Soyuz rocket, but experienced an anomaly around six and a half minutes into its flight. The Russian space agency Roscosmos has confirmed a Progress cargo resupply spacecraft bound for the International Space Station has been lost. The spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Thursday on a Soyuz rocket, but experienced an anomaly around six and a half minutes into its flight. Six crew members living aboard the space station are safe and have been informed of the missions status. Both the Russian and U.S. segments of the station continue to operate normally with onboard supplies at good levels. The ISS Progress 65 cargo spacecraft launched on time from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 9:51 a.m. EST (8:51 p.m. Baikonur time). The first few minutes of flight were normal, but Russian flight controllers reported telemetry data indicating a problem during third stage operation. The Russians have formed a State Commission and are the source for details on the specific failure cause. The spacecraft was not carrying any supplies critical for the United States Operating Segment (USOS) of the station. The next mission scheduled to deliver cargo to the station is an H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV)-6 from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on Friday, Dec. 9. Cargo packed inside the Progress 65 included more than 2.6 tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the space station crew, including approximately 1,400 pounds of propellant, 112 pounds of oxygen, 925 pounds of water, and 2,750 pounds of spare parts, supplies and scientific experiment hardware. Among the U.S. supplies on board were spare parts for the stations environmental control and life support system, research hardware, crew supplies and crew clothing, all of which are replaceable. On-Orbit Status Report 65 Progress (65P) Launch: 65P launched from the Baikonur, Kazakhstan Cosmodrome today at 8:51 am CST. Telemetry indicated that the 3rd stage separation occurred a little more than 2 minutes early. Telemetry over Russian Ground Sites (RGS) was lost earlier than expected. Communication with the vehicle was never reacquired with the vehicle. The 65P vehicle and all cargo is considered lost. A Russian State Commission will convene to investigate the anomaly. Robotic External Leak Locator (RELL) Operations: Today, RELL checkout and demonstration continues with scans of the Port 1 Truss (P1) Truss Radiator Beam Valve Modules (RBVMs), and the P1 Ammonia (NH3). RELL is an instrumentation package that is maneuvered externally by the SSRMS/SPDM to detect local pressure variations to help in locating a leak. For this demonstration, a predetermined scan/survey procedure will be executed that characterized the ISS environment and scans various ISS elements containing ammonia lines and systems. Planned operations later this week will also attempt to identify the source of the white flakes that have been noticed on downlink video. Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites Tether Demonstration (SPHERES Tether Demo): The crew conducted a conference with the ground team then setup and checkout the SPHERES, the work area in the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), and the EXpedite PRocessing of Experiments to Space Station (EXPRESS) Laptop Computer (ELC) prior to testing. The crew loaded the test specific software to the satellites and executed the first of two test sessions with ground support teams. The goal of the SPHERES Tether Demo is to study the dynamics of a tethered capture object and a space tug chase vehicle, improving computer programs and modeling needed for removing space debris as well as capturing scientific samples from other planets. Sarcolab-3 Deconfigure and Stow: After the successful completion of the Flight Day (FD) 5-10 sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, the crew deconfigured and stowed the Muscle Atrophy Research & Exercise System (MARES). Today, the crew verified and downlinked the data and stowed the remaining ancillary Sarcolab-3 hardware. The next session will be in the FD 30-60 window. Myotendinous and Neuromuscular Adaptation to Long-term Spaceflight (Sarcolab) investigates the adaptation and deterioration of the soleus, or calf muscle, where it joins the Achilles tendon, which links it to the heel and carries loads from the entire body. Muscle fiber samples are taken from crew members before and after flight, and analyzed for changes in structural and chemical properties. MRI and ultrasound tests and electrode stimulation are conducted to help assess muscle and tendon changes caused by microgravity exposure. Aerosol Sampler: The crew closed the drawers on the passive samplers located in the various USOS modules. The Aerosol Sampling Experiment (Aerosol Sampler) collects airborne particles in the ISS cabin air, and is returned to Earth so scientists can study the particles with powerful microscopes. For this experiment, particles collected on the cabin air samples are analyzed using a variety of microscopic techniques including: light microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, computer controlled scanning electron microscopy; and scanning transmission electron microscopy. Packed Bed Reactor Experiment (PBRE) Setup: The crew configured the PBRE hardware components and connected the hoses and cables within the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG). This module is scheduled to run for approximately three weeks in the MSG. PBRE studies the behavior of gases and liquids when they flow simultaneously through a column filled with fixed porous media. The porous media or packing can be made of different shapes and materials and are used widely in chemical engineering as a means to enhance the contact between two immiscible fluid phases (e.g., liquid-gas, water-oil, etc.). Packed columns can serve as reactors, scrubbers, strippers, etc. in systems where efficient interphase contact is desired, both on Earth and in space. Todays Planned Activities All activities were completed unless otherwise noted. ISS Crew and ???? (RSA Flight Control Team) weekly conference HTV HARDWARE COMMAND PANEL (HCP) and HCP Power/Data Cables Setup Inventory Management System (IMS) conference Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Drain MARES payload and laptop start up Download of BRI log from RSS1 ALGOMETRIYA. Pressure and Thermal Algometry preparation for and measurement session MELFI Overview OBT Dose Tracker Data Entry Subject HTV PROX Switch ON Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Drain Part 2 MARES Guided Data Export SPLANKH. Terminate EGEG Recording. Closeout Ops. Tagup with specialists Removal and Relocation of Payload Complement (???) hardware to MRM2 (???-? No.02 and No.04). Tagup with specialists as necessary SPLANKH. Photography of the Experiment Session Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (RGN) WSTA Fill Aerosol Passive Samplers Drawer 1 Closure Flushing Progress 433 (DC1) Rodnik H2O Tank 1 and Tank 2 H2O connectors ?1, B2 MRM2 comm config to support the P/L Ops KULONOVSKIY KRISTALL. Hardware Setup and Configuration. Tagup with specialists SPHERES Payload OBT Removal and Relocation of Payload Complement (???) hardware from MRM1 to FGB (3 rack modules with fasteners and narrow bridge-frame with fasteners). Tagup with specialists as necessary USOS IVA Hatch Window Cover Audit Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (RGN) WSTA Fill SPHERES Crew Conference MARES knee configuration deinstallation KULONOVSKIY KRISTALL. Experiment Ops. Tagup with specialists SPHERES Test Session Setup Active camera temperature monitoring and ???-? No.4 deactivation MRM2 Comm Reconfig for Nominal Ops Crew time for ISS adaptation and orientation KULONOVSKIY KRISTALL. Copy and Downlink Data via RSPI Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (RGN) WSTA Fill HTV HARDWARE COMMAND PANEL(HCP) SELFCHECK (Side B) ESA Weekly crew conference ALGOMETRIYA. Pressure Algometry Measurement Ops MARES files transfer verification and shutdown Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) Recycle Tank Fill Part 3 Removal and Relocation of Payload Complement (???) hardware from MRM1 to FGB (2 rack modules with fasteners and narrow bridge-frame with fasteners). Tagup with specialists as necessary HTV HARDWARE COMMAND PANEL(HCP) SELFCHECK (Side A) Packed Bed Reactor Experiment Hardware Setup SPHERES Payload OBT SPHERES Tether Demo Test Run EPM Laptop relocation for files downlink preparation Crew time for ISS adaptation and orientation ISS Crew Orientation PEMS and EMG final stowage SEPARATSIYA. Gathering and Transfer of [???-?] equipment in MRM1 MARES disconnection and stowage ??? maintenance MARES stowage assistance SPHERES Tether Demo Test Run IMS Delta file prep INTERACTION-2. Experiment Ops. Tagup with specialists 24-hour ECG Recording (termination) Packed Bed Reactor Experiment Historical Documentation Photos EML Gas Valves Opening SPHERES Test Session Shutdown Evening Preparation Work Regenerative Environmental Control and Life Support System (RGN) WSTA Fill HRF Generic Frozen Blood Collection Setup Health Maintenance System (HMS) Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) or ISS Food Intake Tracker (ISS FIT) Completed Task List Items Crew Evaluation of New Food Items BEAM Intermodule Ventilation Coupling Verification USOS IVA Hatch Window Cover Audit CEVIS Acoustic Cover R&R Ground Activities All activities were completed unless otherwise noted. RELL Operations Three-Day Look Ahead: Friday, 12/02: HTV Rendezvous OBT, ELF Clean & Sample Exchange, VEGI Harvest Saturday, 12/03: Weekly Housekeeping Sunday, 12/04: Crew Off Duty QUICK ISS Status Environmental Control Group: Component Status Elektron On Vozdukh Manual [???] 1 SM Air Conditioner System (SKV1) Off [???] 2 SM Air Conditioner System (SKV2) On Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Lab Standby Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA) Node 3 Operate Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Lab Operate Major Constituent Analyzer (MCA) Node 3 Idle Oxygen Generation Assembly (OGA) Process Urine Processing Assembly (UPA) Process Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Lab Off Trace Contaminant Control System (TCCS) Node 3 -Full Up A six-pack of square gaiters faced the starting gate in Thursdays $11,000 Preferred 2 Handicap at Flamboro Downs, and Allies Gift turned in a dominant performance in the featured affair. Robert Shepherd rolled Allies Gift to the lead from Post 4 and they never looked back through panels of :28.1, :57.4 and 1:26.4. A final quarter clocked in :30.2 was more than enough for the four-year-old daughter of Holiday Road-Minor Skirmish to win by four lengths over Ole Jack Magic in 1:57.1. Third prize went to Big Rich. J.F. Maguire trains the mare for owner Michel Gaboury of Venise-En-Quebec. Shes racked up a 6-for-22 record this season and purse earnings in excess of $34,000. The 13-time winner has banked close to $100,000 to date. A pair of $7,500 Preferred 3 tilts also went postward for trotters, with Euro Classic and Bella Palazzo winning their respective assignments. Euro Classic survived a first-over trip to win in 1:59.4 for trainer Ann Karin Larsen and driver Per Henriksen. The eight-year-old son of Chocolatier-Donven Fury trotted home in :30.2 to win by 1-1/2 lengths over Whosgoingtocatchus in 1:59.4. Seeyou Men took home the show dough. Sent off as the even-money favourite, Euro Classic posted the win for the partnership of Ann Karin Larsen, Tor Jan Larsen and Odd Larsen. It was the 29th lifetime tally for the career winner of $196,356. Bella Palazzo found her way to victory lane for the third time in her last four attempts thanks to her 1:58.1 triumph for trainer Mike Weller. Bob McClure made a bold, three-wide move with the five-year-old daughter of Tom Ridge-Bellissimo going to the three-quarter pole, and from there she used a :30.1 closing quarter to propel herself to the head decision over Spartan Victory in 1:58.1. Taking home third money was race favourite Dunvegan Don. Pod Stable LLC of Seven Hills, OH owns the mare who won for the sixth time this season and for the 21st time in her career. Shes put away more than $46,000 this season. Her lifetime earnings now stand at $133,401. To view results for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results Flamboro Downs. The story of a private investigator, an Ontario Provincial Police constable, and a horse that was referred to as dead has cracked the mainstream media. The drawn-out tale, which took place over the course of roughly one year, left a grown man in tears when it came to its conclusion. As an article on mykawartha.com explains, the horse in question was a rescued and rehabilitated Quarter Horse that had been living in the United States. The horse had been stolen and moved to Canada by a family member. An agreement was then reached between the parties to see the horse sent to the United States to be reunited with its owners. Although the situation appeared as though it was on the cusp of being resolved, a transportation accident had allegedly killed the Quarter Horse. The U.S. connections werent buying the story, and that is when private investigator Peter Moore was brought into the fold. The horse that had passed away in the accident did not match the description of the Quarter Horse who is aptly named Diamond, due to having a distinctive white diamond on his forehead thus, the search was on. Moore had admitted trying to find Diamond was similar to trying to find a needle in a haystack. Moore and three other people spent countless hours driving country roads in the Peterborough area in search of the horse with the white diamond. Soon, everything started looking like a diamond, he said. They would pull up beside paddocks and call for Diamond to see if a horse would specifically respond. Moore explained that it was tricky process. He couldnt inform the farm owners as to what he and his crew were doing, due to the fact that Diamond would be relocated if the culprit caught wind of what was going on (the individual that had stolen Diamond did not have a farm of their own). Moores effort caught a big shot in the arm when Kawartha Lakes OPP Constable Darrin Thompson joined the fray. Constable Thompson liased with Diamonds U.S. connections, which ramped rescue efforts up another notch. With the hard work of Moore, his team, Constable Thompson, and the leveraging of social media, Diamond was located this past August after an 11-month ordeal. Moore and Constable Thompson showed up at an undisclosed farm near Omemee, checked a horses lip tattoo, and, lo and behold, Diamond was found. The farm owner did not put up a fuss and handed the horse over. Out of the blue, I broke out in tears, which is ridiculous, Moore said. It was emotional since I didnt believe we would find this horse. Moore went on to say, You could sense he (Diamond) knew something was up and he was going home. He knew something good was happening. Moore was paid for all the work that was put into finding Diamond, but he has said that he did not bill all the man hours that went into bringing Diamond home. This one was more personal, he said. Diamond was transported to another location where he worked on getting some weight and muscle put back on him, as he had lost roughly 600 pounds during the 11 months. Diamond was returned to his U.S. family in October, and the family has sent Moore photos of the happy horse as he gets reacquainted with his family. (Please note that the mykawartha.com story did not divulge the names of the family members and culprits due to charges not being filed) (With files from mykawartha.com) The first stud book for JK Endofanera p,2, 1:51.4; 3, 1:48.2 ($2,049,580), who was retired from racing earlier this year, is full and closed. JK Endofanera will stand his first season at stud in 2017 at Victory Hill Farm in LaGrange, Ind. He was bred and campaigned by the 3 Brothers Stable of Steven, Alan and Ron Katz. They sold a significant interest to a group comprised of the same principals who brought Always A Virgin to Indiana. Hes an exceptional horse and were thrilled that hes received so much support from significant breeders and will have a great start at stud, said Bob Boni, a spokesperson for the stallions ownership group. A son of Art Major, JK Endofanera is out of the Presidential Ball mare Presidential Lady, who also has produced 2014 Horse of the Year JK Shesalady. Trained by Ron Burke at ages two and three and Jimmy Takter during his four-year-old season, JK Endofanera beat every top colt of his generation. As a two-year-old he won four of seven starts, among them the $534,500 Governors Cup at the Meadowlands, when he took his freshman mark of 1:51.4. At age three he captured the $1 million North America Cup, defeating a field that included Hes Watching and McWicked. In 2015, at age four, he captured the Dan Patch Free-For-All at Hoosier Park by two and a half lengths in 1:48.4, exploding past his rivals with a :26.2 final quarter. Kelvin Harrison trainee In the Arsenal will look to return to his winning ways in Saturday (December 3) evenings $17,500 pacing feature at the Meadowlands Racetrack. The millionaire will square off against six rivals including the red-hot Bullet Bob and recent stateside arrival Uncle Lile A in the nights second of 13 races. Despite a break at the start of his last race, the four-year-old son of American Ideal proved strong while in victory three races ago, as he used a first-over bid and a :26.2 closing quarter to defeat Boston Red Rocks and Quality Closer in 1:49.1, a mile which equalled his lifetime mark. Brett Miller will drive the 15-time winner from Post 3 in the field of seven. In the Arsenals entrymate, Dream Out Loud N, will arrive from Harrahs Philadelphia following a win over similar competition on Sunday. David Miller once again will drive the Darran Cassar trainee from Post 7, and the pair has been installed as the 2-1 favoured entry on the morning line. Bullet Bob has emerged as a sharp contender in recent weeks, and could serve as a likely pacesetter in the race from Post 6. The 32-time winner controlled the terms in this same event last week, only to be reeled in by pocket rival Mr Hasani N in the last 40 yards of a 1:50.3 mile. Corey Callahan drives the 4-1 third choice for trainer Mark Harder. Also of note in the field is Noel Daley trainee Uncle Lile A, who recently arrived in the United States after a lengthy campaign in Australia. Fellow Australian Andy McCarthy once again will drive the eight-year-old gelding following a sweep of the Dash for the G-Notes series in early November and a hard-closing third-place finish behind Dream Out Loud N in their recent Philadelphia matchup. The Saturday sub-feature is the culmination of the Jersey Strong series for $7,500 claiming pacers, with a full field of ten lining up for the nights 12th event. Esprit De Kayjay A is part of the 2-1 favoured entry that will be sent to post by trainer Mike Fiumenero after a second-place finish in his Freehold preliminary and a strong 1:53.4 win in his local preliminary last week. David Miller will drive the 60-time winner. As is standard, a combined $105,000 in guaranteed Pick 4 and Pick 5 pools awaits players on the Saturday card, along with a pair of 20-cent Jackpot High Five opportunities. Post time for the card is slated for 7:15 p.m. (Meadowlands Racetrack) Contact: Liberty Counsel, 800-671-1776, Media@LC.org, Press Kit ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 2, 2016 /Standard Newswire/ -- Between his campaign against President Gerald Ford in 1975-76 and his race against Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan delivered more than 1,000 radio broadcasts. In fact, Mr. Reagan wrote most of those three-minute broadcasts himself. In one broadcast during the Christmas season, Reagan shared a story about Christmas in the Ukraine before and after communism. In an effort to resist Christians, communist leaders secularized a favorite Ukrainian Christmas carol, "Nova Radist Stala" (Joyous News Has Come to Us). The original song began with these words: "The joyous news has come which never was before. Over a cave above a manger a bright star has lit the world, where Jesus was born from a virgin maiden" Communists feared the public outcry that would follow a complete ban on Christmas, so they began to slowly secularize the holiday. The first rewrite of the song began: "The joyous news has come which never was before, a red star with five tails has brightly lit the world." The second rewrite went further: "The joyous news has come which never was before. Long-awaited star of freedom lit the skies in October [the month of the Revolution]. Where formerly lived the kings and had the roots their nobles, there today with simple folks, Lenin's glory hovers." The former Soviet Union eventually began banning Christmas commemorations. St. Nicholas was replaced with "Did Moroz," or Grandfather Frost. This Stalinist creation wears a red cap and long white beard of Santa Claus, but he delivers gifts to children on New Year's Eve. Christmas trees were also banned, but people continued to trim their New Year's trees. Communism folded all Christmas celebrations into a New Year's celebration. Christians in the former Soviet Union exhibited bravery and courage in confronting communism's anti-Christmas campaign. One person recalled how the young people would go out in the streets and sing Christmas carols, knowing that if police heard them, they would be arrested. In communist Romania, Rev. Geza Palffy, a Roman Catholic priest, delivered a sermon in 1983, protesting against the fact that December 25 had been declared a work day instead of a holiday. The next day he was arrested by secret police, beaten, imprisoned and died. Inside and outside the Iron Curtain, Ukrainians never stopped singing: "We beg you our Lord, we pray to you today. Grant us freedom, return glory to our Mother Ukraine." Mr. Reagan ended his broadcast: "I guess we all hope their prayer is answered." Indeed it was. The secularization of Christmas is nothing new. Christianity Today in 2002 reported that in the Vietnamese province of Dak Lak, children's choirs were forbidden to sing "Silent Night." From 1969 to 1997, Christmas was banned in Cuba. Such examples are endless. "The war against Christmas is nothing new," said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "Repressive forces have always had the same goal to first secularize and then to eliminate Christmas. We see it increasing every year as atheist groups try to ban any representation of Christmas. We must never take our freedom for granted." Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics. The Washington and Oregon fish and wildlife commissions will decide in the next two months whether to implement fully in 2017 the biggest overhaul of Columbia River salmon policies in seven decades. Reforms adopted by both states in early 2013 allocated more chinook salmon to sportsmen in the main Columbia and restricted gillnetting to off-channel sites like Youngs Bay near Astoria. The reforms also called for commercial fishing that remained in the main Columbia to be done with live-capture methods such as purse seines and beach seines designed to harvest hatchery stocks and release wild fish. The reforms had a four-year transition period, which ends Dec. 31. Full implementation was to begin on Jan. 1. But, there have been issues during the 2013-2016 transition period. The effort to stock more chinook and coho in off-channel spots, and development of new off-channel places, has met with some success, but failures, too. Testing of beach and purse seines in the main Columbia have found much higher mortality rates of released fish than anticipated four years ago. Washingtons commission will meet by conference call at 4 p.m. today to discuss the next steps in the policy review, said Tami Lininger, commission executive assistant. Oregons commission will meet Friday in Salem to extend the transition period for a month. Oregon plans to consider rulemaking on the reforms on Jan. 20, but the delay allows time for more staff analysis and review by commission members. Washingtons Fish and Wildlife Commission meets Dec. 9 and 10 in Olympia. The commission agenda calls for a staff report and public hearing at 10:15 a.m. Dec. 10 in Room No. 172 of the Natural Resources Building, 1111 Washington St. S.E. Washingtons tentative timetable calls for a final decision to be made Jan. 13 and 14 when the commission meets in Vancouver. The Washington commission was briefed in early November about the four-year transition period. In that briefing, the commission was told about the higher-than-expected mortality rates on released salmon from seines, complicating intentions to use them to replace gillnets. Washington commission members also were told the effort to develop a new off-channel fishing location in Cathlamet Channel in Wahkiakum County has not started well. Although the reforms adopted in 2013 are supposed to apply through 2023, commission member Jay Kehne of Okanogan County said in November a complete review is needed before going to full implementation in 2017. I think its all back on the table if the presumptions we made are not panning out, Kehne said. VANCOUVER One of the oldest and tallest ponderosa pines in the Pacific Northwest has died with little fanfare after hundreds of years. The so-called Big Tree was a well-known attraction for tourists driving through the Columbia River Gorge and was for decades the centerpiece of an interpretive site for travelers headed to Mount Adams. The massive specimen near Trout Lake in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in southwest Washington state was declared dead last year but it was left standing and the news of its demise is not widely known. The Big Tree contained about 22,000 board feet of lumber enough wood to frame almost one and a half 2,400-square-foot homes. No one from the U.S. Forest Service is quite sure of the trees age. The web page devoted to the Big Tree pegged it at about 370 years old, but Jon Nakae, a scientist with the Mount Adams Ranger District, thinks its likely more than 500 years old. Nakae cant count the rings of the giant tree to determine its age because he doesnt have a sampling tool long enough to get all the way through the Big Trees trunk. The Forest Service could cut it down to know exactly how old it was, but agency officials say its worth more standing. It survived an untold number of forest fires and the estimated magnitude 9 Cascadia earthquake of 1700. Ponderosas are typically found in the Intermountain West rather than on the west side of the Cascade Mountains because they prefer drier, warmer conditions rather than the humid forests of coastal areas. But the Big Tree may have benefited from its unusual location by getting more moisture than similar trees east of the Cascades, said Kevin Zobrist, associate professor of forestry at Washington State University. It wasnt the biggest known ponderosa alive on Earth, but it might have been the tallest. A ponderosa on the Yakama Indian Reservation, which also recently died, was shorter but considerably stouter and thus the biggest ponderosa in Washington state. The worlds largest known living ponderosa named Big Red sits in Oregons La Pine State Park. It is more than 500 years old, nearly 29 feet around and 162 feet tall. Its girth made it bigger, but the Big Tree towered over it by about 40 feet. Ponderosas typically live between 300 and 600 years, Zobrist said, so the Big Tree was well within its twilight years. The tree was already in rough shape from old age, a regional drought, insect damage and perhaps years of visitors footsteps crushing the soil around its roots. A Western Pine beetle attack that began about three years ago finally killed it last year, Nakae said. It was really evident the beginning part of last summer, the crown started to fade, he said. Now the Big Tree might be more aptly named the Big Snag. The Forest Service closed the picnic area near the base of the tree to protect the public from any falling dead branches. But because its leaning away from the road and because its valuable to wildlife, it will be left standing. Forty percent of species in the national forest rely on old snags for habitat, Zobrist said. Ironically, the tree can provide more life in its death than it did when it was alive, he said. Ironically, the tree can provide more life in its death than it did when it was alive. Kevin Zobrist WSU forestry professor On Wednesday, David Altman finally started getting the mental health care his sister and father sought for him for years. What we wanted to happen is now happening. But I wish that could have happened without my dad being killed, said Rosalie Olds, Altmans sister. When I got the call, I was not surprised because Id begged for years to get her brother help. Altman, 52, is charged with murder after police say he beat, gagged and stabbed 92-year-old Bernie Altman in August at the Kelso home they shared. Bernie Altman died Sept. 8. In a Sept. 19 report, a state psychologist wrote that Altman was mentally incompetent to stand trial because of his schizophrenia. On Oct. 4, Altman was ordered to Western State Hospital for forcible medication to make him mentally fit to go on trial, but by Nov. 8 Altman still was sitting in a cell at the Cowlitz County Jail. So Superior Court Judge Stephen Warning began to fine the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) $2,000 a day until Altmans transfer to the state psychiatric hospital in Lakewood, which DSHS runs. It wasnt the first time Warning has fined the department, nor is he the only judge to do so. The hospital has racked up hundreds of thousands in fines for treatment delays involving criminal defendants from all over the state. DSHS has been held in contempt 200 times since September 2014 for delaying competency services to defendants in Western Washington alone. Altman was taken to Western State Wednesday. It was a long, tragic time coming, Olds, a King County resident, said in an phone interview Wednesday. For years, Olds said, she and her father tried to get Altman committed. Olds said she once called Adult Protective Services and tried to get them to evaluate her brother. In 2012, she convinced her dad to file a police report after his son assaulted him. He got a short jail sentence and a list of counselors, but he didnt go and was not forced to do so, Olds said. Her dad, she said, was playing Russian roulette. Olds said her father lived in a fantasy world, hoping his son would commit a crime in which no one was hurt and hed get committed to a hospital for it. Olds said she hopes her brother now will be committed for life in a health facility. Warnings $2,000 daily fine is in addition to two fines the hospital already pays: a $500 daily fine for every day a patient waits more than seven days but less than 14 days for transport, and a $1,000 daily fine for every day a defendant waits more than 14 days. Those fines came out of a federal case, in which U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman ordered the state to fix problems at its state hospitals. Pechman said the state was violating defendants constitutional rights by keeping them in jails and denying them timely mental health treatment. Warning said its his responsibility to enforce Pechmans ruling, for both the defendants sake and jail staff who have to spend extra resources and time to handle defendants with mental health problems. I can either kind of ignore that and say Well gee, everybodys a nice guy so were all going to cruise along like none of this (the federal case) happened. Or I could enforce it and hold Western States feet to the fire, Warning said. They do have a pretty much entirely new staff there. I hope they make the changes. In the meantime, the people were talking about have been found not to be competent (to stand trial). Remaining in jail (is) very damaging for them. Its damaging for the county jails that are stuck with trying to cope with these individuals. Theyre huge management problems for the jail. Cowlitz County Jail director Marin Fox Hight agreed. Though David Altman, who was housed primarily alone, did not have many behavior management troubles, Fox Hight said the jail has had difficulty with defendants due to mental health problems. That included Sergey Fedoruk, who misbehaved on and off, including a few outbursts during his murder trial this fall that required in-court monitoring by at least three jail staffers (last October, Warning fined DSHS $2,000 daily while Fedoruk waited to get into Western State). The hospital says its working hard to reduce wait times and already has done so. But the hospital, staff say, faces a historical staffing shortage that hampers its ability to make progress. Barry Ward, supervisor for the Center for Forensic Services at Western State Hospital, wrote in a court document Nov. 9 that the hospital has reduced wait times. He wrote that in May this year, defendants were waiting 50 to 55 days to get into the hospital for 90-day competency restorations. It was taking 45 to 50 days to admit people for 45-day restorations. By August, Ward said defendants were waiting 30 days or less for either restoration period. The opening of facilities at Maple Lane and Yakima this year eased the burden a bit by adding 54 forensic beds. Two new facilities, in Yakima and Rochester, are opening soon, Ward said. Ward estimated that the infusion of $40 million in state funding into the forensic mental health system would increase the number of forensic evaluators by 40 percent and the number of beds for competency restoration treatment by 65 percent. As of Tuesday, 97 defendants were waiting for competency services at Western State and two were waiting for services at Eastern State Hospital. About 12 defendants get admitted weekly to Western State for competency restorations, according to Ward. Ward wrote that the hospital also is constrained by a shortage of forensically trained psychiatrists and psychologists. He noted that Western State still has 10 openings for treatment psychiatrists despite actively recruiting for them. In her ruling last year, Pechman originally ordered that DSHS begin competency restorations and evaluations within seven days of a court order being signed. That timeline was later extended to 14 days. In David Altmans case, Warning ordered the $2,000 fines to go to the county corrections department, essentially to pay them back for the resources used in caring for Altman. In the past, Fox Hight said the hospital has paid up. This year, for example, the hospital paid the department $32,000 for delaying suspected burglar Loren Vaughns bed date, Fox Hight said. My impressions are the new management team theyve got in there are qualified, dedicated, serious people who want to make good changes, Warning said. Given what theyre starting with, they have a rather Sisyphean task, he said, referring to a mythological figure condemned to endlessly push a stone up a mountain. Olds, Altmans sister, doesnt consider fines the answer to the problem. She said the bigger problem which Warning agrees with is that Washingtons mental health care system is underfunded. I just think its really stupid to penalize Western State when they cant take my brother, and they dont have a bed, and they dont have the funding, she said. If things were better funded, my brother could have gotten care before he had to kill my father to get it. The Cowlitz County Sheriffs office and Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue responded to a trailer fire around 5:10 a.m. Thursday that displaced two adults and pets. Local residents reported large explosions to the 911 center. Law enforcement was first on the scene, followed by Cowlitz 2. The fire, which destroyed a trailer, was put out within five minutes of Cowlitz 2s arrival, according to paramedic and firefighter Ben Dobrinski. According to Dobrinski, no official cause has been determined just yet, but responders speculate that the flames might have started with a faulty heater. Disaster responders with the American Red Cross Cascades Region responded later Thursday morning to provide resources for the two displaced adults, including housing, food, clothing, and health services. The renowned automobile giant Audi is among the 16 team competing to win the $20 million prize for exploring the landing site of Apollo 17 spacecraft. Audi has collaborated with the team of scientist for making Audi Lunar quattro rovers that will explore the site . As per the reports, the rover will land within 3-5 km range of the landing site and will reach as near as 200 meters to further explore the site with its high-resolution camera. The competition is being sponsored by the tech giant Google which wants companies like Audi to implement their knowledge and technological skills in the field of space and exploring the landing site on the moon as Google believes that it can give us an opportunity to take a giant leap in the field of space and science. In addition, space missions have mostly been government funded and this project will motivate private firms to step up, develop cheaper technologies for space missions. The Moon is not only our nearest planetary neighbor, but it is also the gateway to the rest of the universe, Googles website describing the Lunar XPRIZE states. The Moon provides exciting opportunities for discovery in the fields of science, technology, resource detection and utilization, and human habitation. Googles Lunar XPRIZE was started back in 2007 with a goal to involve private organisations in space missions and revisit landing site of Apollo 17. Google believes that space agencies like NASA and SpaceX are planning for Journey to Mars but studying Moon can help us in developing a better understanding of our universe. The US space agency NASA started sending astronauts to the moon with Apollo missions starting in 1969. While Apollo 17 was the last manned mission to the moon and Google wants to examine the site. In addition, Google has also announced an additional $5 million prize for the mission that makes further scientific discoveries after exploring the site. As per details provided by Audi on its website, the companys experience of lightweight construction, electric mobility, permanent four-wheel drive and piloted driving have allowed it to get involved in various areas of rover development: design, construction, and testing. 16 teams are competing and fastest to complete the challenge will win the prize. However, Audi wants to win the additional $5 million prize thats why they are also developing 3D printing technology that will enable researchers to grow plants on the Moon. tech2 News Staff A long running botnet infrastructure network for criminal cyber activities was taken down in an international operation with the involvement of many law enforcement agencies from around the world. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Luneburg Police from Germany, the UK National Crime Agency (NCA), The Shadowserver Foundation, Europol, Eurojust, and law enforcement agencies from 30 countries worked together to make the takedown of Avalanche possible. https://twitter.com/NCA_UK/status/804403588411883520 "The volume of fraudulent activity made possible by Avalanche was incredible," said Mike Hulett, from the NCAs National Cyber Crime Unit. "But the scale of the global law enforcement response was unprecedented as 20 strains of malware and 800,000 domains were targeted on one day. This shows how serious we are about tackling cyber crime. The internet isnt a safe haven for criminals." The Avalanche network was used for phishing campaigns, spreading malware, creating botnets, launching dedicated denial of service attacks (DDoS) and for money laundering operations. Avalanche was a cloud based content delivery and management platform. The network was used to run money mule schemes as well. The malware on infected machines could be used to get user credentials, banking information, credit card details. The compromised machines could be remotely accessed by criminals. The network could also attack machines with malware, where user data is encrypted till the victims pay a fee to the attackers. Compromised machines could be used to spread malware to other machines. The network was active in over 30 jurisdictions worldwide, with 37 locations raided, 39 servers seized, and 5 arrests made. Victims of the Avalanche network were spread over 180 countries, and over 40 major financial organisations were targets. https://twitter.com/Europol/status/804355914438496256 This was the largest ever operation to use sinkholing to demolish botnet infrastructure. Over 800,000 domains used by the network are either seized, sinkholed or blocked. The Europol command post was established at Hague to ensure a smooth operation. "Avalanche shows that we can only be successful in combating cybercrime when we work closely together, across sectors and across borders," said Julian King, European Commissioner for the Security Union. "Cybersecurity and law enforcement authorities need to work hand in hand with the private sector to tackle continuously evolving criminal methods. The EU helps by ensuring that the right legal frameworks are in place to enable such cooperation on a daily basis" The Avalanche network was operational since 2009, and the German police were investigating the criminals since 2012. The operation is the end result of over four years of investigation. The Shadowserver Foundation has been supporting the efforts of the law enforcement agencies for eighteen months. Over twenty different malware families were active on the Avalanche network, including Bebloh, Citadel, NewGOZ, Bugat, pandabanker, TeslaCrypt and Marcher. Avalanche was used as a fast flux botnet to support a number of other botnets including TeslaSctipt, Corebot, GetTiny and Matsnu. Antivirus partners to the operation helped with providing assistance to the victims. While the efforts of the law enforcement agencies have protected users from exploitation by the particular group in control of Avalanche, the malware on the machines of users can still be exploited by other hackers. Users are advised to scan their computers with reputed and updated anti virus software. As security precautions, users are advised to keep their operating systems and antivirus solutions updated, not click through links in fishy emails, and frequently change passwords. Further reading Technical alert by US DHS and FBI: Alert (TA16-336A) Update by UK NCA: UK helps dismantle Avalanche global cyber network sending 1m fraudulent emails a week US Department of Justice Statement: Joint Statement on Dismantling of International Cyber Criminal Infrastructure Known as Avalanche Europol Press Release: 'Avalanche' network disabled in International cyber operation The Shadowserver Foundation blog post: Avalanche Law Enforcement Take Down tech2 News Staff The China Consumer Association has asked Apple to step up efforts to replace problematic iPhone models, particularly on the iPhone 6s smartphones. Apple is replacing batteries for iPhone 6s models that shut down unexpectedly. Apple had said that the issue affects a very small number of units. The replacement batteries were offered only for phones manufactured between September and October 2015. The China Consumer Association does not agree though, and says that it received lots of calls from frustrated consumers who were facing problems with their phones, according to a report in Shanghai Daily. The association has asked Apple to increase its efforts at replacing iPhone 6, iPhone 6 plus and the iPhone 6S plus models as well. The association disagrees with Apple on the number of devices affected, and has asked Apple to make the process easier for its customers. Apparently a customer in a Shanghai store was asked to go to the US to get a replacement. The move comes just after Apple initiated a repair program for phones suffering from "touch disease," a problem where the screen of the phone turns unresponsive, starts flickering, and has issues with multi-touch. The iPhone 6 Plus model was affected by the touch disease. Apple has replaced batteries on earlier phone models as well. Some Apple iPhone 5 units, a limited series number according to Apple, were running out of battery life rapidly, requiring frequent recharges. The exchange program was active till this year. tech2 News Staff Reliance Industries Limited Chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani, as part of his Jio related announcements yesterday said that Jio crossed fifty million customers in 83 days. Jio has become the fastest growing technology company in the history of the world. Ambani went on to congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his demonetisation move, calling it a "bold and historic" decision. The demonetisation was a big push for India towards a cashless economy. Ambani said that the Jio Money Application is a commitment from the side of Jio towards making a smooth transition from a cash based economy to a cashless one. In order to allow for easy conversions of cash from physical to digital, and from digital to physical, Jio is using a link to the Adhaar card. Jio money is rapidly deploying micro ATMs at millions of touchpoints. Micro ATMs are small card reading devices used for distribution of cash without bulky machines that hold the money in trays. There are plans to launch a Digital Retail Ecosystem, called Jio Money Merchant Solutions. The ecosystem will allow digital transactions of various types, including small businesses, vegetable vendors, public transport services, and person to person transactions. The Jio Money Merchant application will be available from 5 December. The accepted payments are directly routed to the bank accounts. The Merchant can make supplier payments, transfer money between multiple bank accounts, or use what Ambani calls "digital petty cash," which is presumably money loaded into the wallet. The temporarily relaxed guidelines for merchant accounts on digital wallets allow for Rs 50,000 to be transferred from a mobile wallet to the bank account every month. The extra features of directly transferring payments to banks, and transferring between accounts are extra features that will really help merchants. However, regular users will not be able to avail these facilities. Jio Money plans to sign up over small retailers in 17,000 towns and 400,000 villages. The number of merchants that Jio plans to get on board is massive. Jio Money aims to get 10 million small merchants on board in the next few weeks. By comparison, FreeCharge aims to get one million merchants to use its service over the course of the next year. Freecharge is aiming for 7 million transactions a day by end of 2016. Paytm hit 5 million transactions a day in mid November, and went past the 7 million transactions a day mark, a week later. Ambani re-iterated Jio's commitment to support the demonetisation move by the Modi Government in every way it can. Disclaimer: Reliance Jio is owned by Reliance Industries, who also owns Network18, the publisher of Firstpost and tech2. tech2 News Staff If you were thinking of investing in a modular smartphone this year end, there's only one choice that comes to mind and it's called the Motorola Moto Z. But if you thought that Mods were a bit too limited in number, think again. In addition to existing four Mods (three available in India) Motorola has now announced two more Moto Mods and they come from accessory maker Incipio and Mophie. The Mophie juice pack will set you back by $79.99 and it is the largest Moto Mod battery pack in existence at 3,000mAh. The Verge's report cites Motorola that claims its Mophie Moto Mod can provide up to 60 percent more battery life. It also features a hidden USB Type C port for charging and obviously charges when plugged in via the Moto Z as well. The second Mod announced comes from Incipio and is basically a car dock for the smartphone. As the name suggests it allows you to rest your Moto Z onto a mount that fits into the cars' air conditioning vent. Once docked, the smartphone automatically launches Android Auto forcing the driver to switch to a safer interface and you can charge it as well. Both Moto Mods will arrive in the near future in the US, there is no news about them heading to India as of now. hidden Finnish company HMD Global on Thursday announced that it would bring a new generation of mobile phones to consumers, with the first smartphone product set to be launched in the first half of 2017 along side the existing Nokia branded feature phone business. The launch comes just six months after the company signed a strategic licensing agreement with Nokia, giving HMD exclusive rights to use Nokia brand on mobile phones and tablets worldwide for the next 10 years. "We see this as a brilliant opportunity to solve real life consumer problems and to deliver on the quality and designs that the Nokia brand has been always known for. Our team is uniquely placed in this setup to deliver promise of reliable Nokia phones for consumers," HMD Global CEO Arto Nummela said in a statement. HMD has developed a strategic partnership model that will see it working with some of the world's leading technology companies including Nokia, FIH Mobile Limited (FIH) and Google. "We have been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm shown around the world for the return of the Nokia brand to smartphones. I am sure our millions of Nokia fans will be excited to see their new products," Brad Rodrigues, Interim President of Nokia Technologies, said. Future Nokia smartphones will utilise Google's Android operating system, currently deployed on 86 per cent of the world's smartphones. IANS hidden One of the world's biggest networks of hijacked computers, which is suspected of being used to attack online banking customers, has been taken down following police swoops in 10 countries, German police said on Thursday. In an internationally coordinated campaign, authorities carried out the raids on Wednesday, seized servers and website domains and arrested suspected leaders of a criminal organization, said police and prosecutors in northern Germany. Officials said they had seized 39 servers and several hundred thousand domains, depriving criminals of control of more than 50,000 computers in Germany alone. These hijacked computers were used to form a "botnet" to knock out other websites. Two people who are believed to have been the administrators of the botnet infrastructure known as "AVALANCHE" were arrested in Ukraine, investigators said. Another person was arrested in Berlin, officials added. The strike came in the same week that hackers tried to create the world's biggest botnet, or an army of zombie computers, by infecting the routers of 900,000 Deutsche Telekom with malicious software. The attack failed but froze the routers, causing outages in homes, businesses and government offices across Germany on Sunday and Monday, Deutsche Telekom executives said. Police said criminals had used the "AVALANCHE" botnet targeted in Wednesday's international raids since 2009 to send phishing and spam emails. More than a million emails were sent per week with malicious attachments or links. When users opened the attachment or clicked on the link, their infected computers became part of the botnet. Investigators said the suspects had operated the commandeered network and made it available to other criminal groups, who had used it to send spam and phishing mails, defraud online banking user and to spread ransomware, a form of online extortion scheme. Officials estimated worldwide damages at upward of several hundred million euros. Authorities have identified 16 suspected leaders of the organization from 10 different countries. A court in Verden, northern Germany, has issued arrest warrants for seven people on suspicion of forming a criminal organization, commercial computer fraud and other criminal offences. The raids came after more than four years of intensive investigation by specialists in 41 countries. Reuters Nimish Sawant Rahul Gandhi's official Twitter handle @OfficeOfRG was hacked on 30 November after it emerged that obscene tweets were being posted by the account. The situation is now under control and Gandhi has restored his access with a tweet directed at his haters. But just a day after the hacking of Gandhi's account, his party's official Twitter account was hacked on 1 December as well. Indian National Congresss official Twitter account was hacked on Thursday morning. Expletives and abusive tweets were posted on the handle. One of the tweets posted on the account said that a full dump of Congress emails will be posted. Blame Game As it often happens in such cases, political parties quickly start conjectures as to who is responsible. The Congress party started alleging that BJP was behind the hack attacks. According to Firstpost, the Congress has filed a complaint with the cyber cell of Delhi Police on the hacking of its vice-president's Twitter account, by the party's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, demanding strict action against those behind the hacking. While the case is being investigated, it has emerged that the @OfficeOfRG was accessed using Rahul Gandhi's official email ID, the servers of which are located in Bengaluru. Cyber security expert and consultant with the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IMAI) Rakshit Tandon says that it seems like a case of phishing attack. Phishing could be a possible reason Phishing uses social engineering to attack the victim. The modus operandi is simple. Hackers create fake email accounts which look genuine and as though they have come from a social media site, in this case. They have messages such as, "It looks like your account was hacked." Or, "Someone tried to login in to your account from . Please update your password." Then they have a link in these emails, which again look genuine and lead the victim to a fake landing page, which looks exactly like account verification pages. The user is then prompted to enter their details, which the user may think is going to the social media account's servers, but actually is going to the hacker. "Twitter, for instance, does not differentiate between a Rahul Gandhi Twitter account and that of another verified user account. It does not grade a user with his or her VIP status. At the most, if Twitter or Facebook suspects abnormal activity such as logging in attempt from a foreign country, then it has methods to send alerts to the user to check if that is really him or her. It could either have been a phishing attack or if OTP was activated, then there may have been malware which could also read OTP. These days hackers can read your OTPs as well," said Tandon. But considering the handle is an official handle, there are high chances that it may have been handled by Rahul Gandhi's social media staff or public relations officials and so on. So the weak link could emerge from any of these handlers as well. "Now these accounts maybe handled by multiple people on multiple devices, so honestly anyone could be a weak link, leading to the hacking of an account. That seems like the most logical answer to this hacking episode. At the most celebs use their accounts to reply, or tweet whenever they have free time," said Tandon. But in such cases of verified accounts of high profile celebrities, shouldn't there be extra security measures? Tandon says that there is a two-step verification method, but it may not be practical to use it in all cases. Specially in the case where the same account is being handled by multiple users. At multiple locations. "So for instance, if Gandhi is visiting some remote town in India, and the person handling his social media is sitting in Delhi has to login to tweet or put out a Facebook status, two step verification will ideally send an OTP on Gandhi's phone. Now, the social media manager cannot disturb such a busy person just to ask for OTP. So while extra verification is good, it is not always practical in case of busy celebrities or politicians," Tandon explains. Doing this can get you in a legal soup The first outcome of celebrity Twitter account hacks is rampant sharing of the tweets or updates posted by the hacker. There are cases where a lot of us come across our friends sharing obscene tweets coming from an official looking handle, just as a joke. Anyone who is part of a WhatsApp group (most of us are), knows the kind of unverified forwards doing the rounds. While all this may seem like harmless fun, in the eyes of the law, sharing details of a compromised account can put you in a legal soup if the affected victim decides to pursue a case diligently. Here is the what Section 67 of the IT Act 2000 states officially, "Whoever publishes or transmits or causes to be published or transmitted in the electronic form, any material which is lascivious or appeals to the prurient interest or if its effect is such as to tend to deprave and corrupt persons who are likely, having regard to all relevant circumstances, to read, see or hear the matter contained or embodied in it, shall be punished on first conviction with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three years and with fine which may extend to five lakh rupees and in the event of second or subsequent conviction with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years and also with fine which may extend to ten lakh rupees." The language of the law clearly says that even if you propagate or share such content, you are in the wrong. So be very careful when you are retweeting or sharing content from a compromised account. The legal recourse Just like Congress has approached the cyber cell to file a complaint regarding this hacking episode, any citizen facing similar issues can take this legal recourse. According to the IT Act 2000: Under Section 66C one can be punished for identity theft; Section 67 which deals with online obscenity posted, carries a sentence of 3 years and a fine of Rs 5 lakh; any sexual comments and sexual obscenity that takes a recourse of 67A - that's 5 years of jail and Rs 10 lakh fine. According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data from 2015, of the 8045 cybercrime cases that were reported in 2015, around 5102 people were arrested under the IT Act. Conviction rate is an altogether different story though. According to Tandon, one of the main reasons for low conviction rate is lack of digital evidence. "The high rate of pending cases leads to the very low rate of convictions. The chief cause of this is the issue of evidence and investigation. The problems with evidence are prevalent at every stage of the case. These range from delay in discovery and reporting of cybercrimes, improper handling of evidence by the victims or the police themselves, to an insufficient understanding of the complicated procedures established under law for valid digital evidence," we had noted in a previous story. Tandon claims that as long as the crimes are reported, the police are doing a good job of trying to solve the case. "But the first difficult step is reporting a cyber crime. One should be aware that not every police station registers a cybercrime complaint. But a lot of people are not even aware of which is their nearest Cybercrime cell. Lack of awareness and lack of education with technical knowledge are reasons why a lot of cybercrime cases are not being reported," said Tandon. So while, you may find it amusing to see prominent personalities or organisations' social media accounts being hacked, you need to exercise some caution before hitting that share button. hidden By Narayanan Madhavan Imagine a house being burgled while the owner is away. It is possible to blame the owner for not locking his house properly. However, if the indeed the house is properly padlocked but the house has been broken into by thieves coming in through a window, it is possible to blame the watchman or local police. We can use this analogy to understand this week's hacking of the Twitter account of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and also the Congress party's own website, besides the voluntary suspension of 200 Congress-party linked Twitter accounts. We live in times of wild allegations and conspiracy theories. The quick politicisation of the issue by the Congress and the BJP in a week that involved a major initiative by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to spread a cashless revolution through digital payments in India has turned the war ugly. However, on balance both parties need to learn lessons and acknowledge their limitations. Here's how. We can turn around to the Congress party and ask: If you cannot guard your own party leader's Twitter account, how can you be trusted to guard the nation's borders? It is important to remember that Rahul Gandhi's Twitter account officially has the @OfficeofRG tag and hence presumably not handled by the leader himself but someone digitally savvy in the organisation -- or someone who ought to be. Did the party appoint someone not very competent and hence deserves the blame? Congress party's website was hacked by its own admission while Twitter sources are quoted saying the fault was not on its side. Some reports say proxy servers located in Europe were involved and probably the anti-virus software was not up-to-date at the Congress end. If true, the Congress can be blamed for the latter part but the former part is something out of its control. Let us also recall even industry leader Ratan Tata's Twitter account was hacked on his own admission earlier this year. And this is the man controlling Tata Consultancy Services, India's largest IT export company! This brings us to how India should handle the digital payments revolution the government aspires for. We need to ensure that the cybercrime prevention apparatus is efficient and well trained and the public in general and network administrators at various levels need to be well versed in preventive methods to stop abuse of digital accounts. How can we ensure in age of Phishing and hacking that ordinary citizens do not become unsuspecting victims of digital age witch doctors? Digital literacy is a prerequisite for a digital revolution. Remember the times when rural moneylenders cheated illiterate peasants in India of their precious land? How are we going to ensure that the digital age does not beget its own usurious moneylenders and unsuspecting victims? The digital payments revolution needs to be follow a policy of "hastening slowly" and calibrated with awareness and policing levels to minimise the risks involved in introducing new technologies and methods. Or else the blame game can get worse and transcend party spokespersons exchanging barbs and charges. One only has to look at the complexity of the challenges posed by the ongoing demoentisation of 500 and 1,000-rupee notes to realise the enormity of the challenge. Sometimes, it is wise to be not too smart! The author is a senior journalist who has worked for Hindustan Times, Reuters, Business Standard and Reuters. He tweets as @madversity hidden China's county-level police will be able to censor internet coverage of natural and man-made disasters, according to a revised draft of the country's policing law that the Chinese Public Security Bureau released late on Thursday. China reports a high rate of accidents and natural disasters every year due its vast geography and its relatively low public safety and building standards. The government has pledged to improve the country's poor safety record. Incidents are often met with an outpouring of public grief and anger that the authorities seek to contain using internet controls and state-media coverage focusing on successful relief work. The provisional adjustment to China's policing law, posted on the security bureau's website, would grant county-level police new powers when dealing with disasters in their jurisdiction. "When necessary", local police will be allowed to "implement internet controls" if approved by a province-level public security bureau, the draft said. Local police will also be able to cordon off disaster areas, and limit or block individuals or vehicles from entry into a certain area in the name of safety. The draft law is in its public consultation phase, with suggestions accepted up until the end of 2016, a notice on the bureau's website said. It did not give a time frame for the revised law's implementation. Local police have in practice always been able to block access to disaster areas and could negotiate with websites and censorship authorities to guide discussion. But the new law, if enacted, would see this practice formalized and ratified by the central government. Incidents that range from chemical explosions to factory fires to mine cave-ins mar China's three decades of rapid growth. Two weeks ago, a collapsing crane at a power plant in eastern China's Jiangxi province killed 74 people. After chemical blasts in the port city of Tianjin on Aug. 12 last year killed more than 170, President Xi Jinping said authorities would learn the lessons paid for with blood. Reuters hidden The Bengaluru-based TeamIndus on Thursday said it has signed a launch contract to land a spacecraft on the Moon with Indian space agency, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). In a statement, TeamIndus said the moon mission is part of its bid to win the Google Lunar XPRIZE. It said that it is the only Indian team competing for the Google Lunar XPRIZE. "The goal of the unprecedented $30 million Google Lunar XPRIZE is to ignite a new era of space exploration by lowering the cost and inspiring the imagination of the next generation. "To win the prize, privately-funded teams must land their spacecraft on the surface of the Moon, travel 500 metres, and broadcast high definition video, images, and data back to Earth," the statement added. The spacecraft will be launched abroad the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) next year. The mission will make the TeamIndus the first private entity in the world to soft-land on the lunar surface. "What gave us confidence to dream big when we started on this journey many years back was the heft of the scientific legacy that India, with ISRO, created over decades. This launch contract reaffirms our mission as a truly Indian mission where the best of India's public and private enterprises have come together to realise a common dream," Rahul Narayan, TeamIndus' Fleet Commander was quoted as saying in the statement. The TeamIndus Spacecraft has been designed and developed in Bengaluru by a 100-person engineering team including 20 retired ISRO scientists. In a launch window starting on December 28, 2017, the PSLV will inject the spacecraft into an orbit 880 km x 70,000 km around the Earth. The spacecraft will then undertake a 21day journey to soft land in Mare Imbrium, a region in the northwestern hemisphere of the Moon. After landing in Mare Imbrium, the spacecraft will deploy all its payload including the TeamIndus Rover that will traverse 500 metres on the lunar surface in order to accomplish its Google Lunar XPRIZE objectives. IANS Dedicated to the Restoration of Progressive Democracy This Page has moved to a new address: Sorry for the inconvenience Redirection provided by Blogger to WordPress Migration Service Palestinians still committed dialogue with Israel: Abbas Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas (centre) attended the opening ceremony of the 7th Fatah Congress in the West Bank city of Ramallah. AFP, Ramallah : President Mahmud Abbas said he remained committed to dialogue with Israel as he addressed his Fatah party's first congress since 2009 on Wednesday while facing grim immediate prospects for advancing his goal of a Palestinian state. The 81-year-old leader was re-elected head of Fatah as the congress opened on Tuesday, but speculation has mounted over who will eventually succeed him as Palestinian president. He has contended with personal unpopularity, with polls showing most Palestinians would like him to resign, and internal party dissent. Many have lost faith in the so-called peace process spelled out in the Oslo accords of the 1990s that he helped negotiate. In his speech on Wednesday evening, Abbas said he was committed to negotiating a two-state solution to the conflict, but that it would not come at the expense of Palestinian principles. "We are saying to the Israeli people that we want peace that conforms to international resolutions, but it is your government who does not," he said. Israel must "recognise that settlements are illegal", he said, adding "our hand will remain extended for peace". Peace efforts have been at a standstill since a US-led initiative collapsed in 2014. The Israelis have called for direct negotiations, while the Palestinians have pursued international support for their cause, saying years of talks have not ended the occupation. The speech before some 1,400 delegates came with Palestinians facing continued Jewish settlement building in the West Bank and an incoming Donald Trump administration in the United States seen as far more friendly to Israel. More than 600,000 Israeli settlers now live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem. The United States, European Union and others have warned that continued settlement building is eating away at prospects for a two-state solution to the conflict, the basis of years of negotiations. A controversial Israeli bill to legalise some 4,000 settler homes in the West Bank had been due to come up for a first reading in parliament on Wednesday, but it was delayed until Monday as behind-the-scenes debate continued. The international community considers all Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem to be illegal, whether they are authorised by the government or not. The Israeli government differentiates between those it has approved and those it has not. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's current coalition is considered the most right-wing in Israel's history. Suu Kyi vows `reconciliation` amid Rohingya crisis Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi speaks at the International Enterprise Global Conversation in Singapore. AFP, Singapore : Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi vowed on Wednesday to work for "peace and national reconciliation" amid mounting international condemnation of a bloody army crackdown on her country's Muslim Rohingya minority. The Nobel Peace Prize winner did not mention the violence in Rakhine state, but told a business forum in Singapore that multi-ethnic Myanmar needed to achieve stability to attract more investment. Suu Kyi started a three-day visit to wealthy Singapore, the largest foreign investor in Myanmar after China, as international pressure mounted on her government to address the Rohingya crisis. Crowds of Rohingya have flooded over the border into Bangladesh, making horrifying claims of gang rape, torture and murder at the hands of security forces. Myanmar has denied allegations of abuse, saying the army is hunting "terrorists" behind deadly raids on police border posts last month. Thousands also fled into China this month after clashes broke out between the army and ethnic rebels in northern Shan state, home to one of the many decades-old insurgencies rumbling in Myanmar's borderlands. "As you know, we have many challenges. We're a country made of many ethnic communities, and we have to work at achieving stability and rule of law which you in Singapore take pride in," the 71-year-old leader said. "Businesses do not wish to invest in countries which are not stable. We do not wish to be unstable but we've had a long history of disunity in our nation. So national reconciliation and peace is unavoidably important for us," she said. Criticism of Buddhist-dominated Myanmar's treatment of the Rohingya has been intense in Muslim-majority neighbours Indonesia and Malaysia. Suu Kyi was scheduled to visit Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, after Singapore but postponed the trip in the face of public protests and a thwarted bomb plot against the Myanmar embassy. A senior cabinet minister in Malaysia, Khairy Jamaluddin, on Wednesday called for a review of Myanmar's membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations because of what he called its "large-scale ethnic cleansing" in Rakhine. Interesting work laws around the world Life Desk : In a bid to take labour-friendly laws to another level, UAE (United Arab Emirates) has taken the initiative to introduce a 'reading break' law. This allows employees to catch up with their reading for a couple of hours during working hours. Bookworms are not the only to have benefited from laws that do more than just censure or discipline them. If you look at some countries with interesting labour laws, you'll be tempted to move lock, stock and barrel for good. Sample these: Mandatory vacations Possibly the best work law ever which can be found in Austria. After working for six months, every employee is entitled to an annual paid vacation amounting to 30 working days. In fact, what comes as the cherry on the cake is that this right is reserved for people who have been employed for less than 25 years. And if someone has more years of work experience to their credit, the number of vacation days increases to 36. Catch up on your forty winks Ever been caught napping at work? If yes, then you obviously know the consequences. But if you were in Japan, you would have been encouraged. They have actually coined a word for it - inemuri, which means 'to be asleep while present'. And sleeping at work is extremely common in Japan. While napping at work will earn you a tag of being inefficient in other parts of the world, Japanese believe it to be a sign of hard work. The only governing rule for inemuri is that it requires the person to remain upright while dozing off. To travel is your birthright While we all have major travel goals, fulfilling them is not that easy given the 9-to-9 (revised in today's context) work routine. But in Belgium, leaving your job to travel the world is an employee's right. Known as 'career breaks', it allows employees to take off, perhaps even for a year. Now for the best part - the employee will not only be paid his/her full salary while on a career break, but also get a confirmation from the employer that he/she will be taken back on the job. Sounds too good to be true, right? But it does exist. No work emails on weekends please A proposed bill in the French National Assembly gives employees the right to disconnect and limit the use of digital tools as a way to ensure rest periods and vacations as well respect time spent for a life outside of work, which includes family. This proposed law is designed to protect the workers' health and well-being, and empower them with the right to be away from work-related emails for at least 11 hours a day! Travelling to work place is also work The European Court of Justice has ruled that the time spent travelling to and from the first and last appointment should be regarded as work. The judgement came in the wake of a case reporting irregularity, where employers were violating work time regulation rules in the UK. This law came into being to not only protect the 'health and safety' of workers, but also from being exploited by their employers. The rule reinstates that no employee should be forced to work for more than the designated 48 hours a week. You can't be fired! Portugal is an employee's heaven. Yes, and we mean it. Employers in the country can't dismiss their workers as there is no termination period in the country's employment law. And there's more - if an employer does not want to retain the employee, he/she needs to offer a decent resignation package, beg the employee to leave and hope that the employees won't make a fuss about it. -TNN One gets life -term for killing friend Chittagong Bureau : A Chittagong court in a verdict here on Thursday sentenced a youth to life term rigorous imprisonment for killing his friend at city' Miakhan Nagar of Bakalia area in 1997. The court of Chittagong Divisional Special Tribunal Judge Mir Ruhul Amin pronounced the verdict convicting Mohmmad Younus, for killing his friend Shamsher Ali. The court also acquitted another three friends of victim for not probe the allegation against them, court sources added. The prosecution story, in short, is that Younus gunned down to his friend Shamsher Ali after taking away him at Chairman Ghata area under Bakalia, in the city in the name of buying tape recorder on November 3 in 1997. Later, victim's father Dewan Ali filed a murder case with the then Chandgaon Police Station against Younus, Nasrat Ullah, Iqbal and Golam Morshed. Police submitted charge-sheet on August 7, 1998 while the court framed charged on 1st March in 2001. The court after examining four out of 16 prosecution witnesses passed the judgment convicting Younus who is now absconding. Court jurisdiction under Sec 561A can't be exercised too frequently (From previous issue) : 8. In support of his submissions the learned Advocate for the accused-petitioner has referred some decisions which are as under:- 9. In the case of Shakir Hussain vs State, reported in 9 DLR (SC) 14; in the case of Shamsul Haque Chowdhury vs State, reported in 39 DLR 393, in the case of Syed Ali Mir vs Syed Omar Ali, reported in 42 DLR (AD) 240, in the case of MA Sukkur vs Md Zahirul Haque, reported in'23BLT (AD) 76, in the case of Md Borhan Uddin vs The Secretary, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, reported in 7BLT (AD) (1999) 227 in the case of Dewan Obaidur Rahman vs State, reported in 4 BLC (AD) 167, in the case of Sujit Kumar Rudra Vs, State, reported in 8 BLT 407, in the case of Nasiruddin vs Momtazuddin, reported in 4 BLD (AD) 97 = 36 DLR (AD) 14, and in the case of Md Islam Ali Mia alias Md Islam vs Amal Chandra Mandal, reported in 13 BLD (AD) 28 = 45 DLR (AD) 27. 10. Mr Shah Md Zahurul Haque, the learned Advocate appearing on behalf of the; opposite party No.2. The Anti-Corruption Commission who after drawing our attention into the contention of FIR along with provision of sections 409/420/109 of the Penal Code read with section 5(2) of the Act-II of the Anti-Corruption Act, 1947 including the provision of section 107 of the Penal Code submits that the informant being an officer of Anti- Corruption Bureau lodged the FIR in pursuance of an enquiry report being found preliminary prima facie allegations against the accused-petitioner and others on the allegations that the petitioner got loan I nun the Bank against in his current account being No. 103 by which after purchased the chemical fertilizer kept in the godown and from where the petitioner and some of the Bank staffs with connivance with each other have been taken and sold out the said fertilizer without deposited the requisite money in the Bank account and; as such, causing loss of huge amount of public money as mentioned in the FIR and for which Taka 2,61,43,420 has been misappropriated by the petitioner and with other accused persons. As such, the allegations in the FIR well disclosed the criminal offence against the petitioner as alleged by the prosecution and those allegations also attracted with the said provisions. He further submits that the investigating officer after holding investigation being found prima facie case against the petitioner and others and submitted charge sheet along, with its sanction letter for the said allegation in accordance with law which disclosed in the report in details. Therefore, there are no reasons to quash the instant proceeding as such the present Rule is liable to be discharged. He also after drawing our attention into the provision of section 5(1)(c)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 and read with sections 409/420/109 of the Penal Code and submits that the allegations as brought against the petitioner are very much connected and applicable against the accused petitioner under the facts and circumstances of the present case. He further after drawing our attention into the charge sheet as well as the order of framing of charge by the trial Court, submits that the trial Court being found the prima facie case as alleged by the prosecution against the petitioner for Commission of such offence jointly with other accused persons who are the staffs of the said government schedule Bank framed the charge under the said provisions of law. He further submits that the joint acts of the accused persons including the petitioner well constituted the criminal offences as alleged by the prosecution and the same can be tried by the Special Judge being the allegation which has attracted under the provision of section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 read with sections 409/ 420/109 of the Penal Code. Thereby the proceeding against the accused-petitioner neither abuse of the process of Court nor it is barred by any Provision of law even the same is not preposterous in any manner. As such he prays that the instant Rule is liable to be discharged. 11. In support of his contention the learned Advocate for the opposite party No.2 has referred a decision in the case of Ali Akkas vs Enayet Hossain, reported in 17 BLD (AD) 44 = 2 BLC (AD) 16. 12. Mr Swarup Kanti Deb, the learned Assistant Attorney-General appearing on behalf of the opposite party No.1 opposed the Rule and adopted the submission of the learned Advocate for the opposite party No.2. 13. Heard the. learned Advocate for both the sides also the learned Assistant Attorney-General appearing on behalf of the opposite party No.1, perused the application under section 561A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, FIR, charge sheet, order of framing of charge and other materials on record. 14. It appears from the column of the FIR which shows that the FIR has lodged on 20-9-2003 by showing the date of occurrence from 28-4-1999 to 28-4-2000 and wherein the names and particulars of the accused persons including the petitioner have been mentioned. We have gone through the contents of the FIR wherein the informant categorically stated that after getting allegation the authority of the Anti-Corruption Commission directed to held enquiry within the meaning of Rules 2(Ka) read with the provision of Rules 6 to 9 of Chapter III of Anti Corruption Commission Rules on such allegations against the petitioner and others by the inquiry officer to determine the preliminary prima facie of the allegations against the petitioner. Accordingly the Inquiry Officer after holding, inquiry submitted its report with his opinion to his authority who on perusal the same found preliminary prima facie case against the petitioner and other accused persons. Thereby as per direction of his authority the informant in pursuance of the said enquiry report lodged the FIR with the Avoynagar Police Station stalling inter alia that the petitioner being the proprietor of Mis Chishti Traders having financial transaction with Agrani Bank, Khulna Circle Branch and by a sanction letter dated 28-4-1999 he got Taka 300 lac as of financial benefit from the said Bank with the terms that all the chemical fertilizer should be remained in CC pledge in the godown of the Bank and from where the petitioner have to take those fertilizer after being deposited the respective money accordingly with the Bank account within the period dated 28-2-2000. In pursuance of the said terms the petitioner purchased the different types of chemical fertilizers and put those fertilizers in his Chishti Godwon under the supervision and control of the Bank. It was further stated that on 31-1-2000 according to the terms there were different kinds of chemical fertilizer in the said godown which valued amount to Taka 2,95,44,1,200. But subsequently, four members enquiry team headed by Assistant Managing Director held enquiry and on physical examination of such godown of M/s Chishti Traders and found that there were fertilizers which worth of Taka 34,00,780 only and rest of the fertilizers which worth of Taka 2,61,43,420 were missing. And subsequently an audit team held enquiry on 22-3-2000 and found the same result of missing of fertilizer from the godown. The said audit team also found that there was no money deposited against the said fertilizer in the Bank account and there are other allegation found by the enquiry committee mentioned in the FIR. The informant categorically alleged against the petitioner and others Bank employees who with connivance with each other jointly by way of cheating and abating without depositing the money as per term in the Bank account they took away the same from the godown thereby misappropriation the fertilizer which worth of Taka 2,61,43,420 by committing breach of trust and the said act also committed by way of corruption by abuse of the powers within the meaning of section 5(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947. These material allegations has been categorically mentioned against the petitioner and other with the particulars as to the specific time and place including, the manner of participation in commissions of such offence for the benefit of the accused-petitioner and others and for which a huge amount of public money has been lost as alleged in the FIR. We have gone- through the charge sheet wherein the name of the accused-petitioner has been forwarded with other accused persons along with sanction letter to the concern Court being found prima facie case against the petitioner in accordance with law by Investigating Officer wherein it is further stated that under what circumstances the accused petitioner has been implicated in this case has been mentioned in the chargesheet also and who also found that a prima facie case of joint acts of corruption as well as misappropriation and allegation of abetment including the cheating against the accused-petitioner and others are available. These materials facts were elaborately discussed alongwith the allegation in pursuance of the First Information Report, the statements of the witnesses as recorded by him the sketch map which was prepared by him after visited the place of occurrence, perused the related documents and seized the relevant paper and articles and prepared the seizure list in accordance with law and thereby after perusal the same the Investigating Officer being found the prima facie case against the petitioner and others who are also connected with the schedule offence as mentioned in the Act, 1947. Thereafter, police submitted charge sheet against the accused-petitioner and 3 others under sections 409/420/109 of the Penal Code read with, section 5(2) of the Act-11 of the Anti-Corruption Act, 1947 and the charge sheet has been filed on 31-10-2010. Though, the learned Advocate for the petitioner tried to convince us that there is no material allegation against the petitioner but he failed to show that the allegation as brought by the prosecution in the FIR as well as charge sheet are mechanical preposterous or not otherwise barred by any law. It further appears that the case transferred to the Court of the learned Special Judge, Jessore for holding trial and who after hearing the parties, perused the records therewith has framed charge against the accused-petitioner and 3 others under sections 409/420/109 of the Penal Code read with section 5(2) of the Act II of the Anti-Corruption Act, 1947 and read over the said charge upon the petitioner and other accused persons who pleaded not guilty and prayed for fair trial. However, the trial Court fixed the matter for evidence on 6-6-2013. 15. These are the scenario, the facts and circumstances of the case of the petitioner which even on the face value of the FIR as well as chargesheet well disclosed the criminal offences against the petitioner as alleged by the prosecution. 16. However, the petitioner raised a ground that the petitioner is not a public servant and, as such, the trial of this case along with other accused persons who are public servants is barred under section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947. In this regard we would like to refer the provision of section 5(1)(c) and (d) of the Anti-Corruption Act, 1947 which are as under: "(c) if he dishonestly or fraudulently misappropriate or otherwise converts for his own use any property entrusted to him or under his control as public servant or allows any other person so to do, or (d) if he, by corrupt or illegal means or by otherwise abusing his position as public servant, obtains or attempts to obtain for himself or for any other person any valuable thing or pecuniary advantage." 17. It appears that the above provisions of law have been defined the offences by any public officer. 18. And the conviction has been awarded for commission of such offence has been mentioned in section 5(2) of the said Act, 1947 which is as under: "Any public servant who commits or attempts to commit criminal misconduct shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years, or with fine, or with both and the pecuniary resources or property to which the criminal misconduct relates may also be confiscated to the State. " 19. So, section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 are attracted when a criminal offence like breach of trust is committed by a public servant under sections 409/420 of the Penal Code read with section 109 of the Penal Code are being in the schedule offence punishable under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947. It must be Committed by the public servant but the Article 'Gha' of the schedule of the said Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004 provides as a schedule offence for abating in commission of such schedule offence by any person jointly with Public servant he is also liable to be tried jointly with the public servants. It is admitted that the section 110 of the Bank Company Act, 1991 also provides that a Manager, Officer and other staffs of the Bank of the banking Company Act are deemed to be public servant within the meaning of section 21 of the Penal Code save and except the petitioner. But the allegations against the petitioner as alleged by the prosecution along with other accused who are public servant attracted the provision of section 109 of the Penal Code. According to allegation against the said public servants and petitioner who are accuseds in the case did not do their respective duties as per terms and condition rather by their joint acts caused damage a huge amount of the public money as appears from the FIR and chargesheet. It appears that there is the allegation of joint criminal acts of all the accused persons including the petitioner for misappropriation the fertilizer by way of breach of trust which worth of Taka 2,61,43,420 which caused the public injury. It also appears that considering the FIR, chargesheet and the materials on record therewith and after hearing the parties as required under section 265(C) of the Code of Criminal Procedure the learned Special Judge being found prima facie case against the petitioner and framed the charge against the accused-petitioner and 3 others under sections 409/420/109 read with section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 on 2-5-2013 and the case was fixed for trial. 20. We also find that the initiation and thereby proceeding of the case is not barred by any law. 21. In this regards, we can referred the decisions in the case of Ali Akkas vs Enayet Hossain, reported in 17 BLD (AD) 44, wherein their lordship's got the finding to the effect that: "1. Interference even at an initial stage may be justified where the facts are so preposterous that even on admitted facts no case stands against the accused. 2. Where the institution or continuance of criminal proceedings against an accused person may amount to an abuse of the process of the impugned proceedings would secure the ends of justice. 3. Where there is a legal bar against the initiation or continuance of a criminal case against an accused person. 4. In a case where the allegations in the First Information Report or the complaint, even if they are taken at their face value and accepted in their entirety, do not constitute the offence alleged and in such cases no question of weighing and appreciating evidence arises. 5. The allegations made against the accused person do constitute an offence alleged but there is either no legal evidence adduced in support of the case or the evidence adduced clearly or manifestly fails to prove the charge." 22. Ordinarily criminal proceeding instituted against an accused persons must be tried in accordance with law and the said proceeding should not be interfered with at an interlocutory stage in exercise of inherent jurisdiction under section 561A of the Code of Criminal Procedure save and except an exceptional circumstances. The consensus of judicial opinion is that the exercise of jurisdiction depends upon the facts and circumstances of each case. 23. In such view of the matter and discussion made above we hold that the petitioner's case does not fall in any of the exceptions as mentioned above in the said decision which reported in 17 BLD (AD) 44. 24. The decisions as referred above by the learned Advocate for the petitioner are not applicable under the facts and circumstances of the present case. 25. In such view of the matter, we do not find any merit in the Rule. 26. In the result, the Rule is discharged. 27. The order of stay granted at the time of issuance of the Rule is hereby vacated. 28. The trial Court is directed to proceed with the case in accordance with law. Communicate the judgment and order to the concerned Court at once. (Concluded) Nisha, Dinar work together in telefilm Anuron Sheikh Arif Bulbon : Viewers choice popular actor Intekhab Dinar and Lux star Mehrin Islam Nisha earlier worked together in a drama serial titled Chorkanta under Amlan Bisawss direction. But as a pair, they first worked together in a faction play. Later they worked together in several times but those numbers were few. This time Dinar and Nisha worked together in an exceptional story based telefilm titled Anuron. Noted playwright Pantho Shahriar wrote story of the telefilm. Chandan Chowdhury has given its direction. Recently its shooting was done in the citys Uttara area. While talking about the telefilm actor Dinar told this correspondent, I first worked with Nisha in a serial. In that serial, she acted in role of my younger sister. Later we worked together as a pair in a play titled Phulpori Rajputro Amittir Golpo directed by Ashiq. She performed well. Now she has matured in acting. She acted really well in the new telefilm. I hope viewers will enjoy our chemistry on the screen in the telefilm. Actress Nisha shared her feelings by this way, I always enjoy working with Dinar Bhai. I have learnt many things from him about acting. As a co-actor, He looks after me like elder brother and friend. I always feel impress about his behavior with me. I have tried my level best to act perfectly according to the instruction of director Chandanda. I believe viewers will enjoy the telefilm. Director Chandan Chowdhury informed that the telefilm Anuron will be aired in any satellite channel soon. Meanwhile, from today Dinar and Nisha will work in a special play which will be made on the occasion of coming Victory Day. Dinar is also working in several serials under some directors' direction like Rahmatullah Tuhin now. On the other hand, Nisha is acting in two serials now under BU Pritoms Community and Saiful Islam Mannus Tumi Ami Bhishon Eka. People won`t accept relocation of Zia`s grave: Fakhrul UNB, Dhaka : BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday warned the government that the country's people will never accept its 'imprudent' move to remove Ziaur Rahman's grave from parliament area. "Bringing Louis I Kahn's main design (of parliament) abruptly is a blueprint and the main motive behind is to remove Ziaur Rahman's grave. People will never accept it and allow them (govt) to make it happen," he said. Fakhrul further said, "This government is deliberately trying to eliminate the names and signs of the main heroes of the Liberation War, especially that of Ziaur Rahman who proclaimed the country's independence. But, it won't be possible to do that as his name his deeply rooted in people's hearts. No conspiracy can separate Zia from people," he said. The BNP leader made the remarks while placing wreaths at Ziaur Rahman's grave along with leaders and activists of Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Projonmo, marking its founding anniversary. Louis I Kahn's original design of parliament reached here on Thursday from the US' Pennsylvania University. Housing and Public Works Ministry last year proposed removing eight graves, including BNP founder Zia's one, and some other establishments, set up in the parliament area distorting the original design of Louis I Kahn. As per the original design, the Bangladesh Secretariat was supposed to be there at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. After his assassination at Chittagong Circuit House on May 30, 1981, Ziaur Rahman was primarily buried at Rangunia in Chittagong on the same day, but his body was retrieved from the grave and flown to Dhaka the following day and buried at Chandrima Udyan in the parliament area. Fakhrul said the Liberation War spirit is now deported while freedom fighters are being repressed under the rule of current Awami League-led government. He also alleged that the government is plotting to keep BNP leaders away from politics as it has got isolated from people. About Narayanganj City Corporation polls, the BNP leader said their party thinks there is no possibility of a fair election under the current Election Commission. "We're in the election race for the sake of democracy, though the Commission has no capability to hold an acceptable election." Fakhrul renewed his party's demand for deployment of army in ensuring a fair balloting. Obama lights Christmas Tree for final time The president was joined by his wife Michelle, daughter Sasha and actress Eva Longoria, who hosted the event. AP, Washington : President Barack Obama marked his final time lighting the National Christmas Tree with a wish that Americans will care for the sick, the hungry and the downtrodden this holiday season and treat one another as they would want to be treated. The president said that message rounds out his family's Christian faith, and that of Americans of all backgrounds. "It's a message of unity, and a message of decency and a message of hope that never goes out of style," Obama said. "And it's one that we all need very much today." Obama reflected on his eight years in office and said the United States is a country that has come back from economic crisis, wars and national tragedies. "What I've seen is a big-hearted and hopeful and resilient people who look out for each other," Obama said. Readers` Forum Thanks to the mayors of US cities : President-elect Donald Trump in his election campaign used to say that he will make America great again. But we think America is already great because there are people like Rahm Emanuel, mayor of Chicago, New York mayor Bill de Blasso and mayors of several major US cities, also US Jewish rights leader Greenblatt. Chicago mayor said to the immigrants," You are safe, you are secure and you are supported in the city of Chicago". New York mayor Bill de Blasio threatens to sue the US government if Muslims are forced to sign up to 'registry'. "We will use all the tools at our disposal to stand up for our people" he said," If all Muslims are required to register, we will take legal action to block it". Jewish rights leader Greenblatt said that he would register as a Muslim if Donald Trump establishes a database of Muslims in America. It is heartening and we are feeling relieved by the words of these wise and kind people. We hope and trust that America will always remain great and take the right steps to bring peace in the world. Nur Jahan Chittagongu SKorean oppn to push for impeachment of Park next Friday South Korean protesters hold up candles during a rally calling for South Korean President Park Geun-hye to step down in Seoul, South Korea. AP, Seoul : South Korea's main opposition parties said Friday they will push for a vote next week on President Park Geun-hye's impeachment. The opposition had earlier planned to call for a vote this week on whether to impeach Park over a snowballing scandal involving a shadowy longtime confidante. But they later squabbled over when to do so after Park made a conditional offer to resign. Leaders of the three major opposition parties met and agreed to put an impeachment motion to a floor vote next Friday, according to a statement from the largest opposition Democratic Party. "From now on, there won't be any cracks among the three opposition parties" over Park's impeachment, the statement said. The opposition lacks enough lawmakers to pass Park's impeachment on its own and needs help from dissenters in Park's ruling party. A group of anti-Park lawmakers in the ruling party decided Friday to vote for her impeachment if she fails to announce by next Wednesday that she will step down voluntarily in April, according to the office of Hwang Young-cheul, one of the dissenters. They also want her to promise to help ensure a smooth power transfer to her successor, Hwang's office said. It was unclear how Park will react to the demands. She said Tuesday she would leave office if parliament comes up with a stable power transfer plan. Opposition lawmakers immediately lambasted the overture, saying it was a ploy to buy time and find ways to survive the scandal. The scandal, which has sparked massive street protests and plunged Park's approval rating to 4 percent, is centered around allegations that Park let her friend of 40 years, Choi Soon-sil, manipulate government affairs from the shadows and extort money from businesses. Choi, who has never had a government job, is a daughter of a late cult leader who served as Park's mentor. Russia proposes Aleppo aid corridors as troops advance Middle East Eye : Syrian troops moved into east Aleppo on Thursday ahead of a push into the most densely populated areas, as government ally Russia called for corridors to bring in aid and evacuate wounded. Despite global criticism including the UN warning Aleppo risked becoming a "giant graveyard", government forces have pressed an assault to retake control of the divided city. The artillery-backed offensive has spurred an exodus of tens of thousands of residents from the rebel-held east. It has left Aleppo's streets strewn with the bodies of men, women and children, many lying next to the suitcases they had packed to escape. Artillery fire continued on Thursday but subsided as heavy rainfall hit the city. The assault has seen President Bashar al-Assad's forces make significant gains in the past week. After overrunning the city's northeast, they were in control of 40 percent of the territory once held by opposition forces in Aleppo, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "The regime is tightening the noose on the remaining section of east Aleppo under rebel control," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. He said hundreds of fighters from Syria's elite Republican Guard and Fourth Division arrived in Aleppo on Thursday "in preparation for street battles" in the densely populated southeast. "They are moving in on the ground, but they are afraid of ambushes because of the density of both residents and fighters," he said. On Thursday, Russia proposed setting up four humanitarian corridors into east Aleppo to bring in aid and evacuate severely wounded people, after holding talks with Syrian rebel groups in Turkey. Russia announced "they want to sit down in Aleppo with our people there to discuss how we can use the four (humanitarian) corridors to evacuate people out", Jan Egeland, head of the UN-backed humanitarian taskforce for Syria, told reporters in Geneva. He said Russia has pledged to respect the corridors, and that "we (the UN) now feel confident that the armed opposition groups will do the same". Moscow has announced several humanitarian pauses in Aleppo to allow civilians to flee, but until the recent military escalation, only a handful did so. In Turkey on Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow had used every opportunity to help civilians, but accused rebels of threatening "to prevent passage of humanitarian convoys and fire on them". Russia was criticised at Wednesday's UN Security Council meeting on Syria, with British ambassador Matthew Rycroft accusing Moscow of supporting "a deliberate act of starvation and a deliberate withholding of medical care". Since Saturday more than 50,000 people have poured out of east Aleppo into territory controlled by government forces or local Kurdish authorities, according to the Observatory. Thousands more have sought refuge in the remaining rebel-held neighbourhoods in southeastern Aleppo, arriving with overpacked suitcases or sometimes just the clothes on their backs. Meanwhile, more than 200 humanitarian and human rights groups called on Thursday for the UN General Assembly to address Syria's deadly conflict, citing the Security Council's paralysis in dealing with the crisis. In a declaration published in New York, the 223 signatories said the Security Council "has failed Syrians" and particularly pointed out its inability to stop the Syrian government's offensive against east Aleppo. They called for the 193 member nations of the United Nations "to request an emergency special session of the UN General Assembly to demand an end to all unlawful attacks in Aleppo and elsewhere in Syria, and immediate and unhindered humanitarian access" to besieged civilians. The UN members also should find a way to bring those responsible for serious crimes under international law in Syria to justice, the declaration said. Under a 1950 resolution dubbed "Uniting for Peace", the General Assembly adopted the authority to skirt the Security Council when it proves incapable of preserving peace and international security. The resolution has been invoked eight times in efforts to resolve crises where the Security Council is at impasse, such as in the Korean crisis in 1950, the Congo in 1960 and Afghanistan in 1980 following the Russian invasion. But the powers of the resolution are limited, and its results have been mixed. Since the Syrian conflict began in March 2011, Russia has wielded its Security Council veto on Syria-related resolutions five times, and China has done so four times. Unlike the 15-member Security Council, there is no veto in the General Assembly, but its decisions are not binding. The General Assembly, however, can put pressure on countries to act unilaterally: an assembly resolution in 1981, for example, spurred certain countries to impose sanctions on apartheid-era South Africa. The initiative on Thursday by civil society organisations joins an effort launched by Canada, which has already mobilised 73 countries to demand an emergency special session of the General Assembly on Syria. That meeting should be held "at the earliest opportunity, as UN member states have done in the past when the Security Council was deadlocked", the organisations said. Among the groups from 45 countries that signed the declaration are Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Oxfam, CARE International, Save the Children and 63 Syrian organisations. France, which has gathered the support of about 100 countries, is spearheading a movement aimed at linking Security Council veto power to moral issues. The veto should not be used in cases of mass atrocities, when the need for action is urgent, the French government argues. CID probe into BB heist near closure Insiders, outsiders link found Special Correspondent : The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) have discovered insiders and outsiders link in the $101 million cyber heist from the Bangladesh Bank (BB) account held with the New York Federal Reserve Bank. In its investigation, the CID personnel have found involvement of 15 BB officials and 23 foreign nationals in the crime, investigators said on Friday, raising questions how such a big move remained undetected. They said criminals from six countries along with BB insiders were involved in the heist which is the biggest transnational organised financial crime ever seen in Bangladesh. CID earlier sought technical and human assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for detecting the transnational criminals. Members of CID's Financial Crimes Unit (FCU) have already interviewed 117 Bangladesh Bank employees and officials, ranging door keepers to former governor and deputy governors, to get evidences and information on the cyber heist. Fifty of them banned for foreign travel. The unit is investigating the cyber heist for the last nine months. Investigators also said they have detected the origin of transfer orders of $101 million basing on which the Federal Reserve Bank of New York paid money from Bangladesh Bank's account to four private bank accounts with the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), in Philippines. On November 20 and 22, a CID team quizzed former BB deputy governor Dr. Naznin Sultana and Md. Abul Kashem. In March, they interviewed former BB governor Dr Atiur Rahman. "We interviewed the former BB governor and deputy governorsWe got nothing from them about the heist," a senior CID official told The New Nation on Friday. "But we found involvement of officials of BB's four departments and foreign nationals during our investigation into the case," he added. Unknown cyber criminals tried to steal nearly $1 billion from Bangladesh Bank in February and managed to make off with $101 million via an account at the New York Federal Reserve. The amount was transferred to four accounts with bogus names at one RCBC branch in Manila before vanishing and $20 million in a Sri Lankan Bank. The payment of $20 million stopped by the bank concerned. "We have track down the culprits involved in the cyber heist," Additional Deputy Inspector General Shah Alam of CID (Organised Crime) told The New Nation on Friday. He added, "We have found both insider and outsider link behind the crime". Shah Alam said that they have already gathered documentary evidences and the interviews were taken to carry out the investigation are in matured format. "Our investigation into the cyber heist is near to end with investigators confirmed link of some BB officials and dozens of foreign nationals," he added. He claimed the incident was not happened due to negligence on the part of BB officials. The CID had found "criminal intention" in their minds to launder the fund. "Only 'negligence' or 'incompetence' can lead to issue one or two payment orders but not 35. We don't want to reveal their identities for the "sake of investigation," he added. Responding to a query, Shah Alam said they have sought help from the Interpol and other foreign friends for taking action against the foreign nationals involved in the crime. He, however, refused to disclose their names and nationalities. The CID officials said it is a matter of time to produce the charge-sheet in the BB's cyber heist case. But we are not doing so because of retrieving the money from the Philippines. A Philippines Senate probe earlier said that $30 million of the $81 million haul was delivered in cash to an ethnic Chinese casino junket operator in Manila. The rest was transferred to two casinos in the Philippines. The authorities of Philippines recently handed over $15.25 million of the stolen fund to Bangladesh after a regional court of the country adjudged Bangladesh central bank is the rightful owner of the fund. On March 15, a case was filed with Motijheel Police Station in connection with the BB's cyber heist. BB joint director (Audit and Budget Department) Md Jubayer Bin Huda filed the case against unidentified people. The case was filed under the Money Laundering Act, Information and Communication Technology Act and Bangladesh Penal Code and it was transferred to the CID for investigation. Rivers around city to be revived Gazipur City Corporation Authority demolishing illegal structures on the bank of the River Turag for settling up parks. This photo was taken recently. Reza Mahmud : The four rivers surrounding the capital city of Dhaka will get back their fresh water soon. The city will then get respite from all stenches, pollutions and illegal grabbing. The National Taskforce for resisting the illegal grabbing of lands and pollutions of the rivers expressed optimism about success. The Ministry of Shipping and the department of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) are working seriously to revive the rivers of Buriganga, Shitalakkhya, Balu and Turag. The government has included the Bangladesh Navy in the programme to recover the occupied lands of those rivers. "It needs courage to recover occupied lands of rivers from the influential grabbers. So, we have engaged Bangladesh Navy in the programme. They are working sharply and we are optimistic of success," said the Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan to a group of Journalists. When contacted, Ashoke Madhab Roy, Secretary, Ministry of Shipping, told The New Nation "The National Taskforce is working seriously to recover the four rivers flowing by the capital city. Now I am spending most of my times on boat in those rivers. We are optimistic that the rivers will get back their fresh and stink-free water as well as the sharp current soon. We have relocated the lather industries from the Hazaribagh of the city to Savar to keep the rivers free from those industrial pollutions." He also said, the task force is using every tool to fulfil its plans of the stench free healthy river shore. "We have recovered 20 kilometers of the bank of the four rivers and have built walkways and parks. We have almost built two parks recovering lands at Shympur beside the Buriganga and another at Narayanganj by the Shitalakkhya river. We also created many walkways in different areas of the rivers," Commodore M. Mozammel Haque, the Chairman of BIWTA told The New Nation. Sources said, non-government organisations like Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA), Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) and Riverine People, among others, are included in the taskforce. But sadly, many of the organizations are not attending the meeting of taskforce. When contacted, Sheikh Rokon, Secretary General of Riverine People, told The New Nation that the decisions taken in the meeting of taskforce, should be executed. He said, "The decision to engage Bangladesh Navy with the work is good. The force should not fail." Sources said, land grabbers occupied different areas of the Buriganga on several occasions. Many of them built buildings on the riverbank. It obstacles the currents and made the rivers vulnerable. The huge waste from the capital's industries and sewerages made the water stinky. The city dwellers said they used to take bath in the river even 10 years ago. They also used to get morning walk on the banks of the river every day. But now they cannot go near the river because of serious bad smells. "We are permanent residents of Gendaria beside the Buriganga. We used to swim in Buriganga everyday since my childhood. Even 10 years ago, the people have to use the rivers' water for bath and cooking. But now the condition is serious. The untold stinks drive away people. The pollutions and occupiers made the river the doorstep of death," said, Abul Hossain, the owner of Medicine Point at Gendaria. Sources said, huge polythenes, plastics and other garbage and waste have made two to three feet thick layers under the Buriganga water. Besides the industrial waste icluding colors and chemicals made the rivers water poisonous which killed the fishes and keep away them to breeding in the river. The rest three rivers beside the city bear same picture. The sand sellers and other businessmen occupied huge lands of Shitalakkhya, Balu and Turag rivers. The National Taskforce was formed in 2009 to meet the demand of many organisations. The Secretary of the Shipping said, a project has been drafted under finance of the World Bank to revive those rivers. "The taskforce formed four committees led by District Commissioners of Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj and Munshiganj to conduct survey how to recover the rivers from illegal grabbing and pollutions. The taskforce arranges meeting once in every month to discuss how the committees shall work and how much the plans are implemented," said the Secretary of Shipping Ministry. The BIWTA Chairman said, under the Sustainable Development Goal, (SDG) different bodies of the government are working to make the rivers pollution free. "The Ministry of Shipping, Ministry of Environment, Bangladesh Navy, and Dhaka City Corporations and BITWA are working together in these regards," The BIWTA Chairman said. He said, "The task force has recovered 300 acres of lands of different rivers across the country. We have plan to recover 70 acres of lands more in this year. We have given special importance to the four rivers besides the capital. The people will find the rivers with fresh waters soon." He said, the rivers are the life of nature and civilizations. Assad kills people so the fight against Assad has to be against his life Editorial Desk : More than 50,000 terrified Syrians fled from besieged eastern Aleppo over the past week as the brutal army of President Bashar al-Assad is waging the final offensive to take the city section from rebels' hands. It appears that Bashar al-Assad has turned the fight for Aleppo as a fight for winning the land while rebels are fighting for their right to life and human liberty. Assad does not bother how many thousands of people are perished he wants the land of Syria and found Russia to help him to annihilate the Syrian people. It is a fight now between barbarism and the aspiration of Syrian people to live in human dignity without Bashar al-Assad in power. He is butchering his people when there is no one to come to their rescue. The UN Security Council on Thursday issued a call again for an end to the latest offensive but it is helpless to Russian bullies. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday said again they would continue military operations in the besieged eastern Aleppo until the city is cleared of terrorists -- meaning the rebel resistance. Lavrov also said Russia will continue to allow humanitarian aid to the besieged people but the reality is that Assad forces with Russian help are blocking arrival of such aid to force people to leave the city or die in starvation. Starvation is being used as yet another weapon in this war. War monitors say nearly 300 civilians, including 33 children, have been killed in east Aleppo since the latest government assault began on November 15. Another 48 have been killed in government-held West Aleppo. The number of death is growing by hours. As new offensive continues civilians have been leaving the rebel-held east with parents carrying children and the young pushing the old in wheelchairs and makeshift carts. Enemies of Islam have been able to turn Shi'ites against Sunnis in Arab land to fight against each other while Russia is fortifying its presence in the Middle East. The West is no longer a viable force in the war where Russia now determines the terms of the war and the possible price for any peace. Turkey, which backs the rebels fighting to oust President Assad, now seeks to broker a ceasefire with Russian, which is fighting to keep Assad in power. It shows the paradox while the West remains stuck without a clear strategy in the ground. The exodus of thousands of people shows some are taking shelter in Kurdish held areas with overstuffed suitcases and bags in their possessions. Others have come empty-handed with only the clothes on their backs. Meanwhile over 300,000 Syrians have lost their lives in the long civil war and it appears the exodus of Syrian refugees to Europe and other countries of the region will not stop any time soon. They have no chance to return so long Bashar al-Assad is in power. UN Rights Chief Zeid Ra'ad Al-Hussein on Wednesday said civilians in eastern Aleppo faced "a nightmare which clearly violates the most basic norms of human rights and any shred of human decency." "Pounded by accelerating bombardment, deliberately deprived of food and medical care, many of them -- including small children -- they are simply waiting for death," he said. The UN humanitarian official and the UN's peace envoy Staffan de Mistura are spending fruitless time as Russia is not ready to end Aleppo offensive without total victory for Assad regime. John Kerry is no more in the visibility while the new US administration appears more hostile to Islamist rebels fighting the Assad regime. Syria's opposition National Coalition said it was working with France on a draft UN resolution for an immediate ceasefire, though Russia is likely to veto such proposal. A family tweeted on Thursday from besieged eastern Aleppo highlighting its plight. It said "We give up on life," The mother said their home has been destroyed by Syrian army while she made a desperate plea on President Obama to help the family to 'get far away from battle-ground.' But with US reluctance to play its big power role, it appears that the power vacuum is making world peace the biggest victim. The fight against Assad should be against Assad's life and not capturing land. Community Research Institute of Traumatology Community Research Institute of Traumatology, Orthopedic & Rehabilitation (CRITOR), has organized an international seminar on " Primary Hand Care & Injury Management" on Friday at Dhaka Community Hospital Auditorium. Community Research Institute of Traumatology Orthopedic & Rehabilitation (CRITOR), is run by Dhaka Community Hospital Trust. The discussants of the seminar were Prof. IP Wing YUK, Josephine, ex-President, Hongkong Society for Surgery of Hand, Dr. Shailesh Gupta, Hand Surgeon, Indore, India, Prof. Rajpal Singh, Plastic Surgeon Prof. Naku K. Datta, Chairman, Deptt. of Orthopedic Surgery (BSMMU), Prof. A.S.M. Monirul Alam, Director, CRITOR & Dhaka Community Medical College Hospital. Prof. R.R. Kairy, renowned Orthopedic Surgeon & President, Bangladesh Society for Surgery of hand, was present as chief guest in the seminar. Prof. Quazi Quamruzzaman, chairman, Dhaka Community Hospital Trust, handed over crests to the honorable guests. Thursday, December 1, 2016 at 3:57PM The New York Film Critics Circle was founded way back in 1935 when the Oscars were just 8 years old themselves. In their first year they agreed but disagreed with the NYFCC choosing The Informer and Oscar following suit with a Best Picture nomination for that but the eventual prize to Mutiny on the Bounty. Not much has really changed since. The NYFCC aesthetics aren't anti-Oscar but they're just as likely to go slightly left of field with a more challenging option as their #1 as they are to pre-stamp a future winner. Here's what they chose this year... Picture : LA LA LAND Director Barry Jenkins MOONLIGHT Screenplay Kenneth Lonergan MANCHESTER BY THE SEA Actress Isabelle Huppert ELLE & THE THINGS TO COME Actor Casey Affleck MANCHESTER BY THE SEA Supporting Actress Michelle Williams MANCHESTER BY THE SEA & CERTAIN WOMEN Supporting Actor Mahershala Ali MOONLIGHT Cinematographer James Laxton MOONLIGHT Animated Film ZOOTOPIA Non-Fiction Film (Documentary) O.J. MADE IN AMERICA Foreign Language Film TONI ERDMANN First Film [TIE] Kelly Fremon Craig THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN and Trey Edward Shults KRISHA Special Award Thelma Schoonmaker & Julie Dash DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST (25th Anniversary Restoration) This has been a tremendously good week or so for Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea (both taking 3 prizes from the NYFCC) as they were honored at all five significant awards stops in the past 9 days: the Spirit Nominations, the Gotham Awards, the Critics Choice Nods, and the NBR. The little seen indie Krisha and French goddess Isabelle Huppert also had spectacular weeks being honored at three of the four. But in the end the top prize went to the musical La La Land. Contrary to what you may have heard from some shocked corners of the internet today this "nothing but the top prize" situation is hardly unprecendented. The same thing happened to United 93 (2006), Return of the King (2003), Mulholland Dr (2001), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Fargo (1996), Quiz Show (1994), The Accident Tourist (1988), Reds (1981), Ordinary People (1980) and presumably several others before that if you look further back. More on La La Land's awards pull soon. 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. The recent contest for the 3rd District Supreme Court seat vacated by Judge Jeannette Knoll is over, won 51-49 by Republican Appeals Court Judge Jimmy Genovese over fellow Republican District Court Judge Marilyn Castle; yet troubling questions about the race continue to reverberate. One question concerns the large amount of money spent by both candidates and the even larger amounts spent by outside groups supporting the two candidates. Since when did judicial races, normally sedate affairs decided on temperament, character and aptitude, feature attack ads and millions of dollars in spending? The second troubling question concerns the wisdom of electing judges in the first place. Just what does a person get for his money when he contributes to a judges race? Any evidence indicating a contributor received something in return for a contribution would be considered prima facie evidence that the system is corrupt. But in the absence of an expected quid pro quo, what possible advantage could an individual or company have for attempting to influence judicial selection? In fairness, it should be noted that Louisiana is not alone in electing Supreme Court judges and politicizing the judiciary. Currently, 34 states hold an election for their state supreme courts, although not all those elections are partisan as in Louisiana, and many of those take the relatively benign form of referendums on judges already seated. The general trend in spending on judicial elections has been upward following the 2010 Citizens United v. FEC decision that allows super PACs to spend unlimited amounts on issue advocacy, including Supreme Court races in Louisiana. The non-partisan Brennan Center for Justice, which tracks election spending, has called this the most expensive cycle ever for judicial elections with more than $14 million in outside (non-candidate) money spent to influence races in a number of states. The near certainty that the Supreme Court will hear important cases seeking reparation for the damages that oil and gas companies have wreaked on the coast and wetlands for the past 100 years fuels judicial competition in Louisiana. Should these cases be successful, oil companies will face a reckoning likely to be counted in the billions of dollars. Avoiding such a painful settlement impels business interests to spend millions to elect friendly judges while those interested in the success of these same suits invest on the other side. Seeking to neutralize or attenuate this threat, the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association and the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry identified Castle as less likely to hold big oil responsible for a despoiled environment and a shrinking coastline. Conversely, trial lawyers who would represent the state, environmentalists and other public interest groups felt Genovese was more likely to support their claims. Funding outside ads supporting Castle in the 3rd District race was the Center for Individual Freedom, an organization that has attempted to influence judicial races in multiple states. One ad impugned Genovese for overturning the conviction of a man found guilty of attempted forcible rape, oddly much like a CIF ad accusing Mississippi Judge Jim Kitchens of siding with child predators. CIF does not have to disclose its donors, but has received millions from Crossroads GPS, which is associated with Karl Rove. Crossroads, formed shortly after the passage of Citizens United, supports Republican candidates in down-ballot races. Outside funding for Genovese ads originates with a PAC called Restore Our Coast, chiefly financed by attorneys who represent clients in suits against oil companies, including Baton Rouge-based Carmouche and Associates. Despite the attempts by outside PACs to influence its outcome, this race was decided by the one factor that most often sways voters in judicial races: familiarity with the justice. Marilyn Castle won by 17,921 votes in her home parish of Lafayette, while Genovese won by 15,674 votes in his home parish of St. Landry. The deciding parish was Calcasieu, which provided Genovese with nearly all of his 4,791 vote victory margin in the eight-parish district that also includes Acadia, Avoyelles, Cameron, Jefferson Davis and Vermilion. The odd thing about this campaign is that no one I spoke to disparaged either Genovese or Castle, who are apparently among the nicest people imaginable. The only difference between the two Republican candidates (that I heard) was that Genovese was seen as more open to supporting claims from individuals against businesses, while Castle was seen as more likely to support business interests against litigants. Given this, why did the two candidates find themselves in such a heated race? The friction was produced by those interests who will profit or pay on coastal settlements, when and if such judgments are made. The intrusion of PAC money into state judicial races has become routine and is not likely to change any time soon as its necessary bulwark, the Citizens United decision, is fervently supported by Republicans. The long-term effect of this advocacy on state courts remains to be seen, but it can hardly be viewed as promoting good government or unbiased judges, bringing as it does the judgment of a judge into question when his decisions affect contributors. Pearson Cross is an associate professor in the Political Science Department at UL Lafayette. He holds a Ph.D. from Brandeis University (1997), and his principal areas of teaching are state and local politics, and Southern politics. Cross interviews local politicians and newsmakers on his radio show, Bayou to the Beltway, which airs on KRVS 88.7 FM at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Contact him at [email protected]. IND L!VE offers highlights of the many live music events taking place around Acadiana this weekend. ANDREW DUHON Friday, Dec. 2 Feed & Seed Doors: 9:30 p.m. Andrew Duhon is a songwriter from New Orleans, a teller of stories with an undeniable voice, weighted and soulful. Duhon has released 3 recordings, the latest of which, The Moorings, was nominated for a Grammy in 2014 for Best Engineered Album. INVASION OF THE SANTAS Friday, Dec. 2 Downtown Lafayette Doors: 6 p.m. More than 150 Santas will take over downtown Lafayette as they wind their way through Jefferson Street and beyond stopping at 12 restaurant & bars along the way. Each stop will offer food, beer or spirits sampling to registered crawl members with additional chances to win door prizes and gift cards from "Santa's Swag Bag". MERRY PRINCE-MAS Friday, Dec. 2 The Grouse Room Doors: 10 p.m. The Grouse Room presents a very special Christmas tribute to Prince with its "Merry Prince-mas" this Friday. GTO PARTY BAND HOLIDAY KICKOFF PARTY Saturday, Dec. 3 The Grouse Room Doors: 10 p.m. The GTO Party Band is hosting a Holiday Kickoff Party at the Grouse Room this Saturday. JESSICA LANG DANCE Saturday, Dec. 3 Acadiana Center for the Arts Doors: 7:30 p.m. Founded in 2011, Jessica Lang Dance (JLD) is a Long Island City-based dance company dedicated to creating and performing the work of Jessica Lang. JLD enriches and inspires global audiences by immersing them in the beauty of movement and music. JOE KROWN TRIO FEAT RUSSEL BATISTE + WALTER WASHINGTON Saturday, Dec. 3 Blue Moon Saloon Doors: 9 p.m. The Blue Moon Saloon welcomes the Joe Krown Trio along with Russel Batiste and Walter "Wolfman" Washington this Saturday. MAGIC CRAWFISH + BRASS MIMOSA Saturday, Dec. 3 Blue Moon Saloon Doors: 9 p.m. The Blue Moon Saloon welcomes Magic Crawfish and Brass Mimosa to its stage this Saturday. SEAN ARDOIN Saturday, Dec. 3 Artmosphere Bistro Doors: 9 p.m. Sean represents both the rural roots and progressive future of Louisiana's foot-stomping Creole-Zydeco sound like no other artist and he's truly one of Zydeco music's "triple threats." STOP THE CLOCK Sunday, Dec. 4 Feed & Seed Doors: 6 p.m. Stop the Clock Cowboy Jazz band plays classic Western Swing tunes from Bob Wills, Cindy Walker, Spade Cooley, Fats Waller, Hank Thompson, Ray Price, and Patsy Cline, among others. A place to exercise ideas before writing about them with greater discipline. Premier Li Keqiang meets with the visiting Sierra Leonean President Ernest Bai Koroma on Friday in Beijing. [Photo/Xinhua] Premier Li Keqiang pledged on Friday to promote cooperation in infrastructure and production capacity with Sierra Leone while meeting with the West African country's President Ernest Bai Koroma. Premier Li also said China is willing to boost cooperation in minerals, agriculture, fishery and product processing under market-oriented principles with the strategic partner. Li added that China is willing to deepen political trust and strengthen pragmatic cooperation with the African partner to bring more welfare to both peoples. When the Ebola epidemic began to hit West Africa, including Sierra Leone, 2014, China immediately dispatched more than 1,200 medical staff and public health experts to help the region fight the disease, contributing to the efforts that helped overcome the epidemic, Li said at the 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion in Shanghai last month. In March, the World Health Organization announced the end of Ebola flare-ups in Sierra Leone. Li said China will continue to cooperate with Sierra Leone in public health by dispatching medical professionals and helping train Sierra Leonean doctors and nurses. Koroma, who was reelected the West African country's president in 2012, is now on his fourth official visit to China from Wednesday to next Tuesday since taking the first presidency nine years ago. He expressed his gratitude on Friday to China for the help in overcoming the epidemic and boosting its capacity of disease prevention and control. Koroma also said his country will learn from China and strengthen cooperation in traditional fields such as infrastructure and explore new fields such as telecommunication, public health and tourism. CARBONDALE Local employers are in a holding pattern regarding this years Department of Labor overtime ruling after a federal judge placed a preliminary injunction on it last month. On Nov. 22, U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant, of Sherman, Texas, sided with 21 states and several business groups and granted a preliminary injunction on a rule from the Department of Labor mandating that all salaried employees making less than $47,476 a year be given overtime or have their status changed to hourly employees. The rule, announced in May, was set to take effect Thursday, and many local businesses had already started the process of transitioning their employees. Clay Brewer, executive director of human resources for John A. Logan College, said he and his team had been working for months on the transition. They combed through all 98 of their professional employees job descriptions and found 25 to 26 employees would have qualified under the new ruling. Brewer had all his plans laid out and had to immediately put them on hold. I presented it to the board of trustees the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and the very next morning the injunction came out in the paper, Brewer said. The college had letters prepared to send to all employees as to how the new rule would affect them, but they were never sent. Francis Murphy, general manager of Neighborhood Co-op Grocery in Carbondale, said they, too, are playing the waiting game. Of his 50 employees, Murphy said six would have been affected. He said he was very supportive of the change. He sees it as ensuring a fair wage for workers, something that lines up with the Co-ops mission. After the ruling came out, Murphy sat down with his management team and laid out a plan to begin having them clock in as normal employees. Everyone thought that was a fine idea, Murphy said. Murphy said he has never asked employees to work more than 40 hours, adding that this was always the expectation. The timing was not ideal, Pam Henderson, vice president of human resources at Southern Illinois Healthcare, said of the preliminary injunction. She said of its about 3,800 employees, only 60 would have qualified for overtime under the new rule. Henderson and her team directly communicated with these individuals about what the possible change would mean. She said when the news came that the ruling was on hold, the majority of the employees she dealt with were OK remaining exempt as they said it made their jobs easier having the flexibility in their schedule. Greg Wharton, a 15-year employee of the Co-op and the stores grocery manager, was one of the six the new rule would have affected. He said should the rule stay in effect, it would mean he would have to be more careful with the time he works. I couldnt take those extra 20 or 30 minutes that might make the difference, he said. However, he was confident that Murphy would work to make sure he had the hours he needed for special projects. Wharton was not disappointed when the injunction was announced. He said he was not one to milk overtime. I want whats best for the Co-op, Wharton said. Moving forward, Brewer, Murphy and Henderson all agreed that they will just have to wait and see how the court rules. Brewer said he is prepared should the rule make it past the injunction, but he was not making any moves until he knows for sure. We are going to wait and see how this plays out, Brewer said. The 26th annual Lights Fantastic Parade is Saturday in downtown Carbondale. The parade will begin at 6 p.m. along Mill Street and will travel north on Illinois Avenue to Town Square. According to a news release from the City of Carbondale, parade-goers are encouraged to arrive early to avoid road closures and detours along Illinois 13 and U.S. 51 from 5 to 8 p.m. West Bus Service will provide rides to the parade from Murdale Shopping Center and the Main Entrance of University Mall. Buses will pick up passengers every 15 minutes between 4:30 and 6 p.m. Buses will return passengers after the parade. For a complete list of detours and road closures, visit the Carbondale Lights Fantastic Parade Facebook page or the Citys website at www.explorecarbondale.com. CARTERVILLE Students and faculty at John A. Logan College were greeted Thursday by the state's chief justice, Lloyd A. Karmeier. Karmeier was the featured speaker for a conference sponsored by the community college's political science club. He spoke on his role in the state's judicial system, its three levels and how they are related. "We're a unified system, which means we have one court but the courts are divided into three levels," he said. The first is the Circuit Court, the second the Court of Appeals and the third the Supreme Court. Karmeier used the cases of Blumenthal v. Brewer, a same sex relationship case continued in the Supreme Court, and Hewitt v. Hewitt, a 1979 case that prohibits unmarried cohabitants from bringing claims against one another, as an example of how each level of court intertwine. "With the three levels of court, the Circuit Court has to follow the Appellate Court and the Appellate Court has to follow the Supreme Court," he said. "The example in the case was that we handed down what the Appellate Court said. It's also interesting because this is a topic that has gathered a lot of attention and recently, same sex marriage, civil unions and those types of things in our court will change based on what the law is now." Following the conference Karmeier administered the oath of office for Circuit Court Judge John Sanders. Sanders filled the vacancy of former Circuit Judge Carolyn Smoot, who retired in November, and will serve in the First Judicial Court until the next general election. "I have known John for many years," Karmeier said. "There's a six-person committee of lawyers and one non-lawyer who recommended him and a couple others for the interview, and then it ultimately became my decision to nominate someone to the court and he met all of the expectations." WEST FRANKFORT Terry Chambers barbershop sits inside a weathered block on West Frankforts Main Street. The building is a faded red, and through the picture window half obscured by old blinds and an open sign 80-year-old Chambers stands, as he has for more than half a century: above a customer, shears in hand, looking thoughtful about the head of hair in front of him. As of November, Chambers has been barbering for 52 years. He came to West Frankfort from Joliet with his wife in 1972, and said he knew maybe 10 people when he came to town. Now he knows hundreds, though he has seen his customer base shrink over the years. Many have died, three recently. In his years cutting hair, Chambers has seen hairstyles come full circle. He remembers cutting flat tops on nine of 10 customers when he started. As time moved on, he said he had to learn to cut longer hair. Now he sees hair moving back to the traditional styles he cut at the start of his career. Barbering provided a good living as he raised his family, but Chambers said he now does it for his hobby. I do it more for my pastime, like going fishing or something, Chambers said. Chambers wife has already retired, and he said he is not sure how well it would go having two retired people at home, so he plans to work as long as he can. Chambers represents an old guard of the business. A train track and side street away sits Burg's Hair Parlour, the new guard. A storefront decorated with odds and ends houses Jonathan Rabys chair. Customers are greeted by stylish mannequins in the front windows and a vintage, plush sofa is there for them as they wait for their appointments. Raby, 26, a Southern Illinois native, said he came to barbering after realizing college was not for him. I had always been interested in trades. It always made sense to me, Raby explained. After attending Rend Lake College in 2009 for his cosmetology license, he interned in the area before moving to Nashville, Tennessee, where he said he got to fulfill one of his dreams: playing drums for a living. While there, he cut hair on the side. After he returned to Southern Illinois in 2013, he started working at Burgs, which opened in 2014. At Burg's, Raby focuses on modern takes on traditional mens hairstyles. Shaved parts and patterns accompany the classic businessmans short-on-the-sides, long-on-top cut on several customers. Both Raby and Chambers said there is plenty of room for more than one shop in town (there are three on Main Street alone). They just attract different clienteles. Raby admits his customers skew younger, but has been surprised by how varied their ages are. Both Raby and Chambers serve clients of multiple generations in one family. In fact, that is something Raby said hes always liked about the tradition of American barbering. I found it really cool that a barbershop is not just a place where a guy gets his hair cut, he brings his son, Raby said. As the oldest barber on the street, Chambers' shop has been in its current location since 1978. Chambers said he welcomes the new generation. After all, he knows what it is like. I was the new guy here once, too, he said. THOMPSONVILLE A steady rain fell as Tom Saxe checked on some cows in one of his fields recently. That has been the norm this year. Heavy rains across Illinois especially in the southern part of the state have helped produce copious amounts of hay. Thats good news for livestock producers who are looking for more affordable feed during a bear market for beef prices. Saxe decided not to try to make hay this year because of the heavy rains. Instead, he will rely partly on silage to help carry his herd through the winter. The only thing I did different last spring was I gave up making hay because of soft fields, said Saxe, who raises Simmental-Angus cows in Franklin County, Ill. I had a group come in here and make silage. When its ensiled properly, they eat it. I hadnt done that in a few years. If I had baled it, half of it would have been on the ground and they wouldnt have eaten it. Travis Meteer, a University of Illinois beef specialist, has seen cattlemen scramble to find affordable feed alternatives for their herds. Producers definitely are looking at how to reduce their feed costs, he said. Thats the shining light for the cattle producer right now, that feed costs are down. Thats the bright spot in this mess right now. We had an abundant amount of hay baled this year with the rainfall, and a lot of producers have corn on the farm. I would say that right now we are dealing with a little lower hay price than we were last year. (And) you dont have to search too hard to find hay. Thats not always the case. Low corn prices also fit into the scenario. Saxe is among many farmers who occasionally supplement forage with the grain. You get a tremendous benefit from a little corn, about a pound a day, he said. For the first pound of corn you give them, they might increase their gain a quarter-pound a day. Beyond 3 or 4 pounds, the efficiency of conversion comes down. Meteer said many cattle farmers are coasting along, waiting for better market prices. Meanwhile, they make do with what is available. With an abundant hay supply and a corn crop thats stored on farm, producers arent really excited about marketing that crop right now, he said. There are probably some folks who are just sticking with feeding round bales of hay because they know they have plenty, and feeding some corn to supplement. That may not be the lowest-cost scenario, but its definitely happening. Use of co-products such as dried distillers grains have lagged. That may be partly because prices havent fallen in sync with those of corn. As corn prices have really dropped, we havent seen those products fall as hard and fast as the corn price, Meteer said. From an animal nutrition standpoint, those are being used as a protein supplement right now. In other years, when corn prices were extremely high, we may have plugged those co-products in for energy value. Right now thats not as much of the case as it has been in the past. Like many other livestock educators, Meteer encourages putting cattle out on harvested cornfields. It is always a good idea, but he says this year may see that practiced more than others. I believe Ive noticed more cows out on corn stalks. Some of that is due to the weather, he said. If it was raining and raining, nobody wants to build fences and have their cows out there tearing up their corn field. But the weathers been dry and very mild. Producers were able to get in and had time to string wire. He called grazing cornstalks a no-brainer. Its extremely cheap and provides good nutritional value for 45 days. It also gives pastures a rest. Saxe will be unwrapping his haylage bales before long. Thats going to be my winter feed, he said. I havent gotten into it yet, but Im getting close to it. This is basically my hay field. Numerous residents told HUD they didnt want to move. Dont do this. Its wrong, man, one resident told them. You dont know what were going through because you're not from here, said another, noting he has lived in Cairo since the 1950s and doesnt intend to live elsewhere. Stop moving our people out of town. Build something new here. This editorial appeared in Thursday's Washington Post: The biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, a treaty outlawing the development and production of germ weapons, lacked effective verification and compliance mechanisms from the moment it entered into force in 1975. A series of review conferences has tried to improve it, without much success. The eighth conference, just concluded in Geneva, fell flat. Thanks largely to disruptive moves by Iran, participants said, the conference ended without agreement on a detailed work plan until the next conference in 2021, omitting the meetings of experts that could be so important in tackling recent advances in the life sciences, including genomics and synthetic biology. While the treaty remains in effect, the dismal outcome of the conference reflects a growing and worrisome trend in arms control. Treaties negotiated late in the Cold War and just after it are under stress. They were never an ironclad guarantee that nuclear, chemical and biological weapons would not be used, but they provided a certain stability and sense of confidence. These will be lost if the treaties are neglected. In an article in Foreign Affairs, Michael Krepon, a co-founder of the Stimson Center, describes a period of "unparalleled achievement" from Ronald Reagan's second term through the end of Bill Clinton's. This included, among other things, the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, two strategic arms limitations treaties, the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe(CFE) treaty, the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and threat-reduction measures under the Nunn-Lugar legislation, as well as the 1991 initatives that unilaterally pulled back tactical nuclear weapons. Now, Krepon says, "all of this work is in peril" in a time of "great unraveling." The main reason is the tension in relations between the United States and Russia, a rift that deepened over Russia's instigation of violence and coercion in Ukraine, over a rollback of democracy by President Vladimir Putin, and more than two rounds of NATO expansion and increased U.S. missile defenses in Europe. This friction is real and cannot be wished away. Arms control has always been based on a certain degree of trust - witness Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev - and is eroded without it. The INF Treaty is clouded by U.S. allegations that Russia has flight-tested a new ground-launched cruise missile in violation. The CFE treaty is largely dead after Russia pulled out, saying the map of Europe had changed. The test-ban treaty has led to the creation of a globe-spanning network of monitors, but it has not entered into force because eight nations, including the United States, have yet to ratify it. The chemical-weapons treaty is one of the most successful mutililateral arms-control efforts of the era, yet its prohibition on chemical weapons is being sorely tested by their use in the Syrian war. Nuclear, chemical and biological threats are not going to vanish. The world is safer with these treaties than without them. Where possible, they ought to be strengthened, rather than allowed to fall into disrepair. The sights and sounds of Christmas are in full swing in The T&D Region. The Bamberg County Chorale is preparing for its annual concert series which will be held this year on Dec. 8, 9, 10 and 12. On Thursday, Dec. 8, the group will be performing at Methodist Oaks in Orangeburg. On Dec. 9, they will be at Trinity UMC in Bamberg. They perform at Bethel Park UMC in Denmark on Saturday, Dec. 10. On Monday, Dec. 12 they will be at St. Pauls UMC in Orangeburg. Each concert will begin at 7 p.m. Admission is free but donations are accepted to help offset the cost of music for future concerts. Director David Whitaker said they will be performing feel-good Christmas songs. Some of the songs include Please Come Home for Christmas, Breath of Heaven and Youre a Mean One, Mr. Grinch. Since September, the group of about 30 members from across multiple counties has practiced to put on a concert which Whitaker says is wild and comical. We just love singing, he said. Its a blessing that weve gotten from God. The group looks forward to the concerts each year, he said. Whitakers father started the annual concerts in 1991. He took over around 12 years ago. Through the years, he has been proudest of the appreciation from people who come to hear them perform. Its grown each year, he said. Every year it seems to get a little better, Elizabeth Woodall added. Woodall will be accompanying the Bamberg County Chorale on piano. Its really fun going to practice, Woodall said. Its just a talented group of people. She said the group sings incredibly well and she loves playing the piano for them. Its fulfilling, she said. Woodall hopes the audiences leave feeling like theyre really in the Christmas spirit. The Bethel Park UMCs hand bell choir will join the chorale during the Saturday concert. Whitaker encourages everyone to come out and enjoy the classic Christmas music. Sit back and relax and enjoy the music, he said. COLUMBIA -- After meeting at the South Carolina Forestry Commission Thursday morning, the South Carolina Drought Response Committee changed the drought statuses for eleven counties in the state, including Orangeburg and Bamberg. All counties in the southern portion of the state have been upgraded from normal to incipient, the first level of drought. The coastal counties in the Lower Savannah River Basin of the state have also been upgraded to incipient, and Barnwell County has been moved to moderate status. Calhoun County remains at normal status. Its hard to believe that, in early October, many of these counties received more than 10 inches of rain, S.C. Department of Natural Resources State Climatologist Hope Mizzell said. But with no rain since then, theyve now slipped into a drought. All other counties, including Calhoun, maintained their current drought levels. There was not overwhelming support for an upgrade in these counties due to recent rains and more rain in the forecast. The severe drought in the Upstate has played a big role in the Pinnacle Mountain Fire and, according to the S.C. Forestry Commission, the benefits from this weeks rain may only be temporary. Long-range predictions continue to show above-normal wildfire potential through the month of December, SCFC Fire Duty Officer Doug Mills said. The concern for wildfires will be exasperated by leaf fall occurring on top of already-dry fuels, creating yet another layer of fuel in the short term. Normal winter conditions are expected to prevail in January and February with occasional periods of increased fire activity. The Pinnacle Mountain Fire has grown to 10,560 acres, the third-largest in state history. The current expense of the fire is an estimated $4.57 million. The fire is at 62 percent containment and all burn bans have been lifted. While the Upstate battles the mountain blaze, farmers statewide are facing issues with their crops and livestock. The S.C. Department of Agriculture is encouraging farmers to use the hay exchange on its website or in the Market Bulletin as yields across the board are mixed due to both the drought and the effects of Hurricane Matthew. Theres not much forage for grazing and farmers have not been able to plant for winter grazing, Assistant Commissioner Aaron Wood stated. While drier conditions have allowed row crop harvest to progress ahead of schedule, annual small grain planting and forage stockpiling are well below normal due to a lack of soil moisture. From an agricultural perspective, the drought is becoming more severe, respectively, across the state. But since we're at the end of the growing season, we're hoping that the rain forecasted over the next 14 days materializes. According to SCDNR Hydrologist Scott Harder, stream flow levels in much of the Upstate have remained well below normal and reservoir levels continue to decline. These conditions support remaining in the severe drought statuses in the three counties in the Upstate. Some members of the committee have lived in South Carolina for decades and say they have never seen a drought of this magnitude. I wish we had a drought designation that was called profound because this is one of the most profound droughts Ive ever experienced, Committee Member Dennis Chastain pointed out. Its probably going to get worse before it gets better but, because of the time of the year, were going take a look in a couple of weeks. The National Weather Service in Columbia also continues to monitor the weather conditions and is hoping more rain will fall into the forecast. Even though weve had some recent widespread rainfall across the state, its not enough to improve the drought conditions that currently exist, Leonard Vaughan stated. Even rain that is forecast in the near future would not be significant enough to make a big change. We need more frequent rainfall events to make a big dent in the current drought. The Stubbs Polyclinic is one of eight health facilities here earmarked for retrofitting with PAHO and UK assistance. inset:Dr. Godfrey Xuereb, PAHO Representative for the Eastern Caribbean, announced the names of the health facilities earmarked for retrofitting The Washington, D.C.-based Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says eight priority health facilities, approved by the Ministry of Health, with PAHO and the United Kingdom Governments collaboration, have been confirmed for retrofitting in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, as part of the SMART Health Care Facilities in the Caribbean Project. PAHO said last week that this selection was made following 18 months of data collection and analysis. "We are pleased to have worked with the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment to finalize the list of priority facilities to include Barrouallie Health Centre, Georgetown Clinic, Stubbs Polyclinic, Clifton Hospital on the Grenadine Island of Union, Port Elizabeth Health Center on Bequia, Mayreau Clinic and Sandy Bay Clinic, said Dr. Godfrey Xuereb, PAHO Representative for the Eastern Caribbean, in announcing the names of the health facilities earmarked for retrofitting. "The Chateaubelair Hospital will also be retrofitted and has been selected as the Showcase facility. Dr. Xuereb said the selection of the facilities and the retrofitting works are being guided by a team of regional experts "working diligently under the supervision of Regional Advisor and Project Manager, Dr. Dana van Alphen. On Oct. 21, Xuereb said members of the Chateaubelair community gathered at the Learning Resource Center for a town hall meeting to discuss the plans for the Hospital. He said the works proposed for this health facility will include improvement of roof, replacement of windows and doors, installation of water and energy efficient fixtures and fittings, improvement of cooling systems, an overhaul of electrical and plumbing systems, upgrade on lighting and indoor air quality, installation of backup power supply and renewable energy systems, increased water storage and improved drainage and security. The project will also support the purchase of energy efficient equipment for the Chateaubelair Hospital, Xuereb said. He said similar works proposed for the Chateaubeliar Hospital will take place in the other seven priority facilities. "It is the intention of the project to retrofit these facilities to be able to function following the impact of hazards as well as to adapt to the changes in climate that is being experienced in this part of the region, Dr. Xuereb said. "We will, therefore, ensure that the standards are consistent throughout all eight facilities proposed for retrofitting. PAHO said advertising for a construction team for the Chateaubelair Hospital and Clinic was expected to begin at the end of November, with retrofitting works commencing in early 2017. In September 2013, retrofitting works for the Georgetown SMART Hospital was completed as part of Phase I, following extensive repairs and upgrades to make the facility safer and greener, that is smarter, PAHO said. "Since the completion of these works, there has been significant savings in water and energy consumption, and the facility has been able to operate more efficiently allowing for increased usage by residents within the surrounding communities., said PAHO, disclosing that the retrofitting works on this facility was US$345,926 [EC$924,000], and lasted a period of six months. PAHO said Phase II of the SMART Health Care Facilities in the Caribbean Project began on Jun. 10, 2015, and is being implemented in Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, Jamaica, Guyana and Belize over a five-year period, ending June 2020. At least 50 facilities are expected to be retrofitted in the seven countries, and 600 will be assessed for future interventions, PAHO said. It said the SMART Health Care Facilities in the Caribbean Project is being supported by the United Kingdoms Department for International Development (UKaid), to the tune of US$38.3 million, and implemented through PAHOs Health Emergencies Department, in partnership with the Ministries of Health. Qualified Vincentians will have the opportunity to serve in the Royal Navy, this with the announcement that recruitment personnel will be visiting the island soon. Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said during a press briefing on Monday, that personnel coming from the Royal Navy are expected here to conduct preliminary recruitment exercises. He also explained that the process previously required qualified applicants to journey to the United Kingdom to conduct tests and assessments, return home and then journey back to complete the process. This time, all the initial checks will be done here, which according to Gonsalves, cut down on the cost, particularly for air travel for suitable candidates. Additionally, the Prime Minister announced that the Ministr of Foreign Affairs, under the leadership of Sir Louis Straker, was successful in having St Vincent and the Grenadines added to the list for persons to receive farm workers visas. It was also disclosed that Saboto Caesar, the Minister of Agriculture, was currently in the western section of Canada looking for opportunities for farm workers in that country. Gonsalves said that he had spoken to Caesar, and he indicated that it was probable that as many as 500 persons can get on that programme. Two Canadian provincial ministers were expected to visit St Vincent and the Grenadines. More details on this opportunity will be given on Minister Caesars return. (DD) Left:Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sir Louis Straker made no excuses for the deep and lasting relationship between Venezuela and SVG. Right:Right: His Excellency Yuri Pimentel, Venezuelas Ambassador to SVG, highlighted the broad areas in which his country was and is pleased to assist SVG. The relationship between the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and St. Vincent and the Grenadines will go on. That assurance was given by Foreign Affairs Minister Sir Louis Straker while addressing a ceremony to mark the 35th Anniversary of the establishing of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The ceremony was held last week Thursday, November 24, at the Venezuelan Embassy, Murrays Road. Sir Louis, who was also Acting Prime Minister during the absence from the state of PM Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, predicted regular flights between the two nations. He noted the deepening of the contact and relations from November 2001, with the "great chemistry between Hugo Chavez and Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, and highlighted Venezuelas contribution to the construction of the international airport, as a lasting symbol of that countrys assistance to this country. Some US$50M in assistance from Venezuela has already been used here on social development projects as well as building infrastructure, Sir Louis indicated. Sir Louis address came after that of His Excellency Yuri Pimentel, Venezuelas Ambassador to SVG. The Ambassador reminded that diplomatic relations were established on November 3, 1981, and that the first Venezuelan Consul to SVG was appointed on November 12, 1885. Pimentel alluded to agricultural, medical, civil defence and student training, as well as exchange of delegations as areas of co-operation, and cited the Hugo Chavez Fuel Storage and Distribution Plant at Lowmans Bay as a highlight. Pimentel praised the Vincentian people for their stance in solidarity with his country, and put that down to a shared vison and independence of peoples and governments. The ceremony also heard from President of the Venezuelan Friendship Association Mike Browne, and was entertained with cultural segments. Those segments included: a dance routine dubbed Viva Venezuela by La Gracia Dancers, coordinated by Maxine Browne; a musical recital by Callistus Sandy on cuatro, accompanied by Geran Maule on Keyboard, demonstrating what he (Sandy) had learned at a Venezuela-sponsored workshop; and renditions (parang and other Venezuela music forms) by a revived El Grupo Amistad, started some 20 years ago by the Venezuela Embassy here. A sense of true camaraderie permeated the evenings atmosphere, as those in attendance mingled and exchanged their own sentiments about the relationship between the two countries. (WKA) Maxton Scotland (right) pictured with influential youth ambassadors from Netherlands, Canada and the USA at the UN event to mark Rotary International Day. Stories by Gloriah Rotary International Day, a day when the "critical humanitarian activities that Rotary and the United Nations (UN) lead around the world, was celebrated at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Saturday, 12th November, 2016. The activity, organized by the Rotary Representatives to the UN in New York along with the UN, was attended by more than 1,500 Rotarians, Rotary Youth, UN officials, friends and guests. Vincentian - Mr. Maxton Scotland, the Executive Chairman of the International Youth Decision Making Body, and the youth representative for Africa, gave two riveting presentations at the function. The main objectives, inter alia, of the event were to: address ways that Rotary, in partnership with the business sector, nonprofits, and the international community, is promoting stable and peaceful societies through equitable economic development; give Interactors and Rotaractors an insight into the UN and Rotarys shared relationship. Maxtons presentations were entitled, The Sustainable Development Goal #2: Eradicating Zero Hunger by 2020; and Spotlight Youth: Empowering the Next Generation. His profound thoughts notwithstanding, Maxtons clarion call was: "I am calling upon the UN business leaders present to work proactively with millennials on an international level, as this will foster inclusion in the decision making process and the holistic success of the Sustainable Development Goal agenda! Maxtons selection as a panelist came as a result of ongoing work with youth on a global level, through the International Youth Decision Making Body at Rotaract Global Model United Nations (MUN). Maxton Scotland grew up in Glamorgan and Victoria Village, and tributes mindset to those communities. He exhibited a passion for youth work from an early age, and besides being actively involved in the Pathfinders Club, he rose to become president of the South Windward ULP Youth Arm. All of this before he enlisted in the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom. On the basis of his hard work, he became one of very few Commonwealth citizens selected Long Language Training, at the Defense School of Languages in Buckinghamshire. There, he pursued training in Pashto, an Indo-Iranian language, Spanish and Arabic. While studying, Maxton was diagnosed with a deadly brain tumour or (Glioblastomas). He was given six months to live. Numerous surgeries followed and he lost his speech, but he never gave up. He completed his language training in eight months, and even provided remedial training for others before taking up a post in the Career Management Cell, prior to his discharge from the Military. Maxton has recently completed his MSc. in Security Studies from the London Metropolitan University, and is now enrolled on a PhD programme at the University of London. Currently he enjoys his time as an entrepreneur and being an advocate for young people. He believes that, "It doesnt matter how difficult the road may seem now - it is how you view your future, your passion to get where you want to, and the continuous hard work you put in. We are not defined by our flaws. As for his work with the UN, the next Global Youth MUN Conference will be convened in Beirut. Lebanon in August 2017, and he is looking forward to being involved. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. By Azernews By Amina Nazarli Azerbaijan will request an action plan for a visa-free regime with the European countries as soon as the agreement on simplification of visa regime with the EU is successfully implemented. Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev Azerbaijans Deputy Foreign Minister told Trend that Azerbaijan and the EU are successfully implementing the agreement on simplification of the visa regime. Agreement on simplification of the visa regime between EU and Azerbaijan entered into force September 1, 2014. The agreement made it easier and cheaper for citizens of Azerbaijan to acquire short-stay visas allowing them to travel to and freely throughout most EU countries. A short-stay visa is a visa for an intended stay of no more than 90 days per period of 180 days. Under the agreement, visa fees reduced from 60 euro to 35 euro, and some categories of citizens are exempt from the fees altogether. "Azerbaijan and the EU signed two agreements on visa facilitation and readmission, and as far as I know, Azerbaijan has no serious violations," said the deputy foreign minister. "There are very few migrants in the EU from Azerbaijan, at least in comparison with other countries. If all goes well, the next stage of the implementation of the visa-free regime between the EU and Azerbaijan will begin." He said that the most important thing for Azerbaijan is the exact fulfillment of all obligations under the agreement, in order to have arguments to request an action plan for implementation of the next stage of the agreement. The deputy foreign minister noted that currently, the visa-free regime between Azerbaijan and the EU is applied only for holders of diplomatic passports. Mammad-Guliyev went on to add that the Brexit wont affect future negotiations between the EU and Azerbaijan on a new strategic agreement. The European Council adopted a mandate for the European Commission and the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy to negotiate on behalf of the EU and its member states, a comprehensive agreement with Azerbaijan. The mandate was discussed in Brussels at a meeting of foreign ministers at the EU Council in the framework of the discussion on the "Eastern Partnership on November 14. The new agreement should replace the 1996 partnership and cooperation agreement and should better take account of the shared objectives and challenges the EU and Azerbaijan face today. Azerbaijan has become a country of direct priority to the EUs strategy in its wider neighborhood since the last enlargement of the European Union in 2007. Azerbaijan affects Europes interests, mainly in a regional energy strategy. By Azertac President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received members of the Supreme Religious Council of Caucasian People who attended an international conference titled Traditions of religious tolerance in the Caucasus and Azerbaijan's model of multiculturalism. By Azernews By Rashid Shirinov Russia actively supports political and diplomatic settlement of conflicts in the post-Soviet area, including the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This was stated in the new Russian foreign policy concept, approved by President Vladimir Putin and published on the official Kremlin website. It was stated that the country backs settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the framework of the existing multilateral negotiating mechanism. The statement reads that Russia supports settlement of the conflict in cooperation with other states co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group and based on the principles outlined in joint statements of the presidents of Russia, the U.S. and France, which were made in 2009-2013. Russia's role in Nagorno-Karabakh settlement was also noted by Turkey. "Turkey respects Russias will in the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said after meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on December 1. The Nagorno-Karabakh settlement was also discussed during the visit of Russias Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on December 1, as part of Karasins working visit to Azerbaijan. Karasin held consultations with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said. He discussed the pressing issues of bilateral and international agenda during the talks with Azerbaijani partners. Karasin added that the further efforts aimed at speedy settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict will be made and effective measures on the conflict settlement will be supported. 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. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. The European Commission proposes to improve the Value Added Tax (VAT) environment for e-commerce businesses , which will allow consumers and companies, in particular start-ups and SMEs, to buy and sell goods and services more easily online. Unlocking e-commerce in Europe and the creation of a Digital Single Market are among the top priorities of the Juncker-Commission. By introducing an EU-wide portal for online VAT payments (the 'One Stop Shop'), VAT compliance expenses will be significantly reduced, saving businesses across the EU 2.3 billion ($2.44 billion) a year. The new rules will also ensure that VAT is paid in the Member State of the final consumer, leading to a fairer distribution of tax revenues amongst EU countries. These proposals would help Member States to recoup the current estimated 5 billion of lost VAT on online sales every year. Estimated lost revenues are likely to reach 7 billion by 2020 if no action is taken. In particular, the Commission proposed: New rules allowing companies that sell goods online to deal easily with all their EU VAT obligations in one place; To simplify VAT rules for startups and micro-businesses selling online, VAT on cross-border sales under 10,000 will be handled domestically. SMEs will benefit from simpler procedures for cross-border sales of up to 100,000 to make life easier; Action against VAT fraud from outside the EU, which can distort the market and create unfair competition; To enable Member States to reduce VAT rates for e-publications such as e-books and online newspapers. These legislative proposals will now be submitted to the European Parliament for consultation and to the Council for adoption. TradeArabia News Service IBS Software, a leading aviation IT solutions provider, has signed a 10-year multi-million dollar contract with Asiana Airlines Cargo for the implementation of its cargo management solution. Under the deal, IBS will implement the full scope of business operations of Asiana Cargo - including sales, revenue accounting, ULD management, mail management and mail revenue accounting with a single seamlessly integrated platform - iCargo. Seoul-based Asiana Airlines is a global brand and has been in operation for nearly 30years. Asiana is a member of Star Alliance, and currently operates 14 domestic and 90 international passenger routes and 27 cargo routes throughout Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania. The implementation of the new-gen cargo management system will allow Asiana Airlines Cargo to upgrade its IT capabilities from an existing home-grown legacy core system and a multitude of satellite systems to a fully integrated new generation platform. This upgrade will enable Asiana Cargo to embrace several value adding capabilities in aspects such as revenue and yield management, product management, real time shipment monitoring and control and advanced technology capabilities such as enterprise mobility to elevate its cargo operations to a much higher level. The iCargo platform will also enable Asiana Cargo to align itself to industry-driven standards and best practices such as eAWB and CXML. Asiana Cargo will become the latest addition to the IBS Cargo Community, which comprises of 20+ global players in the air freight industry including Airlines, GHAs and Cargo Terminal Operators. IBS' highly modular iCargo solution supports all the IT needs of air cargo management in a single, fully-integrated platform and can be tailored to suit specific customer needs and priorities. Capable of addressing the needs of all kinds of cargo operations - large or small, combination or pure freighter, LCC or full service - iCargo now powers the cargo movement of over 25 leading airlines across the globe making it the leading cargo management solution for the air transportation industry. iCargo solution was selected as the 'Airline Product Innovation of the Year 2015' by CAPA - Centre for Aviation. Signing the deal in Seoul last week, Kwang-Suk Kim, executive vice president of Asiana Cargo said: "By selecting iCargo as our technology platform, we are hopeful that we would be able to cater to the demands of fast changing logistics services environment and improve our market share. We are sure that it will also bring a ground breaking improvement opportunity in reinforcing cargo operation safety and customer services." "This selection by Asiana Airlines highlights IBS' ability to conceptualize and build industry leading global solutions which bring tangible business benefits. IBS continues to invest in innovative offerings for the airline industry to ensure that our customers stay ahead in this disruptive environment. This partnership with Asiana is also a testament to our commitment to the Korean market as we continue to expand our presence in East Asia" said Rajiv Shah, CEO IBS Software. Ashok Rajan, vice president and head of IBS' Global Air Cargo business said, "We are delighted to welcome Asiana Cargo to the iCargo family. We are excited about the value in business practices that Asiana Cargo will bring to the community given its leading position in the Air Freight industry." - TradeArabia News Service UK-based Next Geosolutions, an international turn-key geoscience and engineering services provider, has launched a new multi purpose-built operational facility in the Hamriyah Free Zone of Sharjah (UAE), and a supporting business development and marketing office in Dubai. With operations due to commence this month, the new 400-sq-m facility will boost the continued international growth of the company, leading to the recruitment of five key team members to expand its activities in the region, said a statement from the company. Ennio Lucidi has been appointed as Next Geosolutions Middle East general manager. With more than 35 years of experience in the marine and offshore oil and gas sectors. He has held a number of senior positions, leading and negotiating on multimillion dollar contracts. Lucidi said: I am delighted to be part of the companys strong commitment and development into this new market, at both a challenging and stimulating time. In addition to its state of the art solutions, I believe my skills will contribute for a sustainable and profitable growth in the region, he said. Giovanni Ranieri, chief executive officer, Next Geosolutions, said: In order to meet the growing needs of our global clients, it has become essential to expand our international operations. The Middle East is a key focus for our services and by investing in the new bases, we open up significant opportunities within different areas of intervention. These include: surveys; ROV and diving; inspection repair and maintenance and non-destructive testing; geophysical, geotechnical and marine services, he added. As well as enabling the company to conduct further complex air diving inspection, repair and maintenance projects throughout the Arabian Gulf, the new premises will provide Next Geosolutions growing Middle East client base with a consistent on-the-ground service. Ranieri stated: Having the right assets and a qualified team in the region is the key to meeting the increasing clients demands for our companys expertise and to further expanding our targets. In addition to the initial five employees, we are hoping to recruit further members of staff in the next 12 months, based on potential opportunities. Our base in the UK and headquarters in Italy provide a solid foundation and excellent platform from which to leverage our move into the Middle East. This is an exciting new venture for our business, and a huge amount of work has gone into this, in order to further enhance our ambitious growth plans, he concluded. TradeArabia News Service Saudi Arabia-based Almajdouie Logistics Company (MLC) recently planned, executed and managed the complex move of a retired MD90 aircraft from Jeddah International Airport to Riyadh. In collaboration with the Saudi Arabia Airlines, MLC technicians and engineers; specialising in the field of heavy transport, designed the transportation plan for its final destination at the Saudi Special Forces Training Centre, said a statement from the company. To prepare for the journey estimated to take eight to 10 days, MLC conducted a series of road tests before preselecting a route that would take the twin-engine, short- to medium-range, single-aisle commercial jet airliner, along approximately 1200 km of roads over five days safely, it said. The challenging move had to overcome the height limitation of the aircraft when placed on the trailers (exceeding 5.5M). In addition, the cargo had other obstacles, such as the sphere shape and the location of the tyres, making it difficult to leash to the trailers. Mohamed Ashfaq, heavy lift manager in the Eastern Region, said: We had to redesign the trailer by removing the beams and fabricating a special saddle, to reduce the height of the cargo to less than 5.5 m to meet the bridge maximum clearance of 5.5 m. The successful move of the 43 m aircraft weighing 40 tonnes was another fine example of the ingenuity of our team and the collective contribution we avail to our clients, he added. TradeArabia News Service Airbus Corporate Jets is exhibiting an ACJ318 at the upcoming Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) show in Dubai, UAE highlighting the greater comfort and space that its ACJ320 Family offers when compared with traditional business jets. The aircraft, which has the widest and tallest cabin of any business jet while being similar in size externally, is operated by Nasjet. Its cabin has several lounge areas, an office that converts to a bedroom, bathrooms and extensive stowage space. Delivering intercontinental range, the ACJ318 can fly nonstop Middle East-Europe, and is certificated to carry 19 passengers. Airbus corporate jets deliver a heritage of comfort, space and reliability that is unmatched in the business jet world, so when you fly to save time, youll find that time flies in an ACJ, said Airbus chief operating officer, Customers John Leahy. Airbus corporate jets have a strong presence in the important Middle East and North African region, with around 60 of them in service with companies, individuals and governments. Airbus corporate jets have long set the industry standard in enhanced protection fly-by-wire controls, time and cost-saving centralised maintenance, and weight-saving carbon fibre. They now go even farther, offering fuel-saving new-generation engines and Sharklets in the ACJ320neo Family, which bring even more of the world within nonstop reach. Airbus Corporate Jets designs, builds and supports the worlds largest and most modern business jet family, which ranges from the ACJ318 to the ACJ380. More than 180 Airbus corporate jets are in service worldwide, connecting travellers on every continent, including Antarctica. The MEBAA show runs from December 6 to 8. TradeArabia News Service Meet award-winning artisans and buy their products at Kerala Arts and Crafts Village U.S. natural gas exports may have exceeded imports for the first time in 60 years this November, the latest in a long-term trend that could signal a burgeoning opportunity for Wyoming after a period of low prices and overstock. The U.S. exported 7.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day on average in November, and imported 7 billion cubic feet per day, according to S&P Global Platts, an energy information provider and trade publisher. Adding an international buying market for U.S. natural gas affects Wyoming indirectly, as it lifts the price of natural gas nationwide, benefiting local producers. It could also introduce a growing demand for the states natural gas over time, if, as some hope, terminals are built on the West Coast to export liquid natural gas. This is a rising tide, floats all boats, effect, said Brian Jeffries, director of the Wyoming Pipeline Authority, of the increased exports. *** Like all commodities, natural gas is about supply and demand, he said. The market has been strengthening after a rough few years, and experts are projecting increasing prices through the winter months. This week, the natural gas benchmark price, Henry Hub, has climbed over $3. Its a welcome sign for gas producers. Henry Hub went from a $4.50 average in 2014 to under $2 in late 2015. Oversupply drove down the price, which in turn drove down Wyoming production, capped drilling and led some companies that operate in Wyoming into bankruptcy, including Ultra Petroleum and Linn Energy. Essentially, natural gas was cheap, and there was a lot of it. But the uptick in exports hints at the broadening potential to send U.S. gas to other markets, Jeffries said. The depressed price of natural gas over the past few years has been driven by an abundance of production, pushing on fixed demand. Now that you are increasing exports, youre increasing demand, Jeffries said. The export threshold reached this November is thanks mostly to Mexico. The countrys production of natural gas has been in sharp decline in recent years as demand has risen, said Rick Margolin, an analyst with Genscape. Mexico liberalized its energy market, encouraging more foreign investment and allowing consumers to seek more reliable, cheaper providers from the U.S., he said. U.S. exports were up 18 percent last year, largely due to increased movement of natural gas across the southern border, according to the Energy Information Administration. There is not a direct correlation between production in Wyomings gas fields and demand in Mexico, but the uptick in exports across the border changes the natural gas market significantly, Jeffries said. It wont be specific that gas exported to Mexico directly ties back to Wyoming, but the interrelatedness of the grid is back to the rising tide floats all boats, he said. Thats going to bring prices up and its going to bring them up around the country. The natural gas markets in the U.S. are increasingly linked, said Margolin, the natural gas analyst. A cold snap in Boston can affect gas prices as far away as San Francisco, he said. With regard to increased exports to Mexico that takes gas out of Texas and sends it to Mexico ... When southern California finds it hard to get gas from west Texas it looks to alternatives like the Rockies. *** The limited export capacity from Wyomings pipelines has sometimes been an issue in the past. Even when demand was high, the state was in effect pumping out as much as it possibly could, particularly via the Kern River pipeline that feeds directly to Southern California, where demand is highest. But the recent bust, and the completion of additional pipelines projects a few years ago has changed that, Jeffries said. The recent slowdown in natural gas markets resulted in excess capacity in Wyomings pipelines to move gas across state lines, he said. This last October, the Rockies had roughly 4 billion cubic feet per day of idle export capacity, he said. There is one other piece of the puzzle that could determine whether Wyomings market can grow in tandem with the growing national natural gas market: the construction of a liquefied natural gas export facility on the West Coast. Cooling natural gas until it becomes liquid makes for easier shipping, and it is the primary way to move natural gas across oceans and into the global market. The first time liquefied natural gas was shipped out of a United States export terminal was in February from the Cheniere Energys Sabine Pass LNG Terminal in Louisiana. Four more such terminals are under construction, also on the east coast. However, because the terminal is on the east coast, it favors the profitable natural gas fields of the region, from Pennsylvania to Ohio, Jeffries said. Those exports are great for lifting prices nationwide, but the terminals dont directly benefit the supply and demand in Wyoming, Colorado and other western states. Producers in east coast markets ramp up production rather than looking for backfill from the Rockies, Margolin said. There is an export terminal proposed in Oregon, but the project is making a slow progression through the permitting process The west, absent an export facility, is a fixed component of demand, Jeffries said. It is what it is, but if you add an export terminal to the west, we can better utilize pipeline capacity to the west and have a pretty good chance of competing. Chronic pain/illness group starting Highland Park Community Church and The Healing Place are starting HopeKeepers. HopeKeepers is a support group designed to meet the emotional and spiritual needs of the person who lives with chronic illness or pain. Through the support group setting you will have the opportunity to grow spiritually surrounded by others who share similar circumstances, unrevealed answers, and even joys, living with chronic pain or physical pain. The group will meet Mondays from noon to 1:30 p.m., Highland Park Community Church, Rm #1327-The Prayer Room. This is an ongoing group. Call The Healing Place at 265-3977 to enroll. Latin Club meets Wish you had taken Latin in school or had paid better attention when you did? You are welcome to join the Latin Study Club at Mount Hope Lutheran School, 2300 Hickory. This friendly group of language enthusiasts meets on Tuesday nights at 7 p.m., to study Latin, free of charge. We will pick up where we left off last year, Chapter 4 of Wheelocks Latin, 7th edition. Noli timere! Mount Hope Lutheran School admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin. Compassionate Friends lights candles The Central Wyoming Chapter of the Compassionate Friends, a non-profit, self-help support organization for parents who are grieving the death of a child of any age, from any cause will have its annual December Candle Lighting Ceremony meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016 from 7 to 9 pm. We will meet at the Natrona County Public Library in the Crawford Room in the librarys basement. You may bring a picture of your loved one. Also, if you would like, please bring a treat to share after the ceremony. Another Compassionate Friends event is The Worldwide Candle Lighting on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016. Join in this event by lighting a candle in your home at 7 p.m. and letting it burn for an hour until the next time zone lights candles. You will be helping to honor the memories of children who have died, but who will never be forgotten. For more information please call Gail: 235-0702 or Sheila: 237-0735. Wednesday Writers Would you like to leave a legacy by sharing your memories with the world? Practice writing, share your work and receive constructive feedback from fellow writers at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Dec. 7, on the main floor of the Natrona County Library. Call 577-READ ext. 2 or email reference@natronacountylibrary.org for more information. Learn Tumblr The Natrona County Library will offer a Tumblr class at 2 p.m., on Thursday, Dec. 8. Learn the basics of Tumblr including the dashboard, comments, posting and liking posts. Well also explain how to re-blog from other Tumblr feeds, create your own content, interact with other like-minded individuals and follow your interests. Call 577-READ ext. 2 or email reference@natronacountylibrary.org for more information. Learn Mac OS X Photos The Natrona County Library will offer a Mac OS X Photos class at 3 p.m., on Saturday, Dec. 10. Learn how to view, organize, edit, and share photos on your Mac with the Photos app. Well also explain how to use the Photos app to import photos from your iPhone or iPad. Call 577-READ ext. 2 or email reference@natronacountylibrary.org for more information. Flu vaccination clinic The Casper-Natrona County Health Department has added a flu vaccination clinic Monday, Dec. 12, from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. We are accepting walk-ins on first come first serve basis. $25 per person. We can bill insurance. Joshuas needs help from hunters Attention hunters, meat is needed to help the hungry in Casper and your donation of wild game will help feed the many hundreds of families in need. Please donate your game to the food pantry. Your donation is tax deductible. Please advise your meat processors where you want this important product to go. Thank you from Joshuas Storehouse. Veterans get help with employment Attention veterans! Are you having a hard time finding employment? Need help with a resume? Considering a new career? If so, stop by any Wyoming Department of Workforce Services Office. All of our services are free. In Casper, the office is located at 851 Werner Court. Call 234-4591 for more information. Parkinsons support Dec. 13 Rocky Mountain Therapy is offering a Parkinsons Support Group. Join us on the second Tuesday of each month at Rocky Mountain Therapy, 2546 East 2nd Street, Building 500 at 5:30 p.m. This support group is open to anyone with Parkinsons or caring for someone with Parkinsons. Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 13, our guest speaker will be Dr. Cozier, with Wyoming Neurologic Assoc. To RSVP call 577-5204 and ask for Jerri or Shannon. To find out more about Rocky Mountain Therapy please visit our website at www.rockymountaintherapy.org. Were looking forward to seeing you at our next meeting. Saturday morning watercolor classes ART321/Casper Artists Guild announces the schedule for the Saturday Morning Watercolor Sessions for the months of September and October 2016. We hope to see you then to begin or continue your learning experience with us. All levels are welcome. Saturday mornings, 10 a.m. to noon, $10 per session. If you have questions, please contact Ellen Black at 265-6783. Dec. 10, Holly Bryson, a painting from start to finish; Dec. 17, painting snow; Dec. 24, no session, Christmas Eve; Dec. 31, no session, New Years Eve. ART321/Casper Artists Guild, 321 W. Midwest Ave, Casper, WY, 82601, gallery hours Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., phone 265-2655, www.art321.org Teen Challenge offers fall classes Teen Challenge Wyoming offers classes this fall at local churches, True Care and the Link (Youth for Christ). For more information on these groups or on other Teen Challenge programs, please call 258-5397. Peacemaking: Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. In this world of division and conflict, it is important for Christians to stay grounded in what the Bible teaches about resolving our differences with orders in a God-honoring way. For more information, call Pat at 258-5397. Save One: A group for post-abortion healing. For more information, call Judy at 251-5644. Single & Parenting: Sundays at 6:30 p.m. Covers major challenges single parents face in raising their children, and offers tools to help them meet these challenges. Enter anytime, each lesson stands alone. Call Cathie at 258-6119. Professionals in Recovery: An ongoing Christian recovery group. For more information, call Gary at 267-7777. Insight: Discovering the path to Christian character, especially in the midst of stress. Time to be announced. For more information, call Teen Challenge Wyoming at 258-5397. Possible offering: Committed Couples and/or the Smart Stepfamily (groups designed to strengthen marriages for both married couples and those anticipating marriage) may be offered later this year. For more information on these possibilities, please call Teen Challenge Wyoming at 258-5397. Shop at Art 321 Did you know ART 321 has a gift shop? Come and shop from our fine selection of original artwork, jewelry, ceramics, prints, and apparel. Perfect for any gift occasion and any budget. ART321/Casper Artists Guild, 321 W. Midwest Ave., hours Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., 265-2655. Caregiver support meets monthly Are you caring for a loved one with a debilitating condition? Confusing and conflicting feelings are likely to come up-anger, sadness, hopelessness, resentment and guilt for having those feelings. Please join us on the second Thursday of the each month to talk about your feelings and learn effective ways to release difficult emotions by joining a support group. Meetings will be held at Rocky Mountain Therapy, 2546 East 2nd Street #500, at 5:30 p.m. Different topics will be discussed each month. Coffee and lemonade will be served. We will be meeting on Dec. 15. To RSVP please call 577-5204 and ask for Jerri or Shannon. Casper Charla Would you like to practice conversational Spanish or help others learn? Come and join the Casper Charla! Te gustaria platicar en espanol? Ven y charla con nosotros! Todos son bienvenidos! Come and join us on the third Wednesday of each month this fall. We meet at a different restaurant and partake in food, drink and conversation. All levels of Spanish are welcome, from beginning to native-speakers. Nos reunimos los miercoles en varios restaurantes en Casper. Ven por una copa, un antojito o simplemente una charlita. Wednesday, December 14, 5-7 p.m., place to be determined for the Fiesta de Navidad. Caregiver support Wyoming Dementia Care offers five Alzheimers Caregiver Support groups each month. Caregivers of those with dementia-related illnesses and the loved ones they care for are welcome at any of the group sessions. Professional staff from Intermountain Home Companions will be on hand to offer separate activities and snacks for those who need care. There is no charge for Wyoming Dementia Cares support groups or for the respite care provided during the approximately one hour long sessions. The morning support group sessions meet on the first and third Thursday of each month at 10 a.m. at Central Wyoming Senior Services, 1831 E. 4th St. The afternoon support groups meet at 1 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at Life Care Center of Casper, 4041 S. Poplar. The evening groups meet on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at Meadow Wind Assisted Living, 3955 E. 12th St. For information, email wyodementia@casperseniorcenter.com or call Dani Guerttman at 265-4678. Family continues suicide support Good Grief, Support will continue at 5:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at the 12-24 Club, 500 S. Wolcott, by request of attendees. The family of J.R. Hunter, who died from suicide in June 2015 began the support before the especially tough holiday season. Anyone who is grieving a suicide, death, or considering suicide is encouraged to attend. Attendance at the meeting, as well as the content, will be strictly confidential. The Fresh Start Cafe will be open, and you can eat during the meetings. This meeting place was offered by Dan Cantine of the 12-24 Club. You need not be a member to attend. New depression group begins J.R.s Hunt for Life is offering See it Clearly, a free peer support group for persons suffering from depression and other mental conditions that lead to suicidal thoughts and actions. We are not professionals but rather a group of like-minded peers wishing to support each other in these struggles. We offer anonymity and confidentiality to all attending. Our meetings are at 6:45 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at 500 South Wolcott in the conference room on the second floor, (12-24 Club). If you have ever considered or attempted taking your life or are struggling, please come. You are important to us. Family offers faith-based groups The family of J.R. Hunter, who committed suicide, is going to begin two more support groups, these faith-based, in addition to the groups they run on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at the 12-24 Club. Those continue. J.R.s Hunt; for life presents faith-based grief and depression peer to peer support groups at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. at Restoration Church, 411 S. Walsh. Grief Support Group, Good Grief: A faith-based grief support group that our family hosts on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 5:30 p.m. at Restoration Church. Our loss has moved us to offer this to anyone grieving. Youll experience comfort and understanding. We get it. Depression Support Group, See It Clearly: A faith-based free peer to peer support group for persons suffering from depression and other mental conditions that may lead to suicidal thoughts and actions. We are not professionals but rather a group of like-minded peers wishing to support each other in these struggles. We offer anonymity and confidentiality to all attending. Our meetings are at 6:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at the Restoration Church. If you have ever considered or attempted taking your life or are struggling, please come. You are important to us. Parkinsons exercise Rocky Mountain Therapy is offering a Parkinsons exercise program. Join us from noon to 1 p.m. Thursdays at Rocky Mountain Therapy, 2546 E. Second St., Building 500. These classes are open to anyone with Parkinsons or caring for someone with Parkinsons. Thursdays class is tailored for the individual with more advanced Parkinsons and focuses on improving endurance, safety and managing symptoms. We are open to all ages and can tailor the class to meet varying exercise needs. The cost of the class is $5. To RSVP, call 577-5204 and ask for Jerri or Shannon. Celebrate Recovery every Friday Celebrate Recovery meets at 5:30 p.m. every Friday at Highland Park Community Church, just south of Elkhorn Valley Rehabilitation Hospital on East Second Street. We start with a family meal, followed by praise and worship. At 7 p.m., theres either a lesson from Celebrate Recoverys planned curriculum or a testimony by a person who has found recovery through Christ. Then, people go to gender-specific small groups until 8:30 p.m., when dessert and fellowship conclude the evening. Child care is available at no cost. For more information, contact Chris at 265-4073. Here and Now: Dementia-focused monthly art class Classes are every third Tuesday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m. There is no charge. Here and Now is a program made possible through a collaboration between Wyoming Dementia Care and the Nicolaysen Art Museum. It is designed to provide a supportive environment for people with dementia and Alzheimers and their loved ones. To register, contact Dani with Wyoming Dementia Care 265-4678, ext. 106, or at wyodementia@casperseniorcenter.com or Zhanna Gallegos at 235-5247 or at zgallegos@thenic.org. A Casper doctor and his wife were charged in federal court Friday with illegally distributing the prescription painkiller Oxycodone for years. Federal agents and Casper police arrested Dr. Shakeel Kahn and Lyn Kahn, his wife and business partner, Wednesday in their Thorndike Avenue home on suspicion of selling prescriptions for large amounts of painkillers for cash since January 2011. The Kahns appeared with a lawyer Friday morning in the U.S. District Court of Wyoming to hear the charges. The couple talked among themselves before the hearing, each wearing jail scrubs. The doctor nodded continuously as Judge W. Skavdahl read him his rights. The Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating Kahn in April after the Wyoming Board of Pharmacy submitted a complaint about the large amount of painkillers the doctor was prescribing in Arizona and Wyoming, according to court documents. DEA investigators found that some of Kahns patients were filling prescriptions in both Wyoming and Arizona. Other patients were filling prescriptions up to 20 days early. One of his patients would fly to Casper to fill a prescription before returning to Kentucky to sell the drugs, the documents state. She was arrested in May on suspicion of trafficking pharmaceutical controlled substances. Investigators also recorded phone conversations between the Kahns and people asking to pay for prescriptions for painkiller, the documents allege. In one recorded conversation, a woman told Lyn and Shakeel Kahn that she had a friend who wanted to pay $1,800 for three prescriptions of Oxycodone and morphine, according to court documents. Lyn Kahn then negotiated payments with the woman. Investigators found that known patients had paid the doctor more than $34,000 in wire transfers between January and August 2016, the documents state. The doctor and his wife could face a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine if convicted. Skavdahl set Lyn Kahns bond at $20,000 at a detention hearing Friday afternoon, court documents show. Shakeel Kahn used his home in Fort Mojave, Arizona, as collateral for his release. Casper city officials are in talks with a Colorado company that could help investigate whether video evidence of the Cole Creek Fire was deleted or manipulated. City manager V.H. McDonald announced Nov. 16 that the city would begin an investigation into the evidence, more than six months after city officials learned of an email from the fire chief asking an investigator to delete bad parts of video of the blaze. Fire Chief Kenneth King has said the email was meant as a joke, but the city did nothing to verify that evidence wasnt missing beyond talking to the chief. The company, Image and Sound Forensics, is based in Parker, Colorado, and specializes in verifying the authenticity of audio and video recordings, McDonald said. The city has no timeline for the investigation. Were going to verify the integrity of that recording, McDonald said Thursday. Were going to get an answer on it. Were going to get an outside professional opinion on the integrity. The city has not made a formal agreement with the company and is waiting to hear back from company representatives regarding details of the proposed investigation. The city continues to gather evidence from the Casper Fire Department and the state fire marshals office to submit to whomever performs the investigation, McDonald said. The fire began on Oct. 10, 2015, when a grinder at the city landfill ignited a pile of nearby wood chips. The fire department attempted to contain the blaze, but the next day it spread from the landfill during high winds, ultimately scorching 10,000 acres and destroying 14 homes. King sent the email to a fire inspector collecting evidence for an investigation into the Cole Creek Fire on Oct. 14, 2015, while the blaze was still burning. The city became aware of the email in May when the Star-Tribune filed a public records request for documents related to the fire but did not publicly address it until a Star-Tribune article in October made the email public. King announced his retirement 10 days after the article was published and hours after apologizing for the email, though he wont step down until Jan. 2, 2018. The city approached the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation about conducting the investigation into the evidence. But division officials declined the request and said it wasnt the kind of investigation they performed, McDonald said. It didnt fit into what they could do for us, the city manager said. People affected by the fire have until October 2017 to file claims against the city for damage caused by the fire. Although losses from the fire are expected to rise into the millions, the citys liability is capped at $500,000 total. Concurrent with the deal for Glencore Rail, the Australian subsidiary of short line and regional rail operator Genesee & Wyoming has issued a 49 percent equity stake to funds managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets. Genesee & Wyoming Australia (GWA) has completed its previously announced purchase of Glencore Rail (GRail) for $1.14 billion Australian (U.S. $856 million), the company said in a statement. As part of the deal, the Australian subsidiary of short line and regional rail operator Genesee & Wyoming (G&W) has issued a 49 percent equity stake to funds managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA). The acquisition of GRails business includes nine train sets (30 locomotives and 894 wagons), as well as a long-term take-or-pay contract with Glencore Coal Pty Ltd. (GC), subject to existing agreements and certain limitations, to exclusively haul all coal produced at GCs existing mines in the Hunter Valley to the Port of Newcastle. The purchase strengthens GWAs nationwide footprint in Australia, adding a significant presence in the Hunter Valley coal supply chain and complementing GWAs existing intermodal, agricultural and mining business in South Australia and the Northern Territory, the company said. A runaway girl cut her wrists with a razor blade after being handcuffed and placed in the back of a Casper police car just after midnight Friday, police chief Jim Wetzel said. Officers quickly learned what had happened and provided first aid. The cuts were significant but not life-threatening, and the girl was taken to Wyoming Medical Center for treatment, Wetzel said in a statement released Friday morning by his department. The girl cut herself after slipping her handcuffs to the front while in the back of a patrol car. Officers at the time were on the phone with someone from the Natrona County District Attorneys Office trying to determine where the girl should be taken. Casper police have asked the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation to examine the incident, Wetzel said. While the investigation by DCI is underway, as the facts and circumstances have been relayed to me by my staff, I commend the professionalism and the immediate and timely actions of the officers to render care to the juvenile, Wetzel said in a release. This appears to be a very unfortunate tragic accident. Police had responded to an unidentified home where they believed the runaway girl was being harbored. They found her and took the girl into custody until they decided where she should go. Per department policy, she was handcuffed and searched for weapons, Wetzel said. The police department will conduct its own internal review. No officers have been placed on administrative leave. The nature of these incidents, with the following investigations and the inherent scrutiny over actions, can be trying for everyone involved, Wetzel said. For the involved officers, conscientious in their duty, this incident weighs heavily on them. For the juvenile and her family there are undoubtedly endless questions. I ask for the community to please be patient and keep the juvenile, her family, and the officers in your thoughts and prayers during this time. Leonard Elden Wold Evanston, Wyoming December 14, 1920 - November 13, 2016 Leonard Elden Wold passed away on Nov. 13 at the home of his daughter in Bakersfield, California. Leonard was born on Dec. 14, 1920, in Paul, Idaho, to Leonard Ephraim Wold and Winnie Rae Craner. At an early age, he moved with his family to Torrington, where he spent his youth. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Wyoming in Laramie. Leonard was a member of the Wyoming National Guard and was inducted into federal service on Feb. 24, 1941. He attended Officer's Candidate School in Fort Riley, Kansas and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in Aug. of 1942. In January 1943, he was promoted to first lieutenant and assigned as executive officer for Troop B Fourth Cavalry Squadron. His unit was sent to England in December of 1943, where they participated in all five major campaigns in the European Theater. The Fourth Cavalry Squadron received a Presidential Unit Citation for their magnificent bravery during the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest on the 19th and 20th of December, 1944. Leonard was separated from the service on Feb. 24, 1946. He had seen 337 days of combat and traveled 1,200 miles across Europe. In 1947, Leonard joined the Wyoming Highway Patrol and was stationed in the Big Horn Basin, where he met and later married Marie Rollins on Dec. 7, 1947. Together they raised a family of four daughters and enjoyed 60 happy years of marriage. Leonard was a patrol officer for 31 years, moving through the ranks from patrolman to captain and western zone commander. During his years with the Highway Patrol, he also worked with the Boy Scouts of America. After his retirement, he served for a brief time as city judge. From 1983-1991, Leonard and Marie traveled extensively around the country while Leonard served as a volunteer for AARP as assistant state director and area vice president. Leonard enjoyed camping and was a lifelong fisherman. He had a passion for rock hounding and ran a small lapidary business from his home, making many pieces of beautiful jewelry over the years. As an avid reader, he instilled a love of books in his children and grandchildren. He was a lover of board games, and anyone who was willing to spend time with him at the kitchen table was taught the art of competition. Leonard was preceded in death by his wife, Marie; sister, Dorothy Farmer of Blackfoot, Idaho; and two grandsons, Nate Kearns of Laramie and Josh Shank-Cottrell of Cheyenne. He is survived by his four daughters, Linda (Bud) Frederick of California, Kathy Cottrell (Jim Hall) of Casper, Marion (Harris) Asay of Evanston and JoAnn (Jim) Kearns of Laramie; 12 grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; and sister, Thelma Perryman of Soda Springs, Idaho. Cremation has taken place, and a graveside service will be held at the Evanston City Cemetery to honor his memory as per his wishes. He dedicated his life to serving his country, state and community, and he will always be our hero. LONGVIEW, Wash. The Environmental Protection Agency has criticized as inadequate a draft study the Army Corps of Engineers did on a proposed coal-export project in Washington state. The corps draft environmental review is flawed because it fails to take a hard look at potential environmental impacts, such as air quality, rail traffic and climate change, EPA wrote to the corps in a letter Tuesday. Millennium Bulk Terminals-Longview is proposing a project in Longview to handle up to 44 million metric tons of coal a year. Coal would arrive by train from Montana, Wyoming and other states to be stored and loaded on ships for export to Asia. The project requires permits from the corps, among others. EPA said the corps adopted an inappropriately narrow scope for its review and it recommended the corps study be revised and resubmitted for public comment. Because the corps analysis of effects is much too limited, the corps DEIS does not adequately assess the potentially significant environmental impacts of the proposal, the EPA wrote in its letter. Millennium officials downplayed EPAs comments as just another step in the process, saying its typical for EPA to comment on such projects. This is one federal agency commenting on the work of a sister federal agency, said Bill Chapman, Millennium Bulk Terminals CEO. We expect The Army Corps of Engineers will weigh that comment and the many supporting our project and complete the final environmental impact statement in a timely manner. A message left with a corps spokeswoman Thursday was not immediately returned. Washington state and Cowlitz County are doing a separate, more sweeping environmental review of the project that includes studying impacts that extend well beyond the facility site. The corps received more than 3,300 comments on its draft environmental impact statement during a comment period that ended Tuesday. It may not be required to follow the EPAs recommendations, but the EPAs analysis could hold sway in courts if opponents challenge potential permitting decisions based on the corps study. Business and some labor groups have expressed support for the project, saying it would create jobs, boost the local economy and strengthen the states trade capacity. Opponents say moving millions of tons of coal through the Northwest and burning it in Asia would create too many problems, including potential train accidents, increased vessel traffic and increased greenhouse gas emissions. CODY A man who crashed his pickup into a group of German motorcyclists heading to Yellowstone National Park, killing three, has pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of vehicular homicide. Manuel Defuentes, of Ontario, Oregon, entered his pleas Wednesday for the June 9 crash that killed 53-year-old Tino Cachey, 52-year-old Ute Cachey and 37-year-old Erik Brecht. Four other motorcyclists were injured. The group was headed to Yellowstone from Cody when Defuentes' truck crossed the center line at a curve. Prosecutor Bryan Skoric says an investigation did not reveal any drug or alcohol use or mechanical issues with the truck, saying "there's no explanation whatsoever." Defuentes apologized in court and said he thinks about the victims when he closes his eyes to sleep. Prosecutors are calling for a year served consecutively for each count. She may have a point. A group of "old white men" put this lousy country together and a group of "old white men" assembled a lousy constitution under which poor Ms. Holloway has to labor. Since the situation is so distressing, my suggestion is for Ms. Holloway to exercise one of the freedoms conferred to her by these "old white men" and move to a more friendly place, say, for example, San Francisco. There her liberal meanderings will be welcomed with open arms and accolades and her departure from this undesirable state of Wyoming will be with a warm and heartfelt good riddance. A "whale" of a tale that, unfortunately, should have been about dolphins instead -- if only the movie-maker here, a certain young woman named, had even a remote clue as to what she was doing --supposedly sets out to get at the truth behind the Oscar-winning documentary,, which, according to just about all the folk interviewed in this film, is a lie. And why is it a lie? Mostly because one of the Japanese gentlemen interviewed inwas said to have been fired, but, lo, it indeed appears that he is still working at his job. Wow. That's some major undercover work, Ms Yagi!The filmmaker of this embarrassing endeavor, shown at left, makes her expose all about whaling. Butwas all about dolphin slaughter. Sure, there's a connection between the two, but Yagi doesn't bother to make much of it in her documentary, which is rambling, all-over-the-place, and will have you consistently asking, why-in-hell-is-she-showing us--boring-and-unimportant-shots (as below)? In fact, she practically leaves dolphins out of her film altogether. Did she not actually even bother to? Sure, there are major cultural differences between the U.S. and Japan, but was itimpossible for Yagi to address the actual issues raised byThere is an increasingly anti-American slant to Yagi's movie, which comes to its conclusion by showing us the havoc wreaked upon Hiroshima and Nagasaki by America's use of the Atomic bombs. She'll get no argument from me as to America's horrific misuse of its power, back then, as ever. (Iraq, anyone?) But what major power, east or west, doesmisuse its strength to gain further power?Yes, America has helped level on Japan heavy-duty sanctions against the latter's whaling industry, and Yagi rightly shows how Japan's history and whaling have been joined at the hip for centuries. This is indeed unfair, but it has little to do with the veracity of. (Nor does the fact that the U.S. has persecuted filmmakers like Charlie Chaplin -- but, yes, we are told, here, too.) Paranoia, conspiracy and hypocrisy reign, probably with some good reason. But they do not provide much help for Yagi's case.The problem here is that this young filmmaker is utterly sloppy about everything from organization to statistics to subtitling. Charts that we are shown appear to contradict what we are simultaneously being told, and the subtitles have either been very poorly translated (or maybe just atrociously proofread). And while you may come away from this movie feeling that, yes, the Japanese ought to be able to eat their whale meat -- just as U.S. citizens eat their pork, chicken and beef -- you will not be convinced thatwas in any way wrong regarding its view of the dolphin slaughter in that Japanese seaside city.After opening in New York City last week (to only one review -- a dreadful one, too -- in the),opens in Los Angeles tomorrow, Friday, December 2, for a week's run atis all for considering alternate viewpoints to conventional wisdom. But this "alternate" is one of the worst and least professional documentaries I've seen in years. In the press release, it is noted that Ms Yagi is often told that she doesn't look and think like a Japanese. I would add that she doesn't think like an authentic filmmaker, either. Tucsons young up-and-coming business professionals were honored Friday morning at the 2016 40 Under 40 awards ceremony. The honorees were also recognized for their impact on the community. Among them were Stephanie Bermudez of the Gadsden Co. and Tucson Hispanic Chamber, who was named Woman of the Year; and Man of the Year Greg Taylor of Cenpatico Integrated Care. Bermudez focuses on building up shared spaces, including training, consulting and research. She is also program manager of the Tucson Hispanic Chambers Young Entrepreneurs Academy. Taylor is the regional vice president of community affairs for Cenpatico and previously served as the chief community and public relations officer at Community Partners, Inc./Community Partnership of Southern Arizona. The 12th annual 40 Under 40 program was attended by nearly 600 people. It is sponsored by the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Arizona Daily Star, along with presenting sponsor Snell & Wilmer LLP Law Offices. Estimates of the number of valley fever cases recorded by local, state and federal agencies vary so widely that they call into question the accuracy of the figures released to the public, a Center for Health Journalism Collaborative investigation has found. The finding comes during a critical year for valley fever, or coccidioidomycosis. In Kern County, California, public-health officials declared an epidemic in October, predicting more than 2,000 cases in that county alone by years end. But data collection methods in California are inconsistent. In Arizona, the other state with a high concentration of valley fever cases, changes in lab testing for the disease have made it hard to understand the underlying trends. And Texas, where valley fever is also relatively common, does not publicly report any valley fever cases. Without an accurate count and without mandatory reporting of the disease, it is difficult for public-health officials, clinicians and businesses that rely on workers in high-exposure areas to plan and staff appropriately. And, the human cost is even higher as the poor tracking contributes to the lack of policy attention to the disease. Valley fever is almost certainly underreported, due to physicians and the public not being familiar with the disease, said Dr. Susan Hoover, an infectious-disease specialist in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Hoover and others would like to see states required to publicly report the disease to the federal government, regardless of how many cases they see. Diseases are reported according to the state where the patient lives, so having it reportable in the non-endemic area increases awareness among travelers and seasonal residents, she said. We would have a more complete picture if it were reportable in all 50 states. South Dakota this year made valley fever a reportable disease and is capturing data from people who spend time in Arizona or other places where the disease is endemic. To date, four cases have been reported in South Dakota, all a result of patients exposed in Arizona. The mandatory piece of reporting is very important and at least that way we know what is being tested for, said Dr. Janis Blair, a valley fever expert at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona. It doesnt tell us everything, but at least it we would have some sense of how many people out there are walking around with a known diagnosis of valley fever. Federal counts lag behind At the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one official said the numbers his agency releases weekly are generally lower than the actual number of cases reported, and blamed the difference on backlogs in the data-entry process at the state and federal levels. Those are really released just as provisional, and honestly it takes several months past the end of the year for a state to finalize those numbers, said Orion McCotter, a CDC epidemiologist. This means that the nations lead agency tasked with protecting the public from serious diseases does not know the full extent of a valley fever outbreak until months after it occurred. Early detection and treatment is especially important as valley fever can spread from the lungs to other parts of the body and ultimately become fatal. CDC officials would not address deficiencies in the reporting process, and instead referred reporters questions to the California Department of Public Health. This is just the system that we have right now, and I think lag-time questions need to go to the local and state (agencies) for what their process is, but I think this is the best system available, Brittany Behm, a CDC spokeswoman, said before abruptly ending an interview. The data deficiency exacerbates what researchers already describe as widespread underreporting. Experts estimate that valley fever infects more than 150,000 people across the Southwest alone, with 50,000 being sick enough to require medical attention. And yet CDC reports of people infected with the disease have never exceeded 23,000 cases nationwide. This has allowed valley fever to languish in the shadows as other diseases draw more policy attention and funding. Cocci kills more people annually than hantavirus, whooping cough and salmonella poisoning combined, and yet is not nearly as well known or understood as those diseases. Local agencies lack reporting guidelines The responsibility for identifying and warning the public of epidemics falls on local public-health agencies, some of which have no set guidelines for defining epidemics, The Center for Health Journalism Collaborative has found. For example, one valley fever researcher at the University of California-Davis said he saw a spike in cases in Yolo County, California, but public-health officials there said they only recorded two confirmed cases in September. Such discrepancies arent uncommon. County public-health departments often dont post up-to-date case numbers, despite having the most accurate data available. This can lead to stark differences among reports from county agencies, the CDC and the California Department of Public Health. For example, the CDPH confirmed 1,204 cases statewide through June. It reported that Kern County logged 455 cases at that time. Kern County itself, however, reported 890 cases to The Bakersfield Californian. Theres another problem. Because the cocci fungus never leaves the body after infection, its not immediately clear whether all 890 cases are new for 2016, or if some are old cases of valley fever that were detected in testing patients for other diseases. Some high-ranking county health officials werent aware of the disparities between local, state and federal data. Im definitely going to look into it because its important that were on the same page, said Gilda Zarate-Gonzalez, deputy director of the public-health department in Madera County, California. The differences in case numbers and the lag time in reporting are so pervasive at all levels that Kirt Emery, an epidemiologist at the Kern County Department of Public Health Services, said its the first thing hed change to get an accurate picture. If I were a millionaire and could divvy up my money, my first goal is to get the tests in and move resources so they could get it in their computers, or get it back to the doctors to manage the patient within 24 hours, Emery said. Arizona lab changes cause confusion The delays in reporting the disease begin with the time lag between a person being exposed to the fungus and actually getting sick. It can take as short as one week but as long as four weeks for the fungus to incubate and actually cause symptoms. Then there may be an additional delay between a person noticing symptoms and going to see a health-care provider. The Arizona Department of Health Services conducted a study that found the median time between symptom onset and diagnosis in Arizona was 55 days. Once the disease is diagnosed, Arizona is generally faster than California in reporting the disease trends publicly. The trouble is the way laboratories test for the disease. The disease is often detected in a lab test from a saliva or blood sample, and that initial diagnosis can be confirmed or negated by subsequent tests. In 2009, the laboratory that processed most of the valley fever tests in the state began including the initial test in the total count of valley fever cases regardless of whether a follow-up test was positive or negative. The number of reported cases immediately doubled. So by 2011, Arizona had its highest reported valley fever rate in two decades: 255.8 cases per 100,000 residents. State officials acknowledged to the Center for Health Journalism Collaborative that the lab reporting change may have resulted in false positives being included in the counts, but they have not examined the numbers to determine how many. They also noted that while there are false positives in the first test, there also are false negatives with the second test. So the change in lab reporting allowed the state to include patients who did have valley fever but were given a false negative test. Add in possible fluctuations in the actual occurrence of disease and trends become difficult to interpret, Arizona health department spokesman Benjamin Palmer wrote in an email. In late 2012, that same Arizona lab changed manufacturers for the tests that it uses, which state officials say may have resulted in a decline in false positives. Together, those changes make it difficult to track the disease. Last year, a spike in reported cases prompted an investigation by the Arizona Department of Health Services. It did not determine what caused the rise in cases. But weather patterns that affect the growth, spore formation and dispersal of the fungus that causes valley fever are likely a factor, department epidemiologist Shane Brady said. An increased recognition by health-care providers, added awareness among the public and increases in the number of people with weakened immune systems could also influence the reported caseload, he said. By the end of 2015, the total reported valley fever caseload in Arizona was 7,622, including 50 deaths. Through Nov. 1 of this year, the reported cases have totaled 4,971. Data on deaths so far this year is not available. Epidemic is ill-defined With case numbers high in Arizona, why didnt the state declare an epidemic? Brady blamed the uncertainty about the valley fever trend line. An epidemic is generally defined as unusually higher than the baseline of whats considered normal, but in Arizona the surveillance changes have made that baseline difficult to define. We usually say we have a high number of cases versus an epidemic, Brady said. Wed have to have consistent reporting for multiple years to have a baseline. Some California counties that have seen large spikes in reported cases have not declared epidemics, either. There are no uniform guidelines across the state for when county health agencies should declare an epidemic. Public-health officials also expressed reservations about using the word epidemic for fear of scaring the public and portraying an image of endemic regions as less inhabitable. 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. A few weeks ago I pointed out how the Department of Economic Securities was being run like a cult by then-director Tim Jeffries. Some days, employees were forced to watch Jeffries inspirational videos when they turned on their computers; minor deviations from doctrine were punished by firings; the director held pep rallies and encouraged line workers to report their bully supervisors. He called out haters in emails to the entire staff. It turns out we still didnt know the most mind-blowing details. The Arizona Republics Craig Harris revealed Wednesday that the Arizona Department of Public Safety found 50 handguns and 80,000 rounds of ammunition in the basement of the DES offices in Phoenix. Again, this is for the states welfare agency, not a Branch Davidian-style cult. Jeffries explained the gun-and-ammo purchases to Harris by pointing out that the agency had hired additional security officers for its offices and was planning to hire 14 more. As of now, the agency has 44 employees armed as part of their jobs 13 sworn law-enforcement officers, 28 armed security guards and three retired officers. So why 50 guns and 80,000 rounds sitting in a locked room? I asked Mia Garcia, spokeswoman for the Arizona Attorney Generals Office, for a comparison, and she told me that office has 50 special agents, all sworn officers, and it keeps 10,000-15,000 rounds of ammunition on hand. But what really got me about the report was this. Some of the security guards at DES offices sport a patch on their uniform sleeves with the state motto Ditat Deus and a patch on their back ... of a big yellow smiley face. The smiley face was Jeffries preferred symbol for his DES campaigns. Yes, its creepy, especially when used by a man who seemed to relish firing hundreds of workers. Harris also revealed that Department of Public Safety officers were present for the firings of Jeffries and five of his top aides. Four of the six, including Jeffries, were in the habit of carrying DES-purchased firearms. Now, there is no doubt that government offices have security needs. Jeffries justified the increased security by the fact that jihadists in San Bernardino massacred employees in a California social-service office. No doubt, the employees and customers merit protection. But there is definitely something creepy and in-character about the fact that Jeffries aspired to have a growing police force within the state welfare agency, well-stocked for whatever food-stamp Armageddon might come about. Just another reason it was good Gov. Doug Ducey got rid of him, but should have fired him long before before the stockpile reached 80,000 rounds. Lucid car doubts Congratulations are due to the Pinal County and Arizona officials who helped persuade Lucid Motors to choose Casa Grande as a location for its planned electric-car plant. If it turns out as advertised, those 2,000 new jobs will make the Big House boom and could benefit all of Southern Arizona. And yet ... some squirrelly aspects of the deal jump out and raise doubts: Like the fact that the deal is still so undercooked that Pinal County has not yet bought the land for the plant, as it promised it will, and the terms of the states up to $46.5 million in incentives have not been agreed to. And the fact that this is a startup company planning to sell luxury cars in competition with a bigger, more established company, Tesla. When Pima County cut a much cheaper deal with another startup, World View Enterprises, earlier this year, the Goldwater Institute called it risky and sued. And the fact that the company claims its cars will go 400 miles on a single charge but acknowledges its still working on its battery technology. And the fact that the company says it wants to source parts from Sonora, the state whose governor attended the Lucid announcement, but has made no firm plans or commitments. And the fact Capitol Media Services reported Thursday that the company doesnt have the money to build the $700 million plant and must raise hundreds of millions from investors and from sales of its first produced cars to pay for the plant. So, as I said, theres plenty of reason for hope and excitement, but it ought to be tempered by the realization the plant may not materialize as advertised. We need McCain, Flake After Donald Trumps victory became apparent, there have been a couple of worrying signs from our two Republican U.S. senators. The day after the election, Sen. Jeff Flake said via Twitter Now back to eating crow, a reference to the fact that he feuded with Trump and refused to support him throughout the campaign. This week, Sen. John McCain got frustrated when asked by a CNN reporter to comment on Trumps comments about flag burning. I do not comment on Mr. Trumps comments. I am not and will not, he said. Because thats my choice. I get that, but I also worry. As Trump names his Cabinet, he may come up with some bad picks. For example, Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions is a dubious pick for U.S. attorney general for anyone concerned with voting rights. Yet Flake has already signaled his likely approval of his Senate colleague, which was disappointing. What if Trump picks the extremist sheriff of Milwaukee County, David Clarke, to lead the Department of Homeland Security? This is a person Trump has interviewed who is wholly unqualified but was a firebrand Trump supporter. I dont expect Flake and McCain to become permanent opponents of the president, but we are lucky to have Republicans with a bit of independent spirit in the chamber that approves presidential appointees. We need a McCain and a Flake with backbone to serve as a check on his power. Gowan testing a run House Speaker David Gowan is leaving office on troubled terms, but that isnt stopping him from entertaining thoughts of a return to the Capitol. The Sierra Vista Republican has filed paperwork to run for state Senate from Legislative District 14 in 2018. That district covers all of Cochise County and reaches up to southeasternmost Tucson. Gowan served in the state House for eight years, the maximum allowed under state law. He served the last two years as speaker. Gowan remains under investigation by the Arizona Attorney Generals Office for taking thousands of dollars in reimbursements for travel he did while running for office or on personal time. Gowan self-reported to the AG and paid $12,000 back to the state, but that doesnt mean the speaker, who was notorious for enjoying the perks of office, shouldnt have been investigated long before. A former airman at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base was sentenced Thursday to 100 years in prison on child pornography charges. Jesse Ryan Swaffar, 34, was convicted by a jury in Pima County Superior Court of 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor after Tucson police found thousands of videos and images of child pornography on his computer. Swaffars girlfriend called police in April 2015 after she found the child pornography on his computer, court documents show. Police seized his computers and found the images and videos organized into folders on various devices, including an encrypted hard drive. The images and videos depicted pre-pubescent children, many of which were sexually abused by adult men, court records show. Swaffar was discharged from the Air Force when police began investigating him. Two officers who investigated the case testified the images and videos, which Saffar downloaded between 2009 and 2015, amounted to one of the largest quantities of child pornography they had seen in their careers, Assistant Attorney General Jared Kreamer Hope said at the sentencing hearing. Defense lawyer Paul Palmisano asked for the minimum sentence, noting his client did not have any prior felony convictions, he was a decorated member of the Air Force, and he did not assist in the manufacture or dissemination of the videos and photos. Judge Jane Eikleberry cited all of those factors, as well as the family support for Swaffar, when she handed down the minimum sentence of 100 years. Swaffar faced a presumptive term of 170 years. He will have to register as a sex offender after his release from prison. In his remarks to the judge, Swaffar said people likely will think of him as a monster, but he could still count on the love of his family and friends. Two of Swaffars friends attended the sentencing hearing and said Swaffar inadvertently acquired the files when he downloaded a server full of mainstream movies, as he and many others in the military do before deployments. Swaffars family hired a computer specialist to testify to that fact, but he died in an ATV wreck two months before the trial began, said Swaffars friend Joshua Ballesteros. Kreamer Hope called the case a poignant reminder of the impact of sexual abuse on children. One of the victims included in the files found on Swaffars computer was repeatedly raped by her father starting when she was 9 years old. The videos were made by the victims father to be posted online, the victims attorney wrote in court documents. The victim was raped in scripted scenarios and forced to hold up signs inviting viewers to come and play. Due to the widespread sharing of the videos, the victims trauma continues despite the fact the sexual abuse ended years ago. I live every day with the horrible knowledge that many people somewhere are watching the most terrifying moments of my life and taking grotesque pleasure in them, the victim wrote in a statement to the court. Her exploitation is never ending and frequently causes her to get stuck, she wrote. When this happens, I sit in the same spot motionless for a long time, she wrote. My mind will come back at some point later in the day, maybe 30 minutes later or maybe six hours later. She said she is hurt every time I hear about another criminal case that involves my images. With each additional case that I hear about, I know that many more copies of my images are spread around the internet; I know that there is a lesser and lesser chance that the horror I feel about people seeing me in this way will ever end. The victims mother wrote: These viewers made the choice to descend to the lowest degree and rape her with their eyes, and with their minds, as she was being robbed of her innocence at 9 years old. A psychologist who treated her wrote to the court that her father, the perpetrator of the abuse, also was a victim of sexual abuse as a child. The father is serving a 50-year term in federal prison. The dissemination of the images is a source of ongoing trauma for the victim, the psychologist wrote, calling it a chronic, toxic condition that works like a corrosive acid on the psyche of the individual. The victim found out the videos were being disseminated online when she was 17, which she described as the day my world came crashing down. Her real name is attached to some of the videos. She has legally changed her name since then and has married. She remains hyper-vigilant that men she meets may have watched the videos and she frequently suffers panic attacks, the attorney wrote. For her, this has meant a split between the normal facade she projects, and the insomnia, nightmares, dissociative episodes, and panic attacks she faces within, the attorney wrote. Pedophiles stalk the victim and infiltrate her social media accounts, the attorney wrote. She has seen recent photos of herself and her family, as well as news about her wedding date and other aspects of her personal life, posted in online bulletin boards used by pedophiles. One person said he had taken a class with her. Eikleberry ordered Swaffar to pay $2,500 to the known victim. Two Tucson police officers serving an arrest warrant for a suspect wanted in an aggravated assault were shot Thursday morning at an apartment complex on the south side. The 28-year-old man officers were trying to arrest was shot and killed by police during the exchange of gunfire inside an apartment, officials said. One officer was shot in the shoulder-area and the bullet traveled through his chest, said Sgt. Pete Dugan, a department spokesman. Police Chief Chris Magnus said Thursday morning that the officer was in critical but stable condition at Banner-University Medical Center and being monitored in the intensive care unit. The second officer was shot in the lower leg and was also treated at Banner. He was released from the hospital later in the day. The shooting happened shortly before 7 a.m. at the Campbell Terrace Apartments, 4750 S. Campbell Ave., near Irvington Road. Magnus, speaking to reporters outside the hospital, said the shooting occurred inside an apartment where the officers were serving an arrest warrant for felony aggravated assault. Police are still looking into the suspect's criminal history, he said. Magnus declined to release the names of the officers, saying only that they were both in uniform at the time of the shooting and have less than 10 years of experience on the police force. These are the second and third Tucson police officers shot in the line of duty since late October. On Oct. 24, Officer Robert Miranda was shot by a suspect on the south side. The officer suffered a graze wound to his head. The suspect was shot and wounded in the incident. "This is way too many and it's very scary." Magnus said. "We live in a climate where there are some dangerous individuals out there willing to shoot police officers over arrest warrants." Dugan was unable to confirm Thursday if the officers were wearing bulletproof vests, but Tucson police's general orders require that all uniformed officers, including SWAT and special duty, wear a ballistic vest while on duty. PHOENIX State troopers confiscated about 50 handguns and 80,000 rounds of ammunition stored in the Arizona Department of Economic Securitys basement shortly after Director Tim Jeffries who had expanded the agencys armed police force was forced to resign and escorted from the building, the interim director told The Arizona Republic. Department of Public Safety officers obtained the firearms around noon the day before Thanksgiving, within an hour after Jeffries met with officials from Gov. Doug Duceys Office and was escorted from DES headquarters near the Capitol. The weapons were in a locked room. Troopers then followed Jeffries to his Scottsdale home, where they confiscated a handgun he had purchased with public funds, according to Interim DES Director Henry Darwin. Darwin on Wednesday told The Republic that the Governors Office became aware of the cache of weapons around the time Jeffries was being terminated with five other DES employees closely tied to the ex-director. The Department of Public Safety will assume control of the DES police force, which had 44 members at the end of November. Jeffries: Cache needed for protection Jeffries, contacted by phone, said he was unaware of the specific number of guns and ammunition at the department, but he said it was not surprising considering the agency was looking to add more officers. He said the department needed to provide protection to its employees and Arizonans served by the agency, especially after a terrorist attack last year on a San Bernardino, California, social services center in which 14 people were killed. These jihadists in San Bernardino attacked a social service center for the developmentally disabled. They will go anywhere, Jeffries said. As a director, one of my highest priorities was to protect my people and my clients. I stand by that with pride. Jeffries added he carried a handgun because of death threats. So, leveraging my Second Amendment right to make sure my family was protected was prudent, Jeffries said. Darwin said DPS officers were called to assist with the firings because DES knew at least two of those DES employees regularly carried a firearm and wanted security on hand. State police then discovered that four top managers to be terminated Jeffries, Chief of Staff Clark Collier (a former police officer), Inspector General Juan Arcellana and Security Operations Administrator Charles Loftus all had state-purchased handguns. All of their weapons were confiscated without incident, Darwin said. If you know someone has a weapon and you give them bad news, you want DPS there, Darwin said. Darwin did not know how much was spent on the ammunition or weapons. He said no decision has been made as to whether a criminal investigation will occur. Darwin also added that he has rescinded a no-bid consulting contract Jeffries awarded to a friend, and state human-resource officials are actively reviewing whether some DES workers fired under Jeffries should be rehired. Ducey appointed Jeffries last year but forced him to resign after a series of reports in The Republic about hundreds of employees who were fired after being persuaded to relinquish their state job protections, and about a party where Jeffries bought alcohol for employees that some said occurred during work hours. Security at DES After taking office, Jeffries put armed guards in the DES lobby and outside its parking garage as well as field offices for security purposes. Jeffries said that before he took office, the agency used contract security officers in its field offices. The agency put some of those officers in special light-brown uniforms with pants that resemble military fatigues. The phrase Ditat Deus, Arizonas motto that means God enriches, is on one shirt sleeve. The uniforms also had a yellow smiley face, a symbol Jeffries had incorporated and used for employee T-shirts and other promotional DES items, on the back between the shoulder blades. Of the 44 officers, 13 have Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board certification, according to DES spokeswoman Tasya Peterson. Another 28 armed security officers, who also carry pistols, were not certified officers but were licensed through DPS and passed personnel background checks, she said. The agency also had three retired police officers who carry guns. Darwin said the 50 or so seized handguns were Glocks and Berettas, and the 80,000 rounds of ammunition were for various caliber of weapons. Darwin said the weapons were going to be used to arm 15 additional officers at DES. Darwin said he has rescinded the job offers. Mexico looks forward in working with the incoming U.S. administration on maintaining and improving binational relations but will continue to insist on a mutual partnership based on respect, said that country's top diplomat. Moreover, said Claudia Ruiz Massieu, Mexico's Minister of Foreign Relations, the 22-year-old free trade agreement between the two countries, and also Canada, is not "renegotiable," a point that President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly made before and since his Nov. 8 election. She said the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been beneficial to the three countries by creating jobs and boosting economic growth but the agreement could be modernized with changes in standards and other criteria. Her visit to Tucson her second within a year and on the heels of a visit to Tucson by Mexico's ambassador to the U.S. earlier this week comes at a time when the U.S.-Mexico relationship will be tested with Trump's election. The real estate magnate made Mexico a target in his campaign and since his election has said he intends to renegotiate or even abandon NAFTA, and to erect more border barriers, and toughen immigration laws and enforcement. Ruiz Massieu said both her country and the United States have a long history of mutual cooperation to address common challenges and opportunities, based on a strategic relationship. "We have shared values and aspirations," said Ruiz Massieu in a press conference at the Mexican consulate office on East Broadway in Tucson. "We are committed to making sure that our priorities are put on the table and to find commonalities so we can work together to ensure that our region remains competitive, that our relationship continues to grow, that our common border is safe and more efficient, and that we can do it together." She added that her offices objective and the objective of all 50 Mexican consulates in US is not only to focus on the relationship with American government but with American people. Its important to us to talk to American people about how this is a strategic and beneficial relationship to the USA as well, not only to Mexico. After the press conference she immediately departed for Hermosillo, Sonora, to attend a joint conference of the Arizona-Mexico and Sonora-Arizona commissions with Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and Sonora Governor Claudia Pavlovich. The conference, which was held in Scottsdale last year, largely focuses on international trade and binational relations. In addition, Ruiz Massieu will meet with the heads of Mexico's 13 border consulates to discuss Mexico's plans to reinforce its services to Mexican communities north of the border. Mexico is girding itself for stepped up deportations of Mexicans and civil rights issues of Mexican nationals in the U.S. "Mexico will not take any step back of protecting its dignity," said Ruiz Massieu. Help is still available for Southern Arizonans facing December deadlines to sign up for 2017 health coverage. Two deadlines coming up affect two different groups those on Medicare and those who purchase health insurance on the federal marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act. Wednesday, Dec. 7, is the open enrollment deadline for Medicare, a government health insurance plan for people over age 65, as well as for people under age 65 with certain disabilities and people of all ages with end-stage renal disease. Nearly 1 million Arizonans were on Medicare as of 2015. Thursday, Dec. 15 is the deadline for working-age people to enroll in Affordable Care Act health insurance available on the federal marketplace, if they want coverage to start Jan. 1. You may not be affected by either deadline. Most Arizonans are not. Confused? You are not alone. The health system is complex enough that the federal government trains navigators to help people enroll it it. Whats important to remember, for starters, is that if you have Medicare you dont need Affordable Care Act insurance, and vice versa. While the election results have prompted questions, nothing is likely to change in 2017. A lot of clients are calling me worried about changes in the individual marketplace through the Affordable Care Act. They are worried it affects Medicare. But those are separate issues, said Tucson insurance broker Michael Bravo, co-owner of Bravo Insurance Solutions. The Pima Council on Aging is getting similar calls. People using the Affordable Care Act marketplace have very limited plan choices for 2017. But that is entirely separate from Medicare. Pima County Medicare beneficiaries have a robust choice of more than 20 Medicare Advantage plans and about the same number of standalone prescription drug plans, said Vikki Spritz, senior Medicare Patrol specialist at the Pima Council on Aging. Heres what Southern Arizonans need to know: Medicare The Dec. 7 Medicare open enrollment deadline (its 11:59 p.m. Arizona time Wednesday) is when all people with Medicare can change their Medicare Advantage and prescription drug coverage for the following year. People on Medicare should always review the materials their plans send them, such as the Evidence of Coverage (EOC) and Annual Notice of Change (ANOC). Anyone who is satisfied that their current Medicare Advantage or Part D prescription plans will meet their needs for next year, and are still being offered, doesnt need to do anything, said Tucson insurance broker Denise Early, who maintains a blog about local Medicare offerings. There are no big changes this year. and I think lots of people are staying with their plan. For people who use Banner Health facilities, there are now more choices of Medicare Advantage plans, and that has been a positive for local beneficiaries, Early said. Experts advise people on Medicare to review their plans, even if they like their current coverage. Medicare health and drug plans could be making changes on items such as cost, coverage and what providers and pharmacies are in their networks, Bravo said. Check in and look at things like network enhancements and pharmacy changes, changes in ambulance co-pays, rehabilitation, physical therapy co-pays its important to know what they are. The risk of not reviewing ones options is that enrollees could be stuck with a plan that no longer fits their needs, particularly if they lose the doctor theyd been seeing because that doctor is no longer in-network, said Bravo, who is president of the Southern Arizona Association of Health Underwriters. Humanas Medicare Advantage plan for 2017 will not include the Carondelet Health Network, but Early said Carondelet notified beneficiaries by mail earlier this year. Many Medicare beneficiaries are paying too much for prescriptions. Most people are in the wrong Part D plan and are paying a much higher premium than they need to, Early wrote in an email. Thats because their Part D plan might have had a $25 premium a few years ago and now it is up to $50, or even $70. Current enrollees in stand-alone Medicare Part D plans are projected to face an average 9 percent increase in premiums if they remain in their current plan for 2017, according to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Its possible to reduce ones costs by reviewing the plans available, Early said. Anyone paying $40 per month or more is probably paying too much, she said. Spritz advises using the federal governments Medicare Plan Finder, available online, to review options. Drug costs are really such a big one for people, Spritz said. You can put in the medications you use, to see how they will be covered. It may change from year to year. Sometimes staying with the same plan may not be what is best. Help is available, and dont be afraid to ask. It really is a system that is crazy complicated, said Spritz. People with questions can go to the Medicare website, Medicare.gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE. Locally, the Pima Council on Aging has a Medicare help line: 546-2011. Leave your name and number and volunteers and staff will return calls during regular business hours. Pima Council on Aging representatives will offer enrollment help from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5, in the Quartz room at the Oro Valley Public Library, 1305 W. Naranja Drive. Reservations are recommended; call 546-2011. Another option is going to a broker, which will not cost anything. Bravo advises checking with the Southern Arizona Association of Health Underwriters to find one. If a broker is really pushing one particular plan, Spritz advises asking that person why. It could be because of the commission they are receiving. She also advises against giving out your Medicare number to any broker or other insurance person before you are ready to sign on the dotted line. Dont give it out unless you are really sure, she said. The Council on Aging offers regular new to Medicare sessions, where people can learn the basics of Medicare Advantage, original Medicare, standalone drug plans and supplemental or Medigap plans. If there are any changes in Medicare under President-elect Donald Trump, they will not happen right away, and there will much public notice before any changes occur. Affordable Care Act/Obamacare Affordable Care Act insurance and Obamacare insurance are the same thing. Most people dont use the federal marketplace, created by the Affordable Care Act, to purchase their health insurance. Last year nearly 180,000 Arizona residents, including 31,161 in Pima County, purchased plans on the federal marketplace. A majority of the Arizonans who purchased plans on the marketplace qualified for federal subsidies to help pay for it. Some states have their own marketplaces, but Arizona uses the federal one healthcare.gov as do 38 other states. ACA coverage is for working-age people who dont have employer-based coverage, or who dont get their health insurance via a government program. The Dec. 15 date is not a hard deadline for people who get their health insurance on the federal marketplace. The open enrollment period for getting health insurance via the marketplace goes through Jan. 31. So if you miss enrolling by Dec. 15, theres still time, though you may be without coverage for days or weeks. To get coverage that starts Jan. 1, people must apply, enroll and pay their first premium by Dec. 15. Marketplace choices for Pima County residents are slim for 2017. There are two plans available for people of all ages offered by Ambetter by Health Net, which is owned by Centene Corp., as well as one plan offered to people under age 30 by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona. A Tucson open enrollment event for Affordable Care Act coverage will be held 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, which is National Youth Enrollment Day. The event will be held at Palo Verde High School, 1302 S. Avenida Vega, in the Family Resource Center, downstairs on the north side of the school. Enrollment assisters and navigators will help people find coverage they can qualify for, whether its Medicaid, KidsCare or marketplace coverage. They dont provide help with Medicare. Free, bilingual help is available. Theres a toll-free number for Pima County residents to schedule free appointments to get enrollment assistance 1-800-377-3536 or they can sign up for an appointment online at coveraz.org/connector Other options are for people to go to a broker, which does not cost any extra, or enroll themselves through healthcare.gov or by calling the federal marketplace at 1-800-318-2596. Lower-income families qualify for financial help. Headlines about big price increases for coverage only apply to people who do not receive financial help, said Michal Goforth, executive director of the Pima Community Access Program. Lower income families that qualify for financial help will see very small or no changes to their monthly premiums. Financial help goes up as premium rates increase. What others are saying on social media or in conversations may not apply to you. What you pay for coverage depends very specifically on your income, family size and age, Goforth said. You dont know what coverage will cost until you actually apply. There are no enrollment deadlines for Medicaid, which in Arizona is called the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). People may apply for and enroll in AHCCCS at any time of year. AHCCCS is a government insurance program for low income people. PHOENIX Attorneys and officials of the Tohono Oodham Nation are throwing cold water on the deal proposed by Gov. Doug Ducey over the future of a Glendale casino, suggesting the tribe will take its chances in court than agree to what the state is offering. In new court filings and statements, the tribe says its willing to consider a deal to end the latest lawsuit over its claim that the tribe is entitled to have full-scale Class III gaming at the facility. However, Karl Tillerman, an attorney for the tribe, told U.S. District Court Judge David Campbell there really is no deal, with the state presenting the offer on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. Although the nation is still reviewing the states proposal and determining how to respond, the proposals current terms are unlikely to be acceptable to the nation for a number of reasons, he wrote. The tribes Glendale casino has been open for a year, but only with Class II gaming, which consists largely of interlinked instant bingo games, a form of gambling the state cannot legally regulate. Last month Ducey offered to allow Class III gaming on the site. So Campbell asked whether he still needs to hear legal arguments later this month. Tribal Chairman Edward Manuel said the states proposal includes terms that have not been publicly disclosed. Manuel did not say what those are. But documents obtained by Capitol Media Services show that Ducey wants the tribe to agree to support federal legislation that would limit the right of the Tohono Oodham to expand gaming even further in the Phoenix area. In his own note to Campbell, attorney Matthew Hoffman who represents state Gaming Director Daniel Bergin, rejected the tribes offer of settlement talks mediated by a federal magistrate as premature, saying it will not accomplish the states goals. So Campbell on Thursday said hes ready to hear the legal arguments. Michael Liburdi, the governors legal counsel, said he does not understand why the tribe wont take the governors deal. This is what they say they want in the litigation, he said, meaning the ability to offer slot machines, poker, blackjack and other forms of gaming at the Glendale casino. And were willing to give it to them. What that suggests Liburdi said, is the tribe hopes to win this lawsuit, get Class III gaming in Glendale and then still have the legal option to open casinos elsewhere in the Phoenix area. Manuel, in a prepared statement, said thats not the case. He said the tribe is ready to consider changes in the gaming agreement that includes language regarding no new casinos in the Phoenix area, at least through the term of the compact that runs until 2026. For the moment, though, the possibility of more casinos remains because of a prior ruling by Campbell. The 2002 deal giving tribes the exclusive right to conduct casino gaming in Arizona was sold to voters on the promise that gambling would be restricted to existing reservations and that there would be no new casinos in the Phoenix area. But that deal has an exemption for reservation lands acquired by a tribe in a settlement with the federal government, language state negotiators never questioned. Thats important because Congress voted in 1986 to give the Tohono Oodham $30 million to compensate for the loss of reservation lands near Gila Bend due to a federal dam project. That law allows the tribe to purchase replacement reservation property in Maricopa, Pima or Pinal counties. The tribe bought the Glendale property in 2003 but did not disclose its true ownership and plans for a casino until 2009. And when the state sued to block the plans, Campbell ruled what voters were told is legally irrelevant and the compact language allows the casino. This new lawsuit was filed after Bergin denied the necessary license for Class III gaming on claims the tribe, in concealing its plans, is guilty of fraud and unfit to run another casino. Liburdi said the governor wants the matter settled. But he said Ducey also wants to be sure the Glendale casino is the last surprise under the 1986 law. Under the Gila Bend (legislation) they could go into Mesa and they could purchase more land, he said. They could take that land into trust, Liburdi said, gaining reservation status. And they could place a Class II (gaming) facility in the middle of Mesa. Under federal law the state has no right to ban Class II gaming on reservation lands. What Ducey wants would require the tribe to forswear any rights to Class III and Class II gaming anywhere other than Glendale through 2026. And theres more: Ducey wants the tribe to back a new 2017 version of the federal Keep the Promise Act, one that has not yet been introduced, much less had a hearing. A prior version would have retroactively amended the 1986 law to ban gaming on the land the tribe acquired in Glendale, effectively shuttering the already-operating casino. The most recent version failed to get the necessary two-thirds margin for expedited consideration. In an email to tribal attorneys, Kirk Adams, the governors chief of staff, said the 2017 version would let the Glendale casino remain. But it would spell out in federal law that any other land the Tohono Oodham acquire cannot be home to new casinos. Tribal officials declined to specifically comment on this late-added demand other than to say this was not part of what Ducey publicly asked the tribe to sign last month. If nothing else, Manuel said, it will require additional consideration and analysis. With the holiday season officially here, many Tucsonans are feeling the spirit of giving. In fact, a few weeks ago, Travelocity named our city one of the "most giving" in the U.S. But Wallethub has some new information, suggesting that Arizona as a whole might not be so giving. "In the spirit of inspiring altruism" the personal financial website ranked all 50 states in order of how charitable they are by comparing them across 13 metrics, the Nov. 28 article said. Data collected include the state's volunteer rate, percentage of income donated and percentage of sheltered homeless, among other factors. When all the dust settled, Arizona came in dead last, with an overall score of 42.80 (Utah came in first with a score of 68.20.) But on the bright side, Wallethub's metrics determined that we're only 35th when it comes to the volunteer and service rank. Arizona also fell into the bottom five states in number of charities per capita and percent of the population that claims to donate time. Check out the whole article here and tell us in the comments what you do to be charitable. We know that Tucson wasn't named one of the 25 most giving cities for nothing! As'ad's Bio As'ad AbuKhalil, born March 16, 1960. From Tyre, Lebanon, grew up in Beirut. Received his BA and MA from American University of Beirut in pol sc. Came to US in 1983 and received his PhD in comparative government from Georgetown University. Taught at Tufts University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Colorado College, and Randolph-Macon Woman's College. Served as a Scholar-in-Residence at Middle East Institute in Washington DC. He served as free-lance Middle East consultant for NBC News and ABC News, an experience that only served to increase his disdain for maintream US media. He is now professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. His favorite food is fried eggplants. WASHINGTON Heres how area members of Congress voted on major issues in the week that ended Dec. 2. HOUSE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH, FDA DRUG APPROVAL: Voting 392 for and 26 against, the House on Nov. 30 passed a bipartisan bill (HR 34) that would expand the National Institutes of Health budget for biomedical research; speed Food and Drug Administration procedures for bringing new drugs and devices to the market; expand Medicare and Medicaid coverage of mental-health care and fund state and local programs to deal with opioid addiction. The bill authorizes more than $6 billion over 10 years in discretionary spending and raises spending for entitlement programs. In addition to boosting agencies such as the NIH, FDA and Centers for Disease Control, the bill would extend the patent life of drugs that treat rare diseases or conditions while increasing Medicare payments to hospitals for anti-microbial drugs, among scores of other provisions. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., said that in his state, the NIH is funding research into new therapeutic avenues to combat cancer, heart disease and illness borne by pollution. It is time to streamline the path for critically needed medical devices and pharmaceuticals for vulnerable populations that cant afford to wait. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said the bill reduces the already weak regulation on medical devices, allows drugs to be approved with only limited evidence of safety...rushes the use of new and unproven antibiotics (and) does nothing to combat excessive (prescription drug) prices. A yes vote was to send the 21st Century Cures Act to the Senate, where prompt approval was expected. Voting yes: Martha McSally, R-2, Matt Salmon, R-5, David Schweikert, R-6, Ruben Gallego, D-7, Trent Franks, R-8, Kyrsten Sinema, D-9. Voting no: Raul Grijalva, D-3, Paul Gosar, R-4. Not voting: Ann Kirkpatrick, D-1. DONALD TRUMPS TAX RETURNS: Voting 235 for and 180 against, the House on Dec. 1 blocked a parliamentary tactic by Democrats that sought to advance legislation requiring major-party presidential candidates to publicly release their personal tax returns for the three preceding years. It was noted in debate that in the campaign just ended, Republican Donald Trump refused to disclose his returns and Democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders released only a summary of one years return. The vote occurred during consideration of the 2017 military budget (S 2943). Bradley Byrne, R-Ala, said the measure was totally irrelevant to the 2017 military budget then before the House and had nothing to do with the defense of the United States of America Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said the bid for disclosure does relate to national defense because, in the case of president-elect Trump, Does he have investments in Russia? A yes vote was to quash a Democratic bid to require public disclosure of presidential candidates tax returns. Voting yes: McSally, Gosar, Salmon, Schweikert, Franks. Voting no: Grijalva, Gallego, Sinema. Not voting: Kirkpatrick. 2017 INTELLIGENCE BUDGET: Voting 390 for and 30 against, the House on Nov. 30 adopted the conference report on a fiscal 2017 budget (HR 6393) of more than $80 billion for the 16 U.S. civilian and military intelligence agencies, with the actual figure classified. Among its many provisions, the bill would fund cyber warfare and space- and sea-based assets along with counter-terrorism operations against ISIS and spycraft to counter nations such as Russia, China and Iran. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said U.S. intelligence must continue to focus on...ISIS and its followers, but we must not disregard the growing threat posed by Russia, whose global efforts at disruption must be checked, particularly against our allies and our alliances. No member spoke against the bill. A yes vote was to approve the 2017 intelligence budget. Voting yes: McSally, Gosar, Salmon, Schweikert, Gallego, Franks, Sinema. Voting no: Grijalva. Not voting: Kirkpatrick. WEAKENED REGULATION OF MEGA BANKS: The House on Dec. 1 voted, 254 for and 161 against, to weaken rules that subject the nations largest financial institutions to increased Federal Reserve oversight and enhanced capital standards aimed at ensuring their solvency. At present, these extra layers of regulation are applied to bank holding companies with at least $50 billion in assets. Under this GOP-sponsored bill (HR 6392), a five-part formula focusing only partly on assets would be used to determine which large institutions receive special scrutiny by federal regulators. This is the 13th bill the House has passed this year to block or repeal financial regulations, none of which has cleared the Senate. Mega banks are more intensely regulated because of their potential to bring down the entire financial system if they were to collapse. The $50 billion threshold was set by the 2010 Dodd-Frank law, which was enacted in response to the 2008 global meltdown in which several large Wall Street firms either failed or needed federal intervention or taxpayer bailouts to survive. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, said the bill would fix a generally recognized mistake in Dodd-Frank. He said the $50 billion threshold is not based on any evidence (and was) pulled out of thin air. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., called the bill the first step in the Trump agenda to deregulate Wall Street despite his pledges to hold elite bankers accountable. In fact, as we debate this bill, (his) revolving door in midtown Manhattan is spinning with Wall Street insiders. A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where it was dead on arrival. Voting yes: McSally, Gosar, Schweikert, Franks, Sinema. Voting no: Grijalva, Gallego. Not voting: Kirkpatrick, Salmon. $611 BILLION FOR U.S. MILITARY: The House on Dec. 2 approved, 375 for and 34 against, the conference report on a $611 billion military budget for fiscal 2017. In part, the bill (S 2943) would authorize $67.8 billion in emergency spending for combat operations overseas; more than $50 billion for active-duty and retiree health care; $3.4 billion for Afghanistan Security Forces; $1.3 billion for efforts targeted at ISIS and $500 million in security assistance including arms for Ukraine. The bill would authorize a 2.1 percent pay raise for uniformed personnel and prohibit another round of base closings and require the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, military prison to remain open. A yes vote was to adopt the conference report, which is now before the Senate. Voting yes: McSally, Gosar, Salmon, Schweikert, Gallego, Franks, Sinema. Voting no: Grijalva. Not voting: Kirkpatrick. FETAL-TISSUE RESEARCH: The House on Dec. 1 voted, 234 for and 181 against, to add $800,000 to the budget of a special House committee now investigating any nefarious associations between legal abortions and fetal-tissue research. A yes vote was to increase spending for the Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives. A yes vote was to increase the budget of Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives. Voting yes: McSally, Gosar, Salmon, Schweikert, Franks. Voting no: Grijalva, Gallego, Sinema. Not voting: Kirkpatrick. SENATE SANCTIONS ON IRAN: Voting 99 for and none against, the Senate on Dec. 1 sent the White House a bill (HR 6297) that would extend for 10 years, until Dec. 31, 2026, the legal foundation for any number of American economic sanctions on Iran. In part, the bill authorizes present and future Congresses and administrations to take steps to block foreign investment in Irans energy sector, denying Iran revenue for funding international terrorism. The bill also renews authority for the U.S. to snap back sanctions on Iran if Tehran were to violate the nuclear-disarmament agreement it signed last year with the U.S. and four other world powers. A yes vote was to send the bill to President Obama for his signature. Voting yes: John McCain, R, Jeff Flake, R. The thoughts and observations of the leaders of The Animation Guild (TAG), Local 839 IATSE. Jason MacLeod is the Business Representative, KC Johnson is the President. Mike Sauer is Assistant to the Business Representative. This weblog reflects their individual personal opinions and does not necessarily represent the official position of the Animation Guild. This blog is updated weekly. If the most recent posts have not appeared, hit the Refresh button. Help India! By Abdul Hameed, TwoCircles.net, Mumbai: Several Muslim organizations today held a condolence meeting at Allana Multipurpose Hall of Anjuman-e-Islam in Mumbai to pay homage to eminent philanthropist and chairman of Ajmal Group of Companies Haji Ajmal Ali who died on February 17. Support TwoCircles Hundreds of people representing social, religious, educational and political organizations from different parts of Maharashtra and Assam attended the meet. The gathering was called by Muslim organizations Jamiat Ulama-e Hind, Markazul Maarif, Ulama Council, Mumbai Aman Committee with Eastern Crescent. While offering their condolences and sympathy to the children of Haji Ajmal and his other family members, people recounted many good attributes of Haji Ajmal and described him as an honest and frank businessman who will deserve Paradise according to the prophecy of Muhammad (saws). They mentioned his social services for the Assam people. He would serve the humanity irrespective of religion and caste. Haji Abdul Majid Memorial hospital that is benefiting thousands of Muslims and non-Muslims is a clear evidence of that, said a close friend of Haji Ajmal and professor of Hadees Maulana Shamshuddin. A famous journalist Abdus Sami said that the pain for the humanity residing in the heart of the Haji Sahab is rare to be found. There were two Ajmals born in the country; Hakeem Ajmal and Haji Ajmal and both have contributed a lot in the field of serving for the humanity. Haji Ajmal is one of the entities that Assam will ever be proud of. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed and Haji Ajmal Ali are unforgettable for Assam people, said the deputy commissioner of Assam Bhavan in Mumbai Dibashish Das. Maulana Badruddin Ajmal Qasmi, son of Haji Ajmal said, My father Haji Ajmal Ali was the Wali of the time. He was very punctual of Tahajjud Ishraq, Chasht and Awwabeen prayers. Besides, he was crazy for the recitation of the Quran and would respect Ulama. He added due to his honesty in business Haji Ajmal was ever ready to take back his product if duplicate and reimburse it. Though he was hot-tempered but the poor ones of Assam would wait for his anger. Once he showed his anger on any one or slapped him out of anger he would go to him and ask his forgiveness and pay him some rupees in return. The other participants who expressed their condolence included Hafiz Nadeem, general secretary of Jamiat Ulama Maharashtra, Naseem Siddiqi, Maharashtra Minority Commission Chairman, Haroon Mozawala and Mustaqeem Ahsan Azmi. Help India! By Rehan Ansari, TwoCircles.net, Mumbai: Contrary to the elitists view that Muslims are better in Gujarat, a number women victims of Gujarat riots 2002 complained of ongoing threatening, intimidating by the accused on bail, ill treatment by the Gujarat Police and injustice by the system including the courts. Support TwoCircles These Gujarati women along with a Lawyer were speaking at a Press Conference organized by Teesta Setalvad, noted social activist and secretary of Citizens for Justice and Peace, today in Mumbai. L-R: Adv.Shabna Mansoori, Saera ben, Jannat Bibi, Teesta Setalvad, Farzana Khan, Shakeela Bano All the women present at the press conference expressed that they have no hope for Justice in Gujarat. The most painful experiences they shared were misbehavior of judges during the hearing. Jannat Bibi, said, When I witnessed against Babu Bjarangi in the court, he shouted, abused and threatened to kill me in the open court in front of Judge, lawyers and Police but no action was taken against him. Sairaben, whose 24 years son doing LLB was killed in Gulbarg Society, alleged that when deposition started Judge made fun of her depression after the killing of her son. She alleged , Judge BU Joshi, used to make fun of me and my husband Salim when we started deposing before the court and finally on our complaint he was transferred, but then too, after one year when all the witness were deposed. L-R: Teesta Setalvad,Farzana Khan, Shakeela Ansari, Rupaben Shakeela Bano, whose 8 family members, mother, brother sister in law, 2 kids and a younger brother were brutally killed and burnt alive said, After she deposed before the court in Burqa, accused used to tell that whenever they will come to know about Burqa clad women she will be killed like her other family members. She said after the threat she left to wear Burqa. She also alleged that when she deposed before the court that all of her family members were killed in front of her and she was hiding then Judge BU Joshi asked what you were doing. Why dont you save them? All of them were so frightened that they were afraid to go alone in the society and they are also expecting the removal of security provided to them. Rupa ben Modi, a Parsi who lost her son and inspired the film Parzania, also complained of threat and offer of cash by the accused to drop the cases against them. She said, I am offered 6 lakh by an accused to drop the charges. United Nations report for the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women She also complained of ill treatment by the Police officials. She said, I was harassed repeatedly in the name of summon. I was asked to stay home to receive the summons for hours but when I left for some domestic work Police came to me in the market and at the bus stop and handed me over the summons and made fun of me in full public view. Not only these lone victims but NGOs and even lawyers, who are fighting the case of these victims are not spared. Cases are filed against social activists and their relatives who are fighting for justice, like Teesta Setalvad and Dr.Shakeel of Ideal Relief Committee, Gujarat. Shabana Mansoori, lawyer before the Nanavati Shah Commission and also fighting these cases said, Once in Ramzan, I had to stay in the court till 8.30 in the night because I was told by a good wisher not to leave before the accused. She also said I used to receive calls around 2 or 3 in the night asking her to come out and collect the evidences. Ironically the Supreme Court halted the hearing of these 9 cases since 2003 for 5 years and SIT was formed only in 2008 under the monitoring of the Supreme Court. Teesta complained, Even if Supreme Court is monitoring the investigation but the officers are creating the problems at micro level making justice difficult in the cases. Teesta Setalvad said that they were denied DOCAI Investigation, where the victims have to identify the accused by certain distance, by the court and had to go to the High court for the permission. She demanded a committee of Retired Judges to whom the victims can complain, CCTV in the court to monitor the behavior of judges in these cases. She issued a United Nations report for the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) which appealed to the International Community on the front page for Monitoring and Intervention in the ongoing Justice Process that involves 97 Women Eye Witnesses and Survivors in Nine Critical Trials. She hopes that the justice will finally be done to the victims and asked for the help of civil society. Help India! By TCN Special Correspondent, Lucknow: Large scale violence and arson was reported when nearly 35 houses of Muslims were set on fire in a village at Pratapgarh district on Saturday. The violence erupted when villagers set afire houses of Muslims to revenge the alleged rape and death of a dalit girl. Support TwoCircles Such was the frenzy of violence that while the village was set on fire police remained mute spectator and could not muster courage to enter the village despite the presence of senior officials. Tension was brewing in the region after a dalit girl was allegedly raped and killed by few accused who belonged to minority community. However administration acted tough and the villagers had agreed to cremate the dead body and let law take its own course. On Saturday when the body was being taken for cremation the relatives had made up their plan. In the midway they kept the dead body on road and started protest. Meanwhile the mob turned towards village Ashtan under tehsil Kunda of district Pratapgarh. They targeted nearly three dozen houses and torched them. Muslims ran for help screaming for saving them. The mob specifically targetted the house of village pradhan Nizam Ahmed and accused Imran, Farahn, Taufiq and Saif. They also used a LPG cylinder to blast the houses. When the news reached to the police they rushed to the spot. But hundreds of villagers had taken positions and captured every road leading to the village. So while the frenzy continued and every house was targetted and burnt police could not muster courage to enter the village. Whenever police tried to enter the village the mob resorted to stone pelting. Both SP and DM too were standing with force and fire brigades but could not enter the village. At around 4 pm local Block Pramukh Baijnath Singh reached the scene and police started the action. By that time police force of whole district and adjoining districts as Allahabad, Raibareilly, Sultanpur, Kaushambi too had reached the spot. Even then when SP O P Sagar commanded the police force to enter the village, for five minutes none of them moved. By the time police reached the spot the whole village was burning. Fire brigades were pushed into action. Meanwhile screams of people from a house caught their attention. Nearly 100 people had been locked in a house and it was set on fire. Luckily police managed to rescue them. Some of them were shifted to a Masjid in village which was surrounded by force later at around 6:30 pm they were sent to Kunda tehsil in police van for safety. The whole village has been charred and not a single house of Muslims is intact. Heavy police force has been stationed in the village. DM has assured that a police post will be opened there while senior officials like IG, DIG have reached the spot. This is the second major onslaught on Muslims during the 100 days of Akhilesh Yadav government. The first one being riots in Kosi Kalan where Muslims suffered and now this time the whole village has been wiped out from the scene. Pratapgarh is the home district of two ministers of AKhilesh government Raja Bhaiyya and Rajaram Pandey. Help India! By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter Two weeks after her sons brutal murder, Meenakshi, mother of Faisal, has adopted Islam and taken a new name, Jameela. Support TwoCircles Faisal P, alias Aneesh Kumar, son of Ananthan Nair, of Kodinhi, was found dead by the roadside at about 4 am by local residents. He was brutally murdered by RSS activists for accepting Islam. Sources close to the relatives of Faisal said that Meenakshi converted after she was visited by leaders of Vanitha League, women outfit of IUML, following murder of Faisal. Sources said that she declared faith in front of these leaders by telling Shahada. Jameela, who is now living at his brothers house at along with Faisals wife and three children, is taking preliminary lessons of Islam from local residents and children of Faisal Fahad and Fayis. She has also started performing Namaz, a source said. Meenakshis brother Krishnan along with his two daughters had accepted Islam. Faisals wife Priya has accepted Muslim name Jasna after conversion and now performing Idda after her husbands demise. Faisal P, alias Aneesh Kumar, son of Ananthan Nair, of Kodinhi, was found dead by the roadside at about 4 am by local residents. An auto rickshaw, which he had used for his transportation, was found abandoned by the dead body. According to the neighbors, Faisal had received threats even from his family members after he accepted Islam. Besides, Faisals mother had alleged that his son was killed by RSS activists. Last week, eight suspects were arrested by the special investigation team led by Kondotty Circle Inspector Muhammed Haneefa. The arrested were Pullani Vinod, 39, Pullani Sajeesh, 32, Pulikkal Haridasan, 30, Shaji, 39, Chanath Sunil, 39, Kalathil Pradeep, 32, Pallippadi Lijesh, 27 and Kottayil Jayaprakash. According to police, the accused included kin of the victim. Faisal was murdered after the suspects were given support by the local leadership of right wing Hindu forces. Police have also started probe into the conspiracy behind the murder. Help India! By Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net Taking strong note of delay in procession of Chehallum, Lucknow district administration has served notice to eight Shia clerics seeking reply for the delay which violated the conditions of the agreement for the procession. Support TwoCircles The administration has given them one weeks time to reply and has even warned that permission for the procession can be cancelled in future. Lucknow has a history of sectarian clashes over Shia-Sunni processions. For nearly two decades, all processions were banned. An agreement was reached on 22 April 1999 between members of Shia, Sunni and district administration in which ten processions were permitted. It includes nine processions of Shia community and one of Sunni community. The Chehallum procession is also permitted as per the agreement. It was taken out on 20 Safar which was on November 21 from Nazim Saheb Imambara to Talkatora Karbala in old city of Lucknow. The permissible timing was to start at 1 pm and end at 6 pm. District administration had deployed heavy force and blocked all the roads to prevent any untoward situation. However, the procession began at 2 pm and ended 9 pm. The delay resulted in taxing the administrative officials and hardships to the citizens as they remained confined to their homes. Hundreds of people were stranded on roads as they were blocked and could not reach their home. Now acting on the report of local city magistrates, Additional District Magistrate (West) Jai Shanker Dubey has served notice to eight Shia clerics about the delay which is clear violation of the agreement. He has also warned that permission for Chehallum procession may be cancelled in future. Officials claimed that further action will be taken after receiving the reply from the clerics. The eight Shia clerics who have been served notices include Maulana Kalbe Jawwad, Maulana Kalbe Sadiq, Maulana Yasoob Abbas, Maulana Agha Roohi, Maulana Saif Abbas, Maulana Hameedul Hasan and Maulana Meesam Zaidi. This is the first time after 1999 when administration has acted tough in implementing the conditions laid down in the agreement permitting the processions. Help India! By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net Bhopal: On the occasion of 32nd anniversary of the Bhopal gas tragedy, the worlds worst industrial catastrophe, the flag of United States of America, (USA), and the logos of two Corporations: Dow Chemical and Union Carbide, would be torched by the victims, survivors of the tragedy and five NGOs working for their welfare. Support TwoCircles NGOs working for welfare of Bhopal gas victims and survivors addressing a Press Conference in Bhopal. This angst against the above three entities will be to express anger for the agony of victims, survivors and their kin who are still continuing to suffer even after 32 years of the tragedy for want of proper medical treatment and adequate compensation in accordance to the irreparable loss suffered by them and their progenies. It may be mentioned here that Union Carbide had come to a settlement in 1989 by paying meagre $470 million to the Indian government. Critics have maintained that the amount is too low, and must be hiked. Addressing a joint Press Conference five of these NGOs said that the disaster is still ongoing and the generations born after the disaster are also marked by the poisons that leaked from the American multinational pesticide factory. The NGOs said that the factory abandoned by the corporation is still killing and maiming people due to poisoning of groundwater from reckless dumping of toxic waste during its 14 years of operation prior to the disaster. Meanwhile, it may be recalled here that on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984 Union Carbide pesticide manufacturing factory had spewed poisonous Methyl Iso-cyanate gas whereby 3000 people had perished virtually instantly and over the years more than 25000 have kissed death and the sad saga is still continuing uninterruptedly. About half a million are suffering from the side effects of the poisonous gas and several thousand people have been maimed for life. According to Balkrishna Namdeo, president of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pension Bhogee Sangharsh Morcha, the killer factory was set up and run in Bhopal with much help from the US government. And now the US government is sheltering both Dow Chemical and Union Carbide by refusing to serve the Bhopal Courts notices to Dow. This year within one month, 127,000 thousand people wrote to the US Presidents office asking that the Department of Justice serve the notice on Dow Chemical and all we got in response was an apology for deliberate inaction. That is why this year on the 32nd anniversary we will burn the US flag along with the logos of the two corporations, he added. Rashida Bee, president of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh, said: US multinational, The Dow Chemical Company that took over Union Carbide in 2001 is responsible for cleaning up the contamination of soil and groundwater in more than 50 square kilometers around the factory. In the last two years, Dow Chemical has ignored four judicial notices asking its authorized representative to appear before the Bhopal district court. And now it is merging with another American multinational, DuPont, to further evade the civil, criminal and environmental liabilities of Bhopal. Nawab Khan of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha charged the Indian government with active complicity in the ongoing corporate crimes in Bhopal. He said that the Indian government was helping the US corporations get away without paying adequate compensation and cleaning up the environmental contamination. The central government is downplaying the figures of death and extent of injuries in the curative petition before the Supreme Court for additional compensation from the US corporations. It is also refusing to carry out a scientific assessment of the toxic contamination of soil and groundwater, Nawab said. According to him, the most glaring instance of the central governments neglect of the victims of Bhopal is in the sorry state of the two institutions it runs the Bhopal Memorial hospital and NIREH, the research centre that has not completed a single research project in last six years, he added. According to Rachna Dhingra of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action the Madhya Pradesh state government is equally responsible for the continuing plight of the survivors and the utter neglect of their childrens health. Rachna said, In the last 12 years, the state government has not implemented a single recommendation of the Monitoring Committee set up by the Supreme Court to ensure adequate medical care and rehabilitation of the victims and their children. Charging the state government officials with corruption, she added, Since its inception, the dedicated government department of relief and rehabilitation of the Bhopal victims has been little else but a milky cow for the officials. It is almost three years since we submitted documentary evidence of corruption in payment of 18 crores on economic rehabilitation by the department and have seen no action. The preliminary findings of the Sambhavna Trusts recent research shows that 10 times more gas affected people are dying of cancers primarily of the kidneys, throat and lungs compared to unexposed people of similar socio economic background. The bottom-line is that half the victims of the disaster are Muslims and 80 per cent of the Hindus are from the lower castes. That is the reason that even 32 years after that fateful night we have to continue with fighting for our lives and that of the unborn. said Safreen Khan of the Children Against Dow-Carbide, an organization of the next generation of survivors. Help India! By TCN News The Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind [JUIH] has filed its counter affidavit through its General Secretary Maulana Syed Asad Madani as a party respondent impleaded by the Supreme Court in all the matters pertaining to Triple Talaq, Nikah Halala and Polygamy. Support TwoCircles The counter affidavit filed by the JUIH furthers the argument that there is no scope for interference with the Muslim Personal Law, which is based on primarily the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad, explained and applied by various scholars of great antiquity and authority after thorough research. For driving home the said argument the JUIH has insisted that instantaneous triple talaq, nikahhalala and polygamy are well rooted in Muslim Personal Law. Relying upon the earlier judgments of the Supreme Court of India and various High Courts, it has stated that Part III of the Constitution, which contains Fundamental Rights including the right to approach Supreme Court by way of a Writ Petition, does not touch upon the personal laws of the parties. Referring to the Supreme Courts earlier judgment in Krishna Singh v. Mathura Ahir, JUIH has also stated that in Personal Laws new concepts of modern times should not be evolved by the Courts and the Courts should enforce the law as derived from recognized and authoritative sources of personal laws except where such law is altered by any usage or customs or is modified or abrogated by statute. In its counter affidavit the JUIH has also stated that the Muslim Personal Law stands on a much higher pedestal when compared to customs or practices because the former has element of certainty and is not local or regional in operation. The counter affidavit refers to the Statement of Objects and reasons of Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937 to demonstrate that Muslim Personal Law was lauded by the Lawmakers of the day for its certainty. It also highlights that it was demanded by the Organizations of the Muslim Women that they should be allowed to be governed by Muslim Personal Law instead of local customs and practices because the Muslim Personal Law treats Women with greater dignity. In its counter affidavit, the JUIH has also stated that the matters agitated by various Muslim Women before Supreme Court do not involve any new issue and those women should approach regular civil courts seeking adjudication of validity of divorce granted to them in the light of the law already settled by the Supreme Court. The JUIH has also explained the Nikah Halala, which is surrounded by various misconceptions. It has stated that when the talaq becomes absolute and irrevocable then the former Husband and Wife immediately fall in prohibited degree and they cannot remarry each other. However, if subsequently she enters into marriage with another man and the said marriage is also dissolved by any mode prescribed by Islam only then she can marry her former husband by way of fresh nikah. It is stated that Muslim Women enjoy greater freedom as there is no compulsion on the wife to remarry the same man or to contract any further marriage at all. For Polygamy the JUIH has stated that the provisions for Muslim men to have more than one wife are neither absolute nor unguided nor unconditional rather it is canalized by the Holy Quran. The JUIH has also stated that protection of peculiarities in Personal Laws is necessary for securing Freedom of Religion and bringing uniformity by removing those peculiarities shall be enforcement of Uniform Civil Code by the Judicial Process, which shall be against the Constitutional bar. The JUIHs counter affidavit is filed by Shakil Ahmed Syed a very senior Advocate on Record of Supreme Court of India. Andrew Sachs, the beloved British actor who rose to fame playing Manuel in BBC sitcom "Fawlty Towers," has died aged 86. The actor had been battling dementia for the last four years and died in a care home last week, his wife of 57 years Melody Sachs has announced. In a statement, she said that he never grumbled about his condition and stayed positive until the end, his illness barely noticeable until the actors final days. He suffered a life-threatening bout of pneumonia earlier this year that forced him to move into Denville Hall, a private care in London for retired actors. He was buried on Thursday in a private ceremony. Sachs was born in Germany Sachs, who was born in Germany to a Jewish family before escaping to Vienna during the war, arrived in London in 1938. He attended RADA before doing two terms of national service until 1950. He was noticed by Noel Coward and he had a long career on screen, radio and stage including roles in "Doctor Who," "Coronation Street" and in the Dustin Hoffman directed "Quartet." His last credited role was as Cyril Bishop in the BBC soap Eastenders although he made an uncredited appearance as a clock in Tim Burtons "Alice Through The Looking Glass." Twelve episodes in 'Fawlty Towers' He will be remembered mostly for his role as the bumbling Spanish waiter Manuel in the John Cleese penned sitcom "Fawlty Towers." The show was not an easy ride, despite the fact that there were only 12 episodes, as an accident involve a chip pan set on fire left Sach with a chemical burn on his arm. He won 700 damages from the BBC. He later lamented that he was so associated with the role it deterred directors from casting him, although he did turn down the role of Victor Meldrew in "One Foot In The Grave." Sadly in recent years he was better known for the voicemail scandal nicknamed Sachsgate. In 2008 he was the victim of the highly publicized prank which saw Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand making obscene phone calls to him during Ross Radio 2 show, in which they joked about Brand sleeping with his granddaughter. Although Brand resigned and Ross was suspended from the show, both apologizing for their actions, Sach said in 2014 that he was still disgusted by the incident. Answers Africa is one of a kind platform created for Africans both locally and in the diaspora and those seeking for more in-depth information about Africa. We have always focused on creating the highest quality informational contents right from the beginning. We share the most relevant information on the latest and trending news, events, people, and places in Africa. We produce contents across various categories including Politics, People, Love and Romance, Nature, Entertainment, Technology and pretty much everything else that Africans may find relevant. 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Her Husband and Family Facts There has been a gradual paradigm shift in the world of sports which has today produced the likes of Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, and other female athletes that are pulling great feats in different sporting fields. Their achievements have also been followed by the emergence of female sports journalists such as Jillian Mele, Eboni Williams, ... Is Brittany Wagner Married, Who Is The Husband, How Old Is She? Brittany Wagner has been an inspiration to a lot of sports youngster. She has won the hearts of many athletic students with her role as a life coach and an academic counselor. She is well groomed in her career and has worked over a decade for The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and The National ... Tati Westbrook Bio Age, Husband & Net Worth With five videos dished out every week, alongside running her own brand, beauty guru, and YouTube superstar Tati Westbrook has proved to the world that theres utterly no impossibility or limit to whatever one is passionate about. Tati is best known for being the owner and manager of the worlds most-viewed beauty and lifestyle YouTube channel, ... Cathy Areus Long Road to Becoming a Freelance Journalist and What to Know About Her Kids An American freelance journalist, news analyst, and author, Cathy Areu has built a lasting reputation for herself on cable television. Popular for her skillful and sassy presentation of professional views on varying topics including cultural and feminist issues, Cathy is an inspiration to many women across the globe. In addition to being a journalist, she ... Tucker Carlsons Love Story With Wife Susan Andrews, their Children and Net Worth Today On the TV screens, Tucker Carlson is that fiery fellow who passionately dishes out his conservative and often controversial views on issues of national importance. Such brazenness has fetched him many enemies, especially on the left-wing, but it has also helped him cement a reputation as one of the foremost broadcast journalists in America. His ... Paige Wyatts Net Worth, Boyfriend and Where She Is Now Paige Wyatt became popular after the Wyatt family began running the reality television show, American Guns. The Wyatt family comprises Rich Wyatt (father), Renee Wyatt (mother), Paige and Kurt Wyatt (children). Rich Wyatt originally ran a gun shop, the Gunsmoke Guns in Wheat Ridge, Colorado which is outside of Denver. The business which he ran together ... The Progression of Howard Sterns Career As A Media Personality And Why He Divorced His First Wife Howard Stern is a legendary American radio host, who has also done some notable work as an actor, producer, author, as well as photographer. The radio personality achieved worldwide fame as a result of his self-titled radio program, The Howard Stern Show. As a professional radio personality, he has worked in different radio stations. Since 2006, ... Lisa Joyners Biography Ethnicity, Net Worth and Other Key Facts Lisa Joyner is an American Journalist, TV talk show host, and actress. Some of her well-known works are her correspondences for the Los Angeles based TV KCBS, inFANity show, Find My Family Show including her film and television appearances in Brimstone, American Sweetheart, The Bold and The Beautiful among others. Lisas passion for reconnecting people with their biological families ... Amanda Balionis Rise Through the Ranks of Sportscasting and the Identity of Her Boyfriend Amanda Balionis is an American sportscaster currently working as a golf broadcaster for CBS Sports. Among so many of her works in the field of sports reporting, Amandas PGA Tour coverage seems to be the most popular so far. She covered the Super Bowl working with CBS Sports social media team in Atlanta, where she ... Dissecting Charles Paynes Sexual Allegations, Its After Effects and More About His Wife Charles Payne had a respectable career as an analyst on Wall Street before he made the transition to television and became a contributor and later a host on Fox. In that time, his expertise has come under scrutiny, and he has been at the center of at least one major controversy. The major controversy in question ... Erik Asla And Tryra Banks Split: Everything You Need To Know Tyra Banks and Erik Asla have called it quits! 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Simon Cowell is a well-known talent show judge, TV producer, entrepreneur and one of the most popular TV personalities that Britain has ever produced. In conjunction with his company, Syco, Cowell is the brain behind hugely successful talent hunt shows such as The X-Factor UK, The X-Factor US, Britains Got Talent, Americas Got Talent and ... Everything To Know About Joanna Gaines Life With Chip Gaines, Their Business Pursuits and Kids Joanna Gaines and her husband Chip Gaines became celebrities after their television show Fixer Upper began airing back in 2013. The show which was about home renovation and decoration ran for about 6 seasons with a total of 79 episodes before the couple bade farewell to it in April 2018. Apart from their appearances on ... Who Is Larry The Cable Guy? What To Know About His Wife And Net Worth Larry the Cable Guy is a self-professed country kid renowned for his trademark Southern accent and sensational catchphrase Git-R-Done! 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This Is Everything You Should Know About Caroline Heldman, Her Career Portfolio and Other Facts Love it or hate it, there is no escaping the fact that feminism has come to stay in our world. The movement has continued to garner momentum over the years and this is due to the sustained push by several women, and even men, including the likes of Caroline Heldman. A Professor of Politics at ... Understanding The Enigma That Is Gavin McInnes, The Controversies He Has Stirred and All About His Wife Gavin McInnes is a polemical English-born writer and TV personality, who is best known for his racist and fascist ideologies, as well as his co-ownership of Vice Media and Vice Magazine. He is also an actor a The decrease in employment is primarily the result of growth of inactive workers: in the last month, Istat detects occupied 30 thousand less. The Eurozone rate now is at 9.8%, back to the levels of 2009. More looking for work In October, unemployment was down 11.6%, but because most Italians in that job have stopped looking for jobs. If the overall rate of unemployment in fact comes down one-tenth, the decline is a result of growth from the inactive, citizens who declare themselves unavailable for work, increased by 82 thousand units (+ 0.6%). A detachment from the labor market that "balances" the decrease in employment, 30 thousand less than in September (-0.1%), brings down the overall figure of unemployment. Positive note On an annual basis in fact, the number of Italians at work continues to be positive, at 22.7 million, 174,000 more than in October 2015 (+ 0.8%). Since July, the italian economy is no longer able to create new employment, with the employment rate back to 57.2%, the same level of April. Eurozone unemployment fell to 9.8% The confirmation that with the end of the incentives on new hires, companies have stopped hiring. Down slightly from October are also unemployed, 2.98 million, decreased by 37 thousand units compared to September (-1.2%), although an increase of 38,000 units annually. The inactivity rate rose to 35.1%, an increase of two-tenths. Not a good sign, especially when compared with the rest of Europe where the dynamics of work continue to be positive: in October, the eurozone unemployment fell to 9.8% (from 9.9% in September and by 10, 6% of October 2015) and that of the entire Union to 8.3% (against 8.4% in September and 9.1% in October 2015. In both cases, it is the lowest numbers since 2009. The sharp decline The sharp decline in youth unemployment in Italy, four tenths less than in September and the lowest since 2012, can be read the same way. In the range between 15 and 24 years, in fact go down the men out of work (14,000 units, down 2.5%), but also those in jobs (7,000 units, down 0.7%). The most significant change that remains are the inactive, more 20 thousand (0.5%), with the overall rate of inactivity that has reached 73.9%. While the next higher range, between 25 and 34 years old, is the only one that even in the year on year comparison shows the employment rate decreased by 0.6%. Zac Goldsmith hasnt had a particularly great year, once heralded as a future leader who could unite the party. A Conservative that occupied the middle ground of party policy, someone who was largely known as being a more liberal-minded Conservative. His year started off with so much promise and was chosen to lead the Tory bid to replace Boris Johnson as London Mayor, unfortunately, that was the first stage of Failure for Goldsmith in 2016. In the meantime, and the midst of his latest downfall has seen a possible spark for the second half of the coalition that graced Downing Street in 2010-15. The Liberal Democrats under Tim Farron have seen a mini-resurgence, but is this the moment that ignites rebirth of the Lib Dems? Fools Gold(smith) Zac Goldsmith had much support from every wing of the Conservative party and was a prominent Leave campaigner during the referendum. He was the overwhelming popular choice to lead the Tories during the London Mayoral election. However, he let himself down by allowing racist, discriminatory, and divisive rhetoric to take over his campaign. He often used Sadiq Khans faith as a Muslim to claim that he was a terrorist sympathiser, and tried to discredit Khan in one of the most multicultural cities in the world. Goldsmith tried to divide and conquer but with little effect as also on June 23rd London voted to remain in the EU, further highlighting the divisive right populist rhetoric he was pedalling was never going to work. His latest failure has come in his own constituency that he took from the Lib Dems in 2010. He resigned from the Conservatives over the expansion plans to Heathrow, whilst the reason is largely correct, his Mayoral campaign hasnt been forgotten especially as Richmond Park overwhelmingly voted to remain within the EU. He ran as an independent to oppose the expansion plans, except the party he left didnt stand against him. This meant that he was a Tory without the blue tie and defeated the object of him resigning and standing as an independent, because the reality is that he was not independent from the Conservatives in ideology. UKIP also decided not to stand a candidate and likewise the Green Party, who were in support of Goldsmith and Lib Dem candidate Sarah Olney respectively. Failure and rebirth? Goldsmith failed spectacularly and the politics of division lost again after the Lib Dems pushed plenty of resources into the Richmond Park by-election. His failure and fall from grace this year has been spectacular and once heralded as a voice of reason within the Tories, it is doubtful he will ever regain his credibility. But within this we have also seen a possible rebirth of the Lib Dems, is this the spark that was needed and will they again begin to flourish? Since Tim Farron became leader he has stabilised the party after a spectacular trouncing in the 2015 General Election. This win shows that despite a huge swing required, it could be done. In 2015 Goldsmith had 58.21% and 34,404 votes with Lib Dem candidate Robert Meltzer trailing with just 19.27% and 11,389 of the votes. It was a stronghold that didnt look like it could be overturned; possibly reduced. But after piling as many resources as possible Sarah Olney achieved a huge 30.41% increase in voter share, meaning she ousted Goldsmith with 49.68% of the votes to his 45.15% or 20,510 and 18,638 votes respectively. Looking to the future The Lib Dems will see that as a moment that could signal their return to mainstream politics and the next general election could see British politics shift drastically. With Paul Nuttall signalling his intent as UKIP leader and the possible rebirth of the Lib Dems. How British politics will look in the future is a mystery and as we have seen, the polls tend to be wrong. The future of British politics is interesting and the hope is that as a society, we dont embrace the right populist rhetoric pedalled by the likes of UKIP and Goldsmith but we continue to be an open and tolerant nation. The United Kingdom passed the Snoopers Charter bill which allows the government to look into massive amounts of web and call data in the name of prevention of terrorist threats and privacy protection. Under the act, the web and IT companies need to hand over the details of web browsing of people made in the last 12 months. Through this charter, state surveillance has magnified to abnormal heights.Home Secretary, Amber Rudd called this a "world-leading legislation" and that it will provide "unprecedented transparency and substantial privacy protection." How ironical is the statement as because this charter is a direct invasion into the privacy of the people, the very polity whose privacy the government wants to protect. Age of open web The time we live in now can be seen as the age of open internet. There are massive amounts of data being shared, created over different social platforms which cater to millions of users. Obviously the more the data, there are more chances of vulnerability in terms of data manipulation and being misinterpreted. The recent case of fake news on Facebook during the US elections can be a good example of the same. But does this mean that the government should have access into each and every piece of data which is being accessed? Rather than generating a law which affects the majority of the people, the government should have gone for a more surgical operation which includes analysing trends and patterns of certain data and investigating them. This can be compared to the cybercrime law passed in Pakistan on August 2016 allowing the government to gain access to information on the web and investigate and even arrest if need be. A regressive move by the UK government A reason for this is that Pakistan is a new democracy and thus they are not well versed in the guidelines regarding privacy and handling of large sums of data. United Kingdom is a much more stable democracy if compared to Pakistan. It is a developed nation and has experience in handling massive amounts of information backed by advanced technological knowhow. Such a law by the United Kingdom government is really regressive in nature and is not expected from a developed European nation. An obvious problem which will now arise is how the government interprets sensitive information. There is a huge chance of violations in peoples freedoms when it comes to information on the internet. State surveillance and privacy has been a controversial topic in the past. Such a law calls for more debate and questions as to till what extent the government should intrude into the privacy of their citizens. Josh Flagg shocked everyone during the "Million Dollar Listing: Los Angeles" season eight premiere when he revealed that he and his former fiance, Colton Thorn, had parted ways after nearly a decade together. Then, just weeks later, fans received an even bigger surprise when they were introduced to the reality star's new boyfriend, Bobby Boyd. As Flagg and Boyd, who have known one another for some time, embark on a new romance, fans are seeing the early moments of their relationship play out on the show and during tonight's new episode, fans will watching as Boyd is introduced to Flagg's parents at their home in Los Angeles. In a sneak peek at the upcoming episode, which was shared on Bravo TV's official website days ago, things appear to get off to a rocky start. Things get awkward between Josh Flagg's boyfriend and his parents "Should we do a cheers?" Boyd asks Flagg's mom and dad. "No, just drink," his dad replies. Following the awkward moment, Josh Flagg informs his parents that Boyd is in real estate. "I own a small real estate development company. We build mid to high-rise luxury buildings... It's a lot of fun," Boyd explains as Flagg's mom looks on. Bobby Boyd wants children As the tension subsides, the questions begin and after learning that Boyd is from a small beach town called Pacifica, he is asked about his future plans for a family. "I would love to have kids," he explains, immediately prompting Flagg's dad to jokingly offer Boyd one of his own. Josh Flagg is engaged Although it is unclear whether or not Flagg will propose during an episode of "Million Dollar Listing: Los Angeles," the reality star revealed on Instagram in July that he and Boyd became engaged during a trip to Paris, France over the summer. So far, however, no official plans have been revealed as to when and where they will wed. To see more of the blooming romance between Josh Flagg and Bobby Boyd, tune in to tonight's new episode of "Million Dollar Listing: Los Angeles," which airs at 9 p.m. on Bravo TV. Pakistan and India are daggers drawn and neither nation has let up off the other. Presently the LOC in Kashmir is a live wire and frequent exchange of firing continues. Pakistan was a member of the security pacts floated by the USA to contain Russia but it used the weaponry it received to fight India. At the Karachi Airforce museum of the Pakistan air force, there is a prize exhibit displayed at the moment. This is a Folland Gnat interceptor that was captured intact by the PAF. This happened during the 1965 war. The Pak president general Mohammed S Ayub Khan decided the time was ripe for annexing the state of Kashmir and launched "operation Gibralter. . The operation failed but at the end of the war, Pakistan had in its hands a fully airworthy Indian Interceptor. The IAF top brass was bewildered and an inquiry was ordered. Captured Gnat The Folland Gnat that was captured by the PAF was flown by an IAF pilot named Flight Lieutenant BS SIkand. As per the reports received from Pakistan sources, the plane piloted by Sikand was accosted by an F-104 Starfighter which was gifted to the PAF by the US. Instead of giving battle the Indian pilot Sikand chickened out and came low to escape the F-104. The pilot saw an airfield and landed there. It was aPAF airfield which was not in use and Sikand was captured and made a POW. The plane which was fully armed and airworthy was captured and later put on display in the PAF museum at Karachi as a war trophy. The IAF air staff was aghast and Sikand was dismissed from service. But the officer had big political contacts and later his dismissal was set aside and a cover story published that Sikand had landed the plane in an " error of judgment" as he mistook the Pak airfield as an Indian airfield.Sikand was exonerated and later promoted to the rank of Air Vice Marshal but this episode which is not publicized by the IAF will remain a source of deep embarrassment. Moment of glory Pakistan could not wrest Kashmir and the much vaunted Patton tanks floundered in the battle against inferior India Sherman and AMX tanks at Khemkaran. The USA was aghast at the defeat and failure of the Pak army despite the modern weapons gifted to them. But Pakistan had its moment of glory when they captured Sikand and the battle ready Folland Gnat. The 1965 war is far behind and the situation has turned turtle as now Pakistan is suspect in US eyes and is into a strategic relationship with India, while Pakistan is beset by terror attacks. Our struggle is to bring social, political, and economic justice to our nation. This is an effort of the Chicano/Mexican American Digital History Project. https://sites.google.com/site/chicanodigital/ Pearl Humanitarian Rescue founder Xue Yu meets Jose Serrano, Ecuador's minister of internal affairs in Quito, Ecuador. Provided to China Daily With the financial support by himself, Xue Yu founded Pearl Humanitarian Rescue (PHR) in 2015. The 28-year-old entrepreneur, who was born in Shandong province, spent over 10 years in Australia before resettling in China with his family to pursue a career as an investor. His rescue team was the first to reach the epicenter of the earthquake in Nepal last year. In the event of a disaster, when rescue or relief is needed, PHR summons its contracted doctors and bears all the costs. The business model of PHR is similar to that of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Doctors Without Borders. Rather than direct fundraising at first, Xue has focused on sustainable modeling and development to integrate resources of Chinese enterprises. Partners include Huawei, China Railway Group and other prominent institutions and individuals. "However, we are different from them," Xue said. "We want to establish a brand-new model to team up with big and influential enterprises, starting with Chinese ones, to integrate all the resources, such as local personnel and vehicles, when we reach any corner of the world, since they have branches worldwide. "This is an extension of the Belt and Road Initiative, I believe." Xue said Chinese people should do more to help internationally, especially with disaster relief. "China has become the second-largest economy in the world," he said. "The whole world is watching what we are doing. As of now, PHR has set up regional coordinating offices in Nepal, Ecuador and Myanmar. PHR will cover 17 major areas of poverty and refugee crisis by 2018." PHR is planning and preparing to establish the Pearl Charity Foundation with the ChinaFoundaiton for Poverty Alleviation early next year in Beijing. "The outside world knows too little about our ability to contribute to other countries," Xue said. "We are in the process of completing our development plan, to make PHR a shining brand from China." - Larry Lee US President Barack Obama speaks during the lighting ceremony for the 2016 National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse near the White House, Dec 1, 2016 in Washington. The lighting of the tree is an annual tradition attended by the US President and the First Family. President Calvin Coolidge lit the first National Christmas tree, a 14.6 meter high Balsam fir, in 1923. [Photo/IC] China's Global Newspaper Sorry, the page you requested was not found. Please check the URL for proper spelling and capitalization. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Chinadaily.com.cn, try visiting the Chinadaily home page YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. The charitable Armenia Round Table Foundation of the World Council of Churches has also included Syrian Armenians in its projects. Karine Baghdasaryan, Program Officer of the foundation, told ARMENPRESS the improvement of living conditions of Syrian Armenian refugees in Armenia project was implemented, with the purpose of contributing to the improvement of economic and social conditions of vulnerable Syrian Armenian families and integration in Armenia. The project, which lasted from May 1, 2015 until August 31, 2016, fifty Syrian refugees got the chance to get trained in hairdressing, manicure and makeup, cooking and table decoration, as well as clothing design. Our goal was to teach several skills to namely women, taking into account the fact that in Syria its not common for women to work. This way, they will make their daily living to some extent, Baghdasaryan said, adding that 21 Syrian Armenians also had the opportunity to study programming with the assistance of Microsoft Armenia. 12 of them are already permanently employed. Baghdasaryan pointed out namely the food distribution initiative, which was acknowledged as an innovative approach in the field of humanitarian assistance by international partners of the Round Table. We decided to distribute the food for Syrian Armenians in an innovative, its more correct to say dignified way. By cooperating with food networks, we provided them with plastic cards, which enabled them to choose the necessary products, of course excluding alcohol and tobacco, she said. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. The Defense Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh told Armenpress the Azerbaijani forces continued violating the ceasefire regime in almost all directions of the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact by firing more than 2000 shots at the Armenian positions. The Ministrys announcement reads: Overnight December 1-2 the Azerbaijani side continued violating the ceasefire regime in almost all directions of the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact. More intensive violations were registered in the eastern part of the frontline, where, except from various caliber small arms (over 1400 shots), the Azerbaijani forces fired also 60mm and 82mm mortars (9 shells) and automatic grenade launcher (1 grenade). Overall, during this period, the Azerbaijani forces made over 125 ceasefire violations by firing more than 2000 shots at the Armenian positions. The Armenian side didnt suffer any losses as a result of the ceasefire violations. Concerning the reports by certain Azerbaijani media spread yesterday which said that during the brutal clashes in the eastern direction of the Karabakh-Azerbaijani border there were 1 killed and 9 wounded from the Armenian side, are nothing more than another disinformation. Like yesterday during the whole day, last night as well the Defense Army forces continued confidently fulfilling their military tasks and gave an adequate response to the Azerbaijani forces in case of necessity. At this moment the situation is calm. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan held a phone conversation with US Vice President-elect Mike Pence on December 1. The conversation was held by the initiative of the American side, the Presidents Office told ARMENPRESS. President Sargsyan once again congratulated US President-elect Trump and his team on the victory in the election and wished successes during the realization of the responsible mission. Both President Sargsyan and Vice President-elect of the United States Mike Pence underscored that during the tenure of the new US administration the present high level Armenian-American cooperation in the political and economic fields will not only be maintained, but will also gain new impetus. The sides also discussed several issues of mutual interest, including regional matters and challenges. Do you "like"? Do you "tweet"? Do you tube? Does your business do any or all of these things and, if so, does it really ... YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. The charitable Armenia Round Table Foundation of the World Council of Churches, in cooperation with the Social Service department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiatsin, provided humanitarian assistance to the victims and displaced persons of the April war in Nagorno Karabakh. The Round Table is a member of the ACT Alliance-Action by Churches Together Alliance network, which has a financial rapid response tool. Karine Baghdasaryan, Program Officer of the Round Table foundation, told ARMENPRESS : Using the resources of the ACT Alliance-Action by Churches Together Alliance network, we were able to respond immediately, beginning from April 8. And until July 8, 3315 displaced residents of the bordering zone received approximately 50kg groceries, canned meat and fish, vegetable oil, as well as hygiene kits. These families, whom we located with great difficulty in various communities of Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia, received at least some assistance, she said. The humanitarian assistance was distributed in cities and villages of Nagorno Karabakh Stepanakert, Martakert, Shahumyan, Vank, Arajadzor, Mataghis and others, as well as in provinces of Armenia, were large numbers of displaced families have settled Armavir, Kotayk, Shirak, Gugark, Syunik and others. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. The US Senate has passed a bill to extend sanctions against Iran for 10 years, reports TASS. The document authorizes the US President to impose restrictions on those who are engaged in the ballistic missiles program by Iran, supporting terrorism, as well as are accused in human rights violations. Now the document must be signed by President Barack Obama. Earlier the administration said that Obama will not approve the initiatives that might undermine the nuclear deal signed with Iran. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. According to daily monitoring, there is no tendency of rise in acute respiratory diseases. As result of preventive filtering works a decreasing tendency of respiratory diseases in documented among children. The healthcare ministry told ARMENPRESS pneumonia cases have also decreased, and as of present day no patients with post-influenza complications have been hospitalized. Since November, laboratory tests have been carried out in Armenia, which suggest the influenza A subtype H3 is mainly circulating in Armenia. The virus is also circulating in European countries, including Georgia, Russia, Ukraine etc. In order to avoid flu diseases and its complications, the ministry of healthcare urges to avoid contact with persons who have flu-like symptoms, stay at home in case you are ill and contact a medical professional, refrain from administering antibiotics, drink more liquids and maintain personal hygiene. The overall percentage of delinquencies and loans in foreclosures dropped during the first quarter of 2015. In fact, the number of delinquencies and foreclosures were the lowest since the second quarter of 2007. In the National Delinquency Survey of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), the delinquency rate for housing loans was 5.54 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis for one-to-four-unit residential houses during the first quarter of 2015. At the same time, 2.22 percent mortgage loans were in the foreclosure process during the same period. Such low foreclosure inventories are the lowest since the fourth quarter of 2007. While talking about the delinquency rate and mortgage loans in the foreclosure process, Joel Kan, Associate Vice-President of Industry Surveys and Forecasting for the MBA, said, The foreclosure inventory rate has decreased in the last twelve quarters, and now is at the lowest level since the fourth quarter of 2007. The rate, at 2.22 percent, was about half of where it was at its peak in 2010. With a declining 90+ day delinquency rate and the improving credit quality of new loans, we expect that the foreclosure inventory rate will continue to decline in coming quarters. Another trend identified in the survey was that legacy loans accounted for the maximum percentage of troubled mortgages. Out of the total number of troubled loans, as many as 73 percent were mortgage loans originated in 2007 or earlier. As far as latest mortgage trends are concerned, mortgage loan application volume declined by 4.6 percent in the week ending on May 1st, 2015, as per the records of the Mortgage Bankers Association. Foreclosure Activity Jumped Up in March 2015 In terms of the national foreclosure activity during the first quarter of 2015, the number of foreclosures increased in March 2015 after falling for the first two months of the year. As per the records of Realty Trac, the total number of foreclosures jumped above 120,000 in March 2015 after declining in January and February. The average foreclosure rate in the United States in March was one foreclosure in every 1082 houses. The foreclosure activity was highest in Florida with one out of every 446 houses under falling the foreclosure process. Other states with high foreclosure activity include Illinois, New Jersey, Maryland, and Nevada. The Department of Homeland Security released a pair of memos on Tuesday, laying out how it intends to implement President Donald Trumps executive orders on the enforcement of domestic immigration. In addition to calling for a massive increase in the number of immigration agents and the deputizing of local and state law enforcement across the country described in the documents as a force multiplier the memos dramatically expand the range of people who can be deported without going before a judge. I see now what the plan is, Greg Siskind, a Tennessee-based immigration attorney and member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association board of governors, told The Intercept. Their plan is basically to have everybody thrown out of the country without ever going to court. This is the broadest, most widespread change I have seen in doing this work for more than two decades, said Lee Gelernt, a veteran immigration attorney and deputy director of the ACLUs national Immigrants Rights Project. After 9/11 we saw some extreme policies, but they were largely confined to particular areas around the relationship between immigration and national security. Here what were seeing are those types of policies but also much broader policies just dealing with immigration generally. In a statement, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said that the memos show the Trump administration is more concerned with attempting to fulfill misguided campaign promises than doing what is best for the safety and security of the country and dead set on creating a massive deportation force and labeling anyone undocumented for expedited removal just to boost deportation numbers. A number of the measures called for in the memos will not happen immediately it will take time, money, and congressional approval to appropriate the billions of dollars needed to build a network of immigrant detention centers along the southern border with Mexico, for example, and to hire 5,000 new Border Patrol agents and 10,000 more ICE agents. One of the only ways to legally defend against expedited removal is to claim asylum. Individuals who claim asylum are entitled to a so-called credible fear interview before an asylum official. If they pass the low threshold necessary to demonstrate a credible fear of being returned to their country, they are then entitled to make their case before a judge. If the judge approves their case, asylum can be granted if not, the removal proceedings continue. In order to save costs and the strain on detention facilities in the US, DHS and the Trump administration have also called for individuals who cross the border but are deemed unlikely to do so again to be deported back to the territory from which they came, where they will be given the opportunity to adjudicate their cases via video teleconference. In practice, this could mean people would be deported Mexico even if they are citizens of other countries. Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page. Loading... Checking your browser before accessing the website. This process is automatic. Your browser will redirect to your requested content shortly. Please wait a few seconds. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Minister of foreign affairs Edward Nalbandian briefed President Sargsyan on December 2 on the process of works in the direction of Armenias active involvement in international organizations, further projects and achievements, including the decision made during the recent 16th International Organization of La Francophonie summit under which Armenia assumes the chairmanship of the organization, as well as the affirmation of member states full support in the final resolution of the summit for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the foreign ministry told ARMENPRESS. President Sargsyan gave several assignments to minister Nalbandian regarding the high level organization of the summit, emphasizing the active involvement of Armenia in international organizations is very important for effectively building the countrys foreign relations. Minister Nalbandian also briefed the President on the priorities of the Armenian foreign policy during several upcoming meetings in international organizations the meeting of foreign ministers on nuclear safety in Vienna, FM Resolute Support mission within the framework of NATO, Open Government Partnership summit in Paris, the FMs meeting of OSCE in Hamburg. President Sargsyan highlighted the assignments to diplomats for the traditional meeting of Armenian Ambassadors in Paris, namely aimed at consistent and active work in the economic field, taking into account the new Government program and the ongoing reforms in the country. President Sargsyan tasked minister Nalbandian to hold the next meeting of Ambassadors in Armenia, with the participation of all Armenian Ambassadors stationed abroad. The President presented his approaches on boosting economic diplomacy. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Recently, reports circulated in the Azerbaijani media stating UNESCO has rejected to acknowledge lavash as an Armenian cultural element and instead adopted the Azerbaijani bid. However, as always, this was another disinformation. During the 11th session of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee of UNESCO, which was launched on November 28 in Ethiopia, bids presented to be included in the intangible cultural heritage lists were discussed, including the joint bid of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan and Turkey Flatbread making and sharing culture: Lavash, Katyrma, Jupka, Yufka. According to our information, the abovementioned bid was submitted in 2015, in response to the Lavash, traditional bread making, significance and cultural manifestations in Armenia bid, which was presented earlier and adopted during the 9th session of the committee. The Armenian side has numerously announced that Azerbaijan regularly attempts politicizing the activity of UNESCO and transforming it into a platform of political disagreements and clashes from a cooperation format, and the above-mentioned bid is another evidence of it. Although the Flatbread making tradition is widespread in numerous countries of the region, the preparation of lavash in Armenia significantly differs from similar cultures in other countries by all components, with method of preparation, significance and self- expression of diversity. The Armenian delegation insisted the Committee to adopt the stance which it expressed in 2014 during the discussion of the bid presented by Armenia. As result of measures taken by the Armenian side, the draft decision of the Committee was amended. During discussions of the abovementioned joint bid on November 30, the Committee cited the 2014 decision regarding the Armenian bid in its decision, affirming that communities living in the region, as well as other countries, use the types of flatbreads presented in the bid. Therefore, the Committee urges the bid presenting countries to take into consideration the wide cultural inclusion both inside and outside the region of the element when implementing the preservation measures of the mentioned element. The Committee states that listing the element in the joint bid does not imply that its exclusive, but is also used in and out of the region, and one of the types of flatbread, the lavash, was included in the List back in 2014 as an element used in Armenia. In regards to the Azerbaijani disinformation, we once again underscore that the Committee did not reject Armenias bid in 2013. It was adopted on November 26, 2014, during the 9th session of the Committee. Armenia was elected a member of the Committee in June of 2016 with a 4 year term. Nova Land Investment Group Corporation (Novaland) has filed for domestic listing on the HCM Stock Exchange (HoSE), the southern stock exchange said in a statement on Wednesday. Photo Novaland HA NOI Nova Land Investment Group Corporation (Novaland) has filed for domestic listing on the HCM Stock Exchange (HoSE), the southern stock exchange said in a statement on Wednesday. According to HoSE, Novaland filed for listing of nearly 589.4 million shares, worth VN5.89 trillion (nearly US$262 million). Phan Le Hoa, Novalands director of Capital Markets and Investor Relations, told reporters in October that Novaland was valued between $1.2-1.4 billion and the company would complete its listing in December 2016. Of the total capital, the percentage of free-floating shares would be between 20-25 per cent and 70-80 per cent of the stake would be sold to foreign investors, Hoa said. On Tuesday, news hub Deal Street Asia cited a report on Bloomberg which said Novaland had sold 10 per cent of the realty companys stake worth $120 million to 18 foreign investors. Novaland was not available for comment on the deal. The deal is believed to be part of Novalands plan to raise $200 million to increase its chartered capital to VN6 trillion from VN5.22 trillion to make further investments in the real-estate sector and to conduct the companys M&A activities. The fund-raising may include the income from selling free-floating shares via a private placement and from converting bonds and preferential shares that the firm issued earlier. In 2015, Novaland sold preferential shares worth $50 million to three strategic investors, including Dragon Capital and VinaCapital. Since July 2015, Novaland has raised an additional $60 million from two investors based in Switzerland and Hong Kong. Last year, Novaland recorded VN6.67 trillion in revenue, a yearly increase of 138 per cent, and VN442 billion in post-tax profit, an increase of 360 per cent year-on-year. In the first half of this year, Novalands revenue jumped by 229 per cent from the corresponding period of last year to nearly VN5 trillion. VNS HA NOI A new oil field was discovered in Viet Nams continental shelf by the Russia- Viet Nam oil and gas exploration joint venture, Vietsovpetro, on November 30, 2016. Le Viet Hai, Vietsovpetros deputy director of geology, acknowledged that during a drill stem test for the Bach Ho-47 well, a continuous oil flow sans water was struck. The oil field had an average density of 0.83g per cu.m. and estimated flow of 610cu.m. per day for oil and 110,000cu.m. per day for gas, based on Vietsopetros calculation. Hai also said Vietsovpetro would conduct further research to determine the payzones geological formation to better assess the reservoirs quantities and to recalculate the distribution before the company could continue their exploration. The oil flow came from a Miocene-aged formation, some 23.03 to 5.3 million years ago, at a depth of 3.178-3.277km. The Bach Ho-47 well would go into preservation for later exploitation following the completion of the drilling and testing process. Findings from this well have opened up new opportunities in exploration, research and utilization of oil reservoirs in the area. The discovery was made in the northeast Bach Ho region of the Cuu Long basin on the southern shelf of Viet Nam. VNS HCM CITY Executives from 27 companies based in South Koreas Gyeongsangbuk-do Province met with their counterparts in HCM City on December 2 to explore business opportunities. The visitors firms are in sectors like cosmetics, food, glass and agricultural produce like rice, fruits and juices. Speaking at the Gyeongsangbuk-do Expo Plaza event, Tran Ngoc Liem, deputy director of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industrys HCM City chapter, said trade between Viet Nam and Korea has developed strongly in recent years, especially since the Viet Nam-Korea Free Trade Agreement took effect last year. Vietnamese firms have capitalised on the agreement to boost exports to Korea by 30 per cent this year, while imports from the market increased by 10 per cent, he said. The FTA has also contributed to boosting investments by Korean firms in Viet Nam, he said. The event, part of the Korea- Viet Nam Trade and Culture Exchange Festival being held in HCM City, is expected to further promote bilateral trade, he said. Woo Byeongeun, deputy minister for political affairs of Gyeongsangbuk-do, said the event is expected to offer a huge opportunity for expanding exports of the provinces various agricultural products. On the other hand, many Vietnamese products that are of good quality and reasonably priced would also get an opportunity to enter the Korean market, he said. Seo Yeol Hwan, a Gyeongsangbuk-do official who addressed a press conference in HCM City on Wednesday, said Vietnamese fruits have also increased their market share in Korea. I hope that HCM City firms will export more tropical fruits to Korea and Gyeonsangbuk-do Province in particular. Viet Nam is playing an increasingly important role in Asia, he said, adding that many Korean firms are interested in the country. The festival, held from November 30 to December 3, includes several activities, including a Korea-Viet Nam family reunion, an exhibition of Vietnamese and Korean products, a buyers meeting, business tours to Korean firms in Viet Nam and cultural performances. In future, more activities would be organised to promote trading and cultural ties between two countries, Woo said. VNS HA NOI The ancient Vietnamese tradition of Worshipping Mother Goddesses has been recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. The recognition will motivate the Vietnamese people and its cultural mandarins to preserve and promote the tradition, said, Pham Sanh Chau, Secretary General of Viet Nam National Commission for UNESCO, losing no time in sharing the good news on his Facebook page. Chau led a Vietnamese delegation to submit the dossier on Worshipping the Mother Goddesses at the 11th Conference of the Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The meeting took place at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from November 28 to December 3. The dossier indicated that the tradition satisfies all criteria for the recognition. It has been passed through generations, is constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, and it provides communities and groups involved with a sense of identity and continuity. Nguyen The Hung, head of the Department of Cultural Heritage, said many researchers and believers contributed to the dossier. The practice of shared values and strong belief in the compassion and grace of the Mother Goddesses provides a basis for social relations, connecting members of participating communities, he said. Worship of the Mother Goddesses also contributes to the appreciation of women and their role in society, he added. Belief in the deities originated in various regions of the country and among different ethnic groups, reflecting the countrys cultural diversity as well as cultural exchages between different communities, he said. The Three Realms in this tradition are heaven, water, and mountains and forests. The Mother Goddesses include Lieu Hanh (a nymph who descended to Earth, lived as a human and became a Buddhist nun) referred to as the Mother of the World, and other spirits considered legendary heroes. Practitioners of the worshipping tradition include temple guardians, ritual priests, spirit mediums, mediums assistants, musicians who perform the songs for the spirits, disciples and lay adherents who share the same beliefs in the spiritual power, supernatural strength and protection of the pantheon of Mother Goddesses. The guardians take care of the temples, offer daily incense and flowers to spirits, instruct worshippers and pilgrims in ritual acts and play an active role in organising spirit possession rituals and festivals. Many guardians inherit their position from their families. Priests perform ceremonies, which involve conveying the wishes of the devotees and communities to the Mother Goddesses and spirits through prayer and petition sheets. The ritual expertise of male priests is usually passed down to sons or disciples. Male and female spirit mediums are initiated before performing the spirit possession rituals at the temples. Each spirit possession ritual consists of 5-36 spirit incarnations, and each spirit has its own costume, dance, songs and offerings. Throughout the spirit possession rituals a band of musicians perform the songs for spirits. Bands usually have between two and five musicians. The tradition of worshipping the Mother Goddesses dates back to the 16th century. Activities associated with the tradition help maintain the communitys history, cultural heritage and identity. Apart from Viet Nams Worship of the Mother Goddess, 11 other additions to the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. They are Bhojpuri folk songs in Mauritius; Geet-Gawai, Mexico Charreria, equestrian tradition; Argungu international fishing and cultural festival in Nigeria; Carnival of El Callao in Venezuela; Switzerland Winegrowers Festival in Vevey; traditional wall-carpet craftsmanship in Romania; Czechia puppetry; Skofja Loka passion play in Slovenia; and Palov culture and tradition in Uzbekistan. VNS Last week, Viet Nam News invited readers feedback on the decision to block unregistered SIM cards in a bid to crackdown on advertising and fraudulent messages. Most of them welcomed the move. Nhat Tan, Vietnamese I have been working in the telecommunication sector for a long time, so I understand this issue well. I would say it is a serious problem for the State and customers. In my opinion, the decision to stop unregistered SIMs has been very late in coming, but it is very important. Better late than never. I also think it is one of the best directives from the new Minister of Information and Communication. The official documents related to this issue are very clear, fair and applicable for telecom providers and their sales agencies. Obviously, the number of spam messages has decreased quickly after the decision, proving that the policy is right. But people have also said that this move may negatively affect the business of operators and wholesalers. I do not agree, because the need of customers is a constant and they will not stop using current telecom services. Now they have to use services legally and the income of telecom companies will improve. Vuong Tien Thanh, Vietnamese, Ha Noi I think this is a wise decision. In fact, for many years, I have been constantly bothered by anonymous numbers, spam or advertising messages. I even lost my money when answering messages or calls. This has caused a lot of trouble. When users are required to register SIM cards, spam messages will be minimised. Besides, I think there should be better co-ordination between the Government and the service providers to crackdown on spam messages and calls. Giang Phan, Vietnamese overseas student in Australia I totally support the rule to register SIM cards. I have been living in Australia for years and I see registered SIM cards as the way to fight spam texts and make it easier to control phone accounts. All the registrations should be done online to make the process faster and more convenient. Satyam Sharma, Indian, Singapore Yes I support the move, because no one can make fake calls. In Singapore, even if you are visiting the country for a short time, when you buy a SIM card, you need to present your passport or driving licence. Your information will be saved and you can get the SIM card legally. Mai Hai, Vietnamese, HCM City I feel registering SIM cards is necessary. It is a good way to control phone accounts. When I lost my SIM some time ago, it was too hard to me to get it back. I also had many difficulties contacting my friends. So I think SIM registration can protect my personal information and make it easier to get my phone number back if I lose it. Andrew Burden, Canadian, Ha Noi Privacy (and identity theft) is a real problem in this modern, inter-connected world. The Governments response requiring people register SIM cards is understandable, but predictable and wrong. I hate unsolicited advertising. I hate the idea of companies tracking my movements for profit. But I still see no reason to give the Government my personal information. Blaming the citizen-customer and making him become more visible is going down the wrong path. How is my registering personal information with the Government going to stop aggressive advertisers? Blame, fine and punish the companies with the fake names, and stop companies from sending unwanted ads. Viet Nam can no more control famous Nigerian Princes who email me, offering to send millions of dollars any more than the United Statess NSA could stop Edward Snowden. Registering a SIM card is like closing the barn door after the horse has left the paddock. It is possible to buy a burner phone back home without giving your name. I can use an ID blocker while surfing the Net and wifi cafes to mask my trail. Unfortunately this new normal includes cyber attacks. That is why I pay in cash. I used to refill products at The Body Shop. They wanted to know my name. I told them I was Mister X. VNS HAVANA Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan has told Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro that Viet Nam supports the constitutional government of Venezuela and attaches much importance to developing multi-faceted co-operation with the country. The NA leader, who met the Venezuelan President in Havana, Cuba on Wednesday during her visit to attend the funeral of late Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, said she believed the Venezuelan people would overcome current difficulties and challenges to make their country prosperous. On his part, President Maduro repeated the invitation to visit Venezuela to Party and State leaders of Viet Nam. He lauded the tradition of national protection of Viet Nam as well as achievements during the countrys course of renewal. He stated that Venezuela hoped and would work to foster friendship and a comprehensive partnership with Viet Nam. The two leaders praised the progress of joint agricultural projects in Venezuela in the 2015-18 period, which were reached during President Maduros visit to Viet Nam in August 2015. They agreed that leaders of both countries should continue maintaining existing bilateral co-operation mechanisms, including the Inter-Governmental Committee and the Deputy Foreign Ministerial Political Consultations. The two sides should speed up agreements and commitments reached by their leaders, especially in agriculture, energy, oil and gas, while seeking measures and specific policies to raise two-way trade, which is currently at around US$15 million per year and is yet to match the potential and expectations of Viet Nam and Venezuela, they said. The two leaders also affirmed their determination to continue close co-ordination and mutual support at international organisations and multilateral forums. President Maduro promised to visit Viet Nam. The same day, NA Chairwoman Ngan met Cuban hero and patriot Antonio Guerrero. On November 30, the NA leader and the delegation of the Party and State left Havana for Ha Noi, concluding their visit. VNS Trinh Xuan Thanh HA NOI The Party Central Committees Inspection Commission met in Ha Noi from November 28-30 to discuss and decide disciplinary measures on some individuals for violations related to personnel reception, transfer, and appointment, and award to Trinh Xuan Thanh, former Vice Chairman of the Hau Giang provincial Peoples Committee. The meeting was chaired by Politburo member Tran Quoc Vuong, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of the Inspection Commission. The commission requested imposing disciplines on former Secretary of southern Hau Giang provincial Party Committee for 2010-15 Huynh Minh Chac; Secretary of the provincial Party Committee for 2015-20 Tran Cong Chanh; former deputy head of the standing board of the Party Central Committees Organisation Commission Tran Luu Hai; former advisor to head of the Party Central Committees Inspection Commission Bui Cao Tinh; Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and head of the Party Central Committees Commission for Emulation and Commendation Tran Thi Ha; and Deputy Ministers of Home Affairs Tran Anh Tuan and Nguyen Duy Thang. Chac was found to violate regulations on personnel work and the provincial Party Committees working regulations regarding the reception of Trinh Xuan Thanh from the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) to take the position of Vice Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee and join the provincial Party Committee. Chanh, in his capacity as Vice Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee from 2010-15, was at fault for directing the provincial police to issue government licence plate to a private car driven by Thanh. He was also responsible for flaws and violations involving the transfer of Thanh to the local authorities. Hai showed a lack of responsibility when he signed the Organisation Commissions document on allowing the province to appoint another Vice Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee for 2011-16, which is against the Politburos and Secretariats decisions. Tinh was responsible for giving wrong advice on the document allowing Hau Giang to appoint another Vice Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee for 2011-16, which is against the Politburos and Secretariats decisions. Ha directed the appraisal of procedures, criteria and qualifications to submit to authorised agencies to present Order and the title of Labour Hero to the Viet Nam National Oil and Gas Group, the Governments certificate of merit and Order to Thanh. Tuan was found to have violations of approving the reception, recruitment, appointment of Thanh and failing to suggest the MoIT revoke and repeal wrong decisions on the regard. Thang was found to wrongly propose authorised agencies approve Thanhs position as Vice Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee. Considering the level of violations, the Inspection Commission decided to give warning to Tinh, reprimand Chanh and Ha. The Inspection Commission asked the Secretariat to give warning to Chac and Hai. Between 2007-13, in his positions as Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Director General of PetroVietnam Construction Corporation (PVC), and later as Secretary of the corporation Party Committee and Chairman of the Board of Managers, Trinh Xuan Thanh showed irresponsibility and negligence in the leadership and management of the corporations operation, and violated legal regulations on business administration, resulting in many wrongdoings and losses of nearly VN3.3 trillion (US$142 million). As the top official of the corporation, Thanh must bear the main responsibility for the mistakes and wrongdoings, but he was not serious and honest in acknowledging them. After being transferred to the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang, while serving as a member of the provincial Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee, Thanh used an official plate on his private-owned luxury Lexus car, which was illegal. Thanh was responsible for the wrongdoings, law violations and losses at the PVC, leaders of the Viet Nam National Oil and Gas Group assessed that he had not fulfilled his duty and removed him from the position of Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Board of Management of the PVC. This meant he was not eligible for any promotion or transfer, but Thanh himself proposed for his transfer and let relevant agencies conduct procedures to appoint him to leading positions at the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Hau Giang province, which showed his dishonesty and irresponsibility. Furthermore, he was dishonest and unrepentant during the self-criticism process. Thanh was expelled from the Party and the Ministry of Public Security issued an arrest warrant domestically and internationally for him. VNS Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (L) meets with New Zealands Speaker of the House of Representatives David Carter yesterday in Wellington. VNA/VNS Photo Khanh Linh WELLINGTON Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh suggested that Viet Nam and New Zealand forge closer economic and trade ties in order to achieve their bilateral trade targets. The official made the proposal during his meetings with New Zealands Speaker of the House of Representatives David Carter, and Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Finance Minister Bill English in Wellington yesterday. The target of US$1.7 billion was formalised by their senior leaders in 2020. He called on the two countries to increase connectivity and co-operation between their businesses while seeking collaboration in new areas such as banking, services and renewable energy, especially wind power, which is New Zealands strength. Minh spoke highly of New Zealands economic achievements, which, he said, have helped it become one of the ten economies of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recording the fastest and most stable economic growth rate. At the meetings, the two sides noted the strong developments in the Viet Nam-New Zealand relationship, especially after the two countries had established a comprehensive partnership in 2009, and issued a joint statement in March 2015, under which they agreed to enhance the partnership towards a strategic goal. The regular exchange of high-ranking delegations, particularly in 2015, which marked the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties (1975 to 2015), has helped intensify mutual understanding between Viet Nam and New Zealand, they said. Two-way trade expanded by 20 per cent annually over the past five years, exceeding $800 million in 2015, the officials said, while stressing on the effective and pragmatic bilateral collaboration in national defence and security, agriculture, labour, culture and people-to-people exchanges. The New Zealand side promised to join hands with Viet Nam in speeding up the assessment of risks to Vietnamese agricultural products, thus facilitating their penetration into the New Zealand market. Talking about the latest developments relating to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement to which Viet Nam and New Zealand are signatories, they described free trade and integration as irreversible. The two sides pledged to continue their co-ordination and mutual support at regional and international forums in which they are members, including the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum. The New Zealand side affirmed its backing for Viet Nam as the host of the APEC Year in 2017. David Carter said Viet Nam is one of the priority partners with whom New Zealand has earlier established a comprehensive partnership. While expressing his delight at the thriving legislative ties and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, the speaker said the two sides should maintain the direct air route between HCM City and Auckland in New Zealand in a bid to boost trade, tourism and delegation exchanges. English valued Viet Nams encouraging achievements in economic restructuring and growth model reform, saying that New Zealand wanted to co-operate with Viet Nam in economy, finance, banking and State-owned enterprise restructuring. New Zealand will continue to support Viet Nams development by providing official development assistance (ODA) to the country, he said. Later that day, Deputy PM and FM Minh visited the Vietnamese embassy in New Zealand. VNS QUANG NGAI A ceremony was held to mark the 50th anniversary of a massacre committed by South Korean soldiers in the central province of Quang Ngais Binh Son district yesterday. Hundreds of local residents and members of the Korean-Vietnamese Peace Foundation, Korean Writers Association of Seoul, and Vietnamese and Korean organisations attended the ceremony and visited the monument of the massacre in Binh Hoa Commune. The killings occurred between September and December, 1966 in the communes of Binh Hoa, Binh Thanh, Binh ong, Binh Chau, Binh Phu, Binh My, Binh Phuoc and Binh Tan, with many of the victims were unarmed civilians. 430 people were killed in Binh Hoa Commune alone from the 3rd to 6th of December 1966, of which 269 were women, 174 children and 15 new born babies. 12 women were raped to death, while an 80-year-old woman was decapitated in a paddy-field. In one day of December 6th, 1966, 287 villagers in Binh Hoa Commune were murdered, while 37 others were shot before being buried in a crater left from a bomb. In a document recorded by the districts peoples committee, soldiers of the 2nd Marine Division, known as Blue Dragon, an infantry division of the Republic of Koreas Marine Corps, also killed more than 160 civilians in September, 1966 in Binh Thanh, Binh Chau, Binh My, Binh Phuoc, Binh Phu and Binh Tan. In September this year, South Korean journalist Koh Kyong Tae hosted a photo exhibition on the massacre committed by South Korean soldiers in Quang Nam Province during the American War in Viet Nam. The exhibition was at the Art Link Gallery, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. Another massacre by Korean soldiers was recorded in Son Tay District of Binh inh Province in 1966. In 1968, American soldiers also killed 504 civilians in the hamlet of My Lai in Son Tinh District of Quang Ngai Province. In October, the Korean-Vietnamese Peace Foundation donated 52 items and the Viet Nam Pieta statue to a Nang Citys museum. The statue commemorated 41 years since the end of the Viet Nam War by the Korean-Vietnamese Peace Foundation, and was created to call on the South Korean government to take responsibility for massacres of Vietnamese civilians by South Korean troops during the American War in Viet Nam. VNS QUANG NGAI Torrential rainfall measuring 100-200mm in Quang Ngai and Binh inh provinces has flooded nearly 1,000 houses and over 3,000ha of sowed rice and raised river levels. A report yesterday by the Centre of Flood and Storm Prevention in the Central and Central Highlands regions said Binh inh was the most damaged locale by storm Tokage, with over 2,200 cubic metres of soil and 2.2kms of dyke and irrigated channels eroded and damaged. One man, Nguyen uc Trong, 33, was still missing in Quang Ngai Province after trying to cross a stream in Ba Xa Commune in Ba To District. The centre also said a ship from Navy Zone 3 had found and towed a stalled fishing boat with 11 sailors in the waters off the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Island of Viet Nam. A Navy ship was also called to rescue a boat from Binh inh off the coast of a Nang on Wednesday. The central Quang Ngai Province banned all passenger ships and fishing boats, warning of strong winds and high waves (from 1.5-3m high) in the Paracel and Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelagos, and heavy downpours forecast to continue till the weekend. Reservoirs in the central and Central Highlands regions were at 75 to 95 per cent of capacity. VNS YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. The session of Armenias military-industrial committee was held in the Government, led by Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan. The council discussed and approved the bill on Military-industrial and military-technical policy strategy, which was tasked by the President. David Pakhchanyan, deputy defense minister and chairman of the military-industrial state committee, said the purpose of the strategy is transforming the scientific-technical and manufacture-technological potential into an innovative functioning measure with state assistance, which will contribute to the organization of exports and providing of competitiveness of products of the military industry complex organizations. Pakhchanyan underscored the document has been elaborated based on experience gained during independence years as well as analysis of the April events. He also mentioned its purpose is to contribute to the development of military industry, by encouraging import and elaboration of modern technologies, and based on this to develop related technologies, as well as organize local productions. In terms of priority directions of military-technical policy, the following sectors are highlighted in the document development of scientific-technical complex by scientific-production reserve, establishment of a Scientific Research Institute of the Armed Forces, which will elaborate strategic-technical assignments of scientific-research and experimental-design works corresponding to the demand of the Armed Forces. One of the goals of the strategy is forming holdings and concerns by both state and non-state shares in military-technical policy directions, with compulsory establishment or involvement of corresponding scientific research facilities in them. According to Davit Pakhchanyan, by adopting the nation-army formula as a goal, it is necessary to revise the educational process of Armenia by transforming the school-university-production-science link to a scientific-educational complex, which will contribute to ensuring professionals. The document also includes priority directions of the military-industry policy until 2020, and works regarding several provisions have already been touched upon in Governmental decrees, or are currently being elaborated or realized. For instance, several provisions which are aimed at development of companies were included in one of the Government decrees of 2016 on approving the state assistance priorities for military-industrial entities for long-term, middle-term and short-term periods. The document has been comprehensively discussed in the defense ministry, stakeholder agencies, organizations engaged in military orders and the union of information technologies enterprises. Population policies should change from focusing on population and family planning to focusing on population and development. Photo vov.vn HA NOI Population policies should change from focusing on population and family planning to focusing on population and development, said Associate Professor Nguyen inh Cu, former director of the Institute of Population and Social Studies, at a conference yesterday in Ha Noi. Experts at the conference, held by the General Office for Population and Family Planning under the Ministry of Health, discussed the Partys new orientation on population, forecasts for the countrys population in the period 2014-49, reduction of gender inequality at birth and adaptation to the countrys aging population. With the forecast that Viet Nams population will reach 100 million by 2026, experts at the conference recommended that the country adopt suitable policies on urban planning, infrastructure development and vocational training. Associate Professor Cu said that for more than 50 years, Viet Nams population policies focused on encouraging families to have no more than two children. Viet Nam had been developing with urbanisation and international integration, thanks to good education, and people understand more about the benefit of small families, he said. But with that target achieved, it is no longer suitable to focus on family planning, he added. Many urgent new problems now demand attention, such as an aging population, gender inequality at birth and more, he said. Among other General Statistics Office data presented at the conference: - By 2020, Viet Nam will have 1.38 million marriage-age men without available partners. - The countrys golden population period, in which for every two people working, there was only one dependent person, will end in 2040, and an aging population will become a problem as it is in much of the developed world. - The number of primary school children will increase until 2025, and then decrease sharply until 2034 and remain stable to 2049. - The number of women of child-bearing age will be stable and decrease sharply after 2035. More education should be given to gender equality to reduce gender inequality at birth, and more researches should be focus on taking advantage of the aging population. VNS KON TUM Provincial Road 675A, the section that passes through Kon Tum Province, from Se San 3 Hydroelectric Plant to National Road 14C, remains incomplete and barely usable. Construction of the road, with total investment of VN 530 billion, (US$23.4 million), was expected to be finished by June 2014. The project was approved by the Kon Tum Province Peoples Committee seven years ago, with the Peoples Committee being the investor, and there were three constructors -- Truong Long JSC Co., Duy Tan Investment & Development JSC Co. and Tuan Dung Co. Ltd. For the most part of the road, only the rough grading of the roadbed has been completed and the first layer of gravel stones laid; in particular, on the section from Ia Toi DSpring to Se San 3, only the grading process was done, Nong Nghiep Viet Nam newspaper (Viet Nam Agriculture) reported. In addition, construction was poor on many portions of the road that passed over rivers or springs, which meant the road could easily be washed away by floodwaters. During the hot days, wind and passing traffic kick up the dust and sand, making for an unpleasantly suffocating atmosphere; while during the monsoon, mud and floodwaters rendered the road hardly passable. I had barely crossed a kilometre when my bikes tyres got punctured by the sharp gravel. A flat tyre occurs often. In the rainy season, the road is cut off at many sections. The road is nowhere near finished, a frequent driver on this road, Hoang Tuan Anh, said frustratingly. Along the road, only a handful of machines are seen operating. Most are grading the sections that got overrun with floodwater as a temporary measure to keep the route accessible. Nguyen Huu Du, deputy head of Sa Thay Districts Investment & Construction Management Board, said merely a quarter of the total investment, or VN139 billion ($6 million), was disbursed to all three constructors. Also, according to Du, the designed length and width of the road is 58km and 3.5m, respectively, but in reality, the road is only 54km long since the remaining 4km have already been used for a road leading to hydropower plant Se San. Due to insufficient funds, only the road surface and water drainage system have been completed, plus, only sections of high slope were covered with asphalt. Bridges have not been constructed. A temporary dirt road was built so vehicles could cross the rivers, but the floodwaters have washed it away. This road was not used much earlier; it mostly serves national defence purposes. If the road is completed, it will be used for the increasing traffic from Ia Dom Commune. However, due to disorganised investment, barely had the roads base been laid, when it was destroyed by rainwater erosion, Du said. He also added that every year, he still had to deploy machines to carry out temporary maintenance and repairs of the road, while waiting for the next disbursement of capital from ADB funds to finish the job and hand over the works. According to Kon Tum Province Department of Transportation, the manager and investor of the project are the Sa Thay District authorities. Prior to construction, the department offered advice and consultancy regarding initial investment, while maintaining that construction progress or site-clearing were the investors responsibilities. VNS HA NOI Newly manufactured assembled and imported cars are obliged to meet European exhaust emission level 4 standards (Euro 4) from January 1, 2017 in order to be eligible to register in Viet Nam. But with just a month to go, many drivers are still not aware of this standard. Nguyen Van Thang from Ha Nois Hai Ba Trung District said he has no idea what the Euro 4 standard means. A car owner, Vu Hoang from the capitals Cau Giay District said that In order to meet the requirement, we need appropriate fuel but we do not know exactly which kind of fuel meets the new standard. The Ministry of Science and Technology has been tasked with issuing a set of national technical standards on petrol, diesel fuel and bio-fuel quality to meet the Euro 4 standard, but these have yet to be published. Automobile associations and businesses are also worried about the implementation roadmap of the new emission standard. A representative of the Viet Nam Manufacturers Association (VAMA) told the Kinh te o thi (Economics and Urban) newspaper that the association had proposed that authorised agencies issue national standards on fuel meeting the Euro 4. The upgrading of car engines to meet Euro 4 standard is ready but the biggest problem is fuel, he said. The use of improper fuel for the upgraded or new engines could negatively affect the operation of the vehicles and their emission. VAMA also proposed that the Government ensure a nationwide supply of Euro 4 fuel prior to implementing the new standards. VAMA Chairman Yoshihisa Maruta told the newspaper that the deadline for application of the Euro 4 standard should be extended if authorised agencies and ministries have yet to issue the suitable kind of fuel as well as technical and environmental criteria. Vice Chairman of the Viet Nam Association of Mechanical Industry, ao Phan Long, proposed that the Prime Minister consider delaying the deadline due to the unavailability of suitable fuel. The deadline for cars with 17 seats and trucks of all kinds should be January 1, 2022, Long said. The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) recently met relevant management agencies, the oil and gas sectors management authorities, and relevant business associations and enterprises to review implementation of the decision. Environmental experts say the new emission standard should have been applied a long time ago to help reduce exhaust pollutants that impact air quality. However, the lack of guidelines and standards on fuel have been an obstacle. Statistics by ARIA Technologies, a French company specilising in environmental research, show that each year the number of vehicles in Ha Noi rises by 12-15 per cent. Vehicles discharge such toxic substances as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. VNS HA NOI Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered the Peoples Committee of Hai Duong Province to quickly inspect and clarify the responsibilities of individual or organisation related to the case that there are 44 managers in its Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Department. The large number of managers in the department - 44 managers and just 2 staff has sparked public reaction after it was reported by the media in late October. Phuc asked the Hai Duong administration to cut down unnecessary managerial positions. The recruitment and appointment of officials must be in compliance with the government policy of downsizing the number of public officials and staff, he said. He also tasked the Ministry of Home Affairs to work with the committee to public the responsibility of all the individuals and organisations involved in the case after the inspection finished. At the governments regular press conference on November 22, Mai Tien Dung, Minister and Chairman of the Government Office, said: One local department with a total of 46 people but having up to 44 managerial officials is unacceptable. Also at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Trieu Van Cuong said the appointment of up to 44 managers in the department violated rules. The number of managerial positions would be cut down to 27, Cuong said. VNS HA NOI In the first 10 months of the year, half of the imported pesticides came from China, accounting for a whopping 47.5 per cent of total imported value, according to latest statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). In November, Viet Nam imported some US$77 million worth of pesticide, bringing the total value of the products import in the first 11 months to $652 million translating into a slight decrease of 1.4 per cent compared with the previous years same period. Another statistic from the General Department of Customs revealed that VN 20.5 billion (US$ 903,000) was spent each month to purchase pesticides from China the use of which has repeatedly raised public concerns. Recently, 85-90 per cent of pesticides that Vietnamese businesses purchased have been Chinese products. This is not hard to understand since China is the largest producer of pesticide, accounting for 40 per cent of the world output. Not all imported pesticide products and raw materials will be sold or used domestically, a large part of them will be used as base materials to be mixed with other chemicals and re-bottled to export to other countries, Nguyen Xuan Hong, head of the Department of Plant Protection, under MARD, said on the domination of Chinese pesticides. Responding to inquiries over the necessity to import Chinese pesticides when such products can be manufactured domestically, Hong said that chemical was not the countrys advantage. "To achieve a strong chemical industry, we must first invest properly in technology, infrastructure and human capabilities, all of which require enormous capital and years of implementation. This is not something that can be propped up and running in the short-term," he said. Since the Vietnamese chemical industry remains weak in comparison with other countries, in addition to the fact that the production of pesticides pose high risks of toxic pollution, investment and domestic production of this type of product is actually not encouraged, he told Dan Viet newspaper (Vietnamese People). Regarding the quality of Chinese pesticides, Hong said no matter the products country of origin, the pesticides imported via official routes must pass Viet Nams standards before being used; except in cases where certain prohibited pesticides were illegally smuggled into Viet Nam, those cases were harder for the relevant authorities to regulate. MARD is launching programmes to tackle this very issue of smuggling in addition to the selling and buying of pesticides that fall outside the state-issued list of permitted products, he added. With respect to many peoples concerns that the actual smuggling of illegal imported pesticides might likely be much larger than what the authorities are aware of, Hong suggested that this concern is overblown, since tax rate imposed on imported pesticides is maintained at zero per cent, theres little incentive for smuggling to take place. VNS BINH PHUOC Some 120 workers at an industrial zone in the province were hospitalised last night after they fell ill with food poisoning symptoms. The mass food poisoning occurred to workers at the Yakin Sai Gon Co. Ltd., located in the ong Phu Industrial Zone, ong Phu District, southern Binh Phuoc Province. According to the workers, who are under care at hospital, upon having the extra-shift meal last night, many late-shift workers started to show symptoms of food poisoning, such as nausea, dizziness, stomache, and even fainting. These workers were promptly rushed to Thanh Tam General Hospital and other hospitals in the ong Xoai Commune, Binh Phuoc Province. Nguyen Thi Anh, a worker of Yakin Sai Gon Co. Ltd., said that normally, late shift workers were provided with standard meals of rice. However, last night, the canteen decided to switch he menu and serve pork noodles and instant ramen with eggs instead. Some workers complained that the noodles and the broth were rather lukewarm. By 10pm last night, the number of workers suspected to be affected by food poisoning had reached over 120. Le Huu Huy, director of Thanh Tam General Hospital, said last night, upon being admitted to the hospital and receiving first-aid treatment for half an hour, health conditions of some of the workers had stablised. This morning, while some had recovered and were discharged from hospital, many others were still either unconscious or needed constant watch and intensive treatment. The provincial Food Hygiene and Safety Department in conjunction with the provincial police and relevant authorities will meet with Yakin Sai Gon Co. Ltd. representatives to investigate the case. The increasing number of food poisoning cases occuring in industrial zones throughout the years have triggered public concerns over the quality of meals for workers. VNS Over 200,000 Vietnamese visited Japan in the first 10 months of this year, up 30 per cent year-on-year, Akihiko Tamura of the Japan Tourism Agency said at a recent meeting with 30 Vietnamese travel agencies. The growth can be attributed to new and simpler visa procedures for tourists, while Japanese travel companies have begun to turn their sights on the Vietnamese market, he said. Keiji Yoshida, CEO of Asia Investment & Travel Company, said many outbound tour operators in Viet Nam are increasingly focused on promoting Japan. More direct flights from Viet Nam to Japan are making it more convenient for visitors, he added. Representatives of the Vietnamese travel agencies sought new destination partners in Japan to organise more tours for Vietnamese travellers who visit Japan and vice versa. UNITED NATIONS, United States UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon yesterday apologised for the first time to the people of Haiti for the role played by the world bodys peacekeepers in sparking a devastating cholera epidemic in the country. "On behalf of the United Nations, I want to say very clearly we apologise to the Haitian people," he said three times -- in Haitian Creole, French and English -- to the UN General Assembly. "We simply did not do enough with regards to the cholera outbreak and its spread in Haiti," Ban said. "We are profoundly sorry for our role." According to numerous independent experts, cholera was introduced to Haiti by infected Nepalese UN peacekeepers sent to the Caribbean country after the massive 2010 earthquake. Cholera, a disease that is transmitted through contaminated drinking water and causes acute diarrhea, is a major challenge in a country with poor sanitary conditions. The cholera epidemic has claimed more than 9,000 lives in Haiti, the most impoverished country in the Americas, and infected 800,000 people. The United Nations reiterated its rejection of claims that it is also legally responsible for the damages from the health emergency. "We do not change our basic legal position," UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson told reporters. Ban insisted the UN has "a moral responsibility to act." "This has cast a shadow upon the relationship between the United Nations and the people of Haiti," he said. "It is a blemish on the reputation of UN peacekeeping." A new approach The UN chief also formally presented the 193-nation General Assembly with a new approach," a two-pronged programme to help the families of the cholera victims and support the battle against the disease. The UN hopes the new proposal will raise US$400 million over two years, but funding for prior UN assistance to Haiti has been slow to arrive. Ban urged donors to finance the program. "On the scale of global humanitarian and development needs, limited sums are required to eliminate cholera in Haiti," he pleaded. "This mission is realistic and doable. Cholera is a treatable and preventable disease. It can be controlled and eliminated." Since the outbreak of cholera in Haiti and the ensuing accusations against the UN peacekeepers, the United Nations has steadfastly argued its missions enjoy diplomatic immunity from prosecution. That immunity has been upheld by US courts in rejecting several lawsuits filed by victims seeking millions of dollars in damages for negligence. To lift that immunity would jeopardise UN peacekeeping operations, Eliasson said. "This is a true apology," he said, adding that Ban "wanted to do it before the end of his term" on December 31. Philip Alston, UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, said in an October report to the General Assembly that the UNs position "flouted the applicable international law" and "undermined the credibility of the organisation." In August, the UN recognised for the first time that it brought cholera to Haiti and had a "moral responsibility" toward the victims, promising material aid. AFP PARIS French President Francois Hollandes dramatic decision not to seek a second term next year leaves the leftwing field open in an election that is proving increasingly unpredictable. Hollande announced yesterday he would not seek re-election next April, bowing to historic low approval ratings. "I have decided that I will not be a candidate," the 62-year old Hollande said in a solemn televised address from the Elysee Palace in Paris. Manuel Valls, who had been a loyal prime minister to Hollande until recently but hinted at the weekend he might run against his boss in planned primaries, is expected to throw his hat in the ring. The president conceded he had failed to rally his deeply divided Socialist Party behind his candidacy and keep a promise to slash unemployment, which hovers at around one in 10 of the workforce. "In the months to come, my only duty will be to continue to lead my country," he said. The Socialist leader has some of the lowest approval ratings for a French president since World War II. His term has been marked by U-turns on major policies, terror attacks, a sickly economy and embarrassing revelations about his private life. A new poll on Wednesday predicted he would win just seven percent of votes in the first round of next years election -- strengthening Socialist Party critics who view him as a lame duck. Voter surveys currently tip rightwing Republicans party candidate Francois Fillon to win the election, with the far-right National Front (FN) candidate Marine Le Pen seen as the closest challenger. But the full range of candidates remains unknown and the role of independents such as 38-year-old ex-economy minister Emmanuel Macron are difficult to predict. The emergence of Fillon threw up a surprise in itself. At the start of the rightwing primary, he was considered a distant third, only to roar through the field and win comfortably. Hollandes decision flings open the door to others vying to be the Socialists champion. The party began accepting candidates on Thursday for its primaries, due on January 22 and 29. The presidential elections are due on April 23, with a runoff on May 7. Arnaud Montebourg, a leftist former economy minister, has already submitted his name. AFP Police kill suspect, rescue children SEATTLE (AP) A Washington state police officer responding to a domestic violence call was fatally shot and his fellow officers were taking fire as they removed him from a home, beginning an 11-hour standoff during which authorities say the gunman used two young children as human shields. The fallen officer, Reginald Jake Gutierrez, had served since 1999 and was highly respected, police said. Dozens of officers surrounded the home in Tacoma on Wednesday night. Early Thursday, authorities say a deputy got a clear shot and killed the suspect. Officers rescued a girl, 8, and a boy, 6. Parents disarm son at Utah school BOUNTIFUL, Utah (AP) Two fast-acting parents disarmed their 15-year-old son at a Utah junior high school Thursday after they noticed the teenager acting peculiarly and realized he had taken the familys shotgun and handgun. The mother and father arrived shortly after the boy entered a classroom in Bountiful and fired one round into the ceiling, injuring no one but leaving a hole the size of a small plate, Bountiful Police Chief Tom Ross said. The suspect also pointed the shotgun at his own neck. The boy didnt say a word as a teacher and one of 26 students tried to talk him out of firing again, giving his parents a few extra second to arrive and take him into the hallway, Ross said. Aldrin evacuated from South Pole WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) An ailing Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, was evacuated from the South Pole to New Zealand where he was in a hospital today in stable condition. Aldrin, 86, was visiting Antarctica as a tourist when he fell ill. He was flown to Christchurch from McMurdo Station, a U.S. research center on the Antarctic coast. Aldrin has fluid in his lungs, but was responding well to antibiotics. Study: Psilocybin helps cancer patients NEW YORK (WP) A single dose of psilocybin, the long-banned active compound in magic mushrooms, significantly reduced anxiety and depression among cancer patients for months at a time, according to two studies published Thursday. Eighty people in separate clinical trials at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and New York University Langone Medical Center were given psilocybin under close supervision. The vast majority experienced an increase in optimism, a feeling of connection with other people and spiritual experiences. The effects persisted through the six-month follow-up period. The research, published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, is the latest to suggest hallucinogenic drugs might be beneficial for people with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addictions. Sons seek pardon of Ethel Rosenberg WASHINGTON (AP) The sons of convicted spy Ethel Rosenberg returned to the White House on Thursday, more than 50 years after pleading unsuccessfully to spare her life, in a last-ditch appeal to President Barack Obama to exonerate her amid new evidence. Rosenberg was executed in 1953 along with her husband, Julius, after being convicted of conspiring to pass secrets about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. But court records made public last year cast doubt on the conventional narrative of a Cold War espionage case that captivated the country. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Irans Foreign Ministry said the extension of sanctions by the US against Iran for 10 years violates the Iranian nuclear program deal, reports Reuters. The extension of the sanctions by the US Congress is a violation of the nuclear program deal. We will inform it to Iran's committee, assigned to monitor the implementation of the deal, Iranian MFAs spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said. Earlier TASS reported the US Senate has passed a bill to extend sanctions against Iran for 10 years. The document authorizes the US President to impose restrictions on those who are engaged in the ballistic missiles program by Iran, supporting terrorism, as well as are accused in human rights violations. Now the document must be signed by President Barack Obama. Earlier the administration said that Obama will not approve the initiatives that might undermine the nuclear deal signed with Iran. DUNKERTON A teen has been arrested on weapons charges following a search in Dunkerton on Wednesday. David Quinndale Wright Jr., 18, of 307 W. Sycamore St., was arrested for felon in possession of a firearm, carrying weapons and possession of marijuana after Waterloo police officers assigned to the FBIs Safe Streets Task Force searched his home and a Chevrolet Malibu he was driving. Wright, a former Waterloo resident, was taken to the Black Hawk County Jail, and bond was set at $400,000. The traffic stop took place around noon in Dunkerton, and officers found a .357-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver and a small nugget of marijuana under the vehicles front passenger seat. At his home, police discovered a small bag of marijuana under his bed, court records state. In addition to Waterloo police, officers with the Dunkerton Police Department and deputies with the Black Hawk County Sheriffs Office were involved. Man arrested following chase WATERLOO An Independence man was arrested following a lengthy chase with authorities Thursday. Black Hawk County sheriffs deputies attempted to stop a vehicle after it failed to stop at a flashing red light at the intersection of Raymond and Dunkerton roads about 2:45 a.m. What followed was a chase that surpassed speeds of 100 mph on paved roads and 75 mph on gravel roads, according to the sheriffs office. After traveling through Black Hawk and Buchanan counties with Waterloo and Evansdale police officers joining in, the driver veered into a field in an attempt to avoid Stop Stick spikes officers had placed in the roadway, deputies said. When authorities caught up with him, he exited his vehicle holding a wooden club, but he was taken into custody without incident deputies said. The driver, 34-year-old Troy Postel-Vargason, was arrested for felony eluding and driving while suspended. A 34-year-old female passenger was not charged. Body is found in Hardin County IOWA FALLS A canine officer with the Hardin County Sheriffs Office found the body of a missing woman in a wooded area Wednesday. We dont suspect any foul play, Sheriff Dave McDaniel said Thursday. Authorities identified the deceased as Elizabeth D. Bell, 45, of Anoka, Minn. Hardin County deputies Wednesday were investigating a suspicious vehicle parked on County Highway D-41. McDaniel said the property was an abandoned farmstead with a house and outbuildings. The deputy became curious after noticing the parked vehicle had out-of-state plates, and upon further investigation it was determined the registered owner was missing out of Minnesota. Bell had been reported missing to a Minnesota agency about one or two hours before her vehicle was found in Hardin County. K9 Ogon was able to track from the vehicle approximately 200 yards north in to a wooded area where the body was located. McDaniel said he didnt know of any ties Bell had to Iowa. An autopsy will be performed to determine cause of death. The Hardin County Sheriffs Office was assisted by the Iowa State Patrol and Hardin County Emergency Squad. Man sentenced for child porn WATERLOO A Waterloo man who was found with some 500,000 child porn images and videos had been sentenced to prison. Judge Mark Bennett sentenced Forrest Lynn Rindels, 60, to five years in prison Thursday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. Rindels will have to participate in sex offender treatment while in prison and will be on seven years supervised release following prison. He also was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and a $100 special assessment. Rindels pleaded guilty to receipt of child pornography, and other porn and firearms charges were dismissed. According to court records, an agent with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation found child porn on an internet address traced to Rindels home while investigating a peer-to-peer file-sharing computer network. Authorities searched his home in February 2015 and seized a computer, external hard drive and a flash drive. They also found eight marijuana plants, four handguns and a rifle. A forensic examination of his computer equipment found more than 500,000 images and videos of child porn, although some items were duplicates, according to court records. Prosecutors said Rindels admitted to receiving child porn between 2001 and 2015. Founded in 1912, Payne African Methodist Episcopal Church is one of Waterloos black mother congregations. Over the years, Payne AME has met spiritual needs and served as the site for civic and social gatherings. The church will continue this tradition by hosting an event that emphasizes building bridges between black business owners and consumers. On Dec. 16, the Real Black Friday 2 will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. in the churchs fellowship hall. The event offers a holiday shopping opportunity that showcases goods from the communitys black-owned businesses. The event also will include vendors, food, a DJ and live music from a variety of local performers. This is a unique opportunity for black-owned businesses to come together in one location to sell their goods and services to the public during the busy holiday season, explains Vera Wallican, organizer and entrepreneur. This is a great opportunity for all shoppers to support black businesses. Wallican notes this is a positive event for the entire community one that builds and supports neighbors and friends. We hope everyone will share the word among their church families, communities and email lists, she adds. Nurturing any new business benefits the entire economy, and black entrepreneurs can use support. In recent years, black-owned businesses have increased by more than a third to 2.6 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Survey of Business Owners. Sole proprietorships or partnerships account for 95 percent of such businesses, with no paid employees. The U.S. Census Bureaus new Survey of Entrepreneurs finds black-owned businesses comprise only 2.1 percent of companies with at least one employee. These companies post average revenues that are less than half those of similar white-owned businesses. The Wall Street Journal notes black entrepreneurs tend to self-fund their businesses more frequently and in higher amounts than their white cohorts, according to WSJ. When black entrepreneurs do apply for loans, theyre more likely to be denied the full amount they request. Shopping at Real Black Friday 2 can have a ripple effect throughout the Cedar Valley. The BlackDemographics.com statistics illustrate how growth can encourage success and prosperity across a community. Church to sell meals Saturday WATERLOO The Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church kitchen committee ministry and the accessibility ramp fund committee will be selling dinners from noon to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at 202 Sumner St. The menu includes chicken dinners, $7; chitterlings dinners, $8.50; and fish dinners, $9. All dinners come with sides and dessert. For pick up or delivery in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area, call the church at 234-4927 or Sister West at 433-8118, for pre-orders. Santa to visit the Eagles Club CEDAR FALLS The Cedar Falls Eagles Auxiliary 4074, 2125 W. Lone Tree Road, will serve lunch from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday. The meal includes sloppy joes, pasta salad, chips, dessert and a drink. Offerings will be accepted. Santa and Mrs. Claus will visit from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Eagles Club. For $5, people can have a childs picture taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Everyone is welcome. Hearst Center to host jazz duo CEDAR FALLS Vocal and piano duo Stephanie Althof and Tom Tritle will return to the Hearst Center at 7 p.m. Thursday with the last of four Jazz with Steph and Tom concerts. The evenings performance will take an informal look at Music about New York City The Big Apple in Song. WATERLOO Police have arrested two men in a string of overnight business break-ins. Officers were sent to a burglar alarm at an auto shop on Dubuque Road around 1:35 a.m. Friday. Then a witness called police after spotting people attempting to force their way in to another auto shop on West 18th Street shortly after 3 a.m., and authorities detained Brady Joe Garrison and Derek Michael Brown in the area. During the investigation, police discovered other break-ins, and by sunrise, Garrison, 21, and Brown, 20, both of 3350 University Ave., were arrested for five counts of third-degree burglary. They were taken to the Black Hawk County Jail. Business that were hit include: 1st Call Lawn Care, 122 Black Hawk Road. Cedar Valley Auto Detailing, 1612 University Ave. Express Oil and Lube, 357 Fletcher Ave. Latino Auto Repair, 2009 Dubuque Road. Auto Pros, 179 W. 18th St. Waterloo police are also investigating two other business burglaries in which arrests havent been made. Around 9 a.m. Thursday, workers at Dixon Auto Repair, 1202 Lafayette St., reported a break-in. Someone had used a rock to smash a glass door and take the cash register. Also on Thursday morning, staff at Walnut Ridge Baptist Church, 1307 W. Ridgeway Ave., discovered a burglary. The suspect entered the building after breaking a window and then forced open the door to the pastors office and took a laptop computer and rifled through desks, according to police. CEDAR RAPIDS Iowa Democrats dont need to tear down their party and start over from scratch after a series of disastrous elections culminating in this falls failure to pick up congressional seats and the loss of their Senate majority. You can't blow everything up, political strategist Jessica Vanden Berg said. People have been doing this for a really long time. But I think people have to really become smarter and understand that there's new and inventive ways to do it. We have to do it as well or better as the Republicans are doing it. As bad as the election was for their party -- from the presidential race down to the Iowa legislative contests -- Democrats shouldnt panic, Democratic pollster and researcher Brad Anderson added. In fact, the director of President Barack Obamas 2012 Iowa campaign said there is reason for optimism as Democrats look ahead to the next election cycle. I know it feels really bad right now to be a Democrat in a lot of ways, he said during the taping of Iowa Public Televisions "Iowa Press" Friday afternoon. But at the end of the day, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by 2.5 million votes. Eighty thousand votes in a handful of battleground states and shed be President. Less than 10 years ago, Iowa Democrats controlled both chambers of the Iowa Legislature and the governors office, Anderson said, so I think I am incredibly optimistic about going into this midterm just if history is any guide. In the meantime, new Senate Minority Leader Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, said legislative Democrats will have to play defense while at the same time choosing issues on which to distinguish themselves. He doesnt think that will be hard because as much as he hopes the GOP majority governs wisely, Hogg suspects they will pursue a what I call 'right wing ideological experimentation' that will make Iowa the next Kansas where tax reform has created budget problems, including underfunding schools. If they govern wisely it makes it harder for us to get back to the majority, but it's a lot better for the state, he said. So I'm hoping thats the decision they make and well see what happens. Vanden Berg and Anderson said a key to Democrats finding their way back to the majority will be the selection of a new Iowa Democratic Party chair next month. Seven people are seeking the post. Having a chair who raises money, helps win elections and rebuilds the party is important, Hogg said. Its also important that Democrats step up and help take ownership right now and do it in a way that is smart and helps us win elections. Weve got great Democrats across the state, he said, and we need to keep people engaged, keep them involved and build that community of people who really get after it right. Iowa Press can be seen at 7:30 p.m. Friday night and at noon Sunday on IPTV, at 8:30 a.m. Saturday on IPTV World and online at www.IPTV.org. DES MOINES President-elect Donald Trumps victory tour includes a scheduled stop in Iowa. Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence are scheduled to hold a rally Thursday at the Iowa Events Center in downtown Des Moines, the Trump campaign confirmed Friday. Trump has been visiting various cities to celebrate his election victory and rally supporters across the country. He visitedcities in Ohio and Wisconsin and scheduled a stop in North Carolina. Trump won Iowa by nearly 10 percentage points en route to his Nov. 8 election victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton. Back in February, Trump finished second in the Iowa Republican caucuses to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. Iowa Democrats, in anticipation of Trumps visit, said at a Thursday news conference they think their role under President-elect Trump is to hold his administration accountable. Were asking for (Trump) to start acting like the president-elect and less like candidate Trump, Nate Boulton, an incoming Iowa state senator, said at a news conference at a Des Moines union hall. I think thats the point that were trying to make here: Going around doing continued rallies and continued tweeting seems to feel like a campaign more. We want to see that transition into governing and governing responsibly. Thursdays event is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Hy-Vee Hall in the Iowa Events Center. Free, first-come, first-served tickets are available at Trumps campaign website, donaldjtrump.com. CEDAR FALLS Peet Junior High School will host an animal-themed FIRST Lego League regional meet Saturday. Students will work on the Animal Allies challenge during tabletop matches using Lego Mindstorms robots they built and programmed. The event is a regional qualifier for the state-level Lego League competition Jan. 14 and 15 at Iowa State University. A total of 36 teams of up to 10 9- to 14-year-olds from will participate Saturday along with 16 Junior FIRST Lego League teams, which include 6- to 9-year-olds. Teams will come from Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Garner, Hudson, Jesup, Waukon, Elkader, Elgin, Waverly, Evansdale, Denver, Aplington, Shellsburg and Bettendorf The public is invited to attend at no cost. Peet is located at 525 E. Seerley Blvd. Opening ceremonies will be held at 9 a.m. and student competitions and presentations are expected to continue until about 3 p.m. Award ceremonies will be held about an hour later. Spectators can watch pairs of teams complete missions with their robots related to the theme on 4-foot by 8-foot tables. Scores are determined by how many missions are completed as well as by the presentations on the theme that teams make to a panel of judges. An ability to work together and demonstrate they are upholding FIRSTs core values are also important. FIRST is the guiding organization that puts together the annual challenges. Its name is an acronym of For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. ALTOONA A top House Republican on Friday told a tax group he expects the new GOP-led Legislature will take a fresh top to bottom look at Iowa tax policy with a special emphasis on revamping income taxes to make the state more competitive and attractive for job-creating investments. House Majority Leader Chris Hagenow, R-Windsor Heights, told an Iowa Taxpayer Association forum the 59 Republicans who will hold sway in the Iowa House for the next two years plan to hold a closed-door planning meeting at the Capitol next week to begin crafting the specifics of their 2017 session agenda with the 87th General Assembly slated to convene Jan. 9. There will be big bills this year and its going to be exciting to find out what were able to get done and what we cant, Hagenow told reporters after the ITA event. Were going to be bold, were going to do big things, but were going to do smart policy, were going to do it the right way and were going to work with everyone involved. Hagenow said funding water quality improvements and tackling difficult budget issues will be 2017 focuses but Republicans who now control both the House and Senate along with the governorship expect to spend a lot of time looking at ways to simplify and improve Iowas tax system. I think we are interested in making Iowas tax code fairer and reducing the burden on Iowa taxpayers, he said. Two Democrats Sen. Rob Hogg of Cedar Rapids and Rep. David Jacoby of Coralville who attended the ITA forum expressed a willingness to work on tax reform as long as the changes didnt merely shift the burden or undercut revenue available to fund critical government programs. I think there is room for tax reform. I think that would be positive, said Hogg, the Senates new minority-party leader, although he did not favor merely cutting income tax rates across-the-board as an option. He also said he hoped lawmakers could find bipartisan ground on tax policy and other issues where possible but he also accepted the reality the Republicans will run the show at the Statehouse for the next two years. Republicans in the Legislature can do anything they choose to do. Its going to be incumbent on them to choose wisely, Hogg said. If they decide to have Iowa become the next right-wing experimentation, if they want to go down an ideological path, they can do that. I hope they dont. I hope they govern from the middle. We dont want to replicate what Kansas has done. Jacoby said he hoped a comprehensive look at tax policy would include decoupling agricultural and residential properties for taxing purposes and he questioned whether lawmakers should revisit the backfill issue from the 2013 property tax cut that requires lost revenue for local entities to be replaced with income tax revenue. He also said he was not interested in robbing from the SAVE funds schools receive to finance water quality improvements. This week on the podcast, reporters discuss Democrats' rural outreach in Iowa, the GOP trifecta in Iowa government, and Donald Trump's "Thank You" tour, expected to come to Iowa soon. On Iowa Politics is a weekly news and analysis podcast which re-creates the conversations that happen when Iowa's political reporters get together after deadlines have been met. This week's show features James Q. Lynch, Ed Tibbetts, Christinia Crippes and Erin Murphy. WATERLOO Hundreds of winter coats are being donated to Waterloo Schools students this week thanks to the Downtown Waterloo Rotary Club. Led by former Waterloo School Board member Steve Thorpe and his wife, Liz, Operation Warm has provided thousands of students winter gear for years. On Tuesday, students at Highland and Lowell elementaries were given coats. On Wednesday, students at Cunningham and Lincoln elementaries received them, and Thursday items were handed out at Irving Elementary. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. The presence of the Russian military base in Armenia isnt a problem for NATO, William Lahue, Head of the NATO Liaison Office of South Caucasus announced during a seminar in Tsakhkadzor, organized by the Civic Consent NGO, titled Normalization of Armenia-Turkey relations, which was held under the assistance of the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Armenia. We understand that the military base has more of a political significance. NATO finds that it is a matter of Armenias decision. Within the framework of Partnership, NATO works with Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, it doesnt anyhow relate to other strategies, he said. Speaking about the agreement on forming unified Armenian-Russian forces (troops), Lahue once again emphasized it is a matter of sovereign decision of Armenia. NATO is a union of sovereign states, and we dont even tell member states as to what to do. Even if one of NATO member states wished to have a Russian military base in its territory, we wouldnt be able to stop them, though it would be a big concern for us. International relations and several issues of Turkeys domestic policy were also discussed at the seminar. WATERLOO The Childrens Celebration Choir at First Baptist Church of Waterloo will present Room for Christmas at 10:15 a.m. Sunday. It tells the story of a potentially disastrous church Christmas pageant. This Christmas musical is for the entire family and features soloists Sophia Lange, Jackson Satterlee and Josie Turner, along with 24 children in the chorus. CEDAR FALLS The Sanctuary Choir at Cedar Heights Community Presbyterian Church will present a cantata, Come to the Manger, at 3 p.m. Dec. 11. The cantata features settings of carols, woven together by narrators, sung by the 27-voice choir and accompanied by strings and woodwinds. It has become a tradition to open the cantata with a Christmas carol sing in which the audience has the opportunity to request carols. A cookie reception will follow the concert, with a time to visit and greet the musicians. The concert is free, and the public is welcome. The church is at 2015 Rainbow Drive. WATERLOO The men of Gift of Life Church will host the annual Mens Day celebration at 5 p.m. Sunday at the church, 1651 Sycamore St. Theme is No Man Left behind. Speakers will be Deacon Lavern Robinson of Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church and the Rev. Marshaundis Robinson of Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church. 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I got up from a deep sleep, for I stayed up late reading and it took a minute to gather my brain together. I could hear the wind blowing and realized that snow was falling. In fact it was a blizzard outside and drifting deep in the -10 below temperature. Boza who is fearless in most aspects of life barreled out into the blizzard and greeted life full on. No eyesight, but lots of heart We walked up the mountain and went to look at the wells to make sure water was okay! Then we found something strange Boza sees much of what I see, I do not know how, but there are things that can not be explained and this morning Boza and I found the spot that at least one Orthodox Saint is buried. Four rabbits were nested at the spot and they did not run or move when we came up. Boza was seeing something even though he can not see and hovering above these rabbits was an swirling something??? I soon found out what it was The rabbits looked at us in the flashlight beam and just snuggled deeper into the snow drift at the right back corner of the old blown up church. They did not care and or fear us. Boza went up to them and sniffed at them and the snow simply made everything very surreal as it swirled endlessly. It became twice as cold as it was and something seemed to touch me and that was when I saw what Boza had been drawn to In the snow above the rabbits was a fading in and out woman. The woman was dressed in typical habit like clothing. Or I should say, monk like clothing. She was dressed for the weather and was looking down at the rabbits. She swirled as an image in the powerful flashlight I carried and one minute she was there and the next gone and then back again. Then she looked at me She stared at me and then almost seemed to smiled. The cold went away, or at least the extra cold did and she pointed down next to the rabbits. The spot she pointed at was where a brick layer was exposed in the excavations of the church basement area and I had been studying this spot for sometime. As I took my foot and shoved snow away from the area, I felt her leave. The rabbits stayed still and watched me push the snow away and Boza stood next to the rabbits and looked up into the sky. I could not see what he was seeing and or if he saw anything in his mind. For Boza is very blind, but I really think she was talking to him at that point. I kept pushing snow I exposed the layer of brick and then realized what I had been shown. I knew it was there and for some reason, this morning I was shown her grave. This is the same way that I was shown the tunnel entrances, the cemetery and many other secretes of the monastery. I have yet to be wrong and when the past shows you their secretes, it is easy to be right There is some terrible things that have happened at this monastery, but then also there are some unbelievable things that have happened in its history. I have never seen and or felt this individual before, but as I have seen several images of this person in the archives of this monastery, I knew who this was. This was the original female leader of the founding monastery in the early 1900s and I do not know is this her place she was buried or she was pointing out for me to find, the spot of the Saint I knew to be buried here at the monastery! I do not know if she was a saint or not? The original female monastery was very short lived, for soon after the founding, the Soviet Union came into existence. Things got messed up at that point in history. I simply know that what I have been shown is a spot where someone who is or should have been a Saint is buried Then the rabbits took off, the presence was gone and Boza was trying to find me. I shined the light around and we found ourselves coated with an inch of snow. The bricks had already covered back over and I took a big rock and marked the spot. Come spring thaw, I will be able to find the exact spot this all happened. It is a cornerstone chunk of rock that was placed on the church foundation. I will be able to find it, it is huge This is why I am in this Tiny Russian Village! I knew this from the first day almost ten years ago that I visited this village. I realize no matter what happens in the world, no matter how bad it gets, I am safe in this village. Something talks to me here and something tells me its story. It is more than a single entity, it is many entities and over the years, I have been the reason for many to have reached their final resting time. When I first came to the Tiny Russian Village, it was overwhelming with an atmosphere of dread and grief. The souls walked in limbo and turmoil was in the air. It reached a peak in the early years I was here. They the Orthodox church had a bad individual overseeing the place and the souls screamed for help. Then I started to answer the best I could and grew to accept these entities around me here in the Tiny Russian Village There is still a group of buried souls, ones who helped steal the gold and silver and then murdered. I know that spot. They are fine with the past now and when the time is right, I will point the way to them. Time is a factor only to us living, to these past people, time is nothing. So I have to allow things to develop in my time frame and not theirs. They simply want someone to understand the circumstances behind their life and ending on earth What is? Is what is! WtR YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Bulgaria to Armenia Maria Pavlova Tzotzorkova-Kaymaktchieva presented her credentials to President Serzh Sargsyan on December 2, press service of the Presidential administration told Armenpress. President Sargsyan congratulated the Ambassador on her appointment and wished her success. Serzh Sargsyan said with satisfaction that the Armenian-Bulgarian inter-state relations have formed strong base due to the cultural ties and historical old friendship between the two people, the political and economic dialogue is actively developing. The President said this serves as a good base for further strengthening and deepening Armenia-Bulgaria ties. The Armenian President expressed hope the newly appointed Ambassador with her active work will contribute to the complete revelation and development of that relations and the potential of mutual cooperation in different sectors. Ambassador Maria Pavlova Tzotzorkova-Kaymaktchieva attached importance to fully utilize the opportunities provided by more than 5 dozen signed documents of the legal base formed between the two countries up to now and to expand the mutual cooperation. The sides exchanged views on the process of the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, as well as on the regional threats. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Armenia has exported nearly 2179 tons of miniature cattle meat to the Islamic Republic of Iran by December 2, 2016 against the 681.8 tons exported during the entire year of 2015. 1025 tons out of the 2179 was exported after September 22, Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Ministry of Agriculture of Armenia. Minister of Agriculture of Armenia Ignati Arakelyan had received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Iran to Armenia Seyyed Kazem Sajjad on October 18 to discuss future development between the two states. During the meeting the sides stressed the necessity to foster the activities of the inter-agency working group, highlighting activation of cooperation in the spheres of breeding, seed, development of greenhouses, floriculture and fisheries. Dec 1, 2016 | By Julia Multimedia artist Saurabh Datta has created an insightful installation revolving around a 3D printed ear. In Ears after all, a mounted hearing post listens to words spoken into it, then searches Wikipedia and online dictionaries for the meaning of those words, and how they may be relevant to its own existence. As the rigged 3D printed ear tries to make sense of its input and itself, the observer watches the task unfold as a projection from its backend what Datta has dubbed the backend terminal soul. How the machine records, listens, finds, and understands is all laid out in front of the observers eyes, via the projector terminal. Here a speaking post represents the audience, which recites poems containing words like hearing and sound. These are terms that the ear deems relevant to itself, which will then be searched online. A trained civil engineer and a graduate of the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design, Datta combines science, technology, design, and philosophy in his art. At the end, I'm a lifelong tinkerer and learn subjects during my process. My media is essentially the physical world, the being and the agency and not so much just the screen bits, he explains on his website. Ears after all follows a similar trajectory. Imagined as a project of curiosity in listening tech, Datta tells us that understanding how things work and displaying it in its true form is one goal of the installation. We are surrounded by technologies that the majority of us do not understand, Datta explains. They have become a ubiquitous part of our lives intentionally or unintentionally. Both by technocratic as well as marketing/consumerist decisions. We intend to use these technologies without understanding a basic brief[ing] of how they govern and impact our lives and opinions. Likewise, Ears after all attempts to understand how behaviors and underlying architecture can be deciphered with applying behavioral ascriptions a.k.a. metaphorical representations to working machines. In this way, Datta tells us, the installation also seeks the meaning of being a machine. To really understand we have to detach ourselves from being a being of our definitions, which means thinking both aesthetically and action-wise as a machine-subject. Taking a total of three weeks to construct from conception to final installation the speaking post is comprised of an Arduino nano, mp3 module, servo and speaker. The ear itself consists of a 3D printed ear shell, a hacked TP link router running openWRT, a usb sound card, microphone, ext root from a micro-sd card, rangefinder, Arduino nano and power module. Posted in Fun with 3D Printing Maybe you also like: Dec 2, 2016 | By Julia The beginnings of the worlds first piece of 3D printed space art hits smartphones and tablets today. Next stop? Earths outer hemisphere. Headed by Israeli digital artist Eyal Gever in collaboration with NASA contractor Made in Space, #Laugh is a global crowdsourced art project that will give us the first piece of art to be created in space. For such a groundbreaking project, the core concept is quite simple: a human laugh, visualized as sculpture. Its easy to take part: the first step is downloading the #Laugh app, which will enable users to record, visualize, and share their own laugh as a 3D model, or laugh star. The laugh star that gets the most online traction will be 3D printed aboard the International Space Stations zero-gravity 3D printer. As the #Laugh website explains, people from all around the world can record themselves laughing, visualize it via the #Laugh app and share it with their friends. The laughter with the most likes after one month will be sent to the International Space Station to be 3D-printed and then released into orbit. a visualized laugh sculpture Made possible by the new Additive Manufacturing Facility aboard the ISS the zero-gravity 3D printer by Made in Space and NASA the new #Laugh project is no joke. Gever will send the chosen sculpture design file from his Tel Aviv studio to the NASA Operations Support Centre in Alabama, which will pass along the laugh sculpture to the ISS via satellite. In development for the last two years, #Laugh began with a phone call from Made in Space, the NASA contractor established in 2010 with the central goal of enabling humanitys future in space. Gever was posed with the question, What would you do if you could create art in zero gravity? artist Eyal Gever Previously, the Israeli contemporary artist was best known for his life-like digital simulations of often dramatic or catastrophic moments in time, created as 3D printed sculptures and installations. Examples include scenarios such as tsunamis, bus crashes and oil spills, as well as more recent works like his 2015 projection "Waterdancer" (pictured above). This time, however, Gever decided to focus on subject matter that is decidedly more lighthearted, yet no less human. The earliest cave paintings were of human hands which were a way of proclaiming and celebrating the presence of humanity, Gever explains. #Laugh will be the 21st century version of that a mathematically accurate encapsulation of human laughter, simply floating through space, waiting to be discovered. The idea to create a 3D sculpture fabricated from a sound simulation of crowd-sourced laughter was born. Made in Space sees this initiative as fundamental to the coming space age. If humanity is one day soon to thrive in space, the NASA contractor reasons, then creating art and culture in space is equally as important as sending out people and the technology to support them. You can download the #Laugh app here. One month from now, one lucky chuckler will be chosen to have their laugh 3D printed in outer space, and released into orbit for eons to come. It could be you! Posted in Fun with 3D Printing Maybe you also like: OrbisResearch.com has published new research report on Global Autonomous Cars/ Driverless Cars Market Analysis And Segment Forecasts To 2024 to its database. The global autonomous cars market is expected to reach 138,089 units by 2024, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc. The growing acceptance of semi-autonomous technologies, such as Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), automatic parking, and forward collision avoidance, is anticipated to pave the way for the adoption of driverless automobiles over the next seven years. An upsurge in the demand for increased comfort and convenience, particularly in countries with an aging population, is expected to propel the driverless vehicles demand over the forecast period. Browse the report:http://www.orbisresearch.com/reports/index/autonomous-cars-driverless-cars-market-analysis-and-segment-forecasts-to-2024 Features offered by the driverless cars primarily include a considerable decline in the frequency of road accidents caused due to human errors and easy commute. The self-driving technology exhibits a huge potential, owing to its capability to improve on-road safety, lower the energy consumption, and reduce congestion. Autonomous cars offer enhanced safety and efficiency over the conventional automobiles. Furthermore, driverless cars are anticipated to substantially impact the energy usage and reduce pollution. Autonomous vehicles can improve the fuel economy by accelerating & decelerating more effortlessly as compared to human drivers. On the other hand, the high price of driverless vehicles may act as a hindrance for the market growth. The emotional implication of giving over personal safety and accountability to a machine may result in volatile public responses toward errors. The liability in case of accidents poses a key challenge for the government to address in advance to the adoption of autonomous cars. In addition to this, the penetration of driverless vehicles in taxis and other private point-to-point traveling industries is expected to increase the unemployment rate of drivers. Thus, the driverless vehicles are anticipated to witness mixed views. However, the increasing government support across the developed countries is expected to encourage the adoption of autonomous cars during the forecast period. Further key findings from the study suggest: North America is anticipated to dominate the market with over 40% of the volume share in 2017.The region is further anticipated to witness a considerable growth over the next seven years. This growth is primarily attributed to the growing acceptance of the self-driving cars on the public roads of the U.S. Alphabet Inc. is the first company to demonstrate the prototype in the U.S. and has been testing its automobiles in different weather conditions since 2009. Furthermore, the growing government support in amending the current policy to accommodate the driverless feature in automobiles is expected to clear gateway for its adoption. Request a sample of the report:http://www.orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/106373 Asia Pacific is expected to witness a sluggish growth as compared to North America and Europe. However, it is anticipated to grow substantially in the later phase of the forecast period due to the growing adoption of technologically advanced cars in China. In addition, the Japanese government has specifically laid down a plan for the successful self-driving vehicle deployment and is expected to catapult the product demand over the forecast period. For the initial adoption, the manufacturers are anticipated to target countries which have a lower population, including Singapore, the Netherlands, and Sweden, to better analyze the response toward the acceptance of the technology before deploying it in countries with a larger potential. This is ascribed to be a key factor for the considerable growth in the aforementioned countries. Furthermore, the Singaporean government has also proposed to build separate roads for driverless automobiles to accelerate the adoption. Buy the report@http://www.orbisresearch.com/contact/purchase/106373 Europe is a key region for the deployment of self-driving vehicles, owing to the high consumer preference for technologically advanced products. This region is estimated to hold more than 35% of the volume share in 2017. This is attributed to the presence of players such as Volvo, Volkswagen, PSA Peugeot Citroen, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in Germany and the UK. The European countries also focus on reducing pollution. The prominent industry participants include Apple Inc., Baidu Inc., Alphabet Inc., Tesla Motors, Inc., The Volvo Group, and Nissan Motor Company Ltd. The system developers focus on collaborating with the Body in White (BIW) providers to reduce the additional cost. Major points From table Of Contents: Chapter One: Methodology and Scope Chapter Two: Executive Summary Chapter Three: Parent Market Outlook Chapter Four: Autonomous Cars Industry Outlook Chapter Five: Semi-Autonomous Cars Automation Level Outlook Chapter Six: Autonomous Car Regional Outlook Chapter Seven: Competitive Landscape About Us: Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients. Media Contact Company Name: Orbis Research Contact Person: Hector Costello Email: sales@orbisresearch.com Phone: +1 (214) 884-6817 Address:4144N Central Expressway, Suite 600 City: Dallas State: Texas Country: United States Website: http://www.orbisresearch.com/reports/index/autonomous-cars-driverless-cars-market-analysis-and-segment-forecasts-to-2024 YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. The situation on Karabakh-Azerbaijan contact line and Armenia-Azerbaijan border is calm at the moment, spokesperson of the Defense Ministry of Armenia Artsrun Hovhannisyan told the reporters in Tavush Province. There is no tension. The shootings that generally occur during nigh hours and happen almost every day, of course in a small number, are within normality in some sense. This does not mean there is tension, Armenpress reports Hovhannisyan saying. He noted that those shootings are sometimes reported, but sometimes not, since they are not targeted shootings. As I already mentioned that situation is calm at the moment. The Armenian and NKR Armed Forces keep full control of the situation and follow the activities of the adversary, he said. IndexBox has just published a new report World: Salt Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2020. This report has been designed to provide a detailed analysis of the global salt market. It covers the most recent data sets of quantitative medium-term projections, as well as developments in production, trade, consumption and prices. From 2007 to 2015, global salt exports exhibited a pronounced growth trend, with the exception of minor declines in 2012 and 2015. Exports amounted to 2,467 million USD in 2015. There was an annual increase of +4.7% throughout the analyzed period. According to IndexBox estimates, the Netherlands remained the global leader in salt supplies. In 2015, salt exports from the Netherlands totaled 278 million USD, which accounted for an 11% share in terms of global exports. Germany, Chile, Canada, and Mexico were the other key global suppliers of salt in 2015, with a 29% combined share of global exports. Chile (+24.4% per year) and Canada (+9.5% per year) were the fastest growing exporters from 2007 to 2015. Chile strengthened its position in terms of global salt exports, growing its share from 2% in 2007 to 8% in 2015. Meanwhile, USA (20%, based on value terms), Japan (11%), China (7%), the Republic of Korea (4%), and Germany (4%) were the leading destinations of salt imports in 2015. Imports to China grew at a rapid pace of +20.5% per year from 2007 to 2015. By contrast, Germany slightly contracted its imports of salt over the same period. The share of the USA in terms of global imports increased significantly (+9 percentage points), while the share of Japan illustrated negative dynamics (-4 percentage points). TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 REPORT DESCRIPTION 1.2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2.1 KEY FINDINGS 2.2 MARKET TRENDS 3. MARKET OVERVIEW 3.1 MARKET VOLUME AND VALUE 3.2 CONSUMPTION BY COUNTRY 3.3 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES BY COUNTRY 3.4 MARKET FORECAST TO 2020 4. PRODUCTION 4.1 PRODUCTION IN 2007-2015 4.2 PRODUCTION BY COUNTRY 5. IMPORTS 5.1 IMPORTS IN 2007-2015 5.2 IMPORTS BY COUNTRY 5.3 IMPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY 6. EXPORTS 6.1 EXPORTS IN 2007-2015 6.2 EXPORTS BY COUNTRY 6.3 EXPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY 7. PROFILES OF MAJOR PRODUCERS 3 easy ways to order Follow the link below to review a free sample or to buy the report: http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/world-salt-market-report-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020/ Call us +44 20 3239 3063 to discuss your information needs and for special discounts on multi-report orders Email your order to info@indexbox.co.uk Price: 1490 EUR for Single License Source: http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/world-salt-market-report-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020/ Media Contact Company Name: IndexBox Marketing Contact Person: Inna Ivonina Email: info@indexbox.co.uk Phone: +44 20 3239 3063 Country: United Kingdom Website: www.indexbox.co.uk Altech Submits Mining Proposal and Mine Closure Plan Perth, Dec 2, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Altech Chemicals Limited ( ASX:ATC ) (Altech/the Company) is pleased to advise that further to its 20 May 2016 announcement of the grant of mining lease M70/1334 at Meckering, Western Australia the Company has now submitted a mining proposal (MP) and mine closure plan (MCP) to the Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP). The submission marks the next stage of development of the Company's proposed Meckering kaolin mine, which will provide feedstock for its proposed Malaysian high purity alumina (HPA) plant. Highlights - Meckering mining proposal and mine closure plan submitted to DMP - Proposed mining activity is a simple quarry style operation, no drill and blast required - Two month mining campaign first 3 years kaolin feedstock - Year-round kaolin container loading operation at Meckering site - Containers shipped to HPA plant in Johor via port of Fremantle, Western Australia At Meckering, Altech is planning to mine approximately 140,000 tonnes of kaolin once every three years; mining will take place in short two-month mining campaigns. The resultant raw kaolin ore will be stockpiled, then containerised into standard shipping containers at the rate of approximately 42,055tpa and shipped to Johor, Malaysia via the port of Fremantle, Western Australia. The Company's Meckering mining lease M70/1334 contains a Mineral Resource estimation of 12.7 million tonnes @ 29.5% Al2O3 (alumina) in the minus 300 micron kaolin fraction with a cut-off grade of 25% Al2O3 (refer Table 1 in the link below). This represents over 250 years of feedstock supply for the Company's proposed HPA plant. Based on the Mineral Resource, a maiden Ore Reserve of 1.2 million tonnes @ 30% Al2O3 (alumina) in the minus 300 micron kaolin fraction with a cut-off grade of 25% Al2O3 was estimated (refer Table 1 in the link below). The Ore Reserve will support an initial 30-year mine life based on 4,000tpa of HPA production. Mine development at Meckering is expected to commence in approximately 12 months, subject to funding and approvals. Altech managing director Mr Iggy Tan said, "The Company is delighted to have rapidly progressed to the next stage of development at Meckering, with the submission of a mining proposal and an associated mine closure plan in preparation for mine development in 2017. "The submission marks another important step in the development of the Company's HPA project", Mr Tan concluded. Mining Proposal The relatively low annual tonnage of kaolin feedstock required for the proposed HPA plant means that the Meckering mine will be a simple quarry style operation. No blasting is required due to the highly weathered nature of the kaolin mineralisation. The mine plan, pit design and associated Ore Reserve for the proposed Meckering mine confirms a 30-year mine life at Meckering, providing over 1.2Mt of high-quality, alumina-rich kaolin feedstock to supply the proposed HPA plant. Proposed Site Layout The Company's proposed Meckering site layout was designed to optimise the proposed mining, haulage, waste placement, water storage and site rehabilitation. The run of mine (ROM) stockpile is designed to hold around 140,000t of material and will be located directly adjacent of the kaolin mine. Mined ore will be hauled directly from the mining area to the ROM stockpile. A lay down yard adjacent to the ROM will be used to fill standard 20' containers, which will be loaded onto trucks for transportation to Fremantle port. A conventional truck/excavator open pit mining method was selected due to the near surface presence of the kaolin ore. The flat-lying nature of the deposit will allow mining to proceed at a constant strip ratio. The Meckering container loading facility will consist of a: - conventional front end wheel loader (3.5m3 bucket), which will be used to reclaim the kaolin ore from the ROM stockpile; - trommel unit, which will screen the kaolin ore and reject any material >12mm; - telescopic conveyor unit that will extend the full length of a 20' container and slowly retract during loading, enabling consistent distribution of the kaolin ore along the length of the container; - loading shed to house the above screening equipment; and - an office space, which includes lunch room and toilet facilities. Once loading of the container is complete, it is lifted and stacked in the loading yard by a heavy-duty forklift. This forklift is also utilised for truck loading and unloading empty containers. Site Facilities The Meckering container loading facility is a two-man operation that is intended to operate on weekdays during daylight hours throughout the year. The facility consists of a loading shed, an office/lunchroom and toilet facility, and an area designated for the loading and unloading of containers. Potable water is trucked to the site and stored in a potable water tank. Electrical requirements are met by a small diesel generator. Diesel storage facilities and bowser allow for refuelling of mobile equipment, light vehicles and generators. Transport Route The Company's Meckering tenement M70/1334 is located approximately 130km east of Perth and 8km south-east of the town of Meckering in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. The tenement is accessible via a number of well-maintained gazetted public roads, which link directly to the Great Eastern Highway (as per Figure 4 in the link below). The distance from the Meckering site to the Fremantle port is approximately 150km. Haulage of approximately 42,000tpa of containerised kaolin ore from the Meckering site will be undertaken by Altech's freight partner, Seatram. To view tables and figures, please visit: http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/KTR000GC About Altech Chemicals Ltd Altech Chemicals Limited (ASX:ATC) (FRA:A3Y) is aiming to become one of the world's leading suppliers of 99.99% (4N) high purity alumina (Al2O3) through the construction and operation of a 4,500tpa high purity alumina (HPA) processing plant at Johor, Malaysia. Feedstock for the plant will be sourced from the Company's 100%-owned kaolin deposit at Meckering, Western Australia and shipped to Malaysia. HPA is a high-value, high margin and highly demanded product as it is the critical ingredient required for the production of synthetic sapphire. Synthetic sapphire is used in the manufacture of substrates for LED lights, semiconductor wafers used in the electronics industry, and scratch-resistant sapphire glass used for wristwatch faces, optical windows and smartphone components. Increasingly HPA is used by lithium-ion battery manufacturers as the coating on the battery's separator, which improves performance, longevity and safety of the battery. With global HPA demand approximately 19,000t (2018), it is estimated that this demand will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30% (2018-2028); by 2028 HPA market demand will be approximately 272,000t, driven by the increasing adoption of LEDs worldwide as well as the demand for HPA by lithium-ion battery manufacturers to serve the surging electric vehicle market. Lithium project company formed Brisbane, Dec 2, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - China Magnesium Corporation Limited ( ASX:CMC ) ("CMC" or "the Company") advises that it has formed the project company ("CMC Lithium") for its Greenbushes Lithium project and agreed to assign its rights in the project to CMC Lithium. Highlights: - Greenbushes Lithium project company formed, including assignment of rights in the project to the new company. - Key milestone for securing the balance of RMB 5.25 million (~A$1m) in funding for the Greenbushes project. - E 70/4845 has been granted its exploration license, together with consent to deal in the tenement being received from the Department of Mines and Petroleum. - E 70/4846 is also well advanced and is expected to be granted shortly. - SMH currently in WA with Executive Director Liang Xinping and Corporate Adviser Damien Kelly These are key milestones for setting up CMC's joint venture with Shanghai Min Heng Science & Technology Development Company Limited a company associated with a diversified Chinese lithium concentrate producer and processor ("SMH"). CMC has now satisfied all key milestones it is required to meet under the framework agreement prior to SMH injecting of the balance of its agreed RMB 5.25 million (~A$1m) in funding. SMH arrived in WA on the 29th November to meet with CMC's executive director Liang Xinping and CMC's corporate adviser Damien Kelly from Western Tiger to progress completion of formal agreements and finalise exploration plans The project tenements are located in the world-class Greenbushes area of Western Australia, home to the world's largest hard rock lithium mine, and are considered prospective for large, pegmatite-hosted lithium and tantalum deposits. The tenements were selected by CMC due to their close proximity to Greenbushes mine and the very limited historical exploration for lithium over the application area. E 70/4845, has now been granted its exploration license, together with consent to deal in the tenement being received from the Department of Mines and Petroleum. E 70/4846 is also well advanced, and is expected to be granted its exploration license shortly. CMC managing director, Mr Tom Blackhurst, said that CMC has been fortunate to have secured tenure in a highly prospective area, where opportunities are increasingly rare, together with a strategic joint venture partner of SMH's calibre. "SMH have recognized the obvious potential of our Greenbushes project, and were chosen to be our strategic joint venture partner because of their strong technical and financial capabilities in the lithium space. "This is a low-risk, low-cost opportunity which CMC has secured using its extensive networks and relationships within China and Australia," said Mr Blackhurst. Location and Background The Greenbushes area was first discovered as a resource of alluvial tin in the late 19th century. Subsequently, the source of the tin was recognised to be a series of pegmatites, which also contain tantalite (tantalum) and spodumene (lithium-rich mineral); the Greenbushes pegmatites belong to the Lithium-Caesium-Tantalum family. The modern Greenbushes Talison hard rock mine was established in 1983, initially focused on tantalum production, however the primary sales product is now lithium. Talison was taken over by Chinese lithium producer Chengdu Tianqi in 2012. CMC Lithium's Greenbushes project comprises two tenements E 70/4845 and E 70/4846 ("Tenements"). The south west corner of E 70/4846 is only 2 km from the eastern boundary of one of the mining leases owned by Tianqi/Talison, owners of the world's largest hard rock lithium mine located 9 km to the south west. E 70/4845 is located 13 km to the west of the Talison mine. The Tenements cover approximately 74 km2 in total. The Tenements are considered prospective for pegmatite-hosted lithium and tantalum deposits, being situated in the same geological terrane near to the world's largest spodumene mine at Greenbushes. The Tenements were selected by CMC due to their close proximity to Greenbushes mine and the very limited historical exploration for lithium over the application area. CMC has been fortunate to have secured rights to such ground in an area known for its world-class lithium potential, when opportunities for new tenement applications are increasingly rare. The Tenements' geology is characterised by various types of Archaean rocks such as porphyritic monazites, banded migmatite and quartz biotite gneiss that are considered prospective to host pegmatites. Any unexposed pegmatites that may exist within the Tenements are likely to be obscured by a thick lateritic crust and younger sedimentary cover (partially explaining the lack of lithium exploration to date), possibly including Permian-aged coal in the eastern parts of E 70/4846. Further information Further details in respect of the Greenbushes project, SMH, the funding and framework agreement with SMH, the proposed exploration strategy and the proposed CMC Lithium team are set out in CMC's announcement dated 29 September 2016. CMC remains focussed on becoming a large, low cost, integrated producer of magnesium, semi coke, tar oil and other industrial products, but we will continue to take advantage of any synergistic or value-adding opportunities as they present themselves. The securing of this Greenbushes project, introduced through our Australian network, and funded via our Chinese network, is just an example of this. The A$1 million in funding from SMH is in addition to CMC's recent $2m rights issue, which closed on 23 November and will be fully subscribed once underwriting commitments are received. For further information (in relation to the Greenbushes Lithium Project only), please contact: Damien Kelly Western Tiger Corporate Advisers T: +61-7-5531-1808 To view figures, please visit: http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/966IMP4W About China Magnesium Corporation Ltd China Magnesium Corporation Limited (ASX:CMC) owns a 91.25% interest in CMC China which owns a 100% interest in a magnesium ingot production operation. The operations are licensed to expand output to 105,000tpa, which would make it one of the world''s largest magnesium producers. Studies have been completed which indicate a positive environment for CMC to conduct a major expansion of its magnesium operations. CMC has converted its existing coal to gas plants to 5 semi-coke crackers (total semi-coke capacity 200,000 tpa) at the site of its existing 20,000 tpa capacity magnesium plant. Waste gas from semi-coke production is now used to provide the energy source required to produce magnesium. Consequently the combined semi-coke and magnesium plants are expected to significantly lower production costs than for magnesium-only production using the coal-to-gas facilities as originally envisaged when the magnesium plant was built. Clark Schaeffer staff ChuckWagner Shortly before the Thanksgiving holiday, Top 100 accounting firmClark Schaefer Hackettheld their annual company-wide meeting in Ohio, concluding with firm professionals assembling over 60 bicycles for children in the local community. Joined byTeam Builders Plusand theirWheels for the Worldcampaign, professionals broke into groups and built the bicycles and presented them to students from the Wilmington City School District. Bettering our communities is part of our firms mission, said Carl Coburn, president of Clark Schaefer Hackett, per a statement. We could have done any number of different activities during our company meeting, but we wanted to do something that would directly benefit people. Were so grateful that we could make a difference for these children and their families. Founded in 1938, Clark Schaefer Hackett is one of the 60 largest CPA and advisory firms in the country, with six offices in Ohio and one serving Kentucky. For more, head to the firm'ssite here. The Internal Revenue Service plans to improve its program to provide copies of false tax returns to victims of tax-related identity theft, according to a recent report. The report, from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, noted that in some cases IRS employees had made processing errors in its Fraudulent Return Request Program, including not filing requests in a timely manner, not providing taxpayers with copies of the return, and not redacting all the necessary information from returns. The Fraudulent Return Request Program was created in November 2015 to allow ID theft victims to request copies of the tax returns that had been fraudulently filed using their identities. The IRS has received over 5,000 requests for returns since then, and from an audit that TIGTA conducted on a sample of those, it concluded that as many as a tenth, or 498, of those could contain processing errors. Following its audit, TIGTA recommended that the IRS ensure that its staff timely and accurately process requests, and that it implement an automated process to redact fraudulent returns to remove personally identifiable information before they are provided to ID theft victims. The IRS agreed with both recommendations, and said that it planned to take fix the issues identified, in part by updating internal guidelines and creating new training materials. The government should do everything in its power to assist victims of identity theft, said J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, in a statement. This includes the accurate and timely processing of identity theft victims requests for copies of fraudulent tax returns. A roundup of our favorite recent tax fraud cases. Stillwell, Kan.: Preparer Richard Drake has been sentenced to 48 months in prison for stealing clients identities and federal income tax refunds falsely claimed in their names. According to court documents, Drake used three of his clients personal IDs to file false federal income tax returns that claimed inflated refunds. As part of his scheme, Drake prepared accurate federal returns for these clients, which he provided to them but did not file with the IRS. He then had these clients make estimated tax payments to the IRS during the year. Once it was time to file on behalf of his clients, Drake filed false returns with the IRS that underreported his clients income and claimed false expenses to generate large refunds, which he directed to accounts under his control. Drake pleaded guilty in June to one count of aggravated ID theft and one count of theft of government funds. As part of his plea agreement, Drake agreed to serve 48 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and to pay restitution of $2,432,147 to the IRS and $98,087 to the Kansas Department of Revenue. Worcester, Mass.: Preparer Lydia Torres, 45, has been accused of stealing roughly $400,000 after filing phony returns by using stolen IDs from people in Puerto Rico, according to court records cited in news reports. Torres owned and operated Divonne Multi Service and prepared returns for clients, reports said, adding that she pleaded guilty last year to one count each of ID theft and conspiracy to file false claims. Torres received checks from the IRS and she gave them to one of her co-conspirators who either cashed or deposited the checks, according to reports that added that Torres received $300 to $500 for each phony return. Authorities reportedly said that Torres filed at least $400,000 in false claims and used the names of at least 50 people. Elizabeth City, N.C.: Preparer Geri Zaler has been cleared of a 12-year-old charge of embezzling from a former employer, according to published reports. The case gainst Zaler, who operates under the name The Tax Lady, was reportedly dismissed by the local district attorneys office last fall due to a lack of evidence. According to reports, Zaler was charged with embezzlement after being pulled over by a police officer for speeding; a records check uncovered an arrest warrant for embezzlement against her that had never been served. The warrant reportedly alleged that she had stolen more than $13,000 from a local Jackson Hewitt office in 2004. While taxes did not seem to be one of the top issues in the November elections, both presidential candidates included a variety of tax proposals in their platforms. Also, there were a few tax-related initiatives on state ballots. With Republicans in control of both the White House and Congress, there may be some greater success in getting tax legislation enacted. Still, Republicans do not have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, and Republican congressional leaders and the new president do not appear to be united on all aspects of President-elect Trumps tax proposals. INDIVIDUAL TAX CUTS President-elect Trump has focused his tax proposals on lowering both individual and business tax rates in order to try to stimulate economic growth. His proposals include reducing the individual marginal rate tax brackets to three rates: 12, 25 and 33 percent. This is an increase from the current bottom rate of 10 percent, but a decrease from the current top rate of 39.6 percent. These rates are in line with Republican congressional proposals and therefore are likely to survive as part of any tax reform effort in Congress. Trump has also proposed to more than double the standard deduction to $15,000 for single individuals and $30,000 for joint filers. This would be tied to an elimination of the deduction for personal exemptions and the head of household filing status. For some taxpayers, such as single parents, the elimination of the personal exemptions and the head of household filing status could cost more than the increase of the standard deduction would offset. Congressional Republicans may be inclined to rework this formula somewhat. BUSINESS TAX CUTS On the business side, President-elect Trump has proposed a reduction in the top corporate tax rate to 15 percent and to also extend this 15 percent top rate to all business income, such as that from pass-through entities and sole proprietorships. This would therefore reduce the top rate for corporations from the current 35 percent to 15 percent and reduce the top rate applied to business income from pass-through entities and sole proprietorships from a top ordinary income tax rate of 39.6 percent to 15 percent. Trump has suggested that, in exchange for the lower tax rate on non-corporate business income, some sort of tax, like the tax on dividends, would be applied to distributions of business income. While Congressional Republicans have supported a reduction in the corporate tax rate, their proposals have tended to be more in the 22 to 25 percent range to try to maintain revenue neutrality. Trumps proposals are projected to add significantly to the deficit, although his advisors counter that economic growth resulting from the tax cuts would offset additions to the deficit. There will probably be some compromises in the final corporate rate proposed. The concept of extending the 15 percent rate to other business income has not been included in Congressional Republican proposals. It could create incentives to try to convert ordinary income to business income, such as by reclassifying employees as independent contractors. The Trump campaign has stated that they would hope to include provisions to prevent this but have not provided any specifics. It is not clear that Congressional Republicans are ready to endorse this proposal, with concerns about the deficit also being a factor here. THE ACA President-elect Trump has stated that one of his first priorities would be to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. This would apparently mean the repeal of all of the taxes associated with the act. These would include the 3.8 percent tax on net investment income, the additional 0.9 percent Medicare tax on wages and self-employment income, the penalties on individuals for failure to obtain health insurance and on employers for failure to offer affordable health insurance, the Cadillac tax on overly generous health plans, and the medical device excise tax. It would also, however, eliminate the premium assistance credit and the small business health insurance credit. Congressional Republicans have long advocated repeal of the ACA, but have not been very specific about what would replace it. President-elect Trump has outlined some basic elements of a replacement plan, but it probably needs to be fleshed out much more before enactment. It is possible, however, that the Congress might try again to repeal the act without a detailed replacement in place, and Trump might support that effort. THE ESTATE AND GIFT TAX President-elect Trump has also proposed the repeal of the federal estate and gift tax. This is also a position long advocated by Congressional Republicans and could be enacted in the new Congress. Trump proposed that, as part of repeal, stepped-up-basis on death would be disallowed for taxable gains in excess of $10 million. PROPOSALS ON CHILD CARE President-elect Trump has outlined a set of proposals to provide tax assistance for child care. He would create a new above-the-line deduction for child and dependent care expenses. He also proposes to increase the Earned Income Tax Credit for working parents through a spending rebate. He has proposed the creation of Dependent CARE Savings Accounts with individual contributions matched 50 percent by government contributions. On the business side, he has also proposed to increase the annual cap for the business tax credit for on-site childcare, with a reduced recapture period. While in many ways these look more like Democratic than Republican proposals, these tax breaks are likely to garner bipartisan support in Congress. OTHER INDIVIDUAL PROPOSALS In order to somewhat offset the cost of his proposed tax reductions, Trump has proposed to impose a cap on the amount of itemized deductions that could be claimed on a tax return at $100,000 for single filers and $200,000 for joint filers. The idea of limiting itemized deductions has been an element of tax reform proposals, although fundamental tax reform proposals have suggested completely eliminating or at least limiting a number of the individual itemized deductions. Trump has also proposed eliminating the Alternative Minimum Tax. This idea has generally had congressional support, with the main issue here usually being what to come up with to offset the lost revenue. OTHER BUSINESS PROPOSALS Trump has proposed taxing carried interests of private equity fund managers at capital gain rates, rather than ordinary income rates. This was also one of Hillary Clintons proposals. This Trump proposal appears to be somewhat in conflict with his proposal to tax business income at a 15 percent tax rate, which would be even lower than the top capital gains tax rate. The Trump campaign has said that they would expect to address this issue as well, but have not provided any specific details. President-elect Trump has proposed to eliminate certain unspecified corporate tax expenditures, although indicating that the Research & Development Credit would be spared. Congressional tax reform proposals have generally included the elimination of many corporate tax breaks as part of the cost of lowering corporate tax rates. However, corporate lobbyists continue to pressure for preservation of their favorite tax breaks. He has proposed a doubling of the Code Sec. 179 small-business expensing election to $1 million. Trump has also proposed the immediate deduction of all new investments in a business, which has also been endorsed by congressional tax reform/simplification advocates. This proposal would, however, seem to eliminate the need for the Code Sec. 179 proposal. President-elect Trump has proposed to eliminate the deduction of interest. This idea has not been part of most tax reform proposals, but it could be considered as the Congress and the Internal Revenue Service try to deal with the reclassification of debt as equity in abusive situations. On the international front, Trump has proposed a one-time deemed repatriation tax of 10 percent on corporate profits of U.S. multinational corporations being held offshore. Various versions of a repatriation tax have been proposed by both Congressional Republicans and Democrats, sometimes as part of international tax reform, other times to pay for infrastructure improvements. Some version of a repatriation tax is likely to be included in any tax legislation in the new Congress. STATE TAX INITIATIVES A few states had tax-related ballot initiatives. California had propositions on the ballot to impose fees for plastic bags. Oregon had a proposal to increase the tax on corporate sales by out-of-state businesses. Many states this year have proposals related to marijuana. California, Massachusetts and Nevada had approved proposals to legalize marijuana for recreational use. While not directly a tax issue, these proposals have tended to be a revenue source for the states that enact them. With the federal government continuing to view marijuana as a controlled substance, these state approvals also raise federal tax issues for marijuana businesses operating in these states. OTHER TAX ISSUES Congress has a number of tax legislative proposals already before it. These include a package of tax breaks that expire at the end of 2016. Also included is a package of retirement savings enhancements, a bill to prevent stock options from being taxed until the stock is sold, a limit on IRS asset seizure authority, an exclusion from tax for qualified student loan discharges for students who have died or suffered a permanent disability, and tax breaks for 2016 flooding and hurricane victims. It is not clear if any of these will be taken up in the lame duck session or left until early 2017. A bill permitting employers to continue to offer health reimbursement arrangements to their employees without penalties imposed by the Affordable Care Act may not be needed if that act is repealed. SUMMARY Although the Republican position in both houses of Congress will be somewhat weaker in the new Congress than the current Congress, they retain the majority in both houses and are therefore likely to wait until the new Republican administration is inaugurated in January 2017 to push for tax legislation, rather than make any significant effort in the lame duck session. It would be expected, however, that a Republican Congress and Republican administration will make a significant effort at tax reform in 2017 that is likely to include many of President-elect Trumps proposals, even if in somewhat modified form to try to come closer to a revenue-neutral bill. The Democrats in the Senate continue to have sufficient numbers to threaten a filibuster; however, revenue items can often be put on a track that requires only a simple majority for approval. George G. Jones, JD, LL.M, is managing editor, and Mark A. Luscombe, JD, LL.M, CPA, is principal analyst, at Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Spokesperson of MoD Armenia Artsrun Hovhannisyan has detailed on the agreement of the creation of Armenian-Russian joint military corps. In an interview with reporters in Tavush Province Hovhannisyan told that no new unit will be created by the new agreement. Here we are talking about the units of the Russian military base located in Armenia which will be joint by the 5th Armenian Corps under some particular circumstances, Armenpress reports Hovhannisyan saying. He added that Major General Andranik Makaryan will be the commander of the Corps in peace times, while in case of a war the issues of commandership and management will be decided by the Supreme Commanders of both states. By Joseph Jankowski Last week, the Washington Post promoted the claims of a shadowy, anonymous organization that smears dozens of U.S. alternative media websites that are critical of the current order of establishment politics as being routine peddlers of Russian propaganda. The WaPo article titled Russian propaganda effort helped spread fake news during election, experts say cites a report from a website that calls itself PropOrNot, which claims that millions of Americans have been deceived this year in a massive Russian misinformation campaign. The shadowy groups report provides a list of what they have deemed Russian disinformation outlets that includes alternative news sources like Drudge Report, Zero Hedge, Infowars, Activist Post, and The Ron Paul Institute. Many of the websites on the list are Clinton-critical left-wing pages, libertarian venues, U.S. foreign policy critics and outlets simply attempting to seek the truth. Here is PropOrNots full list of websites deemed disinformation: This would be the second alternative media hit list to circulated the mainstream media this month since fake news has come into the spotlight post-presidential election. So, what do some of these alternative voices in the media think about the Russian Propagandist label they received from this organization? Firstly, the notion that Activist Post is designed to support Russia in any way is absurd, a representative from ActivistPost.com told Planet Free Will. We can only guess that this is an effort to intimidate independent voices into following the establishment narrative. Activist Post is a long-running alternative news page that prides itself on exposing mainstream media disinformation and laying bare current U.S. foreign policy for its readers. The popular website, which has over 540,000 likes on Facebook, went on to tell PFW that this type of blacklisting of alternative media is a display of authoritarianism. That is not what true journalism is about. True journalism asks difficult questions and offers counter perspectives. If that concept becomes so offensive to corporate or government interests that they must establish lists of violators, then they have chosen a path toward authoritarianism. It is a shameful position for them to take and still claim to be objective promoters of a free press and freedom of speech, the Activist Post rep. told us. Tim Brown of FreedomOutpost.com, a website also mentioned on the PropOrNot list, told Planet Free Will that the attempt to smear independent news signals the death of the corporate media. I think it signals the fact that the old dinosaurs of corporately controlled rags and television are dying a slow death and are being challenged by citizen journalists, Brown said. While some sites in the list do put out some bad headlines and fail to deliver what they promise, many of the sites listed source what they write, often times pointing to the very people who are attacking them. Brown believes that this type of blacklisting is an attempt by the mainstream media and the establishment to cover up its own hypocrisy. It tells you these people have been exposed for their hypocrisy and they dont like it, Brown told PFW. So, instead of dealing truthfully about the propaganda they have been engaging in, they point the fingers at those who are actually exposing corruption and criminality in the central government.something that is supposed to be their job. Some of the outlets on the list are taking the Russian propagandist label with honor and excitement. Im very excited about all this, and I plan to send a large invoice to the Russian Embassy, Ezra Levant of the popular Canadian news site TheRebel.Media told Planet Free Will. I just hope they dont look at our dozens of videos criticizing Putins invasion and annexation of Ukraine, and Gazproms abusive monopoly in Europe. Michael Krieger, the sole voice behind LibertyBlitzkrieg.com, says that he is honored to be included in the list. I have to admit Im quite honored to see that Liberty Blitzkrieg was recently included on a list of some of the most illustrious, impactful and successful alternative news websites on the planet, Krieger wrote in an article last week. Krieger says the list and its coverage in the mainstream press represents the lashing out at alternative news outlets deemed most effective in countering the smothering and nonsensical pro-Hillary narrative tirelessly propagated by the fake mainstream news media. Krieger writes: Whats particularly interesting about this list, isnt the fact that a bunch of anonymous whiners decided to demonize successful critics of insane, inhumane and ethically indefensible U.S. government policy, but rather the fact that the Washington Post decided to craft an entire article around such a laughably ridiculous list. This just further proves a point that is rapidly becoming common knowledge amongst U.S. citizens with more than a couple of brain cells to rub together. The mainstream media is the real fake news. Michael Kriegers assessment of the WaPo article rings similar to the one Glenn Greenwald of The Intercept wrote over the weekend, in which he said: This Post report was one of the most widely circulated political news articles on social media over the last 48 hours, with dozens, perhaps hundreds, of U.S. journalists and pundits with large platforms hailing it as an earth-shattering expose. It was the most-read piece on the entire Post website on Friday after it was published. Yet the article is rife with obviously reckless and unproven allegations, and fundamentally shaped by shoddy, slothful journalistic tactics. It was not surprising to learn that, as BuzzFeeds Sheera Frenkel noted, a lot of reporters passed on this story. Its huge flaws are self-evident. But the Post gleefully ran with it and then promoted it aggressively, led by its Executive Editor Marty Baron: The ultra popular financial news website Zero Hedge, who ranks in the top 100 U.S. media publications, has described the mainstream media as desperate and flailing in its attempt to label independent voices as Russian propaganda. Zero Hedge writes: While this latest spin on the so-called narrative will certainly backfire, and accelerate the demise of the mainstream medias efforts to maintain credibility and control of the American mindset which it painfully lost with their lies during the presidential campaign not to mention eyeballs and ad revenue, we remain fascinated by the so called liberal lefts relentless charges that Trump will unleash a massive censorship assault on the free press when the free press itself is doing everything in its power to squash dissenting voices. To which all we can add is that it is a good thing that said power is declining with every passing day. In a thank you note to its readers last week, Zero Hedge made it clear to its readers that the outlet does not, and has never had any financial, political, or any other affiliation or relation to an external entity or organization and takes no money from the KGB. Rather, Zero Hedge says its goal is to objectively relay news-worthy information for its visitors. PlanetFreeWill.com has also come under attack by the MSM recently when the New York Times last week tried to discredit an article by PFW reporter Stefanie MacWilliams that covered the Pizzagate open source investigation and discussion taking place on forum boards around the Internet. MacWilliams piece was labeled a fake news article for covering the facts surrounding the Pizzagate controversy. In an article covering the NYTs attack I would write: It is clear that there is a war going on between the sell out mainstream press who have totally discredited themselves over the course of the recent presidential campaign by spreading misinformation and a steady stream of divisive identity politics and the rising independent press that is rooting itself on the internet. With only 6% of Americans having trust in outlets like the New York Times, it is clear that the fake news label placed on sites like Planet Free Will, Zero Hedge, Infowars, Breitbart, Activist Post, and more, is a tactic to discredit the competition that is making the mainstream media obsolete. It looks like the blacklisting and overall attempt to discredit these alternative voices in the media is not going to put a hamper on the future of their operations. In fact, while most of them take the nasty labels of Russian propaganda and fake news with pride and recognize they are contributing to the demise of the mainstream, lying media, they will surely and confidently continue to do what they have been doing all along: telling the truth in a time of universal deceit. Joseph Jankowski is a contributor for PlanetFreeWill.com. His works have been published by recognizable alternative news sites like GlobalResearch.ca, ActivistPost.com, PrisonPlanet.com and ZeroHedge.com. Follow Planet Free Will on Twitter @ twitter.com/PlanetFreeWill Subscribe to our newsletter The Information Leak By Mac Slavo It was like a scene straight out of Mr. Robot. A massive hack attack took nearly a million people offline, cutting them off in an Internet outage that proves how vulnerable our lives have really become. The motive for the disruption isnt clear, but the sheer power that now lies in a handful of vigilantes and manipulators is stunning. If hackers turn against you, your connection to the outside world can be dismantled in a matter of seconds, unless, of course, you have established back up, off grid communications. Via Yahoo! News: Around 900,000 routers across Germany were hit by the outage which started on Sunday, a company spokesman told DPA on Monday. The routers connect customers not only to the internet, but also to telephone and television services. The spokesman explained that the problem was not with the network itself, but rather with identifying routers upon dial-up. The company is now looking into evidence found by IT analysts that the connection problem may have been due to an outside attack rather than a normal system failure We have found the first indications that we were possibly victims of a hacker attack, a spokesman said. Massive outages are rare [but] Germany has been the target of repeated cyber attacks in recent years. Earlier stories have shown how hackers could cause power surges by remotely turning air conditioners and other smart appliances on-and-off repeatedly under the activity overloads the power grid either locally, or on a wider scale. Most new cars, outfitted with GPS and WiFi systems, can also be hacked, and the results could be fatal if a black hat operator were to target you. Basically, any device connected to the Internet can be weaponized. Stephen Kings Maximum Overdrive alternative reality has dawned, and already things are getting pretty weird. Hackers have been taking down the global infrastructure, but for whose agenda isnt clear. But this has happened many, many times before: News sources have been quick to tie hacking activity to Russia, as if cyber warfare were confined to borders and nationalities. The information war has more sides than a dodecahedron. However, this adds fuel to the ideological fire that is creating a new enemy in Putin and a resurrected Cold War. A new national enemy will keep the restless and angry population distracted, and their anger and confusion can be redirected; dissent can be stifled under cover of patriotism and national security. Facebook and Google are doing most of the work anyway, using the meme of fake news to cull the weeds of free speech, and cultivate their bonsai tech democra-topia. Control exists today through the grid, and the operatives of the CIA, NSA and shadow government at large are pushing in the Internet of Things (IoT) as a means of using hyper-surveillance and monitoring to socially engineer human behavior in response, and in feedback to household appliances, energy prices and propaganda cues. Will it be total chaos, or total control? Both could result from the precarious dangle that we are doing over the invisible threads of the Internet. Read more: By Alison Howell, Rutgers University Newark What could once only be imagined in science fiction is now increasingly coming to fruition: Drones can be flown by human brains thoughts. Pharmaceuticals can help soldiers forget traumatic experiences or produce feelings of trust to encourage confession in interrogation. DARPA-funded research is working on everything from implanting brain chips to neural dust in an effort to alleviate the effects of traumatic experience in war. Invisible microwave beams produced by military contractors and tested on U.S. prisoners can produce the sensation of burning at a distance. What all these techniques and technologies have in common is that theyre recent neuroscientific breakthroughs propelled by military research within a broader context of rapid neuroscientific development, driven by massive government-funded projects in both America and the European Union. Even while much about the brain remains mysterious, this research has contributed to the rapid and startling development of neuroscientific technology. And while we might marvel at these developments, it is also undeniably true that this state of affairs raises significant ethical questions. What is the proper role if any of neuroscience in national defense or war efforts? My research addresses these questions in the broader context of looking at how international relations, and specifically warfare, are shaped by scientific and medical expertise and technology. An Air Force video about military research on the human brain. Weaponization of a peaceable science? To understand the relationship between science and war, academic bioethicists, journalists and policy advisors alike typically rely on the framework of dual use. Starting from the assumption that the purpose of science is to improve human life, this perspective nevertheless admits that many technologies used in peacetime or to help enhance human capacities can also be harnessed to a second use: harming and degrading human capacities as part of a military arsenal. This framework calls attention to the potential misappropriation of sciences and technologies. By acknowledging potential misuses, it aims to help guide policy to limit such possibilities through practical tools such as weapons conventions. Key to this framework is the concept of weaponization. The dual use idea assumes that we should be concerned with how a once peaceful science or technology came to be developed and used in war or national security applications. This process is termed the weaponization of neuroscience. The dual use framework and the weaponization concept may offer some immediate potential practical utility. But, as I have written more extensively elsewhere, theyre based on a massively misguided notion both of the history of neuroscience and of what is at stake practically and politically. Neurosciences roots are both civilian and military The dual use framework and weaponization concept assume stark war/peace and military/civilian divides. But in fact, the discipline of neuroscience grew equally and simultaneously out of institutions we typically consider civilian and military. The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research building, site of much early neuroscience work. National Museum of Health and Medicine, CC BY Modern neuroscience was established in the post-WWII period. Like many disciplines developed and funded in that era (such as physics, nuclear medicine and others), the discipline was established through military funding in both civilian institutions such as MIT and Harvard and military research institutes such as the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. That Institutes Department of Neuropsychiatry originated the idea that researchers should study brain anatomy and physiology at the same time as psychology or psychiatry. Neuroscience was funded and shaped to meet the needs of warfare and national security imperatives. This state of affairs was nothing new: Modern warfare and medical and scientific innovation have long been symbiotic, including the invention of American clinical neurology through the American Civil War. Its not possible to say that neuroscience has been weaponized, because this presumes a naturally peaceful and nonmilitary origin story that is simply historically inaccurate. Simultaneously used for good and ill Also, the dual use framework and the concept of weaponization assume a distinct divide between help and harm. People using these concepts are primarily concerned with harmful applications of neuroscience those that degrade human capacities. Without a doubt, these are of deep concern. Few would deny that we should pay close attention, for instance, to the use of neuropharmaceuticals to degrade the combat capabilities of enemies or produce interrogation susceptibility, or related developments. But the stark divide between help and harm elides the fact that many technologies can do both simultaneously. One example is the current DARPA-funded development of brain-machine interfaces. These technologies seek to connect the brain directly to machine technologies in order to control them remotely. Of course this may be a boon for veterans and soldiers in need of better prosthetic devices. But these are the very same technologies (and sometimes the same experimental subjects) that are being used to pilot drones for potential use in warfare. Virtual Iraq exposure therapy can help veterans and prepare them to return to the battlefield. Defense Dept. photo by John J. Kruzel, CC BY By way of a second example, consider military medical and rehabilitative practices. These are assumed to be on the help rather than harm side of the split. Think, for instance, of increasing diagnosis of (mild) traumatic brain injuries in military settings. Treatment of these injuries may do great good in the clinical setting for individuals who receive this care. But these therapies are also part of a system of military medicine aimed at producing war readiness and potential redeployment of soldiers. The good health of soldiers (help) is integral to warfare (harm), suggesting that the help/harm divide is not so stark as the dual use framework assumes. For all these reasons, its not possible to say that neuroscience has been militarized or weaponized. The dual use framework ignores how embedded neuroscience has always been with war and national defense. In doing so, it leads us to underestimate the political task at hand, both in relation to war and in relation to science. On the side of war, it elides the ethical questions we need to be asking, not only about weaponization, but also about the supposedly benign practices of diagnosis, cure and enhancement. On the side of science, it obscures questions about what research gets funded and praised, and about the opportunity costs of allowing military imperatives to drive scientific inquiry. Alison Howell, Assistant Professor of International Relations, Rutgers University Newark This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Top Image Credit and Caption: A discipline neither good nor evil. Saturday Evening Post/Harris A. Ewing Click below to download these free guides and worksheets curated by the editors of ADDitude. For deep dives into these and other topics, browse our full selection of eBooks here. Vodafone India, one of Indias largest telecommunications services provider, today announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind Air Purifying Bus Shelter in Delhi NCR. With this initiative, commuters in Delhi NCR travelling via Safdarjung Hospital can make a quick stop and can literally breathe-in a sigh of relief at the Vodafone Air Purifying Bus Shelter. The Air-Purifying Bus Shelters will be set up at two prime locations of New Delhi starting with Safdarjung Hospital bus stand which sees maximum inflow of people throughout the day. Vodafone Air Purifying Bus Shelters is covered with plastic curtains giving it a transparent close room look and will have three industrial air purifiers installed inside. The shelter will also house an indicator-system comprising of two grids of LEDs, one displaying the level of pollution outside the shelter and the another will display the air quality measure inside the bus stop so that passengers can get to know the difference. This Air-Purifying Bus Shelters objective will be to provide a comparatively breathable environment to the people. Vodafone has strategically chosen the air purifying bus shelter to be set up at Safdarjung. This is because of the large number of patients who visit AIIMS and Safdarjung hospitals from across the country. And waiting in line for a bus in a polluted environment would be even more harmful for a person already tackling health issues. Therefore this initiative is Vodafones way of bringing some relief to the public. Commenting on the initiative Apoorva Mehrotra Business Head Delhi-NCR said At Vodafone we are always looking for unique and innovative engagement opportunities that touch the lives of our customers, and this initiative is the extension of that philosophy. The alarming air quality in Delhi NCR has made us contemplate the possible ways of addressing the issue. The bus shelter is a manifestation of our ideas put together to tackle the distressing situation. The interiors were purposefully designed with visuals depicting a perfect scenery of the Delhi biosphere (a pure & thriving ecological environment trees, birds, clouds, windmills, rolling grassland), giving it the essence of a clean-green environment, though their sense of sight. New York, NY, December 1, 2016 The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today said new information that has come to light since Rep. Keith Ellisons announced candidacy for chair of the Democratic National Committee raises serious doubts about his ability to faithfully represent the partys traditional support for Israel. Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO, issued the following statement: When Rep. Ellisons candidacy to be chair of the Democratic National Committee was first reported, ADL did not rush to judgment. Instead, we took a hard look at the totality of his record on key issues on our agenda. We spoke to numerous leaders in the community and to Mr. Ellison himself. ADLs subsequent statement on his candidacy appreciated his contrition on some matters, acknowledged areas of commonality but clearly expressed real concern where Rep. Ellison held divergent policy views, particularly related to Israels security. New information recently has come to light that raises serious concerns about whether Rep. Ellison faithfully could represent the Democratic Partys traditional support for a strong and secure Israel. In a speech recorded in 2010 to a group of supporters, Rep. Ellison is heard suggesting that American foreign policy in the Middle East is driven by Israel, saying: The United States foreign policy in the Middle East is governed by what is good or bad through a country of 7 million people. A region of 350 million all turns on a country of 7 million. Does that make sense? Is that logic? Right? When the Americans who trace their roots back to those 350 million get involved, everything changes. Rep. Ellisons remarks are both deeply disturbing and disqualifying.His words imply that U.S. foreign policy is based on religiously or national origin-based special interests rather than simply on Americas best interests. Additionally, whether intentional or not, his words raise the specter of age-old stereotypes about Jewish control of our government, a poisonous myth that may persist in parts of the world where intolerance thrives, but that has no place in open societies like the U.S. These comments sharply contrast with the Democratic National Committee platform position, which states: A strong and secure Israel is vital to the United States because we share overarching strategic interests and the common values of democracy, equality, tolerance, and pluralism. ADL is a non-partisan organization and does not support any political party; however, we deeply believe in the importance of bipartisan support for Israel. Such support is crucial to ensure continued engagement with our most important ally in the region, a democracy whose emphasis on equality and commitment to the rule of law stands in stark contrast to the anarchy and authoritarian regimes that prevail in much of the Middle East. These shared values are the bedrock for the long-standing relationship between the U.S. and Israel. Whoever it may be, we would hope that the next head of the Democratic Party would have fidelity to these timeless ideals at all times. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. 18 Armenian companies have been chosen by the EU Delegation to Armenia and Austrian Development Agency which will receive financial assistance. Armenpress reports Deputy Minister of Agriculture Armen Harutyunyan mentioned in a press conference on December 2 that this assistance amounting to 3.3 million Euros will be allocated in the sidelines of Organic Agriculture Support Initiative grant scheme. Those enterprises are rather diverse. They are engaged in production of wines, honey, dried fruits, as well as organic olive oil, Harutyunyan said. The Deputy Agriculture Minister added that at the moment 190 applications are being viewed for the second stage 40 of which will be selected. Those companies will also receive financial assistance with the same goal to develop organic agriculture. Bombardier Commercial Aircraft has delivered the first CS300 aircraft to launch operator Air Baltic Corporation AS (airBaltic), the flag carrier of Latvia. The CS300 is the larger variant of Bombardiers all new C Series aircraft, which is designed to carry between 130 and 150 passengers. The handover to airBaltic comes just five months after the successful entry into service of the CS100 variant of the C Series. We are thrilled to be taking home the first CS300 aircraft the newest member of the most innovative and technologically advanced family of airliners in the world, said Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer, airBaltic. With its longer range capabilities, lower fuel burn and reduced noise emissions compared to other airliners in its segment, the CS300 aircraft will enable airBaltic to open new routes and connect people all across Europe, while offering passengers an unparalleled in-flight experience. I would like to congratulate the entire Bombardier team; we are proud to collaborate with you on this great achievement, added Mr. Gauss. We congratulate airBaltic, the first airline in the world to operate the CS300 aircraft, for its forward-thinking vision. We thank them for their partnership and long-standing support and wish them continued success said Fred Cromer, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. Wherever the C Series aircraft takes to the skies, it will be an ambassador for Bombardier and a symbol of Canadian innovation and achievement as the most technologically advanced aircraft for the 100- to 150-seat market segment. The delivery of the first CS300 aircraft is a major milestone and is the culmination of dedicated hard work and collaboration by thousands of employees, partners and suppliers. I congratulate the entire team for their commitment to the C Series aircraft program and for their perseverance in making this day possible, said Rob Dewar, Vice President, C Series Aircraft Program, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. "It is with pride that I acknowledge this significant, symbolic delivery, which once again confirms Quebecs judicious decision to act as Bombardiers partner in the development and the industrialisation of C Series aircraft. Indeed, Bombardier, which contributes $8.5 billion to Quebecs gross domestic product, equivalent to 2% of the provinces economy, is not only a key stakeholder in the Quebec aerospace industry but is also generating substantial spinoff for the Quebec economy overall, Minister of Economy, Science and Innovation and Minister responsible for the Digital Strategy Dominique Anglade noted. The maiden commercial flight of airBaltics first CS300 aircraft, which will take passengers from Riga to Amsterdam, is scheduled for 14 December, 2016. The first US Air Force (USAF) C-130H aircraft to be fully equipped with the Rolls-Royce T56 Series 3.5 engine upgrade has completed its first flight, demonstrating significant improvement in fuel efficiency, lower operating temperatures and improved high-altitude performance. Preliminary flight data showed fuel efficiency improved by approximately 12% and turbine temperatures were more than 100 degrees Celsius lower. Reduced turbine temperatures increase parts life and lower operating costs significantly. The C-130H aircraft flown by the Wyoming Air National Guard (ANG) completed its first flight with four T56 Series 3.5 engines at the 153rd Airlift Wing at Cheyenne, WY, Regional Airport. Phil Burkholder, Rolls-Royce, President Defense North America, said: We congratulate the US Air Force and the Wyoming Air National Guard for achieving this significant milestone first flight of a C-130H aircraft equipped with the Rolls-Royce T56 Series 3.5 engine upgrade. Rolls-Royce developed the upgrade to enhance mission capability and by achieving fuel efficiency improvements and lower operating temperatures, the Series 3.5 upgrade delivers as promised. ANG Director Lt. Gen. L. Scott Rice lauded the engine improvements in performance and reliability. Gen. Rice said: The Series 3.5 engine upgrade certainly increased the performance on time and fuel flow and altitude. So its a great improvement as well for the capability and reliability of the engine from a maintenance standpoint. It was really impressive. Col. Kevin Campbell, Air National Guard, Director of Plans and Requirements, said: Were confident right now that well see in excess of 12% fuel savings and upwards of 25% increased time on wing, which will reduce maintenance time. Those are substantial, and would provide a fairly rapid return on investment. This upgrade would pay for itself; the real question is how fast? Were pretty excited about it and think were going to hit it at about the five-year mark. The demonstration aircraft, assigned to the Wyoming Air National Guard, will be used in an operational utility evaluation in order to inform the decision to push the Series 3.5 engines to the rest of the ANGs C-130H fleet. Preliminary flight data showed fuel efficiency improved by approximately 12% and turbine temperatures were more than 100 degrees Celsius lower. Reduced turbine temperatures increase parts life and lower operating costs significantly. The C-130H aircraft flown by the Wyoming Air National Guard (ANG) completed its first flight with four T56 Series 3.5 engines at the 153rd Airlift Wing at Cheyenne, WY, Regional Airport.Phil Burkholder, Rolls-Royce, President Defense North America, said: We congratulate the US Air Force and the Wyoming Air National Guard for achieving this significant milestone first flight of a C-130H aircraft equipped with the Rolls-Royce T56 Series 3.5 engine upgrade. Rolls-Royce developed the upgrade to enhance mission capability and by achieving fuel efficiency improvements and lower operating temperatures, the Series 3.5 upgrade delivers as promised.ANG Director Lt. Gen. L. Scott Rice lauded the engine improvements in performance and reliability. Gen. Rice said: The Series 3.5 engine upgrade certainly increased the performance on time and fuel flow and altitude. So its a great improvement as well for the capability and reliability of the engine from a maintenance standpoint. It was really impressive.Col. Kevin Campbell, Air National Guard, Director of Plans and Requirements, said: Were confident right now that well see in excess of 12% fuel savings and upwards of 25% increased time on wing, which will reduce maintenance time. Those are substantial, and would provide a fairly rapid return on investment. This upgrade would pay for itself; the real question is how fast? Were pretty excited about it and think were going to hit it at about the five-year mark.The demonstration aircraft, assigned to the Wyoming Air National Guard, will be used in an operational utility evaluation in order to inform the decision to push the Series 3.5 engines to the rest of the ANGs C-130H fleet. The National Science Foundation/New York State Air National Guard LC-130H ski bird fleet will be among the first USAF C-130 aircraft to receive the T56 Series 3.5 engine upgrades in support of Operation Deep Freeze polar operations. The Series 3.5 technology, which is based on proven advances from other Rolls-Royce engines, can be added during regular overhauls and requires no changes to the aircraft or controls. The 22nd Air Force Central Engine Repair Facility (CERF) at Little Rock Air Force Base completed the Wyoming T56 engine and nacelle build around the Series 3.5-configured engine power sections assembled by Standard Aero San Antonio (SASAI). The Series 3.5 engine upgrade is already demonstrating success in Hurricane Hunter WP-3D aircraft of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), having completed more than 3,000 engine flight hours of operation and demonstrating fuel savings and other performance benefits similar to that now being seen by the US Air Force. The Series 3.5 kit is certified and operating in C-130 and P-3 aircraft. Rolls-Royce operations in Indianapolis have enhanced production capability, and the kit is now available on the global market. Loonie Climbs After Strong Canada Jobs Data (RTTNews) - The Canadian dollar strengthened against its most major counterparts in the European session on Friday, after data showed that the economy unexpectedly created jobs in November and jobless rate fell. Data from Statistics Canada showed that the employment rose by 10,700 jobs in November, defying expectations for a decline of 15,000 jobs. In the previous month, the economy added 43,900 jobs. The unemployment rate fell by 0.2 percentage points to 6.8 percent, as few people searched for work. The jobless rate was 7 percent in October, which have been expected to remain unchanged. The loonie climbed to 1.4129 against the euro, off its early low of 1.4231. The loonie may find resistance around the 1.39 zone. The loonie recovered to 85.83 against the yen, from a low of 85.42 hit at 4:30 am ET. Continuation of the loonie's uptrend may see it challenging resistance around the 87.00 region. The loonie firmed to 1.3254 against the greenback, its strongest since October 21. The loonie is seen finding resistance around the 1.31 area. Copyright(c) 2022 RTTNews.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved On World HIV/AIDS Day opened the first integrated care center in Kyiv where HIV-positive drug addicted patients can receive several types of treatment at the same time: against the drug addiction, against HIV and against tuberculosis. Now, only one third of HIV-positive drug users in Kyiv can receive additional medical services, including antiretroviral therapy, which is a key condition to overcome the epidemics of HIV and tuberculosis. Opening the integrated care center is a project that is implemented by the Representative Office of American AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) in Ukraine on the facilities of Kyiv City Narcological Hospital "Sotsioterapiya" and in partnership with Kyiv City Clinical Hospital No. 5, ICF "Alliance of Public Health" and with support from the Kyiv State City Administration. Zoya Shabarova, head of the European bureau of AHF, said: "The establishing of such a center in Kyiv was made possible by joint efforts of organizations from the governmental and non-governmental sector - US AIDS Healthcare Foundation in Ukraine, which is an organization that provides assistance to HIV-infected people in 36 countries, and Kyiv clinical hospital No. 5, on the facilities of which the city AIDS center and narcological clinic 'Sotsioterapiya' are located. This is an example of effective partnership to help HIV-positive patients and an essential condition for the progress in achieving the objectives of the AHF strategy 20x20 (20 million people on treatment in the world by 2020). This model should become the gold standard in the process of creating substitution therapy provision points." All the conditions needed for the comprehensive treatment are created at the center of integrated care; except for substitution therapy, the patients will be able to undergo rapid and convenient tests for HIV, and in the case of receiving a positive result, they will be able to undergo further examination and receive treatment with antiretroviral therapy. "The opening of this center will help HIV-positive patients to receive simultaneous treatment in one place. Previously, these people had to visit different hospitals to obtain three different drugs. Not surprisingly, more than 70% of patients missed treatment or did not arrive to receive the medicine. Regimen and regularity play the key roles in HIV treatment. With this project, we remove the problem of access to medicines," said Volodymyr Yaryi, chief physician of KCNCH "Sotsioterapiya." "Kyiv took another important step to overcome the epidemics of HIV and tuberculosis. This is because the capital joined the initiative FAST-TRACK CITIES on overcoming the epidemic. The purpose of this initiative is to finally defeat AIDS by 2030 through active combating in large cities, where almost 70% of all HIV-positive people reside," said Mykola Yuriyovych Povoroznyk, deputy head of Kyiv City State Administration. Sergei Filippovich, treatment director, the Alliance of Public Health, said: Since 2005, the Alliance supports STI sites across the country as part of the Global Fund programs. Now more than 9000 clients have access to STI in 173 sites. We support partnership initiatives of KCCH No. 5, KCNCH 'Sotsioterapiya,' AIDS Healthcare Foundation in Ukraine, to provide integrated services in Kiev. Today in Kyiv, 939 people are received drug addiction treatment (substitution therapy), 368 of them are HIV positive and need ARV drugs. Reference: Opening the integrated care center is a project that is implemented by the Representative Office of American AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) in Ukraine on the facilities of Kyiv City Narcological Hospital "Sotsioterapiya" and in partnership with Kyiv City Clinical Hospital No. 5, ICF "Alliance of Public Health" and with support from the Kyiv State City Administration. So, the person that is simultaneously suffering from two diseases HIV and drug dependence had to visit different clinics to get vital treatment. Very often these patients simply did not come to receive treatment. Creating a site of integrated care in Kyiv made it possible to combine three types of treatments under one roof of KCNCH "Sotsioterapiya." AIDS Healthcare Foundation was established in 1987 in Los Angeles, as a small community association, whose members were trying to alleviate the suffering of people who were doomed to die of AIDS. At present, as part of comprehensive health programs, AHF in partnership with other organizations provides care, treatment and services to almost 600,000 patients living with HIV in 36 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin and North America. KCNCH "Sotsioterapiya" Kyiv City Narcological Clinical Hospital "Sotsioterapiya" is the unique national system of treatment and rehabilitation for patients who have problems with alcohol and drug abuse and members of their families. KCNCH "Sotsioterapiya" is a narcological service that serves for the entire Kyiv (about 6,000 hospital patients, 1,500 ambulatory patients and narcological monitoring of 27,000 narcological patients). KCCH No. 5 Kyiv City Center for Prevention and Control of AIDS was established in 1999 to provide specialized medical care to HIV-positive persons and AIDS patients residing in Kyiv. It is located at the KCCH No. 5, 11, Vidpochynku St. The AIDS center includes an outpatient department, an inpatient department and an intensive care unit. "Alliance of Public Health" International Charity Foundation in cooperation with government partners and NGOs in all regions of Ukraine have spent more than 10 years implementing comprehensive programs of prevention and treatment of HIV, TB and HCV, which cover more than 250,000 people. Since 2005, direct support for Alliance number of SMT patients in Ukraine increased by 130 times (from 70 to 9073 patients). View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161201006580/en/ AHF Europe Anna Zakowicz, +31 6 28744655 Deputy Bureau Chief anna.zakowicz@aidshealth.org or AHF Europe Denis Godlevskiy, +7 911 1101310 Advocacy and marketing manager in Russia and Ukraine denis.godlevskiy@aidshealth.org LONDON, Dec. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Australian medtech startup 4Dx is making a bold foray into the global respiratory diagnostics marketplace after strong support from the U.S, U.K and Australian investment community. Their AU$4M Series A investment round is set to close, oversubscribed, on December 9th after the inking of deals with major U.S hospitals and expanding relationships with key U.K medical institutions. 4Dx has developed unique software that generates moving, ultra-high-resolution images of motion and airflow in lung tissue. This revolutionary technology enables clinicians to view and measure abnormal lung function at the earliest stages of disease in a way that has not previously been possible. 4Dx technology is non-invasive and will have a major impact on the way medical professionals are able to diagnose and treat patients with diseases of the lung. 4Dx has also established formal clinical partnerships with several of the biggest and most advanced hospitals in the US, including Cedars-Sinai, The Cleveland Clinic, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The company has also announced the appointment of Dr Bob Figlin to the 4Dx board from December 1st. Dr Figlin is Deputy Director of the Integrated Oncology Service Line, and Deputy Director at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, part of the world-renowned Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He is also Director of the Hematology Oncology Division at the institute. Dr Figlin says, "4Dx has developed some of the most promising and exciting technology I've ever seen in the fight against disease. It will be a privilege to be able to use my medical and business experience to assist the company through this phase of its growth." Dr Figlin previously co-founded biotechnology company Agensys, which later sold as part of a nine-figure deal. 4Dx founder and chair Andreas Fouras, says, "Dr Figlin brings unparalleled experience and expertise in cancer therapies to 4Dx, where enhanced cancer treatment is among our first priorities. He also brings a vast medical knowledge and adds enormous capacity to our board's business decision making capacity." 4Dx is using investment monies to finance further clinical studies in addition to its first FDA submission, expected in Q1 2017. The AU$4M series A is open for investment in Australia and has also received strong interest from U.S and U.K markets, and will close on the 19th December. The company anticipates the raise will be over-subscribed. An additional round of fundraising is also planned for Q1 2017. Contact Sarah Kemter Monsoon Communications +61 0407 162 530 sarahk@monsoon.com.au About 4Dx: 4Dx is a software company aiming to deliver the global gold standard in respiratory diagnostics for all lung disorders, including, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis and cancer. The unique 4Dx technology accurately and quickly scans lung function as the patient breathes, to provide sensitive, early diagnosis and to monitor changes over time. Our Software-as-a-Service scans deliver much more complete results, showing the subtlest variations in lung function down to the finest details, using lower levels of radiation than traditional methods. Respiratory diagnosis is a AU$40 billion p.a global industry that 4Dx aims to disrupt and grow through technology that provides clinicians with greater insights into diseases of the lung. 4Dx will bring about a step change in lung health by providing better information to doctors and patients. Better information means better decisions, and better outcomes. Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TOKYO:4502): This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161201006597/en/ - Takeda and Lightstone Ventures Participate in Series A Financing - - Former Takeda Cambridge UK employees, CNS programs moved to create turn-key discovery capabilities - Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TOKYO:4502) and Lightstone Ventures today announced the launch of Cerevance, a neuroscience company focused on discovering and developing novel therapeutics for neurological and psychiatric disorders. The company will use a new technology, created in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute laboratory of Nathaniel Heintz, Ph.D. at the Rockefeller University. Takeda will jumpstart the new company by providing a 25-person neuroscience research team from its Cambridge, United Kingdom site, including industry veteran Mark Carlton, Ph.D., fully equipped laboratory space, and licenses to a portfolio of preclinical and clinical stage drug programs. Cerevance is funded with $36 million that includes a $21.5 million Series A financing investment from Takeda and Lightstone Ventures, with each joining Cerevances Board of Directors. Seven of the ten leading causes of disability in the world are central nervous system disorders, said Brad Margus, Cerevance Chief Executive Officer. With a well capitalized, proven team and promising drug programs already underway, we hope to rapidly advance a pipeline of therapeutics into the clinic in parallel with scaling up a truly novel approach to brain diseases based on our new technology. We are thrilled to assemble some of our best scientists, programs and discovery resources in a highly focused endeavor as part of our increased emphasis on leveraging external innovation, said Andrew Plump, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical and Scientific Officer of Takeda. When we announced the closure of our research site in Cambridge, UK, our goal was to find an innovative externalization home for our most promising CNS programs and scientists in an entrepreneurial setting. Cerevance is a great example of our new R&D strategy. Lightstone is excited to lead the Series A in Cerevance and believes the combination of Nat Heintzs expertise and platform technology, the proven and impassioned management team, and Takedas strong support represent a compelling early-stage investment opportunity, said Jason Lettmann, Partner at Lightstone Ventures. Cerevance is in a unique position to bring a breakthrough technology to the development of treatments for central nervous system diseases that affect millions of people worldwide. This is not the first time that Takeda, Heintz and Margus have joined forces. In 2009, Takeda invested in and later collaborated with CNS drug discovery start-up Envoy Therapeutics which included Heintz and Margus as founders and which also licensed a technology from the Rockefeller University. Takeda ultimately acquired Envoy in 2012. Cerevance will have sites in both Massachusetts and the United Kingdom, surrounded by vibrant academic research ecosystems that support biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. About Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TOKYO:4502) is a global, R&D-driven pharmaceutical company committed to bringing better health and a brighter future to patients by translating science into life-changing medicines. Takeda focuses its research efforts on oncology, gastroenterology and central nervous system therapeutic areas. It also has specific development programs in specialty cardiovascular diseases as well as late-stage candidates for vaccines. Takeda conducts R&D both internally and with partners to stay at the leading edge of innovation. New innovative products, especially in oncology, central nervous system and gastroenterology, as well as its presence in emerging markets, fuel the growth of Takeda. More than 30,000 Takeda employees are committed to improving quality of life for patients, working with our partners in health care in more than 70 countries. For more information, visit http://www.takeda.com/news/ About Lightstone Ventures Lightstone Ventures was founded in 2012 by the Life Science Partners of Advanced Technology Ventures (ATV) and Morgenthaler Ventures to focus on novel breakthrough medical devices and biopharmaceuticals. The Lightstone team actively manages the Morgenthaler and ATV life science portfolios of more than 30 life science companies and has been involved in several of the largest, venture-backed healthcare exits over the last decade including: Acceleron, Ardian, FivePrime, FoldRx, Hypnion, MicroVention, Morphotek, Plexxikon, Portola, Proteolix, Scioderm, Transcend, Threshold, Twelve, and Zeltiq. Lightstone is an international firm with offices in Menlo Park, CA; Boulder, CO; Boston, MA; Dublin, Ireland; and Singapore. For more information, visit http://www.lightstonevc.com/. Takedas Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include all statements other than statements of historical fact, including plans, strategies and expectations for the future, statements regarding the expected timing of filings and approvals relating to the transaction, the expected timing of the completion of the transaction, the ability to complete the transaction or to satisfy the various closing conditions, future revenues and profitability from or growth or any assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Statements made in the future tense, and words such as anticipate, expect, project, continue, believe, plan, estimate, pro forma, intend, potential, target, forecast, guidance, outlook, seek, assume, will, may, should, and similar expressions are intended to qualify as forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by management that are believed to be reasonable, though they are inherently uncertain and difficult to predict. Investors and security holders are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or experience to differ materially from that expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Some of these risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: required regulatory approvals for the transaction may not be obtained in a timely manner, if at all; the conditions to closing of the transaction may not be satisfied; competitive pressures and developments; applicable laws and regulations; the success or failure of product development programs; actions of regulatory authorities and the timing thereof; changes in exchange rates; and claims or concerns regarding the safety or efficacy of marketed products or product candidates in development. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release, and neither Cerevance, Lightstone Ventures nor Takeda undertake any obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events or circumstances after the date of the forward-looking statement. If one or more of these statements is updated or corrected, investors and others should not conclude that additional updates or corrections will be made. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161201006597/en/ Media Contacts: Cerevance: Robert Middlebrook, +1-408-220-5722 rob@cerevance.com or Takeda: For media in Japan Tsuyoshi Tada, +81-3-3278-2417 tsuyoshi.tada@takeda.com For media outside Japan Julia Ellwanger, +1-224-554-7681 julia.ellwanger@takeda.com or Lightstone Ventures: Donna von Halle, +1-781-771-4574 donna@vonhalle.net China HomeLife will be head in the Dubai World Trade this December 05,06 & 07, for the successful 7th time. The trade show will feature more than 1500 chinas leading manufacturers and suppliers. Parallel to the China Home Life, The China Furniture Design & Manufacturing Expo will take place with over 300 premium Chinese furniture brands. China Home Life is the largest Chinese Sourcing Expo platform in the world with major sourcing exhibitions in 11 countries including South Africa, India, Brazil, Jordan, Poland, Turkey, Egypt, Kazakhstan and in 2017 the expo will be expanding to Iran and Mexico. With the concept of expanding a 3 day expo to a 365 day sourcing platform China Home Life has recently launched the online sourcing portals www.chinahomelife247.com and www.chinamachinex247.com , which gives global businesses the opportunity to access the China Home Life Exhibitors before and after the expo. With the Chinas One Belt, One Road inactive which intends to promote infrastructure construction, trade and investment, among other activities, China Home Life is the perfect platform for Middle Eastern businesses to build up a deeper engagement with the Chinese corporations. In a statement from China Home Life, there is a serious quality control and stick screen process for every Chinese manufacture who participates in the show, to make sure every product exhibit in the trade show meets the highest quality standard. This year over 20,000 visitors from all over Middle East is expected to visit the Expo. China Homelife welcomes all importers, traders, wholesalers, retailers and other businesses to come maximize the opportunities in the Largest Chinese Sourcing Event in the Middle East. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161202005218/en/ Media Contact Meorient International Exhibition Co Ltd. Anna Zhu, +86 150 01848608 anna@meorient.com WAKUWAKU JAPAN Corporation (headquartered in Minato Ward, Tokyo, Masafumi Kawanishi, president CEO) has announced, together with JTB Corporation, the development of a series of television programs and travel products that will allow persons outside of Japan to experience the Japanese destinations and services introduced on TV. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161201006592/en/ Olive grove on Shodoshima (Photo: Business Wire) WAKUWAKU JAPAN will jointly plan and produce, together with Yurayura Kick Corporation and P.D. Network, a new cultural television program, Japan Travel Maestro (nihontsujin in Japanese), to introduce premium travel destinations within Japan. Program broadcasting will begin on Saturday, January 7th, 2017, and will feature travel maestros who will compile and present points of rare attraction that exist throughout Japan. These will not be the travel locations that are well known. Instead, the focus will be on introducing travel data geared for those in the know. The featured travel maestros will include professionals who have deepened their knowledge of Japan from magazines like Ray and mina, from Shufunotomo Co., Ltd., and from Japan gastronomy tourism Alliance. Experiences that should be introduced to persons outside of Japan will be presented, offering new wonders and ways to enjoy Japan. The premium travel that appears on Japan Travel Maestro will also become travel packages available from JTB, enabling people to experience these destinations for themselves. These packages will be sold by JTB offices within the broadcast area. The first two programs in the series will be evaluated and ongoing broadcasting considered. Program Overview Name: Japan Travel Maestro Broadcast Area: Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam Scheduling: Saturday, January 7th, 2017, from 6:00 to 6:30 PM, and from 6:30 to 7:00 PM in Singapore Rebroadcasts: Saturday, January 14th, 2017, from 6:00 to 6:30 PM, and from 6:30 to 7:00 PM in Singapore Episode One: Osaka Travel on a private cruiser throughout the waterways of Osaka to freely explore the citys charms. Also experience Osakas unique culinary offering: kelp broth. After experiencing the skills needed to shave kelp from an artisans introduction, the program will offer exquisite cuisine that utilizes broth from freshly shaved kelp. Episode Two: The Seto Inland Sea and Shodoshima Fly from one island to the next in a private Cessna among the many islands that dot the Seto Inland Sea. Drink in the exquisite views of a landscape filled with many islands, and experience the unique cultures that took root there. Various important experiences will be introduced, including the Hishio rice bowl, a dish unique to Shodoshima, and the chance to wear traditional costumes and perform in a rural form of kabuki, a traditional art form. WAKUWAKU JAPAN Corporation Facts Name: WAKUWAKU JAPAN Corporation Address: 7 th Floor, Akasaka Enokizaka Building, 1-7-1 Akasaka, Minato Ward, Tokyo 107-0052 Floor, Akasaka Enokizaka Building, 1-7-1 Akasaka, Minato Ward, Tokyo 107-0052 Date Incorporated: May 1 st , 2015 , 2015 Capitalization: 5.5 Billion President & CEO: Masafumi Kawanishi Stock Structure: 60% owned by SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation, 40% owned by the Cool Japan Fund Inc. About WAKUWAKU JAPAN - Official Website: http://www.wakuwakujapan.tv/ WAKUWAKU JAPAN is a locally-oriented channel, broadcasting Japanese content 24 hours per day, in local languages. Programming is used to bring information on the Japan of today to viewers in their respective countries in the hope of increasing interest in and respect for Japanese culture and its localities as well as superior Japanese products. Various promotions also offer viewers the opportunity to experience the wonders of Japan, as WAKUWAKU JAPAN works to foster and expand a Japan boom. Countries and Regions where Programming is Underway: Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161201006592/en/ WAKUWAKU JAPAN Corporation Tomoko Karasawa Marketing Department t-karasawa@wakuwakujapan.com 328 Support Services GmbH (328), has been endorsed by Canadas Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) with the award of broad maintenance approval. It allows 328 to undertake modifications and repairs on any Canadian registered Dornier 328 aircraft, from avionic installations to complete aircraft conversions. The approval also enables 328 to distribute new, used or repaired Dornier 328 spare parts to Canada. With the new approval in place, spare parts and appliances will be delivered to Canadian customers under an EASA Form 1 "triple release" which means that they will be certified under EASA, FAA and TCCA regulations. Commenting on the achievement, Dave Jackson, Managing Director of 328 said: "This is another great recognition for 328 Support Services and we are very pleased to receive the approval from Canada where we foresee an increasing business opportunities with strong business partners and we will bring more efficiency in the process of support Pratt & Whitney Canada whose operates a Dornier 328-300" . He adds. "Crucially, the award means that we can provide regular spares support to our Canadian customers & business partners. It further expands our maintenance service portfolio and helps grow our client base." 328 is marking 10 years as Type Certificate holder for the Dorner 328 jet and turboprop series this year. It currently supports a fleet of around 200 aircraft worldwide which includes a diverse customer base of regional airlines, who are flying the aircraft with 32-seats and business aviation operators who offer a typical 12 seat VIP configuration or corporate shuttle version. The aircraft is also used worldwide for special mission, air ambulance and maritime patrol operations. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. The United Arab Emirates marks the 45th anniversary of establishment. A number of high-level officials, diplomats, representatives of non-governmental and other organizations were present at an event organized by the Embassy on the occasion of the National Holiday. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the UAE to Armenia Jassim Mohammed Al Qasimi delivered an opening speech, stating that Armenia-UAE bilateral relations have recorded a significant rise in the recent years. Particularly economic and political relations have progressed developing into strategic partnership. The visit of the President of Armenia to the UAE on November 9 gave a new impetus to the relations. In the sidelines of the visit the President held talks with the leadership of the Emirates. Two documents on security, investments and fight against terrorism, as well as three memorandums of understanding in the spheres of education, culture, trade and economy, cooperation over crises and disaster management were signed this year. Emirates investments in Armenia have recorded significant growth and yesterday the Armenia-UAE business forum kicked off aimed at developing trade and economic relations between the two states, the Ambassador said, adding that Armenia-UAE economic forum will be held in March, 2017. Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian also gave a speech, stating that Armenia greatly values its relations with the United Arab Emirates. Celebrating this haliday it is impossible not to remember the name of the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed and his role in UAEs development. It was during his rule that basis for Armenian-UAE inter-state cooperation was set that develops firmly today. Nearly a month ago the visit of the Armenian President to the UAE took place during which key agreements aimed at developing bilateral relations were reached. Over two dozens of legal documents have been signed between the two states. Tourist flow has increased in the recent years and the number of airlines as well, Edward Nalbandian concluded. MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Three B-52 Stratofortresses from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, deployed to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Dec. 2. This short-term deployment will ensure bomber crews maintain a high state of readiness and crew proficiency, and will provide opportunities to integrate capabilities with regional partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. During the deployment, the B-52s will conduct local training sorties in the U.S. Pacific Command area of responsibility, allowing the crews to hone skills in several key capabilities including command and control, air refueling and long-range navigation. U.S. Strategic Command regularly tests and evaluates the readiness of strategic assets to ensure it is able to honor all security commitments. Dance is a medium of prayer for many, it is frightening if you are a dance devotee, there are many dancers including me who consider dance not just as passion and love, but it is life and more than it sometimes for us. It is more important to dance than to breadth for people like me. But are there similar dancers with such feelings and thoughts? This is something I was made to think recently when I met a young girl from Kolkata for whom dance was a medium to earn a living for her household. A superb dancer she was, I must say but, would like to add that she was a dancer without direction. I listened to a horrifying story which made me realise that all fabulous dancers might not love dance and people who see the graceful dancer might not always be dance lovers. There is lot more behind the scene in this mad bad world, what we think is simple love of dance can be a trauma, a compulsion and many a times even sex trade. Every year a fortnight in November the sleepy town of Sonepur in Bihar transforms into a hub for the largest cattle fair in Asia. This cattle fare is world famous, where men (mainly from Indian villages) from all over come to buy, sell and book cattle for the coming season. But for a large section of the men attending the highlight is not trading of hundreds of animals but the Nautanki that takes place every day during this time in Sonepur. A bizarre show is held every day, where some really amazing dancers step on stage, to entertain the so called dance lover tourists at the fair. Crowd at Sonepur fair are entertained by 8-10 Nautanki companies, which are popular and all the time compete amongst each other to bring on stage the best dancers from India. The popular show has skimpily clad women dancers gyrating to the latest bollywood tunes. Be it Sheila, Munni, Chikni Chameli or Jalebi bai all are on the floor trying to out do each other, tickets for these shows are typically priced at 50/-, a price almost unheard of in metros for a dance show. Claiming to be dance lovers, men strain to catch glimpse of the stage and even try and pay double the price to get the front row entry. Bigger dance companies like Payal ek Nazar, Gulab Vikas theatre have a big team of dancers almost going up to 40-50 dancers in the group. To ensure the dancers safety the stage is barricaded with iron bars, but is not always safe I am told. Girls, who have amazing moves and jhatkas from near and far places like Kolkata, Muzaffarpur, Varanasi, and even Delhi are brought to perform at these popular shows. A presenter stands next to a bench on which shorter girls stand so that they can easily be seen by the audience, the crowd often turns rowdy and can get out of hand during the performance, some men even try to jump the barricade and climb up on stage. Each company hires well built local bouncers for crowd control, the police too monitor proceedings to prevent the girls from being molested, but they are not successful all the time. There are shows that happen throughout the day during this fair period, while a few shows start in the afternoon, the more popular ones have dancers entertaining the packed crowds all night. Since its common for the dance lover men to throw money and gifts at the women they fancy, the dancers too put a lot of efforts for their appearance, to maximise crowd attention the attractive dancers are placed in the centre of the stage by the theatre organisers. Often men throw things like candles, biscuit packets and even cell phones at the women to attract them, many do manage to go up on stage and molest girls as well. Men enter stage despite the guards and police presence these are mostly local goons, influential men or regulars who are allowed to get close to the dancers despite not buying tickets. Men profess their love for the dancers and often smash beer bottles on their heads to prove their love for the art and the artist. Regulars from the audience are often allowed to climb up on stage and dance with girls too, many men throw and offer money to dancers at the heat of the moment, some rich patrons are known to have thrown expensive gifts, gold jewellery or cash amounting to thousands of rupees at the moves of the women they love, the dancer might be good at her skill but is paid a paltry daily wage by the theatre owner and is dependent on such tips for their livelihood all the time. The dancers attempt to seduce men with gaudy makeup, the idea is to stand out under the harsh stage lights. Since most of the dancers cannot afford expensive branded cosmetics they have to improvise on their makeup skills and products. For instance, instead of applying foundation many dancers use fullers earth as base, the dancers are also made to live in tiny makeshift rooms for the duration of their stay in Sonepur. The undiscovered dancers of India is leading such type of lives. What is this Nautanki in Sonepur? Is it yet another Mumbai dance bar? If so then the same rule should be applicable on it in the way it is being applied on Mumbai bar. And if is not a Mumbai bar look alike then where is the respect for Women and the art of dance here? Nowadays daily we read cases of molestation and rape, doesnt a show like this encourage these incidents even more? Can the real Men please stand up and stop this disrespect of women and the art of dance? (Sandip Soparrkar is a well known Ballroom dancer and a Bollywood choreographer who has been honoured with National Achievement Award and National Excellence Award by the Govt of India. He can be contacted on sandipsoparrkar06@gmail.com .) Sandip Soparrkar Artscape [dropcap]T[/dropcap]housands of divorce cases are pending in courts and many families are yet to get justice. Divorce proceedings in India is very complicated and both men and women find it difficult to go through litigation process as it is a time consuming procedure especially in contested divorce cases. First of all, lawyers play a key role for the success in the divorce proceedings and hence you need to select an experienced lawyer particularly in this subject dealt with more specific issues in the divorce laws. Nowadays, court verdicts are a shocker; one after other cases which favour men has made it much more complicated for women to get justice. Although, we are still improving from the blow of the grounds for divorce laid by the Supreme Court lately, another shock seems to have tormented right into the ribs! In a country where marital rape is still not a criminal offense under the IPC, verdicts that youre about to hear will diminish your faith in the judiciary. Indian rape definition is so vague; even an intercourse with consent can be later termed as rape. There is a case where the Madras High Court intervened and imprisoned the man even though the girl acknowledged that it was consensual sex. Our judiciary is that imprudent. A large percentage of women and men in India live in rural areas where panchayat, tribal laws and local customs are the norm. Even now, in the 21st century there are cases of witches being burnt alive and castes and religious antagonisms are rife. From the legal point of view, laws against marital rape are a step in the right direction, but that requires a society where women are financially independent and equal to men in all respects. Will the country provide financial assistance to a rural woman who has sent her husband to jail for marital rape? Maybe thats why; our present society is not ready for such a law, which will lead to a social distress, especially in religious minorities. It will be unenforceable and transgressed on a large-scale. Leaving all the crucial issues aside the Supreme Court says, extra-marital affairs of a man do not always amount to mental cruelty attracting the provision of abetment to suicide. The statement has come to light after a woman-committed suicide due to her husbands alleged extra-marital affairs. It is significant to note that the other woman involved in the case also committed suicide due to humiliation leading to two more suicides, committed by her mother and brother. If that wasnt cruel enough, the man charged for infidelity filed an appeal against his conviction of four-year sentence for causing harassment and mental cruelty to his wife, and the SC acquitted him of all charges. In yet another bad decision, we now have weird grounds for divorce. Even though, something as brutal as marital rape is not reason enough for separation, men now have the upper hand in divorce as well. The Supreme Court has passed a judgement that, a Hindu man can file for divorce if his wife tries to separate him from his ageing parents. A woman needs to leave her parents when she gets married, and that is the norm. But if she tries to take him away from his parents and live an independent life, she can be divorced? Because only her husbands parents need someone to take care of them full-time due to old age while her parents are self-sustainable? Anyways, this is what Indian judiciary has decided lately. Supreme Court also waives 6-month waiting period, grants divorce to couple. The SC has allowed an estranged couples plea for divorce by mutual consent by waiving the waiting period of six months, exercising its powers under the Constitution to do complete justice. Now coming back to the most important fact is, whether that woman is married or unmarried? If she is married, the husband can be prosecuted under Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code for adultery and can be punished for up to 5 years and fine, or both. In case she is unmarried, that person cannot be prosecuted under the Indian Penal Code. The wife of that person has the remedy of obtaining divorce from him on the ground of adultery. According to Indian Matrimonial laws, the term extra marital affair is not used what is stated as, has since the solemnization of the marriage committed adultery or has, after the solemnization of the marriage, had voluntary, sexual intercourse with any person other than his or her spouse. The sexual relationship out of marriage with someone else than the spouse is the important factor that has to exist in order to obtain dissolution of marriage by decree of divorce. Merely, if the wife is having friendship with other man will not amount to adultery nor make it a ground for divorce. The sexual relationship with another man other than her husband that is required to exist and proved in order to get divorce even if that sexual relationship was for one time only. When laws are clear why judiciary has to make changes in verdict and make human lives more complicated? Recently, why many divorce verdicts have gone against women and favouring men? Is there anything fishy with Supreme Court judges? (Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com) 02-12-2016 Moana In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by Maui reaches an impetuous Chieftains daughters island, she answers the Oceans call to seek out the demigod to set things right. Directed by: Ron Clements Don Hall Voice Overs: Aulii Cravalho , Dwayne Johnson , Rachel House , Temuera Morrison , Jemaine Clement , Nicole Scherzinger , Alan Tudyk , Oscar Kightley Writer: Ron Clements Rating: [usr 3] Disneys latest offering Moana, which means the ocean in Polynesian and Maori languages, is the story of its 12th Princess in its Princess line. The animated musical-fantasy adventure film wraps up the Polynesian mythology of a legendary evergreen and bountiful island with its Princesss story. A millennium earlier, the heart of Te Fiti, an island goddess was stolen by the shape-shifting demigod Maui in order to attempt to harness its power. But the lava demon Te Ka confronts him causing the heart to get lost in the ocean along with Mauis magical fishhook. The plot centres on Moana Waialiki, the strong-willed daughter of a Polynesian Tribal Chieftain Tui, who, as a child, finds the heart of Te Fiti, when she is collecting shells on the sea-shore. And ever since, Moana is fascinated by the ocean and is drawn towards it. Tui forbids Moana from venturing into the sea. But, when the fish in their reef becomes scarce and a blight strikes their island, Moanas grandmother tells her that this is the result of Mauis deeds. She also tells Moana that she is the chosen one to return Te Fitis heart. So, Moana takes on the quest to find Maui and make sure that he does the needful. The narration is frequently amusing and melodious for most of its run time. While the first half hour of the film establishes the Polynesian environment beautifully, the major part of the film is Moanas adventure in the open sea. The plot isnt as compelling in the middle as it is in its climax, nevertheless, the graph never stagnates. What makes the film alluring is its simplicity in characterisation and narrative. Unlike the other Disney Princesses, Moana, who takes control of her own destiny and does not depend on a Prince charming to bail her out, is a simple, spunky and strong character that is remarkably real. How she holds her own against the ultra-macho Maui and other rivals, including an army of coconut pirates, and Te Ka, a super natural beast with a volcanic temper, is worth a watch. Humour, which seems forced, is strewn in, in the form of Heihei a dumb rooster and Pua a pet pig. Both animals were brought to the Pacific islands by the first Polynesians, thus linking the story to historical evidence. The voices lent by the ace cast befit the characters aptly. The tenor in the voices of Aulii Cravalho as Moana, Dwayne Johnson as Maui, Rachel House as Grandma Tala, and Temuera Morrison as Chief Tui are dynamic and vibrant. They bring the characters to life. On the visual front, the locales are photo-realistic and the animations along with the 3D effects are appealing. Apart from the visuals, its the sound design and the eight songs composed by Mark Mancina that seamlessly integrate into the narrative that make the film stand apart. Overall, Moana is a fun-filled film that has all the elements of a great entertainer. Watch Trailer: Criticising UN sanctions imposed on it, North Korea has accused Security Council members of being puppets of the US. North Koreas statement on Thursday came as both South Korea and Japan announced further restrictions on the communist nation, including on visits by foreign missile and nuclear experts, CNN reported. The UNSC voted unanimously on November 30 to impose their toughest sanctions yet on North Korea, stopping about $800 million in exports including coal and copper. The new restrictions came in response to North Koreas nuclear warhead test in September, its fifth and potentially most powerful yet. North Korea in a statement said many countries that are members of the UNSC had already conducted their own nuclear tests and missile launches. Obama and his lackeys are sadly mistaken if they calculate that they can force North Korea to abandon its line of nuclear weaponisation and undermine its status as a nuclear power through base sanctions to pressurise it, it said. South Korea said it would block entry to North Korea for all foreign missile and nuclear experts if their work threatened the South. Senior North Korean officials will also be blacklisted as part of the new embargo, the South Korean statement said. On Friday, the Japanese government confirmed they would adopt similar measures as South Korea, while also prohibiting entry to Japanese vessels that had docked in North Korea. India-born Preet Bharara, the powerful US attorney who has facilitated many high-profile insider trading convictions, has agreed to remain in the position after meeting President-elect Donald Trump. Appointed as the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York by outgoing US President Barack Obama in 2009, Bharara has earned the reputation of a crusader prosecutor. The President-elect asked, presumably because hes a New Yorker and is aware of the great work that our office has done over the past seven years, asked to meet with me to discuss whether or not Id be prepared to stay on as the United States attorney to do the work as we have done it, independently, without fear or favour for the last seven years, Bharara said. We had a good meeting, he said in a brief interaction with reporters after his meeting with Trump yesterday. I said I would absolutely consider staying on. I agreed to stay on, said Bharara, who is in his late 40s. I have already spoken to Senator (Jeff) Sessions, who is as you know is the nominee to be the attorney general. He also asked that I stay on, and so I expect that I will be continuing to work at the southern district, said the top Indian-American attorney. Born in a Sikh family in Ferozepur, Punjab, in 1968, Bharara grew up in New Jersey after his parents moved to the US. After being appointed as the US attorney for the powerful South District of New York, Bharara has made a national and international mark for himself with many high-profile cases and investigations including foreign countries, insider trading and those involving US politicians. It was under Bhararas prosecution, that India-born former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta was convicted for insider trading in 2012. Leaving Preet in office sends a powerful message to Wall Street that this is not open season for Wall Street folks to run around and do whatever they want, Greg Morvillo, a partner at Morvillo LLP, told The Wall Street Journal. Morvillo LLP had represented hedge-fund manager Anthony Chiasson whose insider-trading conviction was obtained by Bhararas office. New York Senator Charles Schumer welcomed the move and said Trump had called him last week and asked for his thought on Bharara staying in this position. I told him I thought Preet was great, and I would be all for keeping him on the job and fully support it, Schumer said. Preet has shown as a prosecutor that he is willing to take on the political establishment, Arlo Devlin-Brown, a former chief of Bhararas corruption unit who is now a partner at the law firm Covington and Burling said. Hes also shown he can win. There is no question that these are qualities that the president-elect admires, he said. After spending the night at the secretariat, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stayed put there on Friday protesting deployment of the army at toll plazas in West Bengal allegedly without informing her government an issue that snowballed into a major row causing disruptions in parliament. The central government and the army rubbished the allegations, saying too much was being read into a routine exercise. An undaunted Trinamool Congress sent its senior ministers on a sit-in protest at the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata and videos of the army deployment were also forwarded to President Pranab Mukherjee. Banerjee remained in the secretariat Nabanna where she held parleys with top civil and police officers. In the Lok Sabha, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said the army was conducting a routine exercise and the state government and the police knew about it in advance. This has been continuing since last 15-20 years. This exercise was conducted last year too between November 19-21, Parrikar said. The minister said it was earlier decided that the exercises would take place between November 28-30. But police urged the army to shift the dates as there was a shutdown on November 28. So it was decided that the exercises would take place between December 1-3. He also accused Banerjee of politicising the issue. It is saddening that a routine exercise has been made a controversy now. This is politics in frustration, Parrikar said. In Kolkata, the Eastern Command showed papers detailing the correspondence between the army and the local police on the issue. We deny all charges with all contempt, said General Officer Commanding Major General Sunil Yadav. The army also termed as baseless Banerjees charge that army personnel were collecting money from vehicles. He said the soldiers were carrying out routine annual data collection exercises on the availability of load carriers at all the major entry points in various states. Banerjee said on Thursday that she would not leave till the army was withdrawn. She accused the central government of deploying the army along a highway toll plaza at the second Hooghly Bridge, about 500 metres from the secretariat Nabanna in neighbouring Howrah district. Ill keep vigil to protect the democracy, to protect my democratically elected government, she said. Shortly after midnight, the Eastern Command said the army has been asked to withdraw from the toll plaza near Nabanna as it had already collected the data it required. Past 2 a.m., Banerjee holding her third round of media conference since Thursday evening reiterated she would spend the night at Nabanna, arguing the army may be back. The drama unfolded on Thursday evening, when Banerjee alleged the army has been deployed at the Dankuni and Palsit toll plazas on National Highway 2 (connecting Delhi and Kolkata) without informing the state government. Demanding to know whether a military coup has taken place, she said: The motive is political, vindictive, unconstitutional, unethical and undemocratic. On Friday, the issue was raked up in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha was also adjourned over the issue after opposition members shouted slogans and compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Hitler. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad raised the issue in the House. In West Bengal, the army has taken over toll plazas at 19 places. The state Chief Secretary, state administration or the state Director General of Police (DGP) were not given any information about this. We are unable to understand what is this, Azad said. Trinamool Congress member Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and BSP chief Mayawati also joined Azad. Roy said it was a central government attempt to instil fear. Mayawati dubbed the move an attack on the federal structure of the nation. In the Lok Sabha, Trinamool leader Sudip Bandopadhyay led the opposition members and trooped near the Speakers podium and shouted slogans against the central government. Hitting out at the Centre over killing of Indian soldiers on the border, the ruling BJPs ally Shiv Sena on Friday sought to know why there was a spurt in such attacks after the November 8 announcement of demonetisation. While scrapping Rs. 500 and 1,000 notes, the government had said the move will break the backbone of terrorists as they are heavily dependent on high value notes for funding and carrying out terror activities. If this is true, why have terror strikes increased after November 8? an editorial in Senas mouthpiece Saamana said. The Sena demanded that the Defence Ministry clarify the number of soldiers martyred since November 8. While the national anthem will be respected in cinema halls, the question is whether there is any respect left for the lives of our soldiers. Our jawans at the border are dying every day. If this does not stop, a question mark will emerge on the countrys defence preparedness, the Sena said. Taking on Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar over his remarks that his ministry got a call from Pakistan pleading with India to stop firing, the Sena said the minister had created an impression that the neighbouring country had bowed down and there would be no more terror threats from its side. But, even before Parrikar completed his words, Pakistan attacked Indian camps and all peace had been lost. How do we stop the losses being suffered by our Army? First, it was Pathankot, then Uri and now Nagrota. Terrorists are blatantly spilling the blood of our soldiers, the Sena said. It said that there were several Army posts in the country which do not even have CCTV cameras, let alone sophisticated machinery. On Tuesday, Jammu and Kashmir was rocked by two terror attacks in which seven Army personnel, including two Major-rank officers were killed. Eight security men including a BSF DIG, were injured before six heavily-armed terrorists were eliminated in a fierce encounter at Samba sector in the state. The Gujarat police told the Supreme Court that it has proof that social activist Teesta Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand had diverted funds received for their NGO, which works for the welfare of 2002 riot victims, for personal use. Out of Rs. 9.75 crore received in donations, they siphoned off Rs. 3.85 crore, the police said. The claim was made by the Gujarat police in the Supreme Court. In an 83 page affidavit, the police have said that they had sought documents relating to the Centre for Justice Trust and Sabrang, but the couple were non-cooperative. Assistant Commissioner of Police Rahul B Patel in the affidavit gave the details of non-cooperation by Setalvad, her husband and their trusts in furnishing documents required to probe into the complaints made by riots victims at Gulbarg Society that the couple did not deliver as per promise once the donations inflated. Notably, the Gulbarg Society had witnessed one of the worst carnage during the 2002 Gujarat riots. After looking into bank accounts of the couple and their two trusts from 2007 till 2014, the Gujarat Police informed the SC that Sabrang Trust and Citizens for Justice and Peace received total foreign and domestic donations of Rs. 9.75 crore during this period. It also says that the activists did not inform the police that they had opened two more accounts belonging to Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) and Sabrang Trust. As soon as these three accounts were seized on January 23, 2014, the couple immediately transferred Rs. 24.5 lakh and Rs. 11.5 lakh from the other two accounts of Sabrang Trust, unknown to the investigation authority, by way of demand drafts on a single day, the affidavit said. The police rejects claim made by Setalvad and Anand that most of the riot-related cases were fought free of cost by top lawyers. They said that the couple had paid over Rs 71.40 lakh to the lawyers. The affidavit said that Setalvad and Anand both calculatingly misappropriated trusts huge funds and pocketed in their personal account and has sought their custodial interrogation of the couple. STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 2, ARTSAKHPRESS: The Ministrys announcement reads: Overnight December 1-2 the Azerbaijani side continued violating the ceasefire regime in almost all directions of the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact. More intensive violations were registered in the eastern part of the frontline, where, except from various caliber small arms (over 1400 shots), the Azerbaijani forces fired also 60mm and 82mm mortars (9 shells) and automatic grenade launcher (1 grenade). Overall, during this period, the Azerbaijani forces made over 125 ceasefire violations by firing more than 2000 shots at the Armenian positions. The Armenian side didnt suffer any losses as a result of the ceasefire violations. Concerning the reports by certain Azerbaijani media spread yesterday which said that during the brutal clashes in the eastern direction of the Karabakh-Azerbaijani border there were 1 killed and 9 wounded from the Armenian side, are nothing more than another disinformation. Like yesterday during the whole day, last night as well the Defense Army forces continued confidently fulfilling their military tasks and gave an adequate response to the Azerbaijani forces in case of necessity. At this moment the situation is calm." Mill workers protest outside Rangsharda hall, Bandra and demanded that they should be rehabilitated within the city. Mill workers are unhappy with the state governments decision to allot them houses on the outskirts of Mumbai. Workers strongly condemned the decision and held a dharna outside Rangsharda hall Bandra where MHADA lottery results were announced and demanded that they should be provided houses within Mumbai. Most of the mill workers were residing in chawls in central Mumbai however after the closure of mills many of them were rendered jobless. New housing complexes and malls were constructed on the area where mills were functioning earlier. After the construction boom began mill workers are now worried that they might be rehabilitated outside the city limits. Many of them are unwilling to relocate to Kone village near Panvel. The results of MHADA lottery were announced on Friday for providing affordable housing to mill workers. The institution has constructed 2,417 houses in Kone village, Panvel. Maharashtra housing minister Prakash Mehta, Ravindra Waikar, Minister for Higher and Technical Education, Industries Minister Subhash Desai and Mumbai BJP Chief Ashish Shelar were present on this occasion. Mill workers started protesting and demanded that they be provided houses within the city itself. Since none of the minister tried to intervene in this matter mill workers became angry. The former Democratic Front government had agreed to give free land to those mill workers who did not want a house in Mumbai. However, they had failed to implement this decision. Around 1.5 lakh mill workers are eligible for housing. We have been holding protests for a long period of time, said a former mill worker. We should be provided houses inside Mumbai city and we wont relocate to any other location outside the metropolis. If the state government fails to address this issue then we will intensify our agitation, said another mill worker. Earlier even Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that every mill worker will get a home in Mumbai but the promise remains unfulfilled. A total of 1.84 lakh mill workers were affected by the demise of the citys textile industry. Mumbai had flourishing textile mills occupying prime land in the island city in the 1980s. A strike by millworkers union, demanding a hike in wages, in 1982 and the stiff stand taken by the mill owners dealt a blow to the mills, destroying the livelihood of lakhs of workers. The government then decided to reserve some portion of the plots for affordable housing and open spaces. Newly-appointed Pakistan Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday warned India of a response with full force for ceasefire violations by Indian troops along the Line of Control (LoC), the armys media wing said. During a visit to the 10 Corps Rawalpindi and troops at forward locations along the LoC, Gen Bajwa said: Each violation of any kind must be responded to with full force in the most effective manner, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. The army chief was briefed on the security situation at the LoC in view of recent violations and escalation by Indian troops and Pakistans own response, the statement said. Gen Bajwa said Indias aggressive posture was aimed solely at diverting the worlds attention away from atrocities being committed by Indian troops in Jammu and Kashmir. He said the Kashmir issue will have to be resolved in line with United Nations resolutions keeping in view the aspirations of the Kashmiri people in order to achieve lasting regional peace, the ISPR statement said. The army chief appreciated the operational readiness of troops and the befitting response given to unprovoked Indian firing across the LoC. Gen Bajwa directed troops to keep the highest level of vigil at all times. The chiefs statements come at a time tensions between Pakistan and India are running high following Indian surgical strikes, unrest in Kashmir and the September 18 Uri army base attack. Since then there have been repeated outbreaks of cross-border firing in Kashmir, with both sides reporting deaths and injuries, including of civilians. The unspoken truth about what has caused the autism epidemic is another example of what Sarah Kendzior described as the invisible hand that feels like a death grip in her June 2016 Foreign Policy commentary, Why Young Americans are Giving Up on Capitalism. Lectures from Paul Offit, Dorit Reiss and Richard Pan wont stop them from figuring out what caused the autism epidemic. The fact that grave harm has also been inflicted on hundreds of thousands of children through mandatory vaccination is not beyond the observation of todays young people. They have grown up with autism all around them. They will eventually ask why this happened. Particularly when they are asked to foot the bill to care for a generation lost to autism. Buried in the post-mortem of the last election is the fact that young people recognize that those currently in power have messed up, placed profits before people, protected corporate interests over human interests and inflicted grave harm upon the future of the nation. Even with all of the power, money and influence Pharma exerts over the main stream media, people simply dont believe the propaganda anymore and are asking tough questions. Trust in the main stream media is almost as low as the trust in government. The pharmaceutical industry, just like the other segments of corporate America, is losing the future. Increasingly, people across the country, particularly young people, are thinking for themselves and questioning the status quo. It is remarkable that this lecture was necessary. Obviously, those who felt the need to talk to you about confronting those who question vaccines felt the need to get you in line because they have observed what many of us who question vaccines have: It occurred to me that I should write this letter to you because you were the intended target of the Confronting Vaccine Resistance lecture at New York University on November 21, 2016. The cast of characters who appeared before you in Confronting Vaccine Resistance lecture are the standard bearers for the kind of capitalism that has sickened America to its core. Dr. Paul Offit, Dorit Reiss and California State Senator Dr. Richard Pan are spin-wizards for Vaccinology - the pharmaceutical industry sponsored belief system that develops vaccines and makes sure that they are imposed upon the public for maximum profit with zero liability, thanks to 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act. The act essentially blocks civil suits against vaccine manufacturers for vaccine injuries. Tax-payers now foot the bill, not the wealthy pharmaceutical industry. From the reports of Dr. Suzanne Humphries, one of the few vaccine questioners allowed into the lecture, it is obvious that Vaccinology Incorporated intends to attack Dr. Bob Sears for daring to propose alternatives to the vaccine schedule and for accepting the simple truth that some children should be exempt from taking vaccines because of the risk for injury. One of the best ways to insure compliance with Vaccinolgy is to make sure that those who question the belief system are labeled heretics and brought before the grand inquisitors to be publicly punished. As he was at NYU, Dr. Paul Offit is often the lead in these pre-canned Vaccinology sponsored soirees. Offit spews misinformation about anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists on a regular basis. He believes that children can take thousands of vaccines at one time, has called for the jailing of journalists who write about vaccine safety and inappropriately and unfairly described the mental health status of CDC scientist Dr. William Thompson. Offit conveniently forgot to mention that Thompson has alleged massive research fraud at the CDC the focus of the movie, Vaxxed - on the papers he and other CDC scientists published on vaccines and autism. Offit neglected to disclose that Thompson reported that CDC scientists dumped research that showed that vaccines cause autism into the garbage. Offit capped off his visit to NYU with a tense encounter with the parent of a vaccine injured child in which he used the F word. Get the flop out of here! Offit said when asked about doing an interview with the Vaxxed crew. I suppose this was Offits way of confronting vaccine resistance members. Also, not mentioned is that Offit has been cited by Congress for failing to disclose conflicts of interests when he sat on a federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The ACIP is a powerful body that recommends which vaccines are approved by the federal government. What follows is an excerpt from Conflicts of Interest in Vaccine Policy Making - Majority Staff Report, Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives, June 15, 2000: b. Dr. Paul Offit (Exhibits 38-41) Dr. Offit shares the patent on the Rotavirus vaccine in development by Merck and lists a $350,000 grant from Merck for Rotavirus vaccine development. Also, he lists that he is a consultant to Merck. Dr. Offit began his tenure on ACIP in October of 1998. Out of four votes pertaining to the ACIP's rotavirus statement he voted "yes" three times, including, voting for the inclusion of the rotavirus vaccine in the VFC program. Dr. Offit abstained from voting on the ACIP's rescission of the recommendation of the rotavirus vaccine for routine use. He stated at the meeting, "I'm not conflicted with Wyeth, but because I consult with Merck on the development of rotavirus vaccine, I would still prefer to abstain because it creates a perception of conflict." Dr. Offit voted for his own vaccine to be used in the VFC, the Vaccines For Children Program. What does this say about Offits ethics? California State Senator Dr. Richard Pan, the newest star in the Vaccinology pantheon, ran away from a meeting in the California statehouse with Del Bigtree, the producer of Vaxxed, last May - I guess that Pan kept running all the way to Manhattan just to lecture you lucky NYU med students. Pan sponsored, then rammed through legislation that took away the vaccine exemption rights of California citizens under the infamous SB-277. Pan has accepted significant funding anywhere between $66,000 and $350,000 from pharmaceutical and medical interest, depending on how one chooses to tabulate the numbers provided by Map Light. What was Senator Pan doing at NYU? Does his California district include Manhattan? Dorit Reiss, another regular at Vaccinology gatherings, has clear ties to the pharmaceutical industry. This photograph says it all, doesnt it? Reiss actually believes that excessive corporate influence over federal regulators who are supposed to regulate industry and safe-guard the public, often referred to as Industry Capture, is a good thing. Reiss actually published a paper, The Benefits of Capture, on her curious theory. In Reiss way of thinking, the pharmaceutical industry (for example) isnt capturing federal regulators, it is simply collaborating with regulators to identify and resolve issues when they inconveniently pop up. Is that what happened when issues with Vioxx popped up? Did the industry call the regulators and, in the spirit of collaboration, mention that their drug was killing people? Is that what happened with the illegal marketing of Paxil and Wellbutrin? Is that what happened when data was withheld on the health risks of Avandia? Frankly, Reiss beliefs are far more dangerous and far more corrosive to the health of Americas children and the health of our democracy than people who ask questions about vaccine safety. Reiss seems to propose that government should allow industry to control it. The medical practitioners of tomorrow will inherit the mess left by Offit, Pan and Reiss and all of the other shadowy people in the Vaccinology world whose identities will likely never be known. All I can ask of you - as you walk into professional life with mountains of college loan debt - is that you remember your oaths to do no harm. Remember that Informed Consent is a guiding universal principle in medicine and that every life is sacred. All I can ask of you is that you do your own research, ask tough questions and demand answers. Think for yourselves. If you do, you will be far better people and far better medical practitioners - than the ones who lectured you at NYU. Louis Conte is the father of triplet boys, two with autism. He is the author of a novel, The Autism War, co-author along with Tony Lyons of a non-fiction book, Vaccine Injuries. He was a co-author of Unanswered From the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: A Review of Compensated Cases of Vaccine-Induced Brain Injury, available at: http://digitalcommons.pace.edu/pelr/vol28/iss2/6 Web Toolbar by Wibiya Don't you just love how Justin Trudeau and other world leaders love to talk about creating jobs and economic growth any time they decide to threaten and pursue further destruction of our environment? If investigative research like Dr. Micheal Salla is correct, questionable decisions associated with pipeline projects and other such environmental issues are the result of manipulative aliens that seek to pursue the management and exploitation of our planet Earth. Dr. Micheal Salla has outlined manipulative alien interference on our desire as humans to protect on planet Earth in his Typology of Extraterrestrials. Dr Salla essentially outlines a capitalist system and ideology which has been shaped and institutionalized by aliens in a manner designed to subvert our natural tendencies as humans to be the environmental stewards of our planet Earth that we were meant to be. True wealth in our planet Earth lies in our ability to safeguard and protect biospheres on our planet that is the source of our very well being as human beings. Justin Trudeau's announcement on the approval of two pipelines is essentially creating jobs that promises to further dig our own graves. If Justin Trudeau came to your door to offer you a million dollars on the condition that you would then commit suicide, would you do it? Probably not. But leaders like Justin Trudeau hope that if they keep repeating the same facile slogans about jobs and prosperity we will ignore the fact that they are pursuing a strategy to further destroy the very environment that sustains us and determines our longevity and enjoyment of our lives. According to John Lash, organized religion and the secular political institutions that they spawned present the humanized face of the aliens. If we continue to follow Justin Trudeau's logic of the road to prosperity to its conclusion, we will be living on a planet Earth that resembles the Moon and Mars. Do you want the Earth to look more and more like Mars or the Moon? Is that the kind of prosperity you seek? Does that represent growth? Sounds crazy, huh? Look at the Alberta Tar Sands. According to Justin Trudeau and our political leaders across Canada, this is what prosperity is all about a destroyed landscape which poisons men, women and children where it's impossible to grow food. Food does not originate in your local Loblaws, Sobeys, Metro, Farm Boy, and Safeway or if you're in western Canada. It comes from our Earth that is being destroyed by projects like the pipelines announced by Justin Trudeau that threatens to further convert Alberta into a toxic moonscape. Our leaders are pushing our planet Earth into a tipping point which is leading to the rapid destruction of our planet which promises to lead to a global war for the remaining scraps. However, according to David Icke and others, this is a script that the alleged manipulative aliens seek with their human and alleged cloned operatives that have infiltrated global institutions of control and power. The time to rapidly turn away from fossil fuels is now. The stated desire to deal with Canada's environmental problems sometime in 2030 is a clear disingenuous propaganda ploy to pretend to give a damn while going full steam ahead with environmental destruction. If someone professed their love for you and want to marry you sometime in 2030 would you believe their excuses? Probably not. So, why should we believe that the Justin Trudeau government is so much more committed to protecting our environment than Stephen Harper? We already have the technological infrastructure, and the desire among the public for renewal energy that would help reverse a path toward destruction. However, according to investigators like Dr Michael Salla, alleged behind-the-scences political relations between Earths alien and aliens which has sought to conserve the the global structure of power relies on oil as the currency of political power. Continued support for pipelines is designed to keep Canada hooked on oil much like a drug dealer who does not want his clients to go into rehab. The excuses by the Justin Trudeau government that Canada ought to only be weened off fossil fuels in very incremental baby steps if as much can be viewed to be little more than a propaganda ploy by archons who seek to deceive the masses. Greenpeace Canada spokesperson Mike Hudema said the following about the federal governments announcement regarding the Kinder Morgan, Northern Gateway and Line 3 pipeline Apparently Justin Trudeaus sunny ways mean dark days ahead for climate action and Indigenous reconciliation in Canada. With this announcement Prime Minister Trudeau has broken his climate commitments, broken his commitments to Indigenous rights, and has declared war on B.C. If Prime Minister Trudeau wanted to bring Standing Rock-like protests to Canada, he succeeded. The approval of Line 3 is expected to increase upstream greenhouse gas emissions alone by 10-13 millions of tonnes (MT) ( Environment Canada ). The approval of Kinder Morgan pipeline is expected to increase upstream greenhouse gas emissions by 13-15 MT ( Environment Canada ). Together the upstream emissions of these two pipelines alone would effectively negate the emission reductions from the national carbon pricing plan (18 MT), and the national coal phase-out (5 MT). After the election of Donald Trump in the U.S. the world was hoping to see more climate leadership from Canada and instead they are getting much, much less. These pipelines would push Canadas international climate commitments out of reach and lock Canada into millions of tonnes of new emissions for decades to come. We need to build the clean energy economy of the 21st century, not expand a fossil fuel infrastructure that the world is quickly moving away from. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also broke his promise to Indigenous reconciliation. Despite the stated opposition to these pipelines from over 100 First Nations and tribes, the Prime Minister ignored their voices and approved two new pipelines that would bring ongoing threats to their lands, culture, water and economies. WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2016 Witnesses provided a House committee Thursday with dramatically different descriptions of the workplace culture at the U.S. Forest Service Several said sexual harassment of women was a problem at the USDA agency, while government officials said harassment complaints were at record lows. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, noted that the same committee held a hearing on the same issue back in 2008, and that he has not been impressed by the progress since then. After eight years in the current situation we need to review what has changed and what still needs to be fixed, Chaffetz said. And based on what we've been reading leading up to this hearing, it doesn't look good not in the least. One witness fire prevention technician Denice Rice said she was a victim of harassment and described how it affected her personally and professionally. A visibly emotional Rice recounted her treatment at the hands of a supervisor that she and many of the members of Congress on hand felt was inadequately disciplined. It was widely known that my second-line supervisor was a bully, abusive, and a womanizer to female employees for years and nobody did anything about it. Rice said. Women were afraid to complain and the one who did report him ended up leaving the agency. He was never held accountable. In Rices case, her harasser was identified in a Huffington Post long-form article, Out Here, No One Can Hear You Scream . as Rices bosss boss. She says the man verbally harassed her and did things like following her into the restroom. She filed charges after an incident in 2011. Investigations ensued, and the supervisor eventually retired after being informed that he was going to be fired. He then was hired on as a contractor, and in that capacity he was recently asked to give a motivational speech to a group of firefighters. They are still supporting him while I have continued to be harassed by the same individuals that protected him before he left, Rice said. I know what happened to me happens to women all over the Region and Forest Service. Rice was referring to USFS Region 5, which is mostly California. Lesa Donnelly is the vice president of the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees where she works with victims like Rice. She told lawmakers that there had been progress in the fight against sexual harassment until about eight years ago when the progress stopped. She says she wished she could point to an area of improvement under the Obama administration and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, but she said she could not. Things have gotten worse in terms of the blatant harassment against women, minorities, people with disabilities, Donnelly said. She cited a complete disengagement on the issue by Vilsack, Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell, and Joe Leonard, USDAs assistant secretary for civil rights. Our request has been very simple: Its to merely sit down and start talking, have a dialogue to talk about the issues and exchange ideas and move towards resolution, she said. Secretary Vilsack and Dr. Leonard and Chief Tidwell have absolutely not wanted to do that and the conditions for employees have worsened. Donnelly said shes heard that reports of rape have increased in the last eight years, but women are afraid to come forward and report it for fear of retaliation in the workplace. USDA spokeswoman Cathy Cochran said in an email to Agri-Pulse that improving USDAs civil rights record has been a top priority for Vilsack. She said USDA and the Forest Service have a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment, and as a result of measures implemented in the last several years, (Equal Employment Opportunity) complaints within the Forest Service have consistently declined over the last five years. 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. When asked about the matter at the hearing, Leonard pointed to figures showing a decrease in complaints since 2001. Weve made generational change in the last seven years, I promise you, he said. Lenise Lago, the deputy chief for business operations at the Forest Service, said these types of complaints were actually at their lowest levels in the last five years. She was asked repeatedly by lawmakers why people Rices former supervisor were allowed to retire rather than being fired for the misconduct. She said option of retirement is written into law and that Tidwell asked her to implore the committee to make it easier to fire people rather than allow them to retire, retain their benefits, and avoid the kind of professional implications that might come as a result of termination. But Donnelly and Rice dismissed the zero tolerance policy as lip service. Donnelly in particular pointed to a number of lawsuits that have been filed alleging harassment, but to little avail. The culture of the units fighting forest fires across the country remains largely unchanged, they said. While disagreement among witnesses at a congressional hearing is hardly a new development, Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the committees ranking member, said the split in this case was unheard of. As I listen to Ms. Lago and I listen to (Donnelly), it sounds like were talking about two different worlds, he said. Its like night and day, and Ive never seen testimony so far apart. #30 The US Senate has passed a bill to extend sanctions against Iran for 10 years, reports TASS. STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 2, ARTSAKHPRESS: The document authorizes the US President to impose restrictions on those who are engaged in the ballistic missiles program by Iran, supporting terrorism, as well as are accused in human rights violations. Aiken, SC (29801) Today Mostly clear. Low 54F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mostly clear. Low 54F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 2, ARTSAKHPRESS: The conversation was held by the initiative of the American side, the Presidents Office stated. President Sargsyan once again congratulated US President-elect Trump and his team on the victory in the election and wished successes during the realization of the responsible mission. Both President Sargsyan and Vice President-elect of the United States Mike Pence underscored that during the tenure of the new US administration the present high level Armenian-American cooperation in the political and economic fields will not only be maintained, but will also gain new impetus. The sides also discussed several issues of mutual interest, including regional matters and challenges. No. 2: Lakeya Hicks and Elijah Pontoon have sued the City of Aiken, Aiken Public Safety, Public Safety Chief Charles Barranco and four former and current officers alleging both were unconstitutionally searched during a traffic stop on Oct. 2, 2014. The joint Russian-Armenian armed forces agreement is not intended to serve as a tool against third countries, according to a former minister of defense. December 2, 2016, 14:18 Joint Russian-Armenian armed forces deal not targeted against third states ex-minister STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 2, ARTSAKHPRESS: At a news conference on Friday, Vagharshak Harutyunyan described the deal, signed earlier this week, as the organic continuation of the agreement to station a Russian military base in Armenia, Tert.am reports. November 30, 2016 Soon after the insurgency in Syria got underway, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed his sensitivity about Aleppo for the first time. Around midnight on March 29, 2011, we were on board his aircraft flying back to Turkey from his visit to Iraq. Erdogan had made history as the first Turkish prime minister to pay an official visit to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). We were flying from Erbil back to Ankara, following a dinner given in his honor in the residence of once-and-future KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, in the presence of his uncle and father-in-law, KRG President Massoud Barzani. There were three of us journalists listening to Erdogan; one is now an adviser to Erdogan, who became president in 2014, and the other is at large as a wanted Gulenist following the failed July 15 coup attempt. In 2011, the so-called Arab Spring had just knocked on Syria's door with March 15 disturbances in the southern town of Daraa and with some minor demonstrations in Damascus. It was too early to call it an uprising. But what if the disturbances in Syria turned into a revolutionary situation such as those in Tunisia and Egypt, I wondered. At that point, Erdogan was a close friend of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an Alawite, and Syria's Sunni majority had pinned its hopes on Erdogan as a pious Sunni leader of its strong neighbor, Turkey. Would not the evolution of events in Syria be an embarrassment for Erdogan? How would he tackle it in such a case? Erdogan expressed the geopolitical importance of Syria, especially Aleppo, to Turkey. In 2012, large parts of Aleppo fell under the control of opposition or rebel groups supported with differing intensities by the United States, but fully by Turkey. Now, Aleppo, the jewel of the Syrian crown in terms of Turkeys Syria policy, is about to be recaptured by Assads forces. At the beginning of the week, one-third of the area within Aleppo that had been under rebel control was recaptured by the government. Eastern Aleppo neighborhoods came under government control. They were the first areas that had fallen into the hands of the rebels in 2012 when insurgents seized more than half of the city. If the Syrian regime succeeds in taking back all of Aleppo from rebel forces and this week, it looks likely such a development would be a very heavy blow to Erdogan's policy on Syria. When the rebellion broke out in Syria in 2011, Erdogan became a staunch opponent of his former friend, saying Assad had to be ousted. But Erdogan backed off that stance after Bashar-backing Russia entered the picture in 2015. As Erdogan has explained it, Turkey entered militarily into Syrian territory in August 2016 primarily to fight the Kurdish forces of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the People's Protection Units (YPG), along with their allies in the Syrian Democratic Front (SDF), who were fighting against the Islamic State (IS) in cooperation with the United States and, in certain areas, with Russia's tacit support. Earlier this week, however, Erdogan reverted at least for a day or two. As fellow Al-Monitor columnist Amberin Zaman noted in her column this week, Erdogan told the Inter-Parliamentary Jerusalem Platform Symposium on Nov. 29, "We entered [Syria] to end the rule of tyrant [Bashar] al-Assad. [We didnt enter] for any other reason. After Russia demanded an explanation from Erdogan, he quickly flipped his rhetoric again, saying publicly that Turkey is targeting "not a particular country or individual" but "solely terrorist organizations." But the fall of Aleppo to Assad's regime appears to mean that Erdogans long-held anti-Assad policy has been defeated on the battleground. Erdogan, in an Oct. 28 statement, had indicated that Turkey's forces and its Free Syrian Army allies would capture al-Bab, which is considered the eastern gate of Aleppo, then turn east and march on Manbij, and after removing the PYD/YPG from there, would move farther east and ultimately take Raqqa from IS. Yet with the impending fall of Aleppo, taking al-Bab seems more difficult than ever. Moreover, the Turkish military around al-Bab suffered casualties from an air attack, for the first time ever, presumably by the Syrian air force. Some claim that it might have come from Iranian drones. But many observers noted the attack coincided with the first anniversary of Turkey's downing a Russian jet, therefore giving way to speculation that the Russians are behind the Turkish casualties around al-Bab. Whatever the truth, Turkish military activity seems to be restricted in the area stretching from the eastern approaches of Aleppo to al-Bab, and from there farther east to Manbij and Raqqa. A keen observer of the developments on the northern battlefields, Fabrice Balanche, had said in October, It seems unlikely that Putin would be pleased with a Turkish presence inside al-Bab and so close to Aleppo, which Russian forces are heavily committed to retaking. Al-Bab is also Moscow's best leverage on Turkey and the SDF. The fall of Aleppo would be further alarming for Turkey because it could spell the end of hopes for Turkey-supported rebels that is, Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaeda affiliate), Ahrar al-Sham (the Salafi group that had been Turkeys main proxy in Syria) and the Nureddin Zengi Brigade. These groups and with them, Erdogan could be prevented from playing a role in the future of Syria. The fate of Aleppo is likely to change the trajectory of the war in Syria. Idlib, as the only remaining provincial capital in the hands of Turkish-supported rebels, may follow Aleppos fate. Squeezed from Latakia to its west and from Aleppo to its east, Idlib may not hold for long. Consequently, the fate of Aleppo has the potential to seal the fate of Erdogan's regime in Turkey. Too many of Erdogan's eggs are placed in the basket of northern Syrian geopolitics, and most of them are likely to crack. When it comes to Syria, Erdogan might be more at the mercy of Russia than ever. Turkey's ambitious objectives to deprive Syrian Kurds of autonomy could equally depend on how Putin recalibrates his new relations with Erdogan, and on the Americans. Assad's recapture of Aleppo would leave no doubt that a new, fateful page will be written for Erdogan in Turkey. December 2, 2016 The House voted for the first time today to explicitly authorize the incoming Donald Trump administration to arm vetted Syrian rebels with anti-aircraft missiles. While the language in the annual defense bill also creates restrictions on the provision of the controversial weapons, it represents a win for Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., a fervent advocate of helping the rebels resist President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian allies. The Senate is expected to pass the bill next week. Until now, the transfer of man-portable air-defense systems, or MANPADs, had been implicitly authorized in the absence of an outright ban. Critics, however, view the new provision as tantamount to a policy recommendation for the president-elect. "I'm more afraid of Congress on this issue than I am of Trump, said Robert Naiman, the policy director at Just Foreign Policy, a liberal advocacy group that lobbied for a ban. I think Congress is trying to tie Trump's hands against making a realistic deal with Russia to end the Syrian civil war. And they are trying to pressure him in the direction of not doing that," he told Al-Monitor. Trump was outspoken about his reluctance to get dragged into the Syrian civil war throughout the presidential campaign. He has since picked hawkish advisers and candidates for Cabinet positions, including retired Marine Gen. James Mattis as secretary of defense. The rebels are being slaughtered as we speak. A genocide is taking place. It's a black mark on American history," McCain told Al-Monitor when asked about the MANPAD provision. I think [Trump] is going to listen to the people he appoints as secretary of defense and secretary of state. Mattis is well known in military and foreign policy circles for his aggressive determination to take on Americas foes, notably Iran, including in Syria and Iraq. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee as far back as January 2015, however, he opined that the time for supporting moderate rebel fighters against Assad's forces had "passed." {image1} (Click here to view a larger version of this chart with links to relevant legislation) US-backed Syrian rebels noticed and applauded the policy change, while questioning Trumps intention to make use of it. This move could have [been] a potential game-changer for the opposition a year ago in response to Russia's intervention, which as we've seen has primarily been one involving the heavy use of air power, Bassam Barabandi, a political adviser to the Syrian opposition's High Negotiations Committee, told Al-Monitor via email. If Trump decides not to end American military support for the rebels, providing MANPADs could help the opposition maintain its positions in Idlib, which I suspect is where Russian air power will be concentrated on after Aleppo falls to the regime." The new provision was added in while the House and Senate worked out differences between the bills they passed earlier this year. The original House bill expressly prohibited the transfer of MANPADs to any entity in Syria, while the Senate version made no mention of them. The point of the conference committee is to resolve disagreements between the chambers," a House aide told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. "In this case, the conference committees resolution between an outright ban on sending them to Syria and the Senates lack of any comment whatsoever was somehow to explicitly authorize the transfer of MANPADs without any of the safety precautions that were widely deemed to be a minimum requirement for doing so. The safety precautions mentioned by the aide refer to potential technological controls that the United States has been trying to design, without much success, in case such weapons were to fall into the wrong hands. The compromise defense bill however does require the executive branch to notify Congress if it decides to provide MANPADs to the Syrian rebels, provide a detailed intelligence assessment of who would get them and then wait 30 days for any congressional reaction. The new provision would require the secretary of defense and secretary of state to notify the congressional defense committees, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee should a determination be made to provide MANPADs to elements of the appropriately vetted Syrian opposition, according to the explanatory statement accompanying the compromise bill. The conferees expect that should such a determination be made, the requirement for the provision of such a capability and the decision to provide it would be thoroughly vetted by and receive broad support from the interagency. Still, the compromise has outraged House lawmakers who want to keep MANPADs out of Syria. These members have long sought to explicitly ban their transfer, notably in a restriction to the Syria Train-and-Equip program in last years defense spending bill that was stripped out during negotiations with the Senate. "I am disappointed that the House of Representatives explicit prohibition on the transfer of these dangerous weapons into Syria was reversed behind closed doors by the conference committee," Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., told Al-Monitor in an emailed statement. "This brazen act shows that some in Congress still hope to further escalate the civil war in Syria. Sending these weapons would only prolong this horrific conflict and endanger civilian airliners across the region, including in Israel." Conyers was one of 34 lawmakers who voted against the bill on Friday. December 1, 2016 At times, it has seemed as if Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas were trying single-handedly to fend off pressure from friend and foe to reinstate the expelled renegade Mohammed Dahlan in Fatah's ranks or continue to postpone the movement's long-anticipated congress. If Abbas felt lonely before the congress, he didnt feel at all isolated after it convened Nov. 29, also the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Abbas, who was scheduled to give a speech on the opening day, decided midway through the evening to postpone it so the 60 delegates from 28 countries could show the world how much support he and Fatah have. In a video posted to YouTube by the Fatah Youth Movement on the eve of the congress, Mahmoud Alloul, a Fatah Central Committee member and a movement co-founder, had presented background to Fatah and Abbas' pre-congress troubles and pressures. We were not [previously] allowed to hold this congress, he said. The pressures came from friend and foe. Alloul then explained that the key issue for Fatah since its establishment in 1960 has been its independence. We paid a high price over the years for the independence of our decision-making process, but this has safeguarded us as we refuse all attempts to impose ideas on us. Among the pressures and ideas being imposed on Abbas, in addition to the primary one of certain Arab states pushing Dahlan's reinstatement, was for him to appoint a deputy and hence a successor. An Israel TV Channel 2 report claimed that the Arab Quartet Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had been pressing to have Nasser al-Kidwa, the former representative of the PLO to the United Nations and nephew of the late leader Yasser Arafat, appointed Abbas' deputy. One of the reasons why the seventh congress was held three years later than scheduled it is supposed to convene every four years has been Fatah leaders' concern that it would lead to a split in the movement. Dahlan, dismissed in 2011, appeared to have gained enough support in the occupied territories and within the Arab Quartet to threaten Abbas, challenging his legitimacy within his own movement. The pressure from the Arab Quartet presented financial and existential pressures. While funds from Saudi Arabia and the UAE are crucial for the survival of the Palestinian state under occupation, Jordan and Egypt, which border it, are like lungs, providing badly needed fresh air to the embattled Palestinians under occupation. Jordan and Egypt both had strong popular and official representation at the congress, and they were among the first to speak. Former Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Orabi spoke passionately in support of Abbas and Palestine, while Amjad Majali, a former member of the Jordanian parliament, reiterated the shared sacrifices that Jordanians and Palestinians have suffered in the defense of Palestinian rights. Ambassadors to Palestine from Jordan and Egypt, which have signed peace treaties with Israel, were also at the congress. Other speakers passionate in their support of Abbas and Fatah included representatives from Algeria, Kuwait, Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia. Speakers from international bodies included Luis Ayala, the head of the Socialist International, a representative of the UN secretary-general, representatives of the Chinese Communist Party in addition to various other delegates from the Americas, Asia and Africa. A representative of Turkey conveyed words of support from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. The following day, Erdogan called Abbas to congratulate him on convening the congress despite the pressures on him. Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Meshaal sent a supportive message to the congress, read aloud by Palestinian parliamentarian Ahmad Haj, in which he expressed his commitment to cooperating with Fatah. Hamadeh Faraneh, a former member of the Jordanian parliament and a member of the Palestinian National Council, told Al-Monitor, The speeches and those represented at the congress provided Abbas with strong protection to continue insisting on the need to keep Palestinian decision-making independent. In turn, Abbas alluded to the pressures in his speech, delivered Nov. 30. We dont interfere in the internal affairs of the Arab countries, and we will not allow anyone to interfere in our affairs, he said. The strong Arab and international presence in Ramallah was a testament to the resilience of the Palestinian liberation movement and the support it has around the world. Abbas may have gambled in convening a congress without the full support of Palestines closest neighbors and partners, among them Jordan, Egypt and the UAE, but his gamble to insist on independence appears to have made Fatah unique in its 51 years of struggle for the Palestinians' right to self-determination. With the backing on display at the congress, Fatah has been able to end the hemorrhage in terms of losing supporters to the Dahlan secessionist effort. The tables have turned, and Dahlan has been stopped, so some of his supporters will no doubt attempt to return to the Fatah fold. The wound might not be healed overnight, but it appears that Abbas and his movement will survive. Abbas has shown that his stubbornness in insisting on the independence of Palestinian decision-making can pay off at home and abroad. December 1, 2016 No nation has suffered more than the Jewish people from prejudice and conspiracy theories. It's hard to find nations that have served as scapegoats more than the Jews. In their worst years in European exile, the Jews were accused of spreading epidemics and poisoning wells, intending to annihilate Christians. Hundreds of communities were razed in pogroms that broke out in the Middle Ages in France, Germany and elsewhere following the libel that Jews were poisoning the wells and causing the Black Plague. It was far more convenient than blaming those responsible for the miserable health conditions. To this day there are those who believe that Israel was behind the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. These collective accusations are always accompanied by incitement against a Jewish enemy and by scare tactics. And once collective accusations are made, the road to collective punishment by social ostracization and even by extermination becomes shorter. And now, that same Jewish victim who suffered from such racist generalizations is copying those who sought to eliminate him. The role of the Jewish well poisoner was assumed last week by the Arabs who set forests and towns on fire. While vast numbers of fires were incinerating entire neighborhoods and green forests, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu already knew Nov. 23 that there were "natural and unnatural" causes to the blazes, warning the following day that "anyone who tries to burn parts of the State of Israel will be severely punished." The next day, Netanyahu was already dubbing the wave of fires with the honorific title "terrorism," generally reserved for Arabs. "As with every crime, the most important thing is punishment," Netanyahu said. "There's a price for arson terrorism." He went on in the same vein Nov. 27, saying that "anyone who sets fire, whether with malice or negligence, anyone who incites to arson we will act against them with all our might." In a conversation with Al-Monitor columnist Ben Caspit, Education Minister Naftali Bennett drew a distinction between the Arab arson wave, which he dubbed "a countrywide phenomenon," and the arson against Palestinians and their crops by Jews, which he termed "an isolated incident." Bennett pretends that this distinction explains why the homes of Jews who burned Palestinians were still standing, while the families of Palestinian terrorists are left without a roof over their heads because their homes were demolished by the Israeli authorities. "When Jews set fire to dozens of Arab localities all at once during the most dangerous, incendiary time of year then one could try to compare circumstances and punishments," said the leader of HaBayit HaYehudi party, explaining away the discrimination. According to Bennett, the state can adopt harsh, special means of punishment to suppress a pervasive and spreading phenomenon. In other words, according to Bennett, a single, large wave of arson deserves a different approach than the "small" fires set by Jews (West Bank settlers) to Palestinian fields, the chopping down of trees and the theft of lands that has been going on relentlessly for 50 years. And then, after four days, it turned out that the hoopla over the "arson terrorism" and the "intifada of fires" had been overstated and premature. On Nov. 29, the Finance Ministry issued a list (for compensation claims) of only nine fires, in Israel and the West Bank, "that were deliberately ignited and of which the probable cause appears to be hostile acts." Among them were the fires in Haifa, the second blaze in the village of Nataf, and the ones in the town of Zichron Yaakov and in the West Bank settlement of Halamish. The Finance Ministry list makes no mention at all of suspects or detainees. Firefighting authorities were quick to make clear that they had yet to complete their reports regarding the fires in Haifa and Zichron Yaakov and had not concluded that these were, in fact, the result of arson. The police, too, were critical of the Finance Ministry's announcement, stressing that no certified authority had determined unequivocally that any of the fires were deliberately ignited as a hostile act. "We cannot compete with the talk of the politicians about compensation," a police source told Haaretz daily. Thus, for example, bottles with flammable liquid were found at the scene of the fire in the Nataf area, but so far there's been no indication of a nationalistic motive because no suspects have been identified. Police sources underscored to Haaretz that even if their investigation concludes that the fires were set by Arabs, the sole agency authorized to determine this conclusively is the Shin Bet domestic security service. But whether ignited or incited, the fires have far-reaching implications, beyond the propaganda aspect. For some reason, this angle has been absent from the political and media discourse over the fires. Let's assume that Netanyahu is right and the fires were set by Palestinian nationalists. What does that say about the strategy he has been promulgating throughout his years in office? After all, it's abundantly clear that the ongoing fires and incitement will be Israel's daily bread and butter, absent a diplomatic arrangement with the Palestinians. It is clear that in a unique territorial space comprised of a single, binational state, where Israeli Arabs join West Bank and Gaza Palestinians to become one integral society, and as long as they all will live under Israeli rule, such will be daily life. Clearly, people who set fire to their homeland are people who have nothing to lose. If there's anything to Netanyahu's incendiary claims that the fires were caused by terrorists, then there's no clearer admission that his policy has failed. This is a final warning bell that should have shaken him out of the deadly illusion that time and the Israeli-Palestinian status quo are on his side. This is the writing on the wall, stating that the reality Netanyahu is creating invites the chaos raging around us and will provide a comfortable breeding ground for the chaos strategy of the Islamic State. Aesop, who lived in the 6th century B.C., wrote the following fable about this type of reality: "There were two enemies who had set sail on the same ship. They wanted to keep their distance from one another, so one went up on the prow while the other took the stern. Each man then stayed where he was. Soon a fierce storm began to blow and the ship foundered. The man standing at the stern asked the helmsman which part of the ship was likely to sink first. 'It will be the prow,' said the helmsman. 'So be it!' said the man. 'The thought of death does not trouble me so long as I will see my enemy die before me!'" This is where Captain Netanyahu led the Palestinians, and this is where he is leading us all. December 1, 2016 CAIRO Relations between Saudi Arabia and Egypt have recently grown tense in light of their conflicting views on the Syrian crisis. On Oct. 8, the United Nations Security Council considered two draft resolutions (one sponsored by France, the other by Russia) on the situation in Aleppo. Egypt voted in favor of both resolutions, drawing criticism from Saudi Arabia, which supported the French draft. Saudi Ambassador to the UN Abdullah al-Mouallimi described the Egyptian stance in favor of the Russian resolution as painful. Saudi media also bashed Egypts stance, while Saudi social media users urged their government to halt oil supplies to Egypt. Egyptian Oil Minister Tariq al-Mulla told the media Nov. 8 that the Saudi Arabian Oil Co. has suspended its oil shipments to Egypt, even though the two countries signed a five-year agreement in April whereby Saudi Arabia would provide Egypt with petroleum products. On Nov. 15, King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud received Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the former Egyptian foreign minister and current secretary-general of the Arab League, in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, where they discussed the general Arab situation and the role of the Arab League in promoting Arab unity. The visit seemed to be an attempt by the Arab League to reconcile the views of Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Ayman Samir, an expert on international relations and the former editor of Egyptian newspaper As-Siyassa, believes Aboul Gheits visit to Riyadh could ease tensions, especially since the secretary-general has strong ties with Gulf states and was an Egyptian minister of high caliber. Saudi Arabia must reconsider its position in order to mend its ties with Egypt, especially since the crisis stirred by Egypts vote at the Security Council has been amplified in the media in both countries," said Samir. "The Egyptian stance on the Syrian crisis is not new. Egypt believes that the implementation of the 2012 Geneva I declaration is paramount and that state institutions must be preserved in Syria. He added, While Egypt believes that it must maintain good relations with the Syrian regime's allies to resolve the crisis, Saudi Arabia wants to end the [Bashar al-] Assad regime and is supplying the opposition with weapons. Some Saudi politicians act according to the 'If you're not with us, you're against us' mentality. Free Syrian Army (FSA) military sources told Al-Arabiya in 2013 that the FSA uses anti-tank missiles supplied by Saudi Arabia. In October 2015, Saudi Arabia provided the FSA with 500 TOW anti-tank missiles. The BBC reported that Saudi Arabia is responding to the recent Russian airstrikes on Syrian rebels by stepping up its arms supplies," quoting a Saudi source as saying that the weapons would go to the FSA and other small rebel groups. Saudi Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri, the adviser to Saudi Arabias defense minister, told Egyptian Dream TV channel in May 2016, Saudi Arabias position on the Syrian regime is clear. We support the opposition politically, militarily and financially to protect the Syrian people. Samir said that Egypt does not want to break ties with Saudi Arabia. He expects that special bilateral relations will soon resume between the two countries, as they both need each other. Al-Azab Tayeb al-Tahir, who covers the Arab League for Al-Ahram newspaper, told Al-Monitor that Aboul Gheits visit to Riyadh was positive on two levels: The visit mended the relationship between the Arab League and Saudi Arabia, and also put Egyptian-Saudi relations on the right track, preventing their deterioration. Relations between Saudi Arabia and the Arab League under the mandate of former Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby from May 2011 to July 2016 were cold because of the constant disagreement between Elaraby and Ahmed Qattan, the Saudi ambassador to Egypt and permanent representative of Saudi Arabia to the Arab League," said Tahir. "The two had converging political and economic stances within the league, since the Saudi representative wanted to reduce administrative expenses, close some representation offices and impose salary cuts." He added, The Saudi king appreciated the efforts exerted by the Arab League to reunify Arab ranks, and Aboul Gheits visit was the result of joint efforts with the United Arab Emirates. Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed visited Cairo Nov. 11 to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. According to a statement issued by the Egyptian presidency, the meeting discussed the reunification and solidarity of Arab ranks and the need to keep a vigilant eye on all attempts to stir up a row between Arab countries in a bid to destabilize the region. After the visit, bin Zayed headed directly to Riyadh, in what seemed to be a mediation process between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Tahir said, The UAE is making great efforts alongside the Arab League for the reunification of Arab ranks, especially since the UAE wants to maintain its triangle of stability with Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the region. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said in a Nov. 20 press conference in Damascus that "Syrian-Egyptian relations are progressing." "A small step is still needed, and things will go back to normal," said Moallem. "When Syria and Egypt are together, the Arab nation would be fine. Egypt, with its great people and army, cannot stand idly by watching what is happening in Syria. Syria also cannot help but sympathize with the Egyptian army fighting terrorism in the Sinai [Peninsula]. Two days after Moallem's comments, Sisi told Portugese TV, It is better to support national armies to impose their control over their territories and preserve stability. This applies to the national armies of Libya, Syria and Iraq. As-Safir reported Nov. 24 that 18 Egyptian pilots have started operating at Syrias Hama military air base. But an Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Nov. 27 that Egypt has no military forces in Syria, denying Arab news reports and calling such claims false allegations. In any event, Egypt has always emphasized the need to preserve the institutions of the Syrian state and stop the Syrian bloodletting to reach a political settlement. However, Sisis recent announcement stressing the need to support the Syrian army in its war on terrorism may give the impression that Egypt is now siding with the Assad regime, which threatens to sour relations more between Cairo and Riyadh, regardless of any regional efforts for Arab reunification. December 1, 2016 TAL AFAR, Iraq Damaged aircraft hangars and twisted metal are scattered across Tal Afar airport, to the south of the city, and tunnels have been dug in several locations. Graffiti praising the Islamic State (IS) and posters of martyrs and Shiite religious figures are plastered on the walls of the airport buildings. On Nov. 16, the mostly Shiite Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) took the destroyed air base from IS and pushed on to seal off Mosul, meeting up with the peshmerga forces on the northern axis on Nov. 23 and agreeing to coordinate with them on that front. In the areas west and southwest of Mosul, the PMUs are the only active Iraqi force. According to Abu Taha al-Nasseri, the division commander, the battle took six hours and resulted in only three deaths among PMU fighters, despite the vast destruction at the airport. Nasseri told Al-Monitor during a visit Nov. 20 that 15 enemy fighters had also been killed and that no air support had been provided by the international coalition. Incoming fire from IS-held territory continued while Al-Monitor was there. In the preceding weeks, Al-Monitor had the chance to visit some of the PMUs near the front lines as they progressed northward. During an Oct. 31 briefing to a small group of reporters near the front line in Zargah, southwest of Mosul and 342 kilometers (212 miles) northwest of Baghdad, Badr Organization chief Hadi al-Amiri said that he "thanked God" that they had not received any air support from the Americans. "We had enough with the invasion of Iraq [in 2003]." The Badr Organization was originally founded in 1983 and operated in exile in Iran until the regime of Saddam Hussein was ousted in 2003. During that time, it received funding and training from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Amiri told Al-Monitor that he spoke "in the name of Hashid Shaabi," the Arabic name for the PMU, and not as the leader of his group within it. In response to the question whether they would remain in the area after the military operation ended, he said that the PMU "had not stayed in any area that they had taken." The PMU continue to maintain a presence in Salahuddin and other areas, but official control of those areas has been handed over to the local authorities. Amiri added that no Iranian advisers were involved in the operations in the area, despite reports to the contrary, but that he "would not be afraid to say if they were. There are 5,000 Americans here [in Iraq]. We have the right to bring Qasem Soleimani here if we want." When asked why the word "Badr" had been graffitied on several buildings along the main road running through several of the villages that Al-Monitor passed on the way, he said that he had not seen it but that "theyre young men its normal." He stressed, however, that the Badr Organization had always "tried to discourage them from doing so." Amiri showed a map with colored lines indicating the various areas the PMU were tasked with in the axis toward Tal Afar, but noted that all of the Shiite paramilitary groups such as Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Kata'ib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba were involved. He stressed that the peshmerga forces had nothing to do with the operations in "these Arab areas" south of Mosul and Tal Afar, but he said, "We have worked with them before in Saadiya, Suleiman Beg, Amerli and Tuz Khormato." He admitted that there had been problems between the PMU and the peshmerga forces in the past, but that this would not affect their collaboration in the northern sector. In Tuz Khormato, for example, several people were killed in fighting earlier this year between the PMU and the peshmerga forces. Early that evening, young men who told Al-Monitor that they were from Nasiriyah and Basra stood on the rooftop of a building in Zargah, one holding a pair of binoculars. In preparation for the night, they put out piles of blankets and various other necessities. At one point, a plume of smoke rose in the distance from what they said was a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) that they had targeted before it could get to Zargah. When Al-Monitor was leaving, one fighter said they had information that two more car bombs were heading in their direction. A few weeks later, on the lengthy trip to Tal Afar airport, along a road that had been cut up at regular intervals to prevent VBIEDs, followed by dusty tracks through desert land, some PMU fighters seemed confused about the area they were in. On Nov. 20, during a stop in the village of Dallawiyah, situated 329 kilometers (204 miles) northwest of Baghdad, to refuel and request permission to proceed toward Tal Afar airport, Al-Monitor asked a small group of fighters who were filming the journalists traveling in a small convoy what the name of the town was. "Yazidiye," one of them said, with three others nearby nodding. "There were Yazidis here." However, the Yazidi towns are only found much further to the north. The fighters said that they were from Nasiriyah and Basra, both Shiite-majority cities in the south. Given the current momentum, Mosul and Tal Afar might be retaken relatively soon. And then, presumably and in line with various statements made, the PMU might focus on Syria. Some have been operating alongside Syrian regime troops against opposition fighters for years. Following a question by a journalist Oct. 31 in Zargah of whether the PMU would cross into Syria to fight IS, Amiri laughed and offered to take her there. He said, "Our mission is to liberate our country, but we will go to Syria if we have to because we believe that Iraq will be threatened by IS as long as it is still present in Syria." Meanwhile, a controversial law that passed Nov. 26 has officially legalized the PMU as a government entity, providing salaries and pensions to the fighters. On Nov. 24, a statement was issued accusing US planes of bombing Tal Afar airport shortly after Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi left it following a meeting with PMU leaders. Col. John Dorrian, the Baghdad-based spokesman for the US-led coalition, said that the incident had been investigated and any coalition involvement had been ruled out. Any reason for disagreement, however, may spark tensions that were never entirely suppressed. December 2, 2016 Long before Tunisias 2011 revolution, which ousted dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, ushered in a period of ongoing democratic transition and arguably launched the wave of protests that continue to rock the Arab world, the North African country, then under Ottoman rule, saw another popular uprising: the 1864 revolt instigated by tribal leaders angry with forward-thinking judicial and financial legislation. Legal documents including one that abolishes slavery and a new constitution affording equal rights to all Tunisians are now on public display for the first time ever along with 300 Ottoman-era paintings, costumes, religious objects and furniture. The exhibit, aptly titled The Rise of a Nation, is not afraid to explore periods of historical tension in fact, thats the goal. We look to the past because for us, the past was forgotten. Whats important to us is to reinvest in our history, to better invest in our contemporary. We dont talk about the past to hide ourselves, but to project ourselves into the future, the shows curator Ridha Moumni told Al-Monitor. The exhibit, on display at the Qsar es-Said palace from Nov. 27 through Feb. 27, took an impressively short 11 months to curate and organize. The palace, which has been restored to its original Arabo-Andalusian splendor, is a glamorous space for the equally ornate objects and restored paintings. It was the final residence for the last Ottoman beys of Tunisia, but despite its grandeur, it was locked up for nearly a century. An introspective look at the rise of a modern Tunisia, the exhibit focuses on works from 1837 to 1881. The show is deliberately set up in a curved timeline: Upon entering the space, visitors are greeted by two paintings depicting the buying and selling of Ottoman soldiers. Tunisian Jews dressed in black "sheesheeas" (traditional hats) and "galabiyas" (robes) handle coins, and the soldiers carry swords. Actual gold and silver coins and heavy sabers inlaid with coral and swathed in red velvet are on display a bit further down the hallway. At the center of the room are the exhibits most important pieces, including the constitution, which sits on a red pedestal encased in a glass box. Its the first time the constitution has left the National Archives and been presented to the Tunisian public. Written 12 years before Istanbuls, the first constitution in the Arab-Muslim world ensures equal legal rights to all Tunisians regardless of their race or religion. (Not women, though; aside from a few costumes, the feminine is notably absent from the exhibit, a lack that has more to do with time period than curation.) The constitution came on the heels of the decree abolishing slavery two years before Frances own and a pact that ended special taxes on the Jewish population. Other firsts include registers of the Jewish population written in cursive Hebrew. Its a time period thats seldom discussed by Tunisians. The end of the monarchy in 1957 coincided with Tunisias independence from its French colonizers, and under President Habib Bourguiba, who was trying to push Tunisia to form its own political and cultural identity, this period became a taboo subject, Moumni explained. Now, the revolution allows us little by little to have a bit more freedom of expression and also a liberty to act. The exhibit is a collaborative effort between the Rambourg Foundation and the National Heritage Institute of Tunisia. The objects are on temporary and permanent loan from the Lalla Hadria Museum in Djerba, the Alcazar Library in Marseille, the Institut National du Patrimoine, the Ministry of Culture and private collections in several countries. Though the exhibit is only set to run for three months, there are plans to keep Qsar es-Said open for the next four years. In a second phase, the organizers are working to open it as a museum with a permanent collection on 19th century Tunisia. It would be the first of its kind in the country. This space is a space of memory, and the goal is to reinvest in a place of memory, said Moumni. Qsar es-Said is steeped in history. Near the end of the exhibit is the Treaty of Bardo, which eventually led to Tunisia becoming a French protectorate. The colorful marble table on which the document was signed is also on display. The palace is located around the corner from the famed Bardo museum, once the actual place of power in beylical times and now infamous for the 2015 terror attack that killed 21 people. The Bardo mostly houses ancient artifacts and does not address Tunisia's more recent history. This lack was not lost on the organizers. We wanted this exhibit to be a bridge of memory that is absent from the Bardo museum, Moumni said. Its no coincidence the two spaces are close to each other, and Moumni hopes that visited conjunctively, they can offer visitors a richer view into Tunisias past. These are very important identity issues for every Tunisian, Moumni said. Despite the solemn nature of the exhibit, the organizers were particularly dedicated to making the show accessible for children. They purposefully opened during national holidays, and in their first week, theyve received a group of students from the southern city of Touzeur and children of the victims of terror attacks. As we neared the end of the exhibit, a group of girls walked by us, caught between childish excitement and the nervousness that comes from being in such a quiet space. Moumni, bespectacled and dressed in black leather, stooped down to their level. He asked if they were enjoying the show. They were. "Good," he said. Everything belongs to you, he added, smiling. December 1, 2016 Turkey has pinned its hopes on Arab tourists to make up for a serious decline in its vital tourism sector, which is struggling under a combination of blows, including the crisis with Russia, the ramifications of the civil war in neighboring Syria, a string of bomb attacks in big cities, the violent conflict in the Kurdish-majority southeast, the July 15 coup attempt and tensions with the European Union. To boost the tourist flow from Arab countries, Turkish entrepreneurs are planning to build special vacation spaces for Arabs. According to Rifat Hisarciklioglu, the head of Turkeys Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges, economic ties between Turkey and Arab countries have grown impressively in the past 15 years, with the trade volume increasing 7.5 times to $47 billion and the number of Arab tourists growing nine times to some 3 million. Turkey received 2.78 million tourists from Arab countries in 2013, 2.5 million in 2014 and 2.95 million in 2015. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in May that the target was 10 million Arab tourists per year. Describing efforts to overcome the absence of Russian tourists, he said that work was underway to build an Arab village in the Mediterranean province of Antalya, Turkeys main tourism hub. The idea for Arab holiday villages in Turkey was first suggested by the head of the Arab Tourism Organization, Bandar bin Fahad Al Fehaid, in February. I think Arabs will be flocking to Turkey for health tourism. The first steps related to health tourism have been taken already. A big project is underway in Bursa, Fehaid said, referring to the northwestern Turkish city that is famous for its Ottoman heritage and natural riches. Pledging help to lure more Arabs to Antalya as well, he said, Well discuss with the authorities the Arab tourists demands concerning places of accommodation. The rise of religious conservatism in Turkey has led to the inauguration of women-only beaches in myriad touristic areas in the country. The planned holiday villages for Arabs are expected to be based on a similar concept. They will cater to Arabs only, offering an atmosphere inspired by Arab history and culture. The Heritage Village in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, is seen as one model in this realm. A reconstruction of a traditional Arab village from the pre-oil era, the walled complex features Bedouin tents, a mosque and houses, as well restaurants and cafes offering traditional dishes. The Arab villages in Turkey will have some extra features. The one in Bursa, for instance, will be aimed at health tourism and have thermal baths. Fahaid, who met with Turkish Tourism Minister Nabi Avci last month, stressed the big potential in health tourism. Saudi Arabia spends $27 billion per year in this sector, and Turkey is well-received, he added. Avci, for his part, said an electronics tourism festival and a computer games contest would be organized to boost exchanges between Turkish and Arab youths, professionals and students. According to Turkish media reports, Arab entrepreneurs have been buying land for holiday villages also in the eastern Black Sea provinces of Trabzon and Ordu, which have become popular with Arab tourists in recent years, as evidenced by the growing number of Arabic-language signs. Fettah Tamince, the CEO of Turkeys Rixos Hotels chain, says the influx of Arab tourists should be kept outside the context of any political criticism of Turkish-Arab ties, drawing attention to the spending potential of the Arab visitor. France, Italy, Switzerland, Paris and London Europes top destinations have stayed on their feet for years [thanks to] the Arabs. Middle Eastern consumers spend serious amounts of money and have a propensity for luxury because they are wealthy, he said. The income per capita is $30,000 in Saudi Arabia and $50,000 in the United Arab Emirates, while in Russia it is [only] $10,000. An Arab consumer is worth five Russian consumers. Istanbul remains the favorite destination of Arabs in Turkey, followed by regions with lush, mountainous landscapes such as Bursa, Bolu, Abant, Yalova and Trabzon, and the coastal Antalya. Arabs accounted for 1.67 million of the 8.4 million tourists who visited Istanbul last year. As to why Arab tourists are attracted to Turkey, the head of the Tour Operators Platform, Cem Polatoglu, offers a long list of diverse reasons, topped by the popularity of Turkish soap operas in the Arab world and the comfort Turkey provides as a modern Muslim country. Also, Arab visitors are able to easily perform their religious duties and dine without the fear of haram, with the extra advantage of puffing hookahs. According to Polatoglu, medical reasons, especially hair transplantation and other plastic surgeries, are another major factor, followed by Turkeys abundance of shopping malls, affordable prices, cultural proximity and natural landscapes. The Arab tourists, however, could hardly make up for the steep decline that Turkeys tourism sector has suffered. In the first nine months of the year, the total number of foreign tourists stood at 20.2 million, down by 9.5 million people from the same period in 2015. Without the return of the Russians and the Europeans next year, the prospects for the sector appear bleak. Former Tourism Minister Ahmet Tan also points to Europe, warning that tensions with the EU could result in a further blow for the tourism sector. After halal meat, halal restaurants and halal hotels, the plan for halal holiday villages is an approach that meshes with the mentality of the government. With German, British and French villages already in place, the creation of Arab villages will be natural, Tan told Al-Monitor. Such measures, however, are only dressing the wound. The losses in the tourism sector cannot be compensated with Arab tourists only. If ties with the EU break, the number of European tourists will decline further and deepen the trauma in the sector. My dad was one of the pioneers of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force air transport squadron and growing up involved a lot of travelling around PNG. I was the first of seven children and my childhood was one of privilege. My parents were among the many Papua New Guineans who benefited from the public service localisation program. MY mother gave birth to me soon after the euphoria of Papua New Guineas independence in September 1975. A contribution to My Walk to Equality, the first anthology of PNG womens writing, to be published on International Womens Day in March next year. Details here My early memories are of the Christmas parties involving the toot-toot train to the waiting DC3 aircraft that gave us a ride over the old Nadzab airport before we sat on Santa's lap and received Christmas gifts. Those were happy days for me and my brothers but they were to be overshadowed by the sense of gloom engendered by my fathers involvement in the Vanuatu campaign when the PNGDF sent 400 troops to assist the Vanuatu government put down a secessionist revolt in 1980. My father did return and, even now as an adult, I can still revive the anxiety we felt getting dressed and going to welcome our dads homecoming. There we were, mothers and little children, mostly toddlers, huddled in a huge troop carrier with our mothers girlish voices giggling and fussing over our dresses while we sat anticipated meeting the stranger who Mum endearingly reminded us was our dad. For us, dad was the strange man who visited once in a while in a green army uniform. The man who hugged and kissed us hello and goodbye, forever working and never staying. Now there was excitement because he was returning from war. As his aircraft circled overhead and made its final approach, excitement reached a peak. The military police gave us instructions about the program and some mothers were already crying. Then kids spotted their dads and began waving and excitedly raising their voices. Mum held the three of us together in front of her in dignified silence, telling us we had to respect dad and keep our emotions under control until the military program was over. When the official program finished, dad hugged me as his tears rolled down. He spoke quietly, saying, I'm home kids. It was at that moment I mum cried at her unspoken joy of dad's homecoming. My childhood was full of many other happy memories of travelling around the military barracks of Papua New Guinea but it was Moem Barracks in East Sepik Province that proved to be a special place for our family. It was in the nearby Boram hospital that my mother gave birth to my sister Rachel. For years later she was stuck with the nickname "Sepik". It always caused much curiosity among outsiders because of her Papuan features. The latter part of my childhood was spent at Murray Barracks. But no sooner had we moved into the barracks and were just getting used to city life when the Bougainville civil war began. We became witnesses to the casualties of war and experienced the military curfews, the court martials and the media shut downs. An intense code of honour, silence and comradeship was instilled in our hearts. Our father taught us discipline and respect. When the Sandline mercenary controversy tested our dads loyalty we learned the true meaning of nationhood. Our lives as the children of servicemen were the creation of a united Papua New Guinea. We knew no other life in our childhood other than the barracks relationships we developed as wantoks from throughout PNG. Eventually our fathers were given golden handshakes and benefits and recognition of service, but it was the women, our mothers, who were the strength that held families together during those years. In Papua New Guineas contemporary history and literature we often fail to acknowledge the role that women played behind the scenes of the PNG Defence Force. I would like to pay tribute to my mother Annlyn Mota as well as Lydia Lai, Jane Safihao and the other wives of the pioneering Air Transport Squadron and all those other women who stood by their husbands in the early days of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force. They continue to remain our unsung national heroes. December 1, 2016 The Turkish army's greatest fear in Syria has come to pass. On Nov. 29, Islamic State (IS) militants who were attacking a Turkish special forces detachment near al-Dana village, about 3 kilometers (less than 2 miles) northwest of al-Bab, abducted two Turkish noncommissioned officers (NCOs) and their Turkmen translator. IS-affiliated news sites were the first to report the incident. That evening, the official website of the Turkish General Staff acknowledged search operations were underway. By that time, special forces NCOs Muhammed Duran Keskin, Kivanc Kasikci and their translator had already been moved to the IS bastion of Raqqa. Keskin and Kasikci are not the first Turkish soldiers that IS has abducted. On Jan. 1, 2015, NCO Ozgur Ors from a battalion on the border town of Kilis was taken hostage by IS when, officials said, he inadvertently crossed into Syria while tracking smugglers. Held hostage in Jarablus for about a week, Ors was rescued in a National Intelligence Organization operation and returned to Turkey. Strangely, Ors who was welcomed back as a hero was discharged from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) the following month for allegedly not resisting capture and providing propaganda material to IS, thus damaging the TSK's reputation. Pvt. Serter Tas, who was also captured in Kilis, has been held captive by IS for more than a year. Contacts with IS seeking to secure his release have not yielded any results. Tas, whose photograph and messages were published in the April issue of the IS online magazine Konstantiniyye, has been waiting to be rescued for 15 months. When it became known that the two soldiers abducted Nov. 29 were ranking special forces NCOs who were in Syria as part of Operation Euphrates Shield, Turkish and foreign media showed more interest in the incident. Now everyone in Turkey is worried about the fate of these men in the hands of IS, whose inhumane treatment of its prisoners is well-known. People remember the photos of the Jordanian pilot burned alive in an iron cage and Syrian soldiers crushed under IS tanks. What will IS, which is under growing pressure in Iraq and Syria, do with the Turkish NCOs? Despite all its problems, IS still appears to operate with a rational mindset. It knows well that brutal treatment and execution of Turkish captives will incense the Turkish public. But can IS be so simple-minded as to execute them? Normally, IS seeks the release of its militants in an exchange for the captives it holds. In September 2014, for example, IS released dozens of hostages it had taken from the Turkish Consulate in Mosul in exchange for some IS militants in Turkey. It is therefore highly probable that IS will use the captured Turkish NCOs either for an exchange deal with Ankara or for some concessions in the field. At present, there is a reinforced tank battalion of about 600 Turkish army personnel who avoid combat and mostly provide fire support and logistics to Free Syrian Army (FSA) units. There are also about 150 TSK special forces personnel who coordinate close air support for the FSA, arrange medical evacuations and perform forward observance for Turkish artillery fire. In addition to this 750-strong TSK presence in northern Syria, there are armored, mechanized infantry and commando brigades on standby on the Turkish side of the border. Until now, Turkish soldiers have managed to stay in the background without getting directly involved in battles that don't have front lines and defined areas. Nevertheless, 18 Turkish soldiers have been killed, about 100 have been wounded and now three are missing in Operation Euphrates Shield, which was launched Aug. 24. It is clear that as Turkish soldiers approach al-Bab, they will face increased risks of getting hurt or being captured. Will Ankara persist in the much-trumpeted capture of al-Bab or turn toward Manbij in the northeast? Authorities seized 43 grams of meth from a Gadsden motel being used by an alleged drug trafficker from Georgia, the Etowah County Drug Enforcement Unit said. Julius Rawls Julius Rawls, 30, of Atlanta, was arrested after agents received a call that drugs were being stored at the motel. Once authorities discovered the meth, Rawls got into a brief struggle with authorities. A small amount of cocaine was also found in his possession during his arrest. Rawls was charged with trafficking in methamphetamine, unlawful possession of cocaine and resisting arrest. Addition charges are expected concerning a handgun. He was placed in Etowah County Detention Center, where he remains as of Thursday night on a $50,000 cash bond. He also has previous drug convictions from Georgia. The violent holdup in a quiet Cottondale neighborhood that left a 77-year-old man dead and his wife briefly hospitalized has shaken neighbors. "It just tears me up that something like that could happen,'' said 81-year-old Paul Hoggle, who has lived across the street from the victims for 46 years. "It's been, I don't know, many years since something has happened around here." Authorities late this afternoon identified the victim as Willis Sample. Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit Capt. Gary Hood the medical examiner ruled Sample's cause of death a heart attack, and the manner of death a homicide based on the events that led up to Sample's heart attack. The robbery happened about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the couple's home in the 1500 block of 55th Court East. According to neighbors, Willis and Edna Sample had just arrived home and parked in their carport. Edna Samples, 73, was already in their home and her husband was on his way inside when he was accosted by the two suspects who followed him in. Hood said the suspects are described as two black males. One of them was wearing camouflage face paint and both were dark-colored clothing. Both also were armed - one of them with a handgun and the other with a rifle. They broke the Sample's gun case and took weapons, as well as money and the couple's 2005 gold Mercury Marquis. The stolen vehicle was later found abandoned at Crescent East Apartments in the Holt area. Edna Sample was taken to the hospital as a precaution, and has since been treated and released. Hoggle said he has known Willis Sample since they were teens in Hale County. They resumed their friendship in 1970 when Hoggle moved back onto 55th Court East. He said he and his wife were getting ready to watch Wheel of Fortune Wednesday night when their neighborhood became a sea of flashing red and blue lights. Hoggle said he walked to the end of his driveway to see what was happening but heard police tell someone else to stay back, so he went back inside his home as officers began to put crime scene tape up around his friend's house. "I didn't know what was actually going on until this morning,'' Hoggle said. Sample, he said, retired from the U.S. Post Office as a longtime mail carrier, and also had a working farm in Akron, Alabama. "He was just an easygoing, nice fellow,'' Hoggle said. "We've been friends all this time." Hoggle said he and neighbors are taking extra safety precautions following Wednesday night's home invasion. "The ones I've talked to are pretty upset about it,'' he said. Anyone has information related to this case please contact the Tuscaloosa Metro Homicide Unit at 205-464-8626 or 205-752-0616. Cooper Shattuck has announced his resignation as general counsel for the University of Alabama System, effective Dec. 31. Shattuck had held the job since August 2012. Before that, he was chief legal adviser for Gov. Robert Bentley. "After many years of public service to the state and to the state's largest education enterprise, I am looking forward to returning to the private practice of law where I can utilize my broad-based experience to further the interests and accomplish the goals of numerous clients," Shattuck said in a press release from the UA System. Shattuck represented the state in negotiations on restoration and recovery from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He has served as executive director of the Gulf State Park project, which includes a beachfront lodge and park enhancements funded by oil spill settlement funds. Shattuck was the incorporator and chairman of the Alabama Council for Excellent Government, ACEGOV, a nonprofit formed in 2015 to promote Bentley's policies. ACEGOV is a defendant in a lawsuit filed last week by Wendell Ray Lewis, former head of Bentley's security team. Lewis sued Bentley, former Bentley political adviser Rebekah Mason, ACEGOV and others alleging defamation and invasion of privacy, among other claims. ACEGOV was also named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed in April by former Alabama Law Enforcement Secretary Spencer Collier. Shattuck said the lawsuits had "nothing whatsoever" to do with his resignation. UA System Chancellor Ray Hayes said in the press release that Shattuck has accomplished much and built a strong team in the legal office. "It will be difficult to find his replacement; however, he will assist with the transition," Hayes said. John Daniel, chief university counsel at UAB, has been named interim general counsel and will work with Shattuck over the next month on the transition. state house mug by julie.JPG (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com) Four Democratic candidates have qualified to run for the state House of Representatives District 67 seat vacated by Darrio Melton. Tuesday was the last day to qualify for the seat that covers Dallas and Perry counties. The candidates are Raymond J. Butler and Valenci'a Quest, both of Orrville; and Prince Chestnut and Latrell "Champ" Richardson, both of Selma. Melton gave up the seat after he was elected Selma's mayor in October. He was elected to the House in 2010. His second term is set to expire in November 2018. Whoever is elected will serve the remainder of his term. Alabama Republican Party spokesman Reed Phillips told The Selma Times-Journal that no Republican candidates qualified. A special primary election is set for Jan. 31; the general election is April 18. Ensley Building A 10 story build in downtown Ensley west of Birmingham, Alabama known as the Ramsay-McCormack building on the corner of Avenue E and 19th Street was completed in 1929. (Frank Couch/fcouch@al.com) (Frank Couch) Ramsay McCormack Building located at 508 19th Street in Ensley (Erin Edgemon/eedgemon@al.com) A day after Birmingham Mayor William Bell publically announced a proposed plan to renovate the Ramsay McCormack building as part of a planned public safety complex in Ensley, a Jefferson County judge ordered the building to be demolished. In an order filed on Thursday evening, Jefferson County Circuit Judge Michael Graffeo ordered the city of Birmingham to award a contract to demolish the 10-story, 87-year-old building by Feb. 10, 2017 and to have the demolition completed by April 28, 2017. Graffeo further ordered the city of Birmingham to repair or repave damaged sections of Avenue E and 19th Street running along the building; repair and install new sidewalks adjacent to the building and install one or more streetlights along the sidewalks and install grass and landscape the lot as "an attractive greenspace." The judge's order was in response to a 2012 lawsuit filed against the city of Birmingham by the Ensley Revitalization Committee, Hope International LLC and Playover Games & Movies. The groups were demanding the city demolish the deteriorating Ramsay McCormack building after officials failed at promised action to redevelop it. Bell, on Wednesday, proposed a plan to invest $40 million in downtown Ensley for a public safety municipal complex that would include the rehabilitation of the Ramsay McCormack Building located at 508 19th Street in Ensley for municipal court. New buildings will be constructed for Birmingham police and Fire and Rescue headquarters. Upon completion of the complex, municipal court, police and fire headquarters would relocate from downtown Birmingham to downtown Ensley. When asked for a comment on the judge's order, April Odom, spokesperson for the mayor, said the city will go back to Graffeo with the restoration plan for the building. "The public safety complex plan for Ensley will remain in that area either way," she said. At the announcement, Bell said the proposed development would help revitalize Ensley and spur residential and retail growth there. The Bethel Ensley Action Task, Inc. (BEAT) hopes to piggyback on the city's plan and raise about $24 million for an adjacent mixed-use development to include residential, retail and office space. The project would require approval by the Birmingham City Council, which had no knowledge of the proposed plan before Wednesday's announcement. The Ensley Revitalization Committee, Hope International LLC and Playover Games & Movies, represented by Ensley lawyer and property owner Antonio Spurling, said the Ramsay McCOrmack building was a blight, hazard and long-standing impediment to growth in the Ensley historic district. The lawsuit also included a petition from 100 people asking that the city honor its commitment to level the building. They sought damages from the city for alleged environmental hazards and suppressed property values caused by the building. In addition, the plaintiffs want the city to pay for mesothelioma asbestos testing for the area business owners and citizens to determine whether the 24 years of neglect at Ramsay-McCormick has caused any airborne ailments. Hope International owner Ronald Deramus on Friday commended Graffeo on his ruling. "(The Ramsay McCormack building) has been sitting there (empty) for 30 years," he said. "It has been nuisance, a health hazard and a whole list of things. We have been in court numerous times trying to get them to do something." On the other hand, though, Deramus said he was elated after hearing Bell's proposal for the building. "I guess it is kind of working together because something needs to be done with the property," he said. "With the ruling, I think it could possibility speed things up with the property." The Ramsay McCormack building, an art deco tower, was completed in 1929 and served as a business center for doctors, dentists and other professionals in the once-thriving district. The city has owned the building since 1983, following the end of major industrial and commercial bustle in the area. It has stood empty since 1986. In his order, Graffeo said testimony and exhibits presented to the court show fragments of glass and shattered debris in the immediate area of the Ramsay McCormack building, "which continuously disturbs the plaintiffs' and the public's private enjoyment, peace and safety." The judge also wrote that the building "threatens the public with asbestos, falling bricks, glass and rodents. The Ramsay McCormack building is an "ongoing threat as a public safety hazard, its significant, severe, negative economic impact upon the Ensley community," the judge wrote, and the benefits of demolishing it "far outweighs any economic harm, financial obligation or legal detriment likely to be suffered by the city as a result of demolishing the building." Graffeo made his conclusions after the city failed in court hearings to present "any reasonable, foreseeable prospect" of developing the building. Although government action has yielded few positive outcomes, it looks likely to continue unabated. For instance, Port Moresbys municipal authority, the National Capital District Commission, is currently enforcing a city wide ban on the sale and consumption of betel nut. Over the years, the government has resorted to heavy-handed tactics to deal with problems arising from the informal economy; that part of the economy that is not taxed or monitored by any form of government, like street vendors and home-based workers. THE new development theme of leave no one behind aptly describes the effort the Papua New Guinea government needs to make to embrace the positive side of the countrys thriving informal economy. While the government has blamed pervasive and irresponsible chewing for the poor image of many towns and cities, the government can be equally blamed for allowing the informal economy to thrive in a state of anarchy. Large parts of the informal economy in the rural and urban PNG are totally disorganised; making government intervention very difficult indeed. In such situations, whenever the government tries to clamp down on the informal economy, it is met with stiff opposition because laws dont take into consideration the well-being of informal economy participants. The creation of an informal economy vendors association representing the interest of the various sub-sectors of the informal economy is crucial. Beyond buai and cigarettes there are people engaged in varieties of informal economic activity including agriculture, trades, handicrafts, floriculture, horticulture, street vendors, mobile traders and peddlers. Any of these sub-sectors could organise themselves into a vendor association to promote their offerings and protect their interests. In essence, an informal economy vendors association would be an attempt to organise the unorganised informal economy for the purpose of influencing policy and legislative reform to promote the interests of the informal economy. The need to introduce such a mechanism was one of the key recommendations of the PNG Informal Sector Study while a National Research Institute study on the rural informal sector economy highlighted that 90% of respondents received no form of assistance, attributing this to the absence of institutions that are mandated to disseminate such information. This highlights a gap in informal rural economy institutional arrangements where churches, schools, councils and non-government organisations are not able to address important issues. The breakdown of cooperative societies has further compounded the problem. This demonstrates that the informal economy is operating in an institutional vacuum without any link or representation to in existing governance structures. As a result informal workers are constrained by lack of voice, visibility and validity. These mutually reinforcing constraints mean that informal economy participants are not supported and represented and that their contributions to national and local economies go unrecognised and undervalued. In addressing the issue of organising the informal economy participants into vendors associations in PNG, UN Women - working in partnership with the National Capital District Commission (NCDC) through the Safe Cities Market Project - has been able to undertake vendor identification and registration exercises which laid the platform for organising vendors into associations. The two organisations then facilitated the election of executives for these groups. As of 2014 the project covered Gerehu and Gordons Market with 14-17 vendor groups covering about 1,500 vendors. As a result of the project, women market vendors have opened basic savings accounts for their daily takings and training in basic financial literacy and other relevant skills is also available for registered vendors. Through the vendors association, NCDC is able to communicate more effectively in regular meetings and also consult on market policy and by-laws. Lessons learnt from this project can be extended to other parts of the country with the establishment of informal economy vendors association which will have a broader focus. This is important because the government is now at the threshold of creating national law on the informal economy. So far the UN Women/NCDC Safe Cities Market project has only focussed on addressing violence inflicted on women and girls in the informal markets. Outside the markets there are countless vendors and victim to violence and abuse from criminals, police, enforcement authorities and the public at large. Most of these people are also the bread winners of their families and they, like the women in the informal markets, need to be heard and represented. At present the CIMC Informal Economy Sectoral Committee, through a technical working group, is putting together an action plan to establish informal economy vendors associations throughout the country. Through these, it is hoped that informal economic activities will be linked to the formal sector of the economy which, among other benefits, will ensure the formal sector reliant as it is on the informal sector - continues to grow. This concept will need to be recognised in the current review on the Organic Law on Provincial & Local Level Government and the amendments to the Informal Sector Development and Control Act 2004. The author is an economist with the Consultative Implementation & Monitoring Council as Senior Project Officer specialising in the area of informal economy Spoken by residents of a settlement established by runaway slaves, Palenquero is seen as a form of cultural resistance. San Basilio de Palenque, Colombia A warm smile spreads across Juanas face as she attempts to sell me a slice of Yucca cake, a sweetened pastry made with cassava, eggs and condensed milk. She and John Jairo, our tour guide, are talking to one another. Words roll off her tongue and her hands flail as I stare at the apron, in the colours of the Colombian flag, tied over her chequered gypsy skirt. I listen closely to see if I can identify any of the words they use and match them to a language I am familiar with. It is a weird kind of guessing game I play with myself when I am in Lagos, Nigeria, but there I usually attempt to guess peoples ethnicities from the sounds and patterns of the languages they speak. My attempts prove futile yet my ears tingle from her voices unsteady rhythm. I notice the absence of any double consonants or heavy sounds from certain Nigerian languages I would normally recognise. Palenquero is a mix between African Bantu languages and European languages, John explains. It borrows from Spanish, English, French and Portuguese. Foreign languages and cultural ownership During the slave trade, the slaves spoke a kind of pidgin, which they used to communicate with other. This eventually became a Spanish-based Creole spoken by the people of San Basilio de Palenque; a settlement established by runaway slaves from Cartagena. First I am Palenquero, then Colombian by John Jairo Back at home in Nigeria, I have often experienced these parallels between speaking a native language and its associations with cultural ownership. That implication that the less of the language you speak, the less your authenticity to the culture and consequently the less claim you have to ownership. For the Palenquero, language has been seen as a source of cultural resistance, identity and self-belonging, so I ask John if this makes him identify as Palenque or Colombian. First I am Palenquero, then Colombian, he says. He places his hand on his chest and speaks of his connection to Palenque with a sense of self-assurance. Eighteen-year-old Yivani is hanging out in the courtyard of the San Basilio cultural centre with two friends. Its difficult to miss him; his hair is stylishly cut into a mullet. I ask him: Which comes first; Palenque or Colombia? His response is similar to that of John. When I ask why, his giggles are followed by stuttering and a long pause. Because I am proud to come from Palenque and it is known across the world, but being Colombian is just a nationality, he says. This tug between labels and identities isnt particularly new. In Nigeria, I am usually Ibibio first and then Nigerian after and unlike Yivani, my own answers elicit even longer pauses, which I am yet to articulate. At the gate outside the centre, a young girl walks up to me with her older sister. She accosts me with questions void of reserve. I can tell she is used to tourists. We go through a game with her trying to guess my age, when she goes over I respond menos and when she goes under I respond mas until she reaches the correct number. She asks if I am married and when I retort with a headshake that signifies that I am not, she mischievously draws my attention to a delivery man on a Vespa and we burst into laughter. Walking through the dirt roads and sleepiness of San Basilio, it is difficult to miss the underdevelopment amid the richness in culture and the boisterous schoolgirls. Brick houses are interspersed with a few made from mud and thatch. Both the girls and Yivani speak to me in Spanish, reminding me of the threat facing the Palenquero language in this small community experiencing economic migration to neighbouring cities. When somebody from Palenque moved to Cartagena, they suffered racism and was made fun of a lot, John explains. As a result, many families who migrated from the Palenque into the cities didnt want their children to speak the language. Growing up I hold vivid memories of being told that my language sounded like metal pots being dropped on the floor. I often felt too embarrassed to even attempt speaking it, so always responded to my mother in English. When we spoke in pidgin, my father considered it vernacular, which would sometimes provoke its own punishment. Integration There are currently 33,000 active and passive speakers of Palenquero both at home and abroad and the steady decline in the number has been a cause of some anxiety for John. There was a moment when extinction was a concern, it was my nightmare, he says. But unlike Ibibio, the language of the Ibibio people of southern Nigeria, efforts are being made to revitalise and disseminate Palenquero, which is now taught in universities in Cartagena. With more than 300 languages in Nigeria, we were mandated to learn one of the three larger spoken ethnic languages at school. When I ask Yivani about his thoughts on the possible extinction of his native tongue, with his shoulders slouched and head slightly bowed, he responds: Well I am concerned because it is only the older people that speak it to perfection and in 10 years time, if they pass away a lot of it will be lost unless they start doing workshops to preserve it. The subject of integration and assimilation often comes up regarding language in a multicultural space. John believes that integration has never been an issue here as they speak both Palenquero and Spanish and have always communicated and interacted with other cities. After walking from one end of the town to the other, we settle at Juanas restaurant for a lunch of fried fish, coconut rice, fried green plantains and stewed greens. My plate reminds me of home. A state-supported supportive housing project is now open in four counties in the Finger Lakes region, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday. The $2.62 million project will provide housing for homeless veterans and drug addicts in Ontario, Seneca, Wayne and Yates counties. It's part of Cuomo's $20 billion plan to provide affordable housing throughout the state and combat homelessness. The initiative includes seven units and eight beds in Waterloo, Seneca County, and three units and five beds each in Geneva, Ontario County, and Newark, Wayne County. A site in Penn Yan, Yates County, will have two units and four beds. "In the face of a homelessness crisis that has affected communities in every corner of this state, New York has made a historic commitment to help ensure that every New Yorker has a safe place to call home," Cuomo said. "These supportive housing units will provide homeless veterans and those suffering from substance abuse with the housing and support services they need for a better life and a brighter future." Most of the project was funded by a $2.4 million award provided by the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance through the agency's Homeless Housing Assistance Program. The Finger Lakes Addiction Counseling & Referral Agency and the Federal Home Loan Bank also invested in the project. The Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative will provide operating funding for the housing sites. The Finger Lakes Addiction Counseling & Referral Agency and local organizations will be responsible for resident placement. State Sen. Michael Nozzolio, whose district is where three of the four housing sites will be located, praised the project. "We can never repay our veterans for the sacrifices they made to protect the freedoms that we so often take for granted," Nozzolio, R-Fayette, said. "I believe it is imperative that we provide whatever services they may need and I applaud the governor for his commitment to insuring that they have adequate housing and other related services." Cuomo's $20 billion plan to invest in affordable housing and combat homelessness includes $10 billion to support new or existing housing units. The remaining $10 billion will help establish 6,000 new supportive housing units and 1,000 emergency beds for homeless individuals. The funding also will support services for the homeless. East Aleppo, Syria I came to Aleppo three months ago to report on the state of the city after rebel fighters from Jaysh al-Fath [Army of Conquest] had broken the siege by Assads forces. While sitting with the OGN crew, which included myself, Abdus Samad, a journalist from Germany, and Muhammad Ghazi, a journalist from Gaza, we discussed a possible three-man trip to the city to cover how life had changed for the residents who had been besieged. We packed our clothes and equipment for a three-day stay. The rebels had just broken the siege, so what could go wrong? We drove to the outskirts of Aleppo and stopped at a spot where trucks that provide water to private homes fill up their tanks. There was a dry field beside the water station and we decided to use the mud from the field to completely cover our car. The rebels may have broken the siege but the skies were still owned by the government forces, and aircraft seemed to fire on any vehicles trying to get in or out of the city. We hoped that covering our car would stop the sun reflecting off it and thereby reduce the likelihood of our being spotted from above. We left just enough of the front window uncovered for me to see the road ahead as I drove. As we entered the city via the destroyed section of al-Ramousa, in a celebratory mood at having made it, an air strike landed nearby. I noticed that the only other cars were either full of those who were trying to escape but had been forced back by air strikes or empty and riddled with shrapnel. Government planes and drones were firing on anyone who tried to leave or enter. It may no longer have been an on-the-ground siege, but the people were still trapped. Within two weeks, the government forces would be back on the ground, blocking every route into or out of the city. That was three months ago and we and 300,000 residents remain trapped inside eastern Aleppo. WATCH Syria: The Last Assignment There are two things that separate me from the rest of the people here. I am the only American citizen and the only black guy in town. That makes me a pretty visible target and I have to be particularly cautious in case any of the people behind the numerous death threats I receive on Facebook decide to make good on their promises. Six weeks into my time in Aleppo At around 5am the call to prayer from the citys mosques mingles with the sound of mortar, Kalashnikov and plane-mounted cannon fire. Its a typical start to a day in Aleppo. By 7am, the noise has started to diminish. By 8.30am, people begin to venture out on to the streets. I am in the tiny apartment I share with Muhammad and Abdus Samad. Crammed inside it are a couch, three armchairs, two bunk beds, a glass table and a bunch of small ornaments that are scattered all over the room for decoration. When a colleague recommended the apartment, he described it as super deluxe. Over a breakfast of hard bread, rocket leaves and beans I plan my day with my colleagues. Who should I interview and where? Is it safe or as safe as it can be, considering to go there? As I prepare to leave my temporary super deluxe dwellings, I first look through the window to check whether there is anybody milling around outside who shouldnt be there. Are there any boxes or bags in front of my door that could conceal an IED? What about that guy standing over there smoking? Is he looking in my direction? Im on edge. It has only been a few days since I was nearly killed in an air strike while interviewing the White Helmets rescue force. It wasnt the first time I have come that close to death; it was the seventh. READ MORE: Syrias White Helmets nominated for Nobel Peace Prize I head straight for the car. The morning sun casts an eerie glow over the citys quiet streets. Aleppos buildings have been pulverised by missiles. In some of their remains, you can see a clock hanging on the wall, clothes in an open closet, toys in the rubble. Its hard to imagine that each apartment once had a living, breathing family inside it. My driver is Ahmad. Hes a skinny guy from a small village. He and I get along well, although he speaks a dialect that takes me a few seconds to understand whenever he talks. He has other important work that keeps him busy but he likes to help us out. Unfortunately, my car ran on gasoline one of the first casualties of the siege as there isnt a drop of it to be had in the city but Ahmads runs on diesel. My gasoline ran out weeks ago, and my trusty car was subsequently hit by an air strike. Now to get to a story we either grab a ride from someone, run to the site (if we know the direction), or hitchhike. Its not the most security-conscious way to travel, but its the best we can do under the circumstances. I arrive at my first interview of the day; it is with a Free Syrian Army group operating in Aleppo. Even in besieged Aleppo a good cup of tea is still the standard. Food, on the other hand, is becoming increasingly sparse. Sometimes the bread is good; sometimes it has foreign objects baked into it. I have a cracked tooth as a result of some rock-like substance buried deep inside a piece of innocent-looking bread. Im supposed to go to the dentist tomorrow to get it fixed but that seems unlikely as the balcony of the building where the dentists office is located is gone and I suspect the clinic is out of action, too. I guess Ill have to keep chewing only on the left side of my mouth until I can work out a way to get dental care. I havent tasted juice for months. There arent any eggs or chicken either. For breakfast its oil and zaatar or maybe tomato paste on bread with some tea. In the room where Im waiting for my interview are men aged between 20 and 40. They are each wearing a battle vest full of Kalashnikov magazines. They seem friendly. And Im a pretty jovial person myself. It comes from the time I spent working as a stand-up comedian years ago. Im bilingual but my English jokes dont always translate so well into Arabic. For the most part, my Syrian hosts dont seem to mind. As I pick up my cup of tea, one of the fighters says: I heard we can get $20,000 for kidnapping an American! Everyone starts to laugh, myself included. That rate is only for white Americans, I joke, in part to conceal my own discomfort. The black ones arent on the list. More laughter erupts. I take a sip of tea. Our next stop is a hospital. As we are visiting some patients at one hospital, we are informed that the M10 hospital across town is out of service owing to air strikes. We immediately rush there and, upon arriving, are greeted by a scene of total devastation. Seven air strikes including a bunker buster, barrel bombs, a chlorine canister and cluster bombs have pounded the hospital within the span of an hour. There is a deep sadness in the faces of the staff. As we finish filming at the hospital I realise that our ride hasnt returned for us. It is close to sundown, the time at which people stop going out because that is when the planes with the 23mm cannons mounted on them come out. They do this because they must fly at a very low altitude in order to fire upon cars and pedestrians but do not want to risk being shot down themselves. I know we can either wait for Ahmad, hoping that he eventually turns up, or start walking. If he doesnt come, that will mean spending the night in the bombed-out hospital or taking our chances with the planes. We decide to walk. Three months into my time in Aleppo At 8:29pm there is a huge explosion right in front of our office and across the street from one of the hospitals. Myself and Abdus Samad check whether the hospital has been hit. Covering the war in Syria isnt nearly as simple as just filming interviews. We often help to dig people out of the rubble and drive the injured to hospital. Were sometimes the first responders; at the scene of a strike even before the White Helmets arrive. As we run through our darkened stairwell and are about to turn into the corridor that leads to the street, I tell Abdus Samad to wait. Ill go first, I explain, as theres no need for us both to get injured if another rocket lands. At 23, Abdus Samad is half my age; a fact he loves to joke about. But as I turn the corner, another rocket lands and smashes the balcony of our apartment. Worried about Muhammad Ghazi, who is sleeping in one of the rooms, we race back upstairs. Muhammad is unhurt, but the room we were in just seconds before is destroyed. Steel, concrete and balcony doors rest on top of our computers. We all run to the basement to take cover until the rocket fire stops and we can make it across the street to the hospital. My best guess is that these are truck-mounted Grad rockets. READ MORE: Syria war Air raid hits childrens hospital in Aleppo Another family that lives in the building also makes it to the basement. One of the women is frantic. We try to calm her down. It only works when I assure her that I will head upstairs to check on what is happening and then report back. But as I make my way up the stairs, another rocket lands. I think it damages my ear-drum. Now, whenever I raise my voice, it sounds as though my ear is a blown-out speaker. I head back down unable to hear properly and with my ears ringing. I motion that its still too dangerous to go out. When the rocket fire eventually slows, we run across the street to the hospital. Noticing that nobody has left to seek safer ground, we expect the worst. Assads forces have been targeting hospitals for the past fortnight, surely they must know to get away? Are they all dead? As we enter, we find the staff in the underground operations room. They look like ghosts; their eyes wide and their faces covered in dust. There is a patient on the operating table. With the minimal equipment they have, they have continued to operate on him as the rockets have rained down. A doctor is sewing one of his wounds. I later learn that the patient died. The staff are trying to move already sick, barefooted, dust-covered patients to the basement. Those who can walk, walk. Those who cant are carried. There is no elevator. We find ourselves in a room with about 30 other people. I cant shake the mental image of a barrel bomb bringing the already-damaged upper floors down upon us, either crushing us to death or entombing us alive. I know that no one will come to our rescue as more rockets fall from the sky. With each landing missile, dust and debris falls upon us. The fires burning outside will serve as a guide to the helicopters and their barrel bombs, I think. We cant all bunch up like this, says Muhammad. A few more hits and the building may collapse. Some of us need to move to another location. There is a discussion. Some say it is too dangerous to go out. Ultimately, my crew and I make the decision to say the testimony of faith (there is no God but Allah) and run out of the back door. As we run, rockets turn the night sky orange. We once interviewed a man who lived in a partially destroyed building nearby. Its upper floors had been pulverised but he lived in the basement. This is the safest place to be, he had told us. The regime thinks this building is already destroyed. We werent sure whether or not he was serious. The basement was a mess. There was dust and dirt everywhere, but hed carved out a small corner where hed placed a mattress on a thin sheet of plastic. A car battery provided electricity. We run there. When we arrive, we dont knock. We simply barge down the stairs. Abu Taha, Abu Taha, we shout. Theres no answer. The lights are on so we think he cannot be far. Since we filmed with him, weve seen him around and stopped to talk and laugh. We dont think hell mind our intrusion now. A few minutes later he comes in and greets us. We sit with him, feeling relatively safe from the bombardment that rages upstairs. Approximately 50 rockets have landed in the area. After an hour, things calm down and we decide to return to our apartment to collect our camera, computers and valuables. The doors and windows have been blown away and anyone could walk in and take them. We run alongside buildings to avoid being an easy target for the government planes that patrol the skies, firing on anything that moves. We turn the corner into our street. The cars are still on fire, but so, too, is our apartment. An incendiary bomb has punched through the walls and started a fire that has consumed everything our computers, camera, clothes and what little food we had. Food is hard to come by here. Im not a conspiracy theorist, but I notice that ours is the only apartment in the area that is on fire. Our media office in Idlib was shelled, killing three people this past summer. My car was mangled by a drone strike a few weeks later, and another attack was launched on our vehicle as we were covering a story a few months ago. While some celebrate my courageous presence in Syria, the government and its Russian helpers are not known to be friendly to Western journalists reporting in English. I sometimes have to interview those on the ground who have anti-American sentiments as well. All of this makes Aleppo, and Syria in general, a challenging place to report from. US president-elect says he will appoint a retired general renowned for his tough talk as defense secretary. President-elect Donald Trump has said he will nominate retired Marine Corps General James Mattis to be his defense secretary. Mattis, who is known as Mad Dog and renowned for his tough talk, retired in 2013 after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. James Mattis, 66, ex-Marine 2010-2013: Led the Central Command, which oversees US military operations in the Middle East and South Asia 2005: He was quoted as saying: it was fun to shoot some people 2004: Leader of Marines in battle of Fallujah in Iraq 2003: Helped lead the invasion into Iraq 2001: Invasion of Kandahar province in Afghanistan 1991: Was part of an assault battalion into Kuwait during the first US war with Iraq 1972: Commissioned as an officer 1969: Enlisted in the Marine Corps 1950: Born in Pullman, Washington state If confirmed, Mattis would be the second retired general to serve as defense secretary We are going to appoint Mad Dog Mattis as our secretary of defense, Trump announced during a post-election victory rally in Cincinnati on Thursday. He said the formal announcement would be made on Monday. His appointment would be another indication that Trump, a Republican, intends to steer US foreign policy away from Democratic President Barack Obamas increased reliance on US allies to fight armed groups and to help deter Russian and Chinese aggression in Europe and Asia. Mattis has often been very critical of Washington, especially when it comes to the strategy in the Middle East, saying the US simply has no strategy, Al Jazeeras Kimberly Halkett reported from Cincinnati. Halkett said Mattis is known to have a rather aggressive stance against former adversaries, particularly Iran and is not supportive of the Iran nuclear agreement. He says it [the Iran deal] may slow but certainly not stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, she said. Mattis, whose past assignments include leading Central Command, which oversees US military operations in the Middle East and South Asia, is known for his colourful expressions that unashamedly embrace the job of the US armed forces: fighting wars. It will be difficult to get Mattis approved [by Congress] given the fact there is currently a law that says any secretary of defense should not have been in active duty in the past seven years, Halkett added. Certainly Trump feels that this is something that can be overlooked. Congress can make an exception for Mattis, as it did for George C Marshall in 1950. Yahya Jammeh, who ruled the country for 22 years, congratulates opposition leader Adama Barrow for his clear victory. Yahya Jammeh, the longtime president of The Gambia, has conceded defeat to opposition leader Adama Barrow, accepting that the people have decided that I should take the back seat. Jammeh, who came to power in 1994 as a 29-year-old army officer following a military coup, had won four previous polls. Speaking to the public on Gambian television late on Friday, Jammeh congratulated Barrow for his clear victory, saying: I wish him all the best and I wish all Gambians the best. He said: If [Barrow] wants to work with us also, I have no problem with that. I will help him work towards the transition, he said, confirming that he would not contest the result. Barrows victory in Thursdays presidential election brings to an end Jammehs 22-year rule. Gambians voted by placing marbles into drums marked for each candidate. Many stayed up all night listening to the radio and tallying results as they were read out constituency by constituency. Barrow received 263,515 votes while Jammeh won 212,099, Alieu Momarr Njai, the electoral commission head, said in the capital Banjul on Friday. News of Barrows victory prompted thousands to take to the streets of Banjul in celebration some on foot while others rode in cars and trucks and on motorbikes as confused soldiers looked on. Candidate of change For many Gambians, this is the first time they have voted, Al Jazeeras Nicolas Haque, reporting from Fatick in neighbouring Senegal due to Gambian restrictions, said. They have only seen for the last 22 years one ruler. A lot of young people want to see change and a new ruler. Adama Barrow represents change; he represents hope for a lot of young Gambians. In his first comments after the results came out, Barrow acknowledged the nations huge shift. Its time for work. Its a new Gambia, he said. An estate agent who worked as a security guard in Britain, Barrow was chosen as the opposition candidate by a group of political parties who had joined forces for the first time, rustling up unprecedented popular support. Still, Jammeh had projected confidence, saying his victory was all but assured by God, predicting the biggest landslide in the history of the country after he voted on Thursday. Shortened deadline in process to phase out 500 rupee notes leaves customers with few choices. The Indian government has announced that old notes will no longer be accepted at petrol stations after Friday, fuelling anger over the scrapping of high denomination bills that has caused an unprecedented cash crunch. Indians had been given until December 15 to use the old bills at filling stations but the government rushed forward the deadline on Thursday evening, giving millions of commuters still using the old 500 rupee notes barely 24 hours to spend them. The government said the sweeping abolition of all high-value notes some 86 percent of all bills in circulation was meant to bring billions in so-called black, or undeclared, money back into the formal system. This cannot be right. First you say we have until December 15 and suddenly now you are saying something else, RS Yadav, a government employee, told the AFP news agency as he waited for his turn on a rickety two-wheeler at a refuelling station in New Delhi. IN PICTURES: Demonetisation in India How do I feed my family now? Nalin Kohli, a spokesman for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, defended the government decision to change the deadline. Many scrupulous elements were making attempts to convert their black money into white and based on feedback from the ground, government agencies stepped in to plug the loopholes, he told Al Jazeera. Prime Minister Narendra Modi sparked turmoil with his announcement on November 8 that all 500 rupee and 1,000 rupee notes worth $7.5 and $14.5 respectively would cease to be legal tender. Critics say the demonetisation policy could have been rolled out gradually and better preparations made but the government insists this was the only way to fight corruption. Paul Krugman, economist and Nobel laureate, told English language Hindustan Times newspaper that the gains from demonetisation were uncertain and that the government move was highly disruptive. The move has triggered chaos with long queues forming outside banks as people try to deposit their old notes or withdraw new ones. Frequent rule changes in response to pressure from various groups and growing disorder have made matters worse. Banks and ATMs have also been running out of cash with limits being put on withdrawals, forcing people to cut down their spending. Those with old notes are allowed to deposit them into their bank accounts until year end but long bank queues had prompted many to use them at petrol stations. Cash accounts for 90 percent of transactions in India and the government has said it would take time before new bills are distributed. I was using my old notes up till now for filling petrol. Now I am dreading going to the bank. The government has no clue what we are being made to go through, said Saurav Mallik, who works in the private sector. The problem was not restricted to consumers, said Saima, who works as an attendant at a petrol filling station. I worry that there is going to be more confusion and chaos in the days ahead, Saima, who uses only one name, told AFP. Fights have already been breaking out. Tens of thousands of Muslims gather in capital demanding Basuki Tjahaja Purnama be jailed for insulting the Quran. Tens of thousands of Muslims are rallying in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, against the citys Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who is accused of insulting the Quran. Protesters chanting, praying and carrying banners gathered at the National Monument in central Jakarta on Friday demanding that Purnama, an ethnic Chinese Christian popularly known as Ahok, be jailed on blasphemy charges. Purnama, a long-term ally of President Joko Widodo, is being investigated over comments he made about his opponents use of the Quran in campaigning. He denies wrongdoing but has apologised for the remarks. Police on Thursday handed over a dossier from their investigation of Purnamas comments to prosecutors, who are expected to take the case of alleged blasphemy to court in coming weeks. Police officials estimated that at least 150,000 people, including many who travelled to Jakarta from towns and cities across the island of Java, gathered on Friday under drizzling rain. Some reports put the number of protesters at several hundreds of thousands. National news agency Antara said 22,000 police personnel would be deployed to avoid a repeat of violence that flared during a protest last month when more than 100 people were injured in clashes with police. Al Jazeeras Step Vaessen, reporting from Jakarta, described the protest as an extremely big show of force by Islamist groups who have been gaining importance in Indonesia over the years. It is basically a threat to the secular state here in the long run, with conservative Muslims getting more and more power on the ground. Widodo addressed the rally and praised the peaceful protest, before urging the crowd to leave safely. Thank you and safe travels on your return from where you came from. God bless you, said Widodo, who has blamed political actors for exploiting the popular fury over Purnama to destabilise his government. Our correspondent said Widodo, who lives right across from the protest site, in a surprise development walked towards the National Monument park to attend Friday prayers along with hundreds of thousands of protesters. Widodo wants to give a strong signal that he now understands that the protests have gone way beyond some radical groups. In fact, its a lot bigger now, she said. Political tension Purnama is running for re-election in February against two Muslim candidates. The contest has generated high political tension for weeks, with rumours of plots to undermine Widodo and scupper his chances of winning a second term in 2019. Many people really feel hurt by what the governor said, but also religious sentiments are being creatively used by politicians to gain support ahead of regional elections, Al Jazeeras Vaessen said. After president Joko Widodo urged protestors to disburse peacefully thousands shouted arrest Ahok. President had to leave urgently Step Vaessen (@stepvaessen) December 2, 2016 Police have warned against attempts to destabilise the government. Rikwanto, police spokesperson, said 10 people who he identified only by their initials had been detained before dawn on Friday, citing articles of the criminal code that cover conspiracy and acts of treason. Two of them were charged under the law of information technology for hate speech. They have now been detained and are undergoing investigation, said Rikwanto, who goes by only one name. Indonesia is home to the worlds biggest Muslim population but recognises six religions and is home to dozens of ethnic groups, some of which follow traditional beliefs. National unity plea Religious and ethnic tension last month prompted Widodo to rally top military, political and religious figures in a sign of unity amid fears of attempts to undermine the stability of his government. The Jakarta government has put up signboards on major roads calling for national unity and displaying pictures of independence heroes who fought against colonial rule. Purnama is popular with many for pushing through tough reforms to modernise the traffic-plagued capital. But opinion polls have shown him slipping into second place in the race for re-election as governor, a position that Widodo himself, who is popularly known as Jokowi, used as a stepping stone to the presidency. Eitan Naeh dispatched as Israels first ambassador to Ankara in six years after row over Gaza flotilla raid ended. Israels new ambassador to Turkey has arrived in the capital Ankara, to serve as the first official envoy since 2010 as the two countries advance with their rapprochement since a six-year spat put diplomatic relations on ice. Eitan Naeh, upon his arrival at the Esenboga Airport on Thursday, said that the two countries have a history of helping each other in times of need, referring to Turkeys help while handling wildfires in Israel last week. Naeh is due to present his letter of credence to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the next few days. Naeh, who had been serving as deputy head of mission at the Israeli embassy in London, was chosen as ambassador earlier this month by a government committee. A career diplomat, he previously worked at the embassy in Ankara from 1993 to 1997. Mavi Marmara raid Naeh is the countrys first envoy since Israeli commandos in 2010 raided Mavi Marmara, a Gaza-bound flotilla of activists aiming to break the siege on the Gaza Strip. After the raid, which killed 10 Turkish activists, relations between the two countries plunged to an all-time low, with both pulling their envoys out from the respective capitals. However, the bitter rift came to an end in June after long-running secret talks in third countries with Israel offering $20m in compensation, an apology over the raid and permission for Turkish aid to reach Gaza. Last week firefighting planes from Turkey were sent to Israel after wildfires raged. OPINION: What the Israeli-Turkish reconciliation says about Gaza In a video shared on the embassys official Facebook page, Naeh said: I am very happy to be back in Turkey as ambassador. We have a lot of work to do I am looking forward to starting the work here, officially. The process to normalise relations was strongly supported by the US, which had long wanted to see NATO ally Turkey resume its once-close relationship with Israel. Turkey this month appointed Prime Minister Binali Yildirims foreign affairs adviser Kemal Okem as its ambassador to Israel. He is expected to move to Israel in the next few days. Top aide describes seven-minute phone call between the two presidents as very engaging and animated. US President-elect Donald Trump has invited Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte to the White House next year during a very engaging, animated phone conversation, according to a Duterte aide. Trumps brief chat with Duterte comes during a period of uncertainty about one of Americas most important Asian alliances, marked by Dutertes hostility towards the US and his repeated threats to sever decades-old defence ties. The call lasted just over seven minutes, Christopher Go, Dutertes special adviser, announced on Friday. Trumps transition team had no immediate comment. In his five months in office, Duterte has caused a stir by criticising the US, cursing President Barack Obama, making overtures towards China and pursuing a new alliance with Russia. His diplomacy has created nervousness among some Asian countries, wary about Chinas rising influence and Americas staying power as a regional counterbalance. READ MORE: Duterte, Trump and Philippine-US relations Duterte has praised China and told Obama to go to hell and called him a son of a bitch whom he would humiliate if he visited the Philippines. The anger was unlocked after Obama expressed concern about possible human rights abuses in Dutertes war on drugs. Duterte had initially expressed optimism about having Trump in the Oval Office, saying he no longer wanted quarrels. But it has not tempered his rhetoric and he has continued to rail at what he calls US hypocrisy and bullying. In an interview with Reuters news agency during the election campaign, Trump said Dutertes comments showed a lack of respect for our country. Trump of the East Sometimes referred to as the Trump of the East because of his blunt remarks, Duterte has threatened repeatedly to sever US-Philippine defence ties, saying he hates having foreign soldiers in his country. Joint military exercises look set to be scaled back next year, as Duterte demanded, including the number of US troops involved. A question mark hangs over a defence agreement, which allows US forces access to Philippine bases on a troop rotation basis. A source who has advised Trumps transition team on security policy told Reuters news agency last week that Trump would start a clean slate with the Philippines. He is perfectly capable of talking to Duterte in an open way without being wedded to previous policy failures, the source said of Trump. Duterte caused a stir when he visited China in October and announced his separation from the US. He has said the US could not be trusted to support the Philippines if it were attacked, as mandated in a joint defence treaty. Some experts, however, say Dutertes appointment of special envoys to Washington suggest that despite his hostility, he intends to keep good ties. Among those envoys is Jose Antonio, a multimillionaire property tycoon who bought the rights to name a new office tower in Manila Trump Towers. Little relief for civilians despite weeks of indirect meetings in Turkey between Syrian opposition officials and Russia. Tension between Syrian opposition groups and Russia has escalated, with weeks of secret meetings in Turkey making little apparent progress on lifting the siege of eastern Aleppo. Russia is a key backer of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has been bombing opposition-held areas since September last year. Turkey backs the Syrian anti-government fighters and has been acting as a mediator in the meetings. Syrian opposition officials told Reuters news agency on Friday that Russia is not serious about the talks over a pause in the fighting. The reports came as elite Syrian troops moved into east Aleppo in advance of a push into the most densely populated areas. In preparation for street-by-street fighting, hundreds of fighters from the Republican Guard and Fourth Division arrived in Aleppo on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said. Government forces have already consolidated their control over two eastern Aleppo districts and are pushing further to squeeze the opposition-held enclave, according to Rami Abdel Rahman, the SOHR head. After the recent advances, the regime is comfortably in control of half of former rebel territory in the citys east, he said late on Friday. Earlier in the day, anti-government fighters had successfully rolled back government gains in Sheikh Saeed on Aleppos southeastern outskirts. Sheikh Saeed borders the last remaining parts of Aleppo still in opposition hands a collection of densely populated residential neighbourhoods where thousands have sought refuge from advancing government forces. The UN has warned that Aleppo risks becoming a giant graveyard in the middle of the Assad governments attempt to take over the city entirely. John Kerry, US secretary of state, was expected to hold separate meetings with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, and the UNs special envoy for Syria, Staffan De Mistura. Absence of trust Al Jazeeras Stefanie Dekker, reporting on Friday from Gaziantep on the Turkish-Syrian border, said: A source at the meeting told us the Syrian fighters are not talking directly to the Russians, but through Turkish mediators. She said it is no secret that theres no trust between the two sides though it is Russia that holds all the cards. They are discussing some truce, some kind of cessation of hostilities, as well as sending aid and supplies into the eastern part of Aleppo. Russias proposals include expelling 200 fighters from Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, the armed group which changed its named from al-Nusra Front earlier this year when it said it cut ties with al-Qaeda. READ MORE: Dodging death in East Aleppo as a journalist Jabhat Fateh al-Sham is one of the largest and most powerful groups fighting the Syrian government, and is considered by both the US and Russia to be a terrorist organisation. Russia is also suggesting the creation of four humanitarian corridors to allow aid into besieged areas of eastern Aleppo. We know the Russians are very tough negotiators, that they are calling the shots, our correspondent said. The opposition is in an extremely difficult situation during these talks, given how much they have lost militarily on the ground. Al Jazeeras Dekker said it is important to place these back-channel discussions in the proper context, as realistically, whatever people say, it doesnt translate on to the ground. The reality is that fighting is [still] going on, the [Syrian government forces and its allies] are pushing from the east and from the south. There is still an active frontline, an active battle. People inside [eastern Aleppo] have told us that the situation there is dire, aid hasnt entered that area in five months. No humanitarian corridor has been set up. Aid groups would have to go through government territory, and many dont want to do that. There is no indication that, politically, [both sides] can come to any resolution. Although Turkey, one of the key backers of Syrian opposition groups, has called for an immediate ceasefire, analysts contend that its priorities have shifted from Assads removal to containing Kurdish groups seeking more territory on its border. It is clear that the interests of the Syrian people are third, fourth and fifth when it comes to all the countries involved in this war, our correspondent said. We speak to Iranian Vice President Masoumeh Ebtekar; and Slavoj Zizek defends his stance on refugees in Europe. In this weeks UpFront, Mehdi Hasan speaks to Iranian Vice President and Head of Irans Environmental Protection Organisation, Masoumeh Ebtekar, on her countrys support for Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and Irans advances in the fight against climate change. In the Reality Check, we look into how the president of newly democratic Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, is turning a blind eye to the violence against the countrys Muslim Rohingya population. And in the Arena, cultural critic and philosopher Slavoj Zizek defends his stance on the European refugee crisis. Headliner Iran VP: Syria war images bother me Since the Arab Spring began in 2011, Iran has declared support for the uprisings in Egypt, Libya and Bahrain. But in Syria, hundreds of thousands have been killed and millions displaced, yet Iran continues to support President Bashar al-Assad. Iranian Vice President Masoumeh Ebtekar says the people of Syria have the right to decide, and blames foreign powers arming terrorist groups in the war-torn country. This is something that has to be addressed, says Ebtekar. I think the people of Syria should be supported in terms of their struggle against terrorism. In this weeks Headliner, Mehdi Hasan talks to the Iranian vice president and head of Irans Environmental Protection Organisation. Reality Check Aung San Suu Kyis shameful silence on Rohingya In Myanmar, violent attacks on the Muslim Rohingya have left hundreds dead and hundreds of thousands displaced. Is Myanmars de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, turning a blind eye to the violence? In this weeks Reality Check, Mehdi Hasan shows how Myanmars leadership is in denial when it comes to recognising the Rohingya. Arena Slavoj Zizek on a clash of civilisations Europe is home to more than 1.3 million refugees, mostly from Africa and the Middle East, with thousands more coming every month. Some are calling the refugees incompatible with European values, and a few governments have begun passing anti-immigration laws in response. Philosopher and cultural critic Slavoj Zizek, who also calls for more scrutiny of the refugees, says that while most of the refugees are caused by European geopolitical games, there needs to be clearly established rules before accepting any more. I want even more refugees. I only want rules to be clearly established, says Zizek. In spite of all the differences, there is some minimum Western notion of human rights, freedom, equality. In this weeks Arena, Mehdi Hasan challenges the Slovenian thinker. Follow UpFront on Twitter @AJUpFront and Facebook. A South Korean company donated mosquito traps to UF Housing and Residence Education. Seoul Viosys donated the Mosclean traps Nov. 21 to help with the mosquito problem in Florida, wrote Sharon Blansett, the assistant to the associate vice president for UF Student Affairs, in an email. The traps, which were placed in graduate and family housing, use carbon dioxide and ultraviolet light to attract mosquitoes and trap them. The traps were placed in stairwells, where air circulation is limited, and where residents have reported mosquito issues, Blansett said. Corry Village, Diamond Village, Maguire Village, Tanglewood Village and University Village South were among the housing complexes where they were placed. Pest control is a year-round challenge in Florida making it an ideal test location for new products and processes, Blansett said. UF Housing worked with Phil Koehler, an entomology professor with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, to research test-products like the mosquito traps that were donated, she said. His work with the traps led to UF Housing receiving the donations, she said. Sherry Zhou, 24, wrote in an email that her friend received notice about the mosquito traps. The UF tourism graduate student said she feels safer with the traps around her home at Maguire Village. To be honest, I am a little bit worried about Zika, she said. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Del Lago Resort & Casino will hold two job fairs in the Finger Lakes region next week for candidates interested in food service positions at the $440 million facility. The first job fair will be held from 2 to 7 p.m. Monday at the Geneva Fire House, 79 Geneva St., Geneva. On Tuesday, del Lago will hold its second job fair at the Fingerlakes Mall, 1579 Clark Street Road, Aurelius. The fair runs from 2 to 7 p.m. Del Lago staff will be on hand to answer questions about positions available at the casino. Prospective employees may apply for positions at the job fair. The latest round of job fairs are focused on the food service needs of the casino. Del Lago will feature Portico by Fabio Viviani, an Italian restaurant, and the Farmer's Market Buffet. The casino also will have a food court and lounge areas. Del Lago managers will be available at the job fairs to interview cooks, dishwashers, hosts and servers. Along with the job fair announcements, del Lago also said Friday that its employment center at 20 E. Bayard St. in Seneca Falls has expanded its hours of operation. The center will now be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The center is staffed by members of del Lago's human resources department. They can answer questions about available positions and conduct interviews. Del Lago announced this week that it's scheduled to open on Feb. 1, 2017. The casino will have 1,500 employees. An additional 300 people will be employed at the resort's hotel, which will open next summer. On Election Night, Kristin Birdsey forced herself to go to bed early so she could still have hope. The next day at work, many of her female co-workers could not stop crying. To help them grieve, she bought them margaritas. Now, nearly a month after Donald Trumps election, Birdsey said she is well past grief but not yet ready to quietly accept a Trump presidency, which she fears will infringe upon the rights of women and immigrants. On Jan. 21, 2017, a day after the Republican real-estate mogul is inaugurated, Birdsey will march in the District of Columbia, protesting Trumps presidency alongside dozens of other Gainesville residents. They plan for two buses to transport the group Jan. 20 to the nations capital for the Womens March on Washington. So far, one bus has 56 passengers assigned to it, and the other has been ordered to meet demand, she said. The oldest rider is 76. The youngest is 7, traveling with her mother. Thats really moving, too, seeing that this speaks to women across generations, Birdsey said. Birdsey, a 33-year-old small-business owner, first planned to march with her best friend but soon discovered how expensive a trip for two would be. As what she first thought was a shot in the dark, Birdsey created a Google form and posted it on the Facebook page of the Gainesville City of Resistance Group, an anti-Trump group formed after the election. Her form received about 90 responses. Since then, interest in the chartered buses has only continued to grow. The Gainesville chapter of the National Womens Liberation group has been redirecting its interested members to Birdsey, causing the interest to blossom further. Although Birdsey has attended some rallies as an individual, including those in Gainesville following the election, she never intended to become the organizer of a mass migration like this trip. Its sort of like a giant field trip but for adults, Birdsey said. For the first bus, riders will pay $115 per ticket but are encouraged to donate more if they can so others who may not be able to afford the ticket price can pay a reduced fare. Graduate students have reached out about a reduced ticket price, and Birdsey said she wants the trip to be accessible. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now Men and women will make the trip, but the group is mostly women. One rider, Birdsey said, paid in cash and has yet to tell her husband, a Trump supporter, that she plans to attend the march. Regan Garner, a UF Honors Program adviser and a member of the steering committee for the Gainesville chapter of NWL, plans to attend the march with her 68-year-old mother and aunt. She fears the status of womens reproductive rights under a Trump presidency, along with the president-elects ideas about deporting undocumented immigrants. The only way people have made a difference is through direct action, is through protest, is through fighting, Garner said. We were not given Roe v. Wade. Women demanded it. Independently, other women have planned their own trips to the District for the march. Jessica Terkovich, a 19-year-old UF criminology and law freshman, had planned to attend the inauguration before Election Day, back when she assumed Hillary Clinton would be the one onstage. At first it was a big disappointment when we found out we didnt win, Terkovich said. I got to the point where Im motivated to go out and do something and keep working in the next four years to ensure Democratic representation locally, and in our state and in our country. Another bus will be leaving Gainesville for the inauguration but this bus will be filled with 16 students taking a non-partisan historians perspective. The Samuel Proctor Oral History Program and the Center for Gender, Sexualities and Womens Studies organized the trip post-election. Donors have helped to fund the trip. The group will document the inauguration and the womens march. Paul Ortiz, the programs director, said the students will interview attendees and present their reporting Feb. 22 in Pugh Hall. The whole world is going to be watching what transpires in Washington, D.C. that week, Ortiz said. History is going to be made, and the University of Florida needs to be there. Protest Information First bus tickets are $115 or higher donation Ticket price for second bus to be determined 56 set riders, more interested Leaving 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20 Arriving in Washington, D.C. on Saturday morning Returning to Gainesville on Saturday evening English News China offers enlightenment for worlds human rights undertakings: Peoples Daily Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 2 Decembre 2016 The protection of the right to development calls for constant efforts. Though China is the largest developing country in the world, it still faces an unbalanced, uncoordinated and unsustainable development. It needs to make more efforts to achieve a higher level of development. The world will be a better place if the international community enhances cooperation and mutual learning, and jointly safeguards the right to development. Peoples Daily The Chinese government on Thursday issued a white paper on the right to development, expounding on its philosophy, practice and contribution in this field. By doing so, China is offering enlightenment for worlds human rights undertakings, the Peoples Daily said in a commentary on Friday. The white paper, issued by China's State Council Information Office and titled "The Right to Development: China's Philosophy, Practice and Contribution," also briefs on Chinas achievements and contributions in ensuring the right to development. Following is a full translation of the article: Development is a universal human theme, providing for people's basic needs and giving them hope for better life. The right to development is an inalienable human right, symbolizing dignity and honor, the white paper released by China's State Council Information Office states. The paper, titled The Right to Development: Chinas Philosophy, Practice and Contribution, was issued on the 30th anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Right to Development. The white paper introduces China's efforts and contribution to guarantee the right to development, and elaborates the country's philosophy and mechanisms in this regard in a systematic manner. Whats more, the document highlights China's respect to human rights, provides the world with enlightenment for the progress of human right protection, and conveys China's staunch resolution to guarantee the right to development and human rights. The rights to subsistence and development are the primary, basic human rights. Development is the only way to ease conflicts, ensure people's basic rights and offer the public more prosperous life. Having suffered from poverty and wars, Chinese people fully understand the importance of development. As a result, China has placed great efforts on people's right to development during the 60 years after the founding of the country. With an arable land less than 10 percent of the world total, the country is feeds more than 20 percent of the world's population. China has lifted 700 million people out of poverty through more than 30 years of reform and opening-up, accounting for more than 70 percent of the global reduction in poverty. In the meantime, it has established the world's largest social security system, improving the average life expectancy to 76.34 years in 2015 from 35 years in 1949. China has always combined universal principles of human rights with its own reality. It has not only helped people benefit from development, but also achieved higher level of development through the protection of people's right to development, paving a new path in human history. The Chinese people are seeking to realize the great renewal of the Chinese nation and this process in essence is a process to achieve social equity and justice and advance human rights, remarked Chinese President Xi Jinping. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the party with Xi as the core has been, along a path suitable to national conditions, upholding a philosophy advocating people-oriented as well as innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development, focusing on the improvement of social welfare, and striving to develop each social undertaking. In addition, the country has guaranteed equal participation and right to development for its people, and improved its concept and mechanism of the right to development. It is steadily working toward shared development and common prosperity. Each country has its responsibility and obligation to realize the right to development. Chinese people share the same dream with the people from the rest of the world. Therefore, China is not only focusing on its own right to development, but also working with other countries for common development. As a world leader in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, China has aided nearly 400 billion yuan to 166 nations and international organizations, trained more than 12 million people for developing countries, and sent 600,000 Chinese professionals to assist their development. By following the principle of mutual respect, equality, win-win cooperation and common development, China has integrated the interests of the Chinese people with those of the people across the world and made unremitting efforts for the construction of the community of shared destiny. As the initiator, practitioner and promoter of the right to development, China is willing to work with the international community to share ideas and experiences, and promote the healthy development of worlds human rights cause. The protection of the right to development calls for constant efforts. Though China is the largest developing country in the world, it still faces an unbalanced, uncoordinated and unsustainable development. It needs to make more efforts to achieve a higher level of development. The world will be a better place if the international community enhances cooperation and mutual learning, and jointly safeguards the right to development. Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's sports industry on fast track of development China makes new progress in research on "artificial sun" Trunk market springs up in Chinese cities Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena) Another Discrimination Suit: A former Citigroup trader is suing the company for favoring male bankers, traders and financial advisers over their female counterparts, and permitting improper conduct during her employment between 2007 and 2014. Erin Daly says she was fired two weeks after reporting a supervisor for violating rules designed to prevent insider trading. She also says the bank once forced her to apologize, in writing, for requesting equal treatment. "Citi's 'boys' club' policies and practices" reflect a "culture of gender discrimination," said the complaint, filed Monday in Manhattan federal court. "The boys were in charge. The men were doing business. Erin was just a glorified secretary." Daly also filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and plans to add federal discrimination claims against Citi. Sounds familiar. New Recruits: Competition from online lenders, mobile payments firms and other upstarts is prompting banks to recruit young, tech-savvy professionals particularly, data science experts and engineers. "What's exciting with the explosion of fintechs and shadow banking is that we are a beneficiary," says Beth Mooney, chairman and chief executive of KeyCorp in Cleveland. "We're attracting talent into our organization that heretofore wouldn't have thought of going to work for a financial institution or a bank." The competition also has motivated senior executives to adopt new skill sets and learn how to drive innovation. How Tech Teaches the Talent: Belmont Savings in Massachusetts isn't trying to replace its employees who work the phones in an effort to make sales, but it has made some technological investments to get more out of them. "Our branch salespeople were tracking calls by Excel spreadsheet it was very manual and prone to human error," says Morgan Cambern, director of retail operations. Two years ago the bank partnered with an automated privacy compliance solutions provider that has improved efficiency and training. For example, it dissects a salesperson's side of the conversation and flags the overuse of throwaway words such as "like" or "um." The partnership has led to a 20% increase in sales conversions. "Outbound calling is one of those things some banks don't feel is an effective use of their time," Cambern says. "But I feel for our folks, the more they do it, the better they get at it, and I wanted to invest in those efforts." Putting Fintech Fears Aside: Putting every aspect of a business through a digital transformation is no small task. But the key is to focus on the customer, according to Claire Calmejane, director of innovation at Lloyd's Banking Group. Lloyd's has redesigned all of its operations to enhance the customer experience. "For example, now we don't say, 'I want to get a mortgage', 'I want to access capital', we say, 'I want to buy a home', 'I want to set up a business,'" Calmejane says. Replacing Humans, But Not Relationships: Banking leaders discussed some of the influences on their daily decisions and their vision for moving the industry forward, in this series of videos. The women here are executives from BBVA Compass, HSBC, JPMorgan Chase, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, UBS, FifthThird and First United. Check out what they had to say about fintech, sexism and courage. Believing is Seeing: It's essential to believe that what you have to offer at work is important, meaningful and worthy, says Rosilyn Houston, the chief talent and culture executive at BBVA Compass. She writes about how that belief has guided her in her work and how pursuing a passion will lead to purpose. "Spend less time worrying about the many ways you think you're not qualified or valued or doing meaningful work, and spend more time doing," advises Houston, who is the only woman and the first African American on BBVA's management committee. Role Call Debby Hopkins, chief innovation officer at Citigroup and chief executive of Citi Ventures, the company's venture capital investment arm, is set to retire at the end of the year. She will be replaced in both roles by Vanessa Colella, who has been Citi Ventures' global head of venture investing and strategic growth initiatives since 2013. Hopkins has been listed among our Women to Watch several times. Fidelity Investments' Abigail Johnson will succeed her father, Edward "Ned" Johnson, as chairman of the family-run firm. She also will retain her CEO role, which she has had since 2014. Citizens Building and Loan in Greer, S.C., said that Jennifer Jones will become its president and CEO after J. Thomas Johnson retires on Dec. 31. Her current title is executive vice president. First Tennessee Bank in Memphis has named Pam Fansler chairman of the East Tennessee region, of which she has been president since 2011. Fansler, 64, will serve in that role from March until she retires in July. Beyond Banking Faulty System: U.S. companies and institutions have invested hundreds of millions of dollars on corporate policies and awareness programs to theoretically stop sexual harassment at work. But there's little evidence they're effective. "There is a laudable goal, but the way we address sexual harassment now, the whole system is flawed," says Matt MacInnis, founder of a digital distribution business called Inkling. "I mean, is there anti-murder training?" About 80% of companies offer some form of training intended to keep sexual harassment from being an issue, although only three states California, Connecticut and Maine require this. "You're building a defense in the event of an incident, passing liability from the organization to the individual," says Eugene Van Biert, vice president for global compliance solutions at Skillsoft. "They want to generate a record so they can say they've done it, then they want to move on," he says. And it's hard for companies that design the courses and the HR departments that implement them to measure their impact. Ideas of the Ruling Class: "She managed to become a female CEO without sacrificing her femininity." That was the Merriam-Webster dictionary's example of how to use "femininity" in a sentence until writer and activist Alison Segel stumbled on it and tweeted it with the thinking-face emoji. Merriam-Webster removed it shortly afterwards (although it did not offer another sample sentence). The incident shows the power of day-to-day dialogue and prominence of identity politics in the public sphere. "Traditional gender constructs are changing," Segel says. "What makes someone stereotypically male or female doesn't really exist anymore." WASHINGTON The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency will start granting limited-purpose bank charters to fintech companies, but it intends to maintain high standards for new entrants. "The OCC will move forward with chartering financial technology companies that offer bank products and services and meet our high standards and chartering requirements," said Comptroller of the Currency Thomas Curry in a speech Friday at the Georgetown University Law Center announcing the decision. The move is a significant victory for fintech firms that had sought such a charter because they do not want to register in multiple states and face different laws and restrictions in each. A federal charter for fintech firms would largely allow them to comply with a single set of national standards and gives them a single agency to apply to when seeking a license. It is also likely to set off a battle with state regulators, who have warned that a federal charter is both dangerous and unnecessary, and some within the banking industry, who fear fintech firms will have now have the advantages of a bank without their obligations. Curry was quick to try and head off such criticism, arguing that the agency would subject fintech firms to appropriate standards that do not give them a leg up on the competition. "It will be much better for the health of the federal banking system and everyone who relies on these institutions, if these companies enter the system through a clearly marked front gate, rather than in some back door, where risks may not be as thoughtfully assessed and managed," he said. Fintech companies that obtain a limited-purpose bank charter will still have to comply with several regulatory requirements, including the Bank Secrecy Act and other anti-money-laundering provisions, as well as relevant consumer protection laws. They will be granted the same preemption over state laws that national banks possess. "The reality today is that the 4,000 fintech companies out there are already competing with national and state banks, without regard to any of the national bank responsibilities and under a patchwork of supervision," Curry said. "In some ways, [creating a charter] levels the playing field because statutes that by their terms apply to national banks would apply to all special purpose national banks, even uninsured ones." Though details for the new charter are not yet finalized, the OCC established in a paper released Friday that it will use its authority to grant special-purpose charters which currently applies to companies like trust banks to allow fintech companies into the banking system. In order to apply for a special-purpose charter, a company must engage in fiduciary activities, or either one of the three core banking functions: lending money, paying checks or receiving deposits. As the OCC hinted at in a proposal issued in September that laid out its authority for taking over a failing institution that does not accept deposits, the agency expects fintech applicants to apply as nondepository institutions, which would mean they could avoid certain requirements that come with being supervised and insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Still, the OCC said it could make some of those requirements as part of the chartering process, including mandating that fintech firms comply with the Community Reinvestment Act. However, Curry said that companies interested in applying would have to make up for the looser regulatory regime they face during the application process. For instance, companies must explain how it plans to address financial inclusion as part of a detailed three-year business plan that includes economic forecasting and risk assessments. The OCC also suggested it would enforce higher capital requirements on fintech firms than on banks, because of "off balance sheet" business activities they might be involved in. "The OCC would consider adapting capital requirements applicable to a fintech applicant for a special purpose national bank charter as necessary to adequately reflect its risks and to the extent consistent with applicable law," the OCC said in its paper. Fintech companies will also be required like banks to develop a formal plan for failure and to have a hands-on board of directors. Curry called for the development of "a formal agency policy" that will determine whether the OCC grants a fintech's application for a charter or not. The OCC asked for public comments due Jan. 15 to determine exactly how the charter should be granted. Curry also pushed back against critics worried that offering a federal charter to fintech companies could give them an unfair advantage over banks by allowing them to benefit from preemption of state standards without facing the same supervision as banks. "Fintech companies hold great potential to expand financial inclusion, empower consumers, and help families and businesses take more control of their financial matters," he said. "Fintechs, while not without some risks, also can potentially deliver these products and services in a safer and more efficient manner." As national banks, special-purpose or not, they must still comply with a number of state laws, ranging from anti-discrimination to fair lending and debt collection laws, the OCC said. "The OCC may ask an applicant that plans to extend credit to provide the terms on which it plans to lend, including a description of the protections it plans to provide to individuals and small business borrowers," the white paper said. Since last year, the OCC has made efforts to position itself as a leading player in fintech among federal regulators. In March, the agency issued a white paper on so-called responsible innovation, calling for public comment on how it could better tackle the rising industry. And in October, the OCC announced it would create an Office of Innovation, complete with a San Francisco enclave, to coordinate outreach to fintech companies and internal research on the topic. Wells Fargo is making an exception to its retirement policy for its longtime general counsel, who plans to remain with the company indefinitely to deal with the fallout of the fake-accounts scandal. The megabank's executive officers are typically required to retire by the end of the year that they turn 65. James Strother, who has been the firm's general counsel since 2003, turned 65 this year. Wells is dealing with a slew of lawsuits and investigations following the revelation that thousands of employees established roughly two million phony customer accounts over a four-year period. Chief Executive John Stumpf resigned in October. "In light of recent events, the decision has been made to have Jim Strother remain with the company and continue to serve as our general counsel, and Jim has agreed to do so," Wells Fargo spokesman Peter Gilchrist said in an email Friday. "A search is commencing for his successor." Strother joined Wells Fargo predecessor Norwest Corp. in 1986. Having lost both scientifically and politically with the Keystone XL pipeline, deemed safe by Hillary Clintons State Department and certain to be approved by a President Trump sworn to develop American energy, opponents of fossil fuels have enlisted the support of American Indians. Opponents are claiming that the Dakota Access Pipeline which, like Keystone XL, will bring oil from the rich Bakken oil field in North Dakota to American markets, will violate and pollute sacred tribal lands. That they are on slippery ground with the facts has been explained by the Heritage Foundation: This 1,172-mile Dakota Access pipeline will deliver as many as 570,000 barrels of oil a day from northwestern North Dakota through South Dakota and Iowa to connect to existing pipelines in Illinois. It will do this job far more safely than the current method of transporting it by 750 rail cars a day. The protesters say they object to the pipelines being close to the water intake of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. However, this should be of no concern as it will sit approximately 92 feet below the riverbed, with increased pipe thickness and control valves at both ends of the crossing to reduce the risk of an incident, which is already low. As a result of the fracking revolution and shale oil boom, oil train shipments have increased, particularly on a railroad shipping oil from North Dakotas Bakken formation owned by billionaire and friend of Obama, Warren Buffett. So too have the risks of oil train derailments, fires, and explosions that damage the environment and risk human lives. One of a series of such incidents occurred in Illinois early last March when two cars of a 105-car derailed oil train operated by Buffets BNSF Railroad and carrying oil from North Dakota caught fire and sent flames and smoke into the skies over Galena, Illinois, a small town of 3,300 people. In July of 2013, a 72-car oil train carrying North Dakota crude, a train similar to those criss-crossing the United States, derailed near the town of Lac-Megantic, Quebec, erupting in a series of explosions, killing 13. It could happen here, and unless more pipelines are built, likely will. As Investors Business Daily has noted, pipelines are much safer than railroads, yet President Obama and the Democrats are loathe to permit their construction. Pipelines carrying Bakken oil would link up to a completed Keystone XL pipeline, creating American jobs and protecting American lives: The first is that Keystone XL will also bring Bakken crude to the American market, accelerating the oil boom from fracking in the shale formation centered on North Dakota. This will make North America energy independent and the rest of the world less dependent on Middle Eastern oil, a matter of no small significance. Second, as the State Department's multiple reviews point out, the Keystone XL pipeline itself poses no serious risk to the environment, no more than the tens of thousands of miles of pipeline that already crisscross the U.S., including one from Canada, all operating quite safely A little more than a year ago, Casselton, N.D., had a near-brush with tragedy after a train of tank cars carrying crude oil derailed, resulting in fiery explosions and a call from the town's mayor for a re-examination of how such fuel is transported across the United States. Opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline on environmental grounds ignores the many tens of thousands of existing pipelines that crisscross the United States. Keystone XL was and is a much bigger project yet, as noted, Hillarys State Department gave it an environmental clean bill of health. As Investors Business Daily noted regarding Keystone XL:, The State Department also found it "very unlikely" that the pipeline would affect water quality in any of the four aquifers through which it crossed. It also concluded that along one part of the proposed route, in the case of a large-scale oil spill, "these impacts would typically be limited to within several hundred feet of the release source, and would not affect groundwater." There would be no greater danger than that posed by any of the more than 50,000 existing miles of safely operating pipeline already crisscrossing the U.S., including Nebraska and the Ogallala Aquifer. As the Heritage Foundation notes, the earlier State Department approval "concluded that the pipeline posed minimal environmental risk to soil, wetlands, water resources, vegetation, fish, and wildlife, and creates few greenhouse-gas emissions. Keystone XL also met 57 specific pipeline safety standard requirements created by the State Department and the Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)." If Keystone is as safe as any of the other 50,000 miles of pipeline already in place, the nearly complete Dakota Access Pipeline is equally as safe. We need the oil, we need the jobs, we need the energy independence. We do not need to refight the Indian Wars. Daniel John Sobieski is a free lance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investors Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications. The media have found a creative new way to explain away Hillarys Clintons crushing defeat and their own humiliation. They have dubbed the agent of their mutual undoing fake news and talk about the phenomenon as though it made real sense. In an all too typical New York Times opinion piece this week Michael Lynch defines fake news as pure fiction masquerading as truth and presents it exclusively as a right wing phenomenon. Like many of his colleagues, Lynch suggests the Russian government was involved in planting fake news items and believes that such items, regardless of source, may have cost Hillary Clinton the election. To test Lynchs thesis, we might profitably select a presumed fake news item and follow its course through what the Clintons once called the communication stream of conspiracy commerce. In August 2010, the Times identified a news item simple enough and seemingly fake enough, Obama uses a phony Social Security number, to makes a useful case study. Tracking this story, one finds its source not in in Russia, but in Ohio. The person responsible for surfacing the number is a licensed private investigator named Susan Daniel. In 2009, troubled by the drift of the country under Barack Obama, she and fellow investigator Neil Sankey began to plow through proprietary databases and investigate Obama on their own time. What they discovered is that from 1986 on Barack Obama has been using a Social Security number that seemed to originate in Connecticut. In the August 2010 article -- In Defining Obama, Misperceptions Stick -- the Times led with the SSN accusation not to explore it but to dismiss it. They simply presumed this question, like more involved questions about Obamas faith or family origins, to be misperceptions unworthy of exploration. The major media leave the dirty work of debunking to fact-checking sites, most notoriously Snopes.com. In an analysis that has been updated through 2016, Snopes leads with this accusation, Barack Obama appropriated the Social Security number of a dead man born in 1890 and used it as his own. In large red letters Snopes rejects the accusation as FALSE. This approach is classic Snopes. Its editors elaborate this bizarre story about a Frenchman named Jean Paul Ludwig who dies in Hawaii and whose SSN is appropriated by Obamas grandmother. They then reject this particular story as false -- as Daniel and others had already done -- and ignore the larger truth. That truth, as Snopes admits in the fine print, is that Obamas SSN, 042-68-4425, is something of a curiosity. Daniel believes that the number is more than a curiosity. She believes the number was stolen. When Obama applied, numbers were assigned based on where the applicant received mail. As Daniel notes, and Snopes grudgingly concedes, numbers starting with 042 were for the exclusive use of those applying from Connecticut. Obamas half sister Maya, by contrast, has a SSN that starts with 576, as do other Hawaiians her age. Daniels theory got lively play on the outer reaches of the Internet -- an open sewer of untreated, unfiltered information, according to the Times Thomas Friedman -- but could not get past the respectable conservative media firewall surrounding the Obama White House. Bill O'Reilly of Fox News did raise the issue only to dismiss it, arguing that Obama got the number from his father then living in Connecticut. In reality, Obama Sr. never lived in Connecticut and left the United States more than a decade before the number was issued in May 1977. Snopes took another tack. The most likely explanation for the discrepancy is a simple clerical or typographical error, its editors insisted. Certain Danbury, Connecticut zip codes do begin in 068 while those in Hawaii begin with 968 -- one easy keystroke away. In her research, however, Daniel discovered that Obama lived in only three different Hawaii zip codes. In checking with the Danbury Post Office, she discovered that two of the corollary zip codes never existed and the third was issued only in 1992, fifteen years after the number was assigned. Is it possible to steal a social security number? If one believes what terrorist Bill Ayers wrote in his memoir, Fugitive Days, the answer is definitely yes. While on the lam in the 1970s, he spent many a day tramping through rural cemeteries looking for the markers of dead infants whose identities could be easily appropriated. From there it was easy to secure a birth certificate and a social security card. For Ayers and his colleagues, identity theft became a small industry. Obama began using his 068 number in 1986, the year after he moved to Chicago. Did good neighbor Ayers lend him a Connecticut social security number? To me, this seems a more likely explanation than a typographical error. Lacking the resources to probe further, however, I can only speculate. The Times has no such excuse. Its editors have the resources. They simply choose not to employ them. From Obamas first days on the national scene, in fact, the Times has shown itself oddly incurious about his past, his very identity for that matter. In late October 2007, for instance, the Times ran a telling article headlined, Obamas Account of New York Years Often Differs From What Others Say. Given that he was a candidate for president, the Times expected Obama to welcome the chance to reconcile his account in his 1995 memoir, Dreams from My Father, with the accounts of those who knew him. Yet he declined repeated requests to talk about his New York years, release his Columbia transcript or identify even a single fellow student, co-worker, roommate or friend from those years, reported the Times Janny Scott. For reasons unexplained, she and her editors chose to leave this particular hole in Obamas life unfilled. In 2008, Scott took leave from the Times to write the biography of Obamas mother, Ann Dunham. The book would be published in 2011 under the title, A Singular Woman. Given her extensive research, Scott had the opportunity to fill another hole in Obamas life, namely the questions surrounding his birth. She did not. In fact, Scott refused to acknowledge there was even a controversy. She also chose not to comment on Dunhams whereabouts from the alleged wedding to Barack Obama Sr. in February 1961 to Obamas birth in August 1961. Not a word, not a photo. As to the birth, Scott provided no details other than what was available on the short form certification of live birth and, again, no photos and no confirming witnesses. Scott had to be aware that Obamas oft-told tale about his origins was false. As Obama told the story, his parents shared an improbable love, one that endured until his father left for Harvard when Obama was two. This story mattered. Obama had invested enormous political capital in what biographer David Remnick called his signature appeal: the use of the details of his own life as a reflection of a kind of multicultural ideal. Intentionally or not, Scott fictionalized key elements of her book to align with Obamas narrative. Eleven months [after the birth], Scott writes, the elder Obama was gone. Gone from where? In truth, Dunham never lived with the elder Obama. No, she showed up in Seattle, baby in tow, weeks after Obamas birth. That Obama spent the first year of his life in Seattle without his father was common knowledge in the blogosphere by 2009 but even today the major media would write off such a claim as fake news. In reality, there was no improbable love, no happy multicultural family, not for two years, not for a moment. By ignoring many newsworthy stories and falsifying others, the major media have left some hugely significant stories to citizen journalists like myself. Lacking the resources of the Times and the networks, we dont always get everything right. But as our liberal betters refuse to understand, our own allies are the first to tell us if we get something wrong. The notion that journalists on the right willfully create pure fiction is pure fiction, pure idiocy too. A Florida man has been convicted of stealing more than $180,000 of his dead brother's pension benefits over a seven-year period, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced Friday. Robert J. Schusteritsch, 71, was convicted of second-degree grand larceny, a class C felony, and second-degree criminal impersonation, a class A misdemeanor, in Albany County Court. Judge Peter Lynch sentenced Schusteritsch to six months in jail and five years probation. Schusteritsch also signed a confession of judgment for $180,145.45 in favor of the New York State and Local Employees Retirement System. "Today's sentencing of Mr. Schusteritsch proves once again that stealing from New York state's pension system is risky business," DiNapoli said. "My office will continue to thwart pension thieves and protect our New York State and Local Retirement System in partnership with Attorney General Schneiderman." The conviction came as a result of an investigation conducted by DiNapoli and Schneiderman's offices. The inquiry found Schusteritsch stole the pension benefits intended for his brother, Martin Petschauer. Petschauer was in the state pension system after working as chief of the Pooling and Audit Review Section of the New York Metro Milk Marketing Area. His pension benefits were direct deposited into a bank account. Schusteritsch was the sole trustee for Petschauer and had access to the bank account. After Petschauer died on July 9, 2008, Schusteritsch didn't notify the bank of the state retirement system of his brother's death. From July 2008 to September 2015, the pension payments continued. Schusteritsch used the money for his personal benefit. The retirement system discovered Petschauer's death in October 2015 and put a halt to the payments. Even after that revelation, Schusteritsch contacted the retirement system's call center in November 2015 in an attempt to restart the pension benefits. He posed as Petschauer and told the call center that his brother wasn't dead. Schusteritsch was arrested over the summer in Florida and transported to Albany County. He pleaded guilty to the indictment in September. "Those who illegally obtain pension funds intended for someone else do so at the expense of hardworking New Yorkers who rely on their pension for a secure retirement," Schneiderman said. "Comptroller DiNapoli and I will continue our joint efforts to root out pension system theft and hold those responsible accountable." Israel is upset that France will be requiring goods and produce made by Israelis in the Judean and Samarian [West Bank] areas to be labeled as such, not as products of Israel. The Israeli government is furious, and considers the requirement to be a possible death knell for those goods. Paris published guidelines on enforcing European Union (EU) regulations on produce from the West Bank, including annexed east Jerusalem, which the international community considers occupied Palestinian land, and the Golan Heights, which Israel seized from Syria in 1967. -- The Independent The European Union considers the Eastern side of Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and the "West Bank" as not part of Israel, but rather the possession of a soon-to-be Palestinian state; and they want the origin labeling to reflect that. Israel feels such labeling will mark out such products for boycott. The Israeli Foreign Ministry responded by saying it "regrets that France, which actually has a law against boycotts, is advancing measures that can be interpreted as encouraging radical elements and the movement to boycott Israel". The Independent Ironically, France, along with many European states, had already declared Boycott, Divestment and Sanctioning (BDS) against Israel to be illegal discrimination. However, those protections would not apply to Israeli communities in the contested areas, which Europe sees as violating international law. Those who support BDS are celebrating the decision. The Israeli government sees the idea of a settlement boycott as a farce because it knows how impossible it would be to stop even a targeted boycott from bleeding right through the Green Line its been working so hard to erase. -- 972mag (a pro-Palestinian site from Israel) Israel here is not totally blameless. Naturally, since 1967 when Israel conquered the area during the Six Day War, Israel has desired to incorporate the Biblical homeland of Judea and Samaria [the West Bank] into its polity. However the areas won came fully equipped with millions of hostile Arabs. Under international law, and standard Western democratic practices, annexation of an area requires full enfranchisement of those residents in that area. This is naturally problematic for Israel. Judea and Samaria contain approximately 2 million Arabs, give or take. Add to that the Israeli-Arabs already inside Israel, and if Gaza were thrown into the mix, the Arabs would start to approximate the number of Jews in the region. Some, such as Yoram Ettinger, have claimed that Arab numbers are exaggerated. Others dispute Ettinger's conclusions. But, true or not, there is no doubt that Arab numbers are sufficiently high that enfranchisement would turn Israel into a bi-national, rather than a Jewish, state. Hence for the past five decades Israel has left the area in a legally undefined state. Israel has used this ambiguity to its advantage for decades. The Arabs there are under martial, not civil, law. Not exactly Israel, yet under Israeli rule. Even the Oslo Accords left Israel in ultimate charge of border crossings, population registry, movement, import, export, etc. All for security reasons, but still not the freedom that the Arabs claimed they wanted. Of course, this means that Israel is not fully adhering to Western norms as Europe defines them, and hence the criticism. So as sympathy for Israel has waned, Europe is forcing the issue. In essence: If Israel won't give these Arabs full equality and the vote, then Israel must get out and let them go free. Ironically, to a lesser extent, Israel has complied with some Western norms. Israel officially annexed the Golan, and the Eastern side of Jerusalem. Arabs in Jerusalem are offered citizenship -- albeit after a grilling vetting process. It is not as easily offered as US citizenship was to Mexicans in 1848, even to those who had initially fought American forces, such as Diego Archuleta. There is no birthright citizenship to Arabs born in Jerusalem; and there is a complaint that Israel limits to low numbers the awards of citizenship to Jerusalem Arabs. In 2016, in light of the recent knife intifada, Israel has reduced the numbers of awarded citizenship to a few dozen Arabs in Eastern Jerusalem. Still, over the decades, almost all the Arabs in Jerusalem have refused to even apply, so it is hard to tell who is more to blame. In the Golan Heights, the Druze refused to accept Israeli citizenship even when it was given to them without vetting. Because Israel has roughly complied with the usual Western norms regarding the Golan and the Eastern side of Jerusalem -- officially annexing the areas; and at least offering citizenship to the local Arabs -- France has no legitimate basis to consider these two areas part of Palestine. But the issue of Judea and Samaria remains. Israel has not annexed these areas, nor offered citizenship to the locals. And so, France requires that Jewish goods from these areas not be labeled as Israeli in origin; but rather as coming from Israeli settlements. The first suggestion is that Israeli producers could label their goods and produce as coming from Judea and Samaria. This would conform to the French requirement that it not be labeled as Israeli in origin; but it would assert a Jewish connection. If the French were to press the case in court -- and require that it still be labeled as coming from Israeli settlements -- it would be rather easy to demonstrate that Judea and Samaria are valid names, equally as valid as the West Bank or Palestine. It is probably a case that the French would prefer to avoid. Even if the Jewish side lost the case, the very introduction of Jewish geographical names into the debate would be a victory. It would force the general public to recognize the Jewish history in the area. Should the Europeans allow for a compromise labeling of Judea and Samaria. This alone would be a major victory for the Jewish side, as it would contest the Arab names. It might even be preferable to labeling the goods as Israeli -- which oddly ducks the issue -- for it would forcibly assert a Jewish claim on the land. Those who would still support a boycott would be forced to tell their followers to avoid Judean and Samarian products, a requirement that would stick in their throat, as they would be obliged to use Jewish names. Rather than a disaster, this French requirement could be the means by which the term "West Bank" is driven out of its monopolistic position as the only term in the debate. It could be the means by which millions of Europeans are educated in the historical nomenclature of the area. Israel still has a demographic problem -- despite what Yoram Ettinger says. That will not go away easily. And, despite what many would like, Jordan will not absorb these Palestinians, especially as many of those Arabs have their origins in what is now Israel -- many with roots in Haifa, Caesaria, and Jaffa, not Amman. Nor will a partial annexation of Judea and Samaria ameliorate European criticism as some Jews, who favor annexing Area C, suggest. Indeed, the last suggestion will be seen as a land grab by Europeans. And please, stop with the delusion that referring to the Arabs as Fakestinians will solve the problem. Do not expect any solution soon. However, this French ruling is not so much a disaster as an opportunity to educate the world with a counter lexicon to the Arab narrative. One can use the French ruling to assert a Jewish nomenclature to the region. If played rightly, it can be a first step. It can turn the tables on the supporters of BDS. Mike Konrad is the pen name of an American who laments that he never fully availed himself of the opportunity to learn Spanish in his high school days, lo those many decades ago. On a recent visit to Tinian, an island in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, I visited North Field, site of the B-29 bomb-loading pits for the famed Little Boy and Fat Man atomic bombs. Early on the morning of August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay took off for Hiroshima and released Little Boy. Three days later, Fat Man was dropped on Nagasaki, delivering the final blow to the Japanese that led to the surrender of the imperial government. A few days later, as part of a follow-up visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Park, I viewed the monument dedicated to the legacy of the first city in the world to suffer a nuclear attack and to the memories of the bomb's victims. Much to my surprise, I learned that until recently, no sitting American president had visited the site since the dropping of the atomic bomb in 1945. Previous presidents had been wary of a visit that could be misconstrued as an apology for an action that many believe definitively ended the war and potentially saved up to one million lives in the process. Although, technically, President Obama did not offer a formal apology during his visit in May this year, his remarks could easily have been interpreted as such. He stated that he hoped that his trip to the bombing site would prompt America's "shared responsibility to look directly in the eye of history and ask what we must do differently to curb such suffering again." He ended with a reference to a future "in which Hiroshima and Nagasaki are known not as the dawn of atomic warfare but as the start of our own moral awakening. ... I hope that sometime in the future, they will start to realize that this was not the right thing." According to news reports, the rationale for Obama's visit was to remind the world of the dangers of nuclear weapons, highlight the threat of a world that continues to produce nuclear weapons, and call for a nuclear "moral revolution." The visit was of a piece with Obama's perceived mantle as a world peacemaker. Yet, in truth, his actions have increased the opportunities for nuclear proliferation among nations hostile to the West while undermining the military strength of the U.S. and our longtime ally, Israel. Early in his presidency, in Prague in 2009, Obama proclaimed his vision of a world without nuclear weapons. In fact, this declaration was largely responsible for his being considered for the Nobel Peace Prize with the hope that the award might spur his peace efforts. In Prague, Obama told a crowd of 20,000, "Today, the Cold War has disappeared, but thousands of those weapons have not. In a strange turn of history, the threat of global nuclear war has gone down, but the risk of a nuclear attack has gone up." In light of these facts, it is puzzling to consider the meaning of Obama's Hiroshima visit after his promoting and signing of the Joint Commission Plan of Action or JCPOA with the Islamic terrorist state of Iran, commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal; his ardent push for the treaty known as New START with Russia, thereby relieving the U.S. of nuclear weapons stockpiles; and his apparent tolerance for North Korea's nuclear testing. This is curious indeed at a time when rogue states and non-state actors have been actively involved in the acquisition of nuclear weapons with little comment from the White House. In his book, Obamabomb: A Dangerous and Growing National Security Fraud, Fred Fleitz, a former CIA analyst and senior vice president with the Center for Security Policy in Washington, D.C., explained how the JCPOA increased the threat of Iran's nuclear weapons program and made Iran a greater danger to regional and international security. In July, the AP leaked information from a confidential document, an add-on agreement to last year's JCPOA deal, revealing that Iran will be able to install centrifuge technology that will double the terrorist regime's uranium enrichment rate, effectively reducing the time to produce weapons-grade uranium to six months. This after the JCPOA provided Iran with a path to becoming a nuclear power without provisions for nuclear site inspections. Ironically, Obama's vision for a "nuclear-free world" includes asking for disarmament from Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East that just happens to be surrounded by Islamic terrorist states and jihadist groups. When a gravely alarmed Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel warned Congress in 2015 about the danger of a nuclear, genocidal Iran to the free world, he was rebuked by Obama. Netanyahu cautioned that negotiations between the U.S. and Iran would "all but guarantee" that Tehran would get nuclear weapons at great risk to the entire world. Although Netanyahu's speech drew a standing room only crowd in Congress and was received with vigorous standing ovations, Obama failed to attend as did many of his Democrat supporters. Perhaps, not coincidentally, at the time of the Israeli prime minister's congressional address, the Obama administration released an extensive Pentagon report revealing Israel's nuclear weapons capabilities. Obama signed "New START" with Russia in 2011, agreeing to cut America's nuclear arsenal by one third. This was a flawed agreement that placed a disproportionate burden for weapons cuts on the U.S. and lacked adequate provisions for verifications. Obama was not deterred by his knowledge that Russia, whose word was not to be trusted based on experience, had been in violation of the terms of the Immediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty for several years. According to a report in the New York Times, the State Department had complained to Russian officials in 2013, yet Obama declined to formally declare this a treaty violation at the time. Even prior to his efforts to sign a nuclear deal with Iran, Obama was well aware that the Russian "reset" program had failed and was willing to overlook the violations and offer new concessions to the Kremlin. Clearly, Obama's Iran deal is not stopping Iran's nuclear proliferation. Iran has already breached the heavy water production cap provisions twice. A truly verifiable inspection process does not exist. Under the terms of the agreement, Iran independently produces soil samples for international inspectors from sites where nuclear weapons testing has allegedly taken place. Obama's Iran deal actually put Iran on the pathway to becoming a nuclear power far from the president's proclamation that with the deal, the "prohibition on nuclear weapons is strengthened." In the final analysis, it was foolhardy to ostensibly trade the removal of economic sanctions for an unverifiable, improbable freeze in Iran's nuclear weapons development. Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea remain committed to increasing and modernizing their nuclear arsenals. Far from meeting the objective of encouraging global disarmament by example, Obama's plan has had the opposite effect. Russia is planning to build up to New START levels and is actively designing and introducing advanced strategic weapons. China has an extensive underground tunnel network believed to house hundreds of nuclear weapons, and North Korea announced that it completed its fifth nuclear warhead test in September. Strangely, despite this proliferation, the Obama administration called attention to a perceived threat from Israel's nuclear arsenal and favored a deal, which was clarified in a conference call coordinated by the George Soros-funded Ploughshares Fund, whereby Israel would give up its nuclear weapons to "ensure that Iran doesn't obtain them." The fact that the U.S. produced its last nuclear warhead in 1988, that most of its stockpile was built in the 1970s with a life expectancy of ten years, that no U.S. nuclear weapon has been tested in almost 25 years, and that we no longer have the capacity, know-how, and infrastructure to produce one today does little to inspire confidence in the nuclear security guarantees the U.S. has provided to over 30 countries. Far from setting an example for world peace, the global nuclear threat has increased since Obama proposed the Prague agenda. From New START to the so-called Iran deal to the lack of action against North Korean nuclear testing, Obama has, in effect, aided nuclear arms proliferation and stimulated a nuclear arms competition. His policies, marking the first time a U.S. president committed to the complete elimination of nuclear weapons, have served merely to constrain and weaken the U.S. while doing little to rein in hostile nuclear states and terrorist entities. My visit to Hiroshima's Peace Memorial reminded me, once again, of Obama's past actions and his failure to reduce the world's nuclear threat. Indeed, his visit there accomplished nothing but to chasten America and remind the world of our weakened state and our diminishment as a credible nuclear deterrent. Friedrich Nietzsche, through his created philosophical persona Zarathustra, declared, "God is dead." Zarathustra said this to a Christian sage as he descended a mountain. The idea of descending to humankind with a great revelation is an ancient theme. Moses in 1500 B.C. descended from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments to reveal the moral law of Almighty God. Plato's philosopher-king descended into the cave to tell the inhabitants that they were mistaking shadows on the wall for true reality, which ultimately was contained in the Forms or Ideas from which all things and behavior emanated. And then, approximately 450 years later, Christ descended from heaven to teach mercy, love, compassion, and application of the moral law by grace through His death on the Cross and resurrection. With the statement "God is dead" given as revealed truth (sic), the moral law as found in the Ten Commandments was being declared by Nietzsche as shattered, irrelevant. He was stating that the world of spirit was not the essence of the world. And he was rejecting the great moral teachings of Jesus, which expanded the truths of the Ten Commandments and made a new, non-legalistic basis for morality possible in our fallen and sinful world. Nietzsche was in the grip of an evolutionary fantasy. In this fantasy, humankind was not merely the capstone of the evolutionary cycle, nor was Prussia, as envisioned by Hegel, the capstone of humankind based on a dialectical evolutionary process towards the Absolute. Rather, a new evolutionary stage was on the horizon. A new "type" would emerge that was to humans as humans were to the primates or other lower forms of life. This new type would be characterized as having the "will to power," the power to literally create and even reverse moral values in a fundamental way. Nietzsche called this the "transvaluation of values." This new type called the "ubermenschen" ("supermen," albeit without the cape and large red S on a blue shirt) would be able to act on new principles whereby the "bad" would be "good" and the "good" would be "bad." Thus, compassion and kindness would be "weakness," and ruthless, unprincipled domination of others would be "strength." Armed with this thinking, and with other strains of thinking derived from Sigmund Freud, Abraham Maslow, Jacques Derrida, Karl Marx, Herbert Marcuse, Saul Alinsky, Eugene Debs, John Paul Sartre, and John Dewey, among others, whose influences are beyond the scope of this article, the modern, politically correct, overbearing, and self-exalting left has developed an alternate universe to that governed by Judeo-Christian values. Although various attempts have been made to formulate and formalize these "new values," no document with the authority and power of the Ten Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount as found in the Gospel of Matthew has yet been written. But there is a New Ten Commandments being promoted throughout all Western institutions. Although undocumented, it is insidious and pervasive. It is a synthesis of the deconstructed concepts that have driven Western civilization since the pre-Socratics and up through the 19th century. To describe it as "political correctness" or "leftism" would be true, but it would also be an oversimplification. This "oversimplification" might be likened to cyanide. Cyanogen chloride is a colorless liquefied gas that is heavier than air and has a pungent odor. While some cyanide compounds have a characteristic odor, odor is not a good way to tell if cyanide is present. Some people are unable to smell cyanide. Other people can smell it at first but then get used to the odor. Cyanide entering a room may smell bad; yet the smell is only a foretaste of the death it brings. It is interesting to note that in his book United in Hate, Jamie Glazov reveals that the left and the Islamic terrorist world are mutually supportive because at bottom both are expressing a death wish. Let's look at two of the revisions to the Ten Commandments that are now pervasive in Western Civilization. "You shall have no other Gods before me" has been modified to accept the therapeutic model of faith. Thus, "you shall believe in God if you have needs that cannot be met by other people or available social modalities for interacting i.e., work or play." Following Maslow, we worship God as part of an overall architecture of "meeting needs." The objective reality of God is no longer as important as the individual's or group's need to believe in God. Our desire to obey God is reduced to our "need" to recapture the sense of belonging we had as a child. Implicit is the Marxist idea that religion is the opiate of the people. Under this model, it is alright to believe, but in essence, our faith makes us "bitter clingers" (to God), whereas those with the proper i.e., Marxist "opiate-free" perspective are truly independent and strong. Even the honored commandment "you shall not murder" is being challenged. The new commandment being advanced, albeit subliminally rather than explicitly, is "you shall not murder unless you can make a historical case for having been a member of a victimized group." More and more we see murders, insurrections, riots, and terrorism repudiated but, at the same time, also partially excused by our leaders, especially Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Elizabeth Warren, and Barack Obama. Despite the Donald Trump victory, these figures and other demagogues of the left will continue to emerge and promote disharmony and crime. The left's excusing of urban riots in Ferguson, Baltimore, and Dallas has been partially justified by supposed racism "in the DNA" of whites. Well, even if racism were part of DNA (which it is not), how could any riots or murders of police officers possibly change anything? Our eye color is part of our DNA, and all the rioting in the world is not going to change the colors of our pupils. Nonetheless, the left has given support to Black Lives Matter despite its threats and incendiary chants. This organization is the heir of the Black Power movement led by Stokely Carmichael, Huey Newton, H. Rap Brown, and Bobby Seale in the 1960s, not the true justice for blacks sought by Martin Luther King, Jr. or the voice of humble and sincere black consciousness we find in George Washington Carver. Nevertheless, Black Lives Matter leaders have been frequently welcomed to the White House and encouraged. Police assassinations are surging nationwide. Urban crimes, specifically murders, are proliferating. Why? The commandment "You shall not murder" is no longer believed in by many segments of society and by the left-wing members of our political class as expressing a true and absolute requirement of Almighty God. The above analysis has only scratched the surface. The central tenets of all the books of the Old and New Testaments are under attack. Attempts are being made to marginalize the philosophy and religion of the past 3,500 years. Nietzsche was a central figure in undermining revealed religion. This challenge has partially succeeded, but resistance to these false concepts must continue until the tide turns. Be honest. In your real-life everyday American experience, is racism an issue? I am confident that the answer is no. And yet the left (Democrats, Black Lives Matter, Hollywood, and mainstream media) have convinced many that America is a hotbed of racism where black boys are gunned down by cops for simply "walking while black." Words cannot express my contempt for the left's ongoing campaign to spread lies to generate racial hate and divide Americans solely for selfish political gain. The left poisoning young black minds with their lie that white America is their enemy robs blacks of realizing how blessed they are to be born in the greatest land of opportunity on the planet. Cops shooting blacks is rare. When a cop does shoot a black, the cop is usually black or Hispanic. On the other hand, blacks are routinely killing each other in record numbers in major cities run by Democrats. Is there racism in America? Absolutely! Racism will exist along with every other sin under the sun until Jesus takes us home. But is racism really an issue in the lives of most Americans? Absolutely not. Despite the left's efforts to make everything about race, the truth is, Americans of all races work and play together extremely well. Black seniors are prone to experiencing "racism paranoia." I am in my late sixties. (Did I just say that out loud?) I remember suffering racism in my youth. Consequently, there have been situations in which I found myself anticipating racism only to be greeted with warmth and hospitality. I know blacks my age and older who are suffering racism paranoia imagining racism in every situation, accusing innocent white store clerks, etc. It is amazing how the left so easily uses racism paranoia to keep blacks believing their lie that white America hates them. For example, a sixty-year-old relative of mine says she supports Black Lives Matter because of racism targeted at her late husband 60 years ago. Her reasoning is absurd. Shouldn't having a black man in the W.H. tell her America is not the country it was 60 years ago? And yet she enthusiastically ate the left's divisive poison like a zombie hungry for brains. The tragedy of her irrational thinking is that it keeps blacks voting for Democrats. Despite 50 years of Democrats controlling cities and promising to make things better, blacks are suffering more than ever: 40% of black males dropping out of high school, record black unemployment under Obama, and 72% of black kids raised in fatherless households. A whopping 93% of black homicide victims are killed by other blacks. Remarkably, stupid blacks are still allowing the left to con them into supporting Planned Parenthood, an organization founded to exterminate blacks. Please forgive me for calling them stupid. But their willful ignorance has, as my late mom would say, plucked my last nerve. It is extremely disturbing that black racism against whites has come in vogue considered cool and enlightened, a virtue of authentic blackness. The left says that if you are black and do not harbor resentment against whites, you are either an Uncle Tom idiot or suffering from Stockholm syndrome. The left says whites who do not feel guilty for their birth (white privilege) are redneck, inbred, flyover-country racists, ripe for government-mandated reconditioning and sensitivity training. Don't laugh, folks. This is the evil the left has been instilling in our kids for decades, from kindergarten through college. Why has white America tolerated leftist public education abusing their children, teaching them to feel guilty and ashamed of who they are? Isn't it interesting that our leftist-controlled government has bullied us into celebrating homosexual pride, claiming that homosexuals were born that way and yet that same government tells white Americans it is racist and soon to be criminal to take pride in the way they were born, the race God chose for them? Hollywood produces movies based on the premise that all whites are racist. A lovable, funny black lead character humorously points out white racism while endlessly joking about how stupid and lame white people are. White characters enlightened of their racist instincts vow to do better. One final joke about stupid white people. Laugh, laugh, laugh! The end. Roll credits. In 2008, white America overwhelmingly voted to elect the first black president. They were, in essence, saying, Let's heal this racial divide once and for all. The dirty little secret is that the last thing the left wanted was to bring the races together as one American family. I wish I could get more of my family and other blacks to realize that the American left are nothing more than cold, calculating political grifters. These political con artists cruelly exploited the good and trusting nature of Americans by using Obama's skin color to silence any opposition to him implementing their far-left radical agenda. Consequently, Obama has behaved like America's first king. He ignores the Constitution and laws at will. Republicans are petrified to oppose him. Still, the mainstream media lied, convincing Americans that racist Republicans opposed Obama at every turn. Realizing they had been conned into electing the left's socialist-progressive Trojan Horse, concerned Americans formed the Tea Party. The mainstream media immediately launched its campaign to brand the Tea Party racist. In the minds of far too many black Americans, the media's false branding stuck. The left despicably continues to use the Myth of Racist America to make blacks hate and fear whites and police. Leftists are going crazy because Trump does not submit to their decreed rules of engagement and dictates for acceptable Republican behavior that is, to walk on eggshells, careful not to offend leftists. I implore each and every decent American to follow President-Elect Donald Trump's lead: call out evil, and stand up for what is right. There's a new sheriff in town. Folks, I am a black man who loves his country. I know I am incredibly blessed to be born here. My simple desire is to see fellow blacks abandon the Democrats' stifling, deplorable "you're a victim" lie and pursue their dreams. Freed black liberal plantation slaves such as me pose a major threat to the left's Myth of Racist America, keeping other blacks in check. The Democratic Party so far is showing no signs of pulling out of its spiral downward. Quite the contrary. At least some donors watched the way the Hillary campaign and various PACs squandered their money and got nothing and are saying, No more! Francesca Chambers of the U.K. Daily Mail: Donors to the Democratic Party burnt out after last month's catastrophic electoral losses. Democrats lost the White House and failed to take enough seats in the House and Senate to constitute a majority, and their top donors have had enough. 'I may very well be done with political giving entirely,' John Morgan, a top Clinton fundraiser in Florida told The Hill. 'My message to anyone reading this is, "Dont call me, Ill call you." ' At this point, what do the national Democrats have to offer donors? Unless you believe that the people who write big checks are purely motivated by ideals, you have to conclude that donations are going to diminish. The labor unions will still recycle their members dues into the party, of course. But wht can the party do for unions with Trump and a GOP Congress in office? For the first time since 1998, Chicago has topped 700 homicides for the year, with a month to go that includes Christmas holiday and New Year's eve. Last year, there were 456 murders. An astonishing 4,050 people have been wounded compared to 2,699 last year. Chicago Tribune: The Police Department statistics do not include about an additional 20 killings on area expressways, as well as police-involved shootings, justifiable homicides or death investigations that could later be reclassified as homicides. The surge in violence has come at a time of upheaval for the Police Department amid an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Justice Department in the past year's fallout over the video showing the fatal shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald by an officer. Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, who was a surprise appointment in March after his predecessor, Garry McCarthy, was fired in the blowup over the McDonald shooting, said his department is doing all it can to combat violence rooted in poverty and hopelessness. On Tuesday, following a speech to the Union League Club, Johnson called this year's homicide totals "unacceptable," blaming what he called "a small subsection of citizens" for the violence. The department has compiled a "strategic subject list" a computerized algorithm designed to zero in on about 1,400 mostly gang members considered most likely to shoot someone or become a victim of violence. "The police are doing their job," Johnson told reporters. "What we need help in is holding these repeat gun offenders accountable for this gun violence, and until we do that, we're going to continue to see the cycle of violence." Homicides peaked in Chicago at more than 900 a year in the early to mid-1990s. This year has seen homicides soar month after month to levels not seen in about two decades. The 92 homicides in August alone marked the most the city had seen for a single month since July 1993. By early September, Chicago surpassed the homicide toll for all of 2015. The Halloween weekend ended with 69 people shot, 17 fatally, the deadliest weekend of 2016. And in the just-completed November, homicides totaled 77, the worst for that month since 78 in 1994. The city's violence continues to far outpace both New York and Los Angeles combined even though their populations far exceed Chicago's. According to official statistics through about Nov. 20, the most recent that are publicly available, New York and Los Angeles had a combined 565 homicides, less than Chicago's total. In addition, there were a combined 2,117 shooting victims in the two cities, close to half of Chicago's total. When Donald Trump said he might not accept the election results because of possible voter fraud Hillary's response was what we'd expect her to say: He became the first person, Republican or Democrat, who refused to say that he would respect the results of this election. Now, that is a direct threat to our democracy[.] She also said: That is horrifying. That's not how democracy works[.] Those comments amount to Hillary pledging that she would not contest the election results unless, of course, Hillary thinks there are two sets of rules: one for everyone else and one for her. But that's not the case, according to the media, who never lie. Now Hillary is supporting Jill Stein's recount campaign even though Hillary's own lawyers say there is no indication of voter fraud. By supporting a recount even though there is no indication of any sort of voter fraud for Trump, Hillary has become the first unelected presidential candidate to break a campaign promise as far as I can see.. That's a record that will probably last for quite some time. You can read more of tom's rants at his blog, Conversations about the obvious, and feel free to follow him on Twitter. In his speech at Carrier yesterday (video embedded below), Donald Trump revealed some information that should comfort those market purists worried about America insulating itself from global markets and thereby falling behind overseas competitors. He revealed that the reported $16 million is likely to end up a much higher figure because the company is committing to next-generation manufacturing. It is quite understandable that a lowball figure has been used by Carrier, as they want to limit what they may be on the hook to spend. They can always spend more, and the banter Trump threw at the companys president indicates that he and Trump did discuss the nature of the reconceptualization of manufacturing that the company had (obviously) already studied and compared with the financial results of moving the Indy factor to Monterrey. Until Trump put his thumb on the companys scale, that calculus favored Monterrey. Unlike Barack Obama, Trump understands how businesses make their decisions: on the margin. Undoubtedly, the $7 million in tax relief that the State of Indiana applied to Carrier (which, but the way, is a common sort of thing for states to do to recruit or keep factory jobs) helped in the calculus. But if I were a betting man, Id wager that Trump discussed the regulatory costs the factory, Carrier, and its parent United Technologies bear and stated bluntly that those costs will go down. And it would not surprise me if he also mentioned tax reforms, including perhaps investment tax credits and other measures that will make the $16-million (or whatever the final bill is much higher, I would wager) investment much cheaper. In economists terms, this means substituting capital for labor, but the abstract language does not fully reveal what is going on. There will be much more automation and less hand labor (which means that remaining jobs will be higher-skilled and more pleasant), but there is likely to be just-in-time manufacturing (meaning less inventory and ultimately better quality), and much greater flexibility in changing models and adding features, for instance. Capable, intelligent, and numerate workers can be highly paid, and you don't need low-paid manual labor. Trump promised in his Cincinnati speech that there will a Buy America provision for companies taking advantage of such programs. This means that a lot of other manufacturers of things like machine tools will be expanding, hiring, and making money. A virtuous cycle of prosperity replacing the utter stagnation of the last eight years, outside the high-tech and shale extraction sectors. This is an economic driver that should not be underestimated. Some are criticizing the inclusion of 300 jobs in headquarters and technology operations in the total of jobs staying in Indy, because those jobs were not currently on the block. But in fact, once manufacturing leaves, ultimately, those jobs would be imperiled. In my consulting work I have seen exactly this process operate. Shipping engineers from Indy to Monterrey to work on the production system takes time and is expensive and ultimately is less effective than having technical people accessible nearby or on site constantly. Over a quarter-century ago, one of Carriers global competitors in the HVAC business moved its entire air-conditioning headquarters to a third-world manufacturing base where it had long been employing manual labor. Executives there explained to me that highly capable and educated local engineering gradates were thrilled to work for a major foreign company, whereas at home in their expensive highly advanced economy, air-conditioning was regarded as an old-fashioned and unglamorous sector. But that was then; this is now. The new wave of manufacturing technology is hi tech-intensive. And after a generation of decline, American engineers and workers are probably more eager than a quarter-century ago to tackle the challenge. Trump's speech at Carrier: During the campaign, Democrats and the media read Trump the riot act for saying we may reduce our defense of NATO countries if they dont start paying more for their own defense. Andrea Shalal reports for Reuters: Top NATO and European military officials called in Berlin on Wednesday for more military spending to deal with threats to Europe and said that would help address concerns raised by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. During his election campaign, Trump questioned whether the United States should protect allies seen as spending too little on their defense, raising fears he could withdraw funding for NATO at a time of heightened tensions with Russia. In Brussels on Wednesday, the European Union unveiled its biggest defense funding and research plan in more than a decade to reverse billions in cuts and demonstrate that it wants to pay for its own security. All of a sudden, NATO countries are starting to suggest they will pay more for their own defense. Isnt it amazing what a little jawboning will do? President Obama, Hillary, and Kerry had the option to tell NATO to pay more for eight years, and they didnt do a darn thing. Trump appears to be more successful in getting a message across before he is president than Obama was in eight years as president. We should all remember that Ronald Reagan, the greatest president in my lifetime, caused the Soviet Union to collapse and brought down the Berlin Wall not with starting a war, but with words and strength. It is a shame that Democrats learn so little from history. Donald Trump says he will nominate retired Marine Corps general James Mattis for the position of secretary of defense. Mattis, who retired in 2013, would become only the second general officer to serve as secretary of defense the first being George Marshall during the Korean War. But for Mattis to be confirmed, Congress would have to waive a law that says a general has to be out of the military for seven years before serving as defense secretary. Given the popularity of Mattis, it is likely he will overcome that hurdle with ease. ABC News: Mattis has a reputation as a battle-hardened, tough-talking Marine who was entrusted with some of the most challenging commands in the U.S. military. In a tweet last month, Trump referred to Mattis by his nickname "Mad Dog" and described him as "A true General's General!" Mattis would be only the second retired general to serve as defense secretary, the first being George C. Marshall in 1950-51 during the Korean War. Marshall was a much different figure, having previously served as U.S. secretary of state and playing a key role in creating closer ties with Western Europe after World War II. The only previous exception to the law requiring a gap after military service was for Marshall. Although his record in combat and his credentials as a senior commander are widely admired, Mattis has little experience in the diplomatic aspects of the job of secretary of defense. Richard Fontaine, president of the Center for a New American Security, described Mattis as a defense intellectual and as a military leader who distinguished himself in combat. "He knows the Middle East, South Asia, NATO and other areas and has evinced both a nuanced approach to the wars we're in and an appreciation for the importance of allies," Fontaine said in an email exchange. "If he were to get the nomination, I suspect that he could attract a number of very talented people to work with him." But Mattis hasn't been immune to controversy. He was criticized for remarking in 2005 that he enjoyed shooting people. He also drew more recent scrutiny for his involvement with the embattled biotech company Theranos, where he serves on the board. [...] As head of the Central Command from 2010 until his retirement in 2013, he was in charge of both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Mattis commanded the Marines who launched an early amphibious assault into Afghanistan and established a U.S. foothold in the Taliban heartland. As the first wave of Marines moved toward Kandahar, Mattis declared that, "The Marines have landed, and now we own a piece of Afghanistan." Two years later, he helped lead the invasion into Iraq in 2003 as the two-star commander of the 1st Marine Division. The media considers it shocking that this "Marine's Marine" would say he enjoyed shooting people: According to a recording of his remarks, Mattis said, "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot. ... It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you, I like brawling." He added, "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil," Mattis continued. "You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." Mattis was counseled to choose his words more carefully. Given the context of his remarks, what he said was admirable hardly controversial except in social circles who don't understand the mindset of a trained Marine. The left thinks someone like Mattis is a danger to society, ready to go off and kill civilians for no reason. In fact, if they believed in God, they should hit their knees every night thanking the Lord for men like Mattis. Mattis has a lot of friends on the Hill, which is a prerequisite for the job of defense secretary. He is knowledgable and takes a no-nonsense approach to terrorism. It's also possible he will dial back the social experimentation in the military that Barack Obama actually believed was one of the military's primary missions. One thing is certain: a fresh wind will blow through the Pentagon from the first day of Mattis's tenure. With President-elect Donald Trump revealing he'll nominate retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis to lead the Department of Defense, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said she'll oppose granting a waiver to allow him to hold the position. A statute requires military servicemembers to be retired for at least seven years before becoming secretary of defense, a civilian position. Mattis, whose military career spanned nearly 45 years, retired in 2013. The only time such a waiver has been approved by Congress was when President Harry Truman appointed Gen. George Marshall to serve as defense secretary. "While I deeply respect General Mattis's service, I will oppose a waiver," said Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and ranking member on the Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel. "Civilian control of our military is a fundamental principle of American democracy, and I will not vote for an exception to this rule." Mattis was considered the favorite to become defense secretary shortly after Trump's victory in the presidential election. His lengthy military career included a stint as head of U.S. Central Command. He also led a Naval task force in Afghanistan and a Marine division in the Iraq War. Trump officially announced Mattis was his pick for the post at a rally in Cincinnati Thursday. While Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and other Democrats may be reluctant to grant Mattis the waiver he needs, Republicans are more supportive. U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, called Mattis an "excellent selection." "I will work with my colleagues in the coming days to clear the way for his confirmation by the Senate," Thornberry, R-Texas, said in a statement. "I can think of no better partner for Congress to work with to support the men and women who serve and protect our nation's security." In medieval Netherlands, weigh houses were a common feature in many markets up and down the country. They were run by the local authorities, and traders were required to weigh their goods before they were sold. The authorities would then levy a tax on the goods transported through or sold within the city. Many a times, people accused of witchcraft would be dragged to a weigh house to be weighed. It was believed that a witch weighed next to nothing. After all, how could they fly on a broomstick? The Heksenwaag (Witches' scale) in the town of Oudewater became famous for such witch trails. A witch trial at the Heksenwaag, in Oudewater. Photo credit: Memory of the Netherlands Witch trials were often rigged resulting in the burning or drowning of hundreds of innocent victims all across Europe, but the people of Oudewater refused to take part in the delusion of witchcraft. The Heksenwaag provided a fair weighing process to the accused. It is said that the Roman Emperor Charles V granted Oudewater the privilege to weigh persons suspected of witchcraft and to issue certificates if found to be of normal weight. Legend has it, that in 1545, Charles V doubted the outcome of a witch trail at a Dutch village where a woman had been weighed and was found too light. He ordered a second weighing at Oudewater, showing her to have a weight of 100 pounds, thus saving her. As a sign of gratitude for the correctness of the staff at the weigh-house he granted them the privilege. Nobody here was ever convicted of being a witch. Sadly, not many people had the fortune of getting themselves weighed at Oudewater because many judges refused to allow such trials. A single rumor or an unsubstantiated witness was enough to convict innocent people of sorcery. Historical records account for only 13 such trials at the Heksenwaag between the period 1674 and 1743. Today, Heksenwaag is a museum and a tourist attraction. Visitors can weigh themselves on an ancient oak scale and receive certificates declaring them as not witches, just like they used to hand out in the old days. The weigh house. Photo credit: Rumex12/Wikimedia Photo credit: Alan Grinberg/Flickr Photo credit: bert knottenbeld/Flickr The certificate visitors receive after passing the weight test. Photo credit: Louise15101970/Tripadvisor.com Sources: Holland.com / Wikipedia / www.heksenwaag.nl / Rechtsgeschiedenis Blog Those using the General Mobile 4G are starting to receive the update to Android 7.1.1 which comes complete with the latest security patch, which is Decembers patch of fixes. Google typically begins rolling these monthly updates out in the first week of every month, and since it is December 2nd it likely isnt too shocking to see the update starting today. That said, there are so far no other reported devices which have received the software update, but it probably wont be too long before other phones like the Google Pixel and Pixel XL, as well as Googles lineup of currently supported Nexus devices see the new software come though. The good news is that Google is also likely to put up the factory images and OTA images for all of their supported devices in the near future as well, and potentially before the OTA actually get sent out, which means those who would rather not wait around will have the ability to flash the new software manually for their correct device. At the moment, though, Google has not published either set of images for download, so its still a bit of a waiting game. The update is about 240.6MB in file size, so there may be a small tweak here and there and perhaps a few new changes to look out for, but according to the details that accompany the update the software contains the December security patch and some bug fixes and improvements. Its also very possible that those are the only changes included. The update is reportedly hitting General Mobile 4G users in Turkey, so Googles rollout process for this update could be starting in a smaller amount of regions and a smaller number of device types before getting this sent out to users globally. Alongside the Google Pixel and Pixel XL, users can expect this software to hit last years Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, the Nexus 6, Pixel C, Nexus 9, and the Nexus Player. Rumors have pegged the update as hitting most compatible devices by the middle of next week, more specifically on December 6th, so it shouldnt be too long before the update as well as the factory and OTA images for manual flashing. Google Wifi was one of the products Google announced and introduced during its October 4 event. This is a router which not only looks to offer you wireless coverage, but also looks to offer an extended level of wireless coverage. One which ensures that your wireless coverage does not suffer in certain places. In spite of being announced back in early October, Google Wifi has yet to go officially on sale. Although you can now pre-order the device, with units expected to start shipping within the next few days. With that date approaching and customers expected to start receiving their units, you would expect Google to start the process of making the ecosystem ready and making customers more aware of what Google Wifi can offer. And that is exactly what has been happening. Google recently released a new promotional video which guides you through the setup process for Google Wifi and now the company looks to be preparing the release of the Google Wifi app. The app, which is simply entitled Google Wifi, seems to work in much along the same manner as how the Google On app worked with Googles OnHub. In fact, it does seem to be the case that the Google Wifi app is actually the Google On app, following a rebrand. Along with that rebrand, comes a slight refining of the interface with some visual aspects changed like the replacing of the Google On two-tab design with a new three-tab design, for quicker and easier feature activation. Otherwise, much of the rest of the app largely works the same with the exception that as well as being able to activate and manage your OnHub devices, you can also manage your Google Wifi device(s). Advertisement As mentioned, the Google Wifi app is directly replacing the Google On app and therefore, it would seem as though the Google Play Store listing for the Google On app will be updated soon enough with the new branding and link to the current Google Wifi app. You can already see the traits in place as the Play Store URL does reference the new app. However, the main bulk of the page change does not seemed to have happened just yet. Either way though, you can download a copy of the new Google Wifi APK by heading through the link below. In spite of the Galaxy Note 7 being released, due to its unfortunate recall, the Galaxy S7 (and its Edge counterpart) currently remain as the flagship smartphone from Samsung. Which also means that they are not quite as affordable as some might have expected them to be by this time of the year. That said, for those looking for a similar smartphone without having to pay a similar level of pricing, then there is always the previous Galaxy S model, the Galaxy S6. Speaking of which, there is currently a deal available on eBay for the Galaxy S6 where you can pick up the 2015 smartphone for only $239.99. It does need to be pointed out that this is for a manufacturer refurbished Galaxy S6, but at the price you are paying, this makes for a good purchase. You even currently have the choice of color with the Galaxy S6 available at this price in either Blue Sapphire, Gold Platinum or White Pearl. It is also worth pointing out that this is for a GSM unlocked version. So while this will not work with any CDMA carriers in the US, it will work fine with any GSM-based carrier, including AT&T and T-Mobile. For those interested in checking out the Samsung Galaxy S6 at only $239.99, head through the link below. Lenovo promised more Moto Mods in 2017, when they announced the Incipio Car Dock and Mophie Juice Pack earlier this week. Now were learning that there could be a very interesting Moto Mod coming our way in the future. And that is a Moto Mod that would bring 5G to the Moto Z. Lenovos Moto division held a small event at their headquarters in Chicago yesterday where they announced those new Moto Mods from Incipio and Mophie. PCMag caught up with a few execs there in Chicago and asked about what the future of Moto Mods might look like. The senior director of product management, John Touvannas, told them that they have ideas for baby monitors, e-ink displays and a 5G modem. Of course, the 5G modem was the one that caught everyones attention. Remember that these Moto Mods are able to access direct display interfaces, talk to the camera unit of the phone as well as communicate over USB 3.1. Surprisingly enough, USB 3.1 would be fast enough for a 5G radio. Lets not forget that Verizon is already testing out 5G at their headquarters in Basking Ridge, NJ and plan to have trials beginning in 2017. With Verizon being Motos main partner in the US for the Moto Z lineup, it wouldnt be that surprising to see Verizon working with Lenovo to make this Moto Mod happen sooner rather than later. Lenovo is also planning to step up their Moto Mod production next year. With plans to release about four Moto Mods each quarter, starting in mid-2017. Which would also mean that the successor to the Moto Z, Moto Z Force and Moto Z Play will all come with Moto Mod functionality. Thats something Lenovo promised when they announced the devices earlier this year, so its great to see them keeping up with that promise. Currently there are six Moto Mods available, a Pico Projector, the JBL SoundBoost, Incipios offGRID battery pack, the Hasselblad True Zoom, Mophie Juice Pack and the Incipio Car Dock not to mention the numerous Style Shells that are also available to make the Moto Z look a bit more stylish. A major defense policy bill approved Friday by the House of Representatives includes legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. John Katko to combat the flow of terrorists. The legislation requires the executive branch to develop a strategy for preventing terrorists fighting overseas from entering the United States. The idea for the bill came out of Katko's work leading the bipartisan Task Force on Combating Foreign Fighter Travel. The task force issued several key findings and recommendations in September 2015. One of the recommendations was to develop a strategy for combating the flow of terrorists into the U.S. Katko's legislation was approved by the House in February, but wasn't considered in the Senate. Congressional negotiators included it in the final NDAA, an annual defense policy bill. "In light of the ever-evolving threats to our nation's security, it is critical that our military has the modern resources and support necessary to provide for the safety of our country," Katko said in a statement. "It is also vital that our country articulate a plan to combat the growing threat of foreign fighter travel, and I am pleased that provisions I authored to help prevent the spread of global terrorism have been included in this comprehensive package." Katko touted other provisions in the NDAA which will benefit central New York, namely support for the 174th Attack Wing at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base and defense contractors in the 24th Congressional District. According to Katko's office, the NDAA will prevent the Department of Defense from recouping bonuses paid to Army and Air National Guard soldiers. The defense bill also included authorization for the U.S. Navy's Ohio-class Replacement Submarine Program. The submarines are produced in central New York. Katko added that the NDAA provides funding for the Navy's Littoral Combat Ship, which are also made in the region. "This package supports the men and women who have served at 174th Attack Wing at Hancock Field, and will help grow and support central New York's broad landscape of defense industries and thousands of central New Yorkers that they employ," Katko said. U.S. Rep. John Katko is accepting requests for a limited number of tickets to attend President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration Jan. 20 in Washington. Katko's office is inviting residents of the 24th Congressional District to fill out a form with their request for inauguration tickets. Tickets will be limited to those living in the district and proof of residency will be required. Today is the final day Katko's office will be accepting ticket requests. A spokesperson for Katko, R-Camillus, said a lottery will be conducted to determine who receives tickets. The number of tickets Katko will distribute wasn't disclosed. His office advised constituents to also pursue tickets through the offices of U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, who usually hold public drawings for the tickets. The inauguration will be held Friday, Jan. 20 at the Capitol. More information about the event can be found at inaugural.senate.gov. MISS: To people who continually put others at risk by driving drunk. Fleming woman with DWI history accused of drunk driving with child passenger AUBURN A Fleming woman was remanded to Cayuga County Jail Tuesday after being arraigned on A Fleming woman determined by the court to be a danger to the community was sent to the Cayuga County Jail without bail this week after her third DWI charge this year. Prosecutors said that the woman was drunk and had a child in the car when she was arrested on Nov. 11. She had also been charged with DWI twice in August. And a Jordan man was charged this week with three felonies after police said they found him drunk behind the wheel in Brutus. He had pleaded guilty earlier in the month to a DWI charge in Sennett. These drivers were in court the same week that an Auburn man admitted that he was intoxicated in April when he caused a crash that took the life of a baby boy. The driver in that case is expected to be sentenced to five to 20 years in prison. But his victim is gone forever. HIT: To an audio addition to the Christmas spirit. Downtown Auburn's Business Improvement District has set up nine speakers in the center of the city's business district to play Christmas music from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Dec. 26. The idea is to spread some holiday cheer to people heading out to shops and restaurants in the area. The feedback thus far has been positive, so we expect the music to keep playing. MISS: To a destructive fire in Moravia. Firefighters investigating cause of blaze at Moravia home Investigators are considering a Moravia home a total loss after it caught fire early Sunday The second floor of a home on a fire lane off Rockefeller Road was completely engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived just before 5:30 a.m. Sunday. Several fire departments worked together to get the fire under control and protect nearby properties, but the home is believed to be total loss. JORDAN Someone said he saw Santa Claus on foot approaching the village before the annual Christmas tree lighting in Jordan Wednesday, and word was whispered through the crowd that turned out for the event. Jordan Mayor Dick Platten, resplendent in a borrowed top hat, said the tree light had a first this year with Catherine Ferris bringing her choir members over from St. Patrick's Church. "He looks very distinguished," the Rev. Glen Hardman said of the mayor. After a warmup, the choir handed out songbooks to the gathering and together they sang Christmas carols while waiting for the tree to be lit. The village had reached out to its residents through its website for a Christmas tree but instead procured one at Brown's 3B tree Farm in Jordan. The Richardson girls Lauren, 7, and Leah, 5 but turning 6 a couple of days later were selected from the crowd to flip the switches to turn the Christmas tree's colorful lights on this year. "No pressure," Lauren said. "It was fun." Her younger sister agreed, adding that it was much more exciting than nerve-wracking. Sister and brother Peyton, 6, and William, 8, are new residents in Jordan this year. They equipped themselves with Rudolph noses to help guide Santa into their new village for the holiday event. William said he was hoping for Minecraft P44 for Christmas this year and just as he said, this a horse drawn cart with Santa seemed to come out of nowhere. Santa told the crowd he would meet them over at the Bramley Library and that if they would like to, they could take a spin in his cart around the village. Platten said Jordan's Ron Davis donated the use of his horses and cart to Santa for the evening, as his sleigh was being readied up at the North Pole for the big worldwide fly later this month. When Platten a former Jordan-Elbridge math teacher from 1965 to 1999 was asked what it is that makes Jordan special, he said without hesitation, this is it right here, right now. "We are still a community, a small town, very friendly," he said, his wife, Karen, adding that Jordan is a giving community, too. "It's the people." ELBRIDGE The wife of a man critically injured in a house fire in Elbridge was asking for prayers on his behalf Thursday night. Scott Dombroski was found by firefighters in his home at 980 Schapp Road and taken to the hospital. His wife, Diana Sleiertin, posted a message on Facebook Thursday saying that Dombroski was in critical condition with severe smoke inhalation and burns to 20 percent of his body. "My husband Scott needs your prayers," she wrote. Fire rescue crews found Dombroski, 43, on the second floor of the house, and he was transported via ambulance to University Hospital in Syracuse, where he was in critical condition, according to state police. Dombroski was the only person home at the time of the fire. Officials said there were several animals in the house. The property is the location of MaxMan Reptile Rescue, which cares for exotic animals such as snakes and lizards and does education presentations throughout the region. Diana Sleiertin wrote Thursday that all of the reptiles had been killed and also the couple's dog Diesel and cat Salem. The losses, Sleiertin wrote, "are crushing." "My husband, my hero, tried to put out the fire and save our animals," Sleiertin wrote. The home is owned by Robert Sleiertin of Rhode Island. Diana Sleiertin operates the reptile rescue. The loss of the animals, Sleiertin wrote, "can not compare to my concern for Scott. So please pray for his speedy recovery." The couple met in 2011 when Sleiertin visited a haunted house in Clay run by Dombroski and his family. They were married at a Fulton haunted house on Halloween in 2015. A New York State Police news release Thursday night said that Onondaga County Fire Investigator Ron Ryan was working to determine the cause for the fire and that the investigation is ongoing. Jordan Ambulance and state police were dispatched to the scene around 11:35 a.m. Firefighters from the Jordan Volunteer Fire Department and other crews from Onondaga and Cayuga counties eventually extinguished the blaze at the Elbridge home, east of the village of Jordan and south of the New York State Thruway. Prince Harrys airbrushed life gets purpose with live HIV tests Prince Harry has taken an HIV test to promote World Aids Day. It works. The papers are all covering the blood letting as Harry tours Barbados. It helps, of course, that Harry was not alone, accompanied as he was by pop star Rihanna. This was his second public test. In July Harry took an HIV test on Facebook live. The Guardian said Harry admitted to being nervous before the result came back negative. The results of yesterdays test are, as yet, unpublished. The Telegraph reported that following Harrys test the Terrence Higgins Trust saw a fivefold increase in orders for testing kits in the days after. All good, then. A man who seems to live an airbrushed life, Harry has found a use and a use has been found for Harry. PS: Of course the tabloids need a twist on what was a pretty routine afternoons PR work for Harry, so we get the Daily Express saying Rihanna was flirty with Harry and talked about not having sex in a barbers hop; the Sun punning Wince Harry; and the Mail asking Is it really worth testing 11 million Britons for HIV? Karen Strike Posted: 2nd, December 2016 | In: Reviews, Royal Family Comment | TrackBack | Permalink Italy against sanctions on Russia over Syria - Gentiloni But 'has always complied with EU decisions' (ANSAmed) - ROME, DECEMBER 2 - Italy ''has always complied with decisions on European sanctions against Russia but has also expressed strong opposition to extending the sanctions mechanism to the Syrian situation'', Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said Friday at the Med Dialogues 2016 conference in the Italian capital. He was speaking at a press conference with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. ''This position has not changed for us,'' Gentiloni added. (ANSAmed). (ANSAmed) - ROME, DECEMBER 2 - Turkey will not stop migrants from entering the EU, Turkish Deputy Foreign Ministr Ahmet Yildiz said Friday at the Med Dialogues 2016 conference underway in the Italian capital. ''It's not our problem,'' he said in responding to a question. ''It's the intrnational community's problem.'' ''Turkish citizens feel betrayed on the issue of its accession to the EU process. The issue of visas did not begin with Syria; it was an agreement that was finalized long before. We do not want the Syrian issue to be an obstacle. We cannot accept this,'' he said. (ANSAmed). Kerry-Lavrov bilateral on Med Dialogues sidelines Face-to-face lasted over an hour (ANSAmed) - ROME, DECEMBER 2 - A lengthy bilateral meeting was held on Friday afternoon between Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the Med Dialogues 2016 conference underway in the Italian capital. US sources said that the face-to-face meeting lasted over an hour. The head of Russian diplomacy left the hotel in central Rome hostng the conference afterwards. (ANSAmed). Bosnian Muslim academic warns of Arab investment in FBiH Property purchases part of Muslimlandia project - (ANSAmed) - Sarajevo, December 2 - Valuable real estate in the majority Muslim and Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) is being swept up by Arab investors as part of a project to create a sort of 'Muslimlandia', Bosnian Muslim academic Esad Durakovic has said. In an interview with Tv N1 Durakovic said the phenomenon should not be considered "investment" but rather as a problem to be resolved and that the authorities must intervene. "We Bosniaks are historically seen as a disturbance, as a potential threat, and now all this is increasing and there is a growing possibility that we will be identified as a risk factor," he said. Bosnians of all ethnic groups have expressed concern about the growing number of Arab investors in the country. Several luxury resorts are under development in Ilidza south of Sarajevo financed by Arab petrodollars. (ANSAmed). Hollande's decision 'understandable', Gentiloni says Primaries 'too risky' for outgoing president, FM says (ANSAmed) - Rome, December 2 - French President Francois Hollande's decision not to seek a second term "is in part understandable" and "must be respected", Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said on Friday. "It is true that it is unprecedented, but the mechanism of the primaries is also unprecedented," Gentiloni told 'Radio Anch'io'. "For an outgoing president to subject himself to primaries would not have been easy." "If you are president in a country like France where the president is head of the executive, subjecting himself to primaries would probably have been too risky, also for Hollande's own political legacy," the minister added. (ANSAmed). 'ISIS will be destroyed but its message will survive' - Nasr EU and US unable to prevent it from returning, expert tells ANSA (by Gaetana D'Amico and Cristiana Missori) (ANSAmed) - ROME, DECEMBER 2 - Islamic State (ISIS) can be destroyed militarily but Europe and the United States will not be able to prevent it from returning, an expert on the Muslim world told ANSAmed on Friday. "I believe it is possible to destroy ISIS militarily, it has already lost a lot of ground in Libya, Syria and Iraq," Iranian-American Dean of the Johns Hopkins University Vali Nasr said in an interview on the sidelines of the 'Med Dialogues' forum in Rome. "But if you ask me whether the European Union, Arab countries and United States will manage to create political institutions that are able to prevent ISIS from returning, or Al Qaeda or another extremist force from emerging, my answer is: I don't believe this will happen," he added. "The ideology of ISIS has attracted different people at different levels. A small minority follow it for religious reasons, a large majority are drawn by the political message. And that message, both for young people in Europe and for the Sunni tribes on the ground, is one of power," Nasr continued. "This is a force that tells Muslims in Europe that they are not accepted by society, that they can inflict pain on the Americans and Europeans, that they can behead the journalists without being punished, take control of cities that the Sunnis would not otherwise be able to take. This is attractive, and that is why it was easy for them to enter Mosul or Tikrit, because people thought it was the solution to the problems the Sunnis were having with the Shia government. And I don't believe this will change easily or immediately," the academic said. Concerning the role of Iran in the Syrian crisis, Nasr was in no doubt. "It has a huge role because it has a large military force on the ground, in both Syria and Iraq. There can be no solution to the conflict in these two countries or peace agreement that is not also signed by the Iranians. And once it has been signed, Iran will also have an important role in stabilising the region," he said. Nasr said the victory of Donald Trump in US presidential elections could jeopardise the nuclear deal with Iran. "The US cannot throw it out, but it can break it into a thousand pieces. Or rather, it could go so far as to put pressure on Iran to induce it to exit the agreement. In any case the accord is at risk. There is no doubt that with the Trump administration the positive moment experienced under the Obama administration and which many hoped might somehow continue with Clinton no longer exists," he concluded. (ANSAmed). ROME - All eyes were on a possible meeting between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Serghiei Lavrov during the second day of the 'Med Dialogues' Forum in Rome on Friday. The US and Russian chief diplomats were to be among the representatives of 55 countries to attend the forum organised by the Italian foreign ministry and the institute for the study of international politics (ISPI) to discuss long-term strategies to tackle the migration crisis, Syrian refugees, energy issues, the role of women and young people in growth, joint prosperity and prospects for the Middle East. Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni was set to meet with Kerry and Lavrov separately on the sidelines of the forum and the US and Russian representatives could then also hold a bilateral meeting, in all likelihood to discuss the crisis in Syria and the ongoing attack by Syrian armed forces on eastern Aleppo with support from Moscow. On Thursday Gentiloni reaffirmed the need to end the violence and launch a political transition that goes beyond the Assad regime. However, a question mark hangs over relations with Russia under Donald Trump as the new US president is expected to take a softer approach with Moscow. The second day of the forum was to be attended by political leaders from the region, analysts, company managers including Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi and Leonardo Finmeccanica CEO Mauro Moretti and representatives of civil society. Kerry and Lavrov take part in Med Dialogues conference Transition not possible on rubble of Aleppo, says Gentiloni (ANSAmed) - Rome, December 2 - The second day of the international Med Dialogues 2016 conference in the Italian capital was marked by a meeting between the US and Russian diplomatic chiefs. A bilateral meeting lasting over an hour was held on Friday afternoon between Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry. Kerry said Friday during his speech that he believed there was cause for optimism in the future. ''The world is not falling apart, on the contrary it is coming together,'' he said, adding that he did not believe disorder would prevail. Russia supports dialogue on the Syrian conflict, Lavrov claimed on the sidelines of the event, but negotiations ''are blocked by those who want to oust Assad''. The Italian ''position has not changed'' as concerns possible sanctions against Russia for its actions in Syria, Italian foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni said. Russia has been heavily criticized for its military backing of the Assad regime, accused of ongoing grave human rights violations. Italy ''has always complied with decisions on European sanctions against Russia but has also expressed strong opposition to extending the sanctions mechanism to the Syrian situation'', Gentiloni said in speaking at a press conference with his Russian counterpart. However, ''a military solution is not the solution in Syria'', he said, adding that ''negotiations and a transition cannot be based on the rubble of a city'', referring to the ongoing, Russian-backed regime offensive on opposition-held areas of the city of Aleppo. The Italian foreign minister went on to urge humanitarian intervention in Syria, saying ''the gravity of what is happening in Aleppo is clear to everyone. We need to support attempts made by the UN'' to alleviate the situation. Gentiloni mentioned the proposal by UN envoy Staffan De Mistura for Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as Jabhat Al-Nusra) to leave the eastern part of the city. ''There is discussion underway on how this would be carried out,'' he added. ''I hope that today's meetings in Rome can open up some positive possibility in this direction.'' Turkey meanwhile said that it would not stop migrants from entering the EU. In taking part in the conference, Foreign Minister Ahmet Yildiz said: ''It's not our problem,'' in response to a question on the issue. ''It's the international community's problem.'' ''Turkish citizens feel betrayed on the issue of its accession to the EU process. The issue of visas did not begin with Syria; it was an agreement that was finalized long before. We do not want the Syrian issue to be an obstacle. We cannot accept this,'' he said. (ANSAmed). ROME - The second day of the international Med Dialogues 2016 conference in the Italian capital was marked by a meeting between the US and Russian diplomatic chiefs. A bilateral meeting lasting over an hour was held on Friday afternoon between Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry. Kerry said Friday during his speech that he believed there was cause for optimism in the future. ''The world is not falling apart, on the contrary it is coming together,'' he said, adding that he did not believe disorder would prevail. Russia supports dialogue on the Syrian conflict, Lavrov claimed on the sidelines of the event, but negotiations ''are blocked by those who want to oust Assad''. The Italian ''position has not changed'' as concerns possible sanctions against Russia for its actions in Syria, Italian foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni said. Russia has been heavily criticized for its military backing of the Assad regime, accused of ongoing grave human rights violations. Italy ''has always complied with decisions on European sanctions against Russia but has also expressed strong opposition to extending the sanctions mechanism to the Syrian situation'', Gentiloni said in speaking at a press conference with his Russian counterpart. However, ''a military solution is not the solution in Syria'', he said, adding that ''negotiations and a transition cannot be based on the rubble of a city'', referring to the ongoing, Russian-backed regime offensive on opposition-held areas of the city of Aleppo. The Italian foreign minister went on to urge humanitarian intervention in Syria, saying ''the gravity of what is happening in Aleppo is clear to everyone. We need to support attempts made by the UN'' to alleviate the situation. Gentiloni mentioned the proposal by UN envoy Staffan De Mistura for Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as Jabhat Al-Nusra) to leave the eastern part of the city. ''There is discussion underway on how this would be carried out,'' he added. ''I hope that today's meetings in Rome can open up some positive possibility in this direction.'' Turkey meanwhile said that it would not stop migrants from entering the EU. In taking part in the conference, Foreign Minister Ahmet Yildiz said: ''It's not our problem,'' in response to a question on the issue. ''It's the international community's problem.'' ''Turkish citizens feel betrayed on the issue of its accession to the EU process. The issue of visas did not begin with Syria; it was an agreement that was finalized long before. We do not want the Syrian issue to be an obstacle. We cannot accept this,'' he said. Kerry calls for Syria peace talks to resume Wants UN to lead efforts (ANSAmed) - ROME, DECEMBER 2 - US Secretary of State John Kerry reportedly said Friday in a bilateral meeting with his Italian counterpart that it is in Moscow's interest that there be peace in Syria. He was speaking on the sidelines of the Med Dialogues 2016 conference underway in Rome. Kerry is said to have stressed that the UN should lead efforts to resume peace talks, and that these talks should begin immediately but that they would conclude after the new US administration is sworn in. (ANSAmed) ROME - A lengthy bilateral meeting was held on Friday afternoon between Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the Med Dialogues 2016 conference underway in the Italian capital. US sources said that the face-to-face meeting lasted over an hour. The head of Russian diplomacy left the hotel in central Rome hosting the conference afterwards. (ANSAmed) - ROME, DECEMBER 2 - Turkey will not stop migrants from entering the EU, Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister, Ahmet Yildiz, said Friday at the Med Dialogues 2016 conference underway in the Italian capital. ''It's not our problem,'' he said in responding to a question. ''It's the intrnational community's problem.'' ''Turkish citizens feel betrayed on the issue of its accession to the EU process. The issue of visas did not begin with Syria; it was an agreement that was finalized long before. We do not want the Syrian issue to be an obstacle. We cannot accept this,'' he said. (ANSAmed). ROME - Italian foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni said Friday at a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, that ''a military solution is not the solution in Syria''. He added that ''negotiations and a transition cannot be based on the rubble of a city'', referring to the ongoing, Russian-backed Syrian regime offensive on opposition-held areas of the city of Aleppo. The press conference took place on the sidelines of the Med Dialogues 2016 conference underway in Rome. Gentiloni urged humanitarian intervention in Syria. He added that this was necessary since ''the gravity of what is happening in Aleppo is clear to everyone. We need to support attempts made by the UN'' to alleviate the situation. Gentiloni mentioned the proposal by UN envoy Staffan De Mistura for Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as Jabhat Al-Nusra) to leave the eastern part of the city. ''There is discussion underway on how this would be carried out,'' he added. ''I hope that today's meetings in Rome can open up some positive possibility in this direction.'' Ialy against sanctions on Russia over Syria, but 'has always complied with EU decisions' Italy ''has always complied with decisions on European sanctions against Russia but has also expressed strong opposition to extending the sanctions mechanism to the Syrian situation'', Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said Friday at the Med Dialogues 2016 conference. He was speaking at a press conference with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. ''This position has not changed for us,'' Gentiloni added. Syria peace 'prevented by those who want Assad out', Lavrov Russia supports dialogue on the Syrian conflict, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday on the margins of the Med Dialogues 2016 conference in the Italian capital, but negotiations ''are blocked by those who want to oust Assad''. He added that this ''is not foreseen by the UN Security Council Resolution 2254''. Lavrov said that peace agreements call for ''all the opposition to cut off all contact with terrorist groups''. ROME - As many as 5,000 migrants could die during the perilous sea voyage to Europe by the end of the year, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi told the Med Dialogues forum in Rome on Friday. Europe "needs to reform its refugee reception system. This is a global crisis," Grandi said. "The Turkish situation cannot resolve the problem" of migration "and it probably cannot be replicated in other situations" the UN high commissioner continued. "We suggest a different approach: to consider the migrant crisis not as a European but as a global crisis in which the EU can play the leadership role," Grandi said. "What we are proposing is better prevention concerning migration flows and Europe needs to play a stronger political role in conflict resolution and management in the source countries," he continued. "The second point is that it is necessary to give stability to those who are fleeing by providing more focused assistance to host countries. The third point is to try to provide alternative paths for people who are on the move," Grandi said. The UN refugee agency is making "very concrete suggestions" concerning how Europe can reform its reception system, he added. (ANSAmed) - PARIS, DECEMBER 2 - French Premier Manuel Valls is expected to put his hat into the ring "imminently" for Socialist Party presidential primaries ahead of elections next year, Obs.fr reported on Friday. Valls must first resign as head of government, however. "He will do so shortly," a minister was quoted as saying. The reports follow Thursday's announcement by President Francois Hollande that he will not be running for a second term. The timing is very tight since the Socialist Party is holding a meeting on the primaries on Saturday and Valls reportedly wants to take part as a candidate. Consequently he could step down as premier on Friday morning. Hollande has reportedly already chosen Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve to take his place. (ANSAmed). The A380 flight touched down this morning at Hamad International Airport, taxiing in to a water cannon salute and was welcomed by key officials and trade guests at an Emirates reception at the terminal. Travelling on the flight from Dubai was Adil Al Ghaith, Emirates Senior Vice President Commercial Operations, Gulf Middle East and Iran and prominent members of the UAE business community. At the terminal, guests enjoyed a guided static tour of the iconic double-decker aircraft. The tour gave guests a chance to see first-hand some of the most iconic Emirates amenities, like the First Class Private Suites, Shower Spas and the popular Onboard lounge for First Class and Business Class passengers, which offers a wide range of drinks and canapes, as well as ample space to relax and socialise with other passengers. Outbound flight EK 841 departs Dubai at 0745hrs, arriving in Doha at 0805hrs. The brand new Oman Air Pass will offer regular travellers between Muscat and Salalah the chance to pre-purchase an online booklet containing eight one-way tickets with discounts of up to 30% off the standard fare for travel in economy. Customers can use the tickets on either Muscat to Salalah or Salalah to Muscat Flights and can be gifted or used by all the family and friends. The airline will support the culinary competition, established more than 30 years ago, which offers young chefs from across the United Kingdom the chance to win an all-expenses-paid, three-month placement at a three-Michelin-starred restaurant of their choice, along with a cash prize. Since launching the professional development programme in 1984, brothers and world-renowned chefs Albert and Michel Roux OBE have sought to inspire a new generation of chefs, offering a life-changing opportunity to work with some of the industrys most accomplished culinary personalities. The 2017 Roux Scholarship judging panel will be led by cousins Alain and Michel Roux Jr, who will be supported by celebrity chefs and esteemed culinary figures, including James Martin, David Nicholls and Brian Turner, along with the first Roux scholar Andrew Fairlie and previous winners Sat Bains, Andre Garrett and Simon Hulstone. Participants for the 2017 competition will be required to submit a recipe incorporating mussels and fresh whole rainbow trout. The judges will select the best 18 recipes and invite chefs to cook their dish as well as to perform a mystery box dessert challenge at regional finals to be held in both Birmingham and London on 23 March 2017. The final of the competition will then be held on 10 April 2017 in London with the winner announced at a glittering award ceremony at The Langham Hotel in the city on the same evening. The successful chef can fly as a guest of the airline and have the opportunity to experience Qatar Airways world-class hospitality as they embark on their journey to begin the three-month scholarship. Qatar Airways senior vice president for customer experience, Rossen Dimitrov said: Qatar Airways passion for service and on-board dining has great synergy with the Roux familys philosophy for fine dining. Qatar Airways is extremely excited to become the official airline partner of the Roux Scholarship to support young chefs to nurture their talent by working alongside some of the worlds greatest culinary mentors. The Roux family added: The Roux family is proud to announce that multi-award winning Qatar Airways will be the Roux Scholarships exclusive international airline sponsor until 2019. Our partnership underlines our mutual commitment not only to culinary excellence and customer service but to our shared passion to promote and inspire generations of upcoming chefs. We value Qatar Airways support as we look forward to a rewarding and exciting three-year alliance. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Narek Galstyans Akhparner (meaning brothers in Western Armenian) leads the list of YEREVAN BESTSELLER project of ARMENPRESS. This is the authors first novel, which presents a history of a family who survived the Armenian Genocide. The book was published by Antares publishing house. Mark Arens Where wild roses bloom comes next. This is the second novel of the author which describes the inner world of an Armenophobic Turkish former serviceman, when he, already an old man, suddenly hears a lullaby song that reminds him of his mother and later finds out that the song is in Armenian: realizing his parents were Armenians. The same former serviceman spends his remaining life searching the graves of his parents, without knowing that it was a misunderstanding. No news novel by Gurgen Khanjyan enters the list and is ranked the 3th. Art of Devotion or Ode to Rose by photographer and writer Edgar Harutyunyan is ranked 4th in the list. Veronika Decides to Die is a novel by Paulo Coelho. It tells the story of 24-year-old Slovenian Veronika, who appears to have everything in life going for her, but who decides to kill herself. This book is partly based on Coelho's experience in various mental institutions, and deals with the subject of madness. The gist of the message is that "collective madness is called sanity". Veronika Decides to Die has been adapted for theatre a number of times, and was also used in other artistic references. The novel is ranked 5th in this weeks list. Paulo Coelhos The Spy is ranked 6th in the list. The Spy brings to life the true story of Mata Hari, the famous courtesan and accused spy who was executed for treason one hundred years ago. Mata Hari was a dancer who shocked and delighted audiences during the First World War, and she became a confidant to some of the eras richest and most powerful men. She dared to liberate herself from the moralism and provincial customs of the early twentieth century, but she ultimately paid for it with her life. As she waited for her execution in a Paris prison, one of her last requests was for a pen and some paper to write letters. "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury comes next. Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel published in 1953. It is regarded as one of his best works. The novel presents a future American society where books are outlawed and "firemen" burn any that are found. The title refers to the temperature that Bradbury understood to be the autoignition point of paper. Another novel by Ray Bradbury Dandelion Wine, 1957, returns to the list by taking the 8th position. The novel is taking place in the summer of 1928 in the fictional town of Green Town, Illinois, based upon Bradbury's childhood home of Waukegan, Illinois. It was translated from English by Zaven Boyadjyan. The 9th position in this weeks ranking is Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life. Published on September 8, 1998, it is a motivational business fable. The text describes change in one's work and life, and four typical reactions to those changes by two mice and two "little people," during their hunt for cheese. A New York Times business bestseller upon release, Who Moved My Cheese? remained on the list for almost five years and spent over 200 weeks on Publishers Weekly's hardcover nonfiction list. It has sold more than 26 million copies worldwide in 37 languages and remains one of the best-selling business books. The famous late Armenian politician Vahan Hovhannisyan wrote his work Mandylion in the genre of historical intellectual detective. The book concludes this weeks list. Vahan Hovhannisyan received a special prize for this book in the Bestseller of the Year ceremony. To complete the bestseller list, the following bookshops have participated in the survey: Narek (51-91-36), Bookinist (53-74-13), Antares (091-90-01-23) and Zangak (23-26-49). YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. The delegation of Ishkhan Zakaryan, Chairman of the Control Chamber of Armenia, will depart on December 4 to Abu Dhabi, UAE, to take part in the 22nd Congress of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI). The Control Chamber told ARMENPRESS delegates from approximately 200 countries will focus on strengthening the fight against corruption and effective management. The delegates will also discuss standards of international audit. The Control Chamber of Armenia has a role in the elaboration of several new standards, which at the same time is a member of INTOSAI regional and professional structures. The Congress is held once every three years. The Armenian delegation will hold meetings with Iranian, UAE, EEU and Baltic state partners, with the purpose of discussing joint projects and future cooperation. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. 5 million Armenians live in Russia. There are more than 400 Armenian educational institutions in Russia. Despite the fact that the Armenian structures of Russia are making efforts to gather Armenians, to maintain the Armenian language among them, there are still many difficulties. Tamara Tovmasyan Specialist of the Department of Armenian studies and social cultural subjects of the National Institute of Education of the Ministry of Education and Science, told a press conference in Armenpress that there are Armenians in Russia who seem to have left the Armenian structures. Many of them have found their places in that country, they have a job, home and do not see a necessity to gather across the Armenian structures, maintain the Armenian language. Here there is a problem, she said. Professor of the Armenian State Pedagogical University after K. Abovyan Julietta Gyulamiryan said Russia provides the Armenian community all conditions to have a school, to maintain the language, however, the reality is that many Armenians keep them away from these processes. She presented the example she met in Sochi. Sochi city authorities decided to open Armenian teachers training college. We have developed a plan for two months, textbooks were identified. The Sochi authorities provided a building for it, we have furnished it. Admission was announced, however no application was received. That building remained so, later it became a Russian school, Julietta Gyulamiryan said. In order to preserve the Armenian language in Russia, it is necessary to carry out serious works with the Armenian families, Head of the Department of the Pan-Armenian Programs of the Diaspora Ministry Gagik Gyanjumyan said. He has just returned from Russia. He took part in a conference in Krasnodar dedicated to the language preservation issues. Issues were raised at the two-day conference. All were agreed that in order to solve the language preservation issue, it is necessary to enter the family. Everything must be done so that Armenian families speak Armenian more, think in Armenian. There was a talk on the provided literature. The Diaspora Ministry every year conducts the delivery program of methodological literature, a vast amount of literature is also sent to the Armenian educational institutions of Russia. There were proposals over new methodological manuals, Gagik Gyanjumyan said stating that as a result of such discussions the literature is being updated every year. Of course, there is an assimilation issue in Russia, however, the Armenian community is provided with all conditions to preserve the Armenian language. Compared to Russia, there are countries where problems are created by the state. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. A council is set to be established with the purpose of resolving the disagreements of students of Pokr Mher (Little Mher) military educational complex regarding the appointment of the facilitys director, minister of education and science Levon Mkrtchyan told reporters on December 2. The childrens discontent is a priority for me as a minister, because I know what it means to organize, form groups.we have passed that path. But I assure you that its impossible for all the children to say the same thing. There are issues, which I want to be very openly discussed. That is, 5-6 directors were substituted since 2010, and I can say this shouldnt have happened. This means something isnt right in this institution. The council will assemble, we will understand what to do, because we need to be very attentive towards everyone. We have to deal with those children very carefully, who are going to become our future defenders. The council will recommend solutions, and in case those solutions are approved by us, we will make a clear decision, the minister said. On November 28, students of the Pokr Mher military educational complex publicly announced that the newly appointed director is regularly making threats and indecent remarks and insulting their dignity. On the same day, at the initiative of the Ombudsman, a procedure on discussing the matter was launched. Other issues were also revealed, regarding the regulation act of the institutions operations. The Ombudsman immediately contacted the ministry of education and science. YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. In recent days the topic that the situation is again tense in the Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact is being actively discussed in the Armenian media and especially in social networks. Head of the Information and Public Relations Department of the NKR Defense Army, Colonel Senor Hasratyan gave an exclusive interview to Artsakhpress on issues related to the situation in the frontline and the upcoming developments. Armenpress presents the full interview. -Judging from the reports in the media, it seems that the situation in the border is not so calm, if not tense. In reality, what kind of situation is there in the line of contact? -In reality, recently a significant increase of tension with unpredictable consequences is being realized in the Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact which is being expressed by targeted actions of the Azerbaijani side aimed at violating the ceasefire regime. Of particular concern is the fact that in a certain period of time following the escalations of April, 2016, the Azerbaijani side refrained from firing various caliber mortars and grenades in the frontline, however, in the last two months firing from such weapons took a regular basis. According to the NKR Defense Armys data, during November the Azerbaijani side fired 143 shots from various caliber mortars, and 65 shots from grenades at the Armenian positions. Overall, within the last month the Azerbaijani forces violated the ceasefire regime over 1600 times by firing over 24.000 shots. They fired more than 1750 shots from ISTIGLAL sniper rifles. This is the real situation in the frontline. -Does the Karabakh side take countermeasures? -Of course, in case of strict necessity it takes measures, but only from small arms, thus aiming to suppress the provocative actions of the Azerbaijani side. As for the mortars or grenade launchers, during the period following the April events, the Karabakh side has never used such measures. And the reason is one: not to escalate an already explosive situation and become a reason of unjustified human losses. The Azerbaijani side, and its citizen as well, who is the major bearer of the consequences of the brutal war, must understand that the Armenian side has a courage, opportunities and resources to curb by force the one who started the attack. And it is not the first time the Azerbaijani side was convinced on it It was convinced during the first Karabakh war, and during the April confrontation of this year. The Azerbaijani commanders by firing mortars in the frontline must not forget the severity of the targeted attacks by the Armenian artillerists during the April escalations. God forbid, the necessity of it felt again -Mr. Hasratyan, do we suffer losses due to the shelling committed by the Azerbaijani side? -Fortunately not, but this doesnt mean that the adversary insures itself from the inadequate and destructive counter-attacks against it. Our patience has limits, and the Azerbaijani side must understand it. Otherwise, the response will be very painful One cannot always act as an aggressor, then present itself as innocent and constructive. -In this case, how to react to every day reports by the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry which blames the Armenian side on violating the ceasefire regime? -In order to be clear who is the real initiator of the attack, each side must do one thing: to accept the agreement reached between the sides in Vienna in May this year, which is the following: to install control mechanism in the conflict zone and follow the implementation of it. As you know, the Armenian side agreed on that proposal, and Azerbaijan didnt. Therefore, what is happening today in the frontline, it is a reality fitting in a very simple logic, and not only the international community, but also the conscious part of the Azerbaijani society understand it. -In your opinion, what developments are expected in near future? -For us the desired option of development is peace. But living in a very complex region and having a quite unpredictable adversary, we must wait for undesirable developments. Therefore, we are ready for both peace and war. Interview by Vahram Poghosyan Best Marketing Products and Services Would you like to submit an article in the Marketing category or any of the sub-category below? Click here to submit your article. Would you like to have your product or service listed on this page? Contact us. Best Travel Products and Services Would you like to submit an article in the Travel category or any of the sub-category below? Click here to submit your article. Would you like to have your product or service listed on this page? Contact us. OLA users can now pay for their fuel with Ola Money on Verifone-enabled PoS devices in any of these fuel stations. Ola Money is currently accepted at over 500 online and offline merchants, as well as for bill payments at over 25 major utilities across India. (Photo: Twitter) New Delhi: Taxi hailing app Ola has partnered Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) and Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) under which over 20,000 petrol pumps will accept payment through Ola's mobile wallet -- Ola Money. "Users can now pay for their fuel with Ola Money on Verifone-enabled PoS devices in any of these fuel stations, with a one step mobile verification process," Ola said in a statement. Acceptance of Ola Money in major public utilities and now fuel stations across the country is a major step forward by large PSUs which are supporting the government's vision of a Digital India, it added. "HPCL and IOCL amongst themselves serve over 70 per cent of India's fuel needs with over Rs 2,000 crore spent on fuel every single day across the country. By helping move a large chunk of payments for these spends to Ola Money, cash handling and change hassles are avoided at fuel stations, allowing faster servicing of customers," the statement said. Ola Money is currently accepted at over 500 online and offline merchants, as well as for bill payments at over 25 major utilities across India. Since the government's move to scrap old Rs 500 and 1,000 notes in the second week of November, Ola Money utilisation outside the Ola platform has increased by over 300 per cent, the company said. "Ola driver-partners, will also be able to pay for their fuel using Ola Money in all of these fuel stations, without having to use cash or their cards for payments. We are working to bring more and more use cases for citizens to transact conveniently, without having to depend on cash," Ola Money SVP and Head Pallav Singh said. G S V Prasad, Executive Director (Retail) at HPCL said gradually, the service will be rolled out at all its retail outlets across the country. says social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are the reason behind the cast of the show not reuniting. London: 'Friends' star Jennifer Aniston says social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are the reason behind the cast of the show not reuniting. The 47-year-old actress said that people are so busy on their cell phones that they do not have any time to invest in friends or friendship, reported Digital Spy. "I don't know what we would do, I think that period of time was sort of nostalgic, you know, there's something about a time, and I think why people have such an affection for it," she suggested. "There was something about a time when our faces weren't shoved into cellphones and we weren't checking Facebook and Instagram. We were in a room together, or in a coffee shop together and we've lost that," Aniston said. Axl Rose and the stage crew invited fans onstage, armed them with sticks and asked them to express freely. Los Angeles: Hard Rock band Guns N' Roses asked their fans to destroy a pinata of President-elect Donald Trump during their concert at Mexico City's Palacio de los Deportes. Frontman Axl Rose and the stage crew invited fans onstage, armed them with sticks and asked them to express freely what they feel about Trump, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "Let's bring up some people and give them a stick. Express yourselves however you feel," Rose said as stagehands helped concertgoers up. Earlier last month during a show in Brazil, Rose changed a line from the band's track "Civil War" to sing: "Look at the fear that Trump is feeding". A week later he responded to Trump's appointment of an Attorney General by saying: "Good people don't listen to, acknowledge, nominate or elect people like Senator Jeff Sessions." Mamata had yesterday alleged that the army had been deployed without informing the state government. Kolkata: Army on Friday strongly rebutted Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's allegations that its personnel were deployed at toll plazas without informing the state government and were collecting money, saying the exercise was being carried out in coordination with Kolkata Police. "This is being done in coordination with local police authorities. The exercise was earlier planned for November 27 and 28. The dates were changed to November 30 to December 2 on a specific request by Kolkata Police due to Bharat Bandh called on November 28," said GOC Bengal area (officiating) Maj Gen Sunil Yadav. Reacting to the Chief Minister's allegations he said, "We deny all charges with all contempt." "Allegations of collection of money by Army personnel are also totally baseless," the officiating GOC Bengal Area said. Mamata had yesterday alleged that the army had been deployed without informing the state government. "This is unprecedented and a very serious matter", she had said. She had also claimed that the army personnel were collecting money from vehicles, which they were not supposed to. Maj Gen Yadav said a similar exercise in Eastern Command was carried out in November 2015 at the same places. The Maj Gen said that a recce was conducted with two inspectors of the Kolkata Police at toll plaza on November 27 last. "The issues raised by the police were addressed and were telephonically informed to the police," he said. The exercise will continue as planned earlier and will end tonight, he said. The Army also released letters written to the state government on the exercise. "It is happening in nine states now across 80 locations," he said. "We have our specific targets for data collection. After doing the work for 36 hours our work was done and we had left the toll plaza near Nabanna," he said. Yesterday a defence spokesperson had said that the Army conducts biennial exercise throughout the country with the aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of a contingency. "There is nothing alarming about this and it is carried out as per government orders", Wing Commander S S Birdi had said. The exercise gives an estimate about the number of vehicles passing through a certain area that could be tapped during operations, he had said. The TMC leadership has decided to raise the issue in both the houses of Parliament and also inform President about the incident. Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee continued to stay put at the state secretariat on Friday protesting against army presence at toll plazas in several parts of the state and asked whether it was an "army coup". Army personnel, however, had left the toll plaza near the secretariat last night. Speaking to reporters late last night at 'Nabanna', the state secretariat, she said, "I will stay at the secretariat to guard our democracy". "Is this a military coup," she asked. She said that army personnel were there in different districts like Murshidabad, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, North 24 Paragans, Burdwan, Howrah, and Hooghly. "The army is deployed without informing the state government. This is unprecedented and a very serious matter", she had said. The TMC leadership has decided to raise the issue in both the houses of Parliament and also inform President Pranab Mukherjee about the incident. "We are talking to all political parties. We are planning to raise the issue in Parliament today. Lets see," TMC national spokesperson Derek O' Brien said. A senior TMC leader on condition of anonymity said, "We are planning to meet President Pranab Mukherjee and inform him about the incident. The entire country should know, how BJP is engaged in vindictive politics,". The senior TMC leader said they have spoken to Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and discussed how to counter this issue jointly. Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel had called up Banerjee in the morning and inquired about the incident. A defence spokesperson had said that the army conducts bi-annual exercise throughout the country with an aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of a contingency. Even the people standing in the queues have supported the government and they are ready to sacrifice for the nation, Modi said. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh talks to the media at Parliament house in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI) Lucknow: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said that those criticising demonetisation must wait for at least 50 days as the decision was taken in the national interest. "Our Prime Minister has already asked for minimum 50 days. Critics of demonetisation should at least give 50 days as this decision is taken in national interest," he said. "Even the people standing in the queues have supported the government and they are ready to sacrifice for the nation," he added. While announcing the banning of high valued notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked for 50 days and suggested the countrymen to deposit their old currency notes of banned currency in banks by December 30. He had also said that step was being taken to fight against the black money and the corruption. Bedlam reined in both Houses of Parliament with the opposition demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's presence in Parliament as a pre-condition for holding a debate on demonetisation. Earlier in the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, large volumes of cash are a big source of corruption and black money. In an article posted on social media platform, Prime Minister Modi said corruption slows down growth and takes a toll on the dreams of the poor, neo-middle class and middle class. He said in the 21st century India, there is no place for corruption. BSF also played a video to showcase the route of the terrorist, who came from Pak crawling through the tunnel. Jammu: Playing down the detection of tunnel in Chamliyal-Ramgarh sector in Samba district after the gunning down of three heavily armed terrorist, BSF on Friday said it was mere a "rat hole tunnel" used only one time by the terrorists. "Militants had come out to this side via a tunnel on the night on the intervening night of 28 and 29 November in Chamliyal area. Operation was conducted there. Details have been shared with you (media)", Inspector General of BSF, Jammu Frontier D K Upadhayaya told reporters here tonight. Ahead of the press conference, BSF played a video to showcase a tunnel to the media apart from the route of the terrorist, who came from Pakistan while crawling through the tunnel and place of hiding, where the three militants were killed by BSF during the gun-battle. "We have given you the full details of the tunnel. There were various reports coming in the media about the tunnel and old profile pictures of some tunnels were shown which was total different in shape and size," he said. Upadhayaya further said "as per the pictures shown to you it is a rat hole tunnel and it is generally used one time, which opens up in a plain area. The area was ploughed two to three days ago. BSF and farmers were keeping a watch over the area. "The mouth of tunnel was opened a few days ago and militants came through it. There were no tell-tale signs of the tunnel before this. To make you understand, so that no wrong news get published or aired, this is what I want to bring it to your notice", he said. The tunnel is roughly 65- to 70-feet long, he said, adding that on this side of the fencing it is 35-feet long and other side of the fence towards Pakistan it is over 30-feet. "The aim of the militants was to negotiate the fencing. Otherwise they would have been facing the hurdle of the fencing which was not possible to negotiate. That is why they dugged tunnel under the fence to avoid it", he said. Replying to a question whether the group of militants that attacked army artillery unit in Nagrota on the same day, killing seven army personnel including two Majors came from this side, the IG said "I cannot reply to any query based on speculation. As I said such tunnels are used tactically one time. Once it used it gets identified immediately". He said digging a tunnel without help of Pak rangers was not possible. "We were prepared which is reflected from the conduct of our operation. We always remain alert as entire IB is sensitive for us". 'Saddening that a routine exercise has been made a controversy now,' he said. New Delhi: Terming the Armys deployment in the Hooghly toll plaza as a routine exercise, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar addressing the Lok Sabha on Friday, said that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was creating controversies out of political frustration. It is army's routine exercise being carried out since many years. It had taken place on November 19 and 21 last year as well. Concerned officials were intimated by Army this year too. Original dates were December 28, 29 and 30. It was later changed December 1 and 2, as we were informed that there was a bandh on the proposed days, Parrikar said. Saddening that a routine exercise has been made a controversy now, he added. The Defence Minister was speaking at the Lok Sabha after Trinamool Congress MPs raised the issue in the House. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday alleged that the Union government breached the authority of the West Bengal government by deploying the Army at key toll plazas in the state without following the due process. Speaking to reporters on Friday, she also wondered if the Centre was attempting a coup in the state. "The army is deployed without informing the state government. This is unprecedented and a very serious matter", she had said. As soon as Lok Sabha assembled this morning, TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay raised the issue of army deployment at 19 places in West Bengal, claiming that the move was a challenge to the federal structure of the country and completely politically motivated. He said army personnel were deployed at these places, including near the state secretariat, "without informing anyone in the state secretariat". "It is a fantastic situation. Army today said that it was a routine exercise being carried out in the North Eastern states. But West Bengal does not come under the territorial jurisdiction of the Northeast," he said. Bandyopadhyay said the people of the country have great faith in the Army but if indeed such an exercise was scheduled, the Centre should have communicated to the state government. He said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been staging a 'dharna' in the Secretariat demanding withdrawal of the Army. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar asked the TMC not to drag Army into politics saying defence personnel have been protecting the country as well as democracy. "Whatever the Army has done was part of a routine exercise. It is completely wrong to drag Army into politics," he said. Raising the issue in Rajya Sabha, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said army is India's pride as it has upheld its unity and integrity beside protecting the borders. It has also come to the rescue during emergency situations like flood and riots, he said adding that army is requisitioned at the request of a state government. But in West Bengal, the chief secretary, administration and DG Police had no information of army taking over toll plazas at 19 locations in the state, he said. "This is probably the first time that the chief minister of West Bengal has lodged this kind of protest where she stayed put for the night in the State Secretariat and is still there," he said. "This is a strange thing happening. Without asking state government, chief secretary or DGP, toll plazas of state government are taken over." Azad said it is being said that Army was collecting information on truck movements but such an exercise is not even done in Jammu and Kashmir. All such information is available with National Highways Authority of India or road transport departments. "This is an issue of grave concern." Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (TMC) said what happened in West Bengal has never been witnessed in the state's history. Army seized toll plazas and started putting stickers on vehicles. "I will not drag the army in any controversy. We are very proud of the army," he said wanting to know under what provisions of law and Constitution was such a deployment carried out and alleging "sinister design" to "defame the leader opposing demonetisation" and creating "fear psychosis". Whatever is happening to the West Bengal CM is unfair. This is a big attack on the federal system. Army should not be used a political tool, BSP supremo Mayawati said in Rajya Sabha. Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said, " Bengal was taken into confidence. It happened last year and before that. Let us not drag Army into controversy. It is a sensitive matter as it pertains to the Army. Let us not derail from important issues." Meanwhile, addressing a press conference Major General Sunil Yadav said, This is an exercise carried out for our operational purposes. Adding that there were similar exercises conducted across the North East, Yadav said that prior information was given to the concerned authorities, recce was conducted and data collected. "We withdrew once the data collection near the secretariat was completed. Government allegations that the Army collected money from the people is baseless," he said. Over 80 such collection data points established in entire region, personnel of army consisting of five to six at each point are unarmed. They're only collecting data of heavy vehicles, this is an annual exercise carried out every year, he added. The remarks come in wake of mounting tension between the judiciary and executive over the appointment of judges for higher judiciary. New Delhi: Amid the judiciary-government tussle, Chief Justice of India T S Thakur on Friday asserted the process of appointment of judges cannot be "hijacked" and judiciary needs to be independent as it plays a role in the eventuality of a "tyrannical regime". He also made it clear that judiciary cannot depend on executive in choosing judges. He said judiciary must be independent regarding internal matters of judicial administration, including assignment of cases to the judges within the court, as unless there is an independent judiciary, the rights which are conferred by the Constitution would be "meaningless". The remarks, made by the CJI while delivering the 37th Bhimsen Sachar memorial lecture in New Delhi on 'Independent Judiciary - Bastion of Democracy', assume importance in the wake of mounting tension between the judiciary and executive over the appointment of judges for higher judiciary as both the organs of the State have been blaming each other for the increasing vacancies of judges and to remain within a 'Lakshman Rekha'. Justice Thakur, who will be demitting office of CJI on January 3 next year, said the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act 2014, which was struck down last year by the Supreme Court, was an attempt which would have affected the independence of judiciary. He added the "powerful and assertive Parliament" tries to assert for a greater say in the matter of judicial appointments. Asserting that independence of judiciary was paramount for a democracy, he said judiciary cannot depend on the executive for discharging its duties and since the government was the "biggest litigant", one cannot say that executive can choose the judges to hear a case. Referring to the NJAC verdict by a five-judge constitution bench headed by Justice J S Khehar who will succeed him as the CJI, Justice Thakur said, "The recent decision by the constitution bench striking down constitutional amendment by which NJAC was supposed to be set up also goes into all these aspects." "It discusses how the court cannot have a situation where independence of judiciary gets affected by reason of appointment process being hijacked. If you have the Law minister and two nominees of the government in the panel that is going to appoint judges, the court saw this as an attempt to affect the independence of judiciary," he said. "The powerful and assertive Parliament tries to assert for a greater say in the matter of judicial appointments. An attempt to take away from judiciary the power to appoint judges was seen by the judiciary as an attempt to affect the independence of judiciary. "Constitutional amendment seeking to set up NJAC was one such attempt. It was seen as an attempt that would affect the independence of judiciary," he said. The National Vigil to #EndGunViolence is held across the country in memory of the Sandy Hook School massacre in Newtown, Massachusetts on Dec. 14, 2012. Since that event, more than 120,000 Americans have been killed by guns. The vigil will be held on the Flagstaff City Hall lawn from 5-6:30 p.m. Switzerland also launched consultations on introducing Automatic Exchange of Information with various countries across the globe. Switzerland has been at the centre of the debate on black money allegedly stashed by Indians abroad. (Photo: AFP) New Delhi: Moving ahead on automatic sharing of details on suspected black money, Switzerland today initiated its statutory consultation process for bringing into force Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) on tax matters with India and some other countries from January 1, 2018. The process will continue till March 15, 2017, Swiss Federal Department of Finance (FDF) said in a statement. "The AEOI with these countries should enter into force on January 1, 2018 so that data can start to be exchanged in 2019," it added. The launch of consultation process follows signing of a Joint Declaration between India and Switzerland on November 22 for implementation of AEOI, which provides that both countries will start collecting data in accordance with the global standards in 2018 and exchange it from 2019 onwards. Switzerland today also launched consultations on introducing AEOI with Andorra, Argentina, Barbados, Bermuda, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Chile, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Israel, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, San Marino, Seychelles, South Africa, Turks and Caicos Islands and Uruguay. "The introduction of the AEOI with these countries confirms Switzerland's international commitment to implementing the AEOI standard. Switzerland is thus extending its network of AEOI partner states. This will contribute to strengthening the competitiveness, the credibility and integrity of Switzerland's financial centre," said FDF. "Important criteria for the acceptance of these countries were in particular the high demands in terms of adherence to the principle of specialty and the safeguarding of confidentiality for the data delivered, which are prerequisites for the introduction of the AEOI," it added. Switzerland said the automatic exchange of information with these countries will be implemented based on the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement on the Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information (MCAA). The MCAA is based on the international standard for the exchange of information developed by the OECD. Switzerland is already in the process of introducing AEOI in 2017 with all of the EU states including Gibraltar and with Australia. The same applies to Iceland, Norway, Japan, Canada, South Korea and the British crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. "The entry into force of the AEOI with these countries and territories is conditional on approval by Parliament in the 2016 winter session," FDF said. Switzerland has been at the centre of the debate on black money allegedly stashed by Indians abroad and was known for very strong banking secrecy walls till a few years, before they began wilting under global pressure. The Centre has vehemently denied the charge of the Army collecting money at toll plazas in West Bengal. New Delhi/Kolkata: Trinamul Congress supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee opened yet another front against the Narendra Modi government at the Centre by questioning the presence of the Army at toll plazas in West Bengal and staging a sit-in at the state secretariat in Kolkata against what she alleged was an Army coup. On Friday, the row rocked Parliament, where Trinamul members alleged sinister designs behind the move. Ms Banerjee has been trying to assume the leadership of an alternative front to the Congress and the BJP with an eye on the 2019 general election. She has already locked horns with the Narendra Modi government over the demonetisation move and had on Thursday accused the Centre of hatching a conspiracy to kill her by refusing permission to the aircraft in which she was travelling to land in Kolkata on an emergency basis despite it being short on fuel. She has also led protests in many parts of the country over the scrapping of the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes and had led a march to Rashtrapati Bhavan at the beginning of the Parliament session. The Centre has vehemently denied the charge of the Army collecting money at toll plazas in West Bengal. Leading the defence from the government side, defence minister Manohar Parrikar said it was a routine exercise, and that it was very unfortunate that the Army had been dragged into an unnecessary controversy. The Army, on its part, said it was wrong to say that its personnel were deployed at toll plazas and collecting money without keeping the state government in the loop, and said the exercise was done in coordination with the state government. Army sources said that the allegations of collection of money by Army personnel were totally baseless. It said Army units in the Eastern Command were conducting a routine annual data collection exercise at the local level on the availability of load carriers at major entry points. This, the Army explained, was in coordination with local police authorities. The exercise was earlier planned for November 27-28, but the date was changed to November 30 on a specific request by the Kolkata Police due to the nationwide Opposition protests called on November 28. The ongoing exercise involved collecting data on all the eastern and northeastern states, including Assam (18 points), Arunachal Pradesh (13 points), West Bengal (19 points), Manipur (6 points), Nagaland (5 points), Meghalaya (5 points), Tripura and Mizoram, the sources said. The Army personnel, comprising five to six persons at each point, were unarmed and were only collecting data on heavy vehicles. This was an annual exercise, and had been conducted in the Eastern Command areas last year too, at the same locations, on November 19-21, 2015. A similar exercise was carried out in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar between September 26 and October 1, 2016 under the South Western Command. The issue also reverberated in Parliament, with it being raised in both Houses, with the Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party throwing their weight behind Trinamul Congress members in seeking clarifications from the government on the Army deployment. In the Lok Sabha, Mr Parrikar said the deployment was a routine exercise not limited to West Bengal, and that similar operations to collect information on heavy vehicle movement that can be used during national emergencies had last month being conducted in UP, Bihar and Jharkhand. It is shocking that a chief minister is saying this. The Armys deployment was part of a routine exercise which has been going on for the last 15-20 years. Even last year it was held between November 19 to 21, he said. The defence minister said that the concerned officers were informed in West Bengal. It was very unfortunate the Army has been dragged into an unnecessary controversy, Mr Parrikar said. It was political frustration rather than projection of the correct situation. In Kolkata, meanwhile, Trinamul MLAs and ministers also held a dharna outside Raj Bhavan. Ms Banerjee had stayed at the state secretariat Nabanna Thursday night, demanding the withdrawal of Army personnel from all toll plazas in the state. I will stay at the secretariat to guard our democracy... Is this a military coup? she had asked. The Army is deployed without informing the state government. This is unprecedented and a very serious matter, she said. Ms Banerjee finally left the secretariat on Friday evening after spending over 30 hours there, and accused the Modi government of making a wrong and concocted statement in Parliament on the deployment of the Army. Ms Banerjee said her voice could not be stifled by hatching conspiracy and showing force, and said the state government would take legal recourse if the Army personnel were not withdrawn from all toll plazas in the state. The Army also released letters written to the West Bengal government on the exercise. It is happening in nine states now across 80 locations, GOC Bengal area (officiating) Maj. Gen. Sunil Yadav said. Reacting to CMs allegations on collection of money, he said: We deny all the charges with all contempt. He added: Allegations of collection of money by Army personnel are also totally baseless. The Army Chief directed the troops to keep highest level of vigil at all times. Islamabad: Pakistans new Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday said that any Line of Control (LoC) violation by India will be responded with full force in the most effective manner. Speaking to troops near the LoC, the Army Chief said Indian aggressive posture solely aims to divert attention of the world from atrocities being committed by their troops in Kashmir. He said that core issue of Kashmir will have to be resolved between the two countries in the line with UN resolutions and aspirations of the people of Kashmir for lasting peace in the region. On the occasion, General Qamar Bajwa was given a detailed briefing about prevailing security situation at LoC in view of recent violations and escalation by Indian troops, said a military statement. The Army Chief, it said, appreciated troops for their operational readiness and befitting response given to unprovoked Indian firing in violation of cease fire agreement. The Army Chief directed the troops to keep highest level of vigil at all times, it said. Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Friday that Pakistan will continue extending moral, political, and diplomatic, support to the peaceful freedom struggle of the people of Kashmir. In a meeting with Kashmiri politicians here, he said Pakistan will not forget the people of Kashmir, who are facing brute Indian atrocities to achieve their birth right to self-determination. The PM urged the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leaders to focus their energies for the development of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. This is the first time in the last 10 years that no CBI chief has been named to succeed the outgoing officer. New Delhi: In a move that could trigger a political storm, the Centre after nearly a decade, has not named a full-time CBI director giving additional charge to Rakesh Asthana a Gujarat-cadre IPS officer from the 1984-batch. Mr Asthana was elevated to the number two position in the investigating agency only two days ago. In an equally swift and surprising move, the Centre had shifted the then second most senior officer Rupak Kumar Dutta a 1981-batch IPS officer of the Karnataka Cadre to the Home Ministry as special secretary. Mr Dutta was considered one of the frontrunners for the top job. An order issued by the department of personnel and training on Friday said that Mr Asthana was given the additional charge as director, CBI with effect from the date of relinquishment of charge by Anil Kumar Sinha on completion of his tenure with immediate effect and until further orders. Mr Asthana is in-charge of investigating important cases like the AugustaWestland chopper deal and cases against liquor baron Vijay Mallya. He was also police commissioner of Vadodara and Surat and has worked with the present dispensation at the Centre. Mr Asthana, who had earlier served in the CBI as superintendent of Police (Dhanbad) in 1994, was one of the key investigators in the infamous fodder scam. In 1997, Mr Asthana had arrested RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in the case. This is the first time in the last 10 years that no CBI chief has been named to succeed the outgoing officer. Mr Sinha completed his two-year tenure on Friday. The last time a new CBI director was not appointed immediately was in 2001, when Dr R.K. Raghavan retired as CBI director. The government chose to not name his successor immediately, but gave additional charge to the seniormost special director at that time P.C. Sharma. Earlier, the appointment of Ashwani Kumar as director of the agency in August 2008 was controversial, as he had pipped agency veteran M.L. Sharma, one year his senior, to the post. This was objected to by the then Opposition parties, including the BJP. After the enactment of the Lokpal Act meant to give more teeth to the CBI the director of the agency has to be appointed by a collegium of the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India or his nominee and the leader of the Opposition. Sources said that the Centre has prepared a list of senior IPS officials on the country (from 1979 to 1982 batches). However, Mr Asthana is not even on the panel of about six officers in line to be the next chief. According to the Supreme Court guidelines, officials with experience in anti-corruption or CBI from the four seniormost batches of the IPS cadre will be empanelled, following which a screening of three officers would be sent to the collegium. Before relinquishing the charge, Mr Sinha in an informal interaction with mediapersons said his team of officers performed exceedingly well. He said the onus of any shortcomings in the working of the agency was on him, but the credit for any success went to his team. Anti-corruption endeavours have increased during the last two years, which should be a deterrent to corrupt people, Mr Sinha said. Mr Sinha proved to be a soft-spoken, yet assertive leader for the agency and guided the investigation in a number of important cases like the Sheena Bora murder case and Vijay Mallya loan default case. The Prime Minister said large volumes of liquid cash were a big source of corruption and black money. New Delhi: As reports of scuffles breaking out at banks poured in from across the country and queues outside banks and ATMs continued to grow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to the people on Friday to lead the change towards cashless transactions to lay the strong foundation of an India where there was no place for corruption and black money. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Friday that the cash crunch which followed the scrapping of high-value notes would ease by December 30 with the release of new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 currency notes. The Prime Minister said large volumes of liquid cash were a big source of corruption and black money. I urge all of you, particularly my young friends, to lead the change and inspire others to turn towards cashless transactions. This will set the strong foundation of an India where there is no place for corruption and black money, the PM said in an article posted on LinkedIn. Today, we live in an era of mobile banking and mobile wallets. Ordering food, buying and selling furniture, ordering a taxi... All of this and a lot more is possible through your mobiles. Technology has brought speed and convenience in our lives, he added. Reports of scuffles have been coming from Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Madhya Pradesh and Hyderabad, among other parts of the country, with tempers rising as people are not able to get cash despite statements from the RBI and top government officials that there was sufficient availability of currency notes in the country. The payday rush that started on Thursday has made things worse as the banks are running out of cash even before noon, with the demand outstripping supply. The ATMs, despite being recalibrated for the new currency notes, are also running dry as there are not enough new notes to fill them up. People have been forced to hunt for ATMs filled with cash and long queues start getting formed even when the staff are filling them with currency. People are desperately trying to get cash to pay for their various expenses at the start of the month, such as paying wages to their domestic helps, drivers and cleaners and to buy grocery items, among others things. A number of banks have been forced to start rationing cash withdrawals despite the RBI allowing every person to withdraw Rs 24,000 per week. There are reports suggesting that bank branches from all over the country did not get sufficient cash to take care of payday withdrawals. Banks have been making SOS calls to the Reserve Bank to provide additional cash to meet the payday rush for another four to five days. The banking employees association, in a letter to the finance minister, has said that demonetisation has resulted in tensions, exchange of words, quarrel, abuses, insults, insinuations on bank staff, commotion bordering on physical and mental pressure on the staff for no fault of theirs. The All India Bank Employees Association has demanded that the RBI should take steps to supply adequate cash to all banks and details of notes supplied to the banks should be announced publicly by the RBI on a daily basis. Trouble began with a murder of one Shaukat Pasha at Dingarpur in neighbouring Moradabad district on November 25. The Turk community convened a panchayat and asked Muslims to boycott the SP in the upcoming Assembly elections. (Representational image) Lucknow: Senior UP minister Mehboob Ali has been charged with conspiring a murder in his constituency Amroha and the issue has ended up dividing the Muslim community in the region. Trouble began with a murder of one Shaukat Pasha at Dingarpur in neighbouring Moradabad district on November 25. Pasha, reported to have criminal antecedents, was shot dead at a petrol pump owned by relatives of Mr Ali, who belongs to the Malik caste in Muslims while Pasha belonged to the Turk community. With the state police refusing to register a complaint against the minister, the entire Turk community and a section of the Malik community have called for a boycott of the politician. Widespread protests began in the district after the murder and are continuing with the protesters demanding the dismissal and arrest of the minister. The Turk community convened a panchayat and asked Muslims to boycott the SP in the upcoming Assembly elections. If this happens, it could spell major trouble for the party in the Muslim-dominated areas of western UP. Senior SP leader Shafiqur Rehman Barq, who also belongs to the Turk community, has demanded the ministers dismissal. He even led a delegation to meet UP DGP Javeed Ahmad for initiating a police action. Mr Ali, when contacted, denied the charges and said that this is a conspiracy to frame him. I demand a CBI inquiry into the allegations so that the truth can come out in the open, he said. Meanwhile, Pashas family is now being visited by leaders from many political leaders, who are extending their support and sympathy to the bereaved family. Our hopes of getting justice from this government are petering out, so we will now launch an aggressive campaign no action will be taken against him, said Pashas brother, Mughees Pasha. He further said that his brother was preparing to contest assembly polls against Mehboob Ali and was slain at the ministers behest. My brother received a call from the petrol pump and when he went there, he was shot dead, he added. The Samajwadi Party has been maintaining a studied silence in the issue. The ministers son Pervez Ahmad is a Samajwadi MLC too. Mr Singh said that the demonetisation decision will bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. Lucknow: Union home minister Rajnath Singh has appealed to the people to show patience for the 50-day period in larger national interest. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here on Friday, Mr Singh said that those criticising the demonetisation decision should know that it was taken in national interest and people must cooperate by remaining patient for the next few days. He said that the demonetisation decision will bridge the gap between the rich and the poor and will choke funding for terrorists and Maoists. Mr Singh, who was in his constituency to lay the foundation of several welfare projects, said that there should be no politics over development. Dedicating the projects to former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who was earlier MP from Lucknow, Mr Singh said that development was for the general welfare of the common man and all political parties should join hands on the issue. Railway minister Suresh Prabhu, who accompanied Mr Singh, also announced a slew of new railway projects for Uttar Pradesh, mainly the state capital of Lucknow where the Alamnagar railway station has been declared to be developed as a satellite station, the new entrances at city and Aishbagh railway stations beside modern facilities like escalator at existing main station of Charbagh. UNESCO lauded the Belgian drink for playing an important role in the countrys daily life. For those who swear by it, drinking beer is an experience unlike any other. And Belgian beers popularity when it comes to the tipple guzzling population is unlike any other. Now, UNESCO has stamped its approval on Belgian beer, by adding it to its intangible heritage list. In a post that also announced the New Year ceremony of Navroz to be a part of the list, UNESCO lauded the Belgian drink for playing an important role in the countrys daily life, as well as festive occasions. The post also lauded the part beer plays in cooking and producing products like beer-washed cheese. Knowledge of the element (the making of Belgian beer) is shared in the home, social circles, breweries, university and public training centres, it read. The history of the Belgian drink goes back centuries to times of medieval monks, and almost 1,500 types of beer are produced within the country as well as outside it. So the next time you take a swig of your favourite beer that originated in Belgium, take pride in the fact that youre drinking a part of cultural heritage UNESCO approved. Dog couture is quite the latest sartorial trend, as designer Soniya Vazifdar can attest to. When 21-year-old Mumbai resident Aisha Bhonsale was invited to her cousins wedding in November, the ladies were fawning over their finery lehengas, saris, and sherwanis. A particular silk sherwani, however, grabbed the most attention and no, it wasnt the grooms. Instead, it belonged to Aishas three-year-old cocker spaniel, Zoro. The whole mood was very festive and we decided to dress Zoro up in a sherwani too. He was extremely comfortable and looked stunning. The outfit was adjustable and lined with organic cotton, says Aisha who paid Rs 3,500 for the sherwani that was on display for two hours. I plan to buy him a bowtie for his birthday, she continues. Aisha isnt the only one splurging on her pet pooch. Dog couture is quite the latest sartorial trend, as designer Soniya Vazifdar can attest to. Soniya set out to design rainwear for women, children and pets, and to her surprise, the last one picked up more than the other two. Today, her pet couture range includes rainwear, sequined-jackets, hoods and more. Prices for custom-made wear can go up to Rs 10,000, depending on the size and the product requirement. I take customised orders and pet parents dont mind paying a bomb for special occasions like for a wedding or a birthday party. I recently had a Dubai-based client, who wanted a traditional Parsi dagli (wedding dress) designed for her pet beagle, as there was wedding in the house. They wanted him to look like a part of the family. The outfit came upto Rs 5,500 and was coordinated with the brides look, she adds. For Rashi Narang, the founder of Heads Up for Tails an online portal specialising in fashionable dog apparel and accessories the idea was born when she couldn't find good enough pet couture to dress up her Labrador, Sara. She shares, Thats when I realised that the market is completely untapped. I started designing and making clothes for my Labrador. I was a single person team. Later, people started approaching me and thats how the brand was built. Rashi caters to all the breeds and has about nine different sizes of outfits with adjustable tummy and neck straps. Another service that specialises in fancy frill wear is Ankita Saini's online portal That Dog in Tuxedo (TDIT) they have a crisp, black look for everyone from a Pomeranian to a Great Dane. We customise clothes for every occasion and have a special festive collection for Raksha Bandhan, Diwali, Chirstmas, Valentines Day and Halloween. We work with materials such as brocade, silk and georgette. The cost of customising products starts from Rs 3,500, she shares. For all those who think that this is indulgence of another level, Geetanjali Barouliya insists that its totally worth it. It is her pet Juniors sixth birthday and the Thane resident wants to make sure that her pup looks the best. I was always looking for something very formal and unique. Then I came across TDIT and ordered a tux for Junior. At first the usual sizes did not fit well but later I took the measurements according to the chart and got it custom made for Rs 4,500. Junior looked extremely handsome and people were surprised to see custom made clothes available for pets, she says. Following investigations, the CID arrested 20 people over several days, including four doctors. CID rescued 10 babies, all girls, from Purbasha, a home for an old age home for the mentally challenged. (Representational image) Kolkata: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Thursday launched a murder case against unknown people in connection with the child trafficking racket it unearthed a few days ago in North 24 Parganas Baduria. The murder case has been initiated following exhumation of the remains of two infants on November 25 from the campus of Sudhir Memorial Trust NGO at Maslandapur, a senior CID official said. On November 25, the CID rescued 10 babies, all girls, from Purbasha, a home for an old age home for the mentally challenged, and took them to the ESI hospital where they were admitted. Doctors there had said the health condition of the babies was not sound because of the negligent treatment meted out to them at the hideouts. Following investigations, the CID arrested 20 people over several days, including four doctors. On Tuesday night, the agency arrested a medical practitioner and a BJP leader Dilip Ghosh who had earlier worked at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. He was arrested along with another medical practitioner for playing an active role in the child trafficking racket through Shree Krishna Nursing Home at College Street with which he was associated for the last 21 years. We have learnt that the said nursing home was involved in an adoption as early as in 1982. We are checking the legality of the adoption, an official said. Sunshine Rescue Mission Inc. has opened four new rooms for homeless families who need a warm place to sleep this winter. The family rooms at The Mission, located on the northeast corner of South San Francisco Street and East Benton Avenue in Southside, are the only rooms in Flagstaff where single fathers and couples can take shelter for free with their children. They will be open from now until April 1, 2017. We saw a need for it, said The Missions interim director, Ken Repkie. He sees a lot of homeless families come in when The Mission serves meals. Sometimes, its two parents living in the woods with their children because they lost their jobs. Other times, its a single dad trying to find a place to stay with his two children. Were just trying to keep the family unit together, Repkie said. Being in a shelter, its stressful, especially on a family. The alcohol and drug-free, faith-based Sunshine Rescue Mission operates three homeless shelters in Flagstaff on a budget of approximately $900,000 per year. In addition to its Dorsey Manor long-term transitional living home, it provides emergency and transitional shelter for about 65 men at The Mission, plus at least 65 women and children at Hope Cottage. They also offer three hot meals a day, case management, job training programs, counseling, relapse prevention and other services. Since she took over as executive director of Sunshine Rescue Mission almost eight years ago, Stephanie Boardman said she and her team have worked hard to make sure the shelters are relevant to the needs of the Flagstaff community. According to the Flagstaff Unified School Districts Family Resource Center, approximately 230 children of the 9,600 who attend school in the district had no permanent housing between August and November 2016. By the end of this school year, the number will probably be closer to 350 or 400, said Family Resource Center Coordinator Lucy Garcia. Some camp in the woods with their families, sleep in cars or sleep on other peoples couches, and others live in group homes or homeless shelters. Some of the shelters in Flagstaff allow single mothers to stay with their children, but options are limited when the father is in the picture. According to the Family Resource Center, approximately 40 of the school districts families are living in hotel rooms because they cannot find or afford permanent housing in the city. We have families that have lived in motels for up to four years, Garcia said. A year ago, The Mission staff started moving men through its recovery programs and into the more-stable Dorsey Manor facility more quickly than ever before. That left a few vacant rooms upstairs that used to house The Missions longer-term residents. At one point, The Mission had housed family rooms, Boardman said. There are four rooms upstairs theyre small and theres a big multipurpose room, so we cleaned it out and we kind of waited. It costs Sunshine Rescue Mission approximately $25 to house and feed one family for one night in its new family rooms. Two of the family rooms are considered true emergency shelter, which means that, like at Flagstaff Shelter Services, people check in for one night and check out in the morning. The other two family rooms are available for families to stay longer. That will give them more stability during these winter months as they wait for permanent supportive housing, if they qualify, or if theyre working on jobs and the kids are in school, Boardman said. There are Christian-based counseling and other services, as well as Christian chapel services every morning and evening, but they are always voluntary. No one has to attend church to get food or a place to stay. We let God transform peoples lives, Boardman said. We dont tell them what we think they should do. Sunshine Rescue Mission also does not allow foul language, violence, alcohol or drugs. Boardman said the sobriety requirement is necessary to support recovering addicts who need an environment where they wont be tempted to use alcohol or drugs. Anyone disqualified from staying at Sunshine Rescue Missions locations gets referred to Flagstaff Shelter Services, which accepts people in need of emergency shelter regardless of faith, sobriety or mental illness. The shelter has more than 80 beds but can take in 25 to 30 more people a night thanks to its Sanctuary overflow program in which local religious congregations take in people for the night. Its a collaboration, Boardman said. Its kind of like a living thing. We very much value all the other agencies. The family rooms are available on a first-come-first-served basis at The Mission, located at 124 S. San Francisco St. in Flagstaff. Check-in is from 4-6 p.m. daily and check-out is at 9 a.m. Families who need emergency shelter can also call Ken Repkie at (928) 863-8315 or (928) 774-3512. All ward level leaders have been asked to conduct meetings with their workers to prepare for the PMs rally. Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Mumbai on December 10 may be a state event, but his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will milk it for all its worth. Work for the same has already started and leaders at the ward level have been asked to swing into action. The event will be held at Bandra-Kurla Complexs MMRDA grounds to inaugurate an infrastructure project, however, BJP wants to kickstart its election campaign for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls with the programme. All ward level leaders have been asked to conduct meetings with their workers to prepare for the PMs rally. We have asked leaders to discuss the BMC election as well as preparations for Modijis rally on Saturday and Sunday, confirmed BJP Mumbai spokesperson Niranjan Shetty. The BJP is planning to use the stage for their benefit and give a befitting reply to the Opposition parties as well as the Shiv Sena for being critical of the demonetisations move.The Sena had come down heavily on Mr Modi with its president Uddhav Thackeray claiming on several occasions that people were harassed because of the currency ban. Even Sena mouthpiece Saamana through its editorials have criticised Mr Modis demonetisation. The BJP emerged as the single largest party in the local elections held in Maharashtra on Sunday and now wants to use the opportunity to make an impact in Mumbai. The ward meetings are being held so that most people in the ward are made aware about the event. By holding meetings at ward levels, we can show our preparedness and also motivate the workers, said a senior leader. Mr Modi was scheduled to be in Mumbai on Nov 19 for the same inauguration as well as for the Coldplay concert, but following demonetisation he cancelled the plan and instead held a videoconference with the audience at the concert. However, with BJP emerging victorious in the state local body election, the party wants to ride on the momentum and prove that people still trust Mr Modi and his leadership. Aldrin, who was in South Pole for a tourist trip, was found to have fluid on his lungs and is currently in a New Zealand hospital. Aldrin's management also tweeted a photograph of the spaceman smiling and looking alert in his hospital bed. (Photo: AP) Wellington, New Zealand: Retired astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the Moon, was recovering in a New Zealand hospital on Friday after being medically evacuated from the South Pole while on a tourist trip, his management said. Aldrin, 86, was "evacuated on the first available flight out" after experiencing health problems, said a statement from Antarctic tour operator White Desert. It said Aldrin -- later found to have fluid on his lungs -- was flown out after his "condition deteriorated", describing the move as "a precaution." An update on Aldrin's website said he was taken to Christchurch, New Zealand, where he was receiving hospital treatment. "(He) currently has fluid in his lungs but is responding well to antibiotics and being kept in overnight for observation," it said. "His condition is stable and his manager, who is currently with him, described him being in good spirits." Aldrin's management also tweeted a photograph of the spaceman smiling and looking alert in his hospital bed. His illness in the remote frozen continent sparked a 4,400 kilometre (2,700 mile) mercy dash. First, the US National Science Foundation dispatched a humanitarian medical flight to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. From there, another flight took Aldrin to McMurdo Station on the Antarctic coast, and then to New Zealand, where he arrived at 4:25 am local time Friday. "After a gruelling 24 hours we're safe in New Zealand," his manager Christina Korp tweeted. 'Here I Come' In 1969, Aldrin and Neil Armstrong became the first men to walk on the Moon, as part of the Apollo 11 mission. Armstrong stepped out of the lunar module first, uttering the now famous words, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Aldrin, clad in a bulky white spacesuit, hopped out next. "Beautiful, beautiful. Magnificent desolation," Aldrin said on July 20, 1969. In recent years, he has authored books for adults and children and advocated establishing a permanent human colony on Mars. Aldrin is an avid user of Twitter, and tweeted in recent days about his trip to the South Pole. "I could be a little underdressed for Antarctica. Although I tend to be hot blooded," he wrote on November 27, posting a picture of himself wearing a black and red Mars shirt. "South Pole, here I come!" he wrote a day later. Born in Montclair, New Jersey on January 20, 1930, Aldrin was educated at the prestigious West Point military academy in New York state. He joined the US Air Force and flew 66 combat missions in the Korean War, shooting down two enemy fighter jets. He earned a doctorate in astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and devised manned space rendezvous techniques -- an orbital maneuvre during which two crafts dock in space -- that were later adopted by NASA. In 1963, he was picked to join the select corps of early US astronauts, and six years later he set a record -- now broken -- for the longest space walk by spending five and a half hours outside the spacecraft during the Gemini 12 orbital mission. He logged a total of 4,500 hours flying time, 290 of them in space. Aldrin is known to be a Republican and a devout Christian, and has said he took communion while in the spacecraft that landed on the Moon. He has been married and divorced three times and has three children. David Wiltshire has gifted a decorative lamp worth $200 to Thanu Padmanabham. An Indian astrophysicist, named Thanu Padmanabham, who extended Albert Einsteins theory on Dark Energy has won a 10-year-old bet with a New Zealand-based astrophysicist who had challenged him for the theory. On December 1, the New Zealand astrophysicist, David Wiltshire, from the University of Canterbury, announced that he had conceded the wager to Indias astrophysicist Thanu Padmanabham on the nature of dark energy. During a planetary talk on December 15, 2006 at the t an international physics symposium in Australia in 2006, Padmanabham challenged the audience stating that in the next ten years there will be no evidence to contradict the hypothesis that dark energy (cosmological constant) is the root cause of accelerated expansion of the universe. That is, dark energy is a mathematical term called the "cosmological constant" that Einstein had initially proposed in his equations, but abandoned. It was Witlshire who accepted the challenge to disproof Padmanabhams dark energy theory. Dark energy was discovered in late 1990s by observing distant exploding stars that are said to push everything in the universe away from everything else. Studies suggest that Dark matter makes up about 72 per cent of the all the matter-energy in the universe, while the visible- matter in the universe including stars, planet and galaxies make up only 4 per cent. Over the past decade, Padmanabham continued with his calculations, and four years ago Padmanabham with his daughter co-authored a paper in which they derived the numerical value of the cosmological constant. Under the written terms of the wager, Wiltshire has gifted a decorative lamp worth $200, whose colour output can be altered using a mobile app, to Padmanabham. Joseph, who discovered a weakness in the iOS device setup process, decided to test it on a locked iPad he had purchased from eBay. Hemanth Joseph, who is currently working as information security researcher at the first Slash Secure, is also serving as commander at Kerala Police Cyberdome. Photo: Hemanth Joseph/Facebook Apples devices are known for the security they offer to the users. They are rather difficult to hack. However, Hemanth Joseph, a Kerala-based security researcher appears to have discovered a bug in Apples iOS 10.1 operating system, which allowed him to get past iPads activation lock. Joseph, who discovered a weakness in the iOS device setup process, decided to test it on a locked iPad he had purchased from eBay. When asked to choose a Wi-Fi network, he selected other network and proceeded to fill its name and a WPA2-enterprise key in with numerous characters. His motive was the freeze the iPad and it worked. He began to work on a way to make the set-up process fail. After spending time fiddling with the sleep/wake button and Apples Smart Cover, Joseph succeeded at breaking the iPads activation lock. He demonstrated the bypass in a video uploaded to Google Drive. This bug was reportedly fixed by Apple in an iOS update last month. Hemanth Joseph, who is currently working as information security researcher at the first Slash Secure, is also serving as commander at Kerala Police Cyberdome. He is the founder of India s first open security community for students called 0SecCon and has been listed on Googles Hall of fame for reporting a critical vulnerability in Google Cloud Platform. A similar issue was discovered by researchers at US-based Vulnerability Lab in iOS 10.1.1 previously. In this scenario, the home screen appeared for an instant and then disappeared. The danger is that a criminal can quite easily replicate the attack on another persons Apple device and be able to set it up as a new device. The fight for womens rights in this country is going to get even more bitter. This year, Pakistans women activists are observing 16 days of activism against gender violence (Nov. 25 to Dec. 10) with greater fervour than previously. At the same time, no sooner is a law to curb forced conversions adopted in Sindh than the orthodoxy is out in battledress to kill it. The fight for womens rights in this country is going to get even more bitter. Pakistani women suffer every possible form of deprivation, insult and injury. Over the years, they have also won a few concessions in the form of somewhat favourable laws and policies. They have scored these successes largely through their own struggles. They have certainly received some support from governments, though more in the form of rhetoric than benevolent measures. And they have been helped by a tiny percentage of men who can risk being taunted by big, burly clerics as wives slaves, or worse, as the Wests stooges. Each year, the women of Pakistan march a step forward and are pushed more than two steps back by the formidable knights of orthodoxy, patriarchy and pseudo-religious militancy. Thus, on balance, year by year the condition of women becomes bleaker and bleaker. At most of the meetings held in connection with 16 days of activism, the audiences were reminded of Pakistans being the third most dangerous country for women in the world, where 90 per cent of women experience some form of violence, and where the daily violence chart shows six women abducted, another six murdered, four molested and three driven to suicide. Some other indicators of womens plight include the Gender Gap Index 2015 that found Pakistan second from the bottom among 145 countries; the maternal mortality rate that shows Pakistan has slipped from 147th to 149th position in global ranking; and other disturbing figures showing that 55 per cent of girls do not go to school and 35 per cent are married before they turn 16. While no form of womens oppression can be condoned, violence is the worst affliction they are subjected to. And we use the term violence in the broad sense it has been defined by WHO, i.e. the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation. That violence against women is on the increase cannot be denied. The causes are known: the states growing reliance on physical force to settle any matters; brutalisation of society specially as a result of indiscriminate hangings; legalised and illegal torture/detention cells; social customs that discriminate against the poor; the spread of evil customs of vani and swara, from peripheral districts to metropolitan centres; and poor implementation of women protection laws. The state has displayed neither the will nor the capacity to tackle these issues. While there is some hue and cry when a Qandeel Baloch is murdered by a family member, few attempts are made to deal with less visible violence that women like her undergo. Sindh has been criticised for raising the marriage age for girls to 18 years and extraordinary efforts are being made to block similar laws in other provinces. The laws made to curb violence against women run into two big obstacles. First, they could be denounced by the Council of Islamic Ideology; its edicts against the Sindh child marriage law or the protection of women acts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are glaring instances. Second, they may not produce the desired result for want of serious effort in implementing them. The Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Act is very much in force, but even magistrates are not aware of this fact. Moreover, there is no systematic monitoring of the impact of women-friendly legislation. Have the authorities assessed the effectiveness or otherwise of the law to protect women against social evils? Above all, violence against women, or any form of discrimination against them, cannot be curbed by only punishing the criminals directly responsible for such acts. The evil of womens persecution cannot be fought without adopting a two-pronged strategy for their uplift. First, all those who preach hatred against women, from any pulpit or any platform, must be treated as criminals. Second, women must be offered the fullest possible opportunity for economic independence and advancement. This can be done, for instance, by eliminating unpaid womens labour in agriculture, and by opening up to women jobs in sectors where they are still unwelcome. A fair deal for Pakistans women would require political will and a multidimensional drive to ensure more attention towards them in the Vision 2025 projects than is visible at the moment and meaningful interpretation of the Sustainable Development Goals; these two programmes will offer measures for womens progress or lack of it that no government can ignore. Sixteen months have passed since Zeenat Shahzadi, a young human rights activist, who dreamed higher than her familys means permitted, was picked up from a bus stand near her home in Lahore. Her crime: she represented an Indian woman whose young son had disappeared in Pakistan while trying to rescue an Internet friend in distress. That man was traced and is now in prison for trying to be a good Samaritan. He is alive and his mother can hope to see him. But hope is deserting Zeenat Shahzadis mother; she is not sure if her daughter is alive. The Commission of Inquiry into Enforced Disappearances looked at her file again in Lahore last Thursday. It only looked at the file. It had no word of cheer for Zeenats mother. The investigators faces and perhaps their hearts too were as impassive as ever. The inspector general of police was told to appoint a new investigation team! What more horrible example of violence against women could be offered during these 16 days of activism? By arrangement with Dawn If one world leader exemplifies some of the more alarming trends taking place in politics this decade, it is Filipino President Duterte. Every morning in the Philippines, a handful of bodies are found littering the streets. Their faces are often covered in black plastic tape. Sometimes there are signs of torture. Usually, they have been shot in the head. Few bother police they are usually suspected of being responsible. No one, frankly, should be surprised that it is happening. The countrys democratically elected leader, after all, was elected promising to do just this, cracking down on what he has described as a drug menace in the country. If one world leader exemplifies some of the more alarming trends taking place in politics this decade, it is Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte. His election and the policies he has pursued since entering office represent a comprehensive rejection of decades, if not centuries, of hard-won moves toward respect for human rights and the rule of law. Such legal niceties, Duterte and those around him argue, have simply given criminals and others too much space. Its the sort of sentiment that has sometimes also found its place in Donald Trumps campaign the U.S. president-elect talked, after all, of getting really nasty against Islamic State. In the Philippines, however, the death toll is already believed to have run to more than 5000. Of these, 2000 were shot in armed confrontations with the police with 3000 more suffering extrajudicial executions. The number [of drug addicts] is quite staggering and scary, Duterte said in his inaugural State of the Nation Address. I have to slaughter these idiots for destroying my country. The Filipino leader has been in power barely six months. He has another five and a half years until he next faces the poll. That his rhetoric can gain traction among voters should not itself be a surprise the idea of vigilante justice clearly still has an appeal, if only evidenced by the way in which it remains such a common Hollywood theme. As mayor of Davao City for more than two decades, the Filipino president reveled in such imagery he was often referred to as The Punisher or Duderte Harry, the latter a reference to the cinematic vigilante Dirty Harry played by Clint Eastwood. As mayor, Duterte was repeatedly accused of involvement in death squads targeting both criminals and political enemies. Earlier this year, a man claiming to be a former associate accused the president of taking part in some killings and ordering others, including having a man fed to a crocodile in 2007. Nothing was ever proven, however and in those days, Duterte denied direct involvement. An official inquiry published at the beginning of this year and, unsurprisingly, heavily criticized said it found no evidence of the reported death squad killings or Dutertes own direct involvement. Since Duterte took the presidency in June, however, he has been much more outspoken as well as willing to take responsibility for what some estimate could be several thousand deaths. This week, he openly threatened to target human rights activists whom he accused of getting in the way of the purge. Such tactics appear to have cost the Philippines its long-running alliance with the United States at least under the presidency of Barack Obama. (The Filipino leader has said he hopes to have a rather better relationship with Trump.) Duterte has talked openly of seeking alliances with Russia and China instead; both countries are seen as more likely to let the Philippines do whatever it wishes when it comes to internal matters. Duterte is clearly an outlier. For now, however, his approach is serving him relatively well when it comes to Filipino domestic politics according to one survey, he remains one of the most trusted leaders in Southeast Asia. But he is also part of a wider trend one that may well be accelerating. There have always, of course, been leaders who have made a virtue of doing what it takes to restore order and have been relatively happy to get a reputation for sometimes brutal tactics, even if they publicly deny them. Rwandan President Paul Kagame, for example, has always said his country needs to sometimes take a tough line with those who try to destabilize it if Rwanda is to avoid a repeat of the 1994 genocide. Sri Lankas then-leaders used sometimes brutal measures to end the civil war with Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009. After the chaos of the 1990s, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ruthlessly traded off his reputation for toughness, particularly in the long-running insurgency in Chechnya, where Moscows forces have long been accused of unrestricted use of force and widespread rights abuses. Most of those leaders, however, have always sought to deny outright responsibility or at least maintain a degree of deniability when it comes to unquestioned acts of extrajudicial murder. By being willing to make it so explicitly a tool of government policy, Duterte has significantly moved the goalposts of what might be deemed to be acceptable in international affairs. Where he has been criticized, he has been outspoken in his response, even threatening to leave the United Nations and join a new group perhaps Russian and Chinese-backed that would also include African governments keen to push back on some international human rights demands. Earlier this year, South Africa and Burundi both announced they would quit the International Criminal Court, set up in response to the genocides of the 1990s, but which critics say has been selective in which conflicts it chooses to investigate. These trends are also, in some respects at least, clearly evident in the West. Trump talked openly of waterboarding and targeting the families of suspected militants during his campaign, although it remains uncertain whether he will pursue such policies in office. Far right European political parties and columnists have periodically called for a much tougher approach to migration, suggesting this might sometimes include the use of live ammunition to maintain potentially overwhelmed borders. What this represents is an unraveling of the rules-based system and in many respects the essential concept of basic human rights enshrined in the United Nations charter signed by most progressive nations after World War Two. That commitment was always imperfect and frequently desperately hypocritically imposed. Still, it has rarely been as pushed back against as it is in the Philippines today. Next year may well see the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad reassert control in Syria and the unraveling of the unsuccessful U.S.-backed policy of supporting ineffectual opposition fighters. The United States and Europe will likely see a considerable political reaction against what had been seen as relatively fundamental rights, particularly when it comes to asylum and freedom of movement. None of those things are unnecessarily unreasonable. What the Philippines reminds us, though, is just how short a journey it might be to really tear up some of the most basic rules which had been seen as underpinning a civilized society. Worse still, it can even be popular. Speaking in French through a translator, Zakaria Boufassil said he gave the money to the key accused in a park in Birmingham. "He never told me that the person who was coming to get the money was a bad person." (Photo: AFP) London: A Belgian man accused of giving money to a key suspect in the Brussels and Paris terror attacks took the stand in his British trial on Thursday to protest his innocence and condemn ISIS terrorists as "worse than animals". Zakaria Boufassil, who lives in Birmingham in central England, is accused of handing 3,000 pounds ($3,770, 3,550 euros) in cash to Mohamed Abrini when the latter visited the city in July 2015, with the knowledge that it would be used for terrorism. Testifying at Kingston Crown Court near London, the 26-year-old admitted to meeting Abrini and to holding a bag of money for his alleged conspirator, Mohamed Ali Ahmed, but said he had "no idea" of its intended use. Ahmed, also from Birmingham, pleaded guilty to the same charge last month, but Boufassil said he had "never communicated his plans to me" and took "advantage of my naivety". Speaking in French through a translator, Boufassil said he gave the money to Ahmed in a park in Birmingham, and stayed there smoking while he and Abrini went elsewhere. "He never told me that the person who was coming to get the money was a bad person. Had I known it I would never have kept the money," Boufassil said. He told the jury that after about 15 or 20 minutes, Abrini returned on his own, asked Boufassil if he spoke French and introduced himself, as they had never met before. Boufassil said he agreed to help Abrini find a cheap local hotel, and was then asked him to call him the following day to take him clothes shopping, but Abrini never answered his phone. Boufassil, who admitted to being a regular cannabis user, struggled to remember dates and times in cross-examination. Prosecuting lawyer Max Hill accusing him of lying, alleging that he helped plan the meeting with Abrini and acted as a French translator. As a follower of Sufism, a mystic Islamic order that is viewed as heretical by hardline terrorist groups, Boufassil condemned the ISIS. "For me, those people are worse than animals," he said. Abrini, dubbed the "man in the hat" for his image caught on security cameras before the Brussels airport bombing in March, is in custody in Belgium over his suspected involvement in that attack and those in Paris last November. Post-mortem revealed that the 38-year-old suffered 124 wounds including 25 stab wounds to the side of her neck. London: An Indian-origin former banker in the UK was on Thursday sentenced to life imprisonment for the manslaughter of his wife with 124 blows of an axe. Sonita Nijhawan was discovered in a pool of blood in her family estate in Surrey, south England, in May this year. Her husband, Sanjay Nijhawan, had pleaded not guilty to murder on the ground of diminished responsibility with his trial hearing he had suffered depression and anxiety in the months before the attack. He was originally due to be sentenced on October 10 but the hearing was delayed as the judge at Guildford Crown Court in Surrey, south England, ordered a psychiatric report on the 46-year-old. "My conclusion is that there is a significant risk and there is risk that you would cause serious harm to members of the public, especially intimate partners. I considered the risk, and what I judge to be a residual amount of culpability," Judge Fraser said during sentencing on Thursday. He sentenced to Nijhawan to life imprisonment with a minimum term of nine years and 172 days. "It was in any view a brutal and sustained attack in which you used an axe to attack her and a knife to stab her... The majority of the attack occurred when she was on or near to the floor or moved or had moved around the kitchen. This clearly was not a momentary attack, you and your wife had argued about divorce," the judge added. Judge Fraser also told the court that there was evidence of planning during the early hours of the morning, including research into the soft part of the skull. Back in October, the court had heard that Sonita had wanted a divorce. A post-mortem examination revealed that the 38-year-old died of injuries to her head and neck, having suffered 124 wounds including 25 stab wounds to the side of her neck. Injuries to her hands showed that she had tried to defend herself. Prosecutor Sally O'Neill said: "The number and nature of her cuts make it clear that she was the victim of a fatal and sustained attack. She had a very large number of cut and stab injuries to her neck and head." The court was told that after he was arrested, Sanjay Nijhawan told officers that he had become "deranged" and had suffered a nervous breakdown. He had reportedly quit his job with Barclays Capital Wealth after suffering from depression and anxiety and got further upset when his wife sought a divorce. Nijhawan had also grown increasingly anxious about his 670,000-pound mortgage on the couple's 2.6-million pound home in Surrey. Nijhawan denied murdering his wife and the defence case was that he had an abnormality of mental function. The Russian leader said he was hoping to find common ground with Washington on fighting global terrorism in particular. Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin struck an unusually conciliatory tone in his annual state of the nation address on Thursday saying Moscow wanted to get on with the incoming US administration and was looking to make friends not enemies. Mr Putin has used previous set-piece speeches to lash out at the West and the US in particular, but he reined in his criticism this time round and focused most of his speech on domestic social and economic issues. We dont want confrontation with anyone. We dont need it. We are not seeking and have never sought enemies. We need friends, Mr Putin told Russias political elite gathered in one of the Kremlins grandest halls. We are ready to cooperate with the new U.S. administration. We have a shared responsibility to ensure international security. Any US-Russia co-operation would have to be mutually beneficial and even-handed, he said. Mr Putin has spoken previously of his hope that US President-elect Donald Trump may help restore tattered US-Russia relations, and analysts said he was unlikely to want to dial up anti-Western rhetoric before Mr Trumps inauguration in January. The Russian leader said he was hoping to find common ground with Washington on fighting global terrorism in particular. That was a reference to Syria where Moscow is backing President Bashar al-Assad. Elzahed refused to take off her burqa and she failed to turn up to the fourth day on November 30 of the hearing. Moutia Elzahed, one of the two women married to convicted criminal and Islamic extremist Hamdi Alqudsi, is suing the police alleging they punched her and called her a "bitch" during the Operation Apple by terrorism raids at her Revesby home in south-west of the Sydney on September 18, 2014. (Photo: AP/ Representational Image) Sydney: A judge in Australia has denied to hear evidence from the wife of an Islamic extremist after she refused to remove the veil of her burqa despite being offered alternative options. Moutia Elzahed, one of the two women married to convicted criminal and Islamic extremist Hamdi Alqudsi, is suing the police alleging they punched her and called her a "bitch" during the Operation Apple by terrorism raids at her Revesby home in south-west of the Sydney on September 18, 2014. In what is believed to be an Australian first in a civil case, that New South Wales (NSW) District Court judge Audrey Balla would not let Elzahed take the stand unless she took off her veil this week, the dailytelegraph.com.au reported. Elzahed refused to take off her burqa and she failed to turn up to the fourth day on November 30 of the hearing. Her lawyer Clive Evatt said, for religious reasons, his client could not show her face to any man. Judge Balla gave Elzahed a choice; she could have the court closed while she gave evidence or she could give evidence via video link. But Evatt declined both options on his client's behalf because the mostly male lawyers on both sides would still be in court and would see her face. Dressed in long robes, scarf and veil, Elzahed also refused to stand for Judge Balla when she entered and left the court. Elzahed's refusal to take off the veil is a blow to her case, which relied on her sworn testimony that she was punched by police during the dawn raid. She is seeking financial compensation for "assault and battery, wrongful arrest and false imprisonment and intimidation". She is joined in the lawsuit by her husband Hamdi Alqudsi and sons Hamza George, 17, and Abdulla George, 17. Since the raid Alqudsi has been convicted of helping seven men travel to Syria to fight with Islamist rebels. He is serving a sentence of eight years with a non-parole period of six years. Outside of court Elzahed said "it is not fair" that she could not give evidence. The federal and state governments, acting on behalf of Federal and NSW police, deny all allegations of police brutality, arguing officers used only reasonable force. WASHINGTON House Democrats re-elected Nancy Pelosi their leader Wednesday with support from more than two thirds of the caucus, but from just half of the Arizona Democrats in the House. Pelosi, who has led House Democrats for the past 14 years, faced a challenge from Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio who promised to shake up leadership and reconnect the party with voters and the issues important to them after a disastrous 2016 election. Pelosi beat Ryan by a comfortable 134-63 margin, but her critics said the numbers were still telling. The fact that 63 members of Congress said they need change is significant, said Rep. Ruben Gallego, who with fellow Phoenix Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, had called for change at the top. I think its a message directly to leadership to be more responsive and actually make the Democratic caucus more democratic, Gallego said after Wednesdays closed-door, secret vote. But Reps. Raul Grijalva of Tucson and incoming Rep. Tom OHalleran of Sedona both voted for Pelosi, a decision OHalleran said made sense. Ryan and his supporters had called on fellow Democrats to respond to the election by turning to younger leaders who could address the bread-and-butter issues of concern to the voters who put Donald Trump in the White House. Ryan, 43, argued the he could better shape a response. I spent a long time since 2010 biting my tongue, and I couldnt bite it anymore, Ryan said after the caucus vote. I had opinions. Ive been here long enough to know what the formula is for us moving forward, and I couldnt get anyones attention, so we did what we had to do. Even though he did not win the leadership, Ryan said he achieved some of his goal. Part of this campaign was to help energize a lot of people that want to get out there and contribute, he said of members who may have felt tuned out by Democratic leadership of late. And I know walking out of that room today we have a more energized caucus. Pelosi said after the vote that she is committed to helping deliver a Democratic message that removes any doubt in anyones mind where the Democrats are when it comes to Americas working families. Gallego and Sinema both said they were disappointed by the outcome of the caucus. This should be a time of critical reflection and clear-eyed change, not a time to rubber-stamp the failed strategy of the past. We owe better to the American people, Sinema said in a tweet after the votes were tallied. Gallego echoed Ryan, saying the vote made a strong case to leadership it was time for a new direction for the caucus. He also conceded the vote was personal as much as it was political: Pelosi has built strong relationships during her tenure in the House, he said. You have 35 new freshmen, a lot of them voted for leadership. Thats all they know, Gallego said. One of those freshmen was OHalleran, who will be sworn in Jan. 3 when the 115th Congress is installed. While he voted for Pelosi, OHalleran said it was evident at the meeting that the caucus was ready for a change and for leadership to be more responsive to members. The underlying agreement was that theres a need to change some of the ways weve been dealing with the caucus, he said. Ryan likened the caucus to a family and said he was hopeful that the difficult process will position the family to do what it takes to address the issues raised Wednesday. We come out of this leadership election united as Democrats and we will take on the challenges we need moving forward, he said. So, you know, Im disappointed because I like to win, but I think it was a great discussion for us and I think honestly, I think the party is better off. by Tran Vinh Mgr Micae Hoang uc Oanh is critical of the recent Vatican meeting between the pope and Vietnams president. Official talks have been held in the past without positive results for religious freedom. The new religious law could worsen the situation. Hanoi is caught between communism and red capitalism. Kon Tum (AsiaNews) At present, "there is no hope for better freedom of religion in Vietnam, says Mgr Micae Hoang uc Oanh, bishop emeritus of Kon Tum (central highlands of Vietnam) in an interview with AsiaNews. Currently in the United States for a period of study and work, the prelate talks about the recent meeting in the Vatican between Pope Francis and Vietnamese President Tran ai Quang, which raised "hope for freedom of worship". However, none of these meetings brought any result people expected. No one can rule out that the situation might get worse. Mgr Micae Hoang uc Oanh (pictured right) was born 23 October 1938 in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. After entering the Minor Seminary in Ho Chi Minh City (ex Saigon), south Vietnams largest city, in 1952, he continued his studies in theology and philosophy at the Pontifical Institute in a Lat between 1960 and 1969. Ordained priest in Kon Tum on 22 December 1968, he has worked in schools, parishes and in the diocesan minor seminary. In 1996 he became vicar and on 16 July 2003, John Paul II appointed him bishop. His ordination took place in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on August 28. As head of the diocese he has always defended religious freedom with vigour and pride from the interference and violence of Vietnams local and central communist authorities. In October 2015, he published an open letter in which he denounced abuses, including the demolition of a church. He also spoke on several occasions against a proposed reform to the countrys controversial religious law. Here is the interview Mgr Micae Hoang uc Oanh had with AsiaNews: Your Excellency, your comment on the visit of the Vietnam president to the pope. It has been years of meeting and visits of delegations, but can we say something on some progress on religious freedom and freedom for the Church? Our hope for freedom of worship soars every time there is a prospect of high profile meetings between Vietnam leaders and the Vatican. We are eager to see progress. But speaking from experience, despite numerous visits from Vietnam leadership at all levels paid to the Pope, both in the past and at present time, none of them brought any result people expected to see. The situation may become even worse than before the meetings. What about the new law on religious activities, approved just days before the meeting of the president with the pope? In my experience, under communist rule there have been so many ordinances on religion. But this ordinance is seen by many as the worst. Its worse even than the original ordinance of 1946. You may know, in Vietnam there is no such thing as Trias Politica or the Separation of Powers between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. You all can see that no matter how well the laws are written, local authorities and cadres act as a law onto themselves. Believers, whose religious lives are affected by the ordinance, will suffer. The ordinance created vices for those who believe in "the end justifies the means" principle. They easily became more vulnerable to bribery to achieve privileges for their religion. I think in a society where people are respected and well taken care of, everyone would be equal under the law; hence, there is no need for such ordinance for the faithful. How would you define the situation of the Church in Vietnam? We report lot of activities in the field of charity; we have also reports of Catholic activists imprisoned; we have declarations against pollution (Formosa group); in support of sovereignty on the South China Sea islands, what about the evangelization of Vietnam society? Thank you, Asia News, and other international media outlets, for paying attention and broadcasting the situation of the Church in Vietnam. We pray that your report will provide an accurate portrait of our Church's and our country's situation for others to see. Statistics have shown that evangelization in Vietnamese society has been going downhill. The indicator - see latest statistics - is that the Church in Vietnam is losing the title of "eldest daughter of the Church in Asia" and ranks 5th behind the Philippines, (South) Korea, East Timor, and Lebanon. The indicator of a Church which has not evangelized or neglected evangelism is when she neither pays attention to nor stands on the side of the poor; in particular, when the Church neglects the poor, the oppressed, ordinary citizens, as indicated by the statistics. The Vietnamese government seems taken in between the old style of communism (and old friends, like China) and an attempt to show modernity and openness, to attract more foreign investments and deal with new friends (USA). Where does the Vietnamese government stand? Regrettably, Vietnam is a small country next to a big one. We all heard the expression "the big fish eats the small". In addition, for so many years Vietnamese political activists have been choosing the path of Marxist-Leninism, causing the civil war between the North and the South for years. Vietnam ha lagged so much behind and is at its worst. Many people told me Marxist-Leninism among Vietnamese leaders nowadays is only a facade. They are indeed tired of it. People now say " classlessness, proletarians" are no longer relevant. Cadres today become red capitalists who are filthy rich and can be even more feudal and dictatorial than any feudal rich men in the old days. The decision to follow which (or whose) political direction is a tough one for Vietnamese leaders to deal with, dubbed "swinging between powers policy". We ought to pray for Vietnamese leaders to be wise and lucid in navigating the country in the right direction while respecting, caring, and siding with the people, since they cannot accomplish anything without the people. Things can only be accomplished with the people's support. No matter how mighty the adversary's power might be, we must deal with the support of the people, and rest assured that we can keep our territory and our independence intact and build our beloved country of Vietnam stronger, as well as bring happiness to all Vietnamese. On the condition that they must respect and side with the people before freedom of religion can be recognized. Under current conditions, there is no hope for better freedom of religion. by Santosh Digal Card. Toppo spoke at the Plenary Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences. "Faith in the family educates its members to be followers of Jesus in spite of the challenges." The example of the family of Nazareth. The tribal families have traditions and culture that reflect the values of Christianity. Colombo (AsiaNews) - "Families are the authentic schools of the Gospel where the members learn to communicate the joy of the Gospel with one another and in genuine love form the most beautiful community of mercy, said Cardinal Telesphore P. Toppo, Papal envoy to the ongoing eleventh Federation of the Asian Bishops' Conference (FABC) plenary assembly, Colombo, Sri Lanka. To the Bishops from throughout Asia he said: "The faith soil of the family nurtures the members to be true followers of Jesus despite the difficulties, problems and challenges of life. The Papal envoy yesterday addressed the more than 140 cardinals, archbishops and bishops from nearly 40 countries. Attendees include bishops, priests, lay people and representatives from Funding Partners who are engaged in helping the Asian Church in its Apostolate are meeting in Negombo for a week to seek ways to make Catholic families an instrument of the Church's mission of mercy. Card. Toppo said Catholic families in Asia living amidst people professing different faiths have to keep constantly their focus on the family of Nazareth to be splendid communities of love and life, to be the domestic Church of the poor on the mission mercy, which is the theme of the FABC conference". The church in Asia believes in the faith potential of the Catholic families of Asia as they have nurtured their faith down the centuries with the love of God and His ceaseless mercy in spite of various persecutions and division, Cardinal Toppo said. "The Church of Asia hopes for the green shoot from the stump of Jesse that will bear much fruit and make everything fruitful. Ignited by this burning hope the Church of Asia looks at the Asian Catholic Family, Domestic Church of the poor to be the best channel of God's mercy and compassion," he said. Another point, the papal envoy stressed that family bond can be termed as the soul of tribal life. An internal mechanism of spontaneous affection and transparent simplicity binds them together and holds them as one of the life journey. Generally, the tribal families, which are present in most parts of Asia are a well-knit unit with a traditional outlook towards life. He further said that children born to the family are given the name of the great grandfather, or grandmother to keep alive the family lineage. Hardly, any discrimination is found among them in dealing with or relating to male and female children through such is not the case with many other dominant communities. Equality is ensured and opportunities are provided for the growth of all the children within the economical scope of each family, the cardinal said. "Sharing is the way of tribal community life. Thus, we feeling found among the tribal village communities across Asia is the emerging force in every family. They are nature Christians living the Gospel values in their daily life. Christianity, therefore, was not entirely a new soil for them. Living within their own social, cultural and traditional milieu they could easily radiate the new life received in faith. by Christopher Sharma Each year, more than a thousand cases are recorded in the Himalayan country, mostly due to unprotected sex. Migrants are infected abroad, in India and the Middle East. HIV-positive children are denied the right to an education. Kathmandu (AsiaNews) Poverty and emigration, especially in India and the Middle East, are the main causes of the spread of HIV in Nepal, where more than a thousand new cases are recorded each year. The data were released yesterday to mark World AIDS Day. According to the National Centre for AIDS and STD Control (NCASC), 28,865 people, mostly men, are living with AIDS, victims of discrimination at the social and educational levels. Children born with the virus are denied access to education and can only enroll in separate schools, ostensibly to avoid spreading the virus to other pupils. A NCASC study found that the virus is spread through unprotected sex in more than 85 per cent of the cases. "Poverty is the main cause, said NCASC director Dr Tarun Poudel. Nepalis, men and women, go abroad as migrant workers, particularly to India, the Gulf States and Africa. Here, they are often involved in the sex trade, seeking more money." However, "when they discover they have been infected, they return to Nepal and continue to have sex with their partner, without protection. This has increased the number of sick people." According to NCASC, in July 2016 17,949 males, 10,824 females and 92 transsexuals were HIV-positive. On average, 1,331 new cases and 2,260 deaths are reported each year. Traditional Hindu society, which subjugates women, drives women with HIV to hide the infection," NCASC director explained. "Another group where the virus is on the rise is the LGBT community." Yet, it is children who suffer the greatest discrimination. Schools do not allow HIV-positive pupils to enroll, afraid that healthy students might flee. Rajkumar Pun, who runs a private school for children with AIDS, agrees. "Schools, he said, reject children with HIV because they know that the parents of the other kids will stop sending them to the institute." In Nepal, education, both public and private, is expanding but marginalisation is found everywhere. Speaking about the situation, Education Minister Dhaniram Poudel noted that although "The government does not ban children from education, our traditional society considers AIDS a great taboo and discrimination does exist. Maybe the authorities will soon find a solution. " Seventh grader Renu Thapa is one of the discriminated students. We children are not at fault, she said. I have tried to enroll in different schools, but none admitted me, she lamented. "I do not know what my parents did, but I am innocent. Poverty forced them to seek work abroad and so I was born with the virus. Shouldnt the government take care of us?" According to data, more than 110 children are born with HIV AIDs every year and about ten thousand children are deprived of basic education as schools refuse to enroll them. The UN hopes to deprive North Korea of about US$ 700 million a year in export revenues. For North Korean authorities, this is another violation by the US-controlled United Nations. Pyongyang tells Trump that it is a nuclear power. Pyongyang (AsiaNews) North Korea has rejected new economic sanctions unanimously approved on Wednesday by the 15-member UN Security Council. If the resolution is implement, it would deprive North Korea of about US$ 700 million in hard currency revenues. Its most significant provision is a binding cap that would cut coal exports by about 60 per cent. The ban would also affect the export of non-ferrous metals such as copper, nickel and silver, which give Kims regime another US$ 100 million a year, as well as the regimes ability to purchase new vessels and helicopters. It also restricts travel to other countries by government and military officials. It remains to be seen whether China will implement the sanctions. Since it is North Koreas main economic and trading partner 90 per cent of North Korean exports go to China it bears the greatest responsibility for making sanctions work, notes Donald Kirk, a North Korea expert. Until now, Beijing has continued to import coal and minerals from North Korea, and to sell all of the latters oil and half of its food. Russia too imports coal and minerals across its border with the DPRK*. Despite the new sanctions that would deprive North Korea of hundreds of millions of dollars a year, there is no certainty that they will be respected. This is because, Kirk says, much of the trade with China is informal, if not technically illegal. In reacting to the Security Councils decision, a foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement that North Korea "strongly censures and categorically rejects it as another excess of authority and violation of the DPRK's sovereignty by the UNSC acting under instructions of the US," the official KCNA news agency reported. The statement said that September's nuclear test, its fifth and biggest, was taken to "tackle the nuclear threat and sanctions by the US". North Korea has been under harsh UN economic sanctions for years because of its ongoing nuclear programme. The last time the United Nations imposed sanctions, described as the heaviest sanctions in 20 years, was in March. Right after the US presidential elections, an editorial in the Rondong Sinmun, the newspaper of the North Korean Workers' Party, urged newly elected President Donald J. Trump to recognise officially the DPRK as a state with nuclear weapons. * Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. by Weena Kowitwanij Bangkok (AsiaNews) - Thailand has a new king. Prince Vajiralongkorn was proclaimed monarch yesterday, making him the tenth ruler of the Chakri Dynasty, successor to King Bhumibol Adulyadej. At 11 pm yesterday (local time) Thai State television broadcast the announcement of the ascent to the throne. The ceremony took place at the Dusit Palace in Bangkok Amphorn Satharn villa, in the presence of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and the President of the Legislative Assembly, he said, turning to the prince: "In accordance with the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand [...] I would ask Prince Vajiralongkorn with gratitude to accept the invitation [to become king] ". The heir to the throne said he would "meet the desire of King Bhumibol for the good of the Thai people." After the ceremony the Prime Minister announced that "according to ancient traditions and laws, the kingdom must not be left without a monarch on the throne, so the beginning of the new reign will be marked Oct. 13, 2016 [the date of the death of the late King]. The royal coronation ceremony will be accomplished after the cremation of His Majesty King Bhumibol, about a year after his death. " The new king will be called Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkul ( ), but will be known as Rama X, the tenth king of the Chakri Dynasty (begun in 1782). All Buddhist temples of the country celebrated the news at the same time playing gongs, drums and bells to bless the new king. Born July 28, 1952, Prince Vajiralongkorn is the second child (only son) of King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit. He has an older sister, Ubonratana Rajchakanya (much loved by the people) and two younger siblings, Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and Chulabhorn Walailak. He studied in England and Australia. He was proclaimed heir to the throne December 28, 1972 and for the past 44 years has accompanied the King and Queen on numerous visits to rural areas of the country, giving support to the population in need. Since 2014 the number of internally displaced persons has more than doubled, reaching 518,000. Pakistan has sent back more than 600,000 Afghan refugees. UN agency says it has received only 54 per cent of the US$ 152 million in emergency funding. Kabul (AsiaNews) - The number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Afghanistan has more than doubled since 2014, reaching a record high, the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said on Wednesday. As of 30 November 2016, 515,800 Afghans have been internally displaced by fighting, surpassing the previous record of 471,000 set last year. More than 600,000 Afghan refugees have also been forced to return to the country from neighbouring Pakistan this year, UNOCHA said. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the EU Commission for Humanitarian Affairs and UNOCHA, 35,382 newly displaced families were registered between January and September 2016. The UN agency notes that people are moving mostly to less dangerous urban areas, depleting local resources. According to UN data, a record 198 out of 399 districts of Afghanistan are now reporting conflict-induced displacement, and for the first time, all 34 provinces are hosting IDPs. UNOCHA said it has received 54 per cent of the US$ 152 million in emergency funding it needs to address the immediate needs of internally displaced people in Afghanistan. I am concerned these record figures show not just an alarming number of new IDPs, but a longer term crisis where increasing numbers of families in Afghanistan are facing prolonged displacement, said Mark Bowden, the UN humanitarian coordinator in a statement. According to a report released by the UNHCR on this years World Refugee Day, Afghanistan along with Syria and Somalia account for 53 per cent of the 65.3 million refugees in the world. Washington (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The US Senate has approved the extension for another 10 years of US sanctions against Iran. According to the US administration the vote is not contrary to the international agreement on the nuclear program signed last year, but allows enables a swift return to sanctions in case of violations. The measure passed by a vote of Republicans and Democrats, and now awaits the signature of the President (outgoing, his mandate expires in January) Barack Obama. Iran Sanctions Act was approved yesterday with 99 votes in favor, 0 votes against. It provides for punitive measures against Iran's banking sector, as well as the energy sector and those relating to defense-related industries. Last November a similar vote was held in the House, where the measure was also passed by a large majority with a bipartisan vote. The law has no direct link to the nuclear deal, better known by the acronym Jcpoa. However, experts warn, some restrictions in the text are in fact contrary to the spirit of that agreement. Democratic Senators Dianne Feinstein and Tim Kain explains that "the law [on sanctions] must remain in place" to allow "immediate turnabout" in case of violations. After years of embargo, in 2015, Iran has obtained a partial easing of Western economic sanctions, in exchange for agreement on the controversial atomic program. The agreement was positively received by the majority of the international community, but criticized by Israel and the US Congress (majority Republican). The first moves of the new president Donald Trump are widely anticipated. Last month, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had threatened "reactions shoud the US approve the norm that extends the sanctions. For Iran's supreme leader this law is a "violation" of the nuclear agreement, which "must not become a tool to put pressure on the Iranian people." President Trump, who will enter the White House next January 20; now has a free hand in boosting sanctions against Tehran. During his election campaign the US billionaire repeatedly criticized, even using harsh words, the international agreement and he could possible make a u-turn, accepting the directions of some of his closest associates, including the new CIA head Mike Pompeo. Following his appointment Pompey tweeted that he is ready to "pick up" a deal that he described as "disastrous"; words that, in the following days, were widely reported in the Israeli media. The Joint Vatican-Rabbinate Committee slams decision to use only the Arabic name of the holy sites in East Jerusalem, denying the relationship between Jews and Temple Mount. Vatican City (AsiaNews) The Vatican has joined the critics of the UNESCO decision to use only the name Arabic name of holy places in East Jerusalem, leaving out their Hebrew version. The Joint Commission of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel's Delegation for Relations with the Catholic Church and the Holy See's Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews issued a joint statement noting that the UNESCO decisions denies on political and polemical grounds the relationship between Jews and Temple Mount and the biblical story. The communique states that it is necessary now more than ever to promote peace at a time when violence is perpetrated in the name of religion. In view of todays challenges and human tragedies, it goes on to emphasise the importance of religious leaders setting an example for tolerance and respect. The parties also promised that they would try to persuade more effectively their respective authorities to act in the most tolerant and humane ways towards others and the weak. Pope Franciss recent remarks to representatives of various religions are particularly appropriate. "May we reject the aimless paths of disagreement and closed-mindedness. May it never happen again that the religions, because of the conduct of some of their followers, convey a distorted message, out of tune with that of mercy. Sadly, not a day passes that we do not hear of acts of violence, conflict, kidnapping, terrorist attacks, killings and destruction. It is horrible that at times, to justify such barbarism, the name of a religion or the name of God himself is invoked. May there be clear condemnation of these iniquitous attitudes that profane the name of God and sully the religious quest of mankind. May there instead be fostered everywhere the peaceful encounter of believers and genuine religious freedom." (Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to representatives of different religions, Vatican, 3 November 2016). After more than half a century of Jewish-Catholic reconciliation and fruitful dialogue, Christians and Jews are called to work together to help create peace for the whole human family, fulfilling the words of the psalmist: "Love and truth will meet; justice and peace will kiss (Psalm 85:11). The parties also stressed the importance of educating the new generations to promote peace and mutual respect. Why Male Birth Control Doesn't Exist 5 Reasons Why There's No Male Birth Control (And It's Not Because Men Don't Want It) This article was originally published by AskMen UK. One of the major shifts in social and political behaviour in the last century came in 1960 with the approval of the pill for contraceptive use. Immediately, uptake was huge 1.2 million American women were using the tablet within two years, with the number rising to 2.3 million just a year later. This potentially enabled women to have as many children as they wanted, at a time of their choosing; have a better chance of organising parenthood around their careers; and enjoy a recreational sex life without the constant fear of getting pregnant. Yet while science has since developed numerous ways for women to avoid pregnancy, men are still stuck with a condom, a vasectomy, or keeping your fingers crossed and hoping for the best. (Disclaimer: this last one is a really terrible idea). Why, when progress has delivered everything else from the iPhone to Deliveroo, hasnt the male pill arrived? The side effects (that women have had to deal with for years) The biggest and most significant recent research into the male pill was a World Health Organisation-backed project that tested healthy men aged 18-45 and their 18-38 year old female partners, giving an injection of 200-mg norethisterone enanthate (contraceptive hormones) combined with 1000-mg testosterone undecanoate once every eight weeks. The project was, on the face of it, a huge success within 24 weeks, the injections were effective to around 95%. However the trial was abandoned after researchers noted that the most common adverse events among the male human guinea pigs included acne, injection pain, increased libido, mood disorders and one suicide. With no more funding available to test another formulation of the drugs, this trial has effectively run into the sand, for now at least. An earlier test in China had similar results with fewer side effects, but funding wasnt pursued for further testing. The numbers game Or to put it another way, your furiously overproductive nads. Surprisingly, the main obstacle to progress doesnt seem to be unwillingness among men to take these drugs. Instead, the difficulty seems to be on the research and development side, and the fact that blocking mens reproductive systems is a more complicated, ongoing task than it is with women in short, men produce millions of sperm per day, while women release one egg per month. Several projects are looking into whats charmingly known as the clean sheets pill (yes, an orgasm without the splooge), but the facts are unavoidable men constantly produced a lot of sperm, and making sure none of it breaks loose is a never-ending task. RELATED: Can Men Orgasm Without Ejaculating? via GIPHY The cash Aaron Hamlin, executive director of the Male Contraception Initiative in Washington DC recently told the MIT Technology Review that every failed scientific test into a male pill made it less likely that further research would take place, creating a vicious circle. To some extent, why we havent seen involvement with pharma companies is that theyve been disappointed in the past with failed products that have focused primarily on hormonal efforts, he said. However, there is a possible solution: tired of waiting for government or industry funding, Hamlin and the MCI have taken the initiative and are now crowdfunding money to push the male pill forwards. It could be a great leap into a future without women having to take daily pills, forgetful accidents, vasectomies or frantically and drunkenly searching around in the dark for a condom at 2am. There could be worse causes for you to chuck a few quid at. via GIPHY The marketing problem Some labs like that at the University of Minnesota are trying a new approach, looking at drugs which might stunt the development of sperm and keep it away from a mans semen, rather than tinkering with his hormones. One example is Vasalgel, which is injected into the vas deferens (the sperm-carrying tube leading from a mans testicles), making it too narrow for sperm to pass through, while not interfering with any other function. This product is projected to be ready for market in the US between 2018-20. Its creators stress that the drugs effects are reversible with another injection. However, they have to convince users to sign up for a procedure which can be administered with a jab through the scrotum admittedly, this is better than a shot into the actual penis or testicles, but still not the most enticing prospect and a difficult one to turn into a snazzy ad campaign. via GIPHY Weve been looking in the wrong places Its quite possible that the answer is with us already, but weve been overlooking it for another application. Scientists at Kings College, London are currently looking at the possible use of high blood pressure drugs to create semen-free orgasms (the previously mentioned clean sheets phenomenon). Further afield, Indonesian scientists are working on drugs synthesised from the gendarussa shrub, which may work to disrupt the enzymes in the head of the sperm, and weaken its ability to penetrate the females egg. Fingers crossed one of these already existing drugs turns out to be the silver bullet for your sperm, and were not looking at a future involving injections into your ball-bag. Its been two weeks since a Flagstaff police officer was caught on a cellphone video throwing a punch to the face of a suspect he was attempting to arrest for outstanding warrants. Several other circumstances make it an interesting case, even without the video: --The suspect had no warrants and repeatedly told the officer just that, calling into question the legality of the arrest. --The officer was male and the suspect female, raising concerns about excessive use of force. --The officer said the suspect didnt just try to break free of his grasp but kicked and kneed him in groin out of view of the camera just before he punched her. She denies it. --A second law enforcement officer was at the arresting officers side during the arrest, but his report describes only a struggle to handcuff her, not a kick or a knee by the suspect. --The first officers body camera was not activated until after the punch. Put all of those factors together, and it is likely the Flagstaff Police Department would have had a citizen complaint on its hands warranting an internal investigation even without the video footage. The difference is that the video not only forced the department to respond more quickly but also let members of the public weigh in on the complaint even before it is formally submitted and reviewed. So far, though, theres not been much substantive movement in the case after the initial posting of the video and the officers complaint. The FPD slowed the pace by putting the officer on leave and transferring the criminal investigation of his conduct to the NAU Police Department, then deferring any pursuit of assault charges against the suspect until NAUPD was done. That doesnt mean there hasnt been a rush to judgment two civil rights activists from Phoenix were in Flagstaff the next day calling for the officer to be fired based solely on the video footage. So much for due process in Phoenix. If the case had involved serious injury or even death, then we would be urging the NAUPD to issue findings as quickly as possible, the better to dampen strong emotions and put the matter into the hands of the county attorney and courts. But that isnt case, and as long as NAU is taking its time conducting interviews into the punch why not take on the assault allegations against the suspect, too? The Flagstaff PD will have to farm out that case, too, if its officer is charged with assault, and even if he isnt, the punch will undermine the credibility of any charges they press. Bottom line: Have the NAUPD look at the incident from all angles, including false arrest, excessive force and resisting arrest/assault on a police officer. Then issue as completely transparent a report as the law allows and let the county attorney from a different county decide how to handle charges. There will no doubt be civil lawsuits and internal investigations no matter what is filed in court. The goal now is to compile a complete factual record from the start of the incident to the finish. Let them do their job, no matter what we think the video already proves or doesnt. Corporate and transactional lawyer John Mann has left his adopted firm Clarendon Lawyers to team up with his former team at global law firm K&L Gates.A corporate and M&A veteran with 25 years experience, Mann began his career with Middletons in 1988 and became a partner with the firm in 1995.During his time with Middletons - which combined with K&L Gates in January 2013 - he was a board member for over eight years and had wide influence within the firm.Manns advises on M&A, private equity, joint ventures, corporate structures, restructures, regulatory issues, contracts, and business law advice.Mann said that he was excited to be back with his old team at K&L Gates, after he left the firm to join Clarendon Lawyers in mid-2015.Having started with the firm in 1988, there is a great sense of returning home, he says.I look forward to delivering to my clients the full resources of a globally integrated platform, particularly as we continue to service an increasing volume of cross border transactions.K&L Gates Australia managing partner Nick Nichola said Mann had made a substantial contribution to the firm over the last 25 years.His energy and his passion for his work, his clients, and his colleagues will be a great asset to the firm. John is highly regarded in both the marketplace and across our firm, and I have no doubt he will make a great impact from the day he returns, he said.K&L Gates has recently added corporate partners Nick Humphrey, Dan Atkin and Hal Lloyd in Sydney, and Phillip Vickerty and Jeremy Prentice in Brisbane.During his previous stint on the board, Mann was involved in initiatives including knowledge management, pro bono, corporate social responsibility, and diversity. One law firms team is excited by a series of new technology ideas due to be fleshed out at a scheduled hack day today, with the expectation at least some will improve its service to clients.After pairing back a pool of 45 internally-generated innovation ideas, Henry Davis York is holding a hack day today to work on a shortlist of five ideas selected by the firms new innovation committee.One of the proposed ideas involves developing a cloud-based contract management database for clients based on software Henry Davis York is already using that incorporates basic machine learning.Another is to build a client relationship management application that would provide an interactive communications and reporting tool for Henry Davis York clients, according to the firm.Assisted by a Hack Days Australia facilitator, an assorted group of about 40 participants will work on the total of five ideas tomorrow in an effort to bring them from the idea stage to a reality for clients.Henry Davis York partner and chairman of the innovation committee, Alex Mufford, says that the real value in the lead up to the hack day has been the client-centred thinking that has emerged.There's a real and tangible sense of excitement around the day but more importantly, a great feeling of collaboration, Mufford says. "We've enlisted the involvement of a wide range of people from across the firm. Its a level of cross-team collaboration you don't normally see in law firms. It's also generating some healthy competition with teams meeting ahead of the day to start planning, Mufford says.What we're most excited about is how we've got a range of people from across the firm trying to put themselves in the minds of their clients.The firms legal and operational management will be involved, including the managing partner, chief information officer, head of the innovation committee, head of business development, head of knowledge and head of pricing. They will join other partners, lawyers and client development team members.There is also a client-side representative. We also have Richard Schutte, head of innovation, business banking, NAB, attending and sharing his valuable time and insights as part of the judging panel.The five ideas are to be conceptualised by teams participating in the hack day tomorrow, and the winners will then be bought to fruition by internal working groups following the hack day.Earlier in 2016, HDY formed an innovation committee and launched its Ignite program, an innovation framework designed to capture and harness the innovative ideas of its people.The hack day is the latest step in the Ignite programs first round of innovation, helped along by the launch of a dedicated Ignite site within its HDY Connect internal communications platform.We're committed to holding this special day as part of our 'Ignite' innovation program because we see it as a fantastic forum to develop some of the ideas that were submitted from across the firm, to encourage a culture of collaboration and to drive client-facing creative thinking, Mufford says. People looking for jobs in the mining industry in Australia have been warned about opportunistic scammers who have set up a fake jobs website.The fake website miningjobswa.org is mimicking a legitimate employment website called miningjobswa.net.au and is using an Australian Business Number stolen from an Australian company with a similar name. The Department of Commerce said that the bogus website is still active despite efforts by Consumer Protection to have is shut down and the address being used by the scammers is not a business premises, but a recreational park.Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard said job seekers need to be aware of fake websites that offer attractive job opportunities but only want to steal people's money and possibly their identity.'Already we have received a report of a potential applicant losing a few hundred dollars when asked to pay fees associated with their job application on this site. These callous scammers are attempting to rip-off job seekers,' he explained.'They may also be asked to divulge their personal information and send a copy of their passport for identification purposes. This opens the possibility of identity theft in the future,' he added.He also pointed out that while the current warning is specific to the miningjobswa.org website, there will be other fake sites on the internet, now and in the future, that are attempting to target job seekers.'There are also many fake job advertisements being posted on legitimate sites such as Gumtree and Seek. The number of reports and total losses from employment scams is increasing so we want to make sure that people are aware of the traps and their desire to find a job won't lead them to become a scam victim,' added Hillyard.The department says that job applicants need to be alert and carry out some independent research. A simple online search or phone call, for example, may be enough to confirm that a business, company or trading premises does not exist or is being impersonated.In Australia employment and recruitment agents must be licensed and are not permitted to charge job seekers for their services. They can only take fees from the employer. Applicants are urged to only use licensed employment agents listed on the Consumer Protection website.They are also urged to guard their personal information including CV, tax file number and any proof of identity documentation, such as a scan of a passport as all this kind of information can be used by criminals to commit identity theft.Job applicants are also reminded that they should not pay money upfront to secure a job, whether it's for training, equipment, transport or accommodation as this is not normal industry practice and likely to be a scam. Hi all What the best way to inform/update IMMI when going overseas on partner visa 820. I can't see an appropriate section in "update us" in my IMMI account to contact them to update them of my situation. 820 lodged 21 November 2016 PMV 300 valid until April 2017 I'm leaving for overseas 13th December and returning 6 February 2017. thanks Kim I have just searched the forum but couldn't find anything (I'm sure it's there but lost among the general threads about applying in Germany). Has anyone applied for a Police Check in Germany from Australia? I am confused about the witness requirements for the form: The personal data and the signature must be officially confirmed. Such official confirmation may be issued by a German diplomatic or consular representation or by a foreign authority or a notary. I'm not sure what they mean by foreign authority? Should we just go to the German consulate and have them witness it? Says it will help Renault-Nissan cut costs and build on hybrid tech and South Asian successes On October 20, 2016, Nissan completed its acquisition of a 34 percent equity stake in Mitsubishi Motors (MMC) and became its largest shareholder. MMC will also become part of the global Alliance with Nissan and Renault. With the addition of MMC, the Alliance will be in the world's top three automotive groups by global volumes, with sales of 10 million units in fiscal year 2016. In his latest LinkedIn Influencer post, Renault-Nissan Alliance CEO Carlos Ghosn says that Nissan had a clear choice when considering its acquisition of a stake in Mitsubishi Motors: Sever ties with its long-time partner, or choose to support its revival. "We chose the latter," writes Ghosn. The alliance strategy that saved Nissan from bankruptcy nearly two decades ago is inspiring the revival of Mitsubishi Motors. In 1999, Nissan partnered with Renault to create the Renault-Nissan Alliance. By joining forces, Nissan achieved a historic turnaround. Over the subsequent 17 years, both companies have grown stronger together. As Mitsubishi Motors faced the repercussions of misreporting fuel-economy figures earlier this year, Nissan had a clear choice: Sever ties with its long-time partner, or choose to support its revival. We chose the latter, for three primary reasons: It was a strategic opportunity: With Mitsubishi Motors, annual sales of the Renault-Nissan Alliance will reach 10 million units by the end of this fiscal year, putting the Alliance in the ranks of the top three global automotive groups. That gives us the economies of scale to compete with our largest competitors and maintain a significant advantage over the smaller ones. Mitsubishi's strengths complement Nissan's: We will focus on realising synergies through joint purchasing, deeper localisation, joint plant utilisation, common vehicle platforms, technology-sharing and an expansion of our combined presence in both mature and emerging markets. And those synergies which we define as actions that reduce costs and investments, avoid costs and investments, or increase revenue are significant. We believe in the strength of partnership: We also believe in the power of second chances. When Nissan was struggling 17 years ago, Renault offered a hand up. We know what it's like to face a crisis and emerge stronger. But unlike Nissan in 1999, Mitsubishi Motors has a healthy balance sheet; what's missing is its customers' trust. By addressing the root causes of the crisis and re-earning its customers' trust, Mitsubishi Motors can be sustainably successful. It will need to be done by Mitsubishi Motors itself there is nothing Nissan or any outside entity can do to change the mindset or culture of another company. But Nissan can and will provide its skills and share its experiences from its own transformation. The Mitsubishi board of directors, recognising the significant transformation necessary, asked me to take on the role of chairman of Mitsubishi Motors. In that oversight role, I will support CEO Osamu Masuko and chief operating officer Trevor Mann, who will handle day-to-day operations of the company. By serving as chairman, I can help ensure Mitsubishi Motors benefits from and contributes to the Alliance. Nissan and Renault will benefit as well from this new partnership, starting immediately with savings from joint purchasing. Other examples will include the ability to leverage Mitsubishi's know-how in Japan's popular kei car segment, to adopt Mitsubishi's systems for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, to capitalize on its strength in pickup trucks, and to build on its successful operations in Southeast Asia. We believe the synergies will return 10 percent of Nissan's investment in 2017 already and more than 20 percent the year after. As our partnership grows in the years to come, we will identify additional synergies at the regional level, as well as explore specific benefits for Renault and our other partners. Of course, the success of any alliance is never guaranteed. Others have tried and failed. But the Renault-Nissan Alliance has 17 years of experience that we can apply to this next challenge in our unique and successful story of global, cross-cultural cooperation. In the process, we expect to utilize our new scale and leverage Mitsubishi Motors' assets to deliver new technologies and better vehicles to our customers around the world. This is a time of change and unpredictability in the auto industry, as new technologies and new players promise to disrupt the status quo. One thing we know from experience is that we can do far more with the right partner than we can achieve alone. I'm excited and confident about our prospects as we embark down the road to Mitsubishi Motors' revival. A differentiation in the excise duty for full hybrids and mild hybrids, with lower duty for the former, has also been requested. The subsidy offered by government on vehicles with alternative sources of propulsion such as hybrid and electric vehicles has seen carmakers aggressively increasing the share of hybrid technology in their line-ups. While some companies such as Mahindra, Toyota and Maruti have introduced locally assembled vehicles with diverse forms of hybrid technology at a relatively lower price thanks to the government incentives the overall penetration of hybrids within the automotive segment still remains low. Moreover, a quite a few hybrids in the pipeline will be introduced as fully imported or completely built units, thereby losing out on benefits. As a result, Toyota and a clutch of other carmakers have urged the government to provide some incentives for hybrids brought to India via the CBU route. Toyota and other carmakers have approached the government urging them to provide some consideration to hybrid cars brought as full imports. We have asked them to create a new ecosystem not just for Toyota, but for all companies, a senior official from Toyota Kirloskar told Autocar India. The governments FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles) scheme currently benefits only the vehicles assembled in India. The scheme covers hybrid and electric technologies like mild hybrid, strong hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles and offers benefits of up to Rs 1.38 lakh. "Extending the benefits of the scheme to imported hybrid vehicles would defeat the purpose of the scheme, which was set up to encourage local manufacturing," Sugato Sen, Deputy Director General, SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers) said. However, carmakers argue that local assembly of hybrids is not a viable option unless they have adequate volume, which can be achieved by reducing prices. It is a classic case of chicken and egg situation. Unless carmakers have a certain volume, the price of the parts that have to be produced in India will not be viable, the Toyota official said. Nevertheless, the official understood the governments stand on incentivising only locally manufactured hybrids and said extending the benefits to CBUs would be a challenge. I think thats the challenge the government has to face. Because we have a logical case here since these cars pollute less, save fuel, have better technology, so they should be encouraged. Toyota is preparing to launch a salvo of new cars with the latest hybrid technology over the long term. It is banking on the upbeat demand for the Camry hybrid to drive interest. The carmaker will introduce the new Prius hybrid, the first car built on the TNGA platform, in January 2017. This will come in as a full import and will showcase the companys latest hybrid technology. Moreover, Toyota is set to bring the Lexus brand to India in mid-2017. Its range will include a couple of hybrids such as Lexus RX450h SUV and Lexus ES300h sedan. While initially, the set of cars will be imported, the carmaker plans to initiate local assembly, a move which will see it gaining subsidies under the FAME scheme, as well as price its vehicles competitively vis-a-vis German luxury carmakers. Similarly, Swedish carmaker Volvo too, plans to make a representation to the government pressing for subsidies on hybrid cars brought in as CBUs. The company recently launched its luxurious XC90 T8 plug-in hybrid SUV and deliveries are set to commence by January. Toyota also called for a clear demarcation in the taxation structure for full hybrids and mild hybrids, as well as a further reduction in excise duty for the former since they are more environment friendly. According to the present tax structure, hybrids attract same excise duty of 12.5 percent, irrespective of type (full or mild). A full hybrid such as a Toyota Prius, can be powered solely on electric power, whereas in a mild hybrid such as the Ciaz SHVS, electric power only assists the main internal combustion engine. As a result, the full hybrids are the more efficient and greener option. Cereals supplier KWS has added five new high-yielding cereals and an oilseed rape to the Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board 2018 Recommended List (RL). KWS said it had marked another outstanding year in variety development with three new winter wheats, two winter barleys and an oilseed rape added to the AHDB 2017-18 Recommended List. KWS UK, based at Thriplow, near Cambridge, is a supplier of new cereal varieties to UK agriculture. KWS said it added the highest-yielding varieties to the Group 2 and 3 sectors last year, and will this year add the highest-yielding varieties in the Group 1 and Group 4 sectors: KWS Zyatt has been recommended as a Group 1 bread-making wheat that combines high yields with outstanding grain quality and good all-round disease scores. The initial recommendation is provisional and is expected to be confirmed in spring 2017 following commercial milling tests by Nabim. KWS Kerrin is the highest-yielding Group 4 variety to be added to the RL. A KWS Santiago cross, it takes yields on a step from its parent, said the supplier, and has an exceptional performance in the east. KWS Hardwicke is a Group 4 soft wheat suited to distilling, Hardwicke is one of the shortest varieties (80cm) on the RL. In Winter Barley, at 107% of controls, Funky is the highest-yielding inbred six-row to be added to the 2017-18 RL, said KWS, and is just 2% behind the highest-yielding hybrid. It does well across all regions and soil types, has demonstrated stiff straw and is quicker to reach ear emergence than its two-row counterparts, such as KWS Tower, added KWS barley breeder David Harrap (pictured). The second winter barley from KWS to be added to the RL is KWS Creswell, a two-row feed. KWS Creswell has been added to the RL for the north where it is the highest-yielding two-row at 106% of controls, 2% higher-yielding than any other two-row. In Oilseed Rape, Flamingo is a conventional variety with east and west recommendation. It offers high treated seed yields, exceptional oil content and good disease resistance. A UK gross output of 108.5% of controls means it is the second-highest yielding variety on the RL and the highest-yielding candidate to be added to the list this year. New GST plans additional cess on luxury cars; automobiles in highest 28% tax slab Top luxury carmaker in India, Mercedes Benz has urged the Union government to reduce the tax burden on the luxury car segment while implementing the Goods & Services Tax (GST). It says excessive taxation on the segment will be detrimental to the automotive technological growth in the country. If the government expects luxury carmakers to bring new technologies on safety and environment in the country, it is not an ideal move to kill the segment by overtaxing it, Roland Folger, MD and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, said. We have observed in other countries that with a reduction in taxes, sales have gone up significantly. Optimising the vehicle payout (from taxes) isnt helpful for the overall industry. Luxury cars will attract an additional cess over the highest 28 percent rate for automobiles under the four-tier tax structure set by the GST Council. On the other hand, the government is yet to define what constitutes a luxury car. Folger said the company would benefit from the cutback in logistics costs of businesses as well as the enhancement in ease of doing business following GST's implementation. GST will make trade between the states easier. It will positively impact how we can move vehicles between states. At present, once our dealers pay a certain amount of tax for a particular state while moving a batch of vehicles, they cant get it back in case there isnt adequate demand for it. However, once GST is implemented, we and our dealers can move stock in a facilitated way, said Folger. Demonetisation impact The shortage in cash arising out of the governments decision to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes is not a big concern for Mercedes. About 95 percent of its vehicles are financed. The move however has dampened buyer sentiments since there has been a significant decline in footfalls and enquiries at the dealerships. People are emotionally insecure. Customers are not feeling like going out there and buying luxury items. We have seen less customers coming to the showrooms and it is taking them longer to take decisions, said Folger. Moreover, it will be difficult for the carmaker to match the sales growth of last year due to the demonetization move as well as ban on sale of diesel vehicles above 2,000 cc in Delhi-NCR. The company had registered sales of 13,502 cars in 2015, up 32 percent over the previous year. However, demonetisation would not affect the companys plans for 2017, said Folger. Mercedes aims to continue to launch products at the same or higher rate. It plans to end 2016 with 13 launches as against 12 announced earlier. Motorcycle enthusiasts have a lot to look forward to. We take you through the list of expected launches. Benelli Imperiale 400 The Imperiale 400, showcased at EICMA 2017, is Benellis Royal Enfield challenger. Its powered by a 373.5cc, air-cooled, SOHC, single-cylinder engine that produces 19.7hp at 5,500rpm and 28Nm of torque at 3,500rpm. This torquey motor is fuel-injected (with a Delphi ECU) and is paired to a five-speed transmission. The motorcycle rests on a tubular steel, double-cradle frame and implements a 41mm telescopic fork and twin shock absorbers. Braking duties are performed by a 300mm single disc with a two-piston floating caliper and a 240mm rear disc with standard ABS. The Imperiale runs a 19-inch front and 18-inch rear wire-spoke wheel combination, which gels with the bikes appealing design. The seat height is pegged at 780mm, which should make it an ergonomic delight for a wide range of motorcyclists. It is expected to hit the Indian market in 2018 with a price of around Rs 2 lakh. The Imperiale 400s timeline is now uncertain given the recent legal troubles faced by the owners of DSK-Motowheels. Coming: Q4 2018 Expected price: Rs 2 lakh Benelli Leoncino The Leoncino is powered by a 499.6cc, liquid-cooled and fuel-injected, parallel-twin that produces 49.6hp at 8,500rpm and 45Nm at 5,000rpm. This engine is paired to a 6-speed transmission and features a wet clutch. Typical of Benellis, the Leoncino sports top-notch cycle parts. The engine is housed within a tubular steel-trellis frame and the bike sits on 17-inch wheels at both ends. Pirelli Angel ST tyres will be standard (120/70 R17 up-front, 160/60 R17 at the rear). The fork is a 50mm USD unit while the rear gets a monoshock with 112mm of wheel travel. ABS is standard and it gets a 320 mm twin-disc setup with 4-piston calipers at the front, with a 260mm disc (with a single-piston caliper) at the rear. Its 785mm seat height and 145mm of ground clearance will make it accessible; but like all Benellis, the Leoncino is a hefty motorcycle at 207kg and this will, no doubt, blunt performance. The 13.5-litre fuel tank might prove to be a tad small for highway runs but this will certainly be compensated by the involving riding package the Leoncino promises to be. The motorcycle (in road-biased guise) was recently spied on test in the country and this is the only version which will go on sale in India. A market launch is expected to be delayed considering the recent legal troubles faced by DSK-Motowheels. Coming: Q4 2018 Expected price: Rs 4.5 lakh Benelli TRK 502 Benelli had first showcased the TRK 502 at EICMA 2015 in Milan, Italy, and now we are inching closer to seeing this motorcycle available at showrooms, here. It sports that typical adventure-motorcycle look with its large, beaked front-fairing and tall stance. The TRK 502 will come equipped with a 499cc parallel-twin, liquid-cooled engine that churns out 46.9hp of power and about 45Nm of torque. Besides these figures being quite appropriate for our Indian riding conditions, the TRK 502 will also be available in two different setups. There will be one road-oriented model with 17-inch rims at the front and rear, and one model equipped with a 19-inch rim upfront to assist in off-road duties. ABS will come as standard on both models. These figures are quite appropriate for the Indian conditions, but the weight of 210kg is going to be a bit of a performance dampener. As with the other Benelli bikes, this one's arrival date is also now uncertain. Coming: Q4 2018 Expected price: Rs 5.5 lakh Harley-Davidson Iron 1200 The Iron 1200 carries on the design first seen in the Iron 883, but brings a bigger 1,202cc motor to the table. This results in a claimed increase in torque of 36 percent, from 72.9Nm in the Iron 883 to 98.9Nm in the Iron 1200. The styling is also influenced by original Iron 883, with a blacked-out engine and chrome pushrod tubes. The bike also uses similar nine-spoke, 19-inch front and 16-inch rear wheels as the Iron 883. The Iron 1200 features a raised handlebar that is 812mm wide and with a 165mm pull-back, which should result in a more upright riding position. The Iron 1200 also has a new cowl around the single headlight that isnt seen on the 883. The bike comes from factory with a single seat and a 12.5-litre fuel tank. ABS and the Harley-Davidson Smart Security System are available as factory-installed optional extras on the US-spec models. The Iron 1200 is the most affordable of the 1200cc Sportster range in the United States. Coming: Q4 2018 Expected price: Rs 9.4 lakh Hero XPulse After Hero MotoCorp took the wraps off its much-awaited XPulse concept at EICMA 2017, it made its Indian debut at Auto Expo 2018. The XPulse features a raised front fender and a round full-LED headlight thats complemented by a windscreen. It gets an enduro-bike-styled handlebar and hand guards as well. Also on offer is a digital instrument console. The fuel tank, with pronounced knee recesses, features a flush-fitting fuel tank cap. The bike features an upright and commanding stance, with a one-piece seat that extends onto the fuel tank an expected element on an enduro motorcycle. At 825mm, the seat height is decent for the purpose, but it may feel a bit high for shorter riders. The engine on the motorcycle shown was equipped with ample protection a compact, functional-looking crash guard (in white) and a drilled underbelly bash plate. The XPulse is powered by a 200cc, single-cylinder, fuel-injected motor, which produces 18.4hp and around 17Nm of torque. The exhaust runs close to the right-hand side of the single-cylinder motor and ends in an upswept angle, close to the tail section. The single-downtube chassis featured on the XPulse makes use of a box-section swingarm and a monoshock rear suspension, as well as a smaller disc brake at the rear. This chassis proved itself in terms of frame strength at the Raid de Himalaya rally where it was tested. The XPulse gets a 21-inch front wheel, a single-channel ABS and a telescopic fork with 190mm of travel. The rear, meanwhile, gets an 18-inch wheel and a monoshock with 170mm of wheel travel. Coming: Q4 2018 Expected price: Rs 1 lakh Kawasaki ZX-10R SE The Kawasaki ZX-10R now has an SE variant that features electronic semi-active suspension derived from the companys Superbike World Championship race bike. Kawasaki claims that the new ZX-10R SE is loosely derived from Jonathan Reas Ninja ZX-10RR race bike. It is equipped with Showa suspension front and rear (Balance Free Front Fork and BFRC-lite shock with the same construction as the suspension on Kawasakis WSB Ninja ZX-10RR race machines). It is also the companys first motorcycle to feature Kawasaki Electronic Control Suspension (KECS) a technology that has stroke sensors and adjustment solenoids built into the suspension. This tech allows the bike to adapt to both road and riding conditions, and provide the right amount of damping with a reaction time of just one millisecond. Power figures, however, are identical to the 10R 207hp at 13,000rpm (with ram air) and peak torque of 113.5Nm at 11,500 rpm. We can expect this motorcycle to join Kawasakis India line-up soon. Coming: Q4 2018 Expected price: Rs 22 lakh Royal Enfield Continental GT Twin/Interceptor 650 The Continental GT Twin and Interceptor 650 mark the companys return to twin-cylinder motorcycles. The Interceptor is a highway cruiser with its upright riding stance and regular handlebars. It features a rounded tank with and a flat bench-like seat. The Continental GT Twin, being a cafe racer, features an angular tank, clip-on handlebars and a single seat. Both motorcycles are powered by the same 648cc, air-cooled, SOHC, fuel-injected parallel-twin motor that produces 47hp at 7,100rpm and 52Nm of torque at 4,000rpm, while being paired to a six-speed gearbox with a slip-assist clutch. The suspension, brakes and frame are also common between the two. They use a conventional telescopic fork up front and gas-charged twin shocks at the rear. Both motorcycles are built around the same double-cradle tubular steel frame and get ABS, as standard. The bikes are expected to launch in the third quarter of 2018 and be priced somewhere between Rs 3 lakh to 3.5 lakh. Coming: Q4 2018 Expected price: Rs 3 - 3.5 lakh Tork Motorcycles T6X We havent forgotten our homegrown Tork Motorcycles a Pune-based firm working to launch an electric motorcycle in India. Founded by mechanical engineer Kapil Shelke, his passion for racing has seen Tork Motorcycles participate in professional racing, including events like the coveted Isle of Man's TTXGP (electric motorcycle class) to the TT Zero Race. With the T6X, Tork plans to cater to the 125cc commuter bike buyers who are looking for something more premium. While the bike is expected to cost more than its immediate competition, the company claims that the lower running costs of the bike (a full recharge costs Rs 10-20) means that the additional expenses incurred will be easily recovered within a year of purchase. When unveiled, the T6X was expected to deliver a maximum range of over 100km on a single charge, while top-speed was limited to 85kph. Tork has said that besides the increase in range, other performance figures will remain the same. Its Li-ion battery can reach 80 percent charge in one hour when plugged into a 15A source, and will attain full charge in two hours. The highlight of the T6X is its connectivity features. It will get a display with navigation and a Mirror Link-like interface which is compatible with both Android and iOS devices. Tork is still working on testing and validation. It states that a 2018 launch is not entirely off the cards but it cannot comment on that, at this moment. Coming: Q4 2018 Expected Price: Rs 1 lakh AWD The main photograph featured in this story is the all-new Camry, teased by Toyota more than a month before its first public outing at the Detroit Motor Show. Other than the XSE lettering affixed next to the taillight, a date (January 9), and a promise regarding its design (Prepare to stare), Toyota refrained from letting anything else slip about the all-new Camry.Happily, however, the spy photographers caught the XV60 Camry doing its thing on more than one occasion. Additionally to the hints provided by camouflaged prototypes, a certain someone published a photo of the new kid on the block in racecar clothing . More to the point, the redesigned car Toyota will be running in the 2017 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. All these clues are clear indicators the XV60 Camry will be a looker. Slated to roll into dealer lots in fall 2017, the 2018 Camry is underpinned by the automaker's TNGA platform.Designed for Toyota and Lexus applications coming in front-, rear- orconfigurations, the new backbone will help the Camry shed some weight over the XV50 generations 3,240 pounds (1,470 kg). At launch, the 2018 Camry is expected to be matched with the AR family 2.0-liter turbo-four found in the Lexus NX 200t, as well as a 3.5-liter N/A V6. Its possible that Toyota will continue offering the 2.5-liter N/A I4 as the run-of-the-mill engine. Like in the 2017 Highlander , the Camrys 3.5 V6 unit is due an 8-speed automatic.A TRD-tuned version of the 2018 Toyota Camry could also make the cut, flaunting no less than four exhaust pipes in the Ford Fusion Sport s face. Of course, a hybrid take on the next-generation Camry is in the works too. See the badly damaged Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio in the picture above? According to the Kantonspolizei Aargau, the car was crashed into a bridge wall. One made from concrete, to be more precise. The police reports the driver, aged 46, lost control of his car at 11:30 PM local time on Tuesday, November 29, 2016. Fortunately for him, he managed to walk away.He didnt go far, though. Escorted by the police to the nearest hospital, there he underwent a blood test. Unsurprisingly, the result showed a BAC figure of 0.05 percent or 0.50 mg per liter. Hence, the offender had to hand over his license to the Canton of Aargau. In Italy, which is the drivers country of origin and residence, that blood alcohol concentration equates to a 500 to 2000 fine and a suspended license for anything between three to six months.But this being Switzerland , the law says the offender is also responsible for the investigation and administrative costs incurred. With property damage estimated at approximately 40,000 Swiss francs (37,150 or $39,550 at current exchange rates), its a given that the intoxicated driver regrets his decision to get behind the wheel after one too many glasses of wine.In all honesty, its not the cars fault. As long as you stay away from Race mode, the 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio isn't a scary car to drive. Far from scary, I would add. When all is said and done, though, its not pretty to see a Giulia Quadrifoglio in this sorry state. But hey, even Alfa's test drivers at the Cassino plant in Italy can get it wrong sometimes with the Giulia Q. The reason why people expected the Italian company to make a Coupe on the reborn 124 was that the original model used to have a coupe version based on the sedan, which shared its numerical designation. At the time, the sedan came first, and was followed by the Fiat 124 Spider and Coupe models.In todays world, Fiat did not base the current 124 Spider on a sedan platform, but signed a partnership with the Japanese at Mazda for a collaboration regarding roadsters.The MX-5 , which is the Fiat 124 Spiders cousin, received a fastback variant that is named MX-5 RF. Meanwhile, Fiat is expected to develop a Coupe on the 124 Spider platform, which could be revealed to the public by the end of next year.Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has already anticipated how this vehicle could look , as it showed a concept named Abarth 124 Rally, which featured a fixed roof. Fiat might get all sentimental on the 124 Coupe, and follow the retro shape of the roof, which would imply building a notchback coupe. While the name might seem overly technical for some, it is all about the slope of the roof and its pillars.In laymans terms, a notchback is a vehicle that has a three-box styling with a less pronounced trunk. Some models have an almost upright rear window, but all of them are characterized by the steep angle of the roof or rear window.A good example of this style is the smart roadster, while Americans can relate to Ford's Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, a car that is also considered a notchback sedan.Fiat is expected to offer the 124 Coupe with the same engines and powertrain options as the 124 Spider. An Abarth version is also expected, especially because the Italian performance brand put its name on a concept that showed a 124 Coupe. This body style will bring a price premium over the convertible. The flashy Italian went to New York for Thanksgiving Day, but he definitely wasn't there eat turkey and be thankful to the early pilgrims. Soon after touching ground in the Big Apple, he got in touch with a male escort, went into a housing project in Manhattan and could not be seen coming out for two days straight.It looks like his partying involved considerable quantities of drugs - the NYPD named cocaine and marijuana - and alcohol. So considerable, in fact, that Mr. Elkann soon needed more money to cover their cost, so he came up with a cunning plan of extorting some cash from his rich family.Elkann impersonated his kidnapper as he called his family and asked for $10,000 in cash. The money was supposed to be delivered to a certain drop spot, but the police could see through his plan, so instead of picking up the $10,000, Elkann got himself arrested.We [the police] just knew something wasnt right. We could tell his story was made up. It just wasnt making sense, a police source said, quoted by PageSix.com . Well, that's the thing when you're inebriated: you tend to make stupid decisions, and when there's nobody sober around to stop you, you actually go through with them.It isn't the first time the rockstar-like life of the 39-year-old gets public after back in 2005 he was found in a coma in Turin following a cocaine overdose. He managed to overcome that episode , but it looks like now his family has had enough. "His lifestyle: the drugs and hookers and stuff, are mentioned as the reasons which made the Agnellis lose their patience with Lapo Elkann.The family usually puts him on lockdown after something like this, the same source claimed, which is a natural reaction given their high profile. He is scheduled for an arraignment on January 25, but he'll likely keep a low profile in the meantime. We've been following the Slovakian slider for quite a few months now (more on that below) and her latest adventure is built around the kind of drifting described in the intro.Armed with a pair of Louboutins, the drifter jumps inside her E30 BMW 3 Series, superhero costume and all, going for a rather serious tire-slashing session.As for how we got to meet Nina, she's one of the two WooHoo girls. Together with go-kart racer Silvia Nedecka, Nina came up with this label, which is focused on the pair's pedal-to-the-metal activities.We came across their WooHooning stunts back in August, when Nurburgring settler Boosted Boris introduced them to a Koenigsegg. And it seems the girls, who took the hypercar for a spin, developed quite a sweet spot for the CCX.Notice that Nina mentions the Ring Garage name in the video we have here, with that being the label created by Misha Charoudin (this is Boosted Boris ' actual name). By the way, with Nurburgring closing its gates for 2016 this weekend, the man has now returned to his mother - we're talking about Mother Russia here.Signature red soles aside (these match the stripped-out cabin of the Bimmer), the French shoe designer has a thing for overly generous heel sizes, so the drifting action that awaits you in the piece of footage below shouldn't be taken for granted.We'll label this as yet another story the WooHoo Girls' daily drifter BMW has witnessed from an active role - the senior Bavarian vehicle has seen its fair share of stunts, such as the time when it was used as a tool for engaging spectators in the sliding process. HP Volvos sporty versions of the S90 and V90 have long been talked through rumors , and some of those were even confirmed by officials of the Swedish brand.We already know that Volvo will build a Polestar version of the S90 and V90 models, and some have said that it will deliver up to 600. The estimate seemed generous at the time, but it is not entirely impossible.First of all, the Polestar models based on the V90 and S90 are expected to come with an inline-four cylinder engine, which will feature both supercharging and turbocharging. The resulting engine is predicted to deliver about 450 HP.From there to the 600 HP estimate, the Polestar division would apply the T8 Twin-Engine hybrid system. Volvo fans already know that the unit we are referring to develops 87 HP from an electric motor, but whats to stop the Polestar specialists from installing two electric motors, or a single unit with more power?If Volvos twincharged four-cylinder engine will develop 450 HP in production form, the company is set to have a Polestar model with at least 500 HP. The resulting S90 and V90 models would then become the Swedish rivals of the traditional leaders of the segment, Germanys Big Three of premium brands that already have capable models in this niche.It is worth noting that the Polestar versions of the S90 and V90 models were confirmed by Peter Mertens, who was then the chief of Volvos Research and Development department. Today, Mr. Mertens works for Audi, where he was newly designated as a member of its board of management , where his is responsible for Technical Development.Evidently, Volvos R&D department has not been left without a leader, so projects like the S90/V90 Polestar have not been stranded. Theres a high chance that these two versions are already completed as we speak, but theres no way to know that without an official confirmation from Volvo, which has yet to come. SG Fleet Group Limited has acquired Motiva Group Limited, a UK-based provider of contract hire, short-term rental and fleet management services. This follows the Fleet Hire acquisition, which was announced in August 2016. Motiva currently has a staff of 50 and a 4,300-unit fleet under management, according to SG Fleet. With the acquisition, SG Fleet will have more than 13,000 units under management in the UK and more than 130,000 vehicles worldwide. The acquisition gives us further scale in areas such as contract hire, short term hire and fleet management, adds expertise in the light commercial vehicles segment, and creates a larger customer base for our salary packaging products, a company spokesman told Automotive Fleet in an e-mail interview. SG Fleet operates in three markets: Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. Noldus said that there are currently no plans to expand in other European or Commonwealth markets. We of course keep an eye on development and opportunities elsewhere, but Europe outside of the UK is not a focal point at this stage, the company spokesman said. SG Fleet is paying 12.4 million (U.S. $15.6 million) for Motiva, which consists of three operating units: contract hire services under the main Motiva brand; M-Way Vehicle Rentals, the rental division; and Motiva Direct, which operates the companys fleet management services. Campbells Bakery in Crieff plans to set up what managing director Iain Campbell describes as the first bakery school in Scotland. The first class will run on 28 January, following a test class in October that Campbell said was well received. He told British Baker: Its been an idea for a while ideally wed like to expand into the derelict hotel next door and make it a full-time bakery school. Were in talks with a local property developer on that front, but were starting out on our existing premises first. Campbell hopes that launching classes at the bakery first will demonstrate to potential funders that theres a significant demand. Ive done my research, he said, and from what I can see this is the first purely dedicated bakery school in Scotland. Campbell said his wife Ailsa gave him the idea he has already done bits and pieces of teaching with a local high school for the past five years, and has trained two young Scottish Bakers of the Year: Im hoping to sign another one so I can make it a hat-trick. Scottish Bakers said they were not aware of any other dedicated bakery schools in Scotland, and wished Campbell all the best with his endeavours. They also noted the recent investments in bakery at the City of Glasgow School. Last month Scottish Bakers won the Conference Development category accolade for the second consecutive year at the UK Associations Awards. Meet Olli, an electric, autonomous minibus from the future. Ollis creator, Chandler, Ariz.-based Local Motors, let Olli out for the Technology Pavilion at the LA Auto Show last month with a 300-foot driverless spin. Olli is an autonomous electric shuttle created by Local Motors. By the end of the year, Olli will be in testing in four jurisdictions. Olli embodies disruption. Olli was conceived through an open-source design platform and constructed in a micro factory, with many parts 3-D printed. According to Local Motors founder Jay Rogers, who spoke before the autonomous drive, Olli would be created on-demand and isnt designed to be sold through the traditional dealer network. Olli would be continually recycled instead of sold or traded in. You can quibble about when Olli and vehicles like it would see wide adoption, but as a business-to-business editor, sitting in Olli did prompt questions on how autonomous vehicles would be used in work environments, and how they would be managed. For the purposes of this exercise, lets assume we ultimately solve all the immediate questions on the technological, infrastructure, and liability hurdles regarding autonomous vehicles. Certainly, fleets are primed to be first adopters Olli has already been sold for testing to various public transit systems, including Las Vegas, Miami-Dade County, and a city in Denmark. Ultimately, autonomous vehicles will live in fleets in multiples of todays lifecycles, and workers whose primary job function is driving will need to be redeployed. Think about how that scenario will change procurement, fleet sales, residual value forecasting, driver screening and testing, safety and accident management, subrogation, and tax, title, and licensing services. With a negligible number of accidents, imagine what happens to the insurance industry as it stands today. Did we say Olli embodies disruption? Vehicles with vocation-specific upfits (think fire and ambulance, utility services, or contractor applications) would still be owned and managed more traditionally, as they would still have specific specing and operation requirements. They may be the last bastion where one-on-one human interaction is needed. For more commoditized applications, such as moving people or cargo, the vehicles may not even be domiciled in house, but called upon as needed. Traditional ownership and lease plans would give way to fractional use schemes. The actual owner would handle vehicle maintenance, while the fleet manager would be free to handle logistics and the fleets work-specific functions. With much longer lifecycles, those traditional tasks would be minimized. The art and science of buying and selling would hold less importance, along with understanding Ollis value at any given point in its useful life. So where does this leave the fleet manager of the future? Fleet managers will be free to understand ways to better use data to improve efficiencies, decrease costs, and boost profitability. Without the need for drivers to be behind the wheel, workers are free to work. Fleet managers could be tasked with managing productivity while in transit. Everything will be measured. How much are vehicles and workers costing per mile, compared to the revenue they generate? For consumer applications, such as car rental, how much can you charge a renter, and what services can you add on top? For shipment of goods, how much can you charge to move them? For vocational technicians, what are the costs compared to revenues at job sites? What are the costs when combined with costs to move equipment and technicians to and from that site? For fleet managers, figuring this stuff out will be where the futuristic rubber-like compound meets the road. Then again, this is all happening today with increasing complexity through telematics and data analysis. The entities facing this disruption fleet management and leasing companies, car rental companies, auto dealerships, auctions, and fleet managers have access to this data, and are using it today. Those who are able to capitalize on this data most intelligently will be best poised for the future. Originally posted on Business Fleet Image of Ford Fusion courtesy of Ford. Ford Motor Co. is recalling 602,739 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles in the U.S. so dealers can address a problem involving seat belt anchor pretensioners, the automaker said. The Ford Fusion cars are in the 2013-2016 model years, while the Lincoln MKZ cars are in the 2013-2015 model years. They were built at the Hermosillo and Flat Rock assembly plants. In these vehicles, higher temperatures generated during deployment of the seat belt anchor pretensioner might cause the pretensioner cables to separate. As a result, occupants may not be adequately restrained during a crash. To remedy the problem, dealers will insulate the front driver and passenger seat belt anchor pretensioners to prevent cable separation in a crash, Ford said in a released statement about the recall. A conformal coating will be injected into the seat belt anchor pretensioners to protect the cables from the extra heat. There will be no charge for this service. Ford noted it is aware of two accidents and two injuries associated with this issue. In addition to the vehicles recalled in the U.S., Ford is recalling 35,614 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ cars in Canada, 8,665 in Mexico, and 653 in federalized territories to fix the same problem. Fords reference number for this recall is 16S42. In related news, Ford is also recalling 25 2017-model year Ford Fusion vehicles in the U.S. to replace the second-row left-rear seat back frame because it may have been built with improperly welded pivot pins. In these cars, the seat backs may not adequately retain cargo in a crash, increasing the risk of injury, Ford said. However, the company isnt aware of any related accidents or injuries. Ford is also recalling two Fusion cars in Canada for the same problem. Dealers will resolve the issue by replacing the second-row left-rear seat back frame at no cost to the customer. Fords number for this recall is 16S43. Originally posted on Automotive Fleet Australias Civil Aviation Safety Authority has announced its extending its deadline for Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast installations in private aircraft, but GA advocates say the move wont do much to offer regulatory relief for aircraft owners. CASA recently announced the deadline, a requirement for satellite-based separation of IFR flights, will be delayed from Feb. 2, 2017 to Jan. 1, 2020. The authority says it will help owners more easily comply, and aircraft can be fitted with the equipment in an orderly manner reducing the burden on owners, operators and avionics suppliers. Australias biggest GA group, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, had pushed for moving the deadline to 2020, which would match the FAAs deadline for aircraft in the U.S., as reported Thursday by The Australian. Air carriers and charter operators will still be required to complete ADS-B upgrades by February 2017. However, CASA also imposed limitations on private aircraft that do not have ADS-B equipment by the 2017 deadline, requiring that they fly below 10,000 feet in class G airspace and obtain ATC clearances for flying in most controlled airspace, including GA class D airports. AOPAs executive director, Ben Morgan, told The Australian the revised measure is unworkable and CASA should meet immediately with the GA industry to work out something better. The restrictions mean that the extension will only apply to a very, very limited number of pilots, Morgan said. ADS-B doesnt service below 10,000 feet so whats the point? We want all airspace limitations removed. CASA responded in the report that AOPA and other GA stakeholders worked with the authority over nearly a decade on the ADS-B issue and it was agreed by aviation industry representatives, including AOPA, that ADS-B would be phased in over a three-year period commencing in December 2013. The FAA is working to comply with new legislation, passed in July, that will make it possible sometime next year for private pilots to fly without a medical but right now, until new rules are in place, the current rules remain in force, and that has created some confusion. One examiner advised some pilots who had special issuances that they should surrender their medicals, rather than wait for them to lapse, but thats never a good idea, according to Sean Elliott, EAAs vice president for advocacy and safety. An airman should never surrender their certificate, he told AVweb in an interview this week. In some cases, he added, it might be a good idea to just let it lapse. The misguided advice to surrender the medical was an isolated incident, Elliot said, and just a misunderstanding, but it could have resulted in a pilot losing their flight privileges. The decision to surrender should never be made lightly or without consultation with an aviation attorney, EAA said in a statement. As far as the new rules are concerned, Elliot said, We are hoping to see something [from FAA] in the early part of 2017. He advised EAA members to call EAA if they have questions about their medical or the pending new rules. AOPA and other member groups provide similar services to their members. AVwebs search of aviation news worldwide found announcements from Tecnam, theHayward Air Rally, the National Business Aviation Association andAble Flight.Tecnam has introduced a substantially updated and improved Mark 2 version of the companys popular P2002 Sierra. The Tecnam P2002 Sierra MkII now offers an improved cabin for greater comfort, top level avionics, new paint colors and interior options and a redesigned cowling for the 100-HP Rotax engine. The Hayward Air Rally, the longest continually held proficiency flying event in North America, is funding scholarships for students ages 16-18 for the EAA Air Academys summer 2017 program. The scholarships offered will cover the costs of camp tuition and round-trip commercial air transportation. W. Ashley Smith Jr., founder and president of Jet Logistics Inc., was announced as one of the inaugural recipients of the prestigious Dr. Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award by the National Business Aviation Association. Smiths nomination for the award, which was then vetted by a panel of NBAA Safety Committee Professionalism Working Group members, noted his lifelong passion and commitment to aviation. Able Flight and The Ohio State University will partner on a new flight training program for people with physical disabilities beginning in May 2017. The program will begin with two Able Flight Scholarship recipients who will take part in an intensive six-week program at the Ohio State University Airport in Columbus, Ohio, and who will be trained by OSU instructors. There are many reasons why you might want to buy a used homebuilt instead of building. Those who have built their own airplanes know the satisfaction of spawning a flying machine with their own two hands. But the reality is, some folks are either not in a position to build, or they simply arent interested. That doesnt mean you have to be a builder to enjoy the benefits of Experimental aviation. There are plenty of used amateur-built aircraft for sale, and many are an excellent value. Nevertheless, buying a pre-owned homebuilt can seem like a daunting task. I will attempt to dispel the myths and provide helpful advice so you can understand whats involved. For this article, Ill assume you are interested in purchasing a flying aircraft, not a project to be restored or completed. Ill also assume you have decided on your budget and mission. Why Not Buy a Used Production Aircraft? One reason is the sheer variety of homebuilt aircraft available. Many designs are significantly different from anything that exists in the production world. This point alone draws a large crowd to Experimentals that might otherwise opt to buy something built in Wichita. Another consideration is some homebuilt aircraft are no longer available in kit or plans form, but are for sale on the open market as flyable airplanes. One universal difference between factory-built and Experimental aircraft is the cost. Because an Experimental is amateur-built, it doesnt carry the burden of liability insurance, factory overhead, and certification costs. Also, depending on the popularity of the model, most homebuilts are valued near the cost to build, with no consideration for the labor involved. This represents a tremendous value for the buyer. There are also some regulatory differences between factory-built and homebuilt aircraft. These regulations vary from country to country, and should be well understood before getting too far into the buying process. In the U.S. there are no restrictions on buying a used homebuilt, as long as it is maintained and operated in accordance with the regulations governing Experimental/Amateur-Built aircraft. The current U.S. regulations even allow non-builders to do their own maintenance, as long as the annual condition inspection is conducted by a licensed A&P; this is another big advantage over factory aircraft. In many cases, modern homebuilts offer safety features that simply arent available in a comparably priced used factory aircraft. Some examples include modern EFIS displays that provide incredible situational awareness, better ergonomics, and human-factors considerations in the cockpit design, and advanced engine monitoring and warning capabilities. All are very common in todays Experimentals. However, in the production world, only the newest models have these features unless an older aircraft has been retrofitted at great expense. In both cases, most of these are out of reach for the average buyer. Doing Your Homework Since you already have a budget and have set a goal for what you intend to do with your new machine, the next step is research. This is vitally important. You need to know whats out there that meets your needs. One way is to spend some time on the Internet learning about various makes and models. A good place to start is the KITPLANES online Buyers Guide. At the end of the specifications for many aircraft are links to related articles. The KITPLANES archive contains hundreds of pilot reports and builder articles about a wide range of homebuilts, so theres a good chance youll find what you need. Access to all information is free for subscribers. Other publications are also a good source of relevant information. And youll gain valuable insight by surfing the Experimental sections of the Internet classifieds. When you see something that looks interesting, click to investigate it further and see if it suits your needs. For modern buyers, the Internet is definitely your friend. Its important not to fall in love with an aircraft that is plagued with issues or doesnt meet your objectives. Spending more time here will pay off in the long run, plus why wouldnt you want to fully educate yourself on your future pride-and-joy? As part of the learning process, youll want to determine if this aircraft is something you have the capability of maintaining. Many Experimentals are straightforward and employ factory construction techniques and systems, but some can be very unorthodox. This can be a huge hindrance for finding a qualified and willing mechanic. You dont want to buy a complicated machine and later be forced to sell it because you cant maintain it. If you work as an engine builder for a NASCAR team for your day-job, that V-8 powered Mustang replica might not be an issue. For the rest of us, shop accordingly. As far as the aircraft itself, youll want to know if it is still supported by the kit manufacturer. Can you still obtain parts? Are they costly? Can they be easily fabricated? These are important details to flush out that will not only affect maintainability, but resale as well. An aircraft constructed from unobtainium might be cause to reevaluate. Thats not to say you shouldnt buy an out-of-production homebuilt. In fact, plansbuilt airplanesthe genesis for this industryhave never enjoyed support. In the end, its all about being informed and making the appropriate decision for your situation. Lets Go Shopping Once you have a short list of aircraft models that will fit the bill, youll want to do some serious shopping. Again, print and online classified ads are very helpful. You might get lucky and find your dream machine on a bulletin board at the local FBO, but even then, use classifieds to compare it with whats available on the open market. It might take some time, but this will let you determine two important elements: how big is the market, and what are the price ranges. Since you have done your homework, those classifieds should also provide relevant information about that model to improve your decision-making process. If there is an aircraft based locally that is on your list, you could approach the owner about selling it. Many have purchased their aircraft this way. You save a lot of money and hassles when buying close to home. At this point you need to take your research and build a questionnaire or checklist, so you can ask the right questions when you contact sellers. If there are certain items you must have, or pitfalls that you want to stay away from, asking those questions first saves everyone a lot of time. If possible, talking to the original builder can be very insightful. You can pick their brain about details that might not otherwise be available. If the market is large enough, it is helpful to have a list of two or three final candidates that you can prioritize and go visit (with the intent to buy). Recognizing that you may be traveling long distances to view these birds, you need to plan carefully; the expenses can add up quick. Often you can get a good feel for how well an aircraft is constructed and maintained at first glance, but youll still want to crawl around and take a very close look at everything. Even if you dont feel like you know what you are looking at, common sense can be a powerful judge. However, this should not replace a pre-purchase examination. A thorough pre-purchase examination is an important part of any aircraft transaction. If you are qualified to do the pre-purchase examination, its easy enough to do it yourself. Otherwise you will need to rely on a third party (not the seller). You can use an A&P mechanic, a nearby EAA Technical Counselor, or another builder. If the person inspecting the aircraft has experience with the model, its helpful. But sometimes thats just not possible. The key thing is to make sure the airplane is safe. That means it must be built and maintained to aircraft standards. These findings will determine if the aircraft is something you need to walk away from or not. Small issues that can easily be corrected shouldnt be a problem. In many cases, you might be able to make the go/no-go determination yourselfbut only you can judge your qualification to make that decision. Even with a third party examination, youll want to pour over the aircraft yourself. Beyond the airworthiness determination, you need to be generally satisfied with your potential purchase. The same goes for the logbooks and all the records. The Paper Jungle You (or your inspector) need to make sure that all the documents are in order and there are no concerns. Each Experimental aircraft is issued a unique set of operating limitations by the FAA. Make sure there is nothing in there that would be onerous for you or the next buyer. The paperwork review is an important step for many reasons: 1. Youll be using an A&P to sign off future annual condition inspections. If they see something that makes them uncomfortable, you may be in for problems. You wouldnt be the first person to have to redo a 10-year-old repair or modification. 2. If you plan to resell the aircraft, the next buyer will be combing through the records as well. You dont want to lose a deal or take a hit on the value due to inherited paperwork, or lack thereof. If it is possible to get copies of the records before traveling to the airplane, you shouldits that important. If possible, you should fly the aircraft before making the purchase. If the airplane has a single seat, youll have to work out the best way to do this, or maybe forego this step. For multi-place aircraft, the seller should be able to take you up and at least demonstrate that everything is in working condition. This is your chance to see the airplane in action and get your initial impressions about how it flies. If you are not qualified to fly the aircraft and the seller is not an instructor or highly skilled in the aircraft, use caution! Do not use a demonstration flight as your checkout. Leave that for subsequent flights with someone qualified. One of the telling accident statistics for Experimentals is first flightsbut its not just the first test flight that is a problem. Many folks attempt to teach themselves to fly their new aircraft with disastrous results. Seek out an instructor or someone with experience in the aircraft. A local builder or EAA flight advisor can help. Some models have transition courses available that can really lower the exposure involved. This is one area that you need to put your ego aside and carefully consider the risks. Dont Forget Insurance This is an important consideration. More than one excited buyer has found that the combination of the aircraft and their pilot experience made them uninsurable, or the insurance was so expensive it was cost prohibitive. Its worth mentioning that insurers are wildly different, so exhaust all your resources before you give up. However, if insuranceis a challenge, it might be a hint that you are running into an area of risk. Insurance isnt required, but at least some insurance to protect you from personal liability is highly recommended. Once you have satisfied all the questions and you feel good about the deal, its time to purchase the aircraft. This involves a title search, title insurance, possibly money in escrow, a bill of sale, and most likely a purchase contract (optional). I wont go into the details here, but youll want to research these steps thoroughly. Many of these items can be completed before ever traveling to see the aircraft. Its also quite possible that the seller may not be up to speed on all the transactional matters, so you need to have a firm grasp on the process. Additionally, youll have local tax implications, as well as state and federal registrations, to comply with. And dont forgetyoull need a home for your acquisition, so these details need to be flushed out as well. This all sounds ominous, but its not really hard. Once everything else is completed, its time to get the aircraft home safely. There are a couple of ways to do this: 1. Obtain a ferry pilot. This could be an experienced colleague or a professional ferry pilot that you hire. 2. Ferry the aircraft yourself, if you are qualified to do so. 3. Have the seller fly the aircraft to its new home. In all cases, dont compromise safety. This isnt the time or place for you to learn to fly your new steed. Swallow your pride and live to fly another day. When it comes to value, its hard to beat buying a previously loved homebuilt. If you have ever been to Sun n Fun or AirVenture, you know that oftentimes they are built with such care as to put factory aircraft to shame. I know a lot of pilots that have jumped into Experimentals and have never looked back. Dont let the process intimidate you; there are plenty of knowledgeable people out there that are more than willing to help. All you have to do is ask. Happy hunting! Brent Owens is an ATP-rated pilot and a flight operations manager for a large business jet provider. He has flown his whole life and enjoys all aspects of aviation. He has rebuilt a 1946 Ercoupe and a 1970 plansbuilt Bucker Jungster I, and built an RV-8. He is formerly the vice president of EAA Chapter 9 and serves as an EAA technical counselor and flight advisor. He is passionate about promoting flight and sees the Experimental sector as the biggest growth opportunity for recreational aviation. This article originally appeared in the December 2014 issue ofKitplanesmagazine. Read More from Kitplanes, and learn how to receive your FREE copy of The Annual Homebuilt Buyers Guide! Twenty people went on trial in Yerevan on Friday, accused of being part of a clandestine armed group that plotted to seize power in Armenia. The trial began one year after more than a dozen individuals were detained in a dawn raid on their hideout in Yerevans Nork-Marash district conducted by Armenian security forces. They found large quantities of weapons and explosives stashed there. More than 20 other people were arrested in the following weeks. Some of them were subsequently released pending investigation. The arrested group was apparently led by Artur Vartanian, a 35-year-old man who reportedly lived abroad until his return to Armenia in April 2015. Armenias National Security Service (NSS) claims that the core members of Vartanians group called Hayots Vahan Gund (Armenian Shield Regiment) underwent secret military training in a village in central Armenia in August-September 2015. It says that Vartanian and his associates drew up detailed plans for the seizure of the presidential administration, government, parliament, Constitutional Court and state television buildings in Yerevan. Vartanian denied the coup charges when he briefly spoke to reporters in the courtroom. If defending Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) is a crime, then Im a criminal, he said. And if power belongs to the people, its impossible to seize it. Vartanians lawyer, Levon Baghdasarian, likewise said earlier that his client never intended to seize government buildings. But he did not deny that Vartanian set up the shadowy group and acquired firearms and explosives for it. Another major defendant is Father Anton Totonjian, a Catholic Armenian priest from Gyumri who was released from pre-trial custody in January. He stands accused of financing the armed group. Everything is fabricated, Totonjian told journalists at the start of the trial. Time will tell. I dont accept anything. Most of the other defendants also protested their innocence. They include Vahan Shirkhanian, a veteran politician who had held senior security positions in the Armenian government in the 1990s. He was absent from the opening session of the trial for health reasons. Mr. Shirkhanian is simply unable to walk, his lawyer, Hayk Alumian, told a district court in Yerevan. The trial cannot take place in his absence. The first court hearing was adjourned at the request of two other defense lawyers, who said they need one month to properly familiarize themselves with the high-profile criminal case. 2 December 2016 11:33 (UTC+04:00) The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced that the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan have not suffered any casualties and have maintained full control over the situation along the border, Azertac reported. The Ministry further emphasized that the Azerbaijani Army is ready to prevent enemy's any provocation at any time. The Armenian armed units shattered ceasefire with Azerbaijan a total of 56 times throughout the day, the ministry said earlier. Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war. Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 December 2016 14:23 (UTC+04:00) By Gunay Camal Anti-government rallies in Yerevan see no end, as Armenia, experiencing difficulties in almost every sphere, tries to lay the heavy burdens on people's shoulders. The government hardly does anything to improve the situation while the population is starving, buried in poverty and lawlessness. Those, who were fed up with the countrys economic failures and tax surprises such as 1,000 dram law, took the streets on December 1. Under the law, each working Armenian citizen will be obligated to contribute 1,000 drams (about $2) per month so that those, who have suffered while serving in the Armed Forces of Armenia, fulfilling the will of the aggressive authorities and occupying lands from its real owner - Azerbaijan, receive a small compensation for the crippled health and life. For the Armenian worker earning minimum wage, $2 is a significant amount to be passed out in a monthly tax, for which the person has not had a chance to budget. With slogans The poor dont want to die the protesters, who gathered in front of the Armenian parliament, announced that the Sargsyan regime has come up with a new idea to rip off the people in the name of soldiers, Epress.am reports. The soldiers of our army (and their families) after the fighting, will receive decent wages in case of a certain status (death or disability). Our goal is to encourage the soldiers and to make military service more attractive. was the announcement of the Armenian government for the law. Some 5-10 million drams ($10,000-$50,000) in exchange for the life and health- this is how the Armenian authorities see everything. We offer a counter initiative reads a message disseminated through the social networks. Lets collect 5,000 drams ($20) from everyone, who have a monthly salary, and send MPs, ministers, generals of the army, police, national security services, judges, prosecutors, investigators, tax officials, employees of the presidential administration and members of their families to the front. We promise a decent compensation, five times more worthy - 25 and 50 million instead of 5-10 million drams. They better know how to defend the homeland! They had more free time for thought about the fate of the nation and the motherland. They clearly and distinctly explained to us that war is inevitable and peace is impossible. Let us adequately evaluate the life and death of people, who tried in offices, private residences, holiday resorts and cottages, to the idea that the only way is to die on the front. Everything must be decided on the battlefield, and now their place there. The aggressive policy of the Armenian authorities brings a number of sacrifices among ordinary citizens. Bad news for the people is that "coincidentally mainly the victims are the poor. Long before the bill, serving in the army has not been honorable any further in Armenia and conscript-age young people are obliged to find new ways to escape it. Some pay, others leave the country, and even commit suicide just not to be in the hell of the Armenian Army. Most of the soldiers and the vast majority of those, who serve at the border, and sent to the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and attached areas of neighboring Azerbaijan, are the children of the poor families. The Sargsyan regime is sure that if someone should be sacrificed, then why it should be the poor? The Armenian authorities, instead of refusing from the aggressive policy towards its neighbors, especially Azerbaijan, does everything possible to worsen the situation and ready to stage a war if their being in power requires it. Meanwhile, Armenia has become the third most militarized country in the world after Israel and Singapore for the fourth consecutive year, according to an annual survey conducted by a German think-tank promoting peace. In its Global Militarization Index (GMI) released this week, the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC) rated the weight and importance of the military apparatus in the world countries. Armenia occupies third place in the latest GMI, giving it a higher level of militarization than any other country in wider Europe. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 December 2016 12:20 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli Azerbaijan will start accepting applications from investors wishing to work in its free trade zone (FTZ), expected to bring huge benefits to the national budget, in March 2017. Eugene Seah, Chief Operating Officer of the Baku International Sea Trade Port, made the remark during the Azerbaijan-U.S. business forum titled Trade and Investment Opportunities in the Post-Oil Era in Baku on December 1. Measures on creation of a free trade zone type special economic area covering the territory of the Baku International Sea Trade Port in the Alat township of Bakus Garadagh district was inked by a presidential decree on March 17, 2016. The Baku FTZ will include several components, such as Truck Parking, International and Domestic Logistics Centers, operating within a special economic regime, which expects to bring huge benefits to the state budget of the country once established. Arrangements are underway in the run-up to the start of accepting applications from companies interested to operate in the FTZ, he added. In September 2016, the Azerbaijani government and Dubai Port World (DP World), one of the worlds major port operators, signed an agreement on provision of consulting services for the creation of the free trade zone in the Alat township. Experts said that creation of FTZ in Azerbaijan around the Baku International Sea Trade Port in Alat settlement is a project with a great future, as it's good opportunity for attracting cargo traffic and investments to Azerbaijan. FTZ targets to create economic revival in the port and attract business operations to Azerbaijan. Earlier in November, Director General of the Port Taleh Ziyadov said that creation of the first-ever FTZ of Azerbaijan may start to operate in the first half of 2017. He mentioned that industrial clusters specialized in different sectors of light industry will be created at the territory of the FTZ, which will help to attract big companies to establish distribution sales network not only in Azerbaijan, but also on regional scale He said that the first phase envisages creating storehouses and clusters, while the next stage will provide for setting up small enterprises in such spheres as pharmaceutics, petrochemicals, and light industry. Creation of the FTZ will give a push for the development of urban infrastructure as well, and Alat may turn into large trade town after 20 years. Moreover, a new airport may be created in the area in future. The project will also give a stimulus for the popularization and development of 'Made in Azerbaijan' brand, with which the country is keen to penetrate widely in the international commodity markets. -- Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 December 2016 16:42 (UTC+04:00) By Laman Ismayilova Azerbaijan Deposit Insurance Fund (ADIF) has so far paid compensations worth over 712.5 million manats ($406,055million) to depositors of the recently closed Dekabank, Kredobank, Zaminbank, Parabank, Caucasus Development Bank, AtraBank, Bank of Azerbaijan, Ganjabank, Texnikabank and Bank Standard. Banks Volume of paid compensations (million manats) The share of compensation paid to the total amount of insured deposits (%) Bank Standard 425.67 97% Zaminbank 52.37 72% Dekabank 3.02 96% Kredobank 27.19 97% 1.93 92% Atrabank 14.23 97% Bank of Azerbaijan 24.15 97% Gandjabank 0.98 94% Texnikabank 120.1 98% Parabank 42.87 98% The licenses of all the banks were revoked in 2016, as their assets were not classified in line with the law, and they didnt create adequate reserves and their aggregate capital did not meet the minimum requirements. Some 32 banks are currently implementing their activities in the country. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 December 2016 16:49 (UTC+04:00) By Laman Ismayilova Azerbaijan and Russia signed a program for cooperation in the field of culture for 2017-2019 as part of the 5th St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum in Russia. The document was inked by Azerbaijan`s First Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Vagif Aliyev and Deputy Culture Minister of the Russian Federation Alla Manilova. The agreement covers such issues as folk art, library and museum development, prospects of bilateral cooperation in cinema, exchange of experiences between musicians, educational institutions and much more. Azerbaijan and Russia are tied by firmly based ties, which were officially established in 1992. The cultural relations between the two countries are highly evaluated. The year 2005 was the "Year of Azerbaijan" in Russia and 2006 was the "Year of Russia" in Azerbaijan. Two countries held 110 special cultural events during these two years. The St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum aimed to represent positive and creative trend in policy, culture and social development as opposed to longing for destruction and chaos. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 December 2016 12:41 (UTC+04:00) By Rashid Shirinov Russia actively supports political and diplomatic settlement of conflicts in the post-Soviet area, including the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This was stated in the new Russian foreign policy concept, approved by President Vladimir Putin and published on the official Kremlin website. It was stated that the country backs settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the framework of the existing multilateral negotiating mechanism. The statement reads that Russia supports settlement of the conflict in cooperation with other states co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group and based on the principles outlined in joint statements of the presidents of Russia, the U.S. and France, which were made in 2009-2013. Russia's role in Nagorno-Karabakh settlement was also noted by Turkey. "Turkey respects Russias will in the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said after meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on December 1. The Nagorno-Karabakh settlement was also discussed during the visit of Russias Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on December 1, as part of Karasins working visit to Azerbaijan. Karasin held consultations with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said. He discussed the pressing issues of bilateral and international agenda during the talks with Azerbaijani partners. Karasin added that the further efforts aimed at speedy settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict will be made and effective measures on the conflict settlement will be supported. 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. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts. --- Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 December 2016 16:50 (UTC+04:00) By Trend Baku welcomes Moscows setting, in its new foreign policy concept, the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a priority in interactions with other OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries. Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry announced about this while talking to Trend on December 2. The concepts principles, outlined in the joint statements of the presidents of Russia, U.S and France, made in 2009-2013, are indicated as a basis for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement. Hajiyev stressed that inadmissibility and instability of the status quo were stressed in the statements made by the presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries. Azerbaijan, together with Russia and other OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries, will continue constructive actions to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through substantive negotiations and rapidly change the existing unacceptable and unsustainable status quo in accordance with the talks of the presidents in St. Petersburg, Hajiyev said. Russia actively supports the political and diplomatic settlement of conflicts in the post-Soviet area, said a new foreign policy concept of Russia, approved by President Vladimir Putin and published on the official website of the Kremlin. Russia contributes to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict together with other OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries as part of the existing multilateral negotiation mechanisms and on the basis of the principles set out in the joint statements of the Russian, US and French presidents, made in 2009-2013, the concept said. Azerbaijan and Armenia for over two decades have been locked in conflict, which emerged over Armenian territorial claims. Since the 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions. Armenia ignores four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, thus keeping tension high in the region. The OSCE Minsk Group, the activities of which have become known as the Minsk Process, works to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict for over two decades, but in vain. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 December 2016 11:14 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli Azerbaijan will request an action plan for a visa-free regime with the European countries as soon as the agreement on simplification of visa regime with the EU is successfully implemented. Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev Azerbaijans Deputy Foreign Minister told Trend that Azerbaijan and the EU are successfully implementing the agreement on simplification of the visa regime. Agreement on simplification of the visa regime between EU and Azerbaijan entered into force September 1, 2014. The agreement made it easier and cheaper for citizens of Azerbaijan to acquire short-stay visas allowing them to travel to and freely throughout most EU countries. A short-stay visa is a visa for an intended stay of no more than 90 days per period of 180 days. Under the agreement, visa fees reduced from 60 euro to 35 euro, and some categories of citizens are exempt from the fees altogether. "Azerbaijan and the EU signed two agreements on visa facilitation and readmission, and as far as I know, Azerbaijan has no serious violations," said the deputy foreign minister. "There are very few migrants in the EU from Azerbaijan, at least in comparison with other countries. If all goes well, the next stage of the implementation of the visa-free regime between the EU and Azerbaijan will begin." He said that the most important thing for Azerbaijan is the exact fulfillment of all obligations under the agreement, in order to have arguments to request an action plan for implementation of the next stage of the agreement. The deputy foreign minister noted that currently, the visa-free regime between Azerbaijan and the EU is applied only for holders of diplomatic passports. Mammad-Guliyev went on to add that the Brexit wont affect future negotiations between the EU and Azerbaijan on a new strategic agreement. The European Council adopted a mandate for the European Commission and the high representative for foreign affairs and security policy to negotiate on behalf of the EU and its member states, a comprehensive agreement with Azerbaijan. The mandate was discussed in Brussels at a meeting of foreign ministers at the EU Council in the framework of the discussion on the "Eastern Partnership on November 14. The new agreement should replace the 1996 partnership and cooperation agreement and should better take account of the shared objectives and challenges the EU and Azerbaijan face today. Azerbaijan has become a country of direct priority to the EUs strategy in its wider neighborhood since the last enlargement of the European Union in 2007. Azerbaijan affects Europes interests, mainly in a regional energy strategy. -- Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 December 2016 12:23 (UTC+04:00) By Amina Nazarli Baku hosted an event on the occasion of Great Union Day of Romania on December 1. The day commemorated the assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians held in Alba Iulia, which declared the Union of Transylvania with Romania in 1918. The grand reception brought together the heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Azerbaijan, representatives of Romanian diaspora and public figures of Azerbaijan. In his welcoming speech Romanian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Dan Iancu said he is very proud to recall that 25 years ago, on December 11 1991, Romania was the second country to recognize the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan. We are also getting close these days to a landmark event in the history of relationships between Romania and Azerbaijan, the ambassador noted. "During these past 25 years, the ties between our two nations have grown ever stronger in all areas political, economic, cultural and humanitarian. Romania and Azerbaijan enjoy now close and solid relations, founded on true friendship, solidarity and trust. The bilateral Strategic Partnership signed in 2009 the first such arrangement concluded by Azerbaijan with an EU Member State gave full recognition, but also new momentum, to an already very dynamic cooperation," he said. Iancu emphasized Romania has always been and will remain a close partner of Azerbaijan in the international arena. We support the overall development of the dialogue between Azerbaijan and the EU, as well as the early launch of negotiations on a new Agreement, which should be as ambitious as possible. "As you know, the Embassy of Romania in Baku has carried out, for four consecutive terms, the task of local NATO Contact Point Embassy. In this capacity, we are proud to have been part and parcel of the effort to strengthen the dialogue between Azerbaijan and the Alliance and to inform Azerbaijani public opinion about NATOs policies and values," he said. The ambassador said that over these past two months since he has taken up duty in Baku, he had the chance to experience, time and again, the trust and openness of the Azerbaijani authorities towards his country. "On a personal note, I was moved by the friendship and generosity shown by every Azerbaijani citizen I met, both in a professional and a personal capacity. For all these, I am deeply grateful," he said. In turn, Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev, Azerbaijani Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, congratulated Romanian people on the holiday on behalf of the Azerbaijani government. Mammad-Guliyev added that the Romania-Azerbaijan relations are of strategic nature. The two countries have a joint action plan on international arena, he said, expressing his hope for the plan to be implemented soon. He stressed the importance of work of the bilateral intergovernmental commission, noting that Azerbaijan and Romania will discuss economic and energy cooperation at the next meeting. Mammad-Guliyev also thanked Romania as a EU member for its support. Romania and Azerbaijan enjoy traditionally very close and friendly relationships developing since 2009 within the framework of the bilateral Strategic Partnership. During the past three years there has been a steady increase of the bilateral trade turnover. For the whole of 2015 (according to Romanian data) the bilateral trade stood at $161.3 million, up 13 percent compared to 2014, with a balance in favor of Azerbaijan. On December 1, 1918 the Peoples Assembly in the city of Alba Iulia (South-West Transylvania) unanimously adopted a Resolution stating the union of the provinces of Transylvania, Banat, Crisana and Maramures (until that time part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), all with Romanian-majority population, with the Kingdom of Romania. Coming in the very aftermath of the World War I, the Great Union of 1918 (as it is called by Romanians) marked the accomplishment of the process of national reawakening started out by the formation of the modern Romanian state in 1859. This historic event reflects the fulfillment of a long-lasting desire for freedom, unity and national dignity of many generations of Romanians. December 1 is celebrated by Romanians all over the world as a symbol of solidarity, hope and triumph against adverse circumstances. It reflects, to this day, Romanias attachment to the principles of tolerance, mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and respect for cultural values of all people. -- Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 December 2016 11:24 (UTC+04:00) By Trend Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will pay a working visit to Azerbaijan December 3, a source told Trend on December 1. During the visit, Cavusoglu is expected to hold talks with Azerbaijani officials and discuss the prospects of relations in all spheres, the source said. Cavusoglu and Azerbaijani officials will also exchange views on the situation in the region, including the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts settlement. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 December 2016 15:20 (UTC+04:00) By Laman Ismayilova Worlds top physicists will gather in Baku for the Asia-Pacific Conference and Workshop on Quantum Information Science to be held on December 3-5. The conference will hear nearly 50 lectures from local and foreign scientists, Azertac reported. The event will be co-organized by the Institute of Physics of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), ANAS Presidium, and Science Development Fund under the President of Azerbaijan. Quantum Information Science is now a well-established field of research, with interests spanning many traditional physics disciplines, including atomic and optical physics, quantum optics, many-body and low-temperature physics, condensed matter physics and solid state etc. The Asia-Pacific Conference and Workshop on Quantum Information Science entertains submissions across the full range of subfields. It carries forward a series of conferences and workshops initiated by a pair of workshops in Singapore, in 2001 and 2003, and the first conference in Taiwan in 2004. The conference has been previously held in Singapore, Republic of Korea, Australia, China, Israel, Malaysia, Taiwan and New Zealand. --- Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 December 2016 11:41 (UTC+04:00) Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received members of the Supreme Religious Council of Caucasian People, who attended an international conference titled Traditions of religious tolerance in the Caucasus and Azerbaijan's model of multiculturalism, in Baku on December 2, Azertac reported. The conference that kicked off on December 1 brought together members of the Supreme religious council, state and religious figures, representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Georgian Orthodox Church, and ambassadors of different countries. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz As the labor union-backed Fight for $15 begins yet another nationwide strike on November 29, I have a simple message for the protest organizers and the reporters covering them: I told you so. It brings me no joy to write these words. The push for a $15 starter wage has negatively impacted the career prospects of employees who were just getting started in the workforce while extinguishing the businesses that employed them. I wish it were not so. But its important to document these consequences, lest policymakers elsewhere decide that the $15 movement is worth embracing. Watch on Forbes: $15 Minimum Wage, What We Can Expect Play Video Lets start with automation. In 2013, when the Fight for $15 was still in its growth stage, I and others warned that union demands for a much higher minimum wage would force businesses with small profit margins to replace full-service employees with costly investments in self-service alternatives. At the time, labor groups accused business owners of crying wolf. It turns out the wolf was real. Earlier this month, McDonalds announced the nationwide roll-out of touchscreen self-service kiosks. In a video the company released to showcase the new customer experience, its striking to see employees who once would have managed a cash register now reduced to monitoring a customers choices at an iPad-style kiosk. Its not just McDonalds that has embraced job-replacing technology. Numerous restaurant chains (both quick service and full service) have looked to computer tablets as a solution for rising labor costs that wont adversely impact the customers experience. Eatsa, a fully-automated restaurant concept, now has five locationsall in cities or states that have embraced a $15 minimum wage. And in a scene stolen from The Jetsons, the Starship delivery robot is now navigating the streets of San Francisco with groceries and other consumer goods. The companys founder pointed to a rising minimum wage as a key factor driving the growth of his automated delivery business. Of course, not all businesses have the capital necessary to shift from full-service to self-service. And that brings me to my next correct predictionthat a $15 minimum wage would force many small businesses to lay off staff, seek less-costly locations, or close altogether. Tragically, these storiesin California in particularare too numerous to cite in detail here. They include a bookstore in Roseville, a pub in Fresno, restaurants and bakeries in San Francisco, a coffee shop in Berkeley, grocery stores in Oakland, a grill in Santa Clara, and apparel manufacturers through the state. In September of this year, nearly one-quarter of restaurant closures in the Bay Area cited labor costs as one of the reasons for shutting down operations. And just this past week, a California-based communications firm announced it was moving 75 call center jobs from San Diego to El Paso, Texas, citing Californias rising minimum as the deciding factor. (Dozens of additional stories can be found at the website FacesOf15.com.) Other states are also learning the same basic economic lesson: Customers have a limit to what they will pay for service. Voters in Washington, Colorado, Maine and Arizona voted to raise minimum wages on Election Day, convinced of the policys merits after millions of dollars were spent by union advocates. In the immediate aftermath, family-owned restaurants, coffee shops and even childcare providers have struggled to absorb the coming cost increasewith parents paying the cost through steeper childcare bills, and employees paying the cost through reduced shift hours or none at all. The out-of-state labor groups who funded these initiatives arent shedding tears over the consequences. Like their Soviet-era predecessors who foolishly thought they could centrally manage prices and business operations to fit an idealistic worldview, economic reality keeps ruining the model of all gain and no pain. This brings me to my last correct prediction, which is that the Fight for $15 was always more a creation of the left-wing Service Employees International Union (SEIU) rather than a legitimate grassroots effort. Reuters reported last year that, based on federal filings, the SEIU had spent anywhere from $24 million to $50 million on the its Fight for $15 campaign, and the number has surely increased since then. This money has bought the union a lot of protesters and media coverage. You can expect more of it on November 29. But the real faces of the Fight for $15 are the young people and small business owners who have had their futures compromised. Those faces are not happy ones. 2 December 2016 14:00 (UTC+04:00) By Laman Ismayilova Czech Minister of Trade and Industry Jan Mladek will visit Baku next year. The minister is expected to join the Azerbaijani-Czech intergovernmental commissions next meeting to be held in early February 2017 in Baku, Czech Ambassador to Azerbaijan Vitezslav Pivonka told Trend. We have prepared a memorandum of cooperation between the energy ministries of Azerbaijan and Czech Republic, and the final text is ready, Pivonka added. The agreement is expected to be signed by the two countries energy ministers in early 2017, said the ambassador. The envoy mentioned that Vice-Speaker of the Czech Republics Parliament Vojtech Filip will also visit Baku to take part in the GUAM Parliamentary Assembly. The visit is scheduled for December 14-16. Pivonka emphasized that the two countries enjoy a strategic cooperation. The Czech Republic is the largest importer of Azerbaijani products in the EU and ranks ninth among those countries in terms of exports to Azerbaijan. The Czech Republic mainly imports Azerbaijani oil, but predominantly exports industrial equipment and consumer goods to Azerbaijan. Energy-rich Azerbaijan plays an important role in the diversification of sources of oil supplies to Czech and ensuring its energy security. The Czech Republic is one of the major investors in the economy of Azerbaijan. The amount of the Czech investments exceeded $2 billion in the past six years. The Czech side is also interested in attracting Azerbaijani tourists. Although Prague and Karlovy Vary are the most popular destinations of Azerbaijani tourists, southern regions of the Czech Republic can also attract them. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 December 2016 17:17 (UTC+04:00) By Trend The next meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development will be held on December 15 in Baku, the GUAM Secretariat told Trend on December 2. The meeting agenda includes discussions on GUAM member-states integration to Europe, cooperation within the Eastern Partnership program, role of multilateral parliamentary cooperation in ensuring regional and international security, role of regional and international parliamentary organizations in development of interregional cooperation, energy potential of the GUAM region, and others. The meeting is expected to be attended by delegations of the GUAM member-states Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine as well as representatives of the Baltic Assembly, Visegrad Group and Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic Speaking Countries (TurkPA). The GUAM format was created by the post-Soviet states in 1997 during the summit of heads of states of the European Union in Strasbourg. In 1999, Uzbekistan joined the format and four years later withdrew. In 2006, Ukraine and Azerbaijan announced plans to further increase the GUAM member relations by renaming the organization as GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development and establishing its headquarters in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. Azerbaijan assumed the chairmanship in GUAM on January 1, 2016. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 December 2016 10:36 (UTC+04:00) By Trend Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday had a phone conversation, according to a presidential source, Anadolu reported. The two leaders exchanged views on Cyprus peace talks and discussed the latest developments in Syria, especially the conflict-hit city Aleppo, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media. During the conversation, Erdogan said that Turkey wanted a fair, lasting, and comprehensive solution that protected both sides' rights in the island. Reunification discussions resumed in May 2015, and both sides repeatedly expressed optimism that a solution could be found by the end of 2016. In addition, the Turkish president said that European Union must fulfill its obligations about the refugees and expected Merkel to put forward a more active fight against terrorist PKK and Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) in Germany. Led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, FETO is accused of orchestrating Turkeys July 15 coup plot as well as being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through infiltrating Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and the judiciary. The July 15 defeated coup left 248 martyred and nearly 2,200 wounded. On Aleppo, the two leaders stressed to speed up efforts for delivery of humanitarian aid to Aleppo. Located 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Turkish border, Aleppo is Syrias second-largest city that used to be home to around three million people, mainly Arabs, including 400,000 Turkmens and 200,000 Kurds. A year after the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011, opposition forces took control of the citys eastern districts. In 2013, the Assad regime began a campaign of indiscriminate bombardment on the city that has triggered a humanitarian crisis in the war-battered city. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 December 2016 12:33 (UTC+04:00) By Gunay Hasanova The recent statement of Kyrgyzstans President Almazbek Atambayev regarding the closure of the Russian military base in the country became a very debatable issue among the regional experts and lead to discussions whether it is realistic to happen. The statement of President Almazbek Atambayev that in future Russias military base in the Kyrgyz city of Kant must be removed doesnt imply a change in the countrys political course and doesnt mean that the base will actually be closed, said Andrei Grozin, head of the Central Asia and Kazakhstan Department at the Institute of CIS Countries. I would not attach great importance to this statement. It would be pointless to look for a cunning plan of Kremlin in this and for an attempt to reorient the foreign policy, Grozin told Trend by phone on December 1. During an end-of-year press conference on December 1, President Atambayev said that after the expiration of the contract on the Russian base, the base will have to leave the territory of Kyrgyzstan. The Kyrgyzstan-Russia agreement on the use of the base was extended for 49 years in 2009 with the possibility of automatic prolongation for 25-year periods. Atambayevs statement came in the context of the fact that the U.S. transit center was removed from Kyrgyzstan, while the Russian base is left, and Kyrgyzstan should be able to defend itself on its own, said Grozin. He recalled that the Russian Defense Ministry has been making great efforts to modernize the Kyrgyz army for several years through bilateral relations and partnership in the CSTO. In particular, a lot of military equipment, weaponry is supplied to Kyrgyzstan free of charge, for example, the last batch of armored personnel carriers was supplied to Kyrgyzstan a few months ago, he said. The expert attaches a significant importance to the military base in Kant due to its location. There are other Russian military facilities in the region, the expert said, adding that however, they will be insufficient for tackling hostilities in mountains if they occur. Syrias experience shows that it is difficult to solve some serious issues in the mountainous and urban areas without strong air support, he said. It will be very difficult to solve any issues in the region, if required, without the Kant Air Base. Closing the Russian military base in Kyrgyzstan doesnt seem like a realistic scenario due to heavy dependence on the cooperation of Kyrgyzstan on Russia. This action will definitely tend to create tensions between the two countries. Kyrgyzstan accepts Russia as a large economic, military and political partner. This also plays to Russias own geopolitical interest in the region, because Kyrgyzstan has a unique location. It is right in the center of Central Asia and it neighbors China. In turn, Kyrgyzstan seeks itself closer ties with Russia. The decision of Kyrgyz Parliament in 2013 on U.S. to close its military base at Manas was one of its indicators. Kyrgyzstan annually earned $140 million from air base lease, taxes, and other payments. When the U.S. left the base, Bishkek started looking to receive similar compensation from Russia. Consequently, Bishkek needs to fill a revenue gap after the Americans leave. Taking all these facts into account, most of the regional experts consider that it wont be a rational decision for Kyrgyzstan to waive Russian military base because it is in interests of neither Kyrgyzstan nor Russia since Russia considers that military base for the sake of its national security in the Central Asian region. Moreover, Russia is helping Kyrgyzstan modernize its armed forces and provided Bishkek with a $1.2 billion military package. Russia also operates four military installations in Kyrgyzstan. They include the Kant Air Base near Bishkek and a naval test site in the Tien Shan mountains. In addition, Russia also provides substantial economic assistance to Kyrgyzstan by helping build its infrastructure, helping the country build hydropower stations, assisting it with gas supplies and helping develop its transportation and banking sectors. Nevertheless, some experts consider that this is an attempt to bring the former Soviet state under the umbrella of the Russian security forces. They believe that former Soviet states should maintain their independence and be responsible for their own security. They also justify their opinion by that Russia is not the Soviet Union in a military sense and that wont happen soon, therefore, the closure of the military base would make huge changes for Kyrgyzstan. Unlike this group of experts, Grozin believes that Kyrgyzstans army is weak and is capable of handling only local tasks within the country. The Kyrgyz army lacks combat aviation and is supported by Russia through the Kant Air Base, he says. Russia is interested in keeping the Kant Air Base as the integrity of the structure ensuring military-technical and military-political stability in Central Asia, which has been formed during the last 10 years, will be incomplete without it, Grozin added. Moreover, Grozin suggests that the Russian base in Kant is an air force component of the Collective Rapid Reaction Force of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which includes Kyrgyzstan. This is why it is hard to imagine such a situation that Kyrgyzstan, being a member of the CSTO, will take some real steps to deprive the CSTO of one of the main instruments of response to possible regional conflicts, said Grozin. If Bishkek wants to terminate the agreements on the Kant base, it will either need to withdraw from the CSTO or to negotiate not only with Moscow but also with other members of the organization, he concluded. --- Gunay Hasanova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @gunhasanova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 December 2016 13:24 (UTC+04:00) By Gunay Hasanova Iran and Turkmenistan intend to boost their ties and level of cooperation in various fields of economy, including energy, transport, and trade. Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov held talks with Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran Ebrahim Rahimpur, said the message of Turkmen Foreign Ministry. The parties noted the significant potential for deepening and diversifying mutual trade turnover. It was accumulated experience and mutually beneficial exchanges in all areas of cooperation, including between the public and business circles of the two countries, according to the message. The two countries border on the Caspian Sea and share a common border of more than 1,000 km. Iran and Turkmenistan, the two Caspian littoral states enjoy a considerable potential to expand effective bilateral partnership in various fields. Iran is the third largest partner of Turkmenistan in foreign trade primarily due to natural gas purchases. In turn, Turkmenistan imports from Iran raw materials, building materials, steel products and inorganic chemicals, plastic products, rubber, detergents, food and other consumer goods. Turkmenistan is the largest supplier of natural gas to the Islamic Republic. Turkmenistan also plans to increase its electricity imports to Iran. The joint project Iran-Turkmenistan-Kazakhstan railway which was designed to serve to the intensification of trade and economic ties in the Eurasian space, also plays a significant role in the bilateral relations between the two countries The railway route Uzen-Gyzylgaya-Bereket-Etrek-Gorgan was commissioned in December 2014. This railway is designed to facilitate the optimization of cargo traffic throughout the Eurasia continent. The total volume of trade turnover between Turkmenistan and Iran has exceeded $2.62 billion in 2015, according to the official statistics. Iran and Turkmenistan have agreed in February to increase the value of bilateral trade to $60 billion over the next decade. --- Gunay Hasanova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @gunhasanova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 2 December 2016 16:12 (UTC+04:00) By Gunay Hasanova Turkey is not a guest but a host country in Europe, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a meeting with mukhtars (village heads) at the presidential complex on December 1. "Neither the European Union nor the European countries that are on the brink of falling into the clutches of racism can exclude Turkey from Europe. We are not a guest but a host in Europe," Erdogan stated, Anadolu Agency reported. He said the problems Turkey was going through with some European countries were current political disputes. "If the EU is ready to put aside its meaningless hostility and double standards against Turkey, we are ready for full membership to the EU," said president. Erdogan vowed to "show goodwill" after the 28-union bloc took a step on what he said were visa-free travel, 6 billion aid for refugees, and opening on new chapters in EU membership talks. "The term of one-sided commitment is over," Erdogan said, adding Turkey was tired of waiting for an answer from the EU for over 50 years. Turkey and the EU signed a refugee deal in March, which aimed to discourage irregular migration through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving the conditions of nearly three million Syrian refugees in Turkey. The deal also allowed for the acceleration of Turkeys EU membership bid and visa-free travel for Turkish nationals within the Schengen area. Later, the EU and Turkey had confirmed their commitment to re-energise the accession process. Turkey formally applied to become an EU member in 1987, while accession talks began in 2005. However, in late November 2016, the European Parliament approved a non-binding motion to freeze EU-membership talks with Turkey, in response to post-coup investigations and recent developments in the country including measures taken within the framework of the fight against the PKK and FETO terrorist groups. Following the EPs vote, the Turkish president warned to open the countrys borders and allow refugees into the EU. The EU countries' leaders also decided to evaluate relations with Turkey at the EU summit on December 15- 16. --- Gunay Hasanova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @gunhasanova Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz In case youve been too busy playing Final Fantasy XV for most of this week, you should know that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) just came up with a historic deal in their meeting this week. Here are 7 things you need to know about the event: First deal since 2008 Just last Wednesday, all 14 (but now 13) OPEC members have decided to reduce their oil production for a spell. This is a pretty big deal considering that the members have not played nice since an output cut deal in 2008. Heck, it didnt even look like there was going to be a deal up until the 11th hour when Saudi Arabia finally yielded to Irans requests for exemptions! But economics won in the end, it seems. With Black Crack losing more than half of its value since 2014, the worlds major oil producers are forced to address the global oil oversupply issue in an effort to pull prices back up. Under the deal, OPEC members will reduce their daily oil output from its current 33.7 million barrels per day (mb/d) to 32.5 mb/d for six months starting in January 2017. The initiative can also be extended by another six months depending on prevailing market conditions and prospects. 4 countries will shoulder most of the cuts Saudi Arabia, OPECs largest producer, and de facto leader will reduce its output by 486,000 to 10.058 mb/d. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will cut its production by 139,000 barrels a day to 2.874 mb/d while Kuwait will reduce 131,000 a day to 2.707 mb/d. Rounding up the top four with the biggest cuts in Iraq, which is OPECs second-largest producer and has previously pushed for exemptions due to its battle with Islamic State. It eventually agreed to cut 210,000 to 4.351 mb/d. 3 countries WONT be making cuts Iran, which is OPECs third-largest producer, initially wanted to reach its pre-sanction levels of 4 mb/d. Saudi said uh-uh and pushed for a freeze at 3.7 mb/d. They eventually reached a compromise where Iran is allowed to INCREASE its oil production by 90,000 to 3.8 mb/d. Interestingly, Irans new production levels are actually LOWER in 2017 if the chart above is any indication. Think its a typo? Or a way for Iran to declare victory today and still reduce output next year? Meanwhile, Libya and Nigeria, which both dealt with production disruptions due to militant attacks, are exempted from making any cuts during the six-month period. Russia is in, Indonesia is out Russia may not be with the OPEC gang, but it has also pledged to cut by as much as 300,000 barrels a day conditional on its technical abilities. This may not be worth much since theyve been pumping at record high levels, but its still a good gesture coming from the largest oil producer outside the OPEC. One country thats NOT sitting with the OPEC gang anytime soon is Indonesia. Its not clear whether it was kicked out or it was voluntary, but the Asian country now has its membership suspended. Recall that Indonesia already bailed in 2009 as dwindling production meant it had become a net importer of crude oil, which is against OPECs statute for full membership. According to Nigerias Oil Minister, Indonesia was unable to contribute a large enough cut. However, analysts are quick to point out that the suspension effectively gives Indonesia the green light to pump as much as it wants. Coincidence? We think not! There will be production police! And no, it wont be called the Police of OPEC Production or PoOP. The goal of the Ministerial Monitoring Committee (MMC) is to closely monitor the implementation of and compliance with this Agreement and report to the Conference. It will be composed of Algeria, Kuwait, Venezuela, and two participating non-OPEC countries, chaired by Kuwait and assisted by the OPEC Secretariat. The oil market is rebalancing At least according to the Conference minutes. See, the group has crunched the numbers since its meeting in Algeria and now theyre expecting non-OPEC supply to contract by 800,000 mb/d for the rest of 2016 before eventually growing by 300,000 mb/d in 2017. World oil demand is also set to grow at healthy levels of around 1.2 mb/d in both 2016 and 2017. Meanwhile, global growth is expected to expand by 2.9% in 2016 and 3.1% in 2017. The numbers support that a market rebalancing is underway, although OPEC members also stressed that Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and non-OECD inventories still stand well above the five-year average. Oil prices rocketed at the news The deal came as a surprise for many market players who have lost confidence in OPECs ability to rally its troops and influence the oil markets. Well, OPEC sure showed them! Brent crude shot up to a high of $52.36 before ending the day 8.6% higher at $51.52, while the U.S. crude oil prices also popped up to $49.90 before calling it a day at $49.13. Not everyone is convinced, however. First, these OPEC members were more or less pumping at RECORD HIGH levels before the deal took place. Saudi Arabia, for example, peaked at 10.673 mb/d in July while Russia just set a post-Soviet record high production in September. And then theres the quota reinforcement issue, something that OPEC doesnt have a good track record on. Based on how oil prices have sustained their gains though (Brent oil is currently above $53), it seems like market players are willing to give the latest OPEC deal the benefit of the doubt. Anti-gay Republican Virginia Foxx on April 29, 2009, in a speech on the House floor claimed that Matthew Shepards death was merely the result of a robbery gone bad despite the fact that his killers Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson admitted they knew his sexual orientation and even pretended they were gay to lure him away from the bar he was in at the time. Now Foxx who has been named to head the House Education Committee says her main plan is undo every advance achieved by the Obama administration. Via Politico: Virginia Foxx pulled herself up by her own bootstraps and wants every American child to be able to do the same. As the 73-year-old GOP lawmaker and former community college president is poised to assume the leadership of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, she plans to help deliver on that idea or at least, erase what she regards as Barack Obamas wrongheaded approach. Foxx, who boasts she was tea party before the tea party started, is blunt about her agenda: She says she will do everything possible to expunge most of Obamas education legacy. She is a strong supporter of school choice as President-elect Donald Trump rolls out his $20 billion school choice plan emphasizing vouchers and she expects to have an ally in Trumps pick for education secretary, Betsy DeVos. Im going to push to diminish the role of the federal government in everything its in that isnt in the Constitution, Foxx said in an interview in her district. Thats education, health care. All the things that the federal government does that it should not be doing. Im happy to diminish its role. She wants to re-examine the role of the Education Departments Office for Civil Rights, which conservatives revile for its focus on issues such as campus sexual assault and bathroom access for transgender students. The office deserves some scrutiny, let me just put it that way, Foxx said. http://freebeacon.com/issues/resettling-middle-eastern-refugees-costs-taxpayers-64370-per-refugee/ Resettling Middle Eastern Refugees Costs Taxpayers $64,370 Per Refugee 91 percent of refugees receive food stamps, 68 percent receive cash assistance BY: For their first five years in the United States, each Middle Eastern refugee costs taxpayers $64,370 to resettle them here, according to a report from the Center for Immigration Studies. The report is really about how much more, how expensive it is, given our refugee resettlement system, to bring folks in, explains the author of the report, Steven Camarota. The cost to resettle them in the United States is 12 times the cost of resettling them in a neighboring Middle Eastern country. Instead of resettling them here, the report explains that 12 refugees can be helped in the Middle East for five years or 61 refugees could be helped for a year. ADVERTISING I think you can argue that it would make more sense, the most effective use of the money, is to help people in the region, rather than spend all the money here, Camarota said. Because refugees are eligible for all welfare programs they have very high rates of participation in government assistance programs. The report finds that 91.4 percent of refugees receive food stamps, 73.1 percent are on Medicaid, 68 percent receive cash assistance, 36.7 percent receive Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, 32.1 percent receive Supplemental Security Income, and 18.7 percent live in public housing. Refugees have the most generous access to welfare programs of any population in the country, explains the analysis. Very heavy use of welfare programs by Middle Eastern refugees, and the fact that they have only 10.5 years of education on average, makes it likely that it will be many years, if ever, before this population will cease to be a net fiscal drain on public coffersusing more in public services than they pay in taxes. Refugees arent expected to be self-sufficient because they are admitted for humanitarian reasons. The report explains that careful consideration should be given to alternatives, since many more refugees could be helped in a neighboring Middle Eastern country. After settling in the United States for five years, refugees still have a high rate of participation in government assistance programs. If you look at all refugees who have been in the United States for 12 years, forget about food stamps, and public housing and Medicaid, the report is clear half of them are still on cash assistance, Camarota says. The majority who have been here for five years, which doesnt mean they just got here on various forms of welfare, its like 70 percent on various forms of welfare but half are on cash welfare. Lloyd Robert Cook, 77, formerly of Auburn. Funeral Services at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016, at St. Pauls Lutheran Church in Auburn, with Pastor Ken Miller officiating. Visitation will be held one hour prior to services at the church. Internment will be in the Grant Evergreen Cemetery in rural Talmage. Elizabeth Decker, 90, of Columbia, Mo. A memorial service is planned at the Holiday Inn Express, Beatrice, on Dec. 10, 2016 from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. Ray H. Dell, 89, of Beatrice. Memorial Services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016 at the Church of the Brethren with John Snyder officiating. There will be no visitation. Memorials are suggested to the Beatrice Community Hospital Foundation, Beatrice Community Hospital Hospice or the charity of your choice in care of the mortuary. Virginia F. Gottula, 89, of Pawnee City. Graveside memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016 at the St. Peters Lutheran Cemetery, rural Elk Creek, with Rev. Robert Schermbeck officiating. Inurnment will be in the St. Peters Lutheran Cemetery, rural Elk Creek. Loy G. Jones, 81, of Beatrice, formerly of Auburn. Funeral services at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016 at the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Beatrice with Pastor David Bigley officiating. Interment with military rites at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016 in the Sheridan Cemetery in Auburn. Visitation will be held one hour prior to services at the church on Saturday. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the familys choice in care of the mortuary. Irene Edna (Fisher) Pretzer, 98, of Diller. Services Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. at the St. Pauls Lutheran Church in Diller. Interment will be in the Prairie Home Cemetery, Diller. Memorials to the Verne and Irene Pretzer Nursing Scholarship. Dora M. Rieken, 96, of Tecumseh. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 5, 2016 at the St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Johnson, with Pastor Bill Shaner officiating. Visitation will be at the Wherry Mortuary in Tecumseh, on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016 from 1 to 8 p.m., with family greeting friends from 2-4 p.m. Interment will be in the St. Matthew Lutheran Cemetery, rural Johnson. Wallace G. White, 79, of Gladstone, Mo. Visitation at 10 a.m., followed by a service celebrating Wally's life at 11 a.m., on Saturday, Dec. 3, at Fairview Christian Church, 1800 NE 65th Street, Gladstone, MO 64118. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to Fairview Christian Church Food Boxes. A Pinellas County woman said she woke up Sunday to a burglar in her home, crouching at the foot of her bed, petting her cat. Homeowner said burglar broke into her Shore Acres home in the middle of the night Burglar was petting the homeowner's cat when she woke up and found him When ordered to leave, burglar turned and left Homeowner Brittney Cline said the entire incident seemed more like a nightmare than something that really happened to her. I sat up in bed and kinda leaned forward and when I did, it wasnt terribly bright but there was enough light that I could see there was a person crouched down at the foot of my bed. He was petting the cat, she said. According to Cline, the burglar broke into her Shore Acres home Sunday through an unlocked side door in the middle of the night. She said she couldve never predicted what happened after she confronted him. He didnt look at me immediately, but he slowly stood up, and of course at that point Im panicked," said Cline. "I knew I had to do something, but I wasnt sure what was going to happen when I did. I knew that when I said something to him, he was either going to attack me or he was going to leave. I just said, 'What are you doing? Get out of my house,' as loud and as firmly as I could," she said. "With that, he looked directly at me, and said 'Hey.'" After that, she said the suspect calmly walked back out of the same door he came in. The next day, Cline had an alarm installed after the first break-in, even though she thought she would never see the suspect again. She didnt know police already had in mind who the suspect might be. Officers put Jasper Fiorenza, 24, under survellance and witnessed as he went back to Clines now locked and secured home again two days later. Thankfully, he didnt get inside that time. Cline said police were able to pin Fiorenza down after his prints were lifted from the surface he touched while stepping over the doggy gate in her bedroom. Cline said she has never met Fiorenza before. When we went to the suspects house, we discovered he lives exactly one block away from her. Cline said she has since replayed every possible scenario in her head. Would I have woken up with a strange man on top of me that night? Thank God the cat jumped off the bed, she said. Its an odd sequence of events, but Cline said she was thankful it ended the way it did. Definitely scary. Im so happy hes caught, obviously, she said. Fiorenza was charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling. Archived Results for Friday, December 2nd, 2016 Older Page 1 Tom Campbell Four weeks following the November 8th election and just five weeks before elected officials are due to be sworn into office we still don't know the final outcomes of two statewide and several legislative races. Compounding this confusion, a federal court ruled this week that North Carolina must redraw districts and hold new legislative elections next year. Like the Old Testament Psalmist we raise a song of lament: When, oh when, will our leaders put an end to constant redistricting court battles and establish an independent redistricting commission?In August, a three-judge federal district court panel ruled that lawmakers unconstitutionally used racial gerrymandering to surgically stack and pack minorities in 28 legislative districts, effectively diluting their voting power. The court ordered new legislative districts be drawn but since November's elections were so near North Carolina should proceed using the currently drawn districts. This week the court expanded their decision by saying that not only would new districts need to be drawn by March 15th, but also new legislative elections were to be held next fall. Redrawing 28 districts will impact just about every House and Senate district, essentially limiting lawmakers to a one-year term.Republican legislative leaders have already signaled they plan to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, but that court is unlikely to change the district court verdict. The Supreme Court is hopelessly snarled with a four-four split among Democrats and Republicans, and a tie vote on this appeal only upholds the federal court ruling. Even if the court isn't evenly split Justices have consistently ruled against gerrymandering that results in the dilution of voting power among minorities.Our legislators have a string of court defeats to show for their gerrymandering. In addition to the legislative districts verdict, another federal district court ruled the state's 13 U.S. House districts were unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear appeals of that decision next week. Additionally, efforts to redraw the districts for Wake County school board and Board of Commissioners were overturned on grounds that they violated constitutional guarantees of equal representation, packing too many voters in one district and not enough in another. Then last year a federal judge blocked attempts to redraw new voting districts for the Greensboro City Council.Expect the 2017 legislature to redraw legislative districts to comply with the court and for the state to go through another round of primary elections in the summer and general elections in the fall of 2017. Hopefully the new maps will be fairer and more representative.One would also hope our legislative leaders would show some statesmanship and acknowledge what they have previously advocated, namely the need for an impartial and independent redistricting commission. Not only could it potentially avoid future legal fights but would also save the state money, funds better used for schools, infrastructure and other public purposes. Properly structured, this commission would ensure fairer elections that are more representative.There may not be enough time to establish an independent redistricting commission to meet the March 15th deadline, but it is the right thing to do and now is the right time to do it. Before voting next fall we should ask every legislative candidate to sign a pledge to support redistricting reform. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate An "extensive," potentially "catastrophic" chemical spill in south Beaumont in September killed more than 1,400 wildlife, prompting the state this week to issue a citation against the industrial water processing facility responsible for dumping 1,000 gallons of toxic chemicals into Willow Marsh Bayou. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality cited General Electric: Betz for failing to prevent the spill, which caused "nuisance conditions" that produced a serious environmental impact, according to the agency. The spill killed mostly fish, including at least 1,043 perch, 115 catfish, 102 bass, 55 minnows, 47 garfish and 10 buffalo fish, according to the TCEQ's report. Among the other wildlife poisoned were 25 snakes, four turtles, two raccoons and a bird. "It did considerable impacts to aquatic and terrestrial wildlife - water and land animals," said Steven Mitchell, a biologist for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. However, Mitchell said, "It was not out of the ordinary for what we expected to see from this size of an event." Findings were mailed Wednesday to GE: Betz, which runs the Beaumont facility located along U.S. 90 west of Keith Road. The company was ordered to take corrective action, which could soften the penalties it still faces, according to TCEQ. Beaumont Police Department Sgt. Mike Custer, the city's deputy emergency management coordinator, said the spill was the most complex one he can remember in 18 years with BPD and eight years in emergency management. "I was amazed at the length of the spill, the territory it covered," Custer said. "It was extensive." Nearly 4 miles of the 11-mile bayou, a popular fishing spot, were swallowed by the toxic solvent, which was mixed with storm water before traveling through internal piping, trenching and ditches until it was discharged from the GE: Betz facility. The exact cause of the spill is unknown. Custer said it appeared to result from a series of errors at the facility. Shaqueena Nobles, an emergency management specialist for Beaumont, said the closest comparable event was last year's acid leak downtown near Park and Franklin streets. That incident caused a massive commercial shutdown in the area, but no injuries were reported and no wildlife was killed. Along East Lane on Sept. 22, residents complained of being awakened by a nauseating smell. At that time, the leaking chemical was headed southeast, jeopardizing the neighboring Hillebrandt Bayou - a larger body of water used by pumping stations to help irrigate rice farms. Much of the prairie surrounding Willow Marsh is used to cultivate rice, according to the Texas State Historical Commission. "It would have been catastrophic," Custer said of the potential economic impact. Environmental responders found wildlife pooling on the water's surface. Some of them struggled, others died instantly. TCEQ described the product as "a clear, translucent layer to milky off-white." Investigator Jacob Frye noted many dead fish floating downstream from Washington Boulevard along Willow Marsh and a snake near the booms at East Lane set up by the Beaumont Fire Department. With the weekend approaching, local officials expressed concern for an upcoming Exxon Mobil company picnic and a softball tournament at Ford Park. "There was worry about the air quality," Nobles said. The spill was contained quickly, but it took several days to clean the bayou. GE: Betz officials did not respond to requests for comment Thursday. A spokesman for the company said in September it would "find out how this happened and to make sure (it) doesn't happen again." TCEQ recommended GE: Betz submit a written plan to address the violations and prevent similar incidents. BScott@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/BrandonKScott Tightening registration and requiring more evidence before allowing appeals could help Durham in Defiance, a group opposing the election of President-elect Donald Trump, organized a demonstration Friday morning outside the Durham County Board of Elections hearing. (CJ photo by Dan Way) A tight race for a high-profile elected position, such as governor, can amplify even small election problems. Such has been the case in North Carolina, which saw Democratic challenger Roy Cooper declare victory following a thin, 5,000-vote lead election night. Incumbent GOP Gov. Pat McCrory refused to concede, noting that tens of thousands of absentee and provisional votes had yet to be counted.said former Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr, who now practices law in Raleigh.The race remains undecided as McCrory has weighed the option of a recount unless the final state canvass put Cooper's lead outside the 10,000-vote margin.Orr is one of several election analysts spanning the political spectrum who spoke to Carolina Journal about possible changes in the state's election law that could prevent the many protests and challenges that occurred in the aftermath of this year's election. The consensus: North Carolina's existing process works well, but some tweaks could minimize frivolous claims that delay election results without limiting voters' rights to file legitimate protests.Orr was on the high court when it was involved in the challenge of the 2004 election for superintendent of public instruction between Democrat June Atkinson and Republican Bill Fletcher. That election was not decided until August 2005 by a vote of the General Assembly.State election laws allow candidates and voters to file challenges and protests to ballots they think are improperly or illegally cast. The process of investigating complaints can be labor-intensive and time-consuming, causing elections officials to delay the tabulation of final results and the certification of winners for weeks. In the case of the governor's race, such a delay also could affect the transition process of one administration to another.Often when races aren't close, such complaints garner little attention because the number of questionable ballots won't affect the outcome of an election. But as Orr points out, close elections bring potential irregularities more into focus.The governor's race is a prime example. Suggestions for improving - or strengthening - the elections process have included creating a greater evidence threshold for filing complaints and tightening voter registration and voting rules.Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation and a former member of the Federal Elections Commission, noted that post-election standards vary by state. He said best practices should show that the number of votes in question would affect the result of an election, or that election improprieties would cause the public to lose trust in the process.State Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett, who chairs the House Rules Committee, said the General Assembly will use events from the November election to further fine-tune the state's election laws. Lewis was one of the primary authors of a broad 2013 election reform law.Lewis said, and a lawsuit filed in federal court by the conservative Civitas Institute - which has its initial hearing scheduled for Friday, challenged the process for verifying same-day-registrants' eligibility to vote.Lewis said that difficulties in verifying such voters have contributed to the delays in finalizing election totals. In addition, ballots were voters cast ballots that cannot be verified, he said.McCrory's campaign has sought a hand recount of more than 90,000 ballots - from five early voting tabulators and one election day precinct tabulator - in Durham County, where late election returns blamed on malfunctioning tabulators helped lift Cooper into the lead. The Durham County Board of Elections has denied GOP requests to hand-count the ballots, expressing confidence in their equipment.The McCrory camp and its supporters filed protests in dozens of other counties, claiming an impropriety in mail-in absentee ballots. The protests spread to 50 counties, with the McCrory campaign saying dead people and felons cast votes. It also said some people had voted more than once.Regardless, Cooper's campaign encouraged McCrory to concede. The campaign says the GOP governor's election claims are "frivolous," and he's attempting to "undermine the results of this election."The State Board of Elections has dismissed many of the GOP complaints.said Raleigh attorney Gerry Cohen, who previously was general counsel to the General Assembly and a longtime bill writing director.Cohen said.Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause North Carolina - which promotes open government - echoed Cohen. He suggested setting certain conditions that must be met before a protest can be filed claiming a fraudulent vote.Phillips said.Phillips said he's concerned about complaints in which voters were identified mistakenly as felons.Phillips said.Cohen said another inaccuracy occurred when a voter was accused wrongly of voting twice. The voter cast a primary ballot in Maryland earlier this year then moved to North Carolina, legally registered, and voted here, Cohen said.Equipment and technology are issues, too.Technical glitches in tabulators used in early voting, and one used on election day resulted in tens of thousands of Durham County's returns coming late in the night. Durham County is heavily Democratic, which helped to flip the advantage in the governor's race as votes were tallied statewide from McCrory to Cooper.Cohen said.Durham County, Cohen said, should have granted McCrory's request to hand count their ballots.Cohen said, adding that counting the ballots by hand could be done so expeditiously and fairly.Pat Gannon, a spokesman for the State Board of Elections, said that state law already gives the Durham County board discretionary authority to conduct such recounts.state law says.Gannon said.Hand-counting ballots, said Orr, would add certainty to the election process.Orr Phillips suggested pushing back the vote canvassing from 10 days after the election to 15 or 18 days after Election Day. That would give local boards more breathing room in verifying people who registered and voted on the same day during the last days of early voting, Phillips said.Orr suggested tightening the voter registration process.Orr said. For example, when people are registering to vote at the DMV workers aren't asking whether the address is a temporary residence.Orr said, but, in a close race, small problems are placed under the proverbial microscope. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Austin police added a new charge to a 53-year-old man's rap sheet after he accidentally admitted to stealing three guitars signed by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Willie Nelson and members of Los Lonely Boys, among other merchandise, in April. Esequiel Martinez, 53, was charged with theft by appropriation, a state jail felony, Nov. 29 after Austin police connected him to an incident in April. Martinez is accused of stealing a turquoise and white Fender Stratocaster guitar signed by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jeff Beck, a black bass guitar signed by members of Los Lonely Boys and an acoustic guitar signed by Willie Nelson, along with seven laptops, an electronic skateboard, a remote control airplane and a 65-inch television from Discount Electronics in South Austin, according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by mySA.com. The loot has a combined value of $15,500. RELATED: Video shows flash robbery with armed teens in S.A., police search for suspects Police said on April 22 Discount Electronics was broken into in the middle of the night and the guitars were stolen. The next day, police received a call from a pawn shop employee who said two men tried to sell the store three guitars he believed to be stolen. On April 24, Discount Electronics received a phone call from a blocked number. The person on the phone, later identified as Martinez, told an employee they would return the guitars for a fee of $2,500. If Martinez did not receive proper payment, he planned to destroy the guitars, the affidavit said. Rick Culleton, the owner of Discount Electronics, agreed to meet Martinez. Later that day, Culleton and Martinez met in a Petsmart parking lot in North Austin. Culleton gave Martinez $2,500 and got his guitars back. Martinez told Culleton he bought the guitars from a white boy that was addicted to methamphetamine, the affidavit states. Culleton recorded the exchange and posted it on Facebook. Austin police reviewed Culletons footage and were able to identify Martinez as the suspect. During a phone call with police on May 2, Martinez said he purchased the stolen guitars at a flea market on Riverside Drive in Austin days before he made the anonymous call to Discount Electronics. He said he purchased the guitars for $150 and thought it was a good deal, the affidavit stated. Then, Martinez said he tried to sell the guitars at a pawn shop where he told an employee there he received the guitars in exchange for a tattoo. RELATED: Capital murder arrest made in two cold cases in San Antonio Martinez said he was told the guitars were legit and figured they belonged to someone. At the end of the call, Martinez told police he was with his son that day he tried to pawn off the guitars. Thats all I know, Im not in Austin anymore, he said, nervously ending the phone call, according to police. But the officer could still hear Martinez he had not properly hung up. Martinez could be heard speaking with someone saying F--- the police ha. RELATED: Mother charged in drunken driving crash that killed her 11-year-old daughter He then described the April burglary and said he wouldnt be caught because there was no cameras or alarm system. Martinez was arrested and charged with engaging in organized criminal activity months later. Police have since added the theft charge and he is being held in the Travis County Jail on a $20,000 bond. kbradshaw@express-news.net Twitter: @kbrad5 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate On a warm night last July, state park employees were rushing to evacuate audience members from Palo Duro Canyons amphitheater, which sits between sunset-brushed rocks in Texas panhandle. There had been an explosion. As black smoke clouds clogged the air above the theater, at least 15 employees used 5-gallon water jugs to put out the flames as they rose out of two containers holding fireworks for a musical about settlers in the Texas Panhandle. When the flames finally ceased, the body of Peyton Trueblood, a 21-year-old woman from Alabama, remained. The death that night at Palo Duro Canyon was one of 66 to occur in five years across Texas dozens of state parks, records obtained from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department by mySA.com show. From Jan. 1, 2011 to Aug. 31, 2016, the states 99 parks saw deaths stemming from gunshots, heat, eating, and drownings, among others, records show. RELATED: How a Texas man was killed by quicksand on the San Antonio River last year In the first eight months of this year, 13 people died while at a Texas state park. Last year, there were 16, the highest number of deaths recorded during the time surveyed, records show. At Lake Corpus Christi State Park in July 2011 a man died after suffering a heart attack during sex with his wife in a tent along the parks girl scout camping loop. His death was one of four to happen at Lake Corpus Christi State Park since January 2011, records show. Another report obtained by mySA.com details the death of a man who was a mainstay at Falcon State Park, having visited for more than 40 years. In January 2013, state park employees found the man slumped over at his trailer kitchen table with a bowl of soup. His cause of death, records show, was eating. In the report, park employees wrote that the man had suffered from terminal illness and was having difficulty talking and swallowing in the months leading up to his death. RELATED: Deadly waters: 75 people have died on Texas lakes, rivers so far in 2016, records show In the state park report, employees wrote about the man, saying he was a loyal friend and visitor who left a legacy of great wildlife photographs from this park. He will be greatly missed, employees wrote in the report. Texas is massive and its parks are sprawled out into each corner of the state. Here's how many deaths a few state parks saw in the last five years: Big Bend Ranch State Park: one death in July 2015 Enchanted Rock State Natural Area: two deaths, one in February 2014 and one in August 2015 Guadalupe River State Park: One death in July 2016 McKinney Falls State Park: five deathstwo in 2013, two in 2015 and one in 2016 That night in July, Peyton Trueblood was doing inventory of fireworks used in the musical Texas, when the explosion occurred. Her death was one of five to have occurred at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in the last five years, records show. RELATED: Deadliest rivers in Texas In the year since her death, Truebloods family filed a lawsuit against employees of the Texas musical the 21-year-old was working for, the Amarillo Globe-news reported in September. Clayton and Lisa Trueblood, Peytons parents, sued Kris Miller, executive direction and production manager of the musical, and pyrotechnic technicians Blaine Bertrand, Rick Bertram, and Dennis Rice for negligence, the newspaper reported. kbradshaw@express-news.net Twitter: @kbrad5 BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee donated $25,000 to help those affected by the state's wildfires, according to The Tennessean. Here are four points: 1. BCBS gave the donation to American Red Cross' East Tennessee chapter. 2. Roy Vaughn, senior vice president and chief communications officer of BCBS of Tennessee, said many employees were interested in contributing personally, as well. 3. The payer told those employees wishing to contribute to donate online to the Red Cross or vetted charities. 4. Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said the wildfires have killed a reported 13 people and destroyed more than 1,000 structures, according to ABC News. The following hospitals announced plans in the last week to expand, upgrade or renovate their facilities. 1. Erlanger East Hospital completes $50M expansion Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Erlanger East Hospital concluded its $50 million expansion into a full-service lifestyle hospital, Chattanoogan.com reports. 2. Lowell General Hospital's ICU expansion nears completion Lowell (Mass.) General Hospital is undergoing a $10 million expansion of its intensive care unit, according to the Lowell Sun. 3. Essentia Health plans $20M expansion project Essentia Health will undergo a $20 million expansion project at its campus in Fargo, N.D., according to Inforum. 4. CHI postpones $100M Colorado Springs expansion Englewood, Colo.-based Catholic Health Initiatives belated commencing its $100 million expansion of Colorado Springs-based St. Francis Medical Center until May or June 2017, reports The Gazette. 5. MetroHealth to borrow $1.25B for campus transformation Cleveland-based MetroHealth System plans to borrow $1.25 billion to build a new hospital on its main campus, Cleveland.com reported. 6. New medical building opens in Alabama A ribbon cutting was held earlier this month to mark the completion of the Foley (Ala.) Medical Arts building. 7. Nebraska Medicine, Girls Inc. partner on health clinic Omaha-based Nebraska Medicine is partnering with Girls Inc. to open a health clinic near the organization's headquarters in Omaha, Neb., according to Omaha World-Herald. Experian's Data Breach Industry Forecast report outlines the top five data breach trends predicted for 2017. Experian, a global services group, has assisted organizations with more than 17,000 data breaches over the past 10 years. Here are the company's predictions for 2017. 1. "Aftershock" password data breaches will accelerate the end of password usage. More and more companies such as LinkedIn, Dropbox and Yahoo have experienced "aftershock" data breaches, through which users' account information resurfaces and becomes exposed long after the initial breach. Experian predicts this trend will encourage organizations to require two-factor user authentification, such as SMS alerts, ultimately eliminating the necessity of passwords. 2. Cyberattacks will incite conflict and possibly war between nations. Cyberattacks between countries are no doubt on the rise. As the attacks grow in number, countries' citizens are increasingly put at risk. Experian believes the U.S. will "disclose at least one major offensive cyber operation against a terrorist organization like ISIS or in retailiation for an attack by another nation-state." 3. Healthcare organizations will be the most targeted sector. Breaches involving EHRs will continue to grow, according to Experian. In addition, Experian predicts hackers will begin targeting health insurers. Cybercriminals are shifting their focus toward ransomware, which Experian believes will also be a top concern in 2017. 4. Cybercriminals will focus on payment-related attacks. Last year, Experian predicted payment-based breaches would continue despite the shift to EMV (Europay, MasterCard and Visa) chip payments and PIN liability. Experian believes this trend will continue, and that hackers will target smaller companies rather than big name retailers like Target. 5. International data breaches will negatively impact multinational corporations. Losing consumers' data is challenging enough, but losing international consumers' data makes the situation even more complicated. Multinational companies should begin setting guidelines and preparing for breaches involving international people. Experian believes "at least one U.S. multinational company will experience a significant loss in its valuation due to an international data breach in 2017." Portion of Interstate 85 in Guilford County to be named for late lawmaker Contact: McCrory Communications McCrory Communications govpress@nc.gov Raleigh, N.C. Governor Pat McCrory joined the North Carolina Board of Transportation today to commemorate U.S. Representative Howard Coble with a resolution naming a portion of Interstate 85 in his honor. The board approved the resolution at its meeting on Thursday.Governor McCrory said.The resolution designates part of I-85 in Guilford County as the Congressman J. Howard Coble Highway. The section spans between I-40 and Alamance Church Road, the site of Coble's childhood home.Coble was a lifelong resident of Guilford County and a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserve. He served as an assistant federal prosecutor, state revenue secretary and state legislator prior to his first election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1984. He represented the Sixth District for 30 years.Coble passed away on Nov. 3, 2015.Governor McCrory presented a copy of the resolution to members of Congressman Coble's family and the Guilford County Board of Commissioners.The North Carolina Board of Transportation also took action today on naming the Jimmy Kerr Rd. bridge over I-40 in Alamance County in honor of Jim Covington, Sr., a bridge on Cedar Square Rd. over I-74 in Randolph County for Trooper Dustin R. Bowick, U.S. 158 from Ivey Day Rd. to Thomas Store Rd. in Person County for Corporal Jesse A. Lunsford, and the Blue Star Memorial Highway extension on U.S. 64 from Williamston to U.S. 158 in Nags Head. Officials at Denver Health said an anesthesiologist who posted racist comments about First Lady Michelle Obama will not be seeing patients "until further notice," according to The Denver Post. According to the article, Michelle Herren, MD, a pediatric anesthesiologist at Denver-based Children's Hospital of Colorado and assistant professor of anesthesiology at the Colorado University School of Medicine in Aurora, made the racist comments on Facebook. Dr. Herren described the First Lady as having a "monkey face" and criticized her for speaking with "poor Ebonic English," according to the article. An individual who saw Dr. Herren's comments on Facebook reported the comments to officials at Denver Health and the CU Board of Regents. Kelli Christensen, a spokeswoman for Denver Health, said the system is researching potential legal action it can use to discipline Dr. Herren. The system issued a statement stating that the comments constituted an "insult to the mission and values of Denver Health, and to staff and patients," according to the article. Mark Couch, a spokesperson for the CU School of Medicine, said the dean of the school reached out to Dr. Herren directly regarding the Facebook post. According to Mr. Couch, the school is "reviewing the details of this matter and will ensure that its students and trainees and the patients who are served by our faculty are not exposed to unacceptable behavior." Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, R, is "openly lobbying" for VA chief on social media by underscoring her support for veterans and her ideas for VA reform, USA Today reports. She reposted a video with clips of speech she gave on veterans from the Facebook page of her son-in-law Dakota Meyer, who was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2011, according to the report. In the video, Ms. Palin lists off her priorities for the VA, which include giving veterans vouchers to access healthcare outside of the VA healthcare system, allowing veterans to transfer military certification to the workforce and bolstering veteran retirement benefits. "They deserve to know that their sacrifices are not in vain," Ms. Palin said. "What they fought for and what their friends died for was worth it." Ms. Palin's Facebook post also links to an ABC News story, based on reports from a Palin aide and a Trump transition official, that Ms. Palin is being considered for the top VA spot. Prior media reports suggest former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, R, and Florida Rep. Jeff Miller, R, are also in the running. The USA Today report adds former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, R, to that list, and ABC News also reported Gen. Keith Kellogg is a contender. More articles on leadership and management: Tampa General CEO says board pushed his resignation, finances played a role AHA pens letter to Trump calling for support of hospital policies Harvard poll: 54% of voters expect Trump to repeal ACA, but only 46% want him to Donald Trump and Mike Pence campaigned on the concept and reiterated recently that they plan to repeal the ACA. The nomination of longtime ACA opponent Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) as head of the HHS underscores their intention to do so. Whether this will be legislatively achievable is a difficult question that is beyond this quick discussion. Here are four quick points to consider as to the ACA. 1. 20 million newly insured lives. The ACA has had the benefit of adding 20 million of the uninsured to the insured ranks between the law's passage in 2010 to early 2016. The great question is how will these people access care if the ACA is repealed? One commentator notes that 16 million of these previously uninsured were added to Medicaid programs. Thus, the real initial number one may need to immediately solve for may be closer 4 to 6 million lives; not 20 million. Note, however, in examining these numbers, the states and the federal government have had significantly added costs through Medicaid expansion. See "Trump's Path to Obamacare Repeal," The American Spectator, November 23, 2016. 2. Tremendous costs and taxes. The ACA costs trillions of dollars. There is a great question as to whether 20 million people gaining health insurance could have been done at a much lower cost. The ACA has arguably led to a redistribution of monies from one set of people who pay for insurance coverage and taxes to those who don't. Whether this is good or bad societally is a difficult question. It is not answered here. 3. Positives. Four of the benefits of the ACA, expected or unexpected, are as follows. First, it had led to coverage for nearly 20 million people. The rate of uninsured Americans hit historic lows under the ACA. Second, it has led to integrated systems dramatically increasing their use of telehealth. I did not see this coming. It has come on very quickly in places where integrated systems fully own (i.e., are responsible for) the costs of delivery. This has accelerated a potential game-changer for costs in the long run. It has to be much cheaper to deliver a lot of care remotely by telehealth than in-person in offices. In the long-term, this can have a seismic shift on healthcare costs. Already, more than a third of employers or their health plans offer a financial incentive for covered employees to receive care through telemedicine instead of visiting a physician's office, according to Kaiser Family Foundation. Third, the ACA is linked to a dramatic increase in high-deductible health plans, health saving accounts and similar consumer-driven efforts. Proponents of HDHPs claim the benefit design induces consumers to seek high-value care and make mindful choices. If the plans are improperly structured or poorly communicated, however, enrollees can sometimes forego care to avoid the deductible, which can result in greater long-term costs. The costs of HDHPs have impacted consumers greatly, but it is not clear how much the mechanism has actually led to a reduction in healthcare costs. However, we see more and more lab tests, MRI tests and other types of add-ons on a brokered basis and price is more available as a point of discussion and consideration for patients making healthcare decisions. Fourth, the ACA has improved the ability of people with lower incomes and/or pre-existing conditions to gain coverage. This may dramatically reduce a feeling of helplessness among these groups. It used to be that you couldn't get coverage unless you worked for a large company or were poor by definition and eligible for Medicaid. This left people who held a job independently or at a small company and made $30,000 to $70,000 annually at great risk. They could not obtain affordable healthcare coverage or, at some wages, have access to Medicaid. Their economic life and whether they could survive financially was always at risk based on one bad health situation. For this population and for those with pre-existing conditions, the ACA helped reduce these problems significantly. Of note, Republican replacement plans are reported to include similar concepts for coverage of pre-existing conditions. 4. Negatives. On the negative side, as we have mentioned before, the ACA costs a tremendous amount of money. CMS projected $2.757 trillion in spending from 2014-2022 for private insurance overhead and the administration of government health programs (mostly Medicare and Medicaid). Of that total, $273.6 billion was attributable to new administrative costs linked to the ACA. The law also has not seemingly reduced healthcare premiums or healthcare costs for families in general. This year, the average premium for employer-sponsored family coverage rose 3.4 percent to $18,142. (About 155 million Americans under 65 have employment-based coverage.) On average, workers contribute 30 percent of the premium for family coverage. The other force is deductibles, which have risen almost six times faster than workers' wages since 2010. So workers' share of premium payments is up, deductibles are steadily increasing and wage growth has been sluggish. This is a less than desirable combination of economic forces. Finally, the ACA has contributed to more, not less, consolidation of healthcare systems. The law reduced the growth of Medicare hospital reimbursement by about 1.5 percentage points annually one of many other payment reductions made over the years. Further, alternative care delivery and payment models like accountable care organizations emphasized care coordination and "patient stickiness." Many health systems saw tightened relationships with other providers (i.e., acquisition, merger, clinical affiliation, strategic partnership, etc.) as a way to better account for their at-risk lives, clinical outcomes and, thus, reimbursement. In the long run, this may have been the final goal having everyone look like some variation of Kaiser Permanente. This may or may not be good for healthcare in the long-term. However, in the next 20 years, these efforts at consolidation have a tremendously disruptive impact on how things work. Further, consolidation ultimately gives reasonably dominant systems, (the new antitrust buzzphrase "market essential") much greater leverage by which to position themselves for improved reimbursement and payor contracting. At some point there may be so much leakage out of these large systems that their movement toward market essential/dominant feels like a "maginot line." At this time it stills seems to be their path toward significant margins and higher revenues. More than 4,800 physicians signed an open letter railing against the American Medical Association's support for Rep. Tom Price, MD, R-Ga., chairman of the House Budget Committee, as secretary of HHS. The physician group wrote the AMA's backing of the nominee contradicts any support for patient well-being. "We believe that in issuing this statement of support for Dr. Price, the AMA has reneged on a fundamental pledge that we as physicians have taken to protect and advance care for our patients," the letter reads. It is unclear from the letter if the physicians are AMA members or not. The organization has roughly 250,000 members, according to an AMA spokesman. The letter claims the organization represents about a quarter of U.S. physicians. In order to vet the physician signees, the organization responsible for the letter, the Clinician Action Network, manually removes duplicates and incomplete entries from the list of physician's names. "In doing so, we are finding that many of the signees are colleagues whose names we recognize and who we know to be practicing physicians," Jane Zhu, MD, one of the physicians who wrote the letter, said in an email. "For those who we do not know, we have taken random samples and conducted Google searches to confirm that they are physicians. That being said, there are a small number of medical students and non-physician clinicians who have signed this letter and whose names we have left because their participation is relevant." After the Trump administration announced Dr. Price's nomination, AMA board chair Patrice Harris, MD, said in a statement, "The AMA strongly supports the nomination of Dr. Tom Price to become the next Secretary of HHS. His service as a physician, state legislator and member of the U.S. Congress provides a depth of experience to lead HHS." The physicians who penned the letter did not take issue with Dr. Price's experience as a physician or a politician, instead writing in opposition to his proposed policies on Medicaid and Medicare. "We cannot support the dismantling of Medicaid, which has helped 15 million Americans gain health coverage since 2014," the letter states. The physicians also oppose Dr. Price's proposal to reduce funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program. The House budget for fiscal year 2017, "A Balanced Budget for A Stronger America," put forth by Dr. Price's committee, calls for a repeal of Medicaid expansion under the ACA in favor of providing states with block grants, or "State Flexibility Funds." This move intends to give states full control over fixed Medicaid funds. The budget would reduce federal spending on Medicaid by $7 billion in 2017, $67 billion in 2018 and up to $169 billion in 2026, according to projections from the Congressional Budget Office included in the report. The letter states that these policies to reduce spending "threaten to harm our most vulnerable patients and limit their access to healthcare." On Medicare, the physicians oppose Dr. Price's plan to privatize the program. This proposal has also been opposed by many Democrats, including Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly, D, who called it a voucher program. The 2017 budget outlines Medicare privatization plans, which include rolling Medicare Parts A and B together and allowing commercial payers to offer competitive alternatives to traditional Medicare plans, similar to Medicare Advantage. This plan would reduce federal spending on Medicare by $5 billion in 2017, $15 billion in 2018 and up to $108 billion by 2026, according to the CBO. The AMA statement lauded Dr. Price for his leadership in healthcare policy. "Dr. Price has been a leader in the development of health policies to advance patient choice and market-based solutions as well as reduce excessive regulatory burdens that diminish time devoted to patient care and increase costs," Dr. Harris said in the AMA statement on his nomination. The letter directly opposes this statement, concluding, "Americans ought to know that the AMA does not represent us, and that we do not ascribe to Dr. Price's views." One physician, Carolyn Sax, MD, even decided to quit the AMA after it endorsed Dr. Price, she wrote in a contributed column for radio station WBUR. "The news filled me with so much disgust that I resigned my membership," Dr. Sax wrote. Dr. Sax is a pediatrician and part-time assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School in Boston. She opposes Dr. Price's views on the ACA, contraception and LGBT rights, as well as his membership in the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, a conservative medical asssociation. Dissent of the AMA endorsement is also trending on Twitter with #NotMyAMA. AMA prez thought he'd come here after despicable Price endorsement and thought we would remain silent. Don't mess with The Bronx. #notmyama pic.twitter.com/7p6lEt62gO Pablo Joo MD (@PabloJooMD) December 1, 2016 The horribly considered endorsement of Tom Price is why Im not an @AmerMedicalAssn member, and I wont be anytime soon #NotMyAMA Craig Canapari, M.D. (@DrCanapari) December 2, 2016 How does the AMA explain its support of Tom Price? #NotMyAMA #ShameOnYouAMA Emily Riegel (@emriegel) December 1, 2016 AMA's Dr. Harris stood by her statements of support Thursday. "A mainstay through the years has been Dr. Price's commitment to seek out and hear the concerns expressed by the AMA and other physician organizations," Dr. Harris said in a statement. "Even so, our support for Dr. Price to lead HHS should not be taken as an endorsement of every policy position he has advocated." The AMA has agreed with some of his policies, such as those on medical liability reform, and disagreed with others, such as his views on the ACA, Dr. Harris wrote. She underscored the importance of Dr. Price's experience as a physician something only two other HHS secretaries have had which will provide valuable perspective in the Trump administration, she said. "We look forward to continuing conversation with Dr. Price as we work together on the healthcare priorities where we share common ground," Dr. Harris said. Update: The letter had more than 4,870 signatures as of 9:00 a.m. CT on December 5. Read the full text here. Editor's note: This article has been updated to include indiviudal physician responses, Dr. Harris' response and the statement from the Clinician Action Network. More articles on integration and physician issues: How hospitals are dealing with the Tennessee wildfire Trending: MDs return to school for nursing degrees Kasich, GOP lawmakers want to consolidate Ohio's medical licensure boards Quorum Health Corp., the 38-hospital spinoff of Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems, has sold 64-bed Sandhills Regional Medical Center in Hamlet, N.C., to First Health of the Carolinas in Pinehurst, N.C. The divestiture is part of Quorum's quest to sell off its underperforming assets. In addition to the Sandhills Regional deal, Quorum has inked an agreement to divest Barrow Regional Medical Center in Winder, Ga. That transaction is expected to close by the end of the year. Quorum expects to receive a combined $25 million for Sandhills Regional and Barrow Regional. Those funds will be used to pay down the company's debt. During a third-quarter earnings call in November, Quorum President and CEO Thomas D. Miller said divestiture is a "top priority." He said the company plans to sell six more unspecified hospitals to drive down its debt. More articles on healthcare industry transactions: UMass Memorial moves forward with plan to merge 2 hospitals CHS sells 2 hospitals for $425M as part of debt-reduction effort Beth Israel, Lahey back in merger talks for the 4th time The House on Wednesday overwhelming approved the 21st Century Cures Act, a broad-reaching measure that increases funding for research into cancer and other diseases, expands access to treatment for mental healthcare and combats the rising epidemic of opioid abuse, according to The New York Times. The $6.3 billion bill would provide the NIH with up to $4.8 billion in additional funding over 10 years. Over the same time period, it would also provide $500 million in new funding for the FDA and $1 billion in grants to states to deal with the opioid crisis and improve mental healthcare. The bill will go to the Senate next week, according to the report. Here are five things to know about the bill and its next steps. 1. The House passed the 21st Century Cures Act by a 392 to 26 vote, indicating strong bipartisanship, according to STAT. 2. The bill heads to the Senate early next week for a vote. Party leaders on both sides of the aisle said they expect the bill will pass, according to the report. 3. However, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the minority leader, said there has been "angst" over the bill among his colleagues. Some senators, including Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., have said they will oppose it, according to STAT. 4. Much of the criticism of the bill centers on provisions that will enable faster approval of prescription drugs and medical devices. Although supporters say the new measures will preserve safety standards, opponents including Sen. Warren, some former FDA officials and national consumer groups disagree. 5. Language in the bill that would have exempted some speaker fees from the Sunshine Act, which requires physicians to report payments they receive from the pharmaceutical industry, was excised at the last minute, according to The New York Times. More articles on legal and regulatory issues: Hospice provider tied to 'Dr. Death' inks $200k kickback settlement Pharmacy owner gets prison time for massive opioid diversion scheme Patient accused of attacking, kidnapping nurse in Illinois hospital Police arrested a 36-year-old man dressed in surgical scrubs Tuesday at Ohio State University Hospital, the flagship facility of Columbus-based Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, according to The Lantern. University police responded to reports of a man posing as a physician at about 3 p.m. Tuesday. Police arrested Arthur Allen, who was reportedly wearing OSU hospital scrubs, at Doan Hall inside the hospital and charged him with criminal trespassing. According to court records, Mr. Allen entered an area inside the hospital restricted to physicians employed by the university. He reportedly refused to identify himself when approached by hospital officials. Police arrested him after hospital officials confirmed he was not an employee of the hospital or the university. Mr. Allen pleaded not guilty to the criminal trespassing charge during his arraignment Wednesday. Mr. Allen's court hearing was scheduled for Thursday, according to the article. Ohio State University officials declined to comment on the incident to The Lantern, according to the article. Health officials in Montana confirmed two norovirus outbreaks in Billings, according to a Billings Gazette report. The number of norovirus cases across Montana is growing, with around 12 confirmed outbreaks since late September 2016. Norovirus is a contagious virus that causes your stomach or intestines, or both, to become inflamed, leading to symptoms of stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting, according to the CDC. Billings-based RiverStone Health's Director of Community Health Services Tamalee St. James told the Billings Gazette that the local outbreaks occurred at local long-term care facilities. RiverStone Health, which grew out of the Yellowstone City-County Health Department, includes medical and dental clinics as well as home care and hospice services. The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services sent an advisory to healthcare agencies in the state noting that more than 250 people have been sickened by the virus since September and five people have been hospitalized. Currently, it is unclear how many people have been infected in the Billings outbreak, the report notes. The virus can be spread via infected persons, contaminated food or water and by touching contaminated surfaces, according to the CDC. The global medtech market is anticipated to hit $529.8 billion by 2022 and grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.2 percent between 2016 and 2022, according to the "EvaluateMedTech World Preview 2016, Outlook to 2022." The market's research and development expenditure is expected to grow by 4.3 percent per annum to 2022, hitting $34 billion. Here are statistics and facts about seven device companies dominating the spine space. DePuy Synthes spine (Raynham, Mass.) DePuy Synthes is a part of New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson, which saw sales of $17.8 billion in the third quarter of 2016. J&J noted an increase of 4.2 percent in Q3 sales, compared to Q3 of 2015. The DePuy Synthes spine division unveiled its Kick system, which it developed with Germany-based BrainLab. The system includes FluoroExpress Software, and is designed to offer real-time, intraoperative visualization of instruments and implants in relation to patient anatomy. Surgeons may leverage the navigation to accurately place pedicle screws. The spine division also launched the ZERO-P NATURAL plate in October 2016. The plate supports bone growth and stability during spinal fusion procedures in the neck. Globus Medical (Audubon, Pa.) Globus Medical saw $0.29 earnings per share and revenue of $135.7 million in the third quarter of 2016. Globus reported a net margin of 21.19 percent as well as a return on equity of 15.43 percent. The company is working on Excelsius, its investigational robotics system, expecting technology approval and launch in 2017. The system features non-patient bedside docking and an optical tracking system. K2M (Leesburg, Va.) K2M surpassed estimates with its third quarter earnings results, citing $0.19 earnings per share. The company earned $59.30 million during Q3 2016. The company's revenue for Q3 2016 saw a 7.8 percent increase on a year-over-year basis. Spine published the results of K2M's MESA Rail Deformity Spinal System study in its July 15, 2016 issue. The study was titled, "A Uniquely Shaped Rod Improves Curve Correction in Surgical Treatment of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis." The MESA Rail includes a beam design offering rigidity for sagittal balance restoration. The study found patients with the beam rod experienced better curve correction (66 percent) compared to patients with the circular rod (57 percent). Medtronic (Dublin, Ireland) The company recently reported its financial results for the second quarter of 2017, ended Oct. 28, 2016, with reported Q2 worldwide revenue of $7.3 billion and U.S. revenue of $4.15 billion. Medtronic's spine group Q2 revenue totaled $663 million. In August 2016, Medtronic placed a $20 million investment in Caesarea, Israel-based Mazor Robotics, including a purchase order for 15 Mazor X systems. In 2022, Medtronic is expected to lead the board with total medtech sales of $39.9 billion, according to Evaluate Group. NuVasive (San Diego) NuVasive reported its financial results for the third quarter, ending Sept. 30, 2016. The company's revenue hit $239.6 million in Q3 of 2016, reflecting a 19.5 percent increase from the same period the year prior. NuVasive Chairman and CEO Gregory T. Lucier said the quarter's revenue fell short of expectations due to capital and stocking orders in the Untied States that did not arrive as expected. In January, 2016, NuVasive acquired skeletal deformity medical device company Ellipse Technologies, including the MAGEC and PRECICE technologies, for $380 million. In October 2016, The FDA cleared magnetic resonance imaging for certain conditions on patients treated with the company's MAGEC system. NuVasive held a Spine Summit from Oct. 13 to Oct. 14 in California, focused on topics that impact spine surgeon leaders as well as hospital and healthcare executives. Stryker (Kalamazoo, Mich.) Stryker reported $1.39 earnings per share in the third quarter of 2016, exceeding analyst expectations. The company also saw $2.83 billion in revenue, a 23.96 percent return on net equity and a 15.24 percent net margin. Quarterly revenue was up 17.1 percent on a year-over-year basis. The company acquired CareFusion's vertebral compression fracture portfolio, which is comprised of minimally invasive systems used in vertebroplasty and vertebral augmentation procedures. In October, 2016, Stryker's spine division unveiled its LITe BIO Delivery System, which is a hand-held device used to facilitate bone graft material delivery to spinal surgery sites. The spine division also reported results from a pre-clinical study for its 3D-printed Tritanium PL Interbody Cages. The study found the Tritanium PL cages demonstrated reductions in segmental motion. Additionally, the cages exhibited increases in construct stiffness on all three loading directions between the eight- and 16-week post-implant time points. Zimmer Biomet (Warsaw, Ind.) Zimmer Biomet reported net sales of $183 billion in the third quarter of 2016, a 4 percent increase over the same period last year, and net earnings jumped 612.5 percent to $158.8 million. The company's spine sales hit $183.6 million, a 24.3 percent increase over the same period last year. The company is struggling with supply chain integration since the $13.35 billion merger of Zimmer and Biomet in 2015, as some of the product portfolio and customers overlap. Zimmer Biomet saw a whirlwind of acquisitions in 2016, with the purchase of Austin, Texas-based LDR Holding; Montpellier, France-based Medtech; and Claymont, Del.-based CD Diagnostics. The company released two-year trial results of its Aspen MIS Fusion System as an adjunct to anterior and lateral interbody fusion, in November 2016. The trial revealed the Aspen MIS system is a clinically effective alternative to pedicle screw fixation for posterior stabilization. Business Journal named Anthony Gioia a 2016 CFO of the Year, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal. Business Journal has honored high-performing financial executives for the past decade. Here are five highlights: 1. Anthony Gioia serves as the CFO of Indianapolis-based OrthoIndy. 2. He also serves as OrthoIndy's charitable trust trustee. 3. With the company since 2005, Mr. Gioia played a critical role in OrthoIndy's expansion with the construction of a specialty hospital. 4. He has also helped OrthoIndy navigate regulatory changes as well as urgent care clinic openings. 5. In 2013, Mr. Gioia helped found the OrthoIndy Foundation, which has backed the vision of the Pike YMCA with $3 million. The Pike facility will serve as the first veteran-focused YMCA in the country. Contact: Attila Nemecz Attila Nemecz Attila.Nemecz@beaufortccc.edu WASHINGTON, NC Denny Bolafka is going to start a school. Inspired by both her seven year-old granddaughter Isabell and a child under her professional care, Bolafka is designing her school for autistic children only. The 60-year-old student at Beaufort County Community College has worked a variety of jobs throughout her life, and after all these years, she has found her calling.said Bolafka.Her school will feature small class sizes and work with parents, as well. "Parents have a hard time," she lamented.Bolafka grew up in the Sacramento Valley in California on a small dairy farm. There she learned to work hard. Neither of her parents finished grade school. Her father fought in the Korean War, and her mother only learned to drive in her 50's. The oldest of five, she became a wanderer, a gypsy soul in her own words, and fell in love with diversity and culture.In 1989 she had her third child, and, with her husband, moved to Andover, a suburb of Boston. It was not the dairy farm she grew up on, and it took a while for her to get settled. Bolafka experienced public transit for the first time, but with her appetite for novel experiences, she adjusted quickly.Boston and Cambridge also gave her the cosmopolitan experiences she craved. Her mother-in-law had retired from Harvard, where Bolafka took a weekend job at the Faculty Club.she interjects.she said.As the cost of living increased, her family moved to Beaufort County, where Bolafka's mother-in-law had grown up. It was hard for Bolafka to leave. In her seven years as a single mother, she moved all over California, working as everything from a phlebotomist to a fitness instructor. Often she worked several jobs at once. She was finally working a great job in healthcare, and just one job.The gypsy soul found work as a caretaker for an autistic child. At the same time, her granddaughter Isabell was born and, at two years old, was diagnosed with autism.Bolafka is so passionate about these children that at times her eyes grow thick with tears.She can spot families working through such crises. She witnessed a mother at Walmart negotiating with her child to avoid a meltdown. Afterwards, she walked up to the mother, telling her, "Great job, mom." Such support is important for parents.Bolafka wanted to return to school to move her career forward.she said.She sampled different curriculums, but none felt right to her.She found the special education program at BCCC and is currently working on an Associate of Arts. She plans to continue at East Carolina University, where she will start as a junior and begin student teaching.Her inspiration is the school that Isabell attends in Oregon, where she has thrived. She says that the trick to a breakthrough with an autistic child is finding what they are interested in. For Isabell, it was singing to the animated musical "Frozen".This first-generation college student has thrived at BCCC, appreciating its small class sizes and one-on-one help from instructors. She is a BCCC ambassador, helping out at community functions.Bolafka seems to have found her own sweet spot. A higher percentage of physicians feel it's acceptable to hide a clinical mistake today than they did even two years ago, according to a Medscape report. In 2014, 91 percent of physicians said it is never okay to cover up a medical error; however in the 2016 Medscape Ethics Report, only 78 percent of physicians said the same. Fourteen percent said "it depends" when asked whether it's acceptable to hide a clinical mistake resulting in patient harm, and 7 percent said it was acceptable. Here are five key trends from the report: 1. Physicians may be more willing to hide mistakes than in the past, but at the same time there is a trend of hospitals voluntarily reporting mistakes, apologizing and offering compensation to avoid malpractice. 2. The Code of Medical Ethics from the American Medical Association calls on physicians to disclose medical errors in all occasions. 3. Half of the respondents 51 percent reported they would caution patients from having a procedure performed by a colleague they thought had "questionable ability" while another 34 percent said it would depend on the situation. 4. When it comes to the patient care budget, 78 percent said they wouldn't withhold treatments or tests to avoid penalties associated with exceeding the budget. 5. Around 45 percent of the respondents said they would prescribe a placebo to patients who demanded treatment that wasn't required, which is almost double the number of physicians who reported they'd do the same in 2010. Each year, spine specialists contribute patient education content to www.Spine-health.com, which is read by more than 200 million of patients struggling with neck and back conditions. This sizable audience is proof of the positive impact that physicians can have when patient education is done right. The following six spine specialists are ranked #1 on Google for their articles and videos on spine conditions and treatments. 1. Ray Baker, MD: Dr. Baker's articles on injections are consistently top-ranked, with over 1 million patients reading them every year. Dr. Baker has also provided oversight for Spine-health's full suite of pain management articles and videos, which are viewed more than 7 million times each year. 2. Paul Slosar, MD: Dr. Slosar is an Orthopedic Surgeon who focuses on spinal care. He makes our list for his article on Cervical Spine Anatomy and Neck Pain, which has been viewed half a million times this year. 3. John Shim, MD, FACS: Dr. Shim earns a place on this list through his articles and videos on spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease as well as surgical treatment options. Dr. Shims articles and videos are viewed by nearly 2 million patients each year. 4. Jeffrey A. Goldstein, MD, FACS: Dr. Goldstein is a spine surgeon who has contributed leading articles on cervical artificial discs and minimally invasive spine surgery. Dr. Goldsteins patient education content has been viewed by patients nearly 200,000 times. 5. Stephen Hochschuler, MD: Dr. Hochschuler is one of the founding Medical Advisors for Spine-health.com, and has contributed a number of top-ranked articles, including this article on Sciatica. This article has consistently ranked #1 in both English and Spanish, and gets read over 2.5 million times a year. Two animated videos have been developed to accompany the article, and both have won Telly Awards. 6. David Dewitt, MD: Dr. DeWitt is a Contributing Author on Spine-health who has published a range of top-ranked articles on L4-L5 and L5-S1 pathology, spinal tumors and surgical options. His top-ranked articles are read by more than 1 million people each year. Together, these spine specialists have published more than 50 articles and videos that have reached over 8 million back and neck pain patients this year. To continue following the latest news and information for Bedfordshire and surrounding areas, simply enter your full postcode below LONDON It just launched its new V6 set-top box and a weird Android tablet this week and, though the kit reportedly does not upgrade the advertiser offering, according to The Drum, UK cable operator Virgin Media is already helping serve targeted ads inside catch-up programming. Virgin Media, formed out of a merger of regional cable operators in the last couple of decades, is the UKs second pay-TV provider after Sky. Unlike Sky, which leverages satellite for linear broadcast, Virgin Medias trump card is fiber. Back in 2010, the operator helped TiVo re-enter the UK when it selected the equipment maker to be its new set-top box. The commitment, made at the time, to embrace a new generation of apps never quite panned out, with a paucity of services running on a box that had become slow before V6s arrival although Virgin Media does, notably, carry Netflix and other TV channel apps, as well as broadcaster content through its own EPG. But Virgin has, for some time, been offering the ability to serve custom ads in to broadcaster content when viewed as catch-up through that EPG. The new box will do the same, but will benefit from greater emphasis brought by a new sales team. Virgin is other star of the show, says John Paul, advanced advertising and data VP of LibertyGlobal, which acquired Virgin Media in 2013. It has has a very valuable data set, a very forward-thinking CEO as well, who has created an entity called Virgin Media Solutions. Thats going to be our sales vehicle across all our addressable inventory across Ireland and the UK. What will Virgin Media Solutions be doing? Acting as the sales agency for its inventory on VOD and public WiFi (principally, Londons Underground) as well as Irish TV channel TV 3. But most of the heavy-lifting will be done by UK broadcasters who air over Virgin Media. We will be selling some aspects of the addressable ad inventory, but we will primarily be an enabler, John adds. Whether its ITV or Channel 4, they will do the selling of their inventory, we will match that for inventory we control with Virgin Media Solutions. Were only doing it on VOD at the moment. We have quite a range of attributes that we can do addressable against. Our biggest opportunity to improve is the actual dynamic nature of that activity, the automation of it. We spoke with Paul at the Future of TV Advertising Forum in London this week. Beet.TVs coverage is presented by the 605. For other videos from the series, please visit this page. The chairman of newspaper publisher Johnston Press is to step down due to an "acute illness" in the family. Ian Russell said he would leave the role by the end of December this year, with senior independent director Camilla Rhodes taking the helm as interim chairman. Chief executive Ashley Highfield said: "I'd like to thank Ian for his tireless work on behalf of Johnston Press, first as a non-executive director and, since 2009, as chairman. "His guidance and advice have been invaluable to me and his board colleagues throughout that time and he will leave with our warmest best wishes." The owner of the i newspaper, The Scotsman and The Yorkshire Post said the hunt for a permanent successor had now begun. The group recently confirmed that it was in ''late stage'' talks to sell ''certain titles'' to Iliffe Media. It followed reports that the firm was in negotiations with Iliffe about the possible sale of its East Anglian brands, including the Newmarket Journal and Suffolk Free Press. Last month, Johnston Press reported that total group revenues were down 5.1% year-on-year in the 17 weeks to October 29, as it continues to grapple with the tough advertising market. However, circulation revenues rose 18.8% over the period, with the i paper increasing its slice of the quality newspaper market from 18.5% to more than a fifth. Sales of the 50p title grew by 4.6% to an average of 290,000 copies per day in September, while the firm said overall group trading had picked up since the Brexit vote. Media companies have been looking to offset a slide in newspaper sales by selling more adverts online. Johnston Press acquired the i in April, when its average audited circulation was 270,182. The Republic of Irelands Central Bank has not tried to turn any UK banks or firms off setting up in Ireland in the wake of the Brexit vote, its deputy head said yesterday. Cyril Roux, the deputy governor of the Central Bank, insisted that the regulator had not discouraged investment banking or trading in Dublin, contrary to recent reports. The statement contradicts claims that Irish authorities had discouraged UK companies from relocating in the Irish Republic after Brexit because of regulatory concerns about how they would be policed. But Mr Roux was adamant this was not the case. I want to be clear... we do not have such a position, he said. We have not sought to dissuade any such entities from seeking authorisation, nor are we planning to do so. However, he reiterated that the Republics Central Bank would only allow new businesses into Ireland that have a substantive presence in the country. Mr Roux said the bank was not concerned about the arrival of major firms, but that smaller financial institutions may attempt to use Ireland as a convenient base within Europe, while the companies retain their real operations in the UK. The flagship firms are not a problem, he added. They dont expect to bring a big balance sheet here and have a handful of people. There are some other firms of a different nature who believe you can just come here and nail a brass plate and rent a room and keep on doing everything from the UK. We have to tell them its not going to happen. The Irish financial sector is set to grow, and quite possible to a significant extent. The bank is committed to meeting the challenge. A new home for elderly and vulnerable adults in south Belfast is to open with the creation of 240 new jobs as part of an 8.3m investment. Audrey Lockhead, a former head of Four Seasons Healthcare in Northern Ireland, is one of three directors involved in the new 80-bed Maryland Healthcare centre in Castlereagh. Around 100 building jobs will be created during construction of the site off Knockbracken Road. Approximately 140 people will be employed when the centre is up and running next year. The positions will range from senior nurses and carers to administrative, kitchen and domestic staff. The home, which has been in the planning stages for 10 years, will cater for older people with dementia, vulnerable adults and adults with a physical disability. Ms Lockhead, the chair of Maryland Healthcare, said the centre was a new development in care for the elderly. "Services will include sub-acute intermediate care, complex nursing care, enhanced palliative care, and learning disability and physical disability care," she added. "It will be one of the largest new-build health facilities in Northern Ireland in recent years. "Maryland will be a benchmark healthcare facility that has taken 10 years to bring to fruition. It is a good and worthwhile challenge for which we would like to commend the planning department and the then Castlereagh Borough Council for their foresight." The development is supported by Ulster Bank. Kenton Hilman, head of corporate banking NI at the bank, said: "The management team behind Maryland Healthcare has considerable experience in the sector, from a care and an operational perspective, and has provided a fantastic vision and plan for the scheme. "Ulster Bank is delighted to support it, given the economic and social contribution that it has the potential to make through its development and operation." Co Down construction firm Killowen Contracts is carrying out the building work on the new centre. Director Maurice McGivern said: "This is a truly significant healthcare scheme, with more than 100 construction jobs sustained during the development, peaking at around 200. "We take great pride and care in our work, and are very pleased to be on schedule to hand the scheme over to Maryland Healthcare on time and on budget." Ms Lockhead said the centre would encourage a "new model of service". "We will be able to promote dignity, privacy and independence for residents as we will have four, self-contained units with 20 beds in en-suite bedrooms," she added. "It will have a high spec of care and much more specialised than the standard nursing home. Many existing nursing homes were good in their day, but are no longer fit for purpose. With this, we are bringing care of dementia patients to the next level." The facilities will also enable residents to mix with each other or be cared for privately. Ms Lockhead was managing director of Four Seasons Healthcare until 2007. Icelandair will fly from Belfast City Airport, three times a week as part of the new service Belfast is getting a new Icelandic airline which will connect Northern Ireland to the country's capital Reykjavik. Icelandair will fly from Belfast City Airport, three times a week as part of the new service. Flights kick off on June 1 next year. Birkir Holm Gunason, Icelandair chief executive, said. Belfast is a vibrant fast growing city with great business and leisure opportunities and we are happy to be able to offer our customers this exciting addition to our network. Katy Best, commercial and marketing director at Belfast City Airport, said: "Belfast City Airport is delighted to announce our new three-times weekly flight to Reykjavik, which is a further extension of our growing European route network and a major boost to the Northern Ireland economy. "Icelandair has a proven international pedigree and our partnership with the airline for this new service will be a hugely welcome addition to the local market for business and leisure passengers." Economy Minister, Simon Hamilton MLA, said: I welcome the hard work and commitment of George Best Belfast City Airport to develop routes like this one which will contribute to our efforts to make global connections as we create a competitive economy." Visit Belfast chief executive Gerry Lennon, also welcomed the news. "This is a real vote of confidence for our tourism industry and confirms the fact that Belfast is perceived as a vibrant and attractive leisure and business tourism destination. "It is also testament to the great efforts of our airports in connecting the world to Belfast - the service will not only provide another option for Icelandic visitors to consider Belfast and Northern Ireland but will also enable us to promote the city region globally, through Icelandairs extensive global network." Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, said: Todays announcement is good news for tourism to Belfast and Northern Ireland. Not only will it help grow visitor numbers from The new flight to Keflavik is being operated by Air Iceland on its 72-seat Bombardier Q400 aircraft, which is part-made in Belfast. Professor Neil Gibson, director of the Economic Policy Centre at the University of Ulster Uncertain times lie ahead for the Northern Ireland economy despite growth across many sectors this year, a respected report has claimed. Ulster University's Winter Outlook noted there had been positive jobs growth in many industries, suggesting a degree of resilience in the economy. But Professor Neil Gibson, director of the university's Economic Policy Centre, said business investment was likely to slow down next year. However, he also claimed that Northern Ireland would avoid a recession, largely thanks to consumer spending. "Tourism and retail spending, driven by the depreciation in sterling, should partially offset the slowdown in business investment," Mr Gibson explained. The outlook forecast GVA (gross value added) growth of 0.9% next year, compared to 1.9% this year. It also predicted house price growth of 4.7% next year, 2.4% the year after and 6.2% following that. Mr Gibson said the Northern Ireland economy faced many dangers thanks to the impact of the Brexit vote and the potential ramifications of Donald Trump's election as US President. He also insisted there would be no certainty for the UK economy until the details of post-Brexit trade deals became known. For Northern Ireland, Mr Gibson claimed that the future status of migrant workers and the border would be more important than trade deal details. In the meantime, consumers appear happy to proceed as normal in the absence of any detail about the content of Brexit discussions, Prof Gibson told the Belfast Telegraph. "The Prime Minister has said she won't be providing running commentary on Brexit," he said. "The early evidence would suggest that as long as there isn't actually anything we need to know, people are just prepared to continue as normal. So perhaps not knowing isn't such a bad thing." Mr Gibson additionally warned that in the long run, the Executive needed to do more to support businesses and help them to invest. "It is important that the Executive remains focused on addressing the long-standing economic challenges of Northern Ireland," he said. "Non-student inactivity rates, low productivity and the high numbers of school leavers with low or no qualifications have persisted for many years. "As a result, the key outcomes in the Programme for Government remain a priority inside or outside the EU." Prof Gibson also revealed that his university's Economic Policy Centre planned to create a new policy institute. He said the aim of the organisation would be to unite academics and government representatives in the hope of helping achieve the objectives laid out in programmes for government. Encouraging overseas holidaymakers in the Republic to cross the border is among the biggest challenges facing Northern Ireland tourism over the next year, industry experts have said. More than 260 business owners involved in tourism and hospitality gathered in Belfast for Tourism Ireland's 2017 strategy launch. Tourism Ireland chief executive Niall Gibbons said North America remained a priority market - despite United Airlines' decision to scrap its route from Belfast to Newark, the province's only transatlantic flight. He said the body will engage with agents and operators in overseas markets such as the US as it hopes to attract tourists to stay longer and spend more. And it will continue to play on attractions such as locations associated with the filming of fantasy series Game Of Thrones, as well as traditional sights such as the Giant's Causeway. Mr Gibbons said: "We obviously would be very keen to see direct flights (to the US) - they're critical - but what you have to understand is that even when we had a direct flight out, of all the business into Northern Ireland, 75% was coming via the Republic of Ireland. Where we are at the moment is that there are 17 gateways from the US and Canada that are serving the island of Ireland next year. Aer Lingus have just added on Miami and they've also made additional capacity to Chicago, Los Angeles and Orlando. It means that next summer there will be 50,000 seats every week from those markets. "We have sales missions to 35 cities in the US next year. And we will be speaking to tour operators in the travel industry to make sure that Northern Ireland is included on their itinerary next year." By the end of this year Tourism Ireland said 2.1m overseas visitors will have travelled to Northern Ireland - up 6% on the year before - spending 557m here. The United Airlines Belfast International to Newark route was cut by the airline after EU officials ruled that a 9m subsidy by the Executive was against EU State aid rules. Its last flight will be January 9. Last month Belfast International boss Graham Keddie hit out at Tourism Ireland, saying it should do more to attract visitors to Northern Ireland. However, Mr Gibbons denied suggestions the decision to scrap the route would make it harder to draw US visitors to the region. "The bottom line is that we have a 10% increase in the number of seats coming into the island of Ireland next year. We just have to ensure that people will include Northern Ireland as part of their tour." Alison Metcalf, Tourism Ireland's head of North America, said good air access had boosted tourist numbers from the west coast and southern USA. "We are on track for a fourth record year. We are expecting around 250,000 North Americans will make their way to Northern Ireland - it could even be as many as 275,000. "We are losing the Belfast service but it's our job to give people compelling reasons when they arrive into Dublin to come to Northern Ireland. But you have to put it into context that Canadians and Americans will drive for an hour-and-a-half or two hours to get to their own home airport, so their concept of distance is very different to ours." Ryanair has launched a package holiday service which it claims will be the best value for travellers. The Dublin-based airline said holidaymakers have been overcharged for years and Ryanair Holidays will transform the travel industry. Customers can book seats on Ryanair flights along with a choice of more than 330,000 hotels throughout the Mediterranean and major European cities. Ryanair has formed a partnership with Spanish tour operator Logitravel and accommodation provider World2Meet. Kenny Jacobs, Ryanair's chief marketing officer, claimed that the service would be "a great success" and said the company would forgo its commission to increase sales. He told a press conference in London: "If you're looking at a package holiday on Ryanair Holidays, you will see that typically our customers will save at least 40 on every single seat that they're booking. "If you take those flight savings that you make versus any other airline and apply those to a package holiday, a mum, dad and two kids will save at least 10% on a package holiday. "We are also willing to invest our part of the commission to drive conversion of this and it's a market which has a huge amount of commission, so we're confident this will be the best value for European consumers in the market." The service has been launched in the UK, Ireland and Germany with a dedicated website. Other markets will follow next year. Holidaymakers who book through the firm will be protected under the Atol scheme, which ensures consumers are refunded if a travel firm collapses. Singapore's financial regulators have slapped Standard Chartered and Coutts with multi-million pound fines for breaching anti-money laundering rules linked to their dealings with Malaysia's scandal-ridden state investment fund. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has charged the Singapore branch of Standard Chartered 5.2 million Singapore dollars (2.8 million) after finding "significant lapses in the bank's customer due diligence measures" that resulted in 28 violations of anti-money laundering rules between 2010 and 2013. Local operations run by Coutts, which is Royal Bank of Scotland's (RBS) private banking arm, have been separately fined 2.4 million Singapore dollars (1.3 million) for due diligence failings on accounts established between 2003 and 2009, leading to 24 breaches. However, MAS said that two officers that were partly responsible for those breaches left Coutts in late 2009. Coutts is currently in the process of winding down its Singapore branch after selling its international operations to Union Bancaire Privee last year. Singapore's regulator launched its investigation amid allegations that nearly one billion US dollars (792 million) has been embezzled from the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) by people close to Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak. MAS managing director Ravi Menon said: "These actions send a strong signal that we will not tolerate the abuse of Singapore's financial system for illicit purposes. "The supervisory investigations into the intricate web of international fund flows have been a learning experience for financial institutions as well as for MAS. Our financial sector will emerge cleaner and stronger from the lessons learnt." Standard Chartered said: "We regret that 1MDB-related transactions passed through Standard Chartered Bank Singapore accounts from 2010 to early 2013." The bank said it reported the suspicious transactions both before and at the time it exited the accounts in 2013 and has fully cooperated with authorities. "Standard Chartered has taken, and continues to take remedial and disciplinary action where warranted and will continue to strengthen our controls, processes, and surveillance systems." It said that all profits related to those transactions will be donated to charitable causes in Singapore. An RBS spokesperson said that related profits from Coutts operations will be passed on to an anti-money laundering programme to help combat financial crime in the country. RBS said: "We welcome the conclusion of the Monetary Authority of Singapore's (MAS) investigations into our legacy International business, Coutts & Co Ltd. We regret any failings in our AML processes and the length of time it has taken to detect and resolve this issue." "Coutts & Co Ltd has progressively and substantially strengthened the policies and controls that it used to prevent its services being used by clients to aid financial crime. "We are in the process of winding-down this Swiss-incorporated business, following the sale of the majority of the assets earlier this year. As announced in 2014, this sale reflects the revised risk appetite of RBS and its subsidiaries." Martin Garrix performs onstage during the 2016 Billboard Hot 100 Festival - Day 1 at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater on August 20, 2016 in Wantagh, New York. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Billboard) DJ Martin Garrix attends the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 23, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for iHeartMedia) 2016 wasn't a bad year for Martin Garrix. Headlining Ultra, crowned number one DJ in the world, creating his own record label, releasing In the Name of Love which reached half a billion plays in three months and all at the ripe old age of just 20. We asked the man currently at the top of dance music a few questions about his recent releases, his new record label and what the future holds. Q: How does it feel to be the number 1 DJ in the world? Its such an honour! But it also feels weird being ranked higher than the people who inspire me like Tiesto. It has been an incredible journey so far and I cant wait to see whats still to come. Q: You rocked Londonderry in September, do you hope to come back to Northern Ireland in the future? Absolutely. I loved it there and definitely wouldnt mind coming back. Q: You decided to release seven songs in seven days. Was this intented to be a mini-album? For me it was a way of saying thank you to my fans for their ongoing support. I wouldnt be where I am today without them, so what better way to thank them than with free music. Q: The artwork for each track by a different artist is so refreshing, how happy are you with the result? Amsterdam seems to have some talent. I love art and we wanted to create something special for these releases. Im so happy with the outcome of it, and so thankful that all these artists wanted to work on this project. Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Martin Garrix performs onstage during the 2016 Billboard Hot 100 Festival - Day 1 at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater on August 20, 2016 in Wantagh, New York. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Billboard) Getty Images for Billboard DJ Martin Garrix attends the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 23, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for iHeartMedia) Getty Images for iHeartMedia DJ Martin Garrix. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images for MTV) Getty Images for MTV Martin Garrix performs onstage during the 2016 Billboard Hot 100 Festival. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Billboard) Getty Images for Billboard / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Martin Garrix performs onstage during the 2016 Billboard Hot 100 Festival - Day 1 at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater on August 20, 2016 in Wantagh, New York. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Billboard) Q: Speaking of record labels, when can we expect to hear new talent from your own STMPD RCRDS stable? Any upcoming artists we should look out for? For sure. With STMPD RCRDS I wanted to create a platform where artists from all kinds of genres can come together and create amazing things. No musical boundaries, no restrictions, just making music together. I have already been in the studio with great new talents. We recently released the first track Leave This Place of one of the artists called LIONE, you should check it out. Q: How does it feel when the crowd love a new song you just worked on? People at the concert went crazy for WIEE. Its one of the most amazing feelings as a musician. Im always excited to see the reaction of the crowd when Im playing a new song. Q: Youre only 20 years old and are already a role model to young producers. When, or if, the day comes you decide to hang up the headphones, would you ever like to be a young artists manager? I think I will never stop working with music, it has become a part of who I am. I am really enjoying working in the studio with other artists and young talent, so maybe. But for now I feel like I just got started and Im definitely not thinking about quitting any time soon. Q: So many fans get your logo tattooed, how does this make you feel and if you had to get a tattoo what would you get? Its crazy to think that they will have my logo on their body for the rest of their lives. And for myself no tattoos any time soon. Q: You have been around the world this year, what is one place that made you think wow? I have seen so many beautiful places that its hard for me to answer that question. But I climbed Kilimanjaro at the beginning of this year and reaching the top was definitely a wow moment for me. Q: Would you like to do a track with your good buddy Justin Bieber? Or is a matter of being patient to get the perfect idea for the both of you? We have been making music together, but right now its mostly just for fun. We have become really good friends and that friendship is the main focus right now. I can tell you that I will be his support act for the Australian leg of his tour. Im really looking forward to that. Q: And Lastly- a message for your fans? Thank you so much for all your support. Its hard to express it in words sometimes, but I appreciate every single one of you. Comic actor Andrew Sachs, best known for playing Spanish waiter Manuel in Fawlty Towers, has died. The German-born performer was said to have battled vascular dementia for four years before his death at 86, at a care home and was buried on Thursday, according to reports. His wife of 57 years, Melody Sachs, told the Daily Mail: "It wasn't all doom and gloom, he still worked for two years (after his diagnosis in 2012). We were happy, we were always laughing we never had a dull moment. "He had dementia for four years and it wasn't very pleasant. We didn't really notice it at first until the memory started going. "It didn't get really bad until quite near the end. I nursed Andrew, I was there for every moment of it." She said the father-of-three, a native German speaker whose parents fled the Nazis in 1938, refused to complain about his deteriorating health. Mrs Sachs, also 86, told the Mail her husband lost his ability to speak and write during his final few weeks, and he was unable to feed himself or eat during his final days. Sachs became a household name as the hapless Manuel in the 1970s sitcom. He would go on to play Ramsay Clegg in Coronation Street in 2009 - a year after the Sachsgate scandal in which Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand made a prank call to the actor on the radio about his granddaughter. But he slipped from public life as his illness took hold. Blackadder actor and comedian Sir Tony Robinson paid tribute to his "true friend". He wrote on Twitter: " So sad that Andrew Sachs has died. A true friend and a kindred spirit. "I still have the wonderful baby pictures he took of my children. RIP." Samuel West, whose mother Prunella Scales starred alongside Sachs in Fawlty Towers, added: " Creator of one of our most beloved EU migrants. Such warmth and wit; impossible to think of him without smiling." Comedy writer Edgar Wright said Sachs "spun comic gold as Manuel in Fawlty Towers". Connie Booth said Sachs was still unknown to her when the cast first met to start work on the show 50 years ago Fawlty Towers co-writer Connie Booth has praised Andrew Sachs in a touching tribute paid following his death. Her words add to the outpouring of praise for her co-star, who played hapless Spanish waiter Manuel in the BBC sitcom, after he died aged 86 on November 23. The BBC changed its schedule on Friday to broadcast the Fawlty Towers episode Communication Problems, featuring Manuel's famous "I know nothing" line. Writing for the Guardian, Booth, who played Polly Sherman in the 1970s television show, said Sachs was still unknown to her when the cast first met to start work on the show 50 years ago. The 72-year-old compared the pairing of John Cleese and Sachs to Abbott and Costello or Laurel and Hardy, with Basil Fawlty "tall and dogmatic" and Manuel "small and confused". She wrote: "People say that nobody but John could have played Basil; it's just as true that nobody but Andrew could have played Manuel, even though there was a time when Andrew, who was German by birth, wanted to play the character in German. The character became iconic." Booth said that, in person, Sachs was not the typical comedian, but his "detachment" transferred to the stage and screen when comic set-pieces backfired. She remembered one classic Fawlty Towers scene in which Manuel sets the hotel kitchen on fire. Despite the protective jacket he was badly burned. "In that moment of panic and pain, Andrew remained calm... And again, in another scene when John whacked him on the head with a frying pan, he ended up slightly concussed but showed no pain," she said. "It reminds me of my first question to Andrew about what makes something funny. "He used the example of slipping on a banana peel. If an actual person slips on a banana peel, he said, we're concerned for him. "To be comic, the audience must instinctively know he's hasn't been hurt, that he's OK. Off-stage or on, I never saw pain in Andrew." Booth's words appeared with the foreword Fawlty Towers co-creator John Cleese, 77, wrote for Sachs's autobiography, titled I Know Nothing! Cleese, who played Basil Fawlty, recalled how he first saw Sachs at the Lyric Theatre in 1973, where he was appearing alongside Alec Guinness in Alan Bennett's farce Habeas Corpus. He said Sachs produced "one of the funniest farcical moments I have ever seen". "Weak with laughter, I managed to open my programme and underline his name," he continued. Cleese claimed credit for the "inspired idea" of casting Sachs as Manuel and explained how the actor could easily be mistaken for a senior civil servant, physician, academic, or research scientist in a social situation. He added: "He was quiet, thoughtful, beautifully mannered, well informed, observant and extremely kind. But once you put that moustache on him ... Ole! Manuel appeared, as if from nowhere. "I salute you, Andy. You created one of the great comic characters." John Cleese has led tributes to the "wonderful" Andrew Sachs, the actor best known for starring as Spanish waiter Manuel in Fawlty Towers. Sachs was buried on Thursday at 86 after battling vascular dementia for four years. The German-born performer died at a care home on November 23. Cleese, 77, the co-creator of the 1970s sitcom, told Radio 4's Today programme he was in "a little bit of shock" by the news as he paid tribute to the "wonderful" actor, who he said perfectly portrayed the hapless Manuel. He said acting with Sachs was "like playing tennis with someone who is exactly as good as you are". "Sometimes he wins and sometimes you win but somehow there's a rapport and it comes from the very deepest part of ourselves. You can work on it, but in our case we never had to work on it, it all happened so easily." Cleese added that Sachs "turned into a completely different human being" when wearing his familiar Manuel moustache. Asked of his favourite scene with Sachs in Fawlty Towers, Cleese told Today it had been The Kipper and the Corpse - episode four of the second series of the hit comedy. "I think that was some of our very best physical comedy and working out all that stuff like getting the body into the basket and getting it out again I think that was so much fun. "Occasionally you come across someone who loves physical comedy and although he was such a quiet demeanour, Andy absolutely loved it. "He was wonderful." Cleese said he last saw Sachs "eight or nine months ago" when they were being photographed together. He said he realised then he "wasn't totally present" but added the news of his death was "a little bit of a shock". "Although I knew his memory was not so good, despite that he was very special." Earlier the actor had posted on Twitter: "Just heard about Andy Sachs. Very sad ... I knew he was having problems with his memory as his wife Melody told me a couple of years ago. "A very sweet gentle and kind man and a truly great farceur. I first saw him in Habeas Corpus on stage in 1973. I could not have found a better Manuel. Inspired." Cleese said he was aware the actor had been admitted to a care home "but I had no idea that his life was in danger". He also referred to a foreword he wrote in 2014 for his former co-star's book which was said to have "moved Sachs to tears". Sachs had been a resident at Denville Hall a private care home in Northwood, west London. Staff said on Thursday night they were unable to talk about his death. His wife of 57 years, Melody Sachs, told the Daily Mail: "It wasn't all doom and gloom, he still worked for two years (after his diagnosis in 2012). We were happy, we were always laughing, we never had a dull moment. "He had dementia for four years and it wasn't very pleasant. We didn't really notice it at first until the memory started going. "It didn't get really bad until quite near the end. I nursed Andrew, I was there for every moment of it." She said the father-of-three, a native German speaker whose parents fled the Nazis in 1938, refused to complain about his deteriorating health. Mrs Sachs, also 86, said her husband lost his ability to speak and write during his final few weeks and he was unable to feed himself or eat during his final days. After Fawlty Towers, Sachs would go on to play Ramsay Clegg in Coronation Street in 2009 - a year after the Sachsgate scandal in which Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand made a prank call to the actor on the radio about his granddaughter. But he slipped from public life as his illness took hold. Blackadder actor and comedian Sir Tony Robinson paid tribute to his "true friend". He said on Twitter: "So sad that Andrew Sachs has died. A true friend and a kindred spirit. "I still have the wonderful baby pictures he took of my children. RIP." Samuel West, whose mother Prunella Scales starred alongside Sachs in Fawlty Towers, added: "Creator of one of our most beloved EU migrants. Such warmth and wit; impossible to think of him without smiling." Director of BBC content, Charlotte Moore, also paid tribute to the "wonderful actor". She added: "He will be fondly remembered for his many appearances across television and radio, not least for making the nation laugh in the classic role of Manuel. "He entertained millions across a brilliant career and will be greatly missed." Sachs' son, John Sachs, said as his father battled with vascular dementia he was shown Fawlty Towers but did not recognise the hit comedy. He told the BBC's Today programme: "Vascular dementia is a terrible thing for an actor because you lose your voice, you lose movement and they even tried playing Fawlty Towers to him but he didn't even recognise it, so it is a terrible change." The younger Sachs also revealed his father used Manuel's moustache to hide behind. "I think he stuck that big moustache on because he didn't want to be recognised. "(He) tried to make it even bigger but John wouldn't have it. I think he would have whole big furry thing across his face. "Honestly he didn't seek the limelight at all, just enjoyed the craft." Asked if Sachs considered the role as the standout of his career, his son said: "I don't think he ever thought that as anything particular special. I guess we did. "He wasn't even sure if John had written him into the next series because it was a two-part so that's how much regard he had for it really but of course he loved doing it and liked the royalties. "He brought a certain subtlety to it." Fawlty Towers actress Connie Booth, who played waitress and hotel maid Polly Sherman, paid tribute to Sachs saying he " spoke to the world with his body as well as his mangled English." She said: "It made him a universally beloved figure. It was a privilege and an education to work with him." The producer of international smash hit television programme Sherlock has been handed a lifetime achievement award by actor Benedict Cumberbatch. Beryl Vertue, executive producer of the BBC series which stars Cumberbatch in the title role, was recognised for her contribution to television at the annual Women In Film and TV Awards. Vertue has worked in television for more than 50 years and is behind hit programmes including Up Pompeii, Steptoe And Son and Men Behaving Badly. Cumberbatch said it was an "absolute honour" to present the prize to the "wonderful" Vertue. He added: "We have known each other a long time and not only have I had the pleasure of working with her but I'm very lucky to know her and call such a brilliant woman my friend." Also in attendance at the ceremony at the Park Lane Hilton Hotel in central London were Olympic diver Tom Daley, Strictly Come Dancing star Judge Rinder, Game Of Thrones actress Sophie Turner, and broadcaster Sandi Toksvig. The MAC best performance award went to Bafta-winning actress Sarah Lancashire presented by her co-star in BBC series Happy Valley Siobhan Finneran. Also recognised at awards were BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg who was handed the news and factual award by Strictly star and former shadow chancellor Ed Balls. Daley presented broadcaster Gabby Logan with the NEP UK presenter award. WFTV chief executive Kate Kinninmont said: "We are delighted this year to honour Beryl Vertue with The EON Productions lifetime achievement award as her contribution to television over the past 50 years has been outstanding. "She is a true legend in production and is an inspiration to so many." She added: "We have seen some fantastic women achieving great things this year and the diverse range of winners is testament to that." Speaking on the red carpet for the event, Vertue said she felt "rather proud" with the nod. "I'm very blessed I've been able to do comedy and drama. "I've met some great people really and here I am today. She said the awards were "wonderful because there a lot of clever women and a lot of them are behind-the-scenes people and this is their way of being recognised." "I like that and they've been chosen by their peers." On Cumberbatch, Vertue said: "He's wonderful, he's a wonderful person A new air route linking Northern Ireland to Iceland has been announced. The service will run three times a week between George Best Belfast City International Airport and Reykjavik. It is being operated by Icelandair's sister airline Air Iceland and will fly all year round. Birkir Holm Guonason, Icelandair chief executive, said: "Belfast is a vibrant, fast-growing city with great business and leisure opportunities and we are happy to be able to offer our customers this exciting addition to our network." The news has been welcomed by Stormont's Economy Minister, Simon Hamilton. He said: "This new route to Iceland, which will open up connections to North America, is another important step as we continue to build our air connectivity so that it is as easy as possible for people all over the world to access Northern Ireland for both business and tourism purposes." Flight times between the two cities are estimated at just over two-and-a-half hours. Katy Best, commercial and marketing director at the City Airport, said the flight would add a major boost to the Northern Irish economy. She said: "Icelandair has a proven international pedigree and our partnership with the airline for this new service will be a hugely welcome addition to the local market for business and leisure passengers. "With a fantastic range of cultural events, activities and historical sites, the Icelandic capital is an increasingly popular tourist destination, while the route offers passengers an extremely convenient connection to a host of destinations in the USA and Canada." Last month it was announced Northern Ireland's only direct link to the United States would be axed early in the New Year. The United Airlines daily flight from Belfast International Airport and Newark was deemed no longer viable, despite a 9 million support package from government ministers. A fight broke out in Cullingtree Road in West Belfast which last for over two hours on the afternoon of October 24, 2015. A cousin of murder victim Edward Gibson who bit off a man's ear during a feud was given a suspended sentence on Friday after a 'road to Damascus conversion'' in his life. A judge at Belfast Crown Court told Kieran McAuley (31), of Ardmoulin Place, that if he had convicted after trial of the charge of affray he would have received a sentence of five years. Imposing instead a three-and-a-half-year sentence suspended for three years, Judge Geoffrey Miller QC said the defendant had "changed his life around'' since the street fight over two years ago and was now leading a Christian life. Prosecutor Philip Henry told the court that a fight broke out in Cullingtree Road in West Belfast which last for over two hours on the afternoon of October 24, 2015. He said the drunken feud involved Edward Gibson along with members of another family and an associate who had accused Gibson of "raping'' a female member of that family. The court heard McAuley received a phone call from Gibson that day to say that there was a fight and he went to the scene to "back him up''. During the melee, the court was told the rival faction made "derogatory comments about the defendant being sexually abused as a child''. The judge heard that this rival had armed themselves with pizza cutters, knives and billiard balls in socks. A short time later, McAuley went over to one of his rivals and "bit his ear off''. During police interview, McAuley - who was known locally as 'Bo Bo' - said he "would have bitten his whole face off''. McAuley also told police that during the street fight he had had been "struck over the head with a pool ball inside a sock''. Later that day McAuley's cousin Edward Gibson (28) was shot in the stomach and thigh in an alley way near Divis Tower. He later died in hospital of his injuries. The court heard at the time of the offences McAuley was in breach of seven suspended sentences which amounted to six years and eight months in custody. Defence barrister Sean Devine said McAuley went to the scene as "back up to his cousin to even things up and did not go there to deliberately hurt anyone.'' He told Judge Miller QC that McAuley has now "completely changed his life around'' after having to move to England following a death threat. Mr Devine added: "He now devotes his life to religious fellowship. He has given his life up to the Lord. He has given his life up to public service.'' He urged the court not to interfere with his liberty and allow him to continue with his Christian outreach work in England. Judge Miller QC said it was clear that McAuley had had a "road to Damascus conversion'' since the affray had decided to suspend his three-and-a-half year sentence. The judge added: "I have a firm belief, given all that the papers I have read, that you will not be back in this court and I trust that this is the case.'' For 600 soldiers in the Royal Irish Regiment, Kabul in Afghanistan will soon be home for the next eight months. Around 90% of the regiment is recruited from Ireland, and the new deployment will be the first tour of duty for many of the young soldiers. Commanding officer Lt Col Graham Shannon (43), a native of Co Tyrone, is preparing for his third trip to Afghanistan. Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, he told of the pain of losing troops, the changes to life in Afghanistan, and how he's looking forward to St Patrick's Day in Kabul. "There's a really different mission here. You can see how Afghanistan has developed across the ages," he said. "I was with them when we deployed in 2008 and again in 2014 during the closure of Camp Bastion in Helmand. Through all that time we were patrolling the streets, on the ground doing combat operations." He pointed out that it was Afghan forces who were now taking the lead on the ground. "They're doing a good job of it," he added. A typical day in Kabul will focus on protecting and transporting important Nato personnel while remaining alert for attacks by the Taliban. "It's challenging, but our boys and girls are really looking forward to it. To say there's no threat in Kabul would be wrong, there's still a pretty significant threat of attack," he explained. "In training we made sure to guard against complacency. There's a lot of responsibility put on a young soldier. "But your ability to communicate is as important as the weapon you carry to defend yourself." Recalling his 2008 tour, he said: "There was a great deal of sadness because we lost a young soldier (Ranger Justin James Cupples from Co Cavan was 29 when he was killed on patrol in Helmand after an improvised explosive device exploded). "We also lost a number of American Marines who were serving alongside us and others in the Afghan security forces. It was a challenging tour but very rewarding; the pride I have for the soldiers I served alongside is incredible. They're an amazing bunch of people. "Whenever I see the way we've been supported back home, it's absolutely fantastic." He added: "When it comes to our jobs we're absolutely focused, but we also have a good bit of craic. We were in Kuwait in 2002, about to cross the Iraq border, and held the most amazing St Patrick's Day parade, chariot racing in the morning and a shamrock parade afterwards. "So Paddy's day in Kabul is probably going to be pretty similar to Ireland- just without the Guinness!" At a preliminary hearing, Judge Neil Rafferty, who has recently been appointed to oversee the controversial case, said he was anxious to make progress A coroner has said he wants to inject some "adrenaline" into the process of holding an inquest for a man shot dead by police 10 years ago. Steven Colwell, 23, died in April 2006 after police fired on the BMW which failed to stop at a checkpoint in Ballynahinch, Co Down. The policeman who shot Mr Colwell, known only as Officer O, was accused of critically flawed judgment following an investigation by former police ombudsman Al Hutchinson. At a preliminary hearing, Judge Neil Rafferty, who has recently been appointed to oversee the controversial case, said he was anxious to make progress. He told Belfast's Laganside Court: "I am keen to hear this and to inject some adrenaline into the process." A full inquest is expected to take place at some point next spring and will last between four and six weeks. However a start date and venue have yet to be confirmed and the question of whether the case will be heard before a jury has also not been addressed. Judge Rafferty added: "I am very keen to get this inquest up and running as soon as possible." Meanwhile, a barrister representing the Colwell family said his relatives have been requesting access to the court papers for months. While legal teams have been allowed to see the documents, lawyers have been barred from discussing their content because of ongoing issues with redactions, the court was told. Karen Quinlivin QC argued that the family was entitled to see them. She said: " They are interested in reading the papers. They are very motivated and have been asking for this since September." Ms Quinlivin told the court they were also still waiting for Officer O's training records and information about PSNI policy regarding firearms training. She added: "Officer O had been on long-term sick leave and was back for a relatively short period of time." Ms Quinlivin also said the family objected to the inquest being held in a court outside Belfast. Earlier, the court was told the disclosure of documentation was very well advanced. Peter Coll, representing the coroner, said a "large amount of papers" had been gathered and created during the course of the Ombudsman's investigation. He said 35 folders of information had been handed to the interested parties but acknowledged that a number of others containing more sensitive material have yet to be released. The court will also receive video material including CCTV footage of the scene shortly after the incident taken from a police helicopter, as well as other CCTV images and scene photographs. Mr Coll said: "The material is very voluminous but that is not surprising in a complex case of this nature." Meanwhile, the court was told the Colwell family objected to the inquest being held outside Belfast. Ms Quinlivin said: "The family think if it is held outside Belfast they won't be able to attend and that's quite a significant issue. They have been in attendance regularly and have followed the case assiduously." The case has been adjourned until January 10. David Byrne was killed in a gun attack at the Regency Hotel in north Dublin in February A Co Tyrone man fighting extradition over his alleged role in a gangland murder at a Dublin hotel is undergoing further neurological assessment, a court heard on Friday. Counsel for Kevin Murray indicated the outcome could impact on his physical fitness to stand trial on charges connected to the killing of David Byrne earlier this year. Murray, 46, was detained at his home in Townsend Street, Strabane in September under a European Arrest Warrant issued by authorities in the Irish Republic. He is wanted in connection with the fatal gun attack at Dublin's Regency Hotel on February 5. Byrne, a 34-year-old father of two from the Crumlin area, was shot dead when masked men dressed as Garda officers opened fire with automatic guns. His killing ignited a deadly feud between members of the rival Kinahan and Hutch gangs. Murray is being sought over alleged offences of murder, possession of a firearm with intent, and possession of a firearm in suspicious circumstances. It was previously claimed in court that he had stayed overnight at the hotel in preparation for his alleged role in the shooting. Gardai investigating the killing allege Murray can be clearly identified on CCTV footage and photographic evidence. Another man, 24-year-old Patrick Hutch of Champions Avenue in Dublin, has already been charged with the murder. He is alleged to have acted with the Co Tyrone man as part of the same gang. At an earlier hearing Murray appeared in court using a walking aid due to his debilitating condition. During an update at Belfast Recorder's Court today, defence barrister Desmond Fahy confirmed that a final neurological report was to be provided following a further examination. He explained that a forensic medical officer may then have to assess his client's physical fitness to stand trial. Adjourning proceedings, Her Honour Judge Patricia Smyth listed the case for a further mention later this month. A man who repeatedly raped an eight-year-old schoolgirl in the grounds of a Catholic Church in Portstewart has been jailed for 10 years. Louis Feeny carried out what a judge described as "a campaign of rape" against his victim on an almost daily basis in August 1973. The 66-year-old, from Killowen Street in Coleraine, is already a convicted sex offender serving a jail sentence. Feeny pleaded guilty to six specimen charges of rape. He was originally interviewed by the police about the rape allegations back in October 2000 but no prosecution was directed at the time. However, when other sexual offences came to light Feeny was reinterviewed, but denied the allegations. He was due to stand trial in September of this year but on the morning of his trial he was rearraigned and pleaded guilty to the charges. Public Prosecution Service barrister Roseanne McCormick told the court that Feeny first met his victim outside the Star Of The Sea church in Portstewart as she was on her way to swimming lessons. The young girl said she had to go to the toilet and Feeny took her to a toilet block at the rear of the church. He walked into the toilet cubicle with her and locked the door behind. Feeny ordered the girl to touch his private parts before telling her to stand on the toilet seat. When she did that he raped her. Mrs McCormick said Feeny then instilled fear in the girl and threatened her that if she told anybody about what had happened he would report her to the police for stealing from the chapel's collection box. "She was raped by the defendant every day throughout the month of August in 1973 except on Sundays," she said. Defence barrister Alan Kane QC described it as a case where the less was said the better. "It was a very vile series of offences", he told Judge Gordon Kerr QC. Mr Kane said Feeny had a troubled childhood during which he struggled educationally. "He lived in a children's home in Portrush," he said. "He was then sent to a Christian Brothers home in Dublin, where he says he was sexually abused by one of those in charge." As well as jailing Feeny for 10 years, Judge Kerr placed him on the sex offenders' register for life and made him the subject of a sexual offender's prevention order for 15 years. White claimed that he had carried out the required checks under the pharamacy Standard Operation Procedures A Hertfordshire man is allegedly linked to 1 million seizure of herbal cannabis in Belfast through fingerprint evidence, a court heard on Friday. Philip Ketley, 35, was arrested at his home on Wednesday by detectives investigating the drugs recovered in the north of the city earlier this year. The NHS flooring contractor, of Honey Lane in Hertford, was remanded into custody amid claims that he is part of an organised crime gang involved in the plot to bring the consignment into Northern Ireland. Police seized 50 kilos of cannabis after two vehicles were stopped and searched at Dargan Road on January 26. The drugs were said to have been hidden inside flower boxes before being transported by lorry across the Irish Sea. Two other men from Co Louth and Co Armagh have already been charged in connection with the seizure. Ketley appeared before Belfast Magistrates' Court charged with supplying Class B drugs and being concerned in their supply. Opposing his application for bail, a detective constable alleged he is linked to a gang that has suffered a 1m financial hit and may re-offending in a bid to recoup those losses. She also disclosed that a quantity of cannabis was found in Ketley's home when officers arrived to arrest him. "He has a 6,000 a year drug habit and we believe he's heavily involved in criminal activity," the detective added. Defence counsel Michael Boyd rejected the "alarming" depiction of the accused by police. Mr Boyd argued that the only evidence against Ketley are fingerprints found on two long white boxes. Explaining their presence, the barrister accepted his client has a cannabis dependency. "When he was buying a small amount of drugs from his supplier... the individual was showing off about the amount of drugs he had in the flat," Mr Boyd said. "In order to move across the room he (Ketley) remembers long white boxes that he touched." District Judge Fiona Bagnall was told the accused was "incredulous" when the police allegations of being linked to a crime gang were put to him. "This is a man living fairly quietly in England, and to put it mildly he's astounded at the suggestion," Mr Boyd added. But despite the offer of a 10,000 cash surety, Judge Bagnall refused bail due to the risk of re-offending. She remanded Ketley in custody to appear again by video-link on December 30. Judge Sherrard said efforts to obtain information from An Garda Siochana would have to be stepped up Disagreements over the blanking out of documents are adding to the delays in an inquest for a dissident republican murdered six years ago. Kieran Doherty, 31, was shot dead in February 2010 and his body dumped near Londonderry. The Real IRA claimed responsibility for killing one of its members, but nobody has ever been charged with murder. In the weeks before his death, Mr Doherty claimed MI5 attempted to recruit him as an agent and his family have raised concerns the UK security services could have played a role in his death. At a preliminary hearing, Belfast's Laganside Court was told of significant discord over the level of redaction on five files of papers between legal teams representing the police and next of kin. Coroner Brian Sherrard described the issue as a "road block". Addressing members of the family who were seated in the well of the court, Judge Sherrard said: "We are still trying to get a meeting of minds with regards to information that comes before the court." A hearing to thrash out arguments on the information that can be released into the public domain has been scheduled for later this month. Meanwhile, the court was also told that officials in the Republic of Ireland have not yet engaged with the inquest process, despite correspondence from the coroner's legal representatives. Judge Sherrard said efforts to obtain information from An Garda Siochana would have to be stepped up. He said: "This case clearly has a cross-border dimension. We are going to have to re-double our efforts to see what we can do in other to provoke a substantive response from An Garda Siochana." After the brief hearing, Vincent Coyle said he hoped the truth about his nephew's killing could soon be established. He said: "I welcome the judge's decision to re-meet for more discussion. "Every step forward brings us closer to the truth in these matters." The case has been adjourned until December 22. A lawyers' body has won High Court permission to challenge the closure of a PSNI custody suite covering a population of up to 200,000 people. Ards and North Down Solicitors' Association has been granted leave to seek a judicial review of the shutdown of holding cells at Bangor police station. The custody suite closed at midnight last night as part of a wider 1m savings plan. Legal action was taken amid claims of a failure to carry out proper consultation before the move was rubber-stamped. Lawyers for the association also argued that an equality impact assessment was not conducted. Mr Justice Maguire ruled that an arguable case has been established. The judge refused a further request to mothball the closure until the court case ends. But the association confirmed it will be seeking an order for the custody suite to be reopened should it succeed after a full hearing early next year. Outside court, its chairman, Clive Fullerton, claimed the loss of the Bangor facilities will have a major impact on north Down and the Ards Peninsula. With the closest holding cells now set to be in Belfast, he said: "This is losing a custody suite in an area of population of 180-200,000 people." Mr Fullerton added: "We are there on a daily basis, looking after the interests of people who are arrested. "Vulnerable adults and children will now be taken to very large facilities at Musgrave Street in Belfast. "There are concerns for community safety and the response times of police officers." The average cost of keeping a prisoner in Northern Ireland has been revealed as 158 a night - more than a stay in a four-star hotel in Belfast. Justice Minister Claire Sugden said the average annual cost per prisoner was 57,643. The average overnight cost of a room at a four-star hotel in Belfast at present is 101 - around a third cheaper over a year. Ms Sugden said the segregation of paramilitary inmates and the relatively low prison population contributed to the figure. The price is considerably more than in England and Wales, where the average nightly cost is 96 for prisoners - 35,182 annually. Scotland has the lowest costs at 92 per day, or 34,399 per year. DUP MLA Jim Wells - who raised the issue of costs - said the Justice Minister needed to "stop hiding behind the Troubles". He added that "the public won't be able to understand why it costs more than a room in a four-star hotel to keep a prisoner. It just doesn't seem right". Ms Sugden described comparisons with prisons in Britain as unhelpful. "The same range of services must be provided within a relatively small prison population and therefore economies of scale lead to costs in Northern Ireland being higher," she said. She added that the price of Prison Service headquarters' overheads, prisoner transport and property costs were not included in Britain's figures. Ms Sugden said having to keep paramilitary prisoners in separate areas "increases running costs and reduces the operational flexibility of accommodation". "Another factor, which increases the differential, is that during the Troubles staff received higher salaries due to the increased risks associated with working with paramilitary prisoners." The Justice Minister pointed out that, since 2010, costs per prisoner had decreased by 16,119 - from 73,762 to 57,643. This was achieved through a voluntary early retirement scheme for warders and the construction of new accommodation. Mr Wells said the figures showed prison spending had become "grossly inefficient". "We're paying 45% more to keep a prisoner than Scotland," he said. "The minister's hidden behind the Troubles. The fact is that most criminals now are ODCs (ordinary decent criminals), drunk drivers, drug addicts, thieves etc. "They're exactly the same criminals as in the rest of the UK, but for some strange reason it costs far more to keep them here. "We're not talking about staying in the Europa, as you know. It's very basic accommodation, there's no sauna or manicures." The Prison Service has been under increasing pressure recently after three inmates died in Maghaberry in November alone - two by suicide and one by an apparent drugs overdose this week. Ulster Unionist MLA Doug Beattie said it confirmed the Prison Service was in "crisis" and called for an urgent increase in jail staffing levels. Finlay Spratt, chair of the Prison Officers Association, has been highly critical of budget cuts. He warned that after the voluntary redundancy scheme of 2010-11 prison officers were now overstretched, and he feared more inmates' deaths would follow. In November warders in Maghaberry and Magilligan voted in favour of industrial action up to, and including, strike action. Mr Wells called the recent deaths "absolute tragedies". "I think the Justice Minister needs to have a review of the prison costs - she needs to see what is different. Where is the extra 20,000 per prisoner being spent?" Welcome home, a beaming Native American woman said to us as we entered the gate at the Oceti Sakowin camp last week. It was only our second day in a dusty field next to the Cannon Ball River in North Dakota and already it was beginning to feel like home. In some ways, it felt even better. A New York chef worked as a volunteer cook in one of the eight kitchens at camp, helping prepare fresh kale salads, baked apples, and roasted beets, dishes I dont get at home. Members of the Veterans for Peace group and Native men kept careful watch over the camp, stepping in to calm a ranting disoriented man, or strolling into our camp, asking "Is everyone in your camp well?" as we groggily staggered out of the back of my Subaru one frosty morning. Awed and uplifted My 21-year-old daughter, Chrissy, and I decided to spend part of our Thanksgiving break at the site of the Standing Rock protest in North Dakota. We were awed and uplifted by the cultural sharing among the more than 300 indigenous groups represented there. Naima Penniman, of the hip-hop duo Climbing PoeTree, described the scene as a spiritual renaissance to remind us that we are spiritually connected. Creativity is the antidote for violence and destruction, she told a crowd of about 100 people who watched her perform. A steady stream of indigenous people from around the world presented flags, sacred objects, music and prayers in front of the sacred fire during our visit. Bedushia Nicholi from the Yupik Eskimo tribe in Alsaka, Uqualla Havasupai from the Hovosupai Tribe in the Grand Canyon, a flute player from Columbia, and two Pacific Islanders living in the D.C. area spoke or performed or offered prayers. Native and non-native artists created posters and designs in a well-stocked art tent. Navajo artist Shonto Begay painted a scene showing women representing the four colors of humanity on a 10-foot banner to celebrate the Seventh Generation Medicine Concert, which was held on Nov. 23. University of Wisconsin art professor Nicolas Lampert created a silhouette design of a woman with a feather that people could print onto canvas and pin to jackets and coats. Almost everywhere you looked, someone was either singing or praying. Stories and food and music hold us up in times of deep hardship and also times of joy, Rising Appalachias Chloe Smith said during her performance. If it weren't for the helicopters and planes circling over the camp day and night, you almost forgot that this was a volatile situation. Members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe have camped there since April to protest the Dakota Access pipeline, and there have been clashes with police. Much of what is happening at Standing Rock is being documented by citizens and at least four documentary film crews were at Standing Rock during Thanksgiving week. Crowds grow over Thanksgiving A parade of motor homes and painted school buses and cars were bumper-to-bumper entering the camp until late in the night on Nov. 23. The crowd shifted overnight from mostly indigenous people to white folks doing what we always do taking over. The three encampments swelled from 1,500 to 7,000 people over Thanksgiving. A Columbian flute player, who was afraid to give his name because friends back home have been murdered or kidnapped for speaking out, was worried about the site turning into a rock festival or photo opportunity. Youve got a woman of European ancestry singing an Al Green song at a Native gathering, he said. As he presented his gift of palo santo wood to the Standing Rock Sioux, though, he said the gathering was powerful. This is the first time this many nations have come together like this. Members of the media were asked not to photograph sensitive cultural and spiritual ceremonies, like the water blessing we participated in on Nov. 23. More than 200 people, the largest prayer circle yet assembled at Oceti Sakowin, gathered just after dawn to listen to Native prayers and then walk a half-mile to the banks of the Cannon Ball River for a blessing ceremony. The mud had so much clay in it, some people had to be pulled out after they sank in half way to their knees. This just feels right, Stella Wright, of Rhode Island, told me as she flung mud from her boots so she could walk. I had to agree. Many people told me they felt led to be at Standing Rock. Havasupai pointed out that some tortured souls are there to find healing. Thats not the purpose of this place, he said. The sacred fire in everyone is passion, but dont let it get out of control and burn stuff down." He urged us to find our own sacred place when we leave Standing Rock and summon the power to defend it. As the 2,000 or so people at Oceti Sakowin begin to disperse by the Dec. 5 deadline, mandated by the Army Corps of Engineers, and the anger and frustration continue to mount over the Dakota Access pipeline, I'll follow Havasupai's counsel. Billings is my sacred place and I will continue to promote our diverse culture and fight against hate. An off-duty PSNI officer was sentenced to three-and-a-half-years on Friday after he was caught with 100 Ecstasy tablets in an undercover police surveillance operation. Sean Paul Race (31), with an address in Comber, Co Down, pleaded guilty at Belfast Crown Court to a charge of possessing the Class A drugs with intent to supply during the "targeted operation''. Prosecution barrister David Russell told the court that on July 3, 2013, two police officers stopped Race at the Junction of Agincourt AVenue and Rugby Road in south Belfast. "He was placed under control and during a search of his person a money bag containing small blue tablets was found in his right trouser pocket. These tablets were examined and found to be 100 Ecstasy tablets.'' Race was taken to Antrim police and replied "no comment'' at interview. At a follow up interview two months later, the court heard Race had with him a prepared statement in which he said that he found the drugs in a hedge after the they were "thrown away a hedge following a confrontation with a man and was going to bring them to the police''. His defence had been that it was a case of "entrapment'' and that he had been "set up in some way''. But Mr Russell told the court that this was a "lying defence''. "He was a serving police officer at the time of this offence and the accused had been under observation by a surveillance team.'' Following his arrest, Race quit the PSNI after almost ten years of service and moved to the Republic of Ireland to work with charities UNICEF and Infinity to carry out fundraising work. Judge Neil Rafferty QC heard how police watchers observed him walking to the Stranmillis Road with his young son, approach a Nissan Almera car registered to an address in Magdala Street, get into the car and drive off. Two mobile phones were seized - one belonged to Race and the other to the driver of the Nissan. A house at Magadala Street was searched two months later and drugs were seized. "This was clearly a commercial operation,'' said Mr Russell. "It was planned in advance and it was not an off the cuff meeting.'' "There was a significant number of tablets involved and he knew was going to get a considerable reward for it.'' He added that the aggravating factor in the case that although Race was not on duty at the time of the offence, he was a "serving police officer'' and with that came the public trust in a public servant to "carry out his duties with integrity both in work life but also in private life too''. Defence counsel Richard Greene QC said Race's career now lay in tatters and had lost his good name with his professional colleagues in the PSNI and had also lost his work with Infinity in Dublin as a result of his guilty plea. He told the court that Race could not deal with the stresses of his police job and abused alcohol and took legal highs and other drugs to cope with his "chaotic life''. Mr Greene QC said part of that stress resulted from a paramilitary death delivered to him by police on a 'PM1' form saying republicans knew he was visiting females at addresses in west Belfast. Adding that Race was "remorseful for his significant error or judgement'', the defence counsel urged the court not to impose an immediate custodial sentence in an effort to allow the former policeman to rebuild his life and continue his relationship with his son. Judge Neil Rafferty QC said Race had been "effectively caught red handed'' in the covert police operation and had put forward a "lying defence'' of entrapment, made a ''no comment'' interview, and only pleaded guilty close to the start of his trial. "In his letter to me he expresses the hope not to receive a custodial sentence so he can maintain the relationship with his son. This was the same son he took drug dealing,'' said Judge Rafferty QC. "What is clear in this case and these circumstances is that at the time he was a serving police officer who willingly involved himself in this offence for which he has now pleaded guilty. Giving credit of his guilty plead and clear record, the judge imposed a sentence of three and half years in custody. "I have considered whether there any exceptional elements to this case that would allow me to suspend this sentence. "Unfortunately, Mr Race, I have concluded there no exceptional circumstances. You will served 21 months in custody followed by 21 months on supervised licence,'' added Judge Rafferty QC. As the sentence was passed, Race stood with his head bowed before he was led away in handcuffs by a prison guard. The court granted a disposal order for the 100 Ecstasy tablets and the two mobile phones seized. A heritage group has voiced its "outrage" at the demolition of three historic buildings in Belfast. The buildings at 95-107 North Street, Belfast which date back more than 100 years were demolished over the weekend. The Ulster Architectural Heritage Society expected a request for the buildings to be listed which is sent on March 11, 2016 to be approved by Belfast City Council in their December meeting. The heritage group said it was "alarming" that demolition took place "coincidentally, just before listing for the protection of these buildings was likely to be confirmed". It said: "This follows on the destruction of heritage through the demolition of the Metropole and Orpheus buildings on York Street in 2015, and comes at a time when a substantial section of historic Belfast at the other end of North Street is re-proposed for demolition as part of plans for the Royal Exchange commercial complex. The destruction of our finite and irreplaceable historic building stock is now at shocking levels. "We are unnecessarily losing historic buildings in Belfast which any other city or jurisdiction would give priority to preserve, in a city that has ample vacant development land. Every heritage asset lost represents another blow to Belfasts potential to promote tourism, economic investment, social regeneration and cohesion through restoration of its historic buildings. New developments should incorporate and compliment the City's heritage assets, not obliterate them. " The group are now seeking an urgent meeting with Communities Minister Paul Givan. It said: "Unfortunately the positive and progressive attitude adopted by the Minister appears to be less widely reflected among local councillors in Northern Ireland. Urgent reassessment of the approach to the practical protection of historic buildings must be addressed, not only in North Belfast but across Northern Ireland. "Following the weekend demolition yet another significant portion of our attractive architectural past has been destroyed. As North Belfasts heritage, building by building reduces to a pile of broken bricks, and photographs in a forgotten file, future generations and visitors are denied the experience of the original Belfast." A woman whose father was a priest has spoken for the first time about their relationship and how growing up she said she "didn't know any different". Father Arty McAnerney admitted to parishioners at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Beragh, Co Tyrone he had a daughter in November 1998. He told how he had a daughter following a relationship with a women when he worked as a curate in Drogheda. His parishioners greeted the statement with applause and for the next two decades he continued his work. Fr McAnerney, who served in parishes across Armagh, passed away last month in hospital. Speaking for the first time to the Irish News, his daughter Dearbhla Clark said: "I've always been proud of my dad and he's always been proud of me. I've never had a problem with any of this stuff. "Sure my dad was great - he was the only one who stood on the altar and said Mass. My dad was absolutely brilliant, nobody else's dad did that." Growing up, Dearbhla said she always knew her father was a priest. "I remember there was a girl on the school bus, I think I was about six to eight, and we had this fight because she could not comprehend that my dad was a Catholic priest," she said. "I was adamant about it, I was like, 'He is, he is, he says Mass and everything'. You know the way kids go on and she was like, 'No, no, no'. "It was only in later years that I started realising that it wasn't the social norm and that's when the problems started where things would have been kept quiet." When it emerged in the news that Fr McAnerney had a child, Dearbhla said she did not know the details of what was going on. "When the last media coverage happened, I think I was 15 or 16 and it was requested by my mother's solicitor that my dad stopped seeing me, which he did out of respect." But she reconnected with him after she found his telephone number. When her father passed away Dearbhla said she was overwhelmed by the support she received as she addressed the congregation. She said she believes her experience is an example of why priests should be allowed to have children - and Dearbhla believes there may be others out there in a similar situation. She said: "Quite honestly I think the rules in the Church at the moment are extremely archaic - you cannot expect a man to spend 60/70 years on their own, total celibacy, it is extremely cruel." A much anticipated report examining Northern Ireland's ban on abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormality (FFA) may not be made public. Justice Minister Claire Sugden appeared to cast doubt over the move when she told MLAs the decision would require full Executive approval. She said: "The report was never intended to be for publication to the general public. It was to inform both myself and the Health Minister and then we would have discussions with the wider Executive. That's not to say we won't publish the report." The document was produced by a panel of experts set up after a High Court judge ruled that the current ban on abortion in cases of sexual crime and fatal foetal abnormality breached human rights legislation. It includes testimony from families affected by FFA as well as from key professionals and was received by the departments of health and justice in October. Both ministers intend to bring the findings before the Executive in the New Year. Miss Sugden, an independent MLA, also rejected suggestions she was duty bound to "toe the Executive line". "There is a phrase called collective responsibility within Government and in terms of delivery and actually getting the job done I am quite happy to adhere to that," she said. "I am also mindful that before becoming a minister I did have particular issues in this area and I along with the Health Minister am keen to progress this particular area but I have to also be realistic that this is a Northern Ireland Executive. It's something that we as a full government will have to decide on together to move forward." Abortion is outlawed in Northern Ireland except in a very limited number of cases where the mother's health is at risk. Last year, a senior judge in Belfast found the ban on terminations in instances of sexual crime or fatal foetal abnormalities was incompatible with international human rights laws. The ruling was appealed by Attorney General John Larkin QC and Stormont's Department of Justice and judges are considering arguments made during that hearing. Among the most critical of the minister's comments was Alliance Party MLA Trevor Lunn. He said: "If any minister wanted to obtain a report which they didn't want to be published why would you announce it, why would you proclaim the fact that you are trying to find a way forward and are commissioning a report? You (Miss Sugden) had quite a bit of time here before you became a minister and I am sure you would have been equally frustrated as I am in the situation, and other members are as well. And you, now as a member of the Executive, have to toe the Executive line. I think this is absolutely disgraceful. I am disappointed." Jade Smith passed away after she contracted meningococcal disease A minister has said there is "a shadow hanging over Carryduff" after a young woman died suddenly in hospital. Jade (Danielle) Smith complained of feeling unwell on Monday afternoon before being rushed to hospital later that evening, where her health deteriorated rapidly. The 22-year-old died early on Tuesday morning. It is suspected she had contracted meningococcal disease. Her funeral will take place at St Ignatius Parish Church in Carryduff today. Rev Stephen Lowry, Rector of St Ignatius, spoke of the grief in the young woman's home town. He told the Belfast Telegraph: "There's a shadow hanging over Carryduff today as we come to terms with the death of a wonderful daughter and good friend to many in our community. "Jade Smith was a young woman who loved life and enriched the lives of everyone around her with her fun and colour." The former nail technician student at Belfast Metropolitan College had been working as a sales assistant in Primark. She had previously worked as a promoter for Thompson's Garage nightclub. Rev Lowry paid tribute to the popular former pupil of Saintfield High School, saying: "She was blessed with a bright nature and a warm, friendly approach to people and she took delight in her many friends. "Some of her friends have described her as 'the best', and the staff at Carryduff Primary School and Saintfield High School have expressed their sorrow at her family's loss." Ms Smith's funeral service will take place at 12.30pm at the church where she was once a regular as a member of the Rainbow Guides. More recently she offered her nail-painting skills to Killynure Community Association, a group that meets in the church hall. Her remains will then be taken to Knockbreda Cemetery where she will be laid to rest. Rev Lowry added: "It is our privilege at Carryduff Parish to offer our support as a church family to Jade's parents - Richard and Kelly - and siblings Jordan and Megan as they come to us for her funeral on Friday. "We expect the church to be filled with her friends." The family have requested that those attending the service wear colourful attire and that, if desired, donations should be made to Meningitis Research Foundation, care of Norman McBriar & Son Funeral Directors in Saintfield. Meningitis and septicaemia can kill in hours. Meningococcal bacteria can cause meningitis, septicaemia or both. Most people who get the disease have some symptoms of both meningococcal meningitis and meningococcal septicaemia; together these two forms of the disease are known as meningococcal disease. Septicaemia is the more life-threatening form of the disease, and is more dangerous when there are no signs of meningitis. Photographs of the scene of the confrontation posted by the PSNI West Belfast on its Facebook page The PSNI in west Belfast have voiced their disgust over an incident where a doctor was subjected to a torrent of abuse by a man who appeared to be intoxicated. This incident took place on Friday at 3pm at a health centre on the Whiterock Road. Children were understood to be present when the confrontation took place. The PSNI were called to the scene and warned on a post about the incident on the West Belfast PSNI Facebook page that they take a zero tolerance approach towards the abuse of healthcare workers. An officer posted: "This male was heavily intoxicated and decided that it would just make his Friday night to begin abusing Belfast Health and Social Care staff. All of this was done in front of individuals including children who were either waiting to be seen by the doctor or waiting to pick up prescriptions. "This male gave a torrent of abuse especially to the Doctor who was on duty this evening. A person whos only job is to care for members of the local community including this male if he was to fall ill. The male then went further and smashed the windows into the office area of the centre, causing fear and danger to the staff in the office. All because he wanted drugs." The man was reported to have fled before the PSNI arrived at the scene, but officers arrested him just two streets away. The post from the PSNI added: "When we say ZERO tolerance on abuse of BHSC staff we mean it. This behaviour is completely unacceptable and not condoned by us and Im sure its not condoned by the local community either." Meanwhile the Belfast Telegraph revealed last year that attacks on health service workers are on the rise across Northern Ireland, with more than 17 assaults reported every day. The Republic of Ireland's justice minister has said prison officer Brian Stack was murdered by "IRA thugs" and that Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams must come clean on any information he has in relation to the case. Describing the murder as an "utterly unjustifiable act of pointless violence", Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald last night became the latest senior political figure in the Republic to ramp up the pressure on Sinn Fein. Brian Stack, who was the chief prison officer at Portlaoise, was shot in the neck by the IRA in Dublin in 1983. He died from brain injuries 18 months later. Earlier this week, it emerged Mr Adams has named senior Sinn Fein figures who may have information surrounding the murder in an email to the Garda Commissioner. Three are well-known politicians, while a fourth man is a suspected former IRA boss, reports suggested. In the email to Commissioner O'Sullivan, Mr Adams claimed he was given the names by the victim's son, Austin Stack - who strongly denies this. Ms Fitzgerald said revelations that Louth TD Mr Adams had linked the names of three serving Sinn Fein politicians to the killing is a serious development. "As Justice Minister it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the details of Garda investigations, but it is fair to say that serious issues have been raised in the public domain by Deputy Adams recently which require answers," she added. Speaking from Cuba, Mr Adams said he does not know if the politicians are being treated as "murder suspects". "These people clearly have their rights and have as I said, denied, at least those who I contacted, denied any involvement in this, and I have no reason, independent reason to doubt what they are saying," Mr Adams said. Authorities are seeking an offender who walked away from Alpha House pre-release center in Billings early Friday. Alternatives Inc. and the Montana Department of Corrections are seeking the arrest of Bradley Johnson, 26, of Lewistown, who left the prerelease center a few minutes after midnight on Friday, the agencies said in a news release. Johnson has been placed on escape status, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. The Alpha House is located at 104 N. 31st St. Johnson is 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighs 160 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes. He is Native American. Johnson was sentenced in 2010 to three years in prison from Fergus County and arrived at Alpha House on Oct. 5. He was last seen wearing a black and white striped shirt with multi-color pajama bottoms. The DOC is requesting help in locating Johnson and advised the public not to approach him, but to report information about his whereabouts to law enforcement. Johnson is the second Alpha House walkaway reported in two days. Donald Stemple, 76, was placed on escape status after leaving Alpha House at about 7:40 a.m. Thursday. A chief constable has defended his force's handling of child sex allegations against former prime minister Sir Edward Heath. Mike Veale, who leads Wiltshire Police, wrote an open letter to the public to "set the record straight" about the investigation. "When I took on this investigation I knew it would attract intense scrutiny. I also recognised it could potentially damage confidence in Wiltshire Police," he said. He described the former Conservative prime minister, who died at home in Salisbury in July 2005 aged 89, as an "extremely prominent, influential and high profile person". "The decision to undertake this incredibly complex and challenging investigation was not taken lightly particularly knowing, or at least expecting, that we would be placed under intense scrutiny," he said. The police probe, named Operation Conifer, began in 2015 after claims against Sir Edward surfaced. Mr Veale said: "Over the last few weeks particularly, there has been much speculation about this case. "Whilst it is not commonplace for us to comment on a live ongoing criminal investigation I really am very concerned and profoundly disappointed about the impact of this speculation on the public's confidence in the police, the potential prejudicial impact upon a live criminal investigation, not to mention the confidence of persons who have come forward with information." Mr Veale described the investigation as "complex and multi-stranded" but added: "This is not a 'fishing trip' or 'witch-hunt' - both of these terms have been unfairly levelled at us. "The legal role of the police service is to, on behalf of the public, impartially investigate allegations without fear or favour, and go where the evidence takes us. "I take my responsibilities of operational independence, which is the bedrock of British policing, very seriously indeed. "Therefore I will remain operationally independent and will not be influenced by inappropriate and unacceptable pressure from people who don't know the detail of this case. "I will not be buckling under pressure to not investigate or to conclude the investigation prematurely." Mr Veale said investigators had not spoken to the man known as Nick who features in Operation Midland - the Met Police probe into an alleged Westminster paedophile ring. Last weekend The Mail On Sunday reported the contents of a leaked confidential report into Operation Conifer, which referred to satanic ritual sex abuse. "Let me be clear, this part of the investigation is only one small element of the overall inquiry and does not relate to Sir Edward Heath," Mr Veale said. "It is also very important for me to reiterate that the report forms part of a live ongoing criminal investigation, so the disclosure of this information is something which we take very seriously." Earlier this month two people were arrested and bailed by detectives working on Operation Conifer. The Independent Police Complaints Commission launched a probe into alleged historical corruption after information from a retired officer raised concerns that Wiltshire Police deliberately caused a criminal prosecution to fail 22 years ago. Earlier this year the probe found no evidence that a prosecution against a brothel keeper was dropped because of threats to allege publicly that Sir Edward had been involved in sexual offences. Wiltshire's police and crime commissioner Angus Macpherson said: "The chief constable and I both take very seriously the duty to investigate fully and fairly all allegations or complaints that are received by the force. "I also take seriously the need to preserve the good name of individuals, living or dead, if there is no evidential basis to allegations or complaints made against them. "As commissioner, I recognise that the chief constable has complete operational independence in relation to the investigation of criminality. He knows he has my backing to investigate without fear or favour. "I recognise there is a level of public interest that places additional pressure on the investigation. "I believe the root cause of this pressure is a legitimate concern that the reputation of a former prime minister may be tarnished without there being credible evidence of guilt. "The chief constable and I are of one mind: the police cannot act as judge and jury in their own cause. "Once the police have conducted the investigation to a conclusion, there must be an alternative avenue to assess the credibility of any evidence that has been gathered." Former Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson has heaped praise on the Chinese designers of a full-scale replica of the Titanic as the project was launched hundreds of miles from the sea. The Labour peer's signature will apparently be cast in some of the replica's rivets, although it was not immediately clear why he was in attendance. More than 1,500 people died in April 1912 when the Harland & Wolff-built Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean during a voyage from Southampton to New York. Now a new version of the doomed liner is being constructed as a tourist attraction in a Chinese shipyard that normally builds nuclear submarines in the landlocked Sichuan province. Lord Mandelson spoke to guests at Wednesday's keel-laying ceremony to mark the start of construction about how the Titanic tragedy had stories of "loyalty, bravery and self-sacrifice" among those who died, according to an unverified copy of his speech posted on the Chinese Internet. "It's unimaginable to restore a life-size ship and sustain all the original functions... it's an amazing project," he reportedly said. It has been suggested Lord Mandelson may have been present in his role as president of the Great Britain China Centre, which promotes ties between the two countries. Expand Close The keel of the Titanics replica is laid by staff in a project in China Getty Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The keel of the Titanics replica is laid by staff in a project in China Guests who board the ship when it is finished will not only be able to experience the meticulously recreated details of the liner originally constructed in Belfast. They will also be able to experience the dubious thrill of a simulated iceberg collision. Mayors of large world cities, including Mexico City mayor Miguel Angel Mancera and Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, head to the C40 Mayors Summit in Mexico City (AP) Mexico City has joined with Paris, Madrid and Athens in committing to eliminating diesel vehicles from their cities by 2025. The agreement was announced at the C40 Mayors Summit in Mexico's capital. A statement said the commitment would reduce air pollution and related health issues in those cities, while also helping cities meet climate goals. "It's a worldwide public health concern," Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said. Removing diesel from Paris streets was a goal she set when she took office in 2014. She cited Tokyo as an example already well on its way. It is a major reversal in France where more than 20 years ago the government had selected diesel as the future of urban mobility and supported it, Ms Hidalgo said. Now, recognising that the tiny particles emitted by diesel-burning vehicles cause severe health problems, Ms Hidalgo said governments must once again steer manufacturers to meet their needs. There are 2,500 deaths per year in Paris attributable to air pollution, she said. Mexico City mayor Miguel Angel Mancera said the city's diesel buses will be phased out and replaced with alternatives and the buses that make up the city's bus rapid transit system operating in dedicated lanes will be replaced with hybrids and eventually the city's first electric corridor. He did not mention how the diesel-fuelled cargo trucks that rumble through the city would be replaced. But he pointed to the city's successful bike-share programme as one way to get people out of vehicles and mentioned that the first 30 charging stations had been installed for electric vehicles. The mayors of dozens of the world's largest cities are meeting in Mexico City this week to exchange knowledge and discuss concrete steps to achieve carbon emission-reducing goals. AP Pat Hickeys legal team in Brazil say that no bail payment has yet been paid to the courts in Rio de Janeiro. Arthur Lavigne, senior counsel for the former OCI President, said he had no knowledge of arrangements to pay Mr Hickeys bail. It was reported that the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), of which Mr Hickey was vice President, would pay the amount of R$1.5million (410,000), as required by the Brazilian courts in order for Mr Hickey to get his passport back, liberating him to leave Brazil, and return to Ireland for medical attention. ANOC said it had agreed to temporarily loan the bail payment for Patrick Hickey to return home for medical reasons. However, Mr Lavigne said in Rio de Janeiro this morning that he was not aware of this agreement, and that, to date, no money has been lodged to the courts, on Mr Hickeys behalf. I have no knowledge of that at all, nothing. We didnt discuss this. Mr Lavigne said that Pat Hickey has not informed his legal team how bail money will be paid, or where it would come from. Reacting to reports, Mr Lavigne asked what the conditions of a loan from ANOC would likely be. He said the legal team hopes that Mr Hickey will be liberated to leave Brazil as soon as possible, but that he needs to pay the bail. It is likely that on receipt of a payment to the courts, the actual return of Mr Hickeys passport could take around five to seven days, depending on how quickly the responsible judge can formally order its return. The bail conditions laid down by the courts in Rio de Janeiro state that the passport may be returned so that Mr Hickey travels home to receive medical attention, but that he must be willing to fully comply with the ongoing legal process in Brazil, and return as requested by court officials. Once paid, the bond amount would be returned on completion of the legal process, if the accused were acquitted. If condemned, the bond amount would be used to meet legal costs, fines, or compensation arising from the case. The bond amount would be refunded in full if the case is shelved before reaching court, as has been requested by the legal team. A request to shelve the case was denied by the Special Court for Supporters and Large Events in recent weeks. When granting bond conditions for the return of Mr Hickeys passport, the Judge Juliana Leal de Melo acknowledged the possibility that Mr Hickey could leave Brazil, and not return. However, she said that this needed to be weighed up against his right to receive medical treatment, and the fact that Mr Hickey does not have any ties to Brazil, where he has spent the last three months. The full bond amount will be retained by the courts if Mr Hickey does not return to Brazil, as requested by the legal process. General view of the fireworks display at the Halloween Monster Mash event at The Slipways, Titanic Belfast. Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye. First Minister and Deputy First Minister pictured alongside Titanic Belfast CEO Tim Husband and Vice Chairman Conal Harvey Titanic Belfast has been named the Worlds Leading Tourist Attraction at the World Travel Awards in the Maldives. Having already beaten the Colosseum, the Acropolis and the Eiffel Tower to become Europe's official Leading Tourist Attraction,Titanic Belfast has been victorious again as it became the Worlds Leading Tourist Attraction on Friday. Read more: Read More More than 1 million votes were cast from over 216 countries to determine what would be given the prestigious accolade. Titanic Belfast was up against eight global finalists, including Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the Las Vegas Strip, USA, Machu Picchu, Peru and Guinness Storehouse, Ireland. It is the first time an attraction from Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland has won the prestigious accolade. Opened in 2012, the Titanic museum has welcomed three million visitors from 145 different countries to date - including the Queen, US Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, film director James Cameron and celebrities such as Adele and Michael Buble. Spread across six floors, the museum consists of nine galleries that bring the liner's famous story to life. Tim Husbands MBE, Titanic Belfasts Chief Executive, said: Over the past few years, we have continued to go from strength to strength but to be voted the Worlds Leading Tourist Attraction by both the industry and the public for excellence and for our original product, is really the jewel in our crown. "We are delighted that this award firmly shines a spotlight not only on Titanic Belfast but Belfast and Northern Ireland, and celebrates our authentic insight and connection to RMS Titanic." First Minister Arlene Foster said that Titanic Belfast has become an "iconic tourist must see". Mrs Foster said: "We always knew that in Titanic Belfast, we were home to a world class attraction that would become a global brand. While its no surprise to me it has been recognised in this way, it is a wonderful achievement to win the worlds best accolade ahead of other venues like Machu Picchu and the Abu Dhabis Ferrari World. "I had the privilege as Tourism Minister of being involved with the project since its inception, and this award is further proof that the investment and imagination that went into this attraction keeps paying dividends for the whole of Northern Ireland. I congratulate Tim Husbands and his entire team for the hard work and professionalism which has put Titanic Belfast, quite literally, on top of the world. Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness welcomed the announcement as "terrific news". "We will take every opportunity to promote the award winning Titanic Belfast, he added. A Billings man admitted drug and gun charges in federal court this week after a 2015 search of his house turned up 14 firearms, methamphetamine and about $17,000 cash. Duane Timothy Smith Jr., 34, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to conspiracy to possess meth for distribution and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking as part of a plea deal. Other charges are to be dismissed at sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan McCarthy said in court records that agents with an Eastern Montana drug task force executed a search warrant on Sept. 29, 2015, at the Billings residence of Duane and Thomas Smith. Thomas Smith, who is Duanes brother, also was indicted and has pleaded not guilty. McCarthy said the search yielded 14 firearms, 338 grams of meth, or almost 12 ounces, and $17,121 cash, along with video surveillance equipment, drug ledgers and other items. In Duane Smiths bedroom, agents found meth, ammunition, cash and four firearms, including a .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle, a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, a .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol and a 12 gauge shotgun that had a barrel less than 18 inches in length. Duane Smith admitted to agents after the search that he distributed meth from the house. Seven months later, on April 25, agents served search arrest warrants on both Smith brothers. And a search of Duane Smith turned up meth and $1,539, the prosecutor said. On the same day of the arrests, a confidential source told agents that the brothers continued to distribute meth and get firearms even after their residence was searched in September 2015. Law enforcement on April 25 also searched the residences of Duane and Thomas Smith along with hotel rooms and vehicles linked to the brothers. Officers found $1,708 in cash, firearms, loaded magazines, sealed baggies of meth, a drug ledger, digital scale and multiple cellphones. The hotel room searches also turned up meth, cellphones and drug paraphernalia. Duane Smith faces a minimum mandatory five years to 40 years in prison and a maximum $5 million fine on the drug count and a mandatory minimum five years consecutive to any other sentence and a $250,000 fine on the gun count. U.S. District Judge Susan Watters set sentencing for March 9, 2017. Duane Smith remains in custody. Papuan students and activists held small-scale demonstrations in several Indonesian cities Thursday to mark the 55th anniversary of what they consider their aborted independence day. Hundreds of people gathered in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, for speeches and prayers, and later signed a huge banner to support the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, an umbrella organization of pro-independence groups. Speakers at the event included Filep Karma, who was released from prison in 2015 after serving 11 years for raising the so-called Morning Star flag in 2004. Thursdays gathering did not include the flying of the flag, nor did the participants appear to have one. Papuans are already aware and do not want to be provoked by violence and conflict. Prayers and speeches such as these show political maturity and a dignified struggle, Karma said. In Wamena, a town in the Papuan highlands, speeches and prayers were held from midday to 4:00 p.m. at the La Pago Traditional Council office. Engelbert Surabut, who was in charge of the event, claimed that 3,000 people attended the peaceful gathering. Two police cars came. We coordinated it before hand, he told BenarNews. We had agreed with the police, they only watched from the outside. We are thankful to the Indonesian government who via the police gave us this opportunity to worship, he said. Arrests in Jakarta Small demonstrations took place in other parts of Indonesia. Hundreds of students and activists from Papua gathered in front of the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) in Jakarta early Thursday, then began a march to the Hotel Indonesia circle. Tense moments ensued on Imam Bonjol Street when dozens of police used shields to block the singing and chanting marchers, and the marchers then pulled out headbands bearing the morning star flag symbol, CNN Indonesia reported. Police then shot water canons at the demonstrators and eventually arrested all of them. They were apprehended because they carried Morning Star paraphernalia. We confiscated them because they are not this nations emblem, Jakarta police official Hendy F Kurniawan told the Jakarta Post. All participants in the action, about 150 people, were arrested and transported to Jakarta Metro Police, Veronica Koman, a lawyer with LBH, told BenarNews. In Yogyakarta, reportedly eight people were arrested. We havent yet checked in Ternate, where there was also a demonstration, she said, referring to a city in the Maluku islands of eastern Indonesia. Papuan demonstrators react to water cannon fired at them by police in Jakarta, Dec. 1, 2016. [AFP] Self-determination? On November 29, a group in Jakarta calling itself the Indonesian Peoples Front for West Papua (FRI West Papua) declared support for a Papuan self-determination referendum. Surya Anta, a spokesman for FRI West Papua, said the group was formed out of awareness of what he termed the deceitful integration of Papua into Indonesia. West Papua was a colonial territory without a government acknowledged by the United Nations and Dtuch colonists in 1949. That status wont change until there is self-determination, he told BenarNews. Octavianus Mote, secretary general of ULMWP, welcomed the statement, saying it showed that some Indonesians are starting to acknowledge that crimes have been committed by the government and military of Indonesia in Papua. The provinces of Papua and West Papua, located at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago, make up one-fifth of Indonesias land mass. Only 5.9 million of Indonesias 250 million people live there. Migrants from other parts of Indonesia now make up about half the population and dominate commercial activity, according to reports. Indigenous Papuans are ethnically Melanesian and many of them are Christians. In 1961, the region was a Dutch territory undergoing a decolonization process with the goal of full independence in 1970. Papuans had already commissioned a national anthem and flag, which was flown for the first time on Dec. 1, 1961. Indonesia, under then-president Soekarno, viewed all former Dutch possessions in the region as rightful parts of Indonesia, and began a military campaign to liberate what was then known as West Irian. Amid escalating tensions, the Dutch abandoned the region and in May 1963, via the United Nations, West Irian was transferred to Indonesia. Some 1,025 Papuans who participated under Indonesian military supervision in a U.N.-mandated Act of Free Choice in 1969 unanimously chose integration. The region has been home to a low-level armed separatist movement, the Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM), for decades. The OPM and Indonesian security forces are both guilty of human rights abuses, rights groups say. Papua is one of the poorest regions of Indonesia, although it is rich in natural resources and home to the worlds largest gold and copper mines, run by an Indonesian unit of U.S. mining conglomerate Freeport McMoran Inc. Poverty is widespread in Papua and Papua has the lowest level of adult literacy in Indonesia at 74 percent. The region also has a disproportionately high number of HIV/AIDS cases compared with the rest of Indonesia and high rates of infant and maternal mortality, according to the GlobalSecurity.org website. SAN NARCISO, Calif. -- Chuck E. Cheeses is a chain of pizza restaurants and arcades that have become popular locations for childrens birt... ein Google-Unternehmen Google-Dienste anzubieten und zu betreiben Ausfalle zu prufen und Manahmen gegen Spam, Betrug und Missbrauch zu ergreifen Daten zu Zielgruppeninteraktionen und Websitestatistiken zu erheben. 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Sofern relevant, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auerdem, um Inhalte und Werbung altersgerecht zu gestalten. Wir verwenden Cookies und Daten, umWenn Sie Alle akzeptieren auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auch, umWahlen Sie Weitere Optionen aus, um sich zusatzliche Informationen anzusehen, einschlielich Details zum Verwalten Ihrer Datenschutzeinstellungen. Sie konnen auch jederzeit g.co/privacytools besuchen. A former Billings woman convicted as part of a large meth conspiracy that brought the drug from California for distribution locally and on the Fort Peck Reservation will spend five years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Susan Watters on Wednesday sentenced Tessie Kay Hamilton, 37, of Grand Forks, Minn., following her guilty plea to possessing meth with intent to distribute. Hamilton was held responsible for more than two pounds of meth. Billings Police Det. Jamie Schillinger, who works with an FBI drug task force, testified that Hamilton was among an estimated 20 to 30 people involved in a meth trafficking ring that ran from about 2009 to 2012. Investigators got information in 2011 that ultimately led to charges against several people, he said. One of the leaders was Carlos Danilo Menjivar-Rojas, who was sentenced in 2013 to 14 years in prison. Prosecutors said Menjivar-Rojas provided Hamilton with a total of two pounds of meth for redistribution. Hamilton also was a distributor for convicted co-defendant Misty Dawn Debuf, who was sentenced in 2014 to five years in prison on a drug conviction for distributing meth in Billings and on the Fort Peck Reservation, Schillinger said. Defense attorney Lisa Bazant argued for a probationary sentence, saying Hamilton acknowledged her role and has since separated herself from drugs and abusive relationships. Hamilton said she was truly sorry for her actions, that she had a job and family support, and attended church. Prosecutor Lori Suek said probation was inappropriate because of Hamiltons role and criminal history but recommended a five-year sentence. Hamilton has a federal perjury conviction from 2008 and is awaiting sentencing for a forgery conviction in Minnesota. Watters followed the prosecutions recommendation and said Hamilton was responsible for a significant amount of meth. Environmentalists from Montana to British Columbia are bracing for changes in fossil fuel policy under the Trump presidency. Representatives from three Western states and Canada said Wednesday that they expect new momentum for coal and oil shipping ports, pipelines and mining. Bozeman resident Beth Kaeding, a past chairman of the Northern Plains Resource Council, said she hoped president-elect Donald Trump wouldnt end the federal governments suspension of coal leasing. The Department of the Interior banned new leases earlier this year so it could determine whether federal coal was being leased at a fair price. Regardless of whether this moratorium continues under the next administration, the market for coal, both domestically and internationally, will continue to act as a moratorium on coal sales, Kaeding said. Coal is no longer the cheapest energy source in this country or anywhere else in the world. Coal is being supplanted by cheap natural gas, cheap reliable and newly expanding sources of energy like wind and solar and also by weaker than expected demand for coal in Asia. Trump, who has called climate change a hoax, has promised to advance the development of coal, oil and gas in the United States. He's also promised to roll back key environmental policies of President Barack Obama, including the Clean Power Plan, a landmark rule to curb greenhouse gasses from coal-fired power plants. Kaeding warned of an increasing number of coal trains traveling between the Powder River Basin and Puget Sound, where Montana and Wyoming coal is placed on ships bound for South Korea and Japan. Other speakers said they were concerned about coal and oil shipping ports on the Columbia River and Puget Sound. Canadian representatives said a new pipeline from the Alberta oil tar sands to Vancouver could be pumping 190,000 barrels of tar sands oil to Puget Sound for shipping. The expectations of Kaeding, along with representatives from Columbia Riverkeeper, Stand.earth and Stand Up to Oil, matched those of Western coal and oil companies. Cloud Peak Energy told the Associated Press after the election that climate politics would persist and that the coal industry would have to work in that framework. But the expectation was that the Trump administration would be kinder to coal than President Obama. Coal stocks have jumped since Trumps election. Westmoreland Coal Co., which mines coal at the Absaloka Mine for the Crow Tribe and also at Rosebud Mine for the Colstrip Power Plant, has seen its stock rise 38 percent since Election Day. But there are strong headwinds for fossil fuels. Just as the public comment period wrapped up for a Longview, Wash., port for Powder River Basin Coal, the Environmental Protection Agency called for the tossing of a favorable 3,000-page study of the project prepared by the Army Corps of Engineers. The Army Corps was going to rule on the coal port next summer. Environmentalists on Thursday said they would apply pressure at the state level to make developing the coal port difficult. Similar applications of local law to protect fisheries were cited as tools for stopping coal and oil shipping ports in Puget Sound. What type of love will our lives show? Can our love move beyond our own perspectives to empathizing with the lives of others? Are we able to empathize with the difficulties of our brothers and sisterswith our local, national, and global neighbors? At the core of Jesus message are these questions. The idea of a Christian who stands stagnant is an oxymoron. I dont believe I am the first to say that, but its worth echoing whoever said it before me. We must move with God. We must seek justice and mercy. We must walk humbly before God, in peace (Micah 6:8). We must say the difficult and act according to our beliefs. Jesus moves usboth spiritually and physically. If the Holy Spirit is at work in you, he will move you. As we draw closer to Thanksgivingand with so much tragedy present in our nation and worldI wonder if we are ready to be thankful. Stop and think about it for a moment: Have you turned your thoughts toward gratitude latelytowards a God who is with us, no matter what? Gratitude teaches us to love. When I stand before God in prayer, I realize that I am not capable of defending myself before himthat I desperately am in need of Jesus. And by nature of admitting that, I am reminding myself that my neighbor and I are the same in many regards. We are all extremely impoverished spiritually. We all need to be filled by the living God. We have an opportunity now, even in the midst of tragedies being played out nationally and globally, to draw closer together. When we recognize the image of God in one another, we see what God sees in each of us. I think of Jesus and the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:2731). Youve probably heard this story dozens of timeseven in our biblically illiterate culture, its an idiom: Way to be a good Samaritan! people say. But Im betting that youre about to see something about this story that youve never seen before. This whole scene opens with a question: Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? The scene also ultimately evokes the idea of Who is my neighbor? Jesus tells this story to answer these two questions. And here in the middle of the Good Samaritan parable is a man dying, being left for dead. There is real-life at stake. (We say we know God, yet we're okay with leaving the man on the side of the road.) And the point is obvious: a person who lives like the two men that walked by don't know God at alland they don't recognize their real neighbor for that matter. Being a Christian requires authentic love, even for those we don't know. It requires that we mourn with them and care for them. The "upstanding citizens" in the story of the Good Samaritan, though highly regarded in their society, ignore the commandment to love their neighbor, but the Samaritan doesnt. The Samaritan, who Jesus first-century Jewish audience likely would have despised, sees this beaten man on the side of the road and not only takes care of himhe goes above and beyond to be sure that the man is cared for. This story begs the question: Who is your Samaritan? Who do you put on the outside? Who do you fail to empathize with? (My dear white friends: How often do you judge a situation you really cant ever understand?) You see, I can never understand what it is like to be a Samaritan, so how can I act like I do? I can never understand my neighbor fully, so that means that the first step to loving him is recognizing that I havent walked in his shoes. Jesus crosses all boundaries to show Gods love, and we should do the same. The world needs Jesus. Will we show Jesus to the world? If we truly know Jesus, he will change us. Jesus transforms us. Jesus changes everything. Jesus shows us what it means to love our neighbor. For Immediate Release, December 2, 2016 Contact: Andrea Santarsiere, (303) 854-7748, asantarsiere@biologicaldiversity.org $11,000 Reward Offered Over Illegal Shooting of Grizzly Bear in Idaho VICTOR, Idaho The Center for Biological Diversity is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for illegally shooting a grizzly bear in the gut, leading to the bears slow and painful death in Idahos Fremont County. Grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem are currently listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, and it is illegal to shoot one in Idaho unless in self-defense. The pledge, along with a $5,000 reward offered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a $1,000 reward offered by Citizens Against Poaching, brings the total reward amount to $11,000. The grizzly was likely killed about a week before it was discovered by hunters on Oct. 28 near Coyote Meadows Road on the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Shooting a grizzly bear in the gut and leaving it to die a slow death is abhorrent, said Andrea Santarsiere, a senior attorney at the Center. The killing of even one grizzly is a setback to the recovery of these magnificent bruins. Anyone who knows anything about this incident must step up and help bring these poachers to justice. Protections against shooting grizzly bears may soon disappear. In March of this year, the Fish and Wildlife Service announced plans to remove Endangered Species Act protections for Yellowstones famed grizzly bears, paving the way for state-supported trophy hunts that are already being planned in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. But last year, the population of grizzly bears declined for the first time in decades. And the 61 grizzly bear deaths recorded last year most of them human-caused are the highest number of deaths since they were protected in 1975. Sadly, the poaching death of this bear has contributed to what is looking to be yet another record-breaking year of grizzly bear deaths, said Santarsiere. And officials are predicting that this year the population has seen another decline. Incidents like these demonstrate why grizzly bears still desperately need federal protection. Anyone with information about the incident should call the Citizens Against Poaching Hotline, (800) 632-5999, or the Fish and Wildlife Service at (208) 523-0855. Callers may remain anonymous. Idaho officials are continuing to seek information about last springs grizzly bear poaching in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest near East Dry Creek, off the Yale-Kilgore Road in Island Park. Conservation officers concluded that the young grizzly bear had been dead a few weeks and did not die of natural causes. More than $15,000 in reward money is available for information leading to an arrest and conviction in that case. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. For Immediate Release, December 1, 2016 Contact: Rita Beving, Clean Water Action, (214) 557-2271 Wendy Park, Center for Biological Diversity, (510) 844-7138, wpark@biologicaldiversity.org Cyrus Reed, Sierra Club, Lone Star Chapter, (512) 740-4086 City of Corpus Christi and 3 State Lawmakers Protest BLM Oil and Gas Lease Auction Officials Call for Removal of Parcels Over Concerns About Water Supply Lakes That Serve More Than 500,000 Texans CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas The city manager of Corpus Christi and two state lawmakers who represent the region have sent letters requesting the Bureau of Land Management to remove more than 1,700 acres of public lands from a planned oil and gas lease sale. The officials cite concerns over the risk of damage to the water supply that serves more than 500,000 Texans and 18 cities. City Manager Margie Rose, Sen. Juan Chuy Hinojosa and Rep. Abel Herrero each submitted letters to BLM raising concerns and requesting that three parcels underneath or near Choke Canyon Reservoir and Lake Texana be removed from the scheduled April lease auction. Choke Canyon and Lake Texana are two of three water supply lakes for the city of Corpus Christi. Separately, Sen. Lois Kolkhorst wrote a similar letter to BLM calling for the removal of several other parcels underlying Lake Somerville in the sale, citing concerns over the effects on Lake Somerville, which provides water to her home city of Brenham. Local communities have been kept in the dark on these dangerous fracking plans that could increase seismic activity and threaten vital water supplies, said Rita Beving of Clean Water Action. Now that officials are aware of the potential risk to drinking water and dam infrastructures, they are acting to protect their residents. The BLM should heed their call and permanently remove these parcels from their upcoming auction. The Somerville Lake and Choke Canyon parcels are part of an April 2017 oil and gas lease auction of 3,100 acres. These parcels were originally part of a much larger 2016 auction that resulted in more than 34,000 acres of national forest land and other water supply lakes in Texas being pulled over fracking concerns. This included acreage underlying Lewisville Lake and Lake Conroe, which supply water to Dallas and Houston, respectively. Unlike the Somerville Lake and Choke Canyon parcels, however, those parcels have not been re-offered for sale. The BLM needs to remove these parcels from the sale and put the health and safety of communities first, before the financial interests of the oil and gas industry, said Wendy Park of the Center for Biological Diversity. It makes no sense to gamble with polluting these vital resources or adding to the increased earthquake risk associated with fracking and wastewater injection. These areas include state parks and recreation areas and that serve literally thousands of Texans each year, and should not be sacrificed for further oil and gas development, said Cyrus Reed, conservation director of the Lone Star chapter of the Sierra Club. The BLM should listen to the officials and city and thousands of individual comments by the public and pull these leases. The requests come on the heels of an analysis by former senior oil and gas geologist and GIS expert Gerald Bartz that highlighted the danger increased seismic activity caused by fracking could pose on dam structures. The Corpus Christi letters called on BLM to remove two parcels underlying Choke Canyon, totaling more than 1,600 acres, and another 153-acre parcel near Lake Texana. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. For Immediate Release, December 1, 2016 Contact: Randi Spivak, (310) 779-4894, rspivak@biologicaldiversity.org Trumplandia: Utah Politician Who Opposes Public Lands Angles for Job Overseeing 247 Million Acres Trump Administration Attracts Land-seizure Proponent, Bundy Sympathizer WASHINGTON Utah state legislator Mike Noel, part of a movement to seize Americas federal lands to benefit private corporations, is angling for a job in the Trump administration to manage the Bureau of Land Management, the nations largest land-management agency, which oversees 247 million acres of federal public land. Noel is an outspoken critic of federal land management and has joined an effort to seize, and ultimately privatize, 31 million acres of federal public land in Utah. Its a bitter irony that Mike Noel wants to run the BLM. He and the Bundy clan share the same desire to snatch public lands out of the hands of all Americans in order to benefit a few, said Randi Spivak with the Center for Biological Diversity. These lands are owned by all of us, and any attempt to take them away and give them to states or companies who see them only as profit sources will be met with fierce resistance from everyday Americans. Noel sits on the Utah Commission for the Stewardship of Public Lands, which was created following the passage of the Utah Transfer of Public Lands Act that demands the federal government turn over 31 million acres of federal lands to the state of Utah. A new legal analysis by the Conference of Western Attorneys General found that the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that the property clause of the Constitution gives the U.S. government the right to own public lands and keep them public and the exclusive power to decide whether to dispose of them or sell them off. Noel was a supporter of an 2014 illegal off-road vehicle ride in Utahs Recapture Canyon that roared through an area the BLM had closed to protect American Indian archeological sites following looting incidents. He famously blamed badgers for being responsible for vandalizing tribal burial grounds and archeological sites in Utah despite evidence of damage caused by bullet holes and chains saws. Noels political contributors include real-estate developers, Chevron, Arch Coal, Exxon and Rio Tinto. Noels disdain for Americas public lands and for the federal agencies that manage them is palpable. A quick look at the list of political contributors says all you need to know about him, said Spivak. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.1 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. It can be tough to be a vegetarian. You have to work harder than everyone else to make sure youre getting all the nutrients your body needs. So, when its time to take a The lobby group warns Australia is falling behind in global innovation, and calls for urgent tax, immigration and other reforms. StartupAUS has issued its annual Crossroads report for 2016, warning Australia is falling behind other countries in terms of innovation, risking an economic slump unless governments implement reforms to promote startups and innovation. The report notes that Australia is falling on the Global Innovation Index, dropping to 19th spot behind countries such as New Zealand and South Korea. Citing research by PwC, the report warns Australia could drop a further 10 spots by 2050, leading to it falling out of the G20 and be overtaken by emerging economies such as Bangladesh, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Philippines and Thailand. A lack of investment in innovation has affected all parts of the Australian innovation system, but none more profoundly than the startup ecosystem, the report states. Newsletter Signup Get the latest business tech news, reviews and guides delivered to your inbox. SIGN UP I have read and accept the privacy policy and terms and conditions and by submitting my email address I agree to receive the Business IT newsletter and receive special offers on behalf of Business IT, nextmedia and its valued partners. We will not share your details with third parties. Startups are highly mobile, and will move to locations that best support their growth. While acknowledging positive steps by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull as part of the National Innovation and Science Agenda, the report notes many other countries are also focused on achieving similar outcomes. Because of this, the report warns Australia will need to make further progress just to maintain its current position, and will have to make extraordinary progress to become a major player globally. To have a successful innovation ecosystem, the report argues a country needs a pro-entrepreneurship culture, guidance from experienced entrepreneurs, a supportive regulatory environment, a collaborative business culture, visible role models, risk tolerance, access to capital and technical skills (in particular coding). Despite positive developments over the last few years, Australia does not currently have all of the required conditions for a successful startup ecosystem, the report said. Their establishment has been hampered to varying degrees by market failures spanning education, culture, expertise, access to capital and regulatory environments. To overcome these issues, StartupAUS argued there are six key areas where federal and state governments need to do more to boost tech startups and innovation: 1. Make Australias startup ecosystem more geographically concentrated The report noted that programs providing advice and mentoring to startups entrepreneurs, including incubators, accelerators and co-working spaces, are geographically spread out across cities and becoming more so as new programs are created. StartupAUS recommends that governments at all levels work with industry to establish a national network of innovation districts in major cities in a manner to the Tonsley precinct in South Australia, For regional startup communities, such as Bundaberg, Toowoomba, Townsville, Cairns, Rockhampton, Wollongong, Mackay, Hobart, Launceston, Wagga Wagga, Bega, Newcastle, and Geelong, the report recommended the creation of a hub-and-spoke model where the capital city hub provides services, programs and support to regional innovation hubs. 2. A coordinated national innovation and entrepreneurship plan To streamline and coordinate government efforts, the report suggests Australia would benefit from having a single federal government agency with responsibility for oversight and delivery of innovation policy and programs. 3. Access to capital While Australia is not lacking wealthy individuals, with the countrys wealthiest 207,000 people holding a combined $684 billion worth of assets, the report claims it does have one of the lowest rates of VC investment into startups in the developed world. In financial year 2015, Australian venture capital funds invested $170 million across 80 seed, startup and other early stage deals (up from $100 million in 2014), placing Australia 40th in the world in availability of VC funding. To change the situation, StartupAUS recommended that the federal government increase the R&D Tax Incentive refundable tax offset for tech startups from 43.5 percent to 90 percent for companies with an aggregated turnover of less than $20 million. 4. Access to world-class expertise Highlighting the chicken-and-egg problem of Australia lacking a significant number of startups that had grown into global tech companies, the report recommended the creation of a national entrepreneurs-in-residence program. The program would bring experienced entrepreneurs, investors and startup advisors to Australia for periods of time to work with innovation hubs across the country. Other recommendations on this front include the implementation of an international entrepreneur visa program, and a program to attract promising international startups to Australia. 5. Access to tech skills To help overcome skill shortages, the report called for an extension to digital technologies curriculum in high schools to make computer science compulsory for grade nine and 10 students, and an elective subject for years 11 and 12. The report also recommended a relaxation of 457 skilled migration visa restrictions to bring in more skilled overseas IT workers, along with the abolition of fees for workers on 457 visas who send their children to public schools. 6. More local entrepreneurs The report noted that Australia currently lacks a culture that encourages entrepreneurship. To overcome this, it recommends that federal and state governments create comprehensive entrepreneurship exposure and education programs in all schools for all students between grade six and 10. At university and TAFE, students should be exposed to technology entrepreneurship through experiential programs such as incubators, accelerators, internships and overseas placements. It also called for a scholarship program to encourage high performing university STEM graduates to join or form a startup within their first three years of graduating, along with a national overseas startup immersion program for university students. Breaking away from a traditional learn-memorise-test approach to education, design thinking is paving the way for inspiring 'out-of-the-box' thinking amongst youngsters. You would be hard-pressed to sit through any meeting nowadays without hearing a rallying cry to think outside of the box or push the envelope. There is constant encouragement to bring creative and innovative ideas to the table. However, this is starkly contrasted by the fact that our minds have been wired from a young age to approach tasks with logic and with specific pre-defined formulas. Most schools follow a learn-memorise-test approach to education, with little room for innovation and creativity, states Jacki McEwen, co-owner of Eclipse Public Relations, with a background in design and who is mother of a high school learner. The introduction of design thinking in schools is an encouraging trend, showing great results. rawpixel via 123RF According to an article published on Designorate, the benefits of integrating design thinking into the school curriculum is that it will assist learners with their creativity and improve their thinking/innovation skills in a variety of disciplines. Design thinking promotes an empathetic approach to solving problems by understanding the requirements of the target audience and developing human-centric solutions. One example of how design thinking has been successfully implemented at school level is at the Nueva School in California, where learners were required to design an LED lamp for a family member. However, instead of jumping directly into the design process, the students had to select a specific family member and collect information about how they would use the lamps in order to create one that fitted that persons specific needs. While there is still quite a bit of debate around whether design thinking should be included within the school curriculum, two models have already been explored in the UK - the Frogs Collective Action Toolkit and the IDEOs Design Thinking for Educators. Both models explore different approaches in order to seek a better understanding of problems requiring design solutions. The Frog's Collective Action Toolkit aims to assist learners when it comes to identifying and solving problems with which they are faced using a variety of imaginative and team-building skills to find a solution. Conversely, The IDEOs Design Thinking for Educators model focuses more on the teacher and how each individual implements the design thinking process. Design thinking and innovation thought leader, Iain Bryant who is a director at Future by Design Innovation, HCD, says, Design thinking as a tool is equally effective in solving challenges in an educational setting as it is in banking, medicine, business or any other discipline. In a business world that requires employees to be more than just logical thinkers, it strikes me that introducing the design thinking method into the foundation phase of a childs schooling years could result in learners gaining the emotional and creative tools needed to become all-rounders in the business world - something which has become so critical in this day and age, concludes McEwen. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Cavan joined the Montana federal bench as a U.S. magistrate judge in Billings on Thursday, taking the oath of office before a packed courtroom of family, friends and colleagues. Cavans three children helped him put on his new black robe as the audience applauded. In brief remarks, Cavan thanked everyone for attending the ceremony and said he was excited to start his new career. Cavan also pledged to work to gain the respect of those who will appear in his courtroom, saying that respect has to be earned. But judging from the remarks of Cavans former bosses, Cavan already is well respected in Montanas legal community and has a reputation as a hard-working, fair-minded, smart lawyer with the depth of experience that will serve him well as a federal judge. Tim has no enemies in the legal profession, Chief U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen of Missoula said in introductory remarks as he presided over the ceremony. We have tremendous confidence in you, he said. Cavan was sworn into office by U.S. District Judge Susan Watters. He is replacing U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn Ostby, who resigned after serving on the bench for 14 years. Ostbys last day was Wednesday. Since 2002, Cavan, 58, has worked as an assistant U.S. attorney defending civil claims, mostly involving medical malpractice. Before working to the U.S. Attorneys Office, Cavan worked from 1996 to 2002 for the Federal Defenders of Montana, representing indigent clients charged with crimes. Early in his career, Cavan worked in private practice in Billings, doing plaintiffs work, representing small businesses and individuals and representing indigent criminal defendants. Cavan told the audience that the late U.S. District Judge James F. Battin and retired U.S. District Judge Jack Shanstrom made the biggest impression on him as he began working in federal court. He credited Battin and Shanstrom with showing him what judicial temperament is and why they were so respected. Cavan said he never heard either judge get angry, raise their voices or belittle anyone. They always treated everyone with respect, he said. At the conclusion of his remarks, Cavan reached over and shook Shanstroms hand. Shanstrom was seated among all of Montanas judicial panel for the ceremony. Cavan also acknowledged his father, John Cavan, who died in 2009. Cavan, who practiced law with his father for 12 years, said his father taught him about being a professional and officer of the court, his duties to his clients and to treat people with respect and courtesy. And he called his time with the Federal Defenders probably the most important seven years of my career. Chief Federal Defender Tony Gallagher, Cavans former boss, said he immediately agreed to Cavans request to make a few comments at his investiture ceremony but that it didnt really sink in until he received the formal invitation. Gallagher noted Cavans personal attributes, including his good humor, loyalty, love of family, commitment to justice and his James Earl Jones voice. You know he is first and foremost a good man. Gallagher said he saw Cavan work tirelessly for the poor, take his work unbelievably seriously and called him a scrupulously honest man. Cavan, Gallagher continued, is someone who can make a hard call and get it right. Montana U.S. Attorney Mike Cotter also praised Cavan, noting he is the first assistant attorney to become a federal judge in Montana. The courts gain is our loss, Cotter said. Cotter said Cavan is the hardest-working lawyer he has ever met and said Cavan always took the toughest and most complex cases. This is not by accident, he said. Cavan, Cotter continued, is honest with the law and honest with the facts. Becoming a judge is an honor that is well deserved, Cotter told Cavan. Were going to miss you. As magistrate judge, Cavan will hear both civil and criminal cases. In criminal cases, magistrate judges have jurisdiction in misdemeanor cases, conduct arraignments and initial hearings in felony cases. They can also hear felony cases with consent of the parties and can mediate civil case settlements. Magistrate judges are appointed by a majority of the district court judges. Full-time magistrate judges serve eight-year terms. Montana has three full-time magistrate judge seats, located in Billings, Missoula and Great Falls. Cavan was recommended for the job from a group of finalists complied by a court-appointed merit selection panel of lawyers and non-lawyers. GAZA CITY - Coca-Cola formally has opened its first factory in the Gaza Strip, the company announced on Wednesday, in a move that could create hundreds of jobs in the beleaguered Palestinian enclave. The bottling facility had been partially open for several months but began full operations after a ceremony on Wednesday. The $20-million (19-million euro) investment is the company's first plant in Gaza and will create around 120 jobs immediately, a statement said, with an eventual expansion to 270. "The opening of our first Gaza plant is an important milestone," Zahi Khouri, said the founder and chairman of National Beverage Company (NBC) responsible for Coca-Cola in the Palestinian territories. "Our new Gaza plant shows our ongoing commitment to investing and supporting progress in communities around the world," Muhtar Kent, Coca-Cola CEO, said in a statement. There are three other NBC bottling facilities in the West Bank but the new Gaza plant could be a bonus for the struggling enclave's economy. Between 2008 and 2014, the Gaza Strip, ruled by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, has gone through three wars with Israel. The Jewish state maintains a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave which it says is necessary for security reasons. The unemployment rate in the coastal territory is over 40 percent, with close to two-thirds of young people out of work. The United Nations has estimated the Palestinian economy could double in size if the Israeli occupation ended. The World Bank said in September that just 10.7 percent of the 11,000 houses that were totally destroyed in the 2014 war had so far been rebuilt and about 50 percent of partially and severely damaged houses were still awaiting repair. A workshop was held in Johannesburg recently to come up with a solution to ease visa restrictions on students from SADC countries, which requires them to be members of a South African medical aid for the duration of their studies. Stakeholders, including medical schemes representatives from Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Botswana, Swaziland and Namibia, the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS), and the department of home affairs, discussed some of the challenges students face when applying for visas and to find long- and short-term solutions. The meeting was facilitated by the Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) of Southern Africa. While the objectives of the visa requirements are to protect local service providers, universities as well as the South African Government and public against risk, we have to find solutions that are fair to all stakeholders, said chairperson of the BHF SADC committee and CEO of Association of Healthcare Funders of Zimbabwe (AHFoZ), Shylet Sanyanga. The visa requirements that they are referring to are set out in section 13(1) of the Immigration Act and regulation 12(1)(f). According to the requirements, foreign students must belong to a medical aid registered with the Council of Medical Schemes Health. Students either have to belong to two medical aids or opt to give up membership in their countries. If they opt to give up membership in their own countries, they have no medical aid cover when they return home at the end of a semester. Apart from the fact that most students cant afford dual-membership, some SADC countries laws prohibit membership to two medical aids. In addition, some South African medical aid membership rules also prohibit dual-membership. The situation is further exacerbated by the fact that students have to pay 12 months membership fees in advance, adding to their financial burden. No medical aid requirements or restrictions are imposed on South African citizens residing, working or studying in SADC countries. Therefore, South Africas Immigration Act requirements are perceived to be contrary to the spirit of the SADC formation, which was signed by 14 heads of state in Maputo, Mozambique in 1999. Most SADC medical aids have agreements with major South African-based healthcare service provider networks and hospitals, under which cross-border payments are facilitated and scheme members are assured of cover. Pre-authorisation is also required, which further eliminates any commercial risk. Despite these safeguards, some students applications for visas are either denied, while others, who are granted visas, are shown away by universities for not meeting the medical aid regulations set out in the Immigration Act. Stakeholders agreed that a long-term solution to these challenges is needed. One being an amendment to the wording in the Immigration Act, which was changed in 2014. It is not clear what prompted these changes. To get clarity on this issue and to find interim solutions, high level discussions involving the departments of home affairs and higher education, will be facilitated by the BHF. Cathy Dreyer, a local champion for black rhino, was awarded the Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa on Wednesday, 30 November. Presented in London by Sir David Attenborough and the royal patron of TUSK Prince William, Dreyer is not only the first woman, but also the first South African to receive this accolade. Established in partnership with Investec Asset Management, the TUSK Awards recognise Africas unsung conservation heroes those individuals who have undertaken outstanding, inspirational conservation work throughout Africa. Dreyer was recognised for her exceptional commitment and success in protecting black rhinos. She started her career over 17 years ago at the age of 22 as a conservation student with South African National Parks, assisting with the capture of black rhino. This became a turning point in her life and her work has led directly to the establishment of new black rhino populations. In a country with the highest population of rhino yet facing the highest rate of poaching Dreyer offers the potential to provide vital protection for this species. I am driven by the need to feel that I am making a difference and contributing meaningfully to conservation. Humble roots Coming from humble roots and starting a career at the bottom of the ladder, Dreyers perseverance and focus built a career which graphically illustrates that being disadvantaged is not a barrier to achieving great heights, not only in conservation but also in life itself. Her success has been totally through her own efforts and as a woman she has faced greater challenges than most. She admits that: I have always been driven by my work and family has had to take a back seat for a number of years. Crucially, Dreyer has helped to bring people working in conservation together, principally in a number of national and international rhino translocations. Speaking at the ceremony, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge said: As ever, tonight I have been humbled by the sheer dedication and commitment that all of our 2016 nominees have shown, in preserving against the odds - our precious natural world. Their work is dangerous but vitally important and we are immensely grateful for it. Lets remember, he added that the illegal wildlife trade is the fourth biggest illegal trade in the world after drugs, weapons and human slavery. Two other awards presented In addition to the Tusk Award for Conservation, two other awards were also presented. Angolas Manuel Sacaia was named the winner of the Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award, in recognition of his fearless dedication to protecting the critically endangered giant sable antelope from extinction. The Prince William Award for Conservation in Africa was presented by Prince William to John Kahekwa from the Democratic Republic of Congo for a life lived in pursuit of a future for the Grauers gorilla within the Congos war zones. In a surprise twist, Sir David Attenborough was also presented with a lifetime achievement award by the prince for his "immense contribution" to conservation and for inspiring generations around the globe to care for the natural world. Hendrik du Toit, CEO of Investec Asset Management, added, We live in unprecedented times. Over the last 40 years the worlds wildlife population has decreased by more than half and some of the planets most iconic species, many of which count the continent of Africa as their home, are on the brink of extinction. Now is the time to act if we are to reverse this. The awards are not only a celebration of the achievements of the nominees; they are also about inspiring all of us for the ongoing battle to preserve our natural heritage for the generations to come. The ceremony was attended by many of the charitys high profile supporters and Tusk Patrons including Bear Grylls, Ronnie Wood and Katherine Jenkins. We are tabling this adjustment budget during an exciting time for the Western Cape's agriculture sector. Africa's largest agriculture gathering, the African Agri Investment Indaba, is currently taking place in Cape Town. The continent's leading investors, agribusinesses, senior government officials and industry experts are in our region to discuss how we can expand agriculture in Africa, to become the world's food basket. In addition to boosting production, we envisage an agriculture sector on our continent which is owned by its own people, and which drives inclusive growth. We are committed to building a sector where hard working employees are able to access opportunities to improve their circumstances and the lives of their families. A sector in which all people, regardless of rank, are treated fairly. In the Western Cape, we are seeking to add up to 100,000 agri-processing jobs to the economy under the banner of Project Khulisa. These jobs will largely be created in our rural areas. Drought relief With this mid-term allocation, we are providing an additional amount in excess of R25 million for drought relief. These funds will assist emerging grain farmers in the West Coast. At the onset of the drought, many of these farmers, who are important employers in their communities, faced an uncertain future. As yields failed to materialise, it became clear that many would struggle to cover the costs of operations. The Western Cape Department of Agriculture, through its commitment to supporting land reform, had already placed significant investment into these black farmers. We are determined to walk the road with them, to ensure their enterprises grow into thriving agribusinesses. This allocation brings to R61 million the total amount the Western Cape Government has committed to drought relief in the past year. It includes an R11 million reallocation from the Comprehensive Agriculture Support Programme. My office received a letter from the National Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, advising that the Western Cape has been allocated R12 million for drought relief. These funds are to be distributed directly to beneficiaries. I would like to urge national to ensure this money is dispersed as a matter of urgency. Every delay is another step closer to a farm operation being forced to shut its doors as a result of government red tape. We cannot afford to drag our feet on getting this support to the farmers who need it most. Smart Agri Part of our drought relief funding will also go towards Smart Agri, the climate change response strategy we developed in partnership with the industry and academia. To achieve future growth, we have to protect the sector against the impact of extreme weather events. Smart Agri, is the result of two years of extensive collaboration between the Western Cape Government (specifically the Departments of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs and Development Planning), the University of Cape Town's African Climate and Development Initiative and a wide range of stakeholders in the private sector. One of Smart Agri's priorities is conservation agriculture, which advocates minimum tillage, year-round soil cover, and crop rotation. Due in part to conservation agriculture, farmers in the Swartland have seen good yields in the wheat crop, despite a challenging year. With the introduction of no-till seeding methods, combined with crop rotation practices that were pioneered through the Long-Term Crop Rotation Trial at Langgewens Research Farm in the Swartland, we are currently producing nearly double the amount of wheat on less than half of the area previously planted to this crop. I am happy to report that 98% of farmers in the middle Swartland are implementing crop rotation. Opening markets for Western Cape produce As we make progress in mitigating the impact of the drought on the agriculture sector, we are going forward with our plans to open markets for Western Cape produce. Under Project Khulisa, we are seeking to boost the number of exports to key markets. To ensure that our produce can be internationally accredited for export, we are constructing a residue testing facility. R6 million is allocated for the development of this facility, which will be commissioned in this financial year. We have made excellent progress in growing agriculture, and we have a lot more to do. I would like to thank HOD Joyene Isaacs and her team at the Department of Agriculture for their efforts in growing the agriculture sector, and in implementing our Project Khulisa action plans. I look forward to working with organised agriculture, agri-workers and industry agencies to achieve a strong, fair and inclusive agriculture sector. Western Cape Issued by: Western Cape Agriculture and Economic Development How does one create a home across all sectors that provides the optimum use of space for a convenient modern lifestyle, but is still comfortable and efficient while providing for individual needs and preferences? 117 on Strand in Cape Town Good design right now is not about trend or style but about a design approach that fully analyses the context of a project and encompasses a design that optimises all aspects of the site, views, climate, brief, budget and lifestyle, says interior designer, Michele Rhoda, a director of ARRCC (formerly Antoni Associates). There is an approach of using more tactile and natural elements, we want the earth to touch our architecture and this is reflected in the raw elements and finishes being used. Philip Olmesdahl, a director of SAOTA agrees: In terms of materiality we favour concrete, natural materials and finishes that impart a serene and uncluttered environment. The authenticity of these materials means they are suitable for all projects, whatever the budget. As ARRCC director Mark Rielly points out: Really good contemporary design has a well-balanced mix of functionality and practicality, as well as a special mystery that almost feels magical. This applies as much to multi-residential design as it does to single. There is much value created in good design. Look and feel of homes is changing In the residential property market, Laurie Wener, senior executive, developments for Pam Golding Properties in the Cape Town Metro says: The look and feel of homes is changing and while it depends on the area and is over and above an ongoing demand for large, luxurious homes at the top end of the market, generally we are seeing a trend towards flexible, open-plan designs with all bedrooms en-suite, usually smaller in size for easier maintenance. We are also seeing the use of strong, lightweight structures for some types of construction, as well as insulated or prefabricated walls that reduce weight and labour costs, coupled with alternative power supply and climate control features and fast, effective domestic bandwidth as a requirement. Carol Reynolds, Pam Golding Properties area principal for Durban Coastal endorses this view: The general appearance and feel of homes is becoming less ostentatious and more ecological, with the use of raw natural materials. The look is one of simple, understated elegance that complements the environment. We see a shift from the notion of a large mansion standing proud on its erf to a smaller stylish home that is secondary to the natural beauty that envelops it. Today, it is more about the natural landscape and its inherent beauty than the home that happens to rest upon it. This trend is particularly evident in beautiful areas like the KZN coastal belt, where living outdoors is part of the lifestyle offering. Here the surrounds speak for themselves and homes tend to blend into their surroundings as an integral rather than separate component. Shift to modular homes We note a shift way from big double-storey blocks to modular homes with different levels, cantilevered platforms and the use of wood, glass and steel. With clever design and no wasted space, it is very easy to fit four bedrooms into 200m2. For example, one large open plan living area that extends onto an undercover veranda creates a sense of space. Passageways and corridors are a thing of the past instead, it is modern and tasteful to create homes that are essentially open plan barns with indoor/outdoor flow, no wasted space and larger open areas with better proportions. High ceilings and exposed beams can create volume which in itself gives the impression of space, even when the actual footprint of the home is small. In regard to renovations of existing residences, we are seeing lighter, brighter homes with more open-plan living spaces and modernising of kitchens and bathrooms. Ultimately homes become an extension of the people who live in them, so building a dream home is a wonderful outlet for creative expression. 3D walkthrough In catering for the rapidly evolving needs of the home owner of today and tomorrow, SAOTA utilises virtual reality (VR) to assist its architects and clients interact with design through an immersive interactive 3D walkthrough of the project at design stage. This means that people get to move in their homes before they are even built. Says SAOTA architect and specialist in 3D technology, Gerard Slee: SAOTA VR experiences come in a variety of forms and can be experienced in an Oculus Rift/Samsung Gear head-mounted display, on a website, or via the SAOTA custom app with or without Google Cardboard. Our app works on any Android or Apple smartphone. Without a headset it provides an experience of the design that is similar to Google Street View except that the phone allows you to move through the project. If you have access to a headset, the app splits down the middle and provides different views (half the screen) to each eye, with the HMD (Head Mounted Display) displaying different digital cameras to each eye. These digital cameras recreate depth at a human perspective, so combined with accurate head tracking we can place a user in a 3D environment so they can move through their home while it is still at concept stage. The future of VR lies in how we learn to interact with digital space. In VR you cannot see what is happening around you outside the VR goggles, so one tends to reach out, point and touch things. For architects or designers, you cant see the mouse or keyboard, so the next obvious step is immersive input (with your hands) and even voice control becoming the norm. This is exciting as it means that the tools that we use in digital space will change and allow for a much more natural way of manipulating light and space to produce even better architecture. Technological innovation has changed the hospitality industry significantly and continues to do so. Consumers are always switched on through their mobile devices and show a growing preference for using these devices to make bookings, arrange itineraries and interact with establishments. To ensure customers receive the highest level of service, hotels have had to change and improve their communications systems. To this end, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise recently showcased its latest technology for the hospitality industry. We spoke to Ravin Naidu, the regional director South Africa, ALE, to find out how they help establishments connect to their always-on customers. Ravin Naidu How has the always-on consumer pushed and influenced the hospitality industry to also adopt an always on offering? Ravin Naidu: The hospitality industry is one that requires even more connectivity to their customers. With a society that is always connected to their smartphones, establishments need to ensure they have the correct infrastructure to meet the needs of constantly connected guests. Todays guests are always connected and deeply involved in social communities where they share their travel experiences. Are there any requirements regarding communications technologies that are specific to the hospitality industry? Naidu: The guest experience does not start and stop at the hotel door anymore. Hospitality environments need to adapt in order to not only offer a unique stay but also engage with each guest at every step of their journey - in both digital and real worlds. The hospitality industry requires robust communication technologies that enhance the guest experience. Hotel managers will require more advanced communications technologies such as unified communications on their mobile devices, advanced telephony applications such as call-by-name capabilities and video collaboration with property owners. Tell us about the communications devices and technologies that Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise have developed for the hospitality industry? Naidu: ALE offers a variety of products designed specifically for the hospitality industry that reduces infrastructure costs, enriches the guest experience and improves hotel operations. One of these products is the IP Desk Smartphone, a fully integrated telephony application that gives any device (computer, smartphone or tablet) the same features as a desk phone. This helps businesses to optimise their employees' productivity and allows easy integration of remote and home workers. The Alcatel-Lucent 8232 DECT Handset offers easy-to-use, cost-effective and reliable voice communication that addresses the mobility needs in evolving hospitality environments. This device also offers simple and efficient voice communication, enhanced usability and compatibility. The 8232 DECT Handset also provides all of the Alcatel-Lucent communication servers value-added voice services,such as dial-by-name and multi-line management, that Alcatel-Lucent fixed desk phones support. Our Mobile Guest Softphone offers guests a better way to interact with hotel services and facilities by taking advantage of the guests mobile connected devices. The Mobile Guest Softphone turns a guests own mobile device into an extension of their in-room phone. The guest downloads the free application from popular online app stores and then uses the app to scan a QR code. This procedure auto-configures the app on the guests device based on credentials input by the hotel reception desk with an easy-to-use web interface. The app allows guests to control their communications costs by allowing them to call hotel services or other guest rooms for free from their personal devices. Danil Roudenko via 123RF Are these devices and technologies customisable and scalable to suit the size of hospitality establishments? Naidu: The solutions are customisable depending on the needs of the hotel and its clients. The Smart Guest Applications comes with a base pack including Hotel Tour, Weather Forecast, Interactive Screen Saver and Languages. Additional features such as room automation can be added to the standard offering. What are the benefits of ALEs hospitality technology and what differentiates it from similar technology on the market? Naidu: ALEs hospitality offerings guarantee break through guest experiences by understanding that no matter where travellers are, they want to use the same technologies they have in their offices and homes, if not better. Even before booking a room, guests make sure that the establishment they are looking at is equipped to meet their technology needs. We help hotels and properties worldwide make the shift to digital services. As a result, everything from room service to checkout can be available at the touch of a button or screen, using a new generation of devices, such as the Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise phones or the guests and smartphones. Unlike other providers of communication technologies, we provide guests with a fully connected experience that allow them to be in control of their travel and environment. On August 24 this year, Intelsat announced that Intelsat 33e, the second of seven planned Intelsat Epic high throughput satellites, was launched successfully from French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 launch vehicle. Intelsat 33e, manufactured by Boeing, will bring high throughput capacity in both C- and Ku-band to the Africa, Europe, Middle East and Asia regions. According to Africa Bandwidth Maps, Africas terrestrial network reached 732,662km in 2012. Most of Africas main urban hubs are now connected by fibre transmission networks, and national networks are steadily increasing and connecting secondary cities. So why develop new satellite technologies? Why invest billions in satellite services for Africa when fibre and mobile services are ever expanding and reaching more and more of the population? With urbanisation increasing across the continent, the fibre network is focused on connecting high density zones. In fact, 173.9 million people are within 10km reach of a terrestrial fibre network, 345.1 million people are within 25km reach and 522.3 million within 50km reach of a terrestrial fibre network. That leaves 341.1 million people beyond the reach of fibre nodes. This answers why satellite in becoming an increasingly important connectivity technology. We need every possible technology option to meet the ever-growing demand for always-on everywhere connectivity. This includes fibre, wireless, mobile networks, Wi-Fi and satellite. Plus, satellite offers some interesting advantages in providing services over vast areas, with rapid deployment programmes. Past perceptions There is a perception of satellite being slow, having a latency problem and being expensive. With satellite being used as a telecommunication medium since the 1960s, it is understandable that some perceptions will persist, and technical teams tend to judge satellite from early references or general market perceptions. The reality is very different. Satellite networks and related equipment have steadily improved, and today provide an effective alternative for broadband and corporate data connectivity. Furthermore, the gradual improvement of geostationary satellites has now taken a major step forward with the development and introduction of high throughput satellites (HTS). Solving the satellite design dilemma To understand the metrics of HTS, we need to take a step back and consider the basic principles of satellite networks. In their simplest form, geostationary telecommunication satellites are 'signal mirrors'. A satellite receives a signal from the user satellite terminal and 'reflects' or 'relays' this signal on to the central hub or base station. The power level of the transmission signal greatly determines the maximum data rate and the effective cost per MB. The more power, the higher the data rate and the lower the MB cost. The next logical step is therefore to increase power in order to further reduce MB costs. Unfortunately, this will also result in reduced signal coverage areas, or smaller signal zones. Finding a solution for this 'design dilemma' is the basic advantage of HTS solution architecture. By introducing multiple beams that can increase the satellite signal power through reducing beam zones, the satellites effective total performance is based on the sum of multiple single beam satellites. This provides a multiplication factor in data rates, a reduction in data costs and the introduction of multiple spot beams. The basic HTS design thus relies on frequency reuse to create multiple spot beams with higher signal power levels. This principle is applied in C, Ku and Ka-bands and doesnt relate only to Ka-band technologies. HTS almost exclusively make use of frequency reuse and multiple spot beams. Into the future The introduction of HTS-based services and solutions to the market will require various industry, market and implementation changes. The satellite industry is evolving at a rapid rate to meet all these challenges and make this a reality. Going forward, satellite-based telecommunication services will certainly keep growing and will be the lead options for connecting the 340 million people beyond the reach of terrestrial networks. Super Group CEO Peter Mountford won the EY entrepreneur of the year award at a gala function in Sandton this week. He was chosen for his entrepreneurial spirit, the logistics and fleet management company's financial performance, his ability to provide strategic direction and innovation, and his integrity and influence. "I am honoured to have been presented with this prestigious and coveted award given the caliber of candidates nominated this year. I am looking forward to representing SA at the EY International Entrepreneur Award 2017 in Monaco next year," Mountford said on Wednesday. Mountford is a chartered accountant with an MBA from Warwick University in the UK. He has been MD of SAB Diversified Beverages, which included SAB's supply chain services and logistics interests. He was also MD of Super Group's logistics and transport division until June 2002, after which he joined Imperial Holdings, where he was CEO of the consumer logistics division for six years. Mountford was appointed CEO of Super Group in July 2009. He is also a director of the Road Freight Association, which mainly represents road freight service providers. Since his appointment as CEO, Super Group's market capitalisation has rocketed from R349m to about R14.5bn, a rise of more than 4,000%. Source: BDpro Bain & Co has been appointed to manage the merger of the state's three airlines, SAA, Mango and SA Express, Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown said in Parliament on Wednesday. Bob Adams via Wikimedia Commons Her comments at a meeting of the National Council of Provinces select committee on communications and public enterprises provide some clarity on recent contradictory statements on the future of the airlines and whether they would be merged. "There is a merger plan for these companies," Brown said. She conceded the period preceding the merger would be difficult as the firms had to maintain themselves. The minister said she believed the merger process would take about three years. However, an agreement for the merger of the technical divisions of SAA, SA Express and Mango had already been signed. Brown said the model for the merger had not yet been decided. A holding company for the three airlines could be created or they could be merged into one entity. She said another possibility would be to sell a 25% stake in the holding company to a strategic equity partner. The government also owns about 3% of SA Airlink. Mango, SA Airlink and SA Express all use SAA's code for their operations. A merger would formalise this code-sharing arrangement, the minister said. Brown stressed the importance of these airlines remaining going concerns. She noted that the National Treasury was reluctant to release the full amount of the state guarantees it had provided to SAA and SA Express. SA Express CEO Inathi Ntshanga briefed the committee on the airline's operations, saying it was planning to invest in a younger fleet over the next two years. Most of the airline's aeroplanes were about 18 years old and were costly to maintain. The fleet strategy has been approved and the funding for it is under negotiation. Ntshanga also said the three state-owned airlines were working together to optimise synergies. Regular interaction was taking place with SAA to create a single feeder regional airline for the national carrier. He outlined the various costsaving initiatives being undertaken by SA Express. Source: Business Day Starting with an outdoor screening of surf films at Clifton 4th Beach on 3 December, the 13th Wavescape Festival has released its lineup of surf and sustainability related events for December. The summer festival offers 27 surfing and ocean films from around the world screened in two indoor locations, as well as the traditional outdoor location, Clifton 4th Beach. Encouraging young filmmakers Wavescape has partnered with Cape Town Film and Media Promotion - a division of Wesgro - to host Wavescape Shortcuts, a project to nurture filmmaking talent held at Woodstock Exchange on Monday 5 December. Next up is Slide Night, which presents 10 salty tales by 10 ocean gurus. Wavescape hosts its Beach Reach on 10 December. This is a fun, interactive day for kids to learn about beach safety and ocean conservation. Lastly, therell be a partnership with the Sea-Change Childrens night at the Two Oceans Aquarium on 11 December. Wavescape Festival 2016 lineup Beach Film: Clifton 4th Beach (9pm, Sat 3 December, free) Short Cuts Workshop: Woodstock Exchange (4pm, Mon 5 Dec, free) Slide Night: Centre for the Book (7pm, Tues 6 Dec, R120) Be Frank Film Night: Jack Black Brewery (7pm, Wed 7 Dec, R55) Beach Reach: Muizenberg Corner, (10am, Sat 10 Dec) Film Festival: Labia Cinema (6 and 8pm, Thu 8 to Sun 11 Dec, R55) Sea-Change Night: Two Oceans Aquarium (7pm, Sun 11 Dec) Wavescape is also giving away surfboards, wetsuits and surf gear in raffles throughout the festival. Wavescape Festival 2016 Teaser from Steve Pike on Vimeo. Ticket information Details www.wavescapefestival.com and tickets at www.webtickets.co.za Dan Clark, keynoter at a two-day conference on connecting with local government, asked and answered a key question about how to get more people to care about local issues and the way theyre being handled. How long does it take for a community to change its culture? he asked Thursday. My answer is, as long as you want it to take. Clark, director of Montana State University Extensions Local Government Center, and Assistant Director Blake Christensen worked with a crowd of about 30 during the first day of the conference, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Billings. The conference concludes Friday morning at the Billings Public Library with presentations by Billings and Yellowstone County officials and a discussion on moving forward. Clark said he believes a group like the League of Women Voters can help the community around civic engagement. We (he and Christensen) talk a lot about (government) structure, but I cant fix the people part, and structure cant fix it, either, he said. You have got to find the right people to fix your problems. Americans trust local government more than they do state and federal government and even more than they do businesses, nonprofit groups and religious institutions, Clark said. But what concerns me is that we elect people with no local government experience, he said. I get concerned because there is something to be said for finding a solution at a planning board meeting. I like to see candidates who have worked their way through governance, like a school board. That takes a different skill set, and its a skill set that needs to be honed. How do we cultivate that kind of leadership in our community? Thirty-two of Montanas 129 municipalities have a city charter, and three of the states 56 counties Butte-Silver Bow, Anaconda Deer Lodge and Fergus County are governed by charters. Seventy-seven of the states 129 communities have 500 people or fewer. Clark and Christensen are set to soon train newly elected county commissioners from around the state. Clark said one of the first things he will tell them is, You are not there because of your knowledge, skill and experience. You were not interviewed and hired for the position. You won a popularity contest now what are you going to do about it? Local officials are in office to facilitate public policy, not create it, he said. Local government boards and commissions do the yeomans work of local governance, he said, even those boards that only advise a higher body, such as the county commission or city council. Land use decisions are the toughest decisions local bodies and officials make, he said. You are shaping your landscape maybe forever, he said. Thats why you look long and hard at it, and you make sure the public is good with it. The former mayor of Choteau, Clark recalled that his community never turned down a request for variance for, say, a property owner who wanted to build a deck beyond setback requirements. Then it dawned on us: Why not change the law to accommodate larger decks? he said. There is a reason to have consistency in zoning, but there are also good reasons not to give landowners consistent permission to break the law by issuing so many variances. At the conclusion of their presentation, Clark and Christensen invited participants to help shape Fridays discussion by jotting down on sticky notes what they like about local government and what needs improving. Their ideas were grouped on library windows to facilitate discussion. Among the former were the way services are delivered, the quality of work done by Billings City Administrator Tina Volek and by city planners and the overall investment in infrastructure. Those items identified for improvement included the level of public participation, the structure of local government, jail overcrowding, the transparency of county government and that most common of citizen complaints, government spending levels. Christensen said the exercise was focused on getting people to think about whats right about their local government, because often the focus at public meetings and in forums like letters to the editor is on whats wrong. There are a lot of good things going on, he said, and there are good and honest people invested in their community who want to see things improve. Grain SA took notice of the approval by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) of commodity clearance of some GMO events in maize that are currently not available to South African farmers. Grain SA also took notice that USA maize (white and yellow) can still not be imported into South Africa as there are still more GMO approvals to be considered by Minister Zokwana. stux via pixabay Market reports circulated by role-players in the industry indicating that USA maize can now be imported by South Africa are deceptive and are seen as attempts to influence local maize prices, Jannie de Villiers, CEO of Grain SA, said. The current volatility in the market is not good for anybody except speculators. Traders earlier confirmed that enough white maize has already been secured to meet the 2016/17 shortages in South Africa. There are plenty of supplies of maize in the world and any approval of GMOs not available to the South African farmers put them at a disadvantage. If there were no other maize (other than that from the USA) available, we would have understood the pressure from traders and buyers, but to give the USA farmers an inside lane seems unfair, De Villiers said. There are also concerns about monitoring commodity clearance maize for spillages and the blending with local maize during storage. The USA is normally the first country where new technologies are registered. They then seek approval for exports of these events in other countries. If these events do not get registered for general release in these countries, their local producers are competing on an uneven playing field against the USA, given the technology development. We are not just competing against our American counterparts having access to better technology, but they are also getting huge subsidies from their government, De Villiers said. Read the full article on Africa Agri. As smartphones reach saturation point in developing markets and make up a significant part of phone ownership in developing nations, customers are demanding an entirely different way of engaging with brands. This seismic shift towards mobile requires an equally bold response from organisations which hope to remain relevant. Most companies spend time examining how the millennials (ages 18 to 35) are communicating. It is well known that this always-on group of consumers shies away from human contact as much as possible. But the future-forward company should also be looking further down the line when planning on how to engage with their customers. According to the 2016 Meeker report, the newly-dubbed Generation Z (ages 1-20) are bringing their new communications demands to the table. Generation Z is comfortable with as many as five concurrent screens, as opposed to millennials, who opt for two. Its clear each generation is spending more and more time on their mobile phone. Finding ways to allow for customer engagement over this medium should therefore be the number one priority for companies who hope to survive the next decade. South Africa is tracking the trend While South Africa is still suffering a digital divide, the growth rate in mobile internet usage is heartening. According to the annual report from We Are Social, which tracks global internet trends, South Africas 26.8 million internet users spend more than three hours a day on social media. The majority (92%) of South Africas adult population owns a phone, with smartphones taking the lions share of this majority at 60%. Whats interesting is that instant messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and BBM, remains the most popular internet activity for mobile users (36%). This number is driven largely by the youth which shows a higher usage, but remains consistently high throughout the age groups. So, if our customers are so reliant on their mobile phones not only to access information, but as their primary means of communication and, we can see that this will only grow over time as Generation Z enters the workforce should organisations not have already moved on from designing for mobile-first as a means to engage with their customer? It seems abundantly clear that the next step in the evolution of communications should be a bold move towards mobile-always. Companies need to respond to mobile moments Mobile moments are a hot topic amongst marketers and technology heads alike. Research house, Forrester, has defined mobile moments as points in time and space when people pull out their devices to get what they want in an immediate context. And the company is advising clients that they are hugely important. The complexity, of ensuring your customer is able to access what they are looking for on their mobile phones is far bigger than most companies believe. Many organisations have allowed their customers to use mobile chat facilities as a primary means of engagement. And this is a useful first step. However, while chat facilities may already deliver faster service results from contact centres (agents can manage at least 5 or 6 simultaneous chat sessions), it still misses the real tech opportunities which are available. 123RF In October this year, Gartners Darryl Plummer, predicted that by 2020 the average person will have more daily conversations with bots than with their significant other. He went on to say that with the rise of AI and other conversational interfaces, we are more likely to interact with a bot and not even know it, than ever before. The company also sees Artificial Intelligence (AI) and bots taking over a significant amount of the day-to-day customer queries which face call centres. According to Gartner, call centres have already started to adopt this technology to provide better customer service, increase call volumes and control costs. They see bots taking on more complex tasks, receiving inputs from more sources and at a higher rate than a human team could. The third piece of the puzzle lies in workflow With mobile chat, smart machine, AI and bot interventions, companies are well underway to reaching the goal of real customer delight. However, when workflow cards are added to the offering we truly hit the efficiency trifecta. So much of our business offerings could be handled by applications which automate and streamline day-to-day transactions. Enabling these in the chat stream puts the customer in control of how they engage with your company. Examples of transactions would include appointments, invoicing, selecting products or features, cost estimations, downloading collateral and completing a purchase. By combining the efficiencies offered by chat facilities, smart machines, AI and bots, along with the efficacy of automating workflow into the core of the offering, companies can truly embrace the opportunity of mobile moments a service offering which is designed with the needs of the customer first. More importantly, a holistic offering which has been crafted with a mobile-always ethos ensures organizations are taking care of immediate customer needs as well as future-proofing their offerings as new generations join the customer ranks. Disconnect from the urban urgency by crossing the threshold into a serene, rejuvenating space that echoes the calm and nurturing natural environment. This is your home. To create this #livingdream, Africas premier decor, design and lifestyle exhibition portfolio Decorex SA will offer visitors a range of quality items and innovations destined to transform any home into a relaxation haven. Co-sponsored by Plascon and Caesarstone, this leading exhibition allows access to a variety of globally influenced designs and trends which have been localised to suit the South African home. Themed Make your space your living dream, the premier decor, design and lifestyle expo - which kicks off from 18 to 21 March at the Durban Exhibition Centre - provides not only quality products and ideas to create the ultimate refuge, but also has the nations top trendsetters on-hand to offer insightful tips and guidance for personalised home and office decor. Our lives are constantly impacted by the fast-paced, electronic world, said Sian Cullingworth, Portfolio Director: Decorex SA and 100% Design South Africa. This can negatively affect our senses if we dont have a space that allows us to step back and have a moment of quiet introspection. Were seeking refuge in silence, searching for a closeness with nature that, for many people, is an elusive reality instead of something we immerse ourselves in daily. The 2017 theme, Make your space your living dream leans towards this natural ethos within the home, creating a liveable haven that seeps calmness and inspires wholesome, introspective living. This anti-digital lifestyle trend which embraces a serene, sensitive, internalised narrative is reminiscent of the Danish ethos of hygge. Stepping away from the constant electronic interaction of the outside world, people are embracing this notion of hygge which represents the warmth and wellbeing that can be found within our own spaces, specifically aimed at comfort and happiness. By escaping the external noise, people are experiencing a better life and greater wellbeing in a calmer space. Cullingworth continued, saying that the creation of this relaxed environment can be found throughout the Decorex SA exhibitions which seek to soothe the senses through various home-enhancing features and culinary experiences. Its all about textile furnishing that exudes an aura of relaxation and calm, she explained. The overload of sleek, smooth finishes that dominate the electronics industry means our bodies are desperately craving the feel of a textured environment. By including wood in our decor, using soft, natural, earthy tones in our wall finishes and furniture as well as incorporating plants or plant green prints, we feel closer to nature. There is also a strong connection between wellness and the colour green. Cullingworth said that visitors to the show will be inspired through the exhibitions innovations and trends. People will be able to make their space their living dream at the Decorex SA exhibitions through our showcase of the latest trends in furniture, decor and finishes - which are setting new standards for interiors as well as the 2017 colour currents displayed throughout the restaurants and installations at the show. Make sure you dont miss out on the premier decor and design expo which promises to be an inspiring day out Decorex SA details: Decorex Durban: 18 21 March 2017 Time: 18-20 March: 10am 8pm | 21 March: 10am 6pm Ticket prices: Adults: R85, Pensioners: R 75, Children under 12: R20 Venue: Durban Exhibition Centre Decorex Cape Town: 27 30 April 2017 Time: 10am 6pm daily Ticket prices: Adults: R95, Pensioners: R85, Children under 12: R20 Venue: Cape Town International Conference Centre Decorex Johannesburg: 9 13 August 2017 Time: 10am 6pm daily Ticket prices: Adults: R120, Pensioners: R100, Children under 12: R20 Venue: Gallagher Convention Centre For more information, email az.oc.deerebeht@ofnixeroced Visit: www.decorex.co.za Facebook: Decorex SA Twitter: @decorexSA Instagram: decorex_sa LinkedIn: Decorex SA Pinterest: Decorex SA Blog: www.thebereed.co.za/decorexblog/ About Reed Exhibitions Reed Exhibitions is the worlds leading events organiser, with over 500 events in 30 countries. In 2015 Reed brought together over seven million event participants from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today Reed events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa and organised by 40 fully staffed offices. Reed Exhibitions serves 43 industry sectors with trade and consumer events. It is part of the RELX Group plc, a world-leading provider of information solutions for professional customers across industries. www.reedexpo.com The African growth story is no longer a fairy tale. Over the past decade multinational companies, private equity funds and infrastructure development programmes have channelled capital to the continent as they began to realise the true potential it holds, but like most emerging market regions, Africa is no longer the 'flavour of the month'. Yet those of us who run Africas Capital Markets have to admit that only a small portion of global investment flows to this region come through our platforms. Although there are 29 stock exchanges located across 27 African countries, many still do not offer enough liquidity to attract meaningful levels of investment. This is a difficult obstacle to overcome, as a lack of liquidity can only be addressed through higher levels of investment on our exchanges. Many of our exchanges also still need to realise the importance of providing accurate and timely market information. This lack of information makes investors much more hesitant about investing on the continent and perpetuates the view that Africa is still the dark continent. More liquidity, better access to information and enabling regulation will generate more interest from foreign market participants because as a continent we are competing with other emerging and frontier markets for both local and international investment flows. The role of African stock exchanges is far greater than providing foreign investors with a potential entry point to the continent. Our markets provide platforms for companies to raise capital to fund their growth and expansion and can therefore play a vital role in fostering and sustaining economic growth. However, for Capital Markets to truly make a meaningful difference to economic growth and development we must be truly inclusive in our approach. Our markets cannot be accessible to only large companies. While big companies make important contributions to an economy, they do not represent it in its entirety. Share price trends of these groups often do not truly reflect the economic reality that most Africans experience and in which they are trying to build their businesses. The JSEs answer to this challenge has been to move down the continuum of funding to also provide capital-raising platforms for small and medium-sized businesses which form the true engine driving many developing economies. Although there are 29 stock exchanges located across 27 African countries, many still do not offer enough liquidity to attract meaningful levels of investment In 2003, the JSE created the AltX platform to enable companies to grow within the framework of a highly reputable market place, while also providing investors with exposure to these businesses in a regulated environment. At present, there are 61 companies listed on the AltX, with a total market capitalisation of R39.19 billion as at 21 November 2016. Since the inception of the AltX 13 years ago, more than 29 companies have migrated to the JSEs Main Board, demonstrating that the AltX is a catalyst for growth. We are also working on a project to assist even smaller companies than those on our AltX board to raise capital. This will provide these companies with the opportunity to expand their roles in the real economy. The development of platforms for small to medium-sized businesses to list across African capital markets will also allow private equity investors to consider listing as an effective way to realising the return on their investments. This means that the development of stock exchanges will not only encourage further investment through the exchanges themselves, but also in the broader real economy. The listing process can also contribute to a companys development through encouraging greater transparency and stronger corporate governance. How to bring stock exchanges and smaller businesses together will be one of the key topics discussed this month at the Annual African Securities Exchanges Association (ASEA) Conference and General Meeting. The theme of this years conference, taking place in Kigali, Rwanda, is The Road to 2030: Making the African Capital Markets Relevant to the real economy. This key annual event in Africas Capital Markets sector enables markets to discuss how African securities exchanges can become more effective so that they can play a bigger role in mobilising capital for African businesses to drive our economies onto the global economic stage. We cannot deny that Africa is currently experiencing uneven levels of economic growth, but there are some markets that are showing consistently good growth which we need to take advantage of. The world is facing challenges on multiple fronts as the U.S. Federal Reserve continues its monetary tightening, Europe is struggling to manage migrant and debt crisis, Chinas financial stability is in doubt all weighing on emerging economies. Most of these influences fall outside our control. But what is left within Africas control is the ability to create an environment in which small and medium-sized businesses can thrive. The shift in focus from large corporates to smaller enterprises is but a natural progression in the evolution of capital markets as these are the businesses which are creating jobs, fostering innovation and pushing the African economy forward despite stronger headwinds like lower global growth and depressed commodity prices. ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - The first ever Africa Trade Week opened in Addis Ababa this week with the Economic Commission for Africa's David Luke, urging participants to come up with solutions to unanswered questions about the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA). Speaking on behalf of Abdalla Hamdok, ECA acting executive secretary, Luke, said the CFTA is a bold initiative aiming to bring together 54 African countries with a combined population of more than one billion people and a combined gross domestic product of more than U.S. $3.4 trillion. African leaders, with the CFTA, aim to, create a single continental market for goods and services, free movement of business persons and investments and expand intra-African trade, among other things. The CFTA is also expected to enhance competitiveness at the industry and enterprise levels on the continent. He said, the questions include; how the continent can involve civil society and the African citizenry so that the CFTA has legitimacy among the people of Africa; what level of liberalisation should the continent aim for at the beginning given adjustment costs; what safeguards are needed to protect the most vulnerable and those that may be driven out of business by the CFTA. For individual countries: which sectors should they liberalise; how does Africa get the details as rules of origin, technical barriers to trade sanitary and dispute settlement, among others. Luke also urged participants to discuss how Africa can ensure the CFTA gets effectively implemented, adding the full range of key African trade policy issues should be looked at this week. These include Africas trade relations with Asia, Europe, the United States and emerging markets; how trade can support gender equality and empowerment; perspectives from the regional economic communities and the CFTA negotiations and related flanking measures, he stressed. He noted that relations with Asia, Europe and the United States account for massive shares of Africas trade currently and it is important to get these right. Luke said that the discussions would allow all players "to examine our trading relationships with these partners and how to recalibrate them to ensure coherence with the CFTA initiative and its objectives as well as trade and gender issues and the importance of trade policy being gender sensitive. Critical opportunity He said the CFTA presents Africa with a critical opportunity for development, adding research by the ECA has shown that the CFTA could add up to 2.5% to Africas annual economic output which is around $65 billion based on data for 2014. Unlike much of the commodity-driven growth that we have recently experienced, the CFTA is likely to make growth in the African economy more sustainable and inclusive." As such, the CFTA presents us with an opportunity that we simply have to seize. But how do we do so? There are many questions that remain to be answered on how exactly to pursue this most important initiative. Also speaking during the opening ceremony, African Union Commissioner Fatima Haram Acyl of Trade and Industry, said Africa needs to bring the cost of doing business down, adding this would significantly boost trade performance with trade facilitation, which looks at procedures and controls governing the movement of goods across borders, enabling Africa to do that. The Africa Trade Week is a historic event and the whole purpose of this week is to encourage fruitful and stimulating dialogue among all stakeholders, said Acyl, adding the African Trade Facilitation Forum, that began Thursday, will explore ways to overcome the obstacles to trade and imports across Africa such as non-tariff barriers including quotas, embargoes, sanctions and levies. Mukhisa Kituyi, secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) gave the keynote address. He said Africa should forget about the Abuja Declaration and focus on getting investors. Trade investment To me the Abuja Declaration was important. It was a starting point towards where we are but even if there had not been an Abuja and a Lagos Plan of Action, the reasons for creating a Pan African free trade are important even from todays challenges so we have enough reasons from today apart from our inherited responsibility from Abuja, said Kituyi. These include Africas ability to expand trade - inclusive trade has the best possibilities, the most flexible opportunities are within Africa itself, he said. Second, as the world goes towards much more refined global value chains our ability to create regional value chains, trade linkages is the first building block towards being competent in order to find a scaled-up possibility on the global value chains. Third, Africas unemployed youth needs trade related opportunities and these opportunities have to be dealt with through best practices in Africa and cross boarder engagements infrastructure that goes beyond countries , possibilities of e-trade, for example, that go beyond country boundaries and this is the ecosystem that can only be created under a Pan African free trade area. One of the issues that participants will discuss is the relationship between Africa and the United States following the recent election of business magnate Donald Trump as President-elect of the US, the changing architecture of global trade, AGOA implementation, trade partnerships, the CFTA, trade facilitation and related issues. The ATW is bringing together a broad range of participants, including senior governmental officials, representatives from RECs, civil society, CEOs and executives from the private sector, development banks, academia, international development agencies and the media, among others. Montanas road and traffic safety systems have become dangerously underfunded. A solution is obvious: Raise the state fuel tax to meet these public safety demands. The states 27-cent-per-gallon tax on gasoline and diesel provides the state funds for highways and partially funds the Montana Highway Patrol. That tax hasnt been raised in many years and now falls short of maintaining the road and patrol services at the levels budgeted in 2015. Every dollar of state money spent on highway-related projects leverages several federal dollars. Montana has been getting 87 percent of its highway funding from the federal government. But to get the federal money, there must be state money to partially match the U.S. grants. As previously noted in this column, neither Gov. Steve Bullocks biennial budget proposal nor bill drafts from the Legislatures interim committee on revenue and transportation offer a fix for the shortfall in the transportation and justice departments. But cities, counties, economic development councils, private contractors and other Montanans have recognized the problem. The Montana Infrastructure Coalition, which counts the city of Billings among about 80 members statewide, is proposing a 10-cent-per-gallon increase in the states fuel taxes. That change would generate about $80 million in additional revenue, according to Darryl James, coalition executive director in Helena. The coalition is promoting a plan to split that new revenue with cities and counties whose share of the state fuel tax has been capped at about $16 million for decades. Thats right; present state law directs only $16.7 million annually to be divided among cities and counties all across our great, big state. Without new revenue, the Montana Highway Patrol will have a 10 percent cut ($7.7 million for the biennium) to reduce spending to the level of expected fuel tax revenue, according to Bullocks budget. The 27 trooper vacancies statewide wouldn't be filled. The Montana Department of Transportation will take a much bigger hit if the fuel tax isnt changed. The Bullock budget for the next biennium would cut MDOT construction and maintenance by $222 million from the current biennium appropriation. Heres how the Montana Infrastructure Coalition pitches a fuel tax increase: With a 10-cent-per-gallon increase in the fuel tax and additional adjustments in the fuel tax revenue distribution formula, Montana can fully leverage available federal highway funds, and provide a long-overdue funding increase for city and county roadway and bridge improvements. No elected Montana official is eager to sign onto a gas tax increase. Bullock didnt put it in his budget. Attorney General Tim Fox decried Bullocks lack of leadership, but Fox didnt tell the Associated Press that the tax should be raised. Smart legislators who will do the right thing, even if it means promoting a tax increase must step up. An increase in the state fuel tax will keep our state running safer. Those fuel tax dollars will be spent in Montana, supporting jobs in public safety and construction. The coalitions idea for sharing new revenue with local governments would also take some pressure off cities and counties to raise property taxes to cover local road projects. Along with us 1 million Montanans, nearly 12 million tourists pay our fuel tax every year. Those out-of-state visitors spend $3.66 billion annually in Montana, and fuel is the No. 1 purchase they make in many of our communities. Remember: Each dollar of Montana fuel tax can net $6 in federal transportation funds. This is a great return on Montanans money. Lets consider paying a dime more for gas because we need better roads, adequate safety patrols and good jobs for Montanans. I have never really understood the Electoral College. Recently a friend and I were talking about people who are apparently trying to convince electors to the EC not to vote for President-elect Donald Trump, and he asked me if this was possible. The 538 electors meet Dec. 19 this year to officially vote for the president. The EC has a long and fascinating history (which I can only touch on here), and a surprising answer to the question as to whether they are bound delegates nationwide. Constitutional history Originally, Article II, clauses 2 and 3 of the Constitution set out the plan where electors would choose the president and the vice-president. The framers of the Constitution assumed electors would be elected by district, would not be bound to vote for who their state voted for, the president and vice-president would not run together, and the system would usually not select either a president or vice-president, thus throwing the election into Congress. Obviously, many things have changed since 1789. Havoc ensued when candidates from opposing political parties were elected president and vice-president, such as Federalist parties John Adams (president) and Democratic-Republican parties Thomas Jefferson (vice president) in 1796. The states then ratified the 12th Amendment in 1804, making sure separate ballots were cast for president and vice-president. Over the years, the EC system has varied state by state from where electors selected could vote for whoever they thought best, to electors being bound by the popular vote, to winner-take-all states electors, to Congressional districts only electors, both bound and unbound. A review of the history of the EC is truly captivating, but space limitations prevent presenting the full history here. Montana system Currently, electors are selected based upon the laws of every state, on a state-by-state basis. In Montana, the Uniform Faithful Presidential Electors Act was passed in 2011. Under the UFPEA, political parties or unaffiliated presidential candidates submit to the secretary of state electors selected by those entities. An elector must sign a pledge which states: If selected for the position of elector, I agree to serve and to mark my ballot for president and vice president for the nominees of the political party that nominated me. If an elector does not vote, or presents a ballot in violation of the pledge, another elector is selected as a replacement. Section 13-25-307(4), MCA. Nationwide, 29 states have laws similar to Montanas regarding faithlessness, the term used when an elector does not vote or does not vote for their nominated candidate. Of course, that means there are 21 states without a faithfulness remedy. There are scenarios where rogue electors could conceivably not vote their states top vote-getter and put the presidential election into Congress. That is highly unlikely, however. Furthermore, regardless of who you voted for, hopefully we can all agree that would be a terrible idea in Montana, we still live by the creed that your word is your bond. There are pros and cons to the EC, but those will have to wait for another article, if there is interest. In the meantime, be watching for what happens on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December, Dec. 19. After attacking the North American Free Trade Agreement repeatedly during his campaign, Donald Trump notably failed to include NAFTA on his agenda for his first day in the Oval Office. Perhaps he has learned that the Constitution prevents the president from terminating our trade agreements by himself. Upon taking office, the new president will enjoy broad powers in foreign affairs. He will have the right to set U.S. policy toward other nations and to terminate treaties. In 2002, for example, President George W. Bush called off the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty between the United States and Russia without any input from Congress. But like all modern trade pacts, NAFTA is a congressional-executive agreement created by statute, not treaty. Trump cannot terminate it or even renegotiate it without the approval of Congress. The Constitution grants to the president the power to make treaties, subject to approval by two-thirds of the Senate. Our nations most significant obligations take this form, such as the North Atlantic Treaty that created NATO and the San Francisco Treaty that ended World War II in the Pacific. Presidents also have made some limited international compacts all on their own, though the Constitution doesnt acknowledge this power. President Obama concluded the Paris climate accords and the Iran nuclear deal without the approval of the Senate or House of Representatives. Because Congress never cemented these deals into law, Trump can reverse them with the stroke of a pen on Day One. But trade deals are different, because under the Commerce Clause, only Congress may alter our tariff, tax and customs laws. Congress first authorizes the president to reach a trade agreement with certain countries within limited parameters. Once the deal is struck, the president sends it to Congress for enactment into U.S. domestic law. No trade agreement goes into force until Congress passes the statutes that carry out the trade deals obligations. The upshot is that President Trump cannot on his own terminate U.S. participation in NAFTA or, for that matter, in the World Trade Organization. Congress enacted both agreements as statutes, so they can be reversed only by another, repealing statute enacted by the House and Senate and then signed by the president. This constitutional balance of power effectively means that NAFTA and the WTO are here to stay. Both houses of Congress are more friendly to free trade. In the Senate, a minority of just 40 Senators could successfully filibuster any effort to terminate NAFTA. Trump is unlikely to persuade a new Congress to thoughtlessly throw the U.S. into recession and spark retaliatory trade sanctions against American products. If Trump simply announced that the United States was pulling out of NAFTA, all the U.S. laws that implemented it would remain unchanged. Trump would have effectively freed Mexico and Canada to impose trade barriers against our products while leaving in place our preferential treatment of theirs the worst trade deal in American history. Even if Trump wants to merely renegotiate NAFTA, he is required to first seek congressional approval. No nation will even discuss trade agreements with the United States unless Congress is already on board. Presidents must first seek fast-track authority, a promise of swift congressional consideration of trade agreements with no amendments, before negotiations begin. Any amendments to NAFTA would likewise have to be enacted by Congress. Moreover, a unilateral Trump decision to leave NAFTA would almost certainly be challenged in federal court immediately. Importers or exporters directly affected easily could show they suffered individual harm. A lawsuit could derail any attempt by Trump to withdraw from NAFTA or at the very least, drag out the process for years. Trump can refuse to negotiate or sign new trade agreements, which is why the Trans Pacific Partnership is probably dead on arrival under the new administration. But the Constitution makes undoing a trade agreement, once enacted into law, as difficult as it was to make it in the first place. Whether the United States should leave NAFTA is an issue open to political debate. But who gets to decide to leave is not. The Constitution requires that the president and Congress must jointly agree whether to leave NAFTA. Wyomings state lands board denied a controversial land trade in the Laramie Range on Thursday. The State Board of Land Commissioners composed of Wyomings top five elected officials -- voted 0-5 against the trade that would have swapped more than 1,000 acres of land in the Laramie Range for about 300 acres in the Black Hills. The proposal was met with steep opposition from sportsmen, and Albany County commissioners worried the trade would block federal land from public access. I think the process worked, said Buzz Hettick, chairman for the Wyoming chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. We all live in Wyoming for the outdoor opportunities it provides and public lands are very important to the local economies. A Casper businessman and landowner, Richard Bonander, proposed the swap as a way to consolidate land on his Laramie Range ranch. The public parcels were difficult to navigate and cover rough terrain, limiting access, he told the Star-Tribune in September. The Office of State Lands and Investments supported the trade, saying the land in the Black Hills could be worth more financially to the state than the southeast Wyoming parcels. An easement proposed later that would connect to sections of the land did not appease the opposition, which said the land would still be effectively inaccessible. With regards to this transaction, [the vote] functionally kills it, said Jason Crowder, assistant director for the office of state lands. We presented the board I think a transaction that covered the trust land management objectives, and we were very open about its faults and merits and the board has to weigh those. Hettick said he and others would be interested in helping the state acquire the land in the Black Hills. We dont want to just be an opposition group all the time, he said. We want to help the state acquire the properties and work with everyone in the state if we can." Though the organisers of the two-day workshop titled Pursuing Justice in Times of Political Change: Challenges and Strategies applied to the Burmese Government for permission to hold the conference over two months ago they got no response until the day the workshop was due to start. The government refused to give permission for the workshop to be held and said it must be cancelled, according to the workshop organisers. One of the organisers, U Lwan Zaung, said: When we need many workshops like this one to discuss and find solutions for the on-going situations and political issues, it is questionable why the government told us to cancel the workshop. The workshop was due to be led by the Australia Myanmar Constitutional Democracy Project and the Community of Democracy. Despite banning the workshop in Myitkyina the government granted permission for the same workshops to be held in Naypyidaw and Rangoon. Translated by Thida Linn Edited in English by Mark Inkey for B A family busily making rubber sheets (Photo: MNA) A family busily making rubber sheets (Photo: MNA) The current price for a thick rubber sheet is between 700 to 770 Kyat per pound, and the thin rubber-sheet type costs 800 to 995 Kyat. The price of rubber today is 995 Kyat. The price given is dependent on the quality of the rubber. If the rubber is good, the price will be good. If the rubber is very wet, although it is a type of RSS-3, the price will only be 800 Kyat. Thick rubber costs 700-770 Kyat while the thin can be from 800 to 900 Kyat, said U Thura, manager of Pushin Rubber Trading Factory, in Mudon Township. A family busily making rubber sheets (Photo: MNA) U Thura continued that the price of rubber has gone up from November to December, and there is free-permission once per year for over two months at the China-Burma border gates. Essentially, although the global price of rubber is decreasing, the rubber market in China is only dipping slightly. Our rubber price goes up because Chinas economic market surges and our rubber market relies on the Chinese market, said Nai Kyan Yit, chairman of Mon State Rubber Cultivation Association. Nai Kyan Yit added that according to a business person from Singapore speaking at a workshop in Dawei Town, the price of rubber will continue to increase until 2020. In 2017, the price may increase up to 2000 Kyat per pound. There is only an 80 [Kyat] difference in price between the thick and thin [rubber]. After it is dried, the price will be the same as the thick. If the price is a 130 Kyat difference, its better to produce thin rubber, said U Wanna Htaw, a rubber plantation owner from Thanbyuzayat Township. Rubber trading and procurement centers assert that Thailand produced the most rubber globally. However, after the rubber price went down, the Thai government suggested to its people to cut down the rubber trees and replace them with other valuable trees. Now, the rubber price goes up as there is less rubber production in Thailand. Still, some said that the rubber price would surge as the countrys currency, the Kyat, dives, and as the world stock market climbs. Some 70 people were arrested when they were traveling from Mong Koe to a wedding ceremony in Paw Joone Par village on November 20, when they were ordered to stop by Burmese troops. Twelve persons, identified as Chinese individuals, were subsequently released the following day after intervention from Chinese authorities. On November 25, another two ethnic Burmese wedding guests were released; the rest remain in detention. Speaking to Shan Herald, Gum Sha Aung, a spokesperson for the KPN, said, The Tatmadaw [Burmese government troops] arrested them while they were en route to a wedding ceremony. We therefore demand they all be released immediately. He said that many other villagers from Mong Koe have already fled across the China border to avoid armed clashes in the area between the Tatmadaw and an ethnic alliance comprising the Arakan Army (AA), the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA). The ethnic militias, which have since branded themselves the Northern Alliance, launched coordinated military offensives on November 20 against Burmese units in northern Shan State, including the Muse Township villages of Mong Koe and Parng Zai, the 105-Mile border trade zone, and areas of Namkham and Kutkai tonwships. In a statement on November 29, KPN accused the Burmese military of violating the Geneva Convention by arresting civilians. We call for an immediate end to the conflict, said KPN. We must all work together to bring peace to the country for the betterment of the people. According to a Myanmar Times report on November 28, some 2,000 civilians have been trapped in the crossfire in the Hai Kaung area between the towns of Pang Zai and Mong Koe. Clashes remain intense in the areas of Muse, Namkham and Kutkai townships. Northern Alliance attacks have targeted Burma military outposts and police stations. Less than two weeks since fighting broke out on November 20, more than ten civilians have reportedly been killed and other 40 injured, while thousands have abandoned their homes to seek refuge elsewhere. By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN) Local governments dont need to panic. Yet. In his Wednesday budget recommendations to lawmakers, Gov. Matt Mead asked the Legislature to transfer $105 million it had already pledged to local governments through 2018. We have to follow through with that commitment, Mead said. The strength of Wyoming requires strong local governments that are in good shape that can maintain their roads and keep businesses open. That number is already down significantly from the $155 distributed during the 2013-2014 budget and the $183 million distributed in 2015-2016, said Wyoming Association of Municipalities Deputy Director Laurie Heath. The state faces a $400 million budget shortfall. Mead's budget recommendations do not call for any additional cuts, but the state has already cut tens of millions of dollars from the budget this year. During the last two budget cycles, WAM had requested supplemental funding on top of the base, known as above the cap funding. This year, the $105 million commitment includes no supplemental funding, and Heath said her association had not requested any. In addition to asking the Legislature to follow through on the above the cap funding for local governments, Mead requested $5 million for emergency grants including infrastructure repairs such as ruptured pipes. If the Legislature follows Meads budget recommendations, it will still leave Wyoming cities and counties with $73 million less than the last budget cycle, according to the numbers provided by Heath. But with rumblings that some legislators would like to distribute less than the $105 million committed for the 2017-2018 budget period during the last legislative session, Heath said the governors support is welcome. The association released a report in October that ranked securing the $105 million as its top priority. Heath said the states distribution is especially important to smaller cities and counties and those that have seen significant drops in their sales tax revenue over the last year. We know thats what the governor would agree, and we would assume thats where the legislators would agree to not mess with that, Heath said. Casper City Manager V.H. McDonald did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday afternoon, but he has spoken in the past about the importance of receiving state funds. Casper cut its budget by almost 40 percent earlier this year in response to plummeting sales tax revenue. Despite the governors support, Heath was unsure whether the funding would come through. We're not convinced the Legislature in not going to try and change that, she said. Heath emphasized that local governments understood that the state was facing a budget crunch. Cities and counties had already significantly reduced their spending, she added. "We feel like were on the same page as the state," she said. "Were trying to cut costs like everyone else." The Legislature will convene in January and decide whether to change the $105 million allotment. Incoming Appropriations committee chairman Bob Nicholas, R-Laramie, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The first 25 percent of the allotment was distributed in August, and the next payment is scheduled for January. Question: What is chickenpox? DaSilva: Usually occurring during childhood, chickenpox is a highly infectious disease. More than 90 percent of Americans have had chickenpox by adulthood. The varicella-zoster virus, a form of the herpes virus, causes the disease. Since the 1995 introduction of a chickenpox vaccine, incidences have declined in all ages, particularly children age one to four. Two doses of the vaccine are recommended for children, adolescents and adults who havent already had the disease. Q: What are the symptoms of chickenpox? DaSilva: Chickenpox symptoms may resemble other medical conditions or skin problems. They are usually mild among children, but may be life-threatening to healthy infants, children and adults as well as people with impaired immune systems. Leading symptoms include fatigue and irritability, one to two days before an itchy, red rash begins and progresses to tiny, fluid-filled blisters. Fever, feeling ill, decreased appetite, cough, runny nose and muscle and joint pain are also symptoms. Each patient may experience symptoms differently. Q: How is chickenpox spread? DaSilva: Chickenpox may take 10 to 21 days to develop after exposure to infection. Direct person-to-person contact can cause transmission and it can be spread through the air by coughing or sneezing. Chickenpox is contagious for one to two days before the rash appears, continuing until blisters dry and scab. Once a family member is infected, other members of the same household who have never had chickenpox have a 90 percent chance of also becoming infected. Q: How is chickenpox diagnosed? DaSilva: Usually a diagnosis can be made from a physical examination, as the chickenpox rash is unique. Those who are vaccinated against the disease and then exposed to chickenpox may still get a milder illness, with a limited rash and mild or no fever. Health care providers should always be consulted for a diagnosis. Q: What is the treatment for chickenpox? DaSilva: Rest is a key treatment for chickenpox. Specific treatments depend on factors like age, overall health and extent of the disease as well as the patients tolerance for particular medications and procedures. Treatment may include acetaminophen, but not aspirin, for fever; calamine lotion to relieve itching; antiviral drugs in severe cases; and increased fluid intake. Cool baths with baking soda also may relieve itching. Though antibiotics do not treat the disease itself, they may be used for treating bacterial infections, should they develop. Q: Can patients who have already had chickenpox be infected with the disease again? DaSilva: Rarely, secondary cases of chickenpox can occur. Most people will be immune to the disease for the rest of their lives. The virus does remain dormant in nerve tissue and can reactivate, leading to herpes zoster (shingles). A blood test can confirm immunity to chickenpox in people who are unsure if they have had the disease. From offering shelter to those without to providing food for Thanksgiving and every other day, local agencies are stepping up to aid those in need. For the holidays, the Bismarck Tribune provides "Empty Stocking" updates on what these agencies need to support families in the community. In Bismarck and Mandan, the Abused Adult Resource Center, the Bismarck Early Childhood Education Program, AID Inc., Ruth Meiers, Community Action and Charles Hall are looking for donations to help those in need this year. Abused Adult Resource Center The Abused Adult Resource Center has been open since 1976, serving victims of domestic violence and harassment. The agency offers a 24-hour emergency hotline, counseling and shelter in an effort to break the cycle of abuse. Last year, the nonprofit organization served 1,264 new victims of domestic violence cases, in which 1,739 children were involved. I believe that we save lives here in the community. I know that we have. We see people changing their lives, said Executive Director Diane Zainhofsky. We see a lot of women who have gone through treatment. Some are successful and some are not, but we have the resources and the tools to help women that are being physically abused behind their own closed doors. AARC has two shelters, Pams House and the Diane Zainhofsky Hope House, which serve as havens for women and children escaping domestic abuse. Both provide temporary housing, food, clothes and counseling. Last year, 165 women and 132 children found refuge in these homes. In addition, the Family Safety Center serves as a safe place for foster children to visit their parents under supervision. Each year, AARC holds a Hope for the Holidays event at Northbrook Mall to enable members of the community to donate to AARC. This year, it will run Dec. 6-24 in Suite X at the mall. Toys in new or like-new condition, winter clothes, childrens clothing, socks, underwear, gift cards, gas cards, and personal hygiene items such as shampoo, soap and lotion are among the items needed this year. Volunteers also are needed for the event. Its hard work. It gets harder and harder with the climate that we have, but its pretty rewarding when we see kids being happier and moms making some good decisions for themselves and Im not saying 100 percent, but I am saying the majority, and that makes a big difference," Zainhofsky said. To be connected with a family, donate, volunteer or get more information, call 701-222-8370 or visit www.abusedadultresourcecenter.com. BECEP The Bismarck Early Childhood Education Program is operated by Bismarck Public Schools for children younger than 4, with the mission of promoting the overall development of children to reach their full learning potential. Focus on cognitive skills, motor language, self-care and social skills are thread throughout the programming, with a special emphasis on family relationships. Six programs are under the auspices of BECEP: Head Start, Early Head Start, Early Intervention, Right Track, Early Childhood Special Education and Community Friends. Were trying to catch kids early and provide support and education, and we want to work with parents, said Mary MacArthur, a parent involvement coordinator. We want to make sure we have resources for them to help their families. BECEP aims to equip parents to recognize and take up their role as their children's primary educators, teaching them how to form strong relationships with family and friends and improving other developmental skills to enhance their learning and well-being. Its about forming those relationships with families where they really feel connected and feel that this is a positive experience for them, as well as their child, MacArthur said. That makes it all worthwhile. BECEP supplies some lower-income clients with basic needs to help create a safe and healthy home environment. The program invites the community to give donations such as diapers, pull-ups, wipes, toiletries, paper towels, toilet paper, tissues and gas cards, as well as educational games and toys such as puzzles and dolls. Monetary donations are also accepted to assist families in emergency situations. Donations are accepted at the main location at 720 N. 14th St., Bismarck. For more information, visit www.becep.bismarckschools.org or call 701-323-4400. Charles Hall Youth Services Charles Hall Youth Services has been supporting North Dakotas youth for more than 50 years. During a Nov. 18 service at the United Church of Christ, the organization was recommissioned through the church to continue its programs. Annually, about 75 youth ages 10 to 19 find shelter at CHYS, where basic needs are met and an individualized program is developed. Potential elements include recreation, health and fitness, education, overcoming addiction, faith, creative arts and life skills. Counseling is available, and the community mentor program enables those residing at CHYS to bond with a mentor in addition to staff and family. First off, we provide care and a safe home for the kids who really dont have another place to be. They get removed from their home typically for an abuse or neglect situation, said Rhonda Styles-Rhode, director of marketing and communications. Each year, the staff and youth at CHYS celebrate the holidays with a dinner and a Christmas party with gifts. Most gifts given to the children come from community donations, and donors are able to provide gifts for specific children upon request. Preferred gifts include fuzzy socks, scented body lotions, makeup, lip balm and lip gloss for girls; and handheld games, Axe deodorant and other toiletries for boys. Other preferred gifts for either gender include journals, socks, underwear, brain-teasers, pajama pants ranging from girls XS to boys XXL, sketch books, adult coloring books with colored pencils or markers, and gift cards for places such as bookstores or coffee shops. We know we have kids that would use them and love them, Styles-Rhode said. These are wonderful teenage kids. To make a general donation, provide for a specific child or receive more information, call 701-255-2773, ext. 301, visit www.charleshallyouthservices.com or go to the facility at 513 E. Bismarck Expressway. Community Action Community Action offers a variety of resources and programs to homeless and low-income families in Bismarck, Mandan and the surrounding counties. From blankets for warmth to food for sustenance, Community Action is quick to provide for those in need. One of its largest programs is Backpacks for Kids, in which more than 800 children each receive a backpack full of groceries every two weeks. In addition, many other services are available, such as a food pantry and housing programs. For the holidays, low-income families are welcomed to fill out an application stating their childrens wish lists; Community Action then buys those gifts for them. Members of the community also can sponsor families and provide the items on those lists. In addition, general donations needed this year include blankets, clothes, food items, gift cards and toys for all ages. Theres a big impact. Theres a big homeless population that people dont realize we have, said nutrition practitioner Dawnell Hettich. They come in here, and we can offer them the food pantry and the bread shelf that we have. We can give blankets to keep warm. To donate, sponsor a family or receive more information, email dawnell@cap7.com or call 701-258-2240. AID Inc. Aid Inc. is not your average thrift store. In addition to selling the usual clothes, household items and knickknacks, it provides food, blankets and a help center staffed with counselors and social workers. We do this job with gratitude and compassion, sad Patti Regan, executive director and store manager. This season, AID Inc. is hosting its annual Care and Share program on Dec. 9. The program is a fundraiser for food baskets to give needy members of the community. This year, about 260 families are signed up to receive food baskets on Dec. 10. In addition to the food baskets, AID Inc. provides Christmas gifts for children who otherwise might not receive anything. This is done through Angel Sites set up around the community, where people take an angel with a suggested donation from a tree. The donations typically include dolls, puzzles, games, coloring books, crayons and other items for children up to age 14. The donated items are set up at the Brave Center (formerly known as the Mandan Community Center) for parents to browse through and select Christmas gifts for their children. This year, 350 kids are expected to receive gifts through this program. Who better to know whats in their childs heart than the parent? Regan said. So they get to be the hero. They get to take the presents home and wrap them and put them under the tree. They get to be the hero in their childs eye. To donate or get more information, call 701-663-2122. Ruth Meiers Ruth Meiers strives to meet the needs of the Bismarck community with its shelters, job training programs and other forms of assistance, such as day care, transportation and case management. Since opening its doors in 1987, it has grown tremendously, expanding to multiple facilities and offering numerous programs to those in need. Ive been (working) here for the past two months, and its the most heartwarming experience, said community resource officer Cathy Anhalt. Im humbled every day, Im very blessed; Im very thankful. With more than 200 shelter beds, Ruth Meiers offers a safe, clean place for the homeless to stay. The organization also operates affordable housing units, which allow families to move into an apartment temporarily and pay rent based on income. Coffee, garbage bags, socks, scarves, workbooks, bedding, dishes and cleaning supplies are some of the most needed donations at Ruth Meiers facilities. When we provide our shelter services, we always have bedding for a twin-size bed, so pillows and sheets get worn out; so theres always a need for that, along with washcloths and towels, Anhalt said. For the month of December, Ruth Meiers will hold a diaper drive at McCabe United Methodist Church to help provide the basic needs for clients with young children. Diapers, baby clothing, baby food and other items will be accepted. Food baskets also will be distributed to families throughout the month. Bread, dairy, eggs and canned fruit are among the suggested donations for the baskets. These items can be delivered to Ruth Meiers' main location at 1100 E. Boulevard Ave. To donate or receive more information, call 701-222-2108 or visit www.ruthmeiers.org. Last week Commonwealth Cos., of Fond Du Lac, Wis., announced it had received additional funding from the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency to help with the transformation of Mandans former junior high school property into 39 units of affordable housing. The project will hold eight three-bedroom units, 28 two-bedroom units and three one-bedroom units. Six of these units will be designated as permanent supportive housing for individuals and families that have experienced homelessness. In addition, there will be a wellness center, chapel, community rooms and outdoor playground with improved landscaping green space and off-street parking. Support services will be provided by Mother Teresa Outreach. Erin Anderson, Commonwealth vice president of development in the Midwest region, said in a press release, We are thrilled to be a part of this project and grateful to the community and NDHFA for the support. Anderson also said, We believe affordable housing communities open a door to opportunity for families and individuals, and this project will provide an opportunity to revitalize the neighborhood around the former junior high as well. We are looking forward to working with MetroPlains Management who has provided outstanding affordable housing property management in other properties in Mandan. With an agreement to purchase the property from Mother Teresa Outreach, an affiliate of Spirit of Life Catholic Church in Mandan, Commonwealth plans to begin renovations in March 2017 and the project is expected to be completed and occupied by January 2018. We like to see rehab of projects in existing neighborhood because it makes use of infrastructure thats already there. It helps improve neighborhoods, said Jolene Kline, executive director of the North Dakota Housing Finance Agency. Ellen Huber, the city of Mandans business development director, said the project will revitalize a property that has become a significant blight on the neighborhood and community. Huber added, Affordable housing is very important to attracting workforce. Property history Constructed in 1917 with sections added in 1924, 1954, 1966, 1977 and 1990, the building is mostly two stories, with three stories in one section, and approximately 110,000 square feet. In the past the property has served in various combinations as a senior high, elementary and junior high school. Occupying an entire city block, the property sits on 2.07 acres of land. According to a press release from the city of Mandan, the school district sold the property in August 2012 to GPA LLC, led by Yegen Development in Grand Forks. Yegen attempted a redevelopment project, but later donated the property to the Spirit of Life Catholic Church. Thanksgiving is over, Black Friday and Shop Small Saturday passed by without my participation and, for those of you keeping track, this is being typed out on Sunday. Yup, its just another Sunday for me and as both my loyal readers might affirm its another Friday for you. I cant help but notice that it seems like way too many of us are inclined to be proud of our closed mindedness, its either our way or the highway. More and more of us are unfriending those who disagree with our opinions. For instance, I dont care much for Donald Trump but I sure have encountered a lot of folks around here who think hes the new messiah. Most of these folks think that America has been declining since Barack Obama was elected so lately Ive been inquiring about their perception by asking them what Obama did to cause them to think that way, and their answers have occasionally left me wondering if they made up their minds on facts or emotion. Lots of folks said they were worried about losing their guns. Im sure theyre quite relieved to find out this was another overhyped hoax perpetuated by the NRA because as far as I can tell we all still have our guns. Like most folks around here we have guns in our family and we use them for hunting and an occasional clay pigeon or two. Were not for gun control but we also understand that we needf to do something about all the horrible mass shootings that Obama had to put up with. Most folks I talk to understand that some of the weapons used in these atrocities arent needed or used for hunting wildlife, rather they are usually knockoffs of some sort of assault weapon designed to kill people. And yes, like Obama, Im concerned about these guns in the hands of some sociopath reptile of a human being. But I also believe that if we outlaw guns only outlaws will have them, and like most folks around here if I need a gun I know how to get one. So the Second Amendment wasnt repealed and we still have our guns. The interesting part is how the paranoia of having the Second Amendment repealed swept through rural America. Despite the convictions of many folks out here in our neck of woods Obama wasnt ever going to repeal the Second Amendment because he couldnt. To repeal a constitutional amendment requires that the majority of states vote to change it the task requires much more than simply issuing an executive order or passing a law in Congress. It cant be done without a vote of the people, you. So much for the facts on this one. Then theres Obamacare, which is more complicated than most folks can comprehend. But Ill try one more time. To understand where we are you need to recall how we got here. Sixty million Americans were uninsured/unable to pay for health care, providers were cost-shifting their losses to insurers and jerking on the reins of managed care, 20 cents out of every dollar spent in America goes to health care, outcomes of care were disregarded, doctors were still using paper files, electronic records didnt exist yet, and at best you and I had a 50-50 chance of getting the right care at the right time. It got to the point that insurers didnt want to insure sick people because they had pre-existing conditions and the sick were either relegated to expensive high-risk pools or left in bankruptcy. Every candidate in 2008 had a health reform plan most of the ideas in Obamacare actually came from Republicans (individual mandate, insurance exchanges, etc.) and they were solid ideas. So lets chat about how all this came about. Pre-existing conditions were seen as ways for insurance companies to avoid paying for the sick, so Congress decided to do away with them. The problem then became how to prevent folks from signing up for insurance in the ambulance on their way to the hospital and then dropping it once discharged? The answer was to mandate that everyone have health insurance so the risks of covering pre-existing illnesses would be shared in a risk pool to which everyone is contributing. Obamacare also required insurers to have loss ratios in excess of 85 percent, this means that health insurers have to spend at least 85 cents out of every dollar they collect in premium on health care. Prior to this it wasnt unusual for insurance companies to have loss ratios in the 40 percent range. Then to cap this off, if an insurers loss ratio is below 85 percent they have to refund the difference to their policy holders. A huge chunk of the uninsured was taken care of by allowing kids to stay on their parents policy until age 26. Perhaps one of the more important but unnoticed sections of Obamacare deals with Outcomes Research. To accomplish, this ACA had to force the entire health system into an electronic records system that required standardized codes and data sets. Over time this data should help providers individualize protocols that lead to better outcomes for patients. Finally, Obamacare has allowed 20 million people the security of being insured (over 20,000 in North Dakota) and it seems to me that before Congress repeals and renames Obamacare it will most likely run into some serious issues because there are a lot of lives at stake and returning to the old capitalistic system is really not an option. After all, which one of you thinks that your health care should depend on whether or not you can afford it? Better yet, how many of you are willing to stand at the emergency room door and sort out who should get care based on their ability to afford the care they need? Im sure not willing to do that because I think that health care should not be a question of affordability, rather it should be something we Christians need to do in order to appreciate the concept of except for the grace of God there go I. Then theres the economy that crashed at the beginning of Obamas first term and is now recovering at a rate better than any president in history, thanks to Obamas stimulus plan. So unlike many of my neighbors, Im going to miss Obama, I think hes likely to go down as one of the better presidents weve had in our generation and I cant help but wonder about many of the folks who think otherwise. The Former Governors Mansion State Historic Site in Bismarck will host a free holiday open house on Sunday, Dec. 4., from 1 to 5 p.m. Visitors can tour the mansion, which will be decorated for the holiday season, and take pictures with Santa Claus, who will be visiting from 1 to 4 p.m. Coffee, hot cider and cookies will be provided. The Former Governors Mansion, located at the corner of Fourth Street and Avenue B in Bismarck, is a state historic site managed by the State Historical Society of North Dakota. For more information, call 701-328-9528. MOSCOW (AFP): An unmanned cargo ship travelling to the International Space Station burned up in the atmosphere shortly after lauching on Thursday, the Russian space agency said, raising concerns over space travel safety. "According to preliminary information, as a result of an abnormal situation, the cargo ship's loss occurred some 190 kilometres above the remote, unpopulated mountainous territory of (Russia's) Tuva region, and most fragments burned up in dense layers of the atmosphere," Roscosmos said in a statement. Roscosmos said earlier on Thursday that it had lost contact with the Progress MS-04 ship 383 seconds after it launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and that its specialists were looking into the problem. The space agency said the loss of the cargo ship will "not affect the normal operations of the ISS systems and the subsistence of the station's crew". NASA meanwhile said on its website that supplies at the space laboratory are "at good levels". The cargo ship, which had been scheduled to arrive at the ISS on Saturday, was carrying 2.4 tonnes of fuel, food and equipment when it took off from Baikonur, Roscosmos said. The Russian agency said a state commission would probe the incident but did not say whether it would affect future launches. This latest incident represents the second failed launch of a Progress cargo ship in less than two years. In April 2015 a Progress ship disintegrated as it plummeted to Earth, a failure Russia blamed on a problem with a Soyuz rocket. The incident saw Russia put all space travel on hold for nearly three months and forced a group of astronauts to spend an extra month on the ISS. Russia said at the time that because the same type of rocket is used for manned ships, all issues with Progress resupply missions needed to be thoroughly investigated before any manned vessels could be launched. Russia sends three or four such spacecraft per year to supply the ISS. After making their delivery, they plummet back to Earth, burning up in the atmosphere above the Pacific Ocean. Last month Frenchman Thomas Pesquet, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky and American astronaut Peggy Whitson launched to the ISS for a six-month mission. The launch followed that of Russians Andrei Borisenko and Sergei Ryzhikov and American Shane Kimbrough in October, which was pushed back by nearly a month due to technical issues. Technical mishaps have complicated plans to extend the periods during which the ISS is fully staffed with six astronauts. Russia's Soyuz capsules offer the only way for global astronauts to reach the space station since the American space shuttle programme was retired in 2011. The space laboratory, where a range of research is carried out, has been orbiting Earth at about 28,000 kilometres per hour since 1998. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/12/2016 (2161 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The pressure inside Brandons Westman place rose a few notches Friday afternoon as mens and womens teams jockeyed for position in the Home Hardware Canada Cup of Curling standings. The final results will be determined in tonights final draw but one thing that is guaranteed is there will be at least one tiebreaker. Maybe more. Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun Kelsey Rocque beat Kerri Einarson 6-5 in an extra end Friday afternoon at Brandon's Westman Place, ensuring there will be at least one tiebreaker on the women's side of the Home Hardware Canada Cup of Curling. After Kerri Einarson scored two with a draw to the button in the 10th that forced an extra end with Kelsey Roque, the Winnipeg skip came up light with her final stone in 11 and Rocque, who was sitting one, picked up her first win of the week and ensured there will be at least one tiebreaker Saturday morning. Thats because Edmontons Val Sweeting used steals in one and nine to knock off the previously unbeaten Jennifer Jones 6-4 to finish round-robin play with a 3-3 record. With Jones (4-1) and Rachel Homan (4-1) already having secured playoff berths in the morning the two former Canada Cup champions will play this evening for a spot in Sundays womens final Sweeting earned a tiebreaker after Roque (1-4) beat Einarson, who fell to 2-3. Einarson will play Calgarys Chelsea Carey (2-3) for a tiebreaker spot and if Tracy Fleury (2-3) of Sudbury, Ont., takes care of business against Rocque there will be two tiebreakers. There isnt a guarantee any tiebreakers on the mens side of the draw but if John Epping, who started 0-3, dispatches of Brad Jacobs (3-2) tonight, there will be at least one. Epping kept his hopes alive by beating Steve Laycock 8-6 on the strength of an eighth-end steal of two. But Laycock (3-3) is still alive for a tiebreaker himself, granted Jacobs falls to Epping. Speaking of Jacobs, the Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., skipper was facing Winnipegs Reid Carruthers in the afternoon. Tied 1-1 through seven ends in a game that featured five blanks, Caruthers scored two in eight and stole two more in nine when Jacobs double-takeout attempt failed. Carruthers (4-2) won 5-1 and will play in Saturdays mens semifinal, while the Mark Nichols-led Team Gushue (4-2) will play in Sundays final courtesy of round-robin wins over Carruthers and Jacobs. Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun Skip John Epping barks out orders after throwing a rock during his team's afternoon draw against Kevin Koe's team at the Home Hardware Canada Cup of Curling at Westman Place in Brandon on Wednesday. This despite Team Gushue falling 8-6 to hometown product Mike McEwen 8-6 in an extra end. If Jacobs loses and McEwen beats last years winner Kevin Koe tonight, the kid from Brandon will find himself in a tiebreaker. nliewicki@brandonsun.com Twitter: @liewicks Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/12/2016 (2161 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Brandon-Souris Conservative MP Larry Maguire remains unconvinced that the Liberals will listen to Canadians when it comes to electoral reform. On Thursday, a special all-party committee of MPs recommended that the Trudeau government should design a new proportional voting system and hold a national referendum to gauge Canadian support. Outspoken in his opinion that the federal government should hold a referendum prior to altering the way in which members of Parliament are elected, Maguire is supportive of only one of these two key recommendations. In September, he hosted an open house, at which he said the majority of respondents expressed support for a referendum. He presented these findings to the House of Commons on Sept. 30 at which time he urged the Liberals to factor in a referendum a directive he maintained support for on Thursday. While enthused by the committees recommendation for a referendum, Maguire reported through email correspondence on Thursday that he remains unconvinced the Liberals will follow through. Some folks thought the Liberals had reached a conclusion before the committee drafted its report, and now the evidence does suggests they were right to think that, he wrote. Thursdays question period pointed to Liberal dissatisfaction with the committees findings, during which time committee participants findings were called to question, Maguire wrote. Every opposition party worked in good faith on the committee and now it seems that the Liberals just wasted millions of taxpayers money, angered their supporters and quite frankly burned through a considerable amount of political capital with nothing to show for it, Maguire said. As for electoral reform, Maguire is advocating for the status quo. Members elected using a proportional representation system would not directly represent a constituency, he wrote. Many constituencies, such as ours, are geographically large and I would not propose to make them any bigger. Further to that, he noted that Canada currently has 338 members of Parliament and that he doesnt believe his constituents in Westman would support adding more politicians to the system. The Brandon-Westman chapter of the Council of Canadians has joined chapters from across the nation by advocating in favour of electoral reform. Their most recent effort was a town hall-style meeting at Brandon University in September. At this meeting, it was clarified that there are countless ways of ensuring that the political party for whom the majority of Canadians vote for ends up leading the nation, local chapter president Scott Blyth said. The trick, he added, is finding the process that best suits Canada. On learning of the committees recommendations on Thursday, Blyth expressed disappointment, believing a referendum will kill any chances for electoral reform. Maybe not, he suggested. Who knows? tclarke@brandonsun.com Twitter: @TylerClarkePA Daphne Hall not only overcame the odds when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer five years ago, but, as a veterinarian at Pinehurst Veterinary Hospital in Bismarck, she also works with three other people who also are cancer survivors. "If it wasn't for her, I don't know what I would've done," said Jaci Zimmerman, a receptionist at the veterinary hospital who was diagnosed with a rare type of cervical cancer in 2013. Matt Heeb, a veterinarian at Pinehurst, said he also received support from Hall and others when he was diagnosed with kidney cancer and had the organ removed in September. Alicia Jackson, a veterinary technician, counseled Hall when she went through chemotherapy and was afraid of losing her hair. Jackson was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, cancer of the lymphatic system, which is part of the immune system. Hall and the other cancer survivors have banded together at their workplace to support one another as friends and co-workers throughout their diagnoses and treatments. Hall also shares her story of being a survivor with others who are dealing with cancer to offer them hope. Next week, she will serve as the honorary chair at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network's Purses and Pearls event in Bismarck, where she'll talk about how she persevered with her treatment. In 2011, Hall was diagnosed with Stage 3 ovarian cancer. She had undergone surgery in Minneapolis to remove the cancer that had spread to other reproductive organs. During the surgery, her doctor removed everything ovary, uterus, cervix and a tumor on her bladder and gave her a five-year survival rate of 20 percent. In January, Hall will be entering her fifth year after surgery. I have yet to have anything," Hall said of cancer recurrences, then knocked on wood. When Hall found out she had cancer, she said she was completely caught off guard. She was young, healthy and she and her husband were in the midst of building a new home and starting a new job in Bismarck. The two had just moved from Duluth, Minn., where she had her own practice. She started noticing lower back and pelvic pain in fall 2011, but just chalked it to getting older and helping sandbag for the Missouri River flooding earlier that year. In December of that year, her doctor found a mass that he thought could be ovarian cancer. She was referred to a Minneapolis gynecological oncologist, who removed the cancer and told she had a 20 percent chance of living past five years. It was a scary number, but it wasnt overwhelmingly scary, Hall said. It was just a number, you know. Instead, she decided to make the best of things. She reviewed treatment options with her doctors in Minneapolis and Bismarck, and underwent six rounds of chemotherapy. "I felt I had every chance to beat it," she said. Hall took some time off from work so she could stay in Minneapolis and do her initial rounds of "chemo infusions," which included intravenous and intraperitoneal methods. Hall would lie in a hospital bed for several hours during each infusion, rotating every 15 minutes to ensure the drug was dispersed throughout her abdomen. She spent three weeks at American Cancer Societys Richard M. Schulze Hope Lodge in Minnesota. After that, Hall returned to Bismarck to complete her treatment. In July 2012, she had her last chemotherapy treatment. Now, her doctor is monitoring her every six months. Hall said she's grateful for the amount of support she received after she was diagnosed and while receiving treatment from her doctors, workplace and a "huge network of friends and family." She also kept "positive" and "humorous" during that time, which included a lot of laughter, she said. I truly think that had a lot to do with my healing," she said. Hall has been involved in Bismarck's Relay for Life in recent years. Last year, she served on the planning committee and was a survivor ambassador for the relay. Hall said she thinks it's important to hear stories of people who survive cancer. Especially those who survived ovarian cancer, since it did have some scary statistics to begin with," she said. To give some hope. A Dakota Access spokeswoman said Thursday that audio released by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of a September 2014 meeting shows the pipeline company wanted to work with the tribe. I think the recording demonstrates our willingness to work with them, said Vicki Anderson Granado, spokeswoman for Dakota Access parent company Energy Transfer Partners, said in a statement. Our doors were open and it is unfortunate that they did not choose to work with us. We hope that changes as we continue to move forward with this project. The tribe recently released the recording of a Standing Rock Tribal Council meeting that seems to contradict recent statements made by Energy Transfer Partners CEO Kelcy Warren. I really wish for the Standing Rock Sioux that they had engaged in discussions way before they did. I dont think we would have been having this discussion if they did, Warren said in a Wall Street Journal interview published Nov. 16. We could have changed the route. It could have been done, but its too late. However, during the 2014 meeting, tribal members expressed strong objections to the project, citing concerns about sacred sites and the potential threat to the tribes water supply, the same points the tribe raised in a federal lawsuit nearly two years later. I will never submit to any pipeline to go through my homeland, former council member Phyllis Young told the company. Chairman Dave Archambault II said in a statement the tribes concerns were clearly articulated during that meeting. When the Dakota Access Pipeline chose this route, they did not consider our strong opposition, he said. Granado said Thursday that Warren did not say the company has never talked to the tribe, but he wished the tribe had engaged in discussions earlier when invited to do so. She pointed to a ruling by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg that said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers documented dozens of attempts it made to consult with the tribe. In addition, the tribe did not participate in North Dakota Public Service Commission hearings, she added. As we have said before, we value and respect culture of all Native Americans and the significant role their culture plays in our nations history and its future, Granado said. We wish they had elected to participate in the many discussions that took place during the last several years on this project as there may have been a different outcome than we have today. Opinion Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 02/12/2016 (2161 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The long honeymoon for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was effectively over, the moment that he had to actually make some hard decisions. And the proof is in the furor that erupted following his governments announcement this week to replace Enbridges main export line to the United States and to triple the capacity of Kinder Morgans Trans Mountain line to Vancouver. First Nations activists and environmentalists are already protesting though to be fair, the reaction from local bands was less emotional. Trudeaus decision may also cost some Liberal British Columbia MPs their job. The prime minister who has had the emotional intelligence to be all things to all people ended up on Tuesday having to make a hard call on the marriage between the environment and the economy. Some will argue the environment lost in that dichotomy. Some will say it was necessary. No one can say this was an easy decision to make. But in making his governments intentions known, Mr. Trudeaus popularity will no doubt take a beating. Did he make the right call? Like most things, thats debatable. But for Mr. Trudeau, it was a balancing act. He banned oil tankers off the coast of northern B.C. and said no to Enbridges Northern Gateway oil pipeline from Alberta to Kitimat, B.C. At the same time, he approved the twinning of Kinder Morgan and increased capacity to 890,000 barrels a day, increasing the number of tankers in Vancouvers waters. He approved the replacement of Enbridges Line 3 pipeline, which runs through western Manitoba, but rejected the companys Northern Gateway pipeline. Here in Westman, the Dakota bands who spoke to the Sun were more circumspect. Canupawakpa Dakota Nation Chief Viola Eastman told the Sun that her communitys previous council had already approved the project prior to her election in January, with the current council unaware of the project until about May. Eastman, though a strong supporter of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribes fight against the Dakota Access pipeline, was reluctant to place the same passion behind opposing Line 3. While Line 3 is much closer to her communitys backyard, Enbridge is working with Canupawakpa to develop a safety plan. The company has also been involved with some job training efforts for Canupawakpa Dakota Nation members. As we said before on this page, this is the kind of diplomatic solution we had come to expect from Enbridge on this side of the border, and it makes good sense. And for local municipalities like Oakland-Wawanesa where the line will be laid, it means a surge of cash and pipeline construction workers who will provide a localized economic boost. For rural communities, even given environmental concerns, there are few shades of grey here this is good news for Westman. It should be noted it was the prime minister who delivered the news Tuesday, with his band of ministers, and in doing so he took full ownership of that decision. First ministers, indigenous leaders and the prime minister meet next week, and Mr. Trudeau went ahead with his announcement Tuesday in advance of this meeting to further the discussion on climate change. The Liberal government wants to work with the provinces and the territories on a pan-Canadian framework for clean growth and climate change. The paradigm under which the provinces are working has been set. As some have suggested, by expanding fossil fuel exports, real action on climate change may be impossible. For Alberta Premier Rachel Notley the pipeline announcement was a lifesaver thrown into her provinces turbulent economic waters, particularly as her government faced enormous opposition to a carbon tax introduced in spring. The Alberta economy, which is viewed as a driver behind Canadas full-scale recovery, is expected to benefit greatly from the expansion of exports. However, First Nations leaders, particularly those in B.C., no doubt feel betrayed. The grand chief of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs called Mr. Trudeau a serial liar, and on the coast, environmental groups have suggested the prime minister has greatly underestimated the social and political unrest the Kinder Morgan project will cause. In the unhappy alliance between the economy and the environment, the economy won, but the honeymoon for Mr. Trudeau is now officially over. But to be honest, it was never meant to last anyway not if this Liberal government was to actually, finally, govern. Winnipeg Free Press & The Brandon Sun A Brazilian bank has received the 400,000 bond required to allow Pat Hickey to leave Brazil. The money, which has been loaned by the Association of National Olympic Committees, will now have to pass through the banking system before being lodged with the court. Once the court receives the bond, Mr Hickey will have his passport returned to him within five to seven days. It's after a court ruled last month that the former president of the Olympic Council of Ireland could return to Ireland for medical treatment. The 71-year-old denies allegations that he was involved in ticket touting at the Olympic games. Update 8.50pm: Taoiseach Enda Kenny said he would be "very upset" if the allegations around a delay in reporting an alleged sexual assault of a boy at a school to Gardai are true, writes Elaine Loughlin, Irish Examiner. Detectives are looking for witnesses following allegations that 13-year-old boy was sexually assaulted last Thursday by eight other pupils at Kings Hospital school in Palmerstown. Mr Kenny said "children are central to government" and hoped that the allegations would be dealt with "quickly and effectively" by the authorities. Speaking in New York Mr Kenny said: "We have enshrined in the constitution a Minster for Children and support for both the department of education and Tusla. "Clearly Minister Bruton has expressed a serious concern about this. I know that the authorities have now been informed Tusla and the Gardai. The Minister for Education is exceptionally distressed about this as would be the allegations with respect of the main pupil involved. Ireland has very strong child security systems. Mr Kenny added that it wouldn't be for him to comment on the nature of the allegations until the authorities have carried out a full investigation of this. Update 8.30pm: RTE Drivetime this evening looked at the Child Protection polices of the Church of Ireland. Mary Wilson was joined by Dr Ken Fennelly, who is the Secretary to the Board of Education at the Church of Ireland. On the show, Dr. Fennelly said that he first heard of the alleged assault of the 13-year-old boy earlier this week from a journalist who contacted him about it. "Though I should put that into context; the school wouldn't be under any obligation to tell us - to tell me here. We in the Church of Ireland Board of Education, we're responsible as an advisory body for primary schools, not for secondary, and their obligation would be to the statutory authorities, not to us. In fact, it would have been a breach of procedure if they had told us anyway," he said. "We had a role to make sure that nobody was in danger and that the statutory authorities had been notified." Listen to the full audio below. Credit to RTE Drivetime. Update 5.46pm: The Dublin school at the centre of recent sexual assault allegations has issued a statement this evening. Detectives are looking for witnesses following allegations that 13-year-old boy was sexually assaulted last Thursday by eight other pupils at Kings Hospital school in Palmerstown. An Garda Siochana and TUSLA are currently investigating an alleged incident which occurred at The King's Hospital School on 24 November 2016, the statement read. We cannot make any statement which might prejudice those investigations. However, it is imperative that certain inaccuracies reported in the media which have caused understandable anxiety to parents of our pupils and to the wider public are corrected. The safety, health and welfare of the student concerned, and all students have from the very outset been and will continue to be the priority for every member of staff at The King's Hospital. The management and staff have actioned the correct procedures and requirements, including liaising with the appropriate agencies. We also ensured that the parents of the alleged victim and of the students allegedly involved were briefed as soon as possible. At no stage did the management and staff fail to act on legal advice. Neither did the school seek advice from the State agencies by using hypothetical scenarios. The King's Hospital will not make any further comment until the investigations are complete. Earlier: Children's Minister Katherine Zappone has not ruled out an investigation into allegations that a Dublin school delayed reporting an alleged sexual assault of a boy. Gardai and the child and family agency Tusla have been investigating since Tuesday. The 13- year-old allegedly told the King's Hospital school last Friday that he was sexual assaulted the night before by eight other pupils. Asked about the reported delay and if she would launch an investigation, Minister Zappone said: "I have to wait to see what comes back in relation to this initial investigation, and then we'll take the next steps." Let Me Tell You is a new bespoke podcast series from Hosts Daniel McConnell and Paul Hosford take a look back at some of the most dramatic moments in recent Irish political history from the unique perspective of one of the key players involved. FARGO Jay Thomas doesnt have much of an office now due to an overflow of donations from the community to support law enforcement at the Dakota Access Pipeline protest near Cannon Ball. Thomas, an afternoon radio-show host at WDAY in Fargo, started the drive aftering seeing a post shared on social media Nov. 22 from KFYR, a radio station in Bismarck. The post said donations needed for Morton County Law Enforcement Officers due to budget issues. WDAY is owned by Forum Communications, which also owns Forum News Service. I thought, Well, man, maybe I could do something to help these guys out, Thomas said inside his studio on Thursday. I just got on the air and said, Hey, look. We got a lot of law enforcement out there and these guys are away from their families, these guys and gals, and they got a job to do and they could really use some help out there. Throughout the week, Stuff just started pouring in, Thomas said. Topping the list was thoughts and prayers for officer safety, followed by materials such as batteries, plastic silverware and paper plates, as well as pop and energy drinks. Hand and foot warmers, and other gear for cold weather were also part of the request. Boxes inside Thomas office were filled with all the requested items and then some; other toiletries and even dog food was donated. Several businesses also joined the cause. GIANTS Snacks Inc. donated 1,000 bags of sunflower seeds, and 50 pounds of beef jerky was donated by Meats by John and Wayne. The list of supplies was not only for Morton County, but also the Bismarck Police Department and the Burleigh County Sheriffs Department. However the Burleigh departments Facebook account commented on the post the following day after it was made, saying that although the department really appreciates the thought and consideration of this donation list, we are not requesting these items or asking for these items to be donated. Ive always been pro-law enforcement, my listeners know that, and I believe a lot of my listeners are pro-law enforcement, Thomas said. We know these guys and girls are doing a job. They didnt ask for this. If they need a little something to put a smile on their face to get them through, then hey, let's do it. Thomas said hes asked his listeners to support other pro-law enforcement efforts in the past. After Fargo police Officer Jason Moszer died in the line of duty last February, Thomas put together an effort to raise money for Moszers family. Supplies for law enforcement at the protest site will be delivered Monday, Thomas said. It just shows the community really backs law enforcement. They got a job to do, Thomas said. I think them seeing that coming from the public, I think that's going to be a huge boost. No matter what we hear day in and day out, whats being thrown at us verbally, the public does have our back. I think thats important. Law enforcement officials have recently been criticized for deciding to fine people bringing donations to pipeline protesters. Morton County could issue a $1,000 fine to motorists delivering supplies to the area that is under the governor's emergency evacuation order. Deliveries on Standing Rock Sioux Reservation land are not subject to the fine. There are many sites Amazon, PayPal and GoFundMe where people can make monetary donations to protest camps. The protesters are asking for help in preparing for the winter months, requesting everything from firewood to four-wheel drive trucks, snowplows and bulk food supplies. Elton John has expressed dismay at comments made by a Northern Irish politician about HIV. On Tuesday, Democratic Unionist Trevor Clarke said he did not know heterosexual people could contract the virus until the facts were explained by a charity last year. Elton John, who is due to play a gig in Belfast on Friday, said: "What planet are you on?" During an appearance on the Victoria Derbyshire programme, Elton John agreed that many 1980s misconceptions about HIV still exist. When asked to remark on a survey that found a third of people in the UK believed HIV could be contracted through sharing a toothbrush, the singer replied: "Im not surprised. A Northern Ireland politician said the other day he didnt know that heterosexual people could get Aids, or HIV. "So, its like: What planet are you living on?" Elton John, whose Aids Foundation, funds testing programmes across the world, did not refer to Mr Clarke by name. His husband David Furnish said there was still a lot of work to do to address the stigma associated with an HIV diagnosis. "It shows in the fight against this disease we can make fantastic medical advances; we can make great gains but stigma is a much more difficult thing to shift," he said. On Tuesday, Mr Clarke disclosed that he had been "ignorant" about the facts of HIV until he met with a senior figure from Positive Life, an organisation working to help those living with the virus. The DUP MLA, who represents the rural South Antrim constituency said: "I have to put on record my thanks to Jacquie Richardson from Positive Life. Meeting her for the first time was a turning point for me, having been ignorant of the fact that the disease also affects heterosexual people." The remarks were made during a debate in the Northern Ireland Assembly calling for the launch of a new HIV awareness campaign. It was the first substantive debate on the issue ever held at Stormont. During the same discussion, another DUP MLA Paula Bradley revealed that "someone she loves" had been diagnosed with HIV a decade ago. Taoiseach Enda Kenny has denied being snubbed by President-Elect Donald Trump on a visit to New York, writes Elaine Loughlin, Political Reporter In New York. Mr Kenny, who is on the third day of his US trip said he had spoken to Mr Trump on the phone the day after the election and had raised issues relating to Ireland then. Speaking at the Irish Consulate in New York - just six blocks away from Trump Towers, Mr Kenny said: "This trip was arranged long before the outcome of the election. "This is a business, trade and investment trip, both on the West coast and here. There are no political meetings on this occasion." Although no meeting has been scheduled it is understood that Irish officials had been in contact with Mr Trump's team in recent weeks to sound out whether a meeting would be possible. Mr Kenny added: "Obviously I have spoken on the day he was announced as being the President-elect, to President-elect Trump, and I look forward to meeting him in March. "We set out the position that we would work with the American administration. "Some points have been made, and we would forward to working constructively with that administration and in the interests of relations between Ireland and the US." Mr Kenny said he would fighting to save the J1 visa which Mr Trump vowed to abolish during campaigning. "I wouldn't want to see that go, I think the J1 has been an incredible opportunity and a brilliant example of connecting different countries, different cultures," said Mr Kenny. "For young people it has always been an adventure, it has always been a measure of excitement, of freedom to come to a different country experiences a taste of work and having the opportunity of working in a different place." An Irishman wanted for alleged terrorism and the trafficking of weapons from Lithuania to Ireland has been arrested and brought before the High Court. Liam Campbell (aged 54) was arrested in Upper Faughart, Dundalk, Co Louth today morning on foot of a European Arrest Warrant issued by Lithuanian authorities. Mr Campbell allegedly organised the preparation for the smuggling in support of the terrorist grouping the RIRA, the warrant states. The offences were allegedly committed between the end of 2006 and the beginning of 2007. While acting in an organised group he made arrangements for illegal possession of a considerable amount of powerful firearms, ammunition, explosive devices and substances, according to the warrant which was endorsed by the High Court last week. Detective Sergeant Jim Kirwan of the Garda Extradition Unit told the High Court that he arrested Mr Campbell at Upper Faughart, Co Louth on foot of the warrant at 7.50am on Friday morning. Det Sgt Kirwan said he showed Mr Campbell a photograph attached to the warrant and when asked was the photograph of him, Mr Campbell said yes. Mr Campbell was subsequently conveyed to Dundalk Garda station and processed as an arrested person. Counsel for the State, Ronan Kennedy BL, told the court there was an objection to bail. Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly said she was satisfied that the person before the court was the person in respect of whom the warrant had been issued. She remanded Mr Campbell in custody to Thursday, December 8 next when an application for bail is expected to be made. Ms Justice Donnelly informed Mr Campbell that he had a right to consent to surrender and to legal advice. He was represented in court by Brian Gageby BL. Update 4.18pm: Rescuers searching for a ferry passenger believed to have gone overboard in the Irish Sea have found a body. The UK Coastguard said a woman's body had been located in the Lawrenny area of Pembrokeshire. A statement said: "Dyfed-Powys Police have confirmed that a body has been located in the Lawrenny area, Pembrokeshire, during the search for a missing female. "The body has not been formally identified at this time. "Dyfed-Powys Police officers are working closely with specialist recovery teams from HM Coastguard and the ambulance service to recover the female body. "Our thoughts are with the family at this sad time." Two Irish Coastguard helicopters, Tenby, Llansteffan and St Govans Coastguard Rescue Teams, Angle inshore and all-weather lifeboats and a Port Authority vessel also assisted in the operation alongside Dyfed Police and officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Update 1.45pm: The Irish Coastguard says a person has been taken from the water by authorities searching for a woman in the Irish Sea. It is believed she went overboard on a ferry travelling to Rosslare in the Pembroke channel after being reported missing this morning. The operation is being co-ordinated by UK authorities. Earlier: A major search operation is underway for a woman who has disappeared from a ferry in the Irish Sea. It is believed she went overboard in the Pembroke channel. UK Coastguard was contacted just after 8.15am by the ferry, who reported a female passenger was missing and was believed to have gone overboard. The Irish Coastguard has confirmed it has sent two helicopters to assist in the search, which is being co-ordinated by UK authorities. The UK Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at St Athan and an Irish Coastguard helicopter are currently searching the area along with the Tenby, Llansteffan and St Govans Coastguard Rescue Teams, Angle inshore and all weather lifeboats and a Port Authority vessel. Dyfed Powys Police and the PSNI are also involved in the search operation. The ferry is now berthed in Rosslare. The UK Coastguard has issued an alert to all vessels passing through the area. Gardai in Lucan are investigating the discovery of the body this evening. The body of a male in his 30s was found at Griffeen Valley Park, Lucan after 8pm with gunshot injuries. There will be death on the streets this Christmas is the chilling warning from homeless activist Lynn Cahill, who has kickstarted an campaign to house rough sleepers for the festive period. The new initiative is called 'Sponsor a bed for the homeless at Christmas' and is asking people to donate money that will be put towards beds in hotels and B&B's across Dublin for rough sleepers over the Christmas period. We are crying out for B&B's and hotels to come on board founder of the new initiative Lynn Cahill has said. Currently there are two B&B's in Dublin signed up to the much needed campaign, but talks are ongoing with a number of hotels and other B&B's who are considering the proposal. Mrs Cahill, who is the founder of the organisation Cairdeas Homeless Action, has reassured the service industry that these people looking for accomodation over the festive period are regular Joe Soaps many of whom have serious financial woes. These people looking for accomodation have been vetted by us and do not have issues with substance abuse. We are very familiar with our homeless friends and we are confident these people will be respectful of the premises and not be of any trouble. Lynn, who was homeless herself from the age of 18-21, was inspired to get involved in helping the homeless two years ago by a friend who is also involved in charity. Lynn is now married, with five children and is currently in full time education, studying to be a social worker. Since launching the campaign two days ago, 30 people have come forward to be housed over Christmas, but Lynn has said there could be 150 people in need of accomodation during the festive period. The initiative is also being sponsored by a company called insuranceworks.ie which has donated 200 and promised to foot the bill of anyone looking for accomodation who is not covered by other donations. Anyone who would like to donate can do so by clicking here. Police say a Grand Forks woman shot by her adult son before he took his own life has died of her injuries. Authorities say 53-year-old Jennifer Harrison died at Altru Hospital days after she was found in her home with multiple gunshot wounds to her torso and head. According to officials, 21-year-old Tyler Harrison shot his mother Wednesday at the home they shared in Grand Forks. Police say he turned the gun on himself and was found dead in their driveway. Officials say the shooting was domestic-related, but that their investigation is continuing. Europol has warned that the so-called Islamic State group could launch fresh attacks in Europe in the near future with police forces across the continent investigating more than 50 terrorism cases. The European Unions police agency said in a grim analysis of IS tactics that EU countries participating in the US-led coalition fighting the extremist group in Syria and Iraq are most at risk. France and Belgium, which have suffered major attacks in the last two years, are among the nations in the US-led coalition. Others include the UK, the Netherlands and Denmark. Germanys military is also involved, but not in combat operations. Europol director Rob Wainwright said in an interview that counterterrorism agencies are tackling the threat from IS in co-operation with his Hague-based agency. Europol is assisting more than 50 terror investigations by national agencies across the continent, he said. "That says something about the level of the threat, but also about the level of interconnectedness amongst the counterterrorist community here," he said. In the report, Europol said car bombings and other tactics IS uses in Iraq and Syria could also be deployed in Europe. It said attacks such as those in France and Belgium show that extremists acting in the name of IS can plan complex attacks. "Estimates from some intelligence services indicate several dozen people directed by IS may be currently present in Europe with a capability to commit terrorist attacks," according to the report, which draws on counterterrorism intelligence from around Europe as well as media reports and previously publicised calls by IS leaders for attacks. Despite the warnings, Mr Wainwright expressed optimism that the counterterrorism efforts will, over the long term, rein in the threat posed by IS. "Were not there yet. I think we will get there. It might be replaced in the future, of course, by another iteration in the international terrorist scene," he said. "So it doesnt have to be the new normal, but we have to take the right measures, right now, to protect our citizens from the kind of atrocities that unfortunately weve suffered in the last two years." Community leaders also have a role to play in diminishing the threat from IS recruiters and trainers who prey on marginalised youths - some of whom may have mental health problems or backgrounds in petty crime - and incite them to carry out attacks, Mr Wainwright said. "We have to work in the community with faith leaders, with parents, with teachers to try and make sure that these young, impressionable minds are not turned so easily," he said. The Europol report noted a shift in IS attacks from symbolic targets like police officers and military personnel to indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets, such as the attacks a year ago in Paris at a rock concert, the national stadium and bustling pavement cafes. "Indiscriminate attacks have a very powerful effect on the public in general, which is one of the main goals of terrorism: to seriously intimidate a population," according to the report, which concludes the focus on soft targets means that attacking critical infrastructure like power grids and nuclear facilities is "currently not a priority". Meanwhile, a police raid in Morocco in February may have thwarted a possible chemical or biological attack by an IS cell, raising the spectre that such weapons also could be used in Europe. The report noted that automatic firearms, knives and vehicles are more easily available and that "the effectiveness, ease of use and access of these weapons will continue to be relevant". The consensus among intelligence agencies in EU states is that "the cyber capabilities of terrorist groups are still relatively low", Europols report said. But the documents authors added that "the possibility of terrorist-affiliated cyber groups engaging in cyber warfare sponsored by nation states - those with capacities to engage in this type of attacks - should not be discounted". So-called Islamic State is likely to carry out new attacks in the European Union in the near future, probably targeting countries that are members of the US-led coalition fighting the extremist organisation in Syria and Iraq, according to EU police agency Europol. "Estimates from some intelligence services indicate several dozen people directed by IS may be currently present in Europe with a capability to commit terrorist attacks," according to the report, which draws on counterterrorism intelligence from around Europe and also cites media reports and previously publicised calls by IS leaders for attacks. IS is also adept at inspiring marginalised youths, some of whom may have mental health problems, and inciting them to carry out attacks. The report warns that tactics the group uses in Iraq and Syria - such as car bombings - could be deployed in Europe. It said that attacks such as those in France and Belgium over the last two years show that extremists acting in the name of IS can plan complex attacks. France and Belgium are among European nations that have joined the US-led coalition against IS. Others include the UK, the Netherlands and Denmark. Germany's military also is involved, but not in combat operations. Europol also noted a shift in attacks from symbolic targets like police officers and military personnel to indiscriminate attacks on soft targets, such as the Paris attacks. "Indiscriminate attacks have a very powerful effect on the public in general, which is one of the main goals of terrorism: to seriously intimidate a population," the report said, adding that the focus on soft targets means that attacking critical infrastructure like power grids and nuclear facilities is "currently not a priority". Europol said the consensus among intelligence agencies in EU states is that "the cyber capabilities of terrorist groups are still relatively low", but added that "the possibility of terrorist-affiliated cyber groups engaging in cyber warfare sponsored by nation states - those with capacities to engage in this type of attack - should not be discounted." The report said a police raid in Morocco in February may have thwarted a possible attack by an IS cell using chemical or biological weapons, raising the spectre that such weapons also could be used in Europe, although the report said automatic firearms, knives and vehicles are more easily available and the "effectiveness, ease of use and access of these weapons will continue to be relevant". - AP NEW YORK: Taylor Swift on Tuesday announced she was returning to touring, getting back on the road for the first... Federal authorities say an investigation into the theft this summer of several semitrailers loaded with frozen beef from Nebraska has led to arrests and uncovered a multimillion-dollar theft ring targeting meatpacking plants in six Midwestern states. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security reported Tuesday that the discovery of the Miami-based theft ring began in June when several semitrailers loaded with nearly $1 million in frozen beef were stolen near the Nebraska cities of Lincoln and Grand Island. An investigation determined that beef and pork packaging plants in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota and Wisconsin were being targeted. On Oct. 20, investigators arrested three Miami men on suspicion of transporting stolen goods and money laundering. VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis will become the first pontiff in history to visit Bahrain, in a trip this week that is... CANNON BALL Misty Jackson was building a wigwam at the main Oceti Sakowin protest camp on Thursday afternoon, despite orders from the governor and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to clear the area. An Ojibwe woman from Wisconsin, Jackson recently quit her job at her reservation's casino to join the Dakota Access Pipeline protest full-time. She is one of thousands who have gathered to express concern the pipeline will contaminate the Missouri River and disturb sacred sites. The wigwam's structure was traditional: wooden poles from Wisconsin. But it's a more "contemporary version," she said, and has several layers of tarp instead of birch bark on the outside and a wood-burning stove within. "We've been on these plains for thousands of years, and this is just a more modern version of it," Jackson said. "It's 2016 after all." At her campsite, there was also a tarpee a modern teepee with a stove inside and soon to be another tent, meant to house the dozen veterans she expects to arrive and stay with her this weekend, when 2,000 veterans are scheduled to come and protest the $3.8 billion oil pipeline. Jackson was hardly alone in her activities. Hundreds of pipeline protesters were building and fortifying teepees, tarpees, tents, yurts and makeshift homes at the main camp Thursday afternoon. A foot of snow and upcoming single-digit high temperatures were no threat or deterrent, several protesters said. Nor was a Monday deadline from the corps to leave the federally owned plot, which many contend is unceded treaty land. "We''ll still be here keeping each other warm," said Miguel Guzman, a member of camp security. The corps' order released Friday cited the winter weather and increasingly tense confrontations between protesters and police. The corps has said it "has no plans for forcible removal," but people who remain may be prosecuted for trespassing. Around camp, most people were thinking about winter. A dozen lined up to fill propane tanks for personal heaters and cooking stoves. One native Hawaiian man and former combat medic set up a camper for people to warm up, get basic medical care for colds and cuts and eat a bowl of hot oatmeal. There were shovels aplenty but no snowblowers or plows. The roads through and near camp were pounded down snow and the entrances had been shoveled by hand, said Guzman, who was wearing four layers on top and bottom to stay warm in the elements. The section of road between the Standing Rock Indian Reservation and the closed Backwater Bridge, has not been plowed. One man was apparently going around camp pulling stuck vehicles out of the snow. "I keep telling people to say put," said Frank Archambault, a cousin of the tribal chairman and member of camp security. "It creates back-breaking work with the shovel." Protesters have gotten creative with sleeping arrangements, as summer tents no longer suffice for most. Nate Trachimowicz, who had a cold he said was going around, was one of four people assembling solar panels to power lights. While in camp, he's sleeping in the back of a U-Haul truck. "We're just out of the wind," he said. The mess halls have doubled as places to stay warm through the night. Tables are folded up around 10 or 11 p.m. to give people a place to sleep and rolled back out for people to eat again in the morning. Camp security has set up temporary shelter for people who arrive at night, and there are some extra beds in a geodesic dome and some of the yurts. Jackson, who once did preventive medicine in the military, wears snow pants beneath her ankle-length blue skirt. She advises other protesters on how to stay warm and healthy. Change your socks and base layers regularly, she tells people. Make sure you're eating enough and drinking hot liquids whenever you can. "Be cautious," she said. Maureen Cohnaughton just arrived at the camp from Connecticut. She was setting up a tent within a tent and a propane heater in an effort to stay warm. We feel like were ready, she said. Welcoming the Light: a group exhibition by Di Broomhall, Claire Capel Stanley, Spike Deane, Mel George, Claire Primrose, Ruth Oliphant, Tania Tuominen Vrancic, Jo Victoria and Sylvia McEwan. Curated by Peter Haynes. Form Studio and Gallery. Until December 12. Form Studio and Gallery is marking the end-of-year program with a group exhibition of nine artists who work across the spectrum of painting (Di Broomhall, Claire Primrose, Sylvia McEwan), glass (Mel George, Ruth Oliphant, Spike Deane), ceramics (Jo Victoria, Tania Tuominen Vrancic) and installation (Claire Capel Stanley). Tania Tuominen Vrancic's Rest Series can be seen in Welcoming the Light at Form Studio and Gallery. The paintings of Di Broomhall in the first gallery set the stage beautifully for this exhibition that takes as its theme Welcoming the Light. Her three abstract paintings (Nomad's Light IV-VI) suggest a light that is so bright it blurs edges, washes out any rich depth of colour and obliterates tonal contrasts in an intensive luminosity. Of Broomhall's three paintings, Nomad's Light IV is for me the most satisfying as a resolved work. Its areas of blue paint seem to dissolve and swim in front of the canvas suggesting the infinite space of the sky but also evoking a metaphysical space beyond what we can see and know. The other two predominantly white works are more intangible and elusive, appearing as if they will float away from the confines of the canvas and onto the white gallery wall. Sylvia McEwan's series of four paintings are complex studies where areas of surface colour are layered onto the canvas. The artist then scratches back and paints over these layers of paint using flowing linear marks and bold areas of colour in a way that suggests the actual physicality of the painting process. However this does not suggest any desire for accidental effects but rather it is a process of careful control by the artist who sees her work as being concerned with space, form structure and balance. Claire Capel Stanley in her installation (no title given) has tried to capture in a coverlet made from paper tissues the imprint of her sleeping body over a period of time. This is a gentler and more nostalgic concept than the edgy and confronting 1999 work Bed by British artist Tracey Emin (1963-), which has become the iconic "I have slept here" artists' prototype. Capel Stanley sees her bed cover that she has made into a child's cubby house, not as a record of past adventures but as a reminder of a child's play edged about with the notion of the transition of time. Claire Primrose has been painting for some time her large landscapes influenced by the Snowy Mountains. These particular works (the Later or Sooner series 1-3) are smaller in scale (62 centimetres by 38 centimetres) and repay close scrutiny. The artist in her impressions of dark cloudy skies and soaring mountain ranges uses a sepia, brown and orange palette. That may be one of the reasons that I am reminded of the rocky landscapes by Leonardo da Vinci in the background of his paintings, the Mona Lisa (1503-05/7) and the Virgin of the Rocks (1480s). Primrose experiments with various painting and printing techniques to suggest the essence of these Snowy Mountain landscapes and while they are realistic to some extent, they conjure up like the da Vinci landscapes a romantic view of nature that is majestic and universal. Ruth Oliphant creates small glass panels using glass fusing techniques. They depict architectural elements of doors and windows to explore the play of light between interior and exterior space. The artist has been moving away from her earlier figurative work to more abstract designs. Path of the day 1 no.2 demonstrates this very successful transition. It brings together the architectural elements of walls and windows but gives priority to a strong grid pattern that works as an abstract design. Yet it can also suggest a bank of windows or perhaps the structure and translucent qualities of a Japanese shoji or paper screen. Mel George has brought together a collection of old wooden pencil boxes that she has filled with hollow glass pencils and coloured pigments. They each represent an artist such as Claude Monet whom she has chosen because of their work with light and stand as a personal homage to these artists whose careers George admires. Spike Deane's crystal glass figures are based on a Celtic goddess Aine and have all the power of small primitive votive figures. They are arranged in a group and the artist has used colour like liquid light to unite the forms and enhance the mysterious quality of this magic circle. A Braddon man who was drunk and on drugs when he raped a teenage girl in his apartment was saddened by his crimes, a court has heard. Matthew Shaun McGrail, 25, was jailed for a maximum of four years on Friday for sexually assaulted the girl, 15, in his flat in January 2015. An ACT Supreme Court jury found him guilty of five charges including indecency, sexual intercourse without consent and attempted rape of a person under 16 after a trial in September. The girl had been staying at McGrail's flat and the pair were left alone when her boyfriend left to get cigarettes in the early hours of January 24. McGrail arrived home to the flat and the the girl said while they were alone in the apartment, he started tickling her legs and flattering her. Australia has thrown its sullied hat in the ring to pursue a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council. By putting forward Australia's candidacy, the government effectively promises to promote human rights for all, to lead by example and to champion the rights of vulnerable and marginalised people. Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop said Australia would bring a "principled and pragmatic" approach when serving on the Human Rights Council. Credit:Andrew Meares Julie Bishop declared in a speech to the UN General Assembly that Australia would bring a "principled and pragmatic" approach when serving on the Human Rights Council. Yet, principled and pragmatic approaches to asylum seekers are not evident in government policy. To reduce the number of people defaulting on student loans, President Obama has been promoting income-driven repayment plans. The most widely available income-driven repayment plan for federal student loansthe Income-Based Repayment (IBR) planprovides payment caps based on a borrowers family size and income (150 percent of the poverty level). After making 25 years of these reduced payments, the remaining debt is forgiven. (If you work for the government or a non-profit the remainder may be forgiven after 10 years.) This may sound like a way to help those on the lower rungs of the economic ladder from having to pay student loan debt as retirees. But the reality is that the program is aimed more for white collar professionals than the working class. As the Wall Street Journal notes, Growing evidence suggests many of the most hard-pressed borrowerscollege dropouts who owe less than $10,000arent taking advantage of the programs, while workers with graduate degrees, such as doctors and lawyers who dont necessarily need help, are. In a report released this week, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that $108 billion will be forgiven by the federal government. And thats just through the current school year. As new students enroll and take on debt they cant (or simply wont) repay, the number will increase significantly. Of course the debt isnt really forgiven since it was already paid to colleges and universities (who have no intention of giving it back. What debt forgiveness means, as economist Don Boudreaux explains in this video is that the debt is merely being transferred to the American taxpayer. Ms Hassan also claims that specialist programs on RN will soon be online only. This is plain wrong. RN will continue to broadcast its programs on analogue radio long into the future. Judith Whelan, Head of Spoken Content, ABC Radio SBS now too commercial With SBS, I have enjoyed many good documentaries and operas in the past when it reflected what it was supposed to provide: a multi-cultural experience for all Australians. However, now I can't see much difference between SBS and the commercial channels. There appears to be an abundance of American programs and programs aimed at youth, and entire programs full of advertising, just like the commercial stations. And food, food and more food. Gone are opera, ballet and the fine arts. I recently saw what was claimed to be a documentary about Greece (This is Greece with Michael Scott), but which turned out to be simply a hastily produced advertisement for Greek tourism, more interested in hotels than the major cultural sites. SBS has lost the plot. Dave Kelly, Aranda Excessive political donations Ron Levy (Letters, November 25) was too kind to our MLAs. He believes "providing public money saves politicians from the muddy business of soliciting donations from private interests". He may not know that when, in 2014, our ACT legislature quadrupled the public funding of parties at elections (the action he admires) it also removed all limits on political so-called "donations". This, as far as I know, made the ACT the only jurisdiction in countries with which we like to compare ourselves to have no restriction on such funds. Far from the $8 per vote taking the place of donations, our politicians simultaneously cleared the way for their increase. Dr Levy oddly believes these changes by our MLAs "progressive and sensible". I think they were grasping, unprincipled and reprehensible. Hugh Dakin, Griffith Coe leads by example It was refreshing to note that the new leader of the Canberra Liberals, Alistair Coe has taken a position on Barnaby Joyce's decision to transfer the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority from Canberra to Tamworth ("Brodtmann appeals to PM over jobs shift", November 30, p2) which differs from that of the Prime Minister who has chosen, at this stage, not to comment. It suggests the Canberra Liberals may be moving to establish themselves as something more than the ACT Division of the Liberal Party of Australia. Had the party done so before the October 15 election, voters in the ACT may have rewarded it. Ken Brazel, Weston Housing remains unaffordable Ben Phillips' defence of housing affordability in the ACT ("Home affordability issue easily misconstrued", November 30, p19) left me with a feeling of dismay. Such a long article defending the indefensible. Since 1995 the ACT government has sold off more than 3000 public housing units. Housing prices have doubled since 1995 because of ever-rising land prices. Correspondingly rentals have doubled over that period. For a young couple with limited resources it is hard to find a place to rent. There are many better-off couples who are more acceptable to the real estate agents. Jon Stanhope in his final term introduced the concept of affordable housing. It can happen if we have a government with the will. But that's not the case. We have got a real estate agency masquerading as a Labor government. Howard Carew, Isaacs A tip for Singapore Airlines I don't know how well patronised Singapore Airlines flights are between Canberra and Wellington, but they could probably attract more demand for their services if they alternated their flights to take in Christchurch and possibly Auckland. At present there are four flights each week from Canberra to Wellington, and if one of those flights was redirected to Christchurch, it would not take long to evaluate the service. As Singapore Airlines already fly to Christchurch from other cities, they are well placed to provide a direct link from Canberra to the beautiful South Island of New Zealand. Rod Macleod, Isaacs Politicians fail to address critical issues David Pope was able say in his editorial cartoon (December 2, p23) what couldn't be said in a thousand words. Do our politicians really think that turning Parliament House into a fortress will make the problems go away? Because if they do then they are more deluded than I thought they were and should have the alarm bells ringing around the country. Dallas Fraser, Currumbin, Qld No mystery here With all the pontificating on Capital Hill about the profound problems in the building industry that the Australian Building and Construction Commission is so sure to address, you would think they would have looked out the window at the ASIO headquarters across the lake in Russell and done an honest analysis of how much of that building's outrageous price tag and building defects were due to those naughty unions and how much instead to the rapaciousness and opportunism of developers thanks to the culture of impunity and self-regulation that they have been freely gifted. Alex Mattea, Kingston MPs not doing job It is about time parliamentarians of all persuasions realised that they are a part of the governing body of Australia for the good of the Australian people. Bill Shorten, union champion, channelling "Dr No" , pork-barrelling Barnaby Joyce blithely moving public servants to Armidale, Tony Abbott determined to bring down his leader, the apparent disinterest in reining in parliamentary entitlements, the delay in reinstating the ABCC, the Greens more interested in side issues than the environment, and One Nation ... let's not even go there. Sylvia Miners, Isabella Plains A weak media ... It seems fashionable now in media circles to view Australia politics through post-truth Trump-tinted glasses. Pauline Hanson's One Nation gets magically transformed into a Trump-style force on the Australian political scene that the media can then love-to-hate opining on. I'm guessing Senator Rod Culleton is seen as one of those disruptive innovator-types looking for a disruptive solution much like Senator Jacqui Lambie did for the Palmer United Party. Michael Crowe, Hawker ... ignores reality The Federal government does not have an overall parliamentary majority and needs the support of the cross benches and/or the ALP to get legislation passed. This is called democracy. It's not perfect, but to paraphrase Churchill, it's not as bad as all the other systems. So why is it the media and opposition seek to demean the democratic process by labelling any compromises made by governments as "backflips", "back-downs", or "signs of weakness"? Surely a better label would be "Democracy at work". Lee Welling, Nicholls Don't pose govern Question time should be a period when legitimate concerns of parliamentarian are asked and not a time for chest beating and fake questions. The federal Parliament has been a laughing stock for the past 10 years and now the mining boom is over the members need to govern and provide constructive opposition. No wonder that the useful Senate crossbench is now about 20 Senators and growing. Adrian Jackson, Middle Park, Vic Why is it so? Simple I can recall when kids at school regarded success in maths and science as pretty cool. For many today it's looked on as nerdy and weird. Your editorial "Teachers the key to better rankings" (December 1, p14) points the way. Teachers need to be better qualified, but also more enthusiastic about the subject. And a further problem is cultural: mindless TV. Try finding quality educational programs in most-watched programs: you won't find them. And why? Because there's no financial profit in it. Philip Telford, Tarago, NSW Credit to Castro A few years ago when the Cuban foreign minister spoke in Canberra I realised I was probably the only person in the room who knew something of Cuba in both pre- and post-revolutionary times. I visited Cuba in the Batista years as a young sailor in the early 1950s. In 1953, you could not find many Cubans who were not fiercely pro-American. After all, what country had done most to get them out from under the heel of the Spanish, America! OK, so they had a crooked president and administration but the Americans were their friends, yes? The answer was no. When what was undoubtedly a popular revolution swept down from Oriente, Cubans found themselves resolutely opposed by the United Fruit Company, The Mob and the CIA. The CIA claimed that they knew all along where Fidel's politics were leading him. That may or may not have been true, but that revolution was a popular one that improved the lot of the average Cuban. Not up to the standards of most of the western world, but a bloody sight better than the crumbs America had thrown them before. Fredrik Limacher, Kambah This antiseptic works The article regarding the century-old antiseptic ("WWI antiseptic 'could fight common cold"', November 28, p3) was no surprise to me. I have never understood why Acriflavine went out of fashion in the 1980s, although I was told that it was due to the availability of the "more efficient" antibiotics. As an ardent bushwalker in the 1950s and '60s I was never without it and later as a member of CSIRO field surveys Acriflavine was always a must in the first-aid kits. Scratches and grazes, even in the tropics, were never an issue due to its use, and its healing properties were evident even in more serious cases. More recently, due to its unavailability in Australia, a leg ulcer did become a problem and when I suggested to the staff at the medical centre I attended that an antiseptic such as Acriflavine would solve the problem I was told that they had never heard of it and they always used antibiotics. Acriflavine should be brought back to the shelves of Australian pharmacies, not just as an aid to the common cold but as an essential antiseptic to help cut down on the overuse of antibiotics. Murray Upton, Belconnen TO THE POINT DEMOCRATIC FREEDOM DIES When did peaceful protests become illegal in Australia ("Gated community: Parliament House fence to keep us off the grass", December 2, p1)? Noisy, disruptive, uncomfortable , embarrassing yes. RIP democracy. Janet Rickwood, Greenway, NSW Last time I parked under Parliament House in the public car park (not so long ago), there were no checks, no security, nothing. What is there to stop a vehicle/bus/van being driven under, laden with explosives? Fences! John Mungoven, Stirling ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM Perhaps Donald Trump's speeches may be described as the trumpeting of the GOP elephant? Colin Roberts, Griffith UNDERSTATEMENT I read an article in The Sydney Morning Herald which states the NSW government has understated the costs and overstated the benefits of its current light rail project. Reminds me a bit of our own tram. J.J. Marr, Hawker BEES NO WHERE TO BE SEEN This year my fruit trees were a mass of flowers and the best display ever. I have been expecting a bumper crop of apricots, peaches, plums, loquat, apples, nectarines, lemon and limes. However, not one piece of fruit has set as there haven't been any bees. Where have they gone? Jack Wile, Gilmore Finally however, the festival has issued a brief announcement that the Friday night performance was cancelled. While rumours of Young's non-appearance have been circulating for some time, and Frontier Touring, which was to stage Young's shows around Australia after his Blues Fest performance, announced that tour was off earlier this week, there has been only a firm "no comment" from Blues Fest director Peter Noble when approached. Ending weeks of speculation, Byron Bay Blues and Roots Festival has confirmed that Neil Young has withdrawn from his headline slot at the Easter festival. "This comes as a great disappointment to Bluesfest, as well as all the Neil Young fans, who were looking forward to his performance," the statement said, adding no explanation for his withdrawal. "Bluesfest is currently working on replacing Neil Young with a new headliner for the Friday night." Inevitably, especially given his age he turned 71 in November - and 2016 already having seen off several musical giants such as Leonard Cohen, David Bowie and Prince, there's been questioning of Young's health as the cause of the cancellation. Last month, when Fairfax approached Frontier Touring about the rumours of an impending cancellation the answer was health was not a factor, the tour was still on and it was scheduling that was holding up a planned announcement of dates. No information has been made available on Neil Young's website, though the Blues Fest dates were taken down three days ago. As to why it has taken so long to confirm what seemed certain at least a week ago, the official Twitter account for Blues Fest said organisers had "been appealing to Neil's management for him to play the confirmed concert". Summer is here, Parliament has risen and no doubt our more bookish leaders will use the long break to expand their horizons through literature. It's only now, with the release of expenditure reports from the first half of the year, that we get a look at what politicians were reading last summer. Liberal National senator from Queensland James McGrath, who became assistant minister to the Prime Minister after Malcolm Turnbull's successful coup, picked up the instructional manual How to be a Minister: A 21st Century Guide. The tome was penned by former British Labour minister John Hutton, now a life peer in the House of Lords. "All ministerial careers end in failure, but they start in hope," the book's jacket proclaims, promising to guide ambitious young pollies through topics such as handling public servants, dealing with the media and "how to resign with a modicum of dignity intact". The Baron's advice must have been worth something because Mr McGrath soon added to his belt the assistant immigration portfolio, which he held until the July election. If there is one thing Australia needs more of, it's bigots telling us all about Aboriginal people on TV. When Pauline Hanson appeared on The Bolt Report on Monday night and made the absurd claim that there is no "definition of Aboriginality", the Twittersphere rightly reacted via the #defineAboriginal tag. Not to be outdone, this week saw the second series of SBS' First Contact air on our screens featuring none other than her One Nation co-founder David Oldfield. This season of First Contact has received an increased amount of derision from the Indigenous community, with many questioning the use of Indigenous experience and the revisiting of our traumas in order to "educate and entertain" white people. Aboriginal people are the means for which ignorant white celebrities can "better themselves". In New Matilda, Amy McQuire unpacks the extent of this negative Indigenous response while highlighting that Aboriginal people are engaged in First Contact to "to 'perform' in order to change the ignorant views of racists who thought blackfellas get a 'free ride', who claimed we were 'petrol sniffers' and who thought others were hard done by because Aboriginal people somehow were 'advantaged'". And certainly, some moments within First Contact have reflected exactly that. All of the participants of the show exhibited some form of racism commonly encountered by Aboriginal people in our daily interactions with the mainstream. It didn't matter whether it was through their unthinking naivety around our cultures and experiences (shown by Natalie Imbruglia) or through their offensive stereotyping and dismissiveness (Renae Ayris, Ian Dickson and Nicki Wendt). Public servants at the Murray-Darling Basin Authority have rejected again an enterprise agreement offered under the Coalition's tough public sector industrial policy. The latest rejection, by just 10 votes, came after the authority's boss brushed aside the result of the last ballot in October and pushed ahead with a fresh vote on the same agreement, claiming he wanted all eligible staff to have their say. Murray Darling Basin Authority Chief Executive Phillip Glyde Credit:Noel Towell It is the third time MDBA employees have rejected an enterprise agreement. But the latest ballot attracted an increased 91 per cent turnout and a higher no-vote and the agency's Chief Executive Phillip Glyde says he now has "great confidence" that the ballot result reflects the wishes of his staff. Despite a tumultuous few months that included a spectacular reversal of his push to ban greyhound racing, Mike Baird has bounced back to re-establish a solid lead over Labor midway through his first full term as Premier. An exclusive Fairfax/ReachTEL poll reveals the Coalition leading Labor 53 to 47 per cent on a two-party preferred basis, using preference flows from the 2015 election. This is a three percentage point swing back to the Coalition from the 50-50 result recorded in the last Fairfax/ReachTEL poll conducted in August. However, it is a one-point move away from Coalition's two-party preferred winning margin at the 2015 election of 54.3 to 45.68 per cent. "Absolutely ecstatic": advocacy network founder Kat Armstrong. Credit:Anthony Johnson In 2005 Dr Digges began volunteering for two weeks every year, providing emergency dental care to people in mountainous parts of Timor L'este where there are no qualified dentists outside the capital. It was hot, it was hard. The dentists stayed in huts with concrete floors and washed in a bucket. The small groups, often including Dr Digges' wife and children, provided dental emergency care to 100 people a day from a mobile unit in the back of an army convoy. Sometimes they'd spot other problems, an oral cancer or a boy with a cough, that left untreated could have killed. One of Dr David Digges pro bono patients arrived with teeth ruined by years of hard life, neglect and diffculty accessing dental care. Credit:Dr David Digges Dr Digges remembers flying home from his first visit to Timor and asking himself what dental services were available to those in need in Australia. "You get quite exhausted, it is hard yakka, you work long hours, and I remember wondering if I could do this again. And flying back, and daydreaming out the window over the red earth of Australia I remember thinking what were all the problems with dental in Australia. I could see it in Timor." Sometimes in the world you are only a few steps off the right track and it takes you down the wrong way. Dr David Digges, NSW volunteer of the year, 2016 When he started talking to his staff and people working at organisations who deal with the homeless, or victims of domestic abuse, he started to realise how many people fell in the cracks. Dr Digges started opening his surgery for a day or two a year to provide free care. From there, it expanded. He joined up with a philanthropist, Mervin Saultry, in Melbourne to form the National Dental Foundation. It now includes 100 dentists across Australia. For a day or two a year, or whenever they can, these dentists provide free dental care in their practices to prisoners, abused women, drug addicts and alcoholics and others who need help. Dr Digges said he used to consider himself "only a dental biological engineer". But now he realises that dentists have the power to make a real difference to a person's life. Pointing at a "before" photo of one of his female pro bono patient's rotten teeth, he said restoring the teeth of this former addict and victim of domestic violence had been part of her transformation. "In a few weeks, you can go from a person with dental deterioration to a smiling person who someone will give a job to ..." he said. After treatment, the teeth of the patient were improved enough to allow the patient to apply for jobs. Credit:Dr David Digges "Sometimes in the world you are only a few steps off the right track and it takes you down the wrong way. But if people help in the recovery, refer them to us [through charities], we can look at them and think 'you have gone the wrong' way but we can help them come back." For Ms Valia, the treatment is part of her recovery after nearly 15 years of heartache. It began when she ran away from home at 14 years of age after her stepfather abused her. In her early 20s she ended up prison for seven months for shoplifting and other offences to support herself and her drug habit. Now caring for her two children, she said her teeth - particularly an overbite - had always been a cause of embarrassment. Dr Digges is going to whiten her teeth, remove wisdom teeth, fill some holes, and do other work over the next few months to give her more confidence, she said. "[Dr Digges] is a great guy, it so good what he is doing to help the community," she said. Ms Valia believes the dentistry will give her the confidence to find a job, the next stage of her rehabilitation. Loading The Women In Prison Advocacy Network (WIPAN), run by Kat Armstrong, was named volunteer organisation of the year for its work providing mentors to recently released female prisoners. Queensland divers got an early Christmas present with the Fraser Coast winning the friendly war with North Stradbroke Island to be the new home for the state's next artificial dive reef, the HMAS Tobruk. Regional Development Australia Wide Bay deputy chairman Daniel Poacher said it would mean an extra $4 million a year for the region's economy. HMAS Tobruk will be sunk off the Fraser Coast Credit:ADF "Isn't that just great news," he said on Friday. "We are very, very excited for our region." Sexual assault victims' private communication with counsellors will be unavailable for perpetrators to use in court under new laws. Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath introduced a bill on Thursday providing extra measures for victims of crime in Queensland. New laws would protect sexual assault victims' counselling information from being released in court. Under the changes, a sexual assault counselling privilege will establish absolute privilege in preliminary court proceedings, such as a committal or bail application. This means a sexual assault victim's communications with a counsellor, including oral or written, would remain confidential unless the victim waives the privilege, or the privilege was lost. Two men are in hospital, one with a facial fracture, after a dispute in Brisbane's south erupted in violence Thursday night. A 39-year-old man had confronted a 79-year-old man at an address on Curfew St, Upper Mount Gravatt, around 11.30pm on Thursday before a 45-year-old man arrived shortly after, say police. Two people ended up in hospital after a dispute in Upper Mount Gravatt. Credit:Glenn Hunt The dispute escalated with the 39-year-old man taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital with a facial fracture, while the 45-year-old man was also admitted to hospital with a fractured hand. AAP Paul Bonicelli, Director of Programs at the Acton Institute, appeared on CNBCs Closing Bell on Thursday afternoon to discuss President-elect Donald Trumps deal with Carrier to keep 1,000 jobs in Indiana, and to offer analysis of the potential economic priorities of the incoming Trump Administration. You can view the interview below. Toxic lead paint is going to be scraped from a 150-year old section of Brisbane's Victoria Barracks next year, but the building will continue to be used. The exterior paint on the two-storey Old Sergeant's Mess, which can be seen from Countess Street, is peeling and flaking and considered a health risk because it is the building's original lead paint. Victoria Barracks Sergeants Mess where lead paint is now flaking from the outside. Credit:Tony Moore Victoria Barracks is Brisbane's first military barracks and dates back to 1864 when it was known as the Green Hill Barracks. It is understood the Sergeant's Mess, separate to the Officers' Mess, was built in the first 10 years of the Victoria Barracks construction. Health organisations and the Bureau of Meteorology are banding together to provide a health warning to Victorians, before thunderstorms which are forecast to hit Melbourne on Sunday. The state's health authorities have been under mounting pressure, since the November 21 "thunderstorm asthma" epidemic saw the death of at least eight people and thousands of hospital admissions. Despite the impending health disaster, no public warning was issued. The Department of Health and Human Services' chief health officer, Ambulance Victoria's state health commander and the Bureau's regional director are meeting at the Bureau today and are expected to issue a warning to Victorians of another impending thunderstorm asthma event. Now that we know that Carlton's Corkman Irish Pub will be "rebuilt", this question remains can the historic hotel actually be restored, or will we have to make do with a modern imitation? While developers Raman Shaqiri and Stefce Kutlesovski have promised to rebuild the 159-year-old building after its illegal demolition, there are no guarantees that any of the original materials can be saved from the rubble and reused. In October this year the pair sparked outrage after their company knocked down the building without a permit, ignored a council stop work order and left asbestos among the debris. Now a broken mess of timber and brick lies underneath a green tarpaulin. On Friday discussions began in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal about rebuilding the two-storey hotel at 160 Leicester Street. The far-west Victorian city of Portland is in shock after a catastrophic power failure plunged the future of its biggest employer, Alcoa, into jeopardy. More than half the Portland Aluminium plant's smelting capacity has been seriously damaged as the company investigates what can be saved amid fears the plant may never reopen. Alcoa - which is Victoria's largest single exporter - directly employs about 680 full-time staff and contractors at Portland, a city of only around 10,000 people. Around 2000 jobs rely on the operation. The power supply to the huge complex went out for more than five hours on Wednesday night, causing molten aluminium in more than 200 smelting pots to cool and solidify. A proposed new building at Inglewood primary school that would cut into a quarter of the school's oval space has been met with fierce opposition from parents. To make the best use of the area, the school's oval has a roster that controls what areas children can play in on certain days. Inglewood Primary's new expansion has come under scrutiny for intruding on precious oval space. Credit:Google Maps But Inglewood primary school parent Petra told 720ABC on Wednesday that her first thought was where her son was going to play if that space was cut further. "We just had a building added five years ago to accommodate more children and now another five years later we are going to do another building," she said. High-growth tech entrepreneurs pitched for a share of more than 25 million backing when they took part in SETsquareds annual Accelerating Growth Investment Showcase in London last week. Three of Bristols start-up businesses presented their innovative products and services for a range of sectors, including medtech and social tech, smart cities and engineering, and digital and mobile. Their audience included more than 200 investors and corporates. The showcase was organised by the worlds number one university business incubator, SETsquared, an enterprise partnership between the universities of Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Southampton and Surrey, which provided mentoring support and comprehensive pitch training. The Bristol companies pitching for investment were: Inductosense Ltd which has developed embeddable, battery-free sensors, systems and analytics for fast, repeatable, through-life detection of cracks, corrosion or defects in structures; Inclusive Media Solutions Ltd which has created EasyVideo, technology that enables adults with learning disabilities to scan household items with any smart device and plays a video of how to use it; VRGO Ltd which has created a wireless, hands-free, motion-controlled chair for use with virtual reality games, designed to fit into typical living spaces. Monika Radclyffe, SETsquared Centre Director at the University of Bristol, said: Yet again, I was delighted and very proud to see huge enthusiasm and commitment from the companies that SETsquared supports at this years Accelerating Growth investment showcase. There is a real appetite among investors to partner with SETsquareds high-growth potential technology companies and their engaging pitches really created a buzz at the event. We hope this networking opportunity will result in even more success stories for Bristols budding entrepreneurs over the next year. Over the last 14 years SETsquared has helped more than one thousand businesses raise over 1 billion in investment, as well as contributing over 3.8 billion in GVA (Gross Value Added) to the UK economy with 8.6 billion GVA estimated over the next decade figures that contributed to its being named by UBI Global as the top university business incubator in the world at the end of 2015. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams Friday Dec. 2 Go West! Vampire Weekend drummer Chris Tomson is spreading his wings! The Bedford-Stuyvesant musician will swap his drums for guitar and vocals tonight while playing with his side project Dams of the West, which is turning out clever, intimate verses with an indie-rock sound. 9:30 pm at Cmon Everybody (325 Franklin Ave. between Clifton Place and Greene Avenue in Clinton Hill, www.cmone veryb ody.com ). $10 ($8 in advance). Saturday Dec. 3 Mommy issues Look back on this years bizarre election cycle with an equally surreal theatrical experience: Cecilia Corrigans serialized sitcom Motherland, about Hillary Clintons run for the White House. The show will be presented in its entirety tonight, with video elements, visits from Greek gods, and an ending that got a quick re-write the day after the election. 8 pm at Issue Project Room [22 Boerum Pl. at Livingston Street in Downtown, (718) 3300313], www.issue proje ctroo m.org . $10 suggested donation. Sunday Dec. 4 Shopping is a fad Its Sunday time to go to church! Do your holiday shopping in the basement of St. Pauls Church, at the Fashion, Art, and Design (FAD) Weekend market, which features handmade goods from more than 45 indie artists, along with a some fun activities, including a photo booth for holiday selfies and a paper snowflake-making station. Bat boy: Vampire Weekend drummer Chris Tomson plays with his solo project, Dams of the West, at CMon Everybody on Dec. 2. Emily Tomson 11 am6 pm at St. Pauls Church Basement [190 Court St. between Congress and Warren streets in Cobble Hill, (917) 7754636, www.fadwe ekend.com ]. Free. Wednesday Dec. 7 Cracking up The Brooklyn Ballet kicks off its Kings County-inspired production of The Nutcracker tonight at the Brooklyn Museum. The Brooklyn Nutcracker adds hip-hop elements to the holiday classic, in a show that travels from old Dutch Breukelen to modern-day Flatbush Avenue. Tonights opening will feature a champagne toast at intermission. And if it sells out, you have four more chances to catch the show. 8 pm at Brooklyn Museum [200 Eastern Pkwy. at Washington Avenue in Prospect Heights, (718) 6385000], www.brook lynmu seum.org . $40$255. Thursday Dec. 8 Wine is over Serving cabernet with the brie at your holiday party is so last year. If you want to secure your social position, soak up some knowledge at Beer and Cheese Pairing for the Holidays, where the Brooklyn Brewerys Garrett Oliver will lead you through science of bringing together hops and curds, offer advice, and provide some unique tastings. 8 pm at Museum of Food and Drink Lab (62 Bayard St. between Leonard and Lorimer streets in Williamsburg, www.mofad.org). $32. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams Thanks for sharing (um, we guess). This weeks edition of Brooklyn Paper Radio became an hour-long session on the couch for co-host Gersh Kuntzman, who broke up with his girlfriend a night earlier and used the weekly show to, as he put it, pick through the still-smoking embers of what the hell is wrong with me. A lot, said Kuntzmans co-host and longtime cohort Vince DiMiceli. Let us count the ways. Breaking only for ads from Brooklyn Paper Radio sponsors Atlas Steakhouse, Dr. Joseph Lichter DDS, and Village Care Max, Kuntzman and DiMiceli conducted a chorus of experts to sing whatever it is thats the opposite of a love song. Give it to me straight, people, Kuntzman said. I broke up with a wonderful woman, its all my fault, and I want to know why I cant get close to the people I love. First, Brooklyn Paper Deputy Editor Ruth Brown, herself married to non-journalist who sometimes resents her relentless approach to life, blamed Kuntzman for being uncomfortable wanting to do his own thing in relationships. You have to be independent, Brown said. My husband I do different things all the time and its fine. Next, Kuntzman summoned Brooklyn Paper reporter and Conor Oberst fan Lauren Gill for her to lambaste Kuntzman for bringing his girlfriend (whose name was never revealed) to last weeks utterly depressing and equally scintillating Oberst show at Carnegie Hall a show she did not enjoy. But Gill took Kuntzmans side. You were right to bring her to that show, Gill said. It was a great show. Depression songs make you feel happy. Thats okay. Kuntzman said he still felt bad. DiMiceli suggested setting those bad feelings to music like Oberst would. Gill gave way to legendary Community Newspaper Group editor Max Jaeger, who has been in a solid relationship for four years. How do you keep the magic going? Kuntzman asked. Because Ive been divorced and have a trail of tears as long as the BQE. So tell me. Its not like I wake up saying, How can I keep the magic going today? Jaeger said. It just clicks and were both happy. Were actually getting closer. Kuntzman asked Jaeger if he Kuntzman was going about it all wrong because he Kuntzman cant seem to keep his relationships going, as women tend to draw closer and he Kuntzman tends to pull back. Yes, Jaeger said, its you. But its also natural. You want what you want and if its not the right person, its not the right person. The next guest, Arts Editor and renowned bartoonist Bill Roundy, recommended places where Gersh can get drunk, mentioning cheap bulk liquor at Costco and then good cocktails at the Bearded Lady in Prospect Heights, which has a nice private couch in the back if things go well. Kuntzman protested that hes not looking for something cheap, easy and tawdry at least Im not for that so publicly on the radio, he said, adding that he just wants to find a way to please someone. Theres your problem, Jaeger jumped in. Your insistence on the female orgasm puts too much pressure on her. Whats wrong with you? Whats wrong with me because I care about the female orgasm? Kuntzman asked. I was always told that your first job is to please your partner. He then turned the attention to Roundy. Bill, whose orgasm do you care about yours or your partners? Roundy had a surprising answer: Mine, he said, confusing Kuntzman even more. The shows final guest, reporter Caroline Spivack, said she isnt dating anyone right now and shes fine with it. But I cant be alone, Kuntzman said. Thats your problem, Spivack suggested. Youre always looking to other people for approval. It has to come from within. Kuntzman asserted that he has a large some would say malignantly large self-image, but admitted that he still likes a woman to think hes awesome. You are awesome, DiMiceli said. But just not that awesome. All in all, it was a earnest and heartfelt episode something you dont normally get on BPR. So take a listen. Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams The Brooklyn Bridge is unlocked! New signs warning tourists not to attach so-called love locks to the boroughs most beloved bridge appear to be working, with regular visitors noticing a big drop in the number of the security devices and other junk showing up on the fabled span since the campaign began two months ago. Since they put the signs up, its better and cleaner, said Albert Zylyftari, who has been selling his artwork on the span for five years. Every day, people used to ask me if I sold locks, but not anymore. After years of clipping off the weighty tokens of love only to see more appear the next day, the Department of Transportation launched an offensive in October, placing 16 signs along the span threatening anyone who secures a lock on the bridge with a $100 fine including a particularly pun-y design that reads No locks, yes lox and has a picture of a smoked-salmon-stuffed bagel on it. The Police Department which had previously turned a blind eye to the vandalism also joined in, instructing cops on the bridge to intervene whenever they see a visitor about to latch on. The transportation department wouldnt say how many of the mementos it has removed since the crackdown began, but the stretch was almost entirely lock-free during two visits over the past month, with only a few rusted souvenirs stuck on hard-to-reach lampposts. Those remain a problem, however in September, one lock-laden pole became so heavy that it broke off and fell onto the roadway below. Police havent issued any of the threatened fines, according to a Police Department spokeswoman though they never really intended to but tourists say theyre self-policing thanks to the signs. I visited Europe in the first week of November so I saw a lot of locks everywhere and theres no signs like this, said Chaney Reduerto, who recently visited the bridge while on vacation from the Philippines. I wouldnt put one up here though because the police will fine me. The Department of Transportation will release more data on its lock-lopping efforts on the bridge in the coming months, a spokeswoman said. Reach reporter Lauren Gill at lgill @cngl ocal.com or by calling (718) 2602511. Follow her on Twitter @laurenk_gill latest news October 31, 2022 Buddy TV In November, there are hundreds of new and returning TV showsit can be overwhelming to try and choose what to watch. That's why we've selected some of the best options... Campus News 4 students receive Gilman scholarships to study abroad By CHARLES ANZALONE Studying in Peru is something I never thought Id be able to do, primarily due to financial constraints. Four UB students have won Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships, a significant increase in the number of UB students receiving this undergraduate award and an indication, UB administrators say, that the universitys new initiative to expand fellowship opportunities to more students is working. The four students, who will receive from $2,500 to $4,000 to study abroad, are Wanly Chen, a communication and media study major who will go to Singapore; Kelly Aldinger, a Spanish major who will study in Peru; Michael Pilgrom, a psychology major who will travel to the United Kingdom; and Brandon Reilly, an exercise science and French major who will go to France. The Office of Fellowships and Scholarships has begun to make considerable inroads to increase the number of undergraduate and graduate students applying for nationally and internationally competitive fellowships and scholarships, says Elizabeth Colucci, director of fellowships and scholarships. Coluccis office has fostered a significant increase in the number of UB undergraduates chosen to receive nationally competitive scholarships, among them Goldwater, Boren and Fulbright scholarships. Colucci says the Gilman scholarship is the first impact of this initiative, adding that the addition of Megan Stewart as an adviser in the Office of Fellowships and Scholarships increases the opportunity meet with departments and encourage more deserving students to apply. UB students who have a Pell Grant are eligible to apply for this study abroad scholarship, says Colucci. Megan worked with over 16 students this fall to submit for spring and summer funding. Another round of funding for summer, fall and the 2017-2018 academic year is due March 7 and we anticipate an even larger pool of students will apply. Stewart, who joined Colucci when UB created the new office in September, says this scholarship often proves to be the difference between students having the life-changing experience of studying abroad and not having that opportunity. International experiences are so transformative for students personal, academic and career development, but some believe the financial costs will be too prohibitive, Stewart says. Funding like the Gilman scholarship makes time abroad realistic for a broader range of students. The recipients of the Gilman scholarship credit the award with giving them the opportunity to pursue their academic aspirations, while extending them to another level. Kelly Aldinger, 20, says that ever since her first Spanish class in middle school, I fell in love with the language and its associated cultures, and promised myself that I would someday be bilingual. She says her interest in the language stemmed partly from growing up in a rural town that lacked ethnic and racial diversity. From a young age, I desired to experience the other perspectives of the globe and think critically about my place in such a diverse community, she says. By the time I finished high school, my pursuit of Spanish had diminished somewhat due to the education systems strong emphasis on STEM fields that consequently caused the humanities to more or less fall by the wayside. But after a chaotic and eye-opening freshman year at UB, Aldinger says she decided to major in Spanish language and literature, with minors in linguistics and anthropology. After that, I realized that my nearly lifelong dream of participating in and learning from another culture could be realized through study abroad, she says. Studying in Peru is something I never thought Id be able to do, primarily due to financial constraints, she notes. Now, thanks to the Office of Fellowships and Scholarships and the Gilman scholarship program, Ill be venturing abroad for the very first time to develop my Spanish and learn from another culture. I cant wait to share everything I learn abroad with both my hometown and UB community. Wanly Chen, 20, calls her scholarship for travel to Singapore a gateway and first step to enhancing her social media presence, essential for her majors in communication and media study. Being a writer and having a love for photography, I hope to utilize my phone, my GoPro and the unforgettable experiences I will have to successfully use Instagram or create a blog to share this incredible journey, Chen says. Winning the Gilman scholarship proved that I wasnt just lucky; I had successfully worked hard to earn something. Im one of five kids; Im the fourth child, almost the bottom of the rut and Ive learned from a small age that everything I wanted was to be earned, she says. Tacking on scholarships to my already busy schedule wasnt easy, but I submitted my application and I hoped that it was worth the extra work, and it was. I didnt realize that what I have just won was more than a national scholarship, but a renowned scholarship that opened doors to opportunities that I undoubtedly will seek in my near future. Michael Pilgrom, 26, a self-described nontraditional student living with a learning disability, says he has dreamed of studying abroad all his life, but never would have been able to afford it without the Gilman scholarship. My long-term goal is to study medicine, specializing in psychiatry, Pilgrom wrote in his application essay. I feel studying in England will further develop the skills that are required for this, as it will enable me to meet an even broader range of people. After all, one of the most important things with any psychology-related profession is communication. By studying abroad in the United Kingdom, I will not just be a tourist; I will be able to immerse myself into their culture. I will be able to study and see English, Scottish and Irish history, which will allow me to grow and become a more cultured person. Brandon Reilly, 21, a senior majoring in exercise science with aspirations to become a physical therapist, says he loves traveling and learning different cultures as much as learning how to write an exercise plan and how the body works. During my sophomore year I declared French as my second major, Reilly says. Since then, I have been looking for a way to combine both of my degrees. After a year of planning, I set up an internship where I will be working in a gym as a counselor/manager in Paris. I am no better than the next UB student, and winning this scholarship has made me realize that if you apply yourself to something you are passionate about, then you can surprise yourself with how much you will accomplish, he says. In light of recent events, I believe it is more important than ever to educate ourselves and each other about people from different walks of life, and that is exactly what I plan to do with this scholarship. Bordentown exhibit showcases items belonging to Napoleon's brother The Bordentown Historical society is gaining international attention for its Joseph Bonaparte exhibit, former King of Spain and brother of Napoleon. SRFCU Check Presentation.jpg SRFCU staff present Liz Gaulke of the American Cancer Society with a check for $12,100 based on the money raised throughout Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) and the 6th Annual Bras Across the River event. (Tyler Carter/tcarter@al.com) MOSS POINT, Miss. -- Donations of all sizes continue to pour in to support the cause of finding a cure for breast cancer. Friday at Singing River Federal Credit Union in Moss Point, the bank gifted Liz Gaulke of the Mid-South Division of the American Cancer Society with a check for $12,100 in support of its Bras Across the River campaign. Because of the many sponsors and community members participation, the 6th annual event raised the amount of money gifted to the American Cancer Society on Friday. Funds were raised throughout the month of October in all the SRFCU branches with t-shirt and pink debit card sales in addition to the event which was hosted on October 15 this year. Hundreds of participants gathered on the Moss Point Bridge to show their support and raise awareness by participating in the annual fun run/walk. During the event, thousands of bras are strung across the bridge as a visual representation of the significance and impact this disease has on the community. Recently, the Moss Point Fire Department gifted the American Cancer Society with $1,500 through the selling of t-shirts in the Moss Point community as well as surrounding communities. SRFCU Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President Jimmy Smith praised the community for its strength in supporting a cause as serious as breast cancer. "Our Bras Across the River event is proof of the strong community in which we live and how this community reaches out to support those in need," Smith said. "We are proud to have the partnership of many of our local businesses who work with us to make this event a success." All funds raised will go to provide financial support for Breast Cancer research and also travel, medical, and other expenses for those fighting this disease here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app. Full access to our intuitive epaper - clip, save, share articles from any device; newspaper archives from 2006. Curated newsletters on markets, personal finance, policy & politics, start-ups, technology, and more. Pick your 5 favourite companies, get a daily email with all news updates on them. 26 years of website archives. Indias largest insurer has set conditions to approve Ltds plan to revamp the company, in which it is one of the largest investors. Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries (RIL) further extended the free usage period for Jio services to its existing and new customers till March 31, 2017, pushing the start of Jios commercial operations to the next financial year. Starting December 4, 2016, every new Jio user will get Jios data, voice, video and the full bouquet of Jio applications and content, absolutely free, till March 31, 2017. We are calling this Jio Happy New Year offer. The benefits will be available to all subscribers signing up for Jio services up to March 3, 2017, said Mukesh Ambani, chairman, Reliance Industries, in a live video address over the firms social media channels to its stakeholders. Ambani further added that all existing customers under the Jio Welcome offer would automatically be signed up for the new offer on January 1, and get extended benefits till March 31, 2017. The decision to further extend promotional services will push RILs accounting for both the depreciation on capital invested in telecom and earnings from this vertical to the next financial year, say analysts. They point out that the larger and adverse impact, however, would be on the incumbents. Ambani maintained that Jio was not getting adequate points of interconnect (PoIs) from the incumbent operators and termed their behaviour "anti-competitive". As a result, he said he was unable to deliver on his promise of providing "best customer and service experience" to customers. We have not received the required support from existing operators. In the last three months, nearly 9 billion calls from Jio customers to the networks of our three largest competitors were blocked. The benefits of Jio's superior voice technology have been denied to Indian customers due to such anti-competitive behavior of incumbent operators, Ambani said. He expressed confidence that over the coming weeks, the voice experience would improve due to "imminent availability of sufficient PoIs from other operators". The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) had allowed Jio to provide free service till the end of this year for customers who subscribed to its services till December 3. The telecom regulator said today it would examine Reliance Jio's latest offer providing free 4G services for all its customers till March 31, 2017. "We will look into it. Every tariff that is filed before us is examined. We will come up with our response at appropriate time," Trai chairman R S Sharma told Press Trust of India when asked about the validity of Jio's offer. According to Trai rules, promotional offers can only run for 90 days. Thus, a new scheme is more of a business call for the company, said an analyst from a domestic brokerage firm, who did not wish to be identified. In September, RIL announced all Jio services would be offered free to its customers up to December 31, 2016, under the Jio Welcome offer. In order to follow the Trai guideline, Jio services were to be first offered free up to December 31, only to those customers who enrolled up to December 3. The new promotional offer will now offer free services to both existing and new customers up to March end. Along with the extension of the Jio promotional offer, RIL will also introduce JioMoney merchant app starting Monday. Starting December 5, every merchant can download the JioMoney merchant application. Consumers use their JioMoney wallets to pay merchants from their bank accounts and merchants can use the JioMoney merchant app to accept these payments directly into their bank accounts, said Ambani. JioMoney looks to add 10 million small merchant retailers in the next few weeks. JPMorgan analysts Pinakin Parekh and Sagar Sanghavi in their report on Thursday said, Any new network, and that, too, on a large scale as RJio, would have initial network stabilisation issues, which the free period allows the company to tweak. There is a greater probability of high data consuming consumers seeing the positive aspects of RJios offering and signing on to it. Analysts see the move to extend free services a bigger negative for incumbents than RIL in the near term. From how the stocks reacted, the move is more negative for the incumbents and less for RIL where an extension was already expected, said an analyst from a domestic brokerage firm. For RIL, the extension will push reporting of earnings and depreciation to the next financial year. The financial impact is very clear; monetisation not happening beyond December is a negative impact as costs are being incurred. The earnings will start coming from the next financial year. The FY17 earnings get protected from the depreciation hit as earnings would have been lower for the two-three month period. Next year, the petchem operations revenue will also possibly act as a cushion. It is less likely that the entire consumer base will stay once Jio starts charging, said Nitin Tiwari, analyst with Antique Stock Broking. Most analysts refrained from estimating the financial impact of extending free services for another three months. The company has not revealed the cost structure so far, so we will need to wait and see what the cost and impact of extending free services for another three months will be, said a third analyst. A Bank of America Merrill Lynch report said, Publication of Jios profit and loss account (costs, average revenue per user, retention ratios) - allowing some crystallisation of Jio valuations - would have been a big catalyst for the RIL stock - which is now pushed out another three months. Incumbent players such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular, in turn, would now be staring at a drop in revenue during the current quarter due to demonetisation and a possible impact from Reliance Jios new offer. In a November 25 report, CLSA had said the extension of Jio promotions beyond December 2016 would result in the foreign brokerage lowering its forecast revenue and Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) for incumbents by one to eight per cent for FY17-FY19. Incumbents are expected to roll out some freebies and new offers to their customers. The incumbent players will evaluate the offer and will see how the customers react to Jios new offer based on which they will decide their strategy, said an executive. Bharti Airtel, sources add, may give five to 10 per cent more per recharge to its prepaid customers. This is being done in the backdrop of demonetisation, which has impacted revenues of telecom and also due to RJios announcement. Some experts said that the impact of demonetisation on the revenues of telcos could be to the tune of seven to eight per cent. It did not surprise when Modi government's demonetisation move, aimed to curb the use of black money, hit the real estate industry hard. The industry has for long been used to park such undeclared cash. This naturally led to investors' losing confidence in realty stocks. DLF, one of the largest real estate developers, lost 24% since November 8 when the move to ban old notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes was announced. Others such HDIL and Prestige Estate have lost near 19%. This took the 11 members BSE Realty Index down by 15% as 10 stocks fell. Sensex, the benchmark index of the exchange fell 5% in the same period. Kesoram Industries' restructuring programme, which began in June 2014, has finally started paying off for the company, as it was able to pull out from the red during the first half of the current fiscal year. The restructuring agenda mainly centred around the tyre business which saw an over-capacity production resulting in consolidated loss for the company. and Cognizant, two of Indias largest software exporters, have warned that there is a shortage of talent in the United States, a concern that has to be looked at by President-elect Donald Trump when he assumes office. Cyclonic storm Nada, formed in the Southwest Bay of Bengal, crossed the coastal area near Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu in the early morning of December 2 and weakened further, much to the relief of people living in the Northern districts of the state. Faced with a wash out of the winter session of Parliament, the government is banking on the Opposition to end the deadlock over demonetisation, which has paralysed the two Houses since 11 days. Pakistan has reminded India of its obligations under the and cautioned that New Delhi's own credibility would suffer if the accord was violated, a Pakistani official said. Foreign office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said at the weekly media briefing: "India has to abide by its international obligations, if it wants to be taken seriously by the international community." He was commenting on Thursday evening about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks that the water "rightfully belongs to India" under the water sharing accord and that it could not be allowed to go to Pakistan. Zakaria said the treaty was a binding agreement under the Vienna Convention. India has been, since the escalation of tensions after the Uri militant attack, indicating its intention to revisit the accord. The second day of final placements at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) saw the IT, analytics and consulting sectors taking over, even as an overall number of offers trickled down marginally as compared to last year. West Bengal Chief Minister continued to stay put at the state secretariat today protesting against army presence at toll plazas in several parts of the state and asked whether it was an "army coup". Army personnel, however, had left the toll plaza near the secretariat last night. Speaking to reporters late last night at 'Nabanna', the state secretariat, she said, "I will stay at the secretariat to guard our democracy". "Is this a military coup," she asked. She said that army personnel were there in different districts like Murshidabad, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, North 24 Paragans, Burdwan, Howrah, Hooghly etc. "The army is deployed without informing the state government. This is unprecedented and a very serious matter", she had said. The TMC leadership has decided to raise the issue in both the houses of Parliament and also inform President Pranab Mukherjee about the incident. "We are talking to all political parties. We are planning to raise the issue in Parliament today. Lets see," TMC spokesperson Derek O' Brien told PTI. A senior TMC leader on condition of anonymity said, "We are planning to meet President Pranab Mukherjee and inform him about the incident. The entire country should know, how BJP is engaged in vindictive politics,". The senior TMC leader said they have spoken to Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and discussed how to counter this issue jointly. Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel had called up Banerjee in the morning and inquired about the incident. A defence spokesperson had said that the army conducts bi-annual exercise throughout the country with an aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of a contingency. Eleven years after Hinduja brothers were discharged by the Delhi High Court in the pay-off case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has informed the Supreme Court that authorities had not permitted it to file an appeal against the verdict. The CBI submission was made before a bench headed by CJI TS Thakur which was hearing a plea by petitioner advocate Ajay Kumar Agarwal against the high court verdict. The CBI counsel said on Thursday that the agency was not permitted to file an appeal against the May 31, 2005 judgement of the high court discharging Hinduja brothers - Srichand, Gopichand and Prakashchand - and AB company in the case. When contacted, Agarwal said he was not aware that the case was listed on Thursday and he came to know about it only when CBI informed him that the matter will now come up for hearing in January 2017. Agarwal, who is now in BJP, said he will pursue his appeal in the matter in which the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had preferred not to challenge the high court verdict. "The high court's order is totally perverse. The reasoning given in it was wrong. The order is liable to be set aside. Prime facie, it was based on wrong premise," he said. The apex court had on October 18, 2005 allowed Agrawal to file an appeal against the high court verdict in the absence of any appeal by CBI. The high court had on May 31, 2005 quashed all charges against Hinduja brothers and company and had castigated CBI for its handling of the case, saying it had cost the exchequer around Rs 250 crore. On February 4, 2004, the high court had directed framing of charge of forgery under Section 465 of IPC against the Bofors company. For the last few days, reports in the media have been indicating that the banks may end up receiving the bulk of the demonetised Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 rupee notes in a legitimate manner. In the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a less-cash society, three states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have taken the lead in adopting a digital payments system. While Goas tourism department has shifted a majority of its services on cashless payment facilities, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal has issued directions to the state machinery to go cashless in a week. Madhya Pradesh, too, is attempting the switch to digital payment terminals. Sambhu Prasad Singh, a deed writer, is worried as registration rates for plots of land and flats in Bihar have fallen drastically after the on November 8. There are 124 registry offices across Bihar. At the Patna registry office both flat and shop registrations have been badly affected. This has led to a steep dip in Singh's and his half-a-dozen agents' earnings. They are struggling for livelihood. "It is not only my story. by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has caused a havoc for deed writers, their agents and others directly or indirectly dependant on land deals at registry offices across the state," Singh, a resident of Kankarbagh here, told IANS. Janesar Akhtar, another deed writer here, said the ongoing cash crunch was bound to hit them hard. "Where is the cash to go for land or flat registration? has taken away everything. It will take months for the situation to become normal again," Akhtar said. He showed serious reservations about the Centre's claim of making things normal by 2017. Apart from deed writers and their associates, state government's own revenue earnings were also hit due to low registration of land plots and flats after November 8. "Land registrations figure shows that there has been a dip of nearly 32 per cent from November 8 to November 24 as per the records of registry offices," an official of the registration department told IANS. According to the state government's data, from October 25 to November 8 the number of land registrations in Bihar was 22,178, while it has dwindled to 15,118 between November 9 to November 24. "In the first week after demonetisation, hardly any registrations happened, but later it slowly improved in view of the cash flow," an official said. "The state revenue earning also decreased. In October, the state government earned Rs 169.36 crore through 54,769 land and flat registrations. But in November, the registration numbers fell to 26,251, roughly half of the October number, and the government earned merely 83.17 crore," the official said. A senior official of registration department, A K Das admitted that the number of registrations has decreased after demonetisation. "It is an outcome of lack of cash flow in the market," he said. Das said only 10 to 12 per cent of registry fee and stamp duty can be deposited online and other duties are usually in cash. Russian President Vladmir Putin played a crucial role in helping rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia set aside differences to forge the cartel's first deal with non- Russia in 15 years. Interventions ahead of Wednesday's meeting came at key moments from Putin, Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani, OPEC and non-OPEC sources said. Putin's role as intermediary between Riyadh and Tehran was pivotal, testament to the rising influence of Russia in the Middle East since its military intervention in the Syrian civil war just over a year ago. It started when Putin met Saudi Prince Mohammed in September on the sidelines of a G20 gathering in China. The two agreed to cooperate to help world oil markets clear a glut that had more than halved oil prices since 2014, pummelling Russian and Saudi government revenues. Oil prices are up 10 pct this week topping $53 a barrel. The financial pain made a deal possible despite the huge political differences between Russia and Saudi over the civil war in Syria. "Putin wants the deal. Full stop. Russian companies will have to cut production," said a Russian energy source briefed on the discussions. In September, OPEC agreed in principle at a meeting in Algiers to reduce output for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis. But the individual country commitments required to finalise a deal at Wednesday's Vienna meeting still required much diplomacy. Recent OPEC meetings have failed because of arguments between de facto leader Saudi Arabia and third-largest producer Iran. Tehran has long argued OPEC should not prevent it restoring output lost during years of Western sanctions. Proxy wars in Syria and Yemen have exacerbated decades of tensions between the Saudi Sunni kingdom and the Iranian Shi'ite islamic republic. BRINKMANSHIP Heading into the meeting, the signs were not good. Oil markets went into reverse. Saudi Prince Mohammed had repeatedly demanded Iran participate in supply cuts. Saudi and Iranian OPEC negotiators had argued in circles in the run-up to the meeting. And, then, just a few days beforehand, Riyadh appeared back away from a deal, threatening to boost production if Iran failed to contribute cuts. But Putin established that the Saudis would shoulder the lion's share of cuts, as long as Riyadh wasn't seen to be making too large a concession to Iran. A deal was possible if Iran didn't celebrate victory over the Saudis. A phone call between Putin and Iranian President Rouhani smoothed the way. After the call, Rouhani and oil minister Bijan Zanganeh went to their supreme leader for approval, a source close to the Ayatollah said. "During the meeting, the leader Khamenei underlined the importance of sticking to Iran's red line, which was not yielding to political pressures and not to accept any cut in Vienna," the source said. "Zanganeh thoroughly explained his strategy ... and got the leader's approval. Also it was agreed that political lobbying was important, especially with Mr. Putin, and again the Leader approved it," said the source. On Wednesday, the Saudis agreed to cut production heavily, taking "a big hit" in the words of energy minister Khalid al-Falih - while Iran was allowed to slightly boost output. Iran's Zanganeh kept a low profile during the meeting, OPEC delegates said. Zanganeh had already agreed the deal the night before, with Algeria helping mediate, and he was careful not to make a fuss about it. After the meeting, the usually combative Zanganeh avoided any comment that might be read as claiming victory over Riyadh. "We were firm," he told state television. "The call between Rouhani and Putin played a major role ... After the call, Russia backed the cut." IRAQ LAST-MINUTE HITCH But OPEC would not be OPEC without a last-minute quarrel threatening to derail the deal. Iraq became a problem. As ministerial talks got underway, OPEC's second-largest producer insisted it could not afford to cut output, given the cost of its war against Islamic State. But, facing pressure from the rest of OPEC to contribute a cut, Iraqi Oil Minister Jabar Ali al-Luaibi picked up the phone in front of his peers to call his prime minister, Haider al-Abadi. "Abadi said: 'Get the deal done'. And that was it," one OPEC source said. While the old Rs 500 notes will not be used at petrol pumps, national highways toll booths and for buying airline tickets at airports from midnight, it can still be used for paying other utility bills till December 15. The old Rs 500 notes will reportedly be accepted at petrol pumps and for air ticket purchase only until Friday but you can use the old notes at railway ticketing counters and for the purchase of government or public sector undertaking bus tickets till December 15. The government, on Friday, increased the ceiling of special bonds that can be issued to mop up excess liquidity in the system to Rs 6 lakh crore, from the earlier Rs 30,000 crore a fallout of the note ban. Rakesh Kapoor, a senior pilot with a leading domestic carrier, was pleasantly surprised when he got an offer in his mailbox, to fly a Boeing 737 in China. Leading Chinese carrier China Southern Airlines offered an attractive financial package, along with accommodation, domestic help and an interpreter for personal use. US President-elect on Friday announced that he will nominate US Marine retired general James Mattis, renowned for his tough talk and battlefield experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, to be his defence secretary. "We are going to appoint 'Mad Dog' Mattis as our Secretary of Defence," Trump told a cheering crowd at Cincinnati in Ohio in his first of the series of 'Thank You' victory tour. "But we are not announcing this till Monday, so don't tell anybody," Trump told his supporters in his characteristic way. Trump described 66-year-old Mattis as "one of our great, great generals." "He's our best. They say he's the closest thing to (World War II-era) general George Patton that we have and it's about time," Trump said at the rally. The retired four-star general, known as "Mad Dog," commanded a Marine battalion during the First Gulf War and a Marine division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In 2010, he was named to head the US Central Command. Tough-talking Mattis attracted controversy in 2005 when he said "it's fun to shoot some people" while addressing service members in San Diego. If confirmed by the US Senate, Mattis would replace outgoing Defence Secretary Ashton Carter. The nomination comes after Mattis met with Trump in Bedminster, New Jersey, last month. Trump had said he changed his position on enhanced interrogation after meeting Mattis. "General Mattis is a strong, highly dignified man. I met with him at length and I asked him that question. I said, 'What do you think of waterboarding?'" Trump told The New York Times in an interview. "He said -- I was surprised -- he said, 'I've never found it to be useful.' He said, 'I've always found, give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers and I do better with that than I do with torture," Trump said. General Mattis has received support from top Republican Senators in the Congress, including Senator John McCain, Chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee. Notably McCain and Trump do not see an eye to eye on a lot of issues. "General Mattis is one of the finest military officers of his generation and an extraordinary leader who inspires a rare and special admiration of his troops," McCain said last month when his named popped up for the first time. "He is a forthright strategic thinker. His integrity is unshakable and unquestionable. And he has earned his knowledge and experience the old-fashioned way: in the crucible of our nation's defence and the service of heroes," he said. "General Mattis has a clear understanding of the many challenges facing the Department of Defence, the US military, and our national security. I hope he has an opportunity to serve America again," McCain had then said. Congressman Mac Thornberry, chairman of House Armed Services Committee, said few individuals in the field of national security are as respected and admired as Mattis. "His nomination as Secretary of Defence is an excellent selection, and I am grateful for his willingness to serve in this capacity. I will work with my colleagues in the coming days to clear the way for his confirmation by the Senate. I can think of no better partner for Congress to work with to support the men and women who serve and protect our nation's security," Thornberry said in a statement. Johnson & Johnson was ordered by a Texas jury to pay more than $1 billion to patients who claimed the company hid flaws in its Pinnacle artificial hips that had to be surgically removed, in J&Js second loss linked to the implants. Officials of J&Js DePuy unit, which makes the Pinnacle hips, knew the devices were defective but failed to properly warn doctors and patients about the risk they would fail, the federal jury in Dallas determined Thursday. J&J still faces almost 9,000 lawsuits accusing the company of mishandling the metal-on-metal hips. J&J stopped selling the ... Howard Schultz, the visionary leader of Starbucks, said on Thursday he would step down as chief executive next year, handing over to his personally selected successor the management of the company he built into the worlds largest coffee business, with over 25,000 stores in 75 countries. Tens of thousands of conservative rallied in the Indonesian capital for the second major protest in a month against its minority Christian governor. Police say 22,000 officers and 5,000 soldiers can be called on to ensure the demonstration stays orderly today. Organizers have agreed to concentrate the protest around the national monument in central Jakarta to reduce disruptions. A protest on November 4 against Gov. Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, attracted 100,000 people. After nightfall it turned violent, with one death and dozens injured. Ahok is an ally of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, and the accusation of blasphemy has animated their political opponents, including hard-liners who have used the issue to seize a national stage for their extreme agenda, which includes Shariah law. Kellogg's is facing a boycott organised by the Trump-aligned Breitbart News after the cereal giant decided to pull its advertising from the website. In the latest clash over corporate marketing and politics, Breitbart called on its readers to stop buying Kellogg's products to protest the company's 'act of discrimination and intense prejudice.' Breitbart, a far-right news website known for its no-holds-barred opinions and accused by critics of fanning racial prejudice, was closely aligned with during his campaign, and its chairman Steve Bannon is moving from the campaign to a key White House role as Trump's chief strategist. Kris Charles, a Kellogg Company spokeswoman, said the decision to stop advertising on Breitbart "had nothing to do with politics." "We regularly work with our media buying partners to ensure our ads do not appear on sites that aren't aligned with our values as set forth in our advertising guidelines," she said in a statement. "This involves reviewing websites where ads could potentially be placed using filtering technology to assess the words and phrases that make up a site's content.... We learned from consumers that ads were placed on Breitbart.Com and decided to discontinue advertising there." Breitbart responded with an online #DumpKelloggs petition, while arguing that its website "is the largest platform for pro-family content anywhere on the internet." "For Kellogg's, an iconic American brand, to blacklist Breitbart News in order to placate left-wing totalitarians is a disgraceful act of cowardice," the online petition says. The news comes after some Trump supporters called for a boycott of PepsiCo products based on rumored, but unverified, comments from its top executive, and on other brands whose executives had criticized the Republican billionaire. Breitbart News, created by the late conservative commentator Andrew Breitbart, makes its impact with bare-knuckled headlines that mix opinion and sometimes stretched facts. Some examples of Breitbart stories are "Gay rights have made us dumber, it's time to get back in the closet," "There's no hiring bias against women in tech, they just suck at interviews," and "Science proves it: Fat-shaming works. An unmanned cargo ship travelling to the Space Station burned up in the atmosphere shortly after launching today, the Russian space agency said, raising concerns over space travel safety. "According to preliminary information, as a result of an abnormal situation, the cargo ship's loss occurred some 190 kilometres above the remote, unpopulated mountainous territory of (Russia's) Tuva region, and most fragments burned up in dense layers of the atmosphere," Roscosmos said in a statement. Roscosmos said earlier today that it had lost contact with the Progress MS-04 ship 383 seconds after it launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and that its specialists were looking into the problem. The space agency said the loss of the cargo ship will "not affect the normal operations of the ISS systems and the subsistence of the station's crew". NASA meanwhile said on its website that supplies at the space laboratory are "at good levels". The cargo ship, which had been scheduled to arrive at the ISS on Saturday, was carrying 2.4 tonnes of fuel, food and equipment when it took off from Baikonur, Roscosmos said. The Russian agency said a state commission would probe the incident but did not say whether it would affect future launches. This latest incident represents the second failed launch of a Progress cargo ship in less than two years. In April 2015 a Progress ship disintegrated as it plummeted to Earth, a failure Russia blamed on a problem with a Soyuz rocket. The incident saw Russia put all space travel on hold for nearly three months and forced a group of astronauts to spend an extra month on the ISS. Russia said at the time that because the same type of rocket is used for manned ships, all issues with Progress resupply missions needed to be thoroughly investigated before any manned vessels could be launched. Russia sends three or four such spacecraft per year to supply the ISS. After making their delivery, they plummet back to Earth, burning up in the atmosphere above the Pacific Ocean. Last month Frenchman Thomas Pesquet, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky and American astronaut Peggy Whitson launched to the ISS for a six-month mission. The launch followed that of Russians Andrei Borisenko and Sergei Ryzhikov and American Shane Kimbrough in October, which was pushed back by nearly a month due to technical issues. Technical mishaps have complicated plans to extend the periods during which the ISS is fully staffed with six astronauts. Russia's Soyuz capsules offer the only way for global astronauts to reach the space station since the American space shuttle programme was retired in 2011. The space laboratory, where a range of research is carried out, has been orbiting Earth at about 28,000 kilometres per hour since 1998. The Russian President said that he is ready to cooperate with the administration of President-elect in the fight against terrorism. During his annual State of the Nation Address on Thursday, President Vladimir Putin said: "We hope to unite our forces with the United States in the fight against the real threat -- terrorism." Putin emphasized that he is not interested in disputes or making new enemies, and wants to normalize relations with the US, Efe news agency reported. He also said that US-Russia cooperation to solve global and regional issues responds to the interests of the whole world. Putin highlighted that this task is also fulfilled by Russian soldiers fighting in Syria and warned that "attempts to upset the strategic balance are extremely dangerous and could lead to a global catastrophe." As for the European Union, the head of the Kremlin said he is prepared for a dialogue to create a Eurasian union. The Russian leader also shed light on strengthening the cooperation with Asian countries, especially China and India, but denied that this would dictate a cooling of relations with the US or the EU. Shares of paint companies were under pressure for the second straight trading sessions tracking the sharp rally in global crude oil prices. Asian Paints, Berger Paints India, Shalimar Paints and Kansai Nerolac were down between 2% and 4% on the BSE, as compared to 1.2% decline in the S&P BSE Sensex at 03:20 pm. In past two trading sessions, and Shalimar Paints were down more than 6% each on the BSE. Oil prices extended gains early on Friday as producer cartel OPEC and Russia agreed to rein in a global oversupply in crude on Wednesday with analysts now focusing their attention on implementation of the deal. CLICK HERE TO READ FULL REPORT. The paint companies' key raw materials are derived from crude oil this includes Titanium dioxide (TiO2), additives, pigments, resins, solvents etc. When New Delhi hosts the Twelfth Petrotech, the global oil industry will be meeting for the first time after the last Wednesdays meeting of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Despite low crude prices weakening the oil producing companies world over, forcing even Saudi Arabia to go for fiscal borrowing in October 2016, for the first time in its history, Opec was unable to resort to decide on production cut all long because of opposition from Iran. carrier, Air India has started its Delhi-Madrid direct, non-stop, thrice-a-week flight from Thursday. Pankaj Srivastava, Air India's Director (Commercial), while speaking at the inaugural launch of the flight said that the flight will take less than nine hours to travel the distance between Delhi and Madrid and that it would bring the two countries closer. Air India is also planning to start its flights to the Scandinavian region, the launching destination of which will either be Copenhagen (Denmark) or Stockholm (Sweden). The airline is also planning flights to Hong Kong from Mumbai. Including Madrid in the list of European cities where Air India flights have a reach, it also has flights to Birmingham, Vienna, Rome, Paris, London, Milan, Frankfurt and Moscow. Air India is all set to revive its fortunes and is planning to expand its international presence by the launch of such international flights. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Both houses of Parliament were adjourned till Monday, as the opposition continued to create a ruckus over the army's deployment in West Bengal. The opposition raised the slogan "Tana Shahi nahi chalegi" on the floor of the house. Trinamool Congress and other opposition members raised the issue of the state government not being informed about the army's presence. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Supremo Mayawati had earlier in the day dubbed the military deployment in West Bengal as a deliberate move by the Centre to humiliate Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Condemning the act, Mayawati said that the ruling dispensation is targeting the West Bengal chief minister as she had raised her voice against the recently launched demonetisation drive. "It seems out of the way. Army doesn't collect toll? There is no law and order issue in West Bengal for Army to be deployed? The centre must clarify it, in fact PM must clarify as to why state's rights are being impinged on," Azad said After Opposition allegation, MoS Defence Subhash Ramrao Bhamre said that the information that this House has is "factually incorrect." "Army was in Bengal for a routine exercise," adding that the Opposition raised a ruckus. Meanwhile, to prove that it had not made any deployment without informing the West Bengal Police and the state government about the routine exercises it is taking at some toll plazas, including the one off the second Hooghly Bridge near state secretariat Nabanna in Howrah, the Army released a series of letters. The Army letters show that it was in communication with the West Bengal police on the annual exercise to "gather statistical data about load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of a contingency. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar on Friday said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's allegation that the state's rights are being impinged upon by the Centre, was a clear sign of her political frustration, and added that it is saddening to see her and other opposition parties questioning the credibility of the while it was performing a routine annual military exercise. Addressing the lower house of Parliament, Parrkiar asserted that the deployment of army is a routine exercise being carried out since many years. "It is army's routine exercise being carried out since many years. It also took place on 19th and 21st November last year. Saddening that a routine exercise has been made a controversy now," he said. "Concerned officials were intimated by army this year too. Original dates were 28, 29 and 30 December, but were changed to 1st and 2nd December later," he added. Echoing similar sentiments Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu told the Rajya Sabha that West Bengal government was informed about the drill, while urging the Upper House to not drag the into an unwarranted controversy. "It is a sensitive matter as it pertains to the army, let us not derail from important issues, said Naidu. "Bengal was taken into confidence, it happened last year as well and last to last year. Let's not drag army into controversy," said Naidu. Hysteria gripped West Bengal on Thursday night after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee decided not to go home and instead stayed put at the state secretariat Nabanna to protest against the "sudden deployment" of the army in the area. Banerjee camped overnight at her office in the secretariat in Kolkata, objecting to the presence of army jawans at toll booths, one just 500 metres from where she was. "Is this a military coup?" Banerjee asked, alleging that the state government had not been informed about what the army said was a routine exercise that it was conducting across eastern states. Seeking clarification from Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar over the deployment of army personnel across the state, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Friday said that it seemed the central government is trying to create an 'emergency like' situation in . Speaking to ANI, TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay said it is a 'grave' situation when a Chief Minister is being continuously harassed and 'her life is in danger'. "We want a clarification by Defence Minister on army deployment in Bengal, we will be very vocal about this in both the houses. It is a grave situation when a Chief Minister is being continuously harassed and her life is in danger. Without intimating state government, the way they are operating the whole system it is unbelievable and it seems that some emergency is going to be proclaimed in West Bengal," he said. "Suddenly it was seen that army are covering big important toll plazas and they are controlling bridges under the state government. Without intimating the state government, just near the secretariat of government," he added. Targeting once again at the Centre, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that it had deployed army near two of the highway toll collection points. A day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the Centre of deploying the army near two of the highway toll collection points, the BJP on Friday called her accusations baseless. Reacting to her statement, BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh, said that it seems the West Bengal chief minister continues to be in shock after the demonetisation as at first she had apprehensions about less fuel in flight and then related a regular army exercise to a coup. Stating that Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is still staying put at the state secretariat Nabanna to protest against the deployment of the army in the area, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien said the army personnel were still deployed in over one dozen districts of Bengal. The army, meanwhile has maintained, that the presence of army personnel in the state was "routine" and in a Tweet, the army maintained, "Routine exercise in all NE states. In Assam @ 18 places, Arunanchal@13, WB@19, Manipur@6, Nagaland@5, Meghalaya@5, Tripura & Mizoram@1@adgpi." However, Bengal's chief secretary, home secretary and Kolkata police commissioner maintained that no contact was made by the army. Kolkata Police added that they had, in fact, refuted the army exercise citing "security" reasons and "traffic". China has firmly asked Singapore to abide by the "One China" principle after recently impounding military vehicles of the city state in Hong Kong. Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang was quoted by the South China Morning Post, as saying that Beijing has made a diplomatic representation to Singapore over its decision to order customs officers in Hong Kong to seize nine Singapore combat vehicles that were en route from Taiwan earlier this week. "We demand Singapore strictly abide by the one-China principle. The Chinese government resolutely opposes nations with diplomatic ties with China to have any form of official contacts with Taiwan, including military exchanges and cooperation," he said. Observers have said that the diplomatic protest should be seen as a warning to both Singapore and Taipei, which have seen their relationships with Beijing deteriorate. In this context, it may be noted that military ties between Singapore and Taiwan go back more than four decades. In 1974, Singapore and Taipei initiated "Project Starlight", which gave Singaporean troops much needed physical room to carry out exercises on the self-ruled island. In the recent past, Beijing has also accused Singapore of being intractable over the South China Sea related disputes. It has also cut off official communication with Taiwan after Tsai Ing-wen from the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party came into power in May. Meanwhile, APL, the company hired by the Singapore Armed Forces to transport the military vehicles, said in a statement it has been cooperating with the authorities in Hong Kong and was working with all concerned stakeholders. The South China Morning Post, however, quoted Euan Graham, director of the international security programme of the Sydney-based Lowy Institute, as saying that Beijing's diplomatic protest should be seen as a punishment intended to deter Singapore from being outspoken on the South China Sea. Graham was quoted, as saying, "On one hand, it is a punishment intended to deter Singapore from being outspoken on the South China Sea. On the other hand, it is aimed at further isolating Taiwan's new DPP-led government." Li Jie, a retired Chinese naval colonel, was quoted, as saying, "It is also a warning to other countries not to get too close to a pro-independence Taiwan administration. China will not compromise its core interests when it comes to the matter of principles." Wang Hanling, a maritime law specialist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Singapore's ties with Taipei were less of a concern to Beijing than Singapore's ties with the United States. But Taiwanese and regional security observers said Taiwan would continue military exchanges with other nations, and Singapore might become more eager to establish military ties with other countries. Alexander Huang, former vice-minister of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, was quoted, as saying, "If both sides want to continue such cooperation, I don't think it would be affected by any third party. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A border patrol officer is patrolling the border between the United States and Canada one night when a man drives up on a motorcycle. The officer stops the man and asks, "What do you have in that backpack there?" The man replies, "Sand." "Sand?" the officer says puzzled, "Please open the bag sir." The man opens the bag and there is sand. "Alright, you may go on your way then, the officer said with a puzzled look. The man then drives off into the darkness. The next week, the same man on his motorcycle drives up to the same station that he did before. He says that there is sand in the bag and, sure enough, there is. The man drives up on a motorcycle with sand in his bag every week for a couple of months. The officer starts to think, "This guy is trying to smuggle something and I am going to be the one that catches him." The next time the man drives up to the station, the officer says, "I promise, I'm not going to arrest you. But just tell me. Are you trying to smuggle something or not?" "Do you swear you won't take me in?" the man replies. "I promise," says the officer. "Well, I am ashamed to admit it but, I have been smuggling something," the man says. The officer asks curiously, "What have you been smuggling?" The man replies with a grin, "Motorcycles." With the deployment of the army at various check points across West Bengal dominating discourse in parliament on Friday, Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said it was a routine exercise and insisted that an apolitical institution like the army must not be dragged into controversies. Naidu also said that casting aspersions on Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unacceptable. "It is a sensitive matter as it pertains to the army, let us not derail from important issues. Bengal was taken into confidence, it happened last year and last to last year. Let's not drag the army into controversy," Naidu said. Raising the issue, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad sought a clarification from the Centre and asked as to why the state's rights are being impinged on. "It seems out of the way. Army doesn't collect toll? There is no law and order issue in WB for Army to be deployed? The centre must clarify it, in fact PM must clarify as to why state's rights are being impinged on," Azad said After Opposition allegation, MoS Defence Subhash Ramrao Bhamre said that the information that this House has is "factually incorrect." "Army was in Bengal for a routine exercise," adding that the Opposition raised a ruckus. While Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien tried to calm the Upper House, Opposition leaders raised slogans against Narendra Modi government and its "tanashahi" (dictatorship). Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief on Friday dubbed the military deployment in West Bengal as a deliberate move by the Centre to humiliate Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Condemning the act, said that the ruling dispensation is targeting the West Bengal chief minister as she had raised her voice against the recently launched demonetisation drive. "This is not correct, our party should strongly condemn the move and the Central government should not do this. The Central government is trying to humiliate Mamata Banerjee as she has been raising her voice against demonetisation," said . "This is unfair to the West Bengal chief minister. This step is a grave attack on the Constitution. One should not politicise the army," he added. Raising the issue, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad sought a clarification from the Centre and asked as to why the state's rights are being impinged on. "It seems out of the way. Army doesn't collect toll? There is no law and order issue in West Bengal for Army to be deployed? The centre must clarify it, in fact the prime minister must clarify as to why state's rights are being impinged on," Azad said After Opposition allegation, MoS Defence Subhash Ramrao Bhamre said that the information that this House has is "factually incorrect." "Army was in Bengal for a routine exercise," adding that the Opposition raised a ruckus. Amid Opposition leaders raising slogans against Narendra Modi Government and its "tanashahi" (dictatorship), Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien adjourned the house till 2 pm. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleged that the RS is being mislead by MoS Defence Subhash Bhamre and no conclusive answer in being given by centre on Army deployment. Hysteria gripped West Bengal on Thursday night after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee decided not to go home and instead stay put at the state secretariat Nabanna to protest against the "sudden deployment" of the army in the area. Banerjee camped overnight at her office in the secretariat in Kolkata, objecting to the presence of Army jawans at toll booths, one just 500 metres from where she was. "Is this a military coup?" Banerjee asked, alleging that the state government had not been informed about what the army said was a routine exercise that it was conducting across eastern states. The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his decision to permit the use of old Rs 500 notes for prepaid mobile recharges. This will allow customers to use mobile services without disruption and ease their anxiety, allowing them continuous communication, telephony being an essential service. Commenting on the positive move, COAI Director General Rajan Mathews said: "We are delighted that the Government acceded to our request prioritising consumer interest, so that citizens can continue to top-up and use mobile phones, which are an essential service. COAI thanks the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for leading an extremely responsive and sensitive government and congratulates the Prime Minister on this historic move. Despite initial teething problems, demonetisation will immensely benefit the nation by driving increased digital transactions, promoting transparency, boosting tax collection and ensuring social equity. COAI remains committed towards working closely with the government in furthering the government's vision of a digitally connected and fully empowered India" Continuing the use of old Rs 500 notes as legal tender for prepaid mobile services is crucial because industry estimates indicate between 30 percent and 50 percent fall in demand as customers are still struggling with less cash in hand due to demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. Keeping people's interests in mind, COAI on behalf of the telecom service providers had submitted to the government that dealers and distributors should be permitted to accept the old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes till adequate replacement currency is available for the daily needs of ordinary citizens. The department of Telecommunications notification has extended the deadline for the acceptance of 500 rupee notes as legal tender for recharging prepaid phones for top ups till December 15th, 2016. Mathews added: "Globally, empirical evidence reveals the ability to communicate instantly fosters a sense of empowerment among common people, which is imperative given the ongoing - though temporary - inconvenience customers are undergoing. It's therefore important that mobile services for prepaid users continue unabated to facilitate their daily activities." COAI reiterated its support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to move the country towards becoming a 'less cash' society in order to curb corruption and black money, advancing social equity and financial inclusion among all sections of society. Such measures will increase the drive towards 'Digital India', benefitting every stakeholder, including the public. The telecom industry supports such endeavours that drive banking transactions towards mobile phones, reducing the cost per transaction for all stakeholders and benefitting banking eco-systems too. With the extension on usage of Rs 500 notes in public utilities, including mobile recharge services, prepaid dealers can continue to accept these notes till 15 December. Since the prepaid segment accounts for more than 90% of India's mobile market, the extension will help customers and dealers tremendously in continuing their daily operations. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In observance of World AIDS Day 2016 on December 1st, India HIV/AIDS Alliance, with the partnership of National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), UNDP and UNAIDS organized a Leadership Awards to recognize advocates and leaders from communities affected by HIV/AIDS, who have worked intensively in strengthening the nation's HIV response. India has made some remarkable progress in addressing the epidemic in the country. Not only has India been able to substantially reduce the incidence of HIV but has been successful in taking care of those who are infected and affected, dramatically decreasing the morbidity and mortality due to it. This outstanding result has been due to the relentless work done by many stakeholders under the leadership of NACO, Government of India that include but not limited to people living with or most affected by HIV, some of the most vulnerable communities, civil society, academic institutes and International bodies. Every year, World AIDS Day is held on the 1st December and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with and most affected by HIV and to commemorate people who have died. The theme of World AIDS Day 2016 is "Leadership, Commitment and Impact". Keeping with the theme, India HIV/AIDS Alliance recognizes change-makers and leaders whose pioneering work has contributed to a robust HIV response specifically in the last 5 years and have helped strengthen access to rights of LGBT communities, Sex Workers (SW), People Who Inject Drugs (PWID), People Living with HIV (PLHIV) and young population communities across the HIV programs in India. Prominent HIV activist and the President of NCPI+ Daxa Patel stated, "It is the right of every person living with HIV to avail the best treatment, care and support services. India has had free antiretroviral treatment since 2004. We thank each one of us who have worked towards making this a possibility. Much more needs to be done! India is facing ongoing challenges such as stock-outs of drugs and other commodities. We need access to third-line treatment and viral load testing. It is crucial that we continue to work together and build the second-line leadership to address these issues." "In 2004, the Government of India started establishing Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) centers providing free ART drugs to PLHIV which has now scaled up to 520 ART centers all across India. Nearly a million people living with HIV are availing free ART medicines. This has been possible due to the energy and support of the communities living with and affected by HIV," Dr. C.V. Dharma Rao, Joint Secretary, National AIDS Control Organization. He jokingly added, "I wish some of this energy also gets into government system." Oussama Tawil, UNAIDS - India Country Director, reiterated the message by Michele Sidibe, Executive Director of UNAIDS, Under-Secretary General of the UN, saying, "We stand in solidarity with the 78 million people living with HIV and remember the 35 million who have died from AIDS related illnesses." "As a community leader taught me early in my work on HIV - we are part of the solution not part of the problem, we are faces of your success not your failure," shared Sonal Mehta, Chief Executive of India HIV/AIDS Alliance as she welcomed the participants on the eve of World AIDS Day. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bharatiya Janata Party Secretary Siddharth Nath Singh lashed out at Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for dragging the Indian armed forces into politics on Friday. He said, "It's very unfortunate, the kind of politics Mamata Banerjee has been doing after demonetisation. BJP is of the opinion that the issue of army deployment in Bengal has been politicised. We can understand you want to be the cheerleader of the anti-demonetisation group, you're welcome to do that. But, you drag the Indian Army to prove your point, shows the lowest of the low that Mamata Banerjee in politics can get to." "Being a constitutional head, she knows very well that the Indian Army is the most disciplined force in the world today. Despite that, you went ahead and accused the Indian armed forces. The Indian Army had to come up with proof. A routine exercise by the Army was made into a controversy," Siddharth Nath Singh told ANI. The BJP spokesperson further asked for an apology from Trinamool Congress (TMC) Supremo and said, "They tried to label that the Indian Armed Forces are hell-bent on to do a coop and throw Mamata Banerjee out on behest of Prime Minister Modi. This is very low and for this, the TMC and Mamata Banerjee must apologise to the Indian army and to the nation also, for stalling the parliament." A political fight was sparked after army was deployed on a crucial highway in Kolkata after which Mamata alleged Centre of taking decision without informing the state machinery. The Army however has clarified that such a deployment is only a part of routine exercise, which takes place every 3-4 years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu met Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Chennai, students on Friday. After interacting with the students, Naidu said he discussed Digital India initiatives of the Centre. "Youngsters are always in the forefront of transformation. The Prime Minister has initiated a great transformation in the country and he wants the country to move towards cashless economy. We are trying to communicate with the people, the youngsters who have all come are in favour of this move of the honorable Prime Minister of demonetisation and the fight against black money, the youngsters are with the government.," Naidu further said that the students of IIT Chennai have come to interact with him today and he focused on the issue of the need for digital transfer, electronic transfer, So that they can all move from cash to digital transfer. "We are trying to involve the youngsters also in the campaign and these students who have come from IIT Chennai; they have a legislative council like we have upper house and Lok Sabha here, they want to debate, discuss and then decide and arrive at conclusions. That's a good thing, good practice. Less cash economy is the need of the hour and the country is moving towards that," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Expressing serious concern over the recent killing of Indian soldiers, the Janata Dal (United) has called for strengthening internal security and at the same time advocated that the government keep the option of having a dialogue with Pakistan open. Highlighting the recent attacks in Uri and Pathankot, JD (U) leader Sharad Yadav told ANI that the present situation is very tense. "There have been attacks in Uri and Pathankot recently. We want that the internal security must be strengthened and the government must also keep the option open of initiating dialogue with Pakistan," said Yadav. "It is extremely unfortunate that almost every day our jawans are being killed on the border," he added. In a stern warning to Pakistan, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said that India will never accept continued cross-border terrorism as the new normal. "Stop cross-border terrorism and then we can talk," said MEA official spokesperson Vikas Swarup, adding India is in favour of talks but not in this atmosphere of terror. Swarup further said that India has not received any request from Pakistan for a bilateral meeting. Commenting on Tuesday's Nagrota terror attack, Swarup said India is awaiting specific details before taking the next step. He added that the government has taken this attack very seriously and will do what it feels is required for security. A group of heavily-armed terrorists in police uniform stormed an army unit in Nagrota, about three kilometers from the Corps headquarters on the outskirts of Jammu city on Tuesday morning. Seven army personnel, including two officers, were killed in this attack before three terrorists were killed. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Kanye West was recently welcomed back by the Kardashians and the Jenner family with great celebrations after spending a week in a hospital. The family held a small party at home to celebrate the return of the 39-year-old rapper, who checked out of a hospital after spending more than a week being treated for exhaustion, and also to mark an early first birthday for West and wife Kim Kardashian's son Saint West, who will turn 1 next week, reports E! Online. A source said that the group enjoyed cake and doughnuts. Khloe Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian and Kylie Jenner all posted photos of a large display of blue and silver balloons inside the couple's Bel-Air house. The 'Fade' rapper was admitted into 'UCLA Medical Center' on November 21 for evaluation after suffering from exhaustion and sleep deprivation just hours after cancelling the remainder of his 'Saint Pablo' tour while onstage in Sacramento. West has not commented on his hospitalization or medical condition while reports say that he will now continue with treatment on an outpatient basis. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An enterprise jointly established by Kyocera Corporation, Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc., Tokyo Century Corporation and Yonden Engineering Company Incorporated has announced the completion of a 14.5-megawatt solar power plant in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The installation, which began operation on November 2, will generate an estimated 16,060 megawatt hours (MWh) per year - enough electricity to power approximately 4,930 typical households. Kyocera, Mitsubishi Research Institute, Tokyo Century and Yonden Engineering began project planning in May 2013 based on candidate sites disclosed by Hyogo Prefecture. The companies established Takacho Yasudago Mega Solar Hatsuden LLC in October 2014, and commenced construction after obtaining approval for land development in March 2015. The system began selling electricity on November 2 this year. Takacho Yasudago Mega Solar Hatsuden will be responsible for operating the site. Tokyo Century arranged financing, and design and construction was undertaken by Yonden Engineering. The Kyocera Group supplied solar modules as well as peripheral equipment for the installation, and will also carry out maintenance. Mitsubishi Research Institute, which headed the project and provided consultation, will also undertake administration (asset management) of Takacho Yasudago Mega Solar Hatsuden. Approximately 100 individuals affiliated with the project, including public officers of Taka Town and local residents, participated in the completion ceremony. Through this project, Kyocera, Mitsubishi Research Institute, Tokyo Century and Yonden Engineering aim to further promote the use of renewable energy and contribute to the community's revitalization. The solar plant is located in Taka Town in Japan's Hyogo Prefecture and its main operator is the Takacho Yasudago Mega Solar Hatsuden LLC. The plant has 56,000 Kyocera solar modules and is expected to generate approximately 16,060MWh of power annually. The electricity generated will be sold to the local utility (The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.) through Japan's feed-in-tariff system. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Finally leaving the secretariat office after 36 hours, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee came out guns blazing at the Centre as she threatened to take legal action against the Narendra Modi government if Army deployment is not removed from certain areas across the state. "If Government doesn't withdraw army deployed in the state, we will fight legally," she said after emerging from the Secretariat. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief also branded the present regime as a 'daku government', further alleging that the Centre is looting the country. "Modi government has become 'Daku government', just want to say that Modi ji is looting people's money," she added. Meanwhile, responding to Mamata's ultimatum, Wing Commander S S Birdi of the Eastern Command CPRO said "the Army deployment (in West Bengal) won't be called off as it is a routine exercise and will continue till midnight today." Mamata has accused the central government of "deploying the army" along a highway toll plaza at the second Hooghly Bridge, about 500 metres from the secretariat 'Nabanna' in neighbouring Howrah district. Earlier today, TMC threw an open challenge to the Centre to come forth with the documents proving that the West Bengal Government gave the green signal for the deployment of Army troops in certain areas in the state. Speaking to ANI here, TMC spokesperson Derek O'Brien asserted that no such document existed, adding that he would hang his head in shame if the government could prove him otherwise. Nevertheless, the Parliament again witnessed ruckus today as the opposition continued to corner the Centre over the army's deployment in West Bengal. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) One of the bigger topics of discussion about how President-elect Donald Trump will handle education is how he will handle civil rights in the education world, and how Trumps approach will differ from President Barack Obamas administration. The U.S. Department of Educations office for civil rights has been at the center of several prominent battles in the Obama era , including racial disparities in school discipline and transgender students rights . Some advocates are concerned about Trumps nomination of school choice advocate Betsy DeVos to be education secretary , and how choice programs alone often dont truly address disparities in educational quality, equity, discipline, and other issues. And more broadly, theres concern in the education policy world that the attitude of Trump and his campaign towards people of color and other groups will make schools job of serving those students more difficult, and that federal oversight csould taper off . But others argue that Obamas approach to these issues has been too aggressive and overbearing on K-12 as well as higher education, and that a lighter touch will be welcomed by many states and districts. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. and the chairman of the Senate education committee, has been a vocal critic of the offices approach to issues like transgender rights. And Trumps transition team has indicated there could well be a less-expansive role for the office while still ensuring students rights are protected. So when Trump takes office and DeVos (assuming shes confirmed by the Senate) takes over the U.S. Department of Education, what will the departments office for civil rights look like? Lets go to the numbers. Much Bigger Workload The office for civil rights provides enforcement for and implements regulations governing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 that prohibits sex discrimination, and other federal laws. Its also involved in the Civil Rights Data Collection , which is conducted every two years and tracks various indicators of educational equity and opportunity. Federal funding for the departments office for civil rights is $107 million in fiscal 2016, out of a total Education Department budget of $68.1 billion, or about .15 percent of the overall budget. President Barack Obama requested $138 million for the office in his fiscal 2017 budget , which has not been acted on by Congress and is essentially dead in the water following Trumps election. Included in that request is an increase in the number of full-time or equivalent positions in the office, from 589 in fiscal 2016 to 764 in fiscal 2017. Money for the office has increased from $89.6 million in fiscal 2008 to its current $107 million level, although it dipped from $103 million in fiscal 2010 to $98.4 million in fiscal 2013 and 2014. Over the past 6 years, OCRs workload has dramatically expanded as civil rights complaints received by the Department have increased from 6,933 in 2010 to an estimated 10,900 in 2016. At the same time, OCRs staffing has actually decreased, increasing the number of complaints per staff to 26, a summary of Obamas budget request for the office said. One consequence is a growing backlog of unresolved civil rights complaints, according to the budget request. The number of cases pending for review for more than 180 days (a key target for the department) grew from 315 at the end of fiscal 2009 to 1,311 at the end of fiscal 2015. Concurrently, the presidents budget was designed to address the decrease in the number of discretionary enforcement activities undertaken by the office for civil rightsthe number of such activities has gone from 96 in 1995 to 19 in 2015. The overall number of cases per year has grown from 6,933 in fiscal 2010 to an estimate 10,900 in fiscal 2016. OCR has too many cases per staff, says a separate budget document , which also that the offices cases have grown more complex. For example, the average processing time for each case involving an allegation of sexual violence, the document states, has grown from 289 days to 963 days since 2010. The budget document provided a chart to back up its requests: Given these numbers, it will be interesting to see how the flow of complaints to the office for civil rights will change under a Trump administration, and how a Trump administrations approach to these civil rights issues will impact caseloads, budgets, and other issues. Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 . Rubbishing the claims of Pakistan that India has deployed a submarine in their waters, Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lamba on Friday asserted that the claims made by the estranged neighbour are bogus. Addressing a press conference here, the Navy chief said that due to the prevailing security scenario, the Indian Navy has reviewed its deployment philosophy to proactively deter any menace. "I would like to say that there was no Indian submarine deployed in their area as the Pakistan Navy is claiming it to be. As far as repelling the submarine of any nation goes, it is not an easy task and the claim made by the Pakistani Navy is totally bogus. Due to prevailing security scenario, the navy has reviewed deployment philosophy to proactively deter any menace," he said. "We deploy our submarines where we need operational necessity and the need for them to be. We will continue to deploy our submarines," he added. Admiral Lanba further said that the being the largest naval power in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) the Indian Navy is aimed at abiding by its duty to shape a positive maritime environment "Being the largest navy in the IOR and working with like minded nations and navies, we remain acutely aware of our duty to shape a favourable and positive maritime environment in Indian Ocean Region," said Admiral Lanba. On last Thursday, Pakistan naval chief Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah had termed as "unusual" an alleged effort by an Indian submarine to enter into its territorial waters and warned of retaliation if such an effort was made again. "If India does something like this again, the Pakistan Navy will respond to protect our sovereignty," he said, speaking on the sidelines of the 9th International Defence Exhibition. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Qatar Prime Minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani arrived in New Delhi this evening on a two day visit to India. During the visit, the Qatari dignitary will hold discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of common interest. This is the first visit of Sheikh Abdullah to India and the third high-level bilateral engagement between the two countries in the past two years, which underlines India's growing ties with Qatar. The visit of Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to India in March 2015 was followed by visit of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to Qatar in June 2016. India's close and friendly relations with Qatar are based on mutually beneficial commercial exchanges and extensive people-to-people contacts. Qatar is not only an important trading partner for India in the Gulf region but is also the largest supplier of LNG to the country, accounting for 66 per cent of our total imports in 2015-16. Indians form the largest expatriate community in Qatar and their positive contribution in the progress and development of their host country is well recognized. There are over 630,000 Indian nationals working in Qatar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday asserted that Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's comment on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is frustration of incompetence. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told ANI, "Rahul Gandhi before commenting on the competence of the Prime Minister should rather introspect about his own competence. I would say that it is the frustration of incompetence of Rahul Gandhi that he is making such kind of unfounded utterances," Patra further said that Rahul Gandhi by and large is non-issue and has been rejected by not only the country, but by the Congress as well and the frustration is speaking today. Earlier today, chairing the Congress parliamentary party meeting, Rahul Gandhi said the country has suffered tremendous damage as a result of the vanity and incompetence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that the Congress Party has never given India a Prime Minister who was a prisoner of his own image. Gandhi further said Prime Minister Modi will be judged by history as man who gifted massive political space to anti-India forces by creating opportunistic an BJP-PDP political alliance. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) So here's a treat for all the ShaMira-fans, who have been dying to get glimpses of one of Bollywood's cutest couples! After being clicked at different social events and elsewhere, Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput will finally be before your TV screens for one-long-hour, speaking about their life, marriage, baby Misha and many more things. All credit goes to the one and only Karan Johar and his very hot and sensational couch. Confirming their presence on 'Koffee With Karan,' season five, the 35-year-old new daddy took to Instragram to share a picture from the set and wrote alongside, "On the couch with my [love]." On the same note, the 'Udta Punjab' actor has reached the mark of seven million followers on the photo-sharing app. Looks like this snap is to celebrate his big-fat Insta-family. It sees Shahid, all suited up, in a beardo-Padmavati look and wife Mira glowing in purple coloured dress. And in an hour, the picture garnered 86.7 thousand likes and numerous comments. From this, it can be very well understood that the show's TRP will shoot up to the sky on the day the episode will be aired. On a related note, the 'Haider' star has been a regular visitor on the show, other than the very first season. In the second season, he appeared with the Kapoor sisters Kareena and Karisma; in the third Sasha was accompanied by Priyanka Chopra and fourth had Sonakshi Sinha with him. But of course, this season is the most special for not only his fans, even for the actor himself! On the work front, where Mira is busy nurturing her little one Misha, daddy Shahid is busy on the floor shooting for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Padmavati,' alongside Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Kapoor. The actor will also be seen in Vishal Bhardwaj's 'Rangoon,' along with Saif Ali Khan and Kangana Ranaut, slated to release early next year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Contrary to earlier studies that identified the Hippo pathway kinases LATS1/2 as a tumor suppressor, researchers from University of California reveal a surprising role for these enzymes in subduing cancer immunity. Published in the journal Cell, the findings could have a clinical role in improving efficiency of immunotherapy drugs. "Before our study, no one knew that the Hippo pathway was regulating immunogenicity," said first author Toshiro Moroishi. Adding, "LATS1/2 deletion in cancer cells improves tumor immunogenicity, leading to the destruction of cancerous cells by enhancing anti-tumor immune responses." Hippo pathway signaling regulates organ size by moderating cell growth, apoptosis and stem cell renewal but dysregulation contributes to cancer development. In vitro studies of Hippo pathway kinases LATS1/2 showed that the loss of these enzymes promoted cell proliferation and tumor survival. In vivo research using immune-compromised mouse models also supports a tumor suppressor function of the Hippo pathway. However, when Moroishi and team deleted LATS1/2 from mouse cancer cells and examined tumor growth in models with healthy immune systems researchers found that immunogenicity -- the ability to stimulate an immune response -- improved, destroying cancer cells. Researchers caution that immune systems of mouse models are different from the human immune system so the response might be different and further studies are needed. If the outcome proves to be the same, using a LATS1/2 inhibitor alone or in combination with an immune checkpoint inhibitor may stimulate the immune system of patients that previously did not respond to immunotherapy treatments. Currently, most immunotherapy research focuses on targeting the immune system, but the new findings reveal that tumor cells may also be vulnerable to inhibitors. "Inhibiting LATS1/2 could be an attractive approach to treat cancer," said Kun-Liang Guan. Adding, "LATS is an ideal target because there are many kinase inhibitors that have been successfully developed as cancer drugs. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Battling the opposition's criticism on its sudden move to ban the big currency notes to check black or untaxed money, Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das on Friday said the people who are indulging in or colluding with money laundering or converting black money into white will not be spared. "Those indulging in or colluding with money laundering or converting black money into white will not be spared," Das tweeted. "Trails being pursued by agencies. Coordinated action underway. Result already visible. Will be more visible in coming days," He said. In the biggest seizure of cash in new currency post demonetisation, the Income Tax department on Thursday confiscated over Rs 4.7 crore during searches in a dozen premises in Bengaluru and other locations. Also the Delhi Police on November 23 seized over Rs 3.5 crore in high value demonetised currency notes from three persons in north Delhi's Kashmere Gate. On November 20, a man was detained on west Delhi's Tikri border while he was driving towards Haryana in a SUV with a bag containing Rs 49,96,000. On November 18, Nazer-e-Alam, a resident of Gorakhpur, was arrested with Rs 96 lakh in old currency notes of Rs 1,000 denominations. He was carrying a bag with Rs 96 lakh and couldn't offer any satisfactory explanation for possessing such a huge amount of cash. On November 17, police had seized 500 demonetised notes of Rs 1,000 denominations from an employee of a West Bengal-based firm, onboard Sealdah-Delhi Rajdhani train. Police had detained a paediatrician with Rs 69,86,000 in Rs 100 denominations in central Delhi's Paharganj area on November 16. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Outgoing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Anil Sinha bid adieu on Friday and said that the investigation agency under his tenure always tried level best to match up the country's expectations. "There could be short comings, there could be defects although it is difficult to match the expectations of the people but we tried our best," he told the media. Sinha also expressed satisfaction on the relationship between CBI and Media. He expressed gratification for the courts of the country for their decisions. "I have immense respect for the courts of the country and media. We have the gratitude for the media and I always respected as we had never issues with you," he said. Sinha left the decision of judgement with the people of the country and media. "I wish to acknowledge with extreme gratitude the faith and the trust that I enjoyed in the country. As I cannot judge my own performance it is for you to judge," he added. Sinha dedicated the successes and every achievement of CBI to his officers. CBI director passed on the baton to the CBI Director Anil Sinha on Friday retired from the post handing over the baton to his second-in-command, Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana, as the government did not name any full-time chief. Asthana, a Gujarat-cadre officer of 1984-batch, got elevated as the second-in-command in CBI two days ago when Special Director R K Dutta, who was among the frontrunners for the top post, was shifted to the Home Ministry as a Special Secretary. The post of second special secretary was created for the first time in the ministry. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The transition team of U.S.president elect Donald Trump has taken issue with the Pakistan government's version of the telephone conversation that took place with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Saying that Islamabad had overplayed President Elect Trump's offer to play "a role" in resolving Pakistan's disputes with India, the transition team released its own version of the telephone call. It said that both Prime Minister Sharif and U.S. president-elect Donald Trump did have a 'productive conversation' on Wednesday (November 30). The Dawn quoted the transition team's statement, as saying, "President-elect Trump and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif spoke . had a productive conversation about how the United States and Pakistan will have a strong working relationship in the future." "President-elect Trump also noted that he is looking forward to a lasting and strong personal relationship with Prime Minister Sharif," the statement added. An unidentified adviser to the Trump team said the Pakistani readout of the talk had "committed the president-elect to more than what he meant". The most critical comment on the Pakistani readout, however, came from a former White House press secretary, Ari Fleischer: "It's entirely inappropriate for the Pakistani government to release what an American president-elect says in the course of a phone call." Fleischer, who was a member of former Republican president George Bush's White House team and is close to the Trump transition team as well, noted that no government releases such readouts. "We would never release what a foreign leader said to (ex-president) George W. Bush. We would talk about what George W. Bush said. But to release what somebody else says, I am not the spokesperson for Pakistan or any other nation," he told CNN. "So, for them to do it is an entire breach of diplomatic protocol and tradition. And if they had done that to me, I would be on the phone right now with their press secretary, chewing him out. The ambassador would be on the phone with their ambassador, chewing the ambassador out. And up and down the chain," Mr Fleischer added. The US media also criticised the Pakistani decision to release the readout, agreeing with Mr Fleischer that it was inappropriate. "Readouts of phone calls between leaders are usually written safely in order to protect leaders from incidental backlash - like the one the Trump team put out," CNN noted. The Washington Post called the Pakistani release "a surprisingly candid read" and noted that it "focuses almost entirely on Trump's contribution to the conversation, and reproduces them in a voice that is unmistakably his (Mr Trump's)". The New York Times called it "a bizarre conversation", noting that "while not exactly confirming the content, the Trump transition team did acknowledge the call". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hero MotoCorp rose 0.19% to Rs 3,184.50 at 10:00 IST on BSE after total sales declined 13.07% to 4.79 lakh units in November 2016 over November 2015. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 1 December 2016. Meanwhile, the BSE Sensex was down 168.42 points, or 0.63%, to 26,391.50. On the BSE, so far 5,507 shares were traded in the counter, compared with average daily volumes of 30,188 shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 3,194.90 and a low of Rs 3,150.50 so far during the day. The stock hit a record high of Rs 3,739.90 on 8 September 2016. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 2,375 on 18 January 2016. The stock had underperformed the market over the past 30 days till 1 December 2016, falling 4.39% compared with the 3.51% decline in the Sensex. The scrip had also underperformed the market in past one quarter, falling 11.18% as against Sensex's 6.91% decline. The large-cap company has equity capital of Rs 39.94 crore. Face value per share is Rs 2. Hero MotoCorp, which posted record festive sales this year, saw a drop in retail sales after the demonetisation initiative when the entire industry also witnessed decline in sales. With the slew of measures being implemented by the government, and several initiatives immediately undertaken by Hero MotoCorp to support its dealers and consumers, the company expects the situation to steadily improve. In November 2016, the company showcased the Dawn 125 motorcycle at the EICMA Motorcycle Show in Milan. As part of Hero MotoCorp's market-specific product strategy, the Dawn 125 motorcycle has been developed specifically for the Africa region. Net profit of Hero MotoCorp rose 27.7% to Rs 1004.22 crore on 14.2% rise in net sales to Rs 7669.53 crore in Q2 September 2016 over Q2 September 2015. Hero MotoCorp is the world's largest two-wheeler manufacturer in terms of production capacity. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Sales decline 14.47% to Rs 1.36 crore Net profit of Mansi Finance (Chennai) declined 59.55% to Rs 0.36 crore in the quarter ended September 2016 as against Rs 0.89 crore during the previous quarter ended September 2015. Sales declined 14.47% to Rs 1.36 crore in the quarter ended September 2016 as against Rs 1.59 crore during the previous quarter ended September 2015.1.361.5973.5384.280.471.030.440.990.360.89 Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The latest National Summit on Education Reform is taking place at a time when the federal role in education is receding before the power of states. And thats just the way Jeb Bush, the founder of the organization that has hosted the summit for the past seven years, likes it. This new administration and this Congress have a real opportunity to bring wholesale disruption to education, said Bush, the chairman of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, during a keynote address at the summits Thursday session. They can start by lifting the federal governments heavy hand in setting education policy. The real place for change is in the states, and the real power should be with parents, he said. The foundation supports reform efforts such as A-F grades for public schools, school choice in the form of education savings accounts, charter schools, and vouchers for special education and low-income students, and requirements that 3rd graders show reading proficiency before being promoted. The focus of the summit was in how states could leverage the Every Student Succeeds Act, which deliberately divests power from the federal government and returns it to the states. President-elect Donald Trump has also said that education is the role of the state. Bush separated from the Foundation for Excellence in Education during his failed presidential bid, but returned to the organization earlier this year as its chairman . Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who was the foundations chairwoman during Bushs absence, now has a seat on its board of directors. Another member of the foundations board was Betsy DeVos, who stepped down when she was nominated as education secretary by President-elect Donald Trump. What a phenomenal, strong woman. And she will do an extraordinary job as secretary of education, Bush told the crowd. (I did not spot DeVos among the 1,000 or so attendees.) Summit Discussion Addresses State and Federal Roles in Education The idea that the federal government does have a role to play in education, however, saw some support during the panel session that featured former education secretaries Bill Bennett, Arne Duncan, and Rod Paige as well as Roberto Rodriguez, a key White House aide on education for the Obama administration. I think we are all here because we feel a huge sense of urgency, said Duncan, who after leaving the Obama administration is now a managing partner for a philanthropy called the Emerson Collective. The critique of the Obama administration was that it moved too fast, Duncan said. I think my critique is that we went far too slow. Rodriguez said that the federal government has a role to play in ensuring equity for English-language learners, students with disabilities, and other students who have been at the margins of education discussions. I would hope we would not backslide into more ideologically driven discussions, Rodriguez said. But Paige said he was concerned about the gap between policymakers and practitioners. When schools change, that change will be in response to people in the schools, Paige said. And Bennett saidto applausethat the administrations equity actions have led to an office for civil rights in the Education Department thats run amuck now. He continued: The notion that the states are these irascible children, these juvenile delinquents that need to be brought to heel all the time is, I think, just wrongheaded. Wipro said that it has been awarded a three-year IT infrastructure services and digital transformation contract by Woodside, an Australian oil and gas company. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 1 December 2016. Reliance Industries (RIL) will be in spotlight as the company's telecom unit Reliance Jio Infocomm (Jio) announced that it has crossed 5 crore subscribers in just 83 days from commencement of services on 5 September 2016. The average rate of addition of 6 lakh subscribers per day is the fastest achieved by any technology company in the world including the likes of Facebook, WhatsApp and Skype. The announcement hit the exchanges at the fag end of the market hours yesterday, 1 December 2016. On this occasion, Jio also announced the launch of 'Jio Happy New Year Offer (JNO)', which will be effective from 4 December 2016. All the Jio subscribers will be entitled to certain special benefits under the JNO, which shall comprise of Jio's Data, Voice, Video and the full bouquet of Jio applications and content, absolutely free, up to 31 March 2017. During this offer period, Jio and Jio customers, will be able to continue the journey of co-creating and building the best network experience together. The benefits will be available to all subscribers signing up for Jio services up to 3 March 2017. The existing Jio Welcome Offer (JWO) users will continue to enjoy the unlimited benefits under JWO up to 31 December 2016, following which they would be automatically signed-up for the JNO as well. Reliance Jio Infocomm, doing business as Jio, is a LTE mobile network operator in India. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of RIL. IndusInd Bank announced that it proposes to raise funds by issue and allotment of senior unsecured redeemable non-convertible long term bonds in the nature of debentures (infrastructure bonds) for cash aggregating to Rs 1500 crore on private placement basis. The said borrowing shall be within the overall borrowing limits of the bank as may be approved by the shareholders from time to time. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 1 December 2016. Coal India and its subsidiaries achieved 93% of targeted production at 50 million tonnes in November 2016. The company achieved 97% of targeted offtake at 48.16 million tonnes in November 2016. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 1 December 2016. Tata Motors announced that its passenger and commercial vehicle total sales (including exports) in November 2016 were at 38,900 units, almost flat compared with 38,918 vehicles sold in November 2015. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 1 December 2016. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A young engineer, whose innovation got appreciation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, landed in police net after he and his accomplices were caught with fake Rs 2,000 notes in Mohali town of Punjab, police said on Friday. The Punjab Police in Mohali, adjoining Chandigarh, have recovered fake currency worth Rs 42 lakh in Rs 2,000 denomination and arrested Abhinav Verma, his cousin Vishakha Verma, and Ludhiana-based property dealer Suman Nagpal. The trio, along with two others, were duping people by exchanging the demonetised Rs 500 and 1,000 notes for the fake Rs 2,000 notes. They were charging 30 per cent commission for the exchange. Mohali Superintendent of Police (City) Parminder Singh said the fake currency was recovered on Wednesday from a brand new luxury Audi SUV which the trio were using. The vehicle even had a red beacon, which is allowed only for VVIPs, on it. The police have been conducting raids to arrest two more members of the gang who slipped away. "The currency given by the gang (to their customers) even after charging commission was fake," Singh said. "Abhinav is an engineering graduate who is into manufacturing sensors to be installed in the sticks for visually handicapped. His office is in Chandigarh and they used to print the fake currency of Rs 2,000 denomination at his office only," the official said. While Abhinav, 21, and Vishakha, 23, who is pursuing MBA, used to print the fake currency, the property dealer used to find clients who wanted to get their unaccounted money converted to new currency. "The notes seized from them had the same serial number," an investigating official said. Abhinav had last year claimed to have created 'Live Braille', a wearable technology innovation that helped blind people to walk around without the aid of a walking stick. The device used sensors to guide blind people and was hailed as a success. It even got a mention from Modi in December last year at the Indian Science Congress in Bengaluru. The device was commercially launched this year, touted as an innovation under the 'Make in India' programme, and sold in India and over 15 countries. Abhinav, who wanted to "change the lives of 50 million blind people in India" with the device, had termed it as a "freedom device". He even established a fund-raising initiative -- Milaap -- for this campaign. The 'Milaap' website prominently mentions Abhinav's innovation as "Recognised by the honourable PM Narendra Modi and former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. This device was amongst the Top-3 Hardware Technologies in India and was nominated amongst the Top-15 hardware startups at the Asia Hardware Battle, organised by TechCrunch and TechNode in March 2016". Amritsar -- famous for the holiest of Sikh shrines, the Golden Temple, and the major city bordering Pakistan -- will host a two-day multilateral global summit beginning on Saturday, with focus on stabilising the war-torn Afghanistan. Organisers of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process, founded in Istanbul in November 2011, said the aim was to strengthen confidence-building measures and initiate steps to counter narcotics and terrorism and to expand trade, commerce and investment opportunities in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani will jointly inaugurate the ministerial deliberations on Sunday, the sixth in series and held once a year. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Foreign Policy Advisor Sartaj Aziz is scheduled to visit Amritsar to attend the ministerial conference of 14 Asian countries. Aziz will return on the same day. Officials said any formal dialogue on the sidelines of the conference between India and Pakistan is unlikely. "Pakistan has not requested for any bilateral meeting so far," Gopal Baglay, who heads the Ministry of External Affairs division dealing with Pakistan, said. Pakistani Foreign Office also ruled out any possibility of any dialogue, saying "for now, we don't see any willingness" on India's part. Over 40 foreign ministers and dignitaries of the participating countries, including Russia, China, the United Arab Emirates and Iran, supporting countries like the US, Canada and France and international organisations like the European Union, will participate in the conference. The last Heart of Asia Ministerial Conference was held in Islamabad in December 2015. At that time both India and Pakistan agreed to start "Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue" to resolve all outstanding issues. But the Pathankot air base attack in January this year -- less than a month after the Islamabad conference -- thwarted the possibility. Ahead of the Heart of Asia conference, Afghanistan Ambassador to India Shaida Mohammad Abdali said in Delhi that the focus of the summit will be on problems of terrorism in the South Asian region. "As we all know and as Afghanistan has always stated, terrorism is a continuous threat, especially to India and Afghanistan and of course many others in the region," Abdali said. Without naming Pakistan, Abdali said that during the Heart of Asia process, "unless we take a collective measure to fight terrorism, to fight the breeding ground of terrorism, the safe sanctuaries, we will not be able to bring peace and stability either to Afghanistan or to anywhere else in the region or India". Afghanistan is the permanent chair for the Heart of Asia Process, while the conference host country holds the "co-chair" position. India says during the conference a basket of six confidence building measures would be discussed. With External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj indisposed, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will represent India in the ministerial conference. --IANS vg/ahm/sar/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Another newborn baby was rescued from west Bengal's North 24 Pargana district on Friday, police said. "A baby boy aged between 10-12 days was rescued from Benapole village in North 24 Pargana district's Deganga on Friday. The kid was deserted at the corner of a club in the village," said an officer from Deganga police station. Residents of the village first heard the child's cry and informed the local police station. Five newborn kids have been recovered so far in the last three days amid increased police vigil after the unearthing of child trafficking racket in the state last month. Three newborns including a baby girl were rescued from South 24 Pargana district on Wednesday while one more baby boy was recovered on Thursday from a deserted filed in Burwan district's Memari. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party supporters led by state BJP president Dilip Ghosh, agitated in front of state Health Department headquarters 'Swastha Bhaban' in Salt Lake demanding the resignation of Child Development Minister Sashi Panja. The agitating BJP workers also demanded Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in the inter-state child trafficking case. --IANS mgr/ssp/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Triggering uproar and disruptions in parliament, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stretched till Friday evening her overnight vigil at the state secretariat protesting against army deployment in the state's toll plazas allegedly without any intimation to her government. Banerjee left the secretariat "Nabanna" in neighbouring Howrah after staying put for 36 hours as the issue snowballed into a major row that saw Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar and the Indian Army's Eastern Command rubbishing her claims. Meanwhile, state Ministers staged a sit-in at the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata, and other Trinamool Congress leaders and activists hit the streets across the decrying the "attack on the country's federal structure". The party also sent videos of the army deployment at toll plazas to President Pranab Mukherjee. Before leaving the secretariat, Banerjee threatened to explore "legal options" if the army was not withdrawn, and dubbed the Centre as "arrogant". She said she had great respect for the army, but was "sad" in the manner in which they were being used for "political vendetta". Banerjee, who is also the Trinamool Congress supremo, claimed that the army informed the police about their exercise only for one spot -- the toll plaza of Vidyasagar Setu near Nabanna. "Police did not permit them to conduct such exercise. They did not give any intimation for other places where they undertook their exercise," she said. In the Lok Sabha, Parrikar said the army was conducting a routine exercise and the state government and the police knew about it in advance. He accused Banerjee of politicising the matter. In Kolkata, the Eastern Command showed papers detailing the correspondence between the army and the local police on the issue. "We deny all charges with all contempt," said General Officer Commanding (officiating) Maj. Gen. Sunil Yadav. The army also termed as "baseless" Banerjee's charge that army personnel were collecting money from vehicles. The issue, coupled with the demonetisation fracas, deadlocked Parliament functioning. In the Rajya Sabha, the matter was raised by Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad during Zero Hour, who sought a clarification from the government and a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy called it an attempt by the Centre to instill fear in the state, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati called the move an attack on the federal structure of the nation. "Modi teri Hitlershahi, nahi chalegi, nahi chalegi (Modi, you can't govern like Hitler)," the opposition shouted and trooped near the Chairman's podium. Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the upper house till 2.30 p.m. amid the pandemonium. But as soon as it met again at 2.30 p.m., the opposition members, mainly of the Congress, resumed sloganeering and the house was adjourned for the day. In the Lok Sabha, Trinamool's Sudip Bandopadhyay raised the issue. The House saw much din, and finally Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the house for the day. Outside parliament, Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Delhi backed Banerjee. "Things should happen within the knowledge of the state government. Mamataji is doing the right thing by voicing her concern," said UP's Akhilesh Yadav at a programme, while Delhi's Arvind Kejriwal said the state was targeted by the central government as Banerjee dared to slam demonetisation. But in her own state, Banerjee drew flak from the opposition Congress, Left Front and the BJP for trying to use the army to score political brownie points. The BJP even demanded her resignation. The drama unfolded on Thursday evening when Banerjee alleged that the army has been deployed at the Dankuni and Palsit toll plazas on National Highway 2 (connecting Delhi and Kolkata) without informing her government and demanded to know whether a military coup has taken place, "The motive is political, vindictive, unconstitutional, unethical and undemocratic," she said, demanding the withdrawal of the army from the second Hooghly Bridge toll plaza, about 500 metres away. "I'll keep vigil to protect the democracy, to protect my democratically-elected government." Shortly after midnight, the Eastern Command said troops had been asked to withdraw from the toll plaza near Nabanna as the required data had already been collected. Past 2 a.m., Banerjee -- holding her third media conference since evening -- stuck to her decision to spend the night there, arguing that the army may return. --IANS ssp/vd/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian filmmakers lack trust in homegrown make-up artistes and are sometimes even ready to shell out thrice their budget to sign up foreign talent, says Subhash Shinde, who has been working with movie stars -- especially in Bollywood -- for over two decades. For several years, Shinde assisted senior make-up artistes and it was in 2005 that he landed an independent project in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Black". He has since also tried his hand at prosthetics, which he proudly used without any training, in "Mary Kom" and "Sarbjit" -- giving Priyanka Chopra and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan dramatic makeovers. "I am also doing prosthetics for 'Haseena' and 'Mom'. People have started becoming aware that prosthetics are available in India as well," Shinde, who recently visited Paris for the French European Indian Fashion Week, told IANS. In the 2009 film "Paa", Hollywood make-up artiste Christien Tinsley was roped in to lend megastar Amitabh Bachchan his look as a child affected by progeria. Multiple Oscar winning artiste Richard Taylor came on board to use his expertise for Shankar's Tamil movie "I". These are just two examples in a list of many instances. "People (Indian filmmakers) don't trust Indians only. I feel that they can at least trust us and give us a chance. The budgets for international make-up artistes is three times that is set aside for us Indians... Why? "If you give us the same budget here, we will deliver better too. But the trust is not there," said Shinde, who has also worked in the TV, fashion and ad industries apart from his portfolio of 39 film projects in 22 years. Having primarily worked in the field of glamour make-up for the majority of his career, he says doing prosthetics was a "risk" he took without any formal training. It was by way of observing its nuances and by doing some trials that he learnt it. Now, through his Subhash Shinde International Academy -- which offers courses in Professional Make-up Artistry, Advanced Professional Make-up Artistry, Prosthetics, Professional Hairstyling, Bridal Make-up, Bridal Hairstyling and Personal Make-up -- he hopes to share his talent and knowledge about the craft with young aspirants. "I want to share my talent. There's no point of keeping it to myself. We do batches of 25 students and I believe it's a superb career option for those who are serious about it and creative enough," said Shinde, whose assistants and co-workers also train students at the academy. He feels newcomers are increasingly getting a chance in the industry as there is demand for "freshness". "Also, there is something new to learn from them all the time. Even I get to learn interesting things when my assistants or students come up with something creative," he said, adding that while "links" may be helpful, "ultimately, if your work is good, people automatically recommend you and you get noticed". That apart, Shinde said there is a definite progress in the type of make-up done in Indian films. "Earlier, there used to be normal make-up with typical cuttings. Nowadays, there's more interest towards natural make-up and get-ups that match a character. With more real stories coming to cinemas, everything, including the actors' look and make-up, is changing. "And as make-up artistes, we go as per a project's script. We can't do things on our own." --IANS rb/nn/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) French authorities have warned the officials of the country's political parties of potential Russian cyber-attacks during the presidential election campaign, local reports said. Suspicions arose from incidents during the recent presidential elections in the US which involved hacking the private email account of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of state, Efe news agency reported. France reiterated Germany's concerns over possible cyber-attacks, as the latter is also holding its legislative elections in September next year. The director of France's national agency of IT security Guillaume Poupard, estimates that cyber-attacks can have a real impact and change the voting results. Elections are scheduled to be held in 2017. --IANS vgu/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Israeli President Reuven Rivlin's November 14-21 visit to India came a year after President Pranab Mukherjee visited Israel in October 2015. In the meanwhile, Home Minister Rajnath Singh (November 2015) and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj (January 2016) visited Israel, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to be in the country early next year. The spurt in high-level political engagements apart, India-Israel relations have been robust with growing cooperation in various areas. No surprise, therefore, that a large delegation of government officials, businessmen and academics was accompanying the Israeli President. President Rivlin held discussions with Prime Minister Modi followed by signing of an agreement to improve cooperation in the field of agriculture and water resource management. He visited the Centre of Excellence in Agriculture (CEA) in Karnal, Haryana, that has been set up with Israeli assistance, and travelled to Agra where, besides visiting the iconic Taj Mahal, he inspected the "Aqwise" water treatment plant put up by Israel. He, along with President Pranab Mukherjee, also inaugurated the Agro Tech 2016 in Chandigarh. In one of his media interactions, Rivlin underscored the growing comfort level in bilateral relations, saying: "This is not a friendship we should be hiding." India-Israel relations have witnessed significant strides in the past few years with growing defence trade and Israeli willingness to share its technological expertise in various areas, including agriculture, irrigation and water treatment. Counter-terrorism cooperation and intelligence-sharing add to the bilateral ties. Yet, India continues to face a dilemma with its support to the Palestinian question. Analysts, however, argue that of late India has toned down criticism of Israeli actions against Palestinians. Since the Modi government came to power in New Delhi, a degree of openness has emerged demonstrating New Delhi's unapologetic stance over its relations with Israel and support to Palestine. India's engagements with Israel, especially in defence trade, have grown steadily over the past decade. It is the third-largest trading partner of Israel in Asia after China and Hong Kong, and defence equipment comprise a significant proportion of Indian imports. With the coming into power of the Modi government, the possibility of further strengthening of defence trade gained ground. Giving credence to such a possibility, in October 2014, India decided to buy $525 million-worth of missiles and launchers from Israel. During Rivlin's visit, away from media glare, India signed contracts with Israel Aerospace Industries to purchase two Phalcon/IL-76 AWACS and 10 Heron TP UAVs worth $1.4 billion. An Israeli proposal to jointly develop Heron UAVs with the Defence Research and Development Organisation in India was also discussed. Highlighting the possibilities of partnership with Indian industries in defence manufacturing, Rivlin declared that Israel is ready for both "Make in India" and "make with India". Further, there has been growing cooperation between India and Israel in counter-terrorism and intelligence-sharing. The two share similar views with an uncompromising attitude towards any form of terrorism. Emphasising the need for countering terror of all hues, Rivlin, during an interview with an Indian news agency, said: "Terror is terror, whoever carries it out and whoever are its victims. And we all have the duty to condemn (it) and fight with... against this terrible evil." He also visited Mumbai and paid tributes to the victims of the 26/11 terrorist attack. Addressing a gathering of the Jewish community, he said "Indians are no strangers to the threat and to the reality of modern global terrorism", adding that Indian and Israeli values of "democracy and freedom are strong, and we are defending (them) with all our might". The highlight of the visit was the focus on cooperation in areas of science and technology, agriculture and water management. An agreement was signed to further strengthen cooperation in these areas. Israeli technology has been used to improve the irrigation system in arid regions in Rajasthan and Haryana while it has also set up CEAs in 12 locations across six Indian states -- Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu -- under the Indo-Israel Agriculture Project. Further, Israel has offered to invest in river-cleaning and water treatment projects. Signifying the thrust on cooperation in science and technology and agriculture, Rivlin tweeted before leaving for India: "Filled with pride as I depart for a state visit to India to see how Israeli innovation is improving the lives of millions." Bilateral relations have come a long way and are set to flourish with Israeli willingness to share technology and invest in India's development projects. India's search for a reliable source of technology to improve its defence and agriculture sectors finds a willing partner in Israel. As India and Israel prepare to complete 25 years of establishment of diplomatic relations, the growing warmth in bilateral ties can hardly be missed. (Dr. Md. Muddassir Quamar is Associate Fellow at the Institute of Defence Studies & Analyses, New Delhi. The article is in special arrangement with South Asia Monitor/www.southasiamonitor.org) --IANS qamar/vm/ky/sac (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Friday took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling him "incompetent". "The country has suffered tremendous damage as a result of the vanity and incompetence of our PM," Gandhi said while addressing Congress parliamentary party meeting here. He said that Congress never gave India a Prime Minister who was a prisoner of his own image and criticised Modi's Kashmir policies. "By the time Congress left government in 2014 -- 50 plane loads of tourists were landing in Srinagar airport every day," he said. Rahul Gandhi added that his party stands with the soldiers and victims of terrorism. "I would like to honour the soldiers, officers and civilians who have lost their lives to terrorists over this year... We gave the government our full support during the surgical strikes. "We will always support any action that helps India defeat terrorism. But policy cannot be based on ad hoc responses to events. The price of not thinking actions through is simply too high," he said. He criticised demonetisation and offered his condolence to the 80 odd people who have lost their lives after high value currency was banned on November 8. He also slammed the government for passing important legislation on voice votes. "It is a reflection of the BJP's mindset that they choose to pass the 'Amendments to Income Tax' bill in the din without allowing for a discussion. It is an insult to the institution," he said. Both houses have been subjected to repeated disruptions everyday since the winter session of the Parliament started in November. --IANS bns-kd/in/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An Indian in the US has pleaded guilty to committing student visa fraud, according to an attorney, local media reported on Friday. Tejesh Kodali, 45, of Edison, New Jersey, admitted to recruiting foreign nationals and enrolling them at a fake New Jersey college to maintain their "student-visa status and obtain full-time work authorisations without having to attend classes," US Attorney Paul J. Fishman said in a statement, reported New Jersey online reported. Kodali, who is the CEO and manager of two Middlesex county firms, pleaded guilty in Newark federal court on Thursday to a charge of conspiracy to commit visa fraud in the scheme to enrol foreign nationals at the University of Northern New Jersey in Cranford -- a fake college created by federal officials to uncover visa fraud, the attorney's statement said. Kodali faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. His sentencing is scheduled for March 13, 2017. The Indian was the director of operations of Promatrix Corp. and Blue Cloud Techs Corp. -- two "purported international student recruiting and consulting companies" in Edison, New Jersey. Kodali admitted he was getting commissions by outsourcing the foreign nationals as information technology consultants to US companies, according to Attorney Fishman. Kodali and his accomplices also attempted to obtain 37 student visas or work authorisations. He caused the foreign nationals to be reported in government databases as legitimate foreign students. Kodali and his foreign clients obtained and created fraudulent student documents, including attendance records and transcripts, and thus deceived immigration officials. --IANS soni/ahm/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The earlier that English-language-learner students are reclassified as English-proficient, the more likely they are to graduate high school, a study from the Regional Educational Laboratory at WestEd found . The study, which examined high school graduation rates in Arizona for five English-learner-student subgroups, also found that students who entered high school as English-learners were less likely to graduate in four years, the researchers found. Overall, the researchers found that the graduation rate gap between students who were reclassified as English-proficient in elementary school and students who are still ELLs in high school was striking. The students in each subgroup entered high school during the 2010-11 school year and were expected to graduate in spring 2014. Only 49 percent of long-term ELLsstudents who have attended school in the United States for four years or more without being reclassified as proficient in Englishfinished in four years. A group identified as new English-learner studentsthose identified as ELLs after 6th grade who entered high school with the designationfared only slightly better, with 52 percent graduating on time. On the other end of the curve, students reclassified as English proficient in elementary school had a much better shot at graduating high school in four years. Roughly 81 percent of former ELLs reclassified as English proficient between grades 2 and 5 graduated on time. Thats only four percentage points less than the graduation rates for Arizonas never English-learners, students who are native English speakers or were deemed to be English proficient before they reached 2nd grade. The study points out that students who are reclassified earlier are likely to have more time in mainstream classes to learn academic concepts in English prior to graduation. However, the researchers warned against assuming that the date of reclassification alone accounts for the differences in graduation rates, noting that students who are reclassified in earlier grades are less likely to need special education services, live in poverty, and have interrupted formal education. The absence of risk factors may make these students more likely to succeed in school and more likely to graduate within four years, the researchers concluded. The researchers argue that their findings make the case that high school English-learners need more support in order to graduate in four years. That syncs with the conclusion of a WestEd study released earlier this fall that found even middle and high school ELLs who are deemed English-proficient still often struggle to grasp math and English/language arts lessons. Arizona is something of an outlier on ELL education and policy, something that previous WestEd studies have noted. The state has a long and contentious history of educating students who are learning English . The amount of funding and the states approach to ELL education been the subject of court challenges and federal investigations for decades. Related Stories Many Reclassified ELLs Still Need English-Language Support, Study Finds Report Questions Arizonas Approach to English-Language-Learner Instruction English-Language-Learner Graduation Rates Are All Over the Map Arizona Alters Mandatory English-Only Program Stemming the Tide of English-Learner Dropouts Image Source: Regional Educational Laboratory at WestEd Amit Malviya, head of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Information Technology unit, said that he had not meant to warn journalists about "defaming" politicians. "But if some people see this as a warning, it is their interpretation," Malviya, who heads the battery of workers involved in seeding social media content for the party, told IANS. Malviya was referring to the tweet he sent out about a lower court conviction of a well-known Karnataka journilist, Gouri Lankesh. "Prahlad Joshi, BJP MP from Dharwad, gets Gouri Lankesh convicted in a defamation case. Hope other journos take note," Malviya, who directs the ruling party's digital strategy, tweeted. Malviya has been severely criticised for the threatening tone of his tweet against journalists. "I just wanted to emphasise that people should desist from writing without proper facts," Malviya said. Joshi himself took on a milder tone than Malviya, saying journalists writing about someone should take his/her version too. "I wouldn't say this is a warning. My only submission is that journalists writing about a person or persons should publish their side of the story too," Joshi told IANS. Joshi had filed a defamation suit against Lankesh for a report published in January 2008. The court sentenced her to six-month imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000, but Lankesh obtained an anticipatory bail from the same court and is appealing the case. --IANS bns-mak/nir/hs/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday extended support to his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee who has accused the Union government of "deploying the army" along two highway toll plazas while keeping the state government "in the dark". "I feel whatever Mamataji is doing, the way she is raising her voice against the Centre, is a good thing. Things should happen within the knowledge of the state government. Mamataji has the right to know what is being done in her state by the centre, she is doing the right thing by voicing her concerns," he said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit here. "I don't feel it is a healthy democracy where things happen in a state without the knowledge of the state government," said the Samajwadi Party leader. While the Indian Army has denied the Chief Minister's charges asserting the exercise has been conducted in coordination with local police authorities, Banerjee wondered if there was a military coup. Akhilesh Yadav said similar incidents also happened in his state. "I am the Chief Minister of UP... don't I have right to know how much money is being sent to the banks? "For example if a terrorist is arrested (by the central agencies) from a state and the Chief Minister is not aware of that, is that acceptable? Such incidents have happened in UP also but I kept quiet as it was matter involving the country's security," he said. Banerjee who has been virtually at war with the Modi government over the demonetisation issue, spent Thursday night at the state secretariat, demanding "withdrawal of the army" and dubbed the motive behind the deployment "political, vindictive, unconstitutional, unethical and undemocratic". She has also got support from her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, who earlier on Friday said that Banerjee was targeted by the central government for daring it on demonetisation. --IANS and/vd/bg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Russian company JSC AEM-technology on Friday said it has started manufacturing two sets of steam generators for the third and fourth 1,000MW nuclear power units to be set up at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu. According JSC AEM-technology, blanks for two sets of steam generators have to date been delivered and machining work for steam generator body shells and large branch pipes have begun. "After inspections of shell blocks being conducted in the presence of the customer's representative, it is planned to start the assembly of SG (steam generator) bodies," the company said. The steam generator is an article of safety class 1. Its diameter is over 4 m, length 15 m, and weight 340 tonnes. The SG body is a horizontally oriented vessel with two elliptical end heads, in the middle of which hot coolant supply and removal headers are located. At the top of the vessel, there is steam room, while the bottom accommodates a heat exchange surface composed of 11,000 stainless steel tubes of 16 mm diameter and 10 to 15 m length. The ends of the tubes are joined to the two headers. The set of equipment for one power unit of an nuclear power plant of this type includes four steam generators. According to the company, the steam generators will be shipped to India in 2018. India's nuclear power plant operator, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) is setting up 1,000 MW units at Kudankulam in Tirunelvelli district, around 650km from here. The company has completed two units and construction activities for the third and fourth units have started. The general agreement for the construction ofA Units 3 and 4 was signed with Russian atomic power company Rosatom in 2014. --IANS vj/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Melbourne man was taken into custody on Friday for stabbing to death a French tourist in the Australian outback, reports said. The French tourist, travelling through the northern outback with his wife, was killed by Pande Veleski on Wednesday, Xinhua news reported. Detective Superintendent Travis Wurst of the Northern Territory Police said the fatal attack took place at Connor Well, a truck stop, approximately 100 km north of the small city of Alice Springs. "It is believed that the French couple were at a rest stop, on the Stuart Highway when they were approached by the attacker," Wurst said in comments published in Friday's newspapers. "Veleski allegedly then stabbed the man on his neck, in an unprovoked attack. He died on spot," Wurst said. Wurst said the wife was undergoing treatment for shock at the Alice Springs Hospital, where Veleski was also being monitored under police custody. According to the French consulate-general, the French government is continuing to provide ongoing support to the victim's family. --IANS in/ (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a step aimed at preventing future outbreak of diseases such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya, researchers in Brazil have developed a test that analyses clinical samples from patients to diagnose infection by 416 viruses found in the world's tropical regions. The tool can be used by reference laboratories to assist epidemiological surveillance by detecting pathogens with the potential to cause epidemics in humans. "The number of patients with suspected dengue, Zika or chikungunya infection will increase when summer arrives," said lead author of the study Victor Hugo Aquino, Professor at University of Sao Paulo at Ribeirao Preto. "Conventional methods are frequently unable to confirm diagnosis of these diseases, so we don't know which viruses are circulating," Aquino noted. If a tool like this had been available when Zika began circulating in Brazil, it might have been possible to restrict its spread to the initial outbreak location, he said. "We took a long time to realise an epidemic was under way because no one was thinking of Zika at the time," he said. In addition to the pathogens, the platform detects others that as yet have been identified only sporadically but could become epidemics. Examples include Mayaro, an alphavirus related to chikungunya that is transmitted by wild mosquitoes such as Haemagogus janthinomys, and Oropouche, which to date has caused epidemics confined to riverine communities in the Amazon region and is transmitted mainly by midges of the species Culicoides paraensis. "There are several other viruses that haven't yet caused problems in humans but may do so one day," Aquino said. "They're evolving all the time, and with the degradation of natural environments infectious agents once confined to natural niches could spread farther afield," Aquino pointed out. Although the platform is designed above all to detect pathogens transmitted by arthropods such as mosquitoes and ticks, it can also diagnose infectious agents transmitted by small mammals, like hantavirus, said the study published in the journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. --IANS gb/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Actress-turned-producer and host Tara Sharma Saluja believes that people's choices make their life, and that gender equality is about having the choice of being a caregiver or a working mother. Tara, a mother of two children -- Zen and Kai, manages to balance her personal and professional lives well. Talking about the freedom of choice, Tara, whose new season of "The Tara Sharma Show" will soon go on air, told IANS here: "Gender equality is about having the choice of being a caregiver or a working mom because our choice makes our life." "Moreover, the society should not be judgmental about one's choice. So, one does not have to prove how good working mom she is by staying in office for 12 hours and taking care of her kids. You are equally cool as a mom even if you are staying home and nurturing your baby." She said that it was her choice to be involved in every step of her children's upbringing. "However, I could not just sit at home. So, I conceptualised my show about parenting where I can balance my profession and parenting at the same time." Though there is celebration of working mothers and that is considered a sign of gender equality, according to Tara, it is only the perspective that has changed. Sharing an example, she said: "When I was interviewing actress Kajol, she told me how Tanuja ji (veteran actress and Kajol's mother) would go to work and she would stay with her grandmother. That is when I realised that the acknowledgement of a working mother has grown over period of time and our society celebrates it largely." It is interesting to observe how in five years, the show, which will air on Star World and Star World HD, has transformed from just a parenting and child care to broaden its horizon to parental issues, social changes and conversations on unexplored topics between parents and their children. Explaining the reason behind such changes, Tara said: "Here, I would like to refer to my father, writer and theatre personality Pratap Sharma who always told me how reinventing yourself is important. When I started the show, my kids were babies. "They are growing up and developing their individual mind, and so, as a parent I am also growing. Therefore, many topics crossed my mind that I think are very important to discuss as a parent regarding family issues, child sexual abuse, identifying kids' talent and encouraging them to follow their passion. "So, the change that you can see in my show is a journey of continuation that we are taking to the next level." Tara started the show by inviting celebrity mothers like Kajol, Konkona Sen Sharma and Juhi Chawla. In later seasons, based on the topic of discussion, celebrities like Virat Kohli, Soha Ali Khan, John Abraham, Farah Khan, Prince Manvendra, Emraan Hashmi, Sonam Kapoor, Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh graced her show. Many actresses are celebrating motherhood. For instance, actress Kareena Kapoor Khan recently walked on the ramp flaunting her baby bump. Even former Miss Universe and now an actress Sushmita Sen has been vocal about being a single mother. According to Tara, actresses are reinventing themselves with motherhood. "For instance, Konkona after being a successful actress and mother, has now become a filmmaker. Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan set a desirability on screen and is balancing both motherhood and stardom nicely," she shared. (Arundhuti Banerjee can be contacted at arundhuti.b@ians.in) --IANS aru/nn/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Giving a stern warning to those who were converting black money into white, the Finance Ministry on Friday said that the trails were being watched by the income tax officials and a coordinated action was underway. "Those indulging in or colluding with money laundering or converting black money into white will not be spared," Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said in a tweet. "Trails being pursued by agencies. Coordinated action underway. Result already visible. Will be more visible in coming days," he said in another tweet. Meanwhile, Das told reporters on Monday that demonetisation has led to excess cash in the system which was being tackled by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). "It is a situation of excess liqudity and the RBI is managing it. It is definitely on the higher side," he told reporters here. To manage surplus liquidity, the central government, on RBI's advice, on Friday revised upwards the ceiling for issue of securities under the Market Stabilisation Scheme (MSS) to Rs 6,00,000 crore. In June 2016, the ceiling for the outstanding balance under MSS for 2016-17 was fixed at Rs 30,000 crore. In another measure to absorb a part of this surplus liquidity, the RBI on November 26 had announced additional cash reserve ratio (CRR) of 100 per cent for banks on the increase in net demand and time liabilities (NDTL) between September 16, 2016 and November 11, 2016. The additional CRR directive came into effect from November 26. Simply put, CRR is the percentage of the total deposit that banks have to keep with RBI. The RBI will review the incremental CRR on December 9 to decide the future course. --IANS mm/vd (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar said on Friday that the army was conducting a routine exercise in West Bengal and the northeastern states and also rejected the allegations levelled by TMC that state government was not informed about it. "This is a routine exercise of the Army which has been continuing since last 15 to 20 years. This exercise was conducted last year too between November 19-21," Parikkar said in Lok Sabha. "Even this year, the same exercise was being conducted in West Bengal and other northeastern states. This was also done in Uttar Pradesh and Jhakhand," he added. "Earlier, it was decided that the exercises would take place between November 28-30. But state police urged to extend to dates as there was shut down on November 28. So it was decided that the exercises would take place between December 1 to DSecember 3," Parikkar said. He also accused the TMC leader and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of politicising the matter. "It is saddening that a routine exercise has been made a controversy now. It is wrong to politicise it. This is in frustration rather than correct aspect being pointed out," Parikkar said. Earlier, raising the matter during question hour, TMC leader Sudip Bandopadhyay the army deployment was done by keeping the state government in dark. He said that army was deployed along a highway toll plaza, which is at the second Hooghly Bridge and about 500 m from the secretariat. "The Chief Minister is still sitting on Dharna inside the secretariat demanding immediate withdrawal of the army," he said. --IANS bns/ahm/vm (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Thousands of villagers on Friday bid a tearful adieu to an Indian Army soldier, Chittaranjan Debbarma, who was killed in a terror attack on an army camp near Jammu on Tuesday. Men, women and children had assembled in huge numbers at the cemetary when Debbarma's last rites were performed at Gaishing Para, 80 km north of Agartala. Naik Debbarma, 36, a Christian by faith, was laid to rest with full military honours in the presence of his father Madhusudhan, 84, mother Sanchani, 79, wife Namita and two children aged 11 and 7 years. State Forest Minister Naresh Jamatia, and senior civil, army and security officials were present. The body of the soldier was flown to Tripura on Thursday -- two days after he and six of his colleagues were killed in a gun battle with militants at an army camp in Nagrota, 15 km from Jammu. Debbarma joined the army's engineering wing in 1998. A few months ago, he was transferred to Nagrota military base from West Bengal's Kanchrapara. "He called us when the terrorist attacked the military camp. He told us to pray for him. He was saying that he might be killed as the militants encircled the camp. After a minute, the phone went silent. We called back many a time but...," slain soldier's wife Namita said. "He came home in June this year and told us that he would come home next month. We were keenly waiting for him. But got only his mortal remains." Debbarma's elder brother Arun retired from the army in March this year. He is the second Tripura man in services killed in a militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir within a week. Earlier, 34-year-old Border Security Force (BSF) Havildar Sambhu Satmura was killed in a landmine blast along the India-Pakistan border in Poonch district on November 22. --IANS sc/sar/vt (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen retired Marine General James Mattis as Defense Secretary. "We are going to appoint 'Mad Dog' Mattis as our Secretary of Defence. But we're not announcing it until Monday so don't tell anybody," Trump said on Thursday at a rally in Cincinnati, kicking off his post-election 'Thank You' tour. "They say he's the closest thing to General George Patton that we have and it's about time." he said. Mattis, who continued to rise through the ranks and establish his credentials as a military thinker, has said that Washington lacks an overall strategy in the Middle East, opting to instead handle issues in an ineffective one-by-one manner. Last year, he said responding to "political Islam" was the major security issue facing the US, The Washington Post reported. He emerged as the top contender for Pentagon chief soon after Trump won the White House. They met in New Jersey on November 19, with media reporting that Trump was impressed by Mattis' resume. "The president-elect is smart to think about putting someone as respected as Jim Mattis in this role," said a former senior Pentagon official. "He's a warrior, scholar and straight shooter -- literally and figuratively. He speaks truth to everyone and would certainly speak truth to this new commander-in-chief," the official said. US media speculated that an extensive knowledge about the Middle East and a tough stance against extremism helped Mattis get the job. Since the US law prohibits military officers from becoming Defense Secretary within seven years of retirement, Mattis must acquire a special waiver from the Congress to become eligible. Congress has granted a similar exemption just once, when General George C. Marshall was appointed to the job in 1950. Mattis, 66, enlisted in the military in 1969, was promoted through the ranks for his performances in the first and second Gulf wars and the Afghanistan War. He occasionally has come under scrutiny for impolitic remarks. Most notably, he said in 2005 during a panel discussion in San Diego that "it's fun to shoot some people" and "I like brawling", drawing criticism from the Marine commandant at the time, General Michael Hagee. Like Trump, Mattis favours a tougher stance against US adversaries abroad, especially Iran. The General in April said that while security discussions often focus on terrorist groups such as the Islamic State or Al Qaeda, the Iranian regime is "the single most enduring threat to stability and peace in the Middle East". Known as "Mad Dog" and "Warrior Monk", Mattis retired as chief of US Central Command in 2013. --IANS py/dg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Following the lead of states across the country, perennial top performer Massachusetts is reconsidering what role students test scores should play in evaluating teachers. But while many states have pulled back from the practice , a new proposal by the Bay States education commissioner would continue the contentious policy, though with some alterations. The states long-serving education commissioner, Mitchell Chester, has proposed lifting a controversial 2011 state rule that requires school districts to give every teacher a student-impact rating, based solely on his or her students performance on standardized tests, reports The Boston Globe . Currently, districts are required to give two scores, one solely based on test scores and one based on classroom observations and artifacts like lesson plans. Chesters proposal would have districts combine those two systems, keeping test scores as part of the evaluation systems, but not forcing districts to calculate separate ratings based just on test scores. Central to the argument that we heard from administrators and teachers alike in the spring was that the requirement that we have an independent, a separate, discrete rating of impact on student learning, whatever value-add it was providing, the cost of thatthe distraction of thatfar outweighed the benefit of it, Chester told State House News Service, a wire service. Chesters proposal has drawn mixed reactions. Glenn Koocher, the executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, praised the measure, deeming it a skillful compromise : "[I]t gives people what they wantnot having to go through the hoops and developing the algorithms on how to do a student-impact rating. But Barbara Madeloni, the president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, argues that the practice of using test scores to evaluate teachers is based on faulty science and should be ended. The commissioners plan fails to address the reality that there is no way to fairly and effectively judge teachers based on student test scores, she told the Globe. At least 31,500 civilians have been displaced within Aleppo since fighting between warring factions escalated the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. Over half (18,000) of these, who have been forced to flee their homes have gone to Jibreen, a government-held district of western Aleppo, Xinhua news agency cited an OCHA statement on Friday. A further 8,500 have fled to a Kurdish area while 5,000 have been displaced within east Aleppo which has been under siege for almost five months, the UN body added. According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), around 60 per cent of those displaced are children. Though unable to reach civilians who have not left eastern parts of the war-torn city, the UN said Thursday that it is able to provide much needed food and medical aid to the displaced. OCHA also said that the UN had acknowledged a Russian proposal to open four humanitarian corridors servicing east Aleppo. After discussions with Moscow, the UN hopes to use these corridors to carry out medical evacuations while bringing much needed relief items to east Aleppo if safety guarantees are provided by all parties to the conflict. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday that West Bengal was targeted by the Centre as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee dared to slam the . "West Bengal is being targeted because Mamtadi dared to speak against demonetisation," Kejriwal tweeted. "Mamtadi, keep up the fight. Whole nation is with you," the Aam Aadmi Party convenor said expressing his support. WB is being targetted becoz Mamtadi dared to speak against demonitization. Mamtadi, keep up the fight. Whole nation is wid u. https://t.co/yw5kA1Ma78 Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 2, 2016 The Trinamool Congress chief had accused the central government of "deploying the army" along two highway toll plazas while keeping the state government "in the dark" on Thursday night. Later, she said she would not leave the secretariat till the soldiers were withdrawn. In a dramatic turn of events, Banerjee stay put despite the withdrawal of soldiers from the toll gate till early Friday. With no signs of thaw in the deadlock with the government, a combative Opposition on Friday continued their vociferous protests in the over the demonetisation issue, forcing adjournment of the House for the day without transacting much business. Marking another week of virtual washout of proceedings barring the passage of the Bill to amend the I-T Act without discussion, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the proceedings for the day little past 12.30 pm. Opposition members, including those from Congress, TMC, AIUDF and the Left parties, trooped into the Well, resorting to high-decibel sloganeering. Some of them were even howling as the proceedings went on. AIADMK, RJD and NCP members were seen standing at their seats. As the ruckus continued during Question Hour, a visibily peeved Mahajan said it was not proper to disturb other members and also warned the protesting members not to disrupt Ministers when they were giving replies. "I am warning you, I will have to name you... I am again requesting you, this is not good, this is not proper, don't disturb others," she said. While mentioning that they have been doing it for several days, Mahajan said, "I have not prevented you but please don't curb the rights of other members... Don't come to this side (in front of Treasury benches). Don't disrupt the Ministers who are replying to questions." Notices for adjournment motion moved by various members from the Opposition were not allowed by the Speaker. Amid the din, the House was adjourned for a brief while till noon amid protests during Question Hour, where as many as seven questions and supplementaries were taken up. Members continued their protests after the House dresumed at noon. The Zero Hour went on for little over half-an-hour before Mahajan adjourned the proceedings for the day. Opposition parties have locked horns with the government over the issue of demonetisation of high value currencies, with the witnessing a virtual washout since the Winter Session began on November 16. Congress Vice-President on Friday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he is a prisoner of his own mage and interested only in doing TRP . Seventeen workers were injured, nine of them seriously, when a boiler exploded in a private pharmaceutical company in Wanjri on the outskirts of the city tonight, police said. Most of the injured people sustained serious burn injuries due to the blast and were rushed to nearby hospitals, including state-run Mayo hospital, they said. There were no immediate reports of any casualty in the incident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Eighteen elderly people were killed and two others injured today when an overloaded mini bus plunged into a roadside pond in central China's Hubei province, police said. Two others including the driver was injured in the accident. The nine-seater bus carrying 19 people met with the accident near Miaoling Township in Ezhou City, killing 18 people, head of the information office of the city government said. According to police, the accident occurred at 6 AM near Miaoling Township, Ezhou City, Hubei Province. The bus was not registered as a commercial commuter vehicle and was overloaded, which caused the accident, police said. Many of the casualties were over 60 years old, the oldest being 74. They were from two nearby villages, state-run Xinhua agency reported. Police are questioning the driver and have launched an investigation, the report said. According to Ma Yichun, a work safety and supervision official for the city, heavy fog with visibility of less than 100 meters may have led to the accident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 18 people were killed and two others injured today when a bus they were travelling in plunged into a roadside lake in central China's Hubei province. The bus carrying 20 people met with the accident near Miaoling Township in Ezhou City, killing 18 people, head of the information office of the city government said. Two people, including the driver, have been rescued. They have been admitted to a hospital with minor injuries. The driver, surnamed Li, is in police custody, state-run Xinhua agency reported. Ezhou's publicity department said the victims have been identified and the bus has been pulled out of the water. According to Ma Yichun, a work safety and supervision official for the city, heavy fog with visibility of less than 100 meters may have been connected to the accident. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Three persons associated with a Mumbai-based educational research organisation were today arrested here for allegedly preparing school textbooks with 'objectionable and non-secular' content, police said. Sources in the Kochi Police said the arrest of three persons from Mumbai-based 'Burooj Realization' was made following its investigation into a case against a school here for allegedly teaching students objectionable content and exhorting them to lay down their lives for Islam. The accused are allegedly responsible for preparing contents for the controversial textbooks taught at the Peace International School at Thammanam in Kochi, a police official told PTI. They were arrested from Kochi, the official said. He, however, declined to provide details. The controversial school in Kochi is run by a trust headed by influential local businessmen. It is not clear if the curriculum was drafted by persons close to controversial preacher Zakir Naik. Police had earlier registered a case under IPC sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) against the school principal, administrator and three trustees. The case was registered in October this year on the basis of a report filed by the Ernakulam District Education Officer, stating that "what was being taught was not secular". Police had said Islamic curriculum was being followed in the school and students were being exhorted to lay down their lives for Islam. The school has classes from LKG till eighth standard. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Alarmed over India reporting 60 per cent of leprosy cases in the world, the Health Ministry launched a massive door-to-door campaign to detect "hidden" cases and more than 31,000 new patients were identified under it, Lok Sabha was informed today. "Yes. A massive door-to-door campaign named "Leprosy Case Detection Campaign" (LCDC) was launched by National Leprosy Eradication Programme to detect hidden cases of the disease. "The campaign was conducted during March-April and September-October. 31,660 cases were reported during this exercise," Minister of State for Health Faggan Singh Kulaste said in a written reply. He said that to reduce the under-reporting of leprosy cases, a three-pronged strategy has been introduced for their early detection. These include leprosy case detection campaign in high endemic districts, focused leprosy campaign for hot spots of low endemic areas and special plan for case detection in hard to reach areas. "India contributes to approximately 60 per cent of the world's leprosy patients. 12,57,85 cases were reported in the country in 2014-15, while 1,27,334 were reported in 2015-16," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The first round of accreditation decisions for teacher prep programs under a new set of so-called tougher standards is now over. This was a big test for the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), which was conceived in 2010, and whose job it was to unite the embattled field behind one set of standards. So how did it go? Out of 21 teacher preparation programs from 14 states that were seeking accreditation under the new standards, 17 have met all expectations and gained accreditation, while four programs have failed to meet all the required standards, according to an inaugural report that CAEP released on Monday. The most challenging part of the process for many programs is figuring out how best to collect the data they need, given that they may not even have access to that data, said Kim Walters-Parker, the chairwoman of the CAEP accreditation council. The programs need to collect data showing their graduates impact on student learning. But some states are forbidden to provide the data, according to Walters-Parker. Thats a huge challenge, she said, but were hopeful that going forward we can convince states to give us better data so we can help them get better teachers. Education schools are judged on five standards , which place a strong emphasis on outcomes, including the academic achievement of students taught by each programs graduates. Each standard contains multiple benchmarks. Fail to meet just one of those benchmarks, and CAEP withholds its accreditation stamp of approval for two years, until the program can provide proof that it has remedied the problem and now meets all parts of the standard. Thats exactly what happened to the education college at the University of Utah, in Salt Lake City. CAEP gave the program probationary accreditation for failing to meet one part of standard 4 . The goal of standard 4 is to measure graduates impact in the classroom. A program must provide student test scores, along with evidence that graduates and graduates employers are satisfied with the preparation the teachers received. The graduates satisfaction might be shown through surveys they complete about how prepared they were for the realities of teaching, while employer satisfaction might be shown through retention data. The University of Utahs college of education provided evidence for all of the above. But it failed to meet one part of standard 4: indicators of teaching effectiveness. This part requires programs to show through structured validated observation instruments and/or student surveys, that completers effectively apply the professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions that the preparation experiences were designed to achieve. Simply put, the program needed to send a professor to the graduates classrooms, either to observe the graduates teaching or elicit feedback from the graduates students through a survey. Ill be honest with you, said Mary Burbank, an assistant dean for teacher education at the University of Utah, to miss the entire standard when we have provided data that shows we meet multiple benchmarks, its frustrating. Burbank noted the obstacles to gaining access to teachers classrooms and their students, but that wasnt the only source of her frustration. CAEPs website, according to Burbank, allows until 2018 to phase in the standards requirements. Here is the relevant language on the website: Provide operational guidance for the requirement that EPPs [education preparation providers] meet all components of Standard 4 for full accreditation by extending the timeline for quality evidence through 2018. In light of that language, Burbank has requested that CAEP review its decision. To physically go to schools and observe graduates and gather data from students about our grads, this is a process that has to gradually unfold, she said. It requires cooperation of districts, schools, the university, FERPA [Family Education Rights and Privacy Act] compliance as well as Institutional Review Board clearance. Im harping, I know, but citing CAEPs own website, they are allowing a phase-in until 2018, and we are requesting that they give us more time according to their own policy. Whats more, Burbank said CAEP should have told the program it was not meeting the standard in their correspondence during the accreditation process, between January and September of this year. She says the review was complete in January and the program should have received feedback from CAEP in a month, but did not receive a report until late September. Walters-Parker said she couldnt discuss the cases of individual programs, but did say that the accreditor has been working to streamline its processes, improve training for its reviewers, and is starting to see success. Were dealing with a uniform system going forward, she said, referring to the division created when, in 2010, the merger of the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, or NCATE, and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council, or TEAC, created CAEP. (Read more about that here ). So now we have one set of procedures, one set of training, which will help CAEP with the workload and help turn around reports, get feedback to EPPs [educator preparation providers], and other communication more efficiently. That the accreditation process seems to be smoothing out is clear, according to Burbank, who said she appreciated that CAEP responded right away to her request for review. She expects to get a final decision soon. Donna L. Wiseman, the dean of the college of education at the University of Maryland, served on the committee when CAEP got its start. She said the universitys education program is now preparing for its accreditation review from CAEP, which will take place in 2018, and so far her view is that CAEP continues to improve. Yet while Wiseman is confident that her program will easily pass muster, she doesnt necessarily agree with all of the standards on which it will be judged. One standard that Wiseman takes issue with is standard 3 , which requires program candidates to collectively meet an average 3.0 GPA by graduation. While she said the University of Marylands program can meet the requirement, she considers the benchmark arbitrary. I would feel much better about this requirement if there were research to support it, she said. You can have a high GPA, but then find it overwhelming to have to respond to 25 little people in front of you. And there are many good examples of students with low GPAs who turned out to be great teachers. Burbank agreed that the standards should be backed by research, and said the part of standard 4 that the University of Utahs program failedthe part that requires the program to observe its teachersis not backed by research. The basic purpose is to look systematically and thoughtfully at programs so if we can peel away the minutiae and tedium of data collection and look more thoughtfully at programs, we might ask: Do those forms of data equate with quality? She said she plans to have these discussions with officials at the University of Utahs college of education, with the state, and with CAEP. Walters-Parker of CAEP said the group has no immediate plans to revise any of the standards, but she doesnt rule it out entirely. Its important to the field that people know what to expect and that we keep the process as consistent as possible, she said. But we also understand that there will be times when things will have to be revised. Established standards are needed, of course, but we wont hold on to them to the point of being hardheaded and stubborn. While CAEP is working out the kinks in its processes, it has one big problem to contend with: The accreditor has not yet earned recognition from the U.S. Department of Education. (CAEP is working on it, but it will take years, according to Wiseman.) This causes trouble for the University of Marylands program because the states law requires that the teacher-prep accreditor have the approval of a federal group. Were working with the state department of education and with CAEP to fix this, Wiseman said. We have to change the language of the law; otherwise, we cant certify teachers. Voicing displeasure against both the state and Central governments for not doing enough for the Bhopal gas tragedy victims, an organisation fighting for their cause has alleged that 32 years after the world's worst industrial disaster, the victims are still waiting for adequate relief and justice. Besides relief, the gas leak victims want stringent punishment to those responsible for it and also those who allegedly facilitated escape of the then Union Carbide chief, late Warren Anderson, said Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sanghathan's, convenor, Abdul Jabbar. "Even three decades after the disaster, neither the Madhya Pradesh government nor the Centre has attempted to undertake a comprehensive assessment of its impact or to take necessary remedial measures," Jabbar said. Jabbar along with others has been fighting for justice to the gas victims. More than 20,000 people died after methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a pesticide plant of Union Carbide India Limited in the Madhya Pradesh capital on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984. Many more continued to suffer from its ill effects years later. The impact on flora and fauna in the affected area was equally grave. He alleged that the state government has failed to address "adequately and with sensitivity" a host of socio- economic problems that confront the chronically sick, the elderly, the differently-abled, the widowed, and other vulnerable sections among the gas victims. "The pittance, which was disbursed as compensation in most instances to these sections was never enough to take care of their daily needs. Finding gainful employment in accordance with the reduced capacity to work and to lead a dignified life has been a serious challenge," Jabbar said. The state government has to give far more attention and provide far larger support to the most vulnerable sections of gas-victims than in the past, he said. Referring to the toxic waste that was generated during UCIL's operation from 1969 to 1984 and which remained dumped in and around the plant leading to severe soil and water contamination, he alleged that a comprehensive study to assess the extent and gravity of the damage has not been carried out by the Centre or the state government till date. "Instead, the magnitude of the problem has been grossly underestimated by making it appear that the total toxic waste that needs to be safely disposed of is only about 345 tonnes that is stored at the plant site," Jabbar said, adding, that too is still lying in the premises with no solution in sight. Similarly, who facilitated the escape of the then UCC chief Warren Anderson from Bhopal should also be looked into, said Jabbar. In response to an application filed by Jabbar and Shahnawaz Khan on June 15, 2010, the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of Bhopal had on November 19, 2016 ordered a case to be registered against Moti Singh, a retired IAS officer and Swaraj Puri, a retired IPS officer, under sections 212 (harbouring an offender), 217 (public servant disobeying direction of law with intent to save person from punishment or property from forfeiture) and 221 (intentional omission to apprehend on the part of public servant bound to apprehend) of IPC for sheltering accused Anderson and allowing him to escape from Bhopal on December 7, 1984. Summonses have been issued to Singh and Puri to appear before the court on December 8, 2016 in this regard, Jabbar said. The responsibility for providing safe drinking water to the affected population is entirely that of the state government, which is yet to fulfil its responsibility in this regard, he said. Meanwhile, five NGOs are planning to burn the US flag along with the logos of the two multi-national companies here tomorrow, which happens to be the 32nd anniversary of Bhopal tragedy. These NGOs have been accusing the US administration and the two companies of being inhumane towards people still suffering due to the toxic waste of the now defunct Union Carbide factory. "We are going to burn the US flag and logos of two US companies - Dow Chemicals and DuPont," Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pensionbhogee Sangharsh Morcha, president, Balkrishna Namdeo said. Four persons, alleged to be the members of a gang of dacoits, have been arrested when they along with 5-6 others were going to loot cash in a factory in Okhla Industrial area on 'payday' following an encounter in south-east Delhi's Pul Prahaladpur area, police said today. Yesterday, police received tip off about suspected robbers coming to commit dacoity in Pul Prahladpur area. "Following which, the team took their positions at the designated places near Vishwa Karma Colony, MB Road. At around 11.40 PM, an informer spotted two cars whose number plates were smudged with mud to conceal its identity followed by one motorcycle," DCP (Southeast), Romil Baaniya. One of the cars was stopped by a policeman and the occupant was asked to come out, but finding themselves trapped, the occupant of the car came out and took out a pistol and fired aiming at the cop, he said. "Another police personnel warned the assailant to surrender but he fired at him, who also fired warning shots. The occupants of the second car also stepped out and started firing at the police party," said Baaniya. In the meantime, the driver of a car managed to escape with the vehicle taking the advantage of a truck passing nearby, he added. Police personnel managed caught one Krishan, who was driving another car, and another accused Goverdhan got injured in the eye while coming out the rear of the car and was arrested as well. One of the accused, Manish, ran away after opening fires at the police party and hid himself under a car but was later arrested following the search of the area, the officer said. There were about 5-6 other accused who manage to escape in this melee and also tried to loot a car and opened fired at the driver but the bullet hit the bonnet of the vehicle and they could not take away the car. After which they stopped a scooter and fled on it. The other accused took advantage of the darkness and fled towards the jungle. The four arrested accused have been identified as Manish, Sunil, Goverdhan and Krishan Kumar, the officer said, adding the teams have been formed to nab the other accused. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As many as 78 are untraceable after having raised Rs 312 crore from investors, with Gujarat having the maximum number of 17 such entities, was informed on Friday. These entities are, among others, from Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Punjab. Vanishing are those that fail to file documents and balance sheets after raising funds through public issues and are untraceable. Cumulatively, these 78 vanishing have raised about Rs 312 crore. Gujarat, at 17, has the maximum number of such firms. Other such companies include 13 in Andhra Pradesh, 10 in Tamil Nadu and 9 in Maharashtra. Besides, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi have 5 vanishing firms each. A total of 238 companies were initially identified by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs as 'vanishing companies', which raised money through public issues, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. Of these, 160 companies have been deleted from the list as they were subsequently traced. Presently, only 78 companies remain untraced. Besides, the ministry has ordered probe into the affairs of 185 companies through Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) in more than three financial years. This includes 24 firms in the current fiscal. These firms were allegedly running illegal chit-fund, ponzi and multi-level marketing entities. Also, they were involved in unauthorised collection of funds from the public, Meghwal said. The Delhi government has set a target of setting up 1,000 mohalla clinics by March next year to provide "quality health services" to all Delhiites, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today. After inaugurating two mohalla clinics at night shelter complexes at Dandi Park and Sarai Kale Khan ISBT, he said that the file relating to setting up of 1,000 mohalla clinics has been sent to the Lt Governor and hoped it would be cleared within 10 days. "The LG has stopped file of 1,000 mohalla clinics following which the government won't be able to set up all of them by the end of this year. "I hope that 1,000 mohalla clinics will be built by March 31 next year. These mohalla clinics are aimed at providing quality health services to the people of Delhi," he said. Kejriwal said the two mohalla clinics inaugurated today would give the right of health services to the homeless. The government has also formed 18 rescue teams which will work from 10 PM to 4 AM daily. These teams will roam around the city to find homeless people sleeping in the open during winter months and shift them to night shelters. "This is the first time that poor people are being given respected lives by the AAP government. Earlier, whichever political party formed government, it used to forget after winning election. But, our government is taking care of the poor," he said. The government has also launched a mobile application through which one can upload images of homeless persons sleeping in the open and thereafter, rescue team of Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board will shift them to the nearest night shelters. He claimed officers working in Delhi used to focus on "earning" money during previous governments, but they are now enjoying serving the people as AAP has adopted zero tolerance against corruption. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A new body set up by Myanmar's government to investigate allegations of rights abuses against Rohingya in Rakhine lacks credibility, activists said today, as former UN chief Kofi Annan began a visit to the troubled state. Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has faced a growing international backlash for failing to probe claims the army is carrying out ethnic cleansing of the Muslim minority. But rights groups rejected the new 13-member commission as toothless, noting it includes no Muslims and is led by Vice President Myint Swe, a retired army general formerly blacklisted by the United States. A close ally of former junta leader Than Shwe, Myint Swe was head of special operations in Yangon when the military government ordered a bloody crackdown on the monk-led protests of the Saffron Revolution in 2007. "We've got little faith in another homegrown commission, particularly if it's headed by a military man," said Matthew Smith, chief executive of Fortify Rights. "This new commission won't be capable of conducting a credible human rights investigation, and it certainly lacks independence. The time for an independent international investigation is now." Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch in Asia, said the new commission "doesn't look like it's independent or impartial". Suu Kyi's office said the new commission would investigate the raids on police border posts on October 9 that sparked the deadly military lockdown as well as "international accusations" of army abuses. It is the second body created by Suu Kyi to try to heal the religious divide that has split Rakhine state since deadly sectarian unrest killed more than 100 people in 2012. In August she appointed fellow Nobel laureate Annan to head a separate body, which Buddhist nationalists have bitterly denounced as foreign meddling. Oo Hla Saw, a senior politician from the Arakan National Party, said "the new commission will do nothing different". "I don't have much hope for it," he told AFP. Privately some Muslim leaders in Myanmar also said they were concerned their voices would not be represented, but asked not to be quoted for fear of reprisals. More than 10,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh in recent weeks, the United Nations said on Wednesday, fleeing a bloody army crackdown in the north of Rakhine state. Arrivals in Bangladesh have told AFP horrifying stories of gang rape, torture and murder at the hands of Myanmar's security forces. Myanmar has denied allegations of abuse, but has also banned foreign journalists and independent investigators from accessing the area. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The single dirt street in El Guayabo runs past a few dozen cinderblock homes, the medical clinic and the primary school to a grove of 76 trees planted to honor Fidel Castro on his 76th birthday. Today, residents of El Guayabo walked a mile down that street to Cuba's central highway to bid a final farewell to the man they credit for bringing medical care, education and basic comforts to this hamlet in the farming and ranching country of arid, sun-scorched eastern Cuba. "We owe him everything," said Rafael Toledo, a 71-year-old rancher. "There'll never be another one like him." Mourning for Castro has reached near-religious peaks of public adulation across Cuba since his death at age 90 on November 25. Huge crowds have been shouting his name and lining the roads to salute the funeral procession carrying his ashes from Havana to the eastern city of Santiago. By midday, the cortege had reached the city of Las Tunas, some 665 kilometers east of Havana. Las Tunas residents shouted, "I am Fidel!" as the seven-vehicle caravan sped by, some waving little Cuban flags and others capturing the moment with cameras on their cellular phones. In the cities some of the ceremony has been undercut by grumbling about Cuba's autocratic government, inefficient bureaucracy and stagnant economy. The outpouring has seemed the most heartfelt in Cuba's east, the region his ashes are crossing today. Castro was born in eastern Cuba. His revolution started here, and it's here and in other parts of rural Cuba where his campaigns for literacy, social welfare and land redistribution had their deepest impact. "Before the revolution, the countryside wasn't what you see now," Toledo said. "My parents were sharecroppers, cane-cutters. They did what they could to support a family of 12, but they couldn't even sign their names. When they died they were literate and had a house with electricity, television and a refrigerator." For many foreigners, landing in Havana feels like traveling back in time, to an era of 1950s cars and Art Deco homes unpainted for decades. Heading into the countryside is another step back -- to a region where farmers plow with oxen and people travel by horse-cart. But, thanks to Castro's programs, there are also neighborhood health clinics, small-town libraries and specialized high schools with dance and arts instructors. Before the revolution, El Guayabo was a family estate with a cheese factory owned by a Cuban family who fled to the United States after Castro and his rebel army took power. The land was distributed to those working it under agricultural reforms that Castro began in 1959. Still, while rural Cubans' lives have improved with the arrival of doctors and teachers in once-ignored backwaters, it has been a struggle to earn a living under the island's one-party socialist government and its stifling economic rules. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Afghan security forces have lost control over a small percentage of the terrain they previously held, but are getting better at repelling the Taliban overall, a top US general said today. Kabul now directly controls about 64 per cent of the country's population of 30 million, General John Nicholson, the chief US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, said -- down slightly from 68 per cent he cited earlier this year. The Afghans now no longer under government control are not in the hands of the Taliban, but live in areas that are being "contested," he said. "While the enemy controls slightly more terrain than before, they do not control more of the population than they did in April," Nicholson said. All told, Kabul still directly controls about two-thirds of the population. "The enemy holds less than 10 per cent, and the balance is contested," Nicholson said. Afghan police and army units took over providing security for Afghanistan from NATO in 2015. Their first year was something of a disaster, when they sustained more than 5,000 fatalities and saw the regional capital Kunduz briefly captured by the Taliban. Despite tracking even higher casualty numbers so far this year, Nicholson said the Afghans had inflicted a high death toll on the Taliban and are improving, having prevented eight Taliban attempts to seize another regional capital. "Every one of these attempts failed," he said. "This is a sign of an army that's growing in capability, that's maturing in terms of its ability to handle (simultaneous attacks) and complexity on the battlefield." The Taliban have been especially active in Helmand province -- a global center for opium production -- and are working with traffickers, Nicholson said. "There's a nexus here between the insurgency and criminal networks that's occurring in Helmand that makes Helmand such a difficult fight," he added. Nicholson also blasted the "malign influence" of "external actors," including Pakistan, Russia and Iran, which he said enabled or legitimized insurgent groups inside Afghanistan. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) AIADMK workers today held special prayers for the speedy recovery of their party chief J Jayalalithaa, who is undergoing treatment at a hospital here since September 22, by lighting about one lakh lamps at temples in different parts of the state. Prayers were held on behalf of AIADMK's 'J Jayalalithaa Peravai' forum and was attended by Ministers, MLAs and senior leaders. About one lakh lamps were lit by the party workers in Murugan and Amman temples in different parts of the state, including Chennai, Madurai, Sivaganga, Nilgiris, Pudukottai, and Krishnagiri. Lamps were lit in designs resembling 'Om' and 'Amma,' as Jayalalithaa is addressed by supporters, praying for her complete recovery and return home. Jayalalithaa, 68, was admitted to Apollo Hospitals here on September 22 after she complained of fever and dehydration. Hospital Chairman Pratap C Reddy had last week said the chief minister, who is getting whole body physiotherapy, is undergoing a "normal recuperation after being in bed for several weeks getting treated for illness" and it is she who would decide when to return home. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Top American lawmakers have pledged continued support towards further strengthening of Indo-US ties during their meetings with India's new ambassador Navtej Sarna, amidst flurry of activities in the national capital ahead of transition of power in January. Embassy sources familiar with the meetings said there was "a great appreciation" on how the relationship is improving. The meetings resulted in discussion on a wide range of issues in particular counter-terrorism, security and defense, bilateral trade. "Great to welcome India's Amb Navtej Sarna in Washington. Look forward to working together to strengthen US-India ties," Congressman Eliot Engel, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, tweeted yesterday. "Met with Ambassador Navtej Sarna today and discussed the strategic relationship between the US and India," tweeted Congressman Brad Sherman after his meeting with the diplomat. Congressman George Holding, Co-Chair of the House India Caucus, pledged his "great support" for a strong India-US relationship, whereas Senator Jim Risch discussed India-US bilateral relationship, global and regional issues. He is Chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counter-terrorism. During their meetings with Sarna, the lawmakers "fondly remembered" the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi this summer and his historic address to the Congress, sources said. Sarna was warmly received by Senator John McCain, Chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee. He is a strong supporter of India-US relationship. In his meeting with Sarna, Congressman John Conyers discussed India-US relationship and contributions of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Martin Luther King. Sarna, who arrived in the US on November 5, in the last few weeks met several other key members of Congress including Senator Orrin Hatch, Chairman of Senate Finance Committee, Senator Jack Reed, Ranking Member of Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Mark Warner, Co-Chair of Senate India Caucus, and Adam Smith, Ranking Member of House Armed Services Committee. He also met Congressman Ami Bera, Co-chair of House India Caucus. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Veteran actor-director Amol Palekar will be the chief guest during the opening ceremony of 21st edition of International Film Festival of Kerala, which will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here on December 9. Renowned Czech filmmaker Jiri Menzel would be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award during the ceremony, Minister for Cultural Affairs and Cinema, A K Balan told reporters here. "Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the festival at the Nishagandhi auditorium here. Actor-director Amol Palekar will attend the event as chief guest," he said. Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac, MPs Suresh Gopi and Shashi Tharoor, K Muraleedharan MLA and Mayor V K Prashanth would also take part in the inaugural ceremony. As many as 185 films from 62 countries would be screened under various categories in the week-long festival, scheduled to conclude on December 16. Fifteen movies will be screened in the international competition category, while 81 films would be screened in the world cinema section, he said. The screening would be held in 13 select theatres in the state capital. As many as 16,767 delegates have already registered for the event and over 11,000 of them had remitted the fees, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The best rebuttal to the argument that teaching in public schools is hardly as tough as depicted is the latest survey of school districts in California (California faces a looming teacher shortage, and the problem is getting worse, Los Angeles Times, Dec. 1). The Learning Policy Institute found that 75 percent of 211 districts, which reflects the demographics of the states 1,025 districts, reported difficulty filling positions. Low-income and rural areas were hit the hardest. What Id like to know is why this problem exists in the first place, not only in California but nationally, if public school teachers are well compensated for the work they do. The argument is that their total compensation amounts to roughly $1.50 for every $1 their skills could command in a private sector job (Public School Teachers Arent Underpaid , The Wall Street Journal, Nov. 8, 2011). In addition, they have two months off during the summer, and their work day allegedly ends at 3:00. And that does not include pensions, which are criticized for being far too generous. What a great deal! Well, if so, then I repeat: Why is there a shortage? Shouldnt the total compensation package be enough to attract and retain enough college graduates to fill public school classrooms? I know exactly what critics are going to say. The shortage is only in certain fields. There is some truth to that. The physical sciences, math, and special education immediately come to mind. But I maintain that even if those fields were excluded, the problem would not significantly ease. The reality is that teaching in public schools today is far more difficult than ever before in the history of this country. Teachers are required to perform on an unprecedented scale, and are made the scapegoats for all the ills afficting society. Would paying teachers far more change the dismal picture? I remain highly skeptical. Teachers are not like other employees. Theyve never chosen the classroom as a lifelong career to become affluent. Of course they want higher salaries. But I doubt that alone would be enough. Combat pay has failed to solve the shortage in hard-to-staff schools. I expect the shortage to become even more acute in the years ahead. Although voters have consistently rejected vouchers or their variants by overwhelming margins in referendums across the country since 1966, I doubt they are willing to do what is necessary to make teaching a truly coveted career. With food safety regulator FSSAI setting new standards for camel milk, dairy major GCMMF, which sells products under the brand, on Friday said it will launch camel milk in the next three months. will first start selling camel milk in Ahmedabad and will later launch in other cities. "We operationalised standards for camel milk today. We took two years to come out with standards. The standards will help better marketing of camel milk in cities," Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) Chairman Pawan Agarwal said at an exhibition organised by NGOs 'Sahjeevan' and 'Foundation for Ecological Security' here. This will also help create awareness about the health benefits of camel milk, he added. Aggarwal assured that it would take possible measures if any fine tuning is required in the standards going forward. Speaking on the occasion, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation's (GCMMF) Marketing Manager Hardeep Banga said that the cooperative will launch camel milk in 500 ml bottle in the next three months. "Now, the plant is ready in Kutch. We are going to market camel milk in the next three months. Initially, it is will be sold in Ahmedabad through booths in 500 ml bottle," he said, adding that the camel milk would later be marketed in Delhi and Mumbai. Two years back, Sahjeevan approached GCMMF for marketing of camel milk produced in Kutch area. A Rs 3 crore project was initiated and about Rs 70 lakh funding support was provided together by state and central governments, he added. Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said, "After assessing scientifically, camel milk has been recognised with the line of food grade. This will not only benefits rearers of camels but also facilitate for value-addition productions." A beginner's book on pastoralism 'A World Without a Roof' written by Sarita Sundar was also launched at the exhibition on pastoralists being held at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) here from December 2-18. The 16-day multi-media exhibition will showcase the lifestyles of Indian pastoralists - their remarkable history of mobility, the fantastic eco-systems which nurture their life-world, their culture, science, art, spiritual moorings and the economics of herding. The armed forces have a "healthy civil-military relationship" and it is their duty to step up and provide relief to the civilians whenever they are called upon to do so, Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said today. "We have a healthy civil-military relationship. Wherever we have gone, we have done a commendable job. Whether it was Chennai or Jammu and Kashmir (floods) or when there has been a law and order problem. And I don't see any problem with this," he said, at an annual Navy Day press conference. Admiral Lanba was responding to a question whether presence of armed forces in civilian areas, especially during disaster relief, is seen as a tussle in civil-military relations. "If there is any need, the armed forces will step up and provide support in whatever form, whether it is law and order situation or disaster relief. It is well within our capability. I believe it is our duty to provide this (support) whenever we are called upon to do so," he said. Admiral Lanba said the citizens of the country admire the armed forces and are aware that they are an effective organisation which delivers what is mandated to them. The Navy chief's comments come at a time when the issue of Army's presence at toll plazas in West Bengal kicked up a storm with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee remaining at the state secretariat overnight in protest, asking was it an "army coup". The Army, on its part, strongly rebutted Banerjee's allegations that its personnel were deployed at toll plazas without informing the state government, while Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar too vehemently denied the charge. He also said it is unfortunate that army has been dragged into an "unnecessary controversy". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The issue of Army's presence at toll plazas in West Bengal kicked up a storm with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee remaining at the state secretariat overnight in protest, asking was it an "army coup", a remark that invited a sharp condemnation today from the Centre which said it showed her "political frustration". The row also echoed in Parliament with Trinamool Congress seeing "sinister" designs behind the move and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar vehemently denying the charge, saying it was a routine exercise. Parrikar also said it was very unfortunate that army has been dragged into an "unnecessary controversy". The Army on its part strongly rebutted Banerjee's allegations that its personnel were deployed at toll plazas without informing the state government and were collecting money, saying the exercise was being carried out in coordination with Kolkata Police. The Army personnel, however, had left the toll plaza near the secretariat last night. TMC MLAs and ministers also staged a dharna outside Raj Bhavan in Kolkata. Speaking to reporters late last night at 'Nabanna', the state secretariat in Kolkata, she said, "I will stay at the secretariat to guard our democracy". She continued to stay put at the secretariat, demanding the withdrawal of army personnel from all toll plazas in the state. "Is this a military coup?" she asked. She said that army personnel were there in different districts like Murshidabad, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, North 24 Paragans, Burdwan, Howrah, Hooghly etc. "The army is deployed without informing the state government. This is unprecedented and a very serious matter." The issue was raised in both Houses of Parliament with main opposition Congress too seeking clarification on the army deployment at 19 toll plazas in West Bengal. In Lok Sabha, Parrikar termed the deployment a "routine exercise not unique to West Bengal" and saying similar operations to collect information on heavy vehicle movement that can be used during national emergencies had last month being conducted in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. Along with West Bengal, similar exercise was carried out in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghlaya and Mizoram, he said while responding to TMC and Congress MPs. He also stated that originally the exercise was planned for November 28-30 but was shifted to December 1 and 2 at the request of Kolkata Police as those dates were clashing with the protests against demonetisation. "It is shocking that a Chief Minister is saying this. The Army's deployment was part of routine exercise which has been going on for several years, which has been going on for last 15-20 years. Even last year it was held on November 19 to 21." "Concerned officials were informed in West Bengal. The original date was fixed for November 28 to 30 but due to Bharat Bandh the local police had advised the army to shift it to December 1 and 2," he said. "Due to traffic congestion, the exercise is being done with the help of local police." TMC leaders in both Houses alleged that neither the state government, nor local administration including police were taken into confidence on the exercise or their permission sought. Congress and BSP too wanted to know from the government how such an unprecedented move to carry out an army exercise without taking state government into confidence was done. "It was very unfortunate that army has been dragged into an unnecessary controversy," Parrikar said. "It was political frustration rather than projection of correct situation." The Army also released letters written to the West Bengal government on the exercise. "It is happening in nine states now across 80 locations," GOC Bengal area (officiating) Maj Gen Sunil Yadav said. Reacting to Chief Minister's allegations on collection of money, he said, "We deny all charges with all contempt." "Allegations of collection of money by Army personnel are also totally baseless," he added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Army on Friday strongly rebutted West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's allegations that its personnel were deployed at toll plazas without informing the state government and were collecting money, saying the exercise was being carried out in coordination with the Kolkata Police. "This is being done in coordination with local police authorities. The exercise was earlier planned for November 27 and 28. The dates were changed to November 30 to December 2 on a specific request by Kolkata Police due to Bharat Bandh called on November 28," said GOC Bengal area (officiating) Major General Sunil Yadav. Reacting to the Chief Minister's allegations he said, "We deny all charges with all contempt." "Allegations of collection of money by Army personnel are also totally baseless," the officiating GOC Bengal Area said. Mamata had on Thursday alleged that the army had been deployed without informing the state government. "This is unprecedented and a very serious matter," she had said. She had also claimed that the army personnel were collecting money from vehicles, which they were not supposed to. Maj Gen Yadav said a similar exercise in Eastern Command was carried out in November 2015 at the same places. The Maj Gen said that a recce was conducted with two inspectors of the Kolkata Police at toll plaza on November 27 last. "The issues raised by the police were addressed and were telephonically informed to the police," he said. The exercise will continue as planned earlier and will end tonight, he said. The Army also released letters written to the state government on the exercise. "It is happening in nine states now across 80 locations," he said. "We have our specific targets for data collection. After doing the work for 36 hours our work was done and we had left the toll plaza near Nabanna," he said. On Thursday a defence spokesperson had said that the Army conducts biennial exercise throughout the country with the aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of a contingency. "There is nothing alarming about this and it is carried out as per government orders," Wing Commander SS Birdi had said. The exercise gives an estimate about the number of vehicles passing through a certain area that could be tapped during operations, he had said. Around 18 lakh farmers have been associated with the new insurance scheme in Rajasthan which is the first state to provide Rs 5 lakh accidental insurance to farmers by charging only Rs 27 premium per year. The government is targetting to associate 25 lakh farmers in the current fiscal year under the Raj Sahakar Vyaktigat Durghtna Bima Yojana launched in June this year, and 18 lakh farmers have already been associated during July to November period, a minister said. "The farmers are being provided financial security under the newly implemented Raj Sahkar Vyaktigat Durghtana Bima Scheme and Rajasthan is first state which is providing such big insurance cover at low premium," the state minister for co-operative Ajay Singh said today. The farmer who has availed crop loan through cooperative banks will get an insurance cover of Rs 5 lakhs by giving only Rs 27 as yearly premium. Until last year, Rs 3 lakh insurance cover was given to farmers, which is now raised to Rs 5 lakh with low premium under the new scheme. Farmer will pay Rs 27 whereas Central Co-operative Bank will give Rs 13.50 and the Rajasthan State Co-operative Bank will contribute Rs 13.50 as the premium. He said that the scheme has received a good response from the farmers and 18 lakh farmers have been associated within five months. As compared to other states, the premium in Rajasthan is low and the insurance cover is high, he said, adding that the Cooperative department is providing this facility to other account holders of cooperative banks by charging only Rs 54 yearly premium. As per the assessment of the state cooperative department, Haryana is providing Rs 50,000 insurance cover, Madhya Pradesh Rs 2 lakhs and Gujarat Rs 4 lakh insurance cover. Telangana is providing only Rs 1 lakhs insurance cover to its farmers whereas Punjab is providing Rs 5 lakhs cover to farmers though the premium amount is much higher as compared to Rajasthan. Punjab is charging Rs 110 as yearly premium for an insurance cover of Rs 5 lakhs whereas Gujarat is charging Rs 44 as yearly premium for insurance cover of Rs 4 lakhs. Kerala, Maharashtra and other states are charging higher premium as compared to Rajasthan and offering less insurance cover. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The baby food industry has violated the Infant Milk Substitutes Act (IMS) that bans promotion of breast-milk substitutes at least 54 times between 2008 and 2016, according to an industry watchdog. The survey conducted by Breastfeeding Support for Indian Mothers, a Facebook group with more than 29,000 members, showed that more than half of the 950 mothers who delivered in private hospitals were given artificial baby milk. Out of these, 2/3rd were given without their knowledge. It also found that children were given the formula without the knowledge of their mother. Any kind of promotion for baby foods and feeding bottles for children aged upto 2 years, including advertisements inducement of sales, pecuniary benefits to doctors or their associations including sponsorship is banned under the IMS Act. "Aggressive marketing by baby food companies and sponsorship contribute to increased use of formula at the time of birth and later by undermining breastfeeding and every effort should be made to curb such invasive promotion," Dr Arun Gupta, Central Coordinator, BPNI and Regional Coordinator, IBFAN Asia said. "Despite the directives issued by the government of India, the baby food manufacturing bottle companies are still violating the IMS Act," Gupta said. According to Euromonitor report, 10,847 tonnes of standard infant formula (0-6 month's age group) was sold in India in 2012, which is 10,847,000 kg of milk powder. "Converting this into containers of 400 grams, it means India sells about 27 Million containers of 400 gms each year, almost equal to its babies born. Going by the estimated growth of formula industry in 2022, this figure will be 32.7 million," he said. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), artificial feeding is an established risk factor for child health like causing more of diarrhoea, respiratory or newborn infections, allergies as well as obesity and adult health diseases like diabetes and heart disease. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Reserve Bank of India on Friday nudged banks managing currency chests to engage district co-ordinators of state level bankers' committee to ensure fair and even flow of money to farmers for their winter crop requirements in view of cash shortage post . To ensure adequate allocation of banknotes is made for rural branches, post offices and DCCBs, banks are advised to involve the district co-ordinators (Lead District Managers) functioning under state level bankers' committee in facilitating and planning distribution of currency from chests, RBI said in a notification. RBI also said there is a perception that banks with currency chests are giving priority to their own branches to supply cash and asked them to quell the misinformation. "These banks with currency chests are, therefore, advised to make visible efforts to dispel the perception of unequal allocation among other banks and their own branches," RBI said. Earlier, on November 22, RBI in an advisory to banks had asked them to make cash available to farmers for rabi crop season. As per estimates, the planting season requires Rs 35,000 crore in the form of crop loan to farmers, that is Rs 10,000 crore a week. During the planting season, which concludes generally by the end of December, Nabard will utilise its own cash credit limit of Rs 23,000 crore to disburse crop loans. As these loans are given in cash, RBI has asked banks with currency chests to ensure adequate cash supply to district co-operative and regional rural banks. Adequate cash supply should also be ensured for rural branches of all commercial banks, RBI stated. Bank branches in agricultural produce market committee are also to be supplied with enough cash to meet farmers' demand. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday maintained its opposition to some of the reforms recommended by the Lodha committee and will wait with bated breath for the Supreme Court's verdict on the matter come December 5. At a Special General Meeting here, the board did not take any decision on the recommendations but it has been learnt from sources that state associations have been told to keep a Plan B ready in case the verdict is not favourable from the apex court. Lodha Committee has sought directions on appointment of former union Home Secretary GK Pillai as observer and removal of all office-bearers. "Senior office-bearers said we have to wait till December 5. Any decision taken can be Contempt of Court. He also advised that state units will have to keep a Plan B ready. If court gives a verdict we have to abide by it and change constitution accordingly," a state unit official said. On Friday, the special general meeting witnessed status quo being maintained by members. Two associations Tripura and Vidarbha, who have decided to implement Lodha reforms in toto were absent. The reason cited by Secretary Ajay Shirke was the delay in flights landing in foggy conditions. "There was a feeling members are having different opinion. Vidharbha and Tripura did not come due to fog. We explained the situation and clarified with them again. They reiterated their stand that was taken in the first SGM on October 1. Almost all recommendations agreed upon except a few. We will wait for December 5 Supreme Court hearing," secretary Ajay Shirke told reporters. The basic objections of BCCI remain the same. The age cap of 70, cooling off period of three years between terms and one state one vote policy are being opposed by the board. The biennial elections for five seats of Maharashtra Legislative Council from teachers and graduates constituencies is likely to be held in February. The term of sitting members, one of them a minister, from these seats, where teachers and graduates form the electoral college, ends on December 5. The seats falling vacant are Nashik, Amravati (both graduates) and Nagpur, Konkan and Aurangabad (all teachers). The voter enrolment is currently underway and the final roll will be published on December 30, an official in the State Electoral Office said today. So far 4,48,106 voters have enrolled for the ensuing biennial polls which are likely to be held in February, he said. Minister of State for Home Ranjit Patil of BJP is the sitting MLC from Amravati (graduates). Congress holds Nashik graduates, NCP Aurangabad teachers, while Independents represent Nagpur and Konkan teachers constituencies. Vikram Kale (NCP) is the sitting MLC from Aurangabad, while Nashik seat is held by Sudhir Tambe (Congress). Congress has re-nominated Tambe from Nashik and fielded Sanjay Khodke from Amravati. The official said Patil will cease to be a legislator from December 5 and he has to be elected within a period of six months to retain his position in the Council of Ministers. In Nashik, 2,08,250 voters have enrolled till now, while the figure for Amravati is 1,58,572. Voter registration figures in the other seats are: Nagpur (39,850), Konkan (30103) and Aurangabad (11,331). In January this year, the Supreme Court had directed all State Election Commissioners to prepare electoral rolls of teachers and graduates constituencies afresh. The top court also said photographs of voters must be pasted on electoral rolls. Application for registration should be submitted by teachers or graduates, as the case may be, personally, it had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hundreds of Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) activists gheraoed a senior railway official here, protesting over not providing compensation of acquired land to farmers in the district. The general manager of Delhi division Ajay Kumar had come here for railway inspection and was held by protesters at the railway guest house for over three hours last evening. The activists led by the district president of BKU-- Raju Ahlawat were protesting overnot getting full compensation of the acquired land of the farmers in the district. Railway had acquired some land in the area for laying a new track besides the existing one. According to activists, farmers were not given full compensation in lieu of the land acquired by railways. However, they left after getting assurance from railway authorities. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A senior Pakistani police official today escaped an attempt on his life, when militants targeted his vehicle with a roadside bomb here. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Chamkani Abdul Salam was on a routine patrol when the remote-controlled bomb exploded near his vehicle on the Northern Bypass, Superintendent of Police (SP) rural Furqan Bilal said. However, the police official remained unhurt. His vehicle suffered minor damage in the blast in which 5 kilograms of explosives were used, police said. Meanwhile, a second remote-controlled bomb exploded in Karkhano Market earlier in the day moments after a police vehicle passed nearby. No loss of life was reported in this blast however, a passenger bus was partially damaged. Last month, three Frontier Constabulary (FC) officials were killed and seven others were injured in a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) blast which occurred near their vehicle in Peshawar's Bashirabad area. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bombay High Court today said it would form a committee of experts to examine the living conditions in jails across Maharashtra. A division bench headed by Chief Justice Manjula Chellur made the announcement while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Sangli-based lawyer B G Ligade. The committee, comprising lawyers, psychologists, doctors and other experts, would study the facilities provided to jail inmates and submit a report to the high court. The court would monitor the situation in jails from time to time, and issue directions if necessary, the judges said. Citing a reply under the Right to Information, the petition alleged that medical and other facilities are not provided in jails in the state, including 'open prisons'. In the open prisons, an inmate is not allowed to go outside the limits of the specified area even for check-up or treatment without permission of the officer concerned, and such rules might be fatal during a medical emergency, said the PIL. Open prisons have minimal security and serve as reform centres. The petition alleged that food, clothing, bedding, wages for prison labour and medical aid are not provided at these prisons. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At a time when the government is working to build a disabled-friendly environment, leading brands here are following suit by making employment more inclusive. Individuals with hearing and speech impairment can now be seen taking orders and manning billing counters at different outlets of brands like KFC and Sagar Ratna, among others. They communicate with customers and execute their jobs efficiently with the use of placards that have necessary questions written on them. Besides offering jobs, the employers are also creating "tailor-made" working environments that are conducive to the needs of the differently-abled. The Saket outlet of Sagar Ratna here conducts an exclusive 15-day "familiarising drive" for the differently-abled after hiring them, during which they are provided with a set of roles to choose from. "Hiring is just one thing, the challenge is to make their working environment comfortable. After the hiring, we organise a 15-day long familiarisation drive where they are told about different set of jobs they can pick and choose from. We don't necessarily do the same drill for other employees," says Rajiv Singh, Head HR, Sagar Ratna. While only a few differently-abled employees are on roll at the outlet, the restaurant is looking to increase the number in the coming year. According to Singh, one of the major challenges in creating a conducive environment is the sensitisation of their co-workers. "If you talk about customers, they adjust to it smoothly. But we were very cautious about how the rest of the staff will react. We have to understand that they will be working under other pressures as well. So, workshops were organised to train them," he says. KFC, which has over 170 differently-abled employees across the country, says it has taken a "360 degree approach" with special programmes to hire and train their staff. "Our differently-abled restaurant programmes are driven by a 360 degree approach to develop specially-abled teams, with a focus on hiring, training and creating an enabling work environment with tailored equipments," says Rahul Shinde, Managing Director, KFC. The brand also gives its specially-abled employees an opportunity to compete against their fellow workers in terms of performance at work. It recently promoted six such workers to the post of shift managers. "We are proud of six of our differently-abled shift managers who have successfully cleared our internal process to rise through the ranks. There is sense of pride not in them alone, but also their peers and families," says Shinde. Software company Microsoft went disabled-friendly, with the establishment of their Disability Employee Resource Group in 2009. "The group represents employees with conditions such as hearing loss, blindness, visual impairments, ADD, mobility disabilities, and dyslexia. "Besides, the company also has an 'Autism Hiring programme', which is a multiple-day hands on academy that focuses on work ability, team projects and skills assessment," says Rohit Thakur, Head Human Resources, Microsoft India. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A political drama threatening Brazil's President Michel Temer has deepened with judges ordering his top ally to stand trial and corruption suspects lining up to make more potentially explosive revelations. After a roller-coaster year for Brazil, the latest allegations risk destabilizing Temer just six months after he took office, as he seeks to rescue Latin America's biggest economy from crisis. Supreme Court judges yesterday ruled that Brazil's third-most powerful official, Senate president Renan Calheiros, 61, must face trial for alleged embezzlement. He denies the accusations that he used public funds to make maintenance payments to a woman with whom he had a child. In a separate case, Calheiros is also among numerous top politicians including an ex-president and lawmakers accused of helping steal billions from state oil firm Petrobras. In a fresh development in the Petrobras affair on Thursday, a source close to construction firm Odebrecht told AFP that 77 of its current and former executives had signed a plea deal with investigators. They agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in return for lighter sentences, said the source, who asked not to be named. The 77 include the firm's jailed boss Marcelo Odebrecht, who was reported earlier this year to have named Temer in testimony to investigators. The firm also agreed to pay a USD 2 billion fine over the affair. Temer is not being formally investigated himself, but the Petrobras scandal has already driven several of his ministers to resign. Brazilian media said the plea deal could lead to 100 more suspects being dragged into the sprawling Petrobras probe, dubbed Operation Car Wash by investigators. Marcelo Odebrecht was handed a 19-year jail sentence in 2015 for corruption and money-laundering. The new plea deal could lead to his term being reduced. The separate embezzlement case caught up with Calheiros as a battle between prosecutors and politicians was raising tensions. Calheiros had tried unsuccessfully on Wednesday to push through an urgent reform that would challenge judges' powers to investigate corruption. Prosecutors threatened to resign, saying the reform would undermine Operation Car Wash. Temer had previously vowed to block any attempt by legislators to grant themselves a corruption amnesty. In the case now going to trial, Calheiros has insisted he made the maintenance payments out of his own funds. But the Supreme Court judges said there was sufficient evidence to put him in the dock. Calheiros and Temer were the leaders of the impeachment case that drove their leftist rival Dilma Rousseff from office. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) British Muslims have "separatist" tendencies and display belief in conspiracy theories, according to the findings of an extensive UK-wide survey released today. The report titled 'Unsettled Belonging' reveals that 31 per cent of those polled believe the US government was behind the 9/11 terror attacks with a further 7 per cent blaming Jews and only 4 per cent saying al-Qaeda was responsible. Around one in 20, or 6 per cent, said they wanted integration "on some things" while leading "a separate Islamic life as far as possible" and one in a 100 were in favour of a "fully separate Islamic area in Britain, subject to Sharia Law and government". The survey of over 3,000 Muslims living in the UK, carried out by ICM and right-of-centre think tank Policy Exchange, also found that 93 per cent feel a fairly or very strong attachment to Britain. "British Muslims as a whole continue to live somewhat more separately than other large ethno-cultural minorities - in neighbourhoods and schools, in terms of women not working, and in terms of attitudes and religiosity," said David Goodhart, co-author of the report and head of the integration and immigration unit at Policy Exchange. "However, the promising from this survey is that when it comes to everyday life, British Muslims, and their concerns and interests, are increasingly part of the mainstream, and to a much greater extent than one would assume listening to many organisations that claim to speak for Muslims," he added. Birmingham's Pakistani-origin MP, Khalid Mahmood, who helped organise the survey, said the key aspect of the findings was that a majority of Muslims in the UK were positive towards integration. "In an era in which intolerance and bigotry pose a growing challenge to our society, it cannot be stressed enough that most British Muslims want to integrate with their non-British neighbours but a readiness to believe in conspiracy theories and the mentality of victimhood is holding them back,"he said. The study found that Muslims are more opposed to terrorism than the UK's population as a whole, with 89 per cent of Muslims saying it is wrong to use violence for political purposes while 81 per cent of British people agreed. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the country's umbrella body of Muslim organisations, described some of the findings as disturbing. An MCB statement said, "There are some disturbing results in the poll that deserve further investigation. A large minority of Muslims seem to agree that conspiracy theories 'often contain elements of truth', in line with the broader UK population (40 per cent v 37 per cent). In addition, more British Muslims have conspiracy views about 9/11 in a proportion that is high and similar to results polling the US population on this issue. "As the Muslim Council of Britain, we will be meeting to discuss how to understand this problem properly so that action can be taken to challenge these worrying views," it said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Mizoram Bru Displaced People's Forum (MBDPF), apex body of Bru refugees lodged in six relief camps in Tripura, has revived their demand for a separate autonomous district council by filing a writ petition in the Supreme Court to this effect. The writ petition, which called for creation of a separate autonomous district council for the Bru community, is a reversal of the letter written by the forum on May 4, 2016 to the Ministry of Home Affairs, in which it said that it was no longer pressing for autonomy for the community. The MBDPF, in the petition, appealed to the apex court to direct the Government of India to establish an autonomous district council for the Bru community in accordance with Article 244(2) of the Constitution read together with the Sixth Schedule. State Home Department officials expressed concern, saying the petition, if admitted by the apex court, might again derail the proposed repatriation process. Meanwhile, the proposed physical repatriation of Bru families from the six relief camps in Tripura scheduled to commence from November 30 failed to take off due to several reasons, including absence of a formal decision from the Ministry of Home Affairs to fix the rate of enhancement of the rehabilitation package for the resettled Brus. The identification process, conducted in the relief camps, was completed during November 2 to 23. The officials identified 32,755 Brus belonging to 5,413 families as bona fide residents of Mizoram, while the state government had earlier proposed to repatriate around 21,000 people belonging to 3,445 families. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Cameras, laptops and other items worth Rs 15 lakh was looted from the rented accommodation of a French woman in south Delhi's Vasant Vihar, with the burglars also allegedly damaging her photography studio, police said today. Yesterday at 10.30 PM, Christelle Weinsberg, a photographer, received a call from her landlord informing her that smoke was emanating from her room on the second floor of the house, a police officer said. She rushed back to her room to find the door broken, valuables missing and her studio damaged. The burglars had allegedly set her bed ablaze that set off the fire alarm which alerted her landlord, the officer said. Christelle said that she never hired any help. The premises doesn't have any CCTV cameras, police said, adding investigation is underway. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Gujarat-based businessman, who was kidnapped from Ahmedabad on Monday, was rescued from a house outside a village here this evening following a brief encounter between the alleged kidnappers and the police. Also, police claimed to have unearthed an illegal arms factory in the house located at the outskirts of village Nagla Imam Khan falling under Barsana police station area. "Deependra alias Deepesh, a resident of Neta Ji Nagar in Ahemdabad, kidnapped from Ahemdabad on Monday, was rescued from the outskirts ofNagla Imam Khan-basedhouse where he was found tied with an iron chain," Superintendent of Police (Rural) Arun Kumar Singh said. "An (illegal) arms factory was also unearthed inside the house," he added. Singh said the kidnappers, who had demanded a ransom of Rs 50 lakh from the business partners of Deepesh, who owns around a dozen companies, after seeing the police party fled covering themselves with indiscriminate firing. Of the six kidnappers, three, including a lady, have been identified as Zamshed, his wife Rukseena and his brother Balia, all residents of village Nagla Imam Khan. "Kidnappers were demanding ransom of 50 lakh from my partners Shubham Patel and Bhavesh Gusain, on their telephone numbers,"Deependra stated, adding that the kidnappers already had taken a ransom of Rs50,000 by getting ittransferred to their account from his partners. He said in this joint operation of Barsana and Ahmedabad police, the location of kidnappers was known from their mobile numbers. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Former British Prime Minister David Cameron today called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during which the two leaders discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest. Modi recalled his successful visit to the UK in November 2015, and thanked Cameron for his personal support and contribution to strengthening India-UK ties during his tenure as Prime Minister. "The two leaders discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. Cameron, who is visiting India and is scheduled to participate at an media event tomorrow, announced his resignation following victory for supporters favouring UK's exit from the EU after divisive referendum campaign. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Cancer cases in the country have witnessed an increase as per Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), government told the Lok Sabha. The cases have increased to 14,51,417 in 2016 from 12,70,781 in 2013, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Faggan Singh Kulaste said citing ICMR's National Cancer Registry data. He said treatment of cancer is either free or subsidised in the government healthcare delivery system. The government under "Strengthening of Tertiary care of Cancer" scheme is assisting to establish/strengthen 20 State cancer Institutes and 50 Tertiary Care Cancer Centres in different parts of the country," he said while replying during the Question Hour. BJD MP Balabhadra Majhi raised the issue of increasing cancer patients in his home state Odisha and wanted cancer treatment institute to be set up there. To this, Kulaste said if the state sends a proposal, the centre will consider that. (Reopen PAR18) To another question, Kulaste said the Centre has been supporting states in strengthening emergency ambulance services by providing technical and financial support. He said provision of emergency medical ambulance service is the primary responsibility of state governments but under the National Health Mission, technical and financial support is provided to states/ UTs to strengthen their healthcare systems. This includes support for emergency medical ambulance services based on the proposals submitted by the states and UTs, the MoS health said. Kulaste said proposals for financial assistance for emergency medical transportation facility were received from all states and UTs during the last three years, except Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Lakshadweep and Gujarat. Replying another question, the Minister said the Union Health Ministry has already proactively taken measures to adopt IT solutions in existing health infrastructure in meeting challenges of healthcare delivery especially to rural and remote areas to ensure continuum care. He said the 'Digital India' programme introduced is a major step in improving the public healthcare delivery and under it four main initiatives are being taken: online medical consultation, online medical records, online medicine supply and Pan-India exchange of patient information. Kulaste said a total of Rs 860.43 crore has been allocated for IT solutions and e-governance purposes under the centrally sponsored scheme and central scheme during 2016-17. Rollout of the IT solutions would facilitate generation of computerised prescription or online prescription, he said. Over 40 military leaders from the KNLA under the KNU Brigade 7 attended the training, which was held in an area under the control of the Karen National Union (KNU) Brigade 7 on 28 and 29 November, according to Lieutenant Saw Swee Nay Soe from the KNLA, who led the training. He said: The main focus [of the training] was to teach how to protect civilians during a battle, how to treat prisoners of war and laws of conflict set down by the international [community] on preventing civilians from getting hurt before waging a battle. He also said that though the KNLA already have their own laws of armed conflict they held the training so that they could learn about the international laws of armed conflict and compare them with the KNLA laws of conflict. Officials from the Rangoon-based ICRC explained international laws covering armed conflict and those covering humanitarian issues. They also discussed the ICRCs work and exchanged views with the KNLA about the KNLA laws of conflict. A KNLA official who attended the training said: We already had prior knowledge of international laws relating to the military. But we learned more when they came to train us. There isnt much difference between their regulations and our existing regulations. The ICRC previously gave training to the KNLA on the laws of conflict in 2013 and the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) gave awareness training in cooperation with the KNU in September of this year on how to prevent the use of child soldiers. The ICRC was established in 1863 to assist all refugees during conflicts and to urge governments and armed groups to follow international humanitarian law. Reprting by Sa I Sue for KIC News Translated by Thida Linn Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI Restrictions on daily withdrawal of cash by bank account holders is a policy decision which is beyond judicial review, the Delhi High Court today ruled, in a fillip to the Modi government's demonetisation exercise. The ruling by a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice V K Rao came on a plea seeking removal of cap on daily withdrawal of money deposited in banks before demonetisation kicked in. The judges dismissed the petition on the ground that it was "devoid of merit" as there were "no restrictions" for operating the bank account by "non-cash transactions". "It may be added that the manner in which the decision to withdraw the bank notes of specified amount with effect from November 9, 2016 is to be implemented is a policy decision which is beyond the scope of powers of judicial review," the bench said. "The law is well settled that the court can only interfere if the policy framed is absolutely capricious or not informed by reasons or totally arbitrary and found 'ipse dixit' (a dogmatic and unproven statement) offending basic requirement of Article 14 (equality before law) of the Constitution of India," it said. The high court's order assumes importance as the Supreme Court is also seized of the matter related to demonetisation and is hearing a batch of pleas challenging the November 8 notification. The apex court is also hearing the plea of Centre seeking transfer of all the petitions pending before separate high courts to either the Supreme Court or one of the high courts. In its order, the high court noted that it was a settled principle of law that courts cannot strike down a policy decision taken by government merely because another decision would have been fairer or more logical. "The wisdom and advisability of the policies are ordinarily not amenable to judicial review unless the policies are contrary to statutory or constitutional provisions or arbitrary or irrational," the bench said. It further said that the restriction imposed under Clause 2 (vi) of the notification on capping of withdrawal was "only with regard to cash withdrawal from the bank account over the counter". "There are no restrictions or limits for operating the bank account by non-cash method. This is clear from Clause (vii) which provides that there are no restrictions on the use of any non-cash method of operating the account of a person including cheques, demand drafts, credit or debit cards, mobile wallets and electronic fund transfer mechanisms," the bench said. The high court said, "Therefore, the contention of the petitioner that Clause 2(vi) infringes the right of the account holder to withdraw from his account on demand is factually incorrect and misconceived". The court's order came on a plea by Ashok Sharma who had sought a direction to the Centre to remove the cap on daily withdrawal of money deposited by the public in banks before demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes. His plea was initially rejected on November 25. However, he moved a fresh application to recall the earlier order on the ground that the Centre had made a "false" statement in the court that the restriction on cash withdrawal of Rs 24,000 by individuals was only till November 24 as this limit has been extended till December 30. The petitioner had contended that the money which was lying with the banks prior to demonetisation had no connection with the declaration that the bank notes of the denomination of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 shall cease to be legal tender and, therefore, immobilisation of bank transactions of the money deposited prior to it is "illegal". The court, however, was not convinced with the contention of the petitioner, a businessman, and observed, "Even assuming that the restriction so imposed on cash withdrawal from a bank account has resulted in some inconvenience or prejudice to the petitioner, we are unable to hold that the same runs contrary to section 5(b) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949." "We also found that the petitioner's contention that the clause 2(vi) of November 8, 2016, notification shall not be made applicable to the bank deposits of the period prior to it is wholly misconceived. "According to us, no such distinction can be drawn between the bank deposits of the period prior to November 8, 2016 and after November 8, 2016 since the whole purpose of the restrictions imposed on cash withdrawal for a specified period upto December 30, 2016 appears to be to meet the demand of the liquid cash in circulation in the light of the ban imposed on the bank notes of the denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 1000," it said. The bench in its order also said that it "does not find any substance" in the contention of the petitioner that the Centre was not empowered to issue such order. Under the earlier Clause 2 (vi), the weekly withdrawal limit from the banks was Rs 20,000, while the daily limit was Rs 10,000. Later, the weekly limit was increased to Rs 24,000 and the daily limit was scrapped. From the ATMs, the daily limit is Rs 2,500. Reflecting a new bonhomie of Indo-US defence ties, the Pentagon today announced that outgoing Defence Secretary Ashton Carter would be visiting India next week on his final around the world trip. Slated to be in India on December 8, Carter would travel to Japan, Bahrain, Israel, Italy and Great Britain before returning to the US on December 16. This is for the first time that an outgoing American Defence Secretary has included India in his itinerary for the final overseas trip. "He (Carter) will look to build on the strategic handshake between the two nations and to continue the momentum in the relationship over the past decade, including expanded defence cooperation during his time as Secretary," the Pentagon said in a statement. Carter among others would meet Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. Ahead of his visit, informed sources said India has made maritime security a significant priority and in discussion with the US for sale of Predator drones from General Atomics. The outgoing Obama administration is trying to concretize steps taken with India in the defence domain as they transition the efforts to the Trump administration, sources noted, adding that on Carter's agenda include M777 and Predator Guardian for the Indian Navy. Early this year, India was able to join the MTCR with support from the US. Subsequently, India was also designated a "a major defence partner" when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the US and met President Barack Obama at the Oval Office this Summer. The first opportunity for US Government to showcase this would be in the maritime domain surveillance area with the export of Predator Guardian, informed sources pointed out, adding that Obama and Carter are keen to establish a concrete legacy with India. Vivek Lall, chief executive, US and International Strategic Development at General Atomics, are among the US leaders that have been advocating greater convergence between the US and India. It is under his leadership that, India had acquired Boeing P8I aircraft in 2009 which would complement the Guardian aircraft for maritime security. Noting that Obama and Modi have repeatedly stressed that cooperation in the Indian Ocean is key to both countries national security interests, it is anticipated that both sides will discuss the Avenger drones for the Indian Air Force. India requires more than 100 such drones, sources said. The combined value of Guardian and Avengers could be almost equivalent to the MMRCA requirement in value. Most militaries around the world are focusing their budgets and efforts to acquire unmanned platforms in the future. Modi spoke to President-elect Donald Trump on November 9 to congratulate andbuild on the strong Indo-US relations. Both leaders are believed to be keen to take the strategic partnership to a new heights. India hopes that Trump willpursue a strategy in South Asia making India truly a priority and ananchor in the region. (Reopens FGN 4) Sources say that Trump has struck a personal chord with Modi and several prominent leaders interested in greater bilateral cooperation between US and India. In the final trip, Japan would be the first overseas stop of the Defense Secretary where he would arrive on December 6. The next day he will meet Minister of Defense Tomomi Inada to underscore the long-term strength of the US-Japan alliance, and build upon the unprecedented progress in US-Japan security cooperation, the Pentagon said. On December 10, Carter will deliver the opening speech at the annual International Institute for Strategic Studies Manama Dialogue in Bahrain. While in Bahrain, he will also visit sailors aboard USS Monterey, and thank them and their families for their service over the holidays. Thereafter, Carter will be in Israel to meet with Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman and attend a formal ceremony to welcome the arrival of the first Israeli F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. "The arrival of the aircraft highlights the close defence cooperation between the US and Israel," the Pentagon said. From Israel, Carter will visit US troops stationed in Italy from December 13-14 to thank them for their service in support of US and coalition operations worldwide, including deterring Russian aggression in Eastern Europe and securing NATO's southern flank, the statement said. London would be the final stop of Carter where he and his British counterpart Michael Fallon will cohost a ministerial of the leading nations in the counter-ISIL coalition on December 15. Discussions at the ministerial will focus on the current status of the campaign, the capabilities needed to secure and stabilise Mosul and Raqqah, and the future of the coalition in addressing the external metastases of ISIL, the Pentagon said. The biggest-ever seizure of cash in new currency today grew to over Rs 5 crore even as the Income Tax department said it detected unaccounted income worth Rs 152 crore after it conducted searches in a dozen premises in Bengaluru and other locations. I-T officials said the cash found, after searches were launched yesterday on the premises of two engineers, working with the state government, and two contractors has risen to Rs 5.7 crore and these notes are in the denomination of the newly introduced currency of Rs 2000. "Total admission of unaccounted income by the group stands at Rs 152 crore. Investigations are on," they said. They added the department also recovered 7 kg bullion and jewellery weighing 9 kg, worth Rs 5 crore, after these operations. "About 90 lakh has been found in the old demonestised currency. In addition, several property documents were also found and seized," they said. A team of over 50 I-T sleuths and police personnel had launched operations yesterday and searched premises in Bengaluru, Chennai and Erode (Tamil Nadu). The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the policy-making body of the tax department, had said in a statement here yesterday that: "the new notes and bullion are learnt to have been obtained by exchange of demonetised notes by payment of commission of an engineer and a contractor." The tax sleuths had also seized some notes of Rs 100, demonetised notes of Rs 500 and a few gold biscuits during the operation, they said, adding the department had to call in note counting machines and additional staff to ascertain the value of the cash. What had surprised the tax authorities is the sheer amount of new currency stashed by these individuals at a time when new notes are not available to the common public which is queueing up to withdraw even small amounts from their accounts. "Rs 5.7 crore is the highest seizure of the new currency in the country post the currency ban on November 8. Some entry operators and bankers are under the scanner. Such volume of new currency cannot be obtained without connivance of bank officials," a senior I-T department official said. The department has also found a number of identity cards of various individuals from the searched premises which could have been used to illegally change the old currency with new ones. The taxman also found a number of luxury cars parked in these locations. Two days back, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had seized Rs 10 lakh cash in new notes of Rs 2000 from the premises of a Kolkata-based doctor. ED had conducted nationwide search operations yesterday at 40 locations and seized about Rs 1 crore in new notes. Both the I-T department and the ED, along with other enforcement agencies and police, are undertaking these operations after reports of instances of illegal exchange of old currency and stashing of new currency notes to perpetrate hawala and money laundering like activities. (REOPENS MDS5) Raising the issue for discussion in the Assembly, Leader of Opposition Jagadish Shettar said when the common man was facing difficulty in getting money, how did the two officials get such large amounts of notes. Citing media reports which claimed that officials were considered close to Chief Minister, he demanded that the government issue a clarification. Alleging that promotions to these officials were not on merit, Shettar said, "Both of them had faced Lokayukta raids, and Lokayukta had sought for prosecution against them which the government did not grant." Demanding a fair, impartial inquiry into the case, he said investigation should be done by an independent central agency. "Most important thing is we also need to find who is behind them, what is the source of this money. There is also a need to find banks involvement in the transactions," Shettar added. Replying on the government's behalf, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra said further action would be taken against them based on the I-T department report. He said the government would not tolerate such things and "we will not protect them." Rejecting allegations that they were close to the Chief Minister, Jayachandra said, "Just because they belong to certain community, it cannot be said "someone is close to CM or someone in the government and attempts are being made to protect them." Stressing that central government agencies and RBI should keep vigil on such activities, he said, "(The) corrupt will not be protected. A sum of Rs 2,420 crore arrived in two special aircraft chartered by the Andhra Pradesh government today even as Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced that the currency scarcity in the state would end by this evening. An official release said the Chief Minister carried out an exercise the whole of last night to ease the cash scarcity and, as a result, the RBI immediately released Rs 2,420 crore. "The cash was brought to the state on a war footing in two special aircraft to Visakhapatnam and Tirupati. From there, the cash was sent by road to all 13 districts of the state," the release said. "The government made elaborate arrangements to ensure the cash reached all districts without any hassles. Fool proof security arrangements were made to shift the cash to the banks without even a third eye knowing it. The Chief Minister constantly monitored the exercise with officials till the cash reached the banks safely," the release added. "Soon after a videoconference with chief ministers of four states, who were part of a panel constituted by the Centre, Chandrababu spoke to RBI Governor Urjit Patel over phone and explained the situation in the state. "He expressed serious displeasure over the persisting cash scarcity even after these many days and asked him to immediately send adequate money to meet the requirements in the state," the release said. The RBI Governor promised to send Rs 2,500 crore to Andhra Pradesh at once. Accordingly, Rs 2,420 crore reached the state today. Following the RBI Governor's assurance, the Chief Minister immediately made arrangements for special chartered flights. Meanwhile, another official release earlier in the day said a sum of Rs 2,500 crore was brought to the state in special aircraft to Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Rajamahendravaram, Tirupati and Kadapa. From there the money was sent to different banks, it said, quoting the Chief Minister as saying in a teleconference with bankers and state officials. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Cashless ATMs is the new normal for people who are forced to stand in long queues in front of a few that are dispensing money. To add to people's woes, ATMs which were operational in the morning hours were mostly dispensing Rs 2000 currency notes. Annoyed people in queues in front of ATMs and banks said chasing their own money has now become a new way of life. The ATMs in rural Bengal remained mostly dry. People are complaining that despite seeking to withdraw money within the weekly limits set by the government, bank personnel are asking them not to write the amount as the final amount would be decided by the bank. "Functioning at the bank branch level in respect of limit to withdrawing money is widely different from what the government is claiming. Branches are declining to give cash up to the permissible limit of Rs 24,000 a week," a middle aged man standing in a queue said. "Moreover the government itself is modifying rules almost on a daily basis," he added. A cash management services company official said supply of new Rs 500 currency notes will improve in a day or two which will help in managing the dearth of high value notes to a great extent. Most of the ATMs are been recaliberated to accomodate new Rs 500 notes. SBI manintained that it is meeting cash demand from ATMs and branches adequately. Chief Minister Raghubar Das today launched 'Jharkhand Cashless Campaign' and said the state would be free from corruption, middlemen and black money following cashless transactions. It is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's desire to make transactions cashless in the country and his government would achieve it, Das said after launching the campaign from Nagri block in Ranchi district and urged the people to play their part so that the state becomes the first to do so. Describing the day as historic for Jharkhand, the Chief Minister said Information Technology's contribution was important. In the beginning it would be difficult but with the passage of time it would become easy and the government would make efforts in this direction, he said and sought peoples' cooperation. To encourage the cashless campaign, Jharkhand would make mobile phones worth up to Rs 5,000 VAT free and the government would train all its employees about cashless transactions. The state government would also make five departments cashless this year and by 2017 all departments would become paperless to realise the dream of cashless and digital India. The direction towards Digital Jharkhand has begun when the government was formed, following which BPL families were getting grains through PoS that gave the state Rs 700 crore profit and the money would be utilised for the welfare of the poor, Das said. Referring to demonitisation, he said it has failed Pakistan's "design and now there is nobody to hurl stones in Jammu and Kashmir." "Extremists who used to put hurdles in developmental works would now be reined in following the currency ban and cashless transaction. Several scams have taken place in the last ten years encouraging corruption and bringing in black money which would be reined in by digital and cashless India," he said. The state government would make provisions in 2017-2018 for BPL families who would get 35 kg of grains in a sealed sack. The sacks would be made by the youths who would be imparted skill training, which would in turn generate employment, the chief minister added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) CBI Director today retired from the post handing over the baton to his second-in-command, Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana, as the government did not name any full-time chief. Asthana, a Gujarat-cadre officer of 1984-batch, got elevated as the second-in-command in CBI two days ago when Special Director R K Dutta, who was among the frontrunners for the top post, was shifted to the Home Ministry as a Special Secretary. The post of second special secretary was created for the first time in the ministry. It is the first time in last 10 years, that no new CBI chief has been named to succeed an incumbent. Sinha completed his two-year tenure today. "The competent authority has approved assignment of additional charge of the post of Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), to Rakesh Asthana, IPS (GJ: 1984), Additional Director, CBI with effect from the date of relinquishment of charge by Anil Kumar Sinha, IPS (BH:1979) on completion of his tenure with immediate effect and until further orders," an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training said. The CBI chief is selected through a collegium comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition or largest party in opposition in Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India. The collegium has not been able to meet. 60-year-old Sinha took charge of the agency when it was earning sobriquet of "caged parrot" and "closure bureau of investigation" and he managed to steady the ship by keeping away from media and ensuring a low profile with limited social circle. Sinha proved to be a soft-spoken yet assertive leader for the agency who guided investigation in a number of important cases like the Sheena Bora murder case and Vijay Mallya loan default case. In Mallya's case, Sinha ensured that a case is registered against the flamboyant liquor baron for his alleged default of loans extended to his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines even though banks did not approach CBI with a complaint. He directed his teams to explore role of media baron Peter Mukerjea in the Sheena Bora murder case after the agency was handed over the investigation. Sinha ensured that CBI rigorously follows cases of piling of Non-performing Assets in public sector banks even though banks were reluctant to initiate a probe in these cases fearing loss of possible middle path which can be arrived at through discussions with defaulters. Sinha, an alumnus of Jawaharlal Nehru University where he studied during the first decade of its inception, follows his interests in psychology and economics and loves to spend a quiet time with his family. Extending support to Mamata Banerjee over her protest against the Army's presence at toll plazas, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today accused the Centre of trying to intimidate her as she was "strongly" opposing the Prime Minister's "wrong policies". "Mamataji is raising her voice strongly against Modiji's wrong policies. Army personnel would not have been deployed there if she had praised Modiji. "By deploying Army (at toll plazas), the Centre is trying to intimidate her, but Mamataji is not afraid of such move. I want to tell Mamataji that I and the entire country are with you. Keep up the fight," he said. The issue of the Army's presence at toll plazas in West Bengal kicked up a storm with Mamata Banerjee remaining at the state secretariat overnight in protest, asking was it an "army coup", a remark that invited a sharp condemnation today from the Centre which said it showed her "political frustration". On Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan asking AAP MP Bhagwant Mann not to attend the House for a week, Kejriwal wanted to know if the Prime Minister "endangered" national security by "inviting an ISI team to probe the Pathankot terror attack or Mann posed a security threat by making a video of Parliament". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) China's Supreme Court today overturned the conviction of a man for rape and murder, 21 years after he was executed despite insufficient evidence. Nie Shubin, who was 20 years old when he faced a firing squad in 1995 after being convicted of rape and murder, had his conviction overturned by second circuit court under the Supreme People's Court, state-run Xinhua agency reported. The court re-heard the two-decades-old rape and murder case, in which Nie was found guilty and executed, over concerns that the evidence presented was insufficient. Nie, from Hebei Province, was convicted of raping and murdering a woman whose body was discovered by her father in a corn field on the outskirts of Shijiazhuang city, in the northern province of Hebei. In 2005, another man confessed to the crime. In December 2014, the SPC, following an application from Hebei Higher People's Court, assigned the higher court of Shandong Province to reviewthe case. A five-member panel at the Shandong court carried out the review and found that the evidence presented in the original trial did not identify Nie as the perpetrator beyond all doubt, and the trial and investigation were both peppered with major inconsistencies. Thus, the panel concluded that the evidence was questionable and suggested the case be reheard. The SPC statement said the panel, during its review, had examined the case files, listened to the defendant's lawyer and consulted forensic scientists over the autopsy report. Nie's case has been compared to a 1996 case in Inner Mongolia, where a teenager named Huugjilt was executed for the rape and murder of a woman the same year. A self-confessed serial rapist and killer later admitted to the crime while in police custody in 2005. In December 2014, Huugjilt's conviction was officially quashed by Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regional Higher People's Court. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Beijing headquartered Sino Great Wall International Engineering Company Limited today announced its foray into India through a joint venture with Bengaluru-based Fortuna Group to develop real estate projects across the country. "Having consolidated our position in China and emerging as the leading stock of 'One Belt and One Road' initiative, SGW is aggressively looking at expanding globally. Upon building a formidable presence across Middle East, Southeast Asia and African countries, SGW is now eyeing India and South America," SGW Board Chairman Che Lue told reporters here. The Shenzen listed international public company for general contracting engineering has a present market value of USD three billion. SGW Fortuna, the joint venture entity, has obtained Foreign Investment Promotion Board approval. JV's equity split would be 80 per cent SGW and 20 per cent Fortuna, Che said. SGW's initial investment would be USD 50 million in the JV and it would bring in similar investment within the next 18 to 24 months. To be headquartered in Bengaluru, SGW Fortuna would start its real estate operations from here and in a phased manner go pan-India, Che said. To a query, he said he saw great potential for real estate development in India, not only in tier 1 cities, but also in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. "We feel this is the most opportune time to foray into India and SGW Fortuna is keen to redraw the Indian real estate landscape through innovative technology, eco-friendly designs/green projects and contemporary project," Che said. Che also announced appointment of Neo Chia Wui as the CEO of SGW Fortuna. Wui is a Singapore national with 30 years of experience in real estate development. India is not new to Neo as in the past he had handled prestigious projects including Bengaluru, Che said. Fortuna Group Director S V Rajesh Kumar said the primary mandate of the tieup "is on-time-delivery of projects' by stipulating project completion timeframe in S&P agreement. Kumar said SGW Fortuna was all set to change the market dynamics of Indian real estate industry with its commitment to 'build to sell', unlike the current practice of 'sell to build.' "The first project will come up in North Bengaluru." SGW was in merger and acquisition talks with several companies globally and though India is not on its radar at this point of time Che did not rule out acquisition in the coming years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nang Kham Aye, a Shan State Assembly representative of Namtu Township, told Shan Herald today that some 200 people from Mantong and Mong Maw had this week arrived in Namtu Township 30 miles southeast of Mantong. She said that they have been provided shelter at local temples and churches. Fighting has erupted in the town of Mong Maw, she said. Gunfire was aimed toward the market early in the morning, causing villagers to run. They subsequently fled their homes. As of yesterday [November 30], some 170 people had arrived in Namtu. Most of them are children, women and elderly people. The menfolk have mostly stayed behind to look after their property. The number of displaced people [in Kyaukme] has now increased to nearly 800 since fighting between the Burmese army and the TNLA broke out on November 23, she added. Today, the TNLAs News and Information Department posted on its website a report, saying its troops had clashed with Burmese government forces between the villages of Kongmong and Kongngaung in Mantong Township. On November 20, the TNLA, a non-signatory to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, launched a joint military operation alongside its allies Arankan Army (AA), Kachin Independence Army (KIA), and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) against Burmese military outposts and police stations in Muse, Namkham and Kutkai townships. As of December 1, fighting was reported to be continuing. By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN) A government employee was killed in a counter-insurgency operation, launched tonight, in south Kashmir's Kulgam district, official sources said. Assadullah Kumar, working in J&K Fisheries Department, died due to gunshot injuries at Chancer area of Kulgam district where security forces, including army, had launched a counter-insurgency operation, they said. Further details were awaited. An army official said an operation was going on in the area, but maintained that they had no reports of any casualty. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Clashes between armed groups near the northern Malian city of Gao left at least one person dead and a dozen injured, and the local airport was closed after being hit in a jihadist attack, sources said. Fighting erupted yesterday between the towns of Tessit and Intillit among unidentified militias, an elected official who asked not to named said. The combattants were believed either to be aligned with the ex-rebel Azawad movement or with an ethnic Touareg group called Imghad or its pro-government ally, the official said. The clashes were confirmed by a foreign security source who said the fighters were probably connected to groups involved in a peace process for Mali's volatile north. The elected official earlier said that two had died in the fighting, but a number of sources later said that one person had been killed. Meanwhile the UN mission to Mali (Minusma) announced that Gao airport -- a key transport hub -- had been shut down following a jihadist suicide attack on Tuesday night. A car bomb destroyed prefabricated hangars used by the mission's aircraft, Minusma said in a statement. Damage to the installations and debris on the runway "has made the airport unusable for the moment and it is temporarily closed," it said, adding that the clean-up would begin once the area was made safe. Minusma said a second vehicle had been "abandoned in situ, containing 500 kilos of explosives and other devices" and these needed to be neutralised. The attack was claimed the same evening by the Algerian jihadist group of Mokhtar Belmokhtar, which said in a statement that the airport had been attacked as it was one of the most important sites used by foreign forces in Mali. The one-eyed killer of hostages and a notorious Al-Qaeda ally in North Africa, Belmokhtar was reported to have been killed in a French air strike in southern Libya last month. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Monday a report in the Wall Street Journal that US intelligence helped France target the veteran jihadist. Mali regained control of the northern cities from the jihadists after a French-led international military intervention in January 2013, but insurgents remain active across large parts of the region. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A CoBRA jawan was today injured in an exchange offire with Naxals in the dense forests of Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Sukma district, police said. The skirmish took place in the wee hours when a team ofCRPF's elite CoBRA (Commando Battalion forResolute Action) 201st battalion was conducting ananti-Naxal operation in the interiors of Chintalnar police outpost - a Naxal hotbed, Sukma AdditionalSuperintendent of Police Jitendra Shukla told PTI. Based on a specific input about a meeting of ultras in Surpanguda forests, the operation was launched by the paramilitary personnel from Chintalnar last evening, he said. While cordoning-off the region, located around 450 kmsfrom the state capital, when the security men reached Surpanguda village forests, the Naxals opened indiscriminate fire onthem leaving head constable Rajeev Tomar, a radio operator, injured, the ASP said. However, the Maoists soon fled from the spot as the jawanslaunched a retaliatory attack on them, he said. "Tomar, belonging to CoBRA 201st battalion, sustained bullet injuries on his shoulder," he said. Reinforcement was immediately rushed to the spot and the injuredjawan was evacuated from the forest, the ASP said, adding that hehas been airlifted to Raipur for treatment. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Friday rejected a demand by Congress to make an obituary reference to almost a "hundred people" who allegedly died while standing in queues to withdraw money after the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes. When the House assembled to take up the day's work, Speaker made an obituary reference to thousands of people who died due to the leakage of poisonous gas from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal in 1984 on the night of December 2-3. The reference was made on Friday- a day marking the 32nd anniversary of the gas tragedy. After the House paid respect to the victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy, Congress leader in Mallikarjun Kharge told the Speaker that a similar obituary reference should also be made to a "hundred people" who died while standing queues after the demonetisation. While BJP members strongly protested Kharge's demand, the Speaker rejected it immediately. Cyclonic storm Nada on Friday further weakened into a depression as per expectations, with making its land fall between Nagapattinam and Vedaranyam in Tamil Nadu, the MeT Department said. "A large chunk of the depression has crossed coast early morning. However, over 25 per cent of the system is yet to make the land fall which will happen soon," a MeT official here said. He said mild to moderate rain coupled with squally winds were being witnessed in parts of Tamil Nadu. Nada which weakened into a deep depression on Thursday moved Westnorth-West wards and became a depression about 40 km East south East of Karaikkal (Puducherry Union Territory), the official said. Meanwhile, top government authorities said the situation is being monitored continuously. Continuing to strengthen its position in the East, Dalmia Bharat Group plans to ramp up its cement production capacity in Odisha for an investment of around Rs 2,000 crore. The company, which is participating in the ongoing 'Make in Odisha Conclave' here, said that it plans to enrich business commitment to the state further. OCL India Ltd has an installed capacity of 5.4 MT per annum distributed between its two manufacturing units in Odisha, company officials said. Mahendra Singhi, Group CEO, Dalmia Bharat Group, said, Odisha is on a high economic growth trajectory and its GDP is expected to grow at around 12 per cent by 2020. Gvernment's commitment to industrial development is backed by industry friendly policies which is already showing positive results. "Odisha has always been our home soil and our business relationship with the state has matured over the years. The state's zeal to grow further thus compels us to partner its next leap of growth," he said. The Odisha government, which has laid a long-term roadmap to enable development and aid industrial growth in the State under its 'Vision-2025: Odisha Industrial Development Plan 2025', emphasises Smart City development, infrastructure revamp and affordable housing, which is likely to provide a fillip to cement demand, he said. Amandeep, Director and CEO, OCL India Ltd, said good governance and stable political leadership has been one of the prime factors that has helped investors show faith in investment in the State. Additionally, there has been a growing improvement in business sentiment across sectors in Odisha due to investor friendly policies. The concept of a Smart City will get a boost if the Government focuses more on road and power infrastructure. With Government's focus on affordable housing and Smart cities, cement can expect incremental growth in demand over the next five years, he said. Dalmia Bharat Cement has also participated in 'Make in Odisha Expo' being held at Janata Maidan here. The Dalmia Bharat pavilion showcases Dalmia Bharat Cement's footprint in Eastern India, its product offering and environmental initiatives for sustainable growth, a company statement said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Demand for independent Madhes is a ploy to disintegrate Nepal, former deputy prime minister Kamal Thapa today claimed while observing that the country is plunging into crisis due to "languidness" of big parties. Thapa, President of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), said the country is gradually plunging into a morass of crisis due to wrong policies and languidness of the big political parties. Addressing the gathering of party cadres in Bharatpur, a town in central Nepal, the former deputy prime minister said that no voices provoking disintegration of Nepal were heard, in its 250-year-long history after its unification by Prithvi Narayan Shah the great in 1770, despite many upheavals. He claimed that "some groups -- though small -- have been active in demanding disintegration of the country and forming an independent Madhes". Demand for independent Madhes is a ploy to disintegrate Nepal, Thapa said. Thapa's remarks were seen as a hint towards the demand of re-demarcation of provincial boundary put forward by the agitating pro-Madhesi parties. Thapa said the country had to pay huge price because of visionless and power-hungry political leaders. "The unification of our parties is to save the country from plunging into a serious crisis," Thapa said while addressing the cadres. He reiterated that Nepal should be declared a Hindu state while respecting other religions. Thapa warned that the move towards disintegration though was at a nascent stage could turn into a dangerous force. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said demonetisation will help achieve the aim of a "swachh samaj", which is as much required as a "swachh bharat". "Like Swachh Bharat, we also need Swachh Samaj (clean society) and demonetisation will help us achieve this aim too," Fadnavis said while addressing the ICICI Bank Swachh Society Awards here. The chief minister appealed to all housing societies to take a lead so that each becomes an ambassador for 'Swachh Bharat' and sought greater public participation in the initiative. Vijaynagar cooperative housing society, Anand Kores Towers cooperative housing society, Ashok Towers and Sealine cooperative society won the awards on the basis of cleanliness, waste management, energy conservation, water resource management and safety. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a planned move, Denmark is pulling back its F-16 fighter jet squadron from an international coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen says the Scandinavian country would instead send engineering troops to help with reconstruction projects. He didn't specify where. Denmark joined the international coalition in October 2014, and sent, among others, seven F-16 planes, which were briefly brought back to Denmark for repairs. In April, a large majority in the Danish Parliament sent them back, this time with a mandate to bomb in Syria. Defence Minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen said today that an undisclosed number of special Danish troops were continuing to train and support Iraqi troops fighting Islamic State militants. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A close relative of Dera Radha Soami Sect Chief Gurinder Singh Dhillon's was found murdered in Maqbool Road, a plush area, here. Shukla Seth (83) was found murdered last night along with her maid Manjit Kaur (60) at the former's residence, police said. Seth is the mother-in-law of Dhillon's elder son. Dhillon, who has Z-plus security, arrived here in the morning and attended the cremation of Seth at Durgiana cremation ground. He spent nearly one hour in the cremation ground amid tight security. Last rites of Seth were performed as per Hindu rituals. 'Havan Yagya' was also organised and Dhillon participated in all the rituals Earlier in the morning, when Dhillon arrived in the city, he asked his personal staff to manage the autopsy of the 0Seth and spent the day in the city till evening. Dera Radha Soami also known as Dera Baba Jaimal Singh at Beas town, nearly 45 km from the Amritsar city, is headed by the sect chief Dhillon. The sect has a large number of followers across the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Snoopers Charter is the most invasive surveillance law ever passed by a "democracy", requiring service providers to retain records of virtually everything you do online and with your phone, and then allowing virtually "everyone" to search that data, without a warrant or even record-keeping, so it's virtually impossible to catch systemic abuse of the system. Unless you are a politician. If you are a member of Parliament, a Lord, a member of the devolved regional parliaments, or a member of the European Parliament, you can only be spied on if the Prime Minister personally approves it. The protections afforded to politicians are actually less than they had hoped to be given. Earlier in the process, the only amendment that MPs had submitted was one that would allow extra safeguards for politicians forcing any request to monitor MP's communications to go through the speaker of the House of Commons as well as the prime minister. Whether intelligence agencies should be allowed to spy on politicians has been a contentious part of recent surveillance legislation. For many years, discussions between politicians and their constituents had been treated as off-limits and they are still seen as "sensitive" under the new legislation but those protections have been gradually rolled back. Investigatory Powers Bill: Politicians exempt themselves from new wide-ranging spying laws [Andrew Griffin/The Independent] Maharashtra Election Commission officials today seized nearly Rs 7 crore in old denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 near Baramati in Pune district, police said. The cash belonged to Baramati Sahakari Bank Ltd, which was being taken to its headquarters in Baramati. "State election commission officials intercepted a vehicle near Bhigwan toll plaza and found Rs 6.98 crore cash in scrapped denominations in it," Baramati police station inspector C G Kamble told PTI. He said four persons who were sitting in the vehicle told officials that the cash belonged to Baramati Sahakari Bank Ltd (BSB) and was being taken to Baramati. When contacted, BSB chairman Shrikant Sikchi confirmed that cash belonged to the bank and they have all the proofs. "Generally, we deposit our cash collected from all branches in tehsil into nationalised banks. However, no bank is currently accepting our deposits. After reaching out to Reserve Bank of India, they instructed us to deposit our cash, collected from all the branches, into Bank of Maharashtra branch in Bhigwan," Sikchi claimed. He said when bank officials reached Bank of Maharashtra, the bank didn't allow them to deposit cash, citing space crunch and asked us to come later. "While bringing the cash, which was in the form of old notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000, to our headquarter in Baramati, the election commission officials intercepted the vehicle," Sikchi added. He said they have all the documents to "prove" that cash belongs to the bank and it is legal. "We have handed over the documents and a letter from RBI to the police station and election commission officials," Sikchi added. Police said they have now seized the cash and that the EC officials have notified about it to Income Tax department. "So far no case has been registered," Kamble said. In total, including today's phase, elections are being held for 212 civic bodies, comprising municipal councils and nagar panchayats, in four phases. The EC has set up squads in view of the second phase of polls to local bodies, slated on December 14. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid incidents of Sri Lankan Navy's alleged aggression towards Indian fishermen, Indian Navy today said it was educating fishermen from the southern parts of the country on all issues concerning their safety while venturing into the sea for fishing in the coast of Tamil Nadu. "We are educating fishermen on all the issues concerning their safety, or security. We conduct various campaigns, coastal security campaigns, we educate them, highlight to them on what are the issues, what they should do, what they should not do," Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, Vice Admiral A R Karve said. The top Navy official was reacting to a question on the frequent incidents of Indian fishermen getting arrested by Lankan naval personnel while fishing and Indian forces' response to such alleged aggression by the island nation navy. "From the Navy and the Coastguard whatever the actions are required, all those are in place and they will continue to be," Karve said. He said the Indian Navy took "whatever necessary steps to prevent the transgression by fishermen from either side, those are fully in place, and if there is a stray incident, then the matter is taken up at the highest level of the government and the fishermen are soon released". "This is an ongoing process, continuous process, happening in the Tamil Nadu side, east coast," Karve said. In the latest in the series of such incidents, 11 Indian fishermen were arrested by Lankan naval personnel last month while fishing near Neduntheevu off Sri Lanka. The Indian fishermen had alleged that the Lankan navy personnel also chased away hundreds of other fishermen by allegedly pelting bottles and stones and warning through public address system. Various associations of Indian fishermen have voiced concern over the incidents occurring frequently in the high seas and sought the intervention of the central government to take steps to ensure their safety. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An elderly man died after suffering a heart attack today afternoon when he was standing in a queue outside the branch of a nationalised bank in Tenpur village of Arvalli district, police said. The deceased has been identified as 62-year-old Badarsinh Solanki, a resident of nearby Chandrej village. He came to Tenpur village in Bayad taluka to withdraw money from the bank, sub-inspector of Ambaliyara police station R H Solanki said. "Locals told us that Solanki was a pensioner as he retired as a peon few years back. When he was waiting for his turn in queue outside bank, he suddenly fell unconscious. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared as brought dead. Doctors informed us that he suffered heart attack," said Solanki. Last month, three persons had died due to heart attack in Botad, Anand and Surendranagar districts while standing in the queue outside banks, either to exchange their scrapped notes or to withdraw money. Meanwhile, Jamnagar city police have arrested a scrap dealer who was in possession of new as well as scrapped currency having a total face-value of Rs 4.16 lakhs. The accused, identified as Suresh Kankhara (24) was arrested by Hanumangate police today, following seisure of 205 new notes of Rs 2000, two new notes of Rs 500 and 10 scrapped notes of Rs 500 from him during patrolling near Panchvati society. "Since Kankhara, a scrap dealer, could not give any satisfactory explanation about the source of the cash, we arrested him and seized the cash, having total face-value of Rs 4.16 lakhs," police sub-inspector K P Gohil said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Delhi court today granted bail to retired Colonel Ajay Ahlawat, who was arrested in a high profile sex-racket case allegedly involving government servants and women from Central Asian countries. Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Kumar Jain granted bail to Ahlawat, who was produced from judicial custody, on a personal bond of Rs one lakh and a surety of a like amount, saying "no purpose would be served by keeping him in jail any more." The judge also asked him not to contact or influence the complainant in any manner. Ahlawat, who was arrested on November 10, is one of the accused besides businessman PN Sanyal in the human trafficking and impersonation racket which came to fore after Sanyal's residences in Safdarjung Enclave and Vasant Kunj in South Delhi were raided by Income Tax authorities in June 2016. Seeking bail for Ahlawat, his counsel Pradeep Rana argued that there was no incriminating evidence against his client and he was cooperating with the police. "Ahlawat had appeared before police initially and thereafter he was exploring legal remedies available to him. When High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail, he surrendered before the court himself," he said. Opposing the bail plea, Delhi Police submitted that Ahlawat had been absconding during the proceedings and did not cooperate with the investigating agency. The court, however, allowed the bail plea saying no new material against him has come on record which required Ahlawat to remain in jail. The court also accepted the defence counsel's submission that the complainant, a Russian woman, had told the high court earlier that she was residing with the main accused Sanyal at her free will and did not allege anything against Ahlawat. The IT officials had rescued the 23-year-old Russian woman from Sanyal's residence in Safdarjung Enclave. A case was lodged by the police claiming that SMSes and WhatsApp data of the woman's mobile phone indicated that she was being kept against her will. Her travel documents including passport were allegedly taken away by the accused, it had alleged. The IT raid had also led to recovery of copies of passports of other foreign nationals as well as phone numbers of dozens of women belonging to Central Asian countries. During investigation, it was found that Sanyal had sent messages to government servants and other senior functionaries posing as MPs and top bureaucrats for getting favours in certain business deals, the cops had said. Messages exchanged between Sanyal and his associates had revealed financial transactions relating to foreign women. He was granted bail by the High Court. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Haifa, an Iraqi Yazidi, held up her fingers to show the number of fighters from the Islamic State jihadist group who had bought and sold her for sex during her more than two years in captivity. With an Iraqi campaign now in full swing to wrest back control of Mosul from IS, the Yazidis are fearful for as many as thousands of members of their community still in jihadist hands in the city. "There were seven," Haifa said, including men from Egypt, Morocco and a Palestinian. Haifa, 36, and her family were among thousands of members of the Yazidi minority shown no mercy by IS when it swept through areas north and west of the Iraqi capital in 2014. The Yazidis are neither Muslims nor Arabs, and the Kurdish-speaking community follows a unique faith despised by the Sunni jihadists. As the extremists advanced, they was singled out for especially cruel persecution in a campaign of violence and kidnapping which the United Nations has branded a genocide. Men were gunned down and thousands of women -- including Haifa and her younger sister -- were taken as sex slaves. "There was a place like a market where they put all the Yazidi women, and the fighters came and bought them," Haifa told AFP, asking for a pseudonym to be used. "One fighter bought 21 women at once." She was taken from her home region of Sinjar to the jihadist's Iraqi stronghold of Mosul before being transported to their Syrian bastion Raqa. "They dealt with us in a really harsh way. They did very bad things to us," she said. Twice Haifa tried but failed to escape. Just a few days ago, she finally managed to run away. She put her freedom down to the help of "good people" but gave no more details. Some Yazidi women who have managed to get away from IS have escaped, others have had their freedom bought. Now, as Iraqi forces push into Mosul as part of a major operation to eventually oust IS from the country, the hope for the devastated Yazidi community is that more can be liberated. It is Hussein al-Qaidi's job to help track them down. From an anonymous two-storey building in the city of Dohuk in Iraqi Kurdistan, he runs an "Office for Kidnapped Affairs" funded by the local Kurdish authorities. Originally over 6,000 Yazidis -- men, women and children -- were seized by IS and now some 3,000 remain in jihadist hands, he said. So far only a few Yazidis have been freed as the security forces push their assault on Mosul. As during previous operations to capture cities from the jihadists, IS fighters are believed to take their Yazidi captives with them as they retreat. But now Iraqi forces have cut the last remaining route from Mosul to IS-controlled territory in Syria -- leaving the city surrounded. Qaidi says there could be thousands of Yazidis left in Mosul -- and hopes that eventually the community will be able to rebuild. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Food processing industry is of enormous significance for development of Uttarakhand because of the vital linkages and synergies it promotes between industry and agriculture, the two pillars of economy, Governor Krishna Kant Paul today said. Inaugurating "Agri & Food Processor's Conclave: Finance - Technology - Market" here, Paul put emphasis on adoption of an integrated approach to facilitate development of agriculture and food processing industry in Uttarakhand saying it can create 3,20,000 additional employment opportunities. Noting that growth potential of this sector is enormous, he said consumption of value added food products will grow at a fast pace. "The consumption of processed food has gone up considerably. Youth are fond of processed food. The growth of the food processing industry will bring immense benefits to the economy, raising agricultural yields, creating employment and raising the standard of living of a very large number of people in the state, especially, in the rural areas. The conference was organized by ASSOCHAM in collaboration with Ministry of Food & Processing Industries (MoSPI) and Industries Association of Uttarakhand (IAU) for providing a platform to aspiring food entrepreneurs, existing SMEs in food, agriculture professionals & students, progressive farmers and Self Help Groups for sharing their views and learn about latest initiatives and opportunities available in the field of Agro Food Industries. Paul suggested setting up small food processing units in Uttarakhand saying there is a growing tendency among the youths to consume processed food in recent years. "Often hard pressed for time, youngsters are more inclined these days towards processed and packed food. With growing demand for such food, food processing must be encouraged and the quality of these foods must be ensured," he said. Hesaid there is enough scope for setting up small food processing units in the state as it grows fruits like apricots, apples, grapes, pears, peaches, litchis , mangoes and guavas. If these fruits are processed properly, hill farmers could benefit directly, Paul said. It could also help in checking migration from the hill areas, he said. Youth in the hills would get employment in food processing units and this would also attract them towards agriculture and horticulture, he said. He said if the food processing companies gave appropriate profit to farmers, then vegetables could also be processed. He said a food park existed in Haridwar and another one was coming up near Haldwani. This would bring about improvement in the hill economy and bring better income to farmers. Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said Eastern India, including Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal will be connected with natural gas pipeline. The Centre is also planning an investment of Rs 13,000 crore in Odisha, he added. Meanwhile, Odisha is expecting an overall investment of over Rs 30,000 crore in the urban development sector in next 5-7 years. The state is planning to develop 86 projects, with a total investment of Rs 77,108 crore, over the next five years under the national smart city challenge for Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, G Mathi Vathanan, Commissioner-cum-Secretary said. The Bhubaneswar Plan has 50 projects worth Rs 4,537 crore, of which Rs 2,725 crore are likely to be invested through PPP mode, while Rourkela Plan has 30 projects worth Rs 2,571 crore of which Rs 334 crore is expected to be invested through the PPP mode. Gambia's president of 22 years has acknowledged his election defeat on state television, vowing to step down hours after of the results prompted thousands to celebrate in the streets in an unprecedented display of disdain for his rule. With cameras rolling, Yahya Jammeh called the winner, opposition coalition leader Adama Barrow, on a mobile phone to praise the election and vow not to contest the result. "Allah is telling me my time is up and I hand over graciously with gratitude toward the Gambian people and gratitude toward you," Jammeh said last night. It was a stunning turn of events in a country where critics have long alleged votes are rigged and opponents silenced and jailed. Just five years ago, Jammeh said that he could stay in power for a billion years. According to the electoral commission's tally, Barrow received 45 per cent of the vote compared to Jammeh's 36 per cent. Many Gambians stayed up all night listening to the radio and tallying results as they were read out constituency by constituency. Once the results were announced, some tore down posters of Jammeh and celebrated in the streets as the military stood by. Men in pickup trucks rode through the streets of Banjul screaming "Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!" For the tens of thousands watching abroad from political exile, it was a day they thought might never come. "We have freedom at last! And there will be an economic boom, and people jailed can be freed, and people exiled abroad will come back home to their families," said Aminata Jawara, a 23-year-old lab technician. Eight opposition parties united behind Barrow, a former businessman, and the campaign period featured large opposition rallies and unprecedented expressions of frustration with Jammeh's rule. Nevertheless, Jammeh had projected confidence, saying his victory was all but assured by God and predicting "the biggest landslide in the history of the country" after he voted on Thursday. "We are happy to be free," said Omar Amadou Jallow, an opposition leader for the People's Progressive Party, which joined the coalition that backed Barrow. "We are able to free the Gambian people from the clutches of dictatorship, and we are now going to make sure Gambia becomes a bastion of peace and coalition. Our foundation will be based on national reconciliation." Jammeh came to power in a coup in 1994 and then swept elections in 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011 after a 2002 constitutional amendment removed presidential term limits. Critics say those earlier elections were not free and fair. Human rights groups have accused Jammeh of ordering the deaths of countless political opponents as well as targeting journalists and gays and lesbians. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) German authorities have arrested an Afghan man suspected of being a member of the Taliban. Federal prosecutors said today that 20-year-old Hekmat T was arrested a day earlier on suspicion of membership in a terrorist organization. Prosecutors alleged the man joined the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2013 and repeatedly took part in fighting against Afghan police and security forces. The statement didn't say where the man was arrested or why he was in Germany. His full name wasn't provided due to German privacy laws. Thousands of Afghans have come to Germany in recent years seeking asylum due to the conflict in their home country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) is conducting roadshows across the country to promote itself as a tourist destination and expecting around 1.2 million Indian visitors every year to visit the European nation by 2021. "We are expecting 1.2 million overnight visitors from India every year by 2021. The number of visitors is going up around 5% every year," Romit Theophilus, Director of Sales & Marketing Office India, German Tourist Office, told PTI. German Tourist Office (GNTO) is holding road shows to promote tourism. To attract tourists to Germany, it is showcasing cheap and affordable hotels and sight-seeings the country offers, he said. "To promote as tourist destination, we are doing roadshows in India. This year, we have touched leading metros as Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi highlighting destinations which is offering," Theophilus said. He further said: "Germany has recorded over 5,00,432 overnight visitors from India for the period of January-August 2016 a growth of 4.4% over the same period last year." At present, 50% visitors are from leisure and rest for business purpose. Traffic of Indian tourists to Germany rose by 84% from 2007 to 2015 and over 6.92 lakh travellers visited the European country. GNTO is also actively promoting Germany on digital platforms targeting the young generation. Moreover, it is also inviting producers from Bollywood and Tollywood to shoot their respective films in Germany, he said. "In 2011, we have done with two movie. Now we have plans to shoot more and more Bollywood and Tollywood movies as South is also an important base for us," he added. He further said that even people from tier-II cities like Lucknow and Chandigarh, which do not have a direct flight (to Germany), are now travelling to Germany. State-run iron ore miner NMDC today said the government have given in-principle approval to consider strategic disinvestment in Nagarnar steel plant. "Steel Ministry has communicated the 'in-principle' decision of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) of Government of India to consider strategic disinvestment of the Nagarnar Steel Plant of the Company," it said in a regulatory filing. The country's largest iron ore miner, NMDC, is setting up a 3 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) integrated steel plant in Nagarnar in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh. In June this year, an environment ministry panel gave clearance to a captive iron ore mine in Bastar for the plant. The plant is expected to start trial production by mid-2017. The Bailadila Deposit-4, which has mineable iron ore of around 108 mt, will entail an investment of around Rs 1,900 crore. The Chhattisgarh government and NMDC have inked an MoU for a slurry pipeline from Bailadila to Nagarnar, along with ore processing plants at Bailadila and a 2-mtpa pellet plant at Nagarnar with an investment of Rs 4,000 crore. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) We have officially entered the post-fact American era. Donald J. Trump presidential surrogate Scottie Nell Hughes, known for being one of the most wack in Trump's pack, explicitly said on public radio's "The Diane Rehm Show" yesterday that lying is official Trump strategy. From Esquire: Hughes joined The Diane Rehm Show to discuss the media's role in covering the Trump administration. If the campaign and transition are anything to go on, Trump's White House will not overly concern itself with reality. The whole segment is here, but another member of the panel, The Atlantic's James Fallows, flagged one particular moment of the conversation. Around the 14-minute mark, Hughes illustrated a defining principle of Trumpism: There's no longer such thing as fact, because anything is true if enough people believe it. From the transcript: "Well, I think it's also an idea of an opinion. And that'son one hand, I hear half the media saying that these are lies. But on the other half, there are many people that go, 'No, it's true.' And so one thing that has been interesting this entire campaign season to watch, is that people that say facts are factsthey're not really facts. Everybody has a wayit's kind of like looking at ratings, or looking at a glass of half-full water. Everybody has a way of interpreting them to be the truth, or not truth. There's no such thing, unfortunately, anymore as facts. And later, "And so Mr. Trump's tweet, amongst a certain crowda large part of the populationare truth. When he says that millions of people illegally voted, he has someamongst him and his supporters, and people believe they have facts to back that up. Those that do not like Mr. Trump, they say that those are lies and that there are no facts to back it up." God help this nation of ours. Tightening the noose further around black economy, the government may abolish discretionary powers of tax officers in deciding liabilities for evasion, said NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya. He also hinted that stamp duty for real estate dealings may be eased with a possible rise in on-the-book property deals in the wake of the ongoing crackdown on unaccounted wealth. "We have to also go back and begin to think much more seriously about a whole set of tax reforms, which would both bring in simplification and precision in the definition so that you reduce, and hopefully even eliminate, discretion of tax officers on this matter," Panagariya told private TV channel India Today in an interview. Panagariya, a former chief economist of the Asian Development Bank, was responding to questions on possible follow-up measures to the November 8 announcement of ban on 500 and 1,000-rupee banknotes. "A lot of evasion of taxes happens when there's too much discretion on the part of officers. So, we need to simplify," he remarked. "Simplification", he explained, "would mean doing away with (tax) exemptions. In addition, (we need to) also define situations much more precisely so that it leaves no room for discretion for the tax officers to decide whether under such and such situations you are liable to tax, you are not liable to tax." The government, Panagariya said, is beefing up enforcement against tax cheats in the real estate sector. At the same time, concerns over the high rates of the stamp duty should also be taken care of, he suggested. "On real estate, we need to begin to enforce it better. But we need to address the issue of stamp duty. Is it too high?" he asked. "If the transactions are going to come in white, probably the amount for which the transaction is taking place would rise." Asked whether he foresaw a drop in stamp duty, Panagariya answered "that's something we ought to have on the table". The NITI Ayog chief stoutly defended Prime Minister Narendra Modi's of the country's biggest notes, which has come under heavy attack from a host of economists, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh. "Stamping out corruption on a large scale has not been tried in a developing economy in the past," Panagariya argued. "This is the first time, where in a developing economy, a Prime Minister says that look we got to do a clean-up job here and systematically proceeds to do that." He described Modi's currency ban as an "essential step". "This is the first time an economy has tried to do the clean-up job. What the step has been taken is an essential step. It is not the last step. Panagariya rejected Singh's fierce criticism of the abrupt scrapping of high-denomination bills, saying the former prime minister had given no evidence to back up his contention. "I really wished that the former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh had also given his arguments very clearly why he thought this was loot, why he thought this was plunder. I really don't know what his arguments were, so I really can't quite address them in an informed sort of way," Panagariya said. He also disagreed with Nobel laureate Amartya Sen's harsh observations that the was a "despotic action". Panagariya insisted that the government followed laid-out norms before it outlawed the banknotes. "Also, by the way, a despotic action should create some uproar from the public to the Opposition. The public sentiment has been quite the contrary actually. I really don't quite appreciate in what sense it was a despotic action," he wondered. He, however, acknowledged that Modi's measure will slow down economy at least in the last two quarters of the current fiscal, but claimed that growth would recover rapidly in the next financial year. "I think we'll see some decline in the third quarter. Some bit of less than what will happen in the third quarter will happen also in the fourth quarter. But whatever losses happen in this particular year in aggregate are going to recover in a big way as we go into the next year and the following year because this ultimately is going to have a major efficiency-enhancing impact on the entire economic system," he reasoned. Panagariya, however, refused to forecast any figures for 2017. "I will not indulge in any number crunching on this. This is a difficult thing to do in the absence of any quantitative evidence." Meantime, discussions were also under way to boost the government's efforts to digitise all financial transactions, he said. A committee of state chief ministers has already been set up to execute that programme, which he indicated might eventually incorporate funding of political parties. "If we have to capitalise on the benefits of what has been done on November 8, this (digitisation of transactions) is one thing we have to promote in a huge way," he said. Panagariya also spoke about the possibility of slashing down Customs duty on gold imports. "We perhaps should also look at the Customs duty on gold because that also brings gold illegally. If the Customs duty is too high, there's a very long history of gold smuggling into India. And if gold comes in illegally, then it's also transacted illegally, that of course again gives rise to black money," Panagariya explained. The Centre today questioned in the Supreme Court the maintainability of a petition filed by Swaraj Abhiyan and said that a "political protagonist" can't approach the court in the "guise of a public interest litigation to settle political scores". A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Amitava Roy agreed to first hear the issue of maintainability of the plea filed by Swaraj Abhiyan seeking an SIT probe into alleged irregularities in the purchase of an Agusta helicopter for VVIP use by the Chhattisgarh government. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said Swaraj Abhiyan is an unregistered organisation and has applied to the Election Commission of India for registration as a political party called 'Swaraj India'. "When an issue takes the colour of political nature or a political protagonist approaches the court in the guise of a public interest litigation to settle political scores, it loses the character of public interest litigation," he told the bench. Rohatgi said persons behind Swaraj Abhiyan after the Supreme Court verdict in another PIL filed by the organisation with regard to relief to farmers in drought-hit areas of the country, had carried out a march from the apex court to Krishi Bhawan. "The persons behind Swaraj Abhiyan are the same persons who have applied for registration as political party before Election Commission of India. They cannot approach the court under Article 32 to settle political scores and take political mileage," he said, noting that both these PILs should be dismissed as not maintainable. Swaraj Abhiyan is led by former Aam Aadmi Party members -- psephologist Yogendra Yadav, advocate Prashant Bhushan and others. Rohatgi said that if they have any grievance then can approach the court under different provisions or raise their concern at appropriate forums, but can't file a PIL. The Attorney General said that another plea of a similar issue has been filed by T N Singhdeo who is the leader of opposition in the Chhattisgarh Assembly and a petition of the present nature at his instance is not maintainable. Senior advocate Shanti Bhushan, appearing for Swaraj Abhiyan, said that irregularities were committed in the purchase of a VVIP helicopter by the state government. Rohatgi contended that the Government of India has cancelled all contracts with Agusta Westland after the allegations of irregularities surfaced. He said even assuming that the petitioners have a locus standi in the case they cannot file the plea under Article 32 of the Constitution. The bench posted the matter for further hearing to January 10, 2017. The apex court had on September 23 asked the Centre to clarify its stand on the plea which also sought an SIT probe into foreign bank accounts purportedly linked to the son of Chief Minister Raman Singh. The petition has sought an SIT probe into the purchase of a VIP chopper in 2007-08 by the state government. "The actions of the Chhattisgarh government in issuing a pre-decided tender inviting bids for the purchase of specific model of a specific brand of helicopter for VIP movement shows a complete mala fide intention on the part of the respondents to subvert the tendering process and to make sure that a pre-decided seller would be given the contract," the plea said. "The petitioner is also seeking an inquiry into the alleged offshore accounts of Abhishek Singh (son of Raman Singh, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh) a few months after the alleged scam in the purchase of Agusta helicopter for VIP use," the plea, filed through advocate Prashant Bhushan, said. It alleged that so far no genuine attempt has been made to investigate this deal. Government in consultation with the RBI today sharply raised the Market Stabilisation Scheme (MSS) ceiling to Rs 6 lakh crore from Rs 30,000 crore to mop up extra liquidity from the system in view of demonetisation. After the withdrawal of the legal tender character of the Rs 500/1,000 denomination notes with effect from November 9, there has been a surge in deposits with the banks, the Reserve Bank said in a notification. Consequently, there has been a significant increase of liquidity in the banking system that is expected to continue for some time, it said. "In order to facilitate liquidity management operations by the RBI in the current scenario, the government has, on the recommendation of the RBI, decided to revise the ceiling for issue of securities under the MSS to Rs 6,000 billion," it added. MSS bonds are issued with the objective of providing the central bank with a stock of securities with which it can intervene in the market for managing liquidity. These securities are not issued to meet government's expenditure. As part of liquidity management exercise, the RBI last week asked lenders to temporarily maintain an incremental cash reserve ratio (CRR) of 100 per cent. CRR is the portion of the deposits banks are required to park with the Reserve Bank. The actual current rate of CRR is 4 per cent. RBI Governor Urjit Patel had said the RBI has announced an incremental CRR (Cash Reserve Ratio) of 100 per cent "because of the large increase in deposits of banks on account of the return of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes" and the decision will be reviewed immediately once the government issues adequate quantum of MSS bonds which they have promised to do. "While the RBI has a significant stock of government securities available, we felt that if the increase in deposits continues we may fall short, hence the decision. Once the government issues adequate quantum of MSS bonds, which they have promised to, we will immediately review the incremental CRR," he had said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) After the demonetisation of high-value notes, an accused in the graft case involving former Medical Council of India president Ketan Desai has moved a special court seeking direction to CBI to deposit in bank the Rs 2 crore in cash seized by it more than six years ago. The CBI, which is probing the case, however, has opposed the plea claiming that the notes were bribe money which are important evidence of the case and if deposited in bank, it will damage the prosecution case as these are yet to be exhibited before the court. The cash was seized by the CBI on April 22, 2010, from the alleged middleman J P Singh. The proceedings in the case have been stayed by the Supreme Court on an application filed by one of the accused. After the reply filed by the CBI, special judge Gurdeep Singh has now sought response from Desai and two other accused doctors -- Sukhwinder Singh and Kanwaljit Singh of Patiala-based Gyan Sagar Medical College. According to the charge sheet filed by CBI on September 16, 2011, Desai entered into criminal conspiracy (under section 120-B of IPC) with other accused persons for bribe to show favour with regard to permitting the medical college to recruit a fresh batch of students without having the requisite infrastructure. The CBI had claimed that Desai misused his official position by sharing the information regarding the inspection pertaining to grant of permission to the college. The accused were booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act and IPC. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Great Barrier Reef is "not dying", Australia insisted today, as it updated UNESCO on efforts to protect the natural wonder while scientists blasted a lack of urgency in dealing with climate change. Canberra last year narrowly avoided the UN body putting the site on its endangered list and was ordered to report to the World Heritage committee by December 1 on its "Reef 2050" rescue plan. The giant ecosystem is under pressure from farming run-off, development, the crown-of-thorns starfish and climate change, which led to a mass bleaching event this year that devastated swathes of coral. In the report, the government said 32 of the plan's 151 actions to improve the reef had been achieved. Another 103 were under way, four were delayed, and 12 were not yet due. "When we came to government we inherited a reef on UNESCO's endangered watchlist," Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg told Sky . "We've done everything possible since that time to put in place a plan, to invest huge amounts of resources to improve water quality, to work with the farming community to tackle the crown-of-thorns starfish and to preserve this natural wonder of the world. "We have to put the facts on the table," he added. "The reef is not dead, it's not dying, it's resilient, it's healthy and we've made great strides forward in the last few years." The government has committed more than USD 1.5 billion to protect the reef over the next decade with the update highlighting progress on land management practices to prevent sediment run off, which helps spawn the coral-eating starfish. It also pointed to a ban on sea-based disposal of dredge material in the area and restrictions on new port developments. But the rescue plan included no new funding or commitments to tackle climate change despite acknowledging this was the reef's biggest threat. This year's bleaching, due to warming sea temperatures, killed two-thirds of shallow-water corals in the north of the 2,300-kilometre-long reef, although central and southern areas escaped with less damage. The update said Canberra was acting on global warming through the United Nations talks that led to the recent Paris climate deal, but scientists said it was not enough. "Funding water quality efforts on the reef while failing to do anything about climate change is a bit like fixing a window while the house is on fire," said Tim Flannery from the independent Climate Council. "I'm not even sure you can call a plan that includes no new funding and no new actions on climate change a plan -- it's simply a re-announcement of old commitments." Greenpeace Australia was equally scathing, saying it was unacceptable that while recognising the impact of global warming on the reef the government "then completely fails to do anything about it". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today said his government is ready to provide 2,800 acres of land for the international airport proposed to be built here. "The state government is ready to give 2,800 acres of land to Rajkot district authorities for the international airport," he said at a function here. The Chief Minister made the announcement while laying the foundation stone of SAUNI (Saurashtra Narmada Avatraran Irrigation) project's link-3 canal project to fill Aji dam, which is city's main source of drinking water. "The state government is committed to provide international air-connectivity to Rajkot and ready to give the required land," Rupani said. Rajkot District Collector Vikrant Pandey had recently sought 2,800 acres of land for the project. A team from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had visited Kuvadava town on the outskirts of Rajkot to inspect of district authority's proposed site for the airport. After the foundation stone-laying ceremony at Aji dam river site, the Chief Minister said it would be filled with Narmada water in just 25 days once the project is completed. Rajkot Municipal Commissioner B N Pani and District Collector Pandey, in a joint statement, said the project would be completed within the next five months. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hard Rock band Guns N' Roses asked their fans to destroy a pinata of President-elect Donald Trump during their concert at Mexico City's Palacio de los Deportes. Frontman Axl Rose and the stage crew invited fans onstage, armed them with sticks and asked them to express freely what they feel about Trump, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "Let's bring up some people and give them a stick. Express yourselves however you feel," Rose said as stagehands helped concertgoers up. Earlier last month during a show in Brazil, Rose changed a line from the band's track "Civil War" to sing: "Look at the fear that Trump is feeding". A week later he responded to Trump's appointment of an Attorney General by saying: "Good people don't listen to, acknowledge, nominate or elect people like Senator Jeff Sessions. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a stunning development, a hardline cleric having links with banned Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), won by-election for a Punjab Assembly seat, defeating over two dozen candidates including those fielded by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP). Maulana Masroor Nawaz Jhangvi, son of Sunni militant group Sipah-e-Sahaba's slain founder Haq Nawaz Jhangvi, won the Punjab Assembly's PP-78 by-election yesterday in Jhang district of the province. ASWJ chief Maulana Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi campaigned door-to-door for independent candidate Jhangvi, who secured 48,562 votes defeating his closest rival Azad Nasir Ansari of the ruling PML-N with more than 12,000 votes. The election was held in high security as police, rangers and army personnel were deployed at all polling stations. The overall voter turnout reported to be around 30 per cent. ASWJ was formed after the government slapped a ban on Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). The SSP,spearheaded the anti-Shia drive in late 1980s and led to sectarian violence in the country that is still going on. The elder Jhangvi was killed in sectarian violence. Jhangvi's victory has shown that ASWJ has strong voter-base in Jhang, some 200 km from Lahore. The seat was vacated by PML-N Rashida Yaqoob, who was disqualified by Election Commission for concealing her assets. By allowing a known extremist to run for election and use the platform of banned outfit raises several questions about Pakistan's government pledge to fight extremism and militancy. Commenting on the outcome of the by-election, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on twitter: "Rest in pieces National action plan" with hashtag #GoNisarGo. Earlier, the PML-N had election alliance with ASWJ. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah is accused of harbouring the ASWJ activists. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Bombay High Court has reserved its order on appeals filed by 11 convicts against life sentence awarded to them by the trial court in the 2002 Bilkis Bano gangrape case. The high court also reserved order on an appeal filed by the CBI, seeking death penalty for three convicts on the ground that this was the 'rarest of the rare' case. The bench of justices Vijaya Tahilramani and Mridula Bhatkar reserved the order recently after conducting a day-to- day hearing on both the appeals since July. Eleven convicts, who were sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court in 2008 for raping Bilkis and killing her family members in the aftermath of the Godhra riots, had filed appeals in the high court challenging their conviction. The CBI had also moved the high court, seeking death penalty for three of them. CBI counsel Hiten Venegaonkar sought death penalty for three convicts arguing that it was a case of a "mass murder" as 14 members of a family, including a three-day-old child, were killed. The CBI lawyer argued that there was an "exodus" of people due to riots and while Bilkis and her family had been on the run, she was gangraped and her kin were murdered. "Therefore, the case fell in the rarest of rare category, for which maximum punishment should be awarded," Venegaonkar submitted. Harshad Ponda, the lawyer defending the convicts, questioned the "chronology of events narrated by Bilkis, the FIR registered by Gujarat Police and the photographs of the bodies and other evidence collected from the spot". He alleged the evidence had been fabricated by the CBI. In January 2008, a Mumbai court had held the 11 convicts - Jaswant Nai, Govind Nai, Shailesh Bhatt, Radhyesham Shah, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Kesarbhai Vohania, Pradeep Mordhiya, Bakabhai Vohania, Rajubhai Soni, Mitesh Bhatt and Ramesh Chandana - guilty of murder and gangrape among other charges. All of them were awarded life imprisonment. It was the case of the prosecution that in March 2002, Bilkis' family was attacked by a mob at Randhikpur village, 250 km from Ahmedabad in Gujarat. Bilkis, who was 19 years old at the time and five months pregnant, was gangraped by the convicts. Fourteen members of her family were killed. The Supreme Court had ordered a re-trial of the case in Mumbai. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Madras High court today restrained the Bar Council of India and Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry from alloting any official duty to its ad hoc committee member T. Michael Stanis Prabhu in view of his alleged involvement in a case of stabbing a fellow advocate andmember of the Tuticorin Bar Association on October 20. Justice M.Sathyanarayana of the court's Madurai Bench gave the direction after hearing a plea filed by V.Chinnadurai, Joint secretary of Tuticorin Bar association. The petitioner alleged that Stanis Prabhu who got elected with the help of non-practising advocates,was involved in 18 criminal cases,though acquitted in some of them. The members, who were unhappy with his functioning, removed him as President of the Tuticorin Bar association on July27,2016. Knowing full well that he could not get back his post, he indulged in false allegations against the bar association members and lodged multiple complaints before the bar council suppressing all criminal cases pending against him, the petitioner said. Besides Stanis Prabhu and some others had allegedly stabbed Raghuraman of the bar association on October 20,causing him serious injury, he said. Though police registered cases against him,they had not arrested him despite the fact that the court had dismissed his anticipatory bail application. The members had passed a resolution that they were feeling insecure and submitted it to the principal district and sessions judge,and Chief Judicial Magistrate, but police were hesitating to take action because he was member of the bar council. He managed to become the member of the ad hoc committee of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry bar council despite criminal cases against him, the petitione said. Hence the court should direct the council to remove him from membership of the ad hoc committee and restrain him from functioning as member. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The University of Toronto's Citizen Lab (previously) continues its excellent work, this time with a deep investigative piece on a sneaky form of censorship in China's popular We Chat service, where messages posted to group chats that contain words on a government blacklist are made invisible to other participants in the chat, while the original poster still sees it, giving the illusion that everyone's read the controverial message but no one found it worth commenting upon. This practice is similar to "shadow banning," which has been tried on many western platforms, from Metafilter to Reddit that's when all of a user's posts are blocked for everyone except the banned user, so it seems that every sees the inflammatory posts, but no one rises to the bait. It's the latest wrinkle in We Chat's longrunning project to censor subjects deemed controversial by the country's internet censors. In previous versions, all We Chat posts containing banned words were blocked and the user making the post was warned about it. The current version only targets accounts originally registered to phones with Chinese phone numbers. On the other hand, merely censoring the internet is relatively lenient: in France, a man was just sentenced to two years in prison, just for looking at ISIS-affiliated websites. Keyword filtering on WeChat is only enabled for users with accounts registered to mainland China phone numbers, and persists even if these users later link the account to an International number. Keyword censorship is no longer transparent. In the past, users received notification when their message was blocked; now censorship of chat messages happens without any user notice. More keywords are blocked on group chat, where messages can reach a larger audience, than one-to-one chat. Keyword censorship is dynamic. Some keywords that triggered censorship in our original tests were later found to be permissible in later tests. Some newfound censored keywords appear to have been added in response to current news events. WeChat's internal browser blocks China-based accounts from accessing a range of websites including gambling, Falun Gong, and media that report critically on China. Websites that are blocked for China accounts were fully accessible for International accounts, but there is intermittent blocking of gambling and pornography websites on International accounts. One App, Two Systems: How WeChat uses one censorship policy in China and another internationally [Lotus Ruan, Jeffrey Knockel, Jason Q. Ng, and Masashi Crete-Nishihata/Citizen Lab] The Health Ministry has circulated a draft cabinet note for approval to the signing of a protocol to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products. Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said that based on the suggestion of department of revenue, an inter-ministerial group to recommend measures to promote ratification of the protocol by India was set up which is yet to submit its report. "The Health Ministry had circulated a draft cabinet note for approval of signing of the protocol to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products developed under Article 15 of World Health Organisation's Framework Convention of Tobacco Control. "However, based on the suggestion of the department of revenue, an IMG consisting of officers from department of revenue, finance and health was set up to look into the domestic legislations, do a gap analysis and recommend measures to promote ratification of the protocol by India. The IMG has not yet submitted its report," she said. She said the Health Ministry hosted the 7th session of the Conference of Parties (CoP7) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control from November 7-12 at Greater Noida. She said that as per a report on tobacco control in India published in 2004, about 8-9 lakh Indians die of tobacco-related diseases every year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) today reported a marginal decline in total sales at 57,093 units in November compared to 57,659 units in the same month last year. In the domestic market, Hyundai's sales saw a decline of 8.32 per cent at 40,016 units last month as compared to 43,651 units in November last year, HMIL said in a statement. Exports, however, grew by 21.9 per cent to 17,077 units as against 14,008 units in the same month last year. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) India looks forward to working closely with United Arab Emirates (UAE) to further expand and deepen bilateral ties, President Pranab Mukherjee said today. Mukherjee stated this while extending his greetings to the government and people of the UAE on the occasion of their National Day. In a message to Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President said India deeply values its close, friendly and warm relations with the United Arab Emirates, "which are firmly rooted in our age-old trade and cultural links, nourished by people-to-people contacts and regular exchange of high-level visits". "I look forward to working closely with Your Highness to further expand and deepen our bilateral relations," Mukherjee said. He said the recent contacts and exchanges at the highest political level have provided a fresh impetus to mutually beneficial ties and elevated them to a comprehensive strategic partnership. "We are delighted that His Highness the crown prince of Abu Dhabi has agreed to be our chief guest at the Republic Day 2017 celebrations," the President said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The India International Science Festival (IISF), which aims to provide scientific temper among children, particularly those from rural areas, will begin here next week. The festival is being organised by the Union Science and Technology Ministry and RSS-linked Vijnan Bharati (VIBHA). During the second edition of the IISF, to be held between December 7 and December 11 at National Physical Laboratory here, the Ministry will also organise training programmes to promote "cashless society" concept among the festival visitors in the wake of demonetisation. Speaking to reporters here, Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Harsh Vardhan, said the government also aims to create world record of 1,000 students, dressed as Albert Einstein, demonstrating the world renowned scientist's theories and works. The current record has gathering of 500 Einstein look-alikes demonstrating his works, the Minister said. "We are trying to make this science festival bigger in every scale. We aim to encourage and develop scientific temper and attitude, promote exchange of ideas among young minds, showcasing country's contribution in science," the Minister said. The IISF will be inaugurated by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, while Israel's Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis will also visit the festival. The IISF will have events lined up such as Young Scientists Conclave, Mega Science and Technology Exposition, Scientific Workshops including DST-INSPIRE national-level camp, international science film festival, industry-academia interactive meet and a new concept of Science Village. More than 10,000 people including 5,000 young scientists (those aged below 45), 3,000 children from rural India and 600 foreign students are expected to take part in the festival for which the government has increased budget to around Rs 12 crore from Rs 4 crore last year. "Village-related technologies, which have been developed or to be developed will be showcased during the festival. We have to see people's problem, particularly those of villages are solved through science. The science village will focus on that," the Minister added. VIBHA secretary general A Jayakumar, who accompanied the Minister during the briefing, said students from 200-300 schools are expected to visit the Science Village. "Besides, a meeting of NGOs will also be held. We have invited 100 NGOs working for betterment for society through science and technology to take part in the festival," he said. Vardhan said the Ministry has taken initiative to spread awareness of cashless transactions at its level. It now plans to conduct activities at the festival to train visitors about cashless society in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "historic" demonetisation move, he said. "We are going to organise training and motivation programmes to promote cashless society among those visiting the science festival. A cell will be formed for such activities. It is our modest target towards making people get into cashless transactions," he said. The Minister said he has requested all Parliamentarians to visit the festival and help spread "message of science to the masses". India and Nigeria accounted for over one-third of all estimated global maternal deaths in 2015, the Lok Sabha was informed today. "As per Trends in Maternal Mortality:1990 to 2015, Nigeria and India account for over one-third of all estimated global maternal deaths in 2015 with an approximately 58,000 maternal deaths (19 per cent) contributed by Nigeria and 45,000 maternal deaths (15 per cent) contributed by India," Minister of State for Health Faggan Singh Kulaste said in written reply to a question. The report was released by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank and the United Nations Population Division. He said that the latest report of Registrar General of India - Sample Registration System also estimates that the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of India has declined from 212 in 2007-09 to 167 per 1,00,000 live births in 2011-13 which translates into a reduction of absolute numbers of maternal deaths from approximately 56,000 to 44,000 per year. He said that besides medical causes, there are social determinants of health which also indirectly contributes to maternal mortality. These include illiteracy, low social economic status, early age of marriage, poor knowledge of nutritional care during pregnancy and preference for home deliveries through family members or village dhais, and poor access to health facilities, he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid heightened tension with Pakistan following yet another brazen terror attack on an army base, India is likely to step up efforts to corner it diplomatically and mobilise support for concrete action against state-sponsored terrorism at the two-day Heart of Asia (HoA) conference beginning here on Saturday. Afghanistan, which has also been witnessing increased attacks from terror groups operating from Pakistani soil, is set to push hard for a regional counter-terror framework with "binding" commitment at the annual meeting of Heart of Asia - Istanbul Process, a platform set up in 2011 to assist the war-battered country in its transition. Top officials of the 14 member countries will meet on Saturday to discuss key challenges facing the region including from terror groups and explore ways to bring lasting peace and stability to Afghanistan. On Sunday, the main conference will be jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani where both India and Afghanistan are likely to corner Pakistan on terror. Pakistan Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz will represent Islamabad at the conference and all eyes will be on whether an Indo-Pak bilateral meeting takes place on the sidelines. Ahead of Aziz's visit here, India had yesterday said it will never accept continuing cross-border terrorism as the "new normal" in bilateral ties with Pakistan while making it clear that talks cannot take place in an atmosphere of "continued terror". India had called for isolating Pakistan diplomatically after the Uri attack on an army establishment and it is likely to continue efforts in that direction at the Heart of Asia conference. At the BRICS summit in Goa in October, India had called Pakistan the "mother ship" of terrorism globally. Aziz is scheduled to arrive here on Sunday and is expected to return the same day. The entire holy city, which is not far from Indo-Pak border, has been decked up, while multiple layers of security have been put in place. The Strong vigil is being kept along the Indo-Pak border in Punjab. It was clear that dealing with terrorism will be a major focus at the conference as both India and Afghanistan earlier this week called terror emanating from Pakistan the "greatest threat" to regional peace and stability. Afghanistan has been pushing for an effective counter- terror framework and the matter will be discussed at length at the conference being attended by representatives from over 30 countries including China, the US, Russia and Iran. The Indian delegation will be led by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the absence of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is ill. "Terrorism is the greatest threat to the region and we expect the HoA to approve the regional counter terrorism framework that has been drafted by Afghanistan and circulated to HoA countries. We hope the conference will adopt it," said Afghan Ambassador Shaida M Abdali. A declaration will be issued at the conclusion of the conference and is expected to focus on ways to deal with terror. The conference, whose theme is security and prosperity, will also deliberate on major connectivity initiatives including Chabahar project, a five-nation railway project. There may be deliberations on TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan- India) gas pipeline project. Ghani is schedule to arrive on Saturday and he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have a bilateral meeting where the Afghan President is likely to push for the supply of military hardware by India to his country. India has already provided nearly $2 billion to Afghanistan for reconstruction activities but has been adopting a cautious approach in providing weapons. The Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process was launched in 2011 and the participating countries include Pakistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and the United Arab Emirates. Swaraj had attended last year's conference in Islamabad. The platform was floated to encourage security, political and economic cooperation between Afghanistan and its neighbours. The countries which support the initiative are Australia, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Finland, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Britain and the US. Four countries Uzbekistan, Latvia, Bulgaria and Austria are attending the conference as guest nations. An Indian businessman in the US has pleaded guilty to committing a visa fraud by enrolling foreign nationals at a college and illegally obtaining full-time work authorisations for them without attending classes. 45-year-old Tejesh Kodali admitted to recruiting foreign nationals and enrolling them at the New Jersey college to maintain their student-visa status and obtain full-time work authorisations without having to attend classes, the Department of Justice said yesterday. Kodali, who lives in Edison city of New Jersey, pleaded guilty before the US District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a USD 250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for March 13, 2017. According to court papers, Kodali, who was the director of operations of Promatrix Corp and Blue Cloud Techs Corp, purported international student recruiting and consulting companies located in Edison. In total, Kodali and his conspirators fraudulently maintained and attempted to obtain 37 student visas and work authorisations. Kodali told his foreign national clients that for a fee, they could enroll at University of Northern New Jersey without having to attend any classes and that their enrollment would enable them to fraudulently maintain their non-immigrant status. With full knowledge that the recruits were not bona fide students and would not attend any courses, earn credits, or make academic progress toward any legitimate degree at UNNJ, Kodali caused Forms I-20 to be issued to the foreign nationals, federal prosecutors alleged. As per court papers, Kodali also caused the foreign nationals to be reported in government databases as legitimate foreign students. In order to deceive immigration officials, Kodali and his foreign clients obtained and created fraudulent student documents, including attendance records and transcripts. After enabling them to maintain their student visa status, Kodali also conspired to secure fraudulent work authorisations for some of their foreign clients, federal prosecutors alleged. In his guilty plea Kodali admitted that his intention was to profit from the scheme by outsourcing these foreign individuals through Promatrix and Blue Techs as information technology consultants with various businesses in the United States for commissions. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The on Friday said it was aware of the deployment and movement of Chinese naval ships and submarines in the Indian Ocean region, and that it has "kept a close eye" on them. Addressing the annual 'Naval Day' news conference here, Navy chief Sunil Lanba said a Chinese nuclear submarine was deployed in the Indian Ocean and it did a port call at Karachi harbour. "As far as People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy ships and submarines are concerned, the keeps a close eye and monitor their movements. We have maritime domain awareness of the deployment of PLA naval forces in the Indian Ocean region (IOR). "We launch surveillance missions in the form of aircraft and ships to keep a track of them. They had started deployment of their submarines from 2012," he said. The Navy also termed as "bogus" the claims made by Pakistan that an Indian submarine had entered into territorial waters. "There was no Indian submarine deployed in the area where the Pakistani Navy is claiming it to be. As far as repelling a submarine of any nation goes, it is not an easy task and the claim made by Pakistani Navy is totally bogus. We deploy submarines where there is an operational necessity and we will continue to deploy them," Lanba said. The Pakistani Navy had last month claimed that it had prevented an Indian submarine from entering its territorial water. The Chief of Naval Staff said India's primary area of interest was the IOR followed by Strait of Bab el Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz. In response to a question on Indian Navy's capabilities in the Pacific region, Lanba said, "The Navy is well within its capabilities to operate in the region." Lanba also sought to downplay the Bangladesh Navy acquiring its first submarines from China, saying "India has a plan in place that takes into account what is happening in the neighbourhood." When asked about the South China sea dispute, the Navy chief said maritime issues should be solved as per United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). He added that the Kalavari Class Scorpene submarine will be commissioned next year. "She has successfully finished dry trials and further trials are in progress," Lanba said. An Indian security researcher has discovered a bug that could allow someone to bypass Apple's activation lock in its iOS 10.1 version, according to a media report today. Hemanth Joseph, who works out of Kerala exploited a weakness in the iOS device setup process. He then tested it on a locked iPad he purchased online. When asked to choose a WiFi network, he simply chose 'other network' and then proceeded to fill its name and a WPA2-enterprise key in with thousands of characters. His thought was that enough data in those fields would cause the device to freeze, and he was right, the Forbes reported. After figuring out how to freeze the iPad, he began to work on a way to make the setup process fail and drop him on the home screen. Pressing the sleep/wake button merely restarted the wizard, but with a little help from the magnetic catch in Apple's Smart Cover and some practice to perfect the timing, Joseph succeeded. He demonstrated the bypass in a video uploaded to Google Drive, the report said. Researchers at US-based Vulnerability Lab had earlier discovered another bug, the iOS 10.1.1. Like Joseph, the team began by overloading the WiFi setup fields and employed a smart cover. There's one minor difference: they rotate the device in their video demo to display the home screen. After figuring out how to freeze the iPad, he began to work on a way to make the setup process fail and drop him on the home screen. The bug discovered by Joseph was reportedly fixed in an iOS update last month. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) At least 200,000 conservative Muslims rallied peacefully in the Indonesian capital today in the second major protest against its minority Christian governor, who is being prosecuted for alleged blasphemy. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, a political ally of the governor who angered hard-liners by being out of the city during their first protest, unexpectedly went to the national monument to join Friday prayers with the sprawling crowd. He called for protesters to leave peacefully. They cheered and then broke into chants calling for Gov Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja's arrest, but later, people streamed peacefully out of the area and marched to a major traffic circle before dispersing. The blasphemy controversy erupted in September when a video circulated online of Ahok criticising detractors who argued the Quran prohibits Muslims from having a non-Muslim leader. It has challenged the image of Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation that practices a moderate form of Islam, and has shaken the government of Jokowi, who accused unnamed political actors of trying to undermine him. The son of former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is vying against Ahok for Jakarta governor in elections set for February. Police said today they arrested eight people suspected of treason amid speculation they were plotting to undermine or topple Jokowi. They included Rachmawati, the daughter of Indonesia's founding President Sukarno and the younger sister of former President Megawati Sukarnoiputri; retired army Gen. Kivlan Zein; and a well-known musician turned politician Ahmad Dani. Two other people were arrested for alleged crimes under Indonesia's law on electronic information and transactions. Organizers had agreed to concentrate Friday's protest around the vaulting monument to reduce disruptions, but the area quickly overflowed. National Police spokesman Rikwanto, who goes by one name, estimated 200,000 people were on the streets. Police put on standby 22,000 officers and 5,000 soldiers. A November 4 protest against Ahok, the first ethnic Chinese to be Jakarta governor and the first Christian in half a century, attracted about 100,000 people. After nightfall, it turned violent, with one death and dozens injured. Police wanted Friday's protest to disperse in the early afternoon following prayers. Lisnawati Djohar, a resident of West Sumatra's Padang city, said she flew to Jakarta with a dozen friends for the protest. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Steven Mnuchin, Trump's pick to lead the Treasury, worked for Goldman Sachs for 20 years. In 2008 Munchin and his partners founded a bank (funded in part by George Soros) that tried to evict a 90-year-old woman from her home because she underpaid a bill by 27 cents. From Fusion: After some confusion about her insurance coverage two years back, a subsidiary of OneWest sent Ossie Lofton, of Lakeland, Florida, a bill for $423.30. Lofton sent the bank a check for $423, and got another bill for the remaining $0.30. The womanwho, it's worth emphasizing again here, is 90 years oldmailed in a check for $0.03. The mix-up was enough to trigger foreclosure proceedings. Lawyers at the non-profit Florida Rural Legal Services asked the court for a jury trial. Don't worry about Mnuchin's failure to successfully foreclose on the property. He reportedly received $11 million when his bank merged with CIT Bank last year. From Politico: More than 100,000 Indonesian Muslims protested today against Jakarta's Christian governor, the second major demonstration in a matter of weeks as conservative groups push for his arrest on accusations of insulting Islam. People in white Islamic robes packed out a massive park in the capital, chanting Islamic verses and singing the national anthem, with over 20,000 security forces deployed to prevent a repeat of violence that erupted at the last protest against Basuki Tjahaja Purnama. Purnama, known by his nickname Ahok, is being prosecuted for allegedly committing blasphemy over comments he made about the Koran during an election campaign, which have sparked widespread anger in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country. The case is seen in part as a test of religious tolerance in Indonesia, where a reputation for pluralism has been eroded by a surge in attacks on minorities, but critics say it is also about politics as the governor's foes whip up anger to reduce his support. The decision to prosecute Purnama, Jakarta's first non-Muslim governor for half a century, has not been enough to quell anger and conservative groups are now demanding his arrest. Protesters waved banners that read "jail Ahok" as they marched en masse through the city's streets in the early hours to converge on the park. "All we want is justice, and by justice I mean Ahok being detained," said Ricky Subagia, 26, who had come 200 kilometres from the town of Garut to take part in the demonstration. National police chief Tito Karnavian was shouted down when he went up on stage in the park, with the crowd pumping their fists in the air and yelling "jail Ahok", who is also a member of Indonesia's small ethnic Chinese minority. Jakarta police spokesman Raden Prabowo Argo Yuwono estimated at least 100,000 protesters had converged on the park by mid-morning and said so far the rally was peaceful. Today's rally looked set to dwarf the first major protest against Purnama on November 4, which drew 100,000 Muslims -- both hardline and moderate -- onto the streets in the biggest demonstration that Jakarta has seen in years. It was peaceful during the day but descended into violence as night fell, with Muslim hardliners hurling missiles at security forces and setting fire to police cars. Security forces responded with tear gas and water cannon, in clashes that left one person dead and hundreds injured. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Infiltration of Bangladeshi migrants into Meghalaya is not possible due to the presence of a strong community life in villages of the northeastern state, its Governor V Shanmuganathan said today. "The community life in villages is very strong in Meghalaya. Infiltration from Bangladesh into Meghalaya is not possible because people do not allow outsiders into their villages," he said. Explaining the bonding among people in villages in that state, he said there was "no poverty" there and people helped each other in times of need and family exigencies like deaths. "There are absolutely no poverty deaths, no dowry, no female infanticide and women have exclusive rights to the properties of their father," Shanmuganathan said. Praising Meghalaya and its people, he recalled that several patriots, including U Kiang Nangbah, had fought valiantly against the Britishers. Batting for better understanding of the northeastern region and its people, Shanmuganathan, also Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, said people of these states had told him how they faced difficulties when they went to South India in search of work. Going by their looks, northeastern women folk who go for BPO jobs in Bengaluru were asked if they were from China or Thailand, he said. Participating in a meet here to condole the recent death of senior RSS leader K Suryanarayana Rao, he said people in northeast asked him why there was no reference to that region or the mighty Brahmaputra river in the national anthem, which refers to river Ganga. Referring to Meghalaya's mountain ranges, he said the plants and herbs there had disease-curing properties and suggested that people from Tamil Nadu visit the state. The Governor also praised the locale and beauty of Parashuram Kund and Brahmaputra in Arunachal Pradesh, and said people must visit it. One could reach Parashuram Kund from Guwahati in about 8 to 10 hours, he said. "Somebody even asked me if I had lost weight. When you travel in such areas, that is the situation," he said indicating that roads needed improvement. (REOPEN MDS18) Paying rich tributes to Rao for his selfless work, Shanmugananthan said "alongside economic growth there should also be development of human values...Everywhere in Tamil Nadu people should come up like Rao and that will the true tribute to him." He said people should live like the departed leader, "with a sense of national integration and with a sense of pride over our culture," committed to spreading love across the country among people. Suryanarayana Rao passed away on November 19 in Bengaluru after serving the Sangh and its affiliate outfits in various capacities for over 70 years. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, who was originally scheduled to address the meet, could not participate, the organisers said. With the arrest of a chemical engineer, excise officials today claimed to have busted an inter-state racket in Odisha thriving on smuggling toxic methyl alcohol. Rajendra Kumar Sahu (34) of Kendrapara district, who allegedly ran the racket procuring the products from Maharashtra, was arrested yesterday. A special squad constituted for the purpose has made the seizure of around 21,000 litres of the toxic substance during raids at Sohela in Bargarh and Chandol village in Kendrapara district. The toxic substance meant for industrial use had made its way to Kendrapara from Mumbai, the officials said. Acting on a tipoff, a raid was conducted in a house in Chandol locality in Kendrapara and the consignment of methyl alcohol packed in three plastic containers was seized, Deputy Superintendent, Excise, Cuttack, Harish Chandra Sethy, said. Kingpin of the racket Rajendra Sahu was nabbed from Chandol along with 10,000 litre of methyl alcohol. Following revelations made by him, raids were conducted later at Sohela in Bargarh district and 11,000 litres of toxic substances in liquified form were recovered from a deserted house, he said. The arrested man did not possess the licence for commercial transaction of such hazardous substances. Though he said that he had procured the alcohol for paints factories, it is being investigated whether he was supplying it to bootleggers, he said. The state excise department is in touch with its counterpart in Maharashtra for expediting the investigation, Sethy said. A search is on to nab three of Sahu's accomplices. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Representatives from dozens of countries gathered in Abu Dhabi today to focus on setting up a USD 100-million fund to protect and restore heritage sites threatened by extremism and conflict. The two-day conference reflects growing international alarm over the destruction of ancient artefacts by Islamic State group jihadists using sledgehammers, bulldozers and explosives. Another key aim is to establish "refuge zones" around the globe for endangered works of art, according to organisers. There were calls today by its Emirati, French and UN initiators for joint action to safeguard endangered cultural treasures. "To succeed, we need to work together... United for heritage," UNESCO director Irina Bokova told participants. Protecting heritage "is inseparable from protecting human life", she said, describing its deliberate destruction as a "war crime". On the eve of the meeting, five Nobel prize winners appealed for urgent action to safeguard world heritage sites, pointing to irreparable damage in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Mali. "Part of our history has been lost forever, with the goal of fanaticism being to undermine our hope for the future," said the statement from Aung San Suu Kyi, Kofi Annan, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Orhan Pamuk and Mario Vargas Llosa. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization says 55 out of a total of 1,052 global heritage sites are listed as "World Heritage in Danger". They include the Crac des Chevaliers castle and the ruins of Palmyra in Syria, the archaeological remains of the Bamiyan Valley in Afghanistan, the Old City of Sanaa in Yemen, and Timbuktu in Mali. The conference aims to create "a broad coalition of partners connecting the dots between the security, humanitarian and cultural issues with so many organisations and governments" taking part, said Bokova. Delegates from around 40 countries, including more than a dozen heads of state or government, among them several Gulf monarchs, are attending the gathering, based on an initiative led by France and the United Arab Emirates. French President Francois Hollande and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, whose countries will be key contributors to the fund, will make closing speeches tomorrow. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Iran today said that Congress's decision to renew US sanctions for 10 years was a violation of last year's nuclear agreement and promised an "appropriate" response. "As repeatedly stated by high-ranking Iranian officials, the recent bill passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate to renew sanctions against Iran is against the (nuclear deal)," foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said. "Iran has proved that it sticks to its international agreements but it also has appropriate responses for all situations." The Iran Sanctions Act passed the Senate 99-0 yesterday, after easily clearing the House of Representatives last month. President Barack Obama is expected to sign the measure, a White House official said, adding that the administration does not believe the extension violates the nuclear deal. The legislation does not directly address the nuclear pact. But some say the restrictions in the bill go against the spirit of the agreement, under which Tehran curbed its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief from the United States and other nations. The bill includes penalties against Iran's banking sector, as well as its energy and defence industries. Senate Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Tim Kaine, who both backed the nuclear deal, said that while the president was currently waiving some sanctions as part of the agreement, "sanctions legislation must remain in place to allow an immediate snap-back" in the event of any violation by Iran. The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, Ali Akbar Salehi, said the US sanctions legislation "does exist but its effect has been currently neutralised by the US president". "If it becomes operational again, it's a clear violation," he told state television. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last month that he considered the sanctions bill a breach of the nuclear deal and warned Iran would "react against it". US President-elect Donald Trump heavily criticised the pact as he campaigned for the White House over the past year. Several fellow Republicans have called for its termination. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Around 1,000 people protested in Istanbul today against the operation being waged by Presdient Bashar al-Assad's army in Syria's second city of Aleppo, accusing them of committing a "massacre". "Stop the massacre in Aleppo!", demonstrators chanted as they held placards saying "the bombing is not against Aleppo but our humanity" and "our brotherhood is besieged, not Aleppo". The protest outside Istanbul University had been organised by religious student associations who called for "imperialist Russia to leave Syria". In recent days, Assad's army has pressed a fierce assault aimed at retaking the whole of the city which is currently divided between the regime in the west and the rebels in the east. The offensive, supported by heavy artillery, has triggered an exodus of tens of thousands of residents from the rebel-held east as Assad made significant gains in the past week. The assault has left 42 children dead, from a total of more than 300 civilians killed since November 15. Moscow intervened militarily in support of Damascus last year but says it is not involved in the current assault on Aleppo. Turkey supports the Syrian opposition. Protester Ramazan Kaya said Ankara should "raise its voice" against the regime offensive. "If we don't react, if we stay like observers of this massacre -- that is absolutely intolerable." Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu today repeated Turkey's opposition to Assad remaining president. "We supported the Assad regime before he started killing his own people... But, at this stage, we have to be realistic that the person who kills almost 600,000 people should not rule any country," he said during a visit to Lebanon. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Digital payments facilitator ItzCash has signed up with 100 small- and large-sized companies to offer pre-loaded salary cards for their employees in the wake of cash withdrawal limits from banks post ban on Rs 500/1000 notes. The company said it has been witnessing a sharp three times jump in demand for its pre-paid cards in the last three weeks, especially from small and mid-sized employers across the industry. The company has signed 100 large and small size companies to offer pre-loaded salary cards for their employees, ItzCash said in a release. "With banks skewed to function with about half the amount of currency they need, the spotlight on 'prepaid' is back as the most real solution now. There is a huge demand for such prepaid cards from such companies as this will provide a ready solution for a payment mechanism which was wholly dependent on cash until demonetisation," said Naveen Surya-Managing Director, ItzCash and Chairman, Payments Council of India. Surya said the industry so far has sold more than five million of these cards and in the last one week, and 40 million more are expected to be sold through end of this fiscal. ItzCash pre-paid card is a multi-purpose and interoperable instrument that is an ideal fit for both the employer and employee classes across the industry, the company said. It is catering to a wide range of small and medium-sized companies engaged in services like staffing, facility management, and security services among others who were solely dependent on cash for salary disbursements until demonetisation, ItzCash said further. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Japan's foreign minister met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg today and gave him a personal message from the Japanese prime minister ahead of Putin's upcoming visit to Tokyo. A disagreement over the southern Kuril islands -- which Japan calls the Northern Territories -- has kept the two countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their World War II hostilities. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's two visits to Russia this year have led many to believe Tokyo and Moscow are moving toward a breakthrough. Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida would not disclose the contents of the message he delivered to Putin. Putin said in televised comments today that Russia is working on the Japanese prime minister's proposals to expand ties between the two countries, but he made no mention of the Kuril islands. In Moscow, a deputy Russian foreign minister in an interview with the RIA Novosti agency sought to dispel Japan's expectations that Russia would be willing to give up one or two islands to secure Japan's agreement to the peace treaty. "Our position at the peace treaty talks has not changed. We proceed from an indisputable need for Tokyo to acknowledge the results of the Second World War, including the territorial issues regarding the south Kuril islands," Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said today. "This is a starting point of any serious discussion on this problem. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has asked the Kerala government to expedite the trial in a case of alleged rape of a Japanese woman in the state's Kovalam district last month. In a series of tweets, she said, "I asked for a report from Government of Kerala about the rape of a Japanese tourist on 25 Nov 2016. We have received the report. "The statement of the victim has been recorded before a Magistrate and the accused has been apprehended. "I have asked Government of Kerala to expedite the trial and keep us informed about the case." According to Kerala Police, the 35-year-old Japanese woman was allegedly raped by a man fromneighbouring Karnataka at Kovalam and a case was registered against him under section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A delegation of Jharkhand government and corporate honchos today showcased investment opportunities in the state to Chinese investors at Shanghai, underlining the growing ties between the two fastest growing economies. The 15-member delegation, led by R K Srivastava, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Energy, Jharkhand, concluding its two-day visit to the Chinese city today. As one of India's most investor-friendly states with thrust on Infrastructure, Jharkhand talked of upcoming mega projects and big-ticket investment opportunities, an official release said here. The delegation held business interactions with Shanghai-based large corporate groups with interest in infrastructure, technology, construction, mining, heavy engineering and machinery, among others. The delegation also met Yang Jiarong, Chairman of China Council for Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Shanghai to promote partnership between China and Jharkhand. Jiarong affirmed that CCPIT will certainly extend their full support in acquainting Chinese companies about the opportunities of investing in Jharkhand, the release said. Srivastava addressed a gathering of investors and highlighted that Jharkhand has abundant raw materials, qualified and skilled human resource, conducive industrial and business policies and visionary leadership. He said today Jharkhand is the most investment-ready state with clear vision and roadmap to achieve economic leadership in our country. The "Momentum Jharkhand" Global Investors' Summit 2017 is aimed at establishing Jharkhand as a premier investment destination for both foreign as well as domestic investors. Sunil Kumar Barnwal, Secretary, Department of Industries, Mines and Geology, Government of Jharkhand, made a detailed multi-sector presentation on investment opportunities in Jharkhand. Yang Jianrong, Chairman, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Shanghai urged Chinese investors to participate in the Momentum Jharkhand Global Investors' Summit 2017 in a big way. The delegation explored the possibility and held discussions for a collaboration in engineering design and industrial planning, as Shanghai is recognised the world over for its rapid progress in large infrastructure like urban infrastructure, skyscrapers, landscape design, riverfront, industrial complexes, waste water treatment etc, the release said. The two-day Momentum Jharkhand Global Investors' Summit 2017, February 16-17, 2017 will aim at showcasing the strengths of Jharkhand, and provide a global platform for interaction with Indian industry leaders, policy makers, investors and other stakeholders. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Minister for Law and Justice Abdul Haq Khan today ordered an inquiry into the alleged negligence by legal officers in the case of arbitration between Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation (JKPDC) and a private company. While reviewing the arbitration matters of JKPDC and the subsequent financial implications in a meeting here today, Khan observed that the negligence and mishandling of the arbitration case by officials may result in substantial loss to the state exchequer. The minister asked the Secretary Law to conduct an inquiry into the matter and fix responsibility with respect to the negligence and mishandling of case so that action can be taken against the officers involved. Khan said such careless and casual approach of the officials and law officers shall not be tolerated and stressed that due diligence should be exercised while handling cases of public importance. The meeting was attended by Secretary Law Abdul Majeed Bhat, Managing Director JKPDC Shah Faesal, besides other senior officials of the department. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Indian navy plans to set up a joint group with the French authorities to examine the Scorpene submarine leak issue, navy chief Sunil Lanba said today, claiming there was no "critical leak". Lanba said, the navy will also have discussion with French submarine manufacturer DCNS regarding the issue. "There was a committee appointed by us (the navy) to investigate the Scorpene leak. The report has been submitted to the (defence) ministry and at the same time the French government is also investigating the leak at their end. "Once we get access to that report we plan to set up a joint group to examine the issue and what we need to do....If we need to do any changes in the platform," Lanba said. He said the leaked data predate 2010 and do not have any specific inputs about the armament which were subsequently fitted and deployed on the Scorpene vessel. "Even I don't know the exact parameters of the Kalaveri (Scorpene class submarine) at the moment. She is undergoing trials. There is no critical leak. We will sit down with DCNS on what needs to be done," Lanba added. About procurement of additional Scorpene submarines, he said the proposal is being looked at "holistically". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A judge in Australia has denied to hear evidence from the wife of an Islamic extremist after she refused to remove the veil of her despite being offered alternative options. Moutia Elzahed, one of the two women married to convicted criminal and Islamic extremist Hamdi Alqudsi, is suing the police alleging they punched her and called her a "bitch" during the Operation Apple by terrorism raids at her Revesby home in south-west of the Sydney on September 18, 2014. In what is believed to be an Australian first in a civil case, that New South Wales (NSW) District Court judge Audrey Balla would not let Elzahed take the stand unless she took off her veil this week, the dailytelegraph.Com.Au reported. Elzahed refused to take off her and she failed to turn up to the fourth day on November 30 of the hearing. Her lawyer Clive Evatt said, for religious reasons, his client could not show her face to any man. Judge Balla gave Elzahed a choice; she could have the court closed while she gave evidence or she could give evidence via video link. But Evatt declined both options on his client's behalf because the mostly male lawyers on both sides would still be in court and would see her face. Dressed in long robes, scarf and veil, Elzahed also refused to stand for Judge Balla when she entered and left the court. Elzahed's refusal to take off the veil is a blow to her case, which relied on her sworn testimony that she was punched by police during the dawn raid. She is seeking financial compensation for "assault and battery, wrongful arrest and false imprisonment and intimidation". She is joined in the lawsuit by her husband Hamdi Alqudsi and sons Hamza George, 17, and Abdulla George, 17. Since the raid Alqudsi has been convicted of helping seven men travel to Syria to fight with Islamist rebels. He is serving a sentence of eight years with a non-parole period of six years. Outside of court Elzahed said "it is not fair" that she could not give evidence. The federal and state governments, acting on behalf of Federal and NSW police, deny all allegations of police brutality, arguing officers used only reasonable force. : The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje winded up his two-day visit to West Kameng district in Arunachal Pradesh. The Karmapa preached and gave his blessings to the Tibetans at Gyuto Monastery at Tenzingang before leaving for Kalaktang, an official report said. Thousands of devotees, including hundreds from neighboring Bhutan, thronged the Kalaktang general ground and paid their reverence. Among others, state Legislative Assembly Speaker T N Thongdok, Chairman of Department of Karmik and Adhyatmik Affairs (DoKAA) Jambey Wangdi, West Kameng DC Sonal Swaroop, DIG (APP) T Tusar, SP PN Khrimey and Abbots of Gontse Gaden Rabgye Ling Monastery, Thubchog Gatse Ling Monastery and Thupsung Dargye Ling Monastery accompanied the Karmapa to Kalaktang. During his discourse at Bomdila yesterday, the Karmapa said that only propagating the message of peace would not serve the purpose, it should come from within. Assuring people of coming back and interact with the people in a more personalized and larger scale in the days to come, the Karmapa expressed his gratitude to the MoS for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju and Chief Minister Pema Khandu for facilitating his visit to the state. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju in his address at Bomdila yesterday said that the visit of the Karmapa to the region and the state was a matter of great pride and honour. He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for doing away with the restrictions imposed in the previous eras and for facilitating the Karmapa's visit to any part of the country and elsewhere. The Union minister also said that with this new development, the gap between the spiritual guru and the followers would be bridged. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a blow to Vijay Mallya, the Karnataka High Court today rejected the beleaguered liquor baron's application for recalling its order summoning him for allegedly violating an undertaking given by him and his companies not to transfer their equity shares in United Breweries to Diageo Plc. Rejecting the application, Justice Vineet Kothari also summoned Mallya to appear before the court on January 29. Earlier on October 20, a division bench comprising justices Jayant Patel and Aravind Kumar while passing orders on petitions by a consortium of banks led by State Bank of India, had summoned Mallya to appear before it on November 24. The banks have accused Mallya of violating the undertaking given by him and his companies, including Kingfisher Airlines, not to transfer their equity shares in United Breweries Holdings Limited (UBHL) after Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) had restrained Standard Chartered Bank, with which the shares had been pledged, from handing over these to Diageo Plc. The DRT, in its order last year, had restrained Standard Chartered Bank from transferring to Diageo Plc or anyone else, the equity shares of UBHL pledged by Mallya and his son Siddharth with the bank. In their pleas, the banks alleged that despite the earlier order by DRT, Standard Chartered Bank was in the process of transferring to Diageo Plc the equity shares. Diageo Plc, the world's largest spirits maker, which acquired control of United Spirits (USL) in 2012, had issued a guarantee to Standard Chartered Bank for a USD 135 million (around Rs 877 crore) loan to Watson Limited, a firm affiliated to Mallya, to release certain UBHL shares that were to be acquired as part of the deal. The banks had also said the very pledging of the shares by Mallya was illegal. Mallya, whose now-defunct group company Kingfisher Airlines owes over Rs 9,000 crore to 17 banks, had left the country on March 2 and is in the UK. He has been declared a proclaimed offender by a special PMLA court in Mumbai on a plea by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with its money laundering probe against him in the alleged bank loan default case. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) : Kerala, with its rich culture, lush vistas, healing Ayurveda therapies and delicious cuisine, has been voted the 'Favourite Indian Leisure Destination' this year. The selection was made by readers who responded to the survey conducted by the international travel magazine Conde Nast Traveller. This is the third in the series of popularity awards that the state has received in the recent past, with Lonely Planet citing it as the best family destination in India and Travel + Leisure magazine listing it as a top honeymooners' destination, according to a press release here. Kerala Tourism Deputy Director K Radhakrishnan accepted the travel award at a function held at New Delhi yesterday. The annual awards, in their sixth year, honour the best in travel, tourism and hospitality with winners in various categories picked by readers of the magazine through a voting process spanning across two months. "We are honoured to be recognised as a place to relax and rejuvenate by travellers to our state. Kerala is known for its natural beauty and the state's historical connections with many other parts of the world have contributed to its popularity as a top destination for leisure," Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said. Principal Secretary (Tourism) Venu V. Said the award reaffirmed the state's reputation of being a tourist's paradise. Kerala, which had won the runner-up prize in the same category in 2015, shared the top honour with Goa this year. Although the state's main attractions remain the unspoilt beaches, the web of tangled backwaters criss-crossing the land and the dances and culture, the state is constantly evolving by popularising new attractions that offer the best in leisure. The award reflects the diversity of leisure-based offerings in Kerala today as well as the quality of their branding, said U V Jose, Director, Kerala Tourism. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Harsh realities of migration and displacement will find a special place in the 21st edition of International Film festival of Kerala, which will get underway here from December 9-16. An exclusive package of eight films, curated by famous festival programmer and critic Paolo Bertolin, will show various phases of human life with distinct focus on their struggle for survival and existence, Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, the organiser of the event said. The package, which reflects the hardships, misfortunes and brutalities faced by the migrants, is an attempt to express solidarity to the migrants from multiple nationalities with various forms of displacement, they said. Besides this, most of the films incorporated in various categories share the themes of endless struggle of human displacement and migration. The movies to be screened under this category include 'In the Last Days of the City' by Tamer El Said , 'Fire at Sea' by Gianfranco Rosi, 'ID' by K. M Kamal, 'Mediterranea' by Jonas Carpignano, 'Mercenaire' by Sacha Wolff, 'Soy Nero' by Rafi Pitts, 'The Road to Mandalay' by Midi Z and 'Sin Nombre' by Cary Joji Fukunaga. Egyptian director Tamer El Said's debut fiction film 'In the Last Days of the City' bagged the Caligiri Fim award and the Award for Best Direction in Berlin International Film Festival, 2016. Gianfranco Rosi's 'Fire at Sea', capturing the Sicilian island of Lebodusa in the background of European refugee crisis, won the Golden Bear Award in the 66th Berlin International Film Festival and also shortlisted for thebest foreign language film category of the 89th Academy award, they said. Kamal's 'I.D' with the tagline "Everyone comes from somewhere," which narrates the identity crisis encountered by the migrant labourers is the only Indian movie to be shown under this category. 'Mediterranea,' directed by Carpignano in 2015 unravels the plight of African migrants of Italy. Most of these films in the package are based on real life incidents, Academy sources added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Leader of a gang allegedly active in extortion and betting in west Delhi has been arrested along with his two associates, police said today. Mohammad Guddu, 27, whose gang was active in west Delhi was caught by a police team following a specific input regarding his presence in Vikaspuri yesterday, said Vijay Kumar, DCP (west). He was held along with Lakhan Mawar, 22, and Gaurav, 23, and a country made pistol, four live cartridges, and a button operated knife were recovered from them, he said. Guddu is a convicted murderer who got bail as his appeal against sentence is pending in Delhi High Court. His gang was involved in rivalry with another group over supremacy in extorting protection money from those involved in illicit liquor smuggling and betting, the officer said. Earlier in October this year, two members of his gang were arrested by police after a shootout in Vikaspuri area. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling starrer romantic drama "La La Land" has been chosen as the best film of 2016 by the New York Film Critics Circle. The film, directed by Damien Chazelle, is widely tipped to be an Oscar frontrunner. The top award was the only win for the musical drama where "Manchester by the Sea" and "Moonlight" won three trophies each, according to the Hollywood Reporter. "Manchester" won the best actor award for Casey Affleck, best screenplay for Kenneth Lonergan and best supporting actress for Michelle Williams, who also was recognized for her work in "Certain Women". Barry Jenkins was recognised as the best director for "Moonlight", which also won best supporting actor for Mahershala Ali and best cinematography (James Laxton). The best actress trophy went to Isabelle Huppert for her work in both "Elle" and "Things to Come". "O.J.: Made in America" continued its winning streak in the documentary category. "Zootopia" was named best animated film. "Toni Erdmann" was selected as best foreign-language film, and best first film was a tie for the Hailee Steinfeld-starrer "Edge of Seventeen" and indie drama Krisha". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Contending that large volumes of liquid cash are a big source of corruption and black money, Prime Minister on Friday appealed to the people to "lead the change" towards cashless transactions to lay the strong foundations of an India where there is no place for such malaise. "In 21st century India, there is no place for corruption. Corruption slows down growth and takes a toll on the dreams of the poor, neo-middle class and middle class," he wrote in an article posted on Linkedin.com. "Large volumes of liquid cash are a big source of corruption and black money," he said while referring to his "historic" decision on November 8 to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes with an aim of ending corruption and black money. Asserting that in 21st century India, there is no place for corruption, Modi said, "Corruption slows down growth and takes a toll on the dreams of the poor, neo-middle class and middle class." In this context, he referred to his pitch for cashless transactions. "I urge all of you, particularly my young friends to lead the change and inspire others to turn towards cashless transactions. This will set the strong foundations of an India where there is no place for corruption and black money," the Prime Minister said. "Today we live in an era of mobile banking and mobile wallets. Ordering food, buying and selling furniture, ordering a taxi...All of this and lot more is possible through your mobiles. Technology has brought speed and convenience in our lives," he added. Along with the article, he posted pictorial references to cashless options like credit cards. "I am sure most of you are using cards and e-wallets regularly but I thought I must share with you ways through which increased cashless transactions are possible," he said. Modi said the November 8 decision offered "a unique opportunity" for small traders, who have a central role in the economic transformation of India. "Today, our trading community has a historic chance to upgrade themselves and embrace more technology, which will bring greater prosperity," he said. He said when he made the announcement, he was aware that the people of India "will face inconvenience but I had requested the people of India to bear this short term pain for long term gain. I am happy to see that the people of India are bearing temporary difficulties for the long term gain of the nation." The Prime Minister said over the last few days, he had opportunities to travel to rural as well as urban areas in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa and Punjab. Clashes continued for the second day among heavily-armed militias in the Libyan capital Tripoli, vying for power and control over the city, with one dislodging another in at least two posts, a five-star hotel and a barracks, in what appears to be the worst outbreak of violence the city has seen in two years. Competing militias have chopped Tripoli up into fiefdoms and power centers after longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi, Libya's ruler for 42 years, was ousted and killed in an uprising in 2011. They maintain what observers describe as a "balance of terror." Witnesses in Tripoli said today that gun battles rocked the southeastern Nasr Forest district and adjacent neighborhoods as residents were advised by a local emergency body affiliated with the Interior Ministry to remain home and away from windows. The clashes started yesterday and have reportedly killed at least eight, according to state agency LANA. During a lull in the violence late last night, panicked residents could be seen lining up outside gas stations to stock up on fuel. In a statement today, UN Envoy to Libya Martin Kobler called for halt to the fighting, saying he is "extremely alarmed." "It's completely unacceptable for armed groups to fight to assert their interest and control, particularly in residential areas, terrorizing the population," he said. Reached by phone, a female resident in Tripoli told The Associated Press that families had locked themselves in their homes. "We haven't slept all night and we haven't left the house since yesterday. All we are hearing is screaming, bombings and gunfire," she said, "the security situation is going from bad to worse." "We just want the militias to leave," she pleaded. The UN-brokered unity government has not commented ongoing fighting and, given the fluidity of the situation, it remains to be seen whether the victors of the clashes will back the internationally-recognized body. "This is a struggle over power. Each of the warring parties has its political and ideological agendas," said Sami al-Atrash, a Tripoli resident and a legal expert. "The clashes are belated. They expected at any moment and finally happened," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Patna Police have seized 120 bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor and 396 litres of spiced domestic drink today from different police stations areas of the district. Seizure of alcohol followed strict warning served by Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj to officer in-charge of police stations that action would be taken against them in case of any lacunae regarding liquor manufacture and sell in their areas. Giving details of the seizure, a statement from the SSP's office said 120 bottles of IMFL was seized from various police station areas. Besides, 396 litres of spiced liquor, 650 pouches of domestic liquor and 50 packets of ganja were seized in the intensified campaign in favour of prohibition, it said. Maximum 60 bottles of IMFL was seized from Masaurhi police station areas in rural Patna, while ten bottles were recovered from Kotwali police station areas of the town, the statement said. A total of 120 litre of spiced domestic liquor was seized from Bihta police station area in the operation. The SSP said intensified campaign against liquor would continue in future. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Lithuania's president is urging Donald Trump to uphold the United States' security commitment to Europe amid lingering doubts about the US president-elect's intentions toward his NATO allies. President Dalia Grybauskaite said today that the US remained "the guarantor of peace after the Second World War in Europe. We expect that this mission, and this understanding, will stay." Trump suggested during the election that only allies paying their fair share might deserve protection from the United States. Grybauskaite said Lithuania is on track to meet NATO's target of 2 per cent of GDP for military spending by 2018. She spoke in eastern Lithuania as NATO nations were winding up a major military exercise, part of the alliance's effort to reassure member countries close to Russia's border. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta today submitted a memorandum to Lt Governor Najeeb Jung alleging "victimisation" of BJP legislators by AAP government and sought his intervention. Gupta accused that BJP MLAs are "not allowed" to speak in the 70-member Assembly, which has 67 AAP legislators. "Points of order raised by them (BJP MLAs) are ignored. They are thrown out of the Assembly as and when they try to raise their voice in the Vidhan Sabha on public issues. Committee of Privileges is being misused to muzzle their voice," he said in a statement. Gupta said a notice was issued to him by the Deputy Secretary of Assembly Secretariat, asking him to appear before the Committee of Privileges today in the matter of breach of privilege against him for allegedly casting aspersions on the Members of the Rajya Sabha and calling for abolition of the House in a newspaper article. He claimed that he had already tendered an unconditional apology over the matter to the Chairman, Rajya Sabha through a letter dated August 1. In the memorandum, Gupta, MLA from Rohini, sought the LG's intervention in the matter to ensure that AAP government "functions" as per the Constitution. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Speaker Sumitra Mahajan today gave one more week's time to the Lok Sabha panel probing the issue of Bhagwant Mann shooting a video of The Parliament complex and asked the AAP member not to attend the House till a decision is taken in the matter. The nine-member panel, chaired by BJP member Kirit Somaiya, has now been granted time till December 9 to submit its report. The inquiry committee was to submit its report today. Mahajan said the decision has been taken after receiving a request from the panel's chairman seeking extension. "I have acceded to the request for extension of one more week time and the committee may present their report by Friday, December 9, 2016," she said. In view of the seriousness of the matter, Mann is further advised not to attend the House till a decision is taken in the matter, the Speaker added. The committee was set up on July 25, a week after Mann had put out in the social media a video of his vehicle passing security barricades and entering the Parliament complex. He had also videographed a room where Parliament questions were being sorted. After facing flak for his act, Mann had defended his move, saying he was only showing people how Parliament functioned. Later, he had appeared before the committee and demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's suspension from the Lok Sabha for "compromising national security" by allowing Pakistan's spy agency ISI inside the Pathankot airbase after the terror attack. He had also sought that Modi too be summoned by the committee. Recently, Mann withdrew his remarks against the Prime Minister and tendered an unconditional apology to the committee. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The border town of RS Pura today bid tearful adieu to Major Arvind Bazala, who lost his life along with two other Army officers two days ago when a Cheetah helicopter crashed at Sukna Military Camp in West Bengal. His mortal remains were consigned to flames at R S Pura, amid full military honours and chanting of slogans in his praise by emotional villagers and his family members. On Wednesday, three Army officers were killed and a junior commissioned officer was critically injured when a Cheetah helicopter crashed at Sukna Military Camp in West Bengal. The deceased were identified as pilot Major Sanjeev Lathar, co-pilot Maj Arvind Bazala and Lt Col Rajneesh Kumar. A pall of gloom descended on the native place of Major Bazala (popularly known as Bravado Zulu on Facebook) when his body arrived late this afternoon. He is survived by his parents, wife Aahana Bazala and a younger brother. He was an alumnus of Sainik School Nagrota. The 30-year-old had joined National Defence Academy (NDA) in 2005 as cadet and later passed out as Army Lieutenant from Indian Military Academy (IMA) Dehradun in 2009. His first posting was at Chatha in Jammu. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In a fresh salvo against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee today termed the Centre as a 'daku' (hooligan) government and threatened to take legal steps for "bypassing the state government" by trying to contact her officials directly to get information. She accused the Modi government of running the administration in a dictatorial way. The West Bengal Chief Minister was reacting to a letter sent by the Urban Development Ministry to Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), asking it to furnish comparative revenue collection statements for November 2015 and November 2016 for the PMO. "Just now, they received a letter from the Urban Development Ministry addressed to the under-secretary of Urban Affairs department of KMC, stating that the PMO has desired to obtain comparative revenue collection statements for November '15 and November '16. "There is a system in every federal structure. If a government wants information it can talk to the other government... But look at the attitude of this (Centre) government. I do not know what they think of themselves. There is Hitleri kaida of this government," Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat. "My question is how can the PMO or any department without talking to the state government directly write a letter to the under secretary? This is unethical and it has never happened earlier," she said. The TMC leader charged that in the name of demonetisation, the Modi government was looting money of common people. "In the name of 'notebandi' (demonetisation), Modi is looting money of the common people and claiming that they have earned so much...Modi government has become a daku government.. It (demonetisation) is an eyewash.. It has become the biggest mockery," Banerjee said. "From the very beginning they started bulldozing us, but we tolerated. But tolerance does not mean that it is one-sided... You are bulldozing and imposing yourself on all states," she said. The Chief Minister had also kicked up a storm on the Army's presence at toll plazas in West Bengal. She remained at the state secretariat overnight in protest, asking was it an "army coup", a remark that invited a sharp condemnation from the Centre which said it showed her "political frustration". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In an apparent swipe at Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray who has been critical of the Centre's demonetisation move, senior party leader Manohar Joshi today said those who could not understand the decision were opposing it. Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the decision at a function here in Uddhav's presence, Joshi said, "We have a pro-active Prime Minister. He conducted a survey on demonetisation in which it was found that 91-92 per cent people liked the decision. People feel something good is happening in the country. "Some people liked the decision because they understood it. Some people did not understand, but they still liked it. However, some of those who did not understand the scheme are giving speeches against the decision," said Joshi, a Shiv Sena veteran and a former Lok Sabha Speaker. He was speaking at his book launch function. The senior Sena leader had penned "Ayushya Kase Jagaave" ("How to live life") and the book was released on the occasion of his 79th birthday. Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and party mouthpiece 'Saamana' have openly criticised the demonetisation decision. Joshi, who has been with Sena almost since its inception, expressed hope that its friendship with BJP would endure. "I invited the Chief Minister (Devendra Fadnavis) to this function because I want his friendship with Uddhav ji to continue for a long time. The media will get answer (to questions about relations between the ruling allies) on this occasion," Joshi said. Fadnavis said Joshi had learnt the art of overcoming challenges and always followed the teachings of the late Bal Thackeray, founder of Shiv Sena. "Balasaheb used to say that Marathi-speaking people should be in leading position in every field. Joshi sir has shown that he is a true follower of Balasaheb," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Mayor of Denmark's second largest city Aarhus, Jacob Bundsgaard met Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu here today and discussed mutual cooperation in the development of Udaipur city and the Danish town. Naidu said that Udaipur, a famous and beautiful city, has lots of opportunities for cooperation, an official release said. The minister commended Aarhus for its expertise in water harvesting technology and said a draft MoU on 'Cooperation on Urban Water Management', to be signed by 'Aarhus Water' and 'Udaipur Smart City Ltd', has been forwarded to the Ministry of External Affairs for approval. Prior to meeting, Bundsgaard had visited Udaipur city and said he was impressed with the old heritage of the city and hopes for a successful cooperation between Udaipur and Aarhus. He said that the exchange of knowledge and technology between the two cities can be extended to other cities too, the release said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The BJP in Meghalaya today assured direct funding to tribal villages in the state in the event of the party winning the by-elections in the two tribal autonomous district councils scheduled for December 13. The BJP is contesting in all six council constituencies in the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council and one in the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council. "The party shall make serious efforts for the establishment of state finance commission which shall recommend measures about adequate funding to the villages with the participation of the 'dorbar shnongs' under the supervisions of the district councils," State party President Shibun Lyngdoh said while launching the manifesto of the party at its office here. "We in Meghalaya have suffered a loss of hundreds of crores of rupees due to the lack of direct funding," he said. The party chief also said that proper measures need to be established in the state so that this loss through negligence would not be perpetuated. Slamming the ruling Congress, Lyngdoh said the party which had been in power at the Centre, the state and the district councils for so long 'have so far failed to provide constitutional recognition to the village councils and their heads resulting in these bodies becoming powerless'. The by-poll was necessitated following the state government passing an act last year prohibiting elected legislators from holding another elected post in the tribal council. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In the wake of demonetization, the Home Ministry has started working on the process to familiarise its employees as well as central armed forces personnel with digital payment modes. Senior officers of the NITI Aayog today made a presentation on digital payments before the Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, heads of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Joint Secretary Vikram Singh Gaur said a number of convenient modes of electronic payments are available such as the United Payments Interface, e-Wallet, Prepaid Cash, Credit and Debit Cards, Unstructered Supplementary Service Data (USSD) and Aadhaar Enabled Payment System for their needs. One need not even have a smart phone to make transactions over USSD, any mobile phone number linked to the individual's bank account can be used for transferring money, the NITI Aayog officials said. The presentation came in the wake of demonetization of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes and government's push for adopting digital mode of transactions in all financial dealings. During the meeting, Rijiju said though it is difficult to move to digital payments initially but once people start, they can easily adapt to the cashless mode of payments. Rijiju said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has encouraged the citizens to switch over to the cash-less transactions. The Minister expressed confidence to meet the challenge in the MHA, an official release said. Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and senior officers of MHA, Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India and CAPFs attended the meeting. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Police today claimed that the militant killed in an encounter in south Kashmir's Anantnag district yesterday was a history sheeter and had decamped with a rifle from a police station after which he fired towards an army patrol where he was killed in the exchange of firing. "At about 1720 hrs an accused person namely Sajad Malik alias Bita Malik decamped with an AK rifle along with one magazine from police station Dooru. "After firing some shots near the market and taking advantage of the darkness, he managed to escape towards Zamalgam village," a police spokesman said here. Near Cherikari village of Anantnag, Malik fired towards an army patrol. "The fire was retaliated and in the exchange of fire, Malik got killed," the spokesman said. He said the deceased was a released militant and a "history sheeter", who "was already arrested in militancy cases in various police stations". Yesterday, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president G A Mir demanded a judicial probe into the killing, saying the deceased was an ex-sarpanch belonging to his party. "Malik was accused by the state of participating in a protest rally (during the unrest), which may be true and for which there is the law of the land to deal with it," Mir said yesterday. He termed the killing as "politically motivated custodial murder". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Friday alleged that the government was trying to help a few corporate houses build their e-wallet business. "You are advocating a cashless economy and promoting e-wallet. Why is not the government coming up with an e-wallet system of its own? It will be more safe and secure. Do you know that 60 per cent shares in most of the e-wallet companies are held by people in China. You are divulging your secrets to China," he told a press conference here. The Congress leader said it appears that the focus from fighting black money is being shifted to making the country a cashless economy. "How can you make a massive country like India a cashless economy?" he asked. "The BJP government at the Centre is trying to help a few corporate houses build up their e-wallet business," he alleged. Pilot termed demonetisation as a "noble" initiative, but criticised the way it was implemented, claiming that 80 people died because of it. He alleged that BJP bought "huge assets" days before the decision to scrap notes was taken and demanded that BJP furnish records of its properties. Pilot, however, did not agree with Trinamool Congress' demand that the decision be rolled back, saying it would lead to a "much bigger financial crisis". Rahul Gandhi today chaired the meeting of Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) for the first time and launched an all-out attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of practising TRP politics and making the country suffer due to his "vanity and incompetence". Addressing the CPP meeting in the absence of his mother Sonia Gandhi, who is indisposed, the Congress Vice President described the Prime Minister as being "a prisoner of his own image" and alleged that Modi was inflicting "tremendous suffering" on the people to protect his own persona. Excerpts of his speech in the central hall of Parliament were later aired by television channels though such meetings are generally out of bounds for the media. With the opposition attacking the Prime Minister for not hearing them out in Parliament over demonetization, the Congress Vice President said if Modi listened to the views of democratically elected members it could potentially prevent him from making the "catastrophic" policy mistakes he is currently making. "We never gave India a Prime Minister who bypassed the experience of those sitting in the institutions. The country has suffered tremendous damage as a result of the vanity and incompetence of our PM," he charged. "The Congress never gave India a Prime Minister who was a prisoner of his own image. We never gave India a Prime Minister who was ready to inflict such tremendous suffering on the people of India to protect his own persona. We never gave India a Prime Minister who based his entire policy making strategy on TRPs. "Listening to the voices of the people of this country is the only thing that can free him from the clutches of his own image and make him an effective Prime Minister. Yet he consistently refuses to do so," he said. Accusing Modi of single handedly declaring a war on the world's fastest growing economy due to the "catastrophic experiment" of demonetization which is "badly conceived and incompetently implemented", he said its results will soon be revealed to the entire world. "Every economist of repute has already condemned it and questioned its capacity to realize the goals it is supposed to achieve. Modiji has created a massive new corrupt black market that is working overtime to convert the black money to white," he charged. Gandhi said the PM "confused" India's entire cash economy with black economy, demonetized 86 per cent of Indian bank notes and decided to experiment with the financial future of 1.3 billion people. "All cash is not black money and all black money is not cash," he said, adding that instead of attacking black money, he attacked the very foundations of the country's economy. Gandhi also accused Modi of sitting silently when Kashmir is burning and said he has "gifted massive political space" to anti-India forces by forging an alliance with PDP. Rahul also targeted the Prime Minister over his policy towards Pakistan and said he is the same person who used to ridicule UPA's Pak policy that led to isolation of Pakistan and brought peace to Kashmir. "Today the same person who used to ridicule us sits silently while Kashmir burns. Narendra Modi will be judged by history as the man who gifted massive political space to anti- India forces by creating an opportunistic political alliance between the BJP and the PDP. He has created the political vacuum that gives the terrorists space to operate," he said. Accusing the Government of getting itself into a "complete mess" with regards to Pakistan, the Congress leader said, "Their policy on Pakistan is a complete failure". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Amid the indefinite sit-in by Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) in the campus, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration has blamed a section of student protesters of "maligning the image" of the university by "propagating false information" related to an incident leading to disappearance of Najeeb Ahmed. Members of JNUSU have been protesting for the last four days at the varsity's administrative block protesting the university's decision to not allow protests over the missing student case. "Despite all these steps, certain groups of students and the university's students union have been consistently spreading false information and making unfounded allegations against the administration. "Outsiders are invited into the campus to participate in agitations aimed more against the administration and less on the need for all-out cooperation in the efforts made by the administration to locate Najeeb. Unnecessary politicisation of this incident has created hindrances for locating Najeeb and resolving the issue," the administration said. In a statement released on Thursday, the administration also said it has written several times to JNUSU to refrain from indulging in dharnas, sit-ins, loud protest marches, and offensive sloganeering in and around the administration building as per the university rules, but the JNUSU has "not desisted" from doing so. "Due to the persistent defiance of protesters, the academic atmosphere and the administrative functioning of the university have been adversely affected," it said. The administration has also earmarked alternative spaces for organising democratic and lawful protests, it added. JNUSU president Mohit Pandey has rejected the allegation about the students, as a "bunch of lies" and instead posed few questions to the administration over the issue. Pandey alleged that the vice-chancellor was hell-bent on "destroying the culture of through his high-handedness". He also accused him of not making public the proctorial report, which says that some "ABVP activists have been found guilty of hitting Najeeb." The students are protesting against alleged inaction by the administration on the issue. Najeeb Ahmed, a first year MSc student, went missing from the campus on October 15 after he was allegedly assaulted by ABVP members during a hostel election campaign a night before. In her latest book, noted writer Namita Gokhale has explored the way the caste system in India "imprisons" the humanity of those within it, with the backdrop of her "picturesque" hometown Kumaon. Titled 'Things to Leave Behind', the book tells the story of Brahmin women in Kumaon, and is a manifestion of the author's reaction to the "whole Brahaminical and patriarchal set up". "These are the stories that nobody else in the world knew. I felt I would be betraying the stories if I didn't give them a voice. "The story is part of the family lore. It is my reaction to the whole Brahaminical and patriarchal set up. It is the story of Brahmin women in Kumaon," Gokhale, who is the co-founder of Jaipur Literature Festival, said. Published by Penguin India, the 302-page book was launched by writer and politician Shashi Tharoor at the Taj Mahal hotel here yesterday. Set in the years spanning from 1840 to 1912, the book chronicles the mixed legacy of the British Indian past and the emergence of a "fragile modernity". "I have tried to bring to life a time, a moment in Kumaon that I saw the very end of...That I saw through the open history of Kumaon women. I wanted to pass on the story," Gokhale said. "It is about our own time when everything is changing. The human heart, love and freedom, these things are constant and the human nature does not change. Be it in the Mahabharata or in a recent novel like this. So it is about people coping with change," she said. Describing 'Things to Leave Behind' as her "most ambitious work", Gokhale, who has penned more than a dozen books including both fiction and non-fiction, said the book was very difficult to write as it was an "absolute mess of stories". The book, which is the culmination of her "Himalayan Trilogy", comes after 'A Himalayan Love Story' and 'The Book of Shadows'. Agreeing with Tharoor that the British Raj was responsible for "concretising" and "solidifying" caste sysytem in India, Gokhale said the interlocuters and local informants the British had were "mostly Brahmins" who put the "case hugely towards the cause of their own glory". She said that while the Brahmins did contribute for transmission of knowledge, they were not "very liberal in sharing that transmission". Gokhale's book, which is written from memories, family histories, conversations and the things the author has read and remembered over the years, is replete with interesting takes on human nature and is lyrical in its description. For instance, about the Himalayan skies and their ever-changing moods, Gokhale paints a vivid picture in her book. "They were consistent in their inconsistencies. In season they were sometimes sullen, grey and turgid; then turned, in moments, into a tableau of fickle, fluid shades, charged with unfathomable meaning. "The high cirrus formation of Tibet were quite different from the playful, dragon-shaped clouds of Bhootan or the battling skyscapes of the Ladakh Valley," she writes in her book. The navy has ruled out deploying indigenously built light combat aircraft Tejas on its aircraft carriers, saying it is "not being able to meet the requirements". Citing "overweight" as one of the reasons for ruling out Tejas for India's aircraft carriers, Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of Naval Staff, said the navy is looking at procuring an alternative aircraft. "As far as the carrier-based aircraft is concerned, we need it in a time line of the induction of the aircraft carrier. We have the MiG 29K, which operates from Vikramaditya and will operate from (indigenous aircraft carrier) IAC Vikrant. "We were also hoping to operate the LCA (Light Combat Aircraft-Tejas) from these two aircraft carriers. "Unfortunately, the LCA is not being able to meet the carrier's required capability. That is why we need an alternative aircraft to operate from these two aircraft carriers," Lanba said. He said that at the moment the navy is in the process of identifying the aircraft that will meet its requirements. "If you look around the world, there are not too many options available and we need this carrier capable aircraft sooner than later. So, I am looking at next five-six years," he said. LCA-Tejas is an indigenously built fighter aircraft and has been inducted into the Indian Air Force. Lanba said the navy is still encouraging India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop the Naval LCA. The naval chief said that it is also looking at UAVs which can operate from ships and autonomous sub-surface vehicles for surveillance. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Navy today reaffirmed its resolve of ensuring the safety and security of the country from any threat originating from the sea. "We are committed to ensuring safety and security of the country from any challenge or threat originating from sea," Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command, said. He was interacting with media on board aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya off Mumbai coast, ahead of the Navy Day. The maritime environment in the Indian Ocean Region is challenging and complex, he said. "Developments in the region have necessitated high degree of operational and combat readiness. This has led to a very high tempo of operations, including deployments, surveillance and patrolling," he said. He apprised the media about conduct of Exercise Paschim Leher, where large number of ships, submarines and aircraft participated. "The exercise was to test and improve our operational readiness, including mobilisation and synchronisation," he said. He said the ships, submarines and aircraft of the Command continue to be deployed and tasked in widely dispersed and diverse locations at sea to strengthen maritime defence. Terming the current security situation as "dynamic", Vice Admiral Luthra assured that the Navy is alert, watchful and fully ready to safeguard nation's maritime interests. Impetus is also being given on strengthening the cyber-security, he said. The Navy Day is celebrated on December 4, the date on which during the 1971 Indo-Pak conflict, naval ships stealthily manoeuvred close to Karachi and unleashed a lethal missile attack that set the port ablaze and destroyed several enemy warships. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Nepal's opposition parties today obstructed the parliament for the second consecutive day, saying the Constitution amendment bill, aimed at carving out a new province to meet the demands of agitating Madhesis and other ethnic groups, is "against national interests". The continued protests by the opposition parties led by CPN-UML forced House Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar to reschedule the meeting for Sunday. The Parliament Secretariat had set the agenda of concluding general discussions on the impeachment motion against the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority Chief Lok Man Singh Karki for the meeting today. Soon after the meeting began, CPN-ML General Secretary and former Deputy Prime Minister CP Mainali sought a time and said the House could not move ahead with the regular business unless the government withdrew the bill, which he claimed was against national interests, The Himalayan Times reported. Lawmakers of UML, ML, Nepal Workers and Peasants Party and Rastriya Janamorcha stood up from their seats to obstruct the House. The parties had blocked the Parliamentary proceedings yesterday also. The Parliament saw a heated debate over the phrase "mad dog" used by Mainali during his speech. Questioning the rationale behind the amendment bill, Mainali had wondered whether Prime Minister Prachanda was bitten by a mad dog. Nepali Congress lawmaker Ram Hari Khatiwada objected to the remark, claiming the phrase was unceremonious for the Parliament. Meanwhile, Nepal witnessed massive anti-government protests for the third consecutive day against the Constitution amendment bill. Various political parties organised a joint protest in Butwal against the bill, forcing markets, industries and schools to remain close for a few hours. An indefinite district-wide general strike has also been called in protest against the changes to the province borders introduced in the constitution amendment bill in parliament. As per the provision in the constitution amendment bill, Arghakhanchu, Palpa, Gulmi, Rolpa and Pyuthan would be split from Province 5 and placed under Province 4. The government had on Tuesday taken the step a day after the 15-day ultimatum served by the Federal Alliance for implementing the three-point deal expired. The amendment bill aims to accommodate the demands of the agitating Madhesi and ethnic groups that include citizenship and boundary demarcation issues among others. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Nigerian court today ordered the release of the leader of a pro-Iranian Shiite group detained since December after his followers clashed with soldiers. The federal high court in Abuja said Ibrahim Zakzaky, who heads the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) and his wife should be released within 45 days and ordered the government to provide them with a new home following the demolition of their residence during the violence. "The applicant is entitled to have judgement enter in his favour," said Judge Gabriel Kolawole in his ruling on Zakzaky's legal challenge against his detention. The judge also dismissed the argument of the prosecution and secret police that the Islamic cleric was being kept in "protective custody". Kolawole said he would have given an order for the cleric's immediate freedom had his home not been destroyed during the violence. "The applicant shall be released within 45 days from today," he said, adding that he should be given a "proper and decent" accommodation in a place of his choice in northern Nigeria. The judge also awarded 25 million naira (USD 79,000) each to Zakzaky and his wife for unlawful detention. The couple were arrested on December 15, 2015 after two days of bloody clashes between his supporters and soldiers which led to the death of over 300 people, including his two children. His house and headquarters of the IMN were also razed. Zakzaky was said to have lost an eye and was left partly paralysed in the violence. The fighting began on December 12 when supporters of the pro-Iranian cleric refused to allow the chief of army staff's convoy to pass through the northern city of Zaria in Kaduna state. In April, rights group Amnesty International accused Nigeria's military of shooting dead some 350 Shiite Muslims, burying them in mass graves and destroying evidence of the crime. He has previously been imprisoned for calling for an Iranian-style revolution to create an Islamic state in the country's north. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Bihar BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Friday slammed Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for being "mute" and said he may change his stand over the issue due to pressure from his allies, RJD and Congress, who are continuing their protest against . "Members of RJD and Congress are openly criticising and also creating unruly scenes in Legislative Assembly as well Legislative Council over it while Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is leader in both Houses stands mute," he said. "The way Congress and RJD are creating pressure on Kumar by staging violent protests in Assembly and Council and also outside, we will not be surprised if Kumar changes his stand on in the next three to four days," Modi said. The senior BJP leader also dubbed Kumar as "nirih" (meek), who is constantly under pressure from RJD and Congress for supporting demonetisation. "Yesterday, finance minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui tore apart the merits of dropping Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 old bank notes, while replying to discussion on the Bihar Appropriation (No.4) Bill, 2016 in the Assembly even as the Chief Minister was sitting near him," he said. "In the presence of senior RJD leaders Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and state party chief Ramchandra Purbe, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in an oblique jibe at Kumar, called him 'gaddar' (traitor) for supporting demonetisation," the Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council, said. "In presence of Kumar, members of the Treasury bench raised slogans against scrapping of notes to fight corruption in the Assembly yesterday and he could not stop them," Sushil Modi said. On November 25, Kumar had described the Centre's demonetisation move as a "courageous step" even as he admitted that "poor arrangements" in its implementation were causing hardship to the common man. He also dismissed reports of "confusion or fissures" in the grand alliance in Bihar over the demonetisation issue. Three days back, Sushil Modi, who was the deputy chief minister during NDA rule in Bihar, had advised Kumar to walk out of ties with RJD and Congress and said, "If a proposal of reunion comes from JD(U), the party will consider it. Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal today reiterated that there were no plans to split the state-run Coal India as it would not benefit the company. "In 2014, when I took over, I reviewed the company and I realised that the strength of the PSU comes from being one company. There is absolutely no benefit to the company by splitting it," Goyal told reporters on the sidelines of 'Make in Odisha' conclave which concluded here today. CIL, which accounts for over 80 per cent of the domestic coal production, is eyeing 598 million tonne production in 2016-17 and targeting to produce a billion tonnes of the fossil fuel by 2020. Talking about the impact of demonetisation on state discoms, Goyal said, "Discoms are now having a good time. They are recovering their overdues. People are coming to settle some of their past dues." He further said all PSUs under his ministry have already started the process of paying salaries and debts by digital mode and so there is absolutely no impact of demonetisation there. "All PSUs are paying all salaries digitally, in a transparent manner. The biggest benefit of demonetisation is going to the workers in the unorganised sector who will be able to get the minimum wages," Goyal said. Even as the government has increased the minimum wages by 42 per cent, unfortunately, people on the ground are yet to see the benefit of it, he said. "If all the payments are made digitally through the banking channel, we are very confident that the unorganised labourers will receive their due wages and other benefits," the minister said. Asked about delay in auction of coal mines, Goyal said, "It is in final stages and very soon we will do it. I think after the Parliament session I will take it up. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) North Korea says a sweeping new round of UN sanctions aimed at choking its nuclear program by cutting off as much of a quarter of its foreign trade revenue is doomed to fail and will be met with tough countermeasures. Indicating how seriously the North takes the UN move, its vice foreign minister called a gathering of foreign diplomats in the capital early Friday to lay out his country's opposition to the sanctions, which are the harshest to date and have the support of China, North Korea's primary trading partner. North Korea's Foreign Ministry, in a statement issued soon after the sanctions were announced, "categorically" rejected the sanctions, prompted by its nuclear test on September 9. It warned of tough countermeasures, but didn't say what they might be. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) In order to restrict the spread of diseases such as Zika and dengue, researchers have developed a platform that can analyse clinical samples from patients to diagnose infection by 416 viruses found in the world's tropical regions. In addition to the pathogens, the platform detects others that as yet have been identified only sporadically but could become epidemics. Examples include Mayaro, an alphavirus related to chikungunya that is transmitted by wild mosquitoes such as Haemagogus janthinomys. "The number of patients with suspected dengue, Zika or chikungunya infection will increase when summer arrives," said Victor Hugo Aquino, professor at the University of Sao Paulo (USP) in Brazil. "Conventional methods are frequently unable to confirm diagnosis of these diseases, so we don't know which viruses are circulating," said Aquino. In his view, if a tool like this had been available when Zika began circulating in Brazil, it might have been possible to restrict its spread to the initial outbreak location. "We took a long time to realise an epidemic was under way because no one was thinking of Zika at the time," he said. "There are several other viruses that have not yet caused problems in humans but may do so one day," Aquino said. "They are evolving all the time, and with the degradation of natural environments infectious agents once confined to natural niches could spread farther afield," added Aquino. Although the platform is designed above all to detect pathogens transmitted by arthropods such as mosquitoes and ticks, it can also diagnose infectious agents transmitted by small mammals, like hantavirus. Aquino explained that the selection encompasses all viruses occurring in tropical regions with DNA sequences deposited in GenBank, a public database maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), which is part of the US National Library of Medicine (NLM). The platform consists of a DNA microarray slide with eight identical sub-arrays containing viral probes replicated at least three times to complete the array with 15,000 probes. Each probe contains the sequences for 60 nucleotides that are complementary to the genomes of the viruses to be detected. According to Aquino, the sequences were mounted on the basis of information from GenBank using bioinformatics. "If a blood sample contains one of the 416 viruses included on the microchip, the pathogen's genome will bind with one of the probes to produce a marker that can be detected by a scanner," Aquino said. The device that reads the results is the same as that used in microarray assays for the analysis of gene expression. The validation tests do not point to cross-hybridisation, which produces a positive result for more than one infectious agent and hinders correct identification of single viruses. The study was published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Jharkhand Chief Secretary Rajbala Verma today said now bank will be in people's hand, will give shape to people's mobile as a bank, and everyone's active participation was required. People's campaign has begun in digital and cashless Jharkhand, an official release said quoting her. To spread cashless system throughout the state, 137 new bank branches would be opened, Verma said after Chief Minister Raghubar Das launched the 'Jharkhand Cashless Campaign' at Nagari block in Ranchi district. She asked the bank management to activate 'bank friends' and if necessary make more of them as they have an important role, she said. Verma also asked to make available debit/credit cards to account holders. To strengthen the campaign for cashless, nodal officials would be made in 264 blocks and at all districts and departments, she said. Under the state welfare department, there are 40,000 sevikas, approximately 7,000 'nutrition sakhi' and under the health department 40,000 sahiya, ANM, 50,000 Sakhi Mandal members, 1,000 schools, high schools and higher and technical department's nearly five lakh youth would make efforts in fulfilling the dream of a cashless Jharkhand, the Chief Secretary said. Cashless Jharkhand would free the state from middlemen and exploitation, she said. Speaking on the occasion, Development Commissioner Amit Khare said Jharkhand has always accepted challenges and would establish example in making cashless Jharkhand. He cited how the state had given Rs 100 crore loan to one lakh people under the MUDRA scheme and set an example, adding now corruption and black money would be reined in. "Now there is no need to take cash. It is my mobile, my purse," he said and added, first it was cheque and then ATM, and now the call is mobile banking, easy to transact money like sending a message. To proceed towards cashless banking, altogether 3,000 camps were being organised by the banks to give information, he said. General Manager of State Bank of India, Ajit Sood said Jharkhand has taken a step forward towards digital and cashless state, adding the bank was continuously working with the state government in this regard, the release said. He said SBI was working to make Garhwa district's Meral village a digital village and West Singhbhum district's Hartopa and Harlong villages would be connected with digital revolution, the release added. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today announced to hold the Make In Odisha Conclave biennially as a stepping stone towards realising the state's Vision 2025. Patnaik also announced that the state will have a convention centre and Trade Zone at Bhubaneswar named after Utkal Gourav Madhusudan Das as a tribute to his contribution towards industrialisation of Odisha. The state government proposed to invest Rs 307 crore for building the convention centre and trade zone over 4,000 square feet carpet area. Stating that conducive policy ecosystem and investment opportunities have helped the state to attract Rs 2.3 lakh crore investment, Patnaik said his government will set up a special institutional mechanism to ensure timely grounding of these investments. Though a total of 82 companies came forward to invest in the state, Odisha Chief Secretary A P Padhi said there will be no MoU signing ceremony as held earlier. The companies may get their required plot from the Land Bank if desired, he said, adding the state will clear all formalities for setting up industries very soon. If the project is a Green one, it will require to complete formalities in 15 days, state industries minister Debi Prasad Mishra said. Non-Green projects will be cleared in 30 days time. However, the state may not guarantee timely clearance from the Centre, the minister said. Mishra said the event witnessed registration of more than 4,400 delegates from across the country and abroad. Government held 220 meetings with investor community across diversified sectors in various states. Furthermore, the conclave facilitated more than 600 business meetings. The largest ever expo of the state housed more than 250 stalls spread over an area of 30,000 square feet. As part of the conclave, the largest ever Startup expo was also organised by YI, the youth wing of the CII, which saw participation from more than 120 startups, which benefited from the experience of successful budding entrepreneur, Mishra said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Public servants who retain their government accommodation beyond the retention period will have to pay charges for "unauthorised occupation" and the Centre may initiate recovery proceedings against the allottee, the Delhi High Court has held. "...If the allottee retains the government accommodation beyond the retention period permitted to him/her by the Directorate of Estates, he/she will be liable to pay the licence fee at damages rates for the period of unauthorised occupation and thus, the government may initiate recovery proceedings against the allottee under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act," a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal said. The bench gave the order while rejecting the plea of an army officer who had appealed against a single judge's verdict upholding an Estate Officer's direction to vacate his accommodation and pay Rs 9.4 lakhs as damages for unauthorised use and occupation of his official accomodation from July 2008 to July 2011. The petitioner had joined the Indian Army in December 1984 and in 2001 he was allotted the accommodation here when he was serving at the Headquarter of the Ministry of Defence (MoD). In May 2008, he was transfered out of and Delhi and was asked to vacate his accommodation in two months. The Estate Officer had proceeded against him and directed him to vacate the premises. Upholding the orders, the division bench observed that the defence pool accommodation was retained by the officer without any valid sanction for which he was liable to pay damages. "On close scrutiny of the material placed on record, it is clear that the appellant could have retained the accommodation ...For the education of his children, if the children happened to be in class X or XII subject to the fulfilling conditions promptly provided under Rule 61 of the MoD Pool Accommodation Rules. "Otherwise, under Rule 62 of the MoD Pool Accommodation Rules, an officer was required to vacate the defence pool accommodation and move to separate family accommodation," the court said. The bench noted that the officer was allowed to stay in defence pool accommodation for two months i.E. Till July 8, 2008 and then he was allotted separate family accommodation on October 12, 2009. It said that the officer had "failed to vacate the premises in question within the stipulated period i.E. On July 8, 2008 and vacated the same only on July 18, 2011. Undoubtedly, the defence pool accommodation was retained by the appellant without any valid sanction for which he was liable to pay the damages for the said period i.E. July 9, 2008 to July 18, 2011". Pakistan's right-wing Jamaat-e- Islami has invited former army chief General Raheel Sharif to join the party following his retirement. Jamaat parliamentary in the Punjab Assembly, Waseem Akhtar, on Friday invited the former army chief who retired this week after a three-year tenure to join the party. Akhtar asked the former army chief to help the party change the face of the same way he "altered the fate of the nation" through the Operation Zarb-e-Azb against terrorism, the Express Tribune reported. While speaking on a supplementary question during the question hour, he said after mandatory two years for every government servant before joining politics, Sharif should join the Jamaat-e-Islami. Pakistan has reminded India of its obligations under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and cautioned that New Delhi's own credibility will be at stake if the accord was violated. "India has to abide by its international obligations, if it wants to be taken seriously by the international community," Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said. He was commenting on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks on November 25 when he had said that waters of Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers "rightfully" belong to India will be stopped from going "waste" in Pakistan. Zakaria said the IWT was a binding agreement under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, 1969, Dawn reported. India has been, since the escalation of tensions after the Uri militant attack, indicating its intention to revisit the accord. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Parliamentary panel has raised concerns over Rs 13,745 crore in dues to - CIL, SCCL and NLC - and asked them to recover the amount, which can adversely impact their financial position. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Coal and Steel, chaired by Rakesh Singh, commended the work done on rationalisation of coal linkages, which helped in savings worth Rs 1,371 crore. "The committee is concerned to note that large amount of outstanding dues of all coal Public Sector Undertakings (PUSs) CIL, SCCL and NLC remain unrealised from concerned ministries/parties," the report said. As on March 31, 2015, outstanding dues of Coal India Ltd (CIL), Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) and NLC India Ltd (NLC) stood at Rs 11,032.20 crore, Rs 2,441.32 crore and Rs 272.04 crore (including disputed dues of Rs 129.09 crore), respectively, it added. Coal Ministry informed the panel that it has taken a slew of measures for regular follow-up to realise outstanding dues. It includes review of party-wise dues by General Manager and Chairman CIL with Chairman/Managing Director of defaulting power houses/parties, which are then taken up to the level of Chief Secretary of concerned state and Secretary (Energy) of respective defaulting organisation, the report added. "The committee further emphasise that the Ministry/ should take elaborate steps for recovery of these outstanding dues lest these insurmountable dues adversely affect the financial position of the coal companies," it said. The panel commended the ministry on the transparent auction of coal linkages, which will create a level playing field for all market participants. "The committee are happy to note that as a result of review by an Inter-Ministerial Task Force to rationalise coal linkages, overall movement rationalisation of 29.5 million tonnes of coal has taken place with potential annual savings of Rs 1,371 crore of transportation coast," it said. Other steps include automatic transfer of coal linkage granted to old plants, while scrapping and replacing them with new plants; opening two separate eAuction windows exclusively for power sector and a separate for non-power sector for quantity of 4 million tonnes, it added. "The committee hope that these initiatives fructify into tangible schemes towards a more fair and transparent system of Coal marketing and Distribution," it noted. 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However, both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha saw Trinamool Congress, joined by Congress, BSP and some other Opposition parties, targeting the government over deployment of army at toll plazas in West Bengal. They cried foul but the government, which termed it as a "routine exercise", slammed the Opposition parties for trying to politicise army and its activities, saying it reflected "political frustration". In the Rajya Sabha, as soon as the topic got over and Chairman Hamid Ansari called for the first question, members of Congress, Trinamool, SP and BSP created ruckus, shouting slogans demanding Modi's presence and an apology from him. Ansari told the protesting members to maintain order in the House and urged them not to "trample upon the rights of members asking starred questions." But unrelenting members intensified shouting slogans -- "Pradhan Mantri Maafi Maango (PM should apologise), Rona Dhona Bandh Karo, Pradhan Mantri House mein aao (Stop crying, Prime Minister come to House). The BJP members were on their feet to counter the Opposition and shouted "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan" slogans. Observing that "this is unfair", Ansari said "Why aren't you doing slogan shouting in the streets. This is not the place to shout." The Chair's pleas to maintain order went unheeded and the House was adjourned till 1430 hours. As soon as the House reconvened, the Opposition members again trooped into Well of the House and created ruckus by shouting slogans such as "Modi teri taanasahi nahin chalegi" (Modi, your dictatorship will not be allowed)". BJP members were also shouting slogans countering the Opposition parties but nothing could be heard in the din. The AIADMK members were also in the Well of the House, raising some demand but it was not clear what those were. With Oppostion members unreleneting, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien adjourned the House for the day. However, before adjouring the House, Kurien took up private members' legislative business amid din. In the Lok Sabha too, a combative Opposition continued vociferous protests over the demonetisation issue, forcing adjournment of the House for the day without transacting much business. Marking another week of virtual washout of proceedings barring the passage of the Bill to amend the I-T Act without discussion, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the proceedings for the day little past 1230 hours. Opposition members, including those from Congress, TMC, AIUDF and the Left parties, trooped into the Well, resorting to high-decibel sloganeering. Some of them were even howling as the proceedings went on. AIADMK, RJD and NCP members were seen standing at their seats. As the ruckus continued during Question Hour, a visibily peeved Mahajan said it was not proper to disturb other members and also warned the protesting members not to disrupt Ministers when they were giving replies. "I am warning you, I will have to name you... I am again requesting you, this is not good, this is not proper, don't disturb others," she said. While mentioning that they have been doing it for several days, Mahajan said, "I have not prevented you but please don't curb the rights of other members... Don't come to this side (in front of Treasury benches). Don't disrupt the Ministers who are replying to questions". Notices for adjournment motion moved by various members from the Opposition were not allowed by the Speaker. Amid the din, the House was adjourned for a brief while till noon amid protests during Question Hour, where as many as seven questions and supplementaries were taken up. Members continued their protests after the House resumed at noon. The Zero Hour went on for little over half-an-hour before Mahajan adjourned the proceedings for the day. Earlier, the row over Army taking over road toll plazas in West Bengal today echoed in both the Houses. Trinamool Congress leaders in both Houses alleged that neither the state government nor local administration including police were taken into confidence on the exercise nor was their permission sought. Congress and BSP too wanted to know from the government how such an unprecedented move to carry out an army exercise without taking state government into confidence was done. In lok Sabha, Defence Minister Manmohar Parrikar termed it a "routine exercise not unique to West Bengal". He said similar operations had last month being conducted in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand to collect information on heavy vehicle movement that can be used during national emergencies. Along with West Bengal, similar exercise was carried out in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghlaya and Mizoram, he said while responding to TMC and Congress MPs. He also stated that originally the exercise was planned for November 28-30 but was shifted to December 1 and 2 at the request of Kolkata Police as those dates were clashing with the protests against demonetisation. "It is shocking that a Chief Minister is saying this. The Army's deployment was part of routine exercise which has been going on for several years, which has been going on for last 15-20 years. Even last year it was held on November 19 to 21," Parrikar said. The Defence Minister said Army's Eastern Command has been carrying out the exercise in West Bengal, Assam and other North Eastern states and a similar exercise has already been carried out in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. "Concerned officials were informed in West Bengal. The original date was fixed for November 28 to 30 but due to Bharat Bandh the local police had advised the army to shift it to December 1 and 2," he said. "Due to traffic congestion, the exercise is being done with the help of local police." "It is very unfortunate that army has been dragged into an unnecessary controversy," Parrikar said. "It was political frustration rather than projection of correct situation." Trinamool leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay earlier raised the issue of army deployment at 19 places in West Bengal, claiming that the move was a challenge to the federal structure of the country and completely politically motivated. He said army personnel were deployed at these places, including near the state secretariat, "without informing anyone in the state secretariat". "It is a fantastic situation. Army today said that it was a routine exercise being carried out in the North Eastern states. But West Bengal does not come under the territorial jurisdiction of the Northeast," he said. Bandyopadhyay said the people of the country have great faith in the Army but if indeed such an exercise was scheduled, the Centre should have communicated to the state government. He said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been staging a 'dharna' in the Secretariat demanding withdrawal of the Army. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar asked the TMC not to drag Army into politics saying defence personnel have been protecting the country as well as democracy. "Whatever the Army has done was part of a routine exercise. It is completely wrong to drag Army into politics," he said. Raising the issue in Rajya Sabha, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said army is India's pride as it has upheld its unity and integrity beside protecting the borders. It has also come to the rescue during emergency situtions like flood and riots, he said adding that army is requisitioned at the request of a state government. But in West Bengal, the chief secretary, administration and DG Police had no information of army taking over toll plazas at 19 locations in the state, he said. "This is probably the first time that the chief minister of West Bengal has lodged this kind of protest where she stayed put for the night in the State Secretariat and is still there," he said. "This is a strange thing happening. Without asking state government, chief secretary or DGP, toll plazas of state government are taken over." Azad said it is being said that Army was collecting information on truck movements but such an exercise is not even done in Jammu and Kashmir. All such information is available with National Highways Authority of India or road transport departments. "This is an issue of grave concern." Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (TMC) said what happened in West Bengal has never been witnessed in the state's history. Army seized toll plazas and started putting stickers on vehicles. "I will not drag the army in any controversy. We are very proud of the army," he said wanting to know under what provisions of law and Constitution was such a deployment carried out and alleging "sinister design" to "defame the leader opposing demonetisation" and creating "fear psychosis". A petrol tanker skidded off the road and exploded in central Nigeria, killing at least 14 people today, witnesses said. They said eight houses were razed following the accident which happened around 8:00 am (local time) in the transit town of Tegina in Niger state. "We buried 14 people including a six-month-old baby who died in the tanker explosion this morning," said Muhammad Sani who took part in the rescue operation. Eight more victims were taken to hospital with burns, two of them in "very critical condition" while eight homes were burnt in the inferno, said another resident Abdullahi Egiworo. A spokesman for Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the state confirmed the accident, but refused to give casualty figures. "We received reports of an accident involving a petrol tanker in Tegina this morning but we are still awaiting details," Bitrus Max told AFP. He said emergency officials were heading to the scene to assist in the evacuation of victims. Accidents involving petrol tankers happen frequently on Nigeria's poorly maintained roads because of speeding and disregard for traffic rules. Last month, three people were killed when a petrol tanker collided with a trailer and exploded on a road linking Nigeria's commercial hub of Lagos with the rest of the country. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today proposed a 2G Ethanol Plant in Bargarh district at an investment of Rs 900 crore and suggested the Odisha government to develop Paradip on the lines of Jurong island of Singapore. Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said this while addressing the valedictory session of the 'Make In Odisha' conclave organised by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Odisha government and CII here. "Our department is now planning to generate energy from bio-waste. As Odisha produces a huge volume of agriculture waste, BPCL will like to set up a Second Generation Ethanol plant at Odisha's Bargarh district at an investment of Rs 900 crore on pilot bias," Pradhan said, adding the plant was proposed in Odisha in accordance to the NDA government's Look East Policy. Pradhan, however, said the primary objective of the conclave should be making arrangement for providing jobs to the youths in the state. According to the 2011 census, Odisha already has about 1.25 crore youths in the age group of 20 years to 35 years. "Providing employment to youths is a challenge for all of us. This conclave may help creation of more jobs for youths," Pradhan said. The Union Oil Minister also suggested the state government to develop Paradip in line of Jurong island of Singapore where industrial clusters could come up. He said though Odisha was a mineral rich state, it has to go a long way for utilising the minerals in a proper way in ancillary industries. Quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who during a visit to Paradip in February, had described Paradip as 'Bikasdip' (island of development), Pradhan said "IOCL has been investing Rs 35,000 crore for the PCPIR project. IOCL being an anchor for the PCPIR with IFFCO and PPL as partners, the state government should create a big special purpose vehicle for the implementation of the project." Pradhan also mentioned his Ministry was making arrangements to provide cooking gas through pipeline in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Rourkela. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Terming the protest by the West Bengal Chief Minister over the presence of armymen at toll plazas as "cheap political stunt", Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today said an attempt was being made to drag the Army into an "unnecessary controversy". He said this was a routine exercise being undertaken after informing the authorities in the state. The deployment of armymen at toll plazas was raised in Parliament by the Opposition and the TMC claimed that the move was a "challenge" to the federal structure of the country and was completely "politically motivated". "This is a routine exercise. It happened last year, it has happened this year. So why suddenly this issue?" Naidu asked. Talking to reporters outside Parliament, he said, "This is nothing but a cheap political stunt to defame the government and dragging the Army into an unnecessary controversy where none exists. It is highly deplorable." Taking on the Opposition, he said, "It is a dirty campaign launched by some of our political opponents. Routine army exercise is being undertaken in different states of the country. This is an ongoing exercise, collecting data in all the North-eastern states, including Assam, Arunachal, Bengal, Nagaland, Tripura and Mizoram by Eastern Command of the Army." Giving details, he said, "Personnel of the Army consisting of five or six unarmed personnel in each point are collecting data of heavy vehicles. This is an annual exercise. This exercise is carried out every year. "In the same location, the same exercise was carried out on November 19 and 21 last year with the same government and the same Chief Minister in the state. Similar exercise has also been carried out in Jharkhand, UP, and Bihar under South Western Command." Naidu also dismissed as "baseless" the charge that armymen were collecting toll charges and said this was not good for the country. "The allegation of collecting toll is also baseless. This exercise was carried out after informing the Kolkata Police. The date was changed after the request of the Kolkata Police. So where is the question of not keeping the state in the loop?" he asked. Pointing out at the main opposition party, he said, "The Congress has ruled the country for 50 years and they are also joining the issue. It is sad." Commenting on Rahul's statement that the Prime Minister was practicing TRP politics, Naidu counter-charged the Congress and said the party has become "irrelevant". "What is TRP? You (Congress) people are doing it for TRP because you have become irrelevant. People have rejected your bandh call. They have rejected akrosh rally. You are divided. You do not have arguments to put forth before the country. You are not allowing the House (to function)," he said. He said the Prime Minister has taken a bold historic decision against the black money menace which is the need of the hour. Naidu said the results of recent byelections and local polls have proved BJP's popularity. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani arrived here today and will hold discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of common interest With Qatar being the largest supplier of LNG to India, the two leaders are also likely to discuss ways to enhance cooperation in the strategic area of energy. They will hold discussions "on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of common interest", according to External Affairs Ministry. This is the first visit of Sheikh Abdullah to India and the third high-level bilateral engagement between the two countries in the past two years, which underlines India's growing ties with Qatar. The visit of Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to India in March 2015 was followed by visit of Prime Minister Modi to Qatar this June. Not only an important trading partner for India in the Gulf region, Qatar is also the largest supplier of LNG to it, accounting for 66 per cent of the total imports in 2015-16. Indians form the largest expatriate community in Qatar and their positive contribution in the progress and development of their host country is well recognised. There are over 630,000 Indian nationals working in Qatar. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Slamming Rahul Gandhi for his barbs at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP today said Congress government was responsible for policy paralysis while its government has freed the country of its "prison" and ushered in social security and curbed corruption and black money. Seeking to turn the tables on the Congress vice president over his charge that Modi practises TRP politics and suffers from arrogance and incompetence, BJP said these are in reality his attributes as he did "photo-op" politics and had even rejected his government's decision, a sign of his arrogance. "Rahul Gandhi himself suffers from arrogance and incompetence. Had he been not incapable, the UPA government would not have suffered from policy paralysis, committed scams worth Rs 12 lakh crore and brought India a bad name. He is the biggest symbol of non-serious and negative politics in the country," its National Secretary Shrikant Sharma said in a statement. He said Gandhi was bitter due to successive defeats his party has suffered in polls and was busy targeting Modi and his government with his disinformation campaign born out of his "politics of hate". Taking a dig, Sharma said Gandhi is out on bail in a case of Rs 5000 crore corruption, a reference to National Herald case. Under Modi, the country is progressing fast and progress of villages, the poor and farmers is his only goal, he said. Congress has "betrayed" people by "siding" with those with black money and fake currency, he said, a reference to the party's protests following demonetisation. Chairing the meeting of Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) for the first time, Gandhi launched an all-out attack on Modi, accusing him of practising TRP politics and making the country suffer due to his "vanity and incompetence". (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Home Minister on Friday advocated establishment of intelligence units in all paramilitary forces, saying it will enhance their competence. "I feel, not only in SSB, intelligence units should be set up in all the paramilitary forces. It will enhance their work competence and efficiency," he said. Addressing a gathering on the occasion of inauguration of SSB's administrative building here, the Union Home Minister said, "I will try to get such units established and ensure that this work gets completed in this regime (NDA rule)." SSB chief Archana Ramasundaram requested Singh to set up an intelligence unit in the paramilitary force and get houses for SSB personnel constructed. The Union Minister said that he will talk to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav about land for construction of houses for the family of SSB personnel. There are seven Central Armed Police Forces -- Assam Rifles (AR), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Security Guard (NSG) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). Advising the state government to "review cases" against persons arrested by paramilitary forces, Singh said status of cases and their pursual in courts should be taken care of by respective states. "It is the responsibility of the state government to see that the arrested gets punished. So they should review the cases once a year," he said. Stressing on the need for increasing participation of women in forces, he said, "Women account for only 5-6 per cent in paramilitary forces. However, their number is little more in SSB," he said. Hailing the contribution of SSB in securing Indo-Nepal and Indo-Bhutan borders, Singh said, "SSB is not only working great on borders but also in Maoists affected areas." The administrative building of SSB has been constructed in two years at a cost of Rs 22.76 crore. Around 250 employees and officers can work from there. In a message to those criticising note ban, Union Home Minsiter Rajnath Singh today said they should show patience for the 50-day period as the decision has been taken keeping national interest in mind and the situation will normalise after that. "Those criticising note ban must exercise patience for at least the 50-day period as the step has been taken in national interest to fight black money and corruption," he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi while announcing the demonetisation decision on November 8 had said there will be some inconvenience to people for the initial 50-day period after which the situation will ease out. Singh was talking to media persons here on the sidelines of a function where he laid foundation stone of several railway projects. The Home Minister said the source of money supply will dry up, choking funding for terrorists and Maoists. Besides, the demonetisation decision will bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, he said. Opposition parties have locked horns with the government over the issue of demonetisation of high-value currencies with Parliament witnessing a virtual washout since the Winter Session began on November 16. Singh, who represents Lucknow constituency in Lok Sabha, said there should be no politics over development projects in the Uttar Pradesh. Observing that metro services will soon begin in Lucknow, he said whatever work he was doing for development of Lucknow, was dedicated to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was also an MP from the state capital till 2009 before retiring from active politics. His remarks came a day after Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav flagged-off the trial run of Lucknow Metro in the state capital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Yoga guru Baba Ramdev today met RJD president Lalu Prasad and described him as socially and political important for the country who needs to remain in good health. Emerging from meeting with Lalu Prasad, Ramdev praised the RJD chief as "social and political heritage of the country's politics." Such a personality needs to stay healthy for the good of citizens, the Yoga guru said. He also gave some tips to Lalu Prasad to keep good health. Lalu Prasad later thanked Baba Ramdev through a Facebook message. Rabri Devi told reporters in premises of Legislative Council that Baba Ramdev had come to see Lalu Prasad as he was not keeping good health and advised him to do some yoga exercises. Health minister Tej Pratap Yadav was present when Ramdev met Lalu Prasad. The Yoga guru had in the recent past launched some new brands of his Patanjali Yogapeeth at the residence of Lalu Prasad. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two DR Congo police officers accused of rape were decapitated as violence flared between authorities and supporters of a traditional tribal chief killed in August, a governor's aide has said. Violent clashes between supporters of the slain chief and government forces that they blame for his death broke out in Kasai province in central DR Congo on Tuesday. "On Tuesday locals decapitated two police officers accused of rape. About fifteen police and soldiers sent as backup were targeted by supporters of Kamwina Nsapu who attacked them with machetes during the night," an aide to the Kasai governor told AFP yesterday. The clashes happened in Kabeya-Lumbu, 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Tshikapa, the capital of Kasai. For more than three months the regions around Kasai have been rocked by violence between followers of Nsapu and the Congolese security forces. "I saw ten police officers and soldiers decapitated or killed with machetes at around 10:00 am (0800 GMT), their bodies were in the hands of the attackers," a Congolese journalist told AFP by telephone. Kasai province interior minister Daniel Katombola said that the situation was now "under control" but refused to give an estimate of the death toll for an "operation still in progress". According to a source at Tshikapa airport, an aircraft twice brought reinforcements from Kinshasa. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi heads into a make-or-break constitutional referendum this weekend insisting everything is still to play for in his fight to hold on to power. "Never have there been so many people undecided. The referendum match will be decided in the last 48 hours," the centre-left leader said in a Q and A session session on Facebook today. Renzi, 41, is battling to defy opinion polls which point to his proposals to streamline parliament being rejected. Such an outcome is expected to trigger the reformist premier's resignation after just under three years in office and plunge the country and Europe into a phase of political uncertainty. After Britain's vote to leave the EU and Donald Trump's presidential triumph in the United States, Renzi is being portrayed as next in line to suffer a populist backlash from fed-up and forgotten voters. The narrative has played strongly internationally but less so in Italy, where the merits of the proposed reform itself have been vigorously debated in a contest which has also focused on Renzi's record and personality. At stake Sunday is whether to slash the size and powers of the second-chamber Senate and transfer other powers from the regions to the national government. Renzi has vowed to quit if voters reject changes he says will mean more effective leadership of a country that has had 60 different governments since the constitution was approved in 1948. As a result, it seems certain some disgruntled voters will vote No as a form of protest either against Renzi or over years of economic stagnation. But the proposals have also come under fire from opponents who see them as ill-considered and potentially opening the door to the kind of authoritarian rule the constitution is designed to prevent. "This reform reduces the autonomy of local authorities and it concentrates too much power in the hands of the government without the necessary checks and balances," former prime minister Massimo D'Alema, a party colleague of Renzi's, told AFP. Politically and economically, the stakes are high. Renzi sees the emasculation of the second chamber as key to ensuring difficult but necessary legislation does not get blocked or delayed in parliament while saving nearly 500 million euros (USD 532 million) a year in operating costs. "If you want to abolish the privileges of the most expensive political caste in the world, you have to vote yes," the youthful premier said today. Opponents insist the savings will be much smaller and that the legislative gridlock problem is exaggerated: Renzi did not have any trouble getting his controversial Jobs Act through parliament last year. A No vote would bolster Italy's populist and far-right opposition parties, already buoyed by Trump's success. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Terming the RBI's move to restrict district central co-operative banks from exchanging or depositing old currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 as valid, a minister in Maharashtra government has said these banks have lost credibility due to alleged mismanagement of funds. "The district central co-operative banks have faced several allegations of corruption in last one decade and investigation in many cases is going on," Minister of State for Agriculture and Marketing Sadabhau Khot said. "If DCCBs are given permission to exchange scrapped notes, some people would have certainly used it for converting their black money into white, hence the restriction over DCCBs is valid," he told reporters in Pune yesterday. The RBI had last month issued a circular restricting the DCCBs from exchanging or depositing old currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 which were declared as illegal tender under the government's demonetisation move on November 8. Khot said there are some DCCBs that are functioning well under an administrative officer rather than its elected board of directors but there are some DCCBs that have incurred heavy losses due to mismanagement of funds and such debt-ridden banks have turned defunct. Their past performance is self-explanatory to be put under restrictions, he added. On the Rs 24,000 cash withdrawal limit over the bank counters, Khot said there are very few farmers who need so much amount in cash. Farmers' cash requirement is not so high, hence they would not complain over such issues, he said. "The marketing department of the state government has already issued instructions to the agriculture produce market committees (APMCs) to issue cheques to farmers for purchase of the produce. "The seeds required for Rabi season are already disbursed in the market and all the distributors are asked to make the transactions through cheques. The farmers who have received amount in cash from selling their produce, are depositing it in their accounts with public sector banks. It means the things are moving at grassroots," Khot said. On financial allocation of Rs 21,000 crore by NABARD for farmers, the minister said, "The credit requirement for Rabi season is mostly going to be met through the allocation from NABARD. There will be some efforts from the state as well if more credit supply is required." "The Central government has given Rs 75 crore for onion storage centres, but the state has sought additional credit supply of Rs 50 crore because Maharashtra is the largest onion producer in the country," Khot said during a meet organised by Pune Union of Working Journalists. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Russian military is criticising the United Nations for dragging its feet on delivering humanitarian aid to the areas of Aleppo, which have been recently seized by Syrian government forces. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said that the Russian military has been the only source of food, medicine and other supplies for 90,000 residents of Aleppo's neighborhoods seized by the Syrian army this week. In today's statement, Konashenkov called on Jan Egeland, a senior UN aid official for Syria, to move faster to provide aid to the area. Russian-backed Syrian government troops have made significant gains in the rebel-held eastern part of the city since the weekend. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A Saudi Arabian Airlines jet made an unscheduled landing in Pakistan after its captain suffered health problems on a flight from India to Jeddah, official Saudi media said today. "The captain of the Airbus A330 suffered a health condition that called for his assistant to take over the plane," the Saudi Press Agency said, citing a source at the airline known as Saudia. SPA said the co-pilot arranged for a landing in Karachi, where a doctor could assess his colleague. "The co-pilot landed the plane normally, and the captain was medically checked. The doctor transferred him to hospital for the necessary treatment," the source said, without elaborating on the medical problem. Flight SV891 had originated in Lucknow yesterday was en route to the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Supreme Court today sought response from the Union finance ministry, the Reserve Bank of India and two public sector banks on a plea of a 79-years-old citizen who failed to get loan under the Reverse Mortgage Loan Enabled Annuity Scheme. The scheme, launched in 2008, seeks to generate income from the property owned and resided in by the senior citizens to enable them to lead an independent and dignified life. A bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice D Y Chandrachud issued notice to the Centre, RBI, Canara Bank and Union Bank of India on the plea seeking to an inquiry against all the lending institutions for slow implementation of the scheme. Petitioner M P Singh, who is a resident of Uttar Pradesh and an agriculturist by occupation having no fixed annual income, said that he had approached the two banks for a loan since 2014 but nothing had been done. Singh appeared in person and argued hmself before the bench and alleged that bank officials made unjust demand for processing his application of loan. The bench then asked him to approach the Allahabad High Court for the relief but on the petitioner's insistence issued notice to all the respondents. Singh said that he had made representations to the finance ministry as well as the Reserve Bank of India but he got no relief from any quarter. He said that the banks were not extending the benefits under the scheme meant for the welfare of senior citizens who were under great hardship to meet their day-to-day affairs. The petitioner said that he had offered mortgaging of his house which measured around 3784 square feet in Mainpuri district but both banks not provided him a loan. "The purpose behind the reverse mortgage loan scheme is to make the senior citizen strong enough financially to sustain the cost of health-care facilities as the dependency in the old age is incremental and any delay in processing of the application is against the very purpose of the scheme," his plea said. He also sought direction for making banking system for consumer-friendly and time-bound processing of loan applications. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As part of the party's preparation for the 2017 state elections, BJP National President Amit Shah will be visit Himachal Pradesh and address the booth level office bearers of 18 Assembly segments falling in Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts on December 11. He will be here to prepare the grassroots level workers to achieve the party's 50 plus mission in Assembly elections due next year, Chief spokesman of Himachal Pradesh BJP Rajiv Bindal said here. The meeting would be held at Thodo Ground and about 6,000 delegates are expected to participate. National Organising Secretary Ram Lal, General Secretary and party's incharge of Himachal Pradesh Srikant Sharma, Union Health minister J P Nadda, former chief ministers Shanta Kumar and P K Dhumal, state BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti, Anurag Thakur and Varinder Kashyap, MPs and other senior party leaders would also attend the conference, he added. Bindal said preparations are in full swing in all 18 Assembly segments and the meet would give a call to oust the Congress-led government in the state. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Opposition candidate Adama Barrow pulled off a stunning victory in The Gambia, comfortably winning a presidential election and putting an end to the 22-year rule of Yahya Jammeh, official results showed today. Jammeh had conceded defeat, the chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) said as Gambians began to take to the streets to celebrate the biggest upset in the west African nation since Jammeh seized power in a 1994 coup. "It's really unique that someone who has been ruling this country for so long has accepted defeat," Alieu Momar Njie told reporters. Barrow won 54.54 per cent (263,515 votes) while Jammeh took 36.66 per cent (212,099) and third party candidate Mama Kandeh 102,969 votes (17.80 per cent) in yesterday's poll, the IEC said. Turnout was around 65 per cent. Jammeh, who once said he would govern for a billion years if God willed it, was attempting to win a fifth term with his Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC). On the streets of Bakau, a district on the outskirts of the capital Banjul, Gambians began an impromptu street party, drumming, dancing and honking car horns. "This man (Jammeh) beat and oppressed us," a young man who gave his name as Jawara told AFP. "We didn't have our freedom but definitely Barrow will give it to us," he added, choking back tears. Gambian state television told AFP that Jammeh would make a statement later in the day to congratulate opposition leader Barrow, 51. A previously unknown estate agent and former economic migrant to Britain, Barrow was chosen as the opposition flag bearer by a group of political parties who had joined forces for the first time, whipping up unprecedented popular support. Barrow told AFP before the vote was announced that he was "certain" he had won. If Jammeh's concession is confirmed, Barrow will likely serve a three-year term at the head of a transition reform government in the tiny ex British colony that occupies a narrow sliver of land surrounded by French-speaking Senegal and pristine Atlantic ocean beaches beloved by tourists. Jammeh campaign manager Yankuba Colley said he was not aware of the electoral commission chairman's statement but said he believed the president would step down if the Gambian people wanted it. Yesterday's election was marked by an internet blackout that sparked condemnation from rights groups and the United States. But early results today were positive for Barrow as he took the capital Banjul -- a traditional Jammeh stronghold. He won nearly 50 per cent of the vote in Banjul's three constituencies, according to the IEC, compared to 43 per cent for Jammeh. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Hitting back at BJP for its claim that army presence at toll plazas in West Bengal was routine exercise conducted in full knowledge of local authorities, TMC leader Derek O'Brien today asked the Centre to "show the document" which proves that the state had "invited" or given "permission" for it. Kolkata Police had in fact written a letter stating that Army should "not be sent" to the state, O'Brein said, adding that he would place that letter before Parliament on Monday. "The central government should show us a single letter which proves that the West Bengal government had invited army to the state. There is no such letter. "There is only one letter written by Kolkata Police Additional Commissioner...I will table that letter on Monday morning (in Parliament)...It says that the army should not be sent there. Show us a letter or document which says the army was given permission," he said outside Parliament. O'Brein claimed he had also spoken to some of the former chief ministers to know if state government's permission was required for army deployment in a state. "They all said, yes". "Without the permission of the state, the army cannot go in. Where is the letter? I challenge...Show us the letter," he said. Earlier, the row over Army taking over road toll plazas in West Bengal echoed in Parliament with TMC seeing "sinister" designs behind the move and the government vehemently denying the charge, saying it was a routine exercise conducted in full knowledge of the local authorities. BJP claimed that Army's presence at toll plazas was an "annual exercise" which was projected in a "wrong way" and charged Banerjee with "stalling" Parliament proceedings by such "diversionary" tactics. Banerjee, yesterday, decided to stay at the state secretariat 'Nabanna' for the night, even after the force was removed from a toll plaza near it as per her demand. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The sister of a jihadist killed in a terror raid in Belgium last year and charged with terrorist activity has been released under conditions, the federal prosecutor's office said today. A prosecution spokesman confirmed reports that Chaimaa Amghar had been freed but declined to list the terms of her release. Chaimaa was arrested in Brussels in September after police traced social media messages suggesting she was attempting to "commit acts of terror-linked crimes in a conflict zone," the prosecutor said at the time. Chaimaa is the sister of Sofiane Amghar, one of two suspected Islamic State members killed in a raid in the eastern city of Verviers in January 2015. Prosecutors later said the group was under the orders of Abdelhamid Abaaoud who led the deadly November 13 attacks in Paris last year. The two men killed in the Verviers raid, Amghar and Khalid Ben Larbi, went to Syria to join IS in April 2014. They then slipped back into Belgium to the Verviers hideout. Authorities have said the November Paris and March Brussels attacks were the work of the same cross-border jihadist group with deep roots in the Belgian capital. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Having made multi-million dollar bets on Indian startups like Snapdeal and Ola, SoftBank today exuded confidence in "surpassing" its stated USD 10 billion investment commitment in India as it looks for newer opportunities in the country. SoftBank Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son, who called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, said, "India has the best opportunity" given the democratic form of governance, huge population base and rapid pace of adoption of new technologies. "This is the country with such a large population, this is a country which is a democracy, many of you speak English, this is the country where I think new technology is going to happen and new excitement is coming...This is the country where I am very much interested in investing," Son said at the HT Leadership Summit here. He added that the Japanese conglomerate has already invested USD 2 billion in India in the last few years. The company, in 2014, had committed to investing USD 10 billion in 10 years in India. "...I am a man to keep my words... We have already invested USD 2 billion in the last couple of years. Eight more years to go. I am going to surpass my word on the commitment," he said. Son said SoftBank, which teamed up with Saudi Arabia last month for a USD 100 billion technology fund, has already received commitment of over USD 70 billion for the fund. "I am just looking for opportunities (in India) to make those investments. I think we will find enough opportunities. I have already said that we are committing to make lots of investments in solar power generation in India and we have lots of internet related companies that we have invested in India and we will continue to expand on that," he added. The high-profile businessman made headlines earlier this year when he decided to continue as the head of SoftBank instead of handing over the baton to India-born Nikesh Arora. SoftBank has invested in online marketplace Snapdeal, Ola Cabs and property site Housing.Com and InMobi, an Indian mobile-advertising network. It also has a joint venture with India's Bharti Group, Bharti SoftBank, the investments of which include the mobile application Hike Messenger, now a unicorn. In January this year, Son had said 21st century belongs to India and huge opportunities exist in the country, but wanted the government to develop a robust mobile phone infrastructure and resolve slow Internet issues. Asked about SoftBank's over USD 30 billion acquisition of chipmaker ARM, Son said he saw the move as a huge opportunity. "So many people said you are out of your mind. We paid over 40 per cent premium on the company...But the way I look at it, I was saying to myself I am such a luckiest man, I got a company so cheap," he said. He further said the potential was huge as ARM is expected to ship one trillion chips over the next 20 years. "Over the next 20 years, ARM is going to ship 1 trillion chips... Let's not make a small calculation, let's make a big and simple calculation. If one chip is one dollar, its one trillion dollars, which is not bad," he said. Spanish police said today they have arrested a British fugitive who was convicted in Britain of raping two teenage boys. Officers arrested the unidentified man on Monday in Benidorm on Spain's eastern coast less than 24 hours after a European arrest warrant was issued for him, police said in a statement. Spanish police said he fled to Spain after it was discovered that he sexually abused two brothers aged 14 and 16 on 22 occasions in Britain between 2007 and 2010. "The fugitive befriended the victims' parents, who allowed him to spend time with their sons, unaware of the sexual acts the boys were subjected to," the statement said. A British court sentenced the man in absentia to 43 years in jail for six counts of rape and several counts of sexual assault on the minors. Spanish police had already detained him for possession of a "huge amount" of child pornography which he shared online. He was charged with possession and distribution of child pornography. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) An iron gate from the former Nazi concentration camp in Germany's Dachau with the slogan "Arbeit macht frei" ("Work will set you free") has been found two years after it was stolen, police said today. "Due to an anonymous tip-off, police in Norway's Bergen have secured an iron gate with the well-known text," said Bavaria state police. "From the picture transmitted, police believe it is highly likely that this is the iron gate that was stolen from Dachau. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The State Election Commission (SEC) today said objections and suggestions on electoral roll for 10 municipal corporations, 26 Zilla Parishads and 296 Panchayat Samitis have been invited between January 12 to 17 next year. Elections to the local bodies are scheduled in February in 2017. State Election Commissioner J S Saharia told reporters that objections and suggestions will be received from January 12 to 17 and final roll will be published on January 21. The assembly constituency wise electoral roll as per January 1, 2017 will be used for these local body polls. The supplementary electoral roll prepared as per the new enrollment conducted between September 16 and October 21 will be published on January 5, 2017. The ten corporations going to polls are Mumbai, Thane, Ulhasnagar, Nashik, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Solapur, Amravati, Akola and Nagpur. The total voter population in these ten corporations is 2,57,19,093. The total seats on which election will be contested are 1,268. The voter population for Zilla Parishad is 5,26,92,534 and the total number of seats on which elections will be fought are 1,568. The voters for Panchayat Samitis are 5,24,14,683 for 3,116 seats. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The month-long Swachh Bharat "Tour De Rotary" cycle rally, which started from Kashmir on November seven to create awareness about sanitation and cleanliness, will arrive here on December six. After a night's stay, the 22 cyclists will be seen off the next morning to their onward Journey to Kochi and to reach Kanyakumari on December nine, President of Rotary district 3201, C T Thiagarajan told reporters here today. The Rotary Foundation centennial cycle rally is being conducted by Rotary Club of Madras Midtown, RI District 3230, to promote the 100 years of good works done by Rotary Foundation, which raise funds for humanitarian service project including clean and green India projects, he said. The District Collector T N Hariharan, along with Corporation Commissioner and Special Officer, K Vijay Karthikeyan will flag off the Kashmir-to-Kanyakumari rally from here. A team of 50 cyclists from the city will join the national cyclists, who are travelling from Kashmir and 150 students will also give support and drive a distance of about five kms, Thiagarajan said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Rebels put up fierce resistance today in a key district of Syria's battered Aleppo, where a regime offensive has left bodies in the streets and sparked a global outcry. The government assault on the northern city has spurred a mass exodus of tens of thousands of residents from the opposition-held east and prompted fresh calls by Russia for aid corridors. President Bashar al-Assad's forces captured the city's northeast this week and were focused on seizing Sheikh Saeed, a large district on the city's southeast edges. But anti-government fighters put up a strong defence there overnight, rolling back recent government gains, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "The regime and allied fighters... Wanted to take this neighbourhood at any cost, because capturing it would allow them to target all remaining rebel-held districts," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. "But rebels put up ferocious resistance, because they knew they would be trapped if Sheikh Saeed fell," Abdel Rahman added. The head of the Britain-based monitor said opposition forces were now once again in control of at least 70 per cent of the neighbourhood. Sheikh Saeed borders the last remaining sections of Aleppo still in rebel hands -- a collection of densely populated residential neighbourhoods where thousands have sought refuge from advancing regime forces. In preparation for street-by-street fighting in these districts, hundreds of fighters from Syria's elite Republican Guard and Fourth Division arrived in Aleppo today, according to the Observatory. More than 300 civilians, including dozens of children, have been killed in east Aleppo since the government began its offensive on November 15, according to the Observatory. Retaliatory rocket fire by the rebels on government-held western areas of the city has killed 55 civilians, the monitor says. According to Syrian state agency SANA, one civilian was killed and three were wounded Friday in rebel rocket attacks. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Senior CPI(M) leader and legislator Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami today called for a judicial probe into the killing of a militant in south Kashmir's Anantnag district yesterday, asking the government to bring the facts about the incident to the fore without delay. Condemning the killing of Sajad Ahmad Malik, Tarigami, who represents south Kashmir's Kulgam constituency in the state Assembly, called for a judicial probe into the incident to "fix the responsibility and punish the culprits." "Such incidents are not only inhuman but shameful. Impunity for such killings must be put to an end or else the consequences can be disastrous," he said. The CPI(M) leader urged the government to put across a strong message by bringing facts about the incident to the fore without delay. "Government should come out with all the facts available related to the incident, so that not only the affected family but people in general are relieved from dilemma about the circumstances which lead to the death of the ex-sarpanch," he said. Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president G A Mir has also demanded a judicial probe into the killing, saying the deceased was an ex-sarpanch belonging to his party. "Malik was a young, honest but poor man. He was a sarpanch who was elected constitutionally and served the people for five years. He was accused by the state of participating in a protest rally (during the unrest), which may be true and for which there is the law of the land to deal with it. "According to the law of the land, he was taken into custody but was bailed out. Still, since the last one month, police was delaying his release saying the ruling party (PDP) wanted him in custody. Finally police released him and sent a cop to drop him home," Mir said yesterday. The Congress leader said Malik was dropped by the policeman at Agnoo village where "army had already established a cordon." "After five minutes, there were some gunshots and people said they saw Malik lying dead there," Mir said and termed the killing as "politically motivated custodial murder." However, police today claimed that the militant was a "history sheeter" and had decamped with a rifle from a police station after which he fired towards an army patrol where he was "killed in the exchange of firing. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The winter session of both the Houses of Bihar Legislature today ended with them failing to discharge its duty due to disruption by opposition and treasury bench members' continuous sloganeering. The tone for the day was set in the morning itself, when members of the ruling RJD, JD(U) and Congress staged dharna in the Assembly premises against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not fulfilling poll promise of providing Rs 15 lakh to every citizen out of the black money stashed in foreign banks. Rabri Devi, wife of RJD President Lalu Prasad Yadav, and others also protested against BJP for raising "derogatory" slogans against Sonia Gandhi, Lalu Prasad and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Rabri Devi told reporters they would not allow normal functioning of Legislative Council till BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi and former Bihar BJP chief Mangal Pandey should apologise for their derogatory remarks. She also said that RJD would not allow smooth functioning of the House till the BJP leaders apologise. Strongly condemning the acts of ruling coalition, Sushil Modi told reporters "there is no question of expressing apology in this life...What shall we regret for...Rather I will move two steps forward and call Lalu Prasad a 'baiman' (corrupt) and Congress promoting corruption." "What is wrong in calling a corrupt a corrupt... How come a corrupt be called an honest?" Sushil Modi said on Lalu Prasad and mentioned his conviction in the fodder scam. Sushil Modi, who is leader of opposition in Legislative Council, attacked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for failing to rein in members of treasury bench from disrupting two Houses. As the Legislative Assembly sat for the day, Leader of Opposition Prem Kumar rose from his seat and sought expulsion of six RJD and Congress MLAs for unruly scene in the House on November 29 in course of which a woman BJP member Gayatri Devi was hurt and RJD Legislator Bhola Yadav, a close confidante of Lalu Prasad, threatening her of dire consequences. Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said all parties have already condemned the unruly behaviour of members of all parties on November 29 and said objectionable comments and slogans against Prime Minister and others have been omitted from proceedings of the House. But, this did not satisfy BJP members who trooped into the well. Ruling RJD, JD(U) and Congress members also shouted at BJP after which the House was adjourned till 12 o'clock. But, the scene did not improve and members continued to trade charge and indulged in slogan shouting after which the Speaker declared adjournment of the House sine die. The Legislative Council could also not transact any business due to pandemonium prevailing there. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) As Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stayed put overnight at the state secretariat over army's presence at toll plazas in West Bengal, her TMC MLAs and ministers staged a dharna outside the Raj Bhavan protesting the "dictatorial tendencies" of the central government. More than 150 MLAs and ministers marched to the Raj Bhavan from state assembly to submit to Governor K N Tripathi a memorandum against the "ill motives of the central government" and demanding immediate withdrawal of the army personnel. They sat outside the Raj Bhavan with placards and posters criticising the Narendra Modi government besides raising slogans like 'Modi haaye haaye' and 'Modi should go'. The group could not, however, meet Governor K N Tripathi as he is in New Delhi. Alleging that the Centre is trying to topple the state government as TMC has raised its voice against demonetisation, Bengal Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee said, "Today we came here to protest against the dictatorial tendencies of the central government, which is trying to finish off the federal structure in the country. The state government in Bengal has been democratically-elected and that too with a huge mandate. "The people of this country will give a befitting reply to the dictatorial tendencies. A conspiracy is being hatched to topple a democratically-elected government. People will give the reply whether they want an army coup or federally- elected government," he said. TMC, he said, would go to Raj Bhavan again tomorrow to meet the governor and lodge its complaints. "We contacted him (Tripathi) over telephone. He told us that he has read about the incident in newspapers. He has asked us to come tomorrow." After a high drama over "deployment of army" at certain toll plazas in West Bengal without informing the state government, Banerjee stayed put at the state secretariat overnight. Army on its part strongly rebutted Banerjee's allegations and said the exercise was being carried out in coordination with Kolkata Police. Asked to comment on the Army's statement, Chatterjee quipped, "There is difference between informing and getting permission." Earlier in the day, Tripathi told PTI when contacted, "I have read about it newspapers. Army has already given a clarification. I have nothing more to say." Asked to comment on Banerjee's allegation of "army coup", Tripathi said, "It is the chief minister's view. I have nothing more to say." Today was the first day of winter session of the state assembly and Chatterjee had wanted to raise and discuss the issue in the house. However, Speaker Biman Banerjee stopped him, saying that in order to raise and discuss an issue on the floor of the assembly it has to be first discussed in the Business Advisory committee of the house. Reports from Jalpaiguri said TMC workers held day-long protest outside the Army camp at Binnaguri too. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Celebrity fashion designer Tom Ford says he will not be designing clothes for Melania Trump as she is not right fit for his image. Recently designer Sophie Theallet said she would not be outfitting Melania, citing President-elect Donald Trump's "racism, sexism and xenophobia" as the root of her decision, said The Hollywood Reporter. "She's not necessarily my image. I was asked to dress her quite a few years ago. I declined," Ford said. The designer, who voted for Hillary Clinton, noted that it wasn't necessarily Melania so much as her position as the first lady that factored into his decision. "Even had Hillary won, she shouldn't be wearing my clothes. They're too expensive. And I don't mean that in a bad way - they're not artificially expensive, it's the cost to make these things." When asked if Melania should stay away from expensive pieces, he added, "I'm going to leave that to Melania." French-born fashion designer Theallet, who has dressed Michelle Obama on many occasions, penned an open letter in November pledging not to dress Melania, and encouraging other fashion designers to join a boycott. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US President-elect today pledged that his administration "will do everything" to keep the scourge of terrorism out of America, and called for uniting the country by rejecting bigotry and prejudice. Kicking off his first post-election victory rally from the key battle ground State of Ohio, Trump mentioned about the recent car-and-knife attack at Ohio State University saying it "fully illustrates" the security problems caused by "stupid politicians" and an immigration system that fails to screen out dangerous, would-be terrorists. "We will do everything in our power to keep the scourge of terrorism out of our country," Trump said in his address to thousands of his supporters in Cincinnati. "People are pouring in from regions of the Middle East. We have no idea who they are, where they are, what they are thinking. And we are going to stop that dead cold flat. You just take a good look at what just happened in your state," he said in the rally, wherein he spoke about radical Islamic terrorism. "You have just experienced a violent atrocity at the great Ohio State University," Trump said. The attack "fully illustrates" the security problems caused by "stupid politicians" and an immigration system that fails to screen out dangerous, would-be terrorists, Trump said. On Monday, an 18-year-old Somalia-born student rammed his car into a crowd at Ohio State University and attacked them with a butcher knife, injuring 11 before police fatally shot him. The attacker was a Somalian refugee who lived in Pakistan for a few years before coming to the US. In his speech, Trump called Americans to unite, saying the country had no choice but to come together and reject bigotry. "We condemn bigotry and prejudice in all of its forms. We denounce all of the hatred and we forcefully reject the language of exclusion and separation. We have no choice. We have to, and it's better,"he said. "We spend too much time focusing on what divides us. Now it's time to embrace the one thing that united us: it's America, because when America is unified, nothing is beyond our reach," he added. News / National by Staff reporter FOUR Mbare men were yesterday arraigned before the courts on allegations of stealing more than US$5 000 from a woman who died when the car she was driving was involved in an accident along Harare-Mutare road.Ernest Jonga, 23, Sedrick Kachengo, 20, Innocent Gumbo, 17 and Kelvin John, 21 were not asked to plead when they appeared before Harare magistrate Gideon Ruvedza charged with theft.They were remanded in custody for bail ruling.The State alleges that on November 12 at around 5pm, the now deceased received cash from Aaron Nyapfumbi, her business partner, amounting US$5510 to go and purchase potatoes for resale in Nyanga.However, the now-deceased was involved in a fatal accident whilst approaching the 68 kilometer peg along Harare-Mutare road in which she was seriously injured.She was ferried to Parirenyatwa group of hospitals for hospitalization where she died upon arrival.It is alleged the accused persons were in an unknown Mazda pick-up vehicle trailing the lorry in which the now deceased was travelling in.The State alleges that they were the first people to arrive at the scene of the accident and they took advantage of the complainant's unconsciousness and searched the accident damaged vehicle where they stole cash amounting to US$5510.It is alleged that they shared the money amongst themselves and went away unnoticed.On November 27 Detectives from CID Highlands received information to the effect that the accused persons stole the now deceased's cash.When the accused were being interviewed they led detectives to the recovery of the proceeds.From the US$5510, only US$1710 was recovered. Donald Trump is unlikely to "insert" himself in resolving Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan as the US President-elect has signaled his interest in deepening ties with India, a top American expert has said. "It is highly doubtful that Trump administration will consider inserting itself into the volatile Indo-Pakistani dispute, especially when Trump has signaled his interest in prioritising deepening ties with India," Lisa Curtis of The Heritage Foundation said in an op-ed in The Daily Signal. "Indeed, if there is any useful role the US can play in tamping down tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals, it is to press Pakistan to crackdown on anti-India militants that operate freely in Pakistani territory," Curtis said. In her op-ed, Curtis said concerns are being raised about the US President-elect Donald Trump's phone conversation with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and what it might mean for his policies toward the subcontinent. Pakistan in a statement said that Trump during a telephonic conversation with Prime Minsiter Nawaz Sharif offered to play "any role" in helping Pakistan address its outstanding issues, which it claimed was a reference to Kashmir issue. "These comments, however, should merely be seen as friendly banter that could have been made to almost any foreign leader," Curtis said. "It is not surprising that Pakistani leaders would take advantage of a polite and warm exchange to push their agenda of bringing international attention to the Indo-Pak conflict in Kashmir," Curtis wrote. Observing that the US handling of India-Pakistan relations is a delicate matter, she said it is important for US officials to avoid the mediation trap and "any illusion that the US itself can resolve this nearly 70-year-old dispute." Referring to the series of attacks against Indian Army bases, Curtis said the Uri attack demonstrates Pakistan's willingness to up the ante in order to draw international attention to Kashmir at a time when civil protests had been wracking the region. "The US must demonstrate that such Pakistani behaviour is unacceptable and will have consequences," Curtis said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on Friday supported India's quest for permanent membership of the UN Security Council as he called for its expansion to include India for a more "realistic" re-alignment of the world order. Delivering his first major foreign policy speech at the Royal Institute of Affairs at Chatham House in London entitled 'Beyond Brexit: A Global Britain', the senior minister in Prime Minister Theresa May's Cabinet also said as Britain leaves the European Union (EU), it would look to engage deeply with Asia. "We should be realistic enough to accept that the order needs to change. That is why Britain supports enlarging the permanent membership of the (UN) Security Council to other global powers, including India," Johnson said. "It is right that we should make a distinctive approach to policy-making as regards China and East Asia. Our approach in that region must go beyond the quest for exports and commercial contracts, vital though they are. "The emerging balance of power system in Asia needs the influence of friendly countries, with our emphasis on the rules-based system, in order to reduce the risk of miscalculation and unwanted confrontation," he said. India has long been seeking a permanent place in the UN Security Council to reflect its importance as a trillion dollar economy and a major South Asian power. Johnson also used the speech to throw his weight behind US President-elect Donald Trump's campaign to get NATO countries to spend more on defence. "Trump has a point. It cannot be justified that one NATO ally, America, accounts for about 70 per cent of the alliance's defence spending while the other 27 countries manage only 30 per cent between them. "I want every NATO member to meet the agreed target of spending two per cent of GDP on defence and 20 per cent of their defence budget on new equipment. Britain already abides by this target and I note that NATO's most exposed members - including Estonia and Poland - do so as well," he said. The Foreign Minister also laid out a post-Brexit scenario where Britain would not oppose attempts by the EU to form a common defence policy. "You know, if they want to do that, fine. Obviously they should also spend two per cent of their GDP on defence, it might be the first thing to get right, but we are not there to block or to impede further steps towards EU integration if that is what they so desire," he said. But he also stressed that strong defence did not preclude negotiations and that he believed pressure could be exerted on Russia - amid tensions with Nato over Crimea and the bombing campaign in Syria. "We cannot normalise relations with Russia or go back to business as usual. But as I have said time and again, Russia could win the acclaim of the world by halting its bombing campaign of Syria, delivering Assad to peace talks, abiding by the letter of the Minsk agreements in Ukraine," Johnson added. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has apologised for the first time to the people of Haiti for the role played by the UN peacekeepers in sparking a devastating cholera epidemic in the country, expressing deep regret for the loss of life caused by the disease. "On behalf of the United Nations, I want to say very clearly: we apologise to the Haitian people," Ban told UN General Assembly here three times -- in Haitian Creole, French and English. "We simply did not do enough with regard to the cholera outbreak and its spread in Haiti. We are profoundly sorry for our role," he said yesterday. Haiti has been dealing with a cholera outbreak since October 2010, some nine months after it suffered a devastating earthquake. The outbreak has affected an estimated 788,000 people and claimed the lives of more than 9,000. Concerted national and international efforts, backed by the UN, have resulted in a 90 per cent reduction in the number of suspected cases. According to several experts, cholera was introduced to Haiti by infected Nepalese UN peacekeepers sent to the Caribbean country after the massive 2010 earthquake. "Eliminating cholera from Haiti, and living up to our moral responsibility to those who have been most directly affected, will require the full commitment of the international community," Ban said, launching his report on the matter, entitled 'A New approach to cholera in Haiti'. "The United Nations should seize this opportunity to address a tragedy that also has damaged our reputation and global mission. That criticism will persist unless we do what is right for those affected. In short, UN action requires Member State action," he said. India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said India appreciated the concern and sensitivity shown by the United Nations and Secretary General in addressing the issue of persistence of Cholera in Haiti. Describing the outbreak of cholera in Haiti as a "regrettable episode", Akbaruddin said the emphasis of the new approach to not only control the outbreak and assist victims but also to address issues of concern such as access to clean water and improved healthcare system is "commendable". While the number of those affected remains high, and recent outbreaks - partly heightened by the impact of Hurricane Matthew - show the continued vulnerability of the population to the disease, UN officials have said the challenge is not insurmountable. Ban also presented a two-pronged program to help the families of the cholera victims and support the fight against the disease. The UN hopes the new proposal will raise USD 400 million over two years. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A billion dollars are needed to provide aid for victims of Boko Haram jihadists in Nigeria's restive northeast next year, the United Nations said today, calling the conflict "the largest crisis in Africa". "The narrative on this humanitarian crisis can no longer be ignored and we are appealing to the international community to help us prevent the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians over the coming 12 months," the UN Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator Peter Lundberg said in a statement. "This is the largest crisis on the African continent and I am confident that with the support of the international community and the private sector, we can begin to bring hope to the people of the northeast," he said. The UN said the humanitarian response plan would address the needs of almost seven million people, in dire need of nutrition, food, shelter, healthcare and education. "A projected 5.1 million people will face serious food shortages as the conflict and risk of unexploded improvised devices prevented farmers planting for a third year in a row, causing a major food crisis," it said. Nigeria's junior budget minister Zainab Ahmed was quoted as saying the government would continue to demonstrate strong commitment to work with the international humanitarian community on the crisis. The scale of humanitarian suffering became more apparent after Nigerian troops recaptured swathes of territory held by Boko Haram since 2015. The Boko Haram jihadist group has waged a brutal seven- year insurgency in Nigeria's mainly-Muslim north, with violence spreading to Cameroon, Chad and Niger. At least 20,000 people have been killed and 2.6 million more displaced by the unrest, mostly in the northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, the epicentre of the Islamist uprising. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) US Vice President-elect Mike Pence telephoned Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and discussed strengthening relations between the two countries, the government information department said today. Pence had called Sirisena last evening and invited the Sri Lankan President to visit the US, it said. Sirisena congratulated Pence and US President-elect Donald Trump on their victory. He told Pence that the two sides could work with each other in a broad democratic space. The two leaders discussed several other issues pertaining to bilateral relations. On Saturday, Sirisena had told a political rally that he was planning to write to President-elect Donald Trump urging him to drop the war crimes charges against Sri Lanka leveled at the UN Human Rights Council. The Obama administration had backed three successive resolutions against Lanka under the former president Mahinda Rajapaksa since 2012 -- the last of which in 2014 recommended an international investigation. The Tamil minority was expecting Trump's rival Hillary Clinton to beat him and had offered religious prayers for her victory. (Reopens FES 23) Meanwhile, a statement issued by the Presidential Transition Team in the US said that Sirisena thanked Vice President-elect Pence for his commitment to strong relations between the two nations and to government reform. "Vice President-elect Pence shared his gratitude for the desire to work together and complimented President Sirisena for the work he has done to heal Sri Lanka and unite the country following civil war," the statement said. According to the Presidential Transition Team, Pence also spoke with the President of Mongolia, Prime Minister of Jamaica, president of Cyprus, vice president of the European Union and president of Armenia. Trump has spoken with more than 40 world leaders so far, including the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Hitting out at the Centre over killing of Indian soldiers on the border, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) ally on Friday sought to know why there was a 'spurt' in such attacks after the November 8 announcement of demonetisation. "While scrapping Rs 500 and 1, 000 notes, the government had said the move will break the backbone of terrorists as they are heavily dependent on high value notes for funding and carrying out terror activities. If this is true, why have terror strikes increased after November 8?" an editorial in Sena's mouthpiece Saamana said. The Sena demanded that the Defence Ministry clarify the number of soldiers martyred since November 8. "While the anthem will be respected in cinema halls, the question is whether there is any respect left for the lives of our soldiers. Our jawans at the border are dying everyday. If this does not stop, a question mark will emerge on the country's defence preparedness," the Sena said. Taking on Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar over his remarks that his ministry got a call from Pakistan "pleading" with India to stop firing, the Sena said the minister had created an impression that the neighbouring country had bowed down and there would be no more terror threats from its side. "But, even before Parrikar completed his words, Pakistan attacked Indian camps and all peace had been lost. How do we stop the losses being suffered by our Army? First, it was Pathankot, then Uri and now Nagrota. Terrorists are blatantly spilling the blood of our soldiers," the Sena said. It said that there were several army posts in the country which do not even have CCTV cameras, let alone sophisticated machinery. On Tuesday, Jammu and Kashmir was rocked by two terror attacks in which seven Army personnel, including two Major-rank officers were killed. Eight security men including a BSF DIG, were injured before six heavily-armed terrorists were eliminated in a fierce encounter at Samba sector in the state. China today said it will remain in touch with India and "relevant parties" on Beijing blocking India's bid for a UN ban on Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar, as it mulled further options after its technical hold on the ban expires this month. "On the issue of listing in the UNSC 1267 Committee, I have already explained China's position many times," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told PTI here. "China will continue to keep in touch with relevant parties including India on this issue," he said in a written response to Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar's comments that India has urged China to reverse its technical hold on New Delhi's request. Akbar said in the Rajya Sabha yesterday that India's request on Azhar's ban is co-sponsored by several prominent countries. Akbar said China has often repeated its concern on the spread of terrorism and its desire to cooperate with India on the issue. Geng's response to Akbar's comments came as the second technical hold put by China in October following the Uri terrorist attack which was also blamed on the JeM, is due to expire later this month. On March 31, China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council, had blocked India's move to impose a ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed leader and Pathankot terror attack mastermind Azhar under the Sanctions Committee of the Council. China was the only member in the 15-nation UN body to put a hold on India's application with all other 14 members of the Council supporting New Delhi's bid to place Azhar on the 1267 sanctions list that would subject him to an assets freeze and travel ban. The two foreign ministries have been holding talks on this issue which was also discussed during the recent two meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping. The two leaders met at the G20 meeting in Hangzhou and BRICS summit in Goa. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The last day of the winter session of Bihar Legislature today saw both Houses failing to transact any business due to disruption by members of opposition and treasury benches. The tone for the day was set in the morning itself, when members of the ruling RJD, JD(U) and Congress staged dharna on the Assembly premises against Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly not fulfilling the poll promise of providing Rs 15 lakh to every citizen out of the black money stashed in foreign banks. Rabri Devi, wife of RJD President Lalu Prasad Yadav, and others also protested against BJP, alleging its members had raised "derogatory" slogans against Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Lalu Prasad and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Rabri Devi told reporters they would not allow normal functioning of Legislative Council till BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi and former Bihar BJP chief Mangal Pandey apologise for their remarks. Lashing out at the ruling coalition, Sushil Modi told reporters "there is no question of apologising in this life...What shall we express regret for?...Rather I will move two steps forward and call Lalu Prasad a 'baiman' (corrupt) and say that Congress is promoting corruption." "What is wrong in calling a corrupt a corrupt... How can a corrupt be called honest?" he said on Lalu Prasad and referred to his conviction in the fodder scam. Sushil Modi, who is leader of opposition in Legislative Council, attacked Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for failing to rein in members of treasury bench who were disrupting proceedings in the two Houses. As the Legislative Assembly met for the day, Leader of Opposition Prem Kumar sought expulsion of six RJD and Congress MLAs for unruly scene in the House on November 29 in course of which BJP member Gayatri Devi was hurt and RJD Legislator Bhola Yadav, a close confidante of Lalu Prasad, threatened her of dire consequences. Speaker Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said all parties have already condemned the unruly behaviour of members of all parties on November 29 and said objectionable comments and slogans against the Prime Minister and others have been expunged. But, this did not satisfy BJP members who trooped into the Well. Ruling RJD, JD(U) and Congress members also shouted at BJP members after which the House was adjourned till 12 PM. But, the situation did not improve and members continued to trade charge and indulged in slogan shouting after which the Speaker declared adjournment of the House sine die. The Legislative Council also could not transact any business due to pandemonium prevailing there. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A 19-year-old student allegedly abducted two college girls in a rickshaw and also snatched away a mobile phone belonging to one of them, police said today. Kasarwadavali Police said the youth-- Vipul Pawar-- has been booked under sections 392 (robbery) and 363 (kidnapping). A resident of Chembur, Vipul studies in a college in Mumbai. According to the complaint by the victim, a 17 year old college girl from Thane city, she got acquainted with the boy through her relatives living in Chembur a couple of years back. "Since then, the boy had been making advances towards her. Yesterday afternoon, the accused pulled the victim and snatched the mobile from her hand. Later, he forcibly took her and her friend in an autorickshaw from Ghodbunder road to civil hospital," police said. "When the rickshaw reached the civil hospital, the accused escaped from the scene," police said. Police have launched a search to nab him. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Devidutta Tripathy and Jatindra Dash BHUBANESWAR, India (Reuters) - Power and coal minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday there was no value in splitting up India's biggest coal producer Coal India Ltd and denied any plans to break it up. In a presentation seen by on Thursday, government officials recommend that Coal India - with a stock market valuation of $28 billion - should be broken up into seven companies, which they say would make it more competitive and efficient. The proposal, dated November 30, is expected to be presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon, three government officials with direct knowledge of the situation said. But Goyal said on the sidelines of an investment summit held in the capital city of the eastern state of Odisha that the report was "unfounded" and "untrue". "I haven't seen it. If somebody else has seen it then I don't know," Goyal said, referring to the proposal. "I have made my view known in June 2014. Coal India's strength comes from it being one company," Goyal said. Goyal also said he has asked the board of state-owned aluminium producer National Aluminium Co. to "reconsider" a proposal to set up a smelter in Iran. The company, majority owned by the government, had been scouting for an overseas location to set up a smelting plant. "I believe that we should Make-In-India... Ideally it should be in Odisha where the material is mined," Goyal said. (Reporting by Devidutta Tripathy and Jatindra Dash; Editing by David clarke and Susan Thomas) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) By Ron Bousso LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices steadied at around $53.50 a barrel on Friday after the biggest weekly rally since 2009 following OPEC's decision this week to cut crude output in order to rein in a global glut. The market focus now shifts to the implementation and impact of OPEC's first production agreement since 2008, which will be joined by non-OPEC producers, after data showed output in Russia rose in November to a post-Soviet high. Front-month Brent crude futures were down 45 cents, or 0.8 percent by 0951 GMT from their last settlement at $53.49 per barrel. The contract was up more than 13 percent this week, its biggest gain since March 2009. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures were at $50.68, down 38 cents. The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which accounts for a third of global oil supply, will reduce production starting in January by 1.2 million barrels per day, or over 3 percent, to 32.5 million bpd. Russia also agreed to cut output by 300,000 bpd. Russia and other non-OPEC producer are set to meet with OPEC on Dec. 9. "The lack of firm output commitments from some non-OPEC producers may not be a major course of concern, but the threat posed by non-compliance and the potential for U.S. shale operators to spoil the party should not be ignored," brokerage PVM Oil Associates said. "Pockets of unease are already apparent and following the knee-jerk reaction that has produced unsustainable double-digit percentage price gains, signs are that the OPEC-induced euphoria is fading this morning with both crude benchmarks opening on a softer note," PVM added. Russia said on Friday that its output in November rose slightly to 11.21 million barrels per day, a post-Soviet high. As part of the OPEC deal, Russia has promised to gradually cut its crude output by up to 300,000 barrels per day in the first half of 2017. With cuts only being implemented next year against end-2016 levels, analysts said there was still a possibility that oversupply, which has halved oil prices since 2014, remains in place next year. "Let us put OPEC's decision into perspective - oil has just risen above $50 per barrel. Five months ago it was at similar levels, as indeed it was one month ago," said analysts at AB Bernstein on Friday. "More important is the sentiment - does this mean oil will now rise sustainably above $60 and start its long-awaited rebalancing? It is possible, but far from certain," the AB analysts added. (Additional reporting by Henning Gloystein and Roslan Khasawneh in Singapore; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell and David Holmes) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) MOSCOW (Reuters) - Hackers broke into accounts at the Russian central bank earlier this year by faking a client's credentials and attempted to steal $45 million, the bank said in a report released on Friday. The bank said it managed to recover some of that amount - $26 million -- but it did not say if that meant the rest had been stolen. It did not identify the hackers. It said they broke into a system the central bank operates and that gives its clients access to correspondent accounts opened within the bank. Out of the $26 million the bank said it was able to retrieve, it said some was frozen in bank accounts elsewhere that the hackers had opened in order to siphon off the money, while in other cases the central bank had been able to freeze transfers from correspondent accounts. The cyberattack was mentioned in an annual report the bank published on stability within the financial system. "Cyber risks...can potentially have implications for financial stability if cyber attacks are aimed against strategically important banks, central banks and financial infrastructure facilities," the report said. Russia said earlier on Friday it had uncovered a plot by foreign spy agencies to sow chaos in Russia's banking system via a coordinated wave of cyber attacks and fake social media reports about banks going bust. Russia has been on high alert for foreign-inspired cyber attacks since U.S. officials accused the Kremlin of being involved in hacks on Democratic Party emails during the U.S. presidential election. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said at the time that the United States would mount a "proportional" response to Russia. Since then, there have been a number of cyber attacks affecting Russian institutions, though it is unclear if they were linked to the row between Moscow and Washington. ($1 = 64.0900 roubles) (Reporting by Andrei Ostroukh; Writing by Christian Lowe; editing by Vladimir Soldatkin) (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) For more than two years, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw had a quarterly date with her Twitter trolls. Every three months, after her Bengaluru-based pharmaceutical company would deliver its earnings report, Mazumdar-Shaw says the trolls would emerge. They would tell the Biocon managing director and co-founder that she was the countrys worst business leader, that she should give up her stake in the firm, and that she was the reason women shouldnt run companies. Her response was to break one of the unwritten rules of Twitter dont feed the trolls by trying ... Senior government officials tasked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with reviewing energy security are recommending the break up of the country's coal monopoly, Coal India Ltd, within a year. Attempts to break up the world's biggest coal miner would be met by strong resistance from powerful unions representing the company's employees of more than 350,000. The government backed down from a similar proposal in the face of union protests in 2014. Around 70 percent of power generation is coal based. The country is the world's third-largest producer and its third-biggest importer of coal, which the government wants to change by boosting local coal production. In a presentation seen by Reuters, government officials recommend that Coal India - with a stock market valuation of $28 billion - should be broken up into seven companies, which they say would make it more competitive and efficient. The proposal, dated November 30, is expected to be presented to Modi soon, three government officials with direct knowledge of the situation said. They declined to be identified because the information has not been publicly released. Calls to a Coal India spokesman went unanswered. A source close to power and coal minister, Piyush Goyal, said the ministry would review its stand on Coal India depending on what the prime minister says. Coal India is the country's second-biggest employer, but critics say it is bloated and inefficient. Its output-per-man shift is estimated at one-eighth of Peabody Energy, the world's largest private coal producer, filed for bankruptcy protection this year. Under Modi's government though, production has risen sharply as environmental and other clearances to develop mines have been fast-tracked. The company is also spending billions of dollars on buying modern machinery to raise productivity. The government wants Coal India to increase production of coal to 1 billion tonnes a year by 2020 from around 539 million tonnes in the fiscal year that ended in March. It wants India as a whole to produce 1.5 billion tonnes a year by 2020. Modi was exploring a breakup of Coal India before taking office, Reuters reported in 2014, but the government put the idea on the back burner following protests by unions. (reut.rs/2gXYD5L) Unions fear restructuring Coal India would almost certainly lead to job cuts and work being outsourced to private companies, so are likely to protest against a break up. "What happens is that once a big company is broken down, it is easier to control the smaller ones," said D.D. Ramanandan of the All India Coal Workers' Federation, which he said represents more than 100,000 workers of the company. "But if it happens, we will oppose it. We will oppose it through all ways possible, including strike." ENERGY SECURITY In late October, Modi set up 10 groups of senior bureaucrats to "undertake a critical review" of government work in a number of areas, including energy, transport and agriculture. The proposal to break up Coal India comes from one of these groups - nine top bureaucrats, including ones from the ministries of coal, power, oil and mines. They were asked to come up with policy proposals to promote energy security and the environment. Under Modi, Coal India's production growth rate has nearly doubled, marking one of the administration's biggest successes. Fuel shortages for power plants have turned into oversupply. Restructuring is likely to be harder, but is crucial to the government's ambition to sell 10 percent of the company to raise funds for further growth and investment. The government owns just under 80 percent of the company. Coal India wants to spend billions of dollars in the next few years to buy equipment and modernize mines. Miners still commonly use shovels and picks to dig for coal underground. The company also plans to stop filling most vacancies arising from retirements over the next three years, and outsource more mining to private companies. Coal India unit Mahanadi Coalfields pioneered outsourcing of mining work a few years ago and is now the company's biggest producer and fastest-growing unit. Contractors carry out about 90 percent of the unit's mining. Coal India is a holding company with seven producing units and a planning and consultancy firm. The producing units have their own administrative set-up led by a chairman, so breaking them up to run as individual companies may not be difficult, analysts said. China's Alibaba Group Holding is not buying Indian e-commerce company Snapdeal and is not in talks to do so, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday, dampening talk that an acquisition was in the works. In February 2010, Kunal Bahl along with Rohit Bansal, started Snapdeal.com with the widest assortment of 30 million plus products across 800 plus diverse categories from over 125,000 regional, national, and international brands and retailers. The Indian company has raised over $1.76 billion in 12 funding rounds. Snapdeal has more than 300,000 sellers and delivers to 6000 plus cities and towns in India. Snapdeal has partnered with several global marquee investors and individuals such as SoftBank, BlackRock, Temasek, Foxconn, Alibaba, eBay Inc., Premji Invest, Intel Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Ratan Tata, among others. Snapdeal's major investor Softbank is owned by Masayoshi Son. Last festive season was a big hit with most e-commercegiants. Flipkart had global retailer giant, Walmart backing them with a minorshare in the company and Amazon India had a massive support from its parentcompany. However, Snapdeal is losing its market share due to competition fromPaytm. Alibaba's acquisition could have given Snapdeal the neededpush to deal with the growing competition in the e-commerce segment. Prior to Snapdeal, Alibaba was believed to be in talks withFlipkart for a possible acquisition. It was clear that the deal didn't work outwhen Alibaba jumped to talk terms with Snapdeal. Alibaba also has major stakes in Indian e-commerce ande-wallet company Paytm, which rose to glory after PM Modi's demonetisation move.Recently the company faced a lot of flak for accommodating major shares ofChinese companies. The company came out in its defence saying it's as Indian asMaruti. Alibaba is principally engaged in online and mobile commerce through offering of products, services and technology that enable merchants, brands and other businesses to transform the way they market, sell and operate in the People's Republic of China (the PRC or China) and internationally. Generally used to transport troops and tanks, the Indian Air Force has deployed its C-17 Globemaster heavylift and C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft for ferrying new notes, and so far they have lifted 280 tonnes of new currency to different corners of the country. "To ease the currency crunch and increase the cash flow, IAF planes have supplied 280 tonnes of new currency notes to different places of the country," IAF sources said. The government has pressed these planes into action as it wants to hasten the supply of these currency bills from printing centres in Dewas near Indore in Madhya Pradesh, Nashik in Maharashtra, Mysore in Karnataka and Salboni in West Bengal. The heavy transport aircraft also help in reducing the time taken to ferry the notes without requiring halting for fuel and other logistics requirements. The notes are delivered to banking officials at various regional centres where they take delivery and distribute it amongst the cities and banks in that area. IAF sources said: "Helicopters were already used for transporting cash to some remote areas of the Northeast. But the use of transport aircraft is a new thing." The IAF uses its helicopters to transport money to cities in Northeast which are difficult to be accessed through land routes and also in some areas in the Naxal-dominated regions. The market fell in afternoon session as European stocks tracked weak Asian closing . Wary investors also awaited US jobs data and braced for Italy's referendum on constitutional reform. Weak November auto sales hit by demonetisation of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes also dampened sentiment on the street. While the Sensex fell 329 points to 26,230 level, Nifty closed below the 8,100 mark at 8,086 level, down 1.30 percent or 106.10 points. Mahindra & Mahindra, India's top maker of sport utility vehicles, had domestic sales of 29,814 in November, down 38.8% from October and 24.3% year on year. Domestic sales at Tata Motors, India's biggest auto maker by revenue, fell 28.4% month on month to 33,274 vehicles. TVS Motor reported sales of two-wheelers last month dropped 27.9% from October. Other auto makers also reported double-digit percentage declines from October's sales. Maruti Suzuki India Ltd's dispatches rose to 126,325 units from 123,764 units in October. Bajaj Auto reported sales during the month fell by 12 per cent to 2,37,757 units as against 2,70,886 units in November last year, the company said in a BSE filing. Exports in November this year stood at 1,15,425 units as against 1,37,315 units in the same month last year, down 16 per cent. The BSE auto index closed 321.72 points lower at 19,645.38 level with stcoks of M&M (1.39 percent), Tata Motors (3.37 percent) and Maruti Suzuki (3.44 percent) down, respectively. Italian Job referendum Italians head to the polls Sunday to vote on measures that Premier Matteo Renzi says will make the country more competitive. Renzi has promised to resign if voters choose "no." Market watchers say a rejection of the plan would raise uncertainty about Italy's government and banks. US Jobs data Economists expect the latest monthly report on U.S. jobs, due out after trading ends in Asia, to show that employers added 174,000 jobs, leaving the unemployment rate at 4.9 percent, according to FactSet data. Global markets European shares skidded in early trading. France's CAC 40 dropped 1.1 percent to 4,509.56 and Germany's DAX sank 1 percent to 10,429.80. Britain's FTSE 100 shed 0.9 percent to 6,692.80. US shares were poised to open lower. Dow futures slipped 0.2 percent to 19,166.00 and broader S&P 500 futures declined 0.2 percent to 2,186.90. Japan's Nikkei 225 index shed 0.5 percent to close at 18,426.08 and South Korea's Kospi lost 0.7 percent to 1,970.61. Hong Kong's Hang Seng retreated 1.4 percent to 22,564.82 and the Shanghai Composite Index was 0.9 percent lower at 3,243.84. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 1 percent to 5,444.00. Benchmarks in Taiwan, Singapore and Thailand and also fell. The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O'Connor has this week warned that recent international political developments have caused considerable challenges for the Irish agri-food industry and that Ireland risks promoting a race to the bottom on food standards and prices. Speaking at the Irish Farmer's Association Seminar on Wednesday, the Minister warned that one specific challenge is the issue of alleged unfair practice in the grocery value chain. O' Connor also spoke about how the exit process will have implications for tariffs and trade, regulations and standards, customs controls and certification. The UKs decision to leave the EU presents enormous challenges for the entire Irish agri-food sector particularly beef where the UK accounts for some 50% of exports. There are approximately 100,000 Irish jobs directly linked to UK exports. Minister O'Connor commented, "Farmers sell a perishable product and dont have the time or the market power to negotiate effectively on the food chain. This is what needs rebalancing. Otherwise we risk promoting a race to the bottom on food standards and prices. That goes against the high value food brand that Irish agriculture wants to trade off. Its not how we want to do business in what is a vital strategic sector for the country. I view the our groceries goods regulations as a way of tackling this race to the bottom." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) have released their most recent Quarterly Bank Watch Survey today. The survey shows that there are improvements in the area of refusal rates, having dropped to their lowest in eight years. However, the Association expressed its concern at the length of time it is taking for business owners to get an approval on loans and accessing credit. According to the research, 54% of respondents believe bank fees and charges are a cause of concern. Seventy per cent state that the Government is having either a negative or no impact on SME lending. Thirty six per cent of respondents had required additional or new bank facilities in the last 3 months, compared with 38% in the previous quarter. Thirty per cent of companies who applied for funding in the last three months were refused credit by their banks, a decrease on the 36% (Q3). ISME CEO, Neil McDonnell commented, "Todays results shows a mixed picture. It is welcome to see a drop in the refusal rate, however this figure is still far too high. SMEs account for nearly all active enterprises, employ almost two thirds of the total workforce and account for nearly half of all net job creation in Ireland, they are the engine behind our recovering economy. It is vital that our banks support and assist the SME sector." He added, "There are two issues of concern. The decline in formal applications and the continued delay in decision time by banks on lending. Government, regulators and relevant stakeholders must create a greater awareness of alternative finance." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us Ireland will invest over 90 million to 2021 in strategic ESA space programmes which will put high-tech Irish companies and researchers in a position to exploit the growing Global space economy to the maximum, it was announced today. The Irish Government's investment in ESA is supporting strong growth in the sector in Ireland with the number of companies in the sector expected to expand to over 80 by 2020, generating annual revenues growing from over 75 million in 2015 to over 150 million by 2020. This investment will also double employment with the creation of over 1,000 high value technology jobs in Irish industry by 2020. Companies involved with ESA are also projected to increase combined turnover from 274 million to over half a billion euros by 2020. Minister for Training, Skills and Innovation, John Halligan TD, along with Ministers with responsibility for space within the 22 ESA Member States and Canada are gathering in Lucerne, Switzerland for a meeting today. This meeting is held every three years and gives Ireland the opportunity to input into setting the agencys strategies and policies. During these ESA Members meetings, the direction for the coming years is decided upon and any additional budget for the future is allocated. Ministers also agree to start new programmes or bring an end to old programmes. Supporting this growth, the Irish Government has confirmed its commitment to investing in space programmes at the ESA Ministerial Council held in Lucerne where Irelands investment will underpin further expansion of this sector in Ireland. Among the programmes in which Ireland will be continuing to participate in will include Earth Observation, Satellite Communications, Next Generation Launchers, such as Ariane 6 and Vega C, and Satellite Navigation. Speaking at the ESA Ministerial meeting in Lucerne, Minister for Training, Skills and Innovation, Mr. John Halligan TD said, "The European Space Agency plays a critical role in developing the Irish space industry, particularly the SME and High Potential Start-Up sectors. This is an exciting time for the Irish space industry and with the support of my Department and Enterprise Ireland the Irish space sector is set to expand at an unprecedented rate over the next few years." The Minister continued, "My Departments investment in ESA will manifest itself through new companies entering the space sector, scaling of existing companies and the further expansion of a strong cohort of high technology start-ups, leading to increased sales, exports and jobs. As I have previously said, it is an exciting time for Ireland as employment is set to double in the Irish space sector over the next number of years with 1000 high value technologies jobs expected." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us Both inward investment and job announcements into Ireland are becoming more commonplace, particularly in the capital, as foreign companies set-up, expand and consolidate their positions. In the past few weeks, we have witnessed a range of multinationals announce expansion plans which is a significant boost to indigenous companies that provide support services such as content creation. Business World is a content creation company that supports a range of businesses in Ireland with written content across blogs, live news feeds, editorials and articles. Job announcements LinkedIn - Business World covered the LinkedIn jobs announcement this week; "It was announced today that LinkedIn will be creating 200 new jobs at the companys EMEA Headquarters in Dublin. The announcement comes ahead of the completion of LinkedIns EMEA HQ at Wilton Place with construction set to finish in 2017." West Pharmaceuticals - similar to other multinational pharmaceuticals basing themselves in Ireland, US pharma company, West expanded operations in Ireland in November; "100 new jobs are to be added at West Pharmaceuticals in Dublin over the next five years, following a 60,000 sq. ft. expansion." Irish services company Voxpro - "Voxpro this week announced the creation of 400 new jobs and the launch of a new, state of the art Dublin office located in the Silicon Docks. This announcement will see Voxpros total number of jobs in Ireland grow to over 2,000 and 3,000 globally over the next 12-18 months, highlighting the rapid growth and expansion of the company which has grown fivefold over the last 3 years. The new office will be based in Dublins Point Village." These are just some examples of the many companies that are making waves in Ireland and are remaining focused on their vision despite turbulent times. Integration When new companies plan on entering a country they often seek out diverse services from recruitment agencies and estate agencies through to IT providers and written content creators. From a content creators point of view, hitting the ground running with market leading SEO, marketing, blog writing and innovative content can assist in the integration of entering a new market, both for colleagues and potential customers. Business World can create all written content, from blogs that guide foreign workers making their way in Ireland to providing a rolling news reports for a companys home page. Get in touch with Business World today for more information. About us Minister for Social Protection, Leo Varadkar, yesterday launched 'Ireland: A Directory 2017,' which aims to be Ireland's most comprehensive directory and database on public and private organisations. The Directory is published by the Institute of Public Administration (IPA) and has details on over 9,000 organisations with extensive personnel listings providing a window of insight into Government departments, state agencies, academic colleges and private sector companies, among other institutions. Minister Varadkar yesterday commented, "Congratulations to the IPA which is publishing this volume for the 51st year in a row. Its a staple of Irish public affairs which I have used extensively. Ireland has changed a lot in those 51 years. But that change is reflected in this extensively updated edition, which remains an essential guide to understanding the makeup of public and private organisations. Source: www.businessworld.ie About us The former leader of the UK Independence Party, Nigel Farage, has warned that Ireland is about to go for higher corporation tax rates not because the Government wants it but because "that's what Brussels wants." Discussing Irish public opinion of the EU, Farage said he didn't "buy" the fact that Ireland is now a pro-European country. He claimed Ireland is the only member state of the EU that has rejected two treaties in referendums. The former leader of the UK Independence Party believes that Irish public opinion is now very similar to British public opinion. Farge said he suspected if there was a referendum on Ireland's future it would be "a close run thing." The comments were made during an interview with David McWilliams which will be aired on TV3s Agenda at 12pm on TV3. In a direct quote from the interview, Farage said, "I worked in Brussels for seventeen years. They do not like your level of corporation tax - which is why they will move towards what they call a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base - you will over the next few years lose your big competitive advantage. And when that happens, the debate in Ireland about EU membership will change." He added, "As Trump goes in that direction, as the UK undoubtedly goes in that direction, of lower tax rates, Ireland is about to go for higher corporation tax rates, not because the government wants it, not because the Dail wants it, not because the people want it, because that's what Brussels wants." Source: www.businessworld.ie About us The European Union might fill a void in global trade left by the United States if the world's biggest economy becomes more inward-looking with Donald Trump as president, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said on Friday. Trump won the election campaigning on a protectionist policy stance that has raised concerns among some economists that global trade could suffer during his four-year term that begins in January. "Now it is possible that the United States will be more inward-looking over the coming years. Less prone to negotiate trade agreements, but also to engage on the international scene," Malmstrom said. "I think the EU has a possibility to fill the void," she told a congress of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) party in Warsaw. "We can show that walls, that protectionism are not what the world needs right now," Malmstrom said. "We can show that open borders and trade are compatible with sustainable development and high standards." Trump said during his election campaign he would dump the NAFTA trade agreement with Mexico and Canada. EU and U.S. officials have for more than three years been negotiating the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Brussels and Washington have recognised it will not now be completed during President Barack Obama's term. Trump has argued international trade deals hurt U.S. workers and the country's competitiveness, but it is not clear to what extent Trump the president will resemble Trump the campaigner. "The signals that come are rather that he's not the most pro-trade administration, rather more protectionist," Malmstrom said, adding Trump's comments could mean the end of TTIP talks and probably a renegotiation of the NAFTA agreement. "Once at that point, there would be a question if it does not make sense to do a trade agreement between the two biggest economies of the world? We are there," she said. "He wants to do good deals. Well, Europe does good deals. So we are ready." But Malmstrom said it was realistic to expect that any such talks would not be on the agenda for the coming year at least. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie Oil prices fell on Friday on concerns whether major producers would implement an OPEC-Russia deal to cut production and as investors took profits after Brent touched a 16-month high a day earlier on news of the deal. "It looks achievable on the face of it, provided the parties to the latest production cut deal stick to their pledges, which has historically been somewhat of a sticking point," ANZ bank said on Friday. But the cartel ability to overcome their differences and come to a last minute agreement was seen as a positive sign. "While OPEC's adherence to the new allocations will be critical, the group demonstrated more cohesiveness than at any point since at least the 1.5 million barrels per day cut in 2008," said Jason Gammel of U.S. investment bank Jefferies in a report on Friday. International Brent crude oil futures were trading at $53.52 per barrel at 0704 GMT, down 42 cents, or 0.78 percent, from their last close. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures were at $50.91, down 15 cents, or 0.29 percent. "I see it as profit-taking price-action after oil prices have rallied by almost 15 percent in 2 days as the markets reassess this historical output deal," said Phillip Futures analyst, Jonathan Chan. Analysts are now focusing their attention on the implementation of the OPEC deal which was joined by non-OPEC Russia for the first time in 15 years to coordinate production cuts by a combined 1.5 million barrels per day. "Compliance issues and a stronger than forecast revival from the U.S. shale sector represents the largest downside risk," said BMI Research on Friday. It maintained its forecast for Brent crude at $55 a barrel in 2017 due to "ample stock levels and spare capacity within OPEC". Still, the market remained broadly optimistic in the longer term about an accord designed to help bring the oil market back into balance. "This deal is significant. It sends a very strong message to the market and it should help the market find a balance," said Simon Flowers, chief analyst at Wood Mackenzie. Flowers forecasts Brent to average $55-$60 a barrel in 2017, but cautioned this would "depend on OPEC being very careful to meet the terms of the agreement". Price developments in crude futures over the coming days should provide evidence of the extent of the market's optimism for the deal. "WTI has arrived at the peaks from the middle of last year and again in October," said Ric Spooner, chief market strategist at CMC Markets, adding the next movements in the futures should provide insight into exactly how positively traders view this week's agreement. In the days prior to Wednesday's deal, the market assigned a low probability that OPEC would come to a meaningful agreement because of arguments between de facto leader Saudi Arabia and third-largest producer Iran. But that changed after Russian President Vladmir Putin played a crucial role in helping the OPEC set aside differences to forge the cartel's first deal with non-OPEC Russia in 15 years. (Reuters) Source: www.businessworld.ie About us LOGAN Charges have been filed against two men accused of breaking into a storage shed and attempting to flee. Logan City Police Capt. Tyson Budge said officers arrested 56-year-old David R. Groger and 23-year-old Zachery R. Wood on Wednesday, after the two reportedly broke into a storage unit near 521 S. Main St. Police began looking for the two men after a witness saw them break into the unit, load some of its contents into a truck, and drive away. An officer spotted the truck and conducted a traffic stop. Groger, who is from Preston, Idaho, and Wood, who is from Hyrum, were both taken into custody for questioning and later arrested. Budge said investigators are looking at whether the two men might be responsible for other similar burglaries that have occurred recently. Thursday, Groger and Wood were arraigned in 1st District Court. Prosecutors with the Cache County Attorneys Office filed charges of felony burglary and theft against both men, along with misdemeanor drug charges. Both were assigned a public defender and ordered to appear again in court next week.

will@cvradio.com News / National by Alice Dube A naughty married Gweru woman - Stella Zondo bedded her husband's best friend barely two months after he relocate to South Africa.Zondo's illicit affair with Simbarashe Reketai was exposed after her lover's wife stumbled upon her indecent pictures."Mai Rebba (Simbarashe's wife) got hold of her husband's phone and was shocked after coming across pictures of Zondo with no clothes on as well as juicy Whatsapp messages."Mai Rebba then sent to Mai Tino's husband (Mike Gavi) and instructed him to keep a tight leash on his wife" said a source familiar with the saga.Zondo reportedly fled to South Africa. | BY Ricki Green | J. Walter Thompsons Innovation Group has today unveiled its third annual Future 100 report. Future 100: Trends and Change to Watch in 2017 helps readers keep a tab on emerging consumer behavior with 100 original trend predictions from the Innovation Group. Sliced across 10 categories, each trend is delivered in digestible snapshots that explore how the trend is already showing up in consumer behavior today, signs that its growing more popular and an original analysis on why brands and marketers should be paying attention. From trends like Vagina-nomics and Artificial Nature to Tech vs. the Trolls and Halal Tourism, Future 100 foresees a 2017 full of new frontiers for consumers and new opportunities for brands. Says Lucie Greene, worldwide director of the innovation group: Keeping up with shifts in the world today means keeping a pulse on whats happening, and also anticipating whats to come. So what makes the 2017 consumer tick? What would the 2017 horoscope for consumer behavior look like? We hope Future 100 offers brands, marketers and consumers alike the answers to those questions. The 10 lenses under which the trends are categorized are: Beauty, Brands & Marketing, Culture, Food & Drink, Health, Lifestyle, Luxury, Retail, Tech & Innovation, and Travel & Hospitality. Highlights include: Marijuana: The New Rose? Today, women in the marijuana market are looking beyond remedies for menstrual pain. In fact, marijuana may be on its way to overtaking wine as the hip indulgence of choice. Second Skin Much of the visible appearance of aging skin can be attributed to loss of elasticity. Researchers are uncovering new materials that create a second skin to restore natural tautness. Scientists at MIT and Harvard have created an invisible layer of polymers that produces dramatic results in initial tests. AI Art Theres been plenty of talk of artificial intelligence replacing taxi drivers through self-driving cars, and even making white-collar professionals redundant but will AI also replace artists? Trippy Travel In past decades, countercultural types flocked to the coffee shops of Amsterdam to sample legal marijuana, but todays aspiring psychonauts are traveling farther afield. In the past few years, tourism around ayahuasca, a potent psychoactive brew of vines and leaves used as traditional spiritual medicine among the indigenous residents of Amazonia, has exploded. Retail Naturalism Technology brands are evolving retail concepts away from cold and minimal shops toward something friendlier and more natural. Larisa Shepitko's Stunning Soviet-Era Films Will Have You Wondering Why You've Never Heard Her Name Image via Tumblr/TheCriterionCollection Although women are not as recognized or celebrated in Hollywood as they should be, there are also directors around the world whose work is rarely shown and nearly forgotten. Larisa Shepitko, a Ukrainian-born filmmaker, is one of the many international directors who received critical acclaim during her lifetime but is not a name known to many today, even consummate film buffs. Shepitko was born in 1938 in Ukrainian territory controlled by the USSR. She attended the All-Union State of Cinematography in Moscow where her mentor was Alexander Dovzhenko, a figure of early Soviet cinema and a contemporary of Eisenstein (Battleship Potemkin). She studied directing at the State Institute for Cinematography at the VGIK and graduated in 1963. Her prize-winning thesis film, Heat , which she made at 22, tells the story of a new farming community in Central Asia during the 1950s. Called a fusion of political drama and Western styles, it was shot in such barren landscapes and climes that Shepitko actually fell severely ill during production. She called in another young filmmaker to help finish her vision, fellow VGIK student Elem Klimov. Shepitko and Klimov would later marry. ADVERTISEMENT Shepitko and Klingov Apparently Shepitko had rejected his original marriage proposal and would only accept his continued proposals after he agreed not to try and influence her work. Shepitko and Klimov were part of the Russian New Wave under Khrushchev before the cultural censorship of 1967 and 68. Shepitkos next film, Wings (1966), focused on a much decorated World War II female fighter pilot. The pilot, now a principal at a vocational college, is out of touch with her daughter and the new generation. The film aroused controversy in the Soviet press because film in the USSR was not meant to depict conflict between children and parents. Still from Wings (1966) Wings was followed by You and I in 1971. It is Shepitkos only film in Technicolor. It received favorable reviews at the Venice Film Festival but lacked proper distribution and exposure in the Soviet Union. At 35, Shepitko faced an extreme risk of death when she gave birth to her son while she suffered from a serious spinal injury. At that time I was facing death for the first time and like anyone in such a situation, I was looking for my own formula of immortality, Shepitko said of her pregnancy. Her response to this dark time is perhaps her most famous film, The Ascent. Still from The Ascent (1976) The Ascent is adapted from a novella by Vasili Bykov and follows two partisan soldiers in Belarus who attempt to evade the Nazis in the frozen landscape during 1942. Described as a war narrative, it is also a Christian allegory. Once Rybak and Sotnikov are captured by the Nazis, they are questioned by an investigator, but Sotnikov refuses to give away any information about his fellow soldiers plans or movements. Christ-like Sotnikov is sentenced to death because of his own convictions, while Rybak shows his weakness and begs the investigator to let him join the German police so he wont face execution. He watches his comrade Sotnikov be hanged and is then haunted by his friends death. Shepitko was often categorized as a political filmmaker, but she considered herself a humanist. She said she was more interested in the exploration of the individual in society, struggling with the eternal question: Why do we live? ADVERTISEMENT The Ascent won Shepitko the Golden Bear at the 1977 Berlin Film Festival and with her newly bankable artistic cachet, she could have had a long and illustrious career. Her next film was going to be about a Siberian village, titled The Farewell. Superstitious, Shepitko had her fortune told in Bulgaria in 1978, afterwards she took her friend to a nearby church and made her swear that if anything happened to her or her husband, her friend must look after their son Anton. A few months later, in June of 1979, she was killed. She and five other crew members were killed in a car accident while they were on location for her film, The Farewell. A week after her death, her husband Klimov was on set to complete the film. However, most critics said The Farewell lacked Shepitkos personal vision. In 2005, the Leeds International Film Festival organized a retrospective of Shepitkos work, but for the most part, her films are not studied or well-known. This post originally appeared on laurencbyrd.wordpress.com. More from BUST With 'Girlhood' And 'Tomboy,' Celine Sciamma Redefines Coming-Of-Age Andrea Arnold, From 'Fish Tank' To 'American Honey,' Tells The Stories Of Teenage Girls How Ann Hui Became A Leader Of Hong Kong New Wave: 52 Weeks Of Directors Lauren C. Byrd is a freelance writer and blogger. After leaving Tennessee post-college, she has lived in Los Angeles, update New York, Queens, and Los Angeles again. She loves to talk about women in film, but also cares about good TV, documentaries, podcasts, true crime, journalism and social justice. "I can infer that he was likely to have suffered some upset, anger and a sense of injustice at being arrested in circumstances when he did not expect it and when he did not consider that he should have been arrested," he said. Federal prosecutor Robert Barry told the court the cocaine, which had an estimated maximum street value of $21,000, was of a significantly higher purity than that of cocaine generally sold in the ACT and would have been sold for $250 to $350 per gram. Ms Le Couteur bought Santos shares as part of a Wilderness Society campaign against fracking. Her Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility had moved resolutions at meetings of all four big banks, trying to get better disclosure on where bank money was invested. Last year, her group succeeded in forcing carbon concessions from AGL, which she said had "the dubious distinction of being Australia's largest CO2 producer". With no action, he staged his one-man protest on October 3, holding a "Fix My Street" sign. Police did not press charges. Mr Dalton said many motorists beeped their horn in support. This week, almost two months after the protest, he was still waiting for something to happen. Mustafa Abdul Wahid, acting executive president of the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA), told Daily News Egypt that operators face having their licences revoked in some circumstances. Etisalat, Orange and Vodafone are the three operators that can now provide 4G services in Egypt after a hard-fought negotiation with the NTRA in competition with Telecom Egypt, which has had a licence for some time. The 4G service licence obliges companies to provide good 3G service in the areas where 4G signals may be weak to ensure that all clients have access to decent communication services, Abdul Wahid told the newspaper. He said the list of sanctions contained in the 4G licence agreement includes terms about the quality of service that companies are obliged to provide. They include deterrent penalties for companies if they go below a stipulated quality. He said sanctions also include a fine of up to 25% of the insurance value paid by the company, amounting to 100 million Egyptian pounds ($5.6 million) each time. This fine will be payable if companies delay payment for the service or break any of the contract terms, reported the newspaper. In theory the new licences are for unified services, allowing the three companies to provide fixed services in competition with Telecom Egypt. However, Abdul Wahid told the newspaper that the companies had not yet submitted requests to begin fixed services. Etisalat and Orange each have 10MHz of spectrum for 4G services and Vodafone which has a complex relationship with Telecom Egypt has 5MHz. Not all of the spectrum is immediately available, as NTRA has to evict current users. The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had approved a proposed rate increase, due to take place on 1 December, of between 90% and 300% in data charges. The increase would have put the cost up to only one-third of a US cent per megabyte. But at the last minute the Nigerian Senate and the Minister of Communications stepped in to prevent the increase. Adebayo Shittu, the communications minister, denied that his ministry had approved the price rise. The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (Alton) responded by warning that services would suffer, calling current tariffs unsustainable. Operators in Nigeria are unable to recover the cost of providing data services and reinvest in capacity expansion to accommodate the increased usage arising from lower tariffs, said Alton. The situation has been compounded by the recent economic challenges characterised by the steep depreciation of the naira [Nigerian currency]. It is characterised by the need to resort to the parallel market and foreign exchange scarcity, which have considerably increased the capital and operational cost of providing telecommunications services. According to Nigerian newspaper Vanguard the average price for mobile data was 0.53 naira per megabyte and one naira is currently about one-third of a US cent. Etisalat is the most expensive of the major operators in the market, charging 0.94 naira a megabyte, slightly above the NCCs proposed floor price of 0.90 naira. But Globacom charges only 0.21 naira a megabyte equivalent to $0.66 per gigabyte of data. Shittu distanced himself from the NCCs decision, saying it was not the governments role to approve tariffs. I can tell you that I was never a party to it. Government never gave any such instruction. This government believes in democratic process and we would continue to protect the interest of Nigerians. - 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." Bella Hadid Kicks Off 2016 Love Magazine Advent Calendar Trending News: Bella Hadid Sizzles In The First LOVE Advent Calendar Video Quick Take Now that it's December, it's officially ok to talk about Christmas without anyone plugging their ears and shouting "TOO EARLY LALALALALA." That means it's time to spend too much money on gifts, and to prepare yourself (and your waistline) for the meal known as Thanksgiving II: This Time, There's Ham. It's also a time for advent, a traditional Christian observance celebrating the birth of Christ. Which, if you ask me, Bella Hadid absolutely nails in this video for LOVE magazine. LOVE has made something of a tradition of taking the advent theme and replacing it with videos of hot starlets doing blatantly sexual things. This year should be no different. As we saw in the 90 second preview trailer, this year's calendar will include Abbey Clancy, Alessandra Ambrosio, Alexa Chung, Ciara, Elsa Hosk, Emily Ratajkowski, Georgia May Jagger, Gigi Hadid, Heidi Klum, Irina Shayk, Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Rita Ora, Sara Sampaio, Stella Maxwell, Suki Waterhouse and presumably more, since they need 25 to round it out. Anyway, enjoy Bella Hadid smoking cigarettes and grinding her bits on a stability ball. The video is (clearly) a fresh take on Eric Prydz' "Call on Me," but this is much more Christmassy, imho. Drop This Fact The Advent calendar was first used by German Lutherans in the 19th and 20th centuries but is now ubiquitous among adherents of many Christian denominations. Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact. Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here. Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing. You are our people. You Care. We Care2. Suicide bombers have used explosives-laden ambulances to kill at least 21 people and wound many others in the Iraqi cities of Tikrit and Samarra. The so-called Islamic State (IS) group said it had carried out both attacks. [] The deadliest of Sundays blasts happened in Tikrit, some 200km (123 miles) south of Mosul. A suicide bomber drove a booby-trapped ambulance into a line of vehicles queuing at a checkpoint at the southern entrance to the city, once the hometown of executed former leader Saddam Hussein. [] In Samarra, further south, another ambulance was detonated in a car park for the al-Askari mosque one of the holiest shrines in Shia Islam. Iranian pilgrims were among the dead. The author is director of Palestinian Media Watch. In response to PMW's recent report on PA salaries to terrorists, entitled " The PA's Billion Dollar Fraud " Britain froze 25 million pounds, one third of its foreign aid to the PA, and the US Senate passed a bill to cut off from US yearly funding to the PA the amount the PA pays to terrorists. Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh.blog spot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work. . ..Palestinian Media Watch/ JPost ..01 December '16..While Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas was accepting praise for sending Palestinian firefighters to help put out fires in Israel, the PA Finance Ministry was busy doing the paper work to start paying salaries to the Palestinian arsonists who were arrested for setting many of those same fires. So far Israel has arrested 23 suspected arsonists connected to the hundreds of fires that raged across Israel last week burning more than 500 homes and 32,000 acres of forests and national parks. According to Palestinian law documented by PMW, anyone imprisoned for "resisting the occupation" receives a high monthly salary. Therefore, all of those convicted and imprisoned for arson will receive PA salaries "from the day of arrest until the day of release."Of course, it is not only arson-terrorists who receive a PA salary. All Palestinian, Israeli Arab and Arab terrorists from any country who are imprisoned are rewarded with high salaries from the PA. (See PMW Special Report) According to PA law and practice, "resisting the occupation" includes any Arab imprisoned for attacking Israelis by any means, including throwing a stone at a car, driving a car into people at bus stops, building bombs for suicide bombers to blow up at cafes, or shooting and stabbing civilians to death in their sleep. Since the PA automatically includes anyone who attacked Israelis or their possessions as "fighters" who are "resisting the occupation," there is no justification under Palestinian law and practice not to include last week's arsonists among the Palestinian "heroes" who receive monthly salaries. Audi Hungaria started producing cars back in 1998, when the TT hit the assembly lines, and now, 18 years later, the automaker celebrates 1 million vehicles assembled in the European country. The milestone model is another TT, from the latest generation this time, an RS Coupe finished in Catalunya Red and powered by the 30 millionth engine made in the brands Gyor facility, in Hungary, which has been responsible for assembling powertrains since 1994. Present at the ceremony together with the Lord Mayor of Gyor Zslot Borkai and the plants employees, the Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi Hungaria, Peter Kossler, said: Thirty million engines and one million automobiles are a meaningful milestone in the 23-year history of Audi Hungaria. I am proud to be able to hold this celebration, together with the current 11,400 employees at Audi Hungaria. We will continue to rely on the dedication and outstanding performance of our team in the future. They produce our engines and cars in premium quality and, as a result, delight our customers all over the world. Besides the Audi TT RS Coupe, the Gyor plant is also responsible for assembling the TT RS Roadster, the regular versions of the sporty model, the A3 Sedan and A3 Cabriolet. Additionally, with the construction of a new body shop that covers 80,000 square meters (861,113 square feet), the car manufacturer is preparing to welcome the Q3 on the production lines as well. PHOTO GALLERY If you think all BMWs are manufactured in Germany, well, think again: its not just the US, where the SUVs are made, but Indonesia, too, and the local assembly line has just started rolling out the latest 7-Series for Asian markets. By commencing assembly of the flagship sedan locally, the automaker is looking to steal a piece of the pie in the full-size luxury vehicle segment, as they are now able to reduce costs and distribute the car faster across Southeast Asia, Reuters writes. We are very positive about the future of Indonesia and therefore we also see an increased potential in the luxury market, said BMW Group Asia Managing Director, Axel Pannes, on the sidelines of the media launch of the 7-Series in Jakarta earlier this week. The full-size luxury sedan isnt the companys first model to be put together in Indonesia, but the latest addition to the local lineup, which saw an investment of more than 210 billion rupiah ($15.5 million) over the last five years. Foreing automakers are offered incentives by the government to produce vehicles domestically, something which has led to the involvement of local suppliers, too. PHOTO GALLERY The 2017 Honda CR-V is the poster child for not messing with a good thing, but still finding things to fix. Its really a very new CR-V, yet it looks pretty much like the old one. Considering its Hondas best-selling model in the U.S. some months, there was a lot paying customers were liking about the version thats been on sale for five years. But Honda thought there was room for improvement, and they were right. The 2017 CR-V is hard to fault. Its easy to make a case for it being the right car for pretty much all occasions. So start getting used to it. Fitting in But back to the looks. The CR-V may ride on an all-new platform derived from the current Civic, but its a bit longer and taller than the car it replaces. And yet it cuts a shape thats very similar to the outgoing model. Unlike with the Civic, Honda didnt feel it had to reinvent the CR-V, and hundreds of thousands of owners would probably agree. Few concessions have been made to round off what remains a practical box. The CR-V continues with its tall Volvo-esque taillights and the new model is 1.4 inches taller than before, according to engineers. While new LED headlights adorn the Touring model as has become a pattern on new Hondas, even the face of the new CR-V looks a lot like it used to. Again, not that faithful CR-V buyers will mind and prospective buyers are also unlikely to be phased by the evolutionary design changes. Most versions ride on 18-inch wheels, which somehow get swallowed up in the sides of the car. But credit to Honda to not overdo it with 20s or some other wheels that have no place on a sensible crossover. Turn of the knob But like the Civic in this regard, Honda upped the CR-Vs game inside. Its immediately apparent when comparing it to the utilitarian outgoing model, and pretty much every other mainstream crossover in this $25,000-$35,000 range. Especially on the most expensive Touring model, the CR-Vs interior is starting to punch above its weight into a class above. While materials arent going to make Audi dealers anxious, getting into a Toyota RAV4 or Nissan Rogue after being in the Honda makes you feel bizarrely transported to last decade. Low-gloss plastics and credible attempts at dashboard stitching and wood trim make it a nice place to be. Even the stitching on the front leather seats looks inspired by a Citroen, rather than a Chevrolet. Yes, the volume knob is back after a few years of wandering in the touch-capacitive control desert. But the system is broadly the same as in recent Hondas, which isnt a compliment by any means. While the screen itself is clear, its still hobbled by being somewhat slow to transition between menus or modes, especially when its also tasked to shift in and out of Apple CarPlay or Android Auto modes. A simpler radio is still standard on base LX models. The knob, however isnt the biggest news inside the CR-V, though its actually about how big the CR-V is inside now. Hondas people say the cargo area is a full 10 inches longer than before, and theres little to doubt their claims. Better still, the seats fold flat with one motion for each side of the 60/40 split. Even the rear passenger footwells are largely flat, meaning fitting three people shouldnt be much of a challenge a claim not all of the CR-Vs rivals can make. Honda is also loading up on equipment that has become widespread among compact crossovers, with all models getting automatic climate control and active noise control, while EX and higher grades get the digital dash from the Civic, push-button start and keyless entry and blind spot monitoring replaces the old LaneWatch camera. The Touring model is now equipped with a hands-free power tailgate if you like waving your foot around while your hands are full of groceries. Just a bit of boost The LX is still equipped with the 2.4-liter four from the old CR-V, but Honda knows only bargain shoppers will go after that version. Three-quarters of CR-V buyers will get a version with the 1.5-liter turbo four thats based on the engine offered in the new Civic. In the CR-V, its rated at 190 horsepower six more than the 2.4 and 16 more than in most versions of the Civic. Weirdly, however, the naturally aspirated 2.4 makes 1 more lb.-ft. of torque than the turbo. Not that it mattered much in our drives through Northern California that were limited to all-wheel drive Touring models. Similar to the Civic, theres a newfound refinement to the CR-V, even if it feels more solid than energetic. But its certainly among the most quiet among crossovers of this class, and even the CVT is less prone to droning now that it seems to like the flatter torque band on the turbocharged cars. Yet despite that torque curve that keeps going from 2,000 to about 5,000 rpm, the CR-V never feels particularly rapid nor frisky. Driven against a Ford Escape also with a 1.5 turbo, the Fords more compact size and geared transmission gave it a more playful attitude in the corners, feeling more like a hatchback than SUV. Standing tall #Honda #2017HondaCRVA photo posted by Zac Estrada (@zacestrada) on Nov 10, 2016 at 11:58am PST Quicker steering was added to the new car, with Honda reporting 2.3 turns lock-to-lock versus 3.1 on the old car. While steering feel is just OK, the CR-V doesnt feel large in crowded parking lots, likely to the delight of most of its buyers. Another worthy addition to the features roster on EX and higher grades is the Honda Sensing suite of driver assistance technologies. Adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go assistance, lane-keep assist and forward collision alerts now come on most CR-Vs. The systems also feel upgraded compared to the Civic and Pilot, even if they still lack the precision of the best adaptive programs to instill a lot of peace of mind. But then it was never really fatiguing to drive the new CR-V, even when stuck in city traffic. Its dimensions seem spot-on for every situation, its road manners now more sophisticated and quieter. Which makes me think few will ever use its newly available Driver Attention Monitor. Change with experience For all of its newness and improvements, the 2017 CR-Vs price bump over the 2016 model is modest. The base LX rises just $200 over the old car, starting at $24,045 before destination when all the new CR-Vs go on sale right around Christmas. A high-trim Touring goes for $32,395. All-wheel drive is a $1,300 option. Few are likely to take a look at the 2017 CR-V and be stopped in their tracks. But that isnt what the CR-V needed to do. In 20 years, its gone from being a Japanese-market oddity to being exactly what so many new car buyers want a demonstration of common sense in packaging and pricing that the Accord and Civic were long known for. While it certainly isnt exciting to look at, and some rivals do corners better, the new CR-V still sets the bar for what a compact SUV should be. As hundreds of thousands of buyers will likely agree with. Dont bother arguing with them, youre just going to lose. Photos: Zac Estrada/Carscoops Photo Gallery There is no ground the 2018 Audi Q5 needed to break, nor sins it needed to make up for. Audi could have very well continued selling what has proven to be an extremely popular and competent entry for almost the last decade. Now, its the updated version to ride the wave of popularity luxury crossovers have over their sedan counterparts. The Q5 is one of Audis bestsellers, with its fanbase only growing the older it got. This time around, Audi is injecting more of its up-to-date technology and styling thats a little different before, but the basic package remains the same: its clearly practical and all the Audi one could need. New face, same story The exterior styling will undoubtedly be a point of contention for those who favored the simple lines of previous-generation Audi models. From the Q7 to the 2017 A4, changes have been made that add a little more complexity to older, simpler shapes. The face is fussier than before, with the optional LED headlights giving off the equivalent of skeptical eyebrows. Its Audis thing now, get used to it. That said, its not that easy to tell the new Q5 from the old considering the new car isnt more than an inch larger in any direction. If anything, the re-contoured sides and sharpened tail make it look smaller than the old one at a glance. While the Q5 is available with various trim and wheel combos around the world, its a more somber setup for cars destined for the U.S. in the spring, as they miss out out on niceties like the S Line package. The 20-inch ones that come standard on the Prestige cars, and are available on other models, look like they could have come off of an Acura. Poke around the exterior to find controversies, but the interior isnt nearly as contentious. Basically lifted off of the latest A4, its nails the usable technology aspect so many luxury brands mess up these days. The Virtual Cockpit makes its first Q5 appearance here, standard on Prestige models and as part of the Technology Package on Premium Plus. And the center display in the dash also works cleanly and quickly. Opting for Audi Connect Prime gets you the 4G LTE and the Google Earth viewing ability that will still amuse your passengers. But as in all recent Audis, its not so much a gimmick as a nice presentation of information. Yet while the tech is polished, the cabin quality is merely keeping pace. The polished wood trim thats one of three inlay selections is so shiny that it appears fake in some light. At least comfort hasnt been skimped on. Even the standard front seats are wide and plush, never yielding support despite hours of travel over Mexican roads. And the rear 40/20/40 split bench is extremely accommodating, with fore-aft adjustment that ranges from good to limo-like with good cargo space in return. Really, how much more SUV could you possibly need? Simple for the States If the goal was to make the Q5 drive just like an A4, Audis engineers succeeded and then some. It might actually be the A4 drives more like a Q5. Our drives were limited to the U.S. cars with the same 2.0-liter turbo four and 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch setup found in the A4 that will be the only engine offered in the Q5 until the SQ5 and its 3.0-liter engine show up. Dont hold your breath for a TDI (thats implied now, right?), but a plug-in hybrid is still rumored to replace the old Q5 Hybrid at some point. But with gobs of torque available nearly from a standstill, the low-end power problem is at least solved with the 2.0T. All Q5s sold here will get the Quattro Ultra setup first shown earlier this year on the A4 Allroad. Unlike Quattros of old, the Ultra system decouples the rear axle in on-road situations where four-wheel grip isnt necessary, for the sake of fuel economy gains. When traction is needed, or you engage the off-road mode in the driving mode selector, power starts going to all four corners of the car again. Shifts from front to all-wheel mode were imperceptible on our sandy and gravel roads. The SQ5 and the Q5 with the 3.0 TDI sold in parts of the world that arent North America stick with the older Quattro system, as well as the old eight-speed automatic in the diesel. God Yes Green #Audi #Q5 #greencars A photo posted by Zac Estrada (@zacestrada) on Nov 22, 2016 at 5:22pm PST U.S. cars also do without air suspension and adaptive steering offered globally, Audi USA product plannings reasoning being a 2.0T Q5 buyer wont spring for what is bound to be an expensive option. The SQ5, however, will get the air setup and more elaborate steering. Without experience of the system, its tough to say whether ride or handling characteristics would be substantially improved when equipped with the options, but the standard Q5s seemed generally composed and responsive on pavement and in a little bit of off-roading when we hit the beach near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. But thicker glass up front does keep the cabin quiet. Even on dirt paths that were hardly roads, road noise was well-muted and the large wheels didnt clomp over bumps too badly. That said, the $1,000 adaptive dampers might not be worth the price if the roads on your typical routes are paved. Like the A4, putting the dampers in the most aggressive in the dynamic mode adds little dynamism to the handling. Enjoy the fact, though, the Q5 at its core is a quiet, comfortable machine for both driver and passengers. Slowly shifting sand Top-grade Prestige cars will be the big sellers in the U.S. when they arrive next year from Audis new Mexico factory, according to company officials. The ones we drove should stick similarly to the price of the current Q5 lineup, so count on a typical model nearing the $55,000 mark, while Q5 prices should start in the low $40,000s. Again, nothing that deviates too far from what to expect from the Q5 or any other of its rivals that have built up followings over the years. The styling may not be as timeless as before and some of the detailing seems like Audi is resting a bit rather than being a trendsetter. These are relatively minor quibbles, however, because the Q5 is extremely competent as its always been and the cars destined for American driveways absolutely fall into the heart of the market. In the vein of their line of Avants, the Q5 has enough German firmness to it while embracing the fact most people who buy the car want plush transportation first and a reasonably sharp drive second. Given its sedan-like driving traits, it may be even harder to convince buyers their lives would fit just fine in an Audi sedan, too. Photos: Zac Estrada and Audi Photo Gallery Daimlers current development list is quite long, as it was revealed in their road map earlier this year. From the A-Class to the S-Class, most models are bound to be either facelifted or replaced, and the German brands luxury division, Maybach, follows this trend by getting ready to roll out an updated S-Class of their own. Captured on camera briefly while out for a few short runs, the luxurious model tries to hide its exterior modifications behind a few layers of vinyl. These include tweaked lighting units on both ends and some work carried out on the bumpers, probably in a similar tone with the regular S-Class. The latter is poised to gain all sort of new technology and cabin updates too, but its uncertain whether all or just some will be applied to the Maybach-badged version too, although comfort and luxury levels will probably be even higher, especially for the rear passengers. The revamped Maybach limo is expected to be launched sometime next year, but no official date has yet been announced. VIDEO The new Ford Fiestas future might not include visiting the US market, at least not in its European form. The new generation of the popular supermini might skip the US market, as Ford doesnt believe that there is going to be enough demand to justify the costs, as we learned from a source with knowledge of the matter on the side-lines of the official reveal in Cologne, Germany. Instead, the company will likely shift its focus on its crossover offerings, with models like the EcoSport small SUV to play the role of the baby Ford in the US range. The market trend certainly helps Ford make a case for it, as more and more customers shift away from traditional models like compacts, sedans and wagons for the sake of crossovers. We reached out to Ford for a comment on both sides of the Atlantic: The next-generation Fiesta is introduced for Europe and Middle East and Africa. Well have more to say about other markets at a later date, a Ford source from the UK told Carscoops. A Ford North American spokesperson commented on the same tone: We were talking about the new Fiesta for Europe and MEA yesterday. Well have more to say about other markets at a later date. Both departments neither confirmed nor denied the report, but we should expect an official announcement some time next year. Ford presented the new Fiesta yesterday in front of the European press at their German plant. Scheduled to go on sale in Europe from mid-2017, the new Fiesta is based on an updated version of the existing models platform and features one of the most impressive ranges of driver assistance systems in its class. The new Fiesta will be offered in the high-spec Titanium, the sporty ST-Line, the luxurious Vignale and -for the first time- the Active soft-roader. In fact the Fiesta Active is the first model of the Active family of models Ford is planning for the future, including a Focus version as well. As for the hot ST version, Ford will keep on sale the current Fiesta ST up until 2018, when the new model is expected to be revealed. Live photos Michael Karkafiris/Carscoops.com PHOTO GALLERY Although the new Honda Civic hatchback is essentially identical to the sedan but with a modified roofline and rear-end, the Japanese brand has decided to market it as a thoroughly overhauled model. In a new commercial for the Civic hatch, dubbed Made Mean, Honda shows that unlike the sedan which is constructed in a pristine factory with bright yellow robots, the hatch comes to life in a secret, underground production facility by advanced transformer-like machines. The clip shows the robots installing and painting the models parts with all the same pizzazz that the Civic hatch itself apparently possess. Although entirely computer generated, it is certainly an interesting way of promoting the hatch and differentiating it from its bigger brother. In reality, the 2017 Honda Civic hatch is produced at the firms plant in the UK while the Civic sedan is built in Turkey. VIDEO Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer School District 67 students did their part on Wednesday night to make life easier for those in need. Students from four schools collected 17,478 food items during the annual 10,000 Tonight food drive. "We wanted to make it bigger that it has ever been before and I feel great about it," said Grade 12 student Victoria Ritchie, of the number of items collected. "It was a very good night, very fun and it definitely brought the community together." In recent years the two high schools, Penticton Secondary and Princess Margaret Secondary, have teamed up to canvass the community for donations. This year Skaha Lake Middle School and KVR Middle School were also involved. The drive involved picking up bags of food and knocking on doors with a goal of exceeding 10,000 nonperishable food items. "The 10,000 Tonight event is particularly special in that it unites school and community," said vice principal Andrea DeVito. "Further to that, kids get an opportunity to remind our Penticton citizens that young people have the desire and ability to do a lot of good. " The Salvation Army has come to rely on the drive as an annual boost for their food bank and took delivery of the food Thursday afternoon. Ritchie said she and other students were happy to draw attention to this important issue. "I work with the global awareness team here at Pen High, and I find that when we discuss world hunger it's only seen as an issue in developing countries," she said. "But in reality there are many people struggling in our own communities." Photo: Contributed A local entrepreneur has won a prestigious award. JCI Penticton member Margie Hibbard won the World Elevator Pitch Competition during the JCI World Congress in Quebec City. JCI is an international community-minded training and leadership organization for people aged 18 to 40. "There was so much value to my business perfecting the pitch, that before I even stepped on stage, I was already miles ahead in terms of succinctly describing my business to anyone, anywhere," Hibbard said thrilled about the win. "Winning the competition has been a great motivator and confidence boost to show that I am on the right track." At the beginning of November Hibbard and four other JCI members travelled to Quebec City to attend the world congress, five days filled with international networking. To win the award, she had to pitch her company SendOutSupport to a panel of three judges, competing against seven competitors from Finland, France, the USA and Canada. It is a fast and easy to use smartphone app, designed to help those suffering from emotional and mental distress get vital support, wherever and whenever they need it. Cameron Betts, President of Betts Electric and local JCI member, also attended the World Congress and hopes to bring this style of training and competition to the Okanagan. "Penticton is a great town for young business people and entrepreneurs," he said. "JCI is eager to help them craft their message with a potential elevator pitch training seminar. It's an essential skill when speaking with clients, partners and business financiers. Photo: Insite The Kelowna Chamber of Commerce has also come out against Interior Health's proposed location for a safe injection site. "We have heard loud and clear from our members located downtown that the number of individuals congregating, damaging property and driving off customers is already intolerable," says Chamber president Tom Dyas. "We do not believe that the addition of the safe consumption site will improve public safety or promote a healthy business environment on Leon Avenue." Its position formally backs the Downtown Kelowna Association's objection to the 477 Leon Ave. site. In fact, the Chamber goes a step further, adding it doesn't want the site located anywhere near there. The Kelowna Chamber of Commerce represents almost 1,400 members throughout the greater Kelowna area. It says the Chamber and DKA has made it a priority for years to make the Leon area safer and to revitalize it. "The DKA is seriously concerned that a supervised consumption site at that location will undermine public safety in the Leon area and will present a roadblock to revitalization. We think that they are right." Interior Health hasn't yet made a decision on whether it will submit an application to the provincial government for a safe consumption site. Before it decides, it is accepting feedback on its website until Dec. 15. IH says it's not considering locating the safe consumption site in its own downtown building. Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer The RCMP is reporting a decrease in property crime for the rural South Okanagan. Interim officer in charge, Staff Sgt. Kirsten Marshall, told the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen board on Thursday that the region, excluding Penticton, has seen a 16 per cent decrease when compared to the same time last year. She cited high police visibility as a driving force behind the improvement, with all detachments carrying out proactive street checks and targeting high crime areas and prolific offenders. Significant drops in property crime were recorded at most detachments in the report presented by Marshall. Keremeos was an exception, which saw a small increase in business break and enters attributable to a one night spree in which five businesses were broken into. A prolific offender also moved to Keremeos from another community and may be responsible for much of the property crime increase. That offender was apprehended for auto theft in August and has been held in custody since that time. In all, Keremeos had 500 calls for service in 2016 compared to 517 in 2015. In the Oliver area there was a 7.1 per cent decrease in total calls for service, while Osoyoos saw a decline of 4.6 per cent. In Princeton, calls nudged upwards 1.9 per cent, driven in part by mail theft and an increase in shoplifting. Calls in Summerland increased 4.2 per cent. Meanwhile in Penticton, break and enters to businesses and residences were up compared to 2015, as were thefts from vehicles and thefts of vehicles. Drug possession also saw an increase. After hearing from Marshall, rural directors expressed concerns about police visibility in smaller communities and asked if more is being done to crack down on drug dealers in light of the fentanyl crisis. Photo: Google Street View A woman was rushed to the hospital in serious condition Thursday morning morning after she was hit by a pickup truck. Just before 11 a.m., a 40-year-old woman was hit by a grey Toyota Tundra at the intersection of Ellis Street and Leon Avenue. The 35-year-old driver of the pickup was making a left turn onto Ellis from Leon when he hit the pedestrian. Police believe the woman suffered serious, but non-life threatening injuries after being hit, and was rushed to the hospital. The driver of the pickup remained at the scene and co-operated with police. Police have asked anyone who witnessed the crash to call Const. Greg Barnard at 250-762-3300. Photo: Castanet Staff Following an uproar from consumers, the company that runs the Air Miles loyalty points program says it is cancelling plans that would have seen collectors lose any miles not used within five years. But the change of heart swiftly angered some who had scrambled to redeem their miles before the expiration policy was to take effect Dec. 31. LoyaltyOne announced Thursday it was walking away from the policy, effective immediately, citing an uncertain legislative environment throughout the country. "There is uncertainty with provincial governments proposing or considering legislation across Canada, so we have decided to cancel the expiry policy so that all collectors, regardless of location, can be confident that their balances will be protected," LoyaltyOne CEO Bryan Pearson said in a statement. "Our commitment is to create an environment where reward programs continue to deliver value to consumers and the companies that operate them." In Ontario, there was a private member's bill before the provincial legislature that sought to make it illegal for companies to allow points to expire strictly due to the passage of time. LoyaltyOne said it believes cancelling the expiration policy will lead to governments and industry members having more meaningful conversations that can help such loyalty programs remain viable across Canada. Some Air Miles collectors welcomed the news that they wouldn't be losing their rewards. Others, however, quickly expressed disappointment, saying they wouldn't have claimed their miles if they had known Air Miles was going to pull an about-face. Photo: District of Summerland Summerland council has received an avalanche of feedback on the proposed Bristow Valley development. The Lark Group is planning to build a 380-unit seniors community in the Banks Crescent area on seven acres of non-ALR productive agricultural land. A dozen letters from concerned residents hit council's desk this week, with worries varying from loss of farmland, to impacts on traffic and ground water in the area. They promise new sidewalks to nowhere, great medical alternatives from doctors that at this juncture don't exist, all necessary services coming in from Penticton or Kelowna, so more heavy traffic making more potholes on our roads and any monies involved staying in those communities and for what end result? Money for the developers! wrote Jill Patton I don't believe we are against such a development as long as it is in a location that makes more sense, she continued. The project would generate about $3 million in development charges for the district and increase property tax revenues by a total of $591,000. Between 75 and 100 local jobs would be created to operate the facility, which would be operated by St. Elizabeths, a non-profit that will donate 10 per cent of proceeds to local causes, such as hospice care. First presented to council in April, many of the public got a first look at it at a neighbourhood open house hosted by the developer in May. Following the developers first formal presentation on Nov. 14, council passed the project's first reading with several conditions, directing staff to schedule an open house prior to a formal public hearing. The Lark Group has also committed to another info session of its own. A district open house is planned for January. Photo: USSA U.S. Olympians Kris Freeman, Brian Gregg and Caitlin Gregg, as well as various Canada and U.S. national ski team athletes, are among the 300 top-class, cross-country skiers who will be competing in races at Sovereign Lake Dec. 10 and 11th. This event attracts North Americas most elite cross-country skiers, said Dudlley Coulter, media spokesperson for Sovereign Lake Nordic Ski Club. At least four of the racers at Sovereign Lake...will race in the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics. Every one of the Canadians who competed in Torino 2006, Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014 Olympics raced this event at Sovereign Lake on their way. The upcoming event on Silver Star Mountain is the Haywood Noram/Buff Sprints and USSA Supertour. The races will include skate technique sprints on Dec. 10th and skate technique distance races on Dec. 11th. Coulter said the categories to watch for are Open Men and Open Women. Photo: Contributed You are going to start to notice that the Kelowna area is getting prettier because entrepreneur Shauna Grobowsky has opened Passionate Blooms on the Westside. Yesterday, she hosted her grand opening and her store was filled with supporting individuals. You might already recognize the name Passionate Blooms because Shauna has been running a successful online flower shop, but is now adding some store front to help better service both her clients and the Okanagan. Congratulations, Shauna, on your continued success. It looks like Kettle River Brewing owners Chris Dedrinsky, Russ Higgs, Brandon Amond and Brad Tomlinson all read my post last week and organized a Christmas Craft and Crafts on Sunday Dec. 3 between 12-7 p.m. They say it's going to be a really fun afternoon full of craft goods and craft beer. They will also be sampling their batch #100 Imperial Brown Ale as well as their regular selection of tasty craft beers. Just an FYI too they just released their 650ml bottles of a six-month Barrel-Aged Old Ale with Cherries. Cross your fingers there is some left by noon on Sunday. If you haven't been here yet or you have a craft beer lover on your Christmas list this is a must attend event for you. I need to tell you about Okanagan Spirits events even though its Christmas events are sold out. Okanagan Spirits has been growing in popularity and you need to get your tickets as soon as events are mentioned. Okanagan Spirits is an award-winning BC craft distillery specializing in the production of 100% BC farm to glass spirits. Dont miss anymore of their events. Be the first to hear about product releases, special offers, events and the Laird of Fintry lottery. Sign-up here. On Nov. 25, Accelerate Okanagan held its annual general meeting and elected three new board members. Congratulations to Dr. Philip Barker, Peter Haubrich, and Jason Kryski. These three bring diverse professional backgrounds and skills and all three have a passion for innovation, technology, and growth of the Okanagans entrepreneurial spirit. Check out Heidi Manns blog for all the details. While youre there purchase your tickets to AOs NYKO2017 because its already 50 per cent sold out. Kelownas Volunteer Club in partnership with the Okanagan Food Bank urgently needs volunteers this Sunday at 4 p.m. to help unload the city transit bus full of food. If you can help them, contact David at 250-763-7161. I am sure The Volunteer Club would like you to like their Facebook page too. Join the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce for its final event of 2016 at The Keg restaurant Dec 8. Come celebrate each others successes, meet new contacts and enjoy some lovely fare during a festive evening. It was at this location last year where I met Lindsey and TJ Papp and learned about ShopKelowna.com. Local specials are always available on their site but check it now for some Christmas updates or maybe you want your business showcased on their site too. Make it a great week! This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet. Photo: Contributed Vernon council has once again expressed its full confidence in the North Okanagan RCMP detachment and the services provided following a media report that suggested understaffing was putting officers at risk. Our council fully supports the RCMP detachment in Vernon in regard to service they provide for our residents and their commitment to public safety, said Mayor Akbal Mund. We have complete confidence in their ability to mobilize resources throughout the North Okanagan as required. According to a City of Vernon press release, the media report contained inaccuracies regarding staffing levels and caseloads. Mund expressed concern that misinformation could lead residents to believe the safety of the community and the officers were at risk. Superintendent Jim McNamara and Inspector Gord Stewart have always been communicative to council and we appreciate their transparency, said Mund. Under the leadership of Supt. McNamara, the members have demonstrated their capacity to adapt to shifting demands in policing and to continue to provide optimal levels of public safety. The city budgets 50 funded officer positions but officer strength at the detachment can vary from 48-56 positions, said the release. As well, RCMP watch commands can call for additional resources to address demands for service, it stated. Mund pointed to a number of recent and successful, high profile cases handled by the detachment, including: a two-year investigation that resulted in 19 counts of arson against a primary suspect. The post-arrest investigation resulted in child pornography charges. the Green Valley Motel shooting. Following a 12-month investigation of the incident, three violent offenders were charged for weapons offences. the 2015 Jason Hardy murder in Polson Park. Three suspects were identified and charged within a matter of days although only one currently faces a murder charge. gun violence suppression. The RCMP say they have made concerted efforts over the past several months to target individuals involved in escalating violence linked to the drug trade resulting in multiple people being arrested and charged, including two incidents where handguns were seized. child pornography investigations. Police say there has been a significant increase in the number of internet-based criminal offences involving children (luring, child pornography). Vernon GIS has conducted numerous investigations in this area, and in most cases these have resulted in identifying and charging the suspect responsible. Officers are busy and have demanding caseloads but the detachment has demonstrated its professional ability to address the challenges and ensure Vernon remains a safe community, said Mund. In September, city council expressed full confidence in the RCMP following a meeting with senior police officers and bylaw compliance officers to discuss safety concerns. Photo: File photo With the overdose epidemic beginning to hit Penticton, the efforts to educate the community and curb the issue have ramped up from various community groups. Next week, Pathways Addictions Resource Centre is holding a town hall meeting to provide information to the public about the nationwide crisis, which has begun to hit the city after rates of overdoses exploded this month. "We are going to have a panel that is going to be available to answer all kinds of different questions from the public," said Pathways agency director Daryl Meyers said. That panel will consist of addictions councillors, members of BC Ambulance and the Penticton Fire Department and harm reduction outreach workers, RCMP, a physician and a pharmacist. "We're going to talk about what services are available to assist people, what people can do," Meyers said. "People who might know people who are at risk of overdosing, what they can do, and what other community members can do." With overdoses on the rise in the city, Meyers says the calls have been flooding the lines at Pathways from concerned friends and family members on how to help a loved one who may be at risk. "The community is in crisis," she said, referring to a statistic that showed 13 overdoses in the course of a week. In fact, Interior Health has confirmed that in a 12-day period between Nov. 12 and 23, there were 23 overdoses, which only counts those that arrive in the emergency room and those reported through the health authority's community centres. Interior Health's chief medical officer Trevor Corneil says the average has typically been about one to four overdoses fatal or non-fatal per month before the recent spike, noting that number has been consistent for several years. Penticton Fire Department deputy chief Dave Spalding says they responded to seven overdoses last week, including one day which saw three, but it's difficult to tell how much overlap there is between those that fire crews respond to and those that arrive in the emergency room. Pathways's town hall event will be held on Dec. 7 at the Okanagan College lecture theatre from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Admission to the event is free, and those with questions are encouraged to contact Meyers at 250-492-0400. Photo: David Ogilvie A car took out a light post on Highway 97 just west of the William R. Bennett Bridge Thursday night. The car was travelling eastbound just after 7 p.m. when it crashed. The condition of the person involved is unknown, as is the cause of the crash. The incident temporarily closed one lane on the highway. Photo: Ed Ouellette Central Okanagan radio listeners are apparently changing their habits. Long-reigning top station CBC Radio 1 has been unseated by not one, but two Kelowna stations in the latest top-line radio statistics released by monitoring agency Numeris. Sun FM and K-96 topped the fall rankings in the broad age 12 and up demographic, each with a 14.3 per cent share of the listening audience. Individual stations focus on narrower demographics to suit their audience, but to compare them fairly, the 12 and up stats put all stations on equal footing. CBC fell to second place with a 13 per cent share, down from 16.2 in the spring ratings book. The gains were huge for Sun and K-96, who moved up from fourth and seventh place, respectively. CBC was followed by EZ Rock, with a 9.1 per cent market share. It had been in second spot in the last ratings period. Country 100.7 fell from third place with an 8.5 per cent share, down from 11.8. Power 104, which drew an 8.2 per cent share of the audience, hung on to fifth spot with listeners, though its share dropped from 9.6 per cent. In sixth place, AM 1150 commanded a 7.7 per cent share. It was followed by Juice FM with 4.9 per cent and Q103 with 4.7 per cent. Numeris defines market share as the "estimated total hours tuned to that station expressed as a percentage of total hours tuned to all radio." Radio stations in the Okanagan are rated twice a year, once in the spring and again in the fall. The most recent ratings were taken during what radio stations call the fall sweeps period, from Sept. 5 to Oct. 30. Dustin Godfrey The SS Naramata is steeped in the history of Okanagan Lake, and she may hit the water again. The provincial government has provided a $25,000 grant to get the ball rolling on a project that would lift the SS Naramata up off the ground, and repair parts of the hull. "What is happening is we need to pick her up, put her on the cradle so we can inspect the hull, because the hull is starting to rust away," said SS Sicamous Society vice-president Adolf Steffen. "And if you don't do anything in 20 years time, you'll just have a piece of rubble there." The grant will fund an initial feasibility study, bringing engineers in to inspect the damage and estimate the cost of repairing the boat and putting it in the lake. "This $25,000 will allow us to get some professional engineers to give us directions of how we're going to go about it and some proper engineering so we could go to apply for different grants," Steffen said. The project is expected to cost between $100,000 and $250,000, and it's not expected to be an easy task. Steffen said pulling the boat off the ground without causing further damage to the hull would cost about $100,000 on its own, as the boat is effectively implanted into the ground. But the high cost is worth it for SS Sicamous Society assistant manager and curator for the SS Naramata Jessie Dunlop, who says the boat, which was decommissioned nearly 50 years ago, once united the entire Okanagan Lake. "The lake boats used to be the centre of pretty much everything in the valley," Dunlop said. "Everything had to come in by boat, basically. Without the lake boats, there wouldn't have been settlements in the Okanagan, pretty much." Photo: North Westside Fire Rescue UPDATE: 1:45 p.m. A driver managed to crawl out of his mangled vehicle and climb up an embankment for help. North Westside Fire Rescue fire Chief Jason Satterthwaite said a pickup truck spun out of control Friday morning and slid more than 100 metres down an embankment near La Casa Resort on Westside Road. An employee with Midvalley Autohaul helped the driver until fire crews arrived. "Fire crews provided medical care and spinal immobilization until BC ambulance and police arrived," said Satterthwaite. The driver was transported to Vernon Jubilee Hospital with minor back and chest injuries. ORIGINAL: 11:15 a.m. A crash has closed Westside Road in both directions. The crash happened Friday morning near La Casa Resort. A vehicle may have gone over the embankment. Castanet will provide more details as they become available. Send your photos and news tips to [email protected] Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer A Mexican citizen received a three and a half year sentence from a Penticton judge on Friday for smuggling a large quantity of heroin and methamphetamine into Canada. Alexis Joel Garcia Palomino, 24, pleaded guilty to charges of importing illegal drugs and failing to enter into the country at a customs office. He was arrested at the gravel pit east of Osoyoos where he had been observed walking northbound with a backpack. During his arrest, Osoyoos officers searched the area and found a backpack containing over $500,000 worth of drugs. They also found two 10 inch knives and a pair of night vision goggles. Palomino told officers he did not speak English and was visibly upset and shaking at the Osoyoos detachment. Prosecutor Ginger Holmes recommended a four year sentence less time served, while defence lawyer Bob Maxwell recommended between two and a half, and three years. During sentencing, Judge Gale Sinclair called Palomino a young man with no criminal record, noting his grade one education. He tried his best to support his family working as a farm worker. However at some point he became ensnared in a Mexican drug cartel who threatened him and his family. His stepfather was shot and killed It appears that in acting as a drug mule, he was damned if he did, and damned if he didn't, according to the judge. Palomino appeared by video and sat quietly through the proceedings. He was paid somewhere between $500 and $1,000 to cross the border with the bag. With pre-trial time served, Palomino has about 2.4 years left on his sentence. Photo: Contributed VantageOne Credit Union has announced the Great Community Giveaway. We are investing in our communities by donating $100,000 to community organizations on behalf of the members of VantageOne, said Glenn Benischek, CEO. The company, which has five branches in the North Okanagan, plans to cut a huge $50,000 cheque for one organization in 2017, with the remaining $50,000 donated in smaller amounts. There will be criteria for applications from nonaprofit organizations and VantageOne staff will be involved in the final decision on the main recipients. After handing out 118,000 turkeys over the past 15 years, the company decided to retire the Great Gobble Giveaway and change direction by investing in local communities. We see this as a new level of community involvement between VantageOne, its employees and the communities that we serve. An application form for non-profit organizations, will be available on the VantageOne Credit Union website. Photo: Deborah Pfeiffer The largest Santa hat in North America is sitting on top of the Penticton Peach on Okanagan Lake. Owner of the Peach on the Beach ice cream, Diana Stirling, says she and Sun-oka Boat Tops joined forces to create the hat. "The iconic peach is just fun. I believe everyone in Penticton feels like it's theirs," said Stirling. "While it's only open for business for 90 days we want people to have fun with it year-round. Why not make it a jack-o-lantern or throw a massive Santa hat on top of it." The record setting hat is made by Gerry Denis from Sun-oka Boat Tops. It was placed this week with the help of Greyback Construction. Handmade of vinyl, the festive hat has a circumference of 56.5 feet, height of 18 feet with a 12.5 foot pompom. The Peach was previously transformed into a jack-o-lantern for Halloween. Photo: Kinder Morgan The Penticton Indian Band is bitterly disappointed with the Trudeau government's approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. In an open letter to the Prime Minister and his cabinet, Chief Chad Eneas states that the protection of their lands from environmental and cultural infringement is paramount, and that the recent decision requires our full involvement and consent. The letter references the recent Tsilhqotin Nation ruling, and says the project will have significant adverse effect on our strong claims of Aboriginal rights and title. The Penticton Indian Band has already signed onto the Treaty Alliance Against Tar Sands Expansion, which opposes all major pipeline projects that would lead to Alberta oilsands expansion. Photo: shuswappassion.ca An outside consultant has been hired to calm the waters stirred up over proposed boating regulations on the Shuswap River. The regulations were unveiled last year and prompted thousands of responses. In June, a survey showed views had become polarized. The North Okanagan Regional District's board of directors is hoping the appointment of a consultant will resolve the lack of consensus. Alex Grzybowski of Pacific Resolutions will step in for a second phase of public consultation. It's been very polarized, admitted Herman Halvorson, Electoral Area F director. The consultant is going to take it through to the finishing touches. He is going to carry the ball. Halvorson said some residents along the river who are opposed to restrictions on power boats felt they had been unfairly treated. It'll be a good process. He is well prepared and well educated on this process. Stakeholders will be contacted in the coming months and the project is expected to take approximately four months to complete. Pollution, noise, safety concerns, bank erosion and critical salmon spawning grounds were some of the big issues looked at when the proposed regulations were considered. I noticed from this article Rental help on its way though this would be helpful is not the actual reason that there is a rental crisis in Kelowna. People don't seem to know the real reason that Kelowna suddenly had a hard time with rental availability. I'm not sure why Kelowna council and the mayor hasn't bothered to ask local real estate agents. It's quite clear and they will tell you exactly why there is a crisis when asked. This was my letter to Kelowna city council and the mayor: "I am writing to you today in regards to the soaring Kelowna rental market. This has been in relation to the Kelowna home buyers market to begin with. I believe you must institute laws immediately as Vancouver has. Though they did take it upon themselves too late with a house in Vancouver costing 1 million + easily. This law states a 15% tax on foreign nationals home purchases. Since this happened in Vancouver the foreign nationals have looked elsewhere to purchase property; the majority have settled on Kelowna. How do I know this? My mother who still resides in Kelowna has many real estate agent clients who have told her of their own clients coming in to buy property. These have all been foreign nationals. They are purchasing 3-4 houses every visit and as you would have it they are making several visits. They are not interested in renting out the property after purchase, they simply let it sit. Not only is this an eye sore as the property is not being taken care of but can also become a fire hazard due to un-maintained foliage and debris on the property. Due to this market with all the houses being purchased and not being occupied it has made an incredible strain on the rental market in Kelowna. Right now a 1 bed/1den basement suite with water damaged laminate flooring, only two windows, and a hot plate for a kitchen is going for $1,250/month. People are lining up for this property; you will have competition with up to 5-10+ other families. Im not sure why the issue isnt being addressed already? Is it because everyone on council and the mayor own their own home; since it doesnt affect you it doesnt matter? I am the fourth generation in my family from the Okanagan Valley; myself from Kelowna. Like many families from many different parts of the world we came to the area and helped build this community. Many people like myself, who are part of generational families that have always lived here, have been pushed out of Kelowna. This is because of the housing market and now most currently the rental market. People are simply out of options now. They can no longer afford to continue living here. Do you want Kelowna to be full of empty houses, sitting as investments for people that dont even call Kelowna home? Or do you want people who physically live or were raised here to have that opportunity to raise their own family here as their own family had before them? Also, in addition to this I believe there should also be a tax on unoccupied properties. This would not only settle out the rental market but would be a deterrent to foreign nationals that now already own property from keeping it vacant and un-maintained." Kelly Lee Photo: Contributed A senior citizen suffered injuries after being hit by a car at the intersection of 30th Avenue and 37 Street around 2 p.m. Friday. The male victim was taken to hospital by ambulance, accompanied by his wife, according to fire captain Chris Robinson of Vernon Fire Rescue. No other details were provided. If you have just started your journey in an online casino or are looking for a new site to play,... Chile: Melon SA divests mortar unit to ParexGroup ICR Newsroom By 02 December 2016 Chilean cement and construction materials producer Melon SA has agreed to sell its local mortar company Melon Morteros SA to ParexGroup, a French provider of specialty dry-mix solutions for the construction industry. The mortar unit is being sold for CLP4bn (US$6m), according to a filing with Chiles securities and insurance regulator (SVS). ParexGroup will implement the transaction through its local subsidiaries, Parex Klaukol. SA and Parex Chile Ltd. Published under The good news is that states post their education report cards online. The bad news? They're hard to find, and in many cases, they're difficult to analyze. That's what a Data Quality Campaign (DQC) analysis highlighted in a report released Thursday, Dec. 1.When the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act was law, states were required to report a variety of information about how well their students performed academically during the previous school year, including graduation rates, test performance level and schools that need improvement. They also needed to break down students into subgroups by gender, English proficiency and low-income status, among other areas. Now that the Every Student Succeeds Act has replaced NCLB, states also must break out results for students who are in foster care, are without a home and have with military connections."The entire theory of action for the Every Student Succeeds Act it seems to me is based on the notion that if policymakers and parents and stakeholders get the right data, get the right information, then that will lead them to make the best possible decisions about kids' education," said Kristen Amundson, executive director of the National Association of State Boards of Education. "I think that's going to put new pressures on state departments of education as they communicate that data."This summer, the campaign's staff searched online for state report cards and tracked the number of clicks it took to get to there, as well as how current the data was, whether it was available in multiple languages and whether it appeared to meet federal reporting requirements including the ones mentioned previously.For 16 states, researchers could access the report with one click. Eighteen states took three or more clicks to get to their reports, including a record 10 for Mississippi.Once researchers found the reports, they didn't always have data from the previous school year. In fact, just six states had the 2015-16 data, and 10 states had 2012-13 or 2013-14 data as the most current.States have the capacity in their longitudinal data systems to collect all of this data, but it only makes a difference when residents can easily find it, understand it and use it to answer their questions, said Aimee Rogstad Guidera, president and CEO of the campaign."We spent 10 years at DQC encouraging people to build state data systems," she said. "All of that investment in infrastructure is a complete waste of time, energy and money if we don't actually have the information that's made possible by those data collection systems."When they do find the information, residents can't always easily understand or contextualize that data as it's presented. Some of the worst show spreadsheets with lots of numbers, according to the report, which also noted that some of the best include visual, interactive data representations that tell a story and allow users to customize the data displays.Some of these high-quality report cards also include explanations of how the data can be used and what it really means. The campaign pointed to states such as Minnesota, Wisconsin and Kentucky as examples of places that have done report cards well.Families that speak limited or no English would be out of luck in 45 states that just have English report cards and no option to translate them.As for federal reporting requirements, states appear to struggle meeting them, though the campaign cautioned that some of them could have received federal waivers to not report certain information. According to its analysis, just four states have met all the federal requirements under No Child Left Behind, despite having 15 years to do so. And they have a ways to go to meet the new reporting requirements under the recent Every Student Succeeds Act that replaces it.One of the major problems is that many states have been in compliance mode for a long time."Our leaders need to prioritize meeting the information needs of everybody in the state who has a stake in education, and not simply to check the box that this federal requirement is completed," said former North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue. "This data should be the guts if you will about what's going on in schools."Since Stephen Pruitt became Kentucky's education commissioner in 2015, state leaders have been asking in focus groups and surveys what data their residents need and how their Web experience went when they looked at the data In fact, he calls these residents "shareholders" rather than "stakeholders" because they are invested in this issue. What he's hearing in town halls and elsewhere is that people want more data rather than less, they want something simple to understand and they want to see what goes into numbers like a school's score."There's really sort of an insatiable need out there on the behalf of communities and shareholders in general because the more you give them, the more they want," Pruitt said.Ultimately it's going to take lots of different people working together to make better state report cards, including the governor's office, the state board of education, legislators, community members, business leaders, education leaders and parents, said Rogstad Guidera. And that work starts with a few questions: What data do our fellow citizens need? And how can we get it to them in the right format and in a way that answers big questions about how we're serving students academically?In an October meeting, the Data Quality Campaign shared what it found with 50 policymakers at the legislative, gubernatorial, state board, state school superintendent and education commissioner levels. They also led them on a scavenger hunt that's posted on the report website to see if they could find information to key questions about student performance on their states' websites. The result of the meeting and hunt, Rogstad Guidera said, is that many of them went back to their states and changed the way they display education data. This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact The Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions The new element tennessine is denoted by the symbol Ts on the Periodic Table. The recently discovered element 117 has been officially named "tennessine" in recognition of Tennessee's contributions to its discovery, including the efforts of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and its Tennessee collaborators at Vanderbilt University and the University of Tennessee. "The presence of tennessine on the Periodic Table is an affirmation of our state's standing in the international scientific community, including the facilities ORNL provides to that community as well as the knowledge and expertise of the laboratory's scientists and technicians," ORNL Director Thom Mason said. "The historic discovery of tennessine is emblematic of the contributions Tennessee institutions like Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt University make toward a better world," Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam said. "On behalf of all Tennesseans we thank this world body for honoring our state this way." ORNL had several roles in the discovery, the most prominent being production of the radioisotope berkelium-249 for the search. The berkelium-249 used in the initial discovery and subsequent confirmatory experiments for element 117 was produced by ORNL and the Department of Energy's Isotope Program, and was provided as a U.S. contribution to those experiments. In tennessine's case, the atomic recipe for element 117 required the berkelium-249 target, which was available only from ORNL's High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), which produces radioisotopes for industry and medicine in addition to its neutron scattering research mission, and the adjoining Radiochemical Engineering Development Center (REDC), where the radioisotopes are processed. Over a year-long campaign, ORNL produced and then shipped the 22 milligrams of berkeleium-249 to Russia, where the experiment that would yield element 117 was carried out with a heavy-ion cyclotron at Russia's Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna. After six months of relentless bombardment with a calcium-48 beam, researchers had detected six atoms in which the nuclei of the calcium and berkelium had fused to create element 117. Subsequent experiments confirmed the results. "The discovery of tennessine is an example of the potential that can be realized when nations come together to lend their unique capabilities toward a scientific vision," said ORNL's Jim Roberto, who helped put together the element 117 U.S.-Russia collaboration with JINR's Yuri Oganessian. The University of Chicago will put $25 million of its $7.1 billion endowment into startups over the next decade, it announced Friday. It will be the first time the endowment invests directly in startups. The announcement came as part of the Innovation Fund finals, an event at the Polsky Exchange where startups from the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermilab and the Marine Biology Laboratory compete for capital. Advertisement The new UChicago Startup Investment Program will invest initially up to $500,000 or 20 percent of the round, whichever is less, in Series A-stage startups with strong connections to the university, it said. It may invest in startups again in later funding rounds as well, and aims to take stakes in three to four companies per year. The university will require another venture firm to lead any rounds it participates in, and for that firm to get a seat on the startup's board. Advertisement John Flavin , who leads the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago, said the investments will signal to the market that the university is excited about the companies it's producing. "There are great new ideas that are emerging from the university and we're investing heavily in helping innovators in getting their idea to the marketplace for greater impact on society," Flavin said. The investments are intended to support startups run by students, faculty, staff or alumni and draw outside investors' attention to them as well, he said. Capital is both essential and hard to get for early stage startups, but being physically close to investors can help. Flavin said some companies coming out of the university, especially those focused on advanced technologies such as battery storage, will benefit from the proximity and the relationships they share with the Office of Investments, which will oversee the startup investments. While he hopes the investments will help university startups and that the effect will spill over into the larger Chicago tech community, Flavin said the "clear mandate" of the endowment fund is to generate a return. He acknowledged that investing in startups comes with a high level of risk. The university has 10 current relationship with venture funds, as well as 10 "legacy" relationships with older funds that are mostly in the process of liquidating assets, a spokeswoman said. She declined to name the funds. Startups receiving funding from the program will likely be alumni of at least one Polsky program, such as the New Venture Challenge, the Social New Venture Challenge or the Polsky Accelerator, the university said. Past graduates of such programs include GrubHub and Braintree. aelahi@tribpub.com Twitter @aminamania A job seeker fills out an application at a 2015 job fair in Chicago. In the city, African-Americans are far more likely than whites to be unemployed or not in the labor force at all, a recent analysis says. (M. Spencer Green / AP) Though the jobs plight of rural white America has been a focus of the national conversation since Donald Trump was elected president, a study shows that in Chicago employment distress is far worse among black residents, who are much more likely to be unemployed or not in the labor force at all. African-Americans, who make up 29 percent of Chicago's population, account for 52 percent of the city's unemployed and 40 percent of those not in the labor force, which means people who are not working and not looking for work, according to a recent analysis of 2015 American Community Survey data by the Brookings Institution, a left-leaning think tank. Advertisement Local black residents have a worse jobs picture than blacks do nationally. African-Americans, who make up 14 percent of the nation's population, account for 21 percent of the nation's unemployed and 14 percent of those not in the labor force. While counting the unemployed, defined as people who don't have a job but are actively looking for one, is a typical measure of economic health, a lack of labor force participation can suggest a more worrisome picture. Advertisement Labor force participation has been trending down since hitting a peak in 2000, which could be the result of retiring baby boomers or increases in school enrollment or more people opting to stay home with their kids. But some people who struggled to return to work post-recession may have given up. And, longer term, a 50-year decline in labor force participation among men of prime working age, particularly those who didn't attend college, has been steepest for black men. In Chicago, 23 percent of 18- to 64-year-olds are not in the labor force, which is the same as the national average. But 31 percent of blacks in Chicago are not in the labor force, compared with 25 percent of Latinos, 23 percent of Asians and 13 percent of whites. Seventy percent of Chicago residents are employed, similar to the 72 percent nationwide employment rate. But just 56 percent of black Chicagoans are employed, compared with 69 percent of Latinos, 71 percent of Asians and 83 percent of whites. Chicago employment numbers are worse for blacks and better for whites than the national averages, due in part to segregated neighborhoods, the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership said. Neighborhoods that are mostly black and poor tend to have poorer-quality schools, transportation challenges and a lack of access to basic resources like grocery stores, said the group, which runs workforce centers and distributes federal workforce funding to local organizations. The disparities were less stark in the Cook County suburbs, probably because there are more low- to moderate-income whites in the suburbs than there are in Chicago and more poor blacks in the city. In the suburbs, 25 percent of black were not in the labor force, compared with 20 percent of whites. Other cities and counties have bigger struggles. In Detroit, just 51 percent of the total working-age adult population is employed, 21 percentage points below the national figure. Because labor markets are regional, the Brookings researchers wanted to get a sense of the employment pictures at local levels so governments can allocate resources where they're needed. "In a way it's frustrating because there can't be a politico in Chicago that doesn't already know" that the employment statistics in the black community are dire, said Martha Ross, a fellow in Brookings' Metropolitan Policy Program. "But they have to make the case as well to partners, to businesses and nonprofits, and data can help them make the case as to why a particular initiative is the way to go." Advertisement The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership said its services are largely located in predominantly African-American communities and it serves more black customers than white. "We are focused on aligning workforce and economic development efforts," CEO Karin Norington-Reaves said in an email provided by her spokeswoman. "We work closely with the city and county to support efforts to encourage business to locate or expand here. We are also working on two projects (that) both involve developing jobs in specific sectors and target high need communities. We will likely announce those programs early next year." The Brookings data come from a larger project at the organization to examine labor data in jurisdictions with populations over 500,000. Ross expects to find populous areas where unemployment among white people is also high, which could expand the post-election conversation beyond the concerns of rural whites in the Rust Belt. "If we draw the problem as only rural whites we're drawing the problem too narrowly," she said. aelejalderuiz@chicagotribune.com Twitter @alexiaer In the age of email, instant messaging and texting, faxes are as washed-up as child stars of the 1980s. But that doesn't mean faxes have disappeared entirely. One Streamwood-based electrical contracting firm is so tired of receiving unsolicited advertisements via fax, it decided to sue. Advertisement New United filed a lawsuit this week in federal court in Chicago against an Auburn, N.Y-based firm, Auburn Armature, for allegedly sending faxed advertisements. Under a federal law, the Junk Fax Prevention Act of 2005, unsolicited advertising faxes are an offense punishable by $500 per violation, according to court documents. Advertisement New United claimed in its suit the junk faxes are damaging because they waste paper, ink toner and time because its fax machine is tied up when the fax is coming through. The company also alleges that junk faxes "interrupt privacy." New United claims there is no way to avoid or stop receiving the junk faxes, since the fax machine is always on. The lawsuit seeks class-action status. The company's attorney, Brian Vanca, could not immediately be reached for comment. The law requires that fax recipients be allowed to opt-out of receiving faxed advertisements. New United claims that Auburn Armature gave it no such option, according to court documents. Consequently, New United is seeking $500 for each time Auburn Armature sent an unsolicited fax. Auburn Armature could not immediately be reached for comment. crshropshire@chicagotribune.com Twitter @corilyns Food truck operators in downtown Chicago say the hunt for prime locations has intensified after the city stepped up enforcement of a 2012 ordinance. (Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune) Update: On Monday, Dec. 5, 2016, a Cook County judge ruled in favor of the city. Food truck owners and supporters are awaiting a ruling Monday that could vastly improve their ability to do business in Chicago, and permanently alter the culinary scene as a result. Advertisement Cook County Circuit Judge Anna Helen Demacopoulos' expected ruling could resolve a lawsuit that's been simmering for four years, ever since the city first passed regulations on mobile food vendor operations in the city. Those 2012 regulations stipulated that a food truck can't remain in a space for more than two hours, must have a global positioning system installed for the city to monitor its whereabouts, and must stay more than 200 feet (one-third of a city block) away from any brick-and-mortar business that serves food to the public. Advertisement The lawsuit initially was filed by Chicago food trucks Cupcakes for Courage and the now-defunct Schnitzel King, which blamed the rules as the reason for its demise. For years, food truck owners have campaigned along with policy supporters for the city to relax the rules, arguing that the requirements unfairly quashed competition for brick-and-mortar restaurants. Restaurant lobby supporters, on the other hand, argued they "balanced" competition in the city to give everyone a fair shake. Customers wait in line Dec. 1, 2016, to buy lunch from the Harold's Chicken food truck, one of several parked in a designated area on Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago. Food truck owners and their advocates are awaiting a court ruling on the city's food truck law. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune) "I know that there are some people that consider food trucks a nuisance, but that's not the majority of Chicagoans," said Gabriel Wiesen, owner of Beaver's Donuts and head of the Illinois Food Truck Owners Association, a group that was put in place to rally support for the food trucks' cause. On Monday, Demacopoulos will rule on whether two of the city's rules are constitutional: the 200-foot rule and the GPS requirement. If the judge rules in the city's favor, and the rules are kept as they are, most expect enforcement to continue. But the Institute for Justice, which represents Cupcakes for Courage owner Laura Pekarik, has vowed to appeal. "We plan to appeal an adverse ruling, but of course we can't make a definite call on that until we see what it is the court writes," said Robert Frommer, the attorney representing Cupcakes for Courage, now the sole plaintiff in the case. If the regulations are ruled unconstitutional, it's not clear if the city would stop enforcing them right away. If this law stays in place and this level of harassment continues, it's going to force a lot of people out of this business. Gabriel Wiesen, owner of Beaver's Donuts and head of the Illinois Food Truck Owners Association "It would be inappropriate for us to comment, since the matter is still before the court," city spokesman Bill McCaffrey said. Frommer said that if the city appeals, it's up to the judge to decide whether or not the city can continue to enforce the law while that appeal is underway. "If the 200-foot rule and the GPS tracking rule are found to be unconstitutional, I would hope and expect that they would go away immediately," said Jacob Huebert, senior attorney at Liberty Justice Center, who represented Beaver's Donuts in a separate lawsuit against the city of Evanston to lift its ban on food trucks from outside its borders. A ruling like this "tells the city you can't put rules in place to prevent competition from restaurants; you have to create rules that protect the public health." Advertisement Laura Pekarik, owner of Cupcakes for Courage, stands among her cupcakes in her food truck on Nov. 14, 2012. (Heather Charles/Chicago Tribune) Beaver's Donuts' Wiesen says that enforcement of the rules has intensified in the last several months, with citations and tickets issued reaching a point he's never seen before. Fines for violating the food truck ordinance are substantial. They can range from $1,000 to $2,000, some 10 times higher than a vehicle parking in a loading zone or too close to a fire hydrant. Several food truck owners also have reported city officials monitoring the length of their stays in food truck zones, pushing them to leave at the two-hour mark. "If this law stays in place and this level of harassment continues, it's going to force a lot of people out of this business," Wiesen said. "And it's already done damage. I've been in business for five years and seen 100 food trucks go out of business." Still, Wiesen said he will continue to work with the city to find a middle ground if the rules are kept in place, and promises to encourage other food truck owners to do the same. "I think it's important to work with our policymakers to create better laws for everyone," he said. sbomkamp@chicagotribune.com Twitter @SamWillTravel If your child is a sophomore in high school now and you do some quick thinking before the end of this year, you may be able to save yourself thousands of dollars paying for college in a few years. But I mean quick. The sophomore year is when you set the stage for college financial aid under changes adopted recently. If you get busy with the holidays and float toward New Year's Day without examining and adjusting finances, you could lose an opportunity for aid that won't return once 2017 arrives. College could end up costing you thousands more than it would if you were alert early enough. Advertisement By January 1, 2017, much of your fate will be sealed because your tax return for the 2017 tax year will become the key record for computing aid. And just as people try to adjust income so they get as many tax deductions as possible, financial aid takes the same diligence. Just be aware: Many of the adjustments you make to enhance financial aid are the opposite of those you use to cut your taxes. So if you go to a tax expert, make sure it's one of the few that understand the quirky financial aid formula that leads so many families astray. Advertisement "Most people have erroneous assumptions about getting financial aid," said financial aid consultant Kalman Chany. They figure that if they need aid they will get it if they simply fill out the financial aid forms required, starting with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA. By the time they sit down to do the form, they've taken actions with their money that will permanently undermine the aid they will get. And they are shocked when the college sees them as a lot richer than they feel. So start by figuring whether you will likely get some aid, using the "expected family contribution" calculator on the College Board website (www.tinyurl.com/lpyggwn). Students and their families are expected to contribute to the cost of college. The expected family contribution is an estimate of what the family will be asked to pay for the year. Realize, too, that you also will have to pay off loans eventually. Work the calculator twice: Once using the federal formula, and again using the "institutional formula" that some colleges use. Study the book "Paying for College Without Going Broke," by Kalman Chany, to understand how to improve your chances for aid. Here are four of his strategies for parents of sophomores. Adjust your income. If aid is likely, try to move any income that you might have coming in 2017, or during the college years, into the remainder of this year. That's easier said than done. But this is the last year that you can have a hefty income and not lose financial aid. In 2017 and during the college years, you want to keep your income as low as possible not by turning down work, but by being as smart about financial aid as you are with tax deductions. So if, for example, you are going to get a big bonus at work next year or get a big payment from your business, you'd want to try to get that done in 2016, not later. Watch your investments. If you've planned to sell stocks, bonds, mutual funds or other investments to pay for college, this is the last year you will be able to do it without cutting into your financial aid. By the time your child is a junior in high school, capital gains from selling investments will increase your income unless you can sell other investments at a loss large enough to wipe out the gain. So consider selling investments while your child is a sophomore, but remember there could be tax and investment consequences from this action, so get advice from an expert who understands the entire picture including financial aid. And remember, don't start selling investments if your calculation shows you won't get aid. Stuff 401(k)s and IRA; give to charity. Although you cut your taxes when you put money into a 401(k), 403(b), IRA or other retirement saving account, the savings can work just the opposite for financial aid. If you stash money into retirement savings accounts during your child's high school junior year or during the college years after that, your taxes will be low and so you will look like you are able to pay more for college. As a result, colleges will cut back your aid, said Chany. So for those people who aren't going to be able to maximize their retirement savings each year and handle college costs too, Chany suggests stuffing retirement savings accounts as full as possible during your child's sophomore year rather than later. Also, rather than giving to charity each year, give a big chunk this year, telling the institution it's for now and the upcoming years. Avoid accounts in your child's name. Any investments or savings in an account that belongs to your child will poison financial aid. That's why families that need financial aid shouldn't use Uniform Gifts to Minors Act or Uniform Transfers to Minors Act accounts. Mark Kantrowitz of MK Consulting said it may be possible to move money out of these accounts and save instead in 529 plans kept in parents' names. Parents may be able spend down UGMAs on a high school student's immediate needs like computers, upcoming summer camp or private high school expenses, while adding equivalent savings to 529 accounts. But Chany warns parents to handle this cautiously since the money does belong to the child. Advertisement Here's why UGMAs and UTMAs are so nasty: Under the quirky financial aid formula, colleges figure a student can use almost anything they have saved for college, so the college taps 20 percent of the student's savings right off the bat or 25 percent at private colleges. But the identical savings in a parents' name would only be tapped up to 5.65 percent. The logic behind this seems sound: Parents have many expenses to cover; not just college. Yet, students should contribute money to their education. The problem with the logic is that most families don't have nearly enough saved for college and if they've made the mistake of saving for college in their child's account rather than their own, they will have to pay a lot more for college. Consider parents with a $40,000 college fund saved in their own account. The college would require them to use up to $2,260 for the first year of college. But if that same account is in the child's name, the college would require $8,000 be spent that year for college. Aid would be cut substantially because the family would appear to be able to spend $8,000 that year for college. So a parent would have to dig more than $5,000 extra out of their pocket to pay for college that year, compared with what they would have paid if they'd just saved in their own account. And $40,000 is a modest example when four years in college can easily top $100,000. gmarksjarvis@chicagotribune.com Twitter @gailmarksjarvis Choosing a cocktail to kick off dinner is a decision not to be taken lightly. "Innocents Abroad," says Roger Landes, head bartender at The Loyalist, "is always my recommendation for an opening drink." Advertisement Full of personality, Innocents Abroad gracefully balances slight bitterness with sourness, and just a little background sweetness, to set up the palate for deliciousness (hello, cheeseburger) to come. Landes mixes Salers gentian liquor (a bitter aperitif from France), genever (a malty, juniper-rich liquor from Holland) and Chinotto (an Italian citrus soda) for what he calls a "tour of Europe' hence the name of the drink, which was taken from the title of Mark Twain's travel book. Advertisement This "malty, fruity negroni riff," says Landes, is finished with housemade grapefruit bitters, which pull out some of the bitter and floral characteristics of the other ingredients. It's a well-made beverage. Of course, as Landes adds, "high alcohol content never hurts either." The Loyalist, 177 N. Ada St., 773-913-3774, www.smythandtheloyalist.com David Hammond is a freelance writer. Chicago is awash in restaurants one visits strictly for sushi, and then those that handle noodle dishes and other hot items well but where sushi and sashimi are afterthoughts, if they're available at all. Arami, however, is one of the best-balanced Japanese restaurants in Chicago, a multi-tooled player, much in the manner of Katsu or Momotaro (still the best, in my view), where the sushi bar and hot kitchen both operate at high levels, helped along by a surprisingly thorough beverage program. I hate when waiters tell me that "everything's good," but at Arami, that's pretty much the case and has been for some six years. Advertisement Fans fretted when original sushi chef B.K. Park announced his departure in 2013 (later to open Juno in Lincoln Park), but with Ajay Popli (hot kitchen) and Nelson Vinansaca (sushi bar) as co-chefs de cuisine, Arami continued to shine, earning Bib Gourmand designations from the Michelin Guide for the last three years (and five of the last six). Arami generated unwelcome headlines last month, when a kitchen fire (in the middle of weekend service, no less) caused enough damage to close the restaurant for four weeks. But owner Ty Fujimura made good use of the time. Advertisement "Aside from rebuilding the entire hot kitchen, we did some cosmetic refinishing of the floors and tables, did some painting, some landscaping," he said. "You probably wouldn't notice the changes, except for the new floor in the back atrium. But the kitchen is nice and sparkly." The dining room is pretty sparkly as well, wrapped in natural-tone wood under skylight-filled ceilings and dominated visually by the long sushi bar. Indeed, at first glance the place looks as though it's all about the sushi, but crack open the menu, and you'll see that there's much more going on. For one thing, Arami has an extraordinary commitment to vegetables. There are seven vegetable sushi options on the menu, served in two-piece nigiri or six-piece maki portions. The shiitake mushroom roll, topped with dabs of tofu dressing, is very good, and the eggplant sushi (nasu), topped with dots of peanut-miso sauce, is one of the menu's highlights. The robata (grilled skewer) menu heading embraces such treats as blistered shishito peppers, served under a blanket of bonito flakes, and a fist-sized bunch of charcoaled maitake mushrooms, over black-sesame paste and umeboshi (fermented plum) sauce. Meaty robata dishes of note include the foie-stuffed and togarashi-dusted wagyu, and the Berkshire pork belly, lacquered with a gochujang glaze. Over on the sushi side, a good way to dive in is via the chef's choice platters, either sushi or sashimi or a combination. Generally you'll get a mix of standards (tuna, salmon, yellowtail) and market-driven specials (mackerel, madai, fluke). It's not the most electrifying assortment in the world, but I was impressed particularly by the nigiri and the gentle qualities of the rice light, slightly sweet and assembled with the barest amount of compaction. This is true of the maki rolls as well Other items worth your attention are the octopus spring roll, enhanced with spicy mayo, and the torched scallop, kissed with a bit of citrus and served elegantly on a hot rock. Large dishes are sized to be shared. The signature ramen is loaded with pork belly, grilled enoki mushrooms, fermented vegetables and a barely poached egg; and a relatively new menu item, short rib donburi, plates slow-cooked beef over black rice with roasted carrots. (If you've got a meat-and-potatoes eater in your party, steer him/her to this dish.) The tiny bar notwithstanding, Arami is a surprisingly good cocktail destination; the very well-made cocktails feature Japanese spirits and bear rather whimsical names. There's the thyme-infused Scarborough Fair, an easy guess, and the more obscure Dock Ellis, a rum-and-amaro concoction named for a Pirates pitcher who pitched a no-hitter in 1970 and claimed he was on LSD at the time. And while I gave up on whiskey sours decades ago, Amari's Akashi sour, made with Japanese whisky, is a drink I'd order again. Advertisement Beyond cocktails, there is a lengthy list of high-quality sakes and food- and budget-friendly wines. It is rare for Japanese restaurants to have a dessert selection worth mentioning, but Arami gets its mochi ice cream bites directly from Bubbies, a legendary dessert-maker in Honolulu. For those who despair of mochi made with bland ice cream and overly gummy wraps, these bites will be a revelation, as will the nontraditional flavors (tiramisu, dark-chocolate strawberry) augmenting the routine green tea and red-bean offerings. Even better is the ice-cream sandwich, actually two sandwiches, made with black-sesame shortbread cookies and salted miso ice cream. 1829 W. Chicago Ave. Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. > 312-243-1535 www.aramichicago.com Tribune rating: Three stars Advertisement Open: Dinner daily Prices: Nigiri $3-$8, maki rolls and entrees $15-$17 Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V Reservations: Strongly recommended Chicago, may I introduce you to the tlayuda (pronounced tla-YOU-da), a crispy plate-size tortilla smeared with refried black beans, grilled meat, cheese and salsa. At first glance, the dish looks like a mix between an enormous, generously topped tostada and some wildly inauthentic Mexican version of pizza. Just ignore all hazy, half-drunk Taco Bell memories clouding your brain, and prepare yourself for one of my favorite regional Mexican dishes. The dish is a specialty of Oaxaca, a Mexican state probably better known for banana-wrapped tamales and complex moles. I'd certainly never heard of tlayudas when I visited Oaxaca City, but after the sun went down in the old colonial city, numerous food vendors suddenly appeared hawking the dish. I fell in love instantly. Each bite had the ideal amount of creamy beans, tangy cheese, flavorful meat and spicy salsa, and the base stayed crunchy until the last bite. It was like a platter of nachos grew up and went to college. Advertisement I couldn't wait to look for the dish when I returned to Chicago. But after dozens of fruitless hunts, I gave up. That was five years ago. When tlayudas surprisingly popped up at a few restaurants around town a few months ago, instead of feeling elated, the first thing I wanted to know was what took so long. The dish is delicious, and Chicago is no stranger to regional Mexican specialties. I called up Rick Bayless, who'd just put the dish on the menu at Cruz Blanca in the West Loop and Fonda Frontera in Bucktown, and asked why the tlayuda had only now made its Chicago debut. Advertisement "Because we could get tlayuda tortillas imported to Chicago," he says matter of factly. Before that point, even if he had wanted to serve tlayudas, there was no reliable way to import the tortillas used for the dish, and that only changed recently. "I knew they were recently coming into Los Angeles, but I couldn't figure out how to get them there. But I finally heard that someone had brought them into Chicago." Accordingly to Bayless, the oversize corn tortilla that forms the base of the tlayuda, is nearly impossible to make outside of Oaxaca. Though made of corn, the tlayuda tortilla uses a distinct variety that has a higher starch content than Chicago's locally made tortillas. This allows the mixture to be stretched to plate-size proportions without falling apart. The tortillas are then cooked on a clay comal (a type of griddle) that helps pull moisture out of them. The result is a crackly, crispy tortilla that won't buckle under an avalanche of toppings. While it might seem less than ideal to import pre-made tlayuda tortillas from far away, traveling and tlayudas have a long history together. "Originally, they were made as a storage tortilla," says Bayless. "Oaxaca was a very rural state, not a wealthy state. When people would make trips, they'd take these with them and reheat them over a campfire." That's still how they are reheated today. The stiff tortilla is brushed with fat, warmed over a fire and then topped. In Oaxaca, the fat traditionally used is asiento, a type of lard with browned bits of chicharron mixed in. But at Cruz Blanca and Fonda Frontera, Bayless brushes them with a roasted-garlic oil. He got the idea from a chef in Playa del Carmen and fell in love with it. Plus, he wants to be "totally friendly to all our visitors." Instead of haphazardly piling on ingredients, each tlayuda at Cruz Blanca and Fonda Frontera is meticulously assembled, with all the toppings evenly positioned just so, and the salsa elegantly splattered on top like an edible Jackson Pollock painting. While the regular version ($10.95), which includes three kinds of cheese, is good, adding extra meat or mushrooms is definitely recommended. The fillings are the same high-quality options as for the tacos, including the extra beefy cured beef tasajo ($3), funky chorizo ($3) and plump and juicy portobello mushrooms ($2.00). Kie-Gol-Lanee serves a tlayuda piled with refried beans, sliced cabbage, grilled meat and a fresh cheese. (Nick Kindelsperger / Chicago Tribune) But Bayless isn't the only player in the tlayuda game now. Kie-Gol-Lanee opened a few weeks ago in Uptown with a menu packed with traditional Oaxacan fare. That includes a tlayuda ($12) piled high with refried beans, sliced cabbage, grilled meat and a fresh cheese. Instead of a creamy covering, the strands of cheese add a pleasing salty tang to each bite. It's exactly the kind of cheese I remember on the tlayudas in Oaxaca. You can choose from six different meats and two vegetarian options. I can vouch for the puerco adobada, grilled slices of heavily marinated pork, slightly salty with a punch of chili at the end. You can also find a tlayuda at Mezcalina, a Oaxacan restaurant in the glitzy Near East Side neighborhood. Just make sure to call ahead. First time I had visited, the restaurant had run out of the tlayuda tortillas. Mezcalina, a Oaxacan restaurant in the glitzy Near East Side neighborhood, serves tlayudas. (Nick Kindelsperger / Chicago Tribune) Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. > There's now such a steady supply of tlayuda tortillas coming into Chicago, you can pick some up at places like Cremeria La Ordena (5958 S. Pulaski Road) in West Lawn, where a hulking pack of tlayuda tortillas goes for $10. If you're there, you might as well pick up the rest of the toppings for the tlayuda too, including locally made cheese, dried black beans and chorizo. Advertisement With the tlayuda floodgates finally opened, I had one last question for Rick Bayless. How are you supposed to eat one? While some places cut the tlayuda into slices like a pizza, Bayless serves his whole. This is, as you can imagine, entirely on purpose. "It's not pizza," says Bayless, emphatically. "They are very different." He suggests just taking a knife and cracking the tortilla in a few places, and then digging in with your hands. "That's how I do it," says Bayless. "I've spent Christmas for the last 25 years in Oaxaca. And I always eat at least two tlayudas during each visit." Cruz Blanca, 904 W. Randolph St., 312-733-1975, www.cruzblanca.com Kie-Gol-Lanee, 5004 N. Sheridan Road, 872-241-9080, www.kiegol.com Mezcalina, 333 E. Benton Place, #100, 312-240-5000, www.mezcalina.com Cremeria La Ordena, 5958 S. Pulaski Road, 773-284-8300 nkindelsperger@chicagotribune.com Twitter @nickdk Slamming the media may be all the rage in U.S. politics, but Chicago isn't immune. The morning after the presidential election, the Cook County Bar Association Chicago's pre-eminent organization for black lawyers issued a curious, stinging rebuke of veteran CBS2 investigative reporter Pam Zekman for a report in which she all but accused an elderly black judge of malingering to collect $250,000 in disability payments. Advertisement In a strident four-page missive posted on the bar association's website, the group complained that Zekman exhibited a "complete lack of journalistic and moral integrity" in her Nov. 4 report about Judge Arnette Hubbard. Hubbard, 81, had alleged she was assaulted by white businessman David Nicosia after he complained about her smoking near him in Daley Plaza in July 2014 and told her she was "not the Rosa Parks of smoking." But Nicosia, who was charged with four counts of felony battery and a hate crime after the spat was captured on video, was acquitted at trial in August by a judge who said Hubbard had not shown any evidence that she suffered a concussion, as she claimed, a fact that Zekman relied upon in her report. Advertisement Besides slamming Zekman for suggesting that the 17 months of sick leave Hubbard was paid represented "wasted tax dollars," the bar association also hammered the judge who handled the case. The group said Judge James Obbish "blamed the victim of a crime for the crime itself" and "must have believed it was his role to teach morals as if to squabbling children rather than apply the law to the facts." Given that Hubbard is a former president of the Cook County Bar Association, the rush to her defense was understandable. The association noted that Hubbard was "our friend" and said that it had refrained from commenting on the "travesty of justice" at the time of Nicosia's acquittal because it was "too close to the proceedings to permit our objective beliefs to be seen as anything other than personal displeasure." Unmentioned in the statement, however, was another reason that the bar association might have taken "personal displeasure" from the case: Its president, Natalie Howse, was one of the two assistant state's attorneys who brought the failed prosecution of Nicosia. Whether Howse's "objective beliefs" informed the rant against Zekman is unclear: Howse and Zekman both declined to comment, while a spokeswoman for the state's attorney's office said any role Howse had in the impolitic rant against a judge she and her colleagues must practice before was "for the bar association to answer." kjanssen@chicagotribune.com Twitter @kimjnews Members of the tony East Bank Club might want to give the gym's locker room a wide berth if they spot former police Superintendent Garry McCarthy and Mayor Rahm Emanuel getting changed at the same time. The frosty relationship between the two macho men might cause anyone caught in the middle to catch a chill. "I haven't spoken to the mayor since last December 1st," said a visibly upset McCarthy in an interview with WGN-TV Ch. 9. "I ran into him a couple of times at the East Bank Club." Advertisement Asked if he wanted to speak to Emanuel, he said, "Um, that's a great question. I'm not sure how to answer it. You stumped me because I'm really angry about what happened, and I'm very angry about what is happening. "I would give him an earful if we were to have a conversation." Advertisement McCarthy who was fired a year ago in the wake of the release of the video of police Officer Jason Van Dyke killing Laquan McDonald, 17 has always worn his heart on his sleeve and in recent weeks has made a number of public statements defending his record and criticizing the police policies he says are contributing to Chicago's soaring homicide rate. More than 700 killings were recorded in the first 11 months of 2016. Yet even by his standards, his appearance Friday on WGN was emotionally raw, with McCarthy baring his bruised ego for all to see. Asked if he was mad at Emanuel, he said, "I'm mad, in general." "My friends say that I handle anger a lot better than sadness, which is probably true. But I'm angry that people are dying in record numbers and it doesn't have to be that way. Quite frankly, somebody said to me the other night, 'Aren't you glad you're not in that job?' and my response was, 'I would do that job for free right now, because it's that important.' "I'm passionate about what I used to do for a living, I'm passionate about policing and I'm disgusted by the direction that we're going in." McCarthy at one point seemed slightly embarrassed about the strength of his own feelings, chuckling after he told hosts Lourdes Duarte and Robin Baumgarten, "I'm outraged!" He said he has spoken to top cop Eddie Johnson "a couple of times, and you can't blame Eddie because he's a victim of what's happening today, as are the police and as are the people who are being murdered," he said. "The politicizing of this issue and the anti-police sentiment in this country at the behest of saving black lives is getting black people killed." Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > "Where is the black caucus screaming?" he added. "When they were calling for my resignation we had the lowest murder rate in the city since 1965." Advertisement McCarthy was still fired up on Sunday morning when he appeared on Chicago Tribune reporter Rick Pearson's Sunday Spin radio show on WGN Radio. "When you negotiate with terrorists you empower your enemy, and that's why we don't do that in this country," he said, failing to clarify who the "terrorists" were in his analogy about police policy. "Sometimes you have to stand up and say this is what we're going to do and it's the right thing to do, it's not the politically expedient thing to do. "Unfortunately that action that was taken my firing was the first in a huge political deck of cards that has come tumbling down on the department and is destroying it." He confided, "It's almost cathartic to have these conversations, but I just need to see something happen about it." kjanssen@chicagotribune.com Twitter @kimjnews One Hope United family support worker Erika Arzate, right, works with mom Mel Lashae Johnson and her 13-month-old son in North Chicago on Dec. 1, 2016. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) Mel Lashae Johnson was forced to grow up quickly. The 20-year-old North Chicago woman spent much of her young life caring for three younger siblings as her mother struggled with mental illness. When Johnson was a junior in high school, her mother died. The following school year, loss struck again when Johnson's grandmother her main source of love and support for most of her life also died. Advertisement Not long after graduating North Chicago Community High School, she learned she was pregnant. Today, the young single mother lives in a North Chicago apartment with her 13-month-old son and 9-year-old brother of whom she has guardianship. She counts on support from the Healthy Families/Wings program at One Hope United of Chicago. Advertisement Wings provides in-home assistance to young moms overburdened because of stressors such as poverty and abuse of alcohol or other substances. In-home visitors work to reduce parental stress by offering parenting training and referring clients to additional social services. Healthy Families and Wings are supported by Chicago Tribune Charities, a McCormick Foundation Fund highlighted during the Chicago Tribune Holiday Giving campaign. Since that financial support started in 1995, Wings has assisted more than 700 young moms, who like Johnson may otherwise go without the proper tools and guidance to deliver and raise healthy babies, according to organization leaders. Sandra Schultz, Healthy Families program supervisor, said the focus of home visiting programs is on young parents and the healthy development of their children. "Another big piece is fostering great parent/child relationships ... working with families, promoting positive relationships between parent and child," Schultz said. The programs also work to provide resources for child care and help young moms complete high school and/or their GEDs. They also help the young women find their way to college or an alternative path, Schultz said. Schultz said home visits are individualized. Visitors try to identify each family's basic needs and help provide what they need or tell them how to get what they need from the community such as cribs, diapers, rattles or thermometers. "If we didn't have McCormick Foundation dollars, especially right now with the state budget ... it really helps to continue our focus in working with as many families as we can and helping them to become the best parents that they can be," she said. After being referred to One Hope United by the Lake County Health Department Johnson received guidance during her pregnancy from a doula provided by the Healthy Families program. Johnson said the doula accompanied her to doctor's visits, helped her know what to expect during delivery and was by her side when her son Avery Brown was born. Advertisement But the support didn't end there. Since Avery's birth, Erika Arzate, a family support worker and doula with One Hope United, has visited twice a week to ensure Johnson has all the necessary tools and resources to meet her family's needs. She expects to continue until Avery is 5 years old. Both Arzate and the doula provided diapers and a bouncy chair when Avery was first born. Arzate also directed Johnson on where to secure Christmas gifts for her son and brother. But she also helps meet less material needs with inspirational poems and encouragement. "She helps me in knowing the development process of my child, makes sure my child is on the right track, helps me understand the emotions of not only my son, but my brother as well," Johnson said. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > Johnson, who works part time for the local park district, said Arzate is aware of her grandmother's unhealthy lifestyle and her mother's mental health issues. "I worry some of that will pass through me," Johnson said. "I just want to be the best mother I can be and try and stay healthy mentally and physically ... (Arzate) tells me advice on how to stay on the right track. She asks me (about) my goals all the time and helps me stay in focus on my goals." Advertisement Arzate said she works with 15 families and each has its own unique needs. Some moms need help establishing a routine with their baby, including consistency with vaccinations and doctor's appointments. Others need to know where to get diapers, apply for a medical card for insurance or how to find a food pantry, she said. The goal is to focus on the positives and reassure the young mothers that they can successfully parent on their own with confidence. "I have driven girls for their baby's appointment. ... Sometimes you do it but you do not want to make it a constant thing," Arzate said. "I want the girls to be self-sufficient and be able to figure it out for themselves, because the home visitor won't be there forever." Amanda Marrazzo is a freelance reporter. Jyoti Saini, sitting with her sons Akash, 9, and Arjun, 11, watches a video presentation during a board meeting Nov. 14, 2016, at Butler Junior High School in Oak Brook. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune) Almost every cent flowing into affluent Butler School District 53 in Oak Brook comes from local dollars, roughly $10.1 million. Most comes from property taxes paid by homeowners and businesses that cover everything from teacher salaries to school building projects. State and federal dollars coming in are minimal by comparison. The local share represents 97 percent of all revenue for Butler, illustrating just how heavily many communities are investing in public schools. Throughout Illinois, the reliance on local taxpayers is growing. Advertisement Local taxes and school fees now make up 67.4 percent of revenue for districts statewide the highest percentage in at least 15 years, according to the most recent state finance data. The state contributes 24.9 percent one of the lowest shares in the country and the federal government 7.7 percent. The local portion for education has slowly climbed since 2001, when local dollars covered, on average, 61.9 percent of K-12 public school expenses in Illinois. Advertisement A confluence of factors affects the figures, including rising and falling levels of state aid. Some school administrators say local tax dollars are making up for what they say is a lack of funding from the state. At the same time, some districts are leaning on local taxpayers to make a steeper investment in education. Document Illinois district funding ratio By academic year ending each year Local sources: 67.4% +5.5 points 80% 70% 60% State sources: 24.9% 50% -5.5 points 40% 30% 20% Federal: 7.7% 10% 2001 03 05 07 09 11 13 15 Source: State of Illinois @ChiTribGraphics Illinois district funding ratio By academic year ending each year 80% Local sources: 67.4% 70% 60% 50% State sources: 24.9% 40% 30% 20% Federal: 7.7% 10% 2001 05 10 15 Source: State of Illinois Illinois district funding ratio By academic year ending each year Local sources: 67.4% +5.5 points 80% 70% 60% State sources: 24.9% 50% -5.5 points 40% 30% 20% Federal: 7.7% 10% 2001 03 05 07 09 11 13 15 Source: State of Illinois @ChiTribGraphics Search for your district Will open in new page Whatever the reasons, the investment in education from local tax dollars is on the rise, sparking concerns from Gov. Bruce Rauner who has called for a freeze on local property taxes and anti-tax advocates. The reliance on local dollars also has exacerbated the unequal funding for schools, as wealthy districts pump in local revenue to spend more on students, while less affluent districts can't keep up. The gap in per-pupil spending has grown wider in Illinois: The highest-spending school district now spends five times more per student than the bottom district, based on 2015 data. A decade ago, it was about four times more. Bob Anderson, who owns a barber shop in McHenry County's Wonder Lake and recently helped launch the Illinois Tax Revolution group, lamented the property taxes in his community. "It's terrible," Anderson said. "People are leaving my barber shop. They're leaving Wonder Lake ... they're tired of these property taxes. Every five minutes someone is leaving the state because of property taxes," Anderson said. Like many residents, most of his annual property tax bill is for schools. Anderson serves on the Harrison School District 36 board and wants to merge districts in the area to cut costs that could reduce the burden on taxpayers. Reliant on local dollars Advertisement The Tribune reviewed 2015 state finance data in about 850 public school districts that were included in the annual Illinois Report Card made public in October. In nearly 100 districts, local taxpayers contributed 90 percent or more of the funding to their schools, mostly in the Chicago region. Affluent communities such as Winnetka, Lake Forest, Libertyville, Hinsdale and Oak Brook have high property values that can easily generate local property tax dollars for schools. That means those districts will get fewer state dollars, based on the complex formula the state uses to divvy up money to districts. For example, revenue flowing into Winnetka's New Trier Township High School District totaled $107.4 million in 2015. Of that, $102.9 million came from local dollars, about 96 percent. The state share was close to $3 million, and the federal $1.5 million. The district was able to spend $23,571 per student in 2015, almost entirely from the influx of local dollars. Likewise, Hinsdale Township High School 86 in DuPage County took in $82.4 million in local dollars in 2015 94 percent of all revenue. The state share was about $4 million and the federal share $1.3 million. The local dollars largely pushed up per-student spending to $18,804. About 330 districts in all, including many that are less affluent, are getting at least 75 percent of revenue from property taxes and other local dollars, the state data show. In the massive Chicago Public Schools district, about $2.7 billion in local dollars made up 51.6 percent of school revenue in 2015, a relatively low percentage compared with many statewide districts. Advertisement CPS gets more state dollars because of its high-poverty student population and large number of pupils, among other factors. In 2015, the district got about $1.8 billion from the state, and about $776 million from the federal government. Total state funds sent to CPS divided by the district's student population show that state dollars provided $4,553 per student in the massive school system, according to 2015 data. In contrast, New Trier received $742 per student in state dollars, Hinsdale 86 got $907 and Butler 53 collected $521. Overall, the state share of contribution to schools 24.9 percent is low compared with what most other states provide for their schools, according to national school finance data. And educators and lawmakers long have complained the figure conflicts with language in the Illinois Constitution, which states: "The State has the primary responsibility for financing the system of public education." State and federal contributions have risen and fallen with little consistency over the past decade. Education funding from the state was roughly $5.8 billion in 2006, according to Illinois State Board of Education school finance data. It dipped to about $5.6 billion in 2009, rose to nearly $7 billion in 2011 and was about $6.7 billion in 2015, the most recent year available in the statewide data. The contribution from local taxpayers, for the most part, has steadily increased every year since 2006, starting near $13.8 billion and climbing to more than $18 billion in 2015. Administrators acknowledge that many residents may not know that local funds have become so dominant in the school financial pie. Advertisement "The everyday citizen looks at their tax bill, but they're not looking at it comparatively in terms of what percentage of those dollars comprise their (school) budget," said Jenny Wojcik, superintendent in the one-school Rondout District 72 in Lake County. "Illinois has really become much more reliant on local resources to support their schools," Wojcik said. Her tiny district has about 140 students, and high property values generated 97.4 percent of the district's revenue about $5 million in 2015. The rest came from state dollars, about $89,000, and federal dollars, $45,000. The district's influx of local dollars pushed up per-student spending to $31,412 the largest per-pupil figure in the state. The lowest per-pupil figure was $6,235, in a downstate grade-school district where local funds totaled 54.5 percent. The average per-pupil spending statewide is about $12,820. The gap in spending between Rondout and the downstate district has widened in the past decade. In 2006, those same two districts were at the top and bottom of per-pupil spending in Illinois, with Rondout spending $22,050 per child compared with $5,154 per child in the downstate district. Advertisement Funding reform The difference in what districts can take in and what they can spend long has been a contentious issue for lawmakers and education policymakers concerned about inequities in school finances. A school funding reform commission launched by Rauner is looking to help less affluent districts that can't generate big pots of local dollars for schools, which likely would mean more dollars to downstate districts and south Cook County districts that have low property values. The governor has continued to advocate for a property tax freeze that would be popular with homeowners but could stress school districts and other government bodies reliant on those funds. Rauner has supported coupling a freeze with allowing school districts to bypass certain requirements that could save money, such as daily physical education and offering driver's education. How any reforms would affect the wealthiest districts is still unclear. The situation is complex, Wojcik said, in part because wealthy school communities for years have been willing to contribute their local tax dollars to support the schools they value. Even in districts with excellent academics, some still question the need for the taxes local school districts are collecting. Advertisement Timothy Anderson, a longtime school watchdog in north suburban Libertyville, said some residents don't like what they're paying in taxes for the high-performing Libertyville and Vernon Hills schools in Community High School District 128, though "they love the results they are getting" from students. Overall, 95.3 percent of that district's revenue came from local dollars in 2015 almost $80 million. The district got about $3.5 million from the state and $450,000 from the federal government. The state contribution, when divided by enrollment, is about $1,040 per student. The district spent $22,028 per student in 2015, state data show. At a fall school board meeting, Superintendent Prentiss Lea outlined district spending measures that have benefited taxpayers, such as not collecting millions of dollars that could have been collected from residents; paying off debt with reserves; and eliminating district office positions to save money. Anderson, who was at the meeting, later told the Tribune the district likely could spend less but maintain high student achievement. "Could they get the same results with a 20 percent reduction in expenses? I believe they can," Anderson said. In Brookfield LaGrange Park School District 95, the percent of local dollars that cover district expenses has risen in the past 10 years from about 74 percent to 87 percent, a situation that Superintendent Mark Kuzniewski blames on cuts in state funds during the state's budget woes. Advertisement When about 87 percent of funds comes from local taxpayers, "that's not good," Kuzniewski said. Now the district wants more space to accommodate a rise in enrollment and is pursuing a building referendum on the spring ballot that taxpayers would need to approve. "We're squeezing our taxpayers for more or we're squeezing more out of their tax dollars. And there's a give at some point. You can only squeeze a dollar so far. You either need more or you're going to do less," Kuzniewski said. 'Obligation to taxpayers' In Evergreen Park School District 124, local dollars make up about 83 percent of revenue, up from 78 percent a decade ago, and Superintendent Robert Machak said he feels "a huge obligation to taxpayers." The district has emphasized that schools are a resource for all taxpayers, and has launched several programs, including yoga classes and helping retirees use Skype to communicate with grandkids. Advertisement "We try to find ways to make our buildings available to the community at large," Machak said. Still, Machak said, "People remind us that their taxes are very high from time to time." Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > In Butler School District 53, voters in 2007 and again in 2013 rejected referendums to issue bonds for school building projects, which would create more debt that taxpayers would have to repay. After that, the district regrouped, using money from its hefty fund balances to do building projects. In 2014, it issued nearly $1 million in bonds, which didn't require voter approval and could be used for projects. Last month, school officials and community members celebrated the completion of a new safety vestibule outside of the Butler Junior High School gym, and other improvements. Sandra Martin is the former Butler superintendent who retired but still serves as the district's business manager. Advertisement Even though local dollars account for 97 percent of district revenue, Martin said the state and federal money is important. "Every dollar counts now," she said. drado@chicagotribune.com Twitter @diane_rado Several vehicles crashed on the westbound Jane Addams (I-90) tollway just before Higgins Road and slowed traffic early on Dec. 5, 2016. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune) (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune) Ali Erhaima left Baghdad in 2009 to escape violence and began a new life in the United States, settling in Aurora with his wife and two children, a family friend said. Early Friday morning, as he was driving in the westbound lanes of Interstate 88 in Naperville, a wrong-way driver crashed into his car, killing Erhaima, his passenger and the other driver. Advertisement Illinois State Police continued to investigate the crash late Friday and did not have an explanation for why Domenic Andreoni, 30, of Elgin, was driving his 2012 Toyota Camry the wrong direction in the westbound lanes of the expressway. Erhaima, 32, of Aurora, a ride-share driver, was taking Shiva Inampudi, 40, home to Naperville when the 1 a.m. crash occurred, according to a state police news release. All three were pronounced dead at the scene. Advertisement "I saw the headlights coming at me (about a quarter-mile away). When I saw that, I thought, 'Is this for real?' " said Silva Centimano, who said she witnessed the crash in her rearview mirror after pulling out of the way. Ali Erhaima, of Aurora, died Friday morning when the car he was driving was struck by a wrong-way driver. (Laith Witwit) Andreoni was a staff sergeant assigned as a crewman in an assault amphibious vehicle, a Marine Corps official confirmed. He joined the Marines in 2009. Subba Pothina, of Aurora, a friend of Inampudi's family, said Inampudi was returning from a business trip and had hired a ride-share driver to bring him home from the airport. His friend frequently traveled to California on business. "He had a soft nature and was always smiling," Pothina said. Inampudi, who is survived by a wife and a 12-year-old son, was described by friends gathered at his Naperville home as "very loving," "very generous" and spiritual as a member of the Saiseekers Association of America. "He was a good cricket player, one of the best in the area," Pothina added. Most recently, he was a member of the Mighty Panthers team in the Naperville Park District Cricket League. Pothina said the Indian community is supporting the family in this time of need. Advertisement Cars lined Providence Avenue and adjacent streets near Erhaima's home on Aurora's East Side on Friday afternoon. Visitors trickled in and out the front door. Some stood on the lawn crying. A family spokesman said the family was not ready to make a statement. Three people were killed in a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 88 near Mill Street in suburban Naperville on Dec. 2, 2016. (WGN-TV) Erhaima's friend Laith Witwit described him as a great and helpful friend who made a life in Aurora with his wife and two children, a boy and a girl, after leaving Iraq. Another friend said Erhaima liked to watch soccer and was a fan of Real Madrid. According to a gofundme.com page, which had already raised more than $25,000 for his family, Erhaima was shot in Iraq for providing security for U.S. soldiers. "Ali was not just a neighbor and friend, he was a true American hero," the post said. "Nearly a decade ago, he was working security in Iraq for American soldiers. After repeated threats on his life to stop working for the Americans, the threats were finally made good. He was taken off the streets, shot multiple times and left for dead. Miraculously he survived after he was found by some American soldiers. He and his wife then made it to the US as refugees and worked to build a new life." Members of Andreoni's family referred calls for comment to the Marines. Advertisement Andreoni had a series of driving-related cases in Will County from 2007 and earlier, according to Will County court records. Most recently, Andreoni was assigned court supervision and fined $175 for failing to reduce speed in March 2007, court records show. In August 2007, he was found not guilty of multiple charges, including DUI and speeding. Terrence Wallace, a Lockport attorney who represented Andreoni in a number of Will County cases, described Andreoni as "a nice young man." Three people were killed in a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 88 on Dec. 2, 2016. (WGN-TV) "I'm sorry for him, and I'm just as sorry or more sorry for the people he was involved in the accident with," Wallace said. Erhaima, who was driving a 2007 Chrysler 300, pleaded guilty to improper use of an electronic communications device while driving this year, according to Kane County records. Charlie Dastych, DuPage County's chief deputy coroner, said preliminary autopsies indicated that the cause of death for all three people would be "massive traumatic injuries" because of the crash. A toxicology report will not be complete for several weeks, and Dastych said he doesn't "have any indication that drugs or alcohol are involved at this point." Westbound lanes of traffic were closed until 7 a.m., with vehicles diverted off the interstate as crews responded, state police said. Advertisement The Naperville Fire Department sent 16 people to respond to the incident, according to Tom Moran, bureau chief of training for the department. A spokesman for the Illinois State Police division that patrols the tollways wasn't able to say where Andreoni entered the highway and said officials were investigating the crash but had no additional information Friday afternoon. Suzanne Baker is a reporter for the Naperville Sun. Elvia Malagon is a reporter for the Chicago Tribune. Hannah Leone is a reporter for The Beacon-News. Beacon-News reporter Sarah Freishtat, Tribune reporter Duaa Eldeib and freelance reporters Erin Gallagher and Janelle Walker contributed. subaker@tribpub.com emalagon@chicagotribune.com hleone@tribpub.com Advertisement Twitter subaker@tribpub.com @hannahmleone Nine years ago, Terry Hood allegedly used electrical cord to bind the hands and feet of a romantic rival before bashing him in the head with a hammer during an hours-long attack and on Thursday he was facing murder charges after the 78-year-old victim died of his injuries, prosecutors said. Terry Hood, 61, who was previously convicted of aggravated battery to a senior for the attack of Robert Bishop, was ordered held without bail by Cook County Judge Peggy Chiampas during a hearing Thursday at the Leighton Criminal Court Building. Hood was taken out of IDOC custody Wednesday and arrested on the new charge. Advertisement Bishop, who was 69 at the time of the attack, had been living at the Symphony at Aria long-term care facility since some point after the home invasion on May 8, 2007, on the 5100 block of South Calumet Avenue about 1:55 a.m. But on Oct. 24, Bishop, 78, died of complications of traumatic brain injury from a remote assault, the Cook County medical examiner's office determined. Bishop's death was ruled a homicide, according to the medical examiner's office. Advertisement Bishop and Hood lived in the same apartment complex but the day of the attack, the landlord heard several noises which lasted for "several hours'' that he described as "thumping and banging" coming from inside Bishop's apartment, said Asst. State's Atty. Jamie Santini in court Thursday. At about midnight he decided to investigate the sounds and heard a person who sounded like Hood yelling at someone, Santini said. He knocked on the door and the yelling stopped, knocked a few more times and then went in, seeing the apartment in "disarray'' and blood on the floor. He ran to another apartment, returned with a neighbor, and they found Bishop in his bedroom with his hands and feet bound with electrical cords, Santini said. Bishop had "extensive injuries to his head, face and body and a gaping slash wound to his throat,'' Santini said. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > During the investigation, Chicago police learned in the weeks prior to the attack, Hood had accused Bishop of sleeping with his girlfriend, causing an ongoing dispute which lasted for "several weeks,'' and because of it, Hood moved out. Detectives also interviewed a witness who said Hood told them he "was about to kill the victim but that someone knocked on the door and he fled the victim's apartment,'' Santini said. Hood was arrested for the attack and indicted July 2, 2007, on charges of attempted murder, home invasion, aggravated battery, aggravated unlawful restraint and aggravated battery of a senior. Bishop said in a deposition played at Hood's trial for attempted murder that he lived on the first floor while Hood lived on the second or third floor, and that he also had had occasional money problems with Hood, according to court documents. Bishop said Hood hit him in the head twice with a hammer in Bishop's bedroom, according to court documents and during the trial a witness said Hood had admitted to the crime, and DNA evidence implicated Hood, according to court documents. Advertisement Hood was sentenced to 22 years and was serving his sentence in the Pinckneyville Correctional Center. The Illinois Appellate Court granted Hood's appeal in July 2013, reversing his conviction and saying that the admission of a video deposition of Bishop into evidence violated his right to confrontation under the Sixth Amendment. However, the Illinois Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the appellate court September 2016. Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson renewed his call on Friday for stricter penalties for gun offenders after a police commander was shot at while working on the South Side. That message has been a drumbeat from Johnson in a year that has seen Chicago surpass 700 homicides for the first time since 1998. Advertisement The violence hit close to home late Thursday when Noel Sanchez, commander of the South Chicago police district, was shot at while working the streets in the 8800 block of South Saginaw Avenue. The gunman fled to a nearby home, touching off an hourslong standoff with a SWAT team before five people were taken into custody early Friday. Multiple guns were also recovered. Johnson cited the incident as an example of how gang members have become more emboldened, in part because of what the superintendent considers lenient penalties for gun offenses. Advertisement "If these guys will shoot at a ... squad car, officers in uniform, then what do you think they fear about other gang members out there doing the same thing?" Johnson asked reporters at police headquarters. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > Johnson spoke once again in favor of proposed legislation in Springfield designed to make it harder for judges to impose light sentences for repeat gun offenders. The goal of the legislation is to ensure that they face several years in prison. He singled out a 21-year-old man as an example of why the legislation is needed. The man was arrested in February on a felony weapons violation and sentenced to seven years in prison in April, police said. But he was assigned to boot camp and was already out on parole Aug. 22 when he was arrested again for gun possession in the West Side's Austin community. "The people committing these crimes think the consequences for these crimes are a joke," Johnson said. "They think our judicial system in Cook County is a joke." He said he hopes the new legislation will "change the culture in this city." "We have to make it so that gang members ... don't want to pick up a gun," Johnson said. jgorner@chicagotribune.com Twitter @JeremyGorner The Cook County judge who let a law clerk wear her robe and hear traffic cases this summer was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and can no longer perform her duties, the state board that oversees judges said in documents Friday. The Judicial Inquiry Board charged that Judge Valarie Turner has memory loss and is "mentally unable" to do her job. The board made no accusation, however, that Turner had engaged in misconduct when she allowed law clerk Rhonda Crawford to put on her judicial robe and hear three traffic cases during the afternoon court call at the county courthouse in south suburban Markham. Advertisement At the time, Crawford had won the Democratic primary for the 1st Judicial Subcircuit and was unopposed in the general election. In a filing with the Illinois Courts Commission, the board said the commission should simply take "appropriate" action against Turner. Advertisement The board's filing brings closer a resolution to an unusual and embarrassing episode for one of the nation's largest court systems. The filing would also seem to signal the end of Turner's legal career, which began with law school at the University of Chicago and a stint at the prestigious Kirkland & Ellis law firm and the U.S. attorney's office, although she spent the past few years hearing traffic and other municipal cases, sometimes in a basement courtroom. She was first elected to the bench in 2002, and was assigned to Markham in February 2005. Turner's lawyer, Gino DiVito, said there was no reason for the matter to be referred to the Courts Commission. Instead, he said, it should have been handled by the judge's retirement system. "Valarie Turner has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. In spite of this, the Judicial Inquiry Board has filed a complaint with the Courts Commission," DiVito said in a statement Friday. "Ms. Turner is charged with no misconduct. She therefore has done nothing that would justify any sanction that could be imposed by the commission. In essence, the Judicial Inquiry Board has charged her only with having Alzheimer's disease. This sets a terrible precedent for any judge who, like Ms. Turner, has an illness that she did not cause and cannot control." DiVito said Turner is applying for disability status. It's unclear how long Turner has had Alzheimer's disease, or even if she had been diagnosed before the incident. Her lawyer would say only that it was a "recent diagnosis." The Judicial Inquiry Board found that, at the time of the courtroom incident, Turner "suffered and continues to suffer from memory loss." The Judicial Inquiry Board investigates and prosecutes allegations of misconduct or incapacity against judges. The board files formal complaints with the Courts Commission, which is made up of five judges and two citizens. They hear evidence at a public hearing and determine whether the case has been made against a judge. The commission can reprimand, censure, suspend with or without pay, remove from office or retire a judge. Turner, 59, had been reassigned to administrative duties following the Aug. 11 incident in Markham. She went on medical leave 10 days later, and she continues to be paid her $190,758 annual salary, according to officials. Advertisement The incident with Crawford began on an otherwise unremarkable day after she spent the morning observing Turner on the bench. During the afternoon, however, Turner told those in the courtroom that they were going to switch judges and that Crawford who Turner has said she thought was a judge would take over. Crawford then heard the three cases. Chief Judge Timothy Evans, whose office had hired Crawford as a law clerk/staff attorney, fired her from her $57,000-a-year job. A week before the Nov. 8 general election, the Illinois Supreme Court barred Crawford from taking the bench even if she won and suspended her law license. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > The unprecedented action came after state lawyer disciplinary officials asked the court to suspend Crawford and after Cook County prosecutors charged her with one count of official misconduct, a felony, and one count of false impersonation, a misdemeanor. Crawford, 45, who has acknowledged making a mistake in shadowing Turner, has pleaded not guilty to both charges. Maryam Ahmad, a sitting judge in Maywood, waged a spirited but long-shot write-in campaign against Crawford but lost. The state Board of Elections declared Crawford the winner, although the seat will remain vacant because she has been barred from taking office. Advertisement smmills@chicagotribune.com tlighty@chicagotribune.com Twitter @smmills1960 Twitter @tlighty Joshua Holt, 27, a man charged in the 2012 slaying of a sex worker who was found in a North Side alley. (Cook County Sheriff) A 27-year-old man was ordered held in lieu of $900,000 bail Friday in the 2012 death of a sex worker who was found partially naked in an alley, prosecutors said. Joshua Holt was charged with murder in the death of Denise Ayers, 34, whose body was found May 5, 2012, in the Edgewater neighborhood, officials said. Advertisement Prosecutors said at a bail hearing Friday, about 3 a.m. that day, Ayers was standing with another person near the intersection of Winthrop and Bryn Mawr avenues. Holt walked up and said, "what up?" prosecutors said. Holt had knew Ayers for decades and knew she worked in the area as a prostitute, prosecutors said. The person Ayers was standing with saw her walk off with Holt, and the two walked down Winthrop then turned west on Hollywood Avenue. Advertisement Shortly after 7 a.m., Ayers body was found in an alley near the 5600 block of North Broadway, partially clothed and on the pavement. An unused condom was found lying on her stomach, and a wrapper was found near her body, prosecutors said. Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. > She was pronounced dead at the scene and an autopsy later determined she died of strangulation and her death was ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. Material from her body and underneath her fingernails was collected and sent to the Illinois State Police crime lab. A male profile was identified from the DNA, prosecutors said. The profile was matched to Holt in April of 2014 after a swab taken from him revealed he could not be excluded, prosecutors said. In November, the man who witnessed Ayers walk off with Holt, identified him in a police line up. Holt told investigators in July 2014, he was propositioned by Ayers the day she was found strangled in the alley. He said he turned her down and walked away. When he was recently confronted about his semen being recovered from Ayers' body, he denied having sexual contact with Ayers, prosecutors said. Holt was sentenced in 2013 to 30 months probation for a burglary conviction. In 2014 he got a seven year prison sentence after he was convicted of burglary a second time, and was given a projected parole date of June 2017. Holt, who was serving time for the 2014 conviction, appeared at a bail hearing Friday where Cook County Judge Peggy Chiampas ordered him held on $900,000. Cook County's inspector general has the power to investigate county Assessor Joseph Berrios, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled Thursday, apparently ending Berrios' fight to claim he is exempt from such inquiries because he is a "separately" elected official. Following the court decision, Berrios announced he would comply with Inspector General Patrick Blanchard's subpoenas related to property tax exemptions granted to a Berrios employee who allegedly was not entitled to them. Since 2012, Blanchard has sought to enforce the subpoenas against Berrios who also is the chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party. Advertisement In a unanimous ruling, the state Supreme Court found that because Berrios was elected assessor does not make him "separate" from Cook County. He is not outside the oversight of the county watchdog, according to the court. "The assessor's office is a part of Cook County, the unit of local government from which he is elected and for which he and the employees of that office perform their functions and duties," the court wrote. Advertisement The ruling affirms two lower court decisions. Blanchard said Thursday that he "absolutely" believes the Supreme Court's finding will apply to other county officials who have been holding him off from pursuing investigations on similar grounds. He said he expects to now have a free hand to "pursue various leads" throughout county government. Berrios resisted the initial subpoena, saying he was not required to comply as a separately elected countywide official. After months of legal wrangling, in June 2013 Blanchard sued to force Berrios to comply and get a declaration that countywide elected officials are subject to his subpoenas. A Cook County circuit court judge and the state appeals court sided with Blanchard prior to Berrios taking the matter to the state Supreme Court. On Thursday, assessor's office spokesman Tom Shaer said Berrios' opposition to the subpoenas was about the "legal principle" of his independence from Blanchard's oversight. Shaer said Berrios' office conducted its own investigation into the exemptions that triggered the case and concluded they were "within the law." Since Berrios took over as assessor in December 2010, the unabashedly old-school politician who's an ally of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has had ethics run-ins. The Board of Ethics fined him $10,000 for violating nepotism rules after the assessor hired his sister and son to jobs in his office paying nearly $182,000. A judge threw out that initial fine, and the County Board moved to change nepotism rules afterward. Taxpayers ended up shelling out more than $500,000 to 11 people Berrios fired for unlawful political reasons after his election. Berrios said he thought the 11 positions were exempt from political hiring rules. jebyrne@chicagotribune.com Twitter @_johnbyrne Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, center, leaves Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner's office during veto session at the state Capitol on Thursday. (Seth Perlman / AP) SPRINGFIELD The deep distrust between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrats who run the General Assembly boiled over Thursday on an unusual final day of the fall session that featured a testy veto message, a lawsuit against the governor and several lawmakers knocking off before the heavy lifting was done. And as legislators zoomed up interstates to get home, it was a massive energy bill that emerged as the major accomplishment. Republicans and Democrats united to raise electricity rates on Illinois residents and businesses to bail out a pair of Exelon's nuclear power plants. On average it'll cost ComEd customers an extra 25 cents or $4.54 a month, depending on who is doing the math. The governor plans to sign the bill. Advertisement Left by the wayside once again was just about anyone who relies on state government. Lawmakers and the governor didn't agree on a new state budget as many social service agencies teeter on the brink of financial collapse and public universities are in bad shape. Legislators left in limbo whether they would overturn Rauner's move to yank $215 million in teacher pension help from an already shaky Chicago Public Schools. And Mayor Rahm Emanuel's plan to shore up two city worker pension funds didn't clear the Senate due to lawmaker absences, although the governor has strongly suggested he'll veto it anyway. One suburban Democratic lawmaker described the frustration with state government when he took to the microphone during the debate on the energy bill. Advertisement "What are we doing you guys? What are we doing listening to this bill? We don't have a budget and our so-called stopgap budget is just weeks away from expiring," said Rep. Sam Yingling, a Democrat from Grayslake who narrowly won re-election last month and has again been targeted for defeat by Republicans in 2018. "Instead, we are talking about a multibillion dollar corporate bailout for one of the most profitable energy companies in the state. And how are we going to finance this? This is going to be financed on the back of the rate payers." Despite the bad political optics, neither side wanted to be blamed if the legislation failed. Rauner didn't want to take the heat for the loss of jobs associated with the plants closing, particularly as his economic agenda remains on hold amid Democratic opposition. At the same time, Democrats feared alienating unions who stand to gain more jobs under the legislation, particularly as Democrats rely on organized labor to fend off campaign challenges from Rauner and his wealthy allies in business. Even with the shared interest in passing the legislation, the process was not without the usual political fireworks. After announcing a tentative deal a day before, Rauner's office on Thursday morning accused House Democrats led by Speaker Michael Madigan of inserting several "poison pills" into the energy measure. Among their complaints, Rauner aides pointed to requirements that new renewable energy projects follow prevailing wage laws, which the governor repeatedly has sought to weaken saying the rules lead to higher construction costs. Madigan dismissed those accusations, telling reporters "the governor's administration says a lot of things and you people seem to eat it right up." Ultimately, the bill won approval following a flurry of negotiations between Rauner's office and supporters, including a change that pushed back the bill's effective date until next summer, a move that lowered the number of votes required to pass it. Under the revamped proposal, the utilities would collect about $235 million a year from customers to keep open nuclear plants in Downstate Clinton and the Quad Cities. That's lower than the $285 million called for in previous versions of the legislation. Exelon said the legislation would cap rate increases at an average of 25 cents a month for ComEd customers, though opponents say the hike could cost more than $4 a month. The adjustment would allow ComEd to spend about $400 million a year on energy efficiency programs. While that's less than the $500 million earmarked for energy efficiency in the initial legislation, the funding has helped build support among backers of clean energy. That includes the Natural Resources Defense Council, which argues the legislation will help expand wind and solar projects and in turn create new jobs. Advertisement The power bill is a stripped-down version of an earlier measure that at one time also included subsidies for Downstate coal plants. That was abandoned following opposition from Rauner, along with a controversial provision that would have changed how customers are charged for their monthly energy use. That plan would have allowed billing based on an average of a customer's top 30 minutes of usage on weekdays. Supporters said the measure would shield customers from higher rate hikes that would result if the plants closed and the power supply dropped. "This isn't a bailout, this is a stabilization of our supply," said Rep. Michael Tryon, a retiring Crystal Lake Republican. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office opposed the bill, citing the rushed manner in which the final deal was put together. The office said it continued to have concerns about the impact on consumers, saying further study was needed. The bill morphed several times with hard-to-track changes and lawmakers had little time to read the final version. The lengthy debate produced a joke from Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, who noted the army of lobbyists hired to help pass the bill and "probably made a lot of money this last year or two." "Maybe they can do some pro bono work and help us get a budget deal on behalf of the citizens," Andrade said. Advertisement The measure passed the House on a 63-38 vote, with just three votes to spare as more than 40 Democrats and around 19 Republicans voted in favor. In the Senate, it passed 32-18 with only two votes to spare. GOP leader Christine Radogno of Lemont joined 24 Democrats in voting for the plan. Rauner issued a statement saying his administration worked to protect jobs, ratepayers and taxpayers and that the measure "shows that when all parties are willing to negotiate in good faith, we can find agreement and move our state forward." One area where agreement remains elusive is a bill to provide $215 million in pension relief to struggling Chicago Public Schools. Sitting on Rauner's desk for nearly a month, the bill suddenly was inserted into the action following a closed-door meeting between Rauner and legislative leaders that was supposed to focus on the budget. Instead, it resulted in a fight between Rauner and Democratic Senate President John Cullerton after Cullerton encouraged Rauner to sign the legislation even though a broader overhaul for the state's highly indebted employee retirement system has yet to emerge. Rauner accused Cullerton of going back on a June agreement in which Republicans supported the bailout for CPS only "on condition that Democrats reengage in serious, good faith negotiations." He vetoed the bill less than an hour after the meeting ended. The Senate voted to override that measure, but the House left town before voting. The House has 15 calendar days to take up the override, but the chamber is not scheduled to return to Springfield until Jan. 9. Advertisement In addition to the CPS pension money veto, Emanuel was unable to win approval of a plan to fix two troubled city worker pension systems. The House easily passed the measure aimed at shoring up the municipal worker and laborers retirement funds, but the Senate did not take up the bill after several members left early. The Emanuel administration hopes the Senate will vote in January during the final days of the lame-duck session, but Rauner has strongly suggested he might veto the measure. "The governor cannot support this bill without real pension reform that protects taxpayers," Rauner spokesman Lance Trover said. Time is on Rauner's side if he waits to act until the current General Assembly's final adjournment next month, the newly-sworn lawmakers would not be able to vote on whether to override him. The mayor's pension bill would require newly hired city workers to put 11.5 percent of their salaries toward pensions instead of 8.5 percent. City taxpayers also would pay more, in the form of already-approved tax hikes on water and phone bills. As all of this unfolded in the Capitol, the state's largest employee union went to court in Downstate St. Clair County to ask a judge to prevent Rauner from imposing his contract terms after negotiations were declared deadlocked. Advertisement The request from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees comes as the Rauner administration has begun to put in place its changes, including merit pay which the union says fosters favoritism, and drug and alcohol testing for those suspected of using on the job. The union says the administration can't put the changes in place yet because the Illinois Labor Relations Board has not issued a written decision on the impasse. Once that happens, the union can accept the governor's terms, strike or go to court. "Gov. Rauner should negotiate, not dictate. By forcing confrontation instead of seeking compromise, the governor bears responsibility for this litigation and the threat of a disruptive strike," union spokesman Anders Lindall said in a statement. The administration contends its changes, including sharp increases in employee health care costs, are aimed at saving taxpayers money. Meanwhile, there was little public talk Thursday of the state's most pressing issue: the lack of a complete budget. A temporary spending plan is set to expire Jan. 1, meaning the state will no longer be able to cut checks for universities and social service providers who care for the state's elderly. While both sides continue to meet, they remain sharply divided. Advertisement Rauner wants a comprehensive agreement that includes several economic reforms such as a cut in costs associated with workers compensation insurance employers must pay for employees hurt on the job. But the governor says he's open to another stopgap plan if Democrats would agree to term limits and giving cities the ability to freeze property taxes. Madigan-led Democrats have long opposed those ideas, saying they would harm workers and force schools to cut budgets as tax dollars dried up. Madigan, who was first elected in 1970, contends the state already has term limits in the form of elections. While Rauner didn't emerge publicly Thursday, he ended the day the same way he began it: Posting a video on his Facebook page. The first one called on Madigan to negotiate on a budget. The second was a short clip announcing he'd postponed a live webcast with wife Diana Rauner. The event was billed as a casual "hangout" from the Executive Mansion, and was one in a series of appearances Rauner has done in recent months as he seeks to control his public image during the budget stalemate. "There's so much going on here in Springfield we've got to focus on getting some things done," Rauner said. "We'll reschedule, looking forward to it, happy holidays." mcgarcia@chicagotribune.com Advertisement Twitter @moniquegarcia Mayor Rahm Emanuel speaks to the media regarding a veto of $215 million in state pension funding for CPS by Gov. Bruce Rauner during a news conference at Curie Metropolitan High School on Dec. 2, 2016, in Archer Heights. (Alyssa Pointer/Chicago Tribune) (Alyssa Pointer/Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune) Mayor Rahm Emanuel lashed out at Gov. Bruce Rauner on Friday over a veto of $215 million in state pension funding for Chicago Public Schools, suggesting Rauner cared more about corporations like Exelon and ComEd than the city's students. "The governor said he was going to sign a bill to bail out the utilities and then vetoed a bill that bailed on the children of the city of Chicago. That's the way I look at it," said Emanuel of a measure that raises electricity rates for consumers and keeps open two nuclear power plants. Advertisement "He made a decision that he was going to support a bill that, in my view, bailed out the utilities and then he said in a pique of anger that he was going to bail on the children of the city of Chicago, and I just disagree with that fundamentally and I think it is the wrong choice," said the mayor at a Southwest Side high school, fresh off a trip to Mexico City for a climate change conference. Emanuel's comments came just hours after the Republican governor urged the mayor and Democratic legislative leaders to act "mature." Advertisement Gov. Bruce Rauner was a speaker at the Illinois Manufacturers' Association's annual luncheon at the Marriott on Dec. 2, 2016. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune) "This is rhetoric heated rhetoric doesn't help, getting emotional doesn't help, pointing fingers doesn't help. Let's stay mature. Let's stay thoughtful. Let's stay positive. Let's stay persistent," Rauner told reporters after addressing the Illinois Manufacturers' Association luncheon at a Loop hotel. Emanuel said his comments were "no different than the parents whose kids are going to our universities" and "no different than the parents who saw their cuts in day-care assistance" shots at two areas where state spending has decreased as Rauner and Democratic state lawmakers have failed to agree on a permanent state budget. The back and forth came as Rauner and legislative leaders are scheduled to meet in Chicago this weekend for budget talks with a six-month spending plan for the state scheduled to expire Jan. 1. Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, Rauner's chief political nemesis, has agreed to participate in the negotiations but also wants the CPS funding issue to be part of the discussion. But underscoring the lack of trust and respect between the GOP governor and Democratic leaders, Madigan also wants Rauner to put in writing any spending agreements that are reached, something known as memorandums of understanding. Such memorandums were last used when the now-imprisoned Rod Blagojevich sat in the governor's chair. Student Rafael Lopez, middle, shows Mayor Rahm Emanuel. left, and U.S. Secretary of Education, John King Jr., a project he completed in the International Baccalaureate program at Curie Metropolitan High School, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016, in Archer Heights. (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune) Rauner defended his veto of the state funding for CPS pensions, saying the money was conditional on Democratic leaders advancing comprehensive changes to state and local public pension systems by year's end. "We had a clear understanding in June that major statewide pension reform, that both state and local pensions, would be part of the final agreement and that the CPS pension arrangement would be part of that final deal," Rauner said. "And again, I am not walking away. I'm not taking anything off the table. What I'm saying is, 'Let's honor our agreements with each other. Let's stay consistent and let's stay positive and keep negotiating.'" Democratic Senate President John Cullerton said he had broached such comprehensive pension legislation with Rauner earlier in the week and was surprised by the governor's veto on the last scheduled day of the fall session. Advertisement Madigan, in suggesting CPS pension money be part of the weekend discussions, said that in light of Cullerton's "presentation just the other day on pension reform, it seems that this (veto) was simply a punitive move meant to harm the schoolchildren of CPS." Emanuel agreed, and added that Rauner's move to instead help Exelon was not "by any stretch of the imagination a turnaround" a dig at the governor's so-called "turnaround agenda" of economic reforms that would weaken unions and help businesses. For his part, Rauner said merely signing the CPS pension funding measure without also getting more comprehensive changes in public employee pensions across the state was "not fair." Rauner also defended his intention to sign into law a measure raising rates for ComEd residential and commercial customers in exchange for keeping nuclear plants in Clinton and the Quad Cities operating for 10 years, saying all states are extensively involved in energy policy. "It's not perfect. It was bipartisan. It has some flaws. But we're preserving jobs," he said. "We're keeping Illinois competitive. We put very tight caps on how much energy costs are allowed to go up." But critics of the CPS funding veto contend the lack of the state money, which the city's schools had baked into its budget, also could lead to potential layoffs including teachers. Advertisement Asked how CPS would come up with $215 million it would lose as a result of the veto, Emanuel did not offer an answer. Instead, the mayor took another swing at Rauner, noting that lawmakers previously had to override a veto of a plan to solidify Chicago police and fire pensions. The governor's office has issued a threat to veto pending legislation involving the city's municipal and laborers' government worker pension funds. "Not everything should be this hard when we're finally doing the right thing and getting our pensions paid for, getting our financial and fiscal house in order," Emanuel said. "The state should be a partner rather than a roadblock." bruthhart@chicagotribune.com rap30@aol.com Illinois Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger holds news conference to discuss the impact of the continuing budget impasse on state finances at James R. Thompson Center in Chicago on Wednesday, September 9, 2015. (Zbigniew Bzdak, Chicago Tribune) A group of House Democrats on Friday sued the Illinois comptroller to move back to the front of a long line to get paid by the state, arguing a decision by Republican Leslie Geissler Munger to delay their paychecks during the state's historic budget impasse is illegal and politically motivated. SPRINGFIELD The lawmakers' attorneys contend the move violates the separation of executive and legislative powers, saying Munger's actions "are a direct threat" to the legislature's independence. "By denying the members of the General Assembly their salary, the comptroller is attempting to force the General Assembly to forgo representing the interests of their constituents and accede to the policy preferences of an executive office that has no formal role in the legislative process," attorneys said in the complaint filed in Cook County. They cited an effort by then-Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn in 2013 to completely withhold pay that was ruled unconstitutional, and pointed to provisions in the Illinois Constitution that say lawmakers cannot have their salaries changed during their terms and another law that requires they be paid in 12 equal monthly installments. While Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner is not named in the suit, Democrats suggested Munger is acting at Rauner's behest to build pressure on them to cave to his demands amid the record-breaking budget dispute. Rauner criticized the suit Friday afternoon as he continued to assign blame on Democrats led by House Speaker Michael Madigan for the state's lack of a complete spending plan. "Legislators are insisting that even though they're not doing their jobs passing budgets and reforms, they want to get paid. Wow. Good grief," Rauner told reporters after speaking to the Illinois Manufacturers' Association luncheon at a Loop hotel. Advertisement The timing of the lawsuit is odd, coming just days before Republican Munger is set to hand over the office to Democrat Susana Mendoza , who won a special election last month. Mendoza, the Chicago city clerk who takes the oath for her new office Monday, faces the prospect of going to court against her fellow Democrats on the paycheck issue. Mendoza indicated she would maintain Munger's policy, with an asterisk. "I was very clear on the issue of withholding legislators' pay during my campaign: Everyone needs to share in the sacrifice," Mendoza said in a statement Friday. "My policy will be to prioritize the most vulnerable people in our state and continue the delay in legislators' pay, unless a court instructs me to do otherwise." Advertisement In April, Munger, while seeking election, announced she would delay lawmaker paychecks, saying it was unfair that legislators got paid before nonprofits and small businesses that were left waiting because of the cash crunch caused by the budget stalemate. The state's bill backlog stands at more than $10.3 billion, meaning lawmakers and thousands of businesses that contract with the state have been left waiting several months to be reimbursed for their services. On Friday, the departing Munger slammed Democratic lawmakers for challenging her decision. "How cowardly that they refused to challenge any action while I was in office, and now they are going to court when there will be a new administration taking office on Monday led by one of their own," Munger said. "Literally every dollar counts in our ability to fund critical services, so there's no words for my disgust and disappointment with this lawsuit." The 177 lawmakers receive a base salary of $67,836 for their part-time jobs, but most earn thousands more in stipends for serving in Democratic or Republican leadership positions, or acting as chairman of legislative committees. Total compensation for legislators is roughly $1.3 million a month. Lawmakers last received their paychecks in August, which covered their May salaries. That means legislators have yet to be paid for June through November. Usually, lawmakers are paid on the last day of every month. The legislators want a judge to require the comptroller to pay the salaries that have been withheld and issue their paychecks on the last day of each month as set in law. A judge could choose to order "additional relief" such as interest on back pay. The lawsuit would benefit all 177 lawmakers, regardless of their political party. The Democrats who brought the suit are Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch, of Hillside; Reps. Mary Flowers , Sonya Harper and Silvana Tabares, of Chicago; Rep. Lisa Hernandez, of Cicero; and Rep. Kate Cloonen, of Kankakee, who lost a re-election bid last month and soon won't be collecting a lawmaker's paycheck. The others hold seats in safe Democratic districts and are unlikely to face much political blowback for the move. The lawmakers' attorneys are Michael Kasper, a Democratic lawyer with long-standing Madigan ties, and Richard J. Prendergast, who was a lawyer for lawmakers who successfully sued Quinn after he froze legislative pay during a fight over pension legislation three years ago. Advertisement Chicago Tribune's Rick Pearson and Dardick contributed from Chicago. mcgarcia@chicagotribune.com hdardick@chicagotribune.com Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Friday kept up his postelection push to position himself as a protector of immigrants against President-elect Donald Trump, announcing the creation of a $1 million "legal protection fund" to help those fighting possible deportation. The fund was created in partnership with the National Immigrant Justice Center to "provide immediate legal information, screenings, consultations and representation to individuals who may be at risk for deportation," according to a news release from Emanuel's office. Advertisement The money will come from the $20 million the city set aside for Emanuel's property tax rebate program, according to city spokeswoman Jennifer Martinez. That initiative fell flat, with just 12,000 households applying for tax relief to the tune of about $1 million, leaving ample leftover money to pay for immigrant defense. For Emanuel, the relatively small investment in the fund to fight deportations provides an easy way for him to again publicly stake out his opposition to Trump's immigration policies as mayor of a city with a huge population of immigrants from Mexico and elsewhere. Advertisement The mayor has taken numerous opportunities to pledge Chicago will remain a "welcoming city" for immigrants since Trump who promised during his campaign to deport millions of people in the U.S. illegally won last month. Two weeks ago, Emanuel hung around at the City Council meeting after more pressing business was finished to join aldermen in a one-sided debate in favor of a nonbinding resolution reaffirming the city's status as a safe haven for people in the country illegally. And the morning after Trump's victory, Emanuel took the rare step of giving a speech at the start of a council meeting to point to the multicultural slate of politicians who won election in Illinois in November as evidence of the strength of the immigrant ideals he said gives the area its vitality. The mayor also appeared with U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Chicago, following the election. Speaking directly to people "nervous and filled with anxiety" because of Trump's win, Emanuel said "you are safe in Chicago, you are secure in Chicago and you are supported in Chicago." Emanuel's statements favoring those in the country without permission stand in contrast to his history on the contentious topic. In the Obama White House, he advised against pursuing immigration reform in the first year, having once called it the "third rail of politics." In the Clinton White House, Emanuel suggested hard-line immigration policies to achieve "record deportations of criminal aliens." Mayor Rahm Emanuel presides over Chicago City Council special session on Nov. 30, 2016. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune) The mayor's recent declarations are part of a wave of such moves in the past few weeks from mayors in big cities, where large numbers of immigrants and voters supported Democrat Hillary Clinton's failed White House bid. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who faces a possible tough 2017 re-election fight, gave a speech two weeks ago pledging to use "all of the tools at our disposal" to stand up for residents there. Emanuel, has not said whether he plans to run for a third term in 2019. But facing deep distrust from some African-American voters because of continuing gun violence in some predominantly black neighborhoods and concerns about police treatment of black residents, it makes political sense for him to try to strengthen his standing with the city's large Hispanic population. Advertisement jebyrne@chicagotribune.com Twitter @_johnbyrne Former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager, right, is escorted from the courthouse during his murder trial at the Charleston County court in Charleston, S.C., Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. (Chuck Burton / AP) CHARLESTON, S.C. The jury in the murder trial of a former South Carolina police officer charged with gunning down a black motorist will continue deliberating next week, despite at one point Friday appearing deadlocked by a juror who told the judge he could not "with good conscience approve a guilty verdict." The panel of one black and 11 white jurors has now deliberated for more than 16 hours over three days on whether to convict former North Charleston police Officer Michael Slager in the death of 50-year-old Walter Scott. They will return to the jury room Monday. Advertisement Twice on Friday the jurors told Judge Clifton Newman they had reached a stalemate. One juror sent a letter directly to the judge saying he could not "with good conscience approve a guilty verdict." The juror added he was not about to change his mind. But then in the courtroom, the jury foreman told the judge that he thought jurors could reach a unanimous verdict and deliberations continued. Newman did not say whether the jurors were leaning toward a conviction on murder or on voluntary manslaughter. Advertisement A white South Carolina police officer was charged with murder April 7, 2015, hours after law enforcement officials viewed a video that appears to show him shooting a fleeing black man several times in the back. (Associated Press) (Chicago Tribune) Slager pulled over Scott's 1990 Mercedes for a broken taillight on April 4, 2015. Scott was shot five times in the back as he fled the traffic stop. A passer-by captured the shooting on cellphone video that stunned the nation. Slager was fired from the department and charged with murder after the video surfaced. Jurors are considering a charge of murder, which in Slager's case could carry a sentence of from 30 years to life in prison, and a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, which carried a sentence of between two years and five years. The city of North Charleston reached a $6.5 million civil settlement with Scott's family last year. In the wake of the shooting, the city also asked that the U.S. Justice Department conduct a review of its police department policies with an eye toward how the department can improve its relationship with residents. Slager also faces trial next year in federal court on charges of depriving Scott of his civil rights. Associated Press To hear Donald Trump tell it, the story of how Carrier decided not to move jobs to Mexico started when the president-elect was watching the evening news about a week ago. "And they had a gentlemen, worker, great guy, handsome guy, he was on, and it was like he didn't even know they were leaving. He said something to the effect, 'No, we're not leaving, because Donald Trump promised us that we're not leaving,' " Trump said Thursday. Advertisement It was all news to Trump, who was taken aback at the idea that he promised to keep Carrier jobs in the United States. "And I never thought I made that promise. Not with Carrier. I made it for everybody else. I didn't make it really for Carrier," Trump said. Advertisement In fact, Trump repeatedly pledged to keep Carrier jobs in the United States after the Indiana-based air conditioning and heating systems maker said it would move 1,400 jobs to Mexico. The vow became a rallying cry for Trump and his supporters - one that the real estate developer repeatedly stated on the campaign trail. "We're not going to let Carrier leave," Trump said in Indiana in April. "Because say what you want, Indiana. I've been talking about Carrier now for four months, right?" But Trump seems to have forgotten that major part of his campaign. Until he saw the man on television. The employee said he voted for Trump and believed the president-elect's promise to prevent the jobs from going offshore. The man's father was apparently in the room where Trump was speaking. "Well, your son is great, and he meant that, didn't he? He really meant that," Trump told the man. "At first I said, 'I wonder if he's being sarcastic, because this ship has sailed.' " Trump has shown a willingness to change some of his firmest positions and that he can be easily persuaded - he tends to echo the last thing a person told him or something he saw on television. But the man - and others at the Carrier plant - took Trump at his word. Yet the president-elect said he didn't remember making that promise, despite repeating it over and over again. "I actually said I didn't make it. When they played it I said, 'I did make it, but I didn't mean it quite that way,' " Trump said. It was, he explained: "A euphemism. I was talking about Carrier like all other companies from here on in, because they made the decision a year and a half ago." "We want you to do what you said you were going to do. We're going to hold you accountable," one man said. He said of Trump: "If he could come here and save these 1,400 jobs here tomorrow, I'll gladly vote for him again." After watching the news, Trump said he had the idea to call the head of Carrier - but then decided to reach out Greg Hayes, the CEO of its parent company, United Technologies Corp. Trump on Thursday defended directly intervening with a company looking to move overseas, potentially opening the door to unprecedented corporate intervention by a sitting president. Advertisement "I called Greg, and I said, 'It's really important; we have to do something. Because you have a lot of people leaving and you have to understand, we can't allow this to happen anymore with our country,' " Trump said. " 'We got to sit down. We got to do something.' And I said, 'Because we just can't let it happen.' " President-elect Donald Trump speaks to workers Thursday at a Carrier plant in Indianapolis. (Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images) Under the terms of the incentive package, Carrier would receive $7 million in incentives from Indiana in exchange for a $16 million investment in the facility over the next two years. Trump said Thursday that amount would likely be higher. Carrier said the deal is contingent on employment, job retention and capital investment. The company still plans to shift manufacturing to Mexico from a different Indiana plant that employs about 700 people. Despite saying he didn't remember his promise, Trump is now fully claiming that his intervention kept the jobs in the United States - and said the man on television deserved credit. "Only because of your son, OK, believe me," he told the father in the room. "Your son, whoever the hell your son is, these people owe him a lot." Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the first senator to endorse Trump, is known for his hardline views on immigration. Sessions could face obstacles in his confirmation hearing, even with Republicans in control of the Senate. He withdrew from consideration for a federal judgeship in 1986 after being accused of making racist comments while serving as a U.S. attorney in Alabama. AP (Carolyn Kaster / AP) President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday he will nominate retired Gen. James Mattis to be his defense secretary, making the announcement at a post-election victory rally in Cincinnati. Mattis, 66, is a Marine Corps general who retired in 2013 after serving as the commander of the U.S. Central Command. Advertisement His selection raises questions about increased military influence in a job designed to insure civilian control of the armed forces. The concerns revolve around whether a recently retired service member would rely more on military solutions to international problems, rather than take a broader, more diplomatic approach. For Mattis to be confirmed, Congress would first have to approve legislation bypassing a law that bars retired military officers from becoming defense secretary within seven years of leaving active duty. Advertisement Mattis has a reputation as a battle-hardened, tough-talking Marine who was entrusted with some of the most challenging commands in the U.S. military. In a tweet last month, Trump referred to Mattis by his nickname "Mad Dog" and described him as "A true General's General!" Mattis would be only the second retired general to serve as defense secretary, the first being George C. Marshall in 1950-51 during the Korean War. Marshall was a much different figure, having previously served as U.S. secretary of state and playing a key role in creating closer ties with Western Europe after World War II. The only previous exception to the law requiring a gap after military service was for Marshall. Although his record in combat and his credentials as a senior commander are widely admired, Mattis has little experience in the diplomatic aspects of the job of secretary of defense. Richard Fontaine, president of the Center for a New American Security, described Mattis as a defense intellectual and as a military leader who distinguished himself in combat. "He knows the Middle East, South Asia, NATO and other areas and has evinced both a nuanced approach to the wars we're in and an appreciation for the importance of allies," Fontaine said in an email exchange. "If he were to get the nomination, I suspect that he could attract a number of very talented people to work with him." But Mattis hasn't been immune to controversy. He was criticized for remarking in 2005 that he enjoyed shooting people. He also drew more recent scrutiny for his involvement with the embattled biotech company Theranos, where he serves on the board. President-elect Trump with retired Gen. James Mattis and Vice President-elect Mike Pence last month. (Aude Guerrucci / European Pressphoto Agency) Born in Pullman, Washington, Mattis enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1969, later earning a history degree from Central Washington University. He was commissioned as an officer in 1972. As a lieutenant colonel, Mattis led an assault battalion into Kuwait during the first U.S. war with Iraq in 1991. Advertisement As head of the Central Command from 2010 until his retirement in 2013, he was in charge of both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Mattis commanded the Marines who launched an early amphibious assault into Afghanistan and established a U.S. foothold in the Taliban heartland. As the first wave of Marines moved toward Kandahar, Mattis declared that, "The Marines have landed, and now we own a piece of Afghanistan." Two years later, he helped lead the invasion into Iraq in 2003 as the two-star commander of the 1st Marine Division. In 2005, he raised eyebrows when he told a San Diego forum that it was "fun to shoot some people." According to a recording of his remarks, Mattis said, "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot. ... It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you, I like brawling." Advertisement He added, "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil," Mattis continued. "You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." Mattis was counselled to choose his words more carefully. A year later, Mattis came under scrutiny during one of the more high-profile criminal investigations of the Iraq war, the shooting deaths of 24 Iraqis by Marines. The Iraqis, who included unarmed women and children, were killed by Marines in the town of Haditha after one of their comrades was killed by a roadside bomb. Eight Marines were charged in connection with the killings four enlisted men were charged with unpremeditated murder and four officers who weren't there at the time were accused of failures in investigating and reporting the deaths. As commander of the accused Marines' parent unit, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Mattis ultimately dismissed charges against most of the Marines. As a top Marine general, Mattis pushed for the military to adopt blood-testing technology developed by Theranos. Advertisement As reported by The Washington Post , Mattis first met Theranos founder Elizabeth A. Holmes in 2011. A year later, according to emails obtained by The Post, Holmes used her connection to Mattis to pressure him to intervene after a Pentagon official raised concerns that the company was distributing its technology without approval by the Food and Drug Administration. The emails show within hours after Holmes asked Mattis for help, he forwarded her email to other military officials asking them,"how do we overcome this new obstacle." Mattis joined the Theranos board the same year he retired. The company, which raised hundreds of millions of dollars on the promise of breakthrough blood-testing technology, was forced to invalidate two years of patients' test results after the reliability of its proprietary blood-testing machinery was questioned by internal and government whistleblowers and investigative reporting by The Wall Street Journal. Associated Press William "Jamie" Kunz was studying linguistics when he decided to switch to law. Kunz was a longtime public defender in Cook and DuPage counties. (Chicago Tribune 2008) William "Jamie" Kunz, a longtime public defender in Cook and DuPage counties, kept a client's confession to a murder secret for 26 years, leaving an innocent man in prison for a crime he did not commit. Kunz and fellow public defender Dale Coventry held fast to the legal principle of attorney-client privilege until the death of their client, Andrew Wilson, freed them to tell what they knew. Alton Logan, who was serving a life sentence for the crime to which Wilson confessed, was subsequently freed and the charges against him were dismissed. Advertisement "He never wavered in his decision," said Kunz's niece Kristen Vehill. "He believed strongly in the law." Kunz, 78, a longtime resident of Winfield, died of cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Wynscape Health and Rehabilitation in Wheaton on Nov. 20, Vehill said. Advertisement Kunz grew up in the Chicago area and graduated from Maine South High School in Park Ridge. He went to Yale University and was working on a doctorate in linguistics at Indiana University when he decided he wanted a career that would be of more service to people. He wound up in the Peace Corps and was sent to the African nation of Malawi, where he taught English. He then got a law degree from the University of Chicago and went to work for the Cook County public defender's office. Attorney Tom Decker met Kunz when he was in law school and had volunteered for a program which introduced him to attorneys practicing in federal court. "He instinctively knew that he belonged in some sort of pro bono office," Decker said. In January 1982, security guard Lloyd Wickliffe was shot to death during a robbery of a South Side McDonald's restaurant. Alton Logan and another man were arrested on the testimony of witnesses and subsequently convicted of the murder. At the time, Kunz and Coventry were assistant public defenders representing Wilson, who was charged in the slaying of two Chicago police officers. During interviews, Wilson told the attorneys he shot Wickliffe and that Logan was not involved. Kunz and Coventry recorded the information in a notarized affidavit, which Coventry kept in a locked metal box. The two lawyers were bound by attorney-client privilege not to disclose what they knew, but Wilson agreed they could release his statement after his death. Wilson, who wound up serving a life sentence for the police killings, died in prison in November 2007. Kunz and Coventry testified in court in early 2008 and Logan walked out of prison in April. Vehill said Kunz was firm in his belief that if he didn't honor client confidences, his clients wouldn't trust him. But Vehill said her uncle was surprised by widespread criticism of the decision he and Coventry made. Advertisement "I think he was truly quite unprepared for the reaction," Vehill said. Kunz left the Cook County public defender's office in 1994 for DuPage County, where he was a senior public defender, according to friend and former prosecutor John Burg. "Jamie was a transformative figure," Burg said. "He saw the good in all people. If there was good in someone, he would make you see it." Kunz handled several other high-profile cases over the years. In the 1980s, he defended Hutchie Moore, a former Chicago police officer who shot and killed a judge and an attorney in a Daley Center courtroom after a ruling in a divorce case went against him. Burg said it was just assumed Moore would get the death penalty. "Somehow, Jamie got the guy natural life," Burg said. "The state's attorney's office couldn't believe it." Kunz also bought a small Chicago firehouse, renting out one half and living in the other, Decker said. "It still had a pole in it," Decker recalled. "As far as I know, nobody was badly injured." Advertisement Survivors include a brother, Pete. There will be a memorial gathering 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday at Norris-Segert Funeral Home, 132 Fremont St., West Chicago. Graydon Megan is a freelance reporter. Kimberly Hively says she lost her job after being seen kissing her female partner goodbye outside the community college where she worked. A federal appellate court seemed sympathetic to her case. (Lambda Legal) On gay rights, America has come a great distance in a short time. Remember the days, not so long ago, when gays stayed in the closet, sodomy was a crime, same-sex marriage was banned and people could be fired from their jobs because of their sexual orientation? Actually, you don't have to try to remember that last one. It's still the case in 28 states, including Vice President-elect Mike Pence's Indiana, that holding hands with your same-sex partner in public can mean losing your livelihood. A bigoted boss can cashier a good employee for loving someone of the wrong gender. Advertisement This unprotected status is an anomaly under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which forbids employment discrimination on the basis of "race, color, religion, sex, or national origin." African-Americans and other racial minorities are protected, Catholics and Muslims are protected, women are protected and immigrants are protected. Gays are not. Many libertarians, whose general principles I share, think the law is an intolerable infringement on contractual freedom. When Gary Johnson, the party's presidential nominee, said at the Libertarian Party's national convention in May that he would have voted for the 1964 Civil Rights Act, he was booed. But pretty much everyone else agrees that ship has sailed, as well it should have. Advertisement The question now is not whether federal law should ban discrimination on the basis of certain criteria. It's merely which criteria deserve inclusion. On this issue, the public took the side of gays even before coming around on same-sex marriage. Most Americans think discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation should be illegal. Not only that, a 2015 survey by the Public Religion Research Institute found that 75 percent think it already is. A study by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law reported, "A majority of Americans in every U.S. congressional district support laws that protect against employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation." Such an expansion would make sense, because gays are similar to other minorities that have long been targets of hostility and mistreatment. But when the 1964 law was passed, no one was thinking of protecting gays, who were widely viewed with ignorant disgust. And a bill known as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act has been repeatedly introduced in Congress, to no avail. So federal law leaves gays out in the cold. Or does it? A lawsuit heard Nov. 30 before the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago argues that the federal law against discrimination on the basis of sex should be interpreted to cover sexual orientation. Nearly all of the judges who asked questions appeared to find much merit in the argument. Frank Easterbrook, a renowned conservative judge appointed by Ronald Reagan, noted that in its 1967 decision in Loving v. Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a law forbidding interracial marriage because it treated people of different races differently. A black woman could marry a black man but not a white man. She was penalized solely because of her race. In the gay rights case, community college teacher Kimberly Hively said she lost her job after she was seen kissing her female partner goodbye in the parking lot. Had she been seen kissing her male partner, she would not have lost her job. "Why isn't that sex discrimination by exactly the reasoning of Loving?" demanded Easterbrook. Hively allegedly suffered retribution not for having a female partner, which would be perfectly fine if she were a man, but for being a woman who has a female partner. How can that not qualify as sex discrimination? Advertisement The obvious retort is that the lawmakers who approved the Civil Rights Act didn't mean to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and therefore it doesn't. But they also didn't set out to deter sexual harassment of men by men or to prevent the firing of women because they are perceived as unfeminine both of which the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled illegal under the law. Conservative hero Justice Antonin Scalia, writing in 1998 for a unanimous court, agreed that such conduct was not what Congress had in mind. "But statutory prohibitions often go beyond the principal evil to cover reasonably comparable evils," he wrote, "and it is ultimately the provisions of our laws rather than the principal concerns of our legislators by which we are governed." Sooner or later, discrimination against gays will no longer be treated as an acceptable, legal practice. Then Americans will wonder why on Earth it took so long. Steve Chapman, a member of the Tribune Editorial Board, blogs at www.chicagotribune.com/chapman. schapman@tribpub.com Twitter @SteveChapman13 Advertisement www.facebook.com/stevechapman13 Donald Trump flew to the presidency, in part, on the strength of his oft-outrageous and provocative Twitter feed, which he effectively used to pick fights with critics and the media. The election appears not to have curbed his penchant for social media: He's still being outrageous and provocative. He's still picking fights with critics and the media. Advertisement And those pronouncements often make big headlines, but some observers say the media should stop covering Trump's tweets so obsessively. Should the president spend so much time on social media? How much attention does it deserve? Two writers debate the issue. Advertisement Keep him in your feed the president-elect's words matter By Joel Mathis This would be a good time to say, "Let Donald be Donald," except Americans have no indication that Donald Trump can be anything other than Donald Trump. That said, he's going to tweet, and the presidency shouldn't be confined to 18th-century modes of communication. Twitter is a part of how we live now. But Trump should probably give more care to crafting his tweets. And the media should be more thoughtful in how they cover him. Why? The president-elect's words matter. They can shake markets or put countries on a war footing and they can do that even if the president is merely horsing around. That's why a whole information infrastructure has grown up around the Oval Office not just to communicate what the president wants communicated but also to avoid accidentally communicating ideas the president doesn't want communicated. So it matters when Trump tweets that flag burning should be punished by a loss of citizenship. It matters when he bashes journalists who don't follow his favored storylines. And it matters when he makes wild, unsupported accusations that millions of people voted illegally against him. Advertisement Those tweets hint at an authoritarian personality and warn the American people they should be on guard for their liberty under the new president. To purposefully ignore these comments is to let our vigilance ebb. Trump's fiercest critics say his tweets are a distraction, that the news media should ignore the president-elect's pronouncements and focus instead on areas of substance the conflicts of interest between his business holdings and his presidential duties, for example. The underlying presumption, though, is that the news media can't walk and chew gum. In this age of diminished journalistic resources, in which every newspaper seems to go through a round of buyouts and layoffs every year, that presumption is understandable. But one area of American life that's not going under-covered? The White House. So it's possible necessary, actually to pay attention both to what President-elect Trump says and what he does. There's no need to choose between the two. Don't obsess about every tweet, but focus on the underlying issues By Ben Boychuk Advertisement If the media is going to flip out over every presidential tweet, the next four years are going to be hilariously tedious. Or tediously hilarious. Probably a bit of both, with plenty of horror and embarrassment added to the mix. Horror and embarrassment for the press, that is. How long can the press maintain these dangerously high levels of dudgeon before the entire edifice collapses? Salena Zito was one of the few journalists in the United States who understood Donald Trump early on. As it turns out, Zito remains one of the few journalists who understand the president-elect. "The press takes him literally, but not seriously; his supporters take him seriously, but not literally," she wrote in The Atlantic in September. Should we take seriously and literally a president-elect who thinks voter fraud is widespread? At the risk of lapsing into logical fallacy, it's hardly clear that the absence of evidence is evidence of absence especially when states like California, where Trump's opponent dominated the popular vote, recently began issuing drivers licenses to illegal immigrants and registering to vote is as easy as visiting the secretary of state's website. Advertisement Should we take seriously and literally a president-elect who thinks burning the American flag ought to be penalized by jail and perhaps even "loss of citizenship"? True, the U.S. Supreme Court twice ruled that flag-burning laws are unconstitutional. Yet not so long ago, a flag-burning amendment to the Constitution was broadly popular. Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton, even co-sponsored a bill in the U.S. Senate to make burning the flag punishable by a year in jail and up to $100,000 in fines. Maybe the better question is whether we should take seriously a press corps that refuses to look closely at voter registration shenanigans and seems to believe that the Supreme Court has the last word on political questions or, at least the ones that are most congenial to a liberal outlook. Trump's tweets are outrageous by design. But they also help clarify our political differences and make the media out to be fools in the bargain. Why mess with success? Tribune Content Agency Joel Mathis is a writer in Kansas. Ben Boychuk is managing editor of American Greatness. If you were an inquisitive space alien who decided to drift down to visit America in 2016 as a tour guide, I probably wouldn't recommend this year in particular, as people are kind of crabby. But that's another story. So, all is forgiven for thinking that American women simply can't do a thing for themselves. You could be forgiven, that is, if your only human contacts were today's leading "feminists." Take the news regarding the nomination of Rep. Tom Price, a pro-life congressman from Georgia, as the incoming Trump administration's secretary of health and human services. To hear feminists tell it, if Price gets confirmed, we lady folk might as well call it a day, don a sackcloth and wail as we wait for the fearsome and inevitable arrival of the tsunami of patriarchal oppression. Advertisement "Trump Health Czar Tom Price is a Nightmare for Women," declared a headline for a Daily Beast article that was written by Erin Gloria Ryan, where she is the senior editor. "Price helming HHS is a nightmare scenario for advocates of reproductive choice," she continued, "and a dream for those with a nostalgia for the time before Roe v. Wade, if not Griswold v. Connecticut." Yikes. This Price guy sounds pretty retrograde! Did he announce an improbable plan to single-handedly overturn Roe v. Wade, thereby removing the federal right to an abortion, even though he's not on the U.S. Supreme Court? Has he unleashed a scheme to outlaw contraceptives, even though Griswold already declared that unconstitutional? Has he proposed a forced nationwide return to modest poodle skirts and drive-ins and people who exclaim things like "Gee, Linda, I sure don't trust the punch at this sock hop"? Advertisement Well, no. Get ready, America, and prepare to be shocked: Tom Price doesn't think you should be forced to pay for everyone else's abortion and contraceptives. Price, as the McClatchy news service reported this week, "would be able to repeal one of President Barack Obama's most controversial initiatives: free birth control for women under the Affordable Care Act." Because of this and likely because Planned Parenthood Federation of America received a whopping $500 million in tax dollars last year, which would be a real bummer to lose Planned Parenthood's president, Cecile Richards, was among the first to sound an alarm at the news. "Tom Price poses a grave threat to women's health in this country," she announced. "Price would take women back decades." Actually, Price would likely take women back seven years to the notorious hell-scape of 2009, when people had to shell out around $10 a month for birth control pills. Also, in 2009 gird your loins, for this way horror lurks you couldn't just waltz into your doctor's office and demand a $500 intrauterine device for "free." (The IUD is never "free," of course. Other people pay for it, or a recipient pays for it in quieter, more indirect ways. Amazingly, for much of the political left, this lesson never seems to sink in.) Let's set aside, at least for now, the left's many fears about the socially moderate Trump's supposedly incoming reign of hardcore social-conservative terror. Let's look at the real subtext beneath the panic. It's the sad truth that feminism, once a plucky movement with worthy elements dedicated to fighting structural inequities faced by women, has collapsed into often-sulky shambles with one overarching, consistent demand: "I'm helpless! Pay for my stuff!" "Every little girl dreams of one day growing up and falling in love," writes Ryan in The Daily Beast, "and one day, when a squeamish insurance executive decides it's time to stop paying for health care that enables women to have non-procreative sex, getting accidentally pregnant." Ryan's being sarcastic, of course, but she reveals much more than intended. It's strange: Her imaginary "little girl," all grown up, seems to have no individual agency. Things like, say, getting "accidentally pregnant" just happen to her! How could she possibly have prevented this unfortunate, mysterious development without the money and approval of a squeamish insurance executive? If you read many such panicked feminist think pieces, in fact, it would seem fair to assume that women are essentially wandering, slightly confused uteruses with zero personal control. Doesn't seem feminist or empowered at all, does it? Is there a chance that Planned Parenthood, that holy of holies for movement feminists, could lose federal funding under a President Donald Trump? Perhaps. Personally, I'll believe it when I see it. Here's the real question: If Planned Parenthood did lose funding, and the nation disintegrated into a nightmarish dystopia straight out of "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood this second part wouldn't happen, of course, but let's entertain the fantasy for now what would feminists do? Advertisement They'd impress me, for one, if they rolled up their sleeves, got to work and raised the money themselves. If Planned Parenthood is the marvelous and necessary charitable organization its fans say it is, this shouldn't be a problem, right? Last time I checked, alas, feminists weren't making these plans. In media outlets ranging from Time magazine to The Daily Beast to New York magazine to Vogue, feminists were urging their "sisters" wait for it, for I'm not making this up to rush out and get a "free" government-funded IUD while they still could. Apparently, that's what modern empowerment is all about. National Review Heather Wilhelm is a writer based in Austin, Texas. A few weeks ago, Massachusetts voters rejected a major expansion of charter schools statewide. In Chicago, a new teachers union contract limits charter capacity and threatens to strangle the growth of excellent charter schools in the city. The NAACP has demanded a moratorium on charter expansion nationally. Into this charter-chilling atmosphere steps Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to head the U.S. Department of Education. We like DeVos. Opinions vary: Karen Lewis, head of the Chicago Teachers Union, calls her a "nightmare." Advertisement DeVos, a Michigan philanthropist, has helped lead the national battle to expand education opportunities for children. She and her husband, Dick, who ran the parent company of Amway, helped pass Michigan's first charter school law more than two decades ago. They started a political action committee to support candidates who back tuition vouchers. She chairs the American Federation for Children, which has fought for school choice, including vouchers and tax-credit scholarships. She has served on the board of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, a reform group launched by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. No, DeVos doesn't have the typical educrat's resume. But she's successful and relentless. She backs innovation and giving families escape routes from inferior schools. We think she'll breathe more oxygen into a public education industry that, in Illinois and elsewhere, resists accountability and disruptive reform while millions of children languish in low-wattage, taxpayer-owned schools. Advertisement In a recent series of editorials, we've urged a Schoolchild's Bill of Rights to guarantee the best education for all students. That means offering students and their parents more and better choices. As the nation's leading education official, DeVos should have the power to expand education options. Nurturing high-quality charters is one way to do that. DeVos could boost the federal charter school program that helps expand and replicate the most successful schools. She could encourage districts to give the same funding to charters as they give to neighborhood schools. She could promote innovation the best practices in high-performing classrooms, charter or not. We've advocated state-funded vouchers so children and parents can flee lousy schools for better ones, public or private. Sadly, the voucher effort flounders in Illinois, in large part because teachers union leaders who feel threatened by competition wield so much clout. That failure of lawmakers strands students. Could DeVos help persuade Springfield that it's time to join Indiana, Ohio and other states to offer children this option? Sure. Could her Education Department create incentives for states to experiment or expand in this vital arena? We think so. The feds' role in local education has scaled back under the law that replaced No Child Left Behind. But the Education Department still has the power to streamline or complicate educators' lives via regulation and red tape. It can cost, or save, districts millions of dollars. "She could have immediate impact in lightening the regulatory burden on schools and states, which yields a cost savings," Leslie Hiner, head of programs at EdChoice, formerly the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, tells us. DeVos "has a lot of influence in the reform community," Peter Cunningham, a former Obama administration education official and now executive director of the reform-minded nonprofit Education Post, tells us. "She is unequivocally a champion for choice. The question is whether she is a champion for quality." We expect DeVos will prove that she is. She should be a voice for all the nation's schoolchildren, not just those in charters. She can also remind Americans that charters aren't the enemy of public schools; they are public schools. Some boost academic progress significantly, some do not. The task of DeVos, of every school official and educator, is to expand the best charters and close the worst. That is happening in Chicago. Yet the mission here should be to encourage high-quality charter organizations nationwide to plant their flags in Chicago. The recent teachers union contract that limits charter growth won't help. In his campaign, Trump promised to direct $20 billion in existing federal grants to boost private and charter school choices for low-income children. We're waiting to hear the details on that. Advertisement He also said he'd be "the nation's biggest cheerleader for school choice." His choice of DeVos suggests that Trump intends to deliver on that promise. Deron Hardge, who has autism and a profound intellectual disability, was moved out of a group home by his mother after he suffered a medical crisis she blames on neglect. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune) Finally, the state cracked down on a shoddy group home operator serving adults with disabilities. The Illinois Department of Human Services has yanked the license of Disability Services of Illinois following a Tribune investigation into health and safety violations some resulting in deaths at group homes statewide. That's a start, but only a start, at fixing these problems. The overarching issue is years of sloppy state oversight of those homes. Advertisement The revocation was the first salient consequence of the Tribune's series "Suffering in Secret," which uncovered 1,311 incidents linked to abuse and neglect at group homes since July 2011. In 42 cases, clients died while in group home care. Untrained and careless workers forgot to dispense life-saving medication, didn't recognize the dangers of choking, failed to call 911 or perform CPR during emergencies, let bed sores go untreated. In many of these community homes the caregivers are unlicensed and untrained. They're paid low wages. They're overworked. And tragedies happen. Investigations into accidents and deaths, the Tribune found, are sloppy, incomplete and sometimes deceitful. In hundreds of cases, employees were allowed to investigate their own colleagues, a clear conflict of interest. At least one death identified by the Tribune went unreported for six months. Advertisement As a result of the Tribune's work, the state had to retract five years of error-filled reports from group homes. Five years. How did this happen? Disability Services of Illinois, headquartered in Chicago Heights, had a long history of complaints at its residential homes but also had relationships in Springfield that allowed it to continue getting state business. Until this week. The state notified the firm Nov. 28 its license would be revoked. Inspections last month found living conditions so deplorable the state determined clients were "at imminent risk." In an oversight system that gave operators second chances, Disability Services got third, fourth and fifth chances. For that, blame the Department of Human Services. The problems go beyond one operator. The Tribune's series exposed Illinois' incompetence at its most essential role: to keep citizens, especially those who cannot care or fight for themselves, safe from harm. For lack of state transparency, the public didn't know about all this harm. Advocates for the disabled say the state needs to raise the hourly rate under which it reimburses caretakers. Group home operators have trouble attracting qualified, trained workers when the pay averages about $9 an hour. Caretakers are responsible for around-the-clock tasks that include bathing, dressing, transporting and feeding adults who have severe disorders. Deron Hardge, 28, walks through the kitchen of his group home on the West Side of Chicago. When Hardge suffered a medical crisis at a group home in Harvey, where he was placed previously, testing later showed he barely had any of his anti-seizure medicine in his system when he arrived at the hospital. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill that was designed to raised the wage, but he had little choice. Lawmakers sent him the legislation without a funding source. Illinois needs a comprehensive financial plan and a balanced budget. But political infighting prevents progress toward financial or policy fixes in Springfield, even at the expense of the state's most vulnerable. The group home operator shut down by the state is being sued for negligence. Deron Hardge, now 28, nearly died in a group home in Harvey run by the owner of Disability Services in 2012, according to a lawsuit filed by his mother, Tara Wandick. Hardge, who has autism and intellectual disabilities, was found cold and unresponsive one afternoon. Doctors determined he had suffered a massive seizure. Hardge wasn't discovered for hours, according to paramedics. He slipped into a coma and suffered severe hypothermia but survived. He now lives in a different group home. During an interview with Tribune reporters which you can see in the video above Wandick sobs as she describes the anguish of deciding to place her son in a group home and the events that unfolded. As she talks, Hardge peers into her face. He cannot ask her what's wrong. He does not wrap her in a hug. He cannot speak. Advertisement Illinois has been steering people into community settings the intent is to deliver better care at lower cost than big state institutions. Many group homes are well-run, loving environments. But for too many years state monitoring has been lax and secretive. Nurturing and protecting these residents statewide now demands public persistence and pressure to ensure the state follows through on other reforms. More vigilance. More home inspections. More transparency. More accountability. And here's the big one legislative leaders have to move beyond their political standoff. The Deron Hardges of Illinois should not have to fight for attention and resources. Lawmakers should be working toward passing a balanced budget that includes appropriate funding for social service providers. Sadly, despicably, that's difficult in a statehouse where politics, not people, comes first. Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook. Since the election, I am getting close to completing the five stages of grief. I must be a mostly there, because I have started to take little of President-elect Donald Trump's bluster seriously (one example is his desire to revoke the citizenship of U.S. citizens for flag desecration). It's a waste of my time. Of course, there are major concerns about his potential actions once in office. These include acting on such threats as leaving NATO, pulling out of the climate change pact, tearing up the Iran nuclear accord or going backward on the rapprochement with Cuba. Foreign policy approaches can change moving forward, but I think to completely renege on significant moves made by prior administrations will forever alter how the rest of the world will trust our country to keep its promises. It will likely hurt us badly in the future. Advertisement Of course, there are many domestic issues to boot. Let's focus on what he does, not what he says. To paraphrase Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, I hope that we can make him a one-term president before too much damage is done. Nick Sloane, Glendale Heights It is said that due to the structure of our government, we could elect a complete moron to the office of president without serious harm being done. Unfortunately, the checks and balances of government are negated when one party controls the legislative and judicial branches. We have experienced this in the early days of the Obama administration. President-elect Donald Trump is castigated for his lack of experience in governmental affairs and is somewhat abrasive. He is wealthy and has successfully operated business ventures worldwide. President Barack Obama is a very gifted speaker, but unfortunately lacks substance in his words. His experience in public service is limited to that of a community organizer and has demonstrated an inability to respond to incidents regarding national security. Advertisement It is also said that a good administrator hires competent people to advise him rather than political hacks. Trump has his chance to do this and guide our nation to the greatness that we were. John Culloton, Chicago U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., speaks with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to members of the media during a news conference about private prisons Sept. 17, 2015, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Alex Wong / Getty Images) Republican President-elect Donald Trump, as everyone knows, launched his campaign with insults to women, Muslims, Mexicans and other minorities and without apologies to anybody. He won election anyway. Now we have Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, front-runner for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee, receiving renewed scrutiny of his past statements in support of Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan and other radical figures statements that he renounced at least 10 years ago. Advertisement Can Ellison, 53, the first Muslim elected to Congress (and along with Andre Carson, an Indiana Democrat, one of two now serving in Congress), receive what Trump requested throughout his campaign, to be "treated fairly?" I don't fault the Anti-Defamation League for raising questions about Ellison's bid, although I think the group would have benefited from talking to him first. The statement from ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt cited statements about Israel in a 2010 speech by Ellison as "deeply disturbing and disqualifying." Advertisement The statement was released the same day as a new CNN report detailed Ellison's past defense of Farrakhan, whose previous statements about Jews and Israel inflamed tensions nationwide, beginning with the Rev. Jesse Jackson's 1984 presidential campaign. Ellison responded to the ADL in an open letter, describing himself as a "strong supporter of the Jewish state, voting for more than $27 billion in aid to Israel." He described the quotes in question as "selectively edited and taken out of context" by an unnamed person whom the Southern Poverty Law Center has called an "anti-Muslim extremist." Nevertheless, he said, he looked forward to working with the ADL more in the future. The ADL statement dealt a setback to Ellison's bid in which he has emerged as front-runner. His wide-ranging endorsements include Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Ellison forcefully renounced his association with the Nation of Islam and its leader Farrakhan in 2006 after it became a issue during his first run for Congress. Local Republican bloggers had published his old law school columns and photos connecting him to the black separatist organization and even speaking favorably of racial separatism and slavery reparations. But that was a different, far more radical Keith Ellison, he says, than the one who was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2002. When his former activism emerged as an issue in his 2006 campaign, his renunciation of those past associations was clear and forceful. "I have long since distanced myself from and rejected the Nation of Islam," he wrote at the time, "due to its propagation of bigoted and anti-Semitic ideas and statements, as well as other issues." Advertisement The new quotes unearthed by CNN came from his earlier period. Although Ellison had defended the right of others to speak, CNN did not find anti-Semitic statements that he had made himself. Even so, he said, he regretted his earlier reluctance to properly judge those who did make anti-Semitic and homophobic statements. I find it ironic that Ellison's remarks, for which he has apologized, were brought to my attention partly by angry readers who had defended Donald Trump's right to insult entire groups of people with no apologies. Is Trump's demand to be "treated fairly" too precious to be extended to Democrats? I don't recall any apology, for example, for Trump's phony birther campaign in which he led us on a merry chase after President Barack Obama's birth certificate that he had to know was bogus from its very beginnings. The closest Trump has come to an apology for his various blows against "political correctness" came in a 90-second video-recorded acknowledgment of regret for a decade-old audio tape in which he boasted about grabbing women's genitals. Does accountability matter anymore? That's why I don't disagree with the nonpartisan ADL or anyone else who wants Ellison to account for his past controversial statements. If politicians are not accountable to the public for what they say or do, our democracy is meaningless. But those who say they have changed for the better should be allowed to prove themselves. "Give him a chance," is the mantra we hear from Trump loyalists, now that he is about to be sworn in as president. Fine. But Ellison deserves a chance too. Advertisement Clarence Page, a member of the Tribune Editorial Board, blogs at www.chicagotribune.com/pagespage. cpage@chicagotribune.com Twitter @cptime A Kendall County deputy coroner accused of misconduct while working as a guard at the Illinois Youth Center in St. Charles will not be reappointed to his Kendall post. New Kendall County Coroner Jacquie Purcell formally assumed office Thursday, after running unopposed in last month's election to replace retiring Coroner Ken Toftoy. On Thursday, she sent Michael M. Klimek a letter thanking him for his prior commitment to the coroner's office but informing him that he would not be re-sworn in as a deputy coroner, and asking him to return county property including keys and badges. Advertisement "He was not going to be reappointed anyway but his actions certainly helped to solidify those decisions," Purcell said of the allegations against Klimek concerning his job with the Illinois Youth Center. On paper, the coroner's office under Toftoy had 20 deputy coroners, but only three of those including Klimek were considered active and on the payroll, Purcell said. The last call Klimek took for the coroner's office was on Nov. 20, Purcell said. Advertisement On Nov. 22, Klimek, Johan O. Asiata, Andre L. McFarland, and Elliot J. Short, all guards at Illinois Youth Center-St. Charles, were indicted on multiple counts of abuse by a Kane County grand jury. State police took Klimek, 40, of Yorkville, into custody Nov. 22. He posted $7,500 bond and was released from Kane County jail Nov. 23. He is scheduled to appear next in court at 9 a.m. Monday at the Kane County Judicial Center. In a short note dated Nov. 26 addressed to Toftoy but also brought to Purcell's attention, Klimek requested a leave of absence from his deputy coroner duties effective immediately for "personal reasons," Purcell said. In January, the four St. Charles Youth Center guards, led by Klimek, encouraged certain juvenile residents to physically attack other residents, according to Kane County State's Attorney Joe McMahon. He said the four facilitated the attacks and stood idly by while they took place. Klimek is charged with 53 counts of official misconduct, a Class 3 felony; aggravated battery, also a Class 3 felony; unlawful restraint, a Class 4 felony; mob action, another Class 4 felony; and theft, a Class A misdemeanor. The Beacon-News has been unable to reach Klimek or any of the other three indicted guards for comment. According to the charges, there were 10 victims in the incidents, all of which took place between Jan. 9 and 28. The four men were then placed on paid administrative leave, according to the state's attorney's office. Advertisement hleone@tribpub.com Twitter @hannahmleone The historic former Waubonsee Community College building at Galena Boulevard and Stolp Avenue in Aurora would become an arts center under a redevelopment plan. (Steve Lord / The Beacon-News) The $35 million arts center project planned in downtown Aurora keeps moving forward. Two Aurora City Council committees Thursday recommended agreements involved with the project that includes an arts center in the former Waubonsee Community College building downtown. Advertisement The Finance Committee unanimously recommended a development agreement between the city, the Aurora Civic Center Authority and the Aurora Arts Center Developer LLC for redevelopment of the former downtown Waubonsee campus at 2 to 20 S. Stolp Ave., and 5 E. Galena Blvd. The committee also recommended another development agreement between the city and the Aurora Revitalization Owner LLC for redevelopment of part of the same property, as well as a separate building at 32 S. Broadway. The Finance Committee and the Planning and Development Committee met together Thursday, although they acted separately on their respective resolutions. The Planning and Development Committee recommended a substantial amendment to the federally funded Community Development Block Grant program to help fund the arts center project. Advertisement The $35 million project will be developed by The Community Builders Inc., which has formed the development companies named in the resolutions specifically for this project. It will include a restaurant, a school for the performing arts and apartments targeted at artists. In addition, the project includes an upgrade of the Joseph Corporation building at 32 S. Broadway. The Waubonsee building has been vacant for about five years and is next door to the Paramount Theatre at Galena Boulevard and Stolp Avenue. Invest Aurora - the city's not-for-profit development corporation - purchased the building earlier this year for $350,000 in order to facilitate the development of the arts center. The arts center project would be funded mostly by the sale of three types of tax credits, including New Market Tax Credits, and federal and state tax credits. Earlier this year, the city was awarded a tax credit of about $15 million from the Illinois Housing Development Authority that The Community Builders will sell to provide part of the funding for the project. Developers said Thursday they already have lined up Chase Bank to buy some of the credits. The developer also would put in between $6 million and $6.5 million. The city would put in about $1.2 million. About $700,000 would come from federal Community Development Block Grant funds, which is what requires the substantial amendment to the city's program, and about $500,000 in a grant from the downtown tax increment financing district. The city also would provide about a $3 million loan from a variety of sources, seen as a bridge to complete the funding. The loan money would be paid back by: $1 million from the developer - $500,000 in program money paid over 10 years and $500,000 that would be raised by the TIF district as the property value increases; $1 million from the Civic Center Authority through a combination of money saved and earned through development of the arts center; and $1 million in future lease proceeds for the 5,000-square-foot restaurant that would be developed in the ground floor of the arts center building. Rick Guzman, Aurora assistant chief of staff, said the money would be "a nearly no-interest loan." Alderman Richard Irvin, at large, asked if any of the loan money would be guaranteed by the general fund, or from taxes. Guzman said no. "It's guaranteed by future federal funding," he said. Advertisement More discussion of the project and the agreements are scheduled for the Dec. 6 City Council Committee of the Whole meeting. slord@tribpub.com The 105-year prison sentence given to Dimitri Green-Hosey for the 2014 murder of an Aurora man represents "cruel and unusual punishment" barred by constitutional rights, according to a recently filed motion by Green-Hosey's attorney. Further, the attorney, Bruce Lewin, contends Kane County Judge D.J. Tegeler should have more strongly considered Hosey's age 18 years and eight months at the time he fatally shot Arin Williams in the head in light of a Supreme Court ruling relating to the sentencing of juveniles. Advertisement "The sentence is disproportionate to the offense, does not allow for the possibility of rehabilitation, does not take into account any of the mitigating factors associated with (Hosey's) youth and is a clear violation of the Eight Amendment's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment," Lewin wrote in the four-page motion seeking to have Hosey's sentence vacated and for Tegeler to conduct a new sentencing hearing. Jurors in August needed about six hours to convict Hosey of murder and armed robbery in Williams' death inside a now-closed restaurant on Lake Street. Hosey testified that he shot Williams in self-defense after Williams pulled a gun during a marijuana deal in the restaurant's bathroom. However, Hosey's brother Jaquan who testified as part of an agreement with prosecutors told jurors he snatched the bag of marijuana and began to run out. After hearing a loud noise, Jaquan turned to see Williams on the floor bleeding. Advertisement Tegeler's sentence, one of the lengthiest issued in recent Kane County history, included 35 years for murder and 20 for armed robbery, as well as a pair of 25-year enhancements because Dimitri Green-Hosey personally fired the gun causing Williams' death. Lewin cited cases from Illinois involving "de facto" life sentences given to juvenile offenders, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court's 2013 decision in the so-called Miller case which made it unconstitutional in Illinois for juveniles convicted of two murders to automatically receive life in prison, to contend that rules which apply to defendants 17 and younger should have been considered by Tegeler in Hosey's case. "A juvenile doesn't lose all the personality characteristics of youth eight months after his 18th birthday." Lewin wrote. "This honorable court clearly did not take into account ... Dimitri was on his own since he was 13 and yet had not been convicted of any other crimes. He had been receiving disability from Social Security for mental behavioral problems since he was 5 years of age. ... The logical underpinning of Miller focused on the unique characteristics of youthful offenders, and the recognized distinction between juvenile and adult brains apply in equal force to individuals between the ages of 18 and 21." Prosecutors have not yet filed a formal response. It was not immediately known when a hearing on the motion will be heard. Dimitri is being processed at Stateville Correctional Center, while Jaquan is serving his 25-year sentence at the Menard Correctional Center after he pleaded guilty to murder. Dan Campana is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News. Buildings such as the former West Aurora administration facility in downtown Aurora could be redeveloped with help from a tax credit program reauthorized by the General Assembly. (Steve Lord / The Beacon-News) The General Assembly has approved reauthorizing a program that allows state tax credits to redevelop historic and older properties in cities like Aurora. The Senate Thursday afternoon approved the legislation to continue the River Edge Redevelopment Zone program for another year, in a concurrent vote with the Illinois House, which approved the measure earlier in the week. The reauthorization now goes before Gov. Bruce Rauner. Advertisement "This program encourages development and employment in a way that preserves our rich local history," said state Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, one of the sponsors of the bill. From this area, state Sen. Karen McConnaughay, R-St. Charles, also co-sponsored the bill. On the House side, state Reps. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, and Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, worked for passage of the bill in the House. Advertisement Aurora Mayor Robert O'Connor was happy with the votes in the General Assembly. "We are pleased that the RiverEdge Tax Credit once again received overwhelming bipartisan support," O'Connor said. "Given that the RiverEdge Tax Credit has demonstrated proven success in preserving historic buildings, eliminating blight and stimulating economic growth, we are hopeful that this is a first step toward a longer-term extension that would allow private developers to tackle the most difficult multi-year redevelopment projects in RiverEdge communities." The original program was designed for older Illinois cities with substantial parts of their downtowns along rivers: Aurora, Elgin, Rockford, East St. Louis and Peoria. It allows those cities to create redevelopment zones along the river and throughout the downtown where state tax credits are available for redevelopment of historic properties. The program was due to expire at the end of the year, but now will continue for another year. Aurora was one of the first cities to take advantage of the program and was the first city to seek and receive an expansion of its original zone. Expansion of the redevelopment zone is what allowed Aurora to use the program for the $25 million renovation of the former St. Charles Hospital on Galena Boulevard near Lincoln Avenue on the Near East Side. The project, spearheaded by VeriGreen Residential Development of Chicago, provides independent senior living apartments in a restored historic building. It includes $18 million in private funding but could not have been done without federal and state historic tax credits and loans from the Illinois Housing Development Authority, and the city of Aurora, using the city's authority provided by another federal program, city officials said. Advertisement Other cities that are part of the redevelopment zone program have had similar stories to tell the legislature. In Rockford, the state tax credits contributed to renovation of the historic Peacock Brewery on the Rock River, which created 110 construction jobs. The brewery now contributes $341,419 in income tax to the community, officials said. In Aurora, the tax credits could help redevelop such downtown buildings as the Hobbs Building at Galena Boulevard and River Street, the Terminal Building at Galena and Broadway, the Galena Hotel on Galena, and the former West Aurora School District building at River and Benton Street. slord@tribpub.com A Lisle man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for traveling to Aurora to have sex with children. William Shyu, 32, of the 3000 block of Tangley Oaks Trail, agreed to a sentence of seven years in prison for a guilty plea to involuntary sexual servitude of a minor, a class X felony. Advertisement Kane County Circuit Judge John A. Barsanti accepted the plea. Kane County Assistant State's Attorney Christine Bayer stated during the plea hearing that on March 27, 2015, Shyu drove to an Aurora hotel, met with a person he believed was the mother of two minor girls, confirmed with that person that he wanted sexual favors for 30 minutes with the two minor girls in exchange for $100, and paid the person $100 in cash. He was then arrested by officers from Homeland Security Investigations and the Aurora Police Department. Advertisement Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 100 Charge: drug induced homicide; Read more (DuPage County State's Attorney: Arrest does not imply guilt, and criminal charges are merely accusations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty and convicted.) When interviewed by police, Shyu acknowledged that his intent was to engage in sexual conduct with the children. No minor was present with or had any contact with Shyu, officials said. According to Illinois law, Shyu is eligible for day-for-day sentencing. He receives credit for two days served in the Kane County Jail. Shyu remains free on $40,000 bond. Barsanti ordered Shyu to surrender to the court Jan. 6 to begin serving his prison sentence. "Child sex trafficking human trafficking of any kind is unconscionable. Yet these crimes take place quite frequently in our communities, even here in Kane County," Kane County State's Attorney Joe McMahon said. You are here: Home Puppet theater in Slovakia and the Czech Republic has been put on the list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO during a meeting in in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, local news agency TASR reported Thursday. According to Juraj Hamar, chairman of the Slovak Culture Minister's Council for the Protection of Traditional Folk Culture, the UNESCO body praised the "unique value of puppet theatre in Slovakia and the Czech Republic for the cultural heritage of humanity." "This type of theater unites dramatic, dramaturgical, staging, interpretation, scenographic, visual artistic and musical skills," stressed Hamar, adding that other elements frequently include carving, painting and clothing puppets. "The tradition of puppet theatre in both countries is especially strong," Hamar said. A Chinese painting course given by celebrated Chinese painter and art teacher Xu Qiping debuted at Morocco's National Academy of Fine Arts in November, which was well-received among local students. A Chinese painting created by students at Morocco's National Academy of Fine Arts. [Photo/Chinaculture.org] After the 20-day session from Nov 6 to 26, a special exhibition, featuring over 30 pieces by the art students and also Xu's masterpieces of traditional Chinese painting, were displayed at the 100-year-old art school in Northern Morocco's Tetouan, attracting crowds of local artists and collectors. The artworks were created using Chinese ink brushes and Xuan paper - a special type of paper made for traditional Chinese large-scale painting and calligraphy. During her month-long stay, Xu taught the students how to use the ancient painting tools dating back thousands of years. Xu was appointed as a guest teacher by the Chinese Culture Ministry at the invitation of Morocco's Ministry of Culture, as part of the activities to boost art exchanges between the two countries. Xu has become the first Chinese painting artist ever to teach at the university. Flash Matt Damon and his fellow actors in Zhang Yimou's new blockbuster "The Great Wall," Pedro Pascal and Willem Dafoe, revealed their roles and stories in newly released footage. A poster for Zhang Yimou's new blockbuster "The Great Wall." [Photo / China.org.cn] Damon and Pedro Pascal play European mercenary soldiers in the film, coming to China to fight next to one another for money. But Chinese soldiers battle against monsters on the Great Wall made Damon devote himself to this greater cause to save humanity. Willem Dafoe's character in the film is an opportunist detained by the Chinese army for 25 years and tries to escape while stealing Chinese weapons. "The Great Wall," China's most expensive movie and a collaboration among China Film Co. Ltd., LeVision Pictures, Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures, will hit Chinese theaters on Dec. 16, 2016 and be released in the United States on Feb. 17, 2017. Luo Yixiao receives treatment at Shenzhen Children's Hospital in Guangdong province on Tuesday.[Photo / China Daily] More than 2.6 million yuan ($380,000) raised online by a father for his seriously ill daughter will be returned to the donors following public outcry over his alleged lack of honesty about the family's economic situation, according to a joint statement on Thursday. Luo Yixiao, 5, from Shenzhen, Guangdong province, was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia in September and her condition worsened earlier this month. Her father, Luo Er, posted a heart-wrenching story about his daughter on WeChat on Friday last week, asking for financial help. The post went viral and more than 110,000 people had donated 2.53 million yuan ($367,000) as of Wednesday. Luo Er, a magazine editor, also agreed to Liu Xiafeng, a former colleague and founder of Xiaotongren, a marketing company specializing in internet finance, posting his daughter's story on the company's WeChat account on Sunday. Readers of the post had also donated more than 110,000 yuan as of Wednesday. However, it was reported on Wednesday that Luo Er owns an apartment in Shenzhen and two more properties in neighboring city Dongguan, which was not mentioned in his plea for help. Luo Er confirmed the reports, but told local media that the two apartments in Dongguan cannot be sold at present due to a property-rights issue. The reports led to widespread doubt over his claimed inability to finance his daughter's medical expenses, with many netizens saying their kindness had been taken advantage of. According to a joint statement by Luo Er, Liu, WeChat and Shenzhen Civil Affairs Bureau, all donations will be returned to the donors. According to a statement on Wednesday by Shenzhen Children's Hospital, where Luo Yixiao is hospitalized, the girl's total medical fees since September have reached about 200,000 yuan, with her family needing to pay about 36,000 yuan and insurance covering more than 80 percent of the cost. The girl is in "critical condition" at the moment, and the hospital is working with doctors from Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children on her therapeutic schedule, the statement said. Liu initially promised that his company would donate 1 yuan for each repost, up to a total of 500,000 yuan. The number of reposts surpassed 500,000. The company was accused by netizens of employing the posting of the story as a marketing tool. The joint statement did not state how donations received by the company would be dealt with. In an earlier statement by Luo Er and Liu on Thursday, they had pledged to use the donations to establish a foundation to help children with leukemia, given donors' permission, adding that they would apply for financial aid for Luo Yixiao's treatment according to regulations. Legal experts said it is legal to raise money for a family member in difficulty, but added that donors have a right to ask for their money to be returned if important facts are "intentionally concealed". According to data from the Chinese Red Cross Foundation, about 20,000 children in China are diagnosed with leukemia each year, while the annual income of three-quarters of the families involved is less than 30,000 yuan. Chi Heng Foundation, a privately-run philanthropic organization, at the 29th World AIDS Day in Beijing on Dec. 1, called for young people to show their love and care for those who have suffered from AIDS and to arm themselves with the correct knowledge about the transmission and prevention of the virus. A latest report from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed there was an increase of 34,401 cases of AIDS from Jan. to Aug., this year. And the disease caused 8,817 deaths during the period. From the unsterilized blood-selling businesses to unprotected sexual relations, the infected and confirmed AIDS survivors in China have reached 654,000 since the discovery of the first case in 1985. To curb the spread of the contagious disease, the Chi Heng Foundation, a privately-owned philanthropic organization dedicated to improving the livelihoods of children from AIDS affected villages across the Chinese mainland, partnered with the Beijing office of the Standard Chartered Bank headquartered in Hong Kong and Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology (BIFT) to bring knowledge about the transmission and prevention of AIDS to the students from BIFT and the rest of the country through an online network on Dec. 1. Although they are confident about their knowledge of AIDS, the students remained uncertain and unclear over the details of the lethal immune virus. "Can a mosquito spread the disease?" A student asked in the symposium. "It has never happened before, but there might be a possibility if 7,000 mosquitoes find a target who is unaffected after all of them are fed up with the blood from an AIDS patient, and then sting he or she once in the same spot," Kong Zhouzhou, director of the Beijing office of Chi Heng Foundation, explained. "What about a French kiss?" another students queried. "It may need as much saliva as the size of four bottles of mineral water to transmit the disease," Kong answered. By visiting AIDS affected villages and working as a volunteer teacher in Xihua County, Zhoukou City, Henan Province, from March to July, this year, Kong said she and her colleagues will never ask the patient how they got infected because their supreme task is to help the affected people treat their incurable illness in positive ways. "I still remember a young boy who found out that he should see a doctor long after he had contracted HIV. Skinny and fatigued, he suffered a lot as his immune cells fell to a feeble level through the clinical tests," Kong recalled. But several years later, Kong was surprised to meet the boy again in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. He had put on some weight and looked healthy. Moreover, he is working as a receptionist in a hotel, thanks to the medicines that the AIDS patients in China get for free. With the progression of the clinical research, people contracted with AIDS can be tested earlier and treated better with the inventions of the test paper and the medicines that can prevent the transmission from mother to child through pregnancy, delivery and even breastfeeding, even though a vaccine has not yet been developed, Kong said. Founded in 2002 by To Chung, a Wall-Street-financier-turned philanthropist, Chi Heng Foundation has assisted many children from AIDS affected villages in central parts of China to get better opportunities and lead decent lives. Nie Shubin, who was executed 21 years ago for rape and murder, had his conviction overturned by China's top court on Friday. The father of Nie Shubin is crying after hearing Nie is exonerated in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, Dec 2, 2016. [Photo/VCG] The second circuit court under the Supreme People's Court revoked the verdict. Nie was convicted of raping and murdering a woman in Hebei provincial capital, Shijiazhuang, in 1995 and executed the same year at the age of 21. The case reemerged in 2005 when another man, Wang Shujin, admitted guilt in the case and said Nie was innocent. In December 2014, the SPC assigned the higher court of Shandong Province to review the case and the latter found there were too many questions about the previous trials to uphold the conviction. The SPC decided to retry the case in June 2016. The retrial panel of the second SPC circuit court reviewed all documents on the case, visited the crime scene, verified evidence and questioned former personnel who had handled the case. It also heard opinions from the Supreme People's Procuratorate, which insisted that the evidence presented in the original trial was insufficient. The SPC finally announced Nie was innocent on Friday. It ruled that the evidence was lacking; the time of the crime and tools used to commit the crime could not be confirmed; the victim's time and cause of death could not be confirmed; several key documents, including some records of the questioning of Nie and witnesses, had been lost; and the truth and legitimacy of Nie's confession were questionable. The evidence used to convict Nie was not accurate and sufficient and did not meet the requirements for a conviction, it said. The 22nd Conference of Parties (COP22) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) kicks off in Marrakech, Morocco on Nov. 7. The conference this year is focused on implementing the landmark Paris Agreement which was sealed last year and entered into force last week. The photo shows the flags of the participating countries at the conference venue. [Photo by Zhang Lulu/China.org.cn] On November 7, the representatives from 197 countries assembled at Marrakech, the quintessential city of Morocco, to draw up the much promised implementation roadmap for the Paris Accord signed on April 22, 2016. The global community had pinned great hope that the Marrakech Summit will deliver a decent and plausible roadmap based on key areas of climate battle particularly financing climate enduring activities, technology transfer, adaption, regulatory and governance mechanisms to realize the climate goals. Did the Marrakech Summit deliver up to the expectations? Will the initiatives and frameworks agreed upon at Marrakech lift up the spirit of the Paris deal? Notwithstanding many constraints and challenges, the 22nd Conference of Parties (CoP22) at Marrakech came out with a declaration "Marrakech Action Proclamation for Our Climate and Sustainable Development," effectively signalling the "irreversibility" of momentum on climate change. Being driven not only by national governments, but by wide spectrum of institutions and actors supporting the cause of climate protection, CoP22 appears to be firmly footed now. Importantly, with private businesses, energy and climate investors, city governments making a series of announcements towards promoting climate friendly activities including easy availability of clean technologies, building capacity and sharing resources for mitigation and boosting food security among other has given the fragile process a new lease of life. The highlight of the CoP22 was the leading developing countries such as China and India took much more aggressive stance on behalf of vulnerable countries that suffer seriously from climate change in terms of resources, mitigation and adaptive capacity. Another key outcome of the Marrakech meet was setting up of the "2050 pathways platform," a promising initiative of multiple actors that aims for decarbonization and zero-emission of greenhouse gas by 2050. Good news is that some two dozen countries have joined the process of building up "2050 pathway." On negative side, the net outcomes of CoP22 sound hollow as no concrete milestones were achieved out of this important meet. A weeklong painstaking negotiation among delegates failed to thrash out the scope and modalities of implementing the Paris accord. The Conference of Parties could not arrive at substantive conclusion on vital issues including the accounting of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), creation of a transparency framework, communication strategy for climate change adaptation and importantly key procedures that would facilitate the compliance of the Paris Accord. Further, finance and technology are two vital components to realize climate goals enumerated in Paris. By all account, the Marrakech meet failed to thrash out the detailed modalities especially on financial commitments of rich nations. While a lot of analysts claim that Donald Trump's unexpected win played a demoralized charm over the negotiation process, this is simply an excuse. For instance, the rich country association, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) which was assigned to prepare the report on financial commitments used many dubious accounting measures and procedural gimmicks to dilute its climate finance obligations. Although the developed countries have promised to spruce up alternative sources of finances by 2020, a US$100 billion Green Climate Fund looks remote. Negotiators at Marrakech simply recorded that these issues are to be sorted out in the future meetings. Thus, the main instrument to fight climate change still remains a distant dream. To sum up, the last minutes tensions in preparing the climate action plan at Marrakech make it evident that consensus eludes many critical issues concerning climate protection. Given the evolving geopolitics and growing trends of right-wing regimes and leadership that are emerging in the West, one is not sure if the developed countries, the key contributor to the ongoing climate mess, would take their share of responsibility on climate battle. With climate events becoming increasingly serious whereby the less developed countries are bearing maximum brunt of such events, the developing countries are left with no choice but to take the lead to protect the Planet. It is time for the leaderships of the Global South particularly countries like China and India to provide requisite climate leadership to keep the pressure on developed countries in combating climate damaging emissions. Niranjan Sahoo is Senior Fellow, Observer research Foundation, New Delhi. Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. Flash As winter sets in, urgent shelter and equipment is needed for some 400,000 internally displaced people (IDP) in west Aleppo, with many more fleeing rebel-held eastern districts of the Syrian city every day, the UN special envoy for Syria said Thursday. "If you had to ask what the most urgent need now from the UN is, it is shelter and assistance, because winter is there," Staffan de Mistura told reporters here after a weekly humanitarian taskforce meeting. "There are 400,000 people including those who were already there in a rather uncomfortable situation, plus the 27,000 who have just moved and more are likely to move," he added. Aleppo, Syria's former economic hub, has been bitterly contested by the Syrian army and opposition groups due to its strategic location. Though unable to reach those who have not left east Aleppo, the UN said that it is managing to provide the 27,000 civilians who have done so with much needed food and medical aid. "In west Aleppo, we have food for 150,000 people that we could bring to east Aleppo very easily, and we have all of the medical equipment and medicines that they need in east Aleppo," the special envoy's senior adviser, Jan Egeland, explained. "It is prepositioned, we have people there. We basically need the access and we are sitting down now to discuss with Russia and with the government of Syria," he added. Now in its fifth year, the Syrian conflict has resulted in heavy casualties. Staffan de Mistura said in April this year that the Syrian war had caused about 400,000 deaths and forced millions of others to flee their homes. Flash At least 30,000 people have fled rebel-held areas in the northern city of Aleppo over the past few days, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Thursday. The people fled rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo to the government-controlled parts west of the city, while countless others are expected to have escaped in other directions, said the ICRC in a statement. The statement said the civilians must be guaranteed protection and safe passage. "We appeal to all sides to ensure this. We at the ICRC are ready to help, but it is up to those who are involved in the fighting to protect civilians," it added. This comes as the Syrian government forces continued to advance Thursday on rebel-held areas in Aleppo city in northern Syria. The Syrian army completely recaptured the Sakan Shababi, or youth housing units, in rebel-held eastern Aleppo, a military source told Xinhua. This came a day after the army captured the neighborhood of Sheikh Saed, which was the gate for rebel-held areas in the southern part of eastern Aleppo. Since the launch of a wide-scale offensive earlier this week, the Syrian army has taken control of over 15 neighborhoods, or almost half of the rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo, said al-Watan newspaper. The newspaper said Sheikh Saed constitutes the first defense line for rebels in the southern part of eastern Aleppo. It added that the capture of the neighborhood opened the way for the Syrian army to advance to other key areas, such as the Sukari neighborhood, one of the largest rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo. The Syrian army says it will press on with the operation until all rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo are recaptured. The rebels captured eastern Aleppo in 2012, and the government forces recently imposed a siege on that area before unleashing a broad offensive for its recapture. Humanitarian organizations sounded the alarm about the situation of 250,000 people living in eastern Aleppo, with the government promising to fix the situation of those relocated in government-controlled areas. You are here: Home Flash China is willing to boost cooperation and step up comprehensive strategic partnership with Egypt, a senior Chinese official said on Thursday. Wang Jiarui, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made the remarks during his meeting with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi. "China supports Egypt's efforts to achieve stability and development and is willing to implement consensus reached by both countries' leaders," Wang said. Moreover, Wang called on both sides to conjoin developing strategies, deepen bilateral cooperation in various areas and push forward the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. Wang also introduced to Sisi recent economic and social developments in China and the spirit of the sixth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee. For his part, Sisi said Egypt attaches "great importance" to the bilateral ties with China and gives "full support" to China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. Sisi welcomed Chinese enterprises to increase investment in Egypt and actively participate in the country's economic development. Sisi also introduced to Wang the current political and economic situation in Egypt and the country's perspectives on Middle East and global issues. During his visit, Wang also met parliament speaker Ali Abdel Aal and leaders of major Egyptian political parties. He also attended a Chinese-Egyptian business forum on the Belt and Road initiative with former Egyptian prime minister Essam Sharaf. By Shelley Shan, Taipei Times | Dec. 02, 2016 Taiwan's Minister of Transportation and Communications Hochen Tan yesterday confirmed that the ministry has rescinded TransAsia Airways Corp's rights to operate domestic and international flights, with the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) scheduled to complete the reassignment of those flights by the end of this month. CAA planning division director Chen Jau-yuh said that the agency mainly needs to reassign the right to operate cross-strait flights, with TransAsia offering 61 such flights before it ceased operations. Chen said that these flights involve 24 routes and 15 airports - including Taipei International Airport (Songshan), Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taichung Airport, Kaohsiung Airport, Hualien Airport and their counterparts in mainland China. The agency will also have to reassign TransAsia's right to operate flights to Palau, with the carrier formerly offering two flights per week, Chen said. The agency is scheduled to hold an information session on the reassignment of aviation rights next week, with commercial airlines expected to present their requests to take over those routes. "If their requests do not exceed the cap on cross-strait flights, we will allocate the routes based on their demands. However, we would have to host an official meeting to determine how the aviation rights should be reassigned if their requests exceed the cap on cross-strait flights. We will then make our recommendations to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, which has to approve them," Chen said. She said she expects the whole process to be completed by the end of this month. After the carriers are given new flight rights, they can initiate the process of launching new routes, including applying for certificates for operation, flight schedules and ticket prices. Among the cross-strait flights previously operated by TransAsia, the flights to Shanghai are expected to be the most sought after, including those between Taoyuan and Shanghai Pudong Airport, Songshan and Pudong Airport, Taichung and Pudong Airport, as well as Songshan to Shanghai Hongqiao Airport. The Songshan and Hangzhou and Songshan and Fuzhou routes are also popular, with flights boasting high occupancy rates. Asked if China Airlines Ltd would be given preferential treatment for promptly complying with the government's order to temporarily take over the routes operated by TransAsia to ensure that flights to the island's remote areas could continue, Chen said the agency would accept applications from all interested carriers. The degree of compliance with the government's policy that an airline demonstrates is only one of the criteria that the agency would consider when allocating aviation rights, Chen said, adding that the criterion accounts for only 15 percent of their performance evaluation. Related News: Former CAA Boss Chang Interested in TransAsia Deal TransAsia Airways' Flying Rights Revoked by Aviation Regulator Taiwan Airline TransAsia to Shut Down After Suffering Losses Chinese insurers may boost outbound investment by about $100 billion over the next three years, as they seek to diversify risks through buying more overseas securities, private equity and real estate, BNP Paribas said on Thursday, citing a survey. This reflects insurers' long-term strategy, and is driven mainly by a desire to deliver stable and sustainable returns, rather than a response to a weakening yuan, said Philippe Benoit, head of Asia Pacific at BNP Paribas securities services. "These are long-term investment decisions ... not based on what you're reading in the press," he said, adding that hedging yuan exposure played a minor role in the insurers' decision-making. Chinese insurers are allowed to invest up to 15 percent of their assets overseas, but currently, just 2 percent has been allocated abroad, suggesting "it's a long-term trend". The survey was published at a time when Beijing is stepping up efforts to stem capital outflows that adds depreciation pressure on the yuan. The Chinese currency has fallen to more than eight-year lows against a surging US dollar. This week, China intensified scrutiny over outbound investment, and also tightened rules on overseas yuan loans in a battle to curb outflows. Benoit said Chinese insurers, who have "a long-term mindset", are still in the early stages of foreign investing, and such an aspiration will be unlikely deterred by short-term factors. Acquisitive Chinese insurers including Ping An Insurance Group of China and Anbang Insurance Group have been shopping overseas for the past few years, snapping up foreign companies and properties. At the end of 2015, Chinese insurers held overseas assets worth $36.7 billion, a 51 percent jump from a year earlier, but still accounted for just 2 percent of industry assets totalling 12 trillion yuan ($1.74 trillion). BNP Paribas' estimate was based on a recent survey with China's top 20 insurers, which showed that over half of the respondents plan to increase the percentage of their assets overseas to 5-10 percent, according to the French bank. The United States and Europe are the most popular investment destinations for Chinese insurers, partly because of the size and the depth of the two markets, according to the survey. Most insurers participating in the survey say they prefer to invest in foreign stocks, bonds, private equity and real estate. Chinese insurers face a series of challenges overseas, including identifying investment opportunities and managing risks, creating business opportunities for Western banks such as BNP Paribas, which can act as custodian and advisor for Chinese insurers, Benoit said. While the country was excited by the successful return of the Shenzhou XI manned spacecraft to Earth, Shenlingcaoa healthcare food containing a traditional Chinese medicine recipe and produced by Jiangzhong Groupattracted its own kind of widespread attention because it went up into space to maintain the health of the astronauts. Shenlingcao consists of ginseng, lingzhi mushroom, cordyceps sinensis and rose. It was developed by China's leading over-the-counter pharmaceutical company, Jiangzhong Group, to enhance the astronauts' immunity during their training and space trips. In the long run, the group plans to make the product available to retailing distribution channels, so that consumers can use it to enhance their health, said Zhong Hongguang, chairman of Jiangzhong Group. Because space food is subjected to special conditions during space flight such as microgravity and radiation, it must achieve much higher production requirements. To meet them the company installed advanced automatic equipment from Germany and Switzerland at its own production line for Shenlingcao. This is the world's first completely automated liquid traditional Chinese medicine production line, which carries out the entire production process for the space food in a fully enclosed and monitored unmanned workshop. The company says the space food is the end result of its determination to perform more scientific research. According to Zhong, the company invests at least 4 percent of its annual revenues into research and development. It is the only Chinese pharmaceutical company which has established four national research centers. "The research and development of space food will not bring immediate profit to our company, but we are willing to do it. It shows that our technology has taken the lead in China and even the world," said Zhong. Ascend Money Co, a digital financial services venture between Charoen Pokphand Group and Ant Financial, is poised to embark on a $100 million expansion next year into Southeast Asia. The Bangkok-based firm, which operates payments and online lending platforms, will expand its network of sales agents, boost marketing and potentially make acquisitions in the region, Chief Executive Officer Punnamas Vichitkulwongsa said at a media briefing in Singapore on Wednesday. "We'll grow very aggressively in an organic way and also through acquisitions that fit our road map," said Punnamas, who has previously worked at Singapore Telecommunications Ltd and Temasek Holdings Pte. He added that Ascend already bought five companies last year. Ascend Money is seeking to profit from providing financial services to the 420 million people in Southeast Asia that have limited access to banking facilities, according to figures provided by the company. It currently operates in Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam with 20 million customers. The firm plans to enter Malaysia next year and is aiming to serve 100 million customers by 2020, Punnamas said. The company is aiming to increase tenfold the number of agents in its sales network to 500,000 by next year, he said. Thai agriculture-to-telecoms conglomerate Charoen Pokphand owns 80 percent of Ascend Money. The rest is owned by Ant Financial, China's largest provider of internet financial services and an affiliate of billionaire Jack Ma's Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Bloomberg A clerk counts money for a client at an Agricultural Bank of China branch in Hainan province. [Photo/IC] The central bank has drawn up new guidelines to strengthen inspections of domestic companies that make yuan loans overseas, the latest move to curb speculative shifting of yuan amid short-term depreciation pressure, a source with the bank said on Thursday. Lenders must register with local foreign exchange regulative bodies in China before issuing loans overseas, and the amount of the loans should not exceed 30 percent of net assets of the lender, according to the source, who requested anonymity. The guideline is among many methods that the central bank could use to enhance management of speculative capital flow, the source said. Sun Haibo, CEO of Shanghai-based Faxun Financial Regulation and Law Co, a financial law consulting company, said that implementation of the guideline "will be the first time that the central bank has set up a ceiling amount for yuan-denominated loans that lenders are allowed to issue overseas." The central bank has become aware of the risks brought by speculative behavior through moving yuan out of the country, Sun added. "Issuing loans overseas is a rather simple way to move money out compared with other methods, with no approval procedures required to go through from the nation's foreign exchange regulator," said Sun. A Morgan Stanley report released on Tuesday said that cross-border yuan flows picked up strongly to an average of $28 billion per month through October this year, accounting for half of the total outflows, in contrast with declining offshore yuan deposits. That means that yuan flowing to foreign countries have been converted to foreign currencies rather than promoting the use of yuan offshore, the report said. Wang Youxin, an economist at the Institute of International Finance of the Bank of China, said that the new rules would not affect borrowers in foreign countries, as long as they have legitimate needs. "The central bank is not imposing a new cap, only enhancing regulations," said Wang. Robin Xing, chief China economist with Morgan Stanley, said he foresees regulative bodies introducing more measures to regulate capital outflows if the United States Federal Reserve increases rates, keeping capital outflow pressures alive. Wang said capital outflows tend to stabilize with such stricter inspections, which in turn improves investors' long-term outlook for the Chinese economy. GNC Holdings Inc's talks on a potential sale have stalled following disagreements over the structure of a deal for the US vitamin and supplement brand, sources said. The Pittsburgh-based retailer had held discussions with several Chinese suitors about a sale of the entire company, the sources said, asking not to be identified as the information is private. The Chinese firms expressed interest only in buying GNC's Asian business and did not want to take over its network of more than 6,700 retail outlets in the United States, according to the sources. GNC told interested parties that it was unwilling to carve out its Asian operations and thereby lose access to a key growth market, they said. GNC shares have plunged 53 percent this year, giving the company a market value of $988 million. Last month, the vitamin and supplement chain reported third-quarter sales of $628 million, below analysts' estimates of $651.3 million. Interim Chief Executive Officer Robert Moran said on a conference call the company's financial results continue to be "unacceptable" and pledged to improve the in-store experience to win back customer trust. GNC was gauging interest from potential buyers but hadn't started a formal auction process. The company said in May it was working with Goldman Sachs Group Inc to review strategic and financial alternatives including a potential sale, partnership or capital structure optimization. Bloomberg SHIJIAZHUANG - Northern China's Hebei province's trade with the EU totaled 35.18 billion yuan ($5.10 billion) in the first ten months of the year, up 2.2 percent year on year, according to Shijiazhuang Customs. From January to October, Hebei's exports to the EU were valued at 23.82 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2.3 percent, while its imports from the EU reached 11.36 billion yuan, up 1.9 percent year on year. In October alone, Hebei's exports to the EU reached 2.26 billion yuan and imports reached 1.11 billion yuan, year-on-year increases of 2.8 and 19.5 percent, respectively. Hebei's exports of steel and photovoltaic products to the EU declined, while imports of high value-added or high-tech products, including electronics and photoelectronics products, increased rapidly, the customs said. Experts attribute the growth in bilateral trade to a steady rebound of the EU economy and rising demand for Chinese manufacturing, adding that the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiatives has fostered new sources of growth for trade between both sides. The EU has been China's largest trading partner for more than a decade, while China is one of the biggest sources of imports for the EU. Bilateral trade amounted to $3.51 trillion in 2015. SHIJIAZHUANG - Huanghua Port in northern Hebei province has become China's largest port for coal transportation, according to a press conference Thursday. The throughput of the port reached 204 million tons in the first 10 months of the year, a year-on-year growth of 49 percent, Zhao Zhenqing, chairman of the Cangzhou Port Group told the press conference. With total investment of more than 60 billion yuan ($8.7 billion), a sea channel capable of taking 200,000-ton ships, with 33 berths for ships weighing more than 10,000-tons, has been built at the port. The port launched its first freight train bound for Duisburg, Germany, in June. It also opened its first international direct flight to Southeast Asia in September. So far over 20 ship companies have opened 13 container shipping lines starting from the port. The rapid development of the port will support the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei regional integration and the Belt and Road Initiative, said Zhang Guodong, director of the administration for Bohai New Area in Cangzhou City. Liu Younian does the tuning works in a workshop of Wuhan Mechanical Technology Institute Co Ltd in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, on December 1, 2016. [Photo by Zhu Lingqing/chinadaily.com.cn] It is hard to imagine that thousands of bianzhong, or chime bells, the exquisite ancient musical instrument, were cast in such a shabby nook in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province. Stepping into the dilapidated workshop, Liu Younian, the legendary bianzhong tuner of Wuhan Mechanical Technology Institute Co Ltd, said he has seen too many visitors and customers express surprise when they see the factory. "The bianzhong displayed in your office is worth more than your office," a visitor once joked. The workshop is so small that some workers have to eat lunch standing up, and the odor is overpowering. "Many college students come to our factory to learn bianzhong manufacturing skills from me, but very few of them want to work here, which is mainly due to our poor condition," Liu said. CHENGDU -- China's Sichuan Airlines will launch direct flights connecting Dubai and Chengdu, capital of the Southwestern province of Sichuan, the airline said Friday. The air route will open on Dec 17 with an expected one-way flight time of around eight hours, six hours shorter than indirect fights via Yinchuan City, said a press release from the airline. Flight 3U603/4 will operate on Wednesdays and Saturdays via Airbus 330 aircraft, it said. Sichuan has many famous scenic sites, including the resort of Jiuzhaigou, famous for its natural beauty, and the Giant Buddha in Leshan City, the largest sitting stone sculpture of the Buddha in the world. Tourists also come from around the world to see the giant pandas at the Panda Breeding Research Center and the Wolong Nature Reserve, a major panda habitat in Sichuan. MEXICO CITY - Chinese company BYD on Thursday unveiled its innovative and cost-effective SkyRail mass transit solution at the 2016 C40 Mayors Summit in Mexico City. The elevated monorail system has been specially designed to tackle the biggest challenges which today's bustling urban centers are facing: air pollution, traffic congestion and climate change. Pollution and congestion "have become the world's two major ills," as residents of major cities across the planet can prove it, BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu said at a press conference. What makes SkyRail particularly suitable to the world's major capitals and cities is "its adaptability to existing streets ... and building density," Wang said. The rail system's "small footprint," or support structure, is made of columns that are only one meter in diameter, meaning they can be built on existing medians, and costly demolition will not be required, Wang stressed. The monorail's "excellent topographic adaptability" also means it can be built to pass through buildings. According to BYD, the SkyRail costs only a fifth of what it does to build a subway line, and it can save the construction time by one third. Stella Li, BYD Vice President for the Americas, told Xinhua, "Any city with a population of more than 5 million to 7 million should consider the SkyRail" as a public transit alternative. As one of the world's largest makers of rechargeable batteries, BYD has made it its mission to innovate more environment-friendly battery technologies. The company's long-lasting and fully-recyclable iron-phosphate battery, known as the Fe Battery, "has become the core of its clean energy platform," and is expanding into more fields such as electric cars, buses, trucks, and utility vehicles. Wang also officially kicked off BYD's "Cool the Earth by One Degree" program, an invitation to mayors and other officials around the world to reverse global warming by embracing clean technologies. At the press conference, Wang also signed a purchase contract with the city of Cape Town, South Africa, making it the first African city to incorporate electric buses into its mass transit fleet. "Today, we become the first city in Africa to buy our first 10 electric buses. Thank you for helping us to reduce carbon emissions and saving our planet," Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille said after the signing. In Latin America, BYD's electric buses already form part of transit fleets in cities in Colombia and Brazil. C40 brings megacities together to address their common problems, mainly climate change. Voters cast their votes for deputies to the local people's congress in Baokang county, Hubei province, on Oct 10, 2016. [Photo for China Daily] China's State Council Information Office on Thursday issued a white paper on the right to development, detailing the country's philosophy, practice and contribution in this regard. Following is the full text of the document. I. The Philosophy of the Right to Development Abreast with the Times II. The System Ensuring the People's Right to Development III. Effectively Realizing Economic Development IV. Enhancing Political Development V. Promoting Cultural Progress VI. Promoting Social Development VII. Accelerating Environment-Friendly Development VIII. Promoting Common Development Conclusion Preamble Development is a universal human theme, providing for people's basic needs and giving them hope of better life. The right to development is an inalienable human right, symbolizing dignity and honor. Only through development can we address global challenges; only through development can we protect basic civil rights of the people; only through development can we promote the progress of human society. China, with a population of over 1.3 billion, is the largest developing country in the world. Development is the top priority of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in governance and national revitalization, and the key to resolving all other problems. Based on its prevailing conditions, China adheres to the Chinese socialist path and to the philosophy that development is of paramount importance. China integrates the principle of universal application of human rights with the country's reality. While striving to enhance the people's wellbeing through development and materialize their right to development, China endeavors to achieve higher-level development by protecting their right to development. In this regard, China has made notable progress and blazed a path in protecting human rights during the development of human civilization. Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping as its core has highlighted the idea of people-centered development. In the course of realizing the Two Centenary Goals [Note: The two goals are to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects by the centenary of the CPC (founded in 1921) and to build China into a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, and harmonious by the centenary of the People's Republic of China (founded in 1949).] and the Chinese Dream of revitalizing the Chinese nation, it has focused on safeguarding and improving people's wellbeing, advancing all social programs, and protecting people's rights to equal participation and development. The aim is to share development benefits and achieve common prosperity among all people of the country. On the 30th anniversary of the publication of the "Declaration on the Right to Development by the United Nations," China, dedicated to advocating, practicing and promoting the right to development, is willing to join the international community to share its philosophy and experience in this regard and to boost sound development of global human rights. A robot fish inspects a pipeline. [Photo/Chinanews.com] A team at Lanzhou Petrochemical Polytechnic has invented a smart "robot fish" that can explore underwater realms, Chinanews.com reported on Wednesday. The robotic fish utilizes many advanced technologies, including mechanical electronics, sensors and artificial intelligence. It can be used for pipeline detection, hydrology, water quality monitoring, underwater rescue and more. The robot has won a number of prizes for its sophisticated craftsmanship and advanced technology. According to Hong Zirong, supervisor of the team that built the robot, the majority of water pollution and logging problems are caused by pipeline ruptures or leakage. Research indicates that current pipeline detection technology has poor accuracy. This situation inspired Professor Hong and his students to develop a new technology that, unlike earlier technology, is able to examine pipelines from the inside. The robot fish has high detection accuracy and sensitivity, but costs under 100,000 RMB. It can be controlled via both computer and mobile phone. Ding Jiahui, one of the team's members, said that their professor's encouragement was very empowering. Gao Bo, head of the college, pointed out that the vocational education has overcome many of the shortcomings of traditional undergraduate education. Once the students enter the school, teachers guide them to grasp professional skills with a worker's attitude. Colleges then get feedback about students' post-graduation performance two to three years out, which supports a chain of quality education. The college plans to introduce more technical teachers in the future to facilitate an environment of innovation and entrepreneurship, said Gao. Employees of an online store process orders in Qingyanliu village, East China's Zhejiang province on Dec 29, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua] More than 5.7 million rural Chinese have returned from cities to their hometowns to startup businesses, Vice Minister of Agriculture Chen Xiaohua said Thursday. Among them, 4.5 million people are rural migrant workers who used to work in urban areas away from home, while the rest are mainly fresh graduates and retired soldiers who left home for education or service, Chen said at a press briefing. Meanwhile, rural China has attracted 1.3 million urban people, including scientists and technicians, from their homes in cities to participate in rural entrepreneurship, Chen said. The data was released after the government released a set of guidelines earlier this week encouraging people to explore business opportunities in the countryside. By rolling out a number of new support policies, the government expects such people to inject new energy into the rural economy and increase farmers' incomes by introducing modern technology, systems and management. New agribusinesses, including large-scale farming, farm produce processing, leisure agriculture, rural tourism, as well as producer and consumer services, are priorities of the policy support. The move also aims to trigger a return of people to the countryside, where many children and elderly are left at home by adults who sought work in cities, Chen said, adding that the new startups will bring more new jobs. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 The Peony Pavilion's main characters embrace in a giant statue on Dream Island in Fuzhou, Jiangxi Province. [Photo by Rosemary Bolger/chinadaily.com.cn] No Australian makes it to their high school graduation without having to labor over at least one Shakespeare play. Even to native English speakers the old fashioned flourishes of his classic plays is barely decipherable. It is only when the script is brought to life on stage, as Shakespeare always intended, that it begins to make sense. I suspect it is the same for the four works of his Chinese contemporary Tang Xianzu. While his work may not be mandatory texts for students my Chinese colleague must also rely on an internet search for information Xianzu is often referred to as the 'Shakespeare of the Orient'. The comparison has intensified this year, the 400th anniversary of both the Bard and Xianzu's death in 1644. His home town Fuzhou, in Jiangxi Province, helps bring his most celebrated work The Peony Pavilion to life on an artificial lake. A giant 15-meter-high statue of the two lovers with steam billowing from the base is the centerpiece of Dream Island. It's a story likened to Shakespeare's romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet, but - spoiler alert - Xianzu imagined a happier ending for his couple with love triumphing over death. A nearby museum dedicated to the former official who quit his post to write his four classics, uses every tool imaginable to illuminate the writer's life, as well as his pieces, from models of his home in Fuzhou, to 4D shows and peonies that explode with information at the tap of your fingertips. I can't help but think that all the fancy displays are no replacement for actually reading the play and seeing it acted out in the Chinese-opera style Kunqu. And I intend to do just that. If Fuzhou's tributes to its hometown literary hero can spark such a desire in visitors, that is surely the best result. CHENGDU - A catastrophic earthquake leveled Wolong Primary School in Southwest China's Sichuan province in 2008, but a rebuilt campus that brought comfort and modernity to students living deep in the mountains served as a small silver lining. The reconstruction of the school is among nearly 200 projects undertaken by the Hong Kong government at a combined cost of more than 10 billion Hong Kong dollars ($1.29 billion) following the magnitude 8 Wenchuan earthquake that took nearly 70,000 lives, according to a report issued by the Hong Kong government late November. Housing more than 120 students of Han, Tibetan and Qiang ethnic groups, the new school was designed to resist quakes as powerful as the one eight years ago. Its classrooms are equipped with advanced facilities, such as underfloor heating and electric white boards. There are also special rooms for computer, art and music lessons, as well as psychological counselling. Students moved into the new school in 2011 after studying in tents, makeshift houses, and a school elsewhere. "We used to rely on electric stoves to keep warm in the winter. Many kids got chilblains on their hands and feet," said teacher Huang Jianrong. "Today the conditions are much better." The reconstruction projects undertaken by Hong Kong were scattered in 12 cities and prefectures in Sichuan. Twenty-three of them, including the Wolong school, are located in the Wolong National Nature Reserve, famous for giant pandas. The Hong Kong builders set up a nearly 20,000-square-meter breeding and research zone at the Wolong base of China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP). The zone, along with a Hong Kong-funded rescue and disease control center in CCRCGP's Dujiangyan base, will be forever free to Hong Kong visitors, in a gesture of gratitude, said Xia Xuhui, deputy director of the management committee of the Wolong National Nature Reserve. The Hong Kong government also spent nearly 72 million yuan ($10.5 million dollars) in a digital monitoring system at the Wolong base, allowing staff to watch real-time images in the pandas' dormitories and around monitoring spots in the wild. "Hong Kong's help has contributed to the achievements we have made in breeding and releasing captive pandas into the wild following the 2008 earthquake," Xia said. One of the most challenging projects is the expressway linking Wolong and Yingxiu Township in Sichuan. After the section was opened in October, the road trip between Wolong and Chengdu, Sichuan's capital city, is reduced to two hours from 11 hours. All the projects in Wolong were supervised by provincial-level governmental organs, as well as by a work team from Hong Kong, according to Guo Jianong with Sichuan's foreign and overseas Chinese affairs office. In addition, the fund's use and project progress were regularly assessed by a third-party agency assigned by the Hong Kong side, Guo said. "When a magnitude 7 earthquake hit Lushan of Sichuan in 2013, the projects that had been completed all withstood the test," he said. "We're reassured about and proud of the projects." CHANGCHUN - Lyu Xiwen, former deputy Party chief of Beijing, stood trial Thursday for taking bribes. Lyu was accused of taking advantage of her official positions from 2001 to 2015 to help others obtain government funds and land for construction. Lyu accepted bribes worth 18.79 million yuan (around $2.73 million dollars) either herself or through her relatives, according the People's Procuratorate of Jilin City in Northeast China's Jilin province. The procuratorate filed the charges with the Intermediate People's Court of Jilin City. Lyu pleaded guilty and expressed remorse in the court. More than 50 people including journalists and members of the public attended Thursday's hearing. The ruling will be announced at a later date. BEIJING - China's approach to fighting AIDS and HIV have proved successful, health officials and experts said Thursday on World AIDS Day. According to official data, China had about 850,000 people with AIDS or HIV, about 0.06 percent of the Chinese population, at the end of 2015. Wang Guoqiang, deputy chief of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, said China's AIDS and HIV prevention work has achieved significant results; it has stopped cases of the disease spreading through blood, effectively blocked transmission of the disease through drug injections, and stopped mother-to-child transmission. From 2010 to 2015, persons tested for HIV and AIDS in China had increased from 60 million to 140 million. Compared to 2010, the mortality rate in 2015 dropped by 57 percent while the discovery rate increased by over 68 percent. Wu Zunyou, head of the AIDS and HIV prevention and control center of China Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), said China's practice of expanding the scope of testing had discovered more HIV and AIDS infected persons. "China's data and achievements proved its practices are successful, offering a reference for the United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS," Wu said. In addition, China has taken effective measures to control HIV and AIDS spreading among drug users, and the UN Program on HIV and AIDS has popularized China's practices in other areas of the world, Wu said. "China can continue to introduce its practices in anti-HIV and AIDS efforts to the rest of the world, especially in African states," said Lyu Fan, an official with China CDC. The father and sister of Nie Shubin react after hearing Nie is exonerated in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, Dec 2, 2016. [Photo/VCG] China's top court said on Friday that it had pardoned Nie Shubin, who was wrongfully executed more than 20 years ago, based on the legal principle that there should be "no punishment in doubtful cases". The Second Circuit Court, a branch of the Supreme People's Court in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, announced Nie's acquittal on Friday morning. His mother, Zhang Huanzhi, and the family's lawyer, Li Shuting, were among the observers that witnessed the announcement. Nie, a worker from Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, was sentenced to death and executed in 1995 for the rape and murder of a woman in 1994. "We gave the announcement strictly in line with laws and evidence," said a judge of the top court. "We cannot punish someone or name him or her as a criminal if we have no evidence or insufficient evidence." After a thorough investigation, the court found that it was unclear where Nie was at the time of the offense or what murder weapon had been used, the judge said. Interrogation records made following Nie's arrest were also flawed, the court said, meaning they could not be used to prove the his guilt. "The chain of evidence in the case was not strong," the judge said. In response to the length of the review and investigation, the court attributed this to the complexity and age of the case. "All procedures of this retrial have ended, and we've informed Nie's mother that she has the right to ask for State compensation," the court said in a statement. It added that follow-up work, including determining accountability, will be started in accordance with the law. Mo Hongxian, director of the criminal law research center at Wuhan University and a witness to the announcement, said it was significant for the country. "This case reflects China upholding the rule of law. It could be viewed as a milestone in criminal law research," she said, adding that the verdict also reflects well on the credibility of the country's judicial system. Wang Minyuan, a law professor specializing in criminal procedures at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, also applauded Friday's ruling. "Justice prevails. It will push forward judicial progress in China," Wang said. Editor's Note: Ahead of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Nicholas Rosellini, the newly appointed UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in China, spoke with China Daily. Q: How much progress has China made in providing access to justice for people with disabilities? A: One major progress has been the establishment of a comprehensive national legal aid system to guarantee basic legal services to vulnerable citizens. People with disabilities have been a primary target group of legal aid since the promulgation of the Legal Aid Regulations in 2003. The system has a broad network of legal aid stations nationally covering more than 40,000 counties and towns. By the end of 2015, with support from local disabled persons' federations, nearly 3,000 legal aid workstations specifically targeting persons with disabilities were set up in China. In a recent study on access to justice for persons with disabilities in China, the UNDP found that local governments and disabled person's federations in many regions have developed valuable good practices to enforce the legal aid system and better uphold the rights of persons with disabilities. These practices include extending the coverage of legal aid to make it more accessible for people with disabilities, exploring different forms of legal awareness-raising for them, strengthening the skills of legal aid providers in handling cases, and providing accessible facilities and services for persons with disabilities during the process of accessing legal aid. Q: What is the biggest challenge people with disabilities face in China? A: Disability is a growing issue in China. Currently, China has the largest community of women and men with disabilities in the world with over 85 million people. The World Health Organization predicts that China will experience a 70 percent increase in the number of people dependent on daily care from 2000-2050. But this issue has not been brought into the mainstream's attention. Disability is considered a "medical" condition that the individual with impairment has the main responsibility to deal with, rather than result of the interaction between impairments and the attitudinal and environmental barriers faced by persons with disabilities. Social perceptions as such can have practical implications to people with disabilities in accessing services and support. For example, overemphasis on the client's medical condition may restrict legal practitioners from accepting cases involving persons with disabilities, or result in patronization of the client. Moreover, in the UNDP's recent study, people with disabilities said a "low level of education among persons with disabilities" was the biggest barrier to their access to justice, blaming themselves rather than external factors for the disadvantages they face. The prevailing medical way of thinking on disability has affected both service providers in effectively implementing the rich tools and policies that are available, and led to low self-confidence among persons with disabilities themselves in seeking support. Q: The Chinese government has promised to lift everyone out of poverty by 2020. It has also admitted that people with disabilities tend to be more vulnerable in the face of poverty. How can the UNDP better work with China in this regard? A: Disabilities are deeply interlinked and mutually-constitutive with chronic poverty. In China, 75 percent of people with disabilities live in rural areas. More than 10 million persons with disabilities live under the national poverty standard, and 60 percent of poor, rural persons with disabilities live in areas outside the coverage of national poverty alleviation campaigns, and therefore consequently cannot access targeted social services. In the meantime, rural people with disabilities bear twice the medical expenditures than the national average. China has made remarkable progress in lifting the mass population out of poverty. The challenge now lies in rolling out a comprehensive program of targeted "precise" poverty reduction that can provide customized services to people with differing conditions. Going forward, the UNDP can work with China to deliver its goal and unleash the development dividends of its poverty reduction strategies. This means, first and foremost, enabling evidence-based decision-making and enhancing policy effectiveness. That's why data and tracking of the progress will be crucial, especially where there remain data gaps such as on the extent of major illnesses such as HIV and AIDS, and for certain groups such as women, children, the disabled and ethnic minorities among whom the rate of poverty is high. Ip Man 3, a Hong Kong martial arts film in 2015, stars Yen and Mike Tyson. [Photo provided to China Daily] Action star Donnie Yen placed his deadly hands and feet in cement at Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theatre on Wednesday, voicing hope that his career would inspire fellow Asians to take up acting. The martial artista multiple world champion in the wushu fighting stylewas being honored for a body of work mainly in Chinese cinema, although he also stars in the much-anticipated Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. "Sometimes being an Asian actor is not easy. Unfortunately, for many years, Asian actors didn't have the same, equal opportunities," the 53-year-old Hong Kong resident says at the ceremony. "But I think that things have been changing," he says. "And I certainly would like to be one actor that set a good example." Overshadowed over the years by Jackie Chan and other sought-after kung fu stars, Yen has been gradually breaking into Hollywood since appearing in Guillermo del Toro's Blade II in 2002. In Rogue One, due to be released on Dec 16, he plays a warrior monk who is part of a heroic band of rebels that steals plans for the Death Star. He also stars opposite Vin Diesel in xXx: Return of Xander Cage, which hits theaters on Jan 20. Born in Guangdong province in South China, Yen went to Hong Kongwhere he lives nowat the age of 2 and later moved to the United States, growing up in Boston's Chinatown. Much of the star's inspiration comes from his mother, Mark Bow-sim, a world famous wushu and tai chi master, at whose internationally-known Chinese Wushu Research Institute the young Yen learned kung fu. When he became involved in gang violence in Boston at age 16, his worried parents sent him to Beijing, where he spent two years training with the famed Beijing wushu team, studying with the same masters as Jet Li's. Yen's turning point came when the veteran film director Yuen Wo-ping, the action choreographer for the Matrix trilogy, discovered him and helped him to break into movies as the new kung fu hero. Yen has spent years since then using his celebrity to wage a campaign to kick the Asian stereotype out of Hollywood. In the mid-1990s, he turned down an offer from Francis Coppola because of a script he said contained "a ridiculous stereotype about the Chinese". "I hope this ceremony, this achievement, will inspire many Chinese actorsnot just Chinese actors, but many young actorsthat they, too, can achieve the same dream if they put enough hard work into it," he said before sinking his hands into the cement. "The force is with me and the force is with everybody." (From left to right) Actress Ou Xuan, Montblanc CEO Jerome Lambert, supermodel Zhang Zilin and director Xue Xiaolu at the Beijing launch of Boheme, Montblanc's line of watches. [Photo provided to China Daily] The brand Montblanc has been known in China for its writing tools and leather goods. But, the German company also produces jewelry, fragrances, eyewear and luxury watches. And since Jerome Lambert became its CEO in 2013, he has given the brand a new orientation. The accessories now have a stylish touch and the fountain pens come in more colors. Lambert has a great passion for watches made in Switzerland, since he worked with some of the best watch companies there for more than 25 years. In September, Lambert visited Beijing to launch watches from Montblanc's popular line Boheme. Chinese film director Xue Xiaolu, supermodel Zhang Zilin and actress Ou Xuan were chosen as spokespeople for the line, to represent the self-confidence, style and glamor that the watch line portrays. "The Boheme collection for women is highly appreciated in Asia. The market is very active in China. It (the collection) is for the new generation of Chinese women who shoulder a lot of responsibilityranging from family to career," Lambert says. In November, the brand launched a new ultra-light model in Shenzhen, in South China's Guangdong province. Considered one of the lightest mechanical timepieces in the world, the TimeWalker Pythagore Ultra-Light Concept combines high-tech material and top watch-making craftsmanship. It weighs only 14.88 grams without the watchband. In Shenzhen, they also held a traveling exhibition, celebrating the 110th anniversary of Montblanc with the theme "bring on the next game, tribute to pioneering spirit". The exhibition traced the brand's history since its founding in 1906 and shed light on its pioneering spirit that has been driving innovation to this day. Shifting the focus to consumption patterns, Julien Renard, president of Montblanc Asia-Pacific, who was at the Shenzhen watch launch, says that while earlier, Chinese consumers used to buy the brand's products as a status symbol, they now buy the products to experience the thrill of using them. "They have become more knowledgeable in the last five years, and they now attach a lot of importance to the history and heritage of the brand," he says. "This watch (TimeWalker) is for niche consumers. It is for collectors who understand fine watch-making," he says. "China is a key market, changing a lot, expanding a lot. So it is important for me to visit often to understand it," Lambert says. Meanwhile, he says that though China's luxury industry is experiencing a slowdown due to the ongoing campaign against extravagance and an economic slowdown, Montblanc is growing here. Montblanc is a business lifestyle brand. As the business life develops in China, Montblanc's business develops. "We now have stores in more than 20 cities. We have good distribution partners and do good local communication," he says. Lambert also says the brand will develop a digital dimension for its distribution and communication as well as "work by city". "China is not only about Beijing and Shanghai. We are developing a market program adapted to different regions, and sometimes, even by city," he says. He also emphasizes that Montblanc will improve its service in its China stores to attract more local customers. Now in China, he says, any problem with the leather can be resolved in 10 days, and for watches it is three weeks. Understanding of individual countries' needs is vital in building a world order beneficial to all of us The world order quo vadis? This is a question that has attracted diverse opinions. There is obviously no consensus yet on how the existing order should be adjusted. More importantly, there is a lack of trust among major countries. In the history of international relations, trust has been a rare commodity, and the lack of trust remains an impediment to genuine partnerships in today's world. Take Russia and the United States, for example, 25 years after the end of the Cold War, it is hard to say they have greater trust in each other now. The relationship between China and the US is also often troubled by the lack of trust. In the 30-plus years of its reform and opening-up drive, China has established strong economic ties with the US. However, the South China Sea has brought our conflicting security interests into focus, reminding many in China that in spite of our inseparable interdependence, we are far from partners in the security field. Am I right to say that the world order the US claims to lead is a power structure, founded on US values, rejecting other ideologies and supported by a military alignment, which does not take into consideration the security interests of others? In the economic field, the power structure is not that distinct. While it seeks to maintain a global economic framework centered on the US dollar, it has also encouraged globalization which has led to the opening-up of the world economic structure. The UN institutions, G20 and many other organizations are also being encouraged to play growing roles in global economic governance. China does not have a strategy to challenge the US-led world order, but when it ostracizes the Chinese political system and ignores China's security interests, it is hard for China to support it. Is the US willing for the world order to be adjusted? I have discussed this with many US scholars and the answer they have given is no. I remember when talking to Professor John Mearsheimer (professor of political science at the University of Chicago), he told me that "China should either submit or challenge" and that it is only natural that China would seek to replace the US hegemony and the US should counter it. But is it really an either-or choice? Does it mean when the people in developing countries are lifted out of poverty and start pursuing their dreams of prosperity, there is no avoiding the Thucydides trap? The Chinese people have their own view of the world order. It is one in which the international order is centered on the UN. Chinese President Xi Jinping has said that China "firmly upholds the international order and system underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter" and together with other countries wants to "make the international order more just and equitable". You may notice the term we use is "international order". China is among its founders, is a beneficiary, as well as its active supporter and reformer. This international order overlaps, to some extent, with the US-led world order, though each does not include the other in its entirety. Today's world has long shifted its agenda from bloc politics to development and cooperation. Globalization has facilitated the flow of goods, capital, technology and resources, enabling countries such as China to achieve unprecedented growth. According to the World Bank, from 1992 to 2014, the world economy more than tripled, growing from $24.7 trillion to $78 trillion, while the global trade volume more than quadrupled, growing from $5.1 trillion to $23.8 trillion. The contribution of emerging markets and developing countries to world growth has risen from 26.97 percent to 61.4 percent. Both the developed and developing world have benefited greatly from this growth. China would find it comfortable to stay within the framework of the existing international order. But it also thinks there is the need for reform. We have to admit that the world landscape has been transformed and whatever we have today as order and rules are falling short of providing all the necessary solutions, and may even be creating some of the problems. The challenges we face today are diverse and complicated. The interventions of major countries in the internal affairs of other countries have caused more disorder than order, and sometimes the effects have spilled over. The world has witnessed upheavals in one country after another, which has created power vacuums where terrorism thrives, and people have been left destitute. The lesson to be learned is profound. Globalization has also revealed its downsides, such as uneven development and the unfair distribution of wealth, and the lack of sufficient oversight over capital flows. Regional integration is losing momentum. The existing international order needs to be improved to better suit the times and upgrade global governance, but these changes need to be incremental. Chinese President Xi Jinping has talked on many occasions about building "a community of shared interests" and the need for "a new model for global partnerships". He has proposed the Belt and Road Initiative, which is aimed at nurturing new growth and promoting prosperity and security through wider cooperation. The Eurasian Economic Union proposed by Russia is in the same direction and the two reinforce each other. The US, in spite of its apprehension, would also find opportunities in these initiatives if it one day joins in. To conclude, the key to a common global order, if there is one, is to have an inclusive framework that provides a common roof for every country and covers every concern. This may sound idealistic and it will be impossible to achieve without trust. But since we are already meeting new challenges together, there is every reason for us to foster the habit of coordination and build trust along the way. Many ask what kind of role China wants to play on the world stage. There are a number of principles that China upholds in its foreign policy: The first is mutual respect, especially in the political arena, which China takes as the foundation of trust. No country should try to impose its own values on others. We believe all countries should be respected and allowed to explore their own development paths. Second, we believe in common security, meaning one country's security should not be at the expense of that of others. The 21st century should not witness another round of geopolitical rivalry and new bloc politics. Third, in the economic field China supports inclusive development, which it highlighted at the G20 Hangzhou Summit with its call to "allow economic growth to serve the needs of everyone". While the world expects China to take on more responsibilities it also needs to better understand China's intentions. Moreover, it is important that China explains to the world more effectively in order to win more trust. China also needs to learn from other countries and be open to new ideas while developing its own thinking for the world. The author is chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of China's National People's Congress. The article is based on her speech at the 13th Annual Meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club on Oct 25, 2016. Ian Cluckie, British engineer [Photo provided to China Daily] Water engineer Ian Cluckie says that when he first visited China in 1989 he was surprised to find he was already famous. "I was invited to give a talk at the Ministry of Water Resources in a very crowded room," recalls Cluckie, professor emeritus in the College of Engineering at Swansea University, who specializes in hydrology and water resources. As soon as he finished his four-hour presentation, members of the audience insisted he sign his name in a well-known Chinese book written by the head of the Yangtze River conservancy. He was to learn that the book contained many references to his own research, which explained the fact that many in the field already knew him. Since his first visit, Cluckie, who is an expert in weather radar, flood control and water resource management, has traveled to China almost 70 times. He has been heavily involved in building institutional links and research collaborations between Swansea University and many Chinese institutes. He has supervised PhD students, chaired international conferences and given keynote speeches at many research seminars. His cooperation with China has been in the area of weather radar development and real-time flood forecasting. This has focused on the major river basins of China and in particular on the Yangtze in the context of the Three Gorges Dam. The main challenge to a flood forecasting system in China is the size of the country and the number of rivers. A real-time model of weather and potential damage has to be done quickly. "A big flood could potentially put millions of people's lives in danger when it comes," he says. Cluckie obtained his MSc in water resources technology at the University of Birmingham in 1972, and continued his PhD in water resources control engineering at the same university. A Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts and Manufactures and of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Cluckie was responsible at Swansea for developing strategic links with China, leading to major partnerships with a number of Chinese universities and institutes. He has been involved with Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou for the past decade, working on a joint project to develop a system for flood-risk forecasting on the Pearl River in southern China. "As there are huge development areas on the flood plain, the government is worried about flooding getting worse," he says. "So we have done some development work on using weather radar data from the Pearl River basin to protect the city of Guangzhou and cities downstream like Dongguan." In 2015, Cluckie was awarded the prestigious Chinese Friendship Award, the highest honor given by the Chinese government to foreigners for their contributions to the country, and later the same year was elected foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. "I am pleased to see that engineering is becoming one of the top priorities for the Chinese government," he says. Cluckie, 67, believes the key reason for the honors bestowed on him is his contribution to collaborating with Chinese colleagues in developing real-time flood forecasting, which has reinforced links between China and Britain. Whenever he is in China, Cluckie likes taking time out to visit cultural and historical sites, with the Sun Yat-Sun Memorial Hall in Guangzhou being his favorite. He appreciates Chinese food, and reckons he is an even greater fan of spicy food than most of his northern Chinese colleagues. Recently returned mango seeds that spent 33 days orbiting the Earth on the Shenzhou 11 space mission are ready to be planted in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province. It is hoped that the effects of radiation from outer space might result in improved variants of the tropical fruit. Scientists at the South Subtropical Crops Research Institute will be tasked with planting the seeds and monitoring and recording their findings. It is the first time spaceflight mutation on mangoes has been tested in China. Researchers at the South Subtropical Crops Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences in Zhanjiang study space-exposed mango seeds. [Photo by Feng Wenxing/gdzjdaily.com.cn] There is no guarantee that the mutations which have taken place on the seeds will result in improvements, with many similar cases returning negative results. "Developing the seeds into seedlings will not be an easy task," said Zhan Rulin, deputy head of the institute. Zhan said that nonetheless, space mutation is of great significance in developing new varieties of mangoes. The mango seeds, exposed to radiation, various cabin pressures and weightlessness, have the ability to gain traits not capable by normal experiments. The breeding program was jointly carried out by Hainan State Farms Agribusiness Group and the South Subtropical Crops Research Institute, subject to the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences. Since 2004, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, China Federation of Literary & Art Circles and other concerned organizations, Zhangjiagang Municipal Government has successfully held Yangtze Culture & Art Festival five times together with drama associations and folk culture societies from 12 provinces along the Yangtze River, including Qinghai, Tibet, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Chongqin, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shanghai. The Festival integrates cultural resources of Yangtze River and provides a good cooperation platform to provinces along the River. Technicians check shale gas transport facilities in Chongqing. China is believed to possess the world's biggest estimated technically recoverable shale gas resources.[Provided to China Daily] Overseas media are mistaken in saying the Chinese economy has "suddenly gone on a tear." In fact, as reported on Thursday, the country's manufacturing continued to expand for the fourth consecutive month in November. For improvement in China's economic performance is not something that comes all of a sudden. The manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index, a measurement for business activity based on a 50-point bust-boom line, was 51.7 in November, up from 51.2 in October. The last time manufacturing expanded at this pace was in July 2014, according to government data. One has reason to believe that on the corporate level, China's transition over the four years, painful as it has been, is beginning to yield some results. Those transition pains have helped the nation to gather the momentum it needs for a different kind of growth from that of the past. More than ever before, industrial growth is led by more sophisticated operations, based on the increasing use of technology rather than an ever greater use of resources. This being the case, the latest round of price rises in crude oil, following the agreement between OPEC and Russia to cut output is unlikely to pose much of a new problemeven though China's dependency on energy imports, crude oil in particular, remains high. The deal, in which OPEC members have agreed to cut their output by 1.2 million barrels per day and non-OPEC countries, primarily Russia, by 0.6 million barrels per day, represents OPEC's first coordinated action with Russia in 15 years. Since, OPEC produces one-third of the world's crude oil supply, around 33.6 million barrels per day, its decision sent crude oil prices soaring by more than 10 percent overnight. Although further output cuts are unlikely, the effects of the deal will continue to be felt for some time. But on China's part, it is not dependent on oil imports from OPEC and Russia. It has its own oil and natural gas resources and strategic reserves. It also imports some from the United States. At the same time, the nation is also trying hard to raise its energy efficiency. It no longer sees any advantage in directing massive labor to low value-added export operations. Its latest manufacturing growth has been achieved parallel to a tremendous effort to shut down or relocate operations that are uncompetitive. This has reduced China's dependence on energy on the per output unit basis. And with energy innovations and expanding use of the renewable, China's economy will continue to grow. Luo Er is accepting reporters' interview during a press conference in response to his daughter's disease.[Photo/IC] Luo Er,a writer in Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong province, recently published an article via the domestic social media platform WeChat seeking help for his 6-year-old daughter who suffers from leukemia. His post was reposted more than 100,000 times and Luo received over 2 million yuan ($290,066) in donations. However, reports say he cooperated with a commercial company to speculate on his daughter's illness. Beijing News comments: Anybody having read Luo's post will gain the impression the family are struggling and exhausted because of the girl's disease and need donations to survive. However, the reality is far from that. Luo is not tremendously rich, yet he has three apartments, one in Shenzhen and two in neighboring Dongguan, and he received enough in donations to cover the cost of his daughter's medical treatment. Worse, Luo cooperated with a commercial company to speculate on his daughter's misfortune. The company published his story on its official WeChat account in order to attract more followers, and promised to donate 2 yuan for each reposting of the story. Luo has responded to the growing criticism by promising to donate any surplus money he receives to charity. Calls for help are rather common on social networks, and every time one proves false, it hardens people's hearts. Yet it is quite difficult for ordinary people to check whether somebody calling for help online truly needs it. Only the authorities can do the necessary background checks. It is time the authorities strengthened their regulation of online donations, by checking the verity of people's pleas for help, and ensure those playing on people's heartstrings for ulterior motives pay for their misdeeds. Li Qiang, Party secretary of Jiangsu province, speaks at the 2016 WIOT Wuxi Summit on Oct 31. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] Over the next decade, IoT (Internet Of Things) devices, beyond handheld ones, are expected to impact our lives. Billions of devices will power up by 2020 and by 2030, wearables, Smart City and biometrics sensors as well as automated household devices will be essential to society. At the end of 2014, China had 74 million connected machines and that number is expected grow that to 336 million by 2020 at an explosive rate of 29 percent annually, according to the GSMA, a telecom interest group. This did not happen by accident. In 2011, the government had the foresight to establish an IoT institute and fund, long before the term became mainstream. Two years ago in 2014, the government designated Smart City projects in more than 200 cities, looking at ways of collecting and analyzing data on public safety, environmental factors and transportation, as examples. The rate of innovation will be one of the most disruptive trends to grapple with. In the next 20 years, while consumers will benefit from the accelerated rate of change in device and connectivity technology, there will be pressure for the industry to shorten product and service development lifecycles, as disruptive technologies stir upheaval. With this backdrop, there are several implications for telecom operators. First, IoT which by definition enables users to connect to devices at home and work will no doubt be voracious in consuming bandwidth. A study by Cisco estimates that 67 percent of all Internet traffic will be from Wi-Fi and mobile networks by 2019; in 2014, this was only 42 percent. While telecom companies must cope with the increasing traffic and demands on bandwidth, they must remain profitable. To do so, they must continually invest where profitable customers are and study the services demanded, but also balance that with expansion of coverage to grow user base. A second consequence in the rise of IoT adoption is that telecom operators are likely to forge even closer ties with equipment makers. While cooperation in the past two years has focused on joint investments into research and technologies, cooperation could be forged in other IoT areas like human capital development and patenting. They could also look at ways of incubating and accelerate startups. Third, there is high likelihood that acquisition activities in the telecom industry will continue to thrive, expanding to target IoT makers. If history is indicative of the future, telecom operators may continue to favor acquisition as a means of growth. In 2015, deals involving Chinese companies reached a whopping $806 billion at more than 5,000 deals, a size 10 times larger than second place South Africa, which had $52 billion worth in deals. Of the 5000-plus deals in 2015, about 10 percent or 546 deals were telecom- and mobile-related. To date, no other deals in China have topped PCCW's acquisition of Cable & Wireless Hong Kong in 2000, worth $38 billion. And of the 10 biggest deals in China, six were telecom-related. Based on the active acquisition history of the telecom players, there could be industry shakeups in terms of vertical integration by telecom companies. However, as IoT adoption becomes more prevalent, telecom companies can yet again come face-to-face with the ongoing challenges of disintermediation and becoming a dumb pipe. The control over IoT devices will rest with their manufacturers, proprietary platforms and eventually, customers. This multitude of closed ecosystems, unregulated interfaces and a race to produce devices cheaply, has led to lax security implementations by the device manufacturers. Recently, hackers took control of swarms of IoT devices and brought down critical Internet infrastructure, by flooding them with excessive traffic, also known as DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks. In this threat, lies another opportunity for the telecom companies, to reestablish their position as the safekeepers of global networks. Operators should strongly be looking at investments into building security services and products, especially today where networks and systems are also evolving and virtualizing at a frantic pace. These developments pave a clear opportunity for operators to take an active role in fostering greater societal adoption, drive innovation as well as build and maintain industry and security standards, which would ultimately augment the quality of life in China. Mr. Dujacquier and Mr. Gidwani are Senior Partner and Principal at Roland Berger, a consulting firm with offices in Hong Kong. Californians got the chance to delve into the wonders of intangible cultural heritages from regions along the ancient Silk Road in Sacramento, US, as part of a four-day exhibition that came to a close on Nov 30. Sponsored by Lanzhou municipal government, Chengguan district government, Lanzhou tourism bureau and Gansu Huayuan Culture Industry Group, the Silk Road Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition presented more than 160 culture heritage items. Many of the items represented culture in Northwest China and were welcomed by visitors in the Golden State. Zhu Xiaoqin, president of Huayuan Culture Industry Group said the exhibition provided a good chance to promote cultural communication between China and Western countries. It also provides us an opportunity of investigating western consumers understanding of oriental culture, Zhu added. Wei Qi, general manager of Huayuan, said that the exhibition was customized for US audiences. The items on display are adored by visitors and it proves that the Chinese traditional culture is accepted and welcomed by western people, Wei added. As a leading company in Lanzhous cultural industry, Huayuan has made efforts to publicize Chinese culture in western countries in recent years. French President Francois Hollande (L) speaks with Prime Minister Manuel Valls as he leaves the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, November 30, 2016 following the weekly cabinet meeting. [Photo/Agencies] PARIS - French President Francois Hollande on Thursday said he will not seek a second mandate in 2017 presidential election due to broken promise on unemployment and long sliding approval rating. "Today, I am aware of the risks that would trigger a process that would not gather enough support. So, I decided not to be a candidate in the presidential election," said Hollande. "I do this by taking all my responsibility, but also by calling for a progressive start. What is at stake is not a person but the future of the country. I do not want France to expose itself to dangerous adventures," he added. Meanwhile, the Socialist leader defended his reforms, saying reform "results are coming" but later than predicted. In a 10-minute televised speech, Hollande said he would now focus on leading euro zone's main powerhouse in the months until the presidential election scheduled for April 23 and May 7. After five years in power, the Socialists and the broader Left are weakened by internal upheavals and their popularity was affected by high unemployment rate and rising security concerns. Many believe it is very difficult for them to take on the right-wing and the far right party in the upcoming presidential election. Besides, long-sliding popularity of Hollande has increased pressure on the Socialists to seek a right candidate who has enough credentials to pass the first round. As left primary is approaching, Hollande's decision to quit the race for a second term is likely to pave the way for his prime minister Manuel Valls who said "ready" to take part in the competition. Seven contenders including former ministers Aranud Montebourg and Benoit Hamon have announced to participate in the two-round left-wing primary scheduled for Jan. 22 and 29. Ex-economy minister Emmanuel Macron has launched his own campaign, a fact likely to splinter votes and pulverize the Left parties' hope to maintain power in 2017. French pollsters predicted the incumbent French president would lose in the first round of upcoming election by winning only 15 percent of the votes. Opinions polls also showed that no left-wing candidate will cruise to the run-off in May 7. In May 2012, Hollande was elected the first Socialist president in 17 years with nearly 52 percent of votes over the conservative Nicolas Sarkozy. He imposed more taxes on the rich, moved away from austerity-only policies and introduced measures to boost economic growth. However, during his days in office, he suffered a setback due to broken promises to bring down unemployment rate and his launch of controversial labor reforms which triggered massive streets protests. Adding to that, a publication of private conversations with two journalists in a book titled "A President Should Not Say That," he drew criticism from many people. Critics doubt his presidential credentials, saying a president should not confess so much and unveil classified information few months ahead presidential elections. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. License for publishing multimedia online 0108263 Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, November 8, 2016. [Photo/Agencies] ANKARA - Turkey will likely hold a constitutional referendum in early summer 2017, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Thursday. "A referendum is expected within 60 days after the parliament concludes the negotiations," Yildirim told a press conference after a meeting with the leader of opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Devlet Bahceli in Ankara. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and MHP have finalized negotiations on proposed amendments to the constitution, which include changing the current parliamentary system to a presidential system, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. The proposed draft constitution will be submitted to the parliament next week, Yildirim, who is also the head of AKP, said. After the draft is presented to the parliament, a referendum will be held for the public to make the final decision if a total of 330 votes or higher is reached. The parliament is expected to debate the amendments early next year and the referendum may be held in April, local Daily Sabah said. According to the Turkish constitution, constitutional changes can be directly passed only if it is approved by two-thirds of the deputies in the parliament, which corresponds to 367 of the 550 parliamentarians. The AKP, with 316 seats, and the MHP, with 40, both back the bill. A committee within the AKP completed its work last month on a draft constitution that includes items for a presidential system. According to the new proposed draft constitution, the president will be able to continue with a party affiliation, which is one of the most significant changes to the presidential system, while in the current constitution the president is not allowed to continue their party affiliation and should have a non-partisan stance. The government has long sought to replace the current parliamentary system with a presidential one, saying there are flaws in the setup, which also holds back Turkey's development. China highly appreciates Russia's active support for the development of the China-Russia relationship, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Friday. Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his annual state of the nation address on Thursday, in which he described China-Russia relations as being "one of the key factors in ensuring global and regional stability. It serves as a model of international relations." This model of relations can reshape a world order free from the idea of one country's dominance, and taking into account the interests of all states in harmony, Putin said. "At the moment, the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership is at an all time high," Geng said at a daily press conference in Beijing. Both sides have upheld the generational friendship established by the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, he added. China and Russia have perceived each other as a diplomatic priority and crucial development opportunity, Geng said. The two countries resolutely supported each other on issues regarding the two nations' core interests, set a new model of state relations characterized by mutual cooperation and trust on an equal footing, and contributed to regional and international peace, security and development, he continued. "China is willing to strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia, expand and deepen cooperation in various fields, and inject positive energy into the prosperity of the two nations and maintain regional and international peace, security and stability," Geng said. Contact the writer at Zhangzhihao@chinadaily.com.cn China will invest more in its disabled population in future, pay greater attention to their affairs and involve them more in its economic and social development, according to an official from the China Disabled Persons' Federation. You Liang, deputy director general of the federation's international affairs department, made the comments while addressing the 7th Disabled Peoples' International Asia-Pacific Northeast Subregional Meeting, which concluded in Shanghai earlier this week. He urged countries in the region to play an active role in disabled people's affairs by collaborating under a global framework and deepening exchanges and cooperation. "The issue is as much about human rights as it is about development," he said. "Highly developed economic and social conditions are premises to guaranteeing these rights. Empowering disabled people economically will not only allow them to safeguard their rights and realize their value, but also contributes to a stable society and prosperous economy." There are about 85 million people with disabilities living in China, whose welfare has become a critical social issue for the country's development. Some of the major areas where this is the case, as identified by the federation in recent years, include poverty alleviation, employment, social protection, gender equality, disaster relief and inter-regional cooperation. China has already established a national basic welfare and subsidy framework for people with disabilities, based on the State Council's suggestions for enhancing prosperity, establishing full-coverage living subsidies for the impoverished and providing subsidized medical care for people with severe disabilities. By gathering information through a survey of 26.6 million people with disabilities, a strong foundation has been laid for targeted poverty alleviation, rehabilitation, employment and other services, You said. In the Asia-Pacific region as a whole, there are about 650 million people living with disabilities, accounting for almost two thirds of the global disabled population. "It has become a common social issue for us all, to guarantee that they can benefit from, participate in and promote Asia-Pacific cooperation and development," You said. "We'll keep pushing international organizations and mechanisms to fulfill this mandate, and accordingly to attach greater importance to these issues, creating more and better platforms for global collaboration in this area." Nearly 40 delegates from China, South Korea, Japan and Mongolia attended the subregional meeting, discussing their experiences and the challenges they face implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Incheon Strategy to "Make the Right Real" for People with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific. The Incheon Strategy, a framework document launched by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific's Third Session of the Work Group on the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities 2013-2022, outlined 10 goals to ensure equal social status for people with disabilities as well as protecting their the right to engage in and benefit from social development. "We urge the South Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Mongolian governments to do their best to accomplish the goals of the Incheon Strategy until 2022," said Kim Dae-sung, chairman for the Northeast Asian Subregion of the Disabled Peoples' International, Asia-Pacific Regional Council. "We ourselves should struggle to establish close partnerships with our governments so that the related policies will be more helpful to enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities." A high-level intergovernmental meeting to review the progress of the Asian and Pacific Decade of Persons with Disabilities 20132022 will be held in Beijing next November. wangzhenghua@chinadaily.com.cn Fang Aiqing contributed to this story. China opposes unilateral sanctions outside the UN Security Council framework, and resolutely opposes them when China's legitimate interests are harmed, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Friday. On Friday, both the Republic of Korea and Japan said they would impose new unilateral sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile tests, after the United Nations Security Council adopted a new resolution against Pyongyang on Wednesday. "China is always opposed to unilateral sanctions on a country outside the framework of the UN Security Council's sanctions, and even more opposed to any party harming China's legitimate interests through unilateral sanctions," he told a daily press conference in Beijing. He noted the complex and sensitive situation on the Korean Peninsula and urged related parties to avoid mutual stimulation, conflicts and tensions. "We hope related parties could act with caution," he added. Contact the writer at mojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn SEOUL -- South Korean lawmakers put forward a historic bill to impeach scandal-hit President Park Geun-hye early Saturday, after the opposition bloc heralded a vote on the motion on Dec. 9. A parliamentary official told Xinhua on the phone that the bill was handed in to the relevant office at about 4:10 a.m. local time (1910 GMT). It marks the second impeachment proposal since the country's constitutional government was launched about seven decades ago. The latest was in 2004 for late President Roh Moo-hyun. The impeachment motion was filed with the National Assembly by 171 opposition and independent legislators. The ruling Saenuri Party, which has 128 lawmakers, refrained from taking part in the proposal. The assembly's speaker Chung Se-kyun of the biggest opposition Minjoo Party failed to join the move for political neutrality rules, but he reportedly plans to participate in the vote. Three main opposition parties, including the Minjoo Party, People's Party and the Justice Party, have agreed to vote on the impeachment on Dec. 9 when the regular session ends. The impeachment motion states that President Park comprehensively and gravely violated laws and the constitution in her office for nearly four years. Park took office in February 2013. It says Park's breach of constitutional law was threatening enough to justify the expulsion of the president and that Park betrayed legitimacy and trust granted by the general public. The constitutional violations, according to the impeachment bill, include the president's permission of her longtime confidante Choi Soon-sil and other associates of Choi to meddle in state affairs and influence the appointment of government officials behind the scenes. Britain must establish a relationship with China that goes beyond trade and commercial ties, Boris Johnson, UK Foreign Secretary, said in his first major foreign policy speech on Friday. As regards China and East Asia, our approach in that region must go beyond the quest for exports or commercial contracts, he told the Royal Institute of International Affairsat Chatham House in London. Johnson, who backed the successful campaign for Britains exit from the European Union, took office in July following the referendum vote. He said what he called Global Britain should not confine its outlook to its immediate European neighbours at a time when new powers were rising. It is right that we should make a distinctive approach to policy-making as regards China and East Asia, he said. Post-Brexit, British ministers have raised the prospect of eventual free trade deals with countries outside Europe, specifically China. Johnsons latest comments follow the election of Donald Trump as US president after a campaign in which he castigated China for destroying American jobs and threatened to impose punative tariffs on its exports. The UK minister noted that the UK was one of the first countries to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, a Chinese initiative capitalized largely by China. The British decision was criticized by the Obama administration. Johnson said Britain was not just a link between Europe and the US. We have our own distinctive identity and contribution, he said. Underlining what Britain had to offer the rest of the world, he noted that Cambridge University alone had produced twice the Nobel Prize winners than every university in Russia and China combined. Johnson said it would be unrealistic not to accept that the international order needed to change. That was why the UK supported enlarging the permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council, which currently includes both Britian and China, to other global powers, including India. PARIS -- A gunman was taking hostage seven people in a travel agency in Paris 13th district on Friday, according to local report. The armed man stormed Asieland agency at 6:30 p.m.local time (1730 GMT) in Boulevard Massena south Paris and held seven people, BFMTV news channel reported. The agency's director succeeded to flee and alerted the police, it added. Armed police have been on the site and a security perimeter has been been installed, according to the report. On its tweeter account, Paris prefecture confirmed that an "intervention under way in an armed robbery. Drivers should avoid the area." (Photo : Getty Images) Baidu Maps will extend to 106 new countries. Advertisement Baidu has announced its massive expansion for its map service, adding 106 new countries on the list. The desktop and mobile map service provided by China's online search giant has 348 million active users, according to Tech Crunch. It holds basic data worldwide, but a more detailed and accurate information will help the service to be globally competitive. The company has launched an internationalization strategy, which started at the beginning of 2016. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Baidu has prepared a sketch for its plans of international expansion with the launch of its mapping service to 106 new countries and regions. These include Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South America, and Oceania. Baidu Maps expansion comes after seeing the steady growth in Chinese tourism industry. According to China National Tourism Administration, Chinese tourists made 59.03 million trips abroad in the first half of 2016, up by 4.3 percent compared with that of in 2015. With this positive survey, local tourist boards may seek partnership with Baidu Maps. The Chinese search engine giant aims to gain 50 percent overseas users by the end of 2020, China Daily reported. The expansion designed to complement the increasing numbers of Chinese tourists worldwide. This signals that we will finally transform from a Chinese map provider to a world map provider and become the Chinese brand that provides global services for mobile travel applications, Baidu Maps general manager Li Dongmin said. Baidu sketched out its plans for international expansion with the launch of the mapping service to additional countries and regions. Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South America, and Oceania are included in the map. It will include information such as points of interest, opening and closing times for attractions, discounted hotels, and shopping malls nearby. Moreover, Baidu Maps started a strategic collaboration with the tourist administrations of Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. It will aid in providing better travel experience for Baidu users and easier way to share resources and data with these countries. Advertisement TagsBaidu, Baidu Maps, tourism, chinese, Chinese Tourists, China search engine giant, mapping service, china (Photo : Getty Images) Workers assisted to save as many lives after the cooling factory collapsed on Thursday last week. Advertisement Families of the 74 victims who died last Thursday (Nov. 24) after a cooling firm collapsed have agreed to be compensated by the engineering firm responsible for the construction. An agreement between the Hebei Yineng Tower Engineering and the families of the victims will see each family get 1.2 million yuan ($174,000) for the loss of their loved ones. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement China.Org.cn noted that the DNA tests have been done to match the victims and their family before issuing out the compensation and cremating the 74 victims. Among the Monday victims are the head of Hebei Yineng Tower Engineer and the chief engineer of the construction project. The engineering has been given the contract to expand the Fengcheng Power Plant. Construction was due to be finished when the incident transpired. Herald Courier reported that at least 15 people have so far been detained, nine on Monday and six on Tuesday. Officials were quoted saying that of the six arrested on Tuesday, four were alleged to have "major liability in the accident," while the remaining suspects were for the production and the sale of shoddy products. No formal charges have so far been made in regard to the 15 culprits who are currently in holding. In similar incidents, however, company and city officials are often charged and prosecuted. Meanwhile, investigations are still ongoing on the incident. Factory tragedies are common in the Chinese state. A similar incident that took away 173 lives was witnessed last year when a chemical warehouse in Tianjin exploded. At least 49 people were charged in relation to the Tianjin explosion. Advertisement Tagschina, Factory collapse, Family compensation, Hebei Yineng Tower Engineering (Photo : Facebook) Japan and China's foreign and defense officials finally held their first bilateral security talks on Monday in Beijing since March 2015. Advertisement Japan and China's foreign and defense officials finally held their first bilateral security talks on Monday in Beijing since March 2015. The meeting was attended by the senior diplomats and defense officials including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Deputy Foreign Minister Takeo Akiba, and Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Results of the Meeting Japan and China have agreed to strengthen their confidence-building measures as both sides have explained their security policies and discussed the major challenges that the region and the rest of the world are facing. The government of Japan asked China to make its security policies more transparent. As this meeting comes amid the ongoing territorial dispute in the East China Sea, the Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to ease the tensions over sovereignty of a group of tiny islands in the sea. The two nations aim to set up a maritime and aerial communication mechanism to prevent accidental clashes in and above the East China Sea by establishing a sort of hotline between their officials. However, one of the major obstacles identified in implementing the mechanism is how to treat territorial waters and airspace around the uninhabited islets, which China calls Diaoyu. Japan has reportedly demanded that they not fall within the scope of the mechanism, while China has argued the opposite, The Japan Times reported, The meeting on Monday lasted for more than four hours followed by another over three hours meeting on Tuesday as Japan and China agreed to work toward a trilateral summit with South Korea, despite increasing uncertainty in political turmoil roiling in Seoul. Japan is seeking to host an annual trilateral summit involving the two countries and South Korea around Dec. 19 in Tokyo, creating a favorable environment for Premier Li Keqiang as this will be his first possible visit to Japan since taking office in 2013. Advertisement TagsJapan, china, bilateral talks, China-Japan-South Korea Trilateral Summit, 2016 (Photo : Getty Images. ) China on Thursday launched a direct rail and sea freight service to Pakistan under the ambitious CPEC project. The service was started with first cargo train departing from Chinas southwest Yunnan province for Pakistans Karachi city. Advertisement China and Pakistan opened a new chapter in their diplomatic relationship on Thursday by launching a direct rail and sea freight service between them. The service, which is the first of its kind between the two nations, was unveiled with the first cargo train departing from China's southwest Yunnan Province for Pakistan's Karachi City. The cargo train was loaded with 500 tons of commodities as it left Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, and would travel via the port city of Guangzhou before reaching Karachi. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Chinese state media reported that the new rail and sea freight service will help in bringing down logistics cost, including transportation cost, to nearly 50 percent. The newly launched service is a vital part of China's ambitious Maritime Silk Road project, of which the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project (CPEC) is an extension. It must be noted that Beijing and Islamabad initiated first trade activities under CPEC project last month, after hordes of Chinese containers left Sust port in Hunza for Pakistan's Gwadar port in Balochistan. Meanwhile, the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry has welcomed the opening of the new route and claimed that it will mutually benefit both countries. It said that the new route will help Pakistan's business community to enhance trading relation with China in a more convenient way, while China will get access to world market through the new route. CPEC a Watershed Project for China-Pak Relation The $46 billion dollar CPEC project is widely hailed as the most ambitious economic project between China and Pakistan. The project spans across a 3,000-kilometer network of roads and railways to transport oil and gas from Gwadar Port to China's autonomous region of Xinjiang. The multi-billion dollar project was envisaged to be a vital part of the Maritime Silk Route that has set the ambitious goal of linking 3 billion people in Asia, Africa, and Europe via ambitious trade routes. The CPEC, however, has been plagued with host of controversies that made many Pakistani leaders nervous. The controversies spurred mainly owing to security concerns expressed by its neighboring country India. Advertisement TagsChina and Pakistan, Pakistan, china, China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Project (Photo : Getty Images) US President Barack Obama is poised to block China's takeover deal of Germany's Aixtron, according to Bloomberg. Advertisement US President Barack Obama is reportedly set to block China's Grand Chip Investment GmbH from acquiring Germany's Aixtron SE, sources with knowledge about the matter told Bloomberg. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement Obama is allegedly poised to uphold a recommendation by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) on Friday to halt the $714 million acquisition deal between the Chinese firm and Aixtron. "It will be extremely difficult for China's state-owned enterprises to do deals in the semiconductor industry looking forward," He Weiwen, Center for China and Globalization's deputy director, said. "It definitely posts a negative impact on China-U.S. relations, but the damage is limited." According to MarketWatch, Aixtron revealed last month that the CFIUS has advised the chip-equipment maker to abandon the agreement because of "unresolved US national security concerns." It further said that the authority planned to recommend that Obama block the deal as there are no other ways to mitigate concerns. Obama's decision is crucial for the Sino-US relations as incoming President Donald Trump has been open on his negative views about China. The president-elect not only accused the mainland of practicing unfair trades but also threatened to impose high tariffs on Chinese goods. Meanwhile, the CFIUS noted that US pays particular attention on foreign buyers making purchases in the fields of technology, particularly in the defense applications sector. Aixtron apparently has a subsidiary in California, which generates around 20 percent of its sales and employs at least 100 people. If the report is confirmed, this will be the third time the White House has refused an overseas investment in over 25 years and Obama's second rejection because of national security risks. Obama initially interrupted China's Ralls Corp. from developing a wind farm in Oregon in 2012. Advertisement TagsAixtron, Grand Chip Investment GmbH, Aixtron News, Aixtron Acquisition, Aixtron takeover (Photo : Getty Images) Grab an ice-cold Empire's 'Two Dragons' beer with the 'I Love New York' logo. Advertisement A Syracuse-brewery, which is producing an officially licensed "I Love New York" beer, is set to test Chinese netizen's taste for beer in 2017. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday that the "I Love New York" beer will be distributed across China in partnership with New York's Empire Brewing Company's "Two Dragons" label, according to Oneida Dispatch Daily. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The "Two Dragons" beer that bears the "I Love New York" logo is an ale-style drink brewed with New York State hops and Chinese black tea. The drink's inspiration came after Empire Brewing Company's owner David Katleski made a visit to China and got interested with the country's tea making history and precision. Although the beer was originally made to cater the Chinese market, it also found success and high demand in the US including New York, New Jersey, and Delaware. The "Two Dragons" beer will be available in China starting February next year. Meanwhile, the deal to sell the beer in the mainland was made possible by Brand Sense Partners, which is the licensing agent for the "I Love New York" logo, the Auburnpub reported. "New York's thriving, world-renowned craft beverage industry is creating new jobs and driving economic growth across the state, and this unique partnership will introduce one of our finest New York products to a global audience," Cuomo said. On the other hand, Empire Brewing Company has a brewery in Syracuse and operates the state's largest farm brewery in Cazenovia, Madison, County. Its Cazenovia facility received funding from the Upstate Revitalization Initiative. It is also a farmstead brewery, wherein the hops and other ingredients are locally grown and produced, the CBS Albany News noted. "Our corporate philosophy is 'Grow Local, Craft Global and our Mission is in the Bottle'," Katleski said, adding that "it seemed only right that we would take this opportunity of partnering with I LOVE NY to further promote the state through our beer in China." Watch video to get a hint of what to expect: Advertisement TagsEmpire Brewing Company, Two Dragons beer, brewery, I Love New York, farmstead brewery, Empire Farmstead Brewery (Photo : Getty Images) China expressed disappointment over the US' reliance on Beijing to rein in Pyongyang saying it could not do it alone. Advertisement Following the United Nations (UN) imposition of the toughest sanctions yet on North Korea, China said that the sanctions are not meant to hurt 'normal' trade relations with the belligerent state nor adversely affect the North Korean people. China's foreign ministry said on Thursday that the UN sanctions are aimed at cutting North Korea's annual coal export earnings by more than 60 percent in 2017, in a bid to strip of the regime of cash that could be used to pursue its nuclear weapons program. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement "Resolution 2321 formulates new measures, showing the resolve of the Security Council, and also points out they must avoid creating adverse consequences for North Korean civilian and humanitarian needs, and are not intended to create negative effects on normal trade," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a press conference on Thursday. Coal exports North Korea's coal exports to China is the single external source of revenue for the isolated state, and with the new resolution, China would slash its imports by $700 million compared with its 2015 sales. Despite Beijing's anger over Pyongyang's series of nuclear tests, it remains North Korea's most important trade and diplomatic ally. The US and the international community had repeatedly accused China of not enforcing the past UN sanctions strictly, which was vehemently denied by Beijing. Nuclear weapons Geng said China has always enforced the UN sanctions to the letter, and the same strict imposition of the sanctions would be made with the new resolution. China has expressed disappointment over the US, Japan, and South Korea's sole reliance on Beijing to rein in Pyongyang and force it to give up its nuclear weapons saying it could not do it alone. In an editorial published in the Chinese communist-backed newspaper Global Times, it said that all parties should assume their respective responsibilities and not look to China alone to solve the Korean Peninsula crisis. THAAD deployment Geng urged all parties to return to the negotiating table and called on all sides to stay calm and avoid any confrontation that could worsen the already volatile situation in the Korean Peninsula. He said Beijing has repeatedly voiced its opposition to the impending US deployment of the THAAD anti-missile system on South Korean soil saying it would jeopardize the security situation in the region and might be used to target China later on. Washington, on the other hand, has repeatedly explained to Beijing that the THAAD deployment would be used solely to counter Pyongyang's nuclear tests. Advertisement TagsUN Resolution, North Korea nuclear program, UN sanctions, UN Security Council, coal exports, Nuclear Tests (Photo : Getty Images) UNICEF reports that mostly youth aged between 15 and 24 had tested positive for HIV/AIDS. Advertisement China will step up its efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS as it committed to create new prevention mechanism and to invest further in research and development to find a cure for the virus, according to a report released by the government on Wednesday. "We should deepen the reform of medical and health systems, make preventative, intervention and treatment services, and implement policies and measures such as blood testing and prevention," Liu Yandong, vice-premier of the state council said, adding that more work are needed to be done. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement She made her remarks during a visit at the grassroots in Beijing where she carried out an inspection at the Chaoyang District Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Liu also said that the Communist Party, while working under the guidance of President Xi Jinping, has made impressive efforts to improve the lives of people living with the AIDS/HIV. "The fight against AIDS is a global problem," she said. "We need to work with international cooperations and countries to achieve the United Nations 2030 sustainable development agenda and also put an end to the AIDS epidemic." According to Today Online Publication, a report presented by the Centre for Disease and Control Prevention (CCDCP) showed that a shocking 2,300 people, most of whom were in between 15 and 24 years old, have been tested positive of HIV in China. UNICEF projected that there would be an annual rise of HIV cases from 250,000 registered in 2015 to 400,000 by the year 2030, according to Xinhua. Advertisement Tagschina, World AIDS Day, UNICEF, hiv aids, CCDCP (Photo : Getty Images) Carlyle Group and Citic Group Corp are reportedly in advanced talks to acquire McDonald's Corps assets in China and Hong Kong for $3 billion. Advertisement A joint consortium led by American private-equity firm Carlyle Group and state-owned Chinese investment company Citic Group Corp. are nearing a deal to acquire McDonald's Corp.'s assets in China and Hong Kong for $3 billion, a source familiar with the matter said. The deal is likely to be sealed before the festive season of Christmas, the source added. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement The Massachusetts-based investment firm Bain Capital was also part of this consortium, before it pulled out of the bidding race in October, according to news agency Reuters. McDonald's China management has so far not issued any official statement nor have the companies involved in the bidding race said anything about the latest development. McDonald's decision to go for a massive restructuring in its Asia business is reportedly due to prolong pressure on its revenue cycle. Analysts say that the pressure eventually forced the fast food giant to switch for a less capital-intensive franchise model. The fast food company has hired Morgan Stanley to oversee the sale out process of about 2,400 restaurants across Mainland China and Hong Kong. McDonald is apparently not the only one going for a major overhaul in its Asian business. Yum Brands, which owns Pizza Hut and KFC, also spinned off its China business in October to cut down on falling profit. Apart from pressure on profitability, the changing food habits among Chinese consumers have also forced companies to embrace innovative strategies and constantly review its business model. The American fast food giants, though, are willing to endure the market pressure to lure of lucrative Chinese market. Advertisement TagsMcDonald China, Carlyle Group, Mcdonald's China Sale, china, Citic Group Corp (Photo : YouTube Screenshot) Chinas top court on Friday acquitted a convicted man 21 years after his execution, citing that the evidences against the accuse are insufficient. Advertisement In an apparently major miscarriage of justice, China's top court on Friday exonerated a convicted man 21 years after his execution, citing that the "evidences are insufficient." Nie Shubin, who was 21 years old at the day of execution, was convicted in 1995 for raping and murdering a woman in Shijiazhuang city in northern province of Hebei. The body of the woman was found by her father at the outskirts of the city. Like Us on Facebook Advertisement However, China's supreme court on Friday ruled that Nie's conviction in 1995 was based on inconclusive evidences. "The Supreme People's Court believes that the facts used in the original trial were unclear and the evidence insufficient, and so changes the original sentence to one of innocence," it said in a statement on its official social media account. The statement added that there are doubts over the credibility Nie's confession of guilt, which apparently was the primary evidence in the trails. An official from the Supreme People's Court said in a interview to Chinese state media that there are several important lessons to be learned from the case that upheld the conviction on poor evidences. Nie Shubin's Family Becomes Emotional Meanwhile, Nie's family could not hold on to their tears after they learned about the verdict. Their video, where the entire family is seen crying, has reportedly gone viral on China's Twitter-like microblogging site Weibo. The Hebei provincial court also came forward to offer its apology and said that the application process to offer financial support to the family will be started immediately and re-examination of the case will be initiated as well. The family has been campaigning for justice of their slain son since 2005, when another man, Wang Shujin, confessed to the murder and rape of the Shijiazhuang woman. Wang's sudden confession led to public outcry across China over the supposed miscarriage of justice in Nie's case. Buoyed by unprecedented public support, Nie's family appealed for re-opening and re-examination of case by the court. Execution is Said to be Most Common in China Human right activists claim that execution in China is more common than anywhere else in the world. Their claim is apparently fueled by the fact that Chinese government keeps 'execution numbers' a top secret. The annual execution numbers in China run close to 1,000, according to rough estimate. Advertisement TagsNie Shubin Case, china, Execution in China, China's Supreme Court Matthew Quinn - Traditional Home Thank you for all your paint color suggestions for painting the exterior of CCC. I have been poring over th... Irreverent: Atheists annual Christmas mockery begins 02 December, 2016 by Gregory Tomlin , | MADISON, Wisconsin (Christian Examiner) The Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) and American Atheists are once again poking their collective finger in the eye of Christians across the United States at Christmastime. Both organizations announced Dec. 1 that their annual campaigns lampooning Christmas had begun, with FFRF issuing a warm "Heathens' Greetings" and the American Atheists encouraging people to save their holiday by skipping church. FFRF issued what it called its "Winter Solstice Survival Guide." "It's the first day of December, which means the annual 'War on State/Church Separation' has begun, surely more so now with the Religious Right bolstered by its recent electoral triumph," FFRF said in its statement. The Wisconsin-based atheist group then provides a list of ways atheists can help Christians and Jews have a less-than-merry Christmas "by creating a little controversy." Wherever Christmas or Hanukkah displays find their way onto public land, the group encourages atheists to also erect banners or displays to "provide some secular balance." FFRF offers to supply the banners or its controversial Bill of Rights "Nativity" display where the U.S. Constitution, instead of the baby Jesus, occupies the manger. FFRF also offers a "non-tract" to supposedly educate the masses on the true meaning of Christmas the winter solstice (the shortest day of the year). The solstice, they claim, was overtaken by Christmas as was the festival of Saturnalia, honoring the Roman god Saturn. Atheist greeting cards meant to "inject a little irreverence or just keep it secularly professional" are also available, as are free downloads of tunes such as "Merry Fricken Christmas" and "Solstice Tribute," to the tune of "O, Little Town of Bethlehem." American Atheists, known for their annual winter billboard campaign, has launched another ad campaign encouraging people to celebrate an "atheist Christmas" by skipping church. One of the billboards will go up in Georgetown, S.C., where the group will hold its "solar eclipse convention" in August 2017. Others are strategically located in places like Colorado Springs, Colo., the national headquarters of evangelical groups like Focus on the Family, and Lynchburg, Va., home to Liberty University. One billboard shows a text exchange between a young black girl and another party as her mother stares over her shoulder, eyes popping. The girl says she plans to skip church during the Christmas holiday. The other party asks if her parents will mind. "They'll get over it," she replies. Another mocks the presidential campaign of Donald Trump (and perhaps those who voted for him) as it exhorts, "Make Christmas Great Again! Skip Church." According to David Silverman, president of American Atheists, the billboards are intended to make people aware that "religion has nothing to do with being a good person, and that being open and honest about what you believeand don't believeis the best gift you can give this holiday season." The group said the billboards are aimed at the growing population of "religious nones" in America or those unattached to a religion. American Atheists claims that number stands near 25 percent, based on figures produced by the Public Religion Research Institute. Presumably, they believe a good number of that group is atheist. But they aren't telling the whole story. The "nones" are comprised of those disenchanted with religion, those apathetic to it, and those who are "unattached" to a denomination or church. Among the apathetic and unattached, a significant number still claim to believe in God. The number of true atheists still hovers around 11 percent of the U.S. population. Nick Fish, national program director for American Atheists, said the billboards will help them remove the "stigma" associated with atheism. "This billboard campaign will be a starting point for that conversation in communities where atheists don't always have a voice," Fish said. Charisma News recently expounded upon the much talked about New York Times editorial, in which Jimmy Carter publicly called for President Obama to divide the land of Israel at the United Nations before Inauguration Day. During his presidency, Carter went to great lengths to obtain peace between Egypt and Israel, and since that time, the former President has remained an ardent advocate in support of a Palestinian state. With the recent election of Donald Trump as Obamas successor, Carter knows that his vision and hopes for the future of a two-state solution to finally bring lasting peace to the Middle East is lessening by the moment. In an impassioned and urgent attempt to use the time left in Obamas term to salvage what he can of this situation, Carter called for Obama to take specific steps toward this aim at a peaceful resolution. One step specifically, among many mentioned, is Carters opinion that Obama should give formal recognition to a Palestinian state. In the editorial he explains that, I am convinced the United States can still have the future of the Israel-Palestinian conflict before a change in presidents, but time is very short. Photo courtesy: Wikipedia Publication date: December 2, 2016 Christians meeting in house churches in China are amongst thousands of Chinese people considered expendable by the Chinese government and being used in the harvesting of organs, according to China watcher Ethan Gutmann. Gutmann, who has written two books about China and published several reports, said as many as 100,000 organ transplants may be taking place annually in the country, despite the Chinese governments claims it administers only 10,000. And the source for the majority of these, Gutmann said, are Falun Gong adherents, but also other expendable citizens such as Tibetans, Uighurs and Christians. Gutmann, speaking at the UK Parliament on 30 November as part of an event titled, Chinas Darkest Moment: The Crackdown on Human Rights under Xi Jinping, added that so-called organ tourists from several Western nations were amongst the recipients of the organs, although several countries have banned their patients from undergoing transplants in China. Gutmann gave the example of one unnamed man from the UK, whom he said had been sent by the British health service to receive an organ in a hospital in Xian, China. British MP Fiona Bruce, chair of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, then told the audience: Organ tourism from this country should not happen." However, a spokesperson for the charity Open Doors, who did not wish to be identified, said: From our experiences over the past decades, we never heard Christians were targeted for organ harvesting. But as Christians account for more than 5% of Chinas population, I am not surprised if some Christians faced such tragic experiences by chance. We do at times hear about organ harvesting in China, which is done by gangs. They are considered crimes by Chinas government and the perpetrators are subject to criminal sentencing by the authorities. In October, Reuters reported that the director of the China Organ Donation and Transplantation Committee, had said 100 per cent of organ donors were voluntary and that the government had zero tolerance regarding organ harvesting. Chinas darkest moment? Benedict Rogers, the vice chair of the Commission, speaking at the 30 Nov. event, said that in the 24 years in which he has been watching the country, he has never seen a period in which human rights have deteriorated so rapidly in such a short space of time as they have in the last three years. He said that China has always had a very bad human rights record, but that there were hopes that its economic development and international ties may lead to improvements. The reality, he said, is that China is severely regressing under President Xi Jinping and is now in its darkest moment. A day before the event, long-term Christian political prisoner Peng Ming died in custody while serving a life sentence for terrorist activities. Meanwhile, Jian Tianyong is one of several lawyers currently missing in China. The Christians human rights defender hasnt been seen since 21 November. Rogers referred to the tightening of restrictions, even further, on religious practice, a reference to the governments recently announced amendments to its rules regulating religious affairs. He concluded that under Xi Jinping, the barbarians are in charge It falls to us to stand up for the Chinese people. Rogers then read out a statement from Angela Gui, the UK-based daughter of a Hong Kong publisher being detained in China, who said she felt lucky to live in a country in which she could speak out against injustice, and said we need to speak up for those people who cant. Yaxue Cao, founder and editor of US-based ChinaChange.org, speaking via video link, told the audience that freedom of expression has been further squeezed since Xi came to power, while there has been an increase of propaganda suggesting foreign governments are trying to instigate a Cultural Revolution in China." Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com Courtesy: World Watch Monitor Publication date: December 2, 2016 American rapper, actor, and comedian Nick Cannon recently commented on social media that Planned Parenthood is engaged in "eugenics." He wrote on Twitter, "Same issue I have with Planned Parenthood I have with corps like McDonalds, Hennessy, Privatised Prisons, public education etc. #Eugenics." He has also said that what the abortion provider does is equivalent to "real genocide" on black community. His comments were published around the same time when a report by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that even though abortion rates have fallen to their lowest in decades in 2013, as many as 35.6 percent of the aborted babies were black when they account for only 13.2 percent of the american population. In an interview with "The Breakfast Club," on New York's Power 105.1, he said "Think about all the stuff they did with Planned Parenthood and all that type of stuff. That type of stuff is to take our community - and forget gentrification, it's real genocide, and it's been like that for years." While speaking about the election, Cannon said that choosing 2016 presidential candidates was akin to selecting "the lesser of two evils ... like picking out which gun you wanted to get shot with." He also quoted Malcolm X on his Instagram page, alluding to media bias: "If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. Malcolm X." He also said that the Planned Parenthood propagated "population control" and that it had a "hidden agenda". Known to be vocal about his faith, Cannon also wrote on social media, "We are in the midst of Spiritual Warfare and only a few are tuned in with the battle. But we will fight for those who are sleep..." This year Nick Cannon finalized his divorce against Mariah Carey, after filing for divorce in 2014. He has two 5-year-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe, with his ex-wife, and is expecting a child with ex-girlfriend Brittany Bell. Texas resident and Republican elector Art Sisneros resigned so that he does not have to cast a vote that went against his conscience, and became a "faithless elector." Some of the state political parties require their electors to take an oath to vote for any candidate who receives the electoral votes in general election. Sisneros had taken this pledge as well. But he did not want to vote for Donald Trump, and neither did he want to break his pledge to vote for the most popular candidate. He resigned from his post, so as to be true to his conscience. Sisneros wrote a long blog post explaining the Biblical view behind his decision, and how God commanded to choose a leader who fears God. Sisneros joined the list of 157 "faithless electors" who are members of Electoral College but did not vote for their respective parties' chosen candidates for any reason. About 71 of these electors did not cast their vote because their candidate died before the college cast their votes. As many as 82 changed their votes, and three of them did not vote for any candidate. Sisneros told Politico that he was first prompted by another person to become a "faithless" elector in order to create "chaos." "I got talked into it by a guy who was trying to find enough faithless electors ... just for the sake of causing chaos," he said. "That was the plan." Sisneros said he could have voted for any other candidate, but did not do it because he did not like any other alternatives. He is supposed to have voted on December 19 to ratify the election results, but electors in Texas are expected to choose a replacement in the next few days. A Supreme Court ruling (Ray vs Blair) permits states to require formal pledges from presidential electors, but 21 states have not implemented the law. The other 29 states and District of Columbia follow this rule and a minor rarely enforced fines for faithless electors. Lawmakers in Congress have taken out a provision in a military spending bill that would have secured religious freedom protections for charities and federal contractors, according to reports. The provision is called the Russell Amendment, and was included in the Houses version of the National Defense Authorization Act, a military budget legislation which is passed on an annual basis. The Russell Amendment, introduced by Rep. Steve Russell, would ensure that organizations and contractors that have employment policies according to religious beliefs would still receive federal contracts and grants. Those who opposed the inclusion of the provision called it discriminatory and worked to take it out from the bill. The provision was taken out from the bill on Wednesday. In a letter, Democratic members of the Senate said the bill would allow religiously-affiliated organizations receiving federal funds to engage in discriminatory hiring practices. No one should be disqualified from a taxpayer-funded job based on their religion, the letter continues. In contrast, those who supported the measure argue that taking it out would cause the government to lose out on the work that many religious charities are doing for the vulnerable. The U.S. now risks losing the crucial work religious service providers do for communities with the support of federal contracts, wrote Orrin Hatch in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal. Every day, stories of grace and mercy are being written as people of faith help those in need, Hatch writes. Catholic Charities has helped single moms fill their basic needs. The Mormon Church, through LDS Charities, has donated wheelchairs to hundreds of thousands of people. The University Muslim Medical Association Community Clinic in Los Angeles provides care for thousands of people in a desperate part of town. The Jewish Social Service Agency supports families of children with autism. Samaritans Purse provides disaster relief across the world. This may have a devastating effect on the most vulnerable of populations women who have been trafficked, children who are in refugee camps, veterans, people in the military, executive director of Becket Fund for Religious Liberty Kristina Arriaga told the Christian Post. Congress is set to finalize the bill later this week. British officials are encouraging the country to put Christ back in Christmaseven in their workplaces. There are a lot of myths out there when it comes to dealing with religion at work. I want to put the record straight: It is OK to hold a party and send Christmas cards, said David Isaac, chairman of the national Equality and Human Rights Commission. This week, Christians and politicians alike welcomed Isaacs assurance following the growing prevalence of more generic terminology in public and office celebrations, such as seasons greetings and Winterval. We have a very strong tradition in this country of religious tolerance and freedom of speech, and our Christian heritage is something we can all be proud of, Prime Minister Theresa May responded. We all want to ensure that people at work do feel able to speak about their faith and also feel able to speak quite freely about Christmas. The equality commission ... 1 One trillion. Thats the popular estimate for the number of pictures taken in 2015, with volume projected to reach 1.3 trillion next year. We can thank (blame?) camera phones for our obsession with photos. Oh how simple it is to see something, anything, and snap a pic. A few shots from my recent vacation tell the story of a fun week in Arizona; the other two hundred are overkill (according to the looks on my co-workers faces after they ask, How was your trip? and I respond with, Here, let me show you.) When not on vacation, my role includes frequent visits to public elementary schools and conversations with academic professionals. Ive developed an appreciation for how well educators know children (and their families). Most students spend 35 or more hours every week at school. Churches would be wise to consider a few easy lessons to observe from local teachers, principals, and the army of others involved with educating, caring for, and yes, ... You have reached the end of this Article Preview You have reached the end of this Article Preview To continue reading, subscribe to Christianity Today magazine. Subscribers have full digital access to CT Pastors articles. 1 Christmas According to Marx and Lenin, by Ronald Reagan Contact: Liberty Counsel, 800-671-1776, Media@LC.org, Press Kit ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 2, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Between his campaign against President Gerald Ford in 1975-76 and his race against Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan delivered more than 1,000 radio broadcasts. In fact, Mr. Reagan wrote most of those three-minute broadcasts himself. In one broadcast during the Christmas season, Reagan shared a story about Christmas in the Ukraine before and after communism. In an effort to resist Christians, communist leaders secularized a favorite Ukrainian Christmas carol, "Nova Radist Stala" (Joyous News Has Come to Us). The original song began with these words: "The joyous news has come which never was before. Over a cave above a manger a bright star has lit the world, where Jesus was born from a virgin maiden" Communists feared the public outcry that would follow a complete ban on Christmas, so they began to slowly secularize the holiday. The first rewrite of the song began: "The joyous news has come which never was before, a red star with five tails has brightly lit the world." The second rewrite went further: "The joyous news has come which never was before. Long-awaited star of freedom lit the skies in October [the month of the Revolution]. Where formerly lived the kings and had the roots their nobles, there today with simple folks, Lenin's glory hovers." The former Soviet Union eventually began banning Christmas commemorations. St. Nicholas was replaced with "Did Moroz," or Grandfather Frost. This Stalinist creation wears a red cap and long white beard of Santa Claus, but he delivers gifts to children on New Year's Eve. Christmas trees were also banned, but people continued to trim their New Year's trees. Communism folded all Christmas celebrations into a New Year's celebration. Christians in the former Soviet Union exhibited bravery and courage in confronting communism's anti-Christmas campaign. One person recalled how the young people would go out in the streets and sing Christmas carols, knowing that if police heard them, they would be arrested. In communist Romania, Rev. Geza Palffy, a Roman Catholic priest, delivered a sermon in 1983, protesting against the fact that December 25 had been declared a work day instead of a holiday. The next day he was arrested by secret police, beaten, imprisoned and died. Inside and outside the Iron Curtain, Ukrainians never stopped singing: "We beg you our Lord, we pray to you today. Grant us freedom, return glory to our Mother Ukraine." Mr. Reagan ended his broadcast: "I guess we all hope their prayer is answered." Indeed it was. The secularization of Christmas is nothing new. Christianity Today in 2002 reported that in the Vietnamese province of Dak Lak, children's choirs were forbidden to sing "Silent Night." From 1969 to 1997, Christmas was banned in Cuba. Such examples are endless. "The war against Christmas is nothing new," said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "Repressive forces have always had the same goal to first secularize and then to eliminate Christmas. We see it increasing every year as atheist groups try to ban any representation of Christmas. We must never take our freedom for granted." Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics. home World Muslim radicals raze Coptic Christian village in Egypt Muslim radicals attacked a Coptic Christian village in Upper Egypt last week over rumors that a community center and a meeting hall is being converted into a church. A group of Muslims burned down the community center in Al-Nagameesh village in Sohag Governate and moved to the village to loot the houses and the businesses owned by the Copts, Morning Star News reported. Human rights activists said that the events hall was gutted by the fire, and other buildings were left in ruins. Four Copts sustained minor injuries in the attack. The Christian community of 2,000 people in Al-Nagameesh has been using the community center for events such as funerals, weddings, and prayers because there is no church building in the village. Three days before the attack, the local priest, identified only as Father Marqrious, held a service at the center to commemorate his father's death. According to the human rights activists, Muslims heard about the service and thought that the building is going to be turned into a church. The day after the service, the extremists distributed leaflets telling Muslims to attack the community center. A resident named Samir Nashed told International Christian Concern (ICC) that the extremists started attacking at noon after Muslim prayers. "On Friday [at] noon, November 25, following the Muslim prayers, a great deal of fanatic Muslim young men, some of them were carrying gas canisters and rocks while others came armed with automatic rifles, clubs, machetes and knives, they attacked Copts and Coptic-owned houses," said Nashed. "The attackers cut [off] the road so that the fire trucks could not enter the village; they also cut off the water and power supply to the village," he narrated. The local police have arrested 29 suspects, but 15 of them have been released. On Nov. 25, Ayman Mohamed Abdel Monaem, the governor of Sohag, held a reconciliation meeting between the Copts and the Muslim elders. According to the report from ICC, the Christian villagers have already applied for a permit to build a new church, but they are still awaiting approval from the government. Archbishop Of Canterbury: British Values Are Based On 'Threat And Fear' The Archbishop of Canterbury has criticised the government's 'British values' as he said neither democracy nor the rule of law answers problems of division and hatred in the UK. Justin Welby led a debate in the House of Lords on Friday discussing "shared values underpinning our national life". He said the Home Office definition of "fundamental British values" is based on a "revisionist secularism notion of our national identity" and is "increasingly disconnected" from the UK's history. The threat of violent extremism and immigration led to the government's desire to define British values, he said. But Welby warned: "Values built on feelings of threat and fear can lead us down a very dangerous path." He said they could lead to us "turning inwards" and "strangled the hope of the common good". Welby referred to "great times of change in mood and culture" in the UK after Brexit and Trump's election to the presidency and said it demands "a re-imagining of what we are about". The government defines fundamental British values as "democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faith and beliefs and for those without faith". But Welby said these were reductive and "not properly embedded in the heritage of our country" which was based on Christian teaching. He said values such as democracy and the rule of law are not "the final answer" to problems of hatred and division. Welby pointed to Martin Luther King Jr and Archbishop-emeritus of Cape Town Desmond Tutu as examples of people who did not accept the rule of law when it was unjust. He called for a rediscovery of "deep values" and "a more beautiful and better common narrative that shapes and inspires" us. "Our values have not emerged from a vacuum but from the resilient and eternal structures of our religious, theological, philosophical and ethical heritage," he said. Welby was praised for a "timely debate" by other peers and it comes after he said he would be an extremist under the government's definition. In an address earlier this month he said government officials knew so little about faith they assumed everyone who is religious is "bonkers". He said he had had a "robust" exchange with a senior politician over bishops' reluctance to support the "British values" definition. Welby said under the government's definition of extremism he would be guilty because he believed his faith was more important than the rule of law. "We do not believe as Christians that the rule of law outweighs everything else, we believe that the kingdom of God outweighs everything else." Archbishop Of Nigeria To Settle Row Between Bishop And His Church After They Locked Him Out An ongoing dispute between a Nigerian bishop and his cathedral is to be dealt with by the primate of the country's Church. The Most Rev Nicholas Okoh will intervene to try to solve the issue, Anglican Ink reports, after Bishop Blessing Erifeta was locked out of his own cathedral by his congregation last year. He is accused of 67 counts of misconduct, including "financial recklessness, mal-administration, disrespect to elders and embark[ing] on incessant trips abroad with the diocese funds," according to a petition delivered to Okoh. The diocese denies the allegations. Diocesan secretary Churchill Akure said according to Anglican Ink: "Bishop Erifeta is a man of God not without mistakes, he has done well to lead us, he loves the Bible, and he delights more in teaching it and in prayers. No one should discourage him from continuing. He learns every day as he leads us and has improved on himself greatly. So, no one should drag us backward." Protests over Bishop Erifeta's alleged misbehaviour turned violent in July resulting in five people being hospitalised. Soldiers were called to restore order at the St John's church at Amukpe, in Southern Nigeria's Edo State in the Niger Delta after protestors barricaded the church over calls for Erifeta Bishop of Sapele to resign. As a synod meeting began deliberations, protesters waving placards surrounded the church, preventing some delegates from entering and blockading the Bishop and other delegates inside. The vicar of St John's called for assistance from the authorities, who dispatched a squad of soldiers assigned to protect a nearby oil pipeline to restore order. The soldiers disrupted the siege of the church and in the process four women and a youth were injured. Bishop: Church Too Middle Class, Must Listen To Poor Communities An Anglican Bishop has launched a strongly worded attempt to persaude the Church of England to listen more to deprived communities. The Bishop of Burnley's commnent piece for the Church Times also finds him railing against the middle class bias of the Church, and reflecting on the election of Donald Trump and the Brexit vote. The Rt Rev Philip North says, "it is vital that we stop condemning, and instead listen to the voices of those who have used their democratic right to express a deep-seated frustration at structures and institutions that have abandoned them, and at a middle-class culture that misunderstands or misrepresents their heartfelt concerns." Bishop North also suggests that the Church may pay lip service to listening to poorer people, but it doesn't happen enough in reality. "The Church's agenda is being set not by the poor, but by academia, the moneyed elites, and certain sections of the secular media," he says. Only one Church of England Bishop (Shrewsbury) spoke out in favour of Brexit, and Bishop North suggests many middle-class clergy are nervous about engaging with issues seen as too controversial. "Surely an Established Church has a part to play in finding a new and unifying national narrative," he argues, "that is patriotic, besides tolerant and inclusive." Burnley has recently been voted the friendliest town in the UK, but its politics also has a darker side. The fascist British National Party held seats on the town's council in the early 2000s. Burnley's Bishop suggests that the way to win back disillusioned voters is to begin to listen and the Church has a vital role. He says, "Until the Church re-invests in urban ministry, places the best leaders in the most deprived parishes, and returns to the estates it has abandoned, these voices will continue to go unheard." Faith Schools No Better Than Secular Schools Says New Report Faith schools are barely any better than secular schools at getting top results for children, according to new research. Pupils do appear to do better at Britain's faith schools than secular state schools, says a new report from the Education Policy Institutute. However, they also educate a lower proportion of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and with special educational needs. When controls allow for this, the difference in attainment between faith and non-faith schools is largely eliminated, the report says. It is still there, but "is so small as to be educationally insignificant". The report refers to the Government's green paper, Schools that work for everyone, which proposes removing the ban on new grammar schools as well as the restriction on new faith schools which presently caps faith based admissions at 50 per cent. The report says: "The green paper proposals to encourage more faith schools to open are based on the premise that the majority of these are high-performing, have good Ofsted ratings and support increased social mobility." The raw data does indeed show that pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, tend to do better in faith schools, both in terms of overall attainment and in the progress they make, in both primary and secondary schools. Pupils in Church of England, Catholic and other faith schools do better in tests and get higher GCSE grades. "However, this does not take into account the characteristics of pupils in faith schools, including levels of deprivation, ethnicity and special educational needs," the report says. "All of these factors need to be taken into account in order to make a fair assessment of the impact and effectiveness of faith schools. We need to understand if higher performance in many faith schools is due to greater school effectiveness or whether it is a function of pupil characteristics." According to the report, grammar schools are the most socially selective and all grammar schools are socially exclusive. Some secondary faith schools are also socially selective, the report says, with the odds of a pupil being eligible for free school meals being around two thirds of those for all children in their local area. "In the top 100 socially selective secondary schools, 30 of these are faith schools and 17 of these are non-academically selective faith schools which raises real concerns about their admission arrangements," the report says. When controls for deprivation, prior attainment and ethnicity were factored into the statistics, the researchers found that the difference between faith and non-faith schools in terms of attainment was "relatively small". "Given that the average faith school admits fewer pupils from poor backgrounds than the average non faith school, there is a risk that such small gains would come at the price of increased social segregation, with a risk of lower social mobility," the report says. "If the objective of government policy is to increase social mobility, this policy intervention is unlikely to be effective." David Laws, chairman of the institute, says in the foreword: "It is known that some faith schools admit smaller numbers of childrenfrom disadvantaged backgrounds than found in their own local areas. Does this mean that if faith schools secure better results than other schools, it is only because they are more socially selective?"itted. Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, chairman of the Accord Coalition which campaigns for state schools to be open to all, said: "Opening new faith schools that can religiously select pupils will undermine community cohesion, harm the life chances of children from deprived backgrounds and not raise overall standards. We urge the Government to reconsider its plan to get rid of the current rule that prevents faith Free Schools not selecting more than half of their pupils on religious grounds, and instead move towards a non-discriminatory model, where state-funded schools no longer discriminate against children and families by faith." If America Was A Village Of 100 People, 89 Of Them Would Believe In God If the population of the United States was distilled into a village of just 100 people, just nine of them would be atheists. Nearly everyone else, 89 people, would believe in God and 63 of these would be "absolutely certain" that God exists. Pew Research has taken data on the religious affiliations of the 245 million adults of the United States from the 2014 Religious Landscape study and analysed it as if it applied to a small community of 100 souls. In this small town, 36 people would attend religious services each week and 33 would go monthly. Another 30 would never go. Belief would be higher than practice. On top of 63 people "absolutely certain" of their belief, a further 20 would be fairly certain. More than half the village would believe in heaven and hell. Just 17 would believe in heaven but not hell while three people would believe in hell but not heaven. More than half would pray daily and 42 would have moved on from the faith they were brought up in. The Religious Landscape study found overall, people were becoming less religious, but that those who remained affiliated were as observant as they had ever been. If anything, the study found, religious people were becoming more devout. The decline in overall religious observance was due to the growing numbers of "nones", the minority that claims allegiance to no faith at all. Religious Freedom 'Deteriorated Tremendously' In 2016 The intensity and violence of persecution against religious minorities around the world is "like nothing we've seen in the past two or three decades" an expert has told Christian Today. Isaac Six, advocacy director of International Christian Concern (ICC), said: "religious freedom has deteriorated tremendously in certain areas and certain regions of the globe in 2016". "From our vantage point, conditions in China, India, Russia, Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, and even, to a much lesser degree, in the United States, have been heading in a very negative direction," he added. "The intensity and violence of persecution taking place today, and the awareness of that violence, is like nothing we've seen in the past two or three decades. Persecution has always existed, but usually those doing the persecuting make some effort to try and hide their actions. Groups like ISIS and Boko Haram have completely defied this convention, brazenly admitting they are targeting Christians and other religious minorities while publishing slick, polished videos of executions and kidnapping victims. "Suddenly anyone with an internet connection is able to witness persecution taking place in a horrific manner that many Christians probably thought ended 17 centuries ago with the Roman coliseums. Yet while violent Islamic extremism is driving much of the persecution that makes it into the headlines, it is the reaction of other nations in response to this extremism and to persecution that also carries serious implications for religious freedom." Six accused Russia and China of "routinely" using extremism "as a justification for curtailing religious expression". Russian President Vladimir Putin in July signed into law the 'Yarovaya' package, under which house churches are illegal and religious activity or evangelism is prohibited anywhere outside a registered church or religious site, including private homes and online. Only named members of religious organisations are now allowed to share their faith, and even informal witnessing between individuals is forbidden. Critics have branded it a draconian attempt to stifle religious freedom under the guise of clamping down on terrorism. China, meanwhile, appears to be further tightening restrictions placed on the Uighur Muslim community in the Xinjiang region. On Monday, the country's top religious affairs official claimed Islamic extremism had infiltrated inland China from its base on the western border. But even in the West, "the temptation to ban immigrants on the basis of faith or restrict certain religious dress is sending a signal to the rest of the world that religious freedom is not the universal right we have espoused it to be, but one that really only applies when it's in our perceived best interest," Six said. "We have to acknowledge that while Christians may be persecuted in more countries around the globe than any other faith, Muslims come in at a close second... Persecution is always wrong, no matter the faith of who is being persecuted." Six listed Iraq and Syria as countries that remain of particular concern "given the almost total eradication of Christian communities from those two lands" but added that the ICC had recorded "a very alarming increase" in violent attacks on Christian communities in India over the past year. He said threats to religious freedom could be divided into three broad categories. "The first, and the driving force behind much of the persecution in the world today, is the rise in power and popularity of radical Islamic groups such as Boko Haram and ISIS," he explained. "These extremists have no room whatsoever in their ideology or theology for religious freedom, and they are willing to commit genocide if need be to bring into reality their vision of a pure Islamic world. "Secondly, autocratic governments are moving backwards in terms of religious freedom. China has cracked down on human rights defenders and religious leaders in the last year on a scale that harkens back to the dark days under Mao Zedong. Russia, with its passage this year of the 'Yarovaya laws' has just curtailed religious freedom for 140 million Russians in a way no one would have predicted at the start of 2016. "Thirdly," Six added, "cultural acceptance of the importance of religious freedom and religious diversity is waning. In India, nationalist Hindu groups are pushing hard for religious restrictions that would increasingly marginalise minority faiths. In the United States, Christianity and Christians have for decades been lampooned as ignorant, intolerant, and socially backward by the majority of the film and television industry. "Now Christians who oppose recent shifts in law or popular opinion on topics such as same-sex marriage or abortion are finding themselves the brunt of increasingly vitriolic social hostility or legal action." The Calais Refugee 'Problem' Has Merely Been Displaced, Not Solved Refugees are still in crisis in France in spite of the demolition of the squalid Calais "jungle" camp. Hundreds are now sleeping on the streets of Paris while there has been a huge rise in numbers at the Grand Synthe camp near Dunkirk. Kent-based charity Seeking Sanctuary says in its latest update that more aid is needed. Phil Kerton, who delivered goods gathered by Seeking Sanctuary last month to partners such as Catholic Worker house, Secours Catholique, Calais Community Kitchens and Care4Calais, reports that Grand Synthe has already grown from 500 to 1500 and could soon top 2000 refugees. Temperatures have dropped as low as seven degrees below zero, prompting a desperate need for tents, including pop-up designs that can be used on pavements, warm hats, gloves and scarves, men's winter clothes in sizes S and M, and new underwear, said the charity. The Dunkirk camp now now in need of supply and there are also many thousands of refugees in respite centres across France who need essentials. Calais can act as a hub to supply all of these and any surplus goods can be packed on pallets to be added to vans on their way to refugee camps in Greece, said the charity. In a blog post for the Caritas Social Action Network, Kearn reports: "Donations and supplies of ingredients are arriving much more slowly now that the 'jungle' has been razed: please people, they are still needed!" And the same is true at the neighbouring warehouse which last month distributed 21,000 items to people in Dunkirk, Paris and accommodation centres across the country. He says there are still plenty of riot police hanging around Calais beside strategic roads and on street corners. "They are quick to question anyone who they believe looks like a migrant and demand to see their papers. If there are any problems, then it's straight into a van to be carted off to detention somewhere." Handing over boxes and bags of donations, he met a volunteer who had just spent a week in Paris. "He confirmed what I had heard on my three previous calls that day: there are hundreds of people sleeping in the open on the streets of the capital. Informal camps have been cleared in recent months and no more are allowed to develop. The capacity of new 'reception centres' is inadequate, and the maximum permitted stay is only some ten days." Everyone in Calais is preparing for numbers to increase again, he warns. Thousands Fleeing ISIS At Risk As Temperatures Plummet Near Mosul The lives of thousands of Iraqis fleeing Islamic State are at risk as temperatures drop to zero near Mosul. More than 77,000 people have been displaced from the region surrounding the city since the offensive to retake Mosul from ISIS began on October 17, the UN has said. As winter approaches, Christian relief and development agency Tearfund has launched emergency measures to help support those at risk of the freezing temperatures. "Thousands of people are arriving in camps everyday with just the clothes they are standing up in, and few or no possessions, having had to flee for their lives as the assault on Mosul continues," the organisation said on Friday. Tearfund has therefore begun distributing winter clothing to people living in the Qarmawa IDP Camp in Ninewa. One recipient is 60-year-old Ryad, who with his family was forced to hide in their home for more than 24 hours when the offensive began. When they decided to flee, they had to leave everything behind and arrived at the camp with just the clothes on their back. "They killed one of my relatives. When we tried to run away my son was shot two times in the stomach and my granddaughter in the leg," Ryad told researchers. "I have many more relatives who are still in Mosul, we do not know what has happened to them.'' "In the last week the temperature in the camps has dropped to zero or -1 degree at night, yet thousands of people are arriving just in T-shirts, having left everything behind," said Betsy Baldwin, Tearfund's Iraq response manager. "For the past few months we have been working to pre-position vital supplies, including cooking stoves, blankets and mattresses and have now started distributing clothes to over 5,000 people, to keep them warm as the long winter sets in. More distributions are planned as the cold weather continues." Anna Chilvers, Tearfund's emergency programme manager, said the organisation is using a voucher system to help civilians purchase the winter clothes. "It gives people an element of choice they can choose the sizes, colours, styles, whatever suits them," she explained. "We want people to feel valued and create a shopping experience something normal after living in a place whether people's lives are treated as worthless. It's not just about the numbers, it's about caring for people. I'm so glad when I see a child walk in with no shoes, and walk out wearing a brand new pair." Ryad, meanwhile, remains hopeful that his family will one day enjoy a normal life beyond the camp. "My wish, my hope, is that we return back to our homes, to restart our life there," he said. Tearfund is not accepting clothes donations as all clothes will be sourced from a local supplier, but donations to its Iraq appeal are welcomed. A former Houston police officer accused of trying to hire an assassin to kidnap and sexually assault his wife and another woman was hospitalized last month after attempting suicide, his lawyer said Friday in court. Clarence McNatt, 63, wanted someone to murder one or possibly both victims, one of whom was his estranged wife, police said after he was arrested. In court Friday, a judge set bail for McNatt at $250,000 and ordered that he have no contact with the intended victims. After the brief hearing, defense attorney Tommy LaFon declined to expand on McNatt's mental condition saying he is still investigating the situation and the allegations. Prosecutor Anna Emmons said an emergency protection order was put in place in case McNatt makes bail. He would be required to wear a GPS monitor and have a curfew, she said. Pasadena police arrested McNatt earlier this week after two undercover detectives posed as hitmen. The police had received information that he was looking to hire someone to kidnap and sexually assault two women. McNatt offered to pay detectives $500 for the acts, but eventually paid the officers $100 cash and three gold rings containing various stones. A neighbor who said she has been friends with McNatt since 1978 confirmed that he had been despondent after a series of marital problems. When he was arrested, police said, they found various items in his car that could have been used to bind and torture victims. Because of those items, he is charged with solicitation to commit capital murder and two counts of solicitation to commit aggravated kidnapping with intent to commit sexual assault. McNatt worked as an officer with departments in Houston, Ames and Clear Lake Shores during the 1980s and 1990s. He remained in the Harris County Jail midday Friday. brian.rogers@chron.com twitter.com/brianjrogers This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Houston's Office of Emergency Management is monitoring the severe-weather threats for the region over the weekend. The National Weather Service is expecting the metro area to get at least 6 inches of rain over the next few days. GRAB THE UMBRELLA: Soggy weekend ahead for Houston region The Houston Fire Department has put some crews on stand-by in case they're needed for evacuations or high-water rescues. The Houston Police Department also checked to make sure its high-water vehicles are working, in case officers need to assist with rescues. The potential for street flooding will increase as rainfall totals are expected to rise Sunday night through Monday morning. Floods are the leading cause of weather-related deaths. Residents should monitor local media and the National Weather Service for weather updates throughout the weekend. Various watches and warnings may be issued by the NWS as conditions change. Residents should follow all safety instructions. In the event of street flooding, remember "turn around; don't drown." Driving through high water or around barricades on flooded roadways or underpasses can be dangerous. Here's where you can get live weather updates and safety tips: Forecasts: Chron.com/weather, National Weather Service Houston-Galveston Flood safety: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Houston road conditions: Chron.com/traffic, Houston TranStar Texas road conditions: DriveTexas.org Reporter Brooke A. Lewis contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Might the current CEO of Irving-based Exxon Mobil become the next U.S. secretary of state? Or maybe the prior Exxon CEO, retired since 2005, will get the federal job next year? Rumors connecting president-elect Donald Trump with both current Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson and former CEO Lee Raymond have been getting multiple media attention. But some rumors are pointing in totally different directions as recently as today. Even considering the Exxon leaders for secretary of state, however, is in spite of a lack of evidence that either of them has the degree of non-business expertise. Dennis McCuistion, director of the UT Dallas Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance, says the rumors are a bit of a head-scratch. Exxon is a corporation that has enormous international relationships, he said. And an Exxon leader could have clear history about issues affecting the federal cabinet's energy and business jobs. But secretary of state? Much of that position is tied to non-business issues. Why would Exxon leaders be qualified? "That just doesn't ring true to me," McCuistion said. But there are possibilities, shrugged Joshua Rovner, director of the strategy and security program at the SMU Tower Center. It all depends on what Trump thinks the duties of the secretary of state ought to be. "It could be very unusual," he said. "The only reason in might make sense has to do with the way Trump feels about international relations, that it seems always to be related to a business transaction." It's pretty likely that Exxon leaders actually have international knowledge and experience, said Steven Gardner, director of the McBride Center for International Business at Baylor University. But the Exxon experience is likely pretty narrow, he said. Yes, Exxon wants to know what risks are for its particular oil programs in many nations, Gardner said. But most of the issues that U.S. secretaries of state have had to focus on are very different. "We need someone in that job without an incredibly large learning curve," Gardner said. The rumors considering the current and former Exxon CEOs started getting popular on Thursday. For instance, Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough wrote in a tweet that President-elect Donald Trump thought his meeting about the post with former Massachusetts governor and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney went well, but he was also considering Tillerson. That night, Rachel Maddow said on her MSNBC show that she'd heard Raymond is also a candidate for the job. And NBC had reported that both Tillerson and Raymond may be getting Trump consideration. But an Exxon spokesman said today that the company won't comment on the rumors. Tillerson may be stepping down from Exxon next year because he turns 65 in March -- the age generally considered right for retirement by the company. A successor was announced last year. But ultimately, it's up to the Exxon board of directors to make the call next official year. Raymond, now 78, had stepped down as Exxon's CEO in 2005. Tillerson has demonstrated his willingness to get involved in controversial arguments. This year, for example, he's been butting heads concerning Exxon's relationship with climate change and the burning of petro fuels. In May, several resolutions had been presented at the annual corporate meeting. T he arguments happened but most shareholder-initiated resolutions related to climate change failed. And Tillerson was applauded by most of the attendees when he defended the company. Exxon, he said, was committed to producing fuels in the most environmentally responsible manner and in researching alternative technologies that would reduce carbon emissions. "We are grounded in the world we live in today and the technology we have available to us today," Tillerson said. But this year's arguments weren't new for Tillerson. In 2015, he had said why he thought the corporate discussion wouldn't accomplish much: "What if everything we do, it turns out our models are lousy, and we don't get the effects we predict?" he had said last May. "Mankind has this enormous capacity to deal with adversity, and those solutions will present themselves as those challenges become clear." The definition of the Secretary of State, included on the federal website, offers the kinds of responsibilities considered high-level in that job: "The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President's chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President's foreign policies through the State Department and the Foreign Service of the United States." The basic duties were created in 1789 -- and haven't changed much -- according to the Department of State site. Among the 14 specific duties mentioned is only one that is focused specifically on business-related issues: "Promotes beneficial economic intercourse between the United States and other countries." And by Friday morning, the latest rumors and comments from Trump-related experts seemed to have moved away from the Exxon leaders. At least for the moment. Kellyanne Conway, a Trump adviser, was on TV and mentioned four possible candidates: 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney (who never endorsed Trump this year), former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (who did endorse Trump), former U.S. Army general David Petraeus and U.S. Senator Bob Corker, a GOP in Tennessee. There's no record that Conway mentioned Exxon leaders once on Friday. FMC Technologies The last of the countries conducting antitrust reviews for the proposed merger between FMC Technologies and Technip has granted clearance. Brazil's Administrative Council for Economic Defense this week issued a clearance decision, according to a joint statement from the companies. Though subject to a 15-day waiting period, Brazil's OK moves both companies closer to forming a large global oil and gas drilling service company. Coming soon to an H-E-B freezer near you: Luby's mac & cheese. The Houston-based cafeteria chain, which is nearing its 70th anniversary, will start selling its mac & cheese at 270 H-E-B stores in Texas on Dec. 5. The recipe has remained relatively unchanged since being introduced in the 1940s. A jalapeno version with diced red peppers also will be offered. The 40-ounce packages, priced at $6.95, serve five. RELATED: H-E-B contest searches for Texas' best food products H-E-B and Luby's also are working to expand the partnership by offering the fried fish entree, often referred to as "square fish," early next year. San Antonio-based H-E-B is known for bringing Texas products to the market. "We're thrilled that two Texas traditions are joining together to make Luby's famous Mac & Cheese available exclusively at H-E-B stores," Scott McClelland, president of H-E-B's Houston Division, said in an announcement. "This iconic dish is beloved by Texans, and we are honored to help bring it to dinner tables across the state." Luby's operates 91 Luby's Cafeterias, primarily in Texas. Station Houston, a co-working accelerator focused on early-stage software and digital technology companies, threw a party Thursday night to celebrate its new, larger space. The new location is 25,400 square feet, an increase from its former digs with 5,400 square feet. RELATED: Former energy workers find entrepreneurial courage Station Houston officially moved into the office Oct. 31. It has 112 members making up 76 companies, and they've raised $19 million in venture funding since March. "Tonight, we celebrate progress," said John "JR" Reale, co-founder and managing director of Station Houston. "We celebrate new possibilities." Station Houston is at 1301 Fannin, suite 2440. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Arab-American comedian Mohammed "Mo" Amer might have a new set to write. Amer, who was raised in Houston and lives in New York, happened to be sitting next to President-elect Donald Trump's son, Eric Trump, on a trans-Atlantic flight to Scotland. On Wednesday, Amer shared a selfie with Trump on Instagram and Facebook, and wrote about some of what they discussed on the plane. ABOUT HIS SISTER, THE FAVORITE: 9 things to know about Ivanka Trump "Hey guys heading to Scotland to start the U.K. Tour and I am 'randomly' chosen to sit next to none other than Eric Trump," he wrote. "Good news guys Muslims will not have to check in and get IDs. That's what I was told. I will be asking him a lot of questions on this trip to Glasgow, Scotland. Sometimes God just sends you the material. #Merica #UKTour #HumanAppeal #ThisisNotAnEndorsement #Trump2016ComedyTour" "Just FYI I'm not getting that ID shit done. You gonna really make my people get ID cards and all this? You know we're not doing this s***," Amer told Buzzfeed. ABOUT THE STEPMOM: 10 things to know about Melania Trump To which Trump reportedly responded: "Come on man. You can't believe everything you read. Do you really think we're gonna do that?" Amer said they spoke for roughly half an hour before Trump fell asleep and fellow passengers began taking selfies with him. He jokes that he "was making dua [prayers] for him, like, to make him convert to Islam." One of Amer's Facebook friends has suggested at least one possible outcome from the experience: "Are you being vetted for a cabinet position?" Amer's response? "I think so." Before the plane took off he posted on Facebook: "Hey guys planes taking off...if I disappear and don't make it on tour YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO ME!! #Trump" Mike Tran has been quietly and methodically building a restaurant collection in Houston as diverse and popular as any of the city's other big time restaurateurs. The owner of AKA Sushi House on W. Alabama and Tiger Den and Mein in Chinatown is about to add a new brand to his growing portfolio when Night Market opens Dec. 6 at 9630 Clarewood. Night Market, a curry grill concept with chef/partner Rikesh Patel in a space directly adjacent to Mein, will be Tran's third Chinatown restaurant. He plans to add more to his burgeoning empire of Asian restaurant concepts. After Night Market will come Ohn, a Korean dive bar serving Korean food and soju, which will probably open after February, Tran said. He plans to open at least two other spots (a coffee shop and a Japanese gyoza and chicken ramen restaurant) within the same former warehouse complex on Clarewood. And sometime later next year he will open Laki Fish, a poke concept, next door to Tiger Den at 9889 Bellaire. Additionally, he's been approached by OTG, the airport restaurant operator, about opening two spots at IAH. In Chinatown's crowded restaurant community Tran has distinguished himself by creating small, boutique restaurant experiences that appeal to a younger demographic that is culturally attuned, attracted to authenticity, and motivated by hip design and easy pricing. And because they are all unique concepts (instead of iterations of the same brand), Tran's restaurants don't compete against each other. They also, too, fill unique niches within Chinatown's busy but often repetitive offerings. "The whole focus is doing concepts other people are not doing things that are new and fresh," Tran said. "Every restaurant I do is a totally different concept from the ones I have." Such as Night Market. With Patel, the former chef/owner of Ambrosia, Tran has created a snug, spare (but cleverly designed) room where reservations are not accepted. Patel's menu is brief but invested with a passion for rich, fragrant Asian curries (he won the 2nd annual Curry Crawl Competition while at Ambrosia). The menu features curry dishes such as chole masala (chickpeas, fried cauliflower, and Thai chile); tikka masala (tomato, butter, cream, garam masala and grilled chicken); green curry (prawns with jalapeno, lemongrass and coconut milk; and goat sambal (braised goat and house sambal with fresh herbs). But the cleverest curry might be the slow-braised coconut-marinated brisket with potatoes, Thai chile and fresh pineapple. Texas meets South Asia. On the grill side of the menu Patel lists chicken boti (chicken breast in yogurt marinade with Thai pepper and garlic cream); white jingha (tiger prawns flavored with cardamom, Thai chile and garlic cream); saffron salmon (Scottish salmon in saffron yogurt marinade); a five-spice ribeye; and grilled mushrooms masala. The dishes can be had with house-made naan and side orders of samosas, papadum, tomato salad, and potato salad. With so many Tran concepts opening and planned for 9630 Clarewood, diners can make a night of it at one stop: a soju cocktail or makgeolli (Korean unfiltered rice wine) at Ohn; dig into some honey roasted pork or fried wontons at Mein; and then sit down to an indulgent bowl of curry at Night Market. As he walked through the crowd of hundreds of bearded, plump, and jolly white men, Larry Jefferson, a professional Santa Claus, stood out. It was July, at the annual Santa Claus convention in Branson, Mo., which draws more than 800 Santa Clauses and Mrs. Clauses from across the country. To Jefferson, of Irving, Texas, the Santas at the convention were just like him - his "brothers in the red suits." But unlike nearly all of others, and contrary to most classic American images of St. Nick, Jefferson is black. Unbeknownst to him at first, there was a Santa recruiter at the convention looking for someone just like him. A Santa by the name of Sid went to the convention on a mission: find a Santa of color. The organizers of the Santa Experience, which offers photo sessions with Santa in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., during the holiday season, were hoping to diversify. In its 24 years, the mall had never had a black Santa Claus. "He said 'hey, if you want to work in Minnesota, we'll treat you nice,'" Jefferson said in an interview with The Washington Post. On Thursday, Jefferson had his first day of a four-day stint at the Mall of America - marking the mall's first ever black Santa, and providing some Minnesotan families with a holiday experience they felt was long overdue. One woman told Jefferson she had been waiting 25 years to see a black Santa. Other families told him they had driven hours just so their kids could meet him. "They're far and few between," Jefferson, who is in his mid-50s, said of Santas of color. "That's why I do it." But when Jefferson first became "Santa Larry" it wasn't only about representing his community. "It was a calling, you know," Jefferson said. Once you're Santa, you're always Santa. Late Thursday evening, a reporter called a phone number listed for Jefferson's event scheduling, expecting a booking agent or an automated recording. "Hello, this is Santa," the voice on the other end responded, as if it were second nature. After 17 years in the profession, and nearly a lifetime of taking on the role, his deep connection to his red-robed alter-ego is second nature. Growing up in a family with 11 siblings, Jefferson always loved Christmas, he said. One year, when he was 12 years old, his father's back was hurting, and he didn't feel up to putting the Christmas presents under the tree for the family. "I need you to be Santa for me," he told his son. Jefferson gladly stepped up. He waited until his siblings were fast asleep before he quietly opened the door and crept out to the car to carry in the Christmas presents. When his nephews were sick one year around Christmas, he bought a Santa suit and asked a neighbor to drive him across town to surprise them. And when he joined the Army reserves - for which he served as a captain for 30 years - Jefferson became Santa for the troops. The news of his Mall of America gig - his most high-profile yet - has made him a bit of a celebrity. He's been featured in local and national news outlets, and was invited to speak on the "Steve Harvey" show Friday. He would love to set his sights even further - "I wanna go to the White House!" he declared. But not everyone has been so eager to change the traditional image of Santa Claus. As recently as this year, potential employers have told Jefferson that he wasn't the "particular fit" for them, he said. "Some companies aren't ready to hire a black Santa or a Hispanic Santa," he said. "Minnesota has jumped to the forefront of a lot of states." Of course, in many parts of the country, a Santa of color is not as unusual. In Houston, Santa has been seen wearing a zoot suit and dancing to jazz in Mexican-American neighborhoods. On Native American reservations, Santa often adds American Indian attire to his red suit, according to an Associated Press story from 2013. That same year, a Santa controversy ensued after Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly spoke out during a panel discussion about a Slate article titled, "Santa Claus Should Not Be a White Man Anymore." "For all you kids watching at home, Santa just is white," she said. "Just because it makes you feel uncomfortable doesn't mean it has to change," Kelly added about the writer's call to make Santa more inclusive. "You know, I mean, Jesus was a white man too." For some children, it is still a surprise to see a Santa who looks different from the rest, Jefferson said. On Saturday, back in Texas, Jefferson was putting on his coat, about to leave a party at a friend's house, when some kids ran up to him. "'Santa Claus?'" one of them, a boy who appeared to be about 4 years old, asked, according to Jefferson. "'I didn't know you were brown?'" "I said, 'yes, I am brown,'" Jefferson told The Post. "'And Santa comes in many different colors.'" "'Oh,'" the boy said, looking up at him in bewilderment, according to Jefferson. "It's always so genuine," Jefferson told The Post. "Kids are going to speak their mind at a young age." But behind the innocent looks of surprise is yet another sign of necessary progress in the country, Jefferson said. "There need to be more Santas of color, because this is America, and kids need to see a Santa that looks like them," he said. "That helps kids to identify with the love and spirit of the holiday, you know?" The demand for photos with Jefferson is clearly plentiful; all of his appointments at the Mall of America's Santa Experience this weekend were entirely booked by Thursday. "It's hilarious to me, I'm really humbled by it," he said, chuckling. "Everyone's making a big deal about this because I'm a black Santa. But gosh, I'm just Santa!" This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The 36th annual Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design were announced, and a Texas hotel is among the winners. And it's not in Austin, Dallas, San Antonio or Houston. El Paso, Texas' Hotel Indigo El Paso Downtown was among the title holders for the Best Hotel Midscale category. Chicago hotel Curioso was also awarded in this bracket. UP NEXT: Peek at 5 luxury hotels set to open in Texas Located at 325 North Kansas Street in El Paso, the Hotel Indigo is billed as a lodging accommodation with "mid-century architecture meets contemporary design in the middle of a bustling West Texas metropolis formed on a lively blend of Mexican and American culture." Hotel Indigo El Paso Downtown opened softly in late 2015 and debuted to the public in early 2016. It was built in a 1960s building that originally housed Downtowner Inn and most recently played host to the Artisan Hotel. SUPER BOWL MANIA: How Houston's hotel scene is changing ahead of the Super Bowl The contemporary design is a stark contrast to much of the city's architecture, but it's been well received among locals. "[Hotel Indigo is] trending, even though it has a rustic look on the inside, it's very up to date," El Paso resident Ruben Holguin told Borderzine. "It's for a different crowd; it uses more of a local (downtown) scenery." The Gold Key awards are considered a prestigious accolade in the hospitality industry's design work. To be considered, lodging accommodations must have been constructed or renovated from June 1, 2015 to July 1, 2016. Judges include those employed in the architecture, development and design sectors. In a little more than a year, a self-proclaimed "millennial" has become the queen of the conservative commentator circuit, racking up the social media views and controversy along her route. Tomi Lahren, 24, launched her blistering, speed-talking broadcast career in 2014 as an anchor for One America News Network, an independent cable news outlet. Her most talked-about screed came in July 2015 when she criticized Obama's response to the Chatanooga attack that killed five members of the U.S. military. A Seattle hydrotherapy spa chain will enter the Houston market with three locations in early 2017. Urban Float focuses on flotation therapy, or warm, 200-gallon light- and sound-controlled spa pods with 1,200 pounds of Epsom salt that are designed to suspend people who sit in them and boost relaxation. Urban Float is finalizing its franchise entrance to Houston, with signed leases expected within coming weeks, according to a company statement. RELATED: New luxury day spa opens in Vintage Park The first location is expected to open in late February or early March in the Memorial City area. The second location is scheduled to open during the summer in Midtown. Each location represents an investment of $440,000 and $1 million. Urban Float has four locations in Washington state. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Brookfield Property Partners, longtime owner of downtown's Allen Center office complex, has added the adjacent DoubleTree hotel to its portfolio, bringing the properties under single ownership for the first time in decades. Brookfield has long eyed the property at 400 Dallas, and when it went on the market earlier this year, the company pounced and was the high bidder. Terms of the sale, which closed this week, were not made public. Brookfield will soon begin renovating and remaking the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Houston Downtown, much like the company is doing with Allen Center, where it is spending $48.5 million on an major redo. "The renovated hotel will be a much more vibrant destination-oriented experience," said Paul Frazier, executive vice president and head of the Houston region for Brookfield. Frazier said the company will begin working with architects next year to come up with new designs for the 350-room hotel, which is a Hilton brand. Changes to the food and beverage operations are planned as well. The DoubleTree name may also go away, but it would be replaced by another Hilton brand. "Our goal is to change the experience entirely," Frazier said. With its new acquisition, Brookfield will take part in downtown's recent hotel boom. A 1,000-room Marriott Marquis is under construction near the George R. Brown Convention Center, and other new properties are being built from the ground up or opening in newly restored buildings. Houston's hotel market has softened as low oil prices depressed the local economy, but analysts say a rebound is not far off. "Next year we're going to start seeing an increase in demand," said Michael Yu, senior vice president of CBRE Hotels. Occupancy and hotel rates should rebound in 2018, he said. The DoubleTree is on the west end of downtown next to the 7-acre Allen Center, a multiphase development that broke ground in the 1970s. It now has three office towers. Brookfield took it over when it acquired Trizec, a real estate company that bought the complex in 1996. The 20-story DoubleTree was built in 1980 by Century Development, which had taken over the development of the Allen Center complex from Dallas' Trammell Crow and Metropolitan Life. It opened as a Hotel Meridien. For most of its existence the hotel has had different owners than the office buildings. The previous owner was an affiliate of Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers of Collinsville, Conn., property records show. Frazier said Brookfield has been implementing a "placemaking strategy" for the overall complex. Work began earlier this year on what will result in dramatic changes to the outdoor space at Allen Center. The landscaped area between One and Two Allen Center is being reconfigured as a tree-lined lawn nearly an acre in size. The space will have an open-air performance venue for outdoor events. Additional changes to the buildings include renovating a sky bridge and tearing down another. "The green space and the amenity offerings we're planning for Allen Center will allow the hotel to perform better once renovations to the entire campus are finished," Frazier said. The renovations at Allen Center are expected to be completed in the third quarter of next year. The hotel's renovations will come later. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate GALVESTON Family members of Toby Dean Cummins, who was shot to death earlier this week by a Friendswood police officer after allegedly stealing a beer, are describing him as a kind, charismatic man who roamed the country earning his living as a jack-of-all-trades. "If he only had a dollar in his pocket and you needed it, it was yours," said Cummins' sister, Stephanie Mosley, 58, of Campbell, Calif. "He loved life and he loved being around people, that's his main thing." Authorities said Cummins, 55, also of California, was fatally shot Tuesday after walking out of a service-station convenience store without paying for a can of beer. Police say Cummins displayed a boxcutter with the blade extended after being confronted about four blocks from the convenience store. Friendswood Police Chief Robert Wieners said the officer, whose name was to be disclosed Friday, feared for his safety and fired his weapon. Bystanders said they heard three shots. COMING UP: Friendswood police set to release name of officer in fatal shooting Mosley said her brother had left Campbell a few weeks earlier on a bus bound for New Orleans in search of work. He stopped in the Houston area and then took a job building decks. Cummins was ready to return to his sisters, as he always did after his forays, and had asked Mosley to send him a bus ticket, his sister said. Another sister, Katherine Augustine, 60, of Reno, Nev., said Cummins would have returned to California this week. "All he had to do was get through one more night and he would have been on his way home," Augustine said. LOOKING FOR ANSWERS: More details emerge about police shooting death The officer has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of three independent investigations, Wieners said. Police are conducting a criminal investigation into Cummins's actions; the department's internal affairs division is determining whether the officer violated police policy, and the Galveston County District Attorney's Office is reviewing whether the officer may have violated the law. Kingwood Park High School principal Lisa Drabing sent out a letter warning residents, parents and students to be aware of an incident involving two students Wednesday, Nov. 30. "According to Drabing, "Two female students were jogging in the Elm Grove subdivision along Creek Manor Drive when an older model blue Chevy pick-up truck, low to the ground with chipped paint and no license plate, approached them. A Hispanic male in his late teens rolled down his window and shouted while waving a knife." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate It's not every day that a luncheon in Houston distributes little tins filled with condoms as parting gifts. But that's exactly what happened at Thursday's annual World AIDS Day Luncheon. "Chevron became the first energy company in Houston to employ HIV testing," co-chair Ernie Manouse explained before introducing Chevron's manager of Houston Policy, Government, and Public Affairs, Joni Baird. She confirmed, adding, "Our employees really like and get into our safe sex kits. We can't even keep enough condoms to make all the kits." The pocket-sized, in-theme swag gifts also came with hand-beaded lapel pins from Chevron's partners in Africa. Mayor Sylvester Turner also spoke at the oversold luncheon hosted at Hilton Houston Post Oak. More than 500 supporters filled the red-washed ballroom; a select group of VIPs were invited to mingle beforehand during an exclusive champagne reception. Alessandro Grattoni, Ph.D., associate member of Houston Methodist's Research Institute, received the Shelby Hodge Vision Award for his work to reduce the burden of HIV and its infection rate. He remarked briefly on advances in nanotechnology and refillable medicinal inserts. Co-chair Bill Baldwin followed to introduce keynote speaker Sean Strub. The long-time activist, writer, founder of POZ magazine, and executive director of the Sero Project has been HIV positive for more than 33 years. "There's still a stigma about HIV that I'm trying to shed a little light on," he said. "Because there's no pill to prevent stigma." His speech covered common misconceptions about the virus, including that 20 percent of Americans believe that you can contract it from a drinking glass. Another 12 percent believe that you can contract it from a toilet seat. He also spoke about the dangers of white supremacy and told lunch-goers that inaction is the same as compliance. Strub lingered afterwards to sign copies of his latest book, "Body Count." Jessica Rossman was announced as the organization's incoming board chairwomen during the power annual event, held on World AIDS Day, that ultimately raised $150,000. The new Lone Star College-Montgomery Magnolia Satellite Center is expected to be a boon for a growing Magnolia as it aims to provide greater educational offerings in the area. Before that though, the college must determine where the center will go. "We've been searching for a long time," said Rebecca Riley, president of LSC-Montgomery, noting that it's been a year and a half since the search started as part of a $485 million bond package that was approved by voters in 2014. "I think we're narrowing it down to two or three locations," Riley said, "Some parcels are rising to the top of our list." Riley describes the endeavor as trying to hit a moving target. The primary factor stalling the land purchase is "entirely related to finding the best use of tax payer dollars" she said. The college has not only been exploring available land, but even calling people for parcels that may not be for sale. Another major concern is the timing of Magnolia's growth. Although the city is growing, it provides an obstacle as college officials try to anticipate what might go where so that access isn't a problem. "It's not an insurmountable difficulty," Riley said. "We want to ensure it's in an area where two lanes are projected to go to four, or that are not too far off the beaten path of main roads, for example." "We want to area to be both visible and convenient for people to get to," Riley said. The Magnolia satellite center is part of Lone Star College-Montgomery's 2014 bond package. LSC Montgomery's other projects include a new student services building, renovations to existing facilities, more than 1,000 additional parking spaces, and an LSC-Conroe Center expansion. "Once we've got a location, it's full speed ahead," Riley said in September, adding then that the college goal was to pick one by year's end. Afterwards, the college will tap a community advisory group - consisting of chamber of commerce board and regular members, representatives from local clubs and nonprofits, superintendents, and school board members - it's worked with in order to re-examine plans for programming at the center. The 65,000-square-foot facility is part of the first phase of construction at the college and will house a full load of general education and technical courses. Riley said the college will continue to look at industry trends and community feedback as it finalizes the ultimate direction of the programs the center will offer. Workforce training at the college will be centered on energy and manufacturing careers, she said, with the possibility of training for service industry and health careers. Tana Ross, Magnolia Economic Development Coordinator, said the center will boost job training for both local residents and students in the Magnolia Independent School District. "The increase in job training that is local and programs extended to high school students in Magnolia Independent School District are two things that will be immediately noticed," Ross said. "In the longer term, working with a local LSCS campus will lead to more partnerships with both the administration and students, that will benefit the community with additional resources. From a purely economic development point of view, community colleges are always desired and considered an asset to attracting new business. Other Houston area LSCS localities have enjoyed some very specific, targeted training programs like the Health Science Center in Tomball. I could see this happening in Magnolia as well for another in-demand training center or program." While Riley admits she would prefer to have settled on a location by now, she remains optimistic about the center's eventual impact. "I wish we were done already," she said, "but we're really looking forward to serving Magnolia and Montgomery County." Deer Park-based Universal Plant Services has expanded, recently purchasing the former Abrasive Products Building at 302 Deerwood Glen, which is the fourth building occupied by UPS within Deer Park. Its corporate office is at 806 Seaco Court, and the employment office is at 1221 Georgia Ave. UPS is a specialty services company for the industrial markets and employs approximately 1,000 people. It is on the Houston Business Journal's "Fast 100" list as No. 37 (ranking regional companies by companywide revenue growth between 2013 and 2015). UPS was founded in Deer Park in 1986 as a small industrial repair business and has 13 offices nationwide. Deer Park will soon be home to Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant, coming early next year to 8035 Spencer Highway (next door to 1000 Degrees Pizza and close to Starbuck's). When Chipotle opened its first restaurant over 20 years ago in 1993, the idea was simple: show that food served fast didn't have to be a "fast-food" experience. Their menu includes burritos, tacos, bowls and salads. Visit their website at www.chipotle.com to learn more about their unique approach and great food. Deer Park Sushi has officially opened at 3811 Center Street (next door to Lone Star Taco). Their menu is huge, the prices are low and the atmosphere is cozy and fun. Stop by soon and see why customers are giving them great reviews and see their menu on Facebook. Deer Park graduate Jeremy Miller has recently returned from serving his country overseas in the U.S. Marine Corps, and has now opened his own home improvement/handyman business Miller's Home Solutions. Hire Jeremy for your next home project like sheetrock, painting, fencing, landscaping, maintenance, home theater installation or small appliance repair, plus more (there's almost nothing he can't do). Call Jeremy soon at (731) 834-4357. LaQuinta Inn and Suites was recently named Deer Park Chamber's Business of the Year for 2016. The hotel actually opened the day after Hurricane Ike hit our area in September of 2008. They have grown to become one of Deer Park's most community-oriented businesses, partnering with the Deer Park Chamber of Commerce on many occasions. Be sure to swing by and congratulate them at 1400 East Blvd., and check out the new lobby decor as their entire lobby wall is now covered in Battleship TEXAS photo wallpaper and memorabilia. Shell Deer Park was recently named Deer Park Chamber's Industry of the Year for 2016. Located on the north end of Deer Park, Shell is comprised of both a refinery and chemical company. The 1,500 acre complex is a 24-hour facility that provides work for over 2,700 people. It was founded in 1929 during the Great Depression, becoming the life-blood for hundreds of families looking for a source of income. Our city and school district owe so much of their success to this industry leader, and we appreciate Shell's commitment to our environment and community. Deer Park Animal Hospital recently hosted the 8th Annual Spooktacular Howl-loween Family & Pet Extravaganza at Ella and Friends Dog Park in Deer Park, raising over $3,000 to benefit Deer Park's no-kill animal shelter, A New Dawn. The Deer Park Broadcaster recently changed some of its delivery zones. If the paper is no longer being delivered to your home, but you would like to resume delivery, email them at deliveryservice@hcnonline.com or call them at (855) 460-6397. Firehouse Subs marked its five-year anniversary in Deer Park. Located at 3717 Center St., Firehouse Subs offers subs and salads and catering services. In other Deer Park business news: Lil' Rascals Daycare is installing a splash pad as part of its playground area. Located at 4509 Center St. (across the street from Dabbs Elementary School), Lil' Rascals' 16,000-square-foot facility is one of the newest and largest day cares on the east side of Houston. Pho Central Vietnamese restaurant open at 8011 Spencer Hwy. (corner of Spencer and Academy - next door to Phillys R Us and across the street from San Jacinto College). Deer Park Sushi will open soon at 3811 Center Street (next door to Lone Star Taco). Look for Bush's Chicken to arrive in Deer Park during November at 8055 Spencer Highway in College Park Plaza (across the street from San Jacinto College). The restaurant labels itself as the industry's fastest drive-through and offers catering services. Food includes fried chicken, fried okra, jalapeno poppers and mashed potatoes with gravy. The chain started in Waco and has over 50 stores throughout Texas. Deer Park businesses that recently closed include: Discovered Treasures; 4930 Luella Avenue Koby's Fine Jewelry; 3428 Center Street KZ Sweet Boutique; 3428-A Center Street Mojo's Dance Boutique; 2504 Center Street Denton McDugle and his family are celebrating 37 years of Deer Park Printing being in business at 2602 Center Street. It was in September, 1979 when Denton McDugle opened his office supply business. In the same retail center as The Health Nut, Deer Park Printing offers graphic design, business cards, letterhead, envelopes, brochures and invitations. Huffman, Crosby and surrounding communities are invited to attend a public hearing regarding proposed improvements to FM 2100 from Huffman-Cleveland Road to FM 1960 in Huffman. The Texas Department of Transportation will conduct the public meeting Tuesday, Dec. 12 at Hargrave High School, located at 25400 Willy Lane, Huffman. This meeting will be held in an open house format from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. No formal presentation will be made. The proposed project is the reconstruction and widening of the existing facility from a two-lane roadway to a four-lane divided roadway with a raised median. The proposed improvements would accommodate expected traffic demand and growth in the region while enhancing safety by providing a divided highway with raised medians and dedicated left turn lanes at select intersections and cross-streets. The proposed roadway design would include one 12-foot travel lane and one 15-foot outside shared-use lane in each direction as well as sidewalks in each direction. The roadway would have a storm sewer drainage system and detention ponds. The proposed project area includes 4.5 miles of existing roadway. Approximately 29 acres of additional right-of-way (ROW) would be required for drainage and corner clips for the proposed project. Maps and other drawings showing the proposed project's location, geometric design and environmental constraints will be available for viewing at the public meeting. Other information about the proposed project is on file and available for inspection Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the TxDOT Houston District Office located at 7600 Washington Avenue, Houston, Texas 77007. To schedule an appointment at the Houston District, contact Eddy Chang at 713-802-5255. The information will also be posted online on TxDOT's website at http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/get-involved/about/hearings-meetings/houston/121316.html. Information will also be made available for viewing at the North Harris County Area Office, located at 16803 U.S. Highway 59 in Humble. To schedule an appointment at the North Harris County Area Office, call 281-319-6400. All interested citizens are invited to attend this public meeting. Written comments from the public regarding this project may be submitted at the meeting. Written comments may also be submitted either in person or by mail to the TxDOT District Office, Director of Project Development, Texas Department of Transportation, P.O. Box 1386, Houston, Texas 77251-1386. Written comments must be postmarked, submitted through the website, or emailed to HOU-PIOWebMail@txdot.gov on or before Jan. 3, 2017 in order to be included in the Public Meeting Summary. The public meeting will be conducted in English. Persons interested in attending the meeting who have special communication or accommodation needs, or need an interpreter, are encouraged to contact the TxDOT Houston District Public Information Office at 713-802-5076. Requests should be made at least five days prior to the public meeting. Every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate these needs. The environmental review, consultation and other actions required by applicable Federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried out by TxDOT pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated Dec. 16, 2014, and executed by FHWA and TxDOT. A federal voting rights trial that drew national attention closed Friday in Houston after opposing lawyers mapped out what it meant for the growing Hispanic population in Pasadena to have an equal opportunity to elect the local candidate of their choice. The lawsuit, brought by a group of Latino voters, accuses city leaders of backing a new structure for city council elections in a deliberate attempt to dilute the Hispanic vote. A Pasadena man was arrested on Wednesday after allegedly looking to hire an assassin to kidnap and sexually assault two female victims. The suspect wanted someone to murder one or possibly both victims, one of whom was his estranged wife, police said. Pasadena police arrested Clarence McNatt, 63, after two undercover detectives posed as hitmen. Police received information that McNatt was looking to hire someone to kidnap and sexually assault two females. The first shipment of heavy vests to protect Houston officers from high-powered rifle shots have arrived in the city and will be handed over to the Houston Police Department next week. The 200 vests are part of a 600-unit gift from the Houston Police Foundation to HPD front-line officers following this year's sniper attacks in Dallas and Baton Rouge, La., that killed several lawmen in both instances. "These vests will stop just about anything," said Tilman J. Fertitta, the Houston Police Foundation chairman who is a billionaire businessman as well as chairman and CEO of Landry's Inc. "Remember, 95 percent of the budget of the Houston Police Department is labor. Only 5 percent is what they need to protect them in safety. ... We're able to give these police officers the right tools to do their job." Each external vest will cover an officer's abdomen with a ceramic plate on the chest and another on the back to repel shots that could fatally damage organs. The 25-pound units are in addition to under-the-clothes vests that largely protect from handgun rounds. Each heavy vest costs about $289, according to Houston Police Officers' Union vice president Joe Gamaldi. Law enforcement agencies across the country have been seeking ways to provide body-armor protection for officers, seeking vests, helmets and other technology. Mayor Sylvester Turner and HPOU members were at the union headquarters near downtown Friday for the announcement about the first shipment of vests. "I am just delighted for what has been done by the foundation, and I cannot thank the foundation enough," Turner said. "These Level IV heavy vests definitely make our police officers a lot safer in doing the dangerous jobs that they do every single day ... and I want to thank those who have given money to the foundation to help make this gift, especially, possible for our police officers." The next 200 vests will be delivered this month, Houston Police Foundation executive director Charlene Floyd said. Each vest can be passed along during the three shifts of a day, potentially protecting three officers in a 24-hour period. Stored in a backpack, a protective vest can be pulled out and placed over an officer's uniform in the event of an active shooter incident. Gamaldi added that supporters hope to raise more money to buy additional vests. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Officials have canceled a planned closing of Interstate 45 this weekend in downtown Houston because of the predicted inclement weather, but planned an overnight closing starting Monday. Project managers pulled scheduled work on the West Dallas bridge being replaced after it was struck in September and also nixed an unrelated lane marking project in the area. As a result, the freeway will remain open in both directions, said Danny Perez, spokesman for the Texas Department of Transportation in Houston. Weve been in constant contact with the weather service, and the decision was made to not go, Perez said. Instead, officials said the freeway will close in both directions at 9 p.m. Monday and reopen by 5 a.m. on Tuesday. The weekend closing was the third of four planned so workers could rebuild the West Dallas bridge. The fourth was scheduled for Dec. 9 to Dec. 12. Typically, crews close the freeway at 9 p.m. Friday and reopen it by 5 a.m. Monday. Losing this weekend to weather creates a tricky domino effect for the project. The period from Dec. 16 to Dec. 19 might be a heavy travel weekend because of the Christmas holiday the following weekend. The weekend after that is New Years Eve. We want to stay on track and get the bridge open as soon as possible, Perez said, noting officials are considering many options for finishing the job in December, or early January. The work affects more than just the West Dallas bridge. Completion of the span is necessary so TxDOT can reopen entrance ramps to southbound I-45 from Allen Parkway and Houston Avenue. We know how important this is and want to do everything we can to stay on track, Perez said. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate By: Patrick Svitek, Texas Tribune Rebuking a growing movement aimed at protecting undocumented students under incoming President Donald Trump, Gov. Greg Abbott vowed Thursday to cut funding for any Texas school that declares itself a "sanctuary campus." Abbott made the threat on Twitter in response to news that students at Texas State University are petitioning administrators to make the campus a "sanctuary for undocumented students, workers, and community members." Such concerns have spiked following the election of Trump, who has promised to deport millions of people in the country illegally. "Texas will not tolerate sanctuary campuses or cities," Abbott said. "I will cut funding for any state campus if it establishes sanctuary status." TEXAS STUDENTS APPEAL: Texas State University students petition to make school a sanctuary campus Additional details on Abbott's threat were not immediately available. The definition of a "sanctuary campus" is not entirely clear. The University of Pennsylvania, for example, has branded itself a sanctuary campus after announcing it will not let federal immigration authorities on campus without a warrant. At Texas State, students are asking the administration to "guarantee student privacy by refusing to release information regarding the immigration status of students, staff, and/or university community members." Similar petition efforts are currently underway at the University of Texas at Austin and University of North Texas. At Texas A&M University, administrators met with a group of faculty this week to discuss the concept. But in an interview Thursday morning before Abbott's tweet, university President Michael Young said he didn't see a need for schools to make such a declaration. Federal regulations currently prevent immigration authorities from coming onto campuses except in extraordinary cases, and any changes to that policy wouldn't happen quickly, he said. "If there is any possibility of that happening, it is such a long process because you have to change a whole set of regulatory dimensions that govern ICE, you have to change the law in a number of different ways," he said. ON CAMPUS: Trump supporters encourage violence at Texas State University Still, Young said he understands why some students may be worried after this year's election. "It is our obligation, our passion, our goal to provide a supportive, safe environment for our students to thrive," he said. "There is nothing on the horizon that really jeopardizes that." Since Trump's election, hundreds of college presidents have signed a statement in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which gives young undocumented immigrants protection from deportation and a work permit. Among the signatures are leaders from the University of Texas System, the University of Houston and Rice University. Read related Tribune coverage: Some undocumented immigrants brought here as kids were granted a sort of legal status by President Barack Obama. They're in a state of shock and panic now that Donald Trump has won the White House. Marcos Valencia was raised in Indiana, but in the eyes of the law, his home is the cartel-infested state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, where he was born. Now he's stuck in Mexico, unable to return to the country where he grew up. Matthew Watkins contributed to this report. Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin, the Texas State University System, Texas A&M University, the University of Houston and Rice University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here. The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans and engages with them about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Don't resell the story to someone else. AUSTIN -- State lawmakers lowered the state's constitutional spending cap Thursday, reflecting the downturn in the oil and gas industries that fuel much of the Texas economy. Lawmakers lowered the cap to 8 percent, a drop from the 11.68 percent spending cap on new state spending approved two years ago. The lower cap was unanimously approved by the Legislative Budget Board even as lawmakers are expected to tackle costly public policy issues, including the state's beleaguered foster care system and its public school finance formula, both issues the courts have considered flawed. House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, applauded the new cap. "Today's vote will allow the Legislature to produce a balanced, responsible state budget," said House Speaker Joe Straus. The Legislative Budget Board is composed of Straus, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, and eight other lawmakers. The cap fulfills a constitutional requirement to limit government growth to that of the state's economy, which is estimated at 8 percent. The new cap gives state lawmakers approximately $99.8 million dollars in state tax revenue not otherwise dedicated by the constitution in the upcoming two-year budget cycle, up from $92.5 billion in the current spending period. Texas' overall spending plan approved in 2016 totaled nearly $210 billion, which includes federal funds. "The Texas economy continues to grow at a modest pace, and I do not expect that to change in the coming year," said Tom Currah, the state's chief revenue estimator, who blamed the downturn of the oil industry for dragging down the state's economy. Currah said he sees signs for improvement, such as an uptick in job growth to about 200,000 jobs in the 12-month period that ended in October, but warned that bump pales in comparison to job growth of more than 300,000 jobs in years past. President-elect Donald Trump has disclosed owning millions of dollars of stock in companies with business pending before the U.S. government and whose value could rise as a result of his policies. Trump's stock holdings, which are separate from the more high-profile real estate and branding empire that he has said he will separate from in some fashion, represent another area rife with potential conflicts of interest that Trump has yet to address as he prepares to take office. Trump's stock holdings, as of his most recent disclosure in May, included millions of dollars worth of shares in financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo, which have seen their stock prices rise with his promises to roll back regulations imposed after the 2008 financial crash. He has held substantial numbers of shares in Apple and a unit of Ford, companies whose executives he has spoken with since the election as part of his efforts to press corporations not to ship jobs overseas. Trump's portfolio also has been dotted with millions of dollars worth of shares in oil and other energy companies that could stand to gain if he follows through on promises to loosen environmental regulations and pursue more drilling - including Halliburton, ExxonMobil, Occidental Petroleum and Phillips 66. "In truth, what we're looking at is a president-elect who has a personal financial stake in every major climate battle that is going on. That is indeed a troubling conflict of interest," said Carroll Muffett, president of the Center for International Environmental Law, which has clashed with Exxon. Trump tweeted Wednesday that he will hold a news conference Dec. 15 to explain how he will separate himself from his own business, the Trump Organization, to avoid the appearance of a conflict - though he has continued to meet with international business partners since his election victory and acknowledged that his presidency is good for the brand. But Trump has been silent on whether that announcement will also explain what he will do about his stocks. His May disclosure showed he held stocks that were worth as much as $40 million. A Trump spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment. Ethics experts said Trump could solve the matter relatively easily, as have past presidents, by selling his portfolio or placing it in a blind trust over which he had no control. Trump's stock portfolio presents "a smaller bore but significant example of the same problem he has with the Trump Organization," said Norm Eisen, who served as special ethics counsel to President Barack Obama and has been critical of Trump's conflicts. "Nobody will know if the decisions he's making are influenced by the public interest or by his and his family's personal financial interests," Eisen said. In recent years, Congress has showed particular sensitivity to the possible self-enrichment available to elected officials who hold stock. Under the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, or "STOCK" Act, passed in 2012 on a near-unanimous bipartisan vote and signed into law by Obama, elected officials are forbidden from using non-public information they learn through their official position to guide stock transactions. They must also publicly disclose any stock trades worth more than $1,000 within 45 days of the transaction. The law applies to members of Congress as well as to the president and vice president and other officials, though it specifically excludes certain categories of assets, including real estate and the holdings of blind trusts. Experts said the new law, while extraordinarily narrow, may provide one of the only regular opportunities for the public to see how Trump is handling his private business interests as president, were he to continue trading on the stock market after taking office. Under conflict of interest laws, presidents are otherwise only required to provide information about their public finances once a year. Because Trump filed a financial disclosure as a presidential candidate in May, he will not be required to outline his private holdings again until May 2018, when he will report his 2017 finances. Trump, more than any other modern president, will test the system of disclosure. Not only does he enter office after building a large and sprawling business and substantial investments, but he also has demonstrated an unwillingness to be transparent by refusing to release his tax returns, breaking with four decades of tradition during the campaign. There is little expectation Trump will release his tax returns as president, either. Peter Schweizer, a conservative author whose 2011 book "Throw Them All Out," about stock trades by members of Congress helped inspire passage of the new law, called on Trump to use the STOCK Act's model of frequent disclosure to guide voluntary disclosures about other aspects of his business. "Transparency is the best antidote to corruption," said Schweizer, who has worked closely with Trump senior adviser Stephen K. Bannon. As president of a group Bannon chaired, Schweizer wrote "Clinton Cash," which alleged Hillary Clinton faced potential conflicts of interest because of donors to her husband's foundation. The lack of regular disclosure makes assessing Trump's stock holdings as he enters office difficult. Trump's stock portfolio, as disclosed in May, was full of possible areas of conflict. However, he told Fox Business News in August that he was dumping stocks because he predicted the market was crashing. "I did invest, and I got out, and it was actually very good timing," he said then. Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks did not respond to questions about whether Trump indeed sold stocks at the time. In the interview, he also predicted the market would improve if he won. So far, Hicks has confirmed only one Trump trade since his last legally required disclosure. Over the summer, she said Trump sold his shares in Energy Transfer Partners, the majority stakeholder in the $3.7 billion Dakota Access pipeline project that has drawn protests from environmentalists and Native Americans. They have hoped the federal government will intervene in support of their opposition. Trump had disclosed in May 2015 that he owned between $500,000 and $1 million worth of stock in the company. Candidates are required to disclose such holdings only in broad ranges. By May 2016, when Trump updated his annual filing, the value of the holding had fallen to less than $50,000. The company's chief executive was a major campaign donor to Trump, but its stock had declined in value in the face of protests. Hicks has declined to explain whether Trump sold the stock to shed himself of a potential conflict or for another reason, nor would she disclose whether he has sold his stock in Phillips 66, which also owns a stake in the pipeline. Trump has disclosed his Phillips 66 stock was worth as much as $250,000. According to Trump's May disclosure, he owned between $50,000 and $100,000 in oil-services giants Halliburton and ExxonMobil, and between $500,000 and $1 million invested in Occidental Petroleum, one of Texas' biggest oil producers. He also disclosed that he owned up to $30,000 in stock in oil-pipeline giant Kinder Morgan. He listed additional holdings in Chevron and Shell. Trump's deep portfolio could allow him to directly benefit from global events. A broad oil-production deal reached this week by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, sent global oil prices climbing and boosted share prices for all of Trump's oil-company stocks. Among Trump's other holdings, according to his May disclosure, were between $1.1 million and $2.2 million in stock in Apple, the tech giant he urged Americans to boycott during the campaign. In an interview with the New York Times last week, Trump said he got a call from Apple chief executive Tim Cook, and he recalled telling Cook that it would be "a real achievement for me" if Apple built "a big plant" in the United States. Trump said he told Cook: "I think we'll create the incentives for you, and I think you're going to do it. We're going for a very large tax cut for corporations, which you'll be happy about." Apple did not respond to requests for comment. In the disclosure, Trump said he had stock worth $500,000 to $1 million in the consumer-lending units of both Toyota and Ford, the latter of which Trump loudly criticized for outsourcing factory jobs to Mexico. Shortly after the election, Trump took credit for persuading Ford to save a car-making plant in Kentucky, rather than move it to Mexico. Ford later said it had not planned to move the plant, only one production line, and that the original plan would not have led to any lost American jobs. Trump also owned between $1.1 and $2.2 million in AT&T stock. Trump has criticized the company's proposed acquisition of Time Warner, which owns CNN, as "an example of the power structure I'm fighting," but he has also formally named technology advisers with a history of support for media mega-mergers and distaste for regulation. Trump, meanwhile, owns up to $1 million in stock in media conglomerate Comcast, one of AT&T's biggest rivals. Wall Street banks have made up a large share of Trump's stock holdings. Trump also owns between $500,000 and $1 million in shares each in Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo, the latter of which is now facing federal investigation following a scandal involving millions of unauthorized bank accounts. One of those banks, JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in the United States, agreed last month to $264 million in fines to settle federal charges that the bank had given lucrative jobs to friends and family members of Chinese government officials as a means of bribery. Already, financial industry stocks have seen dramatic improvement since Trump's election, said Jamie Cox, managing partner of the Harris Financial Group, an anticipation of a rollback by Trump and a Republican Congress of regulation imposed after the 2008 financial crash that's likely to continue after Trump takes office. "You've seen them skyrocket," he said. "It's one of the hottest sectors." --- The Washington Post's Anu Narayanswamy contributed to this report. The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p. We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. Trespassing case might test states pipeline survey law A land surveyor for Summit Carbon Solutions faces a criminal trial in December for allegedly trespassing on land in northwest... Cherokee Skate Park awaits FEMA okay As opposed to speedy skate board wheels, the wheels of progress grind slowly regarding the citys proposed new skate park... In the early 1970s, when I was approaching school age, my mother needed some flooring laid in our home and hired a man named Ockie to do the work. I remember little about him other than that he was the first person of Japanese descent whom I had seen in my young life. Years later, she told me that Ockie had been interned as a youngster, along with his parents, in California during the war. He was very angry about it, she remembered; he had pointed out that his father was an American citizen. At the time, all I knew was that Ockie was Japanese, and that America had fought the Japanese, but that we were friends now, as my mother assured me. Adults were funny: they blew things up to the heavens and then sat in quiet kitchens, pricing linoleum by the square foot. Even then, I knew the two wordsPearl Harborand I had images to go with them, especially that of the smoldering USS Arizona, pictures of which Id seen in the World Book encyclopedia. Pearl Harbor meant sneak attack and December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy. I had heard Franklin Roosevelts voice saying these words, his cadence sealing them into permanent memory. In the original draft of this speech, the president had written that the day would live in world history, but he struck that phrase in favor of the archaic-sounding, morally fearsome infamy. You didnt need to know what the word meant. You only needed to hear him say it. Im sure that my mother and Ockie had at least one thing in common: they both knew where they were when they heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor. For a younger generation, the where were you when moment is September 11, 2001, an atrocity that prompted comparisons with Pearl Harbor, whose survivors were preparing to mark the 60th anniversary of the attacks that year. The two cataclysms had much in commonthey were unexpected, horrific, and destroyed thousands of livesbut they also quickly took on the character of their very different cultural epochs. Pearl Harbor aroused American resolve that channeled itself into a unified war effort, one that would produce an industrial war-making machine such as the world has never seenjust what was needed to win a war such as the world had never seen. September 11, by contrast, spawned a short-lived autumn of flag-waving that soon reverted to parochialism, political factionalism, and the by-now well-rehearsed cultural message that somehow, we must have deserved it. Ours is an age more inclined to apologize for rendering judgment than to condemn the deeds that prompt the judgment. It was different in 1941. To the generation that lived through Pearl Harbor, and especially those who were there that day, Roosevelts words rang true. Seventy-five years later, the oil is still leaking from the Arizona; droplets come to the surface in ghostly rainbow patterns. Black tears, survivors called them. The Arizona is the most visible symbol of the American catastrophe of that day. Of the ships 1,511 crewmen, 1,177 perishednearly half of the 2,403 lost at Pearl Harbor, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The ship was doomed by a 1,700-pound Japanese bomb that blasted through its storage area, which held 1 million pounds of ammunition and 180,000 gallons of gas. These incendiaries acted in the same way that aviation fuel did on 9/11, turning the battleship into an inferno. Sailors could barely stand on deck without hopping from one foot to the other because of the heat, and they could smell the burning oil spilling into Pearl Harbor. Some of those who survived the wreck had to brave swimming through the fiery waters. The Japanese had struck that morning shortly before 8 am, Hawaiian timeearly afternoon in Washington, D.C. Their attack was long planned, even as diplomatic talks continued between Tokyo and Washington in an attempt to resolve disputes involving Japanese aggression in China and Southeast Asia and a resulting U.S. oil embargo. An armada of Japanese destroyers and aircraft carriers steamed across the Pacific toward Hawaii in complete radio silence, avoiding detection. On the morning of December 7, the Japanese launched 353 planes, in two waves. Their main targets were the American airfieldsHickam, Wheeler, Ford Island, Kaneohe Naval Air Station, and Ewa Marine Corps Air Stationand Battleship Row, where, along with the Arizona, a host of American battleships were sitting in port. These included the Nevada, West Virginia, California, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. As luck would have it, no U.S. aircraft carriers were at Pearl Harbor that day. It was Sunday morning, peacetime. Many American seamen were getting some extra sleep or making their way back to their ships after a Saturday evening out. Defenses were down. Radar was primitive in 1941, though it did pick up the Japanese squadron moving into Hawaiian airspace at 7 oclock. An American commander dismissed the sighting, assuming that it was the expected arrival of American B-17s from San Francisco. When the bombs started dropping at about 7:55, many assumed that it was a drill. The Navy and Army ran frequent bombing tests. On board the Nevada, Oden McMillan was about to lead his band in morning colors, which started promptly at 8. As the band lined up, they saw planes dive-bombing Ford Island, but they thought nothing of it until low-flying Japanese planes dropped a torpedo, aimed at the Arizona, and then flew over the Nevada, strafing it with fire. The band knew now that the attack was realbut kept playing. It had never occurred to McMillan, Walter Lord wrote in his classic Day of Infamy, that once he had begun playing the National Anthem, he could possibly stop. The band made its way through The Star Spangled Banner, the ships deck wobbling and splintering below the musicians feet. Not a man broke formation until the final note died, Lord wrote. Then everyone ran wildly for cover. All told, in a two-hour attack, the Japanese sunk or damaged 18 American ships, including eight battleships, though most would be salvaged. Only the Arizona and the Oklahoma, which was capsized, suffered total loss. These repairs might have been much slower in coming had the Japanese not opted to abort a third phase of the attack, on Pearl Harbors fuel-oil storage and ship-rebuilding facilities. Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, seeing that the Americans were beginning to pick off more of his strike force with antiaircraft fire, decided to play it safe and terminate the mission. As it was, the devastation was immense. For days afterward, rescue crews worked to cut holes through the Oklahomas hull to rescue the men trapped inside. Some were saved; many others died of asphyxiation or drowning. But the grimmest fate was that of three young sailorsClifford Olds, Ronald Endicott, and Louis Buddy Costinon board the West Virginia, which had sunk to the bottom of Pearl Harbor, trapping the men inside the pump room. It was well-provisioned, with food rations and fresh water. But there was no feasible way to drill through the pressurized hull underwater to rescue the men without causing a blowout that would kill their rescuers. No rescue was attempted, though the seamen made themselves heard, banging away in the hope that someone above would save them. They survived for more than two weeks in these agonizing circumstances. Pretty soon nobody wanted to do guard duty, especially at night when it was quiet, said Marine Corps bugler Richard Fiske. It didnt stop until Christmas Eve. The Japanese also destroyed 188 American aircraft and damaged another 159many of them lined up at Hickam Field in neat rows, easy targets for Japanese bombers. Army lieutenant general Walter Short, worried about Japanese saboteurs on Oahu, thought that they would be better protected that way. Like naval admiral Husband E. Kimmel, commander-in-chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Short dismissed chances that the Japanese might attack Pearl Harbor. Kimmel believed that any Japanese attack would happen at sea. Short and Kimmel would both lose their commands after the attack and spend the rest of their lives defending their decisions. Still, Kimmel didnt need to be told what the attack meant for his future. Watching the bombing from his office window, he ripped his four-star admiral shoulder boards off of his sleeve and replaced them with two-star shoulder boards. By one account, after a bullet whizzed through the window and narrowly missed the admiral, Kimmel said, It would have been merciful had it killed me. Not just its human losses, but also the images of a devastating military rout, with the mighty U.S. fleet in flames, coupled with the chilling success with which the Japanese had caught us unawares, ensured that Pearl Harbor would stay forever in the minds of Americans who lived through the events. Those up in arms about fake news today should have heard some of the fake news that proliferated after the attacks about Japanese saboteurs, who were seemingly everywhere. According to one rumor on Oahu, Japanese milk delivery drivers used radio transmitters to help guide in the enemy planes. The stories spread faster than they could possibly be disproved or checked, Lord wrote. Two months later, Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, mandating internment. Hindsight offers consolations, not only the advantage of knowing that we would win the war, but also that the heroism that would make that feat possible was present on December 7, too, almost everywhere one looked. John William Finn, a chief petty officer in the Navy, was stationed at Kaneohe Bay. The bombs woke him from a Sunday morning slumber; he drove over to the base, only about a mile from his home, and he saw the bombers in the air. By the time he arrived, many of the bases seaplanes had already been destroyed. The base had no antiaircraft guns, so Finn detached the machine gun from one of the planes, mounted it on a stand in an exposed area, and started firingand barely stopped for the next two hours, though he suffered 21 separate wounds from shrapnel, one of which caused him to lose feeling in his left arm. His Medal of Honor citation described his complete disregard for his own personal safety. He later shrugged: It just wasnt my day to die. At 99, he stood next to President Obama at Arlington Cemetery on National Medal of Honor Day. It certainly seemed that it was 19-year-old Donald Strattons day to die. On board the Arizona, the seaman first class could see the Japanese pilots faces, they flew so low; some were smiling, even waving. Stratton suffered burns across 70 percent of his body and survived only when Joe George, a boatswains mate on board the USS Vestal, a repair ship docked alongside the Arizona, disobeyed orders and threw out a line to Stratton and other desperate Arizona crewmen. They climbed across, hand over hand, 70 feet to the Vestal. Stratton spent about a year in the hospitalat one point, doctors put maggots on his body to eat the masses of dead skinbefore being discharged and sent home to Nebraska. He reenlisted, endured another boot camp, and fought at Okinawa, where he dodged death again. Many other Arizona survivors might not have made it without the heroics of Lieutenant Commander Samuel Fuqua, who was knocked unconscious by one of the first bombs, came to, and got busy fighting the ships fires. After the Arizona took its fatal blow, which killed many of its men in an instant, Fuqua became the ships senior surviving officer. Strafed constantly by enemy fire, he led the ships evacuation. I can still see him standing there, ankle deep in water, stub of a cigar in his mouth, cool and efficient, oblivious to the danger around him, said a crewman, Edward Wentzlaff. On his way in to shore on a boat, under heavy fire, Fuqua hauled survivors out of the water. Perhaps the most inspiring moment of the day on the American side was the sight of the USS Nevada, though damaged by bombs, pulling out of the harbor, the only ship from Battleship Row to get moving. The Nevada managed to shoot down a handful of Japanese planes, but, at risk of sinking, it was grounded off an area known as Hospital Point. Many, like Seaman Thomas Malmin, who was aboard, recalled seeing, through clouds of black smoke, the ships flag flying on the fantail. Malmin recalled that The Star Spangled Banner was written under similar conditions, and he felt the glow of living the same experience, Lord wrote. He understood better the words of Francis Scott Key. Less dramatic gestures of resistance were also plentiful. Praise the lord and pass the ammunition, said the chaplain on board the New Orleans as its men attempted to fire back at the marauders. A boatswains mate on the Monaghan, waiting for ammunition to be brought up to the deck so that he could begin firing at the Japanese, threw wrenches at their planes in the meantime. At Ewa, the Marine air base, a lone Marine, armed only with a pistol, stood beside a ruined plane, firing away at the Japanese bombers, even as they swooped down on him. Japanese lieutenant Yoshio Shiga, one of those enemy pilots, called him the bravest American. The defiance extended to the infirmaries, too. A doctor refused a navy seamans request for orange juice, thinking that it might be fatal, since the seaman had a serious stomach wound. When he protested, the doctor told his nurse to get the juice; the patient would probably die anyway, he whispered. I heard you, doctor, the seaman called out, and I still want orange juice. He didnt die. The hardiness extended as well to the nations political leaders. Roosevelts speech set the tone, with its stark opening sentence and its direct, euphemism-free admission of what had occurred: The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. The presidents Republican adversaries in Congress, including isolationists who had accused him of trying to get the United States into war, now lined up behind him. There is no politics here, said Joseph W. Martin, the House minority leader. There is only one party when it comes to the integrity and honor of the country. He was echoed by the Senate minority leader, Charles L. McNary of Oregon. The Republicans will all go along, in my opinion, with whatever is done. And the isolationist congressman Hamilton Fish of New York, a World War I veteran and reservist, urged Americans to get behind the president. And if there is a call for troops, Fish added, I expect to offer my services to a combat division. Behind the unity was anger and a desire for putting things right. I am an old-time Yankee, said Congressman Charles A. Eaton of New Jersey, a Republican, and when people start shoving us around Im ready to shove back. Senator Harry F. Byrd of Virginia agreed. All American resources should be mobilized to wipe Japan off the map, he said, in words that, if uttered today, would surely require a public retraction. The only course open to America is to declare war on Japan and I hope this will be done tomorrow by unanimous vote of Congress. Close enough: on December 8, the Senate voted 82-0 and the House 388-1 to declare war. (The holdout was Republican Jeannette Rankin of Montana, a committed pacifist and the first woman to serve in Congress.) Perhaps the most marked contrast with our time can be found in the tones of the paper of record. In its editorial the morning after Pearl Harbor, the New York Times sounded a clarion for American unity and commitment to victory, not just of the nation but of its principles: The time has come to forget pride of judgment, throw partisanship to the winds and rally to the flag of the United States. Let us close our ranks without a moments loss of time. . . . Let every patriot take his stand on the bastions of democracy. We go into battle in defense of our own land, of our present and our future, of all that we are and all that we still hope to be, of a way of life which we have made for ourselves on free and independent soil, the only way of life which we believe to be worth living. No wonder we won. After 9/11, plans got underway nearly immediately for a memorial, and commemoration ceremonies have been held on every anniversary. By contrast, in the years immediately after Pearl Harbor, while the date was noted and some ceremonies conducted, winning the war took precedence. In 1943, FDR made this clear when he vetoed a bill declaring December 7 Armed Services Honor Day. In a message to Congress, he explained why: Dec. 7, two years ago, is a day that is remembered in this country as one of infamy on the part of a treacherous enemy. The day itself requires no reminder, and its anniversary should rather serve to cause all the people of the nation to increase their efforts contributing to the successful prosecution of the war. Once victory was accomplished, more expansive anniversary remembrances began. Books and films proliferated. The Arizona memorial opened in 1962; it sees more than 2 million visitors every year. In 1966, on the 25th anniversary, the island had a surprising visitor: 64-year-old Mitsuo Fuchida, the Japanese Navy commander who led the air attack. Now a Christian evangelist, Fuchida had published a book about his conversion, From Pearl Harbor to Calvary, and he spent much time in the United States in his later years. As the decades passed, some Japanese and American veterans of Pearl Harbor gathered together in reconciliation. Others, like Donald Stratton, preferred to stay away. Hed have to forgive the men, like Fuchida, who had killed so many of his friends in the next life, he said, when he would have a better heart. Fuchidas saga tells an instructive story about American tolerancebut not the kind we normally hear. A generation commonly branded today as backward-thinking, prejudiced, and provincial welcomed a man who once led a deadly invasion that slaughtered its sons; it even let this former invaders children live and work in the United States. A generation in its prime of life today, meanwhile, sparing no hosannas to itself for its tolerance and progressive values, needs pointers from the New York Times on how to talk to family members who voted the other way in a presidential election. We were not extraordinary men, those of us who fought on that infamous date in December seventy five years ago, Stratton writes in his magnificent new memoir, All the Gallant Men. We were ordinary men. What was extraordinary was the country we loved. We loved who she was, what she stood for. We loved her for what she meant to us, and for what she had given to us, even in those meager times. It didnt matter where you hailed from, whether you came from the mountains or the prairies, a sprawling city or a small coastal town: you loved her. We all did. That love helped bring this country through the fire. Seventy-five years later, a small band of survivors, including the 94-year-old Stratton, who will attend with his wife of 66 years, gathers on Oahu. It will be, almost surely, the last milestone anniversary involving participants. From our distant perch, it seems impossible to understand and fully absorb the magnitude of Pearl Harbor: in that vanished world, young men did things that we cannot imagine, and the events themselves, while framed by formidable scholarship and many excellent narrative histories, are also shrouded in myth. We cannot stand where Americans stood then or feel what they felt, but we can remind ourselves that there is no hell on earth like war, no bravery or love of fellows more surpassing than that seen in the armed forcesand no hardship we face now that compares remotely with the darkness that that American generation confronted, across two oceans. It all started on that quiet Sunday morning, 75 years ago. On December 7, pause a moment if you can. Photo by Getty Images The debate over education reform will look fundamentally different under President Donald Trump than it has for the last eight years under President Obama. With the teachers unions sulking on the sidelines, the discussion is shifting from whether to expand choice to how. On one side are the parent-centered reformers, who want to see open markets encourage educational entrepreneurship and parent-driven accountability. On the other are the system-centered reformers, who want to see closed systems designed and administered by experts. Tulane University economics professor Doug Harris penned a column in the New York Times declaring that Trumps nomination of Betsy DeVos as education secretary is a triumph of ideology over evidence. According to Harris, DeVos is the architect of the Detroit charter system, the biggest school reform disaster in the country. Thats a hefty charge from an eminent education expert. But Harriss piece neatly illustrates why Americans dontand shouldnttrust the experts. Harris points out that Detroit Public Schools are ranked among the worst-performing systems in the nation, and claims that one well-regarded study found that Detroits charter schools performed at about the same dismal level as its traditional public schools. Except thats not what that study found. The 2013 study of Michigan charter schools by Stanfords Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) found that charter students in Detroit gain over three months per year more than their counterparts at traditional public schools. A 2015 CREDO study of 41 major cities concluded that Boston, Newark, Washington, D.C., and Detroit, provide essential examples of school-level and system-level commitments to quality that can serve as models to other communities. Notably absent from that list of systems to emulate is New Orleanss, which Harris hails as radically different and superior due to its stronger central oversight. Yet, aside from the higher proportion of under-performing charters in New Orleans, CREDO found almost no difference in the performance of charter schools relative to their traditional public school neighbors. But there is a difference. Tens of millions of philanthropic dollars and legions of bright young educators were funneled into New Orleans. The fact that the Motor City, without such advantages, managed results that were barely distinguishable from those in the Big Easy suggests that the decentralized charter model may be a more promising approach. Now, as an honest broker of the evidence, allow me to add three caveats. First, the relative gains posted by Detroit charter students are less impressive in absolute terms because the achievement of their public-school peers is so low. Second, there are significant problems in Detroits charter sector. For a thorough account, see Robin Lakes chronicle of the extreme difficulties Detroit parents face in understanding and navigating their options. Third, as any sober researcher will admit, its absurd to draw a sweeping conclusion from a sample size of two. Its especially absurd when the two cities in question are as different as New Orleans and Detroit. In New Orleans, the wrath of God washed away the traditional system and gave reformers free rein to build a new system, unimpeded, from the ground up. In Detroit, charters sprouted, one by one, and had to contend with a deeply dysfunctional district sputtering into inexorable decline. Cheap though it was, Harris fired the first shot in a serious debate. The Michigan model of school choice is abhorred by the system-centered experts. It allows many charter authorizers to sponsor schools rather than letting a single central body do so. It is friendly to for-profit operators rather than reflexively hostile. It is defined more by a host of single-site mom-and-pop charter schools than by a handful of big, brand-named networks. It relies on parents rather than administrators to police quality and close failing schools. The experts at the National Alliance of Charter School Authorizers award Michigans charter law a dismal nine points out of 33. Yet, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, which evaluates states on the health of their charter sector rather than their legislative adherence to a particular policy prescription, rates Michigan third in the nation. Should other states look to Michigan as a model? The parent-centered reformers will argue yes, saying that real progress comes from enabling energetic educators to establish new schools and trusting families to make the best decision for their kids. The system-centered reformers will argue no, we need experts to tell us which schools are worth opening and closing. As this debate moves into state legislatures across the country, a word to the wise: never trust an expert who swears his side has the evidence and the other side has only ideology. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images Fundatia de Binefacere Caritas Moldova solicita oferte de pret de la companii /furnizori de cozonaci de Craciun Here is a selection of letters and emails weve received since mid-November. Please send correspondence to letters@cjr.org, along with your name, address, and any relevant affiliation. Reader feedback has been edited for length and clarity. TRUMP VS. THE PRESS Covering Trump: An oral history of an unforgettable campaign The oral history project is simply brilliant. Have you considered adding visual tools like this timeline? It could be used to build a series of interactive timelines that could be used by others on media sites and social media exchanges. Better yet, if you were to provide a Google Sheet with the relevant pointsheadline, date, source, category, etc.that would allow anyone to use the material to build his or her own timeline. If well need anything in the future, it will be a reliable toolkit based on truth. Thank you! Jerry Hall Founder, CivicArchive, Inc. Sign up for CJR 's daily email Did Trumps scorched-earth tactics mortally wound the media? You guys still dont get it, and likely never will. America is sick and tired of hearing your opinions. Journalism is supposed to give us the facts and let us make educated decisions for ourselves. Nearly all of mainstream media has instead over the years decided to tell us what to think. You think your opinion matters to us, and it simply doesnt. You think Americans arent capable of making informed decisions. You tell us we should accept little boys going into bathrooms with our daughters or that Obamacare is working, when many Americans disagree. You prop up Black Lives Matter as it ravages our cities, usually for the wrong reasons. (Admittedly, there were a couple of cases where they had a legitimate argument.) You tell us all of these lies and opinions and we are tired of it. We cant trust anything you say anymore, because it is all biased and opinionated. So now we come full-circle. You can report the truth about Trump and now no one listens. This is your own fault. Instead of admitting this, you look for scapegoats. It is always someone elses fault. Blame it on fake news, stupid voters, ethnicity, the electoral college. Blame, blame, blame everything but yourselves. You are now nothing more than glorified bloggers who think you have some kind of power. Reality check: You forfeited any power you ever held by inserting your opinions. P.S. I didnt vote for Trump. I dont buy the lesser of two evils approach. Trump and Clinton are both trash. Media should never have endorsed either. Just give us the facts. Only when you understand this will you hold any relevance. An American who is tired of your shit (and Im not alone), Josh Levitt I read your article and came away with the feeling that nothing has been learned by the media. I dont pretend to represent all those who voted for Donald Trump, but Ill give you my experience this election. Im 48, college educated with an MBA. I live in the blue State of Nevada with my four children and my wife, who works in the local schools as a substitute teacher. I work in the medical industry. I am a conservative, and skeptical of major news outlets due to what I see, and have seen, regarding politics and social issues. Ill expand on this later. During the Republican primaries, I leaned towards Marco Rubio and was amused by Trump. As the primaries wrapped up and it was apparent Trump was the nominee, I told my wife that this may be the first time I vote Democratic. Although I saw Hillary Clinton as unethical, I thought voting for the devil you knew was better than the devil you didnt know. As the campaign moved forward, I began to see coverage so lopsided that I found myself sticking up for the underdog. I agreed with some of Trumps positions, like his stance on illegal immigration. I saw the media treat that position as racist, and I was offended that my belief wasnt treated more fairly. A perfect example of this media bias is a directive that went out many years ago that the media should refer to illegal aliens as undocumented workers, seemingly taking the side of those who support open borders. The coverage became so one-sided I began to gravitate towards Trump. The more I was called a racist, homophobe, etc., the more I resented the media for its coverage. Then The New York Times came out and gave everyone the green light to treat Trump differently, and my position solidified. The crowning jewel came the day after the election when The Times front page headline seemed to come from the DNC and be intended for those living in Manhattan. A historic win by an outsider that toppled two political dynasties with far less resources was swept aside. Even some liberals were aghast. Wikileaks emails showing communications between the Clinton campaign and news outlets confirmed my belief in a biased media. The retort was that the sausage making behind the scenes had been exposed and although it wasnt pretty, that was par for the course. The difference is that sausage making was one sided. I find it difficult to believe that CNN or the Times would let the Trump campaign review an article prior to printing to edit those things they felt were unfair, or to envision Trump creating a list of journalists from the Times, The Washington Post, CNN, and other outlets with whom the campaign could plant a story and never be disappointed. When shootings occurred that involved an African American victim and a white cop, it was trumpeted as another example of police who were racist and out of control, even in the face of contradicting evidence. Michael Brown was not gunned down with his hands up, pleading not be shot. Yet based on the media coverage, how many are aware of this? Why the double standard? Because unlike most of the nation, the press overwhelmingly approves of this stance and feels it is their obligation to teach the neanderthals the error of their ways. I resent a roundtable discussion with one conservative and three liberals. I could go on with so many examples. Suffice it to say, when I saw the media universally denouncing Trump, all of the negative feelings surfaced and what was once a potential vote for Clinton became a sure Trump vote. I sympathize with your plight. Imagine if most media were stationed in Provo, Utah and reporters were recruited from Brigham Young University and other conservative colleges. Would you have faith that stories would be written without bias? Probably not. The diversity the media seeks is of color, gender, and immigration status, not thought. How can you have a reasoned discussion when I am, from the start, labeled a bigot? Thank you for your time and letting me describe my experience as a Trump voter. Regards, Nathan Hall Las Vegas, NV I really enjoyed reading your article. Anyone who wants to understand how this election year unfolded should read it. Its a very thorough analysis of the Trump phenomenon. Its also genuine, because you were looking for real and honest explanations, even if it means accepting and realizing that despite all its effort, the media was not able to show the president-elects true colors to the masses. This happened both unintentionally and intentionally, the former when healthy fact-checking articles were not reaching angry America, and the latter when cable media covered the campaign as they did for the sake of good ratings. Another thought crossed my mind: Why not manipulate the media to stop covering Trump? Trump reminds me of toddlers throwing tantrumsthey do it because they know they will get attention. We all know how egotistical he is. What if he receives media coverage only when he is behaving well? The media could grab the countrys attention by covering the silliest stories like the Kardashians or Honey Boo Boo, the fanciest holiday lights, or the biggest turkey cooked this Thanksgiving. Or cover one of his close allies without mentioning him at all! Unfortunately, that means really poor media work, but thats only because the average American could care less about important world affairs. I am completely aware that this is a very naive idea, but the average American is naive, and sometimes you can only fight fire with fire. I also see how this could lead to a dangerous precedent, but we are living in scary and dangerous times. Thank you, and your colleagues, for the hard work you do and the all-nighters you pull. Best regards, Mouna Mikati During the campaign, television and other media gave Donald Trump millions of dollars of free publicity that other candidates had to pay for. They are reaping the results. Now, the media is repeating the same thing with alt-right conservatives. Instead of ignoring them into oblivion, they are top news in The New York Times and on TV. This is what they relish, and the attention gives them a standing they wouldnt ordinarily have. People who never heard of them now have. When will the media ever learn? And all for ratings. Carla Wallach What you fail to understand is that America expected the news media to report fairly and unbiasedly. Instead, the media openly supported Hillary Clinton and tried to shove her down our throats. Not many people trusted her and making excuses for her made it worse. To support one candidate over another destroyed Americas trust in the media. Trump won partly because the media came out against him, and we were tired of the Washington game. Trump is changegood, bad, or ugly. Regards, Roger Stump I enjoy reading your articles, but lately it seems as if every article on your homepage is about Donald Trump. I understand this is relevant to whats going in in our country right now, but it seems excessive, bordering on obsessive. Articles on anything else would be refreshing. Just my two cents. Regards, Jim Stanczyk Heres to the return of the journalist as malcontent I agree. That said, this section needs elaboration, in my opinion: the brutal economics of the news business hurt all our efforts, decimating newsrooms around the country and leaving fewer people to grapple with what was a gargantuan story Actually, that needs to be in bold type. Then I would add: from my experience and observations, there has been a certain kind of decimation of the newsroom that is as much to blame as a pure decline in numbers. Layoffs have disproportionately gotten rid of journalists with the experience, institutional knowledge, confidence, and assertiveness needed to tackle this kind of story. Young clickbait experts are not going to solve this problem. One more thing: The decline of the newsroom has come with a decline in management ranks. When management feels threatened by and lays off vocal, questioning, outspoken reporters, they are sabotaging the presss mission. I should know. After 30 years of daily reporting, it happened to me. Dayna Harpster Cape Coral, FL PROHIBITIVE FOIA FEES Rallying cry for media under Trump: Make FOIA Great Again The author writes: The FOIA, notably, places no limit on the number of requests an agency can receive or a person can submit. But agencies can thwart FOIA requests by assessing search fees when they claim that the volume of requests received has produced an administrative burden. I have submitted thousands of FOIA requests to the FBI since 1981. I often ask that they search for records at both HQ and in specifically identified field offices. Dozens of my requests have produced letters from the FBI stating that I have exceeded two hours of free search time, so fees are required to continue the search for responsive records. These fees are quite onerous (both clerical and professional search time is assessed, and they usually amount to about $25 per hour). To make matters worse, when a requester asks for specific details regarding how much time has been spent per subject, or if a requester asks for any details concerning what portion of the request has not been searched, the FBI doesnt reply. That means I must wait 12 to 18 months for them to process my request in order to learn which locations were not searched so that I then can submit a new FOIA request. Lastly, there is another way in which agencies can assure that requesters will not have access to their records: Agencies can transfer records to the National Archives and Records Administration. NARA currently charges 80 cents per page for documents, which means even a relatively small file becomes so expensive that most people could not afford to obtain it. Not to mention that NARA takes more than a year to process even small requests (500 pages or less). Ernie Lazar Palm Springs, CA THE WASHINGTON POSTS DIGITAL HISTORY Revolution at The Washington Post Im writing in regard to your recent article on the Post. I worked at Washington Post Newsweek Interactive (which then became Washington Post Media, and then just part of the overall Washington Post newsroom) from 2007 to 2010. The merger with the paper was completed at the end of 2009, when we moved from the 12th floor of a high-rise office building in Arlingtons trendy Courthouse neighborhood that included an amazing view of Washington, D.C., and many of the citys iconic monuments. Our space and our work were hardly what anyone would call backwater. Also, a story idea: It would be great if someone would look back and do some solid reporting on what WPNI was really doing in its heyday, beginning in 1995 with Digital Ink, the precursor to WPNI. Im sure that many of my colleagues would be willing to share their memories and recollections. Amy L. Kovac-Ashley Washington, D.C. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today The Editors are the staffers of the Columbia Journalism Review. On Monday, listeners to NPRs flagship morning news show Morning Edition will hear a new voice anchoring the broadcasters coverage. Rachel Martin, an award-winning reporter who has been hosting Weekend Edition Sunday for the past four years, will join Steve Inskeep and David Greene in leading the daily program. Martin has reported on US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech, and the challenges of immigration and shifting demographics in Europe. At Morning Edition, she will fill the chair vacated by Renee Montagne, who is stepping down after 12 years with the show. CJR spoke to Martin about the challenges of a daily news program, approaches to covering Donald Trump, and the role of journalism in democracy. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. As you prepare for your new role, how do you think about framing the news on a daily basis, as compared to what you had been doing at Weekend Edition Sunday? It is more challenging because you have to do a couple things at the same time. On the weekend show we have the freedom to just say Were going to stake our claim on this idea. It may be in the headlines; it may not be in the headlines. On the weekday, obviously, you have to do two things. You have to set the news agenda for the day, and you have to be thinking ahead to where the story in going to move in the 24-hour cycle. You also still have to be thinking about how to package that story in a way thats distinctive. Its not enough to just ask whos the big voice on this story that everybody else is covering. Thats the baseline, but what were trying to do is to take that and think about whats the next level? Whats the next level of audience engagement? How do we get people into this story? What kind of social media elements are there in this opportunity? Is it a panel? Is it a bigger produced piece? Obviously the pace is just more intense. Sign up for CJR 's daily email You mention having to follow what the news agenda is for that given day. Based on the past month, it seems that the transition and presidency of Donald Trump will be driving the news. One thing that Morning Edition has traditionally done a good job of is providing a wider lens. Given how much airtime Trump draws, how do you avoid being too myopic and covering all Trump, all the time? Thats a really important question. A big part of the answer is to focus on policy. Because thats a way to stay connected in covering the day-to-day minutiae of the political story, but youre focused on the issues. So, yeah, there might be a moment where you reference a tweet that Donald Trump sends out, but thats a thirty-second experience, whereas were going to devote the bulk of our segments to issues, to policies. That means talking with people out in the country about what their expectations are. What are the roots of some of your anxieties? How do you feel as youre watching this transition team take shape? As youre looking toward the next administration, how is your confidence about Trumps ability to assuage those anxieties? Given that Trump has a pretty antagonistic relationship with the media and that Paul Ryan has spoken about his desire to cut federal funding for public broadcasting, do you worry at all about the future of NPR along with other public broadcasting outlets? Not at all. Public radio has proven time and again that it is a fundamental part of American democracy. Our audience numbers are at record levels after this campaign, provingnow more than everhow valuable our listeners find NPR to be. I expect that were going to be more important than ever to people in terms of trying to discern how the administrations moves are going to affect their lives. So Im not concerned at all. You mention public radio being a fundamental part of democracy. NPR occupies a unique place in the media landscape. Can you speak to that idea of the role of journalism in a democracy? A free press is enshrined in our constitution. It is the basis of so many of our other freedoms. People have to understand what their government is doing, and government has to be held accountable. Thats how its always been; thats how it will continue to be. And the people and the institutions that are best positioned to do that are journalists, professional journalists. Now, the industry is incredibly diversified and, frankly, you dont have to be a professional journalist to have a huge following on Twitter. Its a really competitive landscape, and some of whats out there is fake news, as weve been seeing. Some of what captures peoples attention and helps them make choices isnt up to the standards of NPR or myriad other professional news organizations. I think its incumbent upon us, in particular public media that has this mission to go out and hear from the American people and to tell the stories of not just the people in urban centers on the coasts but of Americans across the country, to do that work. People are expecting it of us. Is it going to be more difficult in an administration that has publicly maligned media over the last year? Yeah. That makes it all the more important. Where it gets sticky is in trying to understand the line people want you to walk when it comes to covering an administration that is going to push some boundaries, potentially. Weve already seen this in our coverage as weve grappled with covering the so-called alt-right, or white supremacist movements that have been, to some degree, emboldened by Donald Trumps campaign. Thats put us all in new territory in deciding how much airtime to give these kinds of voices. Is that furthering their agenda and does that fit with the public radio mission? The answer is that it does, because our job is to report the world as it is, not as we wish it were. So thats what we do, and thats what we have to continue to do so that Americans can hold their lawmakers accountable and push them when they think the administration is out of line. They cant do that unless they know the truth, and that is still the work of journalists. In your signoff from Weekend Edition, you mentioned a desire to be curious and speak to people who have experiences far different from yours. This election has shown us that, as a country, we are extremely divided in the ways we view the world. At Morning Edition, what are your goal in terms of providing perspectives and reporting on stories that we may have missed? The whole reason I got into journalism is because I firmly believe, with every ounce of my soul, that the way forward for our country, our common humanity, is to try to understand the experience of others. Empathy, trying to relate to people who arent like you, to stop other-izing people who come from a different religion, ethnic identity, geographic location. Its why I got into journalismto try to draw those connections between people. But, in the wake of this election, it feels even more urgent to try to tell stories that reveal how we are connected instead of the ways in which we perceive that we are all so different from one another. Do you think there has been something of a failure in what youre describing? I think that there has been a failure to reach people who have felt that they are being left out of the progress that America has been making. Progress is subjective; it depends on how you see the changes. Globalization or even social issueswhen you talk about the legalization of gay marriage, for a lot of evangelical Christians living in rural America, that is an issue that is still difficult and, based on conversations Ive had with many people, they have felt that there has not been a place in the mainstream press or in any public arena to talk about why its difficult because immediately theyre shut down. I do think that there are more opportunities for us to listen to different voices and to not go in with a specific agenda. We do that at our peril. We always try not to, but I think its inevitable sometimes in journalism that you think you know what the story is, or you think youve made up your mind about where the country is on something, and then you sprinkle in a bit of dissent here and there. Sometimes its worth sitting with that dissent, sitting with that person for a while and being in their experience, not just making them an afterthought in your story, but telling their story. This election happened and its like, whoa, the story is here! This is the big story. You mention opportunities to tell new stories. Youve had experiences all over the world as a foreign correspondent. What new stories, whether inside our borders or abroad, do you hope to focus on? Before this election, I was craving to get out into the world a little more. Im just coming out of early-childhood parenting, so I was thinking, OK, now I can get back out and do some more traveling. I lived in Berlin for a bit and Ive been fascinated by the refugee crisis and immigration patterns and how thats changing Europe. But then this election happened and its like, whoa, the story is here! This is the big story. What happens in America, as we have seen, affects the rest of the world, for better or for worse. So what I am excited about is getting out into our country. Whats great about having a three-host situation is that it affords one of us [the opportunity] to be out at all times doing that. Were in the process of identifying some places where we can really spend some time over the next year, places we can return to, where we can develop relationships with people to try to bring some of that deep reporting that NPR is known for. Those kind of personal, emotional conversations only come from trust. That means you have to be there to develop that relationship. We are anxious to do that, and I personally, am very excited to do that. Weve talked about the heavy stuff and the substance and all the ways what we do matters, but Im also just excited to have some fun. The people that are on the Morning Edition team are amazing. Steve Inskeep and David Greene are two of the best, and theyre also just great human beings. I think youre going to hear on the air a looser kind of vibe, a little more transparency, less kind of formal radio theater more just three people who are curious about the world hopefully asking the questions that Americans want us to ask on their behalf. In terms of the stories were telling and whether or not theyre connecting, are there worries that this election has raised? I am worried that peoples faith in all media is crumbling. I think most of that is undeserved, but some of that is deserved. People have felt left out, and I think that there have been mistakes made. We need to do a better job of telling our own story, about how we make news. Its not random. Its not arbitrary. Its a painstaking business, how we choose what voices to put in a piece, why we choose those voices. In this day and age, people want more transparency because everyone is hyper-tuned to any whiff of bias, and I think that we would do ourselves a favor to be a little more transparent about the rigorous process that we go through in our newsgathering and our storytelling. It is different; the standards that professional journalists have, especially NPR, are just different that a random blog or website. We take such great pains to make sure that we are telling the truth about a scenario, and thats really hard. I think we need to do a better job about telling people how we do that work. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Pete Vernon is a former CJR staff writer. Follow him on Twitter @ByPeteVernon. The truck driver who slammed into the back of a van carrying actor-comedian Tracy Morgan and several other people, killing one of them, pleaded guilty Tuesday and could avoid jail time. Kevin Roper entered the plea in state Superior Court to vehicular homicide and four counts of aggravated assault. Roper was driving a Wal-Mart truck in June 2014 when he crashed into Morgans van on the New Jersey Turnpike. The group was returning from Morgans show in Delaware. The 37-year-old Jonesboro, Georgia, resident had also faced an aggravated manslaughter count, which is punishable by a 10-to-30-year prison term on conviction. Vehicular homicide carries a 10-year maximum prison sentence. Under terms of Ropers plea, he can avoid prison if he performs community service and satisfies other conditions over the next three years. Comedian James McNair died and Morgan and three other passengers were injured in the crash. Morgan suffered a broken leg, broken ribs and head injuries. The former 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live star made his first public appearance after the accident in June 2015 and made a surprise appearance at the Emmys three months later. Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. settled separate lawsuits in 2015 brought by Morgan and by McNairs two children. An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board concluded Roper hadnt slept in the 28 hours before the crash, a finding his attorney disputed. The report concluded Roper failed to slow down immediately before the crash despite posted warning signs on the turnpike where construction work was in progress. It found the truck was going 65 mph in a 45 mph zone until about 200 feet before impact. The board also faulted Morgan and other passengers in the limo van for not wearing seatbelts and for adjusting headrests, which it said contributed to the severity of their injuries when the limo was struck from behind. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Growing megacities, air quality issues, excessive commute times, distracted driving and a desire for constant connectivity are driving the pursuit of autonomous cars. According to Petter Horling, director US R&D Tech Centre for Volvo Cars the company that invented the three-point seatbelt in 1959 autonomous driving can alleviate the above-described issues. Horling, a presenter at the International Association of Claim Professionals annual conference held in Sonoma, Calif., said that many autonomous driving initiatives will begin with highway commuting. Offering a separate lane with no pedestrians, bicycles and intersections is an easy way to test self-driving vehicles, he said. Eventually self-driving cars will maneuver in low speed environments, such as during parking maneuvers. In 2014 Volvo began selling cars with the semi-autonomous Pilot Assist, offering steering assistance to keep the car properly aligned within lane markings without the need to follow another car. The car manufacturer expects to be fully autonomous by 2020, at which time it will take responsibility for the cars actions. Volvo will assume liability for its autonomous technology when used properly, he said. The first large scale project for self-driving cars recently kicked off in Gothenburg, Sweden. Drive Me, a public autonomous driving experiment began in September with the completion of the first autonomous Volvo XC90 SUV. It is the first in a series of autonomous cars that will be given to real families in Gothenburg to be driven on public roads, according to a statement released by Volvo USA. The Drive Me cars will add hands-off and feet-off capability in special autonomous drive zones around the city, powered by what Volvo calls the Autonomous Driving Brain. The car manufacturer expects 100 vehicles to take to the citys public roads in 2017. The vehicles have considerable technology, including a camera, radar, LIDAR, map data and a cloud connection to a traffic control center within the city. The point of the project, Horling said, is to combine its own engineering research with feedback and input from real customers using these autonomous cars in their everyday lives. A similar project is expected to be launched in London next year and Volvo is considering bids from China cities to launch a future project within the next few years. The expected effect on insurance is a 10 percent reduction in collision claims in 10 years, a 50 percent reduction within 15 years, and an 80 percent reduction within 20 years. Horling said remaining crashes will likely occur as a result of an autonomous vehicles interaction with old, non-technologically advanced cars. The global auto manufacturer announced a partnership with Autoliv Inc., a worldwide provider of automotive safety systems to set up a new jointly-owned company to develop advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous drive (AD) systems for use in Volvo cars and for sale exclusively by Autoliv to all car makers globally, with revenues shared by both companies. The new company will be headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, and is expected to start operations in the beginning of 2017. The car manufacturer expects to commercially sell autonomous cars to the public by 2021. TECH CZAR LOGO 2016.jpg Hiring Optics changes the way companies attract new talent. (Courtesy photo) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A local company is changing the paradigm on finding new talent for growing companies. Hiring Optics was founded on the belief that an employer's brand takes decades to build. The great brands of American business - Apple, Google, Ford - took many years of innovation, customer care and success to form what these brands represent to us today. Michael C. DeAloia However, the paradigm shift offered by Hiring Optics can go a long way in crafting a solid and authentic brand in a shorter period of time. And by telling real stories about a company, its employees, its founders, its history and its mission - a company can begin to recruit the next generation of employees to fuel its success. Local entrepreneurs Chris Carmon and Gregg Morris are the creative forces behind the company that specializes in employer brand and video marketing for talent acquisition. Carmon was reflecting upon his career in late 2014 after spending 20 years as a talent recruiter. He kept asking, "Why do my clients need to keep hiring me? What value do I really provide?" In Carmon's mind hiring comes down to the company's brand. "Better the brand, less need for recruiting." So, to improve the fortunes of the company, improve the talent. And to interest the talent, improve the brand. Carmon said he thought he had a breakthrough in a new delivery method for feeding the talent needs of client companies. He soon reached out to his trusted friend Gregg Morris and the two began to set up Hiring Optics. In essence, Hiring Optics help companies create a new, dynamic visual platform that captures its unique brand and attract talent to its doorstep. Not an easy mission. The videos that Hiring Optics creates highlight a company and its hiring needs. Then the videos are positioned in various unique "channels" where potential new employees will see them. A cumbersome, ineffective model of hiring new employees now shifts to an effective, inbound cost-effective model. Hiring Optics now has more than 20 clients and while it is currently a regional play, the owners have grand plans to go national. In other Cleveland tech news ... Park Place Purchase. One of my favorite tech companies in the region is Park Place Technologies. It is a great company serving a real technical niche: third party support for data storage and network equipment. Ed Kenty, CEO, is a Boston native living in Northeast Ohio. Park Place has been a growth trajectory for many years now and not too long ago moved into a much larger office space on Landerbrook Drive. To help fuel the company's growth, Park Place recently acquired Ardent Support Technologies. Ardent also was a third-party support provider based in Dover, New Hampshire. Ardent had been a trusted partner of Park Place for many years and the company had complimentary service offerings. The deal was completed Nov. 15. "Ardent shared the same values as our own Service First Philosophy - that our customers' needs are most important when it comes to the support of the data center hardware," Kenty said. Park Place continues to hire and has established itself as one of the titans of tech in Northeast Ohio. Expect more big news to come from the company in the new year. Holiday Brew. TechPint is a popup tech conference held in various venues across Northeast Ohio twice a year. The event has been known to draw crowds of more than 400 startup founders, investors and advocates. The next TechPint event is at 5:30 p.m., Dec. 6, at MOCA in University Circle. There will be presentations by Jane Alexander, CIO of Cleveland Museum of Art; as well as Chip Burke and Dan Renner, co-founders of Innova Partners. CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio - Welfare Check, West Washington Street: A girl, 16, went to the police station and asked police on Nov. 27 to contact her grandmother in Florida because her mother "left for good." After checking, officers learned that was not the case. The girl was turned back over to her mother. Suspicious, South Franklin Street: A reported man with a beard was using a whip 8:11 p.m. Nov. 25, hitting the road and construction cones outside of Fireside Books. An officer responded to the scene, but was unable to locate the man. Identity Theft, Hamlet Hills: Someone accessed an elderly woman's two bank accounts. Her power-of-attorney contacted police Nov. 22. The matter is under investigation. Neighbor Trouble, South Main Street: A man called police Nov. 26 when his downstairs neighbor threatened to do the same, complaining he was making noise by walking across the floor with his shoes on. Found Property, North Main Street: Someone found a woman's ring Nov. 21 in front of the Outfitters store. Open Burn, Greenbriar Drive: Police advised a homeowner on rules against burning leaves and other yard debris Nov. 27. The man extinguished his fire. Found Property, Bell Street: A bicycle was found behind Valley Art Center Nov. 22. Loomis asked to quit commission Police reform overseers cite his repeated absences from meetings Steve Loomis, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, said he is not stepping down from the city Community Police Commission. (Joshua Gunter/cleveland.com) CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The head of Cleveland's largest police union said he has "respectfully declined" the demands from 10 members of the Community Police Commission that he resign his seat, saying he represents a constituency that would otherwise be voiceless on the commission. Steve Loomis, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, wrote in an email sent to a cleveland.com reporter late Wednesday that one of the reasons he won't resign is because "I am the only commissioner currently representing ALL law abiding citizens in Cleveland not just small fragments of them." Included in the email was a note Loomis said he sent to commission members in response to proposed changes to the commission's bylaws that could lead to members being removed. Often a lightning rod for controversy because of his efforts to support President-elect Donald Trump and his statements on police shooting cases, Loomis wrote that he feels he is being targeted because he is "the only heterosexual, white male, conservative, Catholic, married father and grandfather, military veteran, 23 year resident of Cleveland with 23 years of decorated law enforcement experience." He wrote that "most on this commission show their hypocrisy by demanding tolerance, open mindedness, and transparency from everyone but themselves." Chief U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. will hold a status conference Dec. 12 to talk about the city's progress under the settlement the city reached with the U.S. Justice Department over police use of force. Among the items the judge wants to discuss is "the current composition, leadership and staffing of the Community Police Commission," according to court records. The 13-member commission is tasked with making policy recommendations to the police department. Its creation was mandated in the city's settlement, known as a consent decree. Under the consent decree, 10 of the members are to be chosen by a selection panel appointed by Mayor Frank Jackson, while each of the city's three police unions -- the patrolmen's association, the Fraternal Order of Police and the Black Shield -- each get one designee. Problems with the commission arose not long after it was formed. Three members resigned, including one police sergeant for what he said was a hostile atmosphere at meetings and an unwillingness by some on the commission to listen to all points of view. Others complained of personality conflicts. The police monitor, meanwhile, said the commission is completing the work it is required to do under the consent decree. Loomis' presence on the commission has been a sticking point for many members and activists. Local groups have called for Loomis' removal based on statements he made that they feel undermine the consent decree. The letter commission members sent to him in November asking that he resign said he had missed 10 full meetings since Jan. 27. In a separate letter sent to the judge, Justice Department, mayor and police monitor seeking his removal, the commission members say Loomis comments and actions show he does not believe that the police department needs reform. They asked that the judge incorporate ways to remove members into the consent decree and to change the way police appointees are put on the commission. Loomis has had a ubiquitous presence in local and national media as the city reckons with reforming the police department. The Black Shield, which represents black Cleveland police officers, openly criticized Loomis and the patrolmen's association's efforts to support Trump, whose statements on the campaign trail show that he will largely not support the efforts that President Barack Obama's Justice Department pushed to ensure constitutional policing. Loomis has also fiercely defended the actions of officers Timothy Loehmann and Frank Garmback, who were involved in the police shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in November 2014. Loomis implied in his email to commission members that he is not included in important discussions and decision making. He wrote, "the message clearly being sent by the attempted manipulation of the bi-laws, the manipulating of fact, the secret meetings, emails and discussions excluding some members ... is intolerance at all costs!" In the email to cleveland.com, he also criticized the recent appointment of Cleveland lawyer Gordon Friedman to the commission, writing that because Friedman works as a civil rights and criminal defense lawyer, his appointment "weakens the credibility of any recommendations made by the (commission)." Friedman's law firm, which he runs with attorney Terry Gilbert, frequently brings lawsuits against Cleveland police in high-profile cases. For example, the firm secured a multimillion-dollar verdict in September 2015 against an off-duty officer who fatally shot a 20-year-old Euclid man during a 2012 downtown traffic stop. Loomis wrote, "to put someone with a vested and financial interest in a position to influence the very policies he and his law firm routinely challenge and sue against is likened to allowing the fox to live in the henhouse and is not in the best interest of the citizens of Cleveland or the city itself." Cleveland.com reached out to the Justice Department, the city and the monitor to see if they would back changing the consent decree to address the removal of members. City spokesman Dan Williams responded with a cryptic statement saying "we will follow the consent decree." U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Mike Tobin said the Justice Department would state its position at the Dec. 12 status conference. Head monitor Matthew Barge did not return a phone call. If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Friday's crime and courts comments section. Screen Shot 2016-11-26 at 8.53.35 AM.png A customer at an Akron barbershop shot three men inside Thursday morning. (File photo) AKRON, Ohio -- A customer sitting in a barber's chair shot three people during an argument at Highland Hills barbershop in Akron. Two of the victims suffered minor injuries, but a third victim suffered more serious injuries. The incident happened about 11 a.m. Thursday at R.P.'s Blade Academy Barbershop in the 500 block of West Exchange Street. The victims told police that a 20-year-old man walked into the barbershop and got into an argument with someone who was about to get his hair cut. The man in the barber's chair pulled out a gun and fired several shots at the 20-year-old. Bullets struck the man in the chest, arm and abdomen. He was taken to Akron City Hospital for treatment. A 17-year-old boy was also struck in the ankle, and a 49-year-old Tallmadge man was shot in the shoulder. They were also taken to Akron City Hospital, police said. Everyone in the crowded barbershop ran, including the gunman, police said. Northeast Ohio has been the site of two other high-profile barbershop shootings within the past two years. Charles Davis was killed and another person injured in November at the Skills Barbershop on Turney Road in Garfield Heights. No arrests were made in that killing. Douglas Shine was recently sentenced to death in the February 2015 mass shooting at the Chalk Linez barbershop in Warrensville Heights. Three died in the case that prosecutors and police connected to a spate of violence involving rival street gangs. The case saw one witness who survived an encounter with Shine at the barbershop killed in the driveway of a home. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Akron Police Department Detective Bureau at 330-375-2490. To comment on this story, please visit our crime and courts comments section. 02DARCY-CASTRO3.jpg Communist dictator Fidel Castro dies after spending more than five decades ruling Cuba. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Fidel Castro overthrew a corrupt dictator, only to become an even worse one while ruling Cuba for more than five decades. In Cuba, Castro was preceded in death by democracy,liberty, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of movement, inherent and inalienable human rights. All of which he either killed off himself or kept buried. In the spirit of full disclosure I'm not an unbiased judge of Castro's legacy for two reasons. First because I'm an American who believes in the principles this nation was founded on. Second, because my brother-in-law and his family are Cuban-Americans who lived through Castro's takeover, eventually escaping to Spain and then the United States. Over the years,on occasion, my brother-in-law, his siblings, and parents, recounted how Castro began stripping away their and their fellow Cubans human rights. Soon after taking power, Castro confiscated all private property and businesses. Castro confiscated their bank accounts. Cuban's were only allowed to have minimum amount of money. I believe it was no more than $2,000. It may have been less. If you were found with more money than permitted, you were taken away. They soon discovered that longtime neighbors, who were thought to be trusted, were actually spying on the neighborhood. Every block had a neighborhood watch. But it wasn't to watch for crime, it was to spy on the neighborhood and report back to Castro's government. Any street, building or park with a religious name had it changed. Despite the loss of the liberties we in America take for granted, my brother-in-law's parents were initially prepared to stay and stick out. But the final straw for his parents came when they learned their three young sons would be taken away from them and sent to Castro's indoctrination schools. Upon learning that Castro's government would determine their children's fate in life, my brother-in-law's parents were able to get he and his two brother on a plane to live with their grandparents in Spain. The parents were uncertain they would ever see their children again. Castro's government at first was not going to allow my brother-in-laws parents to leave because his father was a doctor and his mother had a PhD in economics. Ultimately, they were allowed to leave on one of the last flights to Miami. But not until they were first stripped searched, and allowed to board the plane with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They eventually made their way to Cleveland, raising four children who became doctors and lawyers. Hearing the first hand accounts from my brother-in-law and other Cuban-Americans, makes the revisionist history of Castro that's now being propagated even more repulsive. Castro is no folk hero. I've heard some commentators in the U.S. give him credit for providing education and health care to Cubans. Brainwashing and Communist indoctrination isn't a good education. The same people applauding Castro's education and healthcare system would never want to send their kids to a Castro school and be treated in a Castro hospital. Castro had sought to preserve his system of government not to serve some high socialist ideal for the benefit of all Cubans, he sought to preserve it for the benefit of his brother Raul and the rest of his immediate family to remain in power. If the system Castro established was so great, Cubans wouldn't have repeatedly risked their lives in shark-infested waters trying to escape his rule over the past five decades. Castro doesn't belong in the folk hero history book. He belongs in history's ash heap of tyrants and dictators. Dolly Parton Dolly Parton has announced that her Dollywood Foundation will provide financial help to the residents of Gatlinburg, Tennessee who lost their homes in a series of wildfires. Here, Parton poses in the press room with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award during the 50th annual CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. (Evan Agostini/AP) TENNESSEE - Country legend Dolly Parton was born in Sevier County, Tennessee, which includes Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, the two resort towns that were recently engulfed in a wildfire's flames. Hundreds of buildings were damaged, some completely destroyed, and at least seven lives were lost in the blaze. Just outside Pigeon Forge towers Dollywood, a theme park co-founded by (and themed after) the seminal musician. As Sevier County residents fled through winding mountain roads, trees on the low slopes orange with flames, Dollywood's management feared it would be torched as well. Although Dollywood was evacuated, the fire never quite reached the complex, which includes a resort, cabins, a water park and a theme park, among other attractions. Dollywood's DreamMore Resort has reopened to guests, and the theme park will resume normal operation Friday, according to a statement on Parton's website. Although her park - which bills itself as a "complete getaway for families looking to disconnect from the world's distractions and reconnect with each other while nestled in the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains" - survived the fires relatively unscathed (which she called a "blessing") Parton said she was "heartbroken" by the aftermath of the fires, which have displaced about 14,000 people. "I have been watching the terrible fires in the Great Smoky Mountains and I am heartbroken," Parton said in a statement. "I am praying for all the families affected by the fire and the firefighters who are working so hard to keep everyone safe. It is a blessing that my Dollywood theme park, the DreamMore Resort and so many businesses in Pigeon Forge have been spared." In addition, her charitable Dollywood Foundation has promised to offer financial assistance to those who lost their homes. In a video statement on the foundation's website, Parton said, "I have always believed that charity begins at home. That's why I've asked my Dollywood Companies ... plus my Dollywood Foundation to help me establish the 'My People Fund.' " She continued, "We want to provide a hand up to those families who have lost everything in the fires. To aid in their recovery effort, the Dollywood Foundation will provide $1,000 a month to all of those families who lost their homes in the fires for six months so that they can get back on their feet." The website also included a "Donate Now" button, allowing interested parties to donate to the fund. The page also said more information would be arriving Friday, a sentiment echoed by Parton in the video. "I know it's been a trying time for my people, and this assistance will help. Beginning Friday, you can join our efforts to recover from these deadly fires. ... Thank you for your help, continued prayers and your concern," she said, before concluding, "I hope you'll soon visit our Tennessee mountains and experience the Tennessee spirit." Parton had been involved in wildfire awareness before her home county was affected. Earlier this month, she appeared in a video with Smokey Bear, offering tips for avoiding setting wildfires. "We had a beautiful fall here in the Smoky Mountains. But this extended drought has resulted in high wildfire danger," she said, while Smokey Bear nodded behind her. "As dry as it is, please help firefighters avoid wildfires. Hold off on burning leaves, tie up chains on trailers to avoid sparks, don't park vehicles on dry grass. Why, even a cozy campfire could spark a wildfire." She concluded, "Why don't you help firefighters keep the Smokies beautiful. Right, Smokey?" (c) 2016, The Washington Post * Travis M. Andrews Turducken.jpg Would you wait hours for a grilled cheese sandwich? You might have to -- but it's worth it -- at this fantastic sandwich shop that serves up a decadent menu of cheesy options in a funky setting with a rock vibe. These options include the most Cleveland of all sandwiches, the big-enough-for-a-family Parmageddon, with two potato-and-cheese pierogi, fresh Napa-vodka sauerkraut and cheddar cheese. (Also locations in Cleveland Heights, Independence.) (Marc Bona, cleveland.com) DAYTON, Ohio - The sandwich empire of Melt Bar and Grilled continues to grow with a new outpost just east of Dayton. Its eighth location will be at The Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek, Ohio, at 2727 Fairfield Commons Dr. The restaurant is slated to open in June 2017. The new Melt will be right of off I-70 and I-675, near Wright State University, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Soin Medical Center. Located at the entrance of the mall, the Melt team will be constructing the 5,000-square-foot space from scratch. It's not the first time Melt has pushed past the Northeast Ohio area. There are now two restaurants in Columbus, including Easton and Short North. "Now we're getting ourselves into a different market where we're further from recognition," says Melt's founder, Matt Fish. "We know the food quality is there, we know the atmosphere is great. We really have to focus on starting from scratch and introducing Melt to people for the first time." The gooey, decadent sandwiches first found a home in Lakewood when Matt Fish opened the flagship shop in 2006. In its decade of operation, the chain has expanded to Cleveland Heights, Independence, Mentor and Case Western Reserve University, as well as making its way to Akron. This year, it became a part of bustling Public Square when it signed on to be featured in Cafe 200. "I didn't have this model for growth in place when I first started, so every time we open a new location, it kind of blows my mind," says Fish. "It humbles me to know that it's something I created in Lakewood 10 years ago with me and my friends. We've really put this awesome team together, and we're able to march forward." Fish says they've had plenty of requests for a Dayton location flooding in. They began looking into Dayton before they even completed the Akron restaurant. "It's a tremendous community," Fish says. "At this location, we're able to construct it from the ground up, just the way we want it." Though it's a new market, Fish notes that Melt's comfort food has an appeal that spans the Midwest. "We're able to take some of that Cleveland feeling and fly that flag for the city in different communities throughout Ohio." United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. CHARLES LANGHAM, Defendant - Appellant. No. 16-5049 Decided: December 01, 2016 Before LUCERO, MATHESON, and BACHARACH, Circuit Judges. ORDER AND JUDGMENT * Charles Langham, appearing pro se, appeals a district court order rejecting his request that an undischarged state sentence be run concurrently with the federal sentence he is now serving. Exercising jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. 1291, we affirm. I In 1987, Langham was sentenced to a ten-year term of imprisonment in Oklahoma state court. While released on bond pending appeal, Langham was arrested by Oklahoma authorities for a separate state charge. He was convicted and sentenced to four years' imprisonment in January 1991. Langham was also indicted in federal court for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of cocaine base while on release. He received a life sentence on the federal charge in July 1991. Langham served his four-year sentence in state custody and was transferred to federal custody in October 1992. Because he had not yet served his ten-year state sentence, the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Department lodged a detainer with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), requesting custody of Langham upon completion of his federal sentence. The state denied Langham's request to run the ten-year sentence concurrently with his federal sentence. In 2015, Langham's federal life sentence was reduced to 360 months pursuant to an amendment to the sentencing Guidelines. Both the original federal judgment and the order granting a sentence reduction were silent as to whether Langham's federal and state sentences would run consecutively or concurrently. Langham filed a motion under 18 U.S.C. 3582, as well as a subsequent motion to compel, requesting that the district court order his state and federal sentences be run concurrently. The district court interpreted Langham's motions as a request for a nunc pro tunc designation of a state institution for retroactive concurrent service of his federal sentence. Accordingly, the court recommended that the BOP retroactively designate an Oklahoma state facility as Langham's place of confinement, such that his federal sentence would run concurrently with his already completed four-year state sentence. But the district court concluded that it lacked the authority to order Langham's federal sentence be run concurrently with his undischarged ten-year state sentence. Langham timely appealed. II Langham argues the district court had the authority to order his federal sentence be run concurrently with his undischarged state sentence. We disagree. If a defendant serves his federal sentence first, the State will decide whether to give him credit against his state sentences without being bound by what the district court or the [BOP] said on the matter. Setser v. United States, 132 S. Ct. 1463, 1471 (2012). Oklahoma denied Langham's request to serve his ten-year state sentence concurrently with his federal sentence. Thus, the district court correctly concluded that it was powerless to compel the state to grant the relief Langham seeks. Langham additionally suggests that consecutive service of his federal and ten-year state sentence would violate the Double Jeopardy Clause. We also reject this argument. Under the dual sovereignty doctrine, the Double Jeopardy Clause is no bar to serial prosecution and punishment undertaken by separate sovereign entities. United States v. Barrett, 496 F.3d 1079, 1118 (10th Cir. 2007). III Although the government's brief is not entirely clear, it appears to raise a separate argument that the district court lacked jurisdiction to recommend that Langham's federal sentence run concurrently with his four-year state sentence. See Huffman v. Saul Holdings Ltd. P'ship, 194 F.3d 1072, 1076-77 (10th Cir. 1999) (A defect in subject matter jurisdiction can never be waived and may be raised at any time.). It is true district courts generally lack jurisdiction to modify a term of imprisonment once it has been imposed. United States v. Baker, 769 F.3d 1196, 1198 (10th Cir. 2014). However, we do not read the district court's order as attempting to modify Langham's sentence. The district court recommend[ed], nunc pro tunc, that the instant sentence run concurrently with the sentence imposed in Tulsa County Case CF-1990-2140, and that the Bureau of Prisons retroactively designate a State of Oklahoma penal facility as the place of confinement of said sentence. This was not an order, but a recommendation. The court acknowledged that the BOP is responsible for designating the place of a prisoner's confinement under 18 U.S.C. 3621(b). See United States v. Miller, 594 F.3d 1240, 1242 (10th Cir. 2010) (noting that 3621(b) gives the executive branch primary authority over any petition challenging a prisoner's place of confinement); see also Setser, 132 S. Ct. at 1467-68 ([T]he [BOP] may designate the state prison as the place of imprisonment for the federal sentenceeffectively making the two sentences concurrentor decline to do soeffectively making them consecutive.). Both 3621(b) and BOP regulations appear to recognize that district courts may offer such recommendations. See 18 U.S.C. 3621(b) (directing the BOP to consider any statement by the court recommending a type of penal or correctional facility as appropriate); BOP Program Statement 5160.05(9)(b)(2) (noting that a sentencing court may recommend[ ] a non-federal institution as the place of confinement). And the same BOP regulations permit a prisoner to seek a retroactive designation of concurrent service. BOP Program Statement 5160.05(9)(b)(4); see also Setser, 132 S. Ct. at 1468 n.1 (noting that the BOP sometimes makes its designation nunc pro tunc). Having obtained the district court's recommendation, Langham is now free to present the district court's order to the BOP and request a nunc pro tunc designation. We express no view on the propriety of such relief. IV AFFIRMED. Langham's motion to proceed in forma pauperis is GRANTED. Entered for the Court FOOTNOTES . After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist in the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2); 10th Cir. R. 34.1(G). The case is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument. This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. It may be cited, however, for its persuasive value consistent with Fed. R. App. P. 32.1 and 10th Cir. R. 32.1. Carlos F. Lucero Circuit Judge United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. CISSY SEGUJJA MAZZI, Petitioner, v. LORETTA E. LYNCH, Attorney General, Respondent. No. 15-1408 Decided: December 01, 2016 Before GREGORY, Chief Judge, WYNN, Circuit Judge, and DAVIS, Senior Circuit Judge. ARGUED: Lori Beth Schoenberg, LAW OFFICES OF LORI B. SCHOENBERG, Los Angeles, California, for Petitioner. Lance Lomond Jolley, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Washington, D.C., for Respondent. ON BRIEF: Benjamin C. Mizer, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division, Jesse M. Bless, Senior Litigation Counsel, Office of Immigration Litigation, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Washington, D.C., for Respondent. Cissy Segujja Mazzi (Mazzi), a native and citizen of Uganda, petitions for review of the final order of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) regarding her asylum and withholding of removal claims. For the reasons that follow, we grant in part Mazzi's petition and remand the case to the BIA for further proceedings. I. Mazzi is a native and citizen of Uganda. When Mazzi was eleven years old, she moved with her family to a village in Bukwo, a district in eastern Uganda, where her maternal grandparents lived. Mazzi's mother and maternal grandparents belonged to the Sabiny tribe, an ethnic group that practiced female genital mutilation (FGM). Mazzi's mother passed away in 1990, the year that Mazzi's sister turned sixteen. Some months later, Mazzi's grandmother arranged for her sister to undergo FGM so she could marry a village elder. Fearing she would be next to forcibly undergo FGM, Mazzi began to save money to purchase a bus ticket to Kampala, where her father lived. When Mazzi was fifteen years old, she was taken by her sister to the village elders to undergo circumcision. Mazzi was able to escape with the assistance of a friend, who gave her enough money to purchase a bus ticket to Kampala. When she found her father, he allowed her to live with him and his new family. Her father's tribe, the Baganda, did not practice FGM, and none of her half-siblings living with her father were forced to undergo the procedure. Mazzi enrolled in a nearby secondary school and was later admitted to Makerere University. During her orientation at Makerere University, Mazzi encountered a girl from her Bukwo village, Lumonya, who recognized Mazzi. Upon returning from class one day, Mazzi found her sister and her brother-in-law waiting for her in her dorm room. Lumonya had informed her mother where Mazzi lived, and Mazzi's sister used this information to find Mazzi. Although the visit was short, Mazzi's sister promised to come back and visit soon. Mazzi believed it was no longer safe to live in the campus dorms, and she moved off-campus and commuted during her four years at the university. Believing that her village elders were afraid of challenging her father, Mazzi rented a two-room house close to her father's home. In 2003, Mazzi obtained a job at Kyambogo University. After Mazzi's father promised to check up on her, Mazzi moved to a new house closer to her work. Three months later, Mazzi learned that her neighbor recognized her as a Sabiny woman who had escaped circumcision. This neighbor threatened to reveal Mazzi's identity and location to Sabiny elders, and she extorted goods and services from Mazzi in exchange for her silence. In 2004, Mazzi moved in the middle of the night to escape this neighbor. After she fled, Mazzi kept to herself and did not talk to others. However, six months later, she boarded a taxi whose conductor was a man from her Bukwo village. The conductor told the taxi driver that Mazzi was the girl from the Sentambule family, her brother-in-law's family, who had escaped FGM. Mazzi left the taxi at the next stop; thereafter, she avoided public transportation. Mazzi testified that she could not travel freely in Uganda due to fear she would be recognized and turned over to the Sabiny or her sister's family. She also explained that FGM was considered a rite of passage for girls in the Sabiny tribe, and uncircumcised girls and women were often blamed for any misfortunes that befell their families. Mazzi's sister suffers from chronic back pain and an inability to conceive, and these misfortunes are blamed on Mazzi's refusal to undergo the knife. Mazzi testified that her brother and her friend, John Cabonga, told her over the phone that she will be forcibly cut if she returns to Uganda. In September 2003, Mazzi entered the United States before returning to Uganda after a few weeks. On or about August 28, 2005, Mazzi entered the United States on a valid student visa. She later sought to adjust her status to a legal permanent resident based on her marriage to a U.S. citizen, but her application was denied due to a finding of fraud. Mazzi subsequently fell out of status. On August 18, 2008, the Department of Homeland Security served Mazzi with a Notice to Appear (NTA). The NTA charged Mazzi with removability under 237(a)(1)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act as someone who remained beyond the period authorized by her visa. Mazzi admitted she was removable as charged, but she requested time to apply for adjustment of status. Mazzi filed an I-360 Petition as a self-petitioning spouse of an abusive U.S. citizen, which was denied for insufficient evidence. Mazzi then sought a continuance to apply for adjustment of status in light of her second marriage. The IJ denied this request given the earlier finding of fraud, which would prohibit any future adjustment applications on the basis of marriage. Subsequently, Mazzi applied for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT). This application was filed, at the earliest, on February 25, 2013. In 2010, before the filing of this application, Mazzi's father passed away. Mazzi submitted country reports and articles in support of her claims for relief. Her reports explained the significance of FGM within Sabiny culture, and one report indicated that the practice of FGM was estimated at approximately 50% among the Sabiny. Other reports indicated that after the Ugandan government prohibited genital cutting in 2010, the Sabiny have continued and may have increased their practice of FGM. Mazzi also provided testimony of her experiences in Uganda, including her encounters with members of the Sabiny community, her sister, and her brother-in-law while living 300 miles away from her Bukwo village. Given her father's passing in 2010, Mazzi believes there is now no one in Uganda who can protect her from the Sabiny tribe if she were forced to return. Following a hearing, the Immigration Judge (IJ) denied all requested relief. The IJ first determined that Mazzi's application for asylum was time-barred under 8 U.S.C. 1158(a)(2)(B). Turning to the merits, the IJ ruled that Mazzi's claimed fear of future persecution was not objectively reasonable. The IJ found this claimed fear was inconsistent with evidence proffered by both Mazzi and the Government, which demonstrated that only 1% of the female population in Uganda is subjected to FGM, the practice of FGM is targeted at unmarried girls under the age of 18, and FGM is now prohibited by the Ugandan government. At the time of the hearing, Mazzi was 37 years old. The IJ further opined that Mazzi's own experiences in Uganda undermined the objective reasonableness of her fear of future persecution. The IJ noted that Mazzi was never kidnapped or taken for the procedure after she fled her Bukwo village, and the IJ concluded that Mazzi can avoid persecution by relocating to a different part of the country. Thus, having determined that Mazzi's claimed fear of persecution was not objectively credible, the IJ denied Mazzi's requests for asylum and withholding of removal. Then, finding that Mazzi failed to demonstrate a clear probability of torture at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official, the IJ also denied Mazzi's request for protection under CAT. The BIA dismissed Mazzi's appeal in a two-page opinion. At the outset, the BIA found Mazzi's claim of ineffective assistance of counsel to be unsupported by documentation. Turning to the IJ's denial of relief, the BIA provided two grounds for dismissing Mazzi's remaining claims. First, the BIA stated that Mazzi ha[d] not meaningfully challenged the Immigration Judge's decision, or its underlying reasoning, as it pertains to the timeliness of her application, the credibility of her claim, or the basis of her fear. J.A. 3. In any event, however, the BIA provided a second ground for dismissal: it f [ound] no clear error in the Immigration Judge's findings of fact and otherwise adopt[ed] and affirm[ed] h[er] decision to deny Mazzi's requests for relief. Id. Mazzi timely filed a petition for review as to her asylum and withholding of removal claims, and we possess jurisdiction pursuant to 8 U.S.C. 1252. II. Where, as here, the BIA adopts and supplements an IJ decision, we review both decisions. Cordova v. Holder, 759 F.3d 332, 337 (4th Cir. 2014) (citing Ai Hua Chen v. Holder, 742 F.3d 171, 177 (4th Cir. 2014)). We must uphold the BIA's determinations unless they are manifestly contrary to the law and an abuse of discretion. Tassi v. Holder, 660 F.3d 710, 719 (4th Cir. 2011). Legal conclusions are reviewed de novo. Cordova, 759 F.3d at 337. We review the agency's credibility and factual findings for substantial evidence, and we are obligated to treat them as conclusive unless any reasonable adjudicator would be compelled to conclude to the contrary. Id. (quoting Chen, 742 F.3d at 178). However, the agency abuses its discretion where it fail[s] to offer a reasoned explanation for its decision, or if it distort[s] or disregard [s] important aspects of the applicant's claim. Tassi, 660 F.3d at 719 (citing Jian Tao Lin v. Holder, 611 F.3d 228, 235 (4th Cir. 2010)). In reviewing the agency's decisions, it is our responsibility to ensure that unrebutted, legally significant evidence is not arbitrarily ignored by the factfinder. Baharon v. Holder, 588 F.3d 228, 233 (4th Cir. 2009) (citation omitted). A. Mazzi first contends that the BIA erred when it summarily concluded that Mazzi ha[d] not meaningfully challenged the [IJ]'s decision, or its underlying reasoning, as it pertains to the timeliness of her application, the credibility of her claim, or the basis for her fear. Pet'r's Br. 34 (quoting J.A. 3). Mazzi argues that this failure warrants a remand for further explanation. The Supreme Court has instructed that the process of review requires that the grounds upon which the administrative agency acted be clearly disclosed and adequately sustained. SEC v. Chenery Corp., 318 U.S. 80, 94 (1943). We cannot review the BIA's decision [when] the BIA has given us nothing to review. Nken v. Holder, 585 F.3d 818, 822 (4th Cir. 2009) (alteration in original) (quoting Li Fang Lin v. Mukasey, 517 F.3d 685, 693-94 (4th Cir. 2008)). Where, as we conclude occurred here, a BIA order does not demonstrate that the agency has considered an issue, the proper course, except in rare circumstances, is to remand to the agency for additional investigation or explanation. Id. (quoting INS v. Ventura, 537 U.S. 12, 16 (2002) (per curiam)). In its order, the BIA did not define what constitutes a meaningful challenge to an order of removal, nor did it explain why Mazzi's challenges were deemed inadequate. Moreover, from this conclusory assertion, it is impossible to identify which specific challenges, if any, were considered by the BIA when it found Mazzi's appeal lacking. Well-established precedent dictates that a court must restrict itself to what the agency actually did say rather than guess[ing] at what the agency meant to say, id., and the BIA's cursory statement does not provide us enough information to conduct a meaningful review of the BIA's conclusion, Fang Lin, 517 F.3d at 693. If this were the only ground for the BIA's denial order, the proper course [would be] to remand to the agency for additional investigation or explanation. Cordova, 759 F.3d at 338 (citation omitted). However, the BIA provided an alternative basis for its decision: it reached the merits of the IJ's decision and found no clear error in her findings. J.A. 3. No remand is necessary if the BIA correctly found no clear error in the IJ's findings and denial order. Accordingly, we turn to Mazzi's arguments challenging the IJ's denial of relief. B. Mazzi argues that the IJ's findings were not supported by substantial evidence. In assessing this contention, we must note an important distinction between Mazzi's claims for asylum and withholding of removal. An individual applying for asylum must show by clear and convincing evidence that the application has been filed within one year after the date of [her] arrival in the United States. 8 U.S.C. 1158(a)(2)(B). Withholding of removal, on the other hand, is not subject to the one-year limitation bar. Accordingly, given that Mazzi filed her application for asylum years after she entered the United States in 2005, she may pursue asylum only if she qualifies for an exception to the one-year deadline. 8 C.F.R. 1208.4(a)(2)(i)(B). The IJ rejected Mazzi's contentions that she could identify changed or extraordinary circumstances under 8 U.S.C. 1158(a)(2)(D) that would excuse her untimely filing. The IJ determined that Mazzi's asylum application is late by any analysis, and she concluded Mazzi is thereby barred from asylum. J.A. 101. The BIA found no clear error in any of the IJ's determinations, and it adopted and affirmed her denial of asylum. Absent a colorable constitutional claim or question of law, we lack jurisdiction to review the [IJ]'s discretionary determination, as affirmed by the BIA, that [Mazzi] had not demonstrated changed or extraordinary circumstances to excuse her untimely filing. Gomis v. Holder, 571 F.3d 353, 359 (4th Cir. 2009). Mazzi contends that the BIA's refusal to review the IJ's assessment of her asylum claim was prejudicial, given this Court's inability to consider questions concerning the timeliness of [her] asylum application. Pet'r's Br. 38. In making this assertion, however, Mazzi mischaracterizes the BIA's order; the BIA reached the findings of fact articulated in the IJ's decision and expressly adopted the IJ's reasoning. Mazzi then challenges the conclusory nature with which the BIA affirmed and adopted the IJ's order, arguing that the BIA effectively insulated the IJ's determinations from review. Id. at 39. This argument is without merit. In Gomis, despite the BIA's conclusory assertion that there was no error in the [IJ]'s decision regarding timeliness, we held we lacked jurisdiction to review the IJ's determination. Gomis, 571 F.3d at 358-59. Here, too, we are without jurisdiction to review the timeliness basis for the denial of Mazzi's application for asylum. Accordingly, we need not reach Mazzi's remaining arguments regarding her eligibility for asylum, and her Petition for Review is denied as it relates to her asylum claim. C. We now turn to Mazzi's withholding of removal claim. To qualify for withholding of removal, an applicant must show a clear probability that her life or freedom would be threatened in the country of removal because of her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. 8 U.S.C. 1231(b)(3)(A); 8 C.F.R. 208.16(b)(2). Withholding of removal is mandatory if the applicant satisfies her burden of proof. Gomis, 571 F.3d at 359 (citation omitted). Whereas an applicant must prove her removal would create a reasonable possibility as low as a ten percent chance of persecution for asylum purposes, Crespin-Valladares v. Holder, 632 F.3d 117, 126 (4th Cir. 2011) (citing INS v. Cardoza-Fonseca, 480 U.S. 421, 431 (1987)), an applicant must prove it is more likely than not she will suffer persecution to qualify for withholding of removal, Gomis, 571 F.3d at 359. Here, Mazzi asserts she is a member of a particular social group: women in the Sabiny tribal group in Uganda that, due to their gender and kinship ties, are subjected to the practice of FGM. The IJ found that Mazzi's fear of persecution was not objectively reasonable, and it found her testimony to be not credible exclusively on this basis. Mazzi argues that the IJ and BIA erred by relying exclusively on general country conditions and failing to consider compelling, contradictory evidence specific to Mazzi's individual experiences. We find that this failure warrants remand for further explanation. Although our task as the reviewing court is not to reweigh the evidence, we must nonetheless ensure that unrebutted, legally significant evidence is not arbitrarily ignored by the factfinder. Chen, 742 F.3d at 179 (quoting Baharon, 588 F.3d at 233). The agency may not base [its] decision on only isolated snippets of [the] record while disregarding the rest, Baharon, 588 F.3d at 233, and the agency may not selectively consider evidence, ignoring that evidence that corroborates an alien's claims and calls into question the conclusion the judge is attempting to reach, Chen, 742 F.3d at 179 (quoting Tang v. U.S. Att'y Gen., 578 F.3d 1270, 1280 (11th Cir. 2009)). Here, Mazzi offered numerous pieces of compelling evidence, including, most tellingly, evidence specific to her individual experiences, for which the BIA and IJ failed to adequately account. First, the IJ failed to analyze Mazzi's proposed social group without explanation. Failure to analyze an immigrant's proposed social group is an abuse of discretion requiring remand. See Cordova, 759 F.3d at 338 (4th Cir. 2014). Mazzi testified that she is considered Sabiny due to her kinship and family ties, and thus her proposed social group was Sabiny women who had not yet been subjected to FGM. Yet the IJ asserted that Mazzi's protected ground was as a wom[an] fearing FGM, and she subsequently analyzed Mazzi's claim in light of general statistics regarding a different proposed social group: Ugandan women fearing FGM. J.A. 101, 103. The IJ either failed to analyze Mazzi's proposed social group completely, or the IJ disregarded Mazzi's proposed social group and failed to account for Mazzi's compelling evidence that she is a Sabiny woman subject to the practice of FGM. The IJ may have had reason to disregard Mazzi's proposed social group or her testimony about her Sabiny ties, but the IJ failed to address either element in her analysis. Second, the IJ relied heavily on the evidence that only 1% of all Ugandan girls and women are subjected to FGM. However, at least one article submitted by Mazzi indicates that approximately 50% of Sabiny girls and women undergo FGM. J.A. 277. Evidence that Mazzi, as a Sabiny woman, faces a higher risk of FGM than others outside her specific ethnic group is not inconsistent with country reports documenting a low rate of FGM across all ethnic groups. Yet the IJ did not account for this higher, relevant risk in her analysis of the evidence, nor did she explain why she dismissed this evidence in favor of general statistics. Base rates matter. Third, although the IJ emphasizes that the Ugandan government has prohibited the use of FGM, reports also acknowledge that the Sabiny have continued to practice FGM despite this ban. J.A. 310-11. Indeed, at least one report acknowledged an increase in the prevalence of FGM among Sabiny communities arising from defiance to the new law. J.A. 282, 286. The IJ did not discuss or acknowledge this defiance to, if not failure of, enforcement and instead, relied only on evidence that FGM was outlawed in Uganda. Fourth, the IJ emphasized that not one single article indicates a previously married woman, or a woman over the age of 18, has been subjected to FGM in Uganda. J.A. 102. According to the IJ, Mazzi's age and marital status likely save her from circumcision. However, at least one article submitted by Mazzi states: as it has often [been] reported, married women who had avoided FGM as girls are swelling the ranks of those being cut in Kapchorwa today[.] J.A. 273 (emphasis added). Moreover, Mazzi testified that uncircumcised women continue to be blamed for the misfortunes of their family, no matter their age or marital status. Mazzi's sister suffers from chronic back pain and an inability to conceive, which she blames on Mazzi's refusal to undergo the knife. An article submitted by Mazzi corroborates her testimony that uncircumcised women were seen by the Sabiny as the source of disasters including food shortages in the community and infertility in the household. J.A. 273. According to Mazzi's testimony, multiple individuals have informed her that, due to this cultural belief, she will be forcibly cut if she returns to Uganda. Although these reasons for enforcing circumcision on Mazzi appear pressing and relevant despite her age and marital status, the above evidence was not identified or discussed in the IJ's analysis regarding Mazzi's objective fear or credibility. Fifth, the IJ made two observations regarding Mazzi's individual experiences in Uganda: she noted it was interesting that Mazzi lived with her mother's Sabiny family until she was fifteen years old and was never taken for FGM during this time, and she noted that when Mazzi moved away from her mother's family, [n]o one came after her and stole her into this ritual. J.A. 104. However salient they may be, these assertions comprise an incomplete narrative insofar as they fail to acknowledge other compelling aspects of Mazzi's testimony. That is, Mazzi was able to escape circumcision when living with her mother's family precisely because she fled her home at the moment she was taken for FGM. Moreover, even when Mazzi lived 300 miles away from her Sabiny community, she was identified on at least three separate occasions as the girl who had escaped circumcision from her village. On one occasion, she was extorted with threats of revealing her identity and location to Sabiny elders. On another occasion, her sister and brother-in-law successfully tracked down Mazzi's location and visited her with promises to return, despite her distance from her home village. The threat of persecution is especially troubling now that her father, the only person Mazzi believed could protect her from her Sabiny family and elders, has since passed away. Mazzi's testimony that she continued to be recognized and threatened by the Sabiny community, even when living 300 miles away from her Bukwo village, further call into question the thoroughness of the IJ's conclusion that Mazzi could reasonably relocate within the country of Uganda to avoid any persecution. J.A. 105. We have determined that country conditions reports should not be viewed as Holy Writ immune to contradiction, and Mazzi is entitled to have the expert agency, the BIA, evaluate in a transparent way the evidence that [she has] presented. Chen, 742 F.3d at 179, 181 (citations omitted). The evidence identified above significantly rebuts or challenges the IJ's reasoning regarding an objective likelihood of persecution and credibility as it relates to Mazzi's specific circumstances, and we believe it is strong enough that it requires the agency to account for it in a meaningful way. Id. at 181. We are persuaded that the IJ and BIA failed to adequately offer a specific, cogent reason for rejecting [the significant] evidence identified above in favor of general statistics, Tassi, 660 F.3d at 720, and they failed to announce their decision[s] in terms sufficient to enable a reviewing court to perceive that they have heard and thought and not merely reacted, Chen, 742 F.3d at 179 (quoting Ayala v. U.S. Att'y Gen., 605 F.3d 941, 948 (11th Cir. 2010)). We are restricted by this silence; even if the IJ or BIA had sound reasons for favoring general statistics over Mazzi's situation-specific evidence, we are not permitted to guess at what an agency meant to say. Nken, 585 F.3d at 822 (emphasis added). To the extent boilerplate language was used to discount any of the above evidence, it was plainly insufficient to demonstrate that the agency gave it more than perfunctory consideration. Chen, 742 F.3d at 181. We take seriously our responsibility to ensure that unrebutted, legally significant evidence is not arbitrarily ignored by the factfinder. Baharon, 588 F.3d at 233 (citation omitted). Thus, given the deficiencies identified above, we remand this case for further explanation. See Chen, 742 F.3d at 179-81 (remanding where the BIA and IJ failed to adequately account for petitioners' powerful contradictory evidence); Nken, 585 F.3d at 822 (remanding where the BIA failed to explain why a strong piece of evidence provided insufficient justification for reopening the proceedings). III. For the foregoing reasons, we grant the Petition for Review as it relates to the denial of withholding of removal, and we remand for the agency to reevaluate it in accordance with this opinion. PETITION FOR REVIEW GRANTED IN PART AND CASE REMANDED FOOTNOTES . We provide the following description of the underlying act:Female genital mutilation, commonly called FGM, is the designation generally given to a class of surgical procedures involving the removal of some or all of the external genitalia, performed primarily on girls and young women in Africa and Asia. Often performed under unsanitary conditions with highly rudimentary instruments, FGM is extremely painful, permanently disfigures the female genitalia, [and] exposes the girl or woman to the risk of serious, potentially life-threatening complications, including bleeding, infection, urine retention, stress, shock, psychological trauma, and damage to the urethra and anus. FGM can result in the permanent loss of genital sensation in the victim and can adversely affect sexual function.Haoua v. Gonzales, 472 F.3d 227, 230 n.5 (4th Cir. 2007) (alteration in original) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted). FGM has also been described as genital circumcision or cutting. See Gomis v. Holder, 571 F.3d 353, 355 (4th Cir. 2009); Kourouma v. Holder, 588 F.3d 234, 242 (4th Cir. 2009). We have long recognized that FGM constitutes persecution within the meaning of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Haoura, 472 F.3d at 231-32 (citations omitted). . Because Mazzi did not raise any arguments regarding the dismissal of her CAT claim, she has waived any issues regarding this form of relief. See Karimi v. Holder, 715 F.3d 561, 565 n.2 (4th Cir. 2013). In a mere footnote, the Government argues that Mazzi also waived her withholding of removal claim by failing to address this issue in her opening brief. This contention is unavailing. Throughout her opening brief, Mazzi repeatedly argues that the IJ and BIA erred when denying both her claims for asylum and withholding of removal. DAVIS, Senior Circuit Judge: United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. LAWRENCE R. CLEMONS, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE, Defendant-Appellee. No. 16-5255 Decided: December 01, 2016 BEFORE: DAUGHTREY, ROGERS, and COOK, Circuit Judges. While employed by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee (Metro), Lawrence Clemons was not given the opportunity to apply for a supervisory position because it was not publicly posted. Clemons filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), claiming that Metro's decision not to consider him for the promotion was based on the fact that he is African-American. Eight months after Clemons filed his charge of discrimination with the EEOC, Metro assigned Clemons and a co-worker to move heavy furniture. Clemons filed a lawsuit against Metro, claiming that Metro's decision not to promote him was based on race and that Metro unlawfully retaliated against him after he filed a charge of discrimination with the EEOC. The district court granted Metro's motion for summary judgment, which Clemons now challenges. We find no reversible error and affirm as to both claims. Clemons worked in the Department of Public Works from 2007 through 2010, when he was transferred to Metro Water Services. On December 22, 2012, Metro Water hired a Caucasian man, Brady Rich, for the position of field crew supervisor. Metro Water had not listed the position as vacant and had not advertised it to current Metro Water employees. According to Metro Water, it had not done so because there was an immediate need for a field crew supervisor, and a departmental hiring freeze made it difficult to hire a civil-service employee quickly. Rather than go through the process of applying for an exception to the hiring freeze, Metro Water hired Rich as a temporary non-civil service appointment. Such temporary appointments were for a maximum of one year and did not include sick leave, vacation leave, or holiday pay. Clemons and his union representative protested Rich's appointment to John Kennedy, a Metro Water assistant director, and Rich's appointment was subsequently rescinded. Clemons received a letter stating that Mr. Kennedy has recommended that we rescind the appointment and announce the position as a Civil Service promotional announcement. Due to the number of vacancies created by the retirement incentive program, a timeline for announcing this position is not yet established. On September 24, 2013, Clemons filed a pro se EEOC charge alleging that Metro had discriminated against him by denying him the ability to apply for the field-crew-supervisor position. However, Clemons did not indicate in the charge that he also wished to initiate proceedings with the Tennessee Human Rights Commission or any other state or local agency. In May 2014, Clemons and a co-worker, Art Boissiere, were required to stop their usual job activities to move heavy furniture, including office equipment and filing cabinets allegedly weighing up to 400 pounds. Both men claimed injury while completing this task. Clemons filed a second EEOC charge, this time with the assistance of counsel, claiming that Metro required him to move the furniture in retaliation for the complaints he made regarding the field-crew-supervisor position. The district court granted Metro's motion for summary judgment, after finding that Clemons's race-discrimination claim was time-barred and that Clemons failed to establish a prima facie case of retaliation. Clemons now appeals this decision. We review a district court's grant of summary judgment de novo, and we will uphold summary judgment if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). The movant has the burden of establishing that there are no genuine issues of material fact, which may be accomplished by demonstrating that the non-moving party lacks evidence to support an essential element of its case. Sutherland v. Mich. Dep't of Treasury, 344 F.3d 603, 613 (6th Cir. 2003). We must view the evidence in the light most favorable to the non-moving party, but that party must set forth specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial, rather than resting on mere allegations. Id. Before a plaintiff alleging discrimination under Title VII can bring suit in federal court, [he] must satisfy two administrative prerequisites: (1) by filing timely charges of employment discrimination with the EEOC, and (2) receiving and acting upon the EEOC's statutory notices of the right to sue. Nichols v. Muskingum Coll., 318 F.3d 674, 677 (6th Cir. 2003) (internal quotations and citations omitted). An EEOC charge must be filed within 180 days after the alleged unlawful employment practice occurred, unless the person aggrieved has initially instituted proceedings with a State or local agency with authority to grant or seek relief from such practice, in which case the aggrieved individual must file a charge with the EEOC within 300 days. 42 U.S.C. 2000e-5(e). Clemons filed his charge with the EEOC on September 24, 2013, which was more than 180 but less than 300 days after the December 2012 hiring of Rich. The district court found that Clemons made no showing that he initiated proceedings with a state or local agency by any mechanism and, therefore, found that Clemons's Title VII race-discrimination claim was time-barred. On appeal, Clemons points out that he filed the original EEOC charge pro se and asks us, as he did the district court, to overlook the fact that he did not typ[e] in the magical words Tennessee Human Rights Commission at the top of his EEOC charge, an addition that would have extended the time to file the charge. In addressing this argumentthat it would be unfair to hold a lay person filing a pro se EEOC charge to strict time limitationsthe district court referred to the Supreme Court's pronouncement that [b]y choosing what are obviously quite short deadlines, Congress clearly intended to encourage the prompt processing of all charges of employment discrimination and that, in the long run, experience teaches that strict adherence to the procedural requirements specified by the legislature is the best guarantee of evenhanded administration of the law. Mohasco Corp. v. Silver, 447 U.S. 807, 825, 826 (1980). The district court did not err in finding that Clemons's EEOC charge was not timely filed. As a result, the district court was prevented from reviewing the merits of his Title VII claim, as are we. We can, however, review the district court's grant of summary judgment on Clemons's retaliation claim, which was set out in a separate (and timely) EEOC charge. To establish a prima facie case of retaliation under Title VII, Clemons must establish that: (1) he engaged in activity protected by Title VII; (2) the defendants knew that he engaged in this activity; (3) the defendant took an employment action adverse to him; and (4) there was a causal connection between the protected activity and the adverse action. Nguyen v. City of Cleveland, 229 F.3d 559, 563 (6th Cir. 2000). The burden of establishing a prima facie case in a retaliation action is not onerous, but one easily met. Id. Satisfaction of the first and second elements was not contested in the district court. Clemons contended that the remaining elements also were satisfied, under a theory that Metro took an adverse employment action against him in May 2014 by requiring him to move heavy furniture, a task not included in his job description, and did so in retaliation for his having filed the September 2013 EEOC charge. A plaintiff's burden of establishing a materially adverse employment action is less onerous in the retaliation context than in the anti-discrimination context, and the significance of any given act of retaliation will often depend upon the particular circumstances. Burlington N. & Santa Fe Ry. Co. v. White, 548 U.S. 53, 69 (2006) (explaining, for example, that failure to invite an employee to lunch could amount to an adverse employment action in certain circumstances). Clemons need only show that a reasonable employee would have found the challenged action materially adverse, which in this context means it well might have dissuaded a reasonable worker from making or supporting a charge of discrimination. Laster v. City of Kalamazoo, 746 F.3d 714, 719 (6th Cir. 2014) (internal quotations and citations omitted). In granting Metro's motion for summary judgment, the district court found that Clemons had not satisfied this element, explaining that [t]he requirement that an employee spend one or two days helping to move furniture also does not constitute an adverse employment action. It is very possible, however, that requiring an employee to stop performing typical job functions and instead perform difficultand perhaps even dangerousmanual labor for a few days might very well dissuade that employee from filing a charge of discrimination. As noted in Burlington Northern: Common sense suggests that one good way to discourage an employee from bringing discrimination charges would be to insist that [he] spend more time performing the more arduous duties and less time performing those that are easier or more agreeable. That is presumably why the EEOC has consistently found retaliatory work assignments to be a classic and widely recognized example of forbidden retaliation. Burlington N., 548 U.S. at 70-71 (internal quotations and citations omitted). But even if Clemons could establish that the temporary reassignment in this case was sufficient to constitute an adverse employment action, that finding alone would not constitute retaliation unless he could also establish a causal connection between the protected activity and the adverse action. In this case, the district court found none, and neither do we. To establish the causal connection required in the fourth prong, a plaintiff must produce sufficient evidence from which an inference could be drawn that the adverse action would not have been taken had the plaintiff not filed a discrimination action. Nguyen, 229 F.3d at 563. Clemons contends that a jury could conclude that a causal connection existed, based on the fact that Metro deviated from its normal protocol in tasking him with moving the furniture and that he, rather than other available employees, was required to move the furniture. Clemons's claim is weakened, however, by the fact that the adverse employment action occurred in May 2014, eight months after he filed the September 2013 EEOC charge. [W]hile temporal proximity alone cannot establish a causal connection, a lack of temporal proximity alone can be fatal to an attempt to establish a causal connection under circumstances such as these. Fuhr v. Hazel Park Sch. Dist., 710 F.3d 668, 676 (6th Cir. 2013). Clemons's claim is further weakened by the fact that he was not singled out to move furniture but was asked to undertake the assignment along with a co-worker, who Clemons does not allege participated in any form of protected activity. In addition, the district court was correct in granting summary judgment in favor of Metro on the retaliation claim because Clemons ultimately failed to explain why Metro's legitimate reasons for asking him to move furniture were pretextual. Should the plaintiff establish a prima facie case, a presumption of unlawful retaliation arises and the burden of production shifts to the defendant to rebut the presumption by articulating some legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for its action. Id. at 674 (internal quotations and citations omitted). In a declaration from Ricky Swift, the Metro Water agent who assigned Clemons to move furniture, the following nondiscriminatory reason for this decision was summarized: The selection of Mr. Clemons and Mr. Boissiere was made because they were a two-member team that had been working on identifying problem bicycle grates, which, when called upon, would not involve breaking up a multi-member crew, and the bicycle grate program was on-going, and it would not lead to a critical situation if it was postponed for a day or so in order to complete this move (as opposed to the other crews which had multiple members and were working on more time sensitive jobs). If a defendant successfully produces such a legitimate reason, then the burden of production returns to the plaintiff to demonstrate by a preponderance of the evidence that the proffered reason was a mere pretext for discrimination. Fuhr, 710 F.3d at 675. Clemons, however, does not explain how these proffered reasons were pretextual. Although Clemons need not present independent evidence that the proffered reason is pretext, Sutherland, 344 F.3d at 615, the facts relied upon in building his prima facie casethat there were other employees that could have been chosen, and that Metro deviated from its protocolare not enough to establish that Metro's reasons were actually pretextual. As a result, the district court's decision to grant Metro's motion for summary judgment on Clemons's Title VII retaliation claim was proper. For the reasons set out above, we AFFIRM the judgment of the district court. MARTHA CRAIG DAUGHTREY, Circuit Judge. Jake Kassan went to the community college in Santa Barbara, California, but he couldn't focus on what to him felt like irrelevant exercises. "I was sitting there thinking, 'I am back in high school now. I am taking classes that are things I have already learned to some degree,'" says Kassan, in a conversation with CNBC. "I had financial goals," says Kassan. "I had goals just in terms of being successful, and I was sitting in a classroom essentially being asked to do a book report. It didn't really make sense to me." Kassan, now 25 years old, dropped out when he was 19. MVMT co-founders Jake Kassan (left) and Kramer LaPlante. Courtesy of MVMT Watches His friend and business partner Kramer LaPlante, now also 25, was a semester away from getting his degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara when he left to work with Kassan. Together, the two men launched MVMT watches in June of 2013 with $300,000 they raised through two Indiegogo crowdfunding campaigns. And just over three years later, the Los Angeles-based start-up is a success: It's on track to meet or even surpass $60 million in revenue for 2016. How they got started Kassan's dad ran his own credit report business until it was destroyed by the recession of 2008, and Kassan learned from watching him how to hustle. "Having an entrepreneurial parent definitely pushes you to learn how to make money," says Kassan. He also started young. When he was 12 years old, Kassan sold the lollipops his father had been sent as a promotional giveaway. Kassan priced each lollipop at 25 cents, or five for a dollar, and he made between $300 and $400 in a couple weeks. When he was 17, Kassan launched a business selling novelty T-shirts that included a microphone and lights. When the T-shirts sensed noise, they lit up. They were a hit with the rave and night-club party scene. Kassan put his car up as collateral to get a loan from his father for a couple thousand bucks to build inventory. Once stocked up, Kassan drove down to Santa Monica on summer weekends and sold shirts. He added an e-commerce business, NiteLifeDesigns.com, which he promoted successfully by making YouTube videos, a couple of which got more than half a million views each. At its peak, his business, Nite Life Designs, pulled in $10,000 a week. Jake Kassan launched his first business, Nite Life Designs, when he was 17. Courtesy Jake Kassan Accessories for and by millennials Prior to MVMT, LaPlante launched a wallet brand, Articulate Wallets, on Kickstarter. He raised more than $100,000 from almost 3,000 backers. Kassan's e-commerce background and LaPlante's crowdfunding experience became the foundation of MVMT. The duo researched watch suppliers in China through Alibaba from their shared Santa Barbara apartment. They talked to about 30 suppliers, asking questions to determine the quality and price points, and they realized that the markup most watch brands added to the wholesale price was staggering. They could sell the same watches that other companies were hawking for about $300 for between $95 and $160 if they cut out the retail middlemen and primarily sold online. They also wanted to try to start a cooler watch company, one that appealed to their own demographic. "We both like watches. And there wasn't any type of watch brand out there that we could really resonate with," says Kassan. "We are online shoppers. We started this business when we were 21, 22 years old. Being millennials, shopping online, seeing the growth of e-commerce before it really blew up ... we saw that coming." MVMT Watches is part of a burgeoning generation of e-commerce manufacturing businesses that relies on third-party suppliers, shippers and processors. "All of our partners and agencies are less than five years old," says Kassan. "This is a new industry that we all got in on at the right time." Their digital strategy is working: In just over three years, their team of 25 has sold more than 600,000 watches. And they have retained their independence. MVMT has scaled their start-up without taking any investment from venture capitalists or angel investors, though more than 20 have approached the entrepreneurs, eager to get in on their growth. "What we have learned: If you don't have to raise, you shouldn't," says Kassan. And so, at least for now, the team is holding off. The Leung Chun-ying government likes to advertise it is the first to introduce free kindergarten education. But that's misleading. In effect, it has extended the directly subsidized school model from primary and secondary schools to kindergartens. That's a very different beast and its effects will not be the same as having genuinely free schools. They will have real implications for social equity and equal opportunity. Yet, by not calling the new subsidized system for what it is, we will not be having a proper debate. Hong Kong used to have a simple model for free, compulsory primary and secondary schooling. But after the city's return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 after more than a century of British colonial rule, and because of the failed government education reform and the backlash against it, there has been a rapid expansion of the number of subsidized schools. Previously, schools were free as they were mostly government or aided schools. Now, many schools, especially those that are famous or considered "elite", have switched to subsidized status. After all, what's not to like? More from the South China Morning Post : Half your wage on kindergarten: Hongkongers struggling to pay bills, survey reveals For Beijing, armoured vehicle seizure is a low-risk warning Inpursuing protectionism, Donald Trump is taking a leaf from Asia'sbook Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn kneels during a succession ceremony to become King Rama X in Bangkok, Thailand, on Dec.1, 2016. Thailand Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn was crowned the new King on Thursday, even as the country continues its year-long mourning over the death of his father King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The public crowning ceremony will only take place late-2017 after the previous king's cremation. The 64-year old will adopt the new title King Rama X of the Chakri dynasty, leading one of Asia's richest and most powerful monarchies. The crown regularly invests in businesses and real estate across Thailand. "The announcement of King Vajiralongkorn's ascension will have a modestly positive impact on investor confidence, which has wavered over uncertainties about the country's political future since the 2014 coup d'etat," Ryan Aherin, senior Asia analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, said in a note on Friday. The official ascension of King Vajiralongkorn will allow the military junta to seek royal consent in order to promulgate the draft constitution, paving the way for the government to prepare for elections late next year, according to Aherin. Mattis, a tough talking retired Marine general nicknamed "Mad Dog" who during the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 famously led the 1st Marine Division's rapid drive into Baghdad. Among his peers, Mattis has a reputation as a blunt military strategist. He then added: "But we're not announcing it till Monday, so don't tell anyoneMad Dog. He's great. He is great." Trump made a surprise announcement of the expected appointment during a rally in Cincinnati on Thursday night, as the crowd cheered wildly. "We are going to appoint Mad Dog Mattis as our secretary of Defense," Trump said theatrically. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen retired Marine General James Mattis to head the Department of Defense, a move that could signal the incoming administration's tougher positioning with nations such as Iran. During a 2005 panel discussion in San Diego, Mattis once said that he enjoyed "brawling" and enjoyed killing the enemy in war. "Actually it's quite fun to fight them, you know. It's a hell of a hoot," Mattis said. "It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up there with you. I like brawling." Mattis, a former commander of U.S. Central Command, which covers the Middle East, is considered a hardliner on Iran. His confrontational style on the matter was frowned up by the Obama administration, U.S. officials told NBC News. He once accused "the highest levels" of the Iranian government of being involved in an assassination plot against the Saudi ambassador at a Washington, D.C. restaurant. "On Iran, General Mattis takes a very hard line view," said James George "Jim" Stavridis, a retired Navy admiral and the current dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. "He would say we need to use hard power to prevent Iran from ever having a nuclear weapon. He is also considered a "warrior monk," who thinks deeply about military strategy. He once told his Marines "the most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears." Mattis' confirmation by the Senate is not assured. Only three years out of uniform, he would also need a Congressional waiver for a 1947 law that requires a seven year wait. watch now Natalia Karoway is a trained herbalist, but the entrepreneur wants to expand her client offerings to include traditional cannabis treatments. So, she's hitting the books to beef up her resume at the Northeastern Institute of Cannabis in Natick, Massachusetts. "I really wanted to have some experience with the plant, and learn how I could use it in products and topicals," the 35-year-old Karoway said. "I wanted to have the best medicine to offer to clients, and the best education I could." The 12-course program covers everything from law to patient service and marketing. Some 400 students from across the country have shelled out $2,000 for a certificate from the school since it opened in 2014. NIC is not alone in educating students on the plant and the multibillion dollar industry that has blossomed around it. Traditional colleges and universities including the University of Denver and Vanderbilt University have also offered courses tied to the cannabis space in recent years. Pi-Ta Pitt, Warm Springs Cannabis Project Coordinator CNBC "When you walk into a job interview, being able to say, 'I have trained myself on this, I have gone through a school and have a certificate that says I am competent in the cannabis industry' is definitely a leg up from somebody who doesn't have any background or formal experience in cannabis," said Cara Crabb-Burnham, dean of faculty at NIC, which is awaiting certification from the state. Bud's booming industry Natalia Karoway CNBC Students like Karoway are getting formally educated in cannabis to help set them in apart in an industry that currently employs some 150,000 people. Analysts project that number could double or even triple in the years to come, making marijuana one of the fastest-growing industries in the nation, with cannabis legal for medicinal use in 25 states and recreational use in four states and the District of Columbia. Industry analysts GreenWave Advisors and the ArcView group estimated the industry was worth $4.8 billion and $5.4 billion, respectively in 2015. GreenWave estimates the cannabis industry will hit $6.5 billion in 2016, while ArcView's report projects $6.7 billion. Both research groups estimate the industry will surpass $20 billion by the year 2020. Separate data from industry watcher Marijuana Business Daily projects the industry's economic impact could surpass $40 billion in the next five years, up from some $17 billion in 2016. These projections will only grow even more in the wake of the November election, with eight states voting to legalize the drug. California, Nevada, Massachusetts and Maine approved recreational usage, and medicinal usage passed in Florida, Arkansas, North Dakota and Montana. A recreational vote in Arizona did not pass. The cannabis boom has been a gold mine for entrepreneurs like Andy Williams, CEO of Medicine Man, a Denver-based dispensary that opened in 2009. Williams and his family are now running nine ventures in cannabis with over 100 employees total. Workers in his companies can make a range of $13 an hour at the entry level to more than six-figures a year for those in key management roles. Williams is continuing to expand his empire in the years to come, looking for skilled and enthusiastic hires in an increasingly competitive space. "In this industry we have very unique problems as it's growing and coming up from the black market into the light," Williams said. "Every problem that exists is an opportunity for an entrepreneur to make that problem go away." What's next for cannabis Entrepreneurs and advocates alike closely watched an August decision from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, which announced it would not change marijuana's standing as a schedule I drug, a disappointment for some, as the substance is still considered federally illegal. But with all but 1 in 9 ballot initiatives passing in November, the cannabis space is poised to continue grow rapidly. Advocates do, however, note the uncertainty of how a Trump administration will handle regulating the drug. "On one hand you think it would take a lot of guts for him to come in and dismantle the industry that is creating up to 150,000 jobs right now and is generating billions of dollars," said Chris Walsh, editorial director of Marijuana Business Daily. He said an additional 100,000 jobs stand to be created post-election night, as well as thousands of new start-up companies once dispensaries begin opening in new markets. "The other side of that is that it's hard to really know what Donald Trump wants or is going to do. We just don't know." Andy Williams, Medicine Man CEO CNBC Interest in the industry is coming from unlikely sources. For example, at the Confederate Tribes of Warm Springs, Oregon, tribal member Pi-Ta Pitt has launched an ambitious, first-of-its kind venture. Pitt, 36, heads the Warm Springs Cannabis Project, which will be a tribal-owned cultivation operation on the reservation, including a 36,000-square-foot greenhouse where product will be grown for sale in Oregon. The project, which Pitt said is close to being finalized with the state of Oregon, will cost some $7 million and create 70 jobs for members. Medicine Man trim room workers CNBC Pitt watched those around him struggle with poverty and unemployment on the rural reservation, where seasonal unemployment can top 80 percent among the community of 2,400 working-age residents. Getting to the closest supermarket is a 25-mile drive, meaning jobs are few and far between. When Oregon legalized recreational cannabis, Pitt had the idea to launch the project. "Our goal on the reservation is to invest in our people and get family-wage jobs so our folks can take care of their families and have a brighter future," Pitt said. President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Ret. Gen. James "Mad Dog" Mattis to head the Department of Defense. The revered military strategist is known for leading the 1st Marine Division's drive into Baghdad during the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. He is also known for his blunt tough talk and pithy quotes. CNBC rounded up some of the four-star general's most powerful statements on leadership and success. Andrew Sachs, the British actor best known as the loveable Spanish waiter Manuel on the 1970s BBC sitcom "Fawlty Towers", has died aged 86. Sachs, who played a waiter from Barcelona on the series co-created by Monty Python star John Cleese, died on Nov. 23, his wife Melody told the Daily Mail. British actor Andrew Sachs, best known for his role as 'Manuel' in television's 'Fawlty Towers'. Stuart Nicol | Evening Standard | Getty Images Sachs, who was diagnosed with dementia four years ago, was buried in North London on Thursday. Cleese, 77, tweeted that he was very sad to learn of the death and called Sachs "a very sweet, gentle, and kind man and a truly great farceur". Sachs' performance on Fawlty Towers was one of the most widely imitated comedy characters from that era, the BBC said. "The waiter...often said little more than the word 'Que?' to generate laughs, but arguably his most famous line was 'I know nothing'," it said. After Fawlty Towers, Sachs went on to play Ramsey Clegg on ITV's "Coronation Street" and had a brief role on BBC's "EastEnders". British actor Andrew Sachs, best known for his role as 'Manuel' in television's 'Fawlty Towers'. Keystone | Hulton Archive | Getty Images The U.S. and China have taken a significant first step toward keeping U.S.-listed Chinese stocks like Alibaba from being forced off U.S. stock exchanges. China on Friday urged the United States to abandon a surrogate country approach it uses to calculate anti-dumping measures against Chinese exports, as a related clause in China's World Trade Organization (WTO) deal is set to expire. When China joined the WTO in 2001, it agreed to let WTO members treat it as a non-market economy when assessing dumping duties for 15 years. That gave trade partners the advantage of using a third country's prices to gauge whether China was selling its goods below market value. But that clause is due to expire on Dec. 11, and China has demanded that countries abide by the agreement. U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said in November the time was "not ripe" for the United States to change the way it evaluates whether China has achieved market economy status, and there was no international trade rules requiring changes in the way U.S. anti-dumping duties are calculated. WHEN: Today, Friday, December 2nd WHERE: CNBC's "Squawk Box" Following is the unofficial transcript of a CNBC EXCLUSIVE interview with Howard Schultz, outgoing Starbucks CEO, and Kevin Johnson, incoming Starbucks CEO, on CNBC's "Squawk Box" (M-F, 6AM-9AM ET) today, Friday, December 2nd. Following is a link to the full interview on CNBC.com: http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000573019. All references must be sourced to CNBC. ANDREW ROSS SORKIN: WELCOME BACK TO "SQUAWK BOX." WE ARE LIVE THIS MORNING IN SEATTLE WITH THE BIG NEWS OF THE MORNING AND THE BIG INTERVIEW OF THE MORNING. HOWARD SHULTZ, THE ICONIC LEADER OF STARBUCKS, ANNOUNCING THAT HE IS GOING TO HAND OVER THE REINS OF THE COMPANY AS CEO TO KEVIN JOHNSON. THAT'S GOING TO BE EFFECTIVE APRIL 3rd, 2017. WE HAVE BOTH OF THESE GENTLEMEN WITH US THIS MORNING TO TALK ABOUT THIS MOMENTOUS DECISION. GOOD MORNING TO BOTH OF YOU. CONGRATULATIONS, KEVIN, ON THE NEW TITLE AND THE NEW ROLE. AND YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE. I KNOW YOU ARE GOING TO REMAIN THE EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN. WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT. BUT, SO MANY QUESTIONS THIS MORNING ABOUT THIS DECISION, YOUR DECISION TO HAND OVER THIS TITLE. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN? WHY AND WHY NOW? HOWARD SCHULTZ: THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, ANDREW, AND THANK YOU FOR BEING IN THE ROASTERY. AS WE DISCUSSED YESTERDAY, KEVIN AND I HAVE BEEN TOGETHER NOW FOR ALMOST TEN YEARS. SEVEN YEARS KEVIN SERVED ON THE BOARD. TWO YEARS AS OUR CEO AND PRESIDENT. AND FOR THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF WE HAVE COAUTHORED THE STRATEGY OF THE FIVE-YEAR PLAN OF STARBUCKS. AND WHAT WAS CLEAR WAS THAT KEVIN'S ABILITY, HIS SKILL BASE AND EXPERIENCE, IN MY VIEW, HE IS MUCH BETTER PREPARED TO REALLY MANAGE THE GLOBAL OPERATIONS OF THE COMPANY THAN I AM AT THIS STAGE OF THE COMPANY'S DEVELOPMENT. SORKIN: YOU SAID THAT YESTERDAY. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT? YOU DON'T THINK YOU'RE EQUIPPED TO DO IT? SCHULTZ: I THINK KEVIN'S SKILL BASE AND HIS EXPERIENCE, HE IS MUCH BETTER PREPARED THAN I AM WHILE I CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHAT I THINK IS AN ENORMOUS GROWTH OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMPANY IN LEVERAGING THE EQUITY OF THE NEW BRAND, THE STARBUCKS RESERVE BRAND, THE ROASTERY, THE NEW RESERVE STORES, ON A GLOBAL SCALE. YOU MENTIONED EARLIER WE ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN SHANGHAI AND NEW YORK. WE JUST ANNOUNCED TOKYO. THERE'S TWO MORE COMING. WE'RE BUILDING A NEW GROWTH PLATFORM AT STARBUCKS WHILE KEVIN WILL MANAGE AND INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGY IN WAYS THAT I THINK WILL REALLY ADVANCE THE CONSUMER-FACING OPPORTUNITY FOR STARBUCKS. IN WAYS THAT I REALLY AM NOT AS WELL VERSED. AND I THINK KEVIN HAS BEEN AT MY SIDE FOR TWO YEARS. THERE'S NO BETTER PERSON, NO BETTER SERVING LEADER. AND WHAT YOU SAW YESTERDAY AT THE COMPANY MEETING, YOU SAW THE RESPONSE I GOT. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE RESPONSE HE GOT, THE RESPECT AND THE ADMIRATION THAT OUR PEOPLE HAVE FOR KEVIN. SORKIN: SPEAK TO THE TIMING. SOME PEOPLE HAD SUGGESTED YOU HAD SET THIS UP. AND THOSE ON WALL STREET WHO WERE FOCUSED ON IT, I THINK, UNDERSTOOD THAT A SUCCESSION PLAN WAS IN PLACE. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY UNDERSTOOD NECESSARILY THE TIMING WAS GOING TO HAPPEN NOW. WHY NOW? KEVIN JOHNSON: WELL ANDREW, LET ME GO BACK TO HOW THIS EVOLVED COMING OUT OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN. THERE'S KIND OF THREE STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES THAT WE ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE WITH THIS FIVE-YEAR PLAN. ONE IS AROUND ELEVATING THE BRAND, THE SECOND IS ELEVATING THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, AND DOING THOSE TWO THINGS ALLOWS US TO AMPLIFY STARBUCKS AS A DESTINATION. WE DELIVERED THAT STRATEGIC PLAN AND DISCUSSED IT WITH OUR BOARD IN MAY. AND COMING OUT OF THAT MAY BOARD MEETING, HOWARD AND I SAT DOWN AND SAID HOW COULD WE BEST FOCUS OUR INDIVIDUAL CAPABILITIES AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO HELP MAKE THAT PLAN COME TO LIFE? AND THAT LED TO THE SET OF ORGANIZATIONAL ALIGNMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS THAT WE MADE BACK IN JULY AND THE WAY THAT WE SET MY RESPONSIBILITIES AND HOWARD'S RESPONSIBILITIES. SO IT EVOLVED FROM THAT STRATEGIC PLAN. SORKIN: YOU'VE TRIED TO STEP BACK BEFORE. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME YOU'VE TRIED TO. WHAT IS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT NOW? SCHULTZ: WHY ARE YOU BRINGING THAT UP? SORKIN: NO, NO. AND BY THE WAY, WE SAW WHAT HAPPENED AND THEN YOU HAD TO COME BACK. SCHULTZ: YEAH. SORKIN: BUT TO THE EXTENT THAT THERE WERE LESSONS LEARNED FROM THAT EXPERIENCE. SCHULTZ: WELL, I THINK THERE WERE TWO THINGS. ON A MACRO LEVEL, I LEFT RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CATACLYSMIC FINANCIAL CRISIS AND STARBUCKS HAD A VERY DIFFICULT TIME NAVIGATING THROUGH THAT. WE DID NOT HAVE THE QUALITY OF THE TEAM, WE DIDN'T HAVE THE RESOURCES AND THE CAPABILITIES THAT WE HAVE NOW. WE DIDN'T HAVE THE LEADER. I THINK ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, I DON'T THINK I WAS AS EMOTIONALLY PREPARED TO LEAVE THE COMPANY AND NOT MEDDLE AT THAT TIME IN MY LIFE. THIS TIME AROUND, I'VE GOT A FULL-TIME OPPORTUNITY IN TERMS OF BUILDING THE NEW STARBUCKS RESERVE BRAND. MY FAITH AND CONFIDENCE IN KEVIN. IT'S A COMPLETE DIFFERENT SITUATION. THE WIND IS AT OUR BACK IN TERMS OF THE QUALITY OF THE BUSINESS, THE EQUITY OF THE BRAND, HOW WE'RE DOING IN CHINA. SO THE OPPORTUNITIES IN FRONT OF US I THINK ARE SO STRONG, THERE WILL BE NO ISSUE WHATSOEVER THAT WILL BE EVEN CLOSE TO WHAT HAPPENED IN 2008. SORKIN: HOW HARD WAS IT FOR YOU TO DECIDE TO DO THIS, THOUGH? JUST EMOTIONALLY. EVEN IN THE PAST 24 HOURS. SCHULTZ: YOU KNOW, SOMETHING LIKE THIS, IT DOESN'T HIT YOU UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY SAY THE WORDS. YOU PREPARE FOR IT. YOU PUT YOURSELF IN A POSITION TO SAY THE WORDS. BUT WHEN YOU'RE IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY AND YOU MAKE THE ANNOUNCEMENT AND IT'S REAL, YOU REALIZE YOU'VE CROSSED OVER THE RUBICON. BUT I'M REALLY AT PEACE WITH IT. I'M AT PEACE WITH IT BECAUSE THE COMPANY HAS NEVER BEEN HEALTHIER. I'VE GOT A GREAT PARTNER WHO I TRUST IN KEVIN. AND I'M IN A GOOD POSITION PERSONALLY. SORKIN: THERE'S A VERY SPECIAL PERSON BACK EAST KNOWN AS JIM CRAMER, WHO HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THIS COMPANY FOR A VERY LONG TIME, WHO KNOWS YOU VERY WELL, WHO I KNOW HAS A QUESTION OR THREE IF NOT MORE FOR YOU. JIM, LET'S BRING YOU INTO THE CONVERSATION. JIM CRAMER: HOWARD, EVEN KEVIN IN THE CONFERENCE CALL LAST NIGHT SAID THAT YOU WERE ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST ICONIC LEADERS AND ENTREPRENEUR. WHY WOULD I WANT TO OWN THIS STOCK OF STARBUCKS IF THE MAN I MOST IDENTIFY WITH STARBUCKS IS ONLY THE EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN AND IS WORKING ON A DIVISION THAT MAY OR MAY NOT PAN OUT EVEN AS I KNOW THAT KEVIN IS A STRONG LEADER? SCHULTZ: WELL, YOU KNOW, STARBUCKS HAS BEEN IN BUSINESS NOW FOR 45-PLUS YEARS. YOU KNOW, I'M NOT PUTTING MYSELF IN THE CLASS OF TOM BRADY OR ANY OTHER ATHLETE THAT HAS BEEN AT THE CORNERSTONE OF SUCCESS ON A TEAM SPORT. BUT, JIM, THIS IS A TEAM SPORT. IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A TEAM SPORT. I'VE GOTTEN MORE CREDIT THAN I DESERVE. THE COMPANY HAS A LARGE BASE OF FANTASTIC LEADERS. AND I'M NOT GOING AWAY. I'M GOING TO ADD VALUE IN THE AREAS THAT I THINK ARE SKEWED TOWARDS MY ENTREPRENEURIAL CREATIVITY AND DNA. I'M GOING TO SUPPORT KEVIN WHEN HE NEEDS IT. AND THE COMPANY'S GOING TO CONTINUE TO PERFORM AT A HIGH LEVEL. I HAVE NO DOUBT WHATSOEVER THAT STARBUCKS, THE FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS OF THE EQUITY OF THE BRAND, THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, THE PIPELINE OF INNOVATION BOTH IN PRODUCT AND BEVERAGE THE PIPELINE OF INNOVATION IN TERMS OF TECHNOLOGY AND WHAT THE ROASTERY AND RESERVE BRAND IS GOING TO BE. THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO OWN STARBUCKS. AND IF I LOOK AT THE STOCK PRICE, YOU KNOW, I'LL PROBABLY REGRET SAYING THIS ON AIR, BUT I THINK THE STOCK IS UNDERVALUED. CRAMER: FAIR ENOUGH. HOWARD SORKIN: HOWARD, LET ME ASK YOU. OH, GO AHEAD, JIM. CRAMER: I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHETHER YOUR ROLE WILL BE I KNOW YOU WANT TO COME IN ALL THE TIME. I KNOW YOU ARE BEING INVOLVED WITH A PARTICULAR DIVISION THAT YOU'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT. BUT DO YOU THINK YOU'LL BE MORE OF AN AMBASSADOR? DO YOU THINK YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SPEAK OUT MORE? DO YOU THINK IF YOU DON'T LIKE SOMETHING THAT PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP DOES, YOU'RE FREER AS AN EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN TO SPEAK OUT THAN YOU WOULD BE AS A CEO? SCHULTZ: WELL, JIM, I HAVE NOT HAD A PROBLEM OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS IN TRYING TO DEMONSTRATE WHAT I BELIEVE WE ALL HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO DO. AND THAT IS DEMONSTRATE MORAL COURAGE WITH REGARD TO HOW MANY PEOPLE IN AMERICA ARE UNFORTUNATELY BEING LEFT BEHIND AND THE ISSUES THAT WE'RE FACING AS A COUNTRY. I DON'T THINK MY ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN AND MY VOICE IS GOING TO CHANGE. I THINK STARBUCKS CONTINUES TO NEED TO USE ITS SCALE FOR GOOD. ITS PLATFORM. AND I THINK AS I SAID TWO YEARS AGO, I STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT BUSINESSES AND BUSINESS LEADERS IN AMERICA NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT HAVE CHANGED. AND WE NEED TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO BRING OUR EMPLOYEEES ALONG ON THE JOURNEY, SHARE SUCCESS AND SUPPORT THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE. CRAMER: KEVIN, JUST A QUICK ONE HERE. SORKIN: KEVIN CRAMER: I'M SORRY. I WILL BACK OUT, ANDREW, AFTER THIS QUESTION FOR KEVIN. OKAY? SORKIN: NO, NO, PLEASE. CRAMER: KEVIN, I'VE KNOWN YOU FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. I KNEW YOU AT JUNIPER. LET'S SAY I WAS INTERVIEWING YOU NOW TO BE THE NEW CEO. NOT THAT YOU'D BEEN THERE FOR A LONG TIME. I WOULD SAY WHAT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE IN CONSUMER PACKAGE GOODS OR IS THE ISSUE WITH STARBUCKS THE LINES, THE THROUGHPUT, THE TECHNOLOGY? BECAUSE THE COFFEE'S DARN GOOD, BUT WE CAN'T GET IT FAST ENOUGH AND THROUGHPUT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I SEE FOR A PROBLEM IN THE DOMESTIC STORES AND MAYBE INTERNATIONAL. JOHNSON: YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION, JIM. I POINT TO THE FACT THAT I'VE BEEN ON THIS JOURNEY WITH STARBUCKS FOR NEARLY EIGHT YEARS NOW ON THE BOARD. BE EIGHT YEARS IN MARCH OF 2017. I'VE BEEN INTIMATELY INVOLVED WITH THE MANAGEMENT TEAM AND COAUTHORING THE STRATEGY FOR THE COMPANY HERE OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS. AND OPERATING IN EVERY PART OF THE BUSINESS. AND SO YOU SAY OK, WHAT IS THE UNIQUE VALUE ADD? WELL, IF WE LOOK AT THIS FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN THAT WE'VE OUTLINED, IT IS THE MOST AMBITIOUS STRATEGIC PLAN IN THE HISTORY OF THE COMPANY. IN ORDER TO EXECUTE AGAINST THAT, WE'VE GOT TO DO MANY THINGS IN PARALLEL AND WE'VE GOT TO DO THEM VERY WELL. AND SO MY ABILITY TO BE A GREAT PARTNER TO HOWARD AND GET THE BEST OUT OF HOWARD, AND THEN TAKE ALL OF THIS GREAT VISION AND THE IDEAS AND THE STRATEGY WE HAVE AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO LAND IT IN A WAY THAT ALLOWS IT TO PROPAGATE GLOBALLY AND ELEVATE THE BRAND, ELEVATE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, AND ULTIMATELY, AMPLIFY STARBUCKS AS A DESTINATION. THAT'S WHAT I INTEND TO DO. I HAVE GREAT CONFIDENCE IN MY PARTNERSHIP AND RELATIONSHIP WITH HOWARD. I HAVE GREAT CONFIDENCE IN OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM. AND I BELIEVE IN THIS STRATEGY. WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. SORKIN: KEVIN, WHEN YOU WERE SPEAKING TO SOME OF THE EMPLOYEES YESTERDAY, YOU ACKNOWLEDGED SOMETHING THAT WAS VERY AUTHENTIC. YOU SAID THAT WHEN HE ASKED YOU TO TAKE THE JOB, YOU WENT HOME AND YOU SAID TO YOURSELF, CAN I DO THIS? MEANING LIKE, ACTUALLY CAN I DO THIS. WHEN YOU ASK YOURSELF THAT QUESTION AND YOU THINK ABOUT THE CHALLENGES AHEAD, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WORRY ABOUT? WHAT IS IT TO THE EXTENT IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT MAKES YOU ANXIOUS, I IMAGINE SOMETHING MUST, IN TERMS OF SOMETHING THAT YOU WANT TO ACCOMPLISH IN THIS ROLE? JOHNSON: WELL, I THINK, YOU KNOW, ANYONE THAT IS BEING ASKED TO STEP INTO THIS ROLE WOULD RECOGNIZE THIS COMES WITH GREAT RESPONSIBILITY. AND IT IS FOLLOWING SOMEONE WHO IS AN ICONIC ENTREPRENEUR AND LEADER. AND I THINK THIS WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT ANYONE STEPPING IN THIS ROLE WOULD HAVE TO CONSIDER. HOW DO YOU STEP INTO THAT AND KNOWING THAT I HAVE TO BE AUTHENTIC AND LEAD IN MY WAY. I CAN'T TRY TO BE HOWARD. I'M NOT HOWARD. HOWARD AND I SHARE MANY THINGS IN COMMON THE VALUES, THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT THE BUSINESS, THE APPRECIATION FOR THE MISSION AND WHAT THIS COMPANY STANDS FOR. BUT WE COME AT IT THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS BECAUSE WE HAVE DIFFERENT LIFE EXPERIENCES. SO ACKNOWLEDGING THAT AND KNOWING THAT I NEED TO LEAD IN AN AUTHENTIC WAY. I NEED TO TRUST IN MY PARTNERSHIP WITH HOWARD. AND I NEED TO LEVERAGE THIS WORLD CLASS LEADERSHIP TEAM WE'VE ASSEMBLED. SORKIN: FIRST NEW THING THAT YOU PLAN TO DO AND OF COURSE, ONE OF THE BIG QUESTIONS IS SAME STORE SALES. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO REALLY INCREASE THAT NUMBER IN A MEANINGFUL WAY? WHAT'S ON TAP? JOHNSON: WELL, YOU KNOW, SAME STORE SALES, A BIG PART OF WHAT'S POWERING IT IS THIS DIGITAL FLY WHEEL. IT'S THE WORK WE'VE DONE TO EXTEND THE IN-STORE EXPERIENCE TO THE DIGITAL EXPERIENCE AND HOW MOBILE ORDER AND PAY IS HELPING AMPLIFY THAT. BUT YOU LOOK AT MOBILE AND PAY. THAT IS ONLY DEPLOYED IN COMPANY-OPERATED STORES FUNDAMENTALLY IN NORTH AMERICA. WE ARE NOW BUILDING THAT CAPABILITY TO EXTEND TO OUR LICENSE PARTNERS. TO EXTEND TO OTHER GEOGRAPHIES. THAT'S A BIG UNLOCK. IF YOU LOOK AT THIS GROWTH AGENDA, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GROW MORE IN THE AREA OF FOOD. WE'VE HAD GREAT SUCCESS FROM THE ACQUISITON OF LA BOULANGE AND HOW WE'VE DEPLOYED THAT FROZEN SUPPLY CHAIN FOR OUR BREAKFAST SANDWICHES AND OUR PASTRY CASE. BUT THE NEXT FRONTIER IS GOING TO BE CAN WE CRACK THE CODE ON THE LUNCH DAY PART. SORKIN: YOU'VE TRIED FOOD BEFORE WITHOUT REAL SUCCESS. WHAT HAVE BEEN THE MISSING INGREDIENTS? SCHULTZ: WELL, LA BOULANGE HAS BEEN A HUGE SUCCESS FOR THE COMPANY. IF YOU LOOK AT WHERE WE WERE AND WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, OUR FOOD SALES AND THE ATTACHMENT OF FOOD IN THE MORNING HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT DRIVER. THE QUESTION NOW IS CAN WE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MULTIPLE DAY PARTS AND MULTIPLE NEED STATES? AND I THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO THAT. SORKIN: YOU'RE GOING TO SPEND TIME ON THE PREMIUM BUSINESS, THE RESERVE BUSINESS. WE'RE HERE IN THIS ROASTERY. I CALL IT A WILLY WONKA-LIKE EMPORIUM OF SORTS. HOW MUCH CAN THIS ULTIMATELY MOVE THE NEEDLE FOR THE LARGER BUSINESS? SCHULTZ: YEAH. I TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT ON THE CONFERENCE CALL. LET ME SLOWLY KIND OF WALK YOU THROUGH THAT. I HOPE WE HAVE THE TIME TO DO THAT. SO IN MANY OTHER INDUSTRIES, THE FASHION INDUSTRY, THE AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY, THERE HAS BEEN SEGMENTATION AT THE UPPER END IN WHICH BUSINESSES AND BRANDS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GO UP IN THEIR CORE BUSINESS. WHAT WE HAVE CREATED HERE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS IS A SIGNIFICANT IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE THAT NOT ONLY TAKES COFFEE TO A NEW LEVEL, BUT THERE'S NO RETAIL EXPERIENCE LIKE THIS. IT HAS FAR EXCEEDED OUR EXPECTATIONS. IT HAS FOUR TIMES THE AVERAGE TICKET OF A TYPICAL STARBUCKS STORE AND HAS BECOME A PRIMARY DESTINATION FOR EVERY TOURIST IN SEATTLE. WE NOW BELIEVE THAT WE CAN TAKE ELEMENTS OF THE ROASTERY AND BRING IT DOWN TO A DIFFERENT TYPE OF STORE ABOUT 4,000 SQUARE FEET, TWICE THE SIZE OF A STARBUCKS STORE AND BUILD RESERVE STORES IN THE SAME THEME OF ROASTERIES. BUT WE ALSO BELIEVE THERE'LL BE 20 TO 30 ROASTERIES AROUND THE GLOBE THAT WILL SHINE A HALO ON THE ENTIRE COMPANY. WE'LL BUILD OUT A NEW RETAIL FORMAT OF 1,000-PLUS STORES OF RESERVE STORES IN THIS BRAND AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO INTEGRATE INTO EXISTING STARBUCKS STORES, RESERVE BARS. ALL OF THAT WILL ADD INCREMENTALITY, DRIVE COMP STORE SALES, ELEVATE THE BRAND AND CREATE SEPARATION IN THE MARKETPLACE. NOW, WHILE I'M DOING THAT, KEVIN AND HIS TEAM, BESIDES MANAGING THE GLOBAL BUSINESS AND GROWING THE BUSINESS, WILL TAKE THE SAME LEVEL OF INITIATIVE ON THE TECHNOLOGY SIDE AND INTEGRATE A PIPELINE OF NEW INNOVATION IN TERMS OF CUSTOMER FACING TECHNOLOGY WITHIN THE MOBILE ECOSYSTEM. AND SO A YEAR FROM NOW, A YEAR AND A HALF FROM NOW, THE COMPANY WILL BE COMPLETELY TRANSFORMED BOTH AT THE HIGH END AND IN TERMS OF CONSUMER FACING TECHNOLOGY. THE LAST THING I'D SAY IS, AND WE HAVEN'T DISCUSSED IT, IS WHAT'S GOING ON IN CHINA FOR STARBUCKS. THERE'S NO WESTERN CONSUMER BRAND THAT HAS ACCOMPLISHED WHAT WE HAVE ON ANY LEVEL LET ALONE OUR SCALE. 2500 STORES IN CHINA. WE'RE OPENING MORE THAN A STORE A DAY. WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. THAT'S 500 STORES A DAY. THE ROASTERY IN CHINA, IN SHANGHAI, OPENS A YEAR FROM TODAY. TWICE THE SIZE. I THINK CHINA'S GOING TO BE LARGER THAN THE U.S. 600 MILLION MIDDLE CLASS CHINESE COMING INTO THE MARKETPLACE. AND WE ARE POSITIONED SO WELL TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT. SO THIS IS A WONDERFUL TIME FOR THE COMPANY. AND I THINK I'M GOING TO GET AN OPPORTUNITY MYSELF TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHAT I DO BEST WHILE KEVIN IS MANAGING THE BUSINESS. SORKIN: MELISSA BACK IN NEW YORK HAS A QUESTION. MELISSA. MELISSA LEE: YEAH. AND BY THE WAY HOWARD, I WAS JUST IN HONG KONG A COUPLE WEEKS AGO. I LOVE THE RED BEAN SCONES. I ALWAYS HAVE THEM WHENEVER I'M IN CHINA. I WANTED TO ASK YOU, THOUGH, BECAUSE YOU'VE BEEN A VOCAL SUPPORTER OF HILLARY CLINTON IN THE PAST. AND SINCE THE ELECTION, THERE'S BEEN A REAL OPTIMISM IN THE STOCK MARKET ABOUT PROSPECTS OF THE U.S. ECONOMY. GAUGING YOUR STOCK PRICE, INVESTORS FEEL THE SAME WAY. YOUR STOCK WAS DOWN 10% GOING INTO THE ELECTION. SINCE THE ELECTION, THE STOCK IS UP 7%. SO I'M WONDERING, DO INVESTORS HAVE IT RIGHT? SHOULD THEY BE MORE OPTIMISTIC UNDER A TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FOR THE PROSPECTS OF THE U.S. ECONOMY AND THEREFORE THE PROSPECTS FOR STARBUCKS? SCHULTZ: WELL, I NEED TO SEPARATE THE PROSPECTS OF STARBUCKS FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND THE MOMENTUM IN THE STOCK MARKET. YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT THE SUCCESS WE'VE HAD IN TERMS OF BUILDING MARKET VALUE AND BUILDING SHAREHOLDER VALUE, IT'S BEEN PRIMARILY BASED ON OUR ABILITY TO EXECUTE, BUILD SHAREHOLDER VALUE AND BALANCE PROFIT WITH SOCIAL IMPACT. I'M NOT SPENDING A LOT OF TIME ON THE CAUSE AND THE EFFECT OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. OBVIOUSLY, WE ALL WANT THE PRESIDENT-ELECT TO DO WELL, BUT STARBUCKS IS GOING TO HAVE TO DO WHAT WE DO BASED ON THE THINGS THAT WE CAN CONTROL. SORKIN: DO YOU FEEL THAT THE STARBUCKS BRAND IS AT ODDS WITH THE ADMINISTRATION AND DONALD TRUMP? THE REASON I ASK IS THERE HAVE BEEN BOYCOTTS OF #TRUMPSTARBUCKS OR BOYCOTT STARBUCKS AS IT RELATES TO TRUMP PEOPLE WHO ASKED BARISTAS THEY ASKED THEM TO WRITE TRUMP ON THE CUPS AND SCREAM OUT THE NAME. AND JUST WHAT THE STARBUCKS BRAND REPRESENTS AT LARGE. SCHULTZ: I DON'T THINK ON ANY LEVEL THAT THE BRAND OR WHAT WE REPRESENT IS AT ODDS WITH THE PRESIDENT-ELECT OR HIS SUPPORTERS. 90 MILLION CUSTOMERS A WEEK ARE GOING THROUGH STARBUCKS STORES AND I ASSUME MANY OF THEM VOTED FOR DONALD TRUMP. WE FEEL VERY STRONGLY AS A COMPANY THAT OUR ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY IN ADDITION TO MAKING MONEY AND BUILDING SHAREHOLDER VALUE, AS YOU KNOW, IS TO DEMONSTRATE A LEVEL OF SOCIAL IMPACT IN THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE SERVE. WE, AS A COMPANY, THE BOARD, ME PERSONALLY, KEVIN, HAVE BEEN DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT A NUMBER OF ISSUES. SOCIAL ISSUES. THAT FOR THE MOST PART HAVE NOT BEEN ADDRESSED BY THE REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATIONS IN THE PAST. AND HOPEFULLY WILL BE ADDRESSED BY THE PRESIDENT-ELECT. I THINK THAT AS WE GO FORWARD,WE WILL HAVE AN ACTIVE VOICE IN DEMONSTRATING WHAT I'VE SAID BEFORE. THE MORAL COURAGE TO ADDRESS THINGS THAT WE THINK ARE IMPORTANT TO THE PROMISE OF AMERICA AND THE AMERICAN DREAM. SORKIN: KEN LANGONE BACK IN NEW YORK HAS A QUESTION FOR YOU. KEN? KEN LANGONE: HOWARD, HOW ARE YOU? SCHULTZ: I'M VERY WELL. NICE TO TALK TO YOU AND NICE TO SEE YOU. LANGONE: NOW, YOU AND I ARE SUPPOSED TO GET TOGETHER PRETTY SOON WITH JIM MEADE SO I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. SCHULTZ: I DO TOO. LANGONE: LET ME FIRST OF ALL CONGRATULATE YOU FOR THE COMPANY YOU FOUNDED AND THE WAY IT'S RUNNING, THE WAY IT'S OPERATED. LET ME TRY LET'S BOTH OF US TRY AND PUSH ASIDE OUR POLITICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL DIFFERENCES. LET'S TALK ABOUT ONE THING THAT WE CAN SAY IS CREATED BY A BIPARTISAN EFFORT. AND THAT'S PUBLIC EDUCATION IN AMERICA. IF WE WANT TO CLOSE THE INCOME GAP, IF WE WANT TO REALLY BE ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF INCOME INEQUALITY, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE'VE GOT TO PREPARE THESE KIDS BETTER THAN THEY'RE BEING PREPARED GLOBALLY AND AROUND THE WORLD. BUT ALSO IN AMERICA. AND I THINK THAT THERE'S NO DOUBT IN MY MIND IF YOU LOOK AT HARD NUMBERS SINCE THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN FOUNDED IN 1978 OR '79, PUBLIC EDUCATION HAS ONLY GOTTEN WORSE. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT QUALIFYING PEOPLE FOR OPPORTUNITIES, WE NEED TO HAVE THEM HAVE THE BASIC TOOLS TO SUCCEED. AND I THINK HERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ME A CONSERVATIVE, YOU A LIBERAL, AND PEOPLE LIKE US TO SIT DOWN AND SAY OKAY LET'S PUSH ALL THIS ASIDE. LET'S COME UP WITH AN APPROACH THAT'S GOING TO BE GOOD FOR US. BECAUSE VERY FRANKLY, THE ONLY THING OF ANY ENORMOUS VALUE AT THE HOME DEPOT TODAY, ARE THE 360,000 WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO WORK THERE. THEY'RE THE HEART AND GUTS OF THIS. ANYBODY CAN BUILD A BIG BOX. ANYBODY CAN BUY INVENTORY. ALL OF THOSE THINGS CAN BE DONE. THE GENIUS OF HOME DEPOT AND I GUESS I'M BEING PROUD TO SAY I'M PART OF IT BERNIE AND ARTHUR AS WELL ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE THERE IS OUR PEOPLE. THAT'S WHAT SEPARATES A GREAT COMPANY FROM A COMPANY THAT'S NOT SO GREAT. AND I THINK, HOWARD, YOU GO INTO YOUR STORES AND IT'S MANIFEST THERE AS WELL. BUT WE HAVE GOT TO GET TOGETHER AS A NATION, DO BETTER THAN WE ARE DOING TO EDUCATE THESE KIDS BECAUSE IT'S GETTING WORSE AND WORSE AND WORSE. AND ONE OF THE THINGS I'M EXCITED ABOUT HOPEFULLY YOU'LL HAVE SOME MORE TIME NOW THAT YOU'VE TURNED OVER THE CEO ROLE THAT PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND ME CAN SIT IN A ROOM AND SAY LET'S FORGET ABOUT WHAT WE BELIEVE AND DON'T BELIEVE. LET'S JUST TALK ABOUT THE NUMBERS AND HOW TO FIX THEM. I HOPE YOU'RE GOING TO DO THAT. AND I CONGRATULATE YOU FOR HANDING OFF THE BATON. BY THE WAY, I LOVE YOUR STOCK. I THINK IT'S A GREAT COMPANY AND I THINK IT'S GOT A BRIGHT FUTURE. SO TO THAT EXTENT, I'M EXCITED. SCHULTZ: CAN I RESPOND TO THAT? SORKIN: PLEASE. SCHULTZ: FIRST OFF, COMING FROM YOU AND WHAT YOU'VE ACCOMPLISHED OVER YOUR CAREER AND WHAT HOME DEPOT STILL REPRESENTS IN AMERICA, I'M HUMBLED BY THAT AND I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. I THINK WHAT YOU'VE JUST DESCRIBED UNFORTUNATELY WE DID NOT SEE A LOT OF OVER THE LAST YEAR IN TERMS OF THE LACK OF CIVILITY AND LACK OF RESPECT BETWEEN THE TWO PARTIES AND THE CAMPAIGN. AND BASICALLY, WHAT YOU'VE JUST DESCRIBE IS A LEVEL OF CIVILITY AND COMMON LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM. IF YOU LOOK AT THE PROBLEM WE HAVE TODAY, THE EDUCATION ISSUE IS DEEPER THAN JUST EDUCATION. WE HAVE ALMOST 6 MILLION YOUNG PEOPLE IN AMERICA WHO ARE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 24 LABELED AS OPPORTUNITY YOUTH. THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND HISPANIC. WE HAVE ONE OUT OF SIX IN AMERICA TODAY THAT IS GOES HUNGRY EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. WE CAN SPEAK A GREAT DEAL ABOUT THE FACT THAT THERE HAS BEEN A FRACTURING OF OPPORTUNITY IN AMERICAN IN WHICH, UNFORTUNATELY, YOUR STATION IN LIFE IS BEGINNING TO DEFINE WHETHER OR NOT YOU HAVE ACCESS TO THE PROMISE OF THE COUNTRY. WHAT THE COUNTRY NEEDS MORE THAN EVER BEFORE IS A LEVEL OF UNITY, OF INCLUSION, OF CIVILITY AND PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER OVER A COMMON GOAL. AND I THINK THE SUBJECT THAT I WOULD TALK ABOUT MOSTLY IS A LEVEL OF COMPASSION AND EMPATHY THAT WE NEED TO TRY TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE ONLY WAY OUR SOCIETY AND THE PROMISE OF AMERICA AND THE AMERICAN DREAM CAN CONTINUE TO EXIST IS TO ENSURE THE FACT THAT THOSE PEOPLE WHO WERE AT THE LOWER END HAVE THE SAME OPPORTUNITY THAT PEOPLE HAVE WITH THE RIGHT ZIP CODE IN AMERICA. AND I THINK THAT'S THE QUESTION THAT UNFORTUNATELY IS BEING ANSWERED TODAY IN A NEGATIVE. AND I THINK I WOULD LOOK FORWARD TO SITTING DOWN WITH YOU AND OTHERS IN A BIPARTISAN WAY TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE SO THAT WE AS BUSINESS LEADERS CAN RECOGNIZE THAT WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND ADDRESS THIS ISSUE AND NOT WAIT FOR WASHINGTON. OBVIOUSLY THE DYSFUNCTION AND THE POLARIZATION WE'VE SEEN FOR YEARS HOPEFULLY IS NOT GOING TO CONTINUE. BUT WHAT'S BEEN COMING OUT SO FAR IS NOT AS ENCOURAGING AS ONE WOULD HOPE. SORKIN: AMEN TO THAT. I WANT TO JIM CRAMER I KNOW HAS ONE LAST QUESTION THEN I HAVE A FINAL QUESTION FOR BOTH OF YOU GENTLEMEN. CRAMER: HOWARD, IT'S GOT TO BE DIFFICULT FOR KEVIN. YOU'RE AN EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN. YOU'RE NOT A CHAIRMAN. THAT MEANS YOU'LL BE INTIMATELY INVOLVED. YOU'RE STAYING ON IN A VERY IMPORTANT MISSION. HOW WILL YOU REALLY LET KEVIN HAVE THE REINS? BECAUSE AN EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN IS IN THERE DOING EXACTLY WHAT A CEO COULD DO IF HE'S NOT CAREFUL. SCHULTZ: NO. JIM, I CAN'T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THAT ONE. KEVIN JOHNSON STARTING IN APRIL IS GOING TO BE COMPREHENSIVELY ALL IN THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY. HOWARD SHULTZ IS THE EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN TO SUPPORT WHENEVER KEVIN NEEDS IT. HE IS MANAGING THE BUSINESS. HE'S MANAGING THE TEAM. HE'S SETTING THE STRATEGY. I'M HERE TO HELP AND SUPPORT. THERE SHOULD BE NO MISUNDERSTANDING WHATSOEVER. AND KEVIN JOHNSON IS WELL EQUIPPED TO TAKE THE COMPANY TO THE NEXT LEVEL. AND THAT'S GOING TO BE A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR SHAREHOLDERS. SORKIN: KEVIN? JOHNSON: AND LET ME JUST ADD TO THAT, I THINK IT'S A GIFT HAVING HOWARD AS AN EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN. HE AND I HAVE DEVELOPED A RELATIONSHIP OVER MORE THAN A DECADE. WE'VE WORKED TOGETHER NEARLY EIGHT YEARS AT STARBUCKS. THE LAST TWO YEARS INTIMATELY SORKIN: WHAT DO YOU GO TO HIM FOR? YOU GUYS HAVE A DOOR BETWEEN YOUR OFFICES. IN THIS NEW ROLE, WHEN DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING TO OPEN THE DOOR AND WALK IN? JOHNSON: WE TALK TO EACH OTHER MULTIPLE TIMES THROUGHOUT THE DAY ON A WIDE RANGE OF TOPICS. I KNOW ONE THING. EVERY TIME THAT DOOR TO MY OFFICE OPENS AND HOWARD POPS HIS HEAD IN, THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME NEW EXCITING ADVENTURE AHEAD. SORKIN: OK, WE HAVE TO GO. FINAL QUESTION AND YOU KNOW I HAVE TO ASK IT. AND GIVEN THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EDUCATION AND POLICY AND PUBLIC POLICY. EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW WHETHER YOU ARE LAYING THE GROUND WORK, NOT NECESSARILY NOW, BUT PERHAPS FOUR YEARS FROM NOW, TO RUN FOR THE BIG OFFICE. SCHULTZ: ANDREW, I'M ALL IN AT STARBUCKS AND THAT IS MY FOCUS AT THIS TIME. SORKIN: I IMAGINE WE ARE GOING TO COME BACK AND YOU'LL BE ASKED THAT QUESTION AGAIN IN THE FUTURE. GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU BOTH. KEVIN, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE NEW JOB. JOHNSON: THANK YOU. SORKIN: AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU SPENDING TIME WITH US THIS MORNING. SCHULTZ: ANDREW, THANKS FOR BEING IN SEATTLE. SORKIN: THANK YOU. AND I WANT TO THANK JIM CRAMER FOR HIS BRILLIANT QUESTIONS AS WELL. GUYS, I AM GOING TO SEND IT BACK TO YOU IN NEW YORK. About CNBC: With CNBC in the U.S., CNBCin Asia Pacific, CNBC in Europe, Middle East and Africa, and CNBC World, CNBCis the recognized world leader in business news and provides real-timefinancial market coverage and business information to approximately 381 millionhomes worldwide, including more than 94 million households in the United Statesand Canada. CNBC also provides daily business updates to 400 million householdsacross China. The network's 15 live hours a day of business programming inNorth America (weekdays from 4:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. ET) is produced at CNBC'sglobal headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and includes reports from CNBCNews bureaus worldwide. CNBC at night features a mix of new realityprogramming, CNBC's highly successful series produced exclusively for CNBC anda number of distinctive in-house documentaries. 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Business partners Etienne Debanne and Nabeel Alshaya discuss the complications they ran into when establishing their world class boutique winery in Lebanon a process somehow involving 28 years of squatters, 20 lawsuits and a few rounds of gunfire. Thankfully, the winery now enjoys tranquility. Its eco-tourism business is growing, which the founders describe as a "natural outgrowth of what Lebanon has to offer." Gamble visits a store on London's King's Road to discuss the popularity of Lebanese wine with consumers across the globe. Vendor Michel Karam describes wines from the region as "very romantic." CNBC's Jim Cramer said Friday some of his initial disappointment about Howard Schultz's decision to step down as Starbucks CEO has been alleviated. "I feel better," Cramer said on "Squawk Box" after the chief executive, in an exclusive interview with CNBC, expressed confidence in his successor, Kevin Johnson. "When I heard the news," Cramer said, "I was immediately very disappointed because I love what Howard [has] done. He is iconic. But what Howard did subsequently in our interview is state, 'Look, this is how it's going to go. I'm still very much involved, but we do have technology problems.' Kevin's better than that, better at that than he is." On Thursday, Schultz said he hand over the CEO post to Johnson, the current president and COO of Starbucks. The announcement surprised investors and sent Starbucks's stock tumbling. It was down about 2 percent in early trading Friday. Schultz said Johnson was "well-equipped" to take the company to a higher level. "What was clear was Kevin's ability," Schultz said. "He is much better prepared to manage the global operations of the company than I am at this stage." Before joining Starbucks, Johnson worked closely with Steve Ballmer at Microsoft and was CEO of Juniper Networks. CNBC's Sarah Whitten contributed to this report. Skyscrapers in the business district of Jakarta in Indonesia, a country seen as an "emerging market" Didier Marti | Getty Images Relative political stability, economic resurgence in some of the larger nations and the emergence of reform-oriented governments make emerging economies an attractive investment target for next year, according to Swiss investment bank Credit Suisse . In a media briefing on its 2017 investment outlook, Credit Suisse's global head of investment strategy, Nannette Hechler Fayd'herbe, said emerging markets (EM) have evolved to become more resilient to international developments over the last decade, such as the political uncertainty gripping Europe and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's plans to hit the reset button on U.S. trade policies. "(EMs) have a lower exposure to an export-driven (growth) model than is generally assumed. They have a better, balanced-type of growth model," said Hechler Fayd'herbe, adding a large majority of EM countries have only a third of their gross domestic product (GDP) that is dependent on international trade. Large EMs in Asia and Latin America, for example, have the advantage of a large domestic consumer base, many of whom are just entering the middle class, which allows them to look inwards for growth. The world's two most populous countries, China and India, are still growing at twice the pace of global growth; recently in its second quarter of fiscal 2016, India saw its economy grow by 7.3 percent annually, whereas China's most recent factory activity data showed continued expansion in its manufacturing and services sectors. Credit Suisse highlighted three notable investment themes for 2017 where emerging markets looked attractive. Local and hard currency-denominated debt The investment bank said it was looking for sources of yield in countries where the political and economic risks were reasonable, and added there was a need to continue diversifying fixed income investments, particularly in markets where corporate credit still played a big part. "We particularly find emerging market debt in hard currency, but also in local currency, as an important part of investment strategy for next year," Hechler Fayd'herbe said, adding the bank held a favorable view toward Latin America as it offered higher yields than EMs elsewhere. Hard currencies are usually those that are relatively stable and widely accepted for financial transactions such as the U.S. dollar , euro, yen and the British pound. In emerging Asia, Credit Suisse prefers Indonesia. Current bid-yield on the 10-year Indonesian government bond note is 8.07 percent versus a 2.43 percent bid-yield on the 10-year Treasury note. Indonesia is considered one of the stronger-performing EMs by some analysts, as President Joko Widodo continues with a series of reforms; in his two years in office, he has abolished gasoline subsidies and launched a tax amnesty program to recover tax revenues. Chinese equities look attractive Stock markets have had a volatile year, driven by unexpected political outcomes which were not well priced-in and thus resulted in periods of volatility. Chinese markets started the year with a massive sell-off, but have somewhat recovered since, following a series of government reforms to stabilize the bifurcate economy and make China's financial markets more open to international investors. The composite, however, is still down 8.25 percent year-to-date, compared to the broad MSCI Asia Pacific ex-Japan index's 5.50 percent gain for the same period. watch now Chinese equities as well as Hong Kong stocks are expected to lead regional equities in 2017, according to Credit Suisse, due a recovery in earnings, attractive valuations and buoyant liquidity that will accelerate south/north-bound inflows. Adding to further north-south inflows will be the launch of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect, which is set to formally open on Dec. 5 and would allow Chinese investors to buy Hong Kong shares and vice versa. Mainland sectors that look attractive include technology, insurance and other high-growth sectors as China gradually turns to its domestic economy and services sector to drive growth. Exporters are also expected to benefit from a gradual, expected depreciation of the yuan, according to Credit Suisse. Playing the oil trade in the FX market Donald Trump risks opening up a major diplomatic dispute with China before he has even been inaugurated after speaking on the telephone on Friday with Tsai Ing-wen, the president of Taiwan. The call, confirmed by four people, is believed to be the first between a US president or president-elect and a leader of Taiwan since diplomatic relations between the two were cut in 1979. Although it is not clear if the Trump transition team intended the conversation to signal a broader change in US policy towards Taiwan, the call is likely to infuriate Beijing which regards the island as a renegade province. More from Financial Times: Trump picks Wall Street leaders for advisory council Election heartburn for US muni bond buyers Swamp or no swamp, Goldman swims on The US has adopted the so-called "One China" policy since 1972 after the Nixon-Mao meetings and in 1978 President Jimmy Carter formally recognized Beijing as the sole government of China, with the US embassy closing in Taipei the year after. The Trump team did not initially respond to multiple requests for comment but, after the Financial Times first published news of the call, confirmed that the president-elect had spoken with Ms Tsai and "noted the close economic, political, and security ties" between Taiwan and the United States. "The Chinese leadership will see this as a highly provocative action, of historic proportions," said Evan Medeiros, former Asia director at the White House national security council, who now heads Asia research at Eurasia Group. "Regardless if it was deliberate or accidental, this phone call will fundamentally change China's perceptions of Trump's strategic intentions for the negative. With this kind of move, Trump is setting a foundation of enduring mistrust and strategic competition for US-China relations." Douglas Paal, who as head of the American Institute in Taiwan from 2002 to 2006 was the de facto US ambassador, said that he was not aware of any such telephone calls between US and Taiwanese presidents since 1979. Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell: Starbucks Howard Schultz is stepping down as Chief Executive Officer. Chief Operating Officer Kevin Johnson will become CEO, with Schultz focusing on a new line of high-end coffee shops. Smith & Wesson Smith & Wesson beat estimates by 12 cents with adjusted quarterly profit of 68 cents per share, with the gun maker's revenue also beating forecasts. However, the company did give weaker than expected current quarter guidance. Big Lots The discount retailer reported an adjusted quarterly profit of four cents per share, compared to expectations of a one cent per share loss. Revenue did fall below forecasts, and same-store sales were flat compared to estimates of a 1 percent increase, but Big Lots raised its full-year earnings forecast above current Street estimates. Lululemon Canaccord downgraded the yoga wear maker to "sell" from "hold," saying that while Lululemon has improved its supply chain processes, this particular retail category is facing stiffening headwinds. Square The mobile payments company was upgraded to "buy" from "hold" at Deutsche Bank, which said the company's business model is set to capitalize on positive industry trends. Genesco The specialty retailer reported adjusted quarterly profit of $1.28 per share, well above estimates of 93 cents, despite missing on the top line. Genesco's bottom line performance was helped by better expense management as well as share buybacks. Ulta Salon Cosmetics The cosmetics retailer reported quarterly profit of $1.40 per share, three cents above estimates, with revenue also above forecasts. Ulta also provided an upbeat current quarter outlook, as it sees continuing momentum in revenue growth and same-store sales. Vascular Solutions The medical device maker agreed to be acquired by medical technologies provider Teleflex for $56 per share in cash, or about $1 billion. Gap The parent of Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic said November comparable store sales fell 1 percent, hurt by general sales weakness as well as a recent warehouse fire. However, the apparel retailer did say it saw improving trends during the second half of the month. Workday Workday reported an adjusted quarterly profit of three cents per share, compared to consensus forecasts for a four cents per share loss. The maker of human resources software also saw revenue come in above estimates on rising subscription sales. American Airlines Group The airline is cutting 25 percent of its scheduled flights to Cuba for 2017, in a move based on travel demand. Twitter Twitter acquired app maker Yes for an undisclosed amount, and appointed Yes founder Keith Coleman as head of its product team. He's the third product chief for Twitter in less than a year. Johnson & Johnson J&J and its DePuy Orthopaedics unit plan to appeal a jury decision that it must pay more than $1 billion to six plaintiffs who claimed to be injured by the unit's hip implants. Archer Daniels Midland ADM sold its 19.9 percent stake in Australian grain handler GrainCorp, three years after trying but failing to acquire that company. Five Below Five Below reported quarterly profit of 10 cents per share, beating estimates by a penny, although the discount retailer's revenue and comparable store sales came up short of analyst forecasts. The company does say it is pleased with the start of the holiday shopping season. G-III Apparel G-III fell short on both the top and bottom lines for its latest quarter, and also lowered its full-year forecast. The apparel maker said conditions in the industry remain challenging. G-III is the company behind a wide variety of brands such as Donna Karan, Bass, Calvin Klein and Kenneth Cole. Italians will vote on major referendum Sunday night. There's a lot at stake. Here's why you should care. This is a referendum on political and economic change. The Italian political system is a mess and one of the main reasons the economy is weak. It's a mess because there is a fatal flaw at the heart of the system. After the disaster of World War II and the Italian experience under the Mussolini dictatorship, the Italian Constitution came into force in 1948. The objective was to make it very difficult for any one party to control the government. Good in theory, but they went so far in the other direction that nothing can get done. That's because there are two houses a lower house (a Chamber of Deputies) and an upper house (a Senate of the Republic). They have the same purpose and are elected at the same time for the same five-year terms. The government must have the support of both houses to survive. All legislation must be passed by both houses. If there are any changes in a bill in one house, it must be approved in the other. The upshot: because the prime minister is in an inherently weak position, the government is inherently unstable and nothing gets done. And I mean nothing: 61 governments since World War II. Think about that. Sixty one governments in 70 years. Here's the good news: Matteo Renzi became prime minister in February 2014 specifically on a platform of change. He pushed through bills that would make the Italian system more responsive and make it easier for a party to govern. He is now submitting those changes to the Italian people in the form of a referendum this Sunday. The changes would: 1) Greatly weaken the power of the Senate. Italy would effectively become a single-house system, where only the lower house (the Chamber of Deputies) would ratify a government and approve most legislation. The Senate would have much more restricted powers and no right of a veto. 2) Make it easier to govern by reforming the lower house. Any party that wins 40 percent of the votes in either the first or second round of voting will get a "bonus" of 15 percent additional votes, bringing the controlling votes to 55 percent. This will make it much easier to pass legislation. These changes have already been approved but are being challenged in court. Here's the bad news: Renzi made a mistake by implying he might resign if the electorate did not pass the referendum. The referendum has enemies because many of the existing political parties think correctly that they would lose power if the referendum passed. The opposition has launched a campaign to portray Renzi as an autocratic leader, and implied that if the referendum is passed some future Mussolini will seize control of the government with disastrous consequences. Here's how topsy-turvy the world has become: Renzi was elected as an anti-establishment reformer two years ago, but he is now seen as representing the "establishment." This turnaround has important implications for the referendum. This is the year of voting against anyone seen to be the establishment. More importantly, it could broadly be deemed "the year of No." In the U.K. with Brexit. In the U.S. with Trump. In Colombia with the peace agreement with the FARC guerrillas. And now, possibly, with the Italian referendum. Except that with the Italian referendum, voting "Yes" is a vote against the establishment, voting "No" is a vote in favor of the status quo. Right now, the poll odds indicate that voters will vote "No" on the referendum. Strange, no? What happens with a "No" vote? Regardless of whether Renzi resigns, it would certainly make it more difficult for him to govern. His ability to pass any further reforms would certainly be in doubt. More political instability. More caretaker governments. More paralysis. More young people leaving the country because it's impossible to open even an espresso stand due to red tape and absurdly high taxes. More tax evasion. Less growth. Weaker markets. There's also speculation that the Eurosceptic Five Star Movement would take control of the government in some future election. Many Italians simply shrug and insist they will muddle through. But the country is slowly fading away. I'm not joking: no one is having kids because it's too expensive to raise them. The Italian birth rate is below 1.4 babies per household. For most countries, you need roughly 2.1 babies per household to have a stable population. Italy, like Japan, has a choice: find some way to push the economy into a higher gear or start liberalizing its immigration laws in a big way. Voting for the status quo is not the way to do that. Outgoing Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz told CNBC on Friday he hopes Donald Trump addresses social issues that past Republican administrations have ignored. Schultz said he doesn't spend a lot of time thinking about how Trump's presidency will impact Starbucks. He said the success of the coffee giant has been executing on strategy and building shareholder value, while balancing profit with "social impact." Schultz supported Democrat Hillary Clinton, and there was even speculation during the campaign that he was considering a presidential bid himself. In an interview on "Squawk Box," Schultz said there was a "lack of respect between the two parties" over the past year. "The dysfunction and the polarization we've seen for years hopefully is not going to continue. But what's been coming out so far is not as encouraging as one would hope," Schultz said, without elaborating. "[But] I don't think on any level that the brand or what we represent is at odds with the president-elect or his supporters," he did say. "Ninety million customers a week are going through Starbucks stores, and I assume many of them voted for Donald Trump." Addressing GOP businessman and Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone, who also appeared on "Squawk Box," Schultz said: "I would look forward to sitting down with you and others in a bipartisan way" to address the issue of inequality in America, "so we as business leaders can recognize that we can make a difference and address this issue and not wait for Washington." Schultz announced on Thursday he plans to give up the CEO post and become executive chairman in April. Starbucks President and COO Kevin Johnson will take over as chief executive from the 63-year-old Schultz, who said he's going to focus on turning the company's Reserve-branded coffee bars into destination restaurants. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is pictured on November 23, 2016 at the Palazzo Chigi in Rome. The Italian referendum is the current hot concern for investors, who are worrying and waiting to see if voters will reject government attempts to reform the country's political system. Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has staked his reputation and job on the outcome, arguing a change in the legislature will usher in a nimbler, more productive Italy. However some see the predicted rejection of Renzi's wishes as a potential opportunity for anti-European populist to gain momentum. Jan Randolph, Director of Sovereign Risk at IHS Markit said in an email Friday that worries over a potential European break-up can be measured by Europe's "fear gauge": The difference in yield between Italian and German debt. "The markets are certainly focusing on this 'spread' what we used to call in the old British banking days the 'country risk spread' as viewed by the financial markets," Randolph said. In recent weeks, the yield spread between Italian and German 10-year government bonds has risen by more than 60 points in 60 days. Last week the spread hit a two-and-a-half year high of 188 basis points, however Reuters reported Friday that investors may be short covering as the gap between Italian and German bond yields has narrowed to 167 basis points. Jan Randolph said any blow-out of Italian yields may well be prevented by the poker hand being played by European Central Bank President Mario Draghi's massive bond-buying program, which many analysts expect to be extended next year. "The ECB has deliberately kept its QE (quantitative easing) program both flexible and open-ended in the event that certain political risks crystalize this year," he said. However Randolph warned that a strong No vote from the Italian voters and a shift towards the populist 5-Star party may spike Italian debts to levels even beyond ECB control. "This would be really disturbing for EU leaders as it could open the prospects of a 5-Star stab at government with all the upheaval that would entail for the Euro and still higher Italian bond yield something even the ECB may find difficult to manage," he said. The headquarters of Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA, the oldest surviving bank in the world and Italy's third-largest bank. Italy is discussing with the European Commission the terms of a state bailout of ailing bank Monte dei Paschi that has already been requested and could be launched next week if needed, Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported on Friday. Italy's third-largest bank needs to raise 5 billion euros ($5.3 billion) by the end of the year to plug a capital shortfall identified by European Central Bank stress tests or face the risk of being wound down. Quoting sources with knowledge of the matter, Corriere said that Italy had already filed a request to launch a public recapitalization of Monte dei Paschi as early as next week. The newspaper reported that the Commission was willing to limit the burden on shareholders and subordinated bondholders and it was being discussed to what extent retail investors who held subordinated bonds could be spared. watch now A Mexican official from the city that just lost out on 1,000 jobs it expected to take from an Indiana Carrier plant says that Donald Trump is "telling the truth" when he rails against U.S. job losses. Jaime Garcia Astorga, secretary of economic development of Santa Catarina in the state of Nuevo Leon, told CNBC on Friday that "nobody" believed the president-elect was serious when he "made a lot of declarations" to voters about keeping U.S. jobs in the United States. Since Carrier agreed Thursday not to ship out some of those jobs, however, "this is a learning experience lesson for our city. This is a learning lesson for our state," said Garcia. Jaime Garcia Astorga Katie Slaman | CNBC "Mr. President Trump is telling the truth. I don't know if it is correct or not correct, but he is telling the truth," Garcia said. "And he is making the thing that he has promised." Trump flew out for an on-camera trip to a Carrier plant in Indianapolis on Thursday, where he touted a deal with Carrier parent United Technologies to keep open a plant there rather than move those operations to Mexico. "Companies are not going to leave the United States anymore without consequences," Trump said Thursday. "Not gonna happen." United Technologies may not be suffering any real consequences, however. A Carrier facility in Monterrey, Mexico. Katie Slaman | CNBC "We don't have the numbers yet, we don't know how much has been cut and we'll have to look at the compliance, but if all were to come true in terms of cuts, this would be negative for the market." "Shipping is a volume game, so higher OPEC production has supported the tanker rates over the past few years," Kapoor said. Earlier in the week, members of OPEC agreed to reduce oil production in order to reduce oversupply. The decision was great news for oil prices and commodity stocks, but may prove to be a big negative for the shipping tanker industry, according to Rahul Kapoor, director of Drewry Financial Research Services. The Baltic Dry Index (BDI), an indicator of the shipping rates for bulk commodities, climbed 50 percent over the course of November, but the OPEC deal to reduce oil production and other issues could prove harmful to the industry, according to experts. Following the announcement on Wednesday that an OPEC deal would be achieved, shares in several tanker companies fell. For instance, shares in Belgium-based crude oil shipping company Euronav have fallen around 9 percent since Wednesday morning, and shares in KNOT Offshore partners are down around 2.3 percent. Despite this, rates in the shipping industry have been improving in recent months. The BDI hit an all-time low of 290 in February, but has gradually recovered due to growing demand. The index shot up from around 830 at the start of November to around 1,200 points by the start of December. This movement was driven by the capesize segment of the BDI (these are the largest ships used for transporting coal and other raw materials), explained Kapoor. "That had a pretty big move, basically the rates went up from around $5,000 (per day to hire a vessel) to all the way up to $15,000 to $18,000. That's why the move in the Baltic Dry Index looks very amplified," he told CNBC during a phone interview. Shipping rates have been recovering for the last six months as China's economy stabilized, according to Kapoor. Year-to-date, the index is up around 150 percent. "At the start of the year, we were penciling in a very, very negative demand growth from China, but demand growth has been pretty good from the last few quarters." However, problems remain for shipping and rates are still historically low, according to Zvi Schreiber, CEO of freight rate database Freightos. "Despite the recent uptick in maritime prices, overcapacity continues to impact carriers; 2016 prices were close to 50 percent lower than 2014 ocean prices," he told CNBC via email. Market consolidation, such as Moller-Maersk's announcement this week about buying the German shipping line Hamburg Sud, may not be enough to improve rates. "Acquisitions by the carriers with large enough war chests to weather the storm is inevitable but fewer ship owners doesn't mean fewer ships or less capacity. It may bring a brief respite but the underlying overcapacity has not changed and is in fact getting worse," Schreiber said. Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. As Donald Trump held a victory lap touting a decision by Carrier to keep an Indianapolis plant open rather than move the facility to Mexico, workers at another of the company's Indiana plants said they are still losing their jobs. Around 700 jobs will be lost when Electronic Controls moves to Mexico sometime in 2018, workers told NBC News. CNBC confirmed Thursday that the company still plans to close the Huntington plant and move it to Mexico. More from NBC News: White House: women should register for military draft Trump pledges 'America First' in speech on victory tour Trump Gen. James 'Mad Dog' Mattis asSecretary of Defense "What about our jobs in Huntington," read a sign carried by Bob Breedlove, 60, who has worked at the facility for 11 years and was told layoffs will begin sometime in 2017. Breedlove voted for Trump. "I still support him, I'm glad he is able to save some jobs," he said of the Indianapolis deal. "Obviously, I wish he would be able to save ours also." The deal to keep the Carrier plant in Indianapolis was visually an early success for Trump, who has made keeping jobs in the United States a central part of his campaign. The decision is expected to keep nearly 1,000 jobs in the U.S. "Companies are not going to leave the United States anymore without consequences. Not gonna happen," Trump said in Indianapolis Thursday. He pledged to work to lower business taxes as part of a plan to keep businesses in the U.S. The air-conditioning manufacturer had planned to move production at its Indianapolis plant to Mexico, where operations would be cheaper, taking some 1,400 jobs out of the state. Under the deal worked out by the Trump administration which Vice President-elect Mike Pence took a leading role in shaping Carrier will keep about 1,000 of those jobs in the state. Carrier said the deal to keep its plant in Indianapolis involved Indiana offering the company "a $7 million package over multiple years, contingent upon factors including employment, job retention and capital investment." The company said in a statement Wednesday that "the incentives offered by the state were an important consideration." Carrier and UTEC are both owned by United Technologies. The union that represents workers at the Huntington plant did not return a request for comment Thursday. Huntington is city of around 37,000 a little more than 100 miles north of Indianapolis. News of the agreement with Carrier to keep the Indianapolis facility in the U.S. filled workers at the Huntington plant with hope that their jobs might be saved also, said Mike Harmon, a 7-year employee and business manager for the local International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 983. But calls to union leadership who contacted Carrier human resources returned gloomy news, he said. "Our plant's not going to be saved," Harmon said. "We want Trump to look at our plant, not to forget about us," said Harmon, who voted for the president-elect. "We feel like we've been forgotten, from the whole very beginning," Harmon said, adding that while Trump mentioned Carrier's Indianapolis plant on the campaign trail, he never heard Trump mention Huntington. But Harmon also said he agrees with some of Trump's pledges to work to keep companies in the U.S. "Trump put out a scare to the Carrier Corp.: If you want to take the jobs overseas we're gonna tariff you coming back I feel that that's a start," Harmon said. "To save a thousand jobs, I feel like is a good thing," he said. "Even though our jobs aren't being saved ... I'd like to see 1,700 jobs." Since 2000 the U.S. has lost around 5 million manufacturing jobs, and Indiana alone has lost about 150,000 factory jobs since 2000 to about 500,000, Reuters reported. Appearing on "All In With Chris Hayes" on Thursday night, Sen. Bernie Sanders said that what Trump promised on the campaign trail and had delivered were "very, very different." He suggested that it was "absurd ... that the taxpayers of this country have to subsidize multi-billion dollar corporations who are making huge profits in order to beg them to keep jobs in this country." Sanders added: "What he's doing now is saying to these corporations, 'well, it's OK for half of the jobs to go to Mexico where people will be paid three bucks an hour and for the other half, well, we're going to give a very profitable corporation ... a $7 million tax break in order to keep these jobs." Sanders said that United Technologies made $7 billion in profits last year and gave its CEO a $172 million golden parachute two years ago. He added: "United Technologies does not need a tax break. United Technologies today has $6 billion in defense contracts. And what Trump should tell them is, 'you're not getting a tax break, you're going to lose your defense contracts if you don't do the right thing and keep these workers, all of these workers, here in Indiana rather than sending half of those jobs to Mexico' ... What we should be saying is, 'We demand of you to be a patriotic corporation. No, you're not going to throw American workers out on the street and move to other countries and then expect your products to simply come back into the United States tariff-free, no. Don't expect that you're going to get huge defense contracts from the taxpayers of this country. We want you to be a good corporate citizen.'" Near the Indianapolis Carrier facility, workers at a Rexnord plant which is also slated to move to Mexico taking 300 jobs with it also wondered if Trump could intervene. "Do for us what you've done for Carrier," John Feltner, one of those to lose his job, said. "I know they say something about the Trump train I don't know what kind of train it is, but don't let it stop at Carrier," the father with two children in college said. "Keep on rolling. Get them all back." The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission will return to Nashville for its final scheduled meeting of 2016, on Friday, Dec. 9, at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agencys Region II Ray Bell Building in Nashville. The one-day meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Brad Miller, TWRA Region IV Elk program coordinator, will present an update on elk management issues. This will include topics such as feeding, collar efforts, meetings with university researchers and possible future research proposals. John McFadden, chief executive officer of the Tennessee Environmental Council, will give a short presentation on the council goals to plant or care for one million native trees in the state. Since 2007, the council has planted 150,000 trees. The third annual 50K Tree is scheduled for Feb. 25, 2017. The TWRA is one of the sponsors of the event. The recipient of the inaugural Robert M. Hatcher Ornithological Scholarship will be introduced to the commission. Megan Hart, a graduate student at Austin Peay State University, was presented the honor in August. The $1,000 scholarship is named in honor of Bob Hatcher, who served the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency for 38 years including serving as the Non-Game and Endangered Species Coordinator from 1987 until 2001. A whitetail deer recently harvested in Sumner County, could turn out to be a world record for a non-typical buck. TWRA Communications Manager Doug Markham will introduce the hunter, Stephen Tucker, who is scheduled to attend the meeting. TWRA Cpt. Dale Grandstaff, who measured the deers antlers, will also be in attendance. Outdoor Recreation Corporation of America (ORCA) has donated hundreds of coolers to the agencys outreach programs and wounded soldiers events. Recently, ORCA donated more than $200,000 worth of coolers to all agency wildlife officers, boating officers, wildlife managers, technicians, environmental services, and fisheries field staff with engineering staff set to receive coolers in the near future. ORCA owner Cliff Walker will be recognized at the meeting for his contributions. The public is invited to attend the meeting. Jacopo Landi | NurPhoto via Getty Images Dovish words from the European Central Bank (ECB) this week have fueled speculation of more accommodative monetary policy if Italians reject constitutional reforms this weekend, but one economist has told CNBC that it might not be that simple. "The market believes that we are basically in for QE (quantitative easing) infinity in Europe and that might be a stretch of the imagination," said Elga Bartsch, Morgan Stanley's global co-head of economics. While the Morgan Stanley economist acknowledged the rhetoric emanating from ECB President Mario Draghi this week arguably did imply there could be a so-called "Draghi put" in the case of a "no"vote in the referendum, she also posited that this view was somewhat simplistic. "There was strong communication from him (Draghi) and a number of executive board members at the ECB, but at the same time, the views of the broader council and among the national central bank governors seem to be a little bit more mixed," she explained. "For instance, the debate as to whether instead of extending by six months at 80 billion (euros), just to do nine months of 60 billion (euros) doesn't really want to go away," Bartsch noted. A Draghi put? The expectation of a "Draghi put" in other words, the ECB stepping into counter market volatility in the aftermath of a potential "no" vote in the Italian referendum by unveiling further monetary easing measures rose following a speech by the president on Wednesday in which he said the bank will look at a combination of policy tools at its next meeting on December 8. Indeed a majority of economists polled by Reuters in data released Friday morning said they expected to see a six-month extension to the ECB's QE program announced next week with the size of the central bank's monthly asset purchases left unchanged. However, Bartsch argues that the market is unlikely to move dramatically in the case of the "no" camp coming out ahead in the referendum as that is currently widely regarded as the most likely outcome. In her words, "The bad news is already baked into most people's macroeconomic baselines including ours." Yet, while the economist believes the market may have already adjusted for Italy's upcoming referendum, she is less sanguine about its preparedness for the complete series of upcoming political events the referendum plus next year's French presidential election and German general election which she refers to as a"political triple jump". Describing the combination of these events as a "big risk", Bartsch says she anticipates further disruption as they play out. "I don't think we have seen peak protests yet and globalization potentially is at risk and I think that could potentially be very negative for productivity trends and businesses globally," she warned. Banking risks watch now Meanwhile, the risks to the beleaguered Italian banking sector in the case of a "no" vote were highlighted on Thursday by both the country's economy minister and credit rating agency DBRS. Italy's Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan told state broadcaster RAI that while the country's banking industry was "solid", eight lenders remain in a delicate position. Among those, he warned that (BMPS) which is looking to raise 5 billion euros ($5.3 billion) before year end in order to fill a capital shortfall will face more of a challenge to do so if the referendum is voted down. This as DBRS said a "yes" vote in the referendum would hand Prime Minister Matteo Renzi an effective mandate to continue with his economic reform agenda and would be the best outcome for Italy from a credit perspective. Indeed, DBRS's Co-Head of Sovereign Ratings, Fergus McCormick, spelled out to Reuters the potentially dangerous implications of the alternative scenario. "If the referendum is defeated by a very wide margin, and then snap elections are called, this raises the political uncertainty...we are concerned about investor sentiment in this environment," he cautioned. Michigan board deadlocks, removes recount hurdle watch now Michigan's elections board has deadlocked on President-elect Donald Trump's request to prevent a recount, which means it will start next week unless the courts intervene. Two Republicans voted Friday to prevent the recount, while two Democrats said it should proceed. A state spokesman says the statewide recount requested by Green Party candidate Jill Stein will begin Tuesday or Wednesday barring a court order. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, a Republican, asked the state Supreme Court on Friday to intervene and stop the recount. That motion is pending. A Wisconsin recount is underway, though his supporters have filed a federal lawsuit trying to stop in. In Pennsylvania, Trump is asking a court to dismiss Stein's recount request. Trump, PA Republicans ask for recount dismissal Trump's margin of victory in Pennsylvania is shrinking as more counties finish tallying their votes. An updated count Friday by state election officials shows Trump's lead over Democrat Hillary Clinton has shrunk to 49,000, from 71,000. That puts Trump's lead at 0.8 percent, down from over 1 percent, out of 6 million votes cast. It's still shy of Pennsylvania's 0.5 percent trigger for an automatic statewide recount. Trump's Pennsylvania victory was crucial to his capturing the White House. Trump's lead in Pennsylvania dropped as counties wrapped up the counting of overseas ballots and settled provisional ballot challenges. Some counties are also fielding precinct recount requests, and final counts are outstanding in some places, including Philadelphia. Trump and the Pennsylvania Republican Party have asked a court to dismiss the Green Party-backed request for a recount of the state's presidential election vote. In a filing late Thursday, Republican lawyers accused Stein of legal antics that threaten Pennsylvania's ability to certify its presidential electors by the Dec. 13 federal deadline. A Monday court hearing is scheduled in the case. The GOP argues there's no evidence or even allegations that the state's voting systems were tampered with and that the law doesn't specifically allow a court-ordered recount. Trump supporters try to stop Wisconsin recount A federal court in Wisconsin on Friday rejected an attempt by pro-Trump groups to stop a recount of the state's presidential vote, saying there was no harm in allowing it to continue. Two pro-Trump political action committees and a Wisconsin voter on Thursday filed a lawsuit and a request for a temporary restraining order seeking to stop the recount, arguing that it was an unconstitutional violation of the Constitutional rights of people who had voted for Trump. watch now We all hope to get our version of "The Deal", and The Deal is this: If you do what's expected, you'll get what you expect. A job. Economic security. The ability to support a family, if you choose to have one. I took my Deal when I was 21. I barely graduated high school, no one on either side of my family had ever earned a four-year degree, and nearly everyone I knewcertainly my parents and my aunts and unclesalways struggled to make ends meet. And I didn't want to live like my family. I didn't want to eat government cheese. I didn't want to coordinate my kids' back to school shopping with the Kmart Blue Light Special. I didn't want Nikes to seem like an exotic luxury. I didn't want to buy my cars from dealerships with "Buy Here, Pay Here" written in soap on the windows of car-colored 6-year-old Toyota Camrys. (An ex-boss once explained to me what a car-colored car was. It's a shade of purple you would only see on a late model Toyota Camry. It does not appear in nature, and no one would ever wear clothes in one of those shades. It's a car-color.) So I tried to get my Deal. I went to college. I worked hard. I didn't buy a $500,000 home when our household income was less than $50,000. And I assumed - and continue to assume - if I adhere to the terms of a subconsciously imagined deal, my family and I will be okay. In other words, because I've done what's expected, I'll get what I'm expecting. Except a lot of people are learning that it doesn't always work like that. Tennessee American Water has awarded a $500 grant to the West Valley Volunteer Fire Department in Marion County. The grant is part of Tennessee American Waters new Firefighting Support program to provide financial assistance to uniformed, professional and volunteer fire departments. This years wildfires are a reminder of the importance of our firefighters, said Tennessee American Waters Sequatchie Valley Supervisor Michael Griffith. The grant program helps our first responders to have the tools and training they need to be ready to protect our communities. West Valley Volunteer Fire Department will use the grant for an upgrade of their current training room. Eligible grants were awarded to cover the costs associated with the following: Personal protective gear Communications equipment Firefighting tools Water handling equipment, or Training and related activities/materials used to support community fire protection (Reimbursement for specific fire training classes, including training manuals and workbooks, is eligible) The Italian referendum has been hogging the headlines, but there is another crucial vote in Europe this weekend: in Austria. Voters will head to the polls this Sunday to pick a president and the choice is between a Green politician and a far-right populist candidate from Freedom party, which was formed by former Nazis in the 1950s. Polls have given a small lead to the right-wing candidate, Norbet Hofer, over the Green nominee Alexander Van der Bellen, raising fears that Austria might become the first European country with a far-right leader since the Second World War. Sunday's election is important "because Austria would be the first core euro zone country with a populist president. It would also be another wake-up call for Germany as it would show them that populists can win, and that more or less close to home," Carsten Brzeski, chief European economist at ING Germany told CNBC via email. Investors may have been distracted by Italian referendum -- and the threat that a no vote could lead to snap elections and further shocks to the country's banking system --but analysts believe we should sit up and take notice of Austria. "Austria is a small country. Italy is a big one." But they have "equally problematic politics," Peter Dixon, economist at Commerzbank, told CNBC over the phone. Brzeski added that "markets are focusing on the size of the economy and the potential for drama totally overlook(ing) the symbolic effect, the Austrian elections could have." At first, Donald Trump's election had the market buying up defense contractor stocks, but the Carrier deal has led some to wonder whether those companies might actually face rising scrutiny from the new administration. Trump was involved in negotiating an agreement to keep about 1,000 jobs in Indiana in exchange for $7 million in tax incentives from the state over 10 years. But it was actually fear that Carrier's parent company might lose its contracts with the federal government that sealed the deal, John Mutz, a former Indiana lieutenant governor who sits on the board that offered the tax breaks, told Politico and others. United Technologies, which owns Carrier, did not immediately respond to CNBC's requests for comment. In addition to selling air conditioners to U.S. homeowners, United Technologies also sells billions in jet engines, helicopter components and many other goods and services to the federal government. Those transactions amount to about 12 percent of the company's annual revenue. And that's on the small side some other big defense contractors rely on government contracts for more than half their sales. Ret. Gen. James Mattis, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Defense secretary, has ties to General Dynamics that may raise conflict questions. The retired Marine Corps former four-star general has received stock and option awards as a board member of General Dynamics since August 2013. In 2015, those equity awards exceeded $140,000 in value, and the prior year they topped $112,000. There's also cash compensation given to the board members. To avoid conflicts, analysts say Mattis will likely be required to put any defense-related holdings in a blind trust or sell them outright. Moreover, he would want to guard against the appearance of conflicts and remove himself on any dealings involving the Virginia-based company. "He would have to resign the board and do something about any holdings to avoid any conflicts of interest," Cowen analyst Roman Schweizer said Friday. "But that's pretty standard for anyone going into U.S. government, and would include any other defense-related holding in his case." General Dynamics declined to comment. The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to CNBC requests for comment. Mattis could not be immediately located for comment through General Dynamics or through the Hoover Institution, where he has been a visiting fellow. Experts say it's not unusual for high-level executives at defense companies to serve in senior positions in the Pentagon. They noted that that Mattis served in the military for some 44 years, retiring in 2013, and spent just a few years in the private sector at a defense contractor. Candidate Trump pledged to add more ships, aircraft and troops to the military. Industry analysts have suggested that adding more active-duty troops in the Army and Marine Corps would be good news for munitions companies such as General Dynamics and Orbital ATK . At the same time, the troop expansion is seen as positive for missile makers such as Boeing , Lockheed Martin and Raytheon . A former Army Special Forces officer is accusing retired Marine General James Mattis, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to be defense secretary, of "leaving my men to die" after they were hit by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2001. Mattis has not commented publicly on the incident, which was chronicled in a 2011 New York Times bestselling book, "The Only Thing Worthy Dying For," by Eric Blehm, which portrays Mattis as stubbornly unwilling to help the Green Berets. More from NBC News: Campaign aides shout it out in post-election 'Clown Of Aleppo,' who brought joy to Syrian kids, killed by airstrike ISIS fighters returning from Iraq, Syria may unleash Europe attacks: cops His actions, which were not formally investigated at the time, are now likely to get far more scrutiny during the retired general's Senate confirmation process. Trump's transition team did not respond to request for comment from NBC News. Mattis, whose 2013 retirement from the military means he would need a waiver from Congress to serve as the civilian Pentagon chief, did not respond to a request for comment from NBC News. Mattis is a highly decorated former wartime commander who became famous for leading the 1st Marine Division's lightning fast movement into Baghdad during the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. On December 5, 2001, as the wreckage of the twin towers still smoldered in lower Manhattan, a team of Army Green Berets accompanying Hamid Karzai, the future president of Afghanistan, was hit by a U.S. smart bomb in a case of friendly fire. Two American soldiers died instantly and a third was badly wounded. He would later die. Dozens of Afghans also were killed, and the CIA officer who now runs the agency's spying arm protected Karzai with his body. Mattis, then a brigadier general commanding a nearby group of Marines, refused repeated requests to send helicopters to rescue the Green Berets, people involved in the operation tell NBC News. The helicopters under Mattis' command at Camp Rhino were about 45 minutes away, according to the book. And, as commander, Mattis had final approval for the decision not to dispatch a rescue mission from there. "He was indecisive and betrayed his duty to us, leaving my men to die during the golden hour when he could have reached us," Jason Amerine, who led the Army special forces operation as a captain, said in a Facebook post Friday morning. "Every element in Afghanistan tried to help us except the closest friendly unit, commanded by Mattis," added Amerine, who retired as a lieutenant colonel and made news in recent years as a prominent critic of the Obama administration's hostage policies. The General Motors Building in New York City Getty Images In the United States a quiet financial revolution is going on under the radar of the public eye. It's the rise of Islamic financial institutions ranging from small community banks in the Midwest to nationwide investment banks and brokerage firms. The issue has gained attention during the heated U.S. presidential election season after both candidates were suspected of dealing with Islamic banks that fund terrorism. While investigations proved these claims false, it put the spotlight on this fast-growing financial network. Inquests revealed that a Washington, D.C., lobbying group with close ties to Hillary Clinton was paid by a Bengali bank tied to terrorism. In addition, it was found that the Donald Trump real estate organization rented New York office space to Bank Melli, an Iranian bank linked to terrorist groups and Iran's nuclear program, once it inherited it as a tenant after buying the GM Building on Fifth Ave. Islamic finance differs from conventional banking systems in that usury and speculation are prohibited. Transactions have to comply with Shariah, the legal code of Islam based on the Koran, and are based on principles of risk and profit-sharing. It prohibits taking interests on loans and funding any business involving products like alcohol, pork or gambling. Islamic banking is more risk adverse in its investment practices, typically avoiding business that could be associated with economic bubbles. Since 2000, Islamic banks have become a force to be reckoned with. "Islamic banks' capital grew from $200 billion in 2000 to close to $3 trillion in 2016," said Ibrahim A. Warde, professor of international business at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. This figure is expected to go up to $4 trillion in the 2020s. There are now more than 300 banks and 250 mutual funds around the world complying with Islamic principles. The institutions offer everything from mortgages and traditional loans to investment banking products, including Islamic bonds and equity funds. More from Global Investing Hot Spots: US companies positioning for Cuba's rising fortunes after Fidel Castro What the Arctic drilling freeze means for the US energy industry What has been fueling the sector's phenomenal growth is rising economies of Muslim countries that have benefited from rising oil prices over the last 16 years, solid investment decisions that Islamic banks have made by avoiding risky investment in bubble economies and increased Islamic devotion (not to be confused with terrorism or radicalization) among many Muslims. While the overall share of Islamic finance in the global financial system is only between 5 percent and 6 percent, it is a rapidly growing sector dominated by Iranian, Saudi and Malaysian financial institutions. According to a report by Ernst & Young, it will grow 19.7 percent annually through 2018. Yahia Abdul- Rahman, founder of American Finance House Lariba Goh Seng Chong | Bloomberg | Getty Images There are now about 25 Islamic financial institutions in the United States. The top three banks offering Islamic financial services in the United States in terms of asset size are The American Islamic Finance House, University Bank (through its subsidiary University Islamic Financial) and Harvard Islamic Finance Program. J.P. Morgan started offering Islamic banking services in 2013. Investment banks, like Standard Chartered Bank, provide Islamic banking products to clients in the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the United States. The bank aims to make Saadiq its Islamic banking division a leading global provider of Islamic banking in the Muslim world. The bank provides Islamic personal banking, Islamic priority banking and Islamic business banking services, among others. These banks are overseen by federal regulators such as the Federal Reserve System and must meet the specific state Department of Financial Institutions' requirements. watch now Take LARIBA Bank of Whittier, located in a suburb of Los Angeles, which is regulated by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Los Angeles Branch and the California State Department of Financial Institutions. Yahia Abdul-Rahman, a former vice president, took an early retirement from Citigroup in 2003 and transformed a local community bank into an Islamic bank operating according to Sharia law. Since then, the bank which provides residential and commercial real estate financing and business and trade finance has watched its assets triple to $10.6 million. Today its customers include Muslims, Christians and Jews who have private accounts. In addition to the principle of no profit on loans, the bank's success is credited to "serving the community and local immigrant entrepreneurs," according to CEO Abdul-Rahman. By offering low-cost financing, the bank often beats rivals, he explains, noting that the bank has a varied list of customers, including small businesses, local churches and synagogues, in addition to Islamic centers and schools. But one of the earliest pioneers is Saturna Capital, an investment advisor and fund-management company founded in 1989. It now manages more than $3.5 billion in assets that are invested in mutual funds consistent with Islamic finance principles. Sulaiman al Rajhi, Saudi billionaire and chairman of Al Rajhi bank, speaks during a news conference in Riyadh May 15, 2011. Fahad Shadeed | Reuters Islamic phobia in America has many market watchers concerned about the rise of Islamic banking stateside. Over the years, several major Islamic banks have been accused of terrorism funding. Most of it is funneled through charities and are hard to track. Among them is Saudi Al Rajhi Bank, founded in 1957 and with total current assets of $80 billion located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The bank which has no U.S. operations was linked by U.S. government reports, criminal and civil trials, and media stories to al-Qaeda and the 9/11 attacks. Three of the Saudi 9/11 hijackers had personal accounts at the bank. The Saudi Al Rajhi brothers started their business in the 1930s by changing money for pilgrims visiting the holy Islamic sites in Mecca and Medina. Later on, they diversified to other sectors, like real estate and construction. The flood of migrant workers to Saudi Arabia after the oil boom of 1973 enabled them to enter the lucrative money-transfer business from workers back to their countries. By 2011, Sulaiman, the wealthiest of the brothers, had $7.7 billion in personal wealth, making the Al Rajhi family the wealthiest Saudis outside of the royal family. While the Al Rajhi family has been known for its charitable social contributions, a raid in Bosnia on a Saudi-based charity in March 2002 uncovered a list of financial supporters of al-Qaeda. Allegedly, Sulaiman Al Rajhi was one of them. In the same month, a group of businesses and charities were raided in Virginia. These entities were associated with the SAAR foundation, another Al Rajhi charity accused of funding terrorism. A short time later the raided Virginia entities engaged in a legal battle with the U.S. government over the handover of their documents. Al Rajhi Bank sued The Wall Street Journal over a report implying the involvement of the bank in funding terrorism. It was also revealed that the bank provided banking services to three of the 9/11 hijackers, which was the subject of a civil case as well. As of today, the Treasury Department does not list the bank or the Al Rajhi family members as persons who fund terrorism. Transparency an issue Part of the confusion regarding the relationship between Islamic banks and funding terrorism comes from the fact that so little research has been conducted on the Islamic finance marketplace in the West. Last February four officials at the International Monetary Fund authored a paper on the issue. Among the paper's findings was that there are some issues related to Islamic finance. Most notably, challenges in providing transparency and some difficulty in tracking the money trail. The Financial Action Task Force that monitors the global financial system has counterparts in the Islamic Financial Services Board and Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions, organizations that have been established to promote and enhance the soundness of Islamic banks and to issue accounting and governance for them. Nevertheless, the four IMF officials concluded that "some specific features of Islamic finance could present vulnerabilities that require a different approach in the design of AML/CFT (anti-money laundering/ combating the financing of terrorism) regimes." Specifically, the nature of the relationship between the Islamic bank and its "customers" is at issue. "The partnership dimension may distort the institution/client relationship from an AML/CFT perspective and render more difficult the adequate fulfillment of obligations, such as ongoing customer due diligence or suspicious transaction reporting," states the paper. Consequently, some preventive procedures, like the reporting of clients' suspicious transactions, could be compromised because of a potential conflict of interest. "Second, in the event the client is a money launderer or a terrorist financier, the institution as its partner could be considered jointly liable for ML/TF," the paper concludes. Whittier Bank located in a suburb of Los Angeles Source: Whittier Bank A historical perspective Islamic banks are also exposed to serious risks in the management of high volume of Zakat and Sadaqat money, which are the Islamic tax on the rich and the money or assets given to the poor, respectively. Tufts University's Warde says that many of the accusations of funding terrorism come from indirect relationships connecting Islamic banks to charities using Zakat money, not the banks themselves. Some Afghans and Arabs who fought the Soviet Union during 1980s received funding from Islamic banks. Yet some of those evolved a decade later to join the Taliban and al-Qaeda. So while funding them earlier with Zakat money was considered legitimate, the funding indirectly went to finance terror and is associated with account holders whose names may appear on watch lists. In post-2011 wartorn Syria, nations of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, among others, funded many factions of the Free Syrian Army that fought against the dictatorship of Bashar al-Asad. Many charities in these countries collected money for those fighters. However, several factions of the Free Syrian Army most notably those with foreign fighters were rapidly radicalized after 2013 and joined terrorist groups like ISIS. In fact, this recruitment effort by ISIS for these factions was among the most important reasons for the rise of the terror organization in Syria. Again, while funding a certain group was considered legitimate a few years ago, it is no longer the case. Tired, yet still exuberant, they rested in the fourth week of the new dawn, undoubtedly a pause to refresh, the interlude perfectly timed to allow the neighbors across the pond to work out their issues, unsure if any result would continue to be a good result. And while top-line readings of the major domestic stock indices ended slightly lower on the week, trending down in orderly fashion, the list of surprises grew longer. It was a toss-up as to whether OPEC agreeing to a production cut was more of a shock than Vladimir Putin being the one who brokered the deal. Of course, it was no surprise at all that traders got caught short, violently reversing the commodity and the equities as well. Meanwhile, China, Europe yes even Italy and Spain, less so the U.K. and of course the U.S., seem to be experiencing an economic revival, albeit in varying degrees, some admittedly requiring a heart rate monitor to assess rapidity of pulse but nonetheless a reversal of economic apathy. This has led to a backup in sovereign yields, a concern of ours for many months, the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury breaching 2.5 percent before pulling back below 2.40 percent to end the week, in our estimation a head fake before an extended run to 3 percent over the next six-nine months. Consumer confidence remains high, investor confidence is strong, and the pall of negativism continuing to ebb, so evident in the retail sales figures on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, exceeding expectations leading to the biggest jump in the retail sector since 2011. Are we witness to a transition from the safe haven of a three-decade bull market in bonds into equities? Even before 1,000 jobs at Carrier were saved, before one piece of tax reform was drafted? Could be. Timing is everything and the rally we have seen is part President-elect Trump how else to explain the instantaneous response the day after the election and part the synchronized global economic recovery. And that means the week was about industrials, energy, materials and financials all the sectors that made investors cry out "loser" not that long ago. One of the greatest mysteries in the annals of NYC education is how I gained admission into Stuyvesant High School, an institution perennially ranked as one of the top schools in the country. It's not like I didn't get A's, I clearly remember both of them, but the one I am most proud of was my grade on an art project. Years before my more cultivated self emerged, I painted a large sheet of poster board all white and titled it "You Decide." Quick on my feet even back then, when queried, I told the teacher it was a white elephant in a snowstorm; to others it was something else. That's like the markets today, everyone sees something different depending upon what angle they are coming from. Value investors, despite the indices being only 2 percent higher than they were 18 months ago, and 7.4 percent year to date, are up double digits, while growth investors, the life of the party just a short time ago, are trailing as FANG stocks (Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google) have lost their bite and healthcare has yet to heal. It's astounding that financials are up 17 percent this year with all but 2 percent coming in the last month, and that some energy stocks bounced 20 percent in just one day, off an 8 percent pop in the commodity. That copper, driven by speculation in China and algorithmic trading, incorrectly thought by some to be a minor factor in non-equity markets, would have such violent moves. It obviously isn't all a result of a relatively slowly improving economy and a Fed that is further behind the curve than a steroid free Barry Bonds. But be that as it may, it is the back up in rates that may ultimately cause concern. The rate of change is the issue, but it has to keep going at the same rate because each spike that has been sustained at this rate has presaged a recession. Take a look at the chart below, which shows the spread between the 10-year U.S. Treasury and Fed Funds rates. The shaded areas are recessions. We aren't close, but I'd look for at least three hikes next year just to catch up. 10-year U.S. Treasury vs Fed Funds rates For now, though, it is smooth sailing and I like equities; the U.S. remains the default market of choice and that's not likely to change. Sure there are values to be found in other developed markets such as Europe but take it from me, it's not worth it to work that hard. I tried and one election is enough to deal with. After we get through Italy and the threat of Renzi's resignation, we have France, Germany, Austria and so on. Forget emerging markets not with the dollar likely to further strengthen. At some point reality may hit, but what if the academics are wrong and everything bad about supposed protectionism is actually a strength that puts us in the driver's seat, makes us more profitable and so on? Let's see how it plays out but first...don't worry, be happy. (Mr. Weiss is the managing partner of Short Hills Capital Partners, a hedge fund advisory firm and asset manager primarily established to invest on behalf of one of the industry's most successful hedge fund managers. He has held senior management positions at SAC Capital, Salomon Brothers, Lehman Brothers and MSW Asset Management. He is the author of two investment books and a novel, is a visiting teaching fellow at UNC's graduate business school, Kenan-Flagler, and a CNBC contributor appearing regularly on "The Halftime Report.") Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images French President Francois Hollande waits for a guest on the steps of the Elysee Palace after a meeting in Paris, September 9, 2014. Francois Hollande's surprise announcement that he would not run for a second term as President of France has increased political uncertainty in the euro zone's second largest economy. The decision came as political parties are gearing up for a decisive election where populism, terrorism and economic issues are set to be the main talking points. "The announcement by President Francois Hollande on 1 December that he will not run for re-election in 2017 will have a limited impact on the left's chances of retaining power," said Antonio Barroso, deputy director of research at Teneo Intelligence in a note. Hollande's withdrawal means the socialist party has a vacancy to fill. At the moment there are seven candidates fighting for that position and Prime Minister Manuel Valls may be preparing a bid. Polls suggest that Valls and former Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg are the most likely candidates to represent the Socialists in the presidential election. "The vote is going to be horribly spilt within the socialist party when we come to the primaries," David Marsh, managing director of OMFIF, told CNBC on Friday. However, analysts believe that it doesn't really matter who will represent Hollande's party. The center-left candidate will have to deal with Hollande's legacy a failure to bring down unemployment and revive the country's economy a divided party and an electorate concerned with security after several terrorist attacks. Both a "yes" or a "no" vote in Italy's referendum on constitutional reform this Sunday could equal a positive outcome for the country's populist Five Star Movement, one analyst argued on CNBC's Street Signs. Weighing up the different options, "the yes vote is a harbinger of risk," Christopher Granville, managing director at Trusted Sources Lombard, said. The reform proposes a situation in which the "lower house of parliament can get outright power in a centralized system, because local governments would be downgraded as well," Granville explained. He added that this would be "paradoxical" for the Five Star Movement. While Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's power which is wedded to the reform's acceptance by the Italian electorate would be cemented, the country would establish "a system where a challenger could win outright power in the Italian state and take Italy out of the euro." The Five Star Movement advocates a "no" vote, upon which Renzi has vowed to step down from his role. "I wonder if that's a short sighted tactic on their part," Granville suggested. Donald Trump's words as president-elect matter a great deal now because those words suggest future policy decisions. Mr. Trump's words as president will matter far more because those words will reveal real-time policy thinking with real-time consequences. Mr. Trump's forum of choice is Twitter, which limits individual messages to 140 characters. That means what is being transmitted is headlines, signals, teases, but no substantive detail. Those mini-pronouncements lead to speculation by the press and the public sometimes contradictory speculation about what exactly the president has planned. Does the law require that the president say more, given the weight of his every word? No and nor should it. Presidents prize the opportunity to speak to the American people without the filter of the media. Nothing requires our leader to take that opportunity only after crafting a white paper or preparing a fireside chat on the subject at hand. What could change Trump's ability to tweet, however, is the equipment he's given by the White House IT staff phones, computers, etc. President Obama famously told Jimmy Fallon in a summer interview that he was upgraded to a smartphone that was "state of the art" but due to national security concerns, they had disabled the ability to text and make phone calls. (His BlackBerry did have limited email capability.) "So basically, it's like does your three-year-old have one of those play phones?" Obama quipped. Obama was the first president to actually use social media, creating a huge stir when he sent his first tweet from @POTUS a few years ago, but presumably much of that was done by staff members not directly from him or his phone. Trump has said in interviews that he will be "very restrained" if he uses Twitter at all during his presidency. If he does continue tweeting when he is president, there is benefit to the president restricting himself to 140 characters in communicating with the people about things that are on the top of his mind. Mr. Trump's deftly crafted and spontaneous messages inevitably trigger a response from friend, foe, and neutral alike. Through such robust engagement, the broader public has the opportunity to fill in the blanks in the president's skeletal statements, shaping what may be the earliest draft of policy. That's all to the good. That's democracy. We may have seen a benign model of how this will work in the Trump era in Mr. Trump's statement about how he intends to address conflicts of interest that may arise between the office he will soon hold and his extensive business holdings. The tweet gave few details, but alerted the public more would be disclosed a few days later at a press conference. In that days-long gap came suggestions, even from the mostly dormant Twitter account of the Office of Government Ethics, the propriety of which sparked a round of debate of its own. And yet what the law does not prohibit, prudence may discourage. Spontaneous utterances that suggest a shaky grasp of the limits of presidential authority, for example, may create unrealistic public expectations or a decline in public confidence. Comments about pending legal proceedings may affect the administration of justice. Unguarded observations about world leaders may temporarily disrupt American interests. These risks, however, have been part of the presidency since the beginning of the republic. Technically, there are no legal limits on the president's use of social media beyond those that limit his communication in any other form or forum, such as his duty to safeguard the nation's secrets. The global reach of social media does not change that. President Theodore Roosevelt famously celebrated the "bully pulpit" the office of the presidency gives its occupant to speak consequentially on any matter. There are nonetheless limits on how much immediate impact even a president's words may have, whether to distract attention or inspire action. A diligent press, an informed citizenry, and two co-equal branches of government are the most important of these checks. The hope that the coming stream of Oval Office tweets results in a more engaged public outweighs the fear that it will result in a soiled American image. That will all come down to content. The magnitude of success that Mr. Trump achieves in his presidency may depend on it. During this holiday season, Blood Assurance is asking the community to consider scheduling an appointment to donate blood. Whole blood donations have a shelf life of 42 days, meaning the blood must be used during this time frame; therefore, blood donors are continuously needed to maintain a substantial supply to local hospitals serviced by Blood Assurance. Once an individual makes a blood donation, they have eight weeks until they are able to donate again. However, during the holiday season, blood donations are historically low due to travel and family gatherings, while the utilization of blood and blood products is higher due to an increase in trauma incidents. "We are incredibly grateful to each and every blood donor who answers the call to donate blood and helps us meet the needs of local hospital patients," said Mindy Quinn, marketing manager for Blood Assurance. "The need for blood is constant; however, it is often increased during the holidays and must be replenished by those of us in the community who are able to donate. We encourage everyone to stop by a Blood Assurance donor center or bloodmobile during the already busy holiday months to help save lives in the community." Blood Assurance also encourages the community to consider donating platelets at their local blood donor center. Donating platelets feels much like a whole blood donation. The blood is taken from one arm and channeled through a sterile, disposable kit that is placed in a special machine. The machine separates the blood into different components, the needed part is taken out and the rest of the blood is returned to the donor. The entire platelet donation process takes 45 to 90 minutes. Platelets are used by the following patients: * Patients who experience trauma * Patients who experience bleeding during surgery * Patients with aplastic anemia * Transplant recipients * Patients with leukemia * Patients receiving treatment for cancer In December, blood donors will also have the opportunity to put a holiday gift in the hands of patients at the Children's Hospital at Erlanger with coloring books and crayons to be donated for each blood donation received. Blood Assurance currently needs more than 540 volunteer blood donors each day in order to adequately supply the demand from local hospitals for the patients in need. To be eligible to donate blood, you must be at least 18 years old (17 and 16 years old with parental consent), weigh 110 pounds or more and be in good health. Donors are asked to drink plenty of fluids - avoiding caffeine - and eat a meal that is rich in iron prior to donating. Blood donors are not required to make an appointment prior to donating. For more information on Blood Assurance, donating blood or hosting a blood drive, please call 1-800-962-0628. The man selected for the post of Commerce secretary by President-elect Donald Trump is going to be great for the United States, according to a managing director at Wilbur Ross's investment firm. Shaia Hosseinzadeh, head of energy and natural resources at WL Ross & Co, had only supportive words for the incoming president's cabinet pick. "We all are very excited, Wilbur has been a tremendous force in our business and has been a great mentor to many of us and he's going to be great for the country," said Hosseinzadeh. The Onondaga County Medical Society (OCMS) has installed Dr. Mary Abdulky as its 189th president. The installation was part of the Medical Societys annual dinner meeting held Nov. 10 at the Holiday Inn Syracuse-Liverpool at 441 Electronics Parkway in Salina. (Photo provided by the Onondaga County Medical Society) SALINA, N.Y. The Onondaga County Medical Society (OCMS) has installed Dr. Mary Abdulky as its 189th president. The installation was part of the Medical Societys annual dinner meeting held Nov. 10 at the Holiday Inn Syracuse-Liverpool-Exit 37 at 441 Electronics Parkway in Salina. Abdulky succeeds Dr. Richard Beers in that role, the organization said in a news release issued Tuesday. The event also included the installation of other executive-council officers, including Dr. Dan Vick, president-elect; Dr. Michael Sheehan, VP; Dr. Sandra Sulik, treasurer; and Dr. Riya Chacko, secretary. Awards The Medical Society also presented several awards during its annual dinner. The organization honored Dr. Robert Weisenthal with the Distinguished Service Award for his significant achievements in ophthalmological medicine and service to the Central New York community. It also recognized Dr. Kevin Walsh with its Physician Service to the Medical Society honor for his selfless service as chairman of the workers-compensation committee. The organization presented Dr. Brian Johnson its Physician Service to the Community award for his service to the community in the field of addiction medicine and educational outreach on that topic. The Medical Society also honored Louis Neuburger, Jr. with its Individual Service to Medical Care award for his corporate career of long service to physicians in medical-liability insurance for physicians and his emergency medical services voluntary service. It presented Mary Beth Colbert with the Individual Service to Medical Care award for her volunteer efforts in rheumatology and Lupus organizations. The organization also recognized ACR Health of Syracuse with its Community Organization Service to Medical Care award for public education and hands-on teaching of overdose identification and the correct administration of Narcan. The Medical Society honored the Camillus Police Department with the Community Organization Service to Medical Care award for the departments efforts in fighting the drug-addiction crisis in its community. It also presented Dr. Patricia Randall with the Commendable Service by a Retired Physician award for her volunteer efforts in her community. In addition, the organization gave Joan Cincotta the Alliance Service Award and Carolyn Fischi the Alliance Community Service Award. The Medical Society also presented the Jerry Hoffman Advocacy Award to Dr. Dennis Nave for his pro-physician advocacy and his crucial role in fostering collaboration between the local labor movement and the physician community, per the release. Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com Visual Credit: WRVO Twitter page OSWEGO, N.Y. WRVO Public Media has expanded its broadcast network with the addition of two new signals serving the city of Rome and western Madison County. One is a translator heard at 92.3 FM in Rome, which is located on the Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) Rome campus along Floyd Avenue, near the Griffiss Business and Technology Park. The second signal serves the Madison County town of Fenner and is heard at 90.5 FM. WMVQ, a full-time FM station, serves portions of western Madison and eastern Onondaga counties including the communities of Cazenovia, Chittenango and Canastota. The new signals seek to provide clearer reception for many listeners, Michael Ameigh, general manager of WRVO Public Media, said in a news release. These new signals reach into communities that either did not receive WRVO previously or experienced weak coverage. Many listeners in Oneida, Madison and Lewis counties are now able to receive WRVO reliably for the first time, said Ameigh. Oswegobased WRVOs radio network across the region attracts one of the largest radio audiences in upstate New York, according to Ameigh. Recent independent surveys estimate WRVOs weekly audience at approximately 90,000 individual listeners making our network one of the most successful public-radio services in the country, Ameigh says. Expanding our reach is critical to attracting listeners to support WRVOs public mission. Ameigh cites Nielsen Audio for the figure on weekly audience of individual listeners. Columbia, Marylandbased Neilsen Audio describes itself as the definitive source for comprehensive radio metrics and insights, according to its website. The WRVO transmitter at MVCC is the latest for the public broadcaster on regional college campuses. In addition to that transmitter, WRVO also broadcasts programming on WRVN 91.9 FM at the SUNY Polytechnic campus in Utica; on WRVD 90.3 FM at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse; and on WRVO 89.9 FM at SUNY Oswego, the home of its flagship transmitter, broadcast studios, and administrative offices. WRVO also has part-time signal availability on WRCU 90.1 FM at Colgate University in Hamilton and on WSUC 90.5 FM at SUNY Cortland in Cortland. It also transmits on WRVH 89.3 FM in Clayton and on WRVJ 91.7 FM in Watertown, according to the WRVO website. Full-time low-power WRVO-FM repeaters are also located in Geneva at 90.7 FM; in Ithaca at 92.5 FM and 104.5 FM; and in Norwich at 89.9 FM, its website says. Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com Brig. Gen. Alexander Macomb is remembered for his heroics during the Sept. 11, 1814, Battle of Plattsburgh, which is also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain. The Battle of Plattsburgh, in New York, is also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain. The U.S. victory there helped halt British efforts at retaking its former colony. The unique congressional gold medal presented to Brig. Gen. Alexander Macomb by President James Madison for his heroics during the Battle of Plattsburgh in 1814 highlights Fritz Rudolph Kunkers Feb. 2 auction in Berlin. A unique congressional gold medal presented to an American hero of the War of 1812 highlights a German auction in February. Fritz Rudolph Kunker on Feb. 2 in Berlin will offer the congressional gold medal presented to Brig. Gen. Alexander Macomb for his heroics during the Sept. 11, 1814, Battle of Plattsburgh, also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain. The victory there ended the final invasion of the northern states of the United States during the War of 1812, and with the Battle of Baltimore the next day, helped usher in the peace that came three months later when the Treaty of Ghent was finally signed. Connect with Coin World: Sign up for our free eNewsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Macomb, together with 1,500 soldiers and some militia members, successfully resisted English Gen. George Prevost and his 10,531 men near Plattsburgh, N.Y. This medal was presented to Macomb by President James Madison, according to Kunker. It was authorized by a Nov. 3, 1814, congressional resolution, and Macomb was one of 27 men to receive the congressional gold medal for their service during the War of 1812. The medal came out of a Swiss branch of the Macomb Family and was kept for a long time in a castle in Geneva, according to Ulrich Kunker, head of the auction firm. Susan Watts Macomb (1849 to 1928) was a direct heir of the hero of Plattsburgh, by marriage. The medal passed into the possession of the Grand dHauteville noble family. The medal is cataloged as Julian-MI-16 by R. W. Julian in Medals of the United States Mint, the First Century, 17921892. Its obverse shows a bust of Macomb facing right, with his name surrounding, the shortened name of engraver Moritz Furst below. The reverse depicts a battle scene on the Saranac River and Lake Champlain, along with inscriptions related to the honor, the battle name and date, and the engravers name. It measures 65 millimeters in diameter. The medal offered by Kunker is a high-class historical testimony recalling one of the pivotal moments in American history, the firm said. This medal is graded Extremely Fine to Fleur-de-coin (Proof), and has an estimate of 150,000 ($159,702 U.S.). Associates at Life Care Center of Red Bank were recognized on Nov. 18 for 2016 Nursing Home Caregiver Appreciation Day. Tennessee designated the day to honor nursing home workers across the state, and Life Care Center of Red Bank used the opportunity to host a reception for associates and present its own Caregiver of the Year Award. It takes dedication and compassion to work in a skilled nursing facility, said Sherry Broom, executive director. This years theme was Caregiving Heroes, and our associates are truly heroes. They make a real difference in our residents lives every single day. The Caregiver of the Year for 2016 was Ana Lina Jumamil, who has worked as a nurse at the skilled nursing and rehab center for more than six years. She was praised for her excellent clinical skills, supervisory skills and attention to detail. Ana Lina goes out of her way to provide special individualized care to her patients, said Broom. She comes to the facility on her time off to provide individual residents with special loving attention for events such as birthdays. She is focused and driven to succeed. She is a positive influence on those around her. More than 30,000 men and women provide care for elderly and/or disabled patients in Tennessees nursing homes. From nurses and social workers to cooks and housekeepers, nursing home employees work together to ensure that each resident receives the highest quality of care possible. For more information, please call 423-877-1155. Dennis Gates and new-look Mizzou basketball ready for introduction It's been an offseason filled with change for Missouri basketball. Now, Dennis Gates and company are ready to get the games underway Doug Berry, vice president for economic development, will speak at the quarterly Food for Thought membership luncheon on Thursday, Dec. 15, at noon at the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Berry will talk about progress on a variety of economic development projects, the general economic health of Cleveland and Bradley County, as well as development of the community's newest industrial park, Spring Branch. "Since joining the Chamber of Commerce in 2009, Mr. Berry has focused on growing existing industry in Cleveland and Bradley County and in pursuing those projects that will enhance the employment opportunities for the citizens of our community. "Successful projects in the seven years he has been with the Chamber of Commerce include 19 existing industry expansions and two new locations. Among the projects are Whirlpool Corporation, Duracell, and Mars Chocolate North America, along with projects at Olin Corporation, Lonza, and Polartec Tennessee Manufacturing. He was also the communitys lead contact on the Amazon project. These projects, and others, have translated to over $700 million in new capital investment and continue to place our community at the top of economic growth in our region," officials said. The fourth-quarter Food for Thought Dutch-treat luncheon will take place in the Chambers conference center, with reservations required to facilitate room setup and food. Call the Chamber at 423-472-6587 to make your reservation or visit the events calendar on the Chambers website, www.clevelandchamber.com, by Tuesday, Dec. 13. The Fort Oglethorpe Pet Wellness Center will open on Dec. 13 as the third partnership clinic for the Chattanooga Veterinary Network. "The Fort Oglethorpe Pet Wellness Center and the Chattanooga Veterinary Network was designed to foster a deeper connection between pet owners and the veterinarians that they entrust to care for their furry family members," officials said. "The Fort Oglethorpe Pet Wellness Center will be under the direction of Dr. Joe Martin, a veteran of the Chattanooga Veterinary community for over 15 years. Dr. Martin is passionate about providing top quality care and establishing a relationship with the North Georgia community."Chattanooga Veterinary Network Owner Tag Thompson said, I am excited to have Dr. Martin on board in our network of wellness centers. To have such an experienced, good-hearted person as the owner of this practice is an incredible addition to the Fort Oglethorpe community. His expertise, combined with the ability to share resources with other network providers, will allow him to combine quality care with affordable pricing for patients.CVN gives me the opportunity to offer the highest quality of care that has, in the past, not been as readily available said Dr. Martin. Allowing myself some time to reinvest in my professional learning has allowed me to become Fear Free certified and increase my dental knowledge. I am excited to incorporate those two emerging fields into my new clinic in Fort Oglethorpe. The current debate over fake online news has one country feeling vindicated: China. For years, its controversial censorship system has been cracking down on so-called "online rumors," and last week a state-controlled newspaper essentially told the U.S., "I told you so." "Chinas crackdown on online rumors a few years ago was harshly condemned by the West, wrote the Global Times. Things changed really quickly, as the anxiety over internet management has been transferred to the U.S." To be sure, the two are very different. In the U.S., its private citizens and internet companies that are questioning the role of fake news while acknowledging freedom of speech. In China, the government itself is arresting people as part of its concerted effort to maintain control over all corners of the internet. "Hearsay, fabricated news or guesswork that distorts the facts is prohibited," a Chinese internet regulator said in July. Chinese authorities have deleted user accounts found spreading such content, and theyve banned media organizations from citing unverified sources on social media. Some users have faced harsher actions. For instance, in August 2015, some Chinese were arrested as part of a crackdown against 197 people for posting false information about stock market turmoil and an explosion in the city of Tianjin. China saw problems with false information on social media early on, said Jason Ng, a researcher at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, who has studied Chinese online censorship. "To their credit, [China] recognized there is a potential vacuum where these sort of things can fester, and lead to real consequences," he said. So Chinese censors have axed false reports about a celebrity's death or ways to cure cancer. On the other hand, they've also targeted the truth, banning discussion of subjects the government would rather citizens didnt talk about, he said. Censors have been found scrubbing social media posts that mention the death of the Chinese Communist Party or freedom of the press, according to Ng's research. China claims this is necessary for societal order, and its also resulted in the blocking of major U.S. Internet companies, including Facebook, Twitter and Google. Domestic social media services -- which routinely censor posts critical of the government -- have taken their place. This approach stands at odds with that of the U.S. government, which has supported free speech and been critical of tech businesses that support Chinas censorship apparatus. So its with some amusement that internet users in China have noted the U.S. debate on fake news. "The West arrogantly thought they could use their social media networks as a tool to overthrow other countries, but in the end they became a victim of it," wrote one user on Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like site. Michael Kan Sina Weibo is a Twitter-like site in China that regularly censors posts, including fake news. Social media is such an active place for exchange of information in China in part because users dont trust mainstream media, most of which is state-run and tightly controlled. To find unfiltered news, internet users often turn to Chinese social media networks, where they can post and read content that sometimes gets past the censors. Social media in China has been the channel through which internet users can exchange information that wouldnt have been allowed in state-run media, said Mark Natkin, managing director of Beijing-based Marbridge Consulting. And despite the censorship, more Chinese internet users are relying on social media for unfiltered news, even if the source is questionable, Ng said. "The potential for fake news can happen because Chinese citizens have such distrust in the official media," he said. Perhaps the same can be said of America's problem with fake news. Distrust of mainstream media led a portion of the U.S. population to seek out alternative news online, and that helped fake news flourish. I guess one mans rumor is another mans scoop, said Duncan Clark, chairman of technology consultancy BDA China. For the Chinese government, cracking down on online rumors is about nipping unrest in the bud before it becomes a political movement, he said. But the rise of social media is creating a new media environment in both countries. "As I think Barack Obama just said to the New Yorker, 'everything is true and nothing is true'," Clark said. It's a concern that internet users in China are also very aware of. "Most Chinese users are actually against fake news," Ng said. "Because they know that in this environment, it has the potential to flourish." Graeme Archer is a medical statistician, a former winner of the Orwell Prize for blogging, and recently a speechwriter for a Cabinet Minister. In 2011, our last year in the East End, anti-gay stickers began to appear: on lamp-posts, on pedestrian crossings, on bus-stop shelters. Fear Allah, they declared. Henceforth, the area between Bethnal Green and Whitechapel was to be a Gay-free zone. Had you asked me to guess my response before I put my hand out that cold April morning to press the button on the pedestrian crossing, before I took in the specific nature of this anti-gay gobbet of hatred, I would have (remembered how we dealt with Section 28 and) predicted that I would have laughed at it, albeit with anger, with contempt. But I didnt laugh, and I didnt feel angry. I felt sick. It took hard work not to analyse the meaning of these messages with regard to the place I called home. In the Daily Telegraph at the time I wrote: Ill tell you what I never want to hear again. I never want to listen to a politician, living somewhere far, far removed from Bethnal Green, uttering a sentence like: On the one hand, the Islamic extremists On the other, the equally offensive English Defence League, as though the two have independent but morally equivalent aetiologies. I dont expect philosophical grandeur from any government. But I do expect its representatives to understand the difference between cause and effect. Now that Keith and I are far, far removed from Bethnal Green, has either phenomenon Islamist extremism, or the pusillanimous but what about this other awful thing? response from authority abated? Five years of Conservative-led government have passed, after all. Some chance! This week the Sunday Times reported that men involved with the Trojan Horse plot (to impose Islamism on state-funded, non-selective schools) had wriggled free from their teaching bans (which are in any case under appeal), and were educating more English school-children in various community centres. You will be astonished to learn that one of them was recently elected secretary of his local Labour Party. But perhaps my obsession with an extreme ideology whose adherents regularly call for my extermination misses the point. Perhaps Im being selfish. The Prevent strategy is seeing a growth in far-right referrals, said Ben Wallace, the Security Minister, to the Commons recently. In some areas of the country, these Prevent referrals outnumber those about the other parts [my emphasis] we are worried about. Dont you love the other parts? Perhaps if we dont name it, it wont hurt us. Youll have noticed the new narrative, that post-Brexit vast swathes of the UK have been revealed to be snarling pits of Nazi-sympathisers, ready to murder anyone who looks a bit funny. That there really are disgusting Nazi sympathisers in the UK isnt the point, nor that the government and security service monitor them, nor that wicked acts against individual Britons, posited on their religion, should be a focus of the criminal justice system. We all support that. But the narrative of On the one hand on the other downgrades the principle threat to the good society. It is also elides any expression of concern about extreme Islamism with a slippery slope which terminates in the dreaded Islamophobia. A Blairite writer in the Times is worried about Marine Le Pen, for example. He had noted, in a way that suggested a mystery, that the Front National was courting the gay vote and even attracted 13 per cent of Jewish voters in the 2012 presidential race. Dont, whatever you do, ask why populists are becoming more attractive to segments of the electorate which the Left traditionally assumes are its own. There must be a lot of fascist gay and Jewish French voters, is the implied post-Brexit inference. Ive no idea how Id vote were I French. But I can just about imagine have been able to do so, ever since my fingers paused on that Bethnal Green pedestrian crossing button, and my eyes read what my brain feared to acknowledge why a gay Parisian, even as he understands the FN economic policy to be ludicrous, might just decide to send an unequivocal message to the Left at the next election: Your support for open-door immigration, and your never-implemented witterings about integration, have left me frightened in my home. Perhaps his Jewish neighbour would continue: It is no longer tenable for the Left to suggest that most anti-semitism in France originates from the le Pens, whether the shitty old pere or the gay-vote-courting fille. Thus theoretical gay and Jewish Parisians, with respect to the Front National; so, too, actual northern Labour voters, with respect to UKIP? The message of the Left that there really isnt a problem with extremist Islam in the UK, and in so far as well admit there is a problem, it is counter-balanced by far-Right Islamophobia which just randomly springs into being isnt only wrong. Nor is it merely fuelling the rise of the populists. It is also killing liberalism, and not just the identity-obsessed client-group-focused new-Left progressive pseudo-liberalism, which is dying, thankfully, in front of our eyes. The muscular liberalism of our youth is withering also, the one that (for example) left my generation able to, yes, gasp in horror at Section 28, but never for a moment worry that the Government was seriously out to get us. We understood the liberal societys rules: you can organise against, build majorities against, ultimately repeal legislation of which you disapprove, and in parallel nudge attitudes from where they are now to where a good society would have them be. We used muscular liberalism to defeat an enemy even more wicked than Section 28. Our ideology the good society is a free one took on communism, which (younger readers) was an ideology that wasnt always an inevitable busted flush. It had strong and active adherents across the British Left, from the dribbling Fabian Webbs, who just loved what Stalin did with farming, to their fellow travellers lamenting the iniquities of capitalism in university faculties the length of the land. We didnt fight communism for a laugh nor to make some sort of dividing line with which to win elections but because communist thought leads to totalitarian practice and as such is entirely inimical to the good life. Nor did we worry that robust expression of liberal antipathy towards communism would make some of its adherents feel victimised. Governments didnt waste millions constructing strategies to fight Communophobia, but understood that sometimes nice people have to be told that the things they believe in are wrong, that they contradict the rules we have evolved about how to live with one another. We need to rediscover that muscular self-belief in a liberalism that, among many other things, justifies the right of every gay Briton to cross Bethnal Green Road in peace, of every Jewish Briton to enter the kosher supermarket without fear, of every women to dress as she pleases, of every child to learn about Darwin, of every soldier to implicitly feel our shared pride in his uniform, of every priest to offer the sacrament without nervously glancing at the church door, of every hedonist to dance all night in any club they damn well choose all without worrying that they are offending someone as they do so. Use that liberal muscle like any muscle, use it or lose it. Lose it, and populism will thrive; only, by that time, I suspect populism would be the least of our worries. Certainly of mine; Im one of the people, after all, that the good societys enemies always deal with first. Syed Kamall is Chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group and is an MEP for London. It is slightly strange being a Brit in the European institutions right now. In some ways, it is still business as usual, with Conservative MEPs continuing to debate and scrutinise legislation as we deliver on our manifesto commitments. But, following the referendum result, we are also in an almost surreal pre-match phase, in whuch the EU and the UK seem to be doing the diplomatic version of the New Zealand rugby teams Haka, before the real match begins. Many people across the remaining EU27 want to see an orderly and fair transition for the UK from reluctant tenant to friendly neighbour. At the moment, these people are not interesting enough to the media to make the headlines. Instead, the stories are about those in the UK who are either trying to block Brexit, or who want to see an almost immediate exit from the EU, as well as those in other EU countries who want to teach us a lesson, and send a warning shot across the bow of other countries that might dare to follow. In my regular meetings with Ministers and MEPs from across the EU, I have sought to explain that it is in everyones interests that we take this time now to prepare the detail of how that future relationship may look. Not just from the UK perspective, but from the EU side as well. As a senior MEP told me: we cannot yet negotiate, but we can discuss. This week, I and other group leaders met with Michel Barnier, the European Commission negotiator on Brexit. He has been touring the capitals of the 27 other EU countries to try and establish a clear common position. Although he is sometimes painted by some sections of the media as a French pantomime villain, I have always found him to be a reasonable person who, while committed to the European project of political integration, is methodical and willing to listen. Of course, we will not always agree, but we could do a lot worse for negotiators across the table. Meanwhile in the European Parliament, the coffee bar gossip has turned to the election of a new President of the Parliament in January. The German Socialist incumbent Martin Schulz has decided to move to German politics and possibly run against Angela Merkel for the post of Chancellor. I have a good personal relationship with Schulz, but he will leave behind him a European Parliament that is much more divided than before, and that is at least in part because of the way he has handled his Presidency, seeking to pre-cook major decisions among himself and four other men the President and Vice-President of the Commission, and the leaders of the EPP and Socialist groups. This impression that the European Parliament was a remote, back-room institution only grew under his Presidency, and MEPs (and the people they represent) from many parts of the EU, and different parts of the political spectrum, were shut out completely. During the last few elections, the President of the Parliament has been chosen by a stitch-up between the two biggest groups, but this time could be different. The EPP will soon announce their candidate, and this week the Socialists leader, Gianni Pittella, put himself forward too. The Liberal leader Guy Verhofstadt is also likely to run, meaning the outcome of this election for once might actually be decided at a ballot box, rather than in a back room. The ECR Group was the first to nominate our candidate the brilliant Helga Stevens from our Flemish NVA party. Helga represents the change the European Parliament needs, and so if anyone from another EU country is reading this, I urge you to contact your MEP and tell them to vote for Helga! You can read her platform here. Meanwhile, against these backdrops, Conservative MEPs have also been active and still playing a major role in the daily work of the parliament. For example, Julie Girling led through a new law on improving air quality, which seek to tackle major pollutants in a balanced and sensible way until 2030. Strangely the Green group voted against improvements in air quality. No, I dont get it either. Dan Dalton is leading a revision on the rules called type approval which all new cars must meet. Vicky Ford is working flat out to bring sense to EU-wide gun laws that were poorly drafted, in a knee-jerk reaction to shootings. Vicky has made it clear that the new rules should seek to tackle the illegal trade in weapons used for terrorism, but they must not target legitimate owners, hobbyists and sportsmen. Why is all this important if we are leaving? Because these laws are still likely to affect British people and companies in some way after we leave the EU. So whilst we are doing what we can to assist the Government and smooth relations in the Brexit pre-talks, we will continue to do our day jobs, in standing up for British interests, up to the point we leave. Bill Murray Clamored For An Encore At A Lupe Fiasco Gig This Week By Stephen Gossett in Arts & Entertainment on Dec 1, 2016 10:32PM Bill Murray is seen on stage at the GQ Men of the year Award 2016 show in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) It was only a few weeks ago that our beloved Bill Murray was everywhere, grabbing the World Series trophy, crashing the White House press room, singing along with Eddie Vedder at a local house party, gifting to strangers like some baseball guardian angel, and generally wowing the world with his ability to achieve total ubiquity without spilling over into grating overexposurelike only Murray can do. Today we came across a heartwarming little tidbit that had us reliving those days (Groundhog Day-style, one might say), and it had a double Chicago connection: according to hometown hip-hop hero Lupe Fiasco, not only did Murray make a surprise stop to see Lupes show in Austin, TX this week, he led the charge for an encore. When Bill Murray comes to your show in Austin, TX and proceeds to FORCE an encore! Fiasco Tweeted on Wednesday. It's perhaps our favorite hip-hop-related Murray moment since this gem. Good to see Lupe in solid spirits after the dont-call-it-a-fiasco that befell his plan to release three albums this year. (Side note: if you haven't seen Lupe's visual-art exhibition at Ed Paschke Art Center before to check it out before it closes on Dec 23.) These Chi-Town Mob Ties Run Deep! #Tour A photo posted by Lupe Fiasco - Bogglin' Giblets (@lupefiasco) on Nov 30, 2016 at 9:10pm PST When @BillMurray comes to your show in Austin, TX and proceeds to FORCE an encore! (Gave me some amazing words of encouragement ) pic.twitter.com/XSKQ9x0XWL Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco) December 1, 2016 [HT Pitchfork and XXL] 'How To Speak Midwestern' Explores Origins Of Chicago's Strangest Language Quirks & More By Rachel Cromidas in Arts & Entertainment on Dec 1, 2016 9:34PM This holiday season, you too can speak like a Midwesterner, fellow Chicago transplants: let Edward McCelland's new book, How To Speak Midwestern be your field guide to 16-Inch, Quad Cities Style pizza, lutefisk, the U.P., "you betcha," and of course, "Dese, dem and dose." The book, out now from Belt Magazine Books, grew out of an article McClelland wrote for Belt Magazine last year about a speech pattern known as the short-a-rising. He wanted to investigate the origins of other Midwestern speech patterns and unique phrases, and better understand why some were disappearing. McClelland had previously written about about the Midwest in Nothin' But Blue Skies and The Third Coast, a book about traveling around the five Great Lakes on a Great Lakes Circle Tour. While working on that book, he said he gained inspiration for the book from trying some of the Midwests most well-known cuisinesthink kringle in Wisconsin, beef on weck in Buffalo, and (A Prairie Home Companion fans will know this one) lutefisk in Minneapolis. Chicago-speak is just one small part of the book, which visits three distinct regions around the Midwest that have their own particular speech patterns. If you want to know why some Minnesotans pronounce "wash" as "worsh," start in the North Central chapter. But we're a Chicago publication, and McClelland's explanation of how Chicago developedand then lostsome of its most telling pronunciation quirks is enthralling. Chief among them: Is it Chi-caw-go, with a caw sound, or Chi-cah-go, with a cah sound? If you ask Mayors Richard M. and Richard J. Daley, its cawa pronunciation that is traced back to working-class families who settled in Chicago around WWII. But if you ask Rahm Emanuel or Barack Obama, its cah all the wayand in the battle for vernacular dominance, caw has been losing out to cah for some time now. What you consider the classic Chicago accent is really strongest in the WWII generation and the baby boomers, McClelland told Chicagoist. To hear the remnants of this accent in action, McClelland said he went to Wrongs Tap in Beverly earlier this fall to watch a Bears game. I wanted to hear what you would call the classic Chicago accent in its natural habitat. Guys were saying things like, what's the square for this game? Zero and tree, and da Bears, and jagoff. It was all there, he said. But while the accent is still in play in certain historic neighborhoods on the citys far South Side, among a certain generation of residents, its pretty much gone when you talk to younger Chicagoans, McClelland said. For example, on the train back to the Loop, he met a 34-year-old firefighter from Mt Greenwood. He was someone youd expect to have that Chicago accent, but you wouldnt even know this guy was from the Midwest. He said his dad had a Chicago accent, but his mom kind of beat it out of him. He said, It comes out when Im drunk. The same goes for another of Chicagos most iconic pronunciation quirks, a phenomenon known as Dese, Dem and Dosea.k.a. a mispronunciation of These, Them and Those that came about decades ago when immigrants with native languages that dont feature the th-sound as regularly as English does moved to the Chicago area. Youve heard it, even if you think you havent: Saturday Night Live famously parodied it in their 1991 sketch Superfans. the whole SNL Superfans skit kind of stigmatized it, McClelland said. But its not super relevant now. If you go back to the 80s or back to the 70s, when Chicago was still an industrial town, it was still an ethnic town, I think that the constituency that spoke with the classic Chicago accent was much more powerful and much more central to the Chicago experience than it is now, he said. Most people who live in the city of Chicago do not speak with that sort of classic Chicago accent. But you can still find hints of it among a handful of Far Northwest and Southwest Side aldermen, McClelland said, whose speech he analyzed while working on the book, including Nick Sposato, Anthony Napolitano, Michael Zalewski and Patrick Thompson. McClellands book also explains how race plays into the notion of the classic accent, and how there is wider accent variation between black and white Midwesterners because of the legacy of segregation. African-Americans came here from the South, and they were confined to neighborhoods where they didn't have that many social or work interactions with whites. and they maintained their southern style of speech, he said. However, he said its possible some younger generations of black Chicagoans have picked up certain elements of the Chicago accentfor example, when Common pronounces the word Oscar. And of course, downstate Illinois is a totally different story from Chicago, as How To Speak Midwestern also details, because downstate residents are part of an entirely different region known as the Midland Accent. How To Speak Midwestern is a fascinating read, whether you hail from WOWOland, the U.P., Cereal City or Baja Minnesota. And especially if you're like me, and you don't know what any of that means. You can catch Ted McClelland at the Book Cellar in Lincoln Square (4736-38 N. Lincoln Ave.) tonight, where he'll be talking about the book and playing some recordings of classic Midwestern accents. MAXVILLE, Ontario The Maxville sportsplex was packed on Wednesday night for the North Glengarry Township meeting, the bulk of which was dedicated to informing the public on the future of their local elementary school. What they heard was that Maxville was on the cusp of growth and revitalization, which was being put in jeopardy by the threat to their local public school. Maxville Public School was identified as a school that the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) would like to close pending provincial funding for a capital project to expand Roxmore Public School. If the plan as laid out in the UCDSBs Peer Accommodation Review (PAR) is followed through with students from Maxville P.S. and North Stormont P.S. would be bused to Roxmore. The gathered assembly heard how businesses and groups in the area depend on Maxville Public School and its students. The Home Hardware on Main Street benefits from the school because they buy supplies from that store. Maxville Manor has a peer mentoring program dating back 20 years that has bridged the gap between generations. The young get to learn from the old while at the same time, the students help to bring the seniors out of isolation. In a bid to save the school, the Save Our School committee helped organize a solution to counter the school boards proposal. The stated reason for the school boards move to close schools like Maxville Public is to reduce empty spaces across the school board. In total, the UCDSB has 10, 000 empty student spaces. Save Our School Committe has suggested three steps to reduce empty spaces at Maxville Public School. The first being the disassembly of modular pre-fabricated buildings that are no longer in use. This would reduce empty spaces at Maxville P.S. by at least 100. The second step is to introduce the French Immersion program to every school in the board. As it stands now, only a few schools in each area offer French Immersion. North Glengarry Township Councillor Carma Williams said that the school board acknowledged that their introduction of French Immersion was poorly thought out. It pitted school against school, she said. The final step that was suggested was to incorporate the residents living in Prescott-Russell North of the 417 into Maxville Public Schools district. Currently those students go to Plantagenet, but the school there, with 30 some students is proposed to be closed with those kids being sent 50km away to Rockland. One resident at the meeting asked is the school board concerned about us withdrawing our students and sending them to another board if they close our school. From what I understand their thinking is that those parents who leave usually comeback, replied school board Trustee Wendy MacPherson. That seems to be their thinking so I would say no, theyre not worried about that. Carma Williams stated that the school boards attempt to close the school really took the rug out from under the community. We heard tonight that we are making progress on bringing water to this community, she said. This community is set to grow but it wont do that without a school. North Glengarry CAO Don Gagnon had previously told the assembly that the Township had hired lobbyist Roman Kinsella to advocate to the provincial government on their behalf to get more drinkable water to Maxville. WILLIAMSTOWN, Ontario Recently, South Glengarry resident and Save Char-Lan representative Todd Rozon presented a plan to the Accommodation Review Committee (ARC) that would save Char-Lan District High School and Williamstown Public School. Under the Upper Canada School Board (UCDSB)s Peer Accommodation Review, Char-Lan would close with its hundreds of students being bused to Cornwall to attend St. Lawrence Secondary School or CCVS. The ARC meetings were organized by the school board to hear the response from the community to their proposed school closure plans. Essentially the plan Rozon presented at the ARC meeting would involve a merger of Char-Lan, Williamstown Public and S.J. McLeod Public schools into one K-12 school. Under this plan, Char-Lan and Williamstown Public would merge into one Grade K-12 school. S.J. McLeod Public School would close with its students being sent to the grade school site of the new merged school. Rozon noted in his presentation that Char-Lan and Williamstown Public are merely 250 feet apart as is. He went on to point out that if the UCDSBs goal was to save costs and reduce empty spaces in its schools, that this plan did that. Williamstown Public School and S.J. McLeod has a combined space utilization of 171 percent with 364 students, with Char-Lan at 78 percent utilization with 323 students. Combined the schools would be using 110 percent of available space thereby eliminating all empty seats in that feeder group. Realistically, it is a pretty simple thought process, Rozon said. We polled the parents of students and 90 percent found this solution favourable. Rozons presentation showed that this plan was favourable for several other reasons. One was the high academic standards produced at schools in the Char-Lan feeder group. Char-Lan is consistently above the UCDSB average and the provincial average in EQAO Literacy Testing and Char-Lans graduation rate is over 90 percent. Furthermore, the Save Char-Lan presentation pointed out that by closing Char-Lan, the school board would be losing valuable resources along with it. Of those surveyed by the Save Char-Lan group, 82 percent of parents said that they would pull their child out of the UCDSB rather than send them to a school in Cornwall. Additionally, there is roughly $34, 000 worth of bursaries given out to graduating Char-Lan students every year and it is unclear if that money and the opportunities that come with it will stay in the school board if the school closes. CORNWALL, Ontario The Province of Ontario has announced that they will be making vaccines more accessible as of Dec. 15. Residents covered under the Ontario Health Plan will be able to receive vaccines for 13 preventable diseases from their local pharmicist. These vaccines include ones that prevent Hepatitis A and B, common infections found in warmer climates, meaning that this change comes just in time for the winter travel season. The Ontario Pharmacists Association is very pleased with todays announcement, which leverages pharmacists skills, training and knowledge to improve Ontarians access to travel vaccines, and a select number of other vaccines that will help patients stay healthy here at home and abroad, said Dennis Darby, CEO of the Ontario Pharmacists Association. For the past four years, Ontarians have trusted pharmacists to administer their flu shots. By enabling pharmacists to provide a wider number of vaccines, and broadening pharmacists scope of practice, we can further contribute to a sustainable healthcare system and help drive increased vaccination rates, while helping patients manage this important area of their health. This change also means not needing to make an appointment at a doctors office. Pharmacy hours are often more flexible and patients can just walk in. Currently, the Shoppers in the Eastcourt Mall on Second Street allows residents to walk in and get their flu-shot without an appointment. Host The Greatest Repeal Day Party Ever Thanks To Scofflaw By Anthony Todd in Food on Dec 2, 2016 3:10PM The Mary Pickford. Photo courtesy of Scofflaw. Next Monday, December 5, is Repeal Day, that glorious day when Prohibition finally ended in 1933. And what could you possibly do to celebrate but drink really, really well? So, we asked our friends at Scofflaw, one of Chicago's best cocktail bars, to give us some great cocktails to celebrate the holiday. Your hosting job just got easier. Danny Shapiro, the mixer at Scofflaw, gave us three drinks: two classics (the French 75 and the Mary Pickford), and a twist on a classic, the Bittered Bee's Knees. The French 75 A version of this drink was created during World War I and named after a French artillery piece, supposedly because it had such a kick. The combination of sparkling wine and spirits can sneak up on you! Shapiro subs in barrel-finished gin "as a nod to the barrel transportation that bootleggers relied on during Prohibition." If you swap out the wine for something cheap and easy to find, we won't tell him. 1oz Bluecoat Barrel Finished Gin 1/2 oz Lemon Juice 1/2 oz Simple Syrup 3.5 oz Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine (or more, depending on the glass) Shake everything, except blanc de blancs, with ice. Strain into champagne coupe or flute. Top with the blanc de blancs. Garnish by expressing the oil from a lemon peel. The Mary Pickford This cocktail is named, of course, after the silent movie superstar who also helped found United Artists. But it was actually created at the Hotel Nacional in Cuba, after a trip she took there in the 1920s (Cuba was a super hip celeb destination spot then). 1.5oz El Dorado 3 Year Rum 1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino 1/2 oz Grenadine 1/2 oz Pineapple Juice 1/2 oz Lime Juice Shake with ice and strain into coupe glass. Bittered Bees Knees The original Bees Knees, a Prohibition-era combo of honey, gin and lemon, is one of my favorite drinks, which is why I was so excited to see this variation that added a little hint of bitter complexity. 1.5oz Letherbee Gin 1/4 oz Aperol 3/4 oz Lemon Juice 1/2 oz Honey Syrup (combine honey and water in equal parts and heat to dissolve) Shake with ice and strain into coupe glass. Even if you don't host a whole party, make one of these on Monday and raise a glass to our misguided ancestors who tried to deprive us of their deliciousness. Rahm Creates $1M Legal Defense Fund For Chicago Immigrants By Mae Rice in News on Dec 2, 2016 6:55PM Photo: Tyler LaRiviere As we teeter on the brink of a Donald Trump presidency, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has put together a $1 million legal defense fund for immigrants in Chicago fearing deportation, his office announced Friday. "Because the election has created anxiety and uncertainty, we've created a legal fund to help ensure immigrants and refugees have access to legal guidance, said Mayor Emanuel said in a statement. That guidance would include services from legal information to representation. The announcement comes after Emanuel promised last month to keep Chicago a sanctuary city for immigrants, foregoing federal funding under Trump to do it if need be. The defense fund was created in collaboration with the National Immigration Justice Center (NIJC). "Legal counsel ensures that immigrants in our communities can defend their rights and live their lives here in safety and security, and with a sense of control over their destinies, Mary Meg, Executive Director of the NIJC, said in a statement. Roughly 150,000 Chicago residents aren't legal permanent residents, according to an NIJC estimate. The fund will allow the NIJC to serve 3,000 new clients, which represents a 50 percent uptick in its activity in Chicago. Right now it's still unclear where the money in the fund will come from. Photos: Protesters Converge Downtown Despite No Trump Visit By aaroncynic in News on Dec 2, 2016 5:20PM More than a hundred protesters gathered downtown Thursday evening to protest President-elect Donald Trump, even though news of his possible appearance in Chicago turned out to just be speculation. On Wednesday, unnamed sources told the Chicago Tribune that the Chicago Police Department was preparing for a visit from the President elect, who at the time was allegedly potentially staying at Trump Tower along the river in between visits on his victory thank you tour, which began Thursday night in Cincinnati. We are here to stand together in solidarity to celebrate the victory of Donald Trump not stepping another foot in this city, activist Lamon Reccord told protesters. We do not need a president who promotes sexism and racism. We do not need a president who promotes violence that thinks its gonna make America great again. While Trump representatives never confirmed he would be in Chicago, the group gathered and marched around the loop to call out his racist and xenophobic platform. Hes a coward, and hes afraid of Chicago, said Greg Lucero. If you aint white bread, Donald Trump doesnt like you. We are the ones through this system who are forced in the hardest, dangerous, most demeaning jobs. We clean your toilets, cut your lawns, shovel your rocks, take care of your kids. Were the ones that the backbone of this economy is based on and he wants to deport us. Prior to celebrating himself in Ohio, Trump visited Carrier manufacturing, where he took credit for saving 1,000 jobs the company planned to move to Mexico. We have to bring our jobs back, said Trump. And when they expand one of the things that made me so happy is when Greg said that they have over 10,000 jobs that theyre going to be producing in the very near future, and now hes looking to the United States instead of outside of the United States, where almost all of those jobs would have gone. But while Trump is taking credit for saving the entire American economy, the company is still moving 1,300 jobs to Mexico, according to a report from Bloomberg. In addition, the company is getting $7 million in tax incentives from the state of Indiana. UChicago Launches $25M Fund For Investing In Startups By Mae Rice in News on Dec 2, 2016 5:55PM University of Chicago / Facebook The University of Chicago is getting into the startup funding game. The Hyde Park university has set aside $25 million of its $7.1 billion endowment to invest in startups with close ties to the campus, the school announced Friday. The new fund, titled the UChicago Startup Investment Program, aims to bolster entrepreneurship and commercialization of research at the universityas well as Chicago's startup scene at large. In addition to fostering innovation, we hope the UChicago Startup Investment Program will encourage... venture capitalists to take a deeper look in the Midwest and Chicago specifically, Mark Schmid, the university's vice president and chief investment officer, said in a statement. Set to run for a decade, the fund will invest in three to four startups every year, each with ties to students, faculty, staff and/or alumni. Most if not all of the startups the school invests in will be in their early stages, raising their first rounds of capital (also known as Series A funding). The school will only invest in startups that have already acquired venture capital funding from an "established venture capital firm," and they'll invest a maximum of $500,000 in a given company. "[W]ere serious about helping faculty and students build fast-growing companies," John Flavin, the university's associate vice president of entrepreneurship and innovation said in a statement. University of Chicago already has close ties with several successful startups, including Grubhub and Braintree. The central bank has drawn up new guidelines to strengthen inspections of domestic companies that make yuan loans overseas, the latest move to curb speculative shifting of yuan amid short-term depreciation pressure, a source with the bank said on Thursday. Lenders must register with local foreign exchange regulative bodies in China before issuing loans overseas, and the amount of the loans should not exceed 30 percent of net assets of the lender, according to the source, who requested anonymity. The guideline is among many methods that the central bank could use to enhance management of speculative capital flow, the source said. Sun Haibo, CEO of Shanghai-based Faxun Financial Regulation and Law Co, a financial law consulting company, said that implementation of the guideline "will be the first time that the central bank has set up a ceiling amount for yuan-denominated loans that lenders are allowed to issue overseas." The central bank has become aware of the risks brought by speculative behavior through moving yuan out of the country, Sun added. "Issuing loans overseas is a rather simple way to move money out compared with other methods, with no approval procedures required to go through from the nation's foreign exchange regulator," said Sun. A Morgan Stanley report released on Tuesday said that cross-border yuan flows picked up strongly to an average of $28 billion per month through October this year, accounting for half of the total outflows, in contrast with declining offshore yuan deposits. That means that yuan flowing to foreign countries have been converted to foreign currencies rather than promoting the use of yuan offshore, the report said. Wang Youxin, an economist at the Institute of International Finance of the Bank of China, said that the new rules would not affect borrowers in foreign countries, as long as they have legitimate needs. "The central bank is not imposing a new cap, only enhancing regulations," said Wang. Robin Xing, chief China economist with Morgan Stanley, said he foresees regulative bodies introducing more measures to regulate capital outflows if the United States Federal Reserve increases rates, keeping capital outflow pressures alive. Wang said capital outflows tend to stabilize with such stricter inspections, which in turn improves investors' long-term outlook for the Chinese economy. Security News Cyberterrorism Expert: 'Poor' Democratic National Committee Security, Hack Of Hillary Clinton Campaign Manager Impacted Presidential Election Steven Burke Share this Cyberterrorism expert Eric O'Neill, who was key in capturing notorious Russian spy Robert Hanssen, told CRN that "poor" Democratic National Committee (DNC) endpoint security which resulted in the hack of Hillary Clinton Campaign Manager John Podesta's Gmail account influenced the presidential election. "The DNC failed in every sense in protecting themselves from cyberattacks," said O'Neill after a keynote address Friday at the Whalley Computer Associates (WCA) technology conference at the Foxwoods Resorts. The irony is that the DNC was warned by the FBI of a potential cyberterrorism attack by the likes of Russia, said O'Neill."They knew that Russia was coming after them," said O'Neill of the DNC. "Russia has attacked every single campaign for president. They should have taken better steps to secure their information across the board." [Related: What A Trump Presidency Could Mean For Net Neutrality, Cybersecurity And Telecom Consolidation] "Of course it influenced the election," said O'Neill of the impact the alleged Russia hack had on the presidential election. "Both parties conduct opposition research. Hillary had some real zingers about (President-elect Donald) Trump but they were negated by the horrible things that were coming out that the DNC was doing. Imagine how many (Democratic Presidential candidate) Bernie (Sanders) supporters who might have voted for Hillary decided not to when they found out the DNC was doing everything they could to tank his campaign." The hack of Podesta's Gmail account resulted in the release of thousands of emails that were made available via WikiLeaks, provided voters with a political insider's view of how the Clinton campaign was dealing with the Sanders' candidacy, among many other issues. "I think had the Hillary campaign spent more time protecting themselves they could have had a better chance of winning," said O'Neill, now a national security strategist for Carbon Black, a next-generation endpoint security vendor exhibiting at the WCA Tech Conference, which attracted about 1,000 IT buyers and 300 vendors. O'Neill is the former FBI agent portrayed by actor Ryan Phillippe in the film "Breach," which depicted O'Neill's investigation of Hanssen and the arrest of the Russian spy responsible for what has been called the most damaging breach ever of U.S. intelligence information. The release of Podesta's emails on WikiLeaks represented a direct attack on the Democratic process, said O'Neill. "That is not typical," he said. "Sometimes espionage is about disruption. It is about causing us to not trust information. It is about causing us to not even trust our own democracy which is what happened. I like to say our democracy is at risk if spies can knock around in it." It is "very likely" that the full extent of the DNC cyberattack has yet to play out, said O'Neill. "We dont know what the Russians will do with that information," he said. "The short game was screwing around with our election by dropping it on WikiLeaks." Podesta fell prey to what is referred to as a spear phishing attack that appears to be from a trusted business or individual. The Podesta attack involved using a fake Gmail security alert to trick him into revealing his password. Podesta was not using a "secure network or a secure email system," said O'Neill. "It was an unsecured Gmail account. In his case it was his private email he was using for business." The spear phishing attack of the DNC targeted the personal accounts of many government employees, said O'Neill. "It was sort of a carpet bomb approach where you send these spear phishing emails and then you see who clicks," he said. "Assuming it is the Russians and we are pretty sure it is they must have been extremely excited when they found out he (Podesta) clicked." The ultimate defense against such spear phishing attack is "zero trust," said O'Neill. That means never clicking on a link or open attachment unless you personally verify it. "If your brother sends you a picture from the night out you had, you call him and ask him did he send the email?" said O"Neill. Besides zero trust, all businesses and government agencies need better security software and tools, said O'Neill, protecting their IT environments from hackers. "When they land in your network or system, you are God there," said O'Neill. "You should have the security professionals and the technology that can defeat them. What you want is visbility. You need to be able to see them when they land and the breach occurs." Carbon Black protects a number of government agencies which have never been breached, said O'Neill. O'Neill said he is troubled that, as a nation, America has not invested enough in cyberdefense. "This election cycle has shown us that we as a nation are not prepared for the cyberwar we are currently fighting and losing," he said. "A lot of people will say we are in a cyber Cold War. We are not. We are in a war." O'Neill's haunting prediction for 2017: America is going to "finally have an attack that affects us to the extent that we treat it with the concern that we would a physical attack." Michael Charland, IT security officer and infrastructure manager for Masonicare, a Wallingford, Conn. provider of healthcare, homecare, hospice and senior living, said ONeill's address strikes at the heart of the security challenges facing businesses. "It's a constant challenge," said Charland. "I really appreciated everything he had to say about the law enforcement side as well as information security. Whalley Computer Associates bringing O'Neill here to speak really helps us get the information security message out." Furthermore, Charland said, Whalley Computer Associates' role as a trusted advisor has been critical in help Masonicare be successful with its IT security efforts. "Their reps are always looking out for best interests," he said. Flash The UN Security Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution to tighten sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in response to the country's fifth nuclear test. United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (C, front) speaks after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution in response to DPRK's fifth nuclear test, at the UN headquarters in New York, the United States, Nov. 30, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] In the new resolution, the 15-nation council decided that the DPRK shall not supply, sell or transfer coal, iron and iron ore from its territory, but excluded transactions for livelihood purposes. The council sets an upper limit on the DPRK's coal exporting, saying the total exports from the DPRK do not exceed 400.9 million U.S. dollars or 7.5 million metric tons per year, whichever is lower, starting on Jan. 1, 2017. In addition, the Security Council bans the sale of copper, nickel, silver, zinc and statues from the DPRK, according to the resolution. On Sept. 9, the DPRK conducted a nuclear warhead explosion test. It was Pyongyang's fifth nuclear test, which followed the previous one by eight months. "The Chinese government firmly opposes such an act," said Chinese Ambassador to the UN Liu Jieyi. "The resolution adopted by the council today demonstrates the uniform stand of the international community against the development by the DPRK of its nuclear and missile programs and for the maintenance of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime," said Liu. Liu pointed out that the relevant measures, as resolution notes, are not intended to produce negative consequences on DPRK's humanitarian situation and the livelihood of its people, nor to affect normal economic and trade activities. "China urges the parties concerned to effectively implement the relevant provisions the council resolution in its entirety," he added. Liu noted that the top priority at hand is for the parties concerned to resume dialogue and negotiations and re-launch the six-party talks as soon as possible to safeguard the denuclearization process and realize peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. "China urges the parties concerned to push forward in parallel the negotiations on the denuclearization on one hand and on the replacement of the armistice with the peace treaty on the other," said Liu. After the council adopted the resolution, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the new resolution "sends an unequivocal message" that the DPRK must cease further provocative actions and comply fully with its international obligations. "The DPRK must reverse its course and move onto the path of denuclearization through sincere dialogue," said Ban, while calling on the international community to improve living conditions of the people of the DPRK. So far, the Security Council has adopted six resolutions to curb the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs. In March, the council imposed severe sanctions, including an export ban and asset freeze, on the DPRK in response to its H-bomb test carried out in January. The country also conducted underground nuclear tests respectively in 2006, 2009 and 2013. P&O Cruises Australia has "raised its glass" to a new social venture, becoming the first national partner for a new beer which supports the conservation of one of the natural wonders of the world, the Great Barrier Reef, according to a press release. P&O was the first company to back The Good Beer Co, which is dedicating at least half the profits from its Great Barrier Beer to the reef conservation work of the Australian Marine & Conservation Society. A mid-strength pale ale, Great Barrier Beer is now on sale across P&O Cruises five ships, with the cruise line supporting the venture by inviting its guests to have one for the Reef." As Australias only homegrown cruise line, P&O visits the reef more than any other line, carrying tens of thousands of its guests to the Queensland ports of Cairns, Port Douglas and Gladstone to experience the world heritage-listed destination. P&O Cruises President Sture Myrmell said Great Barrier Beer married the great Aussie tradition of enjoying a cold beer on summer holidays along with the nations passion for the Reef. Relaxing with a cold beer while on holidays is such an Aussie thing to do, Myrmell said. Our guests can now sit on the ships open deck enjoying a craft Great Barrier Beer and, at the same time, taking their own small step to give back to the Reef. So they can have one for the Reef responsibly, knowing they are helping contribute to a worthy cause. Good Beer Co founder James Grugeon said P&O Cruises support as its founding national partner was critical to giving the social venture its best chance of success. "P&O Cruises hasn't just ordered beer from us, they've got behind the concept of Great Barrier Beer and a good beer that gives back wholeheartedly, Grugeon said. That's been transformative for us as a start-up and Australia's first social enterprise beer company." Port Tampa Bay has confirmed that Carnival Cruise Line has agreed to extend its commitment to continue offering cruises from Port Tampa Bay through 2021. The agreement was made on behalf of all Carnival Corporation brands operating at the port, including Holland America Line, which recently made a commitment to deploy a larger ship in Tampa on a seasonal basis. I would like to express our gratitude to the Carnival organization for their continued support at Port Tampa Bay, and we deeply appreciate their ongoing commitment to the strong cruise market that our region offers to this important cruise partner, Paul Anderson, port president and CEO, said. Carnival began year round sailings in Tampa in October 1994, and has been a staple in offering cruise vacations to the Tampa market ever since. With the recent announcement of Carnivals plans to deploy Carnival Miracle to Tampa, Carnival will operate two year-round cruise ships from Tampa, offering various cruise itineraries to the Western Caribbean3 When Carnival Miracle begins her 7-day, year-round sailings in January 2018, Carnival Cruise Line will account for roughly 300,000 passengers per year crossing Port Tampa Bays cruise docks. Windows 10s aggressive data-collection capabilities may concern users about corporate spying, but enterprises have control that consumer-edition Windows users do not: Administrators can decide how much information gets sent back to Microsoft. But enterprises need to think twice before turning off Windows telemetry to increase corporate privacy. Thats because doing so can decrease the effectiveness of Windows 10s security features. Microsoft isnt merely hoovering up large amounts of data because it can. The company has repeatedly reiterated its stance that Windows 10 does not collect the users personal data, but rather anonymized file data that is then used to improve overall user experience and Windows functionality. With the current shift to Windows-as-a-service, Microsoft plans to release more updates to the operating system more frequently, and it will use telemetry data to understand how people are actually using Windows and applications. Microsoft can use the information to figure out what new features are needed or to prioritize changes to existing components. For Microsoft, more data means more security But the telemetry data is used for more than how to improve or evolve Windows. There is an actual security impact, too. Knowledge is power, and in the case of Windows 10, that usage data lets Microsoft beef up threat protection, says Rob Lefferts, Microsofts director of program management for Windows Enterprise and Security. The information collected is used to improve various components in Windows Defender, such as Application Guard and Advanced Threat Detection (these two features are available only to customers with Windows 10 Enterprise with Anniversary Update and Enterprise E5 subscriptions). As Windows 10s built-in security tool, Windows Defender uses real-time protection to scan everything downloaded or run on the PC. The information from these scans is sent back to Microsoft and used to improve protection for everyone else. For example, Windows Defender Application Guard for Microsoft Edge will put the Edge browser into a lightweight virtual machine to make it harder to break out of the browser and attack the operating system. With telemetry, Microsoft can see when infections get past Application Guard defenses and improve the security controls to reduce recurrences. Microsoft also pulls signals from other areas of the Windows ecosystem, such as Active Directory, with information from the Windows 10 device to look for patterns that can indicate a problem like ransomware infections and other attacks. To detect those patterns, Microsoft needs access to technical data, such as what processes are consuming system resources, hardware diagnostics, and file-level information like which applications had which files open, Lefferts says. Taken together, the hardware information, application details, and device driver data can be used to identify parts of the operating system are exposed and should be isolated into virtual containers. How Windows 10 telemetry levels affect security and administration IT admins can control what telemetry is sent back to Microsoft using group policy objectsif they are using an enterprise version of Windows 10 and a Microsoft administration tool, of course. (Consumer versions of Windows dont provide this capability, which is why there are now third-party telemetry blockers on the market, though not all telemetry can be blocked.) The Privacy option in Settings lets administrators choose one of three telemetry levels: Basic, Enhanced, and Full. Windows 10 Home and Pro are set by default to Full. Windows 10 Enterprise and Education are set by default to Enhanced. But theres a fourth level called Security available only in Windows 10 Enterprise and Education editions, and only through group policies (not via Settings). Available to admins only, Security level sends the least data. The Security level sends less telemetry to Microsoft than the Basic level does. And it collects enough technical data about Windowss Connected User Experience and Telemetry component settings, the MSRT (Malicious Software Removal Tool), and Windows Defender to keep Windows, Windows Server, and System Center secure. At the Security level, only OS information, device ID, and device class (server, desktop, mobile device) are sent to Microsoft, along with the MSRT report that contains information about the infection and IP address. Windows Defender and System Center Endpoint Protection provide diagnostic information, user account control settings, UEFI (Unifieid Extensible Firmware Interface) settings, and IP addresses. (If this latter information shouldnt be sent, then turn off Windows Defender and use a third-party tool instead.) If the goal is to not have any data go to Microsoft, using the Security level is the best option. But it has one big drawback: Windows Update wont work, because Windows Update informationsuch as whether the update installation succeeded or faileddoes not get collected at the Security level. MSRT also wont run if Windows Update is not working. Thus, it requires a lot of IT involvement to keep the systems updated and secure if the telemetry level is set to Security. Basic level is the least a user can choose within Windows. For most users focused on privacy, the Basic level is probably the best option for limiting what gets sent to Microsoft. The Basic level sends device information like application compatibility and usage information in addition to the information sent from the Security level. This can include the number of crashes and the amount of processor time and memory an application used at a time. System data can help Microsoft know whether a device meets the minimum requirements to upgrade to the next version. Data from the Basic level helps identify problems that can occur on a particular hardware or software configuration. The types of data collected include device attributes, such as camera resolution, display type, and battery capacity; application and operating system versions; networking devices, such as the number of network adapters; IMEI number (for mobile devices) and mobile operator network; architecture details, such as processor, memory type, and firmware versions; storage data, such as number of drives, type, and size; and virtualization support. The Basic level also collects and transmits compatibility details, such as how add-ons work with the browser, how applications work with the operating system, and whether peripherals like printers and storage devices would work with the next version of the operating system. Enhanced level aids user-experience improvements. The Enhanced level, the default setting for Windows 10 Enterprise and Education, also sends data on how Windows, Windows Server, System Center, and applications are used; how they perform; and their reliability. This includes operating system events, such as those from networking, Hyper-V, Cortana, storage, and file system; operating system application events, such as those from Server Manager, Mail, and Microsoft Edge; device-specific events such as data from Microsoft HoloLens; and all crash dumps. Data collected from the Enhanced level helps Microsoft improve user experience because the company can use the detailed information to find patterns and trends in how the applications are being used. Enhanced is the minimum level needed for Microsoft to identify and address Windows 10, Windows Server, and System Center quality issues. The Full level makes your PC an open book. The Full levelthe default for consumer versions of Windowsis the free-for-all level that has privacy folks worried, because it includes significant technical data, which Microsoft claims is necessary to identify and help to fix problems. At the Full level, devices send information related to reliability, application responsiveness, and usage along with all crash dumps. Data collection has changed in Windows Telemetry data is not new to Windows 10. Microsoft used telemetry in previous versions of Windows and Windows Server to check for updated or new Windows Defender signatures, verify Windows Update installations, and gather reliability information through the RAC (Reliability Analysis Component) and Windows CEIP (Customer Experience Improvement Program). Whats changed is that Windows 10 has expanded the scope to better understand the type of hardware being used, basic system diagnostics, logs of how frequently features are being used, what applications have been installed, how users are using those applications, and the reliability data from device drivers. Microsoft says it tries to avoid collecting personal information, but it can happen. For example, crash dumps can contain the contents of a document that was in memory at the time of the crash. The news that Microsoft would include threat intelligence content such as indicators and reports of past attacks from FireEyes iSight Intelligence product into Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection, there were concerns that FireEye would gain access to some of the telemetry data. But Microsoft says that is not part of the FireEye deal. Microsofts plan to put advertising on users lock screens and Start screensand block IT admins from disabling themhas also fanned the flames of security fear. After all, similar advertising from the likes of Google ad Facebook relies heavily on the intense collection of personal data to target the ads. Its worth noting that Windows is not intentionally collecting functional data, such as the users location when the user is looking at local weather or news. The application may collect such data, but not the Windows 10 operating systemand thus not the Windows 10 telemetry. Of course, Microsoft collects personal information from its own applications. Cortana is such an example, but users can turn off Cortana completely. Overall, IT organizations should be able to find a telemetry level theyre comfortable with in terms of privacy, while not sacrificing the core security of Windows. They may have to pay the price of higher admin costs if they use the lowest telemetry level (Security), but only if they choose to do so. This story, "How Windows 10 data collection trades privacy for security" was originally published by InfoWorld . Robert Half, a staffing agency serving the tri-state area with local offices including one in Stamford and one in White Plains, NY, released the results of its "job search blunders" survey. The survey, developed by Accountemps (a Robert Half company) and conducted by an independent research firm, includes responses from more than 2,200 CFOs from companies in more than 20 of the largest U.S. metropolitan areas. Riders on Metro-North just got an early holiday gift from the railroad and the state Department of Transportation a bright, shiny new train set. Its not a toy, but real! Weve been promised 94 more M8 rail cars! And just in time (though they wont start arriving until 2019). Weve been enjoying the new M8 cars since their introduction in 2011 and they have proved highly reliable. Unlike the old M2 cars, many of which were older than the passengers who rode in them and were prone to breakdowns each winter, the new M8 cars are champions. They go over 460,000 miles between mechanical breakdowns, which is 53 percent better than the railroads own goals for the Kawasaki-designed and built cars. Work on the M8s started in 2006 with an initial order of 300 cars. Another 80 cars were optioned in 2011 and 25 more single, unpowered cars were then added to the fleet, bringing the total to the 405 cars we have today. (When the newest cars start arriving in three years, the last of the old M2 cars will finally be scrapped). Because of their unique design, operating on three different power systems, the M8 cars were not cheap. The first cars cost $2.3 million but Kawasaki is now commanding $3.8 million for the 60 now on order and $3.7 million for another 34 cars on option. Part of the price hike is attributed to improved design and addition of the long-awaited Positive Train Control system that could help avoid crashes and other safety equipment like closed circuit TV. The state will cover 65 percent of the costs and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will bear the other 35 percent. Our share will probably be paid for through bonding. Ten planned Cafe Cars, to be fabricated from older, original M8 cars, will be completely paid for by Connecticut. Surging ridership More Information In their own words: Reader reactions to "Getting There" column on strategies to slow down drivers: I walk on fairly rural roads in Kent CT and, in my opinion, drivers are already going too slow. Worse, they either slow down and stare at me walking along like they expect me to dive into the poison ivy, or they pull into the opposite lane at speed. I, personally, may have a fat a**, but I know for a fact that even my rural roads are wide enough for two cars and a pedestrian side by side. Tell Connecticut drivers to stop slowing down all stalker-y, and definitely to stop risking the death of everyone in an oncoming vehicle just to avoid one pedestrian by a full lane width. On the other hand, when I'm driving, "Drive like your kids live here" looks an awful lot like "Drive like you own the place!" - Roberta Moran 'Why is it that kids are playing in the streets, anyway, when they have perfectly good lawns and nearby parks? Do they think they're living on the Lower East Side' ... insensitive! unaware! wrong metaphor! - Stephen Milman Each Monday I look forward to your "GETTING THERE" articles and sit nodding in agreement with most of them. Today's really got to me. We live on Westway Rd. in Southport (the poor end) between the Metro North bridge and the turnpike bridge. The Metro North air horns I will save for another rant in a different e-mail. Each morning between 7:00 am and 9:30 am the commuter traffic passes by our house averaging 60 mph. That isn't a really bad speed for I-95 but the speed limit on Westway Rd. is 25 mph. The rush hour between 4:00 and 6;00 pm isn't quite as bad as most of them are returning to loving families instead of work. I have e-mailed an acquaintance at the Fairfield police Dept. and I do realize that we are not the only neighborhood experiencing this problem. This morning two youngsters walking to the bus stop (no sidewalks here) were almost eliminated from that loving family category. - Karl Kery age 74 retired and tired See More Collapse Why is the railroad going to all of this expense? Because it became victim of its own success: ridership has been soaring in recent years. When the first M8 cars were ordered, Metro-North thought it would have enough cars to handle ridership until 2020. But we blew through those numbers years early. That meant more passengers than seats and crowded, often times standing room only conditions at rush hour. Why the surge in ridership? A stronger economy, which means more jobs in New York City. Worsening traffic on I-95, which makes the train an attractive alternative. The railroads reliability, even in the winter. And yes, people really like the new cars with their power plugs at every row, working heating and air conditioning systems and pleasing design. All of those attractions have seemed stronger than the negatives to train-taking: lower gas prices, higher rail fares and insufficient station parking. So the question now is, are we ordering enough new cars to keep up with demand? Given the three year lag-time between ordering and delivery, will a 499-car fleet be enough if ridership keeps growing as fast, if not faster? As new cars start arriving in 2019 theyll first be used to add capacity to existing trains to deal with rush-hour crowding. As more cars arrive, 24 of our M8s will be shifted over to Shore Line East service between New London and New Haven. And maybe, if were lucky, by 2020 well have enough cars to actually increase service, adding more trains to the timetable. If we dont want to waste billions of dollars on Governor Malloys idea to widen I-95,, lets instead invest in our railroad and order more cars now. You are here: Home Flash Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith in Beijing Thursday, vowing joint efforts with the country to build stronger comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation. Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 1, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua] Xi hailed the progress of China-Laos ties since the forging of diplomatic relations 55 years ago, citing traditional friendship and rapid growth of cooperation in diverse areas. China regards Laos as a good neighbor, friend, comrade and partner, and is ready to facilitate a stronger partnership and jointly build an unbreakable community of shared destiny, Xi said. Thongloun, who was elected in April 2016, is on a four-day China visit from Monday to Thursday. Xi proposed close exchanges between leaders of both countries and parties and timely exchange of views on major issues. He urged the two ruling parties to share governance experience and learn from each other. Xi called on both sides to connect their development strategies, and jointly boost the Belt and Road Initiative and cooperation in such areas as capacity investment, energy exploration, economic cooperation parks and infrastructure building. China is ready to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with Laos in education, culture, tourism, law enforcement and security, Xi said, vowing to cement coordination with Laos in multilateral frameworks such as China-ASEAN cooperation, the Lancang-Mekong cooperation mechanism and United Nations. Thongloun congratulated China on the sixth plenary session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee held in Beijing in late October. Applauding the achievements of bilateral cooperation in various areas, he said Laos appreciated China's support for its development and during Laos' period as ASEAN's rotating chair for 2016. Calling China an important force in maintaining regional peace and stability, he said Laos is committed to closer cooperation between the two countries and parties. Laos hopes to keep close coordination with China in global and regional affairs, and boost stronger ASEAN-China relations, he added. Thongloun is visiting China as guest of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. Keeping creatives -- designers, writers, art directors and other artsy types -- inspired and motivated within the confines of their cubicles should be one of your top priorities for 2017. This band of rebels is a breed unto themselves with a blend of desirable skills that ensure your brand not only stays intact, but one step ahead of the competition. Its easy to see why marketing departments continue to experience a spike in the number of creatives joining their teams, and they are showing a heightened interest in keeping those growing teams content. Seventy percent of B2B marketers who responded to a study by the Content Marketing Institute said they are creating more content than they did one year ago, and 55 percent of them will increase their marketing spending in the coming year. Mega corporations are on this trend as well. Related: How to Inspire Innovation Within Your Business Apple and Microsoft (and others) have retooled their machines (and packed them full of apps) designed specifically to court the creative market. With its October 2016 release of the new MacBook Pro, Apple continues to cater to creatives, with one tag line proclaiming, for creativity on an epic scale. Not to be outdone, Microsoft released Surface Studio, a new tool for the creative process. But with talent, comes a set of unique needs. Tapping into ones creativity within the confines of a corporate environment can have its challenges, notes Hillary Hope, founder and creative director at The Unlimited Hope. A brilliant idea can hit while on the treadmill at the gym, in line at the grocery store or in the middle of the night. Being flexible with ones creative team is one of the best ways to support and inspire them. To ensure you can equip your team with smart apps for idea-making, brainstorming and productive daydreaming, Ive short-listed 10 top tools working creatives use to stay motivated, curious and responsive as well as organized and on task. In order to ensure your team has the space to tap into their creative juices while tending to the left-brain, you must not only give them the tools they need but flexibility as well, Hope adds. This way, they are more apt to deliver new and interesting solutions for projects in a timely manner. 1. Designinspiration Designinspiration is the hub for discovering great art, design, architecture, photography, typography and web creativity. Creatives can browse content submitted by its users as well as share their own great designs. When Im stuck, or need a spark of inspiration, I browse the amazing work on Designinspiration, says Tamara Weaver, creative director at Patient Pop. The quality and diversity really opens your mind and erases borders -- its like brainstorming with an entire global team. 2. ONTRApages ONTRApages fosters the entrepreneurial spirit among creatives by offering easy-to-build, attractive web pages (a plethora of template, fonts, and colors) that can boost conversions and help grow businesses. And its free for everyone. 3. Adobe Photoshop LightRoom Adobe Photoshop LightRoom helps photographers and designers manage and edit their photographs -- from importing to sorting to sharing on the web. Related: 5 Lessons for Success From YouTube Star Casey Neistat 4. Clique University While Clique Studios is first and foremost a full-service agency, the company is also making a name for itself with its Clique University classes. On its website, let your creatives explore the history and necessities of typography or dive deep into Cliques insights. If youre located in or will be in Chicago, invite Clique University to give personalized sessions to your creative team or attend one of Clique Us in-person training sessions. 5. The Noun Project This global library of free, downloadable icons representing symbols and concepts lets designers create, share and celebrate the worlds visual language. Today, millions use The Noun Project to simplify communication around the world. 6. Sketch With Sketch, designers and art directors can create stunning landing pages and working prototypes to help complete their own projects. Sketchs lightweight, flexible and fast interface makes sure the focus remains on what matters: the design. Sketch is my go-to when I start a new web project, says Leslie Casanova, founder and creative director at Spell Work. It helps translate a complex design into a final product, which makes it easy to present to clients. 7. Hemingway Editor Hemingway himself probably would have used this simple text editor. And why not? Its proofreading tools create bold and clear prose. The Hemingway Editor highlights common problems that can get in the way of clear writing, including complex words or phrases, extra long sentences, too many adverbs and too many instances of passive voice. 8. Lynda This is a one-stop-shop for productively burning an hour at work while learning a new skill. Get your entire team a Lynda subscription to take full advantage of the unlimited courses in design software, web building, video and still photography, animation, illustration and writing. You name it, Lynda most likely has a course for it. 9. Grammarly No matter your writing needs, Grammarly gives you the confidence of mistake-free writing every time you put pen to paper, so to speak. Grammarly's online proofreading tool checks text for grammar, punctuation and style and features a contextual spelling checker and plagiarism detector. Related: 'Metal Gear Solid' Creator on How He Remains Creative Amid Hardships 10. Headspace Getting your creatives in the right frame of mind is what Headspace does best. Research shows practicing meditation and mindfulness can have a positive impact on stress, anxiety, focus and creativity. Headspace bills itself as a gym membership for the mind, with a monthly subscription program that teaches meditation in short, office-friendly time slots. I'm always looking for new creative tools. Tweet me your favorites that I didn't include on this list @andrewmedal. Related: 10 Tools to Keep Creatives Happy and Productive Decoding Design With Dilip Chhabria How to Inspire Innovation Within Your Business Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Flash Russian Space Corporation Roscosmos confirmed Thursday that a cargo spaceship blasted off earlier in the day had been lost over the territory of southern Siberia's Tuva region. Earlier on Thursday, the Roscosmos said it had lost telemetry contact with a Progress MS-04 spacecraft, 383 seconds after its launch onboard the Soyuz-U carrier rocket at the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. "According to preliminary information, the contingency took place at an altitude of about 190 km over the remote and unpopulated mountainous area of the Republic of Tuva. Most of the fragments had burned in the dense atmosphere," the Roscosmos said in a statement. The spaceship, with 2.6 tons of goods and suppliers onboard, were planned to dock with the International Space Station (ISS). The Roscosmos said the loss of the freighter will not affect the normal operations of the ISS and the life of the station crew. The Sputnik news website quoted an unnamed source saying that the search work is underway. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate STAMFORD A gun-toting felon and three others were arrested early Friday during a drug bust at a West Side hotel, police said. Narcotics and Organized Crime squad officers were alerted that two cars were coming from New York to deliver marijuana and cocaine to the La Quinta Inn on Harvard Avenue, Capt. Richard Conklin said. The officers established surveillance of the hotel about 11:30 p.m. Thursday and a Honda Civic with Illinois plates and a Toyota Camry with Connecticut plates arrived about an hour later, Conklin said. Conklin said officers blocked the cars and searched them, finding a .38 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver with two bullets in the cylinder, which was reported stolen from Massachusetts as part of a cache of more than 100 other guns that disappeared. Officers also found a bag containing 12 grams of marijuana and a small amount of cocaine, Conklin said. Jason Vega, 31, of Port Chester, N.Y., was charged with criminal possession of a firearm, because he is a felon, having a weapon in a motor vehicle, theft of a firearm, possession of marijuana with intent to sell and possession of narcotics with intent to sell. He also faces conspiracy counts on the gun theft, marijuana and narcotics dealing charges. He is being held in lieu of a $50,000 court appearance bond. The passengers in his car, Timothy Planes, 20, and Keyanna Kelley, 28, both of Port Chester, also face similar charges. The juvenile was charged with possession of marijuana and narcotics with intent to sell and was released into the custody of his father, Conklin said. jnickerson@scni.com; STORY LINK Pound Sterling (GBP) to Euro (EUR) Flatter after Giving up Thursday Boost Pound (GBP) Sold from Best Levels after Soft Brexit Rally Euro (EUR) Fails to Benefit from Data Due to Political Jitters GBP/EUR Forecast: Eurozone Political Events in Focus over the Weekend Like this piece? Please share with your friends and colleagues: The Pound to Euro exchange rate surged during the middle of Thursdays trade session as Sterling was bolstered by new hopes of a soft Brexit. However, this movement didnt last and by the end of the day GBP/EUR had given up most of its gains due to a bout of profit-taking.GBP/EUR is still up slightly from the week's opening level of 1.1779. While it failed to remain above Thursdays three-month-high of 1.1941, it has been able to hold its ground above the key support level of 1.18.Thursday was another highly volatile day for Pound trade. Sterling looked to have another day of strong gains in the bag after comments about the UKs EU single market access gave markets increased hope of post-Brexit access.Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem hinted that there may be a way for the EU to allow the UK to remain in the internal market, while in an unrelated Parliament meeting the UK Brexit Secretary David Davis stated that the government may be willing to pay for access to the EU single market if necessary.This gave Sterling a significant boost on Thursday but not a boost it was able to maintain. The British currency was sold from its highs in a bout of profit taking after it broke past levels of key resistance and reached its best levels in months.On Friday, GBP edged a little higher but was comparatively flat. Sterling may have been offered a little support from Novembers construction PMI however, which impressed by improving to 52.8 despite forecasts of a drop to 52.2.Eurozone data published this week has been generally optimistic and Thursdays session saw the publication of a particularly impressive unemployment report alongside its solid November manufacturing score of 53.7.Octobers Eurozone unemployment rate came in at a surprisingly low 9.8% despite being expected to stay at 10%. Septembers rate was also adjusted to 9.9%. The October score indicated that unemployment throughout the bloc was at its lowest levels since 2009.However this failed to cheer markets enough with the next week to be a vital one for Eurozone events. An Italian constitutional referendum and an Austrian presidential re-election will be held on Sunday which have the possibility to end in populist-influenced results.Euro traders are also jittery as next weeks European Central Bank (ECB) meeting approaches, as investors speculate on the possibility of the banks easing package being extended.For a little insight into how the Pound to Euro exchange rate will be behaving on Monday, the biggest influence will be this Sundays upcoming Eurozone votes.The Italian constitutional referendum may itself not have a populist option, but if citizens vote No to the constitutional changes theres a chance Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi will resign as PM, which could leave the door open for a re-election and the rise of the populist Five Star Movement.Meanwhile over in Austria, 2016s Presidential election will be re-run and it looks like it could be a win for far-right populist Norbert Hofer. Green party candidate Alexander Van der Bellen looked to win earlier this year but the election had to be re-run due to the closeness of the results.If No wins the Italian referendum or Hofer wins the Austrian election, or both, the Euro will certainly fall on Monday as traders continue to grow concerned about the growth of populism throughout the Eurozone bloc which could threaten the Euro itself if member nations begin to pull away from the EU as Britain did.The Pound has stronger underlying strength in comparison thanks to the past weeks soft Brexit hopes. However, Monday will see the UK Supreme Court hearing the governments appeal on a High Court Article 50 ruling.The High Court ruled that Article 50 must be activated through Parliamentary vote rather than by just the government. If this is overturned, Sterling could also plummet. International Money Transfer? Ask our resident FX expert a money transfer question or try John's new, free, no-obligation personal service! ,where he helps every step of the way, ensuring you get the best exchange rates on your currency requirements. TAGS: Daily Currency Updates Euro Pound Forecasts Pound Sterling Forecasts Flash The U.S. Senate Thursday voted without objection to extend an Iran sanctions law for 10 more years, to which the White House said it will "take a look" The law, named the Iran Sanctions Extension Act, reauthorized the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 which restricted Iran's banking, defense and energy sectors. "Preserving these sanctions is critical given Iran's disturbing pattern of aggression and its persistent efforts to expand its sphere of influence across the Middle East," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. The vote was backed by the entire chamber except Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who didn't vote. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the president "will take a look at the bill that's been passed by Congress." "There are plenty of times where the President has signed into law bills that Congress has passed that we're not sure are entirely necessary," Earnest commented on the issue previously. The bill, passed through the House of Representatives last week 419-1, is strongly opposed by the Iranian government, which says the bill runs against the nuclear treaty both country signed last year. "The Islamic Republic will definitely react to it," Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said. Somerset County Treasurer will 'do what it takes' for best returns The Blairs seem to have become the richest, multi-property-owning former occupants of No 10 in history Treated by a genuflecting Evan Davis as if she were a senior member of the Royal Family, Cherie Blair, 62, appears on BBC 2s Newsnight to promote her eponymous Foundation for Women. Was it fear of committing lese-majesty that prevented squirming Davis from asking how their charity foundations aside the Blairs seem to have become the richest, multi-property-owning former occupants of No 10 in history? RE Cherie, pictured on Newsnight, a Labour source was amused to hear her lecture bachelor Davis about the need for modern fathers to share child-rearing duties. When Tony became party leader in 1994 she made a fuss because he was no longer available to whizz home to Islington and give the children their favourite tea pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, my source says. Mitt Romney eating dinner with Donald Trump, who he previously described as 'a con man, a phony and a fraud' Why does Mitt Romney, 69, want to become 70-year-old President-elect Donald Trumps secretary of state after denouncing him as a con man, a phony and a fraud during the election? Perhaps hes heard that bookies are quoting 3/1 on Trump being impeached and evicted from the White House. This could present ex-candidate Romney with a second shot at the presidency he was the Republican candidate defeated by Barack Obama in 2012. His father George, as housing secretary, battled President Nixon, who resigned to escape impeachment in 1974. Our most senior judge at the European Court of Justice, Eleanor Sharpston QC, says apropos Brexit: If you join a club and you wish to leave the club, you leave in accordance with the rules when you join the club The interpretation of those rules is a matter for this court [the ECJ]. How many clubs does Ena Sharples know where members face court proceedings when they want to leave? ITVs harmless This Morning host Phillip Schofield, 54, says he wants to be like the no-nonsense Duke of Edinburgh when he grows up. Having interviewed the 95-year-old royal consort while filming a documentary marking the 60th anniversary of the Duke of Edinburghs Award scheme, Schofield declares: He is very much his own man and he doesnt suffer fools. Except when necessary, he might have added. The death of Big Mac inventor Michael Delligatti, at 98, reminds me of the late art critic Brian Sewells story about driving through Germany with his friend, surveyor of royal pictures (and, it later turned out, KGB spy) Anthony Blunt. Passing a branch of McDonalds, unworldly Blunt exclaimed: Fancy seeing a Scottish restaurant out here! David Davis announced he was going to start being polite to people David Davis announced he was going to change his habits and start being polite to people. Old Knuckles promising to be a sweetie-pie! Westminster veteran Davis has the unwieldy title 'Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union'. Is 'exit' a verb? What happened to 'leave'? Or 'get the bejaysus out of'? Perhaps Whitehall preferred 'exit' because it sounded less certain and Sir Humphrey thought it might give him more room for prevarication and general smudging. Soon after breakfast Mr Davis came to the Commons for an hour of parliamentary questions. No Lib Dem MPs bothered to attend. They were possibly all down in south-west London, helping the yellow team at the Richmond Park by-election. But Labour and Scots Nat MPs were present in heavy numbers when the Commons session began, ensuring that we had a high gloom count. Remainers do still look terribly po-faced when they hear reference to the June 23 referendum result in which the electorate opted for Brexit. Little frown lines appear on their brows. Their shoulders droop and their mouths quiver. The Centre-Left's official mourning period still has some way to run. The Labour frontbenchers who grouped round the Shadow Secretary of State, Sir Keir Starmer, could have been patients in the waiting room at an anxiety clinic. Nor did their air of sorrow lift when Sir Keir sallied forth to battle. Hair scraped hard to one side, voice hesitant, his questions have become repetitive and tinny yesterday he again wanted to know when Mr Davis was going to provide more detail of his EU negotiating stance, something the minister has repeatedly said he will not yet do. Sir Keir is an oddly unprepossessing little chap. It is startling that he made it to director of public prosecutions (the position he held before he entered Parliament at the last general election). Watching him in operation, you'd think running the desk at a Citizen's Advice Bureau in Reigate might have been more his level. Mr Davis has been lucky in his shadow. It would have been trickier for him to face, say, Hilary Benn, although Labour's Mr Benn does chair the parliamentary select committee on Brexit. It was noticeable yesterday that Mr Davis dealt with Sir Keir in a peremptory manner but when Mr Benn asked a question from the backbenches Mr Davis was more assiduous in his respect. It was noticeable yesterday that Mr Davis dealt with Sir Keir (pictured) in a peremptory manner Opposition MPs complained that exports could be whacked by Brexit. They feared regulatory arrangements on medicines would wither. What about foreign scientists working in this country? What about cross-border policing? What about anti-terrorism intelligence? O woe is us. The Government's approach to Brexit was one of 'chaos and confusion'. Boris was mucking it up. Etc., etc. To these and other dread scenarios, Mr Davis burbled that all would be well, just you see. In this he was assisted by ministerial colleagues David Jones (a former Welsh Secretary who trots out officialese in a slightly furtive manner) and Robin Walker, who is so good at multi-tasking that he can read a civil service brief and both flick and blow (via an upturned lip) his beautifully-shampooed fringe. Cameroonish young Walker is son of the late Peter, who served in the Thatcher government without ever quite convincing anyone that he agreed with it. Much of the debate yesterday was about the rights of EU citizens currently in Britain. Would they be allowed to stay? The Government has tried to fix this but Frau Merkel and Co are not co-operating. Mr Davis was plainly tempted to call them names but resisted. 'I'm not going to be rude about them,' he said. 'One of the interesting disciplines of the next two years is that I am going to have to be polite about everyone.' This from one of the most inveterate plotters in the business. In 1996 supermodel Karen Mulder sashayed down a makeshift catwalk at the Plaza Hotel in New York wearing just a pretty white babydoll nightie Twenty years ago, supermodel Karen Mulder sashayed down a makeshift catwalk at the Plaza Hotel in New York wearing just a pretty white babydoll nightie, all honeyed limbs and glorious blonde hair. This was a very early Victorias Secret lingerie show, which sent shock waves through the industry for its risque ensembles and generous helpings of glamorous, golden flesh. The American lingerie brand, then in its infancy, had struck upon a potent formula: send beautiful women down a catwalk in their undies and youll attract attention. The strategy worked: the underwear brand now has yearly revenue of a staggering 6 billion, more than 1,000 stores, seven of them in the UK, and is planning further expansion across the globe. It even has spin-off brands, including the controversial Pink line, which the shop claims targets 18-20-year-olds, but is beloved of eight to 14-year-old tween girls everywhere thanks to its cutesie, soft-cup bras. (In 2013 the Victorias Secret chief financial officer Stuart Burgdoerfer admitted that When somebodys 15 or 16 years old, what do they want to be? They want to be older, and they want to be cool like the girl in college, and thats part of the magic of what we do at Pink.) Looking back now on the first shows, the girls from 1995 and 1996 seem positively overdressed their outfits, if not exactly monastic, then definitely understated in comparison to today. The original models wear short nighties and little babydolls, jackets over their bras and even shock the odd full-length nightdress. Fast forward to 2016, and heres supermodel Martha Hunt in a bit of dental floss for pants; Gigi Hadid (pictured) in a black strappy number, also apparently made out of oral hygiene tape In fact, the contrast between then and now brings to mind that old Cole Porter classic: In olden days, a glimpse of stocking/ Was looked on as something shocking/ But now, God knows/ Anything goes. Plus ca change. Fast forward to 2016, and heres supermodel Martha Hunt in a bit of dental floss for pants; Gigi Hadid in a black strappy number, also apparently made out of oral hygiene tape. Irina Shayks buttocks appeared to have broken free entirely of their moorings, while her angular colleague, Lais Oliveira, showcased the kind of happy-hooker chic that Pink, the Victorias Secret teen line, has become known for. Contrast this display with that first show, featuring Karen Mulder in what by todays standards is practically a burka: a babydoll nightie and mules. Or with Claudia Schiffer a year later, demure in a shimmering floor-length gown with barely a hint of cleavage, nary a bikini wax on show. Or that long-ago 1998 line up of Daniela Pestova, Stephanie Seymour, Mulder and Ines Rivero, almost endearingly kitsch in Austin Powers-style gold boots, skirts and matching jackets. Nowadays these are the kinds of outfits the models wear just to travel to the shows; the stuff they actually wear on the catwalk is so revealing you can practically glimpse their internal organs. The contrast between then and now brings to mind that old Cole Porter classic: In olden days, a glimpse of stocking/ Was looked on as something shocking/ But now, God knows/ Anything goes Theres something else striking about the pictures from 20 years ago, too. The girls have curves. Not excessive ones, of course this is still a catwalk, theyre all slim as pins. But they dont look like theyve been surviving on nothing but chamomile colonics and tissue paper for the previous three weeks, like the current lot. A shot of Tyra Banks in 2005 shows her looking positively well-fed. In 2006 Karolina Kurkova lives up to her curvaceous-sounding name in a bizarre air hostess-inspired ensemble. Naomi Campbell in 2005: vibrant. Heidi Klum, juicy as a ripe strawberry in 2008/9, while Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in 2010s blue gingham is borderline buxom. This years show could not have been more different. Just look at the line up of waif-like Elsa Hosk, Alessandra Ambrosio, Taylor Hill and Martha Hunt in Paris: theres no joy, no colour, no fun, no sexiness. Just a group of gaunt women trussed up with string like so many Sunday roasts, a homogeneous assemblage of coltish limbs, big blow dries and flashbulb grins. So when did it get like this? When did the Victorias Secret show go from being a bit of saucy fun, a seaside postcard of a catwalk to something that, not to put too fine a point on it, resembles a work outing at the local knocking shop? How did it go from selling babydoll nighties to housewives to being an enormous money-making machine selling tiny, overpriced underwear to teen girls? You can see the slide into more and more nudity, more and more flesh as the years go by. Why? Easy in the Nineties, as the first Victorias Secret model walked down the catwalk, another phenomenon was just taking hold: the internet. As porn became readily available, and the pornification of society of the Nineties with its strip clubs and fake bosoms took hold, Victorias Secret followed suit. Suddenly, no one was shocked by a babydoll nightie, and the company started upping the ante. This year the line up was waif-like Elsa Hosk, Alessandra Ambrosio, Taylor Hill and Martha Hunt in Paris: theres no joy, no colour, no fun, no sexiness Then, around 2012, a couple of years after Twitter and Instagram launched, the culture of the selfie really began to take off. Models and celebrities started posting pictures of themselves semi-naked on social media, blurring the lines between their personal and public lives. People quickly discovered that the more they shared, the more likes they got. The culture of internet porn began to infect the mainstream as well, and a downward spiral began with the result that a pretty girl in a bikini is no longer enough to set the world alight. And, of course, where celebrities go, others will follow. Take a look through photo-sharing site Instagram, and notice a strange thing: all the women are starting to look similar. Theres the Victorias Secret tan, the toned stomach, the pouts and show-offishness. But worse, here are young women who dont think twice about posing in their bras in the most provocative ways imaginable. Although parents see it as a chance to relax and unwind, the end-of-year family holiday almost always turns into a stressful experience. Tempers fray and blood pressures rise as exhausted parents juggle luggage, transport and eager young children. But a new video filmed from a child's perspective attempts to remind parents about the simple pleasures of the family getaway. Scroll down for video Fresh perspective: Jonathan Ricketts (left), Vanessa Chambers (middle) and Ted Treseder (right) were asked to film their family holidays Fun: The videos were a timely reminder that family getaways were meant to be enjoyable, not stressful In the video, three children are presented with cameras and told to go out and document their holiday adventures. Jonathan Ricketts, 10, and family headed to the Gold Coast, Ted Treseder, 11, set off for Canberra, and young Vanessa Chambers enjoyed the Central Coast of NSW. Videos of the holidays showcase the simple pleasures that make trips memorable: Splashing in the pool, walks on the beach and munching pizza on a lazy night in. Enjoyable: Young Jonathan Ricketts said the best part of staying on the Gold Coast (pictured) was being so close to the water Family time: 'Usually my dad's at work a lot, so I don't get to talk to him a lot,' Jonathan (right) said in the video Jonathan said the best parts of his holiday were swimming in the pool and doing 'bombs' into the spa. 'It's way more better because usually my dad's at work a lot. So usually I don't get to talk to him a lot,' he said. While the Gold Coast was full of lively bars and trendy eateries, his favourite meal of the trip was breakfast because he 'got double bacon'. And he took delight in other simple pleasures such as being able to take a quick stroll to the beach. 'It is so fun and it was so good that we could walk to the shops and stuff,' he said. Bonding: The chambers family watch the video made by Vanessa (right) of their time on the Central Coast Relaxing: Vanessa Chambers took this shot of her little brother on the beach on the Central Coast The video series was pulled together by accommodation website Wotif in response to a holiday survey they pulled together in September. More than two thirds of parents dreaded going away on holiday and had negative feelings in the lead up to a getaway, the survey found. 'Holidays are one of the few times parents and kids get to escape day-to-day life and have fun together,' Wotif spokeswoman Amanda Behre said. 'This social experiment not only shows how kids live in the moment and appreciate the simple things about holidays. 'It is also a reminder in the lead up to the Christmas period that it's not just about receiving gifts, even for kids, with creating family memories incredibly important.' Getting away: The Treseder family ride segway scooters in Canberra Things are really heating up. As the east coast of Australia braces for an extreme heat wave firefighters are on high alert, and high demand, as they strip for the annual charity calendar. Firefighters set to feature in the 2017 calendar appeared on the Today Show and Today Extra on Friday to share just what is takes to grace the pages of the coveted calendar. They also spoke about their upcoming documentary that will take you behind the scenes of the sizzling shoot. Scroll down for video Hot in here: Firefighters from the 2017 Firefighter Charity Calendar appeared on the Today Show on Friday, puppies in tow In the spotlight: The men, who appear in the calendar alongside adorable puppies, spoke about their upcoming documentary that takes you behind-the-scenes of the calendar Worthy cause: Three fighters also appeared on Today Extra where they spoke about staying in shape and the charities the calendar supports Among them was former Married At First Sight contestant Mark Ellum, who appeared on season three of the controversial show. Mark revealed the firies work hard, and train even harder, to sculpt their enviable physiques for the calendar. Were all fitness freaks, its part of our lifestyle, its part of being a firefighter, Mark said on Today Extra. But for the last 16 weeks is what really counts. Hard work: Former Married At First Sight contestant Mark Ellum, who appears in the calendar, said they ditch alcohol and train hard for 16 weeks before the calendar Man candy: The men appeared on the Today Show with hosts Lisa Wilkinson and Karl Stefanovic, who urged the men to 'take it off' Training hard: Most of us give up alcohol, going out and just lead really sort of boring lives for our shots to be in the calendar,' Mark Ellum (not pictured) said Most of us give up alcohol, going out and just lead really sort of boring lives for our shots to be in the calendar. And no one knows better than firefighter Sam Rouen just what it takes to achieve a dream physique. The former The Biggest Loser contestant lost an incredible 71 kilograms before starring in the calendar, and while he has abs most people could only dream of, said he still has insecurities about his appearance. Going from being a morbidly obese bloke with some rockin man cans and love handles to taking your kit off after a transformation and putting yourself out there is definitely different, he told Today Extra. 'Phil and Bandit': In 2017 the calendar teamed up with the RSPCA to raise funds for the animal charity, and the men posed with adorable puppies Where to look: The calendar supports a number of charities, including the RSPCA and mates4mates Four firefighters also appeared on the Today Show, puppies in tow, to promote their work. Their presence prompted Today host Karl Stefanovic to urge the men to get your shirts off, with one firefighter stripping on air. One firefighter, who appears on the cover of the calendar, went on to tell Karl and co-host Lisa Wilkinson he trains between one and three hours a day to keep his ridiculously muscular physique rock hard. Rock hard: Some of the firefighters train between one and three hours a day to keep their muscular physiques in shape Closer look: The men will feature in a behind-the-scenes documentary, to air on Channel 9 on Saturday, to show just what goes in to making the calendar This year the calendar teamed up with the RSPCA, and pledged $100,000 of the proceeds to the worthy cause. They also posed alongside the adorable puppies for the shoot, sending women across the nation in to a spin. The men will feature in a behind-the-scenes documentary, to air on Channel 9 to show just what goes in to making the calendar. The Firefighters Calendar was founded in 1993 and raises funds for the Childrens Hospital Foundation and the Westmead Childrens Hospital Burns Unit. Worthy cause: The calendar raises funds for the Childrens Hospital Foundation and the Westmead Childrens Hospital Burns Unit Helping out: The calendar has also contributed more than $1 million to continue searching for better ways to treat burns, decrease scarring and improve treatments This year they will also raise funds for the RSPCA and mates4mates, who serves current and ex-serving Australian Defence Force members. The calendar has also contributed more than $1 million to continue searching for better ways to treat burns, decrease scarring and improve treatments. When it comes to Instagram, the endless flow of toned thighs and flat stomachs can be a little disheartening. But one fitness blogger has proven that she's just like everybody else and suffers from bloating and stretch marks just like we do. Kelsey Wells, a mother from Utah who blogs about fitness at My Sweat Life, posted to Instagram about her bloating to try and dispel myths about fitspo Instagrammers. Fitness blogger Kelsey Wells posted a photo to Instagram (above) showing that fitspos aren't immune to bloating The blogger, who is from Utah, usually has a completely flat stomach when not bloated The mum said that she was often asked why she doesn't bloat or how she stops herself getting zits Accompanied by a photo of her bloated stomach, Ms Wells explained that she is human just like everyone else. 'I wanted to post this because I have received more than a few questions lately such as "how do you never look bloated?", "how do you never get zits?", and "how do you not have stretch marks?" she wrote. 'First, I definitely do get bloated, I definitely have occasional breakouts (hello hormones), and I actually do have stretch marks (though they have faded).' She said she posted the photo of her bloated stomach to show that fitness bloggers are normal people too Ms Wells generally blogs about her fitness after gaining weight (left) after having her baby She told her followers that bloating after eating is completely normal for everyone Ms Wells said that she posted the photo because it was important for people to remember that Instagram isn't 100 per cent real, and that fitness bloggers deal with things many others do too. 'I could give you tips and tricks on how to fight bloating and zits and stretch marks, but I think it's more important for everyone to realize that these things are totally normal!' she explained. 'Instagram is often a highlight reel of sorts... but it's so important to keep it real and remember that most the images you see while scrolling (including mine) are people's "best foot forward".' Ms Wells also reminded her followers that Instagram is like a 'highlights reel' and people don't always show their bad side She ended the post with a body positive message for her followers, saying that bodies are beautiful 'bloating, zits, stretch marks and all' Her followers loved the post, calling Ms Wells an inspiration The fitness blogger's fans responded well to the photo, praising her as an 'inspiration' who was keeping it real. Ms Wells ended her post by sending out support to those followers with a body positive message. The incision was then stitched to the overlying skin to create a crease Surgeons took chunks from the inside of her cheeks during surgery A mother spent 1,300 on having dimples cut into her cheeks - because she was desperate for a smile to match her 11-year-old son's. Beauty blogger AJ Weir, 44, from Lutton in Lincolnshire, was obsessed with the dimpleplasty procedure, which is rare in the UK, for a decade, and eventually went under the knife in September - even though friends and family told her she was 'bonkers'. Surgeons cut chunks from the inside of her cheeks and stitched up the gaps to give AJ the 'cute' dimple effect she craved. AJ Weir, 44, seen with her 11-year-old son Morgan, was desperate for dimples for a decade 'I knew there was some risk associated, because it was my face,' the beauty blogger says Cosmetic surgeon's removed a chunk from the inside of her cheek and stitched up the gap AJ says she watched as friends of hers with dimples got their way because of the endearing facial features. 'For a long time, I wanted dimples,' she said. 'If somebody has dimples, I will try to stick my finger in their face. It's really weird, but I just love them. 'I see them as a sign of being cute.' The mother, who has previously had breast augmentation surgery to take her from a 28AAA to a 32D cup, also wanted to emulate the dimple her son Morgan has on his right cheek. The beauty blogger is seen before (left) and after (right) dimpleplasty surgery At first the crease created where the overlying skin has attached to the cheek muscle is very visible, but as the stitches dissolve the skin returns to normal when the face is at rest Although there are risks that patients could be left with scarring and there is a chance that the procedure will not work at all, dimple-obsessed AJ pushed ahead. 'I knew there were risks associated, because it was my face,' she said. 'Sometimes the skin doesn't adhere and the dimple will be there to start with, but after a few months, it will disappear. 'There was a risk you could go through it and end up with nothing. 'For a lot of people this seems like a really stupid cosmetic procedure and it seems insane to start messing about with your own face. 'Some people say you should just be happy with what you've got and I get that but this was something I wanted to do.' 'I could afford to do it and I wasn't going to put my family in any sort of financial crisis by doing it, so why not?' After the procedure AJ returned home to show off her new face to her builder husband Jacob, 36. AJ, from Lincolnshire, wanted dimples to match that of her son, Morgan, who is 11 The beauty blogger says she spent 10 years looking into ways to achieve the look she wanted. She said: 'You can get so many types of cosmetic ops these days, so I started to think, "Why can't you get dimples?" 'I did some research at the time, but there seemed to be nothing available. 'Still, I kept looking and eventually you could get it done here.' The Lincolnshire mother, seen before the surgery, had chunks removed from the inside of her cheeks during surgery AJ, seen before the procedure, knew there was a risk she could be left with scarring - or that the 'dimple' would eventually fade Before having dimpleplasty, AJ says she spent years looking into the procedure Smiling for the camera after having the 90-minute cosmetic procedure on her face Undeterred by the cost associated with the purely cosmetic procedure, AJ booked herself in for the 90-minute procedure at a Harley Street surgery earlier this year. Under a local anaesthetic, surgeons took chunks from the inside of her mouth and stitched the gaps up. She said: 'As it heals and the scar tissue forms, it breaks the muscle so that when you smile the tissue pulls in and that creates the dimple effect. 'I was totally awake the whole time. It was a bit like going to the dentist,' AJ said. 'They inject the outside and the inside of your cheek and they pack your mouth open, but all you can feel is pressure.' Immediately after surgery a patient is left with visible craters where the skin and the cheek muscle have been stitched together. But as the sutures dissolve, the skin begins to flatten out and return to its normal appearance when the face is at rest - revealing the crease only when the patient smiles. 'You can see that you have got dimples but they look like craters in your face and I had an external stitch,' AJ said. GET DIMPLES IN A DAY... How does dimpleplasty work? A surgeon will mark the preferred location for your new dimples on your face. The cheek area is then anaesthetised, and a small incision is cut inside the cheek - beneath the mark on the face. Asorbable sutures are used to stitch up the cheek muscle to the overlying skin. The patient is left with a deep crater, but as the suture dissolves over a period of weeks, the skin flattens out and begins to return to its normal appearance when the face is at rest. Once the internal scar heals, the cheek muscle is attached to the overlying skin - creating a creased, dimple effect when the patient smiles. Advertisement 'The surgery itself was painless and because you've not had a general anaesthetic, you don't feel groggy afterwards. 'I did start to swell up and looked a bit like a chipmunk, so I got some funny looks on the train. 'Over the next few days, the swelling started to go down and the bruising came out a lot more. 'It started to become quite sore and painful, but I never regretted having it done.' When it had healed around a month later, friends and colleagues started to notice the difference to her face. 'Within two weeks, people said I looked really good and that I had healed so well. 'Some people do notice that I have dimples now and didn't before, but there's no point going through all that if people don't see them. 'My husband and my son think I'm absolutely bonkers and I can understand that. 'I can agree that is unnecessary to an extent - it's not going to make me more successful, but it was just something that I wanted. Everyone feels a pang of sadness when they head off to university - after all, they're leaving their childhood behind. But for one woman, she was also leaving behind a dog who is so devoted to its owner that it's still waiting at the window every day for her to get off her school bus. 18-year-old Carly Dunn, from Duluth, Georgia, had to leave behind her faithful dog Bo when she started as a freshman at Georgia State University 18-year-old Carly Dunn, from Duluth, Georgia, had to leave behind her faithful dog Bo when she started as a freshman at Georgia State University Every day, Bo looks out the window at Carly's old schol bus, just hoping that she'll get off and come back home Carly shared the adorable story on Twitter, where it received almost 5,000 likes and more than 1,200 retweets Every day, Bo looks out the window at Carly's old schol bus, just hoping that she'll get off and come back home. Carly shared the adorable story on Twitter, where it received 55,700 likes and 21,000 retweets. The original tweet read: 'I've been at college for a whole semester and my dog still waits for me to get off the bus' Carly told Buzzfeed that Bo had always been terrible at goodbyes, saying: 'Every time I leave the house, he always looks at me so sad and just gives me this face like Im literally giving him for adoption.' Let's hope that Bo gets the visit he so desperately wants from his owner soon The original tweet read: 'I've been at college for a whole semester and my dog still waits for me to get off the bus'. Carly told Buzzfeed that Bo had always been terrible at goodbyes, saying: 'Every time I leave the house, he always looks at me so sad and just gives me this face like Im literally giving him for adoption.' Twitter users were getting VERY emotional over the post, with one telling Carly to 'drop out and go see your dog' Carly is very much looking forward to giving Bo the love he deserves when she's home for Christmas. The story inspired love and sadness in Twitter users. @gyeezus wrote: 'When you come home, ask the bus driver to take you home and surprise your dog'. Many are now hoping for a video of the presumably emotional reunion between the two And @Mosskat and @Imagine_JamesM were very emotional about the situation, writing: 'I'M NOT CRYING THERE'S JUST SOMETHING IN MY EYE and 'DROP OUT AND GO SEE YOUR DOG PRIORITIES'. Many users of the social media platform urged Carly to go home immediately to see Bo. @taylorxbrownx said: 'We need a video of the reunion, it's what the people want' and @shaylaabby commented: 'Please go see Bo' with a gif of a woman crying violently. Everyone sympathised with Bo's dedication to his owner. Everyone sympathised with Bo's dedication to his owner and wanted to see them reunited Many Twitter users urged Carly to go home immediately to see Bo @thegroomsbridge said simply: 'JUST GET OFF THE BUS ALREADY'. Let's hope that Bo gets the visit he so desperately wants from his owner soon. Mom Marla Maples has let out a little secret on Instagram her daughter Tiffany Trump celebrated a major milestone with her boyfriend Ross Mechanic. The young couple spent Thanksgiving together this year, celebrating the holiday with the Mechanic family. Ross even invited Marla to take part in the festivities, and the 53-year-old shared a throwback snap yesterday of the trio about to chow down last Thursday. Cute pic! Marla Maples shared a throwback photo from Thanksgiving this year Milestone: She revealed that she and her daughter Tiffany had spent the holiday with Ross Mechanic's family Nice view! Earlier in the day, Marla had watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade from her window 'Was Thanksgiving just a week ago?' Marla wrote. 'My busy, studious girl did take a moment in time to celebrate the blessings of friendship and love. Thank you Ross and family!!' In the photo, Marla, Tiffany, and Ross smile at the camera. The couple wears matching black, while Marla looks cozy in an orange sweater and pendant necklace. Interestingly, these seem moments away from helping themselves to matzo ball soup not a traditional Thanksgiving food, but perhaps a tradition in Ross' Jewish household. Matzo ball soup is traditionally served for Passover, which is in April. Looks natural: She also seemed to enjoy some football as she celebrated in New York Big deal: This is the first Thanksgiving together for Tiffany and Ross, who began dating last year Earlier in the day, Marla had enjoyed a VIP view of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as it came down 5th Avenue, sharing a photo of herself with the Spongebob balloon as it passed. This is Tiffany and Ross' first Thanksgiving together, as the two started dating some time in 2015 and spent the previous holiday apart. Last year, Tiffany and Marla flew to Charleston, South Carolina for the national holiday, where they enjoyed the fall foliage and walks on the beach. They did, however, spend Christmas together at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Flashback: Last November, Marla and Tiffany were in North Carolina for the holiday Tiffany also spent time at a rally with her dad in South Carolina during that long weekend While Marla and Tiffany were in New York enjoying their turkey, Tiffany's half-sister Ivanka was at her New Jersey home celebrating with her husband and children. 'I feel incredibly blessed and thankful on this #Thanksgiving day. Wishing you and your families a very happy Thanksgiving!,' she wrote on Instagram at the time, sharing a snapshot of herself, husband Jared Kushner, Ivanka's maternal grandmother, and the kids. Ivanka seemed to go make-up free but looked polished in a fitted maroon skirt and black sweater and she hugged son Joseph, three. In the 'burbs: While Marla and Tiffany were in the city, Ivanka Trump and her family celebrated at their New Jersey home Cozy: Ivanka shared a photo of her husband Jared Kushner watching the parade with their three-yea-old, Joseph Family time: Ivanka also shared a bathroom selfie and a snap of Arabella, four, playing on a swing Jared is seen with an arm around four-year-old Arabella, while a suspenders- wearing Theodore is cuddled by grandma Marie Zelnickova. The family had spruced up since earlier in the day, when Jared wore a T-shirt to watch the parade with Joseph on the couch. Arabella dressed up, too, after wearing something comfier to play on a swing in the family's yard. She wore an eye-popping red ensemble on Thursday. But Queen Maxima of the Netherlands decided to tone her look down on Friday as she stepped out for an official engagement in Waalre, North Brabant. The Dutch royal, 45, went for a simple black dress with a ruched neckline and fitted skirt from Belgian designer Natan, showcasing her trim figure with a chunky waist belt. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wore a simple black dress with a ruched neckline and fitted skirt from Belgian designer Natan as she stepped out in Waalre on Friday The royal wore her hair in a side parting, accessorising her outfit with a pair of black peeptoe heels and showcasing her trim figure with a chunky waist belt She added a pair of black peeptoe court shoes and a rectangular chain bag, brushing her perfectly-coiffed blonde hair into a side-parting. The royal was visiting the town in the North Brabant province to visit the De Pracht community who have been awarded one of three Appeltje van Oranje awards. The annual award is for social initiatives that successfully connect different groups of people. According to De Pracht's website, Maxima stayed for half an hour to talk to employees and volunteers. She was also seen chatting and interacting with children who had come to catch a glimpse of the royal outside. The royal poses with young girls the De Pracht community who have been awarded one of three Appeltje van Oranje awards A worthy cause: The annual award is for social initiatives that successfully connect different groups of people The royal added a Native American style brooch to add character to an otherwise plain outfit On what proved to be a busy day for the mother-of-three, she also attended the the Prince Bernhard Culture Prize ceremony at the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ concert hall in Amsterdam - opting this time for a bold, graphic printed chiffon blouse and wide-leg trousers. Maxima, who is married to King Willem-Alexander, 49, has spent much of this week hosting Queen Mathilde of Belgium who was on a state tour of the Netherlands with her husband King Philippe. The glamorous royals have been well and truly upping it in the style stakes over the past few days, with each day proving to be something of a fashion face-off. Maxima also attended the the Prince Bernhard Culture Prize ceremony at the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ concert hall in Amsterdam The Queen opted this time for a bold, graphic printed chiffon blouse and wide-leg trousers On Wednesday both Mathilde and Maxima opted for for jewel colours as they headed to Amsterdam station to board a train to Utrecht. Maxima looked ravishing in an amethyst ensemble pairing a rich purple dress with a plum coloured coat. Meanwhile Mathilde stunned in a Topaz coloured dress coat with turquoise lace detailing. Ireland has moved closer to legalising cannabis for medicinal use after the government passed a bill about its usage. Marijuana-based products will become regulated if new plans go ahead following a debate in parliament. It is hoped the drug will help to relieve those suffering from chronic pain, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis - for which it has a proven benefit. While under a doctor's guidance, cannabis would also be given to help fight cancer, the RTE reports. The move would see Ireland join countries like Italy, the Czech Republic and Australia, which have all relaxed their laws on medical grounds. Ireland has moved closer to legalising cannabis for medicinal use after the Government passed a bill about its usage Put forward by People Before Profit Alliance (PBPA), the Dail (Irish government) had made it clear it would not block the all-party backed bill. However, Health Minister Simon Harris said he would seek some changes to the proposal following a evidence-based review. 'While there are elements I do not and will not support, I don't wish to divide the Dail,' he added. 'I share the concerns of patients who believe that cannabis should be a treatment option for certain medical conditions and I recognise the urgency and worry they feel.' TD Gino Kelly, who put the bill forward on behalf of the PBPA, told the national broadcaster he hoped the medical profession would soon support the drug's use. This comes two months after UK health officials admitted that cannabis-based ingredients do have a medicinal effect. It is hoped the drug will help to relieve those suffering from chronic pain, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis - for which it has a proven benefit Products containing cannabidiol - also known as CBD - are now classed as medicines by the nation's regulatory body. It was found to have a 'restoring, correcting or modifying' effect on physiological functions when administered to humans. Previous research has found cannabis can be used to prevent epileptic seizures. In 2003, US researchers proved an extract of the drug helped to rid rats of seizures for around 10 hours. While Californian scientists discovered CBD may help to prevent cancer from spreading by switching off a gene. And in 2010, a study at Harvard found cannabis may help to reduce anxiety and improve someone's mood. A paramedic was forced to have his eye removed after his contact lenses were infected by a parasite. Andrew Carthew, 59, from Wadebridge, Cornwall, woke up with a weepy eye in June last year but assumed he just had conjunctivitis. But the following evening, the father-of-two suffered pain and a sensitivity to bright light in his left eye and went straight to hospital. After being diagnosed with an ordinary eye infection, the paramedic of 37 years was forced to lay at home in the dark as medication did little to improve his condition. Doctors then revealed he had acanthamoeba keratitis a month later, an infection caused by an amoeba a parasite found in almost all soil, fresh and sea water. Months of treatment helped to fight the infection, but it returned after Christmas, leaving surgeons with no choice but to remove his eye. Andrew Carthew, 59, had to have his eye removed after he was diagnosed with acanthamoeba keratitis - a parasite that had burrowed into his eyeball Mr Carthew said: 'The pain is absolutely shocking with it. 'I can only describe it like a toothache radiating from the eye but it affects all that side of you face. 'There was about six to eight weeks were all I did was lay in a darkened room with sunglasses on and the only time I ever went out was to go to hospital. 'You wouldn't believe that an eye infection could be so debilitating.' The infection thrives where limescale and bacteria are present, but contact lens wearers are at highest risk if they clean their lenses or lens cases in tap water, or if they swim, shower or bathe while wearing their lenses. This means the parasite can become trapped between the lens and the eye, allowing it to burrow into the eyeball. The vast majority of victims - some 85 per cent - are people who wear contact lenses where poor lens hygiene increases the risk. Around one in 50,000 contact lens wearers in the UK are affected each year by the condition but only a minority of them lose their sight. Mr Carthew did not clean his lenses in water but experts believe the parasite may have been transferred through contamination on his finger. Months of treatment to save his sight included overnight stays in hospital to administer hourly eye drops and an emergency cornea transplant in early November. But the infection returned after Christmas and progressed towards the back of 's eye, where if it hit his optic nerve could have been fatal, doctors said. Mr Carthew, from Wadebridge, Cornwall, said: 'You wouldn't believe that an eye infection could be so debilitating' By Easter the infection had become life-threatening and surgeons had no choice but to remove his eye in May. Although the operation meant he had to retire as a paramedic, he is now starting to get his life back on track. Mr Carthew added: 'My consultant said that I was the first person to have lost my eye because of what happened for 15 years. 'It was a gradual process, I hadn't had any sight since it had all started, within six weeks I lost vision in that eye and I've never got it back. 'So it didn't change a lot really, the big thing was getting over the fact you'd actually lost your eye. You wouldn't believe that an eye infection could be so debilitating. 'I got a bit depressed, you try to keep upbeat but throughout the whole process I had episodes of feeling quite down about it. 'But in a practical way, if I didn't have the eye removed, it could have killed me, looking at it in that sense it's a no-brainer and I just best get on with life really.' Mr Carthew is now trying to raise awareness of the infection that typically affects contact lens wearers. He added: 'I just want to bring this in the open so people are aware of what a terrible disease it is really and easily it can affect you. 'We all go through life putting our contact lenses in and thinking their wonderful but it can change. 'I've spoken to quite a few people who wear contact lenses and a couple of them have actually stopped wearing them after hearing what I've gone through. It's made people very aware of how to clean them properly. 'I think opticians need to tell people what could happen and that infections are likely and in my case severe infections are rare but they can happen.' THE PARASITE IN TAP WATER THAT CAN LEAVE YOU BLIND Though rare, acanthamoeba keratitis is an extremely painful, sight-threatening condition. The organism eats the cornea, the transparent cover of the eye, says Parwez Hossain, a consultant ophthalmologist at Southampton General Hospital's eye unit. Left to burrow, the amoeba can penetrate through the eyeball, causing total vision loss within weeks. 'The condition is pure torture the amoeba is attacking the nerves of the cornea and treatment itself is very painful,' Mr Hossain previously said. Acanthamoeba keratitis generally occurs with poor hygiene, experts say 'It can involve a year of regular and toxic eye drops. 'The problem is that people have no idea of the risks of swimming or showering while wearing lenses.' What's more, cases are on the rise. 'At Southampton we have noticed an increase, as have other eye units around the country, perhaps due to a lack of awareness of contact lens hygiene,' Mr Hossain added. A letter from doctors at Bristol Eye Hospital to the BMJ stated that many acanthamoeba keratitis patients had been washing lenses in tap water and showering or swimming wearing them. And there are many more common eye infections linked to poor lens hygiene that can have similarly devastating results. 'Pseudomonas bacteria cause the most common type of infection in contact lens wearers,' said Mr Hossain. 'It's another bug that lives in water and can destroy your sight within 24-36 hours. 'A common symptom is green pus and pain, discomfort and light sensitivity after only a few hours. 'It's often mistaken for conjunctivitis but, if you have these symptoms, it's vital to seek medical help, as after two or three days, the cornea may perforate.' The problem generally occurs with poor hygiene. 'Even daily disposables are risky if your hands aren't clean,' added Mr Hossain. 'You need to wash hands with soap and water to get rid of bacteria, then dry them on a clean towel. 'And never run lenses under a tap, as parasites could get onto your lens and into your eye.' Not changing contact lenses when you're supposed to is another problem. But by far the biggest culprit for infections is not replacing your lens case every month. Over time, cracks in the case can form in which micro-organisms can thrive. Mr Hossain warns that young people are leaving themselves particularly vulnerable to infections. 'They tend to be quite relaxed when it comes to the hygiene standards required for wearing contact lenses and that's reflected in the number of people under 50 being treated for severe cases of corneal infection, with an average age of 30. 'This, coupled with an explosion of cheap online stores, means the consequences can be grim,' he explained. 'An audit we performed at Southampton discovered a number of patients presenting to eye casualty had bought online.' For contact lens advice visit www.bcla.org.uk. Advertisement Going through the menopause impacts the lungs the same way as smoking 20 cigarettes a day for a decade, scientists claim. Experts say the change accelerates the decline in the lungs' ability to expand and expel air. This could make middle-aged women who have come to the end of their menstrual cycle suffer from a shortness of breath and fatigue. The menopause speeds up the decline in the lungs' ability to expand and expel air, new research has found Norwegian researchers looked at the forced vital capacity (FVC) - a measure of lung size - in 1,438 women aged between 25 and 48. They also assessed the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) - how much air can be exhaled in one second. All of the participants had not yet began the menopause and were followed over the next 20 years. They found both measures of the lungs' ability to function reduced in women going through the menopause, more so than what was expected. The decline in FVC was comparable to smoking 20 cigarettes a day for 10 years, the researchers said. While the reduced FEV1 was the same as smoking 20 cigarettes a day for two years. Experts concluded that the higher decline in the former was more likely to cause restrictive breathing problems, including sarcoidosis. Lead researcher Kai Triebner, from the University of Bergen, said: ' Women, and their physicians, should be aware that respiratory health might decline considerably during and after the menopausal transition. Experts say the decline in lung function may cause an increase in shortness of breath, reduced work capacity and fatigue 'This could mean that they experience shortness of breath already with low physical activity.' He added: 'Whether obstructive or restrictive, the decline in lung function may cause an increase in shortness of breath, reduced work capacity and fatigue. 'Symptoms depend upon how much lung capacity is reduced, and a few women may actually develop respiratory failure as a result of this decline. 'Women are living longer and, therefore, many years beyond menopause. 'Our study highlights the importance of maintaining respiratory health long after the menopausal transition.' Hormonal changes have previously been linked to systemic inflammation, which is associated with a decline in lung function. While they are also implicated in osteoporosis, which shortens the height of the chest vertebrae, potentially limiting the amount of air someone can inhale. But the researchers added that more studies are needed to confirm the link between reproductive ageing and respiratory health. Women drinkers are driving the country's booming alcohol epidemic, an official report has concluded. Britain is one the only countries in Western Europe in which death rates from drinking are still rising - and 10million people drink to harmful levels. The review into alcohol harm, published last night by Public Health England (PHE), found alcohol sales in England and Wales had increased 42 per cent since the early 1980s. A Public Health England review found sales of alcohol in England and Wales have increased by 42 per cent since 1980 The Government last night suggested it might look again at minimum unit pricing for alcohol on the back of the report - a plan that was considered but then ditched by David Cameron three years ago. The report, published in the Lancet medical journal, said: 'The increase in sales has been predominantly driven by increased consumption among women, a shift to higher strength products, and the increasing affordability of alcohol, particularly throughout the 1980s and 1990s. 'Alcohol-related mortality has also increased over this period, which is in stark contrast to the trend of liver disease mortality in much of Western Europe. 'The majority of people in England drink alcohol, and for many, it is associated with positive aspects of life. 'However, a substantial number of people experience harm from their own or others' drinking.' It said deaths for liver disease have risen by 400 per cent since 1970, at a time when most countries have seen a decline. And the study pointed to evidence which shows that 'setting a minimum price for alcohol can reduce alcohol-related harm while saving healthcare costs'. Reacting to the PHE report, a Downing Street spokesman said: 'What this report shows is that clearly abuse of alcohol can cause significant health problems, but no-one wants to interfere with the rights of adults who want to enjoy a drink responsibly. 'The issue of minimum unit pricing is under review.' Professor Kevin Fenton, national director of health and wellbeing at PHE, said: 'The harm alcohol causes is much wider than just on the individual drinker. Despite a subsequent drop in consumption over the past eight years, experts blame the 40-year increase on women drinking more than ever before 'Excessive alcohol consumption can harm children, wreck families, impact on workplace colleagues and can be a burden and drain on the NHS and economy. It hits poor communities the hardest. 'As a nation we are drinking more alcohol than we did in the past and there are more than one million alcohol-related hospital admissions a year, half of which occur among the most deprived groups. 'This evidence review will help local and national government and public services like the police and NHS to develop policies designed to reduce the harmful effects of alcohol.' Although women do not yet drink quite as much as men, they are catching up. This report provides yet more evidence of the effectiveness of raising the price of the cheapest alcohol to tackle alcohol-related harm Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chairman of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK Experts say the increase has been driven by our transformed social culture. In the past drinking was done in male-dominated pubs and bars, but now more people than ever have alcohol delivered from supermarkets and drink it at home. Doctors all too often assume that heavy drinking is a 'male phenomenon' - but mounting evidence suggests women today are nearly as likely to binge as men, and they are paying the price with their health. A century ago men were more than twice as likely to drink to any level as women, according to a British Medical Journal study published in October, but that gender gap has nearly disappeared, particularly among the young. Nowadays women drink only 1.1 times more than men - and teenage girls are even overtaking boys on consumption. Campaigners have repeatedly accused drinks companies of taking advantage of this shift by targeting young women with 'sweet, pink and fizzy' drinks, accompanied by 'glamorous advertising campaigns'. WINE DOESN'T DAMAGE THE HEART A few drinks a week does nothing to increase - or lower - your risk of heart disease, a study declared earlier this week. The research by the Radiological Society of North America dismissed fears that moderate alcohol consumption could be dangerous for one's health. However, it also questioned claims that the occasional tipple could improve heart health. Advertisement The new Lancet paper calculated alcohol sales in England and Wales had increased from 400million litres in the early 1980s to 567million litres in 200708, and then dipped to 533million in 201516. But even though levels have been dropping in sales since 2008, hospital admissions and other harms have continued to rise. Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK, said last night: 'This report provides yet more evidence of the effectiveness of raising the price of the cheapest alcohol to tackle alcohol-related harm. 'Increased duty on the cheapest drinks, alongside minimum unit pricing, would make a real difference to the lives of some of our most vulnerable groups and ease the burden on our health service.' Andrew Langford, chief executive of the British Liver Trust said: 'We are facing a liver disease epidemic - it is now the third most common cause of premature death. 'A major reason for this is that as a nation we are drinking too much alcohol. After closing ranks to stave off a split in votes, the high-and-mighty in the Samajwadi Party have planned a strategy session to project a united face ahead of Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls due early next year. With an internal war sullying the image of the ruling party barely few months before the crucial elections, SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav has not minced his words while cautioning senior party leaders against any split in votes. There have been signs of a thaw and it would be for the first time since the bitter family feud within the Yadav family came to the fore during middle of this year that Mulayam, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his uncles Shivpal and Ram Gopal would sit together and resolve their differences. Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav,Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and his uncles Shivpal and Ram Gopal would sit together to dwell on ticket distribution to sacked ministers The meeting is likely to dwell on the thorny issues of distribution of tickets to candidates and reinstatement of sacked ministers and party members, a party insider said. Mulayam recently revoked the expulsion of his cousin Ram Gopal Yadav, weeks after the MP was expelled for six years for publicly siding with Akhilesh. The crisis within the Yadav family pitted Akhilesh against his father Mulayam and uncle Shivpal, months ahead of the UP elections. Fearing the repercussions of a divided house, SP is also contemplating taking back all its expelled leaders as a picture of disunity will help its opponents, the BSP and the BJP, in the battle of ballots. Mulayam recently revoked the expulsion of his cousin Ram Gopal Yadav, weeks after the MP was expelled for six years for publicly siding with Akhilesh (pictured) Muslim voters account for nearly 20 per cent of Uttar Pradesh population and can easily make or break the electoral prospects of any party. The long-drawn internal war, which broke out some four months ago and spilled over into public domain, was keenly watched by SP's political opponents which expected to gain from split in the ruling party's vote bank. Party sources said the decision to have a joint meeting was taken following a discussion SP state president Shivpal Yadav had with Mulayam. Shivpal later met party general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav in Delhi earlier this week. Shivpal had publicly touched feet of Ram Gopal Yadav to drive home the message that they have buried the hatchet. While expelling Ram Gopal, Shivpal had accused him of trying to save his skin as his son, MP Akshay Pratap, and daughter-in-law were allegedly embroiled in a graft case being probed by the CBI. Shivpal had also blamed Ram Gopal for SP's breakup from the 'Mahagathbandhan' (grand coalition) in Bihar last year. Lucknow Metro sets out on trial The trial run of the Uttar Pradesh government's much publicised Lucknow Metro was flagged off by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, on Thursday. BSP chief Mayawati alleged the project was completed in haste to gain cheap popularity ahead of polls. The function was held at Transport Nagar depot for the trial run up to Charbagh railway station, a distance of 8.5 km. Akhilesh and Mulayam flagged off the first metro. Akhilesh said it was a challenge to start the project on time, and added that they have set an example before the country Addressing the gathering, Akhilesh said it was a challenge to start the project on time, and added that they have set an example before the country. 'Metro was not in our manifesto but we initiated the project,' said Akhilesh. The work for the same has also been started in Ghaziabad, between Greater Noida and Noida, and also in Kanpur. If we come to power again, we will start work in Varanasi too, he said. Asserting that the ruling Samajwadi Party did not play politics on the issue of development, Akhilesh said his government gave land for establishment of AIIMS in Raebareli and in Gorakhpur as well so that people could avail the best medical facilities. 'We don't believe in blame game. We are for development and support every move initiated for it,' he said. The trial run, however, evoked strong criticism from BSP supremo Mayawati, who said it was a decision taken in haste by the ruling SP, as it knew very well that it would not return to power in the upcoming UP Assembly elections. PM Modi's reaction over the deadlock in the Rajya Sabha A deadlock between the government and Opposition over the scrapping of high-value currency notes paralysed Parliament on Thursday. Fortnight-long protests have stalled the clearance of key reforms including the goods and services tax (GST). As many as 23 crucial Bills await introduction, consideration and passage during this ongoing winter session, senior leaders in the ruling NDA indicated. Apart from the much-talked-about Central Goods and Services Tax Bill, two more legislation linked to this crucial money Bill await the Parliament's nod - the Integrated Goods and Services Tax Bill and the Goods & Services Tax (Compensation for Loss of Revenue) Bill. The implementation of the long pending GST- that will replace a jumble of central, state and interstate sales taxes - will bolster investor confidence in Asia's third-largest economy and burnish Prime Minister Narendra Modi's image as a reform-minded leader. Congress members, led by Rahul Gandhi, protest outside the Parliament The new tax system 'will convert India into one uniform market' and give a boost to the economy, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said. Also on the waiting list are the Mental Health Care Bill, Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill and Consumer Protection Bill in the Lower House. In the Upper House, the Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation Bill, HIV & AIDS (Prevention & Control) Bill 2014 as well as Employees Compensation (Amendment) Bill 2016 await passage. The pending Bills assume importance as they will potentially bring sweeping changes in a slew of sectors such as healthcare, consumer safety, corruption and accountability, labour as well as women and child welfare. For instance, the Maternity Benefit Bill is directly linked to the fortunes of many expecting mothers and even foster mothers, who would volunteer to take care of newborns. Parliamentary Affairs minister Ananth Kumar claims that the approach of opposition has not been supported by the public as shown by the resounding win for BJP The government, which appears keen to fight corruption and has launched a campaign against black money, is pushing hard on related legislation such as the Whistle Blowers Protection Bill and Prevention of Corruption Bill. Leaders from the ruling alliance are reaching out to the Opposition in both Houses to allow the transaction business, but with little success. The Opposition says Modi must explain the demonetisation decision, alleging that the resultant cash crunch is punishing not the rich, but the poor, especially in rural India, which is excluded from banking and digital transactions. Apart from these pending Bills, others are awaiting introduction this year and some are important looking at changing social trends. Two of them are the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2016 and Divorce (Amendment) Bill 2016. The first proposes to regulate surrogacy in India by permitting it as an option for couples who cannot naturally have children, have a lack of other assisted reproductive technology options, are keen to have a biological child, and can find a surrogate mother among their relatives. Rolls-Royce faced the threat of more cuts to its struggling marine business even as it axed another 800 jobs in a bid to save up to 50m. The engineering giant put at risk up to 400 jobs in the UK, with the rest going at foreign sites, as it was forced to make greater cuts following the long-term fall in the oil price, which has hammered its customers. It is on top of 1,000 jobs the company has already chopped from the marine division, which makes and services equipment for naval, commercial and offshore oil and gas ships. Cuts: Rolls-Royce put at risk up to 400 jobs in the UK on top of 1,000 jobs the company has already chopped from the marine division Mikael Makinen, president of the marine division, said the firm was left no choice given the fall in oil prices from $146 per barrel in 2008 to lows of less than $30. Ironically, the move came as oil climbed 17 per cent in two days following an Opec agreement. But it was too late to help revenues in the marine division, which fell by one-quarter in the first half of this year. Makinen said: 'The ongoing market weakness that has followed the dramatic fall in the price of oil continues to have an adverse impact upon our order book and profitability. 'We have made significant progress in transforming Marine into a far more agile and simplified business than we were, and we have to take further steps to address our cost base. 'Reducing our workforce is never an easy decision, but we have no option but to take further action beyond the changes we have made to date.' Around 200 of the marine division's workers in the UK are based in Bristol, where they focus on naval work, and Dunfermline, where they make ships' fins. It also has workers in Derby, Portsmouth and Solihull. Chief executive Warren East has led major cost-cutting across the company since taking over at the end of last year, and has already axed 400 roles from senior management. Rolls-Royce issued five profit warnings in the 20 months to November 2015, as it battled high costs and changes to the market. Most of the marine workers are based in Norway, while the firm has also been shifting some work to Asia, Poland and Croatia, where the cost of hiring workers is cheaper. However, despite the severe cuts, the company has not ruled out further reductions, saying that it needs to be able to respond to the market. Last month East said the business was 'still not quite at the right size'. Sandy Morris, analyst at Jefferies International, said the Rolls-Royce customers, which typically tend to be reliant on the oil industry, had around 30 per cent of offshore vessels out of service. He warned that this was unlikely to improve in the near term. At one time, almost everybody had a Nokia mobile phone. Its tell-tale ringtone and snake game were part of popular culture, and it dominated the market until the iPhone was released in 2007. That led to a steady decline until Nokia sold its phone-making arm to Microsoft in 2014, which eventually killed off the brand. Now a new Nokia smartphone is set to be released after Microsoft sold the rights to HMD, a company created by former Nokia employees in Finland who have plans to revive the brand. HMD has teamed up with iPhone manufacturer Foxconn and yesterday revealed its new Nokia smartphones would be released early next year. Chief executive Arto Nummela said: 'The excitement of re-introducing this much-loved, well-known and trusted brand to smartphone consumers is a responsibility and an ambition that everyone at HMD shares.' HMD has signed a ten-year deal with Nokia, now a telecoms equipment maker, to license the brand. But the request was ultimately denied and Phillips us set to die in Ronald Phillips was sentenced to die for the rape and murder of Sheila Marie Evans, 3, in Akron in 1993 Ohio's prison parole board heard arguments Thursday for and against mercy for a man set to die in January for killing his girlfriend's 3-year-old daughter. Ronald Phillips was sentenced to die for the rape and murder of Sheila Marie Evans, 3, in Akron in 1993. On Thursday, a clemency hearing concluded at 6.30pm after hearing his plea for mercy. The board did not make an immediate decision. Phillips is the first death row inmate scheduled for execution next year under a new process for putting condemned prisoners to death. The Department of Rehabilitation and Correction has said it plans to execute Phillips and two other inmates with a three-drug combination that's similar to a method it used several years ago. Phillips' attorneys have asked the board in a written filing to spare Phillips, calling the case tragic but arguing that Phillips as an individual is not among the worst of the worst offenders. 'Evidence of Phillips's background, history, dysfunctional upbringing, and his reformed character demonstrate that he should not be executed for the murder of Sheila Marie Evans,' attorneys Tim Sweeney and Lisa Lagos wrote in a Nov. 25 filing. Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh says Phillips refuses to accept responsibility and it's time for justice to be served. She also calls Phillips' 2013 request for an execution delay to allow him to donate organs to family members 'bogus.' 'Phillips has continually engaged in misdirection during his case besides his bogus request to donate his organs,' Walsh said in a Tuesday filing. 'While he claims he takes responsibility for the despicable torture he inflicted on Sheila, he consistently blames others for his actions.' Phillips, then 19, had murdered the three-year-old daughter of his girlfriend, in her home on January 18, 1993. Police found he had been sexually and physically abusing Sheila Marie Evans (pictured) for some time In 2013, the parole board voted unanimously against clemency for Phillips, saying the killing was 'among the worst of the worst.' 'Words cannot convey the barbarity of the crime. It is simply unconscionable,' the board said. Phillips, then 19, had murdered the three-year-old daughter of his girlfriend, in her home on January 18, 1993. Police found he had been sexually and physically abusing her for some time. The killer severely beat Sheila in the head, face and abdomen, threw her against walls and dragged her by the hair. He also anally raped her. Phillips later confessed the crime to police. Board members also said they weren't convinced Phillips had fully accepted responsibility. They said he tried to shift blame onto the girl's mother and onto Phillips' father, for allegedly abusing Phillips as a child. Phillips is the first death row inmate scheduled for execution next year under a new process for putting condemned prisoners to death Phillips' execution was previously scheduled and delayed several times, including when Gov. John Kasich allowed time for a last-minute request by Phillips to donate organs. The request was ultimately denied. Phillips wanted to donate a kidney to his mother, who was on dialysis, and possibly his heart to his sister. Ohio is returning to a form of execution it used from 1999 to late 2006, involving drugs that put inmates to sleep, paralyze them and stop their hearts. The drugs are midazolam, rocuronium bromide and potassium chloride. A former Goldman Sachs banker and top aide to Tony Blair is the latest member of Roxy Jacenko's influential clan. Ruby Davis, the estranged little sister of the Sydney public relations identity, wed Jackson Eisenpresser at a secretive Los Angeles ceremony in March. The wealthy American has managed to so far avoid most of the spotlight that falls on the family. Like her sister - who married now-convicted insider trader Oliver Curtis - Ms Davis wed an investment banker. Roxy Jacenko's younger sister is seen during her wedding to Jackson Eisenpresser Roxy's little sister: Ruby is seen left, on a holiday, and right, cutting her wedding cake Life in the Hollywood hills: Ruby Davis left Australia for the United States years ago Mr Eisenpresser, aged in his 30s, worked for Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs before he joined the former British leader's company Tony Blair Associates. According to reports, the Oxford-educated businessman specialises in the Middle East and has had business relationships including the region's royalty. The happy young couple wed weeks ago in a sunny ceremony at California's Beverly Hills Hotel in front of her mother Doreen and friends. Friends sent gushing messages, saying 'Mazel Tov' as Ms Davis posted pictures of her cutting a 'happily ever after' cake. Others wished 'Mr and Mrs Eisenpresser' well. Ruby - seen, left, with roses - wed Jackson in a small ceremony. He is seen back in 2011, right Her older sister Roxy has been estranged from Ms Davis Ms Davis was recently gallivanting around the world on an overseas holiday Ms Davis has lived in the United States for years but embarked on a lengthy globetrotting holiday to Europe in the lead-up to the wedding. Her celebrity older sister did not attend the ceremony, which came shortly after her breast cancer diagnosis and an interview with 60 Minutes. The pair have famously been at odds in the past, culminating in police bringing an AVO application against Ms Davis on Roxy's behalf several years ago. The application was later withdrawn. Ms Davis has nurtured a similar entrepreneurial streak as the other members of her family, running Chickdriven, a car website for American women. Clan matriarch Doreen Jacenko attended the ceremony in Beverly Hills Reginald 'Jake' Gutierrez was killed while responding to a domestic violence call in Tacoma, Washington on Wednesday The veteran Washington state police officer who was fatally shot while responding to a domestic violence call has been identified. Reginald 'Jake' Gutierrez, 45, was killed in the beginning of an 11-hour standoff between Tacoma police and the gunman on Wednesday. Gutierrez, had served with the department since 1999 and was highly respected and experienced, Tacoma Police Chief Donald Ramsdell told reporters Thursday. 'He's a model police officer,' Ramsdell said. 'He was dedicated to the profession. He demonstrated that every day he came to work.' Gutierrez was also a father and was engaged to be married. Ramsdell said the incident began Wednesday afternoon when animal control officers arrived at the house to investigate a dog complaint. They were approached by a woman who said her husband had locked her out of the house and taken her phone. The officers called police and Gutierrez and his female partner went into the home around 4pm, believing the suspect was going to surrender. Gutierrez was suddenly shot several times as he reached the top of the stairs to speak with the 38-year-old suspect, identified as Bruce Johnson. The female officer shot back and ran from the house, taking the wife to safety. Tacoma police spokeswoman Loretta Cool described the hectic scene that led to the standoff. 'We had an officer down and shots still firing at the time,' Cool said. Police stand by a distraught woman at the scene where Gutierrez was shot. He was called to the scene when a man took his wife's phone and locked her out of their house Dozens of officers surrounded the home, urging nearby residents of the working class neighborhood of single-family homes to shelter in place Police managed to get Gutierrez out of the home 'but they were still taking fire,' Cool added. Officers didn't immediately know there were children in the house and became aware of their presence during the standoff. The gunman at one point tried to use the six-year-old boy and eight-year-old girl as human shields. Dozens of officers surrounded the home, urging nearby residents of the working class neighborhood of single-family homes to shelter in place. Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said the gunman had refused to surrender during negotiations. His name was not released. 'We were able to get the suspect cornered and trapped, even though he had two kids,' Troyer said. A police officer offers a salute as Gutierrez's body is taken from Tacoma Hospital Dozens of police stood in silence outside Tacoma hospital after being told Gutierrez had died Gutierrez, had served with the department since 1999 and was highly respected and experienced, Tacoma Police Chief Donald Ramsdell said 'We had a SWAT member who had a clear shot. We fired one round, which struck him.' The gunman was killed around 3.30am on Thursday. Authorities discovered multiple weapons inside the house but did not describe them in detail. Few details were released about the treatment of the children by the suspect. They were unharmed and taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation. Ramsdell said the suspect did not have a 'serious background in regards to criminal history' but there may have been issues with mental illness. Kristi Croskey, who rented the house to the suspect and his wife, was inside the home at the time and barricaded herself in the bathroom before she was able to escape, according to KOMO. The shooting sparked an outpouring of support from the community and public officials, who left flowers at the front of the police department Visitors left messages on a piece of poster board left at the police station A drawing and flowers left by Slone Lindquist, 6, the daughter of Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist, sits at a growing memorial outside the Tacoma Police Department She said police came to the residence because the suspect was fighting with his wife and refused to let her back inside. 'They said they just wanted to talk to him and then gunfire started, they didn't start it,' Croskey told the station. Reacting to the shots fired, officers entered the home and managed to get the wounded officer outside and to a hospital. Gutierrez died Wednesday night after undergoing surgery. 'We've suffered a great loss and I think the community has suffered a great loss. I don't know how to put that into words,' Cool said. Hundreds of people attended the first of two vigils in Tacoma on Thursday, lighting candles, singing songs and sharing memories Tacoma Chief of Police Don Ramsdell spoke highly of Gutierrez during his speech at the vigil The shooting sparked an outpouring of support from the community and public officials, who left flowers at the front of the police department. A procession of law enforcement officers escorted Gutierrez's body, draped with an American flag, from the hospital to the county medical examiner's office. Hundreds of people attended the first of two vigils in Tacoma on Thursday, lighting candles, singing songs and sharing memories. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said 'all of Washington grieves with Tacoma'. The shooting remains under investigation by multiple agencies, including the FBI and the Pierce County Prosecutor's Office, which will review material to be sure that the police followed their policies in responding to the incident. Advertisement It's always important to think of where to propose to your loved one, but one man took it one step further, climbing the highest bridge in China to ask his girlfriend to marry him. Keow Wee Loong, 28, from Malaysia scaled the 1,853 foot bridge to pop the question to his 'dream girl'. He then filmed and took pictures before then placing the image on her Facebook page to ask her to marry him on November 27. Ideal: Keow Wee Loon travelled across China for a month in order to find the perfect place to propose to his girlfriend An incredibly romantic proposal: He sent her the picture and later proposed on a beach in Bali Keow and his videographer Abraham Shilton Cambala spent over two hours hiking up the mountain to the bridge Keow Wee Loong, a photographer, was working in Japan in May this year, taking photos of the Fukushima exclusion zone when he lost his wallet. However losing his wallet may have worked in his favour. Without cash, Keow went into a convenience store named Family Mart to consider his next move. It was there that he met his future fiancee Marta Sibielak, 24, from Poland. The photographer told MailOnline: 'It was weird seeing a western woman working in a Family Mart in Japan. I was lost and wanted to use the wifi in the shop but I ended up talking with her.' After he came back from photographing Fukushima, he met with her often. The couple met each other in Japan while Keow was in Fukushima photographing the exclusion zone The Beipanjiang Bridge is the tallest in the world standing some 1,850 feet high in Yunnan province, China Show us the ring! Following his proposal, he went to find his girlfriend and handed her the ring The couple got talking after Keow lost his wallet and went to the shop she worked in to use their wifi Their relationship continued travelling together to places such as Thailand. Keow knew he wanted to propose to Marta but he wanted to make it extra special. He was going to film himself on the highest building in China and then show her the video. The initial plan was to climb the Goldin Finance 117 building in Tianjin which is the 16th tallest building in the world. He said: 'because my drone pilot was new, we got caught and so we moved from Tianjin to Beijing, Wuhan, Shanghai, Guizhou, Liupansui to get this done. They then decided to head to Beipanjiang Bridge, which is set to be the tallest bridge in the world. Keow and his videographer Abraham Shilton Cambala spent over two hours hiking up the mountain to the bridge before spending another 40 minutes scaling to the very top. He said: 'I climbed the mountain and scaled up to the tip of the crane at 2,427 feet high. 'It was cold and strong wind caused the crane to wobble. We had limited time to get the footage we needed and the spot I was standing in was easily visible by security below.' He spent another 40 minutes scaling the top of the bridge before holding up the proposal sign The photographer said that at the top of the bridge, the weather was bad and causing the crane to shake Keow had planned to show Marta the video in Malaysia however the cinema screen shut so he had to change plans Risky journey: The climb to the top of the bridge was tough and incredibly windy with the crane wobbling Once the video was done, it was time to screen it however the photographer came across some difficulties. He said: 'the original plan for the proposal was supposed to be done in Kuala Lumpur but at the last minute they closed the hall where the video would be shown and I would come out with the ring. So I needed to change the plan. He decided to take Marta on holiday to Bali. He says: 'I asked her to wait for me in a restaurant because I know she has a habit of playing on Facebook while she waits for someone. I uploaded the question on Facebook.' Keow then went to the restaurant to meet up with her and he found her crying. He says: 'She was emotional. After dinner I gave her the ring on Kuta beach in Bali.' The pair live together and are planning their wedding which is set to be held next year. Famous for his photos: Keow Wee Loong is known for his images taken from the top of skyscrapers Daycare worker Rashanna Gyles, 24, from Allentown, Pennsylvania, allegedly filmed a shocking video of herself encouraging toddlers to curse A daycare worker who allegedly filmed a shocking video of herself encouraging toddlers to curse says she cannot explain why she did it. Rashanna Gyles, 24, from Allentown, Pennsylvania, has been charged with corruption of minors after the clip emerged online. In the video, toddlers can be heard shouting 'f******' b****' and 'ugly b****' as someone off-camera asks them 'What are they?' The clip has been viewed nearly 170,000 times since it was shared on Facebook in October. Prosecutors said Gyles was working as a bus monitor at Creative Minds Daycare Academy when she instructed a half-dozen children to direct obscenities toward another child. She made videos of the cursing kids and sent one to a friend, according to Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin. Gyles, who was arraigned Thursday and released on unsecured bail, said: 'I don't know what I was thinking.' She was fired from the Allentown daycare when incident came to light. Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services revoked the daycare's operating license. It cited the 'harsh and demeaning language' in the video as well as several other unrelated violations. However, Creative Minds said it will appeal the decision and will remain open while it does so. Owner Elizabeth Saleb said: 'People that know us, know that the people who work here are good people, and they understand that this was an isolated incident.' In the video, toddlers can be heard shouting 'f****** b****' and 'ugly b****' as someone off-camera asks them 'What are they?' She added that the daycare centre, which opened in 2009, remains filled to its 36-child capacity and has a waiting list. Jhanee Ivy, who shared the video on Facebook, wrote: 'Parents in Allentown PA, if your child attends this daycare Creative Minds this is what they are learning! 'As a mother do not find this funny what so ever, this video was sent to me from the source who made the video and I'm exposing it because I feel like you should be able to send your toddlers to daycare without having to worry about people doing this to them.' She added: 'If you see any of your children in this video or know the parents of these children please contact them and show them this video!! I am beyond disgusted'. Gyles is expected to appear at a preliminary hearing on December 22. Advertisement The model ex-girlfriend of a wealthy shipping magnate has been accused of stealing his $10 million art collection after he broke up with her. Stacy Cliett is accused of absconding with the erotic paintings and sculptures worth up to $200,000 each from former lover Nicholas Zoullas, who is 36 years her senior. When Nicholas Zoullas (pictured), a 79-year-old millionaire from New York, broke up with Cliett, 43, she was angry that the 'ride was over,' according to police in Lantana, Florida Police in Lantana, Florida, said that Cliett was angry that the 'ride was over' when Zoullas, a millionaire from New York, broke up with her. Zoullas is said to have hired a private detective to track Cliett and her new boyfriend, Todd Stephens, and handed the information over to officers. Police raided a warehouse and found 200 paintings and 70 sculptures with some dating back to the 1800s - almost all of which were nudes or erotic art. Cliett and Stephens were arrested at a gas station with some of the paintings in the back of their Lexus car and both have pleaded not guilty to grand theft. The bizarre case has sparked criminal proceedings in Florida and has a convoluted background involving an art investment company based in the British Virgin Islands. But at its core is the affair between two people from totally different worlds who got into an unlikely relationship. Zoullas, 79, is a graduate of the $55,000-a-year Groton School - alumni of the elite college prep boarding school include former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt - and he attended Harvard Law school. He is a prominent member of the Greek-he American community and a socialite who is frequently seen at events in The Hamptons. The father-of-three has an apartment in New York's Upper East Side and a $4.8 million four-bedroom home in Southampton, Long Island. Stacy Cliett (left) and new boyfriend, Todd Stephens (right) is accused of stealing erotic paintings and sculptures worth up to $200,000 each from former lover Nicholas Zoullas DailyMail.com understands that Zoullas met Cliett while she was modeling in Florida some time after he separated from his ex-wife Susan Bates, 60. Zoullas does not appear to have have been put off by the three-decade age gap between him and Cliett, who is 43. According to an online modeling profile - which lowers her age by 13 years - she claims she was discovered at age 16 and worked with Christian Dior in Palm Beach. Her profile says that she is a 'very outgoing person' who loves hosting dinner parties. 'I'm into eating healthy because healthy inside keeps you healthy outside I truly believe. I love family they are very important in my life. I love a challenge so no is out of the question for me. I can't stop and I won't stop I want to do it ALL. I LOVE LIVING LAUGHING, LEARNING.' All this seemed to be enough for Zoullas to let her move into his luxury $2.2 million waterfront mansion on the exclusive Hypoluxo Island near Lantana. However he seems to have been unaware of her checkered past as he opened his heart and let her into his life. Court records show Cliett has a string of minor criminal convictions like traffic offenses and evictions and a petty larceny and theft case from 1993. Discovered in the missing pieceswas Le jardin d'amour by French cubist painter Andre Lhote, which is worth $150,000 - The work of French painter Leon Bazile Perrault, A Water Nymph from 1898, was one of the collectible artworks found Philip Pearlstein's Nude on green drape was among the paintings found by police. Pearlstein is an American painter best known for Modernist Realism nudes. with paintings in the collections of over 70 public art museums Among the haul was a mannequin of a nude woman that was made from human hair and was 'very life like' According to a police, Zoullas said that $10 million worth of art inside the Hypoluxo Island home had been taken by Cliett. Included in the haul was the above 19th-Century Emilie Chaese painting Cliett and Stephens claimed that they had moved the art because of a 'mold issue' and refused to say where it was. This 20th/21st Century Anatoly Demenko was also found in the stash In the background to the case is a convoluted dispute between Zoullas and an art investment company. Pictured above is a painting discovered in the warehouse Naxos Art Inc, which is based in the British Virgin Islands, claims that Zoullas breached a deal in which he was custodian of hundreds of their artworks. Pictured above is one of the discovered works of art Under the arrangement Zoullas could keep the works at his various homes in New York, Long Island and Florida or in storage but he could not sell them without informing Naxos Police believe the artwork was taken from Zoullas Hypoluxo Island vacation home in Florida Her co-accused in the art theft case, Stephens, 52, was already on a federal bond on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering when he was arrested, according to the Lantana police. The extraordinary story began on September 20 when a frantic Zoullas arrived at the Lantana police department to report a major theft. According to a report filed by Lantana police officer Edward Tavcar, Zoullas said that $10 million worth of art inside the Hypoluxo Island home had been taken by Cliett. Two days later officer Tavcar along with Zoullas' lawyers Thomas Farinella and Rannylin Daley, went to the mansion and spoke with her. According to the report, when the group went inside Farinella found there were just two paintings left and shouted out: 'She took all of the artwork! Everything is gone!' Cliett and Stephens were arrested at a gas station with some of the paintings in the back of their Lexus car and both have pleaded not guilty to grand theft Cliett and Stephens claimed that they had moved the art because of a 'mold issue' and refused to say where it was. According to the police report, Zoullas had employed a private investigator to watch Cliett and Stephens and later that night told Lantana police about a warehouse where they had been seen. Officers who looked through the window saw a statue wrapped in a protective bubble wrap and a bronze or gold statue on the floor. Police put the warehouse under surveillance and eventually saw Stephens there loading some of the art into his Lexus. When officers stopped his car at a gas station Cliett was inside and they arrested them both. Cliett admitted that more of the pieces were in a U-Haul van she has parked on the street, according to the police report. The rest turned up when police searched the warehouse, where they also found shipping crates with Zoullas' name on the labels. Among the artwork were pieces by renowned artists like Swiss painter and sculptor Luciano Castelli, who sold a painting in 2011 through Sotheby's for $2.3 million. The case had put police in the sleepy community of Lantana under pressure to find the culprits. When Cliett and Stephens were arrested, several pieces of artwork were found in their vehicle In the back seat of a Lexus, a large panting was discovered. The arrest came after saw Stephens there loading some of the art from a warehouse into his car Cliett admitted that more of the pieces were in a U-Haul van, according to the police report The U-Haul, which had been parked on the street, carried dozens of pieces of artwork worth a small fortune The rest of the artwork turned up when police searched the warehouse (pictured above), where they also found shipping crates with Zoullas' name on the labels. Auction houses Christie's and Sotheby's, which own a stake in some of the artworks, reportedly put pressure on detectives to find the pieces as well. Officer Tavcar told Florida TV station WTHR that the case was 'overwhelming'. He said: 'An ex-girlfriend, flashy cars - a couple of Bentleys, two Ferraris. 'You can work a narcotics case, done and over with. But with this, it's different. Every piece is unique. And with some of it, was like holding history in your hands, something you would only see in a museum'. Officer Tavcar said that among the haul was a mannequin of a nude woman that was made from human hair and was 'very life like'. He said that when Zoullas broke it off with Cliett she was 'upset'. He said: 'The ride was over. The good life was coming to an end. It got really ugly there in the end'. Sgt Jim Eddy told West Palm Beach TV station WPTV: 'Somehow he (Zoullas) believed that she would take care of all of these things and everything started to go south from there and everything came up missing.' Zuollas is President of Norland Shipping & Trading Corporation, a freight shipping company based in downtown Manhattan that he has run for many years. He has frequently appeared at society events in the Hamptons and in 2014 the Nicholas S Zoullas Hellenic Center for cultural events opened in Southampton in his honor. Pictures of the event showed Zoullas standing with ex-wife Bates and their three young children, Diana, Andrew and Winston. Zoullas has been praised for putting on intellectual talks in the Hamptons including one on the role Greece played in the defeat of the Nazis Zoullas (pictured with his ex-wife and his young children, is President of Norland Shipping & Trading Corporation, a freight shipping company based in downtown Manhattan that he has run for many years According to a New York Times report on Zoullas, he graduated with honors in 1959 from Harvard College and belonged to the Spee Club and Hasty PuddingInstitute of 1770. He worked in maritime law and has been a member of a number of committees at Harvard, where he retains strong ties. Zoullas and Bates have also donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York where he has been co-chairman of the Visiting Committee of the Greek and Roman Department. Stephens by contrast was already on a federal bail bond for money laundering and all his assets had been frozen at the time of his arrest, according to police documents. Prosecutors in West Palm Beach say he was one of a dozen suspects and three doctors and medical workers charged with the alleged $175 million prescription cream fraud. If convicted he faces up to ten years in jail and a fine of up to $250,000. If all this wasn't enough drama, in the background to the case is a convoluted dispute between Zoullas and an art investment company. Naxos Art Inc, which is based in the British Virgin Islands, claims that Zoullas breached a deal they had signed under which he was custodian of hundreds of their artworks. Under the arrangement Zoullas could keep the works at his various homes in New York, Long Island and Florida or in storage but he could not sell them without informing Naxos. According to a lawsuit filed in the Supreme Court of New York, it is claimed Zoullas breached the deal when he 'secretly' sold a number of pieces or used them as collateral on loans. Among the artwork found in the warehouse were pieces by renowned artists like Swiss painter and sculptor Luciano Castelli (his work The Night pictured above), who sold a painting in 2011 through Sotheby's for $2.3 million Found in the haul were Selene by 19th century French painter Albert Aublet, a picture of a nude woman on the outline of the moon, valued at $200,000 Artwork ranged from sculptures to paintings to photographs. Pictured above is Ellen von Unwerth's Legwork from 1954 As a result in February Naxos terminated the agreement with Zoullas and demanded the return of all its artworks. After protracted negotiations between both parties there are still some 232 pieces that are outstanding, court documents show. Naxos filed its lawsuit in June, three months before Zoullas alleged that the theft occurred from his home in Lantana. It lists a number of artworks which are missing including Selene by 19th century French painter Albert Aublet, a picture of a nude woman on the outline of the moon, valued at $200,000. Among the others that Naxos says are still missing are the sculpture Fountain Figure II: Standing Naked Girl by Anders Zorn, one of Sweden's most prominent artists, which is valued at $100,000. Also missing is Le jardin d'amour by French cubist painter Andre Lhote, which is worth $150,000. All told the art is said to be worth $10 million which, in a strange coincidence, is the same amount that Zoullas claims was stolen from him. After months of delays in the case Judge Barry R Ostrager has now found Zoullas in contempt for failing to account for the artworks or return them to Naos. He has fined him $5,000 and issued an arrest warrant for him, though it is understood he is not currently in jail. In his defense, Zoullas objected to his agreement with Naxos being terminated and said in a filing that it would have a 'profound impact that greatly jolts my strong ties with the art world' One piece of art was found shattered into several pieces, despite being shielded with bubble wrap The paintings and sculptures found in the warehouse, including the sculpture pictured above, were worth up to $200,000 each Pierre Carrier-Belleuse's Une Ballerine and Fountain Figure II: Standing Naked Girl by Anders Zorn, one of Sweden's most prominent artists, which is valued at $100,000 He claimed that he was 'completely ambushed' by Cliett when she refused to let him into his home in August and her actions were 'unconscionable'. The filing says that he is making 'good faith efforts to correct this issue which was no fault of my own'. Zoullas has also filed his own lawsuit in federal court in New York and claimed that Naxos is wrong and that he is the rightful owner of all the paintings. He claims that when Farinella, his lawyer, tried to get the artworks back from Cliett he was turned away by Stephens. According to the lawsuit, Stephens said that 'no one was getting access to the house or the storage facility and that Cliett was a tenant who had rights. She will not be turning over the art because the artwork were gifts to her'. DailyMail.com reached out to lawyers for Stephens and Cliett but no one responded for comment. Farinella, Zoullas' lawyer, declined to comment on the basis that litigation was ongoing. Lawyers for Naxos declined to comment and nobody from Christie's was available for comment. A spokeswoman for Sotheby's said: 'Sotheby's is not a party to the litigation and therefore has no comment.' Nadine Price (above), an avid skier from Pittsfield, Vermont, successfully sued Killington ski resort for negligence A jury on Wednesday ordered a Vermont ski resort to pay $750,000 in damages to a woman who was left stranded on a gondola lift for over five hours. The incident in question occurred on October 1, 2011, according to the Times Argus newspaper. Nadine Price, an avid skier from Pittsfield, Vermont, travelled to nearby Killington, the largest ski resort in the eastern United States. At approximately 3.15pm, Price boarded a gondola lift which was to transport her to the summit of the mountain. The resort operators, however, decided to shut down the slopes at 3.30pm 90 minutes earlier than usual due to inclement weather. As a result, Price was left trapped in one of the lifts. At approximately 8.30pm, a friend of Price's alerted authorities that she had not returned from a planned hike to the summit. Search teams from local law enforcement and the ski resort set out to find Price. She was eventually located unharmed in a gondola not far from the summit. While she was not physically injured, her attorney filed suit in Rutland County Civil Court claiming that the ordeal left her emotionally scarred. The Killington ski resort (above) in Killington, Vermont, is the largest ski area in the eastern United States According to attorney William Meub, Price began to have nightmares while exhibiting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Initially, Meub asked the jury to award his client $500,000, but the members unanimously agreed that she was deserving of more. 'Justice was done, and the jury did a great job,' he said. Meub said that his client was shivering and 'unable to feel her feet' while stuck in the gondola, likening the experience to 'torture.' 'This is a case about getting stuck in a gondola and the torture, and I really believe it's torture, to be stuck up there for five hours. One minute when nothing is going on is a long time. One minute when you believe you're going to die is a long time,' he said. On October 1, 2011, Price was trapped in a gondola lift (like the one in the above stock photo) for over five hours because the trails were shut down due to inclement weather Meub said that his client was terrified of the darkness that enshrouded her as she was trapped inside the lift and that she nearly lost consciousness, which would have likely ended her life. 'Imagine if she hadn't been able to scream out when she saw the headlights going by,' he told the jury. 'Imagine if she had been lying there and hadn't been able to fight to keep herself awake. We'd be here for a whole different kind of case.' A black worker who was forced into a coffin and tortured for over an hour by two white farm workers was offered cash to drop charges against his attackers, a court has heard. Victor Rethabile Mlotshwa was beaten so badly he was only able to 'crawl home' and told that he would be killed if he told anyone what happened, prosecutors said. He was so scared he told no one until video footage of the attack was shared online months later, prompting Mr Mlotshwa to go to the police, the court heard. The fresh details emerged at Middelberg Magistrates' Court as the two men accused applied for bail for the shocking assault, which they filmed on a phone. Family members from both sides came face to face for the first time in a packed court room in South Africa where the chilling footage, which went viral, was played. A black man who was forced into a coffin and tortured for over an hour by two white farm workers was offered cash to drop charges against his attackers, a court has heard. Theo Martins Jackson (left) and Willem Oosthuizen (right) will discover today if they will get bail Victor Rethabile Mlotshwa was beaten so badly he was only able to 'crawl home', prosecutors said. Scores of noisy protesters (above) returned to the courthouse yesterday and beat two white dolls which they tied to a plank The court heard how on the day of the attack the two accused had rounded up two 'kaffirs' a racist epithet used to describe black people in South Africa who were trespassing on land they worked on. Pictured: Mr Mlotshwa (centre, wearing an African National Congress shirt). The attack on Mr Mlotshwa was filmed and posted online in November, three months after the incident occurred. It shows a white man trying to force the lid down on top of the black man inside while, all the time, telling him to 'talk' Yesterday's tense bail hearing heard how Oosthuizen and Jackson (above) savagely beat and tortured their jobless victim for an hour, threatening to burn him alive and feed him to a snake Yesterday's tense day-long bail hearing heard how Willem Oosthuizen and Theo Martins Jackson savagely beat and tortured their jobless victim for an hour, threatening to burn him alive and feed him to a snake until he was only capable of 'crawling home' once they had let him go. The white pair's first court appearance two weeks ago sparked fears of a race riot, forcing them to abandon a bid for bail amid threats of revenge. Scores of noisy protesters returned to the courthouse yesterday to chant outside and pack the public benches. They tied two white dolls to a plank which they held aloft, singing and dancing around them, taking turns to whack the dolls over the head - in an eerie suggestion of what might befall the defendants if they are granted bail later today. In court, the investigating officer revealed how Mr Mlotshwa had been bombarded with anonymous threats if he went ahead with the case, and later received an offer of 600 in return for dropping charges against the two men. Detective Dimakatso Bahula told the court she was convinced the men would 'attempt to interfere' with the case which has revealed the bitter racial divide which continues to blight South Africa more than two decades after the end of apartheid. The noisy court room fell silent as the distressing film was played, and Mr Mlotshwa's shrieks of panic and pleas for mercy echoed around the room. Scores of noisy protesters returned to the courthouse yesterday to chant outside and pack the public benches. Hundreds of protesters who gathered outside the court during an earlier hearing held a sign which read: 'Life sentence for the resists [sic]! #RacismMustFall' Detective Dimakatso Bahula told the court she was convinced the men would 'attempt to interfere' with the case which has revealed the bitter racial divide which continues to blight South Africa more than two decades after the end of apartheid. Pictured: Protesters ourside earlier hearing Sitting in the front row of the public gallery, the young victim looked down at his hands, flanked by supporters, as his petrified squeals rang out. Only a few feet away, the families of Oosthuizen and Jackson looked equally uncomfortable as the aggressive, urgent voices of the men threatening to pour petrol on their victim and add a snake to the casket in which he flailed around were clearly heard. During the hearing the two men looked anxious sitting in the wooden dock of the court, directly in front of their victim and his family. Detective Bahula said on the day of the attack the two accused had been driving separate vehicles to round up two 'kaffirs' a racist epithet used to describe black people in South Africa who were trespassing on land they worked on. Their first victim was Dalton Sithole who earlier this month spoke exclusively to MailOnline to describe how he was picked up and savagely beaten for taking a shortcut across the employer's property. After being kicked and punched 'black and blue' by the men, he was then driven off in one of their vehicles in pursuit of Mr Mlotshwa who they had also spotted trespassing. 'I don't want to see a kaffir walking around on my farm,' Oosthuizen told Mr Sithole, the court heard. After picking up Mr Mlotshwa who told police he was travelling from his shack home - on the edge of the chicken farm where one of the men worked - to the nearest town to buy food, the men ordered their first victim out of the car, before binding Mr Mlotshwa's wrists together with cable ties to the tow bar of their vehicle and driving to the nearby farm where they worked. Mr Mlotshwa (above) was so scared he told no one until video footage of the attack was shared online in November, prompting him to go to the police, the court heard The noisy court room fell silent as the distressing film was played, and Mr Mlotshwa's shrieks of panic and pleas for mercy echoed around the room. Accused Jackson and Oosthuizen, pictured at an earlier hearing, are said to have taken part in the distressing incident. A full trial will take place next year There, 'Jackson got a coffin out of the vehicle and ordered the victim to get in it,' the officer told the court. 'They had a stick and hit him all over the body.' As the sustained attack continued, Jackson threatened to pour petrol on the casket and set it on fire. 'The victim was crying, pleading with them,' Detective Bahula told proceedings. After being tormented for an hour, the victim was freed, 'and he crawled home', the court heard, 'and had been told, 'we will kill you if you open a case' against them. The victim told no-one about the incident until months later, in early November, his brother Thobile saw the video being shared on Facebook, and recognised Mr Mlotshwa. 'Victor was sleeping in his room when his brother came in and showed him the video,' the officer explained, 'and he was so shocked to see it. He was aware that one of the accused had taken a film of the incident.' Two days later, he made a complaint to police and some days after that Oosthuizen and Jackson turned themselves in. Mr Mlotshwa's wrists were bound together with cable ties to the tow bar of their vehicle and he was driven to the JM De Beer's farm in Middelburg (above) and attacked, the court heard Divided: The mistrust and resentment by both black and white South Africans can be seen in the rural area surrounding Middelburg, 100 miles east of Johannesburg, pictured, where the two white farmers are accused of pushing Mr Mlotshwa into the coffin In arguing against giving the two men bail, the officer described 'the national outrage' the case had provoked, adding 'I fear for the safety of the accused.' She added that only days ago a local white farmer had complained about a warning he received via text message that 'there would be bloodshed' in the community where the attack took place 'and that the next time it will be his wife that ends up in a coffin'. Defence lawyer Jean Welch denied his clients had known the alleged victim prior to the August incident or that they had sought to intimidate him. Today he will continue to argue that they should be released on bail while the case is further investigated. Speaking from her shack in the township near where the attack took place, Nomvula Rethabile, mother of the victim, said she would feel scared for her son if his alleged attackers were given bail. The mother of a missing six-year-old Hawaiian boy has admitted manslaughter 20 years after he was last seen. Jaylin Kema and her husband Peter Kema Sr. campaigned for the safe return of their six-year-old son Peter who became affectionately known in the public as Peter Boy after his 1997 disappearance from Big Island, Hawaii. The couple claimed to have lost track of the child after giving him to a family friend to look after when they fell upon hard times. Earlier this year they were both arrested for murder after a fresh investigation. On Thursday, Jaylin Kema pleaded guilty to manslaughter as she confirmed the boy is dead as authorities have long feared. He is believed to have died of sepsis after a wound in his arm which police say was inflicted by his abusive father became infected. Jaylin Kema (left in court on Thursday) admitted manslaughter in the death of her six-year-old son Peter Boy who vanished in April 1997. Peter is seen right, in one of the few photographs ever taken of him which was captured by his grandparents Jaylin Kema agreed with this version of events, Hawaii County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ricky Damerville said. She agreed that she failed to get the child medical help after he suffered the injury which was large enough for a finger to be stuck in it. 'I failed to protect my son,' she wept in court as she told how despite having health insurance for the family, she did not seek help or speak out because she was in fear of her husband. The wound, which was puss-filled and festering, prompted extended family members to fear Peter was being abused, Damerville added. It was one of many suffered by the child at the hands of his father, according to his siblings. They told Hawaii News earlier this year how they were all beaten as children but that Peter suffered the most gravely. Their father forced him to eat his own feces and tortured him daily, they said. Jaylin and her husband Peter Kema Sr campaigned to find their son after he disappeared. They are seen above in 1998 claiming he was last seen with a family friend who could never be traced Peter Boy had suffered a severe wound to his arm which was so infected it was seeping puss and left a hole in his arm, extended family friends said. It is prosecutors' belief he died of sepsis The three children were removed from their parents care when Peter was just a baby after he was found to have suffered several broken bones. They went to live with their grandparents and were happy. It was during this time that all the photographs taken of Peter Boy throughout his life were captured. The children were however returned to their parents by the state and the abuse began again. After his disappearance, Peter's four-year-old sister told authorities she saw her father trying to resuscitate the boy before he vanished. She also claimed to have seen him in a box in a closet. Kema Snr, who denies killing his son, maintains that he gave him to a woman called Auntie Rose Makuakane in Oahu after struggling to support him financially. Police never found any trace of such a woman or flight details showing he had made the described journey. Peter Boy's siblings said their father beat them all but that he was specifically targeted The children were taken to live with their grandparents (their grandmother is photographed above) after concerns were raised over abuse by their parents. They were later returned to their mother and father by the state Peter Kema Snr (left earlier this year after his arrest) maintains he did not kill the boy. Right, Jaylin Kema's mugshot The couple was arrested earlier this year after a grand jury indictment which named them as Peter's killers. They were brought in to custody on gun and welfare fraud charges and separated, a tactic law enforcement officers hoped would drive a wedge between them and reveal what happened to the boy. Jaylin wept at Hilo Circuit Court as she admitted manslaughter on Thursday The case had been reopened after heavily redacted files from 2005 were released in which detailed the abuse Peter and his siblings suffered at the hands of their father. Jaylin was charged with second-degree murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter in a plea deal with prosecutors. She will testify against her husband in exchange for a reduced sentence for her crime. Hawaii County Prosecuting Attorney Mitch Roth said the development was a victory. 'It's a case most people in the state have heard about. The real win for the community is they at least know what happened to the child.' Jaylin Kema received a recommended sentence of just one-year in exchange for her testimony with credit for time already served. If her husband's trial isn't over by April, she'll be on supervised release, according to the plea agreement. Chris Christie is reportedly angling to become the new Republican Party head. The 168-member Republican National Committee will vote for a new chair in January. Current RNC chief Reince Priebus is taking a job in Donald Trump's White House. Politico says Christie, the ousted chairman of Trump's transition operation, is making a 'full-court press' for the position. Chris Christie is reportedly angling to become the new Republican Party head. The New Jersey governor remains a vice chair of Trump's transition team Christie remains a vice chair of Trump's transition team. Three other Trump insiders told Politico today that Christie approached them about running the RNC. A Christie spokesman did not return a request for comment. Previously Christie served as head of Trump's shadow government. He was forced to turn over the reigns to Vice President-elect Mike Pence days after Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton and demoted to vice chair. As of Tuesday he was sharing that title with 12 other Trump allies. Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner and Christie are said to have butted heads. Christie sent Kushner's father to jail on corruption charges. The president-elect was also displeased with the number of lobbyists involved in the transition effort. He's since moved to purge his emerging government of Christie hires like Mike Rogers, a former House intelligence panel head, and is requiring all lobbyists who work in his administration to deregister and submit to a five year ban after theirservice. While the RNC's members will chose the party's next operational head, an official or unofficial endorsement from the president-elect would tip the scales. Previously Christie served as head of Trump's shadow government. He was forced to turn over the reigns to Vice President-elect Mike Pence days after Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton and demoted to vice chair Christie was once a Trump confidante, nearly becoming his vice president. He showed off his prosecutorial skills at the RNC's summer nominating convention, setting up a possible nomination to attorney general in a Trump administration. Trump gave that job to Jeff Sessions, though, leaving Christie, who said this week he plans to stay on as governor of New Jersey until his term ends, limited room to maneuver. Mega-donor Rebekah Mercer and Trump senior counselor Steve Bannon want the job to go to Mercedes Schlapp The two-term New Jersey governor chaired the Republican Governor's Association in the 2014 political cycle, raising more than $100 million for the committee that has separate funds from the RNC. His ability to raise large sums of money makes him attractive choice for the RNC position. Christie's reputation was badly damaged by the Bridgegate scandal that two of his aides doing hard time for their crimes tried to pin on him. Politico says that Priebus, who's leaving the RNC to become Trump's chief of staff, has his eye on Michigan Republican Party chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel. She's the niece for 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney, a candidate for secretary of state. Mega-donor Rebekah Mercer and Trump senior counselor Steve Bannon want the job to go to Mercedes Schlapp, the news publication said. Nick Ayers has Mike Pence's team pulling for him. Ayers is a former executive director of the RGA Schlapp worked in George W. Bush's administration and her husband Matt chairs the American Conservative Union, a conglomerate that hosts the annual Conservative Political Action Conference that's traditionally been a right of passage for Republican candidates, although Trump skipped it this year. Nick Ayers, senior advisor to the vice president-elect, also has Mike Pence's team pulling for him. Ayers is a former executive director of the RGA. The White House declared its support Thursday for requiring women to register for the military draft, a symbolic but significant shift that reflects the U.S. military's evolution from a male-dominated force to one seeking to incorporate women at all levels. President Barack Obama has been considering whether to adopt the position since last December, when Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered the military to open all jobs to women, including the most arduous combat posts. Ned Price, a spokesman for the White House's National Security Council, said Obama believes women have 'proven their mettle,' including in Afghanistan and Iraq. 'As old barriers for military service are being removed, the administration supports as a logical next step women registering for the Selective Service,' Price said, using the formal name for the military draft. The White House declared its support Thursday for requiring women to register for the military draft, a symbolic but significant shift that reflects the U.S. military's evolution from a male-dominated force to one seeking to incorporate women at all levels President Barack Obama, seen here on Thursday with his wife Michelle and their younger daughter, Sasha, has been considering whether to adopt the position since last December. Nothing will come of it - but the administration is making a point The White House emphasized that the administration remains committed to an all-volunteer military meaning women, like men, wouldn't be forced to serve unless there were a national emergency like a major world war. Changing the policy would require an act of Congress, and there are no signs that lawmakers plan to move swiftly to alter the law. Obama, who will leave office in less than two months, has less leverage over Congress and the broader Washington agenda than he did earlier in his presidency. Like his embrace of gay marriage in 2012, Obama's announcement appeared aimed more at influencing the public debate about women in the military in the coming years than at forcing an immediate policy change. The Defense Department echoed Obama's position, first reported by USA Today. Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said that Carter believes the inclusion of women throughout the military's echelons has strengthened the military's might. 'He thinks it makes sense for women to register for Selective Service, just as men must,' Cook said. Late last year, the Pentagon ordered all military jobs opened to women, including about 220,000 jobs previously restricted to men, including in special operations forces. Carter and other military leaders insisted that the military wouldn't lower the physical standards for those jobs to enable more women to qualify. Integrating women has not been fast or easy. Earlier this year the top Army and Marine Corps generals told senators it would take up to three years to fully integrate women into all combat jobs. The military services have started recruiting women for those jobs and making necessary changes to bathrooms and other facilities. But some of the services, such as the Marine Corps, have predicted or experienced challenges identifying large numbers of candidates who want to serve in combat and meet the physical requirements. Under current law, women can volunteer to serve in the military, but aren't required to register for the draft. All adult men must register within 30 days of their 18th birthday, and risk losing eligibility for student aid, job training and government jobs if they fail to comply. Defense Secretary Ash Carter 'thinks it makes sense for women to register for Selective Service, just as men must,' a spokesman said Signing up for the draft entails registering with the U.S. Selective Service, an independent agency aimed at ensuring a fair distribution of military duties if the president and Congress had to enact a draft. The U.S. hasn't had a military draft since 1973, during the Vietnam War era. The new posture from the Obama administration came at an unusual time, just two days after House and Senate negotiators agreed to strip a provision from the annual defense policy bill that would have required young women to register. The measure had roiled social conservatives, who decried it as another step toward the blurring of gender lines akin to allowing transgender people to use public lavatories and locker rooms. Rep. Pete Sessions spoke for a number of Republicans when he described the provision as 'coercing America's daughters' into draft registration. But proponents of including women in the draft pool viewed the requirement as a sensible step toward gender equality. They pointed to the Pentagon's decision last year to open all front-line combat jobs to women as removing any justification for gender restrictions on registration. A man who claims his psychiatrist cousin brainwashed him to try and kill her ex-lover, has confessed to the gruesome crime as he speaks out for the first time. Jacob Nolan, 24, was convicted of attempted murder, assault and burglary for the 2012 sledgehammer and knife attack on Dr Michael Weiss, who was in a bitter custody battle with Nolan's cousin, Pamela Buchbinder at the time. When asked what he was intending to do when he walked into Weiss's office on November 12, 2012 carrying a duffel bag filled with a sledgehammer, a steak knife and zip ties, Nolan said: 'You know, I intended to kill him.' Scroll down for video Jacob Nolan, 24, (pictured left during a recent interview and right) who claims his psychiatrist cousin brainwashed him to kill her ex-lover has confessed to the gruesome crime Nolan and his cousin Pamela Buchbinder pictured together above. Buchbinder was in a bitter custody battle with her ex Dr Michael Weiss over their young son at the time of the 2012 attack Nolan was convicted of attempted murder, assault and burglary for the 2012 attack on Dr Michael Weiss (pictured), his cousin's ex Nolan, the son of a wealthy Long Island family, said he acknowledges what he did was very serious and takes responsibility for it. 'There's never going to be a night I don't fall asleep feeling awful for what I've done,' he told CBS's 48 Hours in an interview set to air on Saturday. 'I know what I did was very serious. And I take responsibility for it.' Nolan went after Weiss with a sledgehammer and stabbed him multiple times with a knife during the brutal attack before Weiss was able to call for help. Nolan entered Weiss's office building on New York's Upper West Side on November 12, 2012 carrying a duffel bag filled with a sledgehammer, a steak knife and zip ties Nolan is shown in surveillance footage walking into the building carrying a black duffel bag Nolan went after Weiss with a sledgehammer and stabbed him multiple times with a knife during the brutal attack. He then is believed to have snapped a selfie moments later (shown above) Nolan then allegedly snapped selfies of himself moments after the vicious attack showing him covered in blood. During the trial, Nolan's attorney, Steve Broustein, claimed his client was manipulated by Buchbinder into attacking Weiss so she could cash in on Weiss' $1.5 million life insurance policy. The couple was also embroiled in a custody fight over their son, who now lives full time with his father. 'They hated each other and in turn she made me hate him,' Nolan said of the relationship between Weiss and Buchbinder. Nolan had been living with Buchbinder at the time and the two were reportedly seen purchasing the sledgehammer used in the attack the night before at a Home Depot. He said Buchbinder had 'already told me that she wanted me to hit him over the head' and that she 'repeatedly played' the Beatles song Maxwell's Silver Hammer in the house. Prosecutors said Buchbinder even drew Nolan a map to show him how to get into her ex's home office. Nolan claims he was manipulated by Buchbinder into attacking Weiss so she could cash in on Weiss' $1.5 million life insurance policy Evidence photo provided by DA New York of the sledgehammer used in the attack which was bought from Home Depot 'I was willing to die for this woman. I wasn't trying to hide anything. I think I was really nervous. I think I wanted to back out', Nolan told 48 HOURS' Peter Van Sant. 'But I didn't have the means to do it 'cause I couldn't go back to Pamela without this done,' he said, adding he felt like he had no choice..' He also suffered from bipolar disorder and had learning and personality problems. 'Pamela took someone who she knew was severely mentally ill and she morphed me into whatever she wanted me to be and I obeyed just like a puppet,' Nolan said. On the day of the attack, Nolan said he signed into Weiss' office using his real name and then waited to attack in a stairwell in his office building. Nolan shown left and Weiss, right. Nolan was convicted in March after a jury returned its verdict and rejected the defense claim that Nolan was turned into a killer by Buchbinder, who has not been charged A kitchen knife that was found at the scene of the attack is shown above Evidence photo provided shows the injuries sustained by Michael Weiss during the attack Nolan, who has since described his experience with his cousin as 'incredibly frightening', was found guilty in the attack back in March. It took a jury less than an hour to return its verdict and reject the defense claim that Nolan was turned into a killer by Buchbinder, who has not been charged. Earlier Thursday, he made a triumphant visit to the Carrier Corp. plant in Indianapolis, where he intervened to help save close to 1,000 jobs with tax subsidies totaling $7 million Donald Trump busted out of Trump Tower where he has been planning his transition and returned to battleground Ohio to fire up some of the spirit of his campaign but made clear he misses his angry battle against Hillary Clinton. 'Im going to discuss our action plan to make American great again. Were gonna discuss it,' Trump told supporters in the US Bank arena. 'Although we did have a lot of fun fighting Hillary, didnt we?' 'These are very very dishonest people,' Trump said of his media doubters during the campaign. Then Trump ad-libbed his way through some of the campaign's greatest hits, and hammered the press like in the old days before he faced the certain burden of taking the oath of office. Then, speaking behind a podium that said 'USA Thank You Tour 2016,' he mocked some of the gob-smacked television journalists who chronicled his Election Night coverage of his historic win. Scroll down for video Trump spoke about breaking the Democratic 'blue wall' at a 'Thank You Tour' and spoke of the states where he defied predictions to beat Hillary Clinton Speaking behind a podium that said 'USA Thank You Tour 2016,' Trump mocked some of the gob-smacked television journalists who chronicled his Election Night coverage of his historic win 'And we won Wisconsin, and we won Michigan, and we won Pennsylvania. And that person is doing the map. And that person was saying for months that theres no way that Donald Trump can break the blue wall, right? We didnt break it, we shattered that sucker. That blue wall is busted up,' Trump said to cheers. The line had echoes of Clinton's constant refrain of shattering the 'glass ceiling' and becoming the first woman president. 'Should I go on with this just a little bit longer?' he asked a chanting crowd underlining that even if his advisers decided not to call it a 'victory tour,' he would still crow about his historic win. 'Texas is in play remember that one?' Trump said, referencing reports that Clinton's vaunted operation had a chance to make gains, buoyed buy Hispanic voters. He even brought up Utah a state that pre-election polls showed could have been won by little known candidate Evan McMullin. 'We trounced. And by the way, Hillary came in second and that guy came in third.' 'How about when a major anchor who hosted a debate started crying when she realized that we won?' Trump said. It was a reference to ABC's Martha Raddatz, who appeared stunned as she grasped for words to explain Trump's unexpected triumph on election night. 'Tears. No, tell me this isnt true,' he said. 'And you know what she doesnt understand? Things are going to be much better now,' Trump said. Trump ran through some of his pre-election promises, and showed little sign of softening, even as he has begun to stack his administration with some well-heeled insiders. Supporters cheered 'Lock her up!' although Trump has backed off his plan to call for a special prosecutor for Hillary Clinton He took on critics who have noted that early picks include billionaires and multimillionaires, like Commerce pick Wilbur Ross. 'Thats because this guy knows how to make money, folks,' Trump explained. 'We will construct a great wall at the border,' Trump said, repeated his campaign promise. 'On immigration, we will restore the sovereignty of the United States,' Trump said. 'We will finally end illegal immigration.' Vice president-elect Mike Pence called Trump a president 'who will suspend immigration from all states and territories compromised by terror.' Like pre-election rallies, this one featured protesters. A group held up a large sign that said 'Stop Trump Deportations.' 'They dont know that Hillary lost a couple of weeks ago,' Trump quipped. There were banks of empty seats, but the president-elect made clear it was a heightened security posture that was to blame. Trump settled scores with Ohio Governor John Kasich and minor candidate Evan McMullin during his remarks President-elect Donald Trump greats workers at Carrier air conditioning plant before flying to Cincinnati for a campaign-style rally that had been dubbed a 'victory tour' Protesters held up a sign that said 'Stop Trump Deportations' before it got taken down 'Although we did have a lot of fun fighting Hillary, didnt we?' 'I didnt know that they closed down the roads around the stadium for an hour and a half. We gotta work out a new deal with our Secret Service, but we love em right?' 'From now on its going to be American first, okay?' Trump said. 'We seek peace and harmony with the nations of the world. But that means recognizing the right of every country including our own to look after its citizens.' 'We would put other countries first. We had people running our country that truly didnt know what the hell they were doing,' Trump said, resurrecting one of his signature lines from the campaign. Trump broke some news, hours after it was reported he would nominate retired Marine Gen. James Mattis to be secretary of defense, although his spokesman tweeted no decision had been made. 'We are going to appoint "Mad Dog" Mattis as our secretary of defense. But were not announcing it until Monday so dont tell anybody,' Trump quipped. 'They say hes the closest thing to Gen. George Patton that we have and its about time.' People wait in line to enter the president-elect Donald Trump "USA Thank You Tour" event outside the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio There were cheers of 'lock her up!' during remarks by an Ohio state senator, but they quickly died out. Outside, venders hawked Donald Trump hats and T-shirts, though one vendor told DailyMail.com sales were 'slow motion' and 'not like the campaign.' The event had many of the same fixtures of prior Trump rallies but in a house that was far from packed as introducers took the stage. An aide at first called the post-election rallies a 'victory tour,' although the campaign later dubbed it a 'thank you.' As at the rallies that electrified crowds during the campaign, there frequent evocations of nationalism and law and order themes. 'Its okay to recognize that its not radical Presbyterians that are killing people at Ohio State,' said introducer, State Sen. Keith Faber, referencing the recent attacks on campus by a Somali-born immigrant. 'Are we unhappy with all of the vitriol' directed at Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence during the campaign, asked Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin. 'You bet we were,' he said. But Bevin advised: 'Lets bury it.' Earlier, Trump visited the Carrier Corp. factory in Indianapolis, where he intervened to help save close to 1,000 jobs with tax subsidies totaling $7 million. A triumphant Trump declared that 'companies are not going to leave the United States anymore without consequences' as he visited the Carrier manufacturing plant in Indiana that is staying open with his intervention and $7 million in state subsidies. President-elect Donald Trump heaped praise on Carrier workers and United Technologies execs after the company decided to keep an Indiana plant open in exchange for $7 million in subsidies after his own intervention 'It's a great day for working people all across the United States of America,' said Vice president-elect Mike Pence, who introduced Trump. Trump hailed the 'big beautiful plant,' and gushed: 'They're going to have a great Christmas.' The deal he struck with United Technologies CEO Greg Hayes involves the carrot of state-level tax breaks instead of the stick of new tax threats. But on Thursday he renewed that warning to other corporations. 'There will be consequences, meaning they'll be taxed very heavily at the border,' he said. A photograph showing two tourists leaving their bare feet on the headrests of the seats in front of them in a Balinese cinema has sparked a heated debate online. The image, uploaded to a Bali Facebook discussion group, was captioned: 'Crime or lost in civilization? A bule (foreign) couple rest their stink feet on others headrests.' What followed was a fiery argument, with some claiming the pair had done nothing wrong and others asserting their actions were deeply insulting to Balinese locals. Scroll down for video A photograph showing two tourists leaving their bare feet on the headrests of the seats in front of them in a Balinese cinema has sparked a heated debate online. Other images soon emerged on the Facebook thread, including one which showed a woman wearing a very revealing bikini bottom while riding a scooter in Indonesia Some users said the pair had done nothing wrong and were simply trying to 'get comfortable' Others said called for the tourists to be taken out of the cinema by security for their manners 'Not a crime but extremely RUDE particularly anywhere in Asia. Think about it folks, you have been walking around the muddy streets, does anyone want to put their head there?,' wrote Susan. 'When we visit another culture we should exercise restraint until we understand the customs of the place,' added Peter. Another social media user explained that for many Indonesian people 'an insult is the same as a crime', and in some instances even worse. A topless tourist sprawls his body across the bonnet of a Balinese blue bird taxi Lack of respect or harmless banter? One woman demonstrates her point by placing her bare feet on a pool table and on a bar stool in Bali No respect: A boy urinates into a flower pot in a Balinese hotel's garden during Schoolies celebrations A topless Australian boy holds a phallic wooden object in a crude gesture Indonesian law requires motorcyclists to wear helmets - something these two tourists have chosen not to adhere to But others took the side of the tourists, arguing that the pair were simply trying to get 'comfortable' - reasoning that the same thing happened in Australian cinemas. 'Crime! How dare they try to get comfortable,' asked Satya. 'Its more of a crime to take a photo of people u (sic) don't know .. don't be judgmental .. get on with your own life,' wrote Dee. Another Balinese local weighed into the debate to question why the man who uploaded the image had used his phone inside of the cinema, which he deemed to be more rude than the act itself. As discussion flowed, a number of people took the opportunity to upload photographs of Australian tourists going against cultural standards in Indonesia. One photograph showed a tourist wearing a very revealing bikini bottom while wearing a helmet as she engaged in discussion with Indonesian police beside a scooter. Several other images soon emerged on the thread showing tourists putting their feet up on pool tables and in bars and laying sprawled across taxi bonnets. A rowdy tourist appears to dance in the middle of a Kuta street as a queue of taxis builds up Would this happen at an Australian beach? Tourists leave behind piles of rubbish at Kuta Last month a brawl broke out on the notorious Kuta tourist party strip after a large man clad in just a pair of underpants kicked another school leaver unprovoked as he walked by Balinese street vendors have started catering t-shirts for their Australian customers After the executions of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran last year, Indonesians began the hashtag #BoycottAustralia to express how they felt about Australian tourists Less than two weeks ago Australian teenager Jamie Murphy was caught trying to enter a popular Bali nightclub with a bag of white powder. The 18-year-old was stopped by security guards at the Sky Garden Nightclub in Kuta early on Tuesday morning after they found the substance in his bumbag. After two days in police custody he was released after tests on the powder came back negative, revealing it was in fact a mixture of headache and caffeine tablets. The head of the police forensics laboratory in Denpasar said that Murphy's blood and urine tests also came back negative. Less than two weeks ago Australian teenager Jamie Murphy, 18, was taken into police custody after security found a bag of white powder in his bumbag He was stopped by security at Kuta's Sky Garden nightclub (pictured) and taken into custody, but released two days later after drug tests revealed the powder was just paracetamol Only one in 25 British Muslims believe Al Qaeda was responsible for the September 11 attacks on the US, a poll has found. The research said it was deeply troubling that so many were willing to entertain wild and outlandish conspiracy theories. A survey of more than 3,000 Muslims found 96 per cent did not believe Osama Bin Ladens terror group carried out the atrocity. Some 31 per cent thought the American government was behind the strikes on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon, which claimed almost 3,000 lives. Another 7 per cent said it was a Jewish plot, while 58 per cent did not know. A survey of more than 3,000 Muslims found 96 per cent did not believe Osama Bin Ladens terror group carried out the atrocity The poll, for the Policy Exchange think-tank, found 93 per cent of those quizzed had a strong attachment to the UK, and more than half wanted to fully integrate with non-Muslims in all aspects of life. Muslims were also more engaged in the political process than the population at large, and significantly more likely to have raised money for charity or volunteered at a local school. However, it was described as a cause for concern that one in four British Muslims did not believe extremist views existed despite a spate of major terror attacks and the rise of Islamic State. The research said it was deeply troubling that so many were willing to entertain wild and outlandish conspiracy theories Almost half would not report it to the police if someone they knew was involved with supporters of terrorism in Syria. Meanwhile, around two in five would support the introduction of sharia law, the legal system derived from the Koran. The poll also found 40 per cent were in favour of gender-segregated classrooms, while 44 per cent thought schools should be able to force girls to wear traditional Islamic dress. Some 31 per cent thought the American government was behind the strikes on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon, which claimed almost 3,000 lives British Muslims were more likely to condemn terror attacks than the population as a whole 90 per cent compared to 83 per cent. And attitudes towards many other issues, such as the NHS and immigration, were broadly in line with the rest of the nation. ICM, which carried out the survey for centre-Right think tank Policy Exchange, calls itself the UKs most respected pollster. It questioned 3,040 British Muslims face-to-face between May and July last year and spoke to ten focus groups. Birmingham Labour MP Khalid Mahmood, who is Muslim, said many of the findings showed the religious group were among the most loyal, patriotic and law-abiding citizens. But in a foreword to the report, he wrote: It is obviously a cause for concern that so many within our communities should doubt the very existence of [extremism], even as we face a severe and ongoing terrorist threat. Even more startling is the fact that so many British Muslims seem ready to entertain wild and outlandish conspiracy theories ... believing that dark forces are at work to do us down as Muslims. It is deeply troubling that this seems to have led a not-insignificant minority to believe that the world is at the mercy of the machinations of dark, anti-Muslim forces. The research also revealed the Muslim Council of Britain, often billed as a spokesman for the community, reflected the views of only 4 per cent of those polled. But in a statement, the council said the Policy Exchange was trying to delegitimise the organisation. This is a pilots real story. Lets call him Mark. He works for a respected British airline. He is one of three pilots sharing the flying during a long transatlantic night crossing to the UK. With his two colleagues sitting up front in the cockpit, Mark is napping in the jump seat behind them. Then, something a feeling jerks him into wakefulness. I woke up to find that the two pilots meant to be flying were both fast asleep, he remembers. One was snoring quite loudly. I woke them up, we turned the lights right up and forced each other to stay awake for the rest of the flight. A large jet roaring through the darkness across the Atlantic, packed with passengers, and for an unknown period no one on the flight deck was even conscious. Airline pilots are are only human, and when they get tired they fall asleep even at 550 miles per hour and 38,000ft, with 250 men, women and children on board But this is very possibly a routine occurrence on British-registered aircraft, supposedly some of the safest in the world. Airline pilots are regarded as the ultimate professionals: competent, diligent and cool under pressure. But they are also human, and when they get tired they fall asleep even at 550 miles per hour and 38,000ft, with 250 men, women and children on board. Fatigue has become a major issue in civil aviation as airlines seek to squeeze ever more value from aircraft and crews in order to keep ticket prices low and profits high. Pilots who in the 1970s would have flown about 550 hours a year are now flying 850 hours or more if necessary. I would estimate that a pilot falls asleep involuntarily on a UK-registered aircraft somewhere in the world every day, if not much more frequently than that, says Dr Robert Hunter, head of flight safety at the British Airlines Pilots Association BALPA). Recently, this potentially catastrophic phenomenon emerged into the public domain with a threatened strike by pilots working for budget carrier easyJet, after their union warned that: Fatigue has risen year on year, to levels that pilots and BALPA both find unacceptable. The strike was called off last month. But the issue of pilots fatigue is not going away. Nightmare scenario: A crash scene from a Hollywood film You get to the stage where you can literally fall asleep on the approach to an airport, says David Smith, a former senior pilot with British Airways, who retired in 2009 after 35 years service. Everyone knows what it is like when you are driving down the motorway feeling really tired and almost nod off. Well, theres no hard shoulder to pull up on in the sky. A chilling insight into the issue is provided by a survey of 500 British pilots asking if they had ever fallen asleep involuntarily at the controls. Yes, said 43 per cent. 24 HOURS OF FATIGUE How a pilot can end up working around the clock while still observing the safety rules: A pilot wakes at 7.30am and starts a stand-by duty at 12 noon. The pilot is called at 3.30pm to report for duty at 5pm. His flying duty finishes with him landing at 4am the following morning, by which time he has been awake for more than 20 hours. A pilot in this situation would experience severe sleepiness similar to having a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit for flying. Advertisement And of those who said yes, a third admitted that, on at least one occasion, they woke to find their co-pilot also asleep. Yet, fatigue, the potential killer lurking in the cockpit, hardly exists in the official mind. How many examples of involuntary sleep on the flight deck have been registered with Britains regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority, in the past 30 years? Answer: two. Human beings have poor insight about the moment we go to sleep, says Dr Hunter, who qualified as a commercial pilot while practising as a specialist in aviation medicine. As a pilot, you might think you have done a good job of staying awake whilst your co-pilot is taking their nap, but an EEG [electroencephalogram, a test that tracks brain activity] could show that you were, in fact, sleeping as well. Occasionally a light is shone on fatigue during accident investigations. In 2009, a regional flight plunged to earth on its approach to Buffalo airport in the U.S., killing 50 people. Before the flight, both pilots had made gruelling commutes from their homes the captain from Florida and the co-pilot from Seattle to their airlines Newark base. Both could be heard yawning on the cockpit voice recorder before the crash. Investigators blamed their inappropriate response to stall warnings, disagreeing over how much fatigue was a factor. More recently, in 2012, a sleepy pilot on a transatlantic flight had just woken, disorientated, when he mistook the planet Venus for another aircraft and sent his plane into a nosedive, injuring 16 passengers and crew. The unnamed first officer on the Air Canada night flight to Zurich had napped for 75 minutes, longer than the permitted 40, it emerged. Afterwards, Air Canada said it had taken steps to avoid crew fatigue. Under Europe-wide rules introduced in February, pilots are required to have a minimum of just one day off in every 14 The reality is that commercial aviation is a tough business, particularly in the budget field. Endlessly tweaked computerised rosters squeeze the most out of pilots while observing the letter of most flight safety regulations but not the overarching regulation prohibiting fatiguing rosters. Under old British aviation rules, pilots were required to have two days off in every 14. Now, under Europe-wide rules introduced in February, pilots are required to have a minimum of just one day off in every 14. Theoretically, there is a 14-hour limit per day, including flying and ground duties. But this can be extended by something called captains discretion. This allows the pilot to extend his or her day by an additional hour if a flight is disrupted and he or she feels able to continue and there are companies that expect their crews to use this discretion. Overtime pay is unusual. Young pilots in particular are vulnerable to demands for more flexibility. Most flight school graduates, saddled with huge debts, are anxious to accommodate new employers. Cadet pilots can earn just 20,000 a year. Some people are scared of reporting fatigue because they will be told: Its obviously a physical problem with you because everyone is coping and you had better go and see your doctor. says Captain Smith. Most flight school graduates, saddled with huge debts, are anxious to accommodate new employers Stand-by duties when pilots act as reserve crew to be called on at short notice to cover any gaps in the roster are a particular problem because pilots must be ready to fly at any point during a long period. There is no way their sleep patterns can meet all eventualities. And if things go wrong, it is the pilot who is likely to shoulder the blame especially if he or she is dead and cannot answer back. Except for falling asleep there is no signature of fatigue, says BALPAs Dr Hunter. Fatigued people simply look like incompetent people. It is a dark side of fatigue that the system blames the person. Mistakes are deemed to be the persons fault rather than the result of the conditions they were working under. F lying, in reality, can be a relatively small part of a short-haul pilots working day. If you are doing six sectors in a day on short-haul [thats six take-offs and landings], you might have been in the air for just four and a half hours, but with pre and post-flight procedures that can be 12 hours, says Capt Smith. You might do London to Paris, and Amsterdam return, then fly to Dusseldorf for an overnight and officially get the legal minimum of 12 hours off. But by the time you have shut the aircraft down and checked into the hotel its late, and ten hours later you will be doing it again. Long-haul can be no less testing. I operated a flight from Europe to the Far East, then about 24 hours later operated back to Europe, says one pilot, who must remain anonymous. I felt totally exhausted and made silly mistakes. When I got home my wife said she had never seen me so tired, in 20-odd years of flying. But pinning an accident solely on exhaustion is difficult when other factors, such as bad weather, are involved. When flydubai flight 981 crashed during a storm at Rostov-on-Don in Russia earlier this year, killing 62 passengers and crew, it prompted the leaking of emails, seen by the Guardian newspaper, from flydubai pilots complaining about fatigue. Theoretically, there is a 14-hour limit per day, including flying and ground duties. But this can be extended by something called captains discretion One warned that the number of hours he was being asked to fly was potentially illegal. I SAY AGAIN. ILLEGAL!!!!!, he wrote. Another accused the airline of sweet-talking aircrew into using their discretionary time to fly extra hours. It is unacceptable to apply pressure, however pleasantly it is done, trying to sweet talk a crew into doing something they have said they feel is unsafe, he wrote. Flydubai, however, denies ever having asked its crew members to operate outside legally permitted hours. For BALPAs safety head, Dr Hunter, complying with most legal requirements is not the same as operating a safe airline. An airline may roster pilots so they do not exceed legal time limits. But the timing of shifts may also be dangerous. He is keen, though, not to pin all the blame on the budget airlines. In general, there is not a particularly poor airline from the point of fatigue, he says. But where you see best practice it is usually where commercial pressures are least. So what do major carriers say about their rosters? The Mail asked British Airways, easyJet, FlyBe, Ryanair and Virgin Atlantic to provide basic information about working practices in regard to pilots. Virgin and FlyBe failed to respond, and British Airways and easyJet refused to disclose details of their rosters. Only the Irish carrier Ryanair, Europes biggest budget operator, has addressed the issue head-on. Ryanair pilots cannot fly more than 900 hours per year, which is an average of less than 18 hours per week, or an average of less than four hours per work day, it said. (This average assumes no holidays and 900 hours is the legal maximum.) Ryanair concludes: Fatigue as a result of flying is almost non-existent in Ryanair. Rare cases have arisen in the past but mainly due to issues outside of work (i.e. sick children etc). BALPA, though, is convinced that fatigue remains a threat to aviation safety. Advertisement New York's abandoned leper colony may be reopened to the public for the first time in more than fifty years. The city's parks department is considering granting 'limited' public access to North Brother Island, the 20-acre abandoned island which sits just 350 yards away from the South Bronx. Opened as a quarantine center in 1885, it was once home to hundreds of residents, including the notorious 'Typhoid Mary' - the first healthy carrier of any disease ever to be identified - who spent years confined in its bleak woods. It closed in 1963, it is now a haunting labyrinth of crumbling ruins. Protected birds are its only inhabitants and the waters around the island are patrolled by armed coastguards who ensure the sanctity of the former quarantine zone is never violated - until now. Scroll down for video New York's abandoned leper colony may be reopened to the public for the first time in more than fifty years (pictured: North Brother Island circa 1937) This is the abandoned leper colony which was also the final home of the infamous disease carrier Typhoid Mary The island has been abandoned for the past 50 years but now there are plans to allow small, guided tours The island, with its eerie cells lies just 350 yards from the South Bronx but many people do not realize its grim history Now New York's parks is considering lifting the strict ban on access, after Manhattan Councilmember Mark Levine, was granted funding to study the feasibility of hosting small, seasonal tours. 'This is really a vision of limited, highly-curated public access that could be done in a way that respects the historical and natural integrity of the island,' Levine told Gothamist on Thursday. 'We are reopening the discussion and exploring options for some limited visits. Perhaps volunteer projects [for the public],' said Matt Drury, director of government relations for the Parks Department. 'We are beginning those conversations now.' 'With the very significant investment that would be necessary to make that access truly [happen],' he hedged, 'the city has to weigh those costs and benefits.' Levine's feasibility study will not be complete until later this month but study leader - University of Pennsylvania Preservation Professor Randall Mason said early signs are good. Experts are working on a feasibility study to assess whether the abandoned island could make a tourist attraction The city's parks department is considering granting 'limited' public access to North Brother Island, the 20-acre abandoned island which sits just 350 yards away from the South Bronx He believes that 'carefully curated public access is feasible and would positively impact New Yorkers' although he suggested limiting it to students and Bronx community groups to prevent posing a hazard to the island's herons. Mason believes that to make it safe, some of the most decrepit structures should be taken down or stabilized. TYPHOID MARY, THE WOMAN WHO MADE MEDICAL HISTORY Mary Mallon was the most infamous patient at North Brother Island where she spent nearly three decades of her life. Despite being healthy, she was a carrier of the typhoid virus and is believed to have been responsible for 43 infections and three deaths. 'Typhoid' Mary, an Irish immigrant who emigrated to the U.S. in 1884, worked as a cook from 1900 to 1907. She was first identified as a carrier by medical researcher George Soper, who concluded she was responsible for a spate of infections linked to where she lived and worked. But she refused to listen to him. Instead, the city intervened after Soper published his findings, and his subject was forcibly incarcerated on North Brother from 1907 to 1910. Typhoid Mary fought for three years to be released, claiming she was being persecuted by the authorities. She was finally set free on the proviso she would stop working as a cook. But Mary Mallon promptly changed her name and broke her pledge, leading to her return to the island in 1915. She was to stay there, living in her own cottage, until her death in 1938. When doctors carried out a post-mortem, they found live typhoid cultures in her body. Advertisement North Brother Island is situated in the Hell Gate, a treacherous section of the East River between The Bronx and Riker's Island. Its first inhabitants were those unfortunate patients with communicable diseases such as smallpox, tuberculosis, scarlet fever and diphtheria, who were forcibly removed from the city's teeming streets. Living conditions were primitive, a hotch-potch of pavilions, tents and cottages flung up around the central Riverside Hospital. When bad weather stopped ferries from running there were food shortages and in winter, frequently little heat. Incarceration on North Brother was often a death sentence. Those who did return from its shores spoke of a hellish environment like 'the black hole of Calcutta.' With the dawn of the 20th century, city authorities made a desperate attempt to clean up North Brother with better buildings and improved care. The island was now mainly a home for tuberculosis patients and for those suffering from venereal disease. In 1942, it closed for the first time before being used to house World War Two veterans who were studying in the city. But this idea was quickly abandoned. In 1952, it underwent its final transformation, hosting an experimental programme to treat juvenile drug addicts. When this, too, failed, the North Brother was left to the ravages of time. The island is currently only open to a select few bird experts, who have a particular interest in its colony of black-crowned night herons, and city patrol officers - though a number of bloggers have detailed illicit trips to its shores. Local historian and photographer Ian Ference, who was given unprecedented access to the site, said that the island had a 'notorious and sometimes sinister reputation.' He was able to document the crumbling ruins of the islands' hospital, staff and patient quarters and forced drug rehabilitation centers as they slowly revert to nature. 'It was established as a forced quarantine camp for people suffering from infectious and often fatal diseases such as typhoid, scarlet fever, yellow fever and typhus,' Ference said of North Brother. 'There were six people suffering from leprosy confined here in wooden huts. 'New York was taking in a huge number of immigrants in the late nineteenth and earth twentieth centuries - and new arrivals were forced to live in crowded and unsanitary conditions. 'Diseases would inevitably spread and once the health authorities identified a person as having a communicable disease they were seized and forced to live on North Brother Island - unless they were rich enough to afford a private clinic. 'Conditions were bad - the mortality rate among patients was high and the recovery rate low. 'There was no telephone in those early days so once people were grabbed and taken there - they were often never heard from again by their families.' Typhoid Mary spent years confined on the island after she was found to be carrying the potentially fatal disease Opened as a quarantine center in 1885, it was once home to hundreds of residents, including the notorious 'Typhoid Mary' - the first healthy carrier of any disease ever to be identified - who spent years confined in its bleak woods (pictured in 1943) Nature has begun to take over the quarantine center which was first opened by New York health authorities in 1885 Other closed-off sites the city is considering whether to reopen include Hart Island - a burial site for the city's poor and unfortunate - the interiors of monuments like the Washington Square Park Arch and the Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch at Grand Army Plaza, and the Croton Aqueduct. 'You are never going to have as many users [at these sites] as the great lawn of Central Park,' Levine said. 'Nor would we want that. But there's just something so unique in these spaces. How we dealt with infectious disease, how we honored our war dead. You can read about [these things] in textbooks, but to touch the stone that was laid by someone who lived thorough those moments in history... it's something you can't replicate.' Yet, unlike North Brother Island, The Parks Department was strongly opposed to opening up the monuments to the public over fears that too many people climbing up the stairs inside the Washington could damage the stairwell or roof. They also declined responsibility for the cemetery at Hart which is currently controlled by the Department of Correction. More than 11 million Britons should be offered an HIV test when they go to their family doctor or A&E, health watchdogs said yesterday. Patients in high-risk areas such as London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol and Leicester will be advised to have a screening during routine consultations. Joint guidelines from Public Health England and the rationing watchdog NICE call for HIV testing to become normalised to help identify thousands of undetected cases. An estimated 101,200 people in Britain are thought to have the virus but 11 million people are being offered HIV tests But Joyce Robins, of the campaign group Patient Concern, said it was a step too far, and that HIV screening should not become automatic on registering with a doctor. RIHANNA SHOWS HARRY THE WAY IN BARBADOS Prince Harry (right) talked Rihanna (left) into having an HIV test in her native Barbados Having only met the night before, it could have been an awkward 20 minutes but pop star Rihanna agreed to have an HIV test with Prince Harry after he talked her into it. He had already agreed to the test in Barbados to mark World Aids Day yesterday. He persuaded the 28-year-old to take part when they met at a concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of Barbadian independence. The pair exchanged a few jokes as they had pin-prick tests for HIV. Harry, 32, had already been tested in July in front of TV cameras. He grimaced as the pin sank into his skin. But Rihanna proved she was tougher, barely flinching as she told him: You made it seem like it hurts. Its not as painful as you said. Rihanna said: Its incredible what he is doing to bring awareness to HIV and Aids. Harry added: Its the stigma surrounding this that we have to break. Advertisement An estimated 101,200 British adults and children have the virus, but up to 13,500 have not been diagnosed and could pass it to others through unprotected sex or, for expectant mothers, transmit it to their unborn child. The guidance calls for anyone in zones with a high number of HIV patients to be encouraged to have a test when they next go to A&E. GPs should also offer to screen all patients registering for the first time, or those having a routine blood test. If people do not want a blood test, they could have a mouth swab or a finger-prick test. Self-testing kits may also be handed out. The blood test would be sent to a laboratory, with results received within a couple of days. Patients who opt for a mouth swab or finger-prick test would get the results within minutes. Doctors fear the tests will worry patients. However, although very few will have HIV, officials say the measures are worthwhile to identify the undetected cases. An HIV blood test costs 7, so screening everyone in high-risk areas would cost at least 77million. But NICE says the measures are cost effective and will save the NHS money by preventing the spread of the disease. The cost of treating just one patient with HIV over their lifetime is 380,000 although this soars if they develop Aids. Around 5,200 new cases of HIV are disgnosed in Britain every year, and officials calculate that preventing just 1 per cent of them would save the NHS almost 20million in lifetime treatment. Professor Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive of NICE, said: We want to normalise HIV testing so it isnt viewed any differently from any other blood test. There are highly effective treatments and it should no longer be seen with fear or stigma. Dr Valerie Delpech, head of HIV surveillance at Public Health England, said: Regular testing ensures that people who are unaware of their infection are quickly diagnosed and start receiving safe and effective treatment. But Dr Philippa Matthews, the clinical Lead for HIV, sexual and reproductive health for the Royal College of GPs, said it was a difficult conversation to have within a ten-minute consultation. She added: There are sensitivities that GPs need to take into account when offering HIV tests to patients who are usually visiting the GP for reasons not connected with HIV. Dr Andrew Green, of the British Medical Associations GP committee, said offering the blood tests would put extra pressure on struggling surgeries. He warned: Many of the practices with high prevalence rates will be in inner-city areas who will already be struggling to provide effective care. NICE and Public Health England, whose guidance is not legally binding, have identified 20 councils in England where HIV prevalence is extremely high, including most of Greater London, Manchester and Brighton and Hove. The safe sex message remains key to reducing HIV but successive generations have to be educated as they come through school Another 54 are classed as having a high prevalence, including Birmingham, Nottingham, Oxford, Bristol and Leeds. Combined, these areas cover 11.6million people more than a fifth of the countrys population. Elsewhere GPs are being urged to offer HIV tests to susceptible groups of patients including gay men and migrants from high-prevalence countries such as sub-Saharan Africa. The guidance was issued yesterday to coincide with World Aids Day, which aims to raise awareness and reduce the stigma of having the condition. HIV the human immunodeficiency virus attacks the immune system and weakens its ability to fight infections and disease. It is most commonly caught by having sex without a condom, but can also be passed on when drug addicts share needles or from an HIV-positive mother to her child during pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding. There is no cure but there are effective treatments that let most patients live long, healthy lives. AIDS is the final stage of HIV when the body can no longer fight life-threatening infections. Advertisement Barack Obama lit the National Christmas Tree at the White House for the eighth and final time as president on Thursday night. Obama was joined by wife Michelle and their younger daughter Sasha, 15, for the 94th annual National Christmas Tree Lighting on the Ellipse, the public park located south of the White House fence. The First Family was notably missing older daughter Malia, who is currently taking a gap year before starting Harvard next fall. The 18-year-old also skipped out on her father's final turkey pardoning ceremony. Scroll down for video Barack Obama lit the National Christmas Tree at the White House for the eighth and final time as president on Thursday The president was joined by his wife Michelle, daughter Sasha and actress Eva Longoria, who hosted the event The 94th annual National Christmas Tree Lighting took place on the Ellipse, the public park south of the White House fence Noticeably missing from the group was Obama's older daughter Malia, who is taking a gap year before starting Harvard Michelle and Sasha, both dressed stylishly for the warm weather, looked on as Obama spoke to the crowd in Washington, DC Obama waved to the crowd after lighting the tree and wished them a 'Merry Christmas' before leaving the stage Obama, Michelle and Sasha took the stage after a performance by Kelly Clarkson, counting down from five with the enthusiastic crowd before pressing a button that lit up the tree with twinkling red, white and blue lights. 'To everybody whos here tonight and everybody watching at home, it is now officially the time to light this tree!' Obama told the crowd. He then wished the audience a Merry Christmas and held hands with Michelle as he left the stage, according to People. Clarkson kicked off the event with 'Please Come Home For Christmas', a holiday song dedicated to Americans fighting overseas. Obama wasn't shy when it came time to sing Jingle Bells with Santa Claus and Chance the Rapper during the ceremony He gave a hug to Eva Longoria as they sang together as fellow performers Kelly Clarkson and James Taylor sang behind them Obama (C) joins Santa Claus for a concluding Christmas carol during the 94th Annual National Christmas Tree Lighting with (L-R) Chance the Rapper, First Lady Michelle Obama, James Taylor, Eva Longoria, Kelly Clarkson, Garth Brooks and Marc Anthony Also on stage was Marc Anthony, who smoothly snapped along with the president during the Christmas carol And Obama made sure to give Father Christmas a sweet hug as the festive night came to an end Chance the Rapper, Garth Brooks, James Taylor, Yolanda Adams and the Lumineers were also among the performers and actress Eva Longoria served as host for the night, according to NBC Washington. Sasha could be seen singing along to Chance the Rapper's song Sugar Candy as he took the stage. Olympic gold medalist swimmer Simone Manuel joined Michelle to read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to a group of children who got front row seats right on the stage. The National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony has a 93-year history that began when President Calvin Coolidge lit a 48-foot fir tree sparkling with 2,500 electric bulbs on the Ellipse. Kelly Clarkson performs at the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, right, and Eva Longoria, left, served as host for the night Clarkson is seen performing on stage. Obama, Michelle and Sasha took the stage after her performance, counting down from five with the enthusiastic crowd before pressing a button that lit up the tree with twinkling red, white and blue lights Clarkson kicked off the event with 'Please Come Home For Christmas', a holiday song dedicated to Americans fighting overseas Chance the Rapper performs during the 94th Annual National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony on The Ellipse, near the White House Singers Garth Brooks (L) and wife Trisha Yearwood hold hands as they perform during the tree lighting ceremony Singer Marc Anthony performs during the 2016 National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony Singer James Taylor (L) and his wife Caroline "Kim" Smedvig perform during the festive ceremony. The National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony has a 93-year history that began when President Calvin Coolidge lit a 48-foot fir tree sparkling with 2,500 electric bulbs on the Ellipse Singer Yolanda Adams (L) performs during the 94th Annual National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony The White House glittered with Christmas lights in the background as the Obamas prepared to light the tree The First Family and attendees at the ceremony were given red blankets to keep them warm during the chilly DC night Michelle, joined by Olympic gold medalist swimming star Simone Manuel read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to children Obama and Michelle happily cuddled together to keep warm as they enjoyed the show Obama has seen the National Christmas Tree change three times during his two-term presidency. A tree that had been used in the ceremony for three decades was knocked down during bad weather. Its replacement was lit in 2011 before dying just months later from transplant shock. On Thursday the First Family lit the Colorado blue spruce tree, which has been used in the annual ceremony since it was planted on the Ellipse in 2012. Tickets to the ceremony were given out during a lottery in October. The show will be broadcast on the Hallmark Channel on December 5. Obama, Michelle and Malia watch musical performances at the lighting, which included Kelly Clarkson and Garth Brooks And the whole First Family burst into laughter at one point as they watched the ceremony from their seats A Perth mother-of-three is fighting for her life after her ex-partner allegedly severed her jugular vein in a domestic violence attack. Veronique Thomas-Smith, 36, was asleep in her Fuller Street home in Geraldton about 11.30pm on Wednesday when neighbours heard a man yelling and trying to smash his way into her home. He allegedly assaulted Ms Thomas-Smith and her 33-year-old male housemate who lived at her house, The West Australian reported. Veronique Thomas-Smith (pictured), 36, was asleep in her Fuller Street home in Geraldton about 11.30pm on Wednesday when her ex-partner allegedly severed her jugular vein She was able to escape onto the street where she collapsed covered in blood. Police arrived and tried to stop the blood loss by stuffing towels into her severed neck. Ms Thomas-Smith was flown to Royal Perth Hospital early Thursday in a critical condition. Her housemate is also in hospital in a critical condition following surgery. Ms Thomas-Smith was flown to Royal Perth Hospital early Thursday in a critical condition Neighbours allegedly heard a man yelling and trying to smash his way into her home Her ex-partner, 38, was charged with attempted murder on Friday morning and is due to appear at Geraldton Magistrate's Court on Friday. The man from Drummond Cove was charged with two counts of attempted murder, aggravated burglary and breaching a violence restraining order. Police believe the pair separated about a year ago and that he had custody of their children on the night of the attack. The attack was so horrific that neighbour Lillian told Seven News she locked herself inside and called police as she feared she was next. 'You could hear the crashing and breaking down the door and a woman just screaming out and yelping and a man, a very very angry man's voice,' she said. 'It is something that you see on television and you never think this could happen right on your doorstep.' Police believe the pair separated about a year ago and that Ms Thomas-Smith's ex-partner had custody of their children on the night of the attack One college student's bad reaction to her wisdom teeth medication turned into a viral sensation after she wrote her TA a hilarious letter asking for a paper extension. Abby Jo Hamele, 19, was drugged up on plenty of hydrocodone after getting her wisdom teeth taken out a week ago when she felt the need to email Kevin Patton. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln sophomore was so out of sorts from the pain medication, she asked Patton to extend a deadline that didn't even exist. Abby Jo Hamele, 19, was drugged up on hydrocodone after getting her wisdom teeth taken out a week ago when she sent a hilarious email to Kevin Patton, her TA for Philosophy 101 Abby had no memory of sending the email in the morning. But when she saw the hilarious note, she knew she had to post it on Twitter. It soon went viral, with more than 16,000 retweets In the typo-ridden email Abby managed to call Kevin, her TA for philosophy 101, 'my dude', told him how to pronounce her name and then signed off with 'love you bye'. 'Kevin - I believe that i relmebmer you said we, as us students, would be able to send you our papers for classss for you to look at over before we turn them in to cColin if we got them to you by the 22nd of Novermber,' the letter begins. 'I unfortmately got my wisdom teeth sliced outr and have not not been reacting very well to the surgeryy nor the medicatioon i were given/ so I do not thimk that I will be able to habe my paper finisherd by Tuesday at all.' 'Is tehere any way I would be able to send you my paper at any later date??? I wnt to do very good on this paper you know becayse i like to do well in my classes.' 'please sir I workled very hard and thouught that I would be abel to finish it on timme but my doctor said I will most likelly not be normal again until at least Thanksginvg turkey.' 'If you say no then that is okay but i would be sad and i would reallyyyy lik e it if you said yes. Thank you Kevin, my dude.' The University of Nebraska-Lincoln sophomore was so out of sorts from the pain medication, she asked Patton (pictured) to extend a paper deadline that didn't even exist But Kevin was a great sport about the email and laughed hysterically when he read it before sending Abby a sweet response 'Abby Jo Hamele (pronounced hah-mil-lee) (if you were wondering)' But if that wasn't enough, Abby then adds that she will even buy Kevin Expo Markers 'that work' before ending the letter with quite an affectionate goodbye. 'P.S. I will answer youpr questions in class forever so theere are not any more awkard silence,' she writes. 'and i will buy you expo markers that work (even thougjh our tuition should pay for markers that work)' 'Love you bye'. Abby had no memory of sending the email in the morning. But when she saw the hilarious note, she knew she had to post it out on Twitter. 'I emailed my philosophy TA while I was high on hydrocodon I'm dead,' she wrote in the caption of the tweet, which has since been liked more than 45,000 times. ABBY JO HAMLE'S HILARIOUS EMAIL TO HER TA KEVIN PATTON Kevin - I believe that i relmebmer you said we, as us students, would be able to send you our papers for classss for you to look at over before we turn them in to cColin if we got them to you by the 22nd of Novermber. I unfortmately got my wisdom teeth sliced outr and have not not been reacting very well to the surgeryy nor the medicatioon i were given/ so I do not thimk that I will be able to habe my paper finisherd by Tuesday at all. Is tehere any way I would be able to send you my paper at any later date??? I wnt to do very good on this paper you know becayse i like to do well in my classes. please sir I workled very hard and thouught that I would be abel to finish it on timme but my doctor said I will most likelly not be normal again until at least Thanksginvg turkey.' If you say no then that is okay but i would be sad and i would reallyyyy lik e it if you said yes. Thank you Kevin, my dude. Abby Jo Hamele (pronounced hah-mil-lee) (if you were wondering) P.S. I will answer youpr questions in class forever so theere are not any more awkard silence. and i will buy you expo markers that work (even thougjh our tuition should pay for markers that work) love you bye Advertisement But Kevin was a great sport about the email and laughed hysterically when he read it, he told BuzzFeed. He also sent off his own response, making sure to tell Abby he hoped her spelling would improve in the upcoming paper. 'Hi Abby, This email was, uh, a bit unorthodox. Should I assume that this is the result of some of those wisdom teeth meds?' he wrote, adding a smiley face at the end. 'As it stands, I actually said that the date to get me a draft of your paper is the 28th, so you have another week. Youve got time!' Hackers can steal your credit or debit card details in just six seconds, experts have found. Academics say security flaws mean it is frighteningly easy to collect the number, expiry date and the three digit security code of Visa cards. These are all the details a fraudster needs to transfer money from a bank account or rack up huge spending on a credit card. The Cyberteam from the Newcastle University believes that the technique, known as a Distributed Guessing Attack, was used in the recent 2.5million hack on the 20,000 customers of Tesco bank. The research, published today in the journal IEEE Security & Privacy, shows the method means cyber criminals can circumvent all the security features which should protect online payments from fraud. The number, expiry date and the three digit security code is all that is needed to commit fraud (file pic) The Cyberteam from the Newcastle University believes that the technique was used in the recent 2.5million hack on the 20,000 customers of Tesco bank (file pic) Hackers are able to get hold of valid debit and credit card numbers, but they do not know the expiry date or security code. The scam involves using a computer programme to automatically fire the card number at a vast number of websites. Within seconds, hackers are able to get a hit and then use guessing software to establish the card expiry date and security code. The Newcastle team say that this jigsaw process, which on the face of it appears hugely complex, can take as little as six seconds. When a consumer accesses a website, they are normally asked for a password. If they fail to get the correct one after a fixed number of attempts they will be effectively locked out. However, the Newcastle team said there is no system to stop criminals using a computer to make a vast number of guesses at a Visa card number and then other security details across a range of websites. Mohammed Ali, of the universitys School of Computing Science, warned that hackers do not even need a genuine Visa card number to start the hacking process. He said: Most hackers will have got hold of valid card numbers as a starting point but even without that its relatively easy to generate variations of card numbers and automatically send them out across numerous websites to validate them. The next step is the expiry date. Banks typically issue cards that are valid for 60 months so guessing the date takes at most 60 attempts. The CVV [the three-digit security code] is your last barrier and theoretically only the card holder has that piece of information it isnt stored anywhere else. But guessing this three-digit number takes fewer than 1,000 attempts. The experts found it is only the Visa network that was vulnerable. MasterCard blocks the card after a few unsuccessful attempts (file pic) Spread this out over 1,000 websites and one will come back verified within a couple of seconds. And there you have it all the data you need to hack the account. He added: The unlimited guesses, when combined with the variations in the payment data fields make it frighteningly easy for attackers to generate all the card details one field at a time. The Newcastle team found it was only the Visa network that was vulnerable. The rival MasterCard network blocks a card after a few unsuccessful attempts to use it across several websites. Dr Martin Emms, co-author on the research paper, said there is no magic bullet to protect yourself from online fraud. Europe must heed Donald Trump's call to increase defence spending, Boris Johnson warns as he says Russia and Islamic State are making the world a more 'brutal' place. Setting out his vision as Foreign Secretary for the first time, Mr Johnson hit back at Remainers like Nick Clegg who claim Brexit will diminish Britain's influence in the world. Mr Johnson said post-Brexit Britain is 'emphatically not a nation hauling up the drawbridge'. The Foreign Secretary said Europe could build its own defence structures if it wanted but had to meet Nato targets on defence spending. Boris Johnson, pictured delivering his speech at Chatham House in London today, warned against allowing 'strong men' to dominate global affairs The Foreign Secretary used the speech as his first major statement on his brief after a whirlwind series of visits in his first months in post 'To those who say we are now too small, too weak, and too poor to have any influence on the world, I say there are plenty of people who do understand what this country can do and the effect it can have,' he says. In a major speech at London's Chatham House, the Foreign Secretary warns that the world is 'not in good shape'. He goes on: 'We have the cult of the strong man, we have democracy in retreat, we have an arc of instability across the Middle East from Iraq to Syria to Libya. 'What is the answer of the UK? Is it to cower and put the pillow over our heads? Emphatically not.' Mr Johnson said the UK's interest was to have close relations with a 'strong EU' following Brexit, and London would not 'block or impede' steps towards further integration, including a common security and defence policy. Referring to Brussels' ambitions to build its own defence 'architecture' alongside Nato, he said: 'If they want to do that, fine' - though he added that the priority should be to meet the Nato target of spending 2 per cent of GDP on defence. Mr Trump has alarmed European members of Nato by warning they can no longer expect the United States to shoulder the financial burden of defending the West. Currently, Britain, Poland, Estonia and Greece are the only Nato countries apart from the US to meet the alliance's commitment to spend two per cent of GDP on defence. Mr Johnson said Donald Trump was right to say Europe must pay for its own defence France, Germany, Italy and Spain are all among the 23 other Nato countries failing to keep their promises to pay up. Mr Johnson said that Britain has an 'unbreakable' commitment to Nato and the principle that an attack on one is an attack on all. But he warned other EU leaders that Mr Trump 'has a point' about the need for Europe to re-arm, rather than relying solely on the United States. 'It cannot be justified that one Nato ally America accounts for about 70 per cent of the alliance's defence spending while the other 27 countries manage only 30 per cent between them,' he said. 'I want every Nato member to meet the agreed target of spending 2 per cent of GDP on defence and 20 per cent of their defence budget on new equipment.' But while Mr Trump has talked of trying to build friendlier relations with Vladimir Putin, Mr Johnson warns that the UK will continue to be 'tough with Russia', over its support for Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and its war in Ukraine. Britain will continue to back tough sanctions against Moscow, and cannot 'normalise relations' while Russia continues 'its part in the destruction of Aleppo', he says. Mr Johnson made his intervention in the first of a series of speeches on Britain's foreign policy after Brexit Boris Johnson did not name Russia or Vladimir Putin but hit out at the 'cult of the strongman' across the world Mr Johnson does not name Vladimir Putin, but hits out at the 'cult of the strongman'. He also warns of the danger posed to the world order by 'non-state actors' like Islamic State. 'We are struggling against non-state actors who view the whole concept of a global liberal order with contempt,' he says. 'And it is precisely because of the intensity of these challenges that we need to redouble our resolve and to defend and preserve the best of the rules-based international order. 'If we fail, then we risk reverting to an older and more brutal system where the strong are free to devour the weak where might is always right and the rules and institutions we have so painstakingly built fade away into irrelevance. We cannot allow this to happen.' Mr Johnson predicts that the special relationship with the US will be 'stronger than ever' under President Trump. But he also stresses the UK will continue to stand with Europe on defence after leaving the EU. He says: 'Our role is to be a flying buttress - supportive of the EU project, but outside the main body of the church. A five-year-old boy wrote a letter to Santa just before he was killed when a suspected DUI driver crashed her car through the wall of an apartment building where he was sleeping. Luis Sanchez was pinned underneath the Chevy Malibu when it crashed into the building in the Historic South Central neighborhood in Los Angeles early Thursday morning. The letter he had written to Santa in magic marker was found among the debris. Scroll down for video Luis Sanchez, 5, wrote a letter to Santa asking for a bike for Christmas before he was killed when a suspected DUI driver crashed her car into his Los Angeles home on Thursday Vrenda Moreno, 23, (pictured), was traveling along South Central Avenue when she claims she was forced to swerve into the apartment building after another driver cut her off 'I want a bike for Christmas, please Santa,' the heartbreaking note read. The sleeping boy and his father were caught underneath the car when it crashed into their home just before 12.30am, KTLA reports. The woman driving the car, identified as Vrenda Moreno, 23, of La Puente, was traveling along South Central Avenue when she claims she was forced to swerve into the apartment building after another driver cut her off. Moreno, who authorities said 'reeked of alcohol', was arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter. The boy was pinned underneath the Chevy Malibu when it crashed into the building in the Historic South Central neighborhood in Los Angeles early Thursday morning The sleeping boy and his father were caught underneath the car when it crashed through a wall and landed in their apartment The father's two teenager daughters and his wife were also in the home and suffered injuries from the crash. They were all taken to hospital but the five-year-old boy later died from his injuries. Police suspect the boy may have suffocated. The 23-year-old driver of the car was being questioned over the crash. She is suspected of driving under the influence. 'It's just senseless loss. That's all I can say about that. There's really no reason or justification for this type of stuff," LAPD Sgt. Rafael Quesada said. 'We really, really, really need to look into our hearts and be responsible about our partying, our drinking, our driving'. All of the family members were taken to LAC+USC Medical Center, where the little boy died. Los Angeles fire officials said the parents were in serious condition. Keira Knightley (pictured) has taken a break from acting to have a child but is due to play Russian empress Catherine the Great in an upcoming biopic Keira Knightley has been driven out of her home by a deranged stalker who meowed through her letterbox, a court heard yesterday. The Hollywood star says she was too scared to go out following a 12-week ordeal at the hands of infatuated Mark Revill. Cat-obsessed musician Revill, 49, bombarded her with cat pictures and recordings of a tune he called The Fuzzy Kitty Waltz. Revill who changed his name to Mark McCattipus also went round to her 4million north London house to deliver letters and postcards addressed to Keira McCattipus, including one of two cats he captioned: Thats you on the right, the stupid looking one, and thats me on the left. Ms Knightley, 31, star of The Imitation Game and the Pirates Of The Caribbean films, told Highbury Magistrates Court that Revill had made her frightened of leaving her home. She said her worst nightmare was the thought that her 18-month-old daughter Edie could be at risk. Yesterday, Revill was banned indefinitely from contacting her or going within 100 yards of her home, and was given an eight-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months. District Judge Robbie McPhee said the stalking was serious and aggravated and told Revill he would be jailed if he broke the restraining order. In a statement, Ms Knightley said he had caused her distress and panic, adding: Im scared every time I go outside. We loved living in this borough. My family enjoyed visiting local shops and playing in local parks, and being close to the heartbeat of London. We are now looking to move house outside the borough. We had hoped our child would go to school here. Oddball Mark Revill (pictured) bombarded Hollywood star Keira Knightley with pictures of cats and made meowing noises through her letterbox, the court heard When I return home I have to look behind me, concerned I dont know who might be in the shadows. Revill was caught when Ms Knightleys husband, pop musician James Righton, 33, gave chase and confronted him before calling the police. The court heard that she has since spent thousands of pounds on state-of-art CCTV and security shutters. She added: The thought of him being on the other side of the door has left me quite shaken. If I was with my child we wouldnt have been able to run away easily. The thought of my daughter being at risk is my worst nightmare. Revill, who has a conviction for indecent exposure after sending letters to a woman hospital worker and turning up at her home naked, had admitted stalking. His lawyer Abu Kibla said: He knows his behaviour could be described as odd. They might be rusty doing recounts, but at 8:30 a.m. Friday the Board of Canvas will begin another count of Chippewa Countys Nov. 8 vote for president. Meanwhile, in a small meeting room in the basement of the Government Center, Dunn County officially began the process at 9 a.m. on Thursday. Its been five years since weve had one, Chippewa County Clerk Sandi Frion said of a recount, recalling one in 2011 where David Prosser narrowly won re-election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court over JoAnne Kloppenburg. Im hoping that we are done by next Thursday (Dec. 8), Frion said. The state wants the recount done by 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 12. The recount in the presidential vote in Wisconsin was requested by Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein and American Delta Party candidate Roque de la Fuente. Narrow margin Republican Donald Trump edged Democrat Hillary Clinton by 22,177 votes to win Wisconsins 10 Electoral College votes. Trump also won in both Dunn and Chippewa counties. In Dunn, 22,386 votes were cast in the presidential race, while in Chippewa, the total was 31,561 votes. The Wisconsin Elections Commission voted Monday to proceed with a recount and will bill Stein and other interested campaigns for the cost, estimated to be around $1 million. Dunn County Clerk Julie Wathke reported that eight tabulators will be paid $7.90 per hour. Frion said Chippewa County will also be reimbursed by the state for the countys costs, including paying each member of the Board of Canvas $70 a day. Stein had raised $6.3 million by Monday for the recount shes seeking in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania places that Democrat Hillary Clinton had thought were safely in her column. Instead, Trump won all three and with them the electoral votes needed to win the White House by a 306-232 count. Clintons campaign is supporting the Wisconsin recount. Regarding irregularities Stein hasnt provided evidence of voting irregularities in Wisconsin. After a divisive and painful presidential race, reported hacks into voter and party databases and individual email accounts are causing many American to wonder if our election results are reliable, Stein said. These concerns need to be investigated before the 2016 presidential election is certified. We deserve elections we can trust. Both Frion and Wathke are skeptical that a hacker could change the vote total in their respective counties. I personally find it hard to see that with the machines that we have, Frion said. In both Dunn and Chippewa county, the vote counting machines are not connected to a network or the Internet. Wathke noted that there were observers from both parties on hand to keep an eye on the proceedings. Of Wisconsins 1,853 municipalities, 813 count most of their ballots by hand. The remaining 56 percent use some combination of seven tabulating machines from three different vendors. On Monday, the Stein campaign said it would ask a Dane County judge to order the recount be done by hand. Frion said Chippewa County will use its Opti-Scan system to count a majority of votes by machine. Those votes cast using a touch screen will be counted by hand. Wathke noted that Dunn County will also use its optical can tabulating equipment to tabulate the recount. Frion estimated the cost of using machines for the majority of a recount would be $41,000, versus $87,000 for a hand count of all votes. Frion said the county will have to program the Opti-Scan machines to read the entire ballot, and focus on the presidential vote. She added the hardest part of a recount is that the county usually doesnt go through the election day process. Usually pollworkers in each municipality do that, including deciding which ballots need to be rejected and which are duplicative ballots. Wathke said that as of noon on Friday, only four changes were made including an absentee ballot that was rejected because it lacked a proper witness signature. After the local recount is completed, the results will be sent to the state, along with minutes of the decisions made by the Board of Canvas. Confident in the results State Elections Commission chairman Mark Thomsen, a Democrat, told reporters hes confident a recount will uphold Trumps Badger State victory. His remarks came after a special meeting of the commission to plan for the recount. But Thomsen blasted Trumps claim, circulated on his Twitter account Sunday, that Trump won the national popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally. Recent tallies have shown Democrat Hillary Clinton winning the national popular vote by more than 2 million, even as Trump won the Electoral College that picks the next president. Thomsen called Trumps remarks an insult to the people that run our elections. Ive never seen this kind of attack on poll workers, and on how this system works, Thomsen said. The Clinton campaign has signaled it will closely monitor the recount in Wisconsin and potential recounts in Michigan and Pennsylvania. The campaigns attorney, Marc Elias, wrote that it has examined the possibility of attempts to hack the election results but has not uncovered any actionable evidence of such an attempt. When he found out he posted to Telstra's A Perth man who has owned his Nokia 3315 for 13 years has been given the honour of personally switching off Telstra's 2G network. Oly Gordon, who was still using the old network, posted to Telstra's Facebook page on Monday when he heard the telco was shutting down their 2G services - meaning he would no longer be able to use his beloved Nokia. 'G'Day Telstra, I hear you're shutting down your 2G services on December 1st? Frankly I'm upset,' Mr Gordon wrote. A Perth man who has owned his Nokia 3315 (pictured) for 13 years has been given the honour of personally switching off Telstra's 2G network Oly Gordon, who was still using the old network, posted to Telstra's Facebook page on Monday when he heard the telco was shutting down their 2G services The 22-year-old said over the past 13 years his phone had outlasted 4 SIM cards and countless knocks and falls. 'I've had my Nokia 3315 for 13 years, and it's still going strong. The battery currently lasts for 3 days,' he wrote, adding his top score on Snake 2 was 1781. Mr Gordon said the reason Telstra hadn't sold a 2G phone in years is because of their indestructible nature. 'There is no need to replace it like a smart phone ever couple of years. 'Anyway, just wanted to share this with you. I'm happy to have 'beaten' the phone game but disappointed its game over,' he said. Telstra customer support reached out to Mr Gordon after his post, inviting him to Melbourne to personally turn off the 2G network. Telstra gifted Mr Gordon (pictured with new phone) with a Google Pixel SMART phone to help him cope with the loss of his Nokia 'After being flown over to Melbourne last night, this morning I had the honour of making the final phone call on the 2G network to none other than Telstra's CEO Andy Penn,' Mr Gordon wrote on Facebook on Thursday. 'Giving the two thumbs up with my main man Mike (who created 2G) to shut down the final towers.' 'Time to lay the brick to rest.' The decapitated body and severed head of a teenage boy have been found near the banks of a Massachusetts river. Ariel footage showed two teams of detectives working in separate spots on Merrimack River banks in the town of Lawrence where the body parts were found. While details surrounding the discovery are scarce, sources told necn the victim's body was that of a young, teenage male. Police found a severed head and decapitated body near the Merrimack River in Lawrence, Massachusetts, on Wednesday Lawrence Police detectives made the grim discovery at around 2.45pm after being called to McAbe Court on Wednesday. Relatives of missing 13-year-old Lee Manuel Paulino were seen gathering at the scene. There has been no indication Lee's body is the one found on Wednesday. The relatives of missing Lee Manuel Paulino were present. Police have not identified the body A statement issued by Lawrence Police Department said its detectives were working to establish the victim's identity. ' Upon arrival, units discovered a body. The Lawrence Police Department and Massachusetts State Police Detectives are working to identify the body and cause of death. 'We believe this is an isolated incident and that the community is safe,' Chief James X. Fitzpatrick said. Lee has been missing since November 18. The teenager's family has been frantically appealing for his safe return on social media. Drivers are another step closer to carrying digital licences on their smart phones, instead of their wallets. From 2019, drivers in New South Wales will carry their licence on their smartphone and not in their wallet. 'If you carry a smartphone in your pocket and you're looking forward to a wallet-free future, digital licences make so much sense,' Services Minister Dominic Perrottet said in a press release for the launch of the Service NSW app. From 2019, New South Wales drivers can carry their licence on their smartphone. Digital licences already exist for fishers, casino workers and bartenders Services Minister Dominic Perrottet: 'if you carry a smartphone in your pocket and you're looking forward to a wallet-free future, digital licence make so much sense' The app already manages permits for those who fish, as well as for casino workers and bartenders. The digital licence will be managed through a password protected app for smartphone users, while security for licence data will be housed in the NSW Governments data centre, GovDC. However, digital licence are strictly optional and motorists can still use the physical cards if they prefer. Drivers who do opt for digital licence will have to ensure their phone is always charged, if they are unable to they risk a fine from the police. Other states that are looking at introducing smartphone drivers licences include South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia. The digital driver's licence is optional and those who chose to use it will have to ensure their phone is always charged Minister Perrottet said that going digital will mean licence renewals and updating details will be as easy with the click of a button with no need to visit a Service centre or wait for the post. 'It's all about saving time and making life easier, and these three licences are just the beginning,' he added. High-rise apartment owners are looking for avenues to stop Schoolies bookings after interstate partygoers left a trail of destruction in their units. At least four super towers along Queensland's Surfers Paradise strip will attempt to prevent partying teenagers from staying at their properties. Documents obtained by the Gold Coast Bulletin revealed extensive repairs will cost owners up to 'an estimated $250,000' following 'two weeks of chaos'. Scroll down for video Repairs underway inside a Surfers Paradise hotel room after it was vandalised by schoolies Teenagers partying on the Gold Coast for Schoolies this year (there is no suggestion anyone in this photo was involved in criminal activity) Teenagers partying on the Gold Coast for Schoolies this year (there is no suggestion anyone in this photo was involved in criminal activity) Luxury properties were left with holes in walls, upturned furniture, damaged electrical appliances, filthy carpets, and smashed windows (picture of the Surfers Paradise strip) Luxury properties were left with holes in walls, upturned furniture, damaged electrical appliances, filthy carpets, and smashed windows. An owner-occupier at a luxury Surfers Paradise hotel described the revellers as 'animals', who were 'absolutely out of control' during their stay. 'It's not just a few rotten apples in the past week. They're just animals,' he said. 'They have pushed over refrigerators, punched televisions, smashed the glass on oven tops. Entire carpets will need to be replaced in some rooms.' High-rise apartment owners are looking for avenues to stop Schoolies bookings after interstate partygoers left a trail of destruction during their stay in Surfers Paradise Teenagers partying on the Gold Coast for Schoolies this year (there is no suggestion anyone in this photo was involved in criminal activity) Another luxury hotel was forced to shut down an elevator despite Schoolies being warned several times not to overcrowd the lift. QT Gold Coast has banned partying teenagers from their hotel by not accepting Schoolies bookings. 'We actually don't have any trouble with Schoolies as we simply don't accept Schoolie bookings,' a QT Gold Coast spokesman told Daily Mail Australia. 'This is communicated via our website and third-party websites. 'We find there are already plenty of hotels and apartments on the Coast catering for schoolies really well so we prefer to keep our facilities purely for other leisure and business guests.' Four of the members that were arrested were charged with murder He was arrested after eight alleged members of a bikie gang were arrested Police will allege he was the 'logistics guy' for a Sydney bikie gang A teenage technology whiz has been arrested alongside alleged bikie gang members who were charged with the murder of notorious criminal gangster Pasquale Barbaro. Raymond Zhu, 18, was arrested for allegedly wiping mobile phone data while evading police. He was charged for allegedly taking part in a criminal group, The Daily Telegraph reported. The 18-year-old was arrested alongside eight alleged members of the Rebels Burwood chapter - four have been charged with murder - at Olympic park on Tuesday. Abuzar Sultani, 27, an alleged senior Rebels bikie, did not appear in person in Newtown Local Court and his lawyer did not apply for bail The arrests are a result of the police forces' operation to clean up Sydney's streets Heavily armed police stormed up to 13 properties, including four at Sydney Olympic Park, on Tuesday before nine men aged from 18 to 29 were charged. Police said the arrest of Zhu supports the growing trend of criminal gangs hiring young tech-savvy people to enhance their operations and dodge police. While he was not initially on police's list when undertaking the raids, he was arrested several hours later. The arrests are a result of the police forces' operation to clean up Sydney's streets. Strike Force Osprey - a taskforce investigating a string of gangland murders across Sydney - carried out the city-wide raids seizing more than 40 mobile phones, 11 cars, a safe, cash and 43 guns Siar Munshizada, 28, Abuzar Sultani, 27, Joshua Baines, 24, and Mirwais Danishyar, 23 were arrested with a range of charges and are facing court, reported The Sydney Morning Herald. Siar Munshizada, 28, is also charged with Barbaro's murder. Strike Force Osprey - a taskforce investigating a string of gangland murders across Sydney - carried out the city-wide raids seizing more than 40 mobile phones, 11 cars, a safe, cash and 43 guns. Sultani, who was allegedly the brains behind the killing, lived in an upmarket apartment and studied a masters of business administration at Macquarie University while allegedly juggling the underworld. He was also charged with allegedly planning to murder Rebels bikie Ricky Ciano. It was reported a falling out between alleged Hells Angel associate Dallas Fitzgerald and Barbaro. Sources claim Fitzgerald has been in hiding for the last month after the falling out. The shock Liberal Democrat win in Richmond Park proves the case for a second referendum to stop Theresa May 'perverting' Brexit, Tim Farron has claimed. The gloating Liberal Democrat leader said there was 'no inevitability' that 'extreme positions' had to win as he said Sarah Olney's victory was a vote against hard Brexit. Ms Olney secured 49.6 per cent of the vote to inflict a crushing defeat on Zac Goldsmith in yesterday's by-election. The former Tory quit his seat in Parliament in protest at the plan to expand Heathrow. Mr Farron was dismissed as 'silly' by Tory MPs today for trying to capitalise on result, which came in a constituency that backed Remain by 70 per cent and is one of the wealthiest in the country. Despite the criticism, Mr Farron made clear he planned to cash in on the result by claiming his second referendum plan was 'gaining traction' and was a 'threat' to dozens of Tory MPs with Lib Dem opponents. Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron told a victory rally in Richmond today his demand for a second referendum was 'gaining traction' Sarah Olney secured 49 per cent of the vote in yesterday's by-election to remove Zac Goldsmith as MP after his resignation Mr Goldsmith, pictured speaking after defeat, stood as an independent in the Richmond Park by-election after resigning from the Conservatives over the government's decision to expand Heathrow Airport At a victory rally on Richmond Green, he said: 'In the end the voters are king. 'If the British people decide to say to Theresa May there is a better way forward than the one she is proceeding with and we then end up with a soft Brexit or, better, the terms of the deal are put to the British people in a referendum because they fear losing dozens of seats to the Liberal Democrats, we'll have done a great day's work.' He added: 'The reality is wherever you are in this country there will be a balance of opinion but was was really striking over the last week was the number of leave voting, former Conservatives, voting for Sarah. NEW MP WALKS OUT OF CAR CRASH RADIO INTERVIEW Sarah Olney walked out of a live radio interview today after being given a grilling over her position on Brexit. The new Liberal Democrat MP disappeared off air just three minutes into the Talk Radio broadcast. The premature exit came after tricky questioning by presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer on her calls for a referendum on the terms of Britain's exit from the EU. She said: 'Voters knew what they were voting for in your by-election, they knew what they were voting for in the EU referendum. Why do we think that one election should be re-run and one shouldn't?' Ms Olney said the terms of Brexit had not been clear during the referendum and it had been a vote on the departure rather than the destination. 'There was no clear manifesto for what happened to our membership of the single market or what happened to freedom of movement,' she said. Ms Hartley-Brewer replied: 'Every single leading member of the Remain campaign said a vote to leave the EU was a vote to leave the single market. Nothing unclear about that at all.' After a few seconds of silence, an unnamed aide stepped in and told the presenter: 'I'm really sorry but Sarah has to leave now.' Ms Hartley-Brewer said the MP 'should be able to answer some simple questions' about her policy and asked for her to be put back on air. 'If she doesn't want to answer questions from a radio station perhaps she is not fit to be an MP', the presenter added. Advertisement 'Most of them don't regret their vote in June but they do regret Theresa May taking their vote and perverting it to something they never meant it to mean. 'They want to be in the single market even if they are outside the EU. 'Given that is the case, given millions voted for that, our argument that we should have a referendum on the terms of the deal is gaining traction.' Mr Farron admitted the by-election would not change the Government but claimed it could move Government policy. He said the vote showed 'we have moved behind the 52-48 split' and claimed the Nigel Farage-style approach that said the referendum was all about immigration was a 'perversion' of the result. Senior Tory Steve Baker told MailOnline: 'Tim Farron's remark is silly. 'If every MP simply voted with their nearest counting area, Brexit would have a thumping majority in the Commons. 'Remain-voting Richmond voting Remain again is a non-event, whatever pro-EU voices may say.' His colleague Michael Tomlinson added: 'He is completely - typical of the Lib Dems to be making a bad point and sticking to it. 'Given Richmond was one of the strongest areas to vote Remain, I was surprised by how close the result was last night. 'Zac took a principled stand on Heathrow and I am very sorry that he lost last night. 'The result changes nothing and we will oppose tooth and nail any suggestion of a second referendum.' Tory Jacob Rees-Mogg told MailOnline: 'Tim Farron only like democracy selectively, a vote in one constituency cannot over turn a national plebiscite.' Liberal Democrat Ms Olney pulled off a stunning result securing 49.6 per cent of the votes cast in Richmond to edge out Mr Goldsmith following his protest resignation Out: Zac Goldsmith has lost his seat as an MP to the Lib Dems in an extraordinary by-election upset Former Tory Mr Goldsmith stood as an independent in the wealthy pro-EU Richmond Park constituency over the Government's decision to expand Heathrow Airport but his stunt backfired badly and he blew a 23,000 majority. Mr Goldsmith received 18,638 votes to Ms Olney's 20,512 in a 'shockwave' win for her party. Ms Olney said the result was a rejection of the 'politics of anger and division', telling supporters: 'We will defend the Britain we love. We will stand up for the open tolerant, united Britain we believe in'. In his concession speech the billionaire heir insisted: 'This by-election was not a political calculation'. It is the second crushing defeat in a year after he lost the London mayoral election to Sadiq Khan in May. Big win: Lib Dem Sarah Olney sensationally overturned Goldsmith's 23,000 majority - in a result that will be seen as a vote against a 'hard Brexit' In his concession speech, Mr Goldsmith said: 'This by-election was not a political calculation. It was a promise that I made and a promise that I kept. 'It has been a huge privilege to serve and represent this community over the last six years and I will miss doing it.' The Lib Dem victor, who took 49.7 per cent of the vote, said dissatisfaction with the way Brexit was being handled was the key factor in the outcome. Mrs Olney said: 'The people of Richmond Park and North Kingston have sent a shockwave through this Conservative Brexit government, and our message is clear: we do not want a hard Brexit. 'We do not want to be pulled out of the single market, and we will not let intolerance, division and fear win.' Jubilant Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said: 'The message is clear: The Liberal Democrats are back and we are carrying the torch for all of those who want a real opposition to this Conservative Brexit government. 'This was a remarkable, come-from-nowhere upset that will terrify the Conservatives. A year and a half ago, their man won by nearly 40 per cent and had a majority of more than 20,000. In one fell swoop we have wiped that out completely. 'If this was a general election, this swing would mean the Conservatives would lose dozens of seats to the Liberal Democrats - and their majority with it.' The EU's chief Brexit negotiator MEP Guy Verhofstadt also revelled in the result, tweeting: 'Europe is watch and we are proud.' Humbled: Zac Goldsmith's upset wife Alice Rothschild (far left) and his mother Lady Annabel Goldsmith (in a pink scarf) listen to him speak, after his defeat Mr Goldsmith stood as an independent in the contest but faced no Tory rival after the party stood aside from his protest campaign. A Conservative spokesman offered 'commiserations' after the results were announced and added: 'We are sorry that he is no longer in the House of Commons.' Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he was 'sad' that Mr Goldsmith would no longer be in the House of Commons, where he 'made a remarkable contribution'. He added: 'He was heroic and principled in standing up for what he believes in on Heathrow expansion. 'He will be missed but he will certainly be back.' A No 10 spokesman said: 'We had an election and we had a referendum. The referendum result was very clear and the majority of the country expressed an opinion for us to leave the EU. 'The message from the British people was loud and clear on June 23 that there is a desire for us to leave the EU. The government is getting on with delivering that.' Loser: Mr Goldsmith received 18,638 votes to Ms Olney's 20,512 in a crushing defeat In his concession speech, Mr Goldsmith said: 'This by-election was not a political calculation. It was a promise that I made and a promise that I kept' Zac Goldsmith (pictured left, with his wife Alice) has lost his seat as an MP to Lib Dem Sarah Olney (pictured right, with her husband Ben) in an extraordinary by-election upset It would be the second crushing defeat in a year for the billionaire heir, who lost the London mayoral election to Sadiq Khan in May Mr Goldsmith stood as an independent in the contest but faced no Tory rival after the party stood aside from his protest campaign While he tried to make Heathrow expansion the focal point of the by-election, Lib Dem Ms Olney tried to move the debate on to Brexit, with Richmond Park a pro-Remain constituency. In the final hours of the campaign, Bob Geldof endorsed the Lib Dem challenger. The Lib Dems, who are campaigning for a second EU referendum, boasted about his support last night, believing that the arch-Remainer can help the party overturn Brexit supporter Zac Goldsmith's 23,000 majority. The 65-year-old rock star said victory for Ms Olney in the by-election would signal the start of the 'fightback' against Brexit. But Mr Geldof didn't quite get the party line when he visited the constituency. He was overheard trying to persuade Labour supporters to vote tactically tomorrow because 'the Lib Dems are tiny, they're not a threat'. And he was heckled by locals, who told him to his face: 'Bob Geldof, you do not understand'. Mr Goldsmith quit the Commons in October to stage a protest by-election after the Government backed expansion at Heathrow Mr Goldsmith stood as independent in the Richmond Park by-election after resigning from the Conservatives over the government's decision to expand Heathrow Airport. Pictured, votes being counted Mr Goldsmith limped into the final hustings of the Richmond Park by-election on Tuesday night after being hit by his own car on the campaign trail. A volunteer driving Mr Goldsmith's car clipped the candidate, leaving his leg missing a 'little bit of skin' and his trousers 'shredded'. He earlier admitted in an email to supporters that the election was 'extremely close'. He said: 'The choice is between keeping me as your local MP and building on our progress over the last 6 years, or electing someone else as your MP and putting that progress at risk. Record numbers of EU migrants came to the UK in the run-up to the referendum. An unprecedented 284,000 arrived in the 12 months to July 82,000 of them looking for work, another record. The influx included 70,000 from Romania and Bulgaria also an all-time high. Net EU migration the difference between the numbers arriving and leaving reached 189,000, a further peak. Thousands of Romanian immigrants queued round the block in Portsmouth - so they could vote in their country's presidential election The figures from the Office for National Statistics reignited the debates of the referendum campaign. Eurosceptics demanded a clean break from the EU and its single market to regain control of the countrys borders. However David Davis yesterday told business leaders significant numbers of migrant workers could still be allowed in to cope with labour shortages. And the Brexit Secretary told the Commons that Britain could continue to pay billions to Brussels even after we have left to ensure tariff-free access to the single market. THE EASTERN EUROPE WAVE The numbers of Romanians and Bulgarians arriving in Britain hit a new record, figures reveal. Some 70,000 made the journey from the Eastern European nations in the year to June many to work in the UKs booming economy. The statistics cover the period leading up to and a week after the Brexit vote. This was a 30 per cent increase year-on-year. Taking into account those who went home, net migration from Romania and Bulgaria hit an all-time high of 61,000. The influx from Romania alone was 54,000 outstripping those coming from India. Romanians and Bulgarians have had full freedom of movement here since 2014. Advertisement Yesterdays figures showed that: 150,000 EU citizens applied for national insurance numbers in three months this year; The number of EU citizens granted permission to live in Britain permanently has doubled; Separate figures showed a 14 per cent rise in asylum claims in a year. The statistics raised new questions about the viability of the Governments determination to get net migration down to the tens of thousands. Overall immigration from around the world hit an unprecedented 650,000 another record. Net migration from outside the EU over which the Government has full control was 196,000, or almost double the target. That pushed the net global immigration figure to 335,000 only 1,000 short of the record. Last night opposition MPs laid the blame for the non-EU immigration figures at the door of Theresa May. The Prime Minister was Home Secretary during the period covered by the statistics, the 12 months to the end of June. The referendum took place on June 23. Leave campaigners focused on figures showing that 82,000 EU immigrants arrived in the UK without a job, 43 per cent of the total and the highest number ever recorded. This included 34,000 from the EU 15 group of countries, which excludes Eastern Europeans. The figures from the Office for National Statistics reignited the debates of the referendum campaign Experts said this was likely to include people fleeing the moribund economies of southern Europe and the eurozone. MPs said it was vital Britain brought a full end to free movement so nobody could come here without a work permit to trawl for a job. The Change Britain group, which includes Brexit leader Michael Gove and other senior Tories, said the UK must also leave the single market. Change Britain chairman Gisela Stuart said: The public are fed up of politicians making promises on immigration that they cant deliver. The only way for the Government to meet these pledges is to leave the EUs single market and take back control of our borders. EVEN MORE GET RIGHT TO STAY Twice as many European citizens were granted permission to live permanently in Britain in the year to September compared to the previous 12 months. Fears among EU nationals living here that they would be kicked out in the wake of Junes EU referendum are thought to be behind the rise. A total of 37,638 European Economic Area nationals and their families were granted permanent residence in the year double the 18,713 given the right in the previous 12 months. Numbers are expected to surge as more of the 3.5million EU residents living here apply amid anxiety about Brexit. Advertisement This is what people voted for on June 23 politicians need to respect the result of the referendum and get on with leaving the EU. The number of national insurance registrations, which covered the period of the year ending in September was 629,000 for EU citizens and 195,000 for non-EU citizens. It included 227,000 applications by Romanians and Bulgarians. Nearly half of new employment over the year to the end of September, 49 per cent, was accounted for by workers from EU countries, the Office for National Statistics said. Alp Mehmet, of the Migrationwatch UK think-tank, said: These disappointing figures underline the need to take a strong position on immigration in the Brexit negotiations. Even if net migration was brought down to 265,000 a year the UK population would still be growing at half a million a year, every year for the next ten years. That is the equivalent to another five Birminghams. This is unacceptable to most of the British public. Immigration minister Robert Goodwill said: The British people have sent a very clear message that they want more control of immigration and we are committed to getting net migration down to sustainable levels in the tens of thousands. There is no consent for uncontrolled immigration, which puts pressure on schools, hospitals and public services. That is why reducing the number of migrants coming to the UK will be a key priority of our negotiations to leave the EU. The number of foreign student arrivals was down by 30,000, from 193,000 to 163,000, in the year to June 2016. Visa applications showed big drops in numbers applying to attend language schools and other less prestigious educational institutions, following a blitz by Mrs May on bogus colleges. Nicola White of the ONS said: The main reason people are coming to the UK is for work, and there has been a significant increase in people looking for work, particularly from the EU. There does not however appear to have been any significant impact during the run-up to the vote. The Department for Transport will be launching a consultation next year Overcrowding concerns set to get worse as numbers of flights set to rise Airline passengers face extra delays of up to twenty minutes on every flight unless ministers tackle congestion in the skies, the UKs most senior air traffic controller has warned. Martin Rolfe, chief executive of UKs National Air Traffic Control Service (Nats), described existing flight paths - designed in the 1960s and 1970s - as a network of B roads which need urgent restructuring to make them more efficient. Concerns about overcrowding in the air are set to get worse as the number of flights operating in UK airspace is expected to rise from two million last year to 3.1 million by 2030. The chancellor unveiled a 1.3 billion package to improve the roads in the Autumn statement, including 220milloin to tackle pinch points on major routes to help ease congestion. The air traffic control tower at London Stansted Airport. Airline passengers could suffer delays of up to 20 minutes on every flight unless airspace is modernised, warned Martin Rolfe, chief executive of UKs National Air Traffic Control Service But Mr Rolfe said ministers need to take drastic action to modernise airspace and tackle over-crowding. He warned that under the current system either all flights will be delayed or expanded capacity, such as from a third runway at Heathrow Airport, will not be used. He said: Either delays will soar from effectively no delay or very little delay from an air traffic perspective right now up to millions of minutes a year, which probably means every flight being delayed by 10, 15, 20 minutes. Or we end up in a position of any additional capacity that we build in the country - no matter where it is - not being usable and not being of any benefit because we dont have the infrastructure in the airspace to support it. Research by Nats found that delays could rise from around 90,000 minutes a year today to four million by 2030 if nothing is done. A coalition of airlines, airports and air traffic control have formed a group named The Skys The Limit, which is calling on the Government and other politicians to support airspace modernisation. The Department for Transport will be launching a consultation next year into the process of managing the UKs airspace. Mr Rolfe said: Modernising how our skies are structured is vital, but we are already behind schedule and it is critical that the industry and government now work together to deliver change. A radar screen, showing different flights in the airspace. Research by Nats found that delays could rise from around 90,000 minutes a year today to four million by 2030 if nothing is done The prospect of more delays will be infuriating for holidaymakers who are facing lengthy delays at passport control, amid a shortage of Border Force guards to man the gates. But Mr Rolfe admitted that changing flights paths is a contentious topic as it means some communities have more planes flying above them. Nats says modernisation of airspace would allow greater use of smooth, continuous descents and climbs, meaning aircraft would spend less time at low levels where they create more noise and are less efficient. This would also reduce the need for conventional orbital holding - known as stacking - which would keep planes higher for longer. The Department for Transport will be launching a consultation next year According to Nats these changes could help the aviation industry deliver its commitment of a 50 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 compared with 2005. The calls to update flightpaths have been supported by airline bosses. Virgin Atlantic chief executive Craig Kreeger said: Our investment in the very latest generation aircraft will allow us to fly ever more efficiently so that we can keep our fares low and minimise our environmental impact. But we need modern airspace infrastructure to maximise the benefits of these highly efficient aircraft. A young man died after he was struck by a tractor-trailer and was dragged for about block after getting caught under the truck's rear tires, officials said. Moshe Yehuda Weiner, 21, was walking towards his parked van in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on Thursday around 11.15am when the truck slammed into him, police said. The truck, which was reportedly hauling cement, then dragged Weiner one block before shocked witnesses stopped him, according to the New York Daily News. Moshe Yehuda Weiner, 21, (pictured) died after he was struck by a tractor-trailer in Brooklyn and was dragged for about block after getting caught under the truck's rear tires, officials said Weiner was walking towards his parked van in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on Thursday around 11.15am when the tractor tailer (pictured) slammed into him, police said Scenes from the crash in Williambsurg on Thursday morning shown above It is believed that the married young man fell under the truck's rear tires after his coat was caught by the passing truck on the narrow road, according to witnesses. Weiner, who was critically injured in the crash, was transported to Bellevue Hospital by members of the Shomrim volunteer ambulance corps and later died. One witness told the New York Daily News that the driver was 'so upset' after the collision. 'The driver was traumatized,' 50-year-old Susan Stover said. 'The guy was really upset, he was shook up.' Weiner, who was critically injured in the crash, was transported to Bellevue Hospital by members of the Shomrim volunteer ambulance corps and later died Investigators pictured at the scene. Following the crash, no charges were immediately filed against the driver One witness told reporters on the scene that the driver was 'so upset' after the collision She added: 'He said he put on his brakes and the next thing you know he looked in his rear view mirror and saw the guy was under his tire.' Following the crash, no charges were immediately filed against the driver, according to the New York Daily News. Loved ones of Weiner described him as a good guy and said he worked for a plumbing supply store and had been married for two years. His father is currently traveling from China to be with family in New York, friends told the New York Daily News. Police are investing the crash. BBC Radio 4 is scrapping its magazine programme Midweek after 35 years on air. The long-running Wednesday morning show, presented by Libby Purves, will come to an end on March 29 next year. It will be replaced by a presenter-free arts interview series featuring artists, writers, poets and musicians, and will see guests becoming the interviewer in turn. Meanwhile, Miss Purves, who has presented Midweek since 1983, will front a new monthly Saturday programme exploring theatre across the country. Radio 4s controller Gwyneth Williams said: Midweek, presented by the formidable broadcaster, Libby Purves, has provided countless memorable moments over many years. I want to thank all the guests and excellent producers who have brought such a degree of surprise and pleasure to our Wednesday mornings. Radio Presenter And Journalist Libby Purves at her home in Suffolk Most of all my thanks, both personal and on behalf of listeners to Libby, for the outstanding job she has done as presenter for so long. However, the Radio 4 audience is notoriously resistant to change it seems this is no exception. One listener accused the BBC of making the change for changes sake and described Miss Purves as a great presenter. But another tweeted: Hurrah, Midweek bites the dust. The show, which began in 1982, has previously been criticised by some for being too genteel. But in 2005, all hell broke loose when comedian Joan Rivers and black broadcaster Darcus Howe became embroiled in a race row. The slanging match went on for two minutes until Purves was able to quieten them down. It resulted in around 20 calls from listeners with a few complaining about swearing while others praised it as an interesting piece of radio. The series that will replace Midweek will involve interviews working as a chain. This means that a guest in one show becomes the interviewer in the following episode. The girlfriend of a man who was shot by police after taking his ex-partner and two children hostage says he is 'really nice'. Damian Hall, 26, was shot on Monday night following a 90-minute pursuit through Adelaide which only ended when when his car was spiked. Lavinia Fischer-Dvorsky, who is now dating Hall, said his behaviour was very different to the man she knew and said he was 'very loving' towards the children. Damian Hall, 26, was shot on Monday night following a 90-minute pursuit through Adelaide which only ended when when the car was spiked and surrounded by police 'To me, he was actually really nice, cooking me dinner, [he] bought me gifts,' Ms Fischer-Dvorsky told 7News. 'When [Hall] talked about his kids, all he could talk about was love. 'He said his kids were what made him happy.' Hall allegedly held a gun to the head of his three-year-old daughter during the stand-off. A single shot was then fired by an officer, wounding Hall. Numerous photos on his Facebook page show him brandishing a gun Hall's girlfriend Lavinia Fischer-Dvorsky described him as someone who was 'really nice' Hall was shot once by police after he allegedly held a gun to the head of his three-year-old daughter Armed special tasks officers swarmed the car to secure Hall Hall is still recovering in hospital under police guard following the intense shoot-out. His ex-girlfriend suffered minor injures from the abduction while the children were physically unharmed. A bedside hearing was held at the Royal Adelaide Hospital on Wednesday in which Hall was charged with a number of offences including aggravated kidnapping, acts to endanger life, driving dangerously to escape police pursuit and firearms offences. He did not apply for bail and is due to face court on February 7. Damien Keith Hall was identified during a bedside hearing after Adelaide Magistrates Court lift a suppression order Ms Fischer-Dvorsky said Hall's kids were what made him happy Police have warned the public NOT to approach the pair He may be accompanied by a heavily tattooed 31-year-old woman 18-year-old Pacific Islander man was seen leaving the scene Detectives released pictures of two people they want to speak to The shed is located next to luxury riverfront mansions at Carrara An gunman is on the loose after a man, 41, was shot dead in his shed A gunman is on the loose after a 41-year-old man was shot dead in the shed where he lived on the Gold Coast. Jason Boyd, believed to be a Nomads bikie associate, was killed about 8.45am at the property - which sits next to riverfront luxury mansions at a gated community at Carrara. Homicide detectives are hunting for two people over the slaying - an 18-year-old Pacific Islander man they believe left the property and a heavily tattooed older woman. Pictures released by investigators showed the unnamed man had a distinctive inking on his right cheek. The brunette's neck and shoulders were covered with tattoos, including the word 'Indi'. Scroll down for video MANHUNT: Police want to speak to an 18-year-old Pacific Islander man (left) and a heavily tattooed 31-year-old Caucasian woman (right) over Friday's slaying Police believe the pair were travelling in a white Holden Commodore similar to the one pictured above Jason Boyd (in Facebook photo), 41, died in the shooting at Carrara on the Gold Coast Detectives are pictured taking a shirtless man in shorts and a starry-patterned cap away from the scene of the shooting Friday The shirtless man (seen in starry hat) is led away by detectives following the shooting. The crime scene appears to be packed with cars Friends paid tribute to Boyd, a father who was known to friends as 'Racy'. Mass Nutrition supplement company founder Luke McNally said: 'You were one of the cheekiest guys I ever met. Always working some angle. 'A hustler like no other.... It was very hard to not like you. Your lively personality and infectious laughter always filled any space that you were in. 'Now a beautiful little boy has no father.' Another family member described him as a 'father, brother, son and uncle' and insisted he was not a member of the Nomads. Police have urged members of the public not to approach the man two people they are searching for in connection to the crime. The male suspect was described as an 18-year-old of Pacific Islander appearance and about 172cm tall. The woman police want to speak to was described as Caucasian, about 172cm tall with blue eyes, brown hair and tattoos on her neck and shoulders. Det Insp Hogan said he was concerned the gunman remained at large and police fear he is armed. 'We're taking steps now to locate those people,' he said. Paramedics haul a man away from the scene of the fatal shooting on the Gold Coast The man is seen being helped to his feet after bullets sprayed through the property His property was located next to flash riverfront mansions - including one with a tennis court and aquamarine swimming pool and another with a personal roundabout 'We'll employ every resource that we have to identify and locate them. 'And we'll use the assistance from our friends at homicide and Maxima Taskforce to do that.' Task Force Maxima deals with organised crime including bikie, or OMCG (outlaw motorcycle gang), groups. Footage from the scene appeared to show a young girl being taken away from the property. A female teacher slept with a teenage student after his school formal to 'fulfil his dreams' despite the fact she had a sexual infection. The unnamed 49-year-old teacher from a Queensland secondary school slept with the male student, 17, in an elaborately planned sexual encounter in 2014. The teacher of eight years - who handed in her resignation after the incident - had pre-booked a hotel room and bought a bottle of vodka, while the Year 12 student brought condoms to the room, the Courier Mail reports. He'd earlier had five or six vodka drinks and convinced the teacher to have sex with him after she told him: 'This is a bad idea, we shouldnt do this', the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal heard. A female teacher at a Queensland secondary school slept with a teenage student after his school formal to 'fulfil his dreams', despite the fact she had a sexual infection 'This is something I have to do,' the boy said before they had sex. Having earlier told him she had herpes, a Sexually Transmissable Infection (STI), the boy became worried when the condom they were using broke. The boy was concerned about the incident he was physically ill, before eventually telling his girlfriend and mother about the affair. Daily Facebook messages between the pair led to their blossoming relationship, with the teacher messaging the boy after the formal telling him to meet her at the hotel. Another teacher saw the pair together outside the hotel, but together they lied that he was waiting to meet his girlfriend. The relationship between the woman and the student began when he told her about his drug use, and continued after their night of passion. The 17-year-old Year 12 student became so concerned about contracting an STI after their sexual encounter that he became physically ill and later told his mother and girlfriend Emails from the teacher to the students reportedly showed his regret over the sex, with the woman then becoming concerned he would leak the relationship. The QCAT found the sex was premeditated and that the teacher had put the boy at risk of harm by exposing him to the STI. An adorable baby fairy penguin has been rescued from a stormwater drain in Sydney's inner west. Local men Josh Pirini and Scott Martin were walking in Haberfield when they heard strange penguin-like noises coming from a stormwater drain on Thursday afternoon. And to their surprise they found a penguin trapped in a smaller pipe in the drain. Scroll down for video He was rushed to Taronga Zoo for examination and found to be slightly underweight but otherwise healthy and will be released back into the wild shortly An adorable baby fairy penguin has been rescued from a stormwater drain on Friday in Haberfield, Sydney's inner west They attempted to free the little flightless bird, who was distressed and making 'wild noises', but it got stuck in the opening. It wasn't until there was a sudden gush of water rushing down the pipe that the little guy was freed. He was rushed to Taronga Zoo for examination and found to be slightly underweight but otherwise healthy. He's been given fluids and food and his future is looking bright. 'He should be released back into the wild shortly, to happily live out his days eating fish and engaging in other penguin-related activities,' a RSPCA spokeswoman said. The origin of the tiny Sydney adventurer is not known, but there are fairy penguin colonies in Manly - 23 kilometres from Haberfield - and the Sydney Harbour that he is believed to have been separated from. Penguin experts believe he was chasing fish and got lost in the drain system. The RSPCA is yet to confirm the identity of the penguin, but its baby feathers indicate it is just a few months old. 'It is unclear whether this penguin is the same 'Mumble' made famous by the Happy Feet film, who washed up on the shores of Australia after an epic journey from Antarctica,' RSPCA NSW Inspector Tyson Hohlein, who attended the rescue, said on Friday. Fairy penguins or little penguins, are the smallest of all penguin species. They breed in colonies along the southern coastlines of Australia and New Zealand, with Phillip Island in Victoria home to an estimated 32,000 breeding adults. RSPCA NSW Inspector Tyson Hohlein and the now-safe baby Fairy Penguin at Taronga Zoo Great white sharks are common in the water at Cape Cod late in the year The seal shuffled its way along the sand before collapsing in a heap It was thrashed around in the ocean before escaping the shark's jaws The seal was attacked at Truro Beach, Cape Cod, on November 26 This is the terrifying moment a great white shark preyed on an unsuspecting seal in the shallows of Cape Cod. The predator's fin poked out of crashing waves as it thrashed around, leaving a bloody shadow in the water wherever it trailed the mammal. The seal was able to escape to shore, shuffling itself along the sand before collapsing in a heap, its wounds exposed. Their encounter was caught on camera at Truro Beach beach by a YouTube user who shared the clip online. This is the moment a shark was filmed attacking a seal at Truro Beach, Cape Cod, last week The footage begins with the shark thrashing in the water, its fin visible. The seal's flapping flipper could also be seen. They remained in entwined for seconds as blood began streaming towards the shore. The seal somehow made its way out of the shark's grips and hurried towards the beach where shocked onlookers watched. It collapsed in a heap, blood streaming from its body, as waves crashed over it. Yards away, the shark moved on to another seal, dragging it through the shallows in the same way as those on the beach gasped. The footage cut out before it was obvious what became of each seal. The seal's flipped poked up between waves as it desperately tried to break free from the shark Eventually it was able to escape the shark's jaws and shuffled on to the sand, leaving a bloody trail in its wake The shark moved on to another seal swimming in the shallows, thrashing it around in the same way as its first victim which watched from the shore Great white sharks are common in the area at this time of year, experts said after seeing the video. 'We know from tagging data that white sharks can still be found in waters off Cape Cod in November. 'Weve seen white sharks chase seals in shallow waters and have also documented predations,' Cynthia Wigren, executive director of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, told The Boston Globe. She added sharks sometimes bit seals and waited for them to bleed out. Hurley had pulled over a car in which Mr Cole was a passenger on the Gold Coast in November 2013 Disgraced cop Chris Hurley has been found guilty of assault after he grabbed a man by the throat during a routine roadside stop on the Gold Coast. Senior Sergeant Hurley, who has been suspended from duty, was convicted on two counts of common assault when he appeared in Southport Magistrates Court on Friday. Hurley was accused of the charges after a confrontation with Luke Cole on Robina Parkway in November 2013. Disgraced cop Chris Hurley (pictured) has been found guilty of assault after he grabbed a man by the throat during a routine roadside stop on the Gold Coast The pair scuffled after Hurley had pulled over a car in which Mr Cole was a passenger. Hurley believed Mr Cole had yelled an obscenity at him as the car he was in passed a traffic accident Hurley was attending. Mr Cole alleged Hurley grabbed him by the throat and slammed his head into the roof of the car, the Courier Mail reported. Hurley then punched him in the face with handcuffs, pointed a taser at him and kicked him before fleeing, Mr Cole alleged. Hurley denied the allegations against him and said he feared for his life when Mr Cole got out of the car aggressively. He claimed the action was in self-defence but Mr Callaghan rejected that claim, finding Mr Cole had done nothing to warrant being grabbed by Hurley in that manner. Senior Sergeant Hurley, who has been suspended from duty, was convicted on two counts of common assault when he appeared in Southport Magistrates Court on Friday 'The complainant simply got out of the car... shut the door and then was set upon by the defendant,' Mr Callaghan told the court. After finding Hurley guilty of the initial assault, Mr Callaghan said Hurley subsequently pulling a taser on Mr Cole was also unlawful and convicted him of assault in that instance. He was found not guilty of punching and kicking Mr Cole. Driver was freed just moments before flames engulfed the entire car Officers were forced to drag the driver out through vehicle's back hatch Wilton Police have released dashcam footage of the dramatic rescue Six police officers struggled to free Hunter Stanfield on November 23 an rescued from burning vehicle after he crashed in Wilton, Connecticut Dramatic dashcam footage captured the moment several cops saved a driver from a burning car after he crashed between two trees. Six police officers struggled to free Hunter Stanfield after he became trapped when he crashed his Range Rover in Wilton, Connecticut last week and it burst into flames. The 26-year-old driver was pinned in the driver's seat and both front doors of the SUV were damaged when he crashed. Scroll down for video Dramatic dashcam footage shows the moment several police in Wilton, Connecticut rushed to hold back flames to help a trapped driver escape his burning vehicle Wilton Police released dashcam footage from one of the officer's vehicles that shows authorities rushing to the scene on November 23. When police arrived they found the engine compartment on fire and several officers were seen running towards the vehicle armed with fire extinguishers. Several officers tried to hold back the flames, as others tried to help free the driver. One of the officers ended up opening the back hatch of the car and climbing into the backseat to drag the driver from the burning wreck. Wilton Police released dashcam footage from one of the officer's vehicles that shows the flames from the burning SUV on November 23 Officers managed to free the trapped driver just moments before flames engulfed the interior of the car Photos of the aftermath show the extent of the damage caused by the fire They were able to pull the driver free just moments before the flames engulfed the interior of the car. Wilton Fire Department arrived on the scene shortly after and were able to fully extinguish the fire. Photos of the aftermath show the extent of the damage caused by the fire. The interior of the vehicle was completely destroyed. Stanfield was taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries but was released the following day. The dashcam footage shows several officers (pictured) running towards the vehicle armed with fire extinguishers One of the officers ended up opening the back hatch of the car and climbing into the backseat to drag the driver from the burning wreck A drunken passenger who allegedly threatened to kill his girlfriend, her three children, other passengers, and flight crew members forced a flight bound for New York to return to Honolulu on Tuesday, the FBI said. The unruly passenger, James August, is also alleged to have hit a female flight attendant in the shoulder, the FBI said. The incident occurred during Hawaiian Airlines Flight No. 50, which took off from Honolulu International Airport at 4:30pm on Tuesday. A spokesperson for the airline said that the plane turned around and landed back in Hawaii five hours later, the Associated Press reported. Hawaiian Airlines Flight No. 50 was forced to return to Honolulu after taking off for New York on Tuesday due to an unruly passenger. A stock photo of the airline is seen above According to court documents, the pilot decided to abort the flight and return to Honolulu in order to ensure the safety of passengers. Trouble started before the flight took off when a crying 11-year-old boy told a flight attendant 'can you please just keep him away from us?' the document said. August's girlfriend and her three children refused to return to their seats in the same row as him. A passenger told the FBI that August had consumed alcohol before the flight. The plane returned to Honolulu International Airport (above) and the passenger, James August, was detained by federal authorities August is also alleged to have brought alcohol onto the plane with him. During the meal service, the girlfriend's 16-year-old son told a flight attendant August called her a derogatory word, insulted the children, and made life-threatening comments. When the flight attendant asked August to go with her to another part of the plane, he slapped her shoulder with the back of his hand, the FBI affidavit alleged. As August continued to yell, swear, and threaten violence, other male passengers stepped in and restrained him, the FBI said. A federal judge ordered August confined to a halfway house in Honolulu. He is not permitted to make contact with his girlfriend or her children. The body of an Australian tourist has been found in the room of a Cambodian guesthouse in the capital Phnom Penh. Mark Allen, from East Fremantle, Western Australia, died from a suspected drug overdose, police say. The 56-year-old was found in a second floor room of the Tonle Sap Guest House in Phnom Penh, the Daily Telegraph reports. Mark Allen's passport (pictured) was found in a Cambodian guesthouse in the capital Phnom Penh According to Khmer media reports, Mr Allen checked into room 202 at The Tonle Sap Guest House on October 15 on a tourist visa. He had reportedly flown to Cambodia via Jet Asia Airways from Darwin. When staff noticed a foul odor coming from his room on December 1, they opened his door to find him dead from what police now believe is a drug overdose. He was found lying dead on the bathroom floor in his room. The 56-year-old's body was reportedly found in a room of the Tonle Sap Guest House (pictured) Tonle Sap Guest House is on Street 104 in Phnom Penh, which is an area well known for its strip of hostess bars Mr Allen's passport shows that it's not his first time visiting Cambodia and he had also travelled there in March and April of 2015. He was staying on Street 104 in Phnom Penh, which is an area well known for its strip of hostess bars. The Tonle Sap Guest House, where he was staying, is located above one of the bars - The Pickled Parrot Pub & Restaurant. Mr Allen's body is being kept at the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital. The grieving father of a young man who was savagely murdered by two brothers called for them to be locked up for life. Dane McNeill was brutally murdered at the hands of Azam, 26, and Haysem Charbaji, 24, in a drug fuelled frenzy in 2014. The two brothers bashed, stabbed, force-fed him Xanax tablets and stuffed the 20-year-old in a suitcase that was then set alight. Lexy May Jamieson leaving the NSW Supreme Court on Friday Haysem's girlfriend Lexy May Jamieson, 26, (pictured right) was found guilty of being an accessory to murder Dane McNeill, 20, (pictured) was found murdered inside a burnt suitcase in 2014 Haysem Charbaji, 24, (pictured right) was found guilty of murder while his girlfriend Lexy May Jamieson, 26, (pictured left) was found guilty of being an accessory after the murder Haysem's girlfriend Lexy May Jamieson, 26, then sought advice on how clean up the murder scene. The brothers were found guilty of his murder in October, while Haysem's girlfriend, Lexy May Jamieson, 26, was found guilty of being an accessory after the fact to murder. An emotional Peter McNeill told the NSW Supreme Court that 'beasts' Azam and Haysem could never be forgiven for what they did. Haysem's girlfriend Lexy May Jamieson, 26, (pictured right) was found guilty of being an accessory to murder and attended a sentencing hearing on Friday Another sentencing hearing will take place later in December where Justice Stephen Rothman due will sentence the brothers and Lexy May Jamieson (centre) Peter McNeill (right), father of murdered Dane McNeill, leaves the NSW Supreme Court Family and friends of Dane McNeill leave the NSW Supreme Court on Friday 'Why should they ever be allowed to walk amongst us again? Please, I ask you to lock them up and throw away the key,' Mr McNeill begged at the end of a heartbreaking victim impact statement at the Charbaji's sentence hearing on Friday. Heartbroken about her son's spiral into ice usage, Mrs McNeill told the court the two 'monsters' took any chance of them of saying goodbye to their son. 'In my mind I handed him to those monsters with no conscience, no respect and no humanity at a time he was at his most vulnerable. Oh my God, what did I do?' she told court, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. 'The pain on his beautiful face, seeing him cry as he drove away, is the last image I hold and I have wished over and over I could take it back, and make it all right.' Another sentencing hearing will take place later in December where Justice Stephen Rothman will sentence the brothers and Lexy May Jamieson. Haysem Charbaji (pictured) was found guilty of badly burning Mr McNeill's body and leaving it in a suitcase in the middle of the road in Picnic Point, Sydney's south-west Five children were forced to live in this slum home in Florida with human feces, broken glass, crack pipes and rotten food piled high around them. Police found the siblings, including an 11-month-old baby girl, living in the squalid conditions in the home in Sarasota on the state's Gulf Coast on Monday. Parents Amanda Dean and Joseph Dromeshauser, both 34, were arrested and charged with child neglect. Five children were found living in a squalor home in Sarasota, Florida on Monday. Police said the home had no running water and no way of disposing of human waste 'The conditions in this home were the worst Ive ever seen,' Sarasota Police Detective Megan Buck said. 'No child or adult should have to live in conditions like this.' Police found broken glass scattered throughout the home, animal and human feces on the floor and multiple prescription pill containers left open within reach of the children. Trash, clothes and rotting food was also found piled high throughout the home. The countertops and sinks were filled with dishes, old food, trash and bottles filled with urine. Countertops and sinks were filled with dishes, old food, trash and bottles filled with urine. Clothes, broken glass and feces were also found scattered around the home The children's parents Amanda Dean and Joseph Dromeshauser, both 34, have both been arrested and charged with five counts each of child neglect A crack cocaine pipe was also found in one of the bedrooms. Police visited the home on Monday to carry out a welfare check after someone notified authorities of the living conditions. They found four boys, aged 17, 12, 10 and two, as well as an 11-month-old girl living in the home. Police said Dromeshauser told them the house had no running water, which means there was no way to flush the toilet and dispose of human waste. Dromeshauser told officers the family go to a relative's house once a week so the children can have a shower and wash clothes. Police said the living conditions were the worst they have ever seen. The children were removed from the home and the Department of Children and Families is investigating The children's mother was found hiding in a closet after police had been at the home for an hour. Police contacted the Department of Children and Families and removed the children from the house. Dean and Dromeshauser have been charged with five counts each of child neglect without great bodily harm. Dromeshauser was also been charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. A Chinese man who was executed 21 years ago for rape and murder was declared innocent by the court today. His 73-year-old father burst into tears upon hearing the long-awaited news at his home in Xianie village, central China's Hebei Province. Overcome by emotion, Nie Xuesheng, father of wrongly convicted Nie Shubin, told a group of reporters 'my son can finally rest in peace'. Scroll down for video Nie Xuesheng (left) burst into tears after China's Supreme Court exonerated Nie Shubin today Nie Xuesheng was delivered the news by a group of reporters who went to his home in Hebei Nie Shubin (pictured in an undated file photo) was executed in 1995 at the age of 20 after being convicted of rape and murder Nie Xuesheng, a farmer, first thanked his government after a reporter from The Beijing News read him the latest decision, as a news clip shared by QQ.com shows. A teary Nie Xiusheng told the reporters: 'Thank you, Xi Jinping the General Secretary (of the Communist Party of China) for ruling the country according to laws, bringing me huge benefit.' The father also said: 'Justice would come sooner or later.' The decision, made by the China's Supreme Court on December 2, was released through China's state-run Xinhua News Agency. Judges officially cleared Nie Shubin, who was convicted of rape and murder and was executed in 1995 at the age of 20. Nie Xuesheng had reportedly attempted a suicide after his son's execution, which led him to suffer from hemiparesis. Sitting beside Nie Xuesheng, his daughter, Nie Shubin's sister, cried loudly on his shoulder. Nie Shubin's mother, Zhang Huanzhi, attended the court session held in Shenyang today. The 73-year-old woman filed an appeal to the court after Wang Shujin confessed to the crimes of which her son was convicted. The determined woman had said she never believed her son 'would commit such crimes'. Nie Xuesheng, a farmer, thanked his government after a reporter read him the latest decision Nie Xuesheng, father of wrongly convicted Nie Shubin, said 'my son can finally rest in peace' Nie Shubin's case has drawn wide attention in China to problems in the legal system as well as the frequent application of the death penalty. Nie Shubin, a factory worker, was accused of raping and killing a woman, surnamed Kang, on the outskirts of Shijiazhuang in August of 1994. Another man, Wang Shujin, confessed to the crimes in 2005 while in police custody, although a legal review of the case did not get underway until 2014. In its ruling on December 2, China's Supreme Court cited numerous examples of negligence and procedural errors by police and prosecutors, including the fact that Nie Shubin was singled out as a suspect 'without a shred of evidence.' It also said it couldn't rule out that Nie's testimony was coerced by torture or other means, a frequent accusation against the legal system that relies heavily on confessions to gain convictions. China ordered speeded-up trials and executions during anti-crime campaigns in the 1990s, leading to frequent cutting of corners by legal authorities. Two years ago, another court ruled that 18-year-old Huugjilt, an ethnic Mongolian who was executed in 1996 for rape and murder, also was innocent after another man confessed to the crime. The court awarded Huugjilt's parents compensation. However, under reforms in recent years, all death penalties are now automatically reviewed by the Supreme Court and the justices say executions are carried out only for the most heinous crimes. The exact number of people put to death is a state secret, but rights groups say China remains the world's top executioner. Wang Shujin (pictured), who had confessed to the crimes, stood trial in Hebei in 2013 Nie Shubin's mother, Zhang Huanzhi (pictured), filed an appeal to the court after Wang admitted to the crimes of which her son was convicted Chinese legal scholar Xu Xin, a prominent advocate of legal reforms to reduce wrongful convictions, said Nie's case has emerged as highly representative of the country's problems with miscarriages of justice. 'In China's legal and social spheres, this case has garnered the greatest concern and has the most influence. Everyone's views on this case have basically been the same that there was grave injustice,' Xu said. But the fact that it took this long for him to be exonerated shows the challenges ordinary people face in gaining legal redress in China, he said. 'A vindication like this implies that compensation would have to be made, and someone could potentially be held responsible for the mistake, so that makes authorities unwilling to make an active push to correct the injustice,' he said. He credited the Chinese media, concerned defense lawyers and others who drew attention to the case for the court's overturning of the verdict, but said that the problem at the heart of the issue remained China's lack of an independent judiciary. A guilt-stricken thief has returned two Christmas lights he stole from a family's front yard after the victims launched a social media campaign. The criminal, whose identity is unknown, was captured on surveillance footage sneaking up a Long Island family's front yard to pull the decorations out of the ground. He then quickly flees the scene with his stolen goods. The footage was shared by Community Education Council 31 President Mike Reilly, and has since been viewed more than 120,000 times. Scroll down for video A guilt-stricken thief has returned two Christmas lights he stole from a family's front yard after the victims launched a social media campaign The criminal, whose identity is unknown, was captured on surveillance footage sneaking up a Long Island family's front yard And it seems that the move worked. The thief saw the posts and felt so guilty, he not only decided to return the lights on Tuesday. He also penned an apology note to his victims. 'I want to humbly apologize for stealing your lights,' the note, obtained by NBC News reads, before the suspect promises that the theft was the 'first and last time I will ever do this.' He was seen pulling the decorations out of the ground before he quickly fled the scene The footage was shared by Community Education Council 31 President Mike Reilly, and has since been viewed more than 120,000 times 'I am not that person you see on the video,' he said in the letter. 'I was not thinking when I did it. I hope you have a nice holiday.' 'He's never going to do it again! We'll see how that works out,' Reilly said. A Florida woman woke up in the middle of the night to find a neighbor who had broken into her home was at the foot of her bed petting her cat. Jasper Fiorenza, 24, was arrested by police in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Wednesday for allegedly breaking into the home of Brittney Cline at around 3:30am on November 20, WFTS-TV reported. Cline said that she was woken up by her cat who had jumped off her bed. 'When I opened my eyes I could see the shadow of a man standing at the end of my bed,' Cline, a mother to a young daughter, said. 'He was standing perfectly still, I said 'hello' and when I said hello he dropped very slowly down to the ground.' Jasper Fiorenza (left), 24, was arrested by St. Petersburg, Florida, police for allegedly breaking into the home of Brittney Cline (right, with her daughter) at 3:30am on November 20 'And as soon as I saw the shadow move down to the ground I knew somebody was there.' That's when Cline grabbed her phone and flashed a light onto the strange man, who was crouched on the ground petting her cat, according to WFTS-TV. 'I'm panicked of course,' she said. 'I said "what are you doing get out of my house" and he looked at me very calmly and said "hey" turned around walked back to my doorway.' Fiorenza fled the scene, but officers were able to track him down because he had left fingerprints on one of the doors. Cline says that she was woken up by her cat, who had jumped off her bed in the middle of the night on November 20 When she opened her eyes, she noticed the shadow of a man at the foot of her bed. She then retrieved her phone and aimed it at the burglar, who was seen petting her cat (above) Cline says that police were able to track down Fiorenza because he had left fingerprints on the baby gate (seen above) as he was fleeing her home It's very fortunate I had the baby gate in the doorway,' Cline, who was unharmed, said. 'That's where they pulled the print from so he had to put his hand on the door frame to climb over the baby gate.' He was arrested on charges of burglary of an occupied dwelling and resisting arrest without violence, according to The Tampa Bay Times. Cline said that this was not the first time that Fiorenza, who lives one street over from her, had broken into her house. Two weeks prior, he burglarized Cline's house in addition to other homes in the area. He was eventually tracked down by undercover detectives. 'That's the scariest thing, had my cat not jumped off the bed and woken me up, would've I woken up with a man on top of me in the middle of the night?' Cline said. 'I hope he goes to prison for a long time.' Stephani Renae Lawson said posed as her ex- Stephani Renae Lawson was jailed on Wednesday for creating a fake Facebook profile A woman who created Facebook profiles and sent herself eight threatening messages from them to frame her ex-boyfriend has been jailed for a year. Stephani Renae Lawson, who now lives in Las Vegas, was caught by investigators after reporting her former partner Tyler Parkervest to police in Orange County, California. Parkervest was arrested over the threats and was due to stand trial when prosecutors spotted flaws in the woman's testimony, NY Daily News reported. He was cleared of four charges of stalking, threatening, kidnapping and battering the 25-year-old. She was jailed on Wednesday after admitting to sending herself the menacing messages. Posing as her ex-boyfriend, she threatened to beat and murder herself in the string of messages sent last year after she and Parkervest broke up. She told police about the messages and the man, from Irving, California, was arrested. He denied ever sending the messages but faced felony charges based on Lawson's claims. They included probation violation and stalking. It wasn't until a pre-trial hearing in October this year when prosecutors cast doubt on the woman's testimony. 'One of my DA colleagues looked at it and said, "It doesn't look right," and that triggered in our mind, "Maybe we need to look into this further,'" Deputy District Attorney Mark Geller said. Lawson created the fake profiles to send herself abusive messages she then showed to police (file image) Lawson was arrested on one felony count of false imprisonment by menace, violence, fraud, or deceit, and one felony count of perjury. Investigators were able to trace the messages back to her own devices and IP address. She at first denied she was behind the threats but pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement on Wednesday. Lawson was sentenced to one year in county jail, three years of probation and was ordered to pay restitution. All charges against her ex-boyfriend were dropped. A woman stopped by police during a traffic stop was crushed when a vehicle smashed into a patrol car, causing it to hit her. Police have released dashcam footage of the shocking incident in Tulsa, Oklahoma two weeks ago. The footage shows an officer speaking to a woman at the rear of her car after she was pulled over for a possible traffic violation on November 13. Police have released dashcam footage of a woman being spoken to by a cop in Tulsa, Oklahoma before she was crushed by the patrol car The patrol car can be seen lurching forward suddenly and crashing into the woman after it was hit by pickup truck. The woman was crushed between the patrol car and her own vehicle. Footage appears to show the pick up driver hitting the officer before speeding away. Another officer rushed to help the woman who could be heard crying in pain begging to be taken to the hospital. The patrol car can be seen lurching forward suddenly as the cop spoke to the woman at the rear of her car The woman was crushed between the patrol car and her own vehicle and she suffered a shattered pelvis and multiple leg fractures as a result She suffered a shattered pelvis and multiple leg fractures as a result. Police said they managed to track down the suspect by following a trail of fluid. They arrested a man named Johnie Hunter for leaving the scene of an accident. Police said he has not yet been charged. A Muslim drug dealer who married an Australian woman in an effort to secure a visa has avoided being deported after convincing a tribunal he is in fact gay. The Federal Government tried to have the unnamed man deported after he was found guilty in 2011 of dealing 'large quantities' of ice and cocaine. He had earlier attempted to remain in the country by getting married in the hope of being granted a spousal visa, but when that tactic failed he changed his tune. Incredibly the sexually-confused criminal was allowed to remain in the country after convincing the Administrative Appeals Tribunal in Sydney he was gay and he'd be persecuted if he returned to his home country, The Daily Telegraph reported. Immigration Minister Peter Dutton is considering appealing a decision by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to allow a Muslim drug dealer to stay in Australia Immigration Minister Peter Dutton is said to be furious at the decision and is considering an appeal. The reported 'party boy' from a 'well-to-do family in a conservative country' moved to Australia in 2001 at the age of 21. A year later he married his girlfriend Mary and applied for the spouse visa. The tribunal's deputy president Bernard McCabe said the man was roped into a 'hectic lifestyle which involved clubbing and drug use every weekend' shortly after arriving in Australia. However hidden beneath his happy marriage was what Mr McCabe called 'a secret'. 'He said he had been grappling with [the secret] for some time he was attracted to other men,' Mr McCabe said when handing down his ruling. The unnamed man claimed he'd been partying at gay nightclubs on Oxford Street and Kings Cross (pictured) in Sydney Without telling his wife the man began partying regularly at gay nightclubs in Kings Cross and Oxford Street. The tribunal heard from a friend of the man that his marriage was a hoax to ensure he received his visa. 'The marriage to Mary was part of a show for the benefit of the immigration authorities so (he) would qualify for a spouse visa,' a friend of the man said. However immigration authorities denied his application, leading the man to go with the story about being gay in a last ditch effort to remain in Australia. When Andrew Sachs was first offered the role of Manuel the hapless waiter from Barcelona, he pleaded with Fawlty Towers creator John Cleese to make the character German 'because I'm not sure I can do a Spanish accent'. Cleese respected his co-star enough to consider the suggestion seriously. In the end, though, he overruled him, in the process giving one of Britain's best-loved TV sitcoms a comic character of peerless genius. Cleese was convinced there would never be sufficient comic material in a German waiter Heinrich from Munich would be efficient, competent, confident, all the things Manuel could not be. Sachs was best known as the hapless and lovable waiter Manuel in John Cleeses 1975 and 1979 series of Fawlty Towers. For his hilarious portrayal, he received a Bafta nomination The much-loved actor, best known for his role as put-upon Spanish waiter Manuel in the classic 1970s sitcom, passed away in a care home last week and was buried on Thursday Certainly, Basil Fawlty's xenophobic catchphrase 'You'll have to excuse him, he's from Barcelona . . .' would never have worked if it had been ' You'll have to excuse him, he's from Munich . . .' The diminutive Sachs won his way on another point. An introverted, shy man despite his flamboyant comic performances, he liked to have something to hide behind on stage, and so he suggested a moustache. Even if his Spanish accent was unconvincing, his facial hair could be magnificently Catalan. Again Cleese hesitated. His own character, the demented hotel-keeper Basil Fawlty, had a moustache. Was that one too many? Sachs persisted, and Manuel with his bushy moustache, toothy grin and frightened eyes was born. The much put-upon Manuel had a lot to be frightened about Basil would thump, clout, kick or flatten him several times an episode, as the little waiter pleaded, 'Meester Fawlty!' Sachs's gift for physical comedy was one of the joys of the show. He would watch Basil's hand, as the manic hotelier wound himself up to deliver another 'smack on head', and though his gaze would fill with sadness, he did not flinch. Very quickly he'd rediscover his characteristic optimism, and bustle into the dining room only to misunderstand another order or pour coffee in the lap of another guest. Connie Booth, John Cleese, Prunella Scales and Andrew Sachs in 1975, left, and 2009, right When Andrew Sachs was first offered the role of Manuel the hapless waiter from Barcelona, he pleaded with Fawlty Towers creator John Cleese to make the character German Sometimes the blows were as hard as they looked. At the end of the episode called The Wedding Party, Basil knelt on Manuel and belaboured him with a saucepan. 'I don't know why we didn't get a rubber one,' Cleese later admitted. 'I was trying to hit Andrew with a sort of sliding blow, but just as I started he straightened up, and I'm afraid he had a headache for about two days.' For his part, Sachs claimed that he tried to complain about his treatment but Cleese brushed him off: 'We're not doing eight shows a week in the West End. It's once in your life. Now pull yourself together!' In the last episode of the first series, Sachs was even more badly hurt. Manuel burst out of the kitchen after the chip pan was set on fire, with his sleeve smouldering, only to be pushed back screaming through the door by Basil. The screams were real: the billowing smoke came from chemicals that were burning his arm. Sachs later received 700 damages for injuries from the BBC. Before shooting even began, Cleese knew he could count on Sachs to be hilarious, and a trouper. Pictured, the actors in character as Basil Fawlty and Manuel in Fawlty Towers Before shooting even began, Cleese knew he could count on Sachs to be hilarious, and a trouper. They first worked together on a short industrial training film for Cleese's Video Arts company, which spurred the ex-Python to see him in the theatre, co-starring with Alec Guinness in Alan Bennett's farce, Habeus Corpus. 'He just made me laugh till it hurt,' Cleese said. 'I realised how good he was at physical comedy.' What no one in the audience could have guessed was that Sachs's first language was German and that he didn't speak English until he was eight. He was born, the youngest of three, in Berlin in April 1930, the son of a librarian and a banker who had lost his family fortune after World War I. To escape Hitler, the family moved to Vienna, but his Jewish father Hans was arrested by the Nazis when Andreas (as he was called) was eight. Two SS officers seized Hans in a restaurant and marched him away, telling his family: 'This is the last time you will see him.' By a miracle, Hans had friends who secured his freedom, and in 1938 the family fled to London. When they arrived, all Andreas knew how to say was: 'I'm sorry, I do not understand, I'm a little German boy.' Later, he learned that children like him were labelled 'mischlings' (mongrels) by the Nazis. At 15, Sachs decided to become an actor: a schoolfriend had been working as an extra and it seemed like easy money. 'I liked the idea of being rich and famous and not having to work too hard,' he said. He won a place at Rada and did two terms before his national service. When he came out of the Army in 1950, he launched into repertory theatre, learning his trade with fellow novice Prunella Scales, who would later play Sybil Fawlty. After being noticed by Noel Coward, he landed a West End part in the musical After The Ball, understudying 'the hugely significant part of Lady Windermere's footman,' as he would say with typical self-deprecation. But the role mattered enough to help him onto the BBC's books as a radio performer. In one month in 1954, he acted in 17 radio plays, opposite stars including Dame Edith Evans and Richard Burton. In 1960, he married Melody Lang, an actress and divorced mother of two. Andrew adopted Melody's two sons, Bill and John, and a year later their daughter Kate was born. With his German upbringing, he fretted that he was sometimes too stern a father, but discipline had been instilled in him from an early age. He always remembered how a neighbour in Berlin reprimanded him for clowning around, warning: 'We Germans might have many faults, but a sense of humour is not one of them.' His radio career led to TV work, starting with a series of plays by Brian Rix and going on to shows such as The Saint. But it was Fawlty Towers that made him a household name: 'It was only 12 episodes,' he said, 'a very short part of my life, but it's chiefly what I'm remembered for.' Sometimes he fretted that he was so closely linked to the role of Manuel that directors were deterred from casting him, though he admitted that turning down the part of grumpy Victor Meldrew in One Foot In The Grave was his own fault: the first few scripts had not impressed him. Later, as actor Richard Wilson made the character his own, Sachs could only look on with regret. Instead, he would revive Manuel for spin-offs, for the right price for example, releasing a Spanish version of the Joe Dolce song novelty Shaddap You Face. Once, also, after booking his family into a swanky hotel in Bath, he agreed to play the blundering waiter in the restaurant one night. 'We got an amazing reduction,' he said happily. Tragically, it was a scandal with one of his grandchildren, Georgina Baillie, that marred his final years. He would say, ruefully: 'I certainly never thought I'd give my name to a scandal: Sachsgate.' There is consolation, perhaps, in the thought that while Russell Brand is already being forgotten, Andrew Sachs's sublime creation of Manuel remains one of the most glorious characters in all comedy. A former Queensland government staffer has been sentenced to 100 hours of community service after he duped his boss out of a job. Kepa Andrews, 42, doctored an email from then Senator Joanna Lindgren's chief-of-staff in June 2015 to trick his boss at Gold Coast-based company Surfside Buslines. In the email, Andrews offered the single mother, who had a mortgage, a fake job as the senator's office manager, prompting her to resign. Andrews then successfully applied to replace his boss when she quit. Scroll down for video Kepa Andrews, 42, (pictured) has been sentenced to 100 hours of community service after he duped a his female boss out of a job The ex-Newman ministerial staffer held various roles within the Liberal National Party between 2008 and 2015, including in Mines Minister Andrew Cripps' office The ex-Newman ministerial staffer held various roles within the Liberal National Party between 2008 and 2015, including in Mines Minister Andrew Cripps' office. He pleaded guilty in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday to impersonating a commonwealth official and falsifying documents. Defence lawyer Rosemary Gilbert said Andrews lied and continued to lie to cover up the fact he had not been successful in getting the job he wanted. 'He thought his connections with the Liberal party, the work he had done would mean that his employment with Senator Lindgren would be assured,' Ms Gilbert said. 'He regrets it very much, this is someone who has worked in positions of trust for many years. 'Him being dealt with by the courts means that sort of employment is not open to him any longer.' The court heard Andrews was genuinely remorseful for his actions and resigned out of shame within a day of getting his boss's job The ex-Newman ministerial staffer held various roles within the Liberal National Party between 2008 and 2015, including in Mines Minister Andrew Cripps' office (Pictured: Queensland Premier Campbell Newman in 2015) Andrews pleaded guilty in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday to impersonating a commonwealth official and falsifying documents The court heard Andrews was genuinely remorseful for his actions and resigned out of shame within a day of getting his boss's job. 'I profusely apologise for the stupidity of my actions and the harm it has caused,' Mr Andrews said. In handing down her sentence, Acting Magistrate Robyn Carmody said Andrews' behaviour was 'out of character' given his unblemished record. 'I do not believe he acted out of malice,' she said. 'The only explanation seems to me that things snowballed out of control and he created a web of deceit from which there was no escape.' A detainee due to be deported from Britain has been murdered after an alleged fight between inmates at a high security immigration centre. The 64-year-old man, who has not been named, was being kept at Colnbrook Removal Centre, close to Heathrow Airport. A 32-year-old man, also held at Colnbrook, has been arrested and is in custody at a west London police station. Colnbrook, which is also classed as a jail, holds foreign prisoners who have completed their sentences or illegal immigrants who have no right to stay in Britain. Murder probe: The 64-year-old man, who has not been named, was being kept at Colnbrook Removal Centre, close to Heathrow Airport (pictured) Opened in 2004, it is close to Heathrow so they can be transported on to planes and flown home. Colnbrook, which is also classed as a jail, holds foreign prisoners who have completed their sentences or illegal immigrants who have no right to stay in Britain Scotland Yard said today that detectives have launched a murder investigation. Police were called at 9.15am yesterday to reports of a detainee who had been assaulted at Colnbrook, in Harmondsworth, West Drayton. Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended and the 64-year-old man was taken to a west London hospital. He died last night at 9.30pm. Next of kin have been informed. Three men - aged 31, 32 and 35 - were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The 32-year-old man remains in custody at a west London police station - the other two have been taken back to Colnbrook and face no further action. Detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command led by Detective Chief Inspector Mark Lawson are investigating. No one else is currently being sought in connection with the investigation. The Home Office and police would not confirm the nationalities of those involved. Conditions at Colnbrook have previously been criticised. A 2008 report, commissioned by the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA), described the atmosphere there as 'distressing' and 'turbulent'. The centre holds around 360 people and one female officer was accused of regularly shouting: 'Animals, lock-up time'. Many detainees who had previously been held in jails said they would prefer to be back in prison than in Colnbrook, the audit team from Focus Consultancy added. High school principal Kevin Murray (pictured) has been suspended A high school principal has been suspended after he was allegedly recorded abusing a 14-year-old pupil and telling him, 'I'm going to f****** punch you in the face'. Kevin Murray has been placed on what the school is describing as administrative leave while an investigation is carried out at Woodland Hills High School in Churchill, Pennsylvania. The alleged teenage victim said the principal often harassed him by using threatening and expletive language, and one time the 14-year-old decided to record it - something he has a history of doing. Woodland Hills Superintendent Alan Johnson confirmed the incident in which Mr Murray is supposedly heard saying, 'Im going to f***** punch you in the face. 'Man-to-man, bro. I dont care if you are f****** 14-years-old or not. 'I will punch you in your face, and when we go down to court, its your word against mine, and mine wins every time.' Mr Johnson told CBS it was not something the school district would condone. It is not the first time the teenager has secretly recorded a teacher at the school, and it landed him in hot water in September. Kevin Murray has been placed on what the school is describing as administrative leave while an investigation is carried out at Woodland Hills High School (pictured) in Churchill, Pennsylvania Chief Allen Park of Churchill Police told the Tribune officers charged boy earlier this year for recording a meeting with school officials. Pennsylvania's wiretrap law prohibits anybody from being recorded without their permission, but Park said the student recorded the meeting intended to mediate a dispute with a schoolmate before posting it on Facebook. But the family's attorney, Todd Hollis, said the behavior of the principal was a cultural problem at the school and that it was one of several incidents involving the Mr Murray and his client, who he described as a 'special education' student. He told CBS: 'I am getting calls from parents, educators, even some police officers who are saying to me this behavior is not unusual and it seems apparent to me that the superintendent is aware of it. 'Being on paid administrative leave isnt termination, its a vacation. 'Thats not enough.' He has expressed his desire to get back in the water when his leg heals A surfer who saved a man from the clenches of a great white shark on the NSW mid-north coast said he thought the victim 'was going to be in two'. Billy Eitz was the only other surfer at Seven Mile Beach at Booti Point near Forster on Thursday when he noticed Colin Rowland, 65, being attacked by the four-metre shark. Eitz, a local chef, went straight to the aid of Mr Rowland, and managed to wrangle him onto his surfboard to safety before paddling him back to shore, Nine news reported. Scroll down for video Mr Rowland's son, James Rowland, took to social media to show his dad's good spirits and expressing his father's wish to get back in the water soon Local chef, Billy Eitz, was the only surfer in the water at the time of the attack and managed to drag Mr Rowland back to the shore 'I seriously thought he [Mr Rowland] was going to be in two,' Mr Eitz said. 'The way the shark was it him, hes really lucky.' Mr Rowland said he was unsure what to expect when he noticed about six dolphins underneath his surfboard. The next thing he remembered was being 'catapulted into the air' when his board was bitten in half by the massive shark. Once back on the shore, paramedics treated Mr Rowland for arm and leg injuries before taking him to hospital. He required 20 stitches to his leg after he kicked the predator in the teeth when fending it off. A man, 65, was bit by a shark while surfing at Seven Mile Beach, Booty Point, near Forster Now on the road to recovery, Mr Rowland says he's keen to get back in the water Despite the near-death experience, Mr Rowland said he was keen to get back in the water. When asked how he was feeling, he responded with a smile, ' Joyous that I am alive.' 'It's not the shark's fault I was in his territory... I was in the wrong place the wrong time,' he told Nine News. Mr Rowland's son, James Rowland, took to social media to show his dad's good spirits and expressing his father's wish to get back in the water soon. 'Just letting everyone know Dad's doing pretty damn good considering. And he wants thank everyone for their love and support. We are still waiting for the surgery on this foot but he'll be back in the water ASAP,' James wrote. A witness inspects the damage to the 65-year-old's surfboard He has suffered a deep laceration to his foot, an ambulance spokesman told AAP, with police also confirming the man has been bitten on his arm After attack, which occurred on Thursday, the 65-year-old managed to swim to shore and contacted emergency services after his surfboard was bitten in half by the great white, measuring between 2.5-3.5 metres. He has suffered a deep laceration to his foot, an ambulance spokesman told AAP, with police also confirming the man has been bitten on his arm. Mr Rowland was treated by NSW Ambulance Paramedics and airlifted to John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition. He gave media a 'thumbs up' as he was taken off the chopper on a stretcher. A local woman who witnessed the attack said the incident was 'f***ing scary' and warned other surfers not to head in. She told Daily Mail Australia 'there were a couple of guys in the water who helped him in, his foot was bitten on the bottom but nothing too much'. 'His board was destroyed though,' the woman said. 'It was scary, but I think he'll be fine.' The man gave media a thumbs up as he was taken off the chopper on a stretcher Some of the lacerations to the man's foot are pictured She said the man was in 'shock'. Another witness said he had a 'bit of a mangled foot'. Locals have been taking to social media to wish Mr Rowland a speedy recovery. He is believed to be a local real estate agent. Officers from Manning / Great Lake Local Area Command are working with officers from the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries. Surf Life Saving NSW are sending assistance. Beach south of Forster around the Booti Booti and Pacific Palms area have been closed for at least the next 24 hours - including Seven Mile Beach, Elizabeth, Boomerang and Blueys Beach. Warnings signs have been erected by National Parks and Wildlife personnel and Lifeguards while the public are strongly urged to avoid swimming in the area today. A decision on when to reopen the beaches will be made in consultation with stakeholders including MidCoast Council, Police, National Parks and Wildlife Service, and the Department of Primary Industries tomorrow. The shark has been confirmed to be a great white. He was treated by NSW Ambulance Paramedics and airlifted to John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition A German father of four took Chancellor Angela Merkel to task over her refugee policy at a virtual town-hall style meeting. The 62-year-old was speaking to members of her Christian Democratic Union Party from Berlin via video chat when she was challenged by a party member from Frankfurt. He told her he was 'afraid' for the first time in his life and argued the chancellor's policies on migration went against what many Germans wanted, it has been reported. A German father-of-four took Chancellor Angela Merkel to task over her refugee policy at a virtual town-hall style meeting According to Bloomberg, Merkel acknowledged that 'not everybody supports this policy'. She is also said to have promised that the rapid intake of refugees Germany accepted over the last year would not be repeated. Later in the video chat, she added: 'Don't think on a personal level that I'm not taking your fear seriously, just so we don't misunderstand each other. I take note of your criticism. But I think that the consequences if we didn't take the action that we did would have produced other worries.' Merkel's popularity plunged after the arrival of nearly 900,000 asylum seekers from the world's crisis zones last year, but has recovered of late as arrivals have fallen. The 62-year-old was speaking to members of her Christian Democratic Union Party from Berlin via video chat when she was challenged by a party member from Frankfurt Earlier this week she moved a young Afghan boy to tears, shaking his hand after he publicly thanked her at a party meeting. The boy, identified only as Edris, and his father attended a congress in Heidelberg Monday evening of Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats. Edris said: 'Thank you, Mrs. Merkel!' The chancellor replied: 'You've learned German well' and added 'keep practising.' He did, telling the chancellor: 'And I wanted to touch your hands once.' Merkel stepped down from the podium to meet the boy and pose for photos. Video footage showed the youngster wiping away tears. A high school student was shot twice and run over by a gunman after he tried to help a dying woman. Daniel Wesley, 17, ran over to help April Peck, 30, after she was shot and pushed out of a car by her boyfriend in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Gunman Terrell Walker, 48, came back and shot Wesley in the arm, as well as breaking his leg after running him over in his car on Sunday. Scroll down for video Daniel Wesley, 17, was shot twice and run over by a gunman after he tried to help a dying woman in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Terrell Walker, 48, (left) had shot his girlfriend, 30-year-old April Peck (right), several times and threw her out of his car Video courtesy of WAFB: Peck, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds, died later in hospital. The gunman was found by officers two hours after the incident and was killed in a shootout with police. Wesley, who is a trainee medic, had rushed over with a medical kit after seeing the victim lying in the road while on his way back from the mall. While he was helping her, Walker returned to the scene and told him, 'If you're helping her, you are going to die, too.' He shot him in the backside before continuing to fire, hitting an ambulance that had been flagged down. Wesley said luckily no other bystanders were hit. Wesley told WAFB-TV: 'On his way back to the car, he shot me again, in the arm. The gunman was found by officers two hours after the incident and was killed in a shootout with police 'My feet were hanging off the curb and [when] he pulled away, he hit my legs and broke my femur in half. 'I was thinking "I am not going to die like he said I am not going to die."' He added: 'I wish I could have done more because that lady ended up dying.' Walker has already had two operations and is expected to need further surgery on his arm. A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money to aid his recovery. Wesley, who is recovering in hospital, was shot in the arm and suffered a broken leg Teenagers' text speak does not harm their language skills, new research has revealed. Social media messages filled with the likes of 'omg' and 'lol' have in the past been attacked by traditionalists for 'dumbing down' the English language. But scientists have trawled through hundreds of GCSE papers and concluded that teenagers do not on the whole take their text speak into the exam hall. Social media messages filled with the likes of 'omg' and 'lol' have in the past been attacked by traditionalists for 'dumbing down' the English language In fact, successful students were skilled in able to move between using casual language between friends and standard English for exams. University of Cambridge researchers analysed text speak abbreviations like 'ppl' for people and the @ and & signs for 'at' and 'and'. Popular text emoticons were also included in the search. A total of 60 exam papers, from pupils of differing ability, from 2014 were used in the research against a batch from 2004, to compare how the spread of mobile phone and text messaging usage had affected language. Filio Constantinou from the research team told The Times: 'Students have a relatively well developed register awareness. They are aware of the fact that text speak is not acceptable to communicate in formal writing.' Presenting the findings at a conference in London yesterday, Dr Constantinou said: 'Lower-achieving candidates who sat exams two years ago, however, were twice as likely to start sentences with a lower case rather than a capital letter as teenagers who took their exams a decade earlier, although this was not evident with the majority who achieved a C grade or higher. 'Students who were awarded D, E, F or G grades were also more likely to omit full stops.' Senior judge Mr Justice Gilbart has said a victim of a sex attack was 'foolish' for getting so drunk on a night out before the assault A senior judge has been criticised after he branded a woman who was sexually assaulted 'foolish' for getting so drunk before the attack. The 20-year-old woman got lost after waking up at the flat of two men she met on a night out in Manchester in August. She left the flat in the early hours and was sexually assaulted by teenager Yaqoob Alanezy as she tried to find her way home. A court heard she could hardly remember what happened. Sentencing Alanezy this week, Mr Justice Gilbart said there was no excuse for the attack but people had to take responsibility for their safety when on nights out. The High Court judge said the victim only had a 'befuddled recollection of events' adding: 'I'm sure it was a frightening incident. She got very, very drunk. 'It doesn't excuse what happened, but people have to make sure they protect themselves and guard against this - she made herself very vulnerable. 'The law seeks to protect victims such as this from their own foolishness. '[The victim] had got herself drunk, was in a public place, unable to protect herself and the law must be seen to protect vulnerable people from being picked on by those who spot their vulnerability and choose to attack them.' The comments have caused anger among campaigners, who accused the judge of 'victim blaming'. The sexual assault happened in Anson Road in south Manchester in August this year Leah Cowan, a spokesperson for the End Violence Against Women coalition, said: 'The myth that women are responsible for protecting their safety against the actions of abusive and violent men is particularly dangerous. 'When a judge engages in victim-blaming - such as suggesting that how much alcohol a woman drank, bears any relation to whether they are deserving of a sexual assault - we must be incredibly alarmed. 'Such incidents act as a strong deterrent for reporting assaults, as women- understandably- become concerned that they will not be believed, or will be blamed for their own attack. 'It is also notable in this case that exactly the criticism that has been made of the victim drinking too much alcohol was also used by the defence team to argue that the defendant should be treated more lightly. This is the sexual double standard at work. Kuwaiti national Yaqoob Alanezy carried out the attack and now faces deportation 'It is important that legal professionals set a tone much higher than the victim-blaming attitudes which support and perpetuate the enactment of violence against women.' Manchester Crown Court heard Alanezy attacked the woman in the Victoria Park area of south Manchester, in the early hours of August 20. He dragged her down the street before they both fell to the floor. The incident was stopped by a passer-by who saw the victim trying to wriggle free of Alanezy's grasp as he lay on top of her in the street. Alanezy later pleaded guilty to sexual assault and kidnap - relating to the period where he dragged the woman along the road. The 18-year-old, who is from Kuwait and has been served with deportation papers, was ordered to serve 22 months in a young offenders institution. Oliver Jarvis, defending, said: 'He tells me he's deeply ashamed and deeply embarrassed. 'In Kuwait there's no alcohol and the defendant came over here, tried alcohol for the first time and it's been a real problem since, as a way of dealing with deep boredom. 'He makes no excuses, he had half a bottle of vodka that night and out he went into the street. This is not something that will be repeated. 'He's very, very isolated in prison. He doesn't speak any English, there's a Libyan person he speaks to sometimes, but otherwise he keeps himself to himself. Thousands of Airbnb properties are rented out illegally for more than three months a year as critics slam the website for turning homes into 'hotels by the back door'. The home-sharing site admitted that 4,938 of its entire London listings were let out for three months or more despite it being it being against the law. To let out your home for such a long period of time you must obtain planning permission, but many of the site's hosts fail to do so. Thousands of Airbnb properties are rented out illegally for more than three months a year as critics slam the website turning homes into 'hotels by the back door' Airbnb has been criticised for the move, as the capital endures a crippling housing crisis. Tom Copley, Labour's housing spokesman on the London Assembly, told obert Booth and Dan Newling at the Guardian: 'The problem was that a website that was about people making a little money renting out rooms was being abused by professional landlords turning their properties into hotels by the backdoor.' London is Airbnb's third most popular city with 40,000 properties. Airbnb also reported an 85% jump to 1.6 million guest arrivals in the UK from June to August, compared with 860,000 over the same period last year. The website, which is based in San Francisco, has pledged to stop its hosts from letting their properties out for 30 days or more without official permission in the future. The rule will be enforced from spring 2017. A spokesman said: 'We know the vast majority of Airbnb hosts in London are regular people who share their homes to help them afford one of the most expensive cities in the world. 'The typical Airbnb host in London earns 3,500 by sharing their space for 50 nights a year and the Airbnb community generated an economic impact of more than 1.3 billion in London last year. Airbnb has pledged to stop its hosts from letting their properties for 30 days or more without official permission in the future 'We firmly believe this step will help build a better London for everyone and work is already under way to implement these measures, which will be in place by spring 2017. 'We want to be good partners to London and continue to lead our industry on this matter, and ensure home-sharing grows responsibly and sustainably.' Mr Copley said that other letting sites needed to follow suit, so that London's housing market did not suffer. He said: 'Airbnb is no longer the only short-term lettings service operating in London. Police on a Caribbean holiday island have shot dead two men during a bungled kidnap attempt on a Briton. The pair were said to have been killed during a firefight after trying to take a 49-year-old named locally as John Basil Valentine from an upmarket area of the Dominican Republic capital Santo Domingo. A 9mm Browning pistol was found on the first of the two alleged kidnappers, named as 34-year-old Samuel Aristides Melo Torres. Police on the Dominican Republic have shot dead two men during a bungled kidnap attempt on a Briton (file picture) The second suspect killed, named as Teodoro Samuel Melo Cuevas, was reportedly carrying a Taurus pistol. The incident happened in an exclusive area of Santo Domingo called Bella Vista as police tried to arrest the men suspected of holding the British man against his will. It is not known if he lived on the island or was on holiday. Another man, 45-year-old Fred Antonio Guerra Acevedo known by the nickname El Don or El Jefe, which is Spanish for 'The Boss', was injured in the resulting firefight and is now under police guard in hospital. The pair were said to have been killed during a firefight after trying to take a 49-year-old named locally as John Basil Valentine from an upmarket area of the Dominican Republic capital Santo Domingo (file picture) Four other men aged 20 to 40 were arrested. Local reports said three vehicles including a Nissan Pathfinder belonging to Mr Valentine were recovered. The motive behind the apparent kidnap attempt, and when it occurred, were not immediately clear. A horrified mother has told how she watched as her five-month-old baby nearly choked to death on a hair hidden in his baby food. Hannah Morris, 25, of Washington, Tyne and Wear, claims that her son Alfie King began choking after eating the Cow & Gate custard pudding. The mother-of-three claims the boy then projectile vomited up a long, black, human hair - and there were seven more strands inside the pot. Concerning: Hannah Morris (pictured), 25, claims that her son Alfie King (right, with his twin brother George, left) began choking after eating the Cow & Gate custard pudding. Strands: The hair on a spoon of the pot of Cow & Gate custard pudding that Miss Morris had been feeding her babies with in Washington, Tyne and Wear Miss Morris, who said these strands included thick, black curly hairs she believes are pubic hairs, said Alfie refused to eat for days after the terrifying incident. Cow & Gate said it does not believe the issue originated in its factory due to their quality controls process operating correctly when the jar was produced. Miss Morris said: Id been feeding him the pudding, and he suddenly started coughing and then choking quite violently, and you could tell he couldnt breathe. I was absolutely terrified. He was going blue, his lips were going blue. It felt like hours, but it probably last a couple of minutes. The stay-at-home mother, who also has Hollie, three, and Alfies twin brother George, added: I banged on his back, and eventually he coughed the food back up. 'In it I saw a long, black human hair. When I looked in the pot it was like somebody had vindictively picked off a hair from every part of their body and put it into that jar. Siblings: Alfie and his twin brother George, born at 34 weeks, had only just been introduced to baby food at the beginning of last month George and Alfie: Miss Morris said it was the first time she had given Cow & Gates Egg Custard to her boys, who needed to begin weaning early after being premature There were head hairs, what looked like arm and chest hairs, and curly hairs that I would say definitely looked like pubic hairs. I was absolutely disgusted when I found it. I looked at it and straight away knew that it wasnt my hair. And my partner wasnt home; it certainly wasnt his. Alfie and his twin brother George, born at 34 weeks, had only just been introduced to baby food at the beginning of last month. Miss Morris said it was the first time she had given Cow & Gates Egg Custard to her boys, who needed to begin weaning early after being premature. She added that she dreaded to think what could have happened if Alfie had choked for longer - and added that his trauma made it difficult to feed him after. Parents: Miss Morris is pictured with her partner Mark King, who works in healthcare and was out at the time of the incident Miss Morris, who said the strands in the product included thick, black curly hairs she believes are pubic hairs, said Alfie (pictured) refused to eat for days after the terrifying incident Miss Morris, whose partner Mark King works in healthcare, said: Hed not been having food for very long at all, and he was scared of it. Miss Morris said she dreaded to think what could have happened if Alfie had choked for longer He must have thought all food would do that to him. I couldnt get him to eat for a good couple of days afterwards. Its awful thinking George could well have eaten hairs too. Its really busy looking after three young children, I didnt spot the hairs at first until Alfie started choking. Luckily Id seen something on This Morning a few days earlier about what to do if a baby chokes. If I hadnt have seen that, Im not sure I would have known what to do. You put your trust in a company like that and then that happens. Ive never been so angry - I contacted Cow & Gate the same day. Its the first time and the last time that I will be feeding them Cow & Gate food. Im making the time to not be lazy and blend up my own foods for them now. A Cow & Gate spokesman said: We were very sorry to hear about Ms Morriss experience. The quality of our products is our first priority and we always investigate every complaint. Egg custard: Cow & Gate said the product eaten by Alfie (left) is a 'smooth, homogenised puree, which is passed through an extremely fine sieve just before filling into jars and sealing' We have received the sample from Ms Morris and it is being investigated at our factory. We have advised Ms Morris of the steps we are taking and we will write to her with our findings as soon as they are available. Our baby foods are produced in a highly controlled and hygienic environment. Egg Custard is a smooth, homogenised puree, which is passed through an extremely fine sieve just before filling into jars and sealing. Everyone working in the production area wears protective clothing and hair coverings at all times. We have checked with our factory and our quality controls tests were operating correctly at the time this jar was produced. We have not received any similar complaints about this batch of Egg Custard. The victim, Jason Boyd, has alleged Nomad links but family deny this He is a known associate of Nomads bikie Sven Christian Kelly Ruatara was bailed in October for an alleged violent home invasion They were arrested together for carrying a shotgun charges in May The mother-of-one is heavily tattooed and driving a white Holden sedan Ruatara's adoptive mother Renee Moseley is also wanted and is at large The shed is located next to luxury riverfront mansions at Carrara Taylor Ruatara, 18, was arrested after a man, 41, was shot dead in his shed The teenage gunman wanted for allegedly shooting to death a man linked to Nomad bikies on the Gold Coast surrendered to police but his accomplice is still at large. Taylor Ruatara, 18, handed himself in at Southport Police Station at about 5pm on Friday after allegedly killing Jason Boyd at about 8.45 that morning. The New Zealander's alleged accomplice is his adoptive mother Renee Louise Moseley, 31, with whom he was allegedly caught driving with a loaded sawn-off shotgun earlier this year. Teenage gunman Taylor Ruatara (R) wanted for shooting to death an alleged Nomad's bikie on the Gold Coast surrendered to police but his accomplice Renee Moseley (L) is still at large Police earlier released these photographs to help find the pair Jason Boyd (in Facebook photo), 41, died in the shooting at Carrara on the Gold Coast The heavily-tattooed mother-of-one is still at large and police believe she is travelling in a white Holden Commodore. She bares the name 'Indi' on her neck, other names on her hand, chest and forearm, and designs featuring ladybugs, Piglet from Whine The Pooh, a dreamcatcher and a baby rattle on her arms with a yellow background. Less than three weeks before the shooting, Moseley said she 'needed to talk' in a comment on Facebook replying to a friend who offered to lend an ear. 'God babe what have u been hearing.. yeah I do need to talk.. inbox me ur number,' she wrote. Ruatara handed himself in at Southport Police Station at about 5pm on Friday night after allegedly killing Boyd at about 8.45 that morning The pair were allegedly both caught driving with a loaded sawn-off shotgun earlier this year The heavily-tattooed mother-of-one (L) is still on the run They were both recently let out of jail, with Ruatara released on bail on October 24 after facing court for an alleged violent home invasion Moseley in 2011 narrowly avoided jail for trying to sneak the drug buprenorphine into a jail for a prisoner who befriended her but she barely knew. She was given a six month suspended sentence after her lawyer argued she was gullible and was in a vulnerable and emotional state at the time, having just ended a seven year relationship. Police set up another crime scene at a Nerang house, believed to be that of Moseley's parent's, Alan and Elly O'Brien, where the pair had been living. The couple were seen being led outside the suburban home before speaking with officers as they roped off the property with crime scene tape. Mr O'Brien told Daily Mail Australia the police were not at his house long and he had not heard from his daughter at all on Friday. Ruratara and Nomad bikie Sven Christian Kelly, 44, allegedly broke into a house in August and attacked three men, including stabbing at least one of them She bares the name 'Indi' on her neck, other names on her hand, chest and forearm, and designs featuring ladybugs, Piglet from Whine The Pooh and a dreamcatcher Moseley with her young son. She is still on the run after the shooting of Boyd It is not known if the child is with her or still at home with Moseley's parents They were both recently let out of jail, with Ruatara released on bail on October 24 after facing court for an alleged violent home invasion. Ruratara and Nomad bikie Sven Christian Kelly, 44, allegedly broke into a house in August and attacked three men, including stabbing at least one of them. Moseley has a young son and appears from Facebook to be in a relationship with Gold Coast man Luke Lindholm, even tattooing his name on her forearm. Boyd was shot to death in the shed where he lived on a small sliver of land that between riverfront luxury mansions at a gated community at Carrara. Police set up another crime scene at the Nerang house of Moseley's parents (father Alan O'Brien pictured with Moseley's son) The pair had been living with Moseley's parents (mother Elly O'Brien pictured) Police believe the pair were travelling in a white Holden Commodore similar to the one pictured above Moseley has a young son and appears from Facebook to be in a relationship with Luke Lindholm (R), even tattooing his name on her forearm Friends paid tribute to Boyd, a father who was known to friends as 'Racy'. Mass Nutrition supplement company founder Luke McNally said: 'You were one of the cheekiest guys I ever met. Always working some angle. 'A hustler like no other.... It was very hard to not like you. Your lively personality and infectious laughter always filled any space that you were in. 'Now a beautiful little boy has no father.' Another family member described him as a 'father, brother, son and uncle' and insisted he was not a member of the Nomads. Detectives are pictured taking a shirtless man in shorts and a starry-patterned cap away from the scene of the shooting Friday The shirtless man (seen in starry hat) is led away by detectives following the shooting. The crime scene appears to be packed with cars Detective Inspector Marc Hogan would not comment on what led to the shooting or how many times Boyd was shot until crime scene management was properly undertaken. 'We're taking steps now to locate those people,' he said. 'We'll employ every resource that we have to identify and locate them. 'And we'll use the assistance from our friends at homicide and Maxima Taskforce to do that.' Paramedics haul a man away from the scene of the fatal shooting on the Gold Coast Task Force Maxima, which deals with organised crime including bikie, or OMCG (outlaw motorcycle gang) groups, was brought in to help. Footage from the scene appeared to show a young girl being taken away from the property. Police remain on the scene talking to witnesses at the property. The man is seen being helped to his feet after bullets sprayed through the property home World Former Muslim sheikh in Uganda terrorized for converting to Christianity A former Islamic sheikh or teacher in Eastern Uganda was beaten unconscious by Muslim villagers after he announced that he had converted to Christianity earlier this month. Malik Higenyi, who lives in Bufuja village in the Butaleja District, told Morning Star News that he received threatening messages on his phone before his field of maize crops were destroyed on Nov. 23. One anonymous text read: "Be informed that you risk your life and that of the entire family if you happen to come back to your house. We curse you and your family. You are an apostate according to Islamic law, and you deserve to die." The 30-year-old Higenyi revealed that he secretly came to Christ on April 16 and he openly declared his faith at his church on Nov. 13. Sources said that the mosque in nearby Lubanga village immediately found out about Higenyi's conversion. "Before reaching my house, suddenly I was attacked by three people," he told Morning Star News. "They started shouting, saying I am a disgrace to the Muslim fraternity of Lubanga mosque," he added. Higenyi said that he was hit with a blunt object and he fell unconscious. He sustained a head wound and a broken bone in his right hand. The former sheikh was reportedly ostracized by his family and the opposition to his conversion was supported by Local County 1 Chairman Walubi Mailadi. He and his family fled from their home to an undisclosed location for fear of another attack. Higenyi and his family received Christ after a local pastor visited their home. The pastor, whose name was withheld for security reasons, continued to teach Higenyi in the following months. The Muslims from Lubanga mosque have been discussing Higenyi's punishment since they heard of his conversion. "Please pray for Higenyi's family at this difficult time, for they are emotionally troubled," said the pastor. According to the East African Center for Law and Justice (EACLJ), 84 percent of Ugandans are Christians and 12 percent are Muslims, who are mostly Sunni. There have been several reports that Christian converts in the country are being killed or shunned by their families. There are also persistent threats from terrorist groups like Al-Shabaab which has threatened to attack churches. by Marc Smith, after using taxi firm he worked for A pair of professional burglars who 'viciously and mercilessly' tortured an elderly couple in their own home during a four-hour burglary have been jailed for 15 years. John McCarthy, 35, and Richard Leslie, 37, were among an armed gang of four who forced their way into the home in Coton, Cambridgeshire in November 2014. Dressed in forensic suits and surgical gloves, the gang hit the 77-year-old man with a chair and stabbed him with pins then forced his wife, 75, to walk on broken glass, before using a sledgehammer to break her toe. They viciously beat her with such force she needed teeth removed and threatened to cut off her fingers and ear with sheers before making off with 20,000 in cash, gold ornaments and silverware. John McCarthy (left) and Richard Leslie (right), have both been jailed for 15 years following their part in the burglary Members of the gang were caught on CCTV footage, released by Cambridgeshire Constabulary The homeowners had settled down to watch ITV wartime drama Foyle's War together when then were set upon by the burglars - and thought they were under attack from 'alien invaders' or a 'Swat team', the judge said. During the attack, one of the intruders boasted: 'This is what we do for a living'. Over the course of four hours, the homeowners were bound with duct tape, beaten, threatened and locked in a utility room, the court heard. The elderly man was told 'you're going to watch me cut her fingers off', and was beaten as the gang ignored his desperate pleas he had heart problems. Judge Richard Hone QC said their behaviour was 'vicious, ruthless and merciless', adding: 'You are every householder's worst nightmare. The burglars made off with sentimental Chinese ornaments in 24 carat gold, jewellery, silver commemorative coins featuring Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher, gold bars, watches as well as thousands of pounds and Hong Kong dollars in cash. The 'shaken and tearful' couple managed to escape in the early hours of the morning after the husband crawled through a window and they fled to their daughter's house. Following a retrial at the Old Bailey, former cleaners McCarthy and Leslie were found guilty of aggravated burglary and sentenced to 15 years in jail with five years on extended licence. They will have to serve two thirds of the jail term before being eligible for parole. The burglars made off with sentimental Chinese ornaments, commemorative coins, gold bars, watches as well as thousands of pounds and Hong Kong dollars in cash A solid silver Aztec artifact stolen from the elderly couple in Coton, Cambridgeshire The court heard that father-of-two McCarthy, from Cambridge, committed two further domestic burglaries in Cambridge in May 2015 while on bail for burgling and torturing the couple. Leslie, from Mitcham, south London, has 27 convictions for violent crimes and burglary, the court heard, while McCarthy has seven convictions for burglary. The judge told them: 'You are both serial professional burglars and well connected with other burglars in the Cambridge area, whom you decline to name.' He highlighted their long criminal histories, including Leslie's 'long-standing propensity to group activity and violence'. Prosecutor Maryam Syed said the victims were targeted through Marc Smith, from Cambridge who previously worked for a taxi firm the couple used. The court heard other men involved in the burglary have never been caught. A pair of jade storks stolen from the pensioners in the terrifying burglary in November 2014 A raid of the 43-year-old's home found 15,000 in cash and a newly bought smelting kiln for melting down precious metals, bought on the day of the raid. He also had a receipt totaling 12,000 from a company called Landale based in London's Hatton Garden that specialised in buying jewellery. Smith admitted handling stolen goods and his case was adjourned to a further hearing on December 8. Jacob O'Dell, 20, from Cambridge, who admitted sending malicious communications to a witness on Facebook messages last year, was handed a two-year community order at an earlier hearing. One of the burglars threatened to cut off the wife's fingers and ear with a pair of sheers if gold, more cash and Rolex watches were not produced. Pictured, antique stone chickens stolen in the raid In mitigation for Leslie, John Farmer told the court that the evidence suggested his client was involved in the burglary but was not inside the house. And Ramiz Gursoy, for McCarthy, said the defendant's behaviour was borne out of 'personal difficulties' including drug use, an unhappy upbringing and issues with his partner. Detective Inspector Alan Page, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, said: 'This was a truly despicable crime committed against two elderly vulnerable victims. An investigation is underway over whether the alleged incident An investigation is underway over whether the alleged incident took place Forbes is accused of 'groping' a female reporter on the bottom The Age editor-in-chief, Mark Forbes, is accused of sexual The editor-in-chief of The Age has been stood down as an investigation is launched following claims he 'groped' a female reporter on the bottom. The young woman made a formal complaint to management after Forbes allegedly 'groped her on the bottom' at the Age Music Victoria awards in November, reported The Guardian. Alex Lavelle, editor of the Age, will now oversee the newsroom which was held by Forbes since April this year. The Age editor-in-chief, Mark Forbes, has been stood down pending the outcome of an investigation, following accusations of sexual harassment 'Mark Forbes has been stood down pending the outcome of an investigation that is underway,' a spokesman said. 'Fairfax is committed to a safe workplace and has zero tolerance for any behaviour that does not meet the highest standards. Forbes was stood down hours before the annual Walkley Awards night began in Brisbane - a prestigious annual event which recognises excellence in journalism. It was not known whether Mr Forbes would be attending the awards ceremony. Upon his appointment to the top position, Mr Forbes was described as an 'outstanding journalist' by Fairfax Media editorial director Sean Aylmer. 'Mark is an outstanding journalist, with a keen news sense and belief in quality reporting. He is the ideal person to continue The Age's transformation, providing quality journalism across print and digital.' Security asked her to pull her skirt down 'to see how far down it could go' An aspiring lawyer was denied entry to class after being told that her knee-length skirt would distract her male classmates. Joaninne Nanyange, who is a student at the Law Development Centre (LDC) in Kampala, Uganda, tried to enter the school's campus when she was stopped by a woman dressed in Khaki Police uniform at the centre's main entrance. The student was asked to pull her skirt down 'to see how far down it could go' to which Nanyange laughed and replied that it couldn't be pulled down any further. Law student Joaninne Nanyange showed up for a class as normal when she was stopped by a woman dressed in Khaki Police uniform at the centre's main entrance At this point she said she was denied access to the campus and as a result missed her class. In a Facebook outpouring, posted in late November after the ordeal, the student said another women with the police officer said the 'skirt was not long enough for LDC standards.' 'The uniformed woman flagged me down and being the law abiding citizen that I am, I stopped. She asked me to pull my skirt down to see how far down it could go. I burst into laughter. Her request didn't make sense. 'The other woman, ever with a very satisfied grin, told me I could not access the campus because my skirt was not long enough for LDC standards. I was shocked.' In an interview with BBC's World Have Your Say she blamed Uganda's patriarchal society which has created 'de facto' dress codes and pass rules controlling women's bodies. 'The reason they gave me, it wasn't about the fact that maybe your profession requires you to have this length of skirt, it was about the fact that if you go with this length of skirt, you're going to distract the men and boys that you're studying with in class. Eloquent: The aspiring lawyer blamed Uganda's patriarchal society for the ordeal 'I work hard, and I manage to pay therequired (amount) for LDC's tuition. But I can't access the campus to attend my classes because when 'my brothers' look at my knees and legs, they will get erections. 'Please let us live. Allow us to prosper. This nonsense needs to end,' she added. Further on in her Facebook post she asked why she should miss her classes 'because men cannot control their sexual urges' and alludes to the Ugandan parliament's debate in 2014 on whether mini skirts of skirts above knee should be outlawed. Victoria's Secret has been accused of 'cultural appropriation' and showcasing 'racist' underwear at its fashion show last night. A whole host of famous faces including Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid were among the Victoria's Secret Angels who modelled the lingerie company's designs on the runway. They wore elaborate creations, donning wings, tails, and statement jewellery as they walked the catwalk in Paris. Victoria's Secret has been accused of 'cultural appropriation' and showcasing 'racist' underwear at its fashion show Writer Helin Jung criticised the tail of flames worn by Kendall Jenner, left, and the embroidered stiletto boots seen on Adriana Lima, centre right However, the exotic lingerie has fallen foul of some, who were unimpressed by the Asian and Mexican influences to some of the designs, and accused the brand of 'cultural appropiation'. In a piece entitled 'Why Can't Victoria's Secret Stop Designing Racist Lingerie?', which appears to have since been taken down online, Helin Jung criticised the brand in Cosmopolitan magazine. Victoria's Secret was also criticised for that giant dragon that Angel Elsa Hosk wore wrapped around her body She accused the company of being condescending towards customers in China by borrowing from the country's culture. 'Stripping of cultures aside, the emblems that stood out most were the ones that came from Asia specifically China,' she wrote. 'The dragon that Elsa Hosk wore wrapped around her body, the embroidered stiletto boots seen on Adriana Lima, the tail made of flames worn by Kendall Jenner. 'There's a lot of talk of China as a dominant world power of the 21st century, and the U.S. government, Hollywood, and now Victoria's Secret, it seems, are pivoting to face a new reality. 'But the Orientalism on display here doesn't show an understanding or an attempt at dialogue. It doesn't close any gaps. 'What condescension, for Victoria's Secret to think that by wrapping a model in a dragon, it could connect directly with a new consumer in China,' Jung continued. The exotic lingerie has fallen foul of some, who were unimpressed by the Asian and Mexican influences to some of the designs The critical article has faced a fierce backlash with Twitter users rushing to defend the brand 'The brand and its creative leads shamelessly cherry-picked imagery, breaking apart aesthetic references from wherever they wanted and stitching them back together again. They're telling us its worldliness. It's not, it's a hack job,' she added. 'The fact is that even as the world gets more connected, a sexist, patriarchal, mostly white corporation continues to take what it wants for its own gain,' she continued, ending by telling VS to stick to 'thongs that don't have cultural references.' It is not the first time the brand has come under fire for something similar - in 2012 Victoria' Secret attracted criticism after Karlie Kloss modelled a Native American-style headdress on the runway. However, the article has faced a fierce backlash with Twitter users rushing to defend the brand. Twitter users have criticised the article and defended the Victoria's Secret collection Sophie Sandor did not agreed that the catwalk show was 'racist, sexist and patriarchal' Robby Soave wrote: 'Not to be dramatic or anything but this article makes me fearful that we are entering a new Dark Ages.' While Sophie Sandor wrote: 'Helin Jung tries to argue that Victoria's Secret's annual fashion show was racist, sexist & patriarchal. I'm searching for the reasons why.' Victorias Secret has not yet responded to Cosmopolitans allegation. Advertisement Dramatic pictures have emerged showing Iraqi forces arming themselves for a fresh Mosul offensive as it was revealed 2,000 of their soldiers were killed in the siege last month alone. Photos show an Iraqi Shiite fighter surrounded by machineguns and rocket launchers as he kits himself out for battle against ISIS. A range of weapons can be seen resting against an armoured vehicle as the unnamed soldier straps on a bullet-proof vest in Tal Abta, west of the war-torn city. Battle ready: A range of weapons can be seen resting against an armoured vehicle as the unnamed Iraqi soldier straps on a bullet-proof vest in Tal Abta, west of war-torn city Mosul Bravery: An Iraqi Shiite fighter from the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitaries fires his weapon near the town of Tal Abtah The scope of the toll the six-week old battle for Mosul has taken on Iraqi forces emerged today, with UN figures showing that around 2,000 had been killed in fighting last month alone The scope of the toll the six-week old battle for Mosul has taken on Iraqi forces emerged today, with UN figures showing that around 2,000 had been killed in fighting last month alone. While high casualty tolls were expected for what has been Iraq's toughest battle against ISIS to date, few figures had been released. The United Nations' mission in Iraq released monthly casualty figures for November that showed 1,959 members of the Iraqi forces were killed just last month and 450 others wounded. The UN toll includes members of the army, police engaged in combat, the Kurdish peshmerga, interior ministry forces and pro-government paramilitaries. The United Nations' mission in Iraq released monthly casualty figures for November that showed 1,959 members of the Iraqi forces were killed just last month and 450 others wounded The UN toll includes members of the army, police engaged in combat, the Kurdish peshmerga, interior ministry forces and pro-government paramilitaries At least 926 civilians were killed in Mosul, bringing to 2,885 the number of Iraqis killed in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict last month The UN statement also said at least 926 civilians were killed, bringing to 2,885 the number of Iraqis killed in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict last month. 'The casualty figures are staggering, with civilians accounting for a significant number of the victims,' the top UN envoy in Iraq, Jan Kubis, said. The spike in casualties comes as a major offensive to retake the ISIS stronghold of Mosul, Iraq's largest military operation in years, enters its seventh week. Kubis said the growing death toll was largely a result of the jihadists' ferocious defence of Mosul, the city where they proclaimed their now crumbling 'caliphate' in 2014. 'Daesh (ISIS) has been employing the most vicious tactics, using civilian homes as firing positions as well as abducting and forcibly moving civilians, effectively using them as human shields,' he said. The US-led coalition assisting anti-ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria admitted on Thursday to 'inadvertently' killing 54 civilians in both countries between March and October. The spike in casualties comes as a major offensive to retake the ISIS stronghold of Mosul, Iraq's largest military operation in years, enters its seventh week The US-led coalition assisting anti-ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria admitted Thursday to 'inadvertently' killing 54 civilians in both countries between March and October Iraqi forces members advance in the village of Arabat, south of Mosul, as temperatures continue to drop, on December 1, 2016 Tens of thousands of Iraqi troops and allied forces launched an offensive last month to retake Mosul, which was seized by ISIS more than two years ago 'Although the coalition makes extraordinary efforts to strike military targets in a manner that minimizes the risk of civilian casualties, in some cases casualties are unavoidable,' the coalition said in a statement. A July 18 strike that killed 100 ISIS fighters also killed as many as 24 civilians, the statement added. The UN did not provide a regional breakdown of the overall toll but its casualty figures have been going up steadily since the launch of the Mosul offensive on October 17. The number of members of the Iraqi forces killed released by the UN for October was 672. The highest number of civilian deaths recorded in November was in Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital, with 332, the UN figures showed. The highest number of civilian deaths recorded in November was in Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital, with 332, the UN figures showed Iraqi forces members gather to warm up around a fire in the village of Arabat, south of Mosul, amid plunging temperatures Iraqi forces fire a D30 122mm gun in the village of Abu Saif south of Mosul. nearly 2,000 Iraqi fighters were killed in the offensive in November The UN explained it had few reliable figures for the western province of Anbar, which has seen continued ISIS-related violence in recent weeks, and suggested that real casualty figures were likely higher. The government in Baghdad rarely divulges casualty figures during a military operation. Officials from the Kurdistan region's peshmerga ministry said more than 1,600 peshmerga fighters were killed since IS took over large parts of Iraq in June 2014. 'Since the beginning of the war against Daesh, which means June 2014, until November 30 (2016), the total number of martyrs is 1,614 and the wounded are 9,515,' peshmerga ministry secretary-general Jabar Yawar said. The Iraqi government's assault to retake the city of Mosul could take months, prompting more and more civilians to try to flee to avoid being trapped between frontlines, a senior official of the International Committee of the Red Cross said A growing number of wounded civilians, more than 100 on some days, are emerging from rural areas surrounding the city of one million that is held by ISIS, said Dominik Stillhart, director of ICRC operations worldwide. More than six weeks into the offensive against ISIS' last major city stronghold in Iraq, the army is trying to dislodge militants dug in among civilians in the eastern districts, the only side Iraqi troops have been able to breach Iraqi Shia women distribute tea to Iraqi fighters in the village of Arabat, south of Mosul, as temperatures continue to drop Burials at the main Shiite cemetery of Najaf, as well as partial figures provided by local officials across the country and the number of obituaries posted on Facebook also pointed to significant losses among the security forces. After the launch of the offensive in mid-October, tens of thousands of Iraqi forces started closing in on Mosul, retaking towns and villages in Nineveh province. Iraqi federal forces entered the city from the eastern side and admitted they were met by stiffer than expected resistance. Military officials and experts had warned before the start of the offensive that the toughest fighting would be on the western side of the city. The peshmerga were mostly involved in the early phase of the offensive and now hold positions a few miles from Mosul city limits. Military officials and experts had warned before the start of the offensive that the toughest fighting would be on the western side of the city This is the shocking video which left a state trooper fighting for his life after being run over by a drunk driver during a traffic stop. Illinois State Trooper Michael Cokins was working on the I-294 at North Avenue in Chicago on September 6, 2014, when he was run down by a truck driven by Leslie Thurow. As a result of the smash, Trooper Cokins suffered 15 broken bones requiring eight operations and 17 months of physio therapy before returning to work. Warning: graphic video Illinois State Trooper Michael Cokins pulled over this Jeep on the I-294 in Chicago Without warning, Cokins was crushed between both cars after Thurow lost control Cokins disappeared from view as Thurow sped on away from the scene Cokins was thrown into the windshield of the car he had pulled over and Thurow careered away before slamming into an SUV carrying a family of four which rolled over. Thurow's car then crashed into the concrete median. The shocking video shows how Cokins was squeezed between the jeep he had pulled over and Thurow's out of control truck. Cokins and Thurow met yesterday in Cook County Court House where the 61-year-old drunken driver from Mount Prospect, Illinois was jailed for 13 years. When tested at the scene of the crash, she was found to be drunk and was charged with several counts of aggravating driving under the influence, leaving the scene of a personal injury crash and aggravated reckless driving. Tests showed Thurow's blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit. At the time of the accident her licence had been revoked for previous drink driving convictions. She had spent the past two years in custody awaiting trial and sentencing. Leslie Thurow, 61, was jailed for 13 years following the accident on September 16, 2014 The incident happened on the I-294 near North Avenue outside Chicago Cokins was only declared medically fit to return to duty on May 1, 2016 and is back patrolling the highways of the north Tri-State. Illinois State Police director Leo P Schmitz said: 'Drinking and driving is a dangerous choice that can lead to deadly consequences. Driving under the influence is never a good option and can be very costly both financially and criminally. Always designate a driver before consuming alcohol.' Thurow had been up in court on another drink driving charge having spent three months in jail just two days before the accident, according to the Chicago Tribune. The trial judge released her on probation but warned her to stay off the road. Addressing Thurow in court, Cokins said: 'As I get older, I will have to live with what you did to me for the rest of my life. One thing I do not want to live with is knowing you got off easy, again. So I will bear the burden to make sure you never hurt another person again. An early-morning joyride ended in tragedy when a young man lost control of his car which exploded into flames, killing his passenger. The driver of the car, Dylan Dahl, 24, is clinging to life in hospital after being dragged from the inferno by a passing motorist. His front seat passenger Jayke Robinson, 20, died at the scene. The horrific accident occurred in the early hours of Friday morning on a stretch of road in West Dapto - near Wollongong, an hour south of Sydney. Jayke Robinson, 20, was killed after a car he was a passenger in lost control and hit a tree Dylan Dahl, 24, is fighting for life in a Wollongong hospital after being freed from the car before it was engulfed by flames The car exploded into flames before the 20-year-old driver could be dragged to safety Mr Dahl was pulled free from the fiery wreckage by quick-thinking locals who fought flames to pull him to safety. Police said speed was likely to be a factor in the tragic accident. Chilling images from the scene show the car was completely incinerated after it came to a deadly stop. '(The resident has) done a great job and they've probably saved that fella's life,' Lake Illawarra Police Inspector Paul Allman said. The driver was originally taken to Wollongong hospital with what police described as 'minor injuries' however he has since been upgraded to critical. Police say speed was likely to be a factor in the crash which happened at 2am on Friday A red P-plate can be seen among the dislodged debris from the car - but it is unknown in the 24-year-old man was the owner of the plate. Friends and family have posted in memory of Jayke. 'I'll always remember the terror we caused as kids..my heart goes out to your family. Taken way to (sic) young,' Toby Butterworth said. 'Things like this that happen aren't fair, Rip,' Grace Sargeson said. Jayke was a local boy who has been remembered fondly by his friends and family in the hours after his shock death The charred and twisted remains of the burnt-out car were removed on Friday Others included well-wishes for the driver and his family. 'Fly high bro respect and love to the families involved, Hope dyl pulls through praying for you brother xx,' Keiran Galway wrote. 'RIP, and praying for Dylan Dahl,' another woman wrote. There have been 357 deaths on NSW roads this year - up on 322 for 2015. More than 200 pounds of heroin worth about $11million were discovered by police in California in a tractor trailer they pulled over for speeding. The truck was stopped Thursday morning in the high desert city of Victorville, about 80 miles from Los Angeles, the California Highway Patrol tells KABC-TV. Authorities believe the truck was headed to Canada. Scroll down for video More than 200 pounds of heroin worth about $11million were discovered by police in California in a tractor trailer they pulled over for speeding The truck was stopped Thursday morning in the high desert city of Victorville, about 80 miles from Los Angeles, the California Highway Patrol says Cops explained that 'criminal indicators' led them to believe there was more going on than just a truck driver heading to Canada Officer Robert Mendenhall told Victor Valley News that he stopped the tractor trailer for speeding around 8am Thursday. He said: 'Subsequently, I pulled out my K-9, sniffed the exterior of the tractor trailer. 'The dog alerted, the dog also then alerted inside the trailer. Officer Robert Mendenhall told Victor Valley News that he stopped the tractor trailer for speeding around 8am Thursday 'We then located a large quantity of narcotics inside the rear of the trailer mixed in with the load.' The drugs were packed in boxes marked with labels indicating they contained skin-care cream. The driver was arrested for investigation of possession and transportation of narcotics Authorities believe the truck was headed to Canada. The truck is pictured here The driver was arrested for investigation of possession and transportation of narcotics. Mendenhall told Victor Valley News: 'The story and his nervousness brought on the attention - that there's something going on here. 'What we call his criminal indicators led us to believe that there's more going on here than just a truck driver heading to Canada.' A driver was rushed to hospital after a bus carrying 350 litres of fuel burst into flames. Smoke started streaming from the double-decker 371 bus as it pulled into a stop in Kingston, south west London at around 9am this morning. Moments later the rear of the vehicle was engulfed in flames. Residents were evacuated from their homes amid fears the bus could explode but the fire has since been brought under control, the London Fire Brigade said. The driver was treated for smoke inhalation before being taken to hospital. It is understood there were no other casualties. Scroll down for video Residents have been evacuated after a bus burst into flames on a London street Pictures shared on social media showed the back of the double-decker engulfed in flames The driver needed medical treatment at the scene after inhaling smoke. Pictures shared on social media showed the back of the double-decker engulfed in flames, sending dark plumes of smoke into the sky. Seb Ellis, a communications officer based at a nearby police station, said: 'It pulled in and we saw smoke coming out of it while there were people still on board. 'So we ran out of the office to help and put closures in place.' Witness Martin Delaney, who arrived on the scene as firefighters had got the blaze under control, said the scene was 'pretty chaotic'. Mr Delaney, who shared photos of the burnt-out bus with wires hanging from its rear, added: 'The road was taped off, there were acrid burning smells, local shops' fire alarms or smoke detectors had been triggered - it was quite a mess.' Emergency services fear the bus could explode, next to shops and buildings Witness Rich Carpenter said: 'The bus was smoking when I went into a shop and was on fire when I came back out.' London Fire Brigade said the fire was under control just after 10am. The cause is unknown. A Nazi prisoner of war has given his home and life savings of 400,000 to a British village where he experienced kindness and generosity during his imprisonment. Heinrich Steinmeyer, 90, pledged the money to elderly residents in the village of Comrie, Perthshire, where he was held captive during the Second World War. He was grateful for being treated with humanity by both the troops who captured him and the guards at the camp where he was kept until the end of the war. POW: Heinrich Steinmeyer (pictured), 85, has given his home and life savings of 400,000 to a British village where he experienced kindness and generosity during his imprisonment Under gruard: Mr Steinmeyer pledged the money to elderly residents in Comrie, Perthshire, where he was held captive at Cultybraggan camp (above) during the Second World War Now, following his death in 2014, the money donated by Steinmeyer - who served in a Waffen-SS combat division has finally reached the village. The Comrie Development Trust which bought Cultybraggan camp for 350,000 in 2007, has now received a donation of 457,180 (386,086). Andrew Reid from the trust said: 'This story is about Heinrich Steinmeyer's gratitude for how he was treated and welcomed in this village and other parts of Scotland. 'His gratitude will live on in the way that it will support older people in Comrie.' Mr Steinmeyer was taken to the camp housing ardent Nazis after being captured in Normandy in August 1944. His SS Panzer division had been savaged by the Allies. But he said both the guards and villagers treated him so well that he decided to remain in Scotland for seven years after the war. Appreciative: He was grateful for being treated with humanity by both the troops who captured him and the guards at the camp (pictured) where he was kept until the end of the war Friendships: Letters from Mr Steinmeyer sent to George Carson, an elderly resident of Comrie In 2009, Mr Steinmeyer said: 'I always wanted to repay the generosity they showed me. They deserve everything I have to give them. And it is far better they have it than anyone else. Cultybraggan was a holiday camp compared to the fighting. The whole place was so beautiful. It went straight to my heart, and I thought "why have I been fighting this bloody war?". They were tough, but always fair. I didn't expect to find this attitude. I was not just the enemy, but a Nazi. Such friendliness was a surprise, but it is in the British nature. It was so much better than being told to lie in a filthy foxhole - and to die there.' After the war he decided to stay in Comrie after learning that his home town had become a part of Poland and was stunned by the kindness of villagers. They even sent parcels to his mother in Germany after learning she had fallen ill. Elderly residents of Comrie knew Mr Steinbermeyer by his nickname 'Heinz'. Cultybraggan camp - which once held Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess - became notorious after the inmates hanged one of their number in 1944 after accusing him of leaking an escape plot Housing: Mr Steinmeyer was taken to the camp housing ardent Nazis after being captured in Normandy. His SS Panzer division had been savaged by the Allies He returned to the village - which has a population of around 1,800 - regularly, and became 'Uncle Heinz' to five families, to whom he sent gifts every year. His will read: I would like to express my gratitude to the people of Scotland for the kindness and generosity that I have experienced in Scotland during my imprisonment of war and hereafter. It specifically stated that the proceeds from the sale of his house and other possessions was to be used for elderly people. Mr Reid said executing the will and the sale of property to release the funds for transfer to Britain had involved a complex and very lengthy process. The trust is still working with the German solicitors to settle outstanding debts incurred by Mr Steinmeyer appointing legal advisors. Mr Reid added: Heinrich Steinmeyer wanted to express his deep gratitude for the way he was treated as a prisoner and for his time working in Scotland after the war. Mr Steinmeyer (left, as a young member of the SS) said both the guards at the camp (right) and villagers treated him so well that he remained in Scotland for seven years after the war German home: In his later life Mr Steinmeyer lived in this house in Delmenhorst, near Bremen He wanted to give thanks for his welcome back as a visitor to Comrie and Scotland. Heinrich's personal history is an amazing story of friendship and appreciation, and people in Comrie will both honour and benefit from his legacy. The money has been transferred to a special Heinrich Steinmeyer Legacy Fund, set up by Comrie Development Trust as a separate account. The money will be 'used exclusively to provide for local developments for older people, suggested by older people'. Cultybraggan - which once held Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess - was where the inmates hanged one of their number in 1944 after accusing him of leaking an escape plot. Mr Steinmeyer was born in 1924 and grew up in Silesia - now part of Poland - with only basic education. Letters: Mr Steinmeyer joined the Nazis in 1941 at the age of 17, and joined the Hitler Youth SS 12th Panzer Division - which has been linked to war crimes Cultybraggan: Mr Steinmeyer, as an SS soldier, was expected to die defending the Fuhrer, but was captured in the fight for a bridge in Caen and taken to the camp (pictured) He came from a very poor family and worked as an apprentice butcher on a pitiful wage before joining the SS aged 17 and fighting on the Western Front. He joined the Hitler Youth SS 12th Panzer Division - which has been linked to war crimes, notably the execution of 140 Canadian prisoners in 1944. It was recruited from the ranks of the Hitler Youth and, with 20,000 men, first saw action in June 1944 in the Normandy campaign. It emerged with only 12,500 men. After fighting the Americans in the Battle of the Bulge in 1944 and later the Red Army, it withdrew to Austria and the 10,000 survivors surrendered in May 1945. Mr Steinmeyer was expected to die defending the Fuhrer, but was captured in the fight for a bridge in Caen. In the present day: After the war Mr Steinmeyer decided to stay in Comrie after learning that his home town had become a part of Poland and was stunned by the kindness of villagers Popular man: He returned to Comrie - which has a population of around 1,800 - regularly, and became 'uncle Heinz' to five families, to whom he sent gifts every year He was classified as a category C prisoner when he was dispatched to Perthshire, which meant he was a hard-line Nazi, committed to the cause and dangerous. After being captured, Mr Steinmeyer was held at Cultybraggan from September 1944 to June 1945. From there he was sent to Watten, Caithness, another maximum security Nazi camp. At the end of the war Steinmeyer was sent to a camp in Ladybank, Fife. He stayed in Scotland after he was released from detention in 1948 and settled in Stranraer where he found work on farms in the area. home World Norway fines Catholic church for inflating membership to receive government funding The Norwegian Catholic church has been fined for magnifying the number of its members in order to receive more state funding. The Diocese of Oslo, which was in charge of keeping records of Catholics living in Norway, was ordered by prosecutors to pay the fine of 1 million kroner (about $142,000), AFP reported. It was alleged that the diocese went through telephone directories to look for immigrants with names that suggested that they came from Catholic countries and added them to the list of members between 2011 and 2014. In Norway, which is predominantly Protestant, various religious minorities receive state funding in accordance with the number of church members. The diocese was able to obtain more government subsidies by inflating its membership figures, according to the prosecution. Thuan cong Pham, the chief administrative officer of the diocese, has been charged with aggravated fraud. "We've never done anything illegal or received too much money," the Church said in a statement. "We have always recognised that we have made mistakes and had an unfortunate practice in parts of our registration. This was cleaned up a long [time] ago," it added. The Church argued that there has been a surge immigration from Catholic countries, such as Poland, beginning in 2004. The immigrants were not registered, which led to an increase in church spending without a corresponding increase in government support. The state also ordered the Church the repay the amount of 40.6 million kroner ($4.4 million). Statistics Norway reported that there has been a 42 percent increase in the number of Catholics in the country since 2012, according to Crux. It was noted that the Norwegian Catholic church had about 145,000 members this year. The Church recently opened the St. Olav Cathedral in Trondheim to accommodate the growing Catholic community. "It had become too small, since the number of people attending the Catholic Church in TrAndelag and Norway is growing rapidly; with an annual growth of 15 percent in recent years," said Bishop Bernt Eidsvig of the Oslo diocese. The increase has been attributed to immigration from Eastern European and Asian countries, including the Philippines. It was estimated that about 30,000 Filipinos are currently living in the Scandinavian country, and another 35,000 are employed in Norwegian-owned or operated ships, or in shipyards. A male deputy headteacher will be returning to his school as a woman after Christmas, it was revealed today. Mark James will begin gender transition from January 1 and has asked to be called Madeleine James when the new term starts. Pupils and parents at state comprehensive St Laurence School in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, have been urged to be supportive and respectful. The school is offering advice and help to any of the pupils who may find the news difficult to come to digest. New life: Mark James will begin gender transition from January 1 and has asked to be called Madeleine James when the new term starts at St Laurence School (pictured) in Bradford on Avon Headteacher Fergus Stewart sent an open email and letter to parents and carers on Wednesday informing them of the deputy head's planned transition. It read: 'We can confirm a member of staff is planning a gender transition from January 1, 2017. Headteacher Fergus Stewart sent an open email and letter to parents and carers on Wednesday informing them of the deputy head's planned transition 'This is something that has been planned carefully with advisers, students, staff and parents in a clear and careful way. Our school community is united in supporting our colleague. 'One of our longstanding teachers, Mr Mark James, will be making a gender transition from January 1, 2017, and from then on will be known as Ms Madeleine James. 'As you can imagine this decision has required courage and a long period of planning and preparation. 'I am confident that our students will respond magnificently - indeed they already have. St Laurence has a reputation as a supportive community. 'The following few weeks, in particular, will be an opportunity for us to practise our values of diversity, equality, teamwork, honesty and learning and to demonstrate that we really are, as our mission statement says, a caring respectful, inclusive community'. Parents have also been invited to raise any questions they may have to staff at the school. Mr Stewart's email added: 'I know that you will want to play your part in helping your child and us with this, even if this process is one that you find challenging in terms of your personal experiences, views or beliefs. A deputy headmistress has come under fire after she told parents coughs and colds are not a good enough reason to keep their children home from school. Doctors criticised Karina Garrick after she sent a letter to parents at William Read Primary School in Canvey, Essex, saying the illnesses are 'a natural part of winter'. She added: 'The more germs children are exposed to the better their immune system becomes as they get older.' Local GP Dr Marimuthu Velmurugan warned of the potentially dangerous consequences of leaving such minor illnesses untreated. Doctors criticised Karina Garrick after she sent a letter to parents at William Read Primary School in Canvey, Essex, pictured, saying the illnesses are 'a natural part of winter' He said: 'I've seen it with my own eyes, when a child who contracts a cough or cold isn't taken to a doctor. I've seen children end up in hospital. 'William Read is a good school. But I don't think schools who haven't got a nurse on site should ask children to go in if they have a cough or cold. 'Only a qualified nurse can make that judgement call. Parents must use their instinct, and common sense will prevail.' Another local doctor, who did not want to be named, said health complications can sometimes arise when a child catches the common cold virus. He added: 'I understand it makes sense to encourage children to go to school. But from a healthcare perspective it is potentially dangerous. 'If a child's immune system is low they will be more likely to catch the virus and pass it on, so it spreads. Many children have other health complications, so being surrounded by people with viruses could cause problems.' NHS guidelines state: 'A child with a minor cough or cold may attend school. If the cold is accompanied by a raised temperature, shivers or drowsiness, the child should stay off school.' Ms Garrick has since defended the letter, saying she is not aware of any pupils with underlying medical conditions. She added: 'Coughs and colds are not a reason to not come to school. We go to work, so children should come to school. 'If a child has just a sniffle, then they will be okay to come in. 'We have safety measures, and a duty of care towards the children, and we ask parents to take a common sense approach.' Canvey West councillor Ray Howard said he supported the advice. He said: 'I'm a supporter of healthcare professionals, but on this occasion I have to disagree with them and support the school. 'The staff have a hard job to do, and if they don't hit their attendance rate they're criticised. If a child has the occasional cold or cough, they should be sent to school, it doesn't do an awful lot of harm.' The final hours of writer Robert Louis Stevenson are detailed in a moving letter written by his grieving widow that has been obtained by the National Library of Scotland. The letter from Fanny Stevenson to a friend was written the day after her husband, the celebrated author of Treasure Island, collapsed and died from what is thought to have been a brain haemorrhage at their home in Samoa on December 3, 1894. He was only 44. 'His life had been one long romance and he hoped to have a romantic end; the artist in him demanded that completeness,' writes Fanny in her tight script on small notepaper. 'To grow old he could not bear. He has had his wish and, for that, I try to be thankful, though all the rest of my life will be empty and lonely. True, I have my children but I have not Louis. No one knows what that means but me.' A letter has been obtain by the National Library of Scotland in which the wife of celebrated writer Robert Louis Stevenson details her husband's final moments Details of the letters were released ahead of the anniversary of Stevenson's death She says she had been crushed by a sense of impending disaster for days before Stevenson's death and he had sought to lighten her mood by playing cards. Then, together, they began to make mayonnaise for dinner. She wrote: 'I began to mix the mayonnaise; he dropping the oil with a steady hand, drop by drop. Suddenly, he set down the bottle, knelt by the table, leaning his head against it. I cannot go on just now. 'It was the hand of death that had stricken him down. In less than five minutes he was profoundly insensible and so remained till the end. It was about six when he knelt at the table and at ten minutes after eight, he passed away. In a very short time, we had two doctors and a medical missionary here but there was nothing to do.' The letter is one of a series sent by Fanny and her husband to Anne Jenkin, the wife of Stevenson's former Edinburgh University tutor and professor of engineering, Fleeming Jenkin. The letter - to a friend of Stevenson's - is written in Fanny's beautiful handwriting She described how the writer dropped to the floor while the couple stood making mayonnaise The letters, together with an incomplete manuscript of an essay, telegrams, photographs and newspaper cuttings, were bought by the Library at auction. They add to the Library's existing rich collection of Stevenson material which includes important papers about his early life in Edinburgh, his development as a writer and his time in Samoa. WHO WAS ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON? Robert Louis Stevenson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on November 13, 1850. His father was a noted lighthouse builder and harbour engineer. Stevenson attended Edinburgh University when he was 16 and began studying engineering. But the teenager soon discovered his passion for writing and the English language and started to write. Between 1877 and 1897 Stevenson wrote 13 novels. His most famous works are Treasure Island, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Kidnapped and A Child's Garden of Verses. Stevenson died in Samoa on December 3, 1894, aged 44. He was talking to his wife and asked her 'does my face look strange?' before he collapsed. He pronounced dead just hours later. Advertisement National Librarian Dr John Scally said: 'It is pleasing that these letters relating to one of Scotland's greatest ever writers are part of the collection in the city and the country of his birth. They are sure to be of interest to scholars and the wider public and we are delighted to have acquired them.' Fanny's letter also describes the devotion of native Samoans to her husband, who was known to them as 'Tusitala' - or story teller. 'Stevenson's wish was to be buried at the top of Mount Vaea which overlooked his home on Samoa. That involved 40 Samoans labouring for hours to cut a path through the bush to the ancient burial place of chiefs. There, his grave was dug and a makeshift tinsel cross was placed at its head. 'Nothing that money could buy would have pleased Louis more or more clearly touched his heart than that little tinsel cross,' she adds. Stevenson had been dogged by ill health for most of his life and lived in many places to try to find a climate best suited to his health. He had no expectation of a long life. 'I try to remember how he had hoped to go like this,' Fanny writes. She adds: 'That very day he had said to me 'the thought of dying in bed is horrible to me; I want to die like a clean human being on my feet. The letter is one of a series sent by Fanny and her husband to Anne Jenkin, the wife of Stevenson's former Edinburgh University tutor and professor of engineering, Fleeming Jenkin Stevenson purchased a tract of land in Upolu, an island in Samoa, in 1890, and moved there 'I want to die in my clothes, to fall just as I stand.' He did. It was only at the very end, for the last few breaths, that we laid him down.' Europol director Ron Wainwright said a string of attacks in Europe had prompted improved cooperation across Europe Britain is high on the target list for dozens of potential terrorists under the command of ISIS in Europe, security services have warned. Europol said that - in the wake of murderous attacks in Belgium and France - extremists are likely to strike again in the near future. All EU member states participating in the coalition against IS - including Britain - are regarded by the group as 'legitimate targets'. 'France remains high on the target list for IS aggression in the EU, but so too do Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom,' according to a report published on Friday by Europol. It added: 'Estimates from some intelligence services indicate several dozen people directed by IS may be currently present in Europe with a capability to commit terrorist attacks, and that there are indications that IS has been preparing terrorist attacks in Europe since 2013.' Intelligence suggests that IS has assembled teams in Syria which are sent to the EU tasked with carrying out attacks, the study said. The Europol paper also said: The scale and impact of 'lone actor' attacks is increasing A 'real and imminent danger' is the possibility of elements of the Sunni Muslim Syrian refugee diaspora becoming vulnerable to radicalisation once in Europe and being specifically targeted by Islamic extremist recruiters Unconfirmed information suggests German authorities were aware of around 300 recorded attempts made by jihadists to recruit refugees who were trying to enter Europe by April 2016. Automatic firearms remain the weapons of choice of terrorist cells - but it is also possible that IS will consider the use of chemical or biological weapons in the EU, while car bombs could also emerge as an attack method. Counter-terrorism experts are concerned that Libya could develop into a 'second springboard' for IS, after Syria, for attacks in the EU and the North African region Individuals and groups involved in terrorist and extremist activities use encryption to conceal their communications from law enforcement and intelligence agencies Europol also raised the prospect of an increased rate in the return of foreign fighters if IS is defeated or severely weakened in Syria and Iraq. Increased military pressure on IS - including a major offensive in Mosul, Iraq - has sparked concern about potential displacement of militants. The report said: 'Those who manage to enter the EU will pose a potential security risk for the Union. Given the high numbers involved, this represents a significant and long-term security challenge.' It was revealed earlier this year that around 850 people linked to the UK and regarded as a security threat are believed to have taken part in the Syrian conflict, with just under half thought to have returned to this country. Europe has been on high alert since the Paris attacks in November last year which which left 137 people and more than 368 injured, pictured In March, bombers blew up Brussels Airport as part of a string of attacks launched in Europe by ISIS inspired terrorists Gilles de Kerchove, EU counter-terrorism coordinator, said: 'We have to be vigilant, since the threat posed by the so-called Islamic State and returning foreign fighters is likely to persist in the coming years. 'These people are trained to use explosives and firearms and they have been indoctrinated by the jihadist ideology.' Europol director Rob Wainwright said: 'The last two years have seen a number of jihadist attacks, several of which have caused mass casualties. 'The scale of this threat has been widely acknowledged in Europe, triggering an intensified cooperation between police and security services across the continent leading to an increase of arrests and plots foiled before terror attacks could be carried out.' The official threat level for international terrorism in the UK is currently severe - meaning an attack is 'highly likely'. Britain's security services and counter-terrorism units have foiled at least ten attacks in the past two years. Advertisement A previously unknown Cold War skirmish in the skies which could have sparked a major diplomatic crisis between the West and USSR, has been revealed in a new book. The incident above the Barents Sea, near Soviet waters, took place between a US Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird and a MiG-31, the premier Soviet interceptor aircraft, at the height of the Cold War 30 years ago. It is documented in recently declassified documents which are analysed in a new book. A shoot-out in the skies - which would have had devastating ramifactions at a time of escalated tensions between the Cold War superpowers - was only narrowly avoided. Scroll down for video The incident above the Barents Sea, near Soviet waters, took place between a US Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (pictured left) and a MiG-31, the premier Soviet interceptor aircraft; US pilots Curt Osterheld (near left) and Ed Yeilding A shoot-out in the skies - which would have had devastating ramifactions at a time of escalated tensions between the Cold War superpowers - was only narrowly avoided (MiG-31 pictured) The alarming episode is revealed in British historian Paul Crickmore's new book Lockheed Blackbird, Beyond the Secret Missions. On October 6, 1986, a SR-71 Blackbird was carrying out a reconnaissance mission just outside the territorial waters of Russia's Murmansk area coastline. They were tasked with keeping an eye on a Soviet ballistic missile submarine fleet. However, the Blackbird was not alone in the skies - there was a Soviet interceptor on their trail. The Blackbird managed to shake off the hostile aircraft and complete its mission, but it was far too close for comfort. In Mr Crickmore's book, US pilot Lieutenant Colonel Ed Yeilding describes the terrifying incident. The pilot stated: 'In the distance far ahead, at perhaps 100 miles, I could see a long, bright white Russian contrail flying directly towards us, but at much lower altitude. 'I knew it must be a Soviet fighter, probably a MiG-31, then the newest Soviet interceptor. 'I raised my periscope and saw too that we were leaving a long contrail. 'I knew the fighter could see our contrail as easily as I could see his. 'I imagined the Soviet pilot was much like me, with a love of aviation and trying hard to be one of the very best. 'I also assumed he had orders to fire his missiles if I was late with my turn and slipped over Soviet territorial waters to within 12nm of Soviet land, and I assumed the pilot would like nothing better than an opportunity to fire his missiles at an SR-71 Blackbird. 'I believed the Soviet fighter would not fire his missiles as long as we stayed on our usual track, but I also knew he or his ground controllers could mistake our position as being closer than we actually were. 'We had no defences like flares against heat-seeking missiles, but again, we believed that missile 'probability of kill' was very low due to our high speed and altitude. 'I was determined to fly the track as planned and get the pictures. 'Flying straight toward each other in our supersonic jets, I was reminded of two gallant medieval knights galloping full speed toward each other, only I did not have a weapon. 'For survival, Curt (Lieutenant Colonel Curt Osterheld) and I depended on accurate navigation to keep us just outside Soviet territorial waters to prevent a launch, and we depended on our superior speed and altitude in case missiles were launched. 'From my F-4 experience with intercepts and visual acuity, my best guess is that eight miles was his closest approach. 'He appeared to run out of airspeed at the top of his contrail, at maybe 65,000ft or 10,000ft below us. 'I saw his nose below the horizon and fall away. 'Curt and I stayed the course and got the pictures.' Author Mr Crickmore, a former air traffic controller from Worcstershire, said there would have been 'hell to pay' if the plane had been shot down. He said: 'If they had shot it down you were looking at a very, very serious international incident, particularly if it involved the fatality of crew members. 'There would have been hell to pay. HOW THE COLDWAR RIVALS, THE US LOCKHEED SR71-BLACKBIRD AND RUSSIAN MiG-31 INTERCEPTOR JET COMPARED US SR71-Blackbird Crew: Two, pilot and reconnaissance officer Length: 107 ft 5 in (32.74 m) Wingspan: 55 ft 7 in (16.94 m) Height: 18 ft 6 in (5.64 m) Wing area: 1,800 ft2 (170 m2) Max. takeoff weight: 172,000 lb (78,000 kg) Maximum speed: Mach 3.3 at 80,000 ft Range: 2,900 nmi at 80,000 ft Rate of climb: 11,820 ft/m (60 m/s) Russian MiG-31 Crew: Two, pilot and weapons system officer Length: 22.69 m (74 ft 5 in) Wingspan: 13.46 m (44 ft 2 in) Height: 6.15 m (20 ft 2 in) Wing area: 61.6 m2 (663 ft2) Max. takeoff weight: 46,200 kg (101,900 lb) Maximum speed: Mach 2.83 at high altitude Combat range: 3,000 km Rate of climb: 208 m/s (41,000 ft/min) Advertisement On October 6, 1986, a SR-71 Blackbird was carrying out a reconnaissance mission just outside the territorial waters of Russia's Murmansk area coastline (right) in a photograph taken by Ed Yeilding and Curt Osterheld from 70,000ft Curt Osterheld takes a photograph in his 'office' over 70,000ft high whilst flying a SR-71 Blackbird which was retired in 1998 THE RECORD BREAKING SR-71 BLACKBIRD: THE PLANE WHICH SPIED ON THE RUSSIANS The SR-71 was the world's fastest and highest-flying operational manned aircraft throughout its career. On July 28 1976 it broke the world record for absolute altitude - reaching 85,069 feet. That same day a different SR-71 set an absolute speed record of 2,193.2mph - a record it still holds today. The SR-71 also holds the Speed Over a Recognized Course record for flying from New York to London a distance of 3,461.53 miles travelling at 1,806.964 miles per hour - at an elapsed time of 1 hour 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds. This record was set on September 1 1974 while flown by U.S. Air Force Pilot Major James Sullivan and Major Noel Widdifield. In comparison, the best commercial Concorde flight time was 2 hours 52 minutes and the Boeing 747 averages 6 hours 15 minutes. When the SR-71 was initially retired in 1990 a Blackbird was flown on March 6 from California to Virginia. Lt. Col. Raymond E. 'Ed' Yielding and Lt. Col. Joseph T. 'JT' Vida set four new speed records in the process: 1. Los Angeles, CA, to Washington, D.C., distance 2,299.7 miles, average speed 2,144.8 miles per hour (3,451.7 km/h), and an elapsed time of 64 minutes 20 seconds. 2. West Coast to East Coast, distance 2,404 miles, average speed 2,124.5 miles per hour, and an elapsed time of 67 minutes 54 seconds. 3. Kansas City, Missouri, to Washington, D.C., distance 942 miles, average speed 2,176 miles per hour, and an elapsed time of 25 minutes 59 seconds. 4. St. Louis, Missouri, to Cincinnati, Ohio, distance 311.4 miles, average speed 2,189.9 miles per hour and an elapsed time of 8 minutes 32 seconds. These four speed records were accepted by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), the recognized body for aviation records in the United States. Advertisement 'It was bad enough when the North Koreans fired at an SR-71 flying in a demilitarised zone (in 1967). 'Even though they missed, they take these things extremely seriously - there are so few aircraft because of the costs involved in building and flying them.' The Blackbird was the fastest and highest-flying operational airplane of its time. It could cruise above 80,000ft at more than 2,000 miles per hour, making it perfect for reconnaissance missions during the Cold War. In 1960, US spy plane pilot Gary Powers was shot down over the Russian city of Sverdlovsk. His U-2 spy plane was more than 70,000 ft above the ground when it was taken out by Soviet missiles. Eventually, he returned home as a part of a Cold War prisoner exchange. The story has been told in Steven Spielberg's movie Bridge of Spies. A former air traffic controller, Mr Crickmore gained a unique introduction into Lockheed Blackbird SR-71 operations from RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk. For his updated edition of the book, he spoke to both US and Soviet pilots and ploughed through files of newly declassified documents. He said: 'When I first wrote a book (about the Lockheed Blackbird SR-71, in 1986) there was so much information which was highly classified as top secret. A Virginia school district has banned two classic American novels after parents complained they were racist. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn have been temporarily removed from shelves because they use the N-word more than 250 times. Twain published his book in December 1884 in London, while Lee's novel was first seen in 1960. Scroll down for video One parent was stunned to discover that Mark Twain's classic novel, which was published in 1884, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning effort by Harper Lee, right, published in 1960, contained 'so much racial slurs and defensive wording in there that you can't get past that' Harper Lee, right, won a Pulitzer Prize for her novel To Kill a Mockingbird, while Hollywood actor Gregory Peck, left, won an Oscar playing the book's protagonist Atticus Finch Both novels have been praised by critics, with Twain's describing the American south of the 1860s using a vernacular language featuring almost 220 uses of the N-word. However, critics regard both works as scathing rejections of racism. Lee's Pulizer prize-winning novel was adapted into a movie with Gregory Peck winning an Oscar for his portrayal of Atticus Finch, the book's protagonist. Both the film and the book have received overwhelming critical praise, due to the strong anti-racism message in the story. Yet, according to WTVR.com, Accomack County Public Schools has removed both books from the shelves of its schools while they investigate complains into the books which, which have been available for 56 years, in the case of Lee's novel and 132 years with Huck Finn. One mother complained: 'There's so much racial slurs and defensive wording in there that you can't get past that. Right now, we are a nation divided as it is.' As a result of the complaint, Accomack County Public Schools in Virginia have removed both critically acclaimed novels from their shelves while they conduct and investigation Social media users condemned the attempts to ban both classic novels from the schools After becoming aware of the contents of these two critically acclaimed classic American novels, she filed a 'Request for Reconsideration of Learning Resources' form. School authorities were forced to act on the complaint and removed the novels pending 'a review committee consisting of the principal, the library media specialist, the classroom teacher (if involved, a parent and / or student, and the complainant will convene.' One parent Teresa Wilkins said: 'It's in a book and they'll feel they are able to say that to anybody, and so I don't feel that that should be done.' Advertisement Protesters at Standing Rock are facing bitterly cold temperatures ahead as supporters have been told that they will be fined $1,000 if they take supplies to the camp. Thousands of activists are braving freezing conditions as they protest against a Dakota pipeline project near a Native American reservation. Temperatures in Cannon Ball are expected to fall to just 4 degrees Fahrenheit (-16 Celsius) by the middle of next week. Scroll down for video Protesters at Standing Rock are facing bitterly cold temperatures ahead as supporters are told that they will be fined $1,000 if they take supplies to the camp Activists are braving freezing conditions as they protest against a Dakota pipeline project near a Native American reservation Temperatures in Cannon Ball are expected to fall to just 4 degrees Fahrenheit (-16 Celsius) by the middle of next week North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple issued an 'emergency evacuation' order on Monday, which he said was mainly due to concerns about 'harsh winter conditions' Protesters say the $3.8billion pipeline planned to run beneath a lake near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation poses a threat to water resources and sacred Native American sites. State officials said on Tuesday they would fine anyone bringing prohibited items into the main protest camp following North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple's 'emergency evacuation' order on Monday. A spokesman for Morton County Sheriff's Department explained: 'If delivery trucks are observed going into the evacuation area they will be notified that they are guilty of the infraction and could receive up to a $1000 fine if they continue.' More than 2,000 US military veterans have signed up to join the protest camp, with hundreds expected to arrive on Friday. Protesters argue the $3.8billion pipeline project poses a threat to water resources and sacred Native American sites Native American activists travelled to join protesters at the Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation A procession makes its way down to the Cannonball River to take part in a Native American water ceremony Activists have been gearing up for the winter while they await the Army Corps decision on whether to allow the pipeline to run beneath the reservoir Protesters wrapped up warm as they made their way down to the Cannonball River in snowy conditions on Thursday Veterans Stand for Standing Rock will spend the day building a barracks at the Oceti Sakowin camp near Cannon Ball and coordinating with protesters who have spent months rallying against pipeline plans. The veterans intend to form a human wall in front of police to protect protesters. Governor Dalrymple said state officials never contemplated forcibly removing protesters and his evacuation order was mainly due to concerns about inclement weather endangering people. Overnight temperatures dropped to around 22F on Thursday night. More than 2,000 US military veterans have signed up to join the protest camp, with some having already arrived Veterans Stand for Standing Rock will spend the day building a barracks at the Oceti Sakowin camp near Cannon Ball and coordinating with protesters The 1,172-mile pipeline project, owned by Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, is mostly complete, except for a segment planned to run under Lake Oahe The 1,172-mile (1,885-km) pipeline project, owned by Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, is mostly complete, except for a segment planned to run under Lake Oahe, a reservoir formed by a dam on the Missouri River. Protesters have been gearing up for the winter while they await the Army Corps decision on whether to allow Energy Transfer Partners to tunnel under the river. That decision has been delayed twice by the Army Corps. Governor Dalrymple has said it was 'probably not feasible' to reroute the pipeline, but he would try to rebuild a relationship with Standing Rock Sioux leaders. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday said he supports the completion of the pipeline. Trump's transition team also said he supported peaceful protests. Governor Dalrymple has said it was 'probably not feasible' to reroute the pipeline, but he would try to rebuild a relationship with Standing Rock Sioux leaders The governor said state officials never contemplated forcibly removing protesters. Pictured is an activist on the road leading to the Dakota Access oil pipeline site Retired police officer James Belam has been jailed for a string of sex attacks on young girls A retired police officer who sexually abused four young girls over a 30-year period was jailed for eight years today. James Belam, 73, carried out the attacks after working as a police constable, stationed in the Waltham Forest Borough of east London. It is not believed the offences occurred while he was an officer, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard. Belam, of Chingford, east London, was arrested after one of his victims came forward in 2015. Following his arrest, three other victims contacted police to make similar complaints. Belam admitted three assaults on a girl under 13 by touching, four indecent assaults on a girl aged under 14, and one of inciting a girl under 14 to commit an act of gross indecency. The offences started in the mid-80s and continued until at least August 2015. Speaking after his conviction, Detective Inspector Stuart Cheek, said: 'This conviction shows that no matter when offences like this take place they will be investigated thoroughly and those responsible will be brought to justice. 'It is clear from his pattern of offending that Belam thought he could get away with the offences that spanned a period of three decades. He continued to sexually abuse young girls until his arrest. 'Thanks to the bravery of the victims coming forward, he now faces a lengthy jail term and will have to face up to his horrendous crimes.' A spokesman for the NSPCC said: 'For more than three decades he was a wolf in sheep's clothing. 'Belam is now behind bars thanks to one of his victim's having the courage to come forward and talk about the abuse she suffered.' The far-right politician campaigning for the presidency of Austria has said he would push for a referendum on EU membership if he wins the post on Sunday. Norbert Hofer, a member of the Freedom Party, will send shock waves throughout the political establishments of Europe if he succeeds with polls showing the result is too close to call. While the 45-year-old is not backing a Brexit-style withdrawal from the bloc, he says he wants a 'better European Union' and was afraid of more centralisation in the wake of the British retreat from the club. Norbert Hofer, a member of the Freedom Party, will send shock waves throughout the political establishments of Europe if he succeeds with polls showing the result is too close to call 'If the answer to Brexit would be to make a centralised European Union, where the national parliaments are disempowered and where the union is governed like a state....in this case, we would have to hold a referendum in Austria, because it would lead to a constitutional change,' he said. It is a court-ordered re-run of a vote taken in May which was declared invalid by the country's highest court due to irregularities in the casting of postal ballots. In that first election he lost by a little over 30,000 votes to the Greens. Now polls indicate the result is too close to call. But if he wins, Hofer will be the EU's first far-right head of state in a party first made famous at the turn of the millenium when Joerg Haider propelled the Freedom Party into a coalition government. Increasing fears of crime and terrorism stoked by the arrival of refugees in Austria has served to give him an electoral boost he might not otherwise have enjoyed. Hofer has enthused supporters, and horrified critics, with comments against Muslims - 'Islam is not part of our values' and 'Islam has no place in Austria' - and has promised to increase criminal penalties for immigrants committing crimes like rape while cutting back on assistance to newcomers. Victory for him will energise the far-right in France and The Netherlands and create more tension in a European Commission struggling to keep the bloc's values of free movement and equality intact. While the 45-year-old is not backing a Brexit-style withdrawal from the bloc, he says he wants a 'better European Union' and was afraid of more centralisation in the wake of the British retreat from the club Many voters unhappy with the ruling coalition, made up of the Social Democrats (SPO) and conservative People's Party (OVP), flocked to Hofer and his promise of 'putting Austria first'. Born on March 2, 1970 into a middle-class family, Hofer grew up as the son of a local OVP councillor in Burgenland, the country's least prosperous state near to the border with Hungary. After a short stint working for the now-defunct Lauda Air airline, Hofer joined the FPO's Burgenland branch in 1994 and became party secretary two years later. Moving up through the ranks, he later became a close advisor to Heinz-Christian Strache who took over the party from Haider in 2005. Under the new leadership, the party initially grew more extremist and re-introduced racist slogans - speech which has been modified by Hofer but, say critics, the party philosophy has not. An avid social media user, his Instagram account shows him at a gun range with his four children. 'I just love to shoot,' he declared in a recent interview. 'I understand the rising trend of gun owners in Austria given the current uncertainties'. Italy also goes to the polls on Sunday. Prime Minister Matteo Renzi had offered to resign if he loses Sunday's referendum on a constitutional reform package aimed at simplifying how laws are passed. Both referendums test the strength of the global popular revolt that led to Donald Trump's presidential win and Brexit. If the 'no' camp prevails, Renzi has promised to resign, although it's unclear if Italy's president would allow him to step down immediately. Donald Trump has shocked Al Sharpton by calling him up and discussing their 'sharp disagreements' in the past. The civil rights preacher said the President-elect picked up the phone unexpectedly and the pair 'talked briefly' after opposing his campaign during the race to the White House. They have been at each other's throats for years, with the Republican accusing Sharpton of being a 'con man' and Trump being labelled a 'white Don King' by the baptist minister. Donald Trump has shocked Al Sharpton by calling him up and discussing their 'sharp disagreements' in the past 'We did talk briefly. I was surprised and candid about our sharp disagreements and so was he,' Sharpton told the New York Post. 'He met with Mayor de Blasio who is critical, like I am, of him,' he said. Trump also thanked the Reverend Sharpton for praising him on his business success on MSNBC's Morning Joe program. The activist had previously gone after the President-elect for questioning Barack Obama's credentials by asking if he was born in the US. 'I think what he has said has been biased and bigoted, but I don't know if Donald Trump is really a bigoted guy,' Sharpton told Politico's Glenn Thrush. 'The best way I can describe Donald Trump to friends is to say if Don King had been born white he'd be Donald Trump. 'Both of them are great self-promoters and great at just continuing to talk even if you're not talking back at them.' But despite the vitriol, Sharpton admitted, 'I mean, I don't like what he's doing. But I don't dislike him. He's the kind of personality that is hard to dislike. 'He's entertaining, let's put it that way. You'd have to be a New Yorker to understand him.' Back in December 2014, Sharpton was accused by Trump of being a con man who had 'gotten away with a lot of murder. 'He is a guy who I don't believe really believes what he is saying,' Trump said, according to the Daily Caller. 'Some people would call him a con man. 'He's gotten away with a lot of murder, he probably makes a decent living, he doesn't pay taxes. 'If you didn't pay your taxes you'd be going to jail for a long time. home Tech Samsung Galaxy S8 release date, news, specs rumors: Samsung's flagship smartphone will have an autofocus front camera Selfie addicts are going to love what Samsung has planned for the Galaxy S8. Thanks to Korean news publication ET News, word has gotten out that Samsung is planning to improve the quality of the images taken with the front camera by putting the autofocus actuator feature used in rear cameras into the front-facing one. "People are starting to take more selfies and number of demands for cameras that take selfies with higher qualities is increasing," an industry insider told ET News. "It is heard that Samsung Electronics has decided to install front actuators for Galaxy S8 in order to differentiate its flagship Smartphone." Well, if the rumors are true, consumers can say goodbye to those 5-megapixel (MP) front cameras that Samsung always puts on its flagship smartphones. This move can endear the Galaxy S8 to the selfie generation, and hopefully, it can make people forget about the debacle caused by the Note 7. Reports say the Galaxy S8 is going to be thinner than the Galaxy S7, so it will be interesting to see how they can add the autofocus technology without affecting the thickness of the smartphone. The ET News report did mention that the encoder-type actuators are going to keep the cameras from sticking out of the smartphone. Meanwhile, industry insiders generally believe that Samsung is going to unveil the Galaxy S8 ahead of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) trade show next year in Barcelona. The trade show will take place on Feb. 27, so expect Samsung to make some noise when that day draws near. Sources say Samsung will come out with a 5.7-inch screen Galaxy S8, and the Galaxy S8 plus will allegedly have a 6.2-inch screen that is close to being a true edge-to-edge display. BGR has also reported that there were rumors from Weibo saying the basic model of the Galaxy S8 will come with 256 GB of internal storage space. It will also have a microSD slot that can add up to 256 GB of additional storage. Britain will still need immigration to fill labour shortages after leaving the EU, David Davis, pictured, said last night in the latest sign that ministers are swaying towards a 'soft' Brexit Britain will still need immigration to fill labour shortages after leaving the EU, David Davis said last night in the latest sign that ministers are swaying towards a 'soft' Brexit. The Brexit Secretary promised business leaders the Government would strike a Brexit deal that is good for them. He said the Government does not want to end up with damaging shortages in Britain's workforce. Mr Davis' comments came just hours after he told MPs that the Government is considering paying for the UK to access Europe's single market after Brexit. He told a CBI dinner in Cardiff last night that the Government would be 'ending free movement as it has operated before,' but added: 'We won't do so in a way that it is contrary to the national and economic interest. 'Britain must win the global battle for talent. No one wants to see labour shortages in key sectors.' His comments suggest the Government is considering introducing a visa system that differs from sector to sector in order to ensure the country doesn't suffer from damaging labour shortages. But it will add to deep anxiety among communities facing the strain of immigration that hopes Brexit will reduce numbers coming to the UK. Yesterday official figures revealed immigration in the UK had hit a new record high of 650,000 a year. Downing Street said Britain will 'continue to encourage the brightest and best to come to work in Britain' after Brexit. David Davis' insistence that immigration must continue after Brexit will add to deep anxiety among communities facing the strain of immigration that hopes Brexit will reduce numbers coming to the UK. Yesterday official figures revealed immigration in the UK had hit a new record high of 650,000 a year The latest surge in numbers was caused by a new record influx of EU citizens coming to the UK before the referendum A spokesman for the Prime Minister said:'As we get into these negotiations to leave the European Union, what is important is that we get a deal that makes sure that our economy is successful and makes sure our economy is able to draw on the resources on talent that it needs to be successful.' Asked yesterday by a Labour MP if the Government would consider making any contribution in any shape or form for access to the single market, Mr Davis replied: 'The simple answer we have given to this before is, and it's very important because there is a distinction between picking off an individual policy and setting out a major criteria, and the major criteria here is that we get the best possible access for goods and services to the European market. 'If that is included in what you are talking about then of course we would consider it.' Pro-EU Chancellor Philip Hammond jumped on his comments. He said last night: 'I think David Davis is absolutely right not to rule out the possibility that we might want to contribute in some way to some form of mechanism.' It was a stitch up! Allies of Boris Johnson say claims he told four EU ambassadors he supports free movement were a 'revenge' attack by angry Remainers Boris Johnson, pictured today at Chatham House, was accused of telling four EU ambassadors that he backed free movement but strongly denies the claim Friends of Boris Johnson claim he has been the subject of a 'political stitch up' by embittered Remainers who blame him for Brexit. The Foreign Secretary furiously denied claims that he had told four unnamed EU ambassadors that he supports the free movement of EU workers. Mr Johnson publicly declared: 'I said no such thing.' He said there was a record of his meeting earlier this year with the ambassadors and it showed the comments were never made. Allies of the Brexit leader said it was an act of revenge. 'One said: Who are these anonymous ambassadors and where is their proof? 'This is an act of vengeance by people who blame him for Brexit and taking away all they have held dear for the past 20 years. 'They will never forgive him for it and these attacks are going to keep on coming.' The claims were first broadcast on Sky News on Wednesday evening. One unnamed ambassador is said to have claimed: '(Boris Johnson) told us he was personally in favour of it, but he said that Britain had been more affected by free movement of people than other EU member states.' Three other ambassadors were said to have corroborated the account but only on condition of anonymity. Senior Tories Michael Gove (left) and Iain Duncan Smith (right) have sprung to the defence of the Foreign Secretary Tory MPs pointed to the fact the first organisation to comment on the claims was British Influence, a pro-EU lobby group established by the Europhile ex-Cabinet minister Lord Mandelson. One said: 'Coincidence? I think not. Also, how convenient that comments he supposedly made a month or so ago just happen to emerge on the eve of terrible EU immigration statistics,which make the case for retaking control of our borders even more overwhelming.' Ex-Cabinet Minister Michael Gove sprang to the defence of his old rival, who he said was under attack by 'renegade EU sources'. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith accused the ambassadors of being 'not completely truthful' and telling people to 'calm down'. He said: 'You will see all over European capitals there are a number of politicians and others behaving a little bit like children around the place, having a go at Boris Johnson and all sorts of name-calling going on. 'I think it's time they just calmed down and wait until we get going on the negotiations.' Jonathan Lis, deputy director of the pro-single market think tank British Influence said: 'We are interested to learn that Boris Johnson supports free movement of people and is prepared to tell his negotiating partners as much - even though this appears to go against his public statements as Foreign Secretary, as well as the Government's self-declared red line. A sanitation worker has impressed the Chinese web users with his incredible Michael Jackson imitation dance. Wang Shijin, who is blind in one eye, practises his dance moves every day in the public toilets in Shenyang, northern China, according to Chinese media. A recent viral video captured the 53-year-old man dancing to Michael Jackson's 'Dangerous'. The worker, 53, said he started practising Michael Jackson dance moves in 2010 after promising his children that he could dance better than the impersonators on TV Wang Shijin works as a sanitation worker at the Shenyang Conservatory of Music. During his breaks, Wang, who suffers from visual impairment, turns on the music and dances in his grey uniform inside the toilets he is responsible to clean, reported Shenyang Daily. The worker said he started practising Michael Jackson dance moves in 2010 after promising his children that he could dance better than the impersonators on TV. Wang started learning all the star's dance moves from scratch by watching Michael Jackson's music videos with his right eye. Michael Jackson performed 'Dangerous' in California, United States, in 2002 Wang Shijin, who is blind in one eye, practises his dance moves every day in the public toilets. The man has become an internet star in China Wang Shujin works as a sanitation worker at the Shenyang Conservatory of Music In 2010, Wang worked as a cleaner at Shenyang Jianzhu University and his performance, staged in public toilets, was hugely popular among students. A student filmed his performance and posted the video online. The clip quickly went viral making Wang an internet celebrity, according to Sina. Wang was invited to perform in the 'China Dream Show' organized by CZTV in 2011. He gained fame across the country with his impressive performance, reported CZTV. However, Wang insisted on working as a sanitation worker at Shenyang Jianzhu University - though he later left the university to work at the Shenyang Conservatory of Music. Many students at the music college had became his fans and started sharing video of his dance moves, reported Shenyang Daily. 'They think I have turned the toilet to a performance stage. I practise every day to spread positive energy,' said Wang. Wang said the toilet was his path to success and that he will dance until he drops. Wang started learning all the star's dance moves from scratch by watching Michael Jackson's music videos with his right eye Los Angeles buried more than 1,400 unclaimed dead on Wednesday, in a non-denominational ceremony celebrating the lives and dignity of the unknown. About 200 people gathered in the Los Angeles County crematorium and cemetery for a non-denominational ceremony, with representatives from Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths and prayers in several languages. Authorities in the county bury their unclaimed dead once a year, after holding their remains for three years. If no relative comes forward during that period, the remains are buried in a mass grave. 'Some are homeless. Many are poor. Some have no families to grieve for them. Regardless of what their status in life was, each one of them mattered,' Supervisor Don Knabe said in a statement about this year's unclaimed dead, who included 125 babies. Scroll down for video About 200 people gathered in the Los Angeles County crematorium and cemetery Wednesday for a non-denominational ceremony (pictured) honoring 1,430 unclaimed dead Representatives from Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths officiated during Wednesday's service in front of the burial plot (pictured) and said prayers in several languages Well-wishers gathered Wednesday in honor of this year's 1,430 unclaimed dead at the intersection of 1st and Lorena Streets. The ashes were placed in a single mass grave a couple of days prior to the ceremony. Los Angeles County has honored its unclaimed dead for the past 120 years. During this year's ceremony, a sign marked '2013' was placed near the plot to signal the year the remains were cremated. 'This holiday season many of us are reminded of how fortunate we are to be surrounded by our loved ones. Sadly, not everyone shares this blessing,' Knabe said according to the Santa Monica Daily Press. 'These are individuals who, for one reason or another, have no one but the County to provide them with a respectful and dignified burial.' Los Angeles County has honored its unclaimed dead during burial ceremonies since 1896. Pictured is Wednesday's interfaith service, which honored the lives of more than 1,400 people A bowl of incense (pictured) was placed at the burial site before well-wishers stepped forward to pay their respects. Some attended with their relatives This year's unclaimed dead included a 10-month-old who died of a methadone overdose, as well as a one-month baby who died of diarrhea in a hospital, the LA Times reported. A database kept by the newspaper shows that more than 125 babies were among this year's unclaimed dead. There are various reasons why a deceased person can be left unclaimed. Some families couldn't afford to pay for a funeral. Some of the dead were homeless and had lost touch with their relatives. In some cases, officials couldn't identify any family member who could take care of the arrangements. Reverend Chris Ponnet, a chaplain at County-USC Medical Center, led Wednesday's service, LAist reported. The ceremony included Buddhist and Hindu chants, a section of the Koran and a Jewish prayer. Worshipers recited psalms and prayers in English, Spanish, Fijan and Korean. Representatives of various faiths were pictured together around the burial plot in a video published by CBS Los Angeles. 'We're not religious people,' Abraham Kinney, who attended Wednesday's ceremony with his family and two-year-old daughter, told the LA Times. 'We come to pay respects to people who might've been forgotten and give one last goodbye to people who've fallen through the cracks.' The family of a man who allegedly stabbed a tourist to death in the outback say they never saw his murderous behaviour coming. Pande Veleski, 35, was arrested after Philippe Jegouzohe 33, was allegedly murdered at a truck stop in the Northern Territory on Wednesday. He remains under police guard in hospital. Melbourne father Pande Veleski (pictured) was arrested on Thursday over the alleged murder of the 33-year-old Frenchman Police said Mr Jegouzohe was stabbed in the neck in front of his 30-year-old wife Aurelie Chorier as she tried to fight of the attacker by hitting him with a picnic table. Veleski's sister-in-law Mary Veleski on Friday said she was 'heartbroken' about the terrible chain of events and their hearts went out to the victim's family. 'We knew he was unwell, but we never knew it was to this point. I just feel for everybody. We don't know what to do,' she told the NT News. 'Were heartbroken, were in a lot of hard time at the moment. This has never happened to our family.' Ms Veleski said her husband Tony, Pande's brother, was distraught. Mr Veleski said the family did not know he had left his home state of Victoria because they thought he had travelled to the family's holiday house in Dromana, on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula. 'He came and got my keys. He was supposed to be in Dromana,' Tony told Fairfax Media, adding that his brother had been treated for a mental health condition. 'We were meant to go there today [on Friday] to see him, to spend time with him, me and my son. 'We're really sorry for the French tourist, and we're sorry for my brother as well.' Scroll down for video The tourist and his 30-year-old wife had stopped at Connors Well, about 100km north of Alice Springs, when Veleski allegedly pulled up behind the couple The getaway car: The attacker fled the scene in a silver Hyundai hatchback (pictured) with a Victoria-registered numberplate after he allegedly stabbed the French tourist on Wednesday The French tourist couple were travelling in a 1998 Toyota RAV4 (pictured) How and why Veleski came to be at the Connor Well truck stop on the Stuart Highway 100 kilometres north of Alice Spring - more than 2,300 kilometres from Melbourne - is not known. Veleski allegedly pulled up behind Mr Jegouzo and his wife at the truck stop and 'exchanged pleasantries', The Australian reported. Ms Chorier tried to save her husband from the suspect by hitting him over the head with the picnic table before he escaped in a Hyundai i30 following an unprovoked attack. She was released from hospital on Friday after being treated for shock, and was taken to a safe house to be interviewed by police. Melbourne man Pande Veleski (pictured) has been placed under police guard in hospital after he was arrested on Thursday over the alleged stabbing murder of the Frenchman The tourist and his wife had stopped at Connors Well, about 100km north of Alice Springs Police said Veleski, a father-of-one, who has a history of mental illness - fled into bushland on foot overnight, but he was arrested naked, 60km from Ti Tree - where British backpacker Peter Falconio was last seen alive. Veleski spent the night in hospital seeking a psychiatric assessment as he is being questioned by police over the murder. He is yet to be charged. On his Facbeook account, Veleski paints a picture of a keen fisherman who breeds pigeons. He appears to have a love for animals, with pets ranging from a dog to a sulphur-crested cockatoo named Mahamed. Detectives set up a crime scene where the Frenchman was stabbed to death on Wednesday The attack has eerie parallels with the case of Joanne Lees and Peter Falconio who were attacked nearbye 15 years ago It comes as emerging details of the shocking murder in Australia's red centre have an eerie resemblance to that of Mr Falconio 15 years ago. The alleged attacker was found the following morning in the same area where the British backpacker Peter Falconio was last seen alive - 100kms from where he allegedly attacked the Frenchman. The Frenchman died after he was allegedly stabbed in the throat in what police are calling an 'unprovoked attack' - the alleged attacker fled in a grey Hyundai i30 - he is expected to be charged on Friday. Falconio - who was murdered by Bradley John Murdoch 15 years ago was also travelling with his partner through the red centre when he was attacked. The British man, then 28, and his girlfriend Joanne Lees were directed to pull over on the night of July 14, 2001. When Murdoch spoke to the couple he told them there was a problem with their Kombi - Falconio went to the back of the car to check it out and was never seen again. Ms Lees said she heard a gunshot and was then tied up by Murdoch but managed to escape and flag down help after hiding in the bush for hours - waiting for the sun to rise. The wife of the Frenchman also flagged down help - a nurse and her partner travelling to Ti Tree, north of Connors Well. The nurse stayed with the couple while her husband travelled to the nearest roadhouse to call emergency services around 5.30pm. Detective Superintendent Travis Wurst (pictured) released a photo of the car the attacker allegedly escaped in after he stabbed a French tourist to death in the outback NT Police believe the alleged attacker fled in a grey Hyundai i20 hatchback (pictured) The brutal stabbing murder happened in Aileron, about 100 kilometre north of Alice Springs Police said they believed the two French tourists were at a rest stop 30km south of the Aileron Roadhouse (pictured) on the Stuart Highway when they were approached by an unknown man The foreigner was stabbed in the neck in Northern Territory's outback town Aileron The 30-year-old wife of the tourist has left Alice Springs Hospital after being treated for shock. 'She's particularly traumatised by the event,' Det Supt Wurst said on Thursday. Homicide detectives believe the French tourist couple and suspect were the only three people in the remote area at the time of the attack. 'We believe at this time the only persons at the roadside stop were the male person, who is now deceased, and his wife,' Det Supt Wurst said. 'The only other person that was believed to have been present was the person who is considered to be the attacker. We understand there were no other people present.' English backpacker Peter Falconio with his girlfriend Joanne Lees before his murder Peter Falconio was told to pull over his Kombi by Murdoch - his killer who said the couple had engine problems before killing Falconio The French couple were at a rest stop 30km south of the Aileron Roadhouse (pictured) 'This is an absolutely devastating occurrence for her and for her family of the deceased as well. Our hearts go out to her and her family. 'And as far as the Northern Territory police are concerned, we'll investigate this matter thoroughly and efficiently and bring this offender to justice.' 'Police saw that vehicle near Ti Tree; as soon as that vehicle had seen police it stopped and the person ran into the bush,' Det Supt Wurst said. 'Police were quite some distance away at the time, and because of that distance we weren't able to apprehend him at that time.' The Connor Well rest area 60 miles north of Alice Springs where the 33-year-old Frenchman was stabbed to death A French tourist has been stabbed to death in front of his wife in a chilling echo of the horror film Wolf Creek after they stopped for a rest in the remote Australian outback Northern Territory Police - who arrested a 35-year-old man in connection with the incident The man then fled on foot into bushland, prompting an overnight manhunt until a police helicopter located him and he was arrested about 8.30am on Thursday. Police are now urging anyone who may have seen the grey Hyundai to come forward as they piece together an exact timeline of events. 'Police will continue to speak to a number of witnesses to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the death,' Det Supt Wurst said. 'We are extremely interested in speaking with anyone who may have sighted either vehicle, or had contact with any of the occupants of these cars in the days leading up to yesterdays incident.' A crime scene has been set up as investigation continues. The French tourist bled to the death at the scene and his attacker fled in what is understood to have been a Hyundai i20 hatchback A crime scene has been set up as investigation continues A former Argos security guard who worked in the store on London's Holloway Road has been elected president of Gambia. Now the country's opposition leader, Adama Barrow today said he was expecting a phone call from President Yahya Jammeh conceding defeat in Gambia's election. Barrow said he was still waiting for an official result from the electoral commission but that his own count showed he had won the poll. Scroll down for video Former Argos security guard Adama Barrow has won the Gambian presidential election Dictator Yahya Jammeh vowed to rule his country for 'a billion years', but has now been toppled by his unlikely rival. Jammeh, a friend of Libya's late Colonel Gaddafi, ruled the west African state of Gambia through a bizarre personality cult of witchcraft and brutality. He claimed to have invented his own herbal HIV 'cure', and was once accused of force-feeding hallucinogenic potions to an entire village of people he thought had bewitched his aunt. The man who styled himself 'Excellency Sheikh Professor Doctor President' has been defeated by Mr Barrow, who spent his early years tackling shoplifters at the Argos store. Mr Barrow studied property management in London before becoming the leader of Gambia's official opposition Now a successful estate agent in his home country, the quietly-spoken Mr Barrow was one of the few Gambians brave enough to take Mr Jammeh on in the contest. Mr Barrow's victory comes despite Mr Jammeh's ministers making fun of him over his days doing low-level security work in London. At a pro-government rally ahead of the elections, Sheriff Bojang, the Gambian information minister, told the crowd sarcastically: 'We have heard that Mr Barrow worked as a security guard in ... what is it... this shop called Argos in Britain?' Lamin Cham, Mr Barrow's spokesman, said that the opposition leader would go to State House in the capital, Banjul, to be officially declared victor at 5pm today. 'It's game over,' he told the MailOnline. Like Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, Mr Jammeh describes any criticism of him by Western governments as 'neo-colonial' lecturing. He is particularly scathing of Britain, and at a recent campaign rally attended by the Mailonline, declared that Britain had done 'nothing' for Gambia during '400 years of colonialism'. Gambia's dictator president Yahya Jammeh is expected to concede defeat later today His claims were dismissed as posturing by Mr Barrow, who said that he owed his career success to his tough years in Britain, where he lived and studied property management between 1998 and 2002. During that time he paid his rent with security jobs in offices, music festivals and high street stores, once tackling a shoplifter at Argos who was jailed for six months. He also lived on a crime-plagued housing estate in Kidbrooke in south-east London, which has since been demolished. 'My time in Britain taught me the importance of working hard and good time-keeping, and both those things helped me a lot when I went back home,' said Mr Barrow, 51. Voters queue at a polling station in Banjul yesterday. There are fears the suprise result could leave to violence in the country if President Jammeh refuses to accept defeat 'People think life is easy in Europe, but it can be a tough place to make your way in as a visitor.' A nation of just 1.9m people, tiny Gambia is best known in the West as a winter sun destination, attracting 100,000 foreign tourists every year to its pristine Atlantic beaches. Britons make up around half the visitors, with thousands also living there in retirement. Since taking power in a military coup in 1994, 51-year-old Mr Jammeh has won four elections, most of which have been marred by accusations of cheating. Critics say he ruled by decree, with anyone who disagrees with him liable to end up in the notorious Mile Two prison, which is not far from the main tourist beaches in the capital, Banjul. In April, several opposition figures in Mr Barrow's United Democratic Party were thrown in jail, and another two fatally beaten in custody. Jammeh, a friend of Libya's late Colonel Gaddafi, ruled the west African state of Gambia through a bizarre personality cult of witchcraft and brutality In a subsequent speech, Mr Jammeh snarled: 'Let me warn those evil vermin called opposition. If you want to destabilize this country, I will bury you nine-feet deep.' In 2012, he scrapped a moratorium on the death penalty and executed nine inmates at the prison by firing squad, telling human rights groups to 'bite their own nose'. While he claimed it was because Gambia was facing a crime wave, rumour had that it a fortune teller had said a 'human sacrifice' was necessary to ward off a coup attempt. Rather like North Korea's Kim Jong-un, Mr Jammeh was quick to upbraid any official who displeased him. However, his aggression backfired by galvanising Gambia's normally quarrelsome opposition factions to unite around Mr Barrow. As part of his anti-Western crusade, Mr Jammeh pulled Gambia out of the Commonwealth in 2013, saying it was a 'neo-colonial institution', and dropped English as an official language, even though it is still widely spoken in Gambia. Mr Barrow said that he owed his career success to his tough years living in Britain Last month, he also withdrew Gambia from the International Criminal Court, describing it as the 'International Caucasian Court'. He had demanded that the court prosecute European nations for failing to rescue African migrants crossing the Mediterranean - a large number of whom are Gambians seeking a better future. 'These are desperate moves that don't help Gambia at all,' said Mr Barrow. 'The only reason he left those organisations is because they expect him to practice good governance. If we are elected we will restore Gambia's relations with the outside world, and rejoin both the Commonwealth and the ICC.' There are fears that Mr Jammeh may not go quietly. In the event of violence escalating, Britain could face calls to send troops in as peacemakers, according to Yanks Darboe, a London-based Gambian activist. Mr Darboe said the operation would be comparable to that carried out by France to quell the Islamist uprising in neighbouring Mali in 2013. 'If there was trouble, a lot of Gambians would like to see Britain come to help, as they don't think the neighbouring African leaders would do much. An elephant who was filmed being cruelly beaten with canes by keepers at a British zoo four years ago has been put to sleep aged 32 due to severe arthritis. Asian elephant Tonzi died at her home at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire after vets decided the arthritis was deeply impacting her quality of life. It comes after CCTV in 2012 revealed three zookeepers were whipping her with bamboo canes but left no marks, so it was difficult to tell she had been assaulted. Dead at 32: Asian elephant Tonzi (pictured) was put to sleep at her home at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire after vets decided the severe arthritis was deeply impacting her quality of life Tonzi arrived at the zoo in 1991 and her daughter Tara (pictured together) was born in 1998 Investigation: Twycross Zoo sacked three members of staff accused of beating one of its elephants. Pictured are other elephants at the famous zoo The abuse was only revealed when zoo bosses scanned through security footage and spotted the offenders, who also attacked her friend Noorjahan. Zoo officials said today that they were extremely sad at the death of Tonzi, who was originally rescued from a timber logging camp in Burma. The elephant arrived at the zoo in 1991 and her daughter Tara was born there in 1998. She also became a grandmother in 2012 when Tara had a baby. Today, a zoo spokesman said: Despite intensive veterinary care, her condition was continuing to deteriorate, impacting her quality of life and health. Tonzi, seen with daughter Tara, was allegedly whipped with bamboo canes by three men The abuse was only revealed when zoo bosses scanned through security footage (camera pictured top right) and spotted the offenders, who also attacked her friend Noorjahan Animal kingdom: Officials at Twycross Zoo (pictured) in Leicestershire said today that they were extremely sad at the death of Tonzi, who was originally rescued from Burma All possible methods of treatment were thoroughly considered by the Zoos staff before the final difficult decision was made to euthanase Tonzi. She will be deeply missed by her keepers and the Zoos staff. In the 2012 incident, the zoo sacked the keepers for a gross breach of the zoos policies and they were later arrested by Leicestershire Police. But they were never charged because the Crown Prosecution Service said there was insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction. A grandmother grim discovery of the badly decomposed body of Dyquain Rogers, who had vanished on November 1, 2014 A grandmother was left horrified when she found the mummified body of her own grandson in her attic two years after he suddenly went missing. Zanobia Richmond, 65, from Erie, Pennsylvania, heard a bang upstairs at home and went to investigate. She made the grim discovery of the badly decomposed body of Dyquain Rogers, who had vanished on November 1, 2014. The corpse had fallen against the attic door, and Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook is now confident the body is the missing grandson's, according to Erie 's WICU 12 News. His mother, Carol Rogers, told the station: 'I just kept pretending like he just left Erie, so I just kept focusing on that, that he left here, that's what I kept saying.' Dyquain was 21 years old when he was last seen alive by his grandmother. He had failed to show up for his management job that day and his family found his cell phone, wallet and classes at the house. His final few Facebook posts suggest he was unhappy about something, with one posted on October 31st 2014 reading: 'I have been having the worst luck lately'. The next day was the last day he was seen alive. One post, uploaded two weeks before on October 16th said: 'People are acting strange lately and thats why im doing it for me not them'. Despite family and friends organizing a number of search parties, they could not unpick the mysterious disappearance and the cops were in the dark too. His mother, Carol Rogers, told the station: 'I just kept pretending like he just left Erie, so I just kept focusing on that, that he left here, that's what I kept saying.' Dyquain's final few Facebook posts suggest he was unhappy about something, with one posted on October 31st 2014 reading: 'I have been having the worst luck lately' The corpse had fallen against the attic door, and Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook is now confident the body is the missing grandson's Erie police Lt. Julie Kemling told the Erie Times-News said: 'It is one of the few cases around here that is a mystery.' It appears the body had been in the attic for two years. Cops have said the death appears to be a suicide, but the investigation is continuing. The family does not agree with the suggestion of it being a suicide, and Dyquain's aunt Erica Jeffries-Jordan told Erie Times-News: 'I don't believe any of this stuff. I want answers.' Top secret intelligence files on US president-elect Donald Trump have emerged in the Czech Republic where he was kept under observation for years by Communist-era spies. Trump came under scrutiny following his marriage to Czechoslovakian-born Olympic skier Ivana Zelnickova in 1977. Now the long buried documents - marked 'Top Secret' - have emerged in the Czech media after nearly 40 years. The files - often written in the language used by the feared StB secret police - describe Trump as 'the most successful young man of America' and a 'political influencer.' Spied on: Communist secret police kept a file on Donald Trump after he married Czechoslovakian skiing star Ivana Secret police HQ: The StB was run from this ordinary-looking building in Prague, preparing reports for the Communist regime which ran the country in fealty to the Kremlin They go on to say how Trump 'totally s*** himself' when he first met Ivana. They offer insight into the astonishing naivete of the Communist secret police about the West The Communist secret police investigated Ivana and how she rose from humble beginnings to become the star of American high society. Historian Libor Svoboda said of the files: 'It was known that Trump was from a very significant family but nobody realized how important they were.' The records - described by Czech media as 'scandalous' - claim that Ivana received a $1-million baby bonus after she gave birth to the couple's second child, Ivanka. The files are said to contain details about how the spies recorded Trump as bankrolling US politicians - and how he knew in advance that George H. W. Bush would win the 1988 US presidential election. StB agents are said to have quizzed Ivana's father Milos Zelnicek, Trump's father-in-law. One top secret entry states: 'About the current presidential election Zelnicek said that his daughter assured him about the win of G. Bush. In top US backroom it is considered as clear matter.' Predicted: The spies thought Trump had special insight when his father-in-law told them he was confident of a George H.W. Bush victory - but the Republican was exepcted to win for weeks before the 1988 vote End of the regime: The Czechoslovak Communist regime came tumbling down in the Velvet Revolution - ending their spy file on Donald Trump In fact it was hardly a secret in the weeks before the 1988 election that Michael Dukakis, the Democratic candidate was struggling badly. And Trump was open about his donations to politicians throughout the 1980s - suggesting that what the StB agents sent to their Communist masters was hardly the work of espionage and could have been learned from reading the newspapers and watching television. Further revelations from the secret police dossier are due to emerge on Sunday on a Czech TV program called 'Strepiny'. The StB was a plainclothes secret political police force in the former Czechoslovakia from 1945 until it was dismantled in 1990 following the collapse of Communism after the 'Velvet Revolution'. Serving as an intelligence and counter-intelligence agency, it dealt with any activity that could possibly be considered anti-state or Western influenced. Its spies monitored millions of Czechs and Slovaks daily, reporting to the Communist regime which swore loyalty to the Kremlin. A senior Donald Trump aide opened the door on Friday to the possibility that law enforcement officials in the incoming administration could take a fresh look at Hillary Clinton's classified email scandal. Trump told DailyMail.com during the presidential primary campaign that he was open to the idea of empowering a special prosecutor, but that he would defer the decision to his attorney general if he won the election. Kellyanne Conway, the president-elect's campaign manager, suggested on ABC's 'Good Morning America' that all options are still on the table. 'There will be officials who are in charge of such things in the Trump administration who may look at that again,' Conway said. Kellyanne Conway said Friday that the incoming Trump administration, or Republican-controlled congressional committees, could reopen the Hillary Clinton email probe President-elect Donald Trump heard chants of 'Lock her up!' on Thursday night during a 'thank you tour' stop in Cincinnati, Ohio Trump himself is 'moving on to focus on the future, not the past,' she said. 'And he has said to The New York Times, on the record he thinks that the Clintons have suffered enough.' But 'of course,' Conway added, 'the Department of Justice, the different committees, the FBI perhaps, can take a different look.' 'I would not be able to say' whether Trump's budding administration would encourage it, she said. 'Nobody expects nobody's talking about that right now.' Clinton was dogged throughout her failed White House run by monthly releases of sensitive emails, dating from her time as secretary of state, that she housed on a private server in her basement. More than 2,000 of them were later deemed to contain classified information. Clinton, the losing Democratic presidential nominee last month, kept an unsecured private email server during her State Department tenure, exposing more than 2,000 pieces of classified information to prying eyes Trump argued at campaign rallies that his Democratic opponent was 'guilty as hell' and 'shouldn't be allowed to run' with the possibility of an espionage charge hanging over her head. Ultimately James Comey, the FBI director, determined that 'no reasonable prosecutor' would take up the case and dropped his inquiry. 'Donald trump made very clear last weekend as president-elect that he's moved on from that,' Conway said. Thursday evening in Cincinnati, Ohio, thousands cheered Trump when he exclaimed: 'We did have a lot of fun fighting Hillary, didn't we?' They chanted 'Lock her up! Lock her up!' at the first mention of Clinton's name. to flee when they saw over 75 border force agents approach This is the moment terrified suspected illegal workers jumped fences and ran for their lives as more than 75 border force agents raided a Victorian farm. More than 50 alleged illegal migrants were discovered during the Vizzarri Farms raid; many of whom tried to flee in fear from the Koo Wee Rup farm in south-eastern Victoria when they saw border force and federal agents approach. It's claimed that Australia's biggest asparagus producer and supplier to Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and Costco was not only employing illegal workers but also allegedly regularly underpaying them and denying them basic conditions, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. This is the moment terrified suspected illegal workers jumped fences and ran for their lives as more than 75 border force agents raided Vizzarri Farms Along with the suspected illegal workers, Border Force Agents also seized $400,000 in cash during the Vizzarri Farms raid. Leading NSW citrus company Simfresh, another supplier to major supermarkets including Coles has also been the focus of an Australian Border Force investigation for allegedly using illegal migrant workers. The company allegedly concealed their use of illegal workers by using two sets of employee books, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. These investigations are looking to see if the Simfresh and Vizzarri Farms breached the Migration Act by using unlawful labour. The farming sector revelations have seen a flood of overseas workers and backpackers claiming they were exploited at Australian farms. Concerns in particular have been raised in regards to the new 15 per cent 'backpacker tax', which could increase the reliance on illegally paid migrants as foreign workers pay 15 per cent tax on every dollar that they earn. More than 50 alleged illegal migrants were discovered during the raid on Australia's biggest asparagus producer Along with the suspected illegal workers, Border Force Agents also seized $400,000 in cash during the Vizzarri Farms raid (stock image) Conservatives and Christians who supported Donald Trump need to wake up to the reality that the election is over. The Wicked Witch of the West, Hillary Clinton, lost, and their guy won. What that amounts to is, campaign rhetoric means absolutely NOTHING now. Donald Trump is the President-Elect. From this moment on, we must stop judging Trump on his rhetoric and start judging him on his actions. And the man is busy right now putting his presidential administration together. These are the men and women that are going to be in control of trillions of taxpayer dollars and are going to have their own gigantic sphere of authority and influence over our lives. The kind of people Donald Trump selects for these key leadership posts speaks volumes about the kind of administration he will have. And it is on this exact point that conservatives and Christians greatly contribute to the demise of our liberties: when a Republican is elected President, they tend to go to sleep and refuse to hold the President accountable for his unconstitutional, big-government, neocon decisions and policies. And speaking of going to sleep, did I miss something? I thought Donald Trump, not Jeb Bush, won the election. But looking over the list of people that have been selected to serve in the new administration, I see mostly establishment insiders. The vast majority of people selected by Trump could easily have been (and probably would have been) selected by Jeb Bush. In fact, Trumps newly formed administration is shaping up to be an almost carbon copy of the ultimate neocon administrations of George Bush Sr. and Jr. In other words, the people Trump is appointing have track records that are completely contrary to what Trump told us he was going to do when he was elected President. Lets review what we have so far: *Attorney General: Senator Jeff Sessions Sessions is good on immigration and other issues, but he is terrible on Fourth Amendment issues. From TechDirt.com: He's a huge supporter of increased surveillance, and not a fan of civil liberties. Going back a decade ago, Sessions very publicly supported President George W. Bushs surveillance programs that included warrantless wiretapping of Americans. . . .Just this year, Sessions spoke out against encryption on mobile phones in discussing the legal fights between Apple and the FBI. He's also spoken out vehemently against NSA reform that limits surveillance, complaining about the very modest changes in the USA Freedom Act. On top of that, just recently, Sessions tried to massively expand the surveillance powers of the Justice Department, in an amendment he tried to attach to ECPA (Electronic Communications Privacy Act) Reform. We've been calling for ECPA Reform for many, many years, but to stop warrantless surveillance and data collection. But Sessions' plan was to make it even easier for law enforcement to get data, so long as they declared it was an emergency. See the report here: Trump's Picks For AG & CIA Happy To Undermine Civil Liberties, Increase Surveillance *Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA): Congressman Mike Pompeo This man is an absolute disaster! He is a major proponent of the surveillance society; he supports unlimited government spying on American citizens. He supports the indefinite detention sections of the NDAA that authorize federal agents or military troops to seize American citizens and hold them indefinitely without a warrant, without providing the person seized with an attorney, and without even the right of Habeas Corpus. He calls government whistleblower Edward Snowden a traitor who should be executed. The Police State has no better friend than Congressman Mike Pompeo. (See the TechDirt.com report above.) *National Security Adviser: General Michael Flynn Flynn is a rabid supporter of the global war on terror. He will enthusiastically expand the global war on terror to levels never before seen. He has totally bought into the anti-Muslim hysteria that has swept through the conservative, Christian, and Republican worlds. It is anti-Muslim hysteria--created by our own CIA, the Israeli Mossad, British MI6, Wahhabi terrorists from Saudi Arabia (most of whom couldnt even find Mecca on a map), and professional agitators from Turkey--which the neocon establishment uses to foment all of these endless wars of aggression that Trump said he opposes on the campaign trail. If Mr. Trump truly wanted to put an end to the perpetual war doctrine created by the Bush family, he would never have chosen General Flynn. Personal Adviser: Donald Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner Jared is the son of Zionist billionaire Charles Kushner, who is a convicted criminal and, I suspect, an integral part of the Jewish mafia. The establishment media is now promoting the idea that it was Jared Kushner who masterminded Trumps election victory. This is a 35-year-old young man that nobody even heard of before election night. Now, Kushner is on the front cover and is the center of the featured article of the current edition of the very influential Forbes Magazine. Let me quote a little bit from this article in Forbes. The title of the article is How Jared Kushner Won Trump The White House. Winners will emerge shortly. But todays focus is on the biggest loser: New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who has just been fired from his role leading the transition, along with most the people associated with him. The episode is being characterized as a knife fight that ends in a Stalinesque purge. The most compelling figure in this intrigue, however, wasnt in Trump Tower. Jared Kushner was three blocks south, high up in his own skyscraper, at 666 Fifth Avenue, where he oversees his familys Kushner Companies real estate empire. . . . The speculation was well-founded, given the storys Shakespearean twist: As a U.S. attorney in 2005, Christie jailed Kushners father on tax evasion, election fraud and witness tampering charges. Revenge theories aside, the buzz around Kushner was directional and indicative. A year ago he had zero experience in politics and about as much interest in it. Suddenly he sits at its global center. Whether he plunged the dagger into Christie . . . is less important than the fact that he easily could have. And that power comes well-earned. See the article here: Exclusive Interview: How Jared Kushner Won Trump The White House I suggest that anyone who thinks that the Kushner Empires world headquarters address is mere coincidence is truly not paying attention to how New World Order mystics operate. Numerology may not be a big deal to you, but it is a big deal to THEM. Kushner is a major player in the Zionist/Neocon agenda. And in all likelihood, this young man will be the most influential adviser that Trump will have. NOT GOOD. *Ambassador to The United Nations: South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley Haley was a strong critic of Donald Trump throughout the campaign. She was an avid supporter of neocon globalist Marco Rubio. As governor of South Carolina, she has zero experience in international affairs. The only experience Haley has in international affairs is when she eats breakfast at the International House of Pancakes. Why, then, would Trump select her as Ambassador to the U.N.? The senior senator from South Carolina gave us the answer. High-level neocon globalist Lindsey Graham said that Haley is a strong supporter of Israel, adding that her presence at the U.N. will be reassuring to all of those who are concerned about the increasing hostility of the United Nations toward Israel. (Egad! The United Nations was instrumental in creating the modern State of Israel.) In other words, Nikki Haley is there to promote the interests of Israel--NOT the interests of the United States. Im sure we can already thank Jared Kushner for this appointment. *Secretary of Education: Betsy DeVos On the campaign trail, Donald Trump was emphatic in his opposition to the Department of Education curriculum known as Common Core. Well, ladies and gentlemen, Betsy DeVos is a longstanding advocate of Common Core. Breitbart.com has the report: President-elect Donald Trumps transition team announces the choice of Common Core and charter school supporter Betsy DeVos as U.S. Secretary of Education. Anti-Common Core grassroots groups of parents and teachers urged Trump to abandon DeVos as his choice, citing her support for the education reform policies of pro-Common Core Jeb Bush and her influence through the Great Lakes Education Project (GLEP) in favor of Common Core. DeVos, whose family founded Amway, was an at-large delegate for pro-Common Core Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Kasich received a grade of F at The Pulse 2016 for his support of the controversial standards. Frank Cannon, president of American Principles Project, said in a statement prior to the announcement of DeVos nomination: President-elect Trump rightly slammed Governor Jeb Bush for his support of Common Core on the campaign trail. Betsy DeVos would be a very Jeb-like pick, and the idea that Trump would appoint a Common Core apologist as Secretary of Education seems unlikely. See the report here: Donald Trump Announces Pro-Common Core Betsy DeVos As Education Secretary Obviously, Frank Cannon thought he knew Donald Trump better than he does, because Trump did indeed select Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. All of her current backpedaling aside, she is a TERRIBLE appointee to be trusted with the anti-Common Core agenda promised by Trump on the campaign trail. Of course, Jeb Bush gave Trump high praise for selecting DeVos. On November 22, I said this on my Facebook page: "Folks, from this point onward, keep an eye out for how many CFR members Trump appoints. Over the past several decades, both Democrat and GOP administrations have been littered with CFR members. This is one of the BIGGEST reasons that nothing much changes regardless of which person is elected president." See and Like my Facebook page here: Chuck Baldwin's Facebook Page Well, folks, it didnt take long for Donald Trump to join his presidential predecessors from both parties and start appointing members of the globalist agenda-driven Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) to his administration. *Deputy National Security Adviser: K. T. McFarland McFarland is CFR. AND THE CFR IS THE SWAMP! Let me remind readers of what Rear Admiral Chester Ward warned about the CFR. Admiral Ward was the Judge Advocate General of the Navy from 1956-1960 and a former member of the CFR who pulled out after realizing what they were all about. He warned the American people about the dangers of this and similar organizations (such as the Trilateral Commission). Admiral Ward said, The most powerful clique in these elitist groups have one objective in common--they want to bring about the surrender of the sovereignty and the national independence of the United States. A second clique of international members in the CFR . . . comprises the Wall Street international bankers and their key agents. Primarily, they want the world banking monopoly from whatever power ends up in the control of global government. Admiral Ward also said, The main purpose of the Council on Foreign Relations is promoting the disarmament of U.S. sovereignty and national independence and submergence into an all powerful, one world government. Plus, the short list for Trumps selection to the office of Secretary of State are said to be Rudy Giuliani, John Bolton, Mitt Romney, and General David Petraeus. Each of these men is totally and thoroughly an establishment neocon. And if Trump picks Petraeus, it will be another CFR member picked by Trump. Besides being a globalist CFR member, Petraeus is an anti-Second Amendment gun-grabber and convicted criminal. Petraeus hates guns so much that he teamed up with anti-gun leader Mark Kelly and his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, to co-found the Veterans Coalition for Common Sense, an anti-gun organization devoted to "do[ing] more to prevent gun tragedies" by "urging lawmakers to toughen gun laws." (Source: Gun Owners of America) Petraeus was convicted (and pled guilty) to sharing classified information with his lover, Paula Broadwell. He was fined $100,000 and sentenced to two years on probation. On the campaign trail, Trump used Petraeus as an example of the kind of carelessness and criminality that Hillary Clinton was guilty of as Secretary of State. During the campaign, Trump said that Hillary has to go to jail for what she did. Is Trump really going to turn around and appoint a CFR globalist and a man who was convicted of the same kind of crimes that he accused Hillary Clinton of committing to the very same office? God help us if he does. Its bad enough already. Senator Rand Paul has hinted that he will oppose the nomination of David Petraeus should Trump appoint him. Good for Rand! *Secretary of Transportation: Elaine Chao Chao is another longstanding CFR member. She served in the cabinets of both G.H.W. Bush and G.W. Bush. She is a high-level neocon and globalist. She is a horrible pick! She is also the wife of the Senate Majority Leader, neocon Mitch McConnell. Gee! Why is that not surprising? *Secretary of The Treasury: Steven Mnuchin Talk about a globalist banking elite: no one personifies it more than Mnuchin. He was an Investment Professional with Soros Fund Management LLC and spent 17 years at Goldman Sachs. No single individual is more responsible for the attempted surrender of the United States to global government than George Soros. And no institution on the planet has done more to promote globalism than Goldman. When Mnuchin is confirmed as Treasury Secretary (and he will be), he will be the third Goldman alumnus to hold that position. The other two are Henry Paulson under President G.W. Bush and Robert Rubin under President Bill Clinton. Goldman, JP Morgan, Rothschild, Warburg, Lehman Brothers, Lazard Brothers, Israel Moses Seif, Rockefeller, and Kuhn Loeb control the Federal Reserve; and no institution on the planet is more responsible for the surrender of U.S. sovereignty and independence than the Federal Reserve. Talk about a swamp: the Federal Reserve bankers are the ones who are most financially responsible for filling the swamp. For Donald Trump to say he intends to drain the swamp and to then appoint a Goldman-Sachs partner as Secretary of the Treasury is the height of either simplicity or duplicity. Either way, its BAD for America. If Trump truly wanted to drain the swamp, he would have appointed Ron Paul as Secretary of the Treasury. *Secretary of Commerce: Wilbur Ross Here we go again! Ross worked for Rothschild for twenty-four years. When Trumps three casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey, were going bankrupt, it was Wilbur Ross who stepped in and fronted the monies needed to keep them afloat and rebuild his business. Ross also served under President Bill Clinton on the board of the U.S.-Russia Investment Fund. As I said at the beginning of this column: conservatives and Christians who supported Donald Trump need to wake up to the reality that the election is over. Hillary Clinton lost, and their guy won. What that amounts to is, campaign rhetoric means absolutely NOTHING now. Donald Trump is the President-Elect. From this moment on, we must stop judging Trump on his rhetoric and start judging him on his actions. And the man is busy right now putting his presidential administration together. These are the men and women that are going to be in control of trillions of taxpayer dollars and are going to have their own gigantic sphere of authority and influence over our lives. The kind of people Donald Trump selects for these key leadership posts speaks volumes about the kind of administration he will have. And it is on this exact point that conservatives and Christians greatly contribute to the demise of our liberties: when a Republican is elected President, they tend to go to sleep and refuse to hold the President accountable for his unconstitutional, big-government, neocon decisions and policies. What I am seeing right now is another G.W. Bush administration developing. The vast majority of Trumps appointments so far could easily have been selected by either Bush, either Clinton, or Barack Obama. They are the same establishment insiders that have been running the federal government for decades. Even perceived outsider Steve Bannon is a Goldman-Sachs alumnus, so I am very skeptical of exactly what he will bring to the table. And the reason that Republican administrations generally do so much more damage to our liberties than Democratic ones is because once they are in office, they have no meaningful opposition. Christians and conservatives lie down and go to sleep. But if they go to sleep on Donald Trump, they may wake up in an enslaved country. Accordingly, I call on Alex Jones to be honestly objective about Donald Trump. I call on Steve Quayle to be honestly objective about Donald Trump. I call on Bradlee Dean to be honestly objective about Donald Trump. I call on Joseph Farah to be honestly objective about Donald Trump. I call on Ann Coulter to be honestly objective about Donald Trump. I call on the writers on NewsWithViews.com (most of whom I hold in high regard) to be honestly objective about Donald Trump. The fact is, we owe Donald Trump NOTHING. He owes us his fidelity to constitutional government. Therefore, as radio hosts, writers, and opinion makers in the alt-media, we owe it to our country to be as faithful to constitutional government as we expect our civil magistrates to be. When the day comes that we lose our honest objectivity, we also lose our credibility and integrity. I like Trumps stated decision to ban former government office holders and employees from being lobbyists for five years. I like his stated position that America does not need any additional gun control laws and that Americans have an individual right to keep and bear arms. Obviously, he said many things on the campaign trail that sounded good, including investigating and prosecuting Hillary Clinton--a promise he has recanted since being elected. I will happily give Donald Trump all due praise when he acts constitutionally and in the interest of the liberties protected in our Bill of Rights. I give him praise for convincing the Carrier company to keep their manufacturing plant in Indianapolis and not moving it to Mexico. But I will NOT give him a pass simply because he is a Republican or because he said a bunch of good things on the campaign trail. And giving him a pass by comparing him to Hillary Clinton is now moot. Hes not candidate Donald Trump any longer; he is now President Donald Trump. As such, I find it SCARY that Trump would suggest that burning the American flag in protest should result in the loss of citizenship or a year in jail. Thats Hitlerian kind of talk. The freedom to protest--even by burning the flag (as despicable as that is)--is what America is all about. For the government to punish peaceful protest is a huge step down the slippery slope to oppression. This is the kind of thing that has always bothered me about Donald Trump. Again, Donald Trumps campaign rhetoric means nothing now. As President of The United States, he has one main responsibility: to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. And to the people he convinced to vote for him on November 8, he has one major promise to fulfill: to drain the swamp! But he is not going to drain the swamp with the people he is choosing to help him thus far. P.S. We are now shipping THE FREEDOM DOCUMENTS. These are the great historic documents that birthed and built the greatest free nation on earth. We compiled these documents in ONE VOLUME. These documents cannot be found in one volume anywhere else that I know of. In all likelihood, if young people do not get a copy of THE FREEDOM DOCUMENTS, they will grow into adulthood never having read these great documents of our nations history, because most schools of all types are not teaching them. This is a limited printing, and our supply will not last long. Plus, order now so as to be sure and receive them before Christmas. To order THE FREEDOM DOCUMENTS, go here: THE FREEDOM DOCUMENTS To read my full description of THE FREEDOM DOCUMENTS, go here: Invite George Washington And Patrick Henry To Your Home This Christmas Chuck Baldwin *If you appreciate this column and want to help me distribute these editorial opinions to an ever-growing audience, donations may be made by credit card, check, or Money Order. Use this link: Chuck Baldwin Live Donate Form I also have many books and DVDs available for purchase online. Go here: Chuck Baldwin Live Store To subscribe to my weekly columns, click here: Subscribe to Chuck's Column Related An Indian teenager can smile for the first time in 14 years after doctors removed a 2.8kg tumour from her face. The lump had been growing on 16-year-old Pinki Kumari's cheek since she was two-and-a-half, rendering her a social outcast and forcing her to drop out of school. After two surgeries failed, her impoverished family took her to experts who discovered the tumour was growing on her jaw and removed the bone entirely, replacing it with an artificial one. 'The doctors have just not given me a new face, they have given me a new life,' said Pinki, who can now pursue her dream of becoming a beautician. Blighted: The tumour growing on Pinki Kumari's cheek, left, since she was just two-and-a-half has rendered her a social outcast and forced her to drop out of school. Now aged 16, pioneering surgery to remove it, right, has given the young girl her life back 'I am really excited at the prospect of going back to school. I want to meet my old friends and make new ones. I want to lead a normal life like any other 16-year-old.' Pinki, from the Dhanbad district of Jharkhand, first went under the knife when she was six, then again aged 12, but the tumour grew back both times. 'I did not know what was happening to me,' she said. 'I did not know why the tumour kept growing despite surgeries. The doctors have just not given me a new face, they have given me a new life. Pinki 'I put on a brave face and continued my schooling even though my classmates and friends laughed at my disfigured face.' It became difficult for her father Sunil Kumar, who earns 400 rupees (4.60) a day as a tailor, to provide for his family of six while continuing to pay for his daughter's treatment. In a last ditch effort they made the gruelling 1,100 mile journey from eastern India to the Christian Medical College in Vellore in the south of the country, where doctors assured them Pinki's tumour was treatable. Pinki first went under the knife when she was six, then again aged 12, but the tumour grew back both times Earlier this year experts discovered the tumour was growing on bone and fat in her jaw and decided to remove the bone entirely and replace it with an artificial model. Pictured: Pinki before and after the pioneering surgery For two years they did everything they could to raise 350,000 rupees (4,000) for the operation until, two months ago, they were gifted the money by the Jharkhand government. The doctors carried out a biopsy which found the tumour was a 'benign infiltrating lipomatosis' which grows on the bone and the fat in the jaw. It is the rarest of rare conditions... So far only about 50 cases have been reported all over the world. Dr Saurabh Kumar 'It is the rarest of rare conditions,' said Dr Saurabh Kumar. 'So far only about 50 cases have been reported all over the world.' He also suggested this could be the first time such a tumour had been seen growing on someone's face. To ensure it does not grow back, doctors replaced Pinki's lower jaw with an artificial version while the joint that connects it to the skull was reconstructed using titanium. A second surgery replaced the eight teeth that were also removed. Pinki was discharged from hospital today - three weeks after her operation on November 9 - and allowed to go home with her new face. 'The doctors have just not given me a new face, they have given me a new life,' said Pinki, whose parents, pictured, traveled thousands of miles to get their beloved daughter the treatment she needed Pinki, who once struggled to open her mouth to eat or speak, now cannot stop talking to her friends on the phone. 'I cannot tell you how excited I am to show the world my new face,' she said, flanked by her parents. 'Now, I am not afraid of facing the world anymore. I am not afraid of people making disgusting comment about my face. Peter Morgan, 54, described escort Georgina Symonds, pictured, as his 'soul mate' A multi-millionaire property developer accused of murdering his younger escort lover told his wife of the affair on Valentine's Day, a court heard. In a police interview, Peter Morgan, 54, said he confessed to wife Helen about the relationship with former burlesque dancer Georgina Symonds on February 14, 2013. He told officers he had been 'seeing' Miss Symonds, 25, on and off for three-and-a-half years, adding: 'Although my wife didn't like it she tolerated it.' In a recording played to Newport Crown Court, Morgan also claimed that before he killed Miss Symonds he had been in the process of giving his wife half of his 20million so he could be with his lover, describing her as his 'soul mate'. He said in a police interview shown to the jury: 'She had an hourglass figure and she was just perfect. 'She was very attractive. Shed recently had surgery on her stomach to take her stomach in. She was perfect.' Police heard how he became Miss Symonds' 'sugar daddy' and would pay her up to 10,000 a month to be his private escort. He told officers: 'I paid for whatever she wanted and was giving her 1000 a week to pay for her car and insurance.' The father-of-two also told officers he had thought about killing Miss Symonds the night before he killed her but insisted he 'didn't want her dead'. Morgan, from Llanellen, near Abergavenny, is accused of murdering Miss Symonds after finding out about her plans to 'fleece him'. He denies the charge. In a police interview, Peter Morgan, 54, said he confessed to wife Helen about the relationship with former burlesque dancer Georgina Symonds, pictured, on February 14, 2013 Morgan, right, also claimed that before he killed Miss Symonds, left, he had been in the process of giving his wife half of his 20million so he could be with his lover Today the jury at Newport Crown Court watched police interviews with Morgan, recorded after he admitted to killing his lover and told officers where to find her body. Morgan told police his various business interests were valued at 20 million and Miss Symonds 'knew roughly' what he was worth, describing himself as her "sugar daddy'. The defendant told police how Miss Symonds had started taking cocaine and drinking heavily during the summer of 2015, saying it would affect her moods. He said he used to 'worry about her' and 'didn't want any harm to come to her'. Morgan said: 'I have been lying in the cell thinking: "Why did I do it?" I didn't want to harm her. I never wanted to retaliate or get drawn into an argument. She was quite an aggressive person, I suppose.' He continued: 'I don't know why I thought it. It wasn't like I planned it for days and weeks. I just don't know why I would do that. Perhaps I am masking the fact I did want to kill her - perhaps my mind is blanking it out - I just don't see why deep down why I would have wanted to. It is alleged the father-of-two, from Llanellen, near Abergavenny, murdered Ms Symonds (left and right) after finding out about her plans to 'fleece him' 'I definitely thought about it on Monday. Thought about frightening her and strangling her. I hadn't thought what I was going to do with the body.' Morgan added: 'I loved her. I gave everything up for her. I had been married for 22 years, so I gave up my marriage for her. I was in the process of giving up half my companies and properties to my wife to be with her.' The businessman told officers that Miss Symonds blamed him for the suicide of her ex-boyfriend Peter Deem. Police heard how Morgan became Miss Symonds' (pictured) 'sugar daddy' He said: 'I could understand her feeling that it was my fault because if me and her had not got together she might still have been with him. They split up but had got back together. At the end of the day it hurt me to think it was my fault.' When asked whether if he had any mental health problems, Morgan replied: 'I obviously have, haven't I?' Morgan also told police he had other affairs with two other women, both called Victoria. The court has previously heard that during the three-and-a-half year relationship with Morgan, Miss Symonds had an affair with a Sky engineer and secretly stayed with him at a hotel. Morgan strangled Miss Symonds with twine in the morning of January 12, then wrapped her body in polythene sheeting which he attached to a metal pole so he could carry it easily. Her legs were bound with tape to fit in the boot of Morgan's white Porsche Cayenne, which he used to transport her to an outbuilding close to his estranged wife's home. Miss Symonds was reported missing to police after she failed to collect her five-year-old daughter from school that afternoon. Morgan confessed the following day and police later found her body. A post-mortem examination found she died from strangulation. Morgan claims he has Asperger's syndrome and killed Ms Symonds following a 'loss of control'. Morgan of Llanellen, near Abergavenny, South Wales, denies murder. The man beat his 76-pound mother to death, sliced open her body and bit a chunk of her heart ' invaded his body the moment he returned home from dinner on October 15, 2001 , said he has been hearing witches' voices from the time of his diagnosis in 1982 A Texas man convicted of the brutal murder and cannibalism of his elderly mother has broken his silence about the shocking crime for the first time in 15 years, claiming that witches' spirits were to blame for the carnage. Joseph Frank 'Joey' Cala II, 55, shed light on the circumstances leading up to the October 2001 slaying of his 79-year-old mother, Lydia Cala, in a prison interview with the Fort Worth Star Telegram last week. Cala is serving a 30-year sentence at the Michael Unit in Anderson County, Texas, after pleading guilty in 2003 to beating his elderly mother to death, slicing open her body, removing some organs and taking a bite out of her torn-out heart. The inmate, who has been battling schizophrenia for more than 30 years, pointed a finger of blame at what he described as 'witches' spirits,' which made him feel 'real violent' that fateful evening in October 2001. Murderer speaks out: Convicted killer Joseph Frank 'Joey' Cala II, 55, talked about his struggle with mental illness and how 'witches' spirits' had driven him to butcher his mother in 2001 Cala said he decided to leave the house and walk to a Red Robin eatery for a hamburger. After dinner, he said he 'felt fine' and returned home. 'The second I came to the door, the [witches] spirits took over me and I attacked my mom,' Cala said. He proceeded to pummel the slight 79-year-old woman to death, cut open her body and partially cannibalize her heart. Cala, the younger of two children born to Lydia Cala, a school teacher, and Joseph Sr, a retired worker at Bell Helicopter, was born in California and grew up in Texas. DallasNews.com reported that in high school, Cala was a straight-A student and a member of the National Honor Society until his senior year, when he began smoking marijuana and drinking, which caused his grades to slide. He dropped out of Richland High School six weeks before graduation in 1979. He briefly joined the US Army, but six weeks later he was dismissed with a dishonorable discharge for failing to follow orders. In 1982, Cala was diagnosed with schizophrenia - a mental disorder for which he has been treated and medicated. Around that time, Cala said he first began thinking about witches. They seem intent on... making me believe I'm going to hell forever, they're going to take over the world and stuff like that, he said. 'It never made any sense,' he said, adding that he and his mother would regularly go to church together to pray about his illness. Before the murder, Cala served time on charges of drug possession, aggravated assault of a police officer and DWI, which landed him in prison for six months. After being released in December 2000, Cala moved in with Lydia Cala in Hurst, Texas. Less than a year later, he would be back behind bars for butchering his mother. While Cala declined to discuss the killing during the interview, court documents and witness testimony that emerged following his arrest offered disturbing details of the crime. Cala's own sister, Lydia Loggins, recounted for the court in 2003 how she went to her mother's house in Hurst, a Fort Worth suburb, the evening of October 15, 2001, after concerned neighbors called and said windows had been shattered from inside the house. Cala is pictured in his mugshot around the time of his arrest for the killing and cannibalism of Lydia Cala in Texas Loggins said she did not enter the house because she was afraid of her brother, so she called police. Officer Kevin Meador testified that when he looked through a bedroom window, he saw a naked, bloody man standing over what he later learned was a woman's mutilated body. Another officer saw Cala eat what appeared to be an organ, according to police reports. Meador and other officers said they went inside and heard Joey Cala saying that he worshipped the devil. When officers took him into custody, he told them they had interrupted his sacrifice. The house had been ransacked, and police found Lydia Cala's will on a chair. Loggins later told officers that her brother wanted their mother's money. But there was no indication the inheritance amounted to much. The woman, a retired teacher who volunteered for her church and the county registrar's office, lived in a modest, one-story house on Cooper Drive. Dr. Daniel Konzelmann, a deputy Tarrant County medical examiner, testified that she died of blunt-force trauma to her head and chest. The 76-pound woman, less than 5 feet tall, had a broken nose, teeth, collar bone, ribs and multiple bruises and cuts likely caused by fists or feet rather than an object, the medical examiner said. Konzelmann said he saw no defensive wounds. 'I don't know how long she was able to struggle, based on her size,' he said. After she died, her chest and abdomen were cut open and some organs were removed, Konzelmann testified. Part of her heart contained teeth marks and a piece was missing, he said. Fortress: Cala is serving a 30-year sentence at the Michael Unit in Texas, where he will remain until he turns 70, unless he is released on parole Cala said he cried every day while being held in solitary confinement for three weeks after his arrest for murder. There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to hell for killing my mom, he recalled. Cala's sister has not visited him in prison since 2004. The last time he heard from her was in 2006, when she sent him a letter. After his sentencing in 2003, she said: Joey has ruined our family. As far as I'm concerned, he should never get out of jail. He's my brother, and I love him, but it's going to take me a long time to find forgiveness. Cala continues to take medication for schizophrenia and meets with a psychiatrist every week, but he says he still hears voices. A mother has offered 6,000 to be reunited with her daughter after she was taken by her wife who ran away with the couple's sperm donor. Tasha Brown's wife Lauren Etchells, originally from South Shields, fled from their home on Vancouver Island in Canada to Europe with the couple's child and the sperm donor of their second baby in May this year. She has not stopped searching for her girl and has launched an international Facebook Group called 'Where in the World is Kaydance?' and a Go Fund Me page to raise awareness of her plight in finding her two-year-old, Kaydance Etchells. Tasha has today offered a 6,000 reward for any information which leads to her daughter's return after an international arrest warrant was issued for Miss Etchells. Scroll down for video Tasha Brown, who has made desperate pleas to be reunited with her daughter after her wife Lauren Etchells, originally from South Shields (the couple pictured with Kaydance) Lauren has not stopped searching for her girl and has launched an international Facebook Group called 'Where in the World is Kaydance?' In her most recent Facebook video, Lauren said: 'I love you and miss you my sweetheart Kaydance. All I want is to be reunited with you. 'Just know that Mama T loves you and I miss you. I will never stop looking for you my darling. I hope that soon you will be returned home.' Kaydance was born through the aid of a sperm donor, with Lauren giving birth to her. Both Tasha and Lauren, 31, had been together for nine years and were named on the birth certificate as Kaydance's parents. To enable Tasha to work at a private international school in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E), she successfully applied to a Canadian Court in March 2015 for her name to be removed from Kaydance's birth certificate. This is because homosexuality is illegal in the U.A.E, and the lesbian couple would not have been able to enter the country with the two women named as parents. Tasha, a Canadian national, said: 'The removal of my name from the birth certificate essentially stripped me of my parental rights. Little did I realise, this one action would haunt me in the near future, but at that time, I completely trusted my wife.' When the couple came to wanting a second child the sperm donor for Kaydance declined. So they looked to Lauren's best friend, Marco van der Merwe to be the donor in July 2015. But Tasha's relationship broke down with Lauren in the weeks that followed. Tasha said: 'Lauren informed me that she would be doing the artificial insemination herself. 'I was crushed with this news, but ignored my emotions, since the main goal was to provide Kaydance with a sibling, and timing was everything. Both Tasha (pictured) and Lauren, 31, had been together for nine years and were named on the birth certificate as Kaydance's parents Tasha (pictured), 43, cancelled her teaching contract in the U.A.E, and asked Lauren to put her name back on Kaydance's birth certificate, but Lauren refused 'Lauren, Marco and Kaydance spent that weekend at her parents' house, and then returned to our family home in Nanaimo. 'Upon their return, things were 'off' between Lauren and I. Things were different, but I ignored the red flags being waved in front of my eyes. 'By the end of July 2015 the fractures in our relationship could not be ignored anymore, so Lauren and I agreed to separate.' Tasha, 43, cancelled her teaching contract in the U.A.E, and asked Lauren to put her name back on Kaydance's birth certificate, but Lauren refused. Tasha said: 'Lauren told me that she wanted the freedom to travel without having to have my permission to take Kaydance out of Canada. 'When I asked Lauren what her short term plans where, she told me she didn't know. I suspected she was going to leave Canada, but then my fears were confirmed - I found out that Lauren bought one way tickets to Qatar, and planned to leave Canada with Kaydance on September 5, 2015 without my knowledge or consent. 'I immediately got a lawyer, and thus began the most emotional journey imaginable.' In August 2015 a judge issued an order that allowed Tasha to visit Kaydance. The judge also ordered that Lauren surrender her and Kaydance's passports, and not leave Vancouver Island, Canada. Lauren was also ordered not to apply for a Canadian passport for Kaydance. Tasha said: 'My intent was not, and never has been, to take Kaydance away from Lauren. All I wanted was the passports surrendered to ensure that Lauren would not flee with Kaydance.' In September 2015 Lauren got engaged to Marco and became pregnant. She had a boy with Marco in April this year called Marcus. Unbeknown to Tasha, Lauren had applied for a Canadian passport for Kaydance, against the court order and had gained permission to renew her own British passport. The passports were allegedly used by Lauren to flee the country with Kaydance, Marco, Marcus and Kaydance on May 8, 2016 and Tasha found a note on May 16 from Lauren confirming this. It was only six days after Kaydance had been taken that Tasha found out, when Lauren did not drop off the tot for the scheduled visit. In an email to The Times, in which Miss Etchells refused to give any details which would disclose her whereabouts, she tried to explain her decision to go on the run. She said that Mr Van der Merwe had agreed to become a donor for her second child. 'This whole case has been about gay rights and not about what is good for my child,' she said. 'At some point the system needs to look at the straight facts and see that Kaydance is better off with me instead of getting blinded and caught up in political correctness and bureaucracy. 'Breaking up her family, separating her from her mother and brother and the man she knows as her father is going to do far more psychological damage to her than growing up not knowing Miss Brown.' Mr Van der Merwe said in October that it was false to suggest he had agreed to be a 'sperm donor' and that Ms Etchells has stopped communication between the pair. A Supreme Court Judge in Canada reinstated Tasha's parentage on May 24 to once again recognise her as Kaydance's parent. Ever since, Tasha has been campaigning to be reunited with her daughter with the help of police officers. There have been reports of Lauren travelling in England, Europe and the Middle East. Keith Mees, of Swadlincote, Derbyshire, had been reading or sending messages just four seconds before the accident on the M271 A lorry driver killed two men in a car accident after using his phone at the wheel to break up with his girlfriend and message his ex-partner on Facebook. Keith Mees's 38-tonne HGV ploughed into the back of the Ford Mondeo and shunted it into another lorry, flattening the 15ft 7in car into mere inches on the M271 in Southampton. Mees - who was jailed for six years today - was on a long-haul journey and had been using his phone to play music videos, make phone calls 'to sort out his relationships' and browse Facebook. The 49-year-old driver from Newhall, Derbyshire, was 'distracted for 20 seconds' while using Facebook on his phone to message his partner and failed to notice slow traffic ahead. Mees, driving a Scania Heavy Tractor HGV, smashed into the back of the Mondeo carrying friends Marian Olteanu and Ion Calin - crushing them to death. 'Popular' and 'lovely' Mr Olteanu, 35, and father Mr Calin, 42, were killed instantly as the force of the collision shunted the silver Mondeo into the back of the second lorry, destroying it. Police described the scene as 'completely horrific'. In the aftermath the Mondeo was barely visible after being sandwiched in between the two huge HGVs. Officers described the rescue operation as 'impossible'. Scroll down for video Father-of-two Ion Calin, 42, of Shirley, Southampton, with his wife Veronica and their sons David, 12 and James 8 The crash resulted in the death of Marian Olteanu (left), 35, and 42-year-old Ion Calin (right) Moments after the smash, Mees asked if the Mondeo passengers were OK - and upon being told they were 'gone', he replied: For f***'s sake, I've only had my [HGV] licence for a few weeks. Southampton Crown Court also heard Mees has previous convictions for drink driving and fraudulently using a vehicle. He admitted two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and one of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He was banned from the road for seven years. Relatives of the victims had travelled from Italy for the hearing and as Mees was taken down, he looked to them, held his hand on his heart and mouthed: 'I'm sorry'. Crash: The silver Mondeo was barely visible as it had been completely sandwiched in between the two huge HGVs in Southampton. Officers described the rescue operation as 'impossible' The truck driver, wearing a black suit and green tie, hung his head as prosecutor Simon Jones read the horrific details of the crash on December 1 last year. Mr Jones said analysis of his phone shows he used it to search for music videos, make calls and use Facebook before the crash, which involved two other lorries. TRIBUTES TO THE VICTIMS AS FAMILIES SLAM PHONE USE The families of Ion Calin and Marian Olteanu paid tribute to them today and condemned Mees's decision to use his phone behind the wheel. Friends and family of the pair, who both worked in the building trade as dry liners, travelled from as far as Italy to see Mees sentenced. Veronica Calin, the wife of 42-year-old Mr Calin, paid tribute to the doting father and husband. She said: Ion was a doting father and husband whose loss we are still struggling to bear. Our boys now have to grow up without their dad, and it is heart-breaking that this could have been so easily avoided had the driver not been using his mobile phone. I am relieved this kind of thoughtlessness has resulted in a custodial sentence. While it cannot bring Ion back to me, all I can hope for now is his death serves as some kind of lesson to those who still persist in using mobile phones at the wheel - you are a terrible accident waiting to happen. Mr Olteanus cousin Simona McDonald, 42, said using a phone behind the wheel is unfathomable. She said: Marian was a kind, thoughtful man, and a lovely son and brother, who brought so much happiness to our family. It is so hard for his two brothers and his parents to know they will not share any more good times with him and will never see him marry or have children. He will be greatly missed. That people continue to use mobile phones while driving, being in no doubt of the destruction and devastation it can cause, is unfathomable to me. No phone call, text, tweet or game is ever so important that it is worth risking the lives of those around you for. Ion and Marian paid for that kind of stupidity with their lives and we have been left to pick up the pieces. A victim impact statement from Ms McDonald said she was upset after the horrific crash when she saw a picture of Mees on his Facebook profile, smiling and joking while in hospital. She said: His Facebook was distressing. He put a photo of him with his thumbs up and said the nurses do not know they have swapped the morphine for Viagra. There was no mention of the heartbreak the boys' families are going through. Advertisement Just 15 minutes ahead of the smash, Mees made a 13-minute phone call to break up with his partner as he and his former girlfriend 'were giving it another go'. The phone call ended at 5.09pm and analysis shows Mees was using Facebook when he smashed into the back of the Mondeo at 5.12pm. The court heard Mees would have been distracted for up to 20 seconds and Mr Jones said he had gone to reply to his partner on Facebook just before the smash. Mees later told police he made calls on his phone on a hands-free kit he bought at a service station, although no hands-free kit was ever found. Mr Jones said: The defendant had simply failed to come to a stop when driving. He failed to brake. It's clear that there was a 13-minute phone call at one point shortly before the crash, but the Facebook usage is what is crucial to this case. The Facebook messaging activity from the profile of the defendant shows he was using it four seconds before the accident. This was driving which created a substantial risk of danger. Mees opted to open Facebook and browse a thread. He then opted to message his partner on the messaging service. It's clear this is a case of using Facebook and the need to touch and activate the phone. There was significant distraction for the last 20 seconds or so before and the reason the defendant completely failed to comprehend the situation was the fact that the defendant was reading or in fact composing a message. There was no hands free kit found in the defendant's vehicle. One witness who dashed to the defendant's cab after the smash said Mees asked if the person in the Mondeo was OK. He replied He's gone and Mees replied: "For f***'s sake, I've only had my licence for a few weeks. Victim impact statements read by Mr Jones described how Mr Calins wife Veronica had to 'excruciatingly tell her boys their daddy could not put them to bed'. Judge Nicholas Rowland said: The Mondeo was pushed with force into a HGV in front of it. Such was the force, that it shunted into another vehicle. The sole cause of this crash was your decision to use Facebook, you should have been paying attention to the road. You were going through some kind of turmoil in your private life which you were sorting out when you were on the road when you should have been concentrating on the safety of other people. 'You searching for music videos shows where your priorities lay.' Jason Taylor, defending, said Mees made the 13-minute call to break up with his partner. Police on the scene: Just 15 minutes before the smash, involving two other lorries on the M271 (pictured), Mees made a 13-minute call from his phone to break up with his partner Crash scene: Mees claimed to police that he made calls on his phone on a hands-free kit he bought at a service station, although no hands-free kit was ever found He said: The phone call that didn't end well was in fact Mees ending a relationship with his girlfriend because he and his former partner were giving it another go. He accepts that he was going on YouTube and was on Facebook. He maintains he was not messaging but rather looking at a notification. Mr Calin, 42, with his wife Veronica, 49 This is a man who is truly remorseful, he is struggling to come to terms with the fact he caused the deaths of two lives. In mitigation, he explained why Mees tried for a last-minute change of plea but changed his mind. Mees's ex-wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer and her funeral was on Wednesday. Mr Taylor said Mees wasn't sure what action to take for their son. Speaking after Mees was jailed, Inspector Darren Ord of Hampshire Police said: The crash site was completely horrific, beyond anything I've ever seen before. The car was completely crushed to nothing, it can't even be seen. It was crushed so much the lorries were basically touching. The Mondeo had also gone under the HGV. The rescue operation was impossible because of the severity of the crush, it was flattened. It's hard to put into words how bad the crush was, the pictures are horrific and hard to look at. A 15-year-old girl sued her parents in court to escape an arranged marriage in Pakistan, showing Australia is not doing enough to stop the practice. The Sydney girl, known only as Ayesha, used Legal Aid to divorce her parents after Family and Community Services refused to take her in. It is the first time a child has made 'their own application to successfully become a ward of the court' and prompted a crisis meeting among government agencies. Ayesha moved to Australia to live with her mother and sister, but on a trip back to Pakistan her mother pressured her to marry, according to the Daily Telegraph. Ayesha, 15, sued her parents in the NSW Supreme Court to escape an arranged marriage in Pakistan, becoming a ward of the court (stock image) When she refused, her mother beat her, stole her passport and returned to Australia, leaving the child stranded in Pakistan. Legal Aid said Ayesha was 'assisted to return to Australia' where it then helped 'obtain orders' to stop her being taken out of Australia to be married. After FACS declined to help, Legal Aid helped her divorce her parents in the NSW Supreme Court in March 2015 and become a ward of the court. FACS then applied in the NSW Children's Court to take her into care. NSW Family and Community Services Minister Brad Hazzard said the teenager was a 'hero' who showed others how to rally against 'darkness'. 'This girls courage was a shining light which will send a clear message to other kids (that) you can stand up to the despicable old ways of forced marriage,' he said. It is the first time a child has made 'their own application to successfully become a ward of the court' and prompted a crisis meeting among government agencies The government was so horrified that a young girl had to sue her parents to escape forced marriage because Australian rescue responses were so ineffective. Australian Federal Police, the Immigration Department and child protection agencies are now holding high-level talks on how to 'improve responses', citing her case and others. It was also raised at a November 11 meeting of Australian community services ministers. Ayesha later decided to return to Pakistan to live with her father, after an agreement was reached in the Children's Court, but wants to go to university in Australia. A man with an astonishing facial tumour almost the size of his head has avoided a 'miserable death' after surgeons managed to remove the growth. The giant tumour was so large it had blinded Kenyan-born Mike Koech in one eye and threatened to kill him as it continued to grow. Spanish surgeon Pedro Cavadas, 51, who removed the tumour said that if it had not been operated on it would have continued to grow and Mr Koech would have 'died miserably.' The giant tumour was so large it had blinded Kenyan-born Mike Koech in one eye and threatened to kill him as it continued to grow The tumour began as a small growth, which continued to grow until it had consumed one side of the 35-year-old's face. It became so large that his nose and mouth were pushed to one side and he lost his left eye. Surgeons in Kenya and India had abandoned attempts to operate, intimated by the sheer size of the growth. After a series of four operations in 2011, 2013 and 2015 and October this year - Mr Keoch is almost unrecognisable But Dr Cavadas - who heard about the case through the Red Cross - flew Koech to his clinic in Manises hospital, Valencia, through his charitable medical foundation. The surgeon said: 'The size of the tumour scared doctors in India, and in that country there are good hospitals.' 'He was at the limit of being operated, but the alternative for Mike was to die miserably and any option was better than that.' Dr Cadavas made a pact with Mr Keoch, saying that if he was not able to control the tumour, he would take care of his family The pair became so close that Koech's newborn daughter was named Carmen, after the surgeon's late mother Now - after a series of four operations in 2011, 2013 and 2015 and October this year- Mr Keoch is almost unrecognisable. Cavadas' team had to remove what remained of his left eye and part of his jaw, which is where the tumour had been regenerating itself. Spanish surgeon Pedro Cavadas heard about the case through the Red Cross Now Mr Koech - who lost both his legs in a childhood accident - is set to return to Kenya on Sunday to return to his job as a motorbike taxi driver. Dr Cavadas said: 'We could never remove his right eye because he would not be able to take care of his family. 'In addition, he is my friend and I made a pact with him, if we were not able to control the tumour, I would take care of his family.' The pair became so close that Koech's newborn daughter was named Carmen, after the surgeon's late mother. The doctor said: 'During the process of recovery, Mike had a new daughter and he said that was thanks to me and he asked me to give her a name. Attempted murder dropped because victim would not give any evidence Adams was arrested in the Netherlands and extradited back to the UK He grabbed the gun and shot Paul Tiernan, who refused to help detectives Patrick Adams was approached by a driver said to be holding a gun in 2013 In the dock: Patrick 'Patsy' Adams, 60, one of the Adams family, has been jailed for shooting associate Paul Tiernan believing he was a 'grass' A top member of a London crime family has been jailed for nine years today for shooting an associate he believed was a 'grass'. Patrick 'Patsy' Adams, 60, one of the Adams family, shot motorist Paul Tiernan in the chest in Islington, north London, in December 2013 with a .45 calibre gun. Adams, believed to be second in command in the infamous crime family, admitted shooting his victim after being found hiding in Holland. But he was cleared of attempted murder after the victim refused to cooperate with police because he believed 'loyalty is everything' and said that being called a 'grass' hurt more than being shot. Tiernan has even reportedly said that he didn't believe Adams fired the bullet - but the crime boss admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent at Woolwich Crown Court this week and was sentenced to nine years today. Police who searched Adams's flat in the days after the shooting found a handwritten note from Mr Tiernan, 54, which said 'I ain't no f****** grass' and urged his former friend to 'face me'. After the shooting Adams later fled abroad with his wife Constance, 56, before the pair were extradited from the Netherlands on a European arrest warrant last October. Mrs Adams did not face any charges. CCTV showed Adams (top in black jacket and hat) running from the scene of the shooting Adams, wearing a light grey jumper and glasses, nodded towards his family in the public gallery before he was jailed. Sentencing him, Judge Christopher Kinch said: 'It was Patrick Adams who chose to make use of the loaded firearm when it was in his hands. 'That was a momentous decision. You are a man who has had some experience with firearms and have some understanding of their power.You took steps to dispose of evidence in this case, including the weapon. 'You also made sustained efforts to evade arrest, leaving the country and seeking refuge in the Netherlands.' Police admit that they have been unable to work out what the row between Adams and Tiernan was about, with Tiernan refusing to cooperate with the investigation. Met Detective Inspector Glenn Butler from the Trident and Area Crime Command, said: Adams was extradited back to the UK to face charges in connection with this incident, having attempted to evade justice. Today, he has been jailed for his crime. Patrick Adams, pictured (right) in the 1990s, is the brother of gangster Terry Adams (left) 'It was clear both men knew each other but the exact nature of the dispute has never been established. Adams stated that during the fight with the victim, he took the victim's gun and shot him acting in self defence but by pleading guilty today it is clear he has accepted his criminal actions. 'This case demonstrates the Metropolitan Police will pursue those who use firearms and ensure they face the legal consequences.' HOW ADAMS FAMILY ARE LINKED TO MURDERS, DRUG DEALS AND ROBBERY Linked to at least 25 murders, extortion rackets, drug dealing and armed robberies, the group is said to be headed by Terry, who prefers to be known as Terrence. He is the eldest of 11 children born to Irish-Catholic parents in Islington, north London, in the 1950s and 1960s. The brothers are said to have graduated from petty theft to extortion from market traders to armed robbery. The gang was linked to the shooting of the Krays' notorious chief henchman, Mad Frankie Fraser. Wensley Clarkson, author of a book on Britain's gangs, said: 'The Adamses are probably the last of the old-school British crime families. 'They're a bit like the Sopranos - they made their money and then sent their children to private schools, bought art, invested in legal businesses. 'Terry, in particular, is very bright. In another era, another world, he could have been head of a major international corporation, and that's how these people see themselves, in a way.' Other siblings have not been connected with the crimes of their brothers. Advertisement Prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC said the defendant and the victim were long-time associates but Adams had turned on an associate he believed had betrayed him. He said: 'The prosecution suggest from the circumstances of the shooting in broad daylight and at close range, that what happened would seem to have been personal. 'They had known one another for many years. The prosecution suggest they had much in common. 'They were men of a similar age, they knew a number of the same people, they share a reluctance to cooperate with police and live by the same code, one in which loyalty is everything and either snitching or grassing is contemptible.' The court heard the defendant and his wife Constance Adams, 56, had been spotted on CCTV walking in the area near to their flat in Percival Street, Finsbury, north London, at around 9.30am that day. As they walked in St Johns Street, in Clerkenwell, Mr Tiernan beckoned Adams towards his car, a dark-coloured BMW, where the defendant claimed he could see the victim had a gun. 'Adams ran to the car and reached into the open window,' Mr Aylett said, outlining the defence's version of events. 'Although Mr Tiernan had a gun in his hand he had not shot him. This allowed Patrick Adams to grab hold of the gun. Fearing for his safety and that of his wife, he shot Paul Tiernan.' Mr Tiernan, who refused to cooperate with police, was shot in the chest and was later found by officers lying on his back in the road. Meanwhile, Adams returned home to pick up his car and then drove to the Regent's Canal, where the gun had been thrown into the water. The incident happened in St Johns Street, London, where the victim was found in the road The victim, who was 51 at the time, spent a month in hospital after suffering complications linked with anabolic steroid withdrawal, the court heard. He is now thought to have made a full recovery. Mr Aylett said that, days after the shooting, police found a handwritten note, which had been written by Mr Tiernan and was addressed to Adams, during a search of his London flat. Charges against Adams' wife Constance were dropped Reading it to the court, Mr Aylett said: 'Pat, I ain't no f****** grass. G (which may be a reference to Mr Adams' son George) could have stopped all this b******s by telling the truth. 'I've always been there for both of you but no-one is ever there for me. We are men. Face me. The truth will hurt.' The court heard that, on the evening of the shooting, two women were seen on CCTV entering Harold Laski House, where the defendant lived, and emerging half an hour later with suitcases. Mr Aylett said the women were thought to be Adams' daughters and the evidence indicated that the defendant and his wife were not intending to return home and instead fled abroad. They were later found to be in Amsterdam in April 2014 and were extradited in October last year from the Netherlands on a European arrest warrant sought by the Metropolitan Police during the investigation. Adams had previously denied a charge of attempted murder and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) offered no evidence on that count. Patrick Adams was arrested in Amsterdam after the shooting and extradited to Britain A third charge of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life would lie on file, Mr Aylett said. Mrs Adams, who also denied the same charges, was discharged as the CPS offered no evidence against her. Six dock officers flanked Adams, who wore glasses and a navy blue jumper, and his wife as they appeared in court. Corine Audiat (pictured), a high school teacher from California, has been arrested and charged for allegedly having sex with an underage student A high school teacher who was arrested for allegedly having sex with one of her underage students has been hit with seven additional charges. Corine Audiat was a teacher at Washington High School in Fremont, California, before she was charged on Thanksgiving with having unlawful sex with a minor. Police began investigating the 32-year-old on November 23, 'after receiving a report of alleged sexual misconduct involving Audiat and a juvenile male,' a statement read. 'Officers learned the suspect was a Physical Education teacher at Washington High School in Fremont and the victim was a student,' police said. Audiat, who got married in October 2014, allegedly began speaking to her victim at the start of 2016. Police claim the conversations between the teacher and her student become more explicit over the months, leading up to when they had 'unlawful sex'. Audiat was arrested on November 24, and remains in Santa Rita Jail. On Wednesday, she was hit seven extra charges by the Alameda County District Attorney. Audiat was a teacher at Washington High School (pictured) in Fremont, California, before she was charged on Thanksgiving with having unlawful sex acts with a minor Video courtesy of KRON4 The charges are six felony counts - including contacting a minor for sex, unlawful sex with a minor, oral copulation with a minor, and sending harmful material to a minor with sexual intent. Audiat (pictured) has been hit with seven additional charges since her arrest related to the alleged inappropriate relationship She also faces one misdemeanor count of child molestation, according to the East Bay Times. The charges stem from alleged incidents in May and June this year, just after the school year ended. Audiat had been at Washington High School since 2012. It has since announced she has been fired. 'Ms Audiat has been placed on unpaid administrative leave and will not be returning to Washington,' the school district said in a statement, according to the Times. 'We have been working closely with the Fremont Police Department over the past few days to assist with its investigation while causing as little disruption for our students as possible.' The 32-year-old has been removed from the school's online directory. Audiat (pictured on her wedding day in October 2014) is charged over the alleged relationship that took place in May and June this year Police have urged people not to reveal the identity of Audiat's alleged victim. 'This case is a very unfortunate situation for our community. Due to the age of the victim and the nature of the investigation, no information regarding the victims identity will be released,' the statement read. There are calls for an overhaul of the justice and law-and-order systems An average of 95 burglaries occur across the state every day Werribee, Cranbourne and Craigieburn in Melbourne are the worst hit There has been a spike in break-ins in Victoria for the year to June 30 Victoria is being plagued with break-ins with an average of two homes a day being burgled in Melbourne's most severely effected suburbs, new figures reveal. Werribee, Cranbourne and Craigieburn have each had over 600 burglaries for the year to June 30, data from the Crime Statistics Agency reveal. Almost 35,000 break-ins have occurred across Victoria which averages 95 burglaries a day, Herald Sun reported. The number of break-ins has soared across Victoria. Pictured is a bank burglary in the Melbourne suburb of Cranbourne Almost 35,000 break-ins have occurred across Victoria which averages 95 burglaries a day. Pictured is two men who are believed to have assaulted a taxi driver and damaged his vehicle The spike in break-ins caused the overall crime rate in the state to increase by 12.4 per cent. The dramatic increase in crime, the growth of the notorious Apex gang and teens causing riots in detention centres has provoked calls for changes in the law. Shadow police minister Ed O'Donohue said the system is in crisis and Premier Daniel Andrew has not aided the community to feel safe. 'Under Daniel Andrews, frontline police numbers have been cut and police stations either closed or had opening hours reduced due to a critical shortage of members,' he said. The first Senate Democrat has come out against one of President-elect Donald Trump's more popular cabinet nominees, as Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York says she won't back a special waiver for the general. 'While I deeply respect General Mattis's service, I will oppose a waiver,' Gillibrand said in a statement. 'Civilian control of our military is a fundamental principle of American democracy, and I will not vote for an exception to this rule.' Mattis' wartime experiences as a 'fighting general' and his intellect have won him strong early reviews from Republicans and Democrats, including Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democratic on the House Intelligence Committee. He also is seen as a possible check against some of Trump's instincts. Mattis has publicly criticized Russia, and Trump has credited him with raising persuasive arguments against water-boarding, a harsh interrogation technique the president-elect has said should be brought back. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York said she won't back a waiver for retired General James Mattis to be the Secretary of Defense Mattis is unlike Trump's other nominees, including some like Health and Services secretary nominee Rep. Tom Price, who have already shown signs of being political lightning rods. Mattis, however, must contend with a 1947 law that prohibits someone from serving as Secretary of Defense unless they have been out of uniform for at least seven years. Dealing with the problem would require a congressional waiver, legislation that could be required to meet a 60 vote threshold in the event of a Democratic filibuster. In a 52-48 Senate, Republicans would be required to pick up eight Democrats to enact the waiver, which would easily pass the House. However, Gillibrand's statement only said she would 'oppose' a waiver, so it isn't clear how much resistance she might offer. She is the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Personnel. Trump told a crowd of supporters Thursday that he has selected Marine General James Mattis to be his secretary of defense Senate slowdowns of nominations also can be used as leverage for other matters. Trump told a crowd of supporters that he has selected Marine General James Mattis to be his secretary of defense, hours after the news broke and his transition team tried to tamp down the story. 'We are going to appoint Mad Dog Mattis as our secretary of defense. But we're not announcing it until Monday so don't tell anybody,' Trump quipped at a rally in Cincinnati as part of a 'Thank You Tour'. He has been flipped over by waves and stung by scores of jellyfish in November he has swum 124 km which 4.11% of the route The British man attempting to be the first person to swim across the Atlantic is many months behind schedule admitting the task is 'far tougher than envisaged.' Ex-policeman Ben Hooper set out on November 13 from Dakar, Senegal and aims to reach the Brazilian port city of Natal in March next year. However the 38-year-old has only swum 124 km or 67 nautical miles which is 4.11% of the total distance of the 'Big Blue' meaning he is unlikely to hit his target unless he picks up speed quickly. Scroll down for video Ben Hooper has only swum 124 km or 67 nautical miles which is 4.11% of the total distance At current speed he is not due to reach his final destination until early 2018 In a Facebook status posted on November 29 Hopper maintains he is on target to make the crossing in '120 to 140 days' and wrote he only swims 'when conditions are safe for me to enter the water, be in the water and get back on the support vessel from the water.' However the swimmer also admitted that the task is 'far tougher than envisaged' due to strong currents and jellyfish stings which he was meant to keep at bay with a special repellent made from shark cartilage. 'I had expected the ocean to be more rolling and less choppy. I am regularly turned upside-down by freak waves and have currents all over the place during each session despite swimming in one direction. Hooper's journey began on November 13 on the beach outside the Monaco Plage hotel in Dakar and he aims in finish in Natal, north east Brazil in March 2017 'Jelly fish sting me repeatedly every day and we have now seen sharks on two confirmed occasions.' Hooper, in the post, also strenuously denied the allegations that he and his crew are drinking copious amounts of alcohol between swim sessions. The adventurer who said he aimed to swim for eight hours a day said the support vessel is a ' dry boat; we do not and cannot partake of alcohol and I have not taken alcohol during the four years of preparation for this challenge.' 'See you in Brazil,' Hooper said to supporters as he set off from Dakar His trip so far has been bereft with problems. He had to stop swimming and ask his medic to remove a sea moth nesting in his left ear. He has also been flipped over many times by large waves and encountered sprawling islands of floating trash. To make matters worse the team now has to rely on ration packs for after the second support vessel that supplied pasta and rice had to return to Dakar. Hooper, who has a daughter, is set to swim through shark breeding grounds near Brazil, where mothers may attack to protect their young. A 38-year-old man has been arrested in Texas after allegedly masturbating in his car just a few blocks from an elementary school. The man - who has not been identified - was caught red-handed by a pedestrian, who spotted what was happening in Corpus Christi and started filming on his cellphone. The footage shows the witness approaching the man, who is sitting behind the wheel of a black sedan and appears to have a Fleshlight between his legs. Caught red-handed: The pervert was spotted sitting behind the wheel of this black sedan, allegedly masturbating using a device, with a pedestrian filming the indecent act 'What the f*** are you doing, huh?': The man appeared shocked after realizing he was on camera The video shows what appears to be a gold-colored Fleshlight between the man's legs (left). He also doesn't appear to be wearing any pants A Fleshlight is an artificial vagina used for masturbation. The footage which is being shared heavily on social media was filmed in North Shoreline Boulevard in Corpus Christi on November 26. The man who is filming can be heard yelling at the driver: 'Hey what the f*** are you doing, huh? Theres f****** kids here bro, what the f*** are you doing bro? Im going to call the cops bro, get out of here.' The man did call police, who have confirmed they have since made an arrest in the case. However the suspect has not been identified. Fled: The man quickly took off after he was caught. The footage was turned over to police, who traced the license plate and arrested the man Lt. John Chris Hooper told Elite Daily that the nearest school - Coles High School - was less than a mile away. 'The nearest school is nine tenths of a mile at 924 Winnebago,' police said. 'The Corpus Christi Police Department was informed of an individual exposing himself on Shoreline Drive earlier today. 'Thanks to community involvement and providing us with information, the 38-year-old male has been identified, detained and is being interviewed by detectives. As always, if you see a crime in progress, do not hesitate to call your Police Department.' Indecent exposure is a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine. The British man sentenced to life in prison for trying to detonate explosives in his shoe on a trans-Atlantic flight in 2001 says he can't afford the $250,000 fine that was part of his sentence. 'Shoe Bomber' Richard Reid has asked a federal judge in Boston to declare him bankrupt from the $256,082 fine that has been outstanding for more than 13 years. The 43-year-old wrote: 'I am not now, nor will I I believe ever be, able to pay this fine.' 'Shoe Bomber' Richard Reid (left and right on December 22, 2001 after failed attack) has asked a federal judge in Boston to declare him bankrupt from the $256,082 fine that has been outstanding for more than 13 years Reid contacted Judge William Young after receiving notice last month reminding him the payment is past due, the Boston Herald reported. On Thursday, Young told prosecutors they have until December 16 to respond to Reid's request to have the fine forgiven. The British-born al-Qaeda recruit submitted documents in support of his claim that showed he had a balance of $6.43 in his commissary account at the end of October. Documents show that he spent $53.20 on books and $130 on a lockbox between May and September, the Herald reported. He owes American Airlines restitution of $5,784 and about $300 will go to a flight attendant he bit on the hand. Reid, who is serving life without parole in a Colorado prison known as 'The Alcatraz of the Rockies', tried to set off the shoe bombs on a Paris-to-Miami American Airlines flight. Reid, who is serving life without parole in a Colorado prison known as 'The Alcatraz of the Rockies', tried to set off the bombs on a Paris-to-Miami American Airlines flight. He had placed the bombs in the bottom of his shoes (pictured) He was jailed in 2003 jailing for trying to blow up the plane, which was carrying 197 passengers, by detonating explosives in his shoes. His shoes are pictured in 2011 beside an FBI model as part of an exhibit at the Newseum in Washington, DC He was jailed in 2003 for trying to blow up the plane, which was carrying 197 passengers, by detonating explosives in his shoes. Passengers were able to subdue him by binding him with plastic handcuffs, seatbelt extensions and headphone cords. The plane was then diverted to Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. Reid pleaded guilty to eight counts of terrorism, including placing a bomb on a commercial aircraft, attempted murder and interfering with a flight crew. A woman who was chained inside a storage container for two months is suing her alleged captor. Kala Brown, 30, filed a civil complaint on Wednesday in Spartanburg County, where authorities say South Carolina real estate agent Todd Kohlhepp kidnapped her on August 31 after talking to her and her boyfriend, Charlie Carver, about hiring them to clean up his property. Deputies say Kohlhepp fatally shot Carver that day in front of Brown, then locked the woman in the shipping container, where deputies found her 'chained like a dog' on November 3 while searching the suspect's property. Scroll down for video Kidnapping victim Kala Brown (left) has filed a lawsuit against suspected serial killer Todd Kohlhepp (right), accusing him of, among other things, false imprisonment, assault and battery Captive: Police said they found Brown, 30, chained 'like a dog' inside this shipping container on the suspect's South Carolina farm The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, including medical expenses, punitive damages and attorneys' fees, from Kohlhepp for intentional infliction of severe emotional distress, false imprisonment, assault and battery. Brown's complaint alleges that the murder suspect 'forcefully kidnapped and imprisoned her, threatened and actually committed physical assault and battery upon her person, and intentionally and negligently inflicted severe emotional distress upon her.' Earlier this week, Kohlhepp was formally charged with three more murders, bringing the total to seven, including the slaying of a woman he kept prisoner for a week. The 45-year-old was taken into custody after police rescued Kala Brown from his farm in Woodruff, two months after she went missing. Cops then discovered the body of Brown's boyfriend, 32-year-old Charles Carver, buried in a shallow grave nearby. Just two days after he was detained, Kohlhepp led investigators to the remains of 25-year-old Megan McCraw-Coxie and her 29-year-old husband Johnny Coxie. He allegedly shot Coxie, and then kept his wife against her will for a week, before killing her on Christmas Day, 2015. Kohlhepp was formally charged with three more murders, bringing the total to seven, including the slaying of a woman he kept prisoner for a week On Monday, Kohlhepp was formally charged with killing Carver and the Coxie couple. It adds to the four other murder charges he is facing for allegedly killing four people at a motorcycle shop in Spartanburg in 2003. He has also been charged with kidnapping Brown. The Coxies were reported missing last December and Johnny Coxie was killed a day after his wife was released from jail. McCraw-Coxie had told her mother she needed to be bonded out so she could go to a job, but then her mother lost contact, Spartanburg County Sheriff's Lieutenant Kevin Bobo said. Kohlhepp showed investigators two grave sites when he was taken back to the property last month. Latest victims: Meagan and Johnny Joe Coxie vanished last December and their bodies were found and identified this week Authorities identified the people buried there as McCraw-Coxie and her husband, Coxie, of Spartanburg. McCraw-Coxie was shot once in the head, while her husband suffered several bullet wounds to the torso. Her mother had reported the couple missing on December 22 last year, four months after they had posted pictures of a new baby on social media. Spartanburg coroner Rusty Clavenger said that he believed the victims had been buried around eleven months ago, shortly after they disappeared. Kohlhepp was formerly arrested on November 6 and Sheriff Chuck Wright said that the suspect then confessed to gunning down four people at a motorcycle shop elsewhere in Spartanburg County in 2003. Kohlhepp now faces four additional murder charges for the killings of Brian Lucas, Scott Ponder, Beverly Guy and Chris Sherbert at a motorcycle shop. A police dig site on Kohlhepp's property. It was at one of these digs that police found the shallow graves with the couple's bodies. Their tattoos and dental records were used to identify them He waived a bond hearing on Monday night, according to media reports. The formal charges come after it was revealed earlier this month that at age 15, he was sentenced to 15 years in an Arizona prison for binding and raping a 14-year-old neighbor at gunpoint. His mother asked for leniency, according to court records obtained by WHNS-TV in South Carolina. An Arizona judge wrote in 1987 that he was 'very bright' but also 'emotionally dangerous' and preoccupied with sex. A memo detailing a psychiatric evaluation notes that he grew up in South Carolina and Georgia and had counseling from around age nine. Scott Ponder (right) and his mother Beverly (left) were found dead at the bike shop in 2003 Service manager Brian Lucas (left) and mechanic Chris Sherbert (right) also died in the 2003 massacre The memo, with a Phoenix hospital's letterhead, states that as a juvenile he threatened suicide, destroyed his bedroom with a hammer, hit other children and killed goldfish with bleach. A 1987 presentencing report says a neighbor described Kohlhepp as a 'devil on a chain.' But his mother Regina Tague has insisted that her son is not a monster and is merely just 'misunderstood'. She told CBS: ''I know that's what they say. He was very misunderstood. Pro-EU Tory MP Anna Soubry received a death threat today after she hailed the Lib Dem victory over Zac Goldsmith in the Richmond Park by-election last night as a 'sensational' rejection of a 'hard' Brexit Pro-EU Tory MP Anna Soubry received a death threat today after she hailed the Lib Dem victory over Zac Goldsmith in the Richmond Park by-election last night as a 'sensational' rejection of a 'hard' Brexit. A Twitter user going by the name of ' MikeM9131' responded by posting a message saying: 'Someone jo cox Anna Sourby [sic] please,' referring to the tragic murder of the Labour MP for Batley & Spen by the far-right extremist Thomas Mair in June. The offensive message was deleted within minutes and the account has been shut down. Ms Soubry has reported the Twitter user to the police and replied to the message saying: 'You're a sad cowardly troll'. She said it is the second death threat she has received in three days. The Tory MP for Broxtowe tweeted a screenshot of the offensive post to her 31,000 followers and wrote: 'This is what has happened to our politics. Tolerance & free speech must prevail.' Ms Soubry has been one of the most oustpoken MPs against a 'hard' Brexit but even she surprised Westminster by congratulating the Lib Dems for beating Mr Goldsmith, her former colleague, in yesterday's Richmond Park by-election. Mr Goldsmith quit the Tories in protest against the Government's approval for a third runway at Heathrow. In the resulting by-election he stood as an independent but the Lib Dem candidate Sarah Olney exploited his pro-Brexit stance to win the overwhelmingly pro-Remain seat. Responding to the shock result this morning, Ms Soubry wrote on Twitter: 'Sensational #LibDems #RichmondPark politicians ignore #Remainers at their peril & u can forget #Hardbrexit.' The Tory MP for Broxtowe tweeted a screenshot of the offensive post to her 31,000 followers and wrote: 'This is what has happened to our politics. Tolerance & free speech must prevail' A Twitter user going by the name of ' MikeM9131' responded to Anna Soubry's pro-EU tweet by posting a message saying: 'Someone jo cox Anna Sourby [sic] please,' referring to the tragic murder of the Labour MP for Batley & Spen (pictured in the House of Commons earlier this year, right) by the far-right extremist Thomas Mair (pictured left) in June Her tweet attracted a wave of abuse on social media. Nottinghamshire Police confirmed they are investigating the death threat. A spokesman for the force said: 'Nottinghamshire Police takes reports of this nature very seriously and an investigation is under way.' Ms Olney has promised to vote against Brexit in Parliament, along with her eight fellow Lib Dem MPs. It is understood that police are also investigating a separate threat made in a telephone call to Ms Soubry's constituency office on Wednesday. The reference to Jo Cox is concerning for MPs, who have reported an increase in abuse and death threats over the last year. Mrs Cox was brutally stabbed and shot outside her constituency office in Birstall, West Yorkshire, a week before the EU referendum. Last week Mr Mair, 43, was sentenced to life in prison for killing her. He repeatedly shouted 'Britain First' as he attacked the Labour MP. The sanctions, which China agreed to, look to choke its nuclear program Pyongyang said the sanctions are an abuse of power North Korea says a sweeping new round of U.N. sanctions will be met with tough countermeasures and has already staged a show of military strength with a shelling drill using over a hundred pieces of heavy artillery. Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's party newspaper, claimed the training on Thursday was so fierce that the ground shook although it didn't mention whereabouts in the secretive state the drills were held. 'The ground shattered as the earthquake hit it, the sky roared with the sound of thunder, and the cloud of dust soon covered the artillery emplacement,' Rodong reported on Friday. Scroll down for video Pyongyang has vowed to tough countermeasures as a response to new U.N. sanctions. Above is an undated drill of KPA artillery units on the front 'At the target island, the fire has erupted with the thunderous noise and the gust of yellow dust whirled up to the sky.' Owing to the description it is speculated the show of firepower was undertaken near Kalma Island which is often used as a training site for military blasts. Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un was said to be present at the drill and ordered his artillery units to 'crush the South.' 'Our first strike has to completely crush their intention to confront us again,' Kim continued. 'If there are those who are still left to struggle against us, then we have to wipe all of them our brave artillery units have to leave piles of bodies at every place they aim at.' New U.N. sanctions are to choke the secretive state's nuclear program by cutting off much of its foreign trade. Vice Foreign Minister Han Song Ryol called a gathering of foreign diplomats in the capital Friday to lay out his country's opposition to the sanctions, which are the harshest to date and have the support of China, North Korea's primary trading partner. Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un flanked by party officials watching a military demonstration. North Korea's nuclear program has prompted a backlash from the UN 'We categorically reject the U.N. Security Council resolution on sanctions against our country,' Han said. 'The adoption of the resolution is another open denial of our country's right to self-defense, which goes beyond the mandate of the U.N. Security Council - this is an abuse of power and an infringement upon the sovereignty of our country.' North Korea's Foreign Ministry, in a statement issued soon after the sanctions in response to the North's nuclear test in September were announced, warned of tough countermeasures, but didn't say what they might be. 'Sanctions will inevitably escalate tensions,' the ministry said in the statement, which was quoted by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Han said North Korea was being unfairly singled out by its political adversaries. 'If a nuclear test is such a serious issue, why has the U.N. Security Council never imposed sanctions on the major powers that have carried out so many nuclear tests? And how can anyone understand these sanctions,' he said. The Security Council voted on the sanctions Wednesday after months of diplomatic wrangling over how to respond to the September test, the North's fifth and biggest. The new sanctions aim to slash about one-quarter of the North's total export income. They target its hard currency revenues by placing a cap on coal exports, cutting them by at least 62 percent or by an estimated $800 million. The measures ban North Korea's exports of non-ferrous metals, sanction 11 government officials as well as 10 entities linked to the nuclear program and crack down on Pyongyang's access to the international banking system. They even prohibit its export of statues, a source of hard currency mostly through sales to African nations. And if the North fails to comply with U.N. efforts to stop its nuclear and long-range missile development programs, the resolution - for the first time - threatens to suspend some or all of its U.N. privileges. In view of his father Kim Jong-il young leader Kim Jong Un gives field guidance during his visit to Samjiyon County South Korea and Japan on Friday announced unilateral sanctions - which are being renewed in Japan's case - in conjunction with the U.N. move. South Korea said it blacklisted dozens of new high-profile North Korean officials and entities by banning South Koreans from engaging in financial dealing with them. Japan said it will more strictly block visits from North Korean officials and penalize related groups, including those in China. More unilateral action is also expected from Washington. Asked about the South Korean and Japanese unilateral sanctions, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters at a regular briefing Friday that China is opposed to such steps and that all sides should avoid taking more provocative actions. A woman has allegedly faced calls to be executed after going out without a hijab in Saudi Arabia. The woman, who has been identified as Malak Al Shehri, reportedly shared a photograph of herself without a hijab or abaya - a traditional body covering - on in the capital city of Riyadh. Another Twitter user claimed she received abuse such as 'Kill her and throw her body to the dogs' and 'We want blood' after posting the picture. The woman, who has been identified as Malak Al Shehri, reportedly shared a photograph of herself without a hijab or abaya - a traditional body covering - on in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Another Twitter user said that many Saudis are now 'demanding her execution' The 21-year-old student shared screengrabs of three tweets, which all included the Arabic hashtag 'We demand the imprisonment of the rebel Malak Al Shehri', reported the International Business Times. She told the publication: 'So many people retweeted it and what she did reached extremists, so she got threats. 'She deleted her tweets but they didn't stop, so she deleted her account.' One message of abuse reportedly read: 'The least punishment for her is beheading her.' The 21-year-old student said the woman had received abuse such as 'Kill her and throw her body to the dogs' Despite the threats, other social media users have been praising the woman for her bravery and expressed their support. One person, posting under the username @MajedAbboud, wrote: 'I'm amazed by the courage and the resilience of Saudi women'. Farah Aqqad added: 'Its about time to protest against this discriminative abaya prison against women #shout_for_freedom'. Meanwhile, Andrew wrote: 'Bravest girl on earth. Hope she is okay'. Islamic law is strictly enforced in Saudi Arabia, meaning that all women are required to wear the abaya and hijab. A murder investigation is underway after the body of a man with extensive injuries was found in one of Scotland's most affluent areas. Officers were called to the property in Scotland Street, in Edinburgh's New Town, at around 5.30am this morning after neighbours reported a disturbance. Police forced entry to the flat where they found the badly-injured body of the man believed to be in his mid-20s, and are treating the death as a homicide. There was a heavy police presence at the scene after officers found the body of a man in his 20s Two cars in the street have also been seized which police believe could be linked to the property Another man, also thought to be in his mid-20s, is helping with inquiries as a significant witness. Neither man is thought to have been a resident at the property. Two cars in the street have also been seized which police believe could be linked to the property. A note in the window of one of the cars reads: 'Please can you spare some change, I'm homeless or even something to eat, I'm really desperate. 'Any donations would be appreciated. Thank you and God Bless. Merry Xmas' The scene was cordoned off on Friday afternoon while forensic work continued at the building and some 45 officers carried out inquiries in the area. Speaking at the scene, Detective Chief Inspector Keith Hardie said: 'I'm satisfied at this time this male has sustained significant injuries and it's very much suspicious, the circumstances in which he's been found. 'Until we carry out a post-mortem to get a cause of death we can't commit to this being a homicide, however we are dealing with it at that level.' Officers were called to the property in Scotland Street, in Edinburgh's New Town, at around 5.30am after neighbours reported a disturbance Police forced entry to the flat where they found the badly-injured body of the man believed to be in his mid-20s, and are treating the death as a homicide Det Insp Hardie added: 'We've deployed a full major investigation team syndicate on to this inquiry, so basically we are investigating it like we would a homicide because I suspect that is going to be the outcome. 'There's another male present in the flat who is assisting us with our inquiries, Mr Hardie said. He's being treated as a significant witness at this point. 'I'm satisfied that both the male we have assisting us with our inquiries and the deceased have been frequenting that flat for a period of time,' Mr Hardie added. He would not be drawn on the specific injuries suffered by the man, but told reporters: 'Certainly the victim has sustained very, very significant injuries.' He said he suspects a weapon was used during the incident, although it is 'difficult to say' until the results of the post-mortem are known. The senior officer said he does not believe the death followed a botched burglary. A woman was reunited with her stolen Corvette Stingray 40 years after it was stolen from outside her home. Modesto Fleming was living in Anaheim, California in September 1976 when someone stole the classic 1964 muscle car from outside her home. Despite reporting the theft to the local police department, the car vanished for more than 40 years, until the car's most recent owner brought the Stingray to a show, where a fan noticed a discrepancy. The 1964 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, pictured, was stolen from Anaheim, California in 1976 Redbluff California Highway Patrol officer Dave Madrigal was asked to check out the VIN numbers on the car by the vehicle's unsuspecting owner, only to discover it was stolen With a little detective work, Madrigal was able to return the car to its rightful owner Modesto Fleming, pictured with her family, who is now living more than 500 miles away in Arizona One enthusiast noticed the car's vehicle identification number looked incorrect, so the owner was advised to go to the police for a proper check. Bluff California Highway Patrol Officer Dave Madrigal checked the VIN number and the enthusiast's suspicions were proved justified. The number related to a Chevrolet Impala and not a Stingray. Madrigal searched the car and found a different VIN number, which did correspond with a Stingray. Madrigal told the Red Bluff Daily News: 'The number returned to a 1964 Chevy Corvette that was an unrecovered stolen vehicle out of Anaheim Police Department in September of 1976. The unfortunate man who had the Stingray checked was given the car by his wife who had purchased the vehicle from a car dealership in Redding in 1987 which is no longer in business 'I contacted Anaheim and advised them of the situation. They researched their micro fish for the stolen report and called me back. They then located the victim from 1976, who is currently living in Arizona, and told her we had her car.' Madrigal quizzed the man who brought in the Stingray to be checked. The man said he had been given the car by his wife back in 1987. She had bought it from a dealer who is no longer in business. Advertisement Donald Trump said he will announce James 'Mad Dog' Mattis as his Secretary of Defense, the man who commanded a Marine division in the invasion of Iraq and who loves nothing more than being shot at. It is a nickname he gained before the first Gulf War when he was a Marine Corps officer and, unsurprisingly, it stayed with him. Known for his eccentric style and as a leader who liked to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with his Marines, he has produced some dazzling quotes over the years proving he is worthy of his title. Scroll down for video Donald Trump said he will announce James 'Mad Dog' Mattis (pictured) as his Secretary of Defense, the man who commanded a Marine division in the invasion of Iraq and who loves nothing more than being shot at He fought both in Iraq and Afghanistan before he commanded the Marines and British forces in Fallujah in 2004. It is considered one of bloodiest and hard-fought battles of the Iraq war, but it wouldn't have been something to faze the Mad Dog, also known as The Warrior Monk, partly because he is not married and has no children. His take on warfare is brutally straightforward, and is reported as saying: 'The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. 'That said, there are some a**holes in the world that just need to be shot.' He enlisted in the Corps in 1969, was commissioned three years later, and went on to serve in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. In Afghanistan he served first as a colonel before promotion to brigadier-general, to lead the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade. President-elect Trump's nomination, however, will need to win approval in Congress through legislation by-passing a law that bars retired military officers from becoming defense secretary within seven years of leaving active duty He clearly enjoyed the face-to-face battle, and would need it when he commanded the 1st Marine Division for the invasion of Iraq. He fought both in Iraq and Afghanistan before he commanded the Marines and British forces in Fallujah in 2004 He was back in command the next year when the Marines became engaged in a brutal and bloody street-by-street battle to restore order to Fallujah, a largely Sunni city which had become the heartland for insurgents and the scene of the murder of four U.S. contractors who were killed then had their bodies beaten, burned, dragged through the streets and hung from a bridge. The murder prompted two successive efforts to pacify the city, with Mattis in charge of a mainly Marine force, along with Army and Navy units and a British detachment of special forces and infantry. The six-week long second battle - Operation Phantom Fury - was the single most intensive engagement in Iraq, and saw tanks, artillery, massive airpower and Marine and Army infantry engaged in a building-by-building battle to end the insurgency. The close combat pushed Mattis' buttons, and he said: 'There is nothing better than getting shot at and missed. It's really great.' Trump has compared Mattis to George Patton, the US Army general who commanded the troops in Europe during the Second World War and was also well-known for his straight-talking and inspirational speeches. At the rally last night where Mattis' appointment was confirmed, the President-elect told supporters: ''They say he's the closest thing to General George Patton that we have and it's about time.' In Iraq, Mattis led by example and was a studious Marine. As well as gaining the respect of his comrades, his inquisitiveness earned him another nickname - Warrior Monk. MEMORABLE QUOTES FROM TRUMP'S SECRETARY OF DEFENSE JAMES 'MAD DOG' MATTIS 'The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some a**holes in the world that just need to be shot.' 'Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.' 'I come in peace. I didnt bring artillery. But Im pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you f***with me, Ill kill you all.' 'If in order to kill the enemy you have to kill an innocent, don't take the shot. Don't create more enemies than you take out by some immoral act.' 'Marines dont know how to spell the word defeat.' 'You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didnt wear a veil. You know, guys like that aint got no manhood left anyway. So its a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them. Actually its quite fun to fight them, you know. Its a hell of a hoot. Its fun to shoot some people.' 'The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears.' 'Engage your brain before you engage your weapon.' 'Find the enemy that wants to end this experiment in American democracy and kill every one of them until they're so sick of the killing that they leave us and our freedoms intact.' 'There is nothing better than getting shot at and missed. Its really great.' 'There are some people who think you have to hate them in order to shoot them. I dont think you do. Its just business.' 'For the mission's sake, for our country's sake, and the sake of the men who carried the Division's colors in past battles - "who fought for life and never lost their nerve" - carry out your mission and keep your honor clean. Demonstrate to the world there is "No Better Friend - No Worse Enemy" than a US Marine.' 'Treachery has existed as long as there's been warfare, and there's always been a few people that you couldn't trust.' 'Fight with a happy heart.' 'I am going to beg with you for a minute. I'm going to plead with you, do not cross us. Because if you do, the survivors will write about what we do here for 10,000 years.' 'PowerPoint makes us stupid.' 'You cannot allow any of your people to avoid the brutal facts. If they start living in a dream world, it's going to be bad.' Advertisement An avid reader with more than 6,000 books in his personal library, war became not only his work but his passion, and is understood to be able to quote Ulysses S Grant, George Patton, Shakespeare and the Bible at the drop of a hat. James Mattis is pictured in his Columbia High School senior yearbook in 1968 Another reported tale is that he carried a book into battle with full of quotes from Roman emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius - the Meditations, written when the emperor was himself in combat in 180AD. The well-read former Marine may have used his literature as inspiration for his own stirring quotes. Almost as if written for Liam Neeson in the film Taken, he is reported as saying: 'I come in peace. I didn't bring artillery. 'But I'm pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you f*** with me, I'll kill you all.' Mad Dog is not all macho bravado. One of his nuggets of wisdom to his troops is, 'Engage your brain before you engage your weapon', and insisting, 'The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears.' He also allegedly said, 'Marines don't know how to spell the word defeat.' His view on US forces adhering to US values is that Marines 'may not be perfect guys', but 'we're the good guys' and advised his comrades to be polite and civil to everyone they meet, but to prepare to kill them. Service: Mattis - then a brigadier-general - was seen arriving in Kandahar in December 2001 to lead operations by the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade in Afghanistant The well-read Marine veteran may have used literature as inspiration for his own stirring quotes This occasionally meant going behind enemy lines to make friends with the devil. 'Sometimes there are no good guys. There are no bad guys. 'It seems like everybody is in the middle. I'll tell you, I've slept peaceably among murderers who were on our side.' He was criticized in 2005 when he declared it was 'fun to shoot some people' and fighting was ' a hell of a hoot'. 'Actually it's quite fun to fight them, you know. It's a hell of a hoot,' he said in San Diego 11 years ago, while speaking on a panel about the Taliban. 'It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up there with you. I like brawling.' His call-sign in combat as he led forces in Iraq was 'chaos' - prompting the Marine Corps Times to write of his retirement two years ago after nearly 44 years service: 'Chaos out.' His counterpart in the UK Sir Michael Fallon has sung his praises. Mattis told Trump when asked about waterboarding, 'I've always found, give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers and I do better with that than I do with torture.' Mattis (pictured left, in 2010, and right, with former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice in 2007) is a colorful character with a series of quotable comments The British Defence Secretary said: 'I congratulate General James Mattis on his nomination and wish him well with the confirmation process. 'He has a deep understanding of our shared military culture as well as experience of serving alongside British forces. The US is and will remain our closest partner on security and defense. 'I look forward to continuing our close cooperation to fight terrorism, deter aggression, and collaborate on innovative technologies to ensure the security of our nations.' President-elect Trump's nomination, however, will need to win approval in Congress with a waiver from rules which bar retired military officers from becoming defense secretary within seven years of leaving active duty. Mattis may already have changed Trump's position, on what are known as enhanced interrogation techniques but also seen as torture, particularly waterboarding. Mattis told Trump when asked about the banned practice which simulates drowning: 'I've always found, give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers and I do better with that than I do with torture.' Gen. James Mattis talks with his officers of the 15th and 26th Marine Expedtionary Units during a briefing on December 12, 2001 Egypt's Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Sami Anan (R) shakes hands with the U.S. Commander of the Central Command James Mattis during a meeting in Cairo March 29, 2011 In response, the President-elect said: 'I'm not saying it changed my mind. 'Look, we have people that are chopping off heads and drowning people in steel cages, and we're not allowed to waterboard. 'But I'll tell you what, I was impressed by that answer.' Trump has been vocal about his desire to destroy ISIS, but under 'Mad Dog' the approach may be slightly more pragmatic than expected. Talking of the future of the US armed forces, he said: 'We must avoid being dominant and irrelevant at the same time,' according to the Scientific American. 'Dominant in our chosen forms of war and irrelevant to the security of this country. 'So you've got to be able to adapt in the Darwinian sense. And we will continue to adapt. 'Wherever the enemy wants to fight, we will follow him to the ends of the Earth. 'We'll adapt, we'll train, we'll advise, we'll mentor and we'll fight, and we'll fight well.' The shocking murder of a Charlotte nursery owner led many of his longtime customers to question why would someone kill the popular man who took tender care of their plants. Jesse Campbell, 64, was found shot dead in his home on January 6, 2015 by an employee who became concerned when he didn't show up for work at his business, Campbell's Greenhouses and Nursery, in the affluent Dilworth neighborhood. Former greenhouse employee, Kevin Mauricio Arita DeJesus, 21, pleaded guilty Thursday to voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of Campbell. He was originally charged with murder, but prosecutors lowered the charges when they determined it was a 'heat of passion' killing. 'Mr. Campbell lived a double life,' Harry Dest, the public defender representing DeJesus, told The Washington Post. Jesse Campbell (pictured), 64, was found shot dead in his home on January 6, 2015. He owned and operated Campbell's Greenhouses and Nursery, but officials say he was leading a double life Former greenhouse employee, Kevin Mauricio Arita DeJesus (left), 21, pleaded guilty Thursday to voluntary manslaughter in Campbell's death. Authorities say DeJesus killed Campbell (right) in the 'heat of passion' Authorities revealed this week that the man many in the community loved and adored was an extortionist. Campbell repeatedly did not pay young employees at his nursery, and instead forced the men, who were often young Hispanic men, to have sex with him, prosecutors said. Dest said that Campbell 'would use his position of authority, particularly of a person of his stature, to try to engage in sexual acts.' In a hearing, the defense team said DeJesus, an undocumented immigrant from Honduras, quit working for Campbell when he had offered to pay him $400 a day to move to Florida with him and be his companion. The Herald reported that DeJesus had not been paid for numerous weeks worth of household chores, cleaning and landscaping work at Campbell's house. On January 5, he went to Campbell's upscale home near Lake Wylie to ask for the money that was owed to him. Prosecutors said Campbell repeatedly did not pay young employees at his nursery, and instead forced the men, who were often young Hispanic men, to have sex with him including DeJesus (above) DeJesus (left) confronted Campbell (right), who had a gun, about the missing pay. DeJesus got control of the gun and shot Campbell before fleeing the scene An argument apparently ensued between the pair that lead to a struggle over a gun that was in Campbell's possession. DeJesus got control of the weapon and shot his former boss under the ear in his head, according to court statements. The undocumented immigrant was arrested after authorities matched and discovered a broken taillight from the suspected getaway vehicle to his truck. DeJesus is expected to be sentenced to 12 years in prison, the Herald reported. He will be deported back to Honduras after serving his prison sentence. His attorney said that he fled from Honduras to escape the violent gangs. 'He was trying to avoid a life of horrific violence in Honduras,' Dest said. 'It's tragic it ended this way because he really wanted to live in the United States and avoid that type of environment for himself and his family.' DeJesus (left) was arrested and charged by police for Campbell's (right) murder. He is expected to be sentenced to 12 years in prison and then will be deported back to Honduras Prior to opening his business, Campbell worked as a high school biology teacher. He battled and survived cancer in the 2000s and suffered heart attacks in both 2012 and 2013. Campbell underwent open-heart surgery in May 2015 and not long after he was back to working at his business. Many customers recalled how kind and caring Campbell was, and how he would remember each of their children by name, the Post reported. Charlotte attorney Lauren Harkey was a longtime customer at the nursery. She wrote that Campbell was 'the orchid whisperer', as he watched over her plants when they did not bloom. 'At the first signs of future blooms, you'd get an excited phone call telling you to come quick and enjoy your orchid,' she said. Another customer, Lee Ellen Lawn, told Charlotte Magazine that she could go into any one of her friend's homes and see that'the majority of them have bought or been given plants from Campbell's Greenhouses.' Police say McNatt, who was fired from Houston PD in 1986, offered two undercover cops $100 and three gold rings for the murder-for-hire McNatt's attorney said in court his client has been battling depression and tried to kill himself in November Milton, who has a husband and a young daughter, vehemently denied having an affair with Mrs McNatt, saying they were just friends McNatt, 63, called Milton on Facebook a 'lesbian' and accused her of taking Mary away from him The ex-cop allegedly believed that Mrs McNatt, who left him last month, was romantically involved with Milton McNatt is accused of hiring two undercover officers to sexually assault his estranged wife, Mary McNatt, and rape and kill her friend, Marivic Milton McNatt, 63, charged with solicitation to commit capital murder and solicitation to commit aggravated kidnapping with intent to commit sexual assault A former Houston police officer has been charged with orchestrating a failed rape- and murder-for-hire plot targeting his estranged wife and her female friend. Clarence Michael McNatt, 63, was arrested Wednesday at a Target store parking in the Houston suburb of Pasadena while meeting with two bogus assassins. He is charged with one count of solicitation to commit capital murder and two counts of solicitation to commit aggravated kidnapping with intent to commit sexual assault. Jilted spouse: Clarence McNatt (left), 63, a former Houston police officer, is accused of organizing a murder-for-hire plot targeting his estranged wife, Mary (pictured far right) and her friend, Marivic Milton (seen next to Mary) Unfaithful? In a caption accompanying this photo, which McNatt put up on Facebook last month, he called Milton a lesbian and accused her of stealing his wife (left) from him Police say McNatt last month tried to hire two undercover officers posing as hit men to kidnap and sexually assault his estranged wife, identified by the station Click2Houston as Mary McNatt, and then kill the wife's friend, 31-year-old Mirivic Milton. Investigators say McNatt believed his wife was having an affair with Milton. Investigators say McNatt initially offered $500 for the killings, but ultimately handed the would-be assassins $100 and three gold rings as payment for the contract on the lives of the two women. The Houston Police Department has confirmed that McNatt served on the force from 1982 to 1986, before he was fired for violating the departments policy concerning side jobs, reported KHOU11. McNatt also served as a police officer in the cities of Ames and Clear Lake Shores. McNatt's arrest Wednesday afternoon prompted police to search his home and car, where they say they found tools that could have been used to restrain and torture the two women. Contract killing: Police say McNatt gave two undercover cops posing as hit men $100 and three gold rings to rape his wife (pictured left and right) and kill her friend Milton, pictured left and right with Mary McNatt, has vehemently denied the two women were lovers, insisting that Clarence McNatt was just angry that his wife left him Married woman: Milton, 31, is married (pictured with her husband) and has a young daughter During a preliminary hearing on Friday, McNatt attorneys said his client has been struggling with depression and was hospitalized last month in the wake of a suicide attempt. Neighbors in Pasadena told Click2Houston that McNatt, once a friendly and helpful presence in the area, turned morose and aloof after his wife left him several weeks ago. Milton said she was shocked and scared to learn of the thwarted plot on her life McNatts last Facebook post, dated November 18, consisted of a photo depicting himself with his wife, accompanied by a telling caption that read: 'Before the Lesbian Marivic Milton stole MaryGrace McNatt from me' Milton released a statement to the station ABC13 Friday, saying she was shocked and scared to learn of the failed plot on her life. The 31-year-old woman, whom ABC13 did not identify by name, also vehemently denied that she and Mary McNatt were romantically involved, arguing that her friends husband was just upset that she offered her a place to stay after Mary broke up with him. There is no relationship and I don't have to prove myself to anyone, Milton wrote. We are ONLY friends. According to social media posts, Milton has a husband and a young daughter. It appears that both she and her friend Mary McNatt are of Filipino descent. Mrs McNatt's Facebook page is crammed with photos of the two women trying on nearly identical outfits, doing makeup and happily embracing in front of a mirror. On Friday, a judge ordered that Clarence McNatt be held at the Harris County Jail on $250,000 bond. He is due back in court next month. A 46-year-old man from Sutton, south London was arrested on Thursday Among those to feature are Jihadi John, Anjem Choudary and Sadiq Khan A social media campaign was launched to get people to trade the stickers Social media users have been encouraging the spread of racist Pokemon-style stickers across the public transport network. The stickers, plastered over buses, trains and tube stations across London, depict a number of Muslims with the slogan 'gotta catch and deport them all'. One features Barack Obama and labels him 'Obamabinlyin', and says he is the 'USA's Muslim in Chief who has protected Islamic causes over those of the rest of the world'. 'Ginger Jihadi' Jordan Horner also appears on some of the stickers, dubbing him 'Gingermo' whose weakness is being 'allergic to sunlight'. One sticker features Barack Obama and labels him 'Obamabinlyin', and says he is the 'USA's Muslim in Chief who has protected Islamic causes over those of the rest of the world' Anjem Choudary, one of Britain's most notorious hate preachers, features as 'Hatechu' Isis executioner Jihadi John, who became infamous for videos in which he murdered captives, is among those who appear in the racist stickers Anjem Choudary, one of Britain's most notorious hate preachers, features, as does London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is worth the maximum 200 'terror points' with Obama. Disgusted commuters blasted the 'appallingly racist' stickers, with anti-Muslim hate helpline TellMAMA highlighting one far-right extremist Twitter account which has posted several images of the stickers. Green Party deputy leader Amelia Womack condemned the stickers, labelling them 'disgusting'. She urged anyone who spotted the stickers to report them to the British Transport Police. London Mayor Sadiq Khan is worth the maximum 200 'terror points', along with Obama 'Ginger Jihadi' Jordan Horner also appears on some of the stickers, dubbing him 'Gingermo' whose weakness is being 'allergic to sunlight' The stickers also ridicule moderate Muslims, claiming that they have a 'secret fondness for pork' Web user 'Anti Jihadi Frog' attempted to recruit distributors earlier this month, tweeting: 'I am looking for some London/South-East based patriots to join an upcoming sticker campaign.' They have been spotted as far away as West Berkshire and at a service station on the M6 near Knutsford, Cheshire. A number of far-right Twitter accounts have been openly sharing photos of the stickers, urging people to collect and swap them. A 46-year-old man from Sutton, south London was arrested on Thursday by British Transport Police on suspicion of inciting racial hatred. Others have slammed it as dangerous and A seven-year-old Texas girl has become something of an online celebrity after her father posted a video of her shooting a large hunting rifle by herself and taking down an adult deer. Lilly Klapper lives in Jacksboro - northwest of Fort Worth - with her parents and little brother. She is in the second grade. However Lilly's father, Cody Klapper, a keen hunter, has been teaching his daughter how to shoot and kill animals in the fields by their home, and has set up a Facebook page called Lilly Pad's Outdoors to document her progression. Squaring off: Lilly Klapper went viral this week after her father posted this video of the seven-year-old shooting a hunting rifle and taking down a deer all on her own Score: Lilly is seen smiling and celebrating after her father assures her she shot and killed the deer Cody Clapper captured on camera the moment his daughter, Lilly, shot her first deer and posted in on Facebook on Monday Game: Lilly is seen here in a photo her father took with the deer that she skilled by herself Thumbs up: Lilly and her little brother celebrate, while still holding the rifle, after shooting the deer dead In a video posted to the page on Monday that quickly went viral, tiny Lilly is seen shooting her first deer with an AR-15 rifle, which appears to be about twice the size of her. Klapper says his daughter has practiced shooting ever since she was just five. The proud father says he recently felt Lilly was prepared to shoot her first deer and wanted to capture the milestone on camera, Fox 4 News reported. 'We have a passion for the outdoors, and (the video) was primarily intended to be for family and friends,' Klapper told the station. 'But now that it has had 1.4 million views, I hope that it inspires other parents to get their children into the outdoors.' Young gun: Lilly Klapper lives in Jacksboro - northwest of Fort Worth - with her parents and little brother. She is in the second grade and has been shooting guns since she was five. Lilly's father has set up a Facebook page documenting her progression with hunting A family that hunts together: Klapper says he hopes to inspire other families The majority of the comments have been positive, with many parents praising Klapper for showing his daughter proper gun safety. However Klapper is fully prepared for the inevitable backlash, with others slamming the behavior as dangerous and inappropriate for a child so young. 'I respect and understand that this video may not be for everyone,' Klapper wrote alongside the video on Facebook. 'If you think that you might be offended by this video that has my daughter shooting a deer with a modern hunting rifle, please keep scrolling.' One viewer of the video, Greg Stephens, congratulated Klapper for what he had done. 'We have become a nation of powder puffs. Thank God for Dads like you. Am teaching my grandson to shoot. Kids need this, as it teaches responsible behavior,' Stephens wrote. One woman, Janna Heiken, said she was moved to tears by the clip. 'That made me cry! So proud of a baby girl that knows what it takes to feed a family,' Heiken wrote underneath the video. Another man, Ruben Salazar, commented: 'You did a fine job, Dad. She looks well trained. Nice shooting little one.' Family: Lilly is seen here with her father Cody, mother Daisy and and her little brother Klapper has posted other videos and pictures of the seven-year-old and the hunting tools he is teaching her. In one video, posted almost one year ago, she is seen shooting a 20-gauge shotgun at a target in a field. Klapper wrote in the caption that it was her first time using the weapon. In one photo Lilly is also seen with with an archery bow, which she is using to shoot a life-sized deer target. Lilly's mother, Daisy Bailey Klapper, is also seen out hunting and shooting with the family on her Facebook profile. In one photo Lilly is also seen with with an archery bow, which she is using to shoot a life-sized deer target Richard Graham, pictured, was rescued from an oven vent at a pizzeria and is now facing burglary charges A man rescued from an oven vent at a western New York state pizzeria is now facing burglary charges. Deputies arrived at Pontillo's Pizzeria in Pennfield at 3.45am Friday after someone reported a man yelling for help, the Monroe County Sheriff's office says. They found 53-year-old Richard Graham of Rochester stuck in ductwork that led from an oven to a roof vent. David Reed, who called 911, told WHAM: 'He was trying to get in the building. I don't think he was able to get back out.' Penfield assistant fire chief Earl Lubanski told the Democrat and Chronicle: 'He was as far down as he could go without coming out on top of an oven. 'The ductwork got narrower as you get down closer to the kitchen.' Lubanski said: 'I have been in Penfield 17 years. This is the first time I have seen it in this town. I have only seen it on TV.' Deputies arrived at Pontillo's Pizzeria in Pennfield at 3.45am Friday after someone reported a man yelling for help, the Monroe County Sheriff's office says Deputies found Graham stuck in ductwork that led from an oven to a roof vent After Penfield firefighters pulled him out, Graham was checked out at a hospital before being arraigned in town court. He was arraigned on charges of third-degree burglary, second-degree criminal mischief and possession of burglary tools, WHAM reported. The sheriff's office says Graham caused over $2,000 in damage to the restaurant. Advertisement Students across Oxford hit the streets dressed as Santa in the biggest Christmas bar crawl. Many tipsy students were pictured stumbling around the town centre with some collapsing after getting a bit too merry. The club crawl advertising on Facebook as Santa Crawl Oxford promised to be the biggest night of your life and it looked like it was the messiest night of their lives for some. Scroll down for video Students queue to get in one of the clubs on their Santa Crawl in Oxford town centre last night before the end of term Around 1000 tickets were sold for the event that promised to be the 'best night of their lives' with the Santa dash theme Some people got their Santa Claus outfits with their 10 tickets whilst some brought their own accessories in a bid to impress Posing for the pictures, the students went to five nightclubs to dance and have a drink before ending their night at a 'superclub' Not everyone was happy standing in the cold waiting to go inside as these ladies show with their arms crossed At least 1,000 tickets were sold for students making their way through five nightclubs and ending at one superclub all in one night. Students donned their Santa hats and jackets and Mrs Santa costumers as they drank their way between the venues last night. Some students took to sitting on the street when they became tired as this Miss Claus, with sunglasses, shows It didn't take long for revellers to get the munchies and get some fast food to soak up the drink and have a sit down Despite the freezing cold temperatures many students were spotted lying down on pavements surrounded by rubbish and even glasses These pictures capture the lows and highs of the evening from some pre-drinking snacks to the post-drinking sick. Unfortunately some of Oxford historic buildings were painted in students vomit and some of them were seen lying on the streets after drinking too much, despite the freezing temperatures. Long queues of Santa brightened up the night as more of the thousand students were seen trying to get into the next nightclub Stopping for a kebab and some chips some students sensibly got some food to soak up the alcohol during the night Munching on a burger and chips these two found a bench to sit on whilst others just sat where they were Enjoying a greasy spoon these students seemed to be winding down for the night as they chatted outside a closed shop Some young women decided to take their shoes off and walk barefoot across the frozen pavement. Some kind-hearted revellers donate their Santa cloaks to homeless people in a bid to keep them warm during the Winter. One kind-hearted man was spotted giving outfits to the homeless in a bid to keep them warm on the cold wintry night Whilst a person was trying to sleep he soon became surrounded by Santa jackets and trousers from students in Oxford One homeless woman and her dog were very pleased with their donations from the man, even the extra Santa hat For some Santas a kebab marked the end of their night as they made their merry way back to their halls of residence. The bar crawl, which cost around 10 per person, ended at Emporium after making pit stops along the way at ATIK and Anuba. Walking home after an eventful night out, students were seen making their merry way back to their halls of residence and student digs Skipping away some of them still appeared to be in high Christmas spirits walking around the town centre Others were helped home by their friends after a few stumbles across the road and a few falls to the ground Security were forced to intervene with some of those on the night out to ensure they were able to get safely home Others were spotted a little more worse for wear with some being sick on the street and historical buildings of Oxford Many students take part in bar crawls during their time at university, but more recently their antics have seen more controversy than before. This man took a tumble in what looks like it is vomit but quickly rolled his way back up after losing his balance Bar and pub crawls are attractive more attention in the media following recent controversys In October a group of students from Nottingham caused outrage when they decided to dress up as the amputees in the Alton Towers Smiler rollercoaster crash. Victims of the Alton Towers crash labelled the stunt 'disgusting' and 'disrespectful' after seeing photos. In October students in Nottingham apologise after they dressed as what appeared to be Alton Towers rollercoaster victims And concerns have been raised over student's safety after they wonder off drunk and unstable Although the Students Union at the University of Nottingham denied that the costumes, which feature rollercoaster safety bars, reference the crash. Obama and Duterte were supposed to meet for talks in Laos in September He has continued to opine on U.S. ' President-elect Donald Trump extended an offer to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to visit the White House next year, an aide to the foreign leader says. Christopher Go, a special adviser to Duterte, says the president-elect and the Philippine leader had a 'very engaging, animated' talk today that lasted more than seven minutes. Duterte lost out on a bilateral meeting with President Barack Obama this fall after calling him a 'son of a b****'. Scroll down for video President-elect Donald Trump extended an offer to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to visit the White House next year, an aide to the foreign leader says Duterte lost out on a bilateral meeting with President Barack Obama this fall after calling him a 'son of a b****' in a speech. Obama and Trump are seen last month in the Oval Office of the White House The Philippine president has professed a kinship with Trump, whose cursing on the campaign trail raised eyebrows more than once. Duterte also ran on an anti-establishment and populist platform, winning the presidency in his country after a record turnout among voters. A readout of the meeting provided by Trump's campaign early Friday evening did not mention the White House invitation. 'President Rodrigo Roa Duterte of the Philippines offered his congratulatory wishes to President-elect Trump,' it said. 'In their conversation, they noted the long history of friendship and cooperation between the two nations, and agreed that the two governments would continue to work together closely on matters of shared interest and concern.' Go told Reuters Duterte invited Trump to attend the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) when it is held in the Philippines next year, as is customary for the U.S. president. Duterte said last month, a day after Hillary Clinton's unexpected defeat, that he doesn't want to 'quarrel' with the United States anymore because Trump won. He has continued to opine on U.S. 'hypocrisy' since. 'I would like to congratulate Mr. Donald Trump. Long live,' he said last month, according to CNBC. 'We are both making curses. Even with trivial matters we curse. I was supposed to stop because Trump is there. I don't want to quarrel anymore, because Trump has won.' Obama and Duterte were supposed to meet for talks in Laos in September. The White House cancelled the meeting after Duterte's derogatory remarks, which he apologized for a day later, saying through is spokesman he regrets that 'it came across as a personal attack on the US President.' The two leaders shared 'pleasantries' and had a 'brief discussion' later in the week at a conference but the angry outburst at the American president cost Duterte his sit-down with the world leader. 'It was not a long interaction, and what I indicated to him is that my team should be meeting with his and determine how we can move forward on a range of issues,' Obama said at a news conference. Duterte says he wasn't talking about the U.S. leader when he uttered the slur - he was denouncing the journalist who asked him the question. The Philippine president has professed a kinship with Trump, whose cursing on the campaign trail raised eyebrows more than once. Duterte also ran on an anti-establishment and populist platform, winning the presidency in his country after a record turnout among voters 'Who does he think he is? I am no American puppet. I am the president of a sovereign country and I am not answerable to anyone except the Filipino people,' Duterte said in his response. 'Son of a b****, I will swear at you.' The Philippine leader was provoked by the White House's insistence that Obama would bring up extrajudicial killings in the country that are a byproduct of its aggressive war on drugs. Trump told Reuters that Duterte's swearing showed 'a lack of respect for our country.' He also emphasized the 'very important strategic location' of the Philippines. It has served as a regional counterbalance to China, a country Trump has threatened to expose as a currency manipulator. In October, Duterte announced a 'separation' from the United States. Duterte has regularly rails against Washington's, saying the day after Trump's electoral victory, 'They talk as if we are still the colonies.' 'You do not give us the aid, s***, to hell with you,' he said. A police chief has defended his force's investigation into child sex abuse claims against Sir Edward Heath - despite a leading criminologist dismissing them. Mike Veale, chief constable of Wiltshire Police, penned a 1,600 word open letter and published it on the Wiltshire Police website. His letter came as The Guardian reported that at least 15 people had made allegations to police around the country claiming Sir Heath was involved in the sexual abuse of children. Sir Edward Heath who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975 Accusations were made against him abusing children to the police last year, leading them to launch an investigation in August 2015 In the letter, Mr Veale said that when he took on this investigation he knew it would 'attract intense scrutiny', however he said he was 'very concerned and profoundly disappointed' about the speculations that had been made, and the 'impact' that this could have on the 'the public's confidence in the police'. He also added the investigation, which has cost taxpayers 700,000, was not a 'fishing trip' or 'witch-hunt'. He said: 'Sir Edward Heath was an extremely prominent, influential and high profile person who was arguably one of the most powerful people in the world commensurate with the publicly elected office he held. 'Therefore as you would expect, the decision to undertake this incredibly complex and challenging investigation was not taken lightly particularly knowing, or at least expecting, that we would be placed under intense scrutiny. He added: 'Whilst it is not commonplace for us to comment on a live ongoing criminal investigation I really am very concerned and profoundly disappointed about the impact of this speculation on the public's confidence in the police, the potential prejudicial impact upon a live criminal investigation, not to mention the confidence of persons who have come forward with information. 'This is not a fishing trip or witch-hunt both of these terms have been unfairly levelled at us. The legal role of the police service is to, on behalf of the public, impartially investigate allegations without fear or favour, and go where the evidence takes us. 'Critically, it is not the role of the police to judge the guilt or innocence of people in our Criminal Justice System.' Sir Heath, the Conservative Prime Minister, died aged 89, in his home in Salisbury, in 2005. Mike Veale, chief constable of Wiltshire Police, has now penned a 1,600 word open letter denying the investigation is a 'fishing trip' or 'witch-hunt' The investigation into the child sex allegations made against Sir Heath, dubbed Operation Conifer, was launched in August 2015. Mr Veale said investigators had not spoken to the man known as 'Nick', who features in Operation Midland - the Met Police probe into an alleged Westminster paedophile ring. Mr Veale said that 'Nick' had not been spoken to as part of Operation Conifer. Last weekend, The Mail On Sunday revealed that criminologist Dr Rachel Hoskins urged detectives not to be taken in by the wild allegations against the late former Prime Minister and demanded MPs be alerted to her damning findings. She said: 'The Heath inquiry rests, like the Westminster VIP inquiry, on over-active imagination.' The report also referred to satanic ritual sex abuse in connection with Sir Heath. 'Let me be clear, this part of the investigation is only one small element of the overall inquiry and does not relate to Sir Edward Heath,' Mr Veale said. A Colorado landlord is facing felony charges for trespassing after he was allegedly caught on camera having sex in his tenant's bed. Logan Pierce and his wife are tenants of landlord Carlos Quijada at the Skyway Condominiums in Colorado Springs. Pierce told KKTV that he was shocked to get an alert on his phone that there was unusual activity in his home, while both and his wife were at work. 'I got a notification from one of the cameras on lunch the other day that it detected noise and it was strange because both of us work all day everyday,' he told the TV station. Scroll down for video Logan Pierce (above) and his wife are tenants of landlord Carlos Quijada at the Skyway Condominiums in Colorado Springs Pierce said he was shocked to get an alert on his phone that there was unusual activity in his home, while both and his wife were at work. He looked at the camera feed from their bedroom and found Quijada (above) inside their apartment Pierce claims the footage shows his landlord (pictured) having sex on his and his wife's bed 'I opened up the camera and kind of had to like quit the program and like restart it again because I didn't really believe what I saw.' When he reopened it for a second time, he realized the footage was indeed his landlord allegedly having sex on his and his wife's bed. 'I guess the first thing that went through my mind was like complete and utter disbelief,' Pierce said. He immediately called his wife to tell her that they need to move and explained what happened. Pierce then called the local police, who issued an arrest warrant for Quijada for felony trespass and misdemeanor obscenity charges. Pierce called police who have issued an arrest warrant for Quijada (above) on felony charges Lt. Howard Black with the Colorado Springs Police Department said: 'Landlords don't have the ability to go into tenant apartments and do whatever they want to do' (Skyway apartments pictured above) 'Landlords don't have the ability to go into tenant apartments and do whatever they want to do,' Lt. Howard Black with the Colorado Springs Police Department said. Though the couple's lease saying that the landlord has the right to enter the apartment, Black says this case is felony trespassing. 'It was like a total violation of privacy. Just to have somebody to come in unannounced is enough, but ... then go forth with sleeping with somebody on your bed while you're not there. It was scary,' Pierce explained. To make matters worse, Pierce said his landlord used his wife's wedding dress to clean up after. 'To see how upset she immediately got because she was the one that realized that's what that was and they just threw it back and now that's gone because the authorities took it for DNA evidence,' Pierce said. Quijada declined to comment on the incident when confronted by a KKTV reporter. Iceland's president has asked the anti-establishment Pirate Party to try to form a government, after two rounds of coalition talks failed. The Pirates are one of Europe's most radical political parties and came third in Iceland's election on October 29. None of Iceland's major parties won an outright majority, and President Gudni Johannesson asked the first-placed Independence Party and the second-placed Left-Greens to assemble a coalition. Iceland's president Gudni Johannesson has asked senior Pirate lawmaker Birgitta Jonsdottir (pictured) to try to assemble a government with other parties However, both parties failed to form a government. Today, Johannesson said he has asked senior Pirate lawmaker Birgitta Jonsdottir to try to assemble a government with other parties. Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Johannesson, Jonsdottir said: 'I am hopeful that we will find a way to work together.' The Pirates will continue talks with the four other parties represented in parliament, the Left-Greens, Social Democrats, Bright Future and the Reform Party. The Left-Greens suspended coalition negotiations last week. The Independence Party, which as the biggest party was given the first chance to form a governing coalition, said on November 15 that it had failed to do so. The Pirate Party was founded in November 2012 by Birgitta Jonsdottir (pictured) and several prominent internet activists and hackers. It has 10 seats in Iceland's 63-seat Parliament October's election was called amid public anger at the prime minister's offshore holdings, which were revealed in the Panama Papers leak. Iceland's Prime Minister Sigmundur Davi Gunnlaugsson became the first major victim of the Panama Papers leaks in April when documents revealed he had millions in offshore accounts. Despite coming third in the election the Pirate Party has been top of nearly every opinion poll in the country for more than a year. A pregnant woman who was fatally shot Wednesday along with her boyfriend in Ohio mustered just enough strength to call 911 begging for an ambulance. Sara Marsh, 32, and LaShaun Sanders, 33, were found shot outside his home on Henderson Road in Ravenna Township just after 2.20pm Wednesday. Sanders was pronounced dead at the scene, while Marsh, who was six to ten weeks pregnant with the couple's second child, succumbed to her wounds in the hospital six hours after the shooting. Her baby could not be saved. Scroll down for audio Tragic: Pregnant mother Sara Marsh, 32, and her boyfriend, LaShaun Sanders, 33, were shot dead in broad daylight in Ohio Wednesday Crime scene: Marsh, who was expecting her second child, was fatally shot outside her boyfriend's home on Henderson Road in Ravenna Township (pictured) Police on Friday were still searching for the suspect in the shooting, identified as 25-year-old David Darnell Calhoun Jr. He is wanted on an aggravated murder warrant in the deaths of Sanders and Marsh. Investigators have released a distressing recording of the 911 call that the dying Sara Marsh made in the minutes after the shooting, reported Cleveland.com. 'I need an ambulance I just got shot,' the 32-year-old expectant mother says before she begins to softly moan and sob, with bystanders screaming in the background. The dispatcher asks Marsh if she knows who shot her and prompts her to continue talking to her, asking, 'Ma'am, are you still with me on the line? I'm still here.' But Marsh says nothing in reply. One of the witnesses is heard telling the gravely injured Marsh: 'Please, are you breathing? Can you hear me? Honey, please say something.' Prime suspect: Police are searching for parolee David Darnell Calhoun Jr, 25, in connection to the slayings of Sanders and Marsh Sanders' niece, Lecreshia Kirklin, told the news site she was spending time with her cousin near her uncles home on Henderson Road when she glimpsed Calhoun walk past the window. Two minutes later, at around 2.23pm, they heard the sound of gunshots. Kirklin said she saw her uncle bleeding to death on the ground and Marsh in the drivers seat of a car parked outside. The victims niece revealed that Sanders knew the suspect but said she did not know what might have provoked the shooting. Another relative told NewsNet5 that Calhoun had a dispute with Marsh and Sanders a month ago. Calhoun, who goes by the nickname D-Block, is currently on parole, having been released from prison in April after serving time for an armed robbery, the station reported. Investigators say the 25-year-old should be considered armed and dangerous. Speaking to the station WKYC, the male victim's cousin Brittany Forston said of Sanders: He's a loving person. Nobody had a problem with him. If anybody ever needed anything he was there for us.' Fights are bound to break out at the dinner table this Christmas for the Rockefeller family. That's because the descendants of Standard Oil baron John D. Rockefeller are at odds when it comes to handling the family's legacy in the drilling business. Many Rockefeller heirs have been speaking out against ExxonMobil, for what they believe was a calculated effort to sweep the issue of global warming under the rug. But other family members think it's wrong to throw ExxonMobil, a company that succeeded Standard Oil and to which they owe their enormous fortune, under the bus. Scroll down for video David Kaiser (left) and Valerie Rockefeller Wayne (right), two great-great-grandchildren of Standard Oil baron John D. Rockefeller, have taken a stance against ExxonMobil ExxonMobil is a successor to Standard Oil, which was forced to splinter into several smaller companies in 1911, when it was designated an illegal monopolgy. Above, a ExxonMobil refinery in France John D. Rockefeller is pictured above. Some of his descendants want ExxonMobil to admit that they knew about climate change early on and tried to hide the facts In an interview with CBS This Morning, Rockefeller family members David Kaiser and Valerie Rockefeller Wayne say it's time that ExxonMobil admit that they tried to downplay the signs of global warming. Two of the family's philanthropic organizations which they still run, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Rockefeller Family Fund, have used family money to fund research that showed ExxonMobul knew about climate change early no and chose not to address it - instead producing advertising that criticized scientific research on the issue. 'Because the source of the family wealth is fossil fuels, we feel an enormous moral responsibility for our children, for everyone -- to move forward,' Wayne told said. The company has since acknowledged that climate change is happening, and says it's spending billions of dollars to find ways to lower greenhouse gas emissions. But it has also hit back at the Rockefeller family, accusing some of the descendants of 'conspiring' against them. A spokesman said that the reports the Rockefellers funded are 'not credible and have been widely discredited'. The company later retracted the statement to CBS and now says they have no comment. Kaiser and Wayne say it's important for the company to admit what it has done in order to tackle the climate change issues ahead. 'What we would hope from Exxon is that they would admit what theyve done - these decades of denial - and continue what theyve started in a very small way to do now, which is to look at alternatives and we really hope they become an industry leader,' Wayne said. 'They can set the tone for the industry in doing more, but the truth has to come out.' But not all family members agree with the way Kaiser, Wayne and others are going about digging for negative stories on ExxonMobil. Not all Rockefellers believe in this approach though. Ariana Rockefeller (pictured), thinks that the family should work with ExxonMobil to come up with solutions to greenhouse gases The above chart shows how Valier Rockefeller Wayne, David Kaiser and Ariana Rockefeller are related to Standard Oil baron John D. Rockefeller 'These family funds do not speak on behalf of all 200 family members,' Ariana Rockefeller said. 'I dont think denouncing a family legacy is the best way to go about doing this.' Standard Oil was founded in 1870 by John D. Rockefeller, the son of a con man. The company grew so big that it was declared an illegal monopoly in 1911. It was then splintered off into several smaller companies, two of which merged to create ExxonMobil. The Rockefellers remain the 23rd richest family in the U.S. with an estimated combined fortune of $11billion. Valerie Rockefeller Wayne is the great-great-granddaughter of John D. Rockefeller through his grandson John D. Rockefeller III. She is the daughter of former West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller. Ariana Rockefeller and David Kaiser are both fifth-generation Rockefellers through John D. Rockefeller's grandson David Rockefeller. Ariana is the daughter of David Rockefeller's son David Rockefeller Jr. and David Kaiser is the son of David Rockefeller's daughter Neva Goodwin. The Kremlin is set to equip its tanks with advanced new reconnaissance drones, which will be able to circle up to 100 metres and stay in the air indefinitely. The devices, named 'Pterodactyls', increase Russian ground forces' capabilities at a time when it is building up troops on Europe's borders. Russian Armata tanks will be equipped with the drones, which will be powered by a cable, and will increase the distance at which they can identify targets. Russian Armata tanks will be equipped with the drones, which will be powered by a cable, and will increase the distance at which they can identify targets It is expected that tanks fitted with the drones will be able to scan up to 10 kilometres. It comes at a time of heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine, after the latter began two days of missile tests near Crimea yesterday. Russian news site Pravda reports that the drones will be able to ascend 'tens of metres', and are capable of keeping up with tanks even when they are moving at high speeds. The lightweight new technology will increase the range at which tanks - which can strike objects up to eight kilometres away - can detect targets. Devices will be fitted with thermal night vision equipment and radar. The announcement comes as Kremlin officials are angered by the Ukrainian weapons testing. Russia has put its air defence forces on high alert and deployed warships in the Black Sea. A Crimean military source told the RIA news agency yesterday: 'The ships' air defence units have been put on a higher state of alert. 'Together with land-based air defence units on the peninsula, the ships have thrown up a practically impenetrable shield against the enemy's rockets.' This delivery driver struggled to stay upright as he tried to carry 40 boxes of pasta in one go on his motorbike. The biker was filmed on a road in Gaziantep, Turkey, hardly able to see over the crates stacked on all sides of his vehicle. And, to add to his difficulties, it was raining heavily, forcing him to wear a waterproof jacket with a hood that further obscured his view. This delivery driver struggled to stay upright as he tried to carry 40 boxes of pasta in one go on his motorbike And, to add to his difficulties, it was raining heavily, forcing him to wear a waterproof jacket with a hood that further obscured his view But despite the weather, the biker smiled happily for the camera while touching his feet on the ground for balance. The person who filmed the footage said he had never seen so many boxes carried at once and praised the delivery driver's work ethic. Fortunately, he completed his delivery without incident. The footage of the incident, in the Sahinbey district of the city, quickly went viral in Turkey. Gaziantep, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, lies close to the Syrian border and is only 60 miles north of war-torn Aleppo. But despite the weather, the biker smiled happily for the camera while touching his feet on the ground for balance It's not often you get offered lickie-f**kie walking down the street, minding your own business. Especially not as a mum of three with pink hair and a face to frighten pit bulls. But that's Havana for you. And it's on offer everywhere. On every street corner, every hotel doorway and every taxi, someone is offering a lift AND a good ride for $30 - whatever your persuasion. It is all-pervasive, gushing out at you in a thick soup of bodily fluids and an oozing of soft parts and fleshy bits thrusting out amongst the crumbling ruins of a city in decay. It's strangely titillating, the possibility of momentary escape in a country locals are forbidden to leave. Scroll down for video A 'Jinetera' (Cuban slang for prostitute) waits for foreign tourists outside a five-star hotel in Havana with her boyfriend, who is actually her pimp and protector But it is a trade which is as forbidden as it is ubiquitous. The uniformed police are best avoided by the men and women pimping their pelvises for foreign cash. Falling into the police's hands can mean a night in a cell or, for those in the city illegally, deportation to some province in the hinterland. A Canadian I meet at a hotel bar just off the Malecon, who says his name is John, explains how to outwit the c**kblockers, as the police are known to the tourists here to take advantage of what the women offer: 'Walk apart on separate sides of the street, rent a room in a casa, and don't leave your wits in your trousers.' He adds, 'There will be money involved. And if you think you aren't paying to play, the women will be back on your doorstep the next day, a crying baby on their hip, demanding money for formula.' All the men who enjoy what's offered by the girls acknowledge that sex is a transaction, a deal. Some say they struggle to find a 'normal' woman who might want them for something other than their cash. Most acknowledge that without their money or their American or Canadian passport or dollars they would never find beautiful women like this. A transvestite prostitute waits for customers at the Malecon As for the women, they are drawn by hope. Hope of food for their children or maybe something more long-term perhaps even a ticket out of this country they are forbidden to leave. The boys seem to trade their wares differently; most want drinks, a meal or foreign goods they can't get their hands on in Cuba. For some, just a good time will do, a diversion from the daily grind of life on low wages and a ration book. Just like any lads, looking for distraction. A British lady I meet at my hotel tells me about her Cuban boyfriend. Her face is kind but old, her waist as rounded as her bust. Her work brings her here regularly and she sees him when she travels. He is young and beautiful and can dance really dance, a rhythmic currency which hypnotises Westerners, used to bad dad dancing. He makes her feel fantastic, young, attractive. She knows his family, brings presents for his mother and leaves gifts for the children crowded in their one tiny room. I get chatting to a dapper gentleman on the flight who tells me he is off to see his 'Cuban' wife, and flashes a wedding ring as proof. Which strikes me as strange. Who describes their wife like that? It's the equivalent of me describing my lovely Mark as my 'current' husband, ranked by order in the same way this gentleman seems to rank his by origin. But I understand better now. He is just one of the multitude of men and women who find companionship here in Cuba. Pretend wives, the notion of a Cuban boyfriend, all willing players in a game where everyone is clear about what they are getting. And once you start to really look, really listen, past the bulging buttocks and crude shouts of suckie-f**kie, these relationships are everywhere relationships between the foreigner and the local. Relationships just like we have at home with our husbands or wives, but based on different understandings. A policewoman keeps her eye on a prostitute as she walks her beat in the Cuban city of Havana Here the exchange is foreign currency, food, or shop-bought goods. At home it's love or loyalty or convenience or habit. Transactions all the same. Who are we to judge one as more noble than the other? A group of old boys at the Hotel Florida explain their various set-ups: opening bank accounts for their Cuban wives, putting in $50 a month, renting a room with a comfortable bed and clean toilet for them to share when they are together luxuries not often found in Cuba bringing food and shop-bought clothes for the family. Many have been divorced by Western wives. I say I am not surprised. But they chide my sarcasm, reminding me that for them, Western wives are no better than Cuban wives you pay either way. They prefer their arrangement with the Cuban women, whose families are also friendly, kind, tolerant and warm. In Cuba the relationship is far more honest. Far more clear. And I see that. I see how these men who offer to pleasure my shrivelled self would really rather not. But if they offer to make me feel young, they can ask me to supplement their meagre wage. A fair swap. I see how these Cuban wives ply their Western husbands with sex and affection in exchange for baby formula or hard cash, in an honest transaction. Just as the Western women who have Cuban boyfriends exchange their cash and kindness for being made to feel young or attractive again. It's a trade which adds to, not detracts from the sum of happiness felt. And I see how else people from countries sworn enemies, build relationships when politicians could not. The Bush administration accused Castro of welcoming sex tourism as a vital source of hard currency to keep his corrupt government afloat. It's on offer everywhere in Havana. On every street corner, every hotel doorway and every taxi, someone is offering a lift and a good ride for $30 - whatever your persuasion Castro acknowledged that prostitution was part of his country, somehow using it to promote the excellence of his healthcare and education system. 'There are hookers, but prostitution is not allowed in our country,' he told Cuba's parliament. 'No women are forced to sell themselves to a man, to a foreigner, to a tourist. Those who do so do it on their own, voluntarily... We can say that they are highly-educated hookers and quite healthy, because we are the country with the lowest number of AIDS cases.' However educated or healthy, Cuba does not have a monopoly on this trade. It is the same one that is plied in Hialeah, Florida, where getting prostitutes is as easy as ordering pizza according to an investigation by Local 10 News this year. Is prostitution any better there because it is conducted on American soil? Any more acceptable? Is discretion better? Or desperation worse? For some, the endless trade in bodies is too much. Some girls look far younger than I care to think about. There are children involved in this trade. And in dark alleys away from the tourist dollar, women pleasure men for a few pesos under stairwells with no hope of something more. For some men the notion that every woman they meet will end up asking for money warps their ability to even start a conversation. The constant murmur of temptation does make you want to shout, 'will you just f**kie-offie?' when you are hot and tired. Zuzu, the sad mutt whose heartrending tale of abandonment brought tears to the eyes of dog-lovers everywhere, was on her way to a new home Friday. The adorable two-year-old German Shepherd/Belgian Malinois mix was moving out of the overcrowded Los Angeles County pound in Downey, California to a new no-kill shelter until she can find a permanent home. She was due to be spayed, microchipped and vaccinated on Friday before her move, animal control spokesman Chris Kim told DailyMail.com. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Zuzu, the sad mutt whose heartrending tale of abandonment brought tears to the eyes of dog-lovers everywhere, was on her way to a new home and hopefully a permanent one. She was due to be spayed, microchipped and vaccinated on Friday The adorable two-year-old German Shepherd/Belgian Malinois mix was moving out of the overcrowded pound to a new no-kill shelter until she can find a permanent home And one thing is for certain she wont be going back to her heartless former owners who turned down her tail-wagging pleas to take her back home while they searched for a new pet. Zuzu was captured on Thanksgiving morning after she was spotted wandering the streets east of Los Angeles. On Sunday she was being given an introduction to see how she reacts with other dogs when suddenly staff at the 500-kennel shelter saw her light up like a Christmas tree, as she saw a group of visitors at the shelter. One man leaned down to play with her through the metal fence. But the owners hadnt come to claim their dog and take her home they were there looking for a new pet to replace her. And when shelter volunteer Desi Lara posted a video of the reunion on her Facebook page, Zuzu suddenly became the most famous shelter dog in America. The video has now been viewed by more than 125,000 people. Once I found out they werent taking her, my heart broke, shelter volunteer Desi Lara wrote. They acted like they really liked her but they didnt want to take her. I didnt know they were her people, Lara wrote on her Facebook page which has since been taken private. I just saw she was so excited. She looked like the happiest dog. Yeah, shes going home, Or thats what she thought. But when she spoke to the family, a man and woman shelter workers said appeared to be in their 40s or 50s with a younger couple in their 20s, they told her they didnt want their dog back, they were looking for a new pet. Once I found out they werent taking her, my heart broke, Lara wrote. They acted like they really liked her but they didnt want to take her. She wasnt a happy dog anymore, Lara wrote. Their solution for her unhappiness was just leaving her here. And go get another dog. Two-year-old Zuzu got excited when she saw her family come to the fence of the shelter She assumed they were there to take her home and began furiously wagging her tail The family talked to her through the fence, but when asked if they were there to claim their dog they said no Who are the owners who left Zuzu at the shelter? If you know, contact Martin.Gould@Mailonline.com Shelter trainer Janay Chapin told DailyMail.com that she too couldnt believe the owners reaction. Zuzu was kind of shut down and as soon as she saw her owners she suddenly came to life, she said. We could tell that the second they approached the yard that they knew exactly who she was and she knew who they were, added Chapin who was holding the other dogs leash in the video. She suddenly became a totally different dog the moment she saw them. The owners told Chapin and Lara that their dog who they called Princess but was renamed Zuzu at the shelter after George Baileys daughter in the movie classic Its a Wonderful Life had become depressed since the death of her father. Zuzu is heading to the Pet Adoption Fund in Canoga Park, California Zuzu is pictured with her trainer Janay Chapin, who told DailyMail.com that she couldnt believe the owners reaction. Zuzu was kind of shut down and as soon as she saw her owners she suddenly came to life, she said. They said they tried to cheer her up by moving her from their back yard to the front but that failed and instead she kept jumping over the fence. Neighbors reported that she was wandering the streets and the dog catchers moved in. Chapin said Zuzu had obviously been well-cared for and is obedient, healthy and well-behaved. She said she clearly had a good bond especially with the older man and she seems to like men much more than women. But the family, who didnt give their name at the shelter, were not bothered by their dogs plight, Chapin said. Chris Kim is the public information officer for the Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control It seems she was just too much trouble for them and they wanted a new pet. However they went home empty-handed when they couldnt find the kind of dog they wanted. Zuzu is going to the private Pet Adoption Fund in Canoga Park, California, a shelter that does not euthanize abandoned animals, until a permanent home can be found for her. But Kim told DailyMail.com that Zuzu was never a candidate to be put down. The countys seven shelters only kill animals as a last resort if they are sick or vicious, he explained. And Zuzu is certainly neither of those, he said. She has a very even temperament. As for the family that brought her in, the county can refuse to adopt out a dog to unsuitable owners. It is our goal to see every animal in a forever home where it is wanted and loved, the department said in a statement. Kim said Zuzu is going to the Canoga Park shelter because it was first to enquire about her. Since then though the shelter has been inundated with other people wanting to adopt. Jarvis Madison, 58, was arrested in connection to wife's An Indiana man, who police described as the 'abusive' and 'violent' suspect in the disappearance of his estranged wife in Florida, was arrested arrested in Kentucky on Friday. Jarvis 'Wayne' Madison was taken into custody in Louisville, Kentucky, according to Chief Deputy US Marshal Brian Parrish. Authorities said his 44-year-old wife Rachael Madison didn't return from a jog around 1.30pm on Sunday while staying with relatives in Ormond-by-the-Sea, which is near Daytona Beach. A US Marshal's task force has arrested Jarvis Madison (left), 58, in Louisville, Kentucky, who is suspected in the disappearance of his estranged wife, Rachael Madison (right), 44, in Florida Authorities said Rachael didn't return from a jog around 1.30pm on Sunday while staying with relatives in Ormond-by-the-Sea, which is near Daytona Beach. Investigators said Jarvis Madison called his wife's relatives and threatened to kill her aunt for hiding her Investigators say the 58-year-old called his wife's relatives inquiring about her whereabouts and had threatened to kill her aunt for hiding her. Volusia County Sheriff's deputies told local news outlets earlier this week that they are concerned for her well-being because of past incidents of violence. Police have described Madison as 'violent' and 'abusive'. It was reported on Tuesday that his wife fled from Indiana to Florida to escape her husband. Reports indicate Madison had poured acid on a tattoo of Rachael's, leaving a wound on her back. He had also allegedly cut the back of her neck with a knife. Before she escaped, Jarvis Madison is said to have taken his wife hostage when he learned of her plan to go to Florida. Authorities now consider her an endangered missing person since her disappearance. It was reported on Tuesday that his wife fled from Indiana to Florida to escape her husband. After moving, Rachael took up running for long stretches on the beach (pictured), but would return home after completing her run each time Reports indicate Jarvis Madison had poured acid on a tattoo of Rachael's, leaving a wound on her back. He had also allegedly cut the back of her neck with a knife Family members of Rachael's say they fear Jarvis might have kidnapped her. 'Those past incidents are what has us concerned for her well-being,' Volusia Sheriff's spokesman Andrew Grant told the News-Journal Online. By Monday afternoon, authorities in Indiana had obtained a warrant for Jarvis's arrest on criminal confinement charges. Family members say that Rachael called her aunt from Kentucky and begged her to 'take her away from her abusive husband'. The couple had become homeless and were staying in motels and Jarvis's silver 2011 Honda Pilot, with the tag EN2348, in Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio, police said. Rachael's aunt drove to Kentucky and planned to meet her in a bookstore, but Jarvis found out about the plan, according to reports. Rachael Madison's (pictured) whereabouts is still unknown The reports then indicate Jarvis held her hostage in his car while driving around with a handgun. Rachael eventually asked if she could use the bathroom and Jarvis kicked her out on the side of the road, police say. When she tried to run he fired his handgun at her, but missed, reports said. Authorities say that eventually, she convinced him to let her use a Walmart bathroom and her aunt told her to contact security and call the police. Finally, Rachael arrived in Florida on November 16 and was looking for a job. In January 2014, Rachael was indicted for picking up her sons from school and disappearing. She had the sons from a previous relationship with Gerald Stone. They were subsequently found two weeks later. After moving, Rachael took up running for long stretches on the beach, but would return home after completing her run each time. She was last seen by family members on Sunday. About 30 minutes earlier, Jarvis had called Rachael Madison's aunt asking where his wife was. Jarvis allegedly made several calls to the aunt's home threatening to kill her for hiding his wife and threatened to kill Rachael if she did not come back, police say. The NHS was accused of a whitewash this evening after a hospital boss who spent 10million suppressing whistleblowers was cleared by an official report. David Loughton, who earned 260,000 last year, has been allowed to keep his job despite using taxpayers money to fight staff who raised serious concerns about patient safety. The review into how Mr Loughtons hospital trust is being run would only go as far as saying that he had an impulsive and honest style. It appears he will now face no disciplinary action and no sanctions will be taken against him. David Loughton is the chief executive at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Whistleblowers who were forced out of their jobs by Mr Loughton were not even interviewed for the report, and only found out the review had been published when contacted by the Mail. In a further twist, it has emerged that the consultancy firm chosen by the NHS to do the review has been paid 78,837 by Mr Loughtons trust for other jobs this year. Deloitte was paid 45,444 for the review by watchdog NHS Improvement. Mr Loughton, 62, chief executive at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, is renowned for fighting whistleblowers through the courts. They include leading heart surgeon Dr Raj Mattu, who was vilified and sacked after he exposed that two patients had died in dangerously overcrowded bays in a hospital at another trust run by Mr Loughton. Dr Mattu was cleared at a tribunal and in February was awarded 1.2million damages. Manager Sandra Haynes Kirkbright was also suspended after raising concerns that Mr Loughtons Woverhampton trust had mis-recorded deaths, making it look like fewer patients had died needlessly. An investigation into her case condemned the trust for its significantly flawed and unfair treatment. It described an account of how Mr Loughton made sure Mrs Haynes Kirkbright was out of the way before a visit from hospital inspectors, telling staff to kick this into the long grass. After the report into her case was published in May, NHS watchdogs ordered a review into the management of Mr Loughtons hospital trust. But the results of that review were only quietly published on the trusts website earlier this week. And it emerged that Deloitte was instructed to focus on the hospital as it is now, rather than considering previous whistleblowing cases. As a result, the reports authors did not contact Dr Mattu, Mrs Haynes Kirkbright or former board members who have criticised the management. They did not check what they were told by Mr Loughton and his employees, writing in the review: We have assumed that the information provided to us and managements representations are complete, accurate and reliable. Describing Mr Loughton, the report stated: The chief executive is a strong character with an impulsive style and can attract controversy from time to time. However, he is strongly supported. It added: Any past behavioural challenges have tempered in recent years. Today Dr Mattu said: They have taken at face value everything management has said. I have great experience of Mr Loughton and he ruthlessly attacks anyone who dissents. He has persecuted whistleblowers. This has been a disgraceful waste of taxpayers money. Dr Raj Mattu, from Warwick, was vilified and sacked after he exposed that two patients had died in dangerously overcrowded bays in a hospital at another trust run by Mr Loughton Dr Mattu, right, pictured with his wife Sangita. The stress of 200 false allegations against the heart surgeon left him too sick to work Mrs Haynes Kirkbright said: I was not consulted at all on this report. I didnt know a thing about it until the Mail told me. Professor David Ferry was outed last year by Mr Loughtons hospital after he anonymously revealed in the Mail that 55 cancer patients were needlessly put through the agony of chemotherapy. This evening, he said: They have whitewashed everything. I told them about Dr Mattu, about Sandra, about my case, but they said this is about the future, not the past. They have rewritten history their way, whatever the facts are. Mr Loughton, an NHS chief executive for 28 years, was awarded a pay rise of about 35,000 last year. He joined Royal Wolverhampton in 2014 after 14 years at Coventrys Walsgrave Hospital. Mr Loughton said: We are pleased with the reviews conclusions. Our number one priority is always patient care. Having an open and transparent culture is one of the ways in which we can ensure we remain committed to providing the best care we possibly can. We are always seeking ways in which we can improve and we will take on board the recommendations the review makes. A trust spokesman said NHS Improvement commissioned Deloitte to do the review and in line with many other organisations we have used the services of Deloitte. NHS Improvement said: Deloitte were appointed following a formal and thorough tendering and evaluation process. Deloitte declined to comment. Group creator said she saw a driver in another vehicle flicking a cigarette The Grinch has a smoking habit - or so it seems after a Dr Seuss-themed Christmas float went up in flames because of a cigarette. The float, a mobile version of Whoville, where Dr Seuss' characters live, was headed for a parade in Hunstville, Alabama Thursday when it burnt to the ground. It belonged to a Facebook community group that helps reunite lost pets with their owners in Madison County - and has succeeded in more than 5,000 cases. The group creator, Jeananne Jackson, told WHNT she had seen someone at the wheel of another vehicle throw a lit cigarette outside. It landed on the float's hay bales, which caught fire rapidly. The Whoville float, which was made out of $1,000 worth of donated materials, was the group's attempt at winning a cash prize, which would have been used to get more pets neutered and spayed. Most of it burnt down and only a few elements could be saved. A Dr Seuss-themed Christmas float caught fire Thursday in Huntsville, Alabama (pictured) after someone flicked a cigarette that landed on the float's hay bales A community group that reunites lost pets and their owners had built the flat (pictured before the fire) hoping to win a catch prize to get more pets neutered and spayed Jackson said her husband was driving the float while she was in another vehicle behind and saw the cigarette landing on the hay. It had taken the group three months to make. 'We had built a full-sized Who house with lights inside and windows that you could see trees inside. We had a smoking chimney. We worked so hard,' Jackson said. Only some of the structure's characters - dogs, pigs and other creatures - could be salvaged. People could be seen in a Facebook video frantically pulling them from the blaze. The group ended up placing these elements on another vehicle, so they could at least attend the parade. Supporters have since set up a Go Fund Me, first hoping to raise $300 - the amount of the cash prize for the parade's best float. Donations have poured in and the fundraising goal has since been increased to $2,500. People frantically pulled some of the float's characters out of the blaze (pictured), but only managed to save a few elements. Most of the float burnt to the ground The Black Hills of North Dakota offered little defense from the snowstorm and 45mph winds that pounded the Standing Rock Indian reservation this week. But for thousands of people sheltering in teepees, tents and RVs, neither subarctic conditions nor the looming threat of a government eviction notice can deter them from continuing their months-long attempt to block the $3.8billion Dakota Access Pipeline project that they say threatens the Sioux tribe's water supply. Freda Poorbear, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, told DailyMail.com: 'The authorities think that we are aggressive and violent. That's not how it is. 'We are not here to become famous or to become rich. We are here for a reason and bring a message of peace.' Scroll down for video Freda Poorbear from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, is volunteering and working security at Standing Rock. She is part of the Oglala Sioux tribe An estimated 6,000 people are standing their ground against the pipeline at the main Oceti Sakowin camp near the Standing Rock Indian reservation A sprawling network of tents, vans and communal areas are spread out across a valley where the Missouri and Cannonball rivers meet Freda hitchhiked to the camp from her home on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. She plans to protest against the pipeline until the end. 'This pipeline is not going to go through. We are here for all the millions of people who live down this river, for the children and the animals, to protect them from the water being poisoned,' she said. Freda believes that some activists at the camp may not be able to brave the brutal weather conditions ahead. Temperatures are expected to drop to 4F in the area next week. 'We might have very little to survive on if we get stuck down here,' she said. 'Money is real tight but I've lived this life and I can survive. I'm not going anywhere. 'We'll find out who is going to go and who is going to stay come the blizzard. My family know I'm part of the movement and there's nowhere else I can be right now. I have to be here.' Freda has been praying that the situation 'will not turn out to be Wounded Knee' - a reference to a protest on Pine Ridge reservation in 1973 against a corrupted tribal chairman by the civil rights organization, the American Indian movement. Daily meetings are being held to advise campers on how to winterize their living conditions and among the most sought-after donations are small propane gas tanks to provide heat People prepare wood for a fire in the Oceti Sakowin camp. Fire is one of the most sought after goods at the camp A man from the Comanche tribe sits by a fire in the Oceti Sakowin camp took keep warm in below-freezing conditions Myron Dewey, owner of Media Network Digital Smoke Signals at camp Scared Stone, greets a friend near a solar panel at the camp Alcohol and firearms not not permitted at the camps. Pictured above is the entrance to Sacred Stone Camp Two Native Americans were killed, a US Marshall was shot and paralyzed and a dozen people were injured during the 71-day protest. 'This could turn out to be a war zone but that's not what I want and I hope it won't come to that,' she said. She added: 'We are here as one family and one community to pray and stay strong. I tell people who come to the camp, we don't want your drugs or your alcohol, come to be focused and stay humble. 'I believe this is not going to end in violence but in a professional, calm way.' The 1,172-mile oil pipeline, owned by Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), is in its final stages of construction apart from a section tunneling under Lake Oahe, a half-mile from the reservation. The pipeline will allow half a million barrels of oil to flow from North Dakota to Illinois each day. Protesters, who prefer to be called water protectors, believe the pipeline is a threat to the reservation's drinking water supply and has destroyed sacred Native American burial sites. Scott Levy, right, carries Spain Carlson, 3, of Fort Hall, Idaho, after releasing tobacco at the edge of the Cannonball River during a Native American water ceremony at the Oceti Sakowin camp Campers photograph a signpost with the names of various tribes written on it inside the Oceti Sakowin camp People donate food and equipment to campers inside of the Oceti Sakowin camp Hawk Laughing, originally from northern New York, helps to build a teepee at Oceti Sakowin camp Military veterans confront police on a bridge near Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on Friday Charles Wise Spirit, a Dakota Native American, picks up his son, Charley, two, who fell in the snow while playing along with his sister Lakoya, five, at the Oceti Sakowin camp People wait to have their propane tanks filled at the Oceti Sakowin camp Members of the Oglala Lakota tribe put up a teepee inside of the Oceti Sakowin camp A camper works on her tepee, which is surrounded by snow, inside the camp on Friday Benji Buffalo shovels snow, which has been building up inside the camp. A snowstorm and 45mph winds have pounded the nearby Standing Rock Indian reservation this week They also contend that millions of people who live downstream from the pipeline are at risk of crude oil leaks and spills. A decision is pending by the US government on whether to allow ETP to move ahead. The projected start date is January 1 and any delays could cost the company around $84million each month, according to court papers. This week, North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple said it was 'probably not feasible' to reroute the pipeline - which was originally intended to run north of the city of Bismarck, around 50 miles from the Sioux tribe's land. An estimated 6,000 people are standing their ground against the pipeline at the main Oceti Sakowin camp (the original name of the Sioux, meaning Seven Council Fires). A sprawling network of tents, vans and communal areas are spread out across a valley where the Missouri and Cannonball rivers meet. There are other smaller, offshoot camps - Sacred Stone, Rosebud and Red Warrior. The camp was founded by a Sioux family in April but now non-native activists outweigh Native Americans. Hundreds of tribes are represented at the camp and their flags line the perimeter and fly from individual dwellings. At one point, numbers were believed to have swelled to around 8,000 but snowstorms and freezing conditions have driven out many who were ill-equipped to withstand the conditions. Rosemary A Schiano a wildlife field biologist is volunteering at Standing Rock. She said that there is a concerted effort going on to make sure people are prepared Schiano, pictured above, said volunteers are working toward winterizing the camp and preparing the elders for the cold Myron Dewey is part of the indigenous effort to tell the story of Standing Rock and defend the sacred burial sites he says the pipeline will disturb Faith Spotted Eagle from the Ihanktonwan Dakota Territory and South Dakota, has been staying at the camp Lana Jack, of the Celilowy'am tribe in Oregon, is in charge of coordinating the donations. She sounded a note of warning after the blizzard this week left many on the camp in dire situations The campsite is littered with flimsy summer tents which have collapsed beneath piles of snow, while stoves and portable heaters are being moved in by those who remain. Tent and teepee walls are being lined with blankets and sleeping bags to retain warmth. People are being drawn to the sacred fires burning at the camp both as a constant source of heat and to listen to drumming, prayers and Native American songs. Vats of free, hot tea are positioned outside a number of tents as an aid to the 'camp cough' which many activists have developed after months in the cold. Around seven free kitchens dish out plates of pasta and stews, cooked and served by volunteers. More than $3million in donations has poured into the camp to keep operations running. Entire families are living at the camp including dozens of children, and three babies have been born there. This coming Monday, an eviction notice from the Obama administration will 'close' all lands where the camps have been established. The camps are located on US Army Corps of Engineers land. The Corps said that they had no plans 'for forcible removal' of people but added: 'Those who remain will be considered unauthorized and may be subject to citation under federal, state or local laws.' State officials ordered activists to leave the camp on Monday, due to 'state of emergency weather conditions'. However they are not planning to enforce that order. Mary Zeiser is the Art director at Scared Rock. Mary Zeiser is helping the Creative Resistance at the art camp located at Scared Rock Designs by indigenous artists are printed by volunteers on to jackets, T-shirts and patches for those on the frontlines The designs are also shared for free online in the hope that the environmental message spreads beyond Standing Rock Mary said that no matter what happens when the eviction notice comes into effect, she will be standing her ground Many at the camp say they are being misrepresented and claim authorities have engaged in bullying tactics. The Standing Rock tribe filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming that the US Army Corps of Engineers failed to properly consult them. The lawsuit alleged that the Corps were in breach of the Clean Water Act by allowing the pipe to go so close to their reservation. Myron Dewey, owner of indigenous media network Digital Smoke Signals, told DailyMail.com: 'The pipeline has destroyed 86 documented burial sites but they are treating us like domestic terrorists. 'We are the original environmental activists. We have been protecting water and the land for generations and now in the 21st century, we are doing the same. Our existence is our resistance.' At the camp, preparations are underway to bed in for the rest of the winter amid calls by tribal elders for protesters to remain calm. On Thursday, Faith Spotted Eagle, from the Ihanktonwan Dakota Territory in South Dakota, urged activists not to engage in direct actions against the pipeline workers or authorities which could risk the Treaties of Native American tribes. She asked that those at the camp follow the advice of the Oceti Sakowin leadership and remain in ceremonial prayer. But a violent flare-up last month has left many activists feeling the need to be prepared. On November 20, several hundred protesters tried to force through on a barricaded bridge toward the construction site. According to protesters, they were hit with rubber bullets, tear gas and concussion grenades in a stand-off that last into the early hours of the morning. Water cannons were sprayed on demonstrators in freezing conditions. Smokey, a member of the Sioux Native American tribe, rides the horse Prophecy, a descendant of the horse belonging to war chief Crazy Horse, at the Oceti Sakowin camp Dan Nanamkin of the Colville tribe in Nespelem, Washington waits for the arrival of other Colville tribe members who were traveling from the headwaters of the Missouri River in a dugout canoe to Oceti Sakowin Camp A 21-year-old protester, Sophie Wilansky, was left with an injury which might cause her to lose her arm. Protesters say she was struck by a police flash grenade, while police have suggested that protesters may have caused the explosion. At Oceti Sakowin, doctors and nurses are manning medical tents and three ambulances are on stand-by. Demonstrations take place on how to protect yourself from tear gas and pepper spray and how to act against the even greater threat of hypothermia. Sessions are held by the camp's legal department on what to do if you are arrested. According to the Morton County Sheriff's Department, more than 500 people have been arrested in the last month. One woman has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly trying to shoot dead a cop as one of the camps was cleared. According to the Morton County State Attorney, Red Fawn Falls, 37, fired three shots at police officers and had to have her gun wrestled out of her arm by cops as she was arrested. Falls allegedly hit one officer in the knee which caused it to 'explode' before she was wrestled to the ground. She has now been charged with attempted murder among other offences and faces 20 years in jail. On Thursday, the Morton County Sheriff's Department released video of two female deputies describing how protesters attempted to use ropes and grappling hooks to break the wiring set up to stop trespassing on private property. According to the sheriff's department, the protestors, who identified themselves as veterans, threatened the female deputies saying law enforcement officers 'should be ready for what's coming'. Native Americans from Washington state arrive at Oceti Sakowin Camp on the edge of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation after traveling from the headwaters of the Missouri River in a dugout canoe People celebrate after making the 150-mile canoue trip from Washington to Oceti Sakowin Camp Daily meetings are being held to advise campers on how to winterize their living conditions and among the most sought-after donations are small propane gas tanks to provide heat, sleeping bags and firewood. Lana Jack, of the Celilowy'am tribe in Oregon, is in charge of coordinating the donations. She sounded a note of warning after the blizzard this week left many on the camp in dire situations. She told DailyMail.com: 'For three days we didn't have any donations, we were completely cut off. We have not been able to keep people warm. I had a 78-year-old man who came in desperate for help after lying out in the cold. 'We had no propane gas tanks to provide heating for elders and families who were collapsing in the snow. We were seeing people with pneumonia.' She added: 'We were totally lacking but our people have come together. But we don't have the capacity to take care of more people. We need heavy tents, lumber and propane.' Lana claimed that three trucks had been confiscated by police while bringing supplies to Standing Rock from Bismarck. On Tuesday, state officials said anyone bringing prohibited items into the main protest camp would be fined. There had been threats of a physical blockade on the way to the camp but authorities seem to have retreated from that plan. Instead officers will stop vehicles which appear to be heading to Standing Rock with building supplies and food. Drivers will be told they are committing an infraction and could be fined $1,000 fine. Rosemary Schiano, a wildlife field biologist, told DailyMail.com that there is a concerted effort going on to make sure people are prepared. Kyle Machulski a volunteer builder from Washington State has come to Standing Rock to lend a helping hand in building shelters and residences at Standing Rock She said: 'The winterization crew is working with elders and Lakota people and guests here at Standing Rock. 'We're winterizing shelters because of course we are going into sub-zero weather and a very cold winter. 'Our priority first is elders, older people, dwellings that are going to be here for a long time for the Lakota people and then pretty much everybody. The winterization crew are awesome people. 'They are constructing shelters and then renovating shelters that we already have in place. They have put up kitchens, you name it. Everyone is pitching in and doing good work here at Standing Rock. We're a big community helping everyone.' She said that she didn't believe that the harsh weather or the eviction notice would cause many to leave. 'I don't see anybody leaving I keep getting texts from people who are coming and asking me what we need,' she said. 'People are coming to Standing Rock and there are thousands of us and thousands of packages coming daily. So nobody's leaving. We're all here.' Small homes, constructed from plywood and padded with insulation, are popping up around the camp. Kyle Machulski, a roofer and builder, traveled to North Dakota from his home in Washington State. A keen snowboarder, this year he decided to place his belongings in storage and drove to North Dakota 'to help support the cause'. He has spent the past two weeks volunteering projects around the camp approved by elders in order to help winterize living conditions. Flags border the area surrounding the camp, which sits just on the edge of the Standing Rock reservation 'We are working with donated materials that have been delegated for this project in order to help winterize living conditions,' he said. 'Each house is approved by the tribe's elders. This one will sleep four elders on bunk beds with room for a table.' Art coordinator Mary Zeiser arrived at the camp two months ago as part of creative direct action group, Ruckus Society. She told DailyMail.com: 'Our message is this is a safe space for people to come and heal. Everyone is welcome. We work through a creative resistance.' Designs by indigenous artists are printed by volunteers on to jackets, T-shirts and patches for those on the frontlines. The designs are also shared for free online in the hope that the environmental message spreads beyond Standing Rock. Mary said that no matter what happens when the eviction notice comes into effect, she will be standing her ground. 'No matter what happens on the 5th, I'm staying to defend our art space,' she said. 'This is a sanctuary for expression. I'm staying until the last piece of trash is collected. 'Some people are worried but preparations are being made, such as organized efforts to get mothers and children to safety if something happens. People are preparing go-bags.' Starting Friday, more than 2,000 US veterans will join the camp in a show of solidarity with the Standing Rock reservation. Among them will be Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, a Democrat from Hawaii who has served two tours in the Middle East and continues to serve as a major with the Army National Guard. New display is the first lighting A $4 million lighting makeover was unveiled at Niagara Falls this week, as part of a new effort to increase the wow factor at night. Officials say energy-efficient LED lighting that was revealed Thursday will provide brighter and more robust color than the halogen technology that's been used to cast the waterfalls in rainbow hues after dark for the past 20 years. The light beams emanate from banks of spotlights on the Canadian side of the waterfalls, lighting up the Horseshoe and American Falls that, along with the Bridal Veil Falls, make up the bi-national tourist attraction. Ta-da! A ceremony was held Thursday night to unveil the $4 million dollar LED lighting display, which projects from Canada across the river and onto both the American and Horseshoe falls Hues of pink: The colors projected by the new installation are between three to 14 times brighter than their predecessors Niagara Falls lighting went from more than 120,000 watts of power to about 58,000 watts, making the new system much more energy efficient 'I love the blue': A large group of tourists and locals gathered to be the first to witness the light show on Thursday Pretty in pink: A group watches the colors change during the opening night on Thursday The Falls were lit for the first time in 1860 with 200 lights like those used to signal for help at sea. Electricity was first used in 1879. The Illumination Tower where most of the lights are located was built in 1899. 'It's a new era in Niagara Falls history,' Mark Thomas, chairman of the Niagara Falls Illumination Board, told CBS. 'We're eliminating all the dark spots so that you can actually see the whole rim of the falls, the whole curtain of the falls, and we're gonna add a whole host of colors that you couldn't get before with our old technology,' he said. 'When you put lights on these falls, they dazzle.' Some 20 million people are drawn to Niagara Falls every year. Additionally, the new lights are not only brighter and come with a larger range of colors, they are also more energy efficient than the previous system. The lights project from Ontario and onto both the American and Horseshoe falls 'When you put lights on these falls, they dazzle,' said Mark Thomas, chairman of the Niagara Falls Illumination Board LED is more energy-efficient than the halogen technology that was used, the board said The LED enhancement will reduce related energy costs by as much as 60 per cent, at times more. 'Up to 85 per cent energy savings as we do the colors,' Ed Gesch, who helped with the installation, told CBS. Judging by the reactions of people who saw the new display on Thursday, the new lights have the approval of the tourists. 'Oh, I love the blue,' one visitor said. 'The blue is beautiful.' Crowds got a first look at the lights Thursday night during a special unveiling ceremony It is hoped the upgrade will boost tourism on both sides of the border Old system: This file photo from July 2013 show the Falls illuminated in blue to celebrate the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's son, Prince George The LED upgrade was designed and carried out by the Niagara Falls Illumination Enhancement Team, a consortium of mostly Canadian companies selected by the Niagara Falls Illumination Board. The New York City Campaign Finance Board hit disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner with a $65,000 fine for a number of violations including using campaign funds from his failed 2013 mayoral run for his own personal use. The board found that Weiner accepted contributions over the donation limit, failed to show that money he spent was in furtherance of his 2013 mayoral campaign and spent money after the election that was not related to the campaign. The board is also ordering him to return $195,377 in matching campaign funds, DNA Info reported. Scroll down for video The NYC Campaign Finance Board hit disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner with a $65,000 fine for a number of violations including using campaign funds from his failed 2013 mayoral run for his own personal use (pictured above in 2013) The board found that Weiner (pictured above in 2013) accepted contributions over the donation limit, failed to show that money he spent was in furtherance of his 2013 mayoral campaign and spent money after the election that was not related to the campaign Money that Weiner spent for personal use included him paying his cell phone bill and another personal line he used for fundraising. For that violation, he was fined $2,308. After the election, Weiner spent $115,268 on expenditures that were not permitted including paying a consultant $46,169. He also spent $1,500 on a dry cleaning bill, plus a $600 expenditure to someone for buying a television was unexplained, the board said. Documents from the board show that Weiner paid the Esler Group $26,000 more than what had originally been described in their contract. He also failed to show how the spending was even related to the campaign. The board is also ordering Weiner (pictured above in 2013)to return $195,377 in matching campaign funds In addition, he paid another $56,210 to people exceeding the amount that was described in their contracts or to people who did not have duties listed next to their names. Weiner's campaign for mayor of New York City in 2013 was set to be his political comeback after he resigned as a congressman in 2011 when he was caught sexting. As he lead the polls during the 2013 race, it was exposed that Weiner was still sexting women, ending his campaign. Back in September, another sexting scandal emerged where Weiner sent shirtless photos of himself lying in bed next to his son to a woman he had been speaking with online. His wife, Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, announced she was separating from him shortly after, as the Children's Services investigated the shocking photo. DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that Weiner had also been sending explicit messages to a teen girl and had carried on a sexting relationship with her. Weiner could not be reached for immediate comment in regards to the campaign fines. Wealthy businessmen have been asked to pay up to 100,000 each to be entertained by Prince Charles at the Queens official residence, the Daily Mail can reveal. One event last year, in aid of one of the princes biggest initiatives, Dumfries House, saw donors asked to transfer huge sums to the private bank account of the Prince of Waless Charitable Foundation before their invitations were confirmed. The gala dinner was one of three events attended by Charles and organised by his controversial former valet, Michael Fawcett, at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. Scroll down for video Dinner at Buckingham Palace: Charles and Camilla with former Armenian prime minister Armen Sarkissian, second from left Charles does not benefit personally in any way from the functions, but Mr Fawcett does. Despite twice resigning from the royal household, Mr Fawcett has been put in charge of Dumfries House, one of the princes biggest charities. As well as being paid in his role as the charitys executive director, his private events company Premier Mode is paid a retainer to organise royal events which included each of the three Dumfries House dinners, Clarence House has admitted. The princes office last night said the letter sent to donors demanding cash to attend one of the princes charity functions had been erroneously sent out by a third party without their knowledge and steps were immediately taken to ensure that it never happens again. Clarence House said: We do not permit the exchange of funds for an invitation to any events attended by the Prince of Wales or the Duchess of Cornwall. The letter was removed from circulation as soon as it was discovered. Sources also insisted that the dinners were not fundraising events, and stressed that no public or charitable money was used to pay Premier Mode, whose bills are met by the prince privately. Buckingham Palace said there was a well-established tradition of members of the Royal Family hosting events on behalf of charities and other organisations with which they have an association. They added: These are not fundraising events, but rather an opportunity to highlight the work of an organisation and thank its supporters as was the case at these events hosted by the Prince of Wales. Charles does not benefit personally in any way from the functions, but his former valet Mr Fawcett does Officials said events hosted by the royals on behalf of their charities are booked by their private offices and approval is sought through the Master of the Household for every event. Direct fundraising is not permitted and no costs are met by taxpayers through the Sovereign Grant. Charles personally helps raise more than 100million a year for his many worthy charities and undertakes dozens of engagements. But the revelations have thrown an uncomfortable spotlight on the access donors are given to royal residences. Sir Alistair Graham, ex-chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said: Its giving special rights to the wealthy even though its for charity. Labour MP Paul Flynn said: It demeans the status of the Royal Family to feel they will be trying to influence people in this way. Three fundraising dinners were organised by Mr Fawcett in 2010, 2011 and 2015 at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. The most recent saw more than 250 benefactors welcomed to the Palace for a gala dinner hosted by Charles. It was organised, according to a letter sent by a third party to supporters, to raise funds for Dumfries House and a second charity called Yerevan My Love, set up by Armen Sarkissian, former prime minister of Armenia and a close friend of the prince, to restore historic buildings there and help disadvantaged children. Buckingham Palace said there was a well-established tradition of members of the Royal Family hosting events on behalf of charities and other organisations with which they have an association They were asked to pledge amounts starting at 2,500 for a supporter, moving up to 25,000 for a sponsor, 50,000 for a patron and 100,000 as a benefactor. The evening was an opportunity, they were told, to thank them in person and acknowledge their contribution. Guests were instructed to transfer their cash to the Prince of Waless Charitable Foundations account at the Queens bank, Coutts, and given details of the account number and sort code. Upon receiving their pledge, the recipients were told, a formal letter of confirmation from the princes private office would be sent out. The Prince... would be very grateful for your support, it concluded. The first event, held at Windsor in 2010 also in aid of Dumfries House and Yerevan My Love, was attended by Charles and his wife. According to reports in Armenia, key political and religious figures flew over and rubbed shoulders with executives from British companies. Dumfries House, a stunning 18th century palladian mansion in Scotland, was saved by Charles for the nation in 2007, partly funded by a 20million loan taken out by his charitable foundation. Since then 76million the vast majority from private donors has been spent turning it into a centre for the princes charitable empire as well as a successful hub for local enterprise and employment. Charles made Mr Fawcett executive director of Dumfries House in 2011. The appointment raised eyebrows among some in the royal household given that he has no formal experience of running a charity. A spokesman for Dumfries House refused to say how much he is paid, but accounts list its most senior employee as earning 70,000-90,000. Sources denied a conflict of interest between Mr Fawcetts position in charge of the charity and his companys role organising the events in 2010, 2011 and 2015. A royal spokesman said: Clarence House pays Premier Mode a retainer to organise some of the events at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. This assures the quality and consistency of the experience for all involved, including the charities. Premier Modes fee to co-ordinate this work is not borne by the public purse or the charities. Officials said it was up to Clarence House to decide which events to use Premier Mode for, and not Mr Fawcett. Clarence House declined to comment on how much Premier Mode was paid by Charles because it was commercially sensitive. A juror wrote to a South Carolina judge on Friday that he 'can't in good conscience' find white police officer guilty in the shooting death of unarmed black man Walter Scott. Jurors were deliberating for a third day in the case against ex-North Charleston patrolman Michael Slager, 35, who is charged with the murder of 50-year-old Scott. Judge Clifton Newman read the letter to the court in which the juror wrote he 'can't in good conscience approve a guilty verdict' and would not change his mind. The jury foreman asked the judge for a clarification of the law in hopes of being able to return to the courtroom with a unanimous verdict. Scroll down for video A juror wrote to a South Carolina judge on Friday that he 'can't in good conscience' find white police officer, Michael Slager (right) guilty in the shooting death of unarmed black man Walter Scott (left) Jurors were deliberating for a third day in the case against ex-North Charleston patrolman Slager, 35, who is charged with the murder of 50-year-old Scott. During his testimony Slager used body language to explain to jurors how the incident unfolded The 2015 incident (pictured) was caught on a bystander's cellphone video, intensifying the debate in the US States over racial bias by police If the 12 jurors cannot agree on a verdict, then a mistrial would likely be declared. Defense attorneys representing Slager in his murder trial asked for a mistrial shortly after the juror sent the judge the letter. Earlier on Friday, jurors told a Newman that they were unable to reach a verdict in the trial. 'It is clear that jurors will not be able to come to consensus,' the panel said in a note to Newman. The judge told jurors they had a duty 'to make every reasonable effort to reach a unanimous verdict' and instructed them to continue their deliberations. If no verdict is reached, the judge said he would declare a mistrial and re-try the case later with a different jury. According to the official report, in the April 2015 incident, Scott bolted from his car while Slager was walking back to his vehicle to check license details. Slager then gave chase and the two were involved in an altercation during which he tasered Scott. Scott continued to run, and Slager fired eight shots, hitting him with five and killing him. The incident was caught on a bystander's cellphone video, intensifying the debate in the US States over racial bias by police. Prosecutors charged Slager with murder, but jurors could instead find him guilty of voluntary manslaughter if they decide Slager killed Scott in the heat of passion after provocation rather than with malice. They could also acquit the former officer if they believe he acted in self-defense because he feared his own death or serious injury. Earlier on Friday, Newman refused the jury's request for definitions of the words 'fear' and 'passion'. 'It is clear that jurors will not be able to come to consensus,' the panel said Friday afternoon in a note to Judge Clifton Newman. Slager is pictured on the stand during his testimony on Tuesday Prosecutors charged Slager (right listening to testimonies in court) with murder, but jurors could instead find him guilty of voluntary manslaughter if they decide Slager killed Scott in the heat of passion after provocation rather than with malice Prosecutors repeatedly showed the video in court and urged jurors to trust what they saw. The jury of 11 white people and one black person heard four weeks of testimony from more than 50 witnesses On Thursday, the judge agreed to provide them transcripts of the testimony given by Slager and the chief investigator on the case. The jury of 11 white people and one black person heard four weeks of testimony from more than 50 witnesses. Prosecutors repeatedly showed the video in court and urged jurors to trust what they saw. The state said the footage proved Slager was not in danger when he fired eight shots at the fleeing Scott, hitting him with five bullets. But the defense said the video did not tell the whole story. Slager said he did not know at the time of the incident that Scott was unarmed. The ex-cop testified he felt 'total fear' after the motorist grabbed his stun gun during a scuffle between the two men. Slager said he fired his gun until he felt the threat against him was over. Historic case: Attorney General Jeremy Wright said the High Court had been wrong to relegate The outcome of the referendum Ministers have accused judges of ignoring the will of voters by relegating the outcome of the Brexit referendum to a footnote. In a submission to the Supreme Court, the Government attacked the High Court for dismissing the historic June 23 poll as merely a political event, of little significance in law. Judges sparked fury last month with their ruling that Theresa May must give MPs a say before divorce proceedings with the EU are begun by invoking Article 50. The Governments appeal, to be heard from Monday, is being seen as the most important legal case affecting the British constitution for a generation. In a document outlining ministers arguments, Attorney General Jeremy Wright said the High Court had been wrong to relegate, almost to a footnote, the outcome of the referendum. Mr Wright, the Governments top legal officer, said the case cannot be resolved in a vacuum, without regard to the outcome of the referendum. He said that by arguing that Parliamentary sanction was needed to start the process of withdrawing from a treaty, the High Court was divorced from the reality of how modern states operate. Last month critics of the three judges ruling said they had set themselves against the will of the people and had come to their decision without an acceptance that the referendum result was binding. They said the judgment would have the effect of slowing down Brexit or thwarting it altogether. Eleven Supreme Court judges will hear the Governments appeal over four days, televised in full. No judgment is expected until the New Year. The case was brought at the High Court by businesswoman Gina Miller after the referendum result was announced. She argued that the Prime Minister should not be able to invoke Article 50 without Parliaments agreement. Her lawyers said this was because by leaving the EU, Britons would lose out on rights that had been passed by Parliament. The three High Court judges including the Lord Chief Justice ruled in her favour. Critics said activist judges were trying to alter the way Brexit was implemented. Tory MPs said the case had been brought by people who did not accept the way the June 23 vote went. The Government said it would appeal. Scroll down for video The Attorney Generals written submission a link to which was put on the Supreme Court website on Thursday warns that if the original decision is upheld, it would undermine the ability of government to sign treaties. This so-called prerogative power is long-established and vital to the functioning of a modern state, it said. The appeal is being taken to court by Brexit Secretary David Davis. The case will be made by Mr Wright, in a rare appearance in court by the Governments top legal officer. The submission said that ministers had full authority to use prerogative powers when signing or withdrawing from treaties and did not need to ask MPs. It added: Whilst the Secretary of State relies upon long-standing and well-established principles regarding exercise of the foreign affairs prerogative, the supposed conflict between those principles and the doctrine of Parliamentary sovereignty cannot be resolved in a vacuum, without regard to the outcome of the referendum. It is submitted that the Divisional Court was wrong to relegate, almost to a footnote, the outcome of the referendum and to dismiss it as merely a political event which was of no significance to the question before it. The section of the High Court ruling criticised by Mr Wright reads: This court does not question the importance of the referendum as a political event, the significance of which will have to be assessed and taken into account elsewhere. The case was brought at the High Court by businesswoman Gina Miller (pictured) after the referendum result was announced Mr Wright notes that, in coming to its conclusion, the High Court quoted constitutional expert AV Dicey. The Attorney General said: Diceys account of the constitution was more subtle than the Divisional Court allowed and afforded far more significance to the will of the electorate. He pointed out that the same expert described referendums as the peoples veto. Mr Wright accused the High Court of relying too much on legal arguments from the era of the English Civil War and earlier. The legality of the use of the prerogative in the present case cannot be answered by rote applications of 17th-century authorities addressing the conflict between a Parliament representative of the popular will and an authoritarian king, he wrote. Nor by recitation of a partial Diceyan theory of Parliamentary sovereignty without recognition that the usual democratic objections to use of the prerogative do not apply in the circumstances of the present case. He wrote that the High Courts judgment, if upheld, would lead to the absurdity of MPs having to simply approve what had already been approved by voters. The submission states that the powers of nations to make treaties without recourse to Parliament are a vital part of the conduct of modern inter-state business. In many of such cases, treaties can affect individual rights and alter domestic law. The High Court judgment, it said, would stop the executive from signing or withdrawing from treaties an intervention of unwarranted breadth. This could lead to MPs being in the position of micro-managing treaty negotiations. Mr Wright, dismissed the conclusion the prerogative is a relic of a past age, saying it is essential to good administration. His submission said: The Divisional Court identified what it described as a general background constitutional principle that the Government should not have power to vary the law of the land, or deprive individuals of rights, by use of prerogative powers. The case law on which the Divisional Court relied does not support the existence of such a principle. An Oklahoma man convicted of fatally stabbing a married pregnant woman he met on Craigslist for sex was sentenced Friday to serve two consecutive sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Jaymie Adams, 25, went missing in December 2011 after going to meet with a client for sex. Her dead body was found in a wooded area of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma about a month later, with 29 stab wounds. Joseph Richard Cyr, now 35, was scheduled to meet Adams the night she disappeared. In October, he was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in Adams' death and her unborn child. Oklahoma County District Judge Cindy Truong sentenced Cyr in accordance with the jury's chosen punishments, The Oklahoman reported. Mother-to-be Jaymie Adams (left), 25, was killed after being stabbed 29 times in 2011 after she was to meet a client for sex. Her husband, Justin Adams (right) helped his wife prostitute herself Joseph Richard Cyr (above) was convicted in October of fatally stabbing Jaymie and was sentenced Friday to serve two consecutive sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole During the trial, the victim's husband Justin, now 29, addressed the jury to speak about his wife's prostitution. The couple married in February 2011, and it was in May 2011 that Jaymie posted her first ad on Craigslist as a prostitute. Cyr (pictured) had arranged to meet with Jaymie for sex after finding her on a Craigslist ad After that, her husband said he started composing ads for his wife and driving her to meet clients. One post from 2011 read: 'I am letting any willing man come and have his way with my wife with a little compensation for us to help with our holiday funding we need. So if this sounds hot and fun to you then just email me. We have a hotel for the night and can host for anyone.' Justin said that the prostitution was a way to make some much-needed money but that he now regrets his decision to support his wife in the endeavor. He also revealed that the evening before Jaymie went missing, she said she was thinking about stopping prostitution because she was two months pregnant. 'We had no other choice. It was something we fell into to pay bills. 'Neither one of us really enjoyed what she was doing It was demeaning towards her. The money was great but it wasn't worth what it was doing to us. He added: 'I feel like if I would have done everything different, if I wouldn't have agreed to it then she would still be here.' Prosecutors said Cyr stabbed Jaymie to death shortly after midnight on December 20, 2011 - the day she disappeared. Jaymie (right) was two months pregnant when she went missing on December 10, 2011. Her dead body was found a month later. Her husband is pictured on the left after her disappearance Her body was found a month later, dumped near Lake Stanley Draper with 29 stab wounds covering her body. DNA found on her corpse led investigators to Cyr, who claimed that he arranged to meet Jaymie that night but never showed. During the trial against Cyr, the jury of 13 women and one man were taken to the area where Jaymie's mutilated corpse was discovered on January 7, 2012. They were also shown gruesome pictures of the crime scene and Jaymie's stab-covered body. Jaymie's husband was originally charged with first-degree murder in her death as well, for supporting her illegal prostitution business. A father in China who crowdfunded treatment for his daughter's cancer treatment has been forced to return all of the money after cash raised surpassed the cost of her medical bills. According to a statement from the father and his wife on December 1, the 2.5 million yuan (287,000) will be returned to donors. The couple from Shenzhen, China, had been accused of fraud and trying to cover up their middle class lives, reports the People's Daily Online. Distraught: The father announced on December 1 that he would be returning the money Heartbreaking: His five-year-old daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia and needs treatment On November 25, the girl's father Luo Er launched an appeal on social messaging app Wechat asking for help to pay for his daughter's treatment for Leukaemia. He claimed the costs had reached 10,00 yuan (1,150) a day. Financial consultancy firm Xiao Tong Ren agreed to donate one yuan for each share on social media. By Wednesday night, the post was shared 548,432 times. According to the hospital in Shenzhen that is treating his daughter named Luo Yixiao, the cost of the treatment so far totals 200,000 yuan (23,008). The hospital also confirmed that over 82 percent of those expenses are covered by government health insurance. In despair: The girl's parents have since spoken out about the accusations Some people alleged that the father owned properties. Luo confirmed that he owned a home in Shenzhen and two others in Dongguan however he cannot locate the paperwork for the properties on Dongguan and so could not sell them. The father since became distressed that the focus was on him and his wife and not his daughter. He told reporters from Pearvideo in an interview: 'No one cares about whether my daughter can get treatment, they are only worried about whether I am a liar.' According to a statement released by the girl's parents, Shenzhen civil affairs bureau and Tencent, the payments would be returned to the donors within three days. Leaving a job you love can be incredibly hard and even more so when you've got to leave your work partner behind. Firefighter Shen Peng from Nanjing, China couldn't bear the thought of leaving his military dog behind so requested that he also retires, reports Huanqiu, an affiliation with the People's Daily Online. He was finally given approval on December 2 to take his 10-year-old sniffer dog Shen Hu home with him. Best friends: Firefighter Shen Peng has a strong bond with his sniffer dog partner He requested that his dog was also allowed to retire so they could live together at home According to rules, taking a working military dog with you when you retire is not allowed unless the dog also retires. Shen Peng put in the request for his dog to be granted permission to retire as Shen Hu suffers from poor cardio-pulmonary function. The animal had been working as a military sniffer dog for eight years. He once rescued 15 trapped people after an earthquake hit Wenchuan in China's Sichuan province in May 2008. The earthquake killed over 69,000 people. Shen Peng will be honourably discharged from military service at the end of this year. Many people have been discussing the story on social media site Weibo. One user commented: 'Will the dog veteran receive any pension?' While another wrote: 'They can be discharged together. They can go home together. That's great.' And one user said: 'They can stay together forever' Hard working: The animal had been working as a military sniffer dog for eight years Blue wasnt always so every day. The richest blue hues had royal and religious roots. Ultramarine was once the preserve of the Virgin Mary. Until 1520 the dazzling pigment was permitted to be used only when depicting her robes in paintings. Extracted from Lapis Lazuli, it was expensive to produce and was more valuable than gold. Heritage shade: A dining room decorated in Little Greenes rich Mazarine blue paint Royal blue is of course associated with royalty. The ceiling of the chapel at Hampton Court Palace is painted in sumptuous gold and byse, a blue that was popular in Tudor times. Kate wore a regal shade to announce her engagement to Prince William in 2010 and the Queen dazzled in a royal blue coat at Ascot earlier this year. For the Nouveau Realiste artist, Yves Klein (1928-1962), blue represented absolute freedom. He created International Klein Blue with a chemist and used the pigment as art in its own right with paintings solely in the enveloping shade. His experimental work is now on display at Tate Liverpool (until 5 March 2017, tate.org.uk). Klein is probably best known for his so-called Anthropometry paintings for which he used nude women as human paintbrushes. Covered in that famous blue paint, they printed their bodies on canvases while Kleins Monotone Symphony was performed in the background by musicians. His methods might be questionable, but Kleins blue revolutionised the use of colour in art, says curator of the Liverpool exhibition Darren Pih. Its a dazzling, pure, ultramarine. This was a precursor to Andy Warhols wild silk screen prints in popping tones. Inspiration: Yves Klein's Untitled Anthropometry, 1960 now on display at Tate Liverpool Not all of those brash Seventies shades are easy to live with but deep blue, with its sense of the luxurious, is surprisingly versatile. Blue is historically associated with wealth, says Ruth Mottershead, of paint company Little Greene. She says that older colours like French greys and Regency blues will always be the more sought after because they are familiar, safe choices. Weve been welcoming deep blues into our homes for the past year and its a trend that seems to have well and truly settled in. It helped that denim, that old stalwart, was all over the spring and summer catwalks. And we are all back in our denim shirts, jackets and even dungarees. Little Greene have a capsule collection of 21 blue hues, including a Klein-like limited edition Ultra Blue made using a single pigment: Ultramarine. (2.5L 49, littlegreene.com). Its as bold and bright as youd expect. But there are quieter shades from the delicate Pale Wedgwood to the almost grey Bone China Blue. As well as the seriously dark Dock Blue and turquoise Old School Blue (all 38 for 2.5L). Zeal for teal: Owen's Teal from the V&A museum's new paint collection, which will be out in spring, 2017 The V&A is, for the first time, launching a range of 40 paints inspired by the historic museum itself. Among them is velvety Owens Teal taken from the original decorations for the Museums early Indian, Chinese, and Japanese Rooms. The collection is out in spring, vandapaint.com. Despite what you might think, blue isnt cool and stand offish. It can be glamorous and cossetting. Interior Designer Abigail Ahern has long been a fan. I am obsessed with this iconic hue. Inky, deep, dramatic shades are the perfect backdrop to any space. Anything and everything looks beautiful against it, from warm metals (pops of copper, rose gold and brass) to russets, greenery or creams. 'I adore our Mott blue as its so cocooning, and brings instant richness and glamour to a space. Mott blue costs 33 for 2.5l, abigailahern.com. She's right. Last year, I painted my hallway in washed denim by Mini Moderns and I havent looked back. The appealing shade has covered up all those grubby marks and made the pokey space far smarter, (30, 2.5L, minimoderns.com). Added zing: The Wallis sofa by Pinch Design for Heals looks even more striking against a vibrant blue wall. The sofa will be available in the New Year. Combine blue with zingier shades and the effect can be arresting. Habitat have paired blues with warm terracottas for spring 2017, so we can look forward to glossy navy ceramics and cobalt and orange patterned cushions. At the Heals spring/summer show they threw caution to the wind, showing a gorgeous sofa 'Wallis' upholstered in emerald green velvet by Pinch Design against a sumptuous blue wall. Wallis is available to buy in the New Year. Heals also has a whole range devoted to teal. The Pinner range, named after the London suburb Ambrose Heal (the great-grandson of Heals founder John Harris Heal) called home, celebrates the shade with a table top mirror (199, heals.com), wardrobe and (1099) and sideboard (799) in the Atlantic Blue hue. Standout piece: Heals has a whole range devoted to teal. The Pinner sideboard is 799 Blue works really well with bright shades such as yellow and magenta, making it easy to incorporate with existing furniture and schemes. 'Over the past few seasons, interior designers have looked to blue as the new alternative for grey. It gives more depth, definition and has more impact, says Kirsty White, Product and Design Manager at Heals. And, of course, there are plenty of ways to add a dramatic blue flourish without getting your painting clothes out. Textile designer Margo Selby has a gorgeous range of 100% cotton bed-linen in mesmerising blues. Our deep blues are inspired by the varying shades of indigo and denim that are seen in traditional Japanese dyeing. We think indigo is the new grey, says Selby. Snuggle up: Bed-linen in Arundel by Margo Selby is inspired by the shades used in traditional Japanese dyeing Dress your bed in the Arundel set for a lavish touch or choose Hove, which has more of a seaside feel. Standard pillow cases from 14, duvets from 90, margoselby.com. With 2016 drawing to a close, December looks set to offer some stunning astronomical events to viewers around the world. The coming month will feature back-to-back meteor showers, a stunning supermoon and our lunar satellite posing with planets. To catch a glimpse of the celestial events stargazers will need to be eagle eyed, but our calendar should help ensure nothing is missed. Scroll down for video Tomorrow night, the crescent moon will pair with the bright planet Venus, which will appear as a bright star in the night sky YOUR DECEMBER CALENDAR There are several astronomical events occurring throughout December including: December 3 - Moon and Venus align December 4 - Moon and Mars align December 12 - Moon's Bullseye December 13 - Geminid meteor shower December 14 - Supermoon December 16 - Moon and Beehive December 21 - December Solstice December 22 - Ursid meteor shower and the moon and Jupiter align Advertisement DECEMBER 3 MOON AND VENUS Tomorrow night, the crescent moon will pair with the planet Venus, which will appear as a bright 'star' in the night sky. Observers in both the UK and most of the US will find Venus almost directly below the Moon, around an hour after local sunset, while those on the west coast of the US will actually see Venus best an hour after sunset tonight. In Australia, viewers should look west an hour after sunset on 3 December to see Venus at its best. DECEMBER 4 MOON AND MARS December 4 will be the time to catch a glimpse at Mars, as the moon will position itself less than three degrees apart from the red planet. Viewers around the world can watch for Mars as dusk gives way to night time. It'll be the moderately bright 'star' in the vicinity of the waxing crescent moon. DECEMBER 12 MOON'S BULLSEYE On December 12, the moon will appear near the eye of the constellation Taurus, the bull. December 4 will be the time to catch a glimpse at Mars, as the moon will position itself less than three degrees apart from the red planet. Pictured is an illustration of the event WHAT ARE THE GEMINIDS? The Geminids are pieces of debris from an object called 3200 Phaethon. Long thought to be an asteroid, Phaethon is now classified as an extinct comet. Nasa says it's essentially a rocky skeleton of a comet that lost its ice after too many close encounters with the sun. Earth runs into a stream of debris from 3200 Phaethon every year in mid-December, causing meteors to fly from the constellation Gemini. The Geminids can be seen from December 4 to 16 every year, peaking on the December 12 to 14. They travel at 22 miles (35km) a second. When the Geminids first appeared in the early 19th century, shortly before the US Civil War, the shower was weak and attracted little attention. There was no hint that it would ever become a major display. Advertisement What is referred to as the 'eye' is really the red giant star Aldebaran, which sits 67 light-years from Earth and is the brightest in its constellation. DECEMBER 13 GEMINID METEOR SHOWER The Geminid meteor shower is known as one of the most spectacular events in the night sky each year and can usually be seen across the world. Meteors are the result of particles smaller than one centimetre entering the Earth's atmosphere at high speed, burning up and heating the air around them. They appear as a streak of light against the dark sky. In this case, the debris is associated with the object 3200 Phaethon, which many astronomers believe to be an extinct comet. The meteors appear to originate from a 'radiant' point in the constellation of Gemini, which is why they have been given the name Geminids. Geminid meteors travel fairly slowly, at around 22 miles (35 km) per second. They are bright and have a yellowish hue, making them distinct and easy to spot. The Geminid shower is less well known than those at other times of year, probably because, in the UK at least, the weather in December is less reliable Professor Martin Barstow, President of the Royal Astronomical Society, said: 'A good meteor shower is a spectacular sight. 'If you have clear skies, there are few better and easier ways to get an impression of the dynamism of the universe we live in, and how the Earth is directly connected to events in the rest of the Solar System.' Usually you don't need any special equipment to watch the shower just a dark sky. The meteors appear to originate from a 'radiant' point in the constellation of Gemini, which is why they have been given the name Geminids The peak tends to be around 2am local time, no matter where the viewer is around the world. This is because the constellation, Gemini, which is the radiant point of the shower, reaches its highest point at around 2am. Generally, the higher the Gemini constellation climbs into the sky, the more meteors are likely to be seen. But a supermoon is also scheduled around the same time as the shower, which could make viewing more difficult. A post on Nasa's website claims: 'Bright moonlight will reduce the visibility of faint meteors five to ten fold, transforming the usually fantastic Geminids into an astronomical footnote.' A supermoon is also scheduled around the same time as the Geminids shower, which could make viewing more difficult FIVE SUPERMOON FACTS It was not until 1979 that Astrologer Richard Nolle first defined the supermoon, which is now a widely-used term, as 'a new or full moon which occurs with the moon at or near (within 90 per cent of) its closest approach to Earth in a given orbit'. The moon has to be 226,000 miles (363,711 km) away from the Earth to be considered 'super' which normally happens only once every 14 months. However, there will be no supermoons in 2017. Because of its close proximity to the Earth, the moon's surface appears a lot bigger when a supermoon occurs, which makes for stunning photography. A winter supermoon is supersized, as the Earth is closest to the sun in December each year, which means its gravity pulls the moon closer to the planet making it appear brighter and larger than those that occur during the rest of the year. Supermoons will get smaller in the future as the moon is slowly propelling itself out of Earth's orbit, moving 1.5 inches (3.8cm) further from the Earth each year. Advertisement DECEMBER 14 SUPERMOON The moon's orbit is elliptical rather than perfectly circular, so as the moon moves around the Earth it is sometimes a little bit closer and sometimes a bit further away from us. On 14 December, the moon will be at its closet point to Earth, making it appear larger than usual. 'If a full moon happens to occur when the Moon is also at its closest point then it will look slightly larger and brighter than usual this is what is popularly known as a 'supermoon',' Dr Marek Kukula, Public Astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich told MailOnline. 'It's a natural part of the moon's cycle and happens around once a year. 'The differences in apparent size and brightness amount to few percent but they can enhance the already beautiful sight of the full moon, making a supermoon worth looking up for.' For this reason, it appears to be bigger than normal - by about 10 per cent. DECEMBER 16 MOON AND BEEHIVE While it won't be the easiest astronomical event to spot all month, the waning gibbous moon is set to point the way to the Beehive star cluster in the Cancer constellation on 16 December. The cluster will be visible as a faint patch in the night sky, but viewers may need to use binoculars to spot it. DECEMBER 21 - DECEMBER SOLSTICE The shortest day of the year for those north of the equator will be 21 December, as the sun will be at its lowest point in the sky. Conversely, in the Southern Hemisphere, the sun will be at its highest point, making December 21 the longest day of the year. Solstices occur because Earth is tilted on its axis as it orbits the sun. In winter, the Earth is tipped slightly away from the sun, so the Southern Hemisphere receives more sunlight, and the Northern Hemisphere less. In winter, the Earth is tipped slightly away from the sun, so the Southern Hemisphere receives more sunlight, and the Northern Hemisphere less. Pictured is the December solstice over Washington in 2011 DECEMBER 22 URSID METEOR SHOWER There is good news for those who may be disappointed that the Geminids meteor shower may be outshone by a supermoon this year. The Ursid metor shower will be occurring on December 22, which is named after the Ursa Minor constellation where it originates. People in the UK will be able to spot meteors in the sky around midnight, while those in the US will see the peak in the predawn hours of December 22. A waxing gibbous moon will also be occurring around this time, which could make viewing the meteors a bit more difficult. There is good news for those people disappointed that the Geminids meteor shower (pictured in 2012) may be outshone by a supermoon this year. The Ursid meteor shower will be occurring on December 22 DECEMBER 22 MOON AND JUPITER The final major astronomical event scheduled this year will be the alignment of Jupiter and the moon on December 22. From mid-northern latitudes, such as those in the US and Europe, Jupiter will rise about one hour after midnight, while those in mid-southern latitudes, such as Australia, will see the phenomenon around midnight. It may be the best piece of biological hardware we will ever own, but it appears even our brains can be caught sleeping on the job. Researchers have found that sections of the brain switch on and off regularly. This is similar to the waves of activity seen throughout the brain during sleep, with neurons clicking off when they are not in use. It remains unknown exactly why certain areas of the brain 'nap' while we're awake, but scientists believe it could help conserve energy. Neuroscientists have captured a unique insight into the brain suggesting the same mechanisms which regulate sleep may play a role in keeping us focused on the task at hand (stock image used) The findings provide a window into whats going on inside our waking brains and suggest the same mechanisms which regulate sleep may play a role in keeping us focused on the task at hand. During slumber, electrical activity rolls across the brain in synchronised waves, as neurons flick on and off. Scientists believe this nocturnal activity helps to fine tune the connections and effectively reset the electrical jumble of excited neurons after a days work. But similar patterns of activity have been seen on a much smaller scale, within individual groups of cells in the waking brain. A team from Stanford University in California, found that the activity of clusters of cells is controlled locally and when they are not needed they power down. The findings suggest that cells become primed and ready for action when they're in the on state. Reducing activity to a quiet pulse in the 'off' state may help to reduce the energy demands of the brain, avoiding the drain from being 'always on' (stock image) NAPS FOR BRAIN CELLS As we sleep, electrical activity rolls across the brain in synchronised waves, as brain cells pulse in synchrony. Scientists found similar patterns of activity on a much smaller scale, within individual groups of cells while the brain is awake. The team found that monkeys were much better at spotting a visual cue on screen when their brain cells were in the on state than when they were resting in the off state. The findings suggest that cells become primed and ready for action when they're in the on state. Reducing activity to a quiet pulse in the 'off' state may help to reduce the energy demands of the brain, avoiding the drain from being 'always on'. Advertisement They found that when the brain has to pay attention, dedicated neurons spend longer in a heightened state of activity and are able to respond better. In trials, researchers trained monkeys to perform attention tasks, looking for cues on a monitor. Electrodes measured the activity in the visual cortex of their brains throughout, showing spikes in activity when neurons were more active. By probing a specific region of the visual cortex they were able to focus on activity relating to a specific part of the animals visual field. Each time a visual cue appeared they noted a rush of activity in a stack of neurons in the corresponding brain region. During an on state the neurons all start firing rapidly, explained Professor Kwabena Boahen, a bio- and electrical engineer at Stanford. Then all of a sudden they just switch to a low firing rate. This on and off switching is happening all the time, as if the neurons are flipping a coin to decide if they are going to be on or off. In the tests, the team found that monkeys were much better at detecting the stimulus when their brain cells were in the on state than when they were resting in the off state. During slumber, electrical activity rolls across the brain in synchronised waves, as neurons flick on and off in synchrony. This nocturnal activity helps to fine tune the connections and effectively reset the electrical jumble of excited neurons after a days work This meant that monkeys were more likely to miss cues when the cells were less active, even if they knew where to look on the screen. The monkey is very good at detecting stimulus changes when neurons in that column are in the on state but not in the off state, said Tatiana Engel, a Stanford postdoc and first author of the study. It is unclear why groups of neurons appear to be napping while the animal is awake, but it could be related to conserving energy. The brain is a huge energy drain, siphoning off around one fifth of the energy generated from metabolism. By selectively dialling down activity of sections not immediately needed it could reduce the energy needs, directing available resources to where they are needed. The findings are published in the journal Science. We are living through the most dangerous time in the history of the human race, according to Professor Stephen Hawking. The Cambridge University physics professor named overpopulation, climate change and diseases as just some of the threats facing our planet. He said we have developed technology that could destroy Earth, and we must 'retrain' for a new world where robots have replaced many everyday jobs. We are living through the most dangerous time in the history of the human race, according to Professor Stephen Hawking. The Cambridge University physics professor named overpopulation, climate change and diseases as just some of the threats facing our planet Writing in a comment article in The Guardian, Professor Hawking explained what worries him about the future of our planet. 'For me, the really concerning aspect of this is that now, more than at any time in our history, our species needs to work together,' he said. 'We face awesome environmental challenges: climate change, food production, overpopulation, the decimation of other species, epidemic disease, acidification of the oceans. 'Together, they are a reminder that we are at the most dangerous moment in the development of humanity. 'We now have the technology to destroy the planet on which we live, but have not yet developed the ability to escape it. ' 'Perhaps in a few hundred years, we will have established human colonies amid the stars, but right now we only have one planet, and we need to work together to protect it.' The world-famous physicist has previously issued warnings to the world that robots could wipe out humanity and that leaving Earth is our only hope, and that our days on Earth are numbered, Professor Hawking said life on Earth is at an ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster, such as a sudden nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus, or other dangers In September the physicist warned our planet is becoming a dangerous place because of the threat of war or disease. THE ROBOTIC UPRISING Our desire to create helpful digital assistants and self-driving vehicles could bring about our demise. Professor Stephen Hawking warned that humanity faces an uncertain future as technology learns to think for itself and adapt to its environment. Speaking at an event in London earlier this year, the physicist told the BBC: 'The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.' This echoes claims he made earlier in the year when he said success in creating AI 'would be the biggest event in human history, [but] unfortunately, it might also be the last.' He argues that developments in digital personal assistants Siri, Google Now and Cortana are merely symptoms of an IT arms race which 'pale against what the coming decades will bring.' But Professor Hawking noted other potential benefits of this technology could also be significant, with the potential to eradicate, war, disease and poverty. 'Looking further ahead, there are no fundamental limits to what can be achieved,' continued Professor Hawking. 'There is no physical law precluding particles from being organised in ways that perform even more advanced computations than the arrangements of particles in human brains.' Advertisement 'I believe that life on Earth is at an ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster, such as a sudden nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus, or other dangers,' he said. 'I think the human race has no future if it doesn't go to space.' Professor Hawking made similar comments earlier this year while recording the BBC's annual Reith Lectures on January 7. The lecture explored research into black holes, and his warning was made during questions fielded by audience members. When asked how the world will end, Hawking said that increasingly, most of the threats humanity faces come from progress in technology. The scientist, who turned 74 this year, said the threats include nuclear war, catastrophic global warming and genetically engineered viruses. 'We are not going to stop making progress, or reverse it, so we must recognise the dangers and control them,' he said, speaking to Radio Times ahead of the lecture. To get away from these threats, humankind will have to colonise other planets, which Hawking believes will take more than a century. 'We will not establish self-sustaining colonies in space for at least the next hundred years, so we have to be very careful in this period,' Hawking said. In July, Professor Hawking and Tesla founder Elon Musk led 1,000 robotics experts in an open letter warning that 'Autonomous weapons will become the Kalashnikovs of tomorrow' 'The probable life span of human civilization is much greater if we're a multi-planet species as opposed to a single-planet species,' Elon Musk said last year. 'If we're a single planet species, then eventually there will be some extinction event,' Mr Musk said. His company SpaceX is working to send humans to space. Last week the firm test fired one of its new Raptor 'interplanetary transport engines' which the company will use to carry astronauts to Mars. This week the US Senate introduced a bipartisan bill that authorizes a new $19.5 billion (15 billion) budget for Nasa to send a crew to the red planet, but mandated it must happen within the next 25 years The rocket engine is three times more powerful than the one on the Falcon 9 rockets. It will ultimately be used to launch SpaceX's manned spacecraft off our planet. Mr Musk, chief executive of SpaceX, said the rocket will be ultimately capable of producing thrust of 690,000lbs over 382 seconds. The engine is powered using liquid methane and liquid oxygen rather than the kerosene used in the Merlin engines of its Falcon 9 rockets. If you are using an old smartphone to send WhatsApp messages, you may need to add an upgrade to your Christmas wish list. WhatsApp has announced it will no longer support a range of older operating platforms by the end of the year. The messaging app said it will be phasing out support for older Windows, Android and Apple models by January, and Blackberry and Nokia by mid-2017. Scroll down for video WhatsApp has announced it will be phasing out support for older Windows (centre), Android (right) and Apple (left) models by the end of 2016, and Blackberry and Nokia by mid-2017 WHICH PHONES WILL LOSE OUT? WhatsApp has announced that it will no longer support a range of older operating platforms by the end of the year. By the end of this year Whatsapp will no longer work on: - Android 2.1 and 2.2 - Windows Phone 7 - iPhone 3GS/iOS 6 In June 2017, WhatsApp will no longer be supported for: - BlackBerry - Nokia S40 - Nokia Symbian S60 Advertisement The older smartphone platforms can no longer keep up with the latest features being rolled out for the app, claims blog post by the Facebook-owned app. WhatsApp made the announcement as it celebrated its seventh anniversary, after first launching the popular messaging platform in 2009. The app, which is now used by more than one billion people worldwide, was launched in the early days of Apple's App Store, when seven out of ten had operating systems offered by Blackberry and Nokia. However, today's smartphone market is dominated by Google, Apple and Microsoft, with almost all newer models running on these platforms. The firm wrote: 'As we look ahead to our next seven years, we want to focus our efforts on the mobile platforms the vast majority of people use.' The full list of platforms being left behind at the end of the year includes: Android 2.1 and Android 2.2; Windows Phone 7 and iPhone 3GS/iOS 6. And by June 2017, WhatApp will no longer be available for BlackBerry, including BlackBerry 10; Nokia S40; and Nokia Symbian S60. {latforms being left behind include BlackBerry (pictured left), including BlackBerry 10; Nokia S40; Nokia Symbian S60 (pictured right); Android 2.1 and Android 2.2; Windows Phone 7 and iPhone 3GS/iOS 6 Whatsapp was launched in the early days of Apple's App Store, when seven out of ten had operating systems offered by Blackberry and Nokia. However, today's market is dominated by Google, Apple (iPhone pictured) and Microsoft The Nokia Symbian open source operating system, launched in 2007, is the oldest OS capable of running the app. WhatsApp explained: 'While these mobile devices have been an important part of our story, they don't offer the kind of capabilities we need to expand our app's features in the future.' Users still on one of the listed platforms are advised to upgrade to newer Android, iPhone or Windows phone platforms. Whatsapp said the Nokia S40 platform and application user interface software on Nokia's broad range of mid-tier feature phones will no longer be supported The firm added: 'This was a tough decision for us to make, but the right one in order to give people better ways to keep in touch with friends, family, and loved ones using WhatsApp.' In its seven years since being set up by former Yahoo! employees Jan Koum and Brian Acton in Canada, the messaging app has grown from strength to strength. Last month, WhatsApp officially launched video calling, in a bid to compete with Apple's Facetime and Skype. In keeping with WhatsApp's data security standards, the new video calling feature will be fully encrypted, protecting calls from being listened into. The move comes as privacy advocates worry about the potential for stepped-up government surveillance in the US under a Trump administration. WhatsApp, which boasts more than a billion users worldwide, adopted end-to-end encryption early this year, making it technically impossible for the company or government authorities to read messages or listen to calls. Since 2015, a star that can be seen mysteriously brightening and dimming has captured the imagination of scientists and conspiracy theorists alike. Many explanations have been offered for the mysterious dimming, but a consensus is yet to be reached. Now a new paper suggests the star gives off jets that could be a source of energy for an alien civilisation. Scroll down for video Since 2015, a star that can be seen mysteriously brightening and dimming has captured the imagination of scientists and conspiracy theorists alike. Now a new paper suggests the star gives off jets that could be a source of energy for an alien civilisation. Illustration pictured TABBY'S STAR - KIC 8462852 Tabby's Star, known officially as KIC 8462852, has baffled experts since it was discovered in 2015, by scientists scanning the skies for exoplanets. Observations revealed its light dimmed regularly, as do distant stars when their planets pass in front of them. But while the stars of most exoplanet systems are seen to dim by a few per cent, KIC 8462852 dimmed by more than 20 per cent over periods of months. Some have claimed this dimming could be evidence of a Dyson Sphere a hypothetical structure which could be used by an advanced alien race to harness the energy of a star. Scientists remain skeptical, offering that the dimming could be explained by a dust ring around the star or a hail of comets passing in between the star and Earth. Advertisement Tabby's Star, known officially as KIC 8462852, has baffled experts since it was discovered by citizen scientists in 2015. Observations revealed its light dimmed regularly, which some claim could be evidence of a hypothetical structure which could be used by an advanced alien race to harness the energy of a star. Many scientists remain sceptical, suggesting that the dimming could be explained by a dust ring around the star or a hail of comets passing in between the star and Earth. Now a new paper, published by Professor Eduard Heindl from Furtwangen University, Germany, provides a mathematical model to support the involvement of aliens. 'If a super civilisation has used all raw material of its planets, they could found more in their star,' Professor Heindl told MailOnline. 'For example, our sun has at least 6,000 times more metals as the planets. 'To mine this resource, they have to lift the material of their star into an orbit to cool down the stuff and use it. Professor Heindl's paper said the star could be a source of 'star mining' for extra terrestrial life. 'This is done by start lifting,' he said. 'We don't know exactly how to do that, but a good guess is, heat one spot of the sun beyond the normal temperature (6,000K) by mirrors and generate a beam of matter by magnetic fields.' Tabby's Star (KIC 8462852) has baffled experts since it was discovered in 2015. Located more than 1,400 light years away, its regular cycles of dimming have been claimed by some to be a sign of intelligent beings. Pictured in infrared (left) and ultraviolet (right) 'The light curve is unusually smooth but the very steep edges make it hard to find a simple natural explanation by covering due to comets or other well-known planetary objects,' Professor Heindl wrote in the paper. A mechanism for 'harvesting' solar wind, a method of star lifting, is pictured 'We describe a mathematical approximation to the light curve, which is motivated by a physically meaningful event of a large stellar beam which generates an orbiting cloud. 'The data might fit to the science fiction idea of star lifting, a mining technology that could extract star matter.' Star lifting is a general name to describe any process by which civilisations could remove material from a star, and use it for themselves. Many star lifting mechanisms involve harnessing solar wind, for example. The paper describes a setup in which a stream of matter leaves the star, in a similar way to a solar jet. This specific kind of stream would potentially allow aliens to harness the energy, the paper suggests. The paper, which is available online on the preprint server arXiv, has not been through a peer-review process or published in an academic journal. One suggested method for harnessing the power of an entire star is known as a Dyson sphere. First proposed by theoretical physicist Freeman Dyson in 1960, this would be a swarm of satellites that surrounds a star. The paper describes a set up in which a stream of matter leaves the star, in a similar way to a solar jet. This specific kind of stream would potentially allow aliens to harness the energy, the paper suggests Dimming light from 'Tabby's Star' has led to suggestions it could be an alien megastructure, while others suggest it is just a dust ring or a hail of passing comets (illustrated). Now a new paper suggests the star is a source of 'mining' for an alien civilisation WHAT IS STAR LIFTING? Star lifting is a general name to describe any process by which civilisations could remove material from a star, and use it for themselves. This could involve a Dyson sphere, a swarm of satellites that surrounds a star. Many star lifting mechanisms involve harnessing solar wind, for example. The idea is popular in science fiction. In the series Stargate Universe, the Ancient ship Destiny is fuelled by plasma from stars. In the Star Wars franchise of Knights of the Old Republic, the Star Forge is capable of star lifting. Advertisement They could be an enclosed shell, or spacecraft spread out to gather its energy - known as a Dyson swarm. If such structures do exist, they would emit huge amounts of noticeable infrared radiation back on Earth. But as of yet, such a structure has not been detected. 'We recommend further exploration of this concept with refined models,' Professor Hiendl said. Earlier this year, the Breakthrough Listen project said it was going to look into the star. As part of the Breakthrough Listen project, which will spend $100m (82m) over the next decade to search for alien signals, a team of astronomers in the US will recruit a huge telescope to study the object more closely. 'Everyone, every SETI [Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence] program telescope, I mean every astronomer that has any kind of telescope in any wavelength that can see Tabby's star has looked at it,' said Andrew Siemion, director of the Berkeley SETI Research Center and co-director of Breakthrough Listen in statement. 'It's been looked at with Hubble, it's been looked at with Keck, it's been looked at in the infrared and radio and high energy, and every possible thing you can imagine, including a whole range of SETI experiments. 'Nothing has been found.' WHAT IS A DYSON SPHERE? A suggested method for harnessing the power of an entire star is known as a Dyson sphere. First proposed by theoretical physicist Freeman Dyson in 1960, this would be a swarm of satellites that surrounds a star. They could be an enclosed shell, or spacecraft spread out to gather its energy - known as a Dyson swarm. If such structures do exist, they would emit huge amounts of noticeable infrared radiation back on Earth. But as of yet, such a structure has not been detected. Source: All About Space magazine The Dyson Ring, left, is the simplest form of Dyson structure. Creating a Dyson bubble would be an incredible engineering challenge but it is considered to be far more feasible than surrounding a star in a rigid sphere Advertisement Sales of fake Apple chargers are soaring as consumers find cheaper alternatives to the firm's own products. Apple iPhone users looking for a branded charging cable will be set back $24 (19), while a MacBook power adaptor can cost almost $100 (80). Fake versions of these cables on Amazon cost only $7.50 (6)and $34 (27) respectively. Now, an independent safety specialist has found that 99 per cent of fake chargers fail a basic safety test, and the consequences for users could be fatal. Scroll down for video An independent safety specialist has found that 99 per cent of fake chargers fail a basic safety test, and the consequences could be fatal. Only 3 of the 400 counterfeit chargers tested had enough insulation to protect users against serious electric shocks (stock image) Only three of the 400 counterfeit chargers tested had enough insulation to protect users against serious electrical shocks. The chargers were bought from eight countries around the world, including the US, China and Australia. The tests were performed by safety specialists Underwriters Laboratories (UL). UL applied a high voltage to each of the 400 phony chargers to test for sufficient insulation. Trading Standards, who commissioned the checks, claim that fake chargers bought on the internet are an 'unknown entity' for users. Speaking to the BBC, chief executive of the Chartered Trading Standards Institute Leon Livermore said: 'It might cost a few pounds more, but counterfeit and second-hand goods are an unknown entity that could cost you your home or even your life, or the life of a loved-one.' SIGNS OF A FAKE CHARGER Trading Standards has provided a list of telltale signs for dangerous fake chargers. - Plug Pins Plug your charger into a socket without switching it on or connecting it to a device. If the charger doesn't fit well, the pins may be the wrong size. Look for a minimum of 9.5mm (0.3in) between the edge of the pins and the edge of the charger. Chargers outside of this are likely fake. - Markings Always check for the 'CE' safety marking, though be aware that this can easily be forged. Look for a trusted manufacturer's brand name or logo, model and batch number. - Warnings and instructions A legitimate charger's user instructions will include limitations of usage, details of safe disposal, basic electrical safety advice and a guide on how to operate the charger safely. Advertisement The finding comes after Apple complained of a 'flood' of fake chargers on Amazon last month. Apple said it had been buying Apple chargers and cables labelled as genuine on Amazon.com, and had found nearly 90 percent of them to be counterfeit. The revelation came in a federal lawsuit filed by Apple against a New Jersey company over what Apple said were counterfeit products that were sold on Amazon. In the lawsuit, Apple said Mobile Star imprinted Apple logos on cables and chargers that 'pose a significant risk of overheating, fire, and electrical shock.' It said the chargers and cables were being sold on Amazon as genuine Apple products. The finding comes after Apple complained of a 'flood' of fake chargers on Amazon last month. Apple said it had been buying Apple chargers and cables labeled as genuine on Amazon.com and had found nearly 90 percent of them to be counterfeit (stock image) Apple said it purchased the products on Amazon and later told the online retailer that they were fake. Amazon then identified Mobile Star as the source. 'Apple purchased the power products identified below (ASIN B012YEWP2K) from Amazon.com and determined that they were counterfeit,' it said in court documents. 'Apple was informed by Amazon.com, and upon that basis is informed and believes, that Mobile Star was the source of those particular counterfeit power products purchased by Apple.' Amazon isn't named in the suit. A pair of dismembered legs uncovered in an Egyptian tomb are finally giving up their secrets. First found during excavations in the Valley of Queens more than a century ago, the mummified limbs have lain in a museum in Turin ever since. Now, archaeologists analysing the 3,000-year-old remains believe they could belong to Queen Nefertari, a royal wife of Pharaoh Ramesses the Great. Archaeologists believe the 3,000-year-old mumified legs in an Italian museum (pictured) belong to Queen Nefertari, the favoured royal wife of powerful Pharaoh Ramesses the Great In 1904, Italian archaeologists excavated the tomb of Queen Nefertari thought to be the favourite wife of Ramesses II, the empires most powerful pharaoh finding only remains left by looters. Among the ruins of the plundered tomb, they recovered three sections of mummified legs which were thought to belong to Nerfertari. But new analysis carried out by an international team, including researchers from the University of York, has used modern scientific techniques to confirm the identity of the legs. The researchers found the legs belong to a middle-aged to older woman who was around 5 feet 5 inches (165cm) tall and may have had arthritis. They believe the person was between 40 and 60 when they died - the same age range as Nefertari. The height is also consistent the size of ancient sandals found in the tomb, thought to belong to Nefertari. Writing in a paper published this week in the online journal PLOS One, they say: the most likely scenario is that the mummified knees truly belong to Queen Nefertari. New analysis carried out on the remains by an international team, including researchers from the University of York, has used modern scientific techniques reveal the remains most likely belong to the beloved queen Using chemical analysis, radiocarbon dating and DNA analysis, they conclude that the legs most likely belong to a woman who died at 40 years of age Experts say that analysis of the ancient leg fragments reveals a woman above average height, most likely 165 cm (5 ft 5 in) tall, equal in height to most Egyptian and Greek men of the time HOW DID THEY ANALYSE THE REMAINS? In examining the mummified remains, the team carried out a number of tests. Firstly, they used X-rays to image the bones beneath the fragile wraps, confirming the samples as human knees. They then compared structures with knee samples from ancient Italy and of modern Cape Coloured females. Chemical analysis was used to look at the wraps and balm residues impregnating the cloth. They found that animal fat made up a significant part of the balm, but lacked other components, which would date it to the period of the 19th dynasty (the time of Ramesses II). DNA analysis was carried out on samples from the thigh bone. But the samples were too contaminated to offer any insight. Finally, the team carried out radiocarbon dating of the legs, measuring the isotopes of carbon in the sample. Advertisement Using chemical analysis, radiocarbon dating and DNA analysis, they conclude that the legs most likely belong to a woman who died at around 40 years of age. Whats more, they found that the balm used in the mummification process was consistent with that used during the reign of Ramesses. Taken together, the evidence suggests the legs belong to Nefertari herself, rather than her daughters, who were buried in the tomb. Historians hold Nefertari as the favourite wife of Ramses II, who lavished her with a beautifully ornate tomb in the Valley of Queens after her death. Archaeologists believe she played an important role in foreign affairs of Ramses the great who lived from 1303 to 1213 BC. While her ancestry is unknown, she is believed to have given birth to four sons and died some time after the age of 40. The analysis of the mummified legs reveals a woman above average height, most likely 165 cm (5 ft 5 in) tall, equal in height to most Egyptian and Greek men of the time. The researchers explain: The materials used for embalming are consistent with Ramesside mummification traditions and indeed all objects within the tomb robustly support the burial as of Queen Nefertari. In 1904, Italian archaeologists excavated Nefertari's tomb in the Valley of the Queens thought to be the favourite wife of Ramesses II, the empires most powerful pharaoh finding only remains left by looters WHO WAS QUEEN NEFERTARI? Egyptologists believe Nefertari was the favourite wife of Ramses II, who lavished her with a beautifully ornate tomb in the Valley of Queens after her death. Her ancestry is unknown, but historians believe she was not of royal descent. Evidence suggests that she would have been the around the same age as Ramses the great who lived from 1303 to 1213 BC. She is thought to have been a royal wife for at least 25 years, giving birth to four sons. During this time she played an important role in foreign affairs of the dynasty. It is unclear how she died, but records indicate her health may have failed over a period, before she died around age 40 in 1255 BC. Nefertari was the favourite wife of Ramesses II, who lavished her with a beautifully ornate tomb in the Valley of Queens after her death Advertisement Dr Stephen Buckley and Professor Joann Fletcher from the University of Yorks Department of Archaeology were instrumental in the chemical analysis of the remains. 'We are reasonably confident given all the evidence,' Dr Buckley told MailOnline. 'Although a later intrusive burial was a serious consideration before our study, the radiocarbon dating rules out this possibility. He added: 'It is also highly unlikely that that another earlier royal was at some point put in this later tomb, which was made specifically for Queen Nefertari. 'In addition, the location of her tomb makes the likelihood of another royal or elite mummy being 'accidentally washed into the tomb' from an ancient flash flood extremely remote, if not impossible.' Painted on the wall of Nefertari's tomb is a depiction of the board game 'senet', played by two players on a board of squares A rock temple dedicated to Nefertari shows her as the same size as Ramesses II in order to demonstrate her status and importance Sandals from tomb (pictured) are believed to be part of the original burial of Queen Nefetari Professor Fletcher said: This has been the most exciting project to be part of, and a great privilege to be working alongside with some of the worlds leading experts in this area. Both [Dr Buckley] and myself have a long history studying Egypts royal mummies, and the evidence weve been able to gather about Nefertaris remains not only complements the research weve been doing on the queen and her tomb but really does allow us to add another piece to the jigsaw of what is actually known about Egyptian mummification. Dr Buckley added: 'We can only assume that tomb robbers broke up her body as they looked for valuable gold and silver amulets within the wrappings of her mummified body. 'Why only the mummified knees survived and not the rest of her body remains a mystery.' An archaeological dig of Roman graves has turned up tantalising new evidence of Britain's long-standing multicultural heritage. The excavations turned up 'exciting new insights' including what are thought to be British-born people of African descent living - and dying - in Leicester as long ago as the 2nd century AD. Work on a part of a large Roman cemetery has uncovered the earliest evidence of the famously diverse city's migrant population, and has given fresh insight into life in the town at that time. An archaeological dig of Roman graves has turned up 'exciting new insights' including what are thought to be British-born people of African descent living - and dying - in Leicester as long ago as the 2nd century AD A RARE ROMAN BELT A highlight of the dig was the discovery of the grave of a middle-aged man wearing an elaborately-decorated belt, thought by archaeologists to be in the style of a late Roman soldier or civil servant living in the latter half of the fourth or early fifth century. The rare belt buckle was decorated with what appeared to be dolphin's heads and crouching dogs. Its owner is thought to have survived poor childhood health but had a well-healed parry fracture to left forearm, and muscle damage to his right arm, showing he may have once been soldier. Advertisement The dig team from the University of Leicester, which helped uncover the remains of Richard III, has been nominated for an archaeology award for its work. A total of 83 skeletons were discovered between 2010-2015, including five with African cranial features - two of which, including a child, appear to have been born in England. They may be related, but this has yet to be confirmed. Isotope analysis of their teeth allowed the experts to establish that one of the dead was probably born in the Pennines area, and the other in the city. Matthew Morris, of University of Leicester archaeological services, said: 'They must at least be of second generation (migrants). Another highlight was the discovery of the grave of a middle-aged man wearing an elaborately-decorated belt (pictured) thought by archaeologists to be in the style of a late Roman soldier or civil servant living in the latter half of the fourth or early fifth century DIVERSITY IN LEICESTER Leicester is one of the most diverse cities in the UK, according to the 2011 census. The survey showed that there are 329,000 people living in the city. Half of Leicester's population describe themselves as white British, compared to 80 per cent nationally and 63.9 per cent in 2001. Leicester was widely tipped to be the first city with a minority white population but just missed out on the landmark with 50.6 per cent describing themselves as white. But it does have one of the lowest rates of residents who identify themselves as white British, at 45 per cent, and the highest proportion of British Indians, at 28.3 per cent. Advertisement 'The research is on-going, but it's a fascinating little insight.' He added: 'Until recently, burial practices in Leicester's Roman cemeteries were poorly understood. 'Now, this excavation is providing a wealth of exciting new insights into the Roman town's diverse population.' Another highlight was the discovery of the grave of a middle-aged man wearing an elaborately-decorated belt, thought by archaeologists to be in the style of a late Roman soldier or civil servant living in the latter half of the fourth or early fifth century. The rare belt buckle was decorated with what appeared to be dolphin's heads and crouching dogs. Its owner is thought to have survived poor childhood health but had a well-healed parry fracture to left forearm, and muscle damage to his right arm, showing he may have once been soldier. Study of all the skeletons will continue, while the remains have been transferred to the city's museums services. The owner of the belt is thought to have survived poor childhood health but had a well-healed parry fracture to left forearm, and muscle damage to his right arm, showing he may have once been soldier The rare belt buckle was decorated with what appeared to be dolphin's heads and crouching dogs Mr Morris said the area was just part of a much larger cemetery which would have sat outside the walls of the Roman-era settlement. Previous Leicester digs have uncovered evidence of trade with the wider Roman empire, including a legion's seal from the Middle East and a carved ivory box from Egpyt. The research has been funded by builder Jamie Lewis Residential and is part of the site's redevelopment as student accommodation. Within the next ten years, the word 'honeymoon' might start to live up to its name. Newly-wed couples could celebrate their love with a trip to our satellite, according to the founder of a a space exploration company called Moon Express. The company wants to team up with Elon Musk's SpaceX to get humans there. The Florida-based company Moon Express, which is partnering with Nasa, wants to team up with Elon Musk's SpaceX to get humans to the lunar surface after sending its rover next year. Artist's impression of Moon Express lander on surface of the moon pictured WHAT IS MOON EXPRESS? Moon Express hopes to mine our satellite for materials like platinum-group metals, rare earth metals, helium-3 and moon rocks. 'Most of the elements that are rare on Earth are believed to have originated from space, and are largely on the surface of the Moon,' the company says. The company has contracted Rocket Lab, which was founded in New Zealand but is now headquartered in Los Angeles, to launch is robotic spacecraft. Rocket Lab will use its Electron rocket system to launch three missions ofMoon Express' MX-1 lunar lander spacecraft, starting in 2017. Advertisement Naveen Jain, the founder of Moon Express, has said his start-up is willing to work with Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, in a recent interview. 'It's very complimentary as a matter of factElon will build the rocket and we do the rover. 'Essentially, he lays the cables and we do the last mile,' Mr Jain told CNBC in an interview in Helsinki, Finland. Moon Express hopes to mine our satellite for materials like platinum-group metals, rare earth metals, helium-3 and moon rocks. But it now seems the company also wants to be a part of getting humans to the moon. Mr Jain said within the next ten years, the cost of going to the moon could become as cheap as $10,000 (7,921). Nasa's first mission to the moon cost $25 billion (19 billion), and if we were to go next year it would cost $7 million (5.55 million), he said. 'I believe in the next ten years, there is going to be a gentleman on their knees asking their sweetheart to say honey will you go to the moon with me for honeymoon,' Mr Jain said. In August, the Florida-based company won US government permission to send a robotic lander to the moon next year. The move is the first time the US has cleared a private space mission to fly beyond Earth's orbit. The Federal Aviation Administration's unprecedented go-ahead for the Moon Express mission also sets a legal and regulatory framework for a host of other commercial expeditions to the moon, asteroids and Mars. A private company is planning to launch a small satellite to the Moon next year, in what would be the first commercial space mission to go beyond Earth's orbit Naveen Jain, the founder of Moon Express, has said his start-up is willing to work with Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, in a recent interview. Mr Jain is pictured at a tech conference earlier this year During November and December 2014, Moon Express successfully conducted its lander test vehicle hot fires and initial flight tests. A thermal infrared image of Moon Express' MTV-1X test vehicle shown, undergoing a hotfire engine test at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida Elon Musk, founder and chief executive of SpaceX, plans to fly a spacecraft to Mars in 2018, a mission that raises a host of issues dealing with protecting potential indigenous life on the planet from contamination by Earth microbes. Among other private space ventures in the works are missions to mine asteroids, operate science labs and repair and service satellites. Planetary protection is less of a concern on the moon, but Moon Express did have to contend with concerns about disturbing Apollo and other historic lunar landing sites, among other issues. You might think sex robots are designed for the lonely and desperate. But they could bring the spark back into ordinary relationships, an 'sex expert' claims. Counsellor Ian Kerner thinks sex robots will allow couples to live out fantasises they might not be able to fulfil with other humans, because of feelings of awkwardness or jealousy. Sex counsellor Ian Kerner thinks sex robots, likeTrue Companion Roxxxy (pictured), will allow couples to live out fantasises they might not be able to fulfil with other humans, because of feelings of awkwardness or jealousy WILL SEXBOTS STOP CRIME? Many people can see a variety of benefits that sexbots have to offer. Behaviour therapist Nicolas Aujula sees them as a mechanism for helping fetishists explore extreme sexual fantasies, which could help fight sex crime. Mr Aujula said: 'Over the next few years, sex bots I believe could commonly provide a safe and discreet solution for exploring fantasies offering the possibilities of simply having more creative sex, through to satisfying extreme fetish behaviour. Advertisement Writing for CNN, New York-based author Ian Kerner, said many people could benefit from sex robots. 'The hypothetical applications of sex robots and related products, part of a field called technosexuality, seem endless,' he said. 'I could see couples using them to enact fantasies, such as a threesome, that they might not feel comfortable trying with real people. ' He also said it could allow couples to work through differences that might otherwise cause them to separate. 'If one partner has a higher libido, a robot could allow him or her to enjoy a fulfilling sex life without straying. 'And robots might help couples break out of sex ruts by adding spice to their relationship or maintaining long-distance romances.' In September a robotics expert warned robot sex could become addictive, and will someday even replace human-human sex entirely. Like many other technologies that have replaced humans, robots could even surpass human technique, to become better lovers, he claims. Speaking to the Daily Star, Joel Snell, a robotics expert from Kirkwood College in Iowa, said: 'Robotic sex may become addictive. 'Sexbots would always be available and could never say no, so addictions would be easy to feed. Like many other technologies that have replaced human endeavors, robots could surpass human technique. Because they would be programmable, sexbots would meet each individual user's needs WHO WOULD BENEFIT? 'The hypothetical applications of sex robots and related products, part of a field called technosexuality, seem endless,' Ian Kerner said. 'I could see couples using them to enact fantasies, such as a threesome, that they might not feel comfortable trying with real people. ' He also said it could allow couples to work through differences that might otherwise cause them to separate. 'If one partner has a higher libido, a robot could allow him or her to enjoy a fulfilling sex life without straying. 'And robots might help couples break out of sex ruts by adding spice to their relationship or maintaining long-distance romances.' Advertisement 'People will rearrange their lives to accommodate their addictions.' With a focus on 'teledildonics' and electronic hardware, the second annual 'International Congress on Love and Sex with Robots' will arrive in December. The international conference on sex with robots, was once banned by Malaysia because it was deemed too extreme, will be hosted by Goldsmiths University on the 19th and 20th of December. Sessions will focus on a variety of topics, from humanoid robots and teledildonics, which means cybersex toys, to intelligent electronic sex hardware. 'Within the fields of Human-Computer Interaction and Human-Robot Interaction, the past few years have witnessed a strong upsurge of interest in the more personal aspects of human relationships with these artificial partners,' a statement from Goldsmiths says. Registration is open for anyone wishing to attend, but it costs 200 ($244) for a full price registration, or 125 ($152) for a student. Europe will once again attempt to land a rover on Mars in 2021. European space agency (ESA) member states have today approved another 450 million euros (378 million/$479 million) in funding for the ExoMars mission. The mission aims to land on the red planet, even after a test lander that was part of the program crashed in October, ESA has said. Decades of failed attempts show how hard it is to land on Mars, now Andrew Coates, Professor of Physics at UCL, explains what ESA will have to do to succeed in this dangerous mission. European space agency (ESA) member states have today approved another 450 million euros (378 million/$479 million) in funding for the ExoMars mission to the Red Planet, even after a test lander that was part of the program crashed in October, ESA has said THE EXOMARS MISSION The main goal of ExoMars is to find out if life has ever existed on Mars. The spacecraft on which the Schiaparelli travelled to Mars, Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), carries an probe to study trace gases such as methane around the planet. Scientists believe methane, a chemical that on Earth is strongly tied to life. The second part of the ExoMars mission, delayed to 2020, will deliver a rover to Mars' surface. It will be the first with the ability to both move across the planet's surface and drill into the ground to collect and analyse samples. Schiaparelli was designed to test technologies for the rover's landing in four years. Advertisement Europe has been trying to land on Mars since 2003, but none of the attempts have gone exactly according to plan. A couple of months ago, the ExoMars Schiaparelli landing demonstrator crashed onto the planet's surface, losing contact with its mothership. However, the mission was partially successful, providing information that will enable Europe and Russia to land its ExoMars rover on the red planet in 2021. Now European research ministers have finally agreed to give the mission the outstanding 400 million (378 million/$479 million) it needs to go ahead. A lot is at stake as the rover is poised to uniquely drill under the harsh Martian surface to search for signs of past, or even present, life. With the best of human endeavour, we must learn, try again and not give up. As leader of the international Panoramic Camera team on the rover, which will among other things provide surface geological and atmospheric context for the mission, I am one of many scientists working very hard to make it work. The main goal of ExoMars is to find out if life has ever existed on Mars. The spacecraft on which the Schiaparelli travelled to Mars, Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), carries an probe to study trace gases such as methane around the planet METHANE ON MARS The Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) probe will tell scientists whether Martian methane is most likely to have a geological or biological origin. On Earth, the gas is chiefly generated by billions of bacteria, many of which live in the guts of animals such as cows. But it can also be released by the breakdown of organic molecules deep underground or volcanic activity. Advertisement PanCam is one of nine state-of-the-art instruments which will help us analyse sub-surface samples. The reason it is so hard to land on Mars is that the atmospheric pressure is low, less than one per cent of Earth's surface pressure. This means that any probe will descend very rapidly to the surface, and must be slowed. What's more, the landing has to be done autonomously as the light travel time from Earth is three to 22 minutes. This delay transmission means we can't steer the rapid process from Earth. Nasa and Russia have had their own problems with landings in the past, before the spectacular successes with the US missions Viking, Pathfinder, Spirit,Opportunity, Phoenix and Curiosity. ExoMars close-up of a large unnamed crater north near the Mars equator WHY IS IT HARD TO LAND ON MARS? The reason it is so hard to land on Mars is that the atmospheric pressure is low, less than 1 per cent of Earth's surface pressure. This means that any probe will descend very rapidly to the surface, and must be slowed. What's more, the landing has to be done autonomously as the light travel time from Earth is three to 22 minutes. This delay transmission means we can't steer the rapid process from Earth. Nasa and Russia have had their own problems with landings in the past, before the spectacular successes with the US missions Viking, Pathfinder, Spirit,Opportunity, Phoenix and Curiosity. Advertisement LESSONS LEARNED Europe's first attempt to land on Mars was with Beagle 2 on Christmas day 2003. Recently, the Beagle 2 lander was imaged by Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on the surface tantalisingly close to success, with only one of the four solar panels left undeployed. Unfortunately, the communications antenna was underneath that vital panel, preventing communications with Mars Express and Earth. Beagle 2 probably operated for a day or two at least, and may have taken its first panorama with our stereo camera system and its pop-up mirror. Then, on October 19 this year, Schiaparelli tried to land. Using lessons learned from Beagle, detailed data were transmitted during the descent, after separation from the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter mothership. The early parts were successful we know that the heat-protective tiles did their job during entry into the thin Mars atmosphere, and that the parachute deployed as planned. Speaking at a press conference in October, Andrea Accomazzo, head of Esa's planetary operations (second from right), said a point came during the six-minute descent when the spacecraft did not behave 'exactly as expected' Schiaparelli entered the Martian atmosphere at a speed of 13,000 mph (21,000 km/h). A minute later a heat shield protected the lander during its atmospheric deceleration But then, unexpected spinning motion was detected for unknown reasons, the parachute was ejected early and the retro rockets were fired briefly. Despite altimeter and speed measurements, the on-board control computer became confused (saturated) over a second-long period and thought Schiaparelli had reached the surface already. Unfortunately, the craft was still 3.7km high, the retro rockets shut off early and Schiaparelli fell to the surface impacting at over 300km/h. More lessons learned, the hard way. As the controllers now know exactly what went wrong, they are using the transmitted data to determine why and figure out how to avoid it happening again. EUROPEAN MARS MISSION APPROVED DESPITE CRASH Esa member states have approved another 450 million euros ($479 million) in funding for the ExoMars mission/ The European-Russian ExoMars program sent a gas-sniffing orbiter and the test lander to Mars this year to search for signs of past or present life on Mars and to lay the groundwork for a rover that is due to follow in 2020. ESA Director General Jan Woerner said ESA scientists needed to work hard now to meet the schedule for the Mars rover, especially as a delay to the mission beyond 2020 was not an option. 'It's not an easy thing, but we are confident we will succeed,' Woerner said. The money for ExoMars is part of an overall 10.3 billion euros - close to the 11 billion ESA has requested - for European space programs that the ESA's 22 member states approved at a two-day meeting in Lucerne which ended on Friday. That funding includes just over 800 million euros for Europe's role in the International Space Station (ISS), plus another 153 million for science projects that involve the ISS. The member states also approved a commitment to extend European participation in the space station to 2024, which will allow ESA to send further astronauts to the ISS. Among programs that were not fully backed by ESA members was the Asteroid Impact Mission, which was meant to be part of a mission to explore how to deflect an asteroid heading for Earth. 'The program AIM could not get the full subscription we needed to ensure this program runs smoothly,' Woerner said, adding that asteroid-defense study would continue in other venues within the agency. Advertisement Meanwhile, the Trace Gas Orbiter successfully entered Mars orbit. Last week it sent its first stunningly promising images and data from its first close Mars encounter. Its final orbit will be a 400km circular orbit to be achieved in March 2018. This will involve a tricky, fuel-free braking process called 'aerobraking' (which involves dragging the spacecraft through the top of the atmosphere in order to use the friction from the gas molecules to slow it down). The spacecraft's mission is to find out more about the surprising trace gases, including the methane. Methane should not be present in Mars' atmosphere, as it is broken up by sunlight in tens to hundreds of years, so there must be a source of it there now. The possible options are both exciting it could either be geothermal activity or microbial lifeforms. The ExoMars 2016 entry, descent, and landing demonstrator module, known as Schiaparelli, was expected to land on Mars in a region known as Meridiani Planum, pictured. The landing sites of the seven rovers and landers that have reached the surface of Mars and successfully operated there are indicated on this map SEARCHING FOR LIFE The rover itself is the jewel in the crown of the ExoMars programme, planned for launch in 2020 and arriving in 2021. There are similarities and differences with earlier landing systems, which will again use lessons learned from earlier missions. The rover has a unique drill which will collect samples from up to two metres underneath the harsh Martian surface. This is 40 times deeper than anything else planned the Curiosity rover can only drill five centimetres. This is below where ultraviolet light and other radiation from our sun and galaxy which is harmful to life can reach. It is the most likely of any planned mission to finally answer the question of whether there was, or even is, life on Mars. The possible landing sites have been narrowed down by engineering constraints but from a number of possibilities three now remain Oxia Planum, Mawrth Valles and Aram Dorsum. At the first two of these, data from orbit shows signs of water-rich clays (phyllosilicates), and the last one includes an ancient channel and sedimentary deposits signs of past water erosion. The options will be narrowed down further in the next few months. The mission is one of the most exciting in the search for life beyond Earth. Along with Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's satellite Enceladus, Mars is one of the top locations to look. Moreover, the hardware development progress is good, with industry and academia pushing the frontiers of technology, pursuing the international teamwork needed to build and operate the mission, and learning how to work in super-clean rooms to avoid contaminating Mars with terrestrial spores. We learn from the past and plan for the future. Space exploration is hard, particularly at Mars, and we must never give up. The ExoMars rover mission will play a key part internationally in Mars exploration, and using the lessons from the past we are poised to find the answer to one of mankind's most important questions are we alone in the universe? Our rover might just find the answer. In this time, the sun, Jupiter, the moon, and Saturn aligned in Aries But, new research suggests it was a rare planetary alignment, not a star Star of Bethlehem is said to have guided Three Wise Men to newborn Jesus For hundreds of years, scientists and theologians alike have been perplexed by the origins of the Star of Bethlehem the mysterious biblical symbol that guided the Magi to their newborn leader, Jesus. Its come to be known as the Christmas Star, but researchers now say it may not have been a star at all. A new study of historical, astronomical, and biblical records suggests the event in 6 BC was actually a rare planetary alignment, during which the sun, Jupiter, the moon, and Saturn all lay in the constellation Aries. For hundreds of years, scientists and theologians alike have been perplexed by the Star of Bethlehem the mysterious symbol that guided the Magi to their newborn leader. Its come to be known as the Christmas Star, but researchers now say it may not have been a star at all THE NEW THEORY New research suggests the event in 6 BC was actually a rare planetary alignment, during which the sun, Jupiter, the moon, and Saturn all lay in the constellation Aries. For the Magi, the Zoroastrian priests of ancient Babylon and Mesopotamia also known as the Three Wise Men or Three Kings this alignment in Aries would have symbolized the birth of a newborn ruler in Judea. Jupiter and the moon together represented the birth of a ruler with a special destiny, while Saturn was the symbol of giving life. And, so was the presence of Aries in the vernal equinox, which marks the start of spring. Advertisement Grant Mathews, professor of theoretical astrophysics and cosmology in the Department of Physics at the University of Notre Dame has studied the Star of Bethlehem for more than a decade. Astronomers, historians, and theologians have pondered the question of the Christmas Star for many years, said Mathews. Where and when did it appear? What did it look like? If the billions of stars out there, which among them shone bright on that day so long ago? 'Modern astrophysics is how we attempt to explain one of historys greatest astronomical events. According to the researcher, the sun, Jupiter, the moon, and Saturn were aligned in Aries, while Venus was in the constellation Pisces, and Mercury and Mars were on the other side, in Taurus. And, when this planetary alignment occurred in 6 BC, Aries was also the location of the vernal equinox. For the Magi, the Zoroastrian priests of ancient Babylon and Mesopotamia also known as the Three Wise Men or Three Kings this alignment in Aries would have symbolized the birth of a newborn ruler in Judea. Jupiter and the moon together represented the birth of a ruler with a special destiny, while Saturn was the symbol of giving life, according to Mathews. A new study of historical, astronomical, and biblical records suggests the event in 6 BC was actually a rare planetary alignment, during which the sun, Jupiter, the moon, and Saturn all lay in the constellation Aries And, so was the presence of Aries in the vernal equinox, which marks the start of spring. The Magi would have seen this in the east and recognized that it symbolized a regal birth in Judea, ultimately leading them in search of the newborn ruler, Mathews said. An event of this kind is extremely rare; a similar alignment wont be seen again for another 16,000 years. But even then, vernal equinox would not be in Aries. Even calculating 500,000 years into the future, the researcher says no alignment like the one now known as the Christmas Star could be found. The researcher could help to explain the true nature of the elusive star, and Mathews is working on a book about his findings. used to make their bread Ergot, which is found in LSD, grew on the crops A scientist claims tainted rye may have caused them to The Salem witch trials began when a group of young girls claimed they were attacked by 'supernatural beings' sent by villagers who practiced 'the Devil's magic'. However, scientists claims that that rye grown in Salem had been contaminated with a type of fungus found in LSD that causes people to experience seizures, pain and hallucinations. This, they claim, could be the real reason for the bizarre claims, and the death of the 20 executed between 1692 and 1693 in Salem, Massachusetts for being witches. Scroll down for video Twenty people were executed between 1692 and 1693 in Salem, Massachusetts under the suspicion of being witches. The Salem witch trials began when a group of young girls claimed they attacked by 'supernatural beings' sent by other villagers WAS IT HALLUCINOGENS? Linnda Caporael, a behavioral scientist, reopened the Salem witch trials and believes the entire fiasco could be a result of tainted rye. It's said that a fungus, called ergot, contaminated the rye. This crop was used in bread for the community and was found to have affect them during the summer prior to the trials. 'The psychedelic hallucinogen LSD was first made using an extract that was isolated from ergot,' Caporael explains. 'But when eaten, the cocktail of poisonous neurotoxins and hallucinogens found in ergot-infected grain can result in a 'bad trip' ergot poisoning leads to convulsive fits, vomiting, prickling sensations under the skin, and hallucinations.' The girls complained about grievous torment in the bowels, pain in the belly, pinching and pricking on the skin and unexplainable choking when they accused people of witchcraft. Advertisement The strange events began in February 1692, when Reverend Parris' daughter Elizabeth, who was 9 years old, and niece Abigail Williams, age 11, began having 'epileptic fits', reportsThe Smithsonian. And shortly after, more young girls in the town began experiencing the same symptoms. These girls would shake uncontrollably, scream in pain and unexpectedly faint. The behavior caused hysteria throughout the community and when confronted about their actions, the girls claimed they were being attacked by villagers using 'the Devil's magic'. Although many now believe the girls claims were nothing more than a hoax, one behavioural scientist believes otherwise. In 1976, Linnda Caporael, currently at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, discovered that during the summer of 1691, Salem experienced a rainy period that caused a type of fungus, called ergot, to grown on the rye a staple crop for the community. 'Since ergot prefers wet conditions, this weather pattern could have set the stage for a rye crop that was heavily infected with the fungus,' Caporael wrote in the study. There are different types of ergotism. One causes gangrene and a loss of limbs, while another causes convulsions and other symptoms exhibited by the girls. Caporael believes that the group of girls had consumed bread made of the contaminated rye, which ultimately caused them to think they were being attacked by evil spirits. THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS In 1692, mass hysteria swept through Salem, Massachusetts. Superstitious townspeople, fearful of the devil, began accusing men and women of witchcraft and hounded scores of 'witches' to put on trial. The hysteria began after a group of young girls in claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft. As a hysteria spread throughout Massachusetts, a court convened in Salem to hear the cases. The first convicted witch, Bridget Bishop, was hanged that June. Eighteen others followed and some 150 more men, women and children were accused over the next several months. Trials continued with until May 1693. But by that May, the governor of Massachusetts had pardoned and released all those in prison. These girls would shake uncontrollably, scream in pain and unexpectedly faint. But, in 1976, Linnda Caporael discovered the towns rye had been contaminated with a fungus that causes vomiting, prickling sensations under the skin and hallucinations Advertisement 'The psychedelic hallucinogen LSD was first made using an extract that was isolated from ergot,' she explains. 'But when eaten, the cocktail of poisonous neurotoxins and hallucinogens found in ergot-infected grain can result in a 'bad trip' ergot poisoning leads to convulsive fits, vomiting, prickling sensations under the skin, and hallucinations.' And the girls complained about grievous torment in the bowels, pain in the belly, pinching and pricking on the skin and unexplained choking. In the end 20 were executed - one was crushed under a rock and 19 were hanged at Gallows Hill or what is now called Proctor's Ledge (pictured). The map's inset shows the location of Salem, Massachusetts Salem experienced a rainy period that caused ergot (pictured) to grown on rye 'These symptoms sound suspiciously similar to the illness experienced by the Salem girls,' wrote Caporael. 'And in fact, other townspeople testified under oath that they had seen apparitions and lights that others who were present could not see.' 'Some also reported being pushed or feeling their skin being pricked when no one else was present. 'Assuming these experiences were real, ergot poisoning provides a plausible explanation.' Caporael explains that if ergot caused this mayhem, then most of the people infected would have lived in the western area of town. This was because records show the 'western section of Salem consisted primarily of swampy fields, so an ergot infection would have likely been concentrated in this area,' she explains. Out of the 32 accusers, 30 of them lived on the western side and 12 of the 14 accused resided on the eastern side. Twenty people were executed between 1692 and 1693 in Salem, Massachusetts under the suspicion of being witches. Pictured is a map of Salem Village from 1962 'Since stored grain is eaten throughout the winter, the effects of ergot poisoning on the population would have been cumulative, and in May 1693 the witchcraft trials ended abruptly,' states Caporael. Advertisement It could be the smallest, but deadliest new addition to the battlefield in decades. An Estonian firm has shown off the latest version of its shape shifting tiny remote control tank. Called THeMIS ADDER, the 3-foot tall mini tank has a heavy machine gun that can accurately hit targets 1.1 miles away, and can change its shape depending on the mission requirements. Scroll down for video THeMis ADDER is designed with a Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System (THeMIS) that is controlled remotely and in the future, could operate autonomously. This 3-foot tall mini tank is armed with a heavy machine gun that accurately hits targets 1.1 miles away and possess shape shifting capabilities to carry out complex missions MEET THeMIS ADDER THeMIS carries 1,653 to 2,205 pounds and hits speeds between 15 and 21.7 miles per hour. Its turret rotates a full 360 degrees in seconds and its CIS 50MG machine gun snags targets up to 1.1 miles away. Soldiers can change between different superstructures on platform and in the middle of the variant -allowing for different missions. It is remotely controlled, but will soon run autonomously. Advertisement This unmanned vehicle was conceived by Milrem, a defense and security provider based in Estonia, who says ADDER will soon work alongside soldiers in the field. 'Unmanned systems will play a significant role in the development of military capabilities in future,' said Kuldar Vaarsi, CEO of Milrem. 'Within the next 10 years, we will see smart ground systems complimenting the human troops during joint missions.' Milrem teamed up with Singapore Technologies Kinetics (ST Kinetics) to design this war machine, which is equipped with ST Kinetics' remote weapon station, the RWS ADDER. 'We are excited to be in cooperation with ST Kinetics for THeMIS ADDER, and we're sure that this universal UGV concept will effectively supplement defense capabilities on a battalion level,' Vaarsi said. Milrem first unveiled the tiny beast in February, but has since completed the first live fire tests that brings it one step closer to the battlefield,according to New Atlas. 'The tests were intended to test the stability of our platform and see how the remote weapon station and vehicle communicate and work with each other,' said Vaarsi. 'To our satisfaction everything worked perfectly, you can see as much from the video.' Compared to other unmanned vehicles, this modular hybrid gives soldiers the ability to change between different superstructures on platform and in the middle of the variant depending on the mission. This unmanned vehicle was conceived by Milrem a defense and security provider based in Estonia. Compared to other unmanned vehicles, this modular hybrid gives soldiers the ability to change between different superstructures on platform and in the middle of the variant The flexibility and versatility of the system not only increases efficiency, it also significantly reduces the life cycle costs of these complex unmanned systems with simplified maintenance and spare supplies, the firm says. THeMIS, which is 8 feet long, is strong enough to carry from 1,653 to 2,205 pounds and hits speeds between 15 and 21.7 miles per hour. In addition to being a machine gun on tracks, the vehicle can be used for a wide variety of applications, including remote reconnaissance platform, C-IED (Counter Improvised Explosive Device) platform, medevac vehicle and supply delivery device. In addition to being a machine gun on tracks, the vehicle can be used for a wide variety of applications, including remote reconnaissance platform, C-IED (Counter Improvised Explosive Device) platform, medevac vehicle and supply delivery device The top of the tank is fitted with a turret that can rotate a full 360 degrees in just seconds and its CIS 50MG machine gun can snag targets up to 1.1 miles away it is designed to be outfitted with smaller and larger caliber weapons as well The top of the tank is fitted with a turret that rotates a full 360 degrees in just seconds and its CIS 50MG machine gun snags targets up to 1.1 miles away it is designed to be outfitted with smaller and larger caliber weapons as well. 'Estonians have proved many times before that we can successfully be on the forefront of innovation and the Milrem unmanned ground vehicle is a great example of that innovation when it comes to new technologies in the military field,' said Lieutenant General Riho Terras, Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces. 'THeMIS ADDER has great potential to put Estonia on the map of countries that provide new technologies and solutions to the modern battlefield,' Terras added. Advertisement Afghanistan in 1969 was a very different place to the terrorist-infested war-torn country it is today. Fascinating images from Frenchman Francois Pommery, taken during visits there in 1969 and 1974, reveal a nation of mesmerising vistas and welcoming, friendly people, happy to talk to him and have their photographs taken. Mr Pommery hitchhiked all the way from France to Afghanistan in 1969 to the rarely visited region of Nuristan - using a travel bursary he was given while studying in Nevers. Scroll down for video Mr Pommery returned to Afghanistan in 1974 with his wife and friends. This fascinating image, taken outside the Spinzar Hotel in Kabul, shows a woman wearing western clothes as she walks along the street Kabul in 1974 was a friendly, bustling city. Mr Pommery said: 'We stayed one month. Nothing had changed [from our 1969 visit] apart from the fact that the king had been thrown out by the prime minister at that time, Maoud' Two women in veils approach a horse and cart in Herat - Afghanistan's third-largest city Passing knowledge from generation to generation: A man shows a young boy how to use his weaving loom A young boy pictured in Herat in 1974. The atmosphere on the sun-drenched street is relaxed and friendly A couple in the village of Waigal, in the Want District of Nuristan Province, in 1969 A man and a woman in Waigal in 1969. Pommery said that the people he met were happy to pose for photographs Mr Pommery hitchhiked all the way from France to Afghanistan in 1969, using a travel bursary given to him as a student The people of Nuristan (pictured) live at heights of up to 6,000 feet in wooden huts Those who live in Nuristan (pictured) are said to be descended from Alexander the Great and sometimes have blond hair and blue eyes He told MailOnline Travel: 'Friends had gone to Afghanistan in 1965 and mentioned a beautiful region, the Nuristan, where they had been bounced back as you need special permission to get there. 'In search of adventures, I decided to go there. I left France in July 1969 by hitch hiking. I had to walk for the last part of the trip as some valleys were only accessible by foot.' The people of Nuristan are said to be descended from Alexander the Great and sometimes have blond hair and blue eyes. They live at heights of up to 6,000 feet in wooden huts. A local in Nuristan rests in the sun. The inaccessibility of the region didn't put Mr Pommery off Mr Pommery said: 'Friends had gone to Afghanistan in 1965 and mentioned a beautiful region, the Nuristan (pictured is a local girl from the region), where they had been bounced back as you need special permission to get there. In search of adventures, I decided to go there' A glass-blower at work in the city of Herat. Mr Pommery said he was treated well where ever he went A repair workshop on a dusty road in Bamiyan. The scene is an idyllic one, with fresh fruit for sale and lush trees lining the route Houses in Kabul march up a dusty mountain. Mr Pommery revealed that he was welcomed on his first visit by a village chief in Nuristan who put him up in a house they reserved for travellers Meat hangs up in a butcher's shop in Herat, watched over by a man and a young boy But the inaccessibility of their homes didn't put Mr Pommery off. He said: 'Nuristan was described as an inhospitable mountainous region, a risky place to go, but I didnt find that at all. 'The people were very welcoming. After a three-day walk I arrived in the village of Waigal with another Frenchman I had met on my way. 'The village chief welcomed us and installed us in a place reserved for people travelling. We struggled to understand each other and had to draw what we wanted to say on our note books.' The contrast between old and new modes of transport was stark A street in Kabul that looks homely and quaint, with home wares being sold from the pavement and cyclists pootling along the road Mr Pommery discovered a land of dramatic desert mountains and tranquil lakes On his second visit Mr Pommery went to Bamiyan to admire the Buddhas sculpted in the cliffs The tallest Buddha in Bamiyan was 170 feet. The statues were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001 This fascinating picture was taken by Mr Pommery from the head of one of the now-destroyed Buddhas A horse, covered in red balls, delves into a nosebag by the side of a road for a feed The incredible Buddha statues in Bamiyan, viewed from a distance. The irrigated farmland contrasts hugely with the dusty rocks that surround it A lake in Band-e Amir National Park glistens in the evening sun The stunning Band-e Amir National Park - Afghanistan's first and a landscape that's home to six eye-catching lakes The turmoil of modern Afghanistan is far removed from the peaceful scenes that Mr Pommery encountered A woman in a burka walks pasty rickety buildings in Herat in 1974 Mr Pommery returned to the country in 1974 with his wife and friends, as tourists, but this time he upgraded his mode of transport from walking and hitch hiking to a Land Rover. He said: 'We stayed one month. Nothing had changed apart from the fact that the king had been thrown out by the prime minister at that time, Maoud. 'This time we went to Bamyan to admire the Buddhas sculpted in the cliffs. The tallest was 170 feet.' Mr Pommery stressed that he was always treated very well. He said: 'People called us the French doctors and asked us to treat injuries for which we could only apply ointments that we had in our bags. 'And they loved posing for photographs.' Mr Pommery said: 'People called us the French doctors and asked us to treat injuries for which we could only apply ointments that we had in our bags' The language barrier meant that Mr Pommery was forced to communicate by drawing in his notebook A striking image of a young boy wearing a cap and a man, relaxing by a stone wall on the route to Bamiyan A Kabul bus pulls over at a petrol station, along with a jumble of trucks and cars A brightly painted Afghan truck in 1974 with a jet plane motif A dried up riverbed snakes through Kabul, with locals using the bridge to hang rugs from Adventurer: Mr Pommery himself, exploring a village in Nuristan in 1969 Mr Pommery's mode of transport for his return trip to Afghanistan in 1974 But critics believe the pilot should be more focussed on flying the plane Dubai's beautiful skyline has been captured a night by a pilot coming in to land. Qatar Airways pilot Khalifa Al Thani filmed the illuminated Middle Eastern country at 35,000 feet above the ground. Captured in the pilot's cockpit, the video is set to atmospheric music and shows the bright lights of the tourist hotspot. Dubai's beautiful skyline has been captured at night by a pilot coming in to land. Qatar Airways pilot Khalifa Al Thani filmed the illuminated Middle Eastern country at 35,000 feet Captured in the pilot's cockpit, the video is set to atmospheric music and shows the bright lights of the tourist hotspot. Viewers are also given a glimpse into his every day office as the pilot shows the lit-up dashboard of the plane Al Thani photographed the stunning views of Palm Jumeirah during a routine flight over the UAE. Viewers are also given a glimpse into his every day office as the pilot shows the lit-up dashboard of the plane. However, this is not the first time Al Thani has shown off his skills from behind a camera lens. The pilot, who admits to taking photos as a hobby in his spare time, regularly shares stunning pictures of the places he visits on his social media account, much to the delight of his 51,000 followers. The pilot, who admits to taking photos as a hobby in his spare time, regularly shares stunning pictures of the places he visits on his social media account, much to the delight of his 51,000 followers. This image was captioned: 'A turn over a very busy and cloudy London' 'Turning over Gulf of Aqaba towards the Jordanian Airspace eastbound to Doha,' Al Thani wrote about this photo The pilot includes many shots of spectacular sunsets and cloud formations as he makes his journeys Many online commentators praised the pilot for his photographic skills, although some pointed out that they would be unsure about having him as a pilot if he was spending his time concentrating on taking pictures instead of flying the plane Al Thani used many hashtags to describe this snap of a runway: 'Cleared to land #34L #avgeek #megaplane #instagramaviation #airport #runway #nightphotography #approachlights #speedbird #britishairways #doha' The pilot photographs classic iconic landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament in London As well as pictures of airports and classic iconic landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament in London, he also includes many shots of spectacular sunsets and cloud formations as he makes his journeys. She's been part of the Strictly Come Dancing family for 12 years and during that time has taken on a host of other projects. But Claudia Winkleman has admitted that she had to hand over the reigns of BBC Ones Film 2016 after she spent her evenings crying down the phone to her husband because of her work schedule. The 44-year-old presenter made the confession to Red magazine, where she posed for a stunning shoot with co-host Tess Daly, 47. Scroll down for video Relieved: Claudia Winkleman has admitted to Red magazine that she had to cut down her work schedule after she spent her evenings crying down the phone to her husband She explained: 'Im incredibly sad about having to give up the film programme. Last year, and the year before, I was completely overwhelmed. 'Id call my husband on Christmas Eve from the floor of John Lewis crying my eyes out because I hadnt got anything for the kids and Id missed the nativity play. I need to be more present, because I dont want to miss the nativity again. 'But, look, I just read out loud for a living. Most of my friends are doctors or lawyers, people I went to university with, theyre on the train at 7am and dont get home until 7pm. They work bloody hard, and theyre allowed to be overwhelmed. I dont think Im allowed, really.' Simply the Tess! One project Claudia won't be giving up, however, is her work on Strictly Come Dancing where she hosts alongside the stunning Tess Daly, 47 One project she won't be giving up, however, is her work on Strictly Come Dancing, and after 13 seasons on the show she has seen several stars fall foul to the Strictly curse - which has seen many a celebrity split from their partners during or shortly after competing. Claudia explained just why so many stars find love on the show, reasoning: 'It is very intimate to dance!' She continued: 'The celebrity and pro develop a fascinating and incredibly close bond. But I never know anything [about whos sleeping with whom]. I find out four years later!' Discussing more behind-the-scenes gossip, Tess Daly added: 'There are no egos on Strictly. If you did have an ego, it would stand out like a sore thumb and you would not be asked back.' Two of a kind: The pair seen several stars fall foul to the Strictly curse - which has seen many a celebrity split from their partners - and claim it's the intimate nature of dancing Girl power! Whilst they may front one of the most popular shows on TV, the pair haven't been without criticism, but they insisted the negative comments don't affect them Whilst they may front one of the most popular shows on TV, the pair haven't been without criticism, but they insisted the negative comments don't affect them. 'Most women love and support other women. So three people on Twitter probably men saying "I bet they dont like each other" doesnt bother us,' Claudia explained. 'Claude and I put the world to rights!' Tess added. 'Despite our obvious differences, were similar in lots of ways. Our priority is our families. 'Of course, our work defines us, and we love other things but, ultimately, family is our world. All my relationships with women are empowering. That support is vital because you dont get it elsewhere.' Family comes first: The pair may love their jobs as the hosts of Strictly but have managed to find the right balance so they can spend time with their loved ones Red's January issue is on sale December 6 Claudia has three children with film-producer husband Kris Thykier: Jake, 13, Matilda, 10, and Arthur, five, whilst Tess has two daughters with presenter husband Vernon Kaye: Phoebe, 13, and Amber, seven. And the brunette beauty admitted that she doesn't quite have the full backing of her children, confessing: 'Jake is appalled that I do Strictly Come Dancing. Hes like, "I beg of you, please stop."' Meanwhile, Tess is planning on a big family affair over Christmas, revealing: 'Its time for the family to get together. My husband and I do the cooking. 'He sources the turkey from a local organic farm and, from then on, its his baby. Hes quite passionate about it!' He caused controversy after admitting that his two eldest daughters watched his wife Jools give birth to their baby boy River Rocket in August. And now TV chef Jamie Oliver has defended his decision to let Poppy Honey, 14, and Daisy Boo, 12, witness the birth of their second brother in a festive new shoot. 'Its only controversial to really strange people!' the father-of-five, 41, told Good Housekeeping, while also crediting the newfound respect the girls' have for their mum. Scroll down for video Defending himself: Jamie Oliver told Good Housekeeping It's no big deal that his daughters Poppy Honey, 14, and Daisy Boo, 12, watched his wife Jools giving birth to son River Rocket Big clan: Jamie and Jools are now proud parents to five children Poppy Honey, 14, Daisy Boo, 12, Petal Blossom, six,Buddy Bear, five and River Rocket, 4 months Clearly in his element with fairy lights and a chopping board full of food in front of him, Jamie looked snug in a cosy red jumper as he justified the decision let the two girls watch and cut the umbilical cord during the natural delivery earlier this year. He said: 'It was the right age for them, the right scenario for us, and I witnessed their initial raw emotion as the little one was handed to them. I know they respect their mum now even more than they already did.' The celebrity chef, who is also dad to Petal Blossom, six and Buddy Bear, five, also cited the varying attitudes of giving birth around the world and ensured 'we gave it (letting his two eldest watch the birth) lots of thought'. Their decision was backed by former nurse and midwife Clare Byam-Cook who though the decision to allow the two eldest daughters to cut the umbilical cord was very positive. 'I witnessed their raw emotion': The TV chef, 41, also credited the newfound respect the girls' have for their mum as he posed with a chopping board full of food in front of him She did however state: It can be distressing for some children, particularly if they are younger, to see their mother in pain. She may use language in labour that she normally wouldnt dream of using in front of her children, and the blood and faeces that are a perfectly normal part of birth can be shocking to a child. The couple - who met in 1993 and wed in 2000 - announced their baby news in March when Jools hit the red carpet at the London premiere of Eddie The Eagle to show off her baby bump. Speaking on the red carpet, the chef explained: 'I thought we'd have a couple of kids but that's about it. Basically I do what I'm told but she's an amazing family maker and I just go with it.' Jamie continued: 'I love kids. My family keep me honest, I have a weird job, a weird life, but my family keep me quite real.' Not a decision taken lightly: Jamie revealed him and Jools gave the idea of letting their eldest daughters witness the birth of River Rocket (pictured) ' a lot of thought' Growing family: Jamie and Jools - full name Juliette - seen here in March in London when she debuted her baby bump for the first time However, the TV favourite was adamant that number five would be the last one: This will be the last one. It is just getting ridiculous otherwise. This was not expected. I cant even believe Im saying it. My own family were shocked too. Meanwhile, Jamie, who first found fame through TV series The Naked Chef in 1999 at the age of 23, also confessed to the magazine that he doesn't feel the pressure of growing old. Despite admitting he treated himself to his first manicure this year, Jamie revealed he isn't a 'vain person' and is 'fitter that Ive been in recent years'. The full interview appears in the January issue of Good Housekeeping, on sale 8th December. Natalie Roser is on a mission to bring 1980s swimwear back to beaches across Australia. The Daily Telegraph reported on Thursday that the blonde model has been hired by Frankie Swimwear to model their range of retro thigh-high bikinis. The 25-year-old, who has previously appeared on the cover of Maxim Australia, told the publication her swimwear philosophy, saying: 'The higher, the better.' Scroll down for video Face of the brand: Natalie Roser has been enlisted by Frankie Swimwear to model their brand oh high-cut bikini sets The swimsuits, which evoke memories of Aussie modelling great Elle MacPherson, are being remodeled once again by Australian designers. Frankie founder Rebecca Klodinsky told The Daily Telegraph: 'The high-cut swimsuit encapsulates feminism in a sexy way. You get so much confidence when wearing it.' Natalie's portfolio of swimwear modelling makes the blonde a perfect candidate for her latest project - something her 683,000 Instagram followers can confirm. Beach babe: The 25-year-old told The Daily Telegraph her swimwear philosophy, saying: 'The higher, the better.' Throwback: The swimsuits, which evoke memories of Aussie modelling great Elle MacPherson, are being remodeled once again by Australian designers Frankie founder Rebecca Klodinsky told The Daily Telegraph: 'The high-cut swimsuit encapsulates feminism in a sexy way. You get so much confidence when wearing it.' Life's a beach: In a series of stunning shots for Frankie Swimwear, the model showed off her faultless figure Suited to the role: Natalie's portfolio of swimwear modelling makes the blonde a perfect candidate for her latest project The Sydney based stunner regularly posts scantily clad pics to social media, the most recent of which came on Thursday when she shared a very revealing photo to celebrate the beginning of summer. Natalie flaunted her ample assets as she posed out the top of a car sunroof. The leggy blonde wore a plunging red bikini top which showcased her model cleavage. 'Hello summer!': Model Natalie shared a busty photo to Instagram on Thursday to celebrate the beginning of summer Blonde beauty: The model frequently flaunts her enviable physique on Instagram, posting a number of scantily clad snaps Natalie's long golden locks were swept over one side of her face, cascading down past her right shoulder. She peered through the car's sunroof smiling from ear to ear, her taut tummy and ribs on display. She looked relaxed as she leaned forward on the car with her toned arms. Natalie captioned the photo: 'HELLO, SUMMER!!!' She's always been rather daring when it comes to fashion. And a braless Iggy Azalea did not disappoint on Thursday, as she made a bold arrival at a studio in Hollywood. The 26-year-old rapper appeared to channel her inner Cher Horowitz in a fur jacket and pink crop top and leggings. A tad Clueless? Iggy Azalea, 26, went braless and channeled her inner Cher Horowitz in a pink fur jacket and rose quartz ensemble, as she arrived at a studio in Hollywood on Thursday Iggy garnered attention in the bold ensemble. A skin-tight pale pink midriff-style top revealed her nipples and taut torso, while a pair of knee-length leggings in the same fabric showed off her toned legs. Covering her shoulders with a fur jacket in a deeper pink hue, the personality carried most of her belongings in a black quilted handbag. She's got some front: The skin-tight pale pink midriff-style top revealed the star's nipples and taut torso Coordinated: A pair of knee-length leggings in the same fabric highlighted Iggy's toned legs Shades of pink: A fur jacket in a deeper pink hue covered the personality's shoulders Elongating her frame with a pair of nude strappy heels, Iggy shielded her eyes behind a pair of round-rimmed sunglasses. With her semi-straight blonde tresses falling effortlessly around her face and shoulders, the Fancy hitmaker opted for a glamorous makeup palette. A flawless base, defined brows and coating of candy pink lipstick over her plump pout, finished off the look. Flair for fashion: Iggy shielded her eyes behind a pair of round-rimmed sunglasses, while carrying most of her belongings in a black quilted handbag Primped: The Fancy hitmaker's semi-straight blonde tresses fell effortlessly around her face and shoulders Acing the base: The blonde sported a flawless complexion and glamorous makeup palette Last weekend, Iggy came to headlines as she publicly thanked her plastic surgeon for her 'fabulous nose and breasts' on Instagram. The controversial star gushed about Doctor Ashkan Ghavami's prowess last Sunday, writing: 'Happy birthday @DrGhavami. It might seem obvious I'd hold the man I owe my fabulous nose and breasts to in high regard.' Iggy described the doctor as a 'progressive thinker.' Getting lippy: A coating of candy pink lipstick drew attention to Iggy's very plump pout And now the Beverly Hills physician is spilling the beans about exactly how he transformed the Australian rapper. He told People magazine that prior to the cosmetic procedures he performed, 'her breasts were super small and super wide apart' and her nose 'had a really weird shape to it.' Ashkan told People Tuesday: 'I wanted to bring (her breasts) towards the middle and give her a lot more cleavage, but not go too big where it looks obvious...... I wanted to create as natural shape as possible, but give her enough size to proportion her tall, big-hipped frame.' She's not shy: Last weekend, Iggy came to headlines as she publicly thanked her plastic surgeon for her 'fabulous nose and breasts' on Instagram. Pictured with Beverly Hills physician Ashkan Ghavami Up close: Ashkan revealed to People magazine just recently, that he performed what he called 'a flash-recovery breast augmentation' without bleeding or bruising He revealed he performed what he called 'a flash-recovery breast augmentation' without bleeding or bruising. 'Its a minimally invasive technique. Iggy had her arms up in the air, dancing four days later,' he explained to the magazine. As for her nose, Ashkan said he had to do 'a lot of tip shaping to narrow and refine her tip without it looking done.' 'She had a tiny hump that I reduced, and also she was very deviated and had blockage for breathing, so we really killed four birds with one stone.' She stepped out in style with her beau Hugo Taylor to witness the glamorous Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on Wednesday in Paris. And Millie Mackintosh brought home some of the sexiness as she arrived at the launch party of Folli Follie's Regent Street Concept store in London on Thursday. The former Made In Chelsea star, 27, clad her slim frame in a unique collared-dress and thigh-high boots which complemented her endless legs. Scroll down for video Racy style: Millie Mackintosh, 27, injected sex appeal to her ensemble as she arrived at the launch party of Folli Follie's Regent Street Concept store in London on Wednesday The blouse inspired mini-dress sported long over-sized sleeves and cinched in her tiny midriff further with a thick black belt. With the garment's hem raised to a daring level on one side, Millie opted to encase her toned legs in the sexy suede footwear. Boosting her already statuesque height, the reality star, who unsuccessfully auditioned for Britain's Next Top Model in 2011, worked her angles for the photographers as she arrived. The clothing designer scraped her centre-parted chestnut locks into a low ponytail, which showed off her natural, dewy make-up look. Eye for style: The former Made In Chelsea star clad her slim frame in a unique collared shirt dress Long and lean: She teamed the look with sexy thigh-high boots which complemented her endless legs Millie seemed in high spirits as she mingled with the other guests at the fashion brand's new store, including The Saturdays' Vanessa White, former MIC star Ashley James and model Amber Le Bon. Like the ultimate fashionista, she harboured all of her essentials in a chic handbag which was draped over her shoulder. Quite the busy night for the style favourite, Millie then headed to the YSL Beauty Club party hosted by YSL Beauty and Victor Demarchelier. The beauty also ensured she arrived in style to the fashionable events in a structured black jacket which sported statement gold buttons. The day before, Millie and her beau Hugo seemed over the moon as they enjoyed the glitzy VS Fashion Show in the French capital. Figure-hugging: The blouse inspired mini-dress sported long over-sized sleeves and cinched in her tiny midriff further with a thick black belt On to the next event! Quite the busy lady, Millie headed to the YSL Beauty Club party hosted by YSL Beauty and Victor Demarchelier Energised: She didn't sport a hint of fatigue as she made an appearance at her second event of the night The loved-up couple went public with their rekindled romance in May when they travelled to the Monaco Grand Prix for Hugo's 30th birthday celebrations - the same week that Millie's divorce from rapper husband Professor Green, 32, was finalised. They previously dated back in 2011 when they met on E4 reality show, Made In Chelsea. But the union was not to last and ended rather dramatically when Millie discovered Hugo had cheated on her with her friend, Rosie Fortescue. Pins on parade: With the garment's hem raised to a daring level on one side, Millie opted to encase her toned legs in the sexy suede footwear Wrapping up: The beauty also ensured she arrived in style to the fashionable events in a structured black jacket which sported statement gold buttons Enjoying the sexy show: The day before, Millie and her beau Hugo Taylor seemed over the moon as they enjoyed the glitzy VS Fashion Show in the French capital At the time, Millie claimed she would always love Hugo, saying in an interview: 'I loved him - those feelings dont disappear but I just always have to remind myself why were not together. 'I do think that, for the rest of my life, every time I see him, Ill get that feeling in my stomach. I dont think I could ever not get that butterfly feeling.' Millie was previously married to rapper Professor Green, but the duo announced their split in February after just over four years together. Their two-and-a-half-year marriage was dissolved in just 30 seconds in May. Stunner: The clothing designer scraped her centre-parted chestnut locks into a low ponytail, which showed off her natural, dewy make-up look Details: Like the ultimate fashionista, she harboured all of her essentials in a chic handbag which was draped over her shoulder Glam pals: Millie mingled with The Saturdays star Vanessa White who looked sexy in an all-black ensemble Stunners: Real Housewives of Cheshire star Misse Beqiri (L) donned skinny jeans and an unbuttoned top, while Mollie King (M) opted for a sexy red number and MIC's Stephanie Pratt (R) wore a patchwork black denim jacket Battle of the blondes: Battle of the blondes: Caprice Bourret (L) flashed her ample cleavage in a sexy LBD while MIC's Ashley James (R) covered her ample assets in a cool co-ord Strike a pose! Caprice worked her angles as she arrived at the bash in her racy satin dress In a statement at the time, they said: 'It is a mutual decision, we still care deeply about each other and would like it to be known that it is on amicable terms and we wish each other well.' They were granted a decree nisi at Central London Family Court with Millie citing 'unreasonable behaviour' as the reason for their split. The rapper has since moved on with model Fae Williams. Edgy: TOWIE's Lauren Pope slipped her slim pins into skinny PVC trousers and a cut-out top Reality show pal: Lauren and Stephanie posed for cosy snaps at the star-studded bash Party time! The girls looked gorgeous in their winter chic outfits Fashionistas: E! UK host Sabrina Chakici (L) opted for a cool monochrome jumpsuit, while celebrity dating coach Nadia Essex (R) wrapped up warm in a shaggy white coat Minus Suki: Immy Waterhouse stepped out without her sister Suki for once, showcasing her own stylish streak A real star: Made In Chelsea's resident fashionista Rosie Fortescue wore a slinky black. star-spangled mini with a tuxedo jacket Chic co-star: She was joined by her clothing designer co-star Oliver Proudlock Always chic: Amber Le Bon rocked a chic cream coat while her pink locks added a bold pop of colour Calling it a night: Vanessa showed off her statement striped jumpsuit as she headed out Good night out: Ashley looked super chic as she headed out of the fashion bash Winter wear: Lady Nadid Essex flashed her legs in her mini dress and studded ankle boots Who wore her better? Nick Cannon has posted a hilarious throwback pic of him and Mariah Carey following her recent PDA with new toyboy Brian Tanaka. On Wednesday DailyMail.com published exclusive photos of the 46-year-old diva and her 33-year-old back-up dancer frolicking in the waves. 'This is how you do it!' Nick Cannon posted a hilarious throwback pic in reaction to DailyMail.com's exclusive photos of Mariah and toyboy Brian Tanaka's beach PDA Just hours later her ex-husband Nick Cannon had a lighthearted stab by posting a pic of the former couple in almost the exact same pose. 'TBT This is how you do it! LOL #IkeTurnUp #WePetty,' he captioned the snap. The 36-year-old rapper quickly followed it up with a white flag insisting it was all in good fun. '#TBT It's all love! No hate! But damn we looked Amazing!!!' he wrote. Snap: On Wednesday DailyMail.com published exclusive photos of the 46-year-old diva and her 33-year-old back-up dancer frolicking in the waves 'Energy evolves and Frequencies change but love never dies... @MariahCarey will always be my family and the Queen so anyone looking to divide that or spew hate, check that sh*t at the door! Salute to the Queen!!!' Cannon and Mariah married in 2008, having met on the set for her music video Bye Bye. However they split in 2014, with the divorce finalizing earlier this year. No hate: The 36-year-old rapper quickly followed it up with a white flag insisting it was all in good fun The couple, who remain close friends, share five-year-old fraternal twins Moroccan and Monroe. Mariah's love live has had a tumultuous year, as she became engaged to Australian billionaire James Packer in January before splitting last month. Much of her year has been documented in her upcoming docu-series Mariah's World, which premieres in E! on December 4. They're set to add a second child to their growing brood in the coming months. 'Yet enjoying their time before three becomes four, Benedict Cumberbatch and wife Sophie Hunter enjoyed a festive date night on Thursday in London at The London Library + Harrods Christmas party. The 40-year-old Sherlock star cut a dashing figure as he wrapped up in a navy knee-length overcoat that highlighted his towering physique at the exclusive bash. Scroll down for video Festive fun! Benedict Cumberbatch and wife Sophie Hunter enjoyed a festive date night on Thursday in London at Tom Stoppard hosts The London Library Christmas Party Continuing his stylish turn, Benedict sported a pair of dark denims that rested on his chestnut coloured brogues. The Imitation Game actor completed his fashionable ensemble with a light grey knit sweater as he held his navy fedora in his hand. Benedict worked his signature brown locks into a relaxed quiff as he donned a pair of face-framing dark framed specs. Meanwhile, his stunning other half Sophie, wowed in a navy knee-length dress from Seraphine with a white ditzy print as she covered her slender pins in a pair of winter warming tights. In the navy: The 40-year-old Sherlock star cut a dashing figure as he wrapped up in a navy knee-length overcoat that highlighted his towering physique Specs appeal: Benedict worked his signature brown locks into a relaxed quiff as he donned a pair of face-framing dark framed specs Hugging her blossoming bump, the fashionista paired her chic number with a leather ankle boot, accessorising simply with statement drop earrings and a dusting of blusher across her cheeks. The happy couple, who wed on Valentine's Day 2015, let slip at the Doctor Strange premiere in LA this autumn that they were expecting, telling E! the good news. They welcomed their son Christopher in June 2015, just a few months after their wedding. Benedict has previously said he hoped to add to his brood, joking he might 'go for a (Cumber)batch of boys'. All smiles: Benedict shared a smiled at the exclusive event on Thursday night The Doctor Strange actor recently discussed his experience of fatherhood when interviewed on This Morning. 'Is being a dad your proudest achievement?', presenter Alison Hammond probed. He replied: 'It's probably Sophie's. I'm expecting a second child now... I'm still proving myself as a father.' The star may still be working on his parenting style, but he's relishing a new addition to his family. The 1970 film Love Story starred Ali MacGraw as Jenny Cavalleri and Ryan ONeal ad Oliver Barrett (pictured) Those of you who saw the 1970 hit movie Love Story, with Ali MacGraw and Ryan ONeal, will know all too well that a sequel was unlikely to happen. Back then, love meant never having to say youre sorry (the films famous advertising line). But 46 years later, love means never having to say never. Because MacGraw and ONeal, who played Jenny Cavalleri (the girl from the deli on Rhode Island) and Oliver Barrett IV (the blue blood from Boston) have reunited for another romantic tale: Love Letters, by A.R. Gurney, in which they play Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III. The characters are not dissimilar from Jenny and Oliver except this time they both have money. They meet as seven-year-olds in the classroom, where they exchange party thank-you notes; and continue writing for the next 50 years. The acting lovebirds have been travelling across the U.S. with the show, and now producer David Ian has contracted them to tour Love Letters for 11 weeks around the UK, starting on September 11, 2017 at the Theatre Royal, Bath. It then goes to the Theatre Royal, Newcastle; Bradford, Edinburgh, Norwich, Woking, Sheffield, Liverpool, Wolverhampton, Manchester, Nottingham, and ends up at the Bord Gais Theatre in Dublin. Tickets go on sale in the new year. The actors (pictured) have reunited 46-years after their famous film for another romantic tale: Love Letters, by A.R. Gurney These days ONeal, who spent 18 years with the late Farrah Fawcett, walks with a stick; while Ms MacGraw has cared little about the Hollywood practice of looking 21 for ever. Its good casting, Ian noted. He wasnt worried about ONeals stick. I think he had a knee operation but theyve done an extensive tour in the U.S. with no problems. Nobodys going to be doing a forward roll in this anyway, Ian quipped (although yoga devotee Ms MacGraw could probably oblige). In any event, the couple walk on stage and sit at tables to read their letters. Love Story was based on an unreadable Erich Segal novel; but MacGraw and ONeal had star chemistry on the big screen plus the director, Arthur Hiller, gave the movie class. It was massive at the time, Ian said. Anybody who saw that, whenever they saw it, is going to want to see them again, he added, hopefully. On the scent of a good night out Director Matthew Whites decision to ditch American accents in the musical She Loves Me was a stroke of genius. It has taken the show (by Joe Masteroff, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick) to a new level. Ive seen perfectly good productions before; but the actors in this version, at the Menier Chocolate Factory, can dig deeper into their characters. For instance Katherine Kingsley, as Ilona Ritter, the glamorous shop assistant taken for a ride by the men she falls for, has a sharper comic edge thanks to her London accent and it somehow emphasises the poignancy of her plight. Katherine Kingsley (right) plays Ilona Ritter, the glamorous shop assistant taken for a ride by the men she falls for in musical She Loves Me. Scarlett Strallen (left) is Miss Ritters colleague Amalia Balash Scarlett Strallen, who plays Miss Ritters colleague Amalia Balash, can hit the high notes in any accent. Amalia has been sending letters to a mystery man known simply as Dear Friend. Theres a moment, in the second act, where she sings the famous Vanilla Ice Cream song and it almost stopped the show at a preview I saw this week. Every pair of young lovers should go to see She Loves Me and learn that number! The director told me that during rehearsals, the cast learned how to wrap packages properly (all the major characters work at a Budapest parfumerie) and Im pleased to report that their time was well spent. Leading men Mark Umbers, Dominic Tighe and Les Dennis are splendid; as is the whole company (Olivia Fines needs a leading role!). But I want to single out 17-year-old Callum Howells, who makes an impressive major London debut as messenger lad Arpad Lazslo. The show is wonderfully cheering: the perfect antidote if youre feeling down. They are the radio pranksters turned serious rockers touring country Australia - or so they would like the world to think. In an interview with Today Extra on Friday, Hamish Blake and Andy Lee threatened to end the segment after Sonia Kruger questioned whether their musical antics were genuine. The mock outrage comes as the band prepares to go to their final performance in Byron Bay. Scroll down for video The boys: On Friday Hamish Blake and Andy Lee threatened to end an interview with Today Extra when Sonia Kruger questioned if their band was 'legit' The rock star meltdown happened when Sonia raised the pair's history in comedy. 'I am surprised to hear about the band- is it legit?,' She asked Hamish and Andy. Both boys reacted immediately, making cutting motions with their hands in a humourous jab about ending the interview. 'Oh- this interview is over-good bye!' Hamish said. Hang on: Sonia was visibly shocked by their response but quickly realised it was a joke and laughed 'Do your research!' A visibly shocked Sonia soon dissolved into laughter as it became clear the pair were only joking. Hamish and Andy went on to list evidence of their legitimacy. All of their concerts have sold out and supporting acts have included Shannon Noll. 'Of course it is legit,' Andy said. We are leaving: The pair made cutting motions with their hands and pretended to walk off camera 'Three sold out gigs - one of them one a year 10 formal- but it was sold out.' 'The Veronicas were our front people there,' Hamish added. Hamish and Andy have been touring as part of their newly formed band The Cool Boys and The Frontman. On Thursday night, the comedic pair played for an audience of nurses in Newcastle, two hours north of Sydney. The next AC/DC? Hamish and Andy have been performing alongside The Veronicas and Shannon Noll While its just the latest humourous skit for the funny men, both have shown an extreme level of commitment to their roles. Andy has grown a handlebar moustache which he bleached blonde, while Andy made a more permanent alteration. Last week a photo was to Instagram of the 34-year-old getting a tattoo of two drum sticks on his forearm. Maz Compton is gearing up for her second wedding and wants it to be a more low-key affair than her first. So this time around she's made the 'controversial' decision to impose a children ban on her big day. 'I dont want everyones kids there,' Maz, 37, wrote in her Mamamia blog. Scroll down for video Banned! Maz Compton says she won't be letting friends bring their children to her wedding 'I know this is controversial but seriously, if there are a hundred kids running around a low key all day event, which is the next point, Im not going to get to hang with my friends and I just mentioned that quality time is essential,' she wrote. She explained that the parents among her friends could spend more time chasing after their offspring than enjoying the wedding. 'Kids means that I am going to see my friend who is super mum [for] two seconds and counting before she dashes off to rescue her Brax who just jumped into the pool fully clothed. (Yes there will be a pool),' Maz added. Loved up: Maz is getting married to Glen Naveau Engaged: Glen proposed earlier this year on the beach Maz was previously married to Benjamin Facey but they divorced in 2011. She met her fiance Glen Naveau years later and he proposed after 18 months of dating. 'He's great,' Compton said of her new man. 'I think we're well suited'. Divorcee: Maz was previously married to Benjamin Facey but they divorced in 2011 The couple are business partners having opened up their own gym together that focuses on F45 training. 'I love working out there with our cool community of like-minded people seeking a life of empowerment and wellness,' Maz said of the Avalon gym. 'I also do a lot of hiking and bushwalking on weekends and spend my time at the beach reading too.' Jourdan Dunn showed why she's the queen of the catwalk as she enjoyed a trip to the beach in Miami on Thursday. The 26-year-old model looked incredible as she showed off her endlessly long legs in a bikini which had high-waisted briefs with embroidery detailing. The skimpy bra top showed off her impressive abs as she enjoyed the warm weather with a friend. Scroll down for video She's Dunn this before! Jourdan showed off her model figure in an embroidered bikini as she headed to the beach in Miami with a pal Her long locks cascaded down past her shoulders and she shielded her eyes from the sun with a pair of designer shades. She also wore a pair of Puma trainers to protect her feet from the sand, swapping traditional laces for pieces of ribbon. After chilling out on a lounger with her pal, the model seemed rather engrossed on her phone. Wow thing: The 26-year-old model looked incredible as she showed off her endlessly long legs in a bikini which had high-waisted briefs with embroidery detailing She's got the look: The skimpy bra top showed off her impressive abs as she enjoyed the warm weather Who is it? She also wore a pair of Puma trainers to protect her feet from the sand, swapping traditional laces for pieces of ribbon as she was glued to her phone Perhaps she was checking out pictures of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show which took place at the Grand Palais in Paris the night before. Jourdan famously pulled out of the show in 2015, launching a bizarre attack on the brand, just hours after Rihanna canceled her performance at the event. The British supermodel tweeted at the time: Life's a beach: Strolling along the sands she let the wind tousles and tease her poker-straight hair Happy: Jourdan seemed in high spirits as she danced along the beach with her friend Maybe: Perhaps she was checking out pictures of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show which took place at the Grand Palais in Paris the night before Not good: Jourdan famously pulled out of the show in 2015, launching a bizarre attack on the brand, just hours after Rihanna canceled her performance at the event 'Feeling so much better about not doing BS... sorry I mean VS now that Rihanna isn't doing it also,' along with a laughing emoji. Jourdan, who walked the runway in the Victoria's Secret fashion shows from 2012 - 2014, later deleted the post. However, it had already been circulated and retweeted by a number of her fans. 'Feeling so much better about not doing BS... sorry I mean VS now that Rihanna isn't doing it also,' along with a laughing emoji at the time Regrets? Jourdan, who walked the runway in the Victoria's Secret fashion shows from 2012 - 2014, later deleted the post Hanging out: Whatever her thoughts Jourdan didn't seem to have a care in the world as she hit the beach in Miami All black: Jourdan oozed understated glam as she attended the American Express Platinum Collective after party later in the day Toned: She showed off her minuscule waist as she posed up a storm The 24-year-old described her first runway walk for Victoria's Secret as 'living a dream'. And Georgia Fowler appeared to still be pinching herself days later as she took to social media to express her gratitude. The brunette beauty shared an image of herself in her costume for the night with her extensive social media following, and attached a lengthy emotional caption. Thankful: Georgia Fowler shared her gratitude with her social media followers after her first year in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on Wednesday She acknowledged her agency and the production crew behind the extravagant fashion show before going on to discuss how humbled she was by the models who walked alongside her. 'So blessed and grateful to be given the chance to walk the #VSFashionShow among the most beautiful and hard working women in the industry,' Georgia wrote. 'I'm so appreciative for all the people that have backed me since day one. Beauty: She wore her dark brunette locks out with a loose curl, while styling her fringe to the front to cover her forehead 'Five years of sweat and tears was all worth it to have this moment. Wish we could do it all over again!' Georgia trained hard in anticipation of the big day, and eagerly shared pictures of herself working out as she went through the audition process. During the highly-anticipated event, the kiwi-born model sizzled as she showed off her long legs in a green diamante ensemble, which hugged tightly around her frame. Work it! Georgia shared pictures of her grueling exercise regime with her social media followers as she worked through the audition process up to the big night For the walk, she wore a deep green lace bra, which was covered with a gold sheer material that had endless gold, silver and green diamonds sown down the side and front. Georgia also rocked matching lace panties that were covered with the glamorous jewels. To add to her head-turning look, the brunette stunner was decked out with oversized black drop earrings and bracelets, as well as multiple rings. Living a dream: Georgia thanked people who had stood by her for the last five years as she worked to achieve her goal When Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer was asked to be in a film about black women who worked as colored computers (back in the days when that was a job title and not a machine), on the early NASA space flights, she thought it was a work of fiction. Id never heard that African American women were involved, Spencer told me when we met to talk about Hidden Figures, in which she portrays computer pioneer Dorothy Vaughan. She was a mathematician who supervised the women in the computer pool at an early forerunner of the national space agency. Spencer co-stars in the film opposite Taraji P. Henson, who plays Katherine Johnson a numbers genius who helped chart the trajectory of John Glenns early missions into space and Janelle Monae, who plays aerospace engineer Mary Jackson. Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer (centre) portrays computer pioneer Dorothy Vaughan in Hidden Figures We knew history was being made when John Glenn completed his first revolution in space. Everybody was happy to cover that, so I understand how history overlooked the women they werent really focusing on the how, Spencer said, adding that the fact women of any race were there has rarely been acknowledged. You used to see white men, in white shirts; and that was it. She laughed when I questioned the expression colored computers (its emblazoned on a sign above the office Vaughan runs). Computers today are little machines that are portable. We ask a question and immediately, we have the answer, said Spencer. Back in the Fifties and early Sixties, you asked a question and Dorothy, or Katherine figured out the equation, or whatever it was, and gave the answer to the scientists. What gives the film emotional depth is that Vaughan and her colleagues did their work against the backdrop of segregation. Theres a powerful moment when Katherine Johnson is moved to an all white department where she is not allowed to use the coffee machine or the white toilet facilities. Instead she has to run half a mile to use colored facilities. Younger people with little or no comprehension of segregation wont understand why women couldnt use the same bathrooms, or coffee machines as their white counterparts, Spencer said. These women were pioneers despite what was going on in society. They were barely seen as U.S. citizens, she told me as we sat in a suite at the Soho Hotel in London. In spite of segregation, and misogyny, these women rolled up their sleeves and brought our men to and from space. Vaughan was a mathematician who supervised the women in the computer pool at an early forerunner of the national space agency When we first see Spencer in Hidden Figures to be released on February 24 shes on the ground, fixing a car. I was terrified because Im claustrophobic, she admitted. I kept thinking it was going to fall on me, and she hadnt a clue what she was doing. So is she any good at maths? Spencer roared with laughter. I was proficient, she said. Though tests picked her up as a gifted child, she is dyslexic. Im a problem solver, if its visual, she said. I loved trigonometry. I did not understand geometry. The numbers meant very different things to me. Luckily, you dont need to understand logarithms to enjoy Hidden Figures. It all adds up to something sublime. Watch out for... Jeremy Irvine and Charlotte Hope, Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, Barnaby Kay, Gary Shelford and Jack Fortune, who are excellent in director Scott Elliotts production of Sam Shepards prize-winning play Buried Child, on now at the Trafalgar Studios. Jeremy Irvine and Charlotte Hope (both pictured), Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, Barnaby Kay, Gary Shelford and Jack Fortune, are excellent in director Scott Elliotts production of Sam Shepards prize-winning play Buried Child Irvine plays a young man who returns to what he believes to be the family home: run by his grandfather, played by Harris. But in the six years that he has been away, Irvines character discovers that there are good and bad ways of proving that youre family. The play, from the New York based New Group, brilliantly locates the disconnect that divides America. Their show has found fans across America but a new article has questioned whether the Texan renovating power couple are as accepting of all their fans as viewers have been of them. Chip and Joanna Gaines from HGTV's hit Fixer Upper have come under fire after it is revealed that their church believes homosexuality is a sin. BuzzFeed revealed the couple's friend and pastor Jimmy Seibert has preached about the dangers of same-sex marriage and claimed members of LGBTQ community could change if they wanted to. Beliefs questioned: Chip and Joanna Gaines from HGTV's hit Fixer Upper have come under fire after it is revealed that their church believes homosexuality is a sin While neither Chip, 42, or Joanna, 38, have spoken out about their personal beliefs on same-sex marriage or whether they believe homosexuality is a sin, their network has moved to distance itself from any homophobic beliefs held by its stars' church. HGTV told Huffington Post: 'We don't discriminate against members of the LGBT community in any of our shows. HGTV is proud to have a crystal clear, consistent record of including people from all walks of life in its series.' Both Chip and Joanna have posted on their social media since the BuzzFeed's story was published but their posts focused on farm life and also their extensive retail offerings as well as Joanna's new apparel collection with Matilda Jane, launched Wednesday. Their publicist has not responded to requests for comment by Buzzfeed or Huffington Post. Dedicated Christians: The family of six attend Antioch Community Church, an evangelical Christian church located in Waco, Texas. They are close friends of founder Jimmy Seibert has preached about the dangers of same-sex marriage. They are seen here in a video released by the church in September Both Chip and Joanna have been very open about being devout Christians, with the family of six attending Antioch Community Church, an evangelical Christian church located in Waco, Texas - the same area their Magnolia businesses are located and the show is set. The church's website - which BuzzFeed was directed to when asking for conformation of the church's stance on same-sex marriage - declares that a marriage is between a man and woman. 'Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God's image. Staying quiet: Neither Chip, 42, or Joanna, 38, (pictured last year) have spoken out about their personal beliefs since the story broke 'A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, protect and lead his family. 'A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ.' The passage, under the heading 'family', also states the pro-life stance that children are a 'blessing' from the moment of conception. The couple's friend and founder of the church, Seibert, has spelt out the church's position further during his sermons and in particular in a special sermon last year following the Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage in all 50 states. In the almost hour long sermon, he said: 'This is a clear biblical admonition. So if someone were to say, ''Marriage is defined in a different way,'' let me just say - they are wrong. God defined marriage, not you and I. God defined masculine and feminine, male and female, not you and I.' Making his position crystal clear, Seibert continues: 'Truth No. 1 - Homosexuality is a sin. The lie - Homosexuality is not a sin.' Defined position: The church's website declares that a marriage is between a man and woman 'This is a clear biblical admonition': The couple's friend and founder of the church, Seibert, spelt out the church's position during a special sermon last year following the Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage in all 50 states He does, however, ask his congregation to show gay people compassion as 'the statistics say that 90 percent of people who are in a full-blown homosexual lifestyle were abused in some way. Physically, sexually, mentally.' Others have become 'addicted' to being gay after sing it in pornography, he said. Despite conversion therapy being declared harmful, he continued: 'Truth No. 2 - God is able to give us power over every sin, including homosexuality. Lie No. 2 - I am a homosexual in thought and action, and I cannot change.' No question: The pastor said, 'Truth No. 1 - Homosexuality is a sin. The lie - Homosexuality is not a sin' Since Buzz Feed's story was released, Seibert has spoken out against the story, saying he is not 'anti-gay'. He told conservative columnist Todd Starnes: 'We are not only not anti-gay, but we are pro-helping people in their journey to find out who God is and who He has made them to be.' He stood firm on same-sex marriage: 'Our definition is not the definition we made up. It's straight from the Scripture. One man, one woman for life. That's how God created us. That's what he has for us. 'The main reason for the sermon is for the confused middle the majority of America. People don't know what the Bible says anymore on issues of sexuality. 'People don't know what God says on homosexuality or any other issue. I felt the need to say we are all a mess but the fixed points were set by God not us.' The pastor said he has spoken to his famous friends, who have been members of his church for 15 years, he refused to say what they had discussed, however. Huge success: The couple's show is one of HGTV's most popular shows with many fans being from the LGBTQ community Not backing down: Since Buzz Feed's story was released, Seibert has spoken out against the story, saying he is not 'anti-gay' but the Bible makes it clear that marriage is between a man and a woman 'This is who they have always been. They are tremendous people with tremendous values and I've known them for many, many years.' While he would not speak for the Gaineses directly, he told all Christians to stay true and not be afraid to let their beliefs guide their lives and businesses. 'Do we believe that God and his word is right and enough? As a believer, I need to do what's right and trust God with what's wrong. So when I have a biblical conviction about my lifestyle choices or how I should run my business or how I should run my home, we should be free to do that to lovingly express our views to the world around us.' Popular pair: The renovators recently released book The Magnolia Story which is currently a New York Times Best Seller Chip and Joanna's show is now in its fourth season and is one of HGTV's most popular offerings. It has, however, yet to feature a same-sex couple despite other shows on the network including the Property Brothers and House Hunters International - its other top ranking shows - often helping find the perfect home for couples of the same sex. Aside from their reality show, Chip and Joanna are the founders of Magnolia Homes, Magnolia Market, and Magnolia Realty in Waco, they have their own home collections as well as collaborations with bigger retailers. The renovators recently released book The Magnolia Story which is currently a New York Times Best Seller. Hannibal Buress ripped into Sydney's lockout laws at a gig on Thursday night - questioning why he 'can't hang out late because somebody died'. The controversial comedian had earlier asked the crowd at Enmore Theatre in Sydney if the laws were introduced because 'some people got punched too hard'. In footage published by Pedestrian, the 33-year-old recounted how he was 'aggravated' while trying to gain entry to a bar on Wednesday night before going on to say the laws 'suck'. Scroll down for video Not impressed: Hannibal Buress ripped into Sydney's lockout laws at a gig on Thursday night - questioning why he 'can't hang out late because somebody died' Questioning the laws, he said: 'Why? Because some people got punched too hard and they died? 'People die. That's the cost of doing business, baby. Sometimes people die. Why can't I hang out late because somebody died?' The city's lockout laws, which mean revellers can't get into pubs or clubs past 1.30am, were passed in 2014 after a series of 'coward punch' killings. Two Sydney teenagers were killed - in 2012 and 2013 - after being punched in the head during alcohol-fuelled altercations. On stage: The American comedian made his comments while performing the Sydney date of his Hannibal Montanbal tour at Enmore Theatre Questioning the lockout laws, he said: 'Why? Because some people got punched too hard and they died?' Hannibal showed his disdain for the laws earlier in the show, telling the audience how he'd experienced something he hadn't previously encountered during '14 years' of nightlife. The comedian said a bouncer's 'vibe' changed as he walked up before he was 'aggravated' by the security guard's questions. Hannibal revealed: 'He said "Where were you guys before this?" I'm like "What? Dad? What?" What the f***, who's this guy?' In the early hours of Thursday morning, the American, who is currently touring Australia, broadcast his thoughts on the lockout laws on Twitter. Not holding back: Hannibal showed his disdain for the laws earlier in the show, telling the audience how he'd experienced something he hadn't previously encountered during '14 years' of nightlife Keyboard warrior: In the early hours of Thursday morning, the American, who is currently touring Australia, broadcast his thoughts on the lockout laws on Twitter 'This s*** sucks': The 33-year-old, who is currently touring Australia, used his social media account at 1.06 am Tweeting at 1.06 am, he wrote: 'Hey Sydney, who did this? This s*** sucks.' Hannibal is in Melbourne on Friday night before heading to Perth and Brisbane before jetting back to the States. Judging by his previous posts on social media, the Chicago native is keen to enjoy himself in Australia, asking his Twitter followers to suggest 'after-party' venues earlier this week. She's the transgender model often seen in a number of figure-hugging ensembles. And Andreja Pejic opted to flaunt her enviably taut torso on Thursday, while out with friend and fellow model Alina Baikova in Miami. The 25-year-old sported a red crop top, teamed with a pair of checkered trousers that also drew attention to her trim pins. Scroll down for video Top of the crops! Transgender model Andreja Pejic, 25, flaunted her taut torso in a red midriff, while out with friend and fellow model Alina Baikova in Miami on Thursday Andreja cut a chic figure in a red zip-up crop top that exposed her delicate decolletage and flat stomach. Teamed with a pair of red and white checkered trousers, the light fabric skimmed over her lean legs. Keeping accessories to a minimum, Andreja sported simple white sneakers, a black shoulder bag and a pair of stylish dark sunglasses. Putting in the leg work: A pair of red and white checkered trousers in a light fabric skimmed over the star's trim pins Effortless: Andreja kept accessories to a minimum, sporting a pair of simple white sneakers, a black shoulder bag and stylish dark sunglasses Allowing her fair tresses to fall effortlessly around her face and shoulders, the slender personality appeared to go makeup-free. Andreja's friend and fellow model Alina Baikova showed off a more edgy ensemble. A white round-neck T-shirt with a bold print emblazoned on the front, was paired with distressed denim shorts that accentuated her trim pins. Showing off her fashion flare, the brunette beauty sported embellished grey and white sneakers, a small two-toned handbag and round-rimmed sunglasses. With her tresses falling behind her shoulders, Alina opted for a glamorous makeup palette of a flawless complexion and a bold red lip. Low-key: The Bosnian-born beauty allowed her blonde tresses to fall in relaxed waves, while appearing to go makeup-free Just a day prior, Andreja opted to cover her up her torso and instead flaunt her trim pins. While at the L'Eden cocktail party by Perrier-Jouet in Miami, the blonde beauty donned a latex mini skirt teamed with a zip-up denim bustier. Parting her hair in the centre, Andreja styled her tresses in tousled waves, while drawing attention to her striking facial features with a flawless complexion, defined brows, lashings of mascara and a bold lip. Svelte: Just a day prior, Andreja opted to place the focus on her lean legs, donning a black latex mini skirt at the L'Eden cocktail party by Perrier-Jouet in Miami Switching things up: A zip-up denim bustier offered just a glimpse of her enviably taut torso Born in Bosnia, Andreja moved to Melbourne when she was eight years old after her family was granted political asylum. She was then discovered while working at McDonald's aged 16. Her androgynous look quickly won over the fashion world and she modelled for a string of big names such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Marc Jacobs and Vogue. But Andreja faced discrimination in 2011 when FHM magazine referred to her as a 'thing' and 'professional cross-dresser' in an online profile. The magazine apologised after an outcry of disgust over the article. She was ranked number 98 in the magazine's 100 Sexiest Women in the World the same year, three years before she underwent sex reassignment surgery. In an interview with ES Magazine, the blonde beauty spoke candidly about her transition and why she will never be ashamed of her past again. 'When I was little, the idea of waking up as a girl was like a fairytale,' she said. 'I had this idea that I'd meet a witch who would transform me. From the moment I found out that it was actually possible, I went to bed each night feeling that when it happens, it will be the best day of my life. And it was!' He left Poldark fans wanting more following season two's finale earlier this month. Now Aidan Turner is answering their pleas as he was spotted on set in Cirencester Gloucester filming the highly-anticipated third season of the famed BBC drama on Wednesday. The Irish heartthrob - who plays leading man Ross Poldark in the series - appeared to cut the winter chill amongst the rolling hills as he clutched onto a hot water bottle for warmth. Scroll down for video Back to it! Aidan Turner was spotted on set in Cirencester Gloucester filming the highly-anticipated third season of the famed BBC drama on Wednesday Filming in the depths of December, the 33-year-old Dublin hunk had his 18th century based character's heavy brown over coat to keep him warm as he worked his way to his trailer. Aidan continued his heat inducing display as he buttoned his winter wardrobe staple over his broad shoulders as it fell to his ankles. The star kept his signature brooding look as made his way to set, finding an extra layered of warmth from his long curl locks that covered his ears from the crisp temperatures. Last kiss: Fans rejoiced as Ross and Demelza reconciled in the season finale of Poldark on Sunday night Earlier this month, the second season of the hit BBC One series came to a close and fans of the show were left craving more. Legions of viewers took to social media as the finale episode came to a close, mourning the loss of their favourite Sunday night show, pleading with the BBC to make sure season three airs sooner rather than later. 'Best television drama ever! Series 3 can't come soon enough. Rugged beautiful Cornwall at its best,' one viewer gushed on Twitter, clearly more than satisfied with the conclusion to the latest instalment. Happy ending: As the second season of the hit BBC One series Poldark came to a close on Sunday evening, fans of the show were left craving more 'What the HELL have I got to look forward to on Sunday nights now that Poldark is over?? Gut'ed I tell thee!' came another tweet, adopting the 18th century language of the show. Another fan tweeted the BBC directly, pleading: '@BBCOne absolutely outstandingly good! Please don't let us wait too long!' Viewers were delighted to see Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner) reunite with his long-suffering wife Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson) as the finale came to a close. Things had been touch and go in their marriage since Ross spent a night with ex-flame Elizabeth; but fans of the show had clearly been rooting for Demelza to forgive her husband. Reunited: Viewers were delighted to see Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner) reunite with his long-suffering wife Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson) as the finale came to a close On the rocks: Things had been touch and go in their marriage since Ross spent a night with ex-flame Elizabeth; but fans of the show had clearly been rooting for Demelza to forgive Cliff hanger: The pair were brought back together once more, Twitter users cheered them on from their sofas as Ross kissed his wife lovingly on the Cornish cliffs As the pair were brought back together once more, Twitter users cheered them on from their sofas as Ross kissed his wife lovingly on the Cornish cliffs. 'Say you didn't cheer, say you didn't cry a bit as Ross kissed Demelza again! The kiss that heals so may wounds,' came one impassioned tweet. Plenty of other viewers felt just as emotional over the final scene: 'OMG that kiss! That mouth! Tears running down my face...' 'Now that's how to kiss a woman! TV screens everywhere are smoldering,' another happy tweeter posted. 'That thing when something is so heart-wrenching & engenders such deep emotion that there are no words to do it justice. Bravo #Poldark,' continued another fan. Others were less forgiving - in the reconciliation scene, Ross was seen defending his adultery, claiming that 'it was just one night'. This didn't sit well with some. Explosive: The series' legions of viewers took to social media as the finale episode came to a close, mourning the loss of their favourite Sunday night show A third helping: Season three is said to feature 'new heights of conflict, feuding, passion and drama' 'It was one night! really????' one irritated tweeter posted. 'Oh he's doing himself no favours is he? Ross Poldark... should be ashamed of himself,' someone else remarked. Elsewhere, some were disappointed with the lack of raunchiness in the finale - clearly eager to see actor Aidan Turner take his shirt off - something he has become known for doing on the series, gaining him a platoon of swooning admirers. 'SERIOUSLY disappointed with the lack of sex scenes in the final episode of #Poldark. And there were like 3 solid opportunities!' one disgruntled fan observed. New arrival: Elizabeth herself was revealed to be pregnant - teasing a plot point for the third season, which is already in production Aunt Agnes is watching: Season three promises a dark twist according to the series' writers Earlier in the episode, viewers had seen Ross reunite Dr Enys with his estranged lover Caroline, which reaffirmed the captain as a hero - warming fans to him again after his indiscretion with Elizabeth. Meanwhile, Elizabeth herself was revealed to be pregnant - teasing a plot point for the third season, which is already in production. Fans discussed on Twitter whether Elizabeth's unborn child was her husband Mr Warleggan's, or whether it could indeed be Ross Poldark's. 'That child better not be his!' one viewer exclaimed. Craving more: Poldark fans are left desperate for more as season 2 ends with a passionate kiss between Ross and Demelza Withdrawal: Viewers were delighted with the season finale and mourned the loss of their beloved Sunday evening show Building tension: Twitter users were left on the edge of their seats watching the drama unfold on Poldark's season two finale Onwards: Season three has already been teased in a trailer released by the BBC following season two's climax 'Let that kid be Ross's. Worth it alone to see the look on George's face,' came an opposing opinion from another fan. 'Finally...a baby cliff-hanger!' someone else posted to the micro-blogging site. Season three has already been teased in a trailer released by the BBC following season two's climax. It promises an array of new characters and dark drama, with scriptwriter Debbie Horsfield telling the Radio Times: 'We're thrilled to be kicking off series three with a fantastic array of new characters and a story which scales new heights of conflict, feuding, passion and drama. 'Ross is older but not necessary wiser, and his recklessness sometimes costs him, and his loved ones, dear. We're in for a rollercoaster ride where the stakes have never been higher.' Poldark is set to return in 2017. There is much to relish in this animated Disney film, but I appreciated it as much for what it lacks as for what it contains. So, although the title character is a doe-eyed, teenage Polynesian princess, there is no lantern-jawed hero for her to swoon over, indeed no love interest at all. Three cheers! I do confess, though, to a slight feeling of queasiness at the Disneyfication of yet another colourful foreign culture. The demigod Maui is voiced by Dwayne The Rock Johnson, who may have Samoan roots but couldnt sound more Californian, ditto Moana (though in fairness she is voiced by young Hawaiian actress Aulii Cravalho). Never have a lagoons turquoise shallows looked so inviting, so wonderfully paddlesome, as they do here Still, my qualms were soon swept away by the sheer exuberance of the story-telling, some genuinely witty one-liners, a few decent songs and of course, the brilliant animation. Never have a lagoons turquoise shallows looked so inviting, so wonderfully paddlesome, as they do here. The film written and directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, who were behind Aladdin and The Little Mermaid apparently takes its story from Polynesian mythology. Ill buy that, though I discerned a few nods to Egyptian, Greek, Norse and, unavoidably, Disney mythology, too. Anyway, the headstrong but brave Moana sails off from her South Sea island, crossing the reef in defiance of her protective father, the chief, in search of the once-mighty Maui. She wants the demigod to rescue her people from a terrible blight on their harvests and fishing grounds, and he agrees to come, pitting them both against a series of sea monsters (and, fabulously, a tribe of malevolent coconuts) hell-bent on stopping them. Its gloriously inventive, and who couldnt love a song in which the powers of creation rhymes with crustacean? Huge, wholesome fun. MOANA SHOULD WIN LOTS OF FANS WITH THIS DISNEY FORMULA OF CATCHY SONGS, AMAZING CHARACTERS NAD BEAUTIFUL ANIMATION By Ellis Barnes-Church, aged 12 Rating: Moana is the latest movie by Disney animation studios and tells a classic story of discovery and adventure, this time based on the fascinating Polynesian culture, quite different from the icy setting of Frozen. When Moana (Aulii Cravalho) finds out that monsters are set to destroy her home, she must team up with Maui (WWF wrestler-turned actor Dwayne The Rock Johnson), to defeat them and bring peace to Hawaii. This movie has beautiful animation the CG is stunning, as it always is with Disney. The water plays a huge part in the story, with Moana having the ability to control it, and the way it moves and splashes looks very realistic and well-done. The characters are also amazing Moana is the daughter of the chief, so she is not technically a princess like Elsa, a fact poked fun at by Maui. Speaking of Maui, he is probably the standout character, with his sentient tattoos and magical fish hook that gives him immeasurable power and the ability to shape shift. There is also Tamatoa, a giant crab and Mauis enemy, who illuminates in neon colours, and reminded me of Doctor Facilier from the Princess and the Frog. The songs are also brilliant, with Mauis Youre Welcome being one of my favourite Disney songs to date. Dwayne Johnson actually sings it himself and does a great job. Who knew rocks could sing? Moana should win lots of fans with this Disney formula of catchy songs, amazing characters and beautiful animation. Advertisement Beautifully acted, sensitively written and actually rather moving Rating: As in Moana, a spirited adolescent drives Edge Of Seventeen, an unusually intelligent teen flick from debutante writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig. Hailee Steinfeld (below) gives a rousing performance as narky Nadine, who is so out of step with her high-school generation that she not-so-secretly despises their reliance on social media. They literally have a seizure if you take their phone away for a second, she spits. Nadine adored her dad, but he died, and thinks her mum (Kyra Sedgwick) favours her brother Darian (Blake Jenner). Her only real friend is Krista (Haley Lu Richardson), who then starts going out with dishy Darian, in what Nadine considers an unforgivable act of treachery. That leaves her with only two confidantes: a classmate (Hayden Szeto) with an unrequited crush on her, and a laid-back teacher (Woody Harrelson). They form two fifths of pop band The Saturdays but they have been enjoying something of a hiatus. But on Thursday night, bandmembers Mollie King and Vanessa White hung out the launch party of Folli Follie's Regent Street Concept store in London. No doubt thrilled to see one another at the star-studded event, the lovely ladies pulled out all the stops in their sexy fashion outfits. Scroll down for video It's not even Saturday: Mollie King (left) and Vanessa White (right) were pictured attending the launch party of Folli Follie's Regent Street Concept store in London on Thursday night Loving life: No doubt thrilled to see one another at the star-studded event, the lovely ladies pulled out all the stops in their sexy fashion outfits Mollie, 29, looked incredible in a bright red off-the-shoulder dress which clung to her curves as she headed into the venue. With legs for days, the blonde beauty wore a pair of grey suede court shoes complete with ankle strap as she made her way inside. Vanessa, who has just returned from Jason Vale's juicing retreat in Portugal, looked equally as stylish, going braless under a low-cut pinstriped jumpsuit. Wow thing: Mollie, 29, looked incredible in a bright red off-the-shoulder dress which clung to her curves as she headed into the venue Stylish: She carried a cute handbag on her shoulder as she walked towards the venue Posing: She looked picture perfect as she stopped for a few quick snaps She wore an edgy black leather biker jacket over the top and sported glossy freshly blow-dried hair. The girls were seen chatting and hugging one another once inside the shop where a host of other famous faces could be seen. Also present, arriving back from the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Paris the night before, was Millie Mackintosh. Steady on! Vanessa held onto her jacket tightly as she exited her vehicle, making sure she didn't flash too much flesh Fashionable: She flashed a hint of her wedged ankle boots as she stepped out onto the pavement Her short blouse inspired mini-dress sported long over-sized sleeves and cinched in her tiny midriff further with a thick black belt. With the garment's hem raised to a daring level on one side, Millie opted to encase her toned legs in the sexy suede footwear. Boosting her already statuesque height, the reality star, who unsuccessfully auditioned for Britain's Next Top Model in 2011, worked her angles for the photographers as she arrived. So happy: She had a big beaming smile on her face as she prepared to be reunited with her pal Working it: She posed up a storm once inside the store in her fashionable get-up The clothing designer scraped her centre-parted chestnut locks into a low ponytail, which showed off her natural, dewy make-up look. Millie seemed in high spirits as she mingled with the other guests at the fashion brand's new store, including The Saturdays' Vanessa White, former MIC star Ashley James and model Amber Le Bon. Like the ultimate fashionista, she harboured all of her essentials in a chic handbag which was draped over her shoulder. Racy style: Millie Mackintosh, 27, injected sex appeal to her ensemble as she arrived at the same event, fresh from her trip to Paris to see the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Eye for style: The former Made In Chelsea star clad her slim frame in a unique collared shirt dress Long and lean: She teamed the look with sexy thigh-high boots which complemented her endless legs Quite the busy night for the style favourite, Millie then headed to the YSL Beauty Club party hosted by YSL Beauty and Victor Demarchelier. The beauty also ensured she arrived in style to the fashionable events in a structured black jacket which sported statement gold buttons. The day before, Millie and her beau Hugo seemed over the moon as they enjoyed the glitzy VS Fashion Show in the French capital. Figure-hugging: The blouse inspired mini-dress sported long over-sized sleeves and cinched in her tiny midriff further with a thick black belt On to the next event! Quite the busy lady, Millie headed to the YSL Beauty Club party hosted by YSL Beauty and Victor Demarchelier Energised: She didn't sport a hint of fatigue as she made an appearance at her second event of the night The loved-up couple went public with their rekindled romance in May when they travelled to the Monaco Grand Prix for Hugo's 30th birthday celebrations - the same week that Millie's divorce from rapper husband Professor Green, 32, was finalised. They previously dated back in 2011 when they met on E4 reality show, Made In Chelsea. But the union was not to last and ended rather dramatically when Millie discovered Hugo had cheated on her with her friend, Rosie Fortescue. Pins on parade: With the garment's hem raised to a daring level on one side, Millie opted to encase her toned legs in the sexy suede footwear Wrapping up: The beauty also ensured she arrived in style to the fashionable events in a structured black jacket which sported statement gold buttons Enjoying the sexy show: The day before, Millie and her beau Hugo Taylor seemed over the moon as they enjoyed the glitzy VS Fashion Show in the French capital At the time, Millie claimed she would always love Hugo, saying in an interview: 'I loved him - those feelings dont disappear but I just always have to remind myself why were not together. 'I do think that, for the rest of my life, every time I see him, Ill get that feeling in my stomach. I dont think I could ever not get that butterfly feeling.' Millie was previously married to rapper Professor Green, but the duo announced their split in February after just over four years together. Their two-and-a-half-year marriage was dissolved in just 30 seconds in May. Stunner: The clothing designer scraped her centre-parted chestnut locks into a low ponytail, which showed off her natural, dewy make-up look Details: Like the ultimate fashionista, she harboured all of her essentials in a chic handbag which was draped over her shoulder Glam pals: Millie mingled with The Saturdays star Vanessa White who looked sexy in an all-black ensemble Battle of the blondes: Battle of the blondes: Caprice Bourret (L) flashed her ample cleavage in a sexy LBD while MIC's Ashley James (R) covered her ample assets in a cool co-ord In a statement at the time, they said: 'It is a mutual decision, we still care deeply about each other and would like it to be known that it is on amicable terms and we wish each other well.' They were granted a decree nisi at Central London Family Court with Millie citing 'unreasonable behaviour' as the reason for their split. The rapper has since moved on with model Fae Williams. Edgy: TOWIE's Lauren Pope slipped her slim pins into skinny PVC trousers and a cut-out top Fashionistas: E! UK host Sabrina Chakici (L) opted for a cool monochrome jumpsuit, while celebrity dating coach Nadia Essex (R) wrapped up warm in a shaggy white coat Minus Suki: Immy Waterhouse stepped out without her sister Suki for once, showcasing her own stylish streak A real star: Made In Chelsea's resident fashionista Rosie Fortescue wore a slinky black. star-spangled mini with a tuxedo jacket Lindsay Lohan gave a big hint Thursday that fans will soon be able to see her once again on the big screen. The actress, 30, shared an image to Instagram of the movie poster for The Shadow Within, a film she made in Belgium a year ago. '#yes #comingsoon to a theatre near you,' she wrote alongside the image of her face going up inflames and smoke. Big screen comeback: Lindsay Lohan shared this poster for a movie she made in Belgium last year to her Instagram on Thrusday telling fans it's 'coming soon to a theatre near you' The scary thriller is billed as a story about werewolves and vampires, according to information posted on IMDb. The plot summary reveals: 'A private investigator must unravel the murder of her uncle while keeping the secret that she is a descendant from a line of werewolves.' The film's IMDb page also features a different poster for the movie, showing Lohan front and center with her two main co-stars behind her along with an image of a church and a large howling wolf. The movie directed by Belgian Tiago Mesquita and co-stars Scottish actor Gianni Capaldi and English actress Charlotte Beckett. 'Back on set': The actress had previously shared behind the scenes snaps from the production directed by Belgian cinematographer Tiago Mesquita Thriller: Lohan stars with Scottish actor Gianni Capaldi in the tale of a private investigator who must unravel her uncle's murder while keeping secret she is descended from werewolves The former star of The Parent Trap and Mean Girls doesn't give any further information about where and when The Shadow Within will be released. If it does hit theatres, it will be her first theatrical opening since the R-rated flop The Canyons in 2013. Late in 2015, Lohan had shared some selfies and other snaps from the set of The Shadow within as she announced her return in front of the camera. On November 17, 2015, she shared a close-up selfie to Instagram, writing excitedly: 'My first day on my new film!!!!! Will be sending a sneak peek of my character this week #theshadowwithin.' Ready for work: On November 17, 2015, the star of Mean Girls announced her return to movie-making with this selfie posted to Instagram. Her last project was The Canyons in 2013 A couple of days later she followed it with a selfie lying in bed apparently naked with the sheet covering her bosom. 'Morning! Ready for day three on set,' she captioned the photo. ' The actress also shared some behind the scenes photos as did her Scottish co-star Capaldi who added several pics to his Facebook page. In one he's seen leaning in to give Lohan a kiss on the side of her hand as she dons a shocked expression for the camera with one hand over her mouth. Got along: Co-star Capaldi clearly enjoyed working with Lohan and shared this cute photo of himself planting a kiss on the starlet's head as she pretended to be shocked In another image, the two are seen acting out a scene via a video monitor. Lohan's once assured Hollywood future crashed and burned along with her highly-publicized legal troubles that included several arrests and stints in rehab between 2007 to 2013. But after moving to Europe and making London her base, the once troubled starlet has appeared in a play in the West End and become an advocate for Syrian refugees in Turkey. She also recently opened a nightclub named for her in Athens, Greece. It's not known if she has plans to make more movies. This star was not about to let some cold temperatures stand in the way of a style statement of a night out to help charities. Halle Berry took a summer approach to a chilly New York evening on Thursday night. The 50-year-old old stepped out in a slinky frock for the Revlon Love is on Million Dollar Challenge event. Scroll down for video Too cool: Halle Berry took a summer approach to a chilly New York evening on Thursday night for the Revlon Love is on Million Dollar Challenge event The annual challenge sees charities try to raise the most money with top fundraiser receiving a $1 million boost from Revlon. As one of the beautiful faces of Revlon and a big supporter of humanitarian causes, Halle was there with bells on - and stylish bells at that. The Oscar winner floated into the event in a flowing white slightly sparkly dress featuring a high neckline. The dress looked as though it was wrapped around her and shown together with layers of fabric forming an asymmetrical hemline that was over the knee but still flashed some thigh as she walked. Shine bright: The Oscar winner floated into the event in a flowing white slightly sparkly dress featuring a high neckline One and done: The frock's halterneck had tiny strands of beading attached to it so Halle did not have to worry about wearing a necklace Lovely layers: The dress looked as though it was wrapped around her and shown together with layers of fabric forming an asymmetrical hemline that was over the knee but still flashed some thigh as she walked The frock's halterneck had tiny strands of beading attached to it so Halle did not have to worry about wearing a necklace. Adding an unexpected pop of colour, the actress wore a pair of marbled black and vibrant green 'So Kate' Christian Louboutin heels. Matching the flowing nature of the dress, the star wore her golden locks out in soft and not overly-styled waves. High stepper: Adding an unexpected pop of colour, the actress wore a pair of marbled black and vibrant green 'So Kate' Christian Louboutin heels Going with the flow: Matching the flowing nature of the dress, the star wore her golden locks out in soft and not overly-styled waves While stunning, the look was probably not what most people would have worn on a chilly East Coast fall evening. But Halle was not letting the cold dictate her outfit for the night. That, and she got dressed in her very warm apartment. Posting a snap of herself on Instagram, Halle explained: 'Says it's 48 degrees outside... But it's hot AF in my house.' Bringing the heat: While stunning, the look was probably not what most people would have worn on a chilly East Coast fall evening but Halle stuck with it This year the annual challenge saw charities raise a whopping $6.3 million. Revlon then donated a $1 million to this year's top fundraiser, the Cancer Research Institute, which raised just under $1.3 million and now has an addition $1 million to help further its cause. Revlon also provided another $250,000 to the runners up plus another $175,000 over the course of the challenge. She gave birth to daughter Layla Rose just two weeks ago. And Laura Csortan, 40, is settling into motherhood well, taking her baby and dog for a walk on Friday morning. She shared an Instagram photo of Layla Rose sleeping in her pram, while her Border Collie Abby sat next to her. Soaking up the sun! Laura Csortan, 40, is settling into motherhood well, taking her newborn baby Layla Rose for a walk on Friday morning 'Morning walks with my babies,' she captioned the image. After waiting a week to introduce her first child, Laura has enthusiastically been showing off her newborn on social media. On Monday, she shared a black and white Instagram photo of the baby asleep, cuddled up against her chest. Single parent: Laura welcomed her first child two weeks ago, but has chosen not to reveal the identity of Layla Rose's father 'My little squish': Laura revealed her adorable pet name for her daughter on Monday The TV personality announced the birth of baby girl Layla Rose Csortan on Instagram two weeks ago. 'Welcome to the world my angel,' she captioned a photo of herself holding her newborn's hand. 'Born 17.11.2016 never felt a love quite like it,' she wrote, alongside the hash tag: 'My baby girl'. 'Welcome to the world my angel': The TV personality announced the birth of baby girl Layla Rose Csortan on Instagram last month 'The hardest thing': Laura has spoken candidly about the difficultly she expects to face while raising her child as a single mother Laura has spoken candidly about the difficultly she expects to face while raising her child as a single mother. Weeks before giving birth, she told Poppy Renegade that revealing her pregnancy was 'the hardest thing (she's) ever done'. She added: 'It's not been without fear and struggles, I'm not pretending it's going to be a walk in the park, but it's the cards I've been dealt.' Despite having doubts, Laura claimed she has received plenty of support since announcing her decision to raise the child alone. 'I was supported by family and friends and also so many women I have never met before who would write to me sharing their stories,' she said. She previously told Woman's Day: 'I didn't know how it would go down, I was terrified but it's certainly been received really well. 'I will be a single mum and there's a lot of single mums saying, "I went through it and these are the things you might find difficult or not," so that's really fabulous as well.' Stigma: Laura previously told Woman's Day about her pregnancy reveal, 'I didn't know how it would go down, I was terrified but it's certainly been received really well' 'That's really fabulous as well': Despite having doubts, Laura said she has received plenty of support since announcing her decision to raise the child alone Keeping mum! Laura has not publicly revealed who the father of her baby girl is Laura has not publicly revealed who the father of her baby girl is. 'When the baby's older I'm happy with her finding out who her father is. I'm going into this with an open mind,' she said. Laura's former partners include ex-AFL player Chad Cornes and American model Joshua Slack, 28. She claims to have already lost more than 20 pounds since giving birth to Rob Kardashian's baby. And Blac Chyna flaunted her more slimline figure as she took her son King Cairo to the dentist in Los Angeles on Thursday. The former exotic dancer was grinning with glee as she pushed Lycra to the limit as she stepped out in tight leggings for her orthodontic outing. Flaunting it: Blac Chyna showed off her post-baby figure in Los Angeles on Thursday A bun-believable sight: Passersby will not forget seeing her robust rear in a hurry She was certainly impossible to ignore in her adventurous ensemble of black hooded top, extremely tight trousers and black slippers. Blac , whose real name is Angela White, had brought along her son King Cairo for their outing, and he wore a wide grin as she carried him in her arms. His father is of course her partner Rob's half-sister Kylie Jenner's boyfriend Tyga, which is doubtlessly an endlessly amusing anecdote at family get togethers. She started dated the handsome rapper in 2011, however they ended up splitting in 2014, despite getting engaged two years earlier. Boot-iful: The former exotic dancer was stretching her tight trousers to the limit Caught on camera: Fans will no doubt be able to enjoy the exciting moment on Rob And Chyna Mother's pride: The classy former stripper gazed at her son King Cairo as she walked Socking it to them: Business seems to be going well for hosiery tycoon Rob as he arrived separately in a Bentley Following the classy starlet as she made her rounds was a camera crew, who were no doubt gathering plenty of first class footage for her cerebral and endlessly stimulating show Rob And Chyna. Her fiance arrived in a separate car, an expensive Bentley which is perhaps an indication of how well the hosiery tycoon's sock business is going. This is despite the fact he is said to have moved back into his other half's Calabasas mansion after leaving the residence in the spring due to constant arguing. The reason is the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star wants to be closer to his daughter Dream, who was born on November 10. No wonder she's smiling: Blac, real name Angela White, claims she has shed 21 pounds The bun show: She took great delight ins showing off her extremely voluptuous figure Boom in shot: The sound operator did not look the most professional It seems like love is in air for Kieren Jack and Charlotte Goodlet's social circle. After getting engaged in October, the couple attended a friend's engagement party in Watson's Bay last Saturday. The outing comes just a few days after Charlotte confirmed they had already started planning their own wedding. Scroll down for video Love is in the air! After getting engaged in October, AFL star Kieren Jack and his fiancee Charlotte Goodlet attended a friend's engagement party in Watson's Bay last Saturday Charlotte looked glowing in a low cut green dress paired with nude heels, and styled her blonde hair in loose waves. Her husband-to-be, who plays for the Sydney Swans, wore a summery floral shirt for the romantic occasion. Charlotte, a bikini model and producer for Nine News, announced the couple's engagement on Instagram in October. You beauty! Charlotte looked glowing in a low cut green dress paired with nude heels, and styled her blonde hair in loose waves Something borrowed: Charlotte wore a dress hired from Never Twice Fancy seeing you here! Sydney socialite 'Prince' Christian Wilkins (L) was also in attendance 'I'm so excited to spend the rest of my life with you and our sad looking dog. I love you so, so much,' she wrote. A month later, Charlotte announced she was ready to start planning the big day. 'Holidays are over and now it's time to start thinking about a wedding,' she wrote in Instagram. 'I think I'm almost on the right track... can probably get organised by 2023.' It remains to be seen if Kieren's parents will be attending their son's wedding, after they were not invited to his 200th AFL game in July. Stunning couple: Charlotte and Kieren announced their engagement last month. Pictured at this year's AFL Brownlow Medal ceremony in Sydney A Jack family feud reportedly started because his parents Garry and Donna did not approve of Charlotte, believing she is a 'gold digger'. It has also been claimed that Kieren's mother had sent Charlotte 'the most appalling' text messages. At a press conference in July, Kieren defended his fiancee, saying: 'She doesn't deserve the treatment she has received. 'She is strong, she is an independent woman and not just a model. I love her very much and I am very proud of her.' He's celebrating a successful first year with Hit 101.9 Fox FM's breakfast team. And what better way for Brendan Fevola, 35, to get into the spirit of things than chugging down a cold beer while enjoying a hot shower before the station's Christmas party? Following his Dancing On My Own performance on X Factor last month, the AFL star-turned-radio personality hilariously uploaded a new rendition to Instagram on Friday. 'And I keep dancing on my own,' he sang along to Swedish pop star Robyn's 2010 hit. 'Work Christmas Party, giddy up! Woo hoo,' he continued to yell, gulping down a cold beer and bopping his shoulders. Hot water streaming over his face and shoulders did little to phase 'The Shag' as he prepared to attend Fox FM's annual holiday shindig. Teamwork: Brendan joined the breakfast show on Fox FM with Fifi Box and Dave Thornton in April this year after starring on I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here's second season Brendan became co-host of Fifi Box and Dave Thornton's morning show in April this year, after appearing on I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here's second season. He parlayed that opportunity into a memorable X Factor performance. 'Mate, you spend a bit of time in the jungle with [Anthony] Callea and then you're like "I've got this. I am famous. I'm on telly. I can do anything,' an unimpressed Guy Sebastian said. 'That was s*** Elvis': The judges from X Factor Australia's last season hilariously ripped into Brendan's performance of Robyn's 2010 smash pop hit Dancing On My Own 'You can't do that mate,' the judge told him after he belted out Dancing On My Own. Mel B also didn't hold back her criticism of the performance: 'That was s*** Elvis', she said. 'When you are in the car and the lyrics are busting out, I think I sound pretty good,' Brendan mused. 'But obviously I don't.' Rebecca Judd has shared another photo of her newborn sons Tom and Darcy - and they are looking more alike than ever. Perhaps hinting she is having trouble telling the identical twins apart herself, the mother-of-four wrote in the caption: 'I see double'. And this gave Bec's Instagram followers the chance to guess which baby was Tom and which one was Darcy. Scroll down for video 'I see double!' Rebecca Judd posted another Instagram photo of her two-month-old twin sons Tom and Darcy on Friday - leaving her fans to try and tell them apart Instagram user kylie_m_brown quickly guessed correctly: 'Tom left Darcy right'. Bec, 33, then confirmed her fan's guess was right with a quick reply, 'Yep!' The weather presenter recently told the Herald Sun she will be giving up her duties for Channel Nine to focus on her family . Double trouble: Bec recently told the Herald Sun she will be giving up her duties for Channel Nine to focus on her family, following the birth of her twins 'Ive deliberated about it for six months and we need some time together as a family,' she said. 'When I found out I was having twins I thought Im not sure I can go back to working weekends. 'I might go back once the kids are older. Channel Nine were fantastic about it,' she concluded. No regrets: Bec has decided to step back from her role as Channel Nine's weather presenter Channel Nine's Director of News Hugh Nailon supported Bec's decision, saying she 'will always be part of the Nine News family.' The former model will continue her role as host for the network's travel program Postcards once a week from January. She will also be working on her active wear label Jaggad and fulfill her duties as a fashion ambassador for Myer. Eva Longoria Baston stood beside President Barack Obama as he lit the National Christmas Tree for the eighth and final time at the White House in Washington, DC on Thursday. The 41-year-old Golden Globe nominee bundled up in a winter-white belted coat with matching trousers and beige suede court shoes selected by her stylist Charlene E. Roxborough Konsker. The Telenovela actress - sporting smoky eye make-up and peachy lipstick - hosted the holiday festivities onstage the Ellipse in President's Park. Scroll down for video Illuminating! Eva Longoria Baston stood beside President Barack Obama as he lit the National Christmas Tree for the eighth and final time at the White House on Thursday Eva made sure to give the 55-year-old leader of the free world a big hug, having hosted countless fundraisers for him during his two terms. The 'Texican' stunner gushed that she was 'so excited to be' with Obama, his wife Michelle, and their 15-year-old daughter Sasha for the 94th annual ceremony. The First Family celebrated without 18-year-old Malia, who's reportedly enjoying a gap year before studying at Harvard University next fall. Here comes the bride: The 41-year-old Golden Globe nominee bundled up in a winter-white belted coat with matching trousers and beige suede court shoes selected by her stylist Charlene E. Roxborough Konsker Master of ceremonies: The Telenovela actress - sporting smoky eye make-up and peachy lipstick - hosted the holiday festivities onstage the Ellipse in President's Park And while Longoria gleefully posed on the red carpet with Santa Claus, her third husband Jose 'Pepe' Baston opted to remain out of the spotlight despite being in DC. The newlyweds of seven months just spent their first Thanksgiving together with the 48-year-old Televisa president's daughter Natalia, 21, and twins Mariana & Jose, 13, from his marriage to Natalia Esperon. The Lip Sync Battle champ currently fronts her holiday collection for The Limited, which ranges between $49 and $160. POTUS PDA: Eva made sure to give the 55-year-old leader of the free world a big hug, having hosted countless fundraisers for him during his two terms Flip the switch! The 'Texican' stunner gushed that she was 'so excited to be' with Obama, his wife Michelle, and their 15-year-old daughter Sasha for the 94th annual ceremony Low key: And while Longoria posed on the red carpet with Santa Claus, her third husband Jose 'Pepe' Baston opted to remain out of the spotlight despite being in Washington, DC Stepmom: The newlyweds of seven months just spent their first Thanksgiving together with the 48-year-old Televisa president's daughter Natalia, 21, and twins Mariana & Jose, 13, from his marriage to Natalia Esperon Eva will next play Gloria in the East Los Angeles drama Lowriders - hitting US theaters May 12 - alongside Demian Bichir, Theo Rossi, and Melissa Benoist. While chilling inside the VIP tent, the two-time SAG Award winner reunited with her newly-separated friend Marc Anthony. The 48-year-old Grammy winner - who has twins with second wife Jennifer Lopez - split with his third wife Shannon de Lima last month after two years of marriage. One of her 'personal favourites': The Lip Sync Battle champ currently fronts her holiday collection for The Limited, which ranges between $49 and $160 Chola: Eva will next play Gloria in the East Los Angeles drama Lowriders - hitting US theaters May 12 - alongside Demian Bichir (L), Theo Rossi, and Melissa Benoist (pictured in 2015) 'Beautiful audience, amazing experience singing for you all tonight!' the Olvidame y Pega La Vuelta hitmaker - born Muniz - later tweeted. 'A night full of unforgettable memories. Good night to all!' Kelly Clarkson put her three-octave soprano pipes to good use belting Please Come Home For Christmas, a chestnut dedicated to Americans fighting overseas. 'Look who I found!' While chilling inside the VIP tent, the two-time SAG Award winner reunited with her newly-separated friend Marc Anthony Single: The 48-year-old Grammy winner - who has twins with second wife Jennifer Lopez - split with his third wife Shannon de Lima last month after two years of marriage The 34-year-old mother-of-two chose a green velvet dress and Victorian-style beige booties for her performance in front of the living Colorado blue spruce. The three-time Grammy winner had her highlighted locks coiffed and make-up applied by beautician Ashley Donovan. Meanwhile, country-crooning couple Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood - performing a duet - will celebrate their 11th wedding anniversary on December 10. It's not so quiet uptown: Kelly Clarkson put her three-octave soprano pipes to good use belting Please Come Home For Christmas, a chestnut dedicated to Americans fighting overseas Jane Austen superfan: The 34-year-old mother-of-two chose a green velvet dress and Victorian-style beige booties for her performance in front of the living Colorado blue spruce American Idol champ: The three-time Grammy winner had her highlighted locks coiffed and make-up applied by beautician Ashley Donovan She's in love with the boy: Meanwhile, country-crooning couple Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood - performing a duet - will celebrate their 11th wedding anniversary on December 10 Flat cap: Also performing at the public park located south of the White House fence was legendary troubadour James Taylor sporting a fleece zip-up beneath his tuxedo Also performing at the public park located south of the White House fence was legendary troubadour James Taylor sporting a fleece zip-up beneath his tuxedo. The National Christmas Tree concert - airing Monday on on the Hallmark Channel - also features cheery carolers like Chance the Rapper, Yolanda Adams, and the Lumineers. The 55-year-old gospel songstress flaunted her most stylish outerwear on the red carpet alongside 17-year-old Good Witch actress Bailee Madison. POTUS sings Jingle Bells! The National Christmas Tree concert - airing Monday on on the Hallmark Channel - also features Chance the Rapper, Yolanda Adams, and the Lumineers She is known for penchant for bad boys and fast cars. And Kylie Jenner indulged in a bit of Miami Vice as she went out for a night on the town in the Florida beachside city on Thursday night. The 19-year-old was seen wearing a very plunging dress as she hopped into the passenger seat of a Lamborghini driven by boyfriend Tyga. Scroll down for video Eye popping! Kylie Jenner indulged in a bit of Miami Vice as she went out for a night on the town in the Florida beachside city on Thursday night The gorgeous reality star nearly spilled out of her tight red number as she got ready for a night of fun. She also tweeted to clarify that a career guidance app appeared to have fabricated tweets from her to drum up business. The star wrote online alongside screenshots of the tweets in question: 'This is a fake a** tweet to get some publicity'. Leggy lady: Later, she Snapchatted several images of her legs clad in a pair of sparkly fishnet stockings Interesting angle: The first image shows her lithe legs, while another seemed to show the realty star's ample derriere along with her narrow waist Later, she Snapchatted several images of her legs clad in a pair of sparkly fishnet stockings. The first image shows her lithe legs, while another seemed to show the realty star's ample derriere along with her narrow waist. Earlier that day Kylie flashed her midriff in a fitted top that was pulled up and knotted at the side in a series of snaps. She teamed it with matching stone coloured high-waisted skinny-fit trousers. Vroom! The 19-year-old was seen wearing a very plunging dress as she hopped into the passenger seat of a Lamborghini driven by Tyga No troubles? Tyga has once again been embroiled in a dispute over car payments according to reports Feeling the Miami Heat! The reality star posted snaps from her fun night It was inevitable! Kylie made sure to take a bathroom mirror selfie The star pulled her long brunette tresses into a messy bun, leaving a few tendrils loose to frame her face. Proudly showing off her waist, the star also further established her domestic goddess status, revealing a set of Santa Claus crockery and expensive silverware, which she had been gifted. Hitting back! The star made sure to let her fans know a startup was fabricating tweets from her to drum up business She also made it clear that she's taking a role in her boyfriend Tyga's son King's life - as the cosmetics guru also had made a gingerbread house which featured all of their names. King's mum is Tyga's ex Blac Chyna, who has just welcomed daughter Dream with Kylie's half brother Rob. The two-storey gingerbread house was immaculately iced and read Merry Christmas, as well as having King, Kylie and Tyga written in icing on the roof. Toned: Kylie Jenner showcased her impressively slim waist in a Snapchat video on Wednesday On show: The 19-year-old reality television star flashed her midriff in a skimpy cropped top Stylish: She teamed it with matching stone coloured high-waisted skinny-fit trousers Revealing: The star posted pictures of her figure to Snapchat Relaxed: The star pulled her long brunette tresses into a messy bun, leaving a few tendrils loose to frame her face Freebie: Proudly showing off her waist, the star also further established her domestic goddess status Step-mum role: She also made it clear that she's taking a role in her boyfriend Tyga's son King's life - as the cosmetics guru showed a gingerbread house which featured all of their names New crockery: She looks to be all set for Christmas The youngest daughter of Kris Jenner is set to open her first pop up shop on December 9 at LA's Westfield mall in Topanga. While her cosmetics line is going to be available to purchase at the store, the starlet may also have clothing and lingerie up for grabs. She recently opened the handle @thekylieshop, where she's published racy snaps of herself modeling lace bras, denim hats and sweaters with her face plastered on it. Entrepreneur: The youngest daughter of Kris Jenner is set to open her first pop up shop The kyliejennershop.com has a countdown as the main page - and as of now is at 9 days - which would be December 9. Last week the reality star took to Instagram to post a photo of her shop at the mall, which appeared to be still under construction as it was tucked away from view by a giant board. 'It was all just a dream...coming soon to the Topanga Westfield Mall. I grew up at this mall .. Crazy...12.9.16' she captioned the image. Kendall Jenner is safely back in the U.S. after traveling to Paris to walk in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. But while she was in the French capital, the reality star, 21, wasn't taking any chances, PageSix.com reported Thursday. A source told the gossip site that Kendall had 'special handlers' and additional security and and 'wanted nothing to do with anyone' except close pal Gigi Hadid. Protected: Kendall Jenner, pictured in Paris, had a special handler and additional security for the VS Fashion Show following Kim Kardashian's robbery at gunpoint in the French capital Kendall nervousness was attributed to the harrowing ordeal suffered by her older half-sister Kim Kardashian back in October, when she was robbed at gunpoint in her suite at an exclusive hotel in Paris. In fact, the daughter of Caitlyn and Kris Jenner was under constant supervision. 'She had a special handler the whole time when other girls didnt,' an insider explained to PageSix.com. 'She arrived at the after-party with private security, even though the police were there.' Special treatment: The 21-year-old reality star 'had a special handler the whole time when other girls didnt' according to a source quoted by PageSix.com Guarded: An insider claimed Kendall 'arrived at the after-party with private security, even though the police were there.' She's pictured arriving at Ferdi restaurant after the show Security was extremely high for the show that brought some of the world's top runway models to Paris to strut their stuff in the annual lingerie extravaganza held at the Grand Palais. Streets around the venue were sealed off, limousines were prohibited from parking and sniffer dogs were also on hand. In fact, security was so tight that Gigi's multi-millionaire dad Mohamed Hadid was left out int he cold as he tried to enter the show after-party. He only got in after a publicist came to his rescue to explain his daughters Gigi and Bella were inside the party. During the Paris trip, Kendall reportedly 'wanted nothing to do with anyone' except close pal Gigi Hadid. The pair are pictured at the VS photo call on Monday in Paris She's back! Kendall looked a little camera shy as she arrived back in New York City Meanwhile, Kendall kept her distance not just from the other models but also from the media, it's claimed. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians castmember 'wouldnt do press interviews and was actually hiding at one point,' sources claimed. 'One reporter asked her a question and she literally ignored her. She just kept looking at pictures of herself on her phone,' the source told Page Six. They have been married for 17 years but David and Victoria Beckham are still clearly as loved up as ever. Victoria shared a sweet Instagram on Thursday showing the couple cuddling up on a night out in Miami. The ex-Spice Girl looked stunning in a high necked sleeveless red silky dress and matching shoes. Cuddling up: Victoria Beckham shared a sweet snapshot of herself and husband David at an event in Miami on Thursday night 'Honored to be supporting World AIDS Day in Miami with my husband and good friends,' she wrote next to the snapshot. 'Thank you @lorenridinger @jrridinger for welcoming us X @unaidsglobal #bornfree. x VB.' The designer was at an event in support of International World AIDS day and posed for another photograph alongside entrepreneur Loren Ridinger. Me and my pal: Victoria posted another snap where she was seen alongside entrepreneaur Loren Ridinger As a UNAIDS Global Goodwill Ambassador, Victoria recently designed a T-shirt to raise money for the cause. All profits from the sale of Victoria's T-shirts go directly to support Born Free Africa in their work to promote the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT). Back in October, Victoria and her eldest son Brooklyn, 17, took a trip to Kenya where they visited a clinic of the Beyond Zero campaign which works to reduce maternal and child mortality in Kenya. Fighting the frizz: Victoria shared a shot from Miami where hairdresser Ken Paves is attempting to tame her tresses Victoria said: 'We are learning so much and we have met some phenomenal people on our trip. 'I'd like to take the opportunity to say how impressed I am with the AIDS response and the progress made here. The star has been spending the past few days in Miami, posting several Instagrams from the Florida city. In one shot, she's seen 'fighting the frizz' in the humid conditions, with hairdresser Ken Paves seen examining her tresses. She is one of the most recognisable model and brand ambassadors in the country. And pregnant Rachael Finch, 28, gave her name to a brand of Australian honey this week while escaping from the country's sweltering summer climes with a homemade smoothie on Friday. Taking to Instagram with a makeup-free snap of herself relaxing on the couch with a hand-made smoothie in hand, the Myer model wrote: 'It's Friday but it's freakin scorchin outside & that means smoothies are on the menu. [sic]' 'A natural dose of prebiotics, helping to boost digestive health': Pregnant Rachael Finch, 28, gave her name to a brand of Australian honey this week while escaping from the country's sweltering summer climes with a homemade smoothie on Friday 'Made this creamy peanut butter version with @capilano_honey #beeotichoney for a natural dose of prebiotics, helping to boost digestive health,' she explained. She made sure to further spruik the brand by including include the hashtags: #australianhoney and #beeotic. Rachael was clad in a low-cut blue singlet dress as she sat bare-footed on the couch, with her burgeoning baby bump hidden behind her smoothie container. Bumping along nicely! Rachael recently entered the final trimester of her pregnancy with her second child Rachael appears to have signed on with the brand as an ambassador, having appeared in a promotional video on Youtube in October. According to the Capilano website, pregnant or breastfeeding women should seek the advice of a healthcare professional prior to using the product. Earlier this year, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that, according to experts, pregnant and breastfeeding women should be wary of Australian honey brands, 'with unborn and breastfed infants at higher risk of organ damage from such toxins.' Promotional gig: Rachael appears to have signed on with the brand as an ambassador, having appeared in a promotional video on Youtube in October The article was based upon the findings of an international study published in the Food Additives and Contaminants Journal. The study found that 41 out of 59 Australian honey product samples tested contained traces of natural plant toxins from weeds. Honey industry professionals have since rejected the findings, with Jodie Goldsworthy, from the Victorian honey company Beechworth Honey, telling the ABC that the research was 'misleading' and that the claimed risk of honey was 'exaggerated.' Concerns: Earlier this year, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that, according to experts, pregnant and breastfeeding women should be wary of Australian honey brands, 'with unborn and breastfed infants at higher risk of organ damage from such toxins' New study: The article was based upon the findings of an international study published in the Food Additives and Contaminants Journal She was welcomed home with a room full of balloons and nostalgic pictures of her relationship with Bachelor's Tim Robard for her birthday. And now, Anna Heinrich has posted a collection of holiday snaps from Bali on Instagram in celebration of turning 30-years-old. Joined by her family and beau Tim, Anna has been spotted enjoying the luxury vacation while also posting snaps in an assortment of colourful swimwear. Scroll down for video Birthday babe: Anna Heinrich has posted a collection of holiday snaps from her Bali getaway with partner Tim Robards and her sisters Andrea and Charlotte on Instagram for her 30th The newly 30 reality star posted a picture in a blue and white full piece swimsuit in which she put her ample assets on display. Casting a smouldering gaze at the camera Anna pouted in the flattering swimsuit in the picture captioned: 'SUN KISSED.' The blonde beauty who had her wet hair combed back behind her shoulders added the hash tags,'baliselfie', 'poser', 'heinrichturns30' and 'balilove.' 'Dirty 30s': Other pictures from the trip saw the blonde haired beauty relaxing poolside with her sisters Charlotte (L) and Andrea (R) Sister act: Hours before hitting the pool, Anna was seen celebrating in the lobby of the glamorous villa in a picture with her sisters sitting in a white swing Anna is holidaying in Indonesia and currently staying at the Villas Bungadesa Beachfront resort. Other pictures from the trip saw the blonde haired beauty relaxing poolside with her sisters Charlotte and Andrea while 'Tim the creep' floated behind them. The image posted to Andrea's Instagram was captioned: 'Bali Bungadesa Babes.' Bali bombshells: Anna wasn't the only one to flaunt her svelte figure, as seen in a picture posted to her sister Charlotte's Instagram seeing the pair lazing on chairs beside the pool She added the hash tags 'heinrichturns30', 'Birthday', 'Balibabes' while adding 'Tim the creep.' Hours before hitting the pool, Anna was seen celebrating in the lobby of the glamorous villa in a picture with her sisters sitting in a white swing. The Bachelor reality star gushed over her sisters in the smiley snap and wrote: 'Back together again.' 'Let the birthday celebrations begin': Prior to reaching Bali, Anna and Andrea posed for several selfies on the plane and at the airport cutting casual figures The three girls appeared all smiles as they posed together, reunited for Anna's birthday bash. Prior to reaching Bali, Anna and Andrea posed for several selfies on the plane and at the airport cutting casual figures. The look-a-like sisters appeared all smiles as they posed together in the family snap captioning one image: 'Let the birthday celebrations begin.' In love: Tim recently posted a picture with Anna on the plane to Bali and wrote, 'Killing time' in the snap with his partner Anna wasn't the only one to flaunt her svelte figure, as seen in a picture posted to her sister Charlotte's Instagram seeing the pair lazing on chairs beside the pool. Charlotte was spotted wearing a halter neck blue and white striped bikini while Anna opted for a sunshine yellow bikini. The genetically blessed pair flaunted their toned abs and trim pins, keeping their hair tied back in loose buns as they relaxed in the sunshine. Making brief appearances in the girls pictures, Tim recently posted a picture with Anna on the plane to Bali and wrote, 'Killing time' in the snap with his partner. 'So thoughtful': Anna recently posted a picture of a room filled with balloons and nostalgic pictures set up by Tim for her birthday Loved up: The loved-up couple have been together for three years and have shown no signs of splitting since meeting on the reality dating show Anna recently posted a picture of a room filled with balloons and nostalgic pictures set up by Tim which she described to be a 'trip down memory lane'. She gushed over he beau calling him 'so thoughtful' in the snap adding the hash tags, 'dirtythirty', '30tomorrow', 'memorylane' and 'heinrichturns30'. Anna found fame after joining the cast of Channel Ten's The Bachelor in 2013 to find love with Tim Robards. The loved-up couple have been together for three years and have shown no signs of splitting since meeting on the reality dating show. She was evicted from I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Outta Here over the weekend. And Lisa Snowdon looked to be enjoying living in the lap of luxury as she shared a busty bikini selfie from the Versace Hotel on the Gold Coast in Australia. The presenter, 44, reunited with her fellow evicted campmates in the plush hotel, where participants are put up with their families following their time in the jungle. Scroll down for video Freedom! Lisa Snowdon looked to be enjoying living in the lap of luxury as she shared a busty bikini selfie from the Versace Hotel in on the Gold Coast in Australia Lounging by the pool in the upscale Queensland hotel, Lisa appeared to be enjoying the well-deserved rest after roughing it in the jungle. Posing in a blue striped bikini and appearing to go make-up free, Lisa topped up her tan as she took to Instagram to share the selfie, captioned: 'Blue skies and lazy days- planning my Christmas menus, super excited to get back into the kitchen and prepare many feasts for the festive period. #christmas #goldcoast #oz #festive #family #love #happiness #chef #foodie'. And another selfie saw Lisa reunited with fellow evicted campmates Ola Jordan, Jordan Banjo and Danny Baker, captioned: 'The we're out gang!! @jordbanjo @olajordan Danny Baker #oz #imaceleb'. (l-r) Ola Jordan, Jordan Banjo, Lisa, Danny Baker: The presenter, 44, reunited with her fellow evicted campmates in the plush hotel, where participants are put up with their families following their time in the jungle The former campmates and their families are staying in the plush hotel, which costs an eye-watering 1,500 a night. While the stay is paid for, celebrities have to buy their own food and drink, and the prices are causing some outrage. According to The Mirror a chamomile tea costs 7 and a steak around 50, resulting in a lot of the celebs being spotted at the local McDonald's. Palazzo Versace: The former campmates and their families are staying in the plush hotel, which costs an eye-watering 1,500 a night And not only are prices causing outrage, but the lack of activity is frustrating the party-loving celebs. 'You come back from diner somewhere and it's like a British B&B in the 1950s,' Danny Baker told the publication. A source added: 'A lot of the celebs want to go and get drunk when they leave the show. But there isn't much going on at the hotel. 'Everyone is in bed by 1pm. It's quite boring.' "...king of the hate left..."-- "As my friend Capper -- the best Wisconsin blogger ever -- says, there will be more. There's always more." - karoli "...the psychiatrically attuned Capper..."-- "This is really great of you! I'm so proud to know someone like you"-- "Capper, a reasonable (and maybe even likeable) Lefty..."-- "capper, the Sidney Freedman of the hate left..."-- "I love capper because, well, what's not to love. But I also hate capper for alerting me to nonsense like this."--- "Capper, you really have a knack for this kind of writing. Really."-- "Crap. I agree with capper. Can Armageddon be far behind?"-- "capper is right. OMG, did I actually say that?"-- They have been dating for more than six years. And Kyle Sandilands, 45, and Imogen Anthony, 25, looked more loved-up than ever as they attended the Zambi Wildlife Retreat charity gala on Thursday evening. The pair were spotted cosying up at the event, which saw celebrities such as Guy Sebastian and Tim Dormer gather in support of animal rescue and rehabilitation. Loved-up! Kyle Sandilands, 45, and Imogen Anthony, 25, looked more loved-up than ever as they attended the Zambi Wildlife Retreat charity gala on Thursday evening Imogen was typically stylish at the black tie event in a floor length lace dress designed by Sarah Joseph Couture. The halter neck gown featured a triangular cut-out detail near the bust and finished with a patterned lace skirt which offered a glimpse of her endless pins. Imogen showed off her svelte physique in the stunning gown and opted not to wear any accessories. Smitten: The pair were spotted cosying up at the event, which saw celebrities such as Guy Sebastian and Tim Dormer gather in support of animal rescue and rehabilitation Chic: Imogen was typically stylish at the black tie event in a floor length lace dress designed by Sarah Joseph Couture Racy in lace! The halter neck gown featured a triangular cut-out detail near the bust and finished with a patterned lace skirt which offered a glimpse of her endless pins Her hair was pinned back in a messy bun and she wore lashings of mascara with a nude lip to finish the outfit. Meanwhile, Kyle looked dapper in a grey three-piece suit and black shirt with no tie. During the festivities, Guy Sebastian took the stage to perform an acoustic set. Effortless style: Her hair was pinned back in a messy bun and she wore lashings of mascara with a nude lip to finish the outfit Suited to boot! Meanwhile, Kyle looked dapper in a grey three-piece suit and black shirt with no tie A-list musical performance: During the festivities, Guy Sebastian took the stage to perform an acoustic set Taking to social media following the event, Imogen revealed that the couple donated $50,000 to the Zambi charity because it 'just felt right'. Imogen has long been an advocate for animal welfare, having recently appeared in an anti-fur campaign photo-shoot for People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The daring photo saw Imogen posing completely naked with 'blood' dripping down her bare derriere. Talent: He showcased his musical talent by accompanying himself on both the guitar and keyboard Reality star: Former Big Brother winner Tim Dormer attended the event in a yellow blazer and blue shirt 'Fur on the Australian runway is dated, unnecessary and cruel. Skinning animals alive so they can have a nice trim? Screw yourself and your label,' Imogen said in a statement released by PETA. Imogen and her beau of more than five-years, Kyle Sandilands, 44, own a property in Sydney's north with a plethora of animals. The pair regularly update their fans via social media of their growing farm, which already includes 11 chickens, three dogs, two ponies and a bull named T-bone. She recently delivered a powerful message on self-love and acceptance by stripping off on a New York subway. And Iskra Lawrence oozed confidence and glamour as she attended the YSL Beauty Club party in London on Thursday. Ensuring all eyes would be on her, the 26-year-old model opted for a vibrant scarlet gown that complemented her tanned complexion. Scroll down for video Radiant: She recently delivered a powerful message on self-love and acceptance. And Iskra Lawrence oozed confidence as she attended the YSL Beauty party in London on Thursday Cinching in at her slender waist, the satin garment flared out into a dramatic hem that flashed her lean legs. With her toned pins on display, Iskra added some more height to her frame with a pair of barely there black heels. Wearing her golden locks loose and tousled, she styled her glossy tresses in a centre parting, whilst she added some glitz with a pair of dazzling diamond earrings. Lady in red: Ensuring all eyes would be on her, the 26-year-old model opted for a vibrant scarlet gown that complemented her tanned complexion Iskra's outing came after she gave commuters a shock when she stripped down to her underwear on a New York subway train. The curvaceous beauty took off her dress to deliver a powerful speech about body shaming, leaving those close by not knowing quite where to look. And after the model had passionately implored them to 'celebrate difference', they gathered themselves long enough to break out in applause. Model moment: With her toned pins on display, Iskra added some more height to her frame with a pair of barely there black heels as she cuddled up to fellow model Sam Harwood In her speech, she told those around her she wanted to 'make herself vulnerable' to show how far she'd come on her 'journey' of self-acceptance. Calling her body a 'vessel', Iskra revealed how she grew up 'hating' herself because she didn't fit to the 'small standards of beauty' put on society by the media. After posting the video, she wrote: 'I strip down to share my voice and use my power to start a conversation about the relationship with ourselves and each other. Blonde bombshell: Wearing her golden locks loose and tousled, she added some glitz with a pair of dazzling diamond earrings whilst she cuddled up to boxer Ryan Barrett 'We all have our own unique power and sharing it with the world is something really special and hopefully the more we can listen and learn from each other we become more open minded and less judgmental.' She added: 'At the end of the day we are all one race, the human race and we are all equal.' The model has frequently used her high profile to talk openly about accepting different body sizes and the need for the fashion industry to stop using models that don't represent real women. She's a modern-day style icon. And Alexa Chung, 33, put her best fashion foot forward when she attended the Yves Saint Laurent Beauty Club party in London on Thursday. The designer wore a grey and green striped knit with a black PVC miniskirt and black tights. Scroll down for video Style icon: Alexa Chung, 33, put her best fashion foot forward when she attended the Yves Saint Laurent Beauty Club party in London on Thursday She covered up in a black trench coat to combat the bitter winter chill and she finished the ensemble with a pair of dainty black heels. Alexa's shoulder-length brunette tresses looked full of vitality as they fell from a middle parting. The fashionista emanated a healthy glow as she sauntered through the night with a slick of deep pink on her lips and eyeliner accentuating her blue eyes. Fashionista: The designer wore a grey and green striped knit with a black PVC miniskirt and black tights Gal pals: Alexa clutched a cold beverage as she posed with Elizabeth Jane Bishop Stepping out: She covered up in a black trench coat to combat the bitter winter chill and she finished the ensemble with a pair of dainty black heels She carried her essentials in a pale pink leather handbag as she made her way to the star-studded event, hosted by YSL Beauty and Victor Demarchelier. Other famous faces in attendance included Millie Mackintosh, Immy Waterhouse and Foxes. Former Made In Chelsea star Millie flaunted her slender limbs in an oversized shirt and thigh-high boots. Flashing her thighs: Former Made In Chelsea star Millie flaunted her slender limbs in an oversized shirt and thigh-high boots Striking: Foxes caught the eye in a distinctive one-piece Rock chic: Anais Gallagher rocked a leather jacket , baggy blue jeans and chunky platforms Eye-catching: Immy Waterhouse went braless in a dark blue robe dress Furry nice: Neelam Gill sported a faux fur coat over a black dress Sheer style: Clara Paget looked great in a billowing sheer gown Vibrant: Lady Kitty Spencer couldn't be missed in a colourful frilly dress She coordinated with a stylish black coat and flashed a coy smile as she made her way to the venue. Author and model Alexa formed a collaboration with Marks & Spencer earlier this year in a bid to revive dwindling sales and it seems she has the midas touch. The new Archive by Alexa collection, which recently went on sale, was dubbed a 'modern interpretation of archive pieces, fusing a rich heritage with contemporary style', and has been a resounding success. Most notably, the 89 black Briggate trench coat (as seen on Alexa during London Fashion Week in September) which sold out online in sizes 6 12 within the first day of it being on sale. The 27-piece womenswear promised to bring old pieces back to life for the new season using Alexas unique approach to style. Mix of styles: Caroline Wineberg combined PVC trousers with a distinctive high-neck top, while Poppy Jamie showed plenty of leg in a zip-up dress coat She's had a much publicised pregnancy since announcing her news in May. And Stephanie Davis continued to document this exciting time, as she took part in a photoshoot for her upcoming autobiography. The former Hollyoaks star, 23, looked ready to pop as she showed off her blossoming baby bump in the topless shoot. Scroll down for video Yummy mummy-to-be: Stephanie Davis continued to document this exciting time, as she took part in a topless photoshoot for her upcoming autobiography Proudly showcasing her eight-month bump, the actress posed in nothing but a pair of leggings for the raunchy shoot. Wearing her brunette locks loose around her face, she covered her bare chest as she posed expertly for the camera. And going for bold brows and natural make-up, Stephanie was sure capture her special moment to the fullest. Blooming! Proudly showcasing her eight-month bump, the actress posed in nothing but a pair of leggings for the raunchy shoot Au natural: Covering her bare bust with her brunette tresses and folded arm, she channeled Demi Moore Treat: She snacked on a Subway as she got her hair and make up done Classy: She later changed into a fitted black dress which was cinched in at the waist Later she added a cropped nude woolly jumper to her ensemble, showcasing her bump to its fullest. And she soon changed into a cream long sleeved dress with an elasticated side panel, adding a pair of ankle boots and tights to her wintry ensemble. Stephanie recently revealed she would like to film her birth. Documenting ever step: Stephanie recently revealed she would like to film her birth 'I'm definitely going to take it all on board and make the most of it', Stephanie recently revealed Her latest decision was sparked after a recent conversation with Jacqueline Jossa, who has 10-month-old daughter Ella with her partner Dan Osborne. Eastenders star Jacqueline reportedly assured her she'd be so enamoured with her bundle of joy, she'd be raring to have another one. Writing in her blog for Ok online, the Stephanie explained: 'I'm definitely going to take it all on board and make the most of it. I'm even thinking about filming it as it would be nice to have a personal memory to watch back when I want.' Covering up: Later she added a woolly crop top to her ensemble Glam crew: Stephanie ensured she was primped and preened for the shoot Happy: The mother-to-be looked in good spirits as she posed for the shoot Although she's not due to give birth for at least another month, the former Hollyoaks star is convinced her little one will come earlier than planned as he's already measuring bigger than he should be. She said: 'I had my latest growth scan in preparation and I can officially confirm by baby is all ready to go! On the growth chart he's already above the average line and we've still got weeks to go - he's going to be one healthy boy! 'I just can't wait to meet him now. They've booked me in for another appointment before Christmas to keep a close eye on us both.' 'I had my latest growth scan in preparation and I can officially confirm by baby is all ready to go!' she revealed recently A festive surprise? 'I just can't wait to meet him now. They've booked me in for another appointment before Christmas to keep a close eye on us both' Proud mama-to-be! The former Hollyoaks star is convinced her little one will come earlier than planned as he's already measuring bigger than he should be In August she confirmed she was expecting a baby boy, revealing to Ok! : 'I actually always thought I was having a boy. 'My mum, best friend, brother, aunt and two cousins came with me to the appointment. 'It's the weirdest and most amazing thing - even at this stage, our son looks just like Jeremy. He's got his skinny long legs and big ears.' Pucker up! She kept her hair in rollers as she prepared for the shoot Busy lady: Her autobiography is due out in June next year Bumping along nicely: Stephanie changed into a figure-hugging dress Wintry: She teamed the number with tights and ankle boots The actress will give birth to her first child in the new year after reportedly falling pregnant during a short lived romance with Irish model McConnell, who she met while appearing in Celebrity Big Brother. Despite furiously denying he had fathered her child, Jeremy previously did admit: 'If what is circulating is true, I'll always be responsible for my actions'. Stephanie said on Loose Women last week, that ex Jeremy had failed to make contact during her pregnancy. Ready to pop! The actress will give birth to her first child in the new year after reportedly falling pregnant during a short lived romance with Irish model McConnell Fling: She met Jeremy McConnell while appearing in Celebrity Big Brother Making memories: Going for bold brows and natural make-up, Stephanie was sure capture her special moment to the fullest They've been married for a blissful 22 years. And Annette Bening, 58, and Warren Beatty, 79, looked as loved-up as ever as they attended the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in California on Thursday. With Warren being honoured with the Kirk Douglas Award For Excellence In Film the Hollywood power couple seemed in good spirits as they cuddled up together on the red carpet. Scroll down for video Power couple: Annette Bening, 58, and Warren Beatty, 79, looked as loved-up as ever as they attended the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in California on Thursday Whilst the Oscar winner looked dapper in his tuxedo, Annette oozed glamour on the evening in a plum satin gown. Tracing her youthful figure, the dress was floor length but offered a glimpse at her silver sparkling heels. Keeping her accessories simple, the cropped blonde beauty donned a pair of delicate diamond earrings and a small black handbag. Three's company! With Warren being honoured with the Kirk Douglas Award For Excellence In Film the Hollywood power couple seemed in good spirits as they chatted with Carol Burnett Best dressed couple: Whilst the Oscar winner looked dapper in his tuxedo, Annette oozed glamour on the evening in a plum satin gown that complemented her tanned complexion Glam: Tracing her youthful figure, the dress was floor length but offered a glimpse at her silver sparkling heels whilst she donned a pair of delicate diamond earrings and a small handbag Warren and Annette married in 1992 and share four children: Stephen, 24, Benjamin, 22, Isabel, 19, and Ella, 16. He previously had a reputation as a playboy, and has been romantically-linked to a bevvy of beauties including Natalie Wood, Julie Christie, Barbra Streisand, Carly Simon, Stephanie Seymour, Janice Dickinson and even Madonna. The actor is so famous for his Don Juan ways that many said in real life he was much like his Lothario characters from Shampoo and he was guessed to be the man behind Carly Simon's hit song You're So Vain. Enjoying the show: The couple, who married in 1992, looked in good spirits as they watched the show whilst enjoying a few drinks in the audience But it all changed when he met Annette after he cast her in Bugsy, a movie about the mobster Bugsy Siegel who lived in Hollywood and created Las Vegas. Speaking to AARP The Magazine about their relationship, he said: 'I waited a long time to be married,' he said. 'When you dont get married until youre 54 well, as Arthur Miller said, It comes with the territory.' He added: 'I always knew I wanted to have children. I wanted to do it well, and I wanted to do it with someone who felt the same way.' Star-studded: The couple were joined by (L-R) SBIFF Director Roger Durling, Lily Collins, Don Cheadle and Bridgid Coulter as they posed on the red carpet Transgender model Andreja Pejic, 24, stunned on the red carpet of the Vlone by Nike dinner in Miami on Friday, while rocking a sheer black mesh dress. The blonde beauty flashed a peace sign with her hands as she posed in front of a marbled blue wall at the glamorous event. Casting a smouldering gaze at photographers, Andreja sizzled as she flaunted her taut torso and slender frame in the unique ensemble. Celebrity: Beautiful transgender model Andreja Pejic, 24, stunned on the red carpet of the Vlone by Nike dinner in Miami rocking a sheer black mesh dress on Friday The sheer garment included a black cropped top and short skirt which was covered by a mesh layer to showcase the 24-year-old's toned stomach. A blue backdrop highlighted her piercing blue eyes and her golden locks were worn loosely and straight for the occasion. She appeared to be wearing no makeup for the event, while her plump lips appeared to showcase a light pink hue. The natural beauty, known for her daring styles, paired the outfit with combat boots and a patent leather handbag which hung from her shoulder. Natural beauty: She appeared to be wearing no makeup for the event, while her plump lips appeared to showcase a light pink hue Accessorise: The natural beauty, known for her daring styles, paired the outfit with combat boots and a patent leather handbag which hung from her shoulder Baby blues: Her blue eyes were highlighted by the blue backdrop and her golden locks were out and straight for the occasion Andreja was joined by her model friend Alina Baikova, who she appeared topless with at a beach in Miami last week. Alina pouted her red lips and had her long chocolate brown hair out and straight for the event. The cherub-faced model wore a shimmering dusty pink top with long sleeves and carried a creme coloured clutch which matched with her heels. Alina and Andreja made headlines on Thursday when they appeared topless at a Miami beach. Cheers: Andreja enjoyed a glass of champagne at the event as she mingled with other guests Dinner date: Alina pouted her lips which had a slick of red lipstick on them and had her long chocolate brown hair out and straight for the event Best friends: The cherub-faced model (L) wore a shimmering dusty pink top with long sleeves and carried a creme coloured clutch which matched with her heels as she posed with Andreja Alina posted a picture from the beach side outing and wrote: 'We see you too Miami.' Born in Bosnia, Andreja moved to Melbourne, Australia at eight years of age after her family was granted political asylum. The blonde beauty was discovered while working at McDonald's aged 16. Her androgynous look quickly won over the fashion world and she modelled for a string of big names such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Marc Jacobs and Vogue. She's the quirky Bachelor star whose charisma landed her a gig as a radio host. And true to form, Heather Maltman stole the show at Magnum & Co's 11th Birthday Party in Sydney on Friday. The brunette beauty looked effortlessly chic in a pair of high-waisted navy shorts which highlighted her bronzed legs. True to form! Heather Maltman stole the show at Magnum & Co's 11th Birthday Party in Sydney on Friday On top, the 30-year-old sported a silk scarf-print tangerine vest which featured a crew neck. She completed her look with a pair of red wedges, while accessorising with a thick metallic bangle. Her recently tinted brunette tresses were parted at the side and left to fall effortlessly over her slender shoulders. New gig: The former reality star recently landed her own breakfast show on Queensland's Sea FM Heather took to Instagram on Thursday to thank Pantene for her new look, while poking an obligatory bit of fun at herself. 'So it's official. The look has happened. @panteneanz you may have made the look be all sexy... but I bring the weirdness.' Meanwhile, the former reality star recently landed her own breakfast show on Queensland's Sea FM. 'I'm looking forward to getting back home': The Queensland native's new radio show will be based in her home town She will host the program alongside former NRL player Ben Hannant and radio personality Dan Anstey. 'I'm looking forward to getting back home,' the Queensland native said in a statement. She added: 'I'm really excited about giving the girls on the Gold Coast the opportunity to have a voice - it's not just about my story and my views but theirs as well.' Heather, who is an ambassador for White Ribbon Australia, supports various charities aimed at eradicating domestic violence. She's got it all! Heather is an ambassador for White Ribbon Australia and also supports various charities aimed at eradicating domestic violence Following her stint on The Bachelor last year, she went on to co-host the Channel Ten show Watch I'm A CelebrityGet Me Out Of Here NOW! She's also continued to pursue her acting career, and recently starred in David Mamet's stage play Oleanna. The brunette beauty recently revealed to Daily Mail Australia she is still single, but wasn't ready to 'jump on every penis' that comes her way. 'Don't get me wrong, if the right guy came along... You've got to be open to all possibilities,' the 30-year-old stunner said. She previously hit back at Internet trolls who accused her of being anorexic last year. And Australian model Bridget Malcolm, 25, has again slammed accusations about her weight, firmly telling The Daily Telegraph this week that she 'dosn't have an eating disorder.' The blonde beauty often promotes her healthy lifestyle across social media and said the online abuse stems from a 'lack of education and respect.' 'I don't have an eating disorder': Victoria Secret's model Bridget Malcolm has slammed internet trolls AGAIN after she was body shamed last year for being too skinny 'I do not have an eating disorder or a suit of armour,' she explained to the publication on Saturday. 'Eating disorders are a mental disorder and a horrific thing for people and their loved ones to go through. 'There's a whole world out there beyond your screen. Go fill your short time on this earth seeing it,' she added. 'I have worked hard to look like this and am proud of my body,' the model wrote last year The Perth-born model explained that a model's job is like that of an athlete's - in that being health-conscious and taking good care of their bodies is part of her job. Speaking to Stellar magazine recently the blonde vegan spoke candidly about her experience with 'body shamers.' 'Whether it's fat or skinny-shaming, it's such a superfluous thing to do to someone,' said the Seafolly model. 'Eating disorders are a mental disorder and a horrific thing for people and their loved ones to go through,' said Bridget to The Daily Telegraph on Saturday She made headlines last year after responding to social media trolls who claimed she had an eating disorder. 'Can we STOP with the skinny shaming please?' she wrote at the time. 'I am extremely fit and healthy and am not in the slightest way anorexic.' 'It's so irrelevant to who they are as a person': The 24-year-old Victoria's Secret model spoke candidly about the experience in an interview with Stellar magazine on Sunday She explained: 'I have worked hard to look like this and am proud of my body. 'I may not be the curviest but I am a woman who has every right to look the way I do. 'Maybe today take a look inside yourself and wonder why you feel the need to shame strangers over the Internet about their bodies.' Bridget previously spoke to Daily Mail Australia about trolls, saying: ' I know that those people are hurting inside and I hope that they find some happiness really.' Her latest film Passengers is a sci-fi thriller set in space. And Jennifer Lawrence, 26, looked out of this world when she attended a photocall for the film at Hotel Adlon in Berlin on Friday. The Hollywood star showed off her cleavage in stunning black and white polka dot co-ords as well as a peak at her toned tum. Smouldering: Jennifer Lawrence, 26, looked out of this world when she attended a photocall for Passengers at Hotel Adlon in Berlin on Friday Her cropped bandeau top had a small cutout section to draw attention to her chest, while the elasticated high-waisted skirt emphasised her tiny middle. She wore her long golden tresses in waves from a middle parting and decorated her eyes with thick eyeliner and smokey shadow. Jennifer was joined by her co-star Chris Pratt, 37, who looked dapper in an all-black ensemble. The pair stood side by side in front of the promo board and traded friendly glances. Blonde beauty: She wore her long golden tresses in waves from a middle parting and decorated her eyes with thick eyeliner and smokey shadow Looking good: The eye-catching outfit showcased the star's slender shape Dotty about fashion: Her cropped bandeau top had a small cutout section to draw attention to her chest, while the elasticated high-waisted skirt emphasised her tiny middle Stunning: The actress smiled brightly for the cameras as she stood with her hands on her hips, showing off a dazzling ring from Randall Scott Fine Jewelry Meanwhile, Jennifer recently admitted her Hunger Games leading men were the most unlucky when it came to her preparations for the scenes. 'When I had to kiss Josh (Hutcherson) and Liam (Hemsworth) in The Hunger Games I was like, "Who cares?" and I'd eat mustard and tuna,' she told Graham Norton during an appearance on this Friday's show. 'And then I did American Hustle with Christian Bale and I was like, "Oh damn," and I was really clean and ate lots and lots of mints.' Out of this world: Jennifer accessorised with a solitary ring Screen stars: She was joined at the photocall by her co-star Chris Pratt Dapper: Chris dressed in a smart all-black ensemble On the promo trail: The pair stood side by side in front of the promo board and traded friendly glances And as for Chris, he was one of the luckier co-stars. 'With Pratt I definitely ate mints!' she added. The duo play two people who wake up 90 years too soon from an induced hibernation on board a spaceship bound for a new planet. And due to Jennifer's reluctance to perform stunts, Chris was handed the majority of the action tasks in the flick. Mustard and tuna: Jennifer told Graham Norton on Friay that her Hunger Games co-stars fared worst when it came to her preparation for kissing scenes She wore black velvet: Jennifer sported a black jacket over a matching outfit with white trim Cheeky: Jennifer pranked her co-stars including Josh Hutcherson in The Hunger Games, with her pre-kissing scene diet Faring better: Christian Bale in the romantic scenes with Jennifer in American Hustle 'As soon as I wrapped Hunger Games I was done with stunts,' admitted Jennifer, who looked striking in a black velvet jacket with white trim over a matching outfit. 'I didn't want to do any more, I didn't like it. I complained so much they said, "So we guess it will be mainly Chris doing all the action."' Chris's career has gone from strength to strength since he appeared in hit action film Guardians Of The Galaxy two years ago. Co-stars: Jennifer says she ate mints for kissing scenes with Chris Pratt who also appeared on the talk show But life wasn't always so easy, with the 37-year-old once stripping for money during his days as a struggling actor. 'If you need $40 and you get $40 it is a success! It never got "uninnocent" he recalled to Graham. 'I did it three or four times and then decided I would do an audition for a strip club but there was one of the dancers sleeping in his car waiting for the club to open,' he said. 'And I just felt a darkness that it was about to turn from a funny anecdote that I could tell on The Graham Norton Show one day to me being that guy.' Success story: Life wasn't always so easy for Chris Pratt with the 37-year-old once stripping for money during his days as a struggling actor Book lover: Jamie Oliver discussed how much he loved the Hunger Games tomes The Parks & Recreation star filmed much of the sci-fi dramedy in London, which gave him mixed feelings about British food. 'In America we are a melting pot, we've great Italian restaurants, great Japanese restaurants and Indian food but it's never "Let's go get British tonight," he said. 'You're good at the drinking, which I love. Your food is basically just to coat your stomach so the ale and whiskey have a place to live!' he added. Jamie Oliver was on hand for more food discussion, specifically his Christmas cookbook which he described as 'the best book I've ever written.' Stars of the show: Will.i.am discussed the prospect of relocating to the UK for good Eclectic mix: Gragham Norton is joined on Friday by Will.i.am, Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Jamie Oliver and Emeli Sande Asked why he dedicated it to his grandmother he said, 'My earliest memory of Christmas is her reaching for the Brussels sprouts and her cracker hat catching fire on a candle, in turn her blue rinse caught fire and she was a human candle. 'I remember thinking my dad was beating her up but he was actually putting out the flames. Once he had finally put her out we carried on eating dinner and I thought, "That's Christmas!"' However, the father of five who welcomed new baby River Rocket earlier this year, said he was not going to be hosting Christmas day at his house. 'I have hosted it for about a decade and the family has got bigger and bigger,' he said. 'This year it was going to be about 30-40 people but I've had a fifth child and worked hard all year so I have called it off. 'It went down pretty well with some people but not so well with others!' Having a break: Jamie will not be hosting Christmas day for 50 family members at his house Perhaps it's not surprising he wants to take a break from cooking for the masses after sustaining a rather intimate injury while cooking a Valentine's dinner for his wife Jools. 'I was cooking naked at home while preparing a whole sea bass and I had a new, fan-assisted oven and when I opened the door a jet of hot steam attacked my manhood,' he recalled. 'It was a weird thing in life the worst and best time in my life. Worst because the pain was so bad but best because my private parts expanded!' Apologising to his teenage children for recounting the story, he added, 'Sadly it didn't turn out to be the romantic night I had planned. I ended up sitting with some frozen Green Giant (corn) on my old fella!' Comfortable clothing: Wil.i.am appeared on the show sporting an eclectic white outfit and trademark hat Musical interlude: Emeli Sande performed on the show sporting a black ensemble Jamie also found himself the subject of some controversy earlier this year when he was blasted by Spanish chefs for including chorizo and chicken in his paella. 'They went medieval on me,' he exclaimed. 'It got very dark I got death threats because of a bit of sausage! Everything I did that month was over taken by chorizo. FYI, it tastes better with chorizo!' With his recipe books bestsellers, Jamie is now the best-selling non fiction writer of all time, although his school days weren't such a success. 'I wasn't very academic and because I was dyslexic I was in the special needs class which wasn't great for my confidence,' he said. More recently, he was inspired to read after watching The Hunger Games films. 'I loved it so much and just couldn't wait for the next film so I bought the book. Reading those was a big deal for me,' he said. She is known for her incredible figure and to-die-for wardrobe of designer garbs. And Jennifer Hawkins, 32, didn't disappoint fans this Thursday when she took to Instagram with a photo of herself posing in a backless slip dress by Australian brand Daniel Avakian. Wearing her hair loosely in tousled waves and posing with her hands resting on the banister of a indoor staircase, the former Miss Universe peeked at the camera playfully from behind one shoulder. In the caption, the bronzed beauty wrote: 'Sometimes you just have to just follow your intuition!' before tagging her own tanning brand Jbronze. Slinky in silk! Jennifer Hawkins, 32, didn't disappoint fans this Thursday when she took to Instagram with a photo of herself posing in a backless slip dress by Australian brand Daniel Avakian A day earlier, the statuesque blonde shared another photo of herself clad in pink, this time holding a vibrant bunch of pastel peonies. Obscuring her head behind the bouquet for the photo, Jennifer wrote: 'I tried to make my hair look decent for this shot-nope. I can't get over these peonies. They smell so damn good.' She also shared a short video of herself twirling with the bouquet, captioning it simply with: 'Look at these peonies!! Wow.' Flower power! A day earlier, the statuesque blonde shared another photo of herself clad in pink, this time holding a vibrant bunch of pastel peonies Despite her fashionable display, the Sesion Tequila co-creator recently admitted that she prefers dressing casually. 'I love being in some really casual clothes having time to just hang out with Jake and family,' she told Yahoo. The blonde added: 'It's not necessarily about having expensive things around me because that doesn't really fulfill.' Blooming beautiful! She also shared a short video of herself twirling with the bouquet, captioning it simply with: 'Look at these peonies!! Wow' Jennifer shot to fame in 2004 after being crowned Miss Universe. Since then, the Australia's Next Top Model host has gone on to create a growing business empire for herself and husband Jake Wall, having launched her own line of fake tanners, swimming costumes and tequila. The leggy model has also signed on as the face of brands like Mount Franklin, Range Rover, Covergirl, and Lux. 50 Cent was not surprised by Kanye West's breakdown. The 41-year-old weighed in on the latest drama on Thursday night's Watch What Happens Live. In a segment called 50's Two Cents, he was asked his opinion on a number of celeb headlines, including his fellow rapper's hospitalization earlier in the week. 'You could kind of see that coming': 50 Cent weighed in on Kanye West's breakdown on Thursday night's Watch What Happens Live 'Oof! That was interesting 'cause I kind of like, felt you could kind of see that coming,' he said. 'In pieces, it was like, little outbursts.' He surmised that Kim Kardashain's robbery in Paris the month before played a big role in it. 'I think that was a part of Kanye's breakdown,' he opined. However Fiddy - whose real name is Curtis Jackson - was quick to defend Kanye against claims he faked the whole thing just to win an insurance payout for his cancelled concerts. Called it: 'Oof! That was interesting 'cause I kind of like, felt you could kind of see that coming,' he said. 'In pieces, it was like, little outbursts.' Opinion: In a segment called 50's Two Cents, he was asked his opinion on a number of celeb headlines, including his fellow rapper's hospitalization earlier in the week 'Nooo!' he insisted. 'He could have just went to work.' 50 was also asked about his Warning (Remix) collaborator Mariah Carey's split from billionaire fiance James Packer. 'He said she was too expensive, he knew what he was getting into,' he laughed. Ordeal: Guesting with Leah Remini, he surmised that Kim Kardashain's robbery in Paris the month before played a big role in it 'He could have just went to work': However Fiddy - whose real name is Curtis Jackson - was quick to defend Kanye against claims he faked the whole thing just to win an insurance payout for his cancelled concerts Mariah is seeking a reported 'inconvenience fee' of $50million dollars from the Australian investor. But 50 pointed out they 'still need to settle the friendship' adding he should pay her 'a few million dollars because she stopped doing what was on the schedule.' The G-Unit staple did admit however he did not see Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's split coming. 'Where does Brad go now?' he wondered. She recently headed back to her native Australia for the ARIA Awards. And there was no slowing down for Kylie Minogue as she stopped off in Paris on Friday. Beaming broadly, the pintsized popstar, 48, looked effortlessly chic as she enjoyed a stroll through the French capital. Scroll down for video Always on the move: She recently headed back to her native Australia for the ARIA Awards. And there was no slowing down for Kylie Minogue as she stopped off in Paris on Friday Wrapping up, the Wow hitmaker donned a brown boucle coat that featured a funnel neck. Adding some height to her famously petite frame, she donned a pair of heeled red boots whilst she slipped her slim pins into skinny jeans. She finished off the look with a pair of pink circular shades, whilst her golden locks were pulled back into a bun. Blonde beauty: Beaming broadly, the pintsized popstar, 48, looked effortlessly chic as she enjoyed a stroll through the French capital in a brown boucle coat Kylie was not accompanied by her fiance Joshua Sasse, who she joined on stage at the ARIA's last month. Speaking at the ceremony, she said: 'We are here to introduce a shining light in there Australian music industry, but we are also here to say thank you to everyone who supported Josh's campaign for equality. Joshua - who is spearheading the campaign for same-sex marriage to be legalised in Australia - continued: 'Thank you. Sweetheart. This is more than just a movement.' Leggy lady! Adding some height to her famously petite frame, she donned a pair of heeled red boots whilst she slipped her slim pins into skinny jeans 'This is people's lives, and we want to say to every single member of the LGBT community - you are not alone.' He added: 'You have a voice. If we all stand together, we can bring Australia back on the right side of history and make 2017 the year that we all say, "I do", Down Under.' The couple, who got engaged in February, have vowed not to get married until same-sex marriage is legalised in Australia. The lifestyle of an A-lister may be enviable, but it is also rather exhausting. And Halle Berry looked ready for bed as she jetted home to Los Angeles on the red eye from New York. The Oscar-winner was pictured making her arrival into chilly California in the early hours of Friday. Scroll down for video Berry ready for bed! Halle looks tired as she arrives home in Los Angeles on red eye flight early Friday morning While her travelling outfit was the perfect mix of fashionable and practical, it looked as if the leather-clad star would rather be wearing a pair of flannel PJs. Halle had jumped straight onboard after attending a fancy Revlon party in the Big Apple the previous evening. For the bash, in aid of the make-up brand's annual charity giveaway, Halle sizzled in a slinky metallic gown. Homeward bound: Halle is seen carrying her luggage as she departs from LAX Mom's the word: While she does have a New York base, Halle was no doubt keen to be at home in LA when her two young children woke up to start their day The 50-year-old wore her brown locks loose and tousled, the same style she sported on her return to LA a few hours later. After five hours onboard Halle looked a little less polished when she made her arrival back home. While she does have a New York base, Halle was no doubt keen to be at home in LA when her two young children woke up to start their day. She is mother to daughter Nahla, eight, and son Maceo, three. The night before: On Thursday Halle attended the Revlon 'Love is on' Million Dollar Challenge event in New York She'd spent the day braving freezing temperatures in a tiny gold dress for her latest promotional appearance. But Jessica Wright was dressed a little more appropriately for the winter weather as she enjoyed a spot of pampering in London on Thursday night. The former TOWIE star, 31, wrapped up warm in a chic camel wool coat and a glitzy cream and gold sequin jumper as she left 10 Harley Street after a skin treatment with cosmetic doctor Dr Tijion Esho. Scroll down for video Elegant: Jessica Wright wrapped up warm in a chic camel wool coat and a glitzy cream and gold sequin jumper as she enjoyed a spot of pampering in London on Thursday night Injecting a touch more glamour to her elegant look with a pair of towering nude patent heels, the TV personality showcased her slim legs in skintight black skinny jeans. Jessica toted her belongings in a monogram Louis Vuitton handbag and wore her long, dark hair extensions in glossy Hollywood waves. The reality star completed her look with dramatic make-up and a slick of deep berry lip-gloss as she enjoyed her evening out in the capital. Earlier in the day, Jessica braved the winter chill at an al fresco photo call for Manuka Doctor at the Hilton at Tower of London hotel on Thursday morning. Winter warmer: The former TOWIE star, 31, showcased her slim legs in skintight black skinny jeans as she left 10 Harley Street after a skin treatment with cosmetic doctor Dr Tijion Esho The star slipped into a metallic mustard-coloured slip dress for the party, in which she was flogging a new range of skin care for the brand. Jessica appeared to ignore the plummeting temperatures in the UK as she sported her barely-there slip dress which shimmered in the winter sun. Ever the professional, the former pop star looked as though she could not feel the near-frozen temperatures while showing off her endless legs and toned arms. Her surgically-enhanced assets appeared to heave beneath the silk material of the dress - causing the front hem to rise up slightly. Feeling the chill? Earlier in the day, Jessica braved the winter chill at an al fresco photo call for Manuka Doctor at the Hilton at Tower of London hotel on Thursday morning Sexy look: The 31-year-old former TOWIE star slipped into a metallic mustard-coloured slip dress for the party, in which she was flogging a new range of skin care for the brand Boosting her already statuesque height, Jessica wore a pair of strappy gold heels which tied into the dazzling overall feel of the look. Ensuring the ensemble was totally tied together, she wore a structured gold necklace alongside a chunky designer watch. Her lustrous brunette tresses were worn in bouncy waves which cascaded over her shoulder while perfectly framing her pretty face. Jessica kept her make-up fresh faced, with lashings of highlighter emphasising her flawless bone structure while fluttering lashes widened her eyes. What cold? Ever the professional, the former pop star looked as though she could not feel the near-frozen temperatures while showing off her endless legs and toned arms Launch pad: Clutching on to a mass of balloons, her stunning good looks made her the perfect advertisement for the product, where the Manuka Doctor is launching the Manuka Honey and Purified Bee Venom skincare range Clutching on to a mass of balloons, her stunning good looks made her the perfect advertisement for the product, where the Manuka Doctor is launching the Manuka Honey and Purified Bee Venom skincare range. While Jessica naturally looks stunning, in an exclusive chat with MailOnline, she recently revealed she has hang-ups over her body - particularly her bust. During her heyday on TOWIE, Jessica showed her journey to breast augmentation surgery onscreen including asking her mum Carol, late grandmother Nanny Pat and brother Mark for advice ahead of the enhancement. Designer diva: Ensuring the look was totally tied together, she wore a structured gold necklace alongside a chunky designer watch Regrets: While Jessica naturally looks stunning, in an exclusive chat with MailOnline, she recently revealed she has hang-ups over her body - particularly her bust Once she recovered from the operation she was seen stripping off to display her enhanced assets to her family - a move she admits she regrets. Speaking of her most loved and less adored body parts, she said: 'I've got long legs so that's good and always helps. But my least favourite would be my big boobs, they're too big. 'They went too big when I had my boob job and I've been back to two surgeons to get a reduction and they've both said: "You've got great boobs, don't change them" but I just think they're too big. 'I was happy with them at first but I was younger - times have changed and fashion has changed With series two of Fuller House premiering on Netflix next Friday, Candace Cameron Bure's leapt onto the promotional wagon. This Thursday, the 40-year-old shared a throwback Instagram photo of her all dressed up to attend her senior prom. Her date was Scott Weinger, who played her character DJ's boyfriend Steve on the original sitcom Full House. 'Yup, this really did happen': Candace Cameron Bure uploaded a throwback Instagram photo of Scott Weinger taking her to her senior prom The two of them held each other, she in a long black dress and he in a tuxedo. In a sweet touch, her corsage mismatched his boutonniere. '#TBT to my real life senior prom with @scottweinger,' the The View co-hostess began her caption. 'Yup, this really did happen (Awwwww.)' Plugging hard, she went on: 'Should DJ and Steve be together or is this ancient history? #TeamSteve #TeamMatt The drama continues on season 2 of #FullerHouse coming to @netflix December 9!! Who's ready?' Art imitates life: On a 1993 episode of the ABC sitcom Full House, Weinger's character Steve took the The View co-hostess' character DJ to her senior prom Full House enjoyed its initial eight-series run on ABC from 1987 to 1995. After a 21-year break, the reboot Fuller House arrived on Netflix this February. Steve doesn't turn up until the fifth series of Full House, and is the first boy that DJ - then a schoolgirl - seriously dates. On a 1993 episode of the sixth series, as in life, Steve takes DJ to her senior prom. During the seventh series, their romance splinters. Will she pick him...?: The two remain potential romantic partners on the Netflix reboot series Fuller House, the second series of which is out December 9th Between Houses Full and Fuller, DJ becomes a veterinarian and marries a firefighter called Tommy Fuller, who then perishes on the job. By the end of the first series of Fuller House, she's found herself torn romantically between Steve and Matt, a dashing colleague of hers played by John Brotherton. In September, Bure dished to Hollywood Life: 'Theres still a lot of relationship issues with Steve and Matt, but she does choose someone this season.' As Deadline reported in April, Brotherton has been upped from a recurring cast member to a series regular. Lest fans consider that tip a conclusive sign of DJ's pick, Deadline reported the same news about Weinger the following month. She was recently voted off Strictly Come Dancing with partner Greg Rutherford, dashing their hopes of scooping the glittering trophy. And things seemed to take an even worse turn for Natalie Lowe since she was caught allegedly parking in a disabled bay in North London on Friday. The Sydney-born dancing professional, 36, raised eyebrows as she returned to her car laden with bags after reportedly parking in the spot for more than three hours. Scroll down for video Naughty: Natalie Lowe, 36, was caught allegedly parking in a disabled bay in North London on Friday The star eventually returning to her car, no doubt following a gruelling workout session. The blonde beauty looked flawless and glowing as she appeared to go make-up free, scraping her hair back into a tousled topknot. Looking worlds away from the polished glamour of Strictly, the dancer looked casual in a simple blue hoodie and mint-green vest top, and flaunted her enviably toned limbs in skintight Nike leggings. Natalie had her arms full with a grey leather holdall, a tan coat and a Starbucks paper bag, which she later chucked in the boot of her white car. MailOnline has contacted a representative of Natalie for comment. Casual: The blonde beauty looked flawless and glowing as she appeared to go make-up free, scraping her hair back into a tousled topknot Controversial: The star reportedly parked in the spot for more than three hours, before eventually returning to it, no doubt following a gruelling workout session Relaxed: Looking worlds away from the polished glamour of Strictly, the dancer looked casual in a simple blue hoodie and mint-green vest top The appearance comes after Natalie and Greg Rutherford said goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing two week ago, as he became the ninth celebrity to be voted off the competition. It quickly became a battle of the Olympians during the results show, which took place at the famous Blackpool ballroom, as the 30-year-old long jumper was pitched against fellow athlete and gymnast Claudia Fragapane in the dreaded dance-off. Despite dazzling with a toe-tapping Quickstep on Saturday night, the athlete found himself second from the bottom of the leader board. Arm candy: Natalie had her arms full with a grey leather holdall, a tan coat and a Starbucks paper bag Low-key: The Sydney-born dancing professional flaunted her enviably toned limbs in skintight Nike leggings as she returned to her car laden with bags Walking away: She appeared to be in a hurry as she chucked her bags in the boot of her white car Raising eyebrows: The blonde beauty appeared to park in the spot which had a sign above it that read 'blue badge holders only within marked disabled bays' However the viewers' vote had not been enough to save him either, landing him and partner Natalie in the bottom two for the second week in a row, alongside gymnast Claudia Fragapane and partner AJ Pritchard. Both couples then took to the Blackpool floor once again in a bid to remain in the competition - but it was Claudia's jive which ultimately impressed, securing a clean sweep of votes from the judges. Talking to Tess about his Strictly experience, Greg gushed: 'It's been one of the most of incredible things in my life. Not a care in the world: Natalie had no doubt been for a gym session judging by her relaxed sportswear Svelte physique: The dancing partner of athlete Greg Rutherford showed off her trim figure in workout gear Bad timing: Her parking debacle comes after she and dancing partner Greg were voted off Strictly Come Dancing two weeks ago I've been very lucky in my life and I've done some amazing things but this is truly one of the best things I've done,' before bringing blonde beauty Natalie in for a cuddle and adding: 'I've much such a good friend here.' Natalie had nothing but praise for her redheaded partner in return, emotionally telling him: 'You are an amazing man. 'You've never had any dance experience and you got out there and you've just shown the world that you can dance.' Emotional: Talking to Tess about his Strictly experience after being voted off, Greg gushed: 'It's been one of the most of incredible things in my life' 'Honestly this has been the most incredible experience of my life performing and dancing every Saturday night with you; I wouldn't have changed it for the world. Sorry I couldn't get you any further.' Despite being disappointed by the prospect of leaving, Greg also waved goodbye to the competition with a sense of pride after reaching the annual Blackpool milestone. Taking to the famous ballroom floor on Saturday night, the gold medalist matched his highest score so far of 32 with his bouncing Quickstep to Hand Jive by Cha Na Na. Better than a gold medal? Greg added on the experience: 'I've been very lucky in my life and I've done some amazing things but this is truly one of the best things I've done He won over the nation with his questionable moves and now-infamous Gangnam Style routine on Strictly Come Dancing. And it seems the dancing spirit never left Ed Balls, who couldn't resist throwing some shapes on the red carpet at the Women in Film and Television Awards in London on Tuesday evening. The 49-year-old former MP, who was booted off the BBC One show last Sunday, looked dapper in a black suit as he busted a move at the awards at the lavish Hilton Park Lane. Scroll down for video Bust a move! Ed Balls, 49, seemed to be in the Strictly Come Dancing spirit, despite being voted off last week, at the Women in Film and Television Awards in London on Tuesday The politician gave his smart two-piece a festive edge with a red tie and a blue shirt at the awards. Despite leaving Strictly Come Dancing, he appeared to be in high spirits as he beamed widely for the cameras. Ed was also joined by BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg, who won the BBC News and Factual Award. Dapper: The politician gave his smart two-piece a festive edge with a red tie and a blue shirt at the awards All smiles: Despite leaving Strictly Come Dancing, he appeared to be in high spirits as he beamed widely for the cameras Meanwhile Ed broke the nation's hearts as he finally left Strictly Come Dancing last Sunday. Finding himself in the bottom two, the former MP, 49, saw his Tango fail to ignite the judges panel as he and professional partner Katya Jones went crashing out of the competition. David Cameron led the A-list Twitter tribute as Ed's golden run came to an end, after he ran out steam when it came to the dance-off against Judge Rinder. Cameron Tweeted: 'Well done @edballs- we're very proud of you! #Strictly won't be the same without you.' Presenter Melvin Odoom added: '@edballs you're a LEGEND...that is all', while Chris Evans penned: 'Honestly, I actually thought Ed Balls dance in the dance off this week was a better all round performance than JR. #riped'. Keeping good company: Ed was also joined by BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg, who won the BBC News and Factual Award In good spirits: Laura beamed as she held her prize with Ed at the awards Meanwhile Piers Morgan claimed Ed was the 'most popular politician in Britain' and suggested he should even run for leader of the Labour Party. With the Cha Cha Challenge failing to win both Ed and Judge Rinder (Robert Rinder) point enough to climb out of the bottom two, the two celebrities faced off against each other in the tenth dance-off of the series. As his fate was sealed, Ed took the news on the chin, saying: If people watching have had half the fun Ive had learning to dance with Katya then they must have had a complete blast because its been such a fabulous thing. The judges, all the supporters, the make-up team, the wardrobe, in particular that band are the best in the world. Its just wonderful.' Out of luck: On Sunday night Ed Balls' golden run on Strictly Come Dancing came to an end as he ran out steam when it came to the dance-off against Judge Rinder Putting on a brave face: The politician smiled as he embraced a beaming Katya He added: But above all the only reason we have been able to learn and to entertain is because of Katya, and its her first series. She is going to go on to be a total dynamite, knock-out Strictly star, she is just the best there is. Absolutely amazing. He added: She is utterly brilliant. And to all the people who have kept me in this long, thank you very much Im very grateful, Ive had a wonderful time. Eds professional partner, responded in kind, saying: There is so much I would like to say to you. I absolutely love this man, its my first series and I couldnt have wished for better. Gone! Asked for their decision, the judges didnt pull any punches with all of the panel opting to save Judge Rinder and Oksana She's usually known for her kooky sartorial displays. Yet, Helena Bonham Carter was sure to turn heads as she stepped out in style while shooting a scene for her latest flick Ocean's 8 with Oscar winner Anne Hathaway on Friday. The 50-year-old actress put on a glamorous display in a chic all-black look that fell stylishly below her knees in New York. Scroll down for video Glam gal: Helena Bonham Carter was sure to turn heads as she stepped out in style while shooting a scene for her latest flick Ocean's 8 with Oscar winner Anne Hathaway on Frida Wrapping up for the chilly December day, the revered film star's elegant Breakfast At Tiffany's inspired number oozed gothic vibes with lace detail accented across it's cap sleeve. Helena was sure to add her own fashion flair as she donned a pair of elbow-length sultry leather gloves in the Big Apple, working a touch of Victorian style with her chic black overcoat and pom pom detailed scarf. Adding inches to her petite frame, she slipped on a high ankle boot as she teetered to and from set carrying her leather handbag in warmth inducing hand. Helena worked her newly blonde locks into a high-ponytail, styling her tresses into a tight bouncy curl, reminiscent of Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Want To Have Fun. Gothic vibes: The 50-year-old actress put on a glamorous display in a chic all-black look that fell stylishly below her knees A-list cast: Helena filmed a scene with co-star Anne Hathaway Meanwhile, the British star was joined by co-star Anne Hathaway filming the all-female reboot of the popular movie franchise in a knock-out purple dress and matching coat. The 34-year-old actress' hair was styled to perfection and she turned heads as she strutted around in high heels. Hathaway will also star alongside Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Sarah Paulson, Rihanna, Mindy Kaling and rapper Awkwafina, who will take over the roles previously played by the likes of George Clooney and Brad Pitt. Va va voom: Anne was spotted on the set of Ocean's 8 in New York on Friday in a stylish purple outfit Although the plot has been kept under wraps, it has been reported that the film will see the girl gang plot a heist at the Met Gala. It is Anne's first film since she welcomed her first child, Jonathan, into the world in March. She headed back to the gym around September and was enjoying getting back to 'feeling strong'. She told People magazine at the time: 'I've started to work out - I love that feeling, I love feeling strong. I find that my workouts are really different now because I gave birth. Back to work: The 34-year-old gave birth to her first child, Jonathan, in March 'I had been trying to fit into my jeans and it just wasn't happening, then I stopped trying - and the other day, they fit. I'm not gonna lie, that felt pretty good.' Anne has been candid about her positive attitude about her post-baby body. She explained: 'I think shape is an ongoing thing in everybody's life. So, I'm not trying to recapture something that was. I'm going with what it is now. 'Some things I guess are the same as they were, and other things are a little bit different. I'm just so proud of what the changes signify. So, there's no rush to do anything. I'm so happy being here. 'I find that my workout is really different now because I gave birth. I feel like doing burpees now after having a baby is zero big deal.' She's blonde, she's beautiful, and she makes girls all over the world smile. Amy Schumer has landed the lead role in the upcoming Barbie movie, Deadline reported. Sony's live action film based on the beloved Mattel toy is due out in 2018. Barbie girl: Amy Schumer will play Barbie in Sony's live action film According to the site, the film will be a 'fish out of water' story in the mould of Splash of Big. It is set in Barbieland, a world inhabited by the many different version of the doll - more than 180 - whose names, personalities and professions are defined by the particular outfit they wear. However Schumer's Barbie - who isn't 'perfect enough, is a bit eccentric and doesnt quite fit the mould' - is an outcast. She then goes on an adventure in the real world, before returning to save her hometown, armed with the knowledge that real beauty is on the inside, and the key to happiness is freeing oneself from an unattainable standard of perfection. Legend: In her 57 years, more than one billion Barbies have been sold worldwide, cementing her place as a pop culture icon The site claimed the film had gone through many writers and incarnations, before a funny female empowerment plot caught Schumer's eye and she signed on. In her 57 years, more than one billion Barbies have been sold worldwide, cementing her place as a pop culture icon. And while her ability to take on literally any career in the world has been lauded, her impossible proportions have long been viewed as conveying an unrealistic body image to young girls. Indeed her original measurements scaled to human size are a 36 inch chest, 18 inch waist and 33 inch hips. Mutant: A graph compiled by mental health treatment site Rehabs.com in 2013 claimed a full size barbie would not be able to hold her head up and would have to walk on all fours, in addition to only having a fraction of her intestines and liver. In fact a graph compiled by mental health treatment site Rehabs.com in 2013 claimed a life-size barbie would not be able to hold her head up and would have to walk on all fours, in addition to only having a fraction of her intestines and liver. However recent incarnations of the doll have been given more realistic proportions; and parent company Mattel are clearly happy with the self-critical storyline as they have signed off on it. Barbie's film will not be the first based on a toy: Hasbro has enjoyed massive success with its Transformers franchise, while GI Joe more than doubled its $300million budget. More than meets the eye: Barbie's film will not be the first based on a toy: Hasbro has enjoyed massive success with its Transformers franchise, while GI Joe more than doubled its $300million budget. However, Hasbro's 'girlie' effort Jem And The Holograms was something of a flop. Mattel actually brought its toy line - He-Man - to the big screen 20 years before Hasbro did in 1987, but it was a commercial failure. A reboot has been in development hell for decades, with Twilight star Kellan Lutz the most recent name attached to the Most Powerful Man in the Universe. Like any busy star, Lady Gaga decided to take care of some unruly nose hair while in-between promotional events in London. Gaga gave her fans an extreme close-up of the procedure on Friday, sharing a Snapchat of one of her team waxing her nostril. 'I don't really know what's happening this week but everybody has really long nose hairs.' the 30-year-old songstress explained to the camera. Scroll down for video Letting rip: Lady Gaga had her nose hair waxed on Friday in-between promotional appearances in London 'Ow! You f***ing b****!' Gaga exclaimed before adding 'I love you,' The songstress is currently in London after performing at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Paris on Wednesday. The star, who is currently promoting her latest album, Joanne, tweeted on Thursday morning that it had been an honour for her to perform. 'Ow!' Gaga gave fans an extreme close-up while she had the procedure done by an assistant She wrote: 'These girls show tremendous vulnerability and strength entertaining the world in this show. Was proud to be there just to cheer them on.' During the show she pulled off not one but five costume changes as she performed including a rose-embellished gown and glittering black jumpsuit. Meanwhile, the star has been throwing herself into work after her relationship with Taylor Kinney ended this summer after five years together as a couple. The singer had an assistant yank out the wax from her nose and shouted 'Ow! You f***ing b****!' before adding 'I love you,' Globe-trotting: Gaga is in London after performing at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Paris on Wednesday night The singer shared some behind the scenes shots from the VS show including this one with model Rachel Hilbert In a new interview post-split, the pop star candidly talked about love and relationships on CBS Sunday Morning. 'I think women love very hard. We just love with everything we have. And sometimes I don't know that that love is met with the type of dignity that we wish it would be met with,' Gaga told news correspondent Lee Cowan. Without ever mentioning Kinney's name, the six-time Grammy winner continued, 'We're not trying to make you less of a man. We just want you to love us as deeply and as wholesomely and as fully as we love you.' 'More backstage fun' The Joanne hitmaker captioned this snap of her in her bra Correspondents note: This Dec. 7th marks the 75th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and Americas entry into World War II. Among the 85,000 U.S. service men and women on Oahu Island on Dec. 7, 1941, were a number of service men from Butler County. To observe the occasion, we suspend the regular Front Page Files format in order to offer this tribute regarding the Butler County connection to the Day of Infamy. The devastation from Japan's surprise attack included 18 U.S. Navy ships that were sunk or damaged, and 188 U.S. aircraft destroyed. More than 3,000 U.S. Navy, Marine and Army personnel were killed or wounded, as were a number of civilians. Two service men originally from Butler County are known to have been killed at Pearl Harbor. On that Dec. 7th, the war quickly ended for U.S. Marine Private Jack Lunsford from David City and U.S. Navy Chief Machinist Mate Ed Durkee from Bellwood. Both were killed while either aboard or near the Navy ships bombed or torpedoed in the Harbor. Lunsford, who was 20 at the time, is considered David Citys first service fatality in World War II. He was the youngest of eight children of Mr. and Mrs. J.A. Lunsford, and a 1939 David City High School graduate. He had enlisted in the Marine Corps in October 1940. To keep his memory alive, Lunsford was adopted in 1946 as the name of the Veterans of Foreign War post here. It has since been known as Lunsford Post No. 5814. Durkee, the son of Ed Durkee of Bellwood (his mother died during World War I), was 34 years old when killed at Pearl Harbor. He had three sisters and a brother. A career Navy man stationed at Long Beach, Calif., Durkee had enlisted in 1926. He and his wife had twin sons who were 10 months old that December. Durkee never saw them, having shipped out shortly before they were born. Other service personnel with connections to the county survived the attack. As veterans, some later returned to this area to establish careers and families. Others moved on. On Dec. 7, 1991, on the occasion of events sponsored by the David City American Legion and VFW posts to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, a number of veterans from Butler County were acknowledged as having been Pearl Harbor survivors. The list included Ted Divis, Dwaine Moore, Charles Pesek, Jim Powers, Anthony Reisdorff and Albert Warren. On the 50th anniversary, only Pesek, from Brainard, and Warren, from David City, were reported to still be living. Both have since died. An interview with Pesek regarding his experiences at Pearl Harbor originally appeared in the Banner-Press for Dec. 6, 1984. His story is perhaps typical of service personnel from Butler County who were at Pearl Harbor. Pesek, who grew up near Loma, enlisted in the U.S. Marines in 1926 and served for 21 years. He was a 39-year-old platoon sergeant at the time of Pearl Harbor. His military service prior to World War II included helping to put down a rebellion in Nicaragua in 1927 and serving as a U.S. embassy guard in China in the late 1930s. By early 1941, Pesek was in Cuba. Orders came in October for his outfit to report to Wake Island in the west-central Pacific to reinforce the garrison there. It was an unexpected layover of his ship for provisions and repairs that put Pesek in Hawaii during the first week of December. His outfit then stayed in a tent city about a mile from the Navys supply yard. On Sunday morning, Dec. 7, Pesek said he woke early and had breakfast at the mess hall. He then returned to his tent to read a newspaper. It was about 7:50 a.m. Hawaiian Time. The first thing I saw when I opened the paper was a headline with big four-inch letters which said FDR Says No War,' Pesek recalled. (FDR refers to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.) Pesek soon heard the sound of aircraft outside. He ignored it since he thought it was only commercial planes taking off near-by. Then another Marine came in and said, "Hey Sarge, you better come out. Somethings going on,' Pesek said. Just then three or four planes roared overhead. They had the big red bullseye (Japans Rising Sun symbol) on them. We called it 'the meatball, Pesek said. By then explosions were heard and smoke was seen coming from the direction of the harbor and airplane hangers. The Japanese did not attack near Pesek's position, but instead concentrated on the American ships and planes around the harbor area. Each plane had a ship to hit. They knew what they were doing, Pesek said. His outfit was ordered to go to the bases supply yard and remove ammunition from the warehouses in case the buildings caught on fire. The facility was once targeted by a Japanese bomb, but it missed. After the attack, Pesek went to the Harbor and saw the smoldering wreckage of such battleships as the Oklahoma, the Virginia and the Pennsylvania. The Arizona was just the turrets and stacks sticking out of the water, Pesek said. No one wanted to believe it could happen, said Pesek about going to war against Japan. Pesek initially thought it would take a long time for U.S. forces to recover from the crippling strike. However, eight days later, his command loaded aboard a ship and left Hawaii on Dec. 15. By then their destination had been changed to Midway Island since Wake Island had been captured by the Japanese. During the war, Pesek served in locations that included the New Hebrides Islands, New Zealand, Guadalcanal Island and the Upper Solomon Islands. Pesek returned stateside in 1944 and concluded his Marine career as a master sergeant in Barstow, Calif. He and his wife, Frances, moved to Brainard in 1947 where Pesek worked as a self-employed carpenter and plumber. They had two children, Tom and Susan. Pesek always remembered the irony of reading that newspaper headline on Dec. 7, 1941. It said FDR Says No War and they (the Japanese) were on their way already, Pesek said. Pesek died Aug. 23, 1998, at age 96. Even though the passage of time has greatly thinned the ranks of Pearl Harbor survivors, a few local connections to the attack still remain. An ad in the Nov. 24 issue of the Banner-Press stated that Walter Barcel of Wahoo, who will be 96 years old on Dec. 11, is a Pearl Harbor survivor. He formerly managed the Hinky Dinky store in David City. As a personal note, this correspondents uncle, the late Anthony Reisdorff, was at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. He originally served in the Army and later went on to a service career in the U.S. Air Force. When asked, Uncle Anthony always declined to talk about his experiences at Pearl Harbor, wanting not to recall the death and carnage that he witnessed on a date that will live in infamy. Winter, such as it is in Los Angeles, has finally cooled the morning temperature down to a chilly 55 degrees Fahrenheit despite the bright sunshine. But Jennifer Garner looked cosy in a heavy knitted sweater when she took her two girls to school near their home in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of the city on Friday. The 44-year-old teamed the cream, high neck garment with stone-washed jeans and sneakers. Scroll down for video It's a bit nippy: Jennifer Garner layered up in a heavy sweater as she took her two girls to school near their home in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles on Friday morning The actress clipped her long brunette hair back off her face and covered her eyes with shades as she carried seven-year-old Seraphina's rucksack for her. Both Seraphina and her 10-year-old sister Violet wore their school uniforms of dark skirts and jackets with white blouses. But Seraphina opted for an extra layer of warmth, adding blue leggings to her look. Stepping out: Seraphina, seven, and her sister Violet, 10, wore their school uniforms of dark skirts and jackets with white blouses while Seraphina added blue leggings for warmth The Dallas Buyers Club star walked the girls to the school door, chatting to another mum she met on the way. There was no sign of four-year-old Sam, who may have been back home with his actor dad, Ben Affleck. He and Jennifer have been estranged for 16 months but the amicable exes have yet to file for divorce and Ben, 44, still lives in the family home. Casual style: The smiling 44-year-old also wore stone-washed skinny jeans and sneakers Gossip with a gal pal: The actress chatted to a friend as they walked back to their cars A source told People last week that 'Jen and Ben spent Thanksgiving Day together with the kids at home,' adding that her parents joined the fun. 'They cooked and seemed to have a great time.' Although the actress has denied reconciliation rumors, the Batman v Superman actor is 'making a big effort to spend as much time with their kids as possible,' according to the source. 'Its almost like they are back to being the family they were a few years ago.' December's begun, and even bikini models in California are bundling up to face it. Charlotte McKinney was spotted on Thursday strolling about Santa Monica in a voluminous knit jumper. The 23-year-old had slipped into a pair of dark grey leggings that emphasised her impressively toned legs. Sun-soaked: Charlotte McKinney was spotted on Thursday stepping out in Santa Monica She complemented her bottoms with a pair of charcoal UGG boots and a black leather purse she held in her left hand. The Orlando native's blonde hair was tied up and trammelled into a messy high ponytail, and she'd perched tortoiseshell butterfly sunglasses onto her face. She appeared to be chatting away into a mobile set to speakerphone as she trod about a car park in the seaside Los Angeles enclave. Augmentation: The 23-year-old accessorised with a pair of tortoiseshell glasses and a stylish black leather purse That night, her hair was in a similar do, but she'd swapped out the day-wear for a black cocktail dress, leather stiletto boots and a leather jacket. Clutching the same purse she'd carried earlier in the day, she was seen heading into the 1920s-themed supper club Delilah in West Hollywood for an evening out. Though principally known for modelling, McKinney's done a bit of acting as well, and will play a currently unspecified role in the forthcoming Baywatch film. When you got it: She'd slipped into a pair of charcoal leggings that tightened about her impressively toned legs Dwayne Johnson and Kelly Rohrbach will star as the lifeguard characters played in the original programme by David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson, respectively. Not only will Zac Efron co-star as a character originated by David Charvet, but Anderson and Hasselhoff will themselves put in appearances. Baywatch will open in British cinemas on the 12th of next May, and it'll take another week for the film to cross stateside. Grim milestone as Chicago murders surpass 700 The number of murders in Chicago topped 700 for the first time in almost two decades, the US city's police department said Thursday. With a month to go in 2016, the number of killings, almost all involving guns, is now more than 50 percent higher than last year and stands at 701 -- the most since 704 murders took place in 1998. There are more murders in the nation's third largest city than in the two largest (Los Angeles and New York) combined. Chicago plans to hire nearly 1,000 additional police officers over the next two years to bolster its force and help combat the rise in crime Joshua Lott (Getty/AFP/File) "The levels of violence we have seen this year in some of our communities is absolutely unacceptable," the city's police chief Eddie Johnson said in a statement. Law enforcement officials say much of the violence is related to the drug trade, illegal guns and gang battles. "Gangs and criminal elements appear to be more emboldened than in years past," police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told AFP earlier this month. There have been 3,315 shooting incidents in the city so far, police said, 316 of them in November alone. The city is awash in illegally obtained guns, which is a major contributor to the problem, Guglielmi said. "Most cities are seeing a lot more guns being seized. Gun arrests are up," he said. City and state officials are attempting to change laws to crack down on gun offenders and make sure they serve longer sentences. The increase in bloodshed has come at a time of increased scrutiny for the Chicago Police Department, which is under a federal civil rights investigation for its treatment of African Americans. Relations with majority-black communities are strained, especially after the release late last year of a video showing a white police officer fatally shooting black teenager Laquan McDonald 16 times, even after he had fallen to the ground. The video of the 2014 shooting -- which was withheld from the public at first -- shocked the city and the nation, and led to murder charges against officer Jason Van Dyke, who shot McDonald. The police chief moved to fire seven other officers involved in allegedly covering up Van Dyke's actions. Their cases are still under investigation. Chicago police "will use every tool available to hold violent offenders accountable and will continue to work strategically to address crime and uphold its commitment to rebuild public trust," Johnson said. Great Barrier Reef 'not dying', Australia insists The Great Barrier Reef is "not dying", Australia insisted Friday as it updated UNESCO on efforts to protect the natural wonder while scientists blasted a lack of urgency in dealing with climate change. Canberra last year narrowly avoided the UN body putting the site on its endangered list and was ordered to report to the World Heritage committee by December 1 on its "Reef 2050" rescue plan. The giant ecosystem -- a major tourist attraction -- is under pressure from farming run-off, development, the crown-of-thorns starfish and climate change, which led to its worst-ever bleaching event this year that devastated swathes of coral. A undated handout photo from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies shows researcher Grace Frank completing bleaching surveys along the Great Barrier Reef off Northern Queensland following a bleaching event Tory CHASE (ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies./AFP) In the report, the government said 32 of the plan's 151 actions to improve the reef had been achieved. Another 103 were under way, four were delayed, and 12 were not yet due. "When we came to government we inherited a reef on UNESCO's endangered watch list," Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg told Sky News. "We've done everything possible since that time to put in place a plan, to invest huge amounts of resources to improve water quality, to work with the farming community to tackle the crown-of-thorns starfish and to preserve this natural wonder of the world. "We have to put the facts on the table," he added. "The reef is not dead, it's not dying, it's resilient, it's healthy and we've made great strides forward in the last few years." The government has committed more than Aus$2.0 billion (US$1.5 billion) to protect the reef over the next decade with the update highlighting progress on land management practices to prevent sediment run off, which helps spawn the coral-eating starfish. It also pointed to a ban on sea-based disposal of dredge material in the area and restrictions on new port developments. But the rescue plan included no new funding or commitments to tackle climate change despite acknowledging this was the reef's biggest threat. This year's bleaching, due to warming sea temperatures, killed two-thirds of shallow-water corals in the north of the 2,300-kilometre (1,400-mile) long reef, although central and southern areas escaped with less damage. - 'Not credible' - The update said Canberra was acting on global warming through the United Nations talks that led to the recent Paris climate deal, but scientists said it was not enough to rein in Australia's carbon pollution. "Funding water quality efforts on the reef while failing to do anything about climate change is a bit like fixing a window while the house is on fire, said Tim Flannery from the independent Climate Council. "Im not even sure you can call a plan that includes no new funding and no new actions on climate change a plan -- its simply a re-announcement of old commitments. Greenpeace Australia was equally scathing, saying it was unacceptable that while recognising the impact of global warming on the reef the government "then completely fails to do anything about it". "This plan does not even consider a significant reduction in carbon emissions so is simply not credible," said reef campaigner Shani Tager. "If the government was serious about protecting the Great Barrier Reef, a ban on new coal mines would have been the first point in its report to UNESCO." Frydenberg said the government was committed to tackling global warming and recently ratified the Paris agreement, the world's first universal climate pact, which came into force in early November. "We've adopted targets that are 26 to 28 percent reduction of our emissions by 2030 on our 2005 levels. On a per capita basis, that's more than 50 percent," he said. "We are doing a lot of things in a lot of areas and the reef is strong." International push aims to protect endangered heritage Representatives from dozens of countries gathered in Abu Dhabi on Friday to focus on setting up a $100-million fund to protect and restore heritage sites threatened by extremism and conflict. The two-day conference reflects growing international alarm over the destruction of ancient artefacts by Islamic State group jihadists using sledgehammers, bulldozers and explosives. Another key aim is to establish "refuge zones" around the globe for endangered works of art, according to organisers. SAFIN HAMED (AFP) There were calls Friday by its Emirati, French and UN initiators for joint action to safeguard endangered cultural treasures. "To succeed, we need to work together... united for heritage," UNESCO director Irina Bokova told participants. Protecting heritage "is inseparable from protecting human life", she said, describing its deliberate destruction as a "war crime". On the eve of the meeting, five Nobel prize winners appealed for urgent action to safeguard world heritage sites, pointing to irreparable damage in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Mali. "Part of our history has been lost forever, with the goal of fanaticism being to undermine our hope for the future," said the statement from Aung San Suu Kyi, Kofi Annan, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Orhan Pamuk and Mario Vargas Llosa. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization says 55 out of a total of 1,052 global heritage sites are listed as "World Heritage in Danger". They include the Crac des Chevaliers castle and the ruins of Palmyra in Syria, the archaeological remains of the Bamiyan Valley in Afghanistan, the Old City of Sanaa in Yemen, and Timbuktu in Mali. The conference aims to create "a broad coalition of partners connecting the dots between the security, humanitarian and cultural issues with so many organisations and governments" taking part, said Bokova. Delegates from around 40 countries, including more than a dozen heads of state or government, among them several Gulf monarchs, are attending the gathering, based on an initiative led by France and the United Arab Emirates. French President Francois Hollande and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, whose countries will be key contributors to the fund, will make closing speeches on Saturday. - 'Refuge zones' - Former French culture minister Jack Lang, head of the Paris-based Institut du Monde Arabe, said the forum "will launch concrete action" such as the creation of a fund to help cover the cost of transporting, safeguarding and restoring affected monuments. France will contribute $30 million to the fund, Lang has said. It will be formed as an "independent legal entity", according to a preparatory document that says it will probably be established in Geneva from 2017. The conference opened as Swiss authorities announced they had seized cultural relics looted from Palmyra, Libya and Yemen, that were being stored in Geneva's free ports. They were deposited at the free ports in 2009 and 2010, before the outbreak of the Arab Spring revolts, Geneva prosecutors said. The other key aim of the Abu Dhabi conference is to establish the refuge zones. The proposed partnership would include governments, public institutions, private groups, non-governmental organisations and experts. "UNESCO will play a critical role to guide and to advise and to monitor where exactly the needs are the most," Bokova told AFP, adding that the conference was a "good start". A French official described the initiative as the "cultural counterpart" of the international military and political war on terrorism. Hollande, who has called for "asylum rights for artefacts", last month announced that a safekeeping facility is to open in northern France in 2019. In addition to housing the Louvre Museum's stored collection, it could also be a refuge for endangered artworks. France is expected to make the proposal during the Abu Dhabi conference. The Louvre Abu Dhabi, whose delayed opening is now expected in 2017, "could also become a refuge zone" for threatened artefacts, a French official said. Louvre Museum director Jean-Luc Martinez warned during a panel discussion that extremists are exploiting media as a propaganda tool for their "deliberate destruction of heritage". Heavy security as opposition takes Banjul in Gambia vote Security forces deployed heavily in Banjul Friday as counting got under way after a tense election, with early results showing Gambian President Yahya Jammeh had lost ground in the capital, his traditional stronghold. Counting was slow and there was still little indication of the eventual winner of an election marked by an ongoing internet blackout in the small west African nation. However, opposition leader Adama Barrow scored a symbolic victory in the capital Banjul, highlighting the strong challenge posed to Jammeh, who is standing for a fifth term. Counting has begun after Gambia elections with little indication of the eventual winner of the contest marked by an ongoing internet blackout in the small west African nation MARCO LONGARI (AFP) Barrow took nearly 50 percent of the vote in Banjul's three constituencies, according to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). Jammeh had 43 percent while third party candidate Mama Kandeh took 7.6 percent, the IEC said. Nationwide, less than 15 percent of the ballots had been counted from the almost 890,000 registered voters. Before dawn broke, military and police, some covering their faces, set up checkpoints every few hundred metres on the outskirts of the capital, while citizens were inside sleeping or watching the results come in. - 'Generally peaceful conditions' - Both Barrow and Jammeh said on Thursday they had won by a huge margin. "Power belongs to the people. You cannot stop us and you cannot stop them," Barrow said. Jammeh, who once said he would govern for a billion years if God willed it, predicted "the biggest landslide in the history of my elections." The United States said turnout appeared to be high and that the vote took place in "generally peaceful conditions", while the IEC hailed "a very successful election." The US State Department and Human Rights Watch voiced concern however over a blanket cut to internet and international phone calls, as well as claims of voter intimidation. "The government's communications cutoff and threatened protest ban are only likely to increase tensions between the government and opposition groups," said Babatunde Olugboji from Human Rights Watch. At his final campaign rally, Jammeh warned that protests over the election result would not be tolerated, saying The Gambia "does not allow" demonstrations. Information Minister Sheriff Bojang said Thursday the shutdown was to stop the spread of "false information" over the results, and described it as a "security measure". There was a brief resumption of service around 5:00am (0500 GMT), but diplomats believe the shutdown could last until Sunday. The opposition has relied on messaging applications and texts to organise rallies and move around roadblocks set up in Banjul during the last week of campaigning. The winner in the three-way race will serve a five-year term in the tiny former British colony with pristine beaches that occupies a narrow sliver of land surrounded by French-speaking Senegal. Jammeh is running for a fifth term with his ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC). He faces previously unknown businessman Barrow, chosen as the opposition flag bearer by a group of political parties who have joined forces for the first time and won unprecedented popular support. Third candidate Kandeh is popular among The Gambia's Fula people and is a former ruling party MP running for the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC). All three men are 51, born in 1965, the year The Gambia won independence from Britain. If Barrow were to win -- a tall order both in terms of votes and the likelihood of Jammeh giving up power -- he would likely decide to serve a three-year term at the head of a transition reform government. - Borders closed - No professional international observers were on the ground for the vote, diplomats confirmed, but a small team of African Union experts monitored events along with Banjul-based US and European delegations already present in the country. A Senegalese security source confirmed to AFP in Dakar that The Gambia had closed the borders on Thursday, a common occurrence during elections in west Africa. Jammeh seized power in a 1994 coup and has survived multiple attempts to remove him from the presidency. Activists reject Myanmar's new Rohingya rights abuse body A new body set up by Myanmar's government to investigate allegations of rights abuses against Rohingya in Rakhine lacks credibility, activists said Friday, as former UN chief Kofi Annan began a visit to the troubled state. Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has faced a growing international backlash for failing to probe claims the army is carrying out ethnic cleansing of the Muslim minority. But rights groups rejected the new 13-member commission as toothless, noting it includes no Muslims and is led by Vice President Myint Swe, a retired army general formerly blacklisted by the United States. Ethnic Rohingya Muslim refugees in Kuala Lumpur protest against the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar MANAN VATSYAYANA (AFP/File) A close ally of former junta leader Than Shwe, Myint Swe was head of special operations in Yangon when the military government ordered a bloody crackdown on the monk-led protests of the Saffron Revolution in 2007. "We've got little faith in another homegrown commission, particularly if it's headed by a military man," said Matthew Smith, chief executive of Fortify Rights. "This new commission won't be capable of conducting a credible human rights investigation, and it certainly lacks independence. The time for an independent international investigation is now." Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch in Asia, said the new commission "doesn't look like it's independent or impartial". Suu Kyi's office said the new commission would investigate the raids on police border posts on October 9 that sparked the deadly military lockdown as well as "international accusations" of army abuses. It is the second body created by Suu Kyi to try to heal the religious divide that has split Rakhine state since deadly sectarian unrest killed more than 100 people in 2012. In August she appointed fellow Nobel laureate Annan to head a separate body, which Buddhist nationalists have bitterly denounced as foreign meddling. Oo Hla Saw, a senior politician from the Arakan National Party, said "the new commission will do nothing different". "I don't have much hope for it," he told AFP. Privately some Muslim leaders in Myanmar also said they were concerned their voices would not be represented, but asked not to be quoted for fear of reprisals. More than 10,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh in recent weeks, the United Nations said on Wednesday, fleeing a bloody army crackdown in the north of Rakhine state. Arrivals in Bangladesh have told AFP horrifying stories of gang rape, torture and murder at the hands of Myanmar's security forces. Myanmar has denied allegations of abuse, but has also banned foreign journalists and independent investigators from accessing the area. On Friday, former UN chief Annan was greeted by protesters holding signs reading "Ban the Kofi Annan commission" as he touched down in Sittwe airport on his first trip to Rakhine since the crisis erupted. Holed-up Cambodian opposition leader pardoned by king A Cambodian opposition leader who has spent months holed up in his party headquarters in a bid to avoid arrest was pardoned by the king on Friday, breaking a lengthy political stalemate. Kem Sokha, the acting head of Cambodia's biggest opposition group, has refused to leave the headquarters of the Cambodia National Rescue Party since late May over a prosecution he says is politically motivated. He was sentenced to five months in jail in September for refusing to appear in court over an investigation into an alleged mistress of his. Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha speaks to supporters at a meeting at the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) headquarters in Phnom Penh on October 7, 2016 Tang Chhin Sothy (AFP/File) Cambodia has been ruled for more than three decades by strongman premier Hun Sen, who critics and rights groups say has used the courts to jail opponents or tie them up in debilitating legal cases. But on Friday the palace published a pardon from King Norodom Sihamoni. A government spokesman said Hun Sen had requested a royal pardon for his political opponent after Kem Sokha wrote a letter admitting guilt. "It's originally because Mr. Sokha acknowledged his wrong doing. He confessed," Sok Eysan, a spokesman for Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party, told AFP. The CNRP said Kem Sokha had written a letter for "national reconciliation" but did not say whether he had made an admission of guilt. Spokesman Yem Ponhearith told AFP no deal had been made for the pardon. Hun Sen has loomed over Cambodian politics for three decades, steering the impoverished nation out of the ashes of civil war. But opposition groups have gained ground amid growing disillusionment over endemic corruption, rights abuses and political repression. The CNRP accuses Hun Sen of denying it a majority by rigging the 2013 election in his favour, a charge the premier denies. The party's top leader Sam Rainsy has spent nearly one year in self-imposed exile to avoid arrest warrants he claims are politically-motivated while a number of senior opposition senators have been jailed. The CNRP say Hun Sen has been trying to hamstring them ahead of 2018 elections. But recent weeks have suggested a thaw in relations. Last month opposition politicians ended a six-month boycott of parliament with one lawmaker describing the move as "a gesture to show that we want a resolution". Independent political analyst Virak Ou said it was "quite common" for Cambodian political crises to be resolved with behind the scene deals, adding the move will be "a relief for the general public as well as the investors". Gambia's shock presidential victor hails new era Opposition candidate Adama Barrow hailed a "new Gambia" after he pulled off a stunning presidential election victory, putting an end to the 22-year rule of Yahya Jammeh. Jammeh -- who has been frequently accused over the years of suppressing his opponents -- conceded defeat on television, accepting that Gambians had "decided that I should take the backseat". Official results earlier showed Barrow, a businessman and political unknown until six months ago, comfortably winning Thursday's poll with 45.54 percent, capping a remarkable rise to prominence. A man waves a Gambian flag while he celebrates the victory of Gambia's opposition candidate Adama Barrow during the Presidential Elections on December 2, 2016, in Serekunda, Banjul MARCO LONGARI (AFP) Jammeh took 212,099 votes (36.66 percent) and third party candidate Mama Kandeh 102,969 votes (17.80 percent), the Independent Electoral Commission said. Gambians took to the streets to celebrate the biggest upset in the west African nation since Jammeh seized power in a 1994 coup. In Westfield, a district near the capital, teenagers piled on top of cars, taking selfies and strumming guitars, while others waved flags coloured the grey of the opposition coalition. In his first comments afterward, Barrow acknowledged the nation's huge shift. "It's time for work. It's a new Gambia," he said. Barrow was chosen as the opposition flag bearer by a group of political parties who joined forces for the first time and won unprecedented popular support. Turnout was around 65 percent. Speaking to the public on Gambian television, Jammeh congratulated Barrow for his "clear victory", adding: "I wish him all the best and I wish all Gambians the best." Jammeh, who once said he would govern for a billion years if God willed it, was attempting to win a fifth term, but said the result was a decision from the divine that he would respect. "I will never cheat or dispute the election because this is the most transparent, rig-proof elections in the whole world," he added, referring to The Gambia's unique system of voting with marbles dropped into coloured drums. Barrow will now serve a three-year term at the head of a transition reform government in the tiny ex-British colony that occupies a narrow sliver of land surrounded by French-speaking Senegal. Jammeh has 60 days to leave office, according to the Gambian constitution. - Internet blackout - The election was marked by an internet blackout that sparked condemnation from rights groups and the United States. Security forces had deployed heavily in Banjul earlier Friday amid nervousness over whether Jammeh would accept defeat, but by the end of the day the officers were shaking hands with Barrow supporters. "Never before has power changed hands (in The Gambia) through the ballot box," said US State Department Spokesman John Kirby, acknowledging the stunning result. "We encourage all Gambians to respect the election results and the government of Gambia to respect the rights of citizens to freely assemble as they respond to the results." In a separate statement, the White House hailed Jammeh's "respect for the will of the Gambian people". "The United States congratulates the people of The Gambia on a peaceful and democratic presidential election that has the potential to mark a new beginning for all Gambians," National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon sent his congratulations to Barrow and commended Jammeh's message to the president-elect. - 'Emancipation day' - At his final campaign rally, Jammeh had warned that protests over the election result would not be tolerated, saying The Gambia "does not allow" demonstrations. Many of those on the streets Friday hailed a new era for freedoms curtailed under Jammeh, and hoped political prisoners would be released. "It is a stunning day... emancipation day for Gambians. We have had 22 years of illegal arrests and suppression from Yahya Jammeh," said Maya Darboe, whose husband, head of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP), was jailed in July for attending a protest. The regional body ECOWAS, the UN and the African Union all hailed a "free, fair and transparent presidential election", and Jammeh for "gracefully conceding defeat". There were no international observers present for the election, which passed off smoothly with a diplomatic team overseeing some limited monitoring. A Senegalese security source confirmed to AFP in Dakar that The Gambia had closed its borders for the election, a common occurrence during elections in west Africa. Jammeh's tenure was marked by his surviving multiple attempts to remove him from the presidency. Some 60 percent of the population live in poverty in The Gambia, and a third survive on $1.25 (1.20 euro) or less a day, according to the UN. Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh (centre) leaves a polling booth in Banjul on December 1, 2016 MARCO LONGARI (AFP) Gambian opposition leader Adama Barrow greets supporters on November 29, 2016 MARCO LONGARI (AFP/File) Adama Barrow Gillian HANDYSIDE (AFP) Hong Kong launches legal bid against four pro-democracy lawmakers The Hong Kong government launched a legal bid to unseat four elected pro-democracy lawmakers Friday sparking accusations from the opposition camp that they are being subjected to a witch hunt. It comes as concerns grow that Beijing is stepping up interference in the semi-autonomous city's politics after two lawmakers advocating a complete split from China were banned from taking up their seats in parliament for failing to take their oaths properly. Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching deliberately misread their oaths of office, inserted expletives and draped themselves with "Hong Kong is not China" flags during a swearing-in ceremony in October. Pro-independence Hong Kong lawmakers Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching have lost their appeal against a ban preventing them from taking up their seats in parliament Anthony WALLACE (AFP) They were banned from office by the city's High Court following a special "interpretation" of the city's constitution by Beijing that effectively prevented them from taking up their seats because of the way they took their oaths. They lost an appeal against the court decision Wednesday. The government is now challenging a group of more moderate pro-democracy legislators over their oath-taking, including the city's youngest ever legislator Nathan Law. The four are not stridently pro-independence, but Law and teacher Lau Siu-lai have advocated self-determination for Hong Kong. Law and Lau made their names as part of Hong Kong's mass pro-democracy "Umbrella Movement" rallies in 2014. Both were part of a new wave of rebel lawmakers voted in to the legislature in September in citywide polls. The government said in a statement late Friday that it had asked the court to declare the offices of the four lawmakers vacant. "The government stressed that the commencement of the...proceedings was a purely legal and enforcement decision and did not include any political considerations," the statement said. Law hit out at the government's move saying it was "a blow to all democratic forces". "All democrats will stand firm together defending the dignity of all voters," he added. Pro-democracy lawmakers protested outside government headquarters with a banner saying the city's pro-Beijing leader is "staging a coup and declaring a war on voters". Hong Kong is semi-autonomous after being handed back to China by Britain in 1997 but there are fears that its liberties are disappearing. Frustration among young campaigners over a lack of political reform has fuelled a new movement advocating independence and self-determination for the city. The oath of office requires lawmakers to repeatedly describe Hong Kong as a "special administrative region of China". Law quoted Gandhi before taking the oath, saying: "You will never imprison my mind", and used intonation to make his pledge sound like a question. Of the other three named by the government, Lau read her pledge at a snail's pace. Veteran anti-China lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung, known as "Long Hair" raised a yellow umbrella -- symbol of the democracy movement -- during his swearing in. Lawmaker Edward Yiu added lines to his oath, saying he would "fight for general universal suffrage". However all were officially sworn to the legislature, unlike Yau and Baggio who never successfully took their oaths. COLUMBUS After more than a decade serving those with mental illness and substance abuse issues, Catholic Charities is closing its residential treatment facility in Columbus. John Griffith, president of Catholic Charities of the Omaha Archdiocese, said the board decided in August to create a transition plan so other providers have a chance to fill the void. The board struggled with the decision and it took many months to work through, said Griffith. Weve been in this business for many years. We had a strong reputation and dedicated staff and have been very blessed to be able to touch a lot of lives. The decision is part of a broader shift by Catholic Charities away from programs that receive government funding. Griffith said the reimbursement rate from government agencies has not kept pace with the cost of care, particularly with the added expenses to meet federal regulations and recruit medical professionals in Nebraska. In addition to the Columbus location, which is part of the Columbus Family Resource Center at 3020 18th St., two residential facilities in Omaha are being transferred to other providers. Catholic Charities also provides outpatient care in Omaha, which will continue into next year. Griffith contacted the Nebraska Behavioral Health offices in Kearney (Region III) and Norfolk (Region IV) so they could find replacement providers. Platte County is in Region IV, but borders Region III, so the local facility provided services to both areas. We didnt want to just close these programs and exit, said Griffith. We wanted to work with authorities and find other providers. Region IV administrator Ingrid Gansebom put out a request for proposals and two providers were selected The Link and Women's Empowering Life Line, residential treatment centers that serve both men and women in Norfolk. Outpatient services are still available locally through East Central District Health Department and Colegrove Counseling Center. Gansebom confirmed that once Catholic Charities ends its service, there will be no inpatient facility for mental health and substance abuse treatment in Columbus. Catholic Charities is in the process of discharging patients or helping them transfer to other treatment centers. Nine patients are currently being treated at the facility, and Griffith said the transition is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Don Heimes, facilities manager at the Columbus Family Resource Center, where the treatment facility takes up two-thirds of the second floor, said a new tenant has not been identified for that space. Griffith emphasized that Catholic Charities will look for other ways to serve the Columbus area that don't require government funding. Weve been blessed to be part of the community for many years and hope that we will continue to be in Columbus, he said. Catholic Charities is not going away. S.Africa dodges junk credit rating despite low growth South Africa's economy evaded a potentially damaging blow Friday when the Standard & Poor's rating agency maintained the country's foreign currency debt status one notch above junk status. S&P however kept its negative outlook for South Africa, which has struggled with political friction under President Jacob Zuma, high unemployment and slow growth. "Political events have distracted from growth-enhancing reforms, while low GDP growth continues to affect South Africa's economic and fiscal performance," S&P warned. S & P maintained South Africa's foreign currency debt status one notch above junk status, but kept its negative outlook for the country, which has struggled with political friction and slow growth under President Jacob Zuma, seen in May 2016 RODGER BOSCH (AFP/File) "The negative outlook reflects the potentially adverse consequences of persistently low GDP growth." But the agency lowered South Africa's local currency rating to two notches above junk in a further sign of concern over the country's economic prospects. The Fitch ratings firm last week kept South Africa one notch above junk, but dropped its outlook from stable to negative. Also last week, Moody's kept South Africa unchanged two notches above junk status. The treasury welcomed S&P's announcement, saying it "was as a result of working together as South Africans to ensure that the country remains an investment grade." "The work remains, but together, we will continue to work hard to build a foundation for faster growth." Keeping the investment grade rating is important as many foreign pension and investment funds are barred from buying bonds that are rated as speculative or junk. Losing the investment grade rating also usually means a country has to pay more to borrow. This week has seen further political drama when Zuma's loyalists beat back an attempt by at least four ministers to oust him from power. The rebellion was the most serious threat to the president since he took office in 2009. - Graft scandals - Zuma has been engulfed by graft scandals, while South Africa's economic growth has fallen to 0.5 percent and unemployment hit a 13-year high. Efforts to avoid junk status have been at the centre of political wrangling for months, with Zuma at loggerheads with Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, a reformist widely respected among international investors. Gordhan had been due to appear in court last month on graft charges that many experts saw as an attempt by Zuma associates to oust him. Gordhan was appointed only last year to calm panicked investors when Zuma sacked two finance ministers within four days. "We could lower the ratings if we believed that institutions had become weaker due to political interference affecting the government's policy framework," S&P added in its announcement. The ruling ANC party is due to elect a new leader at the end of next year, ahead of the 2019 general election when Zuma must stand down after serving two terms. South Africa last month unveiled the proposed figure for its first minimum wage -- 3,500 rand ($242) a month -- in a move that could improve labour relations. Swiss seize artefacts looted from Syria's Palmyra Swiss authorities said Friday they had seized cultural relics looted from Syria's ancient city of Palmyra, as well as from Libya and Yemen, which were being stored in Geneva's free ports. The free ports provide highly secured warehouses where basically anything can be stashed tax-free with few questions asked. The confiscated objects, from the third and fourth centuries, include a head of Aphrodite and two funereal bas-reliefs. Ancient relics such as this funeral bas-relief from Palmyra in Syria were discovered during a custom control on April 2013 in the free ports of Geneva Most of the items reached Switzerland via Qatar and were taken by looters, Geneva's public prosecutor said in a statement. They were deposited at the free ports in 2009 and 2010 and the alarm was first raised in April 2013 during a customs inspection, prosecutors added. It was not immediately clear when they were seized. The customs office contacted the cultural authorities in Bern whose expert confirmed the artefacts were genuine, prompting the start of criminal proceedings in February. Three of the pieces came from Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site devastated by Islamic State group jihadists who seized it in May 2015. The Islamists sent shock waves around the world as they systematically destroyed the central city's monuments. Five of the confiscated objects were from Yemen. Last year the UN cultural agency placed two ancient cities in conflict-torn Yemen, Sanaa and Shibam, on its list of endangered World Heritage sites. UNESCO said Sanaa, known for its many Islamic sites and multi-storey rammed earth houses, "sustained serious damage due to armed conflict" between Iran-backed rebels and the beleaguered Saudi-supported government. The Aphrodite relic was from Libya and characterised "the Hellenisation of north Africa" the statement said. While awaiting return to their countries of origin the archaeological contraband is being looked after by the Geneva Museum of Art and History where the relics will be put on public display. Angola's longtime President Dos Santos to stand down in 2017 Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has ruled for 37 years, will stand down before next year's general election, state radio said Friday citing sources in the ruling MPLA party. The autocratic Dos Santos, 74, became president in 1979, making him Africa's second-longest serving leader -- one month short of Equatorial Guinea's Teodoro Obiang Nguema. His reign has seen the end of civil war and an investment boom, but has also been criticised as secretive and corrupt with Angola's citizens suffering grim poverty as his family became hugely wealthy. Angola's President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos, seen in April 2014, will stand down before next year's general election, according to state radio citing sources in the ruling MPLA party ALAIN JOCARD (AFP/File) National Radio of Angola said that Defence Minister Joao Lourenco would take over as MPLA leader, in news confirmed to AFP by Joao Pinto, a senior member of the party. "The president will not be a candidate and he already has a successor," Pinto told AFP. "It will be Joao Lourenco, who will be presented to members of the party on December 10 when we celebrate the party's anniversary." At a meeting of the MPLA (People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola) on Friday in Luanda, Dos Santos launched his party's campaign for the election, but he did not address whether he would seek a new term. "Our goal is to win the election," he told delegates. "The key to success will be the discipline and the unity of all our candidates." - Authoritarian leader - In March, Dos Santos made a surprise announcement that he would step down in 2018, but has since given no further details about any resignation plan. After constitutional changes in 2010, Angola does not directly elect a president, rather the leader of the winning party automatically becomes head of state. In August, Dos Santos was re-elected head of the MPLA, extending his mandate by up to five years if the party wins the election, as expected. The MPLA on Thursday issued a statement denying widespread reports that the veteran leader was seriously ill. "Dos Santos has personally directed the work of the MPLA and the state," it said. "The MPLA party, which supports the Angolan government, warns all citizens to be aware of the circulation of false information against Angola on social media." Angolan rapper and political activist Luaty Beirao, who was jailed for several months under Dos Santos's regime, said he was "very satisfied" at the prospect of his leaving office. "Angola is the hostage of his decisions and whims and, fortunately, he has decided on his own that this was enough," he told Portuguese news agency Lusa, calling for "new faces and new blood in Angola". Beirao and 16 others were arrested last year for "acts of rebellion" for attending a book club meeting where one of the works discussed was about non-violent resistance to repressive regimes. They were granted amnesty in October in a case that attracted international attention to rights issues in Angola. - New era - The end of Dos Santos's regime will shake up Angola, where he has been a looming presence in daily life longer than most people can remember, exercising almost total authority over government, politics, media and business. He was sworn in 1979 following the sudden death from cancer of Angola's liberation president Agostinho Neto. Both his eldest daughter Isabel and his son Zenu have been spoken of as possible future presidents. Isabel, 43, is a British-educated billionaire businesswoman, dubbed the richest woman in Africa. Forbes magazine values her fortune at $3 billion, based on her stakes in Unitel, Angola's largest phone operator, Portugese oil and gas giant Galp Energia, and in banks in both countries. Also on Friday in Luanda, a trial opened of 37 men accused of planning a coup against Dos Santos in January. The men, said to be former UNITA fighters, are alleged to have plotted armed attacks on the presidential palace and the public television and radio station. They deny the charges. China coal mine blasts kill 59: report At least 59 people have been killed in two separate Chinese coal mine blasts, according to death tolls reported by state media. An explosion Saturday at a colliery in the northern Inner Mongolia region killed 32, Xinhua news agency said. A total of 181 people were working underground when the gas explosion struck the mine in the city of Chifeng, with 149 managing to escape. Deadly coal-mining accidents are common in China, though the number of deaths has fallen substantially in the past decade, to fewer than 1,000 a year In a separate incident, a blast occurred late Tuesday at a private mine in Qitaihe City, in northeast Heilongjiang province, trapping 22 workers, Xinhua said. Twenty-one were confirmed dead Friday night, it said, citing provincial authorities. Rescue efforts were hampered by debris from the blast in some of the tunnels, according to an earlier report. China is the world's largest coal producer and deadly accidents are common. A further 33 miners were killed in a colliery explosion on October 31 in the southwestern municipality of Chongqing, and in September at least 18 were killed in a mine blast in the northwestern Ningxia region. Officials say the number dying annually in the country's mines has fallen substantially in the past decade, to fewer than 1,000 a year. Morocco arrests eight over alleged ties with IS Morocco has arrested eight men with alleged ties to the Islamic State jihadist group active in the cities of Fez and Tangiers, the interior ministry said on Friday. A rifle, ammunition "and documents inciting towards jihad" were seized during the operation on Thursday, it said in a statement. An initial investigation pointed towards the men having ties with IS in Syria and Iraq, "recruiting and sending Moroccan volunteers" there. Morocco police arrested eight men with alleged ties to the Islamic State group active in Fez and Tangiers, seen in 2004 ABDELHAK SENNA (AFP/File) A study by the US-based Soufan Group said last December that at least 1,200 Moroccans had travelled to fight alongside IS in Iraq and Syria in the previous 18 months. In 2011, a cafe bombing killed 17 people, mostly foreign tourists, in the central city of Marrakesh. Saudi labour minister sacked Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Friday sacked the labour minister who headed efforts to help tens of thousands of unpaid foreign workers. Mufarrej al-Haqbani, named to the portfolio almost seven months ago, was replaced by Ali al-Ghifaidh, according to a royal order published by the official Saudi Press Agency. A crisis in the construction sector peaked shortly after Haqbani's appointment, as some workers who had gone months without salaries were left also without food and other essentials. Labour Minister Mufarrej al-Haqbani is only the latest in government officials who have been sacked by Saudi Arabian King Salman, seen in a handout photo from November 2016 BANDAR AL-JALOUD (Saudi Royal Palace/AFP/File) The government stepped in, offering to pay for the workers' flights home and to cover food and accommodation when the employer was no longer meeting obligations. After Saudi Arabia's oil revenues collapsed, the government was left owing billions of dollars to private firms, chiefly in the construction sector, which in turn could not pay their workers. The government has vowed to clear the arrears by this month. Haqbani was appointed in May as part of a major government reshuffle which merged various ministries -- including labour and social affairs -- to reflect new priorities under a wide-ranging plan to diversify the economy. The plan, Vision 2030, also seeks greater government accountability and is driven by Salman's powerful son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 31. On November 1 King Salman sacked veteran finance minister Ibrahim al-Assaf and replaced him with Mohammed Aljadaan, head of the Capital Market Authority which regulates the stock market. In other decrees on Friday, Salman removed the director general of the customs department, and fired the secretary general of the Shura Council which advises cabinet. The king appointed 150 members of the Council, including 30 women, some of whom were new. They will serve a four-year term on the body which has no legislative authority. Salman also named members of the Grand Ulemas Council, the kingdom's top religious body. Slawson Exploration to resolve ND air pollution claims BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) Slawson Exploration Company Inc. has agreed to settle alleged Clean Air Act violations stemming from the company's oil and gas production activities in North Dakota including on an American Indian reservation, federal officials said Thursday. As part of the settlement, Slawson Exploration agreed to pay a $2.1 million civil penalty and will spend at least an estimated $2 million to fund environmental mitigation projects, the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said. The settlement resolves claims that Slawson Exploration failed to adequately design, operate and maintain vapor control systems on its storage tanks at about 170 oil and natural gas well pads in North Dakota, resulting in emissions of volatile organic compounds a key component in forming smog or ground-level ozone. "Safe, responsible, and lawful development of domestic energy resources and technology is of great importance to a sustainable future for all Americans," Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden said in a statement. The Denver-based company agreed to improve emission control systems on its oil storage facilities in the Williston Basin. Slawson Exploration said the agreement is not an admission of liability but instead represents a compromise with the EPA "on areas of regulation we interpret differently," the company said in a news release. "We take public health and environmental protection very seriously, which is why our company has been proactive in the evaluation of our oil and gas facilities and implemented a robust inspection and maintenance program well ahead of this announcement," Slawson Exploration president Todd Slawson said. Slawson Exploration's total expenditures on system upgrades, monitoring and inspections are estimated at $4.1 million, federal officials said. Many of the system upgrades already are in place. Many of Slawson Exploration's North Dakota wells are located on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in western North Dakota, home to the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes. Tempers flare, as campaign aides assess still-raw 2016 race CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) Tempers flared and political fault-lines were inflamed, as aides to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton gathered for their first meeting since Election Day. Every four years since 1972, top presidential campaign aides have met for a polite discussion of the fierce battle they just waged. Not so this year. Kellyanne Conway, Trump-Pence campaign manager, left, looks towards Robby Mook, Clinton-Kaine campaign manager, prior to a forum at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Mass., Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) After an election that left the political world spiraling, this year's gathering at the Harvard University's Institute of Politics felt an awful lot like group therapy or a knife fight. Stony-faced campaign aides heckled pollsters, jeered top media executives and traded shouted charges of racism, sexism and fear-mongering. "Let's be honest, don't act as if you have some popular mandate for your message," said Hillary Clinton's chief strategist Joel Benenson, citing Clinton's more than 2 million-vote lead in the popular vote. "Hey guys, we won," Kellyanne Conway, Donald Trump's former campaign manager, shot back. She later added: "Hashtag: he's your president. How about that?" Here were some of the exchanges: ___ LET TRUMP BE TRUMP Trump's aides defended his controversial statements, including his recent comments about criminalizing flag-burning, a Muslim travel ban and his racial comments about a federal judge overseeing class-action lawsuits against Trump University. "I think the American people agree with him that burning the flag is wrong," said former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who was fired in June. "I don't care what the Supreme Court has said." Besides, they argued, there was little they could do to change the mind of a political novice who'd just bested a primary slate of well-known Republican politicians. Clinton's team said they didn't regret their responses to Trump's racist and sexist remarks, saying they were some of their proudest moments in the race. "I would rather lose than win the way you guys did," said Palmieri, her voice shaking. "Do you think I ran a campaign where white supremacists had a platform?" Conway asked. ___ MEDIA ANGST Top Trump staffers cited the billionaire businessman's "innate understanding" of the media as a major reason for his victory, crediting his unique ability to drive the news cycle and social media. The coverage struck a nerve with his rivals, who argued that the media gave Trump benefits they didn't get. Aides to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's campaign admitted they feared the "full Trump" their term for when the New York mogul was shown simultaneously on all three cable news networks. At a panel on the media's role in the election, top GOP campaign managers heckled CNN's Jeff Zucker after the network president claimed that other candidates turned down interview requests. "I don't remember being asked to call in," shouted former Carly Fiorina campaign manager Sarah Isgur Flores, arguing that the cable news shows would demand other candidates show up at a studio while letting Trump phone in. "You showed empty podiums," shouted Todd Harris, who worked on Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's campaign. Zucker stood his ground: "I understand that emotions continue to run high. That is not cable news' fault and that is not CNN's fault." ___ TRUMP'S CRITIQUE Trump's campaign argued that Clinton should have simply released all her emails to the public, nullifying some of their attacks. Instead, Trump's deputy campaign manager David Bossie said her team "used the old Clinton playbook" by fighting off lawsuits asking to make her correspondence public. "Is that the playbook you used on taxes?" asked campaign manager Robby Mook, citing Trump's decision not to release his tax returns. Bossie shot back: "It was a winning playbook, I guess." Trump's staff argued that Clinton simply didn't work for it, citing their more active travel schedule coming out of the national conventions, and failed to motivate women voters despite her historic role as the first female major party nominee. They also said that Clinton's understanding of the electorate was wrong, saying they used a model that projected turn-out more akin to the 2014 midterm races, when Democratic turnout was low, than President Barack Obama's 2012 victory. ___ BLAME GAME Clinton's team attributed their devastating defeat to a lot of factors just few self-inflicted. Aides argued that FBI director James Comey's investigation, media coverage, the hacking of Democratic email accounts, gender bias and even Clinton's personal penchant for privacy and policy were to blame for her defeat. They accused Trump's team of peddling lies on social media and alt-right websites. "I don't think you guys give yourself enough credit for the negative campaign you ran," said strategist Mandy Grunwald, pointing to Trump's historic negative ratings and his team's trafficking in conservative media. "There was a very impressive gassing of her." Palmieri said her only strategic regret was not pushing for a fourth debate, arguing that Clinton was strongest when she faced off on a stage with Trump. Mook admitted he regretted not putting more staff in Michigan, a state her team lost narrowly. But said Grunwald, dismissing many of the post-game analysis, "it's all theoretic." ___ A NEW RULEBOOK? Strategists on both sides of the aisle were struggling with a big question in the post-Trump world: Do the time-worn tactics of political campaigns still apply? Trump won, according to his aides, not by issuing serious policy plans or establishing an extensive political machine but through "branding." "You guys took Donald Trump so literally and the American public didn't," Lewandowski said. Clinton's campaign, saddled with a policy wonk candidate, felt penalized for playing by the old rules. "This was the first sort of post-factual campaign and I think you were punished for telling the truth and being true to nuance," Mook said. The well-funded Super PACs and extensive political organizations in battleground states "didn't matter," said Dave Kochel, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's chief strategist, who likened Trump to Godzilla. "(Trump) touched the third rail. He touched the fourth rail. He touched the fifth rail and just kept growing," he said. Kellyanne Conway, the campaign manager for Donald Trump, left, and Robby Mook, campaign manager for Hillary Clinton, sit on stage prior to a forum at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Mass., Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) Kellyanne Conway, the campaign manager for Donald Trump, left, looks towards Robby Mook, the campaign manager for Hillary Clinton, prior to a forum at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Mass., Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) Indonesia blasphemy protest swells to crowd of 200,000 JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) At least 200,000 conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against its minority Christian governor who is being prosecuted for alleged blasphemy. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who is a political ally of the Jakarta governor, Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, and angered hard-liners by being out of the city during the first protest, unexpectedly went to the national monument to join Friday prayers with the sprawling crowd. He called for protesters to disperse peacefully. They cheered and then broke into chants calling for Ahok's arrest, but later people were streaming peacefully out of the area into a main thoroughfare of the city. Organizers had agreed to concentrate the protest around the vaulting monument to reduce disruptions but the area quickly overflowed. National Police spokesman Rikwanto, who goes by one name, said police estimated 200,000 people were on the streets. Police say 22,000 officers and 5,000 soldiers can be called on to ensure the demonstration stays orderly. Indonesian Muslims gather during a rally against Jakarta's minority Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, at the National Monument in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Tens of thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against its minority Christian governor. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) A protest Nov. 4 against Ahok, the first ethnic Chinese to be Jakarta governor and the first Christian in half a century, attracted about 100,000 people. After nightfall, it turned violent, with one death and dozens injured. Police want Friday's protest to disperse in the early afternoon following prayers. The crowds massed in the area of the national monument formed a sea of white that spilled into surrounding streets while gridlocked motorists sat on the sidewalks. Some held huge banners calling Ahok a blasphemer who should be jailed while others chanted and prayed. The blasphemy controversy erupted in September when a video circulated online in which Ahok criticized detractors who argued the Quran prohibits Muslims from having a non-Muslim leader. It has challenged the image of Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, as practicing a moderate form of Islam and has shaken the government of Jokowi, who accused unnamed political actors of trying to undermine him. The son of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is vying against Ahok for Jakarta governor in elections set for February. Separately, police said they had arrested eight people suspected of treason including Rahmawati, who is a younger sister of former President Megawati Sukarnoiputri, and a well-known musician turned politician Ahmad Dani. Two other people were arrested for alleged crimes under Indonesia's law on electronic information and transactions. Lisnawati Djohar, a resident of West Sumatra's Padang city, said she flew to Jakarta with a dozen friends for the protest. "I've been called to defend Islam," she said. "As a Muslim, I feel guilty if I refuse a demand to defend my religion. I believe Ahok insulted the holy Quran and it's hurt us." Rizieq Syihab, leader of the Islamic Defenders Front, a vigilante group that helped organize the demonstrations, gave a fiery speech to the protest in which he asserted Indonesia would be peaceful if there was no blasphemy and other problems such as gays. Roads leading into the city were clogged in the early morning as white-robed protesters walked to the city center from corners of the sprawling metropolis. Speaking on the main stage at the national monument, National Police Chief Gen. Tito Karnavian called for the protesters to support the legal process in the blasphemy case. "We have worked to finalize the dossier and have handed over to the prosecutors. Therefore, I request support from all of you so that the legal process goes well," he said as the crowd cheered "God is Great." The accusation of blasphemy has animated the political opponents of Ahok and Jokowi, including hard-liners who have used the issue to seize a national stage for their extreme agenda, which includes Shariah law. Ahok's blasphemy case took a step forward Thursday when it was formally accepted for trial. The offense is punishable by up to five years in prison. Police say Ahok can't leave the country during the case. However, hard-line Muslim groups continue to demand he be arrested. ___ Follow Stephen Wright and Niniek Karmini: twitter.com/stephenwrightAP twitter.com/Niniek_AP Indonesian Muslims gather during a rally against Jakarta's minority Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, at the National Monument in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Tens of thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against its minority Christian governor. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) Indonesian Muslims gather during a rally against Jakarta's minority Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, at the National Monument in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Tens of thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against its minority Christian governor. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) Indonesian Muslim man march during a rally against Jakarta's minority Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, at the National Monument in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Tens of thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against its minority Christian governor. The banner reads: "Jail Ahok." (AP Photo/Achmad ibrahim) Indonesian Muslims march during a rally against Jakarta's minority Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, at the National Monument in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Tens of thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against its minority Christian governor. (AP Photo/Achmad ibrahim) Indonesian Muslims gather during a rally against Jakarta's minority Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, at the National Monument in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Tens of thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against its minority Christian governor. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) Locals and soldiers sing the national anthem during a military-sponsored interfaith rally held ahead of the planned Dec. 2, Muslim protest against Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016. Thousands of Indonesians have joined interfaith rallies around the country organized by the military in an attempt to demonstrate national unity as religious and racial tensions divide the worlds largest Muslim nation. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Thousands of Indonesian Muslims gather during a rally against Jakarta's minority Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, at the National Monument in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Tens of thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against its minority Christian governor. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) Thousands of Indonesian Muslims gather during a rally against Jakarta's minority Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Tens of thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against its minority Christian governor. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) South Korea, Japan announce new sanctions on North Korea SEOUL, South Korea (AP) South Korea and Japan on Friday announced their own fresh, unilateral sanctions on North Korea as their nuclear-armed neighbor warns of retaliation against toughened U.N. sanctions over the nuclear and missile tests it conducted this year. It's still unclear if and how much the South Korean and Japanese measures will sting North Korea, which has been under multiple rounds of U.N. sanctions for years. Trade and exchange programs between the rivals Koreas also largely remain suspended. The U.N. Security Council voted Wednesday to tighten North Korea sanctions by placing a cap on coal exports, one of the country's main sources for foreign currency. Pyongyang accused Washington of masterminding the sanction and threatened to take unspecified self-defense measures that it said would aggravate regional animosities. Lee Sukjoon, center, minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, answers a reporters' questions after announcing about sanctions on North Korea at the government complex in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. South Korea announced Friday a set of largely symbolic, additional sanctions on North Korea for the nuclear and missile tests it conducted this year. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) South Korea said Friday it blacklisted dozens of new high-profile North Korean officials and entities by banning South Koreans from engaging in financial dealing with them. Among the North Korean officials are Choe Ryong Hae and Hwang Pyong So, two of leader Kim Jong Un's closest associates, and the blacklisted entities include those involved in coal exports and the dispatch of laborers abroad, according to a South Korean government statement. The statement said it'll sanction a China-based company and four of its executives for allegedly assisting financial activities by a North Korean bank sanctioned by the U.N. But the company has no assets in South Korea, according to Seoul officials. Earlier this year, the U.S. Justice Department already unsealed criminal charges against Dandong Hongxiang Industrial Development Co. and the individuals. South Korea said it will also prohibit Seoul-based foreign nuclear and missile experts from re-entering the country if they visit North Korea and commit activities that threaten South Korea's national interest. In Tokyo, Japan said it was also renewing its sanctions against North Korea. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters about the decision and criticized the missile launches and nuclear tests as "a new threat that must not be allowed." Japan already has in place sanctions against North Korea. Suga said Japan will renew efforts to bring home all Japanese abducted by North Korea, as well as more strictly blocking visits from North Korean officials and penalizing related groups, including those in China. The United States was expected to disclose its own additional sanctions on North Korea, according to Seoul's Foreign Ministry. U.S., South Korean and Japanese officials stressed the need to impose harsher sanctions after the North conducted its fifth and most powerful nuclear test in September. __ Associated Press writer Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report. Lee Sukjoon, minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, speaks about sanctions on North Korea at the government complex in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. South Korea announced Friday a set of largely symbolic, additional sanctions on North Korea for the nuclear and missile tests it conducted this year. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) Nebraska authorities arrested a lieutenant in a Mexican drug cartel who has been on the run for four years, the Seward County Sheriff's Office said. Jesus R. Buena-Peregrina, 39, was convicted of dealing 20 kilos of cocaine after being deported for prior felonies, according to a news release. Authorities say he is a member of the Sinaloa Cartel, sometimes described as the biggest international drug trafficking, money laundering, organized crime syndicate in the Western Hemisphere. On Wednesday afternoon, the Seward County Sheriff's Office got a tip from Lancaster County Sheriff's deputies that Buena-Peregrina was passing through and pulled over the car in which he was a passenger. The car was westbound on Interstate 80, the news release said. Deputies also arrested the woman driving the car, Vanessa E. Lopez-Pena, 27, also of Arizona, and are holding her on suspicion of being an accessory to a felony. The Seward County Sheriff's Office said she tried to conceal his identity but did not say how. Deputies said they found a fake passport and IDs on Buena-Peregrina and took him and Lopez-Pena into custody, then notified federal authorities. Both remained at the Seward County jail on Thursday night. Buena-Peregrina, a Mexican citizen, was deported in 2002 and again in 2005 after he illegally re-entered the U.S. near Nogales, Arizona, according to federal court documents. Named for the region of Mexico where it was founded, the Sinaloa Cartel is a coalition of drug lords working together, according to Insight Crime, which studies organized crime in Latin America and the Caribbean. North Korea rejects UN sanctions, briefs envoys in Pyongyang PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) North Korea says a sweeping new round of U.N. sanctions aimed at choking its nuclear program by cutting off as much as a quarter of its foreign trade revenue is an "abuse of power" and will be met with tough countermeasures. Vice Foreign Minister Han Song Ryol called a gathering of foreign diplomats in the capital Friday to lay out his country's opposition to the sanctions, which are the harshest to date and have the support of China, North Korea's primary trading partner. "We categorically reject the U.N. Security Council resolution on sanctions against our country," Han said. "The adoption of the resolution is another open denial of our country's right to self-defense, which goes beyond the mandate of the U.N. Security Council this is an abuse of power and an infringement upon the sovereignty of our country." FILE - In this July 27, 2013, file photo, North Korean soldiers turn and look towards their leader Kim Jong Un from a military parade vehicle as they carry packs marked with the nuclear symbol during a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice in Pyongyang, North Korea. On Friday, Dec. 2, 2016, North Korea says a sweeping new round of U.N. sanctions aimed at choking its nuclear program by cutting off as much of a quarter of its foreign trade revenue is an "abuse of power" and will be met with tough countermeasures. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File) North Korea's Foreign Ministry, in a statement issued soon after the sanctions in response to the North's nuclear test in September were announced, warned of tough countermeasures, but didn't say what they might be. "Sanctions will inevitably escalate tensions," the ministry said in the statement, which was quoted by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Han said North Korea was being unfairly singled out by its political adversaries. "If a nuclear test is such a serious issue, why has the U.N. Security Council never imposed sanctions on the major powers that have carried out so many nuclear tests? And how can anyone understand these sanctions," he said. The Security Council voted on the sanctions Wednesday after months of diplomatic wrangling over how to respond to the September test, the North's fifth and biggest. The new sanctions aim to slash about one-quarter of the North's total export income. They target its hard currency revenues by placing a cap on coal exports, cutting them by at least 62 percent or by an estimated $800 million. The measures ban North Korea's exports of non-ferrous metals, sanction 11 government officials as well as 10 entities linked to the nuclear program and crack down on Pyongyang's access to the international banking system. They even prohibit its export of statues, a source of hard currency mostly through sales to African nations. And if the North fails to comply with U.N. efforts to stop its nuclear and long-range missile development programs, the resolution for the first time threatens to suspend some or all of its U.N. privileges. South Korea and Japan on Friday announced unilateral sanctions which are being renewed in Japan's case in conjunction with the U.N. move. South Korea said it blacklisted dozens of new high-profile North Korean officials and entities by banning South Koreans from engaging in financial dealing with them. Japan said it will more strictly block visits from North Korean officials and penalize related groups, including those in China. More unilateral action is also expected from Washington. Asked about the South Korean and Japanese unilateral sanctions, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters at a regular briefing Friday that China is opposed to such steps and that all sides should avoid taking more provocative actions. "China has long been opposed to any unilateral sanctions against a certain country beyond the framework of the U.N. Security Council, and even more so when the unilateral sanction jeopardizes China's legitimate rights," Geng said. ___ New Thai king's first duty is to honor late father BANGKOK (AP) Thailand's new king on Friday carried out his first official duty, attending a solemn religious ceremony to honor his father and predecessor who died seven weeks ago. King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun attended the Buddhist ceremony for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej the morning after he was formally named the kingdom's new monarch, the tenth in the 234-year-old Chakri dynasty. Thailand has been in a state of national mourning since Bhumibol's Oct. 13 death at age 88 after years of ill health, and public reaction to the installation of a new king has been muted. A Thai Buddhist monk walks past portraits of Thailand's newly appointed King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun in Bangkok, Thailand. Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Thailand's new king has carried out his first official duty, attending a solemn religious ceremony to honor his father and predecessor, who died seven weeks ago. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) Friday's merit-making ceremony at Bangkok's Grand Palace was one of many held around the nation to mark the 50th day since Bhumibol's passing. Vajiralongkorn, 64, faces the challenges of helping heal a nation fractured by a decade of sometimes violent political strife, and living up to his father's reputation as a righteous, hardworking monarch dedicated to his country's development. The new king, with less intense interest in administration and a reputation as a playboy, does not command the same level of respect as Bhumibol. He has gone through divorces with three women who have borne him seven children, and in recent years has spent much of his time residing in Germany. Although most Thais are devoted to the royal institution, it is hard to gauge how they feel privately about Vajiralongkorn because of harsh laws that mandate a prison term of three to 15 years for anyone found guilty of insulting the monarchy. But several spoke in street interviews about their optimism. "No matter who the king is, I hope that he will unite Thai hearts," said Saonuttaporn Guachim, a student at Chulalongkorn University. "Thai people love and respect the monarchy, and, for us, this is a new beginning," said office worker Kharon Neungpirom. "We will love and respect (the king) as we always have." The new king's older sister, Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya, and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra were among those who posted congratulatory messages on their Instagram accounts, but there was much less commentary on social media on Vajiralongkorn's ascension than there was when Bhumibol died. A statement issued by U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Glyn Davies offered best wishes "for an auspicious and prosperous reign." "As with His Majesty's late father, the beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej, under His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun we will continue to commit ourselves to deepen and strengthen the bonds between us, and foster ever-greater stability and prosperity for both our peoples," he said. ___ Associated Press journalists Tassanee Vejpongsa and Kaweewit Kaewjinda contributed to this report. Indonesia blasphemy protest draws 200,000; ends peacefully JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) At least 200,000 conservative Muslims rallied peacefully in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest against its minority Christian governor, who is being prosecuted for alleged blasphemy. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, a political ally of the governor who angered hard-liners by being out of the city during their first protest, unexpectedly went to the national monument to join Friday prayers with the sprawling crowd. He called for protesters to leave peacefully. They cheered and then broke into chants calling for Gov. Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama's arrest, but later, people streamed peacefully out of the area and marched to a major traffic circle before dispersing. The blasphemy controversy erupted in September when a video circulated online of Ahok criticizing detractors who argued the Quran prohibits Muslims from having a non-Muslim leader. Thousands of Muslims gather during a protest against Jakarta's minority Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, at the National Monument in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Tens of thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against its minority Christian governor. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) It has challenged the image of tolerance associated with Islam in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, and has shaken the government of Jokowi, who accused unnamed political actors of trying to undermine him. The son of former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is vying against Ahok for Jakarta governor in elections set for February. Police said Friday they arrested eight people suspected of treason. National Police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar told reporters the group planned to use the protest to incite chaos and overthrow the government. They included Rachmawati, the daughter of Indonesia's founding President Sukarno and the younger sister of former President Megawati Sukarnoiputri; retired army Gen. Kivlan Zein; and a well-known musician turned politician Ahmad Dani. Two other people were arrested for alleged crimes under Indonesia's law on electronic information and transactions. Organizers had agreed to concentrate Friday's protest around the vaulting monument to reduce disruptions, but the area quickly overflowed. National Police spokesman Rikwanto, who goes by one name, estimated 200,000 people were on the streets. Police put on standby 22,000 officers and 5,000 soldiers. A Nov. 4 protest against Ahok, the first ethnic Chinese to be Jakarta governor and the first Christian in half a century, attracted about 100,000 people. After nightfall, it turned violent, with one death and dozens injured. Police wanted Friday's protest to disperse in the early afternoon following prayers. Lisnawati Djohar, a resident of West Sumatra's Padang city, said she flew to Jakarta with a dozen friends for the protest. "I've been called to defend Islam," she said. "As a Muslim, I feel guilty if I refuse a demand to defend my religion. I believe Ahok insulted the holy Quran and it's hurt us." Rizieq Syihab, leader of the Islamic Defenders Front, a vigilante group that helped organize the demonstrations, gave a fiery speech to the protest in which he asserted Indonesia would be peaceful if there was no blasphemy and other problems such as gays. Speaking on the main stage at the national monument, National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian called for the protesters to support the legal process in the blasphemy case. The accusation of blasphemy has animated the political opponents of Ahok and Jokowi, including hard-liners who have used the issue to seize a national stage for their extreme agenda, which includes the imposition of Shariah law in a secular nation. Ahok's blasphemy case took a step forward Thursday when it was formally accepted for trial. The offense is punishable by up to five years in prison. Police say Ahok can't leave the country during the case. However, hard-line Muslim groups continue to demand his arrest. ___ Follow Wright at twitter.com/stephenwrightAP and Karmini at twitter.com/Niniek_AP Indonesian Muslims march during a rally against Jakarta's minority Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, at the National Monument in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Several hundred thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against the minority Christian governor. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana) A Muslim man hods a Quran as he prays during a rally against Jakarta's minority Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, at the National Monument in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Several hundred thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against the minority Christian governor. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Muslims attend Friday pray during a protest against Jakarta's minority Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, at the National Monument in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Tens of thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against its minority Christian governor. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) A Muslim man holds up a banner during a rally against Jakarta's minority Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, at the National Monument in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Several hundred thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against the minority Christian governor. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) A Muslim man weeps as he prays during a rally against Jakarta's minority Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, at the National Monument in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Several hundred thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against the minority Christian governor. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Muslims shout slogans during a protest against Jakarta's minority Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, at the National Monument in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Tens of thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against its minority Christian governor. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Muslim men shout "God is great" during a rally against Jakarta's minority Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, at the National Monument in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Several hundred thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against the minority Christian governor. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) Muslims attend Friday prayers during a protest against Jakarta's minority Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, at the National Monument in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Tens of thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against its minority Christian governor. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Muslims attend Friday prayers during a protest against Jakarta's minority Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, at the National Monument in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Tens of thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against its minority Christian governor. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Muslims attend Friday prayer during a protest against Jakarta's minority Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, at the National Monument in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Tens of thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against its minority Christian governor. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Muslims attend Friday pray during a protest against Jakarta's minority Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, at the National Monument in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Tens of thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against its minority Christian governor. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) Muslims attend Friday pray during a protest against Jakarta's minority Christian Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, at the National Monument in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Tens of thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against its minority Christian governor. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) A blow - Slovak Muslims critical of new church law BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) Slovakia's Muslim community has condemned a new bill tightening conditions for the official registration of churches. Approved by Parliament on Wednesday, it increases the number of members needed for a religion to become official, and eligible for state subsidies, from 20,000 to 50,000. There are about 5,000 Muslims in Slovakia, and the community already considered the original number restrictive. The bill was drafted by the ultra-nationalist Slovak National Party, a member of the ruling coalition, which made no secret of targeting Muslims. The move is another sign of anti-Islam sentiment in the Roman Catholic stronghold after Prime Minister Robert Fico previously declared that Slovakia is not a suitable place for Muslims to live. Afghan official says Taliban militants kill 23 civilians KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) An Afghan police official says that Taliban militants have killed 23 civilians in Kandahar Province in the last 48 hours. Gen. Abdul Raziq Kandahar said Friday that the killings took place in different areas of the Nash district. He did not provide further details. Calls for ceasefire, massive displacement in Syria's Aleppo BEIRUT (AP) The U.N. said Friday an estimated 31,500 residents have been displaced following Syrian government advances into the besieged eastern Aleppo enclave this weekend, as government media reported from those newly-captured areas, demonstrating its restoration and resettlement efforts there. The advance of government and allied troops was one of the most dramatic shifts in the conflict now in its sixth year, as their troops marched into areas controlled by the opposition since 2012. Losing eastern Aleppo would cost the opposition its most significant urban presence. As the government advances, airstrikes and shelling continued, rendering the situation in the besieged area even more direful. The U.N and rights groups have urged for a pause to allow humanitarian access to the enclave's estimated 275,000. FILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016 file photo provided by the Rumaf, a Syrian Kurdish activist group, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows people fleeing rebel-held eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo into the Sheikh Maqsoud area that is controlled by Kurdish fighters, Syria. The U.N. humanitarian aid agency said Friday an estimated 31,500 have been displaced from the government advances into the rebel-held enclave since this weekend, in one of the most dramatic shifts in the conflict now in its sixth year. (The Rumaf via AP, File) Meanwhile, world leaders paid lip service to calls for a cease-fire. There were no signs that one would materialize soon. The Turkish and German foreign ministers were among those who called for a ceasefire in Aleppo during their visits to Beirut on Friday. Speaking in Beirut at a joint press conference with his Lebanese counterpart Friday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said a cessation of hostilities should be announced "as soon as possible, immediately." Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier also called for "temporary truces" in Syria to allow for a humanitarian corridor. Fighting however continued on the edge of the eastern Aleppo enclave, as allied government troops made progress in their advance on the southern and eastern fronts. Meanwhile, rebel rockets striking government controlled areas of Aleppo killed four Friday, according to state media. Over the weekend, allied government troops advanced from the northern side, capturing nearly half of the 45-square kilometer enclave (17 square miles) and sending the local population fleeing. Most of those displaced fled to government and Kurdish-held areas in western Aleppo, separated only by roads and deserted buildings. Many were also displaced inside rebel-held parts of the city, cramming into already crowded and damaged areas in south and central eastern Aleppo. Syrian state media reported from the government-controlled areas. State broadcaster al-Ikhabirya TV showed hundreds of displaced people sitting on rain-soaked streets and interviewed the newly-displaced residents lodged in empty buildings pockmarked with bullets. Their fresh laundry hung on the walls overlooking the streets. The state-owned channel showed dozens of the displaced people waving Syrian flags from green government buses. The Syrian government has been keen to show it is restoring normalcy to the shell-shocked community following the swift restoration of government control to areas held by the opposition for four years. Syrian officials visited the newly-captured areas as workers were filmed clearing debris. An Ikhbariya broadcaster said work is underway to soon reopen a road linking the eastern and western parts of the city, disused for years. He also interviewed newly-resettled residents, who spoke of rebel abuses. One displaced woman interviewed in the government-held Jibreen district said her son was shot dead as he fled rebel areas. The woman, who didn't give her name, said she would carry a gun to avenge her son's killing. She praised the Syrian army and said that while in rebel-held areas her family had no food or drink and was treated badly. "My son Bashar died hungry," she said in tears. Others interviewed in the newly captured Hanano district complained of being mistreated on suspicion of cooperating with the Syrian army, including one who said he was detained. One resident complained of a lack of heating facilities in their new settlement. Opposition and activists had also accused the government of shelling displaced Syrians who were fleeing the government advances. At least 50 people were killed in artillery shelling of the rebel-held district to which they were fleeing. The Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated that a total of 26,500 people had fled to government-held Jibreen, east of Aleppo, and Kurdish-held Sheik Massoud. Another 5,000 were displaced within eastern Aleppo. Spokesman Jens Laerke on Friday cited reports that some men and boys trying to enter government-controlled western Aleppo had been detained by government troops. London-based rights group Amnesty International said it too had received reports of Syrian security forces detaining men in Aleppo areas recaptured by the government and warned of the potential for revenge attacks. The reports could not be independently confirmed and a Syrian military official said screening measures were in place to prevent "terrorists" infiltrating the civilians. U.N. officials have expressed concern over the plight of civilians caught in the fighting in Aleppo, and called for more access to the eastern part of the city that has been besieged since July. There have been no operational hospitals in eastern Aleppo for nearly two weeks after they were bombed. Meanwhile, the Russian military said it has been the only source of food, medicine and other supplies for 90,000 residents of the city's neighborhoods seized by the Syrian army, criticizing the U.N. for dragging its feet on delivering humanitarian aid there. The U.N. has said local partners have provided hot meals and drinkable water to those displaced in government-controlled Jibreen and urged the Syrian government to ensure that U.N. staff are able to deploy unrestricted and safely across Aleppo. ___ Turkey: court asked to drop case against Israeli officials ANKARA, Turkey (AP) Turkey's state-run news agency says a prosecutor has asked that a case against Israeli military officials accused over the deaths of 10 Turkish activists be dropped, citing a reconciliation pact between Turkey and Israel. Under a deal reached this year, Israel agreed to pay $20 million in compensation to the victims of a 2010 Israeli naval raid on a Turkish aid ship trying to reach Gaza. In return, Israeli nationals would not be held criminally or financially liable for the incident. The Israeli military officials, including the former military chief, were on trial in absentia in Istanbul, held responsible for the deaths of nine activists. A tenth victim died in a hospital in 2014. Hungary: Cable news channel sold to prime minister's ally BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) A Hungarian cable news and talk channel has been sold to an ally of the prime minister, the broadcaster's founder said Friday. Industrialist Gabor Szeles said he sold Echo TV to a company owned by Lorinc Meszaros, a village mayor whose business empire has expanded greatly with the help of state contracts. In an interview published Friday in Magyar Hirlap, his own newspaper, Szeles said Meszaros was a guarantee that Echo TV would keep its right-wing political focus. "Echo is the channel closest to the government, fitting the spirit" of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party and its Christian Democrat allies, Szeles said. "With the 2005 launch and operation of Echo TV, I think I completed the mission I undertook to assist the success of the right." Szeles said the channel could be seen in 2.8 million of Hungary's 4.1 million households and suggested 1 million more could be added if Echo TV were to be included in the basic, free packages offered by cable service providers. Szeles estimated that Meszaros needs to invest 1.5 billion forints ($5.1 million) in new cameras and other technical equipment to modernize the channel. Echo TV could strengthen its competition for viewers with Hir TV, another news channel that is right-leaning but that has increased critical coverage of the government since its owner had a falling-out with Orban last year. A company linked to Meszaros, a former gas fitter listed as the 28th richest Hungarian by Forbes magazine, recently bought a major newspaper and magazine publisher, increasing concerns about media diversity and government influence over Hungarian media. Opimus Press, the company linked to Meszaros, purchased Mediaworks Hungary from its Austrian owner in October, just weeks after Mediaworks abruptly shut down Nepszabadsag, the main opposition newspaper. Since then, Mediaworks has placed editors and journalists supportive of the Orban government in key positions. Meszaros has attributed his success partly to his friendship with Orban, who has stressed the aim of increasing Hungarian ownership of local media outlets owned by foreign companies. UK foreign secretary underscores commitment to NATO LONDON (AP) Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson underscored Britain's commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Friday, describing the alliance as the foundation of security in Europe. In his first major policy address since taking office, Johnson argued that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has a valid point about NATO members needing to contribute more to the cost of their defense. But he insisted that Britain's attachment to the alliance is unbreakable. "It cannot be justified that one NATO ally America accounts for about 70 percent of the alliance's defense spending, while the other 27 countries manage only 30 percent between them," Johnson said while speaking at Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson attends a Mediterranean Dialogues Summit in Rome, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016. Italy hosts its second Mediterranean Dialogues Summit in Rome where the main topics expected to be discussed are security, terrorism, stability and economy in the Middle East and Northern African region. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) Johnson also said Britain would not "block or impede" European Union efforts to develop their defense capabilities once the country leaves the 28-nation bloc. He said it was in Britain's interest to have a strong EU following Brexit, and that he wouldn't object to European defense "architecture." "If they want to do that, fine," Johnson said. The move apparently puts him at odds with British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon, who has expressed concerns that proposals under discussion for a joint military command within the EU would undermine NATO. The European Union has said its defense integration plans are intended to improve cooperation, not create a new EU army. "We want a strong EU and we want a strong relationship between a strong U.K. and a strong EU," Johnson said. "It is no part of our agenda to seek to undermine or to be dog-in-the-mangerish about the EU." Britain's foreign secretary Boris Johnson speaks to the media during a press conference after a meeting with his Cyprus' counterpart Ioannis Kasoulides at the foreign house in capital Nicosia in the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016. Britain's foreign secretary says the U.K.'s support for Cyprus amid talks aimed at reunifying the ethnically split island remains "rock solid." Johnson is in Cyprus for three-days official visit. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) Denmark pulls back its F-16 jets fighting IS militants COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) In a planned move, Denmark is pulling back its F-16 fighter jet squadron from an international coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen says the Scandinavian country would instead send engineering troops to help with reconstruction projects. He didn't specify where. Denmark joined the international coalition in October 2014, and sent, among others, seven F-16 planes, which were briefly brought back to Denmark for repairs. In April, a large majority in the Danish Parliament sent them back, this time with a mandate to bomb in Syria. LINCOLN Nebraska's high rate of binge drinking and low rate of treatment among those who abuse alcohol caught the eye of a legislative task force working over the interim. The Behavioral and Mental Health Task Force, chaired by Lincoln Sen. Kate Bolz, included the problem on its list of 18 recommendations, released Thursday. Senators also took on the challenges of a lack of adequate mental health workers, a waiting list and shortage of staff at the Lincoln Regional Center and the limited ability of the state's jails and prisons to meet the high mental health needs of those arrested and sentenced to those facilities. Binge drinking, defined as five drinks within two hours for a man and four for a woman, is associated with a host of problems and Project Extra Mile says excessive drinking costs the citizens of Nebraska more than $1.1 billion a year, $491 million of which falls on government. Among Nebraskans who abuse alcohol, only 7 percent received treatment, according to a 2016 University of Nebraska Medical Center assessment. The task force looked at the statewide capacity to address substance use, Bolz said. "When we have waiting lists that are three weeks long for the right level of care, those are issues of resources and capacity," Bolz said. The seven-member task force looked at how to better invest in prevention, while looking at rates paid to providers of those services. "We know that we are underfunding those services," Bolz said. The Legislature and the state's Division of Behavioral Health should work together to fund provider rates that have fallen significantly behind the cost of providing the services, specifically in the substance abuse area, the report said. The report said the state, in general, and rural areas in particular, don't have a sufficient number of mental health workers. Senators recommended publicly funded post-graduate fellowships in psychiatry for physician assistants and psychiatric nurses. There are 791 physician assistants in the state, but only 14 are psychiatric providers. Providing internships for master's level students in rural and underserved areas, and expanding student loan forgiveness, especially for those willing to serve populations including non-English speakers and substance abusers, were also recommended. The senators found a waiting list for services at the Lincoln Regional Center and a need for additional inpatient beds and staff, especially nurses. They recommended adoption of a mental health care provider shortage emergency act, to ensure that if the Regional Center falls below a certain staff level, a portion of vacancy savings would go for staff retention bonuses. A study could determine the right size and staffing for the center to ensure those who get civil or court-ordered commitments receive treatment they need, the task force said. Bolz said a recommendation to create an emergency protective custody "no-refusal center" for short stays for violent or dangerous people who cannot be served at the Regional Center or a hospital, could ease pressure. Senators also recommended mental health technical assistance opportunities for law enforcement and county jails for assessment, treatment, referral and health and safety stability. And developing appropriate mental health treatment and programs in state prisons would help people succeed after they have left. Greater access is also needed to medications, and managing those medications for people in outpatient settings, the task force learned. Recommendations included adjusting rules for inmates leaving prison to have sufficient medications until a medical appointment can be made in their communities, and expanding access to services to support recovery. Task force members are already drafting legislation based on the recommendations, Bolz said. She will have a bill to expand drop-in and respite housing opportunities statewide, such as Lincoln's Keya House, a crisis diversion home, and the Honu Home, a respite residence for people with mental health needs who were recently released from jail or prison. Sen. Sue Crawford of Bellevue will work on work force development. And Omaha Sen. Sara Howard is working with state Medicaid to authorize reimbursement for peer support services. Mall of America, nation's biggest, hires first black Santa BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) The nation's largest mall is hosting its first-ever black Santa Claus this this weekend. The Star-Tribune reports The Mall of America in suburban Minneapolis hired Larry Jefferson to play Kris Kringle from Thursday to Sunday as part of its Santa Experience. Santa Experience co-owner Landon Luther says they "want Santa to be for everyone, period." With that in mind, he tells the newspaper he launched a nationwide search for a diverse Santa and found Jefferson at a Santa convention in Branson, Missouri, over the summer. He was the only black Santa among the 1,000 impersonators in attendance. In this Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016 photo, Larry Jefferson, playing the role of Santa, gets a hug from Olivia Major, left, her sister Mallory and brother Preston, of Blaine, at the Santa Experience at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. The nation's largest mall is hosting its first-ever black Santa Claus this this weekend. (Leila Navidi/Star Tribune via AP) Jefferson tells WCCO-TV that playing the jolly old elf is "no big deal" to him, saying "I'm still Santa, I just happen to be a Santa of color." Jefferson will return home to play Santa in the Dallas-area after Sunday. In this Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016 photo, Larry Jefferson, playing the role of Santa, smiles with Auden Good and his one-year-old brother Ezra of Ramsey while posing for photos at the Santa Experience at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. The nation's largest mall is hosting its first-ever black Santa Claus this this weekend. (Leila Navidi/Star Tribune via AP) In this Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016 photo, Larry Jefferson, playing the role of Santa, smiles with Jack Kivel, of Prior Lake, for photos at the Santa Experience at Mall of America, in Bloomington, Minn. The nation's largest mall is hosting its first-ever black Santa Claus this this weekend. (Leila Navidi/Star Tribune via AP) In this Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016 photo, Larry Jefferson, playing the role of Santa, says goodbye to one-year-old Ezra Good with a fist bump as his mother Jennifer of Ramsey watches at the Santa Experience at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. The nation's largest mall is hosting its first-ever black Santa Claus this this weekend. (Leila Navidi/Star Tribune via AP) Shoe bomber says he can't pay $250,000 fine BOSTON (AP) The British man sentenced to life in prison for trying to detonate explosives in his shoe on a trans-Atlantic flight in 2001 says he can't afford the $250,000 fine that was part of his sentence. Richard Reid has asked a federal judge in Boston to declare him bankrupt. The Boston Herald (http://bit.ly/2gul6GG ) reports that the 43-year-old Reid writes: "I am not now, nor will I I believe ever be, able to pay this fine." FILE- In this Dec. 22, 2001 file photo, Richard Reid is transported in a car from Massachusetts State Police barracks at Logan International Airport in Boston. Reid, sentenced to life in prison for trying to detonate explosives in his shoe on a trans-Atlantic flight in 2001 says he cant afford the $250,000 fine that was part of his sentence. Judge William Young on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016, told prosecutors they have until Dec. 16 to respond to Reids request to have the fine forgiven. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) Reid contacted Judge William Young after receiving notice last month reminding him the payment is past due. Young on Thursday told prosecutors they have until Dec. 16 to respond to Reid's request to have the fine forgiven. Reid tried to set off the bomb on a Paris-to-Miami American Airlines flight. The plane was diverted to Boston. ___ Disabled Greeks protest as more austerity looms ATHENS, Greece (AP) Disabled people and patients with chronic illnesses from around Greece protested in central Athens Friday against austerity measures as the government races to clinch a new deal with bailout lenders. Protesters in wheelchairs carried black balloons while deaf demonstrators wore white gloves as they used sign language to join chants of anti-government slogans. Disabled groups are seeking exemptions from budget austerity measures imposed under the country's international bailout agreements. Deaf protesters wearing white gloves raise up their hands during an anti government rally in central Athens on Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Organizations representing the disabled and people with chronic diseases travelled from across Greece to join the rally against austerity measures linked to the country's international bailout. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) Unemployment among people with disabilities was more than double the national jobless rate of 23 percent with poverty levels also sharply higher, according to Yannis Vardakastanis, head of the National Confederation of Disabled People of Greece. "We want to live in dignity," Vardakastanis, who is blind, told the AP. "It's the obligation of the government and European institutions to stop us from being further isolated, impoverished and discriminated against." Greece is currently finalizing a new package of economic measures that would make home foreclosures and business firings easier. The measures are required in exchange for new bailout loan payouts and talks on debt relief measures. Eurozone finance ministers are to review progress on the Greek program in Brussels on Monday. The left-led government has struggled to meet strict conditions for the release of more funds under the country's third international bailout. Greece has relied on bailout rescue loans since 2010, and in return has had to overhaul its economy and implement painful spending cuts and tax hikes. In a protest against increased taxes, ferries across Greece were tied up in port for two days as seamen walked off the job. Ferry services were cancelled for 48 hours from Friday morning until Sunday morning, leaving many of the country's islands cut off from the mainland and from each other. Seamen are protesting government proposals their union says would abolish tax breaks for their profession, setting income tax at 45 percent in addition to an existing 10 percent special tax. __ Follow Gatopoulos at http://www.twitter.com/dgatopoulos and Becatoros at http://www.twitter.com/ElenaBec Disabled people with their families march during an anti government rally in central Athens on Friday, Dec 2, 2016. Organizations representing the disabled and people with chronic diseases travelled from across Greece to join the rally against austerity measures linked to the country's international bailout. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) A disabled man in a wheelchair takes part in an anti government rally in central Athens on Friday, Dec 2, 2016. Organizations representing the disabled and people with chronic diseases travelled from across Greece to join the rally against austerity measures linked to the country's international bailout. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) A disabled man holds a protest banner during an anti government rally in central Athens on Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Organizations representing the disabled and people with chronic diseases travelled from across Greece to join the rally against austerity measures linked to the country's international bailout. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) Disabled people with their families march during an anti government rally in central Athens on Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Organizations representing the disabled and people with chronic diseases travelled from across Greece to join the rally against austerity measures linked to the country's international bailout. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) A small vessel carring two workers pass by a docked ferry at the port of Piraeus, near Athens, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Ferries across Greece are to remain tied up in port for two days as seamen walk off the job to protest proposed tax hikes. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) A Greek Orthodox priest stands next to a docked ferry at the port of Piraeus, near Athens, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Ferries across Greece are to remain tied up in port for two days as seamen walk off the job to protest proposed tax hikes. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis) Iraqi troops bring to 23 districts retaken in Mosul BAGHDAD (AP) Iraqi special forces fighting Islamic State militants in the northern city of Mosul seized a new neighborhood on Friday and took full control of a densely-populated neighborhood, where troops happened upon a residential complex for IS fighters, according to two Iraqi field commanders. Lt. Col. Muhanad al-Tamimi of the special forces told The Associated Press his men were now in full control of the Zohour neighborhood, more than a week after they first entered the district. He said his men also captured the neighborhood of Qadissiyah-2, bringing to 23 the number of neighborhoods retaken by the special forces in the eastern sector of the city since the campaign to recapture Mosul began on Oct. 17. Civilians get into a military truck while trying to flee from Mosul due to Islamic State heavy shelling in several areas under control of the Iraqi Army in Mosul, Iraq, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Most of the fighting in Mosul has been taking place in the city's eastern sector, where Iraq's special forces are making slow progress because of fears over the safety of civilians still inside the city and spirited IS resistance. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo) Brig. Gen. Haider Fadhil of the special forces later told the AP on Friday that his men had taken over two adjacent, two-story houses in Zohour where IS fighters lived. In the garden, they found life-sized cardboard cutouts for target practice, he said. The walls inside the two houses were adorned with posters of RPGs, assault rifles and artillery shells. Some posters had instructions for snipers and RPG users, he said. Flyers bearing the names of the fighters who slept in each room were plastered on doors, he added. Shortly after Gen. Fadhil spoke, the state-run al-Iraqiyah TV network showed footage taken inside the houses, with black-clad special forces searching them with their rifles on the ready. The footage showed metal bunker beds dressed with colorful blankets. There has been some discrepancy over the exact number of neighborhoods retaken from IS thus far, something that Iraqi commanders explain as a possible result of the use of different maps of the city or the exceptionally small size of some neighborhoods. On Wednesday, for example, Gen. Fadhil of the special forces said his men were in control of 19 neighborhoods, which constituted less than 30 percent of the part of the city east of the Tigris River. Most of the fighting in Mosul has taken place in the city's eastern sector, where Iraq's special forces are making slow progress because of fears over the safety of civilians still inside the city and spirited IS resistance. The campaign to retake Mosul is being launched on a multitude of fronts, with forces from the army, federal police and Sunni tribal militias deployed to the north and south of the city. State-sanctioned militias are holding territory to the west of Mosul, but are not expected to enter the mostly Sunni city. Iraq's second largest city, Mosul was captured by IS in 2014 when the militants swept across much of Iraq's north and west. The city is the largest urban center in Iraq still held by IS. A group of civilians flee from Mosul in an Iraqi Army truck, due to Islamic State heavy shelling in several areas under control of the Iraqi forces, Mosul, Iraq, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Most of the fighting in Mosul has been taking place in the city's eastern sector, where Iraq's special forces are making slow progress because of fears over the safety of civilians still inside the city and spirited IS resistance. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo) A group of civilians pass close to the body of an Islamic State militant, while fleeing from Mosul due to ISIS heavy shelling in several areas under control of the Iraqi Army, Mosul, Iraq, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Most of the fighting in Mosul has been taking place in the city's eastern sector, where Iraq's special forces are making slow progress because of fears over the safety of civilians still inside the city and spirited IS resistance. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo) A wounded Iraqi man is treated by Iraqi army doctors at the field hospital at Gogjali district in Mosul, Iraq, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Most of the fighting in Mosul has been taking place in the city's eastern sector, where Iraq's special forces are making slow progress because of fears over the safety of civilians still inside the city and spirited IS resistance. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo) A group of civilians wait for a military vehicle to flee from Mosul due to Islamic State heavy shelling in several areas under control of the Iraqi Army, in Mosul, Iraq, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Most of the fighting in Mosul has been taking place in the city's eastern sector, where Iraq's special forces are making slow progress because of fears over the safety of civilians still inside the city and spirited IS resistance. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo) Hong Kong government targets more lawmakers over oaths HONG KONG (AP) Hong Kong authorities on Friday stepped up their campaign against opposition lawmakers who used their swearing-in ceremony to stage apparent protests against Beijing. Hong Kong's government said it started legal proceedings against four recently elected members of the Legislative Council. The move follows the government's legal victory last month against two young separatist lawmakers who used an anti-China slur when they were being sworn in. A judge ruled that the two should be disqualified from taking office. In a statement, the government said it took legal action to request that a court rule that the four pro-democracy lawmakers' oaths are invalid and their seats be declared vacant. The lawmakers altered their oaths in various ways. Nathan Law, a student activist who helped lead massive 2014 pro-democracy street protests, raised his tone when he came to a part about the People's Republic of China, which made it sound like a question. Veteran activist Leung Kwok-hung held up a yellow umbrella, a symbol of the 2014 protests. Lau Siu-lai, a college lecturer who was also active in those protests, read her pledge in slow motion in an attempt to make it meaningless. Edward Yiu, a university professor, added phrases about democracy. Germany arrests suspected Taliban member BERLIN (AP) German authorities have arrested an Afghan man suspected of being a member of the Taliban. Federal prosecutors said Friday that 20-year-old Hekmat T. was arrested a day earlier on suspicion of membership in a terrorist organization. Prosecutors alleged the man joined the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2013 and repeatedly took part in fighting against Afghan police and security forces. The statement didn't say where the man was arrested or why he was in Germany. His full name wasn't provided due to German privacy laws. Ukraine's leader urges EU to extend sanctions against Russia WARSAW, Poland (AP) Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko urged the European Union on Friday to extend sanctions against Russia, which he says continues its armed aggression in eastern Ukraine against international agreements. Poroshenko was in Poland for talks and to sign deals on strengthening cooperation in the defense and energy sectors, including discussing ways to improve roads and infrastructure near border crossings. The visit marked 25 years since Poland became the first nation in the world to recognize an independent Ukraine, which had been a part of the former Soviet Union. Polish President Andrzej Duda, second right, and his wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda, right, attend welcoming ceremony of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and his wife Maryna, left in front of the presidential palace in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Poroshenko said the EU should decide in January to extend its economic and political sanctions against Russia, which he said keeps violating a 2014 peace deal to halt hostilities in eastern Ukraine. "Firing continues on Russia's side and also by the (Russia-backed) fighters from banned weapons," Poroshenko said. According to Poroshenko, the OSCE, a European security organization, says the firing is intensifying in eastern Ukraine, while its monitors are denied access to the occupied territories and to military equipment sites there. "Because of the failure to implement the Minsk (peace) agreement, sanctions on the Russian federation should be extended," Poroshenko said. On Thursday, European Council President Donald Tusk said he believes the sanctions against Russia will be extended for another six months. The EU imposed economic and political sanctions against Russia in July 2014 after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. Polish President Andrzej Duda,left, and the president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko inspect a guard of honor during the official welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Polish President Andrzej Duda, second right, and his wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda, right, attend welcoming ceremony of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and his wife Maryna, left, inspect a guard of honor during the official welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Polish President Andrzej Duda,right, and the president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko inspect a guard of honor during the official welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Polish President Andrzej Duda,left, and the president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko inspect a guard of honor during the official welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) Poland, Ukraine look to speed up European gas pipeline WARSAW, Poland (AP) Ukraine's president says his country and Poland want to speed up the construction of a pipeline link that would bring gas from Europe to Ukraine and aims to cut dependence on Russian deliveries. Petro Poroshenko, on a visit to Poland, said Friday that he and Polish President Andrzej Duda will urge their ministers responsible for the economy to have the link built "as soon as possible." Ukraine is dependent on natural gas from Russia, which has in the past cut deliveries and raised prices as a means of applying political pressure. Rose withdraws from Bahamas with back injury NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) Tiger Woods will be playing alone Friday in the Hero World Challenge. Justin Rose, the only player with a higher score in the opening round at Albany, withdrew Friday because of a nagging back issue. Rose did not play the pro-am Wednesday and then opened with a 74 in the first round. Rose, the Olympic gold medalist, has not played since the Ryder Cup, wanting to rest his back. Woods has the option of playing with a marker, a player not in the competition. That occasionally happens at the majors. The PGA Tour said he would be playing as a solo, meaning the round likely would take him no more than about three hours. Tiger Woods hits from the rough on the 14th hole during the first round at the Hero World Challenge golf tournament, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016, in Nassau, Bahamas. Woods is one-over-par for the round. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Nations OK European Space Agency's mission to Mars in 2020 BERLIN (AP) Nations have approved an additional 440 million euros ($469 million) to fund the European Space Agency's next mission to Mars. As part of the ExoMars mission, the agency this year sent an orbiter and a test lander to the red planet. The Trace Gas Orbiter was successfully deployed but the Schiaparelli lander malfunctioned and a href='https://www.apnews.com/57477f19a45b4751a27ab57971e4d4b9/Hard-crash-landing-may-have-wrecked-Europe's-Mars-probe'crashed on the surface/a of Mars, raising fears about the next stage of the mission. Despite the crash, officials meeting in Lucerne, Switzerland, on Friday approved the budget that ESA said it requires to send a rover to Mars in 2020. 1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war. 2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war. 3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength. 4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war. 5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites. 6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination. 7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N. 8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N. 9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress. 10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N. 11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.) 12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party. 13. Do away with all loyalty oaths. 14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office. 15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States. 16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights. 17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks. 18. Gain control of all student newspapers. 19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack. 20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions. 21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures. 22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms." 23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art." 24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press. 25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV. 26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy." 27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch." 28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state." 29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis. 30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man." 31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over. 32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc. 33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus. 34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities. 35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI. 36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions. 37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business. 38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand. 39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals. 40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce. 41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents. 42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems. 43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government. 44. Internationalize the Panama Canal. 45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike. Incoming Treasury Sec. Mnuchin steps down from Sears board NEW YORK (AP) Steven Mnuchin, who was nominated by Donald Trump as the next Treasury secretary, is stepping down from the board at Sears. Mnuchin, 53, has been on the Sears Holdings Corp. board for more than 11 years, according to the company. He was the Yale roommate of Sears Chairman and CEO Eddie Lampert. Mnuchin was tapped in May to head Trump's campaign finance operation, and said this week that he had been asked by Trump to head the Treasury. FILE - In this Nov. 30, 2016 file photo, Steven Mnuchin talks with reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York. Sears said Friday, Dec. 2 that Steven Mnuchin has stepped down from the department stores board, a week after President-elect Donald Trump nominated Mnuchin to be the countrys Treasury secretary. Mnuchin has been on the Sears Holdings Corp. board for more than 11 years, the company said. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Japan's foreign minister, Putin meet ahead of Tokyo visit MOSCOW (AP) Japan's foreign minister met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Friday and gave him a personal message from the Japanese prime minister ahead of Putin's upcoming visit to Tokyo. A disagreement over the southern Kuril islands which Japan calls the Northern Territories has kept the two countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their World War II hostilities. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's two visits to Russia this year have led many to believe Tokyo and Moscow are moving toward a breakthrough. Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida would not disclose the contents of the message he delivered to Putin. Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, meets with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, left, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Putin is to travel to Japan later this month to meet the Japanese prime minister and discuss a territorial dispute over the southern Kuril islands which keeps the two countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their World War II hostilities. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, pool) Putin said in televised comments Friday that Russia is working on the Japanese prime minister's proposals to expand ties between the two countries, but he made no mention of the Kuril islands. In Moscow, a deputy Russian foreign minister in an interview with the RIA Novosti news agency sought to dispel Japan's expectations that Russia would be willing to give up one or two islands to secure Japan's agreement to the peace treaty. "Our position at the peace treaty talks has not changed. We proceed from an indisputable need for Tokyo to acknowledge the results of the Second World War, including the territorial issues regarding the south Kuril islands," Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said Friday. "This is a starting point of any serious discussion on this problem." Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, meets with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, right, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Putin is to travel to Japan later this month to meet the Japanese prime minister and discuss a territorial dispute over the southern Kuril islands which keeps the two countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their World War II hostilities. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, pool) Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, Dec. 2, 2016. Putin is to travel to Japan later this month to meet the Japanese prime minister and discuss a territorial dispute over the southern Kuril islands which keeps the two countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their World War II hostilities. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, pool) Maine GOP Gov. LePage claims non-citizens could have voted AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) Republican Gov. Paul LePage is telling state legislators he'll rubber-stamp their election certifications despite his concerns about the accuracy of the state's official results. Democratic Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said the integrity of Maine's election isn't in question and he hasn't received complaints regarding the integrity of it. He said the office is "fully confident" the election results it certified are accurate and represent the will of voters. LePage is questioning the results approving marijuana legalization, a minimum wage hike and an income surtax to fund schools. He has claimed voters didn't understand the specifics of the ballot questions. The governor also has said the state will verify if college students voted lawfully, and he speculated recently that no ID requirement for voting means "people from the cemetery" would vote. LePage provided no evidence to back up his claims. He recently wrote a letter to legislators in which he said he signed their election certifications despite his "strong concerns regarding the integrity of Maine's ballot." "I cannot attest to the accuracy of the tabulation certified by the Secretary of State," LePage said. LePage's office said the governor sent the letters to Republicans and Democrats. Democratic lawmakers are criticizing the governor for casting doubt on the integrity of election results certified by the secretary of state. Those results are then signed off on by LePage. Dunlap said Maine uses paper ballots and about half of municipalities hand-count votes. He said tabulating machines in the rest of the state aren't connected to any network that could make them vulnerable to tampering. In a statement, LePage said Dunlap cannot "guarantee with 100 percent certainty" that noncitizens did not vote or that college students or others did not vote in more than one place. He also claimed "electronic voting machines" could be manipulated by outside vendors and said paper ballots can be "mishandled, miscounted or misplaced." But Dunlap said the state doesn't use electronic voting machines. Instead, it uses ballot tabulators with password-protected optical scanners that read and tally the votes. He said that ballots are counted under a "very strict" chain of custody from the time they are printed to when they are sealed and that using paper ballots allows for hand-recounts. A Maine voter needs to be a U.S. citizen and present valid ID and proof of residency. Voters can be prosecuted for providing false statements and must say if they were previously registered to vote. Dunlap encouraged LePage or other parties to come forward if they have evidence of attempts at voter fraud. LePage made the comments even as Republicans held onto U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin's congressional seat and narrow control of the state Senate and gained state House seats. In 2011, a two-month investigation led by Dunlap's Republican predecessor, Charles Summers, found no instances of voter fraud after the head of the Maine GOP expressed doubts about more than 200 cases by nonresident state university students. Iranian-American art dealer, wife detained in Iran DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) A human rights group says an Iranian-American art gallery manager and his wife have been detained in Iran, the latest in a series of arrests involving dual nationals in the Islamic Republic. The New York-based International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said Friday that Karan Vafadari and his Iranian wife Afarin Niasari are being held in Tehran's Evin Prison. The group says no public charges have been brought and the couple has not had access to a lawyer since their arrest by the Revolutionary Guard in July. Iranian officials could not immediately be reached for comment. TV's 'Full House' home is staying in the Tanner family SAN FRANCISCO (AP) The San Francisco home featured in television's "Full House" has sold to the producer who created the show. KGO-TV reports (http://abc7ne.ws/2g1pBYB) veteran TV producer Jeff Franklin bought the 3-bedroom Victorian in August. It was on the market for more than $4 million. FILE - This May 27, 2016, file photo, shows a Victorian home, center, in San Francisco, made famous by the television show "Full House." The home was sold to producer Jeff Franklin, who created the show. The veteran TV producer bought the 3-bedroom Victorian, which was on the market for over $4 million, in August. The realtor had declined to say at the time who bought the home, which is in San Francisco's Lower Pacific Heights neighborhood. The home's exterior was used as the Tanner family's residence in the original show. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg,File) The real estate agent had declined to say who bought the home in San Francisco's lower Pacific Heights neighborhood. The home's exterior was used as the Tanner family's residence in the original show. Inside scenes were filmed on a set in Burbank, California. The shots were used again in the recent "Fuller House" reboot of the show on Netflix. The report says the new owner plans to repaint the front door red, just like in the original show. Previous owners had painted it a seafoam green. ___ Information from: KGO-TV. Japan seeks to keep pressure on NKorea over abductions UNITED NATIONS (AP) The government minister responsible for the issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea during the 1970s and 80s says he believes growing international pressure will eventually lead to a return of the abductees or their remains. Katunobu Kato told The Associated Press on Friday that he hoped to obtain the understanding of the United Nations and the United States to keep up pressure on North Korea to provide a full accounting of the abductees and allow them to return home. "We very much appreciate this heightened momentum in the international public opinion ... and we believe that North Korea also has become quite sensitive to such public opinion and is responding to it which means this has proven to be effective to a certain extent," Kato said. The Japanese government has officially identified 17 of its citizens who have been abducted by North Korea and is investigating another 883 cases of possible abductions, Kato said. "This is a grave issue in terms of human rights and humanity and it is not limited to Japan," Kato said, pointing to a 2014 report by the U.N. Human Rights Council that details North Korean abductions of citizens from South Korea, Lebanon, Thailand, Malaysia, China, Singapore and Romania as well. He said Japan was especially encouraged by a resolution passed in the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year asking the State Department and intelligence community to look into the possibility that David Sneddon, a Brigham Young University student who went missing while hiking in China in 2004, was abducted by North Korea. "We hope to obtain the understanding of the government of the United States as well as the people of the United States which in turn will serve as strength as we try to solve this issue, Kato said. In 2002, North Korea admitted to kidnapping 13 Japanese citizens in the 1970s and '80s to train spies in Japanese language and culture. Five were allowed to return to Japan the same year, and North Korea says the others died or never entered the North. Kato says Japan is working under the assumption all of the abductees are still alive and must be returned home. Investigating the abductions issue is a top political priority for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has long promised families of those who disappeared to seek answers. Fugitive sentenced in Iowa to federal prison CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) A man who fled prosecution on federal drug charges in 2003 has been sentenced in Iowa to 15 years in prison. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Cedar Rapids says 39-year-old Ismael Sanchez-Acevedo, who most recently lived in Surrey, British Columbia, was sentenced Thursday. Prosecutors say Sanchez-Acevedo was charged in 2003 with dealing methamphetamine. The charge came after police found Sanchez-Acevedo and another man in a Cedar Rapids hotel room with more than 700 grams of meth and nearly $3,000 in cash. US casts watchful eye on Cuban crossings after Castro death MIAMI (AP) Rodolfo Lledes departed Cuba and headed for Florida with 26 others on a motorized raft made of empty 55-gallon drums. Claudia Cruz Perez wound her way on buses, boats and planes through South America to the U.S.-Mexico border, eventually landing in Miami. Many migrants like them make the journey because of what they call appalling conditions or political persecution, but also because of the U.S. "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy that shields Cubans from deportation if they make it to U.S. soil. Now, the death of longtime Cuban leader Fidel Castro and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's hardline stance on curbing illegal immigration have cast new uncertainty over that decades-old policy. Arrivals from the communist-ruled island already had surged in the past two years because of fears that the policy would be discontinued as President Barack Obama sought warmer relations, the U.S. Coast Guard has said, and now officials are on alert for another uptick in sea crossings. In this photo taken Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, Rodolfo Lledes sits in front of his home as he talks to a reporter, in Miami. Lledes departed Cuba and headed for Florida with 26 others on a motorized raft made of empty 55-gallon drums in September 1994. Many migrants like him make the journey because of what they call appalling conditions or political persecution, but also because of the U.S. wet-foot, dry-foot policy that shields Cubans from deportation if they make it to U.S. soil. Now, the death of longtime Cuban leader Fidel Castro and U.S. President-elect Donald Trumps hardline stance on curbing illegal immigration have cast new uncertainty over that decades-old policy. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz) While it's too soon to note a definitive trend, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted 38 Cubans in the South Florida Straits and brought them back to Cuba on Thursday. Under "wet-foot, dry-foot," migrants intercepted at sea are returned to Cuba. "It's not right to recommend that anyone leave by raft, because it's a trip that can lead to death," said Lledes, a Castro opponent who fled Cuba after being sent to a work camp and being blacklisted from getting a job. "But the reality of living in Cuba can lead to that, and much more." Lledes made his crossing in September 1994, during the so-called Cuban rafter crisis. The Coast Guard stopped the homemade vessel, and he was sent to the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay. In all, about 30,000 rafters were held at Guantanamo during the crisis. Lledes was later flown to the U.S., where he worked as a truck driver in Miami. He became an American citizen, bought a house and is now retired at age 71. Since Obama ordered restoration of diplomatic relations between Washington and Havana in December 2014, the U.S. Coast Guard has noted a significant uptick each year in the number of Cuban migrants who brave the dangerous Straits of Florida and arrive on the coast of South Florida, the islands of the Florida Keys or elsewhere. During the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, U.S. authorities captured, intercepted or chased away 7,411 Cuban migrants an increase over 3,737 in the 2014 fiscal year and 2,218 in 2013. An additional 827 tried to make the trip since October, the Coast Guard said. It's not clear how many others have died at sea. Castro's death is unlikely to significantly change living conditions in Cuba, as Raul Castro continues the communist rule he took over from his ailing brother in 2008. That means migrants will likely continue to set sail, especially if there is even a perception that the "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy may be restricted. "It's almost impossible to think that there's an improved future in Cuba under the current conditions," said Pedro Roig, senior research associate at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies at the University of Miami. "It's very feasible that any Cuban, man or woman, would want to seek another horizon under these laws." Cruz Perez made her circuitous journey in 2015, arriving in October of that year after what she said had been concern among those on the island about the future of U.S.-Cuba immigration policy. But more important, she said, was daily survival in Cuba, where necessities like soap and toilet paper often are hard to obtain. She doesn't think Fidel Castro's death alone will have an immediate impact, given that Raul Castro has handled the nation's governing since 2008. People will still come to the U.S. to seek work and send money and goods to relatives left behind, or eventually bring loved ones to the U.S. "If one has children, one almost has to leave the island to seek a better life and a better future for them," said Cruz, who works a night shift at a printing factory. "That is why people risk their lives to leave." ___ Associated Press video journalist Josh Replogle contributed to this report. Political donor pleads guilty to investment fraud scheme ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) A political donor and cable news commentator pleaded guilty Friday to federal criminal charges in what prosecutors described as a $30 million investment fraud scheme tied to his health-technology company. Sreedhar Potarazu, 51, an ophthalmogist from Potomac, Maryland, was appointed to serve on the credentials committee to this year's Democratic National Convention, even though he has given to Republicans and Democrats. He was a frequent guest of Fox Business and other cable news shows, and in one appearance billed himself as a supporter of Republican John Kasich. His name also appears in a series of hacked emails released by WikiLeaks showing DNC officials debating whether his donations of more than $300,000 merited a seat next to President Barack Obama at an event. DNC staffers also express frustration in the emails about Potarazu's persistence in seeking an audience with Obama. The fraud scheme was unconnected to his political donations. At a plea hearing Friday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Potarazu admitted he defrauded more than 150 shareholders in his McLean-based company, VitalSpring Technologies, by hiding his tax liabilities and lying about the company's finances. Prosecutors say the fraud amounted to $30 million Potarazu's lawyer, Stuart Nash, said his client admits his guilt but disputes the amount of the fraud. Potarazu, who is free on $5 million bond while he awaits sentencing, declined comment after Friday's hearing. He faces up to 15 years in prison. Court records indicate one shareholder invested approximately $16 million. At Friday's plea hearing, Potarazu told the judge, "I provided false information to some shareholders about the health of the company." Prosecutor Jack Morgan said Potarazu used some of the company for his personal benefit, including personal car service and publication of his book, "Get Off the Dime." The fraud also included a failure to tell investors that Potarazu failed to pay more than $7 million in payroll taxes from 2007 through 2016. Potarazu also admitted he lied to investors and shareholders about a supposedly imminent sale of the company that would generate a profit. At one point he even had another person pretend to be the prospective buyer on a conference call. "For years Potarazu enriched himself by abusing the trust of his company's many investors and stealing millions of dollars from them through a complex scheme of fraud and deceit," said Dana Boente, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, whose office prosecuted the case. Potarazu has faced civil lawsuits related to his company for years, with multiple tax liens and civil judgments filed against him, according to court records. Ex-EastEnders actor Larry Lamb voted out of I'm A Celebrity Larry Lamb has become the sixth contestant to be voted out of I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! The ex-EastEnders actor was a favourite after he entered the camp at the beginning of the ITV series, but in recent days some viewers had begun to lose patience with his treatment of Homes Under The Hammer presenter Martin Roberts after several clashes. Lamb, 69, spent 20 days in the Australian jungle where he became known for his strict exercise regime and his frequent rows with Roberts. Lamb said he had become something of a father figure in the camp. He told hosts Ant and Dec: "I'm disappointed, but it was such an extraordinary experience and whatever happened has changed me as a person. "It's something you can't create, people have to create it for you, all of those people rubbing along." The actor stayed tight-lipped about his views on his fellow campers, refusing to say who he wanted to see win, but he did share a few words about sparring partner Roberts. He said: "I think he means well, he just..." Ant asked: "Irritates you?" To which Lamb replied: "Yeah." He added: "He's coping well with camp life. He's just, it's a different vibe entirely." Lamb got on particularly well with Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt and said of her: "She's just a little gem." During his time on the show, Lamb had opened up to the other contestants about his estranged eldest daughter, who he only met once when she was a baby, and spoke about not knowing whether he had any grandchildren by her. He told Ant and Dec of the other campers' family lives: "Those familial situations I've heard about, it's made me realise how lucky I am, but how much more I've got to do." Talking about the role he played in camp as the eldest one there, he said: "You become a father figure." Lamb had been upset to see his friends leave the competition in previous episodes and explained how he had been feeling in his exit interview. He said: "Obviously you know they're just going over the bridge and you're going to see them in a few days' time, but it just really emotionally walloped me." Boris Johnson: UK will not block closer EU defence co-operation after Brexit Britain will not seek to prevent closer European defence co-operation following its exit from the EU, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said. Mr Johnson said the UK's interest was to have close relations with a "strong EU" following Brexit, and London would not "block or impede" steps towards further integration, including a European defence "architecture". "If they want to do that, fine," he said, in comments which appeared to contradict Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon, who has insisted that the UK will "continue to oppose any idea of an EU army or EU army headquarters, which would simply undermine Nato". Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson delivers a speech at Chatham House, London Proposals under discussion in Brussels could see a new joint EU military command, as well as increased defence spending and joint development of assets such as helicopters and drones. The move is being spearheaded by France and Germany, who insist the plan is to improve co-operation and not create the EU's own army. Speaking at Chatham House in London, the Foreign Secretary rejected suggestions that it was in the UK's interests for the EU to fall apart, with other countries following Britain's lead in voting to leave. And he indicated he would not oppose further EU security integration, though he stressed that the priority should be to ensure member states meet Nato's target of spending 2% of GDP on defence. "We want a strong EU and we want a strong relationship between a strong UK and a strong EU," said Mr Johnson. "It is no part of our agenda to seek to undermine or to be dog-in-the-mangerish about the EU. "There's a conversation going on now about the EU's desire to build a common security and defence policy and a new architecture for that. If they want to do that, fine - obviously they should also spend 2% of their GDP on defence. "We are not there to block or to impede further steps towards EU integration if that is what they desire. We are there to support and to build a strong, thick relationship." Mr Johnson insisted that the June 23 vote for withdrawal from the EU should not be seen as the UK turning its back on the world, and issued a plea that Britons should not be regarded as xenophobes or populists because of it. He acknowledged that the Brexit vote had "startled" Britain's friends around the world, but said the UK should not be "defined" by it. Rather than turning its back on the world, the post-Brexit country must be "more outward-looking and more engaged with the world than ever before," he said. The Leave vote was not driven by "xenophobia" and the desire to leave the EU was compatible with "a generous and open mindset towards the rest of the world", insisted Mr Johnson. "This is the year when - as we periodically do - we did something that startled our friends and rivals," said the Foreign Secretary. "We voted to leave the EU. "Ever since that extraordinary vote on June 23 there have been efforts to psychoanalyse the result and to impute bad motives to the British people, and there have been plenty who have been only too quick to draw comparisons with populist movements across the world." But he rejected this as a "glib" interpretation of the referendum result, and said he counted himself among "plenty" of Leave voters who backed Brexit "not because they disliked or feared foreigners but because they believed in democracy". "It is my passionate belief that there is no contradiction between a trust in the nation state as the key-building block of the global order and a generous and open mindset towards the rest of the world," said Mr Johnson. "Brexit emphatically does not mean a Britain that turns in on herself. Yes, a country taking back control of its democratic institutions but not a nation hauling up the drawbridge or slamming the door. "A nation that is now on its mettle, a nation that refuses to be defined by this decision, a country galvanised by new possibilities and a country that is politically and economically and morally fated to be more outward-looking and more engaged with the world than ever before." Responding to Mr Johnson's comments, a Downing Street spokesman said: " We are very clear that Nato is the bedrock of our and Europe's defence. What we have been clear about is that any EU defence and security proposals that may come forward should complement Nato and not duplicate Nato." The spokesman stressed that no proposals had yet been tabled in Brussels for a Europe-wide defence force. "We remain members of the EU at the moment and we have made clear we don't agree with a European defence force," he added. Mr Johnson said it was the UK's "historic post-Brexit function" to stand up for free trade against the growing tide of protectionism around the world. "The gossamer web of obstruction is growing thicker every year, and the political support for openness in trade is draining away across the world," he warned. "For the first time in decades trade is no longer growing as fast as global GDP, with volumes rising by only 2.8% this year compared with an average of 5% since 1990. "And since it is the world's poorest who will suffer most from this atrophy, it is our historic post-Brexit function - as the PM has said - to be the leading agitators for free trade. One in four British Muslims does not believe in extremism, study finds British Muslims have a "deeply worrying" belief in conspiracy theories and almost half would not go to the police if they knew someone with links to Islamic State (IS), a major study has found. Attitudes towards many issues, such as the NHS, unemployment and immigration, are broadly in line with the rest of the population, according to the Policy Exchange study. But 31% of Muslims thought the United States government was behind the 9/11 terror attacks and 7% blamed Jews while just 4% believed al Qaida was responsible, the think-tank said. Labour's Khalid Mahmood said the findings of a study showed that the views of British Muslims matched those of the rest of the population in most areas It found that 26% of Muslims did not believe in extremism and 48% would not turn to the police if someone close to them became involved with people linked to Syrian terrorism, the research revealed. Labour's Khalid Mahmood said the findings made clear that British Muslims were no different in their views in many areas to the rest of the population but raised concerns over the significant numbers who doubted the existence of extremism. In a foreword to the report, the shadow Europe minister said: "Even more startling is the fact that so many British Muslims seem ready to entertain wild and outlandish conspiracy theories about the way the world works, believing that dark forces are at work to 'do us down' as Muslims. "From the attacks of 9/11, down to the more recent conflict in Syria, too many people seem ready to believe that these events are being deliberately organised and manipulated - whether by the American Government, Jews, or some other force - with the express intention of damaging Muslims. "Of course, there is no denying that for many British Muslims, problems of racism, harassment and Islamophobia are a serious cause of worry. But it is deeply troubling that this seems to have led a not-insignificant minority to believe that the world is at the mercy of the machinations of dark, anti-Muslim forces. " This readiness to believe in conspiracy theories and the mentality of victimhood to which it speaks is having a pernicious effect on British Muslims and the way they see the world. It is holding us back - as a community - and ensuring that we remain locked in a paranoid and at times fearful world view." The report, Unsettled Belonging: Britain's Muslim Communities, is based on research carried out by polling company ICM with mo re than 3,000 people. It found 93% of respondents had a fairly strong or very strong attachment to Britain and more than half wanted to fully integrate with non-Muslims in all aspects of life. More Muslims condemned terrorism than the rest of the population - 90% to 84% - and 55% wanted to see extra police on the streets. But 43% supported the introduction of Sharia law and 1% said they favoured fully separate Islamic areas in Britain. Martyn Frampton, head of security and counter extremism at Policy Exchange, said: "In nearly every walk of life, British Muslims are no different in their views and priorities to their non-Muslim neighbours. "They believe the NHS, jobs and immigration to be the most pressing issues facing the country and worry deeply about the effect of drugs and drinking on their communities. "However, the research found a deeply worrying belief in conspiracy theories such as 9/11. Unlike the general population, nearly a third of British Muslims believe the American government was responsible for the attacks on the Twin Towers, while a surprisingly tiny number attributed blame to al Qaeda." The report found that the Muslim Council of Britain enjoys little support in the community, with just 9% of respondents backing it. It also suggested the Government should not be "spooked" into abandoning or apologising for its controversial Prevent agenda, which tries to stop people being drawn into terrorism, because Muslim communities are " generally relaxed" about intervention to tackle extremism. David Goodhart, head of Policy Exchange's demography, integration and immigration unit, said: "British Muslims as a whole continue to live somewhat more separately than other large ethno-cultural minorities - in neighbourhoods and schools, in terms of women not working and in terms of attitudes and religiosity. Cleese leads tributes to Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs John Cleese has led tributes to the "wonderful" Andrew Sachs, the actor best known for starring as Spanish waiter Manuel in Fawlty Towers. Sachs was buried on Thursday at 86 after battling vascular dementia for four years. The German-born performer died at a care home on November 23. Andrew Sachs arriving for the 2009 British Soap Awards Cleese, 77, the co-creator of the 1970s sitcom, told Radio 4's Today programme he was in "a little bit of shock" by the news as he paid tribute to the "wonderful" actor, who he said perfectly portrayed the hapless Manuel. He said acting with Sachs was "like playing tennis with someone who is exactly as good as you are". "Sometimes he wins and sometimes you win but somehow there's a rapport and it comes from the very deepest part of ourselves. You can work on it, but in our case we never had to work on it, it all happened so easily." Cleese added that Sachs "turned into a completely different human being" when wearing his familiar Manuel moustache. Asked of his favourite scene with Sachs in Fawlty Towers, Cleese told Today it had been The Kipper and the Corpse - episode four of the second series of the hit comedy. "I think that was some of our very best physical comedy and working out all that stuff like getting the body into the basket and getting it out again I think that was so much fun. "Occasionally you come across someone who loves physical comedy and although he was such a quiet demeanour, Andy absolutely loved it. "He was wonderful." Cleese said he last saw Sachs "eight or nine months ago" when they were being photographed together. He said he realised then he "wasn't totally present" but added the news of his death was "a little bit of a shock". "Although I knew his memory was not so good, despite that he was very special." Earlier the actor had posted on Twitter: "Just heard about Andy Sachs. Very sad ... I knew he was having problems with his memory as his wife Melody told me a couple of years ago. "A very sweet gentle and kind man and a truly great farceur. I first saw him in Habeas Corpus on stage in 1973. I could not have found a better Manuel. Inspired." Cleese said he was aware the actor had been admitted to a care home "but I had no idea that his life was in danger". He also referred to a foreword he wrote in 2014 for his former co-star's book which was said to have "moved Sachs to tears". Sachs had been a resident at Denville Hall a private care home in Northwood, west London. Staff said on Thursday night they were unable to talk about his death. His wife of 57 years, Melody Sachs, told the Daily Mail: "It wasn't all doom and gloom, he still worked for two years (after his diagnosis in 2012). We were happy, we were always laughing, we never had a dull moment. "He had dementia for four years and it wasn't very pleasant. We didn't really notice it at first until the memory started going. "It didn't get really bad until quite near the end. I nursed Andrew, I was there for every moment of it." She said the father-of-three, a native German speaker whose parents fled the Nazis in 1938, refused to complain about his deteriorating health. Mrs Sachs, also 86, said her husband lost his ability to speak and write during his final few weeks and he was unable to feed himself or eat during his final days. After Fawlty Towers, Sachs would go on to play Ramsay Clegg in Coronation Street in 2009 - a year after the Sachsgate scandal in which Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand made a prank call to the actor on the radio about his granddaughter. But he slipped from public life as his illness took hold. Blackadder actor and comedian Sir Tony Robinson paid tribute to his "true friend". He said on Twitter: "So sad that Andrew Sachs has died. A true friend and a kindred spirit. "I still have the wonderful baby pictures he took of my children. RIP." Samuel West, whose mother Prunella Scales starred alongside Sachs in Fawlty Towers, added: "Creator of one of our most beloved EU migrants. Such warmth and wit; impossible to think of him without smiling." Director of BBC content, Charlotte Moore, also paid tribute to the "wonderful actor". She added: "He will be fondly remembered for his many appearances across television and radio, not least for making the nation laugh in the classic role of Manuel. "He entertained millions across a brilliant career and will be greatly missed." Sachs' son, John Sachs, said as his father battled with vascular dementia he was shown Fawlty Towers but did not recognise the hit comedy. He told the BBC's Today programme: "Vascular dementia is a terrible thing for an actor because you lose your voice, you lose movement and they even tried playing Fawlty Towers to him but he didn't even recognise it, so it is a terrible change." The younger Sachs also revealed his father used Manuel's moustache to hide behind. "I think he stuck that big moustache on because he didn't want to be recognised. "(He) tried to make it even bigger but John wouldn't have it. I think he would have whole big furry thing across his face. "Honestly he didn't seek the limelight at all, just enjoyed the craft." Asked if Sachs considered the role as the standout of his career, his son said: "I don't think he ever thought that as anything particular special. I guess we did. "He wasn't even sure if John had written him into the next series because it was a two-part so that's how much regard he had for it really but of course he loved doing it and liked the royalties. "He brought a certain subtlety to it." Fawlty Towers actress Connie Booth, who played waitress and hotel maid Polly Sherman, paid tribute to Sachs saying he " spoke to the world with his body as well as his mangled English." Post-Brexit workforce shortage 'in no one's interest' - David Davis A flexible approach to immigration controls has been signalled by Brexit Secretary David Davis. Mr Davis told business leaders that changes to migration rules after withdrawal from the EU would not be allowed to damage the economy. The Brexit Secretary said that it was in no one's interest to see labour shortages in key industries. Brexit Secretary David Davis: 'No one wants to see labour shortages in key sectors' He told CBI Wales in Cardiff: "As we take back control of immigration by ending free movement as it has operated before, let me also say that we won't do so in a way which is contrary to the national economic interest. "Because, as the Chancellor has said, Britain must win the global battle for talent. No one wants to see labour shortages in key sectors. That won't be in anybody's interest." The intervention came after staunch Leave campaign Mr Davis provoked anger among Brexit MPs by saying the UK could pay Brussels to obtain the best possible access to the single market after it quits the bloc. As the row continued, Downing Street moved to play down reports that Prime Minister Theresa May had been snubbed by European Council president Donald Tusk, who failed to invite her to an end-of-year dinner with EU leaders at a Brussels summit. A government spokesman told the Press Association: "It is well known that Donald Tusk wanted to change the arrangements for the European Council and this timetable reflects those plans, with a one-day meeting instead of two. Fallon hails 'Mad Dog' Mattis as new US defence secretary The controversial retired general picked by Donald Trump to be his defence secretary has been given a ringing endorsement by the British government. General James Mattis has a "deep understanding" of the military culture shared by the United States and the UK, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said as he congratulated the nominee. Nicknamed Mad Dog Mattis, the 66-year-old has a distinguished service record and retired in 2013 from the Marine Corps. Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has congratulated Gen James Mattis But he was criticised in 2005 when he declared it was "fun to shoot some people" and fighting was " a hell of a hoot". President-elect Trump's nomination, however, will need to win approval in Congress through legislation by-passing a law that bars retired military officers from becoming defence secretary within seven years of leaving active duty. Sir Michael said: "I congratulate General James Mattis on his nomination and wish him well with the confirmation process. "He has a deep understanding of our shared military culture as well as experience of serving alongside British forces. The US is and will remain our closest partner on security and defence. Bus bursts into flames in London street A double-decker bus burst into flames in a dramatic fire in a south-west London street. The driver escaped and was taken to hospital after the blaze broke out on the 371 bus near the Guildhall/Rose Theatre stop in High Street, Kingston, just after 9am. Two fire crews battled flames before getting the blaze under control just after 10am. The bus on fire in Kingston, south west London (Hannah Page/PA) Pictures and videos shared on social media showed bright orange flames engulfing the back of the bus as a plume of dark grey smoke funnelled towards the sky. Witness Martin Delaney, who arrived on the scene as firefighters had got the blaze under control, said the scene was "pretty chaotic". Mr Delaney, who shared photos of the burnt-out bus with wires hanging from its rear, added: "The road was taped off, there were acrid burning smells, local shops' fire alarms or smoke detectors had been triggered - it was quite a mess." It was not clear whether anyone else was on board the bus but London Ambulance Service staff were at the scene to treat people for smoke inhalation. There were no casualties, except the driver who was treated for smoke inhalation before being taken to a south-west London hospital. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said local residents were evacuated "as a safety precaution" and road closures were in place. UK takes in 4,000 refugees in first year of expanded Syrian scheme More than 4,000 refugees arrived in Britain in the first year of the Government's expanded Syrian resettlement scheme. Home Office figures show that 4,162 people were resettled under the initiative in the year to the end of September. Last year Ministers committed to take in 20,000 Syrians driven from the war-torn country by 2020 following a public outcry over the fate of those attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean. Scotland has taken in the most refugees regionally Statistics show arrivals under initiative were at the highest quarterly level so far in the three months to September, with 1,516 people resettled around the country. Half (49%) of those resettled under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme were under 18 years old (2,059), and around the same proportion (48%) were female (1,989). Those brought to Britain have been resettled across 175 different local authorities in the year from October 2015 - up from 118 in the first nine months. Coventry has received the highest number of refugees out of local authority areas so far, with 161. Regionally, Scotland has taken in the most Syrian refugees under the scheme, with 1,147 - more than a quarter of the total. Earlier this year a Commons committee report warned of a "two tier system" in relation to the programme, which is voluntary for town halls, after figures showed some had taken in dozens while others had received none. Spending watchdogs have estimated the total cost of the scheme could top 1.7billion. In an assessment published in September the National Audit Office also warned that a shortage of housing and school places could pose a threat to the chances of meeting the pledge. Stephen Hale, chief executive of Refugee Action, said: "It's great to see this pledge is becoming a reality as communities all over the country are choosing to welcome refugees to their areas. "But the appalling events unfolding in Aleppo are a brutal reminder that there is no end in sight to the war in Syria or the immense suffering of children and civilians caught up in the violence." He added: " This is the world's worst refugee crisis in more than 60 years. We have a moral and a legal duty to offer sanctuary to more refugees from Syria and other war-torn, unsafe countries." David Simmonds, chairman of the Local Government Association's Asylum, Refugee and Migration Task Group, said: "Councils have an excellent track record in welcoming asylum-seeking and refugee children and their families for many years and continue to work hard to support the Syrian resettlement scheme, alongside all the other schemes in current operation. "They have no say over when people will be allowed to enter the UK, but stand ready to help when they do." Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: "The support of local authorities, devolved administrations, and the tremendous goodwill of the British people, has been paramount in helping us resettle so many vulnerable people who have fled conflict. "We are very much on track to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees by the end of this Parliament. "The humanitarian crisis in Syria is unprecedented which is why we decided to undertake one of the largest resettlement schemes in the UK's history. Compromise reached on massive U.S. defense bill By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - A compromise version of a massive U.S. defense policy bill omits controversial provisions such as a clause Democrats said allowed discrimination against homosexuals and a requirement that women register for the draft. The $618.7 billion National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, will likely come up for a vote in the House of Representatives late this week, and the Senate next week, senior committee staff members told reporters at a background briefing on Tuesday. During months of negotiations, Republicans and Democrats on the Senate and House Armed Services committees agreed to eliminate a "religious freedom" provision Democrats said would have let federal contractors discriminate against workers on the basis of gender or sexual orientation. The amendment, introduced by Republican Representative Steve Russell, would have overridden President Barack Obama's 2014 executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers. The 2017 NDAA also leaves out a requirement that women register for the military draft. Many Republican lawmakers, uneasy with moves toward allowing women in combat, had objected to that provision. Instead, the NDAA requires a study of the entire selective service system. The bill also provides a 2.1 percent increase in military pay, the biggest such raise in five years. The bill could run into problems with Democrats. It includes $3.2 billion more in defense spending than Obama requested, which is not matched by a similar increase in non-defense spending. Obama vetoed last year's NDAA because of a similar increase for the Pentagon, part of a continuing tug-of-war between Republicans and Democrats over spending policy. The NDAA keeps language restricting transfers from the military prison at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base that was included in previous bills. Those restrictions were one reason Obama vetoed the 2016 NDAA, but he later signed a version of the legislation that included them. Lawmakers also agreed to slash the White House's National Security Council to no more than 200 positions, from about 400, after Pentagon complaints the NSC was too involved in decision-making. The NDAA expands a program to provide visas to Afghans who worked for the U.S. military and diplomats as interpreters, allowing a further 1,500 visas. It omits protections for the greater sage grouse. House Republicans do not want the bird to be declared an endangered species, arguing it would put too much land in the western United States off limits for military training. Hungary sentences Syrian migrant to 10 years in jail for border riot By Marton Dunai SZEGED, Hungary, Nov 30 (Reuters) - A Syrian-Cypriot man was jailed for 10 years on Wednesday for his part in a riot at Hungary's border with Serbia border last year, when he hurled rocks at police in an attempt to force the border open, deemed an "act of terror" under Hungarian law. Ahmed Hamed, 40, who pleaded not guilty to a charge of terrorism, cried as he was given his sentence - the longest handed down by a Hungarian court in connection to the migrant crisis. Hamed was part of a group that crossed illegally into Hungary on Sept. 16 last year and also spoke to the crowd using a loudspeaker before hundreds of migrants forced open the border gate and police fired water cannon and teargas. Hamed, born in Syria, had lived in Cyprus for a decade and held an EU residence permit, Judge Andrea Nagy told the court. He joined his relatives to help them navigate the Balkans route. Nearly half of the more than 1 million migrants who surged into the European Union last year passed through Hungary, often causing chaos at borders and along the main migration routes. Hamed became a leading figure of the migrant crowds at the Serb border, the court said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was an early opponent of migration, telling the EU to boost border defences or lose its cultural identity. He built a razor-wire fence and organised a referendum on EU migrant resettlement quotas. Other migrants have been sentenced in dozens of prior cases but few received jail time and only one remains behind bars after a case connected to the riots at the Roszke border station last year. None of those migrants were charged with terrorism, a rarely used clause in the criminal code that penalises forcing action from state actors, such as police, in any way. A small group of protesters called "Free the Roszke 11" gathered outside the Szeged courthouse to demand the release of Hamed and call attention to what they said were racist tactics by Hungary's government. "The Roszke trials are show trials," the group said in a leaflet they handed out to passers-by. "Together with the fence, the police violence and the harsh policy changes (they) are supposed to state an example and create an atmosphere of fear." Brazil targets Itau as tax probe reaches more banks By Ana Mano and Guillermo Parra-Bernal SAO PAULO, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Brazilian police investigating alleged bribery of tax officials on Thursday raided Itau Unibanco Holding SA, the latest banking giant to be swept up in the widening investigation. Earlier in the day, federal police executed 34 search warrants and took testimony from 13 people in three Brazilian states. Police did not name the bank involved in the phase of the so-called Operation Zealot but Itau, Latin America's No. 1 bank by market value, confirmed it was the target. The investigation centers on allegations that dozens of companies bribed members of the CARF, a Finance Ministry body that hears appeals on tax disputes, to get favorable rulings that reduced or waived the amounts they owed. Preferred shares, Itau's most widely traded class of stock, fell as much as 4.5 percent on Thursday, the steepest decline in three weeks. As a result, Brazil's Bovespa stock index - in which Itau is the most heavily weighted stock - declined the most since early February. The probe is part of a worsening political climate in Brazil, where a larger corruption scandal ensnaring a number of state-controlled firms, contractors and dozens of politicians has hampered business confidence and impeded efforts to pull the economy from a two-year recession. Apart from Sao Paulo-based Itau, the tax investigation has targeted peers including Banco Bradesco SA, a money management firm controlled by billionaire Joseph Safra's Safra Group and Banco Santander Brasil SA. Bradesco and Santander Brasil have denied wrongdoing, while the Safra Group has repeatedly said the accusations lack any basis. MANIPULATION In a statement, the police said there is evidence that a CARF councilor and Itau teamed up with legal and financial advisers to manipulate tax disputes between 2006 and 2015. The manipulation "of administrative procedures took place" at least three times during that period, the statement said. Itau said the searches related to tax disputes involving the local unit of FleetBoston Corp, which the Brazilian lender bought a decade ago. The wrongdoing was allegedly related to business conducted by BankBoston, as FleetCorp's brand was then known. According to Itau's statement, the BankBoston acquisition did not entail the transfer of tax cases, which it said are the responsibility of Bank of America Corp, the ultimate buyer of FleetBoston. In a separate statement, Bank of America said it is providing Brazilian authorities with the necessary documentation for the investigation. American Airlines to trim Cuba flight schedules By Alana Wise NEW YORK, Dec 1 (Reuters) - American Airlines Group Inc will cut nearly 25 percent of its flights to Cuba in 2017, a company spokesman said on Thursday, attributing the move to travel demand rather than the election of Republican Donald Trump as U.S. president. Starting in mid-February, American, the world's largest airline, will offer one trip a day instead of two from Miami to Holguin, Santa Clara and Varadero, reducing its daily service to 10 round-trip flights from the current 13, spokesman Matt Miller said in a telephone interview. The airline also hopes to lower the airplane capacity on three of the routes in a move to prop up prices. It will place a 128-seat aircraft between Miami and Holguin instead of a 160-seater, and hopes to contract out Camaguey and Cienfuegos flights to a regional carrier that would use 76-seat aircraft, pending U.S. regulatory approval. The regional partner is Republic Airways Holdings Inc. "This was done purely to remain competitive in the market," Miller said. "We can't speculate on what the next administration may do." Airlines are generally expected to perform poorly when entering a previously restricted market, but American's decision to prune its Cuban itinerary two months after starting service may come as a surprise in light of the industry's enthusiasm to fly to the Communist-run island. Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, threatened on Monday to end the recent rapprochement between the United States and its former Cold War foe unless Havana was willing to "make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban/American people and the U.S. as a whole.". The United States and Cuba began normalizing relations in December 2014 after 18 months of secret talks and have since restored full diplomatic ties. They reached a memorandum of understanding that allowed U.S. airlines to start scheduled flights to Cuba after a half-century hiatus. President Barack Obama's administration has eased travel restrictions for U.S. citizens, although general tourism remains illegal. Republican leaders in the U.S. Congress oppose ending the decades-long trade embargo against Cuba. U.S. airlines launched the first regular flights to Havana in more than five decades on Monday. American started five daily Havana flights this week. 0-Oil rallies to best week in years after OPEC output deal By Devika Krishna Kumar NEW YORK, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Oil prices rallied for their best week in at least five years on Friday, steadying above $51 a barrel, following OPEC's decision to cut crude output to rein in a global glut that has weighed on prices for more than two years. After the deal was announced on Wednesday, the market focused on the implementation and impact of OPEC's first output cuts since 2008, to be joined by Russia and possibly other non-OPEC producers. Crude prices were pressured by data showing oil output in Russia rose in November to a post-Soviet high and Moscow's plan to use its record November oil production as its baseline when it cuts output. With cuts being implemented next year only against end-2016 levels, analysts said there was still a possibility that oversupply, which has halved oil prices since 2014, remains a factor next year. "Global, and especially U.S., crude oil inventories are currently at extremely high levels after two years of massive oversupply," Societe Generale analysts said. "While the OPEC agreement is very significant and will result in some moderate global stockdraws next year, it is likely to take more than one year for crude inventory levels to return to more normal levels." Front-month Brent crude futures ended the session up at $54.46 a barrel, up 52 cents, 0.96 percent. The contract rose more than 15 percent for the week, its biggest gain since early 2009. U.S. crude settled at $51.68 per barrel, up 62 cents or 1.21 percent and notched its biggest weekly gain since early 2011, with a rise of 12 percent. Oil drew support from a weak dollar, which slipped against a basket of currencies. Still, traders said profit-taking ahead of the weekend limited crude's price gains. "The petroleum markets have settled into quieter mixed flows as the waves created by Wednesday's OPEC announcement gradually dissipate, with some light profit taking emerging in crude oil," said Tim Evans, energy futures specialist at Citigroup. "A weaker U.S. dollar is typically supportive for commodity prices and may have helped steady crude oil from the lows in today's trade." Prices rose to session highs after the White House said it expects U.S. President Barack Obama to sign U.S. legislation extending sanctions against Iran for 10 years into law. Iran is also seen as a wild card in the execution of the OPEC deal. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's transition team is examining proposals for new non-nuclear sanctions on Iran, the Financial Times reported on Friday. Iran had threatened on Friday to retaliate against the U.S. Senate's vote to extend the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) for 10 years, saying it violated last year's deal with six major powers that curbed its nuclear program. The sanctions were first adopted in 1996 to punish investments in Iran's energy industry and deter its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, U.S. energy companies extended their recovery in oil drilling into a seventh month this week, data from energy services firm Baker Hughes Inc showed on Friday. American Airlines to trim Cuba flight schedules By Alana Wise NEW YORK, Dec 1 (Reuters) - American Airlines Group Inc will cut nearly 25 percent of its flights to Cuba in 2017, a company spokesman said on Thursday, attributing the move to travel demand rather than the election of Republican Donald Trump as U.S. president. Starting in mid-February, American, the world's largest airline, will offer one trip a day instead of two from Miami to Holguin, Santa Clara and Varadero, reducing its daily service to 10 round-trip flights from the current 13, spokesman Matt Miller said in a telephone interview. The airline also hopes to lower capacity on three of the seven routes it operates to Cuba. It plans to use a 128-seat aircraft between Miami and Holguin instead of a 160-seater, and hopes to contract out flights to Camaguey and Cienfuegos to a regional carrier that would use 76-seat aircraft, pending U.S. regulatory approval. The regional partner is Republic Airways Holdings Inc. "This was done purely to remain competitive in the market," Miller said. "We can't speculate on what the next administration may do." Airlines are generally expected to perform poorly when entering a previously restricted market, but American's decision to prune its Cuban itinerary two months after starting service may come as a surprise in light of the industry's enthusiasm to fly to the Communist-run island. "If American can't earn the profit that it requires from these routes, they're going to cut back on the flying. It's as simple as that," said Henry Harteveldt, founder of the travel consultancy Atmosphere Research Group. Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, threatened on Monday to end the recent rapprochement between the United States and its former Cold War foe unless Havana was willing to "make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban/American people and the U.S. as a whole.". The United States and Cuba began normalizing relations in December 2014 after 18 months of secret talks and have since restored full diplomatic ties. They reached a memorandum of understanding that allowed U.S. airlines to start scheduled flights to Cuba this year after a half-century hiatus. President Barack Obama's administration has eased travel restrictions for U.S. citizens, although general tourism remains illegal. Czech Republic - Factors To Watch on Dec 2 PRAGUE, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial markets on Friday. ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 1 hours) =========================ECONOMIC DATA========================== Real-time economic data releases.................... Summary of economic data and forecasts........... Recently released economic data.................. Previous stories on Czech data............. **For a schedule of corporate and economic events: http://emea1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/Apps/CountryWeb/#/2E/events-overview ==========================NEWS================================== EET: The Czech government launched an online sales-reporting system on Thursday for around 40,000 bars, restaurants and hotels in a bid to cut tax avoidance, but raising concern that prices will jump and many pubs at the centre of village life around the country will close. Story: Related stories: BUDGET: The Czech central state budget showed a 55.45 billion crown ($2.18 billion) surplus at the end of November, keeping it on track to avoid a deficit for the first time since 1995, Finance Ministry data showed on Thursday. Story: Related stories: PMI: Czech manufacturing business sentiment lagged behind expectations in November, reflecting slower growth of output and new orders, the Markit Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) showed on Thursday. Story: Related stories: CEE FX POLL: Central Europe's economic growth is expected to strengthen its currencies next year, led by the zloty and the Czech crown, after they reached multi-month lows in November, according to a Nov 28-Dec 1 Reuters poll of 45 analysts. Only five of 22 analysts surveyed projected that the Czech central bank would abandon its ceiling on the value of the crown of 27 to the euro by the end of May. But 18 of 21 analysts who gave forecasts for the 12-month horizon said that the cap would be lifted by then. Their median forecasts for the crown's level at the end of November 2017 was 26.27. Story: Related stories: CEE MARKETS: Poland's zloty and Hungary's forint fell to their weakest levels for months on Thursday as risk aversion gripped global markets and some investors expressed concern that Standard & Poor's could downgrade Poland at the end of the week. Story: Related stories: ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------ Index/Crown Currency Latest Prev Pct change Pct change close on day in 2016 vs Euro 27.049 27.052 0.01 -0.19 vs Dollar 25.31 25.452 0.56 -1.81 Czech Equities 885.05 885.05 0.43 -7.45 U.S. Equities 19,191.93 19,123.58 0.36 10.14 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1600 GMT ======================PRESS DIGEST============================== VITKOVICE: Engineering group Vitkovice said Chinese investors are among those interested in taking a stake in the company, which has three subsidiaries in insolvency. Hospodarske Noviny, page 14 (Reuters has not verified the stories nor does it vouch for their accuracy.) For real-time stock market index quotes click in brackets: Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX For updates on CEE currencies TOP NEWS -- Emerging markets Prague Newsroom: +420 224 190 477 E-mail: prague.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com ($1 = 25.4510 Czech crowns) (Reporting by Prague Newsroom) Chinese business delegation courts Taiwan ally Panama BEIJING, Dec 2 (Reuters) - A large Chinese business delegation has arrived in the Central American country of Panama, a diplomatic ally of self-ruled Taiwan, and is keen to invest in energy and port projects, state news agency Xinhua said on Friday. Panama is one of just 22 countries to maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as a wayward province and says it has no right to diplomatic relations with anyone. The 35 Chinese entrepreneurs, lead by Zhang Wei, vice president of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, arrived in Panama this week, Xinhua said. The delegates mainly come from the telecommunications, banking and construction sectors and "expressed a particular interest in investing in the energy and port sectors", it added. "During a meeting with the Chinese business delegation, Nestor Gonzales, Panama's vice minister of foreign trade, said that his government is seeking to get closer to China," it said. China views Panama as a potential base for manufacturing plants, said Wang Weihua, permanent representative of China's Office of Commercial Development in Panama, Beijing's de facto embassy there. "Panama is already acting as a bridge, a window to transit Chinese merchandise to Latin America," he told Xinhua. "I think that, given Panama's logistical development, this role will increase, and will be enjoyed by more Chinese companies." In June, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen visited Panama for the formal opening of the expanded Panama Canal, her first overseas trip since winning a January election, and sought to consolidate ties with Panama. China is deeply suspicious of Tsai, who it suspects of wanting to push the island's formal independence, and has severed a regular communications mechanism established under Taiwan's previous government. Panama is one of Taiwan's oldest diplomatic allies, but diplomats in Beijing have told Reuters they believe Panama is the most likely Central American nation to ditch Taiwan next. PRESS DIGEST - RUSSIA - Dec 2 MOSCOW, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The following are some of the stories in Russia's newspapers on Friday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. VEDOMOSTI www.vedomosti.ru - The measures which the government is discussing to reform Russia's tax system after 2018 will hardly improve the investment climate in the country, the daily says. - Constant revisions of the rules governing the pension system are pushing people to consider their own ways to save money for their retirement. - The government will support an increase in tariffs for railway shipments. The head of the railways monopoly Oleg Belozerov, has lobbied for the increase. - Russia could extend the high-speed Moscow-Sochi highway to Crimea after launching the Kerch Strait bridge, according to Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov. KOMMERSANT www.kommersant.ru - Russia's central bank is setting up a laboratory of computer criminalistics which will be involved in tracing and finding ways to oppose cyber attacks in the banking sector. - The government could support the launch of a programme against the artificial termination of pregnancy as a measure to boost birth rate, according to Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets. - Russians are choosing to keep their savings in U.S. dollars rather then depositing them in roubles, according to central bank statistics. - Russia will undertake more efforts to "bring its views to other states" and "to promote its cultural identity" in the world, according to a new foreign policy doctrine approved by President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. IZVESTIA www.izvestia.ru - Damascus is planning to rid Aleppo of rebels before Donald Trump takes office as U.S. President, the daily says, citing military sources in Syria. - Russia could stall the construction of a hydro power plant in Mongolia, as in Russia's opinion, it will pollute and deplete the waters of the Baikal Lake in Siberia. ROSSIISKAYA GAZETA www.rg.ru Romania - Factors to watch on Dec. 2 Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Friday. MARKETS Markets resume trading after St. Andrew's and National Day's holidays on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. PPI DATA The National Statistics Board postponed its Dec. 2 release of October industrial producer price data to Dec. 5 at 0700 GMT. BUDGET DATA Romania's consolidated budget deficit narrowed to 0.2 percent of gross domestic product in the first ten months, from a shortfall of 0.5 percent at the end of September, finance ministry data showed. In nominal terms, the deficit stood at 1.3 billion lei($305.47 million). Revenues were 187.6 billion lei, 2.1 percent smaller on the year as a result of tax cuts enforced this year. They amounted to 24.7 percent of GDP. DEBT PLANS Romania aims to sell 3.6 billion lei ($848.46 million) worth of leu currency bills and bonds in December, and an additional 270 million lei at non-competitive rounds of auctions. UNEMPLOYMENT Romania's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged down to 5.8 percent in October from September's 5.9 percent, the National Statistics Board said on Tuesday. CEE MARKETS Poland's zloty and Hungary's forint fell to their weakest levels for months on Thursday as risk aversion gripped global markets and some investors expressed concern that Standard & Poor's could downgrade Poland at the end of the week. FX POLL Central Europe's economic growth is expected to strengthen its currencies next year, led by the zloty and the Czech crown, after they reached multi-month lows in November, according to a Nov 28-Dec 1 Reuters poll of 45 analysts. For the long-term Romanian diary, click on For emerging markets economic events, click on For an index of all diaries, click on Chinese business delegation courts Taiwan ally Panama BEIJING, Dec 2 (Reuters) - A large Chinese business delegation has arrived in the Central American country of Panama, a diplomatic ally of self-ruled Taiwan, and is keen to invest in energy and port projects, state news agency Xinhua said on Friday. Panama is one of just 22 countries to maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. China claims Taiwan as a wayward province and says it has no right to diplomatic relations with anyone. The 35 Chinese entrepreneurs, lead by Zhang Wei, vice president of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, arrived in Panama this week, Xinhua said. The delegates mainly come from the telecommunications, banking and construction sectors and "expressed a particular interest in investing in the energy and port sectors", it added. "During a meeting with the Chinese business delegation, Nestor Gonzales, Panama's vice minister of foreign trade, said that his government is seeking to get closer to China," it said. China views Panama as a potential base for manufacturing plants, said Wang Weihua, permanent representative of China's Office of Commercial Development in Panama, Beijing's de facto embassy there. "Panama is already acting as a bridge, a window to transit Chinese merchandise to Latin America," he told Xinhua. "I think that, given Panama's logistical development, this role will increase, and will be enjoyed by more Chinese companies." Asked about the mission, Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Eleanor Wang said China sought business opportunities around the world. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has continued to monitor China's potential investments in Panama," Wang said, adding that Taiwan encouraged its firms to invest in diplomatic allies. In June, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen visited Panama for the formal opening of the expanded Panama Canal, her first overseas trip since winning a January election, and sought to consolidate ties with Panama. China is deeply suspicious of Tsai, who it suspects of wanting to push the island's formal independence, and has severed a regular communications mechanism established under Taiwan's previous government. Panama is one of Taiwan's oldest diplomatic allies, but diplomats in Beijing have told Reuters they believe Panama is the most likely Central American nation to ditch Taiwan next. Mongolia says bank bondholders will be repaid in full ULAANBAATAR, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Development Bank of Mongolia bondholders can expect their debts to be repaid in full when they fall due next year, a senior finance official said on Friday, even as the state-backed bonds traded below par just three months before maturity. The International Monetary Fund is predicting zero growth this year for Mongolia's once promising economy, as a result of years of declining foreign investment, slower growth in China, and a softer market for its abundant coal resources. The country pinned between China and Russia is reeling from a balance of payments crisis and a tumbling tugrik currency that the present government has blamed on mismanagement by the prior administration. On Friday, Mongolian finance ministry officials held talks with groups such as the IMF and World Bank to present their plan to buoy the economy. Deputy Finance Minister Khurelbaatar Bulgantuya told a news conference following the talks that Mongolia hoped to work with partners to refinance $580 million in sovereign-backed debt from the Development Bank of Mongolia due in 2017. The government could lighten its burden on interest on loans with new "soft" loans that offer easier terms and lower interest for repayment, she said. Renegotiating its debt for a smaller repayment on the principal, known as a haircut, "would be the last resort," she said. "With the IMF, we're looking to refinance." The Development Bank bonds on Friday were trading below par at 97 - just months away from the redemption date in March 2017. "The correction was triggered by President-elect (Donald) Trump's expected protectionist policies and frontier market outflows. The coupon is low and the price fall brings the yield in line with fair value," said a Hong Kong based credit analyst, requesting anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the media. Moody's Investors Service last month downgraded the country's rating to Caa1 from B3, citing heightened uncertainty on whether it could meet its debt obligations. Mongolian officials have been in talks for a standby agreement from the IMF since a new government under Prime Minister Jargaltulga Erdenebat took power last June. Mongolia tapped into a similar agreement in 2009 when it suffered from delayed effects of the global economic crisis, but that was before the government ever borrowed on international markets. The government has issued and sponsored billions worth of debt since 2012, which has been directed partly towards the construction of roads, railway and other infrastructure. China, Mongolia's number-one trade partner, could also take part in the bailout. Denmark to pull F-16 fighter jets from Syria and Iraq COPENHAGEN, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Denmark will not extend military operations of its seven F-16 fighter jets in Syria and Iraq from mid-December after six months in action, the Danish government said on Friday. Instead the Danish contribution in Syria and Iraq will primarily consist of training and analysis teams, which to a large extent will work closer to Iraqi military units. "We are pulling our airplanes out as planned. We have offered the coalition extra help with some construction and engineer troops," Danish foreign minister Anders Samuelsen said after a meeting in the foreign political council. "It has been assessed whether it would make sense from economical and practical considerations (to extend the mission) ... the conclusion has been that it makes no sense, so we just stick to the plan," Samuelsen said. NATO member Denmark is part of the U.S.-led operation "Inherent Resolve" against Islamic State, which has declared a caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria. It said when it joined the mission in June it would review the operation after six months. On Monday, a U.S. military investigation said Danish war planes were involved in a Sept. 17 coalition air strike, where a series of "unintentional human errors" killed fighters aligned with the Syrian government instead of the targeted Islamic State militants. The minister made no mention of the incident in his statement. Philippines president pines for motorcycle, doubts will ride again MANILA, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte spoke of his sadness on Friday at having to forfeit his beloved motorcycles in becoming president, and offered tips on handling two wheels and why a Honda was better than a Harley. The 71-year-old reminisced about touring the Philippines by motorbike and how as a city mayor he used to ride every week on a motorcycle that his security team made him mothball a day after winning a presidential election in May. "I really do not know if I will be able to ride again with the constricted environment I have now ... That is the drawback of being the president," Duterte told graduates of a police highway patrol training course. "I lost the desire because when I go out, my security follow me. Just forget it." Duterte's image as an easy rider adds to the down-to-earth approach that has endeared him to millions of Filipinos. When he was Davao City mayor he shunned protocol by making visiting President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ride pillion on his bike, and he once forced a policeman to fine him for riding without his helmet. Duterte gave a few lessons in motorcycle safety and recalled a few accidents, including one that damaged a nerve in his neck, which he is frequently seen massaging to prevent headaches. He boasted of having reached speeds of 180 kph and owning a Yamaha and Honda as well as a Harley Davidson, although he said he was not too happy with that model as it over-heated. "Throw it in the ditch. It is useless and hot," he said. Court bars S.African "Prophet of Doom" from spraying congregants with insecticide JOHANNESBURG, Dec 2 (Reuters) - A South African pastor who sprays his congregants with insecticide to supposedly cure their ailments has been ordered to desist by health authorities pending a court appearance in Limpopo state next month. Dubbed the "Prophet of Doom" by local media after images circulated of Lethebo Rabalago using Doom, a popular aerosol insecticide, on members of his church, he has said his methods are harmless and help followers recover from illnesses. The pastor of the Mountzion General Assembly church, who has sprayed some of his church members in the face, declined to respond in detail when reached by Reuters. "I'm not saying anything," he said. Rabalago was quoted by local media Eyewitness News as saying that God can use mud, saliva, or "even poisonous things to deliver people." Derick Kganyago, a spokesman for Limpopo's department of health, said the regional government had obtained a court order against Rabalogo "until he appears in court in January. Doom is not fit for human consumption". In 2014, another South African preacher north of the capital Pretoria urged dozens in his congregation to eat grass for healing. In 2015, the same preacher made his congregants drink petrol promising it would cure their various ailments. Egypt is giant prison, activists banned from travel say By Ahmed Aboulenein CAIRO, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Azza Soliman was due to board a plane to attend a conference in Jordan when security officials at Cairo airport turned her away, saying a court order banned her from travelling. The veteran human rights lawyer and feminist was one of at least six activists, lawyers and journalists prevented from leaving Egypt in the space of a week. Rights groups say 217 people were banned from travel between June 2014 and September 2016 -- 115 of them government critics. They see restrictions as part of a wider move by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to silence opponents and erase freedoms won in the 2011 uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule. Soliman said she discovered after being turned back at the airport on Nov. 19 that her personal assets and those of her non-governmental organisation (NGO) had been frozen, even though she was not aware of any legal case against her. "We are in a state that tramples on the law and constitution. They are acting like thieves in the night," she told Reuters. "I wasn't shown a single official paper saying I've been banned from travel or that my assets were frozen." Four days later on Nov. 23, officials banned from travel a veteran activist who runs a centre that rehabilitates torture victims and a journalist who aired a television segment critical of the government. Another journalist was banned on Nov. 24 and a prominent women's rights campaigner on Nov. 25. The rash of travel bans prompted a rebuke from the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, who said they were part of an effort to silence critics. "Restrictions imposed on...freedom of movement have regrettably become routine in what is seen as a broader crackdown against Egyptian civil society that has continued unabated since 2011," Michel Forst said in a statement. An Interior Ministry spokesman said police do not stop anyone from travel unless a court or prosecutor has ordered it. "It is not the airport security officer's job to tell people why they are banned," he said. Airport security officials echoed those points but said that when prominent activists attempt to travel, passport control can consult security or intelligence agencies who sometimes order people stopped. The Interior Ministry denied there was a government crackdown. But Egypt's human rights record is coming under increasing scrutiny, inclduing from close ally the United States. The U.S. State Department's 2015 rights report, released in April, highlighted restrictions on academic freedom and civil society as well as the impunity for security forces who torture and kill. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in March he was deeply concerned by the deterioration in rights, including the decision to reopen an investigation of NGOs which were documenting abuses. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said in April Egypt's human rights record made it more difficult to support Cairo. But U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke last month of his admiration for Sisi and called the Egyptian president "a fantastic guy." Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, in a joint statement in November, urged Egyptian authorities to stop imposing the travel bans on human rights defenders. "The Egyptian authorities want to sever the connection between the Egyptian human rights movement and the outside world," said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. Amnesty said the authorities were using the bans to intimidate human rights defenders and hamper their work. GIANT PRISON Mohamed Zaree was on his way to a workshop in Tunis in May when he was turned back from the airport. The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, where he works, is among several rights groups facing investigation in a 2011 case, accused of taking foreign funds to sow chaos. But Zaree has not been officially charged and received no explanation for or prior notice of any travel restrictions. "This whole thing is very Kafkaesque. I don't know why I am banned or by whom, I don't know where to get any official notice," he said, referring to the Franz Kafka novel "The Trial" in which the protagonist is tried in mysterious circumstances. "I feel like the entire country is a giant prison I cannot leave, and I am not sure how long my sentence is." Hundreds of Islamists have been killed and thousands jailed since Sisi seized power in mid-2013, promising stability after a divisive year of Muslim Brotherhood rule. But the dragnet has since widened to include secular activists who opposed the Brotherhood but clung to hopes of political change. Parliament passed in November a law regulating NGOs, which human rights groups say effectively bans their work and makes it harder for development groups and charities to operate. One of its provisions jails NGO workers for collaborating with international institutions like the United Nations without prior permission. Rights lawyers and NGO workers said they now feared the travel bans could be used to intimidate them whether or not they had broken any law. Malek Adly, a human rights lawyer who was banned from travel earlier in November, said he was given no explanation. Part of a legal team trying to block the transfer of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, Adly said he believed he was targeted because of his opposition to Sisi. Germany approves fee proposal at Frankfurt airport for 2017 BERLIN, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The German state of Hesse has approved an amended fee proposal for Frankfurt airport for 2017, confirming that airlines that are new to the airport, such as Ryanair, will not get special discounts. Irish budget carrier Ryanair announced last month plans to start flying from Frankfurt airport next year, prompting calls from Lufthansa for airport operator Fraport to lower fees for all carriers. The Hesse economy and transport ministry said in a statement on Friday the original proposal would have given discounts for four years to new airlines serving Frankfurt. The amended proposal means discounts are available to all airlines that open up a new route, but for a period of three years and on a decreasing basis over that time. U.N. doubles humanitarian appeal for northeastern Nigeria to $1 billion By Abraham Terngu ABUJA, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The United Nations has doubled its humanitarian funding appeal for northeast Nigeria to $1 billion in 2017 in a bid to reach nearly 7 million people hit by the Islamist militant Boko Haram insurgency who need life-saving help, it said on Friday. The jihadist group has killed 15,000 people and displaced more than 2 million from their homes during a seven-year insurgency in Africa's most populous nation. Nigerian military forces backed by troops from neighbouring states have, in the past few months, pushed Boko Haram out of areas they previously controlled, revealing thousands of people living in famine-like conditions. The United Nations has said some 75,000 children are at risk of starving to death in the region over the next few months if they do not receive humanitarian assistance. "We will target 6.9 million people," said Peter Lundberg, U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) deputy humanitarian coordinator, outlining the agency's 2017 plan, adding that this would require $1 billion. "That is a five-fold increase compared to the initial appeal of 2016. It is a more than doubling compared to the outcome appeal for 2016," said Lundberg. He said OCHA planned to address nutrition, food, health and sanitation needs of people in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa - the three states worst hit by the insurgency. OCHA sought $484 million in 2016, having initially appealed for $248 million. Massachusetts college that took down American flag raises it again BOSTON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - A Massachusetts college that became a target of protests after removing the American flag from its main flagpole following Donald Trump's election victory raised the flag again on Friday, its president said. Students at Hampshire College had lowered the main campus flag on Nov. 9, the day after the Republican businessman won the presidential election. The following day protesters burned a flag on campus, and after flying another flag at half-mast for several days, the school on Nov. 18 removed it entirely, triggering protests by veterans groups. Following meetings with local veterans, college President Jonathan Lash said the flag would be flown again on the main flagpole at the campus in Amherst, Massachusetts, about 90 miles (145 km) west of Boston. "We understand that many who hold the flag as a powerful symbol of national ideals and their highest aspirations for the country, including members of our own community, felt hurt by our decisions, and that we deeply regret," Lash said in a statement. "We acted solely to facilitate much-needed dialogue on our campus about how to dismantle the bigotry that is prevalent in our society." Student protesters had voiced anger over some of Trump's campaign promises, including plans to deport illegal immigrants and restrict immigration from Muslim countries. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1989 that flag-burning was not a crime but a form of protest protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution. Dutch govt backs new inquiry into colonial Indonesia THE HAGUE, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The Dutch government on Friday backed a multi-year inquiry into the end of its colonial period in Indonesia in the 1940s, when troops from the Netherlands are accused of massacres in Southeast Asia's largest nation. Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who has just returned from a trip to Indonesia, said the inquiry will look into hostilities on both sides between 1946 and 1949. He "stressed the importance of working together" during talks with his Indonesian counterpart. Digging into the colonial past "could be painful for Dutch veterans from that period," the government said in a statement. "The Netherlands places a high value on protecting and promoting human rights, international law and the rule of law," the statement said. "Gaining more insight into our own past plays an important role." Known as the Dutch East Indies, the vast archipelago was a colony of the Netherlands from 1800 to 1949, and a main source of the country's wealth thanks to the trade in Indonesian spices, precious metals and minerals. The Netherlands has apologised for killings at the hands of Dutch forces at the time and paid some damages to survivors, but the extent of atrocities has not been documented. Nigerian court rules security agency should release Shi'ite leader By Camillus Eboh and Felix Onuah ABUJA, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The leader of Nigeria's largest Shi'ite Muslim sect should be released after being held without charge for nearly a year by the country's security agency, a court ruled on Friday. Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), has been detained since mid-December 2015 after his followers clashed with the army in the northern city of Zaria. A judicial inquiry in August said 347 IMN members were killed and buried in mass graves after the violence. IMN members have held rallies calling for his release and religious processions by the sect have been marred by violence, most recently in the northern city of Kano when at least nine people were killed when police opened fire on worshippers. The U.S. expressed concern at the police's actions. Security analysts have drawn parallels between IMN -- a minority sect in the mainly Sunni Muslim north -- with Boko Haram, the Sunni Muslim jihadist group whose insurgency began in 2009 after security forces killed hundreds of its members and its leader Mohammed Yusuf died in custody. A judge at the federal court in the capital, Abuja, said the IMN leader should be released. "The detention of the applicant at Abuja by the respondents since December 14 2014 is illegal and unconstitutional as it violates his fundamental rights to personal liberty," said Justice Gabriel Kolawole. He said Zakzaky's wife, who has also been detained, should be released too. The judge rejected the argument by the State Security Service (SSS) that it was holding him for his own protection from locals in his home city of Zaria. "I have not been shown any incident report or any complaint lodged by residents around the neighbourhood that the applicant has become a nuisance," said Kolawole. The court ruled that the government should pay the IMN leader and his wife a total of 50 million naira ($164,474) in damages. Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami said the government would need to study a copy of the court's ruling, which it had not yet seen, before reacting to the judgement. Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation of 180 million inhabitants, has a predominantly Christian south and mainly Sunni Muslim north. Human Rights Watch estimates that IMN has around 3 million members. The 1980s founders of the Nigerian sect were inspired by the Islamic Revolution in Shi'ite Iran. One dead in Peru after angry mob tries to lynch poll workers LIMA, Dec 2 (Reuters) - One woman was killed and some forty people were arrested in a Peruvian shantytown after an angry mob tried to lynch two poll workers who residents believed were butchering local children to take their organs, a police official said on Friday. Police General Hugo Begazo said false rumors on social media claiming dead children had been found with their organs missing fanned mass hysteria in the shantytown Huaycan on the outskirts of Lima, prompting residents to target two employees of a polling company who had been conducting door-to-door marketing surveys. Police managed to pry the poll workers unharmed from the mob, which then attacked the police station in Huaycan where they were being held for protection, Begazo said. Police are investigating the death of a Huaycan woman who died from a bullet wound following the unrest, Begazo said. TV images of the clashes showed police launching tear gas at a crowd and firing bullets in the air as people ran screaming and men threw rocks and wielded sticks. Begazo said more than a dozen police were injured and that some Huaycan residents threw Molotov cocktails at the police station and set fire to cars parked nearby. Peru's interior minister, Carlos Basombrio, called the organ trafficking rumors "irresponsible" and designed to instill fear. "Those spreading this information will pay the consequences," Basombrio said, without offering specifics. "There have been no reports of organ trafficking. This information is false." One Facebook post warned Huaycan residents to keep their children safe after the arrival of "pishtacos," a monster in Andean folklore known for killing people to extract their fat. In 2009, Peruvian police described a group of "pishtacos" who were killing people in the jungle to sell their fat for use in cosmetics - a claim police later admitted was false. The clashes in Huaycan underscore the deep mistrust that often exists between the police and residents of crime-ridden poor districts that lack running water and paved roads. Begazo said that some residents believe the police are covering up an organ trafficking ring, accusing them of hiding the dead bodies of children in the police station. Jury to continue deliberating in ex-South Carolina cop's murder trial By Harriet McLeod CHARLESTON, S.C., Dec 2 (Reuters) - Jurors in South Carolina weighing homicide charges against a white former policeman who fatally shot a fleeing black motorist last year were to resume deliberations on Monday after earlier declaring they were deadlocked, with one panelist holding out against a conviction. On Friday, their third day of deliberations, the jurors twice informed the judge that they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict in the murder case against ex-North Charleston patrolman Michael Slager, 35. His shooting of 50-year-old Walter Scott after an April 2015 traffic stop was captured in a bystander's cellphone video, and intensified debate in the United States over racial bias by police. Jurors first indicated they were stuck on Friday afternoon. Judge Clifton Newman told them they had a duty "to make every reasonable effort to reach a unanimous verdict" and instructed them to continue their deliberations. The foreman, who is the only black person on the panel of 12, later said an impasse remained with one juror in disagreement with all the others. The holdout juror, who the foreman identified as someone other than himself, presented Newman with a rare note explaining his position. "I cannot in good conscience consider a guilty verdict," the juror wrote. "At the same time, my heart does not want to tell the Scott family that the man who killed their son, brother and father is innocent," the juror added. But jurors afterward said further deliberation could prove fruitful if the judge provided more explanation of the law. They agreed to return on Monday and try again to reach a consensus. Newman said he would declare a mistrial if no verdict was reached and retry the case later with a different jury. Last year, two juries deadlocked on a murder charge against a white former Eutawville, South Carolina, police chief accused of killing a black man in 2011 after an argument about a traffic ticket issued to the man's daughter. In the case against Slager, prosecutors charged him with murder, but jurors have the option of finding him guilty of voluntary manslaughter if they decide Slager killed Scott in the heat of passion after provocation rather than with malice. They could acquit Slager if they believe he acted in self-defense. The jury heard four weeks of testimony from more than 50 witnesses. Prosecutors repeatedly showed the video in court, saying the footage proved Slager was not in danger when he fired eight shots at the fleeing Scott, hitting him with five bullets. Slager said he did not know at the time that Scott was unarmed. The ex-cop testified he felt "total fear" after the motorist grabbed his stun gun during a scuffle. Relatives of Scott and Slager were in court all day Friday. Attorneys for the Scott family said outside the courthouse they remained optimistic of a conviction. Trump speaks with leaders of Afghanistan, Singapore Dec 2 (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke by phone on Friday with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, the Trump transition team said in a statement. "The two men discussed the grave terrorism threats facing both countries and pledged to work more closely together in order to meet these growing threats," the statement said. Trump also spoke on Friday with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. "The two men discussed the long history of good economic, political, and security relations between the United States and Singapore," according to the statement. By D.B.S.Jeyaraj November 27, 1989, was the day on which the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) first observed its annual Maaveerar Naal or Great Heroes Day (GHD). 27 years have passed since then and the 27th anniversary of the event fell on Nov 27, 2016. The event continues to be observed on a large scale by sections of the Global Tamil Diaspora despite the military debacle suffered by the LTTE in May 2009. The event has lost much of its lustre after the demise of Tiger supremo Veluppillai Prabhakaran.These are days of decline when compared to the manner in which Great heroes day was observed when the LTTE ruled the roost. Nevertheless, commemorating the fallen Tigers as great heroes annually remains an enduring Tiger legacy despite the LTTE being militarily decimated in Sri Lanka. There is a mystique about Maaveerar Naal that has captured the imagination of a very large number of the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora. What makes the GHD tick despite the debacle of Mullivaaikkal? In that context the evolution and growth of the Great Heroes day event makes an interesting study. This writer has in the past written several articles on the topic. This article therefore draws liberally from his earlier writings. Let me begin by tracing in brief the history of this event. KAMBARMALAI SATHIYANATHAN ALIAS SHANKAR The first ever LTTE member to embrace death in combat was Sathiyanathan of Kambarmalai a northern village adjacent to Valvettithurai, the birthplace of Prabakharan, its leader. Sathiyanathan alias Shankar also known as Suresh died on November 27, 1982. Incidently, the Sea Tiger special commander Thillaiambalam Sivanesan alias Soosai was married to Shankars sister. Soosai is from Poligandy, a coastal village in Vadamaratchy sector. Although Soosai is no more, his wife and children were captured by the Sri Lankan Navy when trying to escape from the Wanni by boat during the last days of the war. The family is now living in Trincomalee under a restricted release order. Shankar, like Raveendran alias Pandithar, -- also of Kambarmalai -- was a childhood friend of Prabakharan and one of his earliest recruits. Shankar had gone to Nithiyanandans residence in Navalar Road, Jaffna to warn them of a military crackdown on Tamil professionals and intellectuals suspected of being sympathetic towards the LTTE. Even as Shankar was communicating with Jaffna University Lecturer Muthiah Nithiyanandan and his wife Nirmala, an ex-varsity lecturer who was teaching at a leading Girls School, a posse of soldiers surrounded the house. Shankar managed to shoot his way out of the military cordon but sustained serious injuries in the process. The Nithiyanandans were arrested. The custom of paying homage to heroes fallen in battle became non-existent in an environment where war was virtually unknown for generations. Now the LTTE went back to the roots of the Tamil martial culture and revived its most potent symbolic and ritual form. From 1991, the entire week from November 21-27, was declared as Great Heroes Week THALAYASINGHAM SIVAKUMAR ALIAS ANTON MASTER Later Shankars condition deteriorated and another senior LTTE member Thalayasingham Sivakumar alias Anton master who later represented the Tigers at the Thimphu talks undertook a perilous, clandestine journey by boat along with the injured Shankar to Tamil Nadu to procure urgent medical assistance for the latter. This was in the pre1983 period when the LTTE consisted only of around 25 to 30 full-time activists and had very few resources, including even wireless communication equipment. Leaving the grievously injured Shankar in a safe house at Kodiaakkarai, on the coast, Anton went up to Madurai where LTTE chief Prabakharan and some others were staying then. This was the time when Prabakharan was confined by court order to Madurai because of his involvement in a broad daylight shoot out with Peoples Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) chief Uma Maheswaran at Pondy Bazaar in Chennai (then Madras). Thanks to the help rendered by Pazhaniappan Nedumaran, who was then a member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative assembly representing Madurai West, Shankar was brought to a farmhouse belonging to Nedumaran for medical treatment. The people nursing Shankar in the coastal hideout had ignorantly given a lot of water to quench his thirst. This worsened his condition to a point of no return. Shankar died in Madurai on Prabakharans lap mumbling Thambi, Thambi (thambi was the endearing term by which Prabakharan was known in the old days), while the visibly shaken and weeping LTTE leader kept stroking his hair. This was one of the few occasions when the latter ever wept in public. Death in combat of a cadre whether immediate or subsequent was a new phenomenon to the LTTE on that day. Seven years later, in 1989, around 600 LTTE cadres assembled at a secret venue in the Mullaitheevu district jungles of Nithikaikulam on November 27. The occasion was the newly-proclaimed Great Heroes Day or Maaveerar Naal as known in Tamil. This was the time when the Indian Army was fighting the LTTE on behalf of the Sri Lankan government. Thanks to the understanding arrived at between the LTTE and then President Ranasinghe Premadasa, a ceasefire had been declared on September 21, that year. A withdrawal of troops had been announced in principle. The Indian Parliamentary elections scheduled for December 1989 would determine whether Rajiv Gandhi would be re-elected or not. That verdict would in turn decide the fate of the Indian Army in Sri Lanka. The LTTE leader had in the meantime thought of honouring his dead cadres by observing a unique ceremony called Maaveerar Naal or Great Heroes Day. The LTTE leader was proud then of the performance of his organisation in having withstood the onslaught of 132,000 troops of the Indian Army. When the Indo-Lanka accord was signed and hostilities ceased, the LTTE had lost 632 cadres in battle. When a cessation of hostilities with the Indian Army was enforced the LTTE had lost a further 711 cadres. Prabakharan wanted to recognise their contribution, honour their sacrifices and pay tribute to their memory in a collective manner. What better way than promulgating a special day? Which better day than the date on which the first LTTE member laid down his life? So November 27 it was. The primary ceremony however was at the site in which Prabakharan himself participated. A newly constructed memorial was the usual venue HISTORIC PRONOUNCEMENT The first Great Heroes Day was a restricted affair of which the highlight was a highly emotional address delivered extemporaneously by Prabakharan to his enraptured followers. It was at this meeting that Prabakharan uttered his historic pronouncement If ever Prabakharan betrays the Tamil Eelam cause, you all must kill me. This writer saw the video cassette in which the event was recorded. Prabakharan was tracing the history of the LTTE while enraptured cadres listened. At one point, he stated that Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Leader Appapillai Amirthalingam was killed by the LTTE. Amirthalingam had supported Tamil Eelam at one time but later betrayed it. That was why we killed him. Tomorrow, if Prabakharan betrays the Tamil Eelam cause, then you all must kill me. Whoever betrays Tamil Eelam must be killed the Tiger supremo pronounced then. Subsequently this scene was edited out of the video cassette that was widely circulated among the Diaspora. The 1990s of the last century saw the LTTE controlling the greater part of the northern province and substantial pockets in the eastern province. During this period, the LTTE developed to a great extent, the ceremonial aspect of paying homage to its fallen heroes. There existed in the martial tradition of the Tamils a concept known as Nadugal Valipaadu which literally meant worshipping the planted stone. Tombstones were erected at the graves of great heroes fallen in battle. These were honoured regularly through special Panegyric rituals.The classical Tamil literary works of the Sangham era are replete with references to this Nadugal Valipaadu concept. The decline of Tamil dynasties along with the advent of Moghul and Nayakkar rule followed by European colonialism saw the martial tradition among Tamils becoming debilitated. The custom of paying homage to heroes fallen in battle became non-existent in an environment where war was virtually unknown for generations. Now the LTTE went back to the roots of the Tamil martial culture and revived its most potent symbolic and ritual form. From 1991, the entire week from November 21-27, was declared as Great Heroes Week. Interestingly the birthday of Prabakharan was November 26. Since this day was now within the Great Heroes Week more importance was attached to it. An outpouring of emotion, both genuine as well as sycophantic emerged. Gradually the focus shifted from Great Heroes Day to the leaders birthday. Some even thought that Great Heroes day was to celebrate the leaders birthday. Soon Prabakharan acted firmly and clamped down all festive activity connected with his birthday. The week was for the fallen heroes and the red letter day of that week would only be November 27, the Great Heroes Day he decreed. Nevertheless, various religious observances were undertaken by followers and well wishers on November 26, seeking divine protection and blessings on the man who supposedly personified Tamil resistance to Sinhala chauvinist hegemony. The most touching spectacle of the great heroes day observance was the mass participation of family members at these cemeteries and memorial pavilions. Later G. H. D. ceremonies were observed in foreign cities where substantial concentrations of the Tamil Diaspora lived GREAT HEROES WEEK Utilising its control to the maximum of the north and parts of the east during the 1990-1995 period, the LTTE conducted elaborate demonstrations and events as part of observing the Maaveerar Naal and Maaveerar Vaaram (Great Heroes Week). The week culminated in a grand function on the 27th at a special location attended by Prabakharan himself. With the passage of time, the GHD ceremonies became decentralised. Several observances would be conducted simultaneously but pride of place however was naturally awarded to the one in which Prabakharan participated. The LTTE also established several cemeteries called Maaveerar Thuyilum Illangal (abodes where the great heroes slumber). Each of the departed cadres was marked by a single tombstone. In most cases, the actual body of the dead cadre was not buried at the spot. Most bodies of dead cadres -- if and when recovered -- were disposed of with honours at the area of combat itself. While these tombstones were laid out in neat rows, a pavilion commemorating them collectively with names and relevant dates was also constructed. The most touching spectacle of the great heroes day observance was the mass participation of family members at these cemeteries and memorial pavilions. Later G. H. D. ceremonies were observed in foreign cities where substantial concentrations of the Tamil Diaspora lived. The security forces have demolished many of these abodes after seizing territory from the Tigers. These types of action by the security forces have been condemned by many who felt the dead must be respected notwithstanding they were enemy fighters. Also the families of the cadres and relatives would be hurt and angered it was felt. What must be taken note of is that the LTTE never commemorated or mourned the loss of Tamils who belonged to other Tamil militant movements. The sectarian LTTE did not regard others as fallen heroes. Only LTTE cadres were given that recognition. Families of dead cadres belonging to other movements were not allowed to mourn their loved ones publicly. They could only mourn in private. As the ethnic conflict kept continuing, the casualty rates also increased. This meant that more and more Tamil families were suffering the losses of their loved ones and becoming grief stricken. Gradually the event became large scale and mass oriented. This column has witnessed Great Heroes Day ceremonies held overseas as well as films of functions in Sri Lankan Tamil areas. There is no doubt that the sight of grief stricken emotional outpourings over their loved ones by family members was a profoundly moving one. The families of fallen LTTE cadres were called Maaveerar Kudumbangal(Great hero families) and were often given preferential treatment in spheres that came within the ambit of LTTE control. MEMORY AND MARTYRDOM The LTTE by nurturing this cult of martyrdom achieved many things. It provided those cadres among the living a bond of affiliation with their departed comrades. The cadres got a feeling of reassuring comfort that he or she too would be honoured in similar fashion when dead. The LTTE cadres had fought and died in the belief that posterity would remember and honour their memory and martyrdom. The GHD observances provided them with the feeling that by sacrificing their lives they would grasp eternity and ensure immortality. Likewise the kith and kin of the departed souls too were gratified that the loss of their loved one has not been in vain. The emotive content of GHD observances also motivated other youths to join the LTTE. The spectacle also inspired the general population in continuing to appreciate the LTTE sacrifices and render support. The annual great heroes day address by the LTTE leader began to assume great significance and importance over the years. Since Prabakharan was quite reclusive and shunned direct media exposure the GHD appearance became one of those rare occasions where he interacted with the public. The annual speech was also considered to be something akin to a policy statement by the LTTE. It was dissected by analysts to ascertain what the LTTE leader envisaged for the immediate future. In later years, Prabakharan did not deliver extempore but read from a carefully prepared text usually written by LTTE political adviser Anton Stanislaus Balasingham alias Bala annai. The setting up of the LTTEs own radio station Puligalin Kural (Voice of Tigers) enabled it to be relayed out. With the development of information technology, the speech was later relayed simultaneously via Internet. The LTTE also had its own Nitharsanam TV and GHD proceedings were telecast to the world at large from the Wanni. The emergence of several Tamil broadcasting stations in the western world created a situation where the speech was heard in Tamil homes throughout Europe, Australia and North America. Likewise the acquisition of various television stations by pro-Tiger Tamils enabled wide televised coverage too. The GHD observances were multi-faceted and diversified. The highlight of the ceremonies was the lighting of candles and torches by those assembled.While people holding these flickering lights lined up and formed an illuminated corridor, a glowing torch was brought in relay form by LTTE cadres in similar fashion to that of the Olympic games. FLAME OF SACRIFICE The flaming torch was then given to the chief guest who then lit a large eternal flame known as Eegai Chudar (Flame of sacrifice) at the Memorial monument. This was followed by the lighting of a myriad lamps and torches making the occasion a festival of lights. Several senior LTTE figures were chief guests at different ceremonies.The flames at various memorials were lit by senior tiger stalwarts. All the ceremonies were attended by members of great hero families taken by procession to the various memorials from different spots. Music was played by troupes from different LTTE formations. The different venues were also decorated with pandals.The red and yellow flags were hoisted widely. The primary ceremony however was at the site in which Prabakharan himself participated. A newly constructed memorial was the usual venue. After the LTTE flag was hoisted a display demonstration by selected squads from various units of the LTTE was held. A march past was held after which Prabakharan accepted the ceremonial salute. Prabakharan then began his address at 6. 05 pm the time that Shankar breathed his last. The speech was usually about 30 to 40 minutes. Prabakharan thereafter accepted the flaming torch brought in relay form and went on to light the premier flame of sacrifice. After observing two minutes of silence along with the massive crowd in attendance, the LTTE leader garlands a picture of Sathiyanathan alias Shankar, the first great hero. Thereafter the LTTE leader accompanied by other Tiger members lit the small lamps and placed flowers before the pictures of martyrs. This then is the history behind the GHD significance. So great was the importance attached to the day that the LTTE opened a special office in Kilinochhi to handle the event as well as affairs concerning dead LTTE cadres and families. A retired educationist Pon.Thiyagam was in charge of this office. He is now living outside Sri Lanka. It is against this backdrop that the currently prevalent Maaveerar Naal mystique must be viewed. LTTE and pro-LTTE elements within the Diaspora think it is their historic duty (varalaatrukkadamai) to commemorate the event on November 27. Even though the war has ended and the LTTE is no more in Sri Lanka, the Tiger and pro-Tiger sections of the Global Tamil Diaspora continue to commemorate the event worldwide. Given the demise of Prabhakaran and defeat of the Tigers in the Island, it remains to be seen whether the overseas LTTE can sustain the same vigour and interest in the GHD in the years to come. OVERSEAS TIGERS Currently however, the GHD concept remains potent and valid amidst the Diaspora. The overseas Tigers and fellow travellers though deeply divided have seized upon the event to test and demonstrate their popular support as well as generate more funds by exploiting people emotionally. Such has been the significance, relevance and importance of the Great Heroes Day to the LTTE in the past that any suspicion of a potential revival of the practice in Sri Lanka sends alarm bells ringing in security circles. In a bid perhaps to reduce security related apprehensions, Cabinet Minister and Colombo District MP Mano Ganesan suggested that Tamils in the north could observe great heroes day without mentioning the LTTE.That however would be difficult to do because the Great Heroes Day is a Tiger event and is inextricably inter-twined with that of the LTTE. Attempting to observe Maaveera Naal without mentioning the Viduthalaip Puligal would be akin to relating the Ramayana tale without mentioning the name of Lord Rama. Notwithstanding brazen efforts by vested interests to depict Maaveerar Naal falling on November 27, as a day of general Tamil mourning, it must be emphasised that the so-called Great Heroes Day is not and has never been a national day of Tamil mourning. The Maaveerar Naal was an intensely conducted partisan event of the Tigers, for the Tigers and by the Tigers. To portray it otherwise as some have done including stalwarts of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is sheer political hypocrisy. The role played by sections of the Tamil National Alliance in promoting the Great Heroes concept within the current milieu has been considerable. During its Northern Provincial Council polls campaign in 2013, the TNA observed a two- minute silence in honour of theMaaveerar. At that meeting, some TNA candidates praised LTTE leaders and described them as Great Heroes. Chief among these was the TNAs chief ministerial candidate. The TNA-controlled Pradeshiya Sabhas of Karaichchi and Chavakachcheri passed resolutions calling for renovation of LTTE cemeteries.The Northern PC, upon taking office conducted a tree planting campaign on November 27 2013. Subsequent years saw ceremonies in Mullivaaikkal with Wigneswaran lighting a flame like Prabhakaran in the past. Some TNA councillors lit lamps privately and publicised it via internet as a public event to delude the Diaspora. This years Great Heroes day saw TNA Jaffna district MP E. Saravanabavan, Northern Provincial Minister Aingaranesan, NPC M.K.Sivajilingam and Ananthy Sasitharan participate at Maaveerar Naal events in Jaffna. POLITICS OF MOURNING The conduct of the TNA regarded widely as a moderatepolitical formation adds to the threat perception of the State regarding the GHD. What is disgusting about the politics of mourning adopted by the TNA was the scale of political hypocrisy! The LTTE now hailed as Great Heroes has in the past killed hundreds of Tamils who belonged to the constituent partners of the present TNA configuration. The TNA, as a single political entity, is yet to publicly mourn their comrades and colleagues slain by the LTTE. Yet some TNA leaders display no qualms about celebrating fallen Tigers as great heroes. What is worse is the deceitful manner in which Tamil political leaders and sections of the media foster the myth that November 27 is a date of Overall Tamil sorrow and that Maaveerar Naal is a day of national mourning for the Tamils. This does not mean that Tamils do not mourn the loss of their loved ones. They do! The Tamils have lost those dear and near to them in the communal violence of 1956, 1958, 1977, 1981 and 1983. They have suffered innumerable losses in many forms during the long years of the war. There cannot be a single Tamil living who has not suffered the loss of a loved one during the years of violence and war. What is unacceptable, however, is the deception to depict the Maaveerar Naal as a day of universal Tamil mourning. November 27, therefore, remains an important date in the politics of mourning in which Tiger and pro-Tiger elements indulge in. It would however be a grave blunder to assume that the Maaveerar Naal of the LTTE is a day of National mourning for the Tamils of Sri Lanka. DBS Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com It is hard to imagine that 10 years have elapsed since the demise of Ganesh. He was a very popular figure who served everybody regardless of caste, creed, race and religion to the best of his ability. Ganesh was born in Palaly in the Jaffna peninsula on January 3, 1938 and was a son of Mr. Kanagasabey a well-known lawyer who had a lucrative practice. He had his early education at Hartley College, a famous educational institution that has produced many eminent personalities. For his secondary education he moved to S. Thomas College Mount Lavinia. It is significant that though the family consists of eight children (six boys and two girls) he was the only one sent to Colombo to pursue his studies. He was in the boarding at S. Thomas College and shone at both studies and sports. Ganesh was extremely intelligent, though he did not devote as much time to his studies and was not a bookworm. He came under the tutelage of Rev. Roy H. Bowyer-Yin a famous Cambridge University College who whilst serving as Chaplain at S. Thomas College also taught mathematics in the University entrance class. Ganesh had no difficulty in obtaining entrance to the University of Ceylon. During those leisurely days the University students did not engage in strikes or hartals but most of them seemed to be youth who were keen on changing the world. This was a phenomenon not only confined to our country. They had socialist ideas and were keen on upliftment of society in general. Elections at University were taken very seriously and was a matter of prestige. Ganesh contested and never lost an election. He then moved on and joined Ford-Rhodes-Thornton & Co. to study accountancy. He was very popular with his colleagues and superiors and in addition to his clients because of his friendly disposition. Thereafter, he launched into many business ventures, all of which proved very successful because of his hard work, attention to detail, and the business ethics that he always practised. Politics was always a passion with Ganesh. He took an active role in this and was a very popular Mayor of Colombo. He did much for the city, widening roads, uplifting shanty dwellers, making arrangements for garbage clearance. At most social gatherings Ganesh was the centre of attraction as he always led the discussions on the latest political developments in the country and his views on what should be done. He was very articulate though not dogmatic or inflexible and even those who may not have agreed with him never felt any animosity towards him as they accepted he was sincere in his beliefs. He was very loyal to his Alma Mater and helped S. Thomas in whatever way he could. He was a live wire in the Mustangs Tent at every Royal-Thomian match. A famous Spanish historian stated that Those who forget their past are condemned to relive it. Ganesh believed in this and never forgot his roots. He was always keen on helping his ancestral village. Sadly, the conflict that prevailed Sri Lanka at that time, prevented him from visiting as often as he would have liked. Ganesh was very fortunate in having a contented family life. His wife Yamuna, daughter of a well-known physician in Point Pedro, Dr. P. Sri Padmanathan, was a great source of strength to him in all his endeavours and stood by him in good times and in bad. His two children Menaka and Kantheepan were a great source of joy to him, and both of them live and work in London. He has two grandchildren who have excelled in their studies. Except for one, all of Ganeshs other siblings live overseas. This is a sad predicament in which most Jaffna Tamils are placed in today. Though he had many opportunities to migrate, he always stated that he would live and die in the land of his birth. As Mayor of Colombo, the thing that brought him most joy was when he received His Holiness Pope John Paul II in January 1995. He was also very touched when he received a note from Mother Theresa who was canonised recently, in which she stated Dear Mr. Ganeshalingam this brings to you my humble gratitude on behalf of all the poor. God Bless you. Ganesh has left us. Yamuna has done much to keep his memory alive. Our prayers are with her and other members of his family that God will be with them in their grief. Rajan Asirwatham By Chandeepa Wettasinghe The Sri Lankan government will be introducing a nationwide toll system run by artificial intelligence by the 3rd quarter of 2017, a leading official of the states Information Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) said. The 2017 budget had included the proposal, which will be implemented by ICTA. We need to have greater traffic management using artificial intelligence, because the traffic build up is slowing down the economy. In other countries, even with superhighways, they have tolling systems for their roads, ICTA Managing Director/CEO Muhunthan Canagey told Mirror Business. He said that the tolling system would encourage people to plan their daily travel, instead of undertaking travel haphazardly with no regard for the needs of others, and waste a lot of fuel unnecessarily. They need to understand that if they travel during specific hour or time or certain sections of road, they might have to pay a premium, Canagey added.Moratuwa University Transport and Logistics Department Professor Amal Kumarage had noted that Sri Lanka is losing 1.5 percent of its gross domestic product annually due to congestion. He had also found that the national average speed would drop to 19 km/h by 2030 from 26km/h in 2012, and the average speed in Colombo would fall to 15 km/h from 22 km/h in the same time frame. Economist and JB Securities CEO Murtaza Jafferjee has been calling for a toll-based traffic management system for the past several years, instead of traditional controls on fuel and vehicle import prices as a solution for congestion. The groundwork for the new system was set in the 2016 budget with a proposal to study congestion by installing a traffic encoder free of charge on every vehicle in the country at an expense of Rs. 500 million, which was to be borne by the Treasury. However, the proposal has not been implemented. Canagey said that extensive studies will be conducted on many roads in the country on different times to study traffic patterns. We need to study traffic flows, speeds, and volumes. We will also use analytics from Google Maps. Based on the studies, we can install the systems anywhere in the country to manage traffic efficiently, he said. However, he noted that those who do not want to pay tolls would still have options available. The AI software will decide where to toll and what prices. But of course, there has to be clearly notified price ranges on a screen on top prior to entering into certain areas. Alternate routes will be available to people who dont want to pay tolls and want to stay in traffic, Canagey said. However, he said that the general price ranges and areas will have to be decided through cabinet. Canagey went on to say that the new tolling system will be an automated electronic road pricing mechanism, which is common in Western countries, as well as in Asian countries such as Singapore with overhead sensors and cameras. You can go at normal road speeds and there will be a transponder with a card reader for your card in your vehicle, which will be read by the sensors to collect tolls, he said. He noted that similar to enforcement processes in other countries for those who do not follow the system, the cameras will capture licence plates of nonconformists, process the tolls due, and charge them the total when renewing their licences. All the data from the tolling system will be processed in a government cloud platform, though equipment for the system will be sourced through competitive bidding. He said that consultancy for the project would be sought from both local university members, as well as experts in foreign countries. This is one phase of Sri Lanka moving into an advanced economy, he added. The government is also introducing advanced public transport systems, road networks and urban planning to facilitate the exodus of rural population towards city centres, though Central Bank Governor Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy recently said that the projects could take 3-4 years to gain traction. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had said that the multibillion dollar Western Province Megapolis Project centred on the capital could take 25-30 years for completion, though public transportation systems would be implemented soon. The Inter Provincial Private Bus Association (IPPBA) President Sarath Vijitha Kumara today said the ongoing island-wide bus strike was successful. All inter-provincial and Colombo based buses which were operated from Gunasinghapura and Bastian Mawatha bus terminals came to a standstill and no buses were operated in and outside of Colombo. We visited most of the bus terminals in Colombo, including Gunasinghapura and Bastian Mawatha. All bus terminals are deserted. Lanka Private Bus Owners Association (LPBOA) President Gemunu Wijeratne couldnt put his own buses to the street. He couldnt even find a single driver to operate his buses, he added. He said Mr. Wijerathnes lies have now been revealed; Transport Deputy Minister Asoka Abeysinghe telephoned me in the morning to have a discussion with them. We are not in a situation of having a discussion without the removal of the Rs.25, 000 fine, he added. Meanwhile, Mr. Wijerathne yesterday said that he would not join the countrywide bus strike. While speaking to the Daily Mirror, LPBOA President Gemunu Wijerathne said that he cannot join the ongoing bus strike as his association wants to serve the people. I cannot put my buses on the streets because the bus drivers unions are also with the bus strike. This will lead the bus service industry to collapse, Wijerathne said. (Chaturanga Pradeep) Video by Bimal Shaman Jayasinghe and RM Lanka Hospitals, has sought to add to shareholder value by issuing an interim dividend of Rs. 1 per share. This amounts to a payment of 224 million. The dividend was issued taking in to account the positive growth in Lanka Hospitals performance in the first nine months of this financial year. As of 30th September 2016, Lanka Hospitals has recorded a Group net profit of Rs. 625 million. Lanka Hospitals has always shown great consistency in its performance. We are very happy with the results we have achieved thus far in this year. These results reflect healthy growth trends in almost all of the profit centres under the Lanka Hospitals umbrella. Lanka Hospitals Diagnostics in particular must be noted for its outstanding performance, enthused Dr. SarathParanavitane, Chairman Lanka Hospitals. Lanka Hospitals has achieved many successes in the recent past which have all contributed to its enhanced profitability. Most recently it has achieved MTQUA certification which recognises Lanka Hospitals as one among an elite group of global hospitals. MTQUA certification holds huge weight among medical tourists, as it assures them of treatment, care and services on par with the best in the world. Lanka Hospitals has also sought to launch new specialised units and has extensively up-graded existing ones. This will ensure specialised, comprehensive treatment needed for varying customer groups suffering from different ailments. For example, the Lanka Hospitals Womens Wellness Centre caters to the different healthcare issues that women have to deal with in the various stages of their lives. Further Lanka Hospitals has paved the way for the treatment of blood cancer by providing procedures that were hereto unavailable in Sri Lanka. The Haemato-onclogy and Bone Marrow Transplant Unit headed by Dr. Hewamana, a renowned clinical haematologist and haemato-oncologist with extensive international experience has done much to build this discipline of medicine in Sri Lanka. Lanka Hospitals Diagnostics (LHD) which is a state- of-the-art laboratory complex manages 10 company owned sample collection centres, as well as several other franchised collection centres in various parts of the island. Lanka Hospitals Diagnostics is the first reference laboratory to be set up in Sri Lanka and is ISO 15189:2007 certified. It has, over the years substantially expanded the breadth of diagnostic tests provided. In fact many tests, which until recently required samples to be sent to countries like India, are carried out by Lanka Hospitals Diagnostics. The company has earned a reputation of excellence, and an increasing number of patients from cities across Sri Lanka have placed their confidence in its facilities. Lanka Hospitals offers more than just clinical excellence, and the best expertise and technology. From our steadfast adherence to the highest standards in quality, to our untiring efforts to enhance cost efficiencies, and our relentless commitment to compassionate patient care, Lanka Hospitals consistently raises the benchmarks for healthcare in Sri Lanka. These and more have contributed to our robust financial health and growth year on year, stated Dr. Prasad Medawatta, CEO Lanka Hospitals. A Sri Lankan couple fearing harm after their family members were shot and killed by underworld criminals in Sri Lanka has been granted refugee status in New Zealand. According to Radio New Zealand, their initial application had been rejected by Immigration New Zealand, but in a newly-released decision, the Immigration and Protection Tribunal has upheld their appeal. The tribunal heard the husband's uncle was murdered after he attempted to uncover corruption by the then-president Mahinda Rajapaksa. He had survived being shot in 2010 and appealed for police protection, but was gunned down a second time - fatally - in 2011 in a busy street. The husband's father was also murdered after seeking justice by someone hired by an "underworld figure", the news article said quoting local reports. The wife had described the killers to the tribunal as "Government mafia". The tribunal heard the husband, who is a Buddhist and owned a rental car business in Sri Lanka, has not sought justice for his uncle's and father's deaths, but left that responsibility to his older brother as the head of the family. In March 2012, the couple and the husband's brother were shot at, close to their family home, by a gunman on a motorcycle. The couple went into hiding and moved about Sri Lanka, yet a few months later received a series of threatening phone calls. On one of the calls, the husband was told that he and his brother would be killed if they continued to pursue justice. In April 2014, after three men came to his mother's house looking for him and his brother, he decided to travel to New Zealand with his wife on limited visas. The couple said the killers operated with immunity under both the former and current governments - an allegation the tribunal said was likely to be true, citing Amnesty International's annual report on Sri Lanka. "A new government in January brought constitutional reforms and promises of improved human rights protection," the report said. "Many human rights challenges remained, including persistent use of arbitrary arrest and detention, torture and other ill-treatment, enforced disappearances and deaths in custody, and a long-standing climate of impunity for these and other violations." The tribunal referred to a Guardian report that a Sri Lankan newspaper editor was shot and killed by a gunman after his paper published articles critical of President Rajapaksa's government. It looked at an Asian Human Rights Commission report linking politicians and criminals in Sri Lanka, describing the situation as "guns, goons, the police and politicians acting illegally". The couple presented evidence to the tribunal that included letters to and from local police, and a death threat from the drug dealer initially charged with murder written while he was still in custody. The tribunal also discovered the suspected killer has links to the government via donations to a politician. It ruled the couple can stay in New Zealand as refugees. "On the facts as found, the Tribunal is satisfied that there is a real chance that the husband and the wife will be seriously harmed if they were to return to Sri Lanka, by [the suspected killer], or his associates, or by Rajapaksa supporters seeking revenge for attempts to bring him to justice for the deaths and uncover political links to the criminal underworld." (NZ Herald and Radio New Zealand) The 2007 Nobel co-laureate received his award fromHE Maithripala Sirisena recently at a ceremony held for the Sri Lanka National Energy Efficiency Awards 2007 Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate Professor Mohan Munasinghe was presented with the prestigious apex award for Outstanding Lifetime Contributions to Energy Policy by HE President Maithripala Sirisena, at the climax of the Sri Lanka National Energy Efficiency Awards ceremony held on 24th November 2016 at BMICH. He is internationally recognised globally for his achievements in energy, sustainable development and climate change, most notably integrating global climate change policies into sustainable development strategy. The National Energy Efficiency Awards is organised jointly by the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA) and the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy. Held for the 7th consecutive year under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena, the event recognised the achievements of public and private sector institutions and individuals in the area of energy efficiency and conservation in the following categories: National Energy Efficiency Award, Best Energy Services Companies Award, Outstanding Energy Manager Award, and Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award. Minister of Power and Renewable Energy, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya stated that the Authority has audited close to 30 public and private sector organisations that have made commendable efforts towards efficient resource utilisation and conservation and management of energy, achieving notable results and benefits during the period under review. Also present at the awards ceremony were Hon. Ajith P. Perera - Deputy Minister of Power and Renewable Energy, Dr. B.M.S. Batagoda - Secretary to the Minister of Power and Renewable Energy, Eng. J.D. Keerthi Wickramaratne - Chairman, SEA, and Mr. Ranjith Pathmasiri - Director General, SEA, among others. The national energy efficiency awards give impetus for us to follow the inclusive green growth path towards sustainable development in Sri Lanka notes Professor Munasinghe. They empower corporates, individuals, and communities to adopt ethical values and responsible behaviours that promote sustainable consumption and production, which in turn enhances economic prosperity, while reducing energy use as well as harmful environmental and social impacts. Professor Munasinghe, Director of the Carbon Consulting Company (CCC) and Founding Chairman of the Munasinghe Institute for Development (MIND), was also recently honoured with a top world energy award from the Energy Globe Foundation in Vienna. One of the most distinguished and respected climatologists in the world, Professor Munasinghe shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former U.S Vice President, Al Gore. He was also Vice-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), has post-graduate degrees in engineering, physics and economics, and several honorary doctorates, and is the author of over 100 books and 300 scholarly publications in scientific journals on climate change, energy, environment, and sustainable development. Donald Trump is changing the right wings economic spots. He is doing what Franklin Roosevelt did at the time of the Great Depression by increasing government spending- although it was the re-armament brought on by entering World War 2 that was an even more important factor in lifting America out of the doldrums. He is following what Hitler did so successfully before World War 2, when he rebuilt Germanys economic strength with autobahns and industrial subsidies (not re-armament in the beginning, as is often said). He is walking in the footsteps of President Richard Nixon who when he changed course with a new economic policy said, We are all Keynesians now. John Meynard Keynes was the greatest economist who ever lived. For reasons that were shameful politicians have not listened to his advice as often as they should. The Germans, with their urge to austerity, have gone the other way, carrying ( or pushing) nearly every European state with them, apart from Poland and Sweden which did not follow the herd and now have the best economic growth record of the last few years. But Obama has certainly been Keynesian. Inheriting an economy totally messed up by President George W. Bush and the collapse of the big bank, Lehman Brothers, he set about being a hands-on Keynesian. He has achieved a lot although he would have achieved a lot more if his ambitious spending plans hadnt been constantly opposed and thwarted by the Republicans in Congress. The US in recent years has by the year outshone the Europeans in economic development, apart from Sweden and Poland. It is ironic that Trump wants to follow in the footsteps of Obama rather than the Congressional Republicans. He wants to prime the pump even more with a massive investment in infrastructure. Even building his wall (now to be a fence) on the border with Mexico will produce plenty of jobs! The Republicans will be compelled to support him. What will the Europeans now do- refute him or emulate him? Mrs Angela Merkel is holding firm, even as I write chiding Greece to continue with its debilitating austerity program. Germany with its amazing successfully exports can afford to make big mistakes by imposing austerity at home. Other, less successful, economies cant. Most economists agree on this. Most politicians including the top echelon of the European Commission have ignored their advice. Why the politicians in power all over Europe did this no one seems to have a satisfactory explanation. But, like lemmings, they took Europe over the cliff. Not even Obama could persuade them to turn back. Austerity, a profoundly false concept, argues the Nobel Prize winner for economics in the New Statesman magazine, has been pushed by politicians who have frightened people- orchestrated fear- with the idea that the economy could not but collapse under the burden of public debt..Austerity in the days of the Great Depression could do little, since a reduction of public expenditure adds to the inadequacy of private incomes and market demands, thereby tending to put even more people out of work. Keynes in 1936 with his book General Theory ushered in the basic understanding that demand is important as a determinant of economic activity, and that expanding rather than cutting public expenditure may do a much better job of expanding employment and activity in an economy with unused capacity and idle labour. In Europe over the last few years the austerity policy did not help in the announced objective of reducing the ratio of debt to GDP (national income), indeed, sometimes quite the contrary. Neither was it necessary in order to get necessary reforms such as longer working hours in some countries, raising the retirement age in all and the elimination of institutional rigidities such as labour markets in order to impose austerity. These are quite separate things from the policies of austerity but politicians have mixed them up. Hence, for example, they have pushed in Greece and a number of other countries for pensions to be reduced rather than encouraging people to work more years. (Indeed that would help in other ways- by reducing the demand for immigrants.) At last, after causing enormous unnecessary damage to countless peoples lives, European leaders, eyes slowly opening, have started to change their policies. They have begun to pursue a hybrid policy of somewhat weakened fiscal austerity with monetary expansion, thanks in part to the vision of Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank, who has pumped trillions of euros into the economy. Do policy makers understand that if they engineer rapid economic growth they will cut the deficits they worry about? It seems not, again with the exception of Sweden and Poland. Memories are short. Presidents Bill Clinton and Obama did just this. Donald Trump is going to do the same. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has just concluded his six-day trip to India. And it is anticipated that in a historic first, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Israel in January 2017 to mark the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He will become the first prime minister of India to visit the country. Modi had visited Israel as chief minister of Gujarat in 2006. And as prime minister, he had met his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly's annual session last year. Hallmark A hallmark of Modi's foreign policy has been a self-confident assertion of Indian interests. This is reflected in his government's moves vis-a-vis Israel, marking a distinct break from unnecessary and counterproductive diffidence of the past. Despite sharing more than two decades of diplomatic ties and working closely on defence, counterterrorism, agriculture and energy-related issues, no Indian prime minister has ever visited Israel. When it comes to India's Israel policy, hypocrisy has been the norm. In 2014, Israel's actions in Gaza were deemed so unacceptable by Indian parliamentarians that all perspective was lost. Calling for suspension of military purchases from Israel, the CPI(M)'s Sitaram Yechury had suggested that "India cannot be a party to this genocide." Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad demanded that the Rajya Sabha pass a resolution condemning the attacks and hit out at the government saying it was regrettable that New Delhi did not raise its voice against the "massacre". Ahmed Hassan of the Trinamool Congress wanted India to raise the issue at the United Nations, and CPI's D Raja called for a "categorical stand condemning Israel". Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu with PM Narendra Modi. (Photo credit: PTI) Despite representing a nation that is one of the biggest victims of crossborder terrorism in the world, our esteemed members of Parliament have had no compunction in equating the actions of a liberal democratic Israel with the murderous extremism of a terrorist organisation such as Hamas. Couched in the humanitarian concern for the plight of Gaza residents, the Opposition did its best to play to the gallery, insinuating that because of the BJP government religious motives cannot be far behind. In her reply, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj did well to remind her Opposition colleagues that India's relations with Palestine and Israel were a legacy of previous governments, including the Congress-led UPA government of the recent past. There has been a steady strengthening of India's relationship with Israel ever since the two nations established full diplomatic relations in 1992. It is a tribute to PV Narasimha Rao's foresight that he was able to lay the basis of India-Israeli partnership. In contrast to the backchannel security ties that existed before the normalisation of bilateral relations, India has been more willing in recent years to carve out a mutually beneficial bilateral relationship with Israel, including deepening military ties and countering the threat terrorism poses to the two societies. Reactions Over the years, the Indian government has toned down its reactions to Israel's treatment of the Palestinians. India has also begun denouncing Palestinian suicide bombings and other terrorist acts in Israel. India is no longer initiating anti-Israel resolutions at the UN and has made serious attempts to moderate NAM's anti-Israel resolutions. This reevaluation has been based on a realisation that India's largely pro-Arab stance in West Asia has not been adequately rewarded by the Arab world. India has received no worthwhile backing from the Arab countries in the resolution of problems it faces in its neighbourhood, especially Kashmir. There have been no serious attempts by the Arab world to put pressure on Pakistan to reign in crossborder terrorism in Kashmir. On the contrary, the Arab nations have firmly stood by Pakistan, using the Organisation of Islamic Conference to build support for Islamabad and the jihadi groups in Kashmir. If Arab nations, such as Jordan, have been able to keep their traditional ties with Palestine intact while building a new relationship with Israel, there is no reason for India not to take a similar route. Strategic Keeping India's wider strategic interests in perspective, successive Indian governments since the early 1990s have walked a nuanced line between expressing genuine concern for the Palestinian cause and expanding its commercial and defence ties with Israel. India is the world's largest buyer of Israeli weaponry and was Israel's third largest trading partner in Asia in 2013, just after China and Hong Kong. The domestic political milieu continues to exert its substantial influence on the trajectory of India-Israel relations. Israel has been a good friend of India but Delhi continues to be shy of demonstrating its friendship. At crucial times, when India needed Israeli help, it got it unreservedly. Israel was willing to continue and even step up its arms sales to India after other major countries curbed their technological exports following India's May 1998 nuclear tests. Israel provided India with much-needed imagery of Pakistani positions using its UAVs during the Kargil War in 1999. When India was planning to undertake a limited military strike against Pakistan in June 2002 as part of "Operation Parakram", Israel supplied hardware through special planes. The terrorism that both India and Israel face comes not only from disaffected groups within their territories; it is also aided and abetted by neighbouring states, increasingly capable of transferring weapons of mass destruction to terrorist organisations. And yet previous governments had been reticent in acknowledging Israel's partnership. In diplomacy, public affirmation of friendships at the highest levels is often as important as drawing red lines for adversaries. The Modi government is doing well by repudiating the discredited Israel policy of its predecessors. An open relationship with Israel serves India well and it's time Tel Aviv gets the recognition it deserves from New Delhi. Despite the rumours of an extension or a possible promotion to the rank of Field Marshall for Pakistan's General Raheel Sharif, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) baton was passed on to a relatively unknown individual, General Qamar Javed Bajwa. The transition of power between the two generals may indicate a new stage of power relations between Pakistans civilian government and its military. New COAS General Bajwa will have to deal with increased hostilities along the Line of Control (LoC) with India, an ongoing anti-militant operation, Zarb-e-Azb, in Pakistans Northwest, the completion of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and an overall sense of distrust between Kabul and Islamabad. Furthermore, General Bajwa will have to mend tense relations with the current PM Nawaz Sharif administration in Islamabad that came to light with a Dawn report that highlighted the militarys involvement with militant groups and Pakistans subsequent growing international isolation. The new COAS most recently held the position of Inspector General for Training and Evaluation at Army General Headquarters in Rawalpindi and has served as a career infantry officer in the Baloch Regiment. General Bajwa was an unlikely pick for the position as he was fourth in line within the list of potential appointments that was forwarded to Nawaz Sharif. The appointment of General Bajwa may have been a strategic appointment due to his proximity and knowledge of the tumultuous region of Balochistan and his expertise of the region may provide crucial support to the CPEC project. The appointment may also lead to a tougher Pakistani stance towards India. General Bajwa most recently commanded the X Corps, Pakistans largest corps stationed along the LoC. He also served in the X Corp himself as Lieutenant Colonel. Yet, relations between India and Pakistan may also improve as General Bajwa, in 2007, was a brigade commander alongside former Indian Army Chief Bikram Singh during a UN mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif with General Raheel Sharif. (Photo: Reuters) Furthermore, his appointment as COAS also indicates a possible civilian victory over the military as he holds a firm belief in civilian supremacy. Feroz Khan, a retired Brigadier and author of a book on Pakistans nuclear programme, stated that the general is a staunch believer in democracy and civilian supremacy. He is also believed to hold the view that militant groups are the largest threat to Pakistans long-term prosperity. A view that many agree with. However, there are those who criticise the appointment and argue that General Bajwa was chosen not based on merit but in order to protect the civilian government from a possible hostile takeover from the military. Retired Brigadier Shaukat Qadir stated that none of Nawaz Sharifs army chiefs were appointed for the right reason, for being the best person for the job. However, this fear held by Sharif and many in Islamabad is not totally unfounded as it was rumoured by ministers that during rounds of protests held by politician Imran Khan two years ago, generals in the army were considering possible action in the face of further instability. The likelihood of which was very unlikely. Aetna Inc. operates as a health care benefits company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Health Care, Group Insurance, and Large Case Pensions. The Health Care segment offers medical, pharmacy benefit management service, dental, behavioral health, and vision plans on an insured and employer-funded basis. It also provides point-of-service, preferred provider organization, health maintenance organization, and indemnity benefit plans, as well as health savings accounts and consumer-directed health plans. In addition, this segment offers Medicare and Medicaid products and services, as well as other medical products, such as medical management and data analytics services, medical stop loss insurance, workers' compensation administrative services, and products that provide access to its provider networks in select geographies. The Group Insurance segment offers life insurance products, including group term life insurance, voluntary spouse and dependent term life insurance, group universal life insurance, and accidental death and dismemberment insurance; disability insurance products; and long-term care insurance products, which provide the benefits to cover the cost of care in private home settings, adult day care, assisted living, or nursing facilities. The Large Case Pensions segment manages various retirement products comprising pension and annuity products primarily for tax-qualified pension plans. The company provides its products and services to employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups, and expatriates. Aetna Inc. was founded in 1853 and is based in Hartford, Connecticut. The Bank of Nova Scotia provides various banking products and services in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Colombia, the Caribbean and Central America, and internationally. It operates in four segments: Canadian Banking, International Banking, Global Wealth Management, and Global Banking and Markets. The company offers financial advice and solutions, and day-to-day banking products, including debit and credit cards, chequing and saving accounts, investments, mortgages, loans, and insurance to individuals; and business banking solutions comprising lending, deposit, cash management, and trade finance solutions to small, medium, and large businesses, including automotive financing solutions to dealers and their customers. It also provides wealth management advice and solutions, including online brokerage, mobile investment, full-service brokerage, trust, private banking, and private investment counsel services; and retail mutual funds, exchange traded funds, liquid alternative funds, and institutional funds. In addition, the company offers international banking services for retail, corporate, and commercial customers; and lending and transaction, investment banking advisory, and capital markets access services to corporate customers. Further, it provides online, mobile, and telephone banking services. The company operates a network of 954 branches and approximately 3,766 automated banking machines in Canada; and approximately 1,300 branches and a network of contact and support center internationally. The Bank of Nova Scotia was founded in 1832 and is headquartered in Halifax, Canada. The following companies are subsidiares of Illinois Tool Works: A V Co 1 Limited, A V Co 2 Limited, A V Co 3 Limited, ACCU-LUBE Manufacturing GmbH - Schmiermittel und -gerate -, AIP/BI Holdings Inc., Accessories Marketing Holding Corp., Advanced Molding Company Inc., Allen France SAS, Alpine Engineered Products, Alpine Systems Corporation, Anaerobicos S.r.l., AppliChem GmbH, Avery Berkel France, Avery India Limited, Avery Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avery Weigh Tronix, Avery Weigh-Tronix Finance Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix International Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix LLC, Avery Weigh-Tronix Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Properties Limited, Avery Weigh-Tronix Suzhou Weighing Technology Co. Ltd., Azon Limited, B.C. Immo, Beijing Miller Electric Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Berkel Ireland Limited, Berrington UK, Brapenta Eletronica Ltda., Brooks Instrument B.V., Brooks Instrument GmbH, Brooks Instrument KFT, Brooks Instrument Korea Ltd., Brooks Instrument LLC, Brooks Instrument Shanghai Co. 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De R.L. de C.V., ITW Mexico Holdings LLC, ITW Morlock GmbH, ITW Mortgage Investments II Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments III Inc., ITW Mortgage Investments IV Inc., ITW Netherlands Administration BV, ITW Netherlands Beta B.V., ITW Netherlands Finance Alpha BV, ITW New Universal LLC, ITW New Zealand, ITW Ningbo Components & Fastenings Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Novadan Sp. Z.o.o., ITW PPF Brasil Adesivos Ltda., ITW Packaging Technology China Co. Ltd., ITW Participations S.a r.l., ITW Pension Funds Trustee Company, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Japan Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids Korea Limited, ITW Performance Polymers & Fluids OOO, ITW Performance Polymers ApS, ITW Performance Polymers Wujiang Co. Ltd., ITW Performance Polymers and Fluids Group FZE, ITW Peru S.A.C., ITW Poly Mex S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Polymers Sealants North America Inc., ITW Pronovia s.r.o., ITW Pte. Ltd., ITW Qufu Automotive Cooling Systems Co. Ltd., ITW Real Estate Germany GmbH, ITW Residuals III L.L.C., ITW Residuals IV L.L.C., ITW Rivex, ITW SMPI, ITW SPG Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., ITW Simco-Ion Shenzhen Co. Ltd., ITW Slovakia s.r.o., ITW Spain Holdings S.L., ITW Specialty Film LLC, ITW Specialty Films France, ITW Specialty Materials Suzhou Co. Ltd., ITW Sverige AB, ITW Sweden Holding AB, ITW Test & Measurement Equipment Shanghai Co. Ltd, ITW Test & Measurement GmbH, ITW Test and Measurement Italia Srl, ITW Test and Measurement Services Industry and Trade Ltd., ITW Texwipe Philippines Inc., ITW Thermal Films Shanghai Co. Ltd., ITW UK, ITW UK Finance Beta Limited, ITW UK Finance Delta Limited, ITW UK Finance Gamma Limited, ITW UK Finance Limited, ITW UK Finance Zeta Ltd., ITW UK II Limited, ITW Universal II LLC, ITW Welding, ITW Welding AB, ITW Welding GmbH, ITW Welding Products B.V., ITW Welding Products Group FZE, ITW Welding Products Group S. DE R.L. De C.V., ITW Welding Products Italy Srl, ITW Welding Products Limited Liability Company, ITW Welding Produtos Para Solgdagem Ltda., ITW Welding Singapore Pte. Ltd., ITW de France, ITW do Brasil Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Illinois Tool Works Chile Limitada, Illinois Tool Works ITW Nederland B.V., Illinois Tool Works Inc., Impar Comercio E Representacoes Ltda., Industrie Plastic Elsasser GmbH, Inmobiliaria Cit. S.A. de C.F., Innova Temperlite Servicios S.A. de C.V., Innovacion y Transformacion Automotriz S.A. de C.V., Instron Brasil Equipamentos Cientificos Ltda., Instron Foreign Sales Corp. Limited, Instron France S.A.S., Instron GmbH, Instron Japan Company Ltd., Instron Korea LLC, Instron Shanghai Ltd., Instron Thailand Limited, International Leasing Company LLC, Isolenge - ITW Sistemas de Isolamento Termico Ltda., Itw Spraytec, KCPL Mauritius Holdings, Kester, Kleinmann GmbH, Krafft S.L., Loma Systems, Loma Systems BV, Loma Systems Canada Inc., Loma Systems sro, Lombard Pressings Limited, Lumex Inc., Lys Fusion Poland Sp. z.o.o., M&C Specialties Co., MAGNAFLUX GmbH, MEHB Holdings Limited, MGHG Property LLC, MTS 2 LLC., MTS 3 LLC., MTS China Holdings LLC, MTS Europe Holdings LLC, MTS Holdings France S.a.r.l., MTS Japan Ltd.., MTS Korea Inc.., MTS Systems China Co. Ltd., MTS Systems Corporation, MTS Systems Danmark ApS., MTS Systems Europe B.V., MTS Systems Finance C.V.., MTS Systems Germany GmbH, MTS Systems Holding B.V.., MTS Systems Hong Kong Incorporated, MTS Systems Limited, MTS Systems Norden Aktiebolag, MTS Systems S.r.l, MTS Systems., MTS Systems.., MTS Sytems Do Brazil, MTS Testing Solutions India Private Limited., MTS Testing Systems Canada Ltd., Manufacturing Avancee S.A., Meritex Technology Suzhou Co. Ltd., Meurer Verpackungssysteme GmbH, Miller Electric Mfg. LLC, Miller Insurance Ltd., NDT Holding LLC, NOVADAN APS, North Star Imaging Inc., Nova Chimica S.r.l., Orbitalum Tools GmbH, PENTA-91 OOO, PR. A. I. Srl, PT ITW Construction Products Indonesia, Pacific Concept Industries Limited Enping, Panreac Quimica S.L., Paslode Fasteners Shanghai Co. Ltd., Peerless Machinery Corp., Polyrey, Premark FEG L.L.C., Premark HII Holdings LLC, Premark International, Premark International LLC, Prolex Sociedad Anonima, QSA Global Inc., Quimica Industrial Mediterranea S.L., R&D Engineering A/S., R&D Prague s.r.o., R&D Steel ApS., R&D Test Systems A/S., R&D Tools and Structures A/S., RDGDK Engineering Private Limited, Ramset Fasteners Hong Kong Ltd., Rapid Cook LLC, Refrigeration France, S.E.E. Sistemas Industria E Comercio Ltda., ST Mexico Holdings LLC, Sealant Systems International Inc., Sentinel Asia Yuhan Hoesa, Shanghai ITW Plastic & Metal Co. Ltd, Simco Japan Inc., Simco Nederland B.V., Societe de Prospection et dInventions Techniques SPIT, Speedline Holdings I Inc., Speedline Holdings I LLC, Speedline Technologies GmbH, Speedline Technologies Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Speedline Technologies Mexico Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Stokvis Celix Portugal Unipessoal LDA, Stokvis Danmark ApS, Stokvis Holdings S.A.R.L., Stokvis Promi s.r.o, Stokvis Prostick Tapes Private Limited, Stokvis Tapes B.V., Stokvis Tapes Benelux B.V., Stokvis Tapes Deutschland GmbH, Stokvis Tapes France, Stokvis Tapes Hong Kong Co. Limited, Stokvis Tapes Italia s.r.l., Stokvis Tapes Limited, Stokvis Tapes Limited Liability Company, Stokvis Tapes Norge AS, Stokvis Tapes Oy, Stokvis Tapes Polska Sp Z.O.O., Stokvis Tapes Shanghai Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes Sverige AB, Stokvis Tapes Taiwan Co. Ltd., Stokvis Tapes Tianjin Co. Ltd., Stolvis Holdings II S.A.R.L., Subsidiaries, Technopack Industria Comercio Consultoria e Representacoes Ltda., Teknek China Limited, Teknek Japan Limited, Teksaleco Ltd., The Miller Group Ltd, Thirode Grandes Cuisines Poligny, Tien Tai Electrode Co. Ltd., Tien Tai Electrode Kunshan Co. Ltd., Unichemicals Industria e Comercio Ltda., VR-Leasing Sarita GmbH & Co. Immobilien KG, VS European Holdco BV, Valeron Strength Films B.V., Veneta Decalcogomme S.r.l., Versachem Chile S.A., Vesta, Vesta Global Limited, Vesta Guangzhou Catering Equipment Co. Ltd, Viltronics Soltec, Vitronics Soltec B.V., Wachs Canada Ltd., Wachs Subsea LLC, Weigh-Tronix Canada ULC, Weigh-Tronix UK Limited, Wilsonart International Holdings LLC, Wynn Oil South Africa Pty Ltd., Wynn's Automotive France, Wynn's Belgium BVBA, Wynn's Italia Srl, Wynn's Mekuba India Pvt Ltd, and Zip-Pak International B.V.. Read More AmerisourceBergen Corporation sources and distributes pharmaceutical products in the United States and internationally. Its Pharmaceutical Distribution segment distributes brand-name and generic pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter healthcare products, home healthcare supplies and equipment, and related services to various healthcare providers, including acute care hospitals and health systems, independent and chain retail pharmacies, mail order pharmacies, medical clinics, long-term care and alternate site pharmacies, and other customers. It also provides pharmacy management, staffing, and other consulting services; supply management software to retail and institutional healthcare providers; and packaging solutions to various institutional and retail healthcare providers. In addition, this segment distributes plasma and other blood products, injectable pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and other specialty products; provides other services primarily to physicians who specialize in various disease states, primarily oncology, as well as to other healthcare providers, including hospitals and dialysis clinics; and offers data analytics, outcomes research, and additional services for biotechnology and pharmaceutical manufacturers. The company's Other segment provides integrated manufacturer services, such as clinical trial support, product post-approval, and commercialization support; specialty transportation and logistics services for the biopharmaceutical industry; and sells pharmaceuticals, vaccines, parasiticides, diagnostics, micro feed ingredients, and various other products to customers in the companion animal and production animal markets, as well as demand-creating sales force services to manufacturers. AmerisourceBergen Corporation was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. On Thursday, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced that he chose retired Marine General James Mattis to be his Secretary of Defense. Mattis has said that responding to todays political Islam is the biggest issue of security facing the U.S. today. Trump, during a rally in Ohio, said he was appointing Mad Dog Mattis to be his defense secretary. Get Warning: Undefined variable $CompanyName in /home/acctdp/public_html/wp-content/themes/responsalambre/single.php on line 65 alerts: Trump joked that the audience and media should keep it to themselves since they were not going to make an official announcement until next week. Mattis retired in 2013 as the chief of U.S. Central Command and has often been heard saying that Washington is lacking overall strategy for the Middle East, opting to handle the different complex issues in a manner that is ineffective. For Mattis to take his position, Congress needs to pass new legislation that bypasses a law that states defense secretaries must have been on active duty sometime during the previous seven years. A similar exemption was granted by Congress only one time back in 1950 when General George Marshall took the job. Earlier on Thursday, a spokesperson for the transition team, tweeted that there still was no decision made, but Donald Trump Jr. retweeted a report that the appointment was given to Mattis. Mattis, who is 66, served over 4 decades for the Marine Corps and is considered one of his generations most influential leaders in the military and very strategic, which at times has drawn rebukes for aggressive talk. Since his retirement, he has been a consultant and a fellow with Hoover Institution, a Stanford University think tank. As does Trump, Mattis is in favor of tougher stances against adversaries of the U.S. abroad, especially the Islamic Republic of Iran. The retired general, this past April, said that while discussions of security often are focused on Islamic State and other terrorist groups, the regime in Iran holds the biggest enduring threat to peace and stability in the Middle East. The general also has said that the next U.S. president would inherit a big mess and has argued that the deal signed with Iran by the Obama White House in 2015 might slow the ambitions of Iran to have a nuclear weapon, but does not stop them. However, he did add that absent a clear violation he saw no way that Washington would be able to get out of the deal due to any sanctions that are unilateral issued by the U.S. would not be equally valuable if allies did not come aboard. South Jersey Industries, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides energy-related products and services. The company engages in the purchase, transmission, and sale of natural gas. It also sells natural gas and pipeline transportation capacity on a wholesale basis to residential, commercial, and industrial customers on the interstate pipeline system, as well as transports natural gas purchased directly from producers or suppliers to customers. As of December 31, 2021, the company had approximately 147 miles of mains in the transmission system and 6,815 miles of mains in the distribution system; and served 384,062 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in southern New Jersey. In addition, it markets natural gas storage, commodity, and transportation assets on a wholesale basis for energy marketers, electric and gas utilities, power plants, and natural gas producers in the mid-Atlantic, Appalachian, and southern regions of the United States. Further, the company owns and operates rooftop solar-generation sites. Additionally, it owns oil, gas, and mineral rights in the Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania; acquires and markets natural gas and electricity to retail end users, as well as provides total energy management, fuel management, and energy procurement and cost reduction services. The company was founded in 1910 and is headquartered in Folsom, New Jersey. Bancolombia S.A. provides banking products and services in Colombia, Panama, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. The company operates through nine segments: Banking Colombia, Banking Panama, Banking El Salvador, Banking Guatemala, Trust, Investment Banking, Brokerage, International Banking, and All Other. It offers checking and savings accounts, fixed term deposits, and investment products; trade financing, loans funded by domestic development banks, working capital loans, credit cards, personal and vehicle loans, payroll loans, and overdrafts; financial support to real estate developers and mortgages for individuals and companies; factoring; and financial and operating leasing services. The company also provides hedging instruments, including futures, forwards, options, and swaps; and brokerage, investment advisory, and private banking services, including selling and distributing equities, futures, foreign currencies, fixed income securities, mutual funds, and structured products. In addition, it offers cash management services; foreign currency transaction services; life, auto, commercial, and homeowner's insurance products; and online and computer banking services. Further, the company provides project and acquisition finance, debt and equity capital markets, principal investments, M&A, hedging strategies, restructurings, and structured financing; money market accounts, mutual and pension funds, private equity funds, payment and corporate trust, and custody; internet-based trading platform; inter-bank lending and repurchase agreements; managing escrow accounts, and investment and real estate funds; and transportation, securities brokerage, maintenance and remodeling, and outsourcing services. As of December 31, 2021, it operated 1,015 branches; 28,676 banking correspondents; 529 PAMs; 210 kiosks in El Salvador and 187 in Colombia; and 6,094 ATMs. Bancolombia S.A. was incorporated in 1945 and is headquartered in Medellin, Colombia. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. was founded in 1869 by Marcus Goldman as an investment bank catering to institutions and businesses. Among the firm's first products are the revolutionary use of commercial paper for entrepreneurs which opened a new method of finance for business and industry. The original firm expanded to Goldman Sachs in 1882 with the inclusion of son-in-law Samuel Sachs and again in 1885 with a son and another son-in-law. The firm joined the New York Stock Exchange in 1896 expanding into trading of its own and in 1898 it was worth $1.6 million. The company began its work in the IPO market in 1906 with the initial public offering of Sears, Roebuck & Co., and then moved on to Ford and other prominent names of the time. The 1930s brings a change of leadership and a new direction for the firm. The company shifted toward a purer play on investment banking and embarks on a campaign of acquisition that lasted until the present day. The company doesnt go public itself until 1999 and from that point on it will change into a bank holding company that not only offers investment banking services but takes deposits too, and in 2016 the company added consumer banking to its list of services. Today, Goldman Sachs is a financial institution that provides a range of financial services for corporations, institutions, governments, and individuals globally. The company operates through four segments that include Investment Banking, Global Markets, Asset Management, and Consumer & Wealth Management. According to US banking regulations, it is systemically important to the financial health of America. The company is headquartered in New York, New York, and operates 6 regional headquarters as well. Regional headquarters are located in financial hotspots such as London, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Bangalore, and Warsaw. Among its many prominent CEOs are John Corzine and Hank Paulson who both went on to successful work in government. The company's Investment Banking segment provides a full range of financial advisory services as well as underwriting for the public markets. The financial advisory services include but are not limited to strategic advisory for mergers and acquisitions, divestiture, restructuring, and spin-offs. This segment is also engaged in middle-market lending and transaction banking. Underwriting services include IPOs, preferred stock, debt instruments, and bridge loans. Goldman Sachs Global Markets segment facilitates market transactions for institutions, banks, brokerages, corporations, and governments. Services include execution, derivatives, financing, clearing, settlement, and custody. The Asset Management segment manages client portfolios across the investment spectrum while the Consumer & Wealth Management segment provides advisory and banking services to consumers. MSCI Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides investment decision support tools for the clients to manage their investment processes worldwide. It operates through four segments: Index, Analytics, ESG and Climate, and All Other - Private Assets. The Index segment provides indexes for use in various areas of the investment process, including indexed product creation, such as ETFs, mutual funds, annuities, futures, options, structured products, over-the-counter derivatives; performance benchmarking; portfolio construction and rebalancing; and asset allocation, as well as licenses GICS and GICS Direct. The Analytics segment offers risk management, performance attribution and portfolio management content, application, and service that provides an integrated view of risk and return, and an analysis of market, credit, liquidity, and counterparty risk across asset classes; managed services, including consolidation of client portfolio data from various sources, review and reconciliation of input data and results, and customized reporting; and HedgePlatform to measure, evaluate, and monitor the risk of hedge fund investments. The ESG and Climate segment provides products and services that help institutional investors understand how ESG factors impact the long-term risk and return of their portfolio and individual security-level investments; and data, ratings, research, and tools to help investors navigate increasing regulation. The All Other - Private Assets segment includes real estate market and transaction data, benchmarks, return-analytics, climate assessments and market insights for funds, investors, and managers; business intelligence to real estate owners, managers, developers, and brokers; and offers investment decision support tools for private capital. It serves asset owners and managers, financial intermediaries, wealth managers, real estate professionals, and corporates. MSCI Inc. was incorporated in 1998 and is headquartered in New York, New York. The following companies are subsidiares of Ecolab: AO Ecolab, Abednego Environmental Services, Abednego Environmental Services LLC, Abednego Mexico Holdings LLC, Abednego de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Alcide Corp., Anios America S.A., Anios Diffusion SAS, Anios Manufacturing SAS, Aqua Environmental Limited, Bioquell, Bioquell Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Bioquell Global Logistics (Ireland) Ltd., Bioquell Holding SAS, Bioquell Inc., Bioquell Limited, Bioquell SAS, Bioquell Technology (Shenzhen) Ltd., Bioquell Technology Canada Ltd., Bioquell UK Limited, Bro-Tech Limited, CALGON LLC, CID LINES NV, CID Lines, CID Lines Beijing Animal Hygiene Co Ltd., CID Lines France Sarl, CID Lines Iberica SL, CID Lines LLC, CID Lines Mexico S.A. DE C.V., CID Lines R&D NV, CID Lines Sp. z o. o., CORPAK MedSystems, Cascade Water Services, Champion Technologies, Chamtech L.L.C., Chemlawn, Chemstar Corporation, Cirlam BVBA, Copal Holding NV, Copal Invest NV, Cymru Holdings Limited, DERYPOL SA, DMD, E&M Bio-Chemicals LLC, ECOLAB NL 10 B.V., ECOLAB PEST FRANCE SAS, EPN Water Col Ltd., Ecolab (Antigua) Ltd., Ecolab (Aruba) N.V., Ecolab (Barbados) Limited, Ecolab (China) Investment Co. Ltd, Ecolab (Fiji) Pty Limited, Ecolab (GZ) Chemicals Limited, Ecolab (Guam) LLC, Ecolab (Proprietary) Limited, Ecolab (Schweiz) GmbH, Ecolab (St. Lucia) Limited, Ecolab (Taicang) Technology Co. Ltd., Ecolab (Trinidad and Tobago) Unlimited, Ecolab (U.K.) Holdings Limited, Ecolab A.E.B.E., Ecolab AB, Ecolab AU2 Pty Ltd, Ecolab Acquisition LLC, Ecolab ApS, Ecolab Argentina S.R.L., Ecolab Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Ecolab B.V., Ecolab Bahrain S.P.C., Ecolab CDN 2 Co., Ecolab CDN 4 ULC, Ecolab CH 1 GmbH, Ecolab CH 2 GmbH, Ecolab CH 3 GmbH in Liquidation, Ecolab CH 6 GmbH, Ecolab Chemicals Limited, Ecolab Co. Compagnie Ecolab, Ecolab Colombia S. A., Ecolab DE 1 GmbH, Ecolab Deutschland GmbH, Ecolab Digital Center Private Limited, Ecolab EOOD, Ecolab East Africa (Kenya) Limited, Ecolab East Africa (Tanzania) Limited, Ecolab East Africa (Uganda) Limited, Ecolab Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Ecolab Engineering GmbH, Ecolab Europe GmbH, Ecolab Export GmbH, Ecolab FR 1 SAS, Ecolab FR 4 SAS, Ecolab Finance Company Designated Activity Company, Ecolab Food Safety & Hygiene Solutions Private Limited, Ecolab G.K., Ecolab Global Business Services LLC, Ecolab GmbH, Ecolab Gulf FZE, Ecolab HK 1 Limited, Ecolab HK 2 Limited, Ecolab Hispano-Portuguesa S.L., Ecolab Holding Italy S.r.l., Ecolab Holdings (Europe) LLC, Ecolab Holdings Inc., Ecolab Holdings Mexico S. de R. L. de C. V., Ecolab Hygiene Kft., Ecolab Hygiene d.o.o., Ecolab International SDN BHD, Ecolab Israel Holdings LLC, Ecolab JVZ Limited, Ecolab Korea Ltd., Ecolab LLC, Ecolab LUX & Co Holdings S.C.A., Ecolab LUX 1 Sarl, Ecolab LUX 2 Sarl, Ecolab LUX 4 Sarl, Ecolab LUX 7 Sarl, Ecolab LUX Sarl, Ecolab Limited, Ecolab Ltd., Ecolab Lux 10 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 12 SCA, Ecolab Lux 13 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 14 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 15 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 16 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 17 Sarl, Ecolab Lux 9 Sarl, Ecolab Lux Partner LLC, Ecolab MT Holdings LLC, Ecolab MT Limited, Ecolab Malta 1 Limited, Ecolab Malta 2 Limited, Ecolab Malta GPS, Ecolab Manufacturing IE Limited, Ecolab Manufacturing Inc., Ecolab Manufacturing UK Limited, Ecolab Maroc Societe a Responsabilite Limitee, Ecolab NL 11 B.V., Ecolab NL 15 BV, Ecolab NL 16 B.V., Ecolab NL 23 B.V., Ecolab NL 3 BV, Ecolab Name Holding Limited, Ecolab New Zealand, Ecolab Peru Holdings S.R.L., Ecolab Pest Deutschland GmbH, Ecolab Philippines Inc., Ecolab Production Belgium B.V., Ecolab Production France SAS, Ecolab Production Italy Srl, Ecolab Production LLC, Ecolab Production Netherlands B.V., Ecolab Production Poland sp. z o.o., Ecolab Pte. Ltd., Ecolab Pty Ltd., Ecolab Quimica Ltda., Ecolab S. de R.L. de C.V., Ecolab S.A., Ecolab S.A. de C.V., Ecolab SAS, Ecolab SIA, Ecolab SNC, Ecolab SRL, Ecolab Sdn Bhd, Ecolab Services Argentina S.R.L., Ecolab Services Malaysia SDN. BHD., Ecolab Services Poland Sp. z o, Ecolab Sociedad Anonima, Ecolab Sp. z o, Ecolab Spain Services S.L.U., Ecolab Temizleme Sistemleri Limited Sirketi, Ecolab U.S. 2 Inc., Ecolab U.S. 6 LLC, Ecolab U.S. 7 LLC, Ecolab US 1 GP, Ecolab USA Inc., Ecolab Viet Nam Company Limited, Ecolab Water Holding LImited, Ecolab a.s., Ecolab d.o.o., Ecolab s.r.l., Ecolab s.r.o., Ecolab y Compania Colectiva de Responsabilidad Limitada, Ecolab-Importacao E. Exportacao Limitada, Ecolabone B.V., Ecolabtwo B.V., Endoclear Equipamentos Medicos Hospitalares Ltda., Enviroflo Engineering Limited, Food Protection Services, GCS Service, Gallay Medical & Scientific Pty Ltd, Gallay Medical & Scientific Pty Ltd., GallayTrac Pty. Ltd., Georgia-Pacific - Paper Chemicals Business, Gibson Chemical Industries, Green Harbour Mainland Holdings Ltd, Henkel-Ecolab, Hicopla SL, Holchem Laboratories, Huntington Laboratories, Hydenet SAS, INTERNATIONAL WATER CONSULTANT B.V., Immobiliare R.E.O.P.A. SRL, Instrunet Hospital SLU, Jianghai Environmental Protection Co., Jianghai Environmental Protection Co. Ltd., KATAYAMA NALCO INC., Kay BV, Kay Chemical Company, LHS (UK) Limited, Laboratoires Anios, Laboratoires Anios S.A.S., Laboratoires Anios-Distribution SAS, Les Produits Chimiques ERPAC Inc., Lobster Ink, Lobster Ink Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Lobster International S.A., MOBOTEC AB LLC, Master Chemicals OOO, Meratech Rus Group LLC, Microtek Dominicana S.A., Microtek Italy S.R.L., Microtek Medical B.V., Microtek Medical Holdings, Microtek Medical Holdings Inc., Microtek Medical Inc., Microtek Medical Malta Holding Limited, Microtek Medical Malta Limited, Midland Research Laboratories, NALCO (SHANGHAI) TRADING CO. LTD., NALCO AB, NALCO ACQUISITION ONE, NALCO ACQUISITION TWO LIMITED, NALCO AFRICA (PTY.) LTD., NALCO ASIA HOLDING COMPANY PTE. LTD., NALCO BELGIUM B.V., NALCO CHINA HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO COMPANY OOO, NALCO DANMARK APS, NALCO DE MEXICO S. de R. L. de C.V., NALCO DELAWARE COMPANY, NALCO DEUTSCHLAND GMBH, NALCO DUTCH HOLDINGS B.V., NALCO EGYPT LTD., NALCO EGYPT TRADING, NALCO ESPANOLA MANUFACTURING S.L.U., NALCO ESPANOLA S.L., NALCO EUROPE B.V., NALCO FINLAND MANUFACTURING OY, NALCO FINLAND OY, NALCO FRANCE SAS, NALCO FRANCE SNC, NALCO GLOBAL HOLDINGS B.V., NALCO GLOBAL HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO HOLDING B.V., NALCO HOLDING COMPANY, NALCO HOLDINGS G.m.b.H., NALCO HOLDINGS UK LIMITED, NALCO HONG KONG LIMITED, NALCO INDUSTRIAL OUTSOURCING COMPANY, NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES (NANJING) CO. LTD., NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES (SUZHOU) CO. LTD., NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES (THAILAND) CO. LTD., NALCO INDUSTRIAL SERVICES CHILE LIMITADA, NALCO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS B.V., NALCO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO INVESTMENTS U.K. LIMITED, NALCO ISRAEL INDUSTRIAL SERVICES LTD, NALCO ITALIANA HOLDINGS S.R.L., NALCO ITALIANA MANUFACTURING S.R.L., NALCO ITALIANA SrL, NALCO KOREA LIMITED, NALCO LIMITED, NALCO MANUFACTURING BETEILIGUNGS GMBH, NALCO MANUFACTURING LTD., NALCO NETHERLANDS B.V., NALCO OSTERREICH Ges m.b.H., NALCO OVERSEAS HOLDING B.V., NALCO PAKISTAN (PRIVATE) LIMITED, NALCO PHILIPPINES INC., NALCO PORTUGUESA (QUIMICA INDUSTRIAL) UNIPESSOAL LDA, NALCO PWS INC., NALCO SAUDI CO. LTD., NALCO TAIWAN CO. LTD., NALCO TWO INC., NALCO U.S. HOLDINGS LLC, NALCO UNIVERSAL HOLDINGS BV, NALCO WORLDWIDE HOLDINGS LLC, NALTECH INC., NANOSPECIALTIES LLC, NLC PROCESS AND WATER SERVICES SARL, Nalco (BN) SDN BHD, Nalco (China) Environmental Solution Co. Ltd., Nalco Anadolu Kimya Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Nalco Canada ULC, Nalco Company LLC (1), Nalco Contract Operations LLC, Nalco Deutschland Manufacturing GmbH, Nalco Japan G.K., Nalco Libya, Nalco Middle East FZE, Nalco Polska Sp. z o. o., Nalco Production LLC, Nalco Real Estate GmbH, Nalco Schweiz GmbH, Nalco US 1 LLC, Nalco Wastewater Contract Operations Inc., Nalco Water India Private Limited, Nalco Water Pretreatment Solutions LLC, Nalco Worldwide Holdings S.a.r.l./B.V., National Wiper Alliance Inc., Nigiko, Nuova Farmec S.r.l., Oksa Kimya Sanayi A.S., Oy Ecolab AB, PT Ecolab International Indonesia, PT Ecolab Technologies and Services, Purate business - AkzoNobel, Purolite, Purolite (China) Co. Ltd., Purolite (Int.) Ltd, Purolite (Pty) Ltd, Purolite AG, Purolite GmbH, Purolite Ileri Kimyasal Ticaret Ltd, Purolite KK, Purolite LLC, Purolite Ltd, Purolite NZ Limited, Purolite Private Limited, Purolite Pte. Ltd., Purolite Pty Ltd, Purolite S. de R.L. de C.V., Purolite SAS, Purolite SRL, Purolite do Brasil Ltda, Purolite s.r.o., Purolite sp. z o.o., Purolite C Corporation, QazSorbent LLP, Quantum Technical Services LLC, Quimicas Ecolab S.A. de C.V., Quimiproductos S.A. de C.V, RP Adam Ltd, Research Fumigation Co., Royal Pest Solutions, Shield Holdings Limited, Shield Medicare Limited, Soluscope International Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Soluscope SAS, Swisher Hygiene, TechTex Holdings Limited, Technical Textile Services Limited, Terminix, Ultrafab, VanBaele Hygiene AG, Wabasha Leasing LLC, Zhe Jiang Purosoft Home Appliances Sale Co Ltd, and vanBaerle Hygiene AG. Read More CULPEPER The Culpeper County Sheriffs Office has identified Delonte Jones, 21, of Prince Georges County, Maryland, as the man shot and killed by the homeowner in an apparent home invasion Thursday night on Woodland Church Road. The 44-year-old male homeowner, whose identity is being withheld, reported that he answered a knock at the door before 6 p.m. and spoke to a woman who asked to come inside. At this point, he became suspicious and told her to leave when Jones reportedly pushed his way into the home and assaulted the homeowner. In an ensuing struggle, Jones was reportedly struck with a bullet from his own gun, according to the homeowner. A sheriffs office spokesman, however, said the origin of the fatal shot cannot be definitively verified until the forensics work is completed, and it may be incorrect that Jones was killed with ammunition from his own gun. Either way, after getting shot, the home invasion suspect and the woman then fled the house; Jones fell dead in a ditch nearby. The homeowner sustained minor injuries. Amber Eley, 18, of Orange, is being held on charges of attempted robbery, burglary with a deadly weapon and two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, all of which stem from the home invasion. She remained at the scene while two other persons of interest left in a dark-colored sedan, according to the sheriffs office. The Culpeper Sheriffs Office is looking for the two other individuals reportedly at the scene when the home invasion occurred. Security cameras in the neighborhood are said to show images of the dark-colored sedan and of the people in the car. Sheriff Scott Jenkins is encouraging anyone with information to contact the Culpeper County Sheriffs Office at (540) 727-7520. GAINESVILLE A Gainesville day care worker is facing neglect charges after authorities say a 3-year-old girl left the facility unnoticed and walked to a nearby business. Prince William County police say in a statement that officers responded Nov. 19 to a Gainesville business for a report of child neglect. The caller had found the young girl alone and could not find her family. Officers determined that the child walked out of Kiddie Academy by herself. Police say the girl was unharmed and released to her family. At the time the girl left the day care center, she had been in the care of 23-year-old Kiddie Academy employee Nayoung Park. Park turned herself in to police on Wednesday. She is charged with felony child neglect. It's unclear if Park has an attorney. The suspect charged in Mondays police chase in the town of Culpeper that ended with power being cut to thousands apparently had a reason to run. Bobby Lewis Thomas, 21, of Manassas was charged Thursday afternoon with accessory after the fact to 2nd degree murder in the Nov. 25 death in Manassas of Jose Tomas Velasquez, 44. According to Manassas City Police, the same vehicle Thomas used to pick up two others charged in the alleged murder was involved three days later in the Culpeper incident that ended in Lakeview off of U.S. 522. That vehicle, a white Mitsubishi Eclipse, was being towed from the housing development Monday afternoon after Thomas reportedly crashed it into an electrical cabinet on Virginia Avenue causing the widespread outage. Culpeper Police located Thomas and a 16-year-old male passenger shortly thereafter hiding under a blanket underneath the deck of a home around the corner on Lakeland Court. Thomas was charged in Culpeper with two counts of hit and run, felony eluding police, driving on a suspended license and reckless driving. According to court records related to the eluding charge, Thomas exceeded the maximum speed limit by 20 miles per hour after leaving the scene of an earlier accident on Belle Avenue and Bus. 29, a few miles from where the chase ended. No one was injured in that accident that involved Thomas reportedly striking an unattended vehicle and causing more than $500 worth of damage, according to court records. Neighbors provided a description of his vehicle and police quickly located it, at which point Thomas allegedly refused to stop until he crashed again in Lakeview. He was taken into custody without incident and the 16-year-old released to a parent. Three days earlier, around 1 a.m. on Nov. 25, Velasquez was shot twice in the abdomen following a confrontation in Manassas with two other suspects charged in his murder. He later died at the hospital, according to Manassas City Police. The reported shooting occurred in the 9200 block of Byrd Drive after Velasquez left a Thanksgiving celebration at a friends house, according to Manassas City Police Chief Douglas Keen. The victim lived within walking distance on Taney Road. Arrested Thursday by Manassas City Police in Velasquezs death were Desmond Cordell Woodson, 18, of Manassas Park and Daiquan Lamar Thompson, 18, of Centreville. Both were charged with 2nd degree murder. Thomas reportedly picked up the two suspects the night of the alleged murder, fleeing the scene in the same Mitsubishi he later drove to Culpeper, according to Manassas City Police. Keen, in a YouTube video, thanked Culpeper police, Manassas police and the Northern Virginia Gang Task Force for their assistance that led to the three arrests Wednesday night. He also offered prayers for the victims family saying Velasquez was a hard worker who contributed to the community in which he was well-known. A prayer vigil was planned Thursday night in Manassas, Keen said. Culpeper Police Lt. Jeff Dodson said the local agency had been working with Manassas police on the case since Monday and that they would continue to do so, if needed. This is another excellent example of law enforcement agencies from different jurisdictions working together to solve this crime, Dodson said. Thomas was still being held in the Culpeper jail as of Thursday afternoon. On Wednesday in Culpeper General District Court, he was granted $15,000 secured bond on the Culpeper charges, and Madison attorney Hannon Wright was designated his court-appointed attorney. Wright said he was unaware of the Manassas charges in a phone call Thursday and declined to comment on his clients Culpeper charges. According to court records, Thomas, at the time of his arrest Monday in Culpeper, was living with his mother in Manassas and working for a towing company. He has a 10th grade education, according to court records. In May, Thomas was found guilty in Culpeper of possession of drug paraphernalia and driving with a suspended license. He was sentenced to two years of unsupervised probation and ordered to pay court costs and fines totaling $831 with the outstanding payment being due Thursday. The bike continues to get 120PS and 102Nm from the 1,043cc inline-four motor and there are no changes to the other features as well. The Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Kawasaki has introduced the updated 2017 models of its Versys range of adventure-touring motorcycles. The new Versys 1000 and the Versys 650 come with new colour schemes and also feature an updated instrument console with gear position indicator. They also get redesigned windshield knobs for easy adjustment and a GPS mount has been added to the accessory list of the Versys series as well. Powered by a 649cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine, the 2017 Kawasaki Versys 650 will be available in Metallic Flat Raw Titanium and Metallic Flat Spark Black/Metallic Carbon Grey along with a special edition Candy Lime Green/Metallic Spark Black colour options. The fuel-injected motor makes 69PS of power at 8,500rpm and delivers a peak torque of 64Nm at 7,000rpm. The bike comes packed with features like adjustable suspension set-up with inverted front forks and offset rear monoshock, dual front and single rear disc brakes, large 21-litre fuel tank, panniers and top box mounts and ABS. Besides all these standard features, the bike also has a long list of optional accessories to choose from. The 2017 Kawasaki Versys 1000 will now be available in Candy Burnt Orange/Flat Ebony, Candy Lime Green/Metallic Carbon Grey and Metallic Flat Spark Black colour options. The bike continues to get 120PS and 102Nm from the 1,043cc inline-four motor and there are no changes to the other features as well. The bike comes with a fully adjustable suspension set-up and a high performance braking system with ABS. Moreover, it gets technologies like assist & slipper clutch and 3-mode KTRC (Kawasaki Traction Control) with power modes, providing a total of eight level-combinations. Both the Kawasaki Versys 1000 and 650 are available in the India at Rs 12.85 lakh and Rs 6.59 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) respectively. The 2017 models of the bikes are also expected to arrive into the market sometime next year. Source: BikeDekho.com . The motor is expected to be tuned for better torque delivery at relatively lower engine speeds as compared to its KTM sibling. Bajaj Auto has finally announced the official name of its upcoming flagship motorcycle. It won't be Pulsar CS400 or Kratos VS400 but will rather be called the Dominar 400. The word Dominar in Spanish means "to dominate" or to excel or exceed in power. Bajaj will launch this motorcycle on December 15th, 2016. Confirming the launch, Eric Vas, president (motorcycle business), Bajaj Auto, said, We are delighted to announce the name of the most anticipated brand from the Bajaj Auto stable. The Dominar 400 has already created lot of excitement amongst bikers, which is befitting for whats going to be one of the most path breaking products in the history of the Indian motorcycle industry. The Pune-based bikemaker has already commenced production of the Dominar 400 at its Chakan plant and the first motorcycle was rolled out from the facility on 18th November. We also called some Bajaj dealers to get more information on the upcoming motorcycles. And a few of them told us that they have started taking bookings for Rs 1,000 or more, even without any confirmation on the bike's name. We also learnt that the upcoming Bajaj flagship could be seen at showrooms in some major cities within a week. Though the Dominar 400 hasn't been revealed yet, we have a decent set of information from the Pulsar CS400 concept and the spy pictures of the bike. The production-spec model takes a lot of cues from the concept model, especially when it comes to the styling. The bike is powered by a KTM 390 Duke-inspired 373cc, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled motor that is said to deliver around 35PS of power and 33Nm of torque. The motor is expected to be tuned for better torque delivery at relatively lower engine speeds as compared to its KTM sibling. With an attractive design and features like dual LCD instrument console, full LED lighting, large disc brakes and much more, the entry-level power cruiser is expected to fall in a price bracket of Rs 1.5 - 1.7 lakh, while ABS will be offered as an optional extra. Talking about the rivals, the Bajaj Dominar 400 will compete with the likes of the Mahindra Mojo and the Royal Enfield motorcycles. Source: BikeDekho.com Exports, however, grew by 21.9 per cent to 17,077 units as against 14,008 units in the same month last year. New Delhi: Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) on December 2 reported a marginal decline in total sales at 57,093 units in November compared to 57,659 units in the same month last year. In the domestic market, Hyundai's sales saw a decline of 8.32 per cent at 40,016 units last month as compared to 43,651 units in November last year, HMIL said in a statement. Exports, however, grew by 21.9 per cent to 17,077 units as against 14,008 units in the same month last year. The company said it has now franchised about 1,300 outlets as a part of its target to become 95 per cent franchised by the end of 2018. McDonald's Corp said on Friday it had sold the franchise rights for its restaurants in Singapore and Malaysia to Saudi Arabia's Lionhorn Pte Ltd as part of a plan to move away from direct ownership in Asia. The fast-food chain said it transferred its ownership interest in 390 restaurants, more than 80 per cent of which were company-owned, on December 1 to Lionhorn. Lionhorn is led by Sheik Fahd and Abdulrahman Alireza, who are franchisees for nearly 100 McDonald's restaurants in the western and southern regions of Saudi Arabia. McDonald's did not disclose the financial terms of the deal. Reuters reported in October that McDonald's was nearing a deal worth up to $400 million to franchise the outlets to Reza group, which also owns and operates McDonald's outlets in the western and southern regions of Saudi Arabia. The Lionhorn deal is in line with McDonald's plans to bring in partners in Asia as it switches to a less capital-intensive franchise model. The company said it has now franchised about 1,300 outlets as a part of its target to become 95 per cent franchised by the end of 2018. New Delhi: The Labour Ministry's drive to open accounts of wage workers has brought 9 lakh persons into banking fold since November 26, 2016, when the programme was launched. "The huge efforts of Labour and Employment Ministry have succeeded in bringing over nine lakh workers into banking fold within six days of launching a campaign on November 26," the Labour Ministry said in a statement. According to the statement, 25.68 crore Jan dhan accounts are existing and all the workers who do not have bank accounts are being covered under the drive. It said that till last evening (December 1, 2016) 9,15,431 bank accounts were opened by organising 33,145 camps for this purpose. Within four days till November 29, total 3,87,037 bank accounts were opened by holding 15,134 camps across the country. On November 30, 9,085 camps were organised and 2,90,224 bank accounts were opened while on December 1, 2,38,170 more bank accounts were opened, it said. The campaign is on and officers of the Ministry have been deputed for coordinating/supervising the bank account opening activities at the camps, across the country, it added. The Ministry launched the campaign for opening bank accounts of workers especially in unorganised sector like construction, beedi, scheme workers like Anganwadi, Asha and cine workers who still do not have bank accounts. The objective of the campaign is to ensure that all workers come into banking fold and their wages are paid directly into their accounts. This will not only prevent exploitation of workers and payment of wages without cut but will also inculcate the habit of using cashless transactions, it added. In a separate statement, Labour Ministry said that during a meeting of the consultative committee attached to it held yesterday, members have suggested to set up new medical facilities by ESIC in emerging labour intensive areas. Centre and states still have differences over control of levying the GST. Mumbai: The governments note ban does not seem to have gone down well with some states particularly West Bengal and Kerala that have expressed doubts over roll out of the indirect tax regime the Goods and Services Tax from April 1 next year given the post-demonetisation situation in country. The powerful GST Council that had postponed its November meeting will discuss model GST laws the central GST law, state GST laws, integrated GST and a law pertaining to compensation to the states for loss of revenue at its meeting scheduled later on Friday. West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra in an interview to NDTV on Wednesday said that the timing of the implementation of the GST was not right given the situation that has emerged in the aftermath of demonetisation. We must do GST, but do it at a time when it is feasible, successful, when states revenues do not decline significantly, Centre is able to compensate the states and federal polity of India is preserved. I do not see that at this time, Mitra told NDTV. Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac harbours the same views as of Mitras on implementation of GST from April 1, 2017. However, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley at HT summit on Friday morning said that Constitution does not permit delay in implementation of GST. Apart from that, the states and the Centre have so far failed to arrive at a consensus on the contentious issue of sharing of control for levying the indirect tax which according to the government would be a game changer for Indian economy. As President-elect Donald Trump received a warm welcome in Indianapolis on Thursday for helping to preserve 1,000 manufacturing jobs, embattled workers elsewhere in the state said that his work had just begun. United Technologies Corp's decision to keep half of the 2,100 Indiana jobs it was to shift to Mexico allowed Republican Trump to claim credit after he promised to revive the industrial base of the United States in his populist election campaign. But the author of "The Art of the Deal" will have a lot more deal making to do if he wants to stop the steady erosion of manufacturing jobs from the country because of automation and lower costs abroad. "Now that they've saved jobs at one plant, we want to see it happen here and elsewhere. If Trump doesn't make that happen then people are going to be very disappointed in him," said Susan Haines, a production coordinator at auto-parts maker CTS Corp which plans to eliminate 230 Indiana jobs by 2018 as it ships production overseas. Across Indiana, manufacturers are eliminating at least 5,000 jobs this year under pressure from global competition, according to a Reuters analysis of Labor Department filings. At least 4,060 jobs are disappearing because employers are shifting work to Mexico or other countries, the filings showed. And 960 workers employed by five companies in Indiana are losing their jobs because their US employers are not able to compete with cheaper imported goods. Some of those facing job cuts said they did not expect Trump to intervene on their behalf, but they will expect him to take broader steps to protect factory work. "If in four years it's the same old crap that's going on we'll give another candidate a shot," said Michael Mobley, whose employer, Aurora Casket, eliminated 35 jobs in September and plans to cut another 35 jobs next year as it shifts work to Mexico from Aurora, Indiana. Factory Work Lags Economic Recovery As elsewhere in the United States, factory work in Indiana lags as the broader economy has recovered from the 2008-2009 recession. Manufacturing employment is down 7.4 percent from January 2007 levels even as total employment in the state has risen 3 percent since then, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nationwide, manufacturing employment is down 12.5 percent since 2007, according to the bureau, even as overall employment has risen 8.8 percent since then. United Technologies' subsidiary, Carrier Corp, faced harsh scrutiny after it announced in February that it was eliminating 1,400 jobs at an Indianapolis plant that makes heating and air conditioning units, and 700 jobs at a United Technologies factory in Huntington, Indiana. On the campaign trail, Trump turned the Carrier layoffs into a symbol of working-class frustration, promising that he would rebuild a manufacturing base that has been eroded over the past three decades. Trump and his vice president-elect, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, worked out an agreement with United Technologies CEO Gregory Hayes that gives the company $7 million in financial incentives from the state, along with a promise to improve the US business climate. The deal has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum. US Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders said it will encourage other companies to threaten to eliminate jobs in return for tax breaks, while some corporate advisers said it smacked of coercion. "The fact that he is strong-arming a company to potentially stay and do work here is not pro-business," said Alex Major, a partner at McCarter & English who counsels companies on regulatory issues. The deal also does nothing to prevent other employers from shipping work out of state. In Elkhart, a small city 160 miles north of Indianapolis, auto-parts maker CTS is not the only company to pull up stakes. Electronics maker Harman International also plans to eliminate 125 jobs by January as it shifts work to Tijuana, Mexico. The two companies got subsidies from the state totalling $750,000 in 2014. Still, Trump's willingness to provide tax breaks and other incentives for employers is an encouraging sign, civic leaders said. "If we have to wait for President Trump to come to Elkhart it may take a while. But if he says here are some tools, we can figure out how to use them," said Kyle Hannon, president of the Greater Elkhart Chamber of Commerce. Others are counting on Trump to take greater steps. Employers will continue to shift work overseas until he rewrites trade agreements, raises tariffs and adds other protections, labour leaders said. "We're going to need to hold Trump to his word to save American workers' jobs across the country," said Wayne Dayle, who as regional director for the United Steelworkers union in Indianapolis represents employees at the Carrier plant. India's National Stock Exchange CEO Chitra Ramkrishna has resigned and the country's biggest bourse will make an official announcement shortly, a source with direct knowledge of the decision said on Friday. The source declined to cite a reason, saying Ramkrishna had taken "a personal decision." NSE and Ramkrishna were not immediately reachable for comment. Local media reports had earlier reported Ramkrishna had tendered her resignation because of differences with the board. Starbucks Corp co-founder Howard Schultz will step down as chief executive to focus on new high-end coffee shops, handing the top job to Chief Operating Officer Kevin Johnson, a long-time technology executive. Schultz, who will become executive chairman in April 2017, said he would focus on building ultra-premium Reserve stores and showcase Roastery and Tasting Rooms around the world as well as setting the brand's "social impact agenda" that includes sending employees to college and recruiting veterans. Starbucks had signaled the change in July, but its shares fell 3.6 percent to $56.41 in extended trading on Thursday, as investors recalled the company's decline after Schultz handed over the reins in 2000. He returned in 2008. "Having him step down as CEO raised the anxiety level," said Stephens analyst Will Slabaugh, who said that Schultz is the heart and soul of the brand, its entrepreneurial leader and its savior. "We're in a much better position on every level," said Schultz, who returned for his second stint as CEO in the depths of the "Great Recession," when Starbucks' stock was trading below $10. Late last year, it hit an all-time high above $60. Schultz has put Starbucks in the national spotlight, asking customers not to bring guns into stores and urging conversations on race relations. Many of the campaigns have generated controversy, but analysts have not seen a hit to financial results and the efforts have raised the profile of the coffee company and cemented Schultz's status as a national figure. "The idea that he's replaceable, I think that's erroneous," said Bill Smead, CEO of Smead Capital Management in Seattle, which owns Starbucks shares. He compared the change to the retirement of long-time McDonald's Corp CEO Ray Kroc, who turned a handful of hamburger stands into the world's biggest restaurant company. The announcement on Thursday also came as investors worry about the restaurant industry's stubborn traffic declines. Starbucks has held up better than most, but it has not been immune. Johnson is a former technology executive who became president and chief operating officer at Starbucks in March 2015. Johnson has been on the Starbucks board since 2009 but most of his career was in the technology industry. He was the chief executive of Juniper Networks Inc from September 2008 to January 2014 and prior to that held several senior positions at Microsoft Corp . On a conference call after the announcement, analysts pressed the company on timing and whether, with Schultz stepping aside, senior management still had the "merchant gene." "Not having retail experience could be a problem over time," said Howard Penney, an analyst at Hedgeye Risk Management. "I'm not leaving the company and I'm here every day," said Schultz, whose office is connected to Johnson's. Traffic at established Starbucks cafes fell in the last quarter, which Johnson has attributed to a change in the company's loyalty program, and Starbucks forecast a mid-single-digit rise in 2017 same-store sales. The company dismissed speculation that Schultz could be preparing for a new career in politics. "He has no plans to run for political office, as he has said many times, and will remain with the company as Starbucks executive chairman, focusing on premium coffee," a spokeswoman said. The government has received representations from the steel industry to increase the import duty. New Delhi: The government has decided not to increase the import duty further on iron and steel products as of now, Parliament was informed on December 2. In view of the measures taken by the government and taking into concerns the views of the domestic user industry, "the government has decided not to increase the import duty further on iron and steel products for the present", Minister of State for Finance Santosh Kumar Gangwar said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. The government has received representations from the steel industry to increase the import duty, he said. On the other hand, he added, user industries has requested not to increase the duty. During the last one and a half year, the government has increased basic customs duty on ingots and billets, alloy steel and non-alloy long products from 5 per cent to 7.5 per cent. Also, anti-dumping duties at specified rates have been imposed from time to time on certain specified steel products. Safeguard duty was imposed on hot rolled flat products. Both have an excellent fashion sense and it's not easy to pick one. Mumbai: Two of the best dressed men in the industry, and two of the best lookers as well. One gaze and the women go weak in their knees. Fawad Khan and Ranveer Singh, apart from being excellent actors also happen to be quite the fashion exponents. Recently, however, while promoting his upcoming Aditya Chopra helmed 'Befikre,' Ranveer appeared in a striped blue jacket, that reminded one of something uncannily similar Fawad had worn, while promoting his own 'Kapoor & Sons'. (Source: Google) Fawad, with his dapper demeanour and suaveness, absolutely owned it. Ranveer, flanked by his dense beard and inherent quirkiness, himself was at par. While Fawad might not be working in a Bollywood film anytime soon, thanks to existing tension between the two neighbouring countries, he still commands a major fan-following amongst the female populace of the country. (Source: Google) Ranveer, who himself has peaked with a phenomenal box-office record and critically acclaimed performances, has an excellent fan-base, across classes and masses. Well, while it's difficult to up one over the other, who do you think carried the blue blazer off best? Mumbai: Register all the cute moments of rumoured lovebirds Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone in your mind for they will not be indulging in PDAs for a long time. The strict Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali has allegedly given a no-public-appearances directive, which the submissive actor has happily agreed to oblige with. Singh will neither be seen upping the energy level at Bollywood events nor will he shower love on Deepika publicly. After refuting rumours of break-up with their hand gesture, the duo flew down to Dubai to accept Man and Woman of the Year awards. But this instruction will keep the duo away from making public appearances together. Meaning, there will be no relationship inspiration for the fans out there. As part of his preparation for the magnum opus Padmavati, Ranveer has been reading Indian history books and also studying about the behavioural patterns of dictators like Hitler in order to understand the psyche of authoritative personalities. In Padmavati, Singh plays the role of tyrant ruler Alauddin khilji while Deepika will essay the titular character. Shahid Kapoor, who is working with Bhansali for the first time, will play the role of Raja Ratan Rawal Singh in the movie. Mumbai: Vidya, whose murder thriller Kahaani 2 released today, was seen happily posing for a photographer at Green Gifts in Bandra. Dressed in grey coloured ethnic attire, Balan looks ethereal. Upon spotting shutterbugs, the Parineeti star jokingly threw a punch at them. Vidyas Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh is a murder thriller which has been directed by Sujoy Ghosh. Arjun Rampal, who has teamed up with Ghosh and Balan for the first time, is seen playing the role of a police officer in the film. Going by the promos and trailer of the movie, Vidya will be seen leading a dual life- one of a murdered and the other of a devoted mother -while Arjun is trying to figure out the mystery behind this suspicious character. The film released today and has opened to a decent response. She was just a teen when she made her foray into Kannada cinema with Nanda Loves Nanditha. And now, shes setting the screen on fire with her feisty performance in the recently-released Telugu flick Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada. Having played a woman who is possessed by a ghost in the movie, Bengaluru hudugi Nandita Shwetha has garnered high praise for her acting. Talking to us in between her packed schedule, Nandita says, My Kannada movie was a hit and my first four Tamil movies were successes too. So this feels like a hat-trick. Im elated that people in the industry are calling me a lucky mascot. Its not easy to get a good first movie. Theres a lot of struggle and waiting involved in my story. My instinct propelled me to choose this project. Thanks to her scary role, Nandita quips that people who talk to her are now a little fearful when doing so! They express shock when they see me in person and say Im such a small girl and ask me how I managed to pull off such a powerful character, she says. Among all the praise that Nandita was showered upon, Tollywood superstar Allu Arjuns phone call has left her in high spirits. He told me that I was the soul of the movie. It really is very humbling to receive praise from such a big actor, she says. As she reminisces about her tryst with films, Nandita reveals that her journey into the field was unexpected. The director approached me and said they wanted an innocent-looking girl. Finally, my parents got convinced and I did the Kannada film. After that, I took two years to groom myself and decided to come back to films. In an industry where heroines are mostly eye-candy and hardly have a meaty role, Nandita is particular about doing unusual and performance-oriented roles. I like it when people call me a performer, she says. Now that shes being offered a number of films, she confesses that shes confused about her next choice. I did get a lot of offers from Sandalwood as well. But since I was busy with Tamil and Telugu films, I couldnt give time to Kannada cinema. If Im offered a role which I like, Id be more than happy to do it. The feeling of delivering a dialogue in your mother tongue is something else, says the actress, whod love to work with Sudeep, Darshan and Puneeth Rajkumar. Coming to her personal life, Nandita reveals that her mother, who accompanies her on shoots, is a homemaker. She adds, My dad takes care of our land in the village. As for my brothers, theyre still studying. I also have three dogs that I absolutely love playing with them is such a stress-buster. Calling herself a pukka south Bengalurean, Nandita loves savouring masala puri in the ooru. I hangout with my friends at Chaat Street and relish the food there, she reveals. Ram Gopal Varmas upcoming film Vangaveeti landed in trouble after a petition was filed, objecting the films content, which distorted facts and also about the Kamma Kaapu song. A response was sought by Friday, and now, producer Dasari Kiran Kumar of Ramadhutha Creations and director RGV have decided to do away with the controversial song. In a joint statement, Kiran and RGV said, Respecting the appellants in court, we are voluntarily removing the Kamma Kaapu song from the film Vangaveeti with immediate effect. It shall not continue in any form or manner whatsoever, we the makers of Vangaveeti decide, ahead of the court hearing posted on December 2. Meanwhile, the films audio launch will be held on December 3 at Koneru Lakshmaiah University Grounds in Vijayawada and the director has extended an invitation to all the students in Vijayawada, as a tribute to his student days in the city. Several different ways of deriving sexual pleasure have been emerging with the rise of the digital age and ease of access to the internet, and while virtual sex and sex with robots is being introduced now, porn has for long been something that most men masturbate to, and that is giving rise to a grave situation. Erectile dysfunction, like many other sexual health issues, also has a lot to do with the mind as well as physical health, and an expert suggests that too much exposure to porn is increasingly causing erectile problems among men. He said that one in ten young men today are suffering from erectile issue and that most people complaining of this condition are between ages of 13 and 25, which indicates a very alarming situation and an urgent need for raising awareness. If a person masturbates to porn for 15 minutes a day, in a matter of years he is conditioned to climaxing by watching porn while there is very little time and effort towards developing sexuality with another individual. This causes a lot of difficulty when it comes to being aroused by another person instead of porn. A study suggested that one third of all men watch porn everyday and this consumption has been consistently increasing due to more access to smart phones and other devices. This has led to men becoming desensitised to normal sexual stimulation with their partner, since porn even gives rise to unreal expectations in bed. Most men never make a connection between erectile problems and porn since they consider watching porn normal. The issue is fixable by completely stopping masturbation for 90 days, which helps reboot a persons system to normal arousal. The team had gone to Tiruvannamalai to follow up on hundreds of cases filed against the tribals for smuggling as well as for killing two forest officers some time back. (Representational image) Nellore: Officers of APs red sanders task force were stunned when they found that Rs 11 crore had been deposited in dormant bank accounts of tribals in Jawadhu Hills in Tiru-vannamalai district of Tamil Nadu in the last 20 days. About 400 women had deposited Rs 2.57 crore in their accounts in a single day at an Indian Bank branch at Jamunamarthuru in the tribal belt, the officials found. Most woodcutters who come to the Seshachalam forest to chop red sander trees for smugglers are from the region in Tamil Nadu. Officers suspect that the money belongs to Chennai-based smugglers who receive funds through hawala transactions from Gulf countries. Officials collected the names of the depositors from the banks and are writing to the Income-Tax department to trace the source. Andhra Pradesh red sanders team was following up cases Task Force officials are familiar with the area as they have counselled women several times in the past to prevent their menfolk from venturing into the Seshachalam forest. The team had gone to Tiruvannamalai to follow up on hundreds of cases filed against the tribals for smuggling as well as for killing two forest officers some time back. A recent amendment to the Forest Act helped them to attach the properties of the offenders. Red Sanders Task Force DIG M. Kanta Rao said the tribals of Jawadhu Hills were responsible for wiping out sandalwood trees in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka a few years back and were targeting 80 lakh red sanders trees located in 11 lakh acres in Seshachalam, Palakondalu, Nallamala and Velugonda forest. Hyderabad: Two Nigerians who were allegedly trying to sell drugs were arrested on Friday. Police seized 14 grams of cocaine, 7 grams of heroin and 5.2 kg ganja from them. The suspects are Okaro Cosmos Ramsey and Abraham Jacob Ukoha. Additional DCP (taskforce) N. Koti Reddy said that Ramsey came to Hyderabad on a business visa three years ago. He married a Kolkata-based woman, and was staying at Shaikpet. He developed local contacts and started selling drugs to them. Ramsey procured drugs from a Pune-based supplier. He purchases a gram of cocaine for Rs 2,000, heroin for Rs 1,500 and a kg of ganja for Rs 2,000. He sells cocaine and heroin for around Rs 6,000 a gram and ganja for Rs 6,000 a kg in the city, Mr Koti Reddy said. They had very less regular customers. When the customer comes in a car and slows down one of the suspects on a bike would drop the packet through the car window and speed away, a cop said. The suspects were produced in court. Police said that they can know get more info about the racket, the customer base and origin of the drugs after questioning them in custody. Seoul (South Korea): North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un conducted a large-scale artillery drill targeting the South Korean capital and other targets, hours after the UN Security Council imposed fresh sanctions on Pyongyang, state media said Friday. The military exercise -- targeting five border islands, as well as "reactionary ruling organs" in Seoul and other cities -- came as South Korea prepared to unveil unilateral sanctions against the North's nuclear programme. "If a war breaks out, such a deadly strike should be inflicted upon the South Korean forces to completely break their will of counteraction at the start and make a clean sweep of them," KCNA quoted Kim as saying. "Nobody and nothing would survive," he said as he guided Thursday's drill of frontline artillery units. The Security Council on Wednesday unanimously imposed its toughest ever sanctions on North Korea, following its fifth nuclear test in September. The resolution, which was spearheaded by the United States and came after three months of tough negotiations with fellow veto-wielding council member China, caps the North's annual coal exports -- its top external revenue source. The resolution demands that North Korea "abandon" its nuclear weapons programme, but Pyongyang said the sanctions would only trigger "tougher countermeasures for self-defence". North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests so far this year. With the fifth test, it claimed major strides in its efforts to fit a miniaturised warhead on a missile that could reach the United States. Chennai: The December 2015 deluge continues to haunt Chennaiites. It was evident from the panic that prevailed after the announcement of cyclone Nada on Wednesday. Government and private hospitals joined in to ensure that they are prepared to help if and when required. Following the announcement, the hospitals called for urgent meetings with heads to discuss availability of required facilities. We discussed the need to ensure that drainage chambers and the pathway to them are kept clean. The staff was instructed to ensure that there is no water logging on the terraces, said Dr Ponnambala Namasivayam, dean, Stanley Medical College and Hospital. The medical stores officer was instructed to keep all medicines ready and we also asked drug supplier to be ready with drugs if necessary. The casualty ward was alerted to receive non-casualty cases as well. We also received communication from the health secretary to keep all these things ready, he added. Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital (KMC) held a meeting wherein a circular was issued on the necessary preparations in case of a calamity. We have asked for a stock up of medicines, bandages, dressing material and sutures, which we have packed in boxes in case we need to go to the patients, said Dr Narayana Babu, dean, KMC. Some hospitals, like the Fortis Malar Hospital said they are always prepared. We are prepared for anything. We have all the required equipment, our ambulance and emergency services are always open, said a source. The 108 Ambulance service too ensured it was prepared in case of a calamity. All coastal areas or coastal district ambulances were kept on high alert with close coordination from the respective district administration. We are completely prepared. We have ensured we have sufficient back up in terms of our headquarters, the emergency response centre, staffing, medicines and food so that no kind of disruption happens at any point of time. Whatever needs to be in place is so, said Prabhudoss B., head, marketing and hospital relations, GVK EMRI, which operates the 108 helpline. New Delhi: A Delhi court on Friday granted bail to retired Colonel Ajay Ahlawat, who was arrested in a high profile sex-racket case allegedly involving government servants and women from Central Asian countries. Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Kumar Jain granted bail to Ahlawat, who was produced from judicial custody, on a personal bond of Rs one lakh and a surety of a like amount, saying "no purpose would be served by keeping him in jail any more." The judge also asked him not to contact or influence the complainant in any manner. Ahlawat, who was arrested on November 10, is one of the accused besides businessman PN Sanyal in the human trafficking and impersonation racket which came to fore after Sanyal's residences in Safdarjung Enclave and Vasant Kunj in South Delhi were raided by Income Tax authorities in June 2016. Seeking bail for Ahlawat, his counsel Pradeep Rana argued that there was no incriminating evidence against his client and he was cooperating with the police. "Ahlawat had appeared before police initially and thereafter he was exploring legal remedies available to him. When High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail, he surrendered before the court himself," he said. Opposing the bail plea, Delhi Police submitted that Ahlawat had been absconding during the proceedings and did not cooperate with the investigating agency. The court, however, allowed the bail plea saying no new material against him has come on record which required Ahlawat to remain in jail. The court also accepted the defence counsel's submission that the complainant, a Russian woman, had told the high court earlier that she was residing with the main accused Sanyal at her free will and did not allege anything against Ahlawat. The IT officials had rescued the 23-year-old Russian woman from Sanyal's residence in Safdarjung Enclave. A case was lodged by the police claiming that SMSes and WhatsApp data of the woman's mobile phone indicated that she was being kept against her will. Her travel documents including passport were allegedly taken away by the accused, it had alleged. The IT raid had also led to recovery of copies of passports of other foreign nationals as well as phone numbers of dozens of women belonging to Central Asian countries. During investigation, it was found that Sanyal had sent messages to government servants and other senior functionaries posing as MPs and top bureaucrats for getting favours in certain business deals, the cops had said. Messages exchanged between Sanyal and his associates had revealed financial transactions relating to foreign women. He was granted bail by the High Court. New Delhi: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in the Lok Sabha on Friday that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was creating controversies out of political frustration. Terming the Armys deployment in the Hooghly toll plaza as a routine exercise, Parrikar said, It is army's routine exercise being carried out since many years. It had taken place on November 19 and 21 last year as well. Concerned officials were intimated by Army this year too. Original dates were December 28, 29 and 30. It was later changed December 1 and 2, as we were informed that there was a bandh on the proposed days, Parrikar said. Saddening that a routine exercise has been made a controversy now, he added. The Defence Minister was speaking at the Lok Sabha after Trinamool Congress MPs raised the issue in the House. Read: 'Military coup', claims Mamata; just routine exercises, say Army officials West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday alleged that the Union government breached the authority of the West Bengal government by deploying the Army at key toll plazas in the state without following the due process. Speaking to reporters on Friday, she also wondered if the Centre was attempting a coup in the state. "The army is deployed without informing the state government. This is unprecedented and a very serious matter", she had said. The party MPs also raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha and are planning to take up the issue with the President. As soon as Lok Sabha assembled this morning, TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay raised the issue of army deployment at 19 places in West Bengal, claiming that the move was a challenge to the federal structure of the country and completely politically motivated. He said army personnel were deployed at these places, including near the state secretariat, "without informing anyone in the state secretariat". "It is a fantastic situation. Army today said that it was a routine exercise being carried out in the North Eastern states. But West Bengal does not come under the territorial jurisdiction of the Northeast," he said. Bandyopadhyay said the people of the country have great faith in the Army but if indeed such an exercise was scheduled, the Centre should have communicated to the state government. He said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been staging a 'dharna' in the Secretariat demanding withdrawal of the Army. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar asked the TMC not to drag Army into politics saying defence personnel have been protecting the country as well as democracy. "Whatever the Army has done was part of a routine exercise. It is completely wrong to drag Army into politics," he said. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said army is India's pride as it has upheld its unity and integrity beside protecting the borders. It has also come to the rescue during emergency situations like flood and riots, he said adding that army is requisitioned at the request of a state government. But in West Bengal, the chief secretary, administration and DG Police had no information of army taking over toll plazas at 19 locations in the state, he said. "This is probably the first time that the chief minister of West Bengal has lodged this kind of protest where she stayed put for the night in the State Secretariat and is still there," he said. "This is a strange thing happening. Without asking state government, chief secretary or DGP, toll plazas of state government are taken over." Azad said it is being said that Army was collecting information on truck movements but such an exercise is not even done in Jammu and Kashmir. All such information is available with National Highways Authority of India or road transport departments. "This is an issue of grave concern." Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (TMC) said what happened in West Bengal has never been witnessed in the state's history. Army seized toll plazas and started putting stickers on vehicles. "I will not drag the army in any controversy. We are very proud of the army," he said wanting to know under what provisions of law and Constitution was such a deployment carried out and alleging "sinister design" to "defame the leader opposing demonetisation" and creating "fear psychosis". Whatever is happening to the West Bengal CM is unfair. This is a big attack on the federal system. Army should not be used a political tool, BSP supremo Mayawati said in Rajya Sabha. Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said, " Bengal was taken into confidence. It happened last year and before that. Let us not drag Army into controversy. It is a sensitive matter as it pertains to the Army. Let us not derail from important issues." Meanwhile, addressing a press conference Major General Sunil Yadav said, This is an exercise carried out for our operational purposes. Adding that there were similar exercises conducted across the North East, Yadav said that prior information was given to the concerned authorities, recce was conducted and data collected. "We withdrew once the data collection near the secretariat was completed. Government allegations that the Army collected money from the people is baseless," he said. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the Army was deployed at toll plazas in different places in the state without informing the state government. (Photo: AP/Representational Image) Kolkata: Army on Thursday said they are conducting routine exercise with full knowledge and coordination with West Bengal police. "Army conducting routine exercise with full knowledge & coord with WB Police. Speculation of army taking over toll plaza incorrect," a statement by the Eastern command said on Twitter. "Routine exercise in all NE states. In Assam@18 places, Arunanchal @13, WB@19, Manipur@6, Nagaland@5, Meghalaya@5, Tripura & Mizoram@1", it said. Read: Mamata spends entire night in office despite Army's removal from toll plaza Kolkata Police, however, said they have raised objection to this Army exercise due to security reasons and traffic problem. "Army exercise at Toll Plaza was objected to in writing by Kolkata Police, citing security reasons & traffic inconvenience," the city police said in a twitter message tonight. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the Army was deployed at toll plazas in different places in the state without informing the state government and termed it as "unprecedented and a very serious matter". She further said "Whatever reason they are giving is not correct. They are lying. They are changing their reasons time to time. The MHA has the complete data of the vehicles moving in different states in the country". Earlier, a defence spokesperson said that the Army conducts bi-ennial exercise throughout the country with the aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of a contingency. "There is nothing alarming about this and it is carried out as per government orders", Wing Commander S S Birdi said. The exercise gives an estimate about the number of vehicles passing through a certain area that could be tapped during operations, he said. Thiruvananthapuram: Banks and treasuries in Kerala witnessed heavy rush and serpentine queues on Friday for the second consecutive day, with people queueing up to withdraw salaries and pensions. The state government had asked RBI to release Rs 127 crore to meet the demand for distributing salaries and pensions, but received only Rs 57 crore till 11 AM, official sources here said. As many as 50 treasuries are yet to receive any amount and the treasury employees are waiting at the banks to get the money released, they said. Irrespective of cities and villages, senior citizens, including women, could be seen queueing up before treasuries to withdraw monthly pension since early morning. A elderly man, who queued up before a suburban treasury here, said he travelled over 10 kms to reach the treasury to collect his monthly pension but was told that there was no money. Another pensioner said she was queueing up since 5 am before the treasury. Protesting the fund crunch in treasuries and difficulties faced by people, around 50 government employees, under the aegis of NGO association, took out a march to the district treasury here. Meanwhile, state Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac said in New Delhi that the government was considering a plan to shift the accounts of state PSUs, including that of Kerala State Beverages Corporation, to district cooperative banks, with an aim to resolve the crisis faced by the cooperative sector in view of the Centre's demonetisation move. "Many public sector undertakings including Beverages are getting fresh currencies. In my opinion, it is better to deposit the amount in cooperative banks. A final decision in this regard will be taken after discussing it with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan," he told reporters. About Rs 3,000 crore is needed every month to disburse salaries to government servants and pensioners in Kerala. The strength of salaried employees and pensioners in the state is over five lakh each. New Delhi: Amid the judiciary-government tussle, Chief Justice of India TS Thakur on Thursday asserted the process of appointment of judges cannot be "hijacked" and judiciary needs to be independent as it plays a role in the eventuality of a "tyrannical regime". He also made it clear that judiciary cannot depend on executive in choosing judges. He said judiciary must be independent regarding internal matters of judicial administration, including assignment of cases to the judges within the court, as unless there is an independent judiciary, the rights which are conferred by the Constitution would be "meaningless". The remarks, made by the CJI while delivering the 37th Bhimsen Sachar memorial lecture here on 'Independent Judiciary - Bastion of Democracy', assume importance in the wake of mounting tension between the judiciary and executive over the appointment of judges for higher judiciary as both the organs of the State have been blaming each other for the increasing vacancies of judges and to remain within a 'lakshmanrekha'. Justice Thakur, who will be demitting office of CJI on January 3 next year, said the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act 2014, which was struck down last year by the Supreme Court, was an attempt which would have affected the independence of judiciary. He added the "powerful and assertive Parliament" tries to assert for a greater say in the matter of judicial appointments. Asserting that independence of judiciary was paramount for a democracy, he said judiciary cannot depend on the executive for discharging its duties and since the government was the "biggest litigant", one cannot say that executive can choose the judges to hear a case. Referring to the NJAC verdict by a five-judge constitution bench headed by Justice J S Khehar who will succeed him as the CJI, Justice Thakur said, "The recent decision by the constitution bench striking down constitutional amendment by which NJAC was supposed to be set up also goes into all these aspects." "It discusses how the court cannot have a situation where independence of judiciary gets affected by reason of appointment process being hijacked. If you have the Law minister and two nominees of the government in the panel that is going to appoint judges, the court saw this as an attempt to affect the independence of judiciary," he said. "The powerful and assertive Parliament tries to assert for a greater say in the matter of judicial appointments. An attempt to take away from judiciary the power to appoint judges was seen by the judiciary as an attempt to affect the independence of judiciary. "Constitutional amendment seeking to set up NJAC was one such attempt. It was seen as an attempt that would affect the independence of judiciary," he said. The CJI further said, "Judiciary must be independent as to the internal matters of judicial administration including the assignment of cases to judges within the court. Who should hear which case should not be decided by anybody except the judiciary." "You cannot say the executive will choose its judges. Judiciary must have complete freedom in assigning as to who would be the judges who will decide a case," he said. Referring to Article 144 of the Constitution, he said that it itself mentions all authorities in the country must act in aid of the judiciary. "There is no option for statutory or non-statutory authorities except to fall in line. Judiciary is a guard who is always on the lookout like a watchman. Keeps its eyes open, that is the role judiciary plays against a tyrannical regime." "This country has seen many ups and downs. Over the past 60-70 years, we have seen judgements full of situation in which the executive has gone far beyond its legitimate sphere. If you have to protect the citizens against tyrannical regimes, you need a judiciary. The entire chapter on Fundamental Rights will be rendered meaningless without an independent judiciary. "Principle of independence of judiciary was not meant for personal benefits of judges but was created to protect humans against abuses of power," the CJI said. He said that everything is regulated under Constitution and appointment of judges is no exception. "The Supreme Court has had many occasions to interpret this provision of appointment of judges. The much-maligned collegium system has also been evolved while interpreting this provision," he said. "If you talk of independent judiciary, you cannot have a judiciary which will depend on the executive for discharge of its functions. Judiciary must have complete freedom to decide who should be the judge to hear a matter," the CJI said. He said that issue of promotion of judges must be based on objective factors and the question of accountability of judges on ethical and professional behaviour must be dealt by a fully impartial organ ensuring due process of law. "If the proceedings against judges are taken up by the politicians or bureaucracy, it would seriously infringe upon the independence of the judiciary," he said. Thakur also said that the judiciary is a "guardian" of the rights of the people and government has to respect judgements given by the judiciary. He also advocated for complete separation of judiciary from the executive. Besides Thakur, veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar also addressed the gathering. Kolkata: After a high drama over "deployment of army" at certain toll plazas in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee decided to stay put at the state secretariat 'Nabanna' for the night, even after the force was removed from a toll plaza near it as per her demand. "I am the custodian of common people. So I can't leave them insecure. I will stay put here for the whole night and observe the situation," Banerjee told reporters at around 1.30 am. She stayed put in her office the entire night, said reports. About her demand that she would leave the office only when Armymen were removed from the second Hooghly bridge toll plaza near Nabanna, she said, "These people may have gone. But they are there in 18 other districts." Sometime before her press meet, journalists went to the toll plaza near Nabanna and found that the Armymen were no longer there. A temporary shed set up for them was also removed. There was no official version of the Army about the removal. Accusing the Centre of deploying the Army at toll plazas in West Bengal without informing the state government, Banerjee had refused to leave the office till the Armymen were withdrawn from the toll plaza at second Hooghly bridge. The Army said they were conducting routine exercise with full knowledge and coordination with West Bengal police. "Army conducting routine exercise with full knowledge & coord with WB Police. Speculation of army taking over toll plaza incorrect," the Eastern command said on Twitter. "Routine exercise in all NE states. In Assam@18 places, Arunanchal@13, WB@19, Manipur@6, Nagaland@5, Meghalaya@5, Tripura & Mizoram@1", it said. The Kolkata police, however, said they have raised objection to this Army exercise due to security reasons and traffic problem. "Army exercise at toll plaza was objected to in writing by Kolkata Police, citing security reasons & traffic inconvenience," the city police said on Twitter. The drama unfolded in the evening when Banerjee alleged that Army deployment was done in toll plazas without informing the state government and described it as "unprecedented" and "a very serious situation worse than Emergency". She claimed that people got panicky due to deployment of Army at toll plazas. The delayed landing of Banerjee's flight in Kolkata irked the Trinamool Congress on Thursday which alleged that it was a conspiracy and a threat to her life even as in a late night development, the West Bengal firebrand stayed put at the state secretariat, saying she would not leave until the Army was withdrawn from the toll plaza in front of it. Banerjee accused the Centre of creating a situation "worse than Emergency" by deploying army personnel at two toll plazas - at Palsit and Dankuni on national highway 2 - without informing her government. The Trinamool had earlier on Thursday, brought Parliament proceedings to a halt with loud protests in both Houses even as the Centre denied any conspiracy and said that aviation regulator DGCA had already ordered an inquiry. The DGCA played down the move, saying that as many as three flights, including one carrying the West Bengal CM, had reported low fuel on Wednesday at the same time. Trinamool Congress' contention is that the flight was made to hover over Kolkata for over 30 to 40 minutes, despite reporting low fuel. "It is turning out to be more and more suspicious because this kind of an ultra-authoritarianism is happening in many, many spheres," Trinamool Congress MP Derek O' Brien said, raising the issue in Rajya Sabha. Srinagar: Police on Friday claimed that the militant killed in an encounter in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Thursday was a history sheeter and had decamped with a rifle from a police station after which he fired towards an army patrol where he was killed in the exchange of firing. "At about 1720 hrs an accused person namely Sajad Malik alias Bita Malik decamped with an AK rifle along with one magazine from police station Dooru. "After firing some shots near the market and taking advantage of the darkness, he managed to escape towards Zamalgam village," a police spokesman said here. Near Cherikari village of Anantnag, Malik fired towards an army patrol. "The fire was retaliated and in the exchange of fire, Malik got killed," the spokesman said. He said the deceased was a released militant and a "history sheeter", who "was already arrested in militancy cases in various police stations". Yesterday, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president G A Mir demanded a judicial probe into the killing, saying the deceased was an ex-sarpanch belonging to his party. "Malik was accused by the state of participating in a protest rally (during the unrest), which may be true and for which there is the law of the land to deal with it," Mir said yesterday. He termed the killing as "politically motivated custodial murder". New Delhi: Indian Army officials on Friday said there was nothing unusual about the deployment of its forces at toll plazas in West Bengal on Thursday night, a step that has raised the hackles of the states Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. "There is nothing alarming about this and it is carried out as per government orders," Wing Commander S S Birdi said. The exercise gives an estimate about the number of vehicles passing through a certain area that could be tapped during operations, he said. The Army had said they were conducting routine exercise with full knowledge and coordination with West Bengal Police. Such exercises had been conducted earlier in North Eastern states too, an army spokesman said. On Mamata Banerjees charge that the army collected money from people at toll nakas in West Bengal, Major General Sunil Yadav called the charges baseless. "Army formations in Eastern command at local levels are carrying out routine annual data collection exercises in coordination with local police authorities. Exercise involves collection of data in all North Eastern states, including Assam, Arunachal, West Bengal, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Sikkim," he added. "Over 80 such collection data points have been established in the entire region. 5-6 Army personnel have been posted at each point and they are unarmed. They're only collecting data of heavy vehicles. This is an annual exercise carried out every year," Yadav concluded. Banerjee continued to stay put at the state secretariat on Friday protesting against army presence at toll plazas in several parts of the state and asked whether it was an "army coup". Army personnel, however, had left the toll plaza near the secretariat last night. Speaking to reporters late last night at 'Nabanna', the state secretariat, she said, "I will stay at the secretariat to guard our democracy". "Is this a military coup," she asked. She said that army personnel were there in different districts like Murshidabad, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, North 24 Paragans, Burdwan, Howrah, Hooghly etc. "The army is deployed without informing the state government. This is unprecedented and a very serious matter", she had said. The TMC leadership has decided to raise the issue in both the houses of Parliament and also inform President Pranab Mukherjee about the incident. "We are talking to all political parties. We are planning to raise the issue in Parliament today. Lets see," TMC national spokesperson Derek O' Brien told PTI. A senior TMC leader on condition of anonymity said, "We are planning to meet President Pranab Mukherjee and inform him about the incident. The entire country should know, how BJP is engaged in vindictive politics,". The senior TMC leader said they have spoken to Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and discussed how to counter this issue jointly. Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel had called up Banerjee in the morning and inquired about the incident. A defence spokesperson had said that the army conducts bi-annual exercise throughout the country with an aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of a contingency. New Delhi: The navy has ruled out deploying indigenously built light combat aircraft Tejas on its aircraft carriers, saying it is "not being able to meet the requirements". Citing "overweight" as one of the reasons for ruling out Tejas for Indias aircraft carriers, Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of Naval Staff, said the navy is looking at procuring an alternative aircraft. "As far as the carrier-based aircraft is concerned, we need it in a time line of the induction of the aircraft carrier. We have the MiG 29K, which operates from Vikramaditya and will operate from (indigenous aircraft carrier) IAC Vikrant. "We were also hoping to operate the LCA (Light Combat Aircraft-Tejas) from these two aircraft carriers." "Unfortunately, the LCA is not being able to meet the carriers required capability. That is why we need an alternative aircraft to operate from these two aircraft carriers," Lanba said. He said that at the moment the navy is in the process of identifying the aircraft that will meet its requirements. "If you look around the world, there are not too many options available and we need this carrier capable aircraft sooner than later. So, I am looking at next five-six years," he said. LCA-Tejas is an indigenously built fighter aircraft and has been inducted into the Indian Air Force. Lanba said the navy is still encouraging Indias Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop the Naval LCA. The naval chief said that it is also looking at UAVs which can operate from ships and autonomous sub-surface vehicles for surveillance. Security personnel move to the encounter site during a gun battle with suspected militants at Army camp at Nagrota near Jammu on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is likely to probe the twin terror attacks in Nagrota and Samba in Jammu and Kashmir in which seven army personnel were killed. "We are planning to hand over the investigations into the two terror attacks in Nagrota and Samba to NIA," a senior Home Ministry official said. Seven army personnel, including two Major-rank officers, were killed and eight other securitymen, including a BSF DIG, were injured in the these attacks. Six heavily-armed terrorists were also eliminated in the two separate fierce encounters on November 29. Officials said the terrorists were a fresh batch of infiltrated group who attacked an Army station in Nagrota and a BSF post in Samba. NIA, which was formed in 2008, functions as the country's central counter-terrorism law enforcement agency. Chandrababu Naidu carried out an exercise last night to ease the cash scarcity and, as a result, the RBI immediately released Rs 2,420 crore. (Photo: PTI) Vijayawada: A sum of Rs 2,420 crore arrived in two special aircraft chartered by the Andhra Pradesh government today even as Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced that the currency scarcity in the state would end by this evening. An official release said the Chief Minister carried out an exercise last night to ease the cash scarcity and, as a result, the RBI immediately released Rs 2,420 crore. "The cash was brought to the state on a war footing in two special aircraft to Visakhapatnam and Tirupati. From there, the cash was sent by road to all 13 districts of the state," the release said. "The government made elaborate arrangements to ensure the cash reached all districts without any hassles. Fool proof security arrangements were made to shift the cash to the banks without even a third eye knowing it. The Chief Minister constantly monitored the exercise with officials till the cash reached the banks safely," the release added. "Soon after a videoconference with chief ministers of four states, who were part of a panel constituted by the Centre, Chandrababu spoke to RBI Governor Urjit Patel over phone and explained the situation in the state. "He expressed serious displeasure over the persisting cash scarcity even after these many days and asked him to immediately send adequate money to meet the requirements in the state," the release said. The RBI Governor promised to send Rs 2,500 crore to Andhra Pradesh at once. Accordingly, Rs 2,420 crore reached the state today. Following the RBI Governor's assurance, the Chief Minister immediately made arrangements for special chartered flights. Meanwhile, another official release earlier in the day said a sum of Rs 2,500 crore was brought to the state in special aircraft to Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Rajamahendravaram, Tirupati and Kadapa. From there the money was sent to different banks, it said, quoting the Chief Minister as saying in a teleconference with bankers and state officials. Ghulam Nabi Azad, Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha, HD Devegowda, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi alongwith a Committee members of 17 political Parties meeting with the President Pranab Mukherjee on Income Tax Amendment Bill at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Thursday. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: Stepping up its attack on the government over Income Tax Amendment Bill, a united opposition on Thursday petitioned President Pranab Mukherjee against it, alleging the legislation was hurriedly passed in the Lok Sabha bypassing parliamentary rules and procedures. As many as 16 opposition parties, including Congress, arch rivals TMC and the Left, SP and BSP, besides DMK, JMM, NCP and others met the President at Rashtrapati Bhawan this evening and handed over a memorandum, which alleged a "brute and authoritarian" government was "stifling" the democratic process. The JD-U, whose president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has supported demonetisation, however, was not part of the delegation. "We appeal to you as the custodian and protector of the Constitution to intervene at this juncture as the democratic rights are being trampled upon by a brute and authoritarian government that is hell bent upon stifling the democratic and legislative process of our Parliament," the memorandum said. It said the mandatory provisions of Constitution and Rules of Procedure were "totally violated" in passing the Bill. The memorandum said though Lok Sabha members raised these issues in the House, their democratic rights were denied on the plea that there was no time to wait for the President's assent as the bill was very important. "This is not permissible in law and amounts to undermining the authority of the President of India," the memorandum said. Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who was part of the delegation, alleged that Parliamentary procedure was not followed in the passing of the legislation and voice of people was being "suppressed blatantly" now in Parliament too. "We met the President because of the Bill that was passed without allowing any discussion. There is a sense in the country that the voice of the people is being suppressed and crushed. "This was being done across the country and now it is being done in Parliament blatantly. This is not the way to run parliamentary democracy. That is why we have come to meet the President here," he said. New Delhi: Blaming Pakistan for having uneasy relationship with India, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday said it is for Islamabad to introspect as to why there are tensions between the two neighbours. "It is a serious situation. Right from the day this government had been formed and even prior to that, India has taken one step after another honestly trying to improve relations with Pakistan," he said at an event in Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a lot of initiatives including unconventional ones but then the response was Pathankot or Uri attack, prompted by Pakistan, he said. "This cannot be normal as far as Indo-Pak relationships are concerned. If there are tensions its for Pakistan to introspect really why there are tensions," he said. Asked about impact of change in regime in the US, Jaitley said the relationship between the two countries is expected to strengthen further. "I have not the least doubt that India's relations with the United States would continue to be on the same plank as it was, probably growing and maturing almost by the day," he said. "This was unusual election as far as the US was concerned. When one world's most powerful democracies through a fair electoral process takes a decision, we have to accept the decision," he added. New Delhi: Making a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Friday claimed the Congress had never given the country a PM who was a prisoner of his own image, who based his entire policy making strategy on TRPs. Gandhi made these comments while chairing a Parliamentary Party Meeting of his party's Members of Parliament in both Houses in Delhi. Gandhi added that unlike the BJP, the grand old party never had a PM who bypassed the experience of those sitting in democratic institutions while taking decisions. The country has suffered tremendous damage as a result of the vanity and incompetence of our PM, Rahul thundered. Speaking about cross-border terrorism, Gandhi said it was high time the government developed a coherent strategy. We were told that idea behind surgical strikes was to stop Pak from cross border attacks. There have been 21 major attacks and hundreds of ceasefire violations since the strikes, Rahul said. 85 soldiers have been martyred, thats the highest number of men we have lost in almost a decade, Rahul said. Taking on Modi for his handling of the Kashmir unrest, Rahul claimed that the PM had created a political vacuum that gives terrorists the space to operate in the state. Today the same person who used to ridicule us sits silently while Kashmir burns. Modi will be judged by history as man who gifted massive political space to anti-India forces by creating opportunistic BJP-PDP alliance, the Congress vice-president stated. "Listening to the voices of the people of this country is the only thing that can free him from the clutches of his own image and make him an effective Prime Minister. Yet he consistently refuses to do so," he said. Accusing Modi of single handedly declaring a war on the world's fastest growing economy due to the "catastrophic experiment" of demonetisation which is "badly conceived and incompetently implemented", he said its results will soon be revealed to the entire world. "Every economist of repute has already condemned it and questioned its capacity to realize the goals it is supposed to achieve. Modiji has created a massive new corrupt black market that is working overtime to convert the black money to white," he charged. Gandhi said the PM "confused" India's entire cash economy with black economy and demonetised 86 percent of Indian bank notes and decided to experiment with the financial future of 1.3 billion people. "All cash is not black money and all black money is not cash," he said, adding that instead of attacking black money, he attacked the very foundations of the country's economy. Although the Parliamentary Party Meeting is normally chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul chaired the meeting for the first time in the absence of her mother, who was recently admitted to a Delhi hospital with some ailment. It told the court that government is also monitoring various exemptions given in the demonetisation drive. (Photo: File) New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court that substantial amount of banned Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes have been deposited in banks and the situation post demonetisation will ease out in next two-three weeks. In an additional affidavit, filed a day before the crucial hearing of various pleas challenging demonetisation, the Centre justified the drive saying it is in the interest of the nation and would help in curbing black money and weeding out fake currency from the system. It said the demonetisation would also give a boost to anti-terror activities of the country. Highlighting the measures taken to normalise the situation after the November 8 notification when Rs 500 and Rs 1000 noted seized to be legal tender, the additional affidavit settled by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said the number of recalibrated ATMs are increasing day by day and government is monitoring the grant given to farmers. It told the court that government is also monitoring various exemptions given in the drive and from December 2, petrol pumps will not take Rs 500 currency notes as use of debit and credit cards is picking up pace. "Since the digitisation is in progress at desired pace, government has decided to stop the use of old Rs 500 notes at petrol pumps from December 2, which otherwise would have been till December 15," he said that this fact has been brought in the affidavit. Rameswaram: The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday petitioned Delhi to help the state's fishermen to attend the December 7 consecration of the St. Antony's Church at Katchatheevu. The uninhabited island in the Palk Strait had been gifted to Sri Lanka by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during the visit of her Lankan counterpart Sirima Bandaranaike in 1974 and Tamil Nadu has been demanding that Delhi get it back as it had been part of the Ramanathapuram zameen all along a petition on this filed by Ms Jayalalithaa in her capacity as the AIADMK general secretary is pending in the Supreme Court. In a letter addressed to foreign secretary Dr S. Jaishankar on Thursday, state chief secretary P. Rama Mohan Rao has sought urgent action from Delhi in immediately according the 'no objection' for the TN fishermen to participate in the consecration of the new building of the church and also arrange to provide necessary protection and assistance to these pilgrims. He said parish priest L. Sahayaraj had represented to the Ramanathapuram district collector that around 100 pilgrims from there were keen on attending the ceremony and pleaded for state's help. The chief secretary said the consecration of church's new building held considerable religious and cultural significance for the TN fishermen and their participation in the event is their inalienable right. In fact, when they learnt that Colombo planned to demolish the historic church and reconstruct, the fishermen wanted any such action to be taken up jointly by India and Sri Lanka in view of the joint heritage of fishermen from both sides. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had conveyed the fishermen's apprehension to the Centre on May 14 this year and pointed out that the church is a part of the cultural and religious heritage of the fisherfolk of Tamil Nadu, said Mr Rao, adding that the issue of retrieval of Katchatheevu and restoration of fishing rights of Tamil Nadu fishermen is being constantly taken up by her. Speaking to DC, parish priest Sahayaraj said, It is tragic that we must plead every year for permissions from the Sri Lankan government to attend the annual festival at St Antony's Church in Katchatheevu, which was an integral part of the Thangachimadam parish in Rameswaram as it formed part of the territory of the old Ramanathapuram zameen. It takes less than two hours from here by boat. The annual festival took place on the second Saturday and Sunday during the period of lent between February and April; the present ceremony is the consecration of the new building happening on December 7. Pointing out that Katchatheevu was barely 16 nautical miles from Rameswaram, the priest said, Retrieval of the island by India is crucial for the interests of Tamil Nadu fishermen who hugely depend on the island for their livelihood. There have been several instances in the past of the TN fishermen being shot at-some got killed too-by the Sri Lankan Navy while fishing in this region. While Colombo insisted that the TN fishermen transgressed into Lankan waters, the TN fishermen claimed they were only fishing on the Indian side of Katchatheevu when the attacks happened. Customers wait for their turn as they queue up outside a State Bank ATM at Bank Street in Koti on Friday. A huge rush was seen as the ATMs in the surrounding areas had run dry of cash. (Photo: DC) Hyderabad: Bankers say total cashless transactions at all levels will not be easy, particularly for small traders. RBI guidelines stipulate that merchants should maintain a current account which should have at least Rs 50,000 of transactions per month. They must also submit supporting documents like firm registration, trade licence, photograph of the business establishment etc. Mr M.S. Kumar of Allahabad Bank said that simply procuring a PoS (point of sale) swipe machine was not enough and there were formalities for integrating it with a bank account. Merchant establishments can take these machines to carry out the sale of goods or services to customers in a cashless environment. The PoS will have a faster application processing and needs net connectivity. Merchants should also pay monthly charges and a nominal fee, he said. Mr Kumar said that the merchant must have a current account with a bank. The merchant should be in the retail trade and shall not be in the VISA/MasterCard negative list for malpractices. The merchant should have a turnover through cards of about `50,000 per month. The merchant must have a fixed landline connection for a normal EDC terminal. Otherwise he will have to apply for GPRS enabled machines, he said. Kailash Agarwal, a merchant in Amberpet, said that a commission should be paid to bankers in cases of fewer transactions per day. Mostly, traders with lower transactions alert customers on the additional transaction charge. If the trader has more than 100 transactions per day, like at petrol bunks, the banks will not charge any additional fee, he said. General Secretary of the All India Bank Officers Association, S. Nagarajan, said that it could take at least 15 years for India to achieve a complete cashless society because of the digital illiteracy in the country. While e-pos machines will be a big relief for private vehicle owners, allowing them to swipe the card instead of paying in cash, the Goods Transporters Association said that a majority of truck drivers dont have debit or credit cards. (Representational image) Hyderabad: Managements of toll plazas have equipped their cash counters with e-pos machines to facilitate payment of toll tax which re-starts on Friday midnight. One or two gates at the toll plazas will be dedicated for vehicles equipped with cash pre-loaded RFID devices, and the remaining gates will accept payment through debit and credit cards and mobile wallets. Toll plaza managements have put up banners 2-km earlier, requesting motorists to tender exact change. We will accept even Rs 2,000 notes if the staff have sufficient change, said Mr Sridhar Reddy of GMR that runs the toll plaza at Panthangi in Yadadri district on the Vijayawada national highway. The staff at toll plazas on the Vijayawada, Bengaluru, Nagpur, and Mumbai national highways said that old Rs 500s would also be accepted in case of heavy vehicles who pay Rs 200 or more in toll tax. While e-pos machines will be a big relief for private vehicle owners, allowing them to swipe the card instead of paying in cash, the Goods Transporters Association said that a majority of truck drivers dont have debit or credit cards. The Association's chairman, A K Agarwal, said that demonitisation and restriction on cash withdrawals from banks has dealt a death blow to the transport business. "There are about 1.50 lakh trucks in Telangana and about 2 lakh in Andhra Pradesh. In all there are 70 lakh transport trucks in India. About 80 per cent of these trucks will be stranded for want of cash. We transporters do not have even old Rs 500 currency. The transport business is purely cash-based and toll collection from Friday midnight is going to have its impact on the business," he said. Transporters said they have left it to God. If normalcy is not restored, most of them will have no choice but to down shutters and go back to their villages. New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, addressing a Congress Parliamentary Party meeting in Parliament on Friday, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of practicing TRP politics. The Congress never gave India a PM who was a prisoner of his own image. We never gave India a PM who was ready to inflict tremendous suffering on the people of India to protect his own persona. We never gave India a PM who based his entire policy-making strategy on TRP, said the Congress leader. Mr Gandhi also criticised the government over its Pakistan policy. It is the same person who, when he was in Opposition, ridiculed the UPAs policy of isolating Pakistan, which brought peace to Kashmir, he said, adding that today, the same man sits silently while Kashmir is burning. Narendra Modi will be judged by history as a man who gifted massive political space to anti-India forces by creating an opportunistic political alliance between the BJP and PDP. He has created the political vacuum that gives the terrorists space to operate. Mr Gandhi has been leading the charge against the government in the current Parliament session. Earlier, he visited ATMs in Delhi to take stock of the situation prevailing across the city. Hitting back, the BJP said the Congress government was responsible for policy paralysis while the BJP government has freed the country of its prison and ushered in social security by curbing corruption and black money. Trying to turn the tables on the Congress V-P over his accusation of the TRP politics, BJPs Shrikant Sharma said in reality, these are his own attributes as it was he who did photo-op politics and even rejected his own government's decision, a sign of his arrogance. He said Mr Gandhi was bitter due to successive defeats his party suffered in the recent polls. Liquor brands, which so far used to come with a price tag ranging between Rs 75 and Rs 85 per full bottle, would now be sold for Rs 90 to Rs 100. Similarly, other liquor brands like Blen-ders Pride, Royal Challenge, Signature etc, would be costlier by Rs 80 to Rs 120 per bottle. (Representational image) Hyderabad: The Telangana state government on Friday increased excise on all brands of liquor and beer by 10 to 25 per cent to garner more revenue for the cash-starved state. The price hike will come into effect from Saturday and will bring an additional revenue of Rs 300 crore per month to the state government. Liquor brands, which so far used to come with a price tag ranging between Rs 75 and Rs 85 per full bottle, would now be sold for Rs 90 to Rs 100. Similarly, other liquor brands like Blenders Pride, Royal Challenge, Signature etc, would be costlier by Rs 80 to Rs 120 per bottle. The price of premium liquor brands would rise by an additional Rs 200 for a full bottle, while all beer brands would be costlier by Rs 10 per bottle. According to liquor dealers, the government revised the excise duty in such a manner that it only benefits the government. Neither the liquor manufacturers, dealers nor consumers will benefit with this price hike. The government has already procured liquor stocks at old rates from manufacturers and now supplying the same to dealers for new rates. These bottles will be sold to consumers for the new price. This way the government would get double benefit, said D.Venkateshwar Rao, the president of TS Wine Dealers' Association. Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday reserved its order on appeals filed by 11 convicts against life sentence awarded to them by the trial court in the 2002 Bilkis Bano gangrape case. The high court also reserved order on an appeal filed by the CBI, seeking death penalty for three convicts on the ground that this was the 'rarest of the rare' case. The bench of justices Vijaya Tahilramani and Mridula Bhatkar reserved the order recently after conducting a day-to- day hearing on both the appeals since July. Eleven convicts, who were sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court in 2008 for raping Bilkis and killing her family members in the aftermath of the Godhra riots, had filed appeals in the high court challenging their conviction. The CBI had also moved the high court, seeking death penalty for three of them. CBI counsel Hiten Venegaonkar sought death penalty for three convicts arguing that it was a case of a "mass murder" as 14 members of a family, including a three-day-old child, were killed. The CBI lawyer argued that there was an "exodus" of people due to riots and while Bilkis and her family had been on the run, she was gangraped and her kin were murdered. "Therefore, the case fell in the rarest of rare category, for which maximum punishment should be awarded," Venegaonkar submitted. Harshad Ponda, the lawyer defending the convicts, questioned the "chronology of events narrated by Bilkis, the FIR registered by Gujarat Police and the photographs of the bodies and other evidence collected from the spot". He alleged the evidence had been fabricated by the CBI. In January 2008, a Mumbai court had held the 11 convicts Jaswant Nai, Govind Nai, Shailesh Bhatt, Radhyesham Shah, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Kesarbhai Vohania, Pradeep Mordhiya, Bakabhai Vohania, Rajubhai Soni, Mitesh Bhatt and Ramesh Chandana guilty of murder and gangrape among other charges. All of them were awarded life imprisonment. It was the case of the prosecution that in March 2002, Bilkis' family was attacked by a mob at Randhikpur village, 250 km from Ahmedabad in Gujarat. Bilkis, who was 19 years old at the time and five months pregnant, was gangraped by the convicts. Fourteen members of her family were killed. The Supreme Court had ordered a re-trial of the case in Mumbai. Kochi: On the second day of the salary, even banks in city areas completely dried up. Branches of leading banks like State Bank of India and State Bank of Travancore displayed no cash boards from the morning and customers found it very tough to deposit cash in ATMs. Customers were furious and upset over the acute shortage of currency. On Friday morning, I went to SBI Kundanoor to withdraw the allotted quota of Rs 24000. But I was greeted by No cash boards at the counters. When I enquired, I was told that they were trying to get enough currency and special staff had been deputed for the purpose, said Easwaran Namboothiri, a retired bank employee. SBI had to manage with the very limited amount of Rs 50 crore it receives every alternative day for its 150 branches and over 400 ATMs in Ernakulam, Kottayam and Idukki districts. In many branches, bank officials were seen pacifying customers when they could not provide them the allotted quota of Rs 24,000. The situation was grimmer in rural areas. I came to the Federal bank branch at Paravur by 10 am. But the staff said that cash would be given initially to those who were given tokens yesterday. After the token holders received cash, there was no cash to dispense to all those standing in queue. Fortunately, I could get Rs 10, 000, said Mohan Kumar, a government employee. Though most of the ATMs have only Rs 2000 notes, smaller denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 100 were in adequate supply at bank counters. Meanwhile, the district treasury operated smoothly on Friday as it received the requested fund for the days transactions. However, the situation in sub treasuries was not good because of very limited cash. The district treasury at Kakkanad received the full amount of Rs 83 lakh it requested for the day. Transactions worth Rs 74 lakh have been done at the Kakkanad treasury which witnessed a normal turnout. However, the Ernakulam sub treasury, which is one of the busiest ones in the State, received only Rs 50 lakh from the SBT treasury branch as against Rs. 80 lakh it had requested. New Delhi: Terming the protest by the West Bengal Chief Minister over the presence of Armymen at toll plazas as "cheap political stunt", Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today said an attempt was being made to drag the Army into an "unnecessary controversy". He said this was a routine exercise being undertaken after informing the authorities in the state. The deployment of Armymen at toll plazas was raised in Parliament by the Opposition and the TMC claimed that the move was a "challenge" to the federal structure of the country and was completely "politically motivated". "This is a routine exercise. It happened last year, it has happened this year. So why suddenly this issue?" Naidu asked. Talking to reporters outside Parliament, he said, "This is nothing but a cheap political stunt to defame the government and dragging the Army into an unnecessary controversy where none exists. It is highly deplorable." Taking on the Opposition, he said, "It is a dirty campaign launched by some of our political opponents. Routine army exercise is being undertaken in different states of the country. This is an ongoing exercise, collecting data in all the North-eastern states, including Assam, Arunachal, Bengal, Nagaland, Tripura and Mizoram by Eastern Command of the Army." Giving details, he said, "Personnel of the Army consisting of five or six unarmed personnel in each point are collecting data of heavy vehicles. This is an annual exercise. This exercise is carried out every year. "In the same location, the same exercise was carried out on November 19 and 21 last year with the same government and the same Chief Minister in the state. Similar exercise has also been carried out in Jharkhand, UP, and Bihar under South Western Command." Naidu also dismissed as "baseless" the charge that Armymen were collecting toll charges and said this was not good for the country. "The allegation of collecting toll is also baseless. This exercise was carried out after informing the Kolkata Police. The date was changed after the request of the Kolkata Police. So where is the question of not keeping the state in the loop?" he asked. Pointing out at the main opposition party, he said, "The Congress has ruled the country for 50 years and they are also joining the issue. It is sad." Commenting on Rahul's statement that the Prime Minister was practicing TRP politics, Naidu counter-charged the Congress and said the party has become "irrelevant". "What is TRP? You (Congress) people are doing it for TRP because you have become irrelevant. People have rejected your bandh call. They have rejected akrosh rally. You are divided. You do not have arguments to put forth before the country. You are not allowing the House (to function)," he said. He said the Prime Minister has taken a bold historic decision against the black money menace which is the need of the hour. Naidu said the results of recent byelections and local polls have proved BJP's popularity. Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda with Union Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Expelled BJP MP Kirti Azad and at Parliament during the winter session, in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI) New Delhi: Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi, Union minister Harsimrat Kaur today said it is not the Prime Minister but the Congress vice-president who is caught up in the habit of photo-ops and has been "surrounded by black money" all his life. She accused the Congress of spreading corruption like cancer in every part of the country and said that it was unable to digest the fact that a "strong leader" has taken decisive action against the menace. Her remarks come on a day when Gandhi launched an all-out attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of practising TRP politics, and said the country has suffered damage due to his "vanity and incompetence". Addressing MPs at the Congress Parliamentary Party, Gandhi described the Prime Minister as being "a prisoner of his own image" and one who is inflicting "tremendous suffering" on the people of India to protect his own persona. Dismissing Gandhi's charges, Kaur said, "His party has been in government for 60 years. For the last ten years, he himself was in power. But in all these time, beside spreading corruption like cancer into every corner of our society, besides looting the nation, 2G to CWG to Bofors, this Congress party and the Gandhi family has nothing to their credit." "Now when a government has come which is trying to root out black money and corruption, obviously Rahul Gandhi is not being able to understand because they never had this desire to understand," she told reporters outside Parliament. Referring to Gandhi's "photo-ops" of visiting Dalit woman Kalavati's household to standing in queue of a bank to withdraw Rs 4,000, Kaur said, "All your life you (Rahul) have only seen black money." "For the first time, you stood in a line and saw Rs 4,000 of white money, so starting from his political career of going to Kalavati's house for photo op or catching a train in the third class and going to a 'mandi', I think he is caught up in his own image and unfortunately his image is to make sensational headlines and click sensational photos to come in the media," she said. She alleged that Gandhi was the only person who does not understand the difference between an economy and a black economy. Kaur said that Gandhi "should name one step which his own government took in ten years to get rid of this black economy". "They are not being able to digest the fact that there is a strong leader who has taken a decisive and tough decision. The country despite the hardships is standing with this leader," she said. Kaur, who belongs to NDA constituent SAD, said that the Congress has nothing to debate in Parliament which is why, the party is not letting any discussion to take place. "If today they (Congress) think PM has done something which is not in the benefit of the common people, I think he is duty bound to raise these issues in Parliament and put the government on the mat and ask for answers. "But they are not going to do that. They are trying desperately to cobble together these rejected parties and make an issue. But the people of the country are standing with the PM against this fight of corruption and black money," the Bathinda MP said. Revenue collection fell by 70 per cent in November due to demonetisation and it would be tough to pay even salaries in January, leave alone meeting expenses for day-to-day administration. (Representational image) Hyderabad: With the Telangana state government starting to feel the real impact of demonetisation from December, finance minister Etela Rajender has scheduled a meeting in New Delhi with Union finance minister Arun Jaitley. He carries with him a report on the bad financial condition of the government and will seek compensation for the revenue loss. The report states that the government managed to pay salaries for staff on December 1 due to the revenues that accrued in October but were remitted to the treasury in November. Revenue collection fell by 70 per cent in November due to demonetisation and it would be tough to pay even salaries in January, leave alone meeting expenses for day-to-day administration. Mr Rajinder was in New Delhi on Friday to attend the GST Council meeting, but has sought a separate appointment with Mr Jaitley on Saturday to discuss demonetisation and the states financial position. A major part of the TS governments revenue comes from commercial taxes, stamps and registration, excise and transport departments. Normally, the state earns revenue of nearly Rs 8,000 crore per month, including tax devolution from the Centre. Of this, 80 per cent is contributed by these four departments alone. In the wake of demonetisation, revenue from these departments fell by 70 per cent as business transactions came to a halt due to the currency shortage, resulting in lower commercial tax collection. Liquor sales took a hit, property registrations slowed down and new vehicle registrations almost stopped with no one buying vehicles as banks stopped giving loans since they were preoccupied with currency deposits, exchanges and withdrawals. The real impact of demonetisation is being felt now. It will be difficult to meet salary and other expenses in January due to empty coffers in December, he said. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee is often too shrill for a major political leader, and this sometimes explains her inability to put things in perspective. But the nation must pay attention to the point she raised on civil-military ties. The West Bengal leaders hackles were raised lately as the Army had set up checkpoints at toll gates in her state, including one near the state secretariat in Kolkata. She has said permission to do so was not sought from the state government. The Army says it was part of a routine exercise to determine the numbers of vehicles it can hope to access for its own use in case of an emergency. The defence minister was facetious about this in Parliament when he ascribed the CMs reaction to frustration. It was also loosely suggested that the Army was in communication with the state, whatever that means. If the Army really wants to know how many civilian vehicles of any particular specification are available in a state for possible military use in a crisis, all it has to do is to ask the transport department for data. Setting up checkpoints without the permission of the local authorities is a different matter altogether, and does need an explanation. Its no argument that similar exercises had been run in some other states earlier. In every state, the Army has been given land where it has built facilities for itself. But any interface with the civil sector needs the state authorities clearance. This is necessary to retain the civil-military balance. This months payday saw an unprecedented situation, with many unable to draw their full salaries or pensions. Banks ran out of cash even though the RBI had repeatedly said the system was geared up to meet the extra demand. While the finance minister says printing of new Rs 500 notes is on round the clock, the reality is that several banks were unable to pay even the permitted withdrawal of Rs 24,000 per week as they didnt have cash. There was chaos as the long queues were full of people fast running out of patience. One can imagine the impact on households whose expenses, say for seven members, is over Rs 30,000 a week. There are harrowing tales of suffering where people in villages dont have money even for funerals. And unlike in cities, banks in rural areas are at great distances from each other. The rural crisis is becoming grimmer. Farmers see prices of their produce, from the kharif crop thats yet to be harvested, falling, while traders cant buy their produce for lack of cash. Even if farmers were paid by cheque, they can only withdraw upto Rs 25,000 a week. Many saw their perishable commodities rot. Vegetable and fruit prices crashed, but this wasnt passed on to consumers, but pocketed by traders. If this situation isnt rectified, there may be chaos with the rabi crop, as sowing hasnt started. The plight of farm labour is even more distressing as their employers have no cash to pay them. All this pain and suffering being faced by people is, we are told, for some nirvana of benefits in future. Will it really bring down bribery and corruption? Will demands for dowry and capitation fees really be a thing of the past? In case of dowry, for instance, demands are made for gold and white goods, and not necessarily cash. Real estate prices have come down, but many say this is temporary. It is said, for instance, that the new Rs 2,000 note will make bribery easier. One will just have to wait and see. The benefits of the demonetisation exercise seem rather nebulous as of now, because unless the channels for black moneys creation are plugged, another exercise will be necessary in the near future. The Prime Ministers intention, of making India a better place for future generations, may be noble, but surely there were less painful ways of achieving this. Needed: A push & pull approach Kerala Police had for long believed that one day the Maoists would target Keralas tribal population. The Nilambur incident has confirmed this. The threat is both real and serious; and containing it is imperative, whether we like it or not. If experience elsewhere is any guide, the task will be neither easy nor comfortable. We may hope that bread and butter will solve the issue; but sadly blood and bullets are more likely, if we dilly dally. In many respects, we are lucky. Thanks to enlightened public policy stretching back several decades, the Maoist agenda has not, till now, attracted any segment of Kerala population. The best that the optimistic Maoist hopes for is to win some support from among the tribal population, which has not benefitted much from the all round development of Kerala in the last thirty years. Foreign migration, private industry and business employment and the trickledown effect thereof- have raised the standard of living of large sections of Kerala population. But the tribes have been left out of this almost totally. Relatively speaking, the gulf between the tribes and other groups is wider today than it was fifty years ago. The Maoists hope to convert this difference into an angry divide, which in turn will trigger an armed struggle for equity and justice spearheaded by the Maoists. To operationalise their strategy, the Maoists use guerrilla tactics. They have decades of experience elsewhere in India. They have considerable strength and can easily mobilise a few hundreds of trained cadres. They concentrate on liberating forested areas and defending such areas through guerrilla tactics; and then use the local tribal population as shields. Their language and discourse may sound political; but their operations are militaristic and merciless. We will lose heavily in time, men and morale, if we do not learn from the experience of other states. To many in Kerala, the camp at Nilambur may seem like a beginning; but to the Maoist it is a continuation of the struggle started decades back. Maoism of the Nilambur variety is not Keralite in origin. It is national in character and is to be seen and fought as such. For the Maoist, India is one continuum; he will be happy to operate from Kerala, if Kerala forests seem to him a safe haven. If we do not protect our forests from Maoist incursion and search and comb every cent of it with reasonable frequency, all the cadres who are finding the going tough in different states will gravitate to the interstate tri-junction from Coorg to Agali. If even 100 such persons come together in these forests, split it into five or six groups for their operations, dislodging them would prove to be a herculean task. The tribal population residing within the forests in these areas would be trapped by them and used as a bulwark. Other police forces elsewhere have already paid a heavy price in life and limbs whenever they wanted to operate in the so-called liberated zones. So the immediate need is to ensure heavy police and forest guard presence in the interior forests to foil any plans of the Maoists to establish bases and supplies therein. Withdrawing from the forests to avoid bloodshed or personal danger to staff would only stimulate and encourage Maoist incursion. This, in turn, would lead to much more serious and intense bloodshed later on. If any cadres are still hiding, the priority should be to ferret them out. Of course, the law and lawful procedure must be upheld in all police operations and no illegal acts should be done by an organised police force. But if the law itself permits and obligates the use of force, reluctance to do so may lead to anarchy and unnecessary shedding of innocent blood. While the combing operations are in full sway, the state organs must also befriend the tribal populations and ensure that their long standing needs of nutrition, health, land, education etc are addressed and solved in a democratic manner with special alacrity. Moreover forest and police departments should strive together to empower and embolden tribal communities in the forests. Besides these, special employment opportunities must be exclusively opened up for hundreds of educated tribal youth who are unemployed now. Such a two pronged strategy would be best, both in national interest and in minimizing bloodshed. In short, the strategy must be: push the Maoists out of our forests; but pull the tribes up to a higher standard of life. Jacob Punnoose is former state police chief Encounter is rights violation The violation of constitutional provisions and fundamental democratic rights by the police and security agencies involved in counter-insurgency operations in the country has been one of the major issues raised by human rights organisations in the country. 'Encounter killing' has been one of the major forms of violence used by the security agencies to circumvent legal process. Apart from political opponents, even ordinary criminals become victims of such highhanded behaviour of the law enforcement agencies in the country. Though several instances of such violations have been brought to the attention of the authorities concerned, including Supreme Court and National Human Rights Commission, the security agencies and the governmental authorities have consistently opted for the denial mode. The encounter killing of two Maoist activists at Nilambur forest has once again brought to focus the undemocratic nature of the law enforcement by the security agencies. From the beginning, there has been suspicion about the police version of the incident. There were too many contradictions and missing links in the official narrative. The contradictions in the police version about the incident are too familiar a story. Initially, DGP Loknath Behera said that three people were killed in the encounter. But, later it was revised to two persons. The police also revealed the identity of the two to the media soon after the encounter. How could the police forces identify the persons, allegedly evading the police for nearly 20 years, so quickly? Another doubt, of course, is regarding the lack of injury to the police personnel. The Maoists, allegedly carrying automatic weapons, not using them is another reason to doubt the veracity of the police version. The script of the official version fits very well with the similar incidents reported from other parts of the country. The human rights organisations are fighting against the lawlessness of the security agencies in the form of excess use of force in the name of fighting terrorism and political violence. For long, human rights activists have been stating that encounter is violating the fundamental right to live, protected by article 21 of the Constitution of India. Long legal battles have been fought against the uncivilised, illegal and brutal act of force before various courts. If somebody has been killed, the normal procedure in the country is to register a crime under section 302 of the IPC for murder. If police kill someone in the course of maintenance of law and order they would claim that it was in self-defence. What is the procedure to ascertain the truth of the claim? Unfortunately, there was no procedure to ascertain the truth. The police have been evading prosecution procedure enjoying this legal vacuum. It is in this situation the human rights organisations are fighting for a lawful procedure for inquiry and investigation in encounter killing by registering an FIR under section 302 of the IPC. An appeal arising from a writ petition filed by the People's Union for Civil Liberties before Bombay High Court pertaining to encounter killings by police was considered by the Supreme Court of India. In 2014, the Supreme Court passed a final judgment prescribing 16-point guidelines to be followed in the case of an encounter killing, whether it was genuine or fake. Although the guidelines fall short of the long-term demands of the rights activists, it made a progressive step in the fight against the use of power in an arbitrary manner by the police. Coming to Nilambur encounter, the government agreed to follow the procedure laid down by the Supreme Court only after it came under severe pressure from human rights activists and a cross section of political leaders. Though the government officials referred to the Supreme Court guideline, still there is much discrepancies and violations in following the guidelines. For human rights activities, the encounter killing at Nilambur, as all other encounter killing, is not a Maoist issue alone. It is a basic issue concerning the democratic functioning of the authorities concerned. A cardinal principle of guiding the modern human and civil rights movement is that a legally constituted agency should not be instrumental for the violation of the individual rights and freedom of expression guaranteed to the citizens in the Constitution. If such violations are condoned it would be akin to giving an open invitation for an authoritarian political regime. If the number of encounter killings and other forms of rights violations by the security forces is taken as an indication we are already passing through an authoritarian political culture. Thushar Nirmal Saradhy is the general secretary, Janakeeya Manushyavakasa Prasthanam Two developments in November linked to Indias strategic interests virtually went unnoticed owing to media hype on demonetisation in India and Donald Trumps election victory in the United States. Stealthily, Chinas money and military power penetrated deeper than ever before in the western and eastern flanks of India. On November 13, Chinese ships opened a new trade route via Gwadar port in Pakistan and set off for Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the UAE and the European Union. Since China is adept at playing diplomacy through symbols like that of picture script alphabets, the destinations of the ships spoke louder than announcements. The voyage to Dhaka and Colombo constituted the eastern and southern flank (water bodies) of India while the UAE and EU indicated Chinas prosperous customers from the oil-producing basin of the Persian Gulf and the quintessential one Europe-one market for Chinese products. The second event happened on November 14, in Indias eastern flank, Bangladesh took delivery of its first submarines, bought from China, as it seeks to boost its naval power in the Bay of Bengal. Bought at an estimated price of $203 million, its genesis goes back to the December 2010 announcement of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for enhancement of effectiveness of the Bangladesh Navy. From an overall perspective, one may well wonder the efficacy and potential effectiveness of the Bangladesh Navy. Effectiveness regarding what? Against whom? Myanmar or India the two contiguous neighbours of Dhaka? It may be recalled that a Navy is built and operated commensurate with the coastline of its nation and the maritime/marine interest thereof. Thus, with a 4,104 nautical mile coastline, spanning from the northern edge of the Arabian Sea in the west to the Sunderbans delta in the northern Bay of Bengal, India stands head and shoulder above the combined coastline of 1,428 nautical miles of Myanmars 1,042 and Bangladeshs 386 nautical mile shoreline. However, it is the right of sovereign Bangladesh to decide as to what it wants and how it operates its surface and sub-surface naval assets as long as it does not pose a threat to Indias security and economic interests or the friendly countries thereof in the vicinity. Nevertheless, the recent acquisition of Chinese submarines does create a potential situation which could very well be a source of future turbulence for the three South Asian nations of India, Bangladesh and Myanmar owing to the proxy presence of Chinese ideas, money and hardware. Suddenly, the eastern flank of India has become live, the claimed benign intention of Dhaka notwithstanding. The very characteristics of the submarine which is being deployed by Bangladesh would reveal the possible future scenario. Originally designed by the Soviets, it was adapted by the Chinese in the early 1970s. Initially, these boats were accident-prone. Of the first three, one had to be scrapped after a fire and another was decommissioned. Again, 361 personnel were killed in an April 2003 accident owing to carbon monoxide poisoning. It is this 1,609 tonnes surfaced and 2,147 tonnes dived vintage Ming-class boats, which have been refurbished in China and transferred to Dhaka. Information from Janes Fighting Ships 2016-2017, the worlds leading open-source maritime defence reference resource, shows that the submarine has a range of 8,000 nautical miles at 08 knots snorting and 330 at 04 knots dived. That is more than sufficient for a submarine to operate in a water body like the Bay of Bengal. Armed with 21 inch torpedoes tube, or 32 mines in lieu thereof, one wonders who possibly could be Bangladeshs geographical or political target practice strategy? Myanmar or India? Or Pakistan, that is thousands of miles away? Or Al Qaeda? ISIS? Jamaat? Or someone else? The present submarine supply of Beijing to Bangladesh appears as Chinas diversification push from the Asian heartlands one-belt-one-road to the waterfront. It is one-belt-one-sea-route, which reflects the wisdom of Hans to oversee, both friend and foe. This will cover its own flank, from landing and loading points of the land, originating from the port.How? A glance through map reveals the scenario. Shanghai to Sunderbans, the shared territory of Delhi and Dhaka, is more disadvantageous to the former than the latter, as it takes at least 15 days to cover through sea. And Kunming (the capital city of Yunnan province) to Chittagong or Coxs Bazaar could be covered in less than three days through road. So why not interface and mesh the land and sea route through the trade of butter and supply of submarines? The recipient country would be glad to secure outposts of the big brother. Beijing does not have to be present. Dhaka also can choose between a preferable remote, rather than a proximate big brother. Similarly, if the Asian heartland route from Beijing to Balochistan could be interfaced with the sea-lane voyage-time from Shanghai to Gwadar by supplying and building naval assets of Islamabad, the same purpose of checkmating by proxy powers would serve the all-round trade, commerce, finance and security interest of the Hans of Chung Kuo (Middle Kingdom). The issue today, therefore, is not confined to Bangladeshs procurement of Chinese submarines. It goes much beyond what can be seen from inventory and the planning of the Bangladesh Navys small 386 nautical mile coastline. It began long ago. In 1989, Hudong Shipyard in Shanghai built the 1,729-tonne Jianghu I class frigate. In 2014, two Jianghu III Shanghai-built frigates were transferred. Now the Wuhan Shipyard origin 1,330 tonnes Type C13B class corvette were handed over to the Bangladesh Navy on December 11, 2015. Dhaka has inducted at least three dozen missile fast-attack craft, offshore patrol craft and amphibious ships of Chinese make. Interestingly, the same China which is arming Dhaka to the teeth (for its own geostrategic hegemony across South Asia under the guise of one-belt-one-road and one-belt-one-sea-route) vehemently opposed East Pakistan becoming the independent nation state of Bangladesh. The reason was that the West Pakistani Punjabi rulers of 1971, who are the rulers even today, were (and still are) the all-weather friends of China, in the western flank of India. The irony is that the same China now wants Bangladesh to become its all-weather, strategic friend as well to outflank India in the east. Chinas Ming-class submarine constitutes the shining symbol on the eastern flank of India. The Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket lifts off from launch complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral. (Photo: AP) Tech billionaire Elon Musks SpaceX hopes to return its Falcon 9 rocket to flight on Dec. 16, said Iridium Communications Inc, which plans to have 10 of its satellites on board for launching. The launch is contingent on approval by the Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees US commercial space transportation, Iridium said on Thursday. We are looking forward to return to flight, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said in a statement from Iridium. SpaceX suspended flights after one of its rockets burst into flames on Sept. 1 as it was being fueled for a routine prelaunch test at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The company traced the explosion to a fueling system problem that caused a pressurized container of helium inside the rockets upper stage to burst. The accident destroyed a $200 million satellite owned by Israel's Space Communication Ltd. We are confident that SpaceX understands its fueling process now and will do it successfully for our launch, Iridium spokeswoman Diane Hockenberry wrote in an email to Reuters. Iridium's satellites, however, will not be aboard the rocket during the prelaunch engine firing, she added. SpaceX declined to comment about the status of its accident investigation or what measures it will take to ensure the problem will not reoccur. The company uses extremely cold liquid propellants loaded just prior to blastoff to increase the rocket's power so it can fly back to Earth and be reused. A US National Aeronautics and Space Administration advisory panel last month publicly questioned the safety of SpaceXs fueling process, especially since the company has been hired to begin flying astronauts to the International Space Station in 2018. The Sept. 1 accident was the second for SpaceX in 29 flights of the Falcon 9. The company, owned and operated by Tesla Motors Inc Chief Executive Officer Musk, has a backlog of more than 70 missions for NASA and commercial customers, worth more than $10 billion. SpaceX has not disclosed the extent of the damage at its primary launch site in Florida. The Iridium satellites will be launched from SpaceXs California launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Iridium intends to replace its current mobile communications network with 81 new satellites made by Italy's Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture of Thales SA and Leonardo Finmeccanica SpA under a contract worth $2.3 billion. SpaceX is under contract to launch at least 70 of the satellites. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. The Progress MS-04 cargo craft broke up at an altitude of 190 km (118 miles) over the remote Russian Tuva region in Siberia. (Photo: NASA) An unmanned Russian cargo spaceship heading to the International Space Station broke up in the atmosphere over Siberia on Thursday due to an unspecified malfunction, the Russian space agency said. The Progress MS-04 cargo craft broke up at an altitude of 190 km (118 miles) over the remote Russian Tuva region in Siberia that borders Mongolia, Roscosmos said in a statement. It said most of spaceship's debris burnt up as it entered the atmosphere but some fell to Earth over what it called an uninhabited area. Local people reported seeing a flash of light and hearing a loud thud west of the regional capital of Kyzyl, more than 3,600 km (2,200 miles) east of Moscow, the Tuva government was quoted as saying late Thursday by the Interfax news agency. The Progress cargo ship had lifted off as scheduled at 8:51 p.m. (1451 GMT) from Russia's space launch complex in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, to deliver 2.5 metric tons of fuel, water, food and other supplies. It was set to dock with the space station on Saturday. Roscosmos said the craft was operating normally before it stopped transmitting data 6 minutes after the launch. The Russian space agency would not immediately describe the malfunction, saying its experts were looking into it. This is the third botched launch of a Russian spacecraft in two years. A Progress cargo ship plunged into the Pacific Ocean in May 2015, and a Proton-M rocket carrying an advanced satellite broke up in the atmosphere in May 2014. But both Roscosmos and NASA said the crash of the ship would have no impact on the operations of the orbiting space lab that is currently home to a six-member crew, including three cosmonauts from Russia, two NASA astronauts and one from the European Union. Orbital ATK, NASA's other shipper, successfully sent up supplies to the space station in October, and a Japanese cargo spaceship is scheduled to launch a full load in mid-December. NASA supplier SpaceX, meanwhile, has been grounded since a rocket explosion in September on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The company hopes to resume launches in December to deliver communication satellites. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. The FAA granted Apple approval to operate an unmanned aircraft system to conduct data collection, photography and videography. Apple is reportedly planning to fly drones to improve its Maps services and beat Googles popular navigator Google Maps. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is assembling a team of robots and data collection experts who will help the company to enhance its Maps services using drones. The Cupertino, California-based company will fly drones to update information on Maps faster than it is capable of doing via the existing fleet of camera-and-sensor landed minivans. Apple is said to be developing a new indoor navigation feature for Maps, which will include view inside buildings. Last year Apple acquired startup indoor.in to push its indoor mapping project to market. According Bloomberg, on September 2015, Apple filed for an exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly drones for commercial purposes, and in a response this year, the FAA granted Apple to operate an unmanned aircraft system to conduct data collection, photography and videography. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. A UN survey found that 70 percent of the women in Juba had experienced sexual assault since the country's civil war began in December 2013, the team said. (Photo: Human Rights Watch) Kampala, Uganda: Rape in South Sudan is "one of the tools being used for ethnic cleansing," a UN team of human rights investigators said Friday, adding that sexual violence in the East African nation "has reached epic proportions." "The scale of gang rape of civilian women as well as the horrendous nature of the rapes by armed men belonging to all groups is utterly repugnant," said the head of the UN investigation, Yasmin Sooka. A UN survey found that 70 percent of the women in Juba had experienced sexual assault since the country's civil war began in December 2013, the team said. The announcement comes after the special investigators finished a 10-day visit to South Sudan on Wednesday. The UN adviser on the prevention of genocide, Adama Dieng, warned last month that the country is at risk of genocide. The UN team said on Friday they would call for a special investigation to collect evidence of rape for future legal prosecutions. When the team visited the northern town of Bentiu, a woman described in a public meeting how she had been raped by soldiers. "There is no stigma around rape because for us it is normal; it is happening every day to us," she told the team. In the southern town of Yei, women told The Associated Press last month how they lived in fear of being raped by government soldiers. After fighting in July killed hundreds of people in the capital of Juba, women said in interviews that they had been raped and gang-raped by government soldiers as they traveled to collect food outside a UN displacement camp. There is a "growing trend of indiscipline" within South Sudan's military, according to a government report obtained by AP. The scale of humanitarian suffering became more apparent after Nigerian troops recaptured swathes of territory held by Boko Haram since 2015. (Photo: Videograb/file) Lagos: A billion dollars are needed to provide aid for victims of Boko Haram jihadists in Nigeria's restive northeast next year, the United Nations said Friday, calling the conflict "the largest crisis in Africa". "The narrative on this humanitarian crisis can no longer be ignored and we are appealing to the international community to help us prevent the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians over the coming 12 months," the UN Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator Peter Lundberg said in a statement. "This is the largest crisis on the African continent and I am confident that with the support of the international community and the private sector, we can begin to bring hope to the people of the northeast," he said. The UN said the humanitarian response plan would address the needs of almost seven million people, in dire need of nutrition, food, shelter, healthcare and education. "A projected 5.1 million people will face serious food shortages as the conflict and risk of unexploded improvised devices prevented farmers planting for a third year in a row, causing a major food crisis," it said. Nigeria's junior budget minister Zainab Ahmed was quoted as saying the government would continue to demonstrate strong commitment to work with the international humanitarian community on the crisis. The scale of humanitarian suffering became more apparent after Nigerian troops recaptured swathes of territory held by Boko Haram since 2015. The Boko Haram jihadist group has waged a brutal seven-year insurgency in Nigeria's mainly-Muslim north, with violence spreading to Cameroon, Chad and Niger. At least 20,000 people have been killed and 2.6 million more displaced by the unrest, mostly in the northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, the epicentre of the Islamist uprising. Indianapolis: US President-elect Donald Trump has warned American firms wanting to relocate abroad that they will face punishment, as he announced a deal with air conditioning manufacturer Carrier to keep jobs in the country. "Companies are not going to leave the United States any more without consequences. Not going to happen," Trump told workers at the Carrier plant in Indianapolis in his first major public remarks on Thursday since winning the White House. "They can leave from state to state, and negotiate deals with different states, but leaving the country will be very, very difficult," Trump added. During the presidential campaign, the Republican billionaire threatened to slap tariffs on firms that decamped for places like Mexico or Asia where labor costs are cheaper. It became a repeated refrain of his victorious campaign. Trump specifically singled out Carrier, a brand of United Technologies Corporation, saying he had been encouraging the company not to shift thousands of jobs to Mexico. If they did, he said his administration would impose major tariffs on Carrier products as they made their way back into the United States. "But I called Greg (Hayes, UTC's chairman) and I said it's really important, we have to do something because you have a lot of people leaving and you have to understand we can't allow this to happen anymore with our country," Trump said as he recalled an early exchange with the firm's top executive. Under a deal hammered out with the help of Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who is Indiana's outgoing governor, the state offered Carrier USD 7 million in incentives over 10 years, "contingent upon factors including employment, job retention and capital investment," the company said in a statement. Pence said the deal will keep about 1,100 jobs in "the heart of the heartland." "This is a great day for Indiana and it's a great day for working people all across the United States of America," Pence said. The deal is seen as an extraordinary industry intervention by a president-elect. His supporters have described it as the first tangible part of Trump's jobs creation plan. But liberal Senator Bernie Sanders, who challenged Hillary Clinton for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, said the deal should worry Americans. Carrier "took Trump hostage and won," Sanders said in an op-ed he wrote for The Washington Post. Trump "endangered" other US jobs, Sanders said, "because he has signalled to every corporation in America that they can threaten to offshore jobs in exchange for business-friendly tax benefits and incentives." Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump's "ignorant" conversation with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may send India an "unwelcome message", a leading American magazine has said. The Forbes magazine said that Donald Trump's "flattering" conversation sends a message that he has no awareness of the issues between the US, Pakistan and India. "His bluster is more likely to be taken as the initial signal of his Administration's position. When he goes on and on about how wonderful Pakistan is, and how strong is his friendship, it matters. It matters that he uses words like: very good reputation, amazing work...fantastic country, fantastic place, fantastic people," it said. "One of the main messages it sends, is that he shows no awareness of the issues between the United States, Pakistan, and India," it said. Stating that Donald Trump is not aware about the ground realities in South Asia, it said, his "ignorant" conversation with Nawaz Sharif may send India an "unwelcome message". Meanwhile, a prominent Indian American group urged Mr Trump to carefully look at the records of Pakistan, in particular, its fight against terrorism and human rights. "Diplomacy is necessary in dealing with Pakistan, but President-elect Trump and his Administration will need to proceed with caution and full awareness of the country's double-dealing track record," Suhag Shukla, executive director of Hindu American Foundation (HAF) said in a statement expressing concern over the readout issued by Pakistan after a telephonic conversation between Donald Trump and Nawaz Sharif. "If the transcript of the conversation is indeed accurate, we'd urge President-elect Trump to look more carefully at Pakistan's record within its own borders and with its neighbours before offering praise to a state that according to most observers is failing," Mr Shukla said. Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, 29, opened fire during a party and training session for San Bernardino County employees, who were Farook's co-workers, wounding 22 people in addition to the 14 killed. (Photo: AP) Los Angeles: Police and fire officials in Southern California who dealt with the carnage of a mass shooting by Islamic militants that left 14 people dead will mark the one-year anniversary on Friday of the attack that shook even the most hardened emergency responders. The massacre on Dec. 2, 2015, in San Bernardino by a married couple was one of the deadliest attacks by militants in the United States since the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked plane attacks. Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, 29, opened fire during a party and training session for San Bernardino County employees, who were Farook's co-workers, wounding 22 people in addition to the 14 killed. Police officers were stunned as they entered the conference room where Farook and Malik had fired on dozens of people, according to a report issued this year by the Police Foundation, which spoke to emergency responders and witnesses. "It looked like a bomb had gone off," the report said, with blood covering the room and the smell of gunpowder filling the air. On Friday, the victims will be remembered with a ceremony at a San Bernardino blood bank, a 14-mile (23 km) bicycle ride - representing one mile for each person killed - and a moment of silence. The ceremony at the blood bank will be attended by officials and emergency responders, and residents are expected to line up to donate blood. The bike ride by police officers and others will be held a short time later, organizers said. The moment of silence will be held at 10:58 a.m., the time when the shooting was reported to emergency responders, San Bernardino city spokeswoman Monica Lagos said. In the evening, another local event is expected to draw at least 2,000 participants to an arena, she said. Authorities have said that U.S.-born Farook and Malik, a native of Pakistan, were inspired by Islamic extremism. The couple died in a shootout with police four hours after the massacre. A special report this week by ABC News showed a photo of the gathering the couple had targeted, which included elements of a holiday party such as a Christmas tree and costumes. San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan told ABC News that Malik had previously expressed discontent with the party. "She had essentially made the statement in an online account that she didn't think that a Muslim (her husband) should have to participate in a non-Muslim holiday or event," Burguan told ABC News. Richard Reid has asked a federal judge in Boston to declare him bankrupt. (Representational Image) Boston: The British man sentenced to life in prison for trying to detonate explosives in his shoe on a trans-Atlantic flight in 2001 says he can't afford the USD 250,000 fine that was part of his sentence. Richard Reid has asked a federal judge in Boston to declare him bankrupt. The Boston Herald reports that the 43-year-old Reid writes: "I am not now, nor will I believe ever be, able to pay this fine." Reid contacted Judge William Young after receiving notice last month reminding him the payment is past due. Young yesterday told prosecutors they have until Dec. 16 to respond to Reid's request to have the fine forgiven. Reid tried to set off the bomb on a Paris-to-Miami American Airlines flight. The plane was diverted to Boston. Thailand 's new king Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun pays his respects to a portrait of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej. (Photo: AP) Bangkok: Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn became the King of Thailand late Thursday, opening a new chapter for the powerful monarchy in a country still mourning the death of his father. The 64-year-old inherits one of the world's richest monarchies as well as a politically febrile nation, 50 days after King Bhumibol Adulyadej's death. After weeks of complex palace protocols the prince was invited by the head of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) to ascend the throne in an event broadcast on all Thai television channels. "I agree to accept the wishes of the late king... for the benefit of the entire Thai people," said Vajiralongkorn, wearing an official white tunic decorated with medals and a pink sash. The sombre, ritual-heavy ceremony at his Bangkok palace was attended by the chief of the NLA, junta leader Prayut Chan-O-Cha, and the powerful 96-year-old head of the privy council, Prem Tinsulanonda. Red-jacketed courtiers looked on as a palace staff member, shuffling on his knees, presented the new king with a microphone through which he delivered his few words of acceptance. King Vajiralongkorn then prostrated himself, hands pressed together in respect, to a small shrine topped by a picture of his father and mother -- Queen Sirikit Kitiyakara. He becomes Rama X of Thailand's Chakri dynasty, but will not formally be crowned until after his father's cremation, which is expected next year. Bhumibol's reign, which ended on October 13, spanned a tumultuous period of Thai history pockmarked by a communist insurgency, coups and street protests. It also saw breakneck development which has resulted in a huge wealth disparity between a Bangkok-centric elite and the rural poor. To many Thais, Bhumibol was the only consistent force in a politically combustible country, his image burnished by ritual and shielded by a harsh royal defamation law. The United States offered its congratulations to the new king, saying it looked forward to strengthening ties with Thailand. "We offer our best wishes to his majesty and all of the Thai people," the State Department said. "His father, King Bhumibol, ruled the Kingdom of Thailand with vision and compassion for 70 years and was a great friend of the United States. "The United States and Thailand enjoy a longstanding, strong, and multifaceted bilateral relationship, and we look forward to deepening that relationship and strengthening the bonds between our two countries and peoples going forward." Monks chanted blessings at Buddhist temples to mark the new monarch's ascension -- an era-defining moment for most Thais who for seven decades knew only Bhumibol as their king. Vajiralongkorn does not yet enjoy the same level of popularity. He spends much of his time outside of the public eye, particularly in southern Germany where he owns property. He has had three high-profile divorces, while a recent police corruption scandal linked to the family of his previous wife allowed the public a rare glimpse of palace affairs. Thursday's ascension ends a period of uncertainty since Bhumibol's death prompted by the prince's request to delay his official proclamation so he could mourn with the Thai people. Thailand's constitutional monarchy has limited formal powers but it draws the loyalty of much of the kingdom's business elite as well as a military that dominates politics through its regular coups. Analysts say Vajiralongkorn, untested until now, will have to manage competing military cliques. In a brief televised address after the ceremony, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, who as army chief led the 2014 coup, praised the new king "as the head of the Thai state and heart of the Thai people." The Thai monarchy is protected from criticism by one of the world's strictest lese majeste laws, carrying up to 15 years in jail for every charge of defaming the king, queen, heir or regent. That law makes open discussion about the royal family's role all but impossible inside the kingdom and means all media based inside the country routinely self-censor. Convictions for so-called "112" offences -- named after its criminal code -- have skyrocketed since generals seized power in 2014. Experts say most have targeted the junta's political opponents, many of whom support the toppled civilian government of Yingluck Shinawatra. The emergence of Yingluck's brother Thaksin in 2001, a vote-winning billionaire seen by many of the rural poor as their champion, prompted the recent round of political conflict. The army and royalist establishment have toppled two governments led by the siblings, accusing them of nepotism and corruption. Pyongyang, North Korea: North Korea says a sweeping new round of U.N. sanctions aimed at choking its nuclear program by cutting off as much as a quarter of its foreign trade revenue is an "abuse of power" and will be met with tough countermeasures. Vice Foreign Minister Han Song Ryol called a gathering of foreign diplomats in the capital Friday to lay out his country's opposition to the sanctions, which are the harshest to date and have the support of China, North Korea's primary trading partner. "We categorically reject the U.N. Security Council resolution on sanctions against our country," Han said. "The adoption of the resolution is another open denial of our country's right to self-defense, which goes beyond the mandate of the U.N. Security Council - this is an abuse of power and an infringement upon the sovereignty of our country." North Korea's Foreign Ministry, in a statement issued soon after the sanctions in response to the North's nuclear test in September were announced, warned of tough countermeasures, but didn't say what they might be. "Sanctions will inevitably escalate tensions," the ministry said in the statement, which was quoted by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Han said North Korea was being unfairly singled out by its political adversaries. "If a nuclear test is such a serious issue, why has the U.N. Security Council never imposed sanctions on the major powers that have carried out so many nuclear tests? And how can anyone understand these sanctions," he said. The Security Council voted on the sanctions Wednesday after months of diplomatic wrangling over how to respond to the September test, the North's fifth and biggest. The new sanctions aim to slash about one-quarter of the North's total export income. They target its hard currency revenues by placing a cap on coal exports, cutting them by at least 62 percent or by an estimated $800 million. The measures ban North Korea's exports of non-ferrous metals, sanction 11 government officials as well as 10 entities linked to the nuclear program and crack down on Pyongyang's access to the international banking system. They even prohibit its export of statues, a source of hard currency mostly through sales to African nations. And if the North fails to comply with U.N. efforts to stop its nuclear and long-range missile development programs, the resolution - for the first time - threatens to suspend some or all of its U.N. privileges. South Korea and Japan on Friday announced unilateral sanctions - which are being renewed in Japan's case - in conjunction with the U.N. move. South Korea said it blacklisted dozens of new high-profile North Korean officials and entities by banning South Koreans from engaging in financial dealing with them. Japan said it will more strictly block visits from North Korean officials and penalize related groups, including those in China. More unilateral action is also expected from Washington. Asked about the South Korean and Japanese unilateral sanctions, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters at a regular briefing Friday that China is opposed to such steps and that all sides should avoid taking more provocative actions. "China has long been opposed to any unilateral sanctions against a certain country beyond the framework of the U.N. Security Council, and even more so when the unilateral sanction jeopardizes China's legitimate rights," Geng said. While IS is rapidly losing territory in Iraq and Syria, this may increase the risk of revenge attacks in Southeast Asia -- and certain pockets of the region are receptive to radical Islamic ideology. (Representational Image) Singapore: Southeast Asia faces a growing risk of extremist violence from Islamic State (IS) group supporters as the jihadist group seeks new pastures after setbacks in the Middle East, Singapore's home minister said Friday. While IS is rapidly losing territory in Iraq and Syria, this may increase the risk of revenge attacks in Southeast Asia -- and certain pockets of the region are receptive to radical Islamic ideology. "The threat, if anything, I think has increased compared to last year and earlier this year," K. Shanmugam told reporters. Parts of Southeast Asia have long struggled with Islamic militancy and hundreds of radicals from the region have flocked to join IS. Southeast Asians fighting for the jihadists have formed their own unit in the Middle East, called Katibah Nusantara, and are believed to be in regular contact with militants back home. In the strife-torn southern Philippines, which has long battled a Muslim insurgency, a handful of Islamic extremist groups have sworn allegiance to IS. There has been an upsurge of violence and attempted attacks in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, over the past year due to the growing influence of IS. Even wealthy Singapore has detained several radicalised members of its local Muslim minority. "There is an increased likelihood that the Islamic State will declare an official wilaya, or province, in Southeast Asia in 2017," Otso Iho of defence analysts IHS Janes said Wednesday. This would "most likely" happen in the southern Philippines, he added. The region suffered its first IS attack in January this year when extremists launched a deadly suicide bombing and gun assault in Jakarta. Minister Shanmugam said one key challenge for Singapore, an immigrant society of 5.5 million people, would be maintaining social cohesion in the aftermath of an attack. Pointing to successful attacks in neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia, Shanmugam said it was a matter of when -- not if -- an attack would hit Singapore. "We will guard our borders but the risk is quite significant," he said. London: British Muslims have "separatist" tendencies and display belief in conspiracy theories, according to the findings of an extensive UK-wide survey released on Friday. The report titled 'Unsettled Belonging' reveals that 31 per cent of those polled believe the US government was behind the 9/11 terror attacks with a further 7 per cent blaming Jews and only 4 per cent saying al-Qaeda was responsible. Around one in 20, or 6 per cent, said they wanted integration "on some things" while leading "a separate Islamic life as far as possible" and one in a 100 were in favour of a "fully separate Islamic area in Britain, subject to Sharia Law and government". The survey of over 3,000 Muslims living in the UK, carried out by ICM and right-of-centre think tank Policy Exchange, also found that 93 per cent feel a fairly or very strong attachment to Britain. "British Muslims as a whole continue to live somewhat more separately than other large ethno-cultural minorities in neighbourhoods and schools, in terms of women not working, and in terms of attitudes and religiosity," said David Goodhart, co-author of the report and head of the integration and immigration unit at Policy Exchange. "However, the promising news from this survey is that when it comes to everyday life, British Muslims, and their concerns and interests, are increasingly part of the mainstream, and to a much greater extent than one would assume listening to many organisations that claim to speak for Muslims," he added. Birmingham's Pakistani-origin MP, Khalid Mahmood, who helped organise the survey, said the key aspect of the findings was that a majority of Muslims in the UK were positive towards integration. "In an era in which intolerance and bigotry pose a growing challenge to our society, it cannot be stressed enough that most British Muslims want to integrate with their non-British neighbours but a readiness to believe in conspiracy theories and the mentality of victimhood is holding them back, he said. The study found that Muslims are more opposed to terrorism than the UK's population as a whole, with 89 per cent of Muslims saying it is wrong to use violence for political purposes while 81 per cent of British people agreed. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the country's umbrella body of Muslim organisations, described some of the findings as disturbing. An MCB statement said, "There are some disturbing results in the poll that deserve further investigation. A large minority of Muslims seem to agree that conspiracy theories 'often contain elements of truth', in line with the broader UK population (40 per cent v 37 per cent). In addition, more British Muslims have conspiracy views about 9/11 in a proportion that is high and similar to results polling the US population on this issue. "As the Muslim Council of Britain, we will be meeting to discuss how to understand this problem properly so that action can be taken to challenge these worrying views," it said. Denmark joined the international coalition in October 2014, and sent, among others, seven F-16 planes, which were briefly brought back to Denmark for repairs. (Representational image) Copenhagen: In a planned move, Denmark is pulling back its F-16 fighter jet squadron from an international coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria. Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen says the Scandinavian country would instead send engineering troops to help with reconstruction projects. He didn't specify where. Denmark joined the international coalition in October 2014, and sent, among others, seven F-16 planes, which were briefly brought back to Denmark for repairs. In April, a large majority in the Danish Parliament sent them back, this time with a mandate to bomb in Syria. Defence Minister Claus Hjort Frederiksen said today that an undisclosed number of special Danish troops were continuing to train and support Iraqi troops fighting Islamic State militants. Geneva: Nearly 20,000 children have fled their homes in battered east Aleppo in recent days, the UN said Friday, warning that time is running out to provide them with the help they desperately need. The UN said some 31,500 people had fled their homes in opposition-held east Aleppo since November 24, when the Syrian government intensified its brutal offensive to retake the entire city. The UN children's agency UNICEF estimates that around 60 percent of those displaced -- around 19,000 -- are children. The number of displaced children could be far higher: the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights puts the overall number of people on the run from the violence in east Aleppo at more than 50,000 since Saturday. "What is critical now is that we provide the immediate and sustained assistance that these children and their families desperately need," UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac told reporters in Geneva. "It's a race against time, as winter is here and conditions are basic," he added. He said UNICEF had "winter clothing and blankets ... ready for distribution (to) at least help to provide some protection from the freezing temperatures." The UN refugee agency meanwhile warned Friday that the main focus now in providing aid to those flooding out of east Aleppo is "the rapidly growing shelter needs". "Many of those who have fled eastern districts are now in unfinished or partly destroyed buildings," UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told reporters. "Unsanitary conditions and overcrowding are already challenges in a congested city with few open spaces," he said, pointing out that even before the latest exodus from east Aleppo there were already some 400,000 displaced people in the government-held west of the city. In addition to trying to provide shelter, food, healthcare and other physical assistance to the displaced, the UN is also providing much needed psychological support, he said. That is vital, according to Boulierac, who said UNICEF staff meeting with children who have fled east Aleppo in recent days said "you could see the loss and horror in their eyes." He said UNICEF was also rushing to provide vaccinations for the newly displaced children, pointing out that "many children in east Aleppo have missed out on critical routine vaccinations to protect them from preventable childhood illnesses." The UN is meanwhile desperately trying to gain access to the people who remain inside east Aleppo where more than 300 civilians, including dozens of children, have been killed since the government launched its offensive on November 15, according to the Observatory. The escalation of violence in Aleppo has been met with international outrage, including a warning by the UN that the city's east could become "a giant graveyard". A post-mortem examination revealed that the 38-year-old woman died of injuries to her head and neck, having suffered 124 wounds including 25 stab wounds to the side of her neck. (Photo: Representational Image) London: An Indian-origin former banker in the UK was on Friday sentenced to life imprisonment for the manslaughter of his wife with 124 blows of an axe. Sonita Nijhawan was discovered in a pool of blood in her family estate in Surrey, south England, in May this year. Her husband, Sanjay Nijhawan, had pleaded not guilty to murder on the ground of diminished responsibility with his trial hearing he had suffered depression and anxiety in the months before the attack. He was originally due to be sentenced on October 10 but the hearing was delayed as the judge at Guildford Crown Court in Surrey, south England, ordered a psychiatric report on the 46-year-old. "My conclusion is that there is a significant risk and there is risk that you would cause serious harm to members of the public, especially intimate partners. I considered the risk, and what I judge to be a residual amount of culpability," Judge Fraser said during sentencing on Thursday. He sentenced Nijhawan to life imprisonment with a minimum term of nine years and 172 days. "It was in any view a brutal and sustained attack in which you used an axe to attack her and a knife to stab her? The majority of the attack occurred when she was on or near to the floor or moved or had moved around the kitchen. This clearly was not a momentary attack, you and your wife had argued about divorce," the judge added. Judge Fraser also told the court that there was evidence of planning during the early hours of the morning, including research into the soft part of the skull. Back in October, the court had heard that Sonita had wanted a divorce. A post-mortem examination revealed that the 38-year-old died of injuries to her head and neck, having suffered 124 wounds including 25 stab wounds to the side of her neck. Injuries to her hands showed that she had tried to defend herself. Prosecutor Sally O'Neill said: "The number and nature of her cuts make it clear that she was the victim of a fatal and sustained attack. She had a very large number of cut and stab injuries to her neck and head." The court was told that after he was arrested, Sanjay Nijhawan told officers that he had become "deranged" and had suffered a nervous breakdown. He had reportedly quit his job with Barclays Capital Wealth after suffering from depression and anxiety and got further upset when his wife sought a divorce. Nijhawan had also grown increasingly anxious about his 670,000-pound mortgage on the couple's 2.6-million pound home in Surrey. Nijhawan denied murdering his wife and the defence case was that he had an abnormality of mental function. The photograph was first put up on social media by a user named Malak Al Shehri. (Photo: Twitter) Riyadh: A Saudi Arabian woman is receiving threats and facing calls for her execution after she was photographed without wearing a hijab or abaya. The incident took place in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh. The photograph was first put up on social media by a user named Malak Al Shehri. The account has been deleted since then. The woman in the photograph received backlash on social media with many users calling for strict action against her. One of the users called on the state to "kill her and throw her corpse to the dogs." A hashtag "we demand the imprisonment of the rebel Angel Al Shehri" has gone viral. A social media user wrote, "we propose blood" while another commented, "harsh punishment for the heinous situation". However, there were some users who came out in support of the woman. One such user wrote, "Its about time to protest against this discriminative abaya prison against women". "A brave Saudi lady decided not to wear her Abaya or Hijab out & about. Many praised her, others (males) said she should be killed for it," said a tweet. Chinese courts have a conviction rate of 99.92 percent, and concerns over wrongful verdicts are fuelled by police reliance on forced confessions and the lack of effective defence in criminal trials. (Representational image) Beijing: China's top court on Friday cleared a man executed 21 years ago for murder -- more than a decade after another man confessed to the killing -- in the latest miscarriage of justice in the Communist-ruled country. Nie Shubin was 20 years old when he faced a firing squad in 1995, two days after being convicted of rape and murder. "The Supreme People's Court believes that the facts used in the original trial were unclear and the evidence insufficient, and so changes the original sentence to one of innocence," it said in a statement on a verified social media account. Chinese courts have a conviction rate of 99.92 percent, and concerns over wrongful verdicts are fuelled by police reliance on forced confessions and the lack of effective defence in criminal trials. Overseas rights groups say China executes more people than any other country, but Beijing does not give figures on the death penalty, regarding the statistics as state secrets. Nie was convicted of raping and murdering a woman whose body was discovered by her father in a corn field on the outskirts of Shijiazhuang city, in the northern province of Hebei. But the time, method and motive for the murder could not be confirmed, and key documents related to witnesses and the defendant's testimony were missing, the supreme court said. The "primary evidence was that Nie Shubin's confession of guilt corroborated the other evidence", but "there are doubts over the truth and legality of his confession of guilt", the statement added. Nie's family had been campaigning for justice since a serial murderer arrested in 2005 confessed to the killing. But the case was only formally reopened in 2014. "Thanks to all those who helped on Nie Shubin's case!" his mother, Zhang Huanzhi, 72, said on social media. 'Inquisition by torture' The Hebei high court, which convicted and executed Nie, "expressed deep, deep regrets" to his relatives and would investigate "possible illegal problems related to the trial" soon, according to state broadcaster CCTV. But Liu Fujin, one of the defence lawyers involved, said the court had been unwilling to reconsider the case for years because no one would take responsibility for a mistaken verdict. He had applied to see documents related to the case 54 times to no avail, he said. "So many examination statements and documents have been tampered with or lost; how could they let lawyers look at documents messed with to such an extent?" he said. Though the verdict was a "landmark" and China's judicial system had improved since the 1990s, he said, many injustices remain unaddressed. "Every province and every region has old cases just like Nie's and new ones coming up that are all still being suppressed," he said. "Trial dossiers and evidence in favour of defendants are still being concealed, and inquisition by torture is happening every day." In 2014, an Inner Mongolian court declared innocent Hugjiltu, who had been executed at age 18 in 1996 for rape and murder -- only for another man to confess to the crime later. Last February, China "penalised" 27 officials involved, issuing them demerits. William Nee, China researcher for Amnesty International, which campaigns against capital punishment, said: "There are many severe flaws in China's application of the death penalty, and the only way they can really ensure that this sort of tragic case doesn't occur in the future is by abolishing it." Maulana Masroor Nawaz Jhangvi, son of Sunni militant group Sipah-e-Sahaba's slain founder Haq Nawaz Jhangvi, won the Punjab Assembly's PP-78 by-election yesterday in Jhang district of the province. (Photo: YouTube) Lahore: In a stunning development, a hardline cleric having links with banned Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), won by-election for a Punjab Assembly seat, defeating over two dozen candidates including those fielded by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP). Maulana Masroor Nawaz Jhangvi, son of Sunni militant group Sipah-e-Sahaba's slain founder Haq Nawaz Jhangvi, won the Punjab Assembly's PP-78 by-election yesterday in Jhang district of the province. ASWJ chief Maulana Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi campaigned door-to-door for independent candidate Jhangvi, who secured 48,562 votes defeating his closest rival Azad Nasir Ansari of the ruling PML-N with more than 12,000 votes. The election was held in high security as police, rangers and army personnel were deployed at all polling stations. The overall voter turnout reported to be around 30 per cent. ASWJ was formed after the government slapped a ban on Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). The SSP,spearheaded the anti-Shia drive in late 1980s and led to sectarian violence in the country that is still going on. The elder Jhangvi was killed in sectarian violence. Jhangvi's victory has shown that ASWJ has strong voter-base in Jhang, some 200 km from Lahore. The seat was vacated by PML-N Rashida Yaqoob, who was disqualified by Election Commission for concealing her assets. By allowing a known extremist to run for election and use the platform of banned outfit raises several questions about Pakistan's government pledge to fight extremism and militancy. Commenting on the outcome of the by-election, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on twitter: "Rest in pieces National action plan" with hashtag #GoNisarGo. Earlier, the PML-N had election alliance with ASWJ. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah is accused of harbouring the ASWJ activists. The returnees face an uncertain future in an Afghanistan still torn apart by decades of war, where a record half a million people were internally displaced by the fighting in 2016, according to UN figures. (Photo: AP/ Representational Image) Islamabad: More than 380,000 registered Afghan refugees have returned from Pakistan this year, the highest number since 2007, the United Nations said Friday, adding it handed out $135 million in cash assistance in the last three months alone. Fears of a crackdown on refugees in Pakistan along with a doubling of the UN's cash grant for voluntary returnees to $400 saw a surge over the border after July this year, the UN has said. "These are unprecedented numbers we did not anticipate. In October alone some 148,000 returned, which is the highest number of returns in one months (sic) since August 2005," Duniya Aslam Khan, a spokesman for UNHCR, told AFP. At one point UNHCR was processing an average of 5,500 refugees per day, she added. Estimates suggest that a further half a million unregistered refugees may also have returned this year, though the figure could not be verified by officials. The returnees face an uncertain future in an Afghanistan still torn apart by decades of war, where a record half a million people were internally displaced by the fighting in 2016, according to UN figures. The mass migrations are draining local resources, especially in safer urban areas, officials have said. UNHCR said Friday the voluntary repatriations will be halted from December 1 for a routine winter break, resuming in March. The break will also allow the agency time to mobilise additional resources, Khan said. UNHCR had estimated just 50,000 refugees would return in 2016, based on trends from previous years. Khan said some 1.34 million registered refugees still reside in Pakistan. A further half a million undocumented refugees are also estimated to still be in the country, making Pakistan one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world. Pakistan has extended a deadline for the refugees to leave its territory from March 2017 to December next year. Some Afghan refugees have been sheltering in Pakistan for decades, first fleeing over the border after the Soviet invasion of 1979. Some 4.2 million Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan voluntarily under the UNHCR-funded Voluntary Repatriation programme since 2002. Kathmandu: Nepal's opposition parties on Friday obstructed the parliament for the second consecutive day, saying the Constitution amendment bill, aimed at carving out a new province to meet the demands of agitating Madhesis and other ethnic groups, is "against national interests". The continued protests by the opposition parties led by CPN-UML forced House Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar to reschedule the meeting for Sunday. The Parliament Secretariat had set the agenda of concluding general discussions on the impeachment motion against the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority Chief Lok Man Singh Karki for the meeting today. Soon after the meeting began, CPN-ML General Secretary and former Deputy Prime Minister CP Mainali sought a time and said the House could not move ahead with the regular business unless the government withdrew the bill, which he claimed was against national interests, The Himalayan Times reported. Lawmakers of UML, ML, Nepal Workers and Peasants Party and Rastriya Janamorcha stood up from their seats to obstruct the House. The parties had blocked the Parliamentary proceedings yesterday also. The Parliament saw a heated debate over the phrase "mad dog" used by Mainali during his speech. Questioning the rationale behind the amendment bill, Mainali had wondered whether Prime Minister Prachanda was bitten by a mad dog. Nepali Congress lawmaker Ram Hari Khatiwada objected to the remark, claiming the phrase was unceremonious for the Parliament. Meanwhile, Nepal witnessed massive anti-government protests for the third consecutive day against the Constitution amendment bill. Various political parties organised a joint protest in Butwal against the bill, forcing markets, industries and schools to remain close for a few hours. An indefinite district-wide general strike has also been called in protest against the changes to the province borders introduced in the constitution amendment bill in parliament. As per the provision in the constitution amendment bill, Arghakhanchu, Palpa, Gulmi, Rolpa and Pyuthan would be split from Province 5 and placed under Province 4. The government had on Tuesday taken the step a day after the 15-day ultimatum served by the Federal Alliance for implementing the three-point deal expired. The amendment bill aims to accommodate the demands of the agitating Madhesi and ethnic groups that include citizenship and boundary demarcation issues among others. Rawalpindi: Pakistan's newly-appointed army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday raked up the Kashmir issue for the first time in his address to soldiers and asked them to respond with "full force" to any ceasefire violations by India along the LoC. "Each violation of any kind must be responded to with full force in the most effective manner," he said during a visit to the 10 Corps Rawalpindi and troops at forward locations along the Line of Control (LoC). Bajwa was briefed on the security situation along the LoC "in view of recent violations and escalation by Indian troops and Pakistan's own response," the army's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. He said India's "aggressive posture" aims solely to divert the world's attention away from "atrocities" being committed by Indian troops in Kashmir, Dawn quoted the statement as saying. The Kashmir issue will have to be resolved in line with United Nations resolutions keeping in view the aspirations of the Kashmiri people in order to achieve lasting regional peace, Bajwa said in his first public comments on the Kashmir issue after taking over as the Chief of Army Staff this week. He appreciated the "befitting response" given to "unprovoked Indian firing" across the LoC and asked troops to keep the highest level of vigil at all times. Bajwa's statement came at a time when there are strains in the relations between Pakistan and India following India's surgical strikes on terror launchpads in the PoK, and the terror attack on an army base camp in Uri. General Bajwa, 57, took over the command of the army on Tuesday at a ceremony in Rawalpindi from General Raheel Sharif who retired on November 29. Presence of army personnel at toll plazas in West Bengal triggered a row with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee remaining at the state secretariat overnight in protest, asking was it an "army coup", drawing a a stinging condemnation today from the Centre which said the remark showed her "political frustration". The row also echoed in Parliament with Trinamool Congress seeing "sinister" designs behind the move and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar vehemently denying the charge, saying it was a routine exercise. Parrikar also said it was very unfortunate that army has been dragged into an "unnecessary controversy". The Army on its part strongly rebutted Banerjee's allegations that its personnel were deployed at toll plazas without informing the state government and were collecting money, saying the exercise was being carried out in coordination with Kolkata Police. The Army personnel, however, had left the toll plaza near the secretariat last night. TMC MLAs and ministers also staged a dharna outside Raj Bhavan in Kolkata. Banerjee left the state secretariat in the evening after she spent over 24 hours and fired a fresh salvo at the Modi government. Accusing the Modi government of making a "wrong and concocted" statement in Parliament regarding the deployment of Army, Banerjee said her voice could not be stifled by "hatching conspiracy and showing force". Along with West Bengal, similar exercise was carried out in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram, Parrikar said while responding to TMC and Congress MPs. He also stated that originally the exercise was planned for November 28-30 but was shifted to December 1 and 2 at the request of Kolkata Police as those dates were clashing with the protests against demonetisation. "It is shocking that a Chief Minister is saying this. The Army's deployment was part of routine exercise which has been going on for several years, which has been going on for last 15-20 years. Even last year it was held on November 19 to 21." "Concerned officials were informed in West Bengal. The original date was fixed for November 28 to 30 but due to Bharat Bandh the local police had advised the army to shift it to December 1 and 2," he said. "Due to traffic congestion, the exercise is being done with the help of local police." TMC leaders in both Houses alleged that neither the state government, nor local administration including police were taken into confidence on the exercise or their permission sought. Congress and BSP too wanted to know from the government how such an unprecedented move to carry out an army exercise without taking state government into confidence was done. "It was very unfortunate that army has been dragged into an unnecessary controversy," Parrikar said. "It was political frustration rather than projection of correct situation." The Army also released letters written to the West Bengal government on the exercise. "It is happening in nine states now across 80 locations," GOC Bengal area (officiating) Maj Gen Sunil Yadav said. Reacting to Chief Minister's allegations on collection of money, he said, "We deny all charges with all contempt." "Allegations of collection of money by Army personnel are also totally baseless," he added. Banerjee also said the state government will take legal recourse if there is no withdrawal of army personnel from all toll plazas in the state. Speaking to reporters late last night at 'Nabanna', the state secretariat in Kolkata, she said, "I will stay at the secretariat to guard our democracy". "Is this a military coup?" she asked. She said that army personnel were there in different districts like Murshidabad, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, North 24 Paragans, Burdwan, Howrah, Hooghly etc. "The army is deployed without informing the state government. This is unprecedented and a very serious matter." The issue was raised in both Houses of Parliament with main opposition Congress too seeking clarification on the army deployment at 19 toll plazas in West Bengal. In Lok Sabha, Parrikar termed the deployment a "routine exercise not unique to West Bengal" and saying similar operations to collect information on heavy vehicle movement that can be used during national emergencies had last month being conducted in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. President-elect Donald Trump's "ignorant" conversation with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may send India an unwelcome message, a leading American magazine has said. The Forbes magazine said that Trump's "flattering" conversation sends a message that he has no awareness of the issues between the US, Pakistan and India. "His bluster is more likely to be taken as the initial signal of his Administrations position. When he goes on and on about how wonderful Pakistan is, and how strong is his friendship, it matters. It matters that he uses words like: very good reputation, amazing work...fantastic country, fantastic place, fantastic people," it said. "One of the main messages it sends, is that he shows no awareness of the issues between the United States, Pakistan, and India," it said. Stating that Trump is not aware about the ground realities in South Asia, it said, his "ignorant" conversation with Sharif may send India an "unwelcome message". Meanwhile, a prominent Hindu American group urged Trump to carefully look at the records of Pakistan in particular its fight against terrorism and human rights. "Diplomacy is necessary in dealing with Pakistan, but President-elect Trump and his Administration will need to proceed with caution and full awareness of the country's double-dealing track record," Suhag Shukla, executive director of Hindu American Foundation (HAF) said in a statement expressing concern over the readout issued by Pakistan after a telephonic conversation between Trump and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. "If the transcript of the conversation is indeed accurate, wed urge President-elect Trump to look more carefully at Pakistans record within its own borders and with its neighbours before offering praise to a state that according to most observers is failing," Shukla said. US President-elect Donald Trump today announced that he will nominate retired Marine general James Mattis, renowned for his tough talk and battlefield experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, to be his defence secretary. "We are going to appoint 'Mad Dog' Mattis as our Secretary of Defence," Trump told a cheering crowd at Cincinnati in Ohio in his first of the series of 'Thank You' victory tour. "But we are not announcing this till Monday, so don't tell anybody," Trump told his supporters in his characteristic way. Trump described 66-year-old Mattis as "one of our great, great generals." "He's our best. They say he's the closest thing to (World War II-era) general George Patton that we have and it's about time," Trump said at the rally. The retired four-star general, known as "Mad Dog," commanded a Marine battalion during the First Gulf War and a Marine division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In 2010, he was named to head the US Central Command. Tough-talking Mattis attracted controversy in 2005 when he said "it's fun to shoot some people" while addressing service members in San Diego. If confirmed by the US Senate, Mattis would replace outgoing Defence Secretary Ashton Carter. The nomination comes after Mattis met with Trump in Bedminster, New Jersey, last month. Trump had said he changed his position on enhanced interrogation after meeting Mattis. "General Mattis is a strong, highly dignified man. I met with him at length and I asked him that question. I said, What do you think of waterboarding?" Trump told The New York Times in an interview. "He said -- I was surprised -- he said, Ive never found it to be useful. He said, Ive always found, give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers and I do better with that than I do with torture," Trump said. General Mattis has received support from top Republican Senators in the Congress, including Senator John McCain, Chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee. Notably McCain and Trump do not see an eye to eye on a lot of issues. "General Mattis is one of the finest military officers of his generation and an extraordinary leader who inspires a rare and special admiration of his troops," McCain said last month when his named popped up for the first time. "He is a forthright strategic thinker. His integrity is unshakable and unquestionable. And he has earned his knowledge and experience the old-fashioned way: in the crucible of our nation's defence and the service of heroes," he said. "General Mattis has a clear understanding of the many challenges facing the Department of Defence, the US military, and our national security. I hope he has an opportunity to serve America again," McCain had then said. Congressman Mac Thornberry, chairman of House Armed Services Committee, said few individuals in the field of national security are as respected and admired as Mattis. "His nomination as Secretary of Defence is an excellent selection, and I am grateful for his willingness to serve in this capacity. I will work with my colleagues in the coming days to clear the way for his confirmation by the Senate. I can think of no better partner for Congress to work with to support the men and women who serve and protect our nation's security," Thornberry said in a statement. The court was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the decision to demonetise currency notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 and the inconvenience faced by the common man due to it. It had also asked the Attorney General to file an additional affidavit explaining the "schemes and steps" taken to ease the situation that has arisen due to demonetisation. The Centre has recently moved the apex court seeking transfer of all the petitions pending in various high courts to either the Supreme Court or one of the high courts. It had on November 24 filed an affidavit in the apex court on demonetisation and had said that the "bold move" would eradicate black money and slush funds operating since Independence which cast a "parallel economy" hitting the poor and the middle class. It had also said the decision, on which total secrecy was maintained, would now help in proper implementation of the ambitious 'Jan Dhan Yojana' under which around 22 crore bank accounts for poor people have been opened. Further, it had said that demonetisation is seen as a check on the real estate sector where prices get pushed up artificially, reducing the availability of affordable housing for the poor and the middle class. The Centre in its additional affidavit had yesterday told the apex court that substantial amount of banned Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes has been deposited in banks and the situation post demonetisation will ease out in next two-three weeks. It justified the drive saying it is in the interest of the nation and would help in curbing black money and weeding out fake currency from the system. It said demonetisation would also curb terror activities in the country. Highlighting the measures taken to normalise the situation after the November 8 demonetisation notification, the additional affidavit settled by the AG said the number of recalibrated ATMs is increasing day-by-day and the government is monitoring the grant given to farmers. It had told the court that the government is also monitoring various exemptions given in the drive and that from today, petrol pumps will not take old Rs 500 currency notes as use of debit and credit cards is picking up pace. On November 29, the apex court had agreed to hear pleas of 14 co-operative banks of Kerala for its nod to transact business like banks, and BJP spokesperson and advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay seeking demonetisation of any currency note higher than Rs 100 denomination. The plea filed by the co-operative banks have sought the apex court's nod to handle cash at par with state-run banks, claiming that the move did not allow the district co-operative banks to exchange old notes, which was discriminatory as they operated according to the RBI's guidelines. The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to spell out measures taken to ease the sufferings and inconvenience of people in rural areas, who are mostly dependent on co-operative banks, post-demonetisation. A bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice D Y Chandrachud, while hearing a batch of pleas challenging various aspects of demonetisation, said all the parties should sit together and prepare a list of categories of cases which could be referred to high courts and those that could be heard by the apex court.Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Centre, said that the government is aware of the situation in co-operative banks which lack proper infrastructure and mechanism as compared to scheduled banks. "Entire chapter in the additional affidavit filed by the Centre is dedicated to the issue of co-operative banks. It is not that we are not aware of the situation but these (the co-operative banks) lack proper facilities, mechanism and proper infrastructure as compared to scheduled banks," he said.He said that the government has deliberately kept co-operative banks out of the drive as these did not have the expertise to detect fake currency. Rohatgi said, "Several cases are filed each passing day in various high courts on various aspects post demonetisation and it is not possible to deal with cases simultaneously in Kerala, Kolkata, Jaipur and Mumbai... All these matter should be clubbed together and be referred to any one high court or the apex court should hear them."Senior advocate P Chidambaram, appearing for co-operative banks, questioned the government's decision, saying that the rural economy is almost paralysed due to non-inclusion of co- operative banks. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for one of the petitioners, suggested that they will sit together and file the list of categories by Monday. The bench then posted the hearing on the matter to December 5. Wednesdays order of the Supreme Court to maintain status quo on the SYL canal land notwithstanding, thousands of farmers in Punjab villages became millionaires overnight after the government returned land to them free of cost several decades later. Land prices in many areas in the 122 km stretch of the unfinished canal swelled phenomenally over the years. The current land price in these areas ranges between Rs 25 and Rs 50 lakh every acre. Some farmers gained up to 7 or 8 acres of land. Apprehending an adverse order on the controversial SYL canal issue, the revenue department on the directions of the Punjab government worked overtime, making changes in the revenue records to alter the ownership of SYL land in favour of the original land owners or their legal heirs. Gursharan Virk of Bibipur village in Punjabs Patiala district is today an owner of additional land worth Rs 3 crore. The government has returned 8 acres of land that it acquired for the SYL canal from his grandfather decades ago. Farmer Kuldip Singhs land returned was limited to 2 acres after division among the legal heirs. But whens its coming free of cost, Singh isnt complaining. There are scores of farmers in Punjab who have benefited this way in immovable assets. But a sense of disquiet has set in after yesterdays Apex Court order on a petition filed by the neighbouring Haryana on the SYL issue. Haryana has argued that despite the order to maintain status quo on the land acquired for the SYL, Punjab has returned the land in contempt of the Court. Farmers who have got their land back are wary of investing money on leveling, tilling or cultivation. Thats because they are not sure of the outcome and the fallout of any adverse direction by the SYL. In excess Rs 10 lakh per acre will be needed to prepare the land, fill it with sand et al, Singh said, adding that the entire effort or the money spent may go waste if the SC order reverts the government decision to hand over land to farmers. Last month, the Court had termed the Punjab Termination of Water treat Act unconstitutional which, simply put, meant that the canal would be built and Haryana would get its share of water. Poll-bound Punjab isnt willing. Close to 4,300 acres of land in 202 villages in four districts has been transferred back to over twenty-one thousand farmers in Punjab. Former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, on Thursday said the escalation in violence on Line of Control (LoC) and the spurt in militant attacks on security forces is the direct fall out of New Delhis post-surgical strike rhetoric. What we saw after the surgical strikes was New Delhi indulging in rhetoric provoking Pakistan again and again. Statements like let alone attacking us, Pakistan wont dare to look at India from now on were issued, Omar told reporters on the sidelines of his address to party workers in south Kashmirs Anantnag district. Even the defense minister threatened Pakistan of taking away both its eyes and handing it back. We are now bearing its consequences, he said. Referring to surge in skirmishes along the LoC and the attack at the army base in Nagrota in Jammu, the former CM said, After surgical strikes, the government, instead of issuing rhetorical statements, should have kept mum. The government should have focused on the their job instead of indulging in unnecessary talking. He said the job of the government is to work and that of the opposition is to talk, but here the roles have been reversed. After demonetisation, the government claimed terrorism will be wiped out but nothing of that sort has happened, Omar said. Saying dialogue is the only way forward, he added the onus for creating conducive atmosphere for it lies with both New Delhi and Islamabad. I agree that right now, the atmosphere is not conducive for talks. But in order to create that atmosphere, both countries have to take the initiative. Pakistan cant expect only us to take the initiative and vice versa, Omar said. Earlier, Omar had hit out at Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for failing to reach out to people in south Kashmir, who bore the maximum brunt of the violence during the recent unrest. Where is that Mehbooba Mufti who used to shed tears for people when Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah were in chair? Today the youth who were promised jobs and a sense of security, are waiting for a few words of sympathy from her. But she is busy taking scooty rides, discussing her college days and how she used to have golgappas (panipuri) then, Omar said. He said he had told the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi that economic packages are fine, but it is not the alternative to solving the Kashmir issue. Two senior Karnataka government officials were suspended today in connection with the searches conducted by the Income Tax Department on their premises as part of the country-wide operation that has resulted in the biggest-ever seizure of cash in new currency. Bowing to the Opposition demand in the Karnataka Legislative Council, now in session here, Home Minister G Parameshwara announced the action against senior engineers T N Chikkarayappa and S C Jayachandra who had come on the radar of tax sleuths along with two contractors here. Chikkarayappa is Managing Director of Cauvery Neeravari Nigama (irrigation corporation) and Jayachandra, Chief Project Officer of the State Highway Development Project. The government would decide on the next step after a probe and getting information from the IT Department, Parameshwara said, adding, none would be protected and the guilty would be punished according to law. He also said it was not proper to link one official as being close to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the other to Public Works Minister H C Mahadevappa, pointing out that they had worked for previous governments also. Over 50 I-T sleuths and police personnel had conducted the operations and searched premises in Bengaluru, Chennai and Erode (Tamil Nadu) with the Department today saying the seizure of cash in new currency was over Rs five crore. IT officials today said the cash found, after searches were launched yesterday on the premises of two engineers and two contractors, has risen to Rs 5.7 crore and these notes are in the denomination of the new currency of Rs 2,000. "Total admission of unaccounted income by the group stands at Rs 152 crore. Investigations are on," they said in New Delhi. Parameshwara said it was puzzling as to "from where Rs 4.7 crore came (in cash in new currency). It must have come from the bank only. How did they get it ... from which bank." He said the IT department should now find out as to how "so much money reached them" and take action after completing the relevant process. As the Council met, Opposition BJP and JD(S) members rushed to the well of the House alleging that government was protecting corrupt officers by not suspending them forthwith. Opposition BJP leader K S Eshwarappa raised the issue and said the state government had not taken any action against the two officials though the matter had come to the fore and demanded their immediate suspension pending inquiry. JDS' Basavaraj Horatti also insisted on their suspension. Parameshwara later told the House that he had discussed the matter with the Chief Minister and Chief Secretary and announced the suspension. Pakistan's newly-appointed army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa today raked up the Kashmir issue for the first time in his address to soldiers and asked them to respond with "full force" to each ceasefire violation by India. "Each violation of any kind must be responded to with full force in the most effective manner," he said during a visit to the 10 Corps Rawalpindi and troops at forward locations along the Line of Control (LoC). Bajwa, who visited troops at their forward positions on the LoC for the first time since taking over the command of army this week, was briefed on the security situation along the LoC "in view of recent violations and escalation by Indian troops and Pakistan's own response," the army's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. He said India's "aggressive posture" aims solely to divert the world's attention away from "atrocities being committed by Indian troops" in Kashmir, the statement said. The Kashmir issue will have to be resolved in line with United Nations resolutions keeping in view the aspirations of the Kashmiri people in order to achieve lasting regional peace, Bajwa said in his first public comments on the Kashmir issue after taking over as the Chief of Army Staff this week. He appreciated the "befitting response" given to "unprovoked Indian firing" across the LoC and asked troops to keep the highest level of vigil at all times, the statement said. Bajwa's statement came at a time when India-Pakistan relations are strained following the terror attack on an Army base camp in Uri and India's surgical strikes on terror launchpads in the PoK. General Bajwa, 57, took over the command of the army on Tuesday at a ceremony in Rawalpindi from General Raheel Sharif who retired on November 29. North Korea says a sweeping new round of UN sanctions aimed at choking its nuclear program by cutting off as much as a quarter of its foreign trade revenue is an "abuse of power" and will be met with tough countermeasures. Vice Foreign Minister Han Song Ryol called a gathering of foreign diplomats in the capital today to lay out his country's opposition to the sanctions, which are the harshest to date and have the support of China, North Korea's primary trading partner. "We categorically reject the UN Security Council resolution on sanctions against our country," Han said. "The adoption of the resolution is another open denial of our country's right to self-defense, which goes beyond the mandate of the UN Security Council this is an abuse of power and an infringement upon the sovereignty of our country." North Korea's Foreign Ministry, in a statement issued soon after the sanctions in response to the North's nuclear test in September were announced, warned of tough countermeasures, but didn't say what they might be. "Sanctions will inevitably escalate tensions," the ministry said in the statement, which was quoted by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Han said North Korea was being unfairly singled out by its political adversaries. "If a nuclear test is such a serious issue, why has the UN Security Council never imposed sanctions on the major powers that have carried out so many nuclear tests? And how can anyone understand these sanctions," he said. The Security Council voted on the sanctions Wednesday after months of diplomatic wrangling over how to respond to the September test, the North's fifth and biggest. The new sanctions aim to slash about one-quarter of the North's total export income. They target its hard currency revenues by placing a cap on coal exports, cutting them by at least 62 per cent or by an estimated USD 800 million. The measures ban North Korea's exports of non-ferrous metals, sanction 11 government officials as well as 10 entities linked to the nuclear program and crack down on Pyongyang's access to the international banking system. They even prohibit its export of statues, a source of hard currency mostly through sales to African nations. And if the North fails to comply with UN efforts to stop its nuclear and long-range missile development programs, the resolution for the first time threatens to suspend some or all of its UN privileges. South Korea and Japan yesterday announced unilateral sanctions which are being renewed in Japan's case in conjunction with the UN move. South Korea said it blacklisted dozens of new high-profile North Korean officials and entities by banning South Koreans from engaging in financial dealing with them. Japan said it will more strictly block visits from North Korean officials and penalize related groups, including those in China. The Supreme Court today accorded its nod to the Centre's graded response action plan to tackle different levels of pollution and asked the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to upgrade its existing infrastructure and set up additional monitoring stations in Delhi-NCR within six months. Terming as "severe" levels of pollution when particulate matter (PM) 2.5 levels are above 250 to 430 micrograms per cubic metre in the ambient air, the Centre told a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur that when air pollution reaches such alarming proportion, immediate steps are needed to be taken including ban on construction activities and implementation of odd-even scheme. The sanction came after environmentalist Sunita Narain from the Centre for Science and Environment told the bench that the Centre's graded response action plan to tackle different levels of pollution was "acceptable" and can be put into operation. "Enforcement of graded response action plan shall be under the orders of Environment Pollution (Control and Prevention) Authority (EPCA) and all other authorities should act in aid of such direction," the bench said. The court directed the apex pollution monitoring body to file a status report on setting up additional monitoring stations in Delhi-NCR within six months. It also directed the Centre to examine within four weeks about harmful effects of petroleum coke and furnace oil used in industries and power generation plants in NCR and issue appropriate directions in this regard. Solicitor General (SG) Ranjit Kumar told the bench that CPCB proposed to upgrade its centralised control room with modern equipment's at an estimated cost of Rs 57 lakhs on hardware, internet and optical fibre. CPCB also plans to set up 12 real time air monitoring stations in Uttar Pradesh, nine in Haryana, two in Rajasthan besides 20 new stations in Delhi apart from 28 existing ones, he said. The Solicitor General also filed a compilation before the bench stating details about the system of issuing pollution under control certificates to vehicle owners and the mechanism of licensing such centres where pollution checks are carried out and certificates issued in the form of stickers. At the outset, senior advocate Harish Salve, who is the amicus curiae in a 1985 PIL filed by environmentalist M C Mehta, told the bench also comprising Justices A K Sikri and S A Bobde that the Centre has classified three levels of pollution based on different levels of PM namely -- moderate to poor, very poor and severe. Salve said that the Centre has recommended that whenever air pollution reaches "severe" levels, immediate action including ban on power plants and construction activities should be imposed in the national capital. He also highlighted the ill-effects of petroleum coke and furnace oil used in industries on ambient air and told the court that the emissions from such units were highly toxic as these release high sulphur. "Delhi has already banned use of pet coke and furnace oil in industries. But, the problem has only been transferred to the neighbouring states, where these industries still use these fuel to operate which release high sulphur which greatly contributes to pollution in the region," Salve said while referring to EPCA report. The Centre's Graded Response Action Plan for reducing air pollution has enumerated a number of measures which include closing brick kilns, hot mix plants, stone crushers, intensifying public transport services besides increase in frequency of mechanised cleaning of road and sprinkling of water on roads. The matter would now come up for hearing in third week of January. The court had earlier slammed CPCB for not having an action plan ready to deal with the "emergency" smog situation and asked the Centre to come out with time-bound measures to tackle the graded level of worsening air quality. Days after former prime minister Manmohan Singh called demonetisation an organised loot, the Centres think tank Niti Aayogs Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya sought an evidence to back his contention. Singh had called the move a case of organised loot and legalised plunder and reflected a monumental management failure. I really wished that the former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh had also given his arguments very clearly why he thought this was loot, why he thought this was plunder. I really dont know what his arguments were, so I really cant address them in an informed sort of way, Panagariya told a private TV channel in an interview. Panagariya also questioned Nobel Laureate Amartya Sens observation that it was a despotic action. He said if the action was despotic it would have had created uproar. A despotic action should create some uproar from the public. The public sentiment has been quite the contrary actually, he said. He added that the governments next crack down will be on real estate sector and indicated stamp duty rates may come down. JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "better" than the US President-elect Donald Trump. Kumar was speaking at a panel discussion on 'From Bihar to Tihar' at Times LitFest here. "Despite several differences (he may have with Narendra Modi), Modi is better than Trump. There has been a rise in authoritative sentiment across the world and if you see the kind of language that was used in (US) presidential election, the comments made against migrants and women were unprecedented," said Kumar, who earlier this year faced a sedition case over 'anti-national' slogans at Jawaharlal Nehru University. The student leader quoted the iconic African American leader Martin Luther King, saying "bad people are shouting not because they are more powerful but because the good people are quiet." Speaking about Najeeb Ahmed, JNU student who has been missing for the past several weeks, Kumar said, "Government is actually doing nothing but throwing some issues before us. It is happening because there is no powerful opposition that would keep a check on this government. The issues of Dadri (lynching by cow-vigilantes), JNU's anti-national slogans and Najeeb's missing are being diverted. "In Dadri case, the committee is focusing on whether it was beef or not, in Rohith Vemula case the committee was set up to decide his caste, in JNU's anti-national slogan case the committee was set up to find out whether footage was doctored or not and there are many other similar cases," he said. Why no charge sheet was filed in the JNU anti-national slogans case even after nine months if the government was serious, Kumar asked. After the Indian government drew attention to human rights violations in Balochistan, some Baloch leaders sought asylum in India and support for setting up a government-in-exile. These developments have raised expectations about Indias ability to facilitate Balochistans secession. However, the desirability of Baloch independence should not be confounded with its feasibility. The Baloch problem has to be understood in its context. The British divided the Baloch people across Pakistan (Balochistan), Iran (Sistan and Baluchestan), and Afghanistan (Nimruz and adjoining provinces). In each of these countries, the Baloch people have been corralled with other communities within gerrymandered provinces. The Baloch provinces are among the least-developed areas of these countries. Balochistan hosts 5% of Pakistans population, but makes up 44% of its area. Irans largest province Sistan and Baluchestan account for 3.4 and 11% of its population and area. Nimruz accounts for 6.3% of Afghanistans area and less than 1% population. There are Baloch communities in West Asia, particularly, Oman. The Sultan of Muscat and Oman ruled over Gwadar until 1958. Oman still recruits soldiers from a few districts of Balochistan. Two-thirds of Pakistans coast, four of its key ports (Gwadar, Ormara, Jiwani, and Pasni), and its largest ship-breaking yard (Gadani) are located in Balochistan. Half of the Iranian coast to the east of Hormuz lies in Sistan and Baluchestan and Chabahar port is also located in this province. The shortest route between Chabahar and Afghanistan passes through Nimruz. India is developing Chabahar port and has already built roads in Nimruz. China is developing Gwadar. The ports on the Baloch coast will connect landlocked, resource-rich Central Asia and Afghanistan with the sea. The Baloch territory is itself rich in natural resources. Among countries with large Baloch populations, Pakistan is most reliant upon its Baloch provinces resources and ports. Pakistan also suffers the oldest and most intense Baloch insurgency. Politically-restive Balochistan and Pashtun areas make up about two-thirds of Pakistans territory. While the territorial footprint of insurgency and Pakistans economic and strategic dependence upon disturbed territories are unprecedented, this does not necessarily guarantee a repeat of 1971. Balochistan is not East Pakistan. Ethno-linguistically homogenous East Pakistan was home to about half of Pakistans population. It was surrounded by India from three sides. Distance between the two parts of Pakistan ensured that there were not many East Pakistanis in West Pakistan or vice versa. In contrast, sparsely-populated Balochistan does not border upon India and is internally divided along tribal lines. Economic stagnation and counter-insurgency have pushed Balochs into other provinces while the Afghan War and demographic engineering have drawn Pashtuns and Punjabis into Balochistan. Baloch migration to Punjab and Sindh began before the arrival of the British though. The British succeeded a Baloch dynasty in Sindh. Asif Ali Zardari and Farooq Leghari, former presidents, belonged to Baloch tribes of Sindh and Punjab. Northern Balochistan has a sizeable native Pashtun population. So, unlike Bangladesh, an independent Balochistan will leave behind a substantial Baloch population in Pakistan and include a large Pashtun and Punjabi population. Balochistan resembles East Pakistan insofar as it is a net exporter of resources to other provinces, but the Baloch people have been able to access economic oppo-rtunities in the latter. So, unlike East Pakistan, Balochistan is not only internally divided but also enmeshed in Pakistans political economy. While Pakistan has failed to eliminate the Baloch insurgency and integrate the people, the Baloch have failed to unite for their cause and that has helped Pakistan to block secession. This longstanding impasse highlights the limits of what external intervention can achieve. Barriers to successful external intervention in Sindh are higher. Balochistan and Sindh face a chicken-and-egg situation. Balochistan cannot seriously bid for independence unless Sindh reconsiders its future within the Union, but Sindh will not be forced to think in this regard until Balochistan reaches the precipice. Internationally, Balochistans independence depends upon the response of Afghanistan, China, the US, Iran and India. Pakistan has offered economic and strategic concessions to China in Balochistan to ensure that it is not without allies on the Baloch front. Gwadar is an important node of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The US will not openly support Baloch insurgents, but unlike China, it will not impede Baloch independence. Irans choices Irans choices will shape the response of the Gulf countries. Balochistans neighbours, Afghanistan and Iran, will be driven by opposing goals: weakening Pakistan and resisting potential Baloch irredentism. Shahs Iran supported Pakistans campaign against the Balochs. The 1979 Revolution drove a sectarian wedge between the two countries and Iran found itself at the receiving end of cross-border terrorism sponsored by Arab countries. While Iran fears Baloch irredentism, an independent Balochistan is unlikely to destabilise Sistan and Baluchestan. The Iran-Pakistan border does not divide major Baloch tribes. Iranian Baloch insurgents are sectarian nationalists, while Pakistans Baloch insurgents are secular nationalists. There is hardly any cross-border cooperation between the two groups. Unlike Pakistan where the pro-independence sentiment is reinforced by intense ethnic persecution and massive economic exploitation, the Balochs of Iran suffer from ethno-religious marginalisation and economic neglect. Iran can relatively easily address the demands of its Baloch population by offering autonomy. Moreover, experience suggests that Iran need not fear an independent Balochistan. Bangladeshs independence did not destabilise West Bengal and the independence of Azerbaijan did not affect Irans Azeri provinces. India should choose the scale of its engagement with the Baloch people after taking into account the high barriers to secession and taking Iran and/or Afghanistan into confidence. New Delhi should not use the Baloch issue as a bargaining chip or a quick-fix to the threat posed by Pakistans irredentism. Instrumentalism and short-termism will harm the Baloch cause and lessen Indias bargaining power vis-a-vis Pakistan. (The writer teaches at Azim Premji University, Bengaluru) In the calls, he voiced admiration for one of the worlds most durable despots, the president of Kazakhstan, and said he hoped to visit a country, Pakistan, that US President Barack Obama has steered clear of during nearly eight years in office. Trump told British Prime Minister Theresa May, If you travel to the US, you should let me know, an offhand invitation that came only after he spoke to nine other leaders. He later compounded it by saying on Twitter that Britain should name the anti-immigrant leader Nigel Farage its ambassador to Washington, a startling break with diplomatic protocol. Trumps unfiltered exchanges have drawn international attention since the election, most notably when he met Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan with only one other American in the room, his daughter Ivanka Trump dispensing with the usual practice of using State Department-approved talking points. On Thursday, the White House weighed in with an offer of professional help. Press Secretary Josh Earnest urged the president-elect to make use of the State Departments policymakers and diplomats in planning and conducting his encounters with foreign leaders. President Obama benefited enormously from the advice and expertise thats been shared by those who serve at the State Department, Earnest said. Im confident that as president-elect Trump takes office, those same State Department employees will stand ready to offer him advice as he conducts the business of the United States overseas. Hopefully hell take it, he added. A spokesman for the State Department, John Kirby, said the department was helping facilitate and support calls as requested. But he declined to give details, and it was not clear to what extent Trump was availing himself of the nations diplomats. Trumps conversation with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan has generated the most angst, because, as Earnest put it, the relationship between Sharifs country and the United States is quite complicated, with disputes over issues ranging from counterterrorism to nuclear proliferation. In a remarkably candid readout of the phone call, the Pakistani government said Trump had told Sharif that he was a terrific guy who made him feel as though Im talking to a person I have known for long. He described Pakistanis as one of the most intelligent people. When Sharif invited him to visit Pakistan, the president-elect replied that he would love to come to a fantastic country, fantastic place of fantastic people. The Trump transition office, in its more circumspect readout, said only that Trump and Sharif had a productive conversation about how the US and Pakistan will have a strong wo-rking relationship in the future. It did not confirm or deny the Pakistani account of Trumps remarks. The breezy tone of the readout left diplomats in Washington slack-jawed, with some initially assuming it was a parody. In particular, they zeroed in on Trumps offer to Sharif to play any role you want me to play to address and find solutions to the countrys problems. That was interpreted by some in India as an offer by the US to mediate Pakistans border dis-pute with India in Kashmir, something that the Pakistanis have long sought and that India has long resisted. By taking such a cavalier attitude to these calls, hes encouraging people not to take him seriously, said Daniel Feldman, a former special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Hes made himself not only a bull in a china shop, but a bull in a nuclear china shop. Husain Haqqani, a former Pakistani ambassador to Washington, said his governments decision to release a rough transcript of Trumps remarks was a breach of protocol that demonstrated how easily Pakistani leaders misread signals from their American counterparts. Pakistan is one country where knowing history and details matters most, Haqqani said, and where the US cannot afford to give wrong signals, given the history of misunderstandings. At one level, Trumps warm sentiments were surprising, given that during the campaign, he called for temporarily barring Muslims from entering the United States to avoid importing would-be terrorists. His conversation with Sharif also came a day after an attack at Ohio State University in which a Somali-born student, Abdul Razak Ali Artan, rammed a car into a group of pedestrians and slashed several people with a knife before being shot and killed by the police. Law enforcement officials said Artan, whom the Islamic State has claimed as a soldier, had lived in Pakistan for seven years before coming to the United States in 2014. Complicated ties Obama never visited Pakistan as president, even though he had a circle of Pakistani friends in college and spoke fondly of the country. The White House weighed a visit at various times but always decided against it, according to officials, because of security concerns or because it would be perceived as rewarding Pakistani leaders for what many US officials said was their lack of help in fighting terrorism. It sends a powerful message to the people of a country when the president of the United States goes to visit, Earnest said. Thats true whether its some of our closest allies, or thats also true if its a country like Pakistan, with whom our relationship is somewhat more complicated. Trumps call with President Nursultan A Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan raised similar questions. Nazarbayev has ruled his country with an iron hand since 1989, first as head of the Communist Party and later as president, after Kazakhstan won its independence from the Soviet Union. In April 2015, he won a fifth term, winning 97.7% of the vote and raising suspicions of fraud. I apologise if these numbers are unacceptable for the super-democratic countries, but there was nothing I could do, he said after the results were announced. The Kazakh government, in its account of Trumps conversation, said he had lavished praise on the president for his leadership of the country over the last 25 years. D Trump stressed that under the leadership of Nursultan Nazarbayev, our country over the years of independence had achieved fantastic success that can be called a miracle, it said. The statement went on to say that Trump had shown solidarity with the Kazakh government over its decision to voluntarily surrender the nuclear arsenal it inherited from the Soviets. There is no more important issue than the nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, which must be addressed in a global context, it quoted Trump as saying. Trumps statement said that Nazarbayev had congratulated him on his victory, and that Trump had reciprocated by congratulating him on the 25th anniversary of his country. Beyond that, it said only that the two leaders had addressed the importance of strengthening regional partnerships. President-elect Donald Trump inherited a complicated world when he won the election last month. And that was before a series of freewheeling phone calls with foreign leaders that has unnerved diplomats at home and abroad. The 175th anniversary celebrations of Basel Mission Press will be held from December 4, Karnataka Christian Education Society Secretary Rev Dr Hanibal Kabral said. MLA J R Lobo and Bishop C L Furtado will be the guests on the occasion. Speaking to reporters here on Friday, he said various programmes will be organised in a phased manner till December 2017 as part of the celebrations. A museum with the printing machines of the bygone era and the revival of the traditional buildings in the press are on the cards. It has also been proposed to install new technology and machineries at the press and increase employment opportunities. The society is also planning to start a one-year diploma in printing technology, he said. He said Basel Missionaries started the printing press in Mangaluru in 1841. The first Kannada daily newspaper Mangalura Samachara was printed in the press. The press also has the credit for printing Dasara Padagalu by Hermann Moegling using stone printing technology. The press had also printed English-Kannada dictionary of Rev Ferdinand Kittel, Malayalam dictionary of Hermann Gundert, Tulu dictionary of A Manner, first grammar book by Rev Brigel J, first collection of Tulu Paddana, and first script description by Barnella. He said that the printing press has printed Kannada, Tulu, Malayalam, Badaga, Kodava, Konkani, English and German works as well. It also has the credit of printing Bible. The Basel Mission Press presently called Balmatta Institute of Printing Technology has been functioning under society since 1972. Plans There is a also plan to procure latest printing machineries to the press by mobilising resources. A proposal for Rs 2 crore has been prepared for the purchase of latest machines. They are a colour photocopying machine (Rs 4 lakh), a cabin stabilizer, a UPS and an AC (Rs 1.25 lakh), a lamination machine (Rs 50,000), a lamination machine small (Rs 15,000), a spiral punching machine (Rs 10,000), stock of papers direct from factory for use sale (Rs 10 lakh), four colour offsets (Rs 6 lakh), a CTP plate making unit (16 lakh), a cabin AC (Rs 5 lakh), a digital printing machine (Rs 50 lakh), a perfect binding machine (Rs 20 lakh), a digital cutting machine (Rs 8 lakh), renovation of the infrastructure (Rs 20 lakh) and maintenance and running cost at initial stage (Rs 5 lakh). As part of the celebrations, Basel Mission Press binder Pramodan will be felicitated. He is 76-year-old and has been an expert in binding. He started serving at the Press in 1950s and continues to do so. No reprinting of old books Kabral said that the proposal for the reprinting of old religious texts, grammar books in the archive with the help of the financial assistance from the state government could not take off owing to technical glitches. There are nearly 80 books in the archives of the Basel Mission, including Paddana, book on plants and dictionaries, he said. In a latest ceasefire violation by Pakistan, a BSF constable was injured along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), on Friday. Sources said the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel was hit by sniper fire from Pakistan side in Keri area of Bhimber Gali sector of Rajouri. "Today (Friday) at 10 am, one BSF constable deployed at forward location at LoC sustained an injury due to single round fire from Pakistan, a police officer said, adding that the injured trooper was shifted to a hospital. This was the second incident of sniper fire from Pakistani side in the last 48 hours. An Army JCO was hit under similar circumstances at Gulpur in Poonch district on Wednesday. After a two-day high drama over routine Army exercise, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee left the state secretariat on Friday evening. Calling the exercise a military occupation, the chief minister had refused to leave the secretariat building till Army personnel were withdrawn from toll plazas across the state. At 6.30 pm on Friday, on her way out, Mamata told reporters that the state home secretary was writing to the Centre asking for immediate withdrawal of troops from across the state. She left even before the Army exercise ended because, she said, she wanted her officials to take rest after staying back at the secretariat since Thursday afternoon. Stating that the troop movement was part of an ongoing exercise, Army top brass refuted Mamatas allegations that men were deployed without informing the state administration. Army officials said that the exercise would continue till Friday midnight. Mamata, who spent Thursday night and whole of Friday at Nabanna, had accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of practicing politics of revenge against those opposed to demonetisation. While Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar briefed the Parliament on the matter, senior Army officials in Kolkata refuted Mamatas allegations. Routine procedure Forces have been deployed as part of a three-day exercise across Bengal and other Northeastern states. The exercise was supposed to start from November 28 but it was rescheduled to December 1 on request of the state police, an official communique from Armys Eastern Command headquarters in Kolkata stated. Army forces were collecting data on vehicles passing through toll gates to get an estimate of load capacity handled by each toll plaza, information to be used during times of contingency, it said. General Officer Commanding, Major General Sunil Yadav of Bengal Area Headquarters, told reporters on Friday that it was a routine annual data collection exercise at local levels and done in coordination with local police authorities. The Navy is looking for a new fighter jet for its next aircraft carrier as it has given up on the naval version of the indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA). The LCA Navy will not be able to make it for the (future) carrier. We now look for an alternate aircraft for the carrier. We dont have too many options on the table and will have to take a decision in the next 5-6 years, Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said here on Friday, a day ahead of the Navy Day. The Navy chiefs announcement may signal the end of the road for LCA Navy as the home-grown fighter in its present configuration cannot take off from an aircraft carriers deck with its full complement of weapons. The MiG-29K will operate from the Vikrant (first Indian- built aircraft carrier). But we also need an alternate aircraft now. We are looking for it, as the LCA is not up to the mark yet. In the present form, the LCA cannot take off with its full weapon load, he said. The first prototype of LCA Navy flew in December 2014, while the second prototype took to the skies in February 2015. The second aircraft addressed several deficiencies, which the HAL claimed was associated with the first one. But Admiral Lanba on Friday made it clear that the Navy was looking for an alternate platform to fly from the decks of the 65,000-tonne class Indigenous Air Carrier (IAC-2), which is on the drawing board at the moment. India procured 45 MiG-29K naval fighters from Russia for operations from INS Vikramaditya and Vikrant. For the LCA Navy, the GE 404 engine is too heavy leading to an unfavourable thrust-to-weight ratio for carrying the full weapon payload. All the prototype flights so far had taken place from the Navys shore-based testing facility in Goa without weapons. Navy officials said LCA Navy failed to match the timeline for Vikrant (IAC-1), which the Navy hoped to release by 2018. Fourteen Asian nations meeting in India over the next two days will discuss a draft regional counter-terrorism strategy, which, once adopted, will effectively put the Pakistan government under obligation to stop export of terror. The sixth Heart of Asia ministerial conference at Amritsar in Punjab from December 3 to 4 will see representatives of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and 12 other members of the bloc discussing a draft of the proposed regional counter-terrorism strategy. The representatives of 17 other supporting countries and 11 regional and international organisations will also take part in the conclave, which is being hosted by India. A draft of the regional counter-terrorism strategy has already been prepared by the Afghan government and it is now being circulated among the Heart of Asia nations. Once adopted, the proposed regional counter-terrorism strategy will put binding obligations on all the 14 Heart of Asia nations, including Pakistan, which has often been accused by both India and Afghanistan of exporting terror to its neighbourhood. M Ashraf Haidari, Director-General (Policy and Strategy) of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Afghan government, said that the regional counter-terrorism strategy would entail an action plan, enlisting cooperation of all Heart of Asia countries and their resources to implement their stated common objectives in the fight against terrorism with regional and extra-regional roots. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be joined by Afghan President M Ashraf Ghani to inaugurate the Heart of Asia conclave in Amritsar. Sartaj Aziz, foreign affairs adviser of the neighbouring countrys Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, is set to attend the conference. The idea of having a regional counter-terrorism strategy was mooted by Afghanistan in December 2015, when the last Heart of Asia ministerial conference was hosted by Pakistan. Kabul is keen to ensure that the proposed counterterrorism strategy reflects the realities of the security challenges and threats in the Heart of Asia region and that the strategy provides practical and effective binding responsibilities, actions and solutions to address the menace of terrorism, sources told DH. India and Afghanistan will this weekend mount pressure on Pakistan to make specific commitments to stop glorifying, supporting and providing safe havens to terrorists. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President M Ashraf Ghani are likely to send out a strong message against state-sponsored cross-border terrorism, when they will jointly inaugurate the sixth Heart of Asia ministerial conference in Amritsar in Punjab on Sunday, sources told the DH on Friday. The conference will be attended by ministers, diplomats and officials of India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and 10 other countries participating in the Heart of Asia process. The representatives of 17 other supporting countries and 11 regional and international organisations will also take part in the conclave. Sartaj Aziz, Adviser on Foreign Affairs to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, will lead the delegation from Islamabad. Though neither Modi nor Ghani is likely to directly refer to Pakistan, both of them are expected to come down heavily on sponsors of terrorism in the region, sources said. Indias troubled relations with Pakistan worsened further and efforts to mend ties suffered severe backlash after the January 2-5 terror-attack on Indian Air Force base at Pathankot in Punjab, Islamabad's high-octane campaign against New Delhi after July 8 killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in Kashmir by Indian Army and the September 18 terror attack on Indian Army camp at Uri in north Kashmir. Kabul is also upset with Islamabad as it believes Pakistan Army and its military spy agency Inter Services Intelligence were providing support to the Taliban and thus fomenting terrorism in Afghanistan. Ghanis government has been blaming Pakistan for the delay in start of talks with the Taliban. The conference will discuss a proposed regional counter-terrorism framework that has been drafted by Afghanistan. What basically we are trying to achieve here are three things, Gopal Bagley, Joint Secretary on Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran desk on the Ministry of External Affairs said. One, threat of terrorism is the biggest challenge for the peace and stability in the region. Second, there is support in our region and where the problem lies, we all know, it needs to be squarely addressed and third, then we come to the specifics of what we need to do, what are the steps? End the safe havens, stop all support to terrorism, stop glorifying terrorists, these are specific things, he told journalists. Once adopted, the proposed regional counter-terrorism strategy will put binding obligations on all the 14 Heart of Asia nations, including Pakistan. Trapped deep in the despair of the merciless Syrian war, she turned a volunteer setting up field hospitals as bombs flew past. A nuclear physicist in post-war Munich, he stood up against the N-bomb as a weapon of deterrence. As Jagadishan, he resigned a high-profile job to join a campaign against GM cotton. Poet, performer and peace-builder of repute, Rama Mani donned these roles on stage with finesse, weaving together powerful testimonies of resistance, protest and a yearning to shape a humane, shared future. Lines of reality and hope, talk and performance blurred as Mani had the audience in rapt attention. She was delivering in her own characteristic style, the 17th Kappen memorial lecture here on Friday. It was Manis Theatre of Transformation, a dramatised recollection of memories from her 25 years experience in peace-building in war-torn countries. In one moment, she was a 28-year-old Syrian, propped by a cap and gown as costumes. Soldiers started firing at us, bombing us. But we had people to save, we took a course in first aid, set up field hospitals. For the West, we were extremists. We had a shared dream, a goal of freedom. In a split second, she had to be the nuclear physicist, beckoned by the post-war machinery to fashion the N-bomb. But the pacifist had baulked at the suggestion, declaring emphatically in Manis voice: A bomb can never prevent war, it can only be an excuse to a war. The physicist eventually petitioned the government to close down the Ministry of Defence, starting in its place a Ministry for peace-building. For decades, Mani had dabbled hard in global strategic leadership, governance, policy and security. But her realisation of the power of art and theatre did not instantly spell a divorce from politics and policy. She married the two, harnessing the transformational energy of dramatised testimonies and poetry. So, when Mani turned Hashmina, a Nepalese democracy activist, she was essentially echoing her own journey. We came down onto the streets, people of all religions, castes, dancing, singing and brought down a monarch and planted the seeds of democracy. A Senior Research Associate at the University of Oxfords Centre for International Studies, Rama Mani is on the Jury of the Alternative Nobel Prize, the Right Livelihood Award. She was awarded the Peter Becker Peace Prize in Germany in 2013 for the combined impact of her scholarship and activism. Cloudy days are here to stay with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting light to moderate rainfall for the next three days in Bengaluru. S M Maitri, in-charge director, IMD, said that depression over northern Tamil Nadu had moved westwards. This weakened into a well-marked low-pressure area and lay over interior Tamil Nadu. The depression has weakened further, leading to a drop in temperature and rainfall in certain parts of Karnataka and other states. Cloudy sky with light showers are expected to continue for the next three days in Bengaluru, he told DH. The city received 5.2 mm of rainfall from 8.30 am on Thursday to 8.30 am on Friday. The HAL airport received 3.2 mm of rainfall and the Kempegowda International Airport 1.2 mm. Rainfall in November this year was lower than in the corresponding month last year. The city had received 227 mm of rainfall in 2015 and this year, it was just 13 mm, IMD officials said, adding that December was expected to get normal showers. While there were not many rain-related complaints, a tree branch at Malleswaram 18th Cross, near Kendriya Vidyalaya, got uprooted on Friday. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palikes (BBMP) control room at the head office said workers were sent immediately to clear the branch. According to the Met department, the city recorded 2 mm rainfall up to 8.30 pm on Friday and 2.6 mm at HAL airport. Principal Opposition BJP in the Assembly on Friday staged a dharna demanding resignation of Primary and Secondary Education Minister Tanvir Sait over the issue of his watching sleazy pictures on cell phone recently. Opposition leader Jagadish Shettar said either the minister should resign on his own or Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should drop him. Siddaramaiah has claimed that Sait has not done anything wrong though the cyber wing of the CID is yet to submit its investigation report. Govind Karjol (BJP) said the Congress forced the three ministers in the then BJP government to resign for the same reason. But it is now shamelessly defending its minister who was caught on camera watching porn pictures on his mobile phone during Tipu Jayanti in Raichur, he charged. K G Bopaiah (BJP) charged the government with trying to appease minorities by celebrating Tipu Jayanti. Law Minister T B Jayachandra charged the BJP with indulging in communal politics. This led to chaos in the House with the Opposition and the Treasury benches trying to counter each other. Jayachandra further said Tipu was a freedom fighter. He fought against the British rule. Shettar has described Tipu as a freedom fighter and praised him as great warrior while writing a prelude to a book on Tipu Sultan. Yeddyurappa (state BJP leader) has attended Tipu Jayanti functions in the past. Why did you do so (attended Tipu Jayanti) if he (Tipu) was communal? he asked, charging the Opposition party with being anti-minority. The BJP took exception to the minister and staged a dharna in the well of the House. The 82nd Akhila Bharatha Kannada Sahitya Sammelana took off to a colourful start here on Friday, with the president of the literary conference, Prof Baragur Ramachandrappa, calling upon the government to bring out a booklet on various development projects launched in the state since its unification 60 years ago. Delivering his presidential address from Shantharasa Pradhana Vedike, Ramachandrappa said the state government should come out with a booklet giving details of the funds allotted to various regions of Karnataka, the progress made, social and cultural representation provided, women empowerment and other issues in the last six decades. The booklet should be released by the next World Kannada Sammelana. I have deliberately not used the word White Paper as it has become a political concept nowadays. We dont want a paper, but a book, which could trigger a debate on progress and social representation, he said. Ramachandrappa said that to address the lopsided development in Karnataka, the state secretariat should be decentaralised. Secretariats should be set up in all the four revenue divisions of the state. If the government claims that splitting BBMP would help in better governance of Bengaluru, the same parameter should be applied for the whole state. He said while appreciating surgical strike on the frontiers of the country, people should staunchly oppose social surgical strikes. Grand procession Prof Baragur Ramachandrappa was brought to the lit fest venue in a colourful procession. Around 30 folk art teams took part in the procession which began at Karnataka Sangha at 9.15 am and reached the venue by 12.30 pm, after covering a distance of 6 km. Thousands of participants raised pro-Kannada slogans. Raichur is hosting Sahitya Sammelana after a gap of 60 years. The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre to take steps to alleviate the sufferings and inconvenience faced by cashless rural people following the November 8 demonetisation. A bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice D Y Chandrachud, hearing a batch of pleas challenging demonetisation, favoured categorising cases which could be referred to high courts and those that could be heard by the apex court. The court said all the parties should sit together to categorise the cases requiring adjudication. It posted the matter for further consideration on December 5. A batch of PILs have been filed in various courts against the government banning old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denomination notes. The Centre has urged the apex court to transfer these cases either to one HC or hear them in the SC. A batch of petitions also sought an apex court direction allowing co-operative banks to accept deposit and exchange of the banned currency notes. Senior advocate P Chidambaram, appearing for co-operative banks, questioned the government action saying the rural economy was almost paralysed due to non-inclusion of co-operative banks. Appearing for the Union government, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi contended that the co-operative banks lacked infrastructure. He said the government had deliberately kept co-operative banks out of the drive as they did not have the technical expertise to detect fake currency. The state government has planned to constitute a commission for collating information about education in mother tongue in the western countries, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said. The report of the commission would be used to buttress Karnatakas case for imparting education in mother tongue. Speaking after inaugurating the 82nd Akhila Bharatha Sahitya Sammelana here on Friday, the chief minister said that the primary objective of the commission would be to study the status of education in mother tongue in foreign countries. It will also build a database of people who studied in Kannada medium and scaled the heights. We are also deliberating on placing this report before the Supreme Court, he said. The said commission would be formed under the Commissions of Inquiry Act. Siddaramaiah said that the medium of instruction had become a huge challenge for Karnataka. The determination of the Karnataka government to impart education in mother tongue has suffered a blow in the wake of the order of the Supreme Court. The apex court has rejected both the review petition and curative petition filed by the state. According to the court, the state cannot impose the medium of instruction and it is purely the choice of parents. Going by this finding, not only Kannada, even all other regional languages will face threat to their survival. The Union government should intervene to pre-empt such a scenario, the chief minister said. He added that he had drawn the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this issue and had impressed upon him to take an appropriate decision. Siddaramaiah, however, said that Kannadigas need not lose hope as many more options were still available for the state. He said that in order to facilitate the growth of Kannada, experts in various disciplines should start writing in Kannada. This would help in increasing the vocabulary and expand the horizons of writings in Kannada. Kannada is a very vibrant language and it is wrong to say that literature on science and technology cannot be written in Kannada. We have the example of our own people who have become great scientists by studying in Kannada. A Cabinet sub-committee was formed to study the report submitted by the panel headed by Baragur Ramachandrappa for drafting a cultural policy for Karnataka. The opinion of the sub-committee would soon be brought before the Cabinet and steps would be taken to bring out a cultural policy for the state, the chief minister added. In a bizarre bid to oppose demonetisation, a local body in Gujarat has issued an order banning cattle from producing droppings beyond 3 kg/day. The order issued by Amreli municipality states: Henceforth, adult cattle would be allowed to produce droppings no more than 3 kg per day, while calves can produce droppings up to a kg per day. Stray cattle would also be required to use designated areas. If found guilty, action would be initiated as per the rules. The municipality in this town with 1.4 lakh population is ruled by the Congress, which has 35 of 44 members in the local body. Congress MLA from Amreli, Paresh Dhanani, said: Several steps were initiated to get rid of the nuisance of stray cattle in the town, but it failed to yield proper results. So the governing body has passed this resolution. Dhanani added: I asked them (municipal authorities) about the resolution. They said if by banning Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes black money can be wiped out, then a ban on droppings would help clean the town. Parroting the rationale given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in support of demonetisation on the night of November 8, the order states: In support of Swachh Bharat, Swasth Bharat (Clean India, Healthy India) mission initiated by the government, and to get rid of clutter due to stray cattle, we at Amreli municipality are seeking to bring about a unique way of promoting the mission in letter and spirit. The new rule, as was the case with demonetisation, surprisingly came into effect on the midnight of the very day it was announced, in this case December 1. A flying squad! And to implement the order, the local body even plans to have a separate flying squad that would weigh the droppings. Detailed rules for implementation would be formulated based on suggestions from the citizens in the days ahead, states the order, echoing the statements made by Modi. And the punishment, too, is harsh and equally bizarre. The owners of the cattle not following the order would be paraded on a donkey facing backwards. When asked whether the order is legal, Dhanani, in a tone taunting the prime minister, said: Only anti-national elements who indulge in spreading muck and filth are opposing this move. We have support of 95% of the locals. S C Jayachandra, one of the two officials raided by the Income Tax Department, is the most protected tainted government servant in the state. Successive state governments, both BJP and the present Congress, have ensured that the file pertaining to the prosecution sanction order (PSO) for assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, is kept pending since 2012. The Lokayukta police had raided Jayachandras house and offices when he was Chief Engineer at Hemavathy Irrigation Project in Gorur, Tumakuru district, on December 17, 2008. After a detailed investigation, the Lokayukta police had prepared a final report. The investigation proved that the official possessed assets worth Rs 2.02 crore disproportionate to his known sources of income on the date of the raid. A communication was sent to the Principal Secretary (DPAR) on April 23, 2012, seeking the Prosecution Sanction Order (PSO) against Jayachandra to prosecute him under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Till date, the order has not been cleared. Jayachandra had joined the PWD in 1995 as Assistant Executive Engineer. The office of the Lokayukta has sent more than six reminders in the last six years. However, the state government has not cleared the PSO. This is not the only case. Several authorities, competent to accord sanction, have not cleared files pertaining to some senior public servants. The officials concerned have not bothered to send replies to repeated reminders, an official said. The final report of the Lokayukta report stated that before 2008 itself, Jayachandra owned five sites in Bengaluru city. He owned three acres of agricultural land in Nelamangala and two houses in Bengaluru. The official presently owns at least three posh flats at Pebble Bay apartment in Sanjaynagar, an official said. The PSO letters of two more engineers of the Public Works Department are gathering dust. Sources said that the state government has not cleared the prosecution sanction order against Bisse Gowda and B Guruprasad, both chief engineers at PWD. Recently, a high court bench had directed the state government to clear the pending PSOs. However, no action has been taken to clear the PSOs, the official added. Bowing to pressure from the Opposition parties, the state government on Friday suspended Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Ltd managing director T N Chikkarayappa and Karnataka State Highways Development Project, Chief Project Officer, S C Jayachandra, who were found in possession of Rs 6 crore cash and huge quantity of gold during the Income Tax raids on Thursday. The Legislative Council on Friday witnessed a din following an uproar by the BJP and JD(S) members who demanded immediate suspension of the two officials, and stringent action against them. Investigation on Home Minister G Parameshwara said the investigations are on and the state government is yet to get official information from the I-T department. He said the government would announce its decision later in the evening. Not satisfied with the response, the Opposition members stormed into the Well to register their protest. Leader of the Opposition K S Eshwarappa charged that the government was protecting the duo, despite their involvement in huge irregularities, as they were close to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Public Works Minister H C Mahadevappa. Eshwarappa also demanded a thorough enquiry into the matter to identify the source of the cash the officials had amassed. The unearthing of Rs 4.7 crore in new notes points to the involvement of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and other bank officials, Eshwarappa added. Subsequently, Parameshwara announced that the two officials have been suspended. He said that at a time when the common man had been put to hardship due to the demonetisation move, the two officials had brought disrepute to the administrative system. The two officials have been suspended with immediate effect. Further action will be initiated after the government obtains a report from the I-T department. I myself had not seen the new Rs 2,000 note. Recovery of such a huge amount is an insult to the administrative machinery. The Centre and RBI should take serious note of the issue, he said. Needle of suspicion points to CM The BJP has charged that the two senior engineers were close confidants of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and demanded a thorough probe into it. Mere suspension of the officials will not do. Those who are high and mighty are involved in amassing of wealth by the officials...The needle of suspicion points to the chief minister. How can anybody get hold of new currency notes in such large numbers? Leader of the Opposition Legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar said. Former deputy chief minister R Ashoka said the I-T raids have proved that the state government is corrupt. It has appointed a lower-rank officer as head of the Cauvery Neeravari Nigam, he stated. Speaking to reporters, Siddaramaiah denied reports in a section of the media that the suspended engineers are close to him. Officials are just officials. They are not close to anybody. The question of protecting corrupt officials does not arise, he added. The Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project was the first-ever Public-Private Partnership project in Karnataka but has been mired in controversy ever since it was conceived. The project envisages constructing 111 km of expressway between Bengaluru and Mysuru, a 41-km peripheral road, a 9.8-km link road (both around Bengaluru) and five townships under Build-Own-Operate-Transfer basis. An Assembly committee headed Law Minister T B Jayachandra constituted to probe irregularities in the implementation of the project has come out with several recommendation and observations. The panel has 11 members from both the ruling and the Opposition parties. The report says that several government files pertaining to the BMIC project have gone missing and this has also led to irregularities in the implementation of the project. As many as 137 files, which have to be preserved permanently going by the importance of the content, have gone missing. The files pertaining to the stamps and registration, the minutes of chief ministers meetings, petitions filed in the Supreme Court, illegal mining, transfer of government land to the promoter among others have disappeared. Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE), promoters of the project, used 20 lakes extending over 213 acres for construction of the road. Action should be initiated against those officials who illegally transferred the lakes to the company, the report says. Thecommittee An 11-member committee headed by T B Jayachandra was constituted in September 2014. The panel held a total of 27 formal and 10 informal meetings. The committees terms of reference were to enquire into misappropriation in implementing agreements entered on April 3, 1997, for the project and violations of agreement conditions by the promoters and court orders. Other observations NICE violated framework agreement and constructed asphalt road instead of concrete road. Objective of the project was to build an expressway between Bengaluru and Mysuru with five townships. However, even after 19 ye-ars, the project has not progressed beyond Bengaluru. Promoters in the name of secrecy clause refused to furnish documents pertaining to the project to the government. The project cost, investment details have not been provided to the government despite comfort letter for financial closure being issued to the promoters. According to the agreement, stamp duty exemption had been given for 5,688 acres, but it was extended to 14,337 acres. Illegal stone quarrying has been done at the project site and government has not been paid royalty of Rs 250 crore. Former PWD Secretary C R Ramesh, who represented the government during the initial stages of the project, is now one of the directors of NICE NICE has given Rs 274.99 crore as compensation to farmers, but 58% have rejected the same. In a major crackdown on bank employees involved in irregularities post demonetisation, as many as 27 senior officials of various public sector banks have been suspended and six others transferred. The suspensions came amid reports of Income Tax authorities conducting raids in many places, including Bengaluru where Rs 4.7 crore cash in new currency was recovered. Some cases have come to the notice of officials involved in carrying out transactions which were irregular and violative of RBIs instructions, the finance ministry said in a statement. Action has been taken in such cases and 27 officials of various public sector banks have been placed under suspension and six officials have been transferred to non-sensitive posts, it said. It also cautioned that while all efforts are being made to facilitate genuine transactions, illegalities will not be tolerated and appropriate action will be taken against individuals involved in irregular and unauthorised activities. Following the decision of the government to demonetise high-value notes, people have been depositing the invalid notes in banks. The Reserve Bank of India has set cash withdrawal limits for individuals as well as businessmen. The ministry further said that banks have done commendable work by putting in long hours of untiring effort in managing banking transactions. Legislators across all political parties on Friday demanded that the government order a CBI probe into reported irregularities in the Banglore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project. Initiating a debate on a 292-page report submitted by an Assembly committee set up to look into irregularities in the implementation of the controversial project, Leader of the Opposition Jagadish Shettar said it is a fit case for the CBI to investigate. The project promoter, Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE), has reportedly illegally collected toll of Rs 1,350 crore from the road users, he charged. JD(S) member K M Shivalinge Gowda charged that the toll on peripheral road and link road around Bengaluru is being collected in violation of the project Framework Agreement (FWA). As per the agreement, the company should have constructed concrete roads. But, it has built asphalt roads, violating the agreement. He warned that his party will launch an agitation if the government fails to recover excess land given to the promoter and return them to the original owners, most of whom are farmers. S R Vishwanath (BJP) said residential apartments have been constructed on lands meant for the project implementation and, they have been sold to hundreds of gullible people. Besides, the promoter has illegally constructed roads on lake lands, he added. FWA violated BJPs deputy leader in the House, R Ashoka, said the Congress government headed by S M Krishna gave away land at a throwaway price of Rs 10 per acre. Sale deeds have been issued to the lands given to the company though the FWA clearly states that the lands should be given on lease for 30 years, he charged. Energy Minister D K Shivakumar intervened and sarcastically asked Ashoka to enlighten the House as to who signed the FWA and how subsequent governments supported the project. The BJP was in power between 2008 and 2013. Why no action was taken to set right the lapses? he asked. Shivakumar banged the report copy on a table and said, Let there be an enquiry to expose the role of everybody involved in it. Public Works Minister H C Mahadevappa said the Siddaramaiah government set up the House committee and extended all support to prepare the report on the project, while the previous BJP government did nothing. Kheny reacts Ashok Kheny, MLA and managing director of NICE, discribed the House report as old wine in a new bottle. When contacted by DH, he said every issue raised by the panel has been settled in court. Even today the High Court heard a case related to the road project. The court has observed that the company should get 345 acres which should have come to the company but has not been given by the government. The court has directed the government to hand over the land. Anyway, I do not want to comment anything on the report as the House has every right to debate it. Kheny did not attend the legislature session as he is indisposed. Road ahead The House Committee report is being debated in the Assembly. The government may announce its stand on the report and findings. The report will have to be placed before the state Cabinet as it has to take the final call. If the government desires, it could get an investigation agency to probe into panel report. Via the South China Morning Post, a very encouraging report, if true: Will Chinas scientists breakthrough sound death knell for worlds deadly viruses? Excerpt and then a comment: Chinese scientists may have found the key to creating effective vaccines for the worlds deadly viruses by breaking two taboos in traditional vaccinology. An experiment by a research team at Beijings Peking University was hailed as revolutionary in the field in a paper published in the latest issue of Science magazine on Friday. The scientists broke two of the fields taboos first by creating a vaccine using a live, fully infectious virus, and then by injecting the substance into infected animals dying of the same virus. The animals were cured after receiving the injection, according to the paper. This breakthrough promises to simplify the process of producing vaccines, which may help scientists develop effective vaccines or even cures for various viruses such bird flu, Sars, Ebola and HIV within weeks of an outbreak. The live virus used in the vaccine used by the researchers had its genetic code tweaked to disable the viral strains self-replication mechanism. But it was kept fully infectious to allow the host animal cells to generate immunity. Using live viruses in their fully infectious form was considered taboo, as viruses spread rapidly. Vaccines sold and used widely today generally contain either dead or weakened forms of viruses. Live viruses used in vaccines approved for clinical use have typically had their physical structure altered to weaken them. But this has affected the vaccines effectiveness. Vaccines also do not exist for many of the worlds deadly viruses. Zhou Demin, a professor at Peking Universitys School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the studys lead scientist, said researchers had been facing a losing battle against viruses. Now we have a new weapon ... that can mow down nearly any kind of virus and their mutations. It can shift the battle, Zhou told the South China Morning Post. In the experiment reported in Science magazine, Zhous team made the vaccine using live bird flu virus. They jabbed the vaccine into mice, guinea pigs and ferrets. The virus invaded the hosts and created havoc in cells, but they did not reproduce themselves. It's still Thursday in North America, but I'll link to the article when it appears in the morning. Rick Merritt, EETimes 12/1/2016 08:18 PM EST China's data center giants have become the next big hope to give traction to ARM's server initiative. When Macom bought Applied Micro last week and said it would sell off its X-Gene ARM server unit, the writing was on the wall. Applied has a solid business with big U.S. data centers and in 2017 and beyond they are buying bandwidth in the form of 100-400G Ethernet not ARM servers. In the wake of the news I heard multiple reports Broadcom was ending Vulcan, its plan for a beefy ARM server SoC made in a FinFET process with a custom core. The risky product was expected to be cancelled ever since penny-pinching Avago bought the company. (A former Broadcom engineer told me the company also canceled plans for a set-top processor using custom ARM cores.) Click here to read more ... The OnePlus 3T is a slightly upgraded version of the OnePlus 3, which was launched earlier this year. The OnePlus 3T smartphone launches in India today. The OnePlus 3T is the slightly updated version of the OnePlus 3, which was launched earlier this year. Interestingly, OnePlus has added a Snapdragon 821 SoC, new front camera, and a slightly bigger battery. The OnePlus 3T has a 16MP camera on the front, and 3400 mAh battery, whereas the OnePlus 3 had an 8MP front camera and a 3000 mAh battery. In terms of appearance and other physical factors, the OnePlus 3T is exactly the same as the OnePlus 3. It seems OnePlus simply wanted to keep its device up to date with the newest possible SoCs in the market. In fact, according to Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 821 is about 10% faster than the Snapdragon 820, thanks to a higher clock speed. While OnePlus has on paper allowed 2.35 GHz clock speed on the SoC, in practice this may not be true. In our reviews of Snapdragon 821-powered smartphones, like the Google Pixel, we found that the clock speed never hits that value in practical usage. This may be true for the OnePlus 3T as well, since the OnePlus 3 itself almost never seems to hit its top clock speeds. That said, Snapdragon 821 is also famous for its support for Daydream VR , but OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei has already denied that this is the reason for the upgrade. In an interview with Pocket-Lint last month, Pei told the publication that OnePlus has made a bunch of software updates in the OnePlus 3T, along with adding sapphire glass protection on the camera. Pei also said that OnePlus wanted to install a high-density battery on its flagship device. We will be at the OnePlus 3T launch here in Delhi today, bringing you all the latest updates relevant to India. Stay tuned for that, and an interview with Pete Lau, Founder, OnePlus. Buy Oneplus 3t from Amazon at Rs.29998 Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, said it could not be justified that the US finance the majority of Nato, while he declared that by leaving the European Union Britain will be morally fated to be more outward looking. Speaking at Chatham House, a think-tank, Johnson said: It cannot be justified that one Nato ally, America, counts for 70% of spending while other 27 manage 30%. This supports the view of president-elect Donald Trump who was critical of Nato during the presidential campaign and said that the US would think twice about coming to the aid of a Nato member, as they should shoulder more of the financial burden. Britain is the second largest contributor to the Nato budget, meeting the 2% of gross domestic product commitment. The Nato military alliance was formed after the second world war with 28 states across Europe and the North Atlantic, to prevent the renewal of nationalist militarism and as a counterbalance against the USSR. He proclaimed that the world was not good in shape with the emergence of the cult of the strong man. "We have to acknowledge that in many respects the world is not in good shape. We have the cult of the strong man, we have democracy in retreat, we have an arc of instability across the Middle East from Iraq to Syria to Libya. What is the answer of the UK, is it to cower and put the pillow over our heads? Emphatically not." Johnson said at the heart of the defence alliance is Article 5 that an attack on any one member shall be considered an attack against them all. He said that Britain did not oppose the idea of the EU forming a European army as they should also spend 2% of their GDP on defence, but Britain was not there to block or to impede further steps towards EU integration. A leading figure in the Brexit campaign, he also said that Brexit did not mean the country would turn back on itself and that Britain would not be hauling up the drawbridge or slamming the shut. He also refuted claims that he told four ambassadors that he favoured the free movement of people, which was revealed on Wednesday. EasyJet flew lower on Friday as RBC Capital Markets cut its stance on the stock to underperform from sector perform. The bank argued that without material and significant improvement in the fare/pricing outlook in the next three years, EasyJet shares might only deliver 1-2% total return compound annual growth rate. If pricing stays weak for longer, we estimate that over five years the shares could see total return downside by 2020, it said. RBC said that in order for it to work, EasyJets strategy needs fares to recover quicker than the rate of balance sheet deterioration. But if the group has misjudged its timing then equity shareholders risk being squeezed out of the embedded value before the pricing cycle recovers. We this risk growing, the bank said. It pointed out that EasyJet has a lower return on equity than peers Ryanair and Wizz Air, at a higher price-to-earnings ratio. In addition, it highlighted high exposure to the UK, with around 49% of its revenue derived from there, shrinking profits, negative equity free cash flow and rising debt/lease liabilities. RBC has a 900p price target on the stock. At 0900 GMT, EZJ shares were down 2.2% to 974.50p. Carlos Slim , the Mexican businessman who is one of the world's richest men, has said that he would be more worried about a Donald Trump presidency if he was a US citizen. During an interview with Bloomberg TV, Slim spoke about the impact that president-elect Trump's policies will have on the economies of the two countries. Slim built his fortune through telecommunications companies, real estate, healthcare and investments, and accounts for around 40% of the listings on the Mexican Stock exchange. He held the title of Forbes' world's richest man between 2010 and 2013. "I would be more worried if I were an American," Slim told Bloomberg when asked his response to Trump's win. "If he's going to close the economy, it's bad. He has the risk of losing the international leadership of the United States." The billionaire added that if Trump was to renegotiate the NAFTA trade deal as he promised throughout his campaign, it would not be as negative as many are suggesting. "I don't think that renegotiating something that has twenty years is a bad issue. The renegotiation can be for the best of both, a win-win issue," Slim said. The president-elect feels that the US are not getting a fair deal with the current agreement, which currently allows for few restrictions on the country's trade with the likes of Mexico and Canada. Francois Hollande will not stand for re-election as Frances president next year, the first since the Second World War not to contest a second term. In a surprise address to the nation from the Elysee Palace on Thursday night, Hollande said that he was conscious of the risks that my candidacy would create. Hollande's approval rating has slumped to 4%, becoming the most unpopular French president in history, as he battled a stagnant economy with rising unemployment and several terrorist attacks during his four and half years as president. The Socialist president said that his concern was about the interest of the country and he could not stand up for the breakup of the Left. His decision to not run a has left a vacancy in the Left to go up against Francois Fillion from the centre-right Les Republicains and Marie Le Pen from the far-right Front National. Prime Minister Manuel Valls is rumoured to run for the Socialists, as well as former economy minister Arnaud Montebourg. Emmanuel Macron, Hollandes former protege and former finance minister, announced he was to run on as an independent in November claiming the centre ground. However, recent polls have indicated that no candidate from the left or Macron would make it to final round, with the eventual run-off being between Fillon and Le Pen. US president-elect Donald Trump is continuing to form his administration for when he takes over from Barack Obama on 20 January of next year, naming former marine James Mattis , known as "Mad Dog", as his defence secretary. Mattis served in Iraq and Afghanistan before retiring, and has since been highly critical of president Barack Obama's policy in the Middle East. Trump made the announcement in Ohio as he has been making his way across various US states on a victory tour to thank the millions who voted for him. "I will not tell you that one of our great great generals, dont let it outside, we are going to appoint Mad Dog Mattis as our secretary of defence and we're not announcing it until Monday so dont tell it to anybody," Trump told supporters at a rally in Cincinnati on Thursday evening. Thank you Ohio! Together, we made history and now, the real work begins. America will start winning again! #AmericaFirst pic.twitter.com/kDRQgmmlZR Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 2, 2016 Trump's speech in the state where he claimed a key victory over Hillary Clinton was very much a reversion back to his rambunctious campaign behaviour, rather than the distinctly more presidential demeanour he has held since his win last month. There were swipes in the direction of Clinton, who has recently backed Jill Stein's efforts to secure a recount in three key states. Trump also aimed another strike in the direction of the US media, with the crowd joining in on the discontent shown towards the section of reporters at the rally. Unlike many of Trump's appointments so far, the pick of Mattis is expected to be welcomed by those in Washington, particularly from those on the Republican side who are hoping that Mattis will be able to moderate the president-elect, and national security council adviser Michael Flynn. Property developer Berkeley Group reported a better-than-expected increase in first half earnings and revenue on Friday, boosted by continued strength in the London market. In the six months ended 31 October, pre-tax profit gained 33.9% to 392m compared to the same period a year earlier, exceeding estimates of about 351.7m. Revenue rose 24.1% to 1.41bn, beating expectations of 1.31bn and driven by sales of new homes in London and the South East of England. The company sold 2,076 new homes across London and the South East at an average selling price of 655,000. It compares to 2,091 new homes sold at a price of 506,000 in the first half of 2015. Berkeley added that cash due on forward sales of 2.9bn, an estimated land bank gross margin of 5.9bn and net cash of 208m, meant the group is on target to deliver a new five-year target of at least 3bn pre-tax profit beginning 1 May 2016. It has previously indicated a three-year target for pre-tax profit of 2bn from 1 May 2015. Today's strong results reflect decisions made by Berkeley following the 2008 financial crisis to invest in land at the right time, made possible by Berkeley's cyclical operating model, said chairman Tony Pidgley. He added: During a period of political upheaval around the world, which has affected the immediate economic outlook, Berkeley has focused on its core business of regenerating run-down estates, transforming ex-industrial land, and creating successful places for people from all walks of life. Pidgley said Brexit, the US election and an increase in stamp duty in April had hurt transaction levels throughout 2016. Excluding a hiatus around Brexit, reservations for the period remain 20% down on the same period last year. Berkeley plans to launch further new products in the first half of 2017 as the market begins to adjust to Brexit uncertainty and higher stamp duty. Looking ahead, chief executive Rob Perrins said the current environment is one of uncertainty and he expects this to continue with short-term fluctuations. Our business is well set-up to perform strongly in these conditions and is centred around London and the South East, he said. Notwithstanding the UK's decision to leave the European Union, we believe that London will endure as a global financial centre and a place where people from all walks of life and corners of the world will continue to aspire to live and work. Numis upgraded its rating on the stock to 'buy' from 'add' and left the target price at 3,844p, citing the company's new pre-tax profit target. Based on the target, the broker said the group is on track for more than 750m of pre-tax profit in 2017 and 2018 and at least 1.5bn in the three years to April 2021, or 500m per year. "Overall we think this is a decent update and the longer term guidance over PBT (being at least 500m per annum) should give comfort there is not a cliff edge in profits after the following two years," Numis analysts said. "Furthermore, the reservation number is consistent with what was previously announced and therefore this should also provide some comfort." Shares rose 4.24% to 2,653p at 0902 GMT. The British government has rejected a Freedom of Information request to release a letter from Greg Clark, the business secretary, that encouraged the Japanese carmaker Nissan to invest in its factory in Sunderland despite the uncertainty over Brexit. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said it would consider where there is a public interest in making the letter public but said it rejected the request because the details are commercially sensitive. Financial Times Theresa May was given a warning shot on Brexit after the pro-European Liberal Democrats staged a major upset at the Richmond Park by-election in south-west London, overturning a 23,000 majority. The victor, Sarah Olney, hailed the result as a defeat for the politics of anger and a rejection of a hard Brexit. Financial Times Andorran lawmakers have agreed to end banking secrecy in the Pyrenees mountains principality, approving automatic sharing of information on accounts held by non-residents. The General Council, Andorras unicameral parliament, approved a measure that will come into effect from January 2018 for accounts held by people from EU countries. Guardian Buy to let landlords are scrambling to avoid the impact of tax changes that come into effect next year, a report has found. The Buy to Let Britain report found landlords were restructuring their portfolios to escape higher taxes on their rental income, which will be phased in from April 2017. Some landlords have set up limited companies, it said, while others have increased rents or transferred properties to family members. Guardian Britain's vote to leave the European Union has had no effect on the majority of shoppers Christmas spending plans, according to fresh figures. The average UK adult expects to spend 280 on Christmas gifts this year, according to a survey by PwC of 2,000 shoppers across the country. Telegraph The Bank of Italys liabilities to the rest of the eurozone hit a record in October as capital continued to leak out of the country, a sign that the currency bloc remains deeply fragmented despite the efforts of the European Central Bank. Italys imbalances within the ECBs Target2 payments nexus rose to 355bn (300bn). The tally is now higher than it was during the white heat of the eurozone debt crisis and is approaching 20pc of Italian GDP. By some of the standard definitions, these are crisis-level reserve losses, said Harvard professor Carmen Reinhart. - Telegraph The financial regulator has been seeking a rescuer for Manchester Building Society but has been turned down by Nationwide, Britains largest society. The Prudential Regulation Authority has been trying to find ways in recent weeks to save the Manchester, which has 18,000 savers including a few with deposits of more than the 75,000 guaranteed by the government. The society also has 3,000 borrowers. The Times Asos became the victim of the latest investor revolt over pay yesterday as a third of shareholders moved to veto the online fashion retailers annual remuneration report. Details from the retailers annual meeting yesterday show that close to 14 million votes, or 33.28 per cent, were cast against the groups pay while a further 811,793 votes were withheld. It was not clear which shareholders objected but it is possible that such a high vote could have included Bestseller group, the Danish retailer that owns 27.6 per cent of Asos and is the largest shareholder. Bestseller could not be reached for comment. The Times Property developer Berkeley Group reported a better-than-expected increase in first half earnings and revenue on Friday, boosted by continued strength in the London market. In the six months ended 31 October, pre-tax profit gained 33.9% to 392m compared to the same period a year earlier, exceeding estimates of about 351.7m. Revenue rose 24.1% to 1.41bn, beating expectations of 1.31bn and driven by sales of new homes in London and the South East of England. The company sold 2,076 new homes across London and the South East at an average selling price of 655,000. It compares to 2,091 new homes sold at a price of 506,000 in the first half of 2015. Berkeley added that cash due on forward sales of 2.9bn, an estimated land bank gross margin of 5.9bn and net cash of 208m, meant the group is on target to deliver a new five-year target of at least 3bn pre-tax profit beginning 1 May 2016. It has previously indicated a three-year target for pre-tax profit of 2bn from 1 May 2015. Today's strong results reflect decisions made by Berkeley following the 2008 financial crisis to invest in land at the right time, made possible by Berkeley's cyclical operating model, said chairman Tony Pidgley. He added: During a period of political upheaval around the world, which has affected the immediate economic outlook, Berkeley has focused on its core business of regenerating run-down estates, transforming ex-industrial land, and creating successful places for people from all walks of life. Pidgley said Brexit, the US election and an increase in stamp duty in April had hurt transaction levels throughout 2016. Excluding a hiatus around Brexit, reservations for the period remain 20% down on the same period last year. Berkeley plans to launch further new products in the first half of 2017 as the market begins to adjust to Brexit uncertainty and higher stamp duty. Looking ahead, chief executive Rob Perrins said the current environment is one of uncertainty and he expects this to continue with short-term fluctuations. Cambridge, England: David Eichers book The New Cosmos: Answering Astronomys Big Questions has been chosen by Cambridge University Press as one of its Books of the Year, an accolade that honors 14 books published by the Press in 2016. Eichers book (279 pp., hardcover, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2016, $30; ISBN 9781107068858) has been a popular title this year for readers of science. It covers 16 major topics that have witnessed explosive interest in the past 10 to 15 years: How the Sun will die, The end of life on Earth, How the Moon formed, The history of water on Mars, Why did Venus turn inside-out?, Is Pluto a planet?, The explosion of exoplanets, The Milky Ways barred spiral structure, the coming collision of the Andromeda and Milky Way galaxies, the Big Bang, the size of the universe, dark matter, dark energy, black holes, the universes fate, and the meaning of life in the universe. Testimonials for David Eichers book have been enthusiastic: "David Eicher has more than three decades' experience of writing about astronomy for a general readership. His experience and enthusiasm shine through in this wide-ranging survey of current 'hot topics'." Martin Rees, Emeritus Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics, University of Cambridge "The New Cosmos by David Eicher is a wonderful read! This wonderfully written, accessible, authoritative new book spans the breadth of major topics in early twenty-first-century astronomy, engaging the reader in every chapter. I haven't seen a better book surveying modern astronomy in a decade. I highly recommend this masterpiece as a gift to yourself or anyone interested in space and astronomy." Alan Stern, Principal Investigator of the New Horizons mission, Southwest Research Institute "If you are looking for a collection of newspaper headlines full of hype about this discovery or that, then The New Cosmos probably isn't for you. On the other hand, if those headlines whet your appetite for something more substantial, then pick up a copy and settle in for a fascinating and enlightening read. The New Cosmos is not simply a survey of astronomy and planetary science - it is more of a travelogue, starting with intriguing questions and then following where each story leads. And there throughout the journey is David J. Eicher's obvious passion and joy for the wonders of the heavens, and for the human quest to make those wonders known." Jeff Hester, Professor Emeritus, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University "In this book, Eicher synthesizes a wealth of relatively new information into an interesting, coherent, up-to-date overview of many of the most important and exciting areas of astronomy ... Immersing yourself in the chapters that follow will give you a new sense of wonder at the amazing universe that we inhabit, yet simultaneously awakening both your humility as a cosmic speck of dust and your awe at our present understanding of the cosmos." Alex Filippenko, University of California, Berkeley, from the Foreword "This is an exceptional book that places our life in a global perspective on the cosmic stage, both in space and in time. It leaves you wondering whether our civilization should reconsider its priorities if it wishes to be regarded as intelligent." Abraham Loeb, Harvard University Eichers book can be ordered here: https://www.amazon.com/New-Cosmos-Answering-Astronomys-Questions/dp/1107068851/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1480706614&sr=1-1&keywords=eicher+new+cosmos The FTSE 250 index was down 0.33% to 17,438.99 in late afternoon trade. British property developer Berkeley Group was a high riser after better-than-expected first-half results. In the six months ended 31 October, pre-tax profit gained 33.9% to 392m compared to the same period a year earlier, exceeding estimates of about 351.7m. The stock was also boosted an upgrade to 'buy from add by Numis. HICL Infrastructure, a British investment company, gained as it announced that it was increasing its revolving credit facility from 200m to 300m and has reached an agreement to acquire a 33.3% equity interest in northwest Parkway, a toll-road located in the Denver metropolitan area of Colorado. Electronics and technology business Laird advanced as it announced plans to raise 185m through a rights issue and scrap its final dividend in a bid to strengthen its financial position. The company plans to use the placing proceeds to deliver its operational improvement programme next year and in 2018, invest in the opportunities for growth, particularly in the connected vehicle solutions business, and to maximise shareholder value. British outsourcing company Serco was still on the rise after it reiterated its outlook for next year on Thursday as it said it should move into the growth phase of its transformation plan in 2018 and announced a 600m contract with Barts Health NHS Trust for the provision of soft facilities management services. Hochschild Mining jumped on the back of firmer gold prices. Meanwhile, Restaurant Group fell as Numis cut its full-year 2017 earnings per share and profit before tax estimates to adjust for cost headwinds. Risers Berkeley Group Holdings (The) (BKG) 2,757.00p 8.33% HICL Infrastructure Company Ltd (HICL) 163.90p 2.69% DFS Furniture (DFS) 220.50p 2.37% Serco Group (SRP) 135.50p 2.26% BGEO Group (BGEO) 3,100.00p 2.04% ICAP (IAP) 486.60p 1.86% Grainger (GRI) 219.40p 1.81% Hochschild Mining (HOC) 217.20p 1.78% AO World (AO.) 173.80p 1.58% TalkTalk Telecom Group (TALK) 154.60p 1.38% Fallers Euromoney Institutional Investor (ERM) 1,098.00p -7.81% Laird (LRD) 140.00p -7.59% Evraz (EVR) 225.90p -7.57% Aggreko (AGK) 811.00p -4.08% GVC Holdings (GVC) 631.50p -3.88% Paysafe Group (PAYS) 360.60p -3.74% Restaurant Group (RTN) 320.80p -3.14% Playtech (PTEC) 810.00p -2.94% Softcat (SCT) 284.10p -2.87% Clarkson (CKN) 2,083.00p -2.80% AIM-listed Elektron Technology has sold its rubber instrument manufacturing business to C&M Project for 300,000.The company sold Wallace, a manufacturer of rubber testing instruments, as part of its strategy of a rationalisation of its portfolio as it focuses its Connectivity, IMC (Instrumentations, Monitoring and Control) and Checkit businesses, while the funds from the sale will be used as working capital. AIM-listed Amryt Pharma has secured a 20m loan from the European Investment Bank to secure its near and mid-term funding for its gel product and a development for a drug compound compound.The loan secures funding for its product Episalvan, which treats skin disorder Epidermolysis Bullosa, and provides capital to progress with the pre-clinical development of an orphan designated acromegaly drug compound, AP 102. Technology company Mobile Streams has raised 2.2m on an equity placing to finance marketing ambitions in India. Simon Buckingham, chief executive, said: "As a mobile technology company, it seems only fitting that 43% of subscribers on PrimaryBid did so via mobile devices.The capital raised which will provide us with the working capital we require to commit to our planned marketing spend in India through to the end of the company's next financial year in 2018." Executive chairman of Altona Energy, Qinfu Zhang, has confirmed the South Australian government has registered joint venture company Arckaringa Coal Chemical's petroleum exploration licence application over the ground required to advance the Arckaringa project. The project involves the evaluation and development of the companys huge coal resources in the Arckaringa Basin of South Australia. ThinkSmart, a provider of point of sale finance products, floated on AIM on Friday as it de-lists from the Australian Stock Exchange in order to align its listing to its place of business.The company is expected to de-list on ASE on 6 December. Safestays chief executive Philip Houghton will step down from his role on 31 December. The company, which owns and operates a new brand of contemporary hostel, also announced the non-board appointment of Nuno Sacramento currently head of customer operations at Carillion as chief operating officer from 1 February 2017. Save my User ID and Password Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site. Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site. The page you are looking for no longer exists Sorry, but it appears that the Direct Ferries page you are looking for is either unavailable or no longer exists. You can still book your ticket from here though. Simply use our search box to get instant access to thousands of ferry crossings worldwide or for further information, browse our popular pages from the links below. J.T. Tuimoloau's NIL value surges after win over Penn State Ohio State defensive lineman J.T. Tuimoloau could see some very tangible benefits from his performance against Penn State. PRESS RELEASE: Buzz Aldrin, Charlie Duke & Harrison Schmitt will unite for the first time in front of an audience of thousands in Norways scientific capital, Trondheim, as part of Starmus IV festival. They will take part in a thrilling hour-long debate, titled To The Moon And Beyond. The three moonwalkers will explore their incredible landings decades later and will share their different views on future missions to Mars. It has been my privilege to have attended two previous Starmus Conferences. I have never attended a conference with a more distinguished group of speakers. From Nobel Laureates to space voyagers to top scientists.The lectures were all informative, thought provoking and entertaining. I look forward to participating in Starmus IV, especially the panel discussion with my fellow moonwalkers. Charlie Duke Starmus festivals invoke many passions for science and the arts. They embody the ingenious idea of combining these endeavors in public presentations and vigorous interactions. I look forward to returning to Norway in June and joining STARMUS 2017 in discussions about Life in the Universe. Indeed, missions to the Moon, including my Apollo 17 lunar landing nearly 45 years ago, provide new geo-biological insights into the life-forming environment of our early planet Earth." Harrison Schmitt Part of Buzz Aldrins story: Selected by NASA in 1963 into the third group of astronauts, Aldrin was the first with a doctorate and became known as Dr. Rendezvous. The docking and rendezvous techniques he devised for spacecraft in Earth and lunar orbit became critical to the success of the Gemini and Apollo programs, and are still used today. He pioneered underwater training techniques to simulate spacewalking. In 1966 on the Gemini 12 orbital mission, Buzz performed the worlds first successful spacewalk extra-vehicular activity (EVA), and set a new EVA record of 5 12 hours. During that mission he also took the first selfie in space. On July 20, 1969, Buzz and Neil Armstrong made their historic Apollo 11 moonwalk, becoming the first two humans to set foot on another world. An estimated 600 million people at that time, the worlds largest television audience in history witnessed this unprecedented heroic endeavor. Upon returning from the moon, Buzz was decorated with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and numerous awards all over the world. Named after Buzz are Asteroid 6470 Aldrin and the Aldrin Crater on the moon. In 2011 along with his Apollo 11 crew mates Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins, he received the Congressional Gold Medal. In October of 2014 he revamped his ShareSpace Foundation to be focused on STEAM Education Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math to ignite the spark and fuel excitement for space in kids Specifically for K-8. In August of 2015 he launched the Buzz Aldrin Space Institute at Florida Tech to promote and develop his vision of a permanent human settlement on the planet Mars. Since retiring from NASA and the U.S. Air Force, Col. Aldrin calls himself a Global Statesman for Space and has remained a tireless advocate for human space exploration. Part of Harrison Schmitts story: In 1965, NASA selected Schmitt as one of the first scientist-astronauts. As a civilian, Schmitt received Air Force jet pilot wings in 1966 and Navy helicopter wings in 1967, logging more than 2100 hours of flying time. Schmitt became the Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 17 and, on December 11, 1972, became the last person to step on the Moon. New Mexico elected Schmitt as its United States Senator in 1976, where he served a six-year term before entering the business world as an aerospace and earth science consultant. He has served on numerous corporate and non-profit boards and currently is Lead Director of the Orbital Sciences Corporation. Schmitt lives in New Mexico with his wife, Teresa Fitzgibbon, and a number of four-legged children. He continues to consult, write, and speak on matters of public policy, aerospace, and planetary science. Part of Charlie Dukes story: Duke is an American engineer, retired U.S. Air Force officer, test pilot, and a former astronaut for NASA. As Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 16 in 1972, he became the tenth and youngest person to walk on the Moon. The Apollo 16 mission is considered one of the most successful, due to the number of experiments performed on lunar terrain, and the amount of rocky material brought to Earth. In April 1966, Duke was one of the 19 selected for NASA's fifth group of astronauts. In 1969, he was a member of the astronaut support crew for Apollo 10. He then served as CAPCOM for Apollo 11, the first landing on the Moon, where his distinctive Southern drawl became familiar to audiences around the world. As CAPCOM, he became the voice of a Mission Control nervous by a long landing that almost expended all of the Lunar Module Eagle's fuel. Duke's first words to the Apollo 11 crew on the surface of the Moon were flustered, "Roger, Twank... Tranquility, we copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot!" At Starmus IV the moonwalkers will bring their stories to life in a lively and engaging discussion, with fascinating details that have never been revealed before. This will be a moment in history not to be missed. Other legendary astronauts lined up to speak at Starmus IV include Alexei Leonov, Walter Cunningham, Sandra Magnus, and Terry Virts. Starmus IV will host more panel discussions than at the previous three festivals. The Starmus board consists of Stephen Hawking, Brian May, Peter Gabriel, Richard Dawkins, Alexei Leonov, Robert Williams, David Eicher, Jack Szostak and the festivals founder, Garik Israelian these great minds will devise an incredible programme, recruiting the most intelligent, creative and artistic beings on the planet. Further additions shall be announced shortly. Tickets on sale http://www.starmus.com/product/starmus-entrance/ For the festivals full list of speakers so far please visit: www.starmus.com END. Notes to Editor Starmus and its scientific and musical legacy: Starmus Festival was born in 2011, the brainchild of astrophysicist Garik Israelian. His aim was to make the most universal science and art accessible to the public and that he achieved with three festivals that reached full capacity with participation from the worlds most influential scientists and astronomists along with superstar musicians. The magic of Starmus is not confined to science - music is also an essential component of the festival. One of the most prominent members of the Advisory Board, the great Peter Gabriel, former leader of UK band Genesis, highlights the close ties between astronomy and music: "Musicians explore and define what exists inside us, astronomers explore and define what exists outside of us. That's precisely what I love about Starmus: the combination of the two worlds". With an unbeatable panel of great minds, the countdown shall begin to the next Starmus, in June 2017, amid considerable international expectation. Over the coming months, the organisation will unveil new features and surprises in connection with the world's most ambitious science event, which will in turn raise Trondheims status as a city of culture, science and technology. About Trondheim: Trondheim is a renowned location for students and academics. It has been ranked several times as Norways most impressive student city and has long standing traditions in education with a Cathedral School that has been in existence since 1152. The roots of todays university go all the way back to 1760, with the establishment of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters (DKNVS). The city has a population of more than 188,000, with 33,000 students attending and nearly 7000 employees working at the university, NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The University contributes an incredibly high level of science, education and innovation. The university and its spin-offs is one of the main reasons why the city is referred to as the science and technology capital of Norway. Trondheim also has a vibrant cultural life. The city hosts festivals in genres including jazz, blues, chamber music, world music, rock and pop all year round with a peak during the summer when the light almost never leaves. During the Starmus festival in Trondheim in June 2017, the sun will go down at midnight and rises at 3am. Situated just above 63 degrees north, the coastal city which was founded more than a thousand years ago (997), with its strong academic traditions combined with a culture-loving population is the perfect location for a festival such as Starmus, which brings out the best of both worlds. For further information please contact: Nicole Ettinger Ettinger PR E. nicole@ettingerpr.com T. +44 751 5394107 Subscriber content preview VANCOUVER (AP) The Vancouver-based fiber optic network provider Electric Lightwave has sold to a Colorado company for $1.42 billion. The Columbian reports that telecom infrastructure company Zayo Group announced the purchase on Wednesday and the deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2017. . . . Subscriber content preview BALTIMORE (AP) The Federal Railroad Administration is proposing a $4 billion project to replace a 143-year-old Amtrak tunnel beneath Baltimore that is a major bottleneck in the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington. The agency said Thursday that the project is the preferred alternative in a final environmental impact statement . The administration says it expects to decide next spring whether to approve it. . . . Subscriber content preview The EPA says the Corps' review fails to take a hard look at potential environmental impacts, such as air quality, rail traffic and climate change. LONGVIEW (AP) The Environmental Protection Agency has criticized as inadequate a draft study the Army Corps of Engineers did on a proposed coal-export project in Washington state. The corps' draft environmental review is flawed because it fails to take a hard look at potential environmental impacts, such as air quality, rail traffic and climate change, EPA wrote to the corps in a letter Tuesday. . . . Subscriber content preview BAKER CITY, Ore. (AP) A California-based company hopes to start construction on a 23-acre solar power farm in eastern Oregon within the next few years. The Baker City Herald reports that residents of the small town of Unity gathered to discuss the proposed project on Tuesday. Unity is about 45 miles south of Baker City and has a population of 75. . . . Midstate governments are looking to create a centralized coordinator to tackle the issue of manpower shortages in local volunteer fire departments. The Capital Region Council of Governments approached the Cumberland County commissioners during the Nov. 30 finance meeting to seek financial support for the effort, which would serve all of the 40-plus local governments in Cumberland, Dauphin, and York counties who are members of the COG. Simply put, the fire and EMS industry is having issues across Pennsylvania and the nation, said Nate Silcox, a Hampden Township supervisor and current president of the COG. Weve come up with the idea of a coordinator position who would address a couple of those issues. Silcox referenced the 2005 report from the Pennsylvania Legislative Budget and Finance Committee, which estimated that the state had about 300,000 volunteer firefighters in 1976 a number that had declined to 72,000 as of 2005. The erosion of local volunteer fire companies is largely a result of demographics and economics, the report found, as Pennsylvanians have moved and changed jobs at an increasing rate, reducing ties to local civic groups such as volunteer fire companies. At the same time, the report noted, demands on firefighters have increased they are now expected to have increased training and abilities in medical services as well as hazmat and security skills, plus all of the paperwork that goes along with it. Theyve been bestowed with a lot of administrative duties they didnt originally sign up for, said Gary Myers, COGs incoming executive director. At the same time, the need for expanded equipment and skills has created the need for more funding even if volunteer firefighters are working for free, they still create significant capital costs for their gear. Traditionally, volunteer fire companies have raised their own funds, but this is getting more difficult as expenses grow. One of the major reasons they couldnt retain recruits was that they joined the fire company and then end up spending their time barbequing chicken or running gun raffles, said county commissioner Vince DiFilippo, referring to a recent meeting with local fire chiefs. Funding really makes the difference. The proposed COG fire coordinator would take on a number of initiatives specifically, creating a unified application process and training standard, so that a potential volunteer could sign up and receive training from a central agency, and then serve in any volunteer company throughout the COG membership. Silcox also said COG could explore the idea of hiring a pool of paid fire truck drivers. Finding volunteers qualified to drive the vehicles, and having someone available all the time, is a daunting task. A group of professional drivers could be shared and scheduled between all fire companies in the COG. Further, the coordinator would also be responsible for pursing grant funding opportunities on behalf of all fire companies in the COG. The federal government is more likely to give grants to consolidated organizations. Its more bang for their buck, Myers said. Silcox said he was approaching Cumberland, Dauphin and York county commissioners for funding, likely between $5,000 and $10,000 each. This is a relatively small price, however, compared to the alternative of continued atrophy in the volunteer fire companies and the potential need to hire fully professional fire staff in the future. If we lose our volunteer companies, our taxpayers are going to face the most significant tax increase theyve probably ever seen, said Commissioner Jim Hertzler. If you just take the cost of police departments in this county, you can probably double it if youre going to be paying for fire protection on top of law enforcement. The COG coordinator, if implemented, would be the latest of several efforts in recent years to bring local fire companies into collaboration. The county already operates an emergency services training facility and planning committees for emergency coverage, which are not always smooth sailing. There are multiple county organizations who try to get people together on this and it doesnt happen, said Cumberland Chief Clerk Larry Thomas. Nobody does anything other than the way they want it done. I think its a matter of how we think outside the box to make this time around more successful, said county Public Safety Director Bob Shively. Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Two Louth national schools are in a celebratory mood this week as the judges of a prestigious national art competition named them junior and senior county winners, placing them in the running for the coveted national title. The competition, which is entitled Someone Like Me, is sponsored by the Department of Justice and Equality. It aims to develop childrens understanding of disabilities and to promote the celebration of the aspects that make them and their classmates unique. There are more than 600,000 people in Ireland with a disability, of which 53,000 are children under the age of 15. And, the artistic efforts of pupils and teachers at Scoil Mhuire Na Ngael, Dundalk and Bellurgan National School, Dundalk have paid off as their imaginative Someone Like Me submissions were singled out by the competitions judges - Sinead Burke, Padraig Naughton and Beth OHalloran - for being exceptionally insightful and inspirational. The entry from Scoil Mhuire Na Ngael, Dundalk, named as Junior County Winner, was created by 2nd Class pupils with teacher Martina Rafferty. Having invited Paralympian Eve McCrystal to the school, the pupils created a large mural which was about looking beyond disability and including everyone in games and activities. Ultimately, it was about demonstrating that every person is special. The entry from Bellurgan National School, Dundalk, named as Senior County Winner, was created by 5th Class pupils Amy Donohue, Megan Doris, Niamh Rice, Charlotte Mannion and Shauna Rice with teacher Aine Byrne. The judges felt that their clay model perfectly represented their theme of everyone is equal and everyone is the same. Both schools now go on to compete with 49 other schools from around the country for the overall national Someone Like Me award which will be announced by the Minister for State with special responsibility for Disabilities, Finian McGrath T.D. at a ceremony at Farmleigh on Monday 12th December 2016. Congratulations Congratulating both schools on becoming county winners, Minister of State with special responsibility for Disabilities, Finian McGrath T.D. said that he was hugely encouraged by the number of competition entries. This year we received almost 2,000 entries from all 26 counties which means that teachers and pupils right across the country have taken the time to think carefully about the similarities that exist between all people and to foster more positive attitudes towards people with a disability, he said. Having met to choose the county winners, the judges now have a difficult task ahead of them in order to decide which of the 51 junior and senior entries will win the national title. I look forward to meeting all of the pupils and their teachers at Farmleigh in December and announcing the judges decision. While I know that it will be an anxious wait for the pupils and teachers to hear which of the 51 entries has been awarded the national title, we should not forget that the real winners in this competition are the future generation of adults who will have developed a better understanding of disability and who will have, in turn, formed more positive attitudes so that everyone, irrespective of ability or disability, feels a valued member of society. The competition, which offers a range of prizes up to the value of 750 was open to all primary school pupils from junior infants to sixth class and almost 2,000 entries were received from individual pupils, class groups and whole schools right across Ireland. Entries ranged from posters and collages to large sculptural installations and multi-media pieces. The 51 schools named as county winners have been invited to attend a special event at Farmleigh on Monday 12th December, at which the national winner will be announced. This event will be hosted by the Minister of State with special responsibility for Disabilities, Finian McGrath T.D. and the master of ceremonies and special speaker will be the highly acclaimed blogger, PhD candidate and writer Sinead Burke (Minnie Melange). Sydneys CBD is set to host a new start-up precinct, designed to strengthen ties in the entrepreneurial community while providing a central hub for innovation. Announced at the official launch of StartupAUS third annual Crossroads report in Barangaroo, yesterday, Lighthouse will be led by CEO Annie Parker, who is the director of Code Club Australia, the co-founder of Telstras muru-D startup accelerator, and the former head of operations with Wayra startup accelerator in Europe. Parker said the aim of the project is to bring together Australias most innovative and respected firms, industry disruptors, and emerging enterprises. Lighthouse is bigger than any one startup hub or company its about bringing together the entire ecosystem in Sydney, and across Australia. When completed, we will have an amazing concentration of people and activity the likes of which weve never seen before in Australia, she said. I first realised just how powerful location can be as head of operations for Wayra, which had an office in central London, and then of course running muru-D in Sydney. Its about providing the greatest possible number of human connections in one place to other thinkers and founders, to advisors and mentors and to the corporate and academic worlds. When someone has an idea anywhere across Australia, we want Lighthouse to be the place where they come to make it happen. Anthony Farah, CEO of human-centred innovation agency Vivant and one of the architects of Lighthouse, said the precinct would be able to cater for thousands of start-up founders each year and offer them the space to grow as their companies became larger and self-sufficient. Lighthouse is more than an accelerator, its a curated program which will give founders the opportunity to grow and because of that, it will keep the startup community together and stop fragmentation, he said. In the long run, its about more than just technology its about bringing people and ideas together. In addition to Parker and Farah, Lighthouses advisory board will include Susan Wu (Twitter, Square, Stripe, Canva), Peter Huynh (Qualgro, Optus Innov8, Hutchison) and Ted Pretty (Macquarie Group, RP Data, Fujitsu). Carlisles water conservation advisory, issued Thursday by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, remained in place without a definitive end date as of 4 p.m. Friday. An automated message to residents Friday afternoon coinciding with a news release from the borough managers office stated that the borough is not able to provide a definitive date and time when the plant will become fully operational. Thus, the mandatory water restriction remains in effect until further notice. Flooding at the water treatment plant resulted in a shutdown in the process and the need to activate our emergency interconnections with neighboring water suppliers, public works director Mark Malarich said in an email Thursday. The news release stated that the borough is receiving assistance from South Middleton, North Middleton and Middlesex townships, as well as Newville and Pennsylvania American. Chambersburg remains ready to join in and help. The damaged pumps carry water from the treatment facility, where it is cleaned, to the reservoir, where it is distributed to the boroughs 20,000 residents. The malfunction severely limited the quantity of the boroughs water, and Carlisle Borough Manager Matt Candland said Thursday that the issue is strictly one of quantity, not quality of water. Malarich said residents should reduce water usage by temporarily eliminating nonessential activities such as laundry. The DEP added that residents should only use potable water for drinking, cooking and bathing. One department that can ill afford a malfunction of the type Carlisle is facing is the boroughs two fire departments: Carlisle Fire and Rescue Services and Union Fire Company. Fire Chief Jeff Snyder said that the boroughs hydrants will be affected and likely low on pressure, so firefighters need to fuel up on water. They have identified four sites throughout the LeTort Spring Run for doing so. Well just move from a water source (hydrants) to rural water supply opportunities its something both companies are versed in, Snyder said. We already know where to fill and what resources we have with the county. The Cumberland County Commissioners are set to vote Monday on the countys 2017 budget with the likely sticking point coming in the form of funding the Farmland Preservation and Land Partnership programs. The commissioners engaged in an intensive debate Thursday afternoon over a funding package for the programs, with commissioners Vince DiFilippo and Jim Hertzler endorsing a spending increase that commissioner Gary Eichelberger vehemently opposed. The days of measuring success by dollars spent are over, Eichelberger said. This is moving us in the wrong direction. The countys 2017 budget, as of Thursdays vote, is now slated to include $500,000 in general fund money for farmland preservation, up from $250,000 in 2016. Additionally, the land partnership program will receive $92,000 out of the current years Marcellus Shale (Act 13) funding from the state rolled over to 2017 as well as all of next years estimated $170,000. This more than doubles the 2016 allotment of $100,000. Farmland preservation funding is used by the countys Agricultural Land Preservation Board to purchase easements on privately owned farmland in the county. These easements require that the land continue to be used for agriculture as terms of its deed. Compensation to farmers for easement rights is typically calculated by taking the difference of the farms current value and its estimated development value if it were to be purchased and built upon. Theres going to come a point, maybe not in my lifetime, but where people are going to ask where the space is to grow food, DiFilippo said, noting that other county farmland preservation programs in Pennsylvania have been able to secure easements over larger areas than Cumberland has. When we look at the leaders in the state, their preserved percentage of prime farmland is much higher than ours, DiFilippo said. Similarly, the land partnership program extends funding to municipal governments and nonprofit organizations to preserve and improve parks, trails and other public open spaces. Payouts from the county for both programs garner matching funds from municipal and state agencies, typically pulling in at least as much and sometimes double the investment by the county. This was the major factor in Hertzlers and DiFilippos endorsement of an immediate funding increase. In the coming years, we may not see the state offer what theyre offering now, DiFilippo said. However, there was considerable debate over what the ultimate goal of farm preservation is. The land preservation boards stated goal is to secure 50 percent of the countys prime farmland over 30 years, which equates to 900 to 1,000 acres of easements secured per year. Both Eichelberger and county Chief Clerk Larry Thomas contended that there has never been a quantifiable reason for that target, or any concrete look at what its impact actually is. Not all of our prime farmland is under the threat of alternate use in the same way, Thomas said. Im sure everyone who owns prime farmland would love to get an easement, but is that the point? While many citizens may view farmland preservation as a way to maintain open space, the original intent is to provide fresh capital to farmers, in order to keep their businesses viable and prevent a mass sell-off of land and loss of economic base in rural communities. Eichelberger contended that too many of the easements being purchased through the program were on farms that were not in immediate danger of being redeveloped. If such endangered farms existed, and the county was serious about preserving them, then it would be more expeditious to take out a bond and buy up endangered properties quickly. If there is no economically significant farmland in immediate danger of being bought out, and thus no reason for a bond issuance, Eichelberger contended, then there is also no point in throwing more and more money at the program on an annual basis. Eichelberger pressed to keep the 2017 budget as is, and instead work on a long-term plan for farm preservation funding that includes commitments from the municipalities who are to provide matching funds. This is a bait and switch on the budget, Eichelberger said. I will be a no vote on Monday. The additional $250,000 in general fund contributions will come out of the countys fund balance, which was originally projected to run a deficit for 2016, although final numbers may not prove this the case. Eichelberger contended that pre-emptively tying up the countys reserve funds was what precipitated the need for tax increases several years ago. If its truly an issue of balancing the extra $250,000, I would be more than willing to find $250,000 elsewhere in the budget to cut, Hertzler responded. The countys total funding for farmland preservation in 2016 is estimated at $477,000, according to Finance Director Dana Best. While $250,000 is general fund tax dollars, the program also receives grant funding and private contributions. Mondays budget vote will also likely increase the countys library tax rate, which is based on property values. Property owners will see an overall real estate tax increase of 0.98 percent. This past week I have been mired in the aftermath of the Board of Regents meeting at Eastern Michigan University, where a politically appointed and partisan Board of Regents ignored the will of those in attendance, the thousands who signed a petition, mountains of evidence that prove that Educational Achievement Authority (EAA) is failing students in Detroit as well as their own appointed president, Sue Martin, and decided to continue EMUs and ongoing relationship with the toxic and controversial EAA. Eastern Michigan University is well-respected as a nationwide leading University in preparing teachers for the real world, and the EMU College of Education is held up as an example of excellence and holds that distinction, I am venturing to guess, because they have made some hard and even controversial choices over many decades, to make sure standards and practices were cutting edge and seasoned. I am also venturing to guess that over those years, in spite of the world changing, EMU continued to uphold their ability to attract not just quality students who were seeking an Education major, but also leaders in the education field giving them a roster of instructors and faculty who were not just a source of pride, but people who were innovative, cutting edge and committed to transferring their knowledge to their students and they do this with great passion. So, what happened last Friday in Ypsilanti at EMU at the Board of Regents meeting was a living, breathing and disgusting example of aborted democracy. For a moment just read this and let it marinate a bit before you react. It was obvious that students at EMU know they are being poked at. It is also obvious that they are not just disappointed by the decision to originally affiliate with the EAA, but after it became clear, which did not take long, that the EAA was failing the students in the 15 schools that make up the EAA, something had to be done. When the exceptionally talented faculty at EMU saw the deficiencies inherent in this computer-based teaching model and the failures that were being reported almost from day one of the EAA, they not only shared their concern, they tried valiantly to do something about it. Not just because there was the guilty by association perception, but because what the EAA was formed to do, and was necessary, to some degree, gave EMU a serious opportunity to change the way our young people were educated. A more noble effort does not exist in education. Now, factor into that equation an appointed Board of Regents who were given marching orders, I would think, from the person who appointed them Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and you now have a recipe for drastic and profound failure. Predictably, that is what happened even if no one will openly admit it. Even though no one is taking responsibility. Even though the students are being cheated out of an education that were promised and is guaranteed in the state constitution, although we recently learned from our own state Supreme Court that the quality of education is not guaranteed in Michigan, but an education is. This seems like the perfect storm for NOT educating our children, and we are NOT doing that in the EAA as the data clearly shows. If I were a student in the embattled and controversial EAA schools, I would run away from it as fast as I could. That goes for the parents, too. I do recognize that this is not always possible. Not every household can uproot a child and cart them to a new school. I get that. I would also venture to guess that when the EAA was announced as some kind of pilot program that the parents in Detroit would be able to embrace, that the very dreams they dared to dream for their children to transcend the quick-sand that a Detroit Public School education had evolved away from and not towards was exciting. I am now not so sure there was a full-fledged understanding of what the EAA was or what it would do for their kid, but, as a parent, if I am told that at no cost to me, my child will get a first class education using cutting edge technologies and a promise for a better future, why would I be against that, right? It has not worked out that way, but let me share what we are teaching the children of Detroit who are being cheated out of a first class public education right now. Those attending the EAA are seeing an example of a dictatorship in action. They are seeing the influence of money in politics, and they are seeing, first hand, that First Amendment rights, along with democracy, are being aborted to satisfy the wealthy who are taking OUR tax dollars and using it in a fashion that garners even more suspicion as to why this was even allowed to begin wit. To ignore FACTS in order to expand a system of education we are not even close to knowing if it will work so that more public dollars can be wasted is unfathomable. Money, the root of all evil, is a raging monster that has engulfed the EMU campus administration, the appointed Board, and other fringe elements. That is clear at this point. But let me also share an observation that occurred to me the other day as I was looking at EMUs stats. EMU has approximately 23,000 students, has been recognized as a leading institution in training educators for many decades now, and has been a portal for many Detroit Public School graduates to attend college. They have always been forward-thinking and believed in equal opportunity. I might even suggest that the reason they took on the role as overseer of the EAA was a solid business decision in that those who graduate from the EAA high schools are more likely attend EMU. Thats NOT a bad idea in the least. Three members of the EAA Board are from EMU. If EMU has a say in the way these young minds are shaped and the information they are fed and they hold them to a standard that produces a better-educated and more informed student, how could that be bad? But clearly thats not what is happening. Maybe, just maybe, Rick Snyders deal with Eli Broad and his foundation had a plan like this mapped out long before Snyder was elected (and if Snyder was offered this, so were other Republican candidates.) Maybe the software being used to cheat young people out of a quality education is part of a for-profit scheme that returns some of the Broad money back to Broad. I am not saying that is what happened, but I am saying its something to consider. So, GOP legislature, if you are so anti-abortion, take your hands off of democracy and the First Amendment rights that even children have and go away. Its time to let teachers solve these issues. Its time for EMU to show leadership and demand a larger say in the way forward for the EAA and, if there is not a clear way forward because we cannot waste another school year on what most see as a failure anyway then get out NOW and deal with the legal implications as you must. The EAA, Eastern Michigan University, the Detroit Public Schools, the GOP Legislature, and the Governor need to look in the mirror and admit their mistakes now. EMUs students, faculty, and administration want to do the right thing, I honestly believe that. But as long as the appointed Board of Regents at EMU are taking their marching orders from Rick Snyder and Dick DeVos, among others, not only is the EAA doomed to fail but we are doomed to fail the children and their parents who are paying taxes and should have a say, especially those who dont have the option of taking their children elsewhere. These are families who, through no fault of their own, were thrown into an experiment that has the potential to erase decades of respect and excellent outcomes for teachers the world over. Finally, think about this: There is most likely not a single one of us that hasnt been taught by a teacher that wasnt a graduate of EMUs School of Education at some point in our K-12 school experience and into higher education, as well. My fear, honestly, is that this will become a matter of lore and no longer a point of pride for a University that can easily say they helped educate the world. After this, their claim to fame may just be the exact opposite: that they ushered in a new era of education that ruined at least a generation of school children. Could you live with that? I couldnt. Praising Daddy just comes more naturally to the right The Huffington Posts Sam Stein has a post up about Trumps rushing to Indiana to take credit for Carrier only sending most of the jobs in its Indianapolis plant to Mexico. The headline reads: President Obamas approval rating is still 10 percent higher than Trumps but Stein does make a point. The current president did amazing things for Indianas economy through the Stimulus and the auto rescue and was rewarded by losing the state by 10 percent to Mitt Romney. If the president-elect had managed to persuade Carrier to keep all the factorys jobs in Indiana, this could be called an unqualified success despite the corporate cronyism such a deal implies. Instead, this seems to set a precedent that Trump will trade a tax breaks for small concessions and big PR. And its worth it to him because it fits his story that he really cares about American jobs despite the long series of Trump products made overseas. CNN correspondent Phil Mattingly got some reaction from Trump supporters: So why could Trump sell a specious success while Obama floundered with giant victories? I think everyone understands the president saved the economy from the abyss and the huge progress we made. That is indelible in our record, a senior administration official told Stein. There is also no question that certain communities didnt feel it or realize they felt it. And youre 100 percent right that it remains a challenge I dont have a lot of spin for you. If you crack this code, let me know. First of all, Obama won Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin in 2012 handily. Second of all, it goes without saying why certain communities couldnt give Obama credit but find his birthers case compelling. But theres a larger story here that fits into how our brains work when it comes to politics, at least according to George Lakoff, as I understand him. Conservatives have a Strict Father worldview where the leader is expected or at least allowed to beat his chest to the admiration of his clan. Progressives have a much more nuanced Nurturant Parent point of view. We see things systemically, which is why climate change doesnt seem like a hoax to us. And its clear that lots of people have to do right in order to make something a success. Thus no one should take too much credit. Thats why a channel like Fox News survives even when it doesnt have a Democratic candidate to destroy. Now instead of inventing scandals, they can go back to covering them up. And it isnt just Fox News in Trump-worship business now: InfoWars 2012: Amerikkkan Pre$sident Ordered Sandy Hook MassacreVIDEO InfoWars 2017: Why This Jobs Bill Is Actually Quite Good https://t.co/Gh8ZSHr5Nf Matt Bors (@MattBors) December 1, 2016 Shamelessness and hero worship are inherent in the authoritarian worldview. And we have to understand that though it looks ridiculous to us that by fixating on it even in mockery we nurture the Strict Father worldview thats latent in many of the voters who switched from Obama to Trump. It was just a few weeks ago that I was thinking, Well, since Republicans control EVERY aspect of our state government now, at least lame duck should be quieter than usual. That, of course, was delusional thinking and Republicans are making that very clear as we begin the 2016 lame duck or, as I like to call it, inflamed duck session. First, we have the voter suppression effort that I wrote about on Wednesday. This legislation does away with the option to sign an affidavit in lieu of showing a photo ID when voting. If this package of legislation House Bills 6066, 6067, and 6068 becomes law, anyone without a photo ID will be required to go to their local clerks office within 10 days of the election to prove they are who they say they are. As the Detroit Free Press points out, this would effect thousands and thousands of voters: Currently, a voter who forgets their identification has to sign an affidavit that they are who they say they are. But if they show up on voting lists at their precincts, their votes are counted that day. For the Nov. 8 election, the Secretary of States Office reported that 18,339 people showed up at the precincts who were listed on the voting rolls, but had no photo identification. They signed affidavits and were allowed to have their vote counted on Election Day. In 2012, 12,093 people showed up without photo identification. The new law would add the wrinkle of having to provide photo ID to clerks within 10 days, or face the prospect that their vote, ultimately, would not be counted. Given the virtual non-existence of voter fraud, this is a solution in search of a problem. In fact, its a bald-faced voter suppression effort and nothing more. Its also a way to help Republican Lisa Lyons when she runs for Michigan Secretary of State in a few years. Shes term-limited now and was just elected Kent County Clerk. Shes widely expected to run for Secretary of State in a few years and is trying to make her mark now. People I have spoken with believe shes pushing this voter suppression legislation now as a way to get leverage to have her all but useless No-Excuse Absentee Voting bill passed, legislation she has been trying unsuccessfully to get through the legislature for some time. That legislation would allow people to vote absentee without an excuse as is currently required. However, they would still have to vote in-person making it a half-step toward expanding voting access at best. It appears Lyons is courting hardline Republicans who are eager to make voting HARDER, not easier, into supporting her absentee voting legislation in exchange for introducing this more egregious voter suppression bill. If it becomes law, she can than use her tepid expansion of absentee voting in her campaign for Secretary of State, counting on the fact that 85-90% of voters dont give a damn about having to show a picture ID to vote since for them its a non-issue. So Lyons used her position as Chair of the House Elections Committee to (a) introduce the legislation on Tuesday, (b) hold a single, unscheduled hearing to take testimony on Wednesday, and (c) hold a second unscheduled Elections Committee meeting on Thursday to pass the legislation and send it to the full House to be voted on as early as next week. Another package of bills House Bills 1153, 1154, and 1155 are somewhat surprisingly getting bipartisan support. They passed the Senate this week and now head to the House for a vote. These bills allow up to 15 corporations to withhold 1-100% of employees state taxes and put them into their own bank accounts as incentive to create jobs. This, of course, is on top of the massive tax breaks already offered to corporations when Republicans assumed control in 2010. The program is designed so that no more than 15 agreements can be signed at any one time, accounting for no more than $250 million in forgone revenue. [Michigan Economic Development Corp CEO Steve] Arwood said, as a simplified way of illustrating the aggregate nature of the cap, that if one 10-year agreement allowed an employer to keep $25 million a year in employee withholding tax for 10 years, that agreement in itself would cap the program until that agreement expired, Arwood said. But the bill is unclear on that, and the Senate Fiscal Agency analysis on the bill package says it would reduce general fund and School Aid Fund revenue by a maximum of $250 million per year, with $190.5 million lost to the general fund and $59.5 million lost to the School Aid Fund. David Zin, chief economist at the Senate Fiscal Agency, said the agency interpreted the bill to reference a $250-million annual cap, but the language is ambiguous. He also pointed out that if all the agreements were one year in duration and totaled $250 million, there could be an annual revenue impact of $250 million, even under Arwoods interpretation. While I do understand the desire to use tax policy to incentive job creation, the optics of having corporations collect state taxes and simply keep them instead of turning them over to the state are horrendous. Also, and even more offensive, according to the Senate Fiscal Agencys analysis, the bill will decrease state revenues by up to a quarter billion dollars a year with $59.5 million a year coming from the School Aid Fund. In other words, funding for education is once again being cut to pay for corporate tax breaks. Next up: More attacks on workers. There are two efforts underway to go after workers. First, we have legislation that will deal a heavy blow to teachers who have been a Republican punching bag for years now. Senate Bill 102 eliminate the MPSERS retirement program for new teachers hired after May of 2017, forcing them into 401(k) style plans which are subject to the whims of the stock market. The move is actually expected to cost the state over a billion and half dollars in the beginning but that doesnt seem to bother the bills sponsor, Republican Sen. Phil Pavlov, the notorious father of Michigans anti-democratic Emergency Manager law: The sponsor of the legislation, Sen. Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair Township, did not dispute that the upfront cost could be $1.6 billion over five years, with about $214 million expected to be borne by school districts and the balance borne by the state. [] Total costs, including expected impacts on other pension plans, could total $1.6 billion to $3.8 billion over five years, the [Senate Fiscal Agency] report said. Also, after having avoided being impacted by the imposition of right to work in Michigan, firefighters and police officers about to have their chance to be screwed by Michigan Republicans: Republican lawmakers are colliding head-on with Michigans most powerful public-sector unions after abruptly introducing bills during the lame-duck Michigan Legislature session aimed at curbing billions of dollars in unfunded post-retirement health care promised to police officers, firefighters and other local government workers. The legislation, which opponents fear is on a fast track for passage, would end post-retirement health care for new local government workers and generally force existing workers and retirees to pay 20% of their post-retirement health care costs. Michigans police and firefighter unions are powerful enough that GOP lawmakers opted to exempt them when they and Gov. Rick Snyder rammed through right-to-work legislation that enraged other Michigan unions late in 2012. This is a stark reminder that solidarity with ALL workers is important for ALL of us. Because whats being done to others today may be coming to your doorstep tomorrow. By the way, this package of legislation proves that Michigan Republicans are working overtime to ensure that workers arent getting fairly treated at the local level, either: Retiree health care would get more expensive for employees of cities, villages, townships and counties under a package of 12 bills introduced Wednesday by Republicans in the House of Representatives. The bills would require municipalities who offer retiree health care and whose funds for those costs are less than 80% funded to make the public employees pick up at least 20% of the cost of their retiree health care. The package would cover current retirees and existing employees even if the benefits were negotiated under a union contract and would cut off nearly all retiree health care for new employees hired after April 2017. After that time, local units of government could kick in up to 2% of an employees base pay into a health savings account that the employee could use to cover future retiree health care costs. Republicans are famous for touting the importance of local control right up until it collides with their anti-labor dogma. And, by the way, they are working in other ways to limit local decision-making, as well. A final bill into todays round-up is Exhibit A for that: The Michigan House of Representatives gave final passage Thursday to a bill that would prohibit local communities from banning or imposing fees on plastic bags in their community. Supporters said its a common-sense law that will provide continuity for retailers with businesses in multiple communities. But state Rep. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, said communities like his take pride in keeping their streets clean and inviting. This is a bill that attacks local control, he said. Many of you in your communities arent considering this, but in Ann Arbor, we are. And that causes the state Legislature to become very reactionary in an attempt to subvert one citys interests in making their city more beautiful. Thats it for today. Be sure to contact your state legislators on these issues and urge them to do the right thing. Even if your legislator is someone youre sure wont be supportive, they STILL need to hear from you. Because you can be damn sure theyre hearing from people who support their regressive positions. You can find your Senator HERE and your Representative HERE. Hackers last week launched DDoS attacks against both presidential candidates campaign websites. The attacks were routed through HTTP Layer 7 of the OSI protocol. There were at least four 30-second attacks reported. The websites were not penetrated by a cyberintrusion, said John Costello, a senior analyst at Flashpoint. They were attacked using their publicly available Web addresses and associated IPs, he told the E-Commerce Times. The attackers were unsophisticated hackers and not a nation-state, Flashpoint said. The attacks were not linked to the cyberintrusions on Democratic Party systems or the email breach affecting John Podesta, chairman of Hillary Clintons presidential campaign. The United States has accused Russia of perpetrating those attacks. The Mirai botnet was responsible for the campaign website hacks, Flashpoint said. It is known to have been behind other recent DDoS attacks that took advantage of devices connected to the Internet of Things. The botnets source code has been released, fragmenting it into smaller, competing botnets, Costello noted, which has significantly lowered the impact, efficacy, and damage of subsequent attacks. No single attacker has been able to gain control of enough devices to replicate the scale of attacks we saw against Dyn DNS, OVH, or Krebs on Security. Are US Elections Cybersecure? The attacks demonstrated that script kiddies and other basic threats were able to target and potentially disrupt portions of candidates websites without the respective campaigns noticing the attacks, said James Scott, senior fellow at the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology. That occurred because both the sites lacked appropriate mitigation precautions, he told the E-Commerce Times. A greater prioritization and focus on cybersecurity and cyberhygiene is needed to secure the electoral process and Americas critical infrastructure, Scott remarked. The Real Danger of Attacks Taking down websites is penny-ante stuff, and Id make a distinction between attacks that disrupt the availability of websites and attacks that raise questions regarding the integrity of the U.S. election process, said Rick Holland, VP of strategy at Digital Shadows. The real danger of attacks like those against the Democratic National Committee, which resulted in emails being stolen and leaked, is that they raise suspicions in the electorate that will have much longer-term implications for day-to-day governance of the nation, he told the E-Commerce Times. Such leaks fuel the opposition, which could launch investigations and inquiries that make it difficult for Washington to function. How to Secure Systems Federal, state and local government officials could ensure the security of elections by implementing such measures as security websites and complex credential requirements, ICITs Scott suggested. Federal agencies may offer assistance to candidates on request, but it is the responsibility of candidates to excel the minimum required security controls, he said. Candidates and party officials also could set mandatory security guidelines in line with federal agency recommendations and trusted cybersecurity standards and guidelines, Scott added. Data is a liability and needs to be handled as such, Digital Shadows Holland warned. Government officials need to implement data governance policies that address data retention. Powerful malware such as Mirai will continue to develop and evolve, Scott said. Every day, these sophisticated [types of] malware become more accessible, and easier to acquire and utilize by less-sophisticated threat actors. The federal government should designate the election systems themselves as critical infrastructure, Holland maintained. That would not be sufficient to eliminate the threat, but it would accelerate resiliency. Fifty-six-year-old Kane, the first woman and first Democrat to be elected attorney general in the state, is awaiting trial in Lackawanna County Court on charges of driving under the influence and careless driving in connection with a minor accident March 12 in Scranton. Samsung Electronics this week revealed plans to unveil its flagship Galaxy S8 mobile phone with a new digital assistant powered by AI. The assistant will be based on technology gained with Samsungs recent acquisition of Viv Labs. The plans call for Samsung to incorporate the AI into its family of electronics and appliances, ranging from mobile devices to wearable technology and home devices. Rhee Injong, CTO of Samsungs mobile communications business, was one of several executives who briefed Reuters on the plans. Samsung may delay the introduction of the new phone past the Mobile World Congress in February, pushing the launch to as late as April, according to The Wall Street Journal. The company may add a button on the side of the S8 to launch the AI capabilities, similar to the buttons for launching Siri on Apple devices. Samsung is excited to begin integrating initial AI capabilities into its future products and we look forward to sharing further details at a later date, a spokesperson said in a statement provided to TechNewsWorld by company rep Ashley Wimberly. Smart Enough? In the aftermath of the Galaxy Note7 debacle, there is skepticism that Samsungs revelations concerning plans for a digital assistant amount to much more than face-saving hype. Personally, Im a little wary about Samsungs ability to compete in this space, said Jitesh Ubrani, a senior research analyst at IDC. Without search and large amounts of user data, it will be quite difficult for Samsung to differentiate their AI from others, he told TechNewsWorld. Amazon, Google, Microsoft and others have years of consumer data to build on artificial intelligence platforms that rely on learned user preferences to work in an optimal way, Ubrani noted. Their existing AI technologies include Amazons Alexa, Googles Assistant and Microsofts Cortana. The proof will be in the pudding as to whether Samsung truly can assemble a new AI digital assistant that can compete, said industry analyst Jeff Kagan. There are many different versions of AI, he told TechNewsWorld. Some are really advanced and interesting and real. Others are just there to let a company use the term to gain media attention. The real question is which is Samsungs AI? Kagan asked. Although Viv Labs is a startup, it is not a babe in the woods when it comes to AI systems. Its founders are Siri developer Dag Kittlaus, Adam Cheyer and Chris Brigham. The open AI technology they developed for Viv Labs is designed to allow third-party developers to integrate digital assistants using natural language into their apps. Viv Labs will coordinate closely with Samsung but continue to operate essentially as an independent company. Major Flameout The plans come at a critical time for Samsung, which is working to extract itself from one of the biggest debacles in the history of mobile electronics. The company had to recall millions of Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphones due to safety issues. Many phones overheated and some caught fire in dozens of incidents around the world. The devices were banned from commercial flights amid reports of some spontaneously catching fire on board aircraft. Samsung last week announced that it had collected 85 percent of the recalled devices and said it would be issuing a software upgrade that would limit the power from the unreturned phones batteries to 60 percent. Working with the U.S. Product Safety Commission, Samsung launched a recall of the defective phones, found a different supplier of lithium-ion batteries, and offered replacements. However, some of the replacement devices were vulnerable to the same type of random overheating that had occurred in the original phones. Samsung issued a recall of all Note7s, including the replacement phones, and warned its customers to stop using them immediately. While the recall of Galaxy Note7 phones was ongoing, the company found it necessary to recall another product: top-loading Samsung washing machines sold between 2011 and 2016. The CPSC last week ordered the recall of 34 different models of Samsung washers a total of 2.8 million machines warning that the top of the machines might unexpectedly detach from the chassis, posing a potential risk to users. There have been 733 reported episodes of strong vibrations or detachment of the tops of the machines and nine reported injuries, including a broken jaw and an injured shoulder. The recalls were particularly damaging to Samsung, which had enjoyed a reputation of making high-quality products and being responsive to customers. Samsungs brand reputation has been hurt by the recalls, but consumers will regain trust in the company over the long term, suggested Tuong Nguyen, principal research analyst at Gartner. I feel there is a little bit of weariness, he told TechNewsWorld, but I think its a short-term impact. Recent high-profile distributed denial of service attacks on the Internets infrastructure and an investigative journalists website have spiked concerns over possible disruptions of traffic during the biggest online shopping weekend of the year. Online spending last year exceeded US$5.8 billion on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, according to Adobe, and that figure is expected to be even higher this year. If you want to mess with the economy, thats the most disruptive time to do that, said John Wu, CEO of Gryphon. A lot of retail sales have shifted from brick and mortar to online these days, he told TechNewsWorld. Cyber Monday is a huge day for a lot retailers. Easy Target for Bot Herders If hackers want to disrupt shopping during the Black Friday-Cyber Monday weekend, theyll likely use a botnet composed of devices connected to the Internet of Things to do it. Such botnets recently attacked DNS server provider Dyn, disrupting Internet service in the United States. Attackers also used them to launch one of the largest DDoS attacks ever on the website of security blogger Brian Krebs. The reason IoT devices are being used now is because theyre so easily attacked, Wu said. They also have enough processing power on them to carry out these kinds of attacks. Whats more, devices like routers and DVRs are always on, so theyre always available for enlistment in an assault on a website. You can have a huge effect because you can control lots of the devices in some cases hundreds of thousands and flood a server, Wu said, and its very difficult to prevent these attacks, because theyre coming from IP addresses around the world. You cant scale your bandwidth fast enough to prevent it. During Black Friday-Cyber Monday weekend, the situation will be exacerbated by a legitimate surge in traffic. Some sites went down last year because they couldnt handle the spike in traffic to them, Wu explained. You could compound that effect with a denial of service attack. 10 Million Logins an Hour Botnets can do more than disrupt shopping traffic during Black Friday-Cyber Monday weekend. They can crack into user accounts at e-commerce sites, using the millions of username and password pairs available on the Internet from hundreds of recent data breaches. Because human beings resuse their passwords, that attacker is going to be successful when he uses a password stolen from another website, said Omri Iluz, CEO of PerimeterX. On average, a person uses six passwords for all their online activity, he noted. These attacks are very successful, Iluz told TechNewsWorld. With 10,000 bots, thousands of accounts can be compromised in a matter of hours. Automation is crucial to those kinds of attacks, however, he said. Its only meaningful if they can run 10 million or more login attempts in an hour to get the success rate they need. Gift Card Scams on Steroids Digital desperadoes also have brought the power of bots to another holiday scam: compromising gift cards. After figuring out how gift card numbers are generated for a retailer, an attacker can write a script for the botnet to execute to determine if theres a balance on the card. A hacker could check tens or hundreds of millions of combinations in that way and then register and sell cards discovered to have a balance. Unsafe mobile apps also might victimize Black Friday-Cyber Monday shoppers. Researchers found 5,198 Black Friday apps in global app stores for a recent RiskIQ study. Of those, one in 10 already had been tagged as malicious and unsafe to use. Be Paranoid Online bandits also are exploiting the reputation of some of the largest e-commerce sites on the Web to prey on consumers. The top five brands leading in e-commerce have had a combined total of more than 1,950 blacklisted URLs that contain their branded terms as well as Black Friday and are linked to spam, malware or phishing, the RiskIQ report notes. The same is true of apps from those brands. More than 1 million blacklisted apps reference one of the leading e-commerce brands in either their title or description, according to the study. While consumers cant do anything about a DDoS attack on one of their favorite shopping sites, they can protect themselves from attacks aimed directly at them. Consumers need to be paranoid about what kinds of things people might do to lure them into scams, said Venkat Rajaji, senior vice president for marketing at Core Security. Youve got to keep your guard up during the holiday season. Dont click on any link in a consumer email unless its a highly, highly trusted source, he told TechNewsWorld. Youve got to be paranoid, Rajaji added. Youve got to assume the worst when youre shopping. Breach Diary Nov. 14. Data breach at Friend Finder Network places at risk personal information in more than 412 million accounts. Nov. 14. Adobe agrees to pay $1 million to 15 states to settle case stemming from 2013 data breach at the company, which resulted in unauthorized access to accounts of some 552,000 people. Nov. 15. Seventeen-year-old boy pleads guilty in UK to data breach last year at telecommunications provider TalkTalk, which resulted in unauthorized access to personal data of nearly 160,000 people. Nov. 15. TalkTalk reports profits more than doubled to $75 million from $31 million during the 12 months following a data breach at the telecommunications provider. Nov. 15. Kryptowire discovers several models of Android mobile devices sold through major U.S.-based online retailers, which contain firmware that collects sensitive personal information without the owners knowledge or consent, and sends it to third-party servers. Nov. 16. Workers at Indian security firm AI Solutions discovered selling phone records of Australians from call centers of Optus, Telstra and Vodaphone. Nov. 16. Database configuration error exposes to public Internet personal information of nearly 25,000 members of Sheet Metal Workers Local Union No. 104 in California. Nov. 16. Protenus reports month-to-month decline in healthcare data breaches to 35 in October from 37 in September, although the number of patient records compromised increased to 776,533 from 246,876. Nov. 16. Personal records of more than 34 million residents of the Indian state of Kerala were posted to Facebook by a hacker disenchanted with the security of the states computer systems, GulfNews reports. Nov. 17. Chicago Public Schools notifies families of some 30,000 students that confidential information about them was shared improperly with a charter school operator for use in a mail advertising campaign. Nov. 18. The Three mobile network in the UK reports personal information of more than 130,000 customers was compromised by data breach made public earlier in the week and for which three men were arrested on Wednesday. Nov. 18. Michigan State University announces it will notify some 400,000 current and former students and staff of data breach that has compromised their personal information. Nov. 19. Russian telecom watchdog Roskomnadzor discovers data breaches at 55 websites that contain personal information of children who have written to Father Frost, the Russian Santa Claus. Upcoming Security Events LONDON A coalition of ethical fashion producers and retailers has called on the UK government to maintain tariff free access for African goods after Brexit to strengthen the African garment and textiles industry, which they claim - has the potential to become a major ethical source for the UK market. Speaking at an event at the House of Lords organised by Proudly Made in Africa and Soul of Africa, they presented a business case for trading sustainably and ethically in Africa, "allowing individuals and communities to trade their way out of poverty, while also improving performance in product supply chains." A stunning new report from Marketplace and APM Reports reveals that top U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials made critical, last-minute changes to the agencys major fracking assessment to soft-pedal clear evidence that the controversial drilling process contaminates the nations water supplies. Fracking operations in Dimock, Pennsylvania contaminated local water supplies. Flickr Weve already seen how fracking and drinking water do not mix, and even earlier versions of the EPA assessment said that spills are a problem. But on June 4, 2015, the agency released its executive summary and corresponding press materials with the misleading takeaway that there is no evidence fracking has led to widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources. The EPAs pro-fracking spin baffled many experts and scientists and contradicted what many landowners were seeing in their chemically laden water. Major media outlets also went with headlines that put fracking in the clear, such as the New York Times Fracking Has Not Had Big Effect on Water Supply, E.P.A. Says While Noting Risks, NPRs EPA Finds No Widespread Drinking Water Pollution From Fracking and this CNN screenshot. Big Oil and Gas, meanwhile, applauded the EPAs report, using it to push for more drilling. Erik Milito, a director at the American Petroleum Institute, told the New York Times that the EPA confirmed that hydraulic fracturing is being done safely under the strong environmental stewardship of state regulators and industry best practices. However, it is now evident that Obama administration EPA officials made eleventh hour edits to the reports top-line findings as well as corresponding press materials that clearly played down evidence of water contamination caused by fracking. As Marketplace and APM Reports explained in their piece: Its not clear precisely who inserted or ordered the new phrasing. But emails acquired via the Freedom of Information Act show EPA officials, including press officers, met with key advisers to President Obama to discuss marketing strategy a month before the studys release. The emails also show EPA public relations people exchanging a flurry of messages between 4 and 11 p.m. on the eve of the studys release. The authenticity of the documentsbefore and after the changeswas confirmed independently by three people with knowledge of the study. In interviews with 19 people familiar with the research, some characterized the (no) widespread, systemic language as a bizarre conclusion and irresponsible. Others said they were surprised and disappointed that top EPA officials used the phrase and said they had no idea it would become the headline until it came out. The image below shows that the EPAs press release of the studywhich condensed the 1,000 page report into the not widespread, systemic soundbitewere altered a day before the report was made public. Draft press releases accompanying the EPAs long-awaited fracking assessment were changed to sound more fracking-friendly before the assessment was released. Marketplace Conservation groups have long suspected some form of political meddling with the fracking contamination report. Enough is enough. Weve suspected for months that the White House egregiously manipulated the headlines and summary findings of a draft study in order to obfuscate the details buried withindetails confirming that fracking has caused numerous cases of water contamination, Food & Water Watch executive director Wenonah Hauter said in response to the Marketplace report. Todays report confirms this political meddling, she added. Its time for the administration to acknowledge its intervention in the crafting of the draft study, and issue a final version that clearly and conclusively highlights that fracking does indeed cause water contamination. Hauter is calling on President Obama to meet with communities that are most harmed by fracking and other fossil fuel projects such as the heavily contested Dakota Access Pipeline that threatens to contaminate drinking water for the Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota. Furthermore, before he leaves office, President Obama should meet with impacted individuals and hear directly their stories of suffering from serious health effects related to fracking, she said. And he must protect communities directly in the path of future fossil fuel hazards. He must start by protecting the Standing Rock Sioux and taking the Dakota Access pipeline off the table for good. EPA scientists are currently revising the study and taking comments from the public and the EPAs Science Advisory Board. The final version of the study is planned for release by the end of the year. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) advisors are calling foul on the agencys highly controversial study that determined hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has not led to widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources in the U.S. This specific conclusion is being called into question by members of the EPA Science Advisory Board, which reviews the agencys major studies, Bloomberg reported. The EPA said fracking hasn't caused systemic, widespread water contamination. Some of its science advisers disagree. https://t.co/TrJAGJ5YPR Jennifer A. Dlouhy (@jendlouhyhc) January 7, 2016 The EPAs conclusion requires clarification, David Dzombak, a Carnegie Mellon University environmental engineering professor who is leading the review, told Bloomberg. A panel headed by Dzombak will release its initial recommendations later this month. Major findings are ambiguous or are inconsistent with the observations/data presented in the body of the report, the 31 scientists on the panel said in December 2015. Possible changes to the report could spell trouble for the oil and gas industry that recently celebrated the ending of a 40-year-old crude oil export ban in December 2015. According to Bloomberg, a repudiation of the results could reignite the debate over the need for more regulation. Fracking involves the pumping of highly pressurized water, sand and chemicals into underground rock formations to release trapped oil and gas. The controversial drilling process has spurred a boom in U.S. oil and gas production and driven down gas prices across the country. However, numerous environmental complications have arisen from fracking, including pollution of water and air, landscape destruction and even earthquakes. Five years ago, Congress commissioned the U.S. EPA to study the impacts of fracking on drinking water. After analyzing more than 950 sources, including previously published papers, state reports and the EPAs own research, the agency released a draft analysis in June 2015 that indeed found numerous harms to drinking water resources from fracking. As EcoWatch reported, the U.S. EPA found evidence of more than 36,000 spills from 2006 to 2012. That amounts to about 15 spills per day somewhere in the U.S. However, the reports misleading and widely reported conclusionthere is no evidence fracking has led to widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resourceshas not only downplayed frackings effects on drinking water resources, it was also seen by many in the pro-drilling camp as the EPAs thumbs up to the drilling industry. For instance, a Forbes writer summed up the study with this headline: EPA Fracking Study: Drilling Wins. According to Bloomberg, the review panel could ask the U.S. EPA to rescind this main conclusion or clarify it by saying that the widespread, systemic impacts from fracking are relative to the number of wells drilled. Pennsylvania State University professor Elizabeth Boyer, a member of the Science Advisory Board, noted that the widespread, systemic top line was widely quoted and interpreted in many different ways, EnergyWire reported. The executive summary and press materials should be carefully reworded for clarity, she said. Some panel members also said that more weight should be given to the severity of local impacts on water supplies. Some environmental advocates want the final U.S. EPA document to include additional information on high-profile cases of fracking contamination inexplicably left out of the study, Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter said in a statement, pointing to drilling sites in Dimock, Pennsylvania; Parker County, Texas; and Pavillion, Wyoming. Mark Ruffalo holds up a jug of contaminated well water from Dimock, Pennsylvania, during a New Yorkers Against Fracking rally in Albany, New York in 2012. Photo credit: Flickr Hauter added that EPA Science Advisory Boards official review of the study on fracking and drinking may seem surprising, but it shouldnt be to anyone who actually read the original study thoroughly. There was a clear disconnect between the EPAs top-line spinthat there was no evidence of widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water from frackingand the content of the actual study, which highlights data limitations, open questions, and clear evidence of local and severe impacts, Hauter said. This disconnect raises serious questions about political tampering with scientific conclusions in the release of the draft study. Unsurprisingly, Big Oil and Gas are unhappy with the Science Advisory Boards review. American Petroleum Institute President Jack Gerard blamed the panels criticisms on environmental activists opposed to fossil fuels. The science should be settled, Gerard said at a news conference Tuesday. There are a handful of people who are not happy with the outcome and they continue to drive their agenda based on ideology, not based on the science. The agency will use the comments from the advisory panel as well as those submitted by the public to evaluate how to augment and revise the draft assessment, EPA spokeswoman Melissa Harrison told Bloomberg. The final assessment will also reflect relevant literature published since the release of the draft assessment. Meanwhile, a new paper published Jan. 6 in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental and Epidemiology only emphasizes why further evaluations on fracking fluids are a must. After analyzing 1,021 chemicals used in fracking, Yale School of Public Health researchers found that many of the substances have been linked to reproductive and developmental health problems, and the majority had undetermined toxicity due to insufficient information, Phys.org reported on the study. The research team said in their paper that further exposure and epidemiological studies are urgently needed to evaluate potential threats to human health from chemicals found in fracking fluids and wastewater created by fracking. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE Teflons Toxic Legacy: DuPont Knew for Decades It Was Contaminating Water Supplies 12 Earthquakes Hit Frack-Happy Oklahoma in Less Than a Week Confirmed: 4.6-Magnitude Earthquake in British Columbia Caused by Fracking (Likely Worlds Largest) Energy Companies Want Judge to Dismiss Historic Lawsuit Over Oklahoma Earthquakes Researchers have discovered that bottlenose dolphins residing off the Florida Everglades have higher concentrations of mercury contamination than any other population of the mammals in the world. Contamination levels of mercury (T-Hg) in Lower Florida Keys (LFK) and the Florida Coastal Everglades (FCE) dolphins Science Direct The study, published in the journal Environmental Pollution, examined the levels of mercury and other toxins in the sea creatures. According to the research, mercury concentrations in the skin of Florida Coastal Everglades dolphins (median 9314 ng g1 dw) were about three times higher than Lower Florida Keys dolphins (median 2941 ng g1 dw). These concentrations are the highest recorded in bottlenose dolphins in the southeastern USA, and may be explained, at least partially, by the biogeochemistry of the Everglades and mangrove sedimentary habitats that create favorable conditions for the retention of mercury and make it available at high concentrations for aquatic predators, the study abstract states. The research team includes scientists from Florida International University (FIU), the University of Liege in Belgium, the University of Gronigen in the Netherlands and the Tropical Dolphin Research Foundation in the U.S. It is unclear where exactly the mercury comes from but the scientists suspect it might stem from smoke stacks, nearby farming operations or from the areas numerous mangroves in Everglades National Park. As FIU News explained, when mangrove leaves drop into the water, mercury from the mangroves mixes with bacteria and is turned into methylmercury. Methylmercury is highly toxic and can travel up the food chain, as it collects in animal tissue in larger and larger amounts. (Thats why predators like dolphins, swordfish and tuna have troubling levels of mercury.) Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Dolphins that live in the Amazon and other mangrove forests also have elevated mercury levels, but the researchers were surprised to find that the mercury levels in Everglades dolphins were even higher. I couldnt believe those levels because thats the highest ever recorded, FIU marine scientist Jeremy Kiszka, a co-author of the study, told the Miami Herald. It raises a lot of other questions. The study is important because dolphins are a vital sentinel species, meaning they shed light on oceanic and human health. So if a dolphin is swimming in contaminated waters, a person living by the same coastal waters might also be exposed to the same contamination. As the Miami Herald noted, researchers discovered last year that Indian River Lagoon dolphins had elevated mercury levels, reflecting the high levels of mercury in the nearby human population. Similarly, since dolphins and humans eat the same kind of seafood, if a dolphin gets sick from eating toxic fish, a person who eats the same toxic fish might get sick too. For humans, mercury can have a whole host of terrifying problems. As for what effects mercury has on dolphins, FIU News explained that the chemical can disrupt the animals immune system and reproduction, making them more vulnerable to infection and disease. Mercury is one of the most neurotoxic elements in the universe, World Mercury Project president Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who was not involved in the study, explained to EcoWatch. The destruction of these extraordinary creatures is part of the cost of our deadly addiction to coal and chemicals. We shouldnt forget that these dolphins are accumulating these horrifying brain poisons from the same fish that our children eat. The scientists are now trying to expand their study on other marine animals. Understanding the impact of pollutants on marine ecosystems, including from natural sources, is critical for conservation and management. Results obtained on bottlenose dolphins from the Everglades were surprising, but we now need to assess the effect of mercury on the health of dolphins and other species from the Everglades, Kiszka told FIU News. This is a critical question for understanding the effects of pollutants on aquatic ecosystems, but also on humans, since we are also part of these ecosystems. In his latest documentary, 27-year-old British filmmaker Ali Tabrizi calls out the commercial fishing industry for harming the oceans in the pursuit of fish. Since its release, the polarizing film has gone viral and climbed to Netflixs top ten across the globe. The expose has sparked countless questions about and investigation into the seafood industrys claims and practices. Tabrizi opens the film with scenes from his childhood. His love of the ocean came from watching orcas and dolphins perform in marine theme parks. As an adult, he came to understand the harm associated with captive mammals. The storyline quickly progresses to cover mass dolphin killing in Taiji, Japan along with overfishing for tuna. Everything is connected, and the chain of destruction goes on until the documentary loses its shock factor because the bleak statistics cease to surprise, reported The Independent. The message is clear: we are destroying sea life at rapid speed. Seaspiracy alleges that overfishing for tuna helps keep demand and prices high. Netflix In the film, Sylvia Earle, famed marine biologist and ocean explorer, warns that since humans excel at extracting enormous amounts of marine life from the sea, commercial fishing itself will go extinct because eventually there will be no fish left. A Thrillist review said Seaspiracy connects all of the dots between commercial fishing, ocean destruction and slavery with a wobbly line and the indictment of the myth of sustainability. With each new scene, Tabrizi reveals the fraud, corruption and greed currently destroying the oceans. Through figures and expert cameos, he claims: Discarded plastic fishing gear accounts for most ocean debris and is killing whales and other animals; The oceans will be emptied of fish in 27 years; Safe seafood labels are compromised by pay-to-play profit structures and lack enforcement; Overfishing is more damaging to the environment than deforestation; Farmed fish are disease-ridden, pollution-creating and resource-intensive; Thai fishing fleets use slave labor to remain profitable; Sustainable seafood is a myth; and The only solution is to stop eating fish. Shark bycatch is seen being dumped overboard in West Africa. Sea Shepherd Tabrizis takeaway is a scathing condemnation of the multibillion-dollar seafood industry and the governments, groups and companies complicit with the oceans destruction. Seaspiracy calls for a collective shift away from eating seafood and toward vegan and plant-based alternatives. The amount of fish being taken out of the ocean is absolutely stunning five million fish a minute, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society Founder Capt. Paul Watson told EcoWatch. Were strip-mining life from the sea. There is no sustainable fishery anywhere on the planet. The marine conservation organization, known and sometimes criticized for its direct action techniques, features prominently in Tabrizis film. Tabrizi films from Sea Shepherd ships as they confront an illegal Chinese fishing vessel and encounter starving artisanal fishers in West Africa who have lost their jobs and food source to industrial fisheries. When asked if the state of the oceans is as dire as depicted in Seaspiracy, Watson told EcoWatch, I think its actually worse than presented in this film. For the most part, these problems are out of sight, out of mind. And, if the ocean dies, we die. The Sea Shepherd fleet of ships patrols the worlds waters. Thomas Le / Sea Shepherd To date, millions have watched the documentary, and reactions from viewers and marine organizations run the gamut. I think it was a brilliant film, Watson said. Its the first opportunity to get the message out about whats happening in our oceans. Many people are being confronted with information that they never paid attention to before. One Twitter user agreed, saying, So modern fishing with nets large enough to sweep up cathedrals is wiping out ocean ecosystems which we rely on to regulate the planet. We are literally killing ourselves. Another user urged, Do watch it if you care about oceans/fish. Im gonna stop eating fish, starting today. A must watch. Critics of the film have also been vocal, denouncing the underlying facts presented, the films possible vegan agenda and its reductionist and sensationalist approach, Global Aquaculture Alliance reported. The New York Times likened the tone to a cheap imitation of hard-hitting investigative journalism full of conspiratorial thinking. Some accused the film of perpetuating a white savior complex, The Independent reported. Leading seafood certification group Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), a target throughout the documentary, refused Tabrizis numerous interview requests. After the documentarys release, MSC agreed that, There is a crisis in our oceans, and an urgent need to end overfishing. The organization also rebutted, it is wrong to claim that there is no such thing [as] sustainable fishing and that the only solution is to stop eating fish. Some of the problems that the film highlights bycatch, overfishing and destruction of marine ecosystems are precisely the issues the MSC certification process is designed to address. President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly considering seriously at least two men for the critical position of secretary of state. One, former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, has divided the Trump team between those who think it is a good idea and those who think Romney's severe criticism of Trump during the campaign disqualifies him. The other is retired general and former CIA Director David Petraeus. A major problem for Petraeus is his mishandling of classified documents, which he reportedly leaked to his biographer-mistress, Paula Broadwell. After Trump hammered Hillary Clinton for her "extremely careless" handling of classified material when she was secretary of state, it would be hypocritical of Trump to name Petraeus. Though also in the running, former New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani is thought to be running a distant third, if the number of visits in and out of Trump Tower are any indication. So, of the top two contenders, who? How about someone with experience as a diplomat, including within the State Department and as a former U.N. ambassador? John Bolton, now a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a regular commentator on cable news, does not engage in wishful thinking, or project American morals on those who don't share them in the vain hope they might be contagious. Here is Bolton on the threat of radical Islamic terrorism: "When you have a regime that would be happier in the afterlife than in this life, this is not a regime that is subject to classic theories of deterrence." In his book "Surrendering is Not an Option: Defending America at the United Nations," Bolton is unrelenting in his criticism of the toothless UN and of many U.S. policies that have not produced results in America's best interests precisely the attitude of President-elect Trump, who wants to look out for America and its interests first. In this pursuit he is not unlike one of his predecessors, Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, who said, "What takes place in the Security Council more closely resembles a mugging than either a political debate or an effort at problem-solving." It is a mugging, and too often it is the United States and Israel who get mugged. Here's another Bolton quote: "Negotiation is not a policy. It's a technique. It's something you use when it's to your advantage, and something that you don't use when it's not to your advantage." That is the opposite of wishful thinking. In a July 2015 column for the Dallas Morning News, Bolton wrote that it is a fiction to believe Iran won't violate terms of the nuclear weapons deal it made with the Obama administration. He argues that "snapback" sanctions won't work because sanctions failed before. He thinks the only option for keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of the ayatollahs is Israel. "However, Iran may well retaliate," Bolton acknowledges. "At that point, Washington must be ready to immediately resupply Israel for losses incurred by its armed forces in the initial attack, so that Israel will still be able to effectively counter Tehran's proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, which will be its vehicles for retaliation. The United States must also provide muscular political support, explaining that Israel legitimately exercised its inherent right of self-defense. Whatever Obama's view, public and congressional support for Israel will be overwhelming." Who is to blame for this situation? Bolton writes: "American weakness has brought us to this difficult moment. While we obsessed about its economic discomfort, Iran wore its duress with pride. It was never an even match. We now have to rely on a tiny ally to do the job for us. But unless we are ready to accept a nuclear Iran (and, in relatively short order, several other nuclear Middle Eastern states), get ready. The easy ways out disappeared long ago." This is sober reality and precisely the worldview that is needed at the Department of State. Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Today, solar power is everywhere. Its on your neighbors roof and in tiny portable cellphone chargers. There are even solar powered roads. And as solar power heats up, prices are going down. In fact, over the past 40 years, the cost of solar has decreased by more than 99 percent! But how did we get here? Ready for a quick history lesson on one of the worlds fastest growing sources of energy? You might find this hard to believe, but we can trace the idea of harnessing the power of the sun back to 1839. A bright (pun intended!) young French physicist named Edmond Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic effectthe creation of an electric current in a material after being exposed to lightwhile experimenting in his fathers laboratory. Over the following hundred-plus years, scientists continued exploring this phenomenon, creating and patenting solar cells, using them to heat water and doing extensive research to increase the efficiency of solar energy. The 1970s brought a period of change not only in the form of political and cultural upheaval, but also saw the rise of solar as a viable way to produce electricity. The first solar-powered calculator was commercialized, the Solar Energy Research Institute (now called the National Renewable Energy Laboratory) was established, and U.S. President Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the White House for the first time. But it was also quite expensive, costing an average of $76 per watt in 1977. But as advancements in the industry continued, the costs began to fall. Over the next 10 years, the price would drop sevenfold to less than $10 per watt, hitting a plateau in the late 1980s and early 90s. Fast-forward to a few years later and solar technology was really hitting its stride as huge cost reductions were made in recent years, causing world leaders, governments, and the private sector to get on board and moving solar from a niche technology into the mainstream. Soon, regular people in communities all over the world were installing panels on their roofs and in numerous other applications thanks to the technologys improving economics and innovative incentives and financing models. 44 Ways You Can Slow The Solar Century https://t.co/M9PJsUqZOT pic.twitter.com/DCdVIsD2VT CleanTechnica (@cleantechnica) August 15, 2016 Which brings us to today, when solar power can cost a minuscule61 cents per watt. In a relatively short period of time, its become clear that an incredible future is ahead for this renewable source of energy. And as you might expect, the more the price falls, the more attractive it becomes. Forty years ago, the total global installation of solar was around 2 megawatts. Today, total global installation is closer to 224,000 megawatts. And as we start down the road forward after the historic Paris agreement, were noticing just how many countries are working to meet their carbon emissions reduction goals by going solar. Thats why were hoping you will join us Dec. 5-6 for 24 Hours of Reality: The Road Forward as we travel the world for a look at how solar power is revolutionizing access to electricity in Mexico, Malaysia and Venezuela. Well visit southeast Asia to meet a solar monk in Thailand and to South Africa, where sheep and solar live together on one solar PV farm. Well even hear from oil-rich countries in the Middle East that are starting to prepare for a future beyond fossil fuelsand renewables like solar are becoming more and more cost effective. Sign up today to receive reminders about these inspiring stories. Well see you Dec. 5-6 for The Climate Reality Projects annual 24 Hours of Reality live event. You wont want to miss out! The French government plans to pave 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of its roads with solar panels in the next five years, which will supply power to millions of people. The maximum effect of the program, if successful, could be to furnish 5 million people with electricity, or about 8 percent of the French population, Segolene Royal, Frances minister of ecology and energy, said according to Global Construction Review. La route photovoltaique, innovation francaise, sera installee sur 1000 km en France. Grands travaux #CPolitique pic.twitter.com/gGWigRo0SV Segolene Royal (@RoyalSegolene) January 31, 2016 Frances Agency of Environment and Energy Management said that 4 meters (14 feet) of solarized road would be enough to supply the electrical needs of one household, excluding heat. One kilometer (0.62 miles) will supply enough electricity for 5,000 residents. The project is the result of five years of research between French road construction company Colas and the French National Institute of Solar Energy. The project, Wattway, was introduced last October. The technology consists of extremely thin (7 millimeters) yet durable panels of polycrystalline silicon that can transform solar energy into electricity. The panels are also said to be 15 centimeters wide and heavy-duty skid resistant to reduce auto accidents. These extremely fragile photovoltaic cells are coated in a multilayer substrate composed of resins and polymers, translucent enough to allow sunlight to pass through, and resistant enough to withstand truck traffic, Colas said in a press release. Wattway c'est 7 mm d'epaisseur pour des milliers de km d'opportunites. Pas besoin de detruire pour reconstruire #EnR pic.twitter.com/XvChCTexJR LaRouteSolaire (@WattwaybyColas) October 16, 2015 The panels are rainproof and have passed snowplow tests with flying colors, according to the Wattway FAQ page. The company also boasts that their panels can last as long as conventional pavement, or 10 years depending on the traffic. Wattway panels can last roughly 20 years if the section is not heavily trafficked, such as stadium parking lot. In terms of efficiency, Wattway said its panels have a 15 percent yield, compared to 18-19 percent for conventional photovoltaic panels. The solar roads concept isnt new. SolaRoad, the worlds first solar road, has been in operation in the Netherlands since November 2014, but its already generating more power than expected. EcoWatch has also featured a similar Idaho-based project, Solar Roadways, whose Indiegogo campaign became extremely successful when their video went viral last year. Although there are detractors, solar roadways have been touted as an excellent way to harness the suns energy. Roads spend 90 percent of their time just looking up into the sky. When the sun shines, they are of course exposed to its rays, Jean-Lic Gautier, manager of the Center for Expertise at the Colas Campus for Science and Techniques, said in a press release. Its an ideal surface area for energy applications. The panels will be applied directly to existing roads in France. There is no need to rebuild infrastructure, Colas CEO Herve Le Bouc told Les Echoes last year. At Chambery and Grenoble, was tested successfully on Wattway a cycle of 1 million vehicles, or 20 years of normal traffic a road, and the surface does not move. Minister Royal said installation of the panels will begin this spring and proposes to pay for them by raising taxes on fossil fuels, Gas2.org reported. She said it was natural to raise taxes on fossil fuels given that the cost of oil is currently so low, adding that new taxes would contribute between 200-300 million Euros ($220-440 million) to the Positive Energy initiative. Learn more about the solar road project in this video: YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE Elon Musk: You Can Easily Power All of China With Solar This Tesla-Loving Superstar Is Helping Power Africa With Solar Solutions Wanted: Do You Have a Solution That Will Create a Cleaner, Greener World? Elephant Grass and Prairie Switchgrass: Second Generation Biofuels to Power American Cars The Donald Trump camp added fracking enthusiast, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) critic and ALEC-linked Amy Oliver Cooke to the EPA landing team on Thursday. Cooke once co-authored an op-ed titled Clean Energys Dirty Secret: Cancer . Trump Tower is President-elect Trumps transition hub. Wikipedia NBCs Joe Scarborough tweeted that Trump is considering ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson for the Secretary of State position, following pushback against Mitt Romneys possible nomination. The SecState process continues. Trump considered the Romney meeting "great" but is expanding options and looking at Exxon CEO RexTillerson. Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) December 1, 2016 This is like appointing Darth Vader as Secretary of Defense: its corruption of the most dangerous kind. Exxon is the largest oil company in the world, 350.orgs Jamie Henn said. The company has funded climate denial for decades. It has violated human rights across the planet. Meanwhile, the Huffington Post has unearthed audio of Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions arguing that investing in clean energy is a conspiracy to afflict poor people. And, Continental Resources CEO Harold Hamm, long considered a top pick for energy secretary, denied he was a contender and told CNBC he suggested Trump instead nominate Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-ND. Cramer, who has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from oil and gas interests, has stated he believes the world is cooling and that carbon dioxide is not a greenhouse gas. Red-state Democrats Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota may also be in the running for the Department of Energy job. Heitkamp, who opposes the Clean Power Plan, meets with Trump today. For a deeper dive: Cooke: Greenwire, E&E News, The Hill Tillerson: The Hill, Climate Home, Reuters, Dallas Morning News Sessions: Huffington Post Hamm: CNBC, Fox Business, OilPrice Heitkamp: Politico, Reuters, The Hill, E&E News Manchin: Politico, Washington Examiner, Reuters For more climate change and clean energy news, you can follow Climate Nexus on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for daily Hot News. By Ryan Schleeter Flint, Michigan still does not have clean drinking water. Now, President-elect Donald Trumpwhose campaign stump speech included a crude joke about the citys water crisishas tapped one of the people responsible for the crisis to join his cabinet. Betsy DeVos, Trumps pick for Secretary of Education, and her family have a long history of using their wealth to manipulate Michigan state elections and push through reforms that undercut local democracy. Shes a staunch advocate of privatization measures that shift power from people to corporationsand one of those measures led directly to the poisoning of Flints water and citizens. Betsy DeVos and the Law That Poisoned Flint In trying to get to the root of the crisis in Flint, many have pointed to Michigans emergency manager law, which allows the governor to bypass the elected government and appoint a single official to take over a citys budgeting. The law was actually overturned by a popular referendum in 2012, but sneakily pushed back through state legislature by Gov. Rick Snyder immediately afterwards in a way that prevented it from being subject to another public vote. And when Michigan voters said they didnt want their local democracies hijacked, they had good reason. It was Flints emergency financial manager Darnell Earley who all but forced the city to switch its water source to the polluted Flint River. Earley both overruled a city council vote that would have prevented the switch and declined an offer from neighboring Detroit to provide safe, sanitized water. But if Earley is responsible for the disastrous decision itself, those who paved his way to power are also to blameand thats where Betsy DeVos comes in. Since the 1970s, the DeVos family has invested at least $200 million in far-right think tanks, media outlets, PACs and other causes, with a particular focus on their home state of Michigan. Along with the Koch brothers, theyre major funders of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a Michigan-based partner of the Heritage Foundation and architect of the states emergency manager law. Between 1998 and 2011, four DeVos-controlled foundations have given $560,000 to the Mackinac Center; that figure doesnt include donations from personal trusts or corporations, which do not have to be reported. With the Mackinac Center working to craft the legislation that would advance the DeVos privatization agenda, they needed a governor who would push it through to law. So in 2010, the family spent $1.9 million in the election that put Gov. Snyder in power. Months later, Snyder signed the emergency manager act into law and appointed a Mackinac executive as the states first emergency manager. That managers first move? Outsource the city of Pontiacs water system to a company indicted on federal conspiracy charges and Clean Water Act violations. The writing was on the wall for Flint. Betsy DeVos and the Trump Administration The results of the type of pro-corporate, anti-democratic measures DeVos stands for are clear. Weve seen what happens when politicians abuse their power to wrest democracy from the hands of the peopleand its still unfolding in Flint. With DeVos as Secretary of Education, we could see the same happen to public schools. DeVos has long maneuvered to strip funding and resources from public schools, favoring instead a voucher system that diverts public funding to private and religious schools. Among many other consequences, that could have grave implications for science and climate change education in schools across the country. Furthermore, selecting DeVosa Koch-esque member of the billionaire GOP donor classruns directly counter to Trumps campaign promise to reform Washington by draining the swamp of establishment Republicans. As far as Flint goes, Trump blamed the whole fiasco on incompetent politicians in a speech earlier this month. By his own measure, it looks like he just nominated one for his cabinet. By Mary Sweeters President-Elect Donald Trump formally announced Thursday his support for the completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline. His transition team noted that his support for the pipeline had nothing to do with his personal investments and everything to do with promoting policies that benefit all Americans. Trumps May 2016 financial disclosure revealed significant stock holdings in Energy Transfer Partners, Exxon and Phillips 66, which owns 25 percent of the pipeline project. Kelcy Warren, the CEO of Energy Transfer Partners, donated hundreds of thousands to Trump, Trump Victory Fund and the Republican National Committee this year. In supporting the Dakota Access Pipeline, Trump has shown us the crony capitalism that will run his administration. Trump owns stock in the companies behind the pipeline, and Energy Transfer Partners CEO Kelcy Warrens support for the pipeline with major contributions during his campaign, is the definition of corruption. The president of the United States should not be trading favors with oil and gas corporations. For Trump to claim he supports the pipeline because it will benefit all Americans is wrong and deluded. Millions of people will lose access to a clean water supply, including the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and the rest of America will face the impacts of catastrophic climate change from burning fossil fuels. The pipeline is good for Trumps wallet and his friends at Energy Transfer Partners and Phillips 66. Trumps comments make it all the more important for President Obama to permanently protect Standing Rock immediately. The Army Corps of Engineers and Obama administration have the power to reject the pipeline for good and ensure Indigenous sovereignty is honored. It is clear that President-Elect Trump will ignore the rights and sovereignty afforded to Native American communities, but President Obama can still ensure the United States does the right thing for Standing Rock. Its time to stop the pipeline once and for all. Hate Wont Win: Alana Simmons Spreads Message of Love and Tolerance Alana Simmons has dedicated her life to love and tolerance. It is a path she embarked upon when the 2011 Elizabeth City State University graduate, and 27-year-old Newport News, Virginia natives life was dramatically changed on June 17, 2015. On that mid-June day, a young man walked into the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina and killed nine people while they were attending Bible study. One of those victims was the Rev. Daniel Simmons, her grandfather. It was an act of hate and violence toward the African American community, and it changed the lives of many people that night. And while family, friends and a nation were stricken with grief, Simmons chose to turn the tragedy into an opportunity to teach tolerance and love. Simmons attended the bond hearing of the accused shooter. She took that opportunity to confront the man who killed her grandfather. At the bond hearing of the shooter, I had words with him, recalled Simmons. I told him that my grandfather lived in love and preached love, so that hate wont win. Since that time, Simmons founded and has dedicated her life to the Hate Wont Win Movement, combating hate and intolerance, and making great strides across the country in the name of love, she says. Simmons and her work were recently honored with the Kay Family Award at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. The Kay Family Award is given by the Anti-defamation League to, Individuals for extraordinary acts of courage in confronting intolerance and injustice, extremism and terrorism. As a high school student, Simmons was recruited to attend ECSU by the late Grady Deese, an admissions counselor, and the former music director, Billy Hines. They convinced Simmons to attend ECSU and study music education. You know, ECSU is a small school and that gave me an opportunity to cultivate myself as a leader, said Simmons. Her time at ECSU was spent not only in the music department performing with the University Choir, but also working with the National Council of Negro Women, participating in sorority life, and becoming Miss ECSU. That title also led Simmons to becoming the first Miss CIAA from ECSU. Simmons eventually moved on to Norfolk State University where she earned a Masters in Music Education. She became a music educator working in public schools. All of these experiences, says Simmons, have worked to cultivate her leadership skills. They are skills that today take her across the country, promoting tolerance and love through the Hate Wont Win Movement. Simmons has recently become the youngest member of the ECSU Foundation Board of Directors. She also teaches music part time in Columbia, South Carolina, works in real estate full time, but also runs the non-profit Hate Wont Win organization full time. The non-profit came about after a meeting with Pres. Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. It was during a conversation with them that she realized it was time to spread this message of love and tolerance. It is a labor of love that Simmons says brings communities together to discuss racial tensions and other issues of tolerance that are plaguing communities today. During roundtable discussions dubbed, Courageous Community Conversations, Simmons says community members talk about issues relating to prejudice, hatred, and anything in that realm. From that point on, they come up with a plan of action, whatever they can do to change the dynamic, she said. Simmons has been working with the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League, monitoring hate crimes across the country. Since the 2008 election of Pres. Obama, the nations first African American president, hate crimes have been on the rise, she says. Hate crimes are weighing on Americas communities. It has a daily effect on communities, says Simmons. So we are advocating through demonstrations of love. Discuss the issues. Bring awareness to the problems and create solutions together. The need for love and tolerance, says Simmons, is greater now than any time in recent history. For more information about the Hate Wont Win Movement, go to www.hatewontwinmovement.com. ({hoto: REUTERS / Carl Court)Britain's Attorney General Dominic Grieve gives his closing statement at the end of the Ukrainian Forum on Asset Recovery in London April 30, 2014. Organized by Britain and the United States and attended by representatives from 35 countries, the forum aimed at helping Ukraine's government recover money from President Viktor Yanukovich, who was toppled in February after months of street protests, and those close to him. Ukraine's chief prosecutor has accused Yanukovich of being used to fund Russian-backed separatists. A former UK attorney general says in an interview that Christians in Britain are forced to hide their beliefs because of an "aggressive form of secularism" to "push faith out of the public sphere." Dominic Grieve, a practicing Anglican, said he finds it unnatural for people to be persecuted for expressing their beliefs in an interview with The Telegraph newspaper in Britain on 23 August. He noted that some public sector workers have been disciplined for displaying their faith at work. There were also high profile cases where people have been banned from wearing crosses at work or dismissed for not doing tasks that are against their religious beliefs. Grieve believes that Christianity is a "powerful force for good" in modern Britain and Christians should stand on what they believe. "It doesn't mean that we have the monopoly of wisdom, but I do think Christianity has played an enormous role in shaping this country." He noted that politicians should also not be intimidated of "doing God" in the decisions they make. Grieve lost his government post during a cabinet reshuffle in July after opposing plans to give British lawmakers powers to veto decisions made by the European Court of Human Rights. It was Tony Blair's publicist, Alastair Campbell, who said that his administration didn't "do God" due to concerns that religion would put off voters. "I think politicians should express their faith. I have never adhered to the Blair view that we don't do God, indeed I'm not sure that Blair does. I think that people with faith have an entitlement to explain where that places them in approaching problems," he told The Telegraph. Religion does seem to take a backseat in UK politics. Two the three major party leaders, Nick Clegg of the Liberal Democrats and Labour Party leader Ed Miliband, are self-proclaimed atheists. Prime Minister David Cameron who sometimes attends Church of England services has said that his own faith is "like patchy reception of Magic FM in the Chilterns... it comes and goes." However, earlier this year Cameron stated that he had found greater strength in religion and suggested that Britain should be unashamedly "evangelical" about its Christian faith. (Photo: Reuters / Andrew Winning)The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams (R) and atheist scholar Richard Dawkins pose for a photograph outside Clarendon House at Oxford University, before their debate in the Sheldonian theatre in Oxford, central England, February 23, 2012. The name of the debate is ?The Nature of Human Beings and the Question of their Ultimate Origin? Some secularists in the United Kingdom "have a problem" with religion being talked about, says the Anglican bishop of Leeds, Nick Baines. He has warned a brand of "intolerant" liberalism circulates in that is dismissive of the Christian faith, the Belfast Telegraph reports. Some Christians feel so "picked on" they are too scared to speak about their faith in public, the bishop warned according to the Daily Mirror. He made his comments after UK Prime Minister Theresa May said it is important people can talk freely about their faith following claims some Christians dare not speak about Christmas. Speaking in Britain's lower parliamentary chamber, the House of Commons, Nov. 30, May said: "We have a very strong tradition in this country of religious tolerance and freedom of speech, and our Christian heritage is something we can all be proud of. "I am sure we would all want to ensure that people at work do feel able to speak about their faith, and also feel able to speak quite freely about Christmas." Baines said: "Clearly there are some Christians who are concerned about whether they are free to talk about their faith in a respectful and appropriate way in the workplace. The bishop told the Press Association in an interview, "Liberalism can become very intolerant of anything that doesn't fit its own parameters." "Clearly there are some Christians who are concerned about whether they are free to talk about their faith in a respectful and appropriate way in the workplace," said Bishop Baines. "Equally, there are plenty of people who are not Christians who think that Christians shouldn't, or think there is an issue around it. I call it religious illiteracy. "There are people who have been disciplined or threatened with discipline for talking about their faith even though they have been asked about it. Someone makes a complaint and says they have been inappropriate. This is absurd. . . "I think if you claim to be open-minded and liberal, why are you so frightened of religious expression?" This fall I was invited by a U.S. Army War College graduate to speak and serve as a panel member at the Seventh Annual Virginia Military Institute Conference on Leadership and Ethics. A former student, now director of the VMI Center for Leadership and Ethics, organized the conference around the theme, Strategic Leadership in Times of Global Transitions: Past, Present, and Future. The invitation presented a great opportunity given my position as the professor of Leadership and Cultural Studies the war college curriculum and programs are about preparing our graduates for strategic leadership. After entering VMI as the destination into my GPS, I proceeded on a beautiful November afternoon to Interstate 81 South for the 228-mile trip. It was going to be a long journey in many ways. On the drive, I would pass Gettysburg, cross the Mason-Dixon Line, then pass the exits for Antietam, Harpers Ferry, and New Market on the way to Lexington, Virginia. Civil War historians readily will recognize that I was traveling back in time. The September 1862 battle at Antietam set the stage for President Lincoln to make a major policy statement with his Emancipation Proclamation. The July 1863 battle at Gettysburg and the Union victory there is considered by some as the definitive turning point in the Civil War. Subsequently, Lincoln made the most significant change to the national war aims with his Gettysburg Address in November 1863. Undaunted, VMI cadets manned the victorious Confederate units in the May 1864 Battle of New Market, where its graduates still revere The Field of Lost Shoes as hallowed ground. For me, as an African-American retired Army colonel, ironies abound as VMI is famous for its West Point graduate Thomas Stonewall Jackson, who held a VMI position as a professor of physics before becoming one of the most highly regarded generals in the Confederate Army. I found it somewhat amusing that my hotel lodging in Lexington was named after another West Point graduate, its past superintendent, and the most famous general of the Confederacy, Robert E. Lee. The prestige of VMI attracted a young student from Pennsylvania, George C. Marshall, who would graduate in 1901 as its first captain and become the icon of strategic leadership for our U.S. military. My friend and renowned historian, Mark Stoler, hailed Marshall as the Soldier Statesman of the American Century. My panel, Developing Strategic Leaders for 2040, closed out the conference. I began my comments with the contrast that war college students, fully members of the military profession, were making the transition from tactical and operational leadership to what we call strategic leadership. It was fitting that the panel addressed students from senior military colleges and Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) programs who are seeking to enter the profession of arms and who will be our leaders of the future. As young Americans, they are not that much different than a West Point Cadet Allen nearly 40 years ago. Surrounded by steep traditions, historic figures, and role models, I then wondered about expectations, whether duty would be well performed in a full military career, and whether my contributions would make a difference in service to the nation. When I returned to the War College classroom following the VMI conference, those same questions still persisted as I engaged that morning with the current class of War College students. Maybe the distance from Carlisle to Lexington really isnt that far ... To build the largest and most complete Amateur Radio community site on the Internet - a "portal" that hams think of as the first place to go for information, to exchange ideas, and be part of whats happening with ham radio on the Internet. eHam.net provides recognition and enjoyment to the people who use, contribute, and build the site. This project involves a management team of volunteers who each take a topic of interest and manage it with passion. The site will stand above all other ham radio sites by employing the latest technology and professional design/programming standards, developed by a team of community programmers who contribute their skills to the effort. The site will be something of which everyone involved can be proud to say they were a part. We welcome your comments. The eHam.net Team, Revision 07/2020. Kenya hospital boosts local economy The first hospital on the site opened 110 years ago, serving western Kenya and parts of Uganda and Tanzania. It became a government hospital in 1967. By the time the National Council of Churches took it over two years ago, the facility was in dire straits, says Karithi. For any serious injury or condition, patients in the region had to make their way to Nairobi 340 km away. With its updated services, the hospital will be able to treat almost all cases without referring them to distant facilities, says Dr. Sharon Ogimda, one of the Jumuia medical staff. Its a good venture that will help a lot of people around here. Even on its first day in October, the hospital welcomed new patients. Rose Kagali came from a small village because she experienced early labour pains. Dr. Ogimda determined that Rose wasnt giving birth and helped her rest in the outpatients unit. Its the best hospital which has been brought near us, Rose says. People are very happy about it. At other hospitals in the region, Rose notes, equipment and staff are lacking. So the services you receive maybe sometimes are delayed. Its different from here, where you are received well and given the care that you deserve. The hospital will cover at least five Kenyan counties. More than 200 people will work there. Jumuia will boost the local economy with its need for food and other supplies, too. It will be a significant actor in the social transformation of this area, says Rev. Karanga, who doubles as chairman of the hospital. Africa health gets flexible financing Karangas National Council of Churches set up a special-purpose vehicle to finance the hospital. Rates at Kenyan commercial banks have been unstable, so Karanga was keen to obtain financing from the EIB through a regional development bank based in Nairobi. The EIB loan was also longer-term than those offered by local banks. The EIB funding was extremely flexible, he says. They were very quick to move from the thinking, conceptual side to disbursement. Most importantly, once they got the idea and understood what we were trying to do, they backed us. Over the next 15 years, Rev. Karanga hopes to replicate the renovation and expansion of Jumuia across Kenya, building a group of 12 facilities that will include sites for specialised treatments and a teaching hospital. We are national, not for profit. We invest for a mission and have a history of 100 years of operation in Kenya, he says. We are around to stay. UNESCO includes Yoga in Intangible Cultural Heritage list Published: December 2, 2016 The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has formally inscribed Yoga in its representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Decision in this regard was taken by the Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage meeting held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The declaration describes Yoga, an ancient Indian practice as a Human Treasure. It was unanimously supported by all the 24 members of inter-governmental Committee. Other new inscriptions added in the list are Rumba dance (Cuba), Belgian beer (Belgium), Almezmar (Saudi Arabia), Kuresi (Kazakhstan) and Khidr Elias feast (Iraq), Yama, Hoko, Yatai, float festivals (Japan), Momoeria, New Years celebration (Greece), practice of organizing shared interests in cooperatives (Germany),Making and sharing flatbread (Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan), Culture of Jeju Haenyeo (South Korea), Gada system (Ethiopia),Tahteeb, stick game (Egypt), Music and dance of the merengue (Dominican Republic), Valencia Fallas festivity (Spain), Solar Term(China), Mangal Shobhajatra on Pahela Baishakh(Bangladesh). Background The proposal for inclusion of Yoga in this list was forwarded by the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) immediately after the first International Yoga Day was on 21st June 2016. The dossier in this regard was forwarded by MEA through the Sangeet Natak Akademi. Indias proposal for nominating Yoga had stressed upon its pan-Indian and global expanse, health benefits and practised by people from all communities. About UNESCOs list of Intangible Cultural Heritage The UNESCOs coveted list is made up of those intangible heritage elements that help demonstrate diversity of cultural heritage and raise awareness about its importance. It was established in 2008 after Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, 2003 came into effect. It compiles two lists viz. Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. and Now, the list includes 814 cultural sites, 203 natural and 35 with both cultural and natural qualities. List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity from India Koodiyattam: Sanskrit Theatre of Kerala. Sanskrit Theatre of Kerala. Mudiyett: theatre ritual of Kerala. theatre ritual of Kerala. Tradition of Vedic Chanting. Kalbelia: folk songs and dances of Rajasthan. folk songs and dances of Rajasthan. Ramlila: Traditional Performance of the Ramayana. Traditional Performance of the Ramayana. Sankirtana: singing, drumming and dancing ritual of Manipur. singing, drumming and dancing ritual of Manipur. Ramman: religious festival and ritual theatre of Garhwal Himalayas. religious festival and ritual theatre of Garhwal Himalayas. Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil of Thatheras: Punjab. Punjab. Chhau dance: classical Indian dance originated in the eastern Indian states. classical Indian dance originated in the eastern Indian states. Buddhist chanting of Ladakh: recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. Category: Art & Culture Current Affairs Topics: Art and Culture Ethiopia Intangible Cultural Heritage list International National UNESCO Yoga Latest E-Books An annual Christmas tradition that for the past decade has provided the Parkland a source for high quality holiday candies, cookies and breads, while at the same time helping out a good cause, is back. In the 10 years since Team Turner Chevrolet-Cadillac began holding its holiday candy and cookie sale for the benefit of Relay For Life of St. Francois County (RFL-SFC), it has become one of the area's most popular holiday fundraisers. One of the biggest reasons for its success is that team co-chairs Glenda Straughn and Anne Strangmeier love to cook especially when its purpose is to support Relay For Life. Explaining why the American Cancer Society-sponsored event is so important to her and her family, Straughn said, My brother died of cancer, my father had prostate cancer and Ive had breast cancer. Its been a family thing and cancer is a diagnosis you never want to hear. The successful businesswoman has been a part of Relay For Life for quite a few years and over time became Team Turner Chevrolet-Cadillac's top fundraiser. The team, in turn, usually raises the most donations the local Relay For Life. Over the past four years, Team Turner Chevrolet-Cadillac has raised almost $140,000 for the cause $33,104.71 of that amount just this past year. Straughn, who joined the team 16 years ago, revealed the secret to her team's success in raising funds for the American Cancer Society. We started off slow trying to figure out what our niche was to be able to fund-raise, she said. Youve got to know what your niche is. Ours just happens to be that we love to cook and people seem to like what we make. Weve also been lucky that I have a facility we can use. Besides the holiday cookie and bake sale, Team Turner Chevrolet-Cadillac holds several other fundraisers throughout the year. We also do a Fat Tuesday Cajun dinner, a chicken and dumplings dinner and several other things, Straughn said. Weve found out that when we cook, people come out so weve been doing a lot of dinners. She admitted, however, that its sometimes tough to raise funds in a small community even if it's going to a good cause. Theres always somebody that needs help and only so much money to go around, she said. We've always been very fortunate that weve got a community that is very caring and giving and allows us to do so much. Straughn noted that cookie trays with an assortment of four dozen cookies can be ordered for $20 per tray and homemade candies are available at $12 per pound. "Orders can be placed by calling 573-431-2414 or 573-431-0342," she said. "All orders will be ready for pick up on Friday, Dec. 16, starting at 9 a.m. All of the proceeds raised from our teams holiday candy/cookie fundraiser goes to RFL-SFC to help in the fight against cancer." Pick-up locations will be at Belgrade State Bank in Farmington and Desloge, as well as Turner Chevrolet-Cadillac in Park Hills. Tynwald asked to consider sugar tax Speaker of the House of Keys Juan Watterson Tynwald will be asked to consider the introduction of a sugar tax when it sits later this month. Speaker of the House of Keys Juan Watterson wants the Island's parliament to pledge its support for placing an additional tax on items with a high sugar content. The MHK for Rushen adds that such a move would raise government revenue. This month's Tynwald sitting gets underway on December 13th. Shailene Woodley, the 25 years old outspoken Actress spent Thanksgiving alongside hundreds of protesters calling for a stop to the Dakota Access pipeline (DAPL) which is being built on the sacred grounds of Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Shailene in criticizing the American holiday, described it as a day that many people call Thanksgiving and when kids in America elementary schools are taught false narratives about the native brothers and sisters with tears rolling down her cheeks as she spoke with TYT Politics on Thursday. Woodley continued to say that, "When we were little kids, we cut cardboard paper pictures of pilgrims, turkeys and feasts, yet none of us know the truth about what happened to Native Americans when Westerners decided to Colonize America and what is still happening to Native Americans." She explained that the pipeline was originally planned to be built in Bismarck, North Dakota, a predominately white American area, it was moved to the reservation after it was suggested that any break in the pipeline may affect water supply. She said, "They did not do it and we are still here on Thanksgiving, a day that no one knows it history." Woodley, who was joined by actresses Nikki Reed and Jane Fonda, later took to her Facebook page to share a few additional videos filmed live from the reservation. She urged every person watching from home to investigate and research what this holiday means, why exists and what to do to change the narrative for future generations. She also shared a photo from Sunday night when protesters were sprayed in subzero temperatures with tear gas, water, rubber bullets, mace, bean bag bullets and percussion grenades. According to People the actress expressed that Thanksgiving was founded on a massacre, she said, "And yet we are here with these cops and snipers with rubber bullets. To be honest, I am just sick of it as there is no excuse." Woodley and other protestors joined the Sioux tribe to stand against the $3.8 billion pipeline that will span 1,100 miles across North and South Dakota into the Missouri River. Woodley was arrested back in October for criminal trespass while participating in a protest against the DAPL construction project. She pleaded not guilty to criminal trespass and engaging in riot, both of which are misdemeanors conviction of which can lead to a maximum punishment of a month in jail and $1,500 fine. She traveled with Mark Ruffalo and Jesse Jackson and several other celebreties to North Dakota to participate in the protests. According to ET, federal officials plan to close access to the protest campsite citing safety concerns. The authorities will close the area north of the Cannonball River and the Oceti Sakowin camp about 40 miles south of Bismarck where protesters who oppose the 1,170 mile Dakota Access Pipeline, have converged for months. Anyone found on the land after Dec. 5 could be charged with trespassing. Woodley stated that it is both unfortunate and disrespectful that this announcement comes the day after America celebrates Thanksgiving, a historic exchange between Native Americans and the first immigrants from Europe. Dave Archambault II, chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is also reported to have said that the news is saddening but not all surprising considering 500 years of mistreatment the natives has endured. Google has fixed Trump Tower's name after an unknown person renamed the midtown Manhattan building on Google Maps. A search for 'Trump Tower' brought up 'Dump Tower'. Trump International Hotel & Tower in Columbus Circle has also been renamed, changing the name to Dump International Hotel &Tower. The location pinpoint also provides the description of Trump Tower as a "58 storey, mixed used skyscraper." According to New York Times, users of the mapping service started noticing the new name change for the Fifth Avenue building on Saturday. While it is unclear when the switch took place, social media report and tweeting began around 2 p.m Google stated that they regularly updates their maps, although the time it takes to update and refresh location names varies as map data is aggregated from third party providers, user contributions and public sources which helps to create a comprehensive and updated map at all times. However, occasional inaccuracies such as the instant case, is not completely ruled out and Google must then make correction and fix any incorrect name or information. A Google spokesperson told PIX11 that the misrepresentation has been fixed and the company has changed the name back to Trump Tower. "Some inappropriate names were surfacing in Google Maps that should not be and we apologize for any offense this may have caused. Our teams took immediate action and have fixed the issue." Trump is yet to comment on the name changing incident. He has been using Trump Tower as his transition headquarters. It is recommended that Google Map boost it system and services. There have been a number of reported incidents involving the app where all sorts of pranks and racist phrases have been used. The Culprits are still unknown and the big question remains "who is responsible?" Critically acclaimed author George R.R. Martin seems busy these days with his writing for the much awaited sixth book. Winds of Winter. Martin has recently cancelled his convention appearances which apparently led to the rumor that he will break a habit by not writing any episodes for Game of Thrones Season 6. Martin is preparing to leave for the Guadalajara International Book Fair. Fans of the author are disappointed because according to Martin's blog, GRRM Livejournal, it would be his last scheduled event for 2016. Furthermore, he also mentioned that his appearance schedule for 2017 is very limited until The Winds of Winter, the upcoming sixth book in the series of seven, is completed. This is my last scheduled event for 2016. My appearance schedule for 2017 is very limited and will remain so until WINDS is completed. So if you want to meet me or get a book signed, this will be the last chance for a good few months, he said. Fans who want to get their books signed should take the last chance of seeing him in Mexico. Martin's fans have been waiting for five years for the next chapter of the book since A Dance with Dragons was published in 2011 that coincides with the premiere of the television series. Many readers believe that the new novel was already complete and was expected to be released around the time of the premiere of Season 7 of Games of Thrones. In addition, George R.R Martin said that he decided not to write an episode for Season 6 of the series. Writing scripts for him would usually take weeks or more, especially if it is not a straight adaptation of the novels. According to Winter is Coming website, George R.R. Martin will continue to write The Winds of Winter in 2017 and those who thought that he had already completed his manuscript can adjust their expectations. It seems like the next book will not be published in time that Game of Thrones Season 7 will be released next year. When it comes to having debt, it is no surprise that the United States is one of the biggest leaders. However most of the debt is somewhat seen as a strategic form of making one's country stronger. One major debt issue in the United States is student debt, but not for long. The Wall Street Journal recently let out an article which really felt like it was light on the heart. Basically the title mentions how the United States is going to eventually forgive at least 108 billion dollars in student debt. This outstanding piece of information comes with quite the strategy. Now the federal govenrment is directly involved in this because this problem is escalating quite a bit. As more people seek financial help for education, the generated revenue to fund higher education decreases. This got the GAO involved. The GAO, or the Government Accountability Office disclosed a sum this wednesday when they talked about how much exactly the cost of all the programs cost. Earning shares were involved and eventually, forgiving of debt will be reached. The entire loan program is over 1.2 Trillion Dollars and it works. In Summary, one asks for a loan, they get it. They then work it off after they graduate. Therefore the GAO said that even if over 100 Billion dollars in debt is forgiven, the program will still generate a profit to improve itself over and over. This will be done in a very long and slow process of debt-relief programs. Fortune talks about this as well as they mentioned that these debt relief programs are to be worked with very slowly, chipping away for 10 to 20 years. They mentioned that by the end of the 10 or 20 years the US would have forgiven at least $108 billion in debt and they will continue to make a profit. Get ready Sakura fans! Kodansha's Nakayoshi magazine reveals that CLAMP's Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card-hen (Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card Arc) sequel will be having a television anime series in January 2018. The anime series adaptation will premiere on NHK in the said date. Fans will surely be surprised to see Morio Asaka returning from the first television anime sequence and two motion pictures to direct the new series at Madhouse. According to Anime News Network, the anime series will feature the returning cast: Sakura Tange as Sakura Kinomoto, Junko Iwao as Tomoyo Daidoji, Aya Hisakawa as Keroberos, Motoko Kumai as Syaoran Li, Tomokazu Seki as Toya Kinomoto, and Megumi Ogata as Yukito Tsukishiro. Nakayoshi hinted at the upcoming issues that the series might face on January. The problem would be about the feature news which is related to the before the newly introduced new anime project. The release of the anime series in the television was also posted in Crunchyroll Forum. This year is the 20th anniversary of Cardcaptor Sakura which was launched by CLAMP. Kondansha, on the other hand, will display the first compiled extent in December. Cardcaptor Sakura was about a girl who graduates from Tomoeda Elementary School and is currently in her first year of junior high school. Originally, Cardcaptor Sakura magical girl manga series was first released on 1996 to July 2000. The manga sequence became popular and was sold 12 million copies. The manga series was released in English in two versions. Later on, the Dark Horse Comics released the set in the omnibus layout. The sequence was first produced by Madhouse and was aired in Japan on April 1998 to March 2000. The series premiered in Japan in 1999 and was adopted in 2000. The series got a licensed to be aired on televisions on 2014 and made a re-launched with a Blu-ray top class version and DVD. Newspeak, the language created by the totalitarian state of Oceania in George Orwells dystopian novel 1984, was aimed at the limiting of linguistic complexity. It operated through an impoverishment of vocabulary and by the banishment of words. Newspeak is predicated upon a profound belief in the potency of language. Words dont just express idle thoughts but are also guides to action. For instance, if the word freedom doesnt exist then the Orwellian understanding is that one cannot desire it and, thus, fight for it. 1984 presents in fictionalised form what philosophers have long known: to say something is to do something. The difference between this famous adage and the world presented in 1984 is that certain things cannot/will not be done as they constitute Thoughtcrimes. In the novel, because the very wordsfor example, freedom, love, equalityno longer exist they cannot be conceived of and acted upon. 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Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Annette Hsiu-lien Lu (Former Vice-President of Taiwan) EUBULLETIN: Chinas creeping assertiveness and expansion in the South China Sea is a great concern for many politicians also in Europe. It looks like that more and more countries, be it United States, Australia or New Zealand, are adjusting their foreign policies towards China while they scramble to have their presence felt in this region. Several countries also stressed that they would enforce the freedom of navigation in this strategically important part of the world. What is Taiwans current attitude on this issue? Annette Lu: Traditionally, Taiwan owned sovereignty of Senkaku Islands, which we call Tiaoyutai Islands, in East China Sea. We also own sovereignty of some of the islands in South China Sea. Besides, Taiwans location is very important since it is sitting right in the centre of the first island chain (Note: It refers to the first chain of major archipelagos located off the East Asian continental mainland coast). Ever since Xi Jinping took office as President of Peoples Republic of China (PRC), he said openly that in the year 2049, when PRC celebrates its 100-year anniversary, they are going to fulfil their China dream they want to enrich the country, they want to strengthen their military power to become a sole superpower. So, this century is the century for Chinas challenge against not only the United States but they want to conquer the whole world. And they realize that the takeover of Taiwan must be their first priority, simply because Taiwans location is so important. Once Taiwan is taken over by China, then China can have a direct access to the second island chain to challenge the United States. Thats number one. And also, they are building military bases on some islands in East China Sea and also South China Sea. By that, they try to prevent the freedom of navigation, so the whole world should also pay attention to what is going on there. EUBULLETIN: But, interestingly, judging from the recent landmark ruling by The Hagues Permanent Court of Arbitration, it seems that, to a great extent, the positions of Taiwan and PRC are similar, if only because Taipei also raised objections against the Courts ruling that there was no legal basis for mainland Chinas claims to a large section of the sea. Annette Lu: Because, historically, we have owned the territory in South China Sea. The international tribunals decision was very unfair to Taiwan because we are not a part of the whole process, so we do feel unhappy about it. We were not even invited to attend the trial or to present our documents so its very unfair. So, our president refuted the courts decision. But I think more important is that despite the fact that we own the sovereignty over some of the most important islands there, we initiated peace talks, we dont want to create a trouble in the region. In our peace initiative, we invite all the countries involved to discuss a peaceful settlement of the dispute. And my personal proposal is that we encourage all the countries to refrain from using nuclear power, there is no use of force and the area is used only for joint scientific research. EUBULLETIN: But what role do you think is there for the European Union to play in trying to find a peaceful settlement of the escalating territorial disputes in South China Sea that could potentially spin out of control if left unchecked? Annette Lu: In light of Taiwans strategically important geopolitical position, the whole world should support Taiwan to remain a beacon for democracy, for liberty. In the past couple of years, we noticed that more and more Chinese who visit Taiwan learn about democracy in Taiwan because we share the same language and the same culture. Quite naturally, the Chinese are curious to know if Taiwan can have democracy, why cant the Chinese have? On the other hand, if Taiwan is taken over by China, then there is no hope at all. EUBULLETIN: Do you personally think that military power can be a part of the solution to the dispute? In particular, should the EU and its Member States be more directly involved like, for example, the United States by sending military ships to the disputed islands to demonstrate the freedom of navigation? Annette Lu: Well, it is well known that China has in the past couple of months flexed its muscles in the region, which has only deteriorated the whole situation. So, there is a need for more soft power. We emphasize peace and we feel that if the whole world supports Taiwan to become a neutralized state, like Switzerland, for example, then we can remain neutral and thus stabilize the region. Thats the best way we think, thats why I am working for this objective. EUBULLETIN: Are you suggesting that you would like to see the European Union supporting Taiwans aspirations to become a neutral state? Annette Lu: Yes, thats what we are doing. Thats why hopefully sometime next year we are going to propose such an initiative to achieve Taiwans neutrality. And I always seek understanding and support from the international community because once Taiwan becomes neutralized, its good not only for our people, its good for the region and for whole world as well. EUBULLETIN: Following Brexit, it looks like the UK will start the process of withdrawal from the EU sometime early next year. And since the UK has probably been one of the main supporters of Taiwan within the EU, do you think that Brexit will negatively affect the EU-Taiwan relationship? Annette Lu: The majority of British people prefer to be independent from the European Union and therefore they very much understand the value of being independent. So, I think they will understand why we, Taiwanese, are seeking independence and neutrality. On Brexit, as Taiwanese, we take no position, however, we respect the right of the British people to make this decision. Annette Lu is former Vice President of Taiwan. Her political ascension took place against the background of the struggle for Taiwanese independence. She was an active member of the Tangwai movement that called for democracy and an end to authoritarian rule. Following the famous rally, where she gave a pro-democracy speech in 1979, she and basically the whole democratic movement was sentenced to 12 years of prison. Anette Lu is also a prominent feminist advocate who often addresses the lack of women in Taiwanese politics. She wrote the book New Feminism and was awarded the World Peace Corps Missions World Peace Prize in 2001. Leafy, low-rise and elegant, Vilnius is relatively free from traffic Ever since the UKs Brexit vote in June, cities across the continent have been lining up to lure financial firms away from London. All the usual suspects Paris, Frankfurt, Dublin, Amsterdam have rushed to make the case for becoming Europes new banking centre. One of the very first pitches, however, came from a more unlikely source. A week after the referendum, hundreds of UK-based banks, hedge funds and fintech firms received a letter from a Lithuanian poker player-turned MEP. You must be thinking about where to relocate your EU operations, wrote Antanas Guoga or Tony G, as he is known at the tables. I would like to invite you to explore Vilnius. And, for anyone who was unsure where that was, he helpfully added: The capital of Lithuania. At first glance, a former Soviet city of half a million people in the northeastern corner of Europe seems an unlikely spot for a global financial hub. DBS, UBS, Standard Chartered, Coutts, Falcon, BSI. One by one, the banks involved in the 1MDB scandal are learning their fates from the Monetary Authority of Singapore: modest fines and public dressing-downs for the big guys, outright bans for the smaller Swiss outposts. But what about the bank more intrinsically linked to the scandal than any other: Goldman Sachs? Decembers statement from the MAS whose headline is about the S$5.2 million ($3.65 million) fine levied on Standard Chartered and S$2.4 million on Coutts for breaches of anti-money laundering requirements is interesting for what it does and does not say about Goldman. What it explicitly does show is just how deeply Tim Leissner is in the ordure. Leissner, who was sacked by Goldman earlier this year, is widely understood to be the Goldman employee repeatedly referred to in the Department of Justice complaint around 1MDB (and the man that Low Taek Jho (Jho Low), the Malaysian at the heart of the scandal, addressed in emails as Bro), and was by far-and-away the Goldman figure closest to the 1MDB bonds the bank underwrote in 2012 and 2013. The MAS announcement involves a prohibition order against Leissner, effectively banning him from the countrys securities markets for 10 years, after finding that he issued an unauthorized reference letter to a financial institution based in Luxembourg in June 2015, using the letterhead of Goldman Sachs (Asia) LLC. The letter stated that Goldman Sachs had conducted due diligence on Mr Low Taek Jho and his family, and had not detected any money laundering concerns with respect to Mr Low or his family, the MAS statement says. These statements were untrue, the regulator says. The MAS statement goes to some lengths to clarify that an action against Leissner is not an action against Goldman. It explicitly states, in fact, that: These statements were untrue and were made by Mr Leissner without Goldman Sachs knowledge or consent. But that does not mean it is the end of Goldmans problems in Singapore. A spokesman confirms that Goldman is not in any way restricted in the work it does in Singapore. But the bank is awaiting the outcome of the MASs investigations both into Goldmans role on the 1MDB transactions and a broader supervisory examination of financial institutions through which 1MDB-related fund flows took place. An update is expected in early 2017. What might the MAS do to Goldman? A strange thing happened in December: a private banking business was bought by a bank that is not Singaporean. ABN Amro, in selling its Asian wealth management business, selected neither DBS nor OCBCs Bank of Singapore, but LGT Bank. Interesting. Both ABN Amro and LGT knew that they did not have enough assets to make their business workable: $25 billion for LGT, $20 billion for ABN Amro. Putting them together gets them towards the $50 billion increasingly seen as a minimum in Asia for a viable business in an era of ever-escalating compliance costs. We should not read too much into the rare absence of the Singaporeans. DBS was out because it is buying ANZs wealth businesses; Bank of Singapore did not bid because it is still bedding down the Barclays acquisition, which was only formally completed on November 29. Only $13 billion of Barclays $17.5 billion came across and fewer bankers than had been expected opted to make the move. There is still a sense of some snobbery among a few western private bankers who think OCBC, BOSs parent, an inferior name. But Bank of Singapores assets under management are now over $75 billion with almost 400 bankers, making it very much a player in regional private wealth. It could be nothing. The MASs actions to date have been against private banks, or the private wealth arms of multinationals, that have been involved in the 1MDB fund flows. Goldmans involvement in 1MDB was in underwriting the bond deals themselves from whose proceeds the misappropriation then took place. Yes, Goldman made an ugly fortune from the Malaysian taxpayer in those deals, but that is not illegal, that is just banking. For Goldman to incur penalty and censure it would need to be demonstrated that the bank knew the funds were going to be misappropriated when it helped raise them. To date, that has not been inferred. Furthermore, the MAS says that the Goldman team for the three bond issues, led by Leissner, was: mainly from Hong Kong, but also from Singapore, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates, while being underwritten by Goldman Sachs International, which is legally based in London. The bonds themselves do not really have much to do with Singapore. Still, the statement also tells us something about the renewed vigour of the MAS. Leissner was not actually in Singapore when he wrote that letter; he moved to Hong Kong in November 2011. But he maintained his representative status with Goldman Singapore up until his resignation, to use the precise legal term, in February 2016. The MAS used this in order to ban him and appears willing US Department of Justice style to use any connection to exercise its jurisdiction to investigate and penalize. Goldman should expect that attitude to extend to it, too. What happens next for Goldman is likely to depend on how successful it has been in convincing the MAS that Leissner was behaving as a lone wolf, beyond his authority and without the knowledge of the bank. So far, it appears to have argued that case convincingly. Meanwhile, StanChart comes out of the whole thing bruised and embarrassed, having incurred a bigger fine than DBS, UBS or Coutts. The 1MDB case keeps claiming big-name scalps. And it is not done yet. Two towers: fiscal and external account strengths are undeniable, but the view from the top in Kuala Lumpur is precarious The ringgit has depreciated by more than 6%, to its lowest level in more than a year, since Donald Trumps victory in the US presidential elections. To some extent the markets response might be exaggerated. Malaysias fiscal and external account strengths are undeniable, and Bank Negara Malaysia, the central bank, has hitherto maintained an orthodox, market-friendly approach to monetary policy. Yet, confidence in the currency has been undermined by the central bank offering assurances it will not implement capital controls. Trying to talk up the currency is only adding to the uncertainty, and it comes on the back of a declining risk score this year. Malaysia is 36th in ECRs global risk rankings, ranked A- by both Fitch and Standard & Poors, but is barely two-tenths of a point above Mexico, ranked BBB+ by both agencies. The scores for capital access, bank stability, and the regulatory and policymaking environment have all fallen, heightening economic risk. There are also acute political risks to factor in with the multi-billion-dollar scandal surrounding the 1MDB state development fund prompting public demonstrations calling for prime minister Najib Razaks resignation. Razak is attempting to deflect the attention by supporting the conservatives demands for a stricter Islamic code, but at the risk of opening up ethnic divisions with non-Muslim Malays. Low scores for corruption and government stability are hardly conducive to an investor-friendly environment, and capital access has tightened. Arjen van Dijkhuizen, senior economist with ABN Amro, takes an holistic approach, arguing that economic fundamentals make Asia more resilient than other emerging-market regions. True enough, Malaysia has a strong external position underpinned by robust foreign-exchange cover and a current-account surplus, albeit one that will shrink from 3% to 4% of GDP in recent years to around 1.2%, the IMF predicts. However, he also points the finger at Malaysia as one country that is affected by the tightening of financial conditions caused by Trumps US victory, and expectations concerning an interest-rate rise from the Federal Reserve. Furthermore, Malaysia is vulnerable to a potential hard landing in China, and has high debt levels which could have repercussions for the banking system, and economic growth which has slowed this year to below the pace in Indonesia. This article was originally published by ECR. To find out more, register for a free trial at Euromoney Country Risk. Credicorp the Peruvian financial entity that incorporates Banco de Credito del Peru (BCP) has reported very strong third-quarter earnings to support increasingly bullish analyst views on the individual credit, Perus banking sector and the countrys economic prospects. The strong growth in Perus banking system between 2012 and 2015 had faltered thanks to commodity-driven tailwinds, and this years presidential election compounded that slowdown by making companies postpone investment decisions. However, the election of Pedro Pablo Kuczynski in June has reignited confidence, while growth in the second half of the year has picked up and should be maintained in 2017. Alfredo Thorne Perus new minister of finance, Alfredo Thorne, says he intends to try to speed up the delivery of infrastructure programmes through a series of decrees that should cut through the delays that have hampered projects. The government gave Thorne the power to issue these decrees in September, enabling him to sweep away obstacles stalling public private partnerships and public works projects and he also envisages creating an infrastructure fund to help get construction works moving. Tax amnesty The government is planning a tax amnesty as also seen recently in Argentina, Brazil and Chile to encourage domestic investment. Thorne also says that Peru may turn its state-owned mortgage bank Mivivenda into a guarantee and real estate financier akin to the USs Fannie Mae as part of a wider reform of its four state banks (the others being Banco de la Nacion, Cofide and Agrobanco). The new government also plans to enact changes to the financial infrastructure of the economy to boost trend GDP growth to 5%, most of which should be positive for the existing banks, although some bankers say it may increase the competitive dynamics and lead to lower net interest margins (currently 5.6% for the system). Maria Valeria Azconegui, Moodys lead analyst on a recent report into the Peruvian banking system, says: The administration has also proposed initiatives to enhance competitiveness, including a plan to further open up the financial system to foreign investment which will potentially increase competition among the banks. In the longer term, the reform of the state banking sectorand new foreign participationin the financial system (the specific details of how foreign banks will be attracted are unclear as yet) could be a negative for the private banks in the country, but it is likely the government will direct banks to participate at the lower end of the credit spectrum. The banking systems concentration also limits the threats of competitive pressures, with the four largest banks accounting for 86% of total deposits. For now, the private banks are focusing on efficiency to maintain their high levels of profitability by some measures the highest in the region: net income as a percentage of tangible assets is nearly 2% in Peru, higher than that of Colombia (1.8%), Mexico (1.3%), Brazil (1.1%) and Chile (1%) That focus on efficiency saw the systems cost-to-income ratio fall to 44% in June from nearly 50% in 2011. A big factor has been the banks risk-management discipline through the cycle. In BCPs recent results, UBSs analyst Philip Finch praised lower provisioning and improving asset quality as the drivers of the banks 20.7% return on equity (18% in the second quarter of 2016). The NPL improved across all segments including consumer and mortgage, down 6 basis points QoQ [quarter on quarter] to 2.79% [and] provision expenses were down 19.6% QoQ given better asset quality and higher recoveries, says Finch, who also notes that Perus banks have been leading emerging market banks in benefiting from lower cost of equity and higher returns on equity. Central bank boost Peruvian banks are also benefiting from the central banks successful attempts to encourage local-currency savings. The high degree of dollarization in the economy has long been a potential weakness, but reductions in the reserve requirements for sol-denominated loans have stimulated local-currency credit growth. The central bank has also been auctioning government-sold deposits to expand the money supply and is offering sol funding to banks in the form of currency swaps and repos. Dollar-denominated loans fell to 31% of all outstanding loans as of June, down from almost 50% in 2013 as bankshave shifted from originating corporate, mortgage and auto loans that were traditionally transacted in dollars. This shift will continue to help contain risks with currency mismatches at the borrower level, says Azconegui. Dollar-denominated loans are now largely reserved for foreign currency earners.Growth in local lending also supports bank profitability as it is higher yielding credit and offsets the negative margin pressure banks are seeing on dollar lending portfolios. However, the level of dollar deposits in the system is proving more resistant to incentives to swap into local currency. As of the end of June, they had dropped to slightly below 50%. BCP accounts for nearly 40% of private-sector deposits and posted strong third-quarter results, beating consensus earnings estimates by 18% thanks to improved asset quality and stronger margins. Despite its dominant position in a strong banking market in an exciting economy, its valuation (estimated price-to-earnings for 2017 are 10.1 times, compared with an average of 11.2 times for Latin American banks) offers upside, making it one of the most recommended stocks among the regions banking equity analysts. Mozambique has added a new chapter to the sorry tale of its involvement in the international capital markets after telling creditors that its debt levels are not sustainable. The country is working to regain the support of the IMF. It met creditors in London on October 25, not long after Alexei Yakovitsky, chief executive of VTB Capital, a bank that has worked closely with Mozambique on its debt issuance, struck a positive note on the countrys debt prospects. Yakovitsky told Euromoney on October 12, that there was no reason to believe that state-owned Mozambique Asset Management, which had missed a $178 million payment on a $535 million loan provided by VTB, would not work things out. The story is not over yet, he said, upbeat. The story has indeed developed, and sooner than most analysts expected, but the development is hardly a positive one. Though the countrys debt has a dismal rating, as one financier active in Mozambique puts it, investors were surprised by the October announcement. The sovereigns bond quickly lost value in secondary trading, and analysts wondered if this latest event would harm the countrys prospects of regaining IMF funding. Stuart Culverhouse, Exotix Stuart Culverhouse, global head of research at Exotix, says Mozambiques announcement and the timing of it may have something to do with the discussions the country has been having with the IMF, as well as an upcoming coupon payment. Why wait? In the context of the recent discussions, he says, and with the coupon coming in January, maybe its accelerated their view about where they are and therefore why wait any longer, if theyre up against it now? The IMF pulled its budget support for Mozambique earlier this year, when it emerged that it had misinformed the fund about the size of its debts, hiding $1.4 billion of loans for its interior ministry and two state-controlled firms among them, the $535 million VTB loan. These revelations follow a scandal over the misuse of $850 million of notes issued by a state-owned company, Ematum. Investors thought they were lending the money for the purchase of a tuna-fishing fleet, when in fact the proceeds were being used for military purposes. The IMFs withdrawal seriously hurt the governments accounts, Mozambique told investors, adding that its primary objective is to resume relations with the IMF to stabilize the economy and restore the confidence of the international community. Gross public debt has reached 130% of GDP, from just 38% five years ago, according to IMF data. Help at hand But the situation is not all bad for Mozambique. Help from the IMF may yet materialize. An IMF delegation visited the country in June and September, ahead of possible formal negotiations toward renewing involvement with it. Two conditions would have to be met for the IMF to agree a new loan: first, Mozambiques debt must no longer be unsustainable, or it would at least have to be on a path to sustainability; second, an audit into the tuna bond would have to be launched. From the apparent woes of Mozambiques debt pile the country itself says it is in debt distress as well as from the countrys aura of secrecy the undisclosed loan and misappropriated tuna bond are prime examples one might be excused for thinking neither condition will be met. Prospects could be better than they appear, however. Mozambique is looking to restructure its debt, which would make it more sustainable. And the country has already appointed Kroll to audit Ematum. The audit could begin within weeks. Macroeconomic conditions are starting to look up, too. In recent weeks, the exchange rate has been quite stable in nominal terms. The rise in the price of coal, to $300 a tonne, is also a positive for the country, as it has much of that natural resource. Arduous For Mozambique, negotiations are likely to be arduous on all fronts in the coming months with bondholders, the IMF and VTB. Since the bond investors may not agree to a restructuring until the IMF releases funds, the IMF and bondholder discussions may have to happen in parallel, so that neither side feels that it has agreed to a settlement without the support of the other. If that all goes ahead, Mozambique may yet put its finances in order. Still, the situation is tense, and emotions are running high. VTB sent a combative statement out after the October 25 meeting, saying: We have properly executed these deals and are absolutely sure of our legal position. It remains unclear to us why Mozambique, as it turned out, didnt disclose the correct amount of debt to the IMF. And it added: Essentially, the government misled us. Its been a year of special anniversaries. We have marked the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Center for Science & Culture, and the 20th anniversary of the publication of Michael Behes book Darwins Black Box, which helped to launch the intelligent design revolution, as we document in the new hour-long video Revolutionary. Equally significant, 2016 marks the 25th year since a pair of daring visionaries and onetime Harvard roommates, Bruce Chapman and George Gilder, founded our institutional home, Discovery Institute. So we flew to Washington, DC, for a reception celebrating the achievements of Chapman and Gilder with friends from the world of politics. Thank you to our host committee, including Becky Norton Dunlop, Ken Blackwell, Ed Feulner, Ed Meese, Steve Forbes, and Grover Norquist. This is obviously a busy and exciting time in the nations capital. We were delighted to see new and old friends and colleagues, including Discovery Institute Senior Fellows Bill Walton (currently co-heading the economics team for the Trump Administrations transition to the White House) and Jay Richards, co-author of Privileged Planet and editor of The Stream. Our friend Tom Bethell was on hand, as well; his new book, Darwins House of Cards, will be out in January from Discovery Institute Press. Naturally, Bruce Chapman and George Gilder were in the spotlight at the Ritz-Carlton in McLean, VA. Discovery Institute president Steve Buri introduced Gilder with reflections on the past and future: Discovery Institute has had a meaningful impact nationally and internationally from our home base in Seattle, Washington. It was Bruce Chapmans vision to build a national think tank outside the Beltway. And thats no small feat. We have much to celebrate tonight 25 years of history behind us and a bright hope for the next 25 years ahead. Discovery Institutes mission is to advance a culture of purpose, creativity, and innovation. We believe in a purposeful universe designed for scientific discovery. We believe in the power of human creativity to solve complex problems. And we believe in innovation in public policy that can only come when human potential is freed from the bonds of government. George Gilder said it again yesterday: Policies can change as fast as minds can change. Discovery has been changing minds and influencing policies for a quarter century. We take on big challenges, and we think long term. One of those big challenges is represented by our work on intelligent design led by Senior Fellows Steve Meyer and John West and our related efforts to defend scientists, teachers, and students who question Darwinian orthodoxy. No one should lose his job, or have his career threatened, for making scientific arguments in favor of design. But too often, that is what happens on college campuses today. Discovery provides a home to brave scholars and scientists and weve assembled one of the best science faculties in the country. We are equally known for the leadership of Bruce Chapman. Our Chapman Center for Civic Leadership instills lessons from Bruces career to a new generation of business and political leaders. Discovery is recognized as the intellectual home of George Gilder and the Information Theory of Economics he developed at Discovery. The theory merges Georges deep understanding of technology with his incredible wealth of knowledge about economics offering new ideas about how to create wealth and alleviate poverty. George Gilder was brilliant as always in sketching the guiding philosophy of Discovery Institute as only he can. We will share his remarks in a subsequent post. Happy anniversary, to us all, and not least to our friends George and Bruce! Here in Seattle, traffic can be more than a little tricky and commutes by road or rail seem to get longer all the time. Thats why we are especially excited to announce that Stephen Meyers New York Times bestseller Darwins Doubt as well as Signature in the Cell will be released as audiobooks in December and are available for pre-order now! Make your travel time enjoyable and productive next year with Meyers books, read by Derek Shetterly. With Christmas around the bend, its a great gift for those hard-to-buy-for professionals who have long commutes or travel regularly. If you prefer to store audiobooks on your shelf with the rest of your library, check out the CD versions of Darwins Doubt or Signature in the Cell. For those more digitally inclined, for a limited time, Amazon is offering Audible versions of the audiobooks for free with an Audible trial, so dont wait for the official release date. Pre-order the Audible versions of Darwins Doubt and Signature in the Cell today! Image: Rawpixel.com stock.adobe.com. Hi All I am going to do a small project for couple of months in private oil company in Abu Dhabi and so I need a security clearance. I am working and hired by another company so my question how long it should take especially I won't be hired there I mean it is not a vacancy I applied for Hi friends, I need expert help in preparing Documentations for USA. I applied ds160 already and applying with my family. One major concern. I have submitted 160 form for business visa and paid fees too. But due to client side issue he didn't able to send me invitation. So my concern is can that fees will be adjusted in this 2nd time visa? What all documents required can somebody give me checklist ? It would be great to get help on urgent basis. Thanks Hi All,im an internal auditor in a bank, my roles and responsibilities are testing and giving assurance on technology controls.I'm unable to find related NOC code. The closest is. However I am no a financial auditor.Please help. Have you done any research on Canada? If so, you would have learned that Canada is the second largest country in the world. As such, it is impossible to say anything about the job market for any occupation "in Canada" as job markets vary widely from one region to the next, as well as within regions. If you narrow down your area it will be possible to answer your question. But to speak in generalities, sales is a job that anyone can do. Even high school kids can work in sales. As such, it won't be in demand. With regards to marketing, while there might be more demand in that field in various places across the country than there will be for sales people, you likely lack the skills to work in marketing here. Marketing requires a high level of cultural awareness, which you will lack, as well as excellent English writing skills (among other skills). Although I work in academia, I am also trained in public relations so am familiar with the field (for those who are not aware, PR is the other side of the coin from marketing - PR deals with the company and its reputation whereas marketing deals with specific products or services - and the skills and training required for both are virtually identical...marketing students take PR courses and PR students take marketing courses). You might, maybe, be able to use marketing as a job category for getting into Canada but don't expect to get work in the field upon arrival. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Recently arrived in France to work. I live in a foyer des jeunes travailleurs - meaning my assurance for the apartment and all my bills are handled by the foyer and included in my rent. The only bill I have is the one for my mobile phone with Bouygues. I know for a fact that Bnp has accepted the letter from my foyer to say I live there as a justicatif de domicile before from other people. For me they have decided to say no. Instead they are sending me a registered letter I have to sign for, but I'm 99% sure they never posted it. I have been at this for nearly six weeks, I call into the branch at least twice a week to check the status and for weeks they will say nothing, then suddenly it turns out the rules have changed. They never answer my calls or emails in the branch. Currently, two months wages is stuck in this account I can't access because I was also never sent online bank details. How the **** do I pay my rent. Does anyone have any advice before I literally crack up with the frustration? Becker's Hospital Review published an Article of Interest by John M. Collard, turnaround specialist, outside independent director, private equity advisor, and interim executive. Becker's Hospital Review is published by ASC Communications for the Physician, Surgeon, Hospital, Business, Finance, and Investing Community. www.StrategicMgtPartners.com www.StrategicMgtPartners.com/beckersexit.pdf Article-of-Interest: Exit strategies for practice owners: You built a successful practice, now consider cash out alternatives By John M. Collard When the reality that "you are the practice" sets in, you face a dilemma when you want to pack it in and leave. Who will pay for a practice when the chief revenue producer is leaving? Not many. What is your exit strategy? How do you maximize your retirement position. There are alternatives for you to reap the spoils of your life's work and investment. You can sell your single-shingle practice, build a formidable going concern through merger/acquisition to attract attention from private equity or special interest buyers or expand into developing a medical facility to leverage a real estate investment. Build a formidable practice You must build the practice so that it can run without you, utilizing revenue producers (physicians, surgeons) after you leave. This can mean growing the practice into a bankable, scalable, sustainable business before you sell. Smaller practices usually get attention from a clinical buyer, hospital or large medical practice at a much lower price point because value is in the patient base. However, the real money is in selling a going concern a company that delivers professional medical services for fees and achieves profit and cash flows at a much higher price point. The focus now shifts from making a living to return on investment for investors. It is critical to have well documented policies and procedures in place for each business process. You have built the practice by delivering what patients want and need. Now it is time to shape that practice to emulate what buyers and investors want and demand. Combine-to-grow One strategy that can produce an excellent payday in exchange for your equity ownership position is a combine-to-grow methodology. Simply pursue combining several practices through merger or acquisition, then sell the larger entity for top dollar. The private equity community is very active in this space where there is a strategic presence in a geographic area, central back-office and reporting systems, but it must be of substance. Consolidation and roll-up is being driven by the complexity, turmoil and risk of practicing medicine today. The new combined practice provides management, compliance, facility, human resources and financial infrastructure so that their physicians can practice medicine. Partnerships can often be merged in no-cash transactions, where there is a combining of equity interests. The new entity then defines which partners your will move on when a selling event occurs, and which new physicians will run operations and move up within the organization. You can take advantage of multiple locations to grow the geographic footprint. The more transactions assimilated, the more that value grows. Buyers / Investors look for: Shown by: Business that creates value Consistency, position, economy of scale High probability of future cash flows Performance history, patient base growth Market-oriented management team Focus on revenue production, growth Ability to sell, produce, thrive and grow Track record of patient growth, acquisition Fair entry valuation Realistic return potential Exit options ROI multiples Develop a medical facility A different approach: Invest in and develop a medical facility or clinic to create a physical infrastructure. This strategy involves bringing together several doctors as partners who all invest equity to form a limited partnership, which will own and manage the facility. It also calls for building a new facility or refurbish an existing building, then lease out the space to the partners' practices and similar professionals, and raising capital to finance the development and build-out. This approach can form an annuity for the future, or the entity can be sold at a capital gain with a 20 percent to 30 percent ROI. You are now leveraging a fully leased real estate investment that provides medical services. Whether the facility is located in proximity to a hospital system to augment services or in a standalone location, you bring multiple medical services to the population in need. Build up a board of advisors To make these strategies work there must be a working knowledge about these complicated processes. A respected third party, like an outside director or a consultant specialist, can serve as a helpful guide. These professionals have gone through this process before. The very fact that you hire an expert can establish credibility with potential merger partners, lenders and investors. Often, a bank or creditor will work with a third party expert when they may hesitate to work with a physician alone on these matters. Advisors bring a working knowledge of growing new businesses. They also bring an independent perspective, strategic thinking, objectivity, contacts, capital infusion and transactions. Don't hesitate to utilize this new found expertise as you launch on a new endeavor growing a multi-office practice or building a new facility. They can be a resource while you are still tending to patients. Raising capital/solicit buyer interest Whether you raise financing or solicit potential buyers for the new business, the approach can be the same. There is a three step method to get results, money and buyers: 1. Send a personalized transaction overview [term sheet] to many prospective lenders, investors, or buyers to solicit interest. The email merge function works well for this task. 2. Respond to those who express interest with an executive summary, which provides greater detail on the deal. 3. For those with continued interest, present them with an operating plan with assumptions and financial forecasts. Be prepared for their detailed investigations. Most advisors will have a list of lenders, investors and buyers who are looking for deals; some have longer and more quality lists than others. These specialists can help the process of preparing solicitation documents, perform the email merge to locate investors and buyers and negotiate a transaction. Compensation for raising money and/or selling a company varies by advisor, but there will be fees for preparing the process and a success fee upon completion of a transaction. Many advisors use a Modified Lehman Formula geared to the size of the deal. Expect a percentage fee to be higher for smaller deals because there is a similar amount of work to financing or selling small deals as there is for larger ones. It is not hard to raise money or sell a practice if you put the right tools in place and the deal is "investable." Be the "good deal" and you will raise capital or sell your practice. Remember: Your piece of a larger entity can be much more than if stand-alone. Alternative Exit Strategies Single shingle practice Formidable going concern Medical facility Cash investment Already there Small/ No-cash deals Yes. ROI is high Value is in: Patient base Many patients. Infrastructure. Real Estate. Lease Revenues. Sell at: Book value 4-6 times cash flow + book value 6 times cash flow plus R/E equity Annuity Could be: Small Could be: Medium Could be: Large Buyers New physician, large practice Private equity, hospital R/E investor, healthcare provider Future involvement Usually no, some transition Management Run real estate venture ### About the Author: John is a Certified Turnaround Professional (CTP), and a Certified International Turnaround Manager (CITM), who brings over 35 years senior operating leadership, $85M+ asset and investment recovery, 45+ transactions worth $1.2B, and $80M fund management expertise to run troubled companies, serve on and/or advise company boards, litigators, institutional and private equity investors, and raise capital. John has parachuted in as the Interim CEO, CRO or senior executive to turn around trouble companies, and serves as an outside director. John is Chairman of Strategic Management Partners, Inc. (410-263-9100, www.StrategicMgtPartners.com ) in Annapolis, Maryland. John is inducted into the Turnaround Management, Restructuring, and Distressed Investing Industry Hall Of Fame. John is Past Chairman of the Turnaround Management Association (TMA), Past Chairman of the Association of Interim Executives (AIE), and a Senior Fellow of the Turnaround Management Society. John is a Founder of TMA. John was honored as Prince George's Business Leader of the Year. John is honored with the Interim Management Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Interim Executives. John is a Maryland Most Admired CEO. About the Firm: Strategic Management Partners, Inc. ( www.StrategicMgtPartners.com 410-263-9100) is a turnaround management firm specializing in executive CEO leadership, asset and investment recovery, board and private equity advisory, raising money, and investing in and rebuilding distressed underperforming troubled companies. The firm has been advisor to Presidents Bush (41 & 43), Clinton, Reagan, and Yeltsin, World Bank, EBRD, Company Boards, and Equity Capital Investors on leadership, rebuilding troubled companies, investment recovery, turnaround management and equity investing. SMP is celebrating over 25 years of service to its clients. SMP was named Maryland's Small Business of the Year, and received the Governor's Citation, Governor Martin J. O'Malley, State of Maryland as a special tribute to honor work in the areas of turning around troubled companies and saving jobs in Maryland. Turnarounds & Workouts Magazine twice named SMP among the Top Outstanding Turnaround Management Firms. American Business Journals named SMP among the Most Active Turnaround Management and Consulting Firms in Baltimore, Washington, and the Mid-Atlantic Region. Global M&A Network Turnaround Atlas Awards named SMP as Boutique Turnaround Consulting Firm of the Year. End ### Reference: www.StrategicMgtPartners.com Turnaround Managers Strategic Management Partners, Inc. Library Turnaround Strategist Column at SmartCEO Magazine Becker's Hospital Review www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-physician-relationships/exit-strategies-for-practice-owners-you-built-a-successful-practice-now-consider-cash-out-alternatives.html Collard on NewsReleaseWire Social Media: John M. Collard on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/JohnMCollard John M. Collard on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/JohnMCollard John M. Collard on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JohnCollard Firm: www.StrategicMgtPartners.com Turnaround Management Experts End ### International trade has underpinned the massive rise in living standards weve experienced in this country, and globally, since World War II. President-elect Donald Trump launched his presidential campaign last year pledging to undo all of that and, instead, to launch trade wars with major trading partners. I am deeply worried. In his first speech in May 2015, he promised a massive 35 percent tariff on our major trading partner Mexico. He reiterated his plans many times on the campaign trail to retaliate both against Mexico and against U.S. companies like Ford Motor Co. that may move manufacturing jobs to Mexico. Sixteen percent of U.S. exports go to Mexico. Later, Trump threatened 45 percent tariffs on Chinese exports both in Republican debates and in interviews with the New York Times. Some 7 percent of U.S. exports go to China. Trump also pledged to withdraw not only from the recently negotiated Trans-Pacific Partnership, but also to renegotiate or withdraw from 1994s North American Free Trade Agreement with major trading partners Canada and Mexico. Nineteen percent of all U.S. exports go to Canada. I dont mean to sound melodramatic, but Trumps attacks on our trading partners would cause a worldwide trade war. Look, nobody is good at makings predictions about whats going to happen with markets or the economy generally under Trump. Most of the time when we talk about markets responding to a presidential administration, we are imposing our political biases or we are predicting things that are really unknowable. But we know what Trump has repeatedly promised: trade wars. We also know, or should know, that trade wars make us all much poorer. Most experts agree that the Smoot-Hawley Tariffs of 1930 exacerbated the Great Depression worldwide, as both imports to and exports from the U.S. were cut by about half. Partly in response to those dark times, the U.S. became the standard bearer for increased trade and lower tariffs the opposite of Trumps proposals. Trumps ideas mark a very big shift in U.S. leadership. The problem with unilateral trade sanctions like Trump advocates is: 1. They dont stay unilateral. Countries affected will obviously and immediately retaliate against us with their own trade sanctions, and; 2. The U.S. would probably be in violation of international trade systems like the World Trade Organization. The WTO, in turn, can impose trade sanctions on violators, including the U.S. Another problem with Trumps trade plans is that trade is not a deal that you win one time like a reality-show version of Survivor. Its not what economists call a zero-sum game where one side wins only at the expense of the other side. Trade is an ongoing engagement with partners that, over time and in the aggregate, makes all sides richer. But all sides have to see trade as in their long-term interest, even if trade is hard for key constituents within any specific country. Nobody signs up for trade agreements when theyre beaten into submission. Ever since the demise of 18th-century-style mercantile colonialism, you cant bully countries into trading with you. We know that the harms and benefits from international trade do not distribute evenly. Business owners and workers for export-oriented companies clearly benefit from trade. As CNN recently pointed out, companies like Starbucks Corp., Boeing Co. and Apple Inc. to name a few U.S. companies with global brands target Chinas 1.3 billion people as their single largest market now or in the near future. In addition, as consumers, we all benefit from trade through lower prices. Specific companies and industries, on the other hand, suffer from trade. In the U.S., labor-intensive manufacturing jobs have declined, but the culprit isnt really trade per se. According to the Center for Business and Economic Research at Ball State University in Indiana, of the 5.6 million U.S. manufacturing jobs lost from 2000 to 2010, only about 13 percent are due to trade. The vast majority of manufacturing jobs lost are due to automating processes, not foreign competition. That same study points out that manufacturing production in the U.S. itself is not in decline, but rather is at a record high. Whats in decline are the number of people needed to do all the manufacturing. At the same time, high tariffs are unlikely to bring back manufacturing jobs. The bad news is that we pay people too much and we enforce worker protections too much in this country to make many lost manufacturing jobs revivable here. Thats actually good news, if you are a U.S. worker, but you know what I mean. Voter Guide: What to know for the midterm election Your guide to the Texas and San Antonio races and candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot. So Trump has promised trade wars, but without a high chance that it could possibly work in the sense of bringing back many jobs for those most affected by globalization. Now, maybe, my worries about Trump sparking trade wars are overblown because he doesnt literally mean 35 percent and 45 percent tariffs on exports from our major trading partners. He doesnt seriously intend to kill the golden goose global trade that has increased our general prosperity for 70 years. Maybe those tariff threats are just an indication of the direction of this thoughts? A week before the election, Trumps strongest Silicon Valley supporter PayPal Inc. founder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel offered us all some insight: The media is always taking Trump literally. It never takes him seriously, but it always takes him literally. I think a lot of the voters who vote for Trump take Trump seriously but not literally. Thiel hit on an important point for many of Trumps statements. So I am left with this hope: He was just indicating his feelings toward trade, and his administrations policies will be much milder. A little bit of lying, maybe, wrapped up in a joke. You know, as a goof. Personally, I take him both seriously and literally, and I am worried. The globalization of trade since the end of World War II and in particular since the end of the Cold War, has greatly favored the U.S., even while the effects of trade hurt particular industries and geographies. I believe a reversal of that trade situation championed by Trump as he champions those most hurt by globalization will make us all a lot poorer. He has been cited by Rush Limbaugh, quoted in the New York Times, featured at Real Clear Politics and Lucianne.com and interviewed on radio, TV and in social media. Inducted into the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame, for many years he served as a Lecturer in Corporate Communication at Penn State University. A former President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA) he has lectured at Rowan University, Temple University, The College of New Jersey and Arcadia University. He has conducted workshops on public relations for thousands of participants throughout the nation and has taught countless others the art of public speaking. He has also advised numerous lawyers, judges, public officials and political candidates. Cirucci is a prolific writer and his op-ed pieces have appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Courier-Post and other publications. A native of Camden NJ, Cirucci is a former President of the Philadelphia chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Cirucci served as Associate Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Association for nearly 30 years. He served as Chair of Penn State University's Professional Advisory Board for the Corporate Communication major at Penn State Abington and on the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Judicial Selection Commission. He received his MA degree from Rowan University and his BA from Villanova University. He has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of Rowan's public relations program and received the E. A. "Wally" Richter Leadership Award, the highest honor from the National Association of Bar Executives' Communications Section. He has also been honored by numerous other local, state and national groups. Cirucci's passions include politics, the popular culture, books and authors, art, communication, music, theatre, movies, dining and travel. In his hometown of Camden, Cirucci taught fifth grade at the Ulysses Wiggins Elementary School named for the founder of the Camden NAACP. There he was one of the first teachers in the country to teach African-American history to inner city students. He later served as editor of a local weekly newspaper, as Assistant to the Township Manager of Cherry Hill Township and as Associate Director of Communications at the New Jersey State Bar Association. He's Dan Cirucci, the founder and editor-in chief of the Dan Cirucci Blog, Matt Rooney's sidekick on Save Jersey's videocasts and one of the most widely honored public relations professionals in his field. He's also been a public relations consultant to numerous organizations and individuals and hosted The Advocates on RVN-TV. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate City Council voted unanimously Thursday to ease the terms of a $400,000 loan to the developer of the Peanut Factory Lofts apartment complex, making it easier for the buildings new owner to get more than half of the note forgiven. Council members reduced the required number of units dedicated to student housing and expanded the definition of a student, allowing up to $250,000 of the note to be forgiven on more lenient terms than the original 2012 agreement. The city struck a deal with 210 Development Group designed to create more student housing near the downtown campus of the University of Texas at San Antonio. The original agreement required at least 49 of the 102 apartments to be rented to students every year over 10 years for the loan to qualify for full forgiveness. The loan was eligible for partial forgiveness if 30 of the units went to students every year. The new terms allow up to $250,000 of the loan to be forgiven with just 15 of the buildings apartments rented to students. The definition of students was also loosened to include those who arent seeking degrees and vocational students such as aspiring nurses. Fifteen of the complexs units are currently leased to students, said John Jacks, director of the citys Center City Development & Operations Department. 210 President Michael Wibracht said 37 percent of the units are currently rented to students. He didnt return a call seeking comment on the discrepancy. 210 Development Group plans to sell the Peanut Factory Lofts next month to Oregon-based Windmill Investments, Wibracht said. 210 Development will repay $150,000 of the loan and Windmill will assume the rest, which would be eligible for forgiveness at the new terms. A housing study conducted before the complex was built indicated there was strong demand from students in the area. But student demand turned out to be much less than expected, according to Wibracht and city officials. 210 Development also had trouble attracting students because it wasnt allowed to advertise on UTSAs campus, Wibracht said. This is a one-of-a-kind project that transformed the West Side, Wibracht said after the meeting. We faced a lot of financial headwinds to get it done, but we did get it done. Council members praised Peanut Factory Lofts for the impact it has had on the near West Side, a largely run-down area that has hardly been touched by the urban renaissance thats transforming other areas near downtown. The complex is 92 percent occupied, Wibracht said, making it a success story for the neighborhood. Theyre living to the terms of their agreement, District 4 City Councilman Rey Saldana said after the meeting, referring to 210 Development. Theyre still going to have to pay the penalty for not getting the amount of students they originally projected. City officials pointed out that 210 Development used the loan for environmental remediation that provides a benefit to the surrounding area. The loan was used to clean up a parking lot that the firm bought from the city and to add fencing, lighting, landscaping and other improvements, according to past reports in the Express-News. The remediation is done, but they cant meet that (student housing) requirement. Thats why theyre giving back $150,000, Assistant City Manager Lori Houston said at the meeting. The rest will be used for a new student requirement. Voter Guide: What to know for the midterm election Your guide to the Texas and San Antonio races and candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot. After the council meeting, Wibracht said 210 Development was giving back, in a way, by using the citys loan to make the improvements. Studio apartments at the Peanut Factory Lofts start at $749 a month and two-bedrooms at $1,400, Wibracht said at the meeting. On the complexs website, studios are advertised at between $909 and $1,529 and two-bedrooms range from $1,599 to $2,959. The median rent in the San Antonio metro area was $625 a month for a studio apartment and $995 for a two-bedroom in October, according to Zillow, a website that tracks rental prices. Overall, 210 Development received just over $1 million in public incentives to develop the Peanut Factory Lofts, according to the citys website. The Bexar Appraisal District assessed the Peanut Factory Lofts at $17.3 million this year. 210 Development is currently working on other major projects, including the Vitre apartment complex just north of UTSAs downtown campus and another complex next to Mission Concepcion. 210 Development and its investors have made several campaign donations to city officials, including $1,000 to Mayor Ivy Taylor in fall 2014. Campaign filings show that former Mayor Henry Cisneros, who has invested in many of the firms projects but not specifically in the Peanut Factory Lofts, has donated about $2,500 to the mayor and council members in the last five years. rwebner@express-news.net @rwebner Congress authorized 1,500 visas for Iraqi and Afghan translators who worked on behalf of U.S. troops, according to the final text of a defense bill released this week. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (NDAA) authorized the visas, known as special immigrant visas, for Iraqi and Afghan interpreters, many of whom live in danger due to their service to American troops. Currently more than 10,000 applicants await processing, according to the advocacy group International Refugee Assistance Project. Our troops and diplomats rely on the help of thousands of heroic Afghan allies who live in constant danger because of their service, said Betsy Fisher, Policy Director of IRAP. The United States will keep over 8,000 troops in Afghanistan indefinitely. By failing to allocate sufficient visas to provide our Afghan allies with a path to safety, we fail to keep the faith with themand with our troops and diplomats who rely on them to succeed in their mission. Iraqi and Afghan translators who apply for these visas often face applications drag on for months, even years, while they face death threats. In 2013, Jason Buch of the Express News reported on a San Antonio native who met her husband, an interpreter, after he worked for her brothers U.S. Army unit in Afghanistan. For Fazil Eshaqzai, the application process left him waiting for months in a country where insurgents and terrorists were targeting translators because of their value to U.S. troops. Ronald Payne, founder and director of the Allied Freedom Project, told the Express News visas for interpreters were held up due to delays at the Kabul and Baghdad embassies. He also said many Iraqi and Afghan special immigrant visa applicants settle in San Antonio due to his foundation. We literally have guys who have been continually working for us since 2002 and are still currently employed and have been waiting for their visa since 2008, and theyre saying, We need to check out your background, Payne said. Well, theyve been working for us since 2002. If you cant figure out in 13 years if youve got a good guy or a bad guy, weve probably got a problem. An official with the State Department who was authorized to speak to the media but asked not to be named citing department policy, told the Express News procedures were in place to reduce the chances of fraud in the visa process. We have an obligation to ensure that recipients of SIVs like all others who enter the United States do not pose a threat, the official said. The board of managers for Edgewood Independent School District voted to hire Emilio Castro as the new superintendent in a special meeting Thursday night. In an almost unanimous vote, the board of managers, appointed by the Texas Education Agency this year, voted to appoint Castro, the sole finalist and current deputy superintendent of administration and leadership at San Antonio ISD. We are confident he will guide us as we begin a new chapter, with new goals, board President Ray Soto said. After the vote, Castro said he was humbled and honored to be given the chance to lead the district. He thanked the board for its work over the past several months. Castro told the San Antonio Express-News that he plans to conduct a listening campaign, meeting with the public and district staff, from teachers to bus drivers. His goal will be to identify the districts strengths and weaknesses. I want to touch every single level of the district, Castro said. Amanda Gonzalez was the lone board member to oppose the appointment of Castro after nearly an hour of closed session discussion. After the meeting, Gonzalez told the Express-News that she was interested in selecting a superintendent with a track record of transparency and accountability. This is going to be a good opportunity to see what type of record he has, she said. Castro, who was a first-generation college student, started his career as a bilingual teacher in Dallas after graduating from the University of Texas. He quickly distinguished himself, winning the distinction of Teacher of the Year in Dallas ISD. Castro worked his way up to the position of principal at several Dallas schools. He was superintendent of Kingsville ISD before joining SAISD in 2013. TEA stepped in at Edgewood after a prolonged board stalemate in hiring a new superintendent and two principals. The district has been without a permanent superintendent since last year, when former Superintendent Jose Cervantes was offered a buyout that was twice his $200,000 salary, a decision that led the TEA to withhold state funds from the district. Sylvester Perez, who was absent from the meeting, has served as state-appointed interim superintendent since April. During the meeting, the board also approved the designation of Kennedy and Memorial high schools as early college high schools. Castro begins his role as superintendent Monday. lcaruba@express-news.net Ninety Alamo Heights High School freshmen and 38 juniors have been caught up in a cheating scandal that has caused consternation and confusion, prompting Principal Cordell Jones to send a letter to the parents of all high school students about the violations of academic integrity. Officials said Thursday that the juniors, who were in a U.S. history course, and the freshmen, who were in English I, plagiarized answers to homework assignments. Both cases involved one student finding answers online and then likely dispersing that website to many others, said Frank Alfaro, assistant superintendent for secondary education at Alamo Heights ISD. My sense is whoever it was that noticed it sent it to one person or multiple people and that multiplied pretty quickly, Alfaro said. In the letter sent via email Wednesday, Jones said the violations would not affect any of the students transcripts or permanent records. The students were disciplined; they are prohibited from any public performances connected to extracurricular activities for three weeks. However, theyre allowed to participate in the activity. For example, if an athlete were involved, he or she would be able to practice but couldnt play on game day. Its not known whether any athletes were involved in the cheating. I understand (this) is a difficult time for many, Jones wrote in his letter. I hope that you understand that we are sympathetic to everyone involved, as we care deeply about your children. We are committed to using these situations as teachable moments for our students and for our staff. Teachers discovered the mass-scale breaching of academic integrity the week of Nov. 14 and, instead of calling the parents of each of the students involved as is customary, sent out a mass email because there were so many students involved. Alfaro said that mass email, which didnt have specifics, left many parents confused. Jones as well as other school district leaders noticed misinformation was spreading, Alfaro said. Over Thanksgiving break, the confusion continued, prompting Jones to issue a formal letter to clarify the facts. He got wind that a lot of people in the community were talking about it and not everybody had access to the facts and that leads to disinformation and more consternation, Alfaro said. The idea was to say, I know a lot of you are talking about this and not everybody has the facts. So Id love to share the facts to give context of what happened. The high school has a 24 Hour Code of Leadership that holds students accountable for their actions in and outside of school and requires that they follow the schools code of academic integrity, which includes forbidding plagiarism. Its that code that spells out the consequences for violating academic integrity. If the students had self-reported the violations, the suspension from participating in public performances would have lasted two weeks instead of three. Jones letter stated that most students who were questioned after the plagiarism incidents admitted they knew what they were doing was wrong. Students come to us trying to learn and on the way they make mistakes. We try to help them get better and grow from that and hopefully they go out in the world with those lessons, Alfaro said. Its a safer environment here, where out there it could be harder to learn. Jones said that graduating seniors have reported that violations of academic integrity are an ongoing issue at AHHS and that student focus groups have raised the same concern. There have been incidents in the past involving violations of academic integrity, but none of them ever involved this many students, Jones wrote. He said the district is committed to academic integrity and will continue to emphasize its importance. There are about 1,550 students at Alamo Heights High School, with about 400 in the freshman class. U.S. News ranks it in the top 100 schools of Texas and in the top 1,000 nationwide. sfosterfrau@express-news.net MOSCOW After a wave of euphoria among Russias political elite over the victory of Donald Trump, President Vladimir Putin on Thursday gave a more measured response in his annual address to the nation, calling for cooperation but expressing misgivings over some of Trumps statements about nuclear weapons. The Russian leader appeared remarkably subdued at what was widely seen as a moment of triumph for him, with his popularity rising on a cresting wave of anti-establishment and often pro-Russian populism in Europe and the United States. Speaking to an audience of political and economic barons in the ornate St. Georges Hall of the Great Kremlin Palace, Putin praised his compatriots for rallying around patriotic values and, counterintuitively, for eschewing the lure of populism. He lamented that around the world, even in the most seemingly affluent countries and stable regions, more and more fractures and conflicts on political, ethnic, religious and social grounds are rising. Those remarks had to surprise Western officials who have frequently accused the Kremlin of stirring up and supporting precisely those anti-establishment forces so as to sow disorder and weaken liberal democracies. Germanys foreign intelligence chief, Bruno Kahl, warned in an interview published Tuesday that Russia, seeking to create political uncertainty, was bombarding his country with disinformation before elections next year. Putin did not mention Trump by name, saying only that Russia wanted to work with the incoming U.S. administration to normalize and begin to develop bilateral relations on an equal and mutually beneficial basis. His comments largely reprised the message he gave Trump in a telephone call soon after the Nov. 8 election, when both men agreed that something needed to be done to improve the absolutely unsatisfactory state of bilateral relations. In a departure from his speeches in recent years, Putin avoided sarcastic or downright angry comments about the United States. But he also made clear that Russia demanded to be treated as a global power, not the regional power that President Barack Obama described it as in 2014, infuriating Moscow. We have a joint responsibility for the provision of international security and stability, for the strengthening of anti-proliferation regimes, Putin said, referring to efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. During the presidential campaign, Trump suggested that more countries should acquire nuclear weapons so that they can defend themselves without Washingtons help. He also threatened to dismantle the international agreement that limits Irans nuclear program. In another apparent reference to Trumps campaign statements on nuclear weapons policy, which included assertions that the U.S. arsenal had fallen way behind Russias and needed to catch up, Putin warned against any attempt by Washington to disrupt what he called the balance of nuclear firepower between the two countries. I would like to emphasize that attempts to break strategic parity are extremely dangerous and can lead to a global catastrophe, Putin said. This must not be forgotten for a single second. Putins mixing of pointed reminders of Russias status as a nuclear power with a measured expression of hope for an end to the current deep chill in relations with Washington contrasted sharply with the unalloyed glee expressed by many Russian politicians and commentators after Trumps election victory. In the run-up to the election, state-controlled news outlets cast Hillary Clinton as a Russophobic hawk and warmonger while Trump was presented as the candidate who would bring a new and sunny dawn to relations between Washington and Moscow. Syria and the importance of fighting Islamic extremism are areas in which Putins interests and Trumps statements seem to coincide. Putin, who has repeatedly accused the Obama administration of mollycoddling extremists, said the U.S. needed to focus on a real rather than dreamt-up threat and join Russia in fighting international terrorism. The dreamt-up threat seemed to refer to fear in Washington and many European capitals that Russia has become a menace to security since it seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and supported pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. Ignoring U.S. efforts to destroy the Islamic State, Putin said the problem of international terrorism is being solved by our servicemen in Syria, where Russian warplanes have helped President Bashar Assad regain control of large sections of Aleppo, once Syrias biggest city, from rebels, some of whom are supported by the United States. A new foreign policy doctrine signed by Putin on Thursday underscored the problems with Russias relations with the West and set a high bar for any swift easing of tensions. The doctrine, a summary of how Moscow sees the world and what it wants, stressed the gravity of the serious crisis between Russia and the West and blamed this on geopolitical expansion by NATO and the EU. It said Russia and the U.S. could work together only on the basis of equality, mutual respect for interests and noninterference in the internal affairs of each other. Insisting that Russia does not accept any attempts to organize pressure, either military, political, economic or of any other kind, the policy doctrine said Moscow reserves the right to react hard to unfriendly actions, including through the strengthening of national defense and the taking of reciprocal or asymmetrical measures. Most of Putins hourlong speech, however, was devoted to domestic issues, not foreign relations. He acknowledged that two years of economic decline had brought great hardship but insisted this had only made the country stronger, and he focused on sectors of the economy that he said have done well, like agriculture and high-tech. While proposing no significant reforms to revive Russias sluggish economy which shrank by 3.7 percent last year and has contracted further this year, though at a much slower pace Putin said he had ordered the government to work out a substantive action plan to ensure that Russia achieves higher growth rates than elsewhere by 2020 and elevates its position in the global economy. Russias economy ranks around 13th in the world on the basis of its gross domestic product behind countries like Australia, Canada and South Korea. What shape such an economic development plan might take has been the object of bitter feuding between more liberal members of the government, who favor privatization, and those who want the state to keep control of crucial industries. The liberal camp suffered a major setback earlier this month with the late-night arrest on murky corruption charges of one of the countrys main economic policymakers, Aleksei Ulyukaev, a liberal stalwart who had served until his arrest as minister of economic development. Putin said parliamentary elections in Russia in September, which delivered a resounding victory to his United Russia party, had proven that we live in a healthy society that is confident in its fair demands, in which immunity to populism and demagoguery is growing stronger and the importance of mutual support, solidarity and unity are highly valued. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate In a controversial split decision, the City Council voted 7-4 Thursday to install a slate of new Planning Commission members despite concerns that the nine-member board doesnt equitably represent all of San Antonio. The council had originally been scheduled to vote on the appointments in early November. Such approvals are typically rubber-stamped. But Councilman Roberto Trevino had raised concerns about the geographic distribution of the members, who are almost entirely from the North Side. The councilman has filed paperwork that could help recast how Planning Commission members are appointed, but the lengthy process would require amending the City Charter. Trevino and others want to appoint planning commissioners from each district, similar to the Zoning Commission. Doing so, he has said, would improve collaboration and relationships among council members, Planning Commission members and the neighborhoods they represent. At Thursdays meeting, Trevino read aloud from the charter, which states that Planning Commission members are to be appointed by the council as nearly as practicable from various areas of the city. He asked the council to consider delaying the vote so a more diverse group of applicants could be considered. The six people nominated for consideration by the council today do not represent various parts of the city, he said. Ultimately, the council voted to appoint Kacy Cigarroa, Christopher Garcia, June Kachtik and Andrew M. Ozuna to the commission. George Peck was reappointed, and Casey Whittington was chosen to serve in an unexpired term until October. Council members Rey Saldana, Shirley Gonzales and Ron Nirenberg supported Trevino and voted against the appointments. Councilman Mike Gallagher pushed for approval. A member of the powerful Governance Committee, which vetted 18 applicants and selected the slate approved Thursday, Gallagher said the appointees had been carefully vetted and that he was pleased with the outcome. We sat through quite a long interview process, he said. I was most impressed with those we did select out of Governance. Nirenberg, who was the one dissenting vote in the Governance Committees decision to forward the slate to the full council, tossed water on Gallaghers statement, noting the committee had given the candidates only two minutes each to pitch themselves for the job. Theres no doubt that all the folks that applied are qualified and good people I have experience with a number of them, Nirenberg said. The reason I didnt support this in Governance and dont plan to support it now is because we are basically reproducing the things that citizens and neighborhoods and the community had an issue with when we went through the Planning Commission debacle during SA Tomorrow. The Planning Commission this year stripped away elements of SA Tomorrow, the citys sustainability plan, that could have expanded the reach of the citys dark skies and impervious cover ordinances, leading to activists calling for a shake-up of appointees. Nirenberg suggested the full council should have vetted the candidates rather than leaving the job to a subcommittee. Mayor Ivy Taylor, who previously served on the Planning Commission, said she was vetted by the full council prior to her appointment and agreed that such interviews should go to the full council in the future. But at some point, the council opted to delegate the job to the Governance Committee, which she oversees. I certainly disagree with halting the process that is taking place, she said. We have gone through the established procedures; those applicants have gone through that process in good faith. Its not fair to pull the rug out from under them. Still, she said she supports Trevinos push to overhaul the commission. The Governance Committee is scheduled to review his proposal at a meeting next week. She noted several positions will be up for appointment next year as well. jbaugh@express-news.net Twitter: @jbaugh This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The forensic pathologist who conducted the autopsy of homicide victim Albert Guerra testified Thursday in the murder trial of Michael Scott Quinn that Guerra was hit so violently with a blunt object that brain matter seeped out of holes left in his skull. Using photographs, Dr. Kimberley Molina, the Bexar County deputy chief medical examiner, showed the jury lacerations, indentations and holes on Guerras head, parts of his skull exposed. She said the autopsy found Guerra was hit 19 times and had a significant amount of fractures on his head. Guerra was already dead when his legs were amputated one at the knee and another above the thigh and that the wounds on his legs were ragged, not cut with a smooth edge. Prosecutors believe Guerra, 56, was asleep when he was attacked by Quinn and struck on the back of the head with a hammer. His dismembered remains were set on fire. San Antonio firefighters found him May 4, 2013, when they put out two separate fires at the victims North Side home on Wonder Parkway. Prosecutors said Quinn used a circular saw and a tree-trimming saw Guerras own tools to dismember him and doused the victim with a flammable liquid to destroy evidence in a fire. Jurors the past two days have seen similar gruesome photographs. They also heard a videotaped interview of Quinn, now 53, telling investigators that he hit Guerra with a hammer, then cut him up, and that he killed Guerra because he had hit Connie Yanez, now 40, with whom both had a relationship. Yanez was at the house when Guerra was killed. Both she and Quinn were charged with murder, but prosecutors have said they have negotiated a possible plea agreement that would get her a 15-year sentence on a reduced charge of burglary of a habitation. Yanez is awaiting trial. Before the state rested its case, another forensic pathologist testified that DNA taken from strands of hair found in Guerras left hand matched that of Quinn. In his opening statement, Quinns defense attorney, Bob M. Hicks, told the jury they would hear from another forensic expert who could challenge DNA testing Bexar County did on gloves taken from the scene, which prompted objections from prosecutors who said the defense had not given them enough notice to prepare for such testimony. Testimony is expected to resume this afternoon in the 437th District Court. If convicted, Quinn faces a maximum of life in prison. The story sounds like an environmental whodunnit. When U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff left work for Thanksgiving, their Texas blind salamanders were snug in their tanks. When they came back, hundreds were missing. The salamanders disappeared from a federal facility on McCarty Lane in San Marcos that is supposed to be a sanctuary, also called a refugium, for endangered species. The site has four buildings in an open field near Interstate 35, some with tanks of aquatic plants, salamanders, fish, beetles, mussels and tiny crustaceans. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials are staying tight-lipped about the details, though one biologist said Thursday that his colleagues are not sure whether the salamanders were stolen, eaten by an animal that got inside the building or were lost to some as-yet unknown cause. If it was a theft, who would want to steal hundreds of Texas blind salamanders? The pale, eyeless amphibian, 3.5 inches to 5.5 inches long, still exists in the wild and is adapted to spend its entire life in caves and springs fed by the Edwards Aquifer. Its feathery pink external gills let it absorb oxygen directly from the water. San Marcos police first responded to the San Marcos Aquatic Resources at 9:35 a.m. Friday, city spokesman Trey Hatt said. Between 250 and 300 of the endangered salamanders were gone, he said. The facilitys staff told police that they had first noticed they were short some salamanders on Thanksgiving morning but realized more were missing on Friday, he said. There were no signs of forced entry, no witnesses or suspects and no video surveillance, Hatt said. There were also no salamander parts or visible blood in the tanks, police told the San Marcos Daily Record. Ken Ostrand, the centers director, declined to comment on the incident, citing an ongoing investigation. The federal agent in charge could not be reached Thursday. The center houses federally endangered and threatened aquatic species dependent on the Edwards Aquifer, including four species of salamander, two beetles and Texas wild rice, among others. Ostrand said the USFWS maintain the species to make sure that we have a genetic replica of whats in the wild in case of extirpation in the wild, meaning a species disappearance from its original habitat. Texas blind salamanders were first discovered more than 100 years ago in San Marcos in a flowing artesian water well at the former San Marcos National Fish Hatchery, now part of Texas State University, according to the USFWS. The new facility south of the university where the salamanders are now kept was completed in 1976. The federal government began breeding the salamanders in captivity in the 1970s, according to the USFWS. Biologists who work with reptiles and amphibians said a Texas blind salamander seems like an odd choice for thieves. Still, some rare species can fetch thousands of dollars per animal on the black market, especially in Europe. Im a bit surprised about these, said Gad Perry, a Texas Tech University conservation biology professor. These are not easy things to keep and theyre not particularly showy. Anybody who would want these has to be somebody who has got a lot of experience. Texas blind salamanders need constant, clean water from the Edwards Aquifer, which for 20 years has been under pumping limits set by the Texas Legislature and is regulated by the Edwards Aquifer Authority. About three weeks ago, the EAA approved a nearly $19 million contract with the USFWS to build a new sanctuary at the San Marcos facility and remodel space at the Uvalde National Fish Hatchery to protect 11 species covered under its habitat conservation plan, including the salamander. That plan grew out of six years of discussions among a stakeholder group established by the Legislature in 2007 called the Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Program, or EARIP. The goal was to balance the interests of cities, agriculture. businesses and the endangered species that live in springs fed by the aquifer. In 2013, the USFWS approved a type of permit, called an incidental take permit, that would shield the Edwards Aquifer Authority, the San Antonio Water System, New Braunfels, San Marcos and Texas State University from liability under the Endangered Species Act if their activities harm the 11 species. In exchange, these entities agreed to follow the habitat conservation plan, which included the establishment of a refugium by the EAA. The USFWS contract with the EAA is set to begin Jan. 1 and last through 2028. bgibbons@express-news.net Twitter: @bgibbs (Bloomberg) -- President-elect Donald Trump said he called the top executive of United Technologies Corp. shortly after his election and told him not to close a Carrier factory in Indianapolis that became a symbol of the Republicans outsider campaign for the White House. I called Greg and I said its really important, you have to do something because you have a lot of people leaving, Trump said about his call to Greg Hayes, the companys chairman, president and CEO, at the Carrier factory on Thursday, where he appeared with Vice President-elect Mike Pence, the current governor of Indiana. You have to understand, we cant allow this to happen anymore with our country. Carrier agreed to keep about 1,100 jobs in Indianapolis while moving about 1,300 positions to Mexico in exchange for $7 million in tax and other incentives from the state. The deal is a clear political victory for Trump, who can claim to have accomplished a major campaign promise more than a month before he even enters office. During his run, he repeatedly railed against Carrier for its plan to move the Indianapolis gas-furnace factory to Mexico. But union workers and economists say that pressuring individual factory owners wont save U.S. manufacturing jobs lost to economic forces beyond the control of companies or the president. Less than a mile from the Carrier plant that Trump and Pence are touring Thursday, a bearings factory run by Milwaukee-based Rexnord Corp. is closing, eliminating 350 jobs. The work is going to Mexico, saving the company about $15.5 million a year, the United Steelworkers union said. I dont want everyone to think that solves all the problems with trade, Chuck Jones, the president of United Steelworkers Local 1999, which represents workers at both plants, said of the Carrier deal. I dont think Trump or Pence will take the time, nor will they have the time, to address every plant closure. The day after the Nov. 8 election, General Motors Co. announced it would end the third shift at assembly plants in Ohio and Michigan -- two historically Democratic states that Trump won -- in January. The automaker is closing the plants, eliminating almost 2,100 jobs, because consumers prefer trucks and sport-utility vehicles over the small cars built at the two factories. In political terms, its pretty brilliant, Jared Bernstein, former chief economist to Vice President Joe Biden, said of Trumps Carrier deal. But this is not a sustainable economic policy. You just cant keep giving away goodies to firms that want to relocate to stop them. High Costs Despite the deal with Trump and Pence, Carrier will still manufacture an old product very expensively in Indianapolis, compared with what it would cost in Mexico, said Michael Hicks, an economics professor at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and director of its Center for Business and Economic Research. Carrier workers cost about $30 an hour with salary and benefits compared to about $3 a worker in Mexico, Hicks said. The deal also doesnt alter the trend of falling manufacturing employment that has devastated U.S. communities, even as productivity and output increases with improving technology and automation, he said. Moving manufacturing to Mexico would have saved Carriers parent company, United Technologies Corp., about $65 million a year, which translates to a relatively insignificant 2 cents a share in earnings, said Howard Rubel, an analyst with Jefferies. While Indiana added 1.4 million net jobs between 1969 and 2014, the percentage in manufacturing declined to 14 percent from 33 percent, Hicks said. Manufacturing output has nonetheless risen to record levels, even as there are fewer workers at factories making less than their fathers and grandfathers, he said. For Carrier and Donald Trump, this is a big win, Hicks said. It doesnt fix the issues that continue to plague manufacturing communities. Hugely Impactful Trump made reversing manufacturing job losses, exemplified by the Carrier plant, a mainstay of his presidential campaign, promising to scrap or renegotiate trade deals and slap tariffs on imports if necessary to prevent jobs from leaving the country. Trumps promises were met with scorn by Democrats and union leaders who hammered him for making neckties and other products overseas and for using Chinese steel in construction projects. But his message helped the billionaire smash the supposed Democratic firewall in the industrial Midwest and carry the states of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to win the Electoral College. Trump dismissed the idea that a president shouldnt pressure companies to keep jobs in the U.S. I think its very presidential. If its not presidential thats okay, he said. Were going to have a lot of phone calls to companies that say theyre thinking about leaving this country, because theyre not leaving this country. Leaving the country is going to be very difficult. Indiana Senator Dan Coats, a Republican, said the Carrier deal sent an important signal. Thousands and maybe tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of workers woke up today and said, My gosh, hes not even president yet and hes figured out how to save 1,000 jobs, Coats said after meeting with Trump on Wednesday in New York. It symbolizes more to come. Its hugely impactful. Democratic U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, who had also called out Carrier during the presidential campaign, said Trump should use defense contracts and other issues as leverage against United Technologies to keep the Indianapolis factory open. The Farmington, Connecticut-based company makes Pratt & Whitney engines for fighter jets and civilian aircraft. He said on Thursday that Trump had been beaten by the company. It is not good enough to save some of these jobs, Sanders said in a Washington Post op-ed. Trump made a promise that he would save all of these jobs, and we cannot rest until an ironclad contract is signed to ensure that all of these workers are able to continue working in Indiana without having their pay or benefits slashed. United Technologies took Trump hostage and won, Sanders said. Cash Cow Hicks said part of Carriers motivation may be an attempt to reinforce Trumps commitment during the campaign to cut corporate taxes and reduce regulations, which would significantly reduce compliance costs and other expenses for manufacturers. Carrier alluded to that in a statement on Wednesday. The incoming Trump-Pence administration has emphasized to us its commitment to support the business community and create an improved, more competitive U.S. business climate, the company said. Carrier also said incentives offered by Indiana were an important consideration. The state package, which is expected to be considered at a meeting of the Indiana Economic Development Corp. next month, includes grants for job training and tax incentives for additional investment in the plant, said John Mutz, chairman of the groups policy committee. Mutz, a Republican and former Indiana lieutenant governor, speculated that a major incentive for Carrier to make a deal was so that United Technologies, a major federal contractor, remains in the Trump administrations good graces. That variable doesnt exist at Rexnord, where the steelworkers union couldnt offer enough concessions to match the companys $15.5 million in savings from moving work to Mexico. The plant will be closed even though it is profitable, said Don Zering, unit president at Rexnord for Local 1999. Were the cash cow, and they still want more, Zering said. Its nothing but greed. --With assistance from Mike Dorning and Margaret Talev To contact the reporters on this story: Mark Niquette in Columbus at mniquette@bloomberg.net, Richard Clough in New York at rclough9@bloomberg.net, Kevin Cirilli in Indianapolis at kcirilli@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Michael Shepard at mshepard7@bloomberg.net, Alex Wayne 2016 Bloomberg L.P. A blog about life under, and resisting, a dictatorship The Prairie Doc: Men, you can thank women for your good health columnists Kautman-Jones endorses Davis Please support Meredith Davis in her re-election to the Genesee County Board of Commissioners - 8th District. I have had... Writer recommend Delor, Jones for GB school board I have met heard April Delor and Patricia Jones for the Grand Blanc School Board. They both have many years... Chairman Matt Smith reminds you to vote It is important that the voters of Genesee County show up and cast their ballot on Tuesday, November 8th, 2022.... Farmers from Fife, Dumfries and Galloway, the Borders, South Lanarkshire and Perthshire have put their hats into the ring for the upcoming NFU Scotland Presidential elections. Six candidates have now confirmed they will stand in NFU Scotlands Presidential elections in February three for the President post, and three for the two Vice President posts. The election for these key appointments within Scottish agriculture will take place at the Unions Council meeting at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow on Tuesday 7 February 2017. The Unions AGM and annual dinner will be staged at the same venue the day before (Monday 6 February). The presidential position is held for two years and a President can serve a maximum of two consecutive two-year terms. Under the terms of the constitution, those elected to the position of Vice President will initially serve for two years before the post reverts to an annual election. Members of NFU Scotlands Council a body made up from representatives of each of the Unions 73 branches - will select the successful candidates. Current President Allan Bowie, who farms in Fife and Stirlingshire, will complete his first two-year term at the Unions forthcoming AGM and has indicated that he will be standing for election for a second two-year term. Both Vice Presidents Rob Livesey from the Borders, who was first elected to the position in 2013, and Dumfriesshire farmer Andrew McCornick, who was elected to the position in February 2015 for the first time, have confirmed they will stand for President in the up and coming elections. Three new candidates have come forward, putting their hat into the ring to contend for two Vice President positions. Dumfries and Galloway Regional Chairman, Gary Mitchell, a past chairman of the Milk Committee, has indicated that he will be standing for Vice President, as has Less Favoured Areas Committee Chairman Martin Kennedy, who farms in Highland Perthshire. South Lanarkshire farmer Tom French, NFU Scotlands Forth and Clyde Regional Chairman, has also stepped forward to contend for Vice President. Farmers could face 'considerably higher' tax bills in future following the Chancellors Autumn Statement, although details are likely to remain unclear for some time. According to farm accountant Old Mill, the statement raised 'three potential areas of concern': Taxation on farm workers cottages, higher taxes for small companies, and closer scrutiny of partners profit shares. Philip Hammond had a recurring theme of fairness throughout his Autumn Statement, says Dan Knight, director of rural services at Old Mill. He addressed the broad themes of taxation on benefits in kind, treatment of small companies, and allocation of partnership profits. All three areas have the potential to impact on farming businesses, but there is not yet enough information to reveal what the extent of that impact might be. Rather than taking dramatic action at this stage, farmers would do well to keep a close watch on these areas as more detail becomes available, warns Mr Knight. When it comes to taxation of employee earnings, the Chancellor announced a consultation on the valuation of benefits in kind, including employer-provided accommodation. Whether this heralds the introduction of taxation on farm cottages remains to be seen, but its certainly an area to watch. The Chancellor Philip Hammond delivered his maiden autumn statement against a backdrop of weaker growth prospects and a large deficit 'Significant blow' Although he stuck to the previously announced cut in corporation tax rates to 17% from 2020, the Chancellor also revealed an intention to target people who have incorporated their businesses and are thereby benefiting from the lower rates, says Mr Knight. The apparent intention is to narrow the tax differential between individuals and incorporated traders, meaning that shareholders could face increased income tax charges when extracting profits, he adds. This would be a significant blow for the large number of farmers who operate as limited companies. Anyone considering changing their business structure in the coming months may therefore wish to put plans on hold until the situation is clearer. Those who operate as a partnership may not be exempt from tax hikes either. Philip Hammond wants to ensure the allocation of profits and therefore the tax paid is fair, explains Mr Knight. I suspect HMRC may start to require more robust and contemporaneous evidence to support how profits are allocated, which would require partners to consider this in a timelier manner and not simply after the year end when reviewing the draft accounts. Although all three of these potential changes are likely to be some way off, farmers should liaise closely with their advisers to keep informed of new developments, he adds. It may be that the threats implied in the Autumn Statement do not come to fruition, but when it comes to any business planning its always better to aware of what might lie ahead so that contingencies can be put into place. A performing arts student who dropped out of university to launch a career as a butcher found himself in the spotlight at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair in Builth Well on Monday. Sam Hughes, 22, from Brian Crane Butchers, Maesycwmmer, Caerphilly, proved himself to be top of the chops as he won the Welsh Young Butcher competition on his debut. Sam followed the morning competition by finishing joint third in the Welsh Pork Butcher contest, which was open to butchers of all ages, in the afternoon. The winner was Craig Holly, of Neil Powell Butchers, Abergavenny, with Kevin Aldred, Martin Players, Cardiff runner up and Clive Swan, Swans Farm Shop, Mold, joint third. It was a bit nerve-wracking and my hands wouldnt stop shaking for the first hour, confessed Sam, an apprentice with Cambrian Training Company. The second hour was much better and I couldnt stop smiling when my name was announced as the winner of the Welsh Young Butcher competition. I was happily surprised to win and its a big confidence boost. Even though I have only been a butcher for 18 months, this shows that I am good enough to win competitions and I now have a trophy to show customers. The Welsh Young Butcher competition, which is open to butchers under the age of 25, is organised by award-winning work-based learning provider Cambrian Training Company, who also collaborated with Keith Brown, the Royal Welsh Agricultural Societys meat production competitions chief steward, to jointly run the Welsh Pork Butcher contest. Both competitions were sponsored by Hybu Cymru (Meat Promotion Wales). Grain company Gleadell have announced a partnership with nitrogen company Azotic to market nitrogen-fixing technology for crops. The technology colonises all crops with naturally occurring nitrogen-fixing bacteria. These spread throughout the plant, enabling every cell to convert atmospheric N into a form that the growing plant can use. Azotic Technologies, with its laboratories based in Nottingham, was formed in 2012 to commercialise the technology. It has proved the concept in a diverse range of crops globally, including cereals, oilseeds, potatoes and grass. Commercial reality Gleadell managing director David Sheppard said: We are very excited to be working with Azotic Technologies as UK partner on their nitrogen project. Gleadell sales director Stuart Shand said the focus for 2017 would be on organic crops "The potential benefits for growers, consumers and the environment are enormous, and we very much look forward to further collaboration with Azotic to bring this technology to commercial reality." Gleadell sales director Stuart Shand said the focus for 2017 would be on organic crops, working closely with organisations and individual farmers to further explore the benefits. "However, we believe the technology also has a huge part to play in conventional systems," he added. "We have been conducting application trials on dressed seed in partnership with Koppert. While this is currently work in progress at this stage, we have seen some very encouraging results." 'Proud to be collaborating' Azotic chief executive officer Peter Blezard said: "We are proud to be collaborating with Gleadell, an industry leader in its field. "Our field trials results clearly indicate that the inoculation of NPN4 into plants can improve their performance and reduce the amount of fertiliser required to grow a crop, or increase yield depending on the rate of N applied. "Gleadell is an ideal partner in the UK to help accelerate product development and take this technology to market." Paul Koppert, CEO of Koppert Biological Systems, said: "It is great to work with an entrepreneurial company such as Gleadell and the smart Azotic team on this breakthrough technology. "NPN4 aligns with our broadening microbial portfolio of products to improve and protect yields in horticulture and broad-acre crops, and will fit discerning organic growers now and conventional arable farmers later." Farmer, 20, who took over family farm after tragedy scoops award Two 14-year-old boys have been charged in connection with having a gun at Unity Reed High School in Manassas this week. The gun was not brandished toward other students and was not part of an Privacy Overview This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Lawyer says body cam shows police trying to cover up unlawful stop The exchange can be heard in body camera footage released Tuesday in the case of Ja'Lana Dunlap-Banks, 22, who says she was wrongly detained Sept. 6. Duran Duran have lost a High Court battle to reclaim the US rights to some of their most well-known hits. Duran Duran The iconic new wave band - who comprise of Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Roger Taylor - had argued that under US copyright laws, they were entitled to call for a reversion of the restrictions after 35 years. Following the court's verdict, Nick said: "We are shocked that English contract law is being used to overturn artists' rights in another territory." Hits such as 'Girls on Film', 'Rio' and 'A View to a Kill' - the theme song to the 1985 James Bond film of the same name - were among the tracks being disputed in the court. Duran Duran wanted to terminate the grant to Gloucester Place Music Ltd, which is part of EMI Music Publishing, of US copyrights for their first three albums, 'Duran Duran', 'Rio' and 'Seven and the Ragged Tiger'. But their claim was thrown out by the court, with lawyers for Gloucester Place Music Ltd successfully arguing their case. In a statement, Gloucester Place Music Ltd - a Sony-owned firm - said: "EMI has nothing but the highest respect and admiration for Duran Duran and their great songs. "This has not been about seeking to challenge the US laws on copyright terminations, but simply a contractual issue in the jurisdiction of the UK courts to clarify the parties' rights on various songs." Simon, on the other hand, admitted the case had left the group "with a bitter taste". He said: "I know that other artists in similar positions will be as outraged and saddened as we are." Nick also expressed his disappointment with the court's decision. He said: "We signed a publishing agreement as unsuspecting teenagers, over three decades ago, when just starting out and when we knew no better. "Today, we are told that language in that agreement allows our long-time publishers, Sony/ATV, to override our statutory rights under US law. "This gives wealthy publishing companies carte blanche to take advantage of the songwriters who built their fortune over many years, and strips songwriters of their right to rebalance this reward. "If left untested, this judgment sets a very bad precedent for all songwriters of our era." Following the announcement that Liam Gallagher had signed a publishing deal for an upcoming solo album, a report from Billboard describes the musician as "making progress" on the record. Liam Gallagher Signing a deal with Warner/Chappell, the Managing Director of Warner/Chappell Music UK, Mike Smith comments: "I am so pleased to be able to welcome Liam to the Warner/Chappell family. He is one of the greatest rock 'n' roll stars that this country has ever produced. It is thrilling to see him develop as a writer and these songs will take him to new levels of success and recognition." Despite the plans to go solo, Liam is still open to reuniting the band that made him famous with his brother Noel, Oasis, with bookies even suspending betting on the group getting back together in 2017 as rumours gather momentum. Reports claimed that Ride were booked to support the band at a series of shows, but the group later denied this. by Daniel Falconer for www.femalefirst.co.uk find me on and follow me on With the brand new season of The Man in the High Castle right around the corner for viewers in the UK on Amazon Video, the show has finally revealed exactly who will be playing the show's titular character, and the choice may be a surprising one. Prolific actor Stephen Root will be stepping into the role, described as "a mysterious figure tied to the Resistance movement who collects the enigmatic films that seem to depict alternate versions of reality." Root will star alongside Alexa Davalos, Rupert Evans, Luke Kleintank, DJ Qualls, Joel de la Fuente, Brennan Brown, Bella Heathcote, Callum Keith Rennie, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and Rufus Sewell, with executive production from David Zucker and Isa Dick Hackett. The second season will pick up right where the first left off, with Juliana Crain (Davalos) facing the consequences of her betrayal to the Resistance, having allowed suspected Nazi Joe Blake (Kleintank) to escape the Pacific States with a film that was originally being sent to the Man in the High Castle (Root). Returning to the Reich as a hero, Joe is thrust into Berlin - the Nazi capital - and comes face-to-face with the father who abandoned him. Elsewhere, Frank Frink (Rupert Evans) is becoming increasingly radicalised, drawn further into the Resistance after seeing his own execution in the mysterious movies. Tensions continue to rise between Germany and Japan, before Trade Minister Tagomi (Tagawa) begins to regret his success after smuggling nuclear technology from the Reich. Seeking a new path in the mysterious world he's now a part of, viewers could be set to see an incredible journey take place. The Man in the High Castle returns to Amazon Prime Video on December 16. by Daniel Falconer for www.femalefirst.co.uk find me on and follow me on Michelle Gomez could become the first ever female to play the Time Lord in 'Doctor Who'. Mark Gatiss The sci-fi series' writer Mark gatiss is keen to see a lady take on the lead in the popular show in the near future and already has someone in mind for when the current Doctor Peter Capaldi - who has played the titular character since in 2013 - decides to leave it behind. Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz on the red carpet at the Women in Film and TV Awards held on Friday (02.12.16) at The Hilton in London, the 55-year-old screenwriter said: "Yes I really hope there's a female Doctor Who very soon. Whenever Peter [Capaldi] hangs up his solitary of driving the show - but I hope he's not [going to] for a very long time." When pushed on whether there was a female replacement on the horizon, Mark laughed and teased: "Maybe...I'm sure it will happen, it should happen and the master has been generated into a woman and it's wonderful. "Michelle Gomez is just fantastic so you just want to find, and make sure it's the right person. She would have made a great Doctor...maybe she will." Michelle - who plays a villain called Missy, which is short for The Mistress, in the series - is expected to return in 2017 for the show's tenth revival series, which is set to air next April. She last appeared in the role in episodes one and two of series nine, 'The Magician's Apprentice' and 'The Witch's Familiar' as a female incarnation of the Doctor's arch-enemy, the Master. Speaking about why he'd like to see a lady at the helm, Mark explained: "I think that would be wonderful. Not because someone is telling you to but just because you find the right person, whether they are male, female, black, white, Asian, gay, straight, you just find someone who's the doctor and go 'It has to be them'." Last week Peter, 58, appeared to be growing tired of the show as he admitted he often raises his eyebrows when he gets the script because it's so unrealistic and childish. Although Gatiss believes there should be more female lead roles in film and on TV, he thinks the castings should be "led by the character" and not due to simple "box ticking." He said: "People want to see different faces on the television, different styles and good and bad people, not just cookie cutter version of a very attractive Hollywood model." Meanwhile, the 'Doctor Who' Christmas special is set to air on December 25. Actress Alia Bhatt says for her, Priyanka Chopra is an entrepreneur and she finds her very inspiring. Alia was asked if she would like to produce regional cinema like Priyanka Chopra did with Marathi film 'Ventilator', and she says that she would love to do that. "Priyanka has come a very long way and it's great what she has done. She is an entrepreneur and I have that same drive as she is an inspiration for us. I would love to do such work but right now, I want to focus on acting," she told. The actress says that she would like to try her luck in every medium. "I want to try my luck all over whether its Chinese cinema or whatever, I want to do it all. Right now, I want to find my feet here," she said. Currently, Alia's work in Gauri Shinde's directorial 'Dear Zindagi' is being highly appreciated. The actress says that if she is not doing a film, then she prefers to travel. "As an actor, I am happy with the kind of films I am doing but its like sometimes I am getting damn good films, sometimes I don't get anything interesting like I have not signed anything now so it all depends. I love to travel when I am not working. I love travelling and it's a huge learning experience for me," she said. Next Story : Not Your Average Gift: Our Handpicked Thoughtful Diwali Gifts Brands that attended the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) seminar in Bangladesh, committed to increase their share of GOTS certified textiles. GOTS, a voluntary global standard for the entire post-harvest processing of apparel and home textiles, organised the seminar in Dhaka that was attended by over 170 delegates from five countries. The national seminar on GOTS certification stressed on the need to create more training and awareness among staff and workers for better implementation of standards at the workplace. The participants also agreed that sustainable textile production, compliant with international standards like GOTS, is the way to go for long term business gains. The conference had four sessions that addressed the various dimensions of GOTS as an instrument of sustainable supply chain management. These included Business Case for Sustainability with Organic Textiles, Quality Assurance through GOTS, Leading the Way to Best Practices and Challenges in Sustainable Supply Chain and Opportunities with GOTS. Brands that attended the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) seminar in Bangladesh, committed to increase their share of GOTS certified textiles. GOTS, a voluntary global standard for the entire post-harvest processing of apparel and home textiles, organised the seminar in Dhaka that was attended by over 170 delegates from five countries.# I was delighted to see tremendous interest in GOTS and sustainability among the textile industry in Bangladesh. The fact that this seminar had a full house testifies to the efforts that the industry is making in moving towards a cleaner future. Delegates showed great enthusiasm during the Q&A sessions asking experts their doubts, giving suggestions and even sharing good practices they follow, said Rahul Bhajekar, GOTS director standards development and quality assurance. Sumit Gupta, GOTS representative in Bangladesh and India, encouraged the Bangladesh textile industry to use sustainability and GOTS as a tool to achieve its ambitious target of $50 billion in RMG exports. International brands and retailers, manufacturers and exporters, representatives from Bangladesh government, certification bodies, professionals from fields of testing, chemical compliance, media, trade associations, NGOs, academics, consultants and more attended the seminar. (KD) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India The union power ministry is mulling offering electricity at competitive rates to the weavers in the powerloom industry in order to provide a level playing field to the sector. This assurance was offered to union textiles minister Smriti Irani by union power minister Piyush Goyal in a meeting, in which issues faced by the powerloom industry were discussed.A news agency quoted an official source as saying that Piyush Goyal will discuss the issue of offering competitive electricity rates to the powerloom industry with various states, and subject to these states agreeing, the decision will be implemented at the earliest. The union power ministry is mulling offering electricity at competitive rates to the weavers in the powerloom industry in order to provide a level playing field to the sector. This assurance was offered to union textiles minister Smriti Irani by union power minister Piyush Goyal in a meeting, in which issues faced by the powerloom industry were discussed.# The meeting which was also attended by representatives from the Indian textile industry also decided that various Indian textile sector trade bodies will draft a report in consultation with the government on technology upgradation for the weaving industry. (AR) Fibre2Fashion News Desk India There is huge potential for increase in nylon consumption said speakers at a two-day seminar held in China. Officials from leading companies, both Chinese and abroad, discussed issues concerning the nylon chain, on December 1 and 2, 2016. Oversupply, demand, capacity, as well as future outlook and strategies were among the points discussed at the forum. There is huge potential for nylon consumption, and market may begin to shake off the burden of oversupply in 2019, said Huang Wei from Fiber Raw Material Department of Sinopec Chemical Commercial Holding. Wei focused on caprolactam fundamental changes and market perspective and discussed carpolactam market outlook at the 14th China International Polyamide & Intermediates Forum. The Forum, supported by Nylon Committee of China Chemical Fiber Association (CCFA) and China National Chemical Fiber Corp., was organised by China Chemical & Fiber Economic Information Network (CCFEI) and Tecnon OrbiChem in Shanghai. There is huge potential for increase in nylon consumption said speakers at a two-day seminar held in China. Officials from leading companies, both Chinese and abroad, discussed issues concerning the nylon chain, on December 1 and 2, 2016. Oversupply, demand, capacity, as well as future outlook and strategies were among the points discussed at the forum.# Song Manjun, marketing & logistics director of Fujian Shenyuan New Materials discussed China's role in a changing road. In his speech, he pointed out that China is achieving self-sufficiency in caprolactam with improving quality, and gaining strong influence in Asia and globally on pricing and trade flow. He also mentioned that global PA6 growth is mainly from fibre, while China dominates spin PA6 market, with more export of high quality. Though EP and film applications have quality gap, he said, more Chinese players are stepping in. In his speech about 'Overcapacity Builds Along the Supply Chain of Nylon Industry', Charles Fryer, chairman, Tecnon Orbichem pointed out that massive caprolactam capacity additions in China have created over-capacity and reduced cash margins to zero or negative, and world caprolactam industry was thereby pushed into oversupply. The fall in crude oil prices has helped the competitiveness of polyamide versus polyester and other fibres, but this will reverse if crude oil prices rise. Profitability of caprolactam production is related to the tightness of the supply-demand balance. Growing new capacity means a continuing squeeze on profits. Though caprolactam producers are trying to protect themselves by integrating downstream into PA6 production, more effort is needed, he said. Jiang Zhenhua, product manager of CCFEI, attributed lower nylon prices, shrinking margin and low operating rates to fast domestic capacity expansion. Though oversupply will continue to weigh on the industry, he believes the industry may improve somewhat in 2017. Zhao Ling, general manager of CHTC Sinofiber Wuxi talked about 'The Market Status and Development Prospect of Polyamide Staple Fiber Industry in China'. According to him, fibres of differentiated, low-energy consumption, high-quality, functional and environmental-friendly will be the focus in R&D. James Mills and Emma Liu from Tecnon OrbiChem were of the view that China's adipic acid market has been oversupplied since 2012, and the oversupply will intensify as new adipic acid projects come on-stream. As a result, Chinese adipic acid producers are actively developing overseas markets to absorb excess supply. They made a reference to Invista's recent start-up of new 215 ktpa HMDA and 150 ktpa polymer plants in Shanghai, which will boost demand for polyamide 6,6 polymer in China. Lin Jun, chief editor of CCFEI, suggested that players should pay attention on relevantly low crude oil values and strong US dollar, risks of RMB appreciation and changing profit structure. She was of the opinion that in 2017, profit of China's nylon industry may probably improve in general, based on inventory cycles in past years. (RKS) Fibre2Fashion News Desk China Ghanaian lightweight star Richard Commey (24-1, 22 KOs) faces two-time World title challenger Denis Shafikov (37-2-1, 12 KOs) in a final eliminator for the IBF World title tonight at the Tough Fight Gym in Moscow. In what will be his first fight back since dropping a razor thin decision to Robert Easter Jr for the vacant IBF crown, Commey has the chance to reclaim his mandatory position and avenge this controversial defeat. First, the 29 year-old must overcome the tough Russian Shafikov, who is coming off the back of an impressive victory over US Olympian Jamel Herring. Commey and his team arrived in Moscow earlier this week to complete their preparations, and both fighters successfully weighed in yesterday with Commey tipping the scales at 134 pounds and Shafikov marginally less at 134 pounds. Speaking ahead of the fight, the 29 year-old from Accra shared the following statements: "Team Commey has arrived safe and well in Russia and the hospitality has been good, the only problem has been the weather, it's cold. "Apart from that I am pleased to be here and to get another shot at being the mandatory challenger for the World title as it has always been my dream to become a World Champion. "My training has gone well and my trainer Carl Lokko has pulled out all the stops in getting me the right sparring for this fight. "I know Denis Shafikov is a tough opponent and he brings a lot of experience having challenged for the World title twice before so I will have to be on top form and fully focused to come away from Russia with the victory. "Finally, I want to thank all my supporters in Ghana, the US and in the UK for all the support and well wishes and I promise I will do my upmost not to let you down." Prime Minister Bainimarama held the meeting in London prior to attending the 50th International Sugar Organisation Council Meeting. The Prime Minister will then go on to Brussels where he is scheduled to meet with the President of the European Council, Mr. Donald Tusk. As part of a global effort to build support for Fijis presidential agenda at the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP-23), Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has outlined Fijis plans for the presidency at a meeting with the United Kingdoms Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Rt. Hon. Baroness Anelay of St. Johns.At the London meeting, Prime Minister Bainimarama laid out Fijis vision as President of COP-23 and as co-host of the High-Level UN Conference on Oceans to be held in New York in June 2017.During the bilateral talks, the Prime Minister and Baroness Anelay explored opportunities for closer economic cooperation between Fiji and the U.K. particularly in relation to Fijian Made goods and Fijian sugar.Prime Minister Bainimarama also noted Fijis bid for a seat on the Human Rights Council for the 2018-2020 term. We welcome Tate & Lyles renewed commitment to our long-standing partnership and look forward to growing our relationship in the sugar trade. My Government is confident in the health and sustainable future of our sugar industry, and we are pleased that Tate & Lyle shares our optimism, said Prime Minister Bainimarama. Tate & Lyle PLC, a London-based sugar refiner, has reasserted its commitment to a long-term partnership with the Fijian Government at a meeting held in London with a Fijian sugar delegation led by Prime Minister and Minister for Sugar Hon. Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama.The Fijian delegation also included the Permanent Secretary for Sugar, Mr. Yogesh Karan, and the Chairman of the Fiji Sugar Corporation, Mr. Vishnu Mohan.During the talks, Tate & Lyle expressed their keen desire to strengthen ties with the Fijian Government and offered technical support and assistance for the implementation of the ongoing reforms in Fijis sugar industry.The discussions also covered the ongoing recovery of Fijis sugar industry in the aftermath of Cyclone Winston and recent developments in the global sugar market, namely the expiration of Fijis preferential access to European markets in the third quarter of 2017 and the U.K.s planned exit from the European Union. Tate & Lyle also offered their full support towards the cyclone-recovery efforts. HON PM BAINIMARAMA STATEMENT AT THE 50TH SESSION OF THE INTERNATIONAL SUGAR ORGANISATION COUNCIL. AGENDA ITEM 6 NATIONAL POLICIES Mr Chairman,Ministers,The Executive Director,Excellencies,Ladies and Gentlemen.Bula vinaka and a very good morning to you all.Precisely a year ago today, I addressed you all here in London and began by expressing our condolences and solidarity with the people of France for the terrorist atrocities in Paris. The terrorist threat to our collective way of life continues. And today, I want to begin by expressing our condolences and solidarity with the people of Turkey, who have endured a series of bomb blasts in recent months that have also claimed many lives.I was unable to attend the 49th Council session in Istanbul in May because of a pressing domestic engagement. But I want to thank Dr Husnu Tekin for hosting that session successfully and ask him to pass on our very best wishes to the Government and people of Turkey as they confront the continuing threat.Mr Chairman, Fiji has endured its own period of sorrow and suffering in 2016 after the biggest tropical cyclone to make landfall in the southern hemisphere slammed into our islands in February. We are still dealing with the effects of Tropical Cyclone Winston, that killed 44 of our loved ones; damaged or destroyed many thousands of homes; And left us with a total damage bill of 1.4 billion US dollars or the equivalent of one third of our GDP.Many of the 200,000 Fijians who are dependent on the sugar cane industry for their livelihoods were among those who endured winds of more than 300 kilometers an hour. And they did so with a display of fortitude and resilience that inspired their fellow Fijians and much of the rest of the world.While a significant proportion of our industry was affected and I will go into the details shortly - Fiji was relatively fortunate in that Winston spared our main tourism areas and our principal source of national revenue.In spite of the devastating impact on those areas directly in the path of the cyclone, our economy as a whole remained relatively buoyant and we are still expecting it to grow by up to three per cent this year. However, we are acutely conscious as a nation that we must prepare for a terrifying new era in which extreme weather events like Winston become more frequent because of climate change.Were a cyclone of a similar strength or greater to score a direct hit on Fiji, then our entire economy would be devastated, our development set back for decades, and we would have little or no chance of meeting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals that are at the core of the global agenda.In common with other Small Island Developing States and other vulnerable areas of the world, Fiji must persuade the global community to embrace a more radical plan of action to reduce the carbon emissions that are causing this crisis. And we must gain urgent access to the finance we need in the form of grants to build our adaptation and resilience to these extreme weather events. The storms and droughts plus the rising sea levels that are the other grave impact of climate change.Mr Chairman, Fiji is taking a lead in this struggle on behalf of our Pacific neighbours and other low lying areas of the world. Exactly two weeks ago in Marrakesh, Morroco, I was honoured to be chosen as the incoming President of COP-23. And Fiji will lead the next UN Conference on climate change, when the nations of the world gather in Bonn towards the end of 2017 to discuss the collective challenge we face.Today, I give you all my friends and colleagues in the sugar industry around the world the same pledge I gave when I accepted the COP presidency in Marrakesh. That Fiji will do everything in its power to draw global attention to the urgent need for more decisive action by the industrial nations on climate change, especially on the part of the United States.We cannot have the second biggest carbon emitter in the world withdraw from the Paris Agreement as President-Elect Trump has signaled - or it will surely fail. I am pleased to see that in a recent interview, Mr Trump appears to have modified his hardline stance that man-made global warming is a hoax. But I appeal to him to accept the overwhelming scientific consensus that man-made climate change is real. And to lead our collective struggle. Because time is running out and the world as a whole must act. Not only to implement the Paris Agreement but go one step further and embrace even deeper cuts in emissions if we are to avoid catastrophe.Mr Chairman, by Fiji assuming the presidency of COP-23, the Fijian people - including those in the sugar cane industry now have a more powerful voice to put our case. My job as COP President is to work as hard as I can to get the world to listen to the clear call for action that we are sending from our island homes and the sugar cane growing areas of Fiji. My job as their Prime Minister is to work as hard as I can to keep Fijian sugar viable and protect the industry on which their livelihoods depend. So permit me to now give you the customary snap shot of the state of our industry at the end of 2016 and where we are going.Mr Chairman, Tropical Cyclone Winston was a devastating blow, coming on top of a prolonged drought in sugar cane growing areas since the beginning of 2014. When Winston slammed into Fiji in February, it destroyed the Penang Sugar Mill, leaving only three mills operational this season at Lautoka, Rarawai and Labasa.Before Winston struck, our crop estimate for the current season was 1.84 million metric tonnes of cane. But that has had to be reviewed downwards three times to the current 1.354 million metric tonnes.As of October 24 and after 16 weeks of crush, the three remaining mills had crushed a total crop of 1,116,564 metric tonnes of cane, yielding 115,068 metric tonnes of sugar with a TCTS of 9.7.This represents 82 per cent of the cane crop and 76 per cent of sugar production, on our final revised estimates. The ratio of tonne cane to tonne sugar is above the projected ratio by 0.7 percentage points, from 9.0 to 9.7. This is a direct result of the devastation wrought on our cane crop by Tropical Cyclone Winston.The remaining 18 per cent of the crop 237,436 metric tonnes - is currently being harvested during the remaining six weeks of the crush. And on the basis on the current TCTS of 9.7, we expect the remaining crop to yield only about 24,480 metric tonnes of sugar.We predict that we will achieve the final revised crop estimate of 1,353,000 metric tonnes. But with a TCTS of 9.7, we are unlikely to achieve the final revised sugar production of 150,444 metric tonnes. The sugar make is more likely to be around 139,546 metric tonnes.So Mr Chairman, it has not been a golden year for Fijian sugar thanks to Winston. We have taken a hit as an industry in terms of our production, just as many of our sugar cane farmers and their families have taken a hit with the destruction of homes and infrastructure. But I can assure them and all those who depend on sugar for a livelihood in Fiji that we getting back on our feet and are determined to secure the future of the industry. Winston has been a setback, but the overall outlook for the sugar cane industry remains positive.In our recovery and rehabilitation efforts after Winston, we have been blessed by the support of our friends our development partners, aid donors and ordinary people the world over who came to our assistance and are helping us rebuild. To them we again say a heartfelt vinaka vakalevu. Thank you.I especially want to acknowledge the generosity of the European Union and its member states in assisting our agriculture sector, including sugar. The EU has provided Fiji through direct budget support the sum of ten million Euros for rehabilitation and recovery. And for that for a truly grateful.I will be travelling to Brussels from here for meetings next week with European officials including the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk. As you all know, our preferential access to the European market for sugar draws to a close towards the end of the next year. And we also appreciate the assistance that the European Union is providing to Fiji to make that transition less painful.Mr Chairman, as I have said before, we do not intend to give up on sugar cane in Fiji. On the contrary, we intend to continue with our program to modernise the industry, to embrace new technology to improve our yields and give us the information we need to make better planning decisions.We must extract as much sugar as we can from a single plant and value add with new products and by-products. We must build our resilience to the threat to the industry posed by climate change. And we must constantly scan the horizon for new markets and work as hard as we can as an industry to give those markets what they require.Mr Chairman, with this in mind, the Fijian industry is undertaking a review of its Sugar Action Plan 2013-2017 to identify what is working and what is not. To find out why certain targets havent been met and what needs to be done to meet them. And set new targets and time lines, plus new policy guidelines and investment plans, to take us forward. All this will be included in a new successor plan for the industry for the next three to five years starting next year 2017.Mr Chairman, innovative change requires innovative leadership. And to lead the Fijian sugar cane industry forward with new ideas and a new direction, we have brought about changes at the executive level of the Fiji Sugar Corporation, that owns and operates our four mills.First and foremost, we have appointed a former banker with a global reputation, Mr Vishnu Mohan, to lead the FSC Board of Directors as Chairman. As well as a distinguished banking career that included heading the ANZ Banking Group in the Pacific, Mr Mohan also has considerable experience in commodity trading, especially in Africa. And he brings to the FSC a global perspective and an impeccable record of strategic management and planning across a broad front.We are also recruiting a new CEO to preside over the day-to-day operations of the Corporation, who will have a specific brief to work more closely with our sugar cane farmers and other stakeholders to improve the performance of the industry as a whole.Our aim is to reduce the cost of production, maximize revenue and ensure that the industry remains viable and sustainable. Because that is our ultimate duty to the Fijian people and especially those who rely on sugar. That we provide the industry with the right leadership and all work as a team one people, one industry - as we move forward together in challenging times.Mr Chairman, I want to close by thanking all those Fijians in the sugar cane industry who in spite of the crippling blow of Winston, kept working and kept our industry going. It was very humbling for me as Prime Minister and Minister for Sugar to go out into sugar cane growing areas and meet our people face to face. Their resilience, their determination in the face of adversity was truly inspiring. And I am certain that as we tap that spirit of our people moving forward, and stay focused and united, the future for Fijian sugar is assured.Vinaka vakalevu. Thank you. (2) Reflects the number of positions in issuers in which the Company has previously publicly disclosed an investment, which occurs after the Company has completed its accumulation. Cash, cash equivalents, direct or indirect currency or other hedges and income/expense items are excluded. Multiple financial instruments (for example, common stock and derivatives on common stock) associated with one (1) issuer count as one (1) position. A position that is included in the number of positions will be removed from the table only if the investment or if the investment becomes 0.0% of the portfolio. (3) For the purpose of determining the equity and debt exposures, investments are valued as follows: (a) equity or debt is valued at market value, (b) options referencing equity or debt are valued at market value, (c) long call options and short put options (or vice-versa, short call options and long put options) held on the same underlying issuer and with the same strike and same expiry are grouped together and treated as synthetic equity positions, and are valued at the market value of the equivalent long equity position (or vice-versa, the equivalent short equity position), and (d) swaps or forwards referencing equity or debt are valued at the market value of the notional equity or debt underlying the swaps or forwards. Whether a position is deemed to be long or short is determined by whether an investment has positive or negative exposure to price increases or decreases. For example, long puts are deemed to be short exposure. (4) Includes all issuer equity, debt, and derivatives related to issuer equity and debt, and associated currency hedges. Cash, cash equivalents, direct or indirect currency or other hedges and income/expense items are excluded. The market values of associated currency hedges are included as part of the associated investment. In the event that there is a change in market cap category with respect to any non-publicly disclosed position, this information is not updated until such position is publicly disclosed. (5) Portfolio composition is reflective of the publicly disclosed portfolio positions as of the date of this report. A position in an issuer is only assigned to a sector once it has been publicly disclosed. (6) "Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. AUM" equals the assets under management of Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd.. Any performance fees crystallized as of the end of the year will be reflected in the following period's AUM. (7) "Total Strategy AUM" equals the aggregate assets under management of Pershing Square, L.P., Pershing Square International, Ltd., Pershing Square II, L.P. and Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd.. Redemptions effective as of the end of any period (including redemptions attributable to crystallized performance fees/allocations, if any) will be reflected in the following period's AUM SAN FRANCISCO (dpa-AFX) - Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) announced that its Board has amended the Company's By-Laws to require the separation of the Chairman and CEO roles and for the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board to be independent directors. The Board approved the By-Law amendments, which are effective immediately, on November 29, 2016. 'The Board previously acted to elect an independent Chairman to lead the Board and we believe formalizing this structure is the right decision at this time for the Company and its investors, customers, and team members. Efforts to restore the trust of our customers and team members are well underway and will continue until we have fully addressed the issues surrounding retail banking sales practices,' said Stephen Sanger, Chairman of the Board. In October, Wells Fargo said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Stumpf retired from the company and the Board, as the bank struggles to re-establish itself after the fake-account scandal. The Board then elected Tim Sloan, the company's President and Chief Operating Officer, to succeed Stumpf. 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. AHF UKRAINE: ACCESS TO TREATMENT FOR HIV-INFECTED DRUG USERS IS AN IMPORTANT STEP TO OVERCOME THE EPIDEMICS OF HIV AND TUBERCULOSIS IN KYIV The first integrated care center in Kyiv opened on the World AIDS Day where HIV-positive patients who use drugs can receive services related to chemical dependency, HIV and tuberculosis. Right now, only one third of HIV-positive drug users in Kyiv have access to lifesaving services, including antiretroviral therapy, which is a key condition to overcome the epidemics of HIV and tuberculosis. Creation of the integrated care center is a project that is implemented by the Representative Office of American AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) in Ukraine based in the Kyiv City Narcological Hospital "Sotsioterapiya" and in partnership with Kyiv City Clinical Hospital No. 5, ICF "Alliance of Public Health" and with support from the Kyiv State City Administration. Zoya Shabarova, Europe Bureau Chief of AHF, said: "Establishing of such a center in Kyiv was made possible due to joint efforts of organizations from the governmental and non-governmental sectors. This is an example of effective partnership to help HIV-positive patients and an essential condition for the progress in achieving objectives of the AHF strategy 20 by 20 which stands for 20 million people receiving HIV treatment all over the world by 2020). This model of integrated care should become the gold standard for all the points of substitution therapy all over the country. All the conditions needed for comprehensive HIV and TB care are created at the integrated site. A person can receive full continuum of services starting from HIV rapid test through support in HIV treatment initiation, successful retention in care with assistance of substitution therapy and TB prevention or care. "Opening of this center will help HIV-positive patients to receive simultaneous treatment in one place. Previously, these people had to visit different hospitals to obtain three different medications and services. Not surprisingly, more than 70% of patients missed treatment or did not come back to receive care. Owing to this project, access to continuum of care for HIV-positive patients who use drugs will be assured," saidVolodymyr Yaryi, chief physician of KCNCH "Sotsioterapiya." "Kyiv took another important step to overcome the epidemics of HIV and tuberculosis by joining Fast-Track Cities initiative. The purpose of this initiative is to finally defeat AIDS by 2030 through actions and commitment of large cities, where almost 70% of all HIV-positive people reside," saidMykola Yuriyovych Povoroznyk, deputy head of Kyiv City State Administration. Sergei Filippovich, treatment director, the Alliance of Public Health, said"Since 2005, the Alliance has been supporting substitution therapy (ST) sites across the country as a part of the Global Fund programs. Now more than 9000 clients have access to ST in 173 sites. We support partnership initiatives of the Kyiv City Clinical Hospital No. 5, Kyiv City Narcological Hospital 'Sotsioterapiya,' AIDS Healthcare Foundation in Ukraine, to provide integrated services in Kiev." Today in Kyiv, 939 people are receiving substitution therapy, 368 of them are HIV positive and need ARV drugs. Reference: Opening the integrated care center is a project that is implemented by the Representative Office of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) in Ukraine based in the Kyiv City Narcological Hospital "Sotsioterapiya" and in partnership with Kyiv City Clinical Hospital No. 5, ICF "Alliance of Public Health" and with support from the Kyiv State City Administration, AIDS Healthcare Foundation was established in 1987 in Los Angeles, as a small community association, whose members were trying to alleviate the suffering of people who were doomed to die of AIDS. At present, as part of comprehensive health programs, AHF in partnership with other organizations provides care, treatment and services to almost 600,000 patients living with HIV in 36 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin and North America. KCNCH "Sotsioterapiya" is the unique national system of treatment and rehabilitation for patients who have problems with alcohol and drug abuse and members of their families. KCNCH "Sotsioterapiya" is a narcological service that serves for the entire Kyiv (about 6,000 hospital patients, 1,500 ambulatory patients and narcological monitoring of 27,000 narcological patients). Kyiv City Center for Prevention and Control of AIDS (KCCH No. 5 was established in 1999 to provide specialized medical care to HIV-positive persons and AIDS patients residing in Kyiv. It is located at the clinical hospital No. 5, 11, Vidpochynku St. The AIDS center includes an outpatient department, an inpatient department and an intensive care unit. "Alliance of Public Health" is aninternational Charity Foundation which in cooperation with government partners and NGOs in all regions of Ukraine have spent more than 10 years implementing comprehensive programs of prevention and treatment of HIV, TB and HCV, which cover more than 250,000 people. Since 2005, direct support for Alliance number of SMT patients in Ukraine increased by 130 times (from 70 to 9,073 patients). View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161201006580/en/ Contacts: AHF Europe Anna Zakowicz, +31 6 28744655 Deputy Bureau Chief anna.zakowicz@aidshealth.org or AHF Europe Denis Godlevskiy, +7 911 1101310 Advocacy and marketing manager in Russia and Ukraine denis.godlevskiy@aidshealth.org The first free and confidential HIV testing point in Eastern Europe, "AHF Checkpoint.kiev," has opened earlier this week in Kiev accompanied by a mobile testing van. Launch of "AHF Checkpoint.kiev" was organized by a representative office of AIDS Healthcare Foundation in Ukraine (AHF Ukraine). The main purpose of the opening is to increase access to HIV testing for different populations. The "Checkpoint" format provides testing services for certain groups men who have sex with men (MSM) and injecting drug users, as well as other categories of the population. Information support of "AHF Checkpoint.kiev" is implemented through the simultaneous launch of the website www.freeHIVtest.org.ua, where the people of Ukraine can find out the location of the nearest HIV testing point in 12 regions of the country. "As part of the European HIV testing week, we have opened the first community-based testing point for various groups of key affected populations. Testing in our checkpoint is confidential, free, and most importantly, takes place in a friendly atmosphere. All over the world AHF uses all possible means to promote and provide rapid testing. This includes working with both medical professionals and the community. We do everything possible to both encourage people to find out their HIV status and to remove psychological fears of medical institutions. The mobile van will help testing get to even the most remote areas of the city and also could be utilized at public events. In this way people from different groups, including men who have sex with men and injecting drug users can get tested, and the test itself becomes closer to people," said Anna Zakowicz, Deputy Chief of the European Bureau of AHF. HIV testing is conducted using rapid tests (result is provided in 15 minutes) on a model that AHF promotes and supports in 37 countries. In addition to HIV testing services visitors of the checkpoint are provided with "peer to peer" counseling, have access to free condoms and advice on safe sexual behavior. Those whose test result is positive are linked to medical care and support in government clinics of Ukraine. "Ukraine is the leader in Europe in the spread of HIV. According to national estimates about 220 thousand people in Ukraine live with HIV. Only 132,000 of them are registered, which means that about 40% of people do not know that they are HIV positive. People still mistakenly believe that if they do not inject drugs or are not involved in sex work, HIV does not affect them. Unfortunately, HIV spreads among the other groups. Statistics show that sexual transmission of HIV is already 73% of new cases in Ukraine. Therefore, it is important for everyone to know their status, and testing for HIV is the first step in addressing the HIV AIDS epidemic," said Natalia Nizova, General Director of the Center for Public Health in Ukraine. To support the work of "AHF Checkpoint.kiev" are the representative of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, General Director of the Center for Public Health in Ukraine; Mykola Povoroznyk, deputy head of Kyiv City State Administration; and Jacek Tyshko, director of UNAIDS in Ukraine, who performed a rapid test for HIV at the opening ceremony. Mykola Y. Povoroznyk, Deputy Head of Kyiv City State Administration said that, "The opening of the checkpoint is implemented within the framework of the Paris Declaration signed earlier by the mayor of Kyiv, Mr. Vitali Klitschko. It is accelerating actions to overcome the AIDS epidemic in major cities to meet the strategic targets of the UNAIDS Fast Track 90 90 90 Initiative. Thus, the Ukraine capital sets the example to other regions in the fight against HIV. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 659,000 individuals in 37 countries worldwide in the U.S., 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: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us @aidshealthcare. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161201006582/en/ Contacts: AHF Europe Anna Zakowicz, Deputy Bureau Chief +31 6 28744655 anna.zakowicz@aidshealth.org or Denis Godlevskiy, Advocacy and marketing manager in Russia and Ukraine +7 911 1101310 denis.godlevskiy@aidshealth.org or AHF (U.S.) Ged Kenslea, Senior Director, Communications +1 323-308-1833 (work) +1 323-791-5526 (mobile) gedk@aidshealth.org DALLAS (dpa-AFX) - Texas Instruments (TXN) said that Rafael Lizardi will become the company's next chief financial officer, effective February 1, 2017. Lizardi follows current Chief Financial Officer Kevin March, who has been in the role for 13 years. March plans to retire in October 2017 and between now and then will oversee the transition of duties between himself and Lizardi. Lizardi, 44, joined TI in 2001 and was named vice president in 2010 followed by corporate controller in 2012. He holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from The U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a master's in business administration from Stanford University. Prior to joining TI, Lizardi was a captain in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Additionally, Lizardi holds the designation of Certified Management Accountant. March, 58, joined TI in 1984 after completing his bachelor's degree in economics and master's in business administration at the University of Pittsburgh. He held a number of group controller positions before being named global financial planning manager and vice president in 1997, followed by corporate controller in 2002 and CFO in 2003. During Kevin's tenure as CFO, TI's free cash flow per share has grown an average 13 percent annually and its dividend has increased by a factor of 24 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. Leading dairy company is honoured with the prestigious regional award for second consecutive year SINGAPORE, Dec. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/-- FrieslandCampina, one of the world's leading dairy companies, today announced that it has been conferredwith PublicAffairsAsia's Gold Standard Award for Corporate Citizenship (Regional Programme) for 2016. This is the second year that FrieslandCampina has been recognised with the award. The award, which was presented at the annual Gold Standard Awards ceremony in Hong Kong yesterday evening, honours excellence in the development of aCorporate Social Responsibility (CSR), good governance or sustainability project that strengthens corporate reputation, and demonstrates an ongoing commitment to sustainable business practices. 2016 marks the third time that FrieslandCampina has received a Gold Standard Award, having also won in the Best Stakeholder Engagement category in 2014. FrieslandCampina's Drink.Move.BeStrong (DMBS) movement, whichwas recognised by this year's award, is a multi-pronged initiative that seeks to raise the nutritional status of families through the combined benefits of good nutrition and exercise. Through strong multi-stakeholder partnerships across all on-the-ground initiatives under the DMBS umbrella, FrieslandCampina has impacted over 71 million individuals across Southeast Asia since its launch. Commenting on the award win, Mr. Piet Hilarides, Chief Operating Officer, Consumer Products Asia, FrieslandCampina, said: "We are humbled and honoured that FrieslandCampina has won the Gold Standard Award for Corporate Citizenship for the second year running. Our Drink.Move.BeStrong movement continues to demonstrate that by taking a collaborative approach, we can move forward in our quest to address the rise of non-communicable diseases through the promotion of good nutrition. We accept this award with great pride, and with an awareness that good corporate citizenship is only possible because we work with other stakeholders to create shared value for all involved." Mr. Hendro Poedjono, Corporate Affairs Director, Consumer Products Asia, FrieslandCampina, said: "Wewere able to win this award because of the support we have received from our partners, which has enabled us to share our vision of 'Nourishing by Nature' with the community in the region. We are immensely grateful to all of them for their support, and I know that together we can further drive positive change in the health of people across Asia, providing lasting and meaningful impact for the many communities that we work in." Presented by PublicAffairsAsia, the Gold Standard Award is viewed by communications, public affairs and government relations practitioners as one of the most prominent awards in the Asia Pacific. This year, PublicAffairsAsia received 290 nominations from corporations, communication consultancies, government agencies and diplomatic missions, as well as non-governmental organisations. For more information, please contact: Media Contacts FrieslandCampina Ada Wong Head of Public Affairs and Communications, Asia T: +65 6850 7931 Email: Ada.Wong@frieslandcampina.com Spurwing Communications Stephanie Tan / Eoin Ee T: +65 6340 7287 Email: FC@spurwingcomms.com About Royal FrieslandCampina Every day Royal FrieslandCampina provides millions of consumers all over the world with food that is rich in valuable nutrients. With annual revenue of 11.3 billion euros, FrieslandCampina is one of the world's largest dairy companies, supplying consumer and professional products, as well as ingredients and half-finished products to manufacturers of infant & toddler nutrition, the food industry and the pharmaceutical sector around the world. FrieslandCampina has offices in 33 countries and over 22,000 employees, and its products are available in more than 100 countries. The Company is fully owned by Zuivelcooperatie FrieslandCampina U.A, with over 19,000 member dairy farmers in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium -- making it one of the world's largest dairy cooperatives. For more information, please visit: www.frieslandcampina.com About FrieslandCampina Consumer Products Asia FrieslandCampina's Consumer Products Asia business group consists of operating companies that are active in the consumer products segment in Asia. FrieslandCampina has acquired excellent positions in many countries with strong brands and a wide range of products.These activities have a long and rich history. The export of dairy from Western Europe began back in the 1920s. The range of long shelf life products has expanded significantly: from milk powder, condensed milk, infant and children's nutrition to dairy drinks, yoghurts and desserts.FrieslandCampina has operating companies in China, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Philippines. In Asia we market brands that have acquired strong positions. Dutch Lady is legendary in Malaysia and Vietnam, Foremost is a leading brand in Thailand, Frisian Flag is widely known in Indonesia. For more information, please visit: www.frieslandcampina.com/en/countries/frieslandcampina-asia Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161201/444952 Opening in March 2017 SINGAPORE, Dec. 2,2016 /PRNewswire/ --Capella Hotel Group Asia and illustrious culinary icon Mr. Pierre Gagnaire are pleased to announce their joint debut in Mainland China.Comptoir Pierre Gagnaire, a new concept by Mr. Gagnaire, will be located at Capella Shanghai in the cultural preservation zone of Xuhui District, Shanghai. The French brasserie and all-villa urban resort are part of the Jian Ye Li estate, which is the last remaining cluster of "shikumen" architecture with history dating back to the 1930s.Capella Shanghai and Comptoir Pierre Gagnaire are scheduled to open in March 2017. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161124/442722 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161124/442723 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161124/442721LOGO Lauded as the "Best Chef in the World 2015" by his industry peers according to French magazine Le Chef, Mr. Gagnaire celebrated 50 years of creativity and success in the kitchen this year.The atlas of Pierre Gagnaire spans 12 restaurants globally with a total of 13 Michelin stars among them.Driven by his mission statement "Facing tomorrow but respectful of yesterday", the cuisine of Mr. Gagnaire is his means of expression, replacing words with culinary works of art. In the kitchen, he transforms raw ingredients into a symphony of flavors, textures and temperatures delivered with emotion. "The idea behind Comptoir Pierre Gagnaire is an echo to the 1930s. It sends my message of warmth, quality and modesty as a tribute to the era. The place has to be joyful, comfortable and easily accessible. It is out of the question that it becomes a closed and exclusive place!" said Mr. Gagnaire as he described his refreshing new concept. "Shanghai is one of the world's most dynamic cities offering a rich cultural heritage coupled with all the amenities of an international lifestyle. The Pierre Gagnaire philosophy aligns so well with our Capella Canon.Both our organizations demonstrate a common passion and true desire to create memorable experiences for our guests.Pierre's brilliance as a Michelin-starred chef, combined with his gracious humility, make him a natural partner for Capella Shanghai," said Mr. Nicholas M. Clayton, Chief Executive Officer of Capella Hotel Group Asia. Capella Shanghai, Jian Ye Li, is the only all-villa urban resort in the city.A rare architectural heritage, the hotel offers discerning guests the authentic experience of Shanghai's romantic past.The estate comprises 55 villas, 40 residential apartments as well as The Gallery, which is a collection of restaurantsand lifestyle brands. Helmed by Mr. Gagnaire's prodigy, Romain Chapel, Comptoir Pierre Gagnaire will open in March 2017 together with Capella Shanghai, Jian Ye Li.It comprises a 70-seat restaurant, 50-seat bar as well as retail bakery at The Gallery.To complement the residential lifestyle of this charming neighborhood, Comptoir Pierre Gagnaire will cater for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. For more information about Capella Shanghai and Comptoir Pierre Gagnaire, please contact joleena.seah@capellahotelgroup.com. About Capella Hotel Group Capella Hotel Group, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia USA, with offices in Asia and Europe, offers hospitality management services globally with four distinct operating models: Capella Hotels and Resorts, an ultra-luxury hotel, resort, and residential concept designed for the most discerning travelers and offering personalized attention with locations in Dusseldorf, Singapore, Ixtapa, and Saint Lucia along with hotels planned for Orlando, Bangkok, Todos Santos, Shanghai and Bali. Solis Hotels and Resorts, is an exclusive collection of resorts, hotels and residencesdesigned for travelers and meeting planners who seek an environment with a global palette of cosmopolitan comfort, inspiring cuisine, world-class spas with locations in Donegal, Ireland and Nanjing, China along with hotels planned for Bali, Atlanta, Guangzhou, Suzhou and Orlando. Independent Hotels and Resorts are unique properties that benefit from the management expertise and service culture of the Capella Hotel Group.Locations are in New Zealand, Bali and the United States along with hotels planned for Mexico, China and Europe. Auriga is aworld-class health and wellness spa concept inspired by the cycles of the moon. Each Auriga signature treatment is carefully crafted to take into account the impact these different cycles have on our physical and emotional wellbeing. Media Contact Capella Hotel Group Asia Joleena Seah Director, Marketing & Communications Tel:+65-6887-9835 Email:joleena.seah@capellahotelgroup.com SAN FRANCISCO (dpa-AFX) - Bank holding company Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC), amid struggles to re-establish itself after the fake-account scandal, on Thursday said it has separated the roles of the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer formally, by amending the company's By-Laws. The amendment is also for the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board to be independent directors. The Board approved the By-Law amendments, which were effective immediately, on November 29. In the statement, Chairman Stephen Sanger noted that the Board previously acted to elect an independent Chairman to lead the Board, and formalizing this structure is the right decision at this time. In October, Wells Fargo elected Tim Sloan, then President and Chief Operating Officer, as the new Chief Executive Officer and Sanger, its Lead Director, as the Board's non-executive Chairman. In their new roles, Sloan and Sanger succeeded Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Stumpf, who retired from the company and the Board. Independent director Elizabeth Duke was then appointed to serve as Vice Chair. Sloan also was elected to the Board, and retained the title of President. Wells Fargo has been marred by a scandal after its retail banking segment employees opened up more than two million unauthorized bank and credit card accounts over the past five years and used those fake accounts to charge extra fees from customers. The bank fired around 5,300 employees for opening accounts without authorization. Stumpf testified two times before the Congress, and was also forced by the board in September to forfeit $41 million in performance pay as the bank launched an independent investigation of its fraudulent sales practices. Wells Fargo has agreed to a $185 million settlement with regulators to settle the scandal. Wells Fargo shares gained 2.68 percent on Thursday and settled at $54.34. In the extended trading, shares lost 0.13 percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Regulatory News: Skanska (STO:SKAB) has acquired about 3,000 square meters of land in Warsaw, Poland. The total investment amounts to EUR 43M, about SEK 410M. The plot is located next to the ONZ Roundabout, in the central location of the city. The estimated gross leasable potential is about 60,000 square meters. With this purchase, Skanska Property Poland will become a significant developer in the area between the ONZ and Daszynskiego roundabouts in Warsaw. The plot is situated in the vicinity of other Skanska projects in the city center and rapidly growing Wola district Generation Park and Spark being under construction, Atrium 1, and Atrium 2 which has just been officially opened. Skanska Commercial Development Europe initiates and develops office property projects. The company's operations are concentrated in the metropolitan areas of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Poland and are conducted in four local units: Skanska Property Czech Republic, Skanska Property Hungary, Skanska Romania and Skanska Property Poland. The information provided herein is such as Skanska AB is obligated to disclose pursuant to the EU market securities act (EU) no. 596/2014. Skanska is one of the world's leading construction and project development companies, focused on selected home markets in the Nordic region, other European countries and North America. Supported by global trends in urbanization and demographics, and by being at the forefront in sustainability, Skanska offers competitive solutions for both simple and the most complex assignments, helping to build a sustainable future for customers and communities. The Group currently has 43,100 employees in selected home markets in Europe and North America. Skanska's sales in 2015 totaled SEK 155 billion. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161201006618/en/ Contacts: For further information please contact: Malgorzata Kubica, External Communication Manager, Skanska Poland, tel: +48 502 747 454 or Andreas Joons, Press Officer, Skanska AB, tel +46 (0)10 449 04 94 or Direct line for media: +46 10 448 88 99 This and previous releases can also be found at www.skanska.com WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - SpaceX, the space transport company of Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, is likely to launch its first Falcon 9 rocket since September's launchpad explosion on December 16. SpaceX's satellite launch customer Iridium Communications Inc. (IRDM) announced Thursday that its next-generation global satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT, will be launched on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, subject to approval from Federal Aviation Administration. In its statement, Iridium noted that the Falcon 9 rocket will deliver 10 Iridium NEXT satellites into low-earth orbit. Iridium said it expects to be SpaceX's first return to flight launch customer. The launch is conditional on approval from Federal Aviation Administration or FAA of SpaceX's return to flight following the explosion of one of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets that occurred on September 1 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The investigation has been conducted with FAA oversight. Matt Desch, chief executive officer at Iridium, said, 'We're excited to launch the first batch of our new satellite constellation. We have remained confident in SpaceX's ability as a launch partner throughout the Falcon 9 investigation.' Iridium's NEXT will replace the world's largest commercial satellite network of low-earth orbit satellites in one of the largest tech upgrades. The company has partnered with Thales Alenia Space for the manufacturing, assembly and testing of 81 Iridium NEXT satellites, at least 70 of which will be launched by SpaceX. Meanwhile, Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer of SpaceX, said, 'We are looking forward to return to flight with the first Iridium NEXT launch. Iridium has been a great partner for nearly a decade, and we appreciate their working with us to put their first 10 Iridium NEXT satellites into orbit.' Iridium's primary launch campaign consists of seven SpaceX Falcon 9 launches, deploying ten Iridium NEXT satellites at a time. These 70 Iridium NEXT satellites are scheduled to be deployed by early 2018. The tentative date comes three months after one of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets exploded on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, destroying a commercial communications satellite that was to be managed by Israeli satellite operator Spacecom. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket explosion is currently being investigated by the FAA, NASA, and the US Air Force, and a full accident report will be released soon. The rocket exploded destroying Amos 6 satellite as it was getting ready to deliver the commercial communications satellite into space. In early November, Elon Musk had said that the helium tanks inside the Falcon 9 caused the explosion. He also said the company could start launching again in mid-December. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de VIENNA (dpa-AFX) - European stocks fell sharply on Friday as nervous investors looked ahead to the U.S. jobs report due tonight and Sunday's Italian referendum and presidential election in Austria. While positive U.S. jobs data for November may prompt the Federal Open Market Committee to hike rates this month, a 'no' vote in Italian referendum could trigger political uncertainty and might derail the country's fragile recovery. Austria's election result is also likely to have a symbolic importance far beyond the country. The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index was down 1.16 percent at 336.90 in opening deals after declining 0.3 percent in the previous session to snap a two-day rally. The German DAX was losing 1.07 percent at 10,421, France's CAC 40 index was declining 1.21 percent to 4,505 and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was down 0.86 percent at 6,694. Oil major Tullow Oil tumbled 5 percent and Total SA dropped 1.5 percent as oil prices retreated after recent sharp gains. Miners Anglo American, Antofagasta, BHP Billiton and Glencore declined 2-3 percent. Aixtron lost 4.5 percent on a report that U.S. President Barack Obama plans to block a Chinese company from buying the German chip equipment maker. Laird's shares plunged as much as 12 percent on equity dilution worries. CompuGroup Medical SE shares advanced 1 percent. The medical software company has decided to not continue its discussions over potential acquisition of Belgian graphics group Agfa-Gevaert. Swiss Re inched up marginally after the reinsurer reiterated its commitment to achieve the individual Business Units' return on equity and its two Group financial targets over the cycle. Berkeley Group Holding shares soared 4 percent. The U.K. housebuilder reported better-than-expected first-half earnings and revenue despite uncertainty surrounding Brexit. 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. Until recently, the political climate for solar has been unfriendly in the Florida - but that is clearly beginning to change. SolarCity, the country's best-known residential solar installer, announced this morning that it will open an installation center in Clermont, Fla., a city 40 minutes west of Orlando. The move that sends an unmistakable signal to the rest of the solar industry that Florida is finally open for business. Initially, the company will serve Duke Energy's customers and the Orlando Utilities Commission in the greater Orlando area. But it also announced that it plans to expand to additional areas of the state in the coming months. With its control of one-third of the residential market in the United States, SolarCity's decision to come to Florida should encourage other national solar companies to join them, possibly sparking a solar gold-rush in the state. SolarCity credited ... 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. PUNE, India, December 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The report "Epoxy Adhesives Market by Type (One-component, Two-component), Application (Building & Construction, Transportation, Automotive, Wind Energy, Marine, Electrical & Electronics), and Region - Global Forecast to 2026", published by MarketsandMarkets, the global market is estimated to grow from USD 5.33 Billion in 2015 to USD 10.13 Billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 6.63% from 2016 to 2026. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 ) Browse 249 market data Tables and 56 Figures spread through 215 Pages and in-depth TOC on"Epoxy Adhesives Market" http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/epoxy-adhesive-market-142980020.html Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report. The market is driven by the increasing trend towards the manufacture of light weight & low carbon emitting vehicles. Building & Construction: Largest application of the epoxy adhesives market In 2015, the building and construction application accounted for the largest market share in terms of volume, followed by the automotive application, which is majorly due to the higher acceptance and usage from the end-users. The building and construction industry has started using epoxy adhesives, with the increasing usage of composites, plastics and other higher strength metals. The growing urbanization due to the improved living standards of the population thus drives the global epoxy adhesives market. One-component: The fastest growing type segment of the epoxy adhesives market The one-component based epoxy adhesives market is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR from 2016 to 2021, in terms of volume. The excellent properties of the one-component type adhesives such as, quick curing time, a solvent-less system, and consumer friendly usage, is driving the demand in this segment. Download PDF Brochure @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=142980020 Asia-Pacific: The largest market for epoxy adhesives Currently, the Asia-Pacific region is the largest market for epoxy adhesives, in terms of volume. China is the largest market for epoxy adhesives in the Asia-Pacific region. However, India and Thailand are the fastest-growing markets for epoxy adhesives in the region. The following factors are the main driving forces for the Epoxy Adhesives Market in the Asia-Pacific region: The increasing residential building & construction activities are driving the market in the Asia-Pacific region region Growing manufacturing activities are expected to drive the demand for epoxy adhesives in the ASEAN countries Make an Inquiry @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=142980020 Henkel AG & Co. KGaA (Germany), Huntsman Corporation (U.S.), 3M Company (U.S.), Ashland Inc. (U.S.), Sika A.G. (Switzerland), The Dow Chemical Company (U.S.), Lord Corporation (U.S.), Illinois Tool Works Inc. (U.S.), and Permabond LLC (U.S.), are the key players in the global epoxy adhesives market. Browse Related Reports: Adhesives & Sealants Market by Technology (Water, Solvent, Hot-Melt, Reactive & Others), by Chemistry (PAE, PVA, VAE, EVA, SBS, Synthetic Rubber, Polyamide, Polyurethane, Epoxy, Cyanoacrylate, & Others), & by Application - Global Forecast to 2020 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/adhesive-sealants-market-421.html Construction Adhesive Market by Type (Acrylic, Polyurethane, Polyvinyl Acetate, Epoxy, & Others), by Technology (Waterborne, Solvent Borne, Reactive, & Others), by Application (Onsite, Offsite, Civil) - Global Forecast to 2020 http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/construction-adhesive-market-168524253.html Subscribe Reports from Chemicals & Materials Domain http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Knowledgestore.asp About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is the largest market research firm worldwide in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers. We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository. Contact: Mr.Rohan MarketsandMarkets 701 Pike Street Suite 2175, Seattle, WA 98101, United States Tel: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Visit MarketsandMarkets Blog @http://www.marketsandmarketsblog.com/market-reports/chemical Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets DUBLIN, May 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "China Bicycle Sharing Industry Report, 2017-2021" report to their offering. The sharing economy, including bicycle sharing, has flourished along with the spread of smartphone and a surge in mobile users. As an important part of urban slow/shared transport system, the bicycle sharing industry, characterized by being green, and convenient & efficient, and economical & environment-friendly, has boomed in 2016 with total users of up to 20.30 million and an operation market of RMB1.15 billion across the country. The year 2017 will witness an explosive growth for operators, with annual users of shared bicycles expected to amount to 61.70 million, about two times increase, and the operation market reaching RMB8.86 billion, skyrocketing by 670.4% over the previous year. The figures will hit 198 million and RMB29.05 billion in 2021, representing a CAGR of roughly 57.7% and 90.8% during 2016-2021, respectively. A booming market brings fierce competition. No less than 30 operators have plunged in the industry since the second half of 2016, according to incomplete statistics. Coverage of cities: by the early Apr 2017, ofo has made its presence in 44 domestic cities and 3 overseas cities; Mobike took a lead by making its way into more than 35 domestic cities as well as Singapore. Placing of bicycles: by the end of Mar 2017, ofo operated with a total of 1.10 million bicycles, about 27.5% of the country's total (4 million); Mobike seized a 20% market share with approximately 800,000 bicycles. However, the two pacemakers have seen a significant decline in market share since the year began. Rapid development of the bicycle sharing market has attracted an inrush of capital, entrepreneurs, and startups during 2016-2017. According to public information, ofo raised USD450 million in D-round financing, while Mobike has closed its E-round financing. Youon, as a mature bicycle-sharing operator, dived into the capital market directly, and its IPO has been approved by the China Securities Regulatory Commission. Key Topics Covered: 1 Overview of Bicycle Sharing 2 Bicycle Market 3 Bicycle Sharing Industry 4 Competitive Pattern of Bicycle Sharing 5 Bicycle Sharing Operators 6 Shared Bicycle Manufacturers Companies Mentioned - BATTLE-FSD - Beijing Beast Technology (SPEEDX) - Bluegogo - CRONUS - Flying Pigeon - Hellobike - LAUX - Mobike - Ofo - Phoenix Bicycle - QIBEI - Shenzhen HL Corp - Tianjin Aima Sport Goods Co., Ltd. - U-Bicycle - XDS Shenzhen Xidesheng Bicycles Co., Ltd. - Xiaoming Bike - Youon - Zhonglu Co., Ltd. For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/2nvxb3/china_bicycle 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 CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/02/16 -- Tervita Corporation ("Tervita") announced today that Tervita Escrow Corporation (the "Escrow Issuer") has commenced an offering of US$ senior secured notes due 2021 (the "Notes") in an aggregate principal amount to yield C$ 475 million. The Escrow Issuer is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tervita. Proceeds from the offering of the Notes are expected to be used to finance the previously announced recapitalization transaction (the "Recapitalization Transaction"). The Recapitalization Transaction is expected to close in December 2016. The net proceeds of the Notes will be held in escrow until the satisfaction of various conditions precedent. After the net proceeds are released from escrow, the Recapitalization Transaction will be consummated, Tervita will assume the obligations of the Escrow Issuer under the Notes and become the sole obligor of the Notes, and the Notes will be guaranteed by one of Tervita's subsidiaries. The Notes have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and are being offered and sold in the United States only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act and to certain non U.S. persons in transactions outside the United States in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act. In addition, the Notes have not been and will not be qualified for distribution by prospectus under Canadian securities laws and are being offered and sold in the United States, Canada and other countries pursuant to an exemption from the prospectus requirements of Canadian securities laws and only to "accredited investors" as defined in National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions of the Canadian Securities Administrators or, if in Ontario, Section 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario). This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or purchase, or a solicitation of an offer to sell or purchase, or the solicitation of tenders or consents with respect to any security. No offer, solicitation, purchase or sale will be made in any jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful. About Tervita Tervita has operated in Canada for almost 40 years and is a leading environmental solutions provider. Our integrated earth, water, waste and resource solutions deliver safe and efficient results through all phases of a project by minimizing impact and maximizing returns. Our dedicated employees are trusted sustainability partners to oil and gas, construction, mining, government and communities. Safety is our highest priority: it influences our actions and shapes our culture. Legal Advisories Additional information about Tervita is available at www.tervita.com. Reader Advisory Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" or "forward-looking information" (collectively referred to herein as "forward-looking statements"). Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, forecasts, estimates, and expectations that are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Tervita. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or are events or conditions that "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur or be achieved. This press release contains forward-looking statements, pertaining to, among other things, our expectations regarding: the proposed Notes offering, the Escrow Issuer's plans to conduct the proposed offering, Tervita's plans to assume the obligations under the Notes, our ability to successfully effect the foregoing, the Recapitalization Transaction and the timing of the Recapitalization Transaction, that the Notes will not be registered under the Securities Act, that the offering is an exempt distribution not requiring a prospectus and the jurisdictions where offers, solicitations, purchases or sales will occur. These statements are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions, currency fluctuations, changes in legislation, Recapitalization Transaction risks and certain other known and unknown risks. Although Tervita believes that the material factors, expectations and assumptions expressed in such forward-looking statements are reasonable based on information available to it on the date such statements were made, no assurances can be given. Actual results may differ materially from what was expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements and readers should not place undue importance or reliance on the forward-looking statements. Statements including forward-looking statements are made as of the date they are given and, except as required by applicable laws, Tervita disclaims any intention or obligation to publically update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Contacts: Tervita Corporation Ryan Wong Vice President, Treasury (403) 231-1116 rywong@tervita.com LONGUEUIL, CANADA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/02/16 -- Reunion Gold Corporation (TSX VENTURE: RGD) ("Reunion") is pleased to announce that it has entered into an option agreement dated December 1, 2016 with Union Miniere de Saul ("UMS"), an arm's length private company. Pursuant to the option agreement Reunion has the right to acquire an 80% interest in the Haute Mana gold project in French Guiana, South America by completing a preliminary economic assessment ("PEA") on the project within a period of five years (the "Option Period"). Haute Mana Gold Project The Haute Mana gold project consists of eight mining concessions (the "Concessions") covering an area of 121.5 km2 in the central-south part of French Guiana, some 170 km SW from the capital city of Cayenne, being accessible by a forest trail and aircraft. Geologically, the region is underlain by a Proterozoic greenstone belt composed of volcano-sedimentary sequences intruded by granitoids and cut by the prominent Sophie-Saul shear zone striking NW-SE and extending for more than 30 km. This is one of the most prolific gold producing area of French Guiana, from at least six "camps" along this shear zone, mostly from artisanal work both in alluvial and primary sources. The region was extensively mapped and explored by the Bureau de Recherches Geologiques et Minieres (BRGM) in the eighties, including 4,500 m of auger and 772 m of diamond drilling. Ressources Franc-Or did further exploration work in the nineties, including 79 line kilometres of soil sampling and 1,224 m of diamond drilling. The concession area has seen little other systematic exploration and is considered to have excellent potential for 'shear-type" gold mineralization. The Transaction The transaction is subject to requisite regulatory approvals including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The Option Period will commence upon receipt of all required approvals and UMS having fulfilled two condition precedents consisting of (1) the submission by December 31, 2016 of renewal applications for all Concessions which are expiring on December 31, 2018 and (2) the receipt from the French regulatory authority of a plan describing environmental reclamation work required to be done on the Concessions as a result of past mining activities (the "Plan"). In connection with the work required to be done by UMS under the Plan, the Company has agreed to advance, as a loan to UMS, up to 250,000 euros. The Loan will bear interest at the legal rate in effect in French Guiana at the time of the disbursement. The Loan and accrued interest will be repayable within 60 days of the completion of the PEA. If the Company does not exercise the option, the Loan will be cancelled. Upon exercise of the option by the Company, the Company will be deemed to have acquired an 80% interest in the Concessions. UMS will then have the option to retain its 20% participating interest or convert its interest in a 5% net profit interest or sell its 20% interest to the Company at a price to be agreed to at that time. The Company intends to finance the Loan and exploration work to be done on the Concessions during the next few months from the proceeds of the sale of its Matthews Ridge Project (see news release of November 4, 2016). The Company anticipates that the sale of the Matthews Ridge Project will be completed by the end of December 2016. Carlos Bertoni, P. Geo., a consultant to Reunion and a qualified person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical data contained in this press release. Cautionary Statement This press release contains certain forward-looking information as defined in applicable securities laws. Specifically, this press release includes forward-looking information regarding the Company's option agreement with UMS pursuant to which the Company may exercise the option and acquire ownership of an interest in the Concessions. Completion of the transaction is subject to a number of conditions including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The exercise of the option and completion of the acquisition of the Concessions is also subject to a number of conditions, including the completion of a PEA. There is no assurance that the transaction will be approved as proposed or at all; that the Company will be able to complete a PEA within the Option Period; that the Company will be able to finance the completion of a PEA; and that the sale of the Matthews Ridge Project will be completed by December 31, 2016 or at all. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any of its future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements herein are qualified by this cautionary statement. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. 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 press release. Additional information about the Company is available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and on the Company's website (www.reuniongold.com). Contacts: REUNION GOLD CORPORATION David Fennell Chairman and Interim President & CEO +1 450.677.2585 +1 450.677.2601 (FAX) info@reuniongold.com www.reuniongold.com LONDON, December 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Gorkana was joined yesterday (1 December) by Christian Broughton, editor of The Independent and Zach Leonard, managing director, Digital at ESI Media at a packed-out media briefing event in Central London. They revealed how the digital-only title has made cultural changes, seen success across social platforms and how it is gaining traction with a global audience. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161202/445003 ) The Independent has had a landmark year with the title celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2016, the national newspaper's owner, ESI Media, committed it to a digital-only future in March with increased investment in the UK and internationally. The decision to move digital-only has led to accelerated audience growth, with 74.3 million unique users globally in August 2016 (ABC) - an increase of 18% on March 2016. The Independent now employs more than 100 journalists across the world, and has shown that serious political and international reporting can both survive and thrive in the digital age. Here are just a few top tips that Broughton and Leonard revealed at yesterday's briefing: International outlook The Independenthas always had influence internationally as its now discontinued print paper was available outside the UK. However, Broughton and Leonard explained that its digital transformation has allowed staff to take a more international outlook. Its story"Rio 2016: International chefs cooking surplus Olympic food for city's poorest residents"has become one of its most read articles this year. Distinctive audience Broughton said that when brands appear on theIndy they are reaching "the most attractive audience in the market place".Thisaudience was described as distinguished in education and level of income by Leonard. He says these two bits of "DNA" have been engrained in the publication since its start. The audience has grown rapidly in 2016, particularly in the US and across the female population. Pitch in the PM Broughton explained that due toThe Independent's digital changes the traditional news cycle has been turned on its head. He said:"Classically, on national papers mornings are a great time to catch somebody because they are away on afternoon deadlines. Now it's the other way round, the mornings are really tight. Actually, towards the end of the afternoon you are more likely to catch someone with a bit of time." Two tips from Indy staff The Independentnewsroom was asked directly by Broughton to come up with tips for theGorkana briefing. As a result, he's pledged to make it easier for PRs to ensure that they have the right contacts, which includes refreshingIndy'smedia contacts onGorkana's database. In addition,Indystaffers suggested that PRs contact them when they have expertise or facilities that journalists can use, as well as "complete" story pitches. PR and comms professionals from a variety of sectors attended the media briefing, which was chaired by Gorkana's head of news and content, Philip Smith. Jocelyn Murdoch, Communications Assistant at Heritage Lottery Fund, said: "It was fascinating to get an insight into the Independent's transition to being a fully digital platform. Christian and Zach really placed an emphasis on heartfelt, quality journalism, showing that old world values really work in the digital age. It was also useful to get an idea of who is reading the Independent and the type of content that appeals to its global audience." Cision is a leading global media intelligence company, serving the complete workflow of today's communication professionals. Offering the industry's most comprehensive PR, IR and social media software, rich analytics, content distribution and influencer outreach, Cision enables clients to engage audiences, enhance campaigns and strengthen data-driven decision making. Cision solutions include PR Newswire, Gorkana, PRWeb, Help a Reporter Out (HARO) and iContact brands. Headquartered in Chicago, Cision serves over 100,000 customers in 170 countries and 40 languages worldwide, and maintains offices in North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America and Australia. For more information, visit http://www.cision.co.uk or follow @Cision on Twitter. For more information, visit http://www.gorkana.com | http://www.cision.com or follow @gorkana | @Cision on Twitter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpfyKiWDXOQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxSGpZCgJAU For media information please contact: Philip Smith Head of News and Content philip.smith@gorkana.com Gorkana +44(0)20-7074-2480 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 2, 2016) - Los Andes Copper Ltd. (TSXV: LA) ("Los Andes", or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it intends to raise up to $9 million in gross proceeds from a non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement"). The Company is arranging for the sale of up to 30,000,000 units (the "Units") priced at $0.30 per Unit, with each Unit consisting of one common share of the Company (a "Unit Share") and one detachable share purchase warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one additional common share of the Company (a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.45 per Warrant Share for a period of 3 years. Turnbrook Mining Ltd. ("Turnbrook"), the Company's largest shareholder, has committed to purchase 26,800,000 units for a total amount of $8,040,000. The proceeds of the Private Placement will be used to fund a proposed work program on the Company's Vizcachitas project and for general working capital purposes. The Private Placement is subject to acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV"). The sale of Units to Turnbrook constitutes a related party transaction under TSXV Policy 5.9. The Company intends to close the Private Placement by the end of next week as Turnbrook has advised that its financing commitment is of limited duration. The Unit Shares and Warrant Shares will be subject to a hold period of four months from the date of issuance of the Units, in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. For more information please contact: Antony Amberg, President & CEO Tel: (56-22) 954-0450 Aurora Davidson, Chief Financial Officer Tel: 604-697-6207 E-Mail: info@losandescopper.com or visit our website at: www.losandescopper.com Certain of the information and statements contained herein that are not historical facts, constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the Securities Act (British Columbia) and the Securities Act (Alberta) ("Forward-Looking Information"). Forward-Looking Information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect" and "intend"; statements that an event or result is "due" on or "may", "will", "should", "could", or might" occur or be achieved; and, other similar expressions. More specifically, Forward-Looking Information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such Forward-Looking Information; including, without limitation, the achievement and maintenance of planned production rates, the evolving legal and political policies of Chile, the volatility in the Chilean economy, military unrest or terrorist actions, metal and energy price fluctuations, favourable governmental relations, the availability of financing for activities when required and on acceptable terms, the estimation of mineral resources and reserves, current and future environmental and regulatory requirements, the availability and timely receipt of permits, approvals and licenses, industrial or environmental accidents, equipment breakdowns, availability of and competition for future acquisition opportunities, availability and cost of insurance, labour disputes, land claims, the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates, currency fluctuations, expectations and beliefs of management and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in Management's Discussion and Analysis in the Company's financial statements. Such Forward-Looking Information is based upon the Company's assumptions regarding global and Chilean economic, political and market conditions and the price of metals and energy, and the Company's production. Among the factors that have a direct bearing on the Company's future results of operations and financial conditions are changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, a change in government policies, competition, currency fluctuations and restrictions and technological changes, among other things. Should one or more of any of the aforementioned risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from any conclusions, forecasts or projections described in the Forward-Looking Information. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise Forward-Looking Information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Not for distribution to United States Newswire Services or for dissemination in the United States LONGUEUIL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 12/02/16 -- Highland Copper Company Inc. (TSX VENTURE: HI) (the "Company") announces that Copper Range Company ("CRC") and the Company have agreed to extend the period to complete the acquisition of the White Pine project to February 28, 2017. The final closing of the acquisition is subject to releasing CRC from certain environmental obligations associated with the remediation and closure plan of the historical White Pine mine site in a manner that is acceptable to all parties involved, including applicable governmental authorities, and replacing the related environmental bond posted by CRC. The Company also announces the results of its annual general meeting ("AGM") of shareholders held on December 1, 2016. All matters submitted to the shareholders for approval as set out in the Company's Notice of Meeting and Information Circular dated October 27, 2016, were approved by the requisite majority of votes cast at the AGM. A total of 81,557,099 common shares, representing 52.96% of the votes attached to all outstanding shares as at the record date for the meeting, were represented at the AGM. The Company's current directors being David Fennell, Adrian Fleming, John Johnson, Luc Lessard, Allen Winters and Jo Mark Zurel were re-elected. The shareholders also re-appointed KPMG LLP as auditors for the financial year ending June 30, 2017, and re-approved the Company's stock option plan. About Highland Highland Copper Company Inc. is a Canadian exploration company focused on exploring and developing copper projects in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, U.S.A. The Company has 184,248,626 common shares issued and outstanding. More information about the Company is available on the Company's website at www.highlandcopper.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Cautionary Statement This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, being unable to meet the final closing conditions of the acquisition of the White Pine Project on terms acceptable to the Company, CRC and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality for the transfer of environmental obligations, All forward looking statements in this press release are based on information available to the Company as of the date hereof, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by law. 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: Highland Copper Company Inc. David Fennell Chairman and Interim President & CEO +1.450.677.2455 info@highlandcopper.com PHOENIX, AZ -- (Marketwired) -- 12/02/16 -- Mobivity Holdings Corp. (OTCQB: MFON), the award-winning, mobile marketing and customer engagement platform, announced today that its CEO, Dennis Becker, will present at the LD MICRO Main Event investor conference being held at the Luxe Sunset, Los Angeles, on December 6-8, 2016. Mr. Becker will present on Wednesday, December 7th at 1:00 pm PT / 4:00 pm ET. The presentation will be webcast live and available for replay here: http://wsw.com/webcast/ldmicro11/mfon. The replay will be available for 90 days following the live broadcast at https://mobivity.com/about/investor-relations/. In addition, Mr. Becker will be having one-on-one meetings with institutional investors throughout the event. If you would like to schedule a one-on-one meeting, please contact either LD Micro or Robert Prag, President of The Del Mar Consulting Group, Inc. at (858) 794-9500 or bprag@delmarconsulting.com. About LD Micro LD Micro was founded in 2006 with the sole purpose of being an independent resource in the microcap space. What started out as a newsletter highlighting unique companies has transformed into an event platform hosting several influential conferences annually (Invitational, Summit, and Main Event). In 2015, LDM launched the first pure microcap index (the LDMi) to exclusively provide intraday information on the entire sector. LD will continue to provide valuable tools for the benefit of everyone in the small and microcap universe. For more information, please visit www.ldmicro.com. About Mobivity Mobivity helps brands grow their business by increasing customer frequency, engagement and spend. Mobivity's SmartSuite of products -- including SmartReceipt, SmartMessenger, and SmartAnalytics -- allows brands to unlock the power of customer, employee, and POS data like never before. This data-driven platform combines the most effective engagement and measurement tools to power a closed-loop marketing solution that drives insights, attributions, and validation -- at scale -- to continually adapt and provide more personalized, relevant, localized and targeted customer communications. Mobivity clients include SUBWAY, SONIC Drive-In, Chick-fil-A, and Baskin-Robbins. For more information about Mobivity, visit mobivity.com or call (877) 282-7660. Forward Looking Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning Mobivity Holdings Corp. 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. Those forward-looking statements include statements regarding the Company's plans to cross-market its products, including its recently acquired SmartReceipt operations; expectations for the growth of the Company's operations and revenue; and the advantages and growth prospects of the mobile marketing industry. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, and actual circumstances, events or results may differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to differences include, but are not limited to, the application and enforcement of the TCPA amendments in ways not expected; our ability to successfully integrate the SmartReceipt operations and our recent additions to management; our ability to develop the sales force required to achieve our development and revenue goals; our ability to raise additional working capital as and when needed; changes in the laws and regulations affecting the mobile marketing industry and those other risks set forth in Mobivity Holdings Corp.'s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 filed with the SEC on March 30, 2016 and subsequently filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Mobivity Holdings Corp. cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Mobivity Holdings Corp. does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation to update or revise such statements to reflect new circumstances or unanticipated events as they occur. MEDIA CONTACTS: Investor Relations Robert B. Prag President The Del Mar Consulting Group, Inc. (858) 794-9500 Scott Wilfong President Alex Partners, LLC (425) 242-0891 Company Contact Dennis Becker CEO Mobivity (877) 282-7660 MADRID, February 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Telepizza has entered into a binding agreement to acquire " Pizza Blitz " , the first pizza delivery brand in Switzerland The acquisition of 10 additional stores will bring the total number owned by Telepizz a globally to 1,352 Telepizza continues to invest and grow internationally, through company stores, JVC and master franchisees Telepizza, the world's largest pizza delivery company outside of the USA, is delighted to announce its acquisition of "Pizza Blitz", Switzerland's original pizza delivery brand. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150317/735407-a ) The additional 10 stores bring Telepizza's global network to an impressive 1,352 stores, supporting the brand's aggressive growth plans which aim to triple market share over the next 3 years. Telepizza CEO and Chairman, Pablo Juantegui Azpilicueta, comments, 'At Telepizza, we are proud of introducing our brand in new markets. For us, Switzerland represents an exciting step for the brand. We have taken into account Swiss people's distinctive features for adapting our recipes to their taste, always keeping our brand essence: the secret is in dough.' President of International, Giorgio Minardi, comments, 'We are delighted with this new acquisition as it marks another step towards achieving our ambitious expansion plans. Switzerland is an important market for us; we know our outstanding customer service and excellent product quality will appeal to Swiss consumers.' Telepizza currently operates in more than 15 countries and recently posted 506 million in chain sales and 63.4 million in EBITDA. With ambition for further business growth through ongoing investment, Telepizza is continuously looking for potential JVC and master franchisees that seek to join this incredible opportunity. Note to Editors Telepizza is the largest non-U.S.-based pizza delivery company in the world by number of stores. Headquartered in Madrid, Spain, Telepizza operates in more than 15 countries through a network of own stores, franchisees and master franchisees, with 1,342 stores globally, including 456 own stores (34%) and 886 franchised and master franchised stores (66%) as of 30 September, 2016. Including our U.S.-based competitors, we are the fourth largest global player in pizza delivery in terms of number of stores. We are the market leader in our core markets by number of stores (number one in Spain, Portugal, Chile and Colombia and number two in Poland). The total sales within our network, including own stores, franchisees and master franchisees, are recorded as chain sales, which amounted to 506 million in the twelve months ended 30 September 2016, with an underlying EBITDA of 63.4 million over the same period. http://www.telepizza.com Miguel Justribo Telepizza - +34-91-6576200 prensa.telepizza@telepizza.com Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 29, 2016) - Midnight Sun Mining Corp. (TSXV: MMA) (the "Company" or "Midnight Sun") has completed a non-brokered private placement by issuing 2,050,000 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.12 per Unit for gross proceeds of $246,000. Each Unit consists of one common share ("Common Share") in the capital of the Company and one transferable Common Share purchase warrant ("Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Common Share of the Company for a period of twenty-four months from closing, at an exercise price of $0.20. Finder's fees of $4,464.00 were paid in cash and 37,200 Finder's Warrants were issued in connection with the private placement. Each Finder's Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one common share at a price of $0.20 for a period of twenty-four months, expiring on December 29, 2018. All securities issued pursuant to this tranche, including the Common Shares underlying the Warrants, are subject to a statutory hold period which expires on May 1, 2017. The net proceeds of the Offering will be used by the Company to fund further exploration work on its optioned Zambian mineral exploration permits as well as general working capital. These securities being offered have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from the U.S. registration requirements. This release does not constitute an offer for sale of securities in the United States. The completion of this private placement is subject to final acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Robert Sibthorpe President & CEO For further information contact: Al Fabbro Director Tel: 604-351-8850 NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE. NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES NEW YORK, December 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Persistence Market Research (PMR) delivers key insights on the globalcardiac pacemaker marketin its upcoming report titled,"Global Market Study on Cardiac Pacemaker: North America Regional Market to Register a Declining CAGR of -1.4% between 2016 and 2024".The global cardiac pacemaker market was valued at US$ 4,100.0 Mn in 2015 and this is likely to decline to US$ 3923.8 Mn by 2024. In terms of revenue, the global cardiac pacemaker market is anticipated to exhibit a declining CAGR of -0.5% over the forecast period owing to various factors, on which PMR offers detailed insights and forecasts. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161114/438683LOGO ) Global cardiac pacemaker marketdynamics A key unmet need in global cardiac pacemaker market is the lack of a 100% safe and efficient pacemaker device to treat arrhythmias. There is an imperative need for development of cost-effective and rapid diagnostic methods for arrhythmias with a growing geriatric population and increasing patient pool with escalating global demand for treatment. This is anticipated to offer lucrative opportunities to new players in the global cardiac pacemaker market. Various key players in the cardiac pacemaker market are signing partnerships and licensing deals to share the research and development platform. In 2014, Medtronic has signed a deal with Lifetech Scientific to bring pacemaker into the Chinese market. According to the agreement, Lifetech Scientific shall manufacture pacemaker at their facility and Medtronic's would provide with technology and required training. View Market Snapshot and Research Methodology@ http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/cardiac-pacemaker-market.asp Global cardiac pacemaker marketforecast The market is segmented based on product type, end users, and regions. Based on product type, the market is segmented into implantable pacemaker and external pacemaker. Both the segments are expected to exhibit a negative CAGR for the forecast period, owing to increasing number of device recall related to device malfunctioning. The implantable pacemaker segment is expected to exhibit a declining CAGR of -0.5% and external pacemaker segment is expected to exhibit a declining CAGR of -1.0% during the forecast period. Based on end users, the market is segmented into hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers. The hospitals segment is anticipated to account for the highest market share over the forecast period exhibiting a declining CAGR of -0.1% due to better reimbursement rates offered by government and non-government bodies. View Report Table of Contents, Figures, and Tables@ http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/cardiac-pacemaker-market/toc This report assesses trends, that drive growth of each segment on the global as well as regional levels, and offers potential takeaways, that could prove substantially useful to medical device manufacturing companies who wish to enter into the global cardiac pacemaker market. North America and Europe are expected to lose market share in terms of revenue generation. Latin America, APAC, and MEA are collectively expected to be more attractive in terms of revenue generation in the global cardiac pacemaker market in 2016 with growth in revenue for the forecast period. Latin America is expected to expand at a CAGR of 1.1% closely followed by Asia Pacific with a CAGR of 1.0% over the forecast period, due to increase in the diagnosis rate and improved healthcare infrastructure. The India cardiac pacemaker market is expected to increase over other markets and register a CAGR of 1.5% in the region due to increased government initiative, increase in health care expenditure, and increase in disease prevalence. The growth of cardiac pacemakers in this region is largely due to increased participation of local manufacturers and increasing healthcare expenditure. Global cardiac pacemaker marketcompetitive landscape Some key players in the global cardiac pacemaker market identified in this report are Medtronic's, Lepu Medical Technology Co ltd., Osypka Medical GmbH. MEDICOWEB, Boston Scientific Corporation, Pacetronix ltd., BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG, LivaNova Plc., and St.Jude Medical Inc. Persistence Market Research has discussed individual strategies of these companies in terms of increasing focus on rare diseases, initiatives to increase awareness, and enhancing distribution base. The report has been concluded with strategic recommendations for players already present in the market and new players planning to enter the market, which could help them in the long run. Request Sample Report@http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/12382 PMR Overview Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance. To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes. Contact Persistence Market Research U.S. Sales Office: 305 Broadway, 7th Floor New York City, NY 10007 United States USA - Canada Toll-Free: 800-961-0353 Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com Web: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/persistence-market-research-&-consulting/ WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen retired Marine Corps general James N. Mattis as the Secretary of Defense. Trump announced the key posting while addressing the first meeting in his 'thank you' tour, held in Cincinnati, Ohio, Thursday. A former marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, the four-star general earned the nickname 'Mad Dog' after the 2004 battle of Fallujah in Iraq, where he led British and US troops against Iraqi insurgents. The President-elect had said last month that Mattis was being touted as the Defense chief. After a meeting with Mattis in Bedminster, New Jersey, Trump said he was very impressive, calling him 'A true General's General!' As Mattis retired from the military in 2013, his nomination will require a waiver of the National Security Act of 1947. Under US law, a retired officer must be out of uniform for at least seven years before he can assume the role of Secretary of Defense. Mattis would be the second Secretary of Defense to receive such a waiver, following George Marshall, because it is a Republican-controlled Congress An avid reader who is considered to be an intellectual among the upper ranks, the 44-year military veteran is a bachelor. Although he supports a two-state solution model for Israel-Palestinian peace, Mattis was an outspoken critic of the Obama administration's Middle East policy. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The Labor Department releases U.S. nonfarm payrolls data for November at 8:30 am ET Friday. The economy is expected to add 180,000 jobs in November, following a gain of 161,000 jobs in October. Ahead of the data, the greenback traded mixed against its major counterparts. While the greenback held steady against the yen and the pound, it rose against the euro. Against the franc, it declined. The greenback was worth 1.0648 against the euro, 113.95 against the yen, 1.0095 against the franc and 1.2622 against the pound as of 8:25 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. ZAGREB, Croatia, December 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The best businesses from Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia and Macedonia were honoured at an exclusive event last night at the Palaca Dverce in Zagreb, Croatia, for The European Business Awards sponsored by RSM. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161202/445015 ) The 53 firms were chosen by a panel of independent judges, including senior businesses and academic leaders, to be 'National Champions' in Europe's largest business competition. At the event, the second in a series of events across Europe, attendees had the chance to speak to leading businesses in their field and hear from guest speakers including the British Ambassador to Croatia, Andrew Dalgleish, and Branko Tomaskovic, Partner at RSM Croatia. At the event it was also announced that this year's European Business Awards Gala Final will be held in Dubrovnik, Croatia next year on 4th May. Adrian Tripp, CEO of the European Business Awards, said: "These events not only celebrate the success of our dynamic National Champions in the competition but also the key role they play in Europe's strong business community." Lead sponsor RSM, is the sixth largest network of independent audit, tax and consulting firms worldwide, and has supported the European Business Awards since its inception. Jean Stephens, CEO of RSM said: "The National Champions are stand-out leaders, demonstrating businesses tenacity and commercial excellence. These companies will lead the way forward bringing growth and prosperity across the continent and beyond. I would like to congratulate them all and wish them luck in the coming rounds". In the next round, the National Champions will put forward a video telling their unique story and explaining their business success. Category winners and the winner of a 'public vote' will be announced at the Gala Final in spring 2017. The European Business Awards was set up to support the development of a stronger and more successful business community throughout Europe. This year it engaged with over 33,000 businesses from 34 countries. Further information about the National Champions and the Awards can be found at http://www.businessawardseurope.com and http://www.rsm.global About the European Business Awards: The European Business Awards' primary purpose is to support the development of a stronger and more successful business community throughout Europe. For all citizens of Europe, prosperity, social and healthcare systems are reliant on businesses creating an even stronger, more innovative, successful, international and ethical business community - one that forms the beating heart of an increasingly globalised economy. The European Business Awards programme serves the European business community in three ways: It celebrates and endorses individuals' and organisations' success It provides and promotes examples of excellence for the business community to aspire to It engages with the European business community to create debate on key issues The European Business Awards is now in its 10th year. This year it engaged with over 33,000 businesses from 34 countries. Last year's public vote generated over 227,000 votes from across Europe. Sponsors and partners include RSM, ELITE and PR Newswire. http://www.businessawardseurope.com. About RSM RSM is the sixth largest network of independent audit, tax and consulting firms, encompassing over 120 countries, 760 offices and more than 38,000 people internationally. The network's total fee income is US$4.64 billion. RSM is the lead sponsor and corporate champion of the European Business Awards promoting commercial excellence and recognition of entrepreneurial brilliance. RSM is a member of the Forum of Firms, with the shared objective to promote consistent and high quality standards of financial and auditing practices worldwide. RSM is the brand used by a network of independent accounting and advisory firms each of which practices in its own right. RSM International Limited does not itself provide any accounting and advisory services. Member firms are driven by a common vision of providing high quality professional services, both in their domestic markets and in serving the international professional service needs of their client base. http://www.rsm.global About ELITE: ELITE is a full-service programme designed to share best practice and increase growth opportunities for fast growing companies, with a focus on understanding the capital markets. ELITE is an innovative programme based on exclusive training and a tutorship model, supported by access to the business and financial community. Its aim is to prepare companies for their next stage of growth and investment. For further information on the programme, companies and the full list of partners, please go to: http://www.elite-growth.com About PR Newswire: PR Newswire is the leading global provider of PR and corporate communications tools that enable clients to distribute news and rich content. We distribute our client's content across traditional, digital and social media channels in real time with fully actionable reporting and monitoring. Combining the world's largest multi-channel, multi-cultural content distribution and optimisation network with comprehensive workflow tools and platforms, PR Newswire enables the world's enterprises to engage opportunity everywhere it exists. PR Newswire serves tens of thousands of clients from offices in Europe, Middle East, Africa, the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region. For more information on PR Newswire please visit http://www.prnewswire.co.uk 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. Carnival Corporation & plc Announces Exchange Rate For Quarterly Dividend MIAMI, Dec. 2, 2016 --On October 20, 2016, Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.35 (U.S.) per share. The dividend is payable on December 16, 2016, to shareholders of record on November 25, 2016. Holders of Carnival Corporation common stock or Carnival plc ADSs will receive a dividend payable in U.S. dollars. The dividend for Carnival plc ordinary shares will be payable in sterling unless shareholders elected to receive the dividend in U.S. dollars by November 25, 2016. Dividends payable in sterling will be converted from U.S. dollars at the exchange rate quoted by the Bank of England in London at 12 noon on December 1, 2016 (US$1 = 79.22047 pence). Accordingly, the dividend payable in sterling on December 16, 2016, will be 27.72716 pence per share. Carnival Corporation &plc is the largest leisure travel company in the world and among the most profitable and financially strong in the industry with a portfolio of 10 cruise brands inNorth America,Europe,AustraliaandAsia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Line, Fathom,Holland America Line,Princess Cruises, Seabourn,AIDA Cruises,Costa Cruises, Cunard,P&O Cruises(Australia) andP&O Cruises(UK). Together, these brands operate 102 ships visiting over 700 ports around the world and totaling 226,000 lower berths with 14 new ships scheduled to be delivered between 2017 and 2020.Carnival Corporation &plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour companies in Alaskaand the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both theNew Yorkand London Stock Exchanges,Carnival Corporation &plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices. Additional information can be found on http://www.carnival.com/, http://www.fathom.org/, http://www.hollandamerica.com/, http://www.princess.com/, http://www.seabourn.com/, http://www.aida.de/, http://www.costacruise.com/, http://www.cunard.com/, http://www.pocruises.com.au/ and http://www.pocruises.com/. SOURCE Carnival Plc CONTACT: MEDIA CONTACT: Carnival Corporation & plc, Roger Frizzell, 1 305 599 2600, ext. 67862, orINVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT: Carnival Corporation & plc, Beth Roberts, 1 305 406 4832 OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - The Canadian dollar strengthened against its most major counterparts in the European session on Friday, after data showed that the economy unexpectedly created jobs in November and jobless rate fell. Data from Statistics Canada showed that the employment rose by 10,700 jobs in November, defying expectations for a decline of 15,000 jobs. In the previous month, the economy added 43,900 jobs. The unemployment rate fell by 0.2 percentage points to 6.8 percent, as few people searched for work. The jobless rate was 7 percent in October, which have been expected to remain unchanged. The loonie climbed to 1.4129 against the euro, off its early low of 1.4231. The loonie may find resistance around the 1.39 zone. The loonie recovered to 85.83 against the yen, from a low of 85.42 hit at 4:30 am ET. Continuation of the loonie's uptrend may see it challenging resistance around the 87.00 region. The loonie firmed to 1.3254 against the greenback, its strongest since October 21. The loonie is seen finding resistance around the 1.31 area. 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. TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/02/16 -- Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat The Government of Canada values the role that scientists play in contributing the discoveries and innovations that lead to a strong economy, sustainable environment and vibrant middle class. That's why the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science, announced more than $173 million in funding to support a total of 203 new and renewed Canada Research Chairs at 48 postsecondary institutions across the country. The announcement, made today at the University of Toronto, will help support cutting-edge research across the country to advance, for example, research on addictions and mental health, as well as on the environment and climate change. These researchers improve our depth of knowledge and quality of life, strengthen Canada's international competitiveness, and help train the next generation of highly skilled people through student supervision, teaching, and the coordination of other researchers' work-one breakthrough and discovery at a time. The University of Toronto will receive $19.7 million for 25 Canada Research Chairs, such as Dr. Barbara Fallon, the new Canada Research Chair in Child Welfare. Her evaluation of child welfare data helps policymakers determine what works best to help children and their families leaving abusive situations not just survive, but thrive. Dr. Shelley Craig, also at the University of Toronto, is receiving a Canada Research Chair in Sexual and Gender Minority Youth to develop new ways to build resilience in sexual and gender minority youth, a population at greater risk of suicide, social exclusion, and low academic achievement. Quotes "I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the new and renewed Canada Research Chairs. The Government of Canada is proud to support talented researchers whose hard work will improve our scientific understanding and strengthen Canada's reputation for research excellence. The Chairs' efforts will also provide us with the evidence needed to inform decisions that help us build a vibrant society and a strong middle class." - The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science "I am proud to be celebrating the incredible work being done by our talented researchers at the universities in this city, where we can attract and retain some of the world's most accomplished and promising minds, including at the University of Toronto. The outcome of their research offers unique and essential insights that will contribute to new technologies and services that will benefit our city, province, Canada and the world." - The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of International Trade "It has been over 16 years since the Canada Research Chairs Program was developed and it remains a cornerstone of our efforts to attract and retain the best and brightest minds in Canada. This investment by the Government of Canada will advance research and innovation, both to the benefit of Canadians and towards stimulating the global competitiveness of Canadian postsecondary institutions." - Ted Hewitt, President, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council "World-class research requires state-of -the-art equipment and facilities. With support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, chairholders have the tools they need to think big and push the boundaries of knowledge in their respective areas of expertise." - Gilles Patry, President and CEO, Canada Foundation for Innovation "The Canada Research Chairs program is a crucial asset in our country's ability to attract and retain the world's best and most promising researchers. I would like to thank Minister Duncan and the Government of Canada for their magnificent support for globally competitive Canadian research, and for the brilliant work being done by the University of Toronto's Canada Research Chairs award recipients." - Meric Gertler, President, University of Toronto "I am profoundly grateful and honoured to be a Canada Research Chair in Child Welfare. I hope my research will help provide insight and direction to a system whose mandate is to serve the most vulnerable in our society." - Barbara Fallon, Canada Research Chair in Child Welfare, University of Toronto "Canada's sexual and gender minority youth face significant risks such as suicide, bullying, familial rejection and low academic achievement. That's why it's incredibly important to have the support of the Government of Canada to pursue my research to develop new ways to understand and promote their inspirational resilience." - Shelley Craig, Canada Research Chair in Sexual and Gender Minority Youth, University of Toronto Quick facts -- Today's announcement represents a $164.5 million investment in the Canada Research Chairs program with an additional $8.6 million in infrastructure support for the program through the Canada Foundation for Innovation. -- With today's announcement, over 1,600 Canada Research Chair holders are working at over 70 postsecondary institutions across the country in a wide range of fields. More than 632 of these chairs are in Ontario. -- Of the chairholders being announced today, 38 percent are women. This is a significant increase from 27 percent female chairholders in the last announcement. -- The Canada Foundation for Innovation gives researchers the tools they need to innovate by investing in state-of-the-art facilities and equipment in Canada's universities, colleges, research hospitals and not-for-profit research institutions. -- Created in 2000, the Canada Research Chairs Program has helped attract and retain some of the world's most accomplished and promising minds. Canada Research Chairs deepen our knowledge, enhance our quality of life and grow our economy. Related products Recipients List Associated links Canada Research Chairs Program Canada Foundation for Innovation Contacts: Veronique Perron Press Secretary Office of the Minister of Science 343-291-2600 Anne-Marie Cenaiko Communications Advisor Canada Research Chairs Program 613-996-8373 or Cell: 613-668-9865 Anne-Marie.Cenaiko@sshrc-crsh.gc.ca Malorie Bertrand Media Relations and Communications Officer Canada Foundation for Innovation 613-943-2580 or Cell: 613-447-1723 malorie.bertrand@innovation.ca STOCKHOLM (dpa-AFX) - Electrolux Group (0MDT.L, 0GQ1.L, ELUXY.PK) said it has made a strategic decision to focus its North American Small Appliances business on its strongest categories, as part of a process to improve the global competitiveness of the business area. In line with this decision, Electrolux has agreed to divest its North American vacuum cleaner brand Eureka to Midea Group Co., Ltd. The agreement includes most of the assets related to the Eureka brand. Sales of products under the Eureka brand amounted to approximately US$60 million over the past 12 months. The transaction is not expected to result in any material net one-off effects on the Group income statement. The transaction is expected to close before year end. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. The hotly anticipated 2016 Conde Nast Readers' Choice Awards list compiles over 300,000 votes from its readers to determine the "Best in Travel" lists for the coming year. From up-and-coming small towns, to which airline to fly, to which cruise line readers like best, the list is a plethora of information that will invade your dreams with exotic destinations. Scrolling through the lists can take up entire days (trust us!), but here at DealNews, we always want to help our readers keep the budget down on travel plans. We've pulled together the expected price points for various airlines, cruise lines, and destination cities so you can get more value for your money at the hottest destinations of 2016. Best Cities in the World Conde Nast's list features 40 cities worldwide (excluding the U.S.). Here are the Top 10: Tokyo, Japan Kyoto, Japan Florence, Italy Lucerne, Switzerland San Miguel de Allende, Mexico Vancouver, Canada Victoria, Canada Salzburg, Austria Barcelona, Spain Vienna, Austria Have you been to the Land of the Rising Sun yet? The fact that two Japanese cities were named the top travel destinations in the world is a reflection of the effort Japan has made to open itself up to tourism. Gone are the days of intimidating menus and difficult-to-book accommodation. Tokyo and Kyoto in particular are much more accessible now. Airfare can still be pricey, especially if you plan to go during Japan's popular "hanami" spring season, but we've seen flights on Singapore Airlines from $546.40 roundtrip. (Singapore Airlines was also voted best international airline on this list, see below.) Best Big Cities in the U.S. Conde Nast compiled a list of the Top Big Cities in the U.S. with populations of over 150,000: New York, NY Chicago, IL San Francisco, CA Honolulu, HI New Orleans, LA Boston, MA Portland, OR Naples, FL Seattle, WA San Diego, CA New York retained its title as Best Large City for the second year in a row. And we were pleasantly surprised to see Chicago move up to second spot. This proves that "the Paris of the Prairie" is one of the most exciting cities to visit at the moment, full of vibrant innovation from culture to food and so much more. If you're looking for a place to lay your hat while in the Windy City, we've seen stays at the 4-star Central Loop Hotel from $55 per night. Best Small Cities in the U.S. Big cities aren't everyone's cup of tea, so Conde Nast also compiled a list of the Best Small Cities with populations under 150,000. Here are the Top 10: Charleston, SC Aspen, CO Santa Fe, NM Laguna Beach, CA Savannah, GA Park City, UT Telluride, CO Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA St. Augustine, FL Asheville, NC Charleston is the home of Rhett Butler, Fort Sumter, and probably the nation's highest concentration of magnolias. But it is also fast becoming one of America's favorite vacation spots thanks to its balmy climate and southern charm. The good news is you can pick up a super-cheap flight on JetBlue. We've seen one-way flights from $38.10. If you're more of a cold weather bird, the Rocky Mountain playground of Aspen is your best bet. While the city is most famous as a winter destination (thanks to the four ski mountains that make up the world-renowned Aspen Snowmass resort), budget shoppers might want to consider planning a summer vacation here instead. There is still plenty to do in the warm weather, but the fresh mountain air takes the sting out of the heat and the city is pleasantly unburdened by tourists. Best Domestic Airlines in the U.S. Conde Nast Readers' Choice Awards ranked the Best Airlines in the U.S. as follows: Of the airlines mentioned above, we've seen the best prices from JetBlue, with one-way flights starting from as low as $20! Southwest and Virgin America regularly offer routes from around $35 one-way (usually from Las Vegas to Los Angeles). Alaskan Airlines tends to cost a little more: The best price we've seen for one-way flights on this airline is $44, but the typical price point for nationwide fares is about $50 to $70. As for Hawaiian Airlines, we usually see sales from the mainland to Maui and Honolulu, so naturally the fares will be most costly. We have seen flights from as low as $318 roundtrip, but they more commonly cost around $400 roundtrip. Best Airlines in the World We've summarized the Conde Nast Readers' Choice Awards' Best Airlines in the World to bring you the Top 10 International Airlines: It comes as no surprise that United Airlines and Delta Air Lines didn't even feature on the Top 20 list, yet American fliers still favor these home-grown airlines for international travel. According to Conde Nast's list, it's time to get out of our comfort zone and opt for a less-familiar, but higher-ranked airline instead. Particularly noteworthy airlines worth mentioning are the top two spots, Singapore Airlines and Emirates Airlines. Singapore Airlines is ranked as a 5-star airline on the airline review and ranking site Skytrax. But despite this high ranking, we've seen prices to Europe starting from $499 roundtrip and prices to Asia from $546 roundtrip. That even beats United's lowest price to Asia! Similarly, Emirates is ranked as a 4-star airline and has roundtrip international flights starting from around $495. Best Hotels and Resorts in the U.S. Conde Nast's 50 Best Resorts in the World and 50 Best Hotels in the World lists set the trend for what's hot and what's not in travel. The list features resorts from far-flung destinations ranging from Indonesia to Ireland, South Africa, and the Maldives. We've focused on the top U.S. destinations: It's gratifying to see such a wide array of accommodation reaching right across the U.S. This really goes to show the varying priorities of travelers at the moment. The hotels range from 3-star to 5-star, with lodges and inns featuring strongly. Perhaps the most interesting result is that big chains are practically absent from the list, certainly not dominating this arena. JW Marriot does seem to be hitting the mark, with its hotels in Austin and Indianapolis making the list. Another interesting trend illuminated by this list is that traditional vacation haunts like Florida and Vegas are not home to the best hotels. Travelers seem to be favoring spots in California over Las Vegas and Georgia over Florida. That's good news for travel deal hunters, because we frequently see deals for off-the-beaten-track hotels in places like Oregon, Wyoming, and Louisiana. Plus, hotels in these less popular areas tend to give you more bang for your buck, offering an array of extras from free breakfast to complimentary wine tastings. (Unlike Las Vegas, where sky-high resort fees often double the price of your stay just so the hotel can provide you with a clean towel!) Best Large Cruise Lines in the World Conde Nast Readers' Choice Awards sub-divided this category into four: large, medium, small, and river ship line. We're focusing on the Best Large Ship Line , because that's where we typically see the best fares. The order of the above list seems to reflect the price points we usually see for these cruises, with Disney and Cunard on the expensive side and Norwegian Cruise Line on the more reasonable side. (We tend to see the best prices from Carnival, and perhaps their budget ways are the reason they didn't make it onto the Readers' Choice Awards list.) Perhaps the best balance between quality and value for money comes from Princess Cruises. It ranks highly at #3 on the Readers' Choice Awards list, and its prices often beat Celebrity Cruises and match Norwegian Cruise Line. We expect short cruises on Princess to start at about $30 to $40 per person per night, while week-long cruises start at $50 per person per night. By comparison, Celebrity Cruises short cruises start at around $50 per person per night, and its week-long cruises start around $57 per person per night. Readers, what do you think the hottest trends in 2016 travel will be? Let us know your travel plans and questions in the comments below. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - U.S.-led coalition airstrikes in Iraq and Syria targeting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have recently killed several prominent leaders of that organization, Air Force Col. John Dorrian, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman, said at a news briefing Wednesday. Speaking to Pentagon reporters via teleconference from Baghdad, Dorrian said precision coalition airstrikes in Mosul and other areas around Iraq have continued attacking ISIL leaders who facilitate and command and control the terrorist network. He confirmed the deaths of Ahmad Abdullah Hamad al-Mahalawi, Abu Turq, and Falah al-Rashidi. Al-Rishidi, struck on Dec. 4 in Mosul, was involved in ISIL's use of vehicle bombs. Al-Mahalawi was struck Dec. 21 in Qaim. 'His removal will disrupt ISIL's ability to conduct operations along the Euphrates River Valley,' the colonel said. Abu Turq was killed Dec. 4 in Sharqat, Iraq. Dorrian described him as an ISIL financial facilitator in Qanfusah, Iraq. In Syria, more than 100 airstrikes have occurred in the Tabqa Dam area, about 25 miles west of Raqqa, killing many ISIL fighters, including Abu Jandal al-Kuwaiti, Dorrian said, adding, 'Kuwaiti, a prominent foreign fighter and leader, had been sent to improve ISIL's control in the region in the face of [the Syrian Democratic Forces'] advance.' Overall, the coalition-backed battles to regain Raqqa, Syria and Mosul, Iraq from ISIL control have weakened the enemy's ability to bring in replacement fighters and supplies, the spokesman said. 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. DENVER, CO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/02/16 -- Wazee Digital is joining Colorado's largest giving day movement by participating in the Colorado Gives Day Corporate Challenge, presented by the Denver Business Journal. The Corporate Challenge is an initiative to involve local businesses and their employees in charitable giving by donating to local nonprofits. Colorado Gives Day is an annual statewide movement to celebrate and increase philanthropy in Colorado through online giving. For the eighth year, Community First Foundation and FirstBank encourage Coloradans to "Give Where You Live" on Tuesday, Dec. 6, by donating to local nonprofits on ColoradoGives.org. The Colorado Gives Day Corporate Challenge provides a specific opportunity for Colorado businesses to encourage their employees to take an active role in supporting local nonprofits. Participating businesses "challenge" employees to give with a goal of achieving 100 percent participation. "Nonprofits are the glue that holds our society together," says Sheri Dethlefs, senior director, business affairs and secretary, Wazee Digital. "Participation in the Colorado Gives Day Corporate Challenge is a wonderful way to support these organizations and a great way to encourage a philanthropic spirit among our staff." "We are pleased with the support we are receiving from local businesses like Wazee Digital," said Dana Rinderknecht, director of online giving, Community First Foundation. "By participating in the Corporate Challenge, they are demonstrating good corporate citizenship." More information about the Colorado Gives Day Corporate Challenge presented by the Denver Business Journal is available by contacting Community First Foundation at +1 720 898-5900 or by visiting ColoradoGives.org. About Community First Foundation Since 1975, Community First Foundation has been helping generous donors and innovative nonprofits come together to improve the quality of life and create positive change in Jefferson County, the Denver metropolitan area and beyond. We serve as a connector, partner, collaborator and resource to fuel the power of community for the greater good. About the Denver Business Journal The Denver Business Journal's mission is to connect the business community through its best-in-class, local business news and information, and its innovative marketing platforms and programs. Colorado Gives Day is a platform to connect the business community and those in need. We believe in leading in the community by example, which is why we are enthusiastic to present the Corporate Challenge. About FirstBank FirstBank operates more than 120 locations in Colorado, Arizona and California. FirstBank is the largest locally owned banking organization in Colorado, serving more than 700,000 customers. Since 2000, FirstBank has contributed more than $55 million and thousands of volunteer hours to charitable organizations. FirstBank is unique in that a majority of its stock is owned by management and employees. For more information, visit efirstbank.com. About Wazee Digital Wazee Digital enables rights holders to monetize and enrich their valuable content. Wazee Digital's scalable solutions provide complete control over content so that assets reach their rightful audiences around the globe. It is the only asset management solution built from the ground up to run natively in the cloud, and the only one to make live moments available immediately for global publishing, syndication, advertising, and sponsorship. With more than 10 years of experience in digital content licensing, rights, and clearances, Wazee Digital has long-standing relationships with significant rights holders in the film, TV, sports, and advertising industries -- all of whom rely on Wazee Digital for managing content that fuels their business. Product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners. Photo Link: www.wallstcom.com/Wazee/Wazee_Colorado-Gives-Day-2016-Logo.jpg Photo Caption: Logo for Colorado Gives Day Corporate Challenge Follow Wazee Digital: https://www.facebook.com/WazeeDigital https://www.instagram.com/wazeedigital/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/wazeedigital https://twitter.com/wazee_digital http://www.youtube.com/c/WazeeDigital Agency Contact: Sunny Branson Wall Street Communications Tel: +1 801 582-0581 Email: Email Contact Web: www.wallstcom.com Wazee Digital Contact: Ashley Bailey Product Marketing Specialist Tel: +1 720 382-2849 Email: Email Contact Web: www.wazeedigital.com KIEL, Germany, December 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Developed by LaserSoft Imaging, the new innovative plug-in SRDx (Smart Removal of Defects) complements Photoshop's already existing image repair tools while significantly accelerating the correction time of image defects. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161202/445057 ) (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161202/445058 ) When digitalising images with a scanner or with a digital camera, it is possible that dust and scratches from the analog original appear in the digital image. Such defects are usually quite difficult to remove. SRDx is the ideal Photoshop plug-in, allowing for both manual control of image correction and automatic recognition of image defects. Specifically designed for the removal of small defects, SRDx is seamlessly integrated with already established workflows while complementing Photoshop's already existing correction stamp tool. High performance, graphics processor based calculations ensure top performance. With the SRDx plug-in, Photoshop users have a tool at their disposal suitable for the correction of all types of image defects. As a result, image retouching is executed with speed nearing that of hardware-based solutions. The SRDx plug-in is now available for OS X systems. During the SRDx plug-in launch, all customers will receive special discount on software through the end of January 2017. As the core function of the SilverFast HDR Software, SRDx is also available in a Photoshop independent version. For more information and a demo version, please visit us at http://www.picture-plugins.com. About LaserSoft Imaging LaserSoft Imaging was founded by Karl-Heinz Zahorsky in 1986 in Kiel Germany. Ever since, the company is contributing numerous inventions to high quality processing of analog and digital pictures. LaserSoft Imaging thus is renowned worldwide for its SilverFast software as a pioneer in the field of scanner and digital imaging software. The range of products include software for scanners, printers, plug-ins and for HDR image processing. LaserSoft Imaging AG - Headquarters Philipp Haarlaender Luisenweg 6 - 8 D-24105 Kiel Tel: +49-(0)-431-56009-0 Fax:+49-(0)-431-56009-96 Web:http://www.SilverFast.com / http://www.PrinTao8.com / http://www.picture-plugins.com Email: philipp.haarlaender(at)silverfast.com LONGUEUIL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 12/02/16 -- Highland Copper Company Inc. (TSX VENTURE: HI) (the "Company") announces that, subject to the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange, it proposes to settle outstanding indebtedness in the amount of $494,985.75 (the "Debt") owing to Laurentian Mountains Investments Limited, a company owned as to 100% by the Chairman of the Company, by the issuance of 4,949,857 units (the "Units") having a deemed price of $0.10 per Unit. The Debt consists of operating loans advanced to the Company since August 1, 2016 together with accrued interest. The Units have the same terms as those offered in the private placement of the Company as detailed in a news release dated November 15, 2016. Each Unit is comprised of one common share of the Company and one-half of a warrant, with each whole warrant entitling the holder to acquire a further common share of the Company at a price of $0.15 for a term of 12 months. Securities issued in settlement of the Debt will be subject to a 4 month hold period. About Highland Highland Copper Company Inc. is a Canadian exploration company focused on exploring and developing Copper projects on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, U.S.A. As of the date of this news release, the Company has approximately 184 million issued and outstanding common shares listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol 'HI'. Additional information about Highland is available on the Company's website at www.highlandcopper.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com Cautionary Statement 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: David Fennell Executive Chairman and Interim President and CEO 1.450.677.2455 info@highlandcopper.com www.highlandcopper.com BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The Swiss stock market got off to a weak start Friday and slipped further in early trade, before settling into a sideways trend. Investors were in a nervous mood ahead of the Italian referendum this weekend. However, the market pared its losses following the release of the U.S. jobs report and managed to break through into positive territory just before the close of trade. Traders will be paying attention to the results of the Italian constitutional referendum on Sunday. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has pledged to resign in the event of a 'no vote' on the referendum. The latest opinion polls show a notable lead for the 'no' vote camp. The Swiss Market Index increased by 0.06 percent Friday and finished at 7,784.01. The SMI ended the trading week with an overall decrease of 1.2 percent. The Swiss Leader Index dropped 0.07 percent and the Swiss Performance Index dipped 0.02 percent. Shares of Actelion remain in focus. The stock surged 4.4 percent in volatile trade. Investors remain hopeful that a deal will be reached with U.S. suitor Johnson & Johnson. Index heavyweight Nestle gained 1.0 percent. Goldman Sachs confirmed its 'Buy' recommendation on the stock. Swiss Re rose 0.60 percent after the reinsurer reiterated its commitment to achieve the individual Business Units' return on equity and its two Group financial targets over the cycle. Syngenta was also among the gainers, with an increase of 0.9 percent. Givaudan advanced 0.7 percent and Swisscom added 0.4 percent. Swatch climbed 0.3 percent and Richemont finished up by 0.2 percent. Bank stocks were under pressure ahead of the Italian referendum. Credit Suisse weakened by 2.0 percent and UBS dropped 1.7 percent. Schindler declined 1.2 percent and Dufry dropped 1.0 percent. Clariant and Galenica both forfeited 0.8 percent. Index heavyweight Roche surrendered 0.7 percent and Novartis fell 0.2 percent. In the broad market, Barry Callebaut dropped 2.4 percent after Goldman Sachs downgraded its rating on the stock to 'Sell.' Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de DARTMOUTH, NOVA SCOTIA -- (Marketwired) -- 12/02/16 -- Based on the results of this month's Operational Evaluation trial of their new Low- Frequency Active Passive Sonar (LFAPS) aboard one of the Royal Netherlands Navy's M class frigates, Lieutenant-General Rob Verkerk, Commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy, tweeted "Testing with Low Frequency Active Passive Sonar (LFAPS) onboard HMNS Van Amstel. Quantum Leap in the field of submarine warfare!" https://mobile.twitter.com/GeneraalVerkerk/status/800804153329152000 The OPEVAL was conducted over several days in conjunction with a WALRUS class submarine and a NH-90 helicopter, which was fitted with a low frequency, dipping sonar. The trial demonstrated the LFAPS's abilities to mono-statically and bi-statically detect and track a diesel-electric submarine, in challenging environmental conditions, in littoral waters. Ultra Electronics Maritime Systems is pleased to have supported the Dutch Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) through the development of LFAPS hardware; the LFAPS processing software was developed by the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO). About Ultra Electronics Ultra Electronics is a group of businesses which manage a portfolio of specialist capabilities, generating highly differentiated solutions and products in the defence and aerospace, security and cyber, transport and energy markets, by applying electronic and software technologies in demanding and critical environments to meet customer needs. About Netherlands Organisation for applied scientific research (TNO) TNO provides innovative contributions to the advance of comprehensive security and is a strategic partner of the Netherlands Ministry of Defence. The organisation uses acquired knowledge for and together with contractors to develop solutions for military operations, military equipment, command & control, operational decision making, threat protection, training and simulation. TNO collaborates with the defence industry and with small and medium-sized enterprises to develop innovative solutions. About Netherlands Defence Material Organisation (DMO) DMO ensures that military personnel in the Netherlands armed forces have modern, robust and safe materiel to work with. The DMO is involved in the development, procurement, maintenance and sale of materiel. Contacts: Dr. Fred Cotaras Head of Sales and Marketing +1.902.466.7491 TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 06/08/17 -- The Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario (PBCTCO) indicated its support for recently introduced legislation by Attorney General Yasir Naqvi that updates and modernizes the Construction Lien Act. "We are pleased to see the government is listening to the industry in addressing important issues we have raised over the past several years," said Patrick Dillon, Business Manager. "We have been advocating for changes that require prompt payment on construction projects. This new legislation finally addresses those concerns", noted Dillon. Under the proposed legislation contractors will have a defined schedule to claim money owed under invoices. They in turn will be required to pay their sub-contractors within seven days after receiving payment. Among the other changes proposed in the act is language that clarifies a worker's lien rights continue until 60 days after the final worker of that union provides services to a site. In addition, the proposed legislation introduces a more streamlined dispute resolution system while continuing to recognize the union's priority to the Statutory Holdback as provided in section 81. The proposed changes also recognize new financing and ownership models of public projects. "Minister Naqvi is to be congratulated on his efforts to modernize provincial construction laws and to address key issues which will improve the efficiency and competitiveness for construction businesses in Ontario," said Dillon. "We will continue to work with the Minister and government to tackle the issues that affect Ontario's construction workers." The Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario represents 150,000 trades workers throughout the province. Contacts: Patrick Dillon (416) 347-8245 patrick@ontariobuildingtrades.com WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., has indicated she plans to oppose a waiver required for retired Marine Corps General James Mattis to serve as President-elect Donald Trump's Defense Secretary. As Mattis retired from the military in 2013, his nomination would require a waiver of the National Security Act of 1947. Under U.S. law, a retired officer must be out of uniform for at least seven years before he can assume the role of Defense Secretary. In a statement released Thursday shortly after Trump announced his intention to nominate Mattis, Gillibrand said she deeply respects Mattis' service but would vote against the waiver. 'I will oppose a waiver,' said Gillibrand. 'Civilian control of our military is a fundamental principle of American democracy, and I will not vote for an exception to this rule.' Gillibrand currently serves as the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel. An aide to Gillibrand told Politico the New York Senator would require a vote at a 60-vote threshold to allow Mattis to become Defense Secretary. However, House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Adam Schiff, D-Calif., told CNN he does not expect Mattis to be barred from the job because his reputation is so strong. 'Frankly, because there's enough concern among Democrats about some of the President-elect's other choices, they'll be a desire to amend the statute if that's what' necessary,' Schiff said. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann. The global maritime security marketis expected grow at a CAGR over 6% during the forecast period, according to Technavio's latest report. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161202005039/en/ Technavio publishes a new market research report on the global maritime security market from 2016-2020. (Graphic: Business Wire) In this report, Technavio covers the market outlook and growth prospects of the globalmaritime securitymarketfor 2016-2020. In this report, Technavio has estimated the market size and forecast of the global maritime security market across geography. "More than 80% of world trade is carried by the international shipping industry. It is difficult to estimate the value of seaborne trade in terms of revenue as values for trade are estimated in terms of tons or ton-miles. The shipping industry has been experiencing a trend of increasing total trade volume since 2010. One of the most compelling developments in the global economy since World War II has been the massive growth in international trade," says Ishmeet Kaur, a lead IT securityresearch expert from Technavio. Request a sample report: http://www.technavio.com/request-a-sample?report=54608 Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Technavio's research study segments the global maritime security market into the following regions: APAC Europe MEA North America South America In 2015, North America dominated the global maritime security market with a share of 34.48%. It was followed by Europe with 26.45%, APAC with 18.57%, South America with 11.73%, and MEA with 8.77%. North America: largest market for maritime security With an increase in the number of criminal activities such as the 9/11 terrorist attack, the US government has raised the budget on the deployment of defense and security systems in the country. Moreover, the US has enabled more effective intelligence operations against evolving terrorist threats. Marine threats such as illegal immigration, smuggling, cargo thefts, and human trafficking have necessitated an improvement in the maritime budgets. In addition, the September 11 attacks compelled the Americas to enforce laws that ensure smooth commercial activities by sea. Maritime security standards in the US strictly follow Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code for safe international trade by the sea. Several governmental bodies such as International Maritime Organization (IMO), Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), and United States Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security are contributing to the adoption of maritime security in North America. International trade in Europe fueling the maritime security market Most the international trade in Europe is seaborne, which has become one of the effective channels for economic development. In 2010, 104,049 people illegally crossed the European border. This rise in the number of illegal immigrants has also led to increased investments in the maritime security market. The regional and international regulations such as the U.K. National Strategy for Maritime Security, EU Maritime Security Strategy Action Plan, and International Maritime Organization in Europe are contributing to the increased adoption of maritime security in the region. This also helps in maintaining co-ordination between international traders on sea routes. APAC to post a CAGR of close to 9% during the period 2016-2020 Emerging markets such as China, South Korea, India, and Japan are continuously increasing their defense budgets year-over-year to strengthen their national security. India has been the leading defense importer in the world since 2013. China's defense budget also recorded an increase of 12.2% year-over-year in 2014. Vietnam, which has territorial disputes with China, increased its defense expenditure by 9.6%. Australia increased its defense spending by 6.7%, South Korea by 2.3%, and India by 1.8% in the same year. "The demand for advanced technologies in maritime security is continuously increasing due to the rise of illegal activities and sea and underwater threats. The Mumbai attacks in India in November 2011 led maritime security agencies across the world to modernize their equipment," asserts Ishmeet. The top vendors in the global maritime security market highlighted in the report are: BAE Systems Elbit Systems FLIR Systems Harris Northrop Grumman Raytheon SAAB Browse Related Reports: Global Naval Radar Systems Market 2016-2020 Global Anti-Ship Missile Defense System Market 2016-2020 Global Marine Propulsion Engine 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 enquiry@technavio.com with your requirements and our analysts will be happy to create a customized report just for you. About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies. Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161202005039/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 630 333 9501 UK: +44 208 123 1770 www.technavio.com GRAND RAPIDS, MI--(Marketwired - December 02, 2016) - In order to meet its growing client demand, one of the Midwest's most recognized technology firms, Grand Rapids, Michigan-based OST (Open Systems Technologies), has expanded its global presence. Just three years after opening in London, England, OST has extended into Hong Kong and Singapore. OST's move into Malaysia and China are part of the $160m technology and design firm's global strategy to serve its Fortune 500 clients with faster 'speed to market' service, especially those operating in data center and cloud storage in those regions. "We established a presence in Hong Kong and Singapore so we can serve our global clients in the most effective and efficient way," said OST President and CEO Meredith Bronk. "OST aligns to the cadence of our customers, and for enterprise customers this means a need for more global-level solutions," Bronk adds. The 2014 opening of its London office helped position OST as a global provider, and served as a model for how the firm would operate in other countries and continents. "Our reasoning for opening OST London was to further solidify our relationship with a couple of major customers, but also to gain the experience of operating as an international company," Bronk said. "We found that having a global presence made OST even more desirable to existing enterprise accounts and part of what attracted new multi-national companies to do business with us." Key to the 210-employee firm's growth into Hong Kong and Singapore are long-time partners HPE, Cisco, EMC and Ingram Micro, all of which have a strong global presence. Leveraging the experiences and relationships of these brands has enabled OST to quickly adapt to serving its customers' global needs. "We are strategic in our growth, so partnering with these OEMs and distributors allows us to scale appropriately," Bronk notes. "Our global data center customers need a partner who understands the importance of speed to market in a global economy. OST and its partners bring that to the marketplace with an innovative approach, focused on providing solutions which are specific to individual customer needs." Bronk estimates that adding Hong Kong and Singapore should generate an additional $12m in revenue annually, mainly in the data center and cloud storage arenas. "Data center modernization as a service is something OST has mastered," said Jim VanderMey, OST's Chief Innovation Officer. "Multi-national companies require partners that understand how to provide a continuum of services across the globe and OST has created solutions which enable that seamless integration." Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan since its founding in 1997, OST started expanding its geographical footprint in 2008 when it opened an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota (June 2008). Since then, OST has also opened offices in Detroit, Michigan (July 2013), London, England (January 2014) and Chicago, Illinois (January 2015). About OST www.ostusa.com OST is an award-winning, 210-person, $160m global technology and design firm with offices located in Grand Rapids, Detroit, Minneapolis, Chicago, London, Hong Kong and Singapore. OST is focused on enterprise data centers and business transformation services such as design strategy, software development, data analytics and IoT. From designers, developers and data-gurus to data center specialists and experts, OST has been providing solutions to global Fortune 1000 companies for 20 years. This is all wrapped in a friendly, flexible, people-centered culture. OST has been recognized in Inc. Magazine's 5,000's Fastest Growing Private Companies for nine consecutive years, CRN's Tech Elite 250, and a National Best & Brightest Company to Work For. Craig Clark Clark Communications (616) 550-2736 craig@clarkcommunication.com Robert and Michael visited the White House in 1953 in a failed bid to get President Eisenhower to stop their parents executions. WASHINGTON -- The sons of convicted spy Ethel Rosenberg returned to the White House on Thursday, more than 50 years after pleading unsuccessfully to spare her life, in a last-ditch appeal to President Obama to exonerate her amid new evidence. Rosenberg was executed in 1953 along with her husband, Julius, after being convicted of conspiring to pass secrets about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. But court records made public last year through a judges order cast doubt on the conventional narrative of a Cold War espionage case that captivated the country. This is our mother were talking about, Robert Meeropol, one of Rosenbergs two sons, said as he stood outside the White House gates. Since we cant bring her back to life, there could be nothing more satisfying to us than to have the government acknowledge that this shouldnt have happened, that this was wrong. The new documents showed that Ethel Rosenbergs brother, whose damning trial testimony against her and her husband helped secure the couples conviction, had never implicated his sister in an earlier appearance before a grand jury. The brother, David Greenglass, offered the grand jury no evidence of his sisters direct involvement and said he never discussed such matters with his sister. As young boys, Robert and Michael Meeropol visited the White House in 1953 in a failed bid to get President Dwight Eisenhower to prevent their parents executions. Half a century later, the brothers approached a guard booth outside the White House and asked to deliver their letter to Mr. Obama. They were turned away by U.S. Secret Service. OK, well, we tried, Michael Meeropol said as he stood in the sun, peering through the gate at the West Wing. Thank you very much, anyway. No matter, the brothers said. Theyve already sent a hard copy to Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, and are hoping Mr. Obama will act before leaving office. The White House declined to comment. Both brothers argued that a national reckoning over an erroneous execution is crucial, perhaps now more than ever. We have gone through cycles in our history of hysteria, targeting people, over punishing, framing people. Were in danger of that happening again, Michael Meeropol said. Recognizing that in the past weve done things we shouldnt have done might be a cautionary tale. The Meeropols are not seeking a presidential pardon, saying that would suggest their mother was guilty. They instead are seeking a public exoneration, akin to a 1977 statement by then-Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis on behalf of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, Italian immigrants who were convicted in a 1920 murder. That proclamation said any stigma and disgrace should be forever removed from their names. In an interview broadcast on CBS 60 Minutes in October, the Meeropols told contributor Anderson Cooper that an exoneration would have personal and political meaning. Our mother was killed for something she did not do, Robert Meeropol told Cooper. She was taken away from us. Thats as personal as it can get. But, the fact that the government facilitated the invention of evidence in order to convict someone of a capital crime, that is something that should concern everybody. Its not clear what action, if any, the Obama administration will take in its waning weeks. But Rosenbergs supporters believe their prospects are dim once President-elect Donald Trump takes office, in part because Roy Cohn, once a lawyer for Mr. Trump, was a member of the Justice Departments prosecution team against the Rosenbergs. The ghost of Ethel Rosenberg is going to haunt the White House once Donald Trump takes office, Robert Meeropol said. The Rosenbergs both maintained their innocence, though they requested only Ethels exoneration. The sons said thats because they believe their father was guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage, though they argue he didnt engage in atomic spying and shouldnt have been executed. Ethel Rosenbergs supporters believe their cause was helped by the July 2015 release of Greenglass grand jury testimony, which a federal judge in New York unsealed in response to a request from historians and archivists following Greenglass death. Michael, left, and Robert Meeropol, the sons of Ethel Rosenberg, pose with an old photograph of them before they attempt to deliver a letter to President Obama seeking a presidential action that would exonerate their mother. That 1950 testimony conflicted with statements made a year later during the couples trial by Greenglass, who was indicted as a co-conspirator and was himself sentenced to 10 years in prison. Greenglass said he had given the Rosenbergs research data he had obtained while working as an Army machinist at the Los Alamos, New Mexico, headquarters of the top-secret Manhattan Project to build the atomic bomb. He said he recalled seeing his older sister transcribing handwritten notes to give to the Soviets on a portable typewriter at the Rosenbergs New York apartment in 1945. But the grand jury records show no mention of that and indicate he appeared to minimize his dealings with his sister. Greenglass told the grand jury that Julius Rosenberg was adamant that he should continue with his Army service so he could continue giving him information, but when asked whether his sister, Ethel, was similarly insistent, he replied, I said before, and say it again, honestly, this is a fact: I never spoke to my sister about this at all. Decades after the trial, Greenglass was quoted by a New York Times journalist as having admitted to lying at trial about his sister in order to protect his wife. In a May decision that ordered the records unsealed, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein noted that Greenglass said in his new statements that it was likely his wife, Ruth Greenglass, rather than Ethel Rosenberg, who typed up the notes that were passed to the Soviets. The brothers were adopted following their parents executions and changed their last name. | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; send a submission; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE! Source: CBS News , December 1, 2016 Washington D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - December 2, 2016) - The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that Chief Economist and Division of Economic and Risk Analysis (DERA) Director Mark J. Flannery will leave the agency by the end of the month. He will return to his position as a finance professor at the University of Florida's Graduate School of Business Administration. Dr. Flannery has held the positions of Chief Economist and DERA Director since September 2014 and has led a broad range of activities, including providing economic analysis to support SEC rulemaking and developing sophisticated analytical tools to assist in risk assessment and enforcement activities. He has also worked to secure a defining role for the SEC in the international regulatory arena by representing the agency on the Financial Stability Board's Standing Committee on Assessment of Vulnerabilities (SCAV). On the SCAV, he has led discussions on the considerations and implications of stress testing asset managers, investment company redemption risk, and fixed income liquidity, among others. "Mark has provided invaluable insight and analysis on important rulemakings and he has been instrumental in leading the Commission's efforts in working with international regulators on the economics of financial stability," said SEC Chair Mary Jo White. In addition to his international regulatory efforts, Dr. Flannery has provided guidance and direction to economic analyses in recommendations to the Commission to enact rules related to asset management, corporate disclosure and governance, OTC derivatives, and market structure. "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time heading DERA, whose talented and creative staff have worked so hard to enhance the economic analyses associated with many dimensions of the Commission's activities," said Dr. Flannery. "I am grateful to Chair White for providing me the opportunity to work with many other members of the Commission's staff in developing new tools for overseeing our financial markets." Dr. Flannery recently served as Visiting Scholar at the New York Federal Reserve's Research Department and Chairman of the Federal Reserve System's Model Validation Council (2013-2014). He has held his position as Bank of America Eminent Scholar in Finance at the University of Florida since 1989. Dr. Flannery received an A.B. from Princeton University, and his master's and doctorate in Economics from Yale University. Upon Dr. Flannery's departure, Scott W. Bauguess, the SEC's Deputy Chief Economist and DERA Deputy Director, will become the acting Chief Economist and acting Director of DERA. Dr. Bauguess joined the SEC in 2007 from Texas Tech University where he was on faculty in the College of Business. He became an Assistant Director in the division in 2011, and Deputy Director in 2013. Dr. Bauguess received his Ph.D. in Finance from Arizona State University in 2004. He also holds a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering and prior to his doctoral studies spent six years working as an engineer in the high tech industry. WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - December 02, 2016) - Amid much discussion in Washington about upgrading the country's infrastructure, United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) President Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett will participate in a bipartisan leaders meeting hosted by No Labels on Monday, December 5th in Washington, D.C., featuring mayors, governors and members of Congress from across the country. Mayor Cornett will serve on a panel focused on the future of infrastructure in cities and metropolitan areas and where the next Congress and Administration should focus its efforts. USCM Trustee Dallas (TX) Mayor Mike Rawlings, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson will join Mayor Cornett on the panel to be moderated by Former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman. Mayor Cornett has also requested a meeting for the bipartisan leadership of The U.S. Conference of Mayors with President-elect Trump to discuss the shared priorities of infrastructure investment and public safety, as the incoming Administration moves toward the inauguration and first 100 days. With more than 80 percent of the people in this country living in cities and their metropolitan areas, the nation's mayors are urging a metro-focused national infrastructure agenda that directs funding to urban areas, which already suffer from congested roads, crumbling bridges, aging water systems and leaking pipes. Over the next 30 years, 66 million people will move to cities and their metro areas, accounting for 96 percent of the nation's future population growth, putting additional pressure on existing infrastructure already in disrepair. Reporters interested in attending should RSVP to Margaret White with No Labels at Margaret@nolabels.org. WHO: Oklahoma City (OK) Mayor Mick Cornett, USCM President Dallas (TX) Mayor Mike Rawlings, USCM Trustee WHAT: No Labels: A Meeting to Construct The Peace After the War: Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Infrastructure Projects at the State Level Panel Discussion WHEN: Monday, December 5, 2016 / 1:00pm to 1:45pm ET WHERE: Four Seasons Hotel / 2800 Pennsylvania Ave, NW / Washington, D.C. 20007 Background: 1787: Constructing the Peace After the War, is an event hosted by No Labels, which aims to seize the post-election moment and jumpstart a long overdue national conversation focused on bipartisan problem solving. About The United States Conference of Mayors -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors. Contact: Elena Temple 202-286-1100 etemple@usmayors.org Sara Durr 202-215-1811 sara@durrcommunications.com OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/02/16 -- Giant Tiger has announced it will allocate a generous $25,000 to Citizen Advocacy Ottawa to support their Everyday Champions, Walking in My Shoes and Children's Sibling Group programs in 2017. "We are honoured to be supporting such an important organization," says Julia Knox, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Customer Experience. "We know that Giant Tiger's contribution will help enrich the great work being done by Citizen Advocacy Ottawa and throughout our community." As a proud Canadian retailer, Giant Tiger donates over $2 million annually to community charities and associations throughout Canada. Citizen Advocacy Ottawa, founded in 1974, is one of the few agencies supporting people of all ages across the disability spectrum. The group recognizes the resilience of individuals with disabilities and their families as they struggle for access to support and services. "Each year on December 3rd, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities reminds us of the challenges those with a disability face every day," says Brian Tardiff, Executive Director. "With the wonderful community support we receive, such as the generous donation from Giant Tiger, we are working towards creating a community that welcomes and values the participation and contributions of all citizens, including those living with disabilities." Citizen Advocacy Ottawa is a strong community leader and Giant Tiger Stores Limited is honoured to be a long-time sponsor of their inclusive programming. About Citizen AdvocacyCitizen Advocacy Ottawa is a small but powerful registered charity and is one of the few organizations that supports people of all ages across disabilities spectrum and their families - those living with physical, developmental, intellectual, mental health, age-related and multiple diagnoses challenges. About Giant TigerGiant Tiger is the leading Canadian owned family discount store, committed to providing on trend family fashions, groceries and everyday household needs. Known as Canada's best-kept secret, the privately held company has over 220 locations across Canada and employs over 8,000 team members. You can also shop online at gianttiger.com! All Giant Tiger locations are locally owned or operated by a team member who knows the community. The friendly stores with the iconic yellow logo are not only where Canadians shop more and spend less, but also are proud to be known as retailer of choice. foryouforless Join the conversation and keep up to date on all Giant Tiger news:Like us on Facebook: Giant TigerFollow us on Instagram: @GianttigerstoreFollow us on Twitter: @GTBoutiqueSubscribe to our YouTube channel: Giant Tiger Store Contacts: For media inquiries contact: Alison Scarlett Manager, Brand Communications ascarlett@gianttiger.com NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- (Marketwired) -- 12/02/16 -- Brookfield Global Listed Infrastructure Income Fund Inc. (NYSE: INF) today announced that its Board of Directors declared its monthly distribution. Brookfield Global Listed Infrastructure Income Fund Inc. declared a monthly distribution of $0.1167 per share, payable on December 22, 2016 to stockholders of record on December 15, 2016. The ex-distribution date is December 13, 2016. Based on the NYSE closing price of $11.96 on December 1, 2016, the Fund's annualized distribution rate was 11.71%. Shares purchased on or after the ex-distribution date will not receive the distribution discussed above. Please contact your financial advisor with any questions. Distributions may include net investment income, capital gains and/or return of capital. The distribution rate referenced above is calculated as the annualized amount of the most recent monthly distribution declared divided by the stated stock price. Any portion of the Fund's distributions that is a return of capital does not necessarily reflect the Fund's investment performance and should not be confused with "yield" or "income." The tax status of distributions will be determined at the end of the taxable year. Brookfield Investment Management Inc. (the "Firm") is an SEC-registered investment adviser and represents the Public Securities platform of Brookfield Asset Management. The Firm provides global listed real assets strategies including real estate equities, infrastructure equities, real asset debt and diversified real assets. With approximately $15 billion of assets under management as of September 30, 2016, the Firm manages separate accounts, registered funds and opportunistic strategies for institutional and individual clients, including financial institutions, public and private pension plans, insurance companies, endowments and foundations, sovereign wealth funds and high net worth investors. The Firm is a wholly owned subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management, a leading global alternative asset manager with approximately $250 billion of assets under management as of September 30, 2016. For more information, go to www.brookfield.com. Brookfield Global Listed Infrastructure Income Fund Inc. is managed by Brookfield Investment Management Inc. The Fund uses its website as a channel of distribution of material company information. Financial and other material information regarding the Fund is routinely posted on and accessible at www.brookfield.com. Contacts: Brookfield Global Listed Infrastructure Income Fund Inc. Brookfield Place 250 Vesey Street, 15th Floor New York, NY 10281-1023 (855) 777-8001 funds@brookfield.com TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 12/02/16 -- Rubicon Minerals Corporation (TSX: RMX) ("Rubicon" or the "Company") announces that the resolution (the "Plan Resolution") approving the Company's plan of compromise and arrangement (the "Plan") pursuant to which the Company's previously announced refinancing and restructuring transaction (the "Restructuring Transaction") was approved by the requisite majorities of Affected Creditors that voted, in person or by proxy, on the Plan Resolution at the meetings held on December 2, 2016. Rubicon intends to seek approval of the Plan ("Sanction Order") from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List) on December 8, 2016 and will proceed to close the transaction shortly thereafter. Implementation of the plan is subject to receipt of the Sanction Order and to the satisfaction or waiver of certain other conditions precedent set forth in the Plan. A copy of the term sheet which outlines the terms of the Restructuring Transaction is available on the Company's profile on SEDAR and on the Company's website at www.rubiconminerals.com. Share Sale Agreement Pursuant to and upon completion of the Restructuring Transaction, the principal amount outstanding under the loan agreement between the Company and CPPIB Credit Investments Inc. ("CPPIB Credit") dated May 12, 2015 will be reduced to C$12 million and in exchange CPPIB Credit will receive consideration including a payment of C$20 million and 14,536,341 newly issued common shares of the Company ("Common Shares") representing 26.97% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares. CPPIB Credit has agreed to sell 4,536,341 common shares in a private transaction to BMO Capital Markets ("BMO") at a price of C$1.33 per share for aggregate gross proceeds of C$6,033,333.53. The sale to BMO is conditional upon, among other things, the completion of the Restructuring Transaction. Rubicon understands that BMO intends to sell those shares, as principal, to investors. Following the sale to BMO, CPPIB Credit will hold 10,000,000 Common Shares representing approximately 18.56% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares. TSX Expedited Listing Review Update The Company has been notified that the TSX has deferred its decision regarding delisting the common shares of the Company with respect to meeting the requirements of continued listing until December 29, 2016. Although the Company believes that it will be in compliance with all TSX continued listing requirements upon conclusion of the delisting review, no assurance can be provided as to the outcome of such review and therefore, continued qualification for listing on TSX. The common shares will remain suspended from trading until further notice. RUBICON MINERALS CORPORATION Julian Kemp, Interim President, CEO, and Chair Cautionary Statement regarding Forward-Looking Statements and other Cautionary Notes This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements" and "forward looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes", "intends", "may", "will", "should", "plans", "anticipates", "potential", "expects", "estimates", "forecasts", "budget", "likely", "goal" and similar expressions or statements that certain actions, events or results may or may not be achieved or occur in the future. In some cases, forward-looking information may be stated in the present tense, such as in respect of current matters that may be continuing, or that may have a future impact or effect. Forward-looking statements reflect our current expectations and assumptions, and are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to statements regarding the Restructuring Transaction, the Company's intended actions during the CCAA proceedings and the anticipated timing of the various steps of the CCAA proceedings, and the intentions of CPPIB Credit and BMO in respect of the sale of common shares of the Company. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and represent management's best judgment based on facts and assumptions that management considers reasonable. If such opinions and estimates prove to be incorrect, actual and future results may be materially different than expressed in the forward-looking statements. The material assumptions upon which such forward-looking statements are based include, among others, that: the demand for gold and base metal deposits will develop as anticipated; the price of gold will remain at or attain levels that would render the Phoenix Gold Project potentially economic; that any proposed exploration, operating and capital plans will not be disrupted by operational issues, title issues, loss of permits, environmental concerns, power supply, labour disturbances, financing requirements or adverse weather conditions; Rubicon will continue to have the ability to attract and retain skilled staff; and there are no material unanticipated variations in the cost of energy or supplies. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Rubicon to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others: possible variations in mineralization, grade or recovery or throughput rates; uncertainty of mineral resources, inability to realize exploration potential, mineral grades and mineral recovery estimates; actual results of current exploration activities; actual results of reclamation activities; uncertainty of future operations, delays in completion of exploration plans for any reason including insufficient capital, delays in permitting, and labour issues; conclusions of future economic or geological evaluations; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; accidents and other risks of the mining industry; delays and other risks related to operations; timing and receipt of regulatory approvals; the ability of Rubicon and other relevant parties to satisfy regulatory requirements; the ability of Rubicon to comply with its obligations under material agreements including financing agreements; the availability of financing for proposed programs and working capital requirements on reasonable terms; the ability of third-party service providers to deliver services on reasonable terms and in a timely manner; risks associated with the ability to retain key executives and key operating personnel; cost of environmental expenditures and potential environmental liabilities; dissatisfaction or disputes with local communities or First Nations or Aboriginal Communities; failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; market conditions and general business, economic, competitive, political and social conditions; the implementation and impact of the Restructuring Transaction; our ability to generate sufficient cash flow from operations or obtain adequate financing to fund our capital expenditures and working capital needs and meet our other obligations; the volatility of our stock price, and the ability of our common stock to remain listed and traded on the TSX; our ability to maintain relationships with suppliers, customers, employees, stockholders and other third parties in light of our current liquidity situation and the CCAA proceedings. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and Rubicon disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Readers are advised to carefully review and consider the risk factors identified in the Management's Discussion and Analysis for period ending December 31, 2015 under the heading "Risk Factors" for a discussion of the factors that could cause Rubicon's actual results, performance and achievements to be materially different from any anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Readers are further cautioned that the foregoing list of assumptions and risk factors is not exhaustive and it is recommended that prospective investors consult the more complete discussion of Rubicon's business, financial condition and prospects that is included in this news release. The forward-looking statements contained herein are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Contacts: Rubicon Minerals Corporation Allan Candelario Vice President of Investor Relations +1 (416) 766-2804 ir@rubiconminerals.com www.rubiconminerals.com Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - December 2, 2016) - Canadian Silver Hunter Inc. (TSXV: AGH.H) ("Canadian Silver Hunter" or the "Company") announces that it has granted 1,200,000 incentive stock options to certain directors, officers and employees/consultants of the Company at an exercise price of $0.05 per share. These options are granted for a five-year term and were granted in accordance with the Company's stock option plan. These options are the only options issued by the Company at this time. About Canadian Silver Hunter Inc. Canadian Silver Hunter Inc. is a Canadian exploration company focused on the exploration of silver-cobalt deposits on its flagship South Lorrain Project (formerly the Keeley Frontier Project). The South Lorrain Project is located within the historic South Lorrain Silver Camp, which along with the historic Cobalt and Gowganda silver camps is part of the world class silver and cobalt district in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt between Temagami and Kirkland Lake, in northeastern Ontario. The South Lorrain Project is made up of four properties, centered by two prolific past producing silver-cobalt mines, the Keeley and the Frontier. Combined historic production from the two mines totaled 19.2 million ounces of silver, and 3.3 million pounds of cobalt, with an average grade of 58 ounces of silver per tonne. The company will continue to focus its exploration efforts on the existing targets located on the Keeley-Frontier property portion of the project. For further details about the Company's project and plans please visit the Canadian Silver Hunter Inc. website at www.canadiansilverhunter.ca. Canadian Silver Hunter Inc. Jeffrey Hunter President and CEO (647) 348-6966 info@cshi.ca www.canadiansilverhunter.ca CAUTIONARY STATEMENT: Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements". These statements are based on information currently available to the Company and the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward- looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results relating to, among other things, results of exploration, project development, reclamation and capital costs of the Company's mineral properties, and the Company's financial condition and prospects, could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements for many reasons such as: changes in general economic conditions and conditions in the financial markets; changes in demand and prices for minerals; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological and operational difficulties encountered in connection with the activities of the Company; and other matters discussed in this news release. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward- looking statement that may be made from time to time by the Company or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. We seek safe Harbor. Appier, a Taipei-based artificial intelligence company, closed US$ 19.5m in additional Series B funding. In total, this round of funding brings Appiers Series B total to US$ 42.5m and total funding to date to USD 49.5m. Backers included Pavilion Capital International Pte Ltd (a member of Temasek Holdings), WI Harper Group, FirstFloor Capital, and Qualgro. The company will use the funding for AI-powered product research and development and to support continued hiring and market expansion in Asia. Led by Chih-han Yu, co-founder and CEO, Appier provides companies with Aixon, an artificial intelligence platform to collect and analyze user data to generated insights to inform their marketing business decisions. The company, which has just launched a pilot ot its Aixon Platform in Taiwan, Japan and Singapore, currently serves more than 500 global brands and agencies from offices in eleven markets across Asia, including Taipei, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Sydney, Ho Chi Minh City, Manila, Hong Kong, Mumbai, New Delhi, Jakarta and Seoul. FinSMEs 02/12/2016 Sixscape, a Singapore-based cybersecurity company, raised S$2M in funding. Tembusu ICT Fund I, a software-focused venture capital fund headquartered in Singapore, made the investment. Founded in 2016 by CEO Mr Victor Tang and CTO Mr Lawrence Hughes, Sixscape Communications provides secure communication software for desktop and mobile devices. The solution protects individual users identities by automating the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) process across multiple channels: email, chat messaging and file transfer apps. PKI is a set of roles, policies and procedures that enable users and computers to securely exchange data over the Internet and verify the identity of the other party. The companys messaging apps are available for Windows desktops as well as Android and iOS. FinSMEs 02/12/2016 You and I both know there is no reasoning behind your ****** "personal opinion". I just wanted to see if you had the intellectual integrity to admit as much. If you believe the end maketh the movie, then writer-director Sujoy Ghoshs Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh falls strictly in the category of the not-extraordinary. The second instalment in this series starring Vidya Balan features nothing like the surprise that punched us in the collective gut in Kahaanis climax back in 2012. Before the end comes the beginning though, and there is much to recommend in the journey between those two points here the atmospherics, the pall of disquiet blanketing the narrative, the unusual subject, locations rarely explored by Bollywood (Kalimpong and Chandan Nagar in West Bengal in addition to Kolkata), the cast, and most of all, Balan. Kahaani 2 begins with a young single mother in Chandan Nagar hanging out with her bedridden daughter. We soon learn that when Vidya Sinha is at work, she has a nurse coming home to take care of Mini who is paralysed from the waist down. Vidya wants to take her daughter to the US for treatment that she hopes will give the child back the use of her legs. She persists with this belief although her kindly doctor in Kolkata cautions her against being too optimistic about a cure. Then one day an abduction followed by another tragic turn of events ruptures their happy, middle-class existence. Who is that voice on the phone threatening to separate Mini from her mother forever? Will this Vidya like the redoubtable Vidya Bagchi of the first film thrash aside all obstacles to attain her goal? Keep guessing. What made Kahaani an absolute killer was that its entertaining, layered storytelling was followed by a disclosure through which we realised that nothing had been what it seemed through the film. Kahaani 2 features many disturbing and mystifying individual elements. It also delivers some shock treatment for viewers midway through the first half. Ultimately though you realise that most things in the film were more or less what you thought they were when they first rolled by and the big reveal is just so-so. The ending may not deliver the goods, but Balan certainly does. The media has for years now discussed her willingness to take on the physical attributes of the various characters she plays. While that is no doubt a remarkable quality, to focus on that alone would be an injustice to this fine artist since physical quirks can be used as crutches by average actors too. Balans strength is her ability to drown out her own personality for a role. And so, here in Kahaani 2, there is not a trace of the hard-as-nails heroine of Kahaani, the overtly sexual, bubbly Silk from The Dirty Picture (2011) or the brazenly manipulative Krishna from Ishqiya (2010) who had no qualms about purring out the words chutiyam sulphate, at a time when the industrys heroines were usually identified by their coyness. When Vidya/Durga in Kahaani 2 recoils at the first touch of a man she loves, the actress convinces us of her characters diffidence and fears. As a distraught mother and a victim of social indifference, she does what we have come to expect of this formidable star: she erases Vidya Balan to become the person she is playing, Vidya Sinha. The rest of the cast offers no equivalent of the lovely Parambrata Chatterjee and Nawazuddin Siddiqui from Kahaani, but it is still good to see an evolving (dishy as always) Arjun Rampal playing the policeman with a past, Inderjeet Singh, and Jugal Hansraj the little boy from Masoom who grew up to a lacklustre acting career surprisingly effective as a creep. The incredibly cute Naisha Khanna and the interesting youngster Tunisha Sharma both playing Mini at different stages of her life get limited space to showcase their talent, but are clearly worth watching out for. Though Kahaani 2 has none of the memorable detailing of satellite characters that made Kahaani outstanding (where are you, Bob Biswas?) it is unobtrusively insightful in its own way. The long-term effects of sexual abuse, victim blaming, the politics in the police establishment and small-town life are all dealt with effectively. I enjoyed the sweetness of the brief romance between Vidya/Durga and her beau Arun (Tota Roy Choudhury, nice!), his kindness to her and his non-aggressive wooing. And there is a refreshing, believable normalcy in the relationship between Inderjeet and his wife played by the sprightly debutant Manini Chadha. The big let-down in Kahaani is the writing of the climax, whether viewed in isolation or in comparison with its remarkable predecessor. For the record, these are the credits: Screenplay Sujoy Ghosh, Dialogues Ritesh Shah and Sujoy Ghosh, Story Sujoy Ghosh and Suresh Nair. Ghosh, who is so confident in his conceptualisation till that point, is clearly aiming at a similar sock-the-viewer-in-the-neck impact as before, but comes up instead with an unimaginative, more or less predictable whimper. To be fair, his deft direction and Namrata Raos skillful editing ensure that there is not a moment of boredom right until then. The two have found a good match in DoP Tapan Basu, production designers Kaushik Das and Subrata Barik who together manage to make the films small and large spaces feel cloistered and intimidating, while lending unexpected warmth to Vidya and Minis tiny home in Chandan Nagar. Clinton Cerejos music gently wafts around the film and then ends with a bang: the neatly orchestrated, energetic rendition of Rabindranath Tagores Anandaloke mangalaloke accompanying the end credits is so haunting that I stuck around for the very last word to disappear from the screen. Vidya Balan is fantastic in Kahaani 2, but storywise, the film is like a pleasant meal spoilt by a mediocre dessert. If only The new year of 2017 is just a month away and so is the fourth season of BBC's Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. But fans of the detective do not have to wait till the new year to get a glimpse of their favourite character in action. The first trailer was released at the San Diego Comic Con 2016, and it stated that 'everything they (Sherlock and Watson) know will be tested'; and took a darker, grim look at things. The new teaser, which only lasts for 15 seconds, has a strange image of Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman's John Watson chilling out at 221B Baker Streetwhich has inexplicably begun to fill up with water. The imagery tells you everything you need to know things are about to get very bad for these two. Sadly, there is no actual footage from the new season. Complicating matters further is Toby Jones, who will be joining the show as another one of Arthur Conan Doyles villains. As creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss told Collider, "He's completely different. Its a completely different character. Hes the darkest villain weve had. There was always something charming and engaging about Moriarty. There was something fascinating and actually amoral, rather than immoral, about Charles Augustus Magnussen. This guy is the purest evil. Sherlock is actually appalled by him. Hes the most evil villain weve had. I dont think that when you see it, you will disagree. He's horrific." We now know that Toby Jones will be playing Culverton Smith, the antagonist in the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Story, The Adventure of the Dying Detective, one of the final Sherlock Holmes stories. The story will probably be adapted into the second episode of Sherlock The Lying Detective, according to the series titles that were tweeted out. This short story sees Sherlock fake a terminal illness to coerce a guilty confession from an unhinged murdered. In case you missed it, here's the titles of the first two episodes of #Sherlock series 4. Intriguing... pic.twitter.com/YSugq8Gj7C Sherlock (@Sherlock221B) September 25, 2016 Likes how Doctor Watson keeps a personal diary in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original; Doctor Watson here keeps a personal blog documenting Sherlock's adventures. The BCC spin-off blog provides quite a few clues to the upcoming episodes for Sherlock fans. Mumbai: State Bank of India has estimated that money worth Rs 2.5 lakh crore may not come back into the banking system post demonetisation of high-value notes. On 8 November, the government banned banknotes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 worth over Rs 14 lakh crore from the economy. In a report, the Economic Research Department of State Bank of India (SBI) said "around Rs 2.5 lakh crore on a conservative basis will not be coming back into the system". As per the SBI analysis, the market estimate of Rs 14.18 lakh crore currency -- excluding cash with banks -- is based on March 2016 data while in reality it should be based on data available as on 9 November, a day after demonetisation was announced. SBI noted that going by data as on 9 November, the amount of high currency denomination notes was Rs 15.44 lakh crore (excluding cash in the banks), an increase of Rs 1.26 lakh crore compared to the March figure. It stated that RBI has published twice the deposited and exchanged notes data with banks in November with a gap of 9-days. SBI said: "If we closely look at the data, the daily working day average deposited/exchanged at banks has declined significantly from Rs 605 billion (10-18 November) to Rs 501 billion (19-27 November) -- a decline of 17 percent." In total, between 10-27 November, Rs 8.44 lakh crore were deposited and exchanged in banks, the report said. "All these estimates put together show that total money coming into the system in the form of high denomination will be around Rs 13 lakh crore (as against Rs 15.44 lakh crore high value notes as on 9 November)," it added. New Delhi: India is one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world, clocking over 20 percent growth in domestic traffic month on month for many months now. One would assume that Indias aviation infrastructure is keeping pace with this blistering pace of growth in traffic. No, it isnt. Majority of Indias airports are managed by state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) and many of these remain un-served, a majority are loss making. We have close to 400 airports across the country which are un-served - they do not handle even a single flight. But we also lack airport infrastructure at several places where demand actually exists. In the past, Civil Aviation Minister A Gajapathi Raju has laid the blame at airlines' door and compared them to horses who can be taken near the water but cannot be made to drink it. According to him, airlines not mounting flights to many existing airports are the biggest reason for patchy air connectivity in India. But look at this: there is a long list of airports run by AAI 97 out of 122 - incurred losses in 2015-16. Not all of these are un-served. In fact, the Raja Bhoj airport in Bhopal, Sri Guru Ram Dass ji airport in Amritsar and the one in Aurangabad together accounted for over Rs 150 crore in losses but both these airports service flights regularly. They are not ghost airports at all. So should airlines solely shoulder the blame for the unused airports and loss making ones? Raju said in a written reply in Lok Sabha yesterday that airports incurred losses due to low revenue generation and that AAI has drawn up a master plan for development and increase in non-aeronautical revenues at airports across India. There is a historical method to the airport madness in India. Under previous governments, airports which are turning in losses and those which remain un-served, were built partly to pander to local politics, partly because of inability of the AAI to judge where an airport should be in a state so that airlines find it viable to operate flights there and again, partly in the hope that airlines will get smaller aircraft to operate on these routes. An AAI official had said earlier that most of the airports lying unused were built on the premise that India's airlines, including Air India, will operate smaller aircraft. This has clearly not happened. Now, we are once again banking on airlines leveraging their balance sheets and purchasing smaller aircraft to boost regional connectivity. In fact, the regional connectivity scheme UDAN envisages a complicated formula through which the Centre, states and airlines will work out viability of connecting India's hinterland. The plan imposes fare caps while also offering viability gap funding to airlines willing to mount flights to these unviable routes and therefore infuse life into India's ghost airports. Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey has said that several small aircraft manufacturers have shown interest in India's market after this policy was unveiled. The only question is: India's airlines are still ordering larger aircraft which cannot land at many of the smaller airports. Where are the orders for smaller aircraft? Also, earlier this week, airline lobby group FIA (Federation of Indian Airlines) has dragged the ministry to court over a levy imposed on airlines taking off from metro airports to fund regional connectivity. Will UDAN succeed now, when the matter is already under litigation, is anybodys guess. In the written reply quoted earlier, Minister Raju has pointed out the change in approach to make airports under AAI viable instead of the earlier system of individual contracts/licenses, recommendations of consultants now form the basis of revenue enhancing measures at select 14 airports. Redesigning the layout of existing General Retail and F&B outlets to maximize revenue, going in for revenue share mechanism instead of fixed license fee and simultaneous city side development of select airports are some measures the ministry had adopted in its quest for airport profitability. According to an earlier Parliament reply by Minister Raju, the maximum number of ghost airports lie in Maharashtra - at Gondia (which was former Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel's constituency), Juhu, Kolhapur and Sholapur, Akola and Jalgaon. Rajasthan and Punjab have three each in the list, at stations such as Jaisalmer, Bhatinda, Ludhiana and Pathankot. Though these airports do not handle scheduled flights, staff has to be paid and depreciation accounted for. Delhis Safdarjung airport, which is occasionally used for VVIP chopper flights, incurred losses of Rs 43 crore in FY16. There is some good news too. According to Rajus reply in Lok Sabha, Chennai airport has turned in the maximum profit for AAI in FY16 at Rs 451.22 crore, followed by Kolkata at Rs 108.07 crore. Juhu and Goa airports are next at Rs 60.08 crore and Rs 47.39 crore. In 2014-15, Hyderabad's Begumpet airport saw the highest government expenditure among all ghost airports at over Rs 67 crore, followed by Bengaluru's HAL airportat over Rs 58 crore and Delhi's Safdarjung Airport at almost Rs 47 crore. What India needs is a complete overhaul of its airport infrastructure. Airlines need to be incentivised to fly to ghost airports instead of being penalized for the UDAN scheme. And for functional airports which are loss making, AAI needs to explore alternative management options such as giving out operation and management contracts to private parties. World class airports at Delhi and Mumbai, built with private sector participation, have been doing better than AAI managed airports. Raju said in his reply that Delhi, Cochin, Hyderabad and Begaluru airports all under the public private partnership mode have turned in profits for FY16 as well as for two previous fiscal years. Mumbai airport is the only PPP airport reporting losses. Since AAI has a revenue sharing pact with these PPP airports, it has managed to strengthen its bottomline each year despite the long list of its own airports which turn in losses. For FY16, AAI reported a net profit of Rs 2537.36 crore, higher than the Rs 1959.22 in 2014-15. On Wednesday, Dec. 7, mid-valley residents will join with others across the country recognizing the 75th anniversary of the surprise attack by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, which marked the entrance of the United States into World War II. Cmdr. Steve Adams said American Legion Post 10 at 1215 Pacific Blvd. will honor the thousands who died at an 8 a.m. ceremony. Adams said there will be a guest speaker and honor guard and the service will be followed by a buffet breakfast that is open to all. He said that in addition to the nearly 2,400 Americans who died that day, 1,177 sailors remain entombed in the USS Arizona, which was sunk and remains the focal point of the Pearl Harbor Memorial at Honolulu. We will never forget, and hopefully, we will learn from our past mistakes, Adams said. Albany resident David Russell, 96, is believed to be the only survivor of the attack in the mid-valley. Russell was a sailor on the USS Oklahoma, which was sunk that morning. He escaped without harm by jumping from the ship and grabbing a rope on the USS Maryland. More than 429 of the Oklahomas 1,354 crew members died that day in 1941. Russell will not be able to attend the ceremony, but he said many of those who perished were his friends. Although the exact number isnt known, according to Russell, there are believed to be fewer than 2,000 Pearl Harbor survivors remaining. In 2008, eight Pearl Harbor survivors attended a local memorial program. Joining Russell were Vern Hirsch, Mac McCarty, Marion Williams, Del Pitzer, Wayne Wehrli and Fred Brown. The surprise attack on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor was intended to dishearten American citizens and dissuade the country from entering World War II. Instead, it enraged most Americans and hastened the country's entry into the war. The attack lasted 110 minutes and occurred in two waves, the first starting at 7:55 a.m. and the second at 8:40 a.m. Some 2,335 U.S. servicemen were killed and another 1,153 were wounded. Some 68 civilians were killed and 35 were wounded. The Japanese lost 65 men. Eight U.S. battleships were sunk or heavily damaged. The USS Oklahoma turned over completely in the water. All but the Arizona and Oklahoma eventually returned to sea duty. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt called the attack ... a date which will live in infamy ... . By Katya Golubkova | MOSCOW MOSCOW Russia plans to use its November oil production, which was its highest in almost 30 years, as its baseline when it cuts output under this week's deal with OPEC, Deputy Energy Minister Kirill Molodtsov said on Friday.Russia has promised to gradually cut output by up to 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) in the first half of 2017 as part of a deal with other producers aimed at supporting oil prices. Its daily oil production rose to an average of 11.21 million bpd in November, Russia's highest since the Soviet era, energy ministry data showed on Friday.That was 500,000 bpd higher than in August, the month before Russia and OPEC reached a preliminary agreement in Algiers to cap production.Under this week's follow-up agreement, the first between OPEC and Russia since 2001, specific cuts for individual states were set, with almost all OPEC members agreeing to cut from October levels.But Russia will use its November-December output levels, Energy Minister Alexander Novak told reporters on Thursday. November's production rose only slightly from October, by just 10,000 bpd, ministry data showed. "The peak of daily production for November was 11.231 million barrels," Deputy Energy Minister Molodtsov told a conference in Moscow. "All our agreements will clearly be formed around this figure," he said. According to his presentation, Russian production could grow to 11.3 million bpd in December. NEW FIELDS Lukoil and Surgutneftegas raised output in November while production slipped at fields operated by Rosneft, Gazprom Neft and their joint venture Slavneft, preliminary data showed. "The most important thing is that we had growth plans for another 200,000 bpd (in Russia in total) above the current level, so practically, 0.5 million bpd will not reach the market," Lukoil vice-president Leonid Fedun told reporters.Rosneft, Gazprom Neft and Lukoil have all launched new fields this year and increased drilling, despite low oil prices. Novak has said that all companies will join the cut. Details should be finalised close to the end of the next week for a meeting between OPEC and non-OPEC nations, which may happen in Moscow on Dec. 10. Fedun said that cuts from Russia are likely only from the second quarter of the next year because it needs time to lower output - technically challenging due to severe weather. "There are low-marginal wells which will be stopped during this agreement," Fedun said when asked how Lukoil is going to contribute. "A year is enough for the market to rebalance... The balance will be reached - and (we) could restart again." Novak also said Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Oman, Bahrain and other non-OPEC producers could join the deal and he expected them to jointly match Russia's cut of 300,000 bpd. (Editing by Christian Lowe and Ruth Pitchford) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Diego Ore and Sarah Marsh | CAMAGUEY, Cuba CAMAGUEY, Cuba Tens of thousands of Cubans greeted Fidel Castro's funeral cortege on its journey across Cuba on Thursday, unflagging in their admiration for one of the towering figures of the 20th Century who is equally loathed by his adversaries.Waving flags and singing the national anthem, Cubans thickly lined pastel-coloured colonial streets to pay their respects to Castro. He died on Friday at age 90, a decade after stepping down as president but defiant to the end toward the United States, the world power he tormented from just 90 miles (145 km) away.The government declared nine days of mourning for the man who built a Communist state, aligned Cuba with the Soviet Union and survived what his government claimed were more than 600 U.S. assassination attempts.The cause of his death has not been made public, but Castro had been weak since an intestinal ailment believed to be diverticulitis forced him to relinquish power in 2006.The outpouring from ordinary Cubans contrasts with the hatred of many Cuban exiles who saw Castro as a tyrant who jailed opponents and ruined the economy with socialism. Whether out of revolutionary zeal, nationalist pride or a sense of obligation in a one-party state that tolerates little dissent, Cubans have poured onto the streets to bid their final farewell."I was born with him, I lived with him, and I wanted to die before him," said Ivan Castillo, 44, a public health worker.He carried his 6-year-old son with the words "I am Fidel" across his forehead, a repetition of a phrase that has become the national slogan for the mourning period, shouted from streets and squares. "Now it's on those of us who lived with Fidel to teach the youth to continue fighting for his ideals," Castillo said, in the city of Camaguey, where Castro's ashes will stay overnight 336 miles (542 km) east of Havana.On Wednesday, his casket spent the night alongside the remains of Che Guevara in the city of Santa Clara. The procession was slowly making its way east, destined for the final resting place of his ashes in Santiago de Cuba, where Castro's rebels first launched an attack on the U.S.-backed forces of Fulgencio Batista in 1953. Batista was finally driven from Cuba on Jan. 1, 1959, and the cortege is retracing the trek Castro made from that day until he arrived in Havana a week later.Castro would go on to build a healthcare system for the poor, he sent doctors around the world but also soldiers to Africa to help Namibia achieve independence and weaken apartheid in South Africa.Many lined up for hours on Monday and Tuesday to pass through a memorial in Havana's Revolution Square. Tens, if not hundreds of thousands, gathered there on Tuesday night for a four-hour ceremony in which presidents from around the world delivered eulogies. (Writing by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Bernadette Baum, Jonathan Oatis and Andrew Hay) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani had spoken to Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed just a few days before Wani was killed in an encounter, and had offered to form a united front against India. In an exclusive, CNN-News18 reported that it had accessed an audio tape of the conversation between the two terrorists which had been intercepted by Indian intelligence agencies. Wani, from his jungle hideout, had called Saeed in Pakistan. Security agency sources told the channel that Wani talking to Saeed pointed out at a combined effort by Kashmiri militant organisations to ignore their differences and instead pose a united threat to India. CNN-News18 has, however, also said that the channel could not independently verify the authenticity of the audio tape. "You people are living in very difficult conditions. But you dont have to worry. Whatever you need just tell us we are ready for every help. Will be ready for anything. You just have to tell us," Saeed reportedly told Wani. "We have to go all out on attacks and shouldnt lose this opportunity. For this we need ammunition and support from the back. We should work together for this (Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba)," Wani reportedly said. After Wani's killing earlier this year, ANI had also reported that Saeed had said that Wani was prepared to die after talking to him. "A few days before his death, Burhan Wani told me over phone that it was his desire, his last wish, to talk with me. Now that my desire has been fulfilled, I am waiting for martyrdom, he told me," ANI quoted Saeed as saying. New Delhi: CBI director Anil Sinha on Friday retired from the post handing over the baton to his second-in-command, Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana, as the government did not name any full-time chief. Asthana, a Gujarat-cadre officer of 1984-batch, got elevated as the second-in-command in CBI two days ago when Special Director R K Dutta, who was among the frontrunners for the top post, was shifted to the Home Ministry as a Special Secretary. The post of second special secretary was created for the first time in the ministry. It is the first time in last 10 years, that no new CBI chief has been named to succeed an incumbent. Sinha completed his two-year tenure on Friday. "The competent authority has approved assignment of additional charge of the post of Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), to Rakesh Asthana, IPS (GJ: 1984), Additional Director, CBI with effect from the date of relinquishment of charge by Anil Kumar Sinha, IPS (BH:1979) on completion of his tenure with immediate effect and until further orders," an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training said. The CBI chief is selected through a collegium comprising the prime minister, the Leader of Opposition or largest party in Opposition in Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India. The collegium has not been able to meet. 60-year-old Sinha took charge of the agency when it was earning sobriquet of "caged parrot" and "closure bureau of investigation" and he managed to steady the ship by keeping away from media and ensuring a low profile with limited social circle. Sinha proved to be a soft-spoken yet assertive leader for the agency who guided investigation in a number of important cases like the Sheena Bora murder case and Vijay Mallya loan default case. In Mallya's case, Sinha ensured that a case is registered against the flamboyant liquor baron for his alleged default of loans extended to his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines even though banks did not approach CBI with a complaint. He directed his teams to explore role of media baron Peter Mukerjea in the Sheena Bora murder case after the agency was handed over the investigation. Sinha ensured that CBI rigorously follows cases of piling of Non-performing Assets in public sector banks even though banks were reluctant to initiate a probe in these cases fearing loss of possible middle path which can be arrived at through discussions with defaulters. Sinha, an alumnus of Jawaharlal Nehru University where he studied during the first decade of its inception, follows his interests in psychology and economics and loves to spend a quiet time with his family. Rains lashed several parts of Tamil Nadu on Thursday influenced by cyclonic storm Nada, which is likely to cross the coast near Chennai in the early hours of Friday. Many parts of the state were put on high alert as the state government and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) prepared ahead of the cyclonic storm. Chennai: Heavy rains hits Chennai; many parts of Tamil Nadu on alert due to warning of cyclone NADA pic.twitter.com/43efItAg8R ANI (@ANI_news) December 1, 2016 According to an update by Skymet Weather, Chennai is likely to recieve more rainfall and thundershowers, even as India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that the cyclonic storm was weakening. According to ANI, the coastal town of Rameshwaram witnessed heavy rainfall on Thursday, however, rains are likely to continue on Friday as well. The IMD had advised fishermen not to venture into the sea along and off Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts from the evening of 30 November onwards. According to ANI, five fishermen from Tamil Nadu were trapped mid-sea after their boats got damaged, and were rescued by the Sri Lankan Navy. 5 fishermen from Tamil Nadu, who were trapped in mid-sea after their boats got damaged, rescued by Srilankan Navy. ANI (@ANI_news) December 1, 2016 In view of development of cyclone, the NDRF positioned six teams near the coasts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The NDRF said that although with gradual weakening of cyclone, the threat of flooding was unlikely, but it was prepared with its teams as a precautionary measure. Nada is now seen as a weak depression that lay centred over 290 km south-southeast of Chennai and 210 km southeast of Puducherry. According to the weather bulletin, Nada is expected to weaken further gradually into a depression and cross the north Tamil Nadu coast, south of Cuddalore by early Friday, MeT said. "The system is very likely to continue to move west-northwestward, weaken further gradually into a depression and cross north Tamil Nadu coast between Vedaranniyam and Puducherry, south of Cuddalore by early Friday," the weather department said. Following this, the Tamil Nadu state government said that all precautionary measures have been taken by district administrations to handle any eventuality, as the IMD has predicted moderate to light rainfall at most places but has issued a warning that heavy to very heavy rainfall may occur over Tamil Nadu and Puducherry during the next 48 hours. "All the 32 revenue districts including 13 coastal districts are being monitored continuously. The district administrations are fully prepared to handle any eventuality," said Gagandeep Singh Bedi, agricultural production commissioner and secretary. State Revenue Minister RB Udaya Kumar said, "Be it heavy rains (which is expected) and gusty winds, all preparations are on." He said during heavy winds power lines will be needing more attention and the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation is fully prepared to tackle the situation. He said other preparations like setting up common kitchens to cater to the needs of people in relief centres and deployment of NDRF and the State Disaster Response Fund teams were in place in coastal districts including Cuddalore, Nagapattinam and Chennai. The IMD had first issued a warning on 27 November predicting that Nada would hit Tamil Nadu coast on 29 November. This is the second cyclone in the Bay of Bengal in the last two months. Cyclone Kyant occurred in the last week of October, but did not make a landfall. With inputs from agencies The All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) and All India Bank Officers' Association (AIBOA) have urged Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to advise the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to publicly announce the details of currency notes supplied to various banks. In a joint letter to Jaitley, the two major unions pointed out that RBI's repeated public statements that adequate cash is being supplied to banks, contrary to the reality, makes it seem to the public as if the RBI is supplying cash to banks and bank staff are deliberately not extending payments. The news updates from day 24 show their concerns to be quite valid. Punjab innovator arrested with fake notes A young engineer, whose innovation got appreciation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, landed in the police net after he and his accomplices were caught with fake Rs 2,000 notes in Mohali town of Punjab. Abhinav Verma had claimed to have created 'Live Braille', a wearable technology innovation that helped blind people to walk around without the aid of a walking stick last year. The device used sensors to guide blind people and was hailed as a success. It even got a mention from Modi in December last year at the Indian Science Congress in Bengaluru. The device was commercially launched this year, touted as an innovation under the 'Make in India' programme, and sold in India and over 15 countries. The Punjab Police in Mohali, adjoining Chandigarh, recovered fake currency worth Rs 42 lakh in Rs 2,000 denomination and arrested Abhinav Verma, his cousin Vishakha Verma, and Ludhiana-based property dealer Suman Nagpal. The trio, along with two others, were duping people by exchanging the demonetised Rs 500 and 1,000 notes for the fake Rs 2,000 notes. They were charging 30 percent commission for the exchange. Heavy rush in banks, treasuries continues in Kerala Banks and treasuries in Kerala are witnessing heavy rush and serpentine queues on Friday for the second consecutive day, with people queueing up to withdraw salaries and pensions. The state government had asked RBI to release Rs 127 crore to meet the demand for distributing salaries and pensions, but received only Rs 57 crore till 11 am, official sources in Kerala said. As many as 50 treasuries are yet to receive any amount and the treasury employees are waiting at the banks to get the money released, they said. Protesting the fund crunch in treasuries and difficulties faced by people, around 50 government employees, under the aegis of NGO association, took out a march to the district treasury in Thiruvananthapuram. Cash seizure in new currency rises to Rs 5.7 crore The biggest-ever seizure of cash in new currency on Friday grew to over Rs 5 crore even as the Income Tax department said it detected unaccounted income worth Rs 152 crore after it conducted searches in a dozen premises in Bengaluru and other locations. I-T officials said the cash found after searches were launched, on Thursday, on the premises of two engineers, working with the state government, and two contractors have risen to Rs 5.7 crore and these notes are in the denomination of the newly introduced currency of Rs 2,000. A team of over 50 I-T sleuths and police personnel had launched operations on Thursday and searched premises in Bengaluru, Chennai and Erode (Tamil Nadu). What had surprised the tax authorities is the sheer amount of new currency stashed by these individuals at a time when new notes are not available to the common public which is queuing up to withdraw even small amounts from their accounts."Some entry operators and bankers are under the scanner. Such volume of new currency cannot be obtained without the connivance of bank officials," a senior I-T department official said. Queues get longer at pumps As the new deadline allowing petrol pumps to accept scrapped high-denomination notes ends on Friday, long queues were witnessed at several fuel stations across the metropolis of Mumbai. Besides the queues at petrol pumps, people lined up outside the banks and ATMs with many waiting to deposit old notes and withdraw money in Mumbai, as those who could not withdraw salary from banks on the first day post-demonetisation, queued up on Friday, struggling to withdraw cash to meet their monthly commitments. Many queues were especially for the senior citizens and pensioners. Also, non-functional and dried up ATMs worsened the situation prompting people to take to e-payments. School children teach locals to make payments via mobile apps Taking inspiration from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for making "Cashless India" in his Mann Ki Baat programme, school children in Khargone have started encouraging locals to use mobile transaction app for utility and other necessary payments. The children are not only making people aware of mobile transaction apps but also teaching them how to use it for paying power, telephone and municipal taxes among other things. KK Convent School has also set up a helpline desk to raise awareness among the parents to go for cashless transactions or make payments through cheques. With inputs from agencies The banks have just informed us on this foggy cold Friday morning that the money has not been delivered and their next quota is only Monday. So we have the profound sum of Rs 4000 for the weekend and shall be dramatically Spartan. All for the good cause, right? After all, some people dont even have Rs 4,000. So be grateful. And I am wondering how Narendra Modi, Arun Jaitley and Arvind Kejriwal are managing? Since I am older than all of them I can risk being familiar and asking them for an answer. Like who is paying for your petrol, Arvind? And the groceries? Have you paid the salaries for the domestic help? And how did Arun get his TV subscription renewed? I am not made for this Paytm, e-commerce and cashless scene, and since I have to twist like a pretzel in RK Puram to get a signal on the mobile and the net is, at best, intermittent as a stutter, I am a bit chary about being cyber-hacked. They cannot even filter porn pop-ups for innocuous feeds into search engines how are they going to get my money to the other guy? My fear is not that most of it wont go through but when there is an error or a mistake or a glitch then who do I go to for redress? Unless there is a system in real time and state of the art that allows corrections to be made and errors to be rectified, I flinch at placing all my details in a public forum. I dont know if I am a minority or a silent majority just too exhausted to say, 'look, we have no idea how it works and we dont care how many ads you place on TV with the common man looking at the camera with wonderment like he just got the cheese because he has awakened to the excitements of cashless society and we dont even have Arnab Goswami to tell the government the nation wants to know what buttons to press', the fact is that Ladbrokes would give to 10 to 1 odds that 90 percent of us are inept. Inadequate. Incapable. The other 10 percent can laugh at us as much as they want but unless there is a conviction that we will get some safety shoulders on the information highway and there will be police patrols, I for one am not going to be convinced. So I am sharing these thoughts with my uncle who is a Mahavir Chakra winner and he tells me we are going back to the old days when we were kids in Chakwal (now in Pakistan) and had a barter system. Our chacha would say aaj kukra khana hai' (lets have chicken), and a deal would be made whereby the chicken farmer would send a good, healthy chicken for five seers or atta and thats it. And the whole village worked on give and take. You want sugarcane, fine, send your mustard. Someone short on rice? Give us a goat. Another couple of weeks of bankers telling people to buzz off and we should be facing much the same situation as we shift gradually but firmly into barter and begin exchanges. Come to think of this, not much different from the geeks on their little magic machines celebrating their successful initiatives of transaction on small screens. Maybe even better you can see each other as you hand over the goat because someone is taking ours. Moonh mein desh bhakti, bagal mein black money. O Darling! This is the real India. Since the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi discontinued use of Rs 1,000 and 500 notes, the social media and public space has been resonating with chants of patriotism and support for the strike on black money, epitomised by JVR Arun, a secretary of the BJP's youth wing in Tamil Nadu. Swept away by the spirit of pop patriotism, the kind popularised by kambhakts who think shouting and screaming on social media is tantamount to deshbhakti, Arun declared he is willing to stand in the queue for the nation for the "progress of the country" and actively campaigned for note-bandi. Hypocrisy is the art of denouncing in public exactly what you do in private. Arun proved it. On Saturday, he was caught with numerous bundles of new currency notes amounting to more than 20.55 lakh, The Indian Express reported. "One of the police officers spoke to IE and said that they had intercepted his car and found a bag with 926 pieces of Rs 2,000, 1,530 pieces of Rs 100 and Rs 1,000 and Rs 50 notes," the newspaper reported. Obviously, these notes worth Rs 20.55 lakh were not withdrawn by queuing up for India. Behold, ladies and gentlemen, the ''patriotic" Indian. The prime minister's campaign against black money may not have revealed illegally stored cash, but it has certainly revealed the real character of the corrupt in India: By day they hunt with the black money hounds, by night they run with hoarders. Various figures and calculations have now revealed that Modi's Indians have found a way to repel the PM's strike against black money. Out of the nearly Rs 15 lakh crore of the demonetised money that was in circulation on 8 November, a major portion has now found its way back into the banking system. According to CNBC-News 18, more than Rs 11 lakh crore has already been deposited with almost a month still left for tendering cash in bank accounts. Other analysts put the figure between Rs 12 to 13 lakh crore after making adjustments for money held in RBI vaults as CRR and in currency chests and ATMs of various banks. What does this mean? It means, either: a) there was very little black money in the system (unlikely); or b) in spite of Modi's 'shock and awe' tactics, Indians found a system to beat the government and get money deposited in accounts. The government can of course track down unaccounted deposits in these accounts and slap Income Tax notices. However, as argued by Firstpost earlier, this will take a long time as tax disputes drag on for years. So, while all that deshbhakti was pouring out on streets, social media and in TV studios, people were busy laundering money, converting it into legal cash. Ironically, by night they were busy defeating the very army they were supporting during the day, sabotaging the very war they were publicly rooting for. As Indians sniggered in the days of Rajiv Gandhi, 100 mein 90 be-imaan, phir bhi Mera Bharat Mahaan! This hypocrisy, demonetisation has revealed, is not the exclusive domain of India's pseudo-elites and the rich and the powerful. Everyone has taken a dip in the Ganga of black money. Some of the biggest deposits, you would have noticed, accrued in Jan Dhan accounts, maintained by its poor and, presumably, honest workers. Within the first fortnight of demonetisation, the balance in Jan Dhan accounts shot up to Rs 64,000 crore, showing a huge post-demonetisation spike. This amount, though just a fraction of the currency in circulation, shows how the laundering game was played in India right down to the lowest economic strata of the society. The rich and the resourceful, of course, had their own means. There was a huge spike is sale of gold, cash was rotated by cooking up accounts, adjusting cash-in-hand that existed on paper by soaking up unaccounted liquidity against it (that's a separate story). Large sums were adjusted through distribution in accounts of friends and family. Some learnt from the BJP's reported land-buying spree in Bihar before the prime minister's decision: They invested in real estate to adjust the spare cash. A thorough investigation could throw up shocking details of an organised racket comprising middlemen, bank staff and hoarders that laundered huge amounts of unaccounted cash. Ironically, after adjusting their accounts, hoarders, racketeers, corrupt traders and cheerleaders the J V R Arun's of India are back in the queue of slogan shouters, screaming their support for Modi's plan, asking others to suffer in silence for the country, to stand in queues because soldiers are doing the same on the border. Hypocrisy, unfortunately, feasts on gullibility of people. A country that has a history of being swept-away by empty slogans from the day's of Garibi Hatao, fake messiahs, babas like Asaram, Radhey Ma, Ramdev and believes in the culture of blind bhakti; in a culture where critical analysis is denounced as sedition; where contrarian voices are sought to be drowned by an orgy of abuses and irrationality, patriotism becomes the last refuge of the corrupt and the crooked. It turns into a laughable slogan mouthed by those with patriotism on lips and laundered money in pockets. A poignant anthem of black Jan Dhan in every Mann. A first-grade teacher at Harrisburg Elementary School is the recipient of the Oregon Small Schools Association's 2017 Teacher of the Year award. Tessi Sims is in her 16th year at Harrisburg and her 22nd year of education total. She grew up in Harrisburg, as did her parents, and all of them went to Harrisburg Elementary School. Sims said she always knew she wanted to be a teacher. Her cousins didn't look forward to family gatherings much, she said, because she was the oldest. "Every holiday I would line them up and teach them," she said, laughing. "I would boss them and I would teach them." In her nomination letter, Principal Carol O'Connor said Sims isn't at all bossy she's just good at effectively motivating her students and fostering an atmosphere of trust and respect. "She demonstrates a sincere interest in her students and expresses a serious concern for each and every one of them," she wrote. "Year after year, the students in her classroom show tremendous improvement, not just in reading, writing and math, but socially and emotionally as well." In a statement from the organization, Michael Lasher, OSSA executive director, said Sims rose to the top because her highly effective teaching and dedication to her students "are outstanding examples of what small district teachers do throughout Oregon to give their students the best education." Sims received the award Nov. 12 as part of the Oregon School Boards Association's annual convention in Portland. She'll be invited back next year as a featured speaker. "I've been telling people that it feels so good to be honored for something I honestly love to do. It feels a little unfair," she said. "It's pretty rare to have a career or job I look forward to every morning, to come see my kiddos." In addition to teaching, Sims serves on the School Wide Improvement Plan committee, Pro-Social Committee, Report Card Committee and Back-to-School Committee. "I'm thrilled I get to represent Harrisburg because it's such a great district," she said. "I'm the lucky one to have a job that I do love." As tensions between India and Pakistan refuse to die down and terrorism recaptures centre-stage with a sudden uptick in militant attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, the state's beleaguered chief minister, Mehbooba Mufti, is finding her political appeal losing relevance with every passing day. The criticism was already mounting in the Valley on Mehboobas PDP-BJP coalition government for launching one of the worst crackdowns on protesters with more than 8,000 including minors behind bars, and many of them slapped with the draconian Public Safety Act. While the crackdown brought some semblance of normalcy on the streets and the situation seemed to be limping back to normalcy, the worst crises in years started unfolding on the de facto border between India and Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir. Following the Uri attack and the 'surgical strikes', the intensity of clashes between armies of the two countries has grown ferociously. Mehboobas Peoples Democratic Party is a strong votary of a sustainable and meaningful dialogue between the two countries but there are few takers for peace on the subcontinent today. The party which wants to be seen as a bridge of peace between the two nuclear armed countries, has, despite being in power in an alliance with the BJP, failed to convince the Central government to initiate a meaningful dialogue with the separatists, who are spearheading the ongoing agitation in the Valley. On Thursday, Mehbooba once again reiterated that the people in Kashmir have been the biggest beneficiaries of the peace process between India and Pakistan and also worst victims of hostility between the two countries. I hope the national leadership, especially the prime minister, will continue to spearhead the movement for peace and reconciliation started by him in spite of the unfortunate disruptions in the follow up and attempts to derail it, she said. Mehbooba recently met senior cabinet ministers of the BJP in New Delhi, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and she spoke of the need to initiate 'confidence building measures' for the bruised Valley and a dialogue with Pakistan. But the attack on Nagrota army base leaves New Delhi with little choice but to further freeze any engagement with Pakistan. That, Mehbooba knows, is a problem which will reflect poorly on her political beliefs. When Mehbooba's late father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, became the chief minister of the state for the first time in 2002, he galvanised support for some historic measures, like the opening of cross-LoC travel and trade, which significantly eased tensions between Delhi and Islamabad. He launched a policy of healing touch in the state which in turn benefited his core political constituency. However, since she took over the reins of the state after Sayeeds sudden demise, Mehbooba has been battling crisis after crisis in Kashmir that threatened to rip the social fabric of the state and also polarised the communal divisions between Muslim majority Kashmir and Hindu-dominated Jammu. With the Kashmir Valley on boil following the killing of Burhan Wani and the hostilities between India and Pakistan likely to increase in the coming days, it is the PDP that will have to pay the cost in the long run. A party which promised self-rule for the divided Kashmir is today lost in translation; its political agenda lying in tatters. An unyielding partner, the BJP, is only making matters worse. What does it mean to love one's country? Tagore clearly loved his country. He loved it so much that he wrote a song called Bharat Bhagya Vidhata in the year 1911 about an eternal charioteer guiding his country through the ages and dispensing it's destiny. On 24 January, 1950, the President of the Constituent Assembly of India, Rajendra Prasad made a statement in the house declaring that Jana Gana Mana was to be the National Anthem of our new republic and it has stood us well over the years. The National Anthem of India does not find reference in the constitution save a reference made in Article 51A wherein citizens are called upon to respect it. The Constitution of India does not entrench the National Anthem and neither does it entrench the National Flag. These being highly emotive issues are not formalised either by virtue of legislation but are based on a broad consensus that is recognised by the executive. To quote the President of the Constituent Assembly on January 24, 1950: "There is one matter which has been pending for discussion, namely the question of the National Anthem. At one time it was thought that the matter might be brought up before the House and a decision taken by the House by way of a resolution. But it has been felt that, instead of taking a formal decision by means of a resolution, it is better if I make a statement with regard to the National Anthem. Accordingly I make this statement. The composition consisting of the words and music known as Jana Gana Mana is the National Anthem of India, subject to such alterations in the words as the Government may authorise as occasion arises; and the song Vande Mataram, which has played a historic part in the struggle for Indian freedom, shall be honoured equally with Jana Gana Mana and shall have equal status with it. (Applause). I hope this will satisfy the Members." Since then the Government of India has regulated the the National Anthem and how it is supposed to be sung by orders issued by the Ministry of Home affairs and this begs the question. Why is that something, that is of most manifest constitutional importance, is not entrenched in the Constitution? The Constitution of India is the longest Constitution of any country in the world and yet no where, not in any article or schedule has the national anthem been defined. The only thing we have is a statement of the President of the Constituent Assembly and the orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs. There are legislations that protect the National Anthem, such as the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 which provide protection to the National Anthem, thereby recognising its importance, but never entrenching it into law. There has perhaps been no other fifty-two second piece of music that is more recognisable across the country and our national anthem has served its purpose as a symbol of national unity. But here's what makes our national anthem different from God Save the Queen, or the Star Spangled Banner or La Marseillaise. Jana Gana Mana is not the assertion of India's sovereignty. Jana Gana Mana is an assertion of thanks. When we sing Jana Gana Mana we give thanks to the Bharat Bhagya Vidhata for guiding us through the last five thousand odd years of our civilisation and we ask for guidance in the future by praying for a victorious destiny. In some ways, it is a song of prayer. The reason Jana Gana Mana is not entrenched in our Constitution or law as our national anthem is that Constitutions do not make nations, nations make constitutions and it is these nations that have anthems and symbols. The Constitution of India is a document of our Republic and our Republic is the product of our nation. India, that is Bharat, a nation of a diverse people, who each have their own unique way of giving thanks, their own unique way of singing Jana Gana Mana. For the song sings praise to Bharat Bhagya Vidhata, who rules the minds of the people of India, the spirit of destiny existed well before our Constitution and will continue to exist long after it. When thousands of years have passed, and the buildings of the court houses in Delhi lie in dust, there will still remain a spirit that guides the destiny of the people who remain in this land and the spirit will still evoke the praise of her people. Thats the true meaning of Jana Gana Mana. Jana Gana Mana is our anthem because India was a nation before the Constitution and will be a nation after it as well, India is a creature in the imagination of history and history does not need a piece of paper to gain validity. Neither the Flag of India nor the National Anthem of India have constitutional status nor do they have constitutional sanctity. They are merely symbols and we can by national consensus change them at any time. To breathe the air of a free India where citizens can disregard them when they please because law recognises that sovereignty flows from the citizenry not the law, is a much greater symbol of our nationhood and no symbol, no matter how mighty or how revered can triumph that. The freedom of an Indian citizen must always take precedence over the reverence to a symbol. Which is why it being quite abhorrent, that India's free citizens will now be required to stand and listen to it while watching a visual of a moving flag. For this means, that this wonderful and prayerful song, has become another washing powder Nirma ad. Something that will cue us to a mechanical response as it blares from the speakers. For no more will citizens of India be freely able to love their country when they sing this song without it being clouded the fear of the sanction of the law. For love is free, including love for one's country. Love by it's very nature, is free. To make it mandatory that citizens of India honour their nation, is the greatest insult to Indias honour. In a bid to "instil committed patriotism and nationalism", the Supreme Court appears to have overlooked the greater perils of its verdict on National Anthem. In its 30 November order, the Supreme Court ruled, "All the cinema halls in India shall play the National Anthem before the feature film starts and all present in the hall are obliged to stand up to show respect to the National Anthem." While most lines of argument which criticises the Supreme Court order have concentrated around notions of patriotism, free will, freedom of speech and expression, the mandatory bolting of doors has raised a pertinent issue that of public safety. Part of the Supreme Court's order states: "Prior to the National Anthem is played or sung in the cinema hall on the screen, the entry and exit doors shall remain closed so that no one can create any kind of disturbance which will amount to disrespect to the National Anthem. After the National Anthem is played or sung, the doors can be opened." According to experts, not only should this directive be "recalled", it also needs further clarification. Reiterating the same sentiment, Alok Prasanna Kumar, a Bengaluru-based advocate and a senior resident fellow at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, said that if one goes by the Supreme Court's directive, there is a huge disaster, like the Uphaar fire tragedy of 1997, waiting to happen. "I think by 'disturbance', the Supreme Court meant walking in and out of the theatre. But there are two things that need to be kept in mind: Firstly, this order is fraught with potential danger and harm to the public and secondly, the Supreme Court is violating its own earlier order in the Uphaar case where it had ordered that doors should never be bolted," Alok told Firstpost. Supreme Court's directive on doors being shut raises the question: Is safety getting sacrificed at the altar of pop-patriotism? While issuing safety guidelines in the aftermath of the 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court had stated that "under no circumstances, the entry door (which can act as an emergency exit in the event of fire or other emergency) should be bolted from outside". The bench had noted that one of the doors in Uphaar cinema was bolted from outside and it prevented scores of victims from escaping the blaze. "The factors which constituted the direct and proximate cause of death of 59 persons and injury of 100 persons in Uphaar cinema were the installation of the DVB transformer in violation of law, faulty repair of the DVB transformer, presence of combustible material in the cinema building, parking of cars near the transformer room, alterations in the balcony obstructing egress, structural deviations resulting in closure of escape routes in the building at the time of the incident, bolting of the exit doors from outside and the absence of fire fighting measures and two trained firemen..." The "close-door" order also clashes with the fire safety guidelines given to the fire department. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior official from the Mumbai Fire Department told Firstpost that doors in cinema theatres cannot be bolted and that flouts fire safety norms. "I have not read the Supreme Court order, but doors in a cinema hall cannot be locked. Shutting of doors is against the rule and every theatre in Mumbai abides by it." When told that the Supreme Court says that the doors should be locked and what that means for the safety of the public, the official bypassed the question and said, "Why should anyone move when the National Anthem is playing? You are supposed to stand in attention till the Rashtra Gaan is over." The Supreme Court not only violated its own earlier order, it also contradicts the Delhi Cinematography Act, which requires at least two exits to be open in the hall at all times. Rule 10 of Delhi Cinematograph Rules lays down that every auditorium must have two or more different thoroughfares or open spaces from which there is at all times free means of rapid dispersal. This rule also says that all doors through which the public have to pass on the way to open air shall be available for exit during the whole time that the public are in the building and during such time shall not be locked or bolted. According to Alok, the Supreme Court ruling can be altered by submitting an "application of modification or recall of the order." "Modification of this order is one way to ensure public safety otheriwse the tiniest spark or smoke can lead to mass panic and eventual casualties," Alok said. Unfortunately, laws of physics cannot be suspended by a judicial order and if a fire breaks out, patriotism will not save scores from a horrible death in a closed space, Alok added. Firstpost tried to reach multiplex and single-screen theatre owners to understand how will they ensure public safety with closed doors, but no one was available for a comment. "There was no party present in the court to give the full picture to the Supreme Court. The fact that its current order violates its earlier one and which ends up exposing the safety issue of the public never entered anyone's mind," Alok further added. The fact that the Supreme Court mandates upkeep of nationalist pride at the cost of public safety is something worth mulling. Aside from the totalitarian nature of the rule, a cinema hall is no place for the National Anthem to be played. In several citations, one such being the Ministry of Home Affairs in its "Orders related to the National Anthem", it has been mandated that in order not to dilute the dignity of National Anthem, it should be played only on certain occasions. "However, when in the course of a newsreel or documentary the Anthem is played as a part of the film, it is not expected of the audience to stand as standing is bound to interrupt the exhibition of the film and would create disorder and confusion rather than add to the dignity of the Anthem." That sentence says more than all the tweets, Facebook posts and article comments in the world combined ever could. I am reminded of the slow-motion chopper landing sequence, filmed at the Siachen Glacier as Jana Gana Mana plays in the background, a regular feature in many theatres. Going by the examples given in the order (of the National Anthem being used as a tool to test the reactions of prospective job candidates), it is tempting to think that it is exactly this sort of contextual misuse of the National Anthem that the petitioner in the National Anthem case seeks to curtail: The kind that charges up our ever-willing keyboard warriors on Twitter and Facebook to wax eloquent about the sufferings of soldiers on our borders at every opportunity. But there is an insidiousness about the interim measures issued by the Supreme Court that was not immediately apparent. Back in 2004, three judges of the Supreme Court, in Karan Johar versus Union of India, had observed: the National Anthem which is exhibited in the course of exhibition of newsreel or documentary or in a film, the audience is not expected to stand as the same interrupts the exhibition of the film and would create disorder and confusion, rather than add to the dignity of the National Anthem. The Supreme Court at the time was dealing with the challenge to an order authored by Justice Dipak Misra, penned in his usual verbose style. Misra was then a judge at the Madhya Pradesh High Court, and is currently in line to become the next Chief Justice of India. Unusually, the petitioner before the Madhya Pradesh High Court was the same gentleman who has now petitioned the Supreme Court Shyam Narayan Chouksey. Ordinarily, judicial discipline would call upon Misra to follow the earlier ruling in Johars case especially since three judges decided that case while the present National Anthem case is being heard by a bench of two. But there is a catch: In 2006, following a Review Petition by Chouksey against the judgment in Johars case, the issues of law raised in the matter were reopened for determination in an appropriate case. The earlier order was recalled. It is rare for the Supreme Court to even hear Review Petitions a remedy usually reserved for errors apparent on the face of the record, but the apex court appears to have done so in this case because not all the questions raised before the Madhya Pradesh High Court were covered by the original Supreme Court order. After a 10-year wait an inordinate delay going even by our slow disposal rates Chouksey had his appropriate case, and (most fortuitously) his appropriate court. In all fairness, would such happenstance make this a fit case for recusal on the ground of subject bias? Judges are occasionally afforded the opportunity of overruling their own decisions; others prefer to simply recuse themselves and let another bench decide the case. Only time will tell what this court will do. There is hope yet that the unfortunate pontifications on nationalism in the order may be reconsidered at the final hearing stage. After all, the order is only an interim measure and circumspection based on the current backlash may prompt a different view later on. The author is a practicing lawyer at the Bombay High Court Washington: President-elect Donald Trump's "ignorant" conversation with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may send India an unwelcome message, a leading American magazine has said. The Forbes magazine said that Trump's "flattering" conversation sends a message that he has no awareness of the issues between the US, Pakistan and India. "His bluster is more likely to be taken as the initial signal of his Administrations position. When he goes on and on about how wonderful Pakistan is, and how strong is his friendship, it matters. It matters that he uses words like: very good reputation, amazing work...fantastic country, fantastic place, fantastic people," it said. "One of the main messages it sends, is that he shows no awareness of the issues between the United States, Pakistan, and India," it said. Stating that Trump is not aware about the ground realities in South Asia, it said, his "ignorant" conversation with Sharif may send India an "unwelcome message". Meanwhile, a prominent Hindu American group urged Trump to carefully look at the records of Pakistan in particular its fight against terrorism and human rights. "Diplomacy is necessary in dealing with Pakistan, but President-elect Trump and his Administration will need to proceed with caution and full awareness of the country's double-dealing track record," Suhag Shukla, executive director of Hindu American Foundation (HAF) said in a statement expressing concern over the readout issued by Pakistan after a telephonic conversation between Trump and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. "If the transcript of the conversation is indeed accurate, wed urge President-elect Trump to look more carefully at Pakistans record within its own borders and with its neighbours before offering praise to a state that according to most observers is failing," Shukla said. Patna: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Friday refuted reports that he was keen on his niece marring RJD chief Lalu Prasad's elder son, Tej Pratap Yadav, who is the Bihar health minister. "It is nothing but gossip spread by a section of the media," Ramdev told reporters after meeting Lalu at his official residence in Patna. Ramdev, who arrived in Patna on Thursday night, to meet and address dealers of his brand Patanjali products, said he visited Lalu after being informed that the Rashtriya Janata Dal chief was unwell. "I have called on Lalu not for any matrimonial relationship or politics over demonetisation. It is a personal visit to inquire about his health," Ramdev clarified. "Lalu is our country's heritage and his health is matter of concern for us. Lalu should remain healthy for the politics of the country," Ramdev said, adding that Lalu practised yoga. Auto refresh feeds "Most of the people eat food in dhabas when they eat outside. Can the government inform us about a dhaba in which a person carries card-swiping machine in his dhoti?" he said. "Many labourers became unemployed today...there are very long lines and crores of people in those lines. But it is not just that," he said. "Does the farmer own black money when he engages in transactions for seeds, fertilisers?" he said. "It is a reality that the farmer is an important part of the economy. That is why India does not have to beg," said a dramatic Anand Sharma in the Rajya Sabha. "What authority do the prime minister and finance minister have so that we have to beg you for our very own money?" thundered Anand Sharma. "You have created a condition in which you told a person that he can exchange Rs 4000...I marvel at your generosity," Anand Sharma said sarcastically in the Rajya Sabha. "After the Uri attack and surgical strikes, we posed various questions about the army....You said we cannot ask questions about the army," said Anand Sharma. "If you are the government, that doesn't mean India belongs to you. You have created such an environment that we cannot ask questions," he said. "If we ask questions, you start asking questions about our nationality," he added. "Who got the benefits of your decisions?" he said. "Your government is only for those people who are your friends. You hurt those people who question you." "If you are trying to give this impression to the country that India started fighting money laundering now, then the prime minister is living on a different planet," said Anand Sharma in Rajya Sabha. After this statement, the Congress MPs began shouting again. Note that Anand Sharma was not interrupted even once when he was talking in the Rajya Sabha. "But I think Anand Sharma does not know much about economics," he said. "If his claim of fight against black money is true, he would not have ignored the fact the entire country has welcomed this move by the Narendra Modi government," he added. "In the future, inflation will be controlled when more people pay taxes," he said. "The central government will also get more resources for the welfare of farmers, labourers, youth, women in the country." "Some people had suggested that this move should have been made public seven days before implementing it. But secrecy is most important in such issues," he said. "The government has taken many steps against corruption. Demonetisation was a historic step against corruption. This was also a warning to the corrupt that the black money they had was useless now," he said. "This move was aimed at only the corrupt," he said. "Finance Minister had informed the House only about the counterfeit money in the economy, not the money which some people have got through corruption," Goyal said in the Rajya Sabha. "Some people just seem to be unhappy that Prime Minister Modi has taken an important step against corruption and black money," he said. "When the government had just come to power in 2014, there was an atmosphere against corruption," Piyush Goyal said in Rajya Sabha. "We opened Jan Dhan accounts. An account was opened for every person," he said. "This is a step after which a person will think twice before engaging in corruption," he said. "The poor labourers will benefit the most," he added. "Please do not hold views which the corrupt can use to free themselves," Goyal added. "You (Congress) talked about surgical strike. We did not mention it. This is good. You have given us a certificate that we conducted precise strikes against corruption," he said. "RBI has authority over monetary policy. An RBI board gave approval for this move," he said. "The country is ready to tolerate a few days of inconvenience," he said. "The entire country is with us," he added. "And even the Election Commission won't be able to notice when someone is carrying the Rs 2000 note in one's pocket," he said. "Several crore vegetables were just thrown away per day from markets," he said. "Who gave you the advice to come up with the Rs 2000 note? Go outside Delhi to the villages of India. Nobody will accept that note," he said. "The farmer is unable to buy fertiliser and seeds," said SP's Ram Gopal Yadav in Rajya Sabha. "Farmers are not able to sell potatoes now. Were these potatoes made using black money?" he said. Who gave you the advice to come up with the Rs 2000 note? SP asks govt in Rajya Sabha "Our party will move adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha," she said, adding that demonetisation was a dictatorial and draconian step by the government. "Credit card will not buy you food...the President knows the country's situation very well," Banerjee said. "This move is like a move taken by Mohammad bin Tughlaq," she said. "We told the President that he is the custodian of the Constitution. We told him to talk to the government," Mamata Banerjee said. "Starvation deaths are rising," she said. "Our country does not have plastic economy," she added. "Today, people are not getting access to vegetables in the markets. Children are not getting milk. People are dying," she said. "Today, how did the non-performing assets increase in the last six months?" the Bengal chief minister said. "After cancelling notes, there were a lot of notes needed in banks for the huge demand," Mamata Banerjee said after meeting the President. "90 percent of blak money is in tax havens abroad," Yechury further said. "It's like the prime minister is killing the pond to kill the crocodiles, forgetting that the crocodiles can survive on land too." "But where is this black money? All estimates say 6 percent of this black money is in cash," he said. "Black money is in circulation, in real estate...gold imports have surged in the last few days." "We want black money controlled. We want it eliminated. The World Bank says that nearly 21 percent of the Indian economy is in the black economy," Yechury said. "If you stop these Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes, you think corruption will stop? Now, corruption will double with the Rs 2000 notes," Yechury said. "After 26/11, we went on debating over a new law to combat terrorism. On many issues, we had agreed over how terror funding needed to stop," Yechury said. "We want to stop counterfeit money. Locate where this is happening. Punish them. We will all support this. But this is not the way to stop it," he said. "By this way, you are killing the poor," he said. "As Anand Sharma said, 0.02 percent of the cash is counterfeit. To take care of that, you needed to do this?" he added. "The point is that black money is not going to go away with this. Black money is not stock, it is a flow," Yechury said in the Rajya Sabha. "For the rest of India, it is Tarasta Bharat," he said. "People can't get their children treated at hospitals." "In our rural population, 80.8 percent of the rural population is not covered by the banks," he said. "What banking does the prime minister want us to go to? There is Shining India with e-wallets for them," he said. "Why are you agonising the Indian people?" Yechury said. "Agonising people is a way to tell people: I control your personal lives," he said, adding that this was a fascist move. "People will say this Tughlaqshahi," he said. "This does not meet the objectives of what the prime minister set out to do." "You have allowed banks to exchange notes. Bulk of Indians today are dealing with rural cooperative banks. You don't allow them to change notes...86 percent of the rural population is dependent on transactions from these banks," Yechury said. "What is the meaning of this move?" he said. "Don't give this exemption to political parties to spend whatever they want," Yechury said. "If you're serious about stopping corruption, stop the supply side of corruption," he added. Laughing at Das, Patel said, "Are you kidding me? How can you allow your EAS to issue such statements. You are making a fool of yourself." Slamming the Narendra Modi government's handling of the issue, Patel gave example of Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das, who during a press conference on Wednesday said: "The new currency notes, just as the old ones, will lose colour if rubbed with a piece of cloth wet because that's the nature of the dye used. If your note does not lose colour, it's one of the signs that it may be fake." "Abolishing black money is a move we all support, and BJP government's intention is great but you are asking people to be hungry for 50 days for a feast on the 51st day. Vo aadmi toh mar ayega, bhoj kya khayega (The person will die on the 51st day, what will he do with the feast)," says Patel. Rajya Sabha erupted after the comment. Senior BJP leader and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad interrupted Tiwari's speech and said that the statement, which was "atrocious", should not go in record. "No one speaks about the country's prime minister in such an atrocious way. It should not go in record,"Prasad urged the Chair. In a dramatised speech, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari from Uttar Pradesh compared prime minister to former dictators like Gaddafi, Adolf Hitler and Mussolini. "The seat that you (Narendra Modi) occupy, has been occupied by Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru, Shastri ji, Charan Singh and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. But the way you are working, I am forced to say that it reminds me of dictators like Gaddafi, Hitler and Mussolini." "Modi government marched to victory in 2014 because the country was tired of scams and scandals. That was our poll promise. I request Congress to come out of the dilemma - are you in favour of the people who are hoarders and scamsters or you are in favour of a bold step that eradicates black money from the country. Narendra Modi is capable of taking very strong steps. Temporary pain for long term gain - is the buzz across India. One thing I want to assure - if your money is valid, nothing will happen to it." "You have got a chance to discuss important things on this platform so do not waste it by mud-slinging. When it comes to people and their hatred towards our PM (the way you claim), we saw their hatred in 2014 and we will see it in 2019," Naidu says to a thundering applause. Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu addresses Rajya Sabha and says that people across the nation are watching this Session and they are not interested in a history lesson. As expected, the Opposition targetted the Narendra Modi governmemnt over its "ill-preparedness" and "lack of empathy" for the general public. Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad at the end of day one requested the prime minister to appear in the House tomorrow and discuss the issue of demonetisation. While the Lok Sabha was adjourned earlier in the day, Rajya Sabha argued and debated on topics till 6 pm on Wednesday. Chairman of Upper House PJ Kurien announced that the House will resume the same discussion (on demonetisation) from 2 pm on Thursday. The first day of Winter Session went as expected, in fact it went better than expected. While the Union ministers and BJP MPs are demanding an apology from Leader of Opposition in the House Ghulam Nabi Azad for his Uri remark, Congress MPs are demanding an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the demonetisation scheme. "The nation wants to know today," he added, reminding of a news anchor famous for shouting at the panellists on his show. "The Opposition has disappointed us and the country," he said. "I want the Congress to clarify on Azad's remark," he said. "Those who ruled over the country for 50 years and ruined the situation of the aam aadmi and those who did not let the Parliament function are now also on the same path," said Naidu. "The prime minister will respond if needed," he said. "They are not strong...they are not on the side of the truth, the people are not with them," Naidu further said. "The government is ready for a discussion. We don't know what has happened with the Congress. Suddenly, they took a U-turn," said Venkaiah Naidu. "There is a need to fix the railway infrastructure. Modiji talked about the bullet train. But there is no focus. How will the aam aadmi benefit and get safety?" said Rahul on the Patna-Indore Express tragedy. "This is one of the biggest economic decisions in India. But the prime minister had not thought about the impact," he said. "This is some other form of the prime minister," he added. "We are ready for a discussion. These days, why does the prime minister need to come to the Parliament? He is on a different level. He does not need to interact with his ministers," said Rahul sarcastically. "People are complaining of deals at the back of long lines to banks. So people are suffering huge losses," he said. "Only 15 or 20 friends of the prime minister will benefit from this move," he added. "People have told me that they are suffering a lot," said Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi outside the Parliament on the issue of demonetisation. The Opposition members raised slogans, even as deputy chairman PJ Kurien threatened to adjourn the House. And... he did. The Rajya Sabha is adjourned till 12 pm. Rajya Sabh and Lok Sabha will resume in a while. Meanwhile, asking his countrymen to tell their views on demonetisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted saying, "I want your first-hand view on the decision taken regarding currency notes. Take part in the survey on the NM App." Speaker of Lok Sabha Sumitra Mahajan, quite hassled by the way the MPs were behaving, threatened to adjourn the House. "Kyun kar rahe ho?" asks Mahajan very politely as Opposition MPs raised slogans and asked for debate over demonetisation. The protesting MPs also demanded that Modi should come to the House and make a speech. The Lok Sabha is heading for another adjournment as the Opposition escalated their attack on the BJP government over the same issue of demonetisation. By the look of it, the Winter Session of Parliament till now has been a total washout with no constructive debate happening on the floor. After the ruckus got out of hand, a very calm Hamid Ansari stood up and adjourned the Upper House till 2 pm. Members could not keep it together even as the Rajya Sabha resumed proceedings at 12.32 pm. However, an unrelenting opposition continued to raise slogans. The Speaker again appealed to the opposition to participate in the debate saying that the disruption of proceedings would not resolve the problem. "I am really pained. If you are people's representatives, you should stand by them," she said. As pandemonium continued, the Speaker adjourned the House till noon after 20 minutes of proceedings. Ignoring the slogan shouting opposition members, Speaker allowed the Question Hour to continue amidst noise. When some opposition members tried to bring a placard, denouncing the demonetisation move, infront of Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who was replying a question related to his Ministry, the Speaker tried to intervene and asked the MPs not to disturb the Minister. "This is not good. Everyone will be shown on TV, but don't disturb the Minister. If you want to discuss something, raise it before the government. People are in pain, tell the government. But this is not the way to highlight people's grievances," Mahajan said asking them to return to their seats. Samjawadi Party, NCP and RJD stood in the aisles in solidarity with the other opposition members. While AIADMK members were also on the aisles raising the issue of Tamil fishermen injured allegedly in firing by Sri Lankan Navy, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi was seen busy in his seat in an intimate discussion with AAP MP from Punjab Harinder Singh Khalsa. Opposition disrupted the proceedings of the Lok Sabha for the fourth consecutive day demanding discussion on demonetisation on a rule which entails voting forcing Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to adjourn the House for about 50 minutes soon after it assembled. As soon as the House met, members of Congress, TMC, Left parties and AAP rushed to the Well of the House demanding discussions on the demonetisation of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 under Rule 56, that entails. As BJP members also created a ruckus, an angry Kurien snapped at them. "Why should treasury benches do this? Mr Minister, why should treasury benches to this," he asked Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. He told Azad that he was ready to accept his notice under rule 267 seeking suspension of business. "Mr Azad, I am ready to admit your notice under 267 if only there is order in the House." As they shouted slogans from the Well, Kurien said, "You cannot speak in the Well. Shouting in the Well is of no use. If you go back to your seats, I will give you time (to speak)." At this point, TMC members carrying placards of "Financial Emergency" trooped into the Well, with Congress members following suit. "He should come and listen to the pain people have faced because of his decision," Mayawati said. Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said the opposition is ready for discussion on the issue but Prime Minister should come to the Rajya Sabha first. As he spoke, members of the BJP moved into the aisles raising slogans. No sooner were the listed papers laid on the table in Rajya Sabha, Sharad Yadav of JD(U) said the government should pay a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to kin of the 70 persons who lost their lives due to hardships caused by withdrawal of 500 and 1,000 rupee notes. Naresh Agarwal (SP) and Mayawati (BSP) said Modi should be called before starting discussion on the demonetisation. "Today they want PM Modi to address Parliament, tomorrow they will be demand a JPC on the demonetisation issue. Trust me, the opposition is just shifting the goalpost. Why are they running away from a debate? Why do they just want prime minister to speak, is the finance minister not competent enough to reply to their questions," asks Prasad. Speaking to CNN-News18, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad attacked the Opposition on their demand of asking Prime Minister Modi to address the House of Parliament and in turn asked, "Why is the Opposition running away from debate?" "Government wants that there should be a long and elaborate discussion so that we can explain to this country the enormous benefits of this move," Singh said. "Congress and other opposition parties are on a self-destructing course." On the other hand, Jitendra Singh said that the Opposition was on a self-destruct course. "Let's keep Opposition and government out of this. Let's think of the people," he further said. "Almost 70 people have died. He must be crying for them. And I respect that," Congress leader Kapil Sibal told Times Now, clearly taking a dig at the prime minister and implying that he could not come to the Parliament because he was crying. Speaking to the media outside Parliament, Rahul alleged that the government and the prime minister are not allowing a debate in the House. "We have filed an adjournment motion in the House and we want Modi to discuss the issue with us," says Rahul Gandhi "Main poochna chahti hoon prime minister se ki agar unhone itna acha kaam kiya hai to vo ghabra kyu rahe hain? (I want to ask PM Modi that if he has taken a decision which is so good why is he scared?) I urge President to summon Modi and ask him to take measures to solve the problems faced by people post demonetisation move," Mayawati told the media after Lok Sabha got its first adjournment of the day. Alleging that it sends a wrong message if prime minister keeps shying away from a debate, BSP chief Mayawati on Wednesday that a debate is a must because otherwise the BJP government looks like it has done something wrong. "Puri daal kali lag rahi hai." If PM has done this great thing, why is he scared to face Opposition: Mayawati Proceedings was continuously disrupted as Opposition leaders raised loud slogans against the BJP government. Senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu urges Speaker Sumitra Mahajan not to adjourn the Lower House. "The debate has begun, madam Speaker. Please let the debate happen. The world is watching what Congress and the Oppostion is doing inside the House," Naidu said. The protesting MPs, for the past half an hour, have continously made noise and tried to disrupt the Lok Sabha proceedings. Speaker Mahajan still holding solid ground. Opposition members are trying their best to disrupt the proceedings, but BJP MPs (MJ Akbar, Jitendra Singh) are holding their ground and not giving in to the awful noise that the protesting MPs are making. Samajwadi Party's Akshay Yadav tore paper and threw it at Speaker Sumitra Mahajan in the Lok Sabha. This is definitely a new low for Opposition parties in the Parliament. "I am very sorry that the RBI has been exposed to this kind of criticism which is fully justified," he added. "It is not good that every day, the banking system comes up with some modifications. That reflects very poorly on the prime minister's office," he said. "The national income can decline by about 2 percentage points...I feel that the prime minister must come up with some constructive proposal," said the former prime minister. "In my opinion, the way demonetisation has been implemented will hurt agriculture, small industries and the people in the informal sector," he said. "I want to know from the prime minister the names of countries where people have deposited their money in banks but are not allowed to withdraw it," he said. "What has been done can weaken and erode our people's confidence in the currency and banking system," said Manmohan Singh in the Rajya Sabha. "I say so with all responsibility that we do not know what will be the full outcome," he said. "50 days is a short period but for those who are poor, even 50 days can bring about disastrous effects. About 60-65 people have lost their lives," he said. "Today, there are no two opinions in the country. It is important to take note of the grievances of the common people who have suffered," said Manmohan Singh. "In the process of demonetisation, monumental mismanagement has taken place," he said. "I do not disagree with the objectives of taking steps against terroism and black money," said former prime minister Manmohan Singh in the Rajya Sabha. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present in the House. "By the day, the damage to the economy is increasing. Today, reports have come which have said that in three sectors that are biggest in exports, 4 lakh people have lost their jobs in the last one week or so," Sitaram Yechury said. Served notice for moving motion of contempt against PM for not showing up in RS: Yechury Addressing the Upper House, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said how can the prime minister say something like this? "How can the prime minister allege that Opposition parties are in favour of black money? This is wrong." Within minutes after the Rajya Sabha began today, the opposition members were up in arms protesting against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that those cirticising the government are not angry with the government's preparedness but the fact that they did not get time to prepare. Slamming the prime minister for his statements on black money hoarders and his veiled attack against the Opposition, the leaders of Congress and SP and BSP created ruckus in the Upper House and demanded that Modi should address the MPs and apologise for his remarks. "I'm sure many of us have read analysis of noted economist Lawrence Summers, former chief economist of the World Bank and advisor to Obama government who concludes that this exercise has "resulted in chaos and loss of trust" and "without new measures, is unlikely to have lasting benefits. Don't you think it is high time and right time to form a committee of our real experts and intellectuals like Arun Shourie, Yashwant Sinha, Subramanian Swamy and other top economists and intellectuals of our party and veteran Murli Manohar Joshi to help the government in this hour?" In a series of tweets on Friday, BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha, reiterating his faith in PM Modi's intention, said, "However, I have serious concerns about the outcome, fallout and responses of the people of India and the almost united opposition in particular." Seventh day of Winter Session and looks like this week business will take a massive hit due to ongoing protests by the Opposition As Opposition din did not die down even after many requests by the Speaker, Mahajan adjourned the Lok Sabha till Monday (28 November) 11 am. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said that a man Rakesh Singh tried to jump in the Lok Sabha off the audience gallery on Friday after the House was adjourned. "Security officials overpowered him and took him under custody and he has been let off with warning," Mahajan added. Taking the nation by surprise, the Prime Minister had on November 8 announced demonetisation of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 currency notes with effect from midnight. Latching on to media reports, Yechury sought to pick holes in the November 8 decision as he noted that 29 crore out of the 30 crore Rupay card holders have never used their cards in a swipe machine. Referring to a report on surfacing of two variants of Rs 500 currency notes, the Marxist leader also took a dig at Modi, saying it was the "Prime Minister's way" of stopping circulation of fake currency. CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation, dubbing him as 'Tughlaq' who had "gone missing" after issuing a farman (order). "Barely 20-25 percent of cash demand being met in Metros. Rural areas even worse. While Tughlaq goes missing after his firman," Yechury tweeted. Will government's wait-and-watch technique, as far as Opposition's protests are concerned, work out in their favour? Most political observers say no because the government does not have the luxury of time. Meanwhile, Opposition leaders are still not relenting with their demand of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's presence in Parliament. Opposition leaders met before Parliament session commences for the tenth day. However, the worry again is will the Opposition let the Parliament function? Winter Session will go on for 22 sittings - 50 percent of the sittings are already over - the Upper House and the Lok Sabha have still not been able to table crucial bills. Zero Hour begins with ruling-opposition bickering. As Venkaiah Naidu argues against the Opposition, protesting MPs raised slogans against the prime minister. "Start the debate! You want the debate, start the debate, Prime Minister Narnendra Modi will come," says Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien. "Why is the BJP government so stubborn? Why is the prime minister not coming to debate?" Mayawati asks. In Samba, security forces killed two militants early on Tuesday when a group of militants tried to sneak in from Pakistan through the International Border near a border outpost in this Jammu district. According to reports, the two militants were killed following a "heavy firing exchange" with the BSF. Even as terrorists infiltrated the International Border and attacked two - Nagrota and Samba - districts of Jammu and Kashmir, there was no talk of that in Parliament. The attack in Nagrota reportedly started around 5.30 am with militants firing at a field regiment camp located in the garrison town of Nagrota near the headquarter's of army's 16 corps in the state. Demonetisation has been the reason for Parliament washouts over ten days now since Winter Session began on 16 November. Interestingly, Parliament has not discussed anything else except note ban imposed by the Narendra Modi government since the Winter Session began. Sumitra Mahajan tells two warring factions in Lok Sabha to start the debate. "I am ready, please start the debate." Rajya Sabha adjourned till 11 am until 1 December as opposition storms the well of the House regarding Nagrota Attack. TMC leader slammed the BJP government for deploying Army in West Bengal. Senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu told Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien that the deployment was a routine exercise and casting aspersions on the prime minister is not acceptable. Opposition members are protesting against the ruling government in the Lower House. Rajya Sabha has already been adjourned. Opposition: Modiji says he wants the poor to build their own homes, but what about those homes which are being broken? Opposition members raise slogans and stall Rajya Sabha again. Debates not allowed and Chairman of Upper House Hamid Ansari quietly and hopelessly looks around. If one had to compare, Rajya Sabha gets adjourned way faster and sooner than the Lower House. Unrelenting Speaker Sumitra Mahajan continues to let MPs speak on different issues while a group of MPs continue to try to disrupt Lok Sabha. But since Winter Session has begun (16 November) members who are against the demonetisation drive have tried, and sometimes successfully, to stall Parliament. "These photos on the walls of the Rajya Sabha, from where emanates the power of democracy, often haunt me. It has been particularly difficult these last few days to get past those photos.Till 1 December (15th day since the commencement of the Winter Session) no business has been allowed to occur in the House except on the first day when a good debate took place in the Rajya Sabha over demonetisation. Regular disruptions, chaos and high-pitched slogan shouting have resulted in complete pandemonium in the House. The continuous ruckus usually leads to the suspension of the House proceedings and, sadly, it has become a regular feature. I ask myself: is this the only alternative left to us to address the genuine grievances of the public, the states and the nation?" "He (the prime minister) must answer our questions. India's image has been damaged globally," he said. "Today, the situation is that the withdrawals of the foreigners who come to India are being rationed," he said. "This has globally affected India's image," he added. "Demonetisation created a situation that 86 percent of the currency was invalidated. Now, after one month, tens of millions of Indians are standing in queues...It is wrong to give an impression that the Opposition is opposing the prime minister's crusade against black money," Sharma said. "The government has collective responsibility but the prime minister is the first among the equals," said Congress leader Anand Sharma in Rajya Sabha. "In the 2G debates, we have insisted that the prime minister participates in this discussions but there is no such practice in this House that the prime minister must be here to listen to each and every member," Jaitley said. "What is the stage we are in? Halfway through the debate, you interrupted the debate and are now raising concerns which have never been raised in the House," he told the Opposition. "In this case, we've repeatedly said that the prime minister is going to participate in the debate," Jaitley said. "It's obviously an important issue. The questions have to be answered," he said. "The government and the council of ministers fucntions on a collective responsibility. There is no such principle that a specific person has to answer." "We've gone through this exercise of having a major debate which is incomplete. We have spent seven hours on the debate under rule 167," said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Rajya Sabha. When asked what does the Opposition want, Rahul said, "He should come and debate in Parliament and explain his decision," he said. Targetting the Prime Minister over the issue of note ban, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi slammed the BJP government saying that the decision to scrap high denomination currency was the biggest mistake ever. "It was a bold decision - that's what Modi ji says - but bold decisions are also foolish decisions. Demonetisation was a foolish decision. Our farmers, fishermen and the poor of the society are dying, our Prime Minister does not care for any of that. He (PM Modi) is laughing and having a nice time while the people of the country are suffering. The idea behind cashless economy is that a few people and corporates will get maximum benefits from these transactions. This has damaged the nation." Today, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi launched a full frontal attack on the prime minister and an united Opposition on Thursday observed Black Day to mark one month since the demonetisation scheme kicked in. 8 November was when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the scrapping of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. It's been a month since then and the Opposition protests have gone on unabated - both in and outside Parliament. "It is a matter of shame that the government refused to pay tributes to the martyrs," Azad thundered, provoking the ruling party ministers and MPs, who began shouting as if Azad had just thrown something at them. He also said that by protesting in front of the Gandhi statue, the Opposition was the one which paid tributes to the deceased. "We have been saying for a long time that over 100 people have died because of demonetisation," said Ghulam Nabi Azad in Rajya Sabha. "But the government refused to pay tribute to the deceased," he added. It is a matter of shame that govt refuses to pay tributes to people killed due to demonetisation: Congress in RS President Pranab Mukherjee has accused the Opposition of "gagging majority" in both Houses of Parliament. "Debate, dissension and decision are necessary," Times Now quoted the President as saying. "The Parliament must not be disrupted...this is unacceptable." Has the Winter Session turned out to be a complete waste of time? Read the full article here . The Winter Session of Parliament began on 16 November. On 8 December, both the Houses Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha met for the 14th day but within minutes of commencing, both the Houses were adjourned. The deadlock over demonetisation has led to wastage of the Winter Session so far and considering that just one more week is left for the session to wrap up, there is little hope that the Houses will be able to pass, introduce or even debate the Bills that have been listed for consideration. Information and Broadcasting Minister Venakaiah Naidu also termed the 'dharna' by opposition leaders near the Gandhi statue in Parliament premises as a big 'tamasha' and an insult to the Father of the Nation. "Our opponents particularly the Congress I am told are observing a Black Day. I say what they are observing is a 'Black Money Support Day'," Naidu said. Hitting out at the Congress-led Opposition for observing a 'Black Day' against demonetisation decision, government on Thursday said they are actually observing a "Black Money Support Day". According to Times Now, the parliamentary panel has found Mann guilty of security breach after he filmed a video entering Parliament by crossing several security layers and posted it on social media. As if the logjam in Parliament for which President Pranab Mukherjee admonished both Houses was not embarrassing enough for the country, there is now a delegation of parliamentarians from Vietnam who are going to witness what happens in an Indian Parliament. "Govt running from debate, if they allow me to speak then you will see what an earthquake will come," says Rahul Gandhi. Keep in mind that Vietnamese Parliamentarians are in both the Houses to witness this scene. It's hard to decide at this point who is trying to stall Parliament. During zero hour in Lok Sabha, MPs in Lok Sabha kept raising ruckus while Speaker Sumitra Mahajan tries her best to keep the House in session. Rajya Sabha adjourned till 14 December On Friday as the count of members in the Upper House remained 21 despite calls from the Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien, the house was adjourned till Monday. The benches remained empty while BJP and Congress leaders sparred with each other blaming each other for the non-functioning government. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with key ministers before Parliament convenes on Wednesday morning to decide their strategy," the report said. According to an NDTV report Information and Broadcasting Minister Venkaiah Naidu said that Prime Minister Modi will be present in Parliament for the three remaining days of the Session and can participate in proceedings for either of the House depending on the need. Congress is going to raise the issue of corruption charges against Kiren Rijiju. Rajya Sabha member and senior Congress leader, Anand Sharma has given notice under Rule 267 in Rajya Sabha for discussion on corruption charges against Rijiju. Comparison of the Right of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2014 and new amendments "This is the first time that the government is scheming to make sure Parliament does not function. It usually is the job of Opposition to stand up and protest. However, this government is doing a pretty job of that and making sure that Parliament does not work and no one questions the ruling party's decision. Demonetisation has hurt a lot of people, but Modi government's arrogance is not allowing us to debate it in the House," a TMC member said. BJP was reacting to Congress vice-president's claim that he has information of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's alleged involvement in "personal corruption." Rahul was speaking a joint press briefing of the Opposition after the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day amid din created by Opposition. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ananth Kumar said that if Rahul Gandhi had any information, he could have revealed them twenty days ago, ""but till today he wasn't ready to make any earth-shattering revelations." Soon after Rajya Sabha passed the amended The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill (2014) and Kurien congratulated the members over a productive day, Anand Sharma raised the issue of Rijiju and his alleged involvement in the Rs 450-crore scam. Kurien tried to maintain calm in the House by saying, "Allegation without informing the Chair cannot be allowed." As Opposition members raised slogans and ruckus, Kurien said, "What can I do except adjourning. Both sides are indisciplined. The House is adourned till tomorrow (15 December) 11 am." It seemed like the members in the Upper House were just waiting to pass one single Bill this Winter Session. Soon after Kurien praised the members of the Upper House for being disciplined, ruckus over alleged corruption allegations on Kiren Rijiju took the House by storm again. Kurien: "I have given the floor to Leader of Opposition. That's the tradition. Let's follow it. Please sit down." Senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi object to leader of opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad speaking in the Upper House. Kurien asks BJP members to sit down. Amid slogans of "Agusta Agusta" , BJP leaders demanded to know what is the topic of discussion? "I have to adjourn.. what should I do?" asks Kurien. "This is for the first time in history of India that it's the ruling party that's not letting the House to function," says Azad. Helpless deputy chairman PJ Kurien begs for MPs to sit down as Congress and BJP leaders spar over Ghulam Nabi Azad's speech on demonetisation. Sources said that it was also decided in the meeting to raise the plight of farmers and common people in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and demand a loan waiver for farmers. Representatives of Congress, Trinamool Congress, BSP, SP, JD-U, CPI, CPI-M, NCP, DMK and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) were present in today's meeting. Leaders of various parties said the entire opposition has decided to approach the President to "complain" against the ruling party for not allowing them to speak in Parliament. The leaders said they were elected representatives of the country and had every right to speak in Parliament and it was "unconstitutional" not to allow them to speak in both Houses. Sources said time is being sought from the President till Friday and all opposition parties were ready to raise the issue unitedly before him. Taking their protest on demonetisation to President Pranab Mukherjee's doorsteps, Opposition parties sought a meeting with the president to convey the problems caused by the measure to the common man and "over not being" allowed to speak in Parliament. At a meeting of the opposition held in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, representatives of various parties decided to raise with the President the problems of the common people, including the poor and farmers arising out of demonetisation. Advani also added that "had Atal ji been in Parliament today, he would have been upset." Senior BJP leader LK Advani told Home Minister Rajnath Singh to intervene and stop disruptions in both Houses of Parliament. Expressing his unhappiness, Advani allegedly said that he "feels like resigning". Opposition leaders are scheduled to meet the President and PM Modi to push for a way to break the deadlock. The BJPs Parliamentary Party meeting to discuss the strategy to counter the Oppositions charges against the government is currently underway. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address the gathering. The last day of the Winter Session of Parliament is setup for a big tussle between the government and the Opposition as both try to break the deadlock. "Regular and continuous disruptions signify this session... The rules about displaying placards and shouting slogans were ignored by all sections of the house," Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari said in his closing statement before adjourning the house. The Rajya Sabha on Friday concluded its winter session after an emotional speech by the Chairman as the house was adjourned sine die. On the eve of Winter Session, two all-party meetings were convened, first by the ruling NDA and the other by Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan. At the all-party meeting Modi requested all parties for cooperation in order to make Parliament session a fruitful one. "I hope that Winter Session will be fruitful. I expect that Winter Session will proceed in a positive way. I hope that Winter Session debate will strengthen democracy. I believe that to take the country ahead this Winter Session debate will be useful, " said Modi as Winter Session sets to begin. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said govt should should respect Opposition and create an atmosphere for healthy debate during Parliament Winter Session. "If you will put their husbands in jail, who will provide for them, who will pay for their children," Azad asked as he reiterated that Congress leader Anad Sharma's suggestion to send it to Standing Committee should be taken into consideration. Ghulam Nabi Azad stood up as the bill was taken up for discussion and said that none of the parties are in opposition of the bill in essence. However, he said that the government's bill will "finish Muslim women" instead of saving them. He said that a committee should reflect the nature of the House, which the list of suggestions given by Sharma does not. Sharma's suggestion did not include names from the BJP. Jaitley said that the previous precedents show that any amendments or motions should be introduced with prior notice. He said that the Opposition's demand to send the bill to Select Committee was invalid. He also raised objection on the suggestion on members of Select Committee made by Anand Sharma. Kurien said that the Leader of the House is a very learned advocate himself and all points raised by him are of relevance. The rule he quotes that a prior notice should be given is also correct, he said. "However, the same rule adds that the Chairman has the power to admit such a motion and which is why I cannot overrule it. It is now admitted and hence is the property of the House, only members can amend it," Kurien said on Jaitley's objection over the Opposition motion seeking triple talaq bill be sent to Standing Committee. Roy, responding to Jaitley's objection that the Select Committee suggested by him did not reflect the nature of the House, Roy said that he had included members from all parties who were willing to send the bill to the Standing Committee. However, BJP members were not included because the government was not willing to send the bill to the committee. Roy added that if the BJP is interested in sending the Bill for further scrutiny, he has no objection to ammend the list to include its members too. Govt requests to take up GST bill first as Dy Chairman ruled Triple Talaq bill can't be taken for passage without first building consensus in House "If you will put their husbands in jail, who will provide for them, who will pay for their children," Azad asked as he reiterated that Congress leader Anad Sharma's suggestion to send it to Standing Committee should be taken into consideration. Ghulam Nabi Azad stood up as the bill was taken up for discussion and said that none of the parties are in opposition of the bill in essence. However, he said that the government's bill will "finish Muslim women" instead of saving them. He said that a committee should reflect the nature of the House, which the list of suggestions given by Sharma does not. Sharma's suggestion did not include names from the BJP. Jaitley said that the previous precedents show that any amendments or motions should be introduced with prior notice. He said that the Opposition's demand to send the bill to Select Committee was invalid. He also raised objection on the suggestion on members of Select Committee made by Anand Sharma. Uproar in Rajya Sabha after opposition's motion on #TripleTalaqBill , opposition has demanded the bill be sent to select committee Kurien said that the Leader of the House is a very learned advocate himself and all points raised by him are of relevance. The rule he quotes that a prior notice should be given is also correct, he said. "However, the same rule adds that the Chairman has the power to admit such a motion and which is why I cannot overrule it. It is now admitted and hence is the property of the House, only members can amend it," Kurien said on Jaitley's objection over the Opposition motion seeking triple talaq bill be sent to Standing Committee. Roy, responding to Jaitley's objection that the Select Committee suggested by him did not reflect the nature of the House, Roy said that he had included members from all parties who were willing to send the bill to the Standing Committee. However, BJP members were not included because the government was not willing to send the bill to the committee. Roy added that if the BJP is interested in sending the Bill for further scrutiny, he has no objection to ammend the list to include its members too. Govt requests to take up GST bill first as Dy Chairman ruled Triple Talaq bill can't be taken for passage without first building consensus in House New Delhi: Parliament again failed to transact any business as the opposition parties on Wednesday created uproar demanding obituary references to the soldiers killed in terror attack in Nagrota on Tuesday as well as those who died due to harassment after demonetisation. In the Lok Sabha, the demand was rejected by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan who said the operation in Nagrota was still underway and obituary reference can be made only after it is over. In the Rajya Sabha, Leader of the House and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the government was ready for a discussion on the terror attack along with that on demonetisation issue. However, there was uproar in both the Houses, leading to repeated adjournments. The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day just minutes before 1 pm while the Rajya Sabha was adjourned at around 2.15 pm. Earlier, as soon as the Upper House met for the day, Opposition led by Congress and Trinamool Congress raised the demand for obituary reference over the killing of 25 armymen since the surgical strikes on September 29 and the "death of 82 people" due to post-demonetisation hardships. Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said there should be an obituary reference for the seven army personnel including two officers killed in terrorist attack at Nagrota armybase near Jammu on Tuesday as well as for the 82 people who died because of the "wrong policies of government." As other opposition members joined in, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien got listed papers to be laid on the table. Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (Trinamool) said he had given a notice under rule 267 for an obituary resolution to mourn the martyrdom of 25 army personnel since the surgical strikes across the LoC, and the death of 82 people standing in queues io get valid currency after the ban on 500 and 1000 rupee notes. Kurien, however, said the notice is not permitted. "It is a serious issue if the House is not ready to pay homage to brave soldiers and those who died because of the wrong policies" of the government, Azad said. Charging government with being insensitive, Mayawati (BSP) said demonetisation was done without preparation and a condolence message has to be brought before the House. Jaitley said the government was ready for discussion on both the issues mentioned by the Opposition. While the discussion on demonetisation should be resumed, the government is ready for a discussion on the situation along the border, he said. When Sharad Yadav (JD(U) also spoke on the currency issue, Jaitley snapped at him asking him to first discuss demonetisation within his party and decide if it is against the move or for it. His remark was apparent reference to JD-U Chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar supporting demonetisation. Yadav shot back, saying his party was not against demonetisation but against the restrictions that have been placed on withdrawals. Ram Gopal Yadav (SP) demanded that the government should pay compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the kin of all those who lost their lives due to hardship caused by demonetisation. The Opposition members then trooped into the Well. Kurien said the government is ready for discussion on both the issues and they should decide which of the two should be discussed first. But Opposition members continued to shout slogans. With his pleas going unheeded, Kurien adjourned the proceedings till noon. When the House met again, Chairman Hamid Ansari called for Question Hour to be taken up, but the Opposition members were again on their feet raising objections. Soon the members of Congress, TMC, Left, SP, BSP and DMK stood in the aisles and started raising slogans. Later, when they raised slogans of "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan" the treasury bench members too joined them in shouting the same slogan. "There is total agreement in the House," the Chairman commented sarcastically and wondered why the House was not being allowed to run. As the din continued, Ansari adjourned the House till 2 pm. When the House reassembled, protests continued as Opposition members kept on raising their demands. Azad demanded a statement from the Defence Minister on the Nagrota attack. "Defence Minister should come and give the statement. When such a big incident has happened...We want to know the status," the Leader of Opposition said. To which, Naqvi said, "The Operations are still on. We will give reply at an appropriate time." The Chair also said that the issue can be debated later. "Where the country is one, all MPs are one. ...What the Minister said is that the operation is going on. After that, information will be shared. We can have debate later," the the Deputy Chairman said. Congress member Rajiv Shukla said, "Many of our soldiers have died. Many have died standing in queue after demonetisation. We need to offer condolences to both in this House." Pramod Tiwari (Cong) said the House has tradition of offering condolences and it should do first. "Modi government's policies has been such that they is threat to our border security," he said but did not elaborate. To this, Deputy Chairman said, "With regard to obituary, we will do at an appropriate time." Amid noisy scenes, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said, "Our soldiers are fighting against enemies. We must be sensitive and united in our approach. Otherwise, it will give wrong message." Amid din, TMC leader Derek O'Brien said, "We want the debate (on demonetisation which was initiated on November 16) to continue but the Prime Minister is speaking outside Parliament and painting all political parties in poor light. He should apologise." CPI (M) member T K Rangarajan said, "....the government is spreading rumour that bandh was failure. The government should apologise." Trying to convince the Opposition, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the armymen are fighting at borders and they are still on job. "We are ready for debate on this issue," he said. But the unrelenting Opposition MPs assembled near the Chairman's podium, raising slogans "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan." The Chair expressed happiness over MPs shouting "at least acceptable slogans". Naqvi said, "We welcome your slogans but come for discussion." As slogan-shouting continued, the Chair warned the Opposition members that he would adjourn the House. As the pleas for order went unheeded and Opposition members continued raising slogans demanding resignation of the Defence Minister, Kurien adjourned the House for the day. The Lok Sabha also saw uproar over the obituary issue after Leader of Congress Mallikarjun Kharge raised it as soon as the House met for the day. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan initially thought he was raising the issue of allowing the Opposition to bring an Adjournment Motion on demonetisation. When Kharge clarified that he wanted an obituary reference in the memory of the soldiers killed, she said she had no problems in bringing the reference but the details were still pouring in as combing operations were still on. She said she was aware that seven soldiers have been killed but let the complete report come. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present in the House as it was the day when questions for the Prime Minister's Office are slated to be raised. But as Kharge was persistent, Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said issues of national security should not be brought into controversy. Most opposition members, including those from Congress, Trinamool Congress, Left, RJD then staged a walkout. The Speaker said it was sad that the Opposition had raised the issue like this. As the House took up the first question for the day during Question Hour, the Opposition members returned and rushed to the Well demanding Adjournment Motion on demonetisation issue. The Speaker then adjourned the proceedings till noon. Later, Kharge and Trinamool leader Sudip Bandopadhyay expressed regret over the development but blamed the government for its inputs to the Speaker on the matter, a contention Mahajan rejected saying the government had no role in it. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar attacked the Opposition over the matter, saying they should not do politics over martyrdom of soldiers, drawing protests from the Opposition benches. Turning to demonetisation, the Opposition said it is ready for a debate under any rule that entails voting but the government refused to budge from its stand against division of votes. This led to frequent adjournments. Leaders of several Opposition parties, including Kharge and Bandhopadhyay, expressed willingness to withdraw their demand that the debate be held under Rule 56, which deals with an Adjournment Motion, but said the government also should not insist on debate under Rule 193 which does not entail voting. BJD also sided with the Opposition and rejected the government's contention with its leader Bhartruhari Mahtab saying the division of votes was not on black money but the hardships facing people and states following the decision. Kharge asked the Speaker to decide on any rule that involves discussion and voting. "We are ready. We are not running away from debate," he said, drawing support from Bandopadhyay. Ananth Kumar said the people stood with the Narendra Modi government on its action against black money and a divided message should not go out of Parliament on the issue. It should not appear that Parliament is against the measures being taken against black money, he said. Taking a dig at the government, Mahtab wondered who is dividing Parliament. He said it is neither the Leader of Opposition, nor the Trinamool leader. He said the Opposition was demanding a discussion on the predicament people are facing after demonetisation, with every citizen, every state going through hardships. Jaitley said if the debate is about hardships facing people, then there is no need for division of votes and the debate should start immediately. Mahajan suggested that a debate should begin in the Zero Hour and Parliament will try to find "something out of the zero" as both sides are divide on rules. However, the Opposition members trooped into the Well as it became clear that the government was not agreeable to their demand. The Speaker said it was clear that the Opposition did not want a discussion and she adjourned the House till 1245 hours. Before adjourning the House, the Speaker took up Zero Hour asking members to raise issues of national importance. However, nothing was audbile in the din. When the proceedings resumed, the Opposition again raised the demand for discussion to be held under rules which entails voting. Mahajan said she had given one chance to the Opposition and was ready to allow them to proceed with the debate. However, the dissatisfied Opposition members stormed into the Well again and amidst continued sloganeering, the House was adjourned for the day. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee continued to stay put at the state secretariat on Friday protesting against army presence at toll plazas in several parts of the state and asked whether it was an "army coup". Speaking to reporters late Thursday night at 'Nabanna', the state secretariat, she said, "I will stay at the secretariat to guard our democracy". "Is this a military coup?" she asked. She said that army personnel were there in different districts like Murshidabad, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, North 24 Paraganas, Burdwan, Howrah, Hooghly etc. "The army is deployed without informing the state government. This is unprecedented and a very serious matter," she had said. Earlier, aviation regulator DGCA has ordered an inquiry into as many as three flights, including one carrying Banerjee, reporting low fuel at the same time, as TMC and other opposition parties alleged conspiracy and a threat to her life. Alleging a threat to the life of Banerjee, TMC leader in Lok Sabha, Sudip Bandopadhyay said the government should rise to the occasion and find out whether there was a conspiracy. These are the latest in a string of accusations and protests by the West Bengal chief minister who is now at the forefront of the anti-demonetisation campaign. On 8 November, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a ban on currency notes of Rs 500 and 1000, opposition parties quickly jumped on the opportunity and organised a protest in and outside the Parliament which kicked off with its Winter session. But as the protests grew, it was not Rahul Gandhi or Arvind Kejriwal who took the centre-stage. Fresh off the by-polls where Trinamool Congress registered a massive victory in the by-election to two Lok Sabha seats and one assembly segment, Banerjee hailed the mandate as "people's revolt" against demonetisation. "The by-election result is a befitting reply against the anti-people demonetisation by the Centre. It's a people's revolt, rather than a mass revolt against the centre. BJP should take lessons from this mandate," she said before leaving for New Delhi to join the protest rally by the Opposition. And once in the capital, in a show of strength, Banerjee, backed by JD(U), SP, NCP and AAP, held a demonstration and ramped up attack on Prime Minister Modi, alleging the country was not safe in his hands. Addressing the gathering at Jantar Mantar, Banerjee alleged that abolition of high-value currency notes had heaped pain on people and snatched away democratic rights of almost every section of the society including farmers, youth, women, labourers and traders, besides halting the country's economic growth. Accusing the BJP-led dispensation of "looting" the common man, she wondered why those having Swiss bank accounts were "not touched at all", and warned that people will teach a "good lesson" to the ruling party in the upcoming assembly polls for implementing a "black law". A week before this, Banerjee had addressed a rally against demonetisation along with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. After protests came prime minister's 'Mann ki Baat', and once again Banerjee stepped into the limelight. In a stinging attack on the prime minister, Banerjee said his radio programme was a "misuse" of the government machinery as it has now become 'Modi ki Baat'. "Modiji, you have finished India's economy and growth. We don't trust you or your mismatched wrong technology which you are advertising for. We want technology and progress. But no section of society is to be left out and tortured while doing this [demonetisation]," Banerjee said in a statement. But for the prime minister, Banerjee had more in mind than just a statement. Banerjee went ahead and threatened to demonstrate outside Modi's residence against demonetisation, vowing to dislodge him from the seat of power if the scrapping of high-value currency notes is not withdrawn. "The entire country is suffering. There is no money in banks, ATMs. So far 80 people have died due to the hardships caused by demonetisation. But Modi is having a sound sleep and giving lectures on taking the country towards cashless economy," she said after her protest march, this time back home in Kolkata. Continuing her tirade against Modi, Banerjee said she would fight till the end against the "anti-people" decision which has imposed an "undeclared financial emergency" in the country. Banerjee next took her protest to Uttar Pradesh. In Lucknow, charging the prime minister with flouting the constitutional rights of people by bringing in demonetisation, she dared him to declare his bank account details. "Modiji has surpassed (Muhammad bin) Tughlaq and Hitler... he has flouted the Constitutional rights of common people," Banerjee said at a rally organised jointly with the ruling Samajwadi Party. Vowing to fight till demonetisation is rolled back, Banerjee said, "The fight against note ban will continue till this decision is revoked as note culling has shut shops, markets and agricultural operations." Up next, Patna. Here, the TMC chief said the prime minister has imposed a "super-emergency" in the country by demonetising Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes. The West Bengal chief minister was accompanied by her party leaders and leaders from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). As the protests gain more ground with each passing day, Banerjee seems to be getting increasingly comfortable in the shoes of the opposition on the national stage. Taking Modi head on and stepping up the dramatics around her, it is difficult not to connect this building narrative to the upcoming assembly elections in 2019 in the light of the absence of a strong Opposition to the current government. But much can change in the two years. For now, Banerjee is firmly standing her ground and increasingly directing the narrative against the Modi government. With inputs from agencies Any fool can criticise, condemn and complain and most fools do. But it takes character and self control to be understanding and forgiving, said Dale Carnegie in How to Win Friends and Influence People. And Nitish Kumar, who seems to be following Carnegies advice, is not a fool. He weighs his words, looks before leaping and doesnt get carried away by rabid anti-Centre emotions. Little wonder then, more often than not, he finds himself to be on the winning side. To understand the import of his apparently out-of-the-blue support to Prime Minister Narendra Modis demonetisation scheme better, you need to take a closer look at some of the post-truth pointers that have already surfaced on the political landscape in Bihar: First, the dazzlingly successful mahagathbandhan which had beaten the BJP hollow in 2015 no longer looks all that solid. With RJD leaders including Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Mohammad Shahbuddin spitting fire at JD(U) leadership periodically to belittle Nitish Kumars position, cracks have developed. And, God knows why, law and order has suffered. Second, the perception that demonetisation has been done to root out black money from the system has been gaining ground. In politics, it is the perception that matters not the truth. And people, more so in India, hate uncomfortable statistics in any case. Like it or not, the poor masses in general hold the view that the exit route of the rich and powerful, who hold all the black part of the cash, has now been sealed. And Narendra Modi is, in their eyes, the He-man who is fighting the demon of black money all alone! Third, the BJP knows that they will continue to be a fringe party in the cow-belt of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh until and unless a strong section of OBC voters join their party. Thats why they have now nominated Nityanand Rai, a Yadav, as president of the Bihar unit of the party. You may recall that in 2010, when Nitish Kumar and the BJP had fought the state assembly election together, the NDA had won four-fifth of the total seats. And Lalu Yadavs RJD had to remain content with just 22 seats as compared to NDAs 206. But wishes are not horses. Neither Nityanand Rai in Bihar nor Keshav Prasad Maurya in UP can ever match the pro OBC charisma of a Mulayam Singh Yadav or, say, a Lalu Prasad. Nor can they divide the backward vote-bank and bring them to the saffron camps kitty like Kalyan Singh did in 1991 in UP or Nitish Kumar in Bihar in 2010. The success stories of 1991 and 2010 had one commonality: A sizeable section of OBC voters had joined hands with the upper-castes, giving the BJP plus camp its winning edge. Who knows BJPs inherent weaknesses more than Nitish Kumar? After all, they had been alliance partners for almost 17 years. BJPs weakness is Nitish Kumars strength. And mahagathbandhans fissure does open up a window of opportunity to the BJP. Both the parties seem to have done their Swot analysis. And both are content to live with all this. For the time being, at least. There is yet another reason for the Bihar chief minister to feel miffed: Mulayam Singh Yadav had walked out of the grand alliance at the eleventh hour in the run up to Bihar elections in 2015. This apart, the families of Lalu Prasad and Mulayam Singh are tied up through a matrimonial alliance. And perhaps, blood is thicker than political compulsions. Didnt you notice that while Lalu Prasad took part in Samajwadi Partys silver jubilee celebrations with great fanfare in Lucknow last month, Nitish Kumar skipped the show? Conveniently, without any remorse. Not that Patna is about to witness a political earthquake too soon in the wake of the Bihar chief ministers pro-Centre statement on demonetisation and black money, but one thing is certain: Nitish Kumars utterances are being taken even more seriously. While BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi rushed to suggest to the state chief minister that it was time he reviewed his relationship with the RJD and the Congress, Lalu Prasads RJD and Ajit Singhs RLD are, after initial hesitancy, beginning to see eye to eye with Nitish Kumar on the issue of black money. The result is that the overall opposition camp stands divided. You may see all the unpleasant optics on the floor of the Parliament every day. Isnt it confusing? But the BJP and Nitish Kumar, who is certainly not a fool, are having the last laugh. For the moment. Demonetisation originated as an idea on 8 November to kill the black money build-up in the system, to end corruption and break the back of terrorist activities. But the obvious inference one can draw looking at a series of incidents that have happened since the demonetisation announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is that the very idea is turning into a myth. It is too early to assess the impact of demonetisation on the economy and its last stated objective of pushing the system to a cashless economy. But, one neednt wait any longer than this to understand whether the currency swapping exercise is good enough to address the issues of black money build-up in the system, corruption and terror funding. Three separate incidents since 8 November tell us that it isnt. The first is an incident reported from Gujarat on 17 November, when two port trust officials were arrested for accepting a bribe of Rs 2.9 lakh in new Rs 2,000 notes that was launched on 11 November. The second is the Nagrota terrorist attack that began on Tuesday morning and has so far claimed the lives of 7 soldiers, including two officers. The third, and the most critical evidence, is the seizure of Rs 4.7 crore worth new Rs 2,000 currency notes by IT officials from two contractors and two government officials. The Rs 4.7 crore was part of a total Rs 30 crore haul. Remember, the demonetisation implementation isnt even over yet. The public has still got one more month to deposit the old Rs 500, Rs 1,000 notes. The new currency denominations of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 remain extremely scarce in bank branches and ATMs. Close to Rs 5 crore of new currency notes in one box would be a rare sight even for the banker at the branch of a nationalised bank these days. Then how did our Bangalore contractors and government officials manage to bring home this much amount in new bills. The Bangalore episode tells us that remedy to checking unaccounted assets is beyond merely swapping the currency notes. It has more to do with the loose systems in place and more importantly, the culture. Until the time, the surveillance mechanisms are strong enough to track suspicious transactions, including those outside the purview of the banking system, the peril of black money build-up is here to stay. The currency ban would have slowed down illegal cash hoarding for a brief time, a few days or weeks at the most, before re-emerging in brand new notes. The argument goes similar to the corruption cases involving cash exchange and the terror funding. What difference the currency swap made to stop corruption? The Rs 3 lakh bribery case in Gujarat is an eye-opener to the government and the society as to what is the mindset of corrupt officials to the currency swap. When the PM was announcing the currency ban on the evening of 8 November, these crooks would have been laughing aloud in their minds. After lying low for a few days till the government mints prints new currency notes and take it to the bank branches, they would have started calling for bribes in new Rs 2,000, Rs 500 notes, instead of the old Rs 500, Rs 1,000 notes. Only the currency notes changed in color and shape, the corruption didnt. Then comes the issue of terror funding. Like the earlier examples, the cash crunch would have paralysed the stone pelting in Kashmir against Indian army for a few days, because just like our contractor in Bangalore and port officials in Gujarat, the handlers of young, unemployed crowds in Jammu and Kashmir would also have been waiting for the new lot of currency to come. But, it wont be long before things return to normalcy again. Nagrota is a big disappointment, not just for the government, even for the common man standing in ATM queues, hoping that this exercise will paralyse terror funding and large, organised terrorist attacks on Indian establishments would be a thing of the past. The incident tells us that one of the two possibilities -- that terrorists deployed for major assaults arent really dependent on cash or even if they need they have modes to continue to getting money--exists. Demonetisation is still a game in progress. It is too early to assess the tangible benefits of it to the state-exchequer and whether the pain of the common man is justified at the end of it. But, even at this stage, it is equally naive to imagine that the note ban will kill illegal cash build up in the system, curb corruption and end organized terror. Kolkata: After spending the night at the secretariat, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stayed put there on Friday demanding "withdrawal of the army" from the state and alleging it has been done by keeping her government "in the dark". Accusing the central government of "deploying the army" along a highway toll plaza at the second Hooghly Bridge, about 500 metres from the secretariat 'Nabanna' in neighbouring Howrah district, Banerjee had said she would not leave till the army was withdrawn from there. "I'll keep vigil to protect the democracy, to protect my democratically elected government," she said. Shortly after midnight, the Eastern Command said the army has been asked to withdraw from the toll plaza near Nabanna as it had already collected the data it required. Past 2 am, Banerjee holding her third round of media conference since the evening reiterated she would spend the night at Nabanna, fearing the army may be back. "The army has withdrawn from the second Hooghly Bridge after 2 am. They will definitely come back. After Nabanna, they have entered various districts. The army has been deployed in 80 per cent of the areas," she said. "I'll remain awake all night to keep vigil. I will spend the night at Nabanna," she said. In the morning, Banerjee held parleys with senior police officers and bureaucrats on the issue. Trinamool Congress sources said a pen-drive containing videos of the army activities at the second Hooghly bridge toll plaza has been forwarded to President Pranab Mukherjee. The riveting drama unfolded on Thursday evening, when Banerjee alleged the army has been deployed at the Dankuni and Palsit toll plazas on National Highway 2 (connecting Delhi and Kolkata) without informing the state government. Banerjee said the Chief Secretary was writing to the central government and that she would approach Mukherjee seeking clarification on the issue. The Defence Ministry said the army was conducting routine exercise with full knowledge of and co-ordination with West Bengal police. "The army conducts the annual exercise throughout the country with the aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of a contingency," said a Defence Ministry spokesman. Banerjee rubbished the spokesman's clarification. "Absolutely wrong and misleading facts by @easterncomd. We have great respect for you, but please please don't mislead the people," she tweeted. Banerjee, also supremo of the ruling Trinamool Congress, said she has collected information from Maharashtra, Kerala, Odisha and Chhattisgarh and nowhere such a thing was been done. "Why is it been done in Bengal? Is it because I am speaking for the people?" she asked, claiming the army has been positioned in Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Darjeeling, North 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Kolkata, Murshidabad and Burdwan districts. "The secretariat Nabanna' is a sensitive zone. The toll plaza on the second Hooghly Bridge is within the sensitive zone. It is under our secretariat," she said. Demanding to know whether a military coup has taken place, she said: "The motive is political, vindictive, unconstitutional, unethical and undemocratic." "Even if the Army carried out a mock exercise, the state government should have been kept in the loop. If this is happening in a civil area in Bengal, this could happen in Bihar, next in Uttar Pradesh, then in Tamil Nadu and other states as well. It is a very serious situation and it is dangerous than Emergency. We are facing an extremely black day," she said. "I'll urge all state governments to look into the matter. A team of Opposition... all political leaders... will meet the President (soon)," she said. On the other hand, the spokesman said the routine exercise was being carried out in all states of the eastern region. "Permission for carrying out this exercise in West Bengal was initially sought for November 28. On specific request of the police the date had been shifted to 1 December. No permission has been withdrawn so far," the spokesman added. "Routine exercise in all NE states. In Assam @ 18 places, Arunanchal@13, WB@19, Manipur@6, Nagaland@5, Meghalaya@5, Tripura & Mizoram," the Eastern Command tweeted. Trinamool leader in the Rajya Sabha, Derek O'Brien,termed as "incorrect" the army claim that the exercises were carried out in coordination with the police. "All respect for army, but must set record straight 1. Data is already available 2. Cannot do vehicle check, not authorised to do so. Saying exercise by @easterncomd was coordinated with the police is absolutely incorrect," he twitted on Friday. In a separate post on his twitter handle, O'Brien said: "Also, troops were moved into districts even after midnight. Bengal Chief Minister kept watch from the Secretariat overnight. She is still there." New Delhi: The row over Army taking over road toll plazas in West Bengal on Friday echoed in Parliament with TMC seeing "sinister" designs behind the move and the government vehemently denying the charge, saying it was a routine exercise conducted in full knowledge of the local authorities. The issue was raised in both Houses of Parliament with main opposition Congress too seeking clarification on the army deployment at 19 toll plazas in West Bengal. In Lok Sabha, Defence Minister Manmohar Parrikar termed it a "routine exercise not unique to West Bengal" and saying that similar operations to collect information on heavy vehicle movement that can be used during national emergencies had last month being conducted in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. Along with West Bengal, similar exercise was carried out in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghlaya and Mizoram, he said while responding to TMC and Congress MPs. He also stated that originally the exercise was planned for 28 and 30 November but was shifted to 1 ans 2 December at the request of Kolkata Police as those dates were clashing with the protests against demonetisation. "It is shocking that a Chief Minister is saying this. The Army's deployment was part of routine exercise which has been going on for several years, which has been going on for last 15-20 years. Even last year it was held on November 19 to 21," Parrikar said. The Minister said Army's Eastern Command has been carrying out the exercise in West Bengal, Assam and other North Eastern states and a similar exercise has already been carried out in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. "Concerned officials were informed in West Bengal. The original date was fixed for 28 and 30 November but due to Bharat Bandh the local police had advised the army to shift it to December 1 and 2," he said. "Due to traffic congestion, the exercise is being done with the help of local police." TMC leaders in both Houses alleged that neither the state government, nor local administration including police were taken into confidence on the exercise or their permission sought. Congress and BSP too wanted to know from the government how such an unprecedented move to carry out an army exercise without taking state government into confidence was done. "It was very unfortunate that army has been dragged into an unnecessary controversy," Parrikar said. "It was political frustration rather than projection of correct situation." Beijing: China said on Friday that it will remain in touch with India and "relevant parties" on Beijing blocking India's bid for a UN ban on Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar, as it mulled further options after its technical hold on the ban expires this month. "On the issue of listing in the UNSC 1267 Committee, I have already explained China's position many times," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told PTI. "China will continue to keep in touch with relevant parties including India on this issue," he said in a written response to minister of state for external affairs MJ Akbar's comments that India has urged China to reverse its technical hold on New Delhi's request. Akbar said in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that India's request on Azhar's ban is co-sponsored by several prominent countries. Akbar said China has often repeated its concern on the spread of terrorism and its desire to cooperate with India on the issue. Geng's response to Akbar's comments came as the second technical hold put by China in October following the Uri terrorist attack, which was also blamed on the JeM, is due to expire later this month. On 31 March, China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council, had blocked India's move to impose a ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed leader and Pathankot terror attack mastermind Azhar under the Sanctions Committee of the Council. China was the only member in the 15-nation UN body to put a hold on India's application with all other 14 members of the Council supporting New Delhi's bid to place Azhar on the 1267 sanctions list that would subject him to an assets freeze and travel ban. The two foreign ministries have been holding talks on this issue which was also discussed during the recent two meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping. The two leaders met at the G20 meeting in Hangzhou and BRICS summit in Goa. By Ahmed Rasheed and Dominic Evans | BAGHDAD BAGHDAD Facing brutal urban warfare in Mosul and with their push slowed by the presence of one million residents, Iraqi commanders examined changing strategy last week to help civilians leave to give the army a free hand to strike Islamic State fighters.The proposal, a sign of frustration at slow progress in the six-week campaign against Islamic State in Mosul, was ultimately dismissed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and his generals, military sources told Reuters in interviews.Abadi and his advisers feared that fleeing residents could be massacred by the ultra-hardline militants who still control three-quarters of the city, and that authorities and aid agencies were in no position to handle a mass exodus.But the fact they considered changing a central element of their plan, confirmed by two military sources and a government adviser, at the meeting on Nov. 24 points to growing anxiety about getting bogged down in a war of attrition in Mosul.Islamic State militants who have controlled the city since mid-2014 have waged a lethal defence, deploying snipers, mortar fire and 600 suicide car bombers, as well as attacks launched from a network of tunnels beneath residential neighbourhoods. "Supreme commanders order us to make advances, and at the same time make sure to give priority to civilian safety," said an officer in the army's Ninth Armoured Division, which is fighting in the southeast of the city."How can we do that? It's mission impossible," said the officer, who declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media.The campaign to take Mosul, the largest city under Islamic State control in either Iraq or Syria, is the biggest ground operation in Iraq for more than a decade, pitting a coalition of around 100,000 Iraqi fighters against a few thousand militants.Launched on Oct. 17, it has already taken longer than the 2003 U.S.-led invasion which toppled Saddam Hussein, and could yet become the most protracted battle in the 13 turbulent years since Saddam's downfall.RISKS OUTWEIGHED BENEFITS At current rates of progress the battle will stretch well into next year, threatening a humanitarian crisis in the city over the winter plus further heavy losses among army ranks."Last week our commanders discussed with other commanders in the joint military operation command the option of giving the chance to civilians to flee Mosul ... to lift the burden from the advancing forces and allow them to engage freely with Daesh (Islamic State) elements," the army officer said.A soldier in the elite Counter Terrorism Services (CTS), which is spearheading the offensive, said that with civilians out of the way the U.S.-led coalition which is supporting Iraqi forces could also step up air strikes.Commanders agree that the move would "hasten the military advance", but felt the risks still outweighed the benefits, he said, citing an officer who he said attended the meeting. "They instead decided to stick with the current plan," said the soldier who also declined to be identified.Iraqi commanders say they have killed at least 1,000 Islamic State fighters, as they try to roll back its self-declared caliphate which covers large parts of Iraq and Syria.They have not given figures for their own casualties, but the United Nations says nearly 2,000 members of the Iraqi security forces were killed across Iraq last month. The Iraqi army makes no secret of the fact that the battle for northern Iraq's largest city is a greater challenge than any it has faced over the last two years.FREEDOM OF ACTION "In previous operations, either in Tikrit, Ramadi or Falluja, there were no civilians ... (we had) freedom of action to use our weapons," operations commander Lieutenant General Abdul Ameer Rasheed Yarallah said."The instructions from the commander-in-chief (Abadi) are for the civilians to stay in their homes," he told Iraqi TV on Thursday night, adding that without that constraint CTS forces would have already recaptured the eastern half of the city."That's why you see a delay," he said.For Abadi's Shi'ite-led government, reassuring Mosul's mainly Sunni residents that they should stay in their homes also sends an important political message that the army is on their side, and that Iraq can overcome the deep sectarian divisions which helped to create Islamic State in the first place.The country's senior Shi'ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, said the army's treatment of people in Mosul was a source of pride. Sheikh Abdul Mahdi al-Kerbalai, who delivered the Friday sermon in the holy city of Kerbala on behalf of the aged and reclusive religious leader praised "the magnificent performance in helping our people trapped in the theatre of operations". In the early days of the Mosul assault, authorities also sought to encourage a popular uprising against the ruthless but vastly outnumbered militants. Islamic State responded by executing dozens it accused of collaborating with the army. "What we are saying is: 'Our brothers in Mosul, your units are coming. They will liberate you and stay with you,'" Yarallah said. SUICIDE BOMBERS LOSE MOMENTUM A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said international forces had had no substantive discussions with Iraqi authorities about changing plans."Our position aligns with the government of Iraq, which is that civilians should shelter in place - that's the safest thing," U.S. Air Force Colonel John Dorrian told Reuters.Dorrian also said the rate of suicide car bombings was dropping off, partly because Islamic State - now cut off to the north, south, east and west of the city - had a finite number of cars and bombers, and because air strikes on bridges and roads inside Mosul had limited their ability to get them to the front."This tactic is beginning to lose momentum," he said.So far the CTS and the army's Ninth Armoured Division have captured or cleared about half of the eastern section of the city, split by the Tigris river running through its centre. Yarallah suggested the battle for the west bank of the city could be even tougher because it was already densely populated, and many people had fled the fighting in the east to the - for now - relatively quiet western neighbourhoods."THUNDER BEFORE RAIN" When the army launched its battle for Mosul in mid-October it dropped leaflets over the city seeking to prevent a mass exodus which it feared could complicate the offensive. "Stay at home", the leaflets said, telling parents to reassure children the bombardment was "only a game, or thunder before the rain".Most residents have complied - either out of choice, or because they felt trapped, or because they feared that by leaving they might lose their homes for good.The United Nations has registered around 78,000 people displaced since the start of the campaign. That figure excludes many thousands more who have fled or been forcibly moved within territory still controlled by the ultra-hardline Islamists.The presence of civilians is not the only headache for advancing troops. Winter rains have started, turning some roads to mud and hindering air support because of the cloudy weather, and not all security forces deployed are trained for war. The armoured division officer, whose troops have been battling in the southeast neighbourhoods of Mosul, said police units sent to hold ground captured by the soldiers and cover their backs were not up to the job."They are not ready for a real fight. They are only fit to be park guards," he said, adding that an army reinforcement had been summoned from Baghdad.AMMUNITION DEPLETING Commanders hope that security forces still stationed a few miles south of Mosul will advance soon and open a new front inside the city, with the aim of stretching the militants' defences more thinly.Hisham al-Hashemi, who advises the government on combating Islamist militancy, told Reuters there were probably 4,000 Islamic State fighters still in Mosul. The jihadists remain well organised and divided into cells defending separate neighbourhoods, he said. But militants in the east had been cut off from the west by air strikes on bridges across the Tigris, boosting the army's chance to make progress."It will be slow and cautious. We're betting that Daesh will have had enough, that their ammunition is being depleted and they cannot resupply because the river crossing is finished". (Additional reporting by Saif Hameed, editing by Peter Millership) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Alastair Macdonald | BRUSSELS BRUSSELS Islamic State will attack Europe again, security chiefs warned on Friday, and may add car bombs, cyber and chemical warfare to its local arsenal as European militants drift home after reverses in Syria and Iraq.Gilles de Kerchove, the European Union's Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, said it was impossible to know for sure how many militants were already in Europe plotting. A report on Friday by the EU's Europol policy agency referred to dozens. Some 2,500 Europeans may still be fighting in the Middle East, de Kerchove estimated in an interview with Reuters. But as they face setbacks in Mosul, Aleppo and elsewhere, Europe must track them if it is to contain a diaspora of trained militants like that which followed the 1989 Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan."We have to be prepared because some of them will come to Europe," said de Kerchove, a veteran EU official whose Brussels office is packed with books and souvenirs from nine years of intensive travel and talking with Europe's troubled neighbours."They may try to come back home and we don't want to repeat the mistake we made in the late 80s when the Russians left Afghanistan and we left these mujahideen ... in the wild."Many of those fought in Algeria's bloody 1990s and went on to operate in conflicts from Chechnya and Kosovo to Yemen.Some Europeans, among them also wives and children of fighters, may choose to stay in the Middle East even if IS loses its territorial grip. Others may go further afield, with lawless Libya already looking like a new base for European militants and the movement likely to go on recruiting over the Internet."The physical caliphate ... is collapsing but we still have the virtual caliphate and this allows the organisation to direct attacks," de Kerchove said.In his post since 2007, the Belgian lawyer said the past two years have seen an "impressive" leap forward in intelligence cooperation among EU states and a tightening of law and practice on Europe's borders in response to the variety of IS attacks that have included mass killings in Paris, Brussels and Nice. "We have nearly fixed most of the loopholes," he said of what Europe could do internally to combat the Islamist militants who pose by far the bulk of violent threats. NEW THREATS The tougher part is now, de Kerchove said, to address root grievances for militants, whether among alienated people at home or angry Sunni Muslims in Iraq and Syria. "The way the fight is developing in Aleppo will have an impact," he said. "The way we will try to address the grievances of the Sunni population both in Iraq and in Syria will have an impact."Inside Europe, he said, "we are doing a lot better". Europol identified immediate threats as similar to recent attacks: groups using automatic rifles and suicide vests packed with home-made TATP explosive, or loners with knives or trucks. IS was also infiltrating Syrian refugee communities in Europe in a bid to inflame hostility to immigrants in places like Germany.De Kerchove stressed also a new risk of IS bringing car bomb tactics, common in Syria and Iraq, into Europe. Agencies were, he said, also preparing to counter more complex tactics in years to come, such as cyber attacks and biological weapons.For now, he said, the Internet was a weapon mainly of recruitment and radicalisation of individuals -- something the EU was working on countering in alliance with network companies. "So far the terrorist organisations have not used the Internet as a weapon, to mount an attack through the Internet," he said, citing the risk of disrupting nuclear power stations, dams, electricity grids or even air traffic control systems."It has not happened so far ... but I don't exclude that before five years we will be confronted by this," de Kerchove said, noting IS had the funds to hire seasoned criminal hackers.The EU was, he said, "actively working" to counter chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats but did not see an "acute risk", despite evidence of militants dabbling with germs or using poison gas in Syria. "We need to be prepared," he said.International cooperation is a priority and de Kerchove spends much of his time building relationships with Arab countries, Turkey and other neighbours. Ties with the United States had become very close under President Barack Obama and de Kerchove voiced a hope they would remain so under Donald Trump. Working with Britain, a leader in counter-terrorism in Europe, should not be greatly affected by its decision this year to leave the EU.Noting Britain's decision to opt in to closer ties with Europol, he said: "Intelligence sharing is developing outside the EU framework so ... Brexit will not have any impact." (Editing by Mark Trevelyan) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. London: Pro-EU candidate Sarah Olney on Friday won a parliamentary by-election in the posh London suburb of Richmond, ousting the pro-Brexit incumbent Zac Goldsmith in what will be seen as a blow for the British government. The Liberal Democrat candidate won with 20,510 votes, ahead of Goldsmith's 18,638 votes, local mayor and councillor David Linnette announced. The race left six other candidates falling far behind Olney and Goldsmith, in a by-election which saw 41,367 votes cast with turnout at 53.6 percent. The vote has been widely seen as a mini-referendum on Brexit in a pro-European Union heartland, with locals turning out to support the Lib Dem centrist party that wants a second referendum on EU membership. The Richmond election was sparked after Goldsmith quit as an MP in the ruling Conservative Party following government backing to expand the nearby Heathrow Airport, vowing to stand for re-election as an independent. The outcome will come as a shock for Goldsmith, who was re-elected in the 2015 general election with a 23,000 majority. Following his resignation from the Conservatives the party announced it would not put forward a candidate to challenge the Richmond seat. Olney, 39, is a newcomer to politics an accountant who joined the Lib Dems only in May 2015. In the June referendum on EU membership, 52 percent nationwide voted to leave, but in Richmond, a well-heeled borough in southwest London, 69 percent voted to remain in the bloc. Its 82-percent referendum turnout, one of the highest in the UK, showed it was an issue locals felt passionate about. "While some people feel very strongly about Heathrow expansion, lots more people feel much more strongly about Brexit," Olney told AFP during the campaign. "That's really alarmed and upset people and they want to use this opportunity to send a message." By Emily Stephenson | NEW YORK NEW YORK U.S. President-elect Donald Trump was set to interview more candidates for top jobs in his administration on Friday and said he expected to have most members of his Cabinet announced next week.Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, is still weighing who to choose as secretary of state. The Republican president-elect said on Thursday he had chosen retired Marine Corps General James Mattis as defense secretary and would make a formal announcement on that on Monday."We have tremendous people joining the Cabinet and beyond the Cabinet. You'll be seeing almost all of them next week," Trump said in an interview that aired on Friday on Fox News.Trump plans to move quickly after taking office on Jan. 20 on his goals to overhaul taxation, healthcare and immigration laws, his Vice President-elect Mike Pence said in an interview published by the Wall Street Journal on Friday.Top priorities include curbing illegal immigration, abolishing and replacing President Barack Obamas signature healthcare program, and filling a vacancy on the Supreme Court, Pence told the newspaper.Asked what he would do on his first day in office, Trump told Fox News he may address his campaign pledge to build a wall on the southern border with Mexico, though he did not go into specifics. "We could do the wall, we're going to do some repealing, we're going to do some executive orders that we think are inappropriate," Trump told Fox, referring to the possibility of reversing executive orders issued by Obama, a Democrat, during his eight-year term.This week, Trump revealed his picks for leaders at the treasury, commerce and health departments, as well as Mattis to head the Pentagon. Cabinet positions will require confirmation by the Republican-controlled Senate."We're getting credit for having one of the great cabinets ever picked," Trump said on Fox. "These are people of great distinction, great success, which is what you need."He has narrowed the field for secretary of state to four candidates, including the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, who attacked Trump throughout the 2016 campaign but spoke glowingly of the president-elect after having dinner with him earlier this week. "There was actually good chemistry," Trump said on Fox.In a separate interview with Fox News that aired late on Thursday, Trump said he has whittled a list of potential Supreme Court nominees down to "probably three or four" and that an announcement would be made soon.A seat on the nine-member Supreme Court has been vacant since last February, when Justice Antonin Scalia died and the Republican-controlled Senate refused to consider Obama's choice of Merrick Garland. Trump also plans to continue his post-election "thank you tour" next week through battleground states that supported him in the Nov. 8 election.On his first stop, in Cincinnati on Thursday, Trump railed against globalization, slammed the media and promised the return of manufacturing jobs to American workers.As Trump forms his administration, the Green Party is seeking a recount of the vote in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Such recounts would be extremely unlikely to overturn Trump's victory over his Democratic rival for the White House, Hillary Clinton.On Friday, Michigan's attorney general said he had filed a lawsuit to halt the requested recount in that state, saying it would be too expensive. (Additional reporting by Steve Holland, Susan Heavey and Eric Walsh; Writing by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Frances Kerry) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Mark Hosenball and Jonathan Landay | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The top U.S. intelligence officer has asked Congress to drop a provision in a pending bill that would create a special committee to combat Russian efforts to exert covert influence abroad, saying such a panel would duplicate current work and hinder cooperation with foreign allies.Director of National Intelligence James Clapper laid out the objections of the U.S. intelligence community in a Sept. 9 letter to the chairmen and top Democrats on the House of Representatives and Senate intelligence committees. He charged that parts of the bill amounted to "micromanagement" of the intelligence community.The intelligence bill, an annual measure that provides broad Congressional authorization for a wide range of U.S. intelligence activities and agencies, has already been approved by both intelligence committees and the House of Representatives. Backers in the Senate are marshalling support for the bill in the hope it will be approved next week, an official familiar with the matter said.The legislation would require the creation of an interagency committee to combat Russian propaganda and covert efforts to influence people, economic and political decisions in the United States and elsewhere.Clapper's letter, seen by Reuters, said the panel would duplicate work already being done by intelligence agencies, and could also damage U.S. agencies' relationships with their foreign counterparts.As a general matter, many provisions in the legislation "go well beyond oversight and into micromanagement" of the intelligence community, wrote Clapper, who was appointed by outgoing Democratic President Barack Obama. The bill would require multiple Cabinet officers, including the National Intelligence and FBI directors and the secretaries of State, Defense, the Treasury and Energy, as well as the heads of the other intelligence community agencies to appoint officials to serve on the panel examining Russian political interference in Western politics.Its main mission would be to "counter active measures by Russia to exert covert influence over peoples and government by exposing falsehoods, agents of influence, corruption, human rights abuses, terrorism, and assassinations carried out by the security services or political elites of the Russian Federation or their proxies," the pending legislation says. The term "active measures" describes actions by the KGB, the Soviet intelligence agency whose officers included now-Russian President Vladimir Putin. The United States and other countries have conducted similar campaigns. CAMPAIGN BY MOSCOW American and some allied intelligence agencies detected an increase in such activities in Europe several years ago, and began making cooperative efforts to track and combat them, a senior U.S. intelligence official said on Thursday. The escalating Russian campaign started well before the hacking of U.S. political institutions, in particular of Democratic Party, during the 2016 presidential election campaign said the official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the subject matter. American officials have traced that hacking to Russia, but the Kremlin has denied any involvement.Moscow's campaign has included other hacking, overt and covert financing of far-right and nationalist political groups, efforts to influence powerful political and economic figures, and propaganda spread by government-controlled media outlets and on the Internet, said U.S. and European security officials.U.S. and other intelligence analysts have concluded that the campaign is a "well-funded and coordinated effort to degrade and discredit Western-style democracy and sow divisions internally and within the NATO alliance, directed from the highest levels of the Russian government," the senior American intelligence official said.The objections by Clapper were unrelated to the incoming administration of Republican President-elect Donald Trump. Clapper's letter preceded the election on Nov. 8 of Trump, who has said he will seek to improve ties with Moscow. (Reporting by Mark Hosenball and Jonathan Landay; Editing by John Walcott and Frances Kerry) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. By Alonso Soto and Lisandra Paraguassu | BRASILIA BRASILIA Venezuela will be suspended from the Mercosur regional trade bloc as early as Friday for failing to meet membership requirements, a Brazilian official said, in the latest blow to the oil-producing country during a deep political and economic crisis. According to the official, who asked for anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, Mercosur understands that Venezuela failed to meet economic, human rights and immigration accords governing the group.Mercosur's other members are Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and regional diplomatic heavyweight Brazil.Earlier on Thursday, Reuters reported that three unidentified Brazilian officials expected Venezuela to be suspended from the bloc."Venezuela has not adopted all the membership rules and treaties it had promised," one of those officials said. "Everything indicates that Venezuela will be suspended starting in December."An Argentine government source said later on Thursday that the decision would not happen until a Dec. 14 meeting of Mercosur foreign ministers. Socialist-led Venezuela has said it will not leave Mercosur and has denounced what it calls a campaign by right-leaning Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay to expel it from the group. Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez on Thursday said via Twitter that Venezuela had called on member countries to activate a mechanism for "resolutions of conflicts," tweeting a complaint letter sent to Mercosur foreign ministers. "Venezuela must be respected!" Rodriguez said on Twitter. "Officials who adhere to imperialist mandates will not win against our fatherland." The suspension would not carry any sanctions against Venezuela, but would sideline its government from bloc meetings and trade negotiations, the Brazilian officials said. A suspension would also further isolate Venezuela as it struggles with food shortages and social unrest as its oil-dependent economy crumbles. Brazil's Foreign Ministry was not immediately available for comment. Tensions within Mercosur reflect the changing political landscape of a region that has turned to conservative governments after years of domination by leftist leaders buoyed by a commodities boom. Some Brazilian officials had considered delaying the suspension to avoid hampering Vatican-led negotiations to ease the political crisis in Venezuela, but they later dropped those plans, said another official. Businesses in Brazil have complained that the presence of Venezuela, which joined the bloc in 2012, has delayed key trade and regulatory decisions."It's a political decision that shows Mercosur countries trying to be in line with the global reality," said Roberto Ticoulat, head of the Brazilian Council of Commercial Exporters and Importers. "Brazil needs to be part of global trade, and we can't wait any longer." (Additional reporting by Maximiliano Rizzi in Buenos Aires, and Corina Pons and Alexandra Ulmer in Caracas; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Leslie Adler) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. Motorola has no plans to launch a new smartwatch anytime soon. A Motorola exec has confirmed that no new smartwatch has been planned for Android Wear 2.0 release next year. This means the future of a Moto 360 successor looks doubtful. We dont see enough pull from the market at this point to put out a new product. Wearables do not have broad enough appeal for us to continue to build on it year after year, said Shakil Barkat, head of global product development at Motorola during a press event. The company had previously said that it would not release a new smartwatch in 2016. He also said that Motorolas annual device roadmap would not contain any wearables, including smartwatches Moto 360 remains the companys latest wearable flagship, first released last year in September. It is expected to receive an update to the new software, but the original model launched in 2014 will not. Google has already delayed the release of Android Wear 2.0 until early 2017. The company is expected to be working on two new smartwatches that will be announced with the latest Android Wear OS. Source Just yesterday, it was reported that Googles Project Tango 3D tech could land on Moto Z. One of the highlight of the Moto Z device is the ability to snap on different Mods. Now, Moto Z is getting two new Moto Mods Mophie Juice Pack battery and a car dock from Incipio. The Mophie Juice Pack comes with a buil-in 3,000mAh battery that claims to provide more than 60 percent extra battery. The battery uses built-in magnets to attach to the back of your phone. It is compatible with Moto Z, Moto Z Force and Moto Z Play phones with Moto Mods platform 1.0 or later. It also comes with a USB Type-C port and LED power indicator that shows you the charging level on the battery and charge status. The Incipio is a car dock that enables you to charge your device while you are driving. It attaches to the air conditioning vents in your car. Moto Z will automatically launch Android Auto once it is docked at the back of the Car Dock. It also comes with a charging port and a 3.5mm audio jack. The Mophie Juice Pack is priced at $79.99 while the Incipio Car Dock is priced at $64.99. Motorola says says that it plans to launch more mods in 2017 than it did in 2016. via Check out FoneArena Daily video that gives you a daily dose of the latest technology news. Today, OnePlus launched its second flagship smartphone this year dubbed as OnePlus 3T in India. In terms of the specs, it has the same 5.5-inch 1080 Optic AMOLED display, faster Snapdragon 821 processor, runs on Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow) with Oxygen OS top, a 16-megapixel rear camera with LED flash with the Sapphire crystal lens cover protection, 16-megapixel front-facing camera, 3400mAh battery and new 128GB storage option. The OnePlus 3T is priced at Rs. 29,999 for the 64GB inbuilt storage model, and Rs. 34,999 for the 128GB storage model, making it the most expensive OnePlus device yet. Both OnePlus 3T variants will be exclusively available from Amazon.in from 12.01am IST on December 14. The soft gold variant will be available later. Initially, Samsung launched the Gear S3 smartwatch at IFA 2016 in two variants which are Frontier and Classic. Now as per the recent report, Samsung is expected to launch the Gear S3 in two variants in India sometime around January 2017. Apple plans to use drones and new indoor navigation features to improve its Maps service. Moving forward, the company is assembling a team of robotics and data-collection experts that will use drones to capture and update map information faster than its existing fleet of camera-and-sensor ladened minivans. The data collected would be sent to Apple teams that rapidly update the Maps app to provide fresh information to users. Apple is also developing new features for Maps, including views inside buildings and improvements to car navigation. In a recent development, Motorola confirmed that they dont have any plan to launch a new smartwatch anytime soon. Motorola executive confirmed that no new smartwatch has been planned for Android Wear 2.0 release next year. He also said that Motorolas annual device roadmap would not contain any wearable, including smartwatches. Transcription 1 DOMESTIC DIMENSIONS OF ARMENIA S FOREIGN POLICY: THE KARABAKH CONFLICT AND ARMENIA-TURKEY RELATIONS PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo No. 209 June 2012 Sergey Minasyan Caucasus Institute (Yerevan) It is widely believed that foreign policy is an extension of domestic policy. But the opposite is also true: domestic policy can stem from foreign policy. This memo explores the interplay of domestic and foreign policy as they relate to two major issues in post- Soviet Armenia. The first is the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. For two decades, this conflict has influenced the domestic development of independent Armenia, while its domestic repercussions have had a significant impact on Yerevan s approach to conflict resolution. This prompts two questions: What is the conflict s scope of influence on Armenian politics, political discourse, and elite formation? How do Armenian domestic politics and public opinion affect the country s position in regional politics and the conflict negotiation process? The second concerns Armenian-Turkish relations, in particular the attempt of Turkey and Armenia to normalize ties via a two-year rapprochement project. This effort was launched in the summer of 2008 by the initiative of the Armenian president (with U.S. and EU support) and resulted in the signing of two Armenian-Turkish protocols in October However, the protocols were not ratified, primarily because Ankara put forward additional conditions, which led to Yerevan s suspension of the process in April It is important to understand the reaction of Armenian society toward the government s efforts to normalize ties with Turkey, as well as the ways in which social attitudes affected the diplomatic position of Armenia. The Karabakh Factor in the Domestic Policy of Armenia A significant share of Armenia s current political elite consists of former activists of the Karabakh movement, former combatants, or individuals who come from Nagorno- Karabakh or other formerly Armenian-populated regions of Soviet Azerbaijan. The tremendous influence of the Karabakh issue over Armenian politics and development is 1 2 best illustrated by the careers of independent Armenia s first three presidents: Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Robert Kocharyan, and Serzh Sargsyan. All three played leading roles in the Karabakh movement. The role of the Karabakh guys and ex-combatants in Armenia s political and economic life reached its peak in the last years of Ter-Petrosyan s presidency. It only began to decrease at the start of Robert Kocharyan s presidency, even though he himself is a Karabakh man. This may sound illogical, but it is not. As someone coming from Nagorno-Karabakh, Kocharyan did not receive enough support in Yerevan and needed to incorporate strong local actors into the bureaucracy and economic elite in the capital and provinces. From that point on, Armenia s political system was gradually demilitarized; in most offices, ex-combatants were replaced by a new generation of bureaucrats. 1 Meanwhile, the Karabakh factor has been losing prevalence in Armenia s political landscape. Armenian society and elites gradually began to pay less attention to the struggle for Nagorno-Karabakh as they took for granted that Armenia already owns Nagorno-Karabakh. In particular, authorities cannot mobilize a disgruntled electorate in their favor in the name of protecting something the country has already gained because society no longer perceives this to be a priority concern. 2 Although the Karabakh issue has slipped down on Armenia s domestic political agenda, it remains the case that no other political issue is so instrumental for political actors in Armenia, whether in opposition or the ruling coalition. Depending on political circumstances, the authorities may take a hard line on conflict resolution while the opposition criticizes the official approach, or the opposition will label government attempts to demonstrate flexibility in negotiations as betrayal. That said, almost total consensus exists within Armenian society concerning the overall vision of Nagorno- Karabakh s future. Very little depends on leaders personal opinions. Moreover, ever since the 1990s it has been clear that Yerevan cannot make completely independent decisions with regard to the conflict. Nagorno-Karabakh is an important actor with a will of its own and has repeatedly rejected certain conflict settlement options proposed by mediators and acceptable to Armenia. Consequently, it is highly improbable that Armenian policy on Nagorno- Karabakh, as well as on other major strategic priorities, will change as a result of domestic power shifts. It is superficial to speak of a divide within the Armenian political class on the issue. When it comes to Nagorno-Karabakh, there are no doves and hawks. The past few years has only seen a preservation of this status quo, helped along by the 2008 Russia-Georgia war and ineffective Armenian-Azerbaijani presidential summits in Russia in June 2011 and January The latest rounds of negotiation have essentially focused on efforts to ease tensions on the front line, rather than call for major 1 See Alexander Iskandaryan, Armenian between Autocracy and Polyarchy, Pro et Contra 15, 2-3, May August 2011 (in Russian). 2 For more on the subject, see Sergey Minasyan, Armenia in Karabakh, Karabakh in Armenia: Living with a Conflict, Identities, Ideologies & Institutions. A Decade of Insight into the Caucasus, (Caucasus Institute, Yerevan), 2011, 3 advances involving mutual compromise and concession. This has reduced the potency of the Karabakh issue and its significance in Armenian domestic discourse. Armenia s May 2012 parliamentary elections provided a clear recent example of how the Karabakh factor has lost its place in domestic discourse. A monitoring of campaign platforms and statements shows that the vast majority of differences among them concerned socioeconomic policy, human rights, democratization, and the effectiveness of state institutions. In matters of foreign and security policy, particularly on the issue of Karabakh, only slight tactical disagreements existed. 3 Indeed, a reduction in the significance and sensitivity of the Karabakh factor in domestic politics was probably a factor in the decision of Robert Kocharyan, who became president because of his role in the Karabakh movement, to refrain from openly reengaging in the political struggle. Although it is said that he backs Prosperous Armenia, the second-place finisher, Kocharyan was not actively involved either in the election campaign or in subsequent (failed) negotiations on the accession of Prosperous Armenia to the ruling coalition. The consolidation of political forces over the Karabakh issue does not outweigh other more urgent issues on the Armenian political agenda. Domestic Reflections on Armenian-Turkish Rapprochement The question of Armenian-Turkish relations has traditionally provoked a strong reaction in Armenian society and diaspora. The signing of the Armenian-Turkish protocols in October 2009 led to a strong new wave of criticism in the media and general public. 4 However, the primary drivers of this adverse public reaction were not related directly to the contents of the Armenian-Turkish agreements. One underappreciated factor affecting the perception of Armenian-Turkish relations in Armenian society is a kind of political infantilism widespread in Armenian society. This manifests itself as a lack of faith in one s country and a fear of playing grown-up great games in regional politics. In extreme form, this attitude has promoted a notion of an international conspiracy against Armenia, of which Armenian-Turkish rapprochement was supposedly a part. One possible reason for this infantilism is that relations with Turkey have traditionally been perceived in Armenian society in emotional terms, not as an issue that can be realistically and critically assessed in terms of political expedience. While the media covered the normalization process as it was underway, there were very few public debates on the subject; as analyst Hrant Mikaelyan noted, In articles or interviews, stakeholders would express their own points of view and argue against those of their ideological opponents, sometimes imaginary ones. 5 3 Nina Iskandaryan, Tatev Sargsyan, and Hrant Mikaelian, Parties Pre-Election Promises, Caucasus Institute Policy Brief (Yerevan), May 2012 (in Russian). 4 For more on the subject, see Alexander Iskandaryan and Sergey Minasyan, Pragmatic Policies vs. Historical Constraints: Analyzing Armenia-Turkey Relations, Caucasus Institute Research Papers 1 (Yerevan), January Hrant Mikaelyan, Armenia and Armenians, Turkey and Turks in Armenian Media, Caucasus Institute Policy Brief (Yerevan), 2010, 6. 3 4 Although such public apprehensions seem irrational, clearly the burden of historical legacy continues to affect Armenian attitudes toward relations with Turkey. This is only natural for a nation heavily traumatized by the 1915 genocide. The existence of the diaspora has only amplified such sentiments, as the majority of Armenian communities outside the former Soviet Union consist of direct descendants of genocide survivors. The memory of the genocide is central to their identity, making them extremely distrustful of Turkey. Growing social pressure and opposition criticism pushed the Armenian government to toughen its stance on genocide and the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh, by becoming more actively involved in diaspora-led initiatives for genocide recognition and by placing more restrictive requirements on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh prescribed by conflict settlement plans. The political infantilism so on display within Armenian society during the rapprochement process was hardly a unique and unusual experience in the modern history of Armenia. For a country that has not enjoyed statehood for centuries, such kinds of phobias are not so rare. They also manifest themselves in public perceptions and evaluations of Armenian relations with Russia, the United States, Iran, and even Georgia. However, this phenomenon did not reveal itself during the whole post-soviet period as clearly as it did during the active phase of the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation efforts. The explanation lies with the excessively emotional perception of Turkey and Turks in Armenia s public and political spheres.. Conclusion It is often impossible to determine where foreign policy ends and domestic policy begins. In the case of Armenia, we are clearly dealing with a common space, at least where the domestic and foreign policy dimensions of the Karabakh conflict and Armenian-Turkish relations are concerned. These two policy spheres are closely connected, and it is often impossible to draw a line between them. The domestic dimension of the Karabakh conflict has some interesting features. As the most important issue on Armenia s foreign policy agenda, the Karabakh conflict is an effective tool for domestic political games. The opposition accuses the ruling coalition of a wide variety of putative crimes in this sphere, ranging from a readiness to surrender Karabakh to a lack of flexibility in negotiations. At the same time, there is little difference among various domestic players when it comes to the overall contours of Karabakh policy, even if neither the ruling coalition nor the opposition publicly admit this. The reason for the domestic consensus may well lie in the origins of Armenia s contemporary political elites, most of whom emerged during the war over Nagorno- Karabakh. Armenia s elites can neither escape from their past nor ignore it in negotiations with Azerbaijan. External pressure (whether of Azerbaijan or international actors) is not sufficient for overcoming domestic resistance to a change in the status quo. The domestic dimension of the Karabakh problem not only restricts Armenia s Karabakh policy but also strengthens it, in the sense that it is based on a consensus of all domestic political players. 4 5 As for Armenian-Turkish rapprochement, what is most remarkable is how the normalization process affected Armenia s domestic discourse. It highlighted many aspects of political life, social attitudes, and phobias that are not directly connected to Armenia and Turkey, such as political infantilism and conspiracy theorizing. These are perhaps unexpected aspects of the interplay between domestic and foreign policy. PONARS Eurasia The George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs. This publication was made possible by grants from Carnegie Corporation of New York and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The statements made and views expressed are solely the responsibility of the author. 5 Oil tycoon Harold Hamm addressed rumors on Thursday that he was a contender for Energy Secretary in Donald Trump's Cabinet. Lets get this straight. Im not a contender. I think Ive been looked at as a possibility, Hamm said. When asked to confirm by FOX Business Networks Trish Regan, he said: I am not considering the job. Im going to do everything I can to make President Trump the most successful president ever. And certainly if I can do that from the sidelines, I am going to do everything I can. Hamm added that hes happy working at his current job as CEO at Continental Resourcesfinding oil and gas in America. Im very excited about the fact that we can get back from the brink of extinction and have a future here in America as oil and gas producers, he said. Hamm also expressed optimism about the future of Americas oil and gas industry under a Trump administration, explaining how the President-elect can keep jobs from leaving the country. One thing is back off on some of the regulations, he said. Its very costly to operate here in America compared to Mexico for sure. So back off on some regulations a lot of those are punitive in nature and make it where companies can produce their goods right here in America. And certainly taxes I think thatll be job number one as this administration goes forward." Commenting on the price of oil, Hamm said he expects to see $60 per barrel by years end. Oil closed Thursday up 3.3% at $51.06. Gun sales are off to a hot start to the holiday shopping season, bucking expectations for softer demand in the wake of Republican victories on Election Day. The FBI processed 2.56 million background checks in November, easily setting a record for the month and pushing 2016 to a new all-time high. In second-quarter earnings released on Friday, Smith & Wesson (NASDAQ:SWHC) said Black Friday deals fueled sales of handguns and rifles at the end of November. Adjusted background checks, which exclude non-purchasing activity such as permit applications, were up slightly over Black Friday in 2015. For all of November, background checks were up 16% year-over-year on an adjusted basis. Smith & Wesson CEO James Debney added that holiday shopping trends bode well for the industry heading into December and the new year. Were pleased to see the consumer for firearms is still out there strongly on Black Friday looking for a deal. Its obvious that firearms have become mainstream in terms of entering the basket of goods that consumers expect to see a deal on when theyre shopping at retail on Black Friday, Debney said on a conference call with analysts. We see whats shaping up to be a good environment at retail. With one month to go, the FBIs National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) has handled 24.76 million checks this year, surpassing the previous annual record of 23.14 million recorded last year. Ticker Security Last Change Change % SWHC n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. RGR STURM RUGER & CO. INC. 55.53 -1.25 -2.20% VSTO VISTA OUTDOOR INC. 28.63 -0.68 -2.32% Gun sales have been on a tear since the second half of 2015, driven in part by the presidential race and concerns over terrorism. Demand also tends to spike when lawmakers pursue additional regulations on gun purchasesa development that drove the sales boom of 2012 and 2013. So, after Donald Trump won the presidential contest and Republicans maintained control of Congress, analysts warned that sales would cool down. According to Debney, Smith & Wesson continues to believe the consumer market will grow in the mid- to high-single digits. When asked if gun sales during the Trump administration will be relatively stable as they were when George W. Bush was in the White House, Debney said demographics are very different now to what they were under the Bush administration. He cited the growing number of women taking up an interest in shooting sports, as well as an increase in first-time buyers. Still, Smith & Wessons financial guidance for the third quarter fell short of Wall Streets projections, reigniting concerns that gun sales will plateau. Smith & Wesson dropped 10.2% to $21.53 a share in response, extending a 24.3% slump since the day after the general election. Rival Sturm Ruger (NYSE:RGR) has fallen 21.9% over the same period. The Springfield, Mass.-based gun maker dialed up its full-year sales outlook slightly, though it lowered the top end of its forecasted range for adjusted earnings by a penny. Smith & Wessons net sales surged 63% to $233.5 million in its fiscal second quarter, which ended Oct. 31. Earnings more than doubled to $32.5 million, 57 cents a share. Adjusted income came in at 68 cents a share, topping estimates. There has never been a better time to be an investor. Online discount brokerages like TD Ameritrade and Vanguard make it easier than ever before to buy and sell stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds from your computer or mobile device. TD Ameritrade and Vanguard are two of the most popular brokers for long-term investors, so here's what you should know before opening a brokerage account with either company. Trading costs Investors today have it much better than they did just a decade ago. Trading costs and commissions are becoming smaller and smaller with each passing day.Below are standard trading commissions for stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds at TD Ameritrade and Vanguard. Data source: Company websites. Note that you may qualify for volume- and loyalty-based discounts at either brokerage based on how much you trade, how much you have in your account, or how much you have invested in the company's own funds and ETFs.Both TD Ameritrade and Vanguard have some commission-free funds and ETFs, as well as brokerage special offers and IRA account special offers that can further reduce your actual trading costs. Commission-free funds and trades Brokerages are increasingly giving investors the ability to buy and sell funds for free. TD Ameritrade and Vanguard both offer commission-free trades in a number of mutual funds and ETFs. If low-cost investing is what you're looking for, then you'll be very pleased with the no-transaction-fee (NTF) funds and ETFs available on either platform. TD Ameritrade offers 101 commission-free ETFs from iShares, Vanguard, and VanEck, along with 3,984 NTF mutual funds. Vanguard offers 55 commission-free ETFs, all from Vanguard, and thousands of NTF mutual funds, which include Vanguard products. When shopping for commission-free ETFs and NTF mutual funds, keep in mind that transaction fees are just one of the many costs that come with owning ETFs or mutual funds. Don't forget to compare expense ratios and other fees. Image source: Getty Images. Account minimums TD Ameritrade and Vanguard do not have specific minimum investment requirements for stock, fund, or ETF investors. Some mutual funds have their own minimum investment requirements. Similarly, there are effectively minimums for investing in ETFs and stock: You'll need to be able to buy at least one share to make a trade. International stocks TD Ameritrade does not allow for trading in international stocks. Instead, its clients are limited to American depositary receipts (ADRs), which trade on U.S. markets. Vanguard offers its clients the ability to trade stocks listed on foreign markets, but only through an associate on the Vanguard Brokerage Block Desk. Trades of this type are assessed a commission plus a $50 processing fee. Trading platform We at The Motley Fool believe in long-term investing, and we generally don't care too much about the fancy features or charting abilities of a brokerage's trading platform. As buy-and-hold investors, we try to spend as little time as possible buying and selling stocks, as investment returns and trading frequency are usually inversely related; investors who are less active tend to earn higher returns. That said, preference for trading platforms is largely a personal choice. You'll find plenty of functionality with either brokerage. Research quality and tools Both TD Ameritrade and Vanguard offer stock and mutual fund screeners that allow you to sort through potential investments quantitatively. In addition, you'll find third-party research from Thompson Reuters and Standard & Poor's on both brokerage platforms. Both brokers also offer a number of proprietary research tools. TD Ameritrade has an interesting tool that allows you to see what people are saying about companies on social platforms like Twitter. Vanguard has a helpful portfolio analysis tool to reveal the potential risk and return of a mutual fund portfolio, for example. Depending on your needs, you could be very happy with either broker. Mobile app Here's how each broker's users and clients rated the mobile apps' capabilities on iOS and Android devices. Data sources: Relevant app stores. Data as of Nov. 25, 2016. Getting to the bottom line For long-term investors, TD Ameritrade and Vanguard have plenty to offer, including inexpensive commissions, numerous no-transaction-fee funds, and plenty of research tools and resources. To be clear: The Motley Fool does not endorse any particular broker. Learn more about online brokerage accounts or open a brokerage account at Fool.com's broker center. A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, just click here. Jordan Wathen has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Apple, TD Ameritrade, and Twitter. The Motley Fool has the following options: long January 2018 $90 calls on Apple and short January 2018 $95 calls on Apple. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Starbucks Corp co-founder Howard Schultz will step down as chief executive to focus on new high-end coffee shops, handing the top job to Chief Operating Officer Kevin Johnson, a long-time technology executive. Schultz, who will become executive chairman in April 2017, said he would focus on building ultra-premium Reserve stores and showcase Roastery and Tasting Rooms around the world as well as setting the brand's "social impact agenda" that includes sending employees to college and recruiting veterans. Starbucks had signaled the change in July, but its shares fell 3.6 percent to $56.41 in extended trading on Thursday, as investors recalled the company's decline after Schultz handed over the reins in 2000. He returned in 2008. "Having him step down as CEO raised the anxiety level," said Stephens analyst Will Slabaugh, who said that Schultz is the heart and soul of the brand, its entrepreneurial leader and its savior. "We're in a much better position on every level," said Schultz, who returned for his second stint as CEO in the depths of the "Great Recession," when Starbucks' stock was trading below $10. Late last year, it hit an all-time high above $60. Schultz has put Starbucks in the national spotlight, asking customers not to bring guns into stores and urging conversations on race relations. Many of the campaigns have generated controversy, but analysts have not seen a hit to financial results and the efforts have raised the profile of the coffee company and cemented Schultz's status as a national figure. "The idea that he's replaceable, I think that's erroneous," said Bill Smead, CEO of Smead Capital Management in Seattle, which owns Starbucks shares. He compared the change to the retirement of long-time McDonald's Corp CEO Ray Kroc, who turned a handful of hamburger stands into the world's biggest restaurant company. The announcement on Thursday also came as investors worry about the restaurant industry's stubborn traffic declines. Starbucks has held up better than most, but it has not been immune. Johnson is a former technology executive who became president and chief operating officer at Starbucks in March 2015. Johnson has been on the Starbucks board since 2009 but most of his career was in the technology industry. He was the chief executive of Juniper Networks Inc from September 2008 to January 2014 and prior to that held several senior positions at Microsoft Corp . On a conference call after the announcement, analysts pressed the company on timing and whether, with Schultz stepping aside, senior management still had the "merchant gene." "Not having retail experience could be a problem over time," said Howard Penney, an analyst at Hedgeye Risk Management. "I'm not leaving the company and I'm here every day," said Schultz, whose office is connected to Johnson's. Traffic at established Starbucks cafes fell in the last quarter, which Johnson has attributed to a change in the company's loyalty program, and Starbucks forecast a mid-single-digit rise in 2017 same-store sales. The company dismissed speculation that Schultz could be preparing for a new career in politics. "He has no plans to run for political office, as he has said many times, and will remain with the company as Starbucks executive chairman, focusing on premium coffee," a spokeswoman said. (Reporting by Gayathree Ganesan and Siddharth Cavale in Bengaluru; additional writing by Peter Henderson; Editing by Bill Rigby and Jonathan Oatis) Ford Europe chief Jim Farley showed off the all-new Fiesta at an event in Germany this past week. Image source: Ford Motor Company. Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) took the wraps off of the European version of its all-new Fiesta subcompact this past week. The new Fiesta is a refined, more upscale version of the small Ford that has been a best-seller in Europe and other global markets for many years. That refinement is part of a larger strategy: Ford is hoping that the new Fiesta will be more profitable than the outgoing model. That will make a big difference in Europe, where the Fiesta is Ford's best-selling model. How will the U.S. model differ from this European Fiesta? Ford hasn't shown the U.S.-market version of the all-new Fiesta yet. I expect it to look almost exactly like the European model, but there will be differences in the options available. The thing to remember is that while the Fiesta is kind of an afterthought in the SUV-mad U.S. these days, it's one of the best-selling cars in Europe. Ford is offering the European Fiesta in four different versions and with a slew of options -- but it's likely that the Fiesta lineup will be greatly simplified for the U.S. in order to reduce manufacturing costs. What's new about it? A lot -- enough that we call it "all-new" -- but not everything. Like the current model, the new Fiesta is built on Ford's "Global B" vehicle architecture, so it's about the same size as the current car and shares some parts and engineering under the skin. But the new Fiesta's "touch points," the body and interior, are all new, and together give the impression of a more premium product. The new Fiesta's shape is similar to the current car's, but a bit curvier, with some styling tricks (the horizontal taillights, for one) that make it look lower and more sleek. Ford has added finish details (tighter gaps between panels, hidden windshield-washer sprayers) that are subtle but together deliver a more upscale appearance. Inside, the interior has been restyled. It's also more upscale-looking, with an 8-inch touchscreen system and (in the European models, at least) more personalization options. There's also more room in the back seat, a welcome improvement. As with other recent new Fords, buyers of the new Fiesta will be offered a long list of high-tech safety and convenience features, including (again, at least in Europe) Ford's new Traffic Sign Recognition and Cross Traffic Alert systems. And as I mentioned above, Ford is offering the Fiesta in four different flavors in Europe. In addition to the "regular" Fiesta, there are also luxurious (Vignale), crossover-ish (Active), and sporty-looking (ST-Line) variants. From left to right, the Fiesta Active, Fiesta ST-Line, Fiesta Vignale, and regular Fiesta models. Image source: Ford Motor Company. How will the new Fiesta boost Ford's profits? We don't know for sure how the profitability of the new Fiesta will compare with the current model's. The profitability of any specific car model is a closely guarded secret. But we do know that Ford emphasized a premium feel with the new Fiesta, suggesting that it will seek a premium price. We also know that Ford has created new extra-cost options andupscale trim lines, both of which it hopes will tempt more buyers into selecting loaded models. (Generally, base-model versions have thin profit margins. Options are very profitable.) And we know what CEO Mark Fields and other Ford executives have said recently about Ford's new small-vehicle strategy: It's likely that, despite the upgrades, the new Fiesta costs less to build than the outgoing car. Add that up, and it should result in a more profitable Fiesta. What's next for the new Fiesta? Ford hasn't said exactly when the new Fiesta will arrive at European dealers -- and officially, it hasn't said anything at all about the timing of the U.S.-market version. My guess is that the new Fiesta will be available in the U.S. late next year as a 2018 model, but Ford hasn't confirmed that yet. It's very likely that Ford will show the U.S. version of the all-new Fiesta at one of the major U.S. auto shows between now and spring. We'll know more when that happens. 10 stocks we like better than Ford When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Ford wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of November 7, 2016 John Rosevear owns shares of Ford. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Ford. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Billionaire investor Mark Cuban will be among the witnesses scheduled to testify at a U.S. Senate Judiciary panel hearing on Dec. 7 on AT&T Inc's proposed $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner Inc , a committee spokesman said Friday. AT&T Chief Executive Officer Randall Stephenson and Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes will also testify at the meeting of the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights. Cuban, who owns the Dallas Mavericks and Landmark Theatres movie chain, has been a vocal supporter of the deal, saying on Twitter and in published interviews that the combined company could be a counterweight to big digital companies like Facebook Inc, Apple Inc, Netflix Inc, Alphabet Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Snapchat Inc. Cuban didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Gene Kimmelman, president and CEO of consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge and a former chief counsel for the Justice Department's Antitrust Division, is also expected to testify, the spokesman said. The group has raised concerns about the merger. (Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe) Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz's decision to step down is unlikely to disrupt growth at the world's biggest coffee chain as his successor Kevin Johnson is well suited to take the helm, analysts said. Starbucks Corp said on Thursday that Schultz would step down as CEO on April 3 to focus on new high-end coffee shops, handing the top job to Chief Operating Officer Johnson, a long-time technology executive. The company's shares were down 2.6 percent in premarket trading as investors worried that the legendary CEO's exit would spell trouble for the company. The last time Schultz stepped down as CEO - in 2000 - the company's shares had plunged. Schultz returned to the top job in 2008. Since then the company's annual sales have more than doubled and its stock has risen six-fold. "Unlike the period surrounding Mr. Schultz's previous departure, we believe the company is transitioning to a new CEO during a period of strength, with a solid macro-economic backdrop, a strong leadership team, and a robust pipeline of innovation in technology, food, beverages," RBC Capital Markets analyst David Palmer wrote in a note. Johnson's experience of working with Schultz for nearly two years as well as his technology background, including stints at Microsoft Corp and Juniper Networks Inc , sets him up for the job, analysts said. Schultz said on Thursday that he had personally asked Johnson to take the CEO job, highlighting Johnson's technology chops at a time when the company is trying to project itself as a pioneer in mobile payments technology. Starbucks was the first to push into mobile ordering and payments through its app, allowing customers to avoid standing in long lines and forcing rivals like Dunkin' Brands Group Inc and Panera Bread Co to follow suit. The mobile payments strategy has proved hugely successful - a quarter of all transactions in Starbucks' latest quarter was through mobile phones. Starbucks' quarterly revenue has risen at a pace of least 7 percent since 2009, much faster than that of Dunkin' and McDonald's Corp . "While we acknowledge that Schultz is without question one of the strongest and most visionary leaders in the consumer/retail world, we believe the succession planning put in place several years ago assures the recent exceptional performance will likely continue," Wells Fargo Securities analyst Bonnie Herzog said in a note. Schultz's plans to "premiumize" the Starbucks brand should allow the broader store network to continue to thrive, Herzog added. The outgoing CEO said on Thursday that in his new role he would focus on building the ultra-premium Starbucks Reserve stores and showcase Roastery and Tasting Rooms around the world. These efforts come as Starbucks is trying to stave off competition from super-premium coffee rivals such as Blue Bottle and Intelligentsia. The company opened its first Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room in 2014 in Seattle - Starbucks' birthplace - to roast and sell limited-supply Reserve coffees. It plans to open three more in Shanghai, New York and Tokyo. (Reporting by Sruthi Ramakrishnan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty) Image source: The Motley Fool. If you rely on your investments for income, you may limit your portfolio to dividend-paying stocks, but this doesn't need to be the case. By using a simple strategy Warren Buffett suggests for Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-A) (NYSE: BRK-B) shareholders who need income, you can turn any stock you want into an income-generating investment. Why doesn't Berkshire Hathaway pay a dividend? In Warren Buffett's 2012 letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, he offered a detailed explanation about why the company doesn't pay a dividend, and never has. For starters, Buffett feels that his company's main priority with the capital it generates should be to make sure all the capital needs of its many subsidiary businesses are met. This is a common strategy among businesses, and even the highest-dividend-paying stocks rarely pay out more than half of their profits. It takes substantial investment to maintain your competitive advantage, and smart managers like Buffett know this. Aside from this, Berkshire's strategy is quite different from most other well-established companies. After meeting the needs of its businesses, Berkshire typically has billions of dollars in cash left over. The company's second priority is to search for additional companies to acquire, or attractively valued stocks to buy. The goal with all of Buffett's acquisitions and stock purchases is to leave his shareholders with more intrinsic value than before. It's tough to argue with this strategy. Given Berkshire's history, shareholders are undoubtedly better off with the company's massive portfolio of subsidiaries and stocks than they would have been had the company simply paid out some of its profits as dividends. Just to name one example, Berkshire invested $5 billion of excess capital in Bank of America in 2011. As of this writing, the investment has nearly tripled; it is now worth about $14.4 billion. This translates to an annualized return of about 24% -- impressive by anyone's standards. It's difficult, if not impossible, to make the case that Berkshire would've been better off giving that $5 billion to shareholders instead. The same can be said about most of the company's investments over the past five decades. Finally, when Buffett feels that Berkshire stock is trading at an attractive valuation, the company has used its excess capital to buy back shares. To do this, however, the stock must be trading at a meaningful discount to Buffett's perception of its intrinsic value, which he currently defines as 120% book value. If these options have been considered, and there is still excess capital, the company's preferred use is to do nothing at all. As I write this, Berkshire has a cash stockpile of about $85 billion, and absolutely no plans to use it to pay dividends. Warren Buffett's suggestion for his shareholders Since Berkshire doesn't pay a dividend, Buffett has another suggestion for the company's shareholders who need income from their investments. Basically, he says that if you want a dividend, you should simply sell off that percentage of your shares each year. For example, if you expect a 3% dividend from your stocks, you should simply sell off 3% of your shares. Essentially, you achieve the same thing as if Berkshire had paid a 3% dividend, but with some important benefits. Here's why this works out in your favor. Since you can sell your shares of Berkshire Hathaway for substantially more than their book value, you're technically getting more than they're worth, in terms of the value of the company's underlying assets. As of this writing, Berkshire's share price is about 1.45 times its book value. In other words, by selling your shares, you're getting $1.45 for every dollar in assets your shares represent. Meanwhile, since Berkshire has invested its profits instead of paying a dividend, the intrinsic value of your remaining shares can continue to grow at a faster pace than it otherwise would. This approach has tax advantages as well, if your shares are held in a taxable brokerage account. Generally, the full amount of any dividend you receive is subject to tax. For qualified dividends (like those from Berkshire), this translates to a 15% tax on the entirety of the dividend for most investors. On the other hand, when you sell shares, only the portion that represents profit is subject to tax. If you paid $100 per share and sell for $150, you'll only owe tax on the $50 gain. As long as you held the shares for more than a year, the tax rate will be the same as the qualified dividend rate, but will only be applied to a portion of the sale price. For this reason, the strategy Buffett suggests is favorable from a tax perspective for many investors. This strategy can be applied to any stock The strategy can be applied to any stock that doesn't pay a dividend or with a small payout. However, it's important to mention that it only makes sense for stocks trading at or above their book value. For example, Bank of America would be a bad choice for this strategy, since it trades at a substantial discount to its book value. On the other hand, for popular stocks that don't pay a dividend like Chipotle Mexican Grill, Netflix, or Amazon.com, all of which trade for several times the value of their underlying assets, Buffett's strategy can allow you to invest in these growing companies and still generate an income stream. The $15,834 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $15,834 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after.Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies.. Matthew Frankel owns shares of Bank of America and Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon.com, Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), Chipotle Mexican Grill, and Netflix. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Climate change activists are eagerly waiting and watching to see how President-elect Donald Trump and his administration plan to address the controversial issue of global warming a central topic of debate since Trumps election victory. You have to be concerned when such an influential nation as the United States elects a leader who publicly states that climate change is a hoax, said Katharine Hayhoe, climate scientist and director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University. The scientific communitys skepticism about Trumps support for their research comes after the president-elects repeated claims on the campaign trail that climate change is a hoax. Trump has pledged to withdraw from the Paris Climate Deal, revoke President Barack Obamas Clean Power Plan, and lift regulations on oil and coal. Whats more, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan agreed with Trumps position in October, claiming those deals would be disastrous for the American economy. As far as funding goes, large discrepancies remain about how much the Paris Climate deal will actually cost the United States government. One number weve seen is basically just $10 million a year, funding this United Nations Treaty just supporting the research behind the Accord, said Mike Bailey, director of research at FBB Capital Partners. If the U.S. were to actually jump in head first, it would be a ton of additional spending but thats sort of a question mark there. But a Trump presidency doesnt necessarily spell the end of climate research. During an interview with the New York Times, Trump softened his previous stance on global warming, saying he would "have an open mind," even acknowledging there is "some connectivity" between human activity and climate change. Further, global warming can largely be attributed to human activity, predominantly the burning of fossil fuels, according to key findings from the National Centers for Environmental Information. In September, a month that usually yields the lowest carbon dioxide readings, CO2 levels surpassed 400 parts per million for the first time ever, according to The Scripps CO2 measurements at Mauna Loa, a research facility studying carbon dioxide levels. "Weve run all these tests on the planet, we've been doing it for over 150 years," Hayhoe said. "We are very certain this is real. We are very certain for the first time in the history of this planet it really is us." Even Myron Ebell, who will be leading Trumps transition team at the Environmental Protection Agency, acknowledged the role humans play in rising carbon dioxide levels via a blog post. However, he disagrees with climate change activists on the level of urgency needed to address the threat. CEI believes strongly that the policies being proposed by climate alarmists to deal with global warming pose much greater threats to human flourishing than do the impacts of global warming, said Ebell, who is also the director of global warming and international environmental policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. The president has prided himself on tackling climate change head on during his term, calling it the single biggest threat to the planet, American lives, and future generations. Despite that, Trump argues Obamas Clean Power Plan, as well other regulations on the energy sector, have hurt U.S. businesses. Trump said his decisions regarding climate change depend on how much its going to cost our companies, during the same interview with the New York Times. He went on to add, You have to understand, our companies are noncompetitive right now. With shifting perspectives on the urgency of the climate threat between the current administration and the next, its unclear how funding for climate-change initiatives will be impacted. When it comes to government spending on climate safeguards, Bailey said its relatively minor compared to spending in the private sector. It does seem like if the government piece is a small part of it, said Bailey. In theory, lets say the U.S. is funding some multiple of $10 - $20 billion a year I think thats manageable, I dont think that its going to break the bank if the GDP is in the trillions. Although Trumps interview with the Times appears to show he has backed away from denying the existence of climate change, it wont be until he takes office in January that his true intentions regarding climate policy will be revealed. If we do nothing, there are costs associated with the increasing risks from a changing climate, Hayhoe said. We have to take that into account when were balancing out the pluses and minuses. A Goldman Sachs spokesman would not deny the possibility that Cohn is looking to leave the firm, or that he is being considered for a cabinet post, including U.S. Energy Secretary. A Trump spokeswoman had no comment. While Cohn has weighed starting a hedge fund for years, according to people with knowledge of the matter, until now he has never seriously considered government work. At first, speculation swirled inside the Trump transition team that Cohn might be considered as head of the Office of Management and Budget, given his role as the day-to-day manager of Goldmans sprawling investment banking, trading and wealth management operations. While it is uncertain whether Cohn will get any job in the new administration, people inside the Trump transition team say theyre impressed with his meeting with the President-elect and that he might be more suited for the position of Energy Secretary. Cohn has a long history as a commodities trader and deep expertise in the complexities of energy pricing. Another possible choice to run the Energy Department, oil tycoon Harold Hamm, recently told FOX Business he wasnt interested in the job. Another name being floated as a possible contender is Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV). Cohn would mark the third executive from the firm to make his way into the new Trump Administrationmoves that are already raising eyebrows among many Trump supporters who were attracted to the candidates anti-Wall Street, populist message during his presidential campaign. Trump ran as an outsider, and often bashed his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton and her ties to Wall Street, including her paid speeches to Goldman after serving as the Obama Administrations Secretary of State and while she was running a private charity, the Clinton Foundation. The FBI continues to investigate Clinton over donations to the foundation from people who did business with the federal government while she was at the state department. She has denied wrongdoing. Goldman made a particularly inviting target for Trump given the firms long and controversial role straddling the nexus between government and big business; two of the firms former top executives, Robert Rubin and Hank Paulson went on to become Treasury Secretary in the administrations of former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, respectively. Critics of the firm, such as Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and members of the right-wing Tea Party movement, contend that Goldman over the years exerted far too much influence on public policy. Rubin, for instance, helped de-regulate banks during the Clinton years, which some say led to the 2008 financial crisis. Paulson was behind the massive bank bailouts at the end of Bushs second term when the crisis threatened to destroy the U.S. banking system. Trump likened the ties between Clinton and firms like Goldman to a form of crony capitalism, where rich insiders benefit from access to high ranking government officials and those insiders then repay officials when they become public citizens. Trump vowed during the campaign to drain the swamp of this alleged corruption and stop special privileges that he said were flowing to well-connected people during the Obama years, and when Hillary Clintons husband Bill was president. Meanwhile, Cohn himself is a longtime Democrat and one of Wall Streets earliest supporters of President Obama. But people who know him say he has grown wary of the President and his class warfare against the big banks in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. Cohn has also opposed many of Obamas post-financial crisis reforms that put a dent in Goldmans revenues, particularly from the trading desk, which he ran. And despite Trumps campaign rhetoric, the president-elect is now warming up to Goldman and its people; his recently selected Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin, was a former Goldman Sachs partner. Steve Bannon, his chief strategist, also worked at Goldman, as did hedge fund executive Anthony Scaramucci, a key transition team member. Cohn would be the latest, and possibly the most high-profile Goldman executive to join a presidential administration since Paulson, given his role as Blankfeins second-in-command. If he does leave Goldman as a growing chorus of firm insiders say he soon couldhe would quickly be replaced by a group of younger executives that he has long feared were ready to fill his shoes. Sources inside Goldman say Cohn will likely be replaced by a team of co-presidents, David Solomon, head of the investment banking business and Harvey Schwartz, the firms CFO. Transcription 1 Natural Disasters and Development in Botswana: What can communities do to cushion themselves against the adverse effects of floods? Maripe, K Lecturer, Social Work Department University of Botswana and Tapologo Maundeni Senior Lecturer, Social Work Department University of Botswana Abstract The global village is overwhelmed by various disasters. Tsunamis cause havoc for Asian countries while the hurricanes, lightening, cyclones and floods equally affect America, Europe, and African countries. These disasters coupled with other threats such as volcanic eruption, earthquakes continue to pose serious threats to the development of nations. This paper explores how communities in Botswana can be empowered to cushion themselves against the adverse effects of floods. Evidence from the authors work in the area of disasters in Botswana as well as existing literature is used to support some of the arguments raised in this paper. The main argument of this paper is that communities in Botswana are less resilient to survive the effects of floods because they are not adequately empowered. The paper therefore highlights several ways in which communities could be made resilient to the effects of floods. Introduction Community safety and resilience is fundamental for sustainable development in the techno era. The challenge to build safe and resilient communities depends on national leaders, communities, families and individuals active participation in their development. Development must be a progressive movement from vulnerability to sustainable socio- economic levels of communities and individuals. Therefore, there is need to define functional roles of communities disaster risk reduction while exploring the weaknesses, strengths, and the extent of representation of current roles and responsibilities. The focus must be to strengthen disaster management within the community because disasters can and do undermine development goals. Disasters therefore, are a 1 2 course of concern for sustainable economic development and national progress. This paper seeks to address a global call of mainstreaming disaster risk reduction to community development initiatives. For the purpose of the paper, the word community refers to a group of individuals and households living in the same location and having the same hazard exposure, who can share the same objectives and goals in Disaster Risk Reduction (Victoria, 2008) The Impact of Natural Disasters: A Global Perspective The global village is overwhelmed by disaster of varying magnitude and worst catastrophes. For example, from 1971 to 2000 Philippines suffered from nearly 300 natural disasters that killed Filipinos while from 1990 to 2000, 35 million people across the country were severely affected.to date, countries have suffered economic losses as a result of natural and / or human induced disasters (International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), 2004). Tsunamis cause devastation for Asian countries while the hurricanes, lightening, cyclones and floods equally affect America, Europe, and African countries. The complexity of natural disasters is compounded further by climate change that present with unpredictable weather patterns. As such, changes in weather patterns make community development a complex process and speeds up environmental degradation. United Nations (WCNDR, 2005) indicates that 2/3 of all disasters are climate or weather related. The impact of these disasters is multifaceted, complex and most importantly, has serious effects on development. First, disasters have adverse effects on countries economies (Guo Qisheng et al (1999). For example, in China flooding disasters caused economic losses of 1666 hundred million Yuan (Guo Qisheng et al, 1999). Due to the escalation in costs, disasters are no longer a concern only for humanitarian actors but also for financial institutions as well like the World Bank, Inter American and Asian Development Bank, UNDP and Germany s GTZ (Inter American Development Bank, 2007). For example, in the United States of America hazards like hurricanes, cyclones, veldt fires, floods, and terrorism have caused massive destruction to infrastructural developments like roads, telecommunication, buildings and bridges, high mortalities and injuries, and consumed billions of dollars in humanitarian response. Secondly, disasters often result in diseases, disabilities and loss of lives. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA, 2009) states that in the United States, averages of 300 people are injured and 80 people killed each year by lightning. Although most victims survive, people struck by lightning often report a variety of long-term debilitating symptoms. Other associated dangers of thunderstorms include tornadoes, strong winds, hail, and flash flooding. Flash flooding is responsible for more fatalities, more than 140 annually than any other thunderstorm associated hazard. 2 3 Thirdly, disasters are associated with poverty and low socio-economic background both at individual and community levels. The Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR, 2007) at a symposium accepted that poverty gap is accentuated by natural disasters and the Millennium Development Goals have to address areas linked to vulnerability to natural hazards in the nations. UNDP (2008) states that 220 million people were found to be exposed annually to drought and African states were indicated as having the highest vulnerability to drought. Botswana has been grappling with the challenge of drought for a considerable period of time which has depleted completely the socio economic base of rural communities. Rains and storms come after a prolonged period of drought and famine and devastate millions of poor people as in Kenya and Ethiopia. As a result malaria and diarrhea cases increased and livestock was decimated by an outbreak of Rift valley fever (World Disaster Report, 2007). United Nations World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction (WCNDR, 2005) reported that the impact is severe on those who already suffer as result of poverty and disease. This implies that African countries, Botswana included, have to work towards building community safety and resilience to natural variability of the climate. Northern Kenya in 2006, suffered three years of crippling drought that were broken by severe floods that washed away the only road to the area. The bad road prevented supply of health kits and clean water to the marooned community. The area is a home for 3 million people with the highest levels of poverty and vulnerability to food insecurity. It was discovered that discrimination against minority groups in Kenya contributed to the plight of the affected community. Similar sentiments were raised in Guatemala were the lack of gender aggregated information contributed to loss of lives. Barun Mitra was quoted saying information is power when information is credible, timely, locally relevant, and widely accessible to the population (UN, 2005, page 5). Fourthly, disasters lead to experiences of trauma, sadness, depression and confusion because people are displaced from their homes and they loose property. These feelings are compounded by the fact that some survivors of disasters do not insure their property; therefore the damage and loss of property that accompanies disasters cannot be compensated. In addition to natural disasters, there are human induced threats that barricades preparedness and response efforts to natural disasters. Political instabilities in Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Sudan, and Uganda interfered with humanitarian assistance. Such political complication impact negatively on humanitarian interventions and contributes to unnecessary loss of life and suffering. Victoria (2008) attest that in Sri lanka increasing clashes between government forces and the LTTE along the line of control in Mannar district and other security concerns restricted access to districts affected by floods. This is supported by UNDP (2008) that states that the translation of drought 3 4 into famine is mediated by armed conflicts, internal displacements, HIV/AIDS, poor governance and economic crisis. Additionally, corruption of African government officials and political leaders is one major promoter of vulnerability and poverty. United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR, 2005) attests that corruption is a hindrance to disaster risk reduction and the elimination of poverty. Lavell (1999) argues that although poverty and vulnerability are not themselves synonym, it is generally accepted that poverty explains a significant part of the vulnerability that affects the vast majority of the population of developing countries, the poor suffer severely from the effects of disasters. As such to deal with disaster risk reduction there must be commitment to good governance. Good governance must be enriched by transparency and accountability amongst the elected officials, bureaucrats and civil servants, and the elimination of practices that are a source of corruption. Acknowledging that natural disasters add an extra burden to the already existing vulnerabilities is fundamental to risk reduction and sustainable development. The relationship between disasters and developments Developments whether technological, economical and / or physical bring along with them related threats and risks. These economic, infrastructural and / or technological threats must be identified and risk be mitigated prior to eventualities. UNDP (2007) states that disasters become necessary and inevitable result of development. They are built into the process and are the price to pay for the gains achieved by following a dominant growth model that guarantees growth and development for some and poverty and vulnerability for the majority. The UNDP advocates for fundamental changes in the growth development models because development project expansions targets areas occupied by the poor despite efforts to eradicate poverty. It is argued that disasters in developed countries reveal greater vulnerability of the poor and disadvantaged and a relative indicator of underdevelopment (UNDP, 2007). Guo Qisheng et al (1999) find disaster is an important restricting factor to sustainable development in terms of population explosion, resource shortage, environment depravation, and zoology unbalance. These they term the four factors educing sustainable development. Disasters siphon national and international resources by destructions caused and provision of short term responsive humanitarian services. The long term economic and social costs are left with communities themselves. 4 5 Global Action against disasters Due to challenges presented by disasters globally, humanitarian actors, institutions, professionals and national governments have been working tirelessly to design strategies, identify key priority areas, appropriate measures to identify hazards and reduce risks. It was resolved that to meet poverty objectives it is necessary that potential hazard risk are determined and risk management approaches are taken into account while designing poverty reduction strategies or socioeconomic development plans (GFDRR, 2007). International world conferences held from the early 1990 s until 2004 are efforts manage disasters. In 2004 the Hyogo Framework of Action (HFA) was developed. The framework is meant to guide government and communities on how to mainstream disaster risk reduction in development. The framework appreciates the complexity and multifaceted nature of disaster management. As such, it should be the responsibility of every institution, individuals, communities and not only government. An Overview of Existing Efforts to Address Disasters in Botswana Botswana as a landlocked country is seriously affected by cross border floods, and diseases from South Africa, Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia. It is also prone to periodic droughts, floods and storms, veldt fires, lightening, animal, and human related diseases. As such, in 1997, the Government of Botswana developed a long term vision guided by seven (7) pillars towards prosperity for all citizens by 2016 (Presidential Task Group, 1997). The pillars are as follows: An educated, informed nation: A prosperous, productive innovation nation: A compassionate, just and caring nation: A safe and secure nation: An open Democratic and Accountable Nation: A moral and tolerant nation: and A united and proud nation. These pillars are interrelated and interdependent and girded towards prosperity for communities, a commitment towards sustainable development. The fourth pillar envisions Botswana with established functional, efficient and effective risk reduction system against drought, animal diseases, floods, windstorms, veldt fires and rains to a safe and secure nation by This dream aligns with disaster risk reduction and the Hyogo framework of Action (UNDP, 2008). In acknowledgement of the vision, the National Policy on Disaster Management (1996) identifies droughts, floods, windstorms, and veldt fires as prevalent hazards in the country. Section 12 of the policy, stated that each agency (government and non-governmental) is responsible for developing its own internal disaster plan detailing internal mechanism necessary for the definition of ministerial responsibilities at national, district, town, and city levels. It is assumed that ministries and / or agencies posses disaster management technical knowledge and skills, which is a fallacy. Ministries or agencies may be experts in their professional 5 6 disciplines but not disaster management. Section 18 of the policy asserts that the implementation of disaster management projects and programmes rest chiefly with line ministries at national and district level because the necessary sectoral skills and expertise are housed within those ministries. This is good enough to abdicate some people from their responsibilities and their failure to take action on serious issues. It serves as a good excuse for the National Disaster Management office not to function effectively in their coordination role in disaster management. The illusionary thinking characterizing the current policy leads to fatalism because disasters continue to defy simple and haphazard approaches. Therefore, a Government Ministry cannot on its own deal with disaster issues because of the multiple factors involved. The challenge to contain veldt fires in 2008 in Ghanzi, Kweneng, Kgalagadi, Nata and Maun, the current cholera cases, the outbreak of diarrhea in 2006, and foot and mouth in Matsiloje, Maun, and Ghanzi are typical examples, that a single ministry cannot contain and manage multi-faceted nature of disasters. The National Disaster Policy (1996) establishes District Disaster Committees to be composed of all heads of departments coordinated by the District Commissioner and Village Disaster Committee coordinated by traditional leaders. The districts and villages suffer more from frequent droughts, floods, destructive windstorms disasters and community members are the first responders to catastrophic event without training, knowledge and applicable techniques. Community members are not a homogenous group. Some are elderly. Some are young; some are sick; some live with disabilities and therefore do not have the full capacity to paly an active role in disasters due to their limited mobility, low socio-economic base and weak strong support base. Below are photos that serve as examples of disaster incidents scenarios responded to in different localities of Botswana. They were taken during the Selibe-Phikwe windstorms, Maun torrential rains and floods, Tsolamosese, Ramokgonami in 2007, and the Gweta floods in The owners are people who have struggled to have a roof over their heads which were later destroyed by the windstorms and have no money left to rehabilitate. 6 7 The key questions therefore are: who should ensure that these communities are organized, trained and equipped to reduce associated risk? How could this be done? These issues are addressed below. Proposed community approach SADC Disaster Management Steering Committee (2001) states that as far as preparedness measures are concerned, a bottom-up approach must be followed. When a disaster affects the community, the initial response is normally provided by the statutory emergency services of the local authority that is affected. The basic principle is that the local authority is responsible for disaster management and must address the full spectrum of disaster management from predisaster risk reduction to the post-disaster recovery phase. This has not worked for the country but lead to increased vulnerabilities, casualties, and unnecessary expenditures. Local authorities must be equipped sufficiently with knowledge, skills, and techniques to conduct vulnerability assessments, develop contingency plans, design an institutional framework for risk reduction, preparedness, and response, establish locally relevant early warning systems, and recovery mechanisms. Successful interventions in pre-disaster, during, and post disasters are dependent on the readiness of the locals. The efforts should be directed towards reducing further risks and threats while the process follows democratic ideals with defined roles and responsibilities for all members of the community. It should be all encompassing from children, adults, families, groups, local leaders, institutions, and external actors. There is need for interventions that target various groups in the community, e.g children (out of schools, children living in the farms); youth, adults, elderly, people living with disabilities, VDC members, chiefs, professionals, etc. Global Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction (GFDRR, 2006) recommended that nations and communities must integrate disaster risk reduction into development assistance framework 7 8 and poverty reduction strategies. The key factors for consideration are the development and implementation of hazard resistant building codes and standards; training programmes on risk reduction and mitigation for communities and civil servants; operational guidelines and policies for international and national finance institutions. The hazard risk assessment should include hazard mapping, building systematic inventories of housing and infrastructure stocks, and tracking of the social and economic losses caused by disasters ( There are six recommended steps towards increasing community resilience. These are community oriented; promote a collaboration and collectivity of efforts and resources to reduce risk. - Partnership with municipal and provincial government units: it is imperative from the beginning to ensure collaboration with local authorities in order to ground the preparedness concept firmly in local planning, gain technical and financial support for implementing mitigation measures and long term sustainability. - Disaster Action Team formation and training: at the heart of the prgramme is the group of community volunteers who receive trainings in hazard management, spread information, and work with the whole community to prepare a disaster action plan, which is the basis for deciding how to improve the safety of community resources. - Risk and Resource mapping: is the necessary to map the most important hazards, showing who and what they are jeopardizing. The maps are used to protect the suitable mitigation measures to protect the community, and also as land use planning tools for the local government units. - Community mitigation measures: based on the disaster action plan, the community establishes some kind of mitigation measures to reduce the impact from potentially relevant natural hazards. - Training and education: it is important both to DAT training and for raising awareness within the whole community, training and education. - Sustainability: this includes taking hazard preparedness into account and incorporating the main disaster action plan recommendations into local government units, land use planning and annual budgeting. The approach is premised on the realization that communities must participate to reverse the world wide trend of exponential increase in disaster occurrences and loss from small and medium scale disasters. Thus the community becomes the primary focus of attention, the common unit which is affected by disasters, more importantly responds to the event because members are interested in protecting themselves from danger and harm. The community 8 9 based approach corrects the defects of the top-down approach in development planning and disaster management which failed to address local needs, ignored the potential of indigenous resources and capacities, and increased people s vulnerability. It will ensure that appropriate and effective actions are taken during emergencies such as setting up the early warning system, coordination and institutional arrangements, evacuation and emergency operations management, public awareness, disaster and evacuation drills and stockpiling. Community based disaster management aims at reducing vulnerability and increasing capacity of vulnerable groups and communities to cope with, prevent, or minimize loss and damage to life, property, and the environment; minimize human suffering and hasten recovery. Prevention aspect covers measures to provide permanent protection from disasters or reduce the intensity / frequency of a hazardous event so that it does not become a disaster. The key indicators of resilience are safety, livelihoods security and sustainable economy, social and physical development (Victoria, 2008) Bibliography Federal Emergency Management Agency (2001) Disaster Preparedness: A guide to planning for California Community foundation The League of California foundation, Washington, DC GFDRR (2006) Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction into Development Instrument GFDRR (2007) Hyogo Framework of action for : Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters Guo Qisheng, Wang Yuquan, Xue Qing Yang, Ligong Wang Jingye (1999) Digital Earth and Decreasing and Preventing Disaster and Sustainable Development, Towards Digital Earth Armored Force Engineering Institute, Beijing Inter American Development Bank (2007) Disaster Risk Management for Latin America International federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (2004), World Disaster Report Kumarian Press Inc, Bloomfield, USA International federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (2007), World Disaster Report Focus on Discrimination Kumarian Press Inc, Bloomfield, USA Lavell A (1999) The impact of Disaster on Development Gains: clarity or controversy Presented at IDNDR Programme Forum, Geneva, 5-9 July. 9 10 National Disaster Policy (1996) National Policy on Disaster Management Botswana Government Press Presidential Task Group (1997) The Long term Vision for Botswana: Towards Prosperity for All, Botswana SADC (2001) Disaster Preparedness: Southern Africa Development Community Disaster Management Committee and Technical Seminar Harare, Zimbabwe UN (2005) Disaster and Development: A Study by the Sustainable Development Network UNISDR (2005) Disaster and Development A study by the Sustainable Development Network UNDP (2008) Bridging disaster and Development in Sri-lanka GMSL-DMIP, UNDP Victoria L. P. (2008) Community Based Approaches to Disaster Mitigation: Regional Workshop on Best Practice in Disaster Management Centre for Disaster Preparedness World Conference on National Disaster Reduction (2005) Disaster Risk in A changing climate: outcome relevant to climate change Nearly six months after Brexit, there are three big political events currently in focus that could have a global impact: Austrias upcoming presidential election, Italys upcoming vote on constitutional reform and French President Francois Hollandes recent announcement that he will not seek re-election. As concerns mount that the European Union is headed for collapse, former U.K. Independence Party Leader Nigel Farage weighed in on whether a change of course was possible toward a more unified Europe. They cant, the European Union is dying before your very eyes. Look, the most significant event thats taken place in the 60 odd years this unions been around is the Brexit vote that took place in June of this year, Farage told the FOX Business Networks Stuart Varney. According to Farage, European Union leadership did not learn from the Brexit decision and is continuing down a path of centralizing power. Now the lesson they could have learned from that was that actually, nation states want to have a bit more of a say over their own lives. So they could have concluded, lets hand back powers. Nope, theyre doing the opposite. They want to pull more and more powers to the center. I think the Eurozone is whats really going to play out in this referendum on Sunday in Italy. In a list of the top five baby boy names in Britain this year, Muhammed, the central figure of the Islamic religion, was second. When asked if this was a factor behind the British decision to leave Europe, Farage responded, I think the Brexit vote wasnt about Islam in particular. What it was about was open doors, numbers, pressure on wages. I think the debate about Islam is the one that will rage in France in their presidential election next year. President-elect Donald Trump announced the formation of a council to advise him on job creation, a group comprised of the leaders of a variety of major U.S. corporations including GE, GM, Boeing, Disney and IBM. Stephen Schwarzman, chief executive officer of major investment firm Blackstone Group LP, will chair the council. "My administration is committed to drawing on private sector expertise and cutting the government red tape that is holding back our businesses from hiring, innovating, and expanding right here in America," Trump said in a statement announcing the formation of the council. Trump called Schwarzman earlier this week to ask for his help in chairing the council, according to a source familiar with the discussions who was not authorized to speak publicly on the arrangements. The two men, who are not friends and have not done business together before, drafted a list of CEOs to ask to participate in the forum, and then Schwarzman asked each individual to participate. The forum could meet as frequently as monthly, the source said. Trump has said that his top priorities will include cutting regulations that affect business and lowering the corporate tax rate, positions business leaders have cheered. Presidents often convene councils of business leaders. President Barack Obama frequently met with the CEOs of large companies and often spoke before the Business Roundtable, comprised of CEOs of big corporations. In 2011, Obama convened a jobs council that was led by General Electric Co CEO Jeff Immelt and an export council headed by Xerox Corp CEO Ursula Burns. Obama and business leaders worked on trade, technology and immigration efforts. Some members of Trump's council also served in advisory roles with Obama, including Bob Iger, the CEO of Walt Disney Co ; Jim McNerney, former CEO of Boeing Co ; and Ginni Rometty, CEO of International Business Machines Corp . All three served on Obama's export council and will continuing advising the next administration. Noticeably absent from the council are heads of leading U.S. technology companies such as Google's parent Alphabet Inc , Apple Inc and Facebook Inc. Trump's transition team has been slow to establish a group to address cyber security and other technology issues. The council could still add leaders from technology companies, a source familiar with the formation of the group said. The members of Trump's council include: (Additional reporting by Gui Qing Koh and Gregory Roumeliotis; Editing by David Gregorio and Jonathan Oatis) Score one for those know-it-alls who hang around classic car shows. An eagle-eyed enthusiast with a keen attention to detail at a recent gathering in the northern California town of Red Bluff was checking out a 1964 Corvette when he noticed the vehicle identification number (VIN) was for a different model, evidence that the car was once stolen. The Red Bluff Daily News reports that the owner then brought it to the local California Highway Patrol to get it checked out. Sure enough, the VIN was originally from an Impala, while another number on the car matched that of a 1964 Corvette that was reported stolen down in Anaheim...in 1976. Revealed : Stash of WW II-era cars hidden in French quarry. The unidentified man had no idea, having been given the car as a gift by his wife in 1987, who bought it from a dealer that's now out of business. Some more sleuthing by the police, which included digging into the Anaheim PD's ancient microfiche records, turned up the name of the original owner, Modesto Flemming, who had since relocated to Arizona. The police were able to reach out to Flemming, and she made the trip to Red Bluff to retrieve the car she never thought she'd see again, which happens to be in great condition and is probably worth $50,000 or more today. A police spokesperson told FoxNews.com that the recent owner and his wife arent in any trouble, as they were unwitting parties after the crime, but didn't know what if any compensation they received from insurance, or otherwise, for having to return the car. As America prepares to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Japan's December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the History Channel is shedding light on the tragic day. Their one-hour special Pearl Harbor: The Truth claims intelligence and military mistakes allowed early warning signs of the Japanese attack to be missed. The husband-and-wife duo Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan wrote the book A Matter of HonorBetrayal, Blame & a Familys Quest for Justice on which the special is based. Swan told FOX411 they wanted to explore the theory that Admiral Edward Kimmel and General Walter Short were made scapegoats for the attack. For 75 years most American have been under the impression that Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 succeeded because the Army and Navy commanders in Hawaii were 'asleep at the switch' -- that it was their fault," Swan said. This is a complex story, but an injustice was done perhaps for good reason at the time, Swan explained. One of the things that was hidden was the secret that the United States was breaking the Japanese diplomatic code and keeping that secret saved countless lives during the war... but after that, there is no worthy reason for continuing to vilify two honorable men and to allow them to shoulder the responsibility of the death of so many young men. It is an injustice that should be righted. Summers said the special is indeed an expose. The fact that there have only been two big catastrophes -- one was Pearl Harbor... and the other was 9/11. They are both the same kind of stature and horror in the American memory, Summers said. It matters for the reason Vice President Joe Biden has annunciated, which is that in the United States, an injustice along the lines of the disgrace that was put on Admiral Kimmel should not be allowed to stand. In the History special, Swan said viewers will see the "snafus" that occurred along the way. We have done this enormous investigation of what happened, the lead up to Pearl Harbor and why the History Channel has chosen to call it The Truth she said. The History Channel really shows the kind of litany of screw ups... that really contributed to the disaster in which Admiral Kimmel and General Short... could not be held solely accountable and should not have been held accountable and therefore scapegoated for the mistakes of many, and that is a grave injustice. Pearl Harbor: The Truth premieres December 4th on the History Channel. The Rolling Stones' legendary piano player Chuck Leavell was as surprised as anyone when he heard his bandmates had, out of nowhere, cut a dozen blues covers over the course of a few days in a London studio. "We were on tour in Latin America and Keith pulled me aside, he said 'Man, youve got to come to my room and listen to this stuff that we cut.' So I listened, it was fantastic, Leavell told FOX411. He said, 'We gotta get you on it.' Mick came to me later and said, 'Chuck, sorry you werent there, we gotta get you on it.'" So the band went about getting Leavells signature keyboards on "Blue & Lonesome," their first album in 11 years, released Friday. "The producer Don Was and I went down to New Orleans and worked in this wonderful studio called The Parlor to get the authentic sounds that we needed for this record," Leavell said. "I played everything on a nice upright piano. And all the sounds, in addition to the upright, the guitar sounds, the drum sounds, theyre all going back to 'the day.'" "Blue & Lonesome's" 12 tracks include covers of blues songs from Jimmy Reed, Little Walter, and Eddie Taylor. Eric Clapton, who just happened to be at the same studio at the time, lends his guitar on two tracks. Keith Richards' advice to young rocker roomies: 'Get a maid' Leavell, 64, who has played on every Stones album since "Emotional Rescue," says the band is in peak form. "The band sounds better than ever, and I'm not saying that just to say it. It's true," he said. "Everybody's on top of their game, and Mick is amazing. His voice is fantastic and it just keeps getting better and better." Leavell is surprised as anyone that the band is still cooking, and that they sell out every single place in the world they play. He also says that for him at least, it almost never happened, as at one point, he was ready to hang up the rock star life. Back in 81 my career was kind of floundering. I had been in the Allman Brothers band but that band had broken up, Leavell said. I had a band called Sea Level and it was successful, but that band had broken up, I was interested in forestry because my wife had inherited some land, and so I found myself with a little trio playing clubs and not really going anywhere. I came home one day and I talked to my wife, her name is Rose Lane, and I said Rosie, Im always going to play music but things really arent going that great right now, maybe I should just let it go and lets focus on forestry and the land. And she listened very patiently, and at the end of all that she said Well thats interesting Chuck but guess what, the Rolling Stones called you today. I said Honey, dont joke with me now! But it was true! In joining the Rolling Stones, Leavell had to fill some pretty big shoes following some the most famous keyboard players in rock and roll. But despite playing with the Stones almost as long as their original bass player Bill Wyman, Leavell never expected to be considered one of the full band members. It is definitely a British institution, Leavell laughed. And throughout the years and the career of the band there have been a lot of contributors. I mean look at the piano players: Ian Stewart, who was actually a founder of the band. The great Nicky Hopkins, who I did get to know and who was a lovely, lovely guy, one of the best piano players. Billy Preston worked with the Stones, as well as working with the Beatles. Jack Nitzsche. It has just been a nice line of contributors that are maybe not members of the band, but have made their mark, and Id like to think Ive been one of those. You can hear Chuck Leavell play with The Roots on "The Tonight Show" on Friday night. Volunteer for a clinical trial and your body will be poked, prodded, scanned, and analyzed. But youre unlikely to get any of the results. A small but influential band of activists has been pushing hard to change that and theyre starting to get traction. The research establishment has long opposed giving volunteers access to their data, even though thats supposed to be part of the arrangement. Some worry that its too easy for laypeople to misinterpret test results, while others maintain that its a waste of resources to organize data for individual review. But in a striking shift, two global drug makers recently agreed to let clinical trial participants review data generated by their own bodies. In July, the federal office that oversees research on human subjects recommended that data sharing be the rule, not the exception. And many of the million people expected to sign up for the big federal research project known as the Precision Medicine Initiative will get access to everything scientists learn about them, including DNA readouts and data on the billions of bacteria living in their guts. Its a power shift, said Dr. Eric Topol, a cardiologist and director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute. But it remains to be seen how the average volunteer will make use of the information or if they will even want to see it. Read more: New federal rules target woeful public reporting of clinical trial results In two clinical trials for diabetes in 2013, Pfizer enabled US volunteers to set up online accounts where they could download data such as heart rhythm charts, lab reports, and vital sign measurements after the studys end. Less than 15 percent did so. What we found is patients expressing that they wanted access, but not a high volume of clicks for access, said Craig Lipset, head of clinical innovation at Pfizer. Im not sure they felt there were enough things to do with the data that were truly meaningful. Lipset suspected the company can boost interest by tweaking when and how volunteers get the data, and what they learn. Janssen Pharmaceutical is now trying out something similar with a study of an experimental drug for rheumatoid arthritis. Volunteers can get real-time lab data and upload it into their own electronic medical records. At participating study sites, 24 percent of volunteers opted in and 38 percent of them used the system regularly. Its a minority, admitted Dr. Andreas Koester, a vice president of research and development operations at Janssen. But hes not deterred: The aim was to get feedback on making such a system easier to use. The message from industry is: This is a black box. You give us everything, and we cant tell you anything, and thats just the way it is, Koester said. This is not sustainable. A matter of life and death Proponents make the case that returning data to volunteers could improve public trust in research and increase participation in studies. It might also reduce duplicate medical tests, help participants manage their own health, and encourage more data sharing between scientists. Jack Whelan, 67, has less abstract goals in mind: He considers access to his own data crucial to his survival. In the past eight years, he has joined seven clinical trials of drugs for his blood cancer. This month hes starting his eighth, for a new diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer. Right from the start of his first trial, Whelan told the study doctor: I want that data youre collecting. He plugged it into a spreadsheet, and tracked his bodys response to each experimental drug. Although Whelan doesnt have a background in medicine, as a former research analyst, hes good with data. He quickly learned to figure out whether an experimental drug was effective or not, just by observing changes in creatinine, bilirubin, and other factors in his blood. Participants in clinical trials arent supposed to know whether a drug is working. But the way Whelan saw it, he couldnt afford not to know. If after two or three [drug] infusions, I could see that it wasnt going the right way, Id say: I want to stop the trial, I want to get off this bus, he said. Read more: For cancer patients, newest treatments force the ultimate decision, with no room for error Such stories make researchers wary; it can hurt the reliability of clinical trials if volunteers drop out when they think a drug isnt working. That matters to Whelan, too, but hes understandably more worried about his own life. Hes convinced that analyzing his data is whats kept him alive so long with such a deadly disease. To help others do the same, Whelan and collaborators built an app and information service for patients to manage their health records (including clinical trial data, if they can get it). The team sold it to the clinical trial software company ERT, which is integrating it with its own system. (Whelan, who lives in Andover, Mass., also gets speaking fees from various drug companies as a patient representative.) Others argue that giving volunteers their data is just the right thing to do. Youre asking me to spend time, to literally devote my body and possibly compromise my health to help advance a therapy, and yet I tend to be the invisible partner, said Laura Kolaczkowski, 62, a patient advocate in Ohio who is now the co-principal investigator for iConquerMS, which lets people with multiple sclerosis share their data for research. Kolaczkowski volunteered for a study of baclofen, a muscle relaxant, but was never even told whether the trial succeeded or failed. At the end of the day, when that study concludes, she said, the people whove participated are owed that by the sponsors. Is a little knowledge dangerous? In the US, federal rules dont forbid giving volunteers their test results, as long as the tests are well-established as legitimate. In fact, the Secretarys Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections at the Department of Health and Human Services recently recommended a rebuttable presumption in favor of returning individual results after a study is over, at least for conventional tests like viral loads for hepatitis or even IQ. The information doesnt need to be medically important. Pure intellectual curiosity is reason enough, the guidance says. Access to data is usually written into study protocols and spelled out in the paperwork that participants sign. It just typically doesnt happen. Only 9 percent of research volunteers surveyed in 2014 got even so much as a summary of the study results. Just 4 percent found out whether they got an active drug or a placebo, according to the survey of 1,072 volunteers by the nonprofit Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation. Read more: Game of Genomes Season 1: An epic quest to crack the mysteries of our DNA Some scientists and even some study volunteers support keeping clinical trial participants partly or largely in the dark. I used to think patients need all data, but thats not what I believe nowadays, said breast cancer survivor Deborah Collyar, president of Patient Advocates in Research and a member of many research advisory committees. Data is not knowledge. You need to understand the data, and then be able to interpret it. Without proper context, she said, the information isnt useful. Another concern: Giving volunteers their data sets up the expectation that theyll get something valuable for participating in a clinical trial, rather than agreeing to do it purely out of altruism, said Dr. Eileen Clayton, a professor at Vanderbilt Universitys Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society. The practice blurs the lines between research and health care, she said. Its a poor use of limited research funds. And volunteers might misinterpret test results and seek unnecessary treatments or further tests. So Clayton argues for strict limits on data return: Research participants should get only results that uncover a potentially serious condition, like a suspicious shadow on an MRI. A narrow focus on curing disease On the other end of the spectrum, some researchers are trying to make it easier for study participants to get broad access to their data and then share it, if theyd like, with scientists. One recent project lets families with rare undiagnosed genetic diseases join a research study through the University of Washington Center for Mendelian Genomics. They get their genomes sequenced and receive the raw data along with a report and tools to explore it for just $825, instead of the $5,000 to $7,000 it could cost through a doctor. If they choose, they can publicly share that data, along with their own medical records. Putting data directly into peoples hands is step toward reengineering the system. The goal is a research process thats faster, more equitable, and more squarely aimed at curing disease, said Jason Bobe, an associate professor of genetics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. Academic researchers, companies, and nonprofits have incentives to keep data locked up, whether to protect intellectual property, grants, or publications, Bobe pointed out. Study volunteers are mostly in it just to improve their own health or further medical science. They dont care as much about tenure, stock price, those kinds of things, Bobe said. They care about outcomes their health and the health of their family. For women in their 40s, perimenopause can kick in, causing all kinds of problems. We got this email from a viewer: Dear Dr. Manny, My doctor told me being on the pill can help relieve perimenopause symptoms, but are there any exercises I can do to help? Thanks, Marla Perimenopause is the stage before menopause when a womans ovaries stop making as much estrogen as they used to. It can last up to four years and can even start in a womans thirties. A blood test can confirm if your hormone levels are changing. Symptoms include: Hot flashes Lower sex drive Irregular periods Fatigue Vaginal dryness Trouble sleeping Mood swings Low-dose birth control pills will you relief from hot flashes, but there are other factors that can help as well, including: Quitting smoking Drinking less alcohol Getting more sleep Getting enough calcium in your diet Exercising regularly For some specific exercises to help perimenopause symptoms, we checked in with Christine Chen, yoga instructor and author of Happy Go Yoga. I like to use a couple yoga breathing techniques to either wake myself up or cool myself off from the hot flashes, Chen said. The rock your heart technique helps energize. Inhale and arch back, opening your arms up behind you. Breathe out of your nose to exhale and give yourself a hug. To cool down, make an O shape with your mouth to inhale, close your mouth and breathe out of your nose. Do you have a health question? Tweet me @DrMannyonFox. At the end of 2015, about 36.7 million people had been living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, according to UNAIDS. But new initiatives, including a clinical trial for an HIV vaccine in South Africa, as well as a campaign to help children stay free of AIDS, are giving advocates hope that more lives can be saved from the devastating illness in the coming years. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one of the primary hurdles societies face in preventing transmission of HIV is individuals lack of a diagnosis. Dr. Rowena Johnston, vice president and director of research at the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), said ensuring people who are at risk of becoming infected with HIV are taking protective medication is another major obstacle. Through research, amfARs goal is to develop the scientific basis for a cure to AIDS by 2020. Johnston called the clinical trial in South Africa exciting. They have a really good lead, and they understand what might work, she told FoxNews.com, and here they are out in the field testing to see if we can prevent HIV through a vaccine. The study, called HVTN 702, aims to enroll 5,400 sexually active men and women aged between 18 and 35 at 15 sites across South Africa. Researchers are launching the trial after a 2009 study of the same vaccine in Thailand found HVTN 702 was 31.2 percent effective at preventing HIV infection over the 3.5 years of follow-up after the vaccination. The Africa trial will be the largest and most advanced HIV vaccine clinical trial to take place in South Africa, where more than 1,000 people a day are infected with HIV. HIV is not evenly distributed, Dr. Beryl A. Koblin, head of the New York Blood Center Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention, told FoxNews.com. [The virus] tends to concentrate in areas that have, particularly among women high levels of poverty, [where] there may not be a lot of resources." Like amfAR, the WHO has pledged to put an end to AIDS in the near future, 2030. Of those people living with HIV/AIDS at the end of 2015, an estimated 1.8 million who were children, according to UNAIDS. Chip Lyons, president and CEO of the Elizabeth Glasser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, is working through the research and advocacy organization to help children live healthy lives cleared of the potentially life-threatening disease. While he urged the importance of government leadership across the globe, he said they have the tools to achieve their goal. We have the approaches, [and] we have the experience and data to accomplish that, Lyons told FoxNews.com. Researchers expect to have results for the HVTN 702 trial by late 2020. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Back in 2008 Barack Obama ran a campaign of hope, full of promises of a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Its been eight years since then and his position somewhat changed. Recently, he ordered the deportation of over 7,000 immigrant children and there have already been 32,117 apprehensions of family members at the Mexico-U.S. border during the first six months of fiscal 2016. He has rightfully earned the title of Deporter in Chief. We want immigration reform just as much as the president claims he does, if not more, but we want it done the right way weve been waiting long enough. Josh Rivera Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson confirmed back in January that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began raids of undocumented immigrant families, and quickly apprehended over 100 adults and children. Now, more than 300 young people have been apprehended this year, with more to come as part of a nationwide operation. In a move that should raise concern, Johnson confirmed that instead of giving priority to the deportation of criminal aliens in line with the presidents previous statements the priority would now be on recent arrivals. In response to the growing concern and fear among our community, Vice President Joe Biden affirmed that deportations are being done in the most humane way possible. But how humane is it to place a priority on deporting the very people escaping violence and in some cases death threats and famine? Its a sad moment in our nations history when we cannot guarantee the safety of innocent families and children escaping violence. Advocates for immigrants are being told not to take it personally, saying the administration needs to meet its 400,000 deportation target. The president likes to call himself a champion of immigration yet his actions confirm the opposite. For years now, immigration advocates have been asking for one thing: immigration reform. What did the champion do? He pushed reform of immigration to the back burner when his party had control of Congress because he decided Obamacare, pushing a green energy revolution, and passing the largest budget in American history were more important. Even when confronted by a military veteran whose mother faces deportation, during a town hall at Florida International University, the president couldnt provide a definitive answer. His limited actions are nothing short of pandering to a community in need of real, long-lasting results. Today were seeing the consequences. Before issuing the executive order that created the DAPA program, President Obama said many times that he lacked the legal authority to make these changes, unless Congress acted first. Groups like The LIBRE Initiative warned against relying on executive orders and called for bipartisan outreach in Congress. Instead he offered our community a half measure that could easily be struck down by a court which was exactly what happened in Texas. And although the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case between the The United States v. The State of Texas, no one should be surprised if they affirm the decision of the lower court leaving immigrants with nothing. Were seeing, once again, the Hispanic community fall victim to the lack of leadership from President Obama. Families are being torn apart. Childrens futures are uncertain. Deportees are being sent to their deaths. And still, we see no effort from the president to bring consensus. Deporting over two million people a record rate among U.S. presidents and establishing programs like the Criminal Alien Removal Initiative (CARI) in New Orleans is not the work of a champion of immigration. Its clear that President Obama will not put any effort the rest of his term to push for a real fix on immigration but rather double down on his orders and blame either Congress or the Supreme Court for not supporting his dubious plan all the while our community suffers. We cant accept his approach or anyone who claims to follow a similar tactic, like Hillary Clinton has affirmed. If this is what we have to show for from the champion, I worry for what well get from the friend of the immigrant community as she calls herself. Regardless of the outcome in the upcoming hearings of United States v. Texas, we must advocate for permanent, sensible and market-based reform that will keep families together, strengthen our economy, and keep Americans safe needs to continue no matter whos in office. We want immigration reform just as much as the president claims he does, if not more, but we want it done the right way weve been waiting long enough. There is a rising star in Mexican politics. Senator Francisco Javier Garcia Cabeza de Vaca is a candidate for governor for the state of Tamaulipas, which sits along the border with Texas, adjoining the Laredo Port of Entry. He is a man of integrity, big ideas and fearless determination. And he is exactly the kind of partner both counties need to build a Texas and Tamaulipas that together will secure the U.S.-Mexico border and increase trade. Hes speaking about corruption, refusing to ally with the cartels and is working to build relationships that will help the economic and physical security of both our nations. This bold stand puts him on the wrong side of organized crime and entrenched political interests in Mexico. Hes risking it all. Nelson Balido In Tamaulipas today, drug cartels are powerful, permeating the police force and infecting elected leaders. Previous governors of Tamaulipas are wanted by the FBI for corruption and money laundering. Relationships with American partners (state and federal) are weak. It is the opposite of what is needed for an effective relationship between those charged with interdicting narcotics, disrupting human smuggling, and expediting the legitimate flow of people and goods across the U.S.-Mexico border. For as poorly as previous Tamaulipas governors have fared, Cabeza de Vaca is a different sort of leader, and it owes in part to his background. Cabeza de Vaca is currently Mexicos Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman, was born in McAllen, Texas, and earned undergraduate degrees from Houston Baptist University (as well as a masters of international business from the Universidad de Monterrey). He holds citizenship in the United States and Mexico, and he is fluent in English and Spanish. In short, Cabeza de Vaca is truly binational, and that gives him unique insight into a range of border security issues. In Cabeza de Vaca, the United States finally finds someone who wants to collaborate at the state level. He understands that the trust between officials in Tamaulipas and those in the United States has been broken for a long time, and step one for a brighter future is rebuilding that trust. As such, he has been meeting with representatives from U.S. Border Patrol, the Texas Rangers, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and many others. He has met with every agency at the federal and state level, discussing how best to cultivate critical relationships with the United States. In these meetings, in policy and at public events, Cabeza de Vaca is proposing greater intelligence sharing with U.S. agencies. He seeks to open a Tamaulipas trade office in San Antonio, Texas, to promote commerce between the United States and Mexico. He has proposed multiple pre-clearance points for people and cargo crossing the border. And hes calling for improvements in law enforcement, proposing the addition of 6,000 Tamaulipas police officers; currently, the Mexican military is filling the law enforcement role in the state. All of these proposals are precisely what the United States wants to see happen in Tamaulipas, strengthening the state to better manage cross-border flows and stop narcotics and human smuggling. The Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) that has governed Tamaulipas for 86 years has given the state two governors who are wanted by the FBI, and they obviously do not like Cabeza de Vacas rising prominence. They are doing everything they can to taint his image. A smear campaign has emerged in Tamaulipas, with some public figures accusing Cabeza de Vaca of colluding with the cartels. Accusations of this sort are common in Mexican politics, no matter whether they are true. So the Border Commerce & Security Council conducted independent reviews to explore Cabeza de Vacas background and affiliations. Based on the results of those reviews, I can write with certainty that claims about Cabeza de Vaca being a narco senator are completely baseless. He is as clean as a whistle. This conclusion is supported by the logical deduction that if Cabeza de Vaca had dealings with criminal organizations, he would not be able to travel as freely as he does in the United States, far more so than previous Tamaulipas governors who are wanted by U.S. law enforcement. When looking at American politics, its easy to forget that in many countries a political career comes with threats to personal safety. In Tamaulipas, Cabeza de Vaca is taking a stand. Hes speaking about corruption, refusing to ally with the cartels and is working to build relationships that will help the economic and physical security of both our nations. This bold stand puts him on the wrong side of organized crime and entrenched political interests in Mexico. Hes risking it all. But hes not alone. Other candidates on the ballot for the June 5 election are breaking party lines to support him. (Unsurprisingly, those candidates were expelled from the ballot by the opposition and accused of working with the cartels as soon as they voiced support for Cabeza de Vaca). American partners are meeting with him to develop the relationships now that will be essential should he win the governorship. He is a catalyst for upsetting the status quo. And thats exactly what we need in Tamaulipas and perhaps in Mexico overall. Transcription 1 Dryden Pottery An Arkansas Treasure by G. L. Dybwad and Joy V. Bliss This year [2001], A. James Dryden (fig. 1) celebrates fifty-five years of continuous pottery business forty-five in Hot Springs preceded by ten productive years in Ellsworth, Kansas. As collectors of Drydenware, we were surprised to find no collectibles catalog for this long-standing enterprise. Upon meeting Dryden and his family and learning more about this fascinating man and his illustrious career, we knew his story must be told. The resulting book, Dryden Pottery of Kansas and Arkansas, is a biography and Pottery history as well as a catalog and price guide. As a GI returning from the South Pacific at the end of W.W.II and unsure what his civilian work would be, Dryden had a serendipitous encounter on the streets of Ellsworth, Kansas, with ceramist Norman Plummer of the Kansas Geological Survey. After they had visited, Plummer led Dryden to the best clay and ash fields in Kansas and introduced him to the head of the University of Kansas ceramics department, J. Sheldon Carey. A crash course in ceramics at the University resulted, and Dryden opened his Pottery in his home town, Ellsworth, in the fall of In the early years, the business steadily expanded until Dryden was selling pottery not only to many department stores and distributors in his home state but in places far distant from Kansas. Dryden started his business at just the right time. Because of the war, no one had produced pottery for four years. Stores had no stock. Also, people were traveling and buying once again, and he found a market in those desirous of souvenirs and utilitarian household pieces. Among his customers were tourists who stopped at the Pottery, the Harvey Houses along the Santa Fe Railway (Fig. 2), Macy s of New York, Van Briggle of Colorado Springs, and numerous souvenir shops across the country that ordered items for resale inscribed or labeled with their names. (Fig. 3) An early innovation of Dryden s was personalizing bisque ware through unfired glaze with a dental drill. Souvenirs and pitcher-tumbler sets were inscribed with family names, a Fig. 1. Jim Dryden examining a piece of Dryden Pottery thrown by his son, J.K. (Kimbo) Dryden, Fig. 2. Kansas slip-cast 6 pitcher, inscribed Albuquerque and made for Harvey House, Santa Fe Railroad in Albuqeurque. Fig. 3. Kansas fish vase, inscribed as a souvenir of the Black Hills. 2 practice he continued in Arkansas. (Fig. 4) The beauty of these pieces derives from their gorgeous and varied glazes. From a young age, Dryden expressed an interest in art. Recognizing talent, his mother paid anyone able and willing to teach him the skills of drawing and painting. He became a remarkably accomplished cartoonist, a talent that has served him well in creating a wide array of advertising signs and brochures for the Pottery. (Fig. 5) The study of chemistry in college well prepared him for formulating his early glazes using the volcanic ash laid down in Kansas thousands of years ago. Long hours of hard work, dedicated and capable employees, an admirable product, and a tremendous advertising campaign resulted in a successful business. In spite of his successes, he knew the benefits of locating in a area with a bustling tourist trade and, after investigating many areas, chose Hot Springs, an area with more hotel rooms per capita in 1956 than any other city in the United States. In Kansas, almost all pottery was slip-cast, made from locally harvested clay, and glazed with Kansas volcanic ash. Many molds were brought to Hot Springs and collectors will find similar designs made in both states. However, shortly after the move to Arkansas, pressed pieces and thrown pottery were added. At the present time thrown originals are the primary product, although a few favorite slip-cast pieces are made most notably the 715 Grecian Pitcher, a design carved from walnut by Jim s uncle and illustrated on the front cover of the Dryden Pottery book. (Fig. 6) Some Kansas mold designs were ascribed numbers. From 1950, these numbers were incised on the bottoms of Fig. 4. This first Arkansas ad was drawn by Jim Dryden in Pitcher with the Smith surname and mugs with the first name of each family member. Fig. 5. Advertisement drawn by Jim Dryden. Fig. 6. The front cover of Dryden Pottery by Dybwad & Bliss features the Grecian Pitcher. 3 Fig. 7. Bottom of Kansas 49 pitcher showing Dryden script and number. pots along with the name Dryden. Pieces with very small feet are unmarked. When marked, most are scribed with a distinctive Dryden script (Fig. 7); occasionally a block print is found. Pottery made in Kansas in for Van Briggle of Colorado is marked Anna Van. (Fig. 8) Fig. 8. Bottom of boot made in Kansas for Van Briggle of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Inscribed Anna Van. Dryden made pottery for Van Briggle in Fig. 9. Large highway sign promoting the Pottery, Fig 10. The Pottery facade in December 1956 when Dryden opened for business. By 1959, Dryden advertised that all the materials that went into his Arkansas product were harvested locally clay from Malvern, talc from Bryant, and quartz from the Ouachitas. Over the years the hand-dug Malvern clay, which fired tan, has been replaced with a refined commercial clay that has very little grog or filler and fires bone-white. Dryden is a master advertiser. (Fig. 9) Throughout his fifty-five years, he has tried all manner of ideas with great success. In Kansas he enticed tourists from Highway 40 with a free look at snakes, free water, free souvenirs, appealing highway signs, and postcards and advertising brochures placed at strategic locations in towns near Ellsworth. Free tours were offered in Kansas but none to compare with those in Arkansas where the Pottery had a special tour route with ramps, viewing areas, and guides. These instructive tours had a tremendous draw, and many residents can still remember the busses that stopped regularly at Whittington Avenue in Hot Springs National Park. (Fig. 10) In Arkansas, Dryden has employed hundreds of people among whom were many artists who threw on the wheel or decorated pottery. These persons signed their work generally with their initials and dated it. (Fig. 11) For example, a pot bearing the mark ARS 74 4 was thrown in 1974 by Arval R. Sanders, now chief of the Hot Springs Fire Department, and undated pieces marked Maij-Lis were decorated in (Fig. 12) by May Lis Foster, currently a Hot Springs portrait artist. In the late 1960s, Jim Dryden s son, James Kimberly ( Kimbo ) was the first to add the word original to the bottom of thrown pots. In the early 1970s, the bottoms were also marked Ozark Frontier. Kimbo, who has been the production manager for a number of years, literally grew up at the pottery and is remarkably skilled at the wheel. (Fig. 13, 14, 15) Drydenware was undervalued until fairly recently. Since 1990, it has been included annually in Schroeder s. Once the pottery came to national attention, values steadily increased. In general, slip-cast pottery is not as costly on the collectibles market as thrown pieces. However, some collectors want inscribed slip-cast pieces. We ve seen collections inscribed with of all possible towns and tourist spots within the collector s state, of every possible state, and of every possible glaze color of a particular piece. Other collectors want only the thrown original Fig. 11. Dryden Pottery bottom mark of David Dahlstedt in 1978 DD 78. Fig. 12. Arkansas Maij-Lis clamshell ashtray. Fig. 13, 14, 15. Three vases thrown by James K. (Kimbo) Dryden: Bamboo Vase, Lidded Pot, and Lizard Vase. pieces; some of these prefer only whimsical handmade figurines. Because of constant experimentation, 5 the hallmarks of Dryden Pottery have been variety in form and an array of beautiful glazes. (Fig 14) Possibilities for collectors are vast, and current interest is intense a tribute to longevity and an admirable product. We are pleased that Dryden Pottery is taking its rightful place in Arkansas history. It is an Arkansas treasure. Fig. 14. Showroom in Filled with colorful pottery. Ask questions about Dryden pottery or order the book from The Book Stops Here at www. bookstopshere.com or My dad has always been a towering figure in my life. At 63 he has always stood taller than me and Ive always looked up to him as an example of iron willpower and determination. I grew up watching him wake up at 7 a.m. every day, only to come home late at night covered in dust and sweat after performing back-breaking construction work. Two years ago, when he was 52, my father received devastating news he was diagnosed with the most aggressive form of degenerative arthritis in both hip joints. The Supreme Court has a moral responsibility. It holds in its power the aspirations of millions of immigrant families who work hard every day to build a better future for themselves and their children, as well as the ability to determine their physical well-being and survival. Thomas Kennedy The doctors were clear: He would lose his ability to walk in a few months if he did not receive hip replacement surgery. At that moment, more than a decade of paying taxes and working hard didnt mean so much. He and my mom and I were undocumented immigrants. We didnt have health insurance to pay for the costly surgery. Unfortunately, this horrible disease set back my parents dreams and goals of making life better for us. My dad was left unable to perform the physical work that his job required. The sharp pains and emotional toll of this disease left him unable to work less and less every day. Ours was one of the many hardships facing undocumented immigrants in this country who live in the shadows out of fear that at any moment their families could be ripped apart if a relative is deported. It doesnt have to be this way. Our families, who work hard and contribute to the public good with tax dollars and social security contributions, shouldnt have to live in hiding and on the margins. The U.S. Supreme Court is currently debating President Obamas executive orders that would provide relief for deportation for immigrants brought to this country as children and for immigrants with American-born children. The case landed with the high court after Republican governors filed a lawsuit to stop the deportation relief. The courts decision is expected any day now. The presidents deportation relief would have saved my family and countless others who are turned away by a system that vilifies us. Now the court has a moral decision to make that will set the course for how my family will be treated in this country. My parents and I came to the United States 15 years ago on the heels of a severe economic crisis in our home country of Argentina. We came on a tourist visa and overstayed. My dad began working as a carpenter and my mother as a housekeeper. Years of hard work allowed them to start their own construction company and buy a home. They have been deeply involved in their community and are very grateful to contribute to their adoptive country by employing people in the ever-growing family that they consider their business to be. When my dad became sick, the doctors told us that the surgery would cost $80,000. That was in addition to the expenses on our family during my dads recovery time which was expected to last two months. We desperately sought help and were turned away everywhere we went, hospitals refused to operate on my dad because he had no insurance and we found no one to finance the surgery. Through sheer luck my dad remodeled the apartment of an orthopedic surgeon from Ohio named Keith Berend, who out of the goodness of his heart decided to help us. We raised $15,000 from our community to help cover the costs of the operation. When the doctor saw our fundraising efforts, he decided to charge us $12,000 for the surgery, ensuring that we would come out of this ordeal debt free. We were lucky. We were also informed. My family has been involved in the immigration rights movement, where we can count on the support of allies and community members sympathetic to our struggles. Unfortunately for most of the 11 million undocumented immigrants who live in the shadows, this is not the case. The system has left them behind and they have no one to turn to when their very lives depend on acquiring help. A friend of mine, Carlos A. Roa, lost his father, who was also undocumented, to cancer after he was unable to acquire health insurance. His father could not afford going to a doctor and his cancer was detected too late to get proper treatment. He was treated in an emergency room, the only place where undocumented immigrants can readily receive medical care. If the system would have treated his family more humanely, perhaps his father would still be here. Throughout my fathers illness, we always held the hope that the presidents executive order would allow him to qualify for a health care plan. The Supreme Court has a moral responsibility. It holds in its power the aspirations of millions of immigrant families who work hard every day to build a better future for themselves and their children, as well as the ability to determine their physical well-being and survival. This was a lesson I learned too well through my fathers ordeal. We hope the court gives these families long-needed relief. Only then will the court stand on the right side of history. Considered in isolation, the Cuban governments mid-April decision to widen the purchasing prerogatives available to the islands privately held cooperatives is a modest step of little international significance. But given the central role played by Cuban co-ops in the shifting regulatory landscape governing the relationship between Cuba and the United States, U.S. companies seeking business opportunities in Cuba should be paying close attention. When combined with the big thaw of the past 18 months and the prospect of additional co-op liberalization, U.S. companies should be focused on the opportunities in Cuba not the obstacles. Michael P. Hatley To be sure, the recent ruling from the Cuban government is narrow. It covers only former state-run entities that have been transformed into private cooperatives offering food and food-related services. These restaurant co-ops will, for the first time, have the latitude to buy supplies directly from government producers and competitively priced wholesale outlets and not be forced to purchase expensive goods from retail outlets. The new rule gives certain Cuban restaurant co-ops a fighting chance to turn a profit and expand their offerings. It is part of the Cuban governments cautious experimentation with market reform a topic that was debated at the April meeting of the Communist Congress in Havana. It marked the first gathering of the full Communist Congress since 2011, when the Congress announced a range of agricultural reform initiatives, some of which stalled or were never implemented. Now, half a decade later, the climate in Havana is different, given the stirrings of rapprochement with the U.S., a visit from President Obama, and what appears to be an increased willingness to experiment with market-based policies. U.S. businesses should be watching Cuba carefully to see if it addresses the agricultural reform process and perhaps pries open the rules governing co-ops in other sectors. These reforms are important to American companies because, at least for the foreseeable future, co-ops are at the nexus of business opportunity in Cuba. The Obama administrations recent amendments to the U.S. embargo regulations create numerous possibilities for U.S. companies to engage with private Cuban co-ops, including exporting tools and equipment, importing a variety of Cuban-made goods, and launching certain agricultural development projects. There is little doubt that the obstacles to U.S.-Cuba trade, even business involving Cuban co-ops, are daunting. The U.S. State Departments so-called 582 list a litany of goods that can be imported from private Cuban co-ops hasnt been significantly updated or expanded since it came out a year ago. Onerous tariffs of 100 percent or more are still being foisted on certain Cuban goods the same burden the U.S. imposes on goods made in North Korea. But until our Congress repeals the U.S. trade embargo, deals involving private Cuban entrepreneurs and co-ops are a way for U.S. companies to demonstrate good faith while making connections and establishing a presence on the island. For example, Airbnb became one of the first American companies to establish a presence in Cuba after the recent reforms by partnering with private Cuban property owners. Theres running room for similarly bold and creative companies to get involved. To seize these opportunities, U.S. executives should anticipate and prepare for how the Cuban regulatory climate is likely to change. Any cooperation in the Cuban co-op space should be of great interest to American businesses. In and of itself, the recent restaurant co-op reform may not represent a major change in the course of U.S.-Cuban relations. But it may be a sign of things to come. When combined with the big thaw of the past 18 months and the prospect of additional co-op liberalization, U.S. companies should be focused on the opportunities in Cuba not the obstacles. New Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data show the number of unaccompanied children and families arriving at the southern border during the first half of this year rival those seen in the record-setting year of 2014. If this trend continues, it may once again overwhelm the border and immigration systems, resurfacing serious questions about our ability to manage large-scale migrant flows. Taking down the criminal middlemen is key, yet resources for investigation and disruption of these networks pale compared to the budget for the Border Patrol, detention, and removal. Theresa Cardinal Brown Since Central American migration began in earnest in 2012, government agencies have struggled to meet the needs of the large numbers of migrants. Without additional emergency funding, they have been forced to reallocate resources from other functions and to create makeshift short-term fixes to simply process the arrivals. However, as these cases moved into the immigration courts, it added backlogs to an already under-resourced system. Detained families and unaccompanied children are given priority processing in the courts to make their cases against removal, but their cases still may not be heard for a year or more. The delays result in many court no-shows, sometimes intentional, but often because the immigrant has relocated and doesnt receive notice of their hearing, or because traveling a long distance to the hearing is impractical or impossible. Additionally, there are many immigrants in immigration court, most notably unaccompanied minors, without lawyers. Statistics show that these cases can take twice as long to try and these immigrants, even those with a strong case for protection, are more likely to be removed. In short, the system is neither efficient nor fair. Cases that deserve protection languish, and immigrants who do not qualify are allowed to remain in the country with few removals. Many push factors drive migrants away from crime and violence in their home countries, but the overwhelmed system is a pull factor that smugglers exploit to encourage migration. That results in a further backlogged system, and the cycle continues. The administrations strategy to discourage migration has not had significant results so far. Detention of migrant families has been challenged in court, efforts at processing eligible migrants have fallen very far behind, and the prioritization of the court dockets has not sped up processing appreciably. Since January, DHS has also begun so-called raids to arrest and remove families that have been ordered removed, or minors who have since turned 18 and have no other case against removal. Advocates have denounced these raids, although fewer than 200 have been arrested and many of those have subsequently had their removal stayed. All of this highlights deficiencies in the current immigration enforcement system to handle and to deter large migration events. Advocates on all sides of the issue do not believe the current immigration enforcement system is credible or fair: some immigrants have their civil rights violated by the institutions designed to protect them and others abuse the system to delay removal when they have no claim to relief. As the next summer migrant surge approaches, policymakers must look beyond the immediate crisis to the systemic reasons the current enforcement system is neither fair nor effective. Several areas are ripe for reform: * Back end enforcement resources. Immigration courts, and those who represent immigrants in them, were woefully under-resourced even before the current arrival of thousands of migrants, especially when compared to the front end resources on the border. Due process should not cause delays, but allow for more fair and efficient processing of all cases. * Resources to dismantle smuggling organizations. Migrants face life and death stakes, making them vulnerable to criminal organizations that both benefit financially in transporting them and often prey upon them during and after their journey. Enforcement aimed at the immigrants themselves is unlikely to address the root problem. Taking down the criminal middlemen is key, yet resources for investigation and disruption of these networks pale compared to the budget for the Border Patrol, detention, and removal. * Surge capacity. Major migration events happen around the world on a regular basis, often unpredictably. Border and immigration systems have no reserve or surge capacity to respond to emergencies in ways that meet both humanitarian and security concerns. The need to planand payfor such contingencies should be as important as planning for natural disasters. I was arriving in New York City late one afternoon and hustling to the CNN Time Warner studios for my 8:00 PM slot on CNN. It was a typical Manhattan experience complete with an ethnic cab driver more than ready to tell me everything I needed to know about well, everything. [Trump] is now trying to woo Hispanics with his self-described ability to create jobs. Its not working. Latinos are actually pretty good at getting a job or two or three. In fact, they now lead the nation in creating jobs. Rick Sanchez I smiled as the cab driver, a Dominican New Yorker who recognized my voice from the show I used to host on Radio WADO in New York City, seemed almost giddy about being able to speak in Spanish with me about his true feelings. He spoke in well thought-out sentences and wanted like most U.S. Hispanics to drill down on politics and the economy. So away we went, Sergio and me. We talked it up in traffic and I came to understand what mattered most to Sergio. He very much liked the Clintons, because the most important thing in his life was having a good job so he could take care of his family, and he was convinced experientially that the Clintons would provide the proper economic conditions. Try as I might, I couldnt get him to budge from that position. Its very simple, Sergio told me. When Republicans are in the White House, the economy baja (baja is Spanish for falls or goes down), and when a Democrat is in the White House it lifts it back up, thats all Ive seen in my lifetime. There may be a much more sophisticated explanation beyond a rudimentary look at whos in the White House. It could also be argued that theres more to American economic presidential history than Bush, Clinton, Bush and Obama. However, because Americas Latinos are by far the youngest demographic group in the nation, Reagan, Nixon, Carter and Johnson really dont come in to play. To them its as easy as good times versus bad times. And as Sergio sees it, he lost money during the H.W. Bush years, made money during the Clinton years, lost it during the W. Bush years and is now building it back during the Obama years. That is the world according to Sergio, who drives in New York City for a living and whose job is dependent on a vibrant economy. Sergios economic view of America is very similar to that expressed by most Latinos and it spells bad news for Donald Trump. It also spells good news for Hillary Clinton if she knows how to harness it and she doesnt get caught in the dirt trying to out-offend Trump. If she takes anything away from the latest Fox News Latino Poll, which comprehensively and accurately captures the mood of Americas Latino voters, its this: Hispanics like you a whole more than they like Trump dont blow it. Her husbands handling of the economy does not only boost Clinton, so does her relationship to the Obama administration. And when it comes to what matters most for Americas Latinos, it continues to be about the economy and jobs, with 34 percent mentioning it as the issue they see as the most important in this election. But here comes the double whammy for Trump, who wallows in negativity and depends on white Americas pessimism about the future for votes. Latinos are extremely optimistic about the future, they love America and theyre OK with the direction the country has taken for them. (Remember, most Latinos based on their or their parents immigrant status have some type of reference to what the rest of the world is like. In other words, they can see beyond the borders of Kansas and Ohio when appraising and comparing the virtues of America). Compared to 2008, 39 percent of Latinos surveyed said they were better off now, while 15 percent said they were worse off than eight years ago. Heres the skinny on Hillary Clintons advantage even pre Bernie burn out which will only improve when shes no longer battling two opponents: 62 percent of Hispanics believe that Hillary Clinton cares about them as a group, while 76 percent believe Donald Trump doesnt care about them at all. Trump, whose rhetoric has been generally perceived as offensive to Latinos, is now trying to woo Hispanics with his self-described ability to create jobs. Its not working. Latinos are actually pretty good at getting a job or two or three. In fact, they now lead the nation in creating jobs. What Sergio and others like him want is an economy that creates the right conditions for them to be able to thrive at whatever job they choose. So in the end, what we learn from Sergio and is reflected in our poll is this: Latinos are really not that interested in what Trump is selling. Yes, his "the sky is falling, everything is bad, theyre coming to kill us all and there are no jobs" argument works for angry white GOP primary voters, but it wont work with Hispanics. Were too optimistic! At 22 percent, Donald Trump according to our poll would have the most bajo Latino support of any Republican candidate in history. And it gets worse. Our poll included as many East Coast Latinos as it did those from the West Coast. If the poll were weighted toward Mexican- Americans (you know, the ones he called rapists), I suspect his numbers could have been much worse. I was 13 years old in the eighth grade, and was excited about my last year of middle school and getting ready for high school. I expected the year to go smoothly. But life does not always go as planned. There is a point in everyone's life that changes you significantly. It is almost as if you die and return, no longer blind to the cruel realities of your former life. That life-changing moment, which rushed me from a carefree teen into adulthood, occurred when my dad was deported. Just to be sure, I'm telling my friends to register and vote, because this election is critical to the future of America. Kerry Gutierrez On Nov. 11, 2011, my dad was picked up for an unresolved traffic citation from years earlier. He had one court hearing, then another, eventually ending up in an immigration detention center. He agreed to immediate voluntary departure so that my mother's undocumented status would not be exposed. After my dad left, I realized how my parents had struggled to create a good life for my two younger sisters and me; to keep us safe and free from their fears of deportation. Though they seemed to lead invisible lives, I was awakened to the powerful forces able to tear apart our family through a senseless deportation. We all have suffered, but my sister, the middle child, had a special bond with our dad. The trauma hurt her scholastic record and she became anti-social. Last year, she and I visited our dad in Mexico and they cried in each other's arms. I know life is not always fair, but my dad's deportation was very unfair to our loving family. I'm still trying to live in this new world governed by cruelty. Conservative politicians insult families like mine, calling for deportations of our parents without considering the futures of U.S. citizen children. They talk about building a bigger wall to separate us from our parents instead of finding a practical way to allow the movement of people across the border. They don't see us as real people but as objects to move around in their political games. We have survived because our mom has been so strong. In between odd jobs, she helps families dealing with deportation. Women have her phone number in case their husbands are deported. In 2014, when President Obama announced the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) program, my mom said, "I'm going to do it. I'm not going to give up." The conservatives went to court to stop it, but we have followed the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and we still hope the court will make it possible for my mom to apply for DAPA. My father's painful deportation made me learn about government because it impacted my life. I learned that my voice matters, and that I have power through my vote. Though I was not able to participate in last week's Colorado caucus because I do not turn 18 until August, I will vote in November for candidates who treat families like mine with respect. I am not alone. There are millions of U.S. citizens with immigrant parents who also will be voting. I hope all voters remember where we all came from, to consider whether they really want America to be a place of isolation, surrounded by walls; a land that rejects diversity and supports the separation of families. Just to be sure, I'm telling my friends to register and vote, because this election is critical to the future of America. It is evident that Donald Trump has rewritten the rules of political campaigning, leaving the so- called experts, analysts, journalists and even the GOP itself puzzled by the power and effectiveness of his approach. Surprisingly, the candidates tie in negative sentiment across Hispanics at 38 percent, discounting the fact that Latinos default as Democrats or are completely turned off by Trumps off-color comments. After all, over 50 percent of Latinos identify as political independents. Lili Gil Valletta Whether you agree with him or not, his rise and political success is undeniable. He has activated a sentiment in people that appeals to the raw emotion of Washington frustration. On the other hand, he has also set a tone in which public labeling, divisive rhetoric and racially charged comments are OK in the public eye, and has unraveled a whole new way of freedom of speech in America. But even with all this, after insulting women, attacking public figures, mistreating journalists, judging the judge and calling Mexicans criminals and rapists, his appeal is on the rise even among Hispanics. Even I must admit that my original assessment of Trump was wrong with my Op-Ed for Fox News Latino back in August of 2015 when I wrote about Trumps poor debate performance and how his collapse could present an opportunity for the GOP to engage Latinos. Fast-forward to now and we see a Trump candidacy that is strong and rising, even under the emerging hashtag #LatinosForTrump. Latino advocacy groups and some celebrities have launched powerful videos, protests and campaigns against Trump. Recognized conservative voices like Marco Rubio, Susana Martinez, the Bush family, and even Pope Francis himself have made their discontent clear with the candidate, but could it be possible he is actually gaining support among Hispanics? Numerous articles and Op-Eds have discounted his so-called rise among Latinos by pointing out the flawed nature of polls. Back in February, after claiming a win with 46 percent of the Hispanic vote in Nevada, critics quickly challenged the full sample size of voters captured to disregard the number. Most recently, Latino Decisions published an article called "Why Polls On Latinos Get It Wrong," confirming that current ways of polling are under-representing Latinos' voice. Clearly, conventional political research is in question, but what if big data analysis reveals Trumps rise is real, based on a sample size of over 1 million Hispanics? Based on big data analysis over the last 30 days as of June 1st, Trump reports 37 percent of Hispanic positive sentiment versus 41 percent for Clinton. Surprisingly, the candidates tie in negative sentiment across Hispanics at 38 percent, discounting the fact that Latinos default as Democrats or are completely turned off by Trumps off-color comments. After all, over 50 percent of Latinos identify as political independents. Similar analysis has been done leading up to the primaries, which have demonstrated a direct correlation between positive sentiment and actual voting results. I have been writing since February about this new way to mine political intelligence, which leverages the power of big data analysis via artificial intelligence, keyword Boolean, search analysis, keyword spiders, site scraping, text analytics and machine learning/tagging under the proprietary methodology of CulturIntel. It is mining, not social listening; it is big data of millions, not just a few thousands, surveyed. If this methodology is good enough for the Harvard Medical School to conduct healthcare research and for major corporations to mine business intelligence, why not use it for political strategy? Everyone may have an opinion but real strategic power comes from data. Clearly, while many may criticize Trumps methodology, many are agreeing with his ideology; and, this time, its the data speaking, not me. Shortly after Donald Trump became the presumptive Republican nominee for president, I was a guest on a radio show to discuss where we go from here. The host posed a question I have been asked before: now that Trump is the nominee, dont we basically have the Latino vote shored up? While I understand the appeal in simply sitting back and watching as Trump continues to alienate Latino communities, the answer to the question of whether we can rest on our laurels is a resounding no. Latino voters cannot be taken for granted and we as Latino voters cannot take this election for granted. When we show up and participate on Election Day, we shape the future of the country and ensure that our priorities become law. Lizet Ocampo Why? First of all, there is the issue of turnout: anti-Trump anger is not the same thing as anti-Trump votes. Its up to all of us to engage our families and neighbors and make sure we turn out in force to prevent Donald Trump from ever becoming the president of our country. That work starts well before Election Day, engaging others to check that their voter registration is up to date and making sure our communities are ready to cast ballots in November. Weve seen time and again that when we participate and vote, Latino communities can decide elections and this year, we can make more of a difference than ever before. The number of Latino eligible voters in 2016 is expected to be a full 40 percent higher than in 2008, a record high. And were in states that will determine the next president and who controls the Senate. But another number rising to new heights in each election? Eligible Latino voters who do not vote. If we stay home this year, thats a vote for Donald Trump. Second, we dont know the degree to which Trump will attempt to pivot away from or soften his anti-Latino rhetoric and policy proposals. Trumps campaign chief said recently that the part hes been playing is evolving and that Trump can be expected to shift into a more professional persona. Given his ability to slip away from his past statements, thats not a threat we should take lightly. So far, though, he has shown no signs of letting up since the very beginning, when he kicked off his campaign by calling Mexican immigrants criminals, drug dealers, and rapists. He wants to use a deportation force to rip apart families and forcibly remove over 11 million undocumented people from our country. He seems to be borrowing immigration policy ideas from Steve King, the Iowa representative who infamously smeared DREAMers as drug runners with calves the size of cantaloupes. If Trump ever tries to distance himself from these outrageous policies and comments, we have to make clear that he cant erase his words or the damage his policies would create. Latino voters have already seen Trumps true colors. And its not just Trump. Trump is backed by a Republican party that has not only failed to stand up to his inflammatory rhetoric but has been actively pushing his brand of anti-Latino policy proposals for years. Republican leaders at the federal, state and local level are falling in line to support him and proving that the problem is far bigger than one person its the whole party. Just take a look at the anti-Latino, anti-immigrant show this Republican Congress has repeatedly put on in committee hearings and through numerous floor votes on bills against our community. Our community has always had to fight for everything we have, and this is no different. From basic workplace protections to immigration system reforms to access to healthcare, Latinas and Latinos continue to fight an uphill battle for essential protections. Now that fight is about keeping a payaso who has consistently dehumanized our communities, as well as those who stand with him, from coming into power. We have a voice in whos making the decisions affecting our families, and we have to ensure that the person at the very top of our countrys decision-making chain is not an out-of-touch bigot who wants to tear apart parents and children and whose idea of effective Latino outreach is tweeting out offensive photos of himself in front of a taco bowl. To this, Reince Priebus, the head of the Republican party, says hes trying. There is a lot of hard work that still lies ahead of us, and Latino voters should never be taken for granted. But when we show up and participate on Election Day, we shape the future of the country and ensure that our priorities become law. If we dont show up, we hand our support to a man who has done everything he can to attack and undermine Latino communities. Whether it was primarily a hate crime or an act of terror or the result of Muslim immigration or radical Islam or stupidly lax gun laws or a self-loathing closeted cross dressing, wife-beating sociopath, the one fact that everyone can agree is that there are 102 families in various degrees of grieving in Orlando, Florida. The first out were the first to die. Many others followed as the police forces gathered outside and waited and waited and waited for the right moment to begin their counterattack. Geraldo Rivera Forty-nine of those families are burying their dead from the Pulse Orlando massacre, 53 of those families are tending to their wounded while filled with rage and relief that, though wounded, some grievously, their loved ones survived the horrific attack Sunday morning. It was Latin Night at the popular gay nightspot and the despicable Omar Mateen, the 29-year old self-radicalized Muslim loser who apparently couldn't tell the difference between a Sunni or a Shiite terror group, unleashed hell on a club crowded with innocent people having fun. Standing astride the lone 36-inch wide entranceway to the packed dance hall, he fired magazine after magazine into the bodies of panicked victims as they tried desperately to escape. The first out were the first to die. Many others followed as the police forces gathered outside and waited and waited and waited for the right moment to begin their counterattack. The savage Mateen made a butcher shop of the victims as their blood pooled on the club floor. And because of the night's theme, most of the dead were young Latinos more than half Puerto Rican. On Monday night, just 44 hours after the worst mass shooting in American history and surely one of the worst calamities ever to strike the Puerto Rican diaspora, I watched as the loving family of one of the victims, Jimmy de Jesus Velasquez, gathered from Puerto Rico and the States to remember his vivacious life and arrange for his burial back on la Isla del Encanto. Several of his sisters were flown in thanks to the generosity of JetBlue, a terrific company. Fifty years old and one of the premier dancers of the well-regarded Jibaro Puerto Rico Dance troupe, Jimmy was enormously popular. His death struck his family and friends hard, sending them into a tailspin of grief and disbelief. Not Jimmy. Not this man filled with gusto, love and life. His mom sobbed. Everyone did. It was gut-wrenching. None suffered Jimmy's loss with such terrible force as Carlos Muniz and Chris Ortis. They were with their dear friend that awful night and they watched his murder at the hands of the fiend who shattered our Spring optimism and scarred our national soul. Tears flowed, the classic kind of deep raw, heaving tears of a bereft Latino family that I hope never to see again. And nobody cared what sick crap motivated the wife-beating, self-hating, radically stupid monster Mateen; only that Jimmy was gone. Im bothered at myself for not being more bothered. I should be consumed with both fury and curiosity about the latest shooting here in my home state. The 49 innocent lives lost in Orlando at a gay nightclub on Latin night was a senseless and despicable act. Oh, and its noteworthy. After all, the scope and scale of this particular mass shooting makes it the worst in U.S. history. However, is 49 that much different from the 32 who Seung-Hui Cho massacred at Virginia Tech, or the 26 that Adam Lanza killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Connecticut? Is 49 that much different from the 32 who Seung-Hui Cho massacred at Virginia Tech, or the 26 that Adam Lanza killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut? Rick Sanchez How about the 23 killed by 35-year-old George Hennard when he walked into a Lubys Cafeteria and opened fire with a handgun in Killeen Texas, or the 21 killed at a McDonalds by James Huberty, a 41-year-old unemployed security guard, armed with a shotgun and a pistol. I could go on. Our history is replete with mass shootings. No country in the world can match our ability to kill our own in sudden bursts of blood and fury. Weve so distinguished ourselves as a nation when it comes to this once shocking act one wonders if the crime itself is starting to become humdrum. By the way, that is more scary as the crime itself. President Obama, along with most responsible Americans, are asking for common sense solutions that include background checks and a ban on certain weapons. Polls conducted by Quinnipiac University from February 2013 to November 2015 show that Americans overwhelmingly support background checks. In fact, the latest poll shows 93 percent of Americans support requiring checks. Meanwhile, polls also indicate that 58 percent support banning the sale of military/assault style weapons like the one used by Omar Mateen in Orlando. Then again, who cares what we want? Who cares what makes sense? Who cares if Congress could give a crap what some lowly citizen like me thinks? Can lowly citizens muster the financial influence wielded by the NRA and the gun manufacturers? Not even close. So shut up and sit down America. You dont count. Americas mass killers have come in all shapes and sizes. Some are loners. Others are mentally incapacitated; some are vengeful and/or hateful, while others have demonstrated dangerous aggressions toward ex wives or family members. And of course, some are Islamic terrorists. Omar Mateen was the full package. He was a hateful, wife beating, homophobe who became an enraged loner and a radicalized Islamic terrorist. For any and/or all of those reasons he should not have been able to buy a weapon, much less an AR-15. The FBI was watching Mateen. He was a suspected terrorist who was reportedly investigated on three occasions by federal agents. For all the reasons stated above, Mateen is by all accounts the exact person we would want on a watch list the type of person we would want monitored before hes allowed to fly. As far as we could tell, he was on both. But there is no list in our country or, for that matter, a real limit on Mateen or anyone else from buying unlimited guns and ammunition if they want it. That is why mass shootings in America are so frequent, which is why theyve become just ordinary news stories. There is no awe and the shock is long gone. And until Congress addresses the problem, its only going to get worse and by worse I mean even more ordinary. Move along America, theres nothing to see here. Yep, I see this as just another boring news story, and I hate myself for that. The grief is beyond description. Thats how President Obama characterized the feelings of the family members of the victims of Orlandos massacre. On Thursday, the president was in Florida, where he laid 49 roses one for each of the victims of the attack on the Pulse nightclub at a makeshift memorial. After meeting with the families of the victims, Obama said, "These families could be our families. In fact, they are our families they're part of the American family... our hearts are broken too." Even National Rifle Association members agree that we can respect the Second Amendment and make it harder for disturbed individuals or potential domestic terrorists to obtain guns. Given that 90 percent of the victims in Orlando were Latino, that seems the least we can do to honor their memory. Raul A. Reyes As the nation still reels from the mass shooting, it is time for Latinos to have a voice in the debate over gun reform. Even before Orlando, Hispanics were supportive of greater limits on firearms and now we have 49 more reasons to demand changes in our lax gun laws. For Latinos, gun control is a matter of common sense, because our communities are sadly well-acquainted with gun violence. Between 1999 and 2013, the Violence Policy Center reports, over 47,000 Latinos were killed by guns, including 31,000 gun homicide victims and 13,000 gun suicides. Nearly 3,000 Hispanics were killed by guns in 2013 alone. No wonder that clear majorities of Hispanic voters favor restrictions on gun ownership. According to Latino Decisions, 84 percent of Latino voters support background checks for people before they can buy guns at stores or gun shows. Sixty-nine percent of Latino voters support a national database of gun owners, and 62 percent want limits on high-capacity magazines. The Pew Center found that Latino registered voters say that gun control is more important than the rights of gun owners. Like other Americans, Latinos have recoiled from the horror of mass shootings in Aurora, Newtown, and San Bernardino. We have seen the toll that these attacks have taken on our communities, and experienced the collective loss of security. Yet our country hasnt taken meaningful action on gun control. Why not? Because conservative lawmakers refuse to acknowledge the root of our mass shooting problem the easy availability of guns in the U.S. Florida Governor Rick Scott blamed the carnage at Pulse on ISIS. "We all can agree we don't want somebody that is going to do something like that to be walking around with any weapons, but the Second Amendment didn't kill anybody," Scott told CNN. "This is ISIS. This is evil. This is radical Islam We're not focused enough on ISIS." But the FBI says that there is no direct link between the shooter and any terrorist network. If Governor Scott doesnt want somebody like the shooter to be walking around with any weapons, he should support measures to make it impossible for people to obtain semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines. These weapons are not used for hunting or self-defense. They are designed for war, and do not belong on our streets or in our communities. As an editorial in the Orlando Sun Sentinel noted, Federal measures targeting guns and ammo designed to kill enemy soldiers on the battlefield wouldn't seriously compromise any civilian's right to self defense. Opponents of gun control also frequently point out that background checks or limits on illegal gun purchases would not have stopped a particular mass shooting; the Orlando gunman purchased his gun legally and passed at least two background checks. Yet background checks, limits on gun ownership, and other measures can make it less likely that such incidents occur. That alone makes such measures worth fighting for, and we need to hold our lawmakers accountable for doing so. True, the Second Amendment of the Constitution reads, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The key term here is well-regulated. The right to bear arms must be regulated, just as our other constitutional rights are. In fact, the Supreme Court noted in Heller vs. D.C. (2008) that, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited. Consider that a person cannot yell Fire! in a movie theater (a limit on freedom of speech), or disobey the police at a public rally (a limit on the right of assembly). So regulations on gun ownership are as reasonable as they are necessary. Even National Rifle Association members agree that we can respect the Second Amendment and make it harder for disturbed individuals or potential domestic terrorists to obtain guns. Given that 90 percent of the victims in Orlando were Latino, that seems the least we can do to honor their memory. Over the past week the Latino community has come together in shock and grief over the Orlando massacre. Now we must move forward with action and demand gun reform from our lawmakers. Every generation of Americans has faced their share of challenges. These obstacles may seem impossible at times. But as Americans, we are hopeful and optimistic people who continue to overcome and persevere. The problem right now is the majority of Americans believe our country is headed in the wrong direction. I believe we can turn it around. I believe theres a better way forward. Instead of agencies continuing to run on auto-pilot unless Congress makes cuts, every single program would sunset unless Congress specifically saves it. By using the power of the purse, well return control back to you and away from Washington. Rep. Richard Hudson To get our country back on track, its going to take bold, conservative ideas. As conservatives, we know our ideas work. We know our math adds up. But we havent done a very good job of telling the American people why our ideas will make their lives better. Instead of being the opposition, we should present ourselves as a hopeful alternative with real solutions. And thats why House Republicans are putting forward a six point agenda that lays out our vision of a better future for every American. Last week, we unveiled the fourth plank focused on restoring self-government and the separation of powers. Federal agencies and bureaucrats run amok without transparency and accountability, and Americans are sick of it. A fellow North Carolinian said it best when he posted this on my Facebook page, People are really struggling to make it and most of Washington is wearing their rose colored glasses. We hear your concerns. And were committed to making sure our federal government works for the American people and not the other way around. This starts with rooting out the waste, fraud and abuse in federal spending and holding agencies accountable. How are we going to do that? Its simple, really. We prohibit funding for unauthorized programs and agencies that function on cruise control. We will scrutinize each agency and program and find areas for cost-savings and reform. Instead of agencies continuing to run on auto-pilot unless Congress makes cuts, every single program would sunset unless Congress specifically saves it. By using the power of the purse, well return control back to you and away from Washington. Its a bold idea one our country desperately needs to finally introduce oversight and accountability to our bloated bureaucracy. I guarantee you it will fundamentally change the way Washington works. This common sense plan helps deliver to taxpayers what they deserve a smaller, more limited government that is effective, efficient and accountable. Politicians talk all the time about shrinking the size of our bureaucracy, and the American people are ready for action. This proposal is the answer. We are taking our conservative principles freedom, liberty, free enterprise and self-determination and applying them to the problems we face. Its an alternative to the past eight years, and I think its the right path forward for Americas future. Today, in a 4-4 tie, the Supreme Court contributed to Washington, D.C.s dysfunction and gridlock. The case under review, U.S. v. Texas, challenged President Obamas 2014 policy proposals to temporarily protect from deportation up to 5 million undocumented individuals. The Courts non-decision is a heartbreak for millions of families, destabilizes untold numbers of businesses and wastes valuable law enforcement resources. But the lawyers for the state of Texas are happy because the litigation will continue which means more billable hours sent to the taxpayers. Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and the expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) would have allowed immigrants who qualified to emerge from the shadows and obtain work permits or continue their studies. Many of these people have made their lives here and have contributed richly to the country they, like we, call home. Todays decision, while disappointing, means only that a lower courts injunction stands and that the presidents 2014 deferred-action policy proposals cannot yet be implemented. The decision does not affect the original DACA program from 2012, nor does it change the situation of those who have already benefited from it or who are eligible and have yet to take advantage of it. The original program was not challenged in the lawsuit. But the millions who would benefit from additional deferred action now must wait for further court rulings. They remain in limbo. So do their communities and a country that have waited too long for real solutions on immigration. We remain optimistic. Poll after poll shows widespread support for a better immigration process and, indeed, for creating a path forward for exactly those people whom the executive actions would benefit. Just today, the Public Religion Research Institute announced findings that 61 percent of Americans support a way for such people to come forward and meet certain requirements in order to earn eventual citizenship. On the flip side, those same polls also show widespread rejection of the most outlandish, inhumane and costly proposals, such as the round-up and deportation of 11 million people. They are unrealistic. They are impractical. They are not who we are as a nation. Some Republican members of Congress recognize the choice before them: Nine of them responded to todays ruling by saying, The Supreme Court has spoken, but today's decision does not resolve the issue. The American people expect Congress to work together to secure our borders, adhere to the rule of law, offer a humane solution to those living in the shadows, modernize our visa system and bolster the economy." They went on, We are committed to fixing our broken immigration system once and for all. So lets rally the troops, lets register to vote and, this November, lets let Congress know what America knows: They must act. The vast majority of us across the political spectrum support immigrants and immigration and know its benefits. The vast majority of us have immigrants in our inner circles as co-workers, as neighbors in our church pews and, in many cases, as members of our own families. The vast majority of us need to vote. Ultimately, our victory lies in the will of the people, carried out through congressional action. George Will is a nationally syndicated Washington Post political columnist. He is one of the reasons I started writing. I appreciate his work as I did William F. Buckleys work. I have worked hard to be the Hispanic Will or Buckley. I will keep trying. Will has left the Republican Party by switching his registration to unaffiliated. He joined the party in 1964; he wanted to be part of conservative Barry Goldwaters presidential campaign of 1964. He leaves because Donald J. Trump is the presumptive Republican Presidential nominee who Will does not believe is conservative. Like the day after the 1964 rout of Barry Goldwater, I will join others to pick up the pieces of my party, the party of Abraham Lincoln and help put together a Phoenix-like rise of a new energetic and principled Trumpless Republican Party that will re-take the Presidency in 2020. Raoul Lowery Contreras I enrolled in the Republican Party in January of 1962 when I registered on my 21st birthday. Like him, I was a Goldwater man. I met Arizona U. S. Senator Goldwater at the University of Oregon at a conference. We met at a coffee machine; we were alone, enabling me to talk with my idol like few people ever have a chance to talk with a potential president. He was a senator from Arizona then me, I was just a college student. I loved Barry Goldwater. I did until he voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That vote crushed me. How could any member of the Party of Lincoln vote against civil rights? 600,000 Americans had died over civil rights exactly 100 years before. I was devastated by his vote. Mississippi was burning. Two whites and a black civil rights workers were murdered with the case not closed until June of 2016. Black people were being beaten and killed. Republican Senators Everett Dirksen (IL) and (my 1962 boss) Californias Thomas Kuchel co-sponsored a civil rights bill with two Democrats that Southern Democrats filibustered for 57 days. The murders troubled me. My treatment in Texas as a young boy because of as Donald Trump would say my "Mexican Heritage" added to my concern. So did segregated schools in Texas where children were forced to attend because they looked like me. Goldwater voted against the Civil Rights bill, he and five other Republican senators; 27 Republican senators voted for it. His vote was stupid; he imagined something in the Constitution that prevented the government from protecting individuals with equal protection and due process (constitutional provisions, 14th Amendment) that extended protection of civil rights especially in public accommodations. Unlike George Will, I didnt leave the party because it left me. I hung in there and helped squash Goldwater even as I worked in the Republican campaigns of myriad congressional and state legislature candidates. Except for Goldwater I was a Gung Ho Republican in 1964. The day after Goldwater was crushed, I started to work on the 1966 campaign. That was a great year for Republicans. Ronald Reagan was elected Governor of California as was George Romney in Michigan. Raymond P. Shafer was elected Governor of Pennsylvania. Nelson Rockefeller was reelected Governor of New York, Governor Jim Rhodes was reelected in Ohio. Richard Nixon crisscrossed the country helping Republican candidates while building a reservoir of support for his victorious 1968 presidential campaign. In fact, Nixons 1968 victory would have been larger if Alabama segregationist Governor George Wallace hadnt quixotically campaigned for president and carried southern states that would have otherwise voted for Nixon. The elections of 1966 and 1968 were absolute proof that an American political party can survive a disastrous election that crushes an outlier candidate and his ideologue followers. The victors of those elections controlled the party and, in fact, the country until the Watergate scandal drove Nixon from the White House and birthed the two men most responsible for the nascent ruin of the country accelerated by President Barack Obama. They are President Jimmy Carter and four-term California Governor Jerry Brown (nee Edmund G. Brown Jr.). Between them they plunged the country downward with their introduction of larger government and public employee unions. Moving forward to 2016, we have George Wills abandonment of the Republican Party and announcements by Republican heavyweights including former National Security Advisor General Brent Showcroft, former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and former Assistant Secretary of State Richard Armitage that they will vote for Hillary Clinton. Between now and November, many other Republicans will announce they are voting for Hillary Clinton. Some will announce they are voting for former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party candidate for president. My announcement: I will not vote for Donald Trump. I did not vote for Barry Goldwater. Like the day after the 1964 rout of Barry Goldwater, I will join others to pick up the pieces of my party, the party of Abraham Lincoln and help put together a Phoenix-like rise of a new energetic and principled Trumpless Republican Party that will re-take the presidency in 2020. Last week, the Supreme Court issued a devastating decision that blocked DAPA and expanded DACA. I'm deeply saddened that four Supreme Court justices decided to play politics with peoples lives instead of doing the right thing and upholding President Obama's actions that would have protected millions of people in this country from deportation. Progress for our communities does not come easily. But we do have the power through our vote to determine who represents us in Congress, who will appoint the next Supreme Court justices, and who will direct immigration policy. Dolores Huerta This case goes far beyond the four justices who decided against us; Republicans at every level fought against President Obamas actions and, for years, any meaningful immigration reform. First, the case came before the Supreme Court because Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott la along with Republican governors and attorneys general in 26 states filed a case against DACA+ and DAPA in the district court where anti-immigrant, Republican-appointed Judge Andrew Hanen presides. It was Hanen whose ruling originally blocked the president's actions, and because the Supreme Court tied four-four in their decision last week, it's his decision that stands. The Supreme Court deadlocked because there are currently only eight of the nine justices required for the Supreme Court to function properly. Former Justice Antonin Scalia passed away in February, leaving the seat for President Obama to fill. However, Senate Republicans are engaging in unprecedented obstruction, refusing to hold hearings or schedule a vote on President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Judge Merrick Garland. Though Garland is one of the most qualified nominees to the Supreme Court the Senate has ever seen, Republicans continue to refuse to do their job, instead holding open the seat for Donald Trump to fill. Beyond their blockade of the Supreme Court vacancy, Republicans have fought against the DACA+ and DACA executive actions from the beginning. Forty-three Republican Senators, including former supporters of immigration reform like Sen. John McCain and Sen. Marco Rubio, filed an amicus brief supporting the lawsuit. House Republicans, for their part, submitted a brief arguing against the implementation of DACA+ and DAPA programs. Two hundred twenty-five Democratic Senators and members of the House filed a brief opposing the Republican lawsuit. And before the case even went to the Supreme Court, House and Senate Republicans tried time and time again to stop Obamas executive actions. Republican opposition to immigrant communities doesnt end there. Republicans in Congress have consistently blocked common sense solutions to update our immigration policies. In 2013, the Senate passed S.744, a comprehensive immigration reform bill with a path to citizenship. All 52 Democrats in the Senate supported the bill, along with 14 Republicans. Every vote against the bill came from Republicans. In the House of Representatives, despite the fact that House Democrats assembled enough support to move S.744 forward, Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner refused to schedule a vote on that bill or any other immigration reform legislation. Since then, House and Senate Republicans have used their time in power to push more anti-immigrant bills, the latest being a vote to require the Library of Congress to use the term "illegal alien" to refer to undocumented immigrants in our country. As we know all too well, especially given last week's decision, progress for our communities does not come easily. But we do have the power through our vote to determine who represents us in Congress, who will appoint the next Supreme Court justices, and who will direct immigration policy. At every step of the way, Republicans in Congress have blocked progress on immigration, instead supporting a mass deportation agenda through their votes and the judges they appoint and support. While presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has said he'll create a "deportation force" for the 11 million undocumented people in our country, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton supports keeping families together and has pledged to introduce comprehensive immigration reform during the first 100 days of her presidency. We can't afford for Trump to appoint the next Supreme Court justice, and we need to elect a pro-immigrant House and Senate to support immigration reform. Make no mistake: aided by right wing judges, Republican governors, attorneys general, and members of Congress bear responsibility for last week's horrific decision. However, we can and will make our voices heard by voting in November against Donald Trump and the anti-immigrant Republicans in Congress. We will not back those who support mass deportation and the separation of families. We can ensure that these anti-immigrant politicians lose their elections through the power of our voices, expressed through our votes. While in Europe on a family vacation, we got word in our early morning that a fifth police officer had died in Dallas, which made this dreadful incident the worst single act of cops being murdered since 9/11. This particular atrocity cannot be allowed to escalate into a Civil (Race) War, no more than the unspeakable slaughter by Omar Mateen in the Pulse nightclub in Orlando a month ago was allowed to slide into an anti-Muslim witch hunt. Geraldo Rivera Those who are outraged, as every single decent human being should be, by innocent black men like Alton Sterling and Philando Castile dying needlessly in confrontations with cops, must now be at least as outraged by the willful slaughter of these innocent Dallas cops at the hands of an urban terrorist. Because make no mistake: When you assassinate a cop, you are a terrorist, just like that cross-dressing, radical Muslim douche in Orlando was a terrorist, just like the miscreant in Sandy Hook, the twisted Washington D.C. sniper, the despicable Ft. Hood killer Major Hassan, the Boulder Planned Parenthood survivalist butcher, the Aurora movie theater psycho and so forth and so on. They are all terrorists of one stripe or another. Twenty-five year old Micah Xavier Johnson of Texas was not an advocate for civil rights or racial justice. He was not a protester against the police violence in Minnesota or Louisiana. He was a terrorist, and he has made it more likely, not less, that innocent black men will die in police confrontations because of fear and anger. President Obama must shepherd the nation the way he did after the Charleston, South Carolina church slaughter by the KKK-loving punk hate-monger a year ago. We need to hear an unequivocal Amazing Grace sung to mourn the death of white cops. We need to chill on both sides of the racial street. Obama must comfort the families of the fallen officers in Dallas like he did the families of the slain parishioners in the Mother Emanuel Church. In the wake of Dallas, the president needs to caution the Black Lives Matter movement that Blue Lives also Matter, and White and Asian and everybody else. This particular atrocity cannot be allowed to escalate into a Civil (Race) War, no more than the unspeakable slaughter by Omar Mateen in the Pulse nightclub in Orlando a month ago was allowed to slide into an anti-Muslim witch hunt. And our reaction to these evil deeds in terms of grief, shock and outrage should be the same. It is the identity of the victim that causes our grief, not the identity of the vile schmuck that killed them. That is just a detail for law enforcement to track down whether others were involved or reveal how perhaps the horror could have been averted or mitigated. What we will eventually be forced to confront is the obscene availability of weapons in America. In a nation that has more guns than people, and people have more heavy assault-style weapons than the armies of many countries, you can pick your pathology. In the urban inner city for example, there is also an intramural civil war going on. More than one black man a day has been killed in Baltimore since the death in police custody of Freddie Gray. Our Second Amendment protects the gun rights of way too many dysfunctional, aberrant personalities. Some of these freaks will be motivated by religious hatred, others by race. Over time, those two defining characteristics race and religion and their bitter twisted legacies have been the motive of more terrible violence than greed or even the lust for power. But be reminded by the savage murders of the cops in Texas that the racial divide is a huge chasm separating us in this country. As we focus on the threat from Islamic extremist violence, or other threats to our unity and civility, we must pay attention to this profound and festering homegrown wound. Like many Bernie fans, now that our man has finally given in and endorsed that woman, Im working today on feeling that old unity thing that Hillarys supporters have been talking about ever since they prematurely wrote the writing on the wall our side was supposed to have read over a month ago. We are all of us idiots for life, especially us men. But theres nothing idiotic, or sexist, about the revolution Bernie started. He may have lost the nomination, but Bernie Sanders is the New Sincerity in politics. Bradley Butterfield The fact that the man in charge of the New York Times editorial page, Andrew Rosenthal, penned and published a contemptuous piece about Bernie and his endorsement speech in the online edition of the paper just hours after the event hasnt made the task any easier but its reminded me of some things that are going to need to come unstuck from my craw anyway before Ill be able to get it done. To wit: remember Gloria Steinems Bernie Girls just want to have fun (my translation) dis on Bernies female supporters? Well, shortly thereafter Paul Krugman got a dig in on Bernies male advocates. He called us Bernie Bros. Yes, he went there. While Krugman did clarify that he was only referring to Bernies worst followers (akin to the way people who use the N-word clarify that theyre just referring to the worst of them), he also wrote that Bernie is becoming a Bernie Bro at which point I imagined him calling Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the leader of another movement for equality, the N-word. No, Im not claiming that Bernie Bro was anywhere near as insulting as the N-word, but from where I was standing, calling the man leading the most significant movement for social justice of our time a slur you use to signify the worst of them is a major dis. Bro culture is frat boy culture, California-stoner style, synonymous in most progressive minds with mindless partying and rampant sexism. Bernie Bro is a slur that implies were not even true progressives. Krugmans dis got me wondering why the Clintonites didnt have a comparable dis for Bernies female supporters. Why not a nifty insulting moniker for the ladies? Didnt they have equal rights? No, like now old-fashioned housewives, they were expected to hide themselves under the protective banner of their male counterparts, the Bernie Bros, despite doing roughly half the work of promoting Bernie. Then it came to light that the Clinton campaign had a PAC called Correct the Record (run by former right-wing smear-artist-turned-Clintonite David Brock), the purpose of which was essentially to distort the record on Bernie Sanders and his supporters by advancing the Bernie Bro narrative and the idea that Sanders supporters are little more than a sexist cult. The Bernie Bro, as Id suspected, was a linguistic kill shot: a deliberate attempt to create a negative caricature of a person or group so as to more easily scapegoat and defeat them. Trump effectively used linguistic kill shots against his rivals Lyin' Ted, Lil' Marco Low Energy Jeb but even he never used this technique to scapegoat their supporters (who he hopes will one day vote for him). This is the same technique Republicans have long employed against the Democratic Party by calling it the Democrat Party (encouraging the association of Democrats with rats), and now Hillarys Democrats were using the same technique against members of their own party. White men like me should by all means acknowledge white male privilege and promote equality, but any time you call a group of people especially a relatively powerless group (e.g., Camp Sanders) fighting against a relatively powerful group (e.g., Camp Clinton) a name they don't call themselves, there's something dirty going on. I personally hadnt even encountered any of these so-called Bernie Bros, with their rude, sexist behavior (unless criticizing Hillary is in and of itself rude and sexist behavior), and we didnt even have an insulting kill word for her supporters like they had for us, did we? Then the phrase Vagina Voter started popping up. Like Orwells duckspeak, it appeared to have two meanings: a complimentwhen used by its practitioners, a misogynist slur when used by its critics. Hillarys fans have their own valid reasons for preferring her, even if those reasons include the simple fact that shes a woman, but unless they welcome the term Vagina Voters, then its meant as an insult and insulting other candidates supporters because they happen to disagree with us is both dirty and a losing game. It punches below the argument-line, disparaging the individual making the argument. And its a losing game because nobody ever won an argument by disparaging his or her opponent (at least not if they hoped to achieve unity with them afterwards). I consider myself a neo-pragmatist, which means I dont think theres a single politically correct view just different ways of seeing. If someone wants me to see things their way, they have to offer me compelling reasons, not just berate me for having an illegitimate perspective. We waste time when we fight over whose perspective is True (which can only mean that the others is False) as opposed to discussing where to go and how to get there. If we take care of democracy, as Richard Rorty argued, what is True will take care of itself, and taking care of democracy was exactly what Bernies movement was proposing. I still feel that incremental adjustments to the oligarchy will no longer do. You can call Bernies supporters idealistic, but idealism has become the new pragmatism: the best way to get where we want to go. I recently wrote a book called "Idiot Boys: a memoir" containing something of a catalogue of idiot boy archetypes from my childhood, and I dont doubt that the Bernie Bro is one of the many idiot man archetypes operating out there today. We are all of us idiots for life, especially us men. But theres nothing idiotic, or sexist, about the revolution Bernie started. He may have lost the nomination, but Bernie Sanders is the New Sincerity in politics. Anyone who watched those debates could see it, and what hes done and can still do effectively is to offer a convincing assessment of the present and a vision for the future, a New New Deal, as Seth Abramson puts it, that is more compelling to the next generation than the old pragmatism of the Clinton era, even if it ends up getting put on hold another four years. So, Hillary fans, a word of advice: stop with the narrative that Hillarys detractors are just sexists. Some of us still have very good reasons for doubting her that its best not to provoke us into reciting again at this point, if party unity is what youre hoping for. Start treating us Bernie Bros, and Bro-ettes, as your actual brothers, and sisters, who may see things differently, but whom you still need to get along with, before we all get Trumped. Im lucky enough to know General James Mattis slightly. Just well enough to trust him unreservedly with our military and our nations security. The president-elect could not choose a better man to be our next Secretary of Defense. Not just because Mattis is a battle-hardened Marine with a remarkable combat record. And not just because he has a mind of remarkable clarity and is, without question, the best-read general of his generation. I trust Jim Mattis because hes a man of character, that most un-Washingtonian quality. His public image is of one rough-and-tough Marine, but the man Ive encountered is, above all, one of integrity. His code of honor is so out of fashion that one has to reach back to a Victorian vocabulary: He has a noble spirit. And hes a genuine patriot, not a shouter with his eye on the next chance. He will do whats right, not whats expedient. And he will never go along with anything he believes might harm our country. In addition to plenty of dirty-boots experience in the Middle East and a deep knowledge of historythat most underrated studyJim Mattis has another great qualification to be SecDef: He wasnt looking for a job. He was happy in retirement, studying, helping his fellow Marines, and contributing thoughtfully to our national security behind the scenes. The last time I heard from hima bit before the electionhe mentioned, not for the first time, that he was glad to be west of the Rockies. A Washington, D.C. post was not part of the plan; rather, he thought of farming in rural Washington State. This matters. In an age of sycophants and clawing ambition, its a splendid prospect to have a classic patriot whos willing to sacrifice to serve (as Jim Mattis already has for four decades in uniform). Our most underrated president of the last century, Dwight D. Ike Eisenhower, didnt want anyone in his cabinet who actively sought the position. He wanted successful men from various walks of life who would have to leave successful careers and contented lives to come to Washington and run a department ethically (an earlier version of draining the swamp). For General Mattis, the position of Secretary of Defense wouldnt be just another inside-the-Beltway badge to add to his resume. The greatest danger would be that he would prove too honest for D.C. Yet another quality Mattis would bring to the officea vital oneis that hes a superb listener (yet another rare quality in Washington). Hes not quick to speak, but when he finally does have his say, his words show command of the subject under discussion. And he uses words with the same economy as a rifleman uses bullets: no wasted rounds. As a member of the Hoover Institutions Military History Working Group, hed listen to the rest of us blather on for hours before saying a word. Then he would succinctly, politely and irrefutably explain why we had no idea what we were talking about. What would the nation get with General James Mattis as Secretary of Defense? Integrity. Deep knowledge. Courage, both moral and physical. Humility. Decency. Vision. A steely sense of duty. Fiscal responsibility. A natural leader of men. In short, character. Inevitably, weve heard plaints from the left about the danger of generals in high government positions, with the suggestion that theyll take us into wars. But it hasnt been the generals whove gotten us into our recent conflicts or who have failed to resolve them. For the last sixteen years, weve seen civilians with no military experience launch ill-considered wars and impulsive interventions without considering the second- and third-order effects. Generals, by contrast, are reluctant to send our troops to warthey know the complexity and the cost. General Mattis has a long list of military accomplishments, but I suspect that one of the experiences that cut deepest came in 2004, in Fallujah. After a week of brutal, successful combat his Marines stood within forty-eight hours of a clear-cut victory over a terrorist army. And the Bush administration lost its collective nerve, calling a halt just short of the finish line. I watched the tragedy unfold from northern Iraq, where I was a guest of the Kurds. And we all said the same thing to each other: Well have to go back and finish this. And we did have to go back, in less than a year. Having seen his Marines die, only to be denied victory at the eleventh hour because the global media was howling, must have been terribly painful for General Mattis. One of the many reasons hes so widely respected in military circlesnot just by Marinesis that he understands that, contrary to academic pronunciamentos, victory is not only possible, but essential. Jim Mattis not only fights the good fighthe fights to win. With him as our next Secretary of Defense, the United States of America would win. President-elect Donald Trump kicked off his post-election "Thank You" tour Thursday by announcing that he would nominate retired Marine Gen. James Mattis as secretary of defense. At a rally in Cincinnati, Trump described Mattis as "one of our great, great generals" and added that a formal announcement would be made Monday, "so don't tell anybody." "They say he's the closest thing to Gen. George Patton that we have," Trump told the crowd, "and it's about time. It's about time." A source close to Trump told Fox News that the president-elect's decision to divulge the Mattis pick at the rally was a surprise. Transition sources had repeatedly described Mattis as the favorite for the defense secretary position, but stressed the choice had not been formally made. Just prior to Thursday night's event, Trump himself played down the possibility that any announcement was imminent. The 66-year-old Mattis, known by his nickname, "Mad Dog," retired from the military in 2013 after serving as the commander of the U.S. Central Command. His appointment to run the Pentagon would require a waiver from Congress, since federal law requires military personnel to be retired for seven years before taking a civilian position in the in the Department of Defense. Senior staffers on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees told Fox News earlier this week that they had already drawn up language for the required waiver and were ready to present it to Congress if Trump nominated Mattis quickly. Mattis would be only the second retired general to serve as defense secretary, the first being George C. Marshall in 1950-51 during the Korean War. Marshall was a much different figure, having previously served as U.S. secretary of state and playing a key role in creating closer ties with western Europe after World War II. The only previous time an exception was made to the law barring someone from becoming defense secretary within seven years of leaving active duty was for Marshall. Although his record in combat and his credentials as a senior commander are widely admired, Mattis has little experience in the diplomatic aspects of the job of a secretary of defense. Richard Fontaine, president of the Center for a New American Security, described Mattis as a defense intellectual and as a military leader who distinguished himself in combat. "He knows the Middle East, South Asia, NATO and other areas and has evinced both a nuanced approach to the wars we're in and an appreciation for the importance of allies," Fontaine told the Associated Press in an email. "If he were to get the nomination, I suspect that he could attract a number of very talented people to work with him." But Mattis hasn't been immune to controversy. At a 2005 forum in San Diego, he told his audience that "it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot. ... It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you, I like brawling." "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil," Mattis continued. "You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." A native of Pullman, Wash., Mattis enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1969, later earning a history degree from Central Washington University. He was commissioned as an officer in 1972. As a lieutenant colonel, Mattis led an assault battalion into Kuwait during the first U.S. war with Iraq in 1991. As head of the Central Command from 2010 until his retirement in 2013, he was in charge of both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Mattis commanded the Marines who launched an early amphibious assault into Afghanistan and established a U.S. foothold in the Taliban heartland. As the first wave of Marines moved toward Kandahar, Mattis declared that, "The Marines have landed, and now we own a piece of Afghanistan." Two years later, he helped lead the invasion into Iraq in 2003 as the two-star commander of the 1st Marine Division. The rest of the rally at Cincinnati's U.S. Bank Arena was a return to Trump's campaign roots. He took a veiled swipe at fellow Republicans. He remembered his general election foe by joking, "We had fun fighting Hillary, didn't we?" He boasted about size of his victory and repeatedly bashed the media. Protesters briefly interrupted the proceedings. And the crowd chanted "Build the Wall" and "Lock Her Up." Trump did nothing to downplay expectations before he takes office, declaring that "America will start winning again, big league." Much like he did during the stretch run of the campaign, he read from teleprompters, but he was bombastic as ever, spending more than a dozen minutes bragging about his victory before outlining his economic plan. He boasted about his wins in Midwest states that normally vote Democratic, declaring he didn't just "break the blue wall, we shattered it." He veered off-script to make fun of a protester, saying she was being ejected from the arena so "she could go back to Mommy." He repeated his recent threat that, despite Constitutional protections, "if people burn the American flag, there should be consequences." And he repeated many of his signature campaign promises, including a pledge to "construct a great wall at the border." Trump, who has long spoken of feeding off the energy of his raucous crowds, first floated the idea of a victory tour just days after winning the election but has instead prioritized filling Cabinet positions. He is also expected to hold rallies in Pennsylvania, Florida, North Carolina and Michigan in the coming weeks, though details have yet to be announced. His supporters were thrilled that he had hit the road again. "That he wants to do this, to take time out of his schedule to fly out here and personally thank the people ... shows what kind of man he is," said Josh Kanowitz, 43. "He's one of us." But while Kanowitz largely praised Trump's initial moves as president-elect, he visibly recoiled at the suggestion that he might pick Mitt Romney as secretary of state, saying the 2012 Republican presidential nominee was "someone we should leave behind as we move forward." Others at the rally also expressed some hesitancy at Trump's picks, with a few suggesting that choosing former Goldman Sachs partner Steven Mnuchin as Treasury Secretary was not exactly fulfilling Trump's campaign promise to "Drain the Swamp" and eliminate corruption and elitism from Washington. But most were inclined to give the president-elect the benefit of the doubt. "He's a businessman. He'll pick talented people to work for him and then keep them in line," said Jaime Bollmer, a 28-year-old teacher from Lockland, Ohio. "He's a leader. That's what leaders do." Earlier Thursday, Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence toured a Carrier plant in Indiana to tout the incoming administration's agreement with the air conditioning manufacturer to keep hundreds of jobs in the U.S. "Companies are not going to leave the United States anymore without consequences," Trump thundered, before tempering the threat with pledges for deregulation and lower taxes. "We're going to do great things for businesses," Trump said. "There's no reason for them to leave anymore." Trump threatened to impose sharp tariffs on any company that shifted its factories to Mexico. And his advisers have since promoted lower corporate tax rates as a means of keeping jobs in the U.S. Fox News' John Roberts and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report. The Associated Press also contributed to this report. PSafe DFNDR Security: Antivirus, Anti-hacking & Cleaner earns top scores on malware detection and offers a range of handy tools at an affordable annual price. Pros Far-ranging security suite: In addition to virus detection, PSafe offers tools for clearing your cache, password-protecting apps, hiding photo galleries, controlling a misplaced phone, reducing your phone's temperature, and deleting older WhatsApp files. Device and app scanning: By default, PSafe checks app downloads for malware. You can also manually initiate a scan of installed apps of your entire device. High marks on malware detection: PSafe's mobile security app earned top scores on the suite of tests run by AV-Test, a security and antivirus research firm. The app performed well on both malware detection and battery use. Annual subscription is a deal: An annual subscription runs $4.99. With comparable apps cost as much as $29.99 a year, PSafe's service is a deal. SEE: The 7 Best Antivirus for Android to Keep Your Phone Secure Cons Suspect suggestions: The DFNDR app prompts you to activate related utilities that offer questionable benefits. For example, the app requested I activate its Total Change battery monitor to ensure that I don't overcharge my Pixel 2 battery, a problem that may or may not exist. A bit alarmist: After running a virus scan, the app alerted me that I needed to run it again. And periodically, the app sends a notification about an issue I need to fix, such as "55 apps causing heating." Confusing or intrusive ads: In the main app window, ads and PSafe tools share a similar card-style design, making it challenging to figure out what's part of PSafe and what's an ad. Likewise, the app can display ads after completing a task for competing security apps, but they look like they are part of the PSafe suite. Bottom Line PSafe DFNDR Security: Antivirus, Anti-hacking & Cleaner earns high marks on antivirus protection and value, but it stumbles with confusing notifications and misleading ads. Former Obama administration official Janet Napolitano, now head of Californias public university system, is digging in for a fight with President-elect Donald Trump over illegal immigration. Napolitano, who served as secretary of Homeland Security during Obamas first term, announced Wednesday that the vast higher education system she runs will not enforce federal law when it comes to illegal immigrants. While we still do not know what policies and practices the incoming federal administration may adopt, given the many public pronouncements made during the presidential campaign and its aftermath, we felt it necessary to reaffirm that [University of California] will act upon its deeply held conviction that all members of our community have the right to work, study, and live safely and without fear at all UC locations, Napolitano said in a written directive. The university system stopped short of declaring itself a sanctuary, but outlined new principles protecting students enrolled at the University of California who have been illegally residing in the United States. The new principles clarify that the University will not break the law and that our police departments will not join in on immigration operations conducted by other police agencies, University of California spokeswoman Dianne Klein said in a statement emailed to FoxNews.com. Under federal law, law enforcement agencies including campus police are required to notify federal authorities when they detain a suspected illegal immigrant. But dozens of cities across the country, as well as colleges and churches, have openly defied the law. The Obama administration did not press the issue, but Trump has vowed to cut off federal funding to so-called sanctuary cities. University of California will continue to admit illegal immigrants under the same criteria as U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Under Napolitanos official new policy, campus police are not allowed to cooperate with local, state or federal law enforcement agencies to investigate, detain, or arrest individuals for violation of federal immigration law. U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement considers schools including universities and colleges - sensitive locations, where they will not act unless exigent circumstances exist. A law enforcement official told FoxNews.com that ICE does not conduct enforcement on campuses unless there is a serious and extraordinary circumstance involved, such as a threat to national security. The ICE and [Customs and Border Patrol] sensitive locations policies, which remain in effect, provide that enforcement actions at sensitive locations should generally be avoided, and require prior approval from an appropriate supervisory official, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Gillian Christensen told FoxNews.com. DHS is committed to ensuring that people seeking to participate in activities or utilize services provided at any sensitive location are free to do so without fear or hesitation. But those are regulations and policies subject to change under a new administration, and most observers expect Trump to take a hard line on illegal immigration. Napolitanos move appears to be a pre-emptive strike, according to Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at Center for Immigration Studies. She is doing this for political effect, Vaughan said. The University is trying to look like they are standing up against what a Trump Administration might do, but I think this is very problematic because if they go so far as to obstruct law enforcement, they are violating federal law and could be putting people at risk. The University of California already has established facilities called Centers for Undocumented Students at their Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, and Los Angeles campuses. The policies are in keeping with those of a state with the most pro-illegal immigrant policies in the nation. According to California law, minors who are in California without immigration documentation may be educated in public grade schools, and if they meet the same academic requirements that all U.S. citizens do, they can attend public universities and pay in-state tuition. In May 2016, President Napolitano announced that the university would earmark $.8.4 million a year through the 2018-2019academic year for undocumented student support across its 10 campuses. Donald Trumps Cabinet is shaping up to be really, seriously, fabulously rich. And thats news. But is it bad news? Is it some kind of class-warfare plot by Americas first billionaire president? Should the media automatically assume that these super-wealthy folks are on a mission to screw the middle class? Were starting to see such criticism bubble up from journalists and pundits who are presumably in far lower income brackets than the new Treasury secretary, former Goldman Sachs and hedge fund guy Steve Mnuchin; or the new Commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross (estimated wealth $2.5 billion), or the new Education secretary, Betsy DeVos, whose family co-founded Amway (estimated family wealth $5.1 billion). Now its perfectly fair to look at their records, including past controversies in the business world. And its equally fair to say that Trump made Goldman Sachs a symbol of a rigged systemremember his focus on Hillary Clintons big-money speeches to the investment bank?and is now tapping more than his share of Goldman people. But the idea that this will be an administration of the rich, by the rich and for the rich? Was that true of FDR or JFK, both of whom were born into elite families of great means? Obviously not. The Washington Post starts out by questioning the teams lack of government credentials: Many of the Trump appointees were born wealthy, attended elite schools and went on to amass even larger fortunes as adults. As a group, they have much more experience funding political candidates than they do running government agencies. Then comes the zinger: Their collective wealth in many ways defies Trumps populist campaign promises. A University of Virginia faculty member is paraphrased as saying Trump and his lieutenants wont be able to draw on the same sort of life struggles that President Obama did, in crafting policy to lift poor and middle-class Americans. So rich Americans need not apply, because, in this teachers word, they would lack empathy? A political scientist at Duke says that when you put a bunch of millionaires in charge, you can expect public policy that helps millionaires at the expense of everybody else. And Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, not surprisingly, says Trump will have a billionaire and millionaire cabinet, with a billionaire agenda to hurt the middle class. So is the reverse true? Was Bill Clinton, because he grew up with modest means in small-town Arkansas, out to soak the rich? These questions dont seem to come up in Democratic administrations. Obamas Commerce secretary, Penny Pritzker, happens to have an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion. But its becoming a hot media issue. Politico on Trumps Team of Gazillionaires: Donald Trump campaigned as a champion of the forgotten man and won the White House on the strength of his support among the white working class. So far, hes stacking his administration with masters of the universe. Liberal columnist Paul Waldman: Donald Trump has named Steve Mnuchin a Goldman Sachs alum and hedge fund manager to be his secretary of the Treasury, in keeping with his repeated promise to take on Wall Street and the powers-that-be on behalf of the little guy. So can we stop pretending that Trump's campaign populism was anything other than just one more con? For what its worth, Mnuchin told CNBC that there will be no absolute tax cut for the upper classmeaning any reductions would be offset by cutting deductionsand there will be a middle-income tax cut. Now if the new administration does push a tax cut tilted toward the wealthy, is too cozy with Wall Street and slashes programs for the poor, the press should be all over that. But right now, some of the coverage seems built on the assumption that anyone whos rich is mainly interested in raiding the Treasury to help themselves and their well-heeled friends. The campaign is over, but the shouting is not. Key members of the Trump and Clinton presidential campaigns exchanged sharp words at a Harvard University forum Thursday, with Democratic staffers accusing their counterparts of cultivating white supremacists. TRUMP REPORTEDLY 'FURIOUS' ABOUT CONWAY'S COMMENTS ON ROMNEY "The platform that they gave to white supremacists, to white nationalists, is a very, very important moment in our history," Clinton campaign communications director Jennifer Palmieri told Trump's team. The charge prompted a furious response from Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway. Do you think I ran a campaign where white supremacists had a platform? Conway shot back. You did, Kellyanne. You did, an emotional Palmieri responded. The exchange was one of several tense moments during the traditionally cordial post-election review hosted at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. TRUMP CHOOSES OBAMACARE CRITIC TO REVAMP HEALTH CARE SYSTEM Conway was still seething Friday, in an appearance on "Fox & Friends" during which she was asked if the Clinton staffers were "sore losers." "I do think some people are stuck in the permanent campaign and not really past the anger, grief and denial stages and into the acceptance stages," Conway said. "But that's okay, because we won." At the event, Conway bristled during a question-and-answer period when someone attending the forum noted the Southern Poverty Law Center had collected reports of nearly 1,000 hate-related incidents from almost every state since the election. She said Trump has called for an end to such incidents, and she labeled the far-left center an "anti-Trump group." Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook placed the blame for his candidate's defeat on FBI Director James Comey, who sent letters to Congress in the waning days of the campaign related to his agency's examination of Clinton's email accounts. Without those letters, Mook said, Clinton would have won. He called the focus on Clinton's emails during the campaign one of the "most over-reported, overhyped, over-litigated stories in the history of American politics." Mook also blamed another set of emails for Clinton's loss, namely the slow release of apparently hacked Democratic messages in the final weeks of the race. The U.S. government has said Russia was responsible for hacking at least some of the emails released by WikiLeaks, including those from the private account of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. "We cannot have foreign aggressors intervening in our elections," Mook said. Asked about the reports of Russian-backed hacking, which Russia has dismissed, Conway said, "We just don't know it to be true." When the discussion turned to campaign tactics, Conway said one key move that helped Trump was the decision to stop looking at national polls and instead focus on state polls, particularly in swing states. "When I came onboard [as campaign manager in August], we never did another national poll," she said. Conway added that a mistake made by the Clinton campaign was assuming the 2016 electorate would resemble the 2012 electorate, which gave Democratic President Barack Obama a second term, when it was closer to the 2014 midterm electorate, which handed big gains to Republicans in Congress. She also credited Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Democratic primary challenger, for helping "soften up" Clinton and paving the way for Trump's victory. She said political observers who predicted the race would go to Clinton "ignored the phenomenon known as Bernie Sanders." Another key to Trump's win, Conway said, was Clinton herself. "I said to Mr. Trump, 'You're running against one of the most joyless presidential candidates in history,'" Conway said. "'Why don't we find a way to be the happy warrior?'" Mook conceded that the Clinton campaign failed to perform as well as it should have among groups that were key to Obama's two victories, including suburban women and young voters, some of whom he said were drawn to third-party candidates. Conway essentially agreed, saying Clinton was unable to hold together the Obama coalition. She said the question wasn't whether voters were ready to elect a woman to the White House but whether they were ready to elect this particular woman. Another Clinton failing was in presuming that people who voted Democratic before would do so again, Conway said. But Mook said the Clinton campaign never took a win as a foregone conclusion. "There were a lot of headwinds in this race," he said. "We were trying to make history." Click for more from The Wall Street Journal. The Associated Press contributed to this report. James Mad Dog Mattis, President-elect Donald Trumps choice to be Secretary of Defense, has been described as straight talking, cerebral, and above all a military commander who would prefer to win without fighting. Trump made the surprise announcement about Mattis appointment during a rally in Ohio Thursday night, calling him the closest thing to General Patton that we have. Mattisknown as Mad Dog and Warrior Monk, is a former 4-star Marine Corps general who served more than 40 years in the military before he retired from his post as Commander of the U.S. Central Command in 2013 following reports that he was not in lockstep with President Obama. The appointment of the 66-year-old Mattis has thus far received positive responses from current and former U.S. officials and lawmakers. Jim, as everyone knows, is a straight-talking, tough Marine but he is also quite cerebral in that he is contemplative, thoughtful, and studious, Gen. Jack Keane, who withdrew himself from consideration for the post in Trumps Cabinet, told Fox News. He is an excellent listener and he has extraordinary intellectual depth that will serve him well in making recommendations to the Commander-in-Chief concerning policy formulation and when or not to employ military force. One retired Marine who served under Mattis told Fox News that the commander would prefer to win without fighting. He is a proponent of understanding the mind of your enemy, because that is where the battle is won, said retired Marine Officer Stan Coerr. Gen. Mattis is the archetype of the warrior scholar thats who we younger officers aspired to be. Coerr told Fox News that Mattis was an on the ground, living in the dirt commander, and a very deep thinker. He has said that hes never come across a situation he didnt know how to handle because hes always read about what hes seen, Coerr recalled. Retired Col. Chris Woodbridge, USMC, who served for the first time with Mattis in one of the first units deployed to Saudi Arabia when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, told Fox News that he recalled Mattis telling him and his fellow officers that they should spend as much time reading and studying the profession as they did in physical training. He has the ability, through his intellect and his force of personality his social energyto put a sense of urgency into any organization, Woodbridge said. And if you dont have that depth of knowledge that you get from studying our military history like Gen. Mattis suggests, youre at a disadvantage. But U.S. law says a Defense Secretary must have been out of uniform for at least seven years, and Mattis has only been retired for three, meaning he will need a waiver from Congress to be confirmed for the post. The law is part of the 1947 National Security Act created at the inception of the Pentagon and the Department of Defense. Lawrence Korb, the Assistant Secretary of Defense under the Reagan Administration, said that while he thinks Mattis is a wonderful person, there is a reason we wrote this law. Gen. Mattis will give the President-elect unfiltered advice my worry is what filter he sees it through, Korb told Fox News. I want someone in the Pentagon who makes sure their military advice is not filtered by their career. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) also has raised concerns. While I deeply respect Gen. Mattis service, I will oppose a waiver, Gillibrand said in a statement. Civilian control of our military is a fundamental principle of American democracy, and I will not vote for an exception to this rule. But according to the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, Mattis wont have trouble getting the waiver and will be the first to do so since Gen. George S. Marshall. Gen. Mattis will enjoy wide support among Democrats and Republicans, Gen. Keane told Fox News. He will be a strong proponent for rebuilding the U.S. military which has been atrophying these last eight years. Before Thursday's vote authorizing new sanctions against Iran, one of the most impassioned speeches on the chambers floor against the U.S.-Iran nuclear deal came from a member of President Obamas own party. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., a veteran member of Congress and former chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, bucked the administration, and most of his own Democratic party, by voicing his support for the sanctions measure, as well as reiterating his long-held opposition to the nuclear deal. Menendez believes he has paid a price for his dissent, which also has included assailing Obama as weak in his handling of Cuba, Syria and the Russians. The Justice Department last year opened an investigation of allegations that Menendez pushed for policies that would favor a friend and donor. Menendez has continued to criticize the Obama administration's policies, but with Obama's days in the White House waning, it appears he is turning up the volume. There have been attempts to punish me for what Ive said about the administrations policy on Iran and Cuba, Menendez told FoxNews.com. I dont intend to be intimidated by another branch of government. Menendez was one of only four Democrats in the Senate who voted with Republicans against the nuclear deal. The New Jersey lawmaker as recently as this summer co-sponsored a bill that would authorize new sanctions on Iran in addition to extending the right to impose the current ones. There have been attempts to punish me for what Ive said about the administrations policy on Iran and Cuba. I dont intend to be intimidated by another branch of government. Senator Robert Menendez, New Jersey Democrat The administration has firmly opposed those efforts. It also frowned upon the measure approved by the Senate unanimously on Thursday, saying it was unnecessary, but then said the president would sign it. The bill allows Obama to renew existing sanctions for another decade. Iranian officials are furious over the latest sanctions vote, as well as other measures based on a lack of trust about its nuclear intentions and role in supporting terrorism. Whether it be this, or Cuba, my party doesnt care for my [foreign policy] views, Menendez said. This is about the fervent belief its in the national interest and security of the United States to have more sanctions. Last year, Menendez gained a defender in Sen. Ted Cruz, a conservative Republican who said Menendezs foreign policy stances had sparked Obama administration retaliation against him. "The coincidence is troubling," Cruz said, "that that very week [when Menendez opposed the Iran deal] is when the Justice Department announces they're moving forward with criminal prosecutions. It raises a suggestion to other Democrats that if you dare part from the Obama White House, a criminal prosecution can be used potentially for political retribution." Senators are the typically the ones who take on presidents of their own party, said Ross Baker, a visiting professor of political science at Rutgers University. Their profile is higher, particularly people who are seasoned, been around for a while, they can pull it off, Baker said. Menendez said he won't hesitate to take on incoming president Donald Trump. I have always been willing and able to find ways to work with both Democratic and Republican administrations for the betterment of our nation, said Menendez, who has never met Trump. That will continue to be the case with our next president. Armed U.S. border patrol officers sit idly along a twisting mountain road that divides California and its southern neighbor, Baja Mexico, surveying the parched terrain that extends to the ocean. Some days, U.S.-bound illegal immigrants surrender themselves for asylum. Other days, bored and frustrated Mexican teens toss stones at the officers from behind the rocky shields. But now change is in the air, as people on both sides of the border and the law await the arrival of President-elect Donald Trump in the White House. "We are very worried, no one was expecting those results," Martha Leticia Castaneda Rojas, Tijuana City Council member and president of the Border Affairs Committee, told FoxNews.com. "We're all still in shock." Rojas and others now fear Trumps plan to deport up to two million illegal immigrant criminals will flood the border city. As it stands, Tijuana a city of 1.3 million has around 40 shelters for the homeless and deported, as well as an increasing number of refugees from earthquake-ravaged Haiti. These shelters are "expandable," Rojas said, pointing out that they have already identified a parcel of land on which to establish a tent city, if need be. Mexican officials are also bracing for Trumps policies with a campaign using social media, community outreach, a 24/7 toll free consular assistance hotline and mobile consulates across the country to make sure Mexicans know their rights, Rojas said. Erika Santana, president of the Tijuana Attorney Bar Association and a prominent human rights leader, said the area could be overwhelmed if Trump follows through on his campaign pledge. "This could become a total humanitarian crisis, Santana said. Currently, shelters are not equipped for more people. There are not enough rooms, not enough food and not enough medical supplies. City doctors are struggling just to tend to taxpayers and are over-extended this could be a huge problem." Marcela Celoiro, the San Diego-based Consulate General of Mexico, favors preparation, but not panic. "We don't know what is going to happen, Celoiro said. Nobody in the States even knows what is going to happen. But we have to be ready. Another controversial cornerstone of Trump's immigration plan consists of building a wall along the border, which he insists Mexico will fund. Currently, around 15 percent of the border is protected by a steel barricade. The first fencing was built in the 1950s, and more stringent structures went up in the mid-90's under President Clinton's Operation Gatekeeper. For Shawn Moran, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council, Trump's policies come as a welcome relief. "Agents do this job because they want to serve their country and what we have been doing is a disservice allowing people that have broken laws to stay," Moran said. "The wall is one tool that we have; we need to be able to secure our borders." San Diego-based Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., agreed that securing the border is paramount both for national security, as individuals from all nations with possible terrorist ties can also use Mexico as an entry point - as well as overall crime reduction. "Walling works. We had the first wall in San Diego," he said. "By FBI statistics, it reduced crime by 50 percent here and drug trafficking by ninety." But for some Mexicans, the issue is about money, not the notion of being fenced in or out. "The U.S. has the full right to build a wall if they think it will help," said State Council member and National Action Party (PAN) Adrian Garcia, staring out at the high fence partitioning the beaches of Playas de Tijuana and Imperial Beach, which abruptly stops in the ocean. "But if the U.S tries to force Mexico to pay for it; that is what is causing a lot of upset and anger." A pair of governors and two high-powered lawmakers agreed at a bipartisan forum Thursday that simply locking away criminals is not working. Mass incarceration, especially of teenagers tried as adults, too often ensures that ex-cons will remain mired in lives of crime after their eventual release, governors Dannel Malloy, of Connecticut, and John Bel Edwards, of Louisiana, agreed at the first Google Justice Summit, in Washington. Its also expensive for taxpayers, they said. Prison is a very bad place for people who have made a mistake but aren't committed to life a crime, Malloy said. What we know is that prison can more likely turn you into someone committed to a life of crime. Also taking part in the panel discussion were Sen. Cory Booker, R-N.J., and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah. The two governors highlighted criminal justice changes they have been implementing in their states and the fact that prison reform has become a bipartisan issue. FBI figures show violent crime has dropped in Connecticut, which Malloy, a Democrat, attributes to focusing on results and rehabilitation, rather than simply punishment. Its important to understand that one size doesn't fit all," Malloy said, and that "we should design the system to bring about positive change in peoples lives. Louisiana locks up more people per capita than any other state, according to FBI data. Edwards, a Democrat who ran for the governor in 2014 on a platform of criminal justice reform, has made investing in rehabilitation and helping ex-cons re-integrate into society cornerstones of his administration. Edwards said savings reaped from decreasing the number of inmates must be reinvested in improving the prison system. We need to not pocket the profits make by cuts but rather reinvest it into success programs, Edwards said, also praising Texas, Georgia and South Carolina for taking on prison reform. At the federal level, Booker and Lee discussed measures they are pushing in the Senate that would reduce sentences for non-violent offenders, as well as the harsher treatment African-Americans and Hispanics receive in the federal system. Booker told the audience stories of his days growing up in an upper-middle class neighborhood in New Jersey where he found himself profiled by his local cops. This issue is one that is personal to me, said Booker, who was mayor of Newark before being elected to the Senate. Lee dismissed the perception among some that prison reform is synonymous with permissiveness. I reject the idea that passing criminal justice reform somehow means we are soft on crime, Lee said. Like the two governors, Booker and Lee stressed the importance of viewing the criminal justice system as one of rehabilitation and integration rather than simply punishment, particularly when it comes to non-violent crimes. The forum was sponsored by Google, in partnership with the U.S. Justice Action Network, Coalition for Public Safety, American Civil Liberties Union, Americans for Tax Reform, Center for American Progress, Faith & Freedom Coalition, FreedomWorks, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, NAACP, and Right on Crime. Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois said Friday he will boycott President-elect Trumps inauguration ceremony because of his stance on immigration. "I'm not going to this inauguration, I can't go to this inauguration, because he continues to spew hatred, bigotry and prejudice even after he said he was going to bring us all together," Gutierrez, a Democrat, told CNN. Gutierrez, who serves on the House Judiciary Committee, has made comprehensive immigration reform a key part of his congressional career and was an early endorser of Hillary Clinton. He said he has been present at every inauguration ceremony since his election to office in 1992. Gutierrez also expressed his concerns about Trumps possible reversal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, a move that would jeopardize the legal status of hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants registered under it. "Donald Trump says he's going after them, that he's going to revoke DACA and he's going to take away their freedom in this country," he said. "And they're afraid." Michigans elections board will consider Friday a request from President-elect Donald Trump to block a hand recount of the states 4.8 million votes cast asked for by Green Partys Jill Stein who Trumps lawyers called a bottom-dwelling candidate. Trumps lawyers argued Thursday that Stein should not be allowed to seek the recount because she was not aggrieved as the potential miscount could not conceivably have cost her the election. They also argued that Stein waited so late to file her recount petition, which the candidate filed Wednesday, that it will be impossible to finish by the Dec. 13 deadline. Stein, in fact, finished no higher than fourth in any state where she appeared on the ballot. Yet despite being just a blip on the electoral radar, Stein has now commandeered Michigan's electoral process, they wrote in their filing. "[The law] has never been understood to permit challenges by bottom-dwelling (and thus not aggrieved) candidates like Stein," the argued. The objections from Trump's team suspends the planned Friday start of the recount until next week. A recount is already underway in Wisconsin, and Stein is also pushing for a court-ordered statewide recount in Pennsylvania. Trump won Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania in the election all states that pollsters had predicted would go to Trumps Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Michigans Attorney General Bill Schuette, a Republican, backed the Trump campaigns arguments Friday, and asked the state Supreme Court to block the recount. Stein blasted what she called Trumps cynical efforts to delay the recount and create unnecessary costs for taxpayers, which she called shameful and outrageous. Stein has argued, without any evidence, that irregularities in the vote suggests there could have been a cyberattack on voting machines that tampered with the vote. She says the only way to be sure is to verify the vote through a recount. Experts cast doubt on the efficacy of the recounts, saying that it was unlikely they would flip anything close to the number of votes to change the outcome in any of the states in question. "This is certainly not Bush v. Gore," Mike Haas, Wisconsin's chief elections administrator, told The Associated Press. The Wisconsin recount was estimated to cost about $3.9 million. Stein paid $973,250 for the requested recount in Michigan. Michigan's Republican secretary of state, Ruth Johnson, has said a recount could cost $5 million total. The Associated Press contributed to this report. With President Obama's term coming to an end, the sons of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are again calling on the president to clear their mother of the espionage charge for which they believe she was wrongly executed in 1953 in an intense Cold War case. Michael and Robert Meeropol say their father was a Soviet spy but grand jury testimony shows their mother was not, per the Telegraph. It actually shows Ethel's brother, David Greenglasswho worked at the headquarters of the Manhattan Project and later served 10 years for spyinginitially said he'd never discussed atomic secrets with his sister. The Meeropols believe Greenglass lied six months later, when he said he saw Ethel transcribing secrets, to cover-up his wife's own role in the case. Greenglass later admitted he was pressured to lie by prosecutor Roy Cohn, who went on to become president-elect Donald Trump's mentor, per the Boston Globe. With that in mind, the Meeropols say Obama's "presidential proclamation" (a pardon implies guilt, they say) may be their last hope to exonerate their mother in what would be "the first time that the United States has admitted that the federal government has wrongly executed one of its citizens," per the Telegraph. The brothers plan to deliver a letter and case documents to the White House on Thursday, but they're not alone in this fight, per the Springfield Republican. They're backed by the Boston Globe editorial board, Michael Moore, Noam Chomsky, and more than 40,000 others who've signed a petition. (Click for more on the case.) This article originally appeared on Newser: Hope of Exonerating Ethel Rosenberg May End With Trump Whose knees were these? Scientists have conducted a thorough analysis of the ancient, mummified leg bones found in Queen Nefertaris tomb, in an attempt to figure out if the bones really belong to the famous queen. Their conclusion? While they cant be positive, they think the bones, which are over 3,200 years old, are indeed Nefertaris. Nefertari, if you need to brush up on your ancient Egyptian politics, was the wife of King Ramses II. She was a striking woman who I think exerted a quiet power behind the throne, Joann Fletcher, an archaeologist at the University of York who was involved in the new research, told the Guardian. HUMAN ANCESTOR LUCY WAS AVID TREE-CLIMBER, HER BONES REVEAL But since her tomb famous for gorgeous color paintings on the walls and located in the Valley of the Queens was looted before Ernesto Schiaparelli found it in 1904, things in that final resting place were disturbed, and the granite sarcophagus was damaged. Among what was left were a pair of sandals and some leg bones. But are those leg bones, which reside at the Egyptian Museum in Turin, Italy, actually the queens? The scientists did x-rays, radiocarbon dating, chemical analysis, and more. They looked at the knees, and decided that the person who had them was probably a woman who was about five feet, four inches tall. Based on the x-rays, the researchers some saw evidence of mild arthritis. She was probably somewhere between 40 and 60 at time of death, they said. 48 BODIES UNEARTHED AT BLACK PLAGUE BURIAL SITE IN ENGLAND After ultimately considering all their evidence and different hypotheses, the researchers decided that the knees probably did belong to Queen Nefertari. Thus, the most likely scenario is that the mummified knees truly belong to Queen Nefertari, the scientists write in a new study, which was published in the journal PLOS ONE. Although this identification is highly likely, no absolute certainty exists. Royal knees, indeed. Follow Rob Verger on Twitter: @robverger A Burmese python in the Everglades with a penchant for venison gulped down three whole deer one doe and two fawns before wildlife officials captured and euthanized it, a new study reveals. The gustatory feat sets a record: It's the first invasive Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) caught with three deer in its gut, said study co-lead author Scott Boback, an associate professor of biology at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. The python probably attacked and ate the deer at different times over a 90-day period, Boback said. That time span may seem long, but it's actually quite surprising that a snake would eat three enormous meals in a relatively short window, Boback told Live Science. [Photos: This Invasive Python Ate Three Wild Deer] "If a python is capable of eating three deer in three months," what else are they eating that we don't know about, he asked. "We don't even know how many of them are out there [in the Everglades]." Burmese pythons are native to Southeast Asia, but for reasons still shrouded in mystery, they became established in the Everglades during the 1990s. The snakes can grow to be up to 18 feet long in the Everglades (and up to 26 feet long in Southeast Asia). They use their strong muscles to wrap around prey, obstructing their victims' blood flow until circulation stops. Deer trio It's unclear how the python attacked the deer, but the snake may have hid in the water, waiting for the deer to stop for a drink. That would have left the deer within striking distance of the snake, Boback said. The 15.6-foot-long female snake was almost done digesting its three massive meals when officials caught and euthanized it on June 3, 2013. A necropsy, or animal autopsy, revealed an empty stomach but intestines packed with poop. The fecal matter was immense: more than 14 lbs., or 13 percent of the snake's body mass , Boback said. Study co-researchers Teresa Hsu and Suzanne Peurach, scientists at the Smithsonian Institution, sieved through the excrement and found mats of fur and several undigested hooves, bones and teeth, indicating that the python had eaten white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and not just one, Boback said. It's no surprise that the fur, hooves and teeth were undigested, as pythons can't break down keratin or enamel, Boback said. However, they can digest bone, which would explain why the researchers found only fragments of bone in the dung, he said. The size and shape of the hooves as well as the presence of a deciduous, or baby, tooth indicated that the adult doe was at least 1 year old and about 99 lbs., one fawn was about 1 month old and 37 lbs. and the other fawn was about 2 weeks old and 29 lbs., the researchers wrote in the study. [In Images: Hungry Python Eats Porcupine Whole] Python invasion Pythons are ravenous eaters, and they've been wreaking havoc on the Everglades ecosystem, Boback said. The hungry snakes hunt the region's native animals, including birds, mammals and at least one reptile the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), the researchers wrote in the study. Although other Everglades studies have shown correlations between the presence of pythons and a drop in mammals such as raccoons, opossums, bobcats and rabbits the new report shows concrete evidence that pythons can eat more than one deer within a short period of time, Boback said. "It just begs the question, 'How often are they eating these things?'" he said. The study was published in the November issue of the journal BioInvasions Records. Original article on Live Science . Art experts in Australia have found a rare paper banknote from the Ming Dynasty of Imperial China hidden inside an antique wooden sculpture that was being prepared for auction. The Chinese characters on the crumpled banknote show that it was issued in the third year of the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty or 1371 in the Western calendar. The inscriptions also warn would-be counterfeiters that they face the penalty of death by beheading. The 645-year-old banknote was found hidden inside a wooden sculpture of the head of a "luohan," a religious figure from Chinese Buddhism, that may once have stood in a family or public temple, said Paul Sumner, chief executive of Mossgreen's Auctions in Melbourne, Australia, which discovered the note. [See photos of the paper banknote that dates back to China's Ming Dynasty] Sumner said the firm's specialist in Asian artworks, Ray Tregaskis, spotted the note wedged inside the hollow head of the sculpture as he inspected the artifact in preparation for an auction in Sydney, Australia, next month. "It wasn't easy to see it was hidden right up out of eyesight, folded up into a little, 1-inch fold," Sumner told Live Science. "The note has been in at least two collections that we know of without the knowledge of the owners." Currency experts at Mossgreen's Auctions immediately identified the note as a rare paper "bank seal" that was issued in China during the Ming Dynasty. "It wasn't in very good condition, as you'd imagine with all those folds and after hundreds of years with some degree of exposure to the elements," Sumner said. Very few of these Ming Dynasty banknotes have survived to present day, he added, "bearing in mind that they were constantly being handled it's not like people kept them in plastic sleeves, like collectors would today." Ming money The Ming Dynasty banknote is much larger than modern paper money, roughly equivalent to the size of a standard "U.S. letter" page of paper. Chinese characters and official seals printed in red and black ink declare that the note is a "Great Ming Treasure Note" with a value of "one guan" depicted as 10 "strings" of Chinese copper coins, which could be grouped with a string through the hole in each coin. According to the American historian of Chinese currency John E. Sandrock , one guan was equivalent to 1,000 copper coins, or 1 ounce of pure silver. The newfound banknote also includes a dire warning to counterfeiters that they will be punished with decapitation, and offers a large reward to anyone who informs on such criminals. At the time this banknote was issued, paper money was almost unheard of outside China. The first European banknotes date from the mid-17th century, around 300 years later. [The 25 Most Mysterious Archaeological Finds on Earth] Based on the date on the banknote and the expert dating of the sculpture it was found in, it's thought the money may have been hidden as a religious offering when the sculpture was already 30 to 50 years old, Sumner said. Small offerings like inscriptions on paper, rice grains and semiprecious stones are often found sealed inside the bases of antique Chinese figurines, he said. However, a high-value banknote is considered an extraordinary find, he said. "From our point of view, what makes the banknote important is that the dating is very close to the dating we'd assumed from stylistic details about the [louhan] figure, as well as the intrigue factor of finding it," Sumner said. Long journey Sumner said the sculpture that held the hidden banknote was purchased by the Australian art collector Raphy Star from a specialist dealer in the United Kingdom, but nothing is known about the artifact's origins in China. "These figures were created for veneration and for spiritual use, sometimes in temples and sometimes in homes," Sumner said. "It may have been part of a larger figure, and because of its size, [we can conclude that] it probably stood in a temple." The long journey of the sculpture and its hidden banknote may not be over yet: Both artifacts are up for auction in Sydney on Dec. 11, along with the rest of the Raphy Star collection , and are likely to return to China, Sumner said. "The Chinese have been major buyers for a long time now, and have been repatriating important pieces back to China particularly mainland China," he said. The entire Raphy Star collection of artworks from China, Japan and Southeast Asia could fetch up to 5 million Australian dollars ($3.7 million U.S.) at auction, Sumner said. The louhan sculpture and banknote will be sold together, as a single lot, with an estimated value of up to 45,000 Australian dollars ($34,000 U.S.). "It's not that we were worried about being beheaded ourselves, but we just thought it might have been more auspicious to keep the two together," Sumner said. "It's such a great story that we didn't really want to separate them." Original article on Live Science . A team of brave U.S. military veterans headed into the Himalayas armed with skill, one helicopter and a whole lot of state-of-the-art gear last month and left the mountains with four skydiving world records. Military Free Fall, or MFF, is a way for forces to insert military personnel, gear and even canines. Military parachutists jump from a fixed wing aircraft or a helicopter at high altitudes, then then use a parachute to travel through the air to land at a pre-determined location. This expedition aimed to push the limits for military free fall and make the seemingly impossible possible. The team headed deep into the Everest region of the Himalayas to attempt landings on some of the highest mountains in the world. Complete Parachute Solutions (CPS) provided parachutes for the expedition. Putting that in context, the highest airport in the United States is at Leadville, Colorado, at 9,334 feet elevation. The first series of expedition jumps were at Syangboche, Nepal, at about 12,400 feet. Former Navy SEAL and CPS CEO Fred Williams handpicked his team for the extreme, unique environment. His goal was to assemble the most experienced team possible - from parachutists and Sherpa guides through to oxygen experts, emergency medicine and a helicopter pilot. EXCLUSIVE: INSIDE AN EPIC PARACHUTE JUMPING EXPEDITION IN THE HIMALAYAS In addition to Williams SEAL experience, team members had served in the U.S. Marine Corps Force Recon, Raiders and top sniper cadre as well as an MFF expert who served in the Army and an expert British oxygeneer who served in the Royal Air Force. The team also included extremely accomplished civilian parachutists who also brought special skills like exceptional medical experience. The team smashed not just one world record but four world records, according to CPS. Defeating Dangerous Conditions To succeed, they needed to overcome formidable winds, extreme cold and the lack of oxygen at high altitudes. To overcome hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation, the team relied on the next-gen Multi-purpose Tactical Oxygen System (MTOS) from TopOut Aero. With the highest of stakes, jumpers had to land on tiny impromptu landing zones created on some of the highest mountains in the world. Failing to nail the landing could mean death. Some of the designated landing zones were awkward tiny mountainside perches surrounded by sheer drop offs. To make successful landings on these extremely difficult spots, the team relied on the CPS parachutes used by American, and allied, special operations units around the world. The Adventure The team assembled in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and then flew on to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal at an elevation of about 4,500 feet to begin acclimatizing their bodies to high altitude and lack of oxygen. They then travelled to Lukla, notorious as the most dangerous airport in the world, then climbed to 12,400 feet at Syangboche airport to conduct initial parachute operations. SPECIAL FORCES' PARACHUTES: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW In the mountains, the team tackled rocky trails and obscure paths with steep inclines and rapid descents. While moving up the mountains, the Himalayan mountain range provided a spectacular backdrop with the snow-capped peaks of Mount Everest and some of the other highest mountains of the world filling the skyline. First World Record Magpul CORE instructor and extremely accomplished Marine Corps sniper veteran Caylen Wojcik arrived in the Himalayas with the fewest jumps on the team- a mere 50. Yet he broke records, becoming the parachutist with the least amount of jumps to successfully land at 12,500 feet after an aggressive mission-specific training program. After completing parachute operations at Syangboche, the team divided into two units. One unit became the advance team tasked with recon, prep work for the landing zones and testing the MTOS capabilities to the max. They raced up the mountain in advance of the jumpers, navigating both the steep Himalayan inclines and tough terrain with the speed required of special operations work. This team was primarily comprised of extremely accomplished and experienced former Marine Corps operators. They now work for Magpul where the company harnesses their expertise for Magpul CORE, a training division for military personnel and civilians that hones skills in areas such as firearms manipulation, fieldcraft and hunting. DARPA DEVELOPS DIGITAL COPILOT FOR MILITARY AIRCRAFT The second team focused on the jumping. The advance team climbed and trekked to Ama Dablam where the second team joined them by helicopter for a series of jumps landing at approximately 15,000 feet about 6,000 feet higher than the highest established drop zone in the United States. Second World Record U.S. Marine Corps Captain Cody Caroll now serves in the reserves and achieved the teams first world record. At Ama Dablam, he accomplished the highest combat equipment parachute landing ever achieved by a U.S. Marine. He carried an oxygen system plus a 70-pound rucksack. And even more remarkably, Carroll only had about 150 jumps under his belt he achieved the Marine Corps record. Next, the teams zeroed in on Gorak Shep Lake Bed. They climbed to Gorak Shep at 16,942 feet and then onto Kala Phatter at 17,500 feet. Tandem World Records It was at Gorak Shep, Marty Rhett and Hunter Williams set the teams first tandem record. Using the CPS TP460 parachute and carrying oxygen systems plus two rucksacks, Rhett and Williams accomplished the highest tandem combat equipment parachute landing in history at a remarkable 16,850 feet elevation. A NEW COMBAT VEHICLE THAT SWIMS FOR THE MARINE CORPS To put this in context, they landed about 2,500 feet higher than the tallest peak in the continental United States. At Gorak Shep, civilian skydiving instructor Tom Noonan and British armed forces veteran Ted Atkins also set the highest tandem parachute landing world record jumping with the CPS Special Operation Vector 3 Tandem Sigma. You can meet the team and immerse yourself in the adventure at Tactical Talk available on iTunes. Host Allison Barrie brings listeners with her on the expedition from kick off in Kathmandu through to the Himalayan mountains, flying around in the helo, hanging out at the base camps and breaking world records with the extreme jumps. In September, American Airlines rolled out the new uniforms for over 70,000 workers including flight attendants, pilots and gate agents. The uniform makeover was the airline's first in 30 years. Despite the chic look of the new apparel, just weeks after the rollout, employees began complaining of severe itching, rashes, headaches and hives after sporting the new clothing items, reports USA Today. The airline launched an internal investigation and initially said that the reported incidents were unrelated and any adverse reactions were likely due to wool allergies. AMERICAN AIRLINES APOLOGIZES AFTER FAMILY WITH SERVICE DOG KICKED OFF FLIGHT They have the option to have a 100 percent cotton uniform or polyester, Fernand Fernandez, Americans vice president of global marketing, said in September. At the time, he said the company had only received 15 complaints about the new clothing. They look exactly the same, just different materials. But now thousands of workers have come forward with new complaints. On Wednesday, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), which represents over 25,000 flight attendants, released a statement to members saying that it has received over 1,600 flight attendant reports of suspected uniform reactions that include headaches, rashes, hives, burning skin and eye irritation, itching, and respiratory problems to name a few. The growing number of reports of suspected reactions, triggered by both direct and indirect contact with the uniform, has prompted APFA to ask that all uniforms be recalled until further joint testing with the company can be completed, the union said. American Airlines spokesman Ron DeFeo told The Dallas Morning News that the carrier has already done three rounds of testing and is taking the matter very seriously. We obviously want to make sure every employee feels good in their uniform, he said. FLIGHT ATTENDANTS REVEAL THEIR BIGGEST SECRETS After the initial tests on the uniforms, DeFeo said the airline found the uniform materials to be in line with normal standards. According to a memo American sent to employees, the carrier plans to conduct another round of testing in conjunction with the union. Inspectors will also visit the warehouse where the uniforms are manufactured next week. But the APFA says it wont be satisfied until all of the uniforms are recalled. To that end, APFA will continue to explore all legal options and consult with additional experts in the field to better understand the results of our ongoing independent testing as well as joint testing moving forward. A New York City-bound flight returned to Honolulu after a passenger who had been drinking allegedly threatened to kill his girlfriend, her children, passengers and crewmembers, the FBI said. According to an FBI affidavit, James August allegedly slapped a female flight attendant's shoulder and threatened his girlfriend. The captain of Tuesday's Hawaiian Airlines Flight No. 50 decided to turn the plane around for the safety of occupants, the court document said. Trouble started before the flight took off from Honolulu International Airport when a crying 11-year-old boy told a flight attendant "can you please just keep him away from us?" the document said. August's girlfriend and her three children refused to return to their seats in the same row as him. A passenger told the FBI August had been drinking before the flight. The affidavit says he tried to order more alcohol and drank some alcohol he personally brought onto the plane. During the meal service, the girlfriend's 16-year-old son told a flight attendant August called her a derogatory word, insulted the children, and made life-threatening comments. When the flight attendant asked August to go with her to another part of the plane, he slapped her shoulder with the back of his hand, the document said. Flight attendants reported that he yelled, swore and threatened to punch his girlfriend in the face. Male passengers helped restrain August, the document said. The plane left Honolulu at about 4:30 p.m. and returned at about 9:30 p.m., said Hawaiian Airlines spokeswoman Ann Botticelli. A federal judge on Wednesday allowed August to be released to a Honolulu halfway house with certain conditions, including not contacting the girlfriend or her children, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Brady said. It appears August, the girlfriend and children were visiting Hawaii, Brady said. August's federal public defender didn't immediately return messages seeking comment Thursday. For the last two years, Dallas Deputy Mayor ProTem Erik Wilson has tried in vain to convince a grocery store to set up shop in his district an area of the Texas city that hasnt had a supermarket since the 1980s. After pleading with store owners to bring a full-size grocery store to what has been described as the southern Dallas food desert, Wilson and other city officials decided to sweeten the deal by promising $3 million to any store willing to sell healthy foods and fresh produce in the district. But even with cash on the table, there were no takers. We could not get anyone to take advantage of it, Wilson told FoxNews.com. Hopefully one day well find that elusive unicorn. H-E-B, the San Antonio-based company that recently announced it will open two Central Market stores in the northern part of Dallas, declined FoxNews.coms request for comment. Wilsons district, however, is not alone in lacking access to a proper grocery store. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) statistics, around 23.5 million people across the country live in food deserts described by the USDA as parts of the country vapid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods and nearly half of those people live in low-income households. Its quite tough to get grocery stores to move into these areas, Jessie Handbury, an assistant professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, told FoxNews.com. The grocery business is notorious for its low profit margins of only one to two percent, where produce that doesnt sell literally rots on the shelf, and for the cutthroat competition from big box stores like Walmart and Target encroaching on the market that keep supermarkets from expanding to all but the safest locales. Reticence from grocers, however, only explains part of the reason why food deserts exists. Experts say that both the cost of food and the shopping habits of customers in low-income areas make it economically unviable for stores stocking items like fresh produce and meats to open up shop. A study published last year by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that only a tenth of the variation in food people bought could be explained by their proximity to a grocery store and instead peoples incomes, and even education levels, were better indicators. Low income families buy food with the idea that they want to keep their families from being hungry, Anne Palmer, a food researcher at Johns Hopkins Universitys Center for a Livable Future, told FoxNews.com. Palmer added that people in neighborhoods without access to nearby grocery stores arent used to buying fresh produce and thus are unlikely to buy it if a supermarket opens up because it constitutes a risk. Food that your family doesnt eat is wasted money, she added. If we want people to eat healthier, we need to subsidize healthy foods for low-income shoppers, Palmer said. One example of this tactic is in Chester, Pa., a city of around 34,000 people about 20 miles south of Philadelphia that until October 2013 had not had a grocery store for 12 years. A little over three years ago, Philabundance a local food bank raised $7 million in startup funds and opened the non-profit grocery store Fare & Square in Chester. Instead of immediately becoming a local favorite, however, the store's stock of fresh food wasnt winning over customers accustomed to the processed food sold at nearby convenience stores and fast food restaurants. These eating habits were formed a longtime ago, Handbury said. If you grew up around someone who didnt cook - or didnt have the time, space or money to cook - than you would lack the taste for certain foods. The store quickly began to rejigger what it carried adding Caribbean and Latin American foods that customers asked for and stocking up on snacks and sodas as well as fruits and vegetables. More importantly, experts say, the store also began offering cashback incentives and lower prices on healthy and fresh foods. While the store is not yet operating in the black - it is still subsidized by Philabundance and as of this summer needs to take in 20 percent more to break even the stores creators say that once the balance of foods was figured out, sales began to grow. Once weve got that figured out, weve got to let more people know about the store, Martin Meloche, a retired food marketing professor who developed Fare & Squares business model, told Next City. Its doing well. Wed like to see it doing better. Fare & Shares model may be promising, but with its profit losses its unlikely to be picked up as a platform for big chain grocers looking to move into the so-called food deserts and would need a friendly benefactor like Philabundance to keep it afloat. They need a sufficient demand to cover their operating costs, Handbury said. The inventory cost of keeping food on the shelves alone is very high. In southern Dallas which includes Wilsons 57-mile-long District 8 there have been a handful of grocery stores that have opened in recent years, including some Walmarts, a few Aldis and El Ranchos and a Save-A-Lot that cost the city $2.8 million. But the area still remains vastly underserved, Wilson said, and it doesnt appear like the area will see a new supermarket anytime soon. So unless a nonprofit steps up to the plate in southern Dallas, Wilson and the citys $3 million will have to wait for that elusive unicorn. The moneys still there if someone wants to help partner with us and help us end the food desert in southern Dallas he said. A man who crashed his pickup into a group of German motorcyclists heading to Yellowstone National Park, killing three, has pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of vehicular homicide. The Cody Enterprise reports (https://goo.gl/iexhNh ) Manuel Defuentes, of Ontario, Oregon, entered his pleas Wednesday for the June 9 crash that killed 53-year-old Tino Cachey, 52-year-old Ute Cachey and 37-year-old Erik Brecht. Four other motorcyclists were injured. The group was headed to Yellowstone from Cody when Defuentes' truck crossed the center line at a curve. Prosecutor Bryan Skoric says an investigation did not reveal any drug or alcohol use or mechanical issues with the truck, saying "there's no explanation whatsoever." Defuentes apologized in court and said he thinks about the victims when he closes his eyes to sleep. Prosecutors are calling for a year served consecutively for each count. ___ Information from: The Cody Enterprise, http://www.codyenterprise.com A Texas teenager bullied over her weight committed suicide Tuesday at her home in front of her horrified family, who tried to talk the distraught girl out of pulling the trigger, Click2Houston.com reported. Brandy Vela, 18, was reportedly in a bedroom of her Texas City house with her parents and grandparents. Her sister said she heard commotion at around 1:30 p.m. and saw Vela pointing a gun at her chest. PICTURES: memorial grows for 18 y/o Brandy Vela, hear from her family about devistating loss of the Texas City HS senior tonight on @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/N8TuU8fqXu KPRCJonathan (@KPRCJonathan) December 1, 2016 I heard someone crying so I ran upstairs and I looked in her room and shes against the wall and she has a gun pointed at her chest and shes just crying and crying and Im like, Brandy, please dont. Brandy no, Jacqueline, the 22-year-old sister, said. Vela died after being rushed to Clear Lake Regional Medical Center. Her family said bullying was constant reality for Vela. Most occurred online, where harassers would set up fake dating accounts. Vela recently told her school that she was the recipient of harassing messages. The school reportedly investigated, but the app used was untraceable. We encouraged her to change her number, a spokeswoman from the Texas City Independent School District, said in a statement obtained by Click2Houston.com. The spokeswoman said we are devastated at the news. An Alabama inmate who was convicted in the slaying of a store clerk during a robbery is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to stay his upcoming execution to consider whether a judge should have been able to give him a death sentence when the jury recommended life imprisonment. Attorneys for Ronald Bert Smith on Friday filed the stay request. Smith, who has been on death row since Oct. 6, 1995, was convicted in the November 1994 slaying of Circle C convenience store clerk Casey Wilson. Smith is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection next Thursday. A jury recommended life imprisonment by a 7-5 vote, but a judge sentenced Smith to the death penalty. One of Smith's co-defendants, Jay Allen Zuercher, was sentenced to life in prison with parole possible in 10 years. The other, Chad Roundtree, accepted a reduced charge in exchange for his testimony. He pleaded guilty to felony murder and was sentenced to 20 years with parole possible in less than 10. Smith's attorneys said Alabama is the only state that continues to allow judicial override of a jury's recommendation. Justices this year struck down Florida's similar sentencing structure. However, the Alabama attorney general's office has argued there are key differences that make Alabama's process legal. The Associated Press contributed to this report. One of five people charged in a deadly house explosion that devastated an Indianapolis neighborhood has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit arson. Forty-five-year-old Gary Thompson was sentenced Friday to 30 years, with 10 years suspended, and two years of probation under a plea agreement. The November 2012 natural gas explosion leveled the home of co-conspirator Monserrate Shirley, killed a couple who lived next door and damaged or destroyed more than 80 homes. Shirley's boyfriend, plot leader Mark Leonard, and his half brother, Bob Leonard, have been convicted of murder arson and other charges and sentenced to two life sentences, plus at least 70 years. Shirley and a fifth defendant, Glenn Hults, also have pleaded guilty and await sentencing later this month. A Colorado landlord is facing criminal charges after he was caught on video using a tenants bedroom to have sex, police say. CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO Logan Pierce got the shock of his life at work the other day when he got an alert on his cellphone from one of the security cameras in his apartment at Skyway Condominiums, KKTV in Colorado Springs reported. THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION TURNS INTO HORROR WHEN INTRUDER INVADES HOME "I opened up the camera and kind of had to, like, quit the program and, like, restart it again because I didn't really believe what I saw," Pierce told the station. I guess the first thing that went through my mind was, like, complete and utter disbelief. He said the first thing he did was call his wife, who was also at work. FORT CARSON SOLDIERS ARRESTED IN COLORADO HOME INVASION CASE I said, Honey, I think we need to move, like immediately, he told the station. Next, he called police. Police identified the landlord as Carlos Quijada. A warrant was issued for his arrest on felony criminal trespassing and misdemeanor obscenity charges, KKTV reported. Obviously, landlords dont have the ability to go into tenant apartments and do whatever they want to do, Colorado Springs Police Lt. Howard Black told the station. Quijada told the station Wednesday he had no comment. The station reported that the entire video was too graphic to air. Pierce said his wife is especially upset because Quijada used her wedding dress to clean up after the sex romp. He said police seized the wedding dress for DNA evidence. Defense attorneys dismissed by Charleston church shooting defendant Dylann Roof say they want to get back on the case. The lawyers filed a motion Friday expressing concern that Roof may not present evidence that could sway a jury to spare his life. The lawyers said they did not know why Roof wanted to represent himself but added that other defendants in capital cases have fired their lawyers because to avoid having embarrassing evidence revealed. The motion calls Roof an "untrained layperson" and a "ninth-grade dropout." Roof faces a death penalty trial in federal court in connection with an attack at a Charleston church last year that left nine black churchgoers dead. Roof has asked the court for more time to prepare his case and delay testimony until Dec. 11. A Detroit man accused of amassing weapons and buying explosives has been hit with new charges, including an allegation that he intended to kill someone and destroy property. No other details about an alleged plot are in the new indictment, which was filed in federal court Thursday against Sebastian Gregerson. Gregerson has been locked up since August. He's also charged with possessing an unregistered destructive device and receiving explosive materials without a permit. A message seeking comment was left with defense attorney David Tholen, who has described Gregerson as a survivalist, but not a danger. FBI agents have said they found CDs with the name of cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki at Gregerson's home. Al-Awlaki's internet sermons called for a war against the United States. He was killed in Yemen in 2011. Hampshire College in Massachusetts raised the American flag back to full staff Friday after outraged veterans protested the school's decision to stop flying all flags across campus. The college in Amherst had lowered the U.S. flag to half-staff after Election Day. The flag was found burned on Veterans Day, and the school chose to stop flying it and any other flags a week later. "We understand that many who hold the flag as a powerful symbol of national ideals and their highest aspirations for the country -- including members of our own community -- felt hurt by our decisions, and that we deeply regret," the college's president, Jonathan Lash, stated Friday. He added, "We did not lower the flag to make a political statement. ... We acted solely to facilitate much-needed dialogue on our campus about how to dismantle the bigotry that is prevalent in our society." SNOOP DOGG SLAMS COLIN KAEPERNICK FOR CASTRO PRAISE The school's choice to stop flying the flag triggered widespread condemnation and a protest by veterans groups and their supporters outside campus. Last weekend, dozens of vets and other activists held American flags and chanted, "U.S.A.," in a rally that organizers called a "peaceful demonstration of freedom." Mayor Domenic Sarno of nearby Springfield and others at the rally said the school's decision disrespected veterans and current military members. In video that aired Wednesday on "The O'Reilly Factor," Fox News' Jesse Watters confronted Lash, who refused to comment on the controversy at that time. "Hampshire staff and faculty have led facilitated discussions, I have held multiple focus group sessions, and all of our students, faculty, and staff have been invited to contribute their opinions, questions, and perspectives about the U.S. flag. This is what free speech looks like," Lash said Friday. Fox News' Kendall Gastelu and The Associated Press contributed to this report. A federal judge on Friday considered a request to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the parents of Kate Steinle, a young woman shot and killed allegedly by an illegal immigrant on a San Francisco pier last year. The family sued the city and two federal agencies, accusing them of wrongdoing because of the suspects illegal status. The judge in Fridays hearing was expected to decide within days whether to dismiss the suit. BILL OREILLY: THE MURDER OF KATE STEINLE AND CONGRESS The familys counsel said the judge was obviously well briefed and seemed focused on the single issue of the BLM case which seemed to be about the conduct of a law enforcement officer and foreseeable circumstances. A Bureau of Land Management ranger reported that a gun was stolen from his car while it was parked in downtown San Francisco. Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez said he found the gun and it fired when he picked it up, striking Steinle, 32, in the back. He pleaded not guilty to a second-degree murder charge. FAMILY OF KATE STEINLE FILES LAWSUIT OVER DEADLY SHOOTING ON SAN FRANCISCO PIER Kate Steinle's parents accused the sheriff's department of failing to notify federal immigration officials that it was releasing Lopez-Sanchez from jail. They also sued Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the BLM. Calling the entire episode a "tragic series of events," the lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. Steinle's shooting death in July 2015 thrust San Francisco into the national debate over immigration. Lopez-Sanchez was transferred to the city jail to face a marijuana sales charge after he completed a nearly four-year federal prison sentence for illegal re-entry into the country in March. The district attorney dropped charges and the sheriff's department released Lopez-Sanchez, ignoring an ICE request to keep him behind bars. San Francisco's so-called "sanctuary policy," which was tweaked and re-affirmed earlier this year, bars city employees from cooperating with federal immigration officials in deportation efforts. The law dates to 1989. The sheriff at the time cited the law in defending the release of Lopez-Sanchez, a repeat drug offender and habitual border crosser. Advocates of sanctuary protections say a clear division between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities is needed to foster trust. Steinle's parents allege that the sheriff had an obligation to alert immigration officials that Lopez-Sanchez was being released, despite the city's sanctuary policy. The lawsuit also alleges that ICE knew Lopez-Sanchez was in the San Francisco jail and that agents should have taken him into their custody regardless of the sheriff's actions. Finally, the lawsuit alleges that the BLM agent was negligent for leaving a service handgun in a backpack in his government-issued car. A burglar broke a window and stole the backpack two weeks before Steinle was shot. Lopez-Sanchez remains jailed in the murder case. Matt Dorsey, a spokesman for the city attorney, said the city's "heart goes out to the Steinle family" but that the sheriff can't be "held liable for the conduct of a criminal." Fox News' Peter Shaplen and The Associated Press contributed to this report. The Latest on the one-year anniversary of the San Bernardino terror attack (all times local): 9:50 a.m. Dozens of cyclists have embarked on a 14-mile bike ride through the city of San Bernardino, marking one mile for each of the victims killed in last year's terror attack. The Friday morning ride was organized by a police sergeant who urged fellow members of law enforcement to remember how important it is to be fit in a crisis. It's one in a series of events marking the anniversary of last year's attack on county employees attending a holiday luncheon at the Inland Regional Center by husband-and-wife assailants. The attackers were later killed in a gunbattle. Investigators say the attackers were inspired by the Islamic State group. A moment of silence will be held shortly before 11 a.m. during a ceremony at the center. North Carolina lawmen have found in a 40-foot residential well the bodies of a mother and daughter missing since Sunday and believed to have been murdered. Local media report that the bodies of 40-year-old Dawn Ward and 14-year-old Taylor Carroll were found Thursday afternoon in Williamston in the eastern part of the state, about 10 miles from their home. WITN-TV in Greenville reported that the two were last seen at their Everetts home Sunday night around 10:30 p.m. They were reported missing a day later by Wards mother. She told investigators she knew something was wrong when she saw a broken window in her daughters mobile home, which is near hers. Lt. Drew Robinson told the station it took hours to recover the bodies from the well. Autopsies are planned. Taylor was an eighth-grader at Bear Grass Charter School. The school canceled classes on Friday. Bear Grass Principal Donna Moore told the station Taylor was an all-around good student and a cheerleader. Martin County Sheriff Dan Gibbs said Thursday that investigators had uncovered evidence indicating the mother and daughter were the victims of a homicide. He did not elaborate. The Associated Press contributed to this report. People complained to South Carolina's licensing agency about Todd Kohlhepp's threats, grim statements and obscene Facebook posts years before authorities found a woman chained on his property and charged him in seven killings, redacted documents show. The documents provided Friday to The Associated Press show an unidentified person wrote in 2009 "something MUST be done to stop this crazy man before something dreadful happens." The complaint said Kohlhepp identified himself on Facebook as a real estate agent while posting about sex, revenge and guns. Another 2009 complaint said Kohlhepp threatened to destroy someone. The licensing agency said in a statement those complaints weren't investigated because no alleged violations of real estate law were made. A third complaint in 2014 was investigated and dismissed. The Anderson Independent-Mail first reported the complaints. Police are applauding a mother and father who disarmed their 15-year-old son at a Utah junior high school, after they noticed him acting strangely in the morning and realized he had taken the family's shotgun and handgun. The parents arrived shortly after the boy entered a classroom in the northern Utah city of Bountiful and fired one round into the ceiling, injuring no one but leaving a hole the size of a small plate, Bountiful Police Chief Tom Ross said. The boy also pointed the shotgun at his own neck, Ross said. The boy didn't say a word as a teacher and one of 26 students tried to talk him out of firing again, giving his parents a few extra second to arrive at the classroom and take him into the hallway, Ross said. The chief applauded that the parents had recognized something was off and taking action, though he declined to provide specifics on what the parents noticed. Police said the boy had walked to Mueller Park Junior High with the shotgun and two boxes of ammo under a long trenchcoat-type jacket, concealing the weapons. He did not point the shotgun at any other students. Investigators believe the suspect took the weapons from his parents' gun safe, but they don't know yet how he got them out, Ross said. Police are also investigating his motive. The suspect, whose name is being withheld because he's a juvenile, has been booked on suspicion of two charges of theft of a firearm and two counts of taking a weapon into a school. Parents spent hours waiting for their children after the shooting as police searched the school to make sure it was safe then sent students in small groups to reunite with parents waiting at a nearby church. Student Dan Fowers, 15, told The Associated Press that the teenager with the guns came into a classroom minutes after class began and fired one round from a shotgun into the ceiling before a woman grabbed the gun and told him to stop. Fowers said the woman threw the gun on the ground and pulled the boy back into a hallway. "It was really scary," Fowers said. "The look on his face, it kind of looked like he wanted to do some damage." He said students in the classroom dove under their desks, as they'd been taught during lockdown drills, with some screaming and crying. As the parents intervened, a teacher called 911 and a police officer who happened to be down the street arrived and took custody of the student soon after, police said. The school, about 11 miles north of Salt Lake City, remained on lockdown as more than 100 officers went room-by-room through the building to ensure it was safe. Candy Beckstead said she was at a dentist's office when her sister called to tell her that there was something going on at her son's school. She didn't hear from her 8th-grade son but rushed to the school. "I freaked out and went into panic mode," she said. "Screaming, crying." About 840 students in 7th, 8th and 9th grades attend the school, according to state data. Bountiful is a city with a predominantly Mormon population of about 44,000 people. The incident comes about two weeks after another Utah student stabbed five high school classmates and himself before he was cornered by school workers, according to police. A part-time math instructor at University of Nevada, Las Vegas raised a stir when he promised to alert immigration agents if he learns one of his students is undocumented, but now the professor said the post was made in jest. George Buchs initial warning this week came in the form of a Facebook posting, reports Nevada Public Radio. "And then I would have to turn you into ICE," Buchs comments read. "No safe spaces in my class." The report said that Buch posted his statement after dozens of colleges and universities across the country, including UNLV, declared themselves sanctuaries for students of illegal immigration status. Buch did not immediately respond to questions from the news station and the school said it would look into the remarks. But after an uproar erupted on campus, he issued a statement to the school's newspaper, saying he was sorry and, "It was intended to be a joke although clearly a poor one. I have never, nor will I ever, create a classroom of hate or intolerance. However, if you feel uncomfortable or threatened by being in this classroom after today you should contact the dean or math department chair, and appropriate accommodations will be made. These students and their success mean everything to me, and Im sorry that I put them in jeopardy." US TO FORGIVE HOW MUCH IN STUDENT DEBT IN COMING YEARS? President-elect Donald Trump made stopping illegal immigration, as well as the immediate deportation of millions, a cornerstone of his campaign, and now activists, students and even powerful funding organizations are arguing that institutions of learning should not co-operate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcemnt or other law enforcement agencies, instead providing "sanctuary" for those in the country illegally. In Nevada, an education philanthropist is urging Las Vegas-area schools and college campuses to claim themselves sanctuaries for undocumented students, staff and family members who might face deportation. Beverly Rogers, the chairwoman of The Rogers Foundation, said Wednesday that Trump's pledges to deport immigrants would ruin students' futures and violate their basic right not to live in fear. Trump promised during his campaign to create a "deportation force" and to end temporary protective status, granted by President Barack Obama, for students in the U.S. illegally. The Associated Press contributed to this report Nearly 24 hours after Tacoma, Wash., Police Officer Reginald Jake Gutierrez was gunned down, the neighborhood where it all happened was still swarming Thursday with detectives trying to piece together exactly what happened. Tacoma Police identified the suspect in the case, Bruce Johnson II, of Tacoma, who was killed after a standoff Thursday. Johnson had a criminal history; court documents detail a violent encounter in May of 2015 when he was cited for assault and unlawful display of a weapon. STANDOFFS WITH SUSPECTS PLAYING A ROLE IN 2016 OFFICER MURDERS It happened at a medical marijuana shop on South Union Avenue. Court documents said when Johnson didnt provide a prescription to buy marijuana police said he argued with employees, showed off a loaded gun and then punched one of them in the face. The court fined Johnson $150, ordered him into an anger management class and told him to destroy his gun. Im completely surprised, said Johnsons familys pastor Gregory Christopher. Click for more from Q13 Fox. Sherri Papini, a wife and mother of two in Redding, California, was allegedly abducted on Nov. 2 and held for 22 days by two Hispanic women. The wife and mom, 34, was released on Thanksgiving Day on the side of a Yolo County road, about 150 miles from her home. She was reportedly emaciated at just 87 pounds, and suffering from cuts, bruises, even a "branding." On top of that, the abductors had cut off her long blonde hair. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA KIDNAP CASE FULL OF MYSTERY How does a victim and her family begin to heal after such a horrific event? Although Papini's family didn't directly experience the ordeal, her kidnapping affects them, too. "It is important to realize that families and friends of hostages are confronted with numerous issues in coping with fears and uncertainties as well and may also need support in dealing with their own emotional reactions," notes the American Psychological Association (APA) on its website, about the aftermath of an abduction. "Family and friends can support survivors by listening, being patient and focusing on their freedom instead of engaging in negative talk about the captors." CALIFORNIA MOM FOUND ALONG HIGHWAY HAD MESSAGE BURNED ONTO SKIN, SHERIFF SAYS The Papini family seems to be doing just that. Papini's sister, Sheila Koester, issued the following statement on behalf of Papini and her husband at a news conference, focusing on the blessing of her sister's return: "We are overwhelmed with joy of how supportive everyone has been to help bring us together as a family again ... Everyone's tireless efforts have made our family whole again this Thanksgiving. Thank you for allowing our family time to heal and for giving us our privacy." Kidnapping is an extremely traumatic event that stays with the victim for a lifetime. "Years ago, back when hazing at college was more prevalent, I was 'kidnapped' by five guys from my dorm -- they were brothers in a fraternity I was pledging," a 52-year-old Hollis, New Hampshire, man told LifeZette. "I was stuffed into the trunk of a car and then driven miles from our college town and dropped off," he continued. "To this day, I feel like I have echoes of PTSD from that 'prank' - I get very uncomfortable watching shows about kidnapping, for example. Even though it was 'all in fun,' it was one of the most horrifying feelings -- to be trapped in a car trunk, and hear them laughing." Even though they're dealing with their own personal, unique reactions to their loved one's abduction, the Papini family also has the important role of support system to their loved one. "Hostage survivors may feel lost or have difficulty managing intense reactions and may need help adjusting to their old life following release," advises the APA. "If there are chronic indications of stress, continued feelings of numbness, disturbed sleep, as well as other signs, the hostage survivor might want to consider seeking help from a licensed mental health professional, such as a psychologist, who can help develop an appropriate strategy for moving forward." In an exclusive interview with the ABC news program "20/20," husband Keith Papini talked about the personal toll his wife's capture took on him. "I thought about her being there screaming my name," he said. Receive medical attention.Be in a safe and secure environment.Connect with loved ones.Have an opportunity to talk or journal the experience.Receive resources for counseling.Protect privacy (e.g. avoid media overexposure).Take time to adjust back into family and work. He also said his wife's captors pushed her out of a vehicle with a chain around her waist and a bag over her head. "They left her on the side of a road, badly beaten and bruised, her hair shaved off and her body branded," he said. "She screamed so much, she's coughing up blood from the screaming, trying to get somebody to stop," he continued. "And again, just another sign of how my wife is, she's so wonderful. She's saying, 'Well, maybe people aren't stopping because I have a chain that looks like I broke out of prison' -- so she tried to tuck in her chain under her clothes." When he first saw his wife, he was stunned. "My first sight was my wife in a hospital bed. Her face [was] covered in bruises ranging from yellow to black because of her repeated beatings," he said. "The bridge of her nose [was] broken. She had been branded and I could feel the rise of her scabs under my fingers." Sherri Papini has reportedly been able to share some details about her abductors with authorities -- she related that they were two Hispanic women, armed with a gun. One had long curly hair, thin eyebrows and pierced ears, said Papini -- and the other woman, who was older, had straight black hair with some gray in it, and thick eyebrows. She told investigators both her captors spoke Spanish most of the time. Papini's children will no doubt be doing their own adjusting to their mom's return -- and her altered appearance. Their exact ages have not yet been revealed; they were in daycare at the time of her abduction. "Think of what it is like for young children to be in traumatic situations," notes the National Child Trauma Stress Network on its website. "They can feel totally helpless and passive. They can cry for help or desperately wish for someone to intervene. They can feel deeply threatened by separation from parents or caretakers ...They become really upset when they hear cries of distress from a parent or caretaker." With appropriate psychological care, supportive family and friends, and time together to adjust, this young family will most likely heal. "It is important to keep in mind that human beings are highly resilient and can persevere in spite of tragedy," says the AMA. "Research shows that positive growth and resilience can occur following trauma." The Obama administration is introducing a last-minute barrage of costly environmental regulation pronouncements that Republicans have vowed to repeal as soon as possible after Donald Trumps January 20 presidential inauguration. The recent outpouring adds to the administrations dubious record of producing more than 600 major regulations -- those estimated to cost more than $100 million each -- during its tenure, according to a study by the American Action Forum, a Washington-based think tank. Case in point: an announcement by the Environmental Protection Agency, one of the administrations most energetic rule-makers, on Wednesday that after lengthy study, it would push ahead with tougher greenhouse gas emission standards, equivalent to 54.1 miles per gallon fuel efficiency, for passenger cars and light trucks for the years 2022-2025. EPA says the standards will prevent emission of some 6 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases over the vehicles life span. Technically speaking, EPAs administrator has until April 18, 2017, to make a so-called final determination about the rules -- but is doing it sooner, the agency says, for reasons of long-term regulatory certainty and stability. Translation: EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy is certain to be out of the job by then, and the ruling will likely hit a brick wall in a much more climate-skeptical Trump administration. The public has until December 30 -- three weeks before Inauguration Day -- to comment on the move. Within hours, the EPA announcement was decried by Sen, Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, as another administrative avenue for President Obama to force his climate ideologies on American businesses and consumers, through a fuel economy program that is broken and rife with inequalities. Inhofe said he looked forward to working in the next Congress with the new administration to pare back all of the legacy-saving regulatory actions this administration will continue to advance as their January 20 deadline approaches. Inhofes legacy-saving jibe was apt enough: the fuel economy final determination makes explicit reference to the Paris climate agreement signed by the U.S. and more than 190 other countries, which also came into force this month -- and from which President-elect Trump vowed on the campaign trail to withdraw (Trump has since declared he is keeping an open mind about the document.) Moreover, the determination, while it makes no additional regulations post-2025, makes the case for further emissions reductions, averaging 4.3 percent annually, for the following quarter-century in order to meet the long-term goals of the Paris agreement. Cars and trucks are hardly the only products to get the eleventh-hour regulatory treatment from EPA and other agencies, in the waning months of the administration. In August, EPA and the Department of Transportation finalized additional follow-on standards through 2027 for emissions from medium- and heavy-duty trucks and other vehicles that the agencies said would save 1.1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases, even while they pushed up the price of big trucks by some $14,000 by some estimates. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx called the new rules a huge win for the American people. The estimated cost of the regulation, according to American Action Forum, is about $29.3 billion. The EPAs first-ever regulations covering methane emissions from the oil and gas industry were finalized in May, and significantly toughened from an earlier version. They are now the focus of a court battle led by the state of Texas, which called the tough emission standards a gross demonstration of federal over-reach. Meantime, the most expansive -- and expensive -- regulatory change of all, the administrations Clean Power Plan, which aims to reorganize much of the nations entire electrical generating system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has been stayed by the Supreme Court while an appeals court rules on its legality. But there is much more. In all, estimates run to nearly 100 new rules that could still emerge from administration agencies before power passes to the Trump administration; earlier this month, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy officially warned federal agencies not to finalize any more rules and regulations before inauguration. As the latest passenger car and truck determination shows, the message hasnt exactly gotten through. Republicans have further threatened to use the Congressional Review Act starting in January to repeal any regulation the Obama administration finalized after May 30, but that too could prove to be more work than they realize -- with the administrations final rule-making binge as the ultimate tsunami. The biggest single force behind the latest upwelling of gas rules is the goals that the Obama administration set to cut U.S. greenhouse emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020, and 26 to 28 percent by 2030 -- long after the administration departs. In its second biennial report on progress toward those goals, presented earlier this month, at a follow-on to the United Nations-sponsored Paris climate agreement meeting in Marrakech, the Administration announced that factoring in all of our planned additional measures, including measures that have been proposed by not yet finalized, the U.S. was on track to hit the 17 percent figure. The additional measures also have the potential to drive our emissions down to 22-27 percent below 2005 levels by 2025 -- tantalizingly close to the draconian stretch goal. Among the areas where the additional gains could come: changes in U.S. land-use and forestry; new standards for equipment and appliance efficiency, tougher building standards for energy efficiency, and even greater adoption of biofuels. CLICK HERE FOR THE SECOND BIENNIAL REPORT The administration also has been seeking to lock in its efforts internationally, through new multilateral agreements and integrated greenhouse reduction plans with neighboring Canada and Mexico. As part of a 20-nation effort called Mission Innovation, the administration announced, among other things, that it hoped to double U.S. spending on clean-energy research and development to some $12.8 billion by 2021 -- even though the Obama team will be long gone. A billionaires club of tycoons, including Bill Gates and George Soros, also have been enlisted in the effort, to mobilize billions more in private-sector financing for the clean-energy effort. A shower of additional clean transportation and infrastructure projects were further included in the Obama administrations proposed 2017 budget, ranging from the start of a $7 billion annual spend on advanced rail technology to $750 million more toward a promised $3 billion for the U.N.-sponsored Green Climate Fund, which Congress has already opposed without success. An administration spokesperson underlined to Fox News that clean energy R and D has enjoyed bipartisan support during a number of administrations and across sectors. The official pointed to a Senate Appropriations Committee endorsement last April of more than $37 billion in energy and water development funding. The Obama budget is now a dead letter, in the process of being replaced by short-term financing for the federal government through the early months of next year. Republican legislators have vowed that the short-term fix will itself be a clean project -- that is, not festooned with special interest deals and boondoggles, or any of the huge laundry list of projects contained in the still-born budget. They could even succeed. But the real challenge may come in the mountain of infrastructure spending that President-elect Trump and the opposition Democrats seem to agree is needed to jump-start American economic growth in 2017 and the years ahead. A mammoth wave of spending, after all, is how the Obama administration launched itself in the first place on its path to a legacy that the victorious Republicans now say they deplore. The administration spokesperson put it this way: While we cant speak to what the future administration may or may not do, investing in clean energy R & D to increase U.S. competitiveness, strengthen infrastructure and enhance national security remains an important priority for the Obama administration. George Russell is Editor-at-Large of Fox News. He is reachable on Twitter at @GeorgeRussell and on Facebook at Facebook.com/George.Russell next Image 1 of 3 prev next Image 2 of 3 prev Image 3 of 3 Tens of thousands of conservative Muslims rallied in the Indonesian capital on Friday in the second major protest in a month against its minority Christian governor. Police say 22,000 officers and 5,000 soldiers can be called on to ensure the demonstration stays orderly. Organizers had agreed to concentrate the protest around the vaulting national monument in central Jakarta to reduce disruptions but the area quickly overflowed. A protest Nov. 4 against Gov. Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, who is being prosecuted for blasphemy, attracted about 100,000 people. After nightfall, it turned violent, with one death and dozens injured. Police want Friday's protest to disperse in the early afternoon following Friday's prayers. The crowds massed in the area of the national monument formed a sea of white that spilled into surrounding streets while gridlocked motorists sat on the sidewalks. The numbers of people attending would at least match the Nov. 4 protest. Some held huge banners calling Ahok a blasphemer who should be jailed but most chanted and prayed. Roads leading into the city were also clogged as white-robed protesters walked to the city center from corners of the sprawling metropolis. Separately, national police spokesman Maj. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said police detained eight people suspected of a plot to undermine the government, but he refused to reveal their names. "They are still being questioned by the Jakarta police," he said. "Police will announce it officially later." Ahok is an ally of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, and the accusation of blasphemy has animated their political opponents, including hard-liners who have used the issue to seize a national stage for their extreme agenda, which includes Shariah law. Ahok's blasphemy case took a step forward Wednesday when the Office of the State Prosecutor announced that the police dossier on the case had met the requirements for it to go to trial. The offense is punishable by up to five years in prison. Police say Ahok can't leave the country during the case. However, hard-line Muslim groups continue to demand he be arrested. Ahok, the first ethnic Chinese to be Jakarta governor and the first Christian in half a century, is campaigning for a second term in elections due in February. ___ Follow Stephen Wright and Niniek Karmini: twitter.com/stephenwrightAP twitter.com/Niniek_AP This year is set to become the deadliest on record for migrants and refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea. The number of people who perished traversing the sea in hopes of a better life in Europe has reached nearly 4,300 for 2016. The rising death toll comes despite a decrease in the number of people crossing the Mediterranean, but most of this years deaths have occurred on one specific routefrom Libya to Italy. The rise in deaths may be due to increasingly ruthless smugglers capitalizing on the ongoing refugee crisis, according to officials at the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS.) [Our] research and analysis suggests that this change in approach might be both an attempt to maximize opportunity and meet demand on the part of the smugglers, reads a statement from MOAS officials. The smuggling networks appear to be industrializing, with increased competition representing a new challenge for them in procuring enough rubber boats, engines, and fuel containers to meet the demand. DEDICATED CREWS PLUCK DESPERATE REFUGEES FROM DANGEROUS WATERS The rescue organization charges that smugglers are cutting corners by packing unprecedented numbers of migrants and refugees, often in the hundreds, onto unseaworthy rubber boats and dinghies. The combination of heavier loads and inferior quality is a recipe for disaster, MOAS Head of Operations Ian Ruggier said in the statement. Rescue assets have had to deal with increased challenges. There is no doubt that the vessels are built to last a few miles to see people beyond Libyan territorial waters. MOAS officials say that its almost certain that the true death toll is much higher than the grim, official figure. FoxNews.com first reported on the peril faced by refugees crossing the Mediterranean in October in an interview with one relief worker, Jenelle Eli, volunteered on behalf of the Red Cross. I never understood how dangerous the journey from Libya to Europe by sea could be until I saw it with my own eyes, Eli, who also works with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said in a new interview with Foxnews.com regarding the latest numbers from MOAS. When we spotted flimsy rafts and boats with our searchlight in the pitch dark, my heart always skipped a beat," she said. "We could see through binoculars that rubber rafts were bowing under the weight of so many people. Hundreds of eyes looking back at us stunned and panicked, but hopeful theyd be rescued. Eli said deaths are caused by a host of reasons. [D]rowning isnt the only cause of death, she said. Others die from dehydration, hypothermia, hyperthermia, fuel burns, asphyxiation, crush injuries from overcrowding, or wounds from being beaten by smugglers or captors in Libya. Slovakia's Muslim community has condemned a new bill tightening conditions for the official registration of churches. Approved by Parliament on Wednesday, it increases the number of members needed for a religion to become official, and eligible for state subsidies, from 20,000 to 50,000. There are about 5,000 Muslims in Slovakia, and the community already considered the original number restrictive. The bill was drafted by the ultra-nationalist Slovak National Party, a member of the ruling coalition, which made no secret of targeting Muslims. The move is another sign of anti-Islam sentiment in the Roman Catholic stronghold after Prime Minister Robert Fico previously declared that Slovakia is not a suitable place for Muslims to live. In a statement sent to The Associated Press on Friday, the Islamic Foundation says the law, which needs presidential approval, is "a serious blow for religious freedom in Slovakia." next Image 1 of 3 prev next Image 2 of 3 prev Image 3 of 3 The head of Gambia's election commission says President Yahya Jammeh will accept defeat more than 22 years after he seized power in a coup. The announcement came Friday from Alieu Momarr Njai, who said the longtime leader would give a statement later in the day. Njai said it was "very unique" that Jammeh would accept defeat after controlling Gambia for so long. There was no immediate comment from Jammeh, who just days ago had said his victory was all but assured by Allah. Since coming to power in 1994, Jammeh has won a series of elections that were denounced by critics as rigged. Jammeh is accused by rights groups of ordering the deaths of his political opponents and his regime has also targeted journalists, and gays and lesbians. A German court has rejected calls to remove judges presiding over the trial of a former SS medic who served at the Auschwitz death camp. Neubrandenburg state court spokesman Christian Deutsch said Friday the complaints alleging bias, filed by prosecutors and attorneys representing Auschwitz victims and their families, had been rejected. He says the court found no grounds to question the impartiality of the judges. The trial of Hubert Zafke has been repeatedly postponed after judges ruled the 95-year-old was unfit. It finally started in September , but because of the gap between sessions, due to the bias complaints, it will have to be restarted. Zafke is charged with 3,681 counts of accessory to murder for allegedly helping the Nazi camp function. His attorney says he did nothing criminal. German authorities have arrested an Afghan man suspected of being a member of the Taliban. Federal prosecutors said Friday that 20-year-old Hekmat T. was arrested a day earlier on suspicion of membership in a terrorist organization. Prosecutors alleged the man joined the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2013 and repeatedly took part in fighting against Afghan police and security forces. The statement didn't say where the man was arrested or why he was in Germany. His full name wasn't provided due to German privacy laws. Thousands of Afghans have come to Germany in recent years seeking asylum due to the conflict in their home country. Dear Readers: Welcome to the second day of our new Ask the Doctors column. As an internist and primary care physician at UCLA Health, my approach to medicine is to understand that I dont have all the answers that I have to learn new topics and review old topics all the time. Sometimes, I can provide answers right away. But sometimes, I have to stop and reassess. Medicine has seen many breakthroughs since I graduated from medical school nearly 20 years ago, and evidence has changed many dogmatic ways of practice. Objective, non-biased data are important to the practice of medicine. Doctors must understand how that data can be applied to one person or to large groups of people. You met my colleagues Dr. Eve Glazier and Dr. Elizabeth Ko yesterday and learned about their approach to health and wellness. My column focuses on commonsense answers based upon scientific literature. As I increase my professional knowledge, I hope to provide people with thoughtful and deliberate interpretations of medical science that people can use to direct their own health. Dear Doctor: My job requires me to sit in front of a computer for at least eight hours a day. When I come home, I usually watch television for a few hours before going to bed. Is being so sedentary bad for me? Dear Reader: Unequivocally, yes. Many studies of many types have found increased death rates among people who sit for prolonged periods. The biggest problem is being sedentary in front of a television. The average American watches more than four hours of television per day. Some studies have found that for every additional two hours in front of the television, the risk of diabetes increases 14 to 20 percent. Heres why: Sitting for prolonged periods decreases insulin sensitivity, meaning your blood sugar rises. Add to that the types of sugary foods that are often eaten while watching television, and you have the creation of a serious health problem. If youre sedentary throughout the day, exercise can help ease the negative impact, but not completely make up for it. So for starters, watch less television or, if you do watch television, put an exercise bike in front of the screen. Second, if you have a job in which you sit for long periods, take three-minute breaks every 30 minutes to stretch and walk around a little. Every little bit of activity helps. next Image 1 of 3 prev next Image 2 of 3 prev Image 3 of 3 The Japanese foreign minister has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg and given him a personal message from the Japanese prime minister ahead of Putin's visit to Tokyo later this month. A disagreement over the southern Kuril islands which Japan calls the Northern Territories has kept the two countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their World War II hostilities. The Japanese prime minister's two visits to Russia this year have led many to believe that both sides are moving toward a breakthrough. Putin said in televised comments Friday that Russia is working on the Japanese prime minister's proposals to expand ties between the two countries but made no mention of the Kuril islands. Japan's foreign minister wouldn't disclose the contents of the message. next Image 1 of 3 prev next Image 2 of 3 prev Image 3 of 3 Lithuania's president on Friday urged Donald Trump to uphold the United States' security commitment to Europe amid questions about the U.S. president-elect's intentions toward his NATO allies. Watching over major NATO war games at Pabrade, near her small Baltic country's border with Belarus, President Dalia Grybauskaite said that as "the guarantor of peace after the Second World War in Europe," the United States long has shared responsibility for the continent's safety. "We expect that this mission, and this understanding, will stay," Grybauskaite said. Trump suggested during election campaigning that only NATO allies paying their fair share deserve protection from the United States. His rhetoric rattled Lithuania, its Baltic neighbors Latvia and Estonia, and Poland, which all count on NATO's collective security to deter an unpredictable Russia. Grybauskaite said Lithuania would meet NATO's target of devoting at least 2.0 percent of its gross domestic product to military spending by 2018. Estonia says it already is spending that amount, but only a handful of other European allies contribute that much. The 2.0 percent target is not new, but Trump's contradictory statements, limited international outreach since his election last month, and his relatively benevolent view of Russian President Vladimir Putin have fueled concerns he might turn his back on Europe. NATO only has once triggered its collective defense clause Article 5 of the founding Washington treaty, which states that an attack on one ally is regarded as an attack on all. The action came in the wake of the September 11 attacks on the United States. The show of solidarity at that time saw many of the same allies participating in Friday's training exercise send troops to Afghanistan after a U.S.-led coalition ousted the Taliban for harboring Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. Washington's ambassador to Lithuania, Anne Hall, said allies like Lithuania should have nothing to fear. "The US commitment to NATO's Article 5 is iron-clad, and this exercise is a good demonstration of that," Hall told The Associated Press. Some 4,000 troops from 11 nations, including about 250 U.S. soldiers, are participating in the war games in Lithuania, dubbed Iron Sword. Lithuanian reservists and volunteers also took part in the multinational operation for the first time. The exercises are aimed at improving interoperability between national armies and honing tactics. They also are meant to be show of force to Putin, whose forces have invaded Georgia and illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in recent years. Conducted in snowy sub-zero temperatures, the exercises involved urban combat and "non-kinetic" psychological operations to persuade civilians to leave a conflict area or surrender. As Lithuania tries to prepare for any security eventuality, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Kloepper, from the 173rd Infantry Brigade, told AP that "there's an obvious sense of purpose within the Baltic States." More U.S. troops will deploy to the region from the German port of Bremerhaven starting next month as part of a longer-term, rotating NATO force meant to deter possible Russian aggression. Germany will lead one of the four multinational battalions to be stationed in the Baltics and Poland. Brigadier General Michael Podzus of the German 10th Armored Division said the lessons learned during Iron Sword would be put to good use then. Preparations for that deployment also will be on the agenda when NATO foreign ministers meet in Brussels on December 6-7 for what is set to be Secretary of State John Kerry's last formal meeting at the alliance. The Russian Embassy in Nigeria says pirates have kidnapped the Russian captain and two crewmen off a ship in West Africa's Gulf of Guinea. Spokesman Artyom Romanov says the pirates hijacked the Greek-flagged Saronic Breeze off the coast of Benin on Tuesday and sailed the vessel to Nigeria before abandoning it in waters near Nigeria's southeastern oil capital of Port Harcourt. He says the pirates have taken three Russian hostages the captain, second engineer and a cook. Romanov says Russian diplomats are working to secure their release. Ship hijackings and kidnappings of crew are common in the region with hostages often released unharmed after a ransom is paid. Bandits usually target oil tankers and sell the crude but the Saronic Breeze is listed as a refrigerated reefer. Turkey's state-run news agency says a prosecutor has asked that a case against Israeli military officials accused over the deaths of 10 Turkish activists be dropped, citing a reconciliation pact between Turkey and Israel. Under a deal reached this year, Israel agreed to pay $20 million in compensation to the victims of a 2010 Israeli naval raid on a Turkish aid ship trying to reach Gaza. In return, Israeli nationals would not be held criminally or financially liable for the incident. The Israeli military officials, including the former military chief, were on trial in absentia in Istanbul, held responsible for the deaths of nine activists. A tenth victim died in a hospital in 2014. Anadolu Agency said the prosecutor requested during a hearing on Friday that the case be dropped. next Image 1 of 3 prev next Image 2 of 3 prev Image 3 of 3 British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is using his first major policy address to underscore his country's commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Johnson is set to address the Royal Institute of International Affairs on Friday and say that the West must remain tough with Russia but that it must be prepared to talk. He will also say that the world is "struggling against non-state actors who view the whole concept of a global liberal order with contempt," and the intensity of the challenge means we need to "to defend and preserve the best of the rules-based international order." Johnson concedes that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has a point about members making a greater contribution to the cost of their defense, but insists Britain's attachment to the alliance is unbreakable. ends next Image 1 of 3 prev next Image 2 of 3 prev Image 3 of 3 Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko has urged the European Union to extend sanctions against Russia, which he says continues its armed aggression in eastern Ukraine against international agreements. Poroshenko was in Poland on Friday for talks and signing deals on strengthening cooperation in the defense and energy sectors. The visit marked 25 years since Poland became the first nation in the world to recognize an independent Ukraine, which had been a former Soviet republic. Poroshenko said the EU should decide in January to extend its economic and political sanctions against Russia, which keeps violating the 2014 peace deal to halt hostilities. On Thursday, European Council President Donald Tusk told the Polish TVN24 station he believes the sanctions against Russia will be extended for another six months. United Nations Secretary Ban Ki-moon has endedsort of-- six years of UN stonewalling over Haitis mammoth cholera epidemic with a weak apology that the world organization simply did not do enough about the epidemic, without mentioning that UN peacekeepers brought the deadly disease to the hemispheres poorest country in the first place. Bans statement Thursday to the UN General Assembly declared that we are profoundly sorry for our role, without going into the specifics of what that role actually was. It was nonetheless touted by other UN officials as an important day for the UN, that also is supposed to mark the start of a new approach to the cholera catastrophe that would include material assistance and support for those Haitians most directly affected by choleraas soon as U.N. member states come up with the money for it. Just what form that support might takeBan also carefully avoided calling it compensationis far from clear. The UN is calling for member states to pony up some $200 million over the next two years for that part of its new approach, which is largely intended, at least so far, to be aimed at communities rather than individuals harmed by the health disaster. Cholera has been crushing in so many ways, and it is promising that victims will now have an opportunity to weigh in on how this assistance can best be provided. Beatrice Lindstrom In his remarks, Ban acknowledged that some have urged that the package also include an individual component, such as the payment of money to the families of those who died of cholera. But that posed problems over identification of the deceased individuals and their family members, not to mention the certainty of sufficient funding to provide meaningful compensation. Ban fell back on a familiar UN mantra on that topic: additional evaluation is needed. The UN also wants another $200 million over two years for cholera eradication and improved sanitation and water supplies for Haiti, though that effort is likely to extend for ten to 15 years overall. Bans statement was described to Fox News as a classic fudge by a legal expert and UN special rapporteur on human rights, Philip Alston, who last month sharply castigated the UN in a formal report for failing to accept legal responsibility for the deadly outbreak, which has sickened some 753,000 people and killed at least 9,300, including at least 330 this year. In his report, Alston noted that UN legal authorities have argued internallywithout ever producing a public legal opinion-- against any direct admission of responsibility and any compensation for harm done, as a potential breach in the UNs legal immunities. Alston called that morally unconscionable, legally indefensible and politically self-defeating, and argued that compensation could be provided without undermining UN immunities. In a statement after Bans General Assembly remarks, he underlined that the Secretary Generals position continues to entrench a scandalous legal maneuver designed to sidestep the U.N.s legal obligations, and makes fund-raising for the new effort a charitable operation, rather than one that is required, raising the possibility that it would remain underfunded. Bans statement, however, was welcomed as a meaningful symbol of atonement by Isobel Coleman, the U.S. ambassador for management and reform who was in the General Assembly when the Secretary General spoke. Coleman pointed out that the U.S. has already contributed more than $100 million for cholera treatment and prevention in Haiti, and pointedly added that not a single one of the cases should have occurred. The statement was also welcomed by the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, a U.S. advocacy group, and its sister organization in Haiti, which have carried on the legal battle to get compensation for Haitian cholera victims. Even though compensation is still not at hand, they called the U.N.s new approach a crucial step toward justice for the Haitian people. Bans statement, they noted, was carried on national television in Haiti, and greeted with applause in their own offices. But compensation, the groups noted, was still required. Our clients have lost breadwinners and gone into debt to pay for funeral costs, Beatrice Lindstrom, an IJDH attorney, said in a statement. Cholera has been crushing in so many ways, and it is promising that victims will now have an opportunity to weigh in on how this assistance can best be provided. For her part, Coleman said that the U.S. was looking for greater clarity on the new UN approach so that member states can take sound financial decisions that will result in tangible benefits for the people of Haiti and the credibility of the United Nations. Greater clarity still seems some distance away, as Ban told the General Assembly that the UNs lack of effort on cholera was a blemish on the reputation of UN peacekeeping and the organization world-wide. In fact, the cholera blemish hardly ended there, but deepened as a result of the UNs long stonewalling and other aspects of its behavior. A fast-growing wave of medical opinion quickly pointed to the cause of the initial cholera eruption in October 2010soon to become the worst in the worldas bad camp hygiene of UN peacekeepers from Nepal who had been exposed to the disease at home, coupled with a contractors dumping of a full truckload of infected human waste from the camp into Haitis vitally important Artibonite River. But even while Ban apologized, the UN continued to reference a 2011 study by a hand-picked group of experts, some of whom have subsequently changed their opinion, that pointed to the Nepalese as the cholera source but said the outbreak was not the fault of, or deliberate action of, a group or individuals. Ban himself eventually invoked U.N. immunities in 2013 as Haitians began to band together to sue the international organization for compensation. The U.S. backed the U.N.s immunity claim, which was upheld in a U.S. federal appeals court in August 2016. UN officials at a press conference before Bans apology said that judicial affirmation of UN immunities played an important role in the timing of their new approach, a view that legal expert Alstons report essentially refutes. But meantime, the UN was apparently doing little or nothing to fundamentally change the bad hygiene practices in its peacekeeping campsin Haiti or elsewhere around the world. A long-suppressed UN audit of Haiti peacekeepers, reported on by Fox News last August, found that in 2014 and 2015, at the very least, they were still dumping sewage wastewater into Haitian public canals, ignoring laboratory warnings of fecal contamination of wastewater, and failing to maintain water treatment plants, among many other things. Additional audit reports found similar unhygienic practices among peacekeepers in a half-dozen other conflict zones around the world. In a document outlining its new approach, the UN refers to those audits in a single sentence that says only that they highlighted challenges in several areas, before saying that 39 critical and important recommendations to clean up those messes had been implemented on the ground by October 2016. Two days before Ban spoke at the General Assembly, the UNs peacekeeping field support service also announced a new, six-year strategy to improve environmental management, including the waste and wastewater conditions. Whatever it accomplishes in humanitarian terms, Bans apology had some bureaucratic impactespecially for his designated successor, Antonio Guterres, who takes over in January. By making his muted admission, Ban spares Guterres from having to deal with the same degree of festering erosion of U.N. credibility, at least on this issue, which he would otherwise inherit. On the other hand, Guterres still inherits responsibility for the actual clean-up of the cholera calamity, including the still-unresolved funding and implementation issues left by the departing Secretary Generals very murky new approach, plus the black hole of U.N. legal responsibility for any disasterspast, present and futurethat the world organization creates. George Russell is editor-at-large of Fox News and can be found on Twitter: @GeorgeRussell or on Facebook.com/George Russell The top commander of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan denounced Russia and Iran during a Pentagon briefing Friday, charging the two nations were legitimizing the Taliban inside Afghanistan. TWO US SERVICE MEMBERS KILLED FIGHTING TALIBAN IN AFGHANISTAN Russia has overtly lent legitimacy to the Taliban, Gen. John W. Nicholson told reporters. This public legitimacy that Russia lends to the Taliban is not based on fact, but it is used as a way to essentially undermine the Afghan government and the NATO effort so its not helpful. Shifting to Iran, you have a similar situation. There have been linkages between the Iranians and the Taliban, said Nicholson. US EMBASSY IN AFGHANISTAN CLOSES AFTER ATTACKS Referring to Russia, the general explained, There is a competition with NATO. He added, We would like to see a change in their behavior. Nicholson also said Pakistan, a longtime U.S. ally, was lending support to the Taliban, which has launched a string of deadly attacks in the past week. He also said the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network was holding five Americans hostage. The State Dept designated Haqqani a terrorist organization in 2012. Taliban forces recently killed 23 civilian across Nash district, Kandahar Province, Afghan police official Gen. Abdul Raziq said Friday. He said 29 Taliban fighters and six Afghan security servicemen had been killed in battles in the district. Earlier, Taliban fighters killed four border police in an ambush in the southern province of Zabul. Bismullah Afghanmal, the provincial governor of Zabul, said the police were ambushed while on a foot patrol in a mountainous area. He said several Taliban also were killed in Sunday's clash, but had no additional details. Two U.S. service members in Afghanistan died while fighting the Taliban in early November. Since early October, 11 Americans have been killed in combat in Afghanistan. Fox News Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report. South Africa's president escapes a political coup WHEN African National Congress (ANC) bigwigs met last weekend, the debate was reportedly so heated that it almost came to blows. In an unprecedented show of defiance against Jacob Zuma, some cabinet ministers asked the scandal-plagued president to step down. The intense reaction among the ANC's 104-member executive committee saw the meeting drag on for an extra day. http://econ.st/2gxld1F ELKO People throughout the community showed their giving spirit this year and helped the Elko Convention and Visitors Authority exceed its goal by raising $30,688 during the annual Festival of Trees. Our goal was to hit $25,000, said ECVA Events Coordinator Kandiss Fallowfield. So we surpassed our goal. Bidding on the items began Monday and ended Wednesday night. The event had 106 trees this year and the display that brought in the most money was donated by Eide Bailly LLP. The tree and its extras brought in $1,025. Three local businesswomen pooled their money to bid on the decorative piece that included a tree, mantle with decorative wood-burning stove, rocking chair, table, old-fashioned reading glasses and a book of Christmas stories by Charles Dickens. The three women, Shabonya Dutton, State Farm Insurance; Carmela Frederick, Blooms and Grooms, and Brandi Betancourt, Allusive Images, said they try to help the fundraiser every year. None of us were going to bid on it, because we were like, what are we going to do with it, Dutton said. She said she got to the bid at the last minute. As she was signing the bid sheet, an ECVA staff member cut the bid sheet and took it out of her hands. While Dutton and Frederick and Betancourt normally bid on trees or donate their own, this was the first year they combined their efforts to purchase an item. They will all share the display. The tree will be put in the State Farm office, and the other items will go to Allusive Images and later be used in Blooms and Grooms. This is one of the best fundraisers in Elko for the holidays, Dutton said. We come as a group each year, Frederick said. Dutton also purchased a tree donated by Coldwell Banker Algerio Q-Team Realty. Frederick also purchased a Scooby-Doo themed tree donated by Jenna and Carter Kidwell and their mother Jennifer Kidwell. Frederick and Dutton said its important to come and donate to Festival of Trees because there are a number of charities that benefit and those nonprofits change year to year. The charity partners for this years event are The Terrace at Ruby View, Family Resource Centers of Northeastern Nevada, Nevada Outdoor School Elko, Elko Cancer Network and Ruby Mountain Resource Center. Were always donating, but stuff like this, theres so many more, Frederick said. Plus its really into the Christmas spirit, Dutton said. Its giving, helping and love and sends positivity into the world. ELKO Basque Firsts; People Who Changed the World debuted as the number one new release in history on Amazon in mid-October. A native son of Elko, Vince Juaristi has returned home to locally launch his newest book, Basque Firsts; People Who Changed the World. This book came about when I was in third grade when I read about the first man to circumnavigate the globe, Jurasti said. I thought it was pretty adventurous and exciting. He explained that it was not until much later while he was studying at Harvard reading economic history that Ferdinand Magellan did not make it around the world. Upon further research, he discovered that the first person to navigate an around-the-world-trip was Juan Sebastian Elcano. And, boy, wasnt I surprised to learn he was a Basque guy. The point of that revelation for me was discovering that, why doesnt the world know this. Why doesnt this person get the credit where credit is due? Later he was watching as Pope Francis became the new pontiff. Newscasters explained that he was the first pope from the New World and that he was the first Jesuit pope. They also said the first Jesuit was a Spaniard. In fact, St. Ignatius was Basque. Juaristi picked out seven little recognized Basque people who have greatly changed the world and composed the book around those individuals. Juaristi spent about a year researching and writing the book using a lot of primary research through letters and diaries to put a light on most of the characters. His research took him to different places including California, Madrid, London and elsewhere. Besides wanting to put the stories straight for these individuals, Juaristi wants Basque people to recognize that they come from a long history of extraordinary people who have made great contributions in the world. Juaristi, who is CEO and president of Arbola Inc., based in Alexandria, Virginia, talked of plans for another book but is not set on the next idea that he will go with. Apparently, there is a lot going on inside this writers head. Juaristi will be signing copies of this book and his first, titled Back to Bizkaia: A Basque-American Memoir from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at The Bookstore. A Louisa Anna couple whose friends kept asking when theyd offer their home-brewed cider for sale plan to open a cidery in Louisa County in the spring. Chris and Laura Denkers, along with partners Mike and Sara Baier, Jason and Nicki Shupp, Ben and Nicole Waddy and Jere Yourth, plan to invest $775,000 to build Coyote Hole Ciderworks, a cidery and tasting room, on the 20-acre Oak Grove Farm near Mineral, Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced Wednesday. The ciderys name is a nod to the town of Minerals rich history of gold, zinc and lead mining. The holes prospectors dig in their search for precious metals often resemble coyote dens and are called coyote holes. Coyote Hole Cidery will create five jobs and will purchase more than 1 million pounds of Virginia-grown apples and fruit over the next three years. Coyote Hole Ciderworkss investment in Louisa County bolsters Virginias reputation as a top East Coast craft beverage destination and highlights the growing and important link between agriculture and tourism across the Commonwealth, said McAuliffe in a news release. I commend Coyote Hole Ciderworks commitment to locally sourced apples and their expansion exemplifies the economic strength of Virginia-crafted products. We will continue to support and invest in the Commonwealths diverse agricultural resources and showcase our outstanding local businesses that drive the new Virginia economy. During fiscal year 2016, nearly 417,000 cases of Virginia cider were sold, an increase of more than 52 percent over fiscal year 2015. There are approximately 20 cideries in Virginia, which puts it in sixth place nationally. According to a 2012 economic impact study, the Virginia wine industry, including the Virginia cider industry, employs more than 4,700 and contributes almost $750 million to the Virginia economy on an annual basis. National industry analysts expect solid growth to continue in this sector for the next several years. Coyote Hole Ciderworkss expansion represents another positive step for Virginia as we reinforce our reputation as a key player in the nations hard cider sector, said Virginia Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Basil Gooden, speaking at the event on the Governors behalf. Craft beverages are contributing positively to cities and rural communities across the Commonwealth, adding to the Governors call to build a new Virginia economy. The Commonwealth is partnering with Louisa County and Coyote Hole Ciderworks on this project through the Governors Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund, which is administered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS). Governor McAuliffe approved a $20,000 grant from the AFID Fund to assist with the project, which Louisa County is matching with local funds. We are extremely excited and grateful to be working with the County of Louisa and the Commonwealth of Virginia, said Chris Denkers, President and CEO of Coyote Hole Ciderworks. We strive, personally and with our business, to support local small businesses and we are excited to be working with several Virginia orchards to use 100 percent Virginia apples. This grant will help us get up and running, grow more quickly and bring new jobs into Louisa County while supporting local businesses throughout Virginia. Louisa County is fortunate to have Coyote Hole Ciderworks as part of our business community, the first of its kind in the County, added Chairman Lloyd Runnett of the Louisa County Industrial Development Authority. We are thankful for Chris and Laura Denkers entrepreneurial spirit and their proactive approach in pursuing their passion to bring a unique business, such as Coyote Hole Ciderworks, to Louisa County. These projects play an important role in tourism and the Countys agritourism industry, which is an increasing economic development focus for the County. We are excited to be a part of this important project and wish Coyote Hole the most success now and in the future. According to a 2013 economic impact study conducted by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia, agriculture and forestry are two of Virginias largest industries with a combined economic impact of $70 billion annually. Agriculture generates more than $52 billion per annum, while forestry induces over $17 billion. The industries also provide more than 400,000 jobs in the Commonwealth. More information about the Weldon Cooper Centers study can be found here. Amid the climate of disbelief and fear among Democrats following Donald Trumps election, a fascinating debate has broken out about whats called identity politics on the left, political correctness by the right. And about damn time, I say. The kind of race- and gender-based moral bullying prevalent on many college campuses and in certain media outlets has been extremely damaging to the Democratic Party. My only fear is that the argument will be too polite. Sometimes, people just need to get smacked right between the eyes. Anyway, the whole thing was started by an essay in The New York Times by Columbia University historian Mark Lilla called The End of Identity Liberalism. In recent years, Lilla writes, American liberalism has slipped into a kind of moral panic about racial, gender and sexual identity that has distorted liberalisms message and prevented it from becoming a unifying force capable of governing. Instead of the Democratic Partys core message of inclusion all for one, and one for all were fed a seemingly endless list of grievances and a litany of blame. That certainly wasnt the message Hillary Clinton wanted to send. Her traditionally Democratic campaign slogan, after all, was Stronger Together. On the stump, however, she most often directed her rhetoric to discrete categories of voters: African-American, Latino, LGBT, women, etc. Anybody, it sometimes seemed, but the one group that cant be named. They noticed. If you are going to mention groups in America, Lilla warned, you had better mention all of them. If you dont, those left out will notice and feel excluded. Which, as the data show, was exactly what happened with the white working class. Bill Clinton used to bore pundits and attract voters with great laundry lists of specific policies addressing their needs. Hillary spent her energy and advertising dollars warning against the impending catastrophe that is Donald Trump something this column also did plenty of. One result, however, was that ordinary voters across wide swaths of the country concluded that she had nothing to offer them. Theyre wrong, but you can see how they got the idea. Just so you know what were up against, heres how the top-rated comment about Lillas article on the Times website began: This article is insulting to people who are not cisgendered, heterosexual white men. Identity is not something which can be quietly set aside in pursuit of common goals, since historically those goals were set by and for white men. Sorry, professor, you lost me at cisgendered. Thats academic cant for somebody with hair on his chest who thinks hes a man. (And no, I cant be sure the authors a professor, but itd be more alarming to think that anybody capable of emitting such gibberish had escaped the campus and wanders at large.) Too often, an obsession with tolerance has created an intolerance of its own. If you dont understand how such nonsense is creating young Republicans by the truckload, youre not paying attention. As one of my smarter friends has observed, it also tends to paralyze young Democrats. How can you work for social change when everybody is limited to their own class/race/gender? Well, you cant. My own experience has been that trying to reason with identity-obsessed social justice warriors is like being mobbed by crows not so much harmful as exhausting. In practice, there are few ideas more illiberal than the notion that demography is destiny. Try reading Until Proven Innocent, Stuart Taylor and KC Johnsons book on the infamous Duke University lacrosse team rape hoax for a scary example of this kind of thinking in action. To a noisy minority of Dukes faculty, the falsely accused athletes were guilty simply by virtue of being, yes, cisgendered, heterosexual white men. Most held to that conviction long after the lacrosse players complete innocence became clear. One unintentional result of such episodes, as Michelle Goldberg writes in Slate, has been the politics of cultural revenge delivered by a billionaire in a gold-plated airplane. She worries that Trumpism will lead to a new Dark Age descending over Americas racial and sexual minorities, and that the focus of left-of-center politics in the dark years to come must be on protecting the groups of people who are targets precisely because of their identities. Maybe so, although I suspect such fears are overblown. Id never deny that being a straight white man has eased my way. But I didnt create the world either, and Im a Democrat precisely because I do believe were all in this together. A politics rooted predominately in race, gender and cultural identity invariably leads to tribalism the great enemy of democracy. As Lilla reminds us, the first identity movement in American politics was the Ku Klux Klan. Hes correct: To succeed, Democrats need to address Americans as Americans, as citizens sharing common interests and the necessary protections of the rule of law. The 10th album from the country superstar and Oklahoma native was released last week. Gunslinger is Garth Brooks second album since his return to music with 2014s Man Against Machine. But if you bought Garth Brooks: The Ultimate Collection when it was released Nov. 11, youre already familiar with the 10 songs on Gunslinger. It was part of the collection, which included all of his previous work, on sale only at Target stores. The album feels like the Brooks with whom so many country fans are familiar, with songs like the toe-tapping Baby, Lets Lay Down and Dance and the songs Honky-Tonk Somewhere and Cowboys and Friends, both dripping with steel guitars and country themes that Brooks knows how to capture. Want more? Well, Brooks and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, released an album of Christmas music earlier this month as well, including some original holiday tunes. Its the first duets album from the pair. And to kick off the huge month for Brooks, on Nov. 2 he was named entertainer of the year at the 50th Country Music Association Awards. With his body of work back in front of us, with new music added to the fold, its clear why. An intruder who forced his way into a Culpeper home wound up being killed with his own gun, authorities said. According to Gary Close of the Culpeper County Sheriffs Office, Delonte Jones, 21, of Prince Georges County, Md., was involved in a struggle with the 44-year-old homeowner when his gun went off Thursday evening. The homeowner told investigators that the incident began about 5:30 p.m., when a woman knocked on the door of his home on Woodland Church Road and asked for water for an overheating vehicle. The homeowner immediately became suspicious, and more so when he spotted two males in the driveway. He told the woman to leave, Close said. The homeowner told authorities that about 20 minutes later, while he was on the phone with his wife, the woman returned and said she was cold. When the homeowner cracked the door, Jones burst inside and struck the resident in the head, Close said. At one point, Jones held a gun to the homeowners chin, but somehow the man moved it away, a struggle ensued and the pistol went off, Close said. Jones and the woman then fled the house, with Jones falling dead in a ditch about 50 yards away, Close said. After the two intruders fled, the homeowner then got his own gun and fired shots in the air from his front porch to make sure they didnt return. The two other males the homeowner saw earlier fled the scene in a black car, leaving the woman, who was arrested minutes later, Close said. Amber Eley, 18, of Orange is charged with attempted robbery, the use of a firearm in the commission of burglary and two counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony, Close said. She is being held in the Culpeper County jail. The Sheriffs Office is seeking the two men, who fled in the vehicle. Their names have not been released and the Sheriffs Office did not provide a description of them. The name of the homeowner was not disclosed for security reasons. At this point, Close said, investigators do not know if the homeowner was targeted or if this was a random act. Sheriff Scott Jenkins advises homeowners to be alert and report any suspicious incidents. An alleged intruder was shot and killed Thursday evening by a Culpeper County property owner. According to the Culpeper County Sheriffs Office, the department received a report of a shooting at a home in the 14000 block of Woodland Church Road at 6:22 p.m. Units from the sheriffs office responded and found an alleged intruder shot by the homeowner. The suspect is dead. The sheriffs office will not release the name of the alleged intruder at this time. The scene is still being processed and the incident is still under investigation. Further updates will be provided by the sheriffs office once the initial investigation is complete. As part of the investigation, deputies canvassed the Woodland Church Road area to determine if any other suspects were in the vicinity. They found none. Sheriff Scott Jenkins encouraged anyone with information related to the incident to contact the CCSO at 540/727-7520. Virginias black voters turned out in lower rates this year, perhaps explaining why President-elect Donald Trump won reliably Democratic Caroline County, according to a recent analysis by the dean of George Mason Universitys School of Policy and Government. Mark J. Rozell, who presented his analysis Thursday during Virginia Press Association Day at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, said an estimated 55.4 percent of the states black voters participated in this years presidential election, down 8 percent from 2008 and 2012. He called that a potentially troubling sign for Democrats, who he said typically need an overwhelming large majority of black votes and also a very strong turnout among blacks and Latinos to win statewide. Trumps victory in Caroline, he said, can probably be attributed to the lower AfricanAmerican turnout and TrumpObama voters who voted for President Barack Obama, a Democrat, but supported the Republican businessman this year. And those were some of the more white, working-class voters, Rozell told The Free LanceStar. They felt left behind by the new globalized economy and are looking for someone who is going to protect their interests going forward. Their loyalties are not so firmly entrenched in one political party or the other. Obama easily won Caroline in 2008 and 2012. In fact, he received 7,276 votes there four years ago, exceeding Trumps tally by 129 votes. Trump topped Democrat Hillary Clinton by 715 votes in Caroline. Despite the upset in Caroline, Clinton did win Virginia by a wider margin than Obama in 2012. In addition, Republican Mitt Romney outperformed Trump in the states 1st and 7th congressional districtswhich include most of the Fredericksburg areaduring his unsuccessful presidential bid four years ago, Rozell said. Those figures, he said, make it very clear that Trumps message did not play well with the more educated suburban voters. Trump received 54 percent of the vote in the 1st Congressional District, or about 2 percentage points less than Romney, according to Rozells analysis. The gap was even wider in the 7th Congressional District, where Trump got 50.3 percent of the vote compared with 55.6 percent for Romney. Still, while Romney received a higher percentage of votes in Fredericksburg and Stafford, Trump did outdo the former Massachusetts governor in Spotsylvania, Caroline and King George. In Spotsylvania, support for Trump was especially high in rural parts of the county such as Partlow and Post Oak. Rozell said he thinks future Republican presidential candidates could easily win Virginia, partly by doing slightly better than Trump in downstate suburbs and Fairfax County. Clinton won Virginia largely because of an overwhelming advantage among educated white voters, he said. Voters in the state had an overwhelmingly negative view of Donald Trump, Rozell said. A Republican nominee with a more positive standing with voters easily could have won here this year. NETWORK neutrality, the most significant piece of internet regulation championed by the Obama administration, might be yet another casualty of the coming Donald Trump presidency. That wouldnt be a bad thing. Though President Barack Obama expressed support for the rule during his 2008 campaign, debate about net neutrality remained largely contained within the policy sphere until Federal Communications Commission Chairman Thomas Wheeler began rulemaking in 2014. That effort attracted support not only from industry leaders like Google and Facebook but even from pop culture figures like HBOs John Oliver, whose monologue on the subject helped drive a record 3.7 million submissions during the FCCs public comment period. The FCC voted 32 in favor of the regulation in February 2015, in concert with a decision to reclassify internet service providers as regulated utilities under the Telecom Act of 1996, declaring them akin to the landline phone companies of the 20th century. While not an executive order, it was another example of the executive branch bypassing Congress to create new regulationcontroversial because some constitutional scholars believe only Congress has the authority to impose so radical a revision to the Telecom Act. Not all network neutrality is contentious. Everyone agrees that ISPs should allow users to access all legal websites and use the device of their choice. The crux of the dispute centers on whether ISPs could treat traffic differently as it crossed their networks, such as partitioning bandwidth for video-streaming services or employing network management tools to ensure better error correction. This extends to pricing as well. Under network neutrality, Verizon or AT&T could not charge Netflix or YouTube a higher price for their use of network resources, even though those services exact a cost in terms of capacity and management. It is ironic, then, that zero rating became the first test of network neutrality. Zero rating, or toll-free data, is the ISP practice of exempting certain services from consumer data caps. For example, your monthly wireless data plan may include 20 gigabytes of data, but you will incur added charges if you go over that limit. Application providers sometimes strike zero-rating agreements with service providers not to have their data counted against those limits. T-Mobiles Binge On is an example. Facebooks zero-rating plan ran afoul of regulators in India, who considered it a net neutrality violation. In the United States, groups such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Free Press and the Center for Media Justice have complained that such arrangements also violate the FCC rule. They do have a point. Network neutrality was envisioned as supply-side regulation, to prevent ISPs from putting some providers at a disadvantage by charging more to reach their customers. Zero rating is a demand-side pricing practice that, in critics view, fosters the same outcome, granting some providers an advantage because customers have no pocketbook limits on their use. But whats undeniable is that zero rating is a boon for consumers. At the end of the day, it gives them more data for the buck and helps close the digital divide. By contrast, the Indian governments ruling against Facebook has deprived 19 million Indians of affordable internet access. This may be why the FCC until recently has been quiet about zero rating, even as AT&T and Verizon adopted the practice. This changed the day after the Nov. 8 election, when the agency cautioned AT&T that including DirecTV video streaming in its zero-rating package might be unfair. Though left unsaid, the warning has implications for AT&Ts pending deal to acquire media and content giant Time Warner. Along with illustrating net neutralitys unintended consequences, the FCCs inconsistency on zero rating also validates the criticism net-neutrality opponents have voiced from the startthat it hogties the rapidly moving information technology sector into a mother, may I? regulatory regime. When AT&T and Netflix agree on zero rating, its OK. But should AT&T include HBO, acquired via Time Warner, then its not OK. Will the FCC permit zero rating for T-Mobile, which has 17 percent market share, but prohibit it for Verizon, which has 35 percent? We dont know. Thats the problem. Ad hoc rulemaking serves neither consumers nor the industry. The outcome might hinge on how the incoming administration and the Republican-controlled Congress handle telecom policy. Network neutrality exists by the grace of the vote of the current FCC chairman. Once Trump appoints a new chairman, that ruling can and probably will be reversed. Still, legislation that codifies network neutrality to permit pricing-flexibility strategies such as zero rating would be a more permanent solution. Research Article On US And Europe Connected Health Devices Market - Market Dynamics, Major Companies Analysis And Forecast To 2023 US and Europe Connected Health Devices Market Key Players: A&D Medical, Aerotel, Animas Corporation, BL Healthcare, Body Media Inc., Boston Scientific, DexCom Inc., Docobo, eHIT Ltd, eDevice, FitSense Technology, iMetrikus, Instromedix (Card Guard), Masimo Corporation, PHD Medical, Philips -- Introduction to Connected Health Device Connected health device are tools of digital technology to provide access and to share information as well as data across healthcare system. These healthcare systems are nothing but are the hospitals, clinics, medical stores etc. As per the current market trends people are trying to raise their living standard. Due to this, they are unable to dedicate the required attention towards their personal health. Hence there is a significant increase for the health related minor and major issues. Connected health devices help to connect patient and doctors remotely. Connected healthcare devices are also known by terms like telecare, telehealth, telemedicine, mhealth, digital health and e-health. These devices are available in various forms and sizes according as per the customer's requirement. However, such devices there has long way to establish in the market as companies have to build strong brand image in the market. UK, with more than 100,000 health apps, rapid growth in wearable and 70 % of the UK population who now owes a smartphone and increase in use of digital technology will revolutionize the future of health and social care." Request a Sample Copy of this Research Article @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/ask-sample-request/us-europe-connected-health-devices-market-information-analysis-market-data-major-player-forecast-2023 Major Players: The prominent market players exist in global connected healthcare market are: A&D Medical, Aerotel, Animas Corporation, BL Healthcare, Body Media Inc., Boston Scientific, DexCom Inc., Docobo, eHIT Ltd, eDevice, FitSense Technology, iMetrikus, Instromedix (Card Guard), Masimo Corporation, Medtronic, Microlife, Nellcor, Nonin Medical, Omron, PHD Medical, Philips, St. Jude Medical, Tunstall, ViTelNet, and WebVMC. Market Segmentation: For the purpose of this study, market research future has segmented the digital healthcare market by digital healthcare types, digital healthcare devices, and its applications. Digital healthcare are categorized into four subgroups mainly: Telehealth, Telecare, wellness/Fitness and e-health which have their own subgroups. Digital Healthcare devices are like dental examination cameras, Digital ECG and Holters, Quell Relief, pedometer fitness apps, online healthcare insurance, wearable band and many more. More Details about Article @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/articles/us-europe-connected-health-devices-market-information-analysis-market-data-major-player-forecast-2023 Market Growth Influencer: The Global e-Healthcare market growth is growing with the rapid growth rate. This high growth is due to the increasing usage of smartphones is increasing. With the increased usage of digital technology, number of health apps on IOS and Android has more than doubled in 2.5 years to mover 1,00,000 Furthermore, this growth rate is also enhance by the ability of providing the quick service is required by consumers to save theirs time from his busy schedule. In this study, market research future has found that more than 25% of users having health issues would first try a device with usability to track their health condition and progress. Also, 27 percent of mobile phone users would prefer a personalized plan to help guide them through their journey to better health. Increasing disposable incomes, growing of usage of technology and growing rate of production of technical equipment like Asthma management kit, Valedo Management kit, Health patch MD Smart medical devices, Digital Pill, Google's Smart Contact lenses, and Qardiocore (Connected ECG monitor) will drive the growth in medical field in future. Regional Analysis: Significant mhealth market growth predicted global revenue to be 50-55% per year. In 2013 the mHealth value recorded was $2.4 billion and thus forecasted that this will reach to approximate $21.5 billion after 2018. In European market also the predicted highest annual growth rate is 50-60%. The factors which will drive the increase in use of health apps would be easy to use, simple in design and give guarantee of data security. Ask for Table of Contents of this Report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/ask-toc-request/us-europe-connected-health-devices-market-information-analysis-market-data-major-player-forecast-2023 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions. In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members. For more information, please visit https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/ Contact Info: Name: Akash Anand Organization: Market Research Future (MRFR) Address: Office No. 528, Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar, Pune - 411028 Maharashtra, India Phone: +1 646 845 9312 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/research-article-on-us-and-europe-connected-health-devices-market-market-dynamics-major-companies-analysis-and-forecast-to-2023/150406 Release ID: 150406 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Dental (Radiology & Imaging) Devices Market Is Cross $ 2,000 Million Mark In 2016 With The CAGR Of Approximately 10% - Forecast To 2021 Dental (Radiology & Imaging) Device Market Research Report, By Product (Radiology [PSP, Digital X-Ray, Sensor]) Imaging [Cameras, Dental Imaging Software]) Application (Diagnosis, Therapeutic) End User (Hospital, Clinic)-Global Forecast to 2021 -- Market Highlights The Dental Radiology and Dental Imaging Devices Market is expected to cross $ 2,000 million mark in 2016 with the CAGR of approximately 10%. The market is majorly driven by the technological advancements in the dental equipment, high adoption of digital dental radiography and imaging systems, growth in aging population, and dental surgeries gaining impetus. However, high price of digital radiography systems, and lack of reimbursement in dental care expected to restrain the growth of this market Industrial News Based on region, North America accounted for the largest share in the global dental radiology & dental imaging market, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. The Asia Pacific market is expected to witness the highest growth owing to rising awareness of new technologies. Furthermore, various players are investing in the Asia Pacific market which is another major factor fuelling the market growth. "Ask for your specific company profile and country level customization on reports." Request a Sample Copy @ http://bit.ly/2Dental The key players of Global Dental Devices Market Report o Carestream Health, Inc. o Danaher Corporation o Dentsply International, Inc. o Flow Dental Corporation o Led Medical Diagnostic, Inc. o Midmark Corporation o Planmeca Oy o Sirona Dental Systems, Inc. o The Yoshida DentalMfg. Co., Ltd. o 3M Company. Taste the market data and market information presented through more than 85 market data tables and figures spread in 130 numbers of pages of the project report. Avail the in-depth table of content TOC & market synopsis on "Global Dental Device Market Research Report- Forecast to 2021 " Scope of the Report The dental radio graphs and dental imaging is performed through extra oral and intraoral methods. Based on this the dental radiology market, by product type is divided into extra oral radiography devices, and intraoral radiography devices. The extra oral radiography segment is further segmented into X-Rays Units and cone beam CT (CBCT). Majority of the dental radiology methods involve the usage of the X-Rays to determine the hidden dental structures, malignant or benign masses, bone loss, cavities radiography etc. However, there in last decade there is increasing use of specially designed CT scanned for dentistry namely cone beam CT (CBCT). The CBCT are most helpful instrument in planning the dental implants, along with the advantage of producing the satisfactory images at lower radiations. The early diners are offered free customization- Up To 20%` https://goo.gl/SjIHKL Brief TOC of Global Dental Device Market Research Report 1 Introduction 1.1 Definition 1.2 Scope of the study 1.3 Market Structure 2 Research Methodologies 2.1 Research Process 2.2 Primary Research 2.3 Secondary Research 2.4 Forecast Model 3 Report Excerpt 4 Forecast Indicators 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Growth Drivers 4.3 Growth Barriers 4.4 Market Opportunities 4.5 Macroecnomical Indicators 5 Market Analyses 5.1 Porter's Five Force 5.2 Supply Chain Analysis 5.3 Value chain Analysis 6 Global Dental Radiology Market, By Product Type 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Extra Oral Radiography Devices Continued.... Browse full TOC, Tables, Figures and Companies mentioned @ http://bit.ly/2fHealth Related Report: Global Dental Needle Market Research Report - Forecast to 2027, globally the market for Dental Needle is increasing rapidly the main reason for this is the growth is the increase in population. Know more about this report @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/global-dental-needle-market-research-report-forecast-to-2027 About Market Research Future: At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services. For more information, please visit https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/dental-radiology-imaging-device-market-research-report-by-product-radiology-psp-digital-x-ray-sensor-imaging-cameras-dental-imaging-software-application-diagnosis-therapeutic-end-user-hospital-clinic-global-forecast-to-2021 Contact Info: Name: Akash Anand Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com Organization: Market Research future Address: Magarpatta Road, Hadapsar Pune - 411028 Phone: +1 646 845 9312 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/dental-radiology-imaging-devices-market-is-cross-2000-million-mark-in-2016-with-the-cagr-of-approximately-10-forecast-to-2021/150444 Release ID: 150444 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global Cancer Vaccines Market Size,Trends, Competitive Landscape & 2016-2022 Forecasts Analysis. Global Cancer Vaccines Market to 2022 - Robust Growth Driven by Increasing Prevalence, New Therapeutic Vaccine Approvals and Strong Uptake of Treatments Targeting CD19 -- The report provides comprehensive information on the therapeutics under development for Global Cancer Vaccines Market to 2022 - Robust Growth Driven by Increasing Prevalence, New Therapeutic Vaccine Approvals and Strong Uptake of Treatments Targeting CD19, complete with analysis by stage of development, drug target, mechanism of action (MoA), route of administration (RoA) and molecule type. The report also covers the descriptive pharmacological action of the therapeutics, its complete research and development history and latest news and press releases. Additionally, the report provides an overview of key players involved in therapeutic development for Global Cancer Vaccines Market to 2022 - Robust Growth Driven by Increasing Prevalence, New Therapeutic Vaccine Approvals and Strong Uptake of Treatments Targeting CD19 and features dormant and discontinued projects. The report helps in identifying and tracking emerging players in the market and their portfolios, enhances decision making capabilities and helps to create effective counter strategies to gain competitive advantage. Complete report on Global Cancer Vaccines Market to 2022 - Robust Growth Driven by Increasing Prevalence, New Therapeutic Vaccine Approvals and Strong Uptake of Treatments Targeting CD19 - Pipeline Review, H2 2016 addition with 17 market data tables and 74 figures, spread across 183 pages is available at http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/767638-global-cancer-vaccines-market-to-2022-robust-growth-driven-by-increasing-prevalence-new-therapeutic-vaccine-approvals-and-strong-uptake-of-treatments-targeting-cd19.html This report features investigational drugs from across globe covering over 20 therapy areas and nearly 3,000 indications. The report is built using data and information sourced from Global Markets Directs proprietary databases, company/university websites, clinical trial registries, conferences, SEC filings, investor presentations and featured press releases from company/university sites and industry-specific third party sources. Drug profiles featured in the report undergoes periodic review following a stringent set of processes to ensure that all the profiles are updated with the latest set of information. Additionally, various dynamic tracking processes ensure that the most recent developments are captured on a real time basis Drugs Profile Discussed in this Research: Gardasil, Provenge, Cervarix, Imlygic, DCVax-L, Recombivax Companies Discussed /Mentioned in this Research: Merck & Co, GSK, Novartis Kite Pharma, Amgen , Valeant , Bluebird Bio , Bavarian Nordic Inquire For Discount http://www.reportsnreports.com/contacts/discount.aspx?name=767638 Scope o The report provides a snapshot of the global therapeutic landscape of Global Cancer Vaccines Market to 2022 - Robust Growth Driven by Increasing Prevalence, New Therapeutic Vaccine Approvals and Strong Uptake of Treatments Targeting CD19 o The report reviews pipeline therapeutics for Global Cancer Vaccines Market to 2022 - Robust Growth Driven by Increasing Prevalence, New Therapeutic Vaccine Approvals and Strong Uptake of Treatments Targeting CD19 by companies and universities/research institutes based on information derived from company and industry-specific sources o The report covers pipeline products based on various stages of development ranging from pre-registration till discovery and undisclosed stages o The report features descriptive drug profiles for the pipeline products which includes, product description, descriptive MoA, R&D brief, licensing and collaboration details & other developmental activities o The report reviews key players involved Global Cancer Vaccines Market to 2022 - Robust Growth Driven by Increasing Prevalence, New Therapeutic Vaccine Approvals and Strong Uptake of Treatments Targeting CD19 therapeutics and enlists all their major and minor projects o The report assesses Global Cancer Vaccines Market to 2022 - Robust Growth Driven by Increasing Prevalence, New Therapeutic Vaccine Approvals and Strong Uptake of Treatments Targeting CD19 therapeutics based on drug target, mechanism of action (MoA), route of administration (RoA) and molecule type o The report summarizes all the dormant and discontinued pipeline projects o The report reviews latest news related to pipeline therapeutics for Global Cancer Vaccines Market to 2022 - Robust Growth Driven by Increasing Prevalence, New Therapeutic Vaccine Approvals and Strong Uptake of Treatments Targeting CD19 Reasons to buy o Gain strategically significant competitor information, analysis, and insights to formulate effective R&D strategies o Identify emerging players with potentially strong product portfolio and create effective counter-strategies to gain competitive advantage o Identify and understand important and diverse types of therapeutics under development for Global Cancer Vaccines Market to 2022 - Robust Growth Driven by Increasing Prevalence, New Therapeutic Vaccine Approvals and Strong Uptake of Treatments Targeting CD19 o Identify potential new clients or partners in the target demographic o Develop strategic initiatives by understanding the focus areas of leading companies o Plan mergers and acquisitions effectively by identifying key players and it's most promising pipeline therapeutics o Devise corrective measures for pipeline projects by understanding Global Cancer Vaccines Market to 2022 - Robust Growth Driven by Increasing Prevalence, New Therapeutic Vaccine For more information, please visit http://www.reportsnreports.com/reports/767638-global-cancer-vaccines-market-to-2022-robust-growth-driven-by-increasing-prevalence-new-therapeutic-vaccine-approvals-and-strong-uptake-of-treatments-targeting-cd19.html Contact Info: Name: Ritesh Tiwari Email: sales@reportsandreports.com Organization: RnR Phone: + 1 888 391 5441 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/global-cancer-vaccines-market-sizetrends-competitive-landscape-2016-2022-forecasts-analysis/149945 Release ID: 149945 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) About Me Father Tony Ashland, Oregon, United States The Rev. Dr. Anthony A. Hutchinson: I am an Episcopal/Anglican priest retired from full-time ministry and also a retired US foreign service officer (1986-2011). I am Anglo-Catholic in faith and liturgical style, and am committed to a welcoming Church that embodies grace in its life and practice. I was ordained and first served as a priest in Hong Kong, and later in Beijing, and was rector at Trinity Episcopal Parish in Ashland Oregon 1/1/2012- 1/9/2022. In retirement I am working on The Ashland Bible, a translation of the entire Bible from Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic into modern inclusive vernacular English in cadences and register suitable for public reading. View my complete profile Why "Elliptical Glory" for Fragmentary Glimpses? This web log is intended to share homilies, some liturgical materials I have prepared or adapted (prayers, litanies, etc.), and occasional journal entries. "Elliptical" can mean "fragmentary, with words missing," or "in the shape of a flattened circle." While "glory" refers to the brilliance surrounding the Deity, it can also refer to the grace that reflects such radiance in life. In Christian iconography, a "glory" is the whole body halo around the Christ or the Blessed Virgin in paintings and statuary. When pointed at the ends, a "glory" in this sense is also called a mandorla (from the Italian for "almond"), or a vesica piscis (a "fish's [air] bladder) . In geometry, an ellipse is a curve traced out by a point that is required to move so that the sum of its distances from two fixed points (called foci) remains constant. If the foci are identical with each other, the ellipse is a circle; if the two foci are distinct from each other, the ellipse looks like a flattened or elongated circle. According to Keplers First Law of Planetary Motion, an object in orbit follows an ellipse, with the center of mass as one of the foci. The ellipse was called imperfect by theologians who originally objected to its use by Kepler to refine Copernicus heliocentric model of the solar system, as opposed to the perfect circles of Aristotelian geocentric cosmology. "Elliptical" can thus also imply the 'imperfect' path between two centers, or falling toward the true center, but moving forward fast enough to avoid collision, but slowly enough to prevent escape. A vesica piscis is created by the overlapping of two circles and since before Christianity has been a general symbol for the intersection of the spiritual and phenomenal realms. It is oriented vertically in Christian iconography as a glory, representing the intersection of the divine and the human in the person of Jesus, the fruit of the Blessed Virgin's womb. Tribal Resolution Denounces Psychiatric Drugging of Children There are no medical test to confirm ADHD or any mental disorder and the drugs psychiatrists prescribe have been linked to suicide, violence, heart conditions, high blood pressure, loss of appetite, and psychosis -- King Thomas Edgar Brown, Monarch of the National Khoisan Kingdom, issued a Tribal Resolution today denouncing psychiatry's drugging of South African children with powerful mind-altering drugs. "I am issuing an official warning to the Khoisan people and all other Tribes and Nations against the dangers of psychiatry and I mandate all kings and leaders of all Southern African nations to denounce psychiatry and the psychiatric drugging of children," reads the resolution. The King points to reports that South Africa has one of the highest rates in the world of prescribed psychiatric drugs for children labeled with ADHD--a rate even higher than that in the U.S. There are 27 international drug regulatory warnings on psychiatric drugs causing mania, hostility, violence and even homicidal ideation and in 2005 the South Africa Medicines Control Council issued a "Drug Alert" that SSRI antidepressants cause increased risk of suicide in children and adolescents. "We must protect our children," asserts the King. The resolution comes after a week of activities lead by the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a mental health watchdog group, to warn and educate Cape Town parents and youth on the dangers of psychiatric drugs. On Saturday, King Brown accompanied Rev. Fred Shaw, international spokesperson for CCHR, to lead a Children's Rights protest march against the World Psychiatric Association's (WPA) International Congress at the CTICC in Cape Town. Protesters--doctors, mothers, fathers and children--chanted, "WPA, WPA, how many kids did you drug today? Hey, hey WPA, how much money did you make today?" Rev. Shaw said, "Few parents are aware that psychiatrists admit they do not have any medical test to confirm ADHD or any mental disorder, nor do they have any cures. However, the drugs they prescribe have been linked to suicide, violence, heart conditions, high blood pressure, loss of appetite, and psychosis." Following the march, the King and the Reverend officiated the grand opening of CCHR's world-acclaimed free traveling exhibit: Psychiatry: An Industry of Death at the Castle of Good Hope. The "mobile museum" includes historical sections on psychiatry's role in apartheid as well as contemporary sections on psychotropic drugs and children's rights. Countering psychiatry's founding tenet that "Man is an animal," the King ends his resolution with, "We are a spiritual people; and psychiatry is an attack upon the souls of man and against God." The free exhibit--having already toured more than 443 major cities around the world and educating over 805,000 people--is open through 26 November at the Castle of Good Hope, 9 am-6 pm. Catch it before it moves on to its next tour stop. CCHR's website, www.cchrint.org, provides a public service for concerned parents and individuals where they can find out for themselves the side effects of psychiatric drugs. Visit the Psychiatric Drug Side Effects Search Engine. About CCHR: Initially established by the Church of Scientology and renowned psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz in 1969, CCHR's mission is to eradicate abuses committed under the guise of mental health and enact patient and consumer protections. It was L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, who brought the terror of psychiatric imprisonment to the notice of the world. In March 1969, he said, "Thousands and thousands are seized without process of law, every week, over the 'free world' tortured, castrated, killed. All in the name of 'mental health.'" For more information, please visit http://www.cchrflorida.org/ Contact Info: Name: Diane Stein Email: publicaffairs@cchrflorida.org Organization: Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida Address: 109 N. Fort Harrison Ave, Clearwater, 33755 Citizens Commission on Human Rights of Florida Phone: (727) 442-8820 Release ID: 150930 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) High Voltage Capacitors Market To Reach 218.84 Million USD By 2020 Rapidly increasing demands from various application industries and regions are generating several exciting markets opportunities for HV capacitors. -- The report "High Voltage Capacitors Market by Voltage level, Applications (Generation, Transmission, Distribution and Testing) & Geography (Canada, U.S., Mexico, Brazil, Norway, UK, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, India, China)- Global Industry Trends & Forecast to 2020", defines and segments the HV capacitor market with analysis and forecast of the global volume and revenue. HV capacitor market is expected to grow from USD 133.86 Million in 2014 to USD 218.84 Million by 2020, with a CAGR of 7.8% from 2015 to 2020. In this, HV capacitors for transmission application are expected to occupy the major share, as compared to other applications. Browse 97 market data Tables and 90 Figures spread through 440 Pages and in-depth TOC on "HV Capacitor Market " Download PDF Brochure: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=5405368 In 2015, China is estimated to be the largest market for HV capacitors and would remain the top consumer till the year 2020. The extensive demand of electricity in countries such as China and India is making the national governments expand their electric network thus increasing the demand of HV capacitors in various applications. The growing transmission and distribution network across globe is one of the biggest drivers for HV capacitor market. Maximum T&D expansion projects are ongoing in Asia-Pacific and the market is expected to be the biggest and the fastest growing market for HV capacitors. High Voltage capacitor High voltage capacitors are very important part of the electricity network, they have varied application depending upon their type and voltage levels. Increase in distribution investment in China, India, Brazil, Mexico and other developing economies expanding their distribution infrastructure to improve electrification rate and growth in distribution investment in the U.S and some European countries for up gradation of their distribution network will lead to a higher demand for HV capacitors in coming times The report covers global HV capacitor market in terms of consumption (no. of capacitors) and revenue ($million) across major countries which are Canada, U.S., Mexico, Brazil, Norway, UK, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, India and China. It captures quantitative base of HV capacitors applications such as Generation, Transmission, Distribution and Testing these applications are further segmented into sub-applications and type of capacitors. The report briefly records the HV capacitor market by geography and types. It also explains trends in its consumption from 2014 to 2020. However, the scope of the report is limited to analysis, estimations, and forecast about HV capacitors market based on their types, geography, and applications. The report presents the market size of each geography and application in USD and also the historic and forecasted data for number of capacitors. Technological upgrade of the old grid infrastructure, new smart grid installations and integration of the network are the major drivers behind the growth of HV capacitor in developed regions such as countries in North America and Europe among others. Maxwell (U.S.), Trench (Germany), W.S. Test Systems (India), X D Power Capacitors (China), and Crompton Greaves (India) are the leading companies of the high voltage capacitor market. Speak to Analyst: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalyst.asp?id=5405368 The report caters to HV capacitor manufacturers, dealers, and suppliers, material providers, consulting companies in the energy and power sector, government and research organizations, government utility providers, private utility providers, private customers, network operators, smart grid players, venture capital firms, and investment banks. HV capacitor has witnessed growth in developing economies such as Asia-Pacific and South America which are improving and enhancing their grid infrastructure to increase their electrification rate. These drivers are expected to push the HV capacitors market size from USD 133.86 Million in 2014 to USD 218.84 Million by 2020 with a CAGR of 7.8% from 2015 to 2020. The report also provides insights about the major players of the market. Request for Customization: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomization.asp?id=5405368 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is the largest market research firm worldwide in terms of annually published premium market research reports. Serving 1700 global fortune enterprises with more than 1200 premium studies in a year, M&M is catering to a multitude of clients across 8 different industrial verticals. We specialize in consulting assignments and business research across high growth markets, cutting edge technologies and newer applications. Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. M&M's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. The new included chapters on Methodology and Benchmarking presented with high quality analytical infographics in our reports gives complete visibility of how the numbers have been arrived and defend the accuracy of the numbers. We at MarketsandMarkets are inspired to help our clients grow by providing apt business insight with our huge market intelligence repository. For more information, please visit http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/high-voltage-capacitors-market-5405368.html Contact Info: Name: Rohan Organization: MarketsandMarkets Source: http://marketersmedia.com/high-voltage-capacitors-market-to-reach-218-84-million-usd-by-2020/151039 Release ID: 151039 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Washington Natural Gas Heating & Air Conditioning Celebrates Its 10 Anniversary Washington Natural Gas Heating & Air Conditioning is celebrating its 10 year anniversary and reveals some of its big wins and challenges it faced getting this far. More information on the business can be found at http://www.wanaturalgas.com -- Seattle area based Washington Natural Gas Heating & Air Conditioning is celebrating their 10 Anniversary, which commemorates 10 challenging but successful years in business. This is a huge milestone for the Mill Creek, WA and service Seattle metro area, King and Snohomish Counties-based Residential HVAC contractor business, which has provided Residential HVAC contractor to residential hvac customers since 2006. Washington Natural Gas Heating & Air Conditioning got it's start in 2006 when founder Michael Fahmie tired of seeing HVAC companies and contractors get away with outrageous pricing and low quality of work. He decided to start his own company and treat clients the way he would like to be treated. One of the earliest challenges Washington Natural Gas Heating & Air Conditioning faced was Like any customer based business getting out to every home as quickly as possible to assist the customer can be challenging during HVAC emergencies. While every business of course faces challenges, some, like Washington Natural Gas Heating & Air Conditioning are fortunate enough to enjoy real successes, wins and victories too. Once such victory came when Was able to conduct a job on a elderly gentleman's home who was quoted a price that was just astronomical, the client was able to save nearly 65% off the cost of the competition. Its times like that which makes this business worthwhile and helpful to people. Another challenge was being able to service all the various types of heating and cooling systems and then value added services such as hvac duct cleaning Seattle. John Palmer, Comfort Advisor at Washington Natural Gas Heating & Air Conditioning was also quoted when discussing another big win. "One of the high points of Washington Natural Gas Heating & Air Conditioning's history so far is that the company is still thriving and successfully growing it's reputation and client base year over year for the past 10 years. This is what has made WA Natural Gas Heating & Air Conditioning one of the top air conditioning companies seattle" Washington Natural Gas Heating & Air Conditioning's Founder, Michael Fahmie says "We're delighted to be celebrating our 10 Year Anniversary. I believe the secret to getting this far in business today is Build what the customer needs to sustain the life of the home". Washington Natural Gas Heating & Air Conditioning currently consists of 9 employees and has big plans for the upcoming year. One of their core objectives is To provide professional heating, cooling and air quality services and installations, to maintain happy customers with a comfortable home without callbacks. Repairs: On furnaces, heat pumps, tankless water heaters, air conditioning, air filtration systems, standard water heaters, and more. Most parts are kept in stock on the trucks to complete the repairs the first time out to the home, saving time, money and aggravation. Appointments with clients are set in a tighter window of time so the clients are not forced to wait at their homes all day. Washington Natural Gas Heating & Air Conditioning would also like to thank friends, customers and all its partners for their well wishes on this happy occasion. More information on the business can be found at http://www.wanaturalgas.com For more information, please visit http://www.wanaturalgas.com Contact Info: Name: John Palmer Organization: Washington Natural Gas Heating & Air Conditioning Address: 2208 158th St SE, Mill Creek, 98012 Washington Natural Gas Heating & Air Conditioning Phone: +14253470707 Release ID: 150870 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sweetie Pooch Professional Dog Grooming Salon Austin Celebrates Google Reviews Sweetie Pooch Pet Parlor, a locally owned dog grooming salon in Austin, Texas, proudly celebrates their 5-star reviews on Google -- Sweetie Pooch Pet Parlor, a full service dog grooming salon in Austin is proud to celebrate their 5-star reviews from happy clients on Google. The locally owned and operated dog groomer is focused on offering its clients the highest quality dog grooming services in the greater Austin area and is proud of this important service milestone. When reading the 5-star reviews left by the satisfied clients of Sweetie Pooch Pet Parlor, many commented that they were impressed by the professionalism, courtesy, and the overall quality of care given to their dogs by Dena and the staff at Sweetie Pooch. Others commented that Sweetie Pooch was the only company that they trusted to provide dog grooming for their dogs and were impressed at the level of services provided. Others remarked that their dogs received the same quality grooming as show dogs and said they would gladly recommend Sweetie Pooch to their friends. The team at Sweetie Pooch is proud that they have been able to garner so many positive reviews and to earn the trust of their local community. Founded by Dena Jones, a highly experienced and nationally certified pet stylist, Sweetie Pooch Pet Parlor has the goal of providing premium dog grooming services and boarding to the greater Austin area. She is proud that her team has been able to not only meet, but to exceed their customer's expectations and looks forward to continuing to provide premium dog grooming and boarding to clients in Austin. About Sweetie Pooch Pet Parlor Sweetie Pooch Pet Parlor is a professional dog grooming salon serving pets and their owners in and around the Austin, Texas area. They offer dog boarding services, grooming, and styling. Dena Jones, the owner of Sweetie Pooch, is a nationally certified pet stylist with the National Dog Groomers Association of America. For more information, please visit http://sweetiepoochdoggroomingaustin.com/ Contact Info: Name: Dena Jones Organization: Sweetie Pooch Address: Interstate 35 & U.S. 290 Austin, TX, 78754 United States Phone: (512) 927-2968 Release ID: 151081 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) North America is Expected to Account for the Largest Share of the Global Western Blotting Market The global market is segmented on the basis of product, application, and end user. By product, the market is categorized into consumables and instruments. The consumables segment is estimated to account for the largest share of the global market, by product in 2016. -- The report "Western Blotting Market by Product (Instruments, Consumables), Application (Biomedical & Biochemical Research, Disease Diagnostics), End User (Academic & Research Institutes, Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies) - Global Forecasts to 2021", This report studies the global western blotting market for the forecast period of 2016 to 2021. This market is expected to reach USD 730.7 Million by 2021 from USD 574.8 Million in 2016, growing at a CAGR of 4.9 %. The global western blotting market is segmented on the basis of product, application, end user and region. By product, the western blotting market is categorized into consumables and instruments. The consumables segment is expected to command the largest share of the global western blotting market, by product in 2016. This is attributed to factors such as increasing use of western blotting in research & diagnosis and rising incidence of diseases that require western blotting for diagnosis. The western blotting instruments are further segmented into gel electrophoresis instruments, blotting systems, and imagers. The blotting systems segment is expected to account for the largest share of the western blotting instruments market, by type in 2016. The semi-dry blotting systems are expected to command the largest share of blotting systems market, by type and are likely to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The largest share of this segment is attributed to high sensitivity, low run time, and high efficiency. On the basis of application, the global western blotting market is segmented biomedical & biochemical research, disease diagnostics, agriculture and others (biologics and quality control). The biomedical & biochemical research segment is expected to account for the largest share of the global western blotting market, by application in 2016. This can be attributed to the rising government spending in proteomics research, and increased R&D spending by pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies in drug discovery and development. However, the disease diagnostics segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2016 to 2021. This can be attributed rising prevalence and incidences of HIV, HSV, HBV, and Lyme disease, among others. On the basis of end user, the western blotting market is segmented into academic & research institutes, pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, diagnostic centers and others (CROs, food & beverage companies and forensic laboratories). In 2016, the academic & research institutes segment is expected to command the largest share of the global western blotting market, by end user. This can be attributed to the increasing research activities in the academic institutes backed by government funding and HIV initiatives by various governments across the globe. However, the disease diagnostics segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2016 to 2021. On the basis of region, the global market is divided into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World. In 2016, North America is poised to account for the largest share of the western blotting market, followed by Europe and Asia-Pacific. However, the Asia-Pacific market is slated to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Factors such as development of bioclusters in China and India, growing pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector in Japan, growing funding for agriculture research in India, increasing government interest in biomedical & biotechnology industry in China, increasing diagnosis and related funding for HIV in Australia, and growing prevalence of HSV in south east Asia are expected to propel the growth of the western blotting market in the Asia-Pacific region. Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (U.S.), Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (U.S.), GE Healthcare (U.S.), Advansta, Inc. (U.S.), LI-COR Biosciences (U.S.), PerkinElmer, Inc. (U.S.), Bio-Techne Corporation (U.S.), Merck KGaA (Germany), F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. (Switzerland), and Cell Signaling Technology, Inc. (U.S.) are some of the key players in the western blotting market worldwide. For more information, please visit http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=235810711 Contact Info: Name: Rohan Organization: MarketsandMarkets Address: 701 Pike Street Suite 2175, Seattle, WA 98101, United States Phone: 1-888-600-6441 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/north-america-is-expected-to-account-for-the-largest-share-of-the-global-western-blotting-market/150827 Release ID: 150827 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Atlanta Mold & Cleaning LLC of Decatur GA Now Offers Mold Removal & Remediation A new mold inspection, removal and remediation specialist agency has opened its doors in Decatur, GA. The company, which is owned and operated by Mr. Parnell Hall, is Atlanta Mold & Cleaning LLC. It will serve the entire Atlanta metropolitan area. -- A new mold inspection, removal and remediation specialist agency has recently opened its doors in Decatur, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. The new company is Atlanta Mold & Cleaning LLC. Its website is at: www.atlantamoldandcleaning.com Owned and operated by Mr. Parnell Hall of Decatur, Atlanta Mold and Cleaning was established to help meet the rapidly growing need for mold removal and remediation services in the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. "The Atlanta area has a very hot and humid climate," Mr. Hall observes. "And that sort of climate is the perfect incubator for mold; you will find many different strains of mold growing in homes and offices and factories everywhere here." In recent years, Mr. Hall says, more and more people in the Atlanta area have become aware of the dangers of exposure to mold, and so more and more of them are looking for mold removal and remediation specialists who can remove those dangers from their homes and workplaces. The dangers of exposure to mold can be very serious. If the exposure lasts long enough (for a year or two, or sometimes even for just a few months), all kinds of desperately debilitating diseases can result, especially auto-immune diseases, and sicknesses such as fibromyalgia. People can, as a result of exposure to mold, be reduced to a point to where they can barely walk, or type, or accomplish even the most simple and basic of daily routines. In some cases they can even die. In the past, Mr. Hall says, most doctors did not realize that many of the terrible symptoms they were seeing in patients, symptoms that did not respond to treatment, were coming from continuing exposure to mold. But doctors, he reports, are now becoming alert to this problem. Meanwhile stories in the press have also spread the alert to the general public. And so the overall awareness of the problem has been growing. And this has created an opportunity, he says, for new firms such as Atlanta Mold & Cleaning LLC. Though Atlanta Mold & Cleaning is headquartered in Decatur, Mr. Hall says it is ready to serve the entire greater Atlanta metropolitan area. Specifically, he says, the Atlanta area cities where the company will be available for complete mold inspection, removal and remediation services are: Winder, Stone Mountain, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Newton County, Marietta, Jonesboro, East Point, Douglasville, Dawsonville, Cumming, Covington, Conyers, Canton, Atlanta, Athens, and Alpharetta For more information, please visit http://www.qcswebdesignseo.com Contact Info: Name: Keb Bellows Email: keb45@icloud.com Organization: QC's Web Design & SEO Address: 7911 W. Hunters Run Dr. Release ID: 150592 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) CLD Brands Celebrates the Zelda Ocarina of Time Instrument Launch Festival CLD Brands is celebrating the launch of Zelda Ocarina of time online by provided a free padded case with purchase. Further information can be found at www.mycldbrands.com and https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YM11CWS. -- In a unique and exciting change of pace, online retailer "CLD Brands", will be celebrating the launch of the Ceramic Ocarina by providing a free padded case with purchase. It's reported the event will take place on December 3 at the annual music festival. In a space where most competitors simply fill the shelves and hand out flyers and fail to cause much of a stir, CLD Brands has opted to be a little more unique and exciting with the Zelda Ocarina of Time music instrument launch. London D, Marketing Manager at CLD Brands, says: "The company wanted to be unique and exciting with the Ceramic Ocarina launch because CLD Brands wants to reward loyal customers with a padded case to carry the ocarina in. It should be really worthwhile and the company is hoping it provides families with a nice holiday gift idea, an excellent starter instrument for children or the Legend of Zelda fan and, simply a beautiful item to showcase and display. The event should go great unless the padded cases run out! CLD Brands has always thrived on the idea of standing out and making a commotion. It's all part of the fun and it's going to help provide customers with a gift idea and collectible item, which is better than businesses that choose to do things the 'regular' way. This launch celebration is just one of the many ways CLD Brands achieves that goal. When asked about Zelda Ocarina of Time, London D said: "The company is confident that it's going to be a real hit because the ocarina is a unique instrument for chidren and adults of all ages". The Zelda Ocarina of Time is set to launch on December 3. To find out more, please visit the product page. For further information about CLD Brands, go to www.mycldbrands.com For more information, please visit http://www.mycldbrands.com Contact Info: Name: London D Organization: CLD Brands Address: PO Box 4730, Miami, 33165 CLD Brands Release ID: 151007 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Carson Valley Real Estate Sell High Value Property Lake Tahoe Report Launched A Carson Valley real estate company has launched a new report on the benefits of getting expert help in selling high value properties in the area. John Stevenson Real Estate can help people get the best deal for housing with professional sales techniques. -- John Stevenson Real Estate, of Carson Valley and Lake Tahoe, Nevada, has launched a new report on the benefits of hiring professional real estate experts to sell luxury properties in the area. People wanting to sell their homes in Genoa, Gardnerville, Minden, Johnson Lane and Gardnerville-Ranchos can find out all about how Jonn Stevenson Real Estate can get the best deal for their property by visiting the company website. Full details are available at: http://homesforsaleincarsonvalley.com. The report emphasises that an expert real estate service like John Stevenson can offer professional photography when launching a home sale, which makes a big difference in the current market when people are browsing on mobile devices and images play such a big role in any sale. In addition to this, they can aggressively market and advertise properties online to attract customers and buyers from the local area and further afield, giving properties the best chance to get found and purchased. The John Stevenson Real Estate website explains how the company brings hundreds of new buyers to its listings through expertly crafted Google advertising campaigns. In addition to this, it offers expert home evaluation and can provide thorough customer service before, during and after the sale. It goes on to emphasise that the process that the company uses to sell high value properties in the Carson Valley area is detailed and unique, which helps to ensure every client gets the best results possible. The first part of this process is conduct a detailed property inspection to assess the home's condition and make any recommendations for the best way to proceed. Following on from this, a detailed market analysis will be conducted. Home sellers in Carson Valley can rest assured that their property will be handled with individual attention and care, with over 6,000 agents receiving flyers and listings being placed on the most highly visited national websites. Once buyers have taken interest, the expert negotiators will help to ensure that all home sellers get the best deal possible for their home. For more information, please visit http://www.homesforsaleincarsonvalley.com/ Contact Info: Name: John Stevenson Organization: John Stevenson Real Estate (Homes for Sale in Carson Valley and Lake Tahoe) Address: 1662 U.S. HWY 395 N. Suite 209, Minden, 89423 United States Phone: (775) 430-4145 Release ID: 151218 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Lake Tahoe Condo Luxury Home Buy Property In Carson Valley Site Launched John Stevenson Real Estate has launched a new site for San Francisco buyers looking to move to the California-Nevada border. It offers a powerful search tool diving into Carson Valley properties and provides information on the benefits of the area. -- A new site has launched for home buyers across San Francisco and the rest of California, with property in Carson Valley, Nevada. With Lake Tahoe sitting on the northwest edge of the valley and Carson City nearby, it offers a range of benefits for people wishing to move to the California-Nevada border. More information can be found on the John Stevenson Real Estate website at: http://homesforsaleincarsonvalley.com. Interested parties looking for luxury homes, cabins and condos around Lake Tahoe or high value property in the Carson Valley area can find a wide range of choices available on the company site. In addition to this, it helps sellers to find people to buy their homes and provides them with instant home evaluations. Some of the areas the real estate agency serves are Stateline, Zephyr Cove, Glenbrook, Incline Village and Crystal Bay. Visitors looking to buy property around Lake Tahoe will find plenty of towns available to suit their needs and can use the John Stevenson Real Estate website to locate them. The company website lists a number of different benefits to living in the Carson Valley area. It is described as a great place to raise a family, and dates back to 1871 with a population of 47,000 residents. It is ideal for people looking to explore the area, ands lends itself to hiking, camping and travelling through the surrounding mountains. An interactive search map of all properties in the area is provided on the site, so visitors can simply cycle through the area to find properties in the location they most desire. Results can be filtered by town to get more precision in the search, and this brings up further statistics and information on the new search area. In addition to the search map, visitors on the company's website can use the powerful search tool on top of the page to locate their ideal property. Filters can be applied, including the county, city, and price of the property. In addition to this, results can be filtered by number of bedrooms and baths. For more information, please visit http://www.homesforsaleincarsonvalley.com/ Contact Info: Name: John Stevenson Organization: John Stevenson Real Estate (Homes for Sale in Carson Valley and Lake Tahoe) Address: 1662 U.S. HWY 395 N. Suite 209, Minden, 89423 United States Phone: (775) 430-4145 Release ID: 151217 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) EDsmart Releases 2017 Fastest Online Degree Programs By Degree-level EDsmart.org, a nationally recognized publisher of college resources and rankings, has released the 2016-2017 edition of the Fastest Accelerated Online Degree Programs -- The most recent report released by EDsmart ranks the fastest online degree programs at the associates, bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degree-levels. A total of 20 online degree programs were ranked by the duration and cost of program. Data was gathered from each schools' website. Along with rankings, EDsmart includes pertinent information about each ranked school's accelerated online program offerings. For the associates degree, Azusa Pacific University leads with a 12-month, $24,000 Associates of Art in Health Sciences. For the bachelor's degree, Mercy College offers a 12-month, $89,760 Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management. For the Master's degree, Trine University offers a 12-month, $14,000 Master of Science with a major in Criminal Justice program. At the Doctorate degree-level, Breyer State University offers a 12-month, $3,500 Doctoral Degree in Grief Counseling. In ranking order, here are fastest accelerated online degree programs for the 2016-2017 academic year: Fastest Online Associates Degree Programs 1. Azusa Pacific University 2. Kaplan University 3. Herzing University 4. Florida State College at Jacksonville 5. Florida State Institute of Technology Fastest Online Bachelor's Degree Programs 1. Mercy College 2. California Baptist University 3. Northeastern University 4. Rasmussen College 5. Gwynedd Mercy University Fastest Online Master's Degree Programs 1. Trine University 2. Southern New Hampshire University 3. University of North Texas 4. University of Miami 5. Ball State University Fastest Online Doctorate Degree Programs 1. Breyer State University 2. University of Florida 3. University of Arkansas 4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 5. University of Southern California *See the full rankings here According to Tyson Stevens, managing editor for EDsmart, "If a student is ambitious and wants to speed up the process of obtaining a degree, there are now programs that can fulfill that need." He concludes, "Not only are these programs fast, they are very affordable and can be completed from the comfort of one's own home if wanted. I wouldn't be surprised if more schools follow suit in the near future." About EDsmart: EDsmart reviews publicly available data to produce independent ranking assessments of various educational programs, in addition to student guides and resources. The site is regularly updated by a committed team of writers and researchers, who produce college rankings and resources that will help prospective and current college students make informed decisions. For more information, please visit http://www.edsmart.org/ Contact Info: Name: EDsmart Communications Email: tstevens@edsmart.org Organization: EDsmart Address: 1218 S 300 E Ste. 425 Draper, UT 84020 Phone: (707) 595-0736 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/edsmart-releases-2017-fastest-online-degree-programs-by-degree-level/151278 Release ID: 151278 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sixteen years ago, Hazem Al-Masri decided to abandon tourism studies in his native Aleppo and leave Syria for Spain to fulfill his dream of becoming a bullfighter. Earlier this year, dressed in the traditional silver of the bandillero, he appeared for the first time at Madrids iconic Las Ventas bullring at the relatively late age of 34 as part of the cuadrilla, or team, of rising star Roman, using his professional name of El Sirio. His performance delighted the crowd, earning him a standing ovation. It was the culmination of an incredible journey that began as a teenager when he saw his first bullfight, on television. I was a just a kid, but those images made a real impression on me, says Hazem, speaking from his home in the small town of Algemesi, in Spains Valencia region. I thought being a bullfighter would be something really normal in Spain I didnt even know what a bullfighter was, I didnt understand anything. I thought the whole thing was some kind of illusion, but it also seemed like something unique, filled with beauty and truth, he says. In 2000, when he turned 18, Hazem quit his studies and traveled to Spain, settling in Valencia and seeking out members of the bullfighting community there. He was initially given a tourist visa and began working at an electronic warehouse to make ends meet. His parents stayed on in Syria: his father has since died, but his mother now lives in Spain. I came to Spain with the idea of becoming a bullfighter. I like risk and think of myself as brave. The problem was that I didnt know the language: I didnt even know where I could study how to perform the paseillo, the ceremonial entrance of bullfighters into the ring. The first thing the young man did was change his name. Hazem doesnt suit you, a friend said to me: how about Alejandro does that sound good to you? And since then everyone calls me that. The whole thing with El Sirio (The Syrian) came later. Over the next four years he learned Spanish, which he speaks with surprising savoir-faire, and then presented himself at the Escuela Taurina de Valencia, the region's bullfighting school. The first thing the director told him was that at the age of 22 he was too old. I will never be content with being just another bullfighter I felt terrible. I didnt understand how something that could be so typical of Spain could be so difficult. I thought being a bullfighter would be something really normal, Hazem recalls. After this initial rejection, he tried to train at rings where local bullfighters trained. He was so persistent that he was finally allowed to come along for a few evenings and learn a few of the techniques, albeit with an imaginary bull. He spent two years learning about the equipment used by bullfighters and how to fight, but also realized he would never make his debut as a novillero, or apprentice bullfighter, meaning that he would never become a matador and kill a bull in the ring. Thats just how it is: my maestro, Victor Manuel Blazquez, told me. I am too old. And he told me I was better off trying out as a banderillero, one of three assistants who assist the matador in the ring by plunging the banderillas, the colorful barbed sticks, into the bulls shoulder. Hazem Al-Masri initially thought bullfighting was some kind of illusion, but the images stayed with him And so, seven years after arriving in Spain, Hazem made his debut in 2007 wearing a borrowed costume. That year he also invested 1,200 in a suit of lights, colored navy blue and silver, moving to Utiel, a small town in the heart of Valencia's wine growing region. In 2011, opportunity knocked. A friend who was part of Romans cuadrilla fell ill, and he stood in for him. Then, in 2014 he made his debut at Sevilles Maestranza bullring with the novillero Fernando Beltran, an occasion he says he will never forget. This year he performed for three afternoons at Madrids Las Ventas with Roman, and is hopeful about the future. Ive a lot to learn, but I will never be content with being just another bullfighter. This is a big world and very beautiful, but very demanding. I hope Roman earns a solid reputation and that I can continue being part of his team. That would make me proud. Hazem has had to balance his vocation as a bullfighter with other jobs and says that while he is happy in Spain he hasnt forgotten his origins and the tragedy that has unfolded in Syria. I didnt live through the war my memories are of a peaceful country without unemployment and full of friendly people. English version by George Mills. ShopCoupons Launches New Mobile App, Receives Over 10,000 Downloads In First Fortnight ShopCoupons is the only coupon code site in Malaysia with a mobile app, and it has already proven overwhelmingly popular, with 10,000 downloads in the first two weeks. -- Shopping is an essential part of modern living, and everything comes at a price. It is human nature to want more, to win, to get more than is paid out - but with haggling and bartering now largely a thing of the past, coming away from a shop with a sense of victory is rare. Fortunately, coupon codes now exist to help people discover and redeem special offers on almost every product imaginable, getting better value from their hard-earned money. ShopCoupons is the biggest coupon aggregator site in Malaysia, and has just launched their own mobile app, making it easier than ever for people to save, straight from their phones. The app has received over 10,000 downloads in its first two weeks. ShopCoupons' new app means individuals can hunt down deals in bricks and mortar stores throughout the real world. The app also has awesome e-commerce deals, including the latest Lazada voucher and Zalora promo code, so people can save on their online shopping while on the move. The mobile app has unique features, enabling users to sync their favourite deals to their account for easy access later, get notifications when their favourite brands post new deals, and more. The app has promotions on thousands of stores across Malaysia, including major brands that are in the shopping malls. A spokesperson for ShopCoupons explained, "We have been overwhelmed by the initial success of our app. 10,000 downloads in two weeks exceeded even our most optimistic projections. The wonderful thing about the digital age is that when a product is good, word spreads quickly. We are relieved the launch version of the app has received this kind of response, and we are already working hard on new features and updates to continue providing the best discount code app in Malaysia." About ShopCoupons: ShopCoupons is a deal aggregator platform that allow users to save while they shop online. Established since August 2014, they are now the number one coupon codes site in Malaysia, with exclusive coupons only found on their website, thanks to great relationships with partner merchants. ShopCoupons is the first discount code website in Malaysia to have an app with close to 10,000 downloads within the first two weeks, helping people save thousands everyday online. For more information, please visit https://shopcoupons.my/ Contact Info: Name: Andi Lee Organization: Social Savers Source: http://marketersmedia.com/shopcoupons-launches-new-mobile-app-receives-over-10000-downloads-in-first-fortnight/151281 Release ID: 151281 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Napa Fields Announces Winter Sale On Beard Oil The California-based skin and hair care manufacturing company is offering a $4 discount on each bottle of beard oil during the winter months, reports company spokesperson -- Winter is typically a cold, dry season that is not kind to the skin or hair, so moisturizing products of all kinds are in high demand. One manufacturer of all-natural skin and hair-care products is hoping to make life a little easier for its bearded customers. Napa Fields has announced a winter-long $4 discount on their Ultra Blend Beard Oil, reports spokesperson Jane Paula. "We're announcing our sale just in time for Christmas because a little bottle of beard oil makes the ideal stocking stuffer," said Paula. "Men with beards and mustaches love it, and so do their significant others because it makes the facial hair much softer and smoother. Besides that, dry skin is itchy skin, but men who use our beard oil don't have to suffer from skin irritation or beard dandruff all winter long. Our customers have been so enthusiastic about this product, and we're thrilled to be able to offer this discount in time for the holidays." Paula went on to describe the high-quality ingredients in the product. "It's a special blend of a variety of botanicals like hazelnut oil, rosehip seed oil, rosemary extract, jojoba oil, and fractionated coconut oil," she explained. "These ingredients all work together to moisturize the hair and skin, tighten pores, prevent in-grown hairs, protect the skin from bacteria, and of course, soften the beard." The formula also promotes beard growth by strengthening and nourishing the follicles. Paula emphasized that all ingredients are natural and organic. Although the product is made of botanical oils, users report that it does not leave a greasy residue on the beard or skin. The oil is also fragrance free, which many users consider a plus. "A lot of similar products on the market are strongly scented because they contain essential oils," observed Paula, "and men may find the strong scent hard to get used to. They may worry that it clashes with their preferred cologne, or they may prefer not wear any kind of scent at all. A lot of our customers prefer our product because it has no fragrance." Available in the company's online store and on Amazon, each bottle contains one ounce of beard oil, which should last several months, depending on the size of the beard. Because the oil is thin and non-greasy, most users find that a few drops are enough for a single application. The Ultra Blend beard oil, which comes with a no-hassle money-back guarantee, will be on sale throughout the winter as long as supplies last. About Napa Fields Napa Fields is a premium skin and hair care manufacturer, committed to using only organic, 100% natural plant oils and ingredients. Their products are manufactured and bottled in the United States. Napa Fields only uses suppliers who select high-grade materials from reliable farms with in-house quality control to meet the highest manufacturing and environmental standards. Their botanically-rich oils are all bio-degradable and vegan. For more information, please visit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011A3F3S4 Contact Info: Name: Jane Paula Organization: Napa Fields Address: 236 North Santa Cruz Ave. Los Gatos, CA 95030 Phone: 408 384-9924 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/napa-fields-announces-winter-sale-on-beard-oil/151298 Release ID: 151298 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Reputation Mart Launched Addressing Evolving Small Business Marketing Needs Effective online marketing requires finding the right balance of strategies and channels, publishes reputationmart.com -- According to the online marketing industry's latest reports, an estimated 94 percent of consumers base purchasing decisions primarily on peer opinions rather than paid advertising, up almost four percent over last year. This figure spans both B2B and B2C sectors, leading businesses to continue boosting their digital marketing efforts and budgets for the coming year. In light of these ongoing upward trends, Steve Driz, founder of The Driz Group, has launched Reputation Mart, an Ontario-based digital marketing company. Said Driz, "Reputation Mart offers an array of online services geared toward the growing needs of small and medium-sized businesses. Succeeding in today's digital landscape requires a well-rounded approach ranging from better understanding the expectations of target audiences to finding just the right balance of organic and pay per click, PPC, publicity. We cover those bases and many more for our clients, helping them surpass their competitors and thrive whether they're boosting their presences among local consumers or operating on an international level." Though expert opinions vary greatly on the overall effectiveness of social marketing, few are able to argue with the current numbers; in fact, Facebook alone holds more than 40 million small business profiles. Of those, only two million invest in paid advertising with the rest gaining free promotion courtesy of shares from fans and followers. Aside from social media, the majority of consumers allow online ratings and reviews to sway their impressions of the companies with which they are considering doing business. This lands online reputation management among the most effective tools in marketing. Organic search results generated by relevant, well-written and effectively coded content continue to gain speed in the online realm, yet paid advertising remains vital to brand advancement. Actual statistics on the clout of paid avenues varies by product or service and target audience as well as a number of other factors. For this reason, businesses engaging in extensive research prior to launching advertising campaigns fare better in this area of the marketing world. Concluded Driz, "Paid advertising shouldn't be ignored: businesses just need to be careful about how they use this particular tool. Consumers, particularly those in the beginning stages of searching for products and services, have grown annoyed with certain marketing ploys, and they're quick to discount them right off the bat. We're here to help clients use all the current tools and resources to their utmost advantage while allowing them to exert their authority on their respective industries." About Reputation Mart: Providing a broad range of cutting-edge online marketing solutions tailored to each individual client, Reputation Mart offers small and medium-sized businesses a unique approach to digital brand development and advancement. For more information, please visit http://www.reputationmart.com/ Contact Info: Name: Ilona Fishbein Organization: Reputation Mart Phone: 1 (888) 807-6278 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/reputation-mart-launched-addressing-evolving-small-business-marketing-needs/151283 Release ID: 151283 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) TiktoPlus Announces Adwords Seminar Details The company is helping motivated learners discover the power of Google's flagship advertising platform, reports http://tiktoplus.com/learn/. -- TiktoPlus, a Wilmington NC digital marketing agency, recently announced the details of their upcoming Google Adwords Seminar. The company is partnering with the University of North Carolina Wilmington Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship to introduce attendees to the Adwords platform and help motivated learners discover the power of pay-per-click ads. The Introduction to Adwords seminar will be held at the University of North Carolina Wilmington's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship starting on Wednesday, January 11th. The seminar will run for four weeks, with classes meeting every Wednesday and Thursday from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. TiktoPlus invites all interested individuals to email the CIE directly at cie@uncw.edu for more information on course cost and availability. Marc Mereyde, TiktoPlus' owner, commented "We could not be more ecstatic to host these Wilmington, NC tech workshops to introduce students to Google Adwords. Pay-per-click advertising on the Google platform can significantly boost exposure and revenue for companies and organizations looking to build an online presence, but there's a caveat attached to that success. Without a proper understanding of how Adwords works, it's also possible to lose money and achieve little to no results. We want to help people avoid critical mistakes and gain the knowledge they need to execute effective Adwords campaigns." Marc Mereyde will be the primary course instructor for TiktoPlus' Introduction To Adwords seminar. Marc holds an M.A in Teaching from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and an MS in Information and Communication Technologies from the University of Wisconsin. He has contributed his knowledge and talents to open source projects like Meteor and was featured on Mozilla's website after organizing the Wilmington Web Maker Party in July 2015. Marc is a proponent of technology education and often volunteers his time for education and technology. As Marc Mereyde continued, "As a Wilmington NC web design and marketing agency, it is our mission to help businesses and organizations succeed online. There's so much potential in the Adwords platform, and we are excited about having the opportunity to show people how to harness it." About TiktoPlus: TiktoPlus is a Wilmington, NC-based web design, SEO, and digital marketing agency offering both local and remote services. With a name based on an ancient Greek word meaning "to birth," the team at TiktoPlus believes that great achievements happen when clients use actionable steps to make their ideas come to life through words and code. As a one-stop shop web agency, the company aims to empower their customers with the knowledge they need to succeed in the online arena and give them the tools to reach their goals. For more information, please visit http://tiktoplus.com Contact Info: Name: Marc Mereyde Organization: TiktoPlus Phone: (910) 408-2272 Source: http://marketersmedia.com/tiktoplus-announces-adwords-seminar-details/151268 Release ID: 151268 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Laser Tattoo Removal Equipment Upgrade in Auckland is Better for Customers New upgrade to Asclepion Q Switched Ruby Laser Tattoo Removal Equipment introduces gives a better experience for customers wanting laser tattoo removal in Auckland NZ. -- Sacred Laser has announced a new Laser to their popular Laser Tattoo Removal and Lightening business, the Asclepion Q Switched Ruby Laser. The Asclepion Q Switched Ruby Laser has multiple new applications designed to make treatments more effective for Tattoo Removal. The Ruby Laser wave length of 694nm - The Ruby Laser operational wave length is perfect for removing difficult Blue and Green ink and also effective on stubborn hard to move Black ink. So now it takes less time to remove certain colours with this operational wave length of the new Laser, customers spend less time being treated. A full list of features of the Asclepion Q Switched Ruby Laser and more information on wave lengths and why they are important in tattoo removal can be found on the company website, here Sacred Laser Tattoo Removal. The changes in this Laser Tattoo Removal business were bought about from listening to the customers. It was the customers with difficult Blues and Greens and stubborn hard to move Black ink that motivated the team to bring in the Ruby Laser. Getting so many requests for this type of work Sacred Laser wanted to offer the most effect removal solutions for ALL ink types . As part of an ongoing effort to improve the user experience with the Asclepion Q Switched Ruby Laser, customers can expect regular updates both now and in the future. Briar Neville is one of the Co-Owners and Founders of Sacred Laser, had this to say: The company wants to keep moving forward with the latest and most effective equipment to provide the best service for our customers. Being passionate about tattooing helps us understand what our customers are looking for in a Tattoo Removal Service. Current customers interested in learning more about the Laser can do so directly on the website at http://www.sacredlaser.co.nz/ New customers can also use the site to book a free consult to hear more about the Cynosure Nd Yag Q Switched Laser and Asclepion Q Switched Ruby Laser. For more information, please visit http://www.sacredlaser.co.nz/ Contact Info: Name: Dan Anderson Organization: Sacred Laser Address: 521 New North Rd, Kingsland, Auckland, New Zealand Phone: 93651839 Release ID: 150644 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) New "Trial Lawyer Business Directory" Launches in 2017 Across The United Kingdom "Trial Lawyer Directory", is celebrating its official UK launch by Inviting Lawyers to claim their own page one listing. The launch will take place early in 2017 and will unveil a unique new way for lawyers to showcase their websites at the top of Google. -- In a unique change of pace, Nationwide business directory "Trial Lawyer", will be celebrating its official UK launch by Inviting lawyers to claim their page one listing. It's planned the launch will take place early in 2017 and will unveil a unique new way for lawyers to showcase their websites and services at the top of Google. In a world where most companies tend to inform only their close friends and business associates of a new product or service and fail to cause much of a stir, "Trial Lawyer Directory" has opted to be a little more progressive by announcing their business directory internet wide and allowing lawyers to register and secure their private listing a month in advance. Creator and owner of the "Trial Lawyer Directory", Stuart Longridge says: "the idea was to create a new type of directory listing where companies stuck on page 2,3,4 can now display their "full working website" on page one without any editing" It should be very worthwhile as it will help lawyers showcase their websites higher in the search results where the majority of people are looking for their help. http://triallawyer.co.uk "Trial Lawyer Directory's" success is due to the concept of standing out and making an impact which will help businesses get on page one without having to edit or perform expensive "search engine optimisation" procedures for their websites. When asked about the Business directory for lawyers, creator of the directory said: "it's going to be a big hit because this is a different type of listing as it displays the businesses actual working website rather than the standard directory listing where only basic details of the business can be accessed." "Trial Lawyer directory" is set to 'go live' in January. To find out more about the service and "Trial Lawyer Directory" itself, please visit: http://triallawyer.co.uk For more information, please visit http://triallawyer.co.uk Contact Info: Name: Stuart Longridge Email: invitation@paitakhtco.com Organization: Paitakhtco Address: 70 Orby Road Castlereagh, Belfast, BT5 5HP United Kingdom Phone: +447404632589 Release ID: 151077 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Foothills Painting Expands Services Into Broomfield With New Locally Optimized Website Foothills Painting has created a new website for a new market, after expanding their professional residential and commercial painting services to Broomfield, Colorado. -- Painting homes and offices is what turns them from a cold space into a welcoming environment. On the outside, it helps to protect buildings from the elements with polished exterior finishes. In both cases, painting can project a sense of taste and personality. Foothills Painting is a professional painting service offering both interior and exterior painting for both residential and commercial spaces. The company has just expanded their service area to include Broomfield, Colorado, and has launched a brand new, locally optimized website designed to make those services easy for Broomfield residents to find online. The new website is fully responsive and has been rigorously locally optimized, so people searching for the best painters Broomfield CO has to offer will quickly and easily discover the website through sites like Google and Bing. The website offers a comprehensive overview of the company and their approach, as well as information on their services and reputation. The new expansion is part of an ongoing strategic expansion by Foothills Painting. Foothills has recruited the best Broomfield CO painters to join their team and trained them in their unique approach, to ensure the same commitment to quality is evident to new clients in the Broomfield area, both in the finished paint job and in the customer experience. A spokesperson for Foothills Painting explained, "We are thrilled to be expanding into the Broomfield area, and we look forward to seeing the difference we can make to both residential and commercial spaces throughout this thriving Colorado community. Our painting services are second to none, and this expansion means that these services can now benefit more people than ever. The new website will also help to introduce us to a whole new audience. We look forward to making new connections, and becoming an integral part of the Broomfield business world." About Foothills Painting: Foothills Painting is one of the most trusted painting companies in the Northern Colorado region. In business since 2010, their proven experience has been gained painting more than 1,000 homes. The business enjoys an A+ Better Business Bureau Rating thanks to their deep-seated commitment to customer service. Now operating in Broomfield, they offer the best possible value exterior and interior paining services. For more information, please visit http://foothillspaintingbroomfield.com/ Source: http://marketersmedia.com/foothills-painting-expands-services-into-broomfield-with-new-locally-optimized-website/151382 Release ID: 151382 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Inn At The Square Hotel Announces Rebranding to the Z Hotel Jack London Square Z Hotel Jack London Square, formerly The Inn At Jack London Square, debuts with complete remodel and upgrades including a modern glass entrance and lobby renovation that welcomes guests with and Urban Flair. -- Z HOTEL JACK LONDON SQUARE FORMERLY THE INN AT JACK LONDON SQUARE DEBUTS WITH COMPLETE REMODEL & UPGRADES Modern Glass Entrance and Lobby Renovation Welcomes Guests with Urban Flair The newly rebranded Z Hotel Jack London Square welcomes guests to enjoy their complete remodel, which includes a brand-new modern exterior, lobby and entrance. The hotel's rebranding matches it's updated and renovated exterior to better represent neighborhood's vibrant and urban aesthetic. The renovation includes three stories of glass in the front facade and the addition of a zen water fountain to the hotel entrance. To complement the open and spacious expansion, the surface parking has been replaced by an attractive cobblestone surrounded by an inviting landscape that gives it a pleasant plaza feel. New landscaping and renovations to the swimming pool round out the new visitor experience. "We're excited for our guests to enjoy the extensive remodel," says Momi Assayag, Z Hotel General Manager Sales and Marketing. "The core value of the hotel is to provide all of our guests with a memorable, positive experience while they are away from home and guest can expect that as soon as they drive up to the property." Located in the heart of the Jack London neighborhood, the hotel property continues to offer convenient accessibility to Oakland's attractions. Guests are within walking distance Jack London Square, Yoshi's Oakland Jazz Club, Downtown restaurants and the Oakland Urban Wine Trail. The Z Hotel is easily accessible to public transportation, including BART, the Jack London Ferry terminal, and the free B-Shuttle up and down Broadway. The Z is also conveniently within walking distance to the Oakland Convention Center. Momi Assayag General Manager Sales & Marketing Z Hotel Jack London Square 233 Broadway Oakland, CA 94607 P: (510) 452-4565 D: (510) 379-2303 F: (510) 452-4634 www.zhoteljacklondonsquare.com For more information, please visit http://www.zhoteljacklondonsquare.com Contact Info: Name: Momi Assayag Email: massayag@zhoteljacklondonsquare.com Organization: Z Hotel Jack London Square Address: 233 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94607 United States Phone: +15105424565 Release ID: 151149 For more information visit r Recent Press Releases By The Same User Agarwood Essential Oil Market Expected to Grow at CAGR 4.2% During 2016 to 2022"> (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Cyber Weapon Market by Type, Product, Application, Region, Outlook and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Landscaping and Gardening Expert Trevor McClintock Launches New Locally Optimized Website (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Sleep apnea devices Market is Evolving At A CAGR of 7.5% by 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Agriculture Technology Market 2017 Global Analysis, Opportunities and Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Global VR Helmet Market by Manufacturers, Technology, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 (Fri 2nd Jun 17) Free Freightnet Membership List your company in the Freightnet directory. It's Free, it's Easy and your company can be displayed in front of potential freight buyers within 24 hours. Xavier Becerra, the son of Mexican immigrants, has been appointed attorney general for California , the first Latino in the states history to occupy the post. The 58-year-old, who has served 12 terms in Congress as the Democratic Partys representative for Central Los Angeles, will succeed Kamala Harris, who was elected to the US Senate in November. Xavier Becerra, the new attorney general of California. AP More information Un latino hijo de inmigrantes, nuevo fiscal general de California Attorney General is one of the most powerful posts in any state, playing a role that combines the areas top lawyer with that of its chief law-enforcement officer. Becerra was about to launch a bid to become the ranking Democrat on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee when fellow Democratic California governor Jerry Brown called him unexpectedly to offer the job. The son of Mexican immigrants, Becerra was the first member of his family to attend college, earning a law degree from Stanford Law School and a bachelors degree in economics from Stanford University, and studied at Spains Salamanca University. Unusually for second-generation Latinos of his generation, he speaks fluent Spanish. Elected to a two-year term in the state Assembly and then to the House in 1992, he rose through the ranks to become the highest-ranking Latino in Congress. Trump lost by three million votes in California Becerras appointment will be seen as a first line of defense in a state nervous over Trumps win. California is readying to protect some of the most progressive legislation in the United States on immigration, climate change and health, in sharp contrast to Trumps statements on the issues. The most populous state in the union, California also has the largest immigrant population in the United States and has been working on immigration reform though laws that aimed to protect undocumented migrants from deportation while facilitating access to welfare and even a provisional driving license. The Republican Partys presence in Californias main institutions is minimal. Browns job will be to defend Californias policies from an expected attack at the federal level led by Trump. Becerras appointment is a first line of defense in a state nervous over Trumps win Talking to EL PAIS in 2014, Becerra said that immigration reform in a country with some 11 million undocumented migrants was inevitable. Migration reform is a wave that is coming and nobody in this country is going to stop it, and much less politicians, adding: This is a palpable change: in the same way that we moved from an agricultural to an industrial economy and from that to the internet. You can stay in yesterdays world, but you wont survive. Immigration is with us. Its better to make that wave work in our favor than for it to knock us over. Before taking on California, Donald Trump will remember that while he beat Hillary Clinton by a mere 100,000 votes in the industrial north of the United States, he lost by three million in the state. English version by Nick Lyne. The Spanish Cabinet approved on Friday the budget plan that it will send to the European Commission, with the aim of guaranteeing that the government sticks to its promise to bring down its deficit next year . Spain has committed to making an adjustment of around 16 billion in 2017, to reduce its public deficit to 3.1% of GDP. Finance Minister Cristobal Montoro. Angel Diaz (EFE) To do so the budget includes a number of tax rises, including those related to company tax as well as special levies on tobacco, high-grade alcohol (beer and wine are not affected), and a new duty on sugary drinks. With these measures, the government is hoping to raise around 4.6 billion. With these changes we will see revenues from the tax of around 25 to 26 billion Finance Minister Cristobal Montoro The minority Popular Party (PP) government has negotiated these measures with the major parties in Congress, but was able to get them through thanks to a deal with the main opposition Socialist Party (PSOE). The PP won most votes at two general elections held in the last year, but failed to secure a majority. As such it will now have to seek support in Congress from other parties in order to pass legislation and get things done. The majority of the increased revenues will stem from company tax, through which an additional 4.3 billion is expected to be collected. The government will do this by limiting the fiscal benefits of the regulations, bringing it into harmony with new criteria set out by Brussels. The new levies on tobacco and alcohol are expected to raise 350 million With these changes we will see revenues from the tax of around 25 to 26 billion, said Finance Minister Cristobal Montoro on Friday. As he himself admitted, this figure is far from the pre-crisis numbers of 2008, when the duty brought in around 44 billion. The new levies on tobacco and alcohol are expected to raise 350 million, while duty will also rise on cigarettes (2.5%) and rolling tobacco (6%). The tax on sugary drinks, which are being targeted more and more by health campaigners, will also raise around 200 million. These types of taxes target what experts call negative externalities, or the costs suffered by a third party via consumption of taxed items, in this case because of detrimental effects on health. Montoro also announced that measures to combat tax fraud are expected to raise a further 2 billion, while a limit on the amount that can be paid in cash for a transaction to 1,000 is also expected to have an effect on tax evasion and reduce the widespread use of so-called black money. Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan". UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT Google Ad The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022 Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh Nintendo Mini NES Stock News & Update: Mini NES Now Available In UK Retailers Argos And Tesco The latest Nintendo Mini NES Stock news and update may give joy to NES fans. A new report suggests that classic-themed has been spotted in Tesco in the U.K. The Nintendo Classic Mini NES has been available again in the United Kingdom retailer, Tesco. However, the availability was only in limited quantaties from Tesco Direct on Wednesday, Nov. 30. As expected the console has been sold out in no time. The U.K. retailer Tesco has sent emails to its customers informing them that new Nintendo Classic Mini stock had been released. Before many people could respond, it was snapped up quickly, according to Express U.K. One shopper took Twitter to inform everyone that the Tesco Direct website was out of stock, just after a few moments she received her email. During Black Friday 2016, Nintendo Classic Mini was spotted at U.K. retail stores like Tesco and Argos. Despite a few flaws of the replica version of the classic NES, fans are still craving to get one. Some shoppers who got the Mini NES complained that the controller is too small. So one fan found a way to fix the flaw- he made a giant version. In a previous report, the giant NES controller has been available at eBay. However, this item has been racked up bids for more than $500. The giant NES controller may be useful for gamers who find difficulties in using the Mini NES controller.It can be actually used as a console to play the classic NES cartridges like "Duck Hunt" and "Legend of Zelda." Here are the classic games that can be played on Nintendo Classic Mini: "Balloon Fight," "Bubble Bobble," "Castlevania", "Castlevania II: Simon's Quest", "Donkey Kong", "Donkey Kong Jr.", "Double Dragon II: The Revenge," "Dr. Mario," "Excitebike" "Final Fantasy," "Galaga," "Ghosts N' Goblins," "Gradius," and "Ice Climber." For more updates on the Nintendo Mini NES, check back here in Gamenguide! 'Victorias Secret Fashion Show' 2016 Broadcast, News & Updates: Show A Success! What We Know So Far Before The TV Broadcast [SEE PHOTOS DIRECT FROM THEIR INSTAGRAMS!] Victorias Secret Fashion Show 2016 was held in the Grand Palais, Paris where 51 Victorias Secret Models walk the runway in their creatively enhanced lingerie. Plus three million worth of Fantasy Bra and 7 feet long wings, what could get more exciting than that? In 2014/15, according to Telegraph UK, Victorias Secret Fashion Show earned $7.2billion. You can definitely say this is one of the biggest fashion shows of the year. Like every year, the show is divided into different themes or sections. This year, Victorias Secret Fashion Show was divided into six sections, the Road Ahead, Mountain Romance, Pink Nation, Secret Angel, Dark Angel and Bright Night Angel. The Instagram posts of some of the Victorias Secret Fashion Show angels below. A photo posted by Adriana Lima (@adrianalima) on Nov 30, 2016 at 2:51pm PST A photo posted by Kendall (@kendalljenner) on Nov 30, 2016 at 10:30am PST This years performers are Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and The Weeknd. Lady Gaga surprisingly wore an elegant demure embroidered gown, as Vogue describes it. All three performer posted photos on their Instagram accounts. Lady Gaga posted a photo showing her beautiful outfit saying that she feels amazing being able to wear an extra ordinary dress that is made with love. Bruno Mars also posted a photo in the backstage about to perform. The Weeknd posted a photo of him posing on the Victorias Secret Fashion Show photo wall. A photo posted by Bruno Mars (@brunomars) on Nov 30, 2016 at 11:03pm PST A photo posted by The Weeknd (@theweeknd) on Nov 29, 2016 at 1:07pm PST Independent UK reports that there are 18 girls who debuted in Victorias Secret Fashion Show 2016. One of them is the sister of Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid who also happens to be The Weeknds ex-girlfriend. Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid are relatively new to Victorias Secret Fashion Show walking the second time. This year, they got their angel wings. If you follow Victorias Secret Fashion Show, you would understand how this moment means so much for these girls. As creative director of Victorias Secret Fashion Show, Sophia Neophitou said, when she first gave angel wings to one of the models back in 2010, she was surprised to see the model cry. It was then she realized that getting their angel wings, no matter how big or small it is, is one of the magical moments for Victorias Secret models. Catch Victorias Secret Fashion Show 2016 TV Broadcast on December 5 at 10/9C on CBS. Nokia Android Phone Release Date, Latest News & Update: Leak Reveals Nokia D1C, One Of The First Nokia Androids For 2017 Nokia plans to return to the smartphone industry in 2017 with the introduction of the Nokia Android Phone. There will be several new devices to launch next year, particularly the D1C. D1C Nokia Android Phone Arriving in Two Variants GSM Arena reported that the D1C is a Nokia Android Phone, which will be the first among three previously leaked devices. The D1C may arrive in two variants. The lower-end version is said to feature a 5-inch 1080p touchscreen, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 1.4 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 chipset, an Adreno 505 GPU, 2GB of RAM. It also supposedly has 16GB of internal storage, a 13-megapixel rear camera, and an 8-megapixel selfie camera. The new Nokia Android Phone is also said to launch with the Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. The second D1C Nokia Android Phone will reportedly have the same specifications, but feature a larger 5.5-inch screen with the same 1080p resolution, a 16-megapixsel rear shooter, and 3GB of RAM. The two Nokia Android Phones are allegedly in the prototype testing stage. Alleged leaked images of the Nokia Android Phone have started to circulate online, although these remain unconfirmed by the phone manufacturer. More Nokia Smartphones at MWC 2017 NDTV revealed that HMD Global previously acquired the exclusive global license to manufacture Nokia Android Phones and tablets in the next 10 years. The firm confirmed that it will attend the MWC 2017, most likely to unveil its new line of Nokia Android Phones. Nokia also confirmed that CEO Rajeev Suri will be present and speak at MWC 2017, who will most likely unveil the D1C Nokia Android Phone. Recently, another entry-level Nokia Android Phone was also spotted at the Geekbench benchmark listing. The handset was codenamed Pixel. A third Nokia Android Phone is said to arrive with a 5.2 or 5.5-inch screen with 2K QHD resolution. It may run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset. The primary camera may feature the Zeiss lens and have waterproof traits together with its metal unibody design. Game of Thrones Season 7 Spoilers PREDICTION: Jon Snow Forfeits Crown, Captures A Wight To Prove White Walker Threat Is Real It seems that the "Game of Thrones" Season 7 is setting up a reunion for all the Stark siblings. Jon Snow and Sansa will form an alliance, and there are speculations that Jon Snow will not be King of the North because he will relinquish his crown to Bran. Movie News Guide reports that "Game of Thrones" Season 7 will feature the reunion of the Starks to make way for an epic battle that will happen in Season 8. While there are no indications of what war they need to be prepared for, the fact that the siblings will be all together is a signal of big things coming. Meanwhile, there are several spoilers for "Game of Thrones" Season 7 that have been confirmed in reports. One is that Jon Snow will put Sansa as the head of Winterfell while he goes with Ser Davos to finally meet Daenerys, mother of dragons. It also appears that Arya and Sansa will bicker and fight given their already tense relationship, which is something that Littlefinger would do his best to exploit. But leaked spoilers point to Sansa finding out about Littlefinger's plan and orders him killed, an order which would be carried out by none other than Arya. Another thing to look forward to in "Game of Thrones" Season 7 is Jon Snow's efforts to prove to not only Daenerys but the also the rest of Westeros that the White Walkers, and the threat presented is real. Apparently, filming in Northern Ireland involves Jon Snow, with a green screen and many wights. Jon Snow is able to capture a wight, which he then presents it not only to Daenerys but other characters like Tyrion and Cersei. Another spoiler for "Game of Thrones" Season 7 shows Jon's violent actions toward Theon, who he has not seen since the latter betrayed the Stark family. Jon would have killed him if not for his help in freeing Sansa from Ramsay. These spoilers for "Game of Thrones" Season 7 are all but confirmed, but of course nothing is set in stone until viewers see it on their screens. Which of the ones mentioned are you most excited to see? Share your thoughts and comments below. Kendall Jenner Talks About Kanye West; Jenner Walks With Bella, Gigi Hadid With Their Wings At The Victoria's Secret Show in Paris Kendall Jenner recently walked down the Victoria's Secret runway for this year. Jenner kept her cool even though, they are having family problems because of Kanye West's current condition. In a report from PEOPLE.com, Kendall Jenner opened up about her brother-in-law's condition, Kanye West. As she prepared for her Victoria Secret Fashion Show in Paris, Jenner gave a brief update about how their family is doing, while West is in the hospital. "Everyone is okay,"Jenner said in an interview. "Everyone is doing okay, just praying." Jenner believes that the Gold Digger rapper will be okay. Her sister, Kim Kardashian had been with West and has reportedly not left his side. West got hospitalized for sleep deprivation and exhaustion. Many people think his recent rants were caused by his anxiety and depression as the death anniversary of his mom passed by. Reports claimed that West had been on several medications to help him get well and feel better. He is reportedly having issues from the past, which also triggered the health scare. "The only person Kanye trusts is Kim," an observer claimed. "Kim does spend hours with Kanye every day. She says that Kanye is on many different medications and that his doctors are figuring out proper doses. Kim says that not much has changed since he was admitted and that his doctors seem concerned." Jenner and the rest of their family members have been supportive of Kardashian and her husband. However, Jenner still needed to work and fly to Paris to strut the runway. USA Today even revealed that Jenner wore wings during the event together with Bella and Gigi Hadid. Jenner was wearing red undies with her high boots along with her suede angel wing. As of this date, Kendall Jenner has not given any update about her sister, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. Fans are hoping that the rapper gets well soon. Nokia Android Phone 2017 Release Date, Price, Latest News & Update: Tech Giant Comeback Features Two New Android Phones? Android Tablet Underway? Before Apple, Samsung and other tech giants entered the scene of mobile phones, Nokia was the hottest brand in the market. The decline of Nokia was very imminent as more and more smartphone brands and companies ventured in the industry. However, Nokia might be making a big comeback in 2017 with a Nokia Android phone. Nokia Android Phone 2017 Price 2016 has been a very busy year for Nokia, as it prepares to launch Nokia Android phones by 2017. The previous OS partner of Nokia was Windows and it was not a pairing that consumers liked. It was difficult for tech analysts to specifically pinpoint what went wrong with Nokia's journey. However, Apple and Samsung might just have to face another worthy competition with Nokia Android phone 2017. Price-wise, Nokia has yet to reveal the Nokia Android phone 2017 market value. Nokia Android Phone 2017: Goodbye Microsoft, Hello Android! Now that Microsoft has already found a new partner in the form of Lumia gadgets, Nokia Android phone 2017 is Nokia's clapback. Nokia Android phone 2017 is not the first collaboration of Nokia with Android. Earlier, it produced a tablet that was commonly compared to an iPad powered by Android. Put simply, it was not as successful as the company hoped to be, failing to catch the attention and wallets of the consumers. Nokia Android phone 2017 is the latest entry of Nokia in its bid to penetrate the smartphone industry once again. Hopefully, the consumers will give Nokia Android phone 2017 a chance. Likewise, Nokia must ensure that the features of the Nokia Android phone 2017 will be impressive enough for the choosy and expectant consumers. Nokia Android Phone 2017 Release Date As of writing, Nokia Android phone 2017 release date remains to be announced. Nokia reportedly aims to launch Nokia Android phone by early 2017. Stay tuned to GamenGuide for more Nokia Android phone 2017 news and updates! Motorola Latest News & Update:Google Tango Might Be Added To Moto Mod Arrangement? Motorola is conceivably anticipating taking after Lenovo's means and use the increased reality innovation of Google known as Tango. Aymar de Lencquesaing, director and president of Motorola, dropped a few insights of a conceivable Tango Moto Mod amid a press occasion held on Nov. 30. "The tablet people did a phablet and worked with Google, the Tango group, to turn out with a Tango phablet. Going ahead, we'll need to address as a gathering how would we accommodate the items that are at the border? We're probably going to have a Tango module to essentially empower the Z to have Tango usefulness." Lenovo released the principal ever gadget with the Google Tango innovation in the Phab 2 Pro early a month ago. Motorola, which was procured by Lenovo in 2014, is probably going to take action accordingly. On the off chance that this demonstrates genuine, the Tango won't be incorporated in Motorola's gadgets not at all like what Lenovo did with its phablet. The Moto Z will probably bolster Tango with the assistance of a Moto Mod. Smartphone Motorola Moto G4 Play 4G Dual XT1600 Preto Dual Chip, R$ 769,00 >>> https://t.co/5bTS29qbtM pic.twitter.com/BxhqIicIQL Joamot30 (@joamot30) November 25, 2016 The Moto Z, which at present offers for around $499.99, makes utilization of Moto Mods to perform or enhance assignments. The Hasselblad True Zoom mod transforms the Z into a great camera while it likewise turns into a smaller than usual projector with the assistance of the Moto Insta-Share Projector mod. The JBL SoundBoost is a speaker mod while the Incipio offGRID Power Pack gives up to 22 hours of battery life. Another Moto Mod, the Moto Style Shell, transforms the Moto Z into a beautiful wood-outlined telephone. When Will Samsung Finally Explain What Happened To The Galaxy Note 7? There has been a number of assumptions looking to explain why the Galaxy Note 7's battery overheated, exploded and caught fire but the giant tech company has not acknowledged any of them. December is here and Samsung has not supplied any explanation about the cause of explosions that made the news since September. Industry sources said Samsung Electronics is expected to announce the concluding results of its probe into the fire-hazard Galaxy Note 7 within the year. "We are considering all possibilities to find out the exact cause of the accidents," said a Samsung official. Samsung Galaxy Note 7: Faulty Batteries Not The Real Culprit Of The Explosions Samsung started investigating the explosions shortly after it was forced to issue a worldwide recall. Batteries are considered to be the ignition point, but other issues may have caused the explosions. The company then declared the early batch of phones had defective batteries and guaranteed customers that the replacement batteries would be safe. However, that wasn't the case. Right after the first recall issued in September, the company pinpointed faulty batteries produced by its sister company Samsung SDI to have caused the mishaps, replacing them with those made by China's ATL. After continuing to market replacement Galaxy Note 7 phones for weeks despite more reports of fires and explosions, Samsung has decided to terminate manufacturing the fire-prone phone permanently. Samsung Investigations Dig Deeper On November 11, the Samsung launched a new round of investigation to find out the cause of several fires and explosions related to the bigger-screen phone together with product safety authorities and experts both in Korea and the US, according to The Korea Herald. The sources said the reuse of the returned phones is also dependent on the investigation's results. One rumor said that Samsung may consider selling refurbished Galaxy Note 7 units once it fixes them for good. The Note 7 debacle has already wiped about $18 billion from Samsung's value and caused the company to miss an estimated $17 billion in revenue, cited The Business Insider. Xiaomi Mi 5c Specs, Price, Release Date, News & Update: Affordable Smartphone Coming This December? The Xiaomi Mi 5c is expected to be released this month. Recent reports reveal that the highly anticipated Android phone will be made available starting on Dec. 6. There have been speculations that the Xiaomi Mi 5c will be launched on Dec. 12. However, may believe that the device will be unveiled in a Chinese event next week. The early release date is exciting fans who are eager to confirm if the Xiaomi Mi 5c is indeed similar with the Xiaomi Mi 5s. The upcoming Xiaomi Mi 5c is directly being compared with the latest product of the company. The two devices are said to have the same features and functionalities. The Xiaomi Mi 5c will reportedly be powered by a 2.2 GHz octa-core processor and a 3 GB of RAM. It is expected to run on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which is the latest operating system for mobile devices by Google. A 64 GB of storage will most likely be included, as per GSMArena. In terms of camera quality, the Xiaomi Mi 5c will sport a 12 MP lens for the rear camera and 8 MP for the front camera for quality selfies. In addition to the beyond average features of the Xiaomi Mi 5c, the phone's security is said to be tough. A fingerprint sensor might be included to protect the privacy of the users. No one can easily access the smartphone with this technology. The affordable price of the Xiaomi Mi 5c is actually the part of the main factors why many are anticipating for the device. The upcoming smartphone has an estimated price of $150. Though Xiaomi has not yet revealed that actual price of their product, the price is expected to be near the projected value, as earlier reported by GamenGuide. The Xiaomi Mi 5c will come in two different versions. One will have a 5.2-inch screen and the other one will be 5.5 inches. Bella Hadid Debuts At Victoria's Secret Fashion Show And Attends After Party With Ex-Boyfriend The Weeknd. Are They Back Together? Another year and another Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. The 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show just concluded last night in Paris, France. Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner got their wings. But the biggest story everyone's talking about is Bella Hadid and her ex-boyfriend, Canadian rapper The Weeknd. The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, was one of the performers at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. With Bella Hadid as one of the models in the fashion show, it's inevitable that Bella Hadid and The Weeknd would cross paths backstage. However, the most bizarre, if not awkward, turn of events happened during the show. In a completely non-scripted and non-publicity stunt, both Bella Hadid and The Weeknd ended up on stage at the exact same time. The Weeknd was performing his hit song "Starboy"on stage when Bella Hadid walked out onto the catwalk in a lace gown with a silk corset. The Weeknd was then forced to sing to her. While strutting down the catwalk, Bella Hadid walked pass by her ex-boyfriend and gave him a look that seems to be like telling him "This is what you've been missing". The Weeknd couldn't help but stare at her and almost followed Bella Hadid back up the catwalk like a little lost puppy. The internet went crazy after the incident and twitter was abuzz. After the fashion show, Bella Hadid went to the after-party at the Pavillon Etoile later that evening. The Weekend also attended the party. Hours after heading out together, Bella Hadid posted on her Instagram account publicly thanking The Weeknd. "I can't believe it! I was smiling SO HUGE on the inside I promise!!!! The most fun and nerve racking experience of my life but I wish I could do it over and over and over again!!!!! 'Thank you @theweeknd for being the best and most incredible performer on the planet. You KILLED it, as always." Bella Hadid is the sister of fellow supermodel Gigi Hadid and the daughter of The Real Houswives of Beverly Hills star Yolanda Hadid. Bella Hadid and The Weeknd started dating in 2015. They broke up this month announcing the split on November 11. 'The Vampire Diaries' Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley Confirmed for Anna Rice 'The Vampire Chronicles' Lestat and Louis Role? "The Vampire Diaries" lead stars Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley are both frontrunners to play Lestat de Lioncourt and Louis de Pointe du Lac in Anna Rice upcoming "The Vampire Chronicles" television series. Rumor has it that "The Vampire Diaries" actors Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley both fit the characters of Anna Rice's beloved fictional characters Lestat and Louis, who were portrayed by Hollywood A-list actors Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in the film Version "Interview with the Vampire". According to Australia Network News, Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley's "The Vampire Diaries" will officially end this coming March 2017 however, this does not mean that the two actors will also take a rest in playing a vampire character. Ian Soemrhalder and Paul Wesley have been playing the role of Damon and Stefan Salvatore in "The Vampire Diaries" for the past eight year. This alone, could be one of the bases of Anna Rice to be convinced that these actors fit her requirements for Lestat and Louis character. Meanwhile, as the news started filling up the web, fans begin to express their opinion and excitedly welcome Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley as the new vampire hotties that will soon portray Lestat and Louis. Fans think that they will perfectly play the characters just like how Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt portray it. On the other hand, though majority of their fans are in favor of the rumored new roles of Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, some think that they should take rest for fantasy-type series and let go the vampire characters of Lestat and Louis and just move on to other projects and explore new characters far from their previous role in "The Vampire Diaries". Anna Rice "The Vampire Chronicles" iTechPost reported that Anna Rice confirmed on her official Facebook page that her "The Vampire Chronicles" will be a TV series soon and is currently in the early stages of production. Furthermore, Anna Rice also noted that she and her son, Christopher, team up for the project and still looking for television producers. "Television is where the vampires belong," the writer said. "The Vampire Chronicles" that is set to be seen on our TV screens will allegedly start with the story of the main vampire Lestat de Lioncourt, titled "The Vampire Lestat". Donald Trump Allowed Send Unblockable Text Messages; WEAs From Trump Worries Citizens US President-elect Donald Trump will be allowed to send unblockable texts to US citizens from January 20, 2017. He will get this special permission as soon as he is sworn in as the president . Meanwhile Americans are a bit worried about getting messages from the new president. It was in 2006 when Congress passed the Warning, Alert, and Response Network (WARN) Act. Through 90-character "Wireless Emergency Alerts," warning messages or emergency texts are sent to Americans and those massages are not allowed to be blocked. New York Magazine states that these alerts can be sent in bulk to each and every American citizen. The alert messaging will make sure the new president Donald Trump also communicates with the public well. Who Else Are Allowed to Send WEAs Besides Donald Trump? WEAs act in such a way that the senders can send the unblockable messages to every mobile phone that reflects signal from nearby cell towers located in geographically relevant regions. However, the limit extends to the sending of such messages to each and every signal person at the time of national emergency. It will, however, be the time for Donald Trump, after ex-US President Barack Obama, to decide on which is the matter to be disclosed and spread to the public and which of them should be kept a secret, Android Headlines mentioned. Moreover, the use of WEAs has been limited by the FCC. It restrictively allows sending the unblockable texts to three clients only - Alerts by the president, Alerts regarding threats, safety or national interest, and Amber alerts. From January 21, Donald Trump will be able to enjoy the power of sending emergency texts to the American citizens. Where Donald Trump is preparing to take over as the president of the United States, some political actors are raising doubts over his win. Green Party member Jill Stein has called for recounting of votes in Wisconsin constituency as she believes that there has been tampering of data or mistake in counting the number of votes during the US presidential elections 2016. Trump rival Democrat Hillary Clinton has supported the recounting campaign. British Royal Family News And Update: Meghan Markle Will Not Be With Prince Harry This Christmas Meghan Markle won't be at Prince Harry's side this Christmas, as tradition dictates that only members of the British royal family will attend the annual holiday gathering at Sandringham. For the holidays, the British royal family traditionally stay for a three-day gathering at the Sandringham, the Queen's estate in Norfolk, England. The vacation is strictly for family members only, meaning no girlfriends present until married. Prince Harry was said to have asked his grandmother to bend the rules for his girlfriend, Meghan Markle, the leading actress of Suits. Unfortunately, his request to have Meghan Markle included in the guest list was rejected by the queen. Prince Harry was said to be angry in behalf of his lady love, but Prince Charles informed his son not to take it personally and reminded him that not even Kate Middleton was allowed in Sandringham until she and Prince William were married, as per inTouch. According to the insider, Prince Harry was fed up with the rules and threatened to go to the States instead to spend the holidays with Meghan. But another royal family expert insists that's not the case and Prince Harry knows enough to respect the family tradition. Katie Nicholl, a royal expert, says that according to her sources, "[Harry] knows the rules of the royal family and he knows that until they get engaged, Meghan will not have a place around that Christmas dinner table. If you think about all those years that Prince William was courting Kate Middleton, she had to wait 10 years until she was invited to Sandringham. Harry and Meghan have only been dating for a few months. So, no, the queen has not stolen Christmas, and, no, Meghan Markle won't be at the Christmas table at Sandringham this year," as per ET. Harry and Meghan haven't been seen together since the prince launched his Caribbean tour, but Nicholl is confident they'll be able to meet up and spend some time together before Christmas. "My sources do tell me that they have plans to meet up as soon as Prince Harry has finished his tour, which will be this weekend. It's possible they might meet in London. There's a chance they might meet in L.A. That said, Prince Harry does have an engagement in London next week, so if I was putting money on it, I'd say if they're going to be meeting up, it's more likely to be over here than in the States." Brad Pitt And Angelina Jolie Divorce Update: The Ex-Couple Could Both Lose Adopted Kids Pax And Maddox It's more than two months when Angelina Jolie field for divorce from ex-husband Brad Pitt. The ex-couple expects a lengthy and nasty court battle for the custody of their six children. However, that may be the least of their problems. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt might be facing a dilemma far worse than their child custody battle case. According to a report from Radar Online, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are fighting a different battle aside from their child custody case. In a sudden cruel twist of fate, Angelia Jolie and Brad Pitt could lose both their adopted sons, Pax, and Maddox. Pax's biological birth mom will soon be released from a prison in Vietnam, Radar Online has learned and the mother wants to reunite with her son. Maddox's parents meanwhile are said to be alive. An insider said that since the day Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt adopted Pax and Maddox, this is the day that they feared the most. "I'm sure both Brad and Angie are freaking out over this. It's been a fear from day one that the biological parents of their adopted kids would resurface," the insider said. Pax, now 13 years old and Maddox, 15, were adopted by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt under different circumstances. Pax was only three years old when he was adopted by Angelina Jolie from an orphanage in Vietnam back in 2007. Pax's biological mom, Pham Thu Dung, left her son at the orphanage when she was sent to prison. Now reports have surfaced that Pax's mom will soon be released from prison and according to a volunteer at the orphanage she wants her son back. Meanwhile, Maoddox's situation is bit more complicated. Maddox adoption was brokered by a crooked agent. The agent, Lauryn Galindo, was later jailed in the US for visa fraud and money laundering involving more than 800 adoptions. Lauryn Galindo was said to have arranged adoptions of orphans whose families are still alive. Angelina Jolie was led to believe by Lauryn Galindo that Maddox's biological parents are dead. But now reports have surfaced that may not be true. If Pax's biological mom comes forward, that may also lead to Maddox's biological parents, if they are indeed alive, to come forward as well. The situation with Maddox won't look good on Angelina Jolie's status in the UN. An insider also said that both Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have no real idea regarding the background of Pax and Maddox before they adopted the two kids. "All they know about Pax is that he came to the orphanage at 2 days old after his mother, Pham, ran away from the hospital. With Maddox, they had to rely on Galindo's word." Nokia 2017 Smartphones Latest News & Update: Tech Back On Track! Powered By Google's Android? Future Nokia smartphones will use Google's Android working framework, presently conveyed on 86 [percent] of the world's smartphones. Nobody knows yet what will be its name and what number of mobile devices are there for the fans, yet beyond any doubt, things is Nokia is back on track. multinational interchanges and data innovation organization, established in 1865. Nokia is headquartered in Espoo, Uusimaa, in the more prominent Helsinki metropolitan range. As per many gossipy tidbits, the returning mobile devices of Nokia on 2017 will all be fueled by Google. As reported by The Verge, the principal Nokia-marked handsets running Android are expected to arrive before the actually arranged time one year from now, 2017. In the wake of declaring its arrangements to come back to tablets and telephones back in May, Nokia is giving more points of interest today as it formalizes a permitting concurrence with HMD Global (HMD). Additionally situated in Finland, HMD worldwide is the new home of Nokia telephones under a brand authorizing bargain that will keep going for no less than 10 years. With @nokia's comeback in 2017, could we see the revival of the #Nokia N9? Might be the most underrated smartphone: https://t.co/YPYNPJ9bIg pic.twitter.com/QGnub1cIT8 Lowyat.NET (@LowyatNET) December 2, 2016 The company will see HMD make the primary group of Android-controlled Nokia mobile device in mid-2017 with arrangements to extend its endeavors to likewise incorporate the generation of moderate element telephones. Here is a portion of the announcement from HMD posted by TNW. HMD has built up a one of a kind key association shows that will see it working with a portion of the world's driving innovation organizations including Nokia, FIH Mobile Limited (FIH) and Google. Simply early this year, the Finish telephone creator helped clients to remember its image when it shockingly dropped another element telephone. So for the present, we'll need to hold up until the principal half of one year from now to see if Nokia mobile device will be Android-fueled handsets. The Bachelor 2017 News & Update: Rachel Lindsay; A Contestant Of Nick Viall Has A Part Of His Past Rachel Lindsay, one of the contestants appearing on "The Bachelor 2017" with Nick Viall, is having a part of her past exposed in a new report. It's a classic case of someone affiliated with The Bachelor franchise having something in their history that would eventually find its way in the headlines. Radar Online obtained some legal documents filed against Rachel Lindsay for allegedly "causing a car wreck." Documents from the "Dallas County District Court" reveal that the apparent victim in the crash accused Rachel Lindsay of negligently failing to control her vehicle, which caused a collision between them. "On June 14, 2013 while traveling south bound on highway US-75; in Dallas County, plaintiff's vehicle was struck from behind by a vehicle driven by defendant Lindsay,"-As stated by the petition. "Defendant Lindsay negligently failed to control the speed of or stop her car. Defendant's negligence caused damage to the car being driven by the plaintiff and to plaintiff's person."-Added by the records in the petition. According to the report, the plaintiff requested damages for medical expenses, pain, future suffering, and compensation for past physical ailments, loss in earnings, and mental anguish. "The Bachelor 2017" contestant denied the accusations and the parties settled with "State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company" with Lindsay agreeing to pay the plaintiff $12,500. The lawsuit against Lindsay was dismissed with prejudice in return. Rachel Lindsay is the first African-American contestant on "The Bachelor" to go far on the show. Rachel Lindsay definitely catches Nick Viall's eye early on in the show. The two had a one-on-one date in New Orleans when filming began and several photos were posted on social media of the two having a great time together. "The Bachelor" 2017 with Nick Viall premieres on January 2, Monday, on ABC at 8 PM. Nokia Smartphone Latest News & Update: New Home Found HMD Global Oy? Fresh Round Of Android Phones Out Early 2017 Nokia was a global brand that dominated the competition for many years. The company's decision not to take part in the growing Android market spelled doom for the once established mobile brand. But, recent news reports have hinted of Nokia's comeback. Will the third attempt to revive the brand work this time? According to ArsTechnica, HMD Global Oy and Nokia have finally announced the final agreement on the 10-year licensing deal that was first publicized six months ago. The new owners of Nokia has even launched an updated official website to introduce them to global mobile phone users. Nokia's New Smartphone Start Based On Old Faces Previous Nokia president Anssi Vanjoki's stubbornness to take part in the growing Android operating system might have caused the brand to fail. However, the new HMD Global Oy's take on the brand's rebirth includes a line-up from old familiar faces. In HMD Global Oy's website, 16 of the 17 executives that they hired all worked for Nokia before. According to the company's CEO Arto Nummela, the plan is to deliver quality phones that Nokia was well known to deliver during its reign as the world's number one cellphone brand. Nummela was also the former vice president of Nokia before the brand failed to get a grip on the booming smartphone industry. Nokia Plans Release An Android Smartphone in 2017 Nokia is at least learning from its past mistakes. In an article by Forbes, Nummela officially confirmed the release of two Android smartphones for the first and second quarter of 2017. The announcement was a big relief for fans of the former Nokia brand. For the meantime, Nokia's official website is just showing a bunch of its reliable feature phones. After failing a few attempts with Microsoft, Nokia hopes that this time, they'll be sticking around. Michelle Calls Barack Obama 'Loser and Idiot'? President Fires Back with Divorce Michelle and Barack Obama once tag as Whitehouse "perfect couple" is reportedly under a marriage meltdown. Will they become the politics' Brangelina couple? Who would have thought that Michelle Obama and US President Barack Obama will eventually face a marital problem after all the years of publicly showing off their affection to each other? Are they just faking it or not? According to a tabloid magazine, National Enquirer, Michelle Obama is outrage with her husband Barack Obama that leads her to declaring that she "wanted out" of his life. The tabloid magazine noted that few of the reasons are the "stress of presidency, jealousy" and the recent victory of Donald Trump. Adding on, a so-called insider revealed that Barack Obama is as angry as his wife. The first Afro-American president blames Michelle Obama for Hillary Clinton's defeat. He allegedly insisted that his wife did not give enough help to the presidential candidate and as a result, Donald Trump brought home the bacon. Meanwhile, Michelle Obama also had her say in the situation. The tabloid magazine claimed that all the trash in their marriage for the past eight years are exposed. The 52-year-old first lady points her finger to Barack Obama's affair. She accused her husband of hiding a love nest at a nearby Washington hotel. "I wish I'd never met you - and I'm keeping the girls!" Michelle yells back at her husband after the latter said that she can have her divorce. "You're a loser and an idiot!" The Truth Behind The Divorce As usual, Gossip Cop once again, debunked National Enquirer's claim. It seems like the tabloid site is trying its best to go viral with a baseless and scripted claim about the Obamas. This is not the first time that this so-called tabloid magazine published a negative report about the first family. They already called out Michelle Obama for allegedly flirting with actor Morgan Freeman. On the other hand, in Barack Obama's previous interview with Jimmy Kimmel, he indeed admitted that he and wife Michelle did talk about divorce. In Huffington Post report, instead of Barack Obama declaring a divorce, it is Michelle who warned the president. However, the warning is not about jealousy or about the republicans defeat... it is about him running for the third time in politics. "Personally, for me, if I were able to run for a third time, Michelle would divorce me" Barack Obama admitted. Artificial Intelligence Latest News & Update: Facebook Meets With Millenials To 'Demystify' AI Concept Facebook has decided to make the concept of artificial intelligence known to young generation and make sure it does not remain a complicated and mysterious term anymore. The social media brand has a separate AI laboratory where the students can learn various details about the concept. Facebook Simplifies Artificial Intelligence For Millenials Facebook's AI Lab and Applied Machine Learning group's research chief operator Yann LeCun and Joaquin Quininero Candela confirmed that the students will be guided with the concept and will be made comfortable with the term, which they think is complicated. To do so, Facebook would want the students to focus more on Mathematics. The tech company, according to the Tech Crunch, will focus on Calc I, Calc II, Calc III, Probability, Linear Algebra and Statistics. This is instead of the rather than widely-used principle of STEM that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. Facebook's AI Plan Facebook will introduce a public relations campaign on Thursday and present videos and theories designed to educate on the different terminologies used by the AI niche. LeCun confirmed that Facebook, though its campaign, will try to "demystify" the concept of AI and tell people that artificial intelligence is no magic. Another goal is to get the younger generation attracted to the field, which they might run away from because of their suspicion of it being mysterious and complicated. "AI is going to affect our lives and it's going to affect technology and it's very important to have some idea of how it works and what it can do," Fortune quoted LeCun as saying. When the devil and the most powerful human being on planet Earth strike a deal, it is a recipe for disaster. Sam and Dean along with Crowley and Rowena run after Lucifer before he executes his evil plan in "Supernatural" Season 12, episode 8. Warning: Spoilers Ahead! Preview Trailer - "Supernatural" Season 12, Episode 8 Lucifer is looking for a new vessel after escaping from Vince Vincente's rock star avatar in episode 7. His search for a powerful vessel takes him to the White House. The promo shows Lucifer finding "the perfect safe house" and there are shots of a priest possessed by the Devil in the church. The Devil is moving on to blue chips and it is getting difficult for Sam and Dean. Meanwhile, the President of the United States makes a deal with Lucifer's vessel and it can be devastating. Credit: YouTube/Television Promos Synopsis for "Supernatural" Season 12, Episode 8 "Lucifer's search for power and influence in a vessel lands him in the White House. The President of The United States (guest star David Chisum) unknowingly makes a deal with the devil, leading Sam (Jared Padalecki), Dean (Jensen Ackles), Castiel (Misha Collins), Crowley (Mark A. Sheppard) and Rowena (guest star Ruth Connell) to band together to fight the Dark Lord. Directed by Phil Sgriccia the episode was written by Eugenie Ross-Leming and Brad Buckner." via Spoiler TV. Meanwhile, in the last episode of "Supernatural" Season 12, Lucifer returned after Rowena damaged his vessel. Using the Satan feather, Lucifer was able to revive and heal himself in a rock star's body. Sam, Dean and Castiel went into the underground music industry to find Lucifer. Stay tuned for more spoilers, updates and news from "Supernatural" Season 12. This episode of "Supernatural" is slated to air on Dec. 8, 2016 on CW. Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders Google Ad PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol Armenia and Azerbaijan to do so without delay An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan". UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT Google Ad The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022 Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments Delegation by Nancy Pelosi Accompanied by Alen Simonyan Visits Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Yerevan Armenian Revytech, global technology leader SAP and financial services software specialist SAP Fioneer sign a cooperation agreement With 120 million drams donated by Mikael Vardanyan, the defenders of the homeland will be treated in a new building OSCE Chairman-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General call for immediate cessation of hostilities along Armenia-Azerbaijan border Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh The new rules would apply to employees, and elected and appointed officials. May 20, 1923 Nov. 16, 2016 Lois Marie (Schuler) Hopkins died Nov. 16. She was born in Corvallis May 20, 1923, to Louis and Ina Hopkins Lois attended Harding Elementary School and graduated from Corvallis High School in 1941 where she met her husband, Emmett Schuler. They lived in Chicago, Whidbey Island, Washington, Corvallis and Salem before settling in Albany in the home where she lived until her final moments. Lois worked as a civilian employee for the Navy, was a longtime employee of Don Endicott construction, worked for the State of Oregon, and finished her career with ESD. She was a very talented homemaker, seamstress, and cook and a loyal Trail Blazers fan. Her husband Emmett passed away in 1975, she never remarried. She was able to enjoy many celebrations and treasured many ordinary days with her three devoted sons and their families who now miss her dearly: John Schuler of Albany and wife Leslie, Bill Schuler of Albany and wife Jill, and Terry Schuler of Beaverton and wife Melissa. Lois was blessed with seven loving grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. The service will be at 1 p.m. Dec. 5 at Eastside Christian Church in Albany. Arrangements are being handled by Fisher Funeral Home. Aug. 4, 1948 Nov. 26, 2016 Roy Van Epps, 68, of Lebanon passed away Saturday. He was born in Lebanon to Albert and Jessie Marie (Blackwell) Van Epps. He served in the United States Air Force from 1968 to 1972. Roy worked for three different metal detector companies. He owned his own business, Discovery Electronics and HPR. He also owned Apple Creek Cafe. He loved to go to classic car shows. He enjoyed camping, hunting, fishing and metal detecting. Roy is survived by his wife, Cathy Ann Van Epps of Lebanon; children Jennifer Ann Gagneaux of Tangent and Sarah Lynn Chytka of Albany; sister June Dickson of Lebanon; and two grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his mother, Jessie Van Epps in 2016, and father Albert Van Epps in 1994. Military honors will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, at Crawfordsville Union Cemetery. A memorial service will follow at 2 p.m. at Sweet Home Funeral Chapel. Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling arrangements (www.sweethomefuneral.com). The city of Corvallis has lost another skirmish in the battle over Timberhill. In a stinging rebuke, the states Land Use Board of Appeals has remanded or sent back a city decision on plans by developers to extend Kings Boulevard through approximately 200 acres of land they own north of the intersection of Kings and Walnut. This is the second remand in the Kings extension case. An earlier LUBA action June 15 was followed by new city findings. GPA1, the group hoping to develop the land, appealed those findings back to LUBA. Monday, in a 20-page order signed by board chair Michael Holstun and board members Melissa Ryan and Tod Bassham, LUBA told the city to, in effect, try again, but this time in a much more limited framework. We agree with petitioner that the city improperly construed the applicable law in denying the application, the order read. LUBA said the city must either 1) approve petitioners proposed alignment that is consistent with the planned and approved location, or 2) make it very clear to petitioner which alternative alignment the city will accept. The order concluded that sending petitioner on another unguided or poorly guided errand to make yet another proposal or to collect additional information is not an option at this point in the process. Representatives of GPA1 are pleased with LUBAs decision, said Dale Kern of Commercial Associates, which is working with GPA1 on the project. LUBA has once again strongly disagreed with the city. Kern also expressed frustration at the lengthy process. The citys continued actions in this matter, obviously aimed at delaying or preventing the development of the Timberhill property, has been blatantly unfair to the owners. Perhaps more importantly, the citys actions have required the expenditure of a great deal of city staff time (and) legal fees. This waste of time and taxpayers money seems particularly absurd, given the state of the citys budget and the citys recent idea of a sevenfold increase in street maintenance fees. Deputy City Attorney David Coulombe, who represented the city in oral arguments before LUBA, said that he expects that there will be compliance, but he chose not to comment further on the case because he had not yet had time to fully brief city officials. City Manager Mark Shepard said that the City Council plans to hold an executive session Dec. 5 to discuss next steps. I cant really guess which direction we are going to go until we have that discussion, he said. Coulombe noted that there were a wide variety of approaches the city could use, including re-opening the public record in the case. Representatives of Northwest Alliance Corvallis, a group which formed in 2015 to represent neighborhood interests in the Timberhill area, criticized the LUBA decision. Our attorney believes the Land Use Board of Appeals has erred, said Curtis Wright, a member of the NWC steering committee. We are talking with him about appealing its action. LUBAs decision seems to suggest the city had to choose between six alternatives for the placement of the road; however, those alternatives were not included in the application. Further, our attorney believes LUBA erred because the application is whats normally evaluated, rather than telling the city what it should do with the application. This is a community calendar. To accommodate demand for the print edition, we ask that items be brief and include time, date, place, address, admission cost and a contact number for publication. Inclusion of items is at the discretion of the newspaper. Further information is available at 541-758-9524 or jane.stoltz@lee.net. Assistance SATURDAY Stone Soup Breakfast, 10 to 11 a.m., McLean Hall, First Christian Church, 602 S.W. Madison Ave., Corvallis. A free meal to anyone in need. Classes SATURDAY Community yoga, 5 p.m., Live Well Studio, 971 N.W. Spruce Ave., Corvallis. Apprentice teachers. Cost: $7. Information: 541-224-6566 or www.livewellstudio.com. Events TODAY Teen First Friday: Movie Day!, 4 p.m., story time room, Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 N.W. Monroe Ave. Screening of "Thor: The Dark World." Cookie decorating and hot chocolate. SATURDAY Albany Gun Club turkey/meat shoots, 9 a.m., 35305 Highway 20. Open to the public. Three traps: beginner, intermediate and expert. Beginners who shoot five events and dont win will receive a meat prize. Brunch, 9 to 11:30 a.m., Albany American Legion Hall, 1215 Pacific Blvd. S.E. Cost depends on purchase. Free clothing swap, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., HART Parent Co-op Preschool, HART Center, 354 Smith St., Haarrisburg. Mid-Valley Lions Club See's Candy sale, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., breezeway, Kings Circle Shopping Center, 1925 N.W. Circle Blvd., Corvallis. "Saturday Stories," 10 a.m., youth activity room, Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 N.W. Monroe Ave. Family story time for all ages. Information: 541-766-6794. Genealogical library open, 1 to 3:30 p.m., annex, Benton County Historical Museum, 1101 Main St., Philomath. Dinner, 5 p.m., Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 584, 1469 Timber St. S.E., Albany. Open to public. Information: 541-928-7925. Bingo, 6 p.m., American Legion Post 184, 339 N. Main St., Brownsville. Cost: $1 a game. Karaoke, 7:30 p.m., Lebanon Moose Lodge, 4070 S. Santiam Highway. Open to the public, all ages. Fundraisers SATURDAY Bottle and can drive, 9 a.m. to noon, Lebanon Mega Foods, 1950 S. Main St. Parents of the Lebanon High School graduating class of 2017 are seeking donation of bottles and cans to raise money for an alcohol- and drug-free graduation party. Those unable to bring their donations on Saturday can call 541-409-2603 to arrange for pick-up. Government SATURDAY Government Comment Corner, 10 a.m., lobby, Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 N.W. Monroe Ave. Ward 1 Councilor Penny York will be on hand. Health SATURDAY Flu vaccination clinic for adults and children, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Pediatrics Department, first floor, Asbury Building, 3680 N.W. Samaritan Drive. Fees vary depending on insurance or if payment is in cash. Appointments: 541-754-1261 or www.corvallisclinic.com/flu. Opportunities Buy Local First Holiday Contest, Saturday through Dec. 10, Corvallis. Shop at participating businesses for your holiday needs. Enter to win gift cards or merchandise from Community Independent Business Alliance businesses. All entry forms will be placed in a drawing with many winners. Information: www.sustainablecorvallis.org. Organizations SATURDAY The Mid-Valley Bicycle Club offers rides open to the adult public on Saturdays and Wednesdays. Information: www.mvbc.com. Mid-Valley Singles, Inc., 9 a.m., Elmer's Restaurant, 1115 N.W. Ninth St., Corvallis. Breakfast. RSVP: 541-929-3422. Santiam Spokes, 9 a.m., Lebanon. Bicycle ride. Information: www.santiamspokes.org. Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism, 10 a.m., 101 N.W. 23rd St., Corvallis. Corvallis Bicycle Collective, noon to 6 p.m., 707 N.W. 11th St. Fix up your bicycle with free use of tools and advice; affordable used bicycles and parts. Information: 541-224-6885 or www.corvallisbikes.org. Albany Magic Club, 1 p.m., upstairs conference room, Albany Public Library, 2450 14th Ave. S.E. North American Truffling Society, 5:30 p.m., Corvallis Senior Center, 2601 N.W. Tyler Ave. Annual meeting and potluck. Ryan Stephens, a doctoral candidate at the University of New Hampshire, will speak on truffle diversity in the Northeast and the mechanisms by which these subterranean fungi disperse. His work investigates the factors that contribute to truffle production in the Northeast and the small mammals that disperse their spores. Corvallis Community Drum Circle, 7 p.m., 101 N.W. 23rd St., Corvallis; park and enter through the rear at 23rd and Monroe Avenue. Open to all ages and skills levels. Instruments provided, or bring your own. Information: drumcircleconnection@gmail.com. Support groups SATURDAY Al-Anon, 10 a.m., room 219, First United Methodist Church, 1165 N.W. Monroe Ave., Corvallis. Support for families and friends of alcoholics. Message center: 541-967-6262. Alcoholics Anonymous: 10 a.m., noon, Room 11, First Christian Church, 602 S.W. Madison Ave., Corvallis. 5:30 p.m., pastoral office, library, St. Marys Catholic Church, 501 N.W. 25th St., Corvallis. 6:30 p.m., upstairs classroom, west-side door, Monroe United Methodist Church, 648 Orchard St., Monroe. 8 p.m., conference room, Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, 3600 N.W. Samaritan Drive, Corvallis. Information (24 hours): 541-967-4252 or www.aa-oregon.org. Narcotics Anonymous, 6 p.m., Room 11, First Christian Church, 602 S.W. Madison Ave., Corvallis. Information (24 hours): 877-233-4287 or www.lblna.org. Suren Papikyan: Bright Armenia adheres to its principles in Vanadzor (video) It is normal, there have been some disagreements between the Bright Armenia and Civil Contract, Suren Papikyan, Vice-Chairman of the Civil Contract party, said today when commenting on Nikol Pashinyans criticism of Edmon Marukyan. Pashinyan, I am citing his words, said that he does not confide in Edmon Marukyan as the latter voted for the government program. There has been no problem with the Bright Armenia in this sense, Mr. Papikyan said. He says in Vanadzor, the Bright Armenia shows that it is not going to betray its principles. Judging from the situation in Vanadzor, we can see that the city has got a Republican Mayor who cannot govern the city. That is due to the principle of Chirst and Edmon Marukyan. Suren Papikyan says the Civil Contract has never wanted to be the only opposition force in Armenia, rather, it wanted to create a single opposition force. "At least three parties have decided to unite in the upcoming parliamentary elections, as we have the vision of Armenia's future for the next five years, he continued. On Thursday, December 1, the Civil Contract announced that they had met with representatives of the Bright Armenia and Hanrapetutyun (Republic) parties and reached clear agreements on cooperation. Sukias Avetisyan, a representative of the Republican Armenia Party (HHK), welcomed the move of the opposition representatives. I have said on several occasions that it is time for many parties with similar views to unite. I cannot understand the role of 79 parties in our country. We are very glad that parties unite but we want these unions to survive. But when they take seats in parliament they forget that they have come together and problems with leadership start there. It will be much easier for our people to orientate in that case. Vahan Shirkhanyan did not show up at trial of armed group (video) The Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevans Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts today started hearing in the case of an armed group that was neutralized in the Armenian capital in November 2015. Hardly had the sitting begun when it was adjourned as some of the defendants, including Vahan Shirkhanyan, a former deputy defense minister of Armenia, had not showed up at the hearing. Mr. Shirkhanyan is unable to walk, he cannot sit more than 20 minutes because he has strong pains, his lawyer Hayk Alumyan said before the sitting. Shirkhanyan was arrested in December 2015 on suspicion that he aided and abetted Artur Vardanyan in organizing a criminal gang in Armenia. Twenty people are charged in the scope of the case, including former senior officials and public political figures. According to the indictment, the group headed by Artur Vardanyan illegally bought and stored weapons in one of the houses in Yerevans Nork Marash district. The group allegedly plotted to kill senior Armenian officials and carry out carry out a series of serious crimes in Armenia. On November 25, 2015, law enforcement raided the house and arrested nine individuals, including the leader. Vardanyan today announced in the court that he was not guilty. If it is a crime to protect Armenian people, then I am a criminal. Judge Armen Bektashyan decided to adjourn the sitting until January 13, allowing the new public defenders to get acquainted with the case material. Hayk ALumyan does not know how Vahan Shirkhanyan will be able to attend the next sitting given his current health condition. A reasonable person would understand that if a person is unable to move and sit, he cannot appear in the court himself. He needs a stretcher. If I see that people do not understand his condition, I shall file a motion, the lawyer said. 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. Huawei Concept Phone Seems to Be an Absolute Stunner Sans Any Physical Key News oi -Prajith Huaweis concept phone may be launched as early as this month. Recently, Xiaomi unveiled a concept phone called the Xiaomi Mi Mix with almost bezel-less display and the smartphone enthusiasts have gone crazy since then. It appears as if other smartphone vendors, especially the Chinese ones have taken a note of this. After Meizu's unannounced phone with a nearly bezel-less display surfaced online, Huawei's concept phone which is rumoured to come with a display similar to the one on Mi Mix is making headlines now. And as if it weren't enough, the smartphone will reportedly have no physical buttons on it. Also Read: Huawei Announces Android 7.0 Nougat Update List, Check if Your Smartphone Is Eligible Furthermore, the company is expected to release a handset with super-quick charging technology by late December. Given the fact that we've been seeing a fair amount of leaks about an almost bezel-less smartphone, we can expect this concept phone to see the light of the day by the end of this year. For those who are not in the know, Huawei had recently introduced a new battery technology with the help of Graphene-Assisted Li-ion battery. What's so special about this, you may ask? Well, apart from being able to withstand temperatures up to 60-degree Celsius (140-degree Fahrenheit), they can run twice as long as the standard ones do. Also Read: Did You Know Your Credit Card, Debit Card Can Be Hacked in Just 6 Seconds? At this point of time, we don't know much about the device except that the smartphone will come with a button-less, bezel-less, and quad-edge screen with the physical camera, fingerprint scanner, and capacitive keys integrated on the phone's display itself. Also, it may not come with the no-more-a-standard 3.5mm jack and you may have to make use of USB Type-C for media playback. Source Click Here for New Smartphones Best Online Deals Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Purported Images of Moto X (2017) Leak Online Showing Off a Metal Body News oi -Chakri Kudikala The 2017 Moto X will sport metal body! Last month, the roadmap of the Lenovo-owned Motorola was leaked online confirming the news that all the Lenovo phones in future will be released under Moto branding. The same roadmap revealed that the Moto X and Moto M would be released under the Lenovo branding. Several people will be wondering on which phone will be launched under which brand! Well, here's the answer. The Moto M was ironically branded as a typical Moto phone will all the logos being the Motorola one's on the phone, however, when looking at the box of the phone, you can see a Lenovo text written on it. Also Read: This New Xiaomi Mi 6 Concept Tips at 100% Screen-to-Body Ratio And today, we have the real life image of the upcoming Moto X (2017), and it boasts of the all-metal body, same as the recently launched Motorola Moto M. Having said that, the phone looks quite similar to this year's Moto Z series of smartphones. On the rear, the phone has the same bumped out Saturn ring along with Motorola's trademark dimple of 'M' just below the camera. On the front side, there is a fingerprint sensor and it might also get a front-facing flash as Moto Z Play. As of now, there are no words on hardware specifications of the Moto X (2017), but looking at the images, it might get a 5-inch screen. Also, no words on when the smartphone will be launched to the public, but we are expecting it to be unveiled at the MWC 2017 along with some other Motorola phones. Best Mobiles in India Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications Russia Repeatedly Given Advanced Notice of Coalition Airstrikes By Carla Babb November 30, 2016 The U.S. military has given Russia advanced notice of airstrikes in Syria about five times per month since a U.S.-led coalition strike in September killed Syrian government-aligned forces near Deir Ezzor, a military official told VOA Wednesday. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official with U.S. Central Command, which carries out counter-Islamic State operations in the Middle East, said that in those "exceptional" cases, Americans called the Russians on a safety hotline to give them airstrike locations in relation to their distance from the center of a nearby city. The safety hotline was initially set up to avoid midair collisions between Russian and coalition aircraft flying in Syrian airspace. Brig. General Richard Coe told reporters Tuesday that the September 17 coalition strike near Deir Ezzor was the first time the coalition relayed a strike location to the Russians ahead of time. Officials say advanced notice was given to the Russians on September 17 to prevent any "miscalculation," due to the large number of coalition planes involved in that strike and the fact that Russian planes often fly into an airfield in Deir Ezzor. "If we have an operation where the Russians or Syrians are operating in the air or on the ground, we're going to make that phone call to deconflict," a Central Command official told VOA. The Russians were first to use the hotline to give advanced notice about a strike, according to the official. One notification from Russia came prior to September 17, and it has used the hotline to notify the coalition about two strikes since the deadly Deir Ezzor strike. In at least two of Russia's advanced notifications, a strike location was relayed as being in an area over a Syrian city, rather than providing exact distances from a city. A U.S. defense official said the coalition must ensure that the hotline with Russia remains used to "deconflict," rather than to coordinate. "From a mil-to-mil [military-to-military] standpoint, more communication is better than less, so we're doing as much as we can within the bounds of policy," the defense official told VOA. The U.S.-led coalition typically conducts hundreds of strikes against Islamic State in Syria each month. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Islamic State Expanding Schools in Afghan Province By Zia-U-Rahman Hasrat, Noor Zahid November 30, 2016 Officials in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarar province say the Islamic State group is trying to imprint a lasting legacy on children in the region through an increasing network of religious seminaries and schools. Authorities say IS runs at least 25 seminaries in four districts of the province where children are taught military ideology and how to prepare for suicide attacks. Madrassas, or Muslim seminaries, "that were built by local people are now being used by IS for militant activities," Abdul Zahir Haqqani, director of religious affairs in Nangarhar, told VOA's Afghan service. "They use them as military centers where they teach militancy, conduct military trainings and plan their activities." Children of IS fighters make up the majority of pupils, but some local children also attend the IS-run schools, officials say. Residents say they are alarmed by IS' expertise in teaching terror to children and are asking for local and government intervention. "The madrassas in the areas remain under IS' control where it trains its fighters," Ezzatullah, a local resident in the Dehbala district, told VOA. "They used to be under the government but not anymore," said Ezzatullah, who, like many Afghans, uses a single name. "They teach how to shoot a Kalashnikov, a PK machine gun and RPG" or rocket-propelled grenade. Provincial leaders say they are preparing an assault to rid IS from the schools. "IS and other militant groups always try to use Islamic centers as their bases where they not only provide training, but also use them for other terror activities," provincial government spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told VOA's Afghan service. "We will continue our efforts to clear the Islamic centers of IS presence without causing damage to the centers," he said. IS launched its operation in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region in early 2015 after establishing bases in remote eastern border areas of Afghanistan. The group calls Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of Iran its so-called Islamic State of Khorasan province, and allegedly takes orders from leaders in Syria. In Nangarhar, the fight against IS has at times involved a varied combination of local militias, provincial police, Afghan forces, Taliban fighters and U.S. drone strikes. IS is also using mosques as military centers. According to Haqqani, the group has turned at least 60 mosques in various districts of Nangarhar into military training centers. Dozens of mosque imams, whom IS deemed as repugnant to its extremist ideology, have been killed by IS militants. Experts say IS indoctrination of children will likely have a chilling reverberation for years to come, especially in a country long hit by extremism and militancy. "The only thing worse than a society falling prey to the extremist ideologies of terror is when society's children succumbs to the same thing," said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia specialist at the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington think tank. "And that's precisely what we have to worry about here amid this news." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Coast Guard Chief Seeks Expanded Asia-Pacific Role By VOA News November 30, 2016 The top U.S. Coast Guard official is eyeing a unique role for his fleet in maintaining peace and stability in the East and the South China seas under the incoming presidential administration. By mirroring the role of China's Coast Guard in parts of the Asia-Pacific, said Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Paul Zukunft, the U.S. Coast Guard could be the face of U.S. military presence in disputed waters without appearing too threatening. "When you look at the East and South China seas, look at China's Coast Guard, it is really the first face of China," he told VOA. "So I've proposed to the Department of Defense that if they were to leverage the U.S. Coast Guard, I would look at providing resources to provide the face of the United States behind a Coast Guard ship, and should that be a consideration for our approach to the East and South China seas with the next administration." Compared with blue-hulled destroyers or cruisers of the U.S. Navy, white-hulled vessels of the U.S. Coast Guard, Zukunft said, may be better positioned to get through the "narrow door of diplomacy." "The U.S. Coast Guard has a very good relationship with the Chinese Coast Guard, with each side frequently boarding the other's ships to carry out joint maritime law enforcement activities," he said, adding that Coast Guard officials and rank and file have had more frequent interaction with Chinese forces than with those of other foreign nations. Were the incoming administration open to the prospect, he added, the U.S. Coast Guard also could help Vietnam, Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries develop maritime law enforcement capabilities, and help maintain peace and security in the surrounding waters. Zukunft's deputy, Admiral Charles Michel, told a major naval conference in February that commanders of the U.S. Pacific Command also hoped the U.S. Coast Guard would send ships to the South China Sea to assist the Navy in efforts to maintain international order. Over the past few years, China has frequently placed Coast Guard ships at the forefront in its efforts to significantly step up its claims of sovereignty in the East and South China seas. This report was produced in collaboration with VOA's Mandarin service. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Military Strikes Target ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release SOUTHWEST ASIA, Dec. 1, 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 aircraft and rocket artillery conducted two strikes in Syria: -- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed two oil pumpjacks. -- Near Raqqah, a strike engaged an ISIL headquarters building. Strikes in Iraq Attack, bomber aircraft and rocket artillery conducted three strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq's government: -- Near Mosul, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit, destroying four ISIL-held buildings, two vehicles, a vehicle bomb, a mortar system, and a rocket-propelled grenade. A bridge was disabled, and an ISIL tactical unit, a mortar system and a heavy machine gun were suppressed. -- Near Rawah, two strikes engaged an ISIL vehicle bomb staging area and destroyed a bunker. 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 Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Dunford: Global Security Environment Has Implications for Joint Force By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2016 The United States is the world's indispensable nation, but that status is not guaranteed and military leaders must continue to look for new, innovative ways to maintain U.S. leadership in the future, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Nov. 29 in New York City. Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford told members of the nonprofit think tank, The Center for the National Interest, that while the U.S. military can meet the challenges of today, the security environment can change quickly. "My responsibility is to ensure that my successor in 2025 is as confident about our competitive advantage, then, as I am here tonight," he said. The chairman discussed the "four-plus-one" model the department uses to look at future capabilities. The "four" are Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. The "one" is the threat of violent extremism. He said it is a "useful framework to inform our planning, our capability development and our assessment of operational and strategic risk." Russia is a nation that has done much to enhance its military capabilities and is using them, Dunford said. "I've seen now Russian operational patterns that I haven't seen since I was the captain on one of the amphibious ships in the Mediterranean in the mid-1980s," he said. "It's striking, the difference in their operational patterns." Russian, Chinese Military Modernization Russia has modernized military systems that pose a direct threat to the United States and its allies, including long-range conventional strike and nuclear capabilities, as well as the full array of space, cyber, electronic warfare and maritime capabilities, the chairman said. Russia's military modernization must be seen in context with its political moves in Georgia, Ukraine, Crimea and Syria, Dunford said. "In my judgment, Russia's operations and capability development, coupled with asymmetric doctrinal strategic approaches, are designed to counter U.S. naval power projection capabilities and undermine the credibility of the alliance," he said. China is another country with the will and funding to build a better military, the chairman said. "Chinese budget expenditures are fairly opaque, as many of you know, but by some accounts they're spending as much as 7 percent of gross domestic product on military capability development, and that's been going on for some 10 years," Dunford said. To put that in context, NATO nations strive to spend 2 percent of GDP on defense, Dunford said. "It's clear that China has embarked on a significant program to modernize and expand its nuclear enterprise, along with its power projection, space, cyber, ballistic missile and air defense capabilities," the general said. China, like Russia, is trying to minimize the U.S. ability to project power, Dunford said. North Korea's Nuclear Program North Korea has a nuclear program, and is trying to shrink weapons to place them on intercontinental ballistic missiles, the chairman said. North Korea also is working on space and cyber capabilities, he added. "Those capability developments, combined with an unpredictable and an irresponsible regime, certainly have our attention," the general said. Iran is trying to become the dominant nation in the Middle East, he said. "I often say that the regime's major export is malign influence," Dunford said. "Iran supports terrorist organizations while modernizing their array of maritime, ballistic missile, space, cyber and cruise missile capabilities. In addition to destabilizing the Middle East, Iran threatens freedom of navigation along critical commercial maritime routes, routes that people here in New York depend on; they just don't know they depend on them." The United States must also confront violent extremism, Dunford said. "Violent extremism is a transregional threat, and we're continually working on our ability to disrupt potential threats to the homeland and to our allies, and also to dismantle their capabilities wherever they emerge," he said. The United States leads the counter-Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant coalition, which is having significant success against the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria, Dunford said. "In a little over a year," he said, "we've significantly reduced the territory they hold, we've limited their freedom of movement, we've gotten after their resources and significantly reduced their resources, and we've disrupted their ability to plan and conduct external operations against the homeland." This military success has undermined ISIL's narrative and aura of invincibility, Dunford said. Combating Extremists "I think we've made similar progress in degrading ISIL capabilities in West Africa, in Libya, as well as in Afghanistan," he said. "But while a lot of work remains to be done, and I am by no means complacent about the threat, I think it's clear that we have momentum against the Islamic State, which is just one permutation of violent extremism." This fight may be a generational battle, Dunford said, and it will require all aspects of government. "Military forces can disrupt attacks against the homeland, we can dismantle the capability of the Islamic State, and we can build indigenous capacity," he said. "But military forces cannot address the underlying conditions to defeat extremism." All these threats have implications for the joint force, the general said. One is the force requires a balanced inventory of capabilities. The United States cannot prepare for one threat or another: it must prepare for all, he said. Therefore, he added, the U.S. cannot indefinitely delay military modernization. 'Tough Balance' "Finding the right balance between meeting today's operational requirements and ensuring that we have the force our nation will need tomorrow is a tough balance," Dunford said. "That's why we require predictable and sufficient funding to meet our partner requirements, restore the readiness that has been degraded over 15 years of war, and modernize the force for the future." Another implication is the need for the joint force to better integrate all elements of national power, the general said. "Due to our competitive advantage, I believe a conventional conflict with a state actor is less likely in the near future, but the absence of conflict should not be, in my view, confused with peace," he said. "While we tend to have a binary perspective of the security environment -- that is, we're either at peace or at war -- state actors like Russia, China and Iran have a much more nuanced view. They operate in in a manner that avoids our strengths and takes advantage of our weaknesses." Competitors favor strategies that go right up to the edge of conflict, but don't cross the threshold, the general said. "Advancing our national interests in the 21st century requires that we fully understand that dynamic, and we develop integrated intergovernmental and alliance responses," Dunford said. There is a military dimension to this, but it is broader, the chairman said. "Were we not to change how to do business, in my view, we will continue to view ourselves at peace while our potential adversaries and certainly our adversarial competitors advance their national interests on a day-to-day basis," he said. Adversarial competitors are not bound by the same framework that binds the United States, he said. Character of War There's also a need for global integration of U.S. military capabilities, the general said. "While the nature of war as a violent clash of wills in pursuit of political objectives doesn't change, the character of war is changing in a rapid and fundamental way," he said. Technological advances, cyber capabilities, the reliance on space, and ballistic missile developments have all affected the way the American military fights, the general said. "In today's strategic environment, decision space has collapsed, and so our decision-making processes have to keep pace with the speed of war today," Dunford said. "And in my judgement, we have some work to do in that regard." Any conflict will probably cross regional lines and occur in many places simultaneously, the general said. "In the past, our strategy was focused on regional stability and security, and we assumed that if a conflict broke out we could contain it to a specific region," he said. "But today, that's simply not the case." For example, the chairman said, a conflict breaking out on the Korean Peninsula likely would expand beyond that region. Missile technology would immediately threaten neighboring nations and cyber capabilities could threaten the globe, he said. Protecting the homeland, continuing to prosecute the campaign against violent extremism and dealing with multiple threats around the world "is going to require a much greater degree of integration across the Department of Defense than we've had in the past," Dunford said. "The need for understanding and knowledge that supports decision-making and resource allocation at the speed of war has profound implications of command and control," he added Today's U.S. military needs to be prepared to deal with a number of complex, multi-domain, transregional challenges, Dunford said. "And, we've embarked on a journey now to optimize our planning construct, our command-and-control architecture, and our processes to achieve that full integration," he said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Wasp ARG Departs 5th Fleet, Enters Mediterranean Navy News Service Story Number: NNS161201-08 Release Date: 12/1/2016 11:01:00 AM By Lt. j.g. Michael Torres, Wasp Amphibious Ready Group Public Affairs MEDITERRANEAN SEA (NNS) -- Amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) and amphibious dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) with embarked Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) transited the Suez Canal and entered the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations, Dec. 1. Travelling through the canal and into the Mediterranean Sea marked a significant milestone for the 4,000 Sailors and Marines of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) as they enter the final stages of their six-month deployment. Quotes: "After completing our time in 5th Fleet, the Wasp ARG will now be supporting the maritime security mission in the Mediterranean Sea. This sea lane is vital to our global economy, and it remains secure because of the strong relationships between the navies that operate together here." - Commander, Wasp ARG, Capt. F. Byron Ogden "Our security team was responsible for making sure that we had a safe transit so we can continue our mission in the Mediterranean. We're fortunate because Wasp's Security Department is augmented by the Marines, who have become a really cohesive part of our team. With both of us on the watch, we have a lot of defensive depth, which is essential during such a long transit." - Senior Chief Petty Officer Albert Spiess, Security Department leading chief petty officer Quick Facts: Wasp re-entered U.S. 6th Fleet after having spent over three months supporting Operation Odyssey Lightning (OOL) in Sirte, Libya, with precision airstrikes from 22nd MEU aircraft. Amphibious transport dock USS San Antonio (LPD 17), the third ship in the Wasp ARG, is currently supporting OOL. While in the 5th Fleet area of responsibility, Wasp, Whidbey Island, and the 22nd MEU supported theater security cooperation efforts and maritime security operations. Both ships safely completed the journey north through "The Ditch," as Sailors often refer to the 101-mile-long Suez Canal, in 15 hours. The canal connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, allowing vessels to avoid the approximately 7,000 kilometer trip around the Cape of Good Hope, the southernmost point of Africa. Wasp and Whidbey Island are deployed as part of the Wasp ARG to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts. Commander, Amphibious Squadron 6 commands the Wasp ARG, which consists of Wasp, Whidbey Island, and San Antonio. The 22nd MEU is currently embarked on the Wasp ARG. U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ansarullah delegation in China to discuss Yemen crisis Iran Press TV Thu Dec 1, 2016 6:57PM A delegation from the Yemeni Houthi Ansarullah movement has traveled to China to hold talks with senior officials over the conflict in the impoverished country exacerbated by the Saudi military aggression. The delegation, headed by Ansarullah spokesman Mohammad Abdulsalam, arrived in Beijing on Thursday at the invitation of the Chinese government. Negotiations between the two sides were reported to be focused on bilateral political relations, resolving the conflict in Yemen and China's support in settling problems. The delegation included senior Ansarullah figures such as Hamza al-Houthi and Mahdi al-Mashat. China has, on several occasions, stressed that crises in Syria and Yemen should be resolved through political means rather than force. UN envoy sits down with Hadi Separately on Thursday, United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed met with Yemen's former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, in the Yemeni port city of Aden to discuss a UN peace plan. Following the meeting, Ahmed said in videotaped comments that the aim of his mission was to "return to dialogue and a peaceful solution." Meanwhile, Yemen's Saba news agency reported that Hadi had reiterated his rejection of the peace roadmap put forward by the UN envoy in October. According to informed sources, the proposal urges agreement on naming a new vice president after the Houthis withdraw from several Yemeni cities and hand over their arms to a third party. Hadi is also obliged to transfer power to the vice president, who would appoint a new premier to form a government. The Houthis took control of state affairs in 2014 after Hadi resigned despite Ansarullah calls to review the decision, a move that created more chaos in a country already grappling with al-Qaeda terror threats. Hadi has mostly been based in the Saudi capital city of Riyadh. However, he flew to Aden last Saturday. The Houthis and the Yemeni army have been defending Yemen against the deadly Saudi military campaign, which was launched in March 2015 with the aim of reinstalling Hadi, a close Riyadh ally. The Saudi war has left at least 11,400 civilians dead, according to a latest tally by a Yemeni monitoring group. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Thai crown prince accepts invitation to become new king Iran Press TV Thu Dec 1, 2016 4:36PM Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, 64, has officially become Thailand's new king, succeeding his late father who ruled the Southeast Asian country for seven decades. The new monarch, who received the title "His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun," assumed his new position on Thursday, nearly two months after the old monarch's demise. The new king will also be known as Rama X, the tenth king in the Chakri dynasty. Senior officials held a special ceremony presenting the formal invitation to the prince to become king. The prince accepted the invitation in a televised broadcast. The new king, with a less intense interest in state affairs, does not command the same level of respect as his revered late father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, whose death plunged the kingdom into intense mourning. King Bhumibol died on October 13 at the age of 88 after many years of illness. In 1972, King Bhumibol had designated Vajiralongkorn, his second child and only son, as the crown prince. The prince was expected to succeed, but officials had earlier said he wanted to postpone it by at least a year in order to grieve with the nation. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy where the king plays a mainly ceremonial rule which was vested to the former prime minister, Prem Tinsulanonda, who had been one of his father's closest advisers. The country is currently being led by the junta through Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. The official coronation of Vajiralongkorn will take place after the official cremation ceremony of King Bhumibol. The late king's remains are to be cremated in an elaborate ceremony that may take place in a year or more. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Nigerian court denies bail to Biafra separatist leader Iran Press TV Thu Dec 1, 2016 3:49PM A Nigerian high court has refused to release on bail a leading separatist activist, whose arrest last year sparked a wave of violent protests across the country. The "alleged offenses for which the defendants are standing trial are serious," federal high court judge Binta Nyako said on Thursday in a ruling refusing an application by Kanu's lawyers to release him on bail. In the ruling, Nyako ordered Kanu's trial to be held "almost immediately, but not later than two months from now." The judge further said Kanu and the three other defendants, if convicted, could face sentences of life in jail. At least three judges, including in a regional court, have ordered Kanu's release, but Abuja refused to free him. Kanu, who was arrested in October 2015, is the founder of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) group. IPOB represents the Igbo people of southeast Nigeria who want secession from the mainland to form a separate Biafra state. The activist now faces charges of criminal conspiracy, intimidation, treason, operating a London-based radio station Radio Biafra and belonging to an unlawful organization. Kanu's supporters have held a series of deadly protests across the country in recent months, demanding his release and calling for a breakaway state for the Igbo people, one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa. Last week, Amnesty International accused Nigerian security forces of killing some 150 Biafra secessionists during the protests in the past year. Nigerian forces, however, denied the charges. Fifty years ago, Biafra declared independence from Nigeria and the formation of a separate Biafran state. The announcement led to a civil conflict from 1967 to 1970, leaving about one million people dead, many of them from starvation and disease. to civil conflict from 1967 to 1970, leaving about one million people dead, many of them from starvation and disease. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Colombian Congress ratifies government peace accord with FARC rebels Iran Press TV Thu Dec 1, 2016 6:52AM Colombia's Congress has unanimously ratified a revised peace deal reached between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) group, in an approval that is almost certain to end over a half-century of hostilities in the Latin American country. The lower house of the Congress of the Republic of Colombia, known as the House of Representatives, voted 130-0 in favor of the agreement in a Wednesday night session, completing congressional action a day after the Senate accepted the text in a unanimous vote of 75-0. After the session, President Juan Manuel Santos said the vote provided "landmark backing" for the peace agreement that his government had diligently worked to put together, twice. A first deal, negotiated for some four years, was rejected by a razor-thin margin in a referendum on October 2. Opponents, led by ex-president Alvaro Uribe, insisted that it was too lenient on the rebels and would have given them seats in the Congress instead of sending them to prison for crimes committed during their deadly armed conflict with the government. The Colombian government and the rebels, then, returned to the negotiating table to address such concerns. The latest version of the deal, a 310-page document, was finally signed by Santos and FARC leader Rodrigo Londono, better known as Timochenko, on November 24, during a sober ceremony at Bogota's historic Colon Theater. Santos, who won the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to reach the original deal even as it was rejected, then shrewdly decided to submit the revised agreement to the Congress for approval rather than call another referendum, angering Uribe and like-minded critics of the peace deal, who remain likely to try other ways to potentially hinder it. Uribe's supporters in the parliament had boycotted the voting session at the Senate on Tuesday. According to the agreement, the 7,000-member FARC must start to move toward designated transitional zones in five days, and it also must hand over all its weapons to the United Nations representatives within the next six months. During the countdown period, the rebels also have to form a political party. During the past two months, Colombia has been the scene of a number of rival protests held by the advocates and the opponents of the deal. Despite continued opposition, the deal remains most likely to end some 52 years of violence between the leftist guerrilla organization and the Colombian government. The decades-old conflict in the Latin American country has killed at least 260,000 people, left some 60,000 missing and displaced seven million others, according to official figures. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Yemeni political parties vow to support new government Iran Press TV Thu Dec 1, 2016 6:4AM Political factions in Yemen have expressed full support for the newly-formed "national salvation government", vowing to help the administration accomplish its political, economic, security and military tasks for a final popular victory. In a ceremony marking the 49th anniversary of South Yemen's independence from the British colonial rule in the capital Sana'a on Wednesday, the parties voiced their readiness to cooperate with the new government. Head of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee Mohammad Ali al-Houthi hailed the ceremony as a sacred occasion for the Yemeni people, saying it inspires the public to stand firm against any act of aggression on their beleaguered country. President of the Karamat party, Abdul-Malek al-Hujari, also pledged support on behalf of all Yemeni political factions to the Supreme Political Council -- a coalition between the Houthi Ansarullah movement and former president Ali Abdullah Saleh's General People's Congress party, lauding the formation of the new government. Hajari further underlined that his party will spare no effort to assist the salvation government advance its plans. On Tuesday, the new Yemeni government was sworn in after the Houthi Ansarullah movement and their allies announced its formation. The national salvation government is to replace the Supreme Political Council. It is tasked with running Yemen's internal affairs and dealing with Saudi Arabia's aggression against the impoverished nation. The new government, led by the former governor of Aden Abdul Aziz Bin Habtoor, has vowed to help UN efforts restore peace and stability in the country. Habtoor has described the formation of the ruling structure as a vital step in the administration of domestic affairs, asserting that Saudi crimes against Yemeni people would not go unanswered. The sheer number of the operational sorties conducted by the Saudi military since March 2015, namely 150,000, was a testament to the true nature of the Saudi aggression, he said on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia has been engaged in a deadly campaign against Yemen since March 2015 in an attempt to bring back the former Yemeni government to power and undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement. The impoverished Arab country is grappling with the scarcity of food supplies and outbreak of diseases amid Saudi Arabia's atrocious airstrikes. The United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF) says 7.4 million Yemeni children are in dire need of medical help, and 370,000 run the risk of severe acute malnutrition. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address McCain Threatens Cuts in US Navy Effort to Build Fleet of Small Combat Ships Sputnik News 22:56 01.12.2016 John McCain warned that the US Navy's Littoral Combat Ship program faces the prospect of further cutbacks by Congress amid soaring costs and frequent breakdowns. WASHINGTON (2016) The US Navy's Littoral Combat Ship program faces the prospect of further cutbacks by Congress amid soaring costs and frequent breakdowns, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain warned during a hearing on Thursday. "Reducing the size of this program is a necessary first step and I'm prepared to go even further by taking a hard look at any further procurement of ships until all of the mission packages reach IOC [Initial Operational Capability]," McCain said. McCain delivered the threat to a panel representing the US Department of Defense and one of the program's harshest critics, the US General Accountability Office's (GAO) Managing Director for Acquisition and Sourcing Management Paul Francis. The US Navy has 26 ships of the 52 vessels originally planned at a cost of $220 million each when the program began in 2004. "The taxpayers have paid for and are still paying for 26 ships that have demonstrated next to no combat capabilities," McCain stated. In December, Department of Defense Secretary Ashton Carter ordered the program capped at 40 ships, with the cost per ship having more than doubled to $478 million amid a series of breakdowns blamed on poor design and defective engineering. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Senor Hasratyan: We are ready for both peace and war The situation on the line of contact has been actively discussed in recent days, in the Armenian media, and especially in social networks. "Artsakhpress" had an exclusive interview with Head of the Department of Public Affairs of the Artsakh Defense Army, Colonel Senor Hasratyan on the situation on Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact and expected developments. - Judging from operative messages disseminated in media, the impression is made that the situation is not calm, if not intense. Can you describe us the situation on Nagorno Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact? -Indeed, recently on the Karabakh - Azerbaijani line of contact, we have observed significant increase of tension with unpredictable consequences, which is expressed by the enemy's targeted actions aimed at violating the ceasefire regime. Of particular concern is the fact that in a certain period of time following the escalations of April, 2016, the Azerbaijani side refrained from firing various caliber mortars and grenades in the frontline, however, in the last two months firing from such weapons took a regular basis. According to the NKR Defense Armys data, during November the Azerbaijani side fired 143 shots from various caliber mortars, and 65 shots from grenades at the Armenian positions. Overall, within the last month the Azerbaijani forces violated the ceasefire regime over 1600 times by firing over 24.000 shots. They fired more than 1750 shots from ISTIGLAL sniper rifles. This is the real situation in the frontline. -Does the Karabakh side take countermeasures? -Of course, in case of strict necessity it takes measures, but only from small arms, for suppressing the provocative actions of the Azerbaijani side. As for the mortars or grenade launchers, during the period following the April events, the Karabakh side has never used such measures. And the reason is not to escalate an already explosive situation. The Azerbaijani side, and its citizen as well, who is the major bearer of the consequences of the brutal war, must understand that the Armenian side has a courage, opportunities and resources to curb by force the one who started the attack. Azerbaijani side convinced on it during the first Karabakh war, and during the April events of this year. The Azerbaijani commanders by firing mortars in the frontline must not forget the severity of the targeted attacks by the Armenian artillerists during the April escalations. God forbid, the necessity of it felt again - Do we suffer losses due to the shelling committed by the Azerbaijani side? -Fortunately not, but this doesnt mean that the adversary insures itself from the inadequate and destructive counter-attacks against it. Our patience has limits, and the Azerbaijani side must understand it. Otherwise, the response will be very painful One cannot always act as an aggressor, then present itself as innocent and constructive. -In this case, how to react to every day reports by the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry blaming the Armenian side for violating the ceasefire regime? -In order to be clear who is the real initiator of the attack, each side must do one thing: to accept the agreement reached between the sides in Vienna in May this year, which is the following: to install mechanism controlling the situation in the conflict zone and follow the implementation of it. The Armenian side agreed on that proposal, and Azerbaijan did not. Therefore, what is happening today in the frontline, it is a reality fitting in a very simple logic, and not only the international community, but also the conscious part of the Azerbaijani society understand it. -In your opinion, what developments are expected in near future? -For us the desired option of development is peace. But living in a very complex region and having a quite unpredictable adversary, we must wait for undesirable developments. Therefore, we are ready for both peace and war. Yemeni President Refuses to Adopt Peace Plan Proposed by UN Sputnik News 20:13 01.12.2016 Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi gave a letter to UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed with a government's denial to adopt a peace plan proposed by the United Nations, local media reported on Thursday. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The letter was given during a meeting between Hadi and Ahmed that took place in the southern Yemeni city of Aden, the Saba news agency reported. The president also thanked the UN envoy for his efforts, adding that the government is ready to take part in the peace process. The plan implied retirement of Hadi and his vice-president in exchange for Shia Houthi rebels' withdrawal from the seized territories. Ahead of the Ahmed's visit, the Yemeni government called on the envoy to change the plan returning back to UN Security Council resolution 2216 implying withdrawal of Houthi forces from the seized territories without any preconditions. Yemen has been engulfed in a violent conflict between the government headed by Hadi and the Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah backed by army units loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Since March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf countries has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request. Peace talks failed in August after the Houthis refused to support a roadmap proposed by the UN special envoy that involves the rebels laying down arms and the setting up of a unity government. At least 13 million Yemenis are in need of immediate aid, according to the United Nations. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Upper House of Polish Parl't Approves Creation of Territorial Defense Forces Sputnik News 17:12 01.12.2016 The Polish Senate, the parliament's upper house, passed a bill on forming the Poland's Territorial Defense Forces (WOT) on Thursday. WARSAW (Sputnik) The law on establishing new army unit was supported by 52 senators, while 29 voted against it. The law was passed without any amendments and would be submitted for the president's signature. The Polish parliament's lower house, the Sejm, approved the bill on forming the proposed WOT on November 16. The country's Defense Minister Anthony Macierewicz signed a decree formalizing the program on the creation of the new defense forces unit in April. The bill stipulates establishing the WOT in 2017, boosting its numbers from 35,000 to 50,000 by 2019. A total of 17 part-time volunteer brigades are planned to be created, which would work with full-time forces in case of threats to national security, including natural disasters and counter-terrorism. The measures come as Poland boosts its army amid increasing NATO presence in Europe. Macierewicz said there were plans to increase Poland's army by up to 50 percent over the coming years, with at least three territorial defense brigades to be deployed at the country's eastern border. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Drone-Wary Nordics Demand Harsher Anti-Surveillance Laws Amid Espionage Fears Sputnik News 17:02 01.12.2016 Last week, the Nordic nations experienced an unparalleled drone incursion. Possibly unrelated drone observations were made by servicemen in Sweden, Finland and Norway. Today, calls for harsher anti-drone laws are being heard from across Scandinavia. Last week, Norway came under a full-blown drone invasion. Unfamiliar drones were sighted during the two-week-long military exercise Rein 2, which took place in Troms County in northern Norway and numbered some 5,000 troops, among some 200 US Marines. At the same time, drones were also observed over the sterdalen training grounds in southern Norway. "For us, this represents a security threat in several domains. First and foremost, physically, as we fly drones and helicopters ourselves. It is very unfortunate that others keep flying in the same area at the same time," Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Ole Johan Skogmo told Norwegian national broadcaster NRK. According to Skogmo, the observations clearly broke the rules for drone operations, which forbid any civil activity within 150 meters from personnel and materiel. "It could have been actors who have pure intelligence-related needs and seek detailed information on how we operate or train," Skogmo said, admitting that it also could have been curious locals who happened to be careless. Today, Norwegian military officials demand harsher rules for the use of high-tech equipment, which may possibly be utilized for espionage and intelligence. The current regulations, which allowed drone incidents like last week's go unpunished, was not good enough, army officials said. "Given today's threats and the level of technological progress, it is natural to revise the laws and regulations concerning our business," Brigadier and Chief of Staff Ingrid Margrethe Gjerde told NRK. By its own admission, Norwegian Defense Staff would like to stop the use of high-tech equipment for espionage, intelligence, planning of terrorist acts and surveillance of military installations. A ban should inter alia include unidentified drones. "Our job is to always ensure that our activities and Army compounds, which are important to national security, are sheltered and safeguarded against those who have bad intentions," Gjerde said. Gjerde believes that the current law on information control is outdated. According to her, it should be supplemented with a ban on photography and information retrieval to protect military sites and facilities. According to Gjerde, this ban should be effectively enforced by police authorities. Incidentally, the very same last week, the major Swedish Swenex exercise was visited by unidentified drones. The appearance of remote-controlled visitors interrupted the maneuvers and prompted Swedish soldiers to swap their training blanks to live ammunition to shoot down the intruders, Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter reported. The fact that some of the drones observed over Swenex were equipped with position lights visible in darkness led to speculations that a "major superpower" was behind the encroachment, whose aim was to deliberately show its presence. Shortly after the Swedish "drone confessions" about a number of drone visits in the course of the past six months, even the Finnish Armed Forces admitted to drone sightings during military exercises. Colonel Vesa Mantyla assured Finnish national broadcaster Yle that most cases featured commercially available drones used for hobbies and amateur videos and represented no significant security threat. Nevertheless, Defense Minister Jussi Niinisto called for a legislation update to meet the potential threat from unmanned aerial vehicles. According to Niinisto, drones expose the Finnish Defense to risks, threats and direct danger, whereas current laws are too vague and function poorly. At present, it remains unclear whether it is legal or not to shoot down a drone over military grounds, Yle reported. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Colombian Parliament Approves Peace Deal With FARC Sputnik News 05:26 01.12.2016(updated 06:09 01.12.2016) Colombia's Vice Interior Minister Luis Ernesto Gomez said that Colombia's parliament has ratified a peace agreement with FARC. MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) Colombia's parliament has ratified a peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia People's Army (FARC), Colombia's Vice Interior Minister Luis Ernesto Gomez said. "Endorsed the #AcuerdoDePaz [peace agreement] in the house of representatives with 130 votes in favour, 0 votes against. Came the peace!" Gomez wrote on Twitter. The agreement was approved by the country's senate earlier this week. The peace deal was signed between the Colombian government and the FARC last week. The original peace deal was rejected by the people of Colombia in a referendum last month. The new deal, containing some 60 amendments, was signed by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC leader Rodrigo Londono, known as Timochenko. FARC was formed in 1964 as the military wing of Colombia's Communist Party. The half-century war between the FARC and the Colombian government claimed the lives of a quarter of a million people. The two sides began peace talks in November 2012. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Revised Colombia Peace Accord Approved Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC December 1, 2016 The United States welcomes yesterday's vote by the Colombian congress - by a substantial margin - to approve the peace accord negotiated between the Colombian Government and the FARC, an accord that we believe will help achieve a just and lasting peace for all Colombians. Under the accord, the FARC will demobilize, disarm, and form a political organization that will participate in Colombia's democratic system. The Colombian people deserve enormous credit for their persistence, commitment, and focus in this endeavor. Special recognition must go to President Juan Manuel Santos, who has earned the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. We recognize that there are those who have concerns about the agreement. We urge them to continue their principled commitment to peace in the coming implementation phase. As Vice President Joe Biden will underscore shortly in Cartagena, the United States supported Colombia in times of conflict and will continue to support Colombia in times of peace. Our Paz Colombia initiative, aimed at supporting continued institutional development, aiding conflict victims, removing landmines, combating narcotics, and addressing remaining security issues, is designed to help our Colombian partners achieve the lasting peace that they have fought so hard for, and that they so richly deserve. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Colombia: Santa Rosa incident constituted ceasefire protocol violations, finds UN-led mechanism 1 December 2016 Following its investigation into a 13 November incident in Colombia's Santa Rosa municipality that resulted in the death of two Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP) members, a United Nations-coordinated tripartite ceasefire monitoring mechanism has said that the events of that day constituted violations of the ceasefire protocol. "The information collected showed that there were significant incidents and breaches that constitute violations of the protocol [...] which currently governs the Bilateral Ceasefire and Cessation of Hostilities," read a news release issued by the Mechanism, which also includes the Government of Colombia and the FARC-EP. "The Mechanism will make recommendations to the Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP) to prevent such situations, emphasizing that the flow of information and communication is vital for the coordination between the parties and with Mechanism," it added. A third FARC-EP member also involved in the incident was demobilized, also noted the release. According to the Mechanism, the displacement of the three FARC-EP members involved in the incident was "neither informed nor coordinated with the Mechanism nor with the Public Forces located in the region." It added that this was in breach of the protocol governing the Bilateral Ceasefire and Cessation of Hostilities which states that the FARC-EP must "not make a presence outside the armed and uniformed Temporary Preclusion Points without previous coordination with the Mechanism." The Mechanism added that the Public Force opened fire on the FARC-EP members without previous action, due to the Public Force's "conviction that they were executing an action against the National Liberation Army." It further noted that the victims were identified as FARC-EP members after the incident, breaching provisions of the protocol wherein the Government promised not to "come into armed contact" with the FARC-EP. The tripartite Mechanism also reiterated its willingness to receive direct information from civilians as well as from social organizations, which contributes to monitoring and verifying of the ceasefire. "[The Mechanism] also highlights the commitment of the parties to respect the Bilateral Ceasefire and Cessation of Hostilities, and notes that despite this incident there has been good coordination among [its] members," the release added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Senate Panel OKs Funds to Fight Online Propaganda By Joshua Fatzick December 01, 2016 The United States could bolster its fight against foreign online propaganda in a major way if Congress passes a portion of the National Defense Authorization Act that would pour $160 million into the effort over two years. A congressional committee on Wednesday approved the measure, which would expand the ability of the State Department's Global Engagement Center to identify and combat online disinformation. It still must be voted on by the full House and Senate and signed by the president before taking effect. U.S. 'asleep at the wheel' Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman originally launched the effort to combat Russian propaganda in eastern European countries. The focus was broadened to address propaganda aimed at the United States following intelligence reports that Russia tried to sway the U.S. presidential election by stealing and publishing emails belonging to the chairman of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, John Podesta. "This propaganda and disinformation threat is real. It's growing, and right now, the U.S. government is asleep at the wheel," Portman said in a formal statement. "The U.S. and our allies face many challenges, but we must better counter and combat the extensive propaganda and disinformation operations directed against us." Portman's proposal grew out of a previous bill called the Countering Foreign Propaganda and Disinformation Act, which he co-sponsored with Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy in March. Increased funding needed The idea behind the original bill was to bolster the U.S. ability to counter foreign propaganda and disinformation, and help local communities in other countries protect themselves from manipulation from abroad. The measure advanced this week would draw on the resources of the Defense Department, intelligence agencies, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Broadcasting Board of Governors parent organization to Voice of America and other U.S. government-funded international broadcasters according to the Washington Post newspaper. Portman had previously argued that government spending on Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is dwarfed by spending on RT, a Kremlin-funded satellite TV channel, and the Chinese government's CCTV. "These countries spend vast sums of money on advanced broadcast and digital media capabilities, targeted campaigns, funding of foreign political movements, and other efforts to influence key audiences and populations," Portman said in March in an address to the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based research institute. Funds for independent journalists Russia has repeatedly denied it tried to affect the outcome of the election, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he had no preference between the two candidates. In addition to combating online disinformation, the measure would create a grant program to fund independent journalism in Russia and other countries. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN: Ethnic Cleansing Under Way in South Sudan By Dan Joseph December 01, 2016 A U.N. human rights monitor says "ethnic cleansing" is under way in parts of South Sudan, and warns the country is on the brink of a genocide. Yasmin Sooka heads a U.N. Human Rights Council team that just finished a 10-day visit to South Sudan. In a statement Thursday, she said people are being displaced from their homes through a process of starvation, gang rape and the burning of villages. "Everywhere we went across this country we heard villagers saying they are ready to shed blood to get their land back. Many told us it's already reached a point of no return," Sooka said. She added, "The stage is being set for a repeat of what happened in Rwanda and the international community is under an obligation to prevent it." 'Unfounded' accusations South Sudan's deputy minister of information, Akol Paul Kordit, called the accusations "unfounded." He told VOA's South Sudan in Focus program Thursday that the government is working with the opposition SPLA-IO in the unity government to implement a peace deal the sides signed last year. "And therefore, there is no way we can prepare an offensive against our own partner in the transitional government of national unity," he said. Rights groups and aid agencies have repeatedly sounded the alarm about South Sudan, where an armed conflict largely along ethnic lines has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 2.5 million people. Hundreds of thousands of people are sheltering in camps protected by United Nations peacekeepers. Political situation The war was triggered by fighting between supporters of President Salva Kiir and his rival, Riek Machar, in December 2013. Last year's peace deal largely broke down after renewed fighting in the capital, Juba, this past July. Machar fled the country and called for continued war against President Kiir, while another opposition faction has remained in the government. Earlier this week, the United States said it has "credible information" that South Sudan's government is targeting civilians in Central Equatoria state and is preparing for "large-scale" attacks, possibly within days. The U.S. ambassador to the Human Rights Council, Keith Harper, told the U.N. body that the South Sudanese government has mobilized at least 4,000 militia members and "is staging the fighters in Equatoria to begin conducting attacks." The U.S. is currently pushing the U.N. Security Council to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan. Sooka, a human rights lawyer from South Africa, led a three-person team that visited parts of Unity, Upper Nile, Western Bahr el Ghazal and Central and Eastern Equatoria states during the U.N. fact-finding mission, which ended Wednesday. Sooka said she was especially disturbed by the prevalence of rape across the country. "The scale of rape of women and girls perpetrated by all armed groups in South Sudan is utterly unacceptable and is frankly mind-boggling," she said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Somali Election Process Drags On By Jill Craig December 01, 2016 Somalia's presidential elections were scheduled for November 30, but the head of Somalia's electoral body announced Monday they will be postponed. In the country's complicated election system, clan and regional delegates have elected roughly 50 percent of the members of the lower and upper houses of parliament. The presidential election cannot take place until the remaining parliament members are selected. So it will take some more time before lawmakers determine Somalia's next president, as specified in the Provisional Federal Constitution. Nairobi-based Somalia affairs commentator Abdiwahab Sheikh Abdisamad says he understands the ongoing "selection process" must be rescheduled, but argues that it should happen soon. "If the current selection process failed to conclude for the next 15 days, then legitimacy of the head of state, legitimacy of the members of parliament, legitimacy of the members of the senate will be in question," said Abdisamad. The head of Somalia's electoral body said Monday the new president will be elected before the end of the year. But allegations of bribery, intimidation and improper changes in delegations have plagued the electoral process. Some people, like Abdi Samatar, a Somali-born economic geographer at the University of Minnesota, say such problems will definitely tarnish the results. "If I was in a casino, God forbid that, but if I was in a casino, I would bet whatever little resources I have, and over the last 30 years that I have been working, that this will produce a corrupt regime, and will indeed produce more fragments of Somalia than the 2012 [election] or the ones prior to that," said Samatar. "The level of corruption, culturally, politically, economically, is just beyond this world, frankly." Others, like Chatham House research associate Ahmed Soliman, admit corruption is a problem, but say there are some positive signs. He gives the example of electoral authorities dismissing votes in some regions after officials were found not adhering to the 30 percent female representation quota. "There are also positive signs just in the very nature of how this election is being followed and is being much more widely reported," said Soliman. "And social media is being much more widely reported on. And social media is being used to tabulate and count every single seat and every single individual that comes into those seats. So there is a lot of scrutiny that is happening." Soliman believes that working on the electoral process is more important than adhering to a strict deadline, at this stage. In the country's electoral process, about 14,000 delegates representing Somalia's clans are electing members to the 275-member lower house of parliament. Regional parliaments are selecting the 54-member upper house of parliament. Somalia does not yet have a one-person, one-vote electoral system, though many citizens and experts hope that can be achieved in the near future. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Gambia Accused of Media Blackout as Country Votes for President By James Butty December 01, 2016 Gambians are voting Thursday in a presidential election where incumbent Yahya Jammeh, in power since 1994 and criticized for widespread human rights abuses, is running for a fifth consecutive term. About 880,000 Gambians will be eligible to vote when more than 1,400 polling stations open. The winner will serve a five-year term in Gambia, a tiny former British colony in West Africa that occupies a narrow sliver of land surrounded by French-speaking Senegal. Two candidates, Adama Barrow, the candidate for a coalition of seven opposition political parties, and Mamma Kandeh, of the Gambia Democratic Congress party (GDC), are challenging Jammeh. No communication Gambians outside of the country, in the diaspora, say the government has imposed a communication blackout, including all social media platforms, and they say they are unable to contact their respective candidates and polling agents. "People are trying, even from Senegal, to try and communicate with their loved ones inside the Gambia to see what is happening, which has proved futile," said Saihou Mballow, one of the diaspora coordinators for the GDC. Charges of rigged election Some diaspora Gambians are also accusing Jammeh of stealing the election before it is held. "The election has already been rigged by the incumbent President Jammeh. I can clearly and confidently tell you that communication international lines have been interrupted; internet has been interrupted. It is very difficult for the opposition here to communicate with their polling agents countrywide to know what is happening," Mballow said, calling the vote a sham. "The European Union was denied of coming into the country to observe the election. Likewise, the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) are not coming to observe the election. It's only local observers who are totally under intimidation and supervision of the government. So therefore the election is not free and it is not fair," Mballow said. Jammeh has denied accusations of rigging the election. He has said his victory is all but assured with divine intervention and has warned the opposition against protesting. "Our election system is fraud-proof, rig-proof, you cannot rig our elections," he said. No post-election protests Jammeh has warned that even peaceful protests will not be permitted after Thursday's election, a move that comes as people are for the first time speaking out more freely against Jammeh's rule. "There is no reason that anybody should demonstrate," Jammeh said, adding that demonstrations will not be allowed "because those are the loopholes that are used to destabilize African governments." Candidate Kandeh, who used to be a member of parliament from the ruling APRC party refused to join the coalition of seven political parties. Diaspora coordinator Mballow denies that Jammeh is using Kandeh to create a semblance of a multiparty election and that Kandeh was trying to get the president re-elected. "What happened was that at the time of the formation of this coalition, they were in negotiations and at the end of the negotiations, they couldn't agree on how to select the flag bearer. Most of the parties said that each party should select delegates who would then choose the flag bearer. But the Gambia Democratic Party which I belong to suggested that the flag bearer be chosen after a nationwide primary system and that whoever is selected would have been selected by the Gambian people," Mballow said. Jammeh seized power in a 1994 coup and has targeted opponents and several of his own ministers in recent years, while surviving multiple attempts to remove him from power. The human rights group Amnesty International urged the authorities to ensure that the election and post-electoral period "are held in a climate that is free from violence and which fully respects the right of all people to freely express their views." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Gambia - Politics Gambia's defeated leader, Yahya Jammeh, flew into exile Saturday 21 January 2017, ending 22 years of strong-arm rule and a political stalemate that brought the West African nation to the brink of a regional military intervention. Jammeh made no statement as he departed the airport at Banjul with his family in an unmarked plane, landing several hours later in Equatorial Guinea. He was accompanied by Guinean President Alpha Conde, who had sought in recent days to negotiate an exit plan. The departure of Jammeh, who seized power in a 1994 coup, ends weeks of tension that began when he refused to leave office following his surprise defeat in national elections on December 1. It also averts the threat of military action by a force of 7,000 troops from Senegal and Nigeria who entered Gambia on Thursday to confront Jammeh's military loyalists. Jammeh agreed Friday 20 February 2017 to relinquish power and leave the country. Yahya's decision came after Guinean President Alpha Conde and Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz arrived together in Banjul early Friday to convince him to cede power and leave the country or face military action. Jammeh had until midday Friday to hand over power and agree to leave the country or face military action, the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) said in a statement. We have suspended operations and given him an ultimatum, said Marcel Alain de Souza, head of ECOWAS, adding that if by midday, he doesnt agree to leave The Gambia ... we really will intervene militarily, he added. De Souza said 7,000 troops would be mobilized by Senegal and four other nations, a day after they first crossed into Gambia. Final talks would be led by Guinean President Alpha Conde in the Gambian capital, Banjul. The leaders of Guinea and Mauritania arrived in Gambia's capital Friday in a last-ditch diplomatic effort to get defeated President Yahya Jammeh to cede power. The United Nations Security Council recognized Adama Barrow as Gambia's new president while longtime leader Yahya Jammeh refuses to give up power. Barrow took the oath of office 19 January 2017 at the Gambian embassy in neighboring Senegal. Following Barrows swearing in, hundreds of Gambians celebrated in the streets of Banjul, cautiously at first, and then gradually in larger numbers as they realised the security forces looking on were not going to open fire. Army chief General Ousman Badjie, who had publicly stood by Jammeh, was seen smiling on the streets and navigating through a mass of jubilant Banjul residents who were shouting and dancing. The central market in Banjul was deserted 18 January 2017 amid a heavy police presence throughout the downtown area. The National Assembly extended President Yahya Jammehs term by three months under a newly declared state of emergency. Senegalese and Nigerian forces gathered on the border and vowed to take action if Jammeh did not heed a call from West African leaders to step aside for Adama Barrow, the declared winner of the 01 December 2016 election. Barrow, who was in neighbouring Senegal, had insisted he will be sworn in as Gambias third president on Thursday, January 19. Gambia is one of Africa's smallest countries and had just two rulers since independence in 1965. Jammeh seized power more than two decades ago and his government had gained a reputation among ordinary Gambians and human rights activists for torturing and killing opponents. Jammeh, who took power in a coup in 1994, is notorious for his bizarre and, at times, belligerent behavior. Jammeh was accused of using any and all means at his disposal to repress political dissent in Gambia. His ruthless tactics earned him a reputation as a dictator a reputation he embraced. Jammeh also claims to have miraculous healing powers. In 2007, he boasted to having cured HIV/AIDS using medicinal herbs and magical incantations. He had also alleged to have successfully treated asthma, epilepsy and infertility, often demonstrating his special abilities which he says he inherited from his father on television. H.E. Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh was born on the 25th May, 1965 in Kanilai Village which is in the Foni Kansala District, Western Region. His mother's name is Aja Fatou Ashombi Bojang and he is married to the Gambia's First Lady Madam Zineb Yahya Jammeh. She was born in Rabat, Morocco, on the 5th October 1977 to the Guinean Soumah family. He received his early education at Kanilai Primary School, Saint Edwards Primary School in Bwiam, and Gambia High School in Banjul. In 1983 he passed the General Certificate of Education (GCE 0' Level) with Credits in Geography, English, French, Biology and Physics. Also obtained passes in Chemistry and Oral English. The following year President Jammeh joined what was then the Gambia National Gendarmerie in 1984 and later moved to The Gambia National Army and was commissioned in 1989. He attended the Military Police Officers Basic Course (MPOBC) at For McClellan, Alabama, in the United States of America and in 1994 obtained a Diploma in Military science. President Jammeh served under various military units in The Gambia National Army. From 1984-1986 he was in the Special Intervention Unit, 1986-1989 the Gendarmerie Training School (Escort Training Instructor); 1989-1990 Presidential Guards (in charge of Presidential Escort); 1991 served as Officer commanding in the Mobile Gendarmerie and in 1992 was Officer Command The Gambia National Army Military Police, up till 22nd July 1994 when the Gambia National Army toppled Sir Dawda Jawara and his PPP administration in a bloodless coup. At the time the Jawara regime was toppled, Jammeh was a Lieutenant. In 1994, Jammeh was promoted to the rank of Captain and in 1996 he was promoted to the rank of Colonel. President Jammeh retired from the army in 1996. The Statement by President Yahya Jammeh on the occasion of the Gambias 49th Independence anniversary 18th February 2014: "Homosexuality will never be tolerated and in fact will attract the ultimate penalty since it is intended to bring humanity to an inglorious extinction. We will fight these vermins called Homosexuals or gays the same way we are fighting malaria-causing mosquitoes; if not more aggressively. We will therefore not accept any friendship, aid or any other gesture that is conditional on accepting Homosexuals or L.G.B.T. as they are now baptised by the powers that promote them. As far as I am concerned, L.G.B.T can only stand for Leprosy, Gonorrhoea, Bacteria and Tuberculosis; all of which are detrimental to human existence." In December 2014, there was an unsuccessful coup perpetrated by Gambian dissidents at the State House. As a result, The Gambian government arrested/detained/questioned countless individuals in an effort to locate conspirators and identify those perceived to be in opposition to the government. The resulting crackdown inspired fear in many Gambians. The government seized the opportunity to arrest those that have taken opposing views. It even arrested family members (including young children) of coup plotters and is known to torture those in custody during interrogation. Over the past several years, politically-motivated arrests have become more frequent and arbitrary, and the government had cracked down on the independent press and others who are seen as opposing the government NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Space Agency Confirms Progress Cargo Spacecraft Burns Up in Atmosphere Sputnik News 20:49 01.12.2016(updated 21:06 01.12.2016) Russian space agency Roscosmos has confirmed that Progress cargo spacecraft burned up it the atmosphere and its debris fell in south Siberia's Tuva Republic. "As a result of an abnormal situation, the loss of the Progress cargo ship took place at an altitude of 190 kilometers [some 118 miles] above an unpopulated mountainous area in Tuva; most of the fragments burned up in the [Earth's] atmosphere, according to preliminary data," Roscosmos press service said. Earlier in the day, a source told RIA Novosti that the debris of the Progress cargo spacecraft supposedly fell in Russia's Republic of Tuva in south Siberia. Russia's Roscosmos space corporation reported earlier on Thursday it had lost telemetry exchange with the Progress MS-04 space freighter some six minutes after the launch on board a Soyuz carrier rocket. The Roscosmos press service stressed that the loss of the cargo ship will not affect the routine operations of the ISS and the crew. A state commission currently analyzes the incident. "The loss of the cargo ship will not affect the routine operations of the ISS and the life of the crew." Earlier in the day, Russian Soyuz-U carrier rocket was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome carrying the new Progress MS-04 cargo spacecraft. The Progress space freighter has been carrying more than 2.6 metric tons of food, fuel, and supplies for the Expedition 50 crew aboard the ISS. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China's facilities in Djibouti not for military expansion: spokesperson People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 10:12, December 01, 2016 China's support facility project in the east African nation Djibouti is not military expansion, a spokesperson with the Ministry of Defense said Wednesday. Spokesperson Yang Yujun said at a regular press conference that the facilities being built in Djibouti will be mainly used to support Chinese armed forces carrying out escorts, humanitarian rescue and other tasks in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia. The project is progressing smoothly, according to Yang. "China's overseas support facilities are aimed at better helping it fulfill its international responsibilities and obligations, as well as protecting China's legitimate rights," Yang said. "They are not aimed at military expansion," the spokesperson said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China to seriously implement UN sanctions on North Korea: Chinese Foreign Ministry Iran Press TV Thu Dec 1, 2016 4:19PM The Chinese Foreign Ministry says Beijing would seriously implement new United Nations Security Council sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs. Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters at a regular briefing on Thursday that Beijing would seriously implement UN Security Council resolution 2321 over North's largest and most recent nuclear test in September. He added that China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council, had a "responsible attitude," stressing that his country had always implemented UNSC resolutions and fulfilled "its international obligations according to the UN charter." China imported 1.8 million tonnes of coal worth $101 million from North Korea in October alone, according to the most recent figures available on the Chinese Customs website. The volume was up nearly 40 percent year-on-year. The 15-member UNSC on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution, which curbs Pyongyang's biggest export, coal, by at least 60 percent. It also bans the country's copper, nickel, silver and zinc exports. The resolution, spearheaded by the United States and passed by a 15-0 vote, condemns "in the strongest terms" North Korea's latest nuclear test on September 9. On September 9, North Korea said that it had conducted a successful "nuclear warhead explosion" test, saying it was meant to counter US hostility. Pyongyang's state media said the test had achieved its goal of being able to fit a miniaturized nuclear warhead on a rocket. "Our nuclear scientists staged a nuclear explosion test on a newly developed nuclear warhead at the country's northern nuclear test site," a North Korean TV presenter said. Pyongyang rejects UNSC sanctions North Korea on Thursday condemned the new UNSC resolution as a violation of its sovereignty. North Korea "strongly censures and categorically rejects it as another excess of authority and violation of the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)'s sovereignty by the UNSC acting under instructions of the US," North's official news agency, KCNA, quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying in a statement. The statement added that the sanctions would not force North Korea to abandon its nuclear program, stressing that the embargoes would trigger "tougher countermeasures for self-defense" by Pyongyang and would "inevitably escalate tensions." North Korea has been under a raft of UN sanctions over its nuclear and missile tests. Pyongyang says it will not abandon its nuclear "deterrence" unless Washington ends its "hostile" policy toward the country. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Few Expect New UN Sanctions to Deter North Korea By Brian Padden December 01, 2016 U.S. allies in East Asia on Thursday welcomed the incrementally tougher sanctions imposed on North Korea by the United Nations Security Council, but few in the region expect these new measures to deter the Kim Jong Un government. Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe put out a statement of support for the new council resolution saying it, "reflects the international community's intention to take tough measures that are in a completely different dimension from past ones." The South Korean government urged North Korea to heed the international community's warning to halt its nuclear program or face further consequences. "It will not only face more economic difficulties and diplomatic isolation, but it would also see its rights and privileges as a member of the U.N. suspended," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck. The South Korean government also announced it would impose additional unilateral sanctions as well. Fifth nuclear test The Security Council has imposed several rounds of increasingly harsh, targeted sanctions on North Korea since 2006. Diplomats said the measures have slowed North Korea's march toward a nuclear weapon, but have so far failed to induce Pyongyang to abandon its atomic ambitions. This new round of economic sanctions, imposed against North Korea for its fifth nuclear test conducted September 9, was unanimously endorsed by the 15 members of the council that includes Pyongyang's key allies China and Russia. The latest measures seek to further tighten past restrictions and include: - Caps on the country's coal exports and expanding a mineral trade ban that could deprive the Kim government of an estimated $800 million a year in revenue. - Additional financial restrictions, requiring foreign banks to cease operations inside North Korea and mandating the expulsion of North Korean financial officials from outside countries. - Blacklisting 11 more North Korean officials and 10 more organizations suspected of involvement in the country's nuclear program, conventional arms trade or coal sector. - Prohibitions on the sale of new vessels and helicopters to North Korea and requiring other U.N. members to deflag any North Korean vessels that are registered in their countries. Nuclear state Kim has declared North Korea a nuclear power, but said it would only use these weapons of mass destruction if national sovereignty is threatened by "invasive hostile forces with nuclear weapons." Pyongyang reacted defiantly to the last round of U.N. sanctions imposed in March, by accelerating weapons development efforts, conducting 20 missiles tests and an unprecedented second nuclear test in one year. Past sanctions have been effective in reducing international trade and investment in North Korea, suspending currency transfers to North Korean banks, and increasing inspections of North Korean vessels. But at the same time, the price of food and fuel have been unaffected by past trade restrictions and there are indications the leadership has not been seriously impacted. "There are a number of mechanisms in place also to insulate the regime, the leadership from those sanctions. So they don't bear the cost personally and that's a problem with changing the behavior," said Daniel Pinkston, a Northeast Asia analyst and lecturer in international relations with Troy University in Seoul. China Beijing's enforcement of U.N. Resolution 2321, adopted Wednesday, continues to be crucial as 90 percent of North Korean trade flows either to or through China. "Resolution 2321 is meaningful to supplement previous resolutions, but I am skeptical about its effectiveness considering the dynamics in the international community," said Woo Su-keun, a professor of international relations at Donghua University in Shanghai. China reportedly imported more than 18 million tons of coal from North Korea this year, 13 percent more than in 2015. Under the new sanctions, Beijing will have to limit its coal imports from its ally to 1 million tons for December. Beijing had reportedly been reluctant to support stronger sanctions that might cause the collapse of the Kim government, which it sees as a needed buffer to prevent the U.S. and South Korea from expanding their power and presence on the peninsula. "It appears China has shown sincerity, although it did not meet the expectation of the international community," said Chung Sung-yoon, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul. Beijing has also been critical of the U.S. and South Korea joint decision to deploy the THAAD missile defense shield, which it sees as an unnecessary provocation that could be used against China. The situation in the region could become more tense when the administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes over in January. During his campaign for the presidency, Trump talked about pressuring China to compel the Kim government to halt its nuclear program. Youmi Kim and Han Sang-mi in Seoul contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address France's President Hollande Won't Seek Re-Election Sputnik News 22:22 01.12.2016(updated 23:38 01.12.2016) On Thursday night, President Francois Hollande addressed the nation asserting that he would not seek re-election. In a stunning move, the deeply unpopular president will become the first French president since the second world war not to seek a second term in office. His current approval rating have hovered between single digits and the mid teens. "I decided not to be a presidential candidate, not to seek resuming my mandate," Hollande said, addressing the French people in the Elysee Palace. He said that he made a lot of efforts to keep his pre-election promises but conceeded that there were some mistakes in how such were implemented. Hollande has presided over a time when France has endured multiple terrorist attacks, including the November 2015 Paris attacks that killed 130 people. In July, a cargo truck drove into crowds celebrating Bastille Day, resulting in the deaths of 86 people. In light of his low approval ratings, Hollande cited that politically his candidacy might have posed "risks" to the French left. The French presidential election is scheduled for April and May 2017. Prime Minister Manuel Valls and former economy minister Arnaud Montebourg are expected to compete to be at the top of the Socialist ticket. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address France's Hollande Won't Seek Second Term as President By Lisa Bryant December 01, 2016 In a surprise announcement, French President Francois Hollande said Thursday that he would not run for re-election, leaving the leftist field wide open ahead of next year's vote in which the far right is expected to poll strongly. Hollande, who announced his decision in a hastily scheduled televised address to the nation, became the first leader in recent French history not to run for a second term. He said he could not allow his already deeply divided leftist ranks to explode by running. That would end all hope for a victory in next spring's elections, paving the way for a win by conservatives, or even the far right. Hollande's popularity has sunk to a record low down to 4 percent last month. The left is indeed splintered, and two of his ex-ministers have thrown their hat into the ring. Many expect Prime Minister Manuel Valls to follow. Hollande's time in office has been marred by some of the worst terrorist attacks on French soil in modern history, as well as unsuccessful attempts to significantly reduce the unemployment rate. He nonetheless defended his record Thursday and attacked conservative candidate Francois Fillon, who won the center-right race and who is considered to have a good shot at the presidency. The president criticized Fillon's program, which calls for implementing tough economic reforms and cracking down on immigration and radical Islam. He also took a stab at the anti-Europe, anti-globalization platform of far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who is also polling strongly. Drawing parallels with the upset victory of Donald Trump in the United States, Hollande said Le Pen's protectionist, inward-looking policies presented the biggest dangers for the country. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Bags Long-Pending Indian Artillery Deal, Eyes More Share Sputnik News 21:21 01.12.2016 In a face saver for the outgoing US Administration, India has agreed to sign a deal for artillery guns. Over the past one year, it has been Russia that has scored big with India by signing several defence and nuclear power contracts. New Delhi (Sputnik) The US has been encouraged by India's assurance to quickly consummate a long-discussed contract for light artillery guns and is now eyeing a greater share of India's planned 25 billion dollar worth of military purchase in the next few years. India's current artillery guns are of the late 80s vintage. Successive governments have hesitated from inking another deal because the purchase at that time had led to bribery allegations, contributing to the downfall of the Rajiv Gandhi government. The decision on the $ 737 million contract comes as a big relief to the US as India had recently signed major defence and nuclear power contracts with Russia. "India and the US signed a landmark deal for 145 M777 howitzer artillery guns. The Indian industry will partner with the US defense subsidiary of BAE Systems to locally assemble, integrate and test the howitzers, supporting PM Modi's Make-in-India campaign. This deal marks a major step forward in the US-India defense relationship and supports jobs in both our countries," says Richard Verma, US envoy in New Delhi. Mahindra Defence & Aerospace is expected to capture a major share of the Make-in-India component. Earlier this year BAE systems had announced the selection of this Indian company for discharge of offsets. Out of 145 howitzers, 25 will be purchased in ready-to-use form and the rest assembled in India. India expects to receive at least two M777 light howitzers in next few months. The final contract under a direct government-to-government deal is expected to sign within a week and will be a face safer for outgoing US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter. Recently India finalized a proposal to locally make Kamov helicopters, purchased three destroyers and gave the go ahead for two more nuclear power plants. However, the deal for artillery guns will for the first-time provide synergy between US equipment being used by Indian armed forces. The light howitzer guns of US origin will be transported by US-made C-130J and C-17 heavy lift military aircraft of the Indian Air Force. The primary aim will be to quickly deploy the guns in India's mountainous terrain. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US Senate passes 10-year extension of Iran Sanctions Act Iran Press TV Thu Dec 1, 2016 7:18PM The US Senate has passed a 10-year extension of existing sanctions against Iran, sending the measure to the White House for President Barack Obama to sign into law. Senators on Thursday unanimously backed the renewal of the Iran Sanctions Act by a vote of 89 to 0. It passed the House of Representatives nearly unanimously last month, and congressional aides said they expected Obama would sign it when it reached his desk. Following Senate approval of Iran sanctions extension, the legislation will be sent to the White House for President Barack Obama to sign it into law. The US House of Representatives had extended the sanctions nearly unanimously last month. Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- the United States, Britain, Russia, China, France as well as Germany reached a landmark nuclear agreement last year, under which Tehran agreed to limit some aspects of its nuclear program in exchange for removal of all sanctions. The two sides began implementing the deal, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), on January 16. However, members of Congress said they wanted the ISA to be extended for another decade to send a strong signal that any US president would have the ability to "snap back" sanctions on Iran. Iran has warned that the renewal of sanctions will be a violation of commitments under the JCPOA, and has threatened reprisal if the US extends the longstanding act. In a public speech on Wednesday, Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei warned US against renewal of Iran sanctions, noting that the Islamic Republic would respond if the US proceeded to renew the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) which expires at the end of 2016. "So far, the current US government has committed several violations with regard to the nuclear agreement," Ayatollah Khamenei told members of the volunteer Basij forces in Tehran, adding, "The most recent of them is the 10-year extension of the sanctions. If these sanctions are extended, it will surely constitute a violation of the JCPOA and they (the US) should know that the Islamic Republic will definitely react to it." Last week, Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said Tehran has made necessary preparations and is ready to respond if the US violates the deal. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Rouhani says Iran stood strong at hard times Iran Press TV Thu Dec 1, 2016 11:13AM Iran's President Hassan Rouhani says the country has stood strong in the face of severe plunges in international prices of oil over the past two years. Rouhani emphasized that Iran despite difficulties had been doing well enough that it never had to tap into its reserve funds to make up for any budget shortfalls "as some key oil producers were eventually forced to". "All oil-producing countries came across problems [as a result of falling oil prices] and even Saudi Arabia had to withdraw about $100 billion from its reserve funds to support its spending," he told a ceremony to inaugurate a main water supply project in Iran's northeastern city of Mashhad. "However, Iran for the first time in its history not only withdrew nothing from its emergency reserve funds but also deposited 20 percent of its petrodollars into its National Development Fund over the past two years." Rouhani said Iran's ability to double its crude oil exports to 2 million barrels per day (mb/d) as well as its successful steps to answer the rising domestic demand for natural gas specifically during winters had been among the country's most notable achievements. "These manifest the strength of the nation and the government of Iran," he said. Rouhani took office in 2013 when multiple years of sanctions had battered the country's economy. A year later, oil which comprises the lifeblood of the Iranian economy started to plunge from above $100 per barrel and made several baseline touches of below $30 per barrel ever since. Oil currently stands at around $50 per barrel in what appears to be a result of Wednesday's agreement by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to slash collective production. Iran together with Libya and Nigeria was exempted from the plan in what the country's media praised as a result of a successful 'oil diplomacy' pursued by Petroleum Minister Bijan Zanganeh. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Battle to liberate Iraqi city of Mosul could take months: Red Cross Iran Press TV Thu Dec 1, 2016 7:18PM The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned that the Iraqi government's operation to liberate the northern flashpoint city of Mosul from the Daesh terrorist group could take weeks or months. Dominik Stillhart, director of ICRC operations worldwide, said in an interview on Thursday that civilians could suffer from the fight in and around the city of one million, which was captured by Daesh in June 2014. "What we see now on the ground is indeed that the fight in Mosul is not just going to stop anytime soon because the resistance is very strong," Stillhart said, adding, "It is reasonable to expect that this is going to take weeks if not months." The official also noted that the ongoing fierce fighting has prompted more and more civilians to try to flee to avoid being trapped between frontlines. "It is likely that we will see long, drawn-out fighting with very serious suffering of a population that will once again be caught between two frontlines," he said. Commenting on the reason behind the slow advances of the Iraqi security forces, the ICRC official said the Iraqi military was seeking to protect the civilian population. "The original idea of the government as they told me, government officials, is that people should stay in their houses as much as possible," he said. Stillhart said the ICRC is focusing on providing food and shelter material to civilians who have fled Mosul and on water and sanitation projects in the area. After months of preparation, Iraqi army soldiers, backed by popular volunteer forces and Kurdish fighters, launched an operation on October 17 to retake Mosul from the Daesh terrorists. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has vowed that Mosul, Iraq's second largest city and Daesh's last stronghold in the country, will be fully recaptured by the year-end. About 2,000 members of Iraqi forces killed in November: UN. The United Nations said in a statement on Thursday that close to 2,000 members of the Iraqi security forces were killed in November across the country. The toll includes members of the army, police forces, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and pro-government volunteer forces known as Popular Mobilization Units. The UN statement also said at least 926 civilians were killed, bringing to 2,885 the number of Iraqis killed in the acts of terrorism and violence last month. "The casualty figures are staggering, with civilians accounting for a significant number of the victims," said Jan Kubis, the top UN envoy in Iraq. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 500,000 in Mosul facing 'catastrophic' water shortages: UN Iran Press TV Thu Dec 1, 2016 6:59AM The United Nations has sounded alarm bells over "catastrophic" drinking water shortages in Mosul where Daesh terrorists are fighting an army offensive to retake the Iraqi city. Lise Grande, the UN's top humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, said on Wednesday that nearly half a million civilians are now without access to clean drinking water in the city. "The impact on children, women and families will be catastrophic," she warned, adding that there was not only a water shortage, but also a shortage of food in the city, and electric power had been cut off. It is still unclear what exactly caused water shortage in the city but Basma Basseem, an official with the Mosul municipality, suggested Daesh terrorists had intentionally blown up utilities. He said efforts were underway to bring water tankers to neighborhoods that have been retaken. Some residents said their only resort was to take water from the Tigris river which is passing through the city, while others said they have resorted to pumping water from wells. Local officials and residents are calling on Baghdad and relief organizations to come to their aid to prevent a "humanitarian disaster" in the making. "The government as well as aid organizations must step up and offer assistance to the people, especially those families forced to drink water from the wells that are not fit for drinking," Abdelkarim al-Obeidi, secretary general of the local civil society organization Mosul People Gathering said. A joint force made up of Iraqi army troops, volunteer fighters and Kurdish militias launched a coordinated operation on October 17 to retake Mosul. On Wednesday, Iraq's elite Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) entered the city from the northeast and split up into two groups heading south and north, securing 22 neighborhoods as they advanced. Iraqi commanders say around 40 percent of the eastern half of Mosul has been retaken in the offensive. Iraqi fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units or Hashd al-Sha'abi earlier liberated two villages close to Mosul where some 2,300 families were being used by Daesh terrorists as human shields. The Iraqi forces' progress has been hindered by the terrorists' use of a large civilian population as human shields. Despite the hindrance, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has pledged to liberate the city by year-end. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Japan Working on Strengthening Unilateral Sanctions Against N Korea Sputnik News 09:00 01.12.2016(updated 09:13 01.12.2016) Tokyo is about to finalize sanctions against Pyongyang after the UNSC sanctions imposed after North Korean nuclear test in September. TOKYO (Sputnik) Tokyo is about to finalize coordination of tightening unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang after the UN Security Council strengthened the international sanctions regime in response to the North Korean nuclear test in September, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Thursday. "We highly appreciate adoption of new sanctions by the UN Security Council with regard to DPRK. We intend to cooperate closely with the international community for proper implementation of the resolution," Suga said at a press conference adding that Japan's government was at the "final stage of coordination" of the issue of strengthening unilateral sanctions against North Korea. On Wednesday, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted draft resolution condemning "in the strongest terms" the nuclear test conducted by North Korea on September 9. The UN Security Council adopted the first resolution on North Korea in 1993. In 2016, the Security Council held nine emergency consultations in response to Pyongyang's nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches. This year the country conducted two nuclear tests and at least 25 launches using ballistic missile technology. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Pakistanis Baffled, Bemused, Buoyant Over Trump's 'Fantastic' Praise Frud Bezhan December 01, 2016 The office of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has cited a phone conversation with Donald Trump in which it says the U.S. president-elect described nuclear-armed Pakistan as a "fantastic country" and its embattled prime minister as a "terrific guy." The exchange, as described by Sharif's side, was followed by a more muted description of the November 30 conversation from the Trump transition team that said the "productive conversation" centered around how the two countries "will have a strong working relationship in the future." Trump's team added that the president-elect "is looking forward to a lasting and strong personal relationship" with Sharif. Trump's transition team did not confirm the authenticity of the Pakistani transcript. The seemingly effusive praise quoted in Sharif's statement appeared to surprise some in Pakistan, a conservative Muslim-majority country that Trump described as "not our friend" during a campaign in which the billionaire real-estate mogul frequently employed anti-Muslim rhetoric. In the phone conversation with Sharif, the Pakistani government quoted Trump as saying that Pakistan was a "fantastic place" with the most "intelligent" people and "your country is amazing with tremendous opportunities." The statement said Trump told Sharif, currently embroiled in a corruption court case, that he has a "very good reputation" and he was doing "amazing work." Among the extensive references in the Pakistani readout, Sharif's office said Trump told Sharif he was "ready and willing to play any role that you want me to play to address and find solutions to the outstanding problems." U.S. officials have grappled with Washington's complicated relationship with Pakistan, sending hundreds of millions of dollars in annual aid but publicly questioning Islamabad's commitment to fighting international terrorism. Pakistan also has fought four wars with regional rival India, which also has nuclear weapons and has enhanced its ties with the United States over the past two decades, particularly in the areas of civil-nuclear cooperation, trade, and security. It was unclear if Sharif's office intended the passages on Trump speaking to be regarded as direct quotes. The transcript was released by the Pakistani government's Press Information Department. The praise attributed to Trump has not gone unnoticed in Pakistan, which saw an outpouring of bafflement, ridicule, and support in the mainstream and social media. 'Fantastic Diplomacy' The Pakistani Foreign Ministry welcomed Trump's remarks on December 1, saying Islamabad "would like to strengthen...the existing relationship further and we would like to continue working with the new administration when it takes over." Trump's purported praise made the front pages of many Pakistani newspapers. The Jang newspaper went with the headline: "If Fulfils His Promise, Trump Would Be First U.S. President To Visit Pakistan In Democratic Rule." Trump would be the first U.S. president to visit since George W. Bush during then-military leader Pervez Musharraf's rule in 2006. Meanwhile, a report in the English-language daily The News said that Trump's alleged promise to visit Pakistan has come as a "pleasant surprise" but cautioned that "only time will prove whether the U.S. president-elect fulfils his promise." Some social media users also appeared to welcome the phone-call revelations. "Fantastic diplomacy," Pakistani journalist Waseem Abbasi, who is based in Washington, posted on Facebook. Other Pakistanis were more skeptical. Pakistani journalist Ali Salman Alvi tweeted: "Donald Trump has never met PM Nawaz Sharif but Trump knows Sharif has an 'outstanding reputation,' and understands he is a 'terrific man.'" Journalist Omar Quraishi tweeted: "But Mr Trump do you know most Pakistanis are Muslim - how can they be 'brilliant and exceptional' as well? Won't you stop them entering?" Another Twitter user, Baba Sattar, posted: "We're all trumped by Trump & Sharif. Yes, hilarious in a sad way. Bigly!" Others were simply baffled, suggesting the remarks were fake. CNN journalist Muhammad Lila tweeted that Trump's remarks were real and "not a spoof." 'Not A Friend' Trump's remarks could come as a relief to many Pakistanis wary of his sharp criticisms of the country in the past. In January 2012, Trump tweeted: "Get it straight: Pakistan is not our friend. We've given them billions and billions of dollars, and what did we get? Betrayal and disrespect - and much worse. #TimeToGetTough" Months later, he asked when Pakistan will "apologize to us for providing safe sanctuary to Osama Bin Laden for 6 years?! Some 'ally.'" Pakistanis have also been suspicious of Trump's relationship with India. Trump courted Indian-American voters during the campaign and he met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month. Islamabad relies heavily on U.S. aid and security assistance. U.S. officials have accused Pakistan of not doing enough to crack down on militants group like the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network that use the country as a springboard for attacks in neighboring Afghanistan. Since 2002, Washington has sent around $20 billion in aid to Islamabad for its help combating international terrorism. There are fears that with Trump at the helm, he might scale back on such aid. Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan -trump-sharif-conversation phone-call/28150864.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address South Korean president loses ruling party support Iran Press TV Thu Dec 1, 2016 10:25AM The ruling party in South Korea has taken a unanimous approach to call on embattled President Park Geun-hye to resign in April next year over an influence peddling scandal. The ruling Saenuri Party withdrew support for the president on Thursday, two days after the South Korean president expressed willingness to resign and asked the parliament to arrange a "safe" way for her to step down. The opposition had rejected that offer. The ruling conservative party gave Park a week to accept its ultimatum or risk impeachment. Her opponents in the parliament, mainly opposition lawmakers, did not hold the required number of seats to launch impeachment. With the ruling party's Thursday threat, they would not have to worry about the threshold for impeachment anymore. Members of the ruling party had so far been divided on the prospect of an impeachment. The Saenuri Party's 128 lawmakers also called for a presidential election to be held in June next year, six months earlier than scheduled. "All the lawmakers of the party unanimously approved this timetable," said Chung Jin-suk, the South Korean parliamentary floor leader. The party considered the timetable the most appropriate to ensure a peaceful transfer of power, maintain stability, and give political parties time to prepare for the presidential election, according to Chung. Park, whose presidency has been rocked by scandalous revelations of influence peddling and a subsequent investigation, on Tuesday offered to step down amid an increasingly tough challenge to her rule. The South Korean leader has faced massive street protests in recent weeks amid claims that a confidante, Choi Soon-sil, exercised undue influence over the government from the shadows. Prosecutors named Park, who has immunity from prosecution while in office, as an accomplice in the case but she has denied the accusations. Park has apologized for the influence-peddling scandal. Her approval rating has plunged to a record low for a sitting president. If she resigns, a scenario most likely after the withdrawal of ruling party support, Park will become the first South Korean president to step down since the current democratic system was implemented in 1987. Whether she resigns or is impeached, a presidential election must be held within the following 60 days, with the prime minister leading the country in the interim. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address South Korea Vows to Unveil Unilateral Sanctions Against North on Friday Sputnik News 19:01 01.12.2016(updated 19:02 01.12.2016) South Korea plans to impose unilateral sanctions against North Korea in the wake of a UN Security Council sanctions over the North's continued nuclear tests, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said Thursday. MOSCOW (Sputnik) On Wednesday, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted the draft resolution condemning "in the strongest terms" the nuclear test conducted by North Korea on September 9. The resolution prohibited UN members from buying a number of North Korean exports, including coal and several metals. "The government will push for all-out sanctions and coercive diplomacy against the North by taking swift steps, including drawing up additional unilateral measures in cooperation with our partners, such as the U.S., Japan and the European Union," ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck said, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency. Earlier in the day, Japan also announced that its own unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang were in the final stages of preparation. The planned South Korean measures, which will be unveiled on Friday, were planned in close consultation with Japan, as well as the United States, the spokesman noted, adding that all three countries will unveil the additional sanctions on Friday. South Korea's measures include sanctioning North Korean individuals and entities and aim at disturbing northern maritime transportation, the media outlet said, citing a government source. Other sources said a Chinese company suspected of supplying aluminum oxide, a material used in nuclear weapons, to North Korea may also be sanctioned in what would be the first time a Chinese entity is involved. The UN Security Council adopted the first resolution on North Korea in 1993. In 2016, the Security Council held nine emergency consultations in response to Pyongyang's nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches. This year the country conducted two nuclear tests and at least 25 launches using ballistic missile technology. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Impeachment Motion Against S.Korean Leader Delayed Over Opposition Disagreements Sputnik News 16:58 01.12.2016 The impeachment motion against South Korean President Park Geun-hye was delayed as opposition parties failed to reach consensus on the date of its forwarding, local media reported on Thursday. MOSCOW (Sputnik) The main opposition party Minjoo, also known as the Democratic Party, wanted to forward the motion as soon as possible so that the voting could take place on Friday while the minor People's Party wanted to do that next week in order to reach consensus with some lawmakers from the ruling Saenuri Party. "Our goal is to impeach Park, rather than just focusing on moving ahead with the motion As the non-Park members of Saenuri wish to continue discussions until at least next Wednesday, it is effectively impossible for the motion to be passed [on Friday]," Lee Yong-ho, spokesman of the People's Party, said. The Minjoo and the people's Party will need 200 out of 300 votes of lawmakers in order to oust the president, which means that votes of at least 28 members of the ruling Saenuri party are needed. On November 20, prosecutors filed formal charges against Choi Soon-sil a friend of the president, implicated in a corruption scandal, and two of Park's former aides. The Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office stated that Park was suspected of being an accomplice in the conspiracy, and although they cannot indict the president because of her immunity, they would continue the investigation. On October 24, the JTBC television network reported that Choi allegedly received drafts of the president's speeches before they were publicly delivered, though she had never held a public post. The following day, Park officially admitted asking Choi for advice on speeches and public relations issues, and apologized for "causing public concern." Choi is also accused of using her ties with Park to extract millions of dollars in donations from big companies into two non-profit foundations she controlled. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin urges US to join Russia in fight against global terrorism Iran Press TV Thu Dec 1, 2016 1:20PM Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed hope that Washington will join Moscow in efforts to counter international terrorism, stressing that bilateral cooperation is in the interest of the entire world. "We hope to join efforts with the United States in the fight against a real rather than dreamt-up threat - global terrorism," Putin said at his 13th State of the Nation address to Russia's Federal Assembly in the Kremlin in Moscow on Thursday. Ties between Russia and the US have reached a post-Cold War low over the crisis in Ukraine and the war on Syria, where Moscow and Washington are backing the opposite sides to the conflict gripping the Middle Eastern country for more than five years. The Russian leader noted that his country is looking forward to mending relations with the US after President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. "We are ready for cooperation with the new American administration," he said, adding, "It's important to normalize and develop our bilateral ties on an equal and mutually beneficial basis. We share responsibility for ensuring global security and stability and strengthening the non-proliferation regime." Putin further thanked Russian military service personnel for their "professionalism, honor and courage" in Syria, where Moscow has been engaged in an aerial campaign against Daesh and other terror outfits at the Damascus government's request since September last year. "Precisely that (fighting global terrorism) is the task of our military in Syria. Terrorists have suffered some serious damage. The Russian Army and Navy have assuredly demonstrated that they are able to operate efficiently far from their home bases," he said. The Russian president also hailed Russia's cooperation with China as "a role model for international partnership." Lavrov calls for fresh start in US ties Separately, Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged a fresh start in relations with the US under Trump. "We are confident that the new administration does not want to repeat the errors of the outgoing one, which deliberately destroyed US-Russian relations," Lavrov said in an interview with the Italian daily, Corriere della Sera, released on Thursday. He further expressed Russia's readiness "for honest, pragmatic dialogue with Washington on all bilateral and global questions." Russia, Turkey demand end to violence in Syria In another development on Thursday, Lavrov met with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, in the Turkish resort town of Alanya. During a joint presser following the meeting, the top Russian diplomat underlined that Moscow and Ankara were "united in the understanding that it is necessary to end the terrorist threat in this country (Syria) as soon as possible, to stop the bloodshed." Lavrov also stressed that Moscow will continue its support for the Syrian government until the divided city of Aleppo is "cleared of terrorists." Cavusoglu, for his part, said the two countries want a ceasefire in Syria. He further called for effective mechanisms for a political settlement of the crisis in Syria and expressed hope for cooperation with Russia in Syria in the region. Ankara and Moscow have long been at odds over the conflict in Syria, where Russia supports the government of President Bashar al-Assad and Turkey backs anti-Damascus terrorists. Turkey stands accused of allowing militants to use its territory for travel and shipment of arms into Syria and buying smuggled oil from militants. Ankara has also launched an incursion into Syria under the pretext of fighting terrorists. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Atambaev Says Russian Military Will Have To Leave Kyrgyz Base RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service December 01, 2016 BISHKEK -- Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev has said the Russian military will have to leave its base in Kyrgyzstan in the future. At an annual press conference in Bishkek on December 1, Atambaev said Kyrgyzstan has to rely on its own armed forces without any foreign military bases on its territory. Kyrgyzstan and Russian agreed in 2012 to extend a lease on the Russian military air base at Kant, near Bishkek, by 15 years, starting next year. Kyrgyzstan's previous leadership had agreed to extend the lease by 49 years. Atambaev also said a decision to close the U.S. military transit installation in the Manas International Airport, near the Kyrgyz capital, in 2014 was "a right decision." With reporting by Akipress Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan- russia-military-leave- base-atambaev/28150686.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin Stresses National Unity, Domestic Programs In Low-Key Parliament Address Robert Coalson December 01, 2016 In his annual state-of-the-nation address, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the country is unified like never before and is fully capable of achieving its strategic economic and geopolitical goals. Putin was generally upbeat in the December 1 address to a joint session of parliament, emphasizing what he said were improvements in Russian governance, the economy, demography, and social programs. Although the speech was predominantly about domestic priorities, Putin several times spoke of pressure from outside forces, including the economic sanctions introduced by the United States, European Union, and other countries over Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and Moscow's military support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. Putin said the sanctions imposed by the West were an "attempt to make us dance their dance, as people say, and to neglect our national interests." "All instruments have been used, from myths about Russian aggression and propaganda to the persecution of our Olympic athletes," Putin said, referring to a major scandal this year that saw many Russian athletes barred from competing in the Summer Olympics in Brazil after a World Anti-Doping Agency report accused Russia of implementing an extensive state-sponsored doping program. "There have been targeted disinformation campaigns, propaganda, and attempts to mentor us -- we are tired of it all," Putin said. "But we are ready to take part in the solution of global problems. We do not seek confrontation with anyone. We are not looking for enemies. We need friends." Putin mentioned what he indicated was an opportunity for improved relations with the United States presented by the election of Donald Trump as president. He said Moscow is ready to cooperate with the United States to combat international terrorism, which he described as a "real, not fictional" threat. He also said that Russia's relations with China were a "stabilizing factor" in global and regional politics, and are based on "harmony" rather than the idea of "domination" of the world stage by any particular country -- an apparent reference to the United States. He did not mention Ukraine or any other former Soviet countries and only obliquely referred to the civil war in Syria. The 69-minute speech was Putin's 13th state-of-the-nation address, delivered in the Kremlin's lavish St. George Hall before an audience including lawmakers, cabinet ministers, the judges of the Supreme and Constitutional courts, regional and religious leaders, and other dignitaries. According to state-run news agency TASS, the speech was interrupted by applause 10 times. Putin also noted that 2017 is the 100th anniversary of the communist Bolshevik Revolution and called on Russia to study the lessons of that divisive period "to achieve reconciliation and reinforce the social, political, and civic concord that we have achieved today." "We are a united people, one people, and we have one Russia," Putin said. He promised a stern response to any attempt to sow discord or "abuse other people's feelings and national [ethnic] traditions." Most of Putin's speech focused on upbeat assessments of the state of the country's economy, health-care institutions, the agriculture sector, schools, and the demographic situation. He called on Russian regional leaders not "to hide in their offices" but to consult with the public on policy issues. The president spoke briefly about corruption, saying efforts to combat the problem must not "be a show," but must be conducted professionally. He reproached the West for what he claimed were efforts to "introduce censorship in the global information space." "They reproached us for allegedly introducing censorship in our country," Putin said, "and now they are practically doing this themselves." He ordered the government of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to develop a strategic plan for bolstering Russia's place in the global economy through 2025. Before the speech, Russian media had speculated that Putin might announce moving the 2018 presidential election to 2017, or a major constitutional reform. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the speech would be "very different in content" from previous addresses. However, the address contained no major revelations or initiatives. Moscow-based political analyst Aleksandr Kynev said on Facebook that Putin's speech was the "quietest, tamest, calmest, most peaceable" of his state-of-the-nation addresses. "The absence of aggression is already good news," he concluded. On Twitter, social activist Alyona Popova wryly suggested that the Russia that Putin described in the address was largely imaginary. "Putin lives in a good country. Everything goes according to the law. Industry is growing. Health care and education are great," she wrote. "It would be great if Russians could live there." Opposition politician and anticorruption activist Aleksei Navalny was more unequivocal. He said Putin's speech "was completely empty and consisted either of flat-out lies about 'successes' or the same promises we have had for the last 17 years." With reporting by TASS Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/russia- putin-annual-address/ 28149799.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia Should Withdraw Military Base From Kyrgyzstan After Deal Expires Sputnik News 15:00 01.12.2016(updated 15:22 01.12.2016) Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev thinks that the Russia should withdraw the joint military base from the Kyrgyz territory. BISHKEK (Sputnik) Russia should withdraw the joint military base from the Kyrgyz territory after the expiry of bilateral agreement on military presence in 2058 as Kyrgyzstan needs to stand on its own, Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev said Thursday. "Kyrgyzstan has to rely solely on its own strength in the future. This also concerns the Russian base," Atambayev told reporters at a press conference on the year's results, adding that the base "will have to leave" Kyrgyzstan's territory after the agreement expires. Atambayev stressed that he had already discussed the above mentioned issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin and gained understanding. Under a bilateral agreement, Kazakhstan hosts a joint Russian military base. There are four facilities as part of the base: the Kant military air base, a testing range, a communication center and an independent seismic post. In 2009, the agreement on military presence was prolonged for another 49 years with a possibility of automatic extension for 25-year terms. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia Ready to Cooperate With Trump Administration, Join Anti-Terrorism Efforts Sputnik News 14:13 01.12.2016(updated 16:46 01.12.2016) Vladimir Putin said that Russia was ready to cooperate with Donald Trump Administration, especially in the field of fighting against international terrorism. MOSCOW (Sputnik) Russia is ready to cooperate with Donald Trump Administration, hopes to join efforts with the United States in the fight against international terrorism, in particular in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. "Russia is ready to cooperate with the new US Administration, it is important to normalize and develop bilateral relations on an equal and mutually beneficial basis. Cooperation between Russia and the United States in addressing global and regional issues is in the interest of the whole world. We share responsibility for ensuring international security and stability," Putin said in his annual Federal Assembly address. He added that attempts to break the strategic parity was extremely dangerous and could lead to a global catastrophe. Putin also expressed hope to join efforts with the United States in fighting against global terrorism, in particular in Syria. "We hope to join efforts with the United States in the struggle against real, and not imaginary threat. With international terrorism," Putin said. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin: Russia 'Ready to Cooperate' with Trump Administration By Svetlana Cunningham December 01, 2016 President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia is "ready to cooperate" with the administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, adding that it is "important to normalize and develop bilateral relations on an equal and mutually beneficial basis." Speaking during his annual "state of the nation" address to the Russian parliament and the Federal Council, Putin said cooperation between Russia and the United States "in addressing global and regional issues" is "in the interest of the whole world." The two countries "share responsibility for ensuring international security and stability, strengthening non-proliferation regimes," he said, adding that any attempt to break "strategic parity" would be "extremely dangerous" and could lead to "a global catastrophe." Putin said he is counting on "an alliance with the United States in the struggle against a real, not an imaginary threat international terrorism." The Russian military, he said, is accomplishing that task in Syria, where it has inflicted "significant damage" on "terrorists." Donald Trump During the U.S. presidential campaign, Republican candidate Trump praised Putin's leadership and criticized Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton for speaking "very badly" of Putin. Several days after Trump's election victory, the Kremlin said he and Putin had agreed in a telephone call that U.S.-Russian relations were "unsatisfactory" and that they should work together to improve them. In his speech Thursday, the Russian president also emphasized his country's relationship with China, stating that "the Russian-Chinese comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation" is a key factor "for ensuring global and regional stability." Domestic issues The bulk of Putin's speech focused on domestic issues. He noted that 2017 will mark the 100th anniversary of the 1917 revolutions that overthrew the tsar and ushered in Communist rule. While he said that this historical legacy must be treated with "respect," he also called it "unacceptable" to "drag the splits, anger, resentment and bitterness of the past into our present life." Putin also discussed health care and education. Acknowledging that disregard for patients is widespread among Russian doctors, he called for developing high-tech patient-centered care. He also said Russian education must be revitalized to teach children "independent thinking" and develop their creativity. Putin delivered his first annual address to Russia's parliament in 2000 and six more between 2001 and 2007. The Russian constitution bars a president from serving more than two consecutive terms, and in 2008, Putin assumed the post of prime minister. In December 2008, a new constitutional amendment extended the president's term from four to six years. He was re-elected president in 2012. Quoting philosophers In his previous annual "state of the nation" speeches, Putin has quoted Russian philosophers. In 2013, he cited Nikolai Berdyaev, the Russian Christian existentialist philosopher. In 2014, it was the Russian emigre political and religious philosopher Ivan Ilyin. Last year, Putin chose Dmitri Mendeleyev, the founder of Moscow State University. This time, Putin turned to 20th century thinker Alexei Losev, referring to him as an "outstanding Russian and Soviet philosopher." The president chose a quote from Losev on sacrifice and suffering as a part of Russian national character. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia proposes corridors to allow aid into Aleppo: UN Iran Press TV Thu Dec 1, 2016 5:14PM The United Nations says Russia has proposed setting up four humanitarian corridors to militant-held eastern Aleppo in a bid to let in aid and facilitate evacuations from the battered Syrian city. "The Russian Federation announced that ... they want to sit down in Aleppo with our people there to discuss how we can use the four corridors to evacuate people out," Jan Egeland, the UN Syria humanitarian advisor, said in the Swiss city of Geneva on Thursday. Egeland further estimated that at least 400 injured people are in need of urgent medical evacuation, adding that talks will be held on using "these corridors to get medical supplies and food in." By Wednesday, some 18,000 people had entered Aleppo's government-controlled areas while about 8,500 had crossed into Sheikh Maqsoud, a Kurdish-held Aleppo district, the UN official said. He also warned that the UN had access to the government- and Kurdish-held areas, but still could not reach people trapped in eastern Aleppo. The UN has enough food stored in western Aleppo to feed 150,000 people in the east, Egeland further pointed out. "There are no more vulnerable people on earth probably than the civilian population in Aleppo," he concluded. Additionally, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura stressed that a humanitarian pause in Syria remained a priority of the world body. Over the past few days, about 30,000 people have received aid after fleeing eastern Aleppo, taking the total number of displaced people in the city to over 400,000, he said. The UN envoy also called on members of the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham terrorist group, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, to leave Aleppo in a bid to help save lives and strengthen the argument for a ceasefire. ICRC in talks with Damascus over displaced people In another development on Thursday, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced that it was discussing with the Syrian government the issue of gaining access to people fleeing eastern Aleppo. Dominik Stillhart, director of ICRC operations worldwide, said the Geneva-based humanitarian institution was in touch with all sides to be able to deliver supplies to trapped civilians and to evacuate the wounded. "We are of course trying to get access to these screening facilities and screening centers. In Syria we also have access to a number of places of detention," Stillhart said in an interview with Reuters. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Syrian army gains in Aleppo spark alarm Iran Press TV Thu Dec 1, 2016 10:0AM A senior UN official says Aleppo risks becoming a "giant graveyard" as the Syrian army offensive to retake the city is gaining momentum. Speaking to a special Security Council session by video-link from London, UN aid chief Stephen O'Brien called for concrete measures to protect civilians. "For the sake of humanity we call on -- we plead -- with the parties and those with influence to do everything in their power to protect civilians," he said on Wednesday. He called for "access to the besieged part of eastern Aleppo before it becomes one giant graveyard." A local council leader in east Aleppo also called for safe passage for desperate civilians, warning the UN would be "signing the death warrant of 250,000 people" if it failed to act. "Let the civilians leave, protect the civilians, put in place a safe corridor so they can leave," Brita Hagi Hassan said after meeting French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault. The Syrian government and Russia set up humanitarian corridors for safe passage of civilians earlier this month but the plan failed after militants prevented residents from leaving by shelling the exit routes. On Wednesday, shells hit a militant-controlled area of eastern Aleppo as residents sought to leave, killing dozens of civilians. A London-based observatory which is sympathetic to militants accused the army of carrying out the shelling. The attack came after the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 50,000 people had fled militant-held areas over the past few days. It also came after government troops and allied fighters seized around 40 percent of eastern Aleppo where several militant groups backed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the West are holed up. The Syrian military dismissed reports that the government was detaining and questioning hundreds of those fleeing militant-held areas. Officials said reports of detentions in Aleppo were intended to scare the people into staying under militant rule, and that identities of people leaving the area had to be checked to ensure they were not militants. In New York, the Security Council held emergency talks on the fighting as it took a draft resolution which called for a 10-day "humanitarian" ceasefire in Aleppo. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday added voice to Western calls for a "ceasefire" in Aleppo and across Syria. Russia's Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said his country shared "deep concerns about the situation of the civil population in eastern Aleppo." "But easing their suffering won't happen by stopping the counter-terrorism operation. Leaving Syria and Iraq to a terrorist caliphate and appealing to the terrorists' humanism is not an alternative," he said. The army's recapture of Aleppo would represent a huge stride forwards in Syria's efforts to end foreign-backed militancy after nearly six years of conflict. The fall of Aleppo would deprive terrorists of their last big foothold in a major city. The government has seized much of the northern half of Aleppo in a swift advance that began Saturday. French Foreign Minister Ayrault said Western and Arab countries that back "moderate" militants in Syria would hold talks in Paris on December 10. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Says Russia Proposes Four Humanitarian Corridors For East Aleppo December 01, 2016 Russia wants to discuss the idea of setting up four humanitarian corridors to eastern Aleppo to allow in aid and to evacuate the estimated 400 sick and wounded needing treatment, the United Nations says. Jan Egeland, head of the UN-backed humanitarian task force in Syria, made the announcement in Geneva on December 1 at a joint press conference with UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura. Egeland said food for 150,000 people could be taken from Aleppo's government-controlled western districts into rebel-held eastern areas within an hour. De Mistura said some 27,000 have fled Aleppo's eastern districts during the current offensive by the Syrian government, taking the total number of displaced people in the city to 400,000. Earlier, the UN humanitarian affairs chief Stephen O'Brien warned that Aleppo risks becoming "one giant graveyard," amid intense fighting between pro-government forces and rebels. O'Brien issued the warning on November 30 as the UN Security Council met for an emergency session to address the desperate situation in the northern Syrian city. Speaking via a video conference from London, O'Brien appealed for action to stop the fighting. He said the warring sides in the conflict had "systematically disregarded" the laws of war and were willing to do anything to gain military advantage. Government forces have retaken more than one-third of the rebel-held eastern part of Aleppo since the weekend. O'Brien said some 25,000 people had been displaced from their homes by the fighting and predicted thousands more will flee in the coming days as Syrian forces step up their offensive. He said there was no longer any properly functioning hospital in eastern Aleppo. He also warned that most of the people trapped there don't have the means to survive much longer. Based on reporting by AFP, dpa, Reuters, and AP Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/syria-un- aid-chief-aleppo-risks-becoming-giant- graveyard/28149816.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Erdogan's Remark on Toppling Assad Proves FSA Tool in His Hands Official Sputnik News 15:53 01.12.2016(updated 16:19 01.12.2016) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent statement about Ankara's plans to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad prove that the Free Syrian Army (FSA) is a tool in his hands, Mais Krydee, official representative of the Hmeymim internal opposition group, told Sputnik. MOSCOW (Sputnik) On Tuesday, Erdogan said at a symposium in Istanbul that the Turkish armed forces' military operation in Syria was designed to put an end to the rule of Assad. He said that the high death toll in the war-torn country forced Turkish forces to enter Syria jointly with the FSA. "When he says that the Free Syrian Army is designed to do this, it means that this army is a tool in the hands of Erdogan and he can do whatever he wants with this army. He just admitted that it is his tool," Krydee said. The representative added that Erdogan should not meddle into the Syrian internal affairs. "The Syrian people chose their president, and they will choose president in future by using democratic tools, elections," Krydee said. On August 24, Turkish forces, backed by US-led coalition aircraft, began a military operation dubbed the Euphrates Shield to clear the Syrian border town of Jarabulus and the surrounding area of Daesh. As Jarabulus was recaptured, the joint forces of Ankara, the coalition and Syrian opposition groups continued the offensive southwest. The FSA is one of the groups labeled a "moderate" opposition faction in the Syrian civil war, which broke out in 2011. Washington trained and equipped the FSA fighters in the hope that they would counter IS terrorists, but subsequently shut down this program in October 2015 after spending almost $500 million dollars without any tangible results. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Syria Envoy Reiterates Request to al-Nusra Front to Leave Aleppo Sputnik News 15:38 01.12.2016 UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura reiterated on Thursday his calls for al-Nusra Front group's militants to leave eastern Aleppo. MOSCOW (Sputnik) On October 6, de Mistura proposed to accompany al-Nusra Front militants if they decided to leave Aleppo with arms and to head for the city of Idlib or somewhere else. According to the UN official, if the military activities in Aleppo continue, the eastern part of the city will be destroyed. "The most urgent thing that we are going to ask for at the moment is actually shelter. Winter and places for people to be, winter is coming across. Now, I renew in this connection our request to al-Nusra to leave eastern Aleppo on a save passage. This will contribute [to] avoiding bloodshed and increase our leverage in insisting for an urgent pause," de Mistura told a briefing. Humanitarian adviser to UN special envoy for Syria Jan Egeland called on all stakeholders to influence parties on the ground in Syria as humanitarian situation was likely to worsen in winter. "At the end of this month, things will slow down because of bureaucracy and not being so active. So, our message to these countries who can influence all parties on the ground including the government was now is the time that their foreign ministers, their heads of government start making messages to the parties in Syria," Egeland told a briefing. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address UN Syria Envoy Reiterates Request to al-Nusra Front to Leave Syrian Army Repels Militants Attack on Sheikh Saeed District of Eastern Aleppo Sputnik News 12:36 01.12.2016 The Syrian army forces repelled militants' attack on Sheikh Saeed district of eastern Aleppo, media reported on Thursday. DAMASCUS (Sputnik) The Syrian army forces repelled militants' attack on Sheikh Saeed district of eastern Aleppo, media reported on Thursday. According to Lebanese Al-Manar TV channel, on Wednesday evening Syrian army managed to gain full control over the district, though militants tried to regain it several times during the night. Meanwhile, the government forces continue an offensive in the Karam al-Tarrab area, located to the west of the Aleppo's international airport. The situation in Aleppo has been seriously deteriorating over the recent months. Thousands of civilians are trapped in the terrorist-besieged eastern parts of Aleppo with no access to food or water. There have been several attempts to establish a ceasefire, however the bids have failed. On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the Syrian government forces had cleared almost half of eastern Aleppo from militant strongholds, liberating tens of thousands local residents. On Wednesday, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said the United States, France and the United Nations have failed to offer aid to 90,000 Aleppo residents liberated from militants. The Syrian civil war is ongoing since March 2011, with different countries, regional powers and terrorist organizations such as Daesh and Jabhat Fatah al Sham (previously known as the al-Nusra Front), both outlawed in Russia, involved in the conflict. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkish, Russian Foreign Ministers Meet Amid Tensions Over Syria By Dorian Jones December 01, 2016 The Russian and Turkish foreign ministers pledged Thursday to work together to resolve the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Syrian city of Aleppo. "We are in agreement that a cease-fire is needed so that the tragedy can come to an end," declared Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu after meeting with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. The two ministers met at the Turkish Mediterranean resort of Alanya in the latest step toward a rapprochement. Relations collapsed in November 2015, when Turkish jets shot down a Russian bomber operating from Syria. Moscow retaliated with tough economic and trade sanctions. The rapprochement initiated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has borne fruit, with both sides committed to restoring relations. The issue of Syria, however, again threatens to derail those efforts. Erdogan's threat this week to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad militarily saw Moscow call for an urgent clarification. The Russian and Turkish presidents spoke by phone three times this week. Erdogan walked back his comments Thursday, saying Ankara's priority is to defeat both the YPG, the Syrian Kurdish rebel group, and Islamic State. Erdogan's chief of international relations, Ayse Sozen Usluer, acknowledged differences over Syria, but said common ground can be found. "The commonality to protect the territorial integrity of Syria and providing humanitarian aid, for instance for the people of Aleppo, we can negotiate on these issues," Usluer said. "But, on the other hand, Russia insists to protect Assad. ... So this is some kind of convergence and divergence between Russia and Turkey." Moscow is widely suspected of involvement in an airstrike last week that killed four Turkish soldiers fighting in Syria as part of the ongoing military operation against the YPG and Islamic State. "The date of the latest attack against the Turkish forces, it was very telling," said political columnist Semih Idiz of the Al-Monitor website. "It was the same date to the day that Turkey downed a Russian plane. So many people believe there was some kind of Russian involvement." Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, speaking in Alanya, denied that either Russian or Syrian forces was involved in the airstrike. Observers say Ankara appears ready to move on, focusing instead on areas of cooperation. "It was the very telling that the [Turkish] government was very low key on the airstrike. Prime Minister [Binali] Yildirim has said that Turkey will retaliate and left it at that; he didn't pursue the matter," said Idiz. According to media reports, both sides are cooperating to end the fighting in Aleppo, with Ankara using its contacts with and influence over Syrian rebels. Analysts suggest Ankara may have brokered a similar deal ahead of its incursion into Syria, which started with the capture of the Syrian border town of Jarabulus. "Right after the taking over of Jarabulus in 14 hours, Deriya, near Damascus, which was a stronghold of the rebellion for more than four years, changed hands," said retired senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen, who served widely in the region. "This leads some to think that there was some agreement or understanding between the Syrian regime and Ankara: if you enter Jarabulus; the rebellion has to leave Deriya." With Turkey remaining one of the main backers of the Syrian rebels and their main supply route, analysts say it retains influence over the rebels. Despite such influence, Ankara's relations with Moscow are widely viewed as unequal. "Turkey is on the weaker side of the equation at the moment because of very bad ties with the West," said columnist Idiz. "Both Erdogan and the government and their supporters like to present Russia as [Turkey's] counterbalance to the West. So it's really Turkey [that is] in the weaker situation here and Moscow knows this." Russia's political leadership is using increasingly warm words to describe its relations with Turkey, a move analysts say is likely at least partly aimed at unnerving Ankara's NATO allies. Erdogan has also stepped up his rhetoric against Turkey's traditional Western allies, raising more and more questions about Turkey's direction. That is a mistake, said Erdogan adviser Ayse Sozen Usluer: "I don't see any possibility that Turkey will give up its relations with the U.S., or with the West." Critics of Ankara's rapprochement with Moscow are quick to point out that many Russian sanctions against Turkey remain in force. Cavusoglu said Thursday that both sides agreed to lift remaining sanctions, but Lavrov warned the process will take time, offering no timetable for their end. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia Pledges to Clear Aleppo of 'Terrorists' By Margaret Besheer December 01, 2016 Russia pledged Thursday to continue its support of Syrian forces in Aleppo until the city is "cleared of terrorists." The comment from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov came after a meeting Thursday with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, who said the two diplomats agreed on the need to reach a cease-fire in Syria. Russia and Turkey back different sides in the conflict, with Russia a strong ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Turkey supporting the rebels who have spent more than five years trying to push him from power. The Syrian military campaign in Aleppo, which includes Russian airstrikes, has raised international concerns about the safety of civilians in the rebel-held eastern part of the city. Syria has long described opposition fighters there and elsewhere as terrorists. 'One giant graveyard' U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien is calling for states with influence to do everything within their power to protect those civilians and save what was once the country's largest city from becoming "one giant graveyard." O'Brien told an emergency Security Council meeting Wednesday that up to 25,000 people have been displaced from rebel-held districts in eastern Aleppo since Saturday, but that the numbers change "by the hour and day." "It is likely that thousands more will flee should fighting further spread and intensify over the coming days," he told the council via a video link from London. Beyond Aleppo While the world's attention has been focused on more than 250,000 civilians trapped in eastern Aleppo, O'Brien underscored that there are 700,000 more people in other besieged areas across Syria. "They are trapped, they are petrified; winter is approaching and they are watching the chilling events in Aleppo unfold and asking: Will I be next?" he said. O'Brien called on the Security Council to overcome its long-held divisions over Syria, to "stop the brutality and also prevent a similar fate befalling other Syrians." He said three things are vital: the protection of civilians; safe, unhindered access for aid workers; and an end to sieges. Political settlement needed U.N. Syria Envoy Staffan de Mistura, addressing council members from Geneva, estimated that almost 40 percent of the area previously held by armed opposition groups is now in the hands of government forces. "Make no mistake about this," he said. "None of the military developments we are witnessing are pointing to what one could call a stable, ongoing, permanent military solution," he warned. De Mistura said only a negotiated political settlement will end the crisis. In an interview with VOA Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power echoed that conclusion. "They can take a populated area even one as substantial as eastern Aleppo inflict horrific human carnage, and the war will not end," she said. "If anything, we will have more people eager to take up arms against the regime. What will end the war is a political solution." She said the Obama administration would work until its final day in office to pursue a negotiated peace. Britain and France called for the emergency meeting. Russia's U.N. ambassador criticized them for it, saying they were upset because the rebels they support are losing. "The bandits that they, among others, have so coddled and fueled are on the point of defeat there; almost half of that part of the city has been liberated," Vitaly Churkin said of the battle for eastern Aleppo. "It could be the biggest, including a moral victory, for the Syrian army since 2012," he added. Aleppo, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, has been Syria's most populous urban area and its commercial capital for centuries. As recently as five years ago, estimates of its population ranged up to 2.5 million people. But since becoming a key battleground in the Syrian civil war in mid-2012, Aleppo has been shattered and decimated. The U.N.'s de Mistura is expected to update the Security Council on Syrian developments again December 8, and said he would give details then on what options may exist for the political process. On Tuesday, at a meeting of European Parliament, the veteran diplomat said he could not say "how long eastern Aleppo will last," following the latest government military escalation. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, almost 300 civilians, including 33 children, have been killed in eastern Aleppo since the government stepped up its offensive against parts of the city in November. A leading Syrian opposition group, the National Coalition, asked the United Nations to "take immediate, definitive steps to protect civilians in Aleppo and stop the barbaric offensive against them." Aleppo has been a major focus of Syrian military efforts with the backing of Russian airstrikes, and eastern Aleppo has been under government siege for more than four months. The army began heavily bombarding the city two weeks ago and late Monday took control of a key district. In Washington, the State Department expressed its "deep outrage" at the latest bombing of Aleppo and said Moscow should be held responsible. Previous efforts to halt the fighting have brought only short-term agreements and no real progress toward a lasting end to the conflict that began in March 2011. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address As Assad Pushes into Aleppo, Rebellion's Future Unclear By Luis Ramirez December 01, 2016 The Syrian army's push into rebel-held areas of Aleppo continues, and entire districts of Syria's largest city have been returning to government control for the first time in years. As Assad's forces backed by their Russian allies pound eastern Aleppo, the human suffering mounts and so do questions about whether this signals the end is near for the six-year-old Syrian insurgence. Some observers think it does. "The loss of eastern Aleppo in its entirety would signal the beginning of the end of the rebellion, definitely," said Samir Puri, a lecturer on International Relations at Kings College, London. Aleppo is the last major foothold, and rebel leaders insist that by retaining control of Idlib province and other parts of Syria the war is not ending anytime soon. "I think it's still far from that because what's happening in Syria is just another battle in the bigger fight there," said Haid Haid, a Syria researcher and associate fellow at Chatham House. Loss of credibility But the loss of Aleppo by the mostly Muslim Sunni rebel groups carries big symbolism, which in war, is important. "With the fall of Aleppo, the rebellion won't end overnight, but it will be dealt such a significant symbolic blow. This is of course Syria's biggest city. The rebels have held it since 2012 and it's very difficult to imagine how the rebellion would be able to, in the context of peace talks, present themselves as a credible political force without some hold in Aleppo," said Puri, who recently authored the book Fighting and Negotiating with Armed Groups:the Difficulty of Securing Strategic Outcomes. He said negotiations between Assad and the rebels have never gotten off the ground and getting the actors to the table would now be even harder. "It will be pointless because the regime, when [Assad] was in a bad position a few years ago, he was not keen to really engage in a meaningful discussion on finding a solution to conflict in Syria. So, imagine right now when the regime has the upper hand and he thinks he is winning the war there," said Haid. Turning point Haid, originally from Aleppo, left Syria in 2012 - the year after the rebellion started - thinking that with Washington's support, the rebels would soon overwhelm Assad's forces. Like other Syrians, Haid said he placed great hope at the time the United States would intervene when President Barack Obama issued a warning to Assad. "We have been very clear to the Assad regime that a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. That would change my calculus," the U.S. leader said at the White House in August, 2012. One year later, Assad's army killed more than 1,000 people with sarin gas. Contrary to expectations, the United States did not respond with force, and it was then Haid said the hopes of many were dashed. "That was the turning point in the conflict, because not following through with the threat was a green light for Assad to keep doing what he was doing and the only solution according to him was going to be a military solution." In his London apartment, Haid awakes each day wondering whether his family members in Aleppo have escaped another night unharmed. "What has been missing so far is the lack of will of the international community to stand up and do its part," he said. Change in U.S. policy? Where the conflict heads now depends on whether regional powers siding with the rebels step up their support, and whether the various rebel factions manage to stop their infighting. Thus far, there is no sign of the Russians letting up their efforts to keep Assad in power. More notably, there are big questions on what Donald Trump will do about Syria when he is sworn in as U.S. president next month. Already, the president-elect has given indications Syria will be high on his foreign policy agenda.Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov has been quoted by Russian media as saying Moscow diplomats were in contact with Trump on Syria during the campaign. Before the election, Trump repeatedly said he would cooperate with Russia to fight the Islamic State group. With Russia showing no signs of letting up the fight on behalf of Assad and the incoming U.S. leadership signaling a larger willingness to work with the Russians to end the Syrian conflict, the rebels appear to have fewer guarantees. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Turkey's Dogan rejects executive's links to Gulen Iran Press TV Thu Dec 1, 2016 3:56PM Turkey's Dogan news agency has ruled out that a government probe launched against an executive of its holding company could be linked to Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric whom Ankara accuses of masterminding a mid-July coup attempt. Dogan confirmed in a statement on Thursday that one of its executives was under investigation, but said it was clear that the case was not linked to Gulen's movement. The statement comes against the backdrop of other reports in state media, which suggested that Dogan's Ankara representative had been detained in an investigation related to the July 15 coup attempt. Turkey has arrested more than 37,000 on suspicions of having played a role in the abortive attempt. More than 100,000 have also been fired or suspended from their jobs in the army and other public institutions. Ankara says the suspected plotters are members of Gulen's network. The cleric, who runs a network of educational and cultural institutions in Turkey and other countries, has denied the charges altogether. Many journalists and media staffers have also been subject to Turkey's post-coup crackdown. The move has been met with huge international ire and has undermined Turkey's relations with the West. Key members of the European Union, including Germany and Austria, have repeatedly censured Ankara's targeting of journalists, saying the crackdown would affect Turkey's stalled bid to join the EU. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Erdogan Says EU Must Fulfill Obligations Under Refugee Deal With Turkey Sputnik News 20:56 01.12.2016 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that the European Union must fulfill its obligations under the refugee deal with Ankara reached in March, local media reported. NKARA (Sputnik) The statement was made during a phone conversation between Erdogan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Anadolu news agency reported, citing its sources. Erdogan also reportedly said that Turkey expected Germany to make more active steps aimed at counteracting the Kurdish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the so-called he Fethullah Gulen Terrorist Organization (FETO) accused of organizing a failed coup. Both organizations are designated in Turkey as terrorist ones. Ankara and Brussels agreed on a deal in March, under which Turkey pledged to take back all undocumented migrants who arrive in the European Union through its territory in exchange for Syrian refugees accommodated in Turkey, on a one-for-one basis. In return, the bloc pledged to accelerate the Turkish EU accession bid and introduce a visa-free regime, as well as provide financial aid to Turkey to cover the costs of migrant reception. Erdogan also discussed with Merkel humanitarian situation in Syrian northern city of Aleppo among other regional issues, the media reported. According to the Anadolu news agency, the two leaders emphasized the necessity to increase efforts to provide humanitarian aid to Aleppo, eastern districts of which are besieged by militants with thousands of civilians still trapped in the city. Erdogan and Merkel also discussed the Cyprus issue, Turkish-EU refugee deal and some other issues. The relations between the two countries have recently soured as Ankara is accusing Berlin of providing support to Kurdistan Workers' Party's (PKK) militants, outlawed in Turkey, and followers of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, suspected by Ankara of masterminding the July coup attempt. Germany, on its part, is slamming Turkey over arrests of journalists and pro-Kurdish opposition politicians. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine launches missile tests near Crimea Iran Press TV Thu Dec 1, 2016 7:39AM Ukraine has declared the start of a two-day, major missile test near the Crimean Peninsula, stirring tensions with Russia, which regards the region as part of its territory. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry made the announcement late on Wednesday, stressing that the tests, launched in the country's southern Kherson region, to the north of Crimea, are legitimate and in conformity with international law. Crimea is a flashpoint. In March 2014, the territory, which was under Ukrainian control at the time, held a non-government-sanctioned referendum and voted to join Russia. Kiev and Western countries never recognized Crimea's separation and its subsequent "annexation" by Russia. "The exercises will go ahead on December 1-2. They will involve tests of medium-range anti-aircraft missiles and include combat, transport and unmanned aircraft, as well as a division of anti-aircraft missile, radar and communications troops," Ukraine's Defense Ministry spokesman Andriy Lysenko said. "Ukraine is a sovereign state. All military exercises and tests are held according to a strict schedule and under international lawas for any threats, no one can interfere with the Ukrainian Armed Forces' operational plans," he added. Another Ukrainian official, Vladimir Kryzhanovsky, who is the head of the southern branch of the Ukrainian military's press service, separately said on Thursday that, during flight, the missiles would come as close as 30 kilometers to Crimean airspace. Russia had already warned against the intrusion of missiles into Crimean skies and threatened to take retaliatory military action. Konstantin Kosachev, the chairman of Russia's Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, said Kiev risked sparking a major international crisis if it followed through with the drill in "Russian airspace." "We have will have to respond militarily. Of course, this would be the least desirable scenario, and all of us must work to prevent it," Kosachev said, alarmingly. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said that the Russian Defense Ministry had already summoned Ukraine's military envoy on Saturday, informing him that Moscow would shoot down any missiles and destroy their launchers if Ukrainian missiles violated Crimea's airspace. "In the Kremlin, we wouldn't want to see any actions by the Ukrainian side that breached international law and that might create dangerous conditions for international flights over the territory of Russia and adjacent regions," Peskov said. The tests, the first of their kind for Ukraine, come at a time of persisting tensions between Kiev and Moscow over a conflict in eastern Ukraine, a region known as the Donbass. In April 2014, the government in Kiev launched military operations in Donbass, which is composed of Donetsk and Lugansk regions, to crack down on ethnic Russians in the area who were protesting Ukrainian rule. The conflict then turned into a full-fledged armed conflict, which has left some 10,000 people dead and over 21,000 others injured, according to the United Nations. Talks aimed at reaching a viable ceasefire have failed numerous times, most recently in the Belarussian capital on Tuesday. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Investigative Chief Alleges Ukrainian Lawmaker May Have Spied For Russia December 01, 2016 The head of investigations in Ukraine's Security Services (SBU) has charged that Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksandr Onyshchenko may have been spying for Russia. Hryhoriy Ostafiychuk, head of the SBU's Main Investigative Directorate, told reporters in Kyiv on December 1 that the SBU has obtained evidence that suggests treasonous activities by Onyshchenko. Ostafiychuk alleged that Onyshchenko obtained a Russian passport from Russian authorities in exchange for assisting Russian secret services to destabilize Ukraine. Ostafiychuk also said that Onyshchenko has been preparing "a mass information attack" against Ukraine. Onyshchenko left Ukraine for a European country in July after the legislature stripped him of his parliamentary immunity in the wake of an investigation into his alleged involvement in illegal natural-gas sales. Onyshchenko rejected Ostafiychuk's allegations -- denying that he had Russian citizenship and suggesting he was facing a backlash from authorities because he gave evidence to U.S. intelligence officials on November 29 about what he described as illegal activities by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Based on reporting by UNIAN and pravda.com.ua Source: http://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine- sbu-onyshchenko-spying- russia-charges/28150956.html Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine Starts Drills in Black Sea Despite Russian Concerns Over Crimea Security Sputnik News 19:41 01.12.2016(updated 20:24 01.12.2016) Ukraine launched early on Thursday two-days missile drills in the Black Sea, triggering Russian concerns over Crimean security. MOSCOW (Sputnik) On November 25, Russia's Federal Agency for Air Transport (Rosaviatsiya) issued a statement, saying that Ukraine unilaterally decided to hold missile firing exercises in Russia's airspace near Crimea on December 1-2. The initially announced boundaries of the "danger zone" in Ukrainian missile firing drills were extending into Russian territorial waters, which violated international and Russian laws. It was also announced that the day before the Russian Defense Ministry had summoned Ukraine's defense attache to hand him a military-diplomatic note protesting the introduction of illegal restrictions by the Ukrainian side on the use of airspace over the Black Sea during missile firing drills to the west of the Crimean peninsula coastline. Moscow repeatedly called Kiev's missile launches a threat to the safety of Russian civilian flights to Crimea, adding that it was a provocation. Russian aviation authorities also informed the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) about the issue, though no reaction has followed yet. No Threat to Russian Civil Aviation After launch of the drills, Russian Transport Ministry said there was no threat to Russian civil aviation, though the safety of international air navigation was endangered. "The zones do not affect the routes that operate flights to Simferopol and to Crimea as a whole," Russian Deputy Transport Minister Valery Okulov said. The deputy minister added it was unfortunate that Moscow's "appeal to common sense" was left unheeded by Kiev. "This is a sad situation, the fact that we have not been heard. It is definitely not conducive to coordinating our actions on air traffic over neutral waters in the Black Sea," Okulov stressed. Situation in Crimea As regards Crimea, Ukraine's Air Force command said that any threat to the Crimean residents was completely excluded, since the borderline of Ukraine's missile launch site was approximately 17-20 miles away from the northwestern coast of Crimea. "The borderline of the eastern part of a specified [rocket launch] site passes 27-30 kilometers [17-20 miles] away from the northwestern coast of Crimea, a direct rocket launch site at a distance of 90 kilometers, which completely rules out any threat to the residents of the peninsula," the statement on the command's Facebook account said. Nevertheless, Russia's Black Sea fleet ships took up positions along the western Crimean coastline to defend regional airspace. Meanwhile, Crimea's head Sergey Aksenov said the launch of missile exercises had no impact on the situation in the region. "These drills make no difference to us," adding that all necessary measures to ensure citizens safety were taken. Ukraine's border guards also assured that the situation on the border with Crimea region was calm. Nevertheless, Russian military experts warned of potential force majeure situations, stressing that Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles could deviate from the established trajectories and hit civil air facilities. For instance, Igor Korotchenko, chief editor of "National defense" magazine, said that, according to official statements of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, Kiev was conducting a test firing of missiles, which underwent a renovation, though Ukraine lacked qualified repair centers. Dangerous Provocation Russian Foreign Ministry called the attempts of the Ukrainian side to interfere Russian air space was a dangerous precedent and provocation. "Attempt of the Ukrainian side to use Russian air space is a very dangerous precedent. Unfortunately, we know the history of the Ukrainian air defense, so such attempts create problems for ordinary passengers," Deputy Foreign Minister Alexey Meshkov said. On Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Ukraine's planned missile launches near Crimea intended to further escalate tensions with Russia. "Regarding the so-called exercises with missile launches, I want to say that this is another large-scale provocation by Ukrainian authorities aimed to escalate the conflict between Ukraine and Russia," Zakharova said at a weekly briefing. Russian Transport Ministry said on Thursday that Ukrainian actions in the airspace near Crimea would not be left without response and assessment. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine Conducts 16 Missile Launches During Dec.1 Drills Sputnik News 16:30 01.12.2016(updated 16:39 01.12.2016) Ukraine conducted a series of 16 successful missile launches during announced drills on Thursday, according to presidential press secretary Svyatoslav Tsegolko. KIEV (Sputnik) The missile drills are scheduled to last until 17:00 GMT December 2, Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) reported earlier, adding that the launches will extend into Russia's civil airspace. "The defense minister and the chief of the general staff reported to the president about today's successful missile drills that involved 16 missile launches. All missiles hit their targets," Tsegolko wrote in his Facebook blog. On November 24, the Russian Defense Ministry summoned Ukraine's defense attache to hand him the note of protest. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Alan Burkitt-Gray speaks to Don MacNeil, chief operating officer of GTT, about its company restructuring after coming out of Chapter 11 and its strategic roadmap for the next 12 months. JTI Leaf Services is in the midst of a $7 million expansion of its Danville tobacco processing facility and the first step a new, 110,000-square-foot, $4 million storage facility for both raw and processed tobacco was unveiled Thursday. RICHMOND State Sen. Bill Stanley is considering a run for attorney general and likely will decide next week. Stanley, a Republican from Franklin County, has been thinking of running for the nomination since Del. Rob Bell, R-Charlottesville, unexpectedly dropped out of the running last month. Were giving it serious consideration right now, Stanley said Thursday at the Virginia Press Association Day at the Capital held at the Richmond Times-Dispatch. At a legislative panel discussion with Senate Minority Leader Richard Saslaw, D-Fairfax, Stanley also exclaimed, coals not dead while talking about his constituents expectations for a Donald Trump presidency. Stanley, an attorney at Stanley & Houchens LLC in Moneta, said running for attorney general is listed on his five-year plan, but his decision will come down to what the campaign could mean for his family and law practice. Bell dropped out of the attorney generals race so he could spend more time with his two children, one of whom has special needs. The representative for the 20th Senate District which includes Franklin County, Danville, Martinsville and Galax first was elected to represent the 19th Senate District in a 2011 special election to replace Robert Hurt. Later that year and after redistricting, Stanley was elected to his first four-year term. Richmond attorney and former federal prosecutor John Adams and Virginia Beach attorney Chuck Smith also are seeking the GOP nomination for attorney general. At the conference to gear up for the 2017 General Assembly session, Stanley said he believes he has better name recognition than his potential competitors. Contrasting making his decision to running into a burning building, Stanley said he doesnt feel rushed to decide because should he choose to run, he wont start campaigning until after the session ends. Republicans will select candidates for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general in a June primary. Democratic Attorney General Mark Herring will run for re-election next year. During the panel discussion, Stanley also said constituents in his district, which went for Trump, have high expectations that the Republican president will bring back manufacturing jobs and additional infrastructure to Southwest and Southside Virginia leading to a debate about coal and Medicaid expansion. Those people have a lot of expectations and maybe those expectations will not be fulfilled so quickly, but I think as long as they see the government finally moving in that direction and caring about them and taking steps to restore our economy to the greatness that it once was that is going to affect all of Virginia, Stanley said. Southwest Virginia cant continue holding out hope for a coal revival, Saslaw responded. Coal jobs arent coming back, he said. The longtime senator recalled a conversation he had with Dominion Resources officials wherein they said the company began moving away from coal and toward natural gas before Barack Obama was elected president. During the presidential campaign, Trump often blamed increased Environmental Protection Agency regulations under the Obama administration for the coal industrys decline. Coal is not going to save that region, Saslaw said. Were going to have to get involved. Stanley fought back by saying the coal industry is not dead but instead, state Democrats should abandon efforts to expand Medicaid in Virginia because of Trump and Republican control of the General Assembly. In 2014, state Republicans blocked Gov. Terry McAuliffes efforts to expand Medicaid by adopting the so-called Stanley amendment, named after the Franklin County senator. The amendment stipulated McAuliffe needed General Assembly approval to appropriate the federal funding under the Affordable Care Act to expand Medicaid in the state. HONG KONG, CHINA and CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - Dec 2, 2016) - The Board of Directors of Sunshine Oilsands Ltd. (the "Corporation" or "Sunshine") (HKEX:2012) wishes to announce the following: Closing of Private Placement under Specific Mandate Reference is made to the announcements of the Corporation dated June 1, 2015, July 28, 2015, August 21, 2015, October 1, 2015, November 2, 2015, December 6, 2015, March 2, 2016, May 3, 2016, June 3, 2016, June 23, 2016, July 21, 2016, August 1, 2016, August 4, 2016 and October 24, 2016 (all Hong Kong time) (collectively, the "Announcements") and the circular of the Corporation dated June 22, 2015 (the "Circular") in relation to, among other matters, the proposed issue of new Class "A" Common Voting Shares ("Common Shares") under the Specific Mandate and the connected transactions involving subscriptions for new Common Shares by connected persons. Unless the context requires otherwise, terms used herein shall have the same meanings as those defined in the Announcements and the Circular. Sunshine is pleased to announce today that it has completed the closing of the remaining 98,453,334 Common Shares (the "Closing") under the Specific Mandate at a price of HK $0.75 per Common Share (approximately CDN $0.13 per Common Share at current exchange rates). Under the Closing, the Corporation received total gross proceeds of HK $73,840,001 (approximately CDN $12.69 million at current exchange rates) for the allotment and issue of 98,453,334 Common Shares (the "Issued Shares"). The Issued Shares represent: (i) approximately 2.03% of the total issued and outstanding Common Shares prior to the Closing; and (ii) approximately 1.99% of the total issued and outstanding Common Shares as enlarged by the Closing. The Corporation intends to apply the net proceeds from the Issued Shares: (i) for general working capital of the Corporation; and (ii) as funds for future development of the existing business of the Corporation, including funding the operation costs of the West Ells project. ABOUT SUNSHINE OILSANDS LTD. The Corporation is a Calgary based public corporation listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since March 1, 2012. The Corporation is focused on the development of its significant holdings of oil sands leases in the Athabasca oil sands region. The Corporation owns interests in approximately one million acres of oil sands and petroleum and natural gas leases in the Athabasca region. The Corporation is currently focused on executing milestone undertakings in the West Ells project area. West Ells has an initial production target rate of 5,000 barrels per day. FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This announcement contains forward-looking information relating to, among other things, (a) the future financial performance and objectives of Sunshine; (b) the intended use of proceeds of the Closing; and (c) the plans and expectations of the Corporation. Such forward-looking information is subject to various risks, uncertainties and other factors. All statements other than statements and information of historical fact are forward-looking statements. The use of words such as "estimate", "forecast", "expect", "project", "plan", "target", "vision", "goal", "outlook", "may", "will", "should", "believe", "intend", "anticipate", "potential", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on Sunshine's experience, current beliefs, assumptions, information and perception of historical trends available to Sunshine, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to those associated with resource definition and expected reserves and contingent and prospective resources estimates, unanticipated costs and expenses, regulatory approval, fluctuating oil and gas prices, expected future production, the ability to access sufficient capital to finance future development and credit risks, changes in Alberta's regulatory framework, including changes to regulatory approval process and land-use designations, royalty, tax, environmental, greenhouse gas, carbon and other laws or regulations and the impact thereof and the costs associated with compliance. Although Sunshine believes that the expectations represented by such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions and factors discussed in this announcement are not exhaustive and readers are not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as the Corporation's actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Sunshine disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, subsequent to the date of this announcement, except as required under applicable securities legislation. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this announcement and are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing lists are not exhaustive and are made as at the date hereof. For a full discussion of the Corporation's material risk factors, see the Corporation's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2015 and risk factors described in other documents we file from time to time with securities regulatory authorities, all of which are available on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange at www.hkexnews.hk, on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com or the Corporation's website at www.sunshineoilsands.com. Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited take no responsibility for the contents of this announcement, make no representation as to its accuracy or completeness and expressly disclaim any liability whatsoever for any loss howsoever arising from or in reliance upon the whole or any part of the contents of this announcement. This announcement appears for information purpose only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to acquire, purchase or subscribe for securities of Sunshine Oilsands Ltd. By Order of the Board of Sunshine Oilsands Ltd. Sun Kwok Ping, Executive Chairman Hong Kong, December 2, 2016 Calgary, December 1, 2016 As at the date of this announcement, the Board consists of Mr. Kwok Ping Sun, Mr. Hong Luo, Dr. Qi Jiang and Mr. Qiping Men as executive directors; Mr. Michael John Hibberd, Mr. Jianzhong Chen and Ms. Xijuan Jiang as non-executive directors; and Mr. Raymond Shengti Fong, Mr. Gerald Franklin Stevenson, Ms. Joanne Yan and Mr. Yi He as independent non-executive directors. * For identification purposes only VANCOUVER, Dec. 2, 2016 /CNW/ - Tintina Resources Inc. ("Tintina" or the "Company") (TSX.V:"TAU"; OTCQX: "TINTF") announces that Mr. Wylie Hui, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary, and Mr. Bob Jacko, Vice-President Operations, have resigned from the Company to pursue new career opportunities. Both Mr. Hui and Mr. Jacko have been retained as consultants as Tintina proceeds to advance the Black Butte Copper project through permitting. John Shanahan, President and Chief Executive Officer, said: "Wylie and Bob have both been valued members of the Tintina management team from the start. Bob provided significant contributions to the technical aspects of the Black Butte Copper project including managing the preliminary economic assessment study, mine operating permit application and permitting. Wylie has led the finance, accounting, compliance and administrative functions of the Company with distinction. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank them for their work, commitment and dedication, and wish them every success in the future." Mr. Anthony Jackson has been appointed Chief Financial Officer of the Company, effective immediately, to fill the vacancy resulting from Mr. Hui's departure. Mr. Jackson is a Principal of Bridgemark Financial Corp., which provides corporate compliance, financial advisory and financial reporting activities to public and private companies. Mr. Jackson has extensive experience as a director and chief financial officer of numerous publicly traded corporations in the metals and mining industry. Ms. Nancy Schlepp has been promoted to Corporate Secretary and Vice-President Communications. Ms. Schlepp has over 15 years' experience in legislative relations, public policy, and public relations and is based in White Sulphur Springs, Montana. Prior to joining Tintina in 2013, Ms. Schlepp spent 10 years at the Montana Farm Bureau Federation from 2000 to 2010 as National Affairs Director and served as Commissioner in Meagher County and President of the Montana Taxpayers Association from 2010 to 2013. Mr. Matthew Fitzgerald has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Fitzgerald is an Australian Chartered Accountant with extensive experience in the resources industry and is currently Chief Financial Officer and Joint Company Secretary of Sandfire Resources NL. He began his career in the Assurance and Advisory division of KPMG, before joining ASX-listed Kimberley Diamond Company in 2003, where he acted as Chief Financial Officer and Director until 2008. ABOUT TINTINA RESOURCES INC. Tintina Resources Inc. is a growth company focused on the exploration, development, and mining of its 100% owned flagship property, the Black Butte Copper project in central Montana, USA. The Company is led by a highly experienced executive management team that has a successful track record of building shareholder value through exploration, corporate finance, and mine development. 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 Tintina Resources Inc. Dallas' Pension Problem Connecticut, You've Been Warned Battle for Muni Bonds Heating Up Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings is calling on pension officials this week to halt what is amounting to a bank run on the fire and police pension fund. The run, which Rawlings testified has totaled $500 million withdrawn in 2016, is spurred in part by concerns the pension plans value is being inflated. Roughly half of the withdrawals have come in a recent six-week span.Rawlings has asked that pension fund officials suspend so-called DROP payments, which are retirees own savings invested in the fund and are separate from their fund-administered pension payments.For their part, pension fund officials blame the mayor for the run in the first place. Pension Board Chairman Sam Friar noted that Rawlings and other city leaders had refused the funds earlier requests to make public statements designed to boost confidence in the fund. Had they done that, most of this money would not be gone. Simple, simple solution," Friar told the local television station KXAS. But they refused to do that.The pension was already troubled. Now, the plans officials are asking the city for a one-time infusion of $1.1 billion to help steady the ship. But that amount is unrealistic -- its equivalent to the citys entire general fund budget. City officials say the situation could place Dallas on the brink of bankruptcy The back and forth in Dallas is typical pension politics. Before any viable solution is reached, it seems to be a prerequisite in every city for both sides to sit around and blame each other until things really get bad. Dallas pension fund is projected to become insolvent within 15 years--yet thats not inspired the two sides to put politics aside and get to work.The pension plans members also arent totally convinced of an emergency. In November, the plans roughly 10,000 members began voting on voluntary pension benefit cuts but that process was halted when five of them sued.About 240 miles south in Houston, leaders also face many of the same revenue-raising restrictions and pension concerns as Dallas. But officials are moving forward with a multipronged approach to pension reform. The plan includes pension cuts approved by plan members, pension obligation bonds to infuse the system and guaranteed pension payments by the city. When officials get around to finding a solution in Dallas, chances are, itll look a lot like this one.S&P Global Ratings slapped Connecticut with a warning this week, lowering its rating outlook to negative. The change signifies a downgrade could be in store if the states financial situation doesnt improve.The warning was driven largely by the fact that Connecticuts legacy costs of pensions and retiree health-care, as well as its outstanding bond debt, are creating less and less flexibility in the states budget. Connecticut projects that debt service, pensions and other post-employment benefit costs will eat up a whooping one-third of its general fund revenue in the next budget year, a level S&P sees as high and that will potentially increase in future years.In recent years, the state has routinely struggled with budget gaps. The frequency is mainly because revenues are falling short of projections and lawmakers have been solving the gaps with one-time solutions. Currently the state is facing an $82 million deficit. But the legislatures nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis estimates that its finances will run a $1.5 billion in deficit in the 2018 fiscal year.Connecticuts situation is a great example of what happens when lawmakers kick the budget can down the road. As Municipal Market Analytics Matt Fabian noted recently in his weekly analysis, Like other fiscally stressed states, resolution of growing structural gaps is becoming more challenging with each year.A reason all this can-kicking is particularly troubling is that its happening during a time of national economic expansion. States like Connecticut that have routinely struggled to balance their income with their expenses during this time include Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. When looking at these states, it begs the question: If they are struggling during supposedly good times, what happens during the next downturn?For Connecticut, that outlook isn't good. Lawmakers have raided its budget reserve to plug previous shortfalls and the fund is now down to $248.5 million, or roughly about 1.3 percent of appropriations. With little hope of adding significantly to this fund in the coming years, Fabian wrote, Connecticut lacks a meaningful reserve fund to buffer the effects of an economic downturn.A panel of state and local officials warned Capitol Hill this week that eliminating the tax exemption benefit for municipal bonds would cost governments big time increases in borrowing costs. The panel said that over a nine-year period, the tax exemption for muni bonds saved states and localities roughly $500 billion in additional borrowing costs. Another estimate, which I wrote about last year , pegged the savings even higher at an estimated $714 billion in extra interest payments from 2000 to 2014 alone.The panel event is likely a preview of what's to come in terms of lobbying by state and local government organizations next year. With a Republican soon to be in the White House, many believe the Republican-controlled Congress will start making big moves on federal tax reform. The plan so far does include nixing or at least limiting the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds.The panel also came just one day before President-elect Donald Trump named Wall Street insider Steven Mnuchin his nominee to run the U.S. Treasury Department. Among Mnuchins first comments : A promise that Americans should expect the largest tax change since Reagan. State lawmakers, scrambling to pay for regulators to oversee the nascent recreational marijuana industry, may turn to a controversial source: the states emergency savings account, meant only for fiscal crises.Senate President Stanley C. Rosenberg is floating the idea of borrowing the cash and paying it back with revenue from taxes on retail pot sales after they begin in 2018. But Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg, who will be the states top marijuana regulator, and Governor Charlie Baker are cold to the idea. And Speaker Robert A. DeLeo, who controls the House of Representatives where any such maneuver must begin, declined to comment on the matter Wednesday.There is precedent for such a move. The state took $20 million from the rainy day fund after casino gambling was legalized for startup and operational costs of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. That money was later paid back with casino license fees.Startup costs for marijuana regulation could cost even more, perhaps up to $30 million. Gov. Kate Brown is proposing a roughly equal combination of new revenues and program cuts to close a looming $1.7 billion shortfall in the state's budget.Brown presented her $20.8 billion budget Thursday morning at a news conference at the Capitol.In the wake of the November defeat of Measure 97, which would have raised $3 billion a year, Brown is asking legislators to approve $897 million in new revenue to help balance the 2017-19 budget.The money would come from increases in tobacco and liquor taxes and an increase in hospital assessment and insurer taxes designed to provide health-care coverage for every Oregon child.The governor's budget also seeks additional money by eliminating a corporate tax break first initiated in 2013. Brown said the state's so-called "partnership pass-through" tax break for S-corporations hasn't created new investments or jobs as intended.But the proposed budget does include reductions, which the governor decried."This budget is a short-term solution, nothing more," she said. "It represents the beginning of a conversation, not the end."Among the cuts, Brown's proposed closing the Junction City state psychiatric hospital, which opened in 2015, and a youth correctional facility in Clatsop County.She's also called for cutting funding for community-based developmental disability programs, which would affect the services they deliver to clients. And she would eliminate a program that provides health-care information to families with children who have special medical needs.Proposed spending for K-12 education would be "held harmless," said Kristen Grainger, Brown's communication director, meaning it would not face any reductions. The state would pump $8 billion into elementary and secondary education, if approved by legislators during the 2017 session.That would mark an increase from the $7.4 billion contained in the state's 2015-17 budget. But the increase is intended to cover the higher costs of employee pay and benefits, including much higher payments to the state pension system, not to add or expand programs or services.Oregon Opportunity Grants, aimed at helping the state's neediest post-secondary students, are expanded in Brown's budget, with an aim of providing financial assistance to an additional 5,000 students.She has also chosen to preserve the Oregon Promise program, which lets high school students with high enough grades attend one of the state's nine community colleges for as little as $50 per semester.Funding for community colleges and higher education, meanwhile, would contain no built-in cost for maintaining current service levels."These cuts are a level that I find absolutely unacceptable," Brown said. "State needs are growing, but state resources are not keeping pace with the needs."On the other hand, the governor has proposed borrowing $350 million to help with facilities projects at the state's colleges and universities. That effort includes borrowing $15 million in debt for campus security upgrades in the wake of the October 2015 shootings at Roseburg's Umpqua Community College.Elements of a transportation-funding package expected to be a prime source of haggling and controversy in the 2017 session are not contained in Brown's budget. Those, Grainger said, will be included in a separate bill introduced during the session.However, her budget does contain some specific infrastructure funding proposals. She proposes $30 million for drought-related feasibility studies in areas around the state. Most of those will target hard-hit rural communities, Brown said. Other projects would upgrade fish hatcheries, improve parks and provide new facilities for recreational and commercial boating.The budget also calls for borrowing money to jump start clean-up activities along the Willamette River in Portland, part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund project.The governor is also supporting a new initiative -- creation of the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center. The center, envisioned as a model for future applied research and workforce training efforts, would be financed by shifting funding within Business Oregon.Lawmakers and business groups have waited eagerly to see Brown's proposals."It will definitely prompt debate and it should," said Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem. "Oregon faces enormous budget challenges for the next two years. Meeting those challenges will require us all to work together. The process doesn't end today. It is just beginning."He added that the co-chairs of the Legislature's Joint Ways and Means Committee will present their own proposed budget early next year.The state's university presidents, in a joint statement, urged lawmakers to increase operating funds beyond the levels specified in the governor's budget. By doing so, they said, "every campus can keep tuition at a manageable level for the next two years and maintain vital support services that keep students on track to graduate. If we want to enable more Oregonians to earn college degrees at an affordable level of tuition, additional resources will be needed."(c)2016(Portland, Ore.) The Brown administration will go to court on Friday to block an unprecedented and potentially disruptive one-day strike next week by Californias largest state employee union.The California Department of Human Resources confirmed on Thursday that it had filed a request with the Sacramento Superior Court for an injunction against SEIU Local 1000 that would prohibit the union from carrying out the strike or, alternatively, prevent certain essential employees from participating in the planned work stoppage.Local 1000, which represents about 95,000 workers in nine of the states 21 bargaining units, announced last week that it would strike on Dec. 5 amid ongoing contract negotiations over a multiyear raise, gender pay inequities and how much members will contribute to their health care plans.State agencies have warned their employees that the action is illegal because of a no-strike clause in the unions contract and that they could be subject to discipline if they walk out on Monday. But Local 1000 argues that its strike would be justified because the Brown administration has committed unfair labor practices during bargaining. Green Party Presidential Nominee Jill Stein's recent requests for recounts in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin highlight how few states routinely verify the accuracy of their vote counts: Twenty-two states do not require a post-election audit, and 15 states do not require paper records that could be compared against electronic vote tallies in a recount.With roughly 22.5 percent of registered voters living in election districts with paperless ballots, the pressure to audit vote counts is mounting. Modern electronic machines are susceptible to tampering, casting doubt on the security of the machines and the certainty of their final vote counts.Following the 2000 presidential election and the resulting legal challenges in Florida over inaccurate counts of votes cast on paper ballots, Congress distributed more than $3 billion to replace manual voting equipment with modern electronic machines. At the time, "there was a feeling among some election officials and state legislatures that it'd be best to avoid paper going forward," said Larry Norden, deputy director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice. Instead, states opted for "computerized voting machines that just told you what the totals were and you wouldn't have to deal with the messy process of trying to figure out voter intent."But as it's become clear that without a paper record there's no way to verify vote tallies, computer scientists and election activists have begun pushing for states to not only keep a paper record but to also institute routine post-election audits. Since 2004, many states passed a law requiring audits.In some cases, it's taken a crisis to convince state officials that an auditable paper trail is necessary.In 2004, a statewide race for North Carolina agriculture commissioner came down to about 2,300 votes. More than 4,000 votes were lost during the early voting period when a single voting machine received more votes than its storage would allow. Without a paper trail, there was no way to know if the lost votes would have changed the outcome of the election. To avoid the situation going forward, the legislature mandated paper records and routine post-election audits in each county.Lack of funding is the main reason some states don't have paper audits, said Pam Smith with Verified Voting, an organization that advocates for legislation and regulation that promotes the verifiability of elections. Shortly after the 2000 presidential election, many states were able to make use of federal grants to update their equipment with a verifiable paper record. But once that money dried up, some state and local jurisdictions couldn't add paper ballots -- and that also meant no meaningful audits.New Jersey, for example, passed a law in 2008 that was similar to the one in North Carolina, but the estimated cost of retrofitting existing machines with paper ballots would have been an extra $2,000 per voting machine. In the middle of the Great Recession, lawmakers decided to wait until the economy improved. To date, New Jersey still does not have a paper trail and routine audits.As recently as 2014, three states added or strengthened post-election audit requirements, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Massachusetts established audits, Virginia made permanent a pilot version of its audit program and Vermont made audits mandatory, rather than at the discretion of the Secretary of State.States do take a number of precautions besides post-election paper audits to make sure votes get tallied correctly. They test equipment before and after elections to ensure they are operating properly. They may also run procedural audits after an election to check that poll workers followed standard processes and that all cast ballots were counted.But these precautions do not address the potential problem of a hacker altering peoples votes from the point they fill out their ballot to the point that machine counts it.In late November, J. Alex Halderman, a computer scientist from the University of Michigan, called attention to the importance of paper records at a time when many were concerned about the prospect of hackers swinging the outcome of the election."Paper creates a record of the vote that can't be later modified by any bugs, misconfiguration, or malicious software that might have infected the machines," he explained in a blog post.After Nov. 8, Halderman contacted Hillary Clinton's campaign and argued in favor of recounts in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin to verify for certain that the results weren't manipulated.While Halderman and the Stein campaign have called attention to the issue, post-election audits are different from full recounts. Audits sample a small fraction of the overall vote count to see if electronic tallies made any kind of systematic error -- misreading smudges as votes, for instance.Where the audits and recounts overlap is in their shared need for a paper record to compare against electronic vote tallies. In Pennsylvania, about 6.7 million registered voters lived in districts with paperless ballots. If their votes were counted incorrectly by a machine because of a virus or a programming error, election officials may only have a digital record of the incorrect vote. In that case, they wouldn't be able to determine voters' intent.Of the three states undergoing a recount in December, only Pennsylvania lacks a verifiable paper record in most parts of the state.Given concerns about the security of voting systems, states without mandatory post-election audits are likely to consider legislation next year."I do expect to see changes," said Smith, "and I think the direction they would go is toward paper."Paper audit trails would add a recurring cost for election officials, but they might improve voters' confidence in the accuracy of the final results. And, as the Brennan Center's Norden noted, "audits are a lot of cheaper than recounts." In tapping Rep. Xavier Becerra, a veteran Los Angeles lawmaker and son of Mexican immigrants, to become California's next attorney general, Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday placed a stalwart defender of immigrant rights at the forefront of anticipated legal battles between California and the incoming Trump administration.Becerra, 58, the governor's surprise pick to replace outgoing Attorney General Kamala Harris, who was elected last month to the U.S. Senate, on Tuesday had announced his intention to seek the top Democratic spot on the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees tax and health care law and the nation's huge entitlement programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, all targets for overhaul by the new administration and Republican-led Congress.If confirmed as expected by the state Assembly and Senate, Becerra would become the state's first Latino attorney general, putting him in position to defend California's far-reaching environmental, health and immigration laws against expected attacks at the federal level.In a telephone interview, Becerra said "without a doubt" he expects to defend the so-called Dreamers, young immigrants brought to the United States as children by their parents without papers, and given relief from deportation under the Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program that is considered vulnerable under the Trump administration.Brown's choice for the elected seat was unexpected. Sacramento insiders had speculated that the governor would appoint a placeholder -- perhaps a career member of the attorney general's staff -- to fill out the two remaining years of Harris' term. Becerra himself said the appointment came as a surprise, following recent phone conversations with Brown.But his selection drew wide accolades from California Democrats.State Senate President pro tem Kevin DeLeon, D-Los Angeles, called Becerra's appointment "a perfect matching of man and moment, given that California's prosperity and people are currently under threat by a hostile Trump administration."California Republicans were less kind. San Francisco attorney Harmeet Dhillon, a Republican National Committee member, called Becerra a poor choice because he lacks recent courtroom experience."He hasn't practiced law for 24 years and that strikes me as not the best choice for attorney general for California," she said.Becerra's law license has been inactive since 1991, according to the California State Bar, but this is not expected to hinder his confirmation because of court rulings that allowed Brown to serve as attorney general from 2007 to 2011, despite being in a similar situation.Meanwhile, the pick prompted instant interest in Becerra's downtown Los Angeles House seat. Former Assembly Speaker John Perez announced his candidacy for the seat within hours of the news.Born in Sacramento, Becerra grew up in a 685-square-foot home he shared with his parents and three sisters. A self-described "affirmative action baby," Becerra was the first in his family to go to college, earning his undergraduate degree in economics and law degree from Stanford University.Becerra said that his parents will serve as his touchstone in his new job, which is the second-most-powerful elected position in California behind the governor."They now are the models that I look to to know if I'm doing a good job" as the state's top law enforcement officer, Becerra told The Chronicle. "Am I protecting people like my parents from violence and criminal activity? Am I protecting them from consumer abuse? Am I making sure that they have clean air and clean water? Am I making sure ... that other immigrants like them know that they have a home in California?"The Legislature has 90 days to confirm his selection. His two years as attorney general would then provide a launch pad either for election to a full four-year term or higher office.Brown said in a statement that Becerra, who was a state deputy attorney general for three years before his 1992 election to Congress, "will be a champion for all Californians and help our state aggressively combat climate change."Genial and well-liked on Capitol Hill, Becerra served on several high-profile deficit-reduction committees, where he defended Social Security from GOP efforts to cut benefits and raise the retirement age. He is the highest-ranking Latino in Congress and former chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.Term-limited out of his House leadership job as caucus chairman this year, Becerra flirted with a U.S. Senate bid and was floated as a possible vice presidential pick for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.In an interview with The Chronicle last spring, Becerra described how his father, now 88, dropped out of school in the sixth grade because he "got tired of being put in the corner and having a dunce cap put on him because he had a difficult time understanding English." Now he has a grandchild who was just accepted at Yale, Becerra said. His mother, now 82, came to the United States from Mexico at 18 to marry his father.Becerra said in the interview that he had envisioned continuing his career in Congress, but was always ready to do more."Put me on the field," he said. "I just want to play. I don't care what the position is. I'll catch. I'll block. Whatever you need me to do, I'm going to try to do."Becerra is married to Dr. Carolina Reyes, a Stanford graduate with a medical degree from Harvard. They have three daughters, Clarisa, Olivia and Natalia.(c)2016 the Description GIS 2nd December 2016 : The National Skills Development Programme (NSDP) is one of the premier programmes announced by the Government to address youth unemployment and is very much a testimony of Governments commitment to ensure that all young people have access to training and are given the opportunity to fulfill and realise their potential, said the Minister of Education and Human Resources, Tertiary Education and Scientific Research, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun, yesterday in Ebene Cyber Tower 1. The Minister was speaking at the launching of the NSDP which aims at better matching skills with the demand of employers by equipping young people with technical skills which are in high demand. Sectors targeted are: ICT; Tourism and Hospitality; Nursing and Paramedics; and Construction and other industries. In her speech, the Minister stated that young people constitute the asset of any nation and the future of Mauritius depends on how the country harnesses the potential of its youth. This is why, stressed Mrs Dookun-Luchoomun, Government has formulated policies aimed at addressing youth unemployment and this includes the elaboration of the NSDP. Speaking about public-private partnership (PPP), the Minister observed that the programmes currently being elaborated are made in collaboration with the private sector and the launching of the NSDP is a tangible evidence of the PPP action. Mrs Dookun-Luchoomun also recalled that her Ministry in partnership with the Agence Francaise de Developpement has already embarked on the formulation of a new skills development strategy for Mauritius to identify and match skills labour supply needs for existing and emerging sectors of the economy. For his part, the Director of the HRDC, Mr Raj Auckloo said that the HRDC has been working very closely with employers, industry associations and other stakeholders to identify areas where there is a shortage of labour. Together with our stakeholders, we have identified a list of specific skills that employers are looking for in the immediate future and mounted training courses which meet the need of employers, he added. NSDP The NSDP targets jobseekers aged between 16 and 35 years. The trainees are paid a monthly stipend of Rs 5 000 and an additional Rs 1 000 as travelling expenses based on attendance and upon satisfactory participation in the training. The training and work placement span a period of three to 12 months. Placement is a mandatory component of the NSDP which is intended to help trainees build links with the labour market and gain useful work-related skills. Training fees are met by Government. It is recalled NSDP is a joint Government Private Sector collaboration programme. Description GIS - 02 December, 2016: Funds have been provided, in the Budget 2016-2017, for the filling of more than 12,000 vacancies in order to enable the Public Service to deliver on its mandate more effectively. These include vacancies which are meant to be filled under delegated powers and Government is determined to eliminate all bottlenecks in order to expedite the filling of these vacancies, the Prime Minister, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, replied in the National Assembly on 29 November 2016 to a Parliamentary Question pertaining to the practice of the Public Service Commission (PSC) delegating its powers to Ministries for the recruitment of officers. The Prime Minister pointed out that section 89(2)(a) of the Constitution provides that the PSC may, subject to such conditions as it thinks fit, delegate any of its powers by directions in writing to any Commissioner of the Commission or to any public officer. Moreover, he added that section 118 of the Constitution provides that the Commission may regulate its own procedure and shall not, in the exercise of its functions under the Constitution, be subject to the direction or control of any person or authority. Sir Anerood Jugnauth highlighted that it is a long-standing practice for the PSC to delegate its powers to Supervising Officers for the filling of vacancies in certain specific grades. Such provisions and practice of recruitment under delegated powers have obviously been introduced to relieve the PSC to some extent and speed up the filling of vacancies in the Public Service, he explained. Moreover, the powers are delegated to public officers and not to Ministries, Sir Anerood Jugnauth stressed. Such recruitments under delegated powers are generally restricted to posts in the Workmens Group, although delegation is also given to Supervising Officers for appointment to other posts on a contractual/part-time/sessional basis. The Prime Minister emphasised on the fact that more than 75 per cent of vacancies in the Public Service are still filled by the PSC. He recalled that the delegated powers are meant to be exercised by the Supervising Officers strictly within the parameters defined by the PSC in the instrument of delegation. The delegation is accompanied by a set of conditions which have to be complied with and which are meant to safeguard the integrity of the whole recruitment exercise. The PSC does not abdicate its responsibility after delegating its powers. It maintains an oversight over the exercise and it can still withdraw any delegation if it suspects any misuse thereof, underscored the Prime Minister. Furthermore, he highlighted that any person aggrieved by a decision pertaining to a recruitment exercise in the public service may apply for leave for judicial review of that exercise. That person will be granted leave provided that he satisfies the Supreme Court that there are grounds to grant leave for him to apply for judicial review, he underlined. Moreover, appointments made under delegated powers in promotional grades are subject to appeal to the Public Bodies Appeal Tribunal under section 3 of the PBAT Act, stated Sir Anerood Jugnauth. Description GIS 02 December 2016 : I n line with the governments commitment to address the problem of squatting in an efficient and effective manner, a group of 36 families from Port Louis and 28 families from Camp Carol in Mon Desert Mon Tresor received their Letters of yesterday. The remittance of the letters of intent for sale of State Land to squatters in the region of Port-Louis and Camp Carol was held at Sir Harilall Vaghjee Memorial Hall in Port Louis in the presence of the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and Lands, Mr Showkutally Soodhun, the Parliamentary Private Secretary, Mrs Roubina Jadoo-Jaunbocus, and other personalities. In his address, the Vice-Prime Minister highlighted Governments vision to cater for vulnerable people by providing them dignity through land ownership. The security of tenure in effect empowers people, giving them the opportunity to access loan facilities, he said. The Vice-Prime Minister further recalled the variables that are taken into consideration before regularisation of the squatters, namely their financial situation. He stressed that the mechanism put in place at the level of the Ministry is based on transparency, equity and proper monitoring. The benefiting families will have to disburse some Rs 2,000 to secure ownership of the land they have been occupying for several years. A survey was carried out by the Ministry of Housing and Lands to take stock of the number of squatters around the island. Families occupying State Land without authorisation were identified by the Ministry of Housing and Lands, and a cut-off date of 1 July 2015 has been adopted so that the issue of squatting can be effectively monitored and addressed. Description GIS 02 December 2016 : The necessity to empower women and girls so that they participate fully across all sectors and contribute to achieve sustainable development was reiterated by the Minister of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare, Mrs Marie-Aurore Perraud, yesterday at the opening of the Consultative workshop on the African Gender and Development Index (AGDI) at Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel in Port Louis. There will be no sustainable development without gender equality, and there will not be gender equality without empowerment of women and girls, she said. According to the Minister, women have been stigmatised and dominated for too long, as well as have been drawn backwards by stereotypes, and religious and cultural constrictions. She deplored the fact that women have been made to believe that they are lesser humans, weak and potential dangers. We have a long fight ahead but I still dream, as a Minister, that women and men will get equal chances, equal access to resources and opportunities, and equal rights in our country, said Mrs Perraud. Given that the gender concept itself is relatively new, misunderstood and often confused with sex, the Minister made an appeal for more research and statistics, which are deemed essential to progress and development. Mrs Perraud underlined the importance of indicators such as AGDI to monitor and measure national performance and identify inclusive strategies to combat gender inequalities, particularly in the economic, political and social spheres. African Gender and Development Index The AGDI is a monitoring mechanism developed by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) to assist governments achieve the goal of measuring gender equality in a timely and efficient manner. It allows policy makers to assess their own performance in implementing policies and programmes geared towards ending womens marginalisation. The AGDI also aims to improve knowledge on African womens issues and concerns, through analysis and visibility. It comprises the African Womens Progress Scoreboard, which measures progress in women empowerment and advancement, and the Gender Status Index, which assesses relative gender inequalities based on readily available quantitative indicators on education and health; income time use, employment, and access to resources; and formal and informal political representation. The AGDI process is overseen by senior policy makers as part of a National Advisory Panel whose role is to ensure ownership and accuracy of data. In Mauritius, members of the National Steering Committee will act as National Advisory Panel. The National Steering Committee on Gender Mainstreaming, spearheaded by the Ministry of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare, aims at providing a platform for representatives of all Ministries to give feedback on the status of their gender policies as well as learn and share best practices on gender related issues. The Committee meets every semester. Many leading cities across the country have developed formal programs intended to inject the energy and ideas of technology startups into government operations. These two-way exchanges also offer the private sector the unique opportunity to develop an understanding of public-sector challenges from inside the halls of government. One notable effort is San Francisco's Startup in Residence program, an outgrowth of its 2014 Entrepreneurship in Residence program, which now enjoys grant support from the U.S. Department of Commerce.The federal funding is specifically pointed at helping San Francisco expand the concept to smaller jurisdictions nearby. At the State of GovTech event held in October, San Francisco Chief Innovation Officer Jay Nath talked about how cities in smaller population categories can benefit from similar partnerships with local entrepreneurs. (TNS) -- Despite protests from the auto industry, the Environmental Protection Agency wants to keep strict gas mileage targets in place and is trying to fast-track those standards before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January.In a proposal on Wednesday, the agency said it continues to want a companys fleet of new cars and light trucks to range between 49.9 and 53.3 miles per gallon by 2025, on average, depending on the mix of cars and trucks sold. That amounts to about 40 mpg in real-world driving and is a significant increase from the 24.8 mpg that cars sold in October get.The EPA had until April 2018 to finalize its fuel economy standards, but its decision to issue a proposal this week was seen by some as a hasty attempt to get those standards on the books before Trumps Jan. 20 inauguration. The proposal is now open for public comments until the end of the year.Fuel economy has been a thorny issue between the federal government and carmakers. President Obama first introduced the plan in 2012, when gas prices were significantly higher. Now gas is hovering at about $2 a gallon nationally, and car buyers have shifted their preferences toward larger and less fuel-efficient SUVs and trucks.So carmakers have pushed for the EPA to reconsider its fuel efficiency targets, and were hoping for a rollback. Instead, Wednesdays proposal angered several auto groups. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers called the EPA move an extraordinary and premature rush to judgment.Peter Welch, president of the National Automobile Dealers Assn., said: Washington today decided to make new cars and trucks more expensive for Americas working men and women.On the other side, environmental and consumer groups were ecstatic.Whats not to like about a plan, agreed to by automakers, that cuts oil use, saves money at the pump and reduces pollution? said Dan Becker, director of the Safe Climate Campaign.The proposal has been years in the making.In 2011, in the wake of the federal auto industry bailout, the Obama administration and industry executives agreed to lift mileage goals from 30.2 mpg for cars and 24.3 mph for light trucks to a goal of 54.5 mpg across their fleets by 2025. That figure was reduced in July to 50.8 mpg. Because of testing variations, experts say the mpg number that shows up on a window sticker is about 20% to 30% lower.The agreement required a mid-term review where technological progress and consumer demand would be considered to determine whether the goal was reachable.Now the EPA is saying yes, it is reachable. In its lengthy proposed determination on Wednesday, the agency explained that while it was required to make a final determination no later than April 1, 2018, nothing stops it from moving sooner.Once the public comment period is over Dec. 31, the agency could issue its final ruling.I cant imagine there wont be litigation that says Thats not long enough, said Patrick Michaels, director of the Center for the Study of Science at the Cato Institute, a free-market think tank.Hes not sure though so far, no one is how Trump or his incoming administration will react.They have said they want to rein in the EPA; theyve been crystal clear on that, he said. This is a real interesting litmus test for the new administration.Its also unclear whether automakers will pressure Trump to loosen such regulations. Many have been retooling their manufacturing plans in anticipation of the ramp-up and may be too far along to scale back.And, some analysts say, global markets are pushing automakers toward higher-mileage vehicles anyway.Automakers are global, and markets outside of the U.S. as well as California are demanding more fuel-efficient and lower-emitting vehicles, said Michelle Krebs, senior analyst at Autotrader. Automakers will still be on the hook to develop and produce these vehicles and will need economies of scale to make them profitable.Krebs notes that if the new administration gutted the standards, the administration after that might add a new set, making planning difficult.Furthermore, the regulations were written to give the so-called Detroit 3 automakers more flexibility in meeting the standards with their large trucks and SUVs.Upending the standards could also risk the return of patchwork regulations around the U.S., analysts said.The mileage standards were first created by Congress in 1975. California later set tougher standards for vehicles sold in the state, which forced automakers to customize their California cars and trucks.To their relief, the standards were harmonized into national regulations in 2009. But California could go its own way again.The Obama EPAs move provides solid support for continuation of the single national program to produce a new generation of clean vehicles to address the air quality challenges facing California and other states," California Air Resources Board Chairwoman Mary D. Nichols said.Whatever happens with federal mileage standards, Californias Zero Emission Vehicle program is likely to remain in place. It requires that 15% of new vehicles sold in 2025 be zero emission practically speaking, that means all-electric cars. In the wake of an election that hugely questioned the future of clean energy and climate change, Washington, D.C., city officials partnered with British company Pavegen to create a real-life example of what sustainable energy could do. The source? Footsteps.In Dupont Circle, which sits less than a mile from the White House, 194 kinetic tiles were installed into a portion of the sidewalk, along with small stone benches and flower planters. The corners of the triangular, glass-reinforced plastic tiles balance on a connector that unites the tiles to the 68 generators below. Each footstep causes the tiles to slightly wiggle underfootLeif Dormsjo, head of the districts Department of Transportation, received a $200,000 grant from Sustainable DC for the project, which became a partnership among the city, local businesses and Pavegen CEO and Founder Laurence Kemball-Cook.After failures in his early engineering career, Kemball-Cook told thethat he felt compelled to continue seeking solutions to ecofriendly power and climate change. The idea for the tiles came to him on a busy day in a London train station.I had this light bulb moment, Kemball-Cook told the Post . What if we could utilize footstep power?The city estimates that an average of 10,000 people will walk over the tiles daily, which would produce enough energy to power the parks LED lights for six hours. To engage the public, there are also interactive lights that turn on when people activate the tiles.So far, the downfall of these tiles is cost (this small-scale project cost just under $300,000 total), but as with most sustainable energy technology, cost is projected to drop with further development and use. Kemball-Cook uses electric cars as a model. We compare ourselves to Tesla," he told the. "Tesla had a really expensive car that had very low range when it first came out. Now the price has dropped significantly, and the range is going up. In March 2016, black hat hacker Andrew Auernheimer, better known by the alias weev, gained access to nearly 30,000 Internet-connected printers many of them on university campuses across the country and instructed them to print anti-Semitic and racist fliers. Auernheimer claimed he used a freely available tool to scour the Internet for vulnerable devices and was able to identify the printers he ultimately exploited within minutes. Only a few months later, in August 2016, Auernheimer launched a similar attack, this time hacking 50,000 printers.The lesson: Printers are devices on the network and they need to be secured as part of a greater cybersecurity strategy.However, print security is often overlooked by government agencies. According to a June 2016 Center for Digital Government survey, 60 percent of state and local government agencies were not fully prepared against an attack on their print environment.In October,hosted a complementary webinar, featuring Aaron Scantlin, a security analyst at the University of Missouri-Columbia, to educate decision-makers on what the significant threats are to the print environment, why print security is often overlooked and how to create awareness. The Valeo and Siemens joint venture dedicated to high-voltage powertrains ( earlier post ) has begun operation. Named Valeo Siemens eAutomotive GmbH, the JV is headquartered in Erlangen, Germany and is expected to have a total of around 1,000 employees. Valeo Siemens eAutomotive will be managed by Louis Pourdieu (CEO) and Peter Geilen (CFO). In April 2016, Valeo and Siemens signed an agreement to form a joint venture in high voltage powertrains for on road vehicles. The portfolio comprises e-motors, range extenders, onboard chargers, inverters and DC/DC converters, destined for the entire range of on-road electric vehicles including hybrids, plug-in hybrids and full electric vehicles. Valeo will contribute to the joint venture its high voltage power electronics, range extenders and charging solutions and Siemens its eCar Powertrain Systems business unit including e-motors and power electronics. Building upon their complementary scope and portfolio, the joint venture will benefit from substantial synergies in manufacturing and sourcing and create a base for sustained growth and profitability. The electric vehicle components market is expected to grow with a compound annual growth rate of more than 20% until 2020. The joint company will include R&D centers in France (Cergy-Pontoise); Germany (Erlangen, Bad Neustadt); Norway (Drammen); and China (Shanghai) as well as plants in Germany (Erlangen, Bad Neustadt); Hungary (Veszprem); Poland (Czechowice); and China (Changzhou, Shenzen and Tianjin). Mary V. Valley, 67, passed away Oct. 22, 2016 at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. She was a longtime resident of Rock Springs for 31 years and formerly of Green River for nine years. She was born in Racine, Wisc., Sept. 27, 1949, the daughter of Robert Eugene Valley and Alma Therese Holzschun Valley. Valley attended schools in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and was a graduate from the St. Thomas Aquinas with the class of 1968. She attended Western Wyoming Community College and received her welding certificate. She married Joe Downing in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in 1967 and they later divorced. He preceded her in death in 2015. She later married Gary Sundfor in Eden in 1986 and they later divorced. Valley was employed by Stauffer Chemical as a mine mechanic for 10 years and retired in 1986 and a librarian at the White Mountain Library for six years. She was a state delegate for Al-Anon for Wyoming. Her interests include, spending time with her family, reading, thrift shopping, her animals Zoey, Micah, and Little Kitty. Survivors include one son, Bill Downing of Rock Springs; two brothers, Jim Valley and wife Marti of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and John Valley of Happy Valley, Ore .; one granddaughter, Annie Carr of Rock Springs; one great-granddaughter, Jaycee Carr of Rock Springs. She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Pat Valley, and brother Mike Valley. Cremation has taken place and a mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 2 p.m. Saturday at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in Rock Springs. Friends may call one hour prior to services at the church. Condolences may be left at http://www.vasefuneralhome.com. Norman R Piner, 84, of Rock Springs, passed away Nov. 23, 2016 at the Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County. A longtime resident of Rock Springs, Piner died from a sudden illness. He was born Jan. 27, 1932 in Bunker Hill, Kan., the son of Emory Ross Piner and Lola Belle Crofton. Piner attended school in Bunker Hill, Kan. He was a United States Navy veteran of the Korean Conflict and received his honorable discharge on May 25, 1955. Piner married Jean Blasko on July 7, 1973 in Jackson, and she preceded him in death May 16, 2016. He was employed by Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County for more than 30 years and retired as maintenance supervisor. He continued to work as the building manager for Hilltop Properties. Piner was a member of Holy Spirit Catholic Community. His interests were fly fishing, reading and spending time with his family and the family dogs. He also enjoyed shooting. Survivors include one daughter, Rebecca Drnas and husband Joseph of Rock Springs. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife and siblings. Cremation will take place and a mass of Christian burial was celebrated Wednesday. The family of Norman R. Piner respectfully suggests that donations in his memory be made to Red Desert Humane Society. Condolences may be left at http://www.vasefuneralhome.com. A lot of people are angry. Some of that is caused by fear of the unknown and of what will become of our families and friends as we head into a new political era. Its natural to fear what we dont know and to be angry at what we cannot understand. And were sorry to say that we in the media shoulder much of the blame. If you peruse the national headlines, youre not likely to find much of anything along the lines of news. Most of what our national media covers these days is nothing more than speculation. Those things once relegated to a few pages marked opinion have found their way onto the front pages of our newspapers and to the tops of our mobile and social media-based news feeds. These shadowy forecasts shape our thoughts and ideas, but it is wrong to put too much faith in them. We in the media strive to get our readers attention and that is most effectively done by pointing to the conflict of a story. National media agencies tend to take this too far. So the anger is based upon what might happen, but has not yet happened. For example, with each name introduced as potential members of President-elect Donald Trumps cabinet, some news agencies have reported on the possible doom and gloom that comes from the individuals ideology. That becomes problematic when we turn that anger toward people who do not think or dress like us, or believe in the same ideas as us. We should keep a wary eye toward actions that might cause injury to ourselves but no matter how thrilling they are to read, these doomsday forecasts are not real. It has been eight years since the Democrats took control of the Executive Branch of our federal government. That change caused widespread fear among those people who thought their civil liberties would be taken from them. But here we are, almost a decade later and the most notable change is that which jingles in the pockets of those who have profited by stoking those fears. As we head into this new era of Republican control of the White House we would all do well to remember that most of us have been on the losing side of an election. And that is just one of many things that we all have in common. And that it is the struggle of ideas that makes our country strong. Members of the Supreme Courts conservative majority are questioning the continued use of affirmative action in higher education. In lengthy arguments Monday, the justices wrestled with persistent, difficult questions of race. The justices heard from six different lawyers in challenges to policies at the University of North Carolina and Harvard. Those policies consider race among many factors in evaluating applications for admission. One conservative justice likened affirmative action to giving some college applicants a head start in a footrace. But a liberal justice said universities are the pipelines to leadership in our society and suggested that without affirmative action minority enrollment will drop. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate They waged one of the most tempestuous campaigns of all time, but Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton stuffed the ballot box in Connecticut unlike any presidential combatants in history. More people cast ballots in the Nov. 8 election in the state than any previous presidential year, with a 77 percent voter turnout, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill announced Friday. The total of 1,675,955 voters is unprecedented, said Merrill, the states top election official and a Democrat. That shows that election modernization is working. Hundreds of thousands of people registered to vote online and tens of thousands more took advantage of Election Day registration and the streamlined motor-voter system, which enables citizens to register while applying for a drivers license. Clinton topped Trump 55 to 41 percent in Connecticut to claim the states seven electoral votes. Democrats held onto all five U.S. House seats and the U.S. Senate seat of Richard Blumenthal, but saw their majorities in the Legislature shrink. The state Senate is now deadlocked 18-18, with Democratic Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman holding the tie-breaker. The turnout percentage was about half-a-percent lower than the 2000 election between George W. Bush and Al Gore, and a full percentage point off the 2008 election between Barack Obama and John McCain. In Fairfield County, Monroe had the highest turnout percentage, with 86.84 percent of voters casting ballots. Monroe went for Trump by about 1,400 votes. More Information Turnout by city/town Ansonia: 82.25% - 7,619 votes cast Beacon Falls: 78.76% - 3,397 votes cast Bridgeport: 56.44% - 39,060 votes cast Darien: 82.78% - 11,663 votes cast Derby: 84.08% - 5,286 votes cast Easton: 80.73% - 4,595 votes cast Fairfield: 79.40% - 32,221 votes cast Greenwich: 85.22% - 32,593 votes cast Milford: 77.81% - 28,489 votes cast Monroe: 86.84% - 11,110 votes cast Naugatuck: 70.40% - 13,428 votes cast New Canaan: 80.07% - 11,311 votes cast Newtown: 85.53% - 15,682 votes cast Norwalk: 78.03% - 38,892 votes cast Oxford: 82.40% - 7,442 votes cast Redding: 76.37% - 5,620 votes cast Seymour: 80.56% - 8,620 votes cast Shelton: 81.84% - 21,170 votes cast Stamford: 78.94% - 53,035 votes cast Stratford: 73.07% - 25,546 votes cast Trumbull: 78.40% - 20,174 votes cast Weston: 84.22% - 5,885 votes cast Westport: 85.60% - 15,835 votes cast Wilton: 83.80% - 10,678 votes cast See More Collapse Westport, Newtown and Greenwich each topped 85 percent turnout. Bridgeport, the states largest city and second-largest voter bloc, reported a turnout of 56.44 percent. Stamford and Norwalk were 78.94 percent and 78.03 percent, respectively. Two percent of the ballots cast were from voters who took advantage of same-day registration. State Republican Party Chairman J.R. Romano attributed the robust turnout to the influence of social media in the presidential race. I think why you see record numbers of turnout is engagement has changed, Romano said. Had previous candidates who were elected president been subjected to the same crucible, Romano said, hes not sure they would have won the White House. Both Trump and Clinton entered the election with historically low favorability ratings in public opinion polls. I also think that has to do with the culture thats been created, Romano said. You these, both on the left and right, fake news sites. Its a different world. neil.vigdor@scni.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy Celebrity chefs like tacos, too. Photo: Robin Van Lonkhuijsen/AFP/Getty Images Rene Redzepi will close the original Noma for good at the end of the year, but before reopening the restaurant, he and his former sous chef, Rosio Sanchez, will bring the traveling culinary show to Mexico. Over the last couple years, the Danish chef has made a thing of playing where in the world is Rene Redzepi? by bringing his restaurant to other countries first Japan, then Australia for buzzy, extended pop-ups. After a three-day stint in Tennessee in February, Redzepi and his merry band of foragers will head to tropical Tulum in the Yucatan, where tickets will cost you a very pricey $600, before tax and tip. Everything will be cooked over the fire and there will be, Redzepi tells Bloomberg, bugs, plantains in a clam-ceviche dish, and masa. Reservations go live Tuesday, December 6, at 10 a.m., and can be booked here. As in Japan and Australia, the international culinary cognoscenti will go after them like foie grasinfused hot cakes. Howard Schultz has helped turned Starbucks into a global coffee force. Photo: Stephen Brashear/Getty Images Long live the Pumpkin Spice Latte king. Howard Schultz will step down from his role as CEO of Starbucks next year, the company has revealed. Over two separate tenures as lord of the Frappuccinos, from 1987 to 2000 and again from 2000 through this year, Schultz has grown Starbucks into the monolithic coffee it is today. Hell stay on with the company as its executive chairman, allowing him to transition into a role focused on Starbucks third-wave coffee ploy Reserve and, much more importantly, its civic causes. This is important, because it was clear to observers that Schultzs efforts to eradicate racism by writing stuff on cups and unify a sharply divided America with green cups only failed because he wasnt able to fully devote himself to the projects. Its like we never left. Photo: Paul Cheney/Bravo Its been many long, Top Chefless months. But as of last night, were back in the saddle! This year, Top Chef takes us to Charleston, South Carolina, where the grits are hot, the tea is cold, and our lady of perpetual sorrow Padma Lakshmi seems as mournfully stoned as ever. But I hope you are sitting down while you read this, because right off the bat there is a shocking twist! (Unless you have seen the previews, in which case, not so shocking.) This season, eight of the chefs will be normal first-time Top Chef competitors, but the other eight will be Top Chef vets returned for a second chance at glory! Over the years, Ive been a part of very successful restaurants, says season-two non-winner and 2012 Sexiest Man Alive Sam Talbot. But the title of Top Chef? The success that would come from that could be limitless. It is true. Sometimes, I wonder why my success feels so limited, and then I remember that I am not a Top Chef. Everybody wants to be Top Chef, observes a sleepy tattooed man who will presumably be competing on this show. To that end, it is time to get cooking! First up: The new chefs! Glowing with the innocence of dreams un-dashed, they parade into the kitchen to meet their fate. Im feeling very confident, says the sleepy tattooed man, who turns out to be B.J. Smith from Portland. Louisvilles own Annie Pettry, on the other hand, is simmering with nervous energy. I know Im a badass, she announces, as I do every morning, in the mirror, but this is the scariest thing Ive ever done. Meanwhile, Sylva Senat, in from Philadelphia, is beginning to suspect that there might be a shocking twist this season. Its eight of us, he says, surveying his competition, so Im wondering if theres more people coming. And wouldnt you know it, heres Shirley! Shirley Chungs story is that she almost won season 11 in New Orleans, but then she didnt, and now shes back. Seriously, Shirley Chung, youre actually here again? says Shirley Chung, simmering alone in the Stew Room, waiting for more old pals to arrive. For example, here is Brooke Williamson! Brooke is the runner-up from Top Chef Seattle, and points out that unless she wins, shell have done worse than last time. Thats the spirit I like to see! Also, ray of bowtied sunshine Katsuji Tanabe, from Top Chef Boston! Are you stoked? asks handsome Sam Talbot, pulsing with rugged masculinity. I am! Meanwhile in the kitchen, Tom confirms Sylvas suspicions: There are indeed more people coming, but they are stowed away in the Stew Room right now, only he doesnt say that part, because Tom is a man who loves surprises almost as much as he loves shawl collars. It doesnt matter whos up next, threatens Jamie Lynch, a new chef whose distinguishing characteristic thus far is his neck tattoo. The goal for me is to beat everybody. Speaking of whos up next, youre probably wondering: Will noted Seattle competitor John Tesar be coming to Charleston? Well, have I got news for you. Yes. John is like my stepdad, offers Brooke, carefully, explaining that hes the kind of pink-shirted middle-age man who sometimes youre excited to see, and sometimes you roll your eyes at. She is a sharp observer of character, that Brooke. Rounding out our home team: Amanda Baumgarten, from Top Chef D.C.; Casey Thompson, from Top Chef Miami and Top Chef All-Stars; and Sheldon Simeon, also from Top Chef Seattle. We will discuss them at another time. There are literally too many cooks in the kitchen in these early episodes. Photo: Paul Cheney/Bravo For now, its on to the first Quickfire Challenge, featuring all of the new people, while the old people spy on them from a secret television in the Stew Room. I feel like Im watching Top Chef, but Im not in it right now, notes Shirley. My sentiments exactly. Gerald Sombright is based in Miami and has five kids. Jim Smith is the executive chef of the State of Alabama. Another fun fact about Jim Smith is that he has seen every episode of Star Trek ever made. Also, there are even more people! (These early episodes are like college orientation; it is impossible to know who is going to end up mattering in the end.) Anyway, for their inaugural challenge, Tom has decided that everyone will get one hour to make as many dishes as they can out of a very special ingredient. The very special ingredient is a chicken. Padma and Tom will taste the dishes as they are ready. I love simple challenges like this because they are guaranteed to go poorly. And indeed, the chicken dance is a disaster for basically everyone. As the official chef of Alabama, Jim decides to do three separate dishes, including but not limited to fried chicken livers with strawberry-cane syrup vinaigrette, and ranch dressing, which he promises is actually delicious, in an unexpected sort of way. Im sweating like crazy! he drawls. The heats on! Im ready! Padma pets him softly. It is a gesture that looks like kindness. Gerald says hes doing chicken noodle soup, and also smoked chicken breast; B.J., classically trained barbecuer that he is, is doing a thing that involves white meat plus another thing involving dark meat; and neck-tattooed Jamie is doing chicken grand-mere. Padma, however, is reasonably preoccupied by more pressing concerns re: Jamie.Are you tattooed everywhere? she purrs. (He is not.) Another new person! Silvia Barban is Italian and therefore makes pasta, even though the one thing she promised herself she wouldnt make during a Quickfire is pasta. I understand. The call of pasta is too strong for all of us. Finally, it is time to meet Emily Hahn, who has the advantage of already living in Charleston, but the disadvantage of being a villainess. I have been fired from a couple of jobs because of my attitude, she says, but attitude is everything. I have thought about it a lot, and I am going to be honest with you: I still dont know what it means. After explaining her game plan to Tom and Padma the plan is chicken she informs them that she has had enough talking and banishes them from her kingdom. Suffice it to say, things go wrong for the chefs and when its all said and done, Tom is disappointed in everyone, but he admits he liked Italian Silvias pasta, scowling Emilys Korean barbecued chicken wings, and Alabama Jims chicken-innards melange. And the winner is wait for it Alabama Jim, for his strawberry chicken innards! The Stew Room is shocked. I am shocked. Alabama Jim is more than shocked. I just wanna hug that guy, coos Sam Talbot, beautifully. Now for the bad news: Geralds sauce was greasy, Jamies vegetables were burnt, and Tom still cant forgive Annie for a little fight they had about panzanella, so theyre on bottom. Tom delivers the news gravely: the loser is Gerald. Im disappointed, agrees Gerald, but that was my least favorite dish that Ive probably ever cooked in my life. Oh, Gerald. You will never make it in Trumps America. Concentrate Photo: Paul Cheney/Bravo There is no time to wallow, though, because its time for the veterans to make their entrance. Hello, hello! chuckles Padma. Fuck, mutters Silvia. Hehehe, titters Tom. Silvia is nervous because she has a crush on Sam Talbot. Jim is nervous because that is his general state. Emily, however, is not nervous at all, because, she points out, everyone returning is someone who has already been eliminated at least once. Emily is a real glass-half-full kind of girl, you can tell. Another surprise! Restaurateur and Top Chef master Graham Elliot will also be on the judging panel this season, and will oversee the second Quickfire of the night: The chefs will have 30 minutes to put a creative spin on a Charleston classic, shrimp and grits, which honestly doesnt seem like a very creative challenge to me, but whatever, hes new. Sheldon says he wants to represent Hawaii. Brooke wraps a Scotch egg in ground shrimp. Shirley announces her intention to cook so the judges feel like they just had a giant hug. Katsuji will attempt simplicity, and Sheldon will attempt to use an immersion blender. Everyone does interesting global-grits things, either because this is an easier challenge, or because they have all been on this show before. I thought Sams shrimp-and-coconut grits with blackened tomatoes, vinegar, chili, and maple syrup was definitely top-three material, but then, it is also possible that I am confused and I am actually talking about his face. In any case, Graham Elliot says the obvious standouts were Amandas head-on shrimp and grits with ham, pickled raisins, and roasted peaches, Brookes shrimp-encrusted Scotch egg bonanza, and Shirleys grits-and-steamed-egg-custard combo And the winner is Brookes shrimp egg! Graham Elliot does not, however, care for Caseys coconut shrimp and grits with corn (too corny) Katsujis complicated Mexican adobo-style extravaganza (too complicated), or Johns Korean-style interpretation, with faux kimchee and kimchee butter (generally baffling). Since whatever the problem with Johns dish is is beyond articulation, John is named the loser, so he must now fight Gerald to sudden death. As the sun rises in the East, the warriors prepare for battle. At 58 years old, Im kind of a dying breed, muses John, with a sadness that can only come from a man once named the most hated chef in Dallas. When it is his turn, Gerald shares the hardest thing hes gone through was the time he had to live out of his car to put a roof over his kids heads. On that note, everything takes a dark turn. As they pull up to the site of their impeding duel, John and Gerald discover that they are actually on Boone Hall Plantation, which on the plus side is beautiful, but on the minus side is a former plantation. This is where slaves lived, whispers John, who is white. I know, says Gerald, who is black. John and Gerald agree that it is important not to shy away from history. In flowing floral ruffles, Padma leads a quick group discussion on the legacy of slavery in America. Theres certainly a lot of history here, transitions our trusty sidekick Gail Simmons, but were here because its home to one of the worlds largest oyster festivals. Ehhhhhh. So, okay, its time for an oyster roast. Seems simple, but Graham cheerfully assures them that there are many ways it can all go wrong. For instance, your oysters could be filled with crabs, a horrifying possibility neither Gerald nor I had previously considered. Luckily, Gerald has time to roast a new batch real quick, so he can serve his oysters with Thai-style mignonette and be sure they are blessedly free of crabs. Meanwhile, John cream-poaches his oysters with a truffle infusion, which he can do, because he brought a truffle from home. Never travel without it, thats what I say! It is a difficult decision. On the one hand, Geralds dish had true oyster flavor, but then again, Johns dish developed a lot of flavor. So much flavor! Will they choose the one with the flavor, or the other one with the flavor? The other one, it turns out. Geralds Thai spices werent spicy enough, and he so he banished to the internet-only wilds of Last Chance Kitchen. And after all that, were done with the kickoff! Coming up this season: Sheldon has a medical emergency! Emily has a tearful breakdown! Padma eats the best meal of her life, except for all the other meals, and Jim smokes a chili pepper! Its going to be big, you guys. See you next week. These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales. A dual rear camera on the Galaxy S8 has been rumored for many months now - since June in fact. And this has been one persistent rumor, as after that initial report we've heard not one, not two, but three additional mumblings all speaking about such an arrangement making it into Samsung's next flagship smartphone. Could they all have been wrong? That's exactly what a leakster from China now claims. The source has been reliable at times in the past, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't take this with a grain of salt regardless. He says Samsung's idea of using a dual camera on the S8's back basically "fell through", and a single sensor will be used instead. Samsung Galaxy S7 Unfortunately no reasons are being given (or speculated upon), so we don't know what might have happened to prompt this change in Samsung's strategy. There is one glimmer of hope, however, and that's the fact that Samsung could be using a dual rear camera arrangement in other future devices. So it's not that the company has something against the technology per se, it just won't use it in the Galaxy S8. Also on the S8 camera front, not long ago we heard that it will be packing a selfie shooter with autofocus, a feature that's still very rare for front-facing cameras. The Galaxy S8 should become official at MWC in February. Source (in Chinese) | Via As part of the provisions to combat bad practices in the network of schools in the public sector and improve governance, Pierre Josue Agenor Cadet, the Minister of National Education... Haiti - NOTICE : CONATEL calls to order In a note, the General Direction of the Executive Body of the National Council of Telecommunications (CONATEL) notes that at the end of the election day of 20 November 2016, some broadcasting stations in violation of the provisions of the Penal Code , Telecommunications laws and regulations, systematically disseminate information likely to disturb public order, incite the population to violence and undermine the integrity of many citizens. CONATEL recalls that, according to the provisions of Article 6 of the Decree of 12 October 1977 granting the Haitian State the monopoly of telecommunications services, "telecommunications likely to disturb public order, national security, international relations , morality and good morals or the normal life of the society and its institutions are not conveyed," and the penalties incurred in such cases are provided for in article 139 of the aforementioned decree : "...When the offense is committed through a broadcasting service, the penalty affects the concessionaire, the staff involved or those who operate it on a regular or occasional basis, as appropriate, the penalty may be progressive and extend to the cancellation of the concession for the holder, to the suspension for two years in respect of staff and a fine imposed on participants in accordance with the law and the regulations." CONATEL, as the regulatory body in the telecommunications sector, associate itself with the competent authorities with a view to the application of measures which they deem necessary in order to avoid endangering the public peace and the integrity of the citizens. Also, it urges the broadcasting stations concerned to put an immediate end to these irresponsible abuses and practices, while urging everyone to show serenity and tolerance at this decisive crossroads of national life. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Justice : The right to demonstrate is not a right to destroy ! Me Camille Edouard Junior, Minister of Justice and Public Security, wishes to remind to all our citizens that the right to demonstrate, a prerogative recognized by our constitution, is not a right to destroy or burn property or the right to assault the people; the demonstrations must not be likely to disturb public order. The Minister urges the demonstrators to reject violence in all its forms for the consolidation of democracy and the rule of law. The Minister recalled that challenges must follow legal channels because it is necessary to maintain public order for the security of the population and the stability of the country. Challenges relating to electoral operations must not respond to calls for anarchy. Complaints must be lodged with the bodies set up for this purpose in order to preserve the acquired from the ballot of 20 November 2016. The Minister of Justice appeals to the responsibility of all by reassuring the population of his very firm instructions to the judicial authorities to engage the responsibility of all those who have committed illegal acts. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Justice : The State and justice will never kneel dixit Camille Jr. Edouard "Any citizen subject to threats against his person has the legitimacy to address to the judicial authorities. Under my authority, justice has always prioritized efficiency [...] The State in its main mission must guarantee the innocent freedom, equality before the law and public duties with neutrality. The main task of the present Government was to carry out democratic elections in order to ensure the continuity of the State. The State and justice will never kneel, it is their role to ensure with courage and firmness the nation's security. Enormous sacrifices were made by all the living forces of the nation for the effective execution of the vote of 20 November. The judicial authorities have received formal instructions to compel the exacerbation of general or characteristic violence. The PNH must maintain this attitude in the post-election situation to avoid any spontaneous manifestation without the approval of the authorities," indicated yesterday Thursday the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Camille Jr. Edouard. S/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping politics... End of the challenge period Friday The Executive Director of the Provisional Electoral Council, informs the general public, parties, political groups and candidates in particular that, according to articles 175 and 183 of the Electoral Decree in force, the challenges filing are to be done within 72 hours from the posting of preliminary results. Accordingly, given that the preliminary results were posted on Tuesday 29 November at 10 am, the deadline for challenging the preliminary results of the presidential elections will expire on Friday, 2 December 2016, at 10 am. The Registry of the Office of the Electoral Litigation will remain open during the night from Thursday 1 to Friday 2 December, until the expiry of the deadline. The Executive Board urges all parties, political groups and candidates to file their challenges within the strict deadline. At Bed West 1 no challenges had yet been recorded as of Thursday evening Warrant for Yves Pierre Louis Yves Pierre Louis the Director of "Radio Timoun", which had been convened https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19343-haiti-justice-the-director-of-radio-timoun-convened-to-the-public-prosecutor-s-office.html for Tuesday, November 29th, at the public prosecutor's office in Port-au-Prince, to explain the threats made on this radio... did not show up and is now under a warrant to bring. Festival Etonnants voyageur The de facto President of the Republic, Jocelerme Privert, officially launched Wednesday at the Hotel Marriott the 4th edition of the Festival Etonnants voyageur scheduled for 1, 2 and 3 December 2016. Download the program (PDF) : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/PROGRAMME_EVhaiti2016.compressed.pdf See also: https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19364-haiti-culture-4th-edition-of-the-international-festival-etonnant-voyageurs.html No possibility for losing candidates Senator Onondieu Louis asserts that there is no possibility for losing candidates to catch up with Jovenel Moise, even in the event of a challenge to BCEN. "The unfortunate candidates should preferably work with the next president-elect for the socio-economic development of the country," he said. A big step towards democracy Andrys Riche, Senator of Grand'Anse, believes that the publication of the preliminary results of the elections, is a great step towards democracy. According to him, Jovenel Moise deserves to be placed in first position, because he campaigned in almost the whole country. He also denounces candidates and supporters who call upon violence. He does not see the interest for the candidate (Jude Celestin) arrived second after Jovenel Moise to challenge the results because of the large gap separating them. How to build legitimacy to lead ? Mathias Pierre, close to Pitit Dessalines questions himself "Some figures provoking profound reflections: 1,069,646 voted on 6,189,253 of voting age for 10 million inhabitants and 595,430 to the winner, how to build a legitimacy to lead with 595,430 votes or 9.6% population ie 5.9% of Haitian population; 17.3% of the voters ? Digital television The engineer Jean Marie Altema, Director General of the National Council of Telecommunications (CONATEL) met the technical team of the project of realization of the experimental Digital Terrestrial Television (TNT) channel which had to be on-air since last November 15th with the National Radio Television of Haiti (RTNH). https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-18963-haiti-technology-soon-a-digital-tv-pilot-channel.html 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. 16:31, 2 NOV 2022 by Andrew Walden The State Department of Transportation Harbors Division is asking Governor Ige to approve a 55% hike in wharfage fees in three steps between January, 2017 and July, 2018. This comes on top of 70% fee hikes between 2010 and 2014. If approved by Ige, the fee hikes are projected to jack up shippers expenses from the current $93.6 million per year to $137.3 million. Because almost everything sold in Hawaii is imported, higher wharfage rates mean higher consumer costs and a more difficult business environment. Michael Hansen, President of the Hawaii Shippers Council, asks: Is there some structural problem here that people are not sharing with us? Yes. The structural problem in the State Harbors Division consists of payments to the State Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) under terms of Act 178 of 2006. According to the most recent State Auditors report, $12,684,000 went to OHA in FY201513.6% of total Harbors Division revenue. This is up 110% from the $6,037,000 paid out to OHA in 2010. According to the totals provided in the 2015 Auditors report (p56) plus earlier figures from a 2014 Auditors report on HIDOT Special Funds (pg 23), and a FY 2009 State Auditors report (p44), we can learn that Harbors has given OHA a total of $77,389,000 from FY2007 through FY2015. Harbors Div Ceded Lands Payments FY Amount 2007$7,112,000 2008$7,112,000 2009$6,316,000 2010$6,037,000 2011$7,614,000 2012$9,029,000 2013$10,559,000 2014$10,926,000 2015$12,684,000 TOTAL--$77,389,000 OHA is not mentioned anywhere in the Harbors Division sales pitch for wharfage fee hikes. The formula mandated by Act 178 of 2006 (implemented by Executive Order 06-06) directs $15,100,000 be transferred to OHA annually. State agencies that collect receipts from the Ceded Lands to annually transfer 20% to OHA. Until recently, their totals were less than $15,100,000 and the difference was made up from the General Fund. Now the totals are in excess of $15,100,000 and OHA complains it has been obligated to return $8M that it could have used to lobby for the fake Indian Tribe. That excess is held in a Ceded Lands Trust Fund managed by the Department of Budget and Finance. According to DLNR, in 2015, departments transferred $18.8M$15.1M to OHA and the rest to the B&F trust fund. The breakdown is: $12.7M from Harbors 68% $4.4M from DLNR 23% The remaining 9% comes mostly from UH, DBEDT, Department of Agriculture, and the DOE. HHSC has been smart enough to avoid reporting any ceded lands revenues, lest OHA loot bankrupt public hospitals to pay for more OHA executive junkets to New Zealand or the Cook Islands. HIDOT Airports Division is shielded from OHAs money grab by a federal law which prohibits the use of airport revenues purposes other than airport operations. The 20% OHA transfer has been triple-transmogrified. Firstly, the Harbors collections (and collections from DLNR DOBOR marina operations) are justified by the 1990 Hawaii Supreme Court decision in Napeahi vs Paty which holds that submerged lands are ceded lands. Hawaiis commercial and recreational harbors are all State-owned and most are built up on landfill above lands which were previously submerged. OHA did not pay for any of the capital improvements to Hawaiis harbors (OHA makes capital improvements more expensive for everybody) but is receiving far more than 20% of the revenues attributable to the value of the underlying submerged lands. OHA also contributes nothing to Harbors Division operating expenses. The 20% transfer is then twice-mutated from the five purposes for revenue from the Ceded Lands identified in the Hawaii Admission Act: for the support of the public schools and other public educational institutions, for the betterment of the conditions of native Hawaiians, as defined in the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, 1920, as amended, for the development of farm and home ownership on as widespread a basis as possible for the making of public improvements, and for the provision of lands for public use. The akamai reader will note that five purposes does not equate to 20% each -- and the betterment of the conditions of native Hawaiians, as defined in the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act does not equate to the worsement of the conditions of toenail Hawaiians as defined by OHA. According to the text of Act 178 the Hawaii Supreme Court [OHA v Yamasaki (1987) and OHA v Hawaii (2001)] ruled: the issue of what constitutes the Office of Hawaiian Affairs' pro rata portion of all the revenues derived from the public land trust is a political question for the legislature to determine. What was the political decision? Act 178 orders DLNR to prepare an annual accounting of all receipts from (ceded) lands including the total gross amount and the amount transferred to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Pushing its 2016 Legislative Package, a statement posted on OHAs website argues: While state law requires that OHA expend 20% of all funds derived from the trust, for decades OHA and the state disagreed on how to calculate OHAs 20% share. Most recently in 2006, OHA and the state agreed on Act 178 as an interim resolution and established OHAs temporary annual share at $15.1 million until the further action is taken by the legislature. Importantly, the Legislature included a provision for reporting from state agencies on proceeds and revenues, and this data can now be used to compute OHAs 20% share. According to the states own reports, the state generated an average of $158,077,656 annually in Public Land Trust revenues in the last 3 fiscal years, 20% of which is $31,615,531, more than twice $15.1 million. Moreover, the states transfers to OHA, which are calculated using historically undisputed revenue streams, have exceeded the $15.1 million cap in each fiscal year since 2013. As a result, OHA has returned approximately $8 million to the state. The text of Act 178 states: Nothing in this Act shall resolve or settle, or be deemed to acknowledge the existence of, the claims of native Hawaiians to the income and proceeds of a pro rata portion of the public land trust. HB1434, lifting OHAs ceded lands cap, was ignored by the 2016 Legislature. Is the Harbors Division Fee Hike secretly part of a deal to expand OHA funding in the 2017 Legislative session? ---30--- Jan 2016: Crabbe: Plan is to Take Control of Hawaiis Entire Economy and Hide Behind Tribal Jurisdiction The revised directive will create a solid foundation for increasing the use of renewable energy sources in Finland, estimates Olli Rehn (Centre), the Minister of Economic Affairs. The Finnish Government has expressed its satisfaction with the sustainability criteria for the use of forest biomass in energy production laid out in the European Commission's proposal for a new Renewable Energy Directive on Wednesday. What is crucial is that biomass will retain its zero-emission status also in the future and that the administrative burden does not inhibit the development of the bio-economy in Finland, he writes in his blog. Finland, he points out, has lobbied for years for a union-wide transport fuel policy that extends beyond 2020. Our persistent efforts have now borne fruit, because the commission's proposal for the supply obligation [on renewable fuels] answers this need. Finnish industries will benefit from the gradual transition to advanced bio-fuels. Related posts: - Finnish forest industry sweating upcoming winter package (24 November, 2016) The country will according to him continue its efforts to expand the definition of advanced bio-fuels in the proposal. Kimmo Tiilikainen (Centre), the Minister of Agriculture and the Environment, estimates that the proposal will also reduce the amount of red tape faced by Finland. As Finland's climate and forest policy is sustainable when examined as a whole, there will be no need for item-specific sustainability assessments in the case of domestic forest energy. We can avoid a lot of red tape, he says in a press release from the Ministry of the Environment. Wednesday was a day of joy for the domestic forest industry, commented Petri Sarvamaa (NCP), a Member of the European Parliament. At worst, he reminded, the proposal could have dealt a heavy blow to the development of the bio-economy and the utilisation of forest resources in Finland. It was great to see how us Finns started, when push came to shove, fighting to protect our interests in Europe, he said in a press release. Aleksi Teivainen HT Photo: Martti Kainulainen Lehtikuva Source: Uusi Suomi 'Meals on the Bus' will feed needy kids next summer Related Stories The Child Nutrition Department of Henderson County Public Schools will add a Meals On the Bus mobile feeding site to its summer feeding program in Summer 2017, thanks to a $10,000 grant awarded by the Community Foundation of Henderson County. The grant money will be used to renovate the interior of a retired school bus already purchased from the HCPS transportation department, thanks to a donation from Gillilandscaping and Grading. The retrofitted bus will accommodate up to 15 students seated on bar stools at tabletops along either side of the bus, and a wheelchair lift. The brainchild of Child Nutrition Supervisor Amanda Stansbury, the Meals On the Bus mobile feeding site will revolutionize the way the school system and potentially other service organizations can reach students in need. The whole goal of Meals On the Bus is to reach those students who are dependent on the school bus and school meals, Stansbury said. Through the U.S. Department of Agricultures Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), HCPS already operates three public feeding sites at King Creek, Edneyville Community Center, and Patton Park, offering free lunches to children ages two to 18 in addition to a total of 28 closed feeding sites at each elementary school and youth service organizations. Last summer the HCPS Child Nutrition Departments summer feeding program served 37,090 lunches and 18,694 breakfasts which was 15,169 more lunches and 7,036 more breakfasts than in the summer of 2014-15. And those meals were only served to students who could travel to the feeding sites. Our impoverished kids are spread throughout our area, said Matt Gruebmeyer, the school system's director of Title I and homeless education services. Rural poverty is a lonely kind of poverty because the children dont live near each other. So when we try to find a place to feed children, its difficult because theyre spread around. The mobile food site will allow HCPS to reach students where they are, Stansbury said. Using existing HCPS bus routes, the Child Nutrition Department will work with the Transportation Department each summer to establish routes that will take meals to students in need five days a week during the summer months. In the future, the Meals On the Bus vehicle could also be utilized by partnering organizations to provide students with a mobile library book check-out, health screenings and dental checks. The Community Foundation of Henderson County, founded in 1982, supports charitable programs in the greater Henderson County area. In the past fiscal year, more than $4.42 million in new charitable contributions were made to the Foundation, which awarded more than $2.96 million in grants and scholarships. The exhibition itled Truong Sa in the heart of Hanoi is being held by the Youth Club for the Homelands Sea and Islands of Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee in coordination with the High Command of Navy. The photos were taken by professional and amateur photographers nationwide during their trips to the Truong Sa archipelago to demonstrate the Vietnamese love for the countrys seas and islands. A photo displayed at the exhibition (Source: chinhphu.vn) will run until January 3rd, 2017./. The exhibition will also raise fund to donate NT60 water purifiers for troops and people on the Truong Sa islands.It A Fianna Fail councillor in Bertie Ahern's heartland has said the former taoiseach's input into future election campaigns could be beneficial if he rejoins the party. David Costello was speaking after Mr Ahern said he is considering rejoining his old party, which he left in 2012, following an invitation from his colleagues in the Dublin Central constituency. Mr Costello was at the local Fianna Fail cumann meeting in the Skylon Hotel on Monday, when the proposal was made to invite Bertie back into the fold. "I was surprised at the motion because I hadn't expected it," he said. Party sources say there were around 30 to 35 people in the room at the time of the motion being proposed. "It seemed to grow out of a conversation about local knowledge of the area and the people and the need to harness that," said another who was present. The source also said that former councillor Mary Fitzpatrick was at the meeting but she was not present when it was voted upon. Swords Ms Fitzpatrick and Mr Ahern have crossed swords in the past. On the night before the 2007 general election, she posted leaflets to homes asking people to vote her number one. The next day letters were hand-delivered from Bertie's office to 30,000 voters, urging them to give their first preference to him and their second to Cyprian Brady. Yesterday, Mr Ahern (65) told the Herald he has "no intention of coming back as a TD" and he also thinks Michael D Higgins will remain President beyond 2018. "All the local organisation said was they're inviting me back to join the local cumann to help out," Mr Ahern said. "It's just the context of it. I'll think about it. "I've huge regard for the people who run Dublin Central. They are a good organisation." He admitted he may be able to bring support back to Fianna Fail and the Dublin Central constituency. "All they're talking about is me helping out in the constituency by joining the local cumann and trying to win a seat back," Mr Ahern said. This chilling image is the first look at innocent father-of-three Trevor O'Neill's killer. These pictures show a heavily disguised gunman approaching the Dubliner before murdering him in front of his family in the resort of Costa de la Calma last August 17. Less than 30 seconds later the hitman is caught on the same store CCTV camera fleeing the scene, having gunned down Mr O'Neill (40), who was from Drimnagh. The images, aired on RTE's Prime Time programme, show the gangland hitman running past a nearby store as locals shop inside, oblivious to the execution that had taken place metres away. Spanish police have vowed to bring the killer to justice, despite the fact that no arrests have been made in the murder investigation. Cartel The gunman is believed to have carried out the hit on behalf of the Kinahan cartel. Mr O'Neill, a Dublin City Council worker, was shot in a case of mistaken identity. It is believed that Jonathan Hutch, a nephew of 'The Monk', was standing beside the victim when he was shot dead. Gardai believe that the Hutch family member was the intended target of the fatal shooting. Despite being a target of the deadly gang, Jonathan Hutch is not involved in criminality. The Kinahan gang was responsible for the killing of his brother Gareth Hutch (35) in May; his uncle Edward Hutch (59) in February; and his cousin Gary Hutch (34) last September. A Guardia Civil officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the RTE programme that Spanish police are intent on dismantling the cartel. They are investigating the Kinahan cartel for a number of crimes from murder to money-laundering. "The Kinahan clan has been settled on the Costa Del Sol for a number of years and they are one of the most relevant and dangerous criminal organisation operating in Europe. Integrated "They are mostly integrated and made-up of Irish, British and Spanish citizens and they are involved in drug trafficking, arms trafficking and money laundering among other criminal activities," he said. The police officer also described how Spanish authorities have been working closely with An Garda Siochana to bring down the deadly gang. "Ireland has provided a lot of intelligence about these criminals and we have obtained good information in Spain in order to complete a full picture of the gangs," he said. "Our commitment with the rest of the national and international partners is total, to completely dismantle this international gang. "We believe this is the right way to crush this menace and La Guardia Civil is absolutely determined to do it." An eye-witness to Mr O'Neill's murder recalled how she held his hand as he lay dying in the street while his children took refuge inside her premises. "I saw the gunman walk past the shop and heard the shots seconds later. He ran back down the road past the shop towards the beach and a well-known beach bar," she said. "He had tracksuit bottoms on and a blue tracksuit top with the number 23 in white on the back and the hood on his tracksuit drawn up tightly round his face. "You couldn't really see anything of him because he was so covered up. It was pandemonium at first. People were screaming and running in all directions. Victim "The wife of the man that was shot had one of their children who must have been aged around seven in a pushchair that she was wheeling along when the victim was gunned down," the woman said. Investigators are looking to see if a senior member of the Kinahan cartel, who is a suspect in two feud murders, was involved in Mr O'Neill's murder. The north Dublin mobster had travelled to Spain from Britain just days before Mr O'Neill was shot. Mr O'Neill was the second innocent man gunned down in a case of mistaken identity by the Kinahan cartel. In April, father-of-three Martin O'Rourke (24) was shot dead outside a pub in the north-inner city. So far 10 people have been killed as part of the Hutch/Kinahan feud. A woman who has been retaining deposits and subletting properties without permission has had almost 40,000 in rent arrears orders issued against her. Susi Medeiros, otherwise known as 'Miss Firmo', has been described as a "serial offender" in the Irish rental market. Previously it was revealed Miss Firmo has been imposing a list of 108 "crazy" rules on vulnerable students and foreigners she has been renting accommodation to. When the Herald visited the property in Cabra where she is currently living, she refused to answer the door or further calls. A number of orders have been issued against Ms Medeiros by the Residential Tenancies Board. A source familiar with her case described her as a "serial offender". Termination In November 2014, an order was made for her to pay rent arrears in the sum of 33,484.62. In 2010, she was ordered to pay 2,995 to the landlord of a property she was renting and in May this year she was served a Notice of Termination for the property she currently lives in. At present, she is charging six lodgers 300 per month plus 80 in bills - all paid in cash. This is despite the termination order giving her 28 days to vacate the property. Ms Medeiros also collects a 350 deposit and refuses to return it. In the Determination Order, she is ordered to pay 1,350 in rent per month, meaning she is currently making a profit from subletting the property without permission. On the issue of the 108 rules given to tenants, an RTB spokesperson said: "The Residential Tenancies Board is the State body set up to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants (among other functions), and therefore cannot offer advice to either party in particular situations, or review a lease to check its compliance with the legislation, since such a case could come before the Board for adjudication and any such comment could prejudice the Board's independence. "The RTB strongly recommends tenants who have legitimate grievances with their landlords to contact the RTB for helpful information on their rights, and they can also consider submitting a dispute to the Board for adjudication." Tenants claim they are not allowed to use the central heating for more than two hours a day. Cristina Corbalan Salazar, a Spanish lawyer who had recently been living in the property, said she had to go to hospital with a lung infection due to the damp and mouldy living conditions. "Mould is all over the walls and stairs. I thought this is how things were in Ireland." The property owner will not be offering a comment until the issue has been resolved. Walsh was investigated by gardai for suspected links to the murders A gangster who yesterday pleaded guilty to firearm charges linked to a botched hit has been investigated by gardai for his suspected involvement in at least two gun murders. Clondalkin hood James 'Nellie' Walsh (30) has also become a target for the deadly Kinahan cartel because they have blamed him for being involved in the plot to murder drugs trafficker Greg Lynch in a failed assassination attempt in October 2013. Reckless criminal 'Nellie' first began to be noticed as a prominent gangland figure when he was investigated for the brutal murder of Dean Johnson (21) in the Moorfield Avenue estate in Clondalkin in May 2011. Dispute Gardai believe that Mr Johnson, who was not involved in crime, was targeted because of a "local dispute" that he was involved in with associates of 'Nellie' Walsh. Sources say that after the Johnson murder, 'Nellie' became a much bigger player in the Dublin crime scene and ended up getting involved in a bitter dispute with a Clondalkin mob with close links to the Kinahan cartel. As the dispute intensified, the gang attempted to murder 'Nellie' in the early hours of August 24, 2013 at Harelawn Green in Clondalkin. However, instead of shooting the criminal, an innocent 21-year-old man also called Dean Johnson, who had been socialising earlier with the mobster, was shot dead in a case of mistaken identity. This infuriated Nellie's gang who decided to take revenge. Within five days, criminal Jason 'Jay' Carroll (39) was fatally shot at his home at Cherrywood Drive in Clondalkin. It later emerged that gangsters close to Carroll, who was a friend of cartel boss Daniel Kinahan, had raised more than 100,000 to have 'Nellie' shot dead. By this stage 'Nellie' was forced to live in a network of safe houses in the midlands, Newry and Dublin, but the volatile gangster still regularly took to social media to abuse his criminal rivals in bizarre rants. By late 2013, it was revealed that associates of Walsh were planning to murder four rivals on the same night at the same time as the Clondalkin feud threatened to spiral out of control. Vicious However this did not happen and gardai observed that 'Nellie' who is known for his vicious temper was being seen more in the company of dangerous Crumlin-based criminals. This is despite the fact that some of these criminals were linked to Greg Lynch whose gang were blaming him for shooting the drug dealer in the face just months earlier. By the time that 'Nellie' was enlisted to murder Michael Frazer he had become an increasingly more "desperate and out-of-control" character. The assault happened at The King's Hospital School in west Dublin Gardai fear key evidence in an alleged underage sex assault may have been tampered with after the complaint was not reported to officers for five days. Detectives have launched a full investigation into a complaint of sexual assault by a 13-year-old student at a west Dublin boarding school. Yesterday it emerged that eight young teenagers have been suspended following the alleged incident at King's Hospital school in Palmerstown, which happened on Thursday of last week. The incident was not reported to gardai until Tuesday this week. The school did not respond to detailed questions from this newspaper about the five-day delay, but confirmed an investigation was underway by the child and family agency Tusla and by gardai. Sources say the Education Minister, Richard Bruton, is to seek a full briefing on the developments at the school and is "particularly concerned" about the delay. The alleged victim was allegedly sexually assaulted in a dormitory. Specialist gardai are expected to interview the eight suspended male pupils as part of an investigation which is being led by gardai based in Lucan. The officers who will conduct the interviews will be specially trained gardai from the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Investigation Unit (DVSAIU). The development comes after senior sources revealed that gardai are "deeply concerned" that the alleged incident was not reported to them for five days. Unhappy "Gardai are unhappy with the delay that occurred in reporting this matter. This is not only because of the obvious child protection issue but like any investigation where a delay in reporting occurs, evidence could have been tampered with," a senior source told the Herald. "There is very significant concerns about the delay and these concerns have been expressed to the school. "The school should be aware of their obligations and they have a duty to report matters like this in a timely fashion and that did not happen in this case," the source added. The eight pupils will remain suspended until investigations are completed. However, the victim will remain on in school, with the agreement of his parents. The school is a co-educational Church of Ireland secondary school, whose alumni include well-known figures from the worlds of politics, broadcasting, sport and music. Parents pay upwards of 15,580 every academic year to send their children to the school. The figure rises for non European students. Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar, broadcaster Kathryn Thomas and singing duo Jedward are among the school's former pupils. Most of the school's 700 students are boarders. The Church of Ireland issued a brief statement, naming the school, and expressing concern about the allegations. "We express our sincere concern and offer our thoughts and prayers for the child and family at the centre of this incident," a joint statement from Archbishop Richard Clarke, Archbishop Michael Jackson and Bishop Pat Storey read. "We trust that the process of investigation by the statutory authorities will bring about a just outcome, and we also pray for the well-being of the pupils and staff of the school at this difficult time." A statement from Tusla said it does not comment on individual cases. "However, where a child protection concern is received it is assessed in line with 'Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children'," the statement said. Alison Comyn could be set for a return to TV3 as UTV Ireland staff members face an uncertain future Top TV faces including newsreaders Alison Comyn and Claire Brock could return to TV3 after the broadcaster finalised its acquisition of UTV Ireland. The pair were among the high-profile presenters who joined UTV Ireland when it launched last year. TV3 has confirmed it intends to close UTV Ireland's premises in Dublin's docklands and amalgamate the operation with its own studio in Ballymount. Rebrand It is understood TV3 will announce the new name for UTV Ireland, possibly B3, on Tuesday. The rebrand will be completed next month. TV3 - which, like Virgin Media, is owned by US billionaire John Malone's Liberty Global group - warned yesterday that there would be some "unavoidable redundancies" as it closes the UTV Ireland premises. The studio and offices at Macken House had been kitted out at significant expense prior to UTV Ireland's launch. They were opened by Enda Kenny in December 2014. TV3 agreed in July to buy UTV Ireland from ITV for 10m. ITV had acquired UTV Ireland and UTV Northern Ireland last year for more than 100m. UTV Ireland - which had been losing money since its launch - employs 61 full-time staff and a handful of freelancers. They will be able to apply for jobs with TV3, which has 40 vacancies at its Ballymount premises. The station currently employs about 250 people. A number of former TV3 staff, including Claire Brock, left to join UTV Ireland at launch. Other big names who worked at UTV Ireland included Pat Kenny. He left the station at the end of last year when his chat show had been cancelled. In a statement yesterday, TV3 said that it will enter into a 30-day consultation period beginning on Monday. Strengthen It is expected the process will be substantially completed next month. TV3 managing director Pat Kiely said the amalgamation of UTV Ireland into TV3 "strengthens independent television broadcasting in Ireland by bringing together great channels and great content under one roof". He added: "The combined TV3 Group business is now better-equipped to compete against local and international broadcasters. We can now play an increasingly bigger role in the development of Irish-originated production and broadcasting." Mr Kiely said TV3's new three-channel structure will "drive the future potential and long-term growth of the business". TV3 has had success with productions such as Red Rock, which has been sold to channels including the BBC and Amazon Prime. Last week, TV3 said Coronation Street and Emmerdale would return to the channel this month from UTV Ireland. The event is being held by Thailand Post to mark the 40th anniversary of the Vietnam-Thailand diplomatic relationship. It gives visitors an insight into Vietnams struggle for independence and reunification under the leadership of President Ho Chi Minh as well as the countrys post-war economic transformation into a dynamic economy. Besides, It also provides general information on President Ho Chi Minhs revolutionary career and the friendly relationship between Vietnam and Thailand. Visitors to the exhibition (Source: nhandan.com.vn) Addressing at the opening ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Nguyen Tat Thanh highly appreciated the work of the Thailand Post in organising the exhibition and hoped that the coordination between the two countries post sectors will contribute to the Vietnam-Thailand strategic partnership. The exhibition will run until the end of December 2016./. Hanoi Peoples Committee Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung talks with doctors in France. (Photo: VNA) Addressing the signing ceremony, Nguyen Duc Chung, Chairman of the Hanoi Peoples Committee, stressed that as Hanoi is a healthcare centre for the whole country, medical check-ups and treatment are considered urgent and important deeds. According to Chairman Chung, the city is making efforts to increase medical facilities, infrastructure and the quality of healthcare staff. The cooperation with Paris, a city having advanced healthcare, will help Hanoi develop diverse high quality areas of healthcare, he said. Nguyen Khac Hien, Director of the Hanoi Health Department, said the cooperation will be increased in five areas, including the development of infrastructure, the training of healthcare staff and of doctors and nurses of the Hanoi Paediatrics Hospital, the Hanoi Heart Hospital, the Emergency Centre, and the Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital. Meanwhile, Ms Florence Veber, International Relations Director of the Assistance Public Hospital of Paris, said that Paris had completed the cooperation roadmap and plans so that authorized agencies could realise them, stressing the important role of Hanoi authority and Chairman Chung in directing agencies and localities to realise the cooperation./. Photo: nhandan.com.vn Vietnamese volunteers, during the wars, overcome innumerable hardships and difficulties to struggle side by side with Lao armed forces. In Ha Nam province alone, thousands of people joined the voluntary forces and military experts assisting the Lao revolution. To recognise the feats of arms and the sacrifices of Vietnamese voluntary forces and experts, in 2016, the Lao State continues to present Orders and Medals to nearly 9,000 Vietnamese voluntary cadres. In Ha Nam province, three martyrs were presented with the first-class Freedom Order by the Lao State President; 30 individuals were presented with the first-class Victory Order of the Lao State President; and 15 individuals were presented with the American invader resistance medal by the Lao Prime Minister. Addressing the ceremony, Nguyen Xuan Dong, Chairman of the Ha Nam provincial Peoples Committee, expressed his hope that the order and medal receivers would continue to promote the good tradition of the Vietnam Peoples Army, further contributing to boosting local socio-economic development and protecting and fostering the friendship and special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos. He stressed that Ha Nam province had increased comprehensive cooperation with Oudomxay province in political, economic, cultural, educational and medical areas, gaining positive results. The cooperation has made contribution to enhance and reinforce the special solidarity and friendship between the two Parties and peoples, he said./. It's been 125 years since Dracula was published. And it's still scary. Baku City Circuit (BCC) executive director Arif Rahimov says the 2017 Formula One season is the right time to rename the 'Grand Prix of Europe' into the 'Azerbaijan Grand Prix'. BCC hosted its inaugural F1 race last June, with Mercedes' Nico Rosberg claiming the fifth victory in his 2016 title-winning campaign ahead of Ferraris Sebastian Vettel and Force Indias Sergio Perez. While the event was held under the Grand Prix of Europe label this year, Thursdays meeting of the World Motor Sport Council confirmed it will be called the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from 2017 onwards. For our inaugural event, we wanted to position our country as a part of Europe, our race as a European one and also to showcase our European mentality to the world and demonstrate our countrys openness to foreign visitors who can easily visit and find comfort here, Rahimov said in a statement. We now feel it is the right time to rename our race to the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. After last summers race, many F1 fans discovered that our society is closely linked to the European mentality but now we feel it is the right time to draw attention to the fact that the 2017 race is also set in Azerbaijan and will be named thereafter accordingly. Baku organisers were also pleased to see the date of the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix pushed back one week in order to avoid clashing with next years running of the Le Mans 24 Hours. Technical analysis - Abu Dhabi Scene at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Quotes of the week DRIVER RATINGS: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix OPINION: A worthy champion Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter Walter M. Danziger passed away on Nov. 6, 2016, at the Emory L. Bennett State Veterans Nursing Home in Daytona Beach, Fla., at the age of 92. He was born on March 23, 1924, in Berlin-Koepenick, Germany, to Georg and Charlotte Danziger. Walters bar mitzvah in Berlin-Koepenick was the last one in that communitys synagogue (which his grandfather had helped to build) before it was destroyed on Kristallnacht. The Danziger family had applied to emigrate to the United States in 1936, but because of the Quota System could not anticipate when a visa would be granted. So Walter was sent to England on a Kindertransport before the war. When the war began, Walter was interred as an enemy alien. After his family came to the U.S. in 1941, Walter eventually joined them in 1942, and in 1943 he was drafted and soon became a combat medic in the Army of General Patton, who gradually conquered Germany. Walter also acted as an interpreter, but he then joined other battle-hardened veterans on a troopship headed for the Panama Canal and eventually to the Pacific for the invasion of Japan. Fortunately, Japan surrendered, and Walters ship headed for New York. Walter, who had been unable to complete high school, earned a degree in accounting under the GI Bill, and then worked for 20 years as an auditor for the state of Maryland. He had to retire on disability after sustaining left-sided paralysis from a stroke at the age of 45. He had a hard life, but he always remained religious. As a soldier, he conducted Jewish religious services for his fellow combatants whenever a Jewish chaplain was not available. Walter is survived by his brother, David (Sara) and their four childrenDeborah, Daniel, Lisa and Rosanne; and their four grandchildrenBrandon, Danielle, Eliana and Aaron. Graveside services were held at Glen Haven Memorial Park in Winter Park, with Rabbi Dubov of Chabad officiating. Members of the Florida National Guard conducted the Flag Ceremony in honor of Walters wartime service. He had been awarded the combat medical badge with three battle stars. (JTA)-When you share a name with someone you respect and admire, you always try to live up to the connection, because sometimes outsiders aren't aware of the difference. That's how it was for decades with me and Ruth Gruber, the noted photojournalist, reporter and author who died last week at age 105 after a remarkable life and career. From my first international byline, when I was a young intern at the Associated Press in Rome in the 1970s (when Ruth was already in her 60s), right up to a Facebook comment just a couple months ago, our names, and also our shared focus on Jewish affairs, have led to confusion. It didn't matter that she was decades older than I was, or that she had written largely about Israel and Holocaust matters and I mainly write about European Jewish affairs and Jewish heritage. Our biographies have often been conflated, and articles even ran with the picture of the wrong person. Ruth received checks in the mail that were actually due to me, and a major Jewish organization once sent me an official letter announcing an award-except as I read through the letter I realized that the award was meant for her, not me. I tried to underscore my individuality by using my middle initial or middle name-Ellen-in my byline and in other professional dealings. But it hasn't always helped. In January 1983, when, as a UPI correspondent, I was arrested on trumped-up accusations of espionage, jailed overnight and expelled from communist Poland, Ruth's answering machine ran out of space because of calls from anxious friends and family. I frankly can't remember now if we met when I returned to the U.S. briefly after my expulsion from Poland, or if our first meeting came nearly a decade later, in 1992, when, wearing a striking broad-brimmed hat, she attended the launch of my first book, "Jewish Heritage Travel: A Guide to Central and Eastern Europe." But we stayed in touch over the years, and every time we got together or spoke on the phone we laughed about our common-if sometimes frustrating-problem of confused identity. Over the decades, I have received scores of emails meant for Ruth, especially before she herself had an email account. A particular flood of them came after a two-part CBS mini-series based on Ruth's book, "Haven: The Dramatic Story of 1,000 World War II Refugees and How They Came to America," aired in February 2001. Scores of viewers who were moved by the story of how Ruth in 1944 escorted 982 refugees from 19 Nazi-occupied countries to safe haven in Oswego, New York poured out their hearts in sometimes very emotional terms. Even five years later a non-Jewish viewer in Colorado wrote to Ruth at my email address: "Shalom!!" he began. "There are no words to express how your story has impacted our lives! [...] Do you have any suggestions as to how we might embrace and love the Jewish population where we live? With all the hatred that has been afflicted on your beautiful people and culture there are so many obstacles to overcome. Any advice you could give would be priceless!!" Perhaps the funniest example of our identity mix-up took place in person, not in cyberspace. At an American Jewish Committee annual meeting in the late 1990s, I gave my name when I asked a question during one of the sessions. As I went back to my seat, a woman stopped me. "It's so good to see you again!" she exclaimed. "You came to our house in the '40s!" I stared at her for a few seconds before I could gather myself to respond. "Look at me," I finally told her. "I know I'm tired, but do you really think I could have come to your house in the '40s?" Farewell, Ruth! I hope I can continue to honor your example. NEW YORK (JTA)Thirty years ago, it would have been safe to say the American Jewish community agreed on the need to fight for Israel and against anti-Semitism. It may still be true that most American Jews support those causes. But now, apparently, some people arent so sure what either of those things mean. One Jews support of Israel is anothers attack on the Jewish state. And as weve seen this week, one Jews condemnation of an alleged promoter of anti-Semitism is anothers smear on a purported defender of the Jews. Nowhere did this emerge more clearly than at an Anti-Defamation League conference and subsequent Zionist Organization of America dinner. They were held days apart from each other, on the same floor of the same posh hotel in Manhattan. Both organizations claimed to fight for the same things: opposing Jew-hatred and supporting the Jewish homeland. But their rhetoric could hardly have been more different. The ADL, which strives to be nonpartisan in fighting anti-Semitism and bigotry (and as a result has been criticized from the right and the left), called out anti-Semitism on both ends of the political spectrum at its conference Thursday. CEO Jonathan Greenblatt aimed his strongest fire on the anti-Semitism and Islamophobia heard among some supporters of President-elect Donald Trumps campaign, and instances in which the campaign itself sent messages that echoed anti-Semitic themes. He pledged to sign up as a Muslim if, as Trump hinted during the campaign, a Muslim database were to be created. But the panel immediately after him focused on anti-Israel activism on the left. The harassment and hate that bubbled up around the campaign was unlike anything weve seen in recent history, Greenblatt said. The American Jewish community, our community, has not seen this level of anti-Semitism in mainstream political and public discourse since the 1930s. The ADL was among the first of several mainstream Jewish organizations to condemn the hiring of senior Trump adviser Stephen Bannon, who used to run Breitbart News, a website accused of publishing anti-Semitic, misogynist and racist articles. The Conservative and Reform movements, which together represent most affiliated American Jews, soon followed. These were the same organizations that, three very long months ago, criticized the Black Lives Matter movement for accusing Israel of genocide. There was broad consensus, at least among American Jewish organizations, in condemning the BLM statement. In addition to the ADL and all three major denominations, groups ranging from right to left on Israel slammed the genocide claim, as did the Jewish Federations of North America and the American Jewish Committee. No similar consensus on Bannon has coalesced among the American Jewish alphabet soup: JFNA and AJC, as well as major Orthodox groups, have stayed silent on Bannon. And at the ZOAs dinner Sunday night, an entirely different Jewish narrative emerged. In the same room where Greenblatt had admonished the Trump campaign on Thursday, ZOA President Morton Klein on Sunday welcomed the president-elect. In his speech, Klein joked that he would have preferred a lower IQ and more girlfriends in high school, then quipped, Donald Trump told me to say that. Its guy talk. Minutes later, to raucous cheers, he praised Trump for being tough on Iran. Thank God we have Donald Trump, Klein said. In an invocation earlier in the night, Dr. Alan Mazurek, a ZOA officer from Long Island, said Trumps election was divinely driven and that once again the United States will be blessed. When honoree Bernie Marcus, a co-founder of The Home Depot and a Trump supporter, mentioned the New York Times, the audience booed. Marcus said he was one of the happiest people in the world to see some sense come into this White House. Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, a self-described enthusiastic Hillary Clinton supporter who was honored later that night, drew boos when he pointed out that Clinton won the popular vote. Far from criticizing Bannon, ZOA had advertised that he would attend the dinner, headlining at least one email with that news. In the end, he didnt show up. But that didnt stop attendees from praising him. I like the appointment of Steve Bannon a lot, said Justin Bender, 23, a consultant from Philadelphia. I think hes not afraid to say what he likes. Whether you agree or disagree with Breitbart, he ran it very well. You dont have to agree with everything, and the content on the website, to have a great environment with everyone running it. Bender, like several others at the dinner, dismissed critics who say Breitbart News has published anti-Semitic articles, or that Bannon has tapped into anti-Semitic tropes in criticizing globalists and international bankers. Some said the content wasnt anti-Semitic at all. Some adopted Kleins position that Bannon himselfwho employs Jews and is pro-Israel, and under whom Breitbart News published lavishly pro-Israel articles out of its Jerusalem bureaucertainly isnt an anti-Semite. I think Bannon is a friend of traditional American values, and hes a friend of traditional American allies, including Israel, said Steve Crane of Philadelphia, who co-founded a site to monitor media coverage of Israel. He has hired Muslims, he has hired Jews, he has hired traditional Americans, he has hired gays, gay Jews, all the types of diversity people pay homage to, but dont do. More than one person explained that featuring anti-Semitic content was just part of Breitbarts goal of including a multiplicity of perspectives in the media. If outlets could present the liberal perspective, said Philadelphian Edward Mackouse, 73, white supremacists could have a say, too. I think you need someone strong to balance with the leftist media, said Mackouse, who was wearing a red Make America Great Again hat adorned with pins. I think the stuff we see on the left about only Black Lives Matter, with Clinton, needs to be balanced. The threats of what this does in America, starting only Black Lives Matter, gives support to the Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan in saying only white lives matter. The prospect of Bannon attending the dinner drew several hundred Jewish protestors to the hotel, chanting things like, Donald Trump, its your fault; Stephen Bannon, oy gevalt! The protest was organized by IfNotNow, a Jewish group that opposes the Israeli occupation. Rabbi Jill Jacobs, who heads the left-leaning rabbinic human rights group Truah, said she hoped the protest leads to a robust, sustained Jewish activist movement against any bigoted action by Trump. That lack of respect will galvanize more of the Jewish resistance to what comes next, she said. That resistance isnt going to just come from the left wing of the Jewish community. Its going to come from the mainstream. American Jews splintered over the Jewish state long ago. Are settlements pro-Israel or anti-Israel? What about the Iran deal? Or peace negotiations? Now, it appears, the same cracks are showing in how they perceive threats to the Jews. The ADL, while emphasizing that it is not aware of any anti-Semitic statements made by Bannon himself, is nonetheless troubled that Breitbart has served as a platform for a wide range of bigotry aimed at Muslims, women and occasionally Jews. Such bigotry, it insists, cannot be ignored or forgiven because the site is also pro-Israel. The ADL worries that if intolerance is allowed to go mainstream once again, Jews will eventually pay the price. Its statement opposing Bannon called for presidential appointees who are committed to the well-being of all our countrys people and who exemplify the values of pluralism and tolerance that makes our country great. The ZOA, meanwhile, counts Bannon as friend, pointing out the ways he has defended Israel, opposed the Iran nuclear deal and criticized leftists who bash Israel. And it wants to know why the ADL and other groups havent criticized the pending appointment as Democratic National Committee chair of Rep. Keith Ellison (Minn.), whom ZOA regards as an Israel-basher with ties to radical anti-Israel and anti-Semitic groups. When it opposes a presidential appointment, as it did Monday in denouncing Gen. James Mattis as Trumps reportedly leading candidate for secretary of defense, it focuses on the threat to what it sees as Israels interests. Noting statements by Mattis in support of a two-state solution and critical of the settlements, the ZOA wrote that it is remarkable that Mattis expressed such a hostile attitude towards standing by our ally Israel. How many exceptional young Jewish students do you know? Probably quite a few! Here is your chance to acknowledge the outstanding efforts and character of the amazing young people in your life. The American Hebrew Academy Honor Society is now accepting applications for 2017. This is a prestigious organization that recognizes exceptional Jewish eighth and ninth graders from around the world who have demonstrated excellence in academics, leadership, community service, and character. Students accepted to the Honor Society will receive press recognition, a certificate of achievement, a special invitation to tour the American Hebrew Academy, and the opportunity to compete for up to $20,000 in annual scholarships! The following criteria is used to select Jewish students for induction in the Honor Society. Students must: Be current 8th or 9th graders Exemplify leadership qualities Demonstrate academic achievement by maintaining a minimum B+ (88) average Express a deep, personal connection to Judaism Exhibit emotional stability and maturity Actively participate in a variety of extra-curricular activities To nominate exceptional students in your life, please fill out and return the Nomination form. The students will also need to submit a Student Questionnaire and their most recent report card or transcript. Both forms can be found on http://www.americanhebrewacademy.org/admissions/aha-honor-society All application materials may be submitted in any order by mail, fax, or email to: American Hebrew Academy Honor Society Attn: Danielle Block 4334 Hobbs Road Greensboro, NC 27410 Email: ahahonorsociety@americanhebrewacademy.org Fax: 336-217-7011 The deadline to submit all documents is Dec. 16, 2016. JERUSALEM (JTA)-Fires throughout Israel, fanned by dry conditions and high winds, have led to the evacuation of thousands of people from their homes. Several homes have been destroyed by the conflagrations on Tuesday and Wednesday. A brush fire that began Tuesday and spread to Zichron Yaakov, located at the southern tip of the Carmel Forest in northern Israel, continued to burn on Wednesday, destroying at least 10 homes and damaging dozens more. Several adults and children were treated for smoke inhalation as thousands were evacuated from the city. At least 30 firefighting teams, 12 military firefighting units and four planes were working on Wednesday to control the blaze. Also on Wednesday, firefighting teams were battling fires outside of Jerusalem near Beit Shemesh and near the West Bank settlement of Dolev, northwest of Jerusalem. Early Tuesday, the Arab and Jewish residents of the Neve Shalom coexistence community located on the outskirts of Jerusalem were evacuated after a forest fire burning out of control set fire to areas of the community. Several other fires were reported in Israel's north and in the Etzion Bloc south of Jerusalem. Police are investigating whether some of the fires are a result of arson. High levels of pollution have been measured in the areas near the fires. High winds are expected throughout Israel through Thursday with dry conditions continuing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the prime ministers of Greece and Croatia to send assistance in fighting wildfires running rampant across the country. The two countries agreed during phone conversations on Wednesday to send firefighter aircraft on Thursday. Netanyahu reportedly also asked Russia, Italy and Cyprus to send assistance as well. According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, he made the calls after visiting the fire-fighting command center near Zichron Yaakov, located at the southern tip of the Carmel Forest in northern Israel. On Tuesday and Wednesday, fires in the area destroyed at least 10 homes and damaged dozens of others. Several adults and children were treated for smoke inhalation. Thousands were evacuated from the city. At least 30 firefighting teams, 12 military firefighting units and four planes were working to control the blaze. Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said on Wednesday that some of the fires started around the country were accidents and some are believed to be arson. From left to right: Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tx.), Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Benjamin Netanyahu at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., March 3, 2015. WASHINGTON (JTA)-In recent months, the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee have each emphasized what in recent years hardly needed emphasizing: mainstream Jewish support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The reiterations of support signify a concern growing among Jewish organizations about deepening partisan differences on what has been since 2002 a rare area of broad political consensus in Israel and the United States. It also shows how centrist Jewish groups are struggling to grapple with an incoming president, Donald Trump, ready to shatter orthodoxies that once united Democrats and Republicans on issues like the role of America abroad and how to promote tolerance at home. The AJC was the latest organization to plead for preserving two-states as a favored outcome in a lengthy statement on Friday by its CEO, David Harris. "We long for the day when the Palestinians will extend an outstretched hand of peace, and we urge Israel and the new U.S. Administration not to lose sight of such a possibility-and the two-state agreement that would result," Harris said. Undergirding Harris' plea is an incoming administration whose top Jewish advisers have said that the two-state solution is not a necessary component of its diplomacy, and an Israeli government which has drifted further than ever from a two-state outcome, with moves underfoot by Cabinet members to appropriate more West Bank land. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes the moves, but he is increasingly isolated within his political camp in maintaining support for two states. Just before their convention in July, Republicans removed advocacy for two states from the party platform. Backers of the move said they did not count out a Palestinian state as an outcome, but they preferred to defer to Israel on the matter. Both parties have embraced two states since 2002, when Republican President George W. Bush, picking up on cues from his Democratic predecessor, Bill Clinton, said it was the preferred outcome. Anticipating two states is embedded in a key strategy for mainstream pro-Israel groups: Maintaining areas of bipartisan agreement on Israel as a means of building broad political support for the pro-Israel agenda. A concern that the parties are drifting apart on Israel is what informed the ADL's statement after the Republican platform change. "We are disappointed that the platform draft departs from longstanding support of a two-state solution to the Israeli Palestinian conflict-and the shared vision of successive American presidents and prime ministers of Israel, including the current leadership in both countries, who believed it was the only viable way to secure Israel as both a Jewish and democratic state," the ADL said at the time. For AIPAC, as is its wont, the emphasis on two states has been delivered in a relatively soft voice-but is still unmistakable. A letter from 88 senators on Sept. 20 urging President Barack Obama to stop the United Nations from taking unilateral steps on the peace process had as its third sentence: "The only way to resolve the conflicts between the two is through direct negotiations that lead to a sustainable two-state solution with a future state of Palestine living in peace and security with Israel." The language was drafted by AIPAC, and insiders at the lobby said it was designed in part to maintain strong relationships with Democrats, strained in 2015 by profound differences over the Iran nuclear deal reached that year. It was notable that four GOP flagbearers of pro-Israel orthodoxy absented themselves from signing the letter because of the mention high up of two states and the use-rare if not unprecedented in an AIPAC-drafted letter-of the word "Palestine" instead of Palestinians. They were Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mario Rubio of Florida-both of whom vied for the presidential nomination this year-as well as Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Tom Cotton of Arkansas. AIPAC, post election, remains committed to two states, its spokesman, Marshall Wittmann, told JTA. "Our position has not changed-we continue to support a two-state solution," he said. Some media have taken note of the removal of a reference to "two states" from AIPAC's peace process page on its website. It remains, however, on other key pages, including its mission statement, its hand-out on the peace talks and on a page backing direct negotiations. To be sure, other pro-Israel groups are outspoken in advancing two states, including Americans for Peace Now and J Street. But while both those groups have in the past formed alliances with individual Republicans, larger mainstream groups are more interested, and have been more successful, in maintaining a middle ground between Democrats and Republicans. Some groups, to be sure, reject the inevitability a two-state solution and are happy to see it sidelined. In a statement opposing Gen. James Mattis, a leading contender for secretary of defense in a Trump administration, the Zionist Organization of America asserts that "a Palestinian state, at least at this time and in the foreseeable future-would be a Hamas-Iran-dominated terror state that threatens Israeli and U.S. security." The ZOA rejects Mattis in part because he supports the two-state solution. For groups like the ADL, the AJC and AIPAC, however,the Trump administration represents what could be a radical departure from a number of orthodoxies both parties have shared beyond a commitment to a two-state solution. These include a robust U.S. posture abroad, the preservation of close alliances with western-leaning states, and a commitment to tolerance and a rejection of racially divisive language. The ADL, under its recently installed CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, has chosen a more confrontational path, charging Trump and one of his top advisers, Stephen Bannon, with advancing troubling echoes of anti-Semitic rhetoric and, during the campaign, claiming the Trump camp, "with its regular use of anti-immigrant, anti-Mexican and anti-Muslim rhetoric, has appealed to bigots and racists." Harris, in his statement, chose to identify problematic trends without necessarily identifying them with Trump or the Republicans. "We aspire to live in a society which doesn't simply 'tolerate' diversity, but welcomes it, seeing it as a vital component of who we are as a nation," he said. "We seek in our relations with other communities to enhance mutual respect and understanding, and to build coalitions of conscience in defense of shared values." WASHINGTON (JTA)-The most shocking thing about talk of Keith Ellison's Israel record as he rises within the Democratic Party is how few think it's shocking. Rep. Ellison, D-Minn., is a leading contender for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee, despite a record of tough criticism of Israel that pro-Israel insiders say would easily have disqualified him a decade ago. That he is being seriously considered now-and with the backing of the party's foremost pro-Israel stalwart, incoming Senate minority leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.-is a signal of how far the party is willing to go in challenging the pro-Israel community, a relationship that not so long ago was hard to disentangle. "It sends the wrong symbol for someone with those views to take a leadership role in the Democratic Party, especially since the party has been struggling with Israel," said Abraham Foxman, the retired national director of the Anti-Defamation League, giving voice to what many establishment pro-Israel figures are saying without attribution. "Israel has always been a bipartisan issue; this makes it less of one." Steven M. Cohen, a professor of Jewish social policy at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, said Ellison's ascent is emblematic of a party seeking to attract younger voters likelier to identify with the Palestinians than with Israel, or at least to see the conflict from both sides. Furthermore, the Democrats are not turning away from Israel, he said, but are more willing to entertain positions identified with the pro-Israel left, as opposed to the major groups and the current Israeli government. "One can imagine that young Democrats would have no problem with Ellison as chairing their party," Cohen said. "The pressure is on the pro-Israel community to broaden the definition of pro-Israel to include people who oppose settlement expansion and who favor a far more inclusive approach that takes into account Palestinian nationalism." An operative who straddles the Jewish and Democratic worlds said the relative nonchalance greeting Ellison-the hawkish Zionist Organization of America was among the few groups to issue a statement vehemently opposed to his leadership-should not come as a shock to the pro-Israel community after eight years of tensions with President Barack Obama. During that time, the pro-Israel mainstream more often than not stood by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his disputes with Obama. These came to a head last year during the rancorous debate over the Iran nuclear deal, when the American Israel Public Affairs Committee spearheaded opposition to the deal that Obama vigorously championed. AIPAC's efforts to kill it were defeated in Congress, along strict partisan lines. The group has gone some way to patching things up with congressional Democrats, but there are lingering ill feelings. "The legacy pro-Israel groups are not at the table," the operative said, asking not to be named to protect his relationships with the Jewish groups. "If you burn all those bridges, saying 'either you're for Israel's survival or against it,' this is the consequence." Susan Turnbull, a former vice-chairwoman of the DNC and a former chairwoman of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, cautioned that Ellison was hardly a done deal. There were other promising candidates, including Howard Dean, who helmed the party in the late 2000s, leading it to two congressional wins; Ilyse Hogue, the Jewish president of NARAL-Pro Choice America, the abortion rights group; and Jaime Harrison, the chairman of the state party in South Carolina. She said Schumer's backing for Ellison was an attempt to heal the wounds of a divisive primary season, with Schumer representing the establishment that backed the eventual nominee Hillary Clinton, and Ellison representing the progressives who backed the insurgent campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Turnbull said the state party leaders and officials who vote for the DNC chair might not take well to Schumer's preference, and also may prefer a chair who can deliver full time as opposed to representing a congressional district. She recalled simmering resentments at the previous chairwoman, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., who often was seen as distracted by her congressional career. "The more the congressmen and senators are endorsing a candidate and say this is how it will be, the more likely DNC members will be resentful and go the other way," Turnbull said. Additionally, Ellison's bid has little to nothing to do with foreign policy-he's been baffled by the Israel questions he's received, party insiders say. Instead, he's focused on reviving the party after its devastating losses on Election Day and rebuilding its grassroots support among the working class. Still, Ellison's history with Israel has become an issue, if only because it features so prominently in his biography. "The fact that Representative Keith Ellison is even being considered as a serious candidate to lead the Democrat Party tells you how radical and far out of the mainstream they've become," said Fred Brown, the spokesman for the Republican Jewish Coalition. There are two chapters to Ellison's record on Jews and Israel: Before he made history in 2006 as the first Muslim elected to Congress, and after. Ellison apologized in detail and made clear he has renounced the "before," which included a stint in the 1990s with the anti-Semitic Nation of Islam. "I have long since distanced myself from and rejected the Nation of Islam due to its propagation of bigoted and anti-Semitic statements and actions of the Nation of Islam, [its leader] Louis Farrakhan, and [Farrakhan's late assistant] Khalid Muhammed," he wrote in a two-page letter to the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas in May 2006, after he won the Democratic primary. Republicans and conservatives still evoke that period in attacking Ellison. For Democrats, liberal Jewish groups and the local Minneapolis Jewish community, it is ancient history. He has close and friendly relations with the community there, and has become a robust voice speaking out to Muslims against anti-Semitism within their ranks. The period since is still troubling, though, for some sectors of the pro-Israel community. (Ellison is championed by the dovish pro-Israel community, including J Street, Americans for Peace Now and Bend the Arc, a liberal social justice group.) In 2009, Ellison spear-headed a letter from 54 Democrats to Obama urging him to press Israel to ease its blockade of the Gaza Strip. The letter acknowledged Israel's security needs after the Gaza war, but said the country's government was overstating them and suggested it was being punitive. The same year, he sought to accommodate a more sympathetic reading of the United Nations Goldstone report on the war, while acknowledging it was flawed. Israel, the centrist pro-Israel community and most of the Congress rejected the report as a one-sided attack on Israel and its right to self-defense. In 2014, he was one of eight members of Congress who voted against additional funding for Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system, saying he preferred to devote American energies to brokering a cease-fire. And this year he was one of three appointees named by Sanders to the party's platform drafting committee. All three sought, unsuccessfully, to change its language to be explicitly critical of Israel's West Bank occupation. That venture especially worried centrist pro-Israel groups, particularly because the Princeton University philosopher Cornel West, one of the other pro-Palestinian advocates, had passionately embraced the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. While Ellison was allied with groups that reject BDS, like J Street, he had yet to pronounce on it in a forceful way. In a statement Tuesday to JTA, Ellison rejected BDS as unhelpful. "I have long supported a two-state solution and a democratic and secure state for the Jewish people, with a democratic and viable Palestinian state side-by-side in peace and dignity," he said. "I don't believe boycotting, divesting, and sanctioning Israel helps us achieve that goal. I supported the Democratic Platform, which embraces this position." Ellison's defenders also note his record backing defense assistance to Israel, his multiple visits to the country and his backing of Holocaust education in the Muslim community. Jonathan Greenblatt, Foxman's successor at the ADL, in a statement sought to straddle the warmth Ellison has engendered at home in Minneapolis with concerns about his record. "We spoke with leadership in the Jewish community in Minnesota who confirmed what ADL and other national organizations have seen: that Keith Ellison is a man of good character," he said in an email to JTA. "We have seen him through his work in Congress as an important ally in the fight against anti-Semitism and for civil rights. "He has been on the record in support of Israel and supports a two-state solution," Greenblatt said. "However, the congressman also has made statements and taken positions, especially regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and on the [Iran nuclear deal], on which we strongly differ and that concern us." Steve Rabinowitz, a strategist for the Hillary Clinton campaign who successfully pushed back the effort by Ellison, West and James Zogby, the president of the Arab American Institute, to change the platform language, said Ellison, even though he lost the battle, was key to getting the broader platform committee to accept other language friendly to Israel. Schumer, in endorsing Ellison, credited "Ellison with making that happen and getting others to support it," Rabinowitz noted. Rabbi Marc Schneier, whose group, the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, has worked with Ellison to advance Muslim-Jewish understanding, said Ellison's differences with mainstream pro-Israel groups should not blind the groups to the value he brings as a youthful African-American Muslim who speaks out for engagement with Israel. "He is a Muslim, and the fact he has sympathy for the Palestinian cause-that would be a normal reaction on any American Muslim," he said. "But this is also an American Muslim leader committed to a two-state solution." For his part, Schumer said his priority was finding a DNC chair who would act as an "organizing tool" for his party-following advice from Sanders, who told him the Democrats "can't win the wars" without being bolder and more progressive at the grassroots level. Asked by he Washington Post Friday about Ellison's past statements on Israel, Schumer replied, "I'm not worried about the Israel stuff even though he and I disagree." My Jewish Roots Workshops, sponsored by the Jewish Genealogical Society of Orlando (JGSGO) continue in December with the 4th workshop: Conduct U.S.-Based Research. Among topics covered: how specifically to search: U.S. census records; vital records (death, marriage, and birth); other sources such as cemetery records and headstones, obituaries, Social Security Death Index (SSDI) and applications, military records; and immigration records including naturalization files & ships passenger lists. The following is Diana Chasen van den Boogaard's story of successful breakthroughs in her search for ancestors. In just a few short months, we will have the world's foremost experts on Jewish genealogy converge on Orlando for a wonderful week of discussion and sharing. That's the 37th International Conference on Jewish Genealogy, from July 23-28, 2017, at the Walt Disney World Swan Hotel. One of the great benefits of attending the conference is one's proximity to experts. Besides being able to ask questions of speakers at their presentations and networking sessions, you also have direct access to them during the conference. I have had two fabulous "lobby moments," 23 years apart. My first conference was in 1992 in New York. Back then it was called the 11th Summer Seminar of the Jewish Genealogical Society: The New York Jewish Experience. I was just beginning to explore my ancestry, interviewing relatives, using paper charts, reading "Avotaynu" and attending the Jewish Genealogy Society meetings in Washington, D.C., where I lived at the time. I knew very little about my grandfather, Jacob Chasan, who had died at age 34 in the Influenza Epidemic in 1918. My father was a baby at the time. Older cousins related to me how they felt their lives might have been different "if Jack had lived." All I had of him was one photo and his Naturalization Certificate. Here was the first "lobby moment": I saw a few people asking questions from one of the conference organizers who was sitting in the lobby. I waited to ask his help with the Naturalization Certificate. He took a quick look at the information and told me that the Surrogate Court, which had granted the naturalization, was just a few blocks from our conference hotel and gave me directions. I made my way there, showed the certificate to the clerk, and no sooner had I settled in my chair, when the clerk placed a thick bound volume in front of me, opened to the original documents my grandfather had submitted: the Declaration of Intent and Petition for Citizenship. That was an incredible high. To hold in my hands the same papers that my grandfather had completed was indescribable. What a connection I felt to this long lost ancestor! In the papers I discovered his birth date, the port he had sailed from, the ship he arrived on, his address and occupation in New York, and even the names of the witnesses, some of them relatives. The clerk made copies for me. Back then you couldn't plug a name into Ancestry.com and find the ship records. You had to spend hours slowly winding through the microfilm readers. Armed with information from the certificate, I headed to the New York Public Library where I was able to find my grandfather Jacob Chasan listed on page 70 of a microfilmed passenger list. He had come from Bialystok in 1901 when he was 17. Fast-forward 23 years to my second "lobby moment" at the 35th IAJGS Conference on Jewish Genealogy in Jerusalem in July 2015. At this conference, I was hoping to meet cousins from Bialystok who had settled in Israel. I had been seeking them for many years and had some very old addresses. I arrived a day early on Saturday, July 4th. The next morning I saw conference chairman Michael Goldstein in the hotel lobby. I had emailed him a few months earlier to ask if he could recommend someone to help find my relatives. To my delight he said he had time right then. Using Michael's laptop we looked up the numbers in the online Israeli phone directory. He figured out which people could likely match my old information. At 1 p.m. he made the first call. We found my relatives and Michael did all the translating. They were delighted to hear from me. By 4 p.m. that same day my 82-year-old second cousin, Yegal Zlotnik, and two of his children showed up at the hotel. They lived just 10 minutes from the hotel. When I hugged Yegal we didn't want to let go. It was another indescribable moment and another deep connection come to life. We spent a lovely two hours getting to know each other in the expansive lobby bar. A reunion in Israel with long lost cousins, reunited through a Jewish Genealogical conference in Israel. A few weeks earlier, volunteers with the conference reunion committee had located some of my other cousins from Bialystok. I had made plans to meet them later that night. This group came while my cousin and his children were still there and we had a family reunion I had hoped for. I met the first group of cousins twice more during the week, and they drove me to meet another 92-year-old cousin in Tel Aviv. And I had Shabbas with the second group. I have filled in the family tree for my Chasan relatives in Israel and keep in touch. You can learn how to access many important resources at the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Orlando's (JGSGO) My Jewish Roots workshops. The next one is Conduct U.S.-based Research featuring IAJGS President Marlis Humphrey on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. at the Roth Family JCC. The workshop is free and open to the public. Bring your own laptop to participate in the lab portion. It is also possible to attend via the Internet. Pre-registration is required. Pre-register for either in-person or online participation at http://www.jgsgo.org/MyJewishRoots. A constant drumbeat of sharp headlines has heralded former Breitbart executive Steve Bannon, president-elect Donald Trumps chief strategist, as an open anti-Semite. The attack is rooted in nothing more credible than an unverified accusation by a crusading left-wing journalist, namely that Bannon had proudly told her five weeks earlier, Were the platform for the alt-right. To be fair, though, critics have amply demonstrated that during Bannons tenure Breitbart harbored some pretty noxious ideasreflected in click-bait headlines, inflammatory columns, and virulent comment sections. But have you seen the putrescence a few clicks away at Amazon.com? Caution: examining the links below may necessitate gloves or at least hand sanitizer. Amazons offerings include: Holy Serpent of the Jews: The Rabbis Secret Plan for Satan to Crush Their Enemies and Vault the Jews to Global Dominion Its the Jews, Stupid! Who and What These Evil Vipers Are The Ruling Elite: the Zionist Seizure of World Power Amazon certainly does not write all its book summaries, but they are unbylined, so inexperienced visitors might reasonably assume thatjust as Marriott.com writes its own hotel descriptions Amazons blurbs are the companys. And some are shockingly indecent: Gas-chamber poison Zyklon B was merely used as a pesticide in order to improve the inmates health and reduce, not increase, camp mortality, according to the sites central summary of Breaking the Spell: The Holocaust: Myth & Reality. That certain Jews have always and still do work to establish Jewish hegemony over the world is not doubted by informed researchers, says Amazons main description of the classic anti-Semitic forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. With the playfully named Mein Side of the Story: Key World War 2 Addresses of Adolf Hitler, the site appears to crow, This is Hitlers side of the story, revealed in his own spoken and written words. Amazon could start to rein in hateful book descriptions fairly quickly, but cracking down on the teeming spite in user comments would be difficult. Still, the alt-right bile in Breitbarts comments section is supposedly damning evidence against Steve Bannon, so consider two samples from Amazons hundreds of five-star blurbs praising anti-Semitic books: God forbid these poor persecuted people get negative light for once. So innocent that theyve been kicked out of over 150 countries. Thank God someone is finally exposing the Jewish lie (the Holocaust) that has been used to enslave the world ever since WWII. And, of course, as with most of its inventory, Amazon invites you to LOOK INSIDE! books like The Myth of German Villainy; and it provides friendly links to other classics of Holocaust denial when you buy, say, Did Six Million Really Die? The Truth At Last. Amazons prices for purchasing these rancid tomes are both too high and too low. Some out-of-print books cost well over a hundred dollars. Amazon is said to make between 14 percent and 40 percent on its third-party sales. Now whos peddling anti-Semitism? Conversely, many of the worst Jew-hating propaganda tracts like Planet Rothschild and Mein Side of the Story are available free for Kindle Unlimited digital subscribers. Amazon cannot sidestep responsibility for profiting off books that justify atrocities by saying the site is a public square where all content is treated equally, because its not. The company has removed, for example, a seduction manual on turning no into yes and a how-to guide for pedophiles. Rape and child molestation are awful, of course, but isnt genocide against Jews at least as bad? In fact, Amazons official policy calls products that promote or glorify hatred, violence, racial, sexual or religious intolerance as prohibited listings. So why does Amazon profit from books it claims to prohibit? The First Amendment (Congress shall make no law...) does not apply to private businesses, so the company can and must act swiftly to tame its feral anti-Semitic subculture. Amazon can censurebut not censorhateful and false works by: 1) devoting company resources to identify and ostracize them, perhaps even providing expert rebuttals; 2) implementing site-wide boilerplate clarifications that summaries do not reflect Amazons opinion; and 3) donating proceeds from their sales to Holocaust education and research. One mechanism: raise prices and lower demand through a Hatred Tax on offensive books. Compared to the Amazon cesspool, Breitbarts nasty streak seems rather tame. Three of the 10 most incendiary Breitbart headlines, according to CNN, are: Science proves it: Fat-shaming works; Trannies whine about hilarious Bruce Jenner billboard; and Birth control makes women unattractive and crazy. Ouch. Of course, Amazon sells Judaism Discovered: A Study of the Anti-Biblical Religion of Racism, Self-Worship, Superstition and Deceit, Conspiracy of the Six-Pointed Star, and The Synagogue of Satan. Given its dominant market share and the diffuse nature of Americas anti-Semitic community, Amazon.com is almost certainly the nations go-to vendor of Holocaust-denying and Jew-bashing literature. So why has Bannon become the poster child for Web sites that foster hate? Why not Jeff Bezos, who founded and still runs the demonstrably more pernicious Amazon? Could it be because Bezos makes political donations overwhelmingly to Democrats, spent millions of dollars to promote same-sex marriage, and has repeatedly tangled with the president-elect? Either the hateful content of these Web sites is sufficient to classify both Bannon and Bezos as anti-Semites, or neither. Does Breitbart need tidying up, so it can crowd out vile voices with more constructive ones? Sure. But Amazon needs a power wash. David Benkof is senior political analyst for the Daily Caller, where this essay first appeared. Follow him on Twitter (@DavidBenkof) or E-mail him at DavidBenkof@gmail.com. Standing up to anti-Israel sentiment on campus and around the globe makes a real difference. The head of Kent States Students for Justice in Palestine was urging the erasure of Golda Meirs quote that adorns a wall on campus, along with other inspirational sayings. Heres the offending quote: Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.Golda Meir This outlandish demand to remove Golda Meirs quote was picked up and echoed by Kent States Spanish and Latino Student Association, the Ohio Student Association, and the Muslim Students Association. The SJP student leader incorrectly alleged that Golda Meir was racist against Africans, that she instituted ethnic cleansing and that she created harmful racist stereotypes that today oppress students at Kent State and contributes to a climate that makes us feel like we do not belong here. According to the twisted logic of todays anti-Israel activists, her quote should be erased. University President Beverly Warren thanked the students for their concerns in a letter, promising to consider their request. But on Nov. 10, sanity prevailed. Kent State issued a statement that it would not remove Golda Meirs quote; doing so would be counter to our core institutional value of supporting a diversity of cultures, beliefs, identities, and thought. While the quote, along with others, is scheduled to be painted over in 2017, for the time being it remains, a testament to the power of speaking up in the face of attempts to slander and even literally erase mentions of the Jewish state. Here are some other examples of attempts to erase Israel that have been over turned in recent weeks, thanks to willingness of Israels supporters to stand up and make their voices heard. Correcting NPRs Map When National Public Radio (NPR)s health and culture blog asked travelers to share their fears about visiting the Middle East in 2016, the accompanying map of the Middle East contained an interesting feature: Israel didnt exist. The Jewish state, in addition to the West Bank and Gaza, was labelled Palestine. Jewish NPR fans didnt take the maps erasure of Israel lying down. HonestReporting.com was among the first to notice the omission. Simon Plosker, its manager editor, pointed out, It is completely unacceptable for NPR to publish an image that erases Israel from the map ... Soon, more troubled fans wrote in. Within days, NPR removed the map from its website and included an apology. Flying to Israel Passengers waiting for Air Serbias JUO 816 from Belgrade to Tel Aviv on Aug. 29, 2016, got a shock when they heard passengers for flight 816 with service to Palestine please come to gate C3. Upset passengers spoke to the flight staff, explaining that Tel Aviv is in Israel. According to their accounts, the scene became confrontational with airline representatives repeating, The flight is to Tel Aviv, not Israel and announcing that the flight was headed to Palestine several times. I couldnt hold back when I heard it, one passenger explained. He approached the desk, and was joined by an Israeli man from Rosh Pina. I asked them to announce that the flight was going to Israel and not to Palestine, the passenger recalled. When the manager demurred, frustrated passengers asserted they wouldnt board the flight if it was not announced as a flight to Israel or to Tel Aviv rather than Palestine and demanded that the announcement be repeated three times for everyone to hear. Finally, flight officials announced that the plane was going to Tel Aviv. After the flight, Israels ambassador to Serbia, Alona Fisher-Kamm, pursued the matter with the CEO of Air Serbia, who expressed shock and remorse and assured passengers the incident wouldnt be repeated. Two months later, it seems that another airline erased the word Israel from a flight to the Jewish state. According to the website Middle East Monitor, Chinese Hainan Airlines surprised passengers flying from Beijing to Tel Aviv Oct. 25, 2016 by omitting the name of their destination in the in-flight multimedia system. An in-flight map of Israel was mislabeled Palestinian Territories instead. After passengers complained, Hainan Airlines responded: We thank you for contacting us and turning our attention to this regrettable technical mistake... The airline is working to fix the maps as soon as possible... Objecting to slandering Israel in London In some cases, mentioning Israel in derogatory ways can be just as bad as erasing its name completely. That was the message that visitors to the Geffrye Museum in Dalston, in London, conveyed in October 2016. Museum-goers who attended an exhibit on teenage bedrooms were shocked to see virulently anti-Israel posters adorning the walls of what were meant to be typical teenage bedrooms. Slogans included Criminal Israel. After receiving a number of complaints, museum staff took down the offensive posters. Having received feedback from a recent visitor, a museum spokesperson explained, we have now taken down the image. Erasing Israel in Berlin We need to be vigilant, speak up and demand action. In August 2016, the famous French filmmaker Claude Lanzmann (whose film Shoah chronicles the Holocaust) went public with an op-ed in two European newspapers with his experiences in a top Berlin hotel, the luxurious Hotel Bristol. Seeking Israels international dialing code from the hotels directory, Lanzmann realized Israels code had been removed. The hotel later defended itself, saying, There is no instruction on the part of the hotel management...to take the Israeli dialing code out of the telephone directory and pointing out that not every nations dialing code was included. Lanzmann, however, offers a different perspective. After noticing that Israels code had been removed, he asked hotel staff about the omission. According to Lanzmann, staff told him that Arab clients had asked the hotel to omit Israels dialing code from the list. One cannot fight against Arab terrorism and at the same time allow Israel to be eradicated at one of the noblest and most important hotels in Berlin, Lanzmann cautioned. As Mr. Lanzmann continues to demand that the Hotel Bristol reinstate Israel in its list of international dialing codes, hes gained an important ally: Berlin Interior Minister Frank Henkel has joined the fray, urging the hotel to investigate Lanzmanns accusations. Banning Zionist voices in Montreal The McGill Daily, the student newspaper of the prestigious Montreal university, recently issued a startling proclamation: The Daily maintains an editorial line of not publishing pieces which promote a Zionist worldview, its editors explained. This pronouncement came after the paper received a complaint of anti-Semitism. According to the editors, the newspaper reviewed the complaint and found it baseless, explaining that it did not consider anti-Zionist articles to constitute anti-Semitism. The McGill Daily acknowledged that it has no Jewish students on its board, though it asserted that the broader Daily community contains Jewish voices. The paper dismissed Zionism as oppressive and illegitimate, completely outside the bounds of civilized discourse, slanderously mischaracterizing the right of the Jewish people to sovereignty like other nations as a settler-colonial ideology. In a climate in which Israel and markers of Israeli identity are often at risk of literally being erased, its crucial to stand up and speak out at attempts to slander and demonize the Jewish state. When we insist that Israel be treated fairly, we make it harder for people to delegitimize Zionism or to promote a warped view of a world without Israel. In the words of Golda Meir, still proudly painted on a wall at Kent State University: Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Dont be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. Yvette Alt Miller earned her B.A. at Harvard University. She completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Jewish Studies at Oxford University, and has a Ph.D. In International Relations from the London School of Economics. She lives with her family in Chicago, and has lectured internationally on Jewish topics. In considering the furor around President-elect Donald Trumps decision to appoint Stephen Bannon, the CEO of the hard-right news website Breitbart, as his chief strategist, lets start with the perspective of those who have defended him. On one important level, their anger over the Bannon spat is justified. It is galling to see the behemoths of the liberal left, from MoveOn.org to The New York Times, suddenly discover the threat of anti-Semitism after showing general indifference to its resurgence in public life during the last 16 years. Simply put, their negative feelings toward Israel got in the way of acknowledging that larger reality; but as Israel isnt a factor in the case of Bannon, they can level the accusation of anti-Semitism safely, untainted by any association with the Jewish state or its occupation of Palestinian territories. On top of that, there is no meaningful record of statements or actions on Bannons part to convict him of the charge of being, on a personal level, anti-Semitic. And since Americans tend to understand anti-Semitism as suggestive of a character defect, it is not surprising that many people also interpreted the attacks upon Bannon as a low blow against his boss, the incoming president. Its at precisely this juncture, however, that the Bannon quarrel has gone awry. The issue was never really about Bannons own sensibilities, and in fairness, that was never the focus of the much-discussed Anti-Defamation League (ADL) statement on Bannon released Nov 13. What the ADL said is that Bannon presides over the premier website of the alt-right, which it then defined as a loose-knit group of white nationalists and unabashed anti-Semites and racists. This raised the legitimate question of whether a man with such associations is suited to one of the countys top political appointmentswhether he can be one of the unifying figures this country needs. But that is not the discussion we have had these past days; its all been about the personalities, and not the politics. David Hirsh, the British academic who has played a key intellectual role in confronting the academic boycott of Israel, put forward a better standard with which to make a judgment at the ADLs Never is Now Summit on Anti-Semitism, held in New York Nov. 17. Bannonscase reminds us, he said, that anti-Semitism is about politics, not personal moral failure. Our bitterly sectarian politics compromise the discussion of anti-Semitism, and more broadly racism and prejudice, in America today. In the debate about Bannon, there seems to be an assumption among his supporters that nobody as implacably opposed as he is to the progressive leftpowerful elements of which have allied with Islamists, and enabled the spread of anti-Semitic discourse in the guise of anti-Zionismcould possibly share any of their flaws. As a result, Bannons defenders adopt many of the same rhetorical tactics that left-wing anti-Zionists deploy when confronted with the charge of anti-Semitism; listing their Jewish political comrades or friends or relatives, decrying reputational smears without foundation, asserting their fondness for Jewish culture, and so on. In rushing to Bannons aid, they overlook the deeper historical truth that anti-Semitism has always been promiscuous, finding favor on right and left. Yet in their alternative imagining, anti-Semitism is solely a problem of the political left. Let me offer a brief explanation of why some aspects of Bannons intellectual universe should be of concern to anyone who cares about the basic social empathies that are needed to sustain democracythe same empathies, I would add, that have been badly damaged by the growth of identity politics on left and right. Take Bannons own ideas, insofar as they were set out in a talk he gave to a group of European right-wingers gathered at the Vatican in 2014. In his address, he outlined a vision of a world order based on strong countries with strong nationalist movements. Bannon does not explain what he means by strong here, but the implications are disconcerting. Not least, it begs the question of how one defines and organizes a nationalist politics in nations that have achieved independence. In European nations, over the course of the last three decades, the answer has crystallized in the twin resistance against liberal immigration policies and the cross-border institutions of the European Union. The corresponding political goal is for nation states to reign supreme on trade, on defense, andcriticallyon regional spheres of influence. In this climate, both liberal democracy and its American example will cease to be posited as a system superior to other forms of government. As strong as these nationalist movements can hope to be, they will never enjoy periods of harmony or consensus when in governmentunless of course they enforce it. Democratic politics will therefore become an ugly confrontation marked by terse and coarse exchanges, character assassination, rewards for doctrinal orthodoxy, retribution for dissent, and dangerous polarization between the races and ethnicities and religions that compose our society. Many of the worlds illiberal and authoritarian states will become our friends and trading partners, and our new-found tolerance of their norms will eventually come into conflict with the maintenance of our own. I have no doubt that voices arguing that Russia tried democracy and it didnt worknow we should try it their way will grow louder and less exotic. Is it possible to conjure up a more benign vision of a world in which the democracies are represented by Donald Trump, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and, perhaps, future French President Marine Le Pen, at the same time as authoritarians like Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan become sustainedly more oppressive? Suffice to say, this prospect is what girds the widespread apprehension over what the next four years have in storeand there is perhaps no better emblem of that, for now, than Stephen Bannon. Ben Cohen, senior editor of TheTower.org & The Tower Magazine, writes a weekly column for JNS.org on Jewish affairs and Middle Eastern politics. His writings have been published in Commentary, the New York Post, Haaretz, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. He is the author of Some of My Best Friends: A Journey Through Twenty-First Century Antisemitism (Edition Critic, 2014). The churchs pastor, Rev. David E. Roberts, II, opened the meeting. He asked attendees to respect the process and church during the meeting. Originally, it was supposed to be a family meeting, Roberts said. We are not going to go out and destroy our own community. Roberts said he wants justice for both sides involved in the shooting. Catawba County came in here and did this, Roberts said. They have put our police at a disadvantage. We live here. We are going to deal with this. Roberts then allowed civil rights activist John C. Barnett to take the floor. Barnett, not a resident of the area, spoke to the attendees. Valentines family requested that he come. I see some brothers in here that are tired, Barnett said. I wonder if your chief of police would be bold enough to lock up some of your officers who have done something wrong. Barnett named several African-American men shot by police, listing the amount of money law enforcement settled with families for in ensuing civil cases. I have yet to travel this country, in 20 cities and 15 states with Rev. Sharpton, and I have yet to see a white person get shot down 51 times like Sean Bell in New York City, Barnett said. Barnett told attendees Hickory had a problem its lack of diversity. Charlotte is going to tear Charlotte up this weekend, Barnett said. Im not endorsing violence, but did you all see what we did last month? At one point, Roberts spoke up, saying community members should resist the drug trade. His brother is right there, said Roberts, indicating Larry Valentine, Do you think he cares about a million dollars? They want their son. They want their brother. It is about the loss of a life. His momma doesnt want money. She wants the killer of her son. Roberts had spoken earlier in the meeting about the need for the community to come together concerning murders that havent involved law enforcement. Im not here with an agenda, Im here because a member of our community got killed, Roberts said. We need to make sure we fight for justice, and to do the right thing. Around this time, the meeting started to fracture. Roberts said the church had several gatherings with Hickory police that were not as well attended by the community as the Thursday meeting. Barnett then asked the attendees how many of them trusted the police. Of the hundred in attendance, seven individuals raised their hands. A lack of clarity about the meeting format further divided the group, with some leaving when Barnett tried to have attendees march to the Ridgeview Senior Center. Community members became frustrated with the change in format, as many had attended the meeting in search of answers. Several attendees went on Barnetts silent march, arriving at the centers parking lot. They stayed for a while, but some left at various times. At one point, the entire crowd dispersed, frustrated with the rally. I was expecting to do something for Ray, said a man, who declined to be named. A Catawba County Sheriffs Office (CCSO) Investigator shot Ray Valentine, 41, of Hickory, Monday afternoon outside of a residence in the 1100 block of 15th Street NE, a Tuesday night press release from the NC State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) said. The release said CCSO deputies were in the area conducting an investigation and approached Ray Valentine. As they did, Ray Valentine attempted to flee in his vehicle, striking and damaging a CCSO vehicle. At that point, a CCSO narcotics investigator shot Ray Valentine. The release said law enforcement isnt releasing the name of the officer who shot Ray Valentine. Catawba County EMS transported Valentine to Frye Regional Medical Center (FRMC) in critical condition. He died at the hospital later Monday night. CCSO Captain Brian Kelly said Monday no law enforcement officers were injured in the incident. A Sheriffs Office vehicle was damaged, and the vehicles front bumper could be seen partially torn off. Kelly said Monday deputies were not serving warrants at the time. It is unknown if Ray Valentine was suspected of any crime. An autopsy report is pending and the SBI's investigation is ongoing. This domain has expired. If you owned this domain, contact your domain registration service provider for further assistance. If you need help identifying your provider, visit https://www.tucowsdomains.com/ Eurovision 2017 semi-finals scheduled for May 9 and 11, final for May 13 Leaders of the Ukraine's national state-run television company (NTKU) Oleksandr Kharebyn and Viktoria Romanova have been officially appointed as executive producers of the Eurovision 2017 song contest, show producer Stuart Barlow has become as part of the core team, the press service of the UA: Pershyi TV channel has said. The release also says that semi-finals of Eurovision 2017 are planned to be held in Kyiv on May 9 and May 11, while the final is scheduled for May 13. Romanova joined Ukraine's national state-run television company (NTKU) in 2005. She has been working at the company for 12 years. Since 2007 she is the chairman of the Ukrainian delegation at the Eurovision and in 2016 she headed the delegation of the winning team. Kharebyn has been working as the Deputy Director General at the NTKU since 2015. Show producer Barlow has over 5 years of experience in the Eurovision song contest, during which he has been working as a producer. As Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani arrives in India on Saturday for the Heart of Asia (HoA) ministerial conference in Amritsar, Indias Afghan policy is becoming more robust. India has completed the delivery of the final Mi-24 gunship to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) as part of New Delhis reconstruction effort with the delivery of the four gunships marking the first lethal weaponry supply to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF). With this move, India is signalling its defiance of those who have long argued that India should maintain a low profile in Afghanistan. On the sidelines of the UN general assemblys 71st annual session, India, the United States and Afghanistan had met to exchange views on the situation in Afghanistan and on regional issues of mutual interest. The three underscored their shared interest in combating terrorism and advancing peace and security in the region. Read | Modi is right to support Balochis, says Afghan ex-prez Karzai India and the US decided to relaunch this trilateral engagement during the second India-US strategic and commercial dialogue in New Delhi in August. Though it was in existence even earlier, the US did not really put its weight behind the engagement for fear of annoying Pakistan. It was discontinued in 2013 largely because of this indifference. The rejuvenation of this trilateral engagement comes at a time when India-Pakistan ties have hit their nadir and its diplomatic isolation is causing consternation in the Pakistani establishment. Pakistans ties with Afghanistan are also at their worst ever. Speaking at the general assembly, Afghanistans vice-president, Sarwar Danish, came down heavily on Pakistan for supporting terror groups. Slamming the country for providing safe havens to terrorists, he underlined Pakistans undeclared war on its people by plotting merciless terror attacks and training and financing groups like the Taliban and the Haqqani network. This is the line that India has long taken and after the Uri attack, Afghanistans support for the Indian case has been categorical. It was the Afghan government which first suggested that South Asian states come together to boycott the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit in Islamabad over Pakistans role in destabilising the neighbourhood. And thats exactly what India decided to do. Read | Heart of Asia meet: Bilateral thaw between India and Pakistan unlikely There is also growing frustration in Washington at Pakistans duplicitous role in South Asia. During his meeting with Pakistans prime minister, outgoing US secretary of state John Kerry, widely seen as sympathetic to Pakistani concerns, made it clear that the onus is on Pakistan to prevent all terrorists from using Pakistani territory as safe havens. More significant from the perspective of long-term US-Pakistan ties, is the Bill HR 6069 or the Pakistan State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act, introduced in the US Congress on September 20, aimed at designating Pakistan as a state sponsor of terror. One of the biggest setbacks to US-Pakistan ties since the killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad in a US raid was the US drone strike that killed Taliban leader Mullah Mansour on Pakistani soil. It underscored in Washington Islamabads continuing unreliability in managing Afghanistans security. Washington has in recent months recalibrated and taken an overtly pro-India stance on Afghanistan. It has refused to certify for the US Congress that Pakistan has taken adequate steps to fight the Haqqani network, leading to the cancellation of defence subsidies to Pakistan. Read | Heritage Street in Amritsar gets ready for PM Modis visit In a remarkable shift in Washingtons policy of asking New Delhi to refrain from military support to Kabul, it is now publicly asking India to help arm Afghan forces. This is in support of Afghan demands for more technical and military assistance from India. India is also considering requirements for spares and maintenance to restore the Soviet-era helicopters and transport aircraft. This will require coordination with Russia in another trilateral framework. The Ghani government has come to recognise that Pakistan will not play ball in bringing stability to Afghanistan. The quadrilateral coordination group of Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the US on Afghan peace and reconciliation failed to take the peace process further due to Pakistani intransigence. Now Kabul wants to fight it out with the backing of Washington and New Delhi. And the Narendra Modi government seems more than willing to lend a hand to a partner which is also facing hostility from Pakistan. This is in sync with its priorities at the moment to isolate Pakistan globally and regionally. The renewed trilateral engagement will work only if there is a sustained momentum towards deliverable outcomes. The Pakistani military-intelligence apparatus will do its best to scupper this initiative and will lash out in response to its growing marginalisation. It will try to show its relevance by wreaking more havoc in Afghanistan and the region. The regional states should prepare for the worst even as they work towards a more coordinated response vis-a-vis Pakistan. Read | Afghanistan defends Indias surgical strikes in PoK New Delhi and Kabul will be hoping that isolating Islamabad on terrorism at the HoA conference will allow them to send a categorical message to the international community as to where the real source of turmoil in South Asia actually lies. Whether they succeed in doing this given the Chinese presence is not very difficult to decipher. Harsh V Pant is a distinguished fellow at Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi and professor of international relations, Kings College London The views expressed are personal Barry, a 20-year-old student from Columbia University, New York, returns to his apartment to find its been broken into the door is ajar, and he can hear someone fumbling around in the bedroom. He cautiously approaches the intruder, who turns back and shouts, Where do you keep your ganja (marijuana), man? My head is pounding, and I need some pot, he says. The intruder is Barrys friend Salim. Barry gestures towards the ashtray on the bedside table, where he has saved a half-smoked joint from the night before. They proceed to smoke it together, and discuss Barrys lack of talent when it comes to wooing women just two 20-something college dudes going about their lives, youd think. But, heres the twist: Barry is a young Barack Hussein Obama, President of The United States (POTUS). And yes, he is smoking pot. This is a scene from film-maker Vikram Gandhis (37) upcoming Netflix feature film, Barry, which looks into Obamas early life. A lot of what we know about Obama is primarily derived from how he is represented in the news. Often people forget that he, too, was a regular teenager, in search of his lifes purpose. I wanted to highlight that aspect of his life through a simple story, says Gandhi, over a telephonic interview from New York. Set to release on December 15, Barry comes out at an interesting time. Obamas near-perfect image has America, and the world, bidding him a teary farewell. Videos of Obama theatrically reading daily news to slow jazz music with TV anchor Jimmy Fallon (12 milion views on YouTube) or images of him sharing a slow dance with his wife, Michelle, have done the rounds of social media with millennial captions. Such feels (roughly translates to this is overwhelming) they read. Read more: Heres our complete guide to Netflix in India A still from Barry. (Courtesy: Netflix) In stark contrast, Barry (thats what his friends from college would call him) takes us back to Obamas youth. The stress-lines are non-existent, and he hasnt yet discovered his signature camera-ready smile. In fact, he is camera shy, visibly uncomfortable when a friend asks him to pose for a casual photo in another scene. Time travel Gandhi got the idea for the film when he read Dreams from My Father (2004) written by Obama. The book sheds light on Obamas life, spanning from his birth in 1961, to his enrolment at Harvard Law School in 1988. For Gandhi, however, the most significant part of the story was Obamas time at Columbia University. He was a loner, and was unsure of himself. Thats what every student feels at that age. I went to Columbia a decade after Obama did, and I felt the same confusion, he says. The memoir had a strong impression on Gandhi. He convincingly separates Obama, the man, from Obama, the public figure. Gandhis Obama is just Barry he drinks, smokes, and parties. He dates a girl too - a Caucasian classmate called Charlotte. He has little similarity to the current-day Obama, except for his signature style of speech abundant dramatic pauses. Read more: EXCLUSIVE: Actor David Harbour speaks about Netflixs Stranger Things Actor Devon Terrell plays a twenty-year old Barack Obama with actor Anya Taylor-Joy portraying his college girlfriend. (Courtesy: Netflix ) But the partying and the dating comprise a fraction of Barrys personality. The core of the film centres on Barrys identity crisis as a man of mixed race (his father was a Kenyan, his mother American), born in Hawaii, and raised in Indonesia. To me, the story of Obamas background is stranger than fiction, says Gandhi. There is also racial isolation Barry is the only black student among all his classmates in college. At the same time, he doesnt entirely resonate with the black community either. He refuses to join the black students union at Columbia and clashes with black religious extremists at a public demonstration. In Gandhis opinion, Obamas detachment -- especially from the African-American community -- stems from the fact that he shared no real connection with his Kenyan father. They met once, and that was it. He had never been to Kenya, and had no idea what people there were like. It was almost as if he had to decide who he wanted to be, with minimal information on any of his cultural roots, says Gandhi. Read more: I liked Ben Afflecks Matt Murdock: Charlie Cox A still from Barry: Obama with his mother. (Courtesy: Netflix ) Reflection of reality While the narrative gives us a peek into a young Obama, it also shows us how he became the man he is today. For instance, in a scene where Barry learns of his fathers death, we see him simply sink into an armchair a composed reaction characteristically like POTUS. Barry is Gandhis non-documentary feature film. Gandhi is a well-known name in the documentary film circle in New York. Earlier, hes worked on HBOs Vice (2013),which was about suicide bombers, children employed as weapon makers, and the India-Pakistan conflict; and a feature documentary, Kumare (2012), on the life of a fake yoga guru. But heres what makes the difference: Barry is a personal journey for Gandhi. His portrayal of Obamas initial identity crisis was inspired by Gandhis own confused upbringing as an Indian in New York. My exposure to Indian culture came mostly from religion. Also, films. I grew up watching films by Satyajit Ray and read a lot of mythological comics. But thats not always enough to know yourself, he says. But unlike Obama, who didnt visit Kenya till as late as 2015, Gandhi visited India for a cross-country tour between 1995 and 1996. I was 16 or 17, and went from the Himalayas to West Bengal, all the way south to Kerala. This trip helped me find my identity, he says. And while he effectively translates Obamas identity crisis in the film, he also brings it to a poignant closure. Irrespective of where our cultural roots lie, we are Americans. And thats something Barry begins to understand in the film, he says. A still from Barry (Courtesy: Netflix ) WATCH OUT- Barry releases on December 15. Visit netflix.com SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Ho ho ho! It is the last month of the year and what can be a better way to bid adieu to 2016 than to indulge in festivities in the Capital. Delicious baked goodies, Christmas decorations, on-the-spot competitions, live music and shopping the various Christmas melas in Delhi-NCR are a fun way to spend time with your loved ones and soak up the festive cheer. HT City gives you the deets on a few melas that you can visit. German Christmas Market Theres much to enjoy at the carnival from Christmas carols to shopping stalls. The German Christmas market, hosted by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, is a must-visit affair for those who want to experience a German Christmas in the Capital. Shows by German magicians, an on-the-spot painting competition for kids, Christmas choirs, and Santa Claus, of course there is much to see as you sip on German beverages and enjoy a German sausage. Visitors can also indulge in shopping as jewellery, art, handicrafts, innovative paper products, designer wear and much more are available at the two-day event. Facts What: German Christmas Market Where: Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC), German House, 2 Nyaya Marg, Chanakyapuri When: December 3 and 4 Timings: 11am to 7pm Entry: Rs 350, free for children below 12 Oz Haat Charity Mela Expect a wide variety of handmade products made by NGOs from across the country at the Oz Haat Charity Mela. The 16th edition of the Oz Haat Charity Mela, organised by the Australian High Commission, will feature a wide range of handmade products made by NGOs from across the country, and all proceeds will go to the charities. Enjoy magic shows, drumming workshops, Australian barbecue and wine, bouncing castle and more. For those who want to shop, you could take your pick from tribal art, pottery, jewellery, accessories and more. Facts What: Oz Haat Charity Mela Where: Australian High Commission. Gate 5, 1/50G, Shantipath, Chanakyapuri When: December 3 Timings: 11am to 5pm Entry: Free, carry a photo ID. DEORA Christmas Carnival Enjoy live music as you munch on food from the various food trucks that will be present at the DEORA Christmas Carnival. Hosted by Diplomatic Enclave Owners and Residents Association (DEORA), the carnival will be an absolute delight for foodies, with multiple food trucks present at the event. A kids hangout stall will keep the young ones entertained as you enjoy live band performances and shop till you drop. Facts What: DEORA Christmas Carnival Where: Malcha Marg Community Centre, Malcha Marg, Chanakyapuri When: December 11 Timings: 11am to 8pm Entry: Rs 150 Great Grand Winter Carnival Shop your heart out at the Great Grand Winter Carnival in Pitampura, while the kids enjoy camel rides and much more. The carnival at Dilli Haat Pitampura has much to offer with fun activities like camel rides, bouncing castle, on-the-spot painting and food eating competitions, cultural performances by students, shopping stalls that offer Christmas deco; apparel, and innumerable food stalls offering cuisines from various parts of the country. Facts What: Great Grand Winter Carnival Where: Dilli Haat, Pitampura When: December 24-25 Timings: 11am to 9pm Entry: Rs 20 SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON With multiple dance workshops being conducted across the city every week, theres no longer any novelty factor in the day-long salsa, bachata or jive sessions. But Kizomba is not your run-of-the-mill dance form. So, we head to House of Wow in Bandra to meet Swedish artist Kristofer Mencak, one of the proponents of the dance form. This weekend, he will host a five-hour-long boot camp on Kizomba. Surprisingly, the 41-year-old confesses that he didnt train to be a dancer. I have a business degree and I was a marketing professional. But I always enjoyed dancing. In fact, there came a point in my life when I was too tired to do my job. Thats when I decided to quit and make dancing my career, says Mencak, who also claims to be the most-travelled dancer in the world. Read more: 10 years later, Mallika Sarabhai back with Sitas Daughters Kizomba is different from salsa and bachata, as the couple uses their upper body to lead instead of their hands. (Photos courtesy: Adnan Majid) Kizomba originated in Angola, South Africa in the 1980s. The close dance, Mencak says, is different from salsa and bachata, as the couple uses their upper body to lead instead of their hands. Over the years, the performing art spread across Europe, and is now making its way to Asia. Its peppy, fast and the beats are easy to love. Besides, its an intimate dance. Imagine hugging a person for five hours. Who wouldnt love such a dance form? laughs Mencak. On his maiden visit to India, Mencak performs a quick routine for us to an upbeat number, and tells us that he can perform for six hours at a stretch at boot camps. While it is not a fitness routine per se, the artist believes that he feels energised and it seems like taking a six-hour walk. Read more: From kuchipudi to rock music, Bhavana Reddy has done it all Dancer Kristofer Mencak (Photos courtesy: Adnan Majid) Ibox: Kizomba Boot Camp by Kristofer Mencak will be held on December 3, between 2pm and 8pm At House Of Wow, Bandra (W) Entry fee: Rs 3,500. Check if there is web element Are you one of those who is in search of happiness? Do you find it difficult to find joys around you? The series is dedicated to people who choose to be happy and appreciate life. It reflects the philosophy that true Buddha is in everything that makes one happy. Well, then! Heres an artwork series Finding Buddha, by Delhi-based artist Atul Todi, which aims at encouraging people to feel blessed and happy. He has depicted Buddha enjoying the daily, mundane chores. For instance, Buddha calmly driving his scooter or strumming the guitar. The series is dedicated to people who choose to be happy and appreciate life. It reflects the philosophy that true Buddha is in everything that makes one happy. Buddha can be a moment in the rain or in a sip of a freshly brewed coffee. Buddha is in anything that awakens our mind and allows us to be in-sync with our inner self, says Todi. Finding Buddha, an exhibition that defined different forms of the sage and depicts happiness in day-to-day life. Todi believes that in the present times, we have lost the essence of peace with the advancement of technology. He says, The exhibition hopes to motivate people to find happiness in their daily lives, even if it is momentary. Stitching all those moments together would make life fulfilling and meaningful. Buddhism is neutral and talks about inner peace that is you and yourself. It stands out among other religions, he explains why he likes Buddhism. Catch it Live WHAT: Finding Buddha, an exhibition WHERE: Artizen Gallery, Pearey Lal Bhavan WHEN: December 3 TIMINGS: 11am to 7 pm NEAREST METRO STATION: ITO on the Violet Line SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Goodwill alone is making both ends meet at village Kanariya in Madhya Pradeshs Khargone district, where people have resorted to barter system due to cash crunch after demonetisation as daily wagers are paid wages through goods of equal value. The quantity of food grains given is equal to the persons wages. The daily wage of a labourer is Rs 300. So he is given 20 kg of Makka (corn) worth Rs 15 per kg. He gives 1 kg of corn at grocery shops and gets goods worth Rs 20.Similarly, a milkman exchanges a litre of milk for goods worth Rs 50. Labourer Motiram of Kanariya gets paid in cereals or food items, part of which he consumes and the rest he uses to buy something else. Nobody has cash. The nearest bank is 30 kilometres away. Its better to work and take food grains than waste our time in bank queues. In any case, we dont have much savings, says Motiram. Usha Bai owns a small grocery store in the same village. Im giving out oil, soap, spices etc in exchange for grains. Ill exchange these grains at the mandi for money and buy things from the grocery store, she says. Tribal villages Lakhapur, Karanya, Pakhaliya, Kathoda etc, which are situated between 50 to 60 km from the district headquarters, undergo the same ordeal as they need to travel 25 to 30 km to reach the nearest bank. There are obvious difficulties in this barter system as the other person might not want your goods. Still, it is working in villages here as people know each other, says Karaniya panchayat secretary Arvind Jaiswal. In village Palasi of Dewas district, grocer Mohanlal Akotia purchases wholesale goods in Indore where he pays in grains he gets from farmers. Farmers pay day labourers in food grains, which they exchange for daily essentials at my shop, says Akotia. The situation is the same in surrounding villages Udainagar, Pipri, Punjapura, Haibatpur, Kusmania, Kantophor where credit-based transaction has surfaced as the popular alternative. The Centres demonetisation move has hit the farmers in MPs Bundelkhand hard who were hoping for good rabi crops after facing four years of hardships owing to drought in the region. Farming is the main occupation in the region, and heavy rains this year had brought smiles on the faces of farmers. As the sowing for winter crops was almost complete in this part of the state before demonetisation was announced, the farmers had little problem in arranging seeds, fertiliser etc. But now they need money for fertiliser and to purchase PVC pipes and motor pumps to irrigate their crops. With demonetisation affecting mandis too, many farmers are approaching local traders to sell their food grains, mainly soybean, which they harvested in the kharif season. They are borrowing money from local moneylenders too. Mukesh Tiwari, a farmer of Sagars Dhana village, told Hindustan Times that he had to sell his soybean produce at Rs 2,400 per quintal to local traders while the rate in the mandi for soybean is Rs 3,100 per quintal. There is a reason why farmers are choosing local traders over mandis to sell their produce despite getting a lower price. Mandis are paying cash up to Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 each to farmers while the rest of money goes to their bank accounts directly, or they are being paid through cheques. Its much difficult a task to get money from banks. Tiwari said another farmer helped him financially in the hour of crisis. Only God knows when we will get the cheque and then money from the bank. I need the money right now, he said. A farmer in Sagars Rehli town, Sukhlal Patel, who has four-acre land was helped by his neighbour Mukesh Agnihotri for purchasing irrigation pipes and fertiliser worth Rs 7,000 on credit. Demonetisation or no denometisation, suffering is a part of a farmers life, rued Sukhlal. Pachore villagers face daily hardships Surrounded by agricultural fields, cash-strapped Pachore village, in Agar Malwa district, epitomises hardships rural inhabitants are facing post demonetisation, as people get ready to go to neighbouring towns since the village lacks ATMs. The village, with a population of 1800, produces crops worth about Rs 1 crore. While focusing on the sowing season, many villagers could not exchange the now-defunct notes and fear that soon, there wont be any Rs 100 or Rs 10 denomination banknote left with them for day-to-day expenditure. People from adjoining villages Chack and Abhay are facing the same crisis. People in bigger cites have enough options and so, are blissfully unaware of the disastrous impact of demonetisation on rural India. Even the mainstream media isnt bothered to show the real picture of rural India, said Pachore village head Panna Bai, 58. We are not against the governments initiative to curb corruption and flow of black money, but we are quite apprehensive about Government of Indias preparation and fulfilment of its stated goals, said villager Ratanlal Bairagi, 65. (With inputs from Milind R Lashkari and Pramod Carpenter) Thirty-two years after the worlds worst chemical disaster struck Bhopal, the citys residents continue to be exposed to chemical toxins through soil, groundwater and air. Studies by Sambhavna Trust Clinic, which has been providing free medical care to 32,000 survivors, reveal that the contaminated area around the abandoned Union Carbide pesticide factory has increased by at least two square kilometres in the last four years. The two recent fire accidents in plastic factories within half a kilometre of the factory have highlighted the routine hazards on life and the governments failure to protect people, members of the clinic told reporters on Thursday. Contamination will continue to spread and find new victims They said so long as thousands of tonnes of toxic waste remain buried in and around the factory, the contamination will continue to spread and find new victims. Allopathic physician Dr Mohammad Ali Qaisar said that five samples of groundwater were tested at the government Public Health Engineering Departments laboratory and all of them were found to have prohibitively high chemical oxygen demand values. Additionally, total dissolved solids in four out of five samples were far in excess of the maximum allowable Bureau of Indian Standards limit of 500 ppm, he said, adding samples tested by the Trust were found to contain hazardous organochlorines. The report said ground water in Rambha Nagar, Sant Kanwar Ram Nagar, Nishatpura, Risaldar Colony and Dwarka Nagar is contaminated. 22 colonies near the factory have contaminated water Dr Qaisar said the contaminants, known to cause cancers and birth defects and damage the liver, kidneys, lungs and brain, are getting worse daily. In October 2012, scientists from the Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, had tested 30 samples of groundwater and on that basis identified 22 colonies near the factory to have contaminated water. Accordingly, 10,000 families are being provided with piped water, said paramedic Aziza Sultan. Elaborating on the subject, Priyank Sharma, one of the members of the clinic, said, Sixteen studies from 1990 to 2012 by government and non-government agencies have shown that the ongoing contamination is a consequence of reckless dumping of poisonous waste by the factory management in and outside the factory. On being asked about the first thing that government needs to do on immediate basis, Dr Qaisar says, Rehabilitation of the people living in that vicinity should be the priority. Secondly, a specific protocol needs to be assigned to gas-affected people. He also stressed on the need to relocate people from the area as they are as unsafe as they were 32 years back and urged government to act on the studies done by private bodies and NGOs. Board Chairman of national joint-stock company Naftogaz Ukrainy Andriy Kobolev and public joint-stock company Ukrgazvydobuvannia Board Chairman Oleh Prokhorenko have discussed cooperation in the energy area with a delegation of the U.S. government in Kyiv on Thursday. The press service of Naftogaz reported that the sides a wide range of energy cooperation issues, including steps towards Ukraines gas independence. "The representatives of the U.S. Government said they are committed to continuing energy cooperation with Ukraine. At the meeting, the parties discussed further steps for reforming Ukraines energy sector and maintaining conditions for secure gas transit to Europe via Ukraine," the press service said. Special Envoy and Energy Coordinator of the U.S. Department of State Amos Hochstein, Deputy Director in the Energy Bureau Nicole Gibson, the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch and Energy and ESTH Unit Chief Anya Brunson took part in the meeting. The press service said that Kobolev expressed his gratitude to the U.S. government for facilitating the launch of reverse gas supplies to Ukraine in 2014 and for its support in organizing gas purchase financing for Ukraine. This cooperation enables Naftogaz to ensure stable gas supplies to Ukrainian consumers and secure gas transmission to the EU. In addition, Naftogaz chief thanked the American side for its active participation in reforming Ukrgazvydobuvannia, in particular, in development of the strategy to increase gas production by 2020. Kobolev also pointed out the important role of the U.S. partners in the implementation of the corporate governance reform at Naftogaz enterprises. People in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have concealed unaccounted wealth worth Rs 100 crore since the recall of high-value banknotes, income tax officials here said on Thursday. Tax investigators have conducted operations (mostly surveys) at premises of at least 40 prominent jewellers, builders and catering groups since November 15 in Bhopal, Indore, Ratlam, Jabalpur, Gwalior and Chhattisgarhs capital Raipur, a senior I-T official said. Out of the Rs 100 crore, builders, jewellers and catering groups have admitted concealing income worth `40 crore, the official said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8 announced that old 500 and 1,000 rupee bills would cease to be legal tender from November 9 in a crackdown on corruption, undeclared wealth and tax evasion. Business and residential premises of jewellers were searched in Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Ratlam, while only surveys were carried out at business premises of builders in Bhopal, Raipur and Jabalpur. Under survey, tax sleuths just inspect and verify records at business premises of a trader. On gathering critical evidence from a survey about anomalies, a proper search of residential and business premises is done by taxmen. Meanwhile, four catering groups in Indore have surrendered Rs 5 crore concealed income before the I-T department. Surveys and searches in the past fortnight led the I-T department to concealed income of Rs 100 crore, 50% of which pertains to builder groups in Jabalpur and Raipur. Substantial undisclosed income is likely to be revealed by surveys at the premises of two prominent builders in Bhopal also, the I-T department official said. In Gwalior, two fresh searches are going on at five premises of a prominent jeweller in Sarafa Bazar and a sugar trader in Dal Bazar. Notably, gold and jewellery worth Rs 100 crore were sold in the states four cities - Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Ratlam - within hours after withdrawal of 500 and 1,000 banknotes was announced by the prime minister. Out of the 1000-odd people, who made the purchase to convert the recalled banknotes into liquid assets, up to 95% are fictitious people. Rs 14.36 lakh cash seized in Bhopal The Bhopal polices crime branch has seized cash worth Rs 14.36 lakh, including newly introduced Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 banknotes, from the possession of four men. Acting on a tip-off, crime branch officers on Wednesday intercepted a car in Habibganj and made the recovery. The seized cash includes 239 banknotes of Rs 2,000 and 54 banknotes of Rs 500 besides Rs 100. We asked them about the source of the cash but they failed to give any satisfactory answer. Police registered a case and informed the income tax department, town inspector (crime) MK Mishra said. Rs 7.5 lakh in new notes recovered in Sagar Police have recovered newly introduced Rs 2,000 banknote worth Rs 7.5 lakh and Rs 100 currency worth Rs 1.5 lakh from two people in Sagar. City superintendent of police Gautam Solanki said suspects Deepak Jain and Sanjeev Jain were arrested. Solanki said both the suspects told police that they were businessman and they got currency using their bank accounts. Deepak is a resident of Gourjhamar village and Sanjeev belongs to Makronia. An income tax team has reached Gopalgunj police station and is interrogating the suspects, the officer said. The eight suspected SIMI operatives who were killed in an alleged encounter after their escape from Bhopal Central Jail on October 31, dreamed of fighting for the terrrorist outfit Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), according to police sources. This was disclosed to the police by nine other SIMI activists who are lodged in the jail, said sources privy to the jailbreak investigations. The escapees, especially middle-aged Aqeel Khilji, Amjad, Zakir and Mehboob, harboured wish of joining the ISIS fighters in Syria, sources said quoting the SIMI men. Despite knowing about the shrinking IS base in Iraq and Syria, the eight were determined to go to that country, police said. SIMI men had often planned to flee India via Nepal The cops also claimed that the SIMI men had often planned to flee India via Nepal with the help of contacts in Uttar Pradesh and eastern India. The wish of the eight escapees was akin to a wish of six SIMI men who, led by their leader Abu Faisal alias Doctor (presently lodged at Bhopal Central Jails high security A block), had escaped from Tantya Bheel Jail in Khandwa on October 1, 2013. Police claim that Faisal, who was arrested in December 2013 along with two aides from Sendhwa (Barwani) near Maharashtra-MP border, had confessed to planning an escape to Pakistan through Jammu and Kashmir to join Tehrik-e-Taliban and join the al-Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan. Faisal had then said that he was even ready to wash utensils for al-Qaeda fighters if they didnt consider him fit for fighting. Investigators probing the recent jailbreak are also looking into the possibility of the escapees trying to carry out other plans, including freeing scientist Afia Siddiqui from a United States prison by holding US tourists hostage. Faisal had confessed to having done a recce of possible targets in New Delhi and Goa for the same plan. The investigators are also probing if the SIMI men were trying to recover a small portion of the 12 kg gold looted by them from a finance company in Bhopal in 2010. While, 6.2 kg gold of the total 12 kg was recovered by Madhya Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad after arrest of the SIMI men including Abu Faisal in Bhopal in 2011, the remaining portion couldnt be recovered. A major part of remaining portion was sold in Kolkata and Ranchi, while a small portion could still be stashed somewhere, police claimed. A portion of the proceeds from the looted gold sale was used by Faisal to purchase a house in Tatanagar (Jharkhand), while an unknown sum was handed over by Faisal to alleged Indian Mujahideen operative Haidar Ali, who had, reportedly, handled the 2013 blast at the then Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modis rally in Patna and serial blasts at Mahabodi temple premises in Bodh Gaya in July 2013. Aditya Chopras Befikre will premiere at the Dubai International Film Festival on December 8. The movie which was shot in Paris, the most romantic city on this planet, is a rom-com with Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor in the lead. Going by the trailer and stills, the heroine seems all set to light up the screen with her oomph, and the pair will walk the red carpet. It will open in India on December 9. Last year, Dubai showcased a remarkably serious work like Waiting -- with really strong performers, such as Naseeruddin Shah, Suhasini Maniratnam and Kalki Koechlin. Yes, even Miss Koechlin carried herself with admirable ease, and, well, sparkled in her scenes with a legend like Naseer sahib. Befikre was probably zeroed in on because of its glamour quotient, and every festival, including the queen of all, Cannes, marks a slot for glitz, with the divinely adorable stars in their ravishingly designer-best walking up the red carpet to the cries from shutterbugs, each jostling with the other to get the best shot. This happens in Dubai as well, and one can be sure that Singh and Kapoor will get the crowds -- a lot many Indians included -- into a tizzy. Befikre was probably zeroed in on because of its glamour quotient. Labelled as the most progressive take on modern-day man-woman relationship from the Yash Raj stable, Befikre, translating in English as Carefree, is a contemporary romantic story of Dharam (Ranveer) and Shyra Gill (Vaani), who find love in an impulsive, engaging series of experiences. Doused in the spirit of Paris, the work celebrates love and focuses on living life to the fullest. Abdulhamid Juma, festival chairman, said: The World Premiere of the eagerly anticipated Befikre from Yash Raj Films and directed by the incredibly talented Aditya Chopra following a hiatus of seven years is a major scoop for us. This refreshing new movie will appeal to not just the expatriate community but also Arabs, who have a strong affinity for Bollywood cinema. Befikre is being labelled as the most progressive take on modern-day man-woman relationship from the Yash Raj stable. Befikre will be the fourth Yash Raj work to be showcased at Dubai. Kabul Express, Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year and Ladies vs Ricky Bahl had their premiere there. The Dubai International Film Festival runs from December 7 to 14. (Gautaman Bhaskaran will cover the Dubai International Film Festival.) Sunny Leone, the former adult star-turned-actor has trumped Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Salman Khan to become the most searched personality for the fifth consecutive year in India, as revealed by Yahoo! India. Salman continued to be the Bigg Boss landing the top spot for the most searched male celebrity of 2016. The second most searched male celebrity was not another Khan but stand-up comedian and TV personality Kapil Sharma who is followed by Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan. The buzz around Bipasha Basus wedding to Karan Singh Grover ensured her position as the second most-searched female celebrity while Deepika Padukone took the third slot, followed by Katrina Kaif at No. 4. Every year, Yahoo! India releases its Year in Review list, which reveals the people, events and stories that captured the attention of Indians in the last 12 months. Follow @htshowbiz for more Remember the iconic railway station scene from the Bollywood film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge? Picturised in the dreamy countryside of Switzerland, this and other places from Europe, mainly London, find mention in the book, Every Mile a Memory. There are four segments, each opens in a new horizon, as created by the author, to explores the physical place - through his emotional and physical attachment. The author travels to specific countries including his motherland, India. The Bengali in him pens how is life for Indians living in London, as well as explores the cities and encounters the influence India and Indians have had on the Great Britain. He even follows the poems of William Wordsworth, to travel to the places mentioned in the poets works. The narraitve takes you on a walk to author Roald Dahls village and then to a peaceful, panoramic boat ride on the Ganges. Having read these, the book will make the reader go for a solitary walk and soak in the local surroundings, to find a meaning in the world full of mundane things. A travel-enthusiast, can finish reading in a day. Facts Title: Every Mile a Memory Author: Partha Sarthi Sen Sharma Publisher: Rupa Publications Price: 295 SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Peace in South Asia is likely to be elusive, and conflict on issues that define Indo-Pakistan relations will probably persist. This is mainly because the Pakistani state is greedy and its security establishment is fixated on Kashmir. It has deftly manipulated Sino-Pakistan relations to its advantage, and also the Indian fear of nuclear war in case things escalate. Furthermore, it is determined to bleed India with a war with a thousand cuts. Broadly, this is what Sumit Ganguly surmises in this important book. These conclusions sound terrible and pessimistic, but that is what reality looks like. Ganguly has arrived at this set of conclusions based on decade-long research informed by several interviews with the actors of the political and security establishments from both countries, and also from other regions. He does present two alternative possibilities that could change the present scenario: firstly, if there is a material gap between India and Pakistan so large that India could deal with any provocation from the Pakistan side without too many consequences; and secondly, if any exogenous or endogenous shocks alter the hegemonic position that Pakistans security establishment enjoys over its polity thus leading to some kind of convergence in the security perceptions between the two countries. Given that both these probabilities are unlikely to occur in the near future, the potential for conflicts between the two countries remains high though their contours are difficult to predict. The scholarship on Indo-Pakistan relations - unlike other themes of South Asian politics - is rich and diverse. Its varied nature is manifested in writings by diplomats, politicians, journalists, members of the army, and scholars. However, its theoretical analysis in the context of major debates in the theories of international relations has been rare. From that point of view, this book stands out as a crucial intervention on the subject. We learn that there are two models for the analysis of the Indo-Pakistan conflict: the security dilemma, and the deterrence model. The author rejects the security dilemma as a probable way of analysing the conflict. Captain Jayashree salutes the body of her husband Major Vivek Gupta on June 16,1999 in New Delhi. (TC Malhotra/Getty Images) More specifically, he examines Indo-Pakistan relations between 1999 and 2009, though he does also reflect on the recent developments under the Modi regime. Using the historical perspective, he analyzes various dimensions of the conflict and provides a detailed discussion of key episodes such as the Agra summit, the Kargil conflict, composite dialogue, and the 26/11 Mumbai attack, and examines how they have shaped the evolving terrain of Indo-Pak relations. The analysis of composite dialogue is exceptionally refreshing. The author has previously published a few volumes on the subject and these earlier writings provide a comprehensive reflection on this analysis. Arms captured from the Pakistan army during the India-Pakistan conflict being laid out for inspection by Indian troops on September 22, 1965. (Getty Images) India and Pakistan have fought four major wars (1947-48, 1965, 1971, and 1999) and other forms of crises have also impacted this relationship. On two occasions, in 2001-2 and 2008, crises did not escalate to war. The reader may make sense of the regions future by understanding what Sumit Ganguly points out about the past three major conflicts. Firstly, both countries have mostly adhered to international law and Geneva conventions in dealing with their prisoners of war. Secondly, both have maintained strategic restraint. However, the arrival of nuclear weapons has drastically changed strategic realities. The author explains how Pakistan was able to deftly manoeuvre its relationship with China to neutralize whatever advantages India has enjoyed militarily. The growing Pakistan-China friendship, and Chinas pro-active interest in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka has made the emerging security scenario more complex. While Ganguly has shared his insights, there is sure to be further debate on this aspect among security experts. How the Sino-Indian relationship develops will also determine Pakistans possible advantages. Given Indias support for the Dalai Lama and for Tibet, how China views Indias dealings in Kashmir and in Arunachal Pradesh, in which it has begun to take further interest, will also determine the future relationship. In other words, there seems to be a paradigmatic change in the regions security scenario. Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, the 8th Chief of Army Staff, under whose command Indian forces fought the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, that led to the creation of Bangladesh. (Bandeep Singh/Getty Images) Additionally, Ganguly shares four propositions about these two warring neighbours. Firstly, both have very divergent perceptions of regional security; secondly, these perceptions are widely shared by different stakeholders on both sides; thirdly, Pakistans military doctrine is driven by the desire to upset the conventional approach through alliance making; and finally, Pakistans decision makers know how to use to their advantage Indias fear about nuclear escalation. The Laskar-e-Taiba(LeT)-led attack on Mumbai in November 2008, emblematic of the last case, was part of the intention to bleed India with a war of a thousand cuts. I would, however, respectfully disagree with Gangulys formulation that a significant number of Indian Muslims have been radicalized in recent years. I am inclined to say that radicalization among Muslims remains an insignificant trend in comparison to Hindu militancy these days. Indias Muslim population is larger than the population of England and France put together. Read more: Young Muslims in India - In between worlds Fewer than half a dozen Muslims have, apparently, joined ISIS or travelled to Syria. The number is by no means a significant one. According to media reports, a few dozens have been arrested in different parts of India on the suspicion that they were intending to join ISIS or Daesh. These claims of the Indian state need to be taken with a pinch of salt for the simple reason that Muslims have long been victims of stereotypes and biases. This has been the case even during the so-called secular governments, when young Muslims were arrested on false grounds only to later be released by the judiciary after serving years in jail. This is akin to the treatment of African-Americans in the US. Sadly, secular governments barely showed an interest in addressing this. Shaikh Mujibur Rehman is the editor of Communalism in Postcolonial India, Routledge 2016. He teaches at Jamia Millia Central University, New Delhi The arrest of an engineering graduate for printing fake currency has brought to the fore how technology is being misused by students. Abhinav Verma, an engineering graduate, was arrested for printing fake notes in the new Rs 2,000 denomination and currency worth Rs 42 lakh recovered from him on Wednesday. This is not new as earlier too students of a private engineering college were arrested for printing fake notes in SAS Nagar (Mohali). In May 2016, police arrested three including an engineering student for printing and circulating fake currency in the SAS Nagar market. Srinagar resident Adil, a student of an engineering college in Banur, was the mastermind behind the racket that he ran with two unemployed men, Bhawanigarh resident Neeraj Joshi and Malout resident Gain Singh. Adil scanned real notes and printed counterfeit money which Neeraj and Gain circulated in the market. The three were arrested after police raided their paying guest accomodation in Kumbra. They recovered 18 notes of Rs 100 denomination, along with a laptop and printer. Cops had pointed out that the accused scanned the notes and printed Rs 100 and Rs 50 denominations. They avoided printing higher denominations to avoid being caught because hardly anyone checked notes of smaller denominations. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Everyone has a story. Of being put to sex work from the age of 13. Or becoming a child soldier in Rwanda. Or breaking taboos by being an outspoken woman in Afghanistan. Or being a sex slave for Islamic State after watching your brothers being killed. Despite the almost universal public silence around the issue of trafficking, the 650 women and men gathered for the two-day Trust Women conference in London organised by the Thomson Reuters Foundation can talk of almost nothing else. They are policy-makers and NGOs, lawyers and CEOs, writers and survivors. And they talk of slavery as it shamefully exists in the 21st century. Read | At least 16 people kidnapped in Delhi everyday: Centre tells RS Sold to a Mumbai brothel at 14, Nepal-born Sunita Dhanuwar talks of how her government didnt want to take her back after she was rescued because it was scared that she might have HIV. Sunita wants financial compensation for all victims of trafficking. It is not easy to go back home, but if you dont have money, then it nearly impossible, she says. Interpols Michael Moran does not use the term child pornography. A child does not consent, he says. Some are so young that they havent started speaking. He calls it child abuse material and in 90% of cases, its the family that is involved. When you find the victim, 90% of the time, you will find the perpetrator, he says. Pale and slight, Nadia Murad Basee Taha was 21 when Islamic State killed the men in her village and made her a sex slave for 12 different men until she escaped three months later. I should be grateful that some of my brothers survived the genocide and I am today free, she says. But 3,000 Yazidi women are still held captive by Islamic State fighters. As a UN goodwill ambassador she is their voice. Read | Bengal child trafficking: Couple who bought baby for Rs 2 lakh duped And, for many women and girl refugees, the threat of rape is so real that many take contraceptives but are still just desperate to leave, says Hillary Margolis, a researcher with Human Rights Watch. Trafficking is the fastest growing black market industry in the world, worth an estimated $150 billion. It is aided by war, poverty and political instability that uprooted 65.3 million people worldwide last year. It is spurred by the rise of the Internet that has made the purchase of human beings easier. And it is encouraged by global supply chains that enable manufacturers to find cheap labour. The Global Slavery Index estimates 45.8 million people globally are in some form of slavery. With 18 million people as slaves, India has the highest absolute numbers. They are found in the sex trade, in mining, as bonded labour, as domestic labour, in manufacturing, in fishing and agriculture. One-fourth of all trafficked people are children. UNICEF estimates 1.8 million children globally are trafficked into the sex trade every year and this does not include cybersex trafficking. Read | Mumbai crime branch rescues two trafficked women, minor from flesh trade in Sakinaka So, what can we do as citizens? Plenty, it turns out. The first is dont be complicit in the trade of humans. Its impossible for us as consumers to tell if the products we use t-shirts, mobile phones, coffee are free of slave labour. But we can write to manufacturers. We can demand information. It will at the very least tell corporations that theyre under watch. Second, lobby governments. In India we do not even have a comprehensive anti-trafficking law. At least three versions of a new draft Bill have been circulated and rejected by activists. A new version is now under discussion. Without going into its merits and demerits, the fact is that there simply hasnt been enough debate or information in media. Are we informed enough? Third, support those on the frontlines of the anti-slavery battle. Some work on rehabilitation and others on prevention keeping children in school, for instance. All need your money and support. But perhaps most crucially, we could just recognise the enormity of trafficking. The first step towards change is always awareness. And listening to stories can be a good place to start. Namita Bhandare is gender editor, Mint Twitter: @namitabhandare SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Uttarakhand-born scientist Shailesh Upreti has bagged a $500,000 (Rs 34.12 crore) award for developing a long lasting lithium-ion battery. Upreti was presented the 76West Clean Energy Competitionthe largest clean technology business competition for green energy innovatorsaward in New York on November 30, for developing lithium-ion batteries by eliminating internal corrosion and with a lifespan of 20 years. An alumnus of IIT-Delhi, Upreti has patented the technology he developed. His technology has already been licensed to a number of companies in the US and other countries to manufacture the next generation batteries that can be used to store solar energy as well as run electric vehicles, including cars, trucks and buses. The technology we continue to develop is carved out from a platform technology and there is a wide range of opportunities for companies, Upreti told Hindustan Times in an e-mail. I would like to see youngsters taking interest in and be excited about how green technology will positively impact not only the economy but also the environment in coming years, said Almora-born Upreti, who now spends most of his time in the US, developing technologies and promoting start-up companies. He further said that he is also planning to manufacture the advanced Lithium-ion batteries in India. Batteries are the future of energy technology that will replace polluting fossil fuels like diesel and petrol, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Poland's LOT airline to start servicing flights from Warsaw to Kyiv Airport in Feb 2017 Poland's LOT airline from February 26, 2017 will start servicing the flight from Warsaw to Kyiv (Zhuliany) Airport, LOT Corporate Communications Executive Director Adrian Kubicki said at a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday. He said that first six flights a week will be serviced and seven starting 2017 summer. He added that this is the fifth airline's direct flight to Ukraine. LOT also flies to Boryspil, Lviv, Odesa and Kharkiv. Kubicki said that Ukrainian passengers can change the planes in Warsaw flying to other destinations, in particular, long-haul flights. The airline's network includes 60 cities. Initially the flights will be serviced every day, apart from Saturday. Departure from Warsaw is at 22:40 and from Kyiv at 06:00. The airline also services two daily flights from Boryspil airport. Embraer-195s with 112 seats will be used to fly to Kyiv Airport. "Kyiv International Airport is a modern airport located in the business part of Ukraine's capital. We are glad that today we are the only carrier from the EU that offered daily flights from this airport to Warsaw," Kubicki said. He did not specify the fare. According to the booking system of the airline, a one way economy class ticket for March 10, 2017, for example, costs UAH 4,500. Kubicki said that LOT offers various discounts if passengers decide to fly without a luggage or without meal on board. The move to ban old and polluting diesel vehicles in Delhi is gaining support from those living in satellite cities around the capital. A survey has revealed that residents of neighbouring cities such as Noida and Ghaziabad are ready to welcome a similar ban on diesel vehicles that are over a decade old. The survey suggests that people in Delhi-NCR support de-registration of old vehicles and that they believe the move must be implemented in adjoining cities of Delhi as well. Along with de-registration, people think there has to be a mechanism or process for disposal or scrapping of the seized vehicles, revealed the survey conducted by LocalCircles, an online citizen engagement forum. In Delhi, 53% citizens supported de-registration if old vehicle disposal mechanism is enabled, while 20% supported it regardless of anything, 26% did not support it. Pollution will only come down in the NCR area if the ban is implemented across the NCR territory. Since mid-November, the Delhi transport department and the traffic police have been impounding diesel vehicles that are 15 years and above. The capital has 1.91 lakh diesel vehicles that are 15 years and above and 21 sites have been identified to keep the impounded vehicles. In Gurgaon, the idea had condition-less support from 33%, while 39% supported it with the condition of disposal mechanism being made available. Another 28% were against de-registration. In the industrial town of Faridabad, 50% people did not support it, 38% offered conditional support and 13% offered condition-less support to the move. But despite the support of the citizens in both these cities, the state police are yet to take any action in these cities. The support for de-registration of these vehicles is also there in Noida and Ghaziabad in UP. In Noida 55% citizens supported de-registration with the condition of disposal mechanism while 13 % supported it regardless of any condition, only 29 % opposed it. In Ghaziabad, 54 % supported gave it conditional support while 46 % supported it without any conditions. Pollution is not something that is locally generated. It is affecting one whole region which includes Delhi and its adjoining areas that fall in other states. There has to be a synchronized action on pollution by the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and so on, K Yatish Rajawat, chief strategy officer, of LocalCircles. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A temporary construction ban in November when record smog and air pollution shrouded the national capital and its satellite cities may have forced the Delhi Metros Heritage Line to miss its Christmas deadline. The line is not likely to open before January end now, sources said. Metro officials attributed the delay to the ban on construction activities imposed by the Delhi government from November 6 to 14 to reduce pollution. The ban forced contractors to demobilise machinery and manpower, which adversely affected the project. Clearly, it has had an impact on deadlines which is going to be assessed after a review, a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) official said. The bulk of Metro construction workers are migrant labourers who are paid daily wages. Most of them headed home as the ban rendered them jobless. Machines such as cranes, trailers and generators were taken off sites by the contractors during the ban period. Even after the ban was lifted, work was slow because of material shortage such as segments and slabs as batching plants and casting yards were completely closed, the Metro official said. The much-awaited line will provide Metro connectivity to Delhis signature landmarks Dilli Gate, Jama Masjid and Red Fort in the Walled City. The line was the only part of DMRCs new Phase III network that was scheduled to be commissioned by the end of this year. Dilli Gate, Jama Masjid and Lal Qila stations are ready and systems have been installed. However, an assessment of the overall position at Kashmere Gate will be done sometime in mid-December. Based on the findings of the assessment, we intend to forward the application to the commissioner for Metro rail safety for consideration, said Anuj Dayal, Metros chief spokesperson. The 5.17km ITO-Kashmere Gate section of Metros Violet Line is an underground extension of the Escorts Mujesar (Faridabad)-ITO corridor and will have four stations. Take a look at an old video HT shot inside the metro line under construction SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A US citizen was allegedly gang-raped by a group of five men, including a tourist guide at a five star hotel in Connaught Place in March this year, the victim said in a complaint sent by email on Friday. The police confirmed receiving the complaint. A senior officer said the complaint is being verified and the police are trying to contact the victim to get details and record her statement for further action. In the complaint sent to the official email account of the commissioner of police, the woman has expressed her willingness to reach Delhi and record her statement in person. Police sources said that the victim has mentioned in the complaint that the men were associated with a travel agency. The woman has claimed that the tourist guide entered her room along with four men on the pretext of discussing a route plan. The officer said a preliminary investigation has been launched into the case and the police are in touch with the hotel authorities to inquire about the matter. Traumatised by the incident, the woman went back to the US. Police sources say the woman did not approach the police while being in Delhi. She also did not tell her family about the incident back in the US and slipped into depression. She mentioned in the email that she decided to sent her complaint after suggestion by a friend, who is a lawyer. Her friend suggested her approaching an NGO and forward the complaint to the police, police sources said. The NGO told the victim that she should send her complaint directly to the police commissioner. The staff at commissioners office immediately forwarded the complaint to the Connaught Place police station for verification and investigation. The police have also contacted the US embassy in Delhi and sought details of the woman and the purpose of her visit to Delhi. Sources said teams have been constituted to pursue the case, one of which contacted the hotel authorities and the travel agency mentioned in the complaint. The police have questioned some staff members of the hotel and may interrogate some more in the coming days, sources added. If youve been wishing to get inked by some of the best names in the tattoo industry, now is your chance. Back in the city for its second edition, the Heartwork Tattoo Festival has brought 110 tattoo artists tattooing live under one roof, besides some good music. In its debut edition last year, the three-day tattoo, music and lifestyle festival featured several renowned tattoo artists including the likes of Andy Shou, Paul Booth and Anil Gupta, apart from power packed performances by Parikrama, Undying Inc, Fuzz Culture. Last years success helped a lot of people understand the art of tattooing better, which led to appreciation and also cleared myths about it. Weve got a lot of queries and requests for this year and have planned the festival to be bigger and more fun for all, says Lokesh Verma, one of the organisers of the festival. A visitor gets tattooed at last years Heartworks Tattoo Festival in the city. This year the fest features eminent tattoo artists such as Bez666, Jay Freestyle, Stepan Negur and Andrey Biserov, and is expected to attract over 10,000 tattoo and music enthusiasts. Apart from performances by Kabir Cafe, Rishi Rich project, Soul Inclination and stand up comedians such as Jeeveshu Ahluwalia, the festival also has live graffiti, skateboarding, biker groups and more. What: Heartwork Tattoo Festival Where: Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium When: December 2- 4 Timings: 11am to 9pm Nearest Metro Station: Malviya Nagar on the Yellow Line SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A large percentage of students studying in government-run schools in Indore cannot read passages from their Hindi and English text books, form sentences, or do basic arithmetic, baseline tests conducted by the state school education department has revealed. The tests conducted in July and August this year for primary and middle school students, revealed that 13% of students in the district failed to clear the four levels of the test while 48% students performed poorly in one or a number of levels. Conducted annually, the oral test concentrates on checking the knowledge level of students required as per the class they are studying in. A basic test format was prepared by the education department on the basis of general knowledge a student studying in a particular class should have, says Akshya Singh Rathore, district project coordinator. The test was meant for students of Class 1 to Class 7, he says. In the test, students were asked to read out simple sentences form a passage, and recognize alphabets and numbers in Hindi and English, do basic mathematics among other. While many students cleared the test, some studying in Class 5 could not form basic sentences, he says. Jaiswal, however, says that students in Indore have performed better than those of their counterparts from other districts in the state. Indore stands at the 8th position in the state while Chhindwara topped the list with the lowest percentage of students failing the test. The results have been sent to the state education department for review, he says. Asked about the reason behind the poor performance of students, he says, Many students do not attend school regularly due to medical issues, some bunk classes while others travel out of the city with their families. There are students who are not very keen on studying. The district education department directed teachers to set a time frame and work harder with students. We have given time to teachers until December 15 after which another test will be conducted to check improvement in students. In case no improvement is found, actions will be taken against the concerned teachers, he says. Approximately 60,000 students from more than 1.20 lakh government schools took the test across the state. As many as 17,874 government-run schools in Madhya Pradesh have just a single teacher each while 4,837 have no teachers at all, a recent survey by the ministry of human resources development has revealed. Teachers in the state say that besides teaching they have to perform additional duties like guarding shoes at fairs, counting cattle for the animal census besides complying data for social security mission , which leaves them little to teach. Teachers say that they should be delegated only for educational duties. Out of the 230 working days in schools, teachers are hardly able to take classes for 120 to 130 days, some of them say. We were asked to guard shoes during Simhastha and a few years ago we even surveyed cattle for the animal census, says Ashutosh Pandey, general secretary Madhya Pradesh Shikshak Congress. Every year, the voters list is updated and we have to dedicate at least 100 days every year doing other tasks like surveys, data collection and it is mandatory for teachers to attend government functions, he says. Jagdish Yadav, who works as a teacher under a panchayat, says the situation in the district and rural areas is worse. There is a huge shortage of teachers in the rural areas There is a huge shortage of teachers in the rural areas so we are overloaded with duties apart from teaching, he says. From promoting government schemes to election duties and attending government function we are engaged in everything else besides teaching. Due to constant shuffling of duties we are not able to teach dedicatedly and students suffer, he tells Hindustan Times. Most teachers say at present they are busy compiling data for registrations and mapping for Samagra social security mission and have a three-day deadline to submit the figures so they are unable to take classes. A teacher from Bhopal, who did not wish to be named, said the deadline to compile the data is so short that we cannot complete it even after working extra hours. We have no option but to miss classes and compile the data, the teacher says. The Annual Status of Education Report , 2014, states that only 9.6% Class 5 students in Madhya Pradesh are able read simple English sentences. About 40% students of Class 4 can read a Class 1 text while 22.8% can do basic subtractions. Barely 18.2% students in Class 5 can read Class 1 Hindi text Despite Madhya Pradesh being a Hindi-speaking belt, barely 18.2% students in Class 5 can read Class 1 Hindi text. Minister of state for school education Deepak Joshi says the government will hire more than 41,000 teachers by February 2017. Asked if increasing teachers will improve the quality of education in the state, he says that the department has requested the state government not deploy teachers in non-educational duties but Census and election duties will continue. Teachers, however will soon be relieved from their duties of updating voters list and caste certificates, he says. One of the fashion worlds greatest platonic love stories almost never came to pass, when in the 1950s French couturier Hubert de Givenchy at first refused a request to design for Audrey Hepburn. When Audrey came to me and asked me to make her dresses for the film Sabrina, I didnt know who she was. I was expecting Katharine Hepburn, Givenchy said in an emotional press conference for the opening of a new exhibition of his creations in The Netherlands. She arrived looking so vulnerable, so graceful, so young and sparkling dressed like a young girl today in cotton trousers, ballerina flats and T-shirt which showed off her belly-button, carrying a straw gondoliers hat, the designer recalled. French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy at the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague, during a retrospective of the designers work at the exhibition To Audrey With Love. (AFP) But I wasnt really in any condition to make a major wardrobe for Sabrina and I told her, No, Mademoiselle, I cant dress you. Luckily for fashionistas everywhere, Hepburn was not to be dissuaded and sweetly invited Givenchy to dinner. By the end of that meal in 1953, the aristocratic French designer had fallen under the spell of the petite actress. So began a creative friendship which lasted down the decades until the British film star died of cancer in 1993. She persuaded me, how lucky I was to have accepted, Givenchy said. Creator of personality The retrospective of Givenchys designs for his friend and style icon entitled To Audrey with Love has just opened at the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague, and lasts until late March. It is the designers homage to his muse and Givenchy has personally selected many of the 100 outfits featured in the collection, a few of which have never been seen in public before, in what he calls a journey through her wardrobe. In the 1954 romantic comedy Sabrina, Hepburn appeared alongside then screen heart-throb Humphrey Bogart, and in one key screen wore a sophisticated, floating ivory ball dress edged in black with embroidered black flowers a Givenchy creation. Audrey Hepburn wearing the floating ivory ball dress with embroidered black flowers in Sabrina (1954). The same year, she wore a delicate ivory lace Givenchy creation for the Oscars where she won the Best Actress award for Roman Holiday. Givenchy was to remain by her side for many of her most iconic films such as the 1961 Breakfast at Tiffanys and Charade in 1963 and some of his most memorable outfits from those films are on show. Using everything from satin to tulle and silk, his imagination flourished as he designed for Hepburn both on and off-screen. Givenchys clothes are the only ones I feel myself in. He is more than a designer, he is a creator of personality, she once said. The exhibition has taken a year to put together, with Givenchy, now 89, overseeing every detail, and hoping to pay tribute to his muses elegance and style. It also includes a collection of beautiful jewellery, accessories, scarves and hats, as well as sketches, drawings, photos and film stills. Protected by silk Hepburns iconic look from the opening scene of her 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffanys. Imbued with a sense of nostalgia for the fashion of decades past, the collection nonetheless shows how the actresss style has remained remarkably fresh and contemporary. Hepburn knew how to bring her clothes to life through her beauty, personality and lightness of spirit, Givenchy said. In some ways it is also a homecoming, as Hepburn was the daughter of a British banker and a Dutch baroness, and had deep ties to The Netherlands. After Hepburn was appointed in 1988 as a goodwill ambassador for the UN childrens agency UNICEF, she would often give interviews wearing a simple silk or satin T-shirt. She told Givenchy recounting the horrors of war she had seen that thanks to this small piece of silk, I feel protected because you are close to me. At the end of her life, they were again united through a piece of material when he visited her at her home in Switzerland as she battled cancer. Hepburn gave him a navy blue quilted coat urging him when you are sad, wear this and it will give you courage. From Geneva to Paris, I wept in the jacket she had given me, he said, still overcome with emotion two decades after her death. Audrey will never go out of fashion. She is current. And her image continues to amaze us. Follow @htlifeandstyle for more. Many people in Bhopal mourned when former Union Carbide CEO Warren Anderson died at the age of 92 at a nursing home in the US in September 2014. Not at his death, but because they lost all hope of ever bringing him to justice. Bhopal, after all, had a long and painful relationship with Anderson, one that began on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, when 40 tonnes of toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas was accidentally released from the Union Carbide plant in the city, killing thousands and causing grievous health damage to thousands more. A long legal battle ensued but 32 years later, victims are yet to find justice. Justice delayed and denied? Forty tonnes of methyl isocyanate leaked from Union Carbide plant in Bhopal on Dec 2-3, 1984 Varying death tolls exist, but close to 5,000 people were killed in the gas disaster and more than 500,000 people were exposed to the toxic fumes Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) chairman Warren Anderson escaped to US within hours of his arrest in Bhopal on December 7, 1984 Victims of the tragedy demand justice, compensation for the affected and punishment for Anderson and others responsible for the accident Anderson died on September 29, 2015 at a nursing home in Florida at the age of 92. Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims mourn, not his death, but the failure of the system to bring him to book In October, court issued notice to former officials for letting Union Carbide CEO Warren Anderson leave India This October, the district magistrates court ruled that then Bhopal collector Moti Singh and superintendent of police in 1984, Swaraj Puri, should be questioned for letting Anderson leave India. The court summoned them on December 8 to record their statements. The order came on a 2010 petition filed by activists who have been fighting for the rights of the gas victims for over three decades. The decision to allow Anderson to leave came from seniors, but we dont have proof to accuse anyone in court. When we found a photograph of these two escorting him, we filed a plea says Abdul Jabbar, an activist Of course, Singh and Puri were just carrying out orders. The decision to allow Anderson to leave came from senior people, but we dont have proof to accuse anyone in court. However, when we saw an old video footage of these two escorting Anderson to the airport, we filed a petition against them. Let them tell the court who ordered them to let Anderson leave, said Abdul Jabbar, an activist. Jabbar said he has lost lost more than one member of his family as a result of the disaster. It had been the same refrain of loss and angst in house after house in the bylanes around the ruins of the old Union Carbide plant. How do you expect us to move on? Was there ever any rehabilitation measure? asked Rashida Bee, another activist and victim. Bhopal gas tragedy victims stage demonstration outside a court during the long fight for justice. (Mujeeb Faruqui/HT File Photo) Fight for justice For over three decades, life has been a series of court cases to hold the company and its officials accountable for the disaster, to get them punished for negligence, and to get adequate compensation for all victims of the tragedy. There have been small victories. In 2010, the chief judicial magistrate of Bhopal prosecuted a few Union Carbide officials, but restricted punishment to two years imprisonment. That year, the government filed a curative petition in the Supreme Court to seek additional compensation for the victims. The original Bhopal Settlement of 1989 awarded the victims a total compensation of $470 million. Doctors are treating gas victims like any other patient. Prolonged use of drugs is leading to new health problems, such as kidney damage, says Rachna Dhingra, activist The victims, however, are demanding more compensation for all survivors and a correction of figures of death and the extent of injury in the curative petition. Adequate compensation is important since the health of many victims have been so weakened that they find it difficult to work, Rashida said. Activists alleged there is little systematic treatment of the victims even after 32 years. Doctors are treating gas victims like any other patient. Prolonged use of drugs is leading to new health problems, such as kidney damage, said Rachna Dhingra, who moved to Bhopal to work for the rights of the gas victims 13 years ago. Differently abled children from gas tragedy affected families wait with banners seeking PM's attention during his visit to Bhopal on Thursday. (HT file photo) Health hazards In 2000, the Bhopal Medical Hospital and Research Centre (BMHRC) was set up under the Supreme Courts directive. Dr Subodh Varshney, a gastro-surgeon formerly attached to the BMRC said: The most common immediate health issues were severe lung injury, often resulting in death, and corneal damage. Many lost their eyesight. One of the most common long-term impact has been fibrosis of the lung and respiratory crippling. Approximately 35,000 are still affected by this, of which 10,000 are suffering so badly that it is difficult for them to do any steady job. The problem, Varshney said, is that doctors are working with so many probables here. We have done a molecular study to see the effect of MIC on liver and pancreatic cells, to check whether it is carcinogenic. There is a possibility of cancer but we do not know what should be the extent of exposure for it to be carcinogenic. Also, studies have shown a higher incidence of oral and oesophageal cancer, and we dont have any studies in that area. Also, these can be cause due to smoking or use of betel-nut. The long-term and genetic impact of MIC exposure is a matter of debate but there is little doubt about the threat from the toxic chemical waste lying in the abandoned plant and solar evaporation ponds (SEP). A joint study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Central Pollution Control Board in 2009 found contamination of soil and groundwater with heavy metals and chemicals. A Belstein Test conducted in 2015 found the water from 240-foot-deep bore wells to be contaminated. In October this year, the Madhya Pradesh government announced the construction of a Hiroshima-like memorial for the gas tragedy victims on the premises of the defunct factory. Speaking on the occasion, minister of state for gas tragedy relief and rehabilitation Vishwas Sarang said: The state government will request the Central Pollution Control Board for disposal of the toxic waste. The waste still lies there. The victims best ally in their struggle for justice and rehabilitation is their own determination. The battle to cleanse their lives of the chemical disaster and its residue has not weakened them. The new generation is as dedicated to the cause as the ones whose lives came to a standstill in December 1984. In a major crackdown on bank employees involved in irregularities post demonetisation, 27 senior officials of various public sector banks have been suspended and six others transferred to check corrupt practices. The suspensions comes amid reports of Income Tax authorities conducting search and seizure places at many places, including one at Bengaluru where Rs 5.7 crore cash in new currency notes was recovered from two businessmen. Some cases have come to notice of officials involved in carrying out irregular transactions violating RBI instructions, the Finance Ministry said in a statement. Action has been taken in such cases and 27 officials of various public sector banks have been placed under suspension, and six officials have been transferred to non-sensitive posts, it said. It also cautioned that while all efforts are being made to facilitate genuine transactions, illegalities will not be tolerated and appropriate action will be taken against individuals involved in irregular and unauthorised activities. People have been depositing invalid notes into banks after the government demonetised old Rs 500/1000 notes, effective from November 9, 2016. The Reserve Bank has imposed limits on cash withdrawals. The ministry also said banks have done commendable work by putting in long hours of untiring effort in managing banking transactions. In the biggest-ever seizure of cash in new currency, over Rs 5 crore even as the Income Tax department said it detected unaccounted income worth Rs 152 crore after it conducted searches in a dozen premises in Bengaluru and other locations. Earlier, the RBI had asked banks to take action against erring officials to ensure cash availability for customers thronging the banks. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday kept the doors open for an alliance with the Congress for next years assembly polls, saying the two parties together can win more than 300 seats. He, however, asserted the SP was capable of winning the polls on its own. The comments by the chief minister, at the 14th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, comes in the backdrop of a bruising feud in the states ruling family, with Akhilesh and his uncle Shivpal locked in a bitter turf war over the past few months. The 43-year-old chief minister also took a dig at uncle Amar Singh, saying if he was the party chief he would recommend removal the controversial leader from SP. Singh recently returned to the party despite Akhileshs objections and is widely believed to be the outsider the chief minister often referred to as the man who precipitated the family crisis. Highlights He said SP would get a majority in the state assembly on its own in upcoming UP polls On alliance with Congress, he said the two parties together can win more than 300 seats Akhilesh said there had to be give and take in any alliance, but added he did not visualise the Congress as a junior partner He denied any impact on his functioning as chief minister because of alleged interference from chacha (Shivpal) and uncle (Amar Singh). It was, however, his comments on a possible alliance with the Congress that would hold more significance for the countrys most populous and politically crucial state. Read | Demonetisation, surgical strikes and more discussed on Day 1 of HTLS 2016 PK (Congress poll strategist Prashant Kishor) met Netaji (SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav) and had a meeting with me as well. What I told him was that the SP would get a majority in the state assembly on its own, but would win more than 300 of the 404 assembly seats if the Congress came on board, Akhilesh said. At the same time, the UP chief minister added cryptically: Who brought PK to Netaji? This is of interest to me. Responding to a question from the audience, Akhilesh said there had to be give and take in any alliance, but added he did not visualise the Congress as a junior partner. The Congress has so far not committed itself to any alliance in the state with party vice-president Rahul Gandhi launching a statewide campaign through a farmer connect programme. SP patriarch Mulayam Singh have also been trying revive the erstwhile political configuration, the Janata Parivar, floated last year to check the BJP after it swept the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. The alliance collapsed ahead of the Bihar assembly polls in 2015 when Mulayam walked out citing differences over seat sharing. Read | Akhilesh types a mystery: Who is this typewriter? Recalling his earlier Mulayam as PM and Rahul Gandhi as Deputy PM comment, the chief minister said his offer was still valid and that it was for the Congress leadership to take a call. Rahulji is not in the audience today, but the message can be passed on to him by people close to him, Yadav said. Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and Gandhis brother-in-law Robert Vadra were present in the audience. He denied any impact on his functioning as chief minister because of alleged interference from chacha (Shivpal) and uncle (Amar Singh). Had this been so, I would not have been able to complete developmental works such as building the expressway; launching trials of the Lucknow metro within 26 months; distributing of laptops etc, the chief minister said. Akhilesh, however, had another go at both Amar Singh and Shivpal without naming anybody. I will listen to Netaji and accept whatever he says. But if a typewriter comes from somewhere to remove me, I will not accept it, said Yadav. The typewriter analogy was apparently made as a reference to Amar Singh, a Rajya Sabha member known for his networking skills. Akhilesh took a dig at Shivpal saying, Political wisdom dictates if someone wants to remove you (from the party), you remove him. On the poll battle ahead, he said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) were only fighting for the second and third spots and added there was no chance of former chief minister Mayawati making a comeback. Memorials of her corruption are still standing all over in Uttar Pradesh, he said, referring to the giant elephant statues, the BSP poll symbol, installed across the state when Mayawati she was in power. Read | People in democracy vent anger when you hurt them: Akhilesh on demonetisation Eustream to provide for 2.8 mcm more capacity to supply gas to Ukraine in Q1 2017 Slovakia's gas transport system operator Eustream would increase the gas transportation capacity for Ukraine for the first quarter of 2017 by 30,000 MWh a day or around 2.8 million cubic meters (mcm) a day, the company has said on its website. In Q4 2016 the gas transportation capacity for Ukraine from Slovakia (Budince exit point) was 42.5 mcm. On some days in November the daily imports from Slovakia exceeded 43 mcm. On Monday, December 5, the additional capacity will be published on the web page of Eustream and made available for online-booking platform via Eustream customer zone. A political war over the presence of armymen near Kolkata rocked Parliament on Friday with opposition parties accusing the Centre of trying to intimidate the West Bengal government and the BJP dismissing allegations. The controversy broke out late on Thursday after West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced she would stay the night at the state secretariat after army officers were seen stopping vehicles just metres away at a crucial bridge connecting Kolkata to Howrah. Her party, the Trinamool Congress, repeatedly stalled proceedings in both Houses, demanding a response from the government and alleging that the army had been called at the behest of the Centre, in what they called a disruption of Indias federal structure. They found support from the Congress and a number of other parties, who asked the government to clarify its role. Injustice is being done to the Bengal CM and this is a big attack on the Constitution. The army shouldnt be politicised, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati told the Rajya Sabha, according to ANI. The Congress, too, appeared to back Banerjee, saying the prime minister must clarify why states rights were being impinged on. It seems out of the way. The army doesnt collect toll. There is no law and order issue in West Bengal for the army to be deployed? Ghulam Nabi Azad was quoted as saying by ANI. The BJP dismissed the charges with defence minister Manohar Parrikar expressing that a routine exercise had been made into a controversy. It is a routine army exercise that has been carried out for many years, Parrikar said. Bengal was taken into confidence, it happened last year and last to last year. Lets not drag the army into controversy, Union minister Venkaiah Naidu was quoted as saying by ANI. The army has also issued denials, saying they didnt collect toll and were present near Kolkata as part of a routine exercise that spanned several states. Theyre only collecting data of heavy vehicles, this is an annual exercise carried out every year, major general Sunil Yadav told reporters. But the Trinamool wasnt convinced, accusing the minister of state for defence of trying to mislead the House. The party says this is to intimidate Banerjee, who has been the face of protests against the Centres move to scrap high-value currency a decision which has seen millions of people line up outside banks and ATMs with the poor and small traders the hardest hit. Late Thursday evening, Banerjee alleged the army was deployed at the behest of the Centre at two toll plazas, Palsit and Dankuni, on NH 2 without informing the state government. The Trinamool says this move clearly violates the nations federal structure. Is the army authorised to collect funds from toll plazas? The Eastern command said this is being coordinated, police knows...this is untrue, Trinamool parliamentarian Derek OBrien was quoted as saying by ANI. Read| Mamata furious after army deployment at Bengal toll plazas, BJP hits back The presence of the army on a crucial Kolkata bridge sparked a political fight on Friday with the Trinamool Congress alleging the Centre was arm-twisting the state and the BJP blaming chief minister Mamata Banerjee of politicising a regular military action. The war of words followed a night of drama after Banerjee refused to step out of the state secretariat Nabanna to protest against the sudden deployment of the army in the area. A livid Mamata took to Twitter to express her disgust, saying, Very unfortunate. Army stationed in front of Nabanno, the Bengal state secretariat in a high security zone, in spite of police objection. I am waiting here at the secretariat and watching to guard our democracy. Read | Trinamool MP says Mamata Banerjees photo should be kept in every house But the BJP rubbished her claim, saying she had lost her mental balance after losing money following the central governments shock recall of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes three weeks ago. Its so ridiculous that the CM does not know about the mock drill of the army, which takes place every three to four years It is quite strange that the CM is not aware about it even as the district magistrate and state administration has proper knowledge about the same, BJP leader Rahul Sinha told ANI. Flight diversion ka issue banaya,flight mein bas Mamata Ji nahi tha or bhi log tha. Iss sab se ye aham mudde se divert ho rahe hain: Naidu pic.twitter.com/Q5x1j6r1HH ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2016 The Trinamool Congress says the state governments permission wasnt sought before deploying the army in 10 districts of West Bengal. The party says this is to intimidate Banerjee, who has been the face of protests against the Centres move to scrap high-value currency a decision which has seen millions of people line up outside banks and ATMs with the poor and small traders the hardest hit. The Trinamool had also stalled Parliament on Wednesday after a flight carrying Banerjee allegedly was made to hover over Kolkata airport with low fuel. What happened in Bengal On Thursday, Army is deployed at two toll plazas, one near Nabanna, the West Bengal secretariat Mamata Banerjee alleges the state government was not informed about the deployment, refuses to leave Nabanna Army says its a routine exercise in all north-eastern states, Kolkata Police objects in writing On Friday, BJP hits back, says its ridiculous that the CM does not know about the mock drill of the army, which takes place every three to four years Banerjee plans to apprise President Pranab Mukherjee of the matter Late Thursday evening, Banerjee alleged the army was deployed at the behest of the Centre at two toll plazas, Palsit and Dankuni, on NH 2 without informing the state government. The Trinamool says this move clearly violates the nations federal structure. Is the army authorised to collect funds from toll plazas? The Eastern command said this is being coordinated, police knows...this is untrue, Trinamool parliamentarian Derek OBrien was quoted as saying by ANI. According to reports, at least six vehicles of military police were spotted at the toll plaza Vidyasagar Setu, a key bridge that connects Kolkata to Howrah. The state was not informed about this development. In a federal structure, the functions of Centre and state are clearly divided. But this act clearly violates our jurisdiction, she said. Banerjee has said she would approach President Pranab Mukherjee and apprise him of the matter. At 2 am on Friday, Banerjee -- holding her third round of media conference since the evening -- reiterated she would spend the night at Nabanna, fearing the army may be back. The army has withdrawn from the second Hooghly bridge after 2 am. They will definitely come back. After Nabanna, they have entered various districts. The army has been deployed in 80% of the areas, she said. Ill remain awake all night to keep vigil. I will spend the night at Nabanna, she said. Why is it been done in Bengal? Is it because I am speaking for the people? she asked, claiming the army has been positioned in Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Darjeeling, North 24-Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Kolkata, Murshidabad and Burdwan districts. But the army said the routine exercise was being carried out in all states of the eastern region. Routine exercise in all NE states. In Assam @ 18 places, Arunanchal@13, WB@19, Manipur@6, Nagaland@5, Meghalaya@5, Tripura & Mizoram, the Eastern Command tweeted. But the Kolkata police said they had given their objection in writing. Army exercise at Toll Plaza was objected to in writing by Kolkata Police, citing security reasons & traffic inconvenience, the Kolkata police claimed on its twitter handle. Read | Resolve cash crunch in 3 days: Mamata, Kejriwal serve ultimatum to govt SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday that West Bengal was targeted by the central government as its chief minister Mamata Banerjee dared to slam demonetisation. West Bengal is being targeted because Mamtadi dared to speak against demonetisation, Kejriwal tweeted. Later, talking to reporters here, Kejriwal said: Mamata ji is raising the strongest voice against (Prime Minister Narendra) Modis demonetisation. If she had praised him, the army wont have been sent. She is strongly protesting his (Modis) wrong policies and his Rs 8 lakh crore demonetisation scam. That is why efforts are being made to scare her by sending in the army. But she wont get scared. I want to tell her to keep up the fight and that the whole nation is with her, the Aam Aadmi Party national convenor said expressing his support. Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress chief, on Thursday accused the central government of deploying the army along two highway toll plazas while keeping the state government in the dark. Later, she said she would not leave the secretariat till the soldiers were withdrawn. In a dramatic turn of events, Banerjee stayed put despite the withdrawal of soldiers from the toll gate till early Friday. The Goa government on Friday clarified that cash transactions are not banned though the state has set December 31 as the deadline to go cashless by. Goa is likely to become the first state in India to shift to cashless transactions from December 31. Though cash transactions are not being banned, its in the interest of the state to encourage cashless transactions, state commissioner of commercial taxes Dipak Bandekar said in a circular issued on Friday. The coastal state has begun working towards cashless society with the bank officials reaching out to the traders and businessmen asking them to shift from the traditional way to plastic or e-money. Government of Goa has decided to take the next step of enabling cashless transactions for various receipts and payments being done in the course of day to day business and market related transactions including domestic and commercial purpose, Bandekar said. The circular stated that an appeal is being made to the manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, dealers and other members of the trade to encourage cashless transactions by making the use of other available modes of payments or cash transfers like the point of sale (POS) machines, QR code recognition and payment devices, swipe card enabled payment system and others. The system of transferring money over mobile phone would also be introduced in near future. Banks are also requested to create awareness regarding the ease of doing cashless transaction, Bandekar said. The commissioner said the commercial tax officers who are in-charge of each ward shall visit the business places of dealers to verify compliance and submit report. Following militant infiltration into India through a 70- feet long tunnel along the International Border (IB) in Samba district, the Border Security Force (BSF) has decided to scan the borderline to detect more such tunnels. The BSF does not want to give any chance to the militants to engineer infiltration in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts in Jammu frontier, a senior BSF officer said. Read: Nagrota attack: Army chief takes stock, militants may have used tunnel Apart from manual and mobile patrolling and three-tier fencing, the BSF is keeping a hawks eye on the movement along the IB. Playing down the detection of tunnel in Chamliyal-Ramgarh sector in Samba after gunning down of three terrorists, the BSF on Thursday said it was mere a rat hole tunnel used only once by the terrorists. Militants had come out to this side via a tunnel on the intervening night of November 28 and 29 in Chamliyal area. The operation was conducted there. Details have been shared with you (media), inspector general of BSF, Jammu Frontier, DK Upadhayaya had said. Ahead of the press conference, the BSF had played a video to show the tunnel and route taken by the terrorists, who came from Pakistan. Read: Infiltrating militants planned to blow up trains in J&K: BSF We have given you the full details of the tunnel.There were various reports coming in the media about the tunnel and old profile pictures of some tunnels were shown which were totally different in shape and size, Upadhayaya had said. As per the pictures shown to you, it is a rat hole tunnel and it is generally used one time, which opens up in a plain area.The area was ploughed two to three days ago. The BSF and farmers were keeping a watch over the area. Amid reports of misuse, the government on Thursday put an end to the use of old Rs 500 notes for buying fuel at petrol pumps and purchasing tickets at airports from December 3, while exemption for payment of toll on highways will also end coming Saturday. Earlier, these facilities and the toll exemption were to continue till December 15. All toll plazas on national highways have been equipped with card swipe (PoS) machines through which people can make payments using their credit or debit cards, although people will be allowed to use old 500 notes for paying toll above Rs 200 or for purchasing FASTags from midnight of December 2. The government had last week extended the time period of use of invalid currency notes for making payment of public utility bills, buying petrol, mobile recharge, rail tickets and air tickets at airport till December 15. However, it has decided to withdraw the facility for use of old 500 notes at airports and petrol pumps from midnight of December 2. Read | Real estate, mobile phones, cars: Currency ban batters all sectors The ministry said that processes of production, dispatch and distribution of currency notes have been continuing and more cash is flowing into the system steadily and digital transactions have also made an impressive progress and are expected to significantly improve during the coming days. Now, therefore, as digital transaction options have been increasing across different sections of the economy, it has been observed that the outlets of the oil and gas marketing companies are better equipped to accept payments through digital means, it said while removing petrol pumps from exempted list. The ministry however clarified that supply of LPG continues to be in the exempted category for the purpose of payment through old Rs 500 bank notes. While junking old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes on November 8, the government had allowed their use for utility bill payments for 72 hours. This deadline was extended twice. When the last one was to expire on November 24, government amended it to state that only the old 500-rupee notes could be used for payment of utility bills like electricity and water, school fees, pre-paid mobile top-up, fuel purchase and airline ticket booking. While old notes will continue to be accepted for other utility bill payments as well as at railway ticketing counters and counters of government or public sector undertaking buses for purchase of tickets till December 15, they will be discontinued for purchase of fuel and airline tickets at airport counters. While withdrawing exemption on purchase of air tickets at airports, the ministry said: It is observed that air ticketing counters have facilities to accept non cash/digital payments. Further, enough time has been allowed for travellers to be prepared with legal tender and/or non cash modes of payment. The road transport ministry in a statement said that in addition to the e-payment methods, the government is also encouraging people to buy the RFID-based FASTags to enable cashless payments at toll plazas. Read | We want notes, dont ask for votes: Demonetisation hurts election campaigns As for making cash payments, the highway users are being requested to carry adequate change with them to avoid delay. The old Rs 500 notes will be accepted till the midnight of December 15, but this will only be for purchasing FASTags and for making toll payments of more than Rs 200, it said. Toll fee can also be paid through e-wallets. The immediate use of FASTags will entail a 10% discount on the toll fee, in addition to faster movement through dedicated lanes at the Toll Plazas, it said. In a separate notification, the government said RBI will henceforth set the limit for withdrawal for currency from bank accounts and ATMs. It further said that ATMs will continue to dispense Rs 100 and Rs 50 notes subject to RBI guidelines. Read | What black money? Govt may be in for shock after demonetisation Days before he was killed, Kashmiri militant leader Burhan Wani allegedly spoke to LeT chief Hafiz Saeed, sought his blessings and offered to put forward a united front of LeT and his own Hizbul Mujahideen in their jihad against India, according to an audiotape that emerged recently. A release issued by CNN-News18 on Friday said the TV news channel has accessed an audio tape of the conversation between Saeed and Wani from the latters Valley hideout. The conversation between the two was intercepted by Indian intelligence agencies, it said. In the tape, which the channel could not verify, Wani is heard requesting Saeed to extend more support to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants in the Kashmir valley in terms of arms, ammunition and money. You people are living in very difficult conditions. But you dont have to worry. Whatever you need just tell us, we are ready for every help. Will be ready for anything. You just have to tell us, Saeed is heard telling Wani in the tape. Wani tells Saeed that the enemy is almost defeated and we have to maintain this. We have to go all out on attacks and shouldnt lose this opportunity. For this, we need ammunition and support from the back. We should work together (Hizbul and Lashkar) for this, Wani is heard as saying. Wani, 22, was the poster boy of Kashmiri militancy and his death in an encounter with security forces in July this year had set off a storm of protests in the Valley. India is still very hush hush when it comes to how political parties raise funds but the government clampdown on the cash economy will help make these transactions more transparent in future, finance minister Arun Jaitley said on Friday. Political funding in India remains a deep mystery, with most parties skirting disclosures under rules that make naming the source mandatory only when donations cross Rs 20,000. Read: Demonetisation pangs will last for a quarter, but benefit India in long run: FM With the government draining out 86% of all cash in the economy to fight corruption and black money, many experts suggest this could help change the way political parties raise funds. The move has also revived a debate over the benefits of state funding of elections, and a simultaneous vote for state assemblies and parliament, a plan Prime Minister Narendra Modi has often backed. Live coverage of HTLS 2016 Day 1 The current move will create a situation where funding will become far more transparent, Jaitley told the 14th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit. End of day, donors will say where do I bring this money from? The only donation I can give is legitimate cheque donation. End of day, donors will say where do I bring this money from? The only donation I can give is legitimate cheque donation Jaitleys response came to a question on the impact of demonetisation on political parties preparing for state election, including in Uttar Pradesh. He said the BJP was already ahead in the race in Uttar Pradesh and the government crackdown on corruption had only made it all the better for the party because of the positive public opinion. For the BJP, to be projected as a party on the right side of technology, trying to represent an India that is more aspirational and wants to grow faster, for our opponents to take a retrograde position is a polarisation that suits us, he said. Asked if the BJP will be the first party to accept donations in cheque and not cash, he said that as the law minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government he had initiated such a move. We amended the Companies Act to give a maximum 5% of profits as political donations. We modified the Income Tax Act to allow this, he said but added all this wasnt enough to make political funding transparent. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON It is difficult to see major gains from Indias decision to drain out high-value banknotes from the economy, and the move might only force the corrupt to become more careful in the future, Nobel laureate and economist Paul Krugman said on Friday. Instead, Krugman said, there will be significant-to-low costs to the so-called demonetisation, although he still saw India as a high-prospect economy. Speaking at the 14th HT Leadership Summit, the 63-year-old economist said there was a good case to be made that high denomination banknotes didnt serve a legitimate purpose. What Krugman said Indias demonetisation move was unusual, its hard to see significant gains from the decision. Demonetisation move was highly disruptive,. India somewhat looks like China with a 15-20 years lag. China is up there in the same order as the US and European Union But that did not happen here. High-value notes are not being eliminated. This seems like a one-off attempt to flush out illicit cash, Krugman said of the government decision to scrap 500-and 1,000-rupee bills to purge the economy of illicit black money. The government has issued new 500-and 2000-rupee bills, and said it will later bring back new Rs1000 notes as well. Krugman, who won the Nobel in 2008 for his work on global trade, said while he could understand the motivation for demonetisation, the move was highly disruptive. Read| Demonetisation pangs will last for a quarter, but benefit India in long run: FM But could such an exogenous shock transform behaviour? I would be happy to be proven wrong. There could be some permanent change in behaviour. People will be more careful and sophisticated in laundering their money in the future, he said. Krugman said Indian economy, to him, looked like China with a 15-20 year-old lag. It has reserves of entrepreneurial rigour, reserves of educated people, wide use of English, and unlike China, it has not hit the demographic wall. It has a lot of potential. Watch | What Paul Krugman thinks is the Change India Needs In pics: Live sketches by New Yorkers Liza Donnelly from HTLS 2016 For live coverage of HTLS 2016, click here Full coverage of HTLS 2016 here SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Defence minister Manohar Parrikar said on Friday the Indian Armys surgical strikes against militant shelters in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir injected uncertainty into the neighbours mind, as he brushed aside criticism amid intensifying ceasefire violations at the border following the September 29 operation. More than 30 people, including 20 security personnel and 12 civilians, have been killed in Pakistani shelling and firing after the surgical strikes, triggering questions about the results the armys operation achieved. The surgical strikes have introduced a degree of uncertainty... obviously, uncertainty itself creates decision-making bottlenecks. You will never know them, the defence minister said at the 14th HT Leadership Summit. The armys cross-border operation came after 19 soldiers were killed in an attack on an army base in Kashmirs Uri that India blames on militants who crossed from the Pakistani territory. Earlier, one thing was sure that India wont cross (the Line of Control). Now there is one thing thats missing. In strategy and such kind of issues, you need to put uncertainty in their minds. That has been achieved, said Parrikar. The minister said the nation was satisfied with the targeted operation carried out by Indias special forces. It was a continuous insult to be treated like this... Someone comes, hits us and we cant do anything, he said. Asked if India could carry out more surgical strikes, Parrikar said the principle of uncertainty should be allowed to operate. It will be beneficial to all of us. On an attack in Nagrota that left seven soldiers dead on Tuesday, Parrikar said it was obvious that some sort of lethargy had set in over a period of time and it was painful to see soldiers die. Parrikar spoke about the need to use smart technologies for perimeter protection of sensitive bases but said infrastructure could not be created overnight. He said the Defence Research and Development Organisation has been tasked with finding smart solutions to secure military bases. The DRDO has been asked to try fences of different kinds - microwave, laser, smart fence that can pick vibration and CCTV cameras that can pick movement at 1km. Parrikar indicated lengthy army procedures were coming in the way of swift action. The minister said he had taken the initiative for the army to experiment with three to four types of fences on a pilot basis but they have massive procedures. After a militant attack in Pathankot, an Indian Air Force audit identified 54 vital bases where security is being upgraded at a cost of more than Rs 8,000 crore. The airbases are getting smart fences, vibration detection systems, mini-drones, thermal cameras and night vision equipment to detect trespassers and respond swiftly in case of an attempted breach. Naftogaz Ukrainy has extended a contract for provision of legal services with Wikborg, Rein & Co. Advokatfirma DA (Norway), which provides support for arbitral proceedings on Naftogaz's suit against Russia's Gazprom. According to a state holding report in the ProZorro system, the corresponding document was signed on December 1. The cost of procurement made under a negotiating procedure is EUR 6 million, the term of the contract is until the end of 2017. The Norwegian company in the 2014-2015 and the beginning of 2016 provided support for arbitral proceedings on Naftogaz's suit against Gazprom and represented the state holding in relations with the Russian company when settling disputes by the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, in other courts and authorities of foreign states, foreign or international arbitration courts. The selection of this company was also due to its successful experience of doing business in the field of energy and natural gas in the interests of energy customers, availability of positive experience in representation of clients in gas disputes. Banks continue to struggle to meet the demand for cash given the delay in printing the new Rs 500 series, while Rs 2000 notes has fewer takers with no change to transact with. The governments shock announcement to demonetise 1,000 and 500 rupee banknotes caught the country off guard last month as the high value notes make up 86% of the Indian currency in circulation in value. Publics patience has been wearing thin since November 9 as theyve been forced to wait in long lines to withdraw from banks, ATMs and post offices. December 1 was chaotic as people lined up once again at banks on payday. We explain why Rs 2000 notes dont make you feel secure in the times of cash crunch: In the last three months, two countries Iran and Sri Lanka have repeatedly written to the ministry of external affairs seeking its intervention for their students who have taken provisional admissions in Indian medical colleges. This is a direct fallout of the Supreme Court judgment in May, which mandated every candidate to qualify the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission in a medical college. Earlier, foreign students were admitted privately under the management quota in a college which the apex court scrapped this year. Instead, a single national exam, NEET, has been implemented. NEET permits only Indian, NRIs and overseas Indians to appear for it. Foreign students have no option, said a senior official from the embassy of Iran. About 250 Iranian students will have to leave the country due to the apex court ruling, he said. The official said if the Indian government doesnt do anything, the foreign students will lose an academic year. There are already about 2,500 students pursuing various courses in medicine in India. A similar request has been made by the high commission of Sri Lanka. Four students approached us and we wrote to the Indian government to take up their cases but there is no response yet, said an official. A senior official in the health ministry said, The MEA has forwarded these concerns to the Medical Council of India and ministry of health but there seems to be no solution in sight. The government should approach the Supreme Court for a clarification, the official said. There is no data available with any authority on the total number of foreign students studying MBBS course in India. Experts say the government should make some room for foreigners to get global recognition. A government employee was killed in a counter-insurgency operation, launched on Friday night, in south Kashmirs Kulgam district, official sources said. Assadullah Kumar, working in J-K Fisheries Department, died due to gunshot injuries at Chancer area of Kulgam district where security forces, including army, had launched a counter-insurgency operation, they said. Further details were awaited. An army official said an operation was going on in the area, but maintained that they had no reports of any casualty. Three persons associated with a Mumbai-based educational research organisation were arrested on Friday for allegedly preparing school textbooks with objectionable and non-secular content, police said. Sources in the Kochi Police said the arrest of three persons from Mumbai-based Burooj Realization was made following its investigation into a case against a school here for allegedly teaching students objectionable content and exhorting them to lay down their lives for Islam. The accused are allegedly responsible for preparing contents for the controversial textbooks taught at the Peace International School at Thammanam in Kochi, a police official told PTI. Read | HT Special: Kerala school under scanner over missing people They were arrested from Kochi, the official said. He, however, declined to provide any more details. The controversial school in Kochi is run by a trust headed by influential local businessmen. It is not clear if the curriculum was drafted by persons close to controversial preacher Zakir Naik. Police had earlier registered a case under IPC sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) against the school principal, administrator and three trustees. The case was registered in October this year on the basis of a report filed by the Ernakulam District Education Officer, stating that what was being taught was not secular. Police had said Islamic curriculum was being followed in the school and students were being exhorted to lay down their lives for Islam. The school has classes from LKG till class 8. Read | 16 Kerala Muslim youth missing, relatives fear they went to Iraq, Syria Maharashtra Election Commission officials seized nearly Rs 7 crore in old denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 near Baramati in Pune district, police said on Friday. The cash belonged to Baramati Sahakari Bank Ltd, which was being taken to its headquarters in Baramati. State election commission officials intercepted a vehicle near Bhigwan toll plaza and found Rs 6.98 crore cash in scrapped denominations, Baramati police station inspector CG Kamble told PTI. He said four people who were sitting in the vehicle told officials that the cash belonged to Baramati Sahakari Bank Ltd (BSB) and was being taken to Baramati. When contacted, BSB chairman Shrikant Sikchi confirmed that cash belonged to the bank and they have all the proofs. Generally, we deposit our cash collected from all branches in tehsil into nationalised banks. However, no bank is currently accepting our deposits. After reaching out to Reserve Bank of India, they instructed us to deposit our cash, collected from all the branches, into Bank of Maharashtra branch in Bhigwan, Sikchi claimed. He said when bank officials reached Bank of Maharashtra, the bank didnt allow them to deposit cash, citing space crunch and asked us to come later. While bringing the cash, which was in the form of old notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000, to our headquarter in Baramati, the election commission officials intercepted the vehicle, Sikchi added. He said they have all the documents to prove that cash belongs to the bank and it is legal. We have handed over the documents and a letter from RBI to the police station and election commission officials, Sikchi added. Police said they have now seized the cash and that the EC officials have notified about it to Income Tax department. So far no case has been registered, Kamble said. In total, including todays phase, elections are being held for 212 civic bodies, comprising municipal councils and nagar panchayats, in four phases. The EC has set up squads in view of the second phase of polls to local bodies, slated on December 14. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee left the secretariat on Friday evening after staying there for 36 hours in protest against the alleged deployment of the army in the state while keeping her government in the dark. If the government doesnt withdraw army deployed in the state, we will fight legally, she said, addressing the media after leaving the Secretariat. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief also branded the present regime as a daku government, further alleging that the Centre is looting the country. Modi government has become Daku government, just want to say that Modi ji is looting peoples money, she added. Responding to Mamatas ultimatum, wing commander SS Birdi of the Eastern Command CPRO said the Army deployment (in West Bengal) wont be called off as it is a routine exercise and will continue till midnight today. Read | Army rebuts Mamata charges, says Bengal exercise done with police coordination Mamata has accused the central government of deploying the army along a highway toll plaza at the second Hooghly Bridge, about 500 metres from the secretariat Nabanna in neighbouring Howrah district. Earlier on Friday, the TMC threw an open challenge to the Centre to come forth with the documents proving that the West Bengal government gave the green signal for the deployment of army troops in certain areas in the state. Speaking to ANI here, TMC spokesperson Derek OBrien asserted that no such document existed, adding that he would hang his head in shame if the government could prove him otherwise. Nevertheless, the Parliament again witnessed ruckus today as the opposition continued to corner the Centre over the armys deployment in West Bengal. Read | Oppn slams govt over army deployment in Bengal, Parrikar says routine exercise The police on Friday claimed that the militant killed in an encounter in south Kashmirs Anantnag district on Thursday was a history-sheeter and had decamped with a rifle from a police station. Around 5:30pm, Sajad Malik alias Bita Malik decamped with an AK rifle along with one magazine from the Dooru police station. After firing some shots near the market and taking advantage of the darkness, he managed to escape towards Zamalgam village, a police spokesman said. Near Cherikari village of Anantnag, Malik fired towards an army patrol. The fire was retaliated and in the exchange of fire, Malik got killed, the spokesman added. He said the deceased was a released militant and a history sheeter, who was already arrested in militancy cases lodged in various police stations. On Thursday, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) president GA Mir demanded a judicial probe into the killing, saying the deceased was an ex-sarpanch belonging to his party. Read: Army says one militant killed in Anantnag, Cong seeks probe Malik was accused by the state of participating in a protest rally (during the unrest), which may be true and for which there is the law of the land to deal with, Mir had said. He termed the killing as politically motivated custodial murder. The navy has ruled out deploying indigenously built light combat aircraft Tejas on its aircraft carriers, saying it is not being able to meet the requirements. Citing overweight as one of the reasons for ruling out Tejas for Indias aircraft carriers, Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of Naval Staff, said the navy is looking at procuring an alternative aircraft. As far as the carrier-based aircraft is concerned, we need it in a time line of the induction of the aircraft carrier. We have the MiG 29K, which operates from Vikramaditya and will operate from (indigenous aircraft carrier) IAC Vikrant. We were also hoping to operate the LCA (Light Combat Aircraft-Tejas) from these two aircraft carriers. Unfortunately, the LCA is not being able to meet the carriers required capability. That is why we need an alternative aircraft to operate from these two aircraft carriers, Lanba said. He said that at the moment the navy is in the process of identifying the aircraft that will meet its requirements. If you look around the world, there are not too many options available and we need this carrier-capable aircraft sooner than later. So, I am looking at next five-six years, he said. LCA-Tejas is an indigenously built fighter aircraft and has been inducted into the Indian Air Force. Lanba said the navy is still encouraging Indias Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop the Naval LCA. The naval chief said that it is also looking at UAVs which can operate from ships and autonomous sub-surface vehicles for surveillance. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday banned the use of disposable plastic, which is mainly used in grocery and plastic tea cups like items in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) with effect from January 1, 2017. A bench headed by NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar gave directions for the enforcement of the ban. The NGT also directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Development Authority and other public authorities including NCT of Delhi to take fast steps for reduction and utilisation of dumped waste. The green body also said that the Okhla plant will continue to operate subject to the order of the tribunal. The National Green Tribunal had earlier lashed out at Delhi government for showing laxity while dealing with alarming situation of air pollution and smog in the city. Bollywood actor Preity Zintas cousin Nitin Chauhan committed suicide on Friday morning in Shimla. Chauhan shot himself with a pistol in a vehicle bearing the registration number HP 51 2089 near Sector 2, new Shimla. Police reports said that Chauhan shot himself in the head with a pistol. No one heard any sounds but in the morning, the family members informed the police after they saw blood near a car. Police also recovered two suicide notes, one from the car and the other from home. Sources said the victim blamed his wife and in-laws for driving him to suicide. The victim and his wife had separated two years ago. The case regarding legal separation was pending in the court, a senior police official said, adding, The hearing of the case was on Friday. In both suicide notes, of four pages each, Chauhan blamed his wife and in-laws of harassing him, a police officer, who was on the spot, told HT. In both notes, the victim accused in-laws of harassing him by filing false cases. He also accused them of not allowing him to meet his son. Chauhans mother in her statement to the police said that he was at home last night but when his mother went to his room around midnight, he wasnt there. She thought, he had gone for a drive. In the morning, they saw his vehicle parked roadside and blood near the car. Abetment case registered against in-laws On the basis of the suicide note, police registered case of abetment to suicide against In-laws and started the investigation. We have not interrogated anyone but registered a case against those mentioned in suicide note, a Shimla police officer said. Police yet to trace the source of weapon The weapon used for committing suicide is not of the victim. Police has sent the weapon for forensic examination. The family in their statement revealed that they do not possess any weapon. Police has also sent his phone for forensic investigation to dig out call details and other information. A delegation of Qatari businessmen will visit Ukraine in the near future, the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers has said. Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman on December 2 met with advisor of the Emir of Qatar for culture Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari and discussed practical measures to deepen cooperation between Ukraine and Qatar in various fields. "Ukraine expects a delegation of Qatar business representatives to visit the country in the near future. In particular, during their visit the parties will discuss the expansion of opportunities for investment," the report reads. The premier noted bilateral trade turnover between Ukraine and Qatar does not match the capabilities of the two countries and there is a significant potential to increase it. "During the meeting the sides also discussed the exchange of visits by the prime ministers of the two countries aimed at enhancing interaction between Ukraine and Qatar in trade, economic and financial spheres," the press service of the government said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a prisoner of his own image and bases his policy making on TRPs, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said on Friday, stepping up his attack on the government. Addressing a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) in absence of unwell party chief Sonia Gandhi, Rahul attacked the PM on several issues, including demonetisation, increasing deaths of soldiers in militant attacks, Kashmir unrest and the BJP-led NDA governments Pakistan policy. PM Modi will be judged by history as man who gifted massive political space to anti-India forces by creating an opportunistic BJP-PDP political alliance. The Prime Minister often asks what the Congress did in the last 60 years. The people of India know exactly what the Congress has achieved for this country. But I would like to tell the prime minister what the Congress didnt do in 67 years, Rahul said. The Congress never gave India a prime minister who was a prisoner of his own image, he said. We never gave India a prime minister who was ready to inflict such tremendous suffering on the people of India to protect his own persona. We never gave India a prime minister who based his entire policy making strategy on TRPs, the Congress V-P went on. We never gave India a prime minister who bypassed the experience of those sitting in the institutions. The country has suffered tremendous damage as a result of the vanity and incompetence of our PM, he told Congress parliamentarians. Rahul has been unsparing on the PM after the governments November 8 move to ban R 500 and R 1000 currency notes as part of an onslaught on black money and corruption. For reasons known only to the prime minister, he confused Indias entire cash economy with black economy. He demonetised 86% of Indian bank notes and decided to experiment with the financial future of 1.3 billion people. Instead of attacking black money, he attacked the very foundations of our economy, Rahul said. Even his chief economic advisor was not informed. The outgoing chief of the RBI warned him of the impending devastation, but he did not listen, the Congress V-P said. He also quoted Centre of Monitoring Indian economy (CMIE) which claimed that the prime ministers impromptu experiment has already cost India R 1.28 lakh crore in lost wages, cost of printing and logistics. Highlights Rahul Gandhi chaired the meeting of Congress parliamentary board in absence of Sonia Gandhi who is in AIIMS The meeting was called to chalk out strategies for Parliament, stalled by the Opposition for over two weeks over demonetisation Rahul Gandhi urged the government to develop a coherent strategy to counter Pakistan Demonetisation continues to stall Parliament with the opposition insisting that the PM should speak on his move in both Houses. The prime minister does not feel it is worth his time to sit in the house and listen to the views of its democratically elected members. Doing so could potentially prevent him from making the catastrophic policy mistakes he is currently making, Rahul said. Listening to the voices of the people is the only thing that can free him from the clutches of his own image and make him an effective prime minister. Yet he consistently refuses to do so. Raising the issue of the mounting death of soldiers in militant attacks, Rahul said the Prime Minister had ceded space to anti-India forces to operate, causing the deaths of soldiers. Our soldiers and families are paying the price. 85 soldiers have been martyred, this is the highest number of men we have lost in almost a decade, he said. The remarks came two days after a brazen militant attack in Jammu and Kashmirs Nagrota left seven soldiers dead. Rahul also questioned the effectiveness of the armys September 29 surgical strikes against temporary terror bases across the Line of Control. There have been 21 major attacks and hundreds of ceasefire violations since the strikes, we were told that idea behind strikes was to stop Pakistan from cross-border attacks. At the meeting, the Congress V-P urged the government to develop a coherent strategy to counter Pakistan and also ensure that peace and normalcy returns in Kashmir. Today, the same person who used to ridicule us sits silently while Kashmir burns, he said. PM Modi will be judged by history as man who gifted massive political space to anti-India forces by creating an opportunistic BJP-PDP political alliance. With agency inputs) SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sanctioned Rs 3 lakh from the prime ministers National Relief Fund for treatment of social activist Doris Francis who is suffering from cancer. Francis is admitted to AIIMS hospital in New Delhi. The PMO said the sanction was granted after it took cognizance of news reports about Francis sickness. Doris Francis is undergoing treatment at AIIMS, New Delhi. The hospital authorities have been requested to provide utmost care to the patient, the PMO said in a statement. The hospital as well as the family members of Francis have been apprised about the grant, it said. Francis, a resident of Uttar Pradeshs Ghaziabad district on the outskirts of Delhi, is well known for rendering voluntary services to manage traffic at a busy intersection on a National Highway. Doris lost her daughter, Niki, eight years ago after a speeding car crashed into their auto-rickshaw. Months later, the grieving mother took up her post to ensure no one else suffered a tragic end like Niki. 56-year-old Dorris controlled the traffic at Khoda Colony Cut, which is one of the busiest cuts on NH-24, every morning. The Prime Ministers Office (PMO) did not grant permission for Prime Minister Narendra Modis picture to be used in print and electronic advertisements of Reliance Jio, parliament was told on Thursday. In a written reply in Rajya Sabha to a question by Samajwadi Partys Neeraj Shekhar, minister of state for information and broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said that it was aware that Reliance Jio used the Prime Ministers photographs in the advertisement. He added that the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), a media unit of ministry, is the nodal agency for release of advertisement on the policies and programme of the government in various media vehicles, but releases government advertisements only and does not release advertisements of any private body. As Shekhar sought to know about the actions taken against Jio, if permission was not taken in advance, Rathore replies that the necessary act, the Emblems and Names (prevention of improper use) Act 1950, is administered by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. Read | Modi in Reliance Jio ad legal, but Twitter cant stop talking about it Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Muhammad Yasin Malik was arrested here on Friday when he tried to carry out a protest march. Malik, along with a group of JKLF activists, started a protest march from Maisuma area to city centre Lal Chowk after Friday prayers when police intervened and took Malik and around a dozen of his supporters into preventive custody. Sources in the JKLF said the march was intended to mount pressure on the government to release political prisoners in Kashmir. Read more | Kashmir unrest: Normal life remains disrupted in valley In the next eight years, Masayoshi Son, founder and CEO of SoftBank Group Corp said that his company will invest $10 billion (Rs 68,220 crore) in India -- in companies that are in the internet and renewable energy space, especially in solar power. The company has already invested $2 billion in the last two years, some of which were made by Nikesh Arora, who Son has designated to become his successor. But after Aroras shirt stint, and a sudden exit, Son returned as the head of strategy and investment. I will invest $10 billion into India in the next ten year. I am the man who keeps his words... In the next eight years I will surpass my word, Son said, at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in Delhi on Friday. Recently, he has raised $100 billion in partnership with Saudi Arabia (which has committed $45 billion). SoftBank will give $25 billion to the fund. For the rest, Son has investors, lined up. It is over subscribed, he said. Son is known to have the ability to crystal gaze into the future. He invested $20 million in Alibaba, which is Chinas largest e-commerce company, and a large competitor to Amazon. Fifteen years ago we made lots of investment in China. Five years before that I made investments in Japan. Ten years before that in the US. All of them were in internet related companies, Son said. India is a silver lining in the world of internet. According to Mary Meerkers report, in 2015, if internet users in India had not grown at 40%, the trend would have reversed. India has the best opportunity ahead of us. That is why I come here today, Son said. Few of the things that Son pointed out was a large population (after China), a huge democracy, adoption of new technologies, and new excitement ahead of us. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON We are going to whip them by Gods grace, Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh said on Friday as Punjab deputy chief minister and Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal looked on, setting the tone for the upcoming Punjab assembly elections. The two leaders shared the dais at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in what could be their only direct encounter in front of a common audience before the crucial state elections. And both leaders predicted wins for their parties. While Badal said the SAD is set to win more than 70 of the 117 seats that go to the polls, Capt Singh predicted a rout of the ruling party that has been in power for almost 10 years in alliance with the BJP. On AAP The third contender the Aam Aadmi Party -- will finish behind the Congress, Capt Singh said. They (SAD) wont cross 20, AAP will be a little more than you and well form the government. Badal was more generous towards his old rival. Mark my words, AAP will not get more than eight to nine seats. The fight is between the Congress and the SAD, he said. The deputy chief minister gave the Congress 35 to 40 seats. Well be above 70, he declared. Sparring with each other and fielding questions from the audience, both leaders had the audience in splits with their sharp one-liners. Each time someone talks of putting me in jail, I win the elections after that, Badal said, responding to a question on AAP leader Arvind Kejriwals declaration that his party would send the Badals to jail if his party came to power. Capt put me in jail and made me a leader, he said. Even after he sent me to jail, I always touch his feet. Its in our culture, Badal added, responding to AAPs charge that the two are in truck with each other. Watch | Sukhbir Badal jokes about his jail term Both took on the AAP, which emerged as the third political force in Punjab in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections winning four of the 13 seats. Badal dismissed AAP as a force to reckon with anymore. The media created Arvind Kejriwal and now you are destroying him, Badal said. The Capt was more critical of the opponent. They have to come up with something serious for Punjabs future... AAP is not a party, it is the mood of the youngsters. Its just their frustration. We have to speak to them (the youngsters) and convince them.. AAP is selling tickets in Punjab, Capt Singh said. Badal charged AAP with fielding candidates with criminal records. Punjabs drug problem Punjabs drug problem is a creation of the media, the SAD leader claimed. Rahul Gandhi came to Punjab and read from a paper saying 70 per cent of our youth are drug addicts. His problem is he can only read from what is given to him written on a paper, he said. Capt Singh said, after wresting power in Punjab from Parkash Singh Badal in 2002, he had a survey conducted that showed half of the girls and 70 per cent of the boys had tried drugs. During the Badal regime police stations were used to stock poppy husk, he alleged. Badal, however, blamed the Border Security Force for drugs being smuggled into Punjab from Pakistan. Read | Akhilesh Yadav open for alliance with Congress for next years UP polls On SAD-BJP performance Badal said the government had been voted back to power five years ago because of our performance. Punjab has gone from a power deficit to a power surplus state, he said. Every village has internet and in one years time all of Punjabs cities will be connected by expressways, Badal said. Capt Singh expressed doubts, saying the states debt is mounting, agriculture production is stagnant and industries moving out. Punjab is bankrupt. We are down on our knees...this is my last election, I want to set right in Punjab what these chaps have done wrong. Badal hit out at the Congresss high-command culture for imposing former BJP MP Navjot Sidhu on Capt Singh. Sidhu said he wants to come to a Congress minus Captain. Maybe the high command has told Sidhu the Captain wont be there, he said. On demonetisation Capt Singh said demonetisation has people in Punjab getting disillusioned by the day. Tempers are rising. Punjab has a short fuse, he warned challenging Union finance minister Arun Jaitley to fight the Lok Sabha byelection from Amritsar and seek approval on the demonetisation issue. Badal said things were under control but demonetisation is going to create a problem if the cash crunch persists after a few months. In pics: Live sketches by New Yorkers Liza Donnelly from HTLS 2016 SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A barrier-free environment is crucial for Divyanshu Jain, 27. Being differently-abled has always posed challenges for the sales professional in a software company. I commute on my tricycle and dont like to depend on anybody for anything. If I get a barrier-free environment, or as many like to say disability-friendly, half of my woes will be solved, said Jain. So, has Indore city actually become barrier-free? HT accompanied Jain for a reality check. At the citys railway station, ramps have been constructed on some platforms, but its a fair distance from the main platform to a ramp and most differently abled people end up using the stairs instead. The ramp constructed under Rajkumar bridge is very far. Also, there is no way to move between platforms 2 and 3. Most of the times, as I use a crutch, I end up taking the stairs. For people who are not able to walk even a bit, its a problem, said Jain. I commute on my tricycle and dont like to depend on anybody for anything. If I get a barrier-free environment, or as many like to say disability-friendly, half of my woes will be solved. Provision has been made for wheelchair facility, but work on easing the difficulties of the visually impaired will be taken up in the next phase, said officials. The inter-state bus stand at Sarwate had wheelchairs. We keep a couple of wheelchairs. The moment somebody does an enquiry, we give them the wheelchair and ensure that a coolie accompanies them, said an official at the enquiry wing of the bus stop. However, no ramp or designated spots for sitting are present. People usually vacate their spots as soon as they feel somebody needs it, the official added. The place remains a challenge for the visually impaired in the absence of charts in Braille as well as a facility for announcing bus timings. Jain said, This is a very difficult spot for the visually impaired. There are no designated pathways for them to walk. It cannot be termed barrier-free. Highlights 15.5 lakh differently-abled people in Madhya Pradesh, according to the 2011 Census report. 78,761 differently-abled people in Indore, the second highest in the state after Bhopal. Maharaja Yeshwantrao (MY) Hospital, central Indias biggest government hospital, had a ramp at the entrance, but going from one place to another within the facility still poses a problem. I often go to MY Hospital for blood donation and find it quite difficult to commute from one place to another. Ramps are not there everywhere. Also the distance from the parking to the ramp is quite far, said Jain. Mahendra Singh, 23, who is unable to use crutches, said, I have to crawl from the parking to the ramp to approach for a wheelchair. It is not possible to bring an attendant every time. What is the point of stating a place to be barrier-free if we have to bring someone with us every time? Asked about the points raised by Jain and Singh, Indore collector P Narhari said, We have improved the situation immensely. Ramps have been erected at places which had none. I have to crawl from the parking to the ramp to approach for a wheelchair. It is not possible to bring an attendant every time. What is the point of stating a place to be barrier-free if we have to bring someone with us every time? He added, Our focus this time was on three things constructing ramps and making wheelchairs available; making essential facilities such as water available, so we installed taps in areas built at low height for easy access, and toilets were also covered in this section; finally, signboards and signals for providing easy access to information. He said in the second phase of work, the focus would be on making information available in Braille and using audio messages at all places for the visually impaired. Jhalawar, Rajasthan A lot has been done but more barriers need to be removed, according to differently-abled persons in Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Rajes home district. Polio-affected Kesri Lal Bairwa, 40, a ration shop dealer, said he used to face difficulty climbing the stairs of Atal Seva Kendra, but construction of ramps and railings had made access easier. Kesri Lal Bairwa walking on a newly constructed disabled-friendly ramp and railing at Atal Sewa Kendr in Jhalawar. (AH Zaidi/ HT Photo) Other government buildings with ramps and railings at entrances in Jhalawar include the mini-secretariat and hospitals. The mini-secretariat and court have lifts as well. A few months ago, two residential schools were started in the district for speech and hearing impaired children, and for children with learning disabilities. Jhalawar collector Dr Jitendra Kumar Soni, who initiated a drive for a barrier-free environment for differently-abled persons, said ramps and railing facilities had been made mandatory in all new government buildings. He added that around 2,000 ramps and railings had been constructed. Highlights 14.1 lakh differently-abled people in Rajasthan, according to the 2011 Census report. 21,285 differently-abled people in Jhalawar. Barriers, however, remain at some places. Abdul Majeed Khan, 50, whose right leg has been amputated, said several offices and banks need to get ramps, railings and lifts. Soni said some old buildings had limited space and posed practical problems in easing access. We are planning to start kiosks for the differently-abled on the ground floor of such buildings by January 26 next year. Kannur, Kerala North Keralas Kannur was declared the countrys first disabled-friendly district earlier this year under a project named Barrier-Free Kannur. The project, launched in 2015, was the brainchild of former district collector Balakiran and saw 1,842 public institutions acquire a barrier-free environment. All institutions and public offices were equipped with steel railings, slope on the ramp to use wheelchairs, grooved tile surfaces for the visually challenged and display boards in Braille script. Additionally, special parking lots were earmarked for the differently-abled. The initiatives are now backed by awareness drives. Work under the project was completed in 10 months. Mir Mohammed Ali, Kannur district collector now, said, Initially people asked why these changes. When we explained the need they came around easily. Some of the private institutions also followed suit. This will also help elderly people. Highlights 7.6 lakh differently-abled people in Kerala, according to 2011 Census report. 57,831 differently-abled people in Kannur. Users say they feel the difference now. Earlier K Raghu, an upper division clerk at the district collectorate, used to take 20 minutes to climb steps to reach his second-storey office building. He has stunted growth. I had to struggle to reach office every morning and remain there till evening fearing exhaustion. With new lift and other facilities I come down for lunch easily. I feel life has become much lighter these days, he said adding that new toilets with easier access were a real boon. Of the 40,000 workforce across 2,018 institutions of the district, nearly 12% are differently-abled. Engineers as well as management, science and commerce graduates have joined as guards or warders in Tihar jail, the junior-most position for which the minimum qualification is a Class 12 pass certificate. With new and better-paid jobs hard to come by, these over-qualified candidates applied to serve the countrys biggest prison for a salary between Rs 5,200 and Rs 20,200, which is equivalent of the pay for a matron, driver, and a junior clerk in the Delhi government. In all, a group of 59 men and women were chosen recently from 45,000 applicants and barring 16, almost everyone is a graduate or a postgraduate. Even those 16 less qualified candidates have a diploma in computers. Tihar officials decided to harness the highly qualified warders talents and skills giving them additional responsibilities such as teaching prisoners or managing the prison factory that makes processed food, clothes and furniture. A BTech graduate from a Haryana university, who also has a diploma in web design, was given charge of managing the IT department of jail number 3. I will help manage the software of the prison management system and the CCTV feed across the jail. I am ready to help in any capacity, he said on Thursday. The jail job rush points to Indias failure to create enough new jobs to absorb all the one million people who join the workforce every month. A similar rush was noticed when 2.3 million people, including postgraduates and PhDs, responded to an advertisement seeking applications for 368 posts of peon in the Uttar Pradesh government secretariat last year. Sources said this is the first time the jail has got warders with such high qualifications. There are four MBAs, five with BTech degrees, four BEd graduates, and two BCAs among the ranks. Most of the rest are commerce, arts and science graduates. The management graduates could help at the jail factory that has an annual turnover of around Rs 50 crore. They are very excited. They will be doing their primary job of a warder, but their educational qualification will be put to good use, director general of prisons Sudhir Yadav said. They are willing to help us. A new warder with a BEd degree, who didnt wish to be named, suggested all should pitch in and help each other. If I can educate even one prisoner and help them find their way in life, I will be proud of myself. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The post-Second World War order was under threat and for it to hold, emerging economies such as India and China would have to play an important role, economist Paul Krugman said on Friday. Speaking at the 14th HT Leadership Summit, the Nobel laureate located the current economic moment in the context of political churn in Europe and the US. This post-war order was contingent on policy establishments realising the consequences of ripping apart the rulebook, and a degree of US hegemonic leadership. But now you have people with little sympathy for elite consensus. The US is neither big enough nor emotionally inclined enough to be the benevolent hegemon anymore. There is almost a competition between US and Europe on who can go off the rails first. Now big developing countries like China and India will have to hold the system. No more free-riding on US hegemony, said Krugman. He said there was an underlying chronic weakness in the global economy and the situation of secular stagnation could well be the new normal. The world does not want to spend enough to keep itself employed. Flagging concerns about China, Krugman said it had an unsustainably high investment rate and moving away from it without triggering a recession would be a big challenge. Though a harsh Donald Trump critic, Krugman said he did not anticipate a macroeconomic crisis. In the next few years, US would not be a drag on the world economy but China may. The world-known economist was sceptical of low-cost export-driven manufacturing moving to India. I dont think India is first in the line. There are a number of countries in the pool. A lot is shifting to Bangladesh, to Vietnam. Services, he said, could continue to be Indias strength. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Noted actor and Rajya Sabha member Dara Singh on Tuesday expressed `surprise' that Bollywood actor and BJP candidate from Bikaner constituency, Dharmendra had embraced Islam to marry Hema Malini. Talking to reporters here at the BJP office, Singh, when asked to comment on existence of nikahnama of Dharmendra's marriage with Hema Malini, said, "as far as I know their marriage took place with the consent of his wife." On Congress leaders' allegation that the Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has grown old, Singh countered their charge by describing Congress as an "aging party". He also expressed surprise that people are not enthusiastic about exercising their right to franchise and urged the voters to come out and vote. He also welcomed the Supreme Court directive to the Election Commission on the issue of giving an option of exercising `no choice' in the Electronic Voting Machine and added that it will help in knowing the real picture. Singh also urged the EC to take steps to ensure that each and every voter has his/her name in the voters list while referring to the fact that still large number of names were missing from the voters list. When asked whether he is enjoying political activity more than wrestling, Singh said that serving people is very different from wrestling in the ring. On the issue of filmstars joining politics in lieu of alleged monetary gains, Singh said it is wrong to join a political party on monetary concerns and clarified that he was attracted towards BJP because of its performance. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and President of Poland Andrzej Duda have ordered the acceleration of building a gas interconnector between the two countries, press secretary of the Ukrainian president Sviatoslav Tseholko wrote on Twitter. As reported, Ukraine's gas transportation operator Ukrtransgaz and Polish gas transportation operator Gaz-System have prepared a feasibility study for the construction of a gas interconnector between the two countries with a total length of 99.3 km. The construction will start in 2017. The first phase of the project includes the construction of an interconnector, which should provide an increase in natural gas exports from Poland to Ukraine with an annual capacity of up to 5 billion cubic meters. The second phase of the project will make it possible to increase export volumes to 8 billion cubic meters per year. At the same time, the decision on the second phase will depend on the confirmed interest in the market. Ukrtransgaz and Gaz-System S.A. signed an agreement on cooperation in preparing the feasibility study on December 17, 2014. The document provides for not only the integration of the gas transportation systems of both countries in order to increase gas imports to Ukraine from Europe through Poland but also ensuring European gas storage in Ukraine's underground gas storage facilities and its subsequent supply to EU consumers. Madhya Pradesh governor Om Prakash Kohli in Indore on Thursday urged the educated youth to be involved in societal welfare and start doing so by informing at least 10 others about needs to go cashless. Having piety and compassion are the hallmarks of the educated. It is incumbent upon them to work for the betterment of the country so that India joins the rank of developed countries from the developing rank, he said in his address at the convocation ceremony for graduates of 2012-13 and 2013-14 batches at Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya. He urged the varsity authorities to device ways to ensure that the lakhs of uneducated youth are included in the ambit of higher education. Fifty per cent of the country are youths, but this demographic dividend will become a headache if they remain uneducated and unemployed, he said, adding that universities should make degree holders employable. Calling for better research and education standards in the universities, the governor said DAVV should collaborate with foreign universities besides working with Indian counterparts. He also said there should be a balance over courses between technical education, management and humanities streams in universities. Humanities are neglected at present, but they are a must for a well-rounded personalities, he said. The convocation was presided over by GLA University (Mathura) vice-chancellor DS Chauhan, who in his address said, universities in India give quality education with limited budget. The governor gave medals to students who had received Ph.d degrees and secured top ranks in various subjects. Mayor Malini Gaud and MLA Usha Thakur and DAVV vice-chancellor were also present on the occasion.htc Prime Minister Narendra Modis urge to people to become part of a cashless society for corruption less, black money-free India has kicked off debate within his own party on how to spend money for BJPs functions. Bharatiya Janata Party Indore unit has consulted chartered accountants associated with the party on how much the BJP can spend on its functions and ways by which it can go cashless while spending money. The BJPs concern comes in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modis stress on need to move to cashless economy during his Man ki Baat address on radio on Sunday. The party fears that it may have to face PMs displeasure in case it doesnt follow suit. Weve consulted chartered accountants , tax and finance experts on this issue; for example how to pay for hoardings, garlands, meals, snacks in case we hold functions. Its a very bold decision by the PM. Party wants to get into cashless mode as soon as possible, state BJP vice-president Jitu Jirati told HT, adding that the party functions will no longer be as grand as in the recent past, but would be effective. The BJP and its ideologue Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will hold two major functions this month which will be under public glare for money they will spend. State BJP will hold Hitgrahi sammelan, a large convention of beneficiaries of different government welfare schemes in Bhopal on December 4. The RSS-affiliate Akhil Bhartiya Vivyarthi Parishad (ABVP) will hold national convention in Indore from December 22-27 in which over 5,000 students are expected to take part. Though the two functions are aimed to prepare base to get votes in 2018 assembly elections, the party is struggling to find balance of spending cash to woo voters and yet remaining transparent, cashless in its transactions. Partys MPs and MLAs are equally worried on how they will show expenses in case they organise functions in their constituencies. PM has asked MPs, MLAs to submit details of all transactions they have done through banks from November 8 to December 31. We dont know what he will announce next, a BJP MLA said seeking anonymity. Officials of Namli Central Bank in MP thought it better to violate RBI norms this time, as the couple for whose marriage the Kamravat community had approached them to allow withdrawal of Rs 2.5 lakh, were deities themselves. In Namli village of Ratlam district, marriage ceremony of the holy Tulsi (basil plant) with Lord Charbhuja Nath (Lord Vishnu) hit the roadblock when the bank refused to grant the cash withdrawal after the community members had approached them with a wedding card as proof on Monday. The savings account in the deitys name has Rs 5.35 lakh in it. Bank officials told them that the money can only be given to parents of the bride and the groom, as per directions of Reserve Bank of India. The decision hurt religious sentiments of the villagers, who later informed the district collector, higher-ups of the bank officials and threatened to stage a demonstration and lodge a missing complaint of the deitys parents with police. Collector B Chandrashekhar and bank officials promised villagers a solution. The bank officials then made fund transfers of Rs 24,000 each to the accounts of eight members of the community, totalling Rs 1.92 lakh. Kumavat community convener Rajesh Bharava said, People from neighbouring villages participated in the ceremony. About 6,000 people took part in the feast. Only 10% of the total ATM cards issued under Jan Dhan bank accounts are in use in tribal dominated Jhabua district, highlighting the fact that success of cashless economy in India will not come easily. About 50,000 ATM cards were distributed among Jan Dhan account holders in the past two years. Of them, 5,000 are in use, according to the district lead bank managers office. What is it (ATM card)? I dont know. I only got passbook, Jan Dhan account holder Kamatu Bai told HT. Another account holder Madhu Bai said: I fear fraud. That is why I didnt use Jan Dhan ATM card despite having it. Since I dont know how to use an ATM card, I dont want someone to go to ATM and withdraw money for me as that person may cheat, said Somala of Madhopura village. Prime Minister Narendar Modi recalled old 500 and 1,000 banknotes from November 9 in an effort to tackle graft and undeclared wealth. Experts say demonetisation gives a significant push towards a cashless economy. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana is aimed at providing banking services to all households in the country. Situation is worse when it comes to use of Kisan Credit Cards (KCC). A total of 84,832 farmers were issued KCC in the district through 65 co-operative bank branches. While 50,143 farmers were issued paper cards, which resemble small diary or passbook, 34,689 were given plastic cards. But, those having plastic cards were not using it for withdrawal or cashless purchase as they prefer cash transaction. District collector Ashish Saxena said the administration would motivate traders and tribal people to opt for cashless economy. We will educate them in this regard, he said. No money for farming, daily chores in Pachore Surrounded by agricultural fields, cash-strapped Pachore village in MPs Agar district epitomises hardships rural inhabitants are facing post demonetisation, as people get ready to go to neighbouring towns since the village lacks ATMs. While focusing on the sowing season, many villagers could not exchange the now-defunct notes and fear that soon, there wont be any Rs 100 or Rs 10 denomination banknote left with them for day-to-day expenditure. People in bigger cites have enough options and so, are unaware of the disastrous impact of demonetisation on rural India., said Pachore village head Panna Bai, 58. We are apprehensive about Government of Indias preparation and fulfillment of its stated goals, said villager Ratanlal Bairagi, 65. Bharajis 34-year-old nephew Nandaji Bharaji met with an accident recently and needs immediate surgery. But the old man needs to move either to Agar or Kanad to get money. Pachores middle school headmaster Seetaram Mewad said, We are facing problems not only with attendance of school teachers but also with disbursement of scholarships. One has to take a day off in order to go to the banks, he said. Farmer Keshav Bhai says, Our crops are not selling at the right price, so we are giving them to traders on credit. We have no cash to cultivate the next winter crop, or even plan for it. Additional district magistrate Sanghmitra Gautam admitted that installation of ATMs in the village is not feasible as there are certain criteria which need to be fixed beforehand, such as security and frequency of transaction. Moana Directors - Ron Clements and John Musker Cast - Aulii Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Nicole Scherzinger, Jemaine Clement, Alan Tudyk Rating - 3.5/5 The Disney princess is resilient. She mops floors. She cooks and cleans. She is often patronised. But she goes on adventures. She inspires generations. Like a goddess, she has many avatars. In 2016, she arrives in the form of Moana, a young girl from a Polynesian island called Motunui. She is the chiefs daughter, destined to lead her people and keep them safe from the monsters in the seas that surround them, stories about whom she is told by her eccentric grandma. One of these stories is about the demigod Maui. As the legend goes, Maui stole the heart of the island goddess Te Fiti in a characteristically cocky attempt to harness its power. Immediately, he was confronted by the lava god Te Ka, who defeated Maui, and left him stranded on an island, his magical fishhook, and Te Fitis heart, lost in the sea forever. This escapade earned Maui a reputation that robbed him of all respect. Like Loki, his mischievous ways overwhelmed whatever nobility he ever had. In the eyes of those that once worshipped him, Maui became an outcast. A thousand years later, in a world in which Maui is all but an old grandmothers tale, Moanas island is attacked in a most mysterious manner. The huge trees and majestic mountains, once lush with tropical greenery, turn sooty black and disintegrate. It seems to be the lava god Te Kas doing. But Moana receives a sign from the seas. It is a little green stone; Te Fitis heart. With her stern fathers warnings ringing in her mind, she answers the call. Moana is the chosen one. She must journey across the vast seas, accompanied with her dim-witted chicken Heihei, and she must find Maui, the only one who can take her to restore Te Fitis heart. There are two ways in which Moana can be viewed, and neither of them should matter to the audience for which it was made. Children will adore it regardless. They will be mesmerised by its beauty. They will find new heroes to idolise. They will sing its songs and they will curl in fear at the sight of its creatively-designed monsters. But where Moana succeeds, it also stalls. In the recent streak of excellent films by Disney Animation (not to be confused with Pixar), which includes Tangled, Frozen, Big Hero 6, Zootopia and Wreck-it Ralph (my personal favourite), Moana is probably the youngest-skewing of the lot. As glorious as it is to listen to Dwayne Johnson rap Lin-Manuel Mirandas lyrics, and as fun as it is to watch a large action scene that is clearly a homage to Mad Max: Fury Road, there are moments in which Moana feels too innocent for desensitised minds and this is most evident in its humour, which should be just fine for children, but is never as biting as some of those classic Pixar films. But speaking of Lin-Manuel Miranda, this would probably be the first time the rest of the world is exposed to his genius. His musical Hamilton earned the unique distinction of becoming a cultural phenomenon despite most of the world never having experienced it. But with Moana, he will become a household name, and will also probably win an Oscar. But Moanas success as a musical should hardly come as a surprise since it is directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, two names you will be impressed with in a moment, when I inform you that they also directed Aladdin and The Little Mermaid. Moana is a fine addition to Disneys already enviable roster of princesses. As portrayed by newcomer Aulii Cravalho, she is endearing, warm, and spunky. And Dwayne Johnson, as Maui, is wonderful as the more flamboyant, charismatic foil to her character. He basically plays himself, but something tells me no one would be complaining about that. In the end, Moana is a terrific Disney movie; vibrant, joyful, with great music and enthusiastic performances. It is steeped in tradition, both of its many legendary predecessors and the colourful culture it celebrates. Follow @htshowbiz for more The author tweets @NaaharRohan ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop The Nehru Nagar police have busted a fake subscriber-identification-module (SIM) card racket with the arrest of three people earlier this week , while another accused is still at large. The four accused would use bogus documents for activating SIM cards to complete their sale targets, police said. The accused include employees of two telephone network companies who would get a commission from the shop owners. According to the police, the four accused have been identified as Imran Mohommad Shafiq, 26, owner of a mobile phone shop in Kurla, Mohommad Sameer Shafiq, 29, owner of a shop in Govandi and Bhavesh Patil, 32, territory manager for a telephone network company while the fourth accused, Miraj Ahmad Khan, 28, an employee of another telephone network company, managed to escape. Senior police inspector Pramod Koparde from Nehru Nagar police station said, We got to know from a credible source that Imran procured a fake SIM card for a person based in Parbhani. As Parbhani has a history of alleged terror modules operating from there, we couldnt let go of the information. We raided his shop and recovered more than 200 such SIM cards. The police then contacted the person in Parbhani and learnt that he had never asked for a SIM card. The gang had made a fake voter identity card in his name, used a computer photoshop software and applied for the SIM card, police said. Koparde said, Imran revealed the role of Sameer, a shop owner in Govandi who would get the fake documents and hand it over to Imran. Later, both would apply for SIM cards. The roles of two telephone network company employees in the racket were later revealed. Patil, a territory manager, would make fake voter identity cards for them. Patil would use a photo and someone elses address and create a fake identity card. Officials had detained the other employee, Khan, for questioning, but after he was released, he escaped from the city, police said. Further investigations revealed that three months after a SIM card was activated, they would port the number to another network to complete their sale targets for that network company. We have recovered more than 150 fake voter identity cards from Patil. The accused said the constant pressure of meeting their sale targets forced them to activate SIM cards through bogus documents, said Koparde. How it was done Bhavesh Patil, 32, territory manager for a telephone network company, saves a picture from a social networking site and picks up a random address from the Internet. He later makes a fake voter identity card using the information Patil then hands the fake identity cards to the mobile phone shop owners, Imran and Sameer They then apply for the SIM cards using fake address proofs and get it activated Police start their investigation, assuming terrorism links . Three months after a SIM card is activated, they port the number to another network to complete their sale targets for that network company Charges The bogus SIM card racket attracts the following charges Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 465 (punishment for forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged), 473 (making or possessing counterfeit seal, etc., with intent to commit forgery punishable otherwise) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code Read SIM card racket exposed IM module SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Former chief minister Manohar Joshi, also a senior Shiv Sena leader, on Friday indicated that all is well in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Shiv Sena alliance, despite much speculation over its future, and praised the Narendra Modi-led governments demonetisation move. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray shared stage for the third time this week at the book release of Joshis latest title Ayushya Kase Jagave? (How should one live life?) on the occasion of his 79th birthday. Earlier this week, the chief minister and the Sena chief shared stage and exuded camaraderie at the opening of a new disaster management cell of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the launch of a new water supply tunnel in Mumbai. While both the chief minister and the Sena Chief on Friday chose to focus their speeches on Joshis life and achievements, the former chief minister indicated that the relationship between the Sena and the BJP is still as strong as it was earlier. Joshi, who was Maharashtras chief minister from 1995 to 1999, said, When I was chief minister, the alliance was strong and lasted for 25 years. I wonder why people are concerned today about whether the alliance will continue. I deliberately invited the chief minister today to put all such fears to rest. Joshi, Maharashtras first non-Congress chief minister, added, At a personal level, I know that the Shiv Sena chief and the chief minister are very close to each other. Relations between the Shiv Sena and BJP have been choppy ever since the 2014 assembly elections when the allies split only to come together in a post-poll tie up, with Sena, which traditionally had the upper hand in the alliance, being relegated to a junior partner. The party, despite being in the government, has had constant spats with the BJP over issues such as changes in the land acquisition Act, the closure of Mumbais abattoirs during a Jain festival, the alignment of a Metro railway line and so on. Thackeray and other Shiv Sena leaders also sharply criticised the method of implementation of Modis demonetisation move, saying it is causing distress to the common man and the government should have been better prepared. Incidentally, Shiv Senas Joshi, who has had differences with Thackeray in the past, praised the Union governments decision to demonetise. The prime minister is himself taking steps for the countrys progress and directly addressing people. This is something new happening in this country, the former chief minister said. He added, Those who havent even understood the (demonetisation) scheme are talking about it. But I can say with conviction, if our country has to progress then such measures are important. Joshi, who served as Mumbais Mayor, a legislator, a chief minister, a parliamentarian and a Lok Sabha Speaker, has had a long and chequered political career. The Shiv Sena leader was known to be a trusted lieutenant of former Sena chief Bal Thackeray. The leader, however, had his share of clashes with son Uddhav Thackeray, when the latter just took over the partys reins after the former Sena chiefs death. Joshis chief ministership also ended on a controversial note as he had to step down facing allegations of favouring his builder son-in-law in an apartment project. The Sena leaders book, launched on Friday, outlines his own journey from the clutches of poverty during his childhood, his education, his growth as an entrepreneur and a politician. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The government on Friday accorded the Class A pilgrimage and tourist destination status to Chaityabhoomi, the memorial of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Meanwhile, a year after laying the foundation stone of the memorial, the government is unlikely to begin the construction of the memorial, at Indu Mills in Dadar, in the next few months. The government decided to begin the demolition of the old structure in the next few days. The new status means that Chaityabhoomi will get the priority for maintenance and will be promoted extensively to attract tourists. Social justice minister Rajkumar Badole said, After a continuous follow up, the Centre has given us the nod to accord the Class A destination to the memorial. Maharashtra has about 20 Class A tourist destinations, including five world heritage sites such as CST railway station, Ajanta-Ellora, Elephanta, Kaas plateau. The Class A destinations are promoted on the global map for tourism, said Satish Soni, joint managing director, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation. The minister said that the demolition of the old structure at Indu Mills will soon begin and the construction of the memorial may start in two months. According to sources, the construction, however, may not begin before April-May. The delay in settling the compensation issue with the textiles ministry and the redesigning of the project delayed the project, an official said. Uma Palace Bar and Restaurant at Mulund, which was in the news five years ago during the investigation into the murder of senior journalist J Dey, is among the 10 erstwhile dance bars in Mumbai that have applied for fresh licenses within a week of the Supreme Court asking the Maharashtra government to approve applications for restarting dance bars. In an interim order on November 24, the Supreme Court allowed dance bars, which had not been granted license in spite seeking licenses, to submit applications to the government authority concerned. The court said if the applicants stand at par with the three dance bar owners who have already been granted licenses, the competent authority shall consider their applications on the concept of parity. Sources in the Mumbai police headquarters (HQII) branch, which is the licensing authority for dance bars, told HT that the 10 dance bars are among the 34 that had applied for license earlier. Now we will examine whether the applicants have followed the guidelines [as has been done by the three dance bars] before issuing licenses, said a senior officer, requesting anonymity. As per procedure, senior police inspectors from the police stations under whose jurisdictions the bars are located have been authorised to submit compliance reports to the HQ (II) following inspection of the premises. Only after the receipt of the report, a survey is conducted by the HQ (II) before the dance bar is deemed fit for a license. The officer, however, said the dance bars would be required to follow the closure deadline of 11.30pm till the Supreme Courts final hearing on January 11 on the petition filed by the Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association (AHAR) against the conditional functioning of the dance bars. Meanwhile, Adarsh Shetty, president of AHAR, said, Now that the court has asked the government to revert to conditions applied to dance bars prior to 2005, we are hopeful of the restoration of the old timings [11.30 pm] when the petition is finally disposed of on January 11. In May this year, the Mumbai police had given license to Aero Punjab and Sai Prasad bars at Andheri and Indiana bar at Tardeo, with conditions that they would adhere to the rules laid down in the license. In July, AHAR challenged the 37 new conditions the dance bars were required to fulfill to get licences. So strict were the conditions, the petition said, that even two months after the state government issued licenses to the three dance bars, none of them were able to reopen. The conditions included mandatory installation of CCTV cameras within the dance bar, their locations must be at least a kilometre away from educational or religious institutions, a ban on serving alcohol in the performance area and restrictive timings 6pm to 11.30pm. In September, the court, while upholding AHARs contention, stated that the bars would operate under the old terms and conditions that allowed CCTV cameras in the entrance and serving liquor in the permit room where performance take place. Read Errant dance bar owners in Mumbai could be prosecuted using harsher new rules Issue licences to dance bars as per old rules: SC to Maharashtra govt Maharashtra government yet to issue licences to three dance bars SC to hear plea against Maharashtras new laws on dance bar SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed the school education department to install biometric devices in all local body and aided schools across the state. The move is aimed at helping the government keep a check on the actual number of students registered in these schools. Knowing the actual number of students in these schools will help the government ascertain how much financial grant needs to be disbursed to these schools, said officials. In a review meeting attended by education minister Vinod Tawde, minister for higher and technical education Ravindra Waikar, social justice minister Dilip Kamble and secretaries from the departments held on Thursday evening, Fadnavis has also asked the school and higher and technical education departments to link all the scholarship schemes with Aadhaar and complete the target of making 33,000 schools digital. He has also asked them to make their transactions cashless. The state government has been pushing for cashless transactions in all its departments in the wake of the demonetisation. Fadnavis has also directed the higher and technical education department to prepare a plan to bring Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur universities in the top universities list. He also reviewed the schemes implemented by the social justice department and asked officials to expedite the works under the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Entrepreneurship Scheme, which aims at providing security to farmers belonging to the scheduled castes. The department has been also asked to prepare a policy on facilities to be given to the physically challenged and senior citizens by March 17. CM calls for cashless society The Centre has appointed chief minister Devendra Fadnavis as member of a high-power committee of chief ministers to promoting a cashless society in the country. In its first video-conference meeting on Thursday, Fadnavis emphasised on reverse working for a cashless society, like giving priority to the needs of farmers, labourers from unorganised sector and small vendors. He also briefed the committee on the remedies and steps taken by his government towards the promotion of a cashless economy. Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu is convenor of the committee Read Fadnavis asks administration to prepare roadmap for cashless economy Mumbai not the economic capital of India? Think again Nitish Kumar not a member of CMs panel for digital payments, Nilekani in Missile drills conducted by the Ukrainian Air Force in the country's south are a scheduled event, which is unrelated to the NATO intention to broaden its presence in the Black Sea region, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said. "These exercises of the Air Force have absolutely no relation to the NATO plans to bolster its forces in the Black Sea basin. The alliance sees the threats, the reassignment of Russian military capacities in Crimea, and the enlargement of forces. So, they are offering an appropriate response by increasing their group precisely in the Black Sea," Poltorak told Interfax in an interview on Thursday. He said that Ukraine was ready to cooperate with NATO in that field. "However, I think this can be done upon coordination, after alliance member countries make a strategic decision. We cannot make this decision on our own," he said. The police on Wednesday arrested a 46-year-old security guard for stealing Rs9.15 lakh cash from a mall in Bandra (West) in July. As the suspect had shielded his face from CCTV cameras using an umbrella, the police could not identify him. However, he emerged as the sole suspect during investigations. According to the Bandra police, the accused, Ramankumar Mishra, robbed Reliance Mall on Hill Road. Mishra, a native of Muzzafarpur in Bihar, had been working as a guard at the mall for the past six months. He had come to the city after he received a text message offering him a job as a security guard in a private firm. On the night of the robbery, Mishra entered the mall from the emergency exit. He picked up an umbrella lying inside and used it to shield his face from the CCTV cameras. Only his feet could be seen. Mishra even reported for duty on the next two days, knowing he had not left behind any evidence leading to him. However, as the police started questioning each of the malls 150 guards, Mishra developed cold feet and fled to Bihar. In Bihar, he bought a car worth Rs4 lakh, deposited Rs2 lakh and also gave his friends money, said senior police inspector Pandit Thakare of Bandra police station. After continued surveillance, we arrested him from Vile Parle. He has confessed, said police inspector, crime, Sanjeev Bhole. A magistrate court remanded him in our custody till December 8. He has no prior criminal record, said investigating officer Dhanaji Sathe. A special investigation team will file a charge sheet in the rape and molestation of three minors at a tribal boarding school in Khamgaon, Buldhana district, on Saturday, said sources. A charge sheet needs to be filed within three months of the case being registered, but in most cases, the deadline is not met. On November 3, a 10-year-old girl was found to have been raped at the tribal boarding school. Suspecting more girls might have been targeted, the state government formed an SIT to investigate the case. A few days later, parents of five other students claimed their girls were raped at the boarding school. Of them, one girl filed a complaint of rape and another filed a complaint of molestation. A total of 16 people were arrested in the case. Aarti Singh, senior IPS officer, leading the SIT, said, We have completed the investigation and will take it further. The main accused in the case is the sweeper, who sexually exploited the girls, while 15 others have been booked for not fulfilling their duties. The Buldhana police filed three FIRs under section 376 of the Indian Penal code (IPC) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had said the charge sheet would be filed in a month. During the investigation, the accused allegedly confessed to exploiting two girls sexually, denying the allegations made by the third girl. The medical reports of the two girls confirmed rape and will act as evidence against the accused, sources said. The state has deregistered the tribal boarding school and the tribal development department is shifting all students to boarding schools in the vicinity. The department plans to come with a child protection policy for students of tribal boarding schools Read more: Five things we know about the Buldhana tribal school rapes SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON An exhaustive 5,786-page charge sheet was filed by the Thane police crime branch on Friday in the call centre scam busted in October after raids on nine call centres in Mira Road. The charge sheet says the employees, masquerading as American revenue officials, made threatening calls to people in the US, forcing them to make payments. The charge sheet, however, is silent on money trail. The call centres were raided on October 4. The probe that followed found the centres were used as a front to cheat loan defaulters in the US. Police sources said the call centres employees would target loan defaulters. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Parag Manere said 80 people have been named as accused in the charge sheet, which has been split into three parts one for the case at Kashimira and two more for cases Naya Nagar police station. Three accused are common to all cases. The scams alleged kingpin, Sagar Thakkar, alias Shaggy, his sister Reema , business partners Tapesh and Jimmy are among 28 who are wanted. The charge sheet has statements from 200 witnesses, including 10 who were under oath assistant commissioner of police (ACP), crime, M Hatote told HT. This will bolster evidence in the case, Manere said. The DCP said the police also came across numbers of some of the victims. We sent them text messages, requesting them to register complaints, he said. The police provided them an email address and links to fill complaint forms. So far, we have received 40 complaints from the US. This will be used as evidence, Manere said. Seized cars and laptops, computers, hard discs, chairs and tables have all been clubbed as evidence. The accused have been charged under IPC sections for extortion, cheating, destruction of evidence and criminal conspiracy, apart from sections of the Indian Telegraph Act and IT Act. READ MORE Thane call centre scam: Police get vendors details from emails A 30-year-old Ghaziabad police constable, who sustained a bullet injury after allegedly being shot by a colleague, succumbed to injuries at a private hospital early Friday morning. Sukhbir Singh was on duty with a PCR van when he was shot by Umesh Yadav, a constable posted at Loha Mandi police post. Singh was shot with a 9mm service pistol allegedly following an altercation on Thursday. Singh was rushed to a private hospital in Kavi Nagar but was later referred to Yashoda Hospital in Ghaziabad . The injured constable was rushed to a private hospital where he succumbed to injuries. We have registered a case against Yadav, who is absconding. The case will now be converted to sections pertaining to murder, said Salmantaj Patil, superintendent of police (city). On Thursday night, the police had lodged a case of attempt to murder and under provisions of the SC/ST Act against accused Umesh, who hails from Etawah. The police are yet to recover the murder weapon. Doctors said the shooting led to severe internal injuries and heavy bleeding. The bullet had made an entry wound in the abdomen and made an exit near the hip joint. He died around 2.30am on Friday. He was operated upon earlier and the bullet was taken out. But, since the shot was fired from close range, the bullet got lodged in his abdomen and injured his internal organs which led to his death, said Dr Gaurav Kaushik, deputy medical superintendent of Yashoda Hospital. My brother left behind his wife and three minor children. The body will be taken to our native place, said Kaviraj Singh, the victims cousin. Police are still clueless about what led to the altercation. However, eyewitnesses said both the constables had a few drinks. But the exact sequence of events would be known only after a detailed inquiry. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Long queues were seen at various petrol pumps in the city on Friday ahead of the midnight deadline for fuel stations to accept the scrapped Rs500 notes. As petrol pumps will not be allowed to accept the old notes from Saturday, customers sought to get their fuel tanks filled to capacity in a bid to use Rs500 notes. The decision (to end acceptance of Rs500 notes) has come too early even though the government had announced that these notes would be accepted till December 15. It is to be seen what will happen from Saturday when customers hand over Rs2,000 notes to pay for fuel. The new Rs500 notes are not much in circulation in the city yet, said Satpal Singh of Vijay Nagar. Most petrol pumps saw nearly 80% of the customers using Rs500 notes to purchase fuel on Friday. However, petrol pump owners said that as a huge number of Rs100 notes were already in circulation, customers would start using them now. We are expecting more Rs100 notes to come into circulation from Saturday. The problem of getting change for the new Rs2,000 note may crop up. At present, nearly 10% of our customers are using cards to pay for fuel. Earlier, the share was around 3%-5%, said Gunjan Gupta, at a fuel station at GT Road. Other dealers have started accepting payment through digital wallet systems and have also trained their staff accordingly. Our 15 employees are now trained as we installed the online wallet system. The number of customers paying through debit cards has gone up from 5% to 10% since November 8. However, people still use cash to buy fuel. There is also the problem of getting money from banks as their employees say they dont have enough cash to dispense, said KK Garg of Shiva Automobiles. Members of petrol dealers associations said they will hand over a memorandum to district officials soon to apprise them of the issue of getting change for higher denominations and not getting enough notes of Rs100 and lower denominations from banks. There will be an issue from Saturday when old Rs500 notes will no longer be accepted. Petrol pumps will face difficulties arranging change if customers arrive with new Rs2,000 notes and buy fuel only for Rs400-Rs500. The issue will be brought to the knowledge of officials to be communicated to banks, said Jaivir Singh, president, Ghaziabad and Hapur Petroleum Dealers Association. He added that of the nearly 100 petrol pumps under them, hardly 10% have been able to dispense the Rs2,000 cash to customers through point of sale machines, as per an earlier government order. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Prime Ministers Office (PMO) has given in principle approval of Rs 3 lakh from the PMs National Relief Fund to Dorris Francis for her treatment. The 57-year-old is battling cancer and the family is finding difficult to pay for her treatment. Dorris is a traffic volunteer from Ghaziabad, manning the busy Khoda-Indirapuram cut since 2009, after her 20-year-old daughter was killed in an accident at the same spot. Her health deteriorated during Diwali and she was diagnosed with cancer. She was admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences where she was operated upon on November 23. Read| Indirapuram traffic volunteer battles cancer, family struggles financially Her daughter sold off her bike for Rs 20,000 and her husband planned to pledge their house in Khoda for Rs 25,000. We are overwhelmed and thankful that the Prime Minister intervened to help her out. His gesture will help us get treatment for my mother. Other residents have also supported us and stood by us in testing times, said Monika, Dorris daughter. The case of Smt. Dorris Francis has been considered and a grant of Rs 3,00,000 (three lakhs only) from the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund to partially defray the expense involved in her cancer treatment is sanctioned in-principle for taking treatment at AIIMS, New Delhi (sic), the letter stated. The communication sent to the medical superintendent of AIIMS also stated that the hospital shall assume responsibility for her treatment and furnish every detail of the treatment and expenditure in a specified format, to enable release of payment. There are many good Samaritans who are still approaching us in order to contribute to help out Dorris, said Alok Kumar, founder, Federation of Apartment Owner Association, Indirapuram. On November 30, before the PMOs response came in, Dorris was transferred to Max Hospital in Vaishali, where the authorities began her treatment, free of cost. It is now up to the family to decide whether they want to keep Dorris in Max or avail of the PMOs offer to get treated at AIIMS. Read| Help pours in for Ghaziabads fighter traffic volunteer Dorris Francis SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Supreme Court has ruled that Indias National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana, must be played in all movie theatres before the screening of films; that the audience should stand during the anthem; and, that the doors should be closed so that people do not walk in or walk out during these 58 seconds. We may quibble over whether its a good idea to play the National Anthem in cinema halls, but frankly this is a concern that bothers a minute section of the countrys population. For the vast, overwhelming majority, its a good idea for a public congregation to be used for inculcating a sense of what Justice Deepak Mishra has described as constitutional patriotism. Let us not forget that those who are acutely conscious, even if ever so vaguely, of the fundamental rights protected by the Constitution, are ignorant that the same Constitution also mandates a set of fundamental duties for the citizens which are followed more in the breach than in their practice. One of them is to not merely pay lip service to the Constitution but also respect the National Flag and the National Anthem. In recent years wilful disrespect for these sacred symbols of Indian nationhood has become a fashion; a fad for the mocking generation of our deracinated urban elite. Freedom and liberty are now construed to mean the right to repudiate the defining markers of the Indian nation by those who also insist that access to the Indian passport is their irrefutable right, regardless of the fact that this document formalises an individuals national identity. Seen in this context, the judge cannot be faulted for pointing out that citizens of the country must realise that they live in a nation, and reiterating that the idea of individual rights prevailing over national identity is constitutionally impermissible. Read| National anthem in cinema halls: Supreme Court may have gone way too far this time We cant be selective in endorsing this perception at a time when the Supreme Court is hearing a slew of petitions supporting and opposing the view that a communitys personal laws are above the Constitution and beyond the jurisdiction of a secular republics judiciary. Those in support of personal laws are arguing from the position that individual rights are supreme, not the nation and its ideals. While there is no data to back this up, anecdotal evidence would suggest that most Indians have no issues about singing Jana Gana Mana or being respectful towards the National Anthem. It gives them a sense of belonging to what is often described in deracinated circles as the idea of India. Like the oft-quoted Samuel Johnson statement, Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel, this borrowed use of Rabindranath Tagores phrase, the idea of India to claim there is no Indian nationhood but an amorphous and imagined entity, is also misplaced. Just as glibly quoting Tagores views on nationalism without mentioning the context or situation that framed those views makes little or no sense. Tagores Jana Gana Mana was not penned as an ode to India as we know it today. It was composed as a five-stanza veneration of Para Brahma, the formless supreme being who protects this land and its people. It was later included in the liturgy of the Brahmo Samaj as a Brahmo sangeet, or psalm. The opening stanza was adopted as the National Anthem because it lends itself to defining the nation of India spiritually, politically and culturally. That few Indians are aware of the full story of their National Anthem is a measure of how shoddily it has been treated by those in power and those who benefit from the use of that power by no means the majority of Indians. The Supreme Court has done well to take a first corrective step in the right direction. It merits to be welcomed, not critiqued. Read| SC order on national anthem in cinema halls mirrors aggressive hyper-nationalism (The author is commissioning editor, ABP News, and blogger) In a stinging blow against individual liberty, Indias Supreme Court made it mandatory for all cinema theatres to play the national anthem before the start of every film. A time has come, the learned judges declared, when the citizens of the country must realise that they live in a nation and are duty bound to show respect to National Anthem which is the symbol of the Constitutional Patriotism. This obligation, Indias highest court held, is imperative for advancing the love of the motherland. I recall an article I wrote in great anguish days after witnessing the brutal communal massacre that was unfolding across Gujarat in 2002. I declared at that time, There is much that the murdering mobs in Gujarat have robbed from me. One of them is a song I often sang with pride and conviction. The words of the song are: Sare jahan se achha, Hindustan hamaraIt is a song I will never be able to sing again. I titled my lament Cry My Beloved Country. I believed then, as I do now, that there are many ways of loving my country. One of these was to refuse to sing my countrys praises. I chose that way in a moment of profound collective moral and political failure, as the blood of innocent children and women flowed on the streets. This ruling of Indias highest court, carrying the weight of law, troublingly mirrors the aggressive hyper-nationalism that is sweeping the country today. In this discourse, the nation, its leader, the government and the countrys religious majority all converge. Opposition to majoritarian politics and vigilantism, as much as dissent with central government policy and criticism of the Prime Minister, are all painted alike as impermissible disloyalty to the nation. Read| National anthem in cinema halls not real test of patriotism This applies equally if you oppose military action against young stone-throwing teenagers in Kashmir that fells and blinds them, as if you contest the official adventurism of declaring overnight 85 percent of the countrys currency worthless, uncaring of the pain to Indias impoverished millions and the inability of this measure to actually erase the bulk of the countrys black money. This dissent, or any other, is depicted as disagreement not with a political ideology or government but rebellion against the nation. In one fell swoop, leftists, liberals and the countrys many minorities are all coloured as anti-national. They merit therefore an unending volley of trolls, abuse, expulsion from official public and cultural spaces, and sometimes, as with left-leaning university students, jailing and punishment for the high crime of sedition against the nation. If you complain about people forced to spend hours in line to draw their money, you are reminded about the sacrifice of soldiers in the countrys borders, as though railing against what you may see as a poorly conceived and ill-prepared drastic government measure with unacceptably high human costs is unpatriotic. On the other side of this same spectacle of faux nationalism, the body of a man who dies in prison after being jailed and tried for participating in a lynch mob which cruelly killed a man on the rumour that he had killed a cow is wrapped in the countrys national flag in the presence of a Union minister. This is the intolerant majoritarian ideological architecture to which the countrys highest judges have gratuitously contributed the legitimacy of law. Their ruling breaches individual freedoms. Love for ones country cannot be reduced to a ritual adherence to symbols, more so when these are coerced by law and vigilantism. No court or law can prescribe conditions that I must adhere to in order to belong to the nation, no obligation to publicly demonstrate love for the nation. To love your country cannot be reduced to standing for the national anthem. Instead, it means standing up for justice, for truth, for kindness. It means indeed the obligation of public dissent, of standing in solidarity with the oppressed, of speaking truth to power. Read| National anthem in cinema halls: Supreme Court may have gone way too far this time (Harsh Mander is author, Looking Away: Inequality, Prejudice and Indifference in New India) The holy city is all set to host the 6th Heart of Asia ministerial conference beginning Saturday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani among top dignitaries scheduled to attend the event. The two-day conference, which focuses on regional cooperation between Afghanistan and its neighbours to improve connectivity and tackle security threats, also assumes significance as Sartaj Aziz, adviser to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, will be leading the Pakistani delegation. Though no bilateral talks between India and Pakistan are scheduled on the sidelines of the conference, the participation of the Aziz-led Pakistani delegation is expected to help diffuse the ongoing tensions between the two countries. Delegates from over 30 countries, including around 15 Asian nations, will be participating in the conference, whose theme this year is Addressing Challenges, Achieving Prosperity. Foreign secretaries will have deliberations on Saturday while the ministers will attend the conference on Sunday. PM Modi, President Ghani and Aziz will also attend the event on Sunday. The focus of the event will be on regional issues, with a view to encouraging peace, political and economic cooperation between Afghanistan and its neighbours. The Heart of AsiaIstanbul Process was founded in 2011 and the first conference was held at Istanbul that year. Meanwhile, Modi and Ghani are likely to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple. The PM may also visit the newly built Heritage Street and have dinner at the heritage village Saada Pind on the Attari road. This is for the first time that India is hosting this conference. Amritsar has reportedly been chosen as the venue as it is a connecting point of Asian countries and is close to Afghanistan. It is also learnt that the Modi government wants to bring such international conferences out of the national capital to showcase other Indian cities. CITY TURNS INTO FORTRESS The holy city has turned into a fortress with high security arrangements having been made for the high-profile event Taking no chances, the administration has deployed 11 companies of the paramilitary forces and over 5,000 cops in Amritsar. Almost all major hotels in the city have been booked and nakas set up all over the city. As Hotel Radisson is the main venue for the conference, it is being guarded very closely. Hotel Taj Vivanta, where the PM will be staying, has also been cordoned-off and heavy security deployment has been made around it. STRAP/BLURB PM Modi, Afghan President to attend event; Sartaj Aziz to lead Pak delegation, but no bilateral talks scheduled SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON When it comes to wooing voters, political parties do not shy away from promising the moon. The Congress and the BJP too made similar pledges in their 2011 manifestos for the MC elections. But five years down the line, both the parties have failed to keep their word. Some common unfulfilled promises include garbage disposal, malba removal, the uplift of cremation grounds and graveyards and construction of more banquets in sectors. Congress chief Pardeep Chhabra said the party had fulfilled most of the promises made in 2011, but the BJP disrupted the House for four years and never allowed them to work. However, he added that this time the party will keep more than its word. Contradicting Chhabras statement, mayor Arun Sood said it was the Congress that failed to fulfil these promises for four years, but in the past year the BJP did most of the work. However, the blame game goes on with both parties politicising every issue. Promises that the two parties kept in the last five years were negligible compared to the claims made by both Some work done : Congress The MC bills were made available online for total transparency and greater efficiency, online filling of property tax returns under self-assessment scheme and birth and death certificates along with them made available online. Unkept promises of Congress GARBAGE DISPOSAL: The proper collection and disposal of garbage still remains an issue worth improving for the city. The party had claimed that it will try to come up with a lasting solution for the problem of foul smell emanating from the plant, but nothing was worked out to date. MALBA REMOVAL: In 2011 former Union minister Pawan Kumar Bansal suggested to the general house that special teams and vehicles should be deployed across the city to pick up malba. For almost four years, the suggestion was reiterated by every Congress mayor soon after assuming power but nothing was done to this effect. UPLIFT OF CREMATORIUMS AND GRAVEYARDS: Every mayor in his term visited the cremation grounds to upgrade their facilities but no specific change took place. ACTION PLAN FOR INDUSTRIAL AREA: The councillors have claimed that the roads, drainage and street lighting in the Industrial Area will be improved. But even after ten years, these issues remain for all to see. MISSION FOR CITY BEAUTIFUL: The strengthening of primary education, introduction of scholarships for students, access for all to modern health services and others remained on paper. Some work done: BJP The BJP completed the work of 24-hour water supply in Phases 5 and 6 from Kajauli water works. The city is expected to get additional water supply by next summer. Unkept promises of BJP PARKING: Plan to construct more multi-storied and underground parking spaces TRAFFIC: Plan to construct flyovers and more roads LOCAL TRANSPORT: Metro rail linking Chandigarh, Panchkula, SAS Nagar, Kharar, Kurali, Morinda. The party claimed that bus services will be improved. MARKET BEAUTIFICATION: Better streetlight management within city markets will be ensured and drinking water will be made available where there were no such facilities FOR MC EMPLOYEES: Plan to regulate all contractual MC employees and to form a committee for their problems GARBAGE LIFTING SYSTEM: Plan to make the functioning of the Dadumajra garbage processing plant more efficient with the help of technical experts BANQUET HALLS: Plan to construct more banquets within city sectors to provide residents better facilities. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko has promised to issue without delay an indictment against the former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych on treason upon completion of a number of investigative actions. "The case of Yanukovychs treason will be provided soon. We will just carry out several investigative actions that have been reclassified into the indictment. And it will also be handed over in absentia to Yanukovych and his defense lawyers," the prosecutor general told in the program 'The Right for Power' (Pravo na vladu) on "1 +1" TV channel on Thursday night. Several pensioners were enraged on Thursday after they were given Rs 1,000 in Rs 2 coins at Jalandhar banks. Pensioners, who all got a specified amount of Rs 10,000 each, were given Rs 9000 in notes while the remaining Rs 1,000 was disbursed in Rs 2 coins. After getting the coins, one of the pensioners asked, What will I do with Rs 2 coins. How will these help me? Aajkal toh bachche bhi nahin lete do rupaye ke sikke. Kya karenge hum inka? Sarkar ne ye haalat kar di hai ab hamaari (These days even children dont accept these coins. How will we use them? The government has brought us down to such a level), said another furious pensioner. The work of disbursal of pensions was going on at a snails pace in the city banks. Some bank officials cited computer problems while others said they were short of cash. A day after the Supreme Court ordered status quo on the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) issue, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal asserted that the canal will never become a reality. Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the state-of-the-art temple-cum-panorama complex at the Ram Tirath here on Thursday, he said, At this pious place, I take a vow that I will make any sacrifice for protecting waters... and wont allow a single drop to go out (of Punjab). He added, All of us should take a pledge on this sacred place to protect the river waters of the state at any cost. Water is equated with father and nobody will tolerate if his father is attacked. The CM said the state government on its part has already denotified the land acquired for the SYL canal and returned it to the original owners and their lineal descendents. Earlier, he said the Rs 200-crore temple-cum-panorama at the Ram Tirath was a humble tribute by the state government to Bhagwan Valmiki, who had preached the message of equality and universal brotherhood on this sacred land. Speaking on the occasion, deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal talked about his vision for the next five years under which 10 lakh youths would be provided employment. In his address, Union minister of state and state BJP chief Vijay Sampla said the weaker and underprivileged sections of society would be indebted to the CM who had taken the step to perpetuate the glorious legacy of Bhagwan Valmiki. Besides various cabinet ministers and MLAs of the SAD-BJP alliance, Dalit Vikas Board chairman Vijay Danav was also present. BADAL WAITS FOR CROWD Badal had to wait for almost two hours on the back side of the stage as the venue for the rally was almost deserted when he arrived. As there were too many empty chairs, politicians and even top police officials were seen making efforts to ensure that people move into the pandal quickly. Though the CM had arrived there at 11 am, he finally walked on to the stage at around 1pm when the gathering swelled. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The Jharkhand government will set up a security camp atop Burha Pahar in Latehar district, which has become a bastion of the CPI (Maoist) with its top leaders, such as Arvindji and Sudhakaran, hiding there. Dev Kumar Singh alias Arvindji carries a reward of `1 crore. Sudhakaran came to Jharkhand from Andhra Pradesh early this year to help Maoists regain control over the bases smashed by security forces, police said. Burha Pahar that has become a synonym for Naxalism will soon be under police control. Security forces will set up a camp there, states chief secretary Rajbala Verma said on Thursday at Latehar, praising the forces for their offensives against the Maoists in the region. In the last one and a half years, police, CoBRA, an elite paramilitary strike force, and central paramilitary personnel have been raiding Maoist hideouts in the Burha Pahar area, located on the Jharkhand- Chhattisgarh border. The joint operation from Latehar and Garhwa in Jharkhand, and Balrampur in Chhattisgarh has been launched to flush out Maoists, including Arvind and Sudharkaran, holed up there (Burha Pahar), Latehar superintendent of police Anoop Birtharay said on Friday, refusing to disclose details about the operation. Forces are on alert as Maoists prepare to observe a week-long foundation day of the Peoples Liberation Guerrilla Army, the military wing of CPI (Maoist), from December 2, police said. The tough terrain of Burha Pahar area makes the operation difficult for the forces who recently gunned down six Maoists in an encounter. Facing security forces offensives, the CPI (Maoists) shifted their base from Saryu, a zonal headquarters of the extremists, to Laat in Latehar district, and then to Burha Pahar in 2015. The US-led coalition bombing the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq said Thursday that 54 civilians had been inadvertently killed in seven air strikes between March and October. The announcement brings the official coalition tally of civilians killed to 173 since the anti-IS campaign began in the fall of 2014 -- though critics say the real figure is far higher. Although the coalition makes extraordinary efforts to strike military targets in a manner that minimizes the risk of civilian casualties, in some cases casualties are unavoidable, the coalition said in a statement. The deadliest strike occurred July 18, when coalition aircraft attacked a group of IS fighters near Manbij in Syria, killing about 100 of them. But up to 24 civilians who had been interspersed with combatants were inadvertently killed in a known (IS) staging area where no civilians had been seen in the 24 hours prior to the attack, said the coalition. Highlights US-led coalition bombed the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria between March and October in which 54 civilians were inadvertently killed. The official coalition tally of civilians killed in the anti-IS campaign now stands at 173. July 18: A group of 100 IS fighters were killed in Syria but lives of 24 civilians were also lost in the combat. July 28: 15 civilians were killed when a moving IS vehicle was targeted in a populated area. As of November 17, the coalition had conducted a total of 16,291 strikes, about two-thirds of them in Iraq and the rest in Syria In a July 28 strike, also in Syria, 15 civilians were killed when a moving IS vehicle that had been targeted slowed in a populated area. Officials said the vehicle had slowed after the guided bomb was released. On October 22, a strike in Iraq on an IS position being used to attack Iraqi forces killed eight civilians. Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis said Thursdays announcement marked the start of a more regular process of releasing civilian-casualty information. We, as you know, go to extraordinary lengths to protect against civilian casualties in the first place, he told reporters. No other nation (or) coalition in the history of warfare does what we do to exercise extraordinary care in carrying out air strikes to prevent them. Airwars, a London-based collective of journalists and researchers, uses local sources, photographs and media accounts to keep a detailed list of every known coalition air strike. They have praised Pentagon efforts at accountability compared with other actors in Syria such as Russia and the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, but the group says the number of likely civilian deaths from coalition strikes is 1,915 at a bare minimum. As of November 17 -- the date of the most recent tally -- the coalition had conducted a total of 16,291 strikes, about two-thirds of them in Iraq and the rest in Syria. Coalition officials said they had also recently reviewed 12 other reports of civilian casualties but these were deemed to be non-credible. An Afghan police official says that Taliban militants have killed 23 civilians in Kandahar Province in the last 48 hours. Gen. Abdul Raziq said Friday that the killings took place in different areas of the Nash district. He did not provide further details. Raziq said that around 29 Taliban fighters and six members of the Afghan security forces have been killed in ongoing battles in the district in recent days. Police are searching for a gunman who tried to rob a travel agency in southern Paris, the mayor of the local district said on Friday. Police initially believed the man had taken about half a dozen people hostage, but when they entered the property they found no trace of him, Jerome Coumet told reporters. There were two floors. The people on site were scared that the robber was still there, which was not the case. The police intervened and freed everybody, Coumet said. The travel agency, which is used in particular by Asian customers who deal in cash, has been held up in the past, a police source told Reuters. In April, Donald Trump pledged at some point, Ill be so presidential that you people will be so bored. Despite being president-elect, it seems that particular pivot has yet to come. On the first day of his self-described thank you tour, Trump returned to his bombastic style on the stump at a half-full arena in Cincinnati. He bashed Hillary Clinton to chants of lock her up from the rowdy crowd while settling scores with the media and former rivals as well as announcing the nomination of former marine general James Mattis to be secretary of defence. The event came at the start of an unprecedented victory tour where Trump will hold campaign-style rallies across the country. Often, however, Trump still seemed to be fighting the campaign. He reminisced, We did have a lot of fun fighting Hillary, didnt we? to chants of lock her up while criticising conservative critics. The president-elect launched an attack on Evan McMullin, his independent, conservative third-party rival in the campaign: What the hell was he trying to prove? I guess he wanted us to lose the Supreme Court. Trump didnt mention McMullin by name and simply called him that guy. The president-elect also expressed his displeasure towards Ohios Republican governor, former presidential rival John Kasich. Trump said of his win over Kasich in the Buckeye State: We didnt have much help at the top levels, and it turned out it didnt matter, and noted how Kasich eventually gave him a congratulatory phone call after the election. The Ohio governor didnt vote for his partys nominee and instead wrote in John McCain on election day. In a tweet, Kasich strategist John Weaver indirectly returned fire: No tour, but thankful every day @JohnKasich shows us the #twopaths way with honor & integrity. #ItIsALongRoadWithoutATurn. The president-elect also teased the crowd with his long expected announcement that Mattis was his choice to head the Pentagon. I dont want to tell you to this, I refuse to tell you, dont let it outside of this room. I will not tell you that one of our great great generals, dont let it outside, we are going to appoint Mad Dog Mattis as our secretary of defence, and were not announcing it until Monday so dont tell it to anybody. Trump also gave his usual tirade against the dishonest media and expressed his displeasure that it took television networks until after midnight on election day to call his win in Pennsylvania. Trump went on to boast of his win in the electoral college, but not the popular vote: We won in a landslide. We didnt have the press, the press was brutal. Trump began the rally with broad attacks on what he termed globalism. There is no global anthem, no global currency, he said. We pledge allegiance to one flag, and that flag is the American flag. Trump added: Global is wonderful, but right now we want to focus on our national community. The president-elect also cast blame for terrorist attacks on the admission of refugees into the United States. These are threats that are stupidly created by our stupid politicians refugee programs, Trump said. The venue was the same location where a packed house rained down boos towards the media at a Trump rally in mid-October. This time, the disdain for the press was far less visible in an arena that was half empty, in part because road closures due to the president-elects visit tied up traffic in the area. The rally happened as top staffers for every presidential candidates campaign met at Harvards institute of politics to discuss the campaign, resulting in fiery exchanges between former Clinton staffers and Trump aides. In one instance, Clintons former communications director, Jennifer Palmeiri, told Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway: If providing a platform for white supremacists makes me a brilliant tactician, I am proud to have lost. I would rather lose than win the way you guys did. Conway was also asked about Trumps recent untrue tweets about voter fraud. She said, Hes president-elect so thats presidential behaviour. If so, it means being presidential may not be so boring after all. Three people were killed and four others injured in Malaysia when the bodyguard of one of the victims went on a shooting rampage, the countrys police chief said Friday. Gun violence is rare in Malaysia, which has strict firearms laws, and the incident on the northern resort island of Penang late Thursday brought traffic to a standstill for about six hours. Three people were killed and four others injured in the shooting. The weapon has been seized, national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters. The bodyguard, a former military reservist who police did not want to identify, was detained and is being held in police custody. From the initial investigations... the shooter has a mental problem, Khalid added. The bodyguard, who police said was in his 40s, initially shot his 32-year-old employer Ong Teik Kwong in his car, Mior Faridalathrash Wahid, Penang district police chief, told AFP. He then got out of the vehicle and began firing at random, killing two more people and wounding four others, including a cameraman with a public broadcaster, until he surrendered to the police. Police approached the shooter and ordered him to surrender. He obeyed police instructions and we arrested him, Mior said. US President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday warned American firms wanting to relocate abroad that they will face punishment, as he announced a deal with air conditioning manufacturer Carrier to keep jobs in the country. Companies are not going to leave the United States any more without consequences. Not going to happen, Trump told workers at the Carrier plant in Indianapolis in his first major public remarks since winning the White House. They can leave from state to state, and negotiate deals with different states, but leaving the country will be very, very difficult, Trump added. During the presidential campaign, the Republican billionaire threatened to slap tariffs on firms that decamped for places like Mexico or Asia where labour costs are cheaper. It became a repeated refrain of his victorious campaign. Trump specifically singled out Carrier, a brand of United Technologies Corporation, saying he had been encouraging the company not to shift thousands of jobs to Mexico. If they did, he said his administration would impose major tariffs on Carrier products as they made their way back into the United States. But I called Greg (Hayes, UTCs chairman) and I said its really important, we have to do something because you have a lot of people leaving and you have to understand we cant allow this to happen anymore with our country, Trump said as he recalled an early exchange with the firms top executive. Under a deal hammered out with the help of Vice-President-elect Mike Pence, who is Indianas outgoing governor, the state offered Carrier $7 million in incentives over 10 years, contingent upon factors including employment, job retention and capital investment, the company said in a statement. Pence said the deal will keep about 1,100 jobs in the heart of the heartland. This is a great day for Indiana and its a great day for working people all across the United States of America, Pence said. The deal is seen as an extraordinary industry intervention by a president-elect. His supporters have described it as the first tangible part of Trumps jobs creation plan. But liberal Senator Bernie Sanders, who challenged Hillary Clinton for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, said the deal should worry Americans. Carrier took Trump hostage and won, Sanders said in an op-ed he wrote for The Washington Post. Trump endangered other US jobs, Sanders said, because he has signalled to every corporation in America that they can threaten to offshore jobs in exchange for business-friendly tax benefits and incentives. The Hague Islamic State is likely to launch more attacks in Europe, the EU police agency Europol warned on Friday, with several dozen militants already in place and more possibly arriving as IS faces setbacks in Syria and Iraq. In a report on the threat the Islamist group poses to the 28-nation bloc, Europol said the most probable forms of attack would be those used in recent years, from the mass shootings and suicide bombings seen in Paris and Brussels to stabbings and other assaults by radicals acting alone. Car bombs and kidnappings, common in Syria, could emerge as tactics in Europe, it said, while protected sites such as power grids and nuclear power stations were not seen as top targets. Essentially the entire European Union is under threat as almost all its governments back the U.S.-led coalition in Syria, the agency said, warning that IS was likely to infiltrate Syrian refugee communities in Europe in an effort to inflame hostility to immigrants that has shaken many EU governments. If IS is defeated or severely weakened in Syria/Iraq by the coalition forces, there may be an increased rate in the return of foreign fighters and their families from the region to the EU or to other conflict areas, Europol said in a statement. It said Islamic State was also likely to start planning attacks and sending militants to Europe from Libya and that other groups, including al Qaeda and its affiliates, also continue to pose a threat to the continent. Europol Director Rob Wainwright said EU states had stepped up their security cooperation in the wake of IS attacks in the last couple of years, allowing more plots to be thwarted. Nevertheless, he said, Todays report shows that the threat is still high and includes diverse components which can be only tackled by even better collaboration. Ukrainian army positions came under 42 attacks over the past day, the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) press center said on Facebook on Friday morning. According to it, militants fired 120mm and 82mm mortars on Shyrokyne, Talakivka and Krasnohorivka in the Mariupol sector, while grenade launchers, anti-aircraft guns and weapons of infantry combat vehicles were used in Maryinka, Novohryhorivka and Novotroyitske. Besides, sniper activity was observed in Novotroyitske and Krasnohorivka, the report said. "In the Luhansk sector, the hostiles fired 120mm and 82mm mortars on Kosharna Balka and various types of grenade launchers were used to attack Novo-Oleksandrivka, Troyitske and Krymske. Stanytsia Luhanska was shelled again," the report said. Meanwhile, heavy machineguns and grenade launchers were used against Avdiyivka, Zaitseve and Luhanske in the Donetsk sector, it said. The European Parliament on Thursday adopted spending by the European Union of nearly 158 billion euros for 2017, including a hefty increase to tackle the migration crisis and terrorism. The 28-nation EUs elected assembly approved the 2017 budget by 438 votes for, 194 against and seven abstentions. The budget earmarks 157.86 billion euros ($167.82 billion) for programmes and projects spanning more than one year, compared to commitments of 155 billion euros in 2016. The European Council, which groups the member states, said the 2017 budget includes six billion euros -- 11.3 percent more than in 2016 -- to help tackle the migration crisis and security. For the last year or so, the EU has been faced with the biggest migration influx since World War II, with more than one million people entering the bloc to flee war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa. Europe has also faced a wave of jihadist attacks in France, Belgium and Germany that has left more than 200 people dead since January 2015. The council said the funds are aimed at helping member states resettle refugees, create reception centres for migrants, integrate those who have the right to stay in Europe and send back those who do not. They will also boost protection on Europes borders and aid crime prevention and counter-terrorism activities. A homeless California woman was sentenced to six months in jail on Thursday after admitting to tagging government buildings in downtown Los Angeles with expletive-filled graffiti against President-elect Donald Trump. Victoria Bay, 37, was detained on November 22, two days after she spray-painted the walls of the Hall of Justice, the Hall of Records, a criminal justice center and a nearby business with messages insulting Trump. She was arrested by patrol officers who had seen surveillance video and recognized her distinctive electric-blue hair. Authorities said she had caused more than $10,000 in damage. Bay pleaded guilty to one felony count of vandalism on Thursday and was sentenced to 180 days in jail and three years probation. She was also ordered to pay restitution in an amount not yet set. An Indian businessman in the US has pleaded guilty to committing a visa fraud by enrolling foreign nationals at a college and illegally obtaining full-time work authorisations for them without attending classes. 45-year-old Tejesh Kodali admitted to recruiting foreign nationals and enrolling them at the New Jersey college to maintain their student-visa status and obtain full-time work authorisations without having to attend classes, the Department of Justice said on Thursday. Kodali, who lives in Edison city of New Jersey, pleaded guilty before the US District judge Madeline Cox Arleo in Newark federal court. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for March 13, 2017. According to court papers, Kodali, who was the director of operations of Promatrix Corp and Blue Cloud Techs Corp, purported international student recruiting and consulting companies located in Edison. In total, Kodali and his conspirators fraudulently maintained and attempted to obtain 37 student visas and work authorisations. Kodali told his foreign national clients that for a fee, they could enroll at University of Northern New Jersey without having to attend any classes and that their enrollment would enable them to fraudulently maintain their non-immigrant status. With full knowledge that the recruits were not bona fide students and would not attend any courses, earn credits, or make academic progress toward any legitimate degree at UNNJ, Kodali caused Forms I-20 to be issued to the foreign nationals, federal prosecutors alleged. As per court papers, Kodali also caused the foreign nationals to be reported in government databases as legitimate foreign students. In order to deceive immigration officials, Kodali and his foreign clients obtained and created fraudulent student documents, including attendance records and transcripts. After enabling them to maintain their student visa status, Kodali also conspired to secure fraudulent work authorisations for some of their foreign clients, federal prosecutors alleged. In his guilty plea Kodali admitted that his intention was to profit from the scheme by outsourcing these foreign individuals through Promatrix and Blue Techs as information technology consultants with various businesses in the United States for commissions. Iran said on Friday that Congresss decision to renew US sanctions for 10 years was a violation of last years nuclear agreement and promised an appropriate response. As repeatedly stated by high-ranking Iranian officials, the recent bill passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate to renew sanctions against Iran is against the (nuclear deal), foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said. Iran has proved that it sticks to its international agreements but it also has appropriate responses for all situations. The Iran Sanctions Act passed the Senate 99-0 on Thursday, after easily clearing the House of Representatives last month. President Barack Obama is expected to sign the measure, a White House official said, adding that the administration does not believe the extension violates the nuclear deal. The legislation does not directly address the nuclear pact. But some say the restrictions in the bill go against the spirit of the agreement, under which Tehran curbed its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief from the United States and other nations. Facts The bill includes penalties against Irans banking sector, as well as its energy and defence industries. The bill includes penalties against Irans banking sector, as well as its energy and defence industries. Senate Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Tim Kaine, who both backed the nuclear deal, said that while the president was currently waiving some sanctions as part of the agreement, sanctions legislation must remain in place to allow an immediate snap-back in the event of any violation by Iran. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last month that he considered the sanctions bill a breach of the nuclear agreement and warned Iran would react against it. US President-elect Donald Trump heavily criticised the pact as he campaigned for the White House over the past year. Several fellow Republicans have called for its termination. Read | Iran will retaliate if US renews sanctions: Ayatollah Khamenei Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi heads into a career-defining constitutional referendum this weekend hoping a last-minute turnaround in voter sentiment will help him hold on to power. The latest polls point to a defeat for the centre-left leaders proposals to streamline parliament -- an outcome that would cast him as the next victim of the populism that has buffeted global politics in 2016. After Britains vote to leave the EU and Donald Trumps presidential triumph in the United States, Italys establishment is viewed as next in line for a slap from the fed-up and the forgotten. It is a narrative that has played strongly internationally but less so in Italy, where the merits of the proposed reform itself have dominated discussion. At stake Sunday is whether to slash the size and powers of the second-chamber senate and centralise some powers currently held at local or regional level. Renzi has vowed to quit if the country rejects a package he says will help produce more effective leadership of country that has had 60 different governments since the constitution was approved in 1948. Because of that, the vote has served as a lightning rod for disgruntled voters, for whom life has become tougher as the economy has marked time for nearly two decades. But the proposals have also come under fire from opponents who see them as ill-considered at best -- and, at worst, as an invitation to awaken the demons of the countrys fascist past. It reduces the autonomy of local authorities and it concentrates too much power in the hands of the government without the necessary checks and balances, former prime minister Massimo DAlema, a party colleague of Renzis, told AFP. - Massive screw-you - The stakes are high. If Renzi goes, it will, at the very least usher in a period of uncertainty, notably for financial markets, and could derail a fledgling recovery in the eurozones third-largest economy. But if he wins, it will be a significant boost for the former mayor of Florences broader reform agenda. Renzi sees the emasculation of the second chamber as key to ending legislative logjams and clearing the way for overdue reforms of the judicial, education and administrative systems. A No vote on the other hand could bolster the burgeoning popularity of Italys populist and far-right opposition parties, already buoyed by Trumps success. Beppe Grillo, leader of the populist Five Star Movement, hailed the US election result as a massive screw you from voters and urged Italians to follow suit on December 4. Matteo Salvini, leader of the xenophobic Northern League, has asked voters to consider who backs the Yes campaign. The bankers, the German government and a bunch of Brussels bureaucrats, thats who, he said. - Expat votes key - In a worst-case scenario, some analysts have expressed fears that post-referendum political instability could scupper Italys efforts to resolve the crisis facing the countrys bad loan-afflicted banks and trigger a fresh round of turmoil across the eurozone. But a lot of variables need to come together for that to happen. A likelier outcome of a No vote, according to some of his closest allies, would be that Renzi steps aside, remaining leader of his Democratic Party but leaving Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan to run a caretaker government up to elections scheduled to take place by early 2018. And despite polls giving the No camp a lead of between five and eight percentage points, the outcome of Sundays vote is far from certain. Voter surveys are banned during the final two weeks of the campaign and those taken before the cut-off point all pointed to between a quarter and one third of voters being undecided. In addition, the votes of up to a third of the four million Italians living abroad but registered to vote could swing things in Renzis favour. Early reports from embassies indicated strong postal voting among them -- while apathy could affect the turnout in the most disaffected parts of the homeland, notably the relatively impoverished south. Retired astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the Moon, was recovering in a New Zealand hospital Friday after being medically evacuated from the South Pole while on a tourist trip, his management said. Aldrin, 86, was evacuated on the first available flight out after experiencing health problems, said a statement from Antarctic tour operator White Desert. It said Aldrin -- later found to have fluid on his lungs -- was flown out after his condition deteriorated, describing the move as a precaution. An update on Aldrins website said he was taken to Christchurch, New Zealand, where he was receiving hospital treatment. (He) currently has fluid in his lungs but is responding well to antibiotics and being kept in overnight for observation, it said. His condition is stable and his manager, who is currently with him, described him being in good spirits. Aldrins management also tweeted a photograph of the spaceman smiling and looking alert in his hospital bed. His illness in the remote frozen continent sparked a 4,400 kilometre (2,700 mile) mercy dash. First, the US National Science Foundation dispatched a humanitarian medical flight to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. From there, another flight took Aldrin to McMurdo Station on the Antarctic coast, and then to New Zealand, where he arrived at 4:25 am local time Friday. After a gruelling 24 hours were safe in New Zealand, his manager Christina Korp tweeted. - Here I come - In 1969, Aldrin and Neil Armstrong became the first men to walk on the Moon, as part of the Apollo 11 mission. Armstrong stepped out of the lunar module first, uttering the now famous words, Thats one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. Aldrin, clad in a bulky white spacesuit, hopped out next. Beautiful, beautiful. Magnificent desolation, Aldrin said on July 20, 1969. In recent years, he has authored books for adults and children and advocated establishing a permanent human colony on Mars. Aldrin is an avid user of Twitter, and tweeted in recent days about his trip to the South Pole. I could be a little underdressed for Antarctica. Although I tend to be hot blooded, he wrote on November 27, posting a picture of himself wearing a black and red Mars shirt. South Pole, here I come! he wrote a day later. Born in Montclair, New Jersey on January 20, 1930, Aldrin was educated at the prestigious West Point military academy in New York state. He joined the US Air Force and flew 66 combat missions in the Korean War, shooting down two enemy fighter jets. He earned a doctorate in astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and devised manned space rendezvous techniques -- an orbital maneuvre during which two crafts dock in space -- that were later adopted by NASA. In 1963, he was picked to join the select corps of early US astronauts, and six years later he set a record -- now broken -- for the longest space walk by spending five and a half hours outside the spacecraft during the Gemini 12 orbital mission. He logged a total of 4,500 hours flying time, 290 of them in space. Aldrin is known to be a Republican and a devout Christian, and has said he took communion while in the spacecraft that landed on the Moon. He has been married and divorced three times and has three children. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un conducted a large-scale artillery drill simulating an attack on the South Korean capital and other targets, as Seoul and Tokyo on Friday unveiled fresh unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons programme. The military exercise, involving multiple batteries of frontline heavy artillery units, targeted five border islands, as well as reactionary ruling organs in Seoul and other cities, the Norths official KCNA news Agency said. It took place on Thursday, just hours after the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a new resolution imposing tough new sanctions on North Korea following its fifth nuclear test in September. The UN resolution, which was spearheaded by the United States and came after three months of tough negotiations with fellow veto-wielding council member China, caps the Norths annual coal exports -- its top external revenue source. If a war breaks out, such a deadly strike should be inflicted upon the South Korean forces to completely break their will of counteraction at the start and make a clean sweep of them, KCNA quoted Kim Jong-Un as saying during the artillery drill. Nobody and nothing would survive, the young leader added. South Korea on Friday unveiled its own sanctions against Pyongyang, adding dozens of individuals and organisations to a blacklist of those suspected of involvement in the Norths nuclear programme. Given the absence of any trade links or meaningful contact of any sort between the two Koreas, the Souths measures are largely symbolic, and more aimed at raising awareness, senior government policy official Lee Suk-Joon told a press briefing. The expanded blacklist included the Norths ruling Workers Party of Korea and two of Kims closest aides, Choe Ryong-Hae and Hwang Pyong-So -- additions clearly aimed at riling the leadership in Pyongyang. South Korea also named the Chinese company Dandong Hongxiang Industrial Development, which was placed on a US sanctions blacklist in September for allegedly supporting the Norths nuclear programme. It marks the first time Seoul has sanctioned a Chinese firm in connection with North Korea, although Lee noted that Dandong Hongxiang had no existing transactions with any South Korean company. The US sanctions announcement had accused Dandong Hongxiang of making up a key illicit network supporting North Koreas weapons proliferation. Japan also signalled a toughening of its unilateral sanctions, expanding a ban on port calls by vessels that had visited North Korea, and new additions to its own sanctions blacklist of North Korean individuals and entities. North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests so far this year. With the fifth test, it claimed major strides in its efforts to fit a miniaturised warhead on a missile that could reach the United States. Wednesdays UN Security Council resolution demanded that North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons programme, but Pyongyang said the sanctions would only trigger tougher countermeasures for self-defence. North Korea says a sweeping new round of UN sanctions aimed at choking its nuclear program by cutting off as much of a quarter of its foreign trade revenue is an abuse of power and will be met with tough countermeasures. Vice Foreign Minister Han Song Ryol called a gathering of foreign diplomats in the capital early Friday to lay out his countrys opposition to the sanctions, which are the harshest to date and have the support of China, North Koreas primary trading partner. We categorically reject the UN Security Council resolution on sanctions against our country, Han said. The adoption of the resolution is another open denial of our countrys right to self-defense, which goes beyond the mandate of the UN Security Council this is an abuse of power and an infringement upon the sovereignty of our country. Read | UN Security Council hits North Korea with toughest ever sanctions North Koreas Foreign Ministry, in a statement issued soon after the sanctions in response to the Norths nuclear test in September were announced, warned of tough countermeasures, but didnt say what they might be. Sanctions will inevitably escalate tensions, the ministry said in the statement, which was quoted by the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Han said North Korea was being unfairly singled out by its political adversaries. If a nuclear test is such a serious issue, why has the UN Security Council never imposed sanctions on the major powers that have carried out so many nuclear tests? And how can anyone understand these sanctions, he said. The Security Council voted on the sanctions Wednesday after months of diplomatic wrangling over how to respond to the September test, the Norths fifth and biggest. The new sanctions aim to slash about one-quarter of the Norths total export income. Read | North Korea artillery drill targets South, Seoul unveils sanctions They target its hard currency revenues by placing a cap on coal exports, cutting them by at least 62% or by an estimated $800 million. The measures ban North Koreas exports of non-ferrous metals, sanction 11 government officials as well as 10 entities linked to the nuclear program and crack down on Pyongyangs access to the international banking system. They even prohibit its export of statues, a source of hard currency mostly through sales to African nations. And if the North fails to comply with UN efforts to stop its nuclear and long-range missile development programs, the resolution for the first time threatens to suspend some or all of its UN privileges. South Korea and Japan on Friday announced unilateral sanctions which are being renewed in Japans case in conjunction with the UN move. More unilateral action is also expected from Washington. Pakistan has reminded India of its obligations under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) and cautioned that New Delhis own credibility would suffer if the accord was violated, an official said here on Thursday. Foreign office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said at the weekly media briefing: India has to abide by its international obligations, if it wants to be taken seriously by the international community. He was commenting on Thursday evening about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis remarks that the water that rightfully belongs to India under the water sharing accord could not be allowed to go to Pakistan. Zakaria said the treaty was a binding agreement under the Vienna Convention. India has been, since the escalation of tensions after the Uri militant attack, indicating its intention to revisit the accord. Read| Indus Waters Treaty: Another India-Pakistan showdown over hydro projects? Russia has exhibited a keen interest in the Ukrainian exercises held in the Kherson region and has seen that Ukraine's air defense is solid, Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff Chief Viktor Muzhenko said. The Russian military were closely monitoring Ukrainian missile drills at the range on the Yahorlyk Kut Peninsula. "Planes were there, and ships were anchored to watch the launch. I think they have also seen that air defense is solid in present-day Ukraine," he said on the TSN channel. According to the Ukrainian military, the exercises tested air defense systems restored at Ukrainian defense plants, including S-300 missile launchers. "We have tested the hardware with an extended service life. Our, Ukrainian enterprises gave maintenance to that hardware, enabled its modification to a degree, and broadened the range of its use," Ukrainian Air Force Commander Serhiy Drozdov said. Pakistan has not changed the trade regime with India despite strains in their relationship, commerce minister Khurram Dastgir has said. Dastgir was speaking in response to the issue raised by Mohsin Aziz, the chairman of Senate Standing Committee on Textile Industry, that a huge quantity of raw cotton has been stopped at the Karachi port. According to the Associated Press of Pakistan, the minister said the government has not issued any notification in this regard. However, Dastgir said the government has put restriction of importing 500,000 cotton bales in a year through Wagah border while there was not any such restriction on the Karachi port. Aziz said the government should instead ban value-added products from India in a bid to protect the local textile industry. Read|Pakistans opposition demands severing trade ties with India Acclaimed British physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking has been undergoing tests at Romes Policlinico Gemelli hospital, where he is receiving treatment for respiratory problems, Italian news agency Adnkronos reports. The 74-year-old scientist was admitted to the Policlinico Gemellis Nemo Centre for neuromuscular diseases. He suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a severe form of degenerative motor neuron disease and is unable to move or speak. Hawking had travelled to Rome for a meeting at the Vatican of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences from November 25-29, where he met Pope Francis. The 2014 Oscar-winning film The Theory of Everything portrays the remarkable life of Hawking, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease when he was a 21-year-old student at Cambridge University. Hawking is not the first internationally renowned intellect to seek treatment at the Policlinico Gemelli. In August, the Nobel prize-winning economist Amartya Sens wife was admitted to the hospital for an urgent operation. An unmanned Russian cargo spaceship heading to the International Space Station broke up in the atmosphere over Siberia on Thursday due to an unspecified malfunction, the Russian space agency said. The Progress MS-04 cargo craft broke up at an altitude of 190 kilometres over the remote Russian Tuva region in Siberia that borders Mongolia, Roscosmos said in a statement. It said most of spaceships debris burnt up as it entered the atmosphere but some fell to Earth over what it called an uninhabited area. Local people reported seeing a flash of light and hearing a loud thud west of the regional capital of Kyzyl, more than 3,600 kilometres east of Moscow, the Tuva government was quoted as saying late Thursday by the Interfax news agency. The Progress cargo ship had lifted off as scheduled at 8:51 pm from Russias space launch complex in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, to deliver 2.5 metric tons of fuel, water, food and other supplies. It was set to dock with the space station on Saturday. Roscosmos said the craft was operating normally before it stopped transmitting data 6 minutes after the launch. The Russian space agency would not immediately describe the malfunction, saying its experts were looking into it. This is the third botched launch of a Russian spacecraft in two years. A Progress cargo ship plunged into the Pacific Ocean in May 2015, and a Proton-M rocket carrying an advanced satellite broke up in the atmosphere in May 2014. But both Roscosmos and NASA said the crash of the ship would have no impact on the operations of the orbiting space lab that is currently home to a six-member crew, including three cosmonauts from Russia, two NASA astronauts and one from the European Union. Orbital ATK, NASAs other shipper, successfully sent up supplies to the space station in October, and a Japanese cargo spaceship is scheduled to launch a full load in mid-December. NASA supplier SpaceX, meanwhile, has been grounded since a rocket explosion in September on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The company hopes to resume launches in December to deliver communication satellites. When South Korean President Park Geun-hye turned to a lawyer -- known as her bulletproof vest -- to defend her in a corruption case that could lead to impeachment and criminal prosecution, she may have had little choice. Although Yoo Yeong-ha is not among the countrys better-known lawyers, he wears his die-hard loyalty to the embattled president as a badge of honour, a rarity for Park as the scandal around her deepens. A remote figure even at the height of her popularity, Park has now been deserted by many of her allies, including her own justice minister. For weeks, hundreds of thousands of people have come out on the streets of Seoul, demanding Park resign. Her current popularity rating is just 4%, a record low. On Thursday, she made her first public appearance in over three weeks. Yoo is slightly built and youthful-looking for his 54 years. Dressed casually in jeans and a sweater under a knit jacket, he met Reuters at a location he insisted be kept confidential to fend off media attention. I did not hesitate even one second when offered the job as her lawyer, he said, speaking over sips of flower tea. I have complete faith in the President. Yoo was a legal adviser to Parks Saenuri Party, standing for Parliament three times under its banner and losing each time. Park, then a lawmaker, gave Yoo a ringing personal endorsement during his unsuccessful 2008 run for Parliament. Candidate Yoo Yeong-ha is a partner with whom I have long thought and felt alike, and a person that I know and trust more than anyone else, Park said in a videotaped statement. Yoo said he meets with Park in the presidential Blue House, where he takes notes by hand as he is not allowed to take his personal laptop inside. He later transcribes his notes to a desktop computer. Yoo declined to provide details of his conversations with Park, 64, but described her as calm and strong. South Korean protesters stage a rally calling for President Park Geun-hye to step down. (AP File Photo) Korean presidents in general are lonely. She is keeping a cool head now and I believe she will get through this dark tunnel, he said. Deference and profanity Yoo refers to Park deferentially and calls her his political mentor. However, he became known for profanity-laced tweets in defence of Park during and after her successful presidential campaign in 2012. Can you just shut your mouth and be quiet? To your eyes, 51.6% of people look like Nazi traitors?, he tweeted in 2012 to a famous novelist who was critical of Park, after Park won with 51.6% of the vote. That kind of language led local media to nickname him Parks Bulletproof Vest. Yoo later closed his Twitter account, and acknowledged that emotion may have gotten the better of him. As a criminal lawyer, he is best known for defending a teenager in a notorious rape case eight years ago. The defendant was initially convicted but his jail term was suspended on appeal. Legal experts said Yoos loyalty secured him the Presidents brief. This case is very difficult for lawyers to take because public anger is so strong, said Lee Heon-hwan, a professor at Ajou University Law School in Suwon, south of Seoul, adding it made sense for Park to hire a lawyer she trusts. Her scandal is so messy and fuelled with so much anger. Her lawyer will also get blamed, rather than being able to raise his or her name value. Rho Young-hee, a lawyer at Seoul law firm Cheon Il, said Parks hiring of Yoo shows how much she prizes loyalty. South Korean President Park Geun-hye in Daegu, South Korea. I wouldnt take that case even if I was offered. I dont want my life to be ruined, Rho said. Carelessness Park is alleged by prosecutors to have colluded with a long-time friend, Choi Soon-sil, to enable her to wield improper influence in government affairs and in fundraising by two foundations set up to back Parks initiatives. Park has denied wrongdoing but acknowledged carelessness in her ties with Choi. She has offered to resign, but the opposition has said it will vote next week on whether to impeach her. On Wednesday, Park appointed a special prosecutor who will take over the probe by state prosecutors. She is protected from indictment as long as she is president but she remains subject to an investigation and would lose her immunity if she leaves office. Yoo declined to discuss his legal strategy. He said he is working day and night to defend Park during the investigation, and has lost 4kg (9 lb) since he was appointed on November 15. I never surrender to what is wrong, I dont back down, he said. It is my calling to clear all allegations laid against the president and find the truth. I am going together with the President till the end. A strong, shallow earthquake struck a sparsely populated area in Perus southern Andes near Lake Titicaca on Thursday, toppling some adobe houses but apparently causing no casualties, authorities said. The US Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 6.3 and said its epicenter was about 26 miles (43 kilometers) northeast of Huarichancara in Perus Puno region. The USGS said it had a depth of 6 miles (10 kilometers). On its website, the regional newspaper Los Andes said the quake was felt in the provinces of San Roman, Melgar and Lampa. The Civil Defense department said that some houses made of adobe collapsed in the towns of Lampa and Melgar. Resident Rosario Bustinza said a crack had appeared in one of the towers of the 17th century Santiago Apostol church in Lampa. In Juliaca, the most important commercial city in Perus altiplano, the quake rattled residents. It was felt, but we havent heard of any material damages, a Juliaca resident, Ernesto Quispe, said by telephone. Earthquakes are common in Peru, which is home to a major stretch of the Andes and is on the Pacifics Ring of Fire. Taliban insurgents have killed 23 civilians after they lost 29 of their fighters in an abortive attack on police in southern Afghanistan, police sources said Friday. The Taliban insurgents have launched coordinated attacks on police checkpoints in Nesh district of Kandahar yesterday (Thursday), and they faced resistance from Afghan forces, Kandahar police said in a press statement. Following the Taliban attack, 29 Taliban fighters were killed and a number of others sustained injuries, and large numbers of weapons and ammunition were confiscated from them, the statement added. The brutal enemy after suffering defeat against Afghan forces, took their revenge by killing 23 civilians including five children and two women, it said. The police statement said the Taliban had sought refuge in the homes of civilians and killed them after they opposed the insurgents. According to Nesh district police commander Niaz Mohammed the attacks occurred Wednesday and Thursday. After their defeat, the Taliban wanted to hide in the houses and when the civilians showed their opposition, the Taliban killed them, he told AFP. Six members of a policemans family were among the victims. In total 23 people (civilians) were killed. Contacted by AFP, Taliban spokesperson Qari Yousuf Ahmadi rejected the claims as false. While Nesh district borders Uruzgan province, which is a major opium producer and has a high Taliban presence, its population is considered pro-government and Islamists insurgents rarely intervene there. During the last Taliban offensive in October on Kunduz, the economic capital of northeast Afghanistan, civilians who had fled the fighting accused the insurgents of hiding in their houses or seeking to establish their positions there. As in Nesh, they told AFP that those who resisted were killed. The security situation has eased on most fronts in recent weeks with the coming of winter after a particularly brutal fighting season in which nearly 2,600 civilians were killed and another 5,800 wounded in the first nine months of the year, according to the UN. The Afghan military has also suffered at least 2,000 deaths since January, according to a security source, while a record half million people have been displaced by fighting. Abdel Razzaq Jalal paused, visibly traumatised, as he told how Islamic State militants tortured him in a Mosul prison to force him to say he was a spy. I never confessed. I knew the punishment would be death, he said. The ultra-hardline group arrested the 39-year-old in his village near Mosul in northern Iraq earlier this year, accusing him of spying for Kurdish forces. After six nights and seven days of beatings, abuse and death threats, he says the militants let him go, after an Islamic State judge ruled there was not enough evidence to sentence him. Jalal was lucky to escape with his life. Islamic State has executed scores of people it accused of spying in Mosul in recent weeks alone, as US-backed Iraqi forces push further into its city stronghold. He knew it could have been worse. The fate of several fellow villagers from Fadiliya, a few miles northeast of Mosul, and of many others arrested elsewhere during Islamic States more than two-year rule, remains unknown. While the physical scars faded - Jalal showed months-old pictures on his phone of bruises and cuts all over his body - the ordeal remains etched in his memory. They hung me upside down from my feet and beat me for two hours. That was on the first night, Jalal said. They used cables, wooden sticks, and one of them - there were three or four - pistol-whipped me repeatedly on my head. The militants, all from Mosuls surrounding areas, tried to make him confess to spying for Kurdish peshmerga forces who had been fighting against Islamic State, he said. When he refused, they stepped up the abuse and threats. The second day, they lay me flat on my stomach with my hands tied behind my back. One man stood on my legs, another on my head, and they began raising my arms. I thought my chest was going to break. Before he was tried, the militants put him into an orange jumpsuit - the clothing in which Islamic State often kills its victims - and told him he would be sentenced to death by decapitation. Two of his more than 40 cell mates were killed that way, he said, after they confessed under duress to directing air strikes against Islamic State fighters. Reuters was not able to independently verify his account. Internally displaced Iraqis who fled the town of Hawija gather at a Kurdish Peshemerga-controlled area in Kirkuk from where they will be transferred to a camp in Dakuk. (AFP Photo) Still missing Jalal said he did not know why he was arrested. He was a local member of a Kurdish political party, he said, but denied spying. They had every detail on me and my family. It must have been from informers - locals - in the village, he said quietly. Jalal had been terrified of rearrest. Upon returning to Fadiliya after his incarceration, he told villagers he was well treated, in case Islamic States spies reported back to them. A small number of Islamic State sympathisers or supporters in Fadiliya have been rounded up by Kurdish security forces since the peshmerga recaptured it in late October, local officials say. If I found another informer, Id turn him in - even if it were my own brother, Jalal said. For him, the ordeal is over, but others in Fadiliya suspect their relatives are still suffering a similar fate, or worse. Abdel Ilah Jassems 25-year-old brother Iden was arrested at an Islamic State checkpoint just outside the village more than two years ago. He has not heard from him since. I went to a Daesh (Islamic State) police station. They said Iden had been killed, but didnt provide me with proof - no body, not even a paper saying he was executed, said Jassem, 45, who lost his other brother in 1988 in the Iran-Iraq war. Im sure hes still alive, he said, referring to Iden. Every day I ask people in the area if theyve heard anything new. So far, theres nothing. President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named retired marine general James Mattis, a widely respected figure in US armed services who is also called the Warrior Monk and Mad Dog Mattis, as his secretary of defence. That leaves Trump with only the secretary of state berth, the remaining top cabinet position with international ramifications, to fill, having to choose from an increasingly contentious field of contenders led by Mitt Romney. The president-elect announced Mattis appointment in a typically Trumpian fashion, at a rally in Cincinnati, Ohio Indiana, the first of a string of stops together labelled the thank-you tour, to belabour the point, thank voters. We are going to appoint 'Mad Dog' Mattis as our secretary of defence, Trump said, and added: But were not announcing it till Monday, so dont tell anybody. Trump and Mattis agree on a lot of issues but disagree on some very crucial ones, including the use of torture and the Iran nuclear deal. Mattis, a lifelong bachelor, really had no competition. But his confirmation may be tricky, requiring a congressional waiver of current law that makes it mandatory for a nominee for defence secretary to be a civilian for at least seven years. Mattis retired four years ago, in 2013. But there is precedence. President Harry Truman got a waiver for Gen George Marshall, when he named him defence secretary in 1950 he had been out of military only for five years (10 was the rule then). Trump had given enough signals he was leaning towards Mattis, crediting him with changing his views on the use of torture as an interrogation tool. While the two of them may agree on a lot of issues, they disagree on some very crucial ones, such as the Iran nuclear deal. While critical of it, the marine general doesnt favour its cancellation as do most Republicans. This is a crucial appointment for India, which would be following it closely for signs of continuity, or the lack of it, with present defence secretary Ashton Carter, who has done more possibly for ties with India than any of his predecessors. Carter first led the dismantling of bureaucratic hurdles to trade with India in defence technology, including sensitive technology under the US-India Defense Technology and Trade Initiative as deputy to defence secretary Leon Panetta. Then, as secretary of defence, Carter saw the US acknowledge India a major defence partner for the purpose of fast-tracking defence between the two countries and co-development and co-production of defence equipment. Analysts were unsure yet of the implications of Mattiss appointment for ties with India, but a legislation currently on route to passage in congress will make it difficult for him or Trump to downgrade ties without repealing the law. A section of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2017, the US military budget for the coming year, commits the Trump administration and all others, irrespective of who was in charge, to treating India as a major defence partner. If passed and signed into law by President Barack Obama, which is expected any day soon, both Trump and his defence secretary will be committed to upholding that designation unless they can persuade congress to repeal it. Having run and won on the promise of keeping American jobs home, US president-elect Donald Trump on Thursday threatened US companies relocating operations and jobs abroad with consequences essentially higher duty on their products. Companies are not going to leave the United States anymore without consequences, Trump told workers at a plant in Indiana. These companies aren't going to be leaving anymore. They aren't going to be taking people's hearts out. The plant whose workers Trump was addressing belongs to Carrier, a manufacturer of air conditioners and furnaces,which became a target for his attacks on companies taking American jobs abroad. Carrier has announced it will keep 1,000 jobs in the US, in a deal negotiated with authorities. Though details of the agreement remain sparse, Trump is touting it as the kind of deal-making he had promised. Companies are not going to leave the United States any more without consequences. Not gonna happen. Indiana is Vice President Mike Pences state. Local authorities have since announced $7 million in economic incentives over the next few years not exactly the kind of heavy hand Trump had threatened on his campaign trail. He had then spoken of levying a 35% import duty on Carrier products entering the US. But the deal came under fierce attack immediately. He has signalled to every corporation in America that they can threaten offshore jobs in exchange for business-friendly tax benefits and incentives, said Senator Bernie Sanders. When the Trump administration assumes power in January next year, Russia will be pressing the reset button to resume regular relations with the United States. For eight years, President Vladimir Putin has been butting heads with Washington due to policy differences mainly in Europe and the Middle East. Now, Moscow wants to fine tune the working relationship of the two powerful nations. In a speech at the Kremlin, the Russian leader has pointed out the significance of enhancing bilateral ties that will mutually benefit both sides. In line with this, Putin has stated that battling terrorism in Syria can be an avenue for joint cooperation. Considering that President-elect Donald Trump has reiterated that American policy will steer clear of backing Syrian rebels, the possibility of a partnership is likely to happen. In fact, the Russian leader is willing to sit down with his American counterpart to discuss global security. Trump's plan to withdraw the sanction against Russia with regards to the Federation's annexation of Crimea in 2014 will further boost Washington's affiliation with Moscow. Putin has also downplayed the reports that his country has been making enemies with its foreign policy. However, the President will not allow Russian interests to be intruded or violated. The US has long been enthusiastic about normalizing its relations with Russia. During the early going of the Obama administration, the two nations have tackled deals on arms reduction and nuclear non-proliferation. However, such agreements have gone awry. The situation has escalated further when President Obama accused Moscow of infiltrating American business and political online domains during the election period. While campaigning, Trump has called on reinvigorating relations with Russia. The incoming President has also said that he and Putin can get along well. Shortly after the real estate billionaire won the presidency, Trump has communicated with Putin. Aside from re-establishing the harmonious state between the two countries, both leaders have also tackled economic and security issues. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A criminal case has been opened against Russian actor Ivan Okhlobystin, whom the Ukrainian special services are accusing of "creating a terrorist group," Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) spokesperson Olena Hytlianska said. The reason for the opening of the case was public support by Okhlobystin of "Russian world" ideas, his hailing of the "Russian spring" in Ukraine, his statements in support of the self-proclaimed DPR, "Russian aggression against Ukraine," and the joining of Crimea to Russia, Hytlianska said on Facebook on Friday. Hytlianska said Okhlobystin has recently received "a passport of a DPR citizen" and promised this self-proclaimed entity "assistance of a propaganda nature via implementation of relevant film projects." Okhlobystin has been denied entry to Ukraine since fall 2014. Anton Gerashchenko, a Ukrainian parliamentarian and the interior minister's adviser, said he intends to initiate an entry ban on the Russian actor to foreign states. Kate Middleton is now in good terms with Queen Elizabeth after she reportedly has caught Meghan Markle cheating on Prince Harry with Max Beesley and saved him from another heartbreak. Celeb Dirty Laundry reported that Kate Middleton was furious after finding out that Meghan Markle was cheating on her brother in law with Max Beesley. According to reports, the "Suits" Season 6 actress and the English actor and musician were flirting via social media. Rumor has it that Prince Harry's girlfriend has begun flirting with Max Beesley after the " Homeland" actor posted an old photo of them. The 'Suits' actress reportedly flirted with her former co-star Max Beesley on Twitter, leaving many people wondering what is exactly going on between them. The two exchanged plenty of messages online as well, with Meghan clearly flirting with the British actor. Apparently, Kate Middleton was appalled with Meghan Markle's behavior. The Duchess of Cambridge couldn't believe that Prince Harry's girlfriend openly flirted with another man on social media while her boyfriend is currently on tour in the Caribbean. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge love Prince Harry and want only the best for him, Kate Middleton reportedly reported Meghan Markle's behavior to Queen Elizabeth. Since Her Majesty wants for Prince Harry to settle with a woman who will take her relationship with him seriously and not use him solely for publicity. Queen Elizabeth wasn't pleased when she learned that Meghan is the kind of girl that flirts with married men on social media behind Prince Harry's back. So, Her Majesty was reportedly impressed after Kate Middleton showed care to Prince Harry despite the rumors that are circling around that the two of them aren't in good terms. Of course, this immediately sparked rumors that Queen Elizabeth could now consider the wife of Prince William to inherit the Crown. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Kate Middleton and Prince William marriage slowly crumbles as Queen Elizabeth invited Prince Harry's girlfriend Meghan Markle to Sandringham on Christmas. It has been claimed by many reports today that Kate and William are experiencing marital woes because of the several circumstances surrounding their marriage life. Some of these circumstances include dealing with the other members of the royal family, keeping with their royal duties and working for their royal duties. Celebrity Dirty Laundry reported that Queen Elizabeth invited Meghan to Sandringham to celebrate Christmas with the royal family. It was Harry who insisted that his grandmother would invite the actress as he wants to celebrate Christmas with his girlfriend. So the Queen just granted her grandson's request? But because of this so called invitation, Kate Middleton felt like she was snubbed by the Queen and thus opted to celebrate Christmas with her family instead of going to Sandringham. But it has been revealed before that Kate chose to celebrate this special day with the royal family. That's because of her fear that the Queen would rather favour Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. But it just happened and Kate was completely out of the picture. As more and more controversies involving the royal family are coming out, Kate Middleton and Prince William's marriage is the one affected the most. The past days and months, their marriage has been the talk of the town suggesting that their marriage slowly falls apart since both of them are rumored to have their own shortcomings. Well, if this rumor is true after all, people just need the signs and indications before they will be satisfied that indeed there is an impending royal divorce. It's only the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge who knows what is really happening and it's only them who can tell if they are heading to a lasting marriage or otherwise. No one definitely knows. Kate Middleton and Prince William might be facing marriage troubles heading for a royal divorce but one thing's for sure, Queen Elizabeth would do anything to protect the royal family for anything that might happen. --Special Promotion- (click photo to check price) Kate's Style: Smart, Chic Fashion from a Royal Role Model (Click Link to Check Price on Amazon) Editor's Rating : 9.1 out of 10 Editor's Rating : 9.1 out of 10 @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. SpaceX hopes to return its Falcon 9 Rocket to flight on Dec. 16, according to Iridium Communications that also plans to have its satellites on board for launching. The launching is approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees US commercial space transportation, Iridium said on Thursday. "We are looking forward to return to flight," said SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell. SpaceX has suspended flights after one of their rockets busted into flames on Sep. 1 as it was being fueled for a routine pre-launch test at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The company probe pointed out that the explosion was caused by a fueling system problem that triggered a pressurized container of helium inside the rocket's upper stage to burst open. The accident destroyed a $200 million satellite owned by Israel's Space Communication Limited. The Sep. 1 accident was the second for SpaceX in 29 flights of the Falcon 9. The company, owned and operated by Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, has a backlog of more than 70 missions for NASA and commercial customers, worth more than $10 billion. But the company seemed confident in their latest quest to do a successful launching. "We are confident that SpaceX understands its fueling process now and will do it successfully for our launch," said Iridium spokeswoman Diane Hockenberry. "Iridium NEXT will be launching on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket on Dec. 16, 2016 at 12:36 p.m. PST [2036 GMT]. Launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The Falcon 9 rocket will deliver 10 Iridium NEXT satellites into low-Earth orbit, said Iridium in a statement. The 10 satellites are the first of 70 that Iridium plans to loft abroad Falcon 9 Rockets over a series of seven launches that were held. The new NEXT constellation will replace the network of about 66 Satellites that Iridium currently operates in lower Earth orbit. Iridium has also intended to replace their current mobile communications network with 81 new satellites made by Italy's Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture of Thales SA and Leonardo Finmeccanica SpA under a contract worth about $2.3billion. @ 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 A Ukrainian serviceman was killed near the town of Novotoshkivske in the Popasna district of the Luhansk region when the hostiles tried to break through the line of defense, regional administration deputy chairman Yuriy Klymenko said on Friday. "Today we have lost another son of Ukraine who was protecting its sovereignty and independence. My condolences to the family and friends of the deceased soldier," a report published on the Luhansk regional administration's website quoted Klymenko as saying. A hostile sabotage-and-reconnaissance group made the incursion attempt with the support of 120mm mortars, the report said. The situation has exacerbated throughout the contact line, Klymenko said. In all, the hostiles opened fire 15 times along the contact line on Thursday and during the night, while Ukrainian army fortifications near the villages of Novo-Oleksandrivka and Novozvanivka in the Popasna district came under seven attacks by use of automatic and under-barrel grenade launchers, heavy machineguns and small arms, the Luhansk regional administration said. Six attacks involving 120mm and 82mm mortars, various types of grenade launchers, heavy machineguns and small arms were seen in the area of Krymske and Lobacheve in the Novoaidar district, while anti-tank and under-barrel grenade launchers were fired on Ukrainian army positions near Stanytsia Luhanska, it said. For an independent hotel, it is sometimes hard to get noticed. When a potential guest is searching for a hotel in their chosen destination, they tend to shop around. They could find your hotel on booking.com or in most cases via a search on google.com, visit your brand site to see the pictures of your rooms and the services you offer. Then click off to review more options within the area. According to Google, If your hotel is the first one they visit, 96% of the time they will not make a reservation. It is also likely they have forgotten about you by the time they have come to make a decision on where they are going to stay. Remarketing allows your hotel to reconnect with guests who have visited your site, to remind them to come back and visit your website again, normally incentivizing them to do so by offering a unique discount. By providing re-engagement with visitors is a much more cost-effective way of converting them into future guests at your hotel. There are three main ways to re-connect with your guest which every hotel no matter whether they are big or small should consider. Remarketing using Google Adwords Use Google Analytics to review which potential guests are visiting your hotel website. You can filter the users by which pages they have visited or whether they entered into the reservation process then clicked off, demonstrating that were interested in staying at your hotel and for whatever reason decided to continue with their search Within Google AdWords, you can create specific ads to be shown on the Google Display Network, and only to those previous visitors. We recommended that within your ads, you can get incentives them to click back to the website by offering a discount or special offer like a free spa treatment or upgrade for example. You can increase your conversions further by creating a unique landing page with your booking engine embedded with the exclusive offer. RLSA (Remarketing List for Search Ads) While the remarketing through Google AdWords is based on display ads, there is also another way of remarketing via traditional text ads. Again, the same principle applies, i.e., a person who has visited your website, only this time, when they go back to Google to continue their search for "hotel in London," they will see your text ad within the search results with the option to revisit your site and finally book. Google is still the number one method for travelers seeking hotels in specific destinations so is an essential tactic in re-engaging with your potential guests. Facebook Dynamic ads Along similar lines to Remarketing via Google, but this time re-connecting with users who are also Facebook users who will see your ads appear in their timeline feed. As over 1.4 billion people are connected to Facebook and growing all the time, this provides an excellent way for hotels to reconnect with potential guests who have recently visited your website and convert them into prospective guests by sending them back to a landing page with a unique offer or promotion. For the majority of independent hotels over the last few years, increasing their dependency on OTAs for your online bookings has been the norm. However, as we see with chains like Marriott and Hilton, the fightback has begun. By introducing a simple marketing strategy into your hotel's marketing plan for 2017 will provide you with a clear, simple and cost effective way of re-connecting with potential customers and converting them into guests. If you would like Hotelient to help your hotel in creating a remarketing strategy, then email [email protected] for more information. John kearney Hotel Sales & Consultancy Specialist - Director of Hotelient Hotelient View source AC Hotels by Marriott, the modern, design-driven, lifestyle brand from Marriott International, Inc., has joined forces with its global brand ambassador Nigel Barker and Bombay Sapphire Gin to debut a custom crafted small-batch tonic and first-ever specially designed Gin & Tonic glass. The Gin & Tonic (or Gintonic as it is known in Spain) has become the unofficial drink of Spain, primarily attributed to the country's cocktail culture, which celebrates the Gin & Tonic as an art form. Committed to continuously elevating and enhancing its cocktail program, Spanish-born AC Hotels, Bombay Sapphire Brand Ambassador Gary Hayward, and a team of leading spirits, food & nutrition and design professionals, crafted an exclusive Gin & Tonic, and the first-ever specially designed Gin & Tonic glass, only available to guests of AC Hotels beginning summer 2017. "We are excited to unveil AC Hotels' exclusive ACGT, the product of an innovative collaboration with Bacardi and Nigel Barker, two partners that share our same vision of creating meaningful experiences complemented by modern, purposeful design," said Benoit Racle, Global Brand Director, AC Hotels by Marriott. "The ACGT evokes the Spanish heritage of AC Hotels, emphasizes the artistry of Bombay Sapphire Gin and is heightened by Nigel's keen eye for design." Barker, an entrepreneur, celebrated fashion photographer, New York Times best-selling author, TV personality and furniture designer; Gary Hayward, Bombay Sapphire Brand Ambassador; Gary Gruver, with Marriott International's Global Beverage team; and Rohan V. Tikekar, Professor of Food & Nutrition at the University of Maryland invested two years in research and development to create this unique recipe. The exclusive AC Hotels cocktail combines exotic ingredients from all over the world with Bombay Sapphire East Gin, the world's first Gin specifically designed to pair with tonic. This combination of uniquely crafted botanicals including Thai Lemongrass and Vietnamese Black Peppercorn are presented with garnishes of fresh orange and lemon peels to emphasize the flavor profile. To accompany the ACGT, Barker, Hayward and Gruver developed the world's first specially designed Gin & Tonic glass designed to heighten taste, aroma and trigeminal effects (palate experience), as well as trigger psychological and visual stimuli. The unique design aligns with AC Hotels' philosophy that purposeful design improves our lives. "Inspired by a glass I bought in Biot, France at the age of 22, this new AC Hotels glass design will be a refined traditional tumbler and highball style glassware with a heavier and thicker glass bottom that enhances the tasting experience," said Barker. "This design puts emphasis on the beauty of the small details, a fundamental approach to AC Hotels." Bombay Sapphire Brand Ambassador Gary Hayward, adds, "The Gin & Tonic has long been Bombay Sapphire's classic cocktail and this new partnership with AC Hotels and Nigel Barker is allowing us to share the world's best Gin & Tonic with people globally. Working with a talent like Nigel Barker we are proud to serve the ACGT in the world's first ever Gin & Tonic glass. The collaboration further cements Bombay Sapphire's place in the creative community and commitment to art and design." Research at the University of Maryland informed the glass' unique design and construction from a substantial glass bottom that extends nucleation longevity (keeping contents colder, longer) to a relatively straight and narrow design that minimizes surface area and loss of carbon dioxide (keeping the tonic bubbly longer). Additionally, the glass will have a smooth interior surface and as few nucleation sites as possible. An exclusive launch of AC Hotels' new ACGT was revealed on November 30, 2016 at AC Hotel Miami Beach during Art Week Miami 2016. The party also previewed Barker's artistic glass design sketches and 3D printed prototypes. Based on the belief that purposeful design improves lives, AC Hotels carves away what is unnecessary to provide guests with thoughtfully designed moments of beauty; experiences that elevate their stay and help them focus on what is important to them. AC Hotels' guests get only what they need, without paying for what they don't. The result is sophisticated yet unpretentious style, innovative beverage and food programming with locally inspired experiences for both guests and locals. AC Hotels currently offers a portfolio of more than 90 hotels globally. Growth plans include more than 60 hotels set to open within the next three years throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. To learn more about AC Hotels by Marriot, please visit: http://achotels.marriott.com About Bacardi U.S.A., Inc. Bacardi U.S.A., Inc. is the United States import and distribution arm of one of the world's leading spirits and wine producers. The company boasts a portfolio of some of the most recognized and top-selling spirits brands in the United States including BACARDI rum, the world's favorite and best-selling premium rum, as well as the world's most awarded rum; GREY GOOSE vodka, the world-leader in super-premium vodka; DEWAR'S Blended Scotch Whisky, the number-one selling premium blended Scotch whisky in the United States; BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin, the top-valued and fastest-growing premium gin in the world; CAZADORES 100 percent blue agave tequila, the number-one premium tequila in Mexico and a top-selling premium tequila in the United States; MARTINI vermouth, the world-leader in vermouth; and other leading and emerging brands. For additional information, visit www.bacardiusa.com. About BOMBAY SAPPHIRE BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin is the fastest growing premium gin in the world and world's number one premium Gin by value. BOMBAY SAPPHIRE is created with a unique combination of ten hand-selected botanicals, sourced from around the globe. The brand's global essence and signature vapour infusion process impart a refined and perfectly balanced taste, versatile enough for both classic cocktails and exotic recipes. Infused with Imagination, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE is a symbol of the exploration of worldly and sophisticated lifestyles. For more information, please explore www.bombaysapphire.com. The BOMBAY SAPPHIRE brand is part of the portfolio of Bacardi Limited, headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited. About Marriott International Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and encompasses a portfolio of more than 8,100 properties under 30 leading brands spanning 139 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world. The company offers Marriott Bonvoy, its highly awarded travel program. For more information, please visit our website, and for the latest company news, visit Marriott News Center. In addition, connect with us on Facebook and @MarriottIntl on Twitter and Instagram. Victoria Hart Director, Public Relations, Lifestyle + Luxury Brands 301-380-8825 Marriott It looks like you've reached a page that doesnt exist (anymore). Please use the navigation or search above to find content on Hospitality Net. Go back to home One Ukrainian military was killed and another three suffered injuries in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Andriy Lysenko said. "The hostilities killed one Ukrainian serviceman and injured another three over the past day," he told a press briefing in Kyiv on Friday. Christmas has come early for J Cole fans. His next album 4 Your Eyez Only is slated to arrive on December 9th. In a series of posts on Instagram, photographer and director Anthony Supreme explained how story behind the albums cover art. He was shooting with Cole in Atlanta in September. Amidst a crowd mobbing after Cole through the streets, a small boy who did not know who Cole was took stock of the scene. There was something to me about this boy and how he kept looking at Cole, Supreme wrote. It took Supreme two days to work up the courage to propose the photo as the album cover. Cole agreed with him that the image represented what the music on the album attempts to convey. Read Supremes full story below: Heres a Long back story for you! Im Super excited about this cover and album artwork. I captured for my favorite artist of all time J.Cole and proud to say this is my First Official Album Cover ! This represents all that I am and where Im from in North Carolina. I remember being in a record store in Sydney with my girlfriend saying to her I wanna do an Album cover someday, I wanna walk into a store and see something I created on the record store around the world I remember her saying who would you wanna do a cover for ? I honestly didnt know at the time. Then a week later I get a text from Scott whos works for Dreamville and good friend of mines ask me you wanna do the photography for J.coles new album ? I was like hell yeah ! Crazy right I remember the day I pitch this photo to J.cole I was nervous as fuck ! It was in September and we were on a two week tour of creation for this album. I thought this was the perfect photo for his cover. It took me two days to build up enough confidence to show him 6-7 specific photos I felt stood out to me. But, this one stood out the most of this young boy in Atlanta. I was nervous to sit down with Cole & his manager to discuss my findings in the back of this huge tour bus. I described to Cole that there was just something about this young boys eyes. Because that day Cole, Scott and I just randomly stumbled upon this neighborhood in Atlanta while shooting footage for something later to come. This Atlanta neighborhood was just going crazy! People were running out of there house to take a photo of Cole and ask him questions but, their was something to me about this boy and how he kept looking at Cole as he walked around his neighborhood. I can see in his eyes how much this experience is slowly changing his life forever! The young boys face just stood out to me to capture. I saw in his eyes he knew nothing about J.Cole, but was some what amazed how everyone was reacting to him. The boy even asked Cole several times who he was. But, he couldnt understand what was going on in his world. Cole and I spent hours one night looking for photos for his album but nothing seem to stand out. Then a few days past and I finally found this photo that I felt represented the cover to most to me to pitch to him. Which at the time Cole felt something about this photo as well but wanted to think about it. I few months past and I got news this week from Scott he made this his Album cover, which is kinda amazing to me! Because, everything we created during that time period was pure in the monument, pure connection and all the photos and content to come represents just that. Human connection, the universe and coincidence. LIFE! I must say I cant wait for the world to see the rest of my photography I captured threw out this process in his album booklet that represents one of the greatest monuments of my life ! I must say I was nervous everyday & became very motivated and inspired by this wonderful human J.Cole! I couldnt have ask for anything better! Im from Monroe, North Carolina a small city out side Charlotte, North Carolina and to have my first Official Album Cover with J. Cole thats a huge representation of North Carolina Is really a Dream come true! After much patience and impotence, the world has been blessed with the release of Smoke DZA & Pete Rocks collaboration album Dont Smoke Rock. The inter-generational duo brought together a dope AF gang of features as eclectic as their unexpected partnership, including the likes of Mac Miller, Jadakiss, 2016 XXL Freshman Dave East, Wale, Royce Da 59, Rick Ross, and Big K.R.I.T. This is a super serious hip-hop affair. Dont Smoke Rock is Smoke DZAs follow-up to the stoners acclaimed mixtape George Kush Da Button. Pete Rock produced key track Unfuckwittable off that one, proving the duos unique chemistry. Listen to the album via Spotify and Soundcloud stream below. Roll one, light one, dont inhale. Let us know below how the LP makes you feel. Smoke DZA BP plans to make a $9 billion investment to drill in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, one of the energy industry's biggest moves yet back into the frontiers of exploration and another sign that the tentative oil market recovery is gaining traction after long downturn. The British oil company, which has 4,500 employees in Houston, plans to dispatch a new oil-production platform to a deepwater field about 190 miles south of New Orleans, where it could start pumping oil from more than a dozen wells in five years. The project is BP's first major investment in the Gulf since oil prices collapsed in 2014, and marks another milestone for a company that a few years ago sold tens of billions of dollars in assets to help pay fines and cleanup costs of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. The planned investment plan also capitalizes on a rapidly changing oil market following OPEC's decision earlier this week to cut production by 1.2 million barrels a day to support crude prices. Oil has surged since the cartel's meeting in Vienna, climbing 13 percent since Tuesday to a settle at $51.06 a barrel in New York on Thursday. BP officials said their decision to move ahead with the deepwater project was unrelated to OPEC's production cut since it won't start pumping until 2021. But the agreement by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries still marks a turning point that could lift both U.S. drillers in West Texas and, if the rally lasts long enough, provide cover for large companies to make longer-term investments in deep ocean waters. BP's new project, announced Thursday, is the second phase in the development of the Mad Dog field, a region discovered in 1998 that could hold, by BP's estimates, 4 billion barrels of oil. It plans to increase production there by 140,000 barrels of oil a day, more oil than 70 of the most productive wells in the Permian Basin in West Texas could produce today. BP plans to increase worldwide oil and gas production by 800,000 barrels a day by the end of the decade in a burst of new drilling and production efforts in the Gulf of Mexico and the North Sea, as well as Egypt, Algeria, Oman, Australia and several other countries. "It helps lay some of the groundwork the company's future growth potential," said Brian Youngberg, an analyst at Edward Jones. In 2013, BP decided to scrap its plans for a $20 billion truss spar a massive steel oil-production facility that stands upright in the ocean in the Mad Dog field. At the time, crude prices had risen above $100 a barrel, and a fiercely competitive drilling boom inflated prices for equipment and labor on large projects. The oil bust began the next year. So BP put the project on hold and began redesigning it. The truss spar was gone, and the company plans to assemble a less expensive, more standard oil-production platform. The effort to lower costs also involved negotiating better prices with equipment suppliers, willing to deal after suffering themselves during the two-year downturn. "There had to be a better way," said Starlee Sykes, vice president of global projects offshore in Houston. "We went through every component of design to reduce all the complexity and made it simpler." The project is now expected to be profitable at $40 a barrel oil. "Big deep-water projects can still be economic in a low price environment in the U.S. if they are designed in a smart and cost-effective way," BP CEO Bob Dudley said in a written statement. The green light for BP's new project comes as the industry's investments in deepwater projects have dropped nearly 40 percent since late 2014. when the oil bust began in earnest, according to energy research firm Wood Mackenzie. This year, the number of approved offshore projects fell to a four-decade low, and deepwater output will likely continue to slide globally as producers focus on less costly onshore development, according to consultancy Rystad Energy. Analysts believe, though, that OPEC's first oil production cut in eight years could ensure oil prices firm above $50 a barrel for a while, or even rise toward $60 a barrel. If that happens, it could give big oil companies like BP a starting point to consider larger projects, in deepwater or elsewhere, that have been deferred for two years. Earlier this year, Chevron Corp. approved a $36.8 billion investment into the giant Tengiz oil field in Kazakhstan, and last month Shell said it would put $10 billion into Brazil's deep-water fields over the next few years. And in Mexico City next week, executives of several big oil companies will gather in a data room to bid on deep-water oil fields the Mexican government is selling in one of its first auctions in seven decades. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate INDIANAPOLIS - The long-promised call from Donald Trump to the heating and cooling giant Carrier came early one morning about a week after the election, when he unexpectedly won the industrial heartland. Trump warned Gregory Hayes, the chief executive of Carrier's parent, United Technologies, that he had to find a way to save a substantial share of the jobs it had vowed to move to Mexico, or he would face the wrath of the incoming administration. On Thursday, as he toured the factory floor here to take credit for saving roughly half of the 2,000 jobs Indiana stood to lose, Trump sent a message to other businesses as well that he intended to follow through on his pledges to impose stiff tariffs on imports from companies that move production overseas and ship their products back to the United States. "This is the way it's going to be," Trump said in an interview with the New York Times. "Corporate America is going to have to understand that we have to take care of our workers also." Trump was accompanied by his vice president-elect, Mike Pence, who is currently Indiana's governor. He was in the room at Trump Tower when the president-elect placed his initial call to Hayes, and he was the one who sealed the deal with the chief executive with a handshake in the building on Monday. "I don't want them moving out of the country without consequences," Trump said, even if that means angering the free-market-oriented Republicans he beat in the primaries but will have to work with on Capitol Hill. "The free market has been sorting it out and America's been losing," Pence added, as Trump interjected, "Every time, every time." Coporate giveaway But since the pact was disclosed on Tuesday, critics have pounced on Carrier's receipt of $7 million in incentives from the state of Indiana - just the kind of corporate giveaways Trump knocked as he slammed Carrier on the campaign trail last spring. Others have pointed out that cutting individual deals with different companies is a costly and ineffective way to stem the powerful forces that impel business to move factories and jobs in a highly competitive global and national economy. "He has signaled to every corporation in America that they can threaten to offshore jobs in exchange for business-friendly tax benefits and incentives," Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont wrote in an op-ed on Thursday for the Washington Post. In Washington, Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, suggested that Carrier's decision, while "good news," was only a drop in the bucket. "Mr. Trump would have to make 804 more announcements just like that to equal the standard of jobs in the manufacturing sector that were created in this country under President Obama's watch," Earnest said. "So this is good news, but the incoming president has a high bar to meet when it comes to putting in place the kind of economic policies that would benefit American workers." Still, Trump's appeal is likely to lead to a more fundamental shift in the way Washington approaches dealing with corporate decisions on where to locate jobs. "Contrary to early reactions from the left and the right, the Carrier deal opens the door to a new approach to U.S. economic growth policy that is sorely needed," the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a research and advocacy group, said in a statement. "It sets the precedent that growing, attracting and retaining globally traded, innovation-based industries that are both high-value and pay high wages is central to U.S. economic growth." Despite the cheers Trump received as he walked around the factory floor, where the lines continued to run and he had to shout at times to be heard, another 1,000 workers for the company in Indiana will be losing their jobs. This includes 700 at a United Technologies factory in nearby Huntington, as well as several hundred here. The 800 or so jobs that are being preserved are mostly on the lines that build medium- and high-efficiency gas furnaces. Writing on the wall Not long after Trump and Pence departed for the airport and to another rally in Ohio to celebrate his victory, workers coming in for the night shift received a letter titled "Company Update on Indianapolis Operations." "It sets a great tone," Trump said in an interview as he toured the Carrier factory after the announcement that hundreds of jobs would remain there. "What they've done is great for America." United Technologies, Carrier's parent, saw the writing on the wall as soon as Trump declared victory last month. Offering to preserve jobs, even at the cost of some of the $65 million savings the company expected from the move, could serve its larger corporate interests. "Every penny counts, but if we step back and I'm looking at earnings of $6.60 per share this year, 2 cents is an easy concession if the president-elect listens to some of the company's bigger concerns," said Howard Rubel, a senior equity analyst with Jefferies, an investment banking firm in New York. And Trump and Pence, while providing a carrot through the state incentives and promises of future business tax cuts, held an implicit stick: the threat of pulling federal contracts from United Technologies. Trump and his team were well aware that the amount United Technologies stood to lose in those contracts dwarfed the savings from moving some of its operations to Monterrey, Mexico, from Indiana. Despite only accomplishing half of what had been promised in the campaign, Trump and Pence predicted that the number of jobs ultimately preserved could rise as Carrier follows through on its promise to invest more than $16 million in the state. That provision, plus the incentives, were worked out between Carrier and officials from the state of Indiana's economic development office, with Pence overseeing the process. Pressure makes difference The vice president-elect insisted that the incentives did not represent a giveaway on Trump's part, and claimed United Technologies had turned down a similar-size package of breaks in March. What made the difference, he said, was Trump's public pressure, as well his promise to cut corporate taxes and ease regulation. Trump, too, played down the role of the incentives. And he said he did not directly raise the $5 billion to $6 billion in federal contracts United Technologies receives, much of it from the Pentagon. But company officials are acutely aware that its Pratt & Whitney unit, among other things, supplies jet engines to the Air Force's most advanced fighter and many other planes, making it much more vulnerable to political pressure than other, lesser-known manufacturers that have been steadily closing shop in the Midwest and moving production south of the border. "It may have a played a role in their equation," Trump allowed. "I never mentioned it. I didn't feel I had to." What about the fact that Trump frequently sourced products for his properties overseas, along with some popular Trump-branded merchandise? Will he lead by example and buy more goods made in the U.S.A.? "I buy thousands and thousands of TVs," he said. "I would like to, but they essentially don't make them in the U.S. You know the hats I do? It took us forever to find a company that can make a hat in the U.S." This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Howard Hughes was a real person. He was 6-foot-4, Texas-born, an only child and an extremely rich orphan at 19. Until his death in 1976, he lived among us - if hiding out in hotel penthouses, emerging only to be sneaked onto and off private planes, counts. Of course, anyone with even a mild interest in Houston history knows this. But for much of the world, what they know, and remember, about one of America's most renowned eccentrics has come from seeing him portrayed in film. We've watched him on the big screen as an aviation-industry pioneer, demanding movie producer, man about town, germaphobe and, ultimately, billionaire recluse. These movie portrayals go back as far as Max Ophuls' 1949 melodrama "Caught." Don't be confused by the lead character's name in that film: Smith Ohlrig, the sadistic Long Island tycoon, was thoroughly Hughes, with whom Ophuls had just had an unpleasant working experience at RKO. The latest incarnation of Hughes can be seen in Warren Beatty's romantic drama "Rules Don't Apply," which opened last week. The film shows Hughes in late middle age, ruling over the palm-trees-and-convertibles world of midcentury Hollywood, lurking in the shadows a lot and eventually devolving from eccentricity to lunacy. Every picture tells a slightly different story, but there are patterns. 'Rules Don't Apply' (2016) The Hughes stand-in: Warren Beatty, at 79 The look: Distinguished, mustachioed and aging but dapper, 1950s style. Jobs and hobbies: Signing beautiful young women to movie contracts. Running planes and airlines into the ground. Love interest: An aspiring teenage actress (Lily Collins) from prim-and-proper Virginia. Peculiar habits: Marrying women just to avoid being institutionalized. Eating TV dinners in Beverly Hills Hotel bungalows with the lights off. Helplessly repeating phrases in public places ("I'll leave this country and never come back"). Driving impulse: Control. His employees, especially virile chauffeurs and nubile starlets, are forbidden to fraternize. 'The Aviator' (2004) The stand-in: Leonardo DiCaprio, at 30 The look: Early on, clean-cut 20-something who looks fabulous in a white tie. Later, bearded madman who likes spending his days naked. Jobs and hobbies: Designing airplanes. Making movies. Making movies about airplanes. Love interest: Katharine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett) at the height of her stardom. With appearances by Ava Gardner and Jean Harlow. Peculiar habits: Urinating into empty milk bottles. Living in a screening room. Helplessly repeating phrases in public places ("The way of the future"). Driving impulse: Fear. "Does that look clean to you?" 'Tucker: The Man and His Dream' (1988) The stand-in: Dean Stockwell, at 52 The look: Tweedy and mustachioed, with fedora. Jobs and hobbies: Helping fellow entrepreneurs with secret manufacturing tips - in this case, a visionary car designer (Jeff Bridges). Love interest: Only the Spruce Goose, his overweight flying boat. Peculiar habits: Holding meetings in dark airplane hangars. Refusing to shake hands. Not knowing what to do when a cut on his finger bleeds. Driving impulse: Alienation. "Did I change? Or did the cosmic sense of humor? I used to laugh when they did." 'Melvin and Howard' (1980) The stand-in: Jason Robards, at 58 The look: A bum with scraggly salt-and-pepper hair and matching beard. Jobs and hobbies: Random philanthropy. He leaves $156 million to a dim young loser (Paul Le Mat) who gives him a lift in his pickup truck. Love interest: His memories. Peculiar habits: Hitchhiking in the desert while resembling a homeless person. Driving impulse: Control. "No doctors!" But on this one night, when he sings a mournful "Bye Bye Blackbird" and revels in "the smell of the desert after the rain," he's capable of being touched emotionally. 'Caught' (1949) The stand-in: Robert Ryan, at 40 The look: Tall, dark, lanky and handsome, in elegant suits with pocket squares. Jobs and hobbies: "Sort of an international something," as his soon-to-be wife (Barbara Bel Geddes) describes him when she meets him. Love interest: A young, gold-digging department store model who quickly realizes that her new husband is crazy and dangerous. Peculiar habits: Marrying women just to upset his psychiatrist. Hosting 3 a.m. parties in his mansion's screening room. Flipping out and having undiagnosable physical attacks whenever he can't get his way. Driving impulse: Control. "If you want me to invest one penny, you'll do it my way or not at all." The death of North Carolina barbecue has been greatly exaggerated. Recent years have seen the rise of Texas barbecue as the national food media's favorite child, with many culinary celebrities and personalities making the pilgrimage to Austin or Houston to worship at the altar of post oak-smoked brisket and beef ribs. This has caused some consternation (and certainly envy) among supporters of other American styles of barbecue - particularly in North Carolina, where barbecue traditions can be traced to the earliest settlers of our country. Barbecue aficionados in North Carolina are no less passionate and argumentative than their Texas cousins. The perception that North Carolina barbecue has taken a back seat to the traditions in the Lone Star State is clearly irksome. But in some ways, it's grounded in reality. Like Texas barbecue trends in the 1980s and '90s, North Carolina barbecue has recently seen the introduction of automated pits into many of the state's most famous barbecue joints. The use of gas or electric pits in place of the much-harder-to-use, all-wood-burning pits is a sore point. Barbecue cooked with gas lacks the smoky complexity of wood-smoked versions. The problem became so severe in North Carolina that two of the state's most celebrated barbecue authorities, John Shelton Reed and Dan Levine, created "The Campaign for Real Barbecue" to celebrate and recognize joints that cook only with wood. On a recent road trip to the East Coast, I swung through the western part of North Carolina, known for the "Lexington-style" barbecue that is named after the city that made it famous. I wanted to taste for myself the distinction between gas or electric and all-wood-smoked 'cue. Lexington-style barbecue entails pork shoulder cooked over hardwood coals. The shoulder is then chopped up and served as a sandwich with coleslaw and a vinegar-based sauce. The "chopped barbecue sandwich," as it is listed on most menus, is a culinary wonder. Though not particularly photogenic - more of an advertising problem than you might think in a social media-saturated society - it is an ideal combination of flavors and textures. The meat's rich pork-and-fat flavor combines perfectly with the acidity of the tangy, vinegary and slightly sweet sauce. The crisp coleslaw adds crunch to the soft and slightly chewy chopped pork. My first stop was Allen & Son Bar-B-Que in Pittsboro. Unlike another location in Chapel Hill run by a different family member using all-wood smokers, this location uses an electric cooker, as my server confirmed. The sandwich here, though lacking much smoke flavor, was quite good. The pork was well seasoned and the coleslaw and sauce well prepared. From there I headed north to Greensboro, to visit Stamey's Barbecue, one of the most traditional of all North Carolina joints. I ordered the chopped sandwich and a side of Brunswick stew, an iconic dish of the American South. The smoke flavor of the pork was far more noticeable and the texture more irregular, with pieces of pork skin mixing in with the shoulder. My final stop was Lexington Barbecue in the nearby city of the same name. As I pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, an attached smokehouse pumped out fragrant smoke of burning oak and hickory, hinting at true 'cue inside. I ordered a sandwich and asked for extra "outside brown" - the smoked pork shoulder's crispy bark. The coleslaw piled on top was more vinegary than the other places I'd visited, and the sauce had a more sweet-and-sour character to it. It was the best sandwich of the day. In the context of the current American barbecue boom, it is understandable that some North Carolina barbecue fans see their beloved tradition losing ground to the Texas phenomenon. Indeed, it is not completely unreasonable to say the North Carolina tradition is dying because of the influx of gas and electric cookers. But at those historical places that still cook exclusively with wood and have resisted adding trendy dishes such as beef brisket and ribs to the menu, locals still pack the dining rooms. North Carolina barbecue is still alive and well, if you know where to look. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A heartbroken Texas City family dealing with a child's suicide will find no support from state laws against the suspected culprit - cyberbullying. Brandy Vela, 18, died Tuesday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest, Texas City police said. She killed herself at home as family members watched. Her father, Raul Vela, told authorities his daughter had been receiving abusive text messages for months, mainly about her weight. NATIONAL PROBLEM: Alarming rise in adolescent suicides Texas City police have not released any specific information about the alleged digital harassment but have asked anyone with information about it to contact Det. Earl Mendenhall at 4098-643-5833. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call Mainland Communities Crime Stoppers at 409-945-8477. Some states have laws specifically against cyberbullying, but Texas is not one of them, according to a list compiled by the Cyberbullying Research Center. The Lone Star State's anti-bullying law, which took effect with the 2012-13 school year, states that schools have must a policy covering written, verbal or physical bullying at school. The law does not cover behavior away from school. FREE SPEECH?: Dallas man lands in jail over alleged Twitter harassment Legislating against cyberbullying is complicated and difficult, said Sameer Hinduja, codirector of the Cyberbullying Research Center and criminology professor at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. For one thing, he said, what constitutes cyberbullying is subjective and trying to prevent such behavior could infringe on free speech. "It's hard for reasonable people to figure out," he said. Also, even in cases of hurtful language, it may not be a good idea to get middle school and high school students involved with the criminal justice system when other responses might be effective, he said. "I don't think criminalization has a deterrent effect," said Hinduja, who has worked with both public and private schools in Houston. It's more important, Hinduja said, for schools to have proactive programs to teach responsible use of digital material and to create a positive campus climate that fosters connectedness. Schools should also have an anonymous reporting system that allows students to tell officials when something is inappropriate, he said. "The key there is making sure there are point people on campus who will take the time to investigate those reports," he said. PAY UP: Law firm loses suit against woman who wrote bad online reviews In Vela's case, she reported the problem to school officials, who found that an app being used to send messages was untraceable. They encouraged her to change her phone number but the bullies kept finding her, her family said. Someone also created a fake Facebook page about her, Vela's family members said. A Facebook spokesman said Friday that, as explained in the website's Community Standards, Facebook removes content and disables accounts "when we believe there is a genuine risk of physical harm or direct threats to public safety." A page that impersonates someone is against Facebook's community standards, said spokesman Will Nevius. The Ukrainian Armed Forces in Donbas are facing 30,000 militants and "5,500 Russian regular servicemen," Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said. "Terrorist groups in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions have no capacities to advance forward, no level of training, no supplies, no morale. There are a little more than 30,000 of them in Donbas now, the first and second army corps and about 5,500 servicemen of the Russian regular forces," Poltorak said in an interview with Interfax. The minister said that the current situation in Donbas remains tense: "there is constant shelling on their part, constant provocations for us to violate the agreements." "Shelling stopped only in two sectors, those are the areas of disengagement of forces and equipment near Petrivske and Zolote. Let me remind you that the main principle of waging a hybrid war is provocation," Poltorak said. At that, he said, Ukraine "clearly implements the Minsk agreements." "We still need to work for our Armed Forces to be able to perform all tasks," the minister said. Since 2014, Russian officials have repeatedly said that there were and are no Russian regular troops in the territory of Donbas and that all suggestions to the contrary are groundless and have never been supported by any documented evidence. KYIV. Dec 2 (Interfax-Ukraine) - The Ukrainian Armed Forces in Donbas are facing 30,000 militants and "5,500 Russian regular servicemen," Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said. "Terrorist groups in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions have no capacities to advance forward, no level of training, no supplies, no morale. There are a little more than 30,000 of them in Donbas now, the first and second army corps and about 5,500 servicemen of the Russian regular forces," Poltorak said in an interview with Interfax. The minister said that the current situation in Donbas remains tense: "there is constant shelling on their part, constant provocations for us to violate the agreements." "Shelling stopped only in two sectors, those are the areas of disengagement of forces and equipment near Petrivske and Zolote. Let me remind you that the main principle of waging a hybrid war is provocation," Poltorak said. At that, he said, Ukraine "clearly implements the Minsk agreements." "We still need to work for our Armed Forces to be able to perform all tasks," the minister said. Since 2014, Russian officials have repeatedly said that there were and are no Russian regular troops in the territory of Donbas and that all suggestions to the contrary are groundless and have never been supported by any documented evidence. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate GALVESTON The name of the Friendswood police officer involved in the fatal shooting of a California man accused of stealing a beer will be released Friday, Police Chief Robert Wieners said Thursday. Wieners said that he would identify the officer after the individual was informed of a request for the information by the Houston Chronicle. The officer was placed on administrative leave Tuesday after he shot and killed Toby Cummins, 55, of California, authorities said. They have not released any other information about Cummins or his background. PREVIOUS STORY: Unnamed Freindswood officer shot and killed California man who allegedly stole beer can Cummins was accused by the owner of a service station at FM 2351 and South Friendswood Drive of stealing a single can of beer. The owner called police, who confronted Cummins about four blocks from the service station. Wieners said Cummins had a boxcutter with the blade extended, making the officer fear for his safety. Cummins' funeral is scheduled for Wednesday, but the time and place has not been released, according to Integrity Funeral Care in Houston. On the condolences page of the funeral home website, Sue Cummins wrote: "You will always be remembered. Loved you. I will always see you in our boys." Katherine Augustine of Houston wrote: "Our sweet crazy spirited brother you are so loved. I am sure you are up there dancing in the skies with Cheri." Neither Sue Cummins nor Augustine could immediately be reached for comment. Wieners said more information about the case would be released Friday afternoon. "We've obviously made progress in the investigation," he said. "We've interviewed about a dozen folks near the location or who saw something and are just continuing in the investigative process. " A former Houston police officer was arrested after allegedly seeking to hire hitmen to murder one or possibly two women, one of whom was his estranged wife. The suspect also wanted to have the two females kidnapped and sexually assaulted, police said Thursday. Pasadena Police detectives posed as hitmen after receiving information last month that 63-year-old Clarence McNatt was looking to harm the women. Police do not know what relationship McNatt had with the second female, Pasadena Police Lt. James Holt said at an afternoon news conference. "(McNatt) wanted to find out why his spouse had left him and he believed that his spouse had left him for another person," said Holt. A neighbor who said she has been friends with McNatt since 1978 confirmed that he ad been despondent after a ongoing series of marital problems. "You could tell that he was depressed," said Elizabeth Keith, 67, who lives across the street. Lt. Holt said that McNatt initially asked the undercover detectives to carry out the crimes for $500, but he eventually settled on paying the officers $100 cash and three gold rings containing various stones. When McNatt was arrested Wednesday, police said they found various items in his car that were to be used to bind and torture victims. Authorities did not provide any details about the circumstances of McNatt's arrest. However, pictures of McNatt's residence show a posted sign stating the house was raided by Pasadena police. Due to the police findings, he is charged with solicitation to commit capital murder and two counts of solicitation to commit aggravated kidnapping with intent to commit sexual assault. At the news conference, Pasadena police offered a brief biographical sketch of McNatt. They said they learned he worked as an officer with police departments in Houston, Ames and Clear Lake during the 1980s and 1990s. Harris County District Clerk records show McNatt was previously arrested for a series of misdemeanors between 1993 and 1996. Three of the charges - all for violating the private investigator/security agent act - were dismissed, though he pleaded no contest and accepted a deferred adjudication for a charge of manufacture, sale, or distribution of a decoding device. Keith, the neighbor, said the past few years had been a struggle for the former officer, who had survived the deaths of his father, mother, daughter and brother all in the past five to six years. "He had so many deaths there we were always going to funerals for him," she said. Through it all, he remained a good friend and neighbor. "He would always come over here and help," Keith said. "When my air conditioner was having a problem, he fixed it." She said after his police career ended, McNatt worked a series of odd jobs but also struggled with back injuries. McNatt was arraigned in Harris County Court on Thursday and denied bond. He is being held in Harris County Jail. Will Axford contributed to this report. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A trial has a way of concentrating events. A few days of testimony in a Houston federal courtroom, for example, have yielded a narrative encapsulating several years of drama that has played out at Pasadena's City Hall. Among the highlights: Two City Council members recalled being dragged from public meetings by police officers on Mayor Johnny Isbell's orders. A councilman told of his shock when he saw a pistol clattering to the floor from Isbell's belongings at a council meeting (the mayor claims it was a pellet gun). A top city official admitted under oath that he had illegally used city time, resources and staff to work on political campaigns. I spent two days sitting in U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal's courtroom this week, listening to testimony in the trial of a lawsuit alleging that the 2013 creation of two at-large Pasadena City Council seats unlawfully diluted Latino voting strength. The trial is scheduled to conclude on Friday, and voting-rights activists around the country will take a keen interest in the outcome. As I flipped through my notebook, I found a number of quotations from key witnesses that illuminated central themes in the case. "You don't have to look at the budget to see that one side of town is clearly being treated differently than the other." - Pasadena Councilman Cody Ray Wheeler. The councilman, a Latino in his second term who is part of the faction that has opposed the mayor on contentious topics, was discussing the real-world consequences of the issues in the case. Residents of Pasadena's mostly Latino north side have long complained that the quality of their streets, drainage and other essential services lags far behind conditions on the predominantly Anglo south side. The most recently adopted council structure of six district seats and two at-large ones replaced a system of eight district positions. If, as the suit alleges, the new system makes it harder for the city's growing Latino population to elect its preferred candidates, this under-representation is reflected in residents' daily lives. This trial is not a theoretical exercise. "Yes." - Richard Scott, Pasadena's community relations director. Scott uttered this word repeatedly in response to questions about whether he had used his city computer and email account and directed other employees to campaign for Isbell's re-election and for the charter change, narrowly approved by voters in November 2013, that created the new council system. The city official's testimony was notable not just because he had acknowledged an unlawful act, but as an illustration of how far Isbell and his closest allies were apparently willing to go to stave off the looming threat they saw in increased Latino voting influence. Scott, who said he and Isbell had been friends for 50 years, expressed regret for these actions and vowed not to repeat them. "Who are you to vote against me?" - Isbell to Wheeler, according to Wheeler's testimony. Wheeler said the mayor posed this question after Wheeler voted against a bond package that Isbell initially supported. Isbell has not confirmed or denied having made the statement, but it's the kind of thing a longtime public official accustomed to having his way might say to a young, ambitious politician like Wheeler. Isbell, 78, has held elective office in Pasadena almost continuously since 1969 - 16 years before the 31-year-old Wheeler was born. A sense of entitlement can be a byproduct of all that experience. "The mayor was concerned he could lose his four votes." - Councilwoman Pat Van Houte. Ethnicity is the central legal issue in the case, but the underlying events mainly reflect a struggle for power. As they sought influence proportionate to their growing numbers, Pasadena's Latinos just happened to threaten Isbell's grip on city government. The mayor, in fact, has supported certain Latino candidates for the council. But he threw everything he had into efforts to prevent Wheeler's election, funding a political action committee that produced literature attacking Wheeler in 2013 and 2015. Through it all, Isbell clung to his slim council majority, voting repeatedly to break 4-4 ties on key votes such as putting the charter change creating the new council system on the ballot. But his grip was tenuous. Isbell started the process leading to the creation of the at-large districts almost immediately after a controversial 2013 U.S. Supreme Court decision invalidating a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. The ruling made the change possible without federal preapproval. "We've got to keep Pasadena Pasadena." - unidentified Anglo precinct judge to Wheeler, explaining his support for the new council system on Nov. 5, 2013 - the day voters narrowly approved it. I think this comment speaks for itself. Community colleges can take students' ages into account as they decide where and when license holders can and cannot carry concealed handguns on campus, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in an opinion this week. "Such rules could prohibit concealed handguns in specific classrooms and campus areas at times where there may be a congregation of minors, as well as specific rooms where child-care services are provided," he wrote on Tuesday. Like four-year universities, junior and community colleges "may not categorically prohibit concealed handguns" from campus, he said in the latest opinion on Senate Bill 11, which allows some Texans to carry concealed handguns on college campuses. Four-year public universities began complying with the law on Aug. 1, but the law will not be enacted at two-year institutions like community colleges until next August. Paxton's nuance recognizes that many community colleges - including ones around Houston - are teaching thousands of dual-credit and other high school students per semester. Partnerships between community colleges and local independent school districts let minors take courses on community-college campuses. He was responding to four questions posed in a May letter by state Rep. Abel Herrero, D-Robstown. "Many junior and community colleges have Early College High Schools ("ECHS") and dual credit students," Herrero wrote, adding that many of these students are "fully integrated" in campus facilities. "Can a junior/community college prohibit handguns in the classrooms on the college campus, if minor children may attend classes in any or all of the classrooms on that campus?" Paxton said junior and community colleges cannot categorically prohibit handguns from these campuses, but that they can establish "reasonable rules" that could keep guns away from minors by barring concealed handguns at certain times in certain areas of the schools. Throughout the year, area community colleges have reached out to students, faculty and staff for their thoughts on the law and what areas of campus should be dubbed "gun-free." Committees have met at Lone Star College and Houston Community College this fall to discuss implementation. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate An influential Texas lawmaker on Thursday filed formal complaints against three Harris County magistrate judges after they were captured on videotape rushing misdemeanor defendants to jail apparently without considering no-cost bonds. State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, lodged the complaints with the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, citing an article published Thursday in the Houston Chronicle about the hearings and videos. "The total disregard for citizens and the complete lack of judicial temperament and professionalism are unacceptable," Whitmire said. "I am requesting a thorough investigation by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct to determine if these violations are intentional, individual, or the responsibility of the elected judges who appoint these magistrates." The complaints were lodged against Magistrates Eric Hagstette, Joseph Licata III and Jill Wallace. They could not be reached for comment. "Magistrates Hagstette, Wallace and Licata III should be prohibited from conducting any further probable cause hearings until the findings of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct's investigation are available," said Whitmire, chair of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. The magistrates are among judges and other Harris County officials who have been named in a federal civil rights lawsuit filed in Houston over what the suit contends is a "wealth-based detention scheme." The suit accuses officials of violating the rights of misdemeanor criminal defendants by jailing nearly everyone who can't afford to post bond without properly considering their ability to pay. Hundreds of offenders are unlawfully jailed for minor offenses such as trespassing or shoplifting simply because they can't afford to post even nominal bail payments, according to the suit. They sometimes spend months behind bars awaiting trial. Few defendants are freed on so-called personal bonds based on inability to pay even if they promise to appear later for court dates, records show. The videotaped encounters - among thousands that occur 24 hours a day at the Harris County courthouse - illustrate what advocates say is judicial indifference to poverty and homelessness. They were released by the nonprofit Texas Organizing Project, which is not a party to the lawsuit. Tarsha Jackson, a TOP organizer, applauded Whitmire's initiative. "It's time we start holding people accountable and let them know we're serious about transforming the system," she said. "That's the only way we're going to be able to change the culture of how Harris County has been operating - by our representatives stepping up and supporting the community." Whitmire said he named the magistrates specifically in his complaint because of what he said were "obvious failures" to conduct hearings as required by statute. "Texas governing statutes clearly state that a magistrate should exercise their full discretion when conducting probable cause hearings and setting bond amounts," he said. "It is clear from the video of their hearings that this is clearly not the case with these magistrates. It appears the probable cause hearings in Harris County not only violate the intent of these statutes, but also the letter of the law." Whitmire pointed to the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, which specifies that during an initial court appearance, the ability to make bail is to be considered and proof may be taken on that point. By: Patrick Svitek, Texas Tribune Rebuking a growing movement aimed at protecting undocumented students under incoming President Donald Trump, Gov. Greg Abbott vowed Thursday to cut funding for any Texas school that declares itself a "sanctuary campus." Abbott made the threat on Twitter in response to news that students at Texas State University are petitioning administrators to make the campus a "sanctuary for undocumented students, workers, and community members." Such concerns have spiked following the election of Trump, who has promised to deport millions of people in the country illegally. "Texas will not tolerate sanctuary campuses or cities," Abbott said. "I will cut funding for any state campus if it establishes sanctuary status." TEXAS STUDENTS APPEAL: Texas State University students petition to make school a sanctuary campus Additional details on Abbott's threat were not immediately available. The definition of a "sanctuary campus" is not entirely clear. The University of Pennsylvania, for example, has branded itself a sanctuary campus after announcing it will not let federal immigration authorities on campus without a warrant. At Texas State, students are asking the administration to "guarantee student privacy by refusing to release information regarding the immigration status of students, staff, and/or university community members." Similar petition efforts are currently underway at the University of Texas at Austin and University of North Texas. At Texas A&M University, administrators met with a group of faculty this week to discuss the concept. But in an interview Thursday morning before Abbott's tweet, university President Michael Young said he didn't see a need for schools to make such a declaration. Federal regulations currently prevent immigration authorities from coming onto campuses except in extraordinary cases, and any changes to that policy wouldn't happen quickly, he said. "If there is any possibility of that happening, it is such a long process because you have to change a whole set of regulatory dimensions that govern ICE, you have to change the law in a number of different ways," he said. ON CAMPUS: Trump supporters encourage violence at Texas State University Still, Young said he understands why some students may be worried after this year's election. "It is our obligation, our passion, our goal to provide a supportive, safe environment for our students to thrive," he said. "There is nothing on the horizon that really jeopardizes that." Since Trump's election, hundreds of college presidents have signed a statement in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which gives young undocumented immigrants protection from deportation and a work permit. Among the signatures are leaders from the University of Texas System, the University of Houston and Rice University. Read related Tribune coverage: Some undocumented immigrants brought here as kids were granted a sort of legal status by President Barack Obama. They're in a state of shock and panic now that Donald Trump has won the White House. Marcos Valencia was raised in Indiana, but in the eyes of the law, his home is the cartel-infested state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, where he was born. Now he's stuck in Mexico, unable to return to the country where he grew up. Matthew Watkins contributed to this report. Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin, the Texas State University System, Texas A&M University, the University of Houston and Rice University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here. The Texas Tribune is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media organization that informs Texans and engages with them about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Don't resell the story to someone else. AUSTIN The state will hire more than 800 workers and give pay raises to 7,000 employees within its beleaguered Child Protective Services program as part of an emergency plan to address a manpower crisis that has impaired the state's ability to protect hundreds of vulnerable and abused children. The approval on Thursday of well over $100 million in emergency funding -- the exact cost has not been made public -- came on the day Department of Family and Protective Services Commissioner Henry "Hank" Whitman Jr. had set to start correcting skyrocketing turnover rates and chronic staffing shortages that have made headlines for months and infuriated lawmakers. Included will be $12,000 raises for about 6,000 front-line workers and pay hikes of up to 20 percent for an additional 1,110 managers and special investigators, according to legislative leaders. The agency also got permission to immediately start hiring as many as 829 new workers to supplement the existing staff. Thursday's decision came after weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations between the House that earlier had agreed to support Whitman's entire emergency funding request, and the Senate, which wanted to hire just a few hundred workers to bolster the agency's troubled operations until a detailed review of a permanent fix could be completed by the time the Legislature convenes for its biennial meeting in January. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Joe Straus at announced a deal had been reached Thursday, but provided few specifics. Agency officials and aides to Gov. Greg Abbott, who had supported the pay raises and the hiring of additional workers, said the changes would start immediately, just as soon as paperwork approving the funds could be approved by the Legislative Budget Board that Patrick and Straus chair. "This is a meaningful step toward stabilizing the CPS workforce," Straus said, promising that the House "will build on these efforts so that we can continue improving child protection and foster care." Patrick said the Senate agreed to fund the additional caseworkers and salary increases to begin repairing a system that members of the budget-writing Senate Finance Committee at an October public hearing had characterized as broken. Whitman was harshly criticized during that meeting following revelations that hundreds of Texas children reported to have been abused or neglected went weeks, and sometimes months, without being contacted by CPS caseworkers. State police were dispatched to help locate those children. By last week, 30 still had not been found, senators said. Along with the emergency funding, Patrick said lawmakers "have agreed to add teeth to ensure that the resources invested into this agency are producing results, assuring the safety of our children. "The most important action we can take to protect our children is resolving our caseworker retention issue and that has been the primary focus of the Senate," he said. "Our work is far from over and, rest assured, CPS will remain under a microscope as these funds are expended." The state's child-protection programs have been the focus of harsh criticism for some time, amid reports that children taken into state custody have had to spend nights sleeping in state offices because of a shortage of places to house them, that caseworkers are so overworked in the Houston, Dallas and Austin offices that complaints of abuse and neglect cannot be quickly followed up and that children are housed in improper locations because the state is so short of beds. Compounding the crisis is a ruling a year ago by a federal court judge in Corpus Christi declaring a portion of the state's foster-care system unconstitutional because of alleged continuing abuse. While the state has appealed that ruling, officials have estimated it could take hundreds of millions of dollars to fix the court-identified deficiencies in a case that could put the state foster-care system under court supervision for some time. A House working group on the CPS crisis last week had agreed to fund Whitman's request for more than 800 additional staff and the pay raises, but Senate negotiators expressed reluctanceto grow the size of the agency that significantly without safeguards to ensure that the chronic operational problems would be resolved. Weeks ago, the Senate had agreed to a stop-gap funding package of about $75 million that included fewer new workers but included the $12,000 pay hikes for front-line workers. Politically, Thursday's deal means the Legislature will have to come up with tens of millions of additional dollars to fund the emergency appropriation before it even starts to consider funding for a long-term fix at a time the state faces a budget pinch that likely will mean $5 billion less to spend than two years ago. "We all agree we want to see some focus on this issue as quickly as possible," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound. Children's advocacy groups that had urged full funding of Whitman's plan cheered the Thursday agreement, in what they called the first significant increase in caseworker pay in years. "This brings those brave souls taking on this difficult, dangerous and thankless job to a level competitive with comparable professions," said Madeline McClure, founder of TexProtects, an advocacy group. "Child Protective Services caseworker turnover will drop starting today. The approval of additional workers will also help with managing caseloads and stress. The end result will be safer children and stronger families." Even with Thursday's approval of the new caseworkers, officials said it will take perhaps as much as a year to get the new employees recruited, hired and trained. The pay hikes can take effect immediately, sparking hope that high employee turnover rates will drop quickly enough to allow the agency to stabilize its operations and better account for and supervise the thousands of children under its care. The pen may be mightier than the sword, but energy giant Kinder Morgan undoubtedly overreacted when it tried to sue a poet for opposing a pipeline. Back in 2014, protesters camped out at Burnaby Mountain in British Columbia, Canada, to prevent preliminary work on expanding the Trans Mountain pipeline, which connects Alberta oil sands with the Pacific Coast. The Houston-based pipeline company responded by filing an injunction against the activists and suing key protest leaders - including poet Stephen Collis - for millions of dollars in damages in lost revenue. Consider it strategy by sledgehammer, and it only worked to rally international attention to the pipeline opponents. The public relations faux pas was enough to make Kinder Morgan pull a 180. With a lesson learned, the company dropped charges against the activists and started working with Native Americans along the pipeline's path. Kinder Morgan Canada eventually reached profit-sharing and other agreements with local tribes and communities near the pipeline. "We don't go in with a set proposal, there are not take-it-or-leave it conversations," Kinder Morgan Canada President Ian Anderson said last year. Not every nation got on board, and not every protester was mollified, but the tone of the conversation changed when the company stopped lashing out at people and started listening. This week, that pipeline was approved by the Canadian prime minister. On the other side of the northern border, protesters' concerns are hard to hear over the sound of concussion grenades. South of Bismarck, North Dakota, thousands of activists and members of Native American tribes have been camping since the summer to protest the Dakota Access pipeline, which is being built by Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners. Undoubtedly some protesters want to stop oil and gas exploration entirely, but others are there to oppose a project that they see as disrupting sacred lands and risking pollution of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe's water sources. Those pollution worries were serious enough to force a reroute away from Bismarck's municipal water sources and residential areas. Now the pipeline avoids Bismarck but comes closer to the Sioux tribe. Police have responded to the protest with attack dogs, pepper spray, rubber bullets, tear gas and riot gear. In one particularly callous incident, police attacked protesters with water cannons when temperatures were below freezing. There was also a woman handing out bottles of water who was airlifted to a hospital in Minneapolis after being struck by a concussion grenade. This isn't how police should treat peaceful protesters. The resulting cataclysm has failed to dissuade the Standing Rock camp, and has only encouraged more people to join or hold their own events across the world. Like Kinder Morgan's experiences with the Trans Mountain pipeline, these month-long protests should inspire a listening tour by Energy Transfer Partners and government authorities. People are bound to support projects if they have a vested interest. No doubt that America needs infrastructure like the Dakota Access, which would connect the Bakken oil field with storage facilities in Illinois. Whether building a pipeline for oil, power lines for renewables or high-speed rail for Texas commuters, companies and governments should be working with communities instead of treating them like enemies to be crushed underfoot. The Army Corps of Engineers has ordered the North Dakota protesters to leave their camp on federal land by Monday, Dec. 5. Instead of fighting, everyone should be working toward some sort of written agreement about how interested parties can move forward. After all, the pen is mightier. PYONGYANG, Dec. 2 -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday strongly condemned and rejected a resolution adopted by UN Security Council that included fresh sanctions to curb its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The DPRK rejects it "as another excess of authority and violation of the DPRK's sovereignty by the UNSC acting under instructions of the U.S.," said an unnamed spokesman for the DPRK foreign ministry in a statement carried by the state media KCNA. The UN Security Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution to tighten sanctions on the DPRK in response to the country's fifth and largest nuclear test on Sept. 9. The council sets an upper limit on the DPRK's coal exporting, saying the total exports from the DPRK do not exceed 400.9 million U.S. dollars or 7.5 million metric tons per year, whichever is lower, starting on Jan. 1, 2017. In addition, the Security Council bans the sale of copper, nickel, silver, zinc and statues from the DPRK. The spokesman asserted that Pyongyang's nuclear test was "one of practical steps taken to tackle the nuclear threat and sanctions by the U.S. and other hostile forces desperately taking issue with the exercise of the DPRK's right to self-defense." Also, the spokesman warned of "tougher countermeasures for self-defense" in response to the newly adopted resolution, which he said denied the DPRK's sovereignty and its rights to existence and development. He threatened in the statement that the sanctions will inevitably escalate tensions and the United States will be held wholly accountable should the situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the region be pushed to an uncontrollable phase. On Thursday, China called for the full and balanced implementation of the United Nations Security Council new resolution, stressing that the measures are not intended to produce negative humanitarian consequences in the DPRK, nor affect normal economic and trade activities. China has always insisted on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the maintenance of peace and stability in the region, and always called for a settlement on the issue through dialogue and consultation, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a daily press briefing. As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 -- U.S. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's popular lead over President-elect Donald Trump surpasses 2.5 million votes on Thursday as ballots are still being tallied after more than three weeks since the Nov. 8 general election. Clinton's lead in total votes over Trump now is larger than the lead with which as many as ten U.S. presidents have won the general election, according to local media reports. Converted into percentages, Clinton has won 48.1 percent of the vote so far, while Trump's share of the vote so far is 46.4 percent, said the reports. However, it was Trump who prevailed on Election Day by clinching crucial 270 Electoral College votes. He has 306 Electoral College votes to Clinton's 232. The Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson has got 3.3 percent of the vote so far, while Green Party candidate Jill Stein received 1.1 percent. Trump tweeted on Sunday that he would have won the popular vote if millions of people didn't vote "illegally", but failing to offer any evidence to support his claim. Stein has filed for vote recounts in three swing states -- Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, an effort supported by Clinton's campaign but called a "scam" by Trump. Only in the highly unlikely event of overturning all three states can Clinton beat Trump to the White House. Trump won all three states by a narrow margin in the presidential election, leading his major rival Democrat Hillary Clinton with just over 100,000 votes in all three states. The Obama administration has repeatedly denied any major vote frauds, stressing that the election results "accurately reflect the will of the American people." U.S. electors will meet on Dec. 19 to certify the results of the Electoral College. Be transparent Dont hold back when youre describing how you came to make a wrong decision and be as specific as possible; Be open to feedback Grow a thick skin, said Whitehurst. Take harsh criticisms within reason and encourage employees to talk about the issue; Be proactive Provide tangible solutions such as making the next big decision a company-wide endeavour. ng the boss has its perks, but it also means shouldering more responsibilities and handling more people.So what happens when the boss screws up? Should bosses apologise to employees when a mistake has been made?Quick answer: yes, you should.Failing to admit a mistake is one of the fastest ways a CEO can put themselves and their companys reputation at risk, wrote Jim Whitehurst, CEO at software company Red Hat, in Fortune Yet despite these risks many CEOs still struggle with the idea of having to apologise for fear of being thought of as incompetent.This particular mindset needs to be changed in the modern workplace, said Whitehurst, as more employees expect their bosses to own up to their mistakes.He cited a study done in 2013 that found that out of 1,000 global leaders and employees surveyed, only 19% of employees believed that their CEO would apologise for any mistakes they make.An important part of a leaders job is to build trust and loyalty among employees by communicating openly and taking ownership of mistakes, he said.When leaders cant be transparent about their own shortcomings, they risk negatively impacting corporate productivity, bottom lines, and the next generation of talent.He said that accountability is a learnable skill and listed down a three-step approach bosses can take when apologies need to be made.I cannot stress enough the importance of taking ownership for your mistake and actually saying the words, Im sorry, he said.As a leader, you want to avoid mistakes whenever possible. But part of your job is taking responsibility when you do inevitably mess up. Edmonton police have released surveillance video of a suspect who may be responsible for slipping hate flyers into mailboxes around the city. In October and November, residents in several neighbourhoods were shocked to find anti-Islamic flyers when they went to collect the mail. Advertisement Some flyers read "I hate gays, thinks Islam and included a photo of two men with nooses around their necks. At the bottom was the hashtag "#ShipThemTheF**kBack." Other flyers called for Islam to be banned. 'Its getting more threatening': EPS Hate Crimes unit investigating ongoing hand out of anti-Islamic flyers. #yeghttps://t.co/jB0X8GM1ti Global Edmonton (@GlobalEdmonton) October 26, 2016 Police are conducting an investigation into the willful promotion of hatred, which is an offense under Canada's Criminal Code. The situation is not getting better and its not fizzling out, its only getting more and more extreme, judging from the contents of the flyers, Aurangzeb Qureshi, spokesman for the Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council, told the Edmonton Journal. Advertisement The surveillance video is from an Evansdale home on Oct. 22. It shows a black male, wearing glasses and a hooded sweatshirt, slip a flyer into a mailbox. Police are asking anyone with information to contact them. Edmonton has seen a number of racist incidents over the past few weeks. In November, anti-Sikh posters were found on the University of Alberta campus, and posters promoting the alt-right, a U.S.-based white nationalist movement, were posted around the downtown core. Activist Jesse Lipscombe said the increase in racist incidents in Edmonton is exhausting. Fear wins when theres an absence of education," he told Global News. "If you dont know what youre talking about, and youre full of fear, you have to justify it somehow and sometimes they do it with posters like this." Also on HuffPost The minister of democratic institutions attempted to use a mathematical formula to deride months of work by the special all-party committee she tasked with studying electoral reform. Maryam Monsef sparked outrage from opposition MPs in question period Thursday when she charged that the group did not get the job done with its long-awaited report, released earlier that day. Advertisement The committee recommended that the Trudeau government design a proportional voting system and hold a national referendum to determine support from Canadians. Liberal MPs on the 12-member group, however, urged the government not to change the voting system in time for the next election so that more Canadians can be consulted. Conservatives pressed Monsef in the House of Commons to commit to holding a referendum before any changes are made to the voting system. New Democrats urged her to implement the committees recommendations to move beyond the first-past-the-post system to one that is proportional. In response, Monsef bemoaned that the group failed to provide a specific alternative system. However, the committees mandate was always to identify and conduct a study of viable alternative voting systems, and the report outlines possible proportional systems to consider. Advertisement Gallagher Index We asked the committee to help answer very difficult questions for us. They did not do that, Monsef said, sparking jeers. We now have to make those hard changes. Under sustained pressure, Monsef highlighted one recommendation that the government use the so-called Gallagher Index as a tool while designing a new proportional model. The math formula measures the degree of disproportion between the share of votes received by parties and their number of seats in the legislature. Monsef had an enlarged picture of the equation printed on a piece of paper and, though props arent allowed in the House, it was visible as she suggested that the committee recommended a math formula instead of a new system. The committee did not offer a specific alternative to first-past-the-post. Instead, it offered us the Gallagher Index, she said. Advertisement The minister incredulously charged that Ambrose wants a referendum on the question: Would Canadians like to take the square root of the sum of the squares of the difference between the percentage of the seats for each party and the percentage of the votes passed? She was heckled as she read the prepared remark. Committee didn't 'complete the hard work we had expected' Monsef used the same tack on NDP democratic reform critic Nathan Cullen a little later as he pressed Liberals to fulfil their promise that the 2015 election will be the last under first-past-the-post. I have to admit that I am a little disappointed because what we had hoped the committee would provide us with was a specific alternative system to first past the post, Monsef said. Instead, it provided us with the Gallagher Index." She said the committee did not complete the hard work we had expected it to, a slam that made many opposition MPs livid. Advertisement At a press conference after question period, Monsef again turned to the Gallagher Index when the going got rough. Theyve not helped answer the hardest question of all which is an alternative to first-past-the-post, she said. A reporter insisted that the committee wasnt asked to come up with an alternative system, but rather to identify and research different systems. It did that. Again, Monsef held up the equation for the cameras. Ambrose and Cullen both criticized Monsef's performance and suggested she was trying to play Canadians for fools. Advertisement She insulted the hard work of members of Parliament and frankly it is a disgrace, Ambrose said. The interim Tory leader also wondered why Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wasnt in the House to respond to a report involving one of his major campaign promises. Cullen accused Monsef of looking for dissension at a time when parties were able to compromise. Stop it. People arent stupid, Cullen said. Lets get to work. With files from The Canadian Press Also on HuffPost An Ontario police officer could be demoted for what she saw as an act of kindness towards a kitten. Const. Beth Richardson, who works for Durham Regional police, has been charged with discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act, according to a hearing notice obtained by CityNews. She allegedly took a cat from its owners home without consent or knowledge. Advertisement The incident happened in January, when Richardson visited an Oshawa home as a back-up officer to check on a drug user. While at the womans home, Richardson noticed a kitten cowering under a table, according to the hearing notice. She didnt think it was being properly cared for, so she took it with her without telling the owner. The cat, named Tia, was dirty and thin with runny eyes, Richardsons lawyer, Joseph Markson, told the Toronto Sun. "Her food and water dishes were empty and looked as if they had been dried up for days, he said. The owner was in a drug-induced frenzy and my client reasonably believed that the kitten was suffering and in immediate danger of being hurt." Advertisement Richardson took the cat to a veterinarian for a check up. But she didnt tell her supervisors about her actions or document what she did, according to the hearing notice. Markson told the Sun his client planned to bring Tia to the humane society the next day, and said he thinks her only crime was being kind. But the feline's owners called Durham Regional Police to demand the kitten be brought back, saying they wanted the cop charged with theft and her actions were caught on tape. The cat was returned and the owners didnt lay any charges. At risk of being demoted She could be demoted if there is clear evidence of misconduct. While the police see her as being in the wrong, others disagree. We shouldnt be punishing people who are helping animals, we should be rewarding them, Camille Labchuk, a spokeswoman for national animal rights group Animal Justice, told Oshawa This Week. Advertisement The organization plans to intervene in Richardson's hearing because they believe her actions align with her responsibilities as a cop. Another supporter has started a Change.org petition. Richardson is scheduled to appear at a hearing on Dec. 7 in Whitby, according to Oshawa This Week. Also on HuffPost The "Star Wars" revelations just keep on coming! Back in November, actress Carrie Fisher made international headlines when she revealed she and costar Harrison Ford had a brief affair even though Ford was married at the time while shooting "Star Wars: A New Hope" in England, 1976. It was so intense," the 60-year-old actress told People magazine about the tryst. "It was Han and Leia during the week, and Carrie and Harrison during the weekend." Advertisement Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford on the set of "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" written, directed and produced by Georges Lucas. (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images) In her new memoir, The Princess Diarist, Fisher shared the journals she kept as a 19-year-old budding star and revealed she wishes she fell for fellow "Star Wars" costar Mark Hamill instead. She also expressed a desire to be with Ford even now, according to the Hollywood Reporter. "I'm sorry it's not Mark [Hamill] it could have been," she wrote in her journal soon after she and Ford began their three-month affair. "It should have been. It might've meant something. Maybe not much, but certainly more." Advertisement Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher on June 9, 2005 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images) Fisher also revealed that she, Ford and Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the iconic films, had multiple "sleepovers" while shooting the movie. Fisher explained that at the beginning of the affair, she didn't know why she and Ford got together. "Why have I become casually involved with someone who, if I am being totally honest with myself, I don't care for and who doesn't care for me? And is married?" she wrote. "I'm scared. Scared that I'll let Harrison hurt me." As time went on though, the actress, who reprised her role as General Leia Organa in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," felt bitter about how hard she fell for the married Ford. Advertisement Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher on Fifth Ave outside The Plaza hotel. (Photo by Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images) "The hundred-dollar question: What do we mean to one another? Let's define our relationship, you bastard," she wrote. "We could come to a full stop now if you think that would help... It's now a question of surviving each other's company instead of enjoying it." Eventually, Ford went back to his wife and kids (Ford and his then-wife Mary Marquardt divorced in 1979 and he's currently married to actress Calista Flockhart) and the affair ended. "My affair with Harrison was a very long one-night stand," Fisher wrote. "I was relieved when it ended. I didn't approve of myself. So, I loved him and he allowed it." Advertisement Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford at the Lucasfilm panel during Comic-Con International 2015 at the San Diego Convention Center on July 10, 2015 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) But even though their short romance ended decades ago, Fisher admitted she still longs to be with Ford. "So, while there is still time for Carrison to grow old together, that gateway is steadily closing," she wrote. "And if we're going to get back together, we're going to have to do it soon. And getting back together with someone you were never truly with is, to say the least, complicated. But absolutely worth the effort. Or not. I'll probably regret writing this, but if you have the impulse to yell at me, please don't. Periodically, I feel guilty enough on my own." Advertisement As of press time, Ford has yet to comment publicly on the book. Also on HuffPost You could spend the holidays at home or, if you're up for it, be a little more adventurous this year and go travel. Now, travelling during the holiday season isn't cheap, especially if you're a beach bum who loves resorts. But it turns out for Canadians, and yes, even with our dollar, there are certain travel destinations still worth it. Advertisement Airlines like NewLeaf travel offer low fares from smaller Canadian cities like Hamilton, Ont., to cities like Kelowna, B.C. Some destinations, like Iceland for example, often have low fares all season long. "Canadians living on one side of the country can finally spend the holidays with family members living on the other side with much [more] affordable prices," says Rishi Modi of Toronto-based travel deal site Next Departure. Below, Modi tells us some of the cheapest destinations for Canadians in December and January from major departure cities like Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto. Advertisement And with flights at a low price, you can spend that extra money on finding a cool hotel, checking out local hot spots or just buying some gifts for the loved ones you're visiting. Bon voyage! Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev answers questions at his annual year-end press conference held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Dec. 1, 2016. Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev hosted his annual year-end press conference in Bishkek on Dec. 1. In the three-hour-long press conference, Atambayev reviewed his work in 2016 and answered more than 70 questions. (Xinhua/Roman) BISHKEK, Dec. 1 -- Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev said here Thursday that the Russian military will leave Kyrgyzstan after the related agreement expires. Atambayev made the remark during his annual year-end press conference in Bishkek in response to reporters' questions on why the U.S. military base had been withdrawn and the Russian base remains. "I think that we did absolutely the right thing with regard to the U.S. Ganci Air Base at the international airport in Bishkek. Five years have passed and time has shown that this was the right decision," he said, adding that it concerns the Russian air base as well. "Kyrgyzstan must rely only on its own power in the future and needs to build its own army," the Kyrgyz president said. After his election in 2011, Atambayev reportedly assured Moscow the U.S. air base would be closed. He said that after the expiry of the agreement on the Russian base, it will also be withdrawn, adding the Russian leadership responded with understanding in this regard. In July 2014, the United States withdrew its Ganci Air Base which it set up at Manas International Airport in the suburbs of Bishkek in 2001 for its war against Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the Russian air base at Kant town near Bishkek has been operating since October 2003. Russia and Kyrgyzstan reportedly signed an agreement leasing the base to Russia for 15 years from January 2017 until 2032 in exchange for Moscow's writing off nearly half a billion U.S. dollars in debt owed by the Central Asian country. The agreement can be automatically extended for five years after its expiry. "We will always be Russia's strategic partners, but Kyrgyzstan in the future must rely only on its own armed forces, not on the base of Russia, America or other countries. We must build our own army," Atambayev said. During the three-hour-long press conference, Atambayev reviewed his work in 2016 and answered more than 70 questions. New Democrats are sounding the alarm after the natural resources minister suggested the Canadian military could quash protests over the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, if they become unlawful. Jim Carr reportedly made the remarks to a group of Alberta business leaders Thursday, two days after the federal government approved the controversial $6.8-billion project. Advertisement The Edmonton Journal reports Carr was asked about possible backlash escalating to the level of protests occurring at Standing Rock in North Dakota. If people choose for their own reasons not to be peaceful, then the government of Canada, through its defence forces, through its police forces, will ensure that people will be kept safe, Carr said, according to the Journal. We have a history of peaceful dialogue and dissent in Canada. Im certainly hopeful that that tradition will continue. If people determine for their own reasons that thats not the path they want to follow, then we live under the rule of law. Advertisement Thousands have set up camp since the summer at the American reservation to oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline. Hundreds have been arrested. Two New Democrats rose in question period Friday to blast Carrs comments. 'Shameful' Quebecs Pierre-Luc Dusseault said it was shameful Liberals were failing to work in a constructive, nation-to-nation manner with the indigenous groups opposed to the project. How can the government defend the minister and those irresponsible and even dangerous comments? Dusseault asked. Transport Minister Marc Garneau said Liberals respect the right to lawful protest, a principle Liberals underscored in their platform last year. Many Canadians have strong feelings and are entitled to express themselves in a peaceful manner, Garneau said. Advertisement 'Reckless, irresponsible, and incendiary language' British Columbia MP Randall Garrison also tore a strip off Carr, who was not in the House of Commons, for what he called reckless, irresponsible, and incendiary language. Garrison called on the defence minister to remind his colleague that in this country, the federal government has no such authority to use our military against pipeline protests. Again, Garneau said the right to peaceful protest is a cornerstone of Canadian democracy. We will always respect the right of Canadians to protest when they dont agree with something. They have the right to do it, they feel strongly about it, he said. We know and were confident that they will do so peacefully. At least one federal leader is evidently prepared to do just that. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May told The Huffington Post Canada Tuesday that shed be willing to go to jail fighting the pipeline expansion. Advertisement If there are blockades as construction begins, Im more than prepared to be there to block construction and be arrested and go to jail, May said. This is not an issue where you compromise. May said the government does not have the social license to approve the project. Its a position shared by Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, who said he was profoundly disappointed by the decision this week. Robertson had earlier warned things could get ugly in the west if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave the project a green light, despite the strident opposition of First Nations and West Coast communities. Several B.C. Liberal MPs also expressed disappointment over the decision. Trudeau under 'no illusion' there won't be disputes The prime minister told reporters this week he was under no illusions the decision will be bitterly disputed by many across the country. Trudeau said 157 binding conditions will address the concerns of indigenous communities and worries that Canada wont meet its international climate commitments. Advertisement As long as Kinder Morgan respects the stringent conditions put forward by the National Energy Board, this project will get built because it's in the national interest of Canadians, because we need to get our resources to market in safe, responsible ways, and that is exactly what we're going to do," Trudeau said Tuesday. With a file from The Canadian Press Also on HuffPost Violence against women is unacceptable in our society and our government is committed to making sure that women facing violence have a safe place to turn. Ms. Leitch's proposal is unrealistic and offensive to women across this country. Her misguided approach places the onus on women to defend themselves rather than focusing on addressing and preventing gender-based violence. It is not surprising, given that Ms. Leitch and the former Conservative government had 10 years to address violence against women and failed to do so. That's why, after 10 years of inaction, we are developing a federal gender-based violence strategy in consultation with provinces, territories and grassroots organizations to ensure that women in Canada can live free from violence. We will continue to make sure that gender equality is at the core of all government decisions we make. The mukluk is a beautiful and practical element of Indigenous culture. The word itself means "winter boot," and it is an iconic piece of footwear that combines beadwork, furs and leathers to outlast even the coldest winters in Canada. That's why Manitobah Mukluks is working alongside TreadRight Foundation to launch Manitobah Mukluks Storyboot School, a non-profit, national Indigenous artisan-run program in Toronto that teaches the art of mukluk-making to both aboriginal and non-aboriginal participants in the hopes of preserving the tradition for generations to come. Advertisement In the video above, we visit the program that aims at celebrating and promote the success of Canadas aboriginal people and talk to those helping spread love for Indigenous art. Visit Manitobah's website to see how you can enroll in upcoming sessions taught by indigenous artisans. Follow Huffington Post Canada Style on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter! Also on HuffPost Aboriginal Art See Gallery Tilda Swinton has a bone to pick with the Harry Potter film franchise. In the December issue of Scots Magazine, the 56-year-old actress revealed that she dislikes the series because of its unrealistic portrayal of boarding schools. While Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is portrayed as a warm and fun learning environment away from family, Swinton noted that this is not an accurate representation. Advertisement The Dr. Strange star attended West Heath boarding school in London when she was young. Speaking from first-hand experience, she called the school system a very lonely and isolating environment. Thats why I dislike films like Harry Potter which tend to romanticize such places, she told the magazine. I think they are a very cruel setting in which to grow up and I dont feel children benefit from that type of education. Children need their parents and the love parents can provide. Last year, Swinton revealed that her own kids, Xavier and Honor, do not attend boarding school. Instead, her teen twins are enrolled at Drumduan Upper School, an institution focuses on art-based learning. There's no grading, not testing at all, the actress told The Observer in 2015. My children are now 17, and they will go through this school without any tests at any time, so it's incredibly art-based, practical learning. Advertisement For example, they learn their science by building a Canadian canoe, or making a knife, or caramelizing onions. And they're all happy 17-year-olds. I can't believe it happy and inspired. Also on HuffPost Christian Kober via Getty Images Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver, Parliament Buildings, Victoria When a corporation or union donates tens of thousands of dollars to a political party, you can bet that they are having an influence in what that party says or does. How else could they justify the investment? In our province, this is truly egregious but the B.C. Liberal government scoffs at anyone who suggests it needs to change. A multinational company can donate whatever amount they wish to any political party in B.C. -- and they do. Petronas, Kinder Morgan, various offshore real estate developers, foreign-owned mining companies, have all contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the B.C. Liberals in recent years. Advertisement The rules around electoral financing in this province are disgraceful. We are one of the last jurisdictions in Canada that allow money to influence our electoral system in such a blatant way. The B.C. Liberals took in $70 million in corporate donations over the last decade ($12 million came from the Real Estate sector). Over 60 per cent of their donations are from corporations in the last decade. Corporate and union donations are having a huge impact on our elections, and it's pretty clear that Big Money is also influencing the positions and policies of the governing B.C. Liberals eroding the public's trust. Yet the official opposition, the B.C. NDP, are lacking leadership on this issue. They have rationalized accepting corporate and union influence for fear of falling behind. They are playing the same game and, in doing so, are proving why they have been such an ineffective opposition and why they are not prepared to form the government. The underlying issue that we can all agree on is that these sort of political contributions buy undue influence and erode public trust. At least the B.C. NDP have committed to changing the system, but only once they are in power. But here lies the problem. They are perfectly happy to criticize the B.C. Liberals for being beholden to corporate interests and for holding exclusive cash-for-access fundraisers, yet then turn around and do the exact same thing themselves. Advertisement On November 24, 2016, the B.C. NDP were themselves courting B.C.'s resource industry, offering exclusive access to the leader of the opposition they charged $10,000 for a corporate VIP package and a single seat to this event cost a mere $2500. Considering the NDP were up in arms about this practice a few short months ago, chastising the B.C. Liberals for holding extravagant fundraisers with large corporations for their own political gain, their stance is duplicitous, and this do as I say not as I do attitude only further drives the cynicism in B.C. politics. The underlying issue that we can all agree on is that these sort of political contributions buy undue influence and erode public trust. For example, the fact that Steelhead LNG (the proponent behind the Malahat LNG project in the Saanich Inlet) has contributed $19,700 to the B.C. Liberals worries me. But equally worrying is the fact that the Steelworkers Unions have donated $66,325 to the B.C. NDP since January 2015. If political parties say they don't want to be tainted by big money, then they need to stop accepting it. Period. The B.C. Greens are the only party in the province that has banned corporate and union donations. It's British Columbians who vote in this province and if we want them to trust us then we need to demonstrate leadership in the face of incredible odds. How else are going to overcome the monumental challenges of our generation? Certainly, not by following or doing what we have done for decades and expecting a different result. That did not work for the B.C. NDP in elections past and won't work this time. Advertisement Follow HuffPost Canada Blogs on Facebook cybrain via Getty Images Suitcase with blue ribbon bow isolated on white background Holiday shopping is always a challenge, and shopping for frequent travellers can be even more difficult. If we've seen one list of "travel gifts," we've seen them all, amirite? How many monogrammed travel pouches, passport covers and decorative globes does one person need? Sure, it's the thought that counts, but why not combine thoughtful with genuinely useful this holiday season? Cheapflights.ca has compiled a list of travel gear that will make great gifts for the frequent flier in your life -- from tech-savvy stocking stuffers, to can't-believe-we-didn't-think-of-that travel gadgets, to a few big ticket items that every traveller should own. And to make sure we covered all our bases, we consulted some globetrotting travel bloggers on the products they love and the ones they'd love to receive to bring you a list of gifts that real travellers will actually use. And, to avoid all the hassle of Black Friday, these gifts are all available online right now. All prices listed are Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated. Happy shopping! Advertisement The perfect carry-on luggage: Tough and tech-savvy That perfect carry-on is hard to find. Either it's too big, too small, too difficult to organize or too uncomfortable to lug around the airport. The Away carry-on is perfectly sized and boasts an impenetrable shell, features compartments for all your stuff and offers a built-in battery to conveniently charge your USB devices. Tessa Juliette from Where To Next? is a huge fan of this sturdy, multi-tasking carry-on: "It's durable, spacious and the exact dimensions for every airline's carry-on allowance. The best thing about it, and also the biggest time saver at the airport, is the charging ports that are on the luggage itself. That means I can grab food without having to worry about finding a plug before or after my flight. Serious piece of mind." While the price tag on this carry-on is a little steep (just under $370 with shipping), it may be a worthwhile investment. As Juliette shares: "Even if you're an occasional traveller it pays off in so many ways." Durable and affordable Advertisement Another carry-on to consider with a bit of a lower price tag is Kenneth Cole Reaction Out of Bounds 20 Molded Upright Spinner. It's lightweight and sturdy with a retractable handle and multi-directional wheels and comes in a variety of fun colours. And, costing less than $100, this carry-on is durable and affordable. For Paul Marshman of The Travelling Boomer, this carry-on is a must: "I find I can fit in enough clothes for a whole week, with special compartments for shoes and toiletries. And if I buy things on my trip, the case expands about an inch to accommodate the extra volume. Some people like the soft-sided cases, but I prefer the hard because it protects the contents better -- I could even put a camera lens in there." Packing made easy: Keeping it together You know that feeling when you're juggling a rolling suitcase, a shoulder bag and a laptop bag, diaper bag or purse through the airport? Everyone's done it, and everyone's watched other people do it. Save your loved ones the trouble by gifting them the Demi Hugger. It's a strong neoprene strap that attaches to the handle of your rolling suitcase, keeping other bags placed atop it secure. For less than $55 including shipping, travellers can avoid inconveniently juggling luggage through the airport terminal. According to Tracey Nesbitt of Solo Traveler, this "new type of luggage strap is completely adjustable and attaches items snugly to your suitcase handle. I'm usually travelling with a laptop, and in colder months, a coat, and I need to have my hands free for my boarding pass, phone, coffee, etc. when maneuvering through the airport. This product makes my travel life a little bit easier." Advertisement Go-to gadget organizer Even the least digitally savvy among us travel with a number of devices. From phones to tablets and e-readers to laptops, it can be hard to keep track of all the chargers, adapters, headphones and other easy-to-lose items. The Cocoon Grid-it comes in a variety of sizes, with options specially crafted for different tablet and laptop sizes. Prices vary but start around $16, not including added charges for shipping to Canada. Keep all your gadgets organized and accessible, with cords untangled and headphones and other small items easy to find. Matilda Geroulis of The Travel Sisters swears by this organizational must-have: "Most people travel with a large number of electronics and accessories. This electronics organizer keeps all your digital devices and accessories organized and readily available." Multitasking clothing: Change of Clothes Travellers are always looking for ways to pack less without sacrificing style. The Chrysalis Cardi does just that. It is one item that can be worn eight-plus ways, including as an infinity scarf, wrap dress, cardigan, poncho, beach cover-up and airplane blanket. Made in Toronto, Canada from eco-friendly, Modal fabric, the soft multi-way travel garment costs $138 and is wrinkle-resistant and easy to transform -- hidden snaps along the hemline and a belt help facilitate the various looks. Advertisement Smart outerwear The Scottevest RFID travel vest boasts a surprising number of hidden pockets given its tailored look. Carry everything you need on your person and feel safe from high-tech skimmers with an RFID-blocking pocket. Johnny Jet is "a huge fan of Scottevest [travel vests] because of their multiple hidden pockets. They not only keep my valuables safe but the jacket also acts as an extra carry-on. I use their products every time I travel." The vest starts around $135, plus international shipping charges, and comes in multiple colours with styles for men and women. Go here to find more than a dozen other ideas is these categories and others such as "mats and towels with purpose," "airplane necessities," "kid-friendly gear" and "travel pillows 2.0." The father and sister of Nie Shubin react after hearing Nie is exonerated in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, Dec 2, 2016. [Photo/VCG] A 21-year-old man was pardoned on Friday in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, more than two decades after his execution. Nie Shubin, who worked in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, was sentenced to death in 1995 for the rape and murder of a woman the year before. The Second Circuit Court, one of the arms of the Supreme People's Court, announced his acquittal on Friday morning, saying there was insufficient evidence to prove Nie's guilt. His mother Zhang Huanzhi, who spent 20 years fighting to clear her son's name, witnessed the announcement accompanied by the family's lawyer, Li Shuting, as well as a number of other observers. "I'm satisfied with the result. I've been expecting today for too long," Zhang said. The case first returned to public attention in 2005, when a man named Wang Shujin was detained in Hebei for another rape and murder. Wang confessed to the crimes for which Nie was executed, too. Nie's case was reopened, but in 2013 the Hebei Provincial High People's Court declared that Wang's confession did not relate to Nie's case and submitted its findings to the Supreme People's Court. One year later, the top court ordered Shandong Provincial High People's Court to investigate the case again, which took over a year. On June 15, the top court said that it had decided to ask the Second Circuit Court to retry the case following a review, as it found the original conviction for rape and homicide was based on insufficient evidence. pichet_w via Getty Images business hand clicking fintech or financial technology button on search toolbar with vintage style effect In 1901, the Italian entrepreneur, Marconi, stood on Signal Hill in St. John's, Newfoundland and successfully received the first transatlantic wireless signal from the UK. The Newfoundland government rushed to embrace him, but the cable telegraph industry, fearing the impact of Marconi's innovation on their monopoly, opposed. The result? Marconi left Newfoundland and found another site for his telegraph station. His story remains as relevant in the 21st century as the 20th: You cannot stop innovation but you can decide how you respond to it. Advertisement Today, the financial services sector is experiencing something similar. Financial technology, or Fintech for short, is changing the way business is done. From contactless "tap and pay" systems to million dollar transactions by algorithms, Fintech is disrupting the way we buy and sell goods, transfer monies between individuals and families and the banking, insurance and pension sectors. Instead of trying to blocking this disruption, major financial services organizations are embracing it and Fintech is becoming an exciting and growing part of the world economy. According to a 2014 Accenture report, global investment in financial technology has increased more than twelve-fold from US$930 million in 2008 to over US$12 billion in 2014. Thanks to access to capital, technology and talent, the UK has established itself as the leading global Fintech centre, with London at its centre. In 2015 it generated 6.6 billion in revenues and 524 million in investment. In November the British Government pledged to continue supporting this growth, committing 400 million for venture capital funds through the British Business Bank. Canada is also a leading Fintech nation. There is excellent access to capital, technology and talent, from the Toronto-Waterloo corridor in Ontario to Vancouver in British Columbia. Vancouver, with its close proximity to Asia and its growing tech sector has seen particular growth in the fintech sector. Scotiabank recently launched a "digital factory" to improve its tech offer to clients and organizations like MaRS in Toronto are connecting Toronto's financial services sector with the next generation of entrepreneurs developing fintech technology. Advertisement So it's natural that our two nations should collaborate, building on our established and comprehensive shared business agenda. We are both passionate advocates for the benefits of free trade. London and Toronto are in the top ten of global finance centres. Last month, British Columbia became the first foreign government to issue offshore bonds on the London Stock Exchange and we are as comfortable with Canadians leading our institutions and business such as Mark Carney (Governor of the Bank of England) and Georg Iacobescu (CEO Canary Wharf PLC), as you are with Brits like Mark Machin (CPPIB) in Canada. That is why my team are working hard laying the foundations for a UK Canada Fintech bridge and from 5 - 8 December, the British Government is taking 12 Canadian Fintech CEOs on a five day mission to the UK. During their visit they will open the London Stock Exchange, be introduced to London's fintech ecosystem and network with peers at the European Digital Banking Summit and Fintech Connect Live conference. Thanks to support from the UK's Department of International Trade team in Canada, three of these companies, Zafin from Vancouver and Q4 and Outside IQ from Ontario, have announced they are setting up or expanding operations in the UK. It will also, 115 years on from Marconi's work, signal the opening of a new and exciting chapter of the UK-Canada business relationship, that will boost growth and jobs between both countries and strengthen relationships between the next generation of UK and Canadian entrepreneurs. William Philpott / Reuters U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Cincinnati, Ohio, December 1, 2016 as part of Racism, prejudice, sexism, bigotry and xenophobia - these horrendous ideologies all existed before Donald Trump became president-elect of the United States. His victory (barf) doesn't change that. And sure, these ways of being, these values, do not represent everyone. What this win does change, though, are the messages about leadership, power, government and community to which we (kids included, emphasis on kids) are exposed. It tells us (and all kids) that hey, if you are a white man with money, you can make a racist comment or commit an assault (sexual, physical, etc.) and still totally be respected, valued and idolized, because look at this power-hungry, "business" person who brags about grabbing women by the hoo-ha. He was just chosen to lead one of the most powerful (if not the most powerful) country in the world. This re-affirms that yes, you can get away with sexually assaulting that person behind the dumpster on campus because you have an important swimming career ahead of you. Advertisement The hate crimes and awful acts that have spurred out of control since Trump won the election in early November have all happened before, but right now, the people who are responsible for committing them feel verified, they feel confident even, to carry these *crimes* out because the president-elect led a campaign where all of these things were somehow OK. These people complete actions like this and then make a connection to the recent horrific election and its predecessor, the campaign from hell, to justify their skewed perspective. In Canada, we forget that things are happening, and have happened, north of the border, too -- even in the city I call home, which is known to be Canada's most multicultural place to reside. Yet still, people in this tossed salad do things like this. We too have blood on our hands, and threats for like-minded Trumps prying for power, hoping to reign from Bonavista to Vancouver Island. We are not exempt. Women, the LGBTQ community, people of colour, people of religions derived from faiths other than Christianity, both in the U.S. and around the globe, have always feared lack of acceptance because of hate. Now, their fear has been verified by a fear-monger. Over the last few weeks, I've heard these comments consistently: "I don't understand why people are scared of this Trump win. He is just one man. He is just one person. What he said in his campaign were just words." Advertisement Do we want our children, or a loved one's children, to grow up in a safe place where they have the opportunity to prosper regardless of what they believe, the colour of their skin or who they love? I can only assume the answer to this is yes for most people. If my assumption is correct, the answer should then also be yes for everyone's child. We easily forget that no matter where we live or work, the entire world is one community. Every action we make is an action that will impact the lives of people both at home and afar. Now that this sexual predator will soon hold the top job, the people around us and the media we consume will normalize his behaviour and the behaviour of his team. They will tell you that he doesn't want hate crimes to happen; and he himself will say to cameras across North America, "Stop it!" The media will tell you that he is different than election-campaign-Trump, and that he is more calm, more presidential. They will tell you about Melania's fashion history, and they will shame her for previously posing in the nude. But don't forget, he was once not able to hold responsibility for 140-character messages on a social media platform. We shouldn't glorify Trump's claim to fame (being a celebrity racist, sexist fool is not something anyone wants to see on a leader's LinkedIn profile). Instead, we should continue to criticize Trump's road to riches, plagued by unpaid workers, bankruptcy, accusations of sexual assault and everything a child's nightmarish comic book character villain would flaunt. Advertisement Yet, the conversation has changed. This Trump win tells me that I deserve to be whistled at by construction workers on my way to work. After all, it's just whistling. This win tells me that because I am a woman, I will never have a powerful job, and if I do have one, I don't deserve it. This win tells me that my body is my whole me, and my persona and my point-of-view don't deserve to be heard. This win tells me that I am defined by what men want to define me as. For all I know, the words people use to describe my body and what they want to do with it are truly just words, so I should have no issues with them being said. This win tells me that my voice is meaningless. This win tells me that because I was born female, I am not as worthy as those born male. The reality is, though, that this story has been heard more than thousands of times. I am white woman. The time is crucial now to support people who haven't yet had the chance to make their voice heard because people like Trump continue to stand too tall; continue to speak too loud. We need to use our strength to stand by their side. Before I finalized this, I asked a fellow Canadian and dear friend to review it and offer any feedback. Her response included this paragraph about how she and her partner are mourning post-election results: "We now have to really carefully consider what states we can travel to freely, and which ones are simply too dangerous. It is the scariest thing. On the night itself, I said 'I didn't realize so many people hate us,' which was an extremely heartbreaking realization." FYI, the future is furious. Arctic-Images via Getty Images Palmwag Nature Reserve with acacia tree at sunset. This reserve is in the Kunene region, in north-western Damaraland, Namibia, Africa Livey Van Wyk, 31, has come a long way from pregnant and HIV-positive teenager to becoming a fulfilled mother and an influential and inspiring young mayor who is the pride of her native Namibia. Her life tells a powerful story of courage and hope. Advertisement In the east of Namibia, on the doorstep of the Kalahari Desert, life can be difficult for many. Very little grows in this sandy, arid landscape where the temperature can rise from below zero to burning hot in only a few hours. Some scattered, makeshift metal homes are hints of poverty and an everyday struggle for survival. To one of these tin houses, a teenager with little hope, ostracized by her community and abandoned by her family. Livey Van Wyk's beautiful, brown eyes still fill with tears when she recalls one of the darkest periods of her life. At the age of 17, this studious young girl discovered that she was pregnant and HIV-positive. "The only thing I knew about HIV was that it was a death sentence. I didn't want to die. I was only a kid and had a lot of dreams," Livey explains. Livey's story begins in 2001, during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In Namibia, as in many other countries, thousands of children and adolescents were infected. Antiretroviral treatment - the therapy that helps to control the virus - was not yet readily available nor free. Many were dying in horrible pain, while a climate of fear and suspicion infiltrated society. Advertisement "Even my own mother changed when I told her about my status. And the same thing happened over and over again in the family, in the community, in the city. I just couldn't be with others any more. I was denied all rights." Livey remembers how she was told by the school principal not to come to class anymore. "That was my breaking point, because I loved school, even if I were pregnant and HIV-positive. At that moment I was hopeless." Yet, at that very moment, her life was about to change for good. Livey was enrolled in a UNICEFsupported programme helping to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. The teenager was placed on antiretroviral treatment and gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Remi. Livey raised him with her grandmother, the only person in her family who unconditionally stayed with her. "Remi is 13 years old now. He is my strength and my courage," says Livey with pride. "He made me wake up every morning and keep dreaming, keep believing and have hope." After the birth, the young girl decided to take control of her destiny and obtained a certificate in project management. She became one of the first Namibians to speak publicly about her HIV status to fight stigma and discrimination. Together with UNICEF, Livey recorded several radio programmes to educate youth and told her story in a book called A Diary from the Land of the Brave. Already in 2007, Livey was far from the hopeless, abandoned teenager from her past. Through UNICEF, she was invited to speak at the United Nations General Assembly and met Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Little by little, the young girl not only gained self-confidence, but also discovered that her authenticity and integrity had the power to inspire and bring change. She became a person that people trust. Advertisement "In 2010, the same community that had thrown stones at me, that literally had wanted to kill me, asked me to stand before them and show them that there is light at the end of tunnel," recalls Livey, proud of the long way she had come. At the age of 26, she became the youngest mayor in Namibia and managed to launch a vast housing project that benefits some of the poorest families in the town. Livey believes that, today, it is still critical to give young girls and boys the same support that she was able to benefit from as a teenager. "Definitely, my hope is for an HIV-free generation. Nothing is impossible. We can make it - especially when we have hope." Today, over 70 per cent of HIV-positive pregnant women are receiving antiretroviral treatment; the world has never been so close to eradicating mothertochild transmission of the virus. Yet, in Africa, HIV and AIDS is still the number one cause of deaths among adolescents. To help UNICEF provide more life-saving support to children suffering from HIV and AIDS, click here. The five things you need to know about the Richmond Park by-election 1) ZAC ZAPPED Zaxcit sounds like a spot removal cream. And 20,510 voters in Richmond Park yesterday bought the LibDem ointment to zap Zac Goldsmith, as if he were a monstrous Brex-zit on the face of a much-loved friend. Advertisement The stunning by-election win for Sarah Olney means that for the first time in 2016, some people have woken up to some good news for a change. The most delighted will be the 48% who voted Remain in the EU referendum, and who saw this as their very own second referendum on hard Brexit. One reason for the win was sheer organisation. Goldsmith fell down the sink-hole of election defeat after Tim Farrons party carred out his pledge to throw not just the kitchen sink but a whole five-story house at the west London consitutency. And boy did they have an impressive get-out-the-vote operation. They had 600 activists on the ground, with another 241 people staffing a phonebank that made 13,000 calls, and knocked on 36,000 doors. In one area, Im told their voter ID was so good that 93% of those listed as possible LibDem voters actually turned out. By contrast, data protection rules meant that as an independent Goldsmith had to rely on his own (rather than the Tory) voter database. I live in a Tory ward in the seat, but as I wrote last week, Zac and Olney were neck and neck on canvass returns. But another key factor looks like sheer motivation. After a shaky start focusing on Heathrow, the Lib Dems worked out that they had to frame this as a Brexit by-election (though they lobbed in worries about the NHS funding too) in order to get people to turn out on a freezing December day. Advertisement While worries about Heathrow were a score-draw between Goldsmith and Olney, worries about the impact of quitting the EU were much more immediate for many voters. If your job and livelhood looks on the line, and many in this seat work in or around the City of London, you have A Reason To Vote, whatever the weather. A red mist over Cabinet Brexiteer talk of qutting the customs union and single market may have acted like a free lift to the polls. 2) ZACS ALL FOLKS The result proves that by-elections are won by protest votes, not support votes - even with a sitting MP as candidate. It also proves that gratitude in politics is still a rare beast. Zac had undoubtedly been a popular and hard-working constituency MP, turning up to fetes, schools, backing small shops and greeny campaigns, tootling around on his bike in the place he grew up. Though some Tory MPs saw it as naivety, his pledge to quit if the Goverment backed Heathrow was seen by his admirers as a mark of integrity. Yet his maverick, anti-politician appeal curdled when he tried to be a mainstream politician. Goldsmiths disastrous London Mayor campaign, with its sly insinuations about Sadiq Khan, saw him trash his own brand more effectively than any opponent could have. In a liberal seat like Richmond Park, the distaste was obvious to many. Combine the harsh messaging with comical stuff like him pretending to be a fan of Bollywood (even ripping his trousers in some bizarre incident this week) and it was clear why some Tory MPs felt that Zac was one of the worst candidates theyd ever seen on the stump. Goldsmiths brother Ben last night tweeted a sexist line Even by Lib Dem standards, Sarah Olney really is unimaginably drab, which didnt really help the family image. He deleted it, but the Suns Tom Newton-Dunn screengrabbed it for posterity. In fact, Olney, while inexperienced, looked very much like the key demographic of the seat: young working mothers who flocked to Zac just 18 months ago. Advertisement With such a tight margin of victory - Olneys majority is 1,872 votes - the Greens decision to back the LibDems may have had a role. (But dont forget that in 2010, the Greens had just 500 votes and their 2015 total of 3,500 looked inflated by LibDems fed up with the Coalition). So even Zac's environmental credentials (leading anti-Heathrow campaigners backed him and some Greens even helped with donations in the past) didn't seem to help. 3) CHRISTIAN ON THE CROSS The heavy lifting in overturning Zacs huge 23,000 majority was done by the Libs convincing Lib-Tory switchers about Brexit. But theres no doubt too that Labour votes were crucial. This is a seat where the local Labour party membership surged after Jeremy Corbyns leadership victories, yet their candidate Christian Wolmar lost his deposit with a paltry 1,500 votes. It was clear that many Labour voters held their nose over the Clegg-Cameron years and saw May and Brexit as the bigger enemy. Im told that some Labour members actually turned up to help the Libs on the ground yesterday. The danger for Corbyn is of looking irrelevant. In the south, despite increasing party membership, the Lib Dems can now say they are the clear anti-Tory choice. In the north, UKIP under Paul Nuttall (buoyed by those record immigration stats yesterday) are pushing themselves as the clear anti-Tory choice too. There is a bitter irony that the party of Ed Milibands squeezed middle risks getting squeezed for not being centrist enough. And dont forget that the biggest losers in the past two years in British politics have been the non-Corbyn wing of Labour. Tory Remainers still bask in the 2015 general election, Tory Leavers loved Brexit 2016, Corbyn supporters had a leadership victory in both years. Labour moderates have had nothing to cheer them up, and only a vicarious pleasure in Richmond Park. Advertisement The new Tony Blair Institute (will it be called TB, Aye for short?) announced yesterday will look at how to make globalisation more sellable to those who feel left behind. Yet the Blairites are the ones looking left behind right now. BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR.. Lets watch one more time the 'Fenton' video that made Richmond Park a real viral hit. 'Oh, Jesus Christ' is just what Zac may have thought as he saw his majority run off like a herd of terrified deer. 4) PAY TO STAY? So, what will the Richmond Park impact be on the Government, and on Brexit itself? Last night a Tory spokesman said: This result doesn't change anything. Article 50 will be triggered by the end of March 2017 and Heathrow will go ahead. Yet as David Davis - and later Philip Hammond - made plain in the Commons yesterday, the Government is looking at the idea of continuing to pay contributions to the EU even after Brexit. DD added to the CBI last night that he did not want damaging labour shortages, with a hint that low-skilled migration would continue. The Government would end freedom of movement as it has operated before but we wont do so in a way that is contrary to the national and economic interest, he said. That sounds very much like a soft Brexit that many Tory MP fear. DD of course wont use such flaccid language. But his pragmatism has impressed many civil servants, as well as the PM, and he could turn out to be the real Nixon in China figure of the Government. His Brexit credentials are so impeccable that he is unafraid of the betrayal narrative, and may just try to cut the right deal in the national interest. Advertisement Tim Farron was busy telling the Today programme that Richmond Park had voted against hard Brexit. He also cited party data that claimed a third of Tory Leavers had switched to the Lib Dems yesterday in the seat because they were worried that May was backing too harsh a Brexit. One danger for Farron, and Corbyn, is that May does indeed adopt a soft Brexit, taking a hit on less harsh migration curbs than promised, but keeping her coalition of middle-of-the-road voters who like her lets make the best of it approach. 5) SNAPPING AT HER HEELS It risks getting lost, but I suspect that one of the main motivations of many non-Tory voters in the by-election was simply to cut the Governments working majority (it was 14 but is now 12, I think). Just six more by-elections - not inconceivable over a Parliament - and Mays majority could be wiped. Will that make the PM more or less likely to hold a snap general election in 2017? Well it all depends on which Theresa May gets the upper hand: the cautious Theresa or the bold Theresa. The cautious one will just want to get on with the day job of sorting the mammoth task of Brexit negotations and their aftermath. She will also hear advice that the Lib Dem revival is no longer theoretical and that going too soon risks the Tories losing all those valuable south West London and South West England seats that delivered victory in 2015. Dont forget that the Lib Dem candidates in many seats are former MPs (like Ed Davey and Vince Cable) just gagging to give moderate, liberal voters a chance to repent. But the bold Theresa may listen to those around her urging her to look at the bigger picture: things can only get worse, politically and economically. Her party has a huge lead over the real enemy, Labour, in the polls and a few Lib Dem losses would be massively outweighed if she cleans up in Tory-Labour marginals in the north and midlands. Advertisement Brexit betrayal could become a real passion for Tory backbenchers and she will need a bigger majority to survive a Major-style Bastards scenario. The economic shocks of Brexit transition could grow, living standards could be squeezed further, the global economy could get worse - offering Corbyn a possible lifeline the longer May avoids an election. My hunch is that cautious Theresa will win out. There are plenty of advisers tell her that Labour is so flat on its back, with a leftwing membership that is not going away and that wont let Corbyn go, that the poll lead will last until 2020. If Richmond Park revives the Lib Dems at Labours expense in the national polls, that really could be the most important factor of last night. COMMONS PEOPLE Our latest Commons People podcast is out. Listen HERE to us chew the fat about Richmond Park, UKIP and Ed Balls. Oh, and theres a quiz on what is and isnt legal in the UK. If youre reading this on the web, sign-up HERE to get the WaughZone delivered to your inbox. "That's all very good, but what about the jobs?" It's an argument that campaigners inevitably come across when debating Trident or arms exports to oppressive regimes. It's not limited to the usual suspects either, it comes from all angles; including the trade unions, the media and politicians from all parties. Times are tough, as the argument goes, and the UK has lost its manufacturing base. There are few major UK manufacturers left, and the ones that are include arms companies like BAE. If the UK was to stop arming dictatorships like Saudi Arabia then the cost be thousands of skilled and well paid jobs. Even if we cast the highly dubious morality of this argument to one side for a moment, there are still big problems with it. Advertisement For a start it's very backward looking and in the long term is likely to prove economically counterproductive. Although arms export numbers may still be booming, industry jobs are in long term decline. Official statistics show that the UK government is the second biggest arms dealer in the world, but the number of jobs created by exports has been falling steadily for years. According to the Aerospace, Defence & Security group, a trade body and lobby group that represents arms companies, arms exports accounted for roughly 55,000 jobs, roughly 0.2% of the UK workforce with arms counting for around 1.4% of exports. This estimate is from 2010 so the total is only likely to have decreased since then. Far from the financial powerhouse it is often sold as, the arms trade is hugely dependent on government support. A recent report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute put the cost to tax payers at over 100 million a year. This is to say nothing of the huge levels of political and logistical support that the arms companies are offered. Meanwhile, at home, billions of pounds are being ploughed into bloated procurement projects and military technology we do not need, like Trident and aircraft carriers. Advertisement As Bob Keen, the head of government relations at BAE Systems, told the House of Commons Defence Committee "it simply is not possible to do a major defence deal without fundamental Government support." If this money and the political capital that underpins it was redirected towards promoting better and more sustainable industries then it could create more and better jobs while offsetting the job losses that come from a dependency on the arms industry. This would be in the tradition of Lucas Aerospace workers, who in 1976 published an extensive Alternative Plan for the future of the corporation, following threats to their jobs from management. At the time, around half of Lucas's output was dependent on military contracts and the employees argued that as these were dependent on public funds the money could be better spent on developing more socially useful products. The workforce put forward 150 product ideas from across six categories: medical equipment, transport vehicles, improved braking systems, energy conservation, oceanics, and telechiric machines. Many of the innovations in the plan, such as hybrid car engines, heat pumps and wind turbines were commercially viable at the time, but they were taken up by other companies and are now in widespread use. Advertisement Unfortunately the Plan as such was never implemented. With investment, Lucas could have become a leading name in these kind of modern and prosperous industries. 40 years later and the technologies that the workers were calling on the company to focus on have become successful global industries, but Lucas Aerospace no longer exists. The Plan was drawn up by workers from 15 sites across the UK. A lot has changed since then, but their forward looking and radical plan is representative of the sort of thinking that could underpin a major re-focus of industrial policy and create tens of thousands of new jobs across the country. Last weekend, activists and campaigners from across the country gathered in Birmingham to discuss the key lessons that can be learnt from Lucas. The well attended conference was a valuable step towards building a movement for positive investment, socially useful production and a move away from militarism. There is no shortage of industries that would be grateful recipients of the support and investment presently offered to arms companies. The renewable energy sector in particular stands out as one that requires many of the same skills as the arms trade, employs many of the same branches of engineering and is in need of skilled personnel. Unfortunately the government does not share this priority. It spends roughly 25 times as much on arms research and development (nearly 1.5 billion) as it does on R&D for renewable energy (around 60 million). Advertisement Although the number of jobs provided by the arms trade are routinely overstated, there are certain parts of the country, like Barrow or Glenrothes, where arms companies are major employers. To many in these communities the companies are vital employers. This would need to be reflected in any industrial strategy that focused on shifting priorities from arms to sustainable jobs. With the right level of government intervention and support, there could be appropriate work available in these areas, with tens of thousands of supply-chain jobs that could be located anywhere in the country. But no such shift can happen without action. Since arms trade jobs are paid for by taxpayers, resources can be redirected. Shifting priorities would secure green jobs for the future and improve human security rather than threaten it. By changing direction, the UK can build on the lessons of Lucas by securing a leading position in technologies that will be in high demand, will have major export potential and will also help other countries cut their carbon emissions. Shifting priorities could be central to securing green jobs for the future and improving human security rather than threatening it. Almost every day brings stories of violence against women - from partners at home, sexual abuse and mutilation, and tragic suffering in ravaged communities and war zones. One in three women suffers violence, often from those closest to them, and it takes many forms. Shockingly, around 700 million women in the world today were married when they were under 18 (almost a third when under 15) robbing many of life chances and good health. Over 130 million girls and women have undergone some form of genital mutilation. These human rights violations are visible outcomes of a silent gender discrimination which undermines the fight against poverty, HIV/AIDS and obstructs peace and prosperity. Gender violence is an epidemic we should all want to end. But the problems are stubbornly enduring. So we must work together, as individuals, companies, governments and international organisations, if we really want to make a difference. Advertisement As chair of sustainability at Benetton, one of the things I can do is mobilise the resources and voice of a powerful global brand. Benetton has a history of speaking out on social issues extending back over 50 years. This shows that powerful campaigns can influence attitudes. And Benetton has developed a real centre of expertise when it comes to this kind of campaigning at Fabrica - a crucible where, with Benetton's backing, young creatives from all over the world come together and use their skills to address major social issues. This is now the third year in which Benetton has supported the United Nations' Orange Days, with a global campaign - created by Fabrica - calling on people everywhere to end the scourge of violence against women and fight gender-based violence in every form. The new campaign features images and a video in which a mother-daughter duo performs a powerful dance, seeking to visualise how women have always been subject to violence and the need to act together to stop this injustice. Advertisement In the words from the video, "We'll interlace our arms to embrace and protect each other." The idea of working together in fact follows on from our campaign in support of the Orange Days last year. That focused on three young women, each poised to move into occupations - from doctor to artist, from student to athlete, from soldier to mother- with the idea being that all women should be able to do any of these things, supporting another of the UN's priorities to help women, namely equality of opportunity. But since there can be no opportunity without freedom from violence, this is at the core and was the focus of our original, and arguably most powerful, original campaign for the Orange Days in 2014. That focused around images and video of a woman up to her neck in sand in the desert, being metaphorically "stoned" by men throwing orange petals. With passion and a bit of poetry, this called for an end to discrimination and abuse whilst reminding the world that women continue to suffer appalling violence and are often unable to make the most basic choices for themselves in their lives. Advertisement In promoting these campaigns I hope we can raise awareness, but we need real engagement to change behaviours. With this in mind last year Benetton said that it would focus all its social sustainability work on women, through a broadly-based initiative we call Women Empowerment. I very much hope this will help us move from talk to action on the social issue which is closest to the heart of our brand, namely improving lives of women. We are meantime building engagement by taking this and other social issues campaigns much more directly to our customers around the world, online and through our stores. The video for the new Orange Days campaign, for instance, is being shown in Benetton stores worldwide during the 16 days of the UN initiative - and we have introduced a "magalog" which explains Benetton's social commitment to customers alongside its new collections. At the same time we are working very actively with external partners - including the United Nations - on very tangible projects on the ground to help improve women's lives. In Bangladesh, for example, Benetton is collaborating with UN Women to increase the safety of female workers employed in the ready-made garments sector, both in their workplaces and home surroundings, which includes training courses to build their professional and financial skills. In Pakistan, we will be supporting around 1,500 women currently at home, helping them to find reputable and safe employment. I realise none of these projects or initiatives alone is enough given the scale of the challenge to make the world happier and safer for millions of women. But, if more of us lend active support, we can do this together. So, please, become "Orange" and join the fight. Caiaimage/Sam Edwards via Getty Images The evenings lengthen and the air grows chill. Through a window can be glimpsed candles flickering upon an old wooden table, family and close friends gathered round an open fire, gentle conversation or contented quiet, and a feeling of homeliness and security. For a moment, at least, the world seems at peace. As the winter gloom descends once more, and global events take a dark turn, it is hard to resist such cosy images of domestic well-being: that intimacy and comfort which Scandinavians call 'hygge'. So pervasive does 'hygge' seem, it appears almost impossible to escape the associated allure of woollen jumpers, hot drinks, and artisan linen sheets. Advertisement 'Hygge' has become a marketing tool promoted in glossy magazines and commercials, a designer brand that belongs to an imaginary Scandinavia of elegant furniture, crisp nights, and soft indoor lighting: a land of fairytale and nordic myth. Far from being simply a global trend, however, 'hygge' is a historically contingent term that has baleful consequences for our contemporary predicament. Defining precisely what 'hygge' means, for non-Scandinavians, proves frustrating. Even its pronunciation remains a challenge. In Danish, it is spoken softly, and consists of two syllables: the final vowel is only lightly stressed, whereas the first is closer to a French 'y' than the Anglo-German 'u'. The word is a noun: the adjectival form is 'hyggelig'. It shares the same etymology as the English 'hug', from the old Icelandic 'hugga', meaning to embrace or to soothe: it is intimately linked, in other words, with the body and with domestic space as a protective (and protected) realm. In its more contemporary usage, 'hygge' emerges in nineteenth-century Danish literature as part of a more integrated sense of community and belonging ('samfund' or 'flleskab'), especially following the Prussian-Danish wars in 1848 and 1864. This shift of emphasis is consonant with the reformist philosophy of thinkers and theologians such as Nikolai Grundtvig, and also with Scandinavia's increasing awareness of its geopolitical position: a largely agrarian society that had come relatively late to industrialisation, and which found itself on the edge of more belligerent imperialising powers. Advertisement In our own post-industrial condition, such inward domesticity has begun to appear especially attractive, and assumed an increasingly nostalgic character. Its legacy is still felt in Nordic architecture and design, which largely eschews the monumental in favour of a more human sense of size and shape. It has similarly helped to sustain the much-admired Scandinavian welfare model, with its principles of openness, equality, and humanitarianism. Through this doctrine of care and support that the idea of 'hygge' so powerfully embodies, Scandinavia has been a global beacon, a focus for the homely celebration of fellowship and shared responsibility upon which the world increasingly depends. The sense of community upon which 'hygge' has relied, however, has not always seemed so passively benign. As Paul Binding's brilliant recent biography has shown, many of H. C. Andersen's short stories, paradigmatically 'The Little Match Girl' ('Den lille pige med svovlstikkerne'), sharply juxtapose evocations of cosiness and intimacy alongside astonishing emotional cruelty and psychological pain. Generations of artists and writers, including Henrik Ibsen, Edvard Munch, Selma Lagerlof, and August Strindberg, railed against the suffocating effect of the social conformism and complacency that dominated nineteenth-century nordic society, and sought refuge or relief in biting satire and opaque symbolism. There is little sense of 'hygge', for example, in the chilly paintings of Vilhelm Hammershi or the 'blue' interiors of Harriet Backer, or in the fiery social critique of authors such as Martin Anders Nex. The great Danish composer Carl Nielsen, whose songs are still sung daily by children across Denmark, once described himself as 'a bone of contention, because I wanted to protest against all this soft Danish smoothing-over, I wanted stronger rhythms, more advanced harmony'. A less 'hyggelige' artistic manifesto is difficult to conceive. Advertisement Here, then, lies a more complex and critical engagement with 'hygge': in the recognition that its warming embrace, and the idealised domestic cosiness with which it is intertwined, can swiftly become stifling and claustrophobic. The enclosure that is so central to the feeling of being hyggelig can unexpectedly have the opposite effect, shutting out the world and excluding people more rapidly than it gathers them together. This is a more telling indictment of contemporary Scandinavia, as it struggles to address global crises that are beyond its control. The impression of protected domestic space, and of turning inwards, can lead to hardened physical boundaries and political borders, especially if that space appears compromised or threatened. Within this notion of 'hygge', as it has been popularised and disseminated, must also lie the waves of xenophobia and violence, and the rise of the far-right, that have increasingly fractured the Scandinavian political landscape, and which have stretched nordic notions of tolerance and open-mindedness almost to breaking point. Perhaps, then, a new kind of 'hygge' is required, one less tied to complacent notions of lifestyle and material comfort. Its proper meaning and value lie not in elegant furniture, soft candlelight, and high-end designer knitwear, but in the need to extend human warmth and responsibility. Those friends and family who should be drawn close are not those to whom we are most closely related, but rather those from whom we feel most different and remote. This is a different kind of domesticity, and a different sense of homeliness. As winter deepens, and the darkness grows once more, reaching out becomes increasingly imperative. Advertisement Chris Radburn/PA Archive I find it interesting that in the modern age the term 'populism' is mostly used to describe on a pejorative basis; the rising tide of populism and populist politicians are bad things and need to be stemmed. The definition of populism is "support for the concerns of ordinary people." Throughout history, there have been many such movements, many objecting to high food prices like the Anti-Corn Law League, objecting to a lack of Governmental support like the Populist Movement of the Mid-West America, and some were popular campaigns for the expansion of democratic rights, like the Chartists or the Suffragettes, or for nuclear disarmament, and even for the right to hunt foxes on horseback. Advertisement Not all populist movements in history have spilled over into violence, and populism cannot be defined as being specifically Left or Right Wing. In some cases, what began as Populist Movements have become established political parties, like the Green Party, SYRIZA, Podemos, UKIP, Five Star and so on. Often they maintain their populist roots, but others, notably SYRIZA, have become ruling parties prepared to make political decisions based upon pragmatism and real politik. Often against the direction of their original movement. In the Internet age, and the huge expansive flow of information, opinion, and debate Populist movements are more easily able to attract supporters from all different ages and backgrounds. However, with populist movements it is vital to keep the messages simple and straight forward for easier absorption. While this can create half-developed arguments, it remains the responsibility for the individual to take a point of view, consider it in the light of opposing as well as supporting arguments and make a decision. Both Left and Right wing parties heavily use the Internet to broadcast their message, and chat rooms and social media have become the new town halls for public meetings. It is not a free-win for enlightenment, of course, and there are plenty of ill-thought out and resentful, even hateful, arguments made. 'Twas ever thus. Advertisement But the key to Populism is that support for the cause is a matter of free will. Then the movements, as they are, require political resolution one way or another. And here it becomes tricky. Taking as our base case, the movement is popular with the ordinary people, but not with the elite. Without an intransigent elite there would be no need for many of these movements. In order to perpetuate their ownership of the political system the elite are forced into a compromise and grant a plebiscite. In the UK in 2016 this was the EU Referendum, the eleventh one to be held since 1975. Problematically, the terms of the Referendum were not clear, nor were the boundaries or a valid time frame made clear. What was the post-Brexit Britain going to look like? The question was a simple one, but the consequences were far from simple. Interestingly, the Referendum debate did cross the Left Right, rich poor, North South divides, and here is part of the problem, many people were voting the same way for different reasons and with different expectations. Arguably, this diversity of expected outcomes created more problems than it solved. But the problem lies not with the result per se but within the framework of the vote itself. Despite problems post June, it was a valid one to have had, because like all other ten UK plebiscites it addressed the constitutional matter of how we are governed. This was not a referendum on immigration, the funding of the NHS, the security of the people or how we engage in trade; this was a question of the independent sovereignty of the nation state versus the expansion of the supranational. That constitutional question, in my view, made this an appropriate referendum to be held, and while many of the arguments given - like in all political discussions and debates - were fallacious and fanciful - the result was a clear representation of the will of the people on the nature of their relationship with Government. The Referendum was, then, the result of populism and the results was a true and clear representation of the wishes of the ordinary people. It had its flaws, that's for sure, but the fault of that was the nature of the question itself and the lack of parameters; and the fault for that lies firmly with the elite. This was not mob rule, this was a confirmation of the expected social contract, with its inherent rights, privileges, guarantees and responsibilities, between the people and the State. Italy faces a Constitutional referendum this weekend, which may well bring down the Government (the centre Left Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has threatened to resign if the No vote wins). This raises the possibility of an early General Election in 2017, and it is possible that the populist party 5Star could make solid gains. But the threat of 5Star gaining seats should not affect the Constitutional matter to be decided by the Referendum. That is not a definite consequence, and should not be used as a reason to vote Yes on Sunday, the two matters are separate issues, and should be treated as such. Advertisement How does a generation deal with the most heinous crime of the 21st century? Especially, given it is an issue that transcends political or racial profile and is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world. The most recent stats to come from the Home Office on sex trafficking are both harrowing and inspiring; they suggest there are between 10,000 and 13,000 victims of modern slavery in the UK, with 45 million estimated victims across the world. Additionally, only a mere 2,340 are officially reported, and in 2015, only 289 modern slavery offences were brought to justice. It is also estimated that only 1% of of enslaved people in the UK have the chance of seeing their exploiter brought to justice. And most worryingly of all, up to 34% of victims of slavery are estimated to be re-trafficked. Britain however, is paving the way by placing the issue of modern day slavery high on the national agenda. We have also implemented the toughest anti-slavery law in the world and Prime Minister May has stated that Britain will lead the fight against modern slavery, and has vowed to make it her mission to rid the world of this "barbaric evil". Advertisement But this is not just an issue in the UK, and it is not just an issue for Governments. Sex trafficking is a cross border multinational problem, that requires much more to be done, by many more people, if we are to eradicate the crime in our lifetime. Whilst it is amazing to have this issue recognised and at the front of a governmental agenda, and this will help a great deal, we cannot leave the task to Governments and Non-Government organisations alone. It requires a ground swell movement where people no longer tolerate the issue that is destroying lives, and do something about it. As a Producer of an anti sex trafficking film, She Has a Name, I did just that. My goal, from interior designer to film producer, was to open a window into the dark reality that exists in the abhorrent trade, and to expose the truth of this crime and how it effects those trafficked and enslaved against their will. Through film, I decided to give one girl a name and a voice, representing all of those whose voices are not being heard and whose names have been forgotten. If everyone thinks the problem exists elsewhere, no one will act. She Has a Name film is being released to coincide with the UN Abolition of Slavery Day on 2 December 2016 and is part of a global call to action, it is our very own 'creative protest' against sex trafficking. We, in turn, are calling ordinary people around the world to get involved in this issue and make it their problem too. Stage your very own creative protest in whatever form works for you, tell people about this issue, offer your time or your money wherever you can. Join our movement so we can work together to see slavery abolished. Let's fund freedom together. Advertisement I recently came across a recording of Christabel Pankhurst speaking, thanks to the researchers' blog, published by Manchester Metropolitan University's Library . The curator of the researchers' blog had found the recording as it was posted on the sound and vision blog at the British Library. This chain of connections got me thinking about the importance of blogging within research in general, and within feminist work, in particular. It seems to me that blogs are becoming a more and more useful tool, allowing researchers to follow topics that interest us, with great ease. At a time when mainstream news media is increasingly dominated by a few "top stories", this is truly valuable. On the other hand, of course, there is a risk that all that happens is that in subscribing I move down an ever-narrower corridor of interests and so miss out on important new ideas in related fields. Having acknowledged this risk I do want to return to the joy of blogging. We set up a new research centre at Manchester Metropolitan this year, on International Women's Day, and we have a successful blog for our Sylvia Pankhurst Gender Research Centre, which helps us to shine a light on feminist work around Greater Manchester. The centre itself boasts a number of strategic themes, with researchers interested in: gender and criminal justice; sexuality and the law; gender and leadership in workplaces and gender and enterprise. Advertisement Looking around, I can see that our new venture fits into a world of blogs that cater to a wide range of interests. There are some high-profile feminist blogs which don't necessarily focus on research, the F-Word Blog is perhaps a leading example. Very clearly, it would be rude of me to fail to discuss the importance of the highest profile general blog, The Huffington Post itself , which is giving me the chance to blog about blogging. Some feminist blogs continue longstanding feminist strands of thought, such as Our Bodies Our Blog which draws on the tradition of the wonderful publications entitled Our Bodies Ourselves. This group of women came together 45 years ago and anyone interested in women's reproductive rights, or other issues related to women's health would be well-advised to have a look at their blog. A well-established British blog is the one belonging to the Feminist Review, which has been running since March 2013 and which posts longer, journal-style pieces. I subscribe to a small number of research blogs, which I personally find useful, including the one which alerted me to the recording of Christabel. Listening to the file, I heard her talking about women's right to vote and making logical arguments for women to be allowed to vote, in a clear somewhat posh voice, though there is some background noise on the recording. I found it a real thrill to hear the voice of one of my heroines, although I was disappointed that the British Library blog did not tell me anything about when or where she was recorded. However the notes on the British Library blog suggested that in this recording: "Christabel Pankhurst, is unpolished stuttering and stammering through the speech", so I was expecting to find the content quite disappointing and was pleasantly surprised. I suppose that my response, as a feminist who rarely listens to old recordings might well be different to that of an archivist who might be less interested in the content? In any event I found the differing responses interesting. Perhaps you will listen and let me know what you think. Advertisement I have done some research on the suffragettes, in an ad hoc manner, over the past 20 years or so, in support of my teaching, and so I was also very happy to have the opportunity to name the new research centre for Christabel's younger sister, Sylvia Pankhurst. Sylvia studied art at the Manchester School of Art, which is now a part of our university, as well as being a suffragette, an author and a campaigner for social justice. She seemed a natural choice to us, when we were thinking about a name for the new centre. Although Sylvia died in 1960, when I was just a few months old, her ideas often have a fresh modern feel and her heartfelt work for Ethiopia, where she spent the end of her life, should earn anyone's respect. (Photo/Huawei) Huawei announced a major breakthrough in its research into Li-ion batteries, unveiling the world's first long-lifespan graphene-assisted Li-ion battery able to withstand high temperatures. The announcement was made by Watt Laboratory, an organization under Huawei's Central Research Institute, at the 57th Battery Symposium held in Japan. Huawei's research results show that new graphene-based heat-resistant technologies allow Li-ion batteries to remain functional in a 60C environment, a temperature 10C higher than the existing upper limit. The lifespan of the graphene-assisted Li-ion batteries will also be twice as long as ordinary Li-ion batteries. Dr. Yangxing Li, Chief Scientist at Watt Laboratory, pointed out that three technologies contributed to the breakthrough in the graphene-assisted high-temperature Li-ion battery. First, a special additive in the electrolytes can remove trace water and prevent the electrolytes from evaporating in high temperatures. Second, modified large-crystal NMC materials are used for the cathode, improving the thermal stability of the cathode powder. Third, graphene allows for more efficient cooling of the Li-ion battery. (Photo/Huawei) Dr. Li said, "We have performed charging and discharging tests in a high-temperature environment. The tests show that when working parameters are the same, the graphene-assisted high-temperature Li-ion battery is 5C cooler than ordinary Li-ion batteries. Over 70% of the graphene battery's capacity is left after it is recharged 2,000 times at a temperature of 60C. Less than 13% of its capacity is lost after being kept in a 60C environment for 200 days." Huawei's research results will reshape the storage systems of communications base stations. In high-temperature regions, outdoor base stations powered by the graphene-assisted high-temperature Li-ion batteries can have working lifespans longer than four years. These batteries ensure a high mileage for electric vehicles per charge in high temperatures. They can also guarantee the safe operation of drones, which often generate a significant amount of heat. At the 56th Battery Symposium also held in Japan in 2015, Huawei's Watt Laboratory revealed its quick charging technology, which recharges 48% of a 3000mAh battery in just 5 minutes. This technology turned many heads. According to Dr. Li, Huawei has commercialized the developed quick charging batteries and will announce a super-quick charging mobile phone in late December. narvikk via Getty Images Populist politicians are quick to promise solutions to everyone's problems, but often fail to deliver. Just look at Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. In the UK, the nationalists who campaigned so hard for Britain to turn its back on Europe promised that Brexit would mean Britain could trade more easily with the world. More money would be available for healthcare, food prices will come down and the "ordinary, hardworking people will benefit". But many of these promises were immediately dropped within a few days. Independent economic forecasts now suggest Brexit will hit those people least able to afford it. Likewise, in the United States, the new President-elect Donald Trump promised many changes on the campaign trail, but already many of these have faltered. By cancelling the trans-pacific partnership deal, Trump will only vacate space for China to step in and increase its influence in Asia. Will this really bring jobs and wealth to de-industrialised areas in the mid-west of the US? Advertisement We must listen to people's concerns about globalisation, but the response should not be protectionism, but rather to shape globalisation so that it works for us. Free trade should be defended - but it must be fair trade. The European Union has the power to shape globalisation and we should harness it. One of the greatest delusions spread by populists on both the left and right is that turning inwards will empower us. The reality is that in an inter-connected world, no one European country can influence global trade rules. And make no mistake: if we abandon shaping the environment around us, others will shape us. This is why internationalism is so important; far from diluting national influence and control, pooling sovereignty actually helps to leverage more control and influence on the world stage. Populists who shout, "we want our country back" and "let's take back control" are doing so as they give up power. Another example of how internationalism and the pooling of sovereignty has benefitted us all is Nato. In light of the election of Trump- we can no longer fully rely on the US to protect us, so it makes sense for the EU to finally do much more to share military procurement and progressively integrate its military forces. As well as providing security for its citizens, we need an EU that defend its values too. Many populist Conservative parties across Europe are abandoning their moral principles in the pursuit of power. When the simple and exaggerated promises made by right wing populists fail to materialise, there is always someone else to blame. In Poland and Hungary, we have seen politicians attacking the judiciary. Our liberal democratic institutions should be defended at all costs. It is clear to us that if the EU is to survive; the people are going to have to fight for it. There is nothing patriotic about unjustified attacks by desperate politicians on a national constitution. Modernisers should be clear that the European Union needs radical reform and be honest; the EU of today doesn't work as well as it should. But at same time, we know that if the EU didn't exist, it would have to be created, so the principles underlying the European Union should be defended. After all - we could well be one or two national elections away from the disintegration of the EU. Let's try and fix it, not throw it away. Advertisement Russia is actively chipping away at the West's democratic heritage, by spreading misinformation and funding far right ideologies across Europe. Let's confront this. The US played a historic role in supporting the European Union after the second world war, yet senior figures advising Donald Trump now openly promote the breakup of the EU. It is clear to us that if the EU is to survive; the people are going to have to fight for it. Liberal Democratic, centrist parties must unite and lead this battle. We will do so because we are internationalists, not protectionists, we believe in fighting for societies where everyone is treated with respect, every voice is listened too, rather than the divisive "us v them" rhetoric deployed by many populist parties. We will tackle the populists head on, because not only do they seek to divide, they make empty promises they cannot possibly deliver and then threaten western liberal democratic values when they fail. Together let's move Europe forward and ensure it works for everyone. Guy Verhofstadt is President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe, and a former prime minister of Belgium ASSOCIATED PRESS Wrapping up coverage at seven in the morning, after the night in November that we all remember, I could not believe it. He'd done it. Most people, including members of his own party, did not think Donald Trump would come close to winning, let alone achieve victory. I thought that the groping tape was the point of no return. The Democrats were so confident, they had been preparing to take Republican safe seats. But here we are, some of us still in disbelief, in the knowledge that the businessman with no political experience will very shortly be in chief command of so-called leader of the free world and one of the most powerful nations on the globe. Advertisement Everyone is still talking about it. The Internet is awash with the disappointed and fearful who condemn America's decision and the insufferable I-told-you-so's of various political persuasions who smugly claim to have seen this all coming. It's a strange thing to observe. So many of the things that people like me thought were crazy, too crazy to permit a win for Trump - the exaggerations, the nonsense, the closet bigotry, the conspiracy theories and more - will be remembered as legitimate. Trump's victory has somehow rationalised so much irrationality. I dread to imagine a day in which Trump will be described as a fine orator and a perceptive political thinker. Others feel like giving up teaching reason and argument - what's the use? Who cares about facts anymore? Among the disheartened, the optimists point to the President-elect's malleability. Many people doubt that Trump believes a thing that he said during the entirety of his campaign; the outrageous rhetoric was a clever mechanism to appeal to voters disenchanted with current politics. Whether Trump is the master of Realpolitik, adopting the policies that will fit the current public mood, or a dunce of the highest order whose status as a political nobody and his penchant for bemoaning the recent past won him the White House, we needn't fear that the terrible future awaiting us will actually come true. It took a short meeting with Barack Obama for Trump to tone down several key pledges: could some more conversations from knowledgeable figures prompt Trump to forget about building that wall? But the members of Trump's expanding inner circle are not so manipulable. The Republicans entering Donald Trump's cabinet have clear objectives and adhere strongly to dangerous ideologies. They are determined to unravel everything that has happened over the last eight years of American politics. With a majority control of the House of Representatives and the Senate and a halfwit in the Oval Office, the Republican Party is in a prime position to enact the policies of which its elite have been dreaming. The Republicans have indicated that repealing the Affordable Care Act is one of their top priorities. After sixty failed attempts to destroy it while a Democrat was President, now is their moment to finally eradicate it. 'ObamaCare' won't be the only thing that is revoked. Now comes the great undoing. Barack Obama's hyperbolic reputation among many conservatives as the "worst president in history", something Trump himself has repeated, will become normal. The petitions to impeach him will suddenly be seen as credible. Look out for inquiry after inquiry into the Benghazi affair until the Republicans get the answer they want. Many Republican presidential candidates sought to gut Planned Parenthood's funding - will Obama's last-minute legislation save it from Republican destruction? What about climate change and all the work towards researching its effects and developing solutions? And maybe will Hillary Clinton be imprisoned too? Advertisement Talk of "the deficit" has made the political weather ever since some of the world's largest banks, rating agencies and insurers sat down to play pass the parcel with the fiscal equivalent of an IED. The ensuing bailout catapulted daily talk of "the deficit" from the Treasury cafeteria to the graphics department of UK news channels. And depending on your political persuasion, "the deficit" was either shorthand for tough love at a time of crisis, or Trojan horse for an ideologically imposed austerity. To this day, politicians of all stripes still wield the phrase as some kind of smart bomb intended to silence their opponent mid-sentence. Except new academic research suggests the same politicians wake up to an altogether more sinister deficit for which no budget fix exists. At least this is the view of two political scientists at Michigan State University (MSU) who believe income inequality is pitting political winners and losers against each other and that conflict over economic interests can undermine citizens' satisfaction with democracy and lead to instability. Advertisement In other words, income inequality - rather than who wins an election - is the active and pernicious ingredient behind a democratic deficit that has been building for decades. Eric Chang and Sung Min Han studied presidential and parliamentary elections in 43 countries, including the United States, and found that rising income inequality increases the gap in satisfaction with democracy between electoral winners and losers. The findings will be published in the December issue of the journal Electoral Studies. Their work suggests that the degree of income inequality is the real driver behind electoral winners and losers' satisfaction with democracy. Or as Professor Chang puts it: "Elections matter much more for both the rich and poor when income inequality is high." Essentially, this is because both upper and lower income groups are affected by how politicians engage with rising income inequality. As the gap between rich and poor grows, the poor intensify their demand for the redistribution of wealth. The rich, meanwhile, become more anxious about the possibility of losing income. Advertisement Witness President-elect Donald Trump's promise to revive small-town America being perceived by voters as a pledge (at some level) to reverse the transfer of wealth to both overseas workers and the country's elite. While past research has studied the so-called "winner-loser gap" theory, the MSU research is among the first to put forward that the impacts of economic inequality are more central to satisfaction with democracy than say the institutional effects of political systems, such as America's electoral college or the UK's first-past-the-post. So while headlines about democracy will inevitably focus on swing state recounts and gaming by-elections to unseat incumbent MPs, the real culprit travels under the name of neo-liberalism. And has done so for three decades or more. The decision to the leave the European Union is arguably a case in point. Entrenched neoliberalism this side of the Atlantic also spawned gross income inequality, helping foster disaffection and a nascent rebellious sentiment - among both rich and poor - that was ripe for expression come last May's referendum. Neither has the British public unanimously accepted the referendum result to leave the EU. Hardliners on both sides rush to impose a self-serving and narrow definition of "democracy" as evidenced by The Daily Mail's recent slamming of the judiciary, and Facebook comments by members of the anti-Brexit group "The 48%". Advertisement None of this however is confined to the UK or United States. A recent poll in France revealed over three quarters thought democracy was performing "less and less well" while about one in three of those surveyed agreed with the statement "other political systems can be as good as democracy." Staying in Europe, there is the wider phenomenon of right wing politicians gaining influence and having no little or no allegiance to some tenets of social democracy, including personal freedoms. Political scientists have long been on the money when they say we might have the trappings of representative democracy but the substance has been hollowed out. Under the banner of "post-democracy", there is a mounting consensus that neoliberal democracies are "losing some of their foundations and evolving towards an aristocratic regime." This echoes the critique of the anti-globalisation movement from the late 1990s, which author Noreena Hertz (now ITV's Economics Editor) characterised back then as 'The Silent Takeover' of democracy by corporations. As a system for meaningful self-governance, democracy involves much more than general elections and binary-choice referenda. The failings of first-past-the-post systems to represent the balance of views in Britain are well known, and movements for electoral reform will persist. Meanwhile, the benefit of more elected representation in the governance of cities and nations of the United Kingdom is clearer than ever. The future of democracy will also involve greater deliberation on policies via online platforms such as the pioneering launch of Momentum's MxV platform. All these trends are underpinned by confidence in the principle of democracy itself and the role - though flawed - of our electoral system. Advertisement Above all, the political events of 2016 make clear - once and for all - that an unthinking allegiance to neoliberal economics needs to be dropped by the political classes and new economic policies applied to deliver greater equality at pace. Just suddenly, between the gathering crowds, a shaft of light. Some will think that Guy Verhofstadt's suggestion that British Nationals should be able to belong to the EU by paying an individual subscription, much like belonging to a club I suppose, is a good idea. Others will think that it is a bad idea. The important thing about it though is that it is an idea. It is no surprise that, with Article 50 on the horizon, the attention of commentators has been focused on negotiation and the cocking of snooks. "The Germans want to sell us their cars. We'll extract a good price for that!", "You British want to participate in our markets, well you'll have to open your borders or we'll tell you where to go!", "Want the intelligence from Cheltenham, do you? Well, get into line or we'll just let you get blown up", "Let our expats stay", "Why should we, you bastards, keep paying for Brussels", "Nah, nah, nananah, nah." It is all very binary and allows column inches to be generated without too much thought. It is also largely beside the point. Debate about our future relationship with the EU means little unless we have some idea of what the nature of the EU is likely to be at the time when we actually leave it. Will it be much as it is now? Or broadly similar at any rate, subject to the odd nip and tuck? Mr Verhofstadt doesn't think so. He sees the current form of the EU as unstable, telling The Times that "The way it is working today, the EU cannot survive every crisis that it faces." Advertisement He is surely right about that. It now seems to be accepted that across the Western world people are rejecting the authority of elites who they see as too remote. In the US they have rejected the Washington bubble. In the Brexit referendum they rejected the unanimous advice of the British party leaders. There is likely to be more of the same. Will Mr Renzi win Sunday's referendum and carry through his vital reforms of the Italian political system or will he have to go, leaving Beppe Grillo's anti-establishment Five Star Movement at the helm? Will the Dutch succeed in blocking the EU's Canadian treaty? Will Madame Le Pen be the next president of France? What will happen in next year's German election? What on earth is going to happen in Austria? Some of these things will no doubt go right from the official viewpoint but not all of them. The revolution against the detached elites has far from run its course and, fairly or not, the elite in Brussels is seen as being about as detached as you can get. The current model is no longer viable. As a Federalist, Mr Verhofstadt sees the answer in a much deeper political union and he is probably right about that too. Those countries which share a currency need to merge their financial institutions and to become a sufficiently tight political union to justify the transfers of wealth that is needed to support the poorer regions. That probably means that the group will be much smaller than the current Eurozone. It will probably be limited to countries with broadly similar economies. For those countries which fall outside this block the strategy must not be one of promoting ever closer union but of looking at those things which the EU needs to achieve for the benefit of Europe as a whole and seeing what it needs to achieve them. Let's take the market as an example and assume that a wide tariff-free area is good for all concerned. If goods are to be able to move freely across borders, then there have to be common standards, common competition policies, common policies on state aid and a common system of indirect taxation. Without those the market cannot operate fairly and no doubt there are other things as well. It is not obvious, however, why these would include free movement of people or standard employment rights. Those may, depending upon your viewpoint, be very desirable things in themselves but they are not preconditions of a common market. Advertisement Then suppose we look at academic research. Here there are obvious advantages to international cooperation but the sine qua non must be reciprocity. Perhaps there are additional things too, such as the giving of visas to researchers. The idea of an a la carte EU with a series of options and prices and containing one or more closely integrated blocks is superficially attractive. It would have the advantage that countries who wish to embrace a particular option could do so with the consent of their own electorates and remove voters concern that they're going to wind up finding that their country has been irrevocably changed without their agreement. No doubt it would have disadvantages too and perhaps there are other models that would be better. Still, we need to start thinking about them and Mr Verhofstadt's comment that the stifling of criticism of the EU is more likely to harm than to help it rings true. We need free discussion about how the EU can be reformed if we are going to have a way forward should the current political climate make the status quo untenable. There are, after all, things which European countries must combine, however assiduously they guard their sovereignty elsewhere. The environment is the most obvious one, although perhaps security and intelligence run it a close second. Then there are areas like research where the advantages of common action and cumulative weight are obvious. We will need a framework within which cooperation in these and many other areas can be safeguarded even when countries do not want overall integration. If Mr Verhofstadt can begin a serious discussion on what those structures should be, he will be doing both Britain and the other members of the EU a very considerable favour. Since the UK voted to leave the European Union, there has been an air of uncertainty that has been looming over the country. From the uncertainty of accessing the single market, the impact on sterling and the defining influences on post Brexit within the global markets, what does this present for the future of the UK economy and businesses in general? The outcome of the referendum has undoubtedly left UK businesses feeling skittish; with a recent study by Hitachi Capital Invoice Finance suggesting that over one quarter (27 percent) of UK businesses say they are in "survival mode" and aren't going to invest for the next 12 months. Furthermore, 57 percent of those surveyed said they had not sought external finance in the past year and 59 percent predicted that Brexit would impact their ability to get access to finance in the future. With statistics like this, you can understand why business owners are reluctant to consider expanding into new markets or diversifying product lines, preferring to delay the decision making process, once the post-Brexit storm has calmed. For some businesses and startups, Brexit presents huge benefits for penetrating into new areas of potential growth. Advertisement In November, The Times published an article that stated five startups have made the move to Berlin as part of an aggressive campaign that has been wooing entrepreneurs with the promise of lower commercial and living costs and continued access to the single market. According to the article, there are an additional 39 companies considering relocating as more startups look to other markets to maintain growth. However, is this the answer for startups and entrepreneurs who are worried that Brexit could pose significant challenges for expansion? Whether you are a business owner happy to wait for the uncertainty to diminish or decide to immediately set the wheels in motion for change, timing is crucial, and in a period of such economic doubt, the implementation of a new restructuring plan into your business can be a daunting and present risk. So, in a post-Brexit era, what should businesses consider when looking at an international expansion? A Need for Steady Cash Flow Choosing to move your business into international territories can present an exciting, but costly prospect. In order to achieve a seamless transition, you'll need to ensure your check list includes making sure you have the finances in place; revenues, profit and a steady cash flow to mention just a few. Advertisement With UK businesses apprehensive about securing finance, this could present a significant challenge in funding your plan for growth. However, if you already have the finances secured, you may find you have fewer restrictions entering the global community. In short, if you're not confident you can bank roll your expansion, without relying on external funding, the risk of accessing into new territories may become extremely difficult. How is your industry performing post-Brexit? Despite what some may assume, Brexit didn't impose restrictions or appear to be a barrier on all UK businesses across the board. Some will be hit harder than others and some may even find their industry remains relatively unchanged. However, if planning on adopting change, it's worth considering where your business falls on the spectrum and how your industry could suffer or thrive outside the EU. Making the decision to apply changes to influence your business's potential income, when your sector is performing particularly well could undoubtedly give your company that extra edge above the competition. To maximise on the performance of your business' sector, you may wish to broaden your marketplace before it has reached its peak, sustaining a healthy profit margin. This will certainly enable you to leverage your company's momentum to perform well overseas. Do you already have an international client base? With the UK leaving the EU, one of the most pertinent questions relates to our access to the single market and the represented 500 million potential customers. Currently in debate, this will most likely affect a business's decision in developing overseas. Advertisement Many service-based businesses operating in the UK may already have international customers around Europe, USA or Asia. If this is the case and you're already trading globally, you might want to examine alternative arrangements in procuring a team in some of your most successful markets. ASSOCIATED PRESS Surveillance laws exist in an uneasy tension between the state's interest in providing us security and the personal freedoms we all enjoy. On either side of that tension, the stakes could not be higher. It is no surprise that updating surveillance powers for changing technology, as has just occurred with the passage of the Investigatory Powers Bill, has been a fraught process, and not just for those interested in technology, the security of the state and civil liberties. We collectively have had to decide when we are happy to set aside our individual interests for what would - at times contentiously - be called the "greater good". For professions that routinely deal with sensitive information relating to other people, such as doctors, lawyers, politicians and journalists, questions of state surveillance not only affect us personally, but potentially threaten the duties, imperatives and obligations we have, and vital public interests that we serve. We have to consider not only our own individual interests, but the individual interests of others, and the greater good in us protecting those interests. Advertisement Among the legal profession this tension has been in sharp relief over the place of Legal Professional Privilege (LPP). LPP is a cornerstone of the justice system, owned by our clients, which enables them to have open and transparent conversations with their lawyer without the fear these will be shared with someone else. It is at the heart of our relationship with our clients, and essential in ensuring the integrity of the justice system. In this context it was always going to be a challenge to convince the state to curtail surveillance powers to protect LPP. It is hard to build public passion for the protection of legal concepts with the spectre of terrorism and organised crime hanging over us all. Yet when client asks for advice from a solicitor, and needs to divulge details of their personal or professional life, it cannot be restrained by a fear that the State might be listening in. Even the most law-abiding of us have parts of our lives that we do not want aired in public - a financial mishap, a troubled family relationship, workplace mistreatment you could no longer tolerate. These intimate details are only the part and parcel of a normal life, but if someone does not feel they can be open and transparent with their lawyer, the lawyer cannot properly advise them on the law, with potentially disastrous consequences. This is why the Law Society of England and Wales was so deeply concerned when the Investigatory Powers Bill was first introduced without protections for legally privileged material. The final Bill that has just received Royal Assent is, in our view, far from perfect. The ability to intercept privileged communications is too wide and intrusive, and needlessly so. However, following the efforts we and others in the legal profession made, the Government has responded by making considerable improvements from where the Bill began. Proper processes to evaluate and protect legally privileged material now exist, even if the standard is not as rigorous as we would have made it. Advertisement JUSTIN TALLIS via Getty Images At last, some good news. So thank you, voters of Richmond Park, for ousting your pro-Brexit, squillionaire MP Zac Goldsmith, and thank you, victorious Lib Dem candidate Sarah Olney, for saying this: 'Our message is clear: we do not want a hard Brexit. We do not want to pull out of the single market. We will not let intolerance, division and fear win. Richmond Park was full of people like me, who felt the country was going wrong, that the politics of anger and division were on the rise, that the liberal, tolerant values we took for granted were under threat. Today we have said no. We will defend the Britain we love. We will stand up for the open, tolerant Britain we believe in.' Advertisement So has the tide turned? Is Sarah Olney the harbinger of a bright new dawn, a better future? Not so fast, my friend, not so fast. For well over 200 years, Western liberal democracies have subscribed to two fundamental principles, both of which, despite the good people of leafy Richmond Park, are now being challenged for the first time since the fall of Fascism. (And I say that as someone whose first job as a foreign correspondent was in Fascist Spain in the early 1970s.) The first principle was enshrined in the US independence declaration of 1776: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.' The second became the rallying cry of the French revolution: 'Liberte, egalite, fraternite'. Does Donald Trump believe that we are all created equal? That we are all equally entitled to certain unalienable rights? All of us, including Muslims, and flag-burners, and Mexicans? Does he even recognise the word 'truths'? Advertisement Does Marine Le Pen believe in liberte, egalite, and fraternite? Including for France's five million Muslim citizens? And refugees? The fact that these questions even need to be asked suggests the depth of the crisis into which the West is sinking. It extends much further than who sits in the Oval Office or the Elysee Palace, because it challenges the very principles on which our societies and our nations have been built over more than two centuries. Nationalism and nativism seem to be sweeping away liberalism. 'We are all created equal' is being replaced by 'Me and my country, first and last.' And even if you don't believe that history repeats itself, it does no harm to look back at history once in a while, if only to see whether there might be some mistakes we could avoid making a second time. No parallels are exact, of course, but Europe before the outbreak of each of the 20th century's catastrophic world wars bore too many worrying resemblances to some of what we are witnessing now: a nationalist fervour whipped up against both external and internal enemies; the hunt for scapegoats; and rapid social and economic change that left millions of people feeling alienated and ignored. The institutions that grew out of the debris of the Second World War, imperfect as they are -- the European Union, the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation and its predecessor the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) -- were all born of the grim experience of protectionism and extreme nationalism. Today, alas, no world leaders remember the 1930s and what they led to, which may be why they seem so blithely to be ready to make the same mistakes all over again. In the words of the historian Mark Mazower, quoted in this excellent overview of the similarities and differences between then and now: 'The political class has very impoverished historical memory and as a result it has a very limited imagination.' Advertisement This weekend, voters in two European countries will have a chance to reverse what Philip Stephens of the Financial Times calls 'the populist narrative of an indigenous dispossessed. ' In Italy, they'll be voting in a referendum on constitutional reform that, in effect, is a referendum on the country's ruling class. And in Austria, they'll be voting, again, for a president, with one of the two candidates representing a party that was established by former Nazis. If the Freedom Party's Norbert Hofer wins in Austria, and if Italy's prime minister Matteo Renzi is defeated in Sunday's referendum, the nationalist drums will continue to beat ever louder. With nationalism comes protectionism, a tearing up of the free trade agreements on which global trade has depended for the past several decades. Protectionism also means the reintroduction of tariff barriers, competitive currency devaluations and rising unemployment. It's not a pretty sight. But it is important for liberals and free traders neither to lose heart nor to concede ideological territory. For one thing, it cannot be repeated often enough that in the US, Hillary Clinton won two and a half million more votes than Donald Trump. In other words, American voters did not endorse an ignorant bigot, even if the vagaries of their electoral system conspired to put him in the White House nonetheless. (And, by the way, if anyone still thinks that Trump is on the side of the white working class, do please take a closer look at the people he's appointing to run his administration. According to the Washington Post, his nominees so far include 'several multi-millionaires, an heir to a family mega-fortune and two Forbes-certified billionaires.' Champions of the dispossessed? I don't think so.) For another thing, Le Pen may not win in France, and despite what the opinion polls say, Geert Wilders of the Dutch anti-immigration Party for Freedom may not win next March's general elections in the Netherlands. (Come on, who believes opinion polls any more?) Advertisement Which brings us back to Brexit. It seems to be slowly dawning on the British media that the terms on which the UK eventually leaves the EU will not be dictated in London, but in Brussels and Berlin. Twenty-seven against one is not exactly a battle between equals, and there is still no sign that Theresa May or her three Brexiteers have any idea at all how to play what few cards they have. So far, it seems that all they have managed is to exasperate our EU partners into some pretty brutal briefing against the omni-shambles that is the government's current strategy. Vectoraart via Getty Images One of the great things about democracy is that it allows anyone, no matter their initial social circumstances, to rise into positions of influence and power. But one of the worst things about democracy is that allows anyone, no matter their personality and their character flaws, to rise into positions of influence and power. Throughout most of recorded history, one of the human race's biggest problems has been that people who rise into positions of power tend to be precisely the kind of people who should not be entrusted with power. Desire for power correlates with negative personality trails, such as selfishness, greed and a lack of empathy. So the people who have the strongest desire for power tend to be the most ruthless and least compassionate individuals. And once they possess power, they usually devote themselves to entrenching, increasing and protecting their power, with scant regard for the welfare of others. Advertisement Often those who attain power are either psychopaths or narcissists. Psychopathic leaders are characteristic of economically undeveloped countries with poor infrastructures and insecure political and social institutions. (Sadaam Hussain, Colonel Gaddafi and Charles Taylor of Liberia are examples.) However, such psychopaths generally don't become leaders in affluent, first world countries (perhaps they are more likely to join multi-national corporations). In these countries, there has been a movement away from psychopathic to narcissitic leaders. After all, what profession could be more suited to a narcissitic personality than politics, especially with the constant attention of the mass media? Many psychologists have pointed out that figures such as Tony Blair, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have many signs of narcissistic personality disorder. Narcissists feel entitled to gain power because of their sense of superiority and self-importance. They feel it is right that other people should be subservient to them, while craving for their attention and admiration. At the same time, their lack of empathy means that they don't have any qualms about exploiting other people to attain or maintain their power. A large part of the problem is the kind of people who should take on positions of power - because they are empathic, fair-minded, responsible and wise - are naturally disinclined to gain power. Empathic individuals like to remain on the ground, interacting with others, rather than elevating themselves. They don't desire control or authority, but connection. So this leaves the positions free for people who do crave control and authority. Advertisement Different Types of Leaders However, it would obviously be misleading to say that it's only psychopaths and narcissists who who attain positions of power. I would suggest that there are generally three types of leaders. The first are 'accidental leaders.' These gain power without a large degree of conscious intention on their part, but due to a combination of privilege and merit. Then there are idealistic and altruistic leaders. These are probably the rarest type. They feel impelled to gain power for altruistic reasons. Once they attain power, they become (or at least try to become) instruments of change, often battling with more conservative forces who are reluctant to shift. The third - and unfortunately most common - are narcissistic and psychopathic leaders, whose motivation for gaining power is purely self-serving. In my view, what we urgently need are checks to power - not just to limit the exercise of power, but to limit its attainment. Put simply, the kind of people who desire power the most - people who the most ruthless and non-empathic - should not be allowed to attain positions of authority. Every country (and indeed every organisation) should employ psychologists to assess potential leaders and determine their levels of empathy, narcissism or psychopathy - and hence determine their suitability for power. At the same time, empathic people - who generally do not have the lust to gain power - should be encouraged to take positions of authority. Even if they don't want to, they should feel a responsibility to, if only to prevent tyrants from doing so. This might sound absurd and impractical, but we would by no means be the first societies to regulate power in this way. There are many tribal hunter-gatherer societies where great care is taken to ensure that unsuitable individuals don't attain power. Any person who shows signs of a desire for power and wealth is usually barred from consideration as a leader. If a dominant male tries to take control of the group, primal peoples practise what the anthropologist Christopher Boehm calls "egalitarian sanctioning." They gang up against the domineering person, ostracise him, desert him. Just as importantly, in many groups people don't choose to become leaders, but are chosen, whether they want power or not. If they are deemed experienced and wise, or if their skills suit a particular situations, they are asked to take a leading role. We should follow these principles too. It would entail massive changes of personnel for most of the world's governments, institutions and companies - but it would make the world a much less dangerous place. During his campaign for presidency and afterwards, President-Elect Donald Trump has expressed his opposition to military intervention in other countries, as well as nation building such as, for example, what happened in Afghanistan. On January 20 Trump will begin his term as the president. He believes that the main threat in the Middle East is the Daesh (also known as the ISIS or ISIL), not the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and that in order to destroy Daesh, his administration will be willing to work with Russia and other nations. The Guardian recently reported that Donald Trump, Jr., recently met in Paris with Randa Kassis, a pro-Syrian government activist who believes that the war in Syria can be ended through cooperation between the U.S., Russia and the Syrian Government. Trump also met with Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D. Hawaii) who is strongly against U.S. intervention in Syria. But, although Iran has been fighting the Daesh fiercely, both in Syria and in Iraq, Trump has taken a hard line toward that country, with members of the national security team that he has picked so far all being strongly anti-Iran. Advertisement On the other hand, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei missed a golden opportunity to resolve most, if not all, issues between Iran and the United States with the Obama administration, and to re-establish diplomatic relations between the two countries. Thus, he now has to wait to see what policy the incoming Trump administration will take toward Iran. Khamenei's strong suspicion of the United States Iran's recent history was reset when the CIA coup of 1953 in Iran that toppled the democratically-elected government of Dr. Mohammad Mosaddegh, and contributed to Iran's intellectuals' opposition to both the United States and the regime of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. This anti-American third-world discourse was born in that era, and a tall and strong wall of distrust and suspicion was built between the two countries with the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the Hostage Crisis of 1979-1981, and the Iran-Iraq of 1980-1988 during which the United States supported Iraq. President Obama wanted to pursue diplomatic negotiations with Iran to resolve the issues between the two nations but, aside from the nuclear negotiations, Khamenei's strong suspicion about the U.S. intentions and his claim that the U.S. is interested only in deceiving Iran prevented a diplomatic breakthrough. In a speech on 20 October Khamenei said, "When the Americans get together with our officials, they complain about my suspicion about the U.S. Well, should I be optimistic? Can one trust you [the U.S.], given the situation that you have created [in the Middle East]?" To back up his claim he recalled that Secretary of State John Kerry had said that so long as Iran supports the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Palestinian group Hamas, the American sanctions against Iran will not end. Khamenei also said, "In my private and public meetings with the officials I have always repeated that our problems with the U.S. will not be resolved if we retreat from our position regarding Iran's nuclear program, because then they [the U.S.] will ask us about our long-range missiles. After that they will ask about our support for Hezbollah and Hamas. They will then pressure us to support human rights the way they do. If you back down about all of these and accept what they demand, the U.S. will ask why our religion is mixed with our government. They [may even] ask us why Iran is such a large country with a large population. The Americans will never let us alone." Advertisement Trump "Confirms" Khamenei's Pessimism about the U.S. In another speech on November 3 Khamenei said, "I want to correct two mistakes today. The Americans created two erroneous claims and then propagated them among Iranians through their organizations and those Iranians that are linked to the CIA - the same people 'who feel the scent of the pleasures of this world; who regret their [revolutionary] past, and those who have run out of breath [and can no longer continue on the revolutionary path]'. Imam Khomeini said "scream all you can at the U.S." The first erroneous claim by the pro-U.S. Iranians is that they say that this [what Khomeini suggested] is not rational, and is only due to fanaticism and pride. The second mistake, which is even more dangerous than the first one, is that they [the same Iranians] claim that having [diplomatic] relations with the U.S. will solve all of all problems. One can counter their argument with 10-15 reasons to show that, not only will compromise with the U.S. not solve our problems, but it will also worsen them. A good example is the nuclear agreement [with P5+1]. Through lies, bad faith, and deception U.S. has not ended its sanctions against Iran, and [in fact] it has strengthened them." Khamenei then said that the U.S. cannot solve its own problems and, therefore, cannot be expected to solve Iran's problems. He then recalled the presidential debates between Trump and Hillary Clinton and said, "Did you watch the debates? Did you see the facts they [the candidates] talked about. Did you hear them? Americans themselves made the revelations. The things that we have been saying [about the problems that the U.S. is facing], and much more, which many people did not believe, were revealed by them [Trump and Clinton]. The interesting thing is that the candidate who expressed them more bluntly [Trump] also received more attention. Because that man spoke more clearly, more bluntly, he received more attention. The other side [Clinton] said that this is populism, it is demagogic. Why is it demagogic? The [American] people listened to him [Trump] and realized that he was right; they had experienced those facts [expressed by Trump] in their own lives. Human rights and dignity have been destroyed in that country [U.S.]. There is racism. Just a few days ago the same man [Trump] said that if you are people of color, if you are black or red [American-Indian] and are walking in streets of New York, Chicago, Washington, California, or elsewhere, you cannot be sure that you will be alive even for a few more minutes. You see, this was said by someone who may go to the White House as the next President of the United States to run that country. This is American racism. He [Trump] also spoke about poverty in the United States. He said that 44 million people go hungry every day in the U.S. He declared, as have others, that less than 1 percent of the Americans owe more than 90 percent of the wealth. Human values have been destroyed there. Discrimination, deep [economic] gaps, rift among people, racism, and violation of human rights [all exist in the U.S.]..... What the two respected candidates for the Presidency of the United States, one of whom will be the next President, are saying is not baseless. They both are bad, but together they are making revelations that may destroy the United States, and they have succeeded." Advertisement Khamenei then explained that when people shout "death to America" and "scream as much as you can at America," they mean death to racism, discrimination and violation of human rights. Khamenei has been warning about two issues. One is U.S. "penetrating" and gaining "influence" in the main centers of decision making in the Islamic Republic, while the second one is what he calls the danger of senior officials becoming "infatuated" by the United States. In a speech on 17 November Khamenei claimed that some senior Iranian officials are attracted to the U.S., but he believes that the U.S. has nothing attractive to offer. "You saw that the same criticisms that I have been levelling at them [the U.S.] were brought up by Trump," Khamenei said, adding, "In these [American] elections several of the most prominent political figures talked about issues that we had also talked about, and said much more. The new President of the United States says that if we had spent the funds that we spent on wars here in the United Stated, we could have rebuilt the country twice over, and fixed all the roads, bridges, and cities, and we would not have had poverty in the United States. Those that are infatuated with an illusion [the U.S.], can they understand this? There is so much failure and destruction [in the U.S.] and they spend all that money on dishonorable wars. Were those wars honorable?" Khamenei then pointed out that a defensive war against the enemy, while respecting humane laws of war, is honorable. But, he believes that "the U.S. wars of aggression against Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Yemen that have murdered tens of thousands of civilian people, particularly women and children, are dishonorable." He then asked in the same speech, "Why does Iranian elite not have the political wisdom [to understand this] and admit them?" Advertisement Not Pre-judging Trump, but Threatening to Retaliate if He Violates the Nuclear Accord In his speech of 17 November Khamenei said that he does not want to pre-judge Trump, but "we are ready for anything." A week later on 24 November he repeated that he does not want to pre-judge Trump, because [as a Persian proverb goes] "this watermelon has not been cut yet." But, he claimed that the Obama administration did not deliver on its promises and obligations toward the nuclear agreement, but that, "The U.S. Congress renewed the U.S. sanctions against Iran for another 10 years, which is a violation of the nuclear agreement," adding, "If the [Congress-approved] sanctions become law, it will definitely violate the nuclear agreement, and they should know that the Islamic Republic of Iran will react to it." He then added that the U.S. has used the nuclear agreement as a tool to pressure Iran. President Hassan Rouhani had promised that the sanctions will be lifted if a nuclear agreement is reached, but, "The nuclear compromise has been used against Iran," Khamenei said, adding, "If the Congress-approved sanctions are also approved by the Senate and become law, it will imply that the United States has violated the nuclear agreement, and the deal with P5+1 will become one with P4+1, as the United States has effectively left the agreement behind." Trump and Iran Although Trump has professed his opposition to many wars multiple times, his national security team has three characteristics: One, some of them are close to the Tea Party and the Evangelical Christians. Mike Pompeo, who is to be Director of the CIA, said in 2014, "This threat to America" is from a minority of Muslims "who deeply believe that Islam is the way and the light and the only answer. They abhor Christians, and will continue to press against us until we make sure that we pray and stand and fight and make sure that we know that Jesus Christ is our savior is truly the only solution for our world." Two, they are strongly linked with the pro-Israel right wingers. Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff to Colin Powell when he was Secretary of States, and a strong critic of the U.S. policy toward the Middle East, said recently that if the U.S. moves its embassy to Jerusalem [as Trump has promised], a war with Iran will become more likely. Advertisement Given these facts, and Trump's lack of experience, there is considerable concern about his foreign policy. But, the situation for Iran is more critical. Marine General James Mattis, who is said to be the leading candidate for running the Pentagon, has claimed that Iran uses Daesh to expand its influence. The leading candidates for Secretary of State - Rudy Giuliani, John Bolton and Mitt Romney, are all strongly anti-Iran, and have called for "regime change" in Iran. In 2015 Giuliani called for bombing of Iran. If during his first few months in office Trump takes on an aggressive posture toward Iran, it will hurt the re-election chances of Iran's moderate President Hassan Rouhani, the elections for which will be in early June 2017. IN that case, hardliners may defeat Rouhani in the elections. Khamenei and the military hardliners have been constantly reminding Rouhani that the nuclear agreement with P5+1 has had no fruits for Iran, other than forcing it to retreat from its positions. Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, said on 26 November that, "[Although] there is no longer any sanctions against selling oil, we still have not received the proceeds from our previous sales. Senior officials had predicted that we would receive them between February and September, but that has not happened yet." In a speech on 27 November Khamenei criticized the Rouhani administration for the nuclear negotiations "that was done in haste," allowing the U.S. to gain some influence. He emphasized again that the renewal of the ten-year sanctions by Congress will be a violation of the nuclear accord. What is Trump's policy toward Iran? Will he try to resolve the issues between the U.S. and Iran through diplomacy, or will he follow those who present a demonic image of Iran? Wil he eliminate all those who favor negotiations with Iran, and empower those who want war with that nation? Advertisement To have peace and democracy, there is no way other than negotiations. U.S. wars in the Middle East have resulted in destruction of several nations, killing of hundreds of thousands of people, and the growth of terrorist groups, not to mention its financial cost that has so far been $3 - 4 billion. It is time for diplomacy in the Middle East. Without peace and security there can never be any democracy, respect for human rights, and economic developments; they will all be marginalized. Any thinking person knows that there are deep differences between an Iran that can make a transition to democracy and respect for human rights, and an Iran that can be transformed to another Syria. Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta nominated Amina Mohamed for the position of African Union Commission chair. Photo: East African Africa, the cradle of mankind and home to the youngest population in the world, has a historic opportunity to realise its full potential, in sharing our potential prosperity, by enhancing economic growth, promoting and entrenching democratic ideals. That is why I am so passionate to be running for the coveted African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson. Advertisement It is time for the African Union to provide leadership. Africans of all walks of life are looking up to it. I also strongly believe our continent is at a turning point, a defining moment, when we must drive an agenda that realises a common vision of integration, cooperation, collaboration and committed leadership. It is Africa's time; we cannot afford to miss this golden opportunity to put it at the centre stage of world politics and economics while improving the lot of our people and countries. We already have a sound blueprint going forward as envisaged in the African Union's Agenda 2063 - The Africa We Want. This blueprint has a clear roadmap for implementation. One of the critical areas is achieving synergy of member States through collaboration among the eight regional economic groupings and AU's strategic partners. Africa's markets must communicate with each other to harness trade and investment. Infrastructure deficit stands as an impediment towards this objective. We must secure seamless connectivity through people-to-people interactions, ICT and knowledge transfer throughout the Continent. Hard infrastructure development should also be reinforced by more intra-Africa rail, road, air and water linkages. Advertisement Mwalimu Julius Nyerere once said: "Together, we the people of Africa will be incomparably stronger internationally than we are now with our multiplicity of unviable states'. It is no longer tenable to keep talking of our great potential. It is time to make the African Continent; felt, heard and respected on the global scene. For this to happen, Africa must take greater responsibility of financing its development and programmes. Such has been the agreement by our Finance and Planning Ministers since March, 2015. Domestic resource mobilisation is the assured strategic complement to foreign investment and official development assistance. Focused leadership at the AUC will guarantee that this decision is fully implemented. In order to increase the financial resources available internally, industrialisation and diversification remain pertinent. More specifically, we need to harness our blue economy and fast-track the mining industry. Africa has to build the capacity of our youthful population. In 2015, African Youth aged 15 - 24 years accounted for 19 percent of the global youth population and projected to increase by 42 percent by 2030. This is a demographic dividend to Africa's prosperity. Women must also be fully enabled to play an inclusive role in all spheres of Africa's development. Tapping into African talent will be the hallmark of my tenure. The collective success to Agenda 2063 lies in creating an indomitable human force to resolve Africa's challenges. Advertisement Every African citizen deserves a life of dignity free from harm, in order to promote social justice and the realization of their potential. I am optimistic that together we can continue to create a continent that not only embodies our pride and dignity, but also the hub for peace and stability. Africa must also make its cultural diversity a cause for celebration. Cultural exchange across the continent through education, travel and symposia. This will renew our Pan-African ideals especially among younger Africans. Our continent has made significant strides in expanding access to education and better health care. In order to shelter our population from extreme want, we ought to explore skills diversification and universal health coverage. Investing in value-addition through agro-processing will increase Africa's global market share and attain collective food security and comparative advantage. Going forward, we must remain in partnership with the rest of the world. Global challenges such as climate change will only be resolved through cooperation. However, Africa remains most vulnerable from effects of global warming. As such, we need to; take serious mitigation and adaptation measures, utilise indigenous knowledge to generate local shared solutions and build resilient communities in addition to our continued demands for climate justice. Advertisement Thus, united by the vision of a prosperous, self reliant and stable Africa, it is now time for the AUC to foster the realisation of Africa's full potential through transformative leadership harnessed by the AUC Secretariat. (Photo/Thepaper.cn) Manila will hold a Fujian Week in the Philippine capital in March 2017 to further cement ties between the two countries in the wake of Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertes visit to China. The event will focus on China-Philippines economic and cultural exchange. Some 90 percent of Chinese in the Philippines are originally from Fujian province. Fujian Week is expected to bring their hometown to them - even for those with little firsthand knowledge of China or Fujian, according to Julius Caesar Aragon Flores, consul general at the Philippine Consulate in Xiamen. Flores added that Fujian Week came on heels of Dutertes visit to China, as the visit provided a good opportunity to promote ties, Thepaper.cn reported. During Fujian Week scheduled to occur March 22-24, 2017 - more than 500 Chinese enterprises are expected to be invited to visit Manilas economic zones and attend business forums for cooperative opportunities, according to Thepaper.cn. Many Chinese companies have shown interest in investing in the Philippines, but more detailed investment plans need to be developed, noted Li Fengwu, president of the Filipino-Chinese General Chamber of Commerce. Xu Haigang, head of the Philippine-China Friendship Association, told Thepaper.cn that an information imbalance between China and the Philippines has caused a lack of knowledge among Chinese companies when it comes to business plans in the Philippines. According to Xu, Fujian Week will introduce Chinese companies in industries that are fully developed in China but still young in the Philippines. Companies will also be guided by propositions made by Philippine authorities. Submitted by Rick Feinberg, a professor of anthropology at Kent State University. Politicians, pundits, and prognosticators have been struggling to make sense of Donald Trump's electoral success. Let me offer a somewhat unconventional perspective from the political left. Unlike many of Trump's critics, I suggest that he wasn't wrong about everything; and, while I didn't vote for him, I think I understand his appeal to many Americans. As a 1960s student activist and veteran of the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements, Trump's denunciation of "the establishment" strikes a responsive chord. His opposition to foreign entanglements that harm American workers, send jobs overseas, and draw us into untoward military adventures is refreshing. And the possibility of better relations with Russia is a welcome change of pace. Ukraine, Iran, and Syria, of course, are sticking points in our relationship with Russia. But these are complex problems, and the simplistic rhetoric of multiple US administrations may be as misleading as Russian governmental propaganda. (See my take on Russia's annexation of Crimea). A closer look at all these issues, however, raises troubling questions. How can a billionaire who built his fortune on inherited wealth not be, himself, part of "the establishment"? Trump's appointment of RNC chair Reince Priebus and Senator Jeff Sessions to his inner circle is unlikely to "drain the Washington swamp." And it's distressing to see scores of millions of my fellow citizens backing someone who demeans Muslims, women, African Americans, Latinos, and the disabled. But I'm somewhat heartened by exit polls indicating that many Trump voters supported him despite rather than because of his xenophobia, misogyny, and racism. They may be receptive to a well-delivered progressive message. Advertisement Much of the electorate's distrust of Candidate Hillary Clinton was misplaced. Republicans have spent decades vilifying her for myriad sins, real and imagined, and her email scandal was utterly bogus. Not even her staunchest adversaries claimed that she intentionally passed classified information to our enemies. Free-market ideologues, who insist that government does nothing right, ought to appreciate her preference for a private server (were she running for webmaster-in-chief, her miscalculation would be serious concern. As US president, she'd have had a capable tech staff to prevent such errors in the future). Nonetheless, sound reasons abound for doubts about her leadership. As first lady, New York senator, and secretary of state, Clinton's attempts to dissociate herself from "the establishment" ring hollow. Her ties to Wall Street banks were real, and she enthusiastically promoted free trade deals -- including NAFTA and the TPP -- until forced to back off under duress. With consistent pressure from the left, a President Clinton would probably have maintained the policies that got her elected, but it's hard to blame the skeptics. The key question for progressives is what to do now. Trump, who "won" with over two million fewer votes than his opponent, says he wants to be president for all Americans, and both candidate Clinton and President Obama have called on us to give him a chance. I concur ... up to a point. He should have the opportunity to do the right thing, and some initial indications are positive. He has thanked Clinton for her service to the country, declared Obama to be "a good man," and expressed interest in learning from him over the coming weeks. But if he really wants to demonstrate his commitment to national unity, an excellent place to begin would be to condemn the virulent attacks on Muslims, gays, and African Americans that have spiked since his election. Appointing Stephen Bannon and Senator Sessions to positions of responsibility is a move in the wrong direction. During the campaign, Trump made a lot of promises: to create millions of new, well-paying jobs; drastically improve the US economy; raise our standing in the international community; and decisively defeat ISIS while reducing our overseas military commitments. Should he fulfill those promises, he'll deserve well-earned credit. If he fails, millions of his supporters will be disappointed and ready to look in a new direction. Advertisement Adapted from remarks at the C40 Mayors Summit in Mexico City. We no longer have time for waiting, speculation or questions. As stated and proven by Leonardo diCaprio, we have to take concrete and collective action before it is too late. There are three things we need to do: act, act and act again. Act there, where we are, with the opportunities and instruments that we have available, and in contact with a reality with which we are undoubtedly familiar. It is for this reason that our cities are the first to respond to the call of climatic challenge. And it is so because our cities converse, share, establish bonds in spite of differences, are free to act and have the power to do so. Advertisement Facing the skepticism of certain heads of state and the cowardice paralyzing others, we respond guided by a single principle: action. And we apply a single method that consists of knocking down walls and putting up bridges. Cities have always been at the forefront of change. They have always generated what would later become progress. They have always intuited the future and, in some way, have always anticipated and got ahead of it. They have therefore assumed key roles in the world ecological transition. The most illustrative example is the signing of the Paris Agreement, where the contributions of over a thousand mayors that we brought together with my dear Mike Bloomberg, were decisive so that the states could now reach their lofty goals. It is our duty to drive that buoyancy. The cities must participate, through C40 and initiatives such as the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, in all great international negotiations. The cities will be the voice of the people and of the streets, which are too often forgotten, and will offer concrete, pragmatic and effective solutions. The C40 mayors are preparing to act and we will do so without delay. For ten years, we have been proving that a low-carbon world is possible. And that it is possible in our cities and thanks to them. It is the mission that I have assumed as new Chair of C40, this extraordinary network that has already counted with the participation of 90 metropolises from around the world, and that represents over 650 million people and one-fourth of the world economy. Advertisement By 2030, the world cities will be responsible for 74% of the greenhouse gas emissions. Facing this situation, we must be ambitious but also concise. Visionaries, but also pragmatic. With that spirit, we must rid our economy from carbon, close coal plants, generalize ecological movements and triple our high-speed trains. With that spirit, we must give priority to circular economy and ecodesign, foster environmental education and choose a radical, effective and shared energy transition. In many places, we already have chosen clean energies and we fight against contamination, eradicating the diesel cartel and favoring electric transportation, carpooling and bicycles. We are preparing for the increase in temperature and adapting to that change. Our cities are going green and we have freed their centers from car supremacy, as in the case of Paris, with the creation of a magnificent park along the banks of the Seine, which I invite you to get to know as soon as you may. We must nonetheless go farther and faster. The priority at this time is to implement the Paris Agreement. If we are successful, humanity will have a chance to survive. If we fail, the average temperature on the planet will rise between three and four degrees from now until the end of the century, and extreme climatic phenomena will multiply, as already experienced by several of our cities. For all these reasons, the twelve mayors that form the C40 Executive Committee met yesterday to approve a strategy that will allow the mayors of the world's most influential cities to adopt the measures necessary to implement the agreement over the next four years and achieve that the rise in temperature be no greater than one degree and a-half. In practice, this implies that, starting today and until the year 2020, C40 will help its cities develop climate action plans that are coherent with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. The final objective is that by 2020, our cities all have implemented a climate action plan that will allow them to restrict such rise in temperature. Advertisement If we can reach that objective, the C40 mayors will become the first group of political leaders contributing to both the ratification of the Paris Agreement and to its application, making benchmark models of our citizens. The report published today by C40 sets out precisely this perspective. By once again highlighting the key role played by the cities in the application of the agreement, we are driven to accelerate and broaden the movement that we have been able to start together. It is precisely in the areas of energy and planning of our dear cities where the possibility lies of reducing emissions by 40% and, thus, of successfully applying the Paris Agreement. We are all aware that to achieve this, we need funding -- now and later. This will be the sinew of peace in the years to come. According to our report, the application of our public policies will require an investment of 375 billion dollars over the next four years. There is no other solution : together, we will seek out that money. So, we are up against an equation that is easy to understand, but not to solve. At present, there are financial means, but they do not contribute -- or, better said, they do not contribute not enough -- to solving the great problems of the planet. It is therefore our duty to guide them toward ecological and energy transition, transforming them into an investment of a thousand shapes and a thousand faces traveling the cities. Only we can build bridges between a financial sector that often considers itself far from the day to day, and some territories that are deeply rooted in it. This is the mission that I am commissioning us, as local and global leaders. I know that we can complete it because I am witness to the resilience, creativity and pragmatism that we are capable of developing to build effective and innovative solutions. Advertisement Eduardo Paes already started this work, creating the C40 Finance Facility. With the support of this program, we must reinvent our cities, that is, allow all our fellow citizens to create, in complete freedom, to make way for free architectural, cultural, economic, social and societal innovation. And we will do this by fostering in our own network the project to Reinvent cities, based on the successful Reinvent Paris. It is what will do by also launching DataCity, an initiative backed by NuMa, the most important incubator in Paris, which will allow putting technological innovation at the service of sustainable cities. Today we must learn to together build the spaces that we will share tomorrow. Reinventing our cities also implies reinventing our forms of governance. It implies bringing them into a new era, where they will play the role of catalysts of the ideas, projects and desires of the citizens. In our cities, the ecological and energy transition must be accompanied by a new democratic evolution. Such perspective must leave space to the women leading the fight against climate control. This fight needs leaders that are aware that goals may only be achieved when responsibilities are assumed without expecting rewards; leaders that know how to combine perseverance, caution and humility. The fight for the Climate needs, in one word: women. The history of women is a history of battles and victories. Ecological transition shall be their next challenge. And it will also be their next victory! Women are well acquainted with the strength of hope and power of determination. Day after day, they move mountains in a world where they are ignored. In my opinion as the first woman to chair C40, it is essential that we know how to spotlight the importance of these heroines, who shall be the pioneers of this peaceful revolution. Ecology bears a close relation to equality. In the same way that the defense of nature cannot be separated from the defense of culture. The fight for the environment goes hand in hand with the fight for gender equality and, therefore, the lady mayors of C40, greatly increasing in numbers year after year, will tomorrow launch the key initiative Women4Climate. Advertisement We are aware that all of this will not be easy. But we must be brave as well as visionaries, to together overcome the greatest challenge to humanity. The motivation is obviously solidarity but it is also -- and we must face it -- an interest; as this challenge also implies new opportunities; economic, of course, but also social and political. Our call out to private initiative is absolutely clear : Help us transform the world! Before I conclude, I would once again like to thank our host and friend, Miguel Angel Mancera, Head of Government of Mexico City, for accommodating us in his wonderful city. I also wish to extend my thanks to the main C40 donors, who have just renewed their commitment to our project and whose donations will reach 40 million dollars over the next four years. Without them, none of this would be possible. Thank you Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Children Investment Fund Foundation and Realdania for your leadership and trust. And, obviously, thank all of you mayors for your commitment to the climate challenge, the challenge of the twenty-first century. A great writer and traveler, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author of the famous book The Little Prince, once wrote that "our task is not to foresee the future, but to enable it". Together, in our cities, let's enable the future. This article was originally published on Advocates 4 International Development's Student Blog "Of Cambodia, the world only remembers about the Khmer Rouge. What everyone really needs to watch out for now is the Khmer rich." So pensively stated my Cambodian friend working in Phnom Penh's burgeoning financial sector. As we gazed out from the rooftop of Vattanac Capital Tower, the tallest building in the capital, we could see the frantic pace of construction throughout much of the city--along with the endless shantytowns and slums which hugged the edges of those very high-rises. The Wild East of Resource Exploitation The summer after the first year of my JD studies, I was a 2013 Summer Legal Fellow with Open Development Cambodia (ODC) to draft an elections briefing for the July 2013 General Elections as well as to provide legal and policy research for their open data projects involving land use and resource extraction--the primary sources of wealth for the "Khmer rich" and their foreign corporate partners. Advertisement While most ASEAN countries-particularly along the Mekong river basin-have had significant issues with land use and resource management, the landscape in Cambodia has been particularly fraught with challenges. By Cambodian law, foreign and domestic companies who have been granted economic land concessions for agribusiness, logging, mining, and other activities must abide by national regulations governing the scope and nature of their operations. Yet in practice, robust regulatory oversight has been extremely limited. Conservation groups as well as transparency and human rights organizations have faced a range of obstacles from the government. Environmental and indigenous rights activists have been harassed, jailed and even murdered. In such a challenging environment for fostering transparent, rule of law based development, Open Development Cambodia has been able to make a remarkably successful impact. ODC's mission focuses on open data collection, verification, and organization. Since its founding in 2011, ODC--the first project of its kind in Southeast Asia--has compiled and verified any data relevant to Cambodia's economic development. ODC is dedicated to objectively providing open data for free, including students, government ministries, NGOs, investors, environmentalists, activists. In 2014, ODC typically received around 30,000 hits a month, while its Elections Page averaged over 70,000 hits a month throughout the July campaigning period and in the months after the last general election in 2013. The majority of these hits come from within Cambodia, which are quite significant figures for a nation of only 12 million with growing yet still limited internet access. Success in a Graveyard of Failures So why was ODC able to succeed in featuring such politically sensitive and potentially problematic projects, such as its land concessions mapping operations and its Elections Page, while so many other organizations have largely encountered obstructionism and even outright opposition? Advertisement ODC's open data archives have long provided a much-needed service that even the Cambodian government greatly valued. Various ministries have been utilizing this data in order to perform their own functions as well as to learn about the activities of other ministries. In the labyrinth of Cambodia's various ministries and agencies, ODC has proven itself to be a reliable source of information as well as a platform for data-sharing. Thus rather than viewing the ODC Elections Page as a seditious threat to the existing power structure, the government simply viewed it as just another ODC open data project; as just a continuation of a valuable service that ODC had already been providing. Furthermore, ODC specifies that it uses data from a universal pool, including government data. To challenge the partiality or accuracy ODC's data would in large part be to question the effectiveness of the government itself. Instead, ODC refrains from advocacy and instead devotes its energies solely on building its data collection archives, leaving users to make their own determinations. By stridently positioning itself as an objective and impartial provider of data rather than engaging in advocacy or journalism, ODC is able to maintain its universal credibility. Finally, despite continued support from USAID, ODC has always been a Cambodian entity. ODC is mostly managed by Cambodians and almost entirely staffed with Cambodian researchers, mappers, accountants, and other staff. While it originally began as a USAID-funded project of EWMI-PRAJ, ODC is currently an independent NGO and exercises near-complete autonomy from EWMI. By functioning as a Cambodian entity working on Cambodian issues since its inception, ODC has been able to cultivate an organic presence and reputation as a Cambodian institution rather than a "foreign" NGO or as a "subversive" force by the general population and government respectively. Open Data: Limitless Possibilities In July 2015, ODC launched its Open Development Mekong initiative covering Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Thailand. Like social media, open data by itself is just a tool. Yet by operating in some of the most authoritarian states featuring some of the most opaque corporate-governance relationships, open data has the potential to empower civil society while simultaneously offering invaluable information to both government and non-government actors. Open Data has the potential to open minds and transform entire societies as a cutting-edge tool to foster governmental and corporate transparency, accountability, and civic empowerment. ODC's open data model has a proven track record of success even in authoritarian, de-facto single party states. Its potential for empowering and arming civil society with the knowledge to advocate for sustainable and human rights-affirming development is considerable. During the Democratic National Convention last summer, the First Lady, Michelle Obama, gave a rousing speech. Her most memorable line was, "When they go low, we go high," and it became an unofficial anthem of the Clinton campaign. With all due respect to the First Lady, while that may very well have been appropriate for the Convention, it no longer is. The campaign is over, and the worst has happened. Now, when they go low (and they do so every day), we must go lower. We fight them with everything we've got. Americans love a fighter, so let's give them a fight. The last time Americans' challenged a fascist power - actually, two - was during World War II. We didn't win it by going higher, except to keep the Allied bombers above the range of the German anti-aircraft guns. We did what needed to be done, raining devastation down on the German and Japanese homelands. FDR and Churchill knew what it would take to defeat fascism - utter destruction and unconditional surrender. Advertisement Today the fascists are among us, and preparing to take control of the federal government. For four decades, the Republican party has worked assiduously to destroy that government, to, in Grover Norquist's words, starve it to such a degree that it could be flushed down the bathtub. Today that Republican party no longer exists. The coming government, Republican in name only, is a fascist government - a plutocratic, kleptocratic kakistocracy, people so vile, incompetent, and unskilled that they were held at arm's length by previous Republican administrations. A circus of incompetence and right wing extremism, driven by bigotry in all its manifestations. Our battle against fascism is now a battle at home. A civil war. The Democratic party, now not the minority party but the opposition party, must not collaborate with the fascists. Ever. If there are sane Republicans left, then by all means recruit them into a new alliance against fascism, and work together in your defiance, but do nothing that in any way would assist the regime in its purpose. The day after Obama's election in 2008 the Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell, said that the only issue for the Republicans from that day forth would be to ensure that Obama be a one term president. This occurred, by the way, after the worst market crash since 1929 and the beginning of the worst economic contraction since the 30s. Did the Republicans pay a price for their intransigence? Did they pay a price for the racist teabagger movement created by Karl Rove, or the racist birther movement of Il Duce? Did they pay a price for shutting down the government, twice, and threatening the credit rating of the United States? Advertisement No. They did not. Democrats, decent people as most of them are, didn't make much of a fuss. Decent people usually do not. Call out your political opponents as racist? Not the American way. As unpatriotic? Not the American way. And what do we have today? A fascist government in waiting, the natural and not unexpected outcome of traitorous behavior by conservative extremists over the past forty years. Aided and abetted by an uneducated electorate that revels in its stupidity, along with the criminal sabotage of the Russians and the FBI. This country's soul has been destroyed, its secrets shared with our primary enemy, and its weapons soon to be placed in the hands of religious extremists. These extremists are intent on waging a war of civilizations, amplifying an Islamic extremist bogeyman just as was done by the previous Republican president who couldn't be satisfied with attacking the perpetrators of 9/11, but had to go to war with the Islamic world. In the process, he destroyed Iraq and Syria, created ISIS, and killed hundreds of thousands of people, all the while giving the radical Islamists exactly what they want. This is where we stand today, and fancy speeches by the likes of Senator Warren and Congressman-elect Raskin aside, I fear the Resistance will not be found in Congress. The Democratic party has been too badly damaged as well, and it's a party not known for its spine anyway. They need to obstruct, and do so every day that this regime is in power. What are they afraid of? The short-attention-span and proudly ignorant and anti-intellectual public won't remember any of it. As David Faris puts it: Democrats must comprehend, at long last, what is being done to them by the Republican Party. The Democratic negotiating position on all issues put before them while they are in the House and Senate minority for at least the next two years should be very simple: You will give us Merrick Garland or you may go die in a fire. At long last, Democrats must learn from their tormenters: Obstruct. Delay. Delegitimize. Harass. Destroy. Above all: Do. Not. Help. This. Man. Govern. If this strikes some Democrats as a difficult strategy to square with their values, it should. After spending the past six years railing against Republican intransigence, how can the party then turn around and do the exact same thing? The answer is that our political system as currently constituted has turned into a fiefdom for a permanent right-wing minority wielding power through the Constitution's bizarre quirks, including the Electoral College. The Democrats must do whatever it takes to recapture power, even if it means adopting tactics that only yesterday they were calling threats to democracy. They must use their time in the minority to slow down and obstruct Trump, to turn the American people against the Republican Party, and to devise a message of social democracy that appeals not just to their coalition -- whose vulnerable members must be defended vigorously rather than discarded in a hasty and ill-conceived post-mortem that blames "identity politics" -- but also to the marginalized rural voters who have turned against the only organized force in American politics that actually cares about them. The future of democracy, and of the planet, depends on Democrats digging in their heels and fighting dirty. Let us hope they can do so. Can they? Based on history, I doubt it. So, the power will truly have to come from the people, the people who generate 2/3 of the country's GDP and can bring the economy to a halt if they choose. My preference, as I've written the past two weeks in recognizing the fascism taking over both here and in Israel, and offering a "Disunion Solution" as the best of all possible bad alternatives, is that the productive capacity of the nation needs to pull away from the federal regime and form regional and urban compacts to defend the values of the Constitution. I think my solution is a good idea, reinforced by the hate mail I've received from both leftists and Nazis. I've also received hate mail from right-wing Jews who haven't bothered to read my words but simply lashed out based on the twisted misinformation put out by the extremist CAMERA organization that has long taken a hard line on the Israel-Palestine question. It's much easier to respond, "Well, it's been reported that you equated Israelis to Nazis . . .," so that makes me an anti-Semite and a "kapo piece of shit." Way to go, American Jews - you sound just like your new Nazi friends in Steve Bannon's clown car. We live in a "post-truth" age, an age of fascism and American authoritarianism never experienced here. I know it's hard to comprehend, since even the President admitted that the sun is still coming up each morning. But when the darkness begins to spread those sunrises will be harder and harder to see, until the day when we're all plunged into darkness. Before then we must either go on a general strike against the regime, doing everything we can with or without Congressional Democrats, and/or we must save what we can to continue the grand experiment in human decency, dignity, and equality. Advertisement The government "of the people, by the people, and for the people" is perishing at the hands of a small proportion of its people, and the apathy of its majority. Drastic measures are needed. The Marquess of Queensberry Rules no longer apply. The diversity of nature is essential to ensure our planet remains habitable. That is why we need to stand up to all those who endanger the global web of life - those who plunder the Commons for private gain. Back in 1992, governments agreed to conserve and fairly share the global biodiversity we all depend on. Since then, 196 countries have signed on to the Convention on Biological Diversity (the United States being the most prominent exception). This year, from December 4 to 17, governments from all over the world will meet for the biannual "Summit for Life on Earth" in Cancun, Mexico. They have work to do. Biodiversity is falling at an alarming rate, with a two-thirds decline in animal species forecast for 2020 (compared to 1970). Advertisement When governments met in 2010, they said that they would act. World leaders, for example, committed to protect at least ten percent of coastal and marine areas by 2020. But today, with only four years to go, just three percent of the world's oceans are protected and only one percent are strongly protected (the level of protection necessary to give oceans a real chance to recover.) The numbers are shockingly low despite some amazing new oceans sanctuaries that have been declared recently, like the world's largest marine protected area off Antarctica. Governments must deliver on their 2010 promises. They need to protect more of the ocean, better - and now. That's what people around the world are calling for. Watch our video about why people love the ocean and want it protected. And add your voice here to remind governments that it's our ocean - a common treasure that they need to protect for all of us. Six years ago, governments also pledged to act against forest degradation and deforestation. They said that by 2020 all forests should be managed "sustainably". Last year, governments added that deforestation should end by 2020. But reality is different. Even some of the most precious forests we have are still being degraded and destroyed. Advertisement The Great Northern Forest, for example, is under threat from out-of-control logging, forest fires and our warming climate. The Great Northern Forest covers a vast area stretching from the Pacific coast of Russia, through the Far East and Siberia, over the Ural Mountains to Scandinavia, and again from the east coast of Canada to Alaska. Though separated by oceans, this huge area of forest is a single ecosystem, it is our planet's evergreen crown. It is home to millions of Indigenous and local communities whose livelihoods depend on it, as well as countless endemic plant and animal species. It is also the largest terrestrial carbon store - which means that it helps us in the fight to prevent dangerous climate change - if we protect it. At their meeting in Cancun, governments must be honest and admit that they have not done enough to meet the targets they have set for themselves. They need to take bold new steps and announce that they will protect globally significant natural gems like the Great Northern Forest or the Arctic Ocean. We need a step-change in the scale of protection - on land and in the ocean. We often conceptualize Internet access as a convenience, but not as something that's crucial to survival. In fact, millennials, who more openly depend on the Internet than other generations, are frequently ridiculed for being beholden to their cell phones. Indeed, being "unplugged" isn't a matter of life or death, and can even be something of a luxury every now and then. For refugees in war-torn areas, however, this isn't the case. From the perspective of refugees, Internet access is crucial for refugees to stay informed and in contact with their families. In fact, a recent UN study shows that Tanzanian refugees were often willing to give up 10 days' worth of food in order to buy a month of cell phone data. Typically, refugee camps focus on providing "the essentials" -- food, water, shelter, healthcare. But more and more, the Internet is becoming essential to survival, and establishing reliable connectivity in refugee camps is more important than ever. Connecting with loved ones We're currently in the throes of the worst refugee crisis since WWII. Worldwide, over 65 million people have been forcibly removed from their homes, often times losing contact with family members and loved ones in the process. That's why Internet access is so crucial for refugees who find themselves separated from their families in makeshift camps, such as the ones in Greece that house primarily Syrian refugees. In these camps, the Internet is much more than a tool to scroll through your Instagram feed when you're bored: it comes a lifeline to talk to loved ones, finding out where they are, and letting them know that you're okay. Providing life-saving resources Even apart from its social aspect, the Internet provides a wealth of information on resources that can prove life-saving for refugees. In the aforementioned UN report, for instance, it was discovered that many refugees use the Internet to supplement or even entirely substitute healthcare. A refugee in Kenya, for instance, citing poor access to first aid, notes that the Internet can provide basic healthcare information when trained professionals aren't readily available. Another refugee in Tanzania remarked that the Internet can help people facilitate communication within refugee camps. His ability to connect to the Internet led him to learn of a cholera outbreak in the camp where he was staying. Being connected online allowed this information to travel much more quickly than by word-of-mouth. The growing importance of the Internet in the eyes of refugees is part of the reason why more and more relief efforts have been focusing on equipping refugee camps with reliable, high-quality Internet access (in addition to "the essentials"). Nonprofit organization Disaster Tech Labs, for instance, is dedicated solely to rapidly establishing wifi in disaster zones across the world. And private companies are getting involved, too. Cambium Networks, for instance, recently announced that they are joining forces with Disaster Tech Labs in order to bolster broadband networks at refugee camps in Greece. "Refugees need to be able to communicate with loved ones, to access their financial resources, to engage with society," says Atul Bhatnagar, President and CEO of Cambium Networks. "Access to the Internet is critical for those impacted to be able to rebuild their lives." As we can see, when it comes to the wellbeing of refugees, the Internet is a lot more than a convenience. As relief efforts focus more intently on establishing high-quality Internet access in refugee camps, people displaced due to conflict will be able to connect with loved ones, communicate with each other, and receive potentially life-saving information -- which, ultimately, can provide them with a semblance of normalcy, and assist them in putting their lives back together. Even though reports are that since 1993 when the film version of A Bronx Tale won over audiences Robert DeNiro has wanted to adapt it into a musical, that was something hard to believe. But seeing it come to life, you can understand where DeNiro was coming from. The story holds true to traditional Broadway themes and arcs, so it was the musical accompaniment that really posed the biggest issue. And that's what you'll see front and center with this production. This project was led by co-directors DeNiro and Jerry Zaks, with beloved actor Chazz Palminteri taking on the role of book writer. They manage to stay true to the original, injecting it with the film's dramatic tug-of-war between a father and a mob boss over a child's upbringing and place in the world. Where things get muddy, though, is with the Disney-famous Alan Menken and Glenn Slater behind the show's music. Some of it comes alive, especially a wonderful early number led by child actor Hudson Loverro who wows audiences with his talents and stage presence. Yet, there are other songs such as "Nicky Machiavelli" that fail to impress. Loverro gives way early on to his character Calogero's older self, played by Bobby Conte Thornton, who must navigate his difficult tween and teenage years in the Bronx in the 1960s. Sonny, a local gangster (Nick Cordero) offers to help show him the ropes, much to chagrin of others. The show excels in the fight for the young man's soul and emphasis on his potential. Richard H. Blake shines in the role of Lorenzo, who wants to do right by his son and serve as a devoted father and deserving role model. Advertisement You get a strong sense for the time and location thanks to the work of scenic designer Beowulf Boritt who does such a standup job that you can almost smell what this street corner on Belmont Ave. must have been like. Excerpts from my remarks to the Writers' Trust Gala November 23, 2016, Toronto, Canada I recently co-chaired the black-tie gala of the Writers Trust. My remarks were provocative and many people have asked me to publish an excerpt - I hope you enjoy. Many of you know me as a big fan of the digital age and media and for sure I can YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram with the best of them. But the fact remains that there is no medium more important to civilization than the written word. Digital technologies and new media have created many wonders - but they have also contributed to problems, including a fragmentation of public discourse, a balkanization of views and arguably decline in reflection. Somehow many of us have ended up in self-reinforcing echo chambers where the purpose of information is not to inform us but to give us comfort for our pre-existing views. Which explains fake news - many don't care if it's true as long as it reinforces our biases. Advertisement "the fact remains, there is no medium more important to civilization than the written word" Today in this post-fact world of post-truth politics, reality TV, toxic attack ads, abbreeved everything and pernicious demagogues, more than ever we need thoughtful, inspired and brilliant writing, and literature. The written word. When the right person orchestrates the right words we don't just laugh or cry, we do think; we gain insight into ourselves, our relationships and others; we see our context and history better; we are forced to stand back and reflect; we connect fragments and comprehend, and we can become motivated to change. "When the right person orchestrates the right words, we don't just laugh or cry, we think; we gain insight into ourselves" Tonight we celebrate the written word and the 75 talented writers present, who each has chosen to live a purposeful, creative, consequential (and typically tough) life. In doing so each of them represents nothing less than our strongest combatants in the war to enhance and perhaps even save civilization. They create "that crack in everything so the light can come in." Our writers, perhaps more than ever need to be supported, cherished and defended. Advertisement Could I ask all of the writers in the room to please stand up to be acknowledged? On behalf of all of us thank you. Keep writing, and if you do perhaps this smaller world that all of our children inherit will be a better one. "Keep writing, and if you do perhaps this smaller world that all our children inherit will be a better one." *** Close-up of person's hand holding red ribbon the AIDS symbol After four decades, we have reached a tipping point in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The global health community now possesses the tools and knowledge to stop this deadly epidemic. What once seemed impossible is now in reach: an AIDS-free generation and even disease eradication. To achieve this ambitious goal there is much hard work to do. We need to build on a foundation of medical advances by building a layer of community-focused outreach that targets and treats not just the disease, but the social determinants that enable it. Advertisement According to the World Health Organization, more than 36 million people are currently living with HIV/AIDS, 70 percent of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Mortality from AIDS decreased 45 percent since its peak in 2005, due in large part to broader access to treatment. A big reason why deaths from AIDS decreased so dramatically was the remarkable movement for HIV treatment access. The global movement, led by people living with AIDS, fought for new funding for widespread treatment access as a basic human right. That movement -- creating the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and later the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) -- has successfully expanded HIV treatment to 17 million people around the world. Just 15 years ago, such numbers seemed impossible. Many were convinced HIV therapy wasn't feasible in poor countries where systems were weak, health professionals were few, and people lived far from care. In 1998, Partners In Health (PIH) and Zanmi Lasante, our local partner in Haiti, offered the HIV drug cocktail (a combination of three antiretroviral medications) to people living with HIV/AIDS in Haiti. Our effort, called the HIV Equity Initiative, proved treatment for first just a handful of the sickest patients, later 50, then 100. PIH's HIV Equity Initiative proved to the world that excellent, life-saving HIV care could be delivered to people living in the world's poorest regions. Our work gave hope to the many millions of people, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, who had no access to the life-saving drugs. The HIV Equity Initiative became part of the story of the movement for AIDS treatment access. It was studied and costed out to provide Kofi Annan, the Director-General of the United Nations, some guideposts in his call for the creation of the Global Fund in 2001. Advertisement In addition to overturning conventional wisdom, PIH employs community health workers and pays attention to social factors such as food and shelter to support patients' adherence to lifetime therapy for HIV (as well as other diseases). This community-based model has contributed to some remarkable results. For example, a study of patients in rural Rwanda who received regular visits from community health workers found that 92 percent were still taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) two years after enrollment. That is a stunning achievement that outpaces similar efforts in far wealthier parts of the world. Today, we work in seven countries with governments and communities now working to design and implement plans to achieve an AIDS-free generation through the United Nations' 90-90-90 framework. The goals: 90 percent of people know their HIV status; 90 percent of those with HIV are on ART; and 90 percent of those on ART have an undetectable level of the HIV virus circulating in their blood, are living healthy lives, and are only minimally infectious. To reach this ambitious goal, a broader application of proven community-based approaches -- with a focus on testing, treatment, and prevention -- is critical. We must continue to address patient-level barriers to testing to ensure that everyone living with HIV knows their status. These barriers are primarily related to poverty but also include long travel distances and stigma, among other factors. Expanding HIV testing is absolutely essential to the continued progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and experience tells us that engaging trusted community health workers is the key to reaching more people. Ensuring the availability of an adequate number of tests and the timely transport of diagnostic specimens and results are also vital to this effort. Particular attention and tailored strategies should be applied to higher-risk and harder-to-reach groups, including pregnant women, HIV-exposed infants, adolescents and youth, sex workers, prisoners, and all people living in poverty and in remote areas. We also need to apply community-based approaches to treatment and prevention. It is important to understand that HIV treatment and prevention go hand in hand. Patients who adhere to ART and have undetectable viral loads are not only able to lead healthy lives, they are far less likely to infect others. Pregnant women are among the most important to reach, as treatment can prevent mothers from passing the infection to their children. As with testing, it is crucial to address patient barriers to reaching treatment, using the community-based strategies and solidarity on which PIH has based its programs. This is the key to finding patients in need of ART and helping them initiate treatment and stay on medications. Advertisement It is more important than ever to advocate globally for cheaper and more available medications, including fixed-dose combination regimens for children and for patients needing second-line and third-line treatment. Pre-exposure prophylaxis has been proven as an effective strategy for some groups in well-resourced settings. It is vital to make these medications more available to provide the same opportunity to people living in resource-poor settings, particularly for couples with one partner who is HIV positive and one who is not and others at high risk of infection. Photo: Secretary Kerry Delivers Remarks at COP22 in Marrakech My message to my international colleagues -- and their message to me -- is straightforward: progress must continue because the climate change problem is both severe and urgent, and the wind is at our backs. As the State Department's Special Envoy for Climate Change, I represent the United States during international climate change discussions - the most recent of which was the annual global meeting of the parties to the UN Climate Convention, in Marrakesh, Morocco from November 7th to the 18th this year. This gathering allows governments from around the world, with the participation of civil society and businesses, to meet and plan next steps to combat climate change. Last year, at the climate meeting in Paris, world leaders made history when they adopted the strongest climate change agreement ever negotiated - an agreement that took effect last month, more rapidly than any previous global environmental agreement in history, thanks to global cooperation and a shared sense of urgency. With the Paris Agreement in place, the focus this year in Marrakesh was on further developing the nuts and bolts of the agreement to promote rapid global implementation. Of course, on the second day of the conference, the United States elected a new president from a different party -- so it was no surprise that participants at the Marrakech meeting turned their attention to what steps the incoming U.S. administration might take on international climate policy. Advertisement While I cannot speak for the president-elect's team, my message to my international colleagues -- and their message to me -- was straightforward: progress must continue because the climate change problem is both severe and urgent, and the wind is at our backs. Thanks to our recent progress, the world is now marching steadily toward a low-carbon future. What does that mean in practical terms? For one, it means that a diverse group of global stakeholders - businesses, national governments, non-profits and universities, and so many others - are embracing the transition away from carbon intensive energy and toward an economy built on clean energy technologies. Action on climate is now a measurable, demonstrable reality around the world. In the last year, we've seen that message embraced at every level of government and civil society - and explicitly reaffirmed by all nations in Marrakesh after the U.S. election. The numbers further attest to global action. According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the best source for commercial information on this subject, 2015 set a new record for renewable energy, attracting a record $329 billion in global investment (having grown 600% since 2004) - and it was also the highest ever for installation of renewable energy power capacity. These statistics are expected to continue to pile up. According to the International Energy Agency, renewable energy technologies are set to attract a cumulative total investment of $7.4 trillion by 2040. Advertisement At the same time, prices for renewable energy are falling dramatically around the world, which means the same level of investment generates ever more installed capacity. Utility-scale solar costs in the United States fell by 64 percent since 2008, with prices for wind energy falling by similar margins. A competitive market for renewables is increasingly the norm in many parts of the United States and the rest of the world. The private sector is responding, seeing an opportunity in the increasing demand for climate-resilient infrastructure, cities, and energy systems. We've also seen the political momentum behind fighting climate change expand and deepen in the months since the Paris Agreement was adopted. This is partly because the risks of climate change are becoming more apparent - from the increasing frequency of extreme storms, floods, droughts and wildfires to more coastal flooding due to sea level rise to declines in food production. Just this week, for example, I attended a meeting in Mexico City with mayors from around the world to discuss new steps to respond to climate impacts within their cities. The world has taken the first steps, but we still need to do more in the years to come - as part of the international framework for cooperation and accountability created by the Paris Agreement. Guan Tao, a senior researcher at the China Finance 40 Forum, advised stakeholders to stay calm and rational about regular fluctuations of the RMB exchange rate. As the RMB to USD exchange rate experiences fluctuations, the market has focused a great deal of attention on the movement. Guan believe such fluctuations are a normal economic phenomenon caused by the law of value. The ups and downs are understandable, since China is promoting the marketization of exchange rate. Guan also pointed out that both market pessimists and optimists tend to interpret data as supportive of their own viewpoints regardless of the truth, seeing only what they want to see. Thus, the recent changes are more about attitude toward the market than real economic disruptions. As for Chinese citizens tendency to hold U.S. dollars, Guan explained that the trend of asset diversification is unstoppable given the increased incomes of Chinese people. But he also reminded investors to act with caution in order to avoid groundless anxiety and systematic financial risks. --Photos (c) D. Nidos When four lads stumbled across a hole in the ground in 1940 in southwest France, they had no idea how profoundly their discovery would remake our understanding of human history. That set of winding grottos they found, painted 20 thousand years ago with images of shimmering birds and beasts, has helped change nearly everything we now know about our earliest ancestors, notably: --that Cro Magnon people never engaged in warfare; --that they had no concept of property; --that there was then no notion of Outsiders or Insiders; --that Paleolithic art was every bit as creative and magical as what hangs today in the Met or the Louvre. Advertisement The Lascaux grotto drew thousands of shocked and entranced visitors until 1963 when the authorities closed it because all those intruders' breaths and body heat and bacteria were bringing ruin to the grotto art. A facsimile was built nearby in the town of Montignac, but its proximity also began to corrupt the original caves. Now a breathtaking piece of archeological architecture is opening this month that not only includes a far more technically sophisticated facsimile of the original Lascaux grotto; it also takes us deep into the spirit of our Cro Magnon predecessors, requiring us if we dare to watch and listen, to reflect profoundly on the murk of modernism that is sweeping homo sapiens ever closer to apocalypse. The architecture itself recalls the strata and fault lines through which any underground explorer would pass, but as in the original grotto, only small groups--fewer than a dozen--are admitted at any time. They are taken by a group elevator to the building's surface into a space of darkness for their eyes to adjust. They then walk down into the facsimile grotto where cameras and flashes are forbidden. Indirect lighting illuminates the drawings and paintings. Immediately one of the abiding mysteries of all the Paleolithic paintings becomes apparent. None of these grottos had any light to aid the ancient artists--yet neither is there any trace of smoke or soot that would surely have been produced by any fires. How could they have seen their work? The closer you examine the paintings, the more obvious becomes the sophisticated use of minerals--notably iron and manganese oxides, possibly mixed with animal fats--in subtle yet iridescent lines and shadings. Walk on among the birds, the bison, the reindeer, the horses, the bulls, the great cats, the deer, the hairy rhinos. The stories or the recollections or the dreams or the mythologies begin to scream all around you. Yves Coppens, who has spent a half century studying the actual Lascaux grotto, described his first visit: "I had a sense of the terrible din, the noise but at the same time a sacred silence. All these animals accompanied by abstract signs seemed to be charged with information and meaning, conversing each one with the other. . . . The other aspect was a sensation of a great sacred silence linked to the mythic and mystic aspects of the grotto, witness to the timelessness of humanity." The paintings in the grotto, he said, struck him "as one paints a great sacred cathedral." Advertisement There is at Lascaux but one single image of a human: a pointedly obvious male with the head of bird facing directly at a speared bison, its guts falling to the ground. That sense of visual mystery has been captured in the facsimile. What cannot be captured in any contemporary facsimile, alas, is an even deeper spiritual vibration of touching or stepping on the stones and soil upon which these artists tread through many generations more than 20,000 millenia ago. Nor can we feel the silent wind on your face or smell the pigments being blended in stone pots and applied on the rough surfaces through hollow reeds, then rubbed in by fingers and palms. Beyond the facsimile grotto are a series of rooms, a 3-D cinema and a remarkable contemporary digital art gallery where an apocryphal pronouncement of Picasso--after Lascaux, what is left to today's artists? --makes the linkages between the Paleolithic and the Present inescapably clear. In a stroke of genius the gallery's designers have enabled any visitor to bring up hundreds of the Lascaux images--of hands or heads or tusks--and the parallel images made by the artists of the last century. In a world where the properties of war and the war of property lead us ever closer to the brink, time spent in these grottos is well spent. Advertisement French President Francois Hollande delivers a speech after awarding Olympic and Paralympic athletes the Legion of Honour (Legion d'Honneur) at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, December 1, 2016. REUTERS/Lionel Bonaventure/Pool "Throw them all out!", former Socialist Party minister Jean-Luc Melenchon has chanted throughout the last five years. For once, Francois Hollande agrees. After the elimination of Cecile Duflot and then of Nicolas Sarkozy in their respective primaries, the French president has been forced to abandon the race for reelection before even entering. Because it's coming from an acting head of state, this renunciation represents the deflagration of an unparalleled symbolic power. It is a new step in the weakening of presidential power, that Hollande was forced to electoral resignation by an atomized majority, and the unanimity of a French public eager to turn the page. Advertisement The era of constant news, digital communication and immediate decision-making would have overwhelmed Hollande, who dreamt of being a "normal" president who could re-invigorate "the French dream." While it's an institutional failure, his decision not to run is the product of an impossible five years, disturbed by external shocks, weakened by chaotic management and the indecisions of a man who has not been forgiven his mistakes. All of this political instability had an immediate consequence: Hollande's course was illegible. What brought Francois Hollande down was his failure to deliver on all the different promises he made. To the supporters of Keynesian tradition, he promised a revival by boosting investment and purchasing power. To the apostles of the sound budgetary management, he pledged a reduction of the deficits. By the end of 2012, the adoption of the European budget treaty, which candidate Hollande had sworn (in vain) to renegotiate, marked the first sign of trouble. The Competitiveness and Employment Tax Credit, the appointment of the liberal Manuel Valls as Prime Minister, the departure of environmentalists, the "offer" of 40 billion Euros in tax breaks to companies -- all of these factors contributed to the fracturing of the left. Advertisement The Labor Act marked the culmination of this clash between two lefts. When the prime minister referred to their differences as "irreconcilable," he made the clash permanent. This perpetual arm-wrestling within the majority only accelerated the anxiety in the government. As early as the summer of 2012, Hollande's "normal presidency" darkened in the face of the urgency of the social situation, and later in the face of internal and intimate crises. Asphyxiated by budgetary constraints and a flawed politics, the ministers multiplied their blunders, and attempted to undermine the authority of the president and the prime minister. The obsession with consensus and a pledge of justice from the president brought on resignation, illustrated by a moment of tragicomedy in the Leonarda case. The war between Jean-Marc Ayrault and Arnaud Montebourg on the Florange affair is yet another example. To make matters worse, various external shocks, from the military intervention in Mali to the attacks in Paris and Nice, forced Francois Hollande to constantly rearrange his priorities. This only emphasized the feeling of indecision emerging from the Elysee. All of this political instability had an immediate consequence: Hollande's course was illegible. Francois Hollande missed the moment of truth in the summer of 2012 by failing to warn the French of the gravity of public finances he discovered once he took office. A few months later, it was too late to denounce Sarkozy's chaos and disguised social plans. Advertisement The head of state also made promises he couldn't keep, such as reversing the curve of unemployment by the end of 2013. Instead of offering a diagnosis and cure, Francois Hollande took his chances. His book was full of indiscretions and petty little sentences. For the first time, it wasn't his governing style but his personality that made even his friends abandon him. When success finally did come -- internationally, with the historic success of the COP21 and domestically, with a drop in unemployment -- it was too late. And the pressure exerted on Hollande pushed him to commit other mistakes. Of all his fatal errors, Francois Hollande confesses only to one: proposing that terrorists be stripped of their nationality after November 13. He called this move his "only regret," in a recent speech. The consequence was a resurgence of opposition and a moral crisis within the majority, part of which remained faithful to the executive and part of which denounced Hollande's betrayal of their fundamental values. Advertisement The second error was not mentioned in his speech. The publication of the book A President Should Not Say That: Secrets of Five Years in Office in autumn 2016, while Hollande was in full reconquest mode, completed the president's fall from grace. His book was full of indiscretions and petty little sentences. For the first time, it wasn't his governing style but his personality that made even his friends abandon him. This is a painful withdrawal for the president. His real record, free of the tumult of these times, will become clear later. This article was originally posted on Inverse. By Gabe Bergado Bradley Charvet wants to change men's morning routines. The sex industry entrepreneur already caught the attention of people earlier this year with his plan to open up a fellatio cafe in Switzerland. Based off Thailand's blowjob bars, the idea is that a guy can come in to order a cup of joe and an escort. The wrinkle at the center of Charvet's vision: The escorts are robots. That means he can open in London and expand aggressively in countries with less permissive sex work legislation. The cafe will be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. and serve coffee, sex, and pastries. Charvet points to scholarship, including Dr. Debby Herbenick's famous book (for women), Because It Feels Good, that supports his claim about ejaculation being a good way to start the day. With talking sex robots with warm genitals on their way, Charvet thinks the pump is primed, as it were. Inverse spoke to Charvet about his vision, the diminishing importance of privacy, pricing, and the robots he's looking to hire. Advertisement So what was your inspiration for the fellatio cafe in Switzerland? What made you want to open a sex robot cafe in London, and why specifically that city? The London public is willing to engage with the idea and, like Geneva, London is one of the world's most popular cities for business. You can find tons of escorts and mistresses everywhere. Do you think that means that the public there wants robots? Brothels with human workers in London are not legal. Robots were not a choice. And it's not ridiculous to think about this idea right now. You could not imagine how many people are ready to give sex robots a try in 2016. We asked thousands of potential customers and they were very curious and eager. There is an opportunity in being the first to provide that service. Have you started looking into buying the robots already? What companies are buying from and how much are you investing in each robot? We are in discussions with a company called MySiliconeLoveDoll to do a test quite soon. We are thinking about a rental service. Prices are between $1,000 and $3,000. From what I've read, you're only going to have female sex robots. What are your plans for male sex robots to serve customers of other genders and sexualities? At the moment, we don't have an expected date for that, but it is in the works. FaceGirl is going to develop the first Cafe Pipe. Bumpix is going to develop the second one in London. It's going to be huge. Advertisement We would like to open it in Paddington. There will probably be decisions to make on that front soon. Well see if it happens. You're pricing a caffe americano and 15-minute session for 60.00. How did you come up with these prices? We did not want to change anyone's routine; we just wanted to introduce another idea, another concept. Our goal was not to compete with London's escorts so we settled on a price in keeping with that market. Sex workers are suffering because so many people offer low price services. We respect them and don't want to oppose their interests. How are you setting up the cafe so that there's privacy for each customer? We'll create two box-like areas, but most of the time clients will get a blowjob at the bar. What do you expect the clean up process after each robot is used to be like? We are discussing a solution with the doll company. It's going to be more or less like escorts are doing at the moment. Advertisement This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. Photos via My Silicone Love Doll, Facebook 1. God as an old white man in the sky is unconvincing Depictions of God as a humanoid (this is called 'anthropo-morphism' = in human form) have been considered incredible since ancient times. Rendering God as a male humanoid is not credible to skeptics. Does this male God have genitals, a deep voice, facial hair? Also, it's curious that God usually resembles whoever it is that's depicting God--and that's men! Men made God in their own image and likeness. 2. God as immaterial and yet with biological functions is unconvincing It's self-contradictory to say God is 'immaterial' and in the same breath say God sees, hears, speaks, and feels--all of which are functions of biological, material organisms. What does God 'see' with if not a material eye? 'Hear' with if not a material ear? 'Speak' with without a material mouth? These descriptions of God are self-contradictory and nonsensical. 3. God as all-knowing is unconvincing Does God know terror, fear, pain, indigestion, menstruation, sexual attraction, sexual climax, pregnancy? Does God know the last number? No one is all knowing. Again, a nonsensical claim. 4. God as all-good is unconvincing God is all-good and yet made a world that is bloody red in tooth and claw? God is all good and made predators and prey? (A lion might love the arrangement, but the hapless gazelle and bunny rabbit do not.) God is all-good but made the talon and the fang? God is all good but made 50,000 pathogens that are trying to kill us and the animals? God is all good and made diseases? What about all the suffering of animals and humans? In human affairs, would we call a person 'good' who sits by as a six year old boy beats a two year old girl and her pet kitten to death? No, any good person would intervene. And yet God has allowed a near infinity of pain and suffering to exist. Either God is not all good (or not all powerful) or God does not exist: these are the only explanations for the high degree of animal and human suffering on earth. More likely, there's no God. 5. God as all-powerful is unconvincing In human affairs, would we call a person 'powerfully strong' who sits by as a six year old boy beats a two year old girl and her pet kitten to death? No, if you are powerfully strong (and decent), you stop the boy killer. And yet the all-powerful God has allowed a near infinity of animal and human pain and suffering to exist. Either God is not all powerful (or not all good) or God does not exist: these are the only explanations for the high degree of animal and human suffering on earth. Also, to point out the contradiction of saying anyone possesses 'all-power,' skeptics ask: Can God make a rock so heavy that God can't lift it? Again, 'all-power' is a nonsensical claim. 6. Personal testimonies of God are unconvincing People who testify that they experience God in some way are found in every religion under the sun during the entire span of human history. Does the personal testimony of an ancient polytheist convince you all those ancient Gods existed? Does the personal testimony of a Voodooist convince you of the truth of Voodoo? Does the personal testimony of a Caodaist convince you of the truth of Caodai? All these people have had 'an experience' (a sensation or a special feeling) but it wasn't God they experienced: it was a 'feeling' triggered by the very idea of God. 7. An 'intuition' that God exists is unconvincing 'I just know in my heart of hearts that God exists' can be used to prove anything, such as: 'I just know in my heart of hearts that God does not exist.' Or: 'I just know in my heart of hearts that many Gods exist.' Or: 'I just know in my heart of hearts that an invisible pink teacup orbits the moon.' All these are valid if any one of them is valid. 8. Answered prayers are unconvincing Do the answered prayers of all the various religions prove to you that those religions are true? Ancient people had their prayers answered by Zeus. More likely, things just go a petitioner's way every now and then. Also, there are billions and billions more unanswered prayers than answered prayers: should unanswered prayers count against God? 9. Religious virtuosos (saints, prophets, mystics) are unconvincing They disagree with each other about what they experienced. And they disagree about God. They are in all religions. 10. Miracles are unconvincing ALL ancient religions are bulging with miracle stories. Are ALL ancient religions therefore true that have miracle stories? Do you believe in many Gods because polytheistic religions have many miracle stories? Miracles are fictions in all religions. As to present-day claims that God heals bodily diseases, why doesn't God heal amputations by growing limbs back? Is that too hard for God to do? Why don't we see discarded prosthetic limbs alongside discarded crutches at 'faith healing' events? 11. Revealed holy books are unconvincing None of the books are conspicuously divine. Human talent can explain them all. People from one religion do not acknowledge the revealed claims of another religion's holy book, and skeptics simply doubt them all. Plus, some of the material in any ancient holy book is untrue and often sub-ethical by present-day standards. 12. God is not a convincing cause of the universe God is not a solution as to the origin of the universe but only another layer of mystery. What caused God? It's more believable that a material universe emerged from preexistent matter or energy than from a non-material Mind. 13. God is not a convincing explanation of design in nature Natural selection explains the appearance of design in nature. Besides, if a complicated thing (nature) needs an explanation in a Designer (God), doesn't the complicated thing called 'God' also need an explanation in a Designer? Who designed the Designer God? Another greater Designer God? And who designed that Designer God? 14. God is not a convincing explanation of morality Moral rules emerged apart from religion and came from our species' cooperative, altruistic, and inhibitive tendencies, all of which were utilized by natural selection to help our species succeed. No God ever gave humanity a moral rule. Adult humans honed moral laws through trial and error and socialized children into the rules of civilization. Children absorbed the rules as 'conscience' and grew up keeping moral rules. Religion simply came along and legitimized morality by claiming the moral rules came from the Gods. 'Guilt' attends any action that opposes the socially instilled 'conscience.' Also, non-believers in God are as moral as religious people, and some are more moral. Also, highly regarded moralists like Buddha and Aristotle, and all modern secular moralists, offer sophisticated, lofty morality without any appeal to a God. 15. The number of believers in God is not a convincing 'proof' of God Millions, even billions, have been wrong before. In ages past, everyone was wrong about many things: the shape of the earth, the causes of disease, slavery. For thousands of years almost everyone was polytheistic. 16. That God belief has benefited the world is unconvincing Monotheisms especially have been the animating force behind the death of millions and millions of people, and religion has had psychologically harmful effects, as for instance in the creation of false crimes like masturbation and gay sex. 17. Theists disagree too much with each other (and that makes God unconvincing) Hundreds (indeed thousands) of theistic sects suggest no one of them is true. If there's a God and God has spoken, wouldn't the world be in convinced agreement about God? Instead, we have a cacophony of discordant voices. 18. God is not funny (and that makes God unconvincing) No depiction of God in any religion renders God as having a sense of humor, and humor is a very high virtue that humans prize. God supposedly has all other human virtues to an infinite degree. We are good and God is infinitely good. We are smart and God is infinitely smart. We are kind and God is infinitely kind. We are witty and funny, so why isn't God infinitely witty and funny? Why can't God tell the funniest joke anyone has ever heard--a joke so funny that you would literally die laughing at it? 19. God belief can be explained naturally (and that makes God unconvincing) Modern university disciplines like anthropology, psychology, sociology, evolutionary biology, and evolutionary psychology adequately explain the rise and success of religion and God belief. In prehistoric times, simple ignorance of natural causes led people to suppose there were super-natural causes for things. And when the natural causes were eventually discovered by some new science, some part of the super-natural God dissolved. It was thought for thousands of years that a God dragged the sun across the day-time sky in a chariot. Then came astronomy and cosmology and astrophysics to explain the real reason the sun appears to move across the sky. It was thought for thousands of years that God or demons cause diseases. Then medical science and biology uncovered germs. It was thought that God painted all the rainbows. Then came meteorology and optics with the true explanation. And on and on. Psychology has credible ideas about the rise of the 'Father-Figure' God. 20. God is not a 'certainty' when many, many competent thinkers doubt God Hundreds of millions of people on planet earth lack God belief. That is a not a trivial number of people. Tens of millions of Americans doubt God. And that's not a trivial number either. The quality of many of the minds doubting God must be noticed, because many are highly educated and some are even geniuses. For a thousand years ALL the intellectuals and geniuses (100%) in the West (probably) believed in God. Nowadays, a majority of our intellectuals and geniuses (60%? 70%?) do not believe in God (most Nobel Laureates, most top scientists.) Though their intelligence is not infallible and they could be wrong, these people are not evil and are not disbelieving as an excuse to 'disobey God' and act immorally. They have real problems believing in the idea of God, as evinced in this very list of 21 items. As Emerson said of them, their skepticisms are not gratuitous or lawless but suggest real limitations on affirmative statements about God. 21. God belief may be an early phase of human evolution Cro-Magnon peoples thought they were at the height of the human ascendancy (and they were!) They had their well-appointed caves, their tattered clothing, their grunts, their flailing gestures, their ability to count to five. But 30,000 years have passed since Cro-Magnons and homo sapiens have become quite a bit more sophisticated since then. What will another 30,000 years bring to the human race? And another 30,000 years after that? And another 30,000 after that? You and I have not arrive late to the story of humanity: we have arrived when humanity is still in its infancy. We are fresh with morning dew. And we have much evolving to do yet. None of today's religions will survive. Religion itself won't survive either. God belief will be seen as a human-contrived AID that humans outgrew (as a child outgrows a pacifier). God belief is not innate to human beings, nor is it necessary for human well-being, and the proof of this is the millions and millions of people who do not believe in God and feel nothing is lacking in their lives without God. (The most secular nations have the most civil societies, as Scandinavian countries.) In 30,000 years, no one will believe in God, just as no one now believes in the Gods of ancient Greece and Rome. And those are the 21 reasons smart folks find God unconvincing. A somber scene affronts my senses, saddening my heart as I scroll through my Facebook news feed. A herd of sacred Tatanka stands forlornly amid arid razor wire corrals awaiting their grim fate. Just the latest faux pas committed by the stakeholders of the Dakota Access Pipeline. An encampment of Sioux from the Standing Rock Reservation relentlessly unite in protest, enduring brutal treatment by security forces while stalling progress of the pipeline to protect their water, sacred sites and the environment. A fight that has persisted for many months. Pondering this bleak scene, I think sadly to myself that this is history repeating itself. Once again the greed of corporations and government overrides Native Americans' rights! I had waited to see how this conflict would turn out but it seems that, until now, the media had turned a blind eye towards this dire situation. Advertisement Until recently, I could not understand why some issues of national importance never receive enough air time by the news media. For whatever reasons, these issues are not deemed important enough to warrant adequate national coverage. With our colorful presidential campaigns and election that dominated the headlines over the past year, I can now see why it's easy to overlook other issues that may not immediately affect us. One such story encompasses the inclement clashes between the Standing Rock Sioux protesters and the Energy Transfer Partners, about the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline under the Missouri River. A dispute has ensued between the two parties over claims that the oil pipeline could threaten the water supply should any leaks occur in the vicinity of the Missouri River. Sacred burial grounds being destroyed in the construction of the pipeline, is causing a major upset amongst members of the Standing Rock Lakota. A contentious issue that is not being dealt with nor going away peacefully. On most accounts, the native American activists who gathered to block the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, have been peaceful. Yet a battalion of armed security forces and riot police were deployed to the scene with armored cars, all-terrain vehicles and water cannons. Unprovoked, they opened fire on the protesters with non-lethal ammunition including rubber bullets and pepper spray, drenching the protesters with water cannons in icy weather conditions. This brutal treatment sparked reactive responses by the protesters, resulting in as many as 441 arrests to date. Now, what makes these arrests even more prejudiced against Native American protesters, is this fact: On the same day, while police arrested 141 unarmed native protesters for allegedly trespassing on private property, a jury in Portland, Oregon, issued a verdict of not guilty, acquitting white militia leaders for staging an armed occupation of federal land in protest of government policies. One group was heavily equipped with military weapons, while the other merely armed with ancient prayers and songs of healing. According to the Sioux Nation they are not breaking any laws as they were protesting on Indian lands allocated to them in the 1851 treaty, therefore they are not trespassing, as accused. Some would argue that the harsh treatment of unarmed Indians really shows how biased our criminal justice system is against the American Indians. Advertisement The primary cause for concern is that the pipeline will pass underneath the Missouri River, which is the main source of drinking water for more than 10,000 members of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation. Some Medicine men claim there is also an 'underground ocean' beneath them and oil leakages from the pipeline could affect these sacred subterranean waters as well as the river above. Here is a fact to ponder on, since 2010, reports of more than 3,300 events, including ruptures and leaks from oil and gas pipelines, have occurred nationwide. Thus, begging the question: How safe is the Dakota Access Pipeline? Upon completion, the Pipeline will traverse a route through four states, making 200 river crossings, including the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, with costs tallying around 3.8 billion dollars. It was designed to siphon 570,000 barrels of crude oil daily, along a 1,170-mile route, beginning in western North Dakota, through South Dakota and Iowa, commencing at a shipping node in Patoka, Illinois. The Sioux Indians, (who have known about this plan since 2014), have set up several temporary camps in North Dakota, about an hour south of Bismarck. These camps allow the members of the Sioux nation to protest around-the-clock to halt construction of the oil pipeline. Initially, a judge took heed and halted all construction on the pipeline, but after hearing the corporation's plea, drilling was allowed to resume despite the protest. The Dakota Access Pipeline controversy is not going away any day soon, and the harsh Dakota winter is swiftly approaching making it increasingly difficult for the Water Protectors to stand vigilant guard. The federal government has the authority to stop this project, with some comparing the NoDAPL demonstration to the Keystone XL pipeline that got halted due to protest action. So far neither the Obama administration, Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump have made a decisive comment on how to handle this sensitive issue. However, the Standing Rock Lakota's protest has garnered national support from over 500 Native American nations and environmental activists. A first in recent history. Several Hollywood A-list celebrities such as Mark Ruffalo, Shailene Woodley, Leonardo DiCaprio and Susan Sarandon, to name just a few, have joined in the fight as well. Thanks to social media the message and plight of the protesters are receiving much support and encouragement by sympathizers from all corners of the Earth. Over 1.6 million people from across the globe have checked in to the Standing Rock Reservation Facebook page as a gesture of unity and support to their cause. Teachings by a medicine man friend has taught me that water is sacred, that water is life! So protecting the integrity of it is more than just a health issue for American Indians. The Earth is seen as their Grandmother and everything in nature is sacred to them in ways we may not fully understand. Traditional beliefs teach that land, sky, and water are ingrained with a spirit shared by nature's living creatures, where water is a purifier, a source of power and signifies fertility. Water is considered to be the life blood of Grandmother Earth and the nourishment for her children: the people, the animals and the plants. It's both creator and destroyer. Running water is a symbol of the continuity of life and the on-going flow of time. The very blood in our veins contains 92% water. Water that once evaporated from the ocean, rained down to earth, flowing down mighty rivers back into the sea, in an infinite cycle that is the circle of life. With these ancient teachings in my heart, I ruminate on the question that bothers me most: How can corporations and government not see the importance of preserving the environment and the Native culture. Without traditional knowledge and teachings, which respect and protect Grandmother Earth, we sever the connection with Mother Nature, losing our souls in the pursuit of wealth and profit. Without nature we cease to exist. Without water we perish. Once again it seems that the negative aspects of human nature are pushing for economic and technological progress. Little consideration has been spared for the way our sacred waters and lands will be affected by these adverse decisions. As our world accelerates towards a technological future we must not forget the teachings of our Native Elders, who understand the delicate balance that is necessary to keep Mother Nature wholesome and healthy, ultimately affecting all of us in time. So I end simply with the prophecy of an old Cree Indian woman named, Eyes of Fire: When all the trees have been cut down, When all the animals have been hunted, When all the waters are polluted, When air is poison to breathe, Only then will you discover you cannot eat money! Advertisement ________ video captions: - Native Americans Protest DAPL - What is the story? Why the media blackout? - North Dakota Pipeline Squad use rubber bullets against Water Protectors: Police State - Police Violently Attack Protesters At Standing Rock As an investor, I do my homework before determining that a certain investment is a good decision. From risk assessments and market volatility to potential government or regulatory hurdles, it's common sense to understand the full picture before committing millions of dollars to a venture. But there's one thing that is nearly impossible to verify, no matter where I'm doing business: the real, ultimate owners of the majority of the companies that I do business with. And that uncertainty can have a huge impact, not only on the bottom line of the deal, but on the reputation of those involved. Just take the case of Cobalt International Energy, a Texas-based company that went into a joint venture with two Angolan companies in 2010. Cobalt may have vetted the companies, looked at the potential returns, and even weighed the internal politics of Angola. It claims to have even done extensive due diligence on its corporate partners; however, one of them was later revealed to be secretly owned by three senior, powerful government officials--a clear corruption risk that attracted the attention of the Department of Justice who has been investigating the company for several years. The Securities and Exchange Commission dropped an investigation of the company over the deal in 2015. Advertisement Cobalt has denied any misconduct or knowledge of the secret involvement of the Angolan officials in the oil deal. Regardless, Cobalt may well have had a hard time verifying its partners' true owners because there just isn't enough information being collected and made public on companies' ownership across the world. In almost every global jurisdiction, investors do not have access to information on the beneficial owners of companies, in other words, the real people benefitting from and controlling a company. That's because nearly all countries do not require that the beneficial ownership information for companies created within their borders be made public. And most countries, including the U.S., don't even collect the information to begin with. When Cobalt revealed the news in 2014 that it was under investigation in the U.S. for alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and reported its quarterly losses to investors, its share price dropped by 11%. This is just one example amid a variety of cases where the lack of public beneficial ownership information has caused serious financial and non-financial harm to investors and businesses. 'Chancing It: How secret company ownership is a risk to investors', a recent report from Global Witness and Global Financial Integrity, highlights the risks that secret company owners pose to investors, and demonstrates why responsible investing includes knowing who you are actually doing business with. Advertisement Luckily, there is a solution to this problem: public registers of beneficial ownership information. With registers containing this information on hand, it would be far easier for investors and regulators to know the full picture by using these registers as a starting point for their own due diligence. The consensus seems to be growing for this type of transparency, too. A recent Ernst and Young survey found that 91% of Senior Executives said that it is essential to know the beneficial ownership identities of the companies they are doing business with. Leading business people such as Mo Ibrahim, Paul Polman, Richard Branson, and Arianna Huffington, companies such as BHP Billiton and business associations such as the B20 and The Clearing House have backed measures to increase beneficial ownership transparency, as well. But many of the largest financial jurisdictions in the world have the longest way to go. The U.S. remains the easiest place in the world to create a company, while hiding the fact that you own it, according to a 2014 academic study. In most states in the U.S. you can create a company with less information than you need to obtain a library card. But bipartisan legislation currently in Congress would help make the true owners of American companies, more transparent making it much harder for fraudsters to take advantage of the system. At the International Anti-Corruption Conference this week in Panama, heads of state, civil society, the private sector and more will convene to tackle the increasingly sophisticated challenges posed by corruption - and the many vehicles, like anonymous companies, which enable it. We cannot achieve the larger goals on the global agenda - like the provision of quality social services, environmental sustainability and equitable economic development - if we do not address corruption. Developing countries suffer its worst effects, with 7.8 trillion USD estimated to have been siphoned through illicit capital flows over the past decade, depriving citizens of much needed investments in health, education, infrastructure and public services. Advertisement The shadow of a prisoner waits by the noose for a death penalty hanging. This week, the death penalty is under fire, as the Supreme Court debates whether or not the death penalty can be applied to convicted murderers with a low IQ, as justices question whether a person can be held accountable for actions that may not be fully understood. It seems an appropriate time to analyze the effectiveness of the death penalty in accomplishing its tasks: reducing the murder rate in the states where it has been applied. To determine whether the death penalty has acted as an effective deterrent to murder, my Research Methods students Katie Chancellor, Brandon Collins, Dan Garrett, Lauren Jones, Jeremy Maddox, Duncan Parker, Andy Peden, Nick Rawls, Lindsey Weathers, Karly Williams, and John Williamson contributed research to the report. We gathered data on which states have the death penalty, and which do not. We also examined whether both types of states have high or low murder rates, for 2015. Advertisement We found that among the 25 states with the highest murder rate, 20 have the death penalty. These include Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, Alabama, Delaware, Nevada, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Indiana, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, California, Texas, Kentucky, Virginia and Arizona). Five states (Maryland, Alaska, Illinois, Michigan and New Mexico) also have high murder rates, but not the death penalty. Among the 25 states with low murder rates, 11 have the death penalty (Kansas, Ohio, South Dakota, Montana, Colorado, Washington, Wyoming, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, New Hampshire). The other 14 states with low murder rates don't have the death penalty. They include Wisconsin, New Jersey, West Virginia, Connecticut, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Iowa, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont and Hawaii. For those keeping score, these results are far higher than what an expected model would show. Having the death penalty means you're more likely to be a state with a high murder rate as well, just as states which have eliminated the death penalty are, more likely than not, to have abolished the practice, or never ratified it. That's not good when you're trying to show that the death penalty deters serious crime. I challenged my students to think of all kinds of reasons for the results. Some of the more conservative ones challenged the findings. One claimed that perhaps because some states have not executive anyone in a while. Others speculated on why the findings may have turned out the way they did. Advertisement This study replicates an earlier study I did with students nearly five years ago. Both showed that the observed cases were significantly different from what's expected from a random model (multiplying the relevant column by the relevant row and divide by the total number of cases). It's the same with this year's study. Of course, there could be another explanation for the results. States may have the death penalty not as a deterrent, but due in response to higher crime rates (it would be interesting to run a time series model) to see which came first. Or it could be that the electric chair, gas chamber, hanging, firing squad, legal injection, etc. are not to deter crime, but for revenge, or to punish those arrested for breaking the laws on murder in states. Nevertheless, the inability of the death penalty to deter serious crimes should give its supporters some reason to question the effectiveness of capital punishment. Cuban President Fiel Castro delivers an annual Revolution Day speech, marking the 51st anniversary of the failed July 26, 1953, attack on a military barracks that launched the Cuban revolution, Monday July 26, 2004, in Santa Clara, East of Cuba. (AP photo/Jose Goitia) 3. What Makes A Life Significant? Over time Castro's horizons and political activity widened. In late 1947, at age 21, Castro became involved in the so-called Cayo Confites expedition, a Cuban government-aided campaign to oust the Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo, causing consternation in Biran. His response to his mother's plea to pull out of the aborted mission speaks to his intensifying (and broadening) political commitments. "I can't pull out, Mama, you must understand," he wrote. "To overthrow Trujillo is a democratic mission, and if the price is life, then all of us here are ready to pay it." Early the next year, Castro traveled to Bogota, Columbia, to attend an international student conference designed to express solidarity with populist governments in Argentina (Juan Peron) and Columbia (Jorge Eliecer Gaitan). Gaitan was assassinated while Castro was there, an event that sparked the so-called Bogotazo, a short-lived civil war, which Castro enthusiastically joined and from which he narrowly escaped thanks to the aid of the Cuban ambassador. It was about this time that U.S. intelligence officials first became aware of Castro, "one of the young 'student leaders' in Cuba, who manages to get himself involved in many things that do not concern him." Advertisement Returning to Havana from Bogota in spring 1948, Castro found himself embroiled in another murder of the leader of a rival student organization. Once again, he was able to formally clear himself of charges, but he emerged from the episode a marked man. The aborted Cayo Confites expedition, the Bogotazo, another unsolved murder at the university--Castro's name was becoming notorious, and his freedom, if not his life, was clearly in jeopardy. At the advice of family and friends, he withdrew from university politics to the quiet of Biran, an act of expediency that his family mistook for a change of heart. Juanita Castro recalls her parents' delight at her brother's return home. "It's time for you to think about the future," his father advised. "Your mother and I have devoted ourselves entirely to the idea of launching you children on a career. Drop all this political nonsense and finish your coursework. Where do you want to study besides Cuba? Choose a university in the United States." Castro pushed back: "No, Papa, it costs too much to study there. Stop worrying about me and you'll see that I choose a career." Really, Angel insisted, money wasn't an issue. "You always wanted to go to Harvard, Fidel, and I think this is what you should do. This old man hasn't lived in vain nor forgotten what he promised: to launch you on an enterprising law career. " Lina Castro had her own ideas. For over a year now, Castro had been enamored of a young woman by the name of Mirta Diaz-Ballart, the sister of one of his university friends. "To me it doesn't matter where you complete your studies," Lina told her son, "only that you and Mirta are in love. It's time to start a family. Why not marry and go to the United States?" Marry the couple did, on October 11, 1948, in what was by all accounts a joyous celebration. They were showered in gifts, the most striking--a pair of antique alabaster lamps--courtesy of past and future dictator Fulgencio Batista, a close friend of Mirta's family. Next came the honeymoon and a short stay on Collins Avenue in trendy Miami Beach, where Castro bought his first car, a blue Lincoln Continental, for $2,000, and in which he and Mirta took off for New York City. Once in New York, the newlyweds rented an apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side while Castro weighed the prospect of graduate study at Columbia. To the surprise of his family, he never enrolled, and the couple returned to Havana in late December 1948. In September 1949, Mirta gave birth to a son, Fidelito, a blessing sweetened the following June when Castro received his law degree and was admitted to the bar. Once again with Castro's parents' support, the young family returned to Havana, where Castro opened a law office. Truly, the young couple seemed to have it all: a happy marriage, a beautiful boy, doting families, a comfortable home, a budding legal career. There was even talk of a move to Paris. There are countless descriptions of the person Castro became after the triumph of the Revolution, positive and negative (rarely neutral). One characteristic stands out among all the others: the man was not to be domesticated. Castro famously worked into the wee hours, dispensing with sleep for days at a time, then disappearing for long naps; he could go for days without a thought to food, then gorge himself to the disgust of many; he worked tirelessly and kept an inhuman schedule, but vanished for sport or recreation without a moment's notice. In sum, Castro lived for work not family. "Fidel is almost never home," Mirta wrote her in-laws from Havana, "and in truth I find myself abandoned; we almost never talk and some days I spend entirely alone." Advertisement In recent months, the words "forgiveness" and "diplomacy" have been used interchangeably with the words "appeasement" and "idiocy." For many reasons, the least of which is accuracy and the greatest of which is our spiritual survival, this is a grave mistake. I concede that "diplomacy" and "idiocy" can easily be mistaken for one another and that over the years many diplomats have in fact been idiots. No one who has carefully studied world history or observed local events would dispute this. Occasionally, there have been some exceptions, for whom we are all very grateful and probably because of whom we are all still alive and the U.S. is still a functioning republic. However where my observations may be of some service is in understanding and clarifying the erroneous notion that forgiveness should ever be equated with appeasement or confused with unearned trust. They are not only unequal, they are opposites. This is important on many levels, not just politically. How we forgive as well as when and why we ought to offer forgiveness is fundamentally important psychologically and interpersonally as well as theologically. Advertisement I have had a private practice as a clinical social worker for nearly thirty years and a classical homeopath for nearly 20. I have met a great many people with an extraordinary diversity of personality styles, problems, and pathologies and they have taught me a great deal. One of the things I've learned from them is the importance of forgiveness in any recovery, whether that's from addiction, anxiety, depression, abuse or the ordinary misery of life. Now, forgiveness is fair game in therapy or in faith-based counseling, but mention the word "forgiveness" in the political and social arena and the reaction is nearly instantaneous: "Are you crazy?!" Indeed, when I shared my thoughts with one dear friend, Lucy, who is also a brilliant theologian, her primary concern about this piece was well-taken: "I'm not sure you can transfer forgiveness, which is a personal act between persons, to nations. Jesus, after all, did not come with a political program. A treaty, e.g., is not about forgiveness." My answer to her is simple and two-fold: One, it is not only possible to transfer personal acts to national ones, it is inevitable. Nations--and therefore policies, programs, and politics--are collections of individuals, their thoughts, beliefs, and cultural biases. We behave as nations more or less as we do as individuals. This is not comprehensively or absolutely true, but it is generally the way things go. Politics may not always be the direct will of the people, but collect enough people with enough will and politics--thus policies--can and do get changed. We've seen it many times in our own lives. Individuals matter. In fact, because of our current technological skill, now more than ever how one individual responds to a threat, what he thinks, feels, and believes as he interprets that threat can affect millions if not billions of people in an instant. So while forgiveness may begin with one person, it certainly does not end there. Two, forgiveness and appeasement must both be very clearly defined. Forgiveness is the letting go of hatred, resentment, and pointless, pervasive and paralyzing fear. It does not mean that we must be foolishly fearless or naive. It does not mean that we stop protecting ourselves or deny what is truly dangerous around us. It does not mean that we ignore the obvious or trust what is intrinsically untrustworthy. It does not mean we relinquish our God-given capacities for discrimination and good judgment. When evil comes knocking we should lock the door. Forgiveness is not banal and is never another word for "niceness." Advertisement Appeasement, on the other hand, often parades as benevolence but is actually cowardice, a derivative of a particular form of fear that is so consuming, so pervasive and pathological it is flatly denied. When we appease, we essentially give up rational fear even though we may truly need it. We think that by being "nice" or by giving the bully what he wants, that he will stop being a bully. Appeasement doesn't prevent bad behavior. It perpetuates and encourages it. That is foolishness. Discernment and The Bad Guys Many people believe that forgiveness is easier to understand when it pertains to one bad guy who is truly contrite. But when it comes to thoroughly corrupt states or systems of government whose platforms are wholly different than ours (no freedom of speech, no freedom of conscience or religion, wholesale abuse of women and children, etc...) they find it harder to let go of their judgments about those systems. Again, I believe the answer is simple, though not necessarily easy. Forgiveness does not imply a lack of discernment or judgment. Quite the contrary. It requires a greater discernment. We are facing some serious enemies right now and it is wholly naive to believe otherwise. Iran, Myanmar, the Taliban, Isis, Hamas, Sudan, Afghanistan, North Korea....These are the names whose mere mention conjure in the American psyche horrors not unlike those we duck-and-cover babies were raised with: annihilation by nuclear holocaust, cultural desolation, spiritual cannibalism. The serious question is not whether the bad guys are bad guys. We know that North Korea is being run by a plutonium-wielding madman. We know that Sudan and Rwanda and Uganda are corrupt and cruel by any standard--international or national, that its leaders have been complicit in one of the worst genocides in recorded history. We know that Iran is posturing for a show-down for the pure pleasure of its insane potentate. We know who the dangerous ones are and for the most part we know where they are. The question--which is as spiritually serious as it is politically potent--is what do we do about it? How are we supposed to respond emotionally, mentally, physically? Do we behave as Mr. Chamberlain did in the years before World War II, slowly carving up sections of Europe like beef kibble for a rabid dog? Do we pretend, like the State Department did in the 1930's, that Hitler didn't really "mean it," that he was just mouthing off because somehow, somewhere we must have so terribly upset him? Do we turn away as we did when China rolled over Tibet, destroying hundreds of temples and nearly eradicating a peaceful and benevolent way of life thousands of years old? Advertisement Or, do we, as the spin jockeys have urged, react impulsively to our fear and loathing and take the risk of becoming prematurely proactive? The media--as always aiming the spears of Viral Fear directly at our adrenal glands--spins every event into as scandalous and potentially destructive a scenario as possible. It's hard to even watch a cooking show without a fight-or-flight response anymore. Do we lob nukes at Damascus today? Just in case? Do we take up arms right now and stamp across our borders to seek out the war before it sneaks up on us? Or is there some middle ground? Can true forgiveness be the key to both seeing things more clearly and protecting ourselves better? There are two parts to this dilemma. The first is the nature of forgiveness, which is often misunderstood. And the second is the potential of self-protection without being driven to a conflagrational red-line by hate and fear. I will try to at least open the discussion on both topics. I do not expect to answer either fully in this brief commentary. Forgiving Is Not Excusing or Denial It is my personal belief that there are things right-mindedness and spiritual maturity call us to do and NOT to do. And I want to state up front that a great deal of my thinking on these matters has been influenced CS Lewis, who gave us quite a bit to digest on the issue of forgiveness: "I find that when I think I am asking God to forgive me I am often...asking Him to do something quite different. I am asking Him not to forgive me but to excuse me. But there is all the difference in the world between forgiving and excusing. Forgiveness says, 'Yes, you have done this thing, but I accept your apology; I will never hold it against you and everything between us will be exactly as it was before.' But excusing says, 'I see that you couldn't help it or didn't mean it; you weren't really to blame.' If one was not really to blame then there is nothing to forgive... if we forget this, we shall go away imagining that we have repented and been forgiven when all that has really happened is that we have satisfied ourselves with our own excuses..." Advertisement Real forgiveness between two persons, as he so rightly points out, does not mean pretending the hurt has not occurred and does not require that we look away from the wrong doing. Forgiveness--even God's forgiveness, which is infinite--starts with a steady gaze at the sin itself. To forgive entails an acknowledgment of the wrongdoing and then, when there is contrition and repentance, a reconciliation. As Lewis reminds us again and again, true forgiveness demands that we look at the deed squarely, "seeing it in all its horror," after which we are able to extend compassion and be reconciled with the person but not with the deed. The deed and all its underpinnings must be shed for good. It is this understanding of forgiveness that makes it possible to fight an enemy without hating him. Forgiveness is not Codependence Many people who come into my office live with rather troubled people, some of them truly awful. Some of them are being abused, some are stuck in situations with alcoholic parents that are frighteningly chaotic, others in marriages with addicts or thieves who are stripping them of every reasonable creature comfort. I know one woman whose addicted husband stole all her clothing to sell on the street so he could buy a night's worth of methamphetamine. By the time she was able to take her daughter and herself to a battered women's shelter, she had all their worldly goods contained in one paper shopping bag. Traumatized people (individuals, not collectives or organizations)--immigrants from Cambodia, North Korea, parts of Africa, victims of abuse--can't help but bristle at the mention of the word forgiveness. And I understand why they do. I also know that they will never recover without it. My task is to help them see that forgiveness does not mean they need to allow the behavior to continue or accept the next empty promise any more than acceptance means approval. In their lexicon, the term "forgiveness" implies that they have to pretend they were never abused or tortured or victimized. To forgive in their minds, means a tacit cooperation in the codependency and abuse. When I say the word "acceptance", their hearts hear "denial" and their minds see a continuation of all that is wrong and truly morally and emotionally "unacceptable". In politics we face the same problem. When we are spiritually called upon to deal with the maliciousness of the Hutus in Rwanda, we are not being asked to excuse it or to negotiate from a position of stupidity (which brings us back to modern diplomacy and the remnants of deluded Utopians) or naivete. It does not mean we accept the vapid promises or political shoe-stomping of a sociopath because we have been told to be merciful. It does not mean we expect goodness and honor from a politician or an organization that has shown nothing but deceit and cruelty. When Ahmadinejad states that his purpose is to decimate first Israel, then Christians, and finally all Western Civilization, there is no reason to assume that he does not mean what he is saying. Nowhere have we been called upon to be stupid or behave in a suicidal manner. It is imperative for there to be some contrition and an effort to change the negative behavior in order for forgiveness to be wholeheartedly given and for reconciliation (person-to-person or nation-to-nation) to take place. Father Russell Radoicich, an Orthodox Priest in Butte, Montana, clarifies the it this way, "Consider the difference between 'I'm sorry' and 'Please forgive me.' One is a proclamation and the other is a supplication. One involves 'I', one involves 'the other.' One is prideful and arrogant, almost a rant, the other is humble, contrite." There is no doubt that he is right and that we must be savvy enough and clear-minded enough to know the difference so that we are not manipulated into putting ourselves in harm's way. However, while a full reconciliation may depend on repentance, our forgiveness does not. In fact, we can forgive a person who is quite ill and committed to a path of destruction using words we have heard before, "Forgive them for they know not what they do." Putting ourselves in harm's way is another matter and this is where most of the political debate lies. Lucy explains, "In both cases, but especially in the political realm, we are called to vigilance and to protect ourselves and those entrusted to our care." God has clearly asked us to have children's hearts, but not to behave like babies. Those hearts are to be held in grown-up hands and directed by grown-up minds. Here's an example C.S. Lewis gives in his essay, The Cardinal Virtues. "The fact that you are giving money to a charity does not mean that you need not try to find out whether that charity is a fraud or not." One may forgive the thief but put locks on the door. One may forgive one's enemy but be prepared to do battle in the event of an attack. One may set firm limits with one's child and still provide unconditional love. It is not only possible to transfer this thinking process from the personal to the political. It is absolutely necessary. Or we are in fact putting ourselves at far greater risk. A Case in Point Forgiveness is so hard for some people it seems impossible. I had one client whose life revolved around her pain and all the love she was unable to get from the important men in her life. One of them, naturally, was her father, for whom she nurtured the most gruesome resentment. She hated him and she said so in nearly every session. All her troubles were because of him, she believed. And to some degree that was true because her hatred tied her to him and his inadequacies as a parent harder and tighter than the original insults she suffered. We talked about forgiveness more than a few times and she said once, "It's like sand in my mouth. I can't swallow it." I tried to help her see that forgiveness was not for the forgiven in this case so much as it was for the forgiver, that it would set her free to find the love and acceptance she'd always wanted. But she was resolute. Unfortunately, that has kept her terribly unhappy and fearful. Her hatred was so great that she could no longer see what was blatantly true. With her vision distorted that way, her responses to life were equally distorted. As a result, not only did she not find the love and acceptance she longed for, but fell into relationships that validated her worst thoughts about herself. This is how it works in the personal realm. I do not believe it is any different in the global one. Finally Fighting the Enemy We are asked to love our enemies. We don't hear much about this in the media. But it is what we are asked to do. Yet, if we look at Biblical history, it is filled to the brim with some of the bloodiest battles in history. How is that possible? How can we be commanded to forgive, to love, and to show mercy while being simultaneously called upon to protect oneself and one's family, to be intolerant of evil when it manifests before us--even to the point of killing? This is the crux of the matter not only personally but politically, because if we can understand this, we can see deceptions where they exist and sidestep the inevitable disappointments of political appeasement. Because the truth is, evil can never be appeased. Appeasement only postpones. The price we pay is not mitigated, it is multiplied. I see a couple of steps to answering this, the first one being that while one belief system may in fact be better than another (e.g., honoring women as opposed to brutalizing them) ultimately we are no different than the enemies we are fighting. We are ALL fallen. Accepting our humanity and our fallen nature puts the conflict and the inevitable combat in an entirely different context. We cannot forgive if we don't accept that we are ALL fallen. No one gets out of this sinless or alive. Forgiving is not only hard to do, but impossible when we think of forgiveness as Pardon or Forgetting or Failing to correct. When we remember that we all need forgiveness, even if we believe we are fighting rightly, it is far easier to forgive those with whom we are engaged in battle. We must remember that we do not have the answers to the mysteries of the universe and truly must trust to faith "for now we see through a glass darkly." The other point that Lewis makes, and I shall close with this, is that while we may kill to protect ourselves, we may not enjoy it. We may not hate nor may we enjoy hating. We may pick up swords and fight evil but we may not fight it by becoming evil ourselves. He covers this in his essay, Forgiveness: "In other words, something inside us, the feeling of resentment, the feeling that wants to get one's own back, must be simply killed." First things first. We must deal with the enemy in us before we can deal rightly with the enemy facing us. Advertisement Christine Charbonneau, left, CEO, Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and Hawaiian Islands, "Fighting the Fight," Back in the Day The state of women's rights in America--exacerbated by the results of the presidential election--recalls a science-fiction scenario, from Ray Bradbury's, 1951, "The Other Foot." This masterpiece, of eighteen short stories contained within the award-winning "Illustrated Man," is set in the Fifties. All African Americans have settled on Mars, after centuries of unspeakable cruelty on Earth. Twenty years have passed. Earth is in the throws of WWIII's nuclear ruin. One white man travels to Mars to ask for African Americans' forgiveness, along with a request for their return to Earth, to rescue the remaining (radioactive) whites. The elders want to exact revenge, but decide otherwise. Perhaps the "moral majority" will someday arrive at the same conclusion, in understanding their horrid treatment of women (and of all minorities). And beg for forgiveness. One can only hope. Advertisement Seattle's Planned Parenthood Lobby, Photo Credit: Kelvin Hughes Productions http://www.kelvinhughesproductions.com Fighting for women's rights, virtually her entire life, is Christine Charbonneau, 56, CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and Hawaiian Islands (PPGNHI). PPGNHI is a 500-strong, 51-million-dollar a year, not-for-profit organization that serves more than 100,000 clients in 28 health care sites across four states, including Washington, Idaho, Alaska, and Hawaii. Planned Parenthood is devoted to all aspects of reproductive health services, including sexual education and cancer screenings. And, yes, 3% (nationwide) includes abortion, or as Charbonneau put it, "The most private decision a woman, and partner, will ever make." Reception Area, Photo Credit: Kelvin Hughes Productions Charbonneau began her inspired-and-inspiring career path with Seattle's Planned Parenthood in 1982, at age 22. But her journey to protect women's rights was set in motion at age 11. In 1971, her father, an international banker, moved his family to Zurich, Switzerland, to run Seattle's (former) Old National Bank. Switzerland's women's right to vote was in the midst of a hot debate. (The same year it became legal in Mbazwana, South Africa). "I remember asking my mother why grocery/department store bags everywhere, had imprinted on them: 'Frauen Wahlrecht ja' [Women's Right to Vote: Yes!]," Charbonneau said. "It was embarrassing to the country, because the U.S. had the 19th Amendment and other places in the world had settled it. But, Swiss women still couldn't vote in federal elections. And they had to fix it, because it had turned into human rights abuses, and so every major store was in on the campaign." She said the signs appeared everywhere, and likened it to The Bon and Nordstrom advertising it on their bags. "I kept asking my mother, 'What does this mean?'," Charbonneau continued. "I realized I was living in a place where women couldn't vote. It would be akin to growing up in the 1900s in the U.S. and suddenly it was as if we're having a debate if women had souls or not. I realized that women get--and hang on to--our rights by the absolute tips of our fingers," she said. "There is no time anyone will hand women anything, and there is no time when you can't be vigilant about it." Advertisement Lobby, Photo Credit: Kelvin Hughes Productions In due course, while studying history and political science at the University of Washington, Charbonneau gained a first-hand look at the plight of Seattle's (inner-city) Planned Parenthood. For one Tuesday a week, she volunteered four-to-six hours a day, to help people access contraception. "I was absolutely clear that if women didn't have contraception, they couldn't finish their academic goals," she said. "You, in fact, could not control your destiny, and your body would not be your own." Her memories of the old Planned Parenthood, stand in bleak contrast to the new-and-improved Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and Hawaiian Islands. Her first office location, now in a gentrified Seattle neighborhood, is just one block away from PPGNHI's current, beautifully appointed office building, made possible by the community's 18-month, seven-million dollar, capital campaign. [See photo inserts.] "It was an old Albertsons, an A-shaped place with windows only in front, and burnt-orange and olive-colored furniture and counter tops, [favored] in the 60s and 70s," she said. Still, it was a "vast improvement" from their variety of former storefronts, and makeshift locations. "Before my time, they would set up a clinic so women and volunteer doctors would show up," she said, "and they'd set up curtains and people would get served one after the other. But I don't think any privacy would have met our standards today." Planned Parenthood today, Photo Credit: Kelvin Hughes Productions With fewer legal requirements and methods, she said, it was less complicated back then, because PP mainly only offered diaphragms and pills. However, women had to "qualify" for tubal ligations--if enough money existed for one. One-month counseling sessions were commonplace. "We wanted to separate the movement from any exploitation that had gone on in the past, where women were sterilized in mental institutions and hospitals," she said. "We wanted to differentiate ourselves from that, and ensure that women were doing this on their own free will." Advertisement Charbonneau said she never imagined that women would have to fight an every day battle for Roe v. Wade (a 1973 landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court, that ruled a right to privacy under the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment extended to a woman's right to have an abortion). "I was very young, 13, when it passed, so I didn't have personal experience with women dying, but I sure heard of women's experiences," she said. "There was a 40-year-old woman with an unimaginable circumstance, and the solution, because abortion was illegal, she was given a hysterectomy, and I remember thinking there was so much wrong with that." Pre Roe v. Wade, as is well documented, clandestine abortions became the norm, resulting in women seeking self-induced, or dangerous, illegal procedures--often leading to death. The death rates were staggering. But, for wealthy women, the scenario was different. According to Charbonneau, in 1969, a Seattle [Japanese/American-owned] travel company, every Friday, filled a chartered 747 with women and headed to Tokyo, where abortions were legal. "They'd go to Tokyo, have abortions by doctors, go to a few Shinto shrines, pick up some souvenirs, and pretend they did a weekend jaunt to Japan, for fun," Charbonneau said. "It cost $1700, which was a truckload of money back then. That's how the rich women did it. Poor women did scarier stuff." Photo Credit: Kelvin Hughes Productions The scarier stuff, according to Charbonneau, often resulted in "septic abortions" that accounted for 40% of U.S. hospital admissions. (The New England Journal of Medicine, describes septic abortion as "an abortion associated with infection and complicated by fever, endometritis, and parametritis." It remains one of the most serious threats to women's health, worldwide.) Advertisement Charbonneau holds vivid memories, as a young adult, marching alongside "Emergency Room Physicians for Choice," who witnessed that dark period in U.S. history. "They put themselves out there, " she said. "They were all doctors who were first line when people came in, and they were talking about women bleeding to death in their hands, and how completely unacceptable that was. They were all men who were at the top of their careers prior to Roe. They were the ones called in and asked 'Can you save her?', and sometimes they could, but a lot of times they couldn't. The physicians said they never want to go back to that." If you were part of the World Health Organization--and measuring the most important advances in women's health care--safe legal abortions would top the list, Charbonneau believes. Photo Credit: Kelvin Hughes Productions "Younger emergency doctors don't have any history of this other than what they're told," she said. "Rather than taking care of the car accident victims, you'd be dealing with young women dying in the ER. That's what happens when people's access to care is inaccessible or illegal. It's not that those things don't happen anymore; but they can be avoided. They had to do care that people don't learn how to do now, because that's not the situation. We got rid of it, but we need to remember so we don't go back. That was their reason for standing up. They were in their doctor scrubs and explaining what it was like in the past." The legalization of abortion, according to Charbonneau, started with an outbreak of German Measles (Rubella) in the United States, in the early-to-mid 60s. "You were stuck as a family," she said. "If things went wrong with a pregnancy, and you had a dead fetus inside of you, you could have for months, while it slowly killed you." A political movement ensued to get abortion passed, and once it did, everyone involved thought it was a done. But, then the "Right to Life" movement was born. "At first they did ineffective things," Charbonneau said, "but then they came up with smarter ways to make it more difficult for women to get care." Advertisement Along those lines, however, the Supreme Court recently overturned Whole Woman's Health et al. v. Hellerstedt, Commissioner, Texas Department of State Health Services, et al https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/15pdf/15-274_p8k0.pdf. If upheld, it would have required for physicians who perform abortions to have admitting privileges; live within a certain radius of a hospital; and for abortion clinics to have facilities "comparable to an ambulatory surgical center." The case became a "political nightmare," according to Charbonneau, and, [before it was overturned], was used in places, like Mississippi, where everyone could be easily pressured never to grant admitting privileges. "There were things like mandatory 12-foot hallways," she said. "The conditions had to be good enough for neuro surgery, even if you were just handing patients pills. We saw mandatory ultrasounds, even though your doctor doesn't think you need one, but the legislature does," she continued. "It was absolutely invasive, outrageous things that were decided so they could punish women if they decided they needed an abortion." Photo Credit: Kelvin Hughes Productions. Charbonneau believes that the attempted restrictions on abortion posed in Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt stems from a long line of that kind of thinking. "There are people who are really angry with women who dare to determine her own reproduction choices, let alone run for president," she said. "It's the old double standard," she continued. "Hillary is responsible for Bill's affairs; he is not." At the same time, she said, the entire Right to Life movement--which she calls the "Anti-choice Movement"--refuses to support sexuality education. "There is much less chance of an unintended pregnancy if you know what are your risks, and a way to think through your plan in a situation like that," she said. "I think that, weirdly, if you were interested in avoiding unintended pregnancy, you would want people to have education, and highly effective contraception methods." One aspect in which the general public is not clear, according to Charbonneau, is the success of contraceptives. "We used to have the same methods for years," she said. "And now we have implants, and IUD devices that are available to young women," she continued, "because back in the day, we only put IUDs in women who were done childbearing, in case of any complications. But those problems have been sorted out." She reported that they're now appropriate for young women, and have a 99.9% effectiveness rating, and can be left in for five to ten years. Advertisement "It's like the proverbial on/off switch, that many of us wish we had in college," she said. "Young women can now say, 'I'm going to college, I don't want to think about this, I have this plan in my life, I don't want to take any risks, and at the same time, I know that these methods are 100% reversible.' If women want to finish college, then have a baby right away, it can absolutely happen. Everything is within a woman's control, and nothing is permanent. So if your life changes course, you can change course with it." Favorably, unintended pregnancy rates are down one half since Charbonneau began at PP, in 1982. "Pregnancy rates were very high in the 1950s; came down with oral contraceptives; and then didn't come down again for years," she said. "The numbers moved a bit with effective morning after treatment, Plan B, but no significant change until the introduction of long-acting, reversible methods." She attributes the success of contraception to better conversations, leading to better education. "We used to have people come in who said they didn't know how they got pregnant," she said. "There are really good tools now if you don't want to get pregnant. If you want to use pills, you can set it and forget it. That's kind of nice." Photo Credit: Kelvin Hughes Productions As an example of exemplary sexuality education, Charbonneau commended the "wonderfully open, progressive" state of Hawaii. PPGNHI was instrumental in passing a sexual education bill that provides medically accurate sexuality education for every student in Hawaii. "If parents don't want their children in the program, they don't have to opt them in, they have to opt them out." Planned Parenthood's answer to societal pressure on schools to teach sexual education, is to provide it online, at PP.org http://pp.org. In privacy, parents and kids alike can click around on the site and receive a lot of information. "We have help for parents of how to talk with their kids," Charbonneau said. Advertisement "A lot of parents don't feel confident, but we help build their confidence, and offer ways to start the conversation, and what they should cover." She continued that PP is "on the cusp" of advancing sexual education. "We can put ourselves out there and reach out to people who are looking for information," she said, "and meet people 'in the cloud,' and people living in remote areas, and we can find ways to serve them. It won't just be the luxury of urban, knowledgeable women. It can be anyone, anywhere. That's what's exciting to me." What's next for Charbonneau... "I am an immigrant to technology," Charbonneau said. "Younger people are natives, and it's obvious to them what to do. I'm thinking that over time, I can learn what is relevant from the people who work with me. But at some point, I'm looking forward to not understanding what my staff tells me needs to be done, and then I'll know it's time to do something else, and leave the innovation to the next generation." Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood continues to try to solve the puzzle of how to best-serve those hardest to serve. Currently, they're in the process of setting up a joint company that offers tele-medicine services in all 50 states. "We piloted the program in Seattle, and we are doubling our numbers every month," she said." We've now passed the 3,000 served mark, so the word is getting out!" Patients can now visit with a clinician online, or on their smart phone, to discuss their concerns, and access birth control, and/or an STD testing kit, without ever leaving the comfort of, whatever are their surroundings. "One aspect that's frustrating," Charbonneau said, "is that Medicaid is slow to embrace tele-medicine; but, as soon as they do, we will have a real service to offer to low income people." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfwOTV7eJ1Y&feature=youtu.be Natalie, former PPGNHI Patient Care Specialist, now at medical school. Photo Credit: Kelvin Hughes Productions For this generation, Charbonneau hopes they'll have a better understanding of the most personal issues that people deal with--without the fear and trepidation that come with fundamental life issues. "There is a place where nothing is quite like somebody who cares, in helping in some real way, whatever form that takes to help you know what to do next," she said. "I'd like Planned Parenthood to end up with a real combination of every smart thing that makes us super efficient, and technological, coupled with the warmest, kindest approach to what is frightening that we can muster." Back in her early days of volunteering, Charbonneau recalls, "We were like everybody's oldest sister, that you needed to know." She doesn't want that lost. "In women's reproductive care," she continued, "where you're naked, undressed and vulnerable--and things like death and dying, or for some people, handling money--it's places like that, where it's about survival-and-your-identity that need to be handled delicately. Keep humanity, so everyone has access. We have to make sure we cover things women need. At the end of the day, we're a community of people together. We want to take care of each other." With its apparent focus on China, the Victorias Secret Fashion Show has received more than 1.5 billion views on Sina Weibo, with many joking that the show is an early Happy New Year to China. The event was held in Paris on Nov. 30 (local time). Even before the show officially streams online on Dec. 6, Chinese sites have already lit up with discussions of the four Chinese Angels to make it down the catwalk. Netizens have also been discussing the Chinese elements of the show, includig Elsa Hosks dramatic dragon costume in the opening portion of the show. (Left: Liu Wen; Right: Xi Mengyao) (Left: He Sui; Right: Ju Xiaowen) Meanwhile, close observers picked out several more Chinese elements, including Kendall Jenners flame tail and several models embroidered thigh-high boots. The boots feature a color that traditionally represented Chinese emperors. On Sina Weibo, discussions of the fashion show have topped 1.5 billion hits, while more than 680,000 netizens have reserved access to the official online streaming event on QQ.com. Many netizens commented that they wanted to support the Chinese models. Instant messaging app WeChat was also flooded with photos and comments about the Angels and the show. Victorias Secret has been edging into the Chinese market since 2015, when the first boutique store opened in Shanghai. The Shanghai store sells Victoria Secret beauty products, but not the brand's famous lingerie. The subtle nods to China have been interpreted as ambition on the part of the brand to succeed in the Chinese market, according to VOGUE. Meanwhile, the show's popularity among Chinese audiences may indicate that the brand is doing just that. I was at first infuriated, then deeply unsettled, by the headline and language of a Washington Post story last month that described two girls between the ages of 12 and 15 who were drugged and forcibly held against their wills as "prostitutes." Describing children in this way is appalling, and betrays an ignorance of the applicable law and a horrifying insensitivity to the suffering these young survivors endured. Call them sex slaves, rape victims, or exploited children. But kids too young to give consent to sex should not be referred to with a word that implies that they chose this line of work or receive any benefit from it. Michigan, where the girls were exploited, exempts minors under the age of 16 from prosecution for prostitution, as does the District of Columbia, where The Washington Post is published. This is not a matter of political correctness; it is the law. In fact, under federal, Michigan and D.C. law, the girls are trafficking victims, not prostitutes. I am disappointed that the reporter, his editor, and the paper's headline writer apparently do not know the difference. But The Washington Post is in many respects excellent, and my main grievance is not with the paper, but with a society that believes "prostitute" is the language for children who are illegally bought and sold. Advertisement As Shared Hope International reveals through its Protected Innocence Challenge -- anti-trafficking report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia -- all 50 states have criminalized child sex trafficking (Hawaii passed its law earlier this year.) Five more states have ensured that commercially sexually exploited minors will be treated as victims, in need of social services, instead of as criminal defendants. But 31 states have not yet passed such legislation, and I am far more appalled at the laws in these states than the language used by The Washington Post. To quote Shared Hope founder Linda Smith We must stop criminalizing kids for crimes committed against them! Domestic minors are twice condemned: first by sex buyers and the voracious commercial sex trade, then by the juvenile justice system...Only when buying sex becomes very costly--meaning steep fines and jail time--will we be able to prevent this crime from happening in the first place. At Covenant House, the largest charity in the Americas serving homeless and trafficked youth, we see the real life implications of these laws every day. We see, for example, how in Louisiana, which earned an A+ from Shared Hope, a ground-breaking law that this year broadened the definition of sex trafficking, can help the youth we care for every day. The new law, which Gov. John Bel Edwards signed on May 27, makes Louisiana the first state to raise the age to 21 for requiring proof of force, fraud or coercion in sex trafficking cases. That means if you were prostituted before age 21, a district attorney can prosecute your pimp without having to prove force, fraud or coercion. Advertisement A study of the homeless youth we serve at our New Orleans shelter, completed by Loyola University, showed that 14 percent of those interviewed had been trafficked for sex or labor. Of the young people trafficked for sex, two thirds were under 18, and the new law may create a quicker path to justice to young people over 18 - they will not have to prove that they were forced or defrauded by someone else into selling sex, but will be treated as trafficking victims because they are under 21. At another one of our sites, in New York City, however, we see the damage inadequate laws can do. New York, which earned a D from Shared Hope, is easier on traffickers than federal law, requiring prosecutors to rely on minor victims to prove "force, fraud or coercion" played a role in their exploitation - no small feat for a traumatized teen who may not feel safe testifying against a powerful and violent pimp. The Federal Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act clarifies that anyone bought or sold for sex under age 18 is automatically a trafficking victim, regardless of whether force was involved. But that law only applies to federal crimes. Anti-trafficking advocates in New York are making the obvious argument that if you are too young to consent to having sex, how in the world should a pimp be able to get away with selling and profiting from your sexual servitude? Slowly but surely, the tide of justice is turning for child trafficking victims across the nation. For example, Mississippi added child trafficking victims to the definition of an abused child, opening access to foster care and services for them. And Oklahoma made buying sex from 16- or 17-year-olds a felony. Please take a look at how your state ranks, and work with your state legislators, attorneys general and governors to reduce the demand for prostitution, punish people who buy sex from youth up to age 21, and ensure services are available to trafficking survivors. Advertisement Children are not and can never be for sale. When they are bought and sold, they are trafficking victims. And when they are freed, they are trafficking survivors, not prostitutes. We have to make sure lawmakers and reporters alike know the difference. Barack Obama took office as president with confidence that he could dramatically improve America's relationships with nations around the world. Eight years later, his foreign policy successes have been significant and his failures apparent. Not surprisingly, he has found campaigning and governing are two very different activities. He inherited a tough set of difficult, even unprecedented, international challenges, including an unraveling in the Middle East, Russian aggression, the rise of China and North Korea's nuclear advances, among others. To expect any president to resolve all of these challenges is asking a lot, probably too much. Obama's critics claim he has been weak toward Russia, China and ISIS; they fault him for "leading from behind." These criticisms, however, have been marked by a lack of specific alternative policies. Advertisement Obama has made modest progress on global nuclear security and climate change, with plenty more to do in both. He has engaged with longtime adversaries Cuba and Iran, producing positive results. His trip to Cuba in March 2016 brought dramatic changes in U.S. policy. It signaled the end of America's 55-year-long Cold War with Cuba, a development that was punctuated last week by the death of Fidel Castro. The visit was widely praised throughout Latin America. Obama criticized Cuba's human rights record, but he connected with its people. His premise in opening relations with Cuba was that engagement would bring about more change than decades of isolation. The nuclear agreement that the U.S. and five allies reached with Iran in 2015 was a solid arms control achievement. Critics argued we shouldn't deal with Iran, but the Obama administration attacked the most critical problem -- Iran's march toward nuclear weapons -- and negotiated terms that paused Iran's quest to develop a nuclear strike capability. Advertisement By design, the agreement did not solve many other problems with Iran, including its support for the Syrian government and for insurgents in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East. Efforts to improve our overall relationship with Iran have proven to be disappointing. Obama also made progress on the environment. The 2015 Paris agreement on climate change has been signed by over 100 nations, including the United States, China and India, the three largest producers of greenhouse gases. If fully implemented, it should substantially curb greenhouse emissions over the next 15 years. The president has had some notable missteps, however. He did not clearly, forcefully and patiently articulate America's role in the world to the American people. His surge of 60,000 troops in Afghanistan has not worked, with the Taliban resurgent and controlling more territory, and with no end in sight to the fighting. His initiatives in Egypt, Syria, Libya and Iraq and his efforts to counter the rise of the Islamic State have fallen short. Philip Gordon of the Council on Foreign Relations points out that no one has developed a winning formula for dealing with the Middle East and Northern Africa. We have tried to intervene and occupy, as in Iraq; to intervene and not occupy, as in Libya; and to neither intervene nor occupy, as in Syria. And in all cases, the result has been a disaster. So, the U.S. policy Obama inherited in the Middle East was a muddle and remains a muddle. The region is no better off now than at the beginning of the president's term, and may well be more turbulent and conflicted. Advertisement In our relations with Russia, which Obama tried to reset, tensions have escalated. Russia seized the Crimean peninsula and began providing military support to separatists in eastern Ukraine. Our response has been a rather porous sanction regime based on Obama's view that these areas are a core interest for Russia but marginal for the U.S. Obama's approach to foreign policy has been marked by restraint, notably his reluctance to use force. He has used drones for surveillance, targeted terrorists with airstrikes and imposed sanctions on nations and individuals, but he has ruled out large-scale intervention. To his credit, he has tried to ensure that our resources matched our goals. He has struggled to avoid "mission creep" and being sucked into conflicts. He has recognized there are problems we just can't solve -- that we should be helpful when we can but that we can't fix everything. He has insisted that indigenous leadership step up to its responsibilities. By and large, Obama has supported the network of laws, institutions and agreements that have created a more connected, interdependent world. With some stops and starts, he has tried to make America a force for good so people can live, as he has often said, with the peace and dignity they deserve. Donald Trump is now officially our new president-elect. Leading up to this election, Hillary Clinton and Trump spoke here and there about prison reform. But not once did the issue of wrongful convictions become a topic. That's strange given that, for the last two years, we have witnessed record numbers of innocent prisoners being exonerated--137 in 2014 and 149 in 2015. Were the candidates really less interested in repairing our failing criminal justice system than in emails and videotapes? Back to the topic at hand, there are many ways innocent people wind up being falsely convicted. This serious problem is simply not being addressed. While a tremendous amount of money is poured into our criminal justice system, public defenders and court-appointed attorneys are embarrassingly underfunded. This has led to mass wrongful convictions. A perfect example of this was the case of recently acquitted Anthony Wright. Mr. Wright spent twenty-five years in prison on first-degree murder, robbery, and rape charges. Mr. Wright's court-appointed trial attorney was paid $1,800. How in the world was he supposed to receive the effective legal representation that our Constitution guarantees? This is taking place all over our country. Brady v. Maryland (1963), a U.S. Supreme Court decision, requires prosecutors to disclose all evidence favorable to the accused. But in 75 percent of the cases resulting in exoneration in the last two years, prosecutors were responsible for the wrongful convictions. Unlike public defenders and court-appointed attorneys, prosecutors have endless funds and resources at their disposal. Yet, some of them have no regard for human life. As one of many innocent prisoners, I've been affected by prosecutorial misconduct. Prosecutors in my case withheld evidence of my innocence for 18 years. And it did not stop there -- once they partially turned over that evidence, I was blamed for not finding it sooner. Advertisement Prosecutors operate under absolute immunity. That is, they are not held responsible for anything they do. Laws needs to be enacted holding prosecutors fully responsible when they are found responsible for malicious prosecutions that led to innocent people being falsely convicted. Just as there are mandatory minimums for certain crimes, there should be mandatory minimums for knowingly convicting innocent people. Addis Ababa was honoured today at an awards ceremony in Mexico City. The C40 Cities Awards recognize the world's most inspiring and innovative cities tackling climate change. Sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies and BYD, the C40 Cities Awards ceremony was held during the C40 Mayors Summit, where more than 40 mayors from around the world gathered to create sustainable and liveable cities for citizens. "On behalf of C40, I want to congratulate all the winning cities for their commitment to their citizens and their dedication to tackling climate change," said outgoing C40 Chair and Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes. "Throughout my tenure as C40 Chair, I have been increasingly impressed by the calibre of the C40 Cities Award winners, and I look forward to seeing other mayors around the world adapting and implementing these models in their own cities." "The C40 Cities Awards recognize the best and boldest work being done by mayors to fight climate change and protect people from risks," said C40 President of the Board and U.N. Secretary General's Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change Michael R. Bloomberg. "The winning projects show that great progress is being made on every continent, and they serve as an inspiration to other cities. They also show how cities can help the world meet the ambitious goals set a year ago in Paris." Advertisement Addis Ababa's Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project won this year's award in "Transportation." The Addis Ababa LRT Project has improved the city's public transport system and created more than 6,000 jobs. The cumulative emission reduction potential of the LRT system is forecasted at 1.8 million tCO2e by 2030. An expert jury panel comprised of former mayors, climate experts and others, selected ten winning urban sustainability projects based on excellence in urban planning and dedication to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving resiliency. The selected cities exemplified the best policies, projects and programmes globally, and for the first time included a category recognizing social equity. "Today, we celebrate some of the projects that are key to delivering on the world's climate ambition and will help put us on a path to a carbon-safe future," said Chuanfu Wang, Chairman and President of BYD Co. Ltd. "We recognise the incredible human power and thoughtful consideration that goes into making these projects reality. BYD is extremely proud to support the Awards and help to accelerate the implementation of these truly innovative programs." C40 has partnered with Associated Press Images to capture compelling images from each of the winning city projects. These can be downloaded by clicking here, and are free to use. Winning city projects are: Addis Ababa (Transportation): The Addis Ababa Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project has improved the city's public transport system and created more than 6,000 jobs. The cumulative emission reduction potential of the LRT system is forecasted at 1.8 million tCO2e by 2030. Copenhagen (Adaptation in Action): Copenhagen is threatened by sea level rise and heavy downpours. The Cloudburst Management Plan - Project Implementation is an integrated system of green streets and pocket parks that will function as water retention areas and water basins. Curitiba (Sustainable Communities): Urban Agriculture in Curitiba aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through urban agriculture: directly through carbon sequestration in soil, biological nitrogen fixation by legumes and non-use of chemical nitrogen fertilisers; and indirectly by reducing food and waste transport distances, composting organic waste, reduction of "heat islands" and creating environmental awareness. Kolkata (Solid Waste): Kolkata's climate change risks have been exacerbated by unsanitary disposal and waste dumping. Kolkata Solid Waste Management Improvement Project has achieved 60-80% (depending on site) segregation of waste at its source, with further waste segregation occurring at transfer stations. Forward looking, the project aims to eradicate open dumiping and burning of waste and to limit the concentration of methane gas generated in landfill sites. Sydney & Melbourne (Building Energy Efficiency): The CitySwitch Green Office programme aims to overcome the knowledge and resource gap between building owners and tenants by prioritising the reporting of fully auditable achievements, and encourages members to adopt an energy target of between 4 avoidance of 50,000 tonnes of new CO2e per year by its signatory businesses. Paris (Adaptation Plans & Assessments): The Paris Adaption Strategy is aimed at tackling climate change-related challenges including heatwaves, urban heat island effect, flooding and droughts. The programme addresses other sustainability issues like air pollution and health related risks, climate refugee challenges and water scarcity. Some actions being implemented by 2020, include: a greening programme to decrease heat-related risks; help for Parisians when it's hot; and a less vulnerable food supply. Advertisement Portland (Climate Action Plans & Inventories): The overarching goal of Portland's 2015 Climate Action Plan (CAP) is to deliver an integrated set of strategies by 2020 to keep Portland on a path to reduce GHG emissions 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. The proportion of citizens travelling primarily by public transport, cycling or walking is expected to rise to 50%, and the number of electric vehicles is set to increase four-fold to 8,000. The CAP aims to reduce energy use in existing buildings by 1.7% annually, resulting in an annual GHG emissions reduction of 280,000 metric tonnes in 2020. Seoul (Social Equity & Climate Change): The Energy Welfare Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme aims to contribute to the city's targets on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction while simultaneously reducing energy consumption and spending for low-income families. In 2015, Seoul financed energy retrofits for 1,295 households and aims to finance a further 1,050 households in 2016. Shenzhen (Finance & Economic Development): Shenzhen is one of the fastest growing cities in the world with a population of 15 million and an annual GDP growth rate of 10%. Implementing an Emissions Trading System (ETS) scheme carried many challenges, but Shenzhen has recruited 636 enterprises to partake in its ETS scheme. Green low carbon development of the city is now possible thanks to uncoupling GDP potential from GHG emissions. Yokohama (Clean Energy): Yokohama Smart City Project (YSCP) strives to more effectively manage energy use and mitigate climate change through energy management systems. The city's action plan sets the target of an 80% CO2 emissions reduction by 2050. The project is designed to engage citizens and stakeholders as a key factor of successful implementation. Earlier in the day during the C40 Mayors Summit, C40 unveiled a report, Deadline 2020: How cities will get the job done, outlining a vision to reduce emissions by 2020 and help meet the Paris Agreement targets. For more information on the Awards and the winning projects, visit: http://www.c40.org/awards. You can download images from the winning cities here. For the most up-to-date details about the 2016 C40 Mayors Summit, please refer to the website: http://www.mayorssummit2016.c40.org. Advertisement Copenhagen was honoured today at an awards ceremony in Mexico City. The C40 Cities Awards recognize the world's most inspiring and innovative cities tackling climate change. Sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies and BYD, the C40 Cities Awards ceremony was held during the C40 Mayors Summit, where more than 40 mayors from around the world gathered to create sustainable and liveable cities for citizens. "On behalf of C40, I want to congratulate all the winning cities for their commitment to their citizens and their dedication to tackling climate change," said outgoing C40 Chair and Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes. "Throughout my tenure as C40 Chair, I have been increasingly impressed by the calibre of the C40 Cities Award winners, and I look forward to seeing other mayors around the world adapting and implementing these models in their own cities." "The C40 Cities Awards recognize the best and boldest work being done by mayors to fight climate change and protect people from risks," said C40 President of the Board and U.N. Secretary General's Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change Michael R. Bloomberg. "The winning projects show that great progress is being made on every continent, and they serve as an inspiration to other cities. They also show how cities can help the world meet the ambitious goals set a year ago in Paris." Advertisement Copenhagen's Cloudburst Management Plan won this year's award in "Adaptation in Action." Copenhagen is threatened by sea level rise and heavy downpours. The Cloudburst Management Plan - Project Implementation is an integrated system of green streets and pocket parks that will function as water retention areas and water basins. An expert jury panel comprised of former mayors, climate experts and others, selected ten winning urban sustainability projects based on excellence in urban planning and dedication to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving resiliency. The selected cities exemplified the best policies, projects and programmes globally, and for the first time included a category recognizing social equity. "Today, we celebrate some of the projects that are key to delivering on the world's climate ambition and will help put us on a path to a carbon-safe future," said Chuanfu Wang, Chairman and President of BYD Co. Ltd. "We recognise the incredible human power and thoughtful consideration that goes into making these projects reality. BYD is extremely proud to support the Awards and help to accelerate the implementation of these truly innovative programs." C40 has partnered with Associated Press Images to capture compelling images from each of the winning city projects. These can be downloaded by clicking here, and are free to use. Winning city projects are: Addis Ababa (Transportation): The Addis Ababa Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project has improved the city's public transport system and created more than 6,000 jobs. The cumulative emission reduction potential of the LRT system is forecasted at 1.8 million tCO2e by 2030. Copenhagen (Adaptation in Action): Copenhagen is threatened by sea level rise and heavy downpours. The Cloudburst Management Plan - Project Implementation is an integrated system of green streets and pocket parks that will function as water retention areas and water basins. Curitiba (Sustainable Communities): Urban Agriculture in Curitiba aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through urban agriculture: directly through carbon sequestration in soil, biological nitrogen fixation by legumes and non-use of chemical nitrogen fertilisers; and indirectly by reducing food and waste transport distances, composting organic waste, reduction of "heat islands" and creating environmental awareness. Kolkata (Solid Waste): Kolkata's climate change risks have been exacerbated by unsanitary disposal and waste dumping. Kolkata Solid Waste Management Improvement Project has achieved 60-80% (depending on site) segregation of waste at its source, with further waste segregation occurring at transfer stations. Forward looking, the project aims to eradicate open dumiping and burning of waste and to limit the concentration of methane gas generated in landfill sites. Sydney & Melbourne (Building Energy Efficiency): The CitySwitch Green Office programme aims to overcome the knowledge and resource gap between building owners and tenants by prioritising the reporting of fully auditable achievements, and encourages members to adopt an energy target of between 4 avoidance of 50,000 tonnes of new CO2e per year by its signatory businesses. Paris (Adaptation Plans & Assessments): The Paris Adaption Strategy is aimed at tackling climate change-related challenges including heatwaves, urban heat island effect, flooding and droughts. The programme addresses other sustainability issues like air pollution and health related risks, climate refugee challenges and water scarcity. Some actions being implemented by 2020, include: a greening programme to decrease heat-related risks; help for Parisians when it's hot; and a less vulnerable food supply. Advertisement Portland (Climate Action Plans & Inventories): The overarching goal of Portland's 2015 Climate Action Plan (CAP) is to deliver an integrated set of strategies by 2020 to keep Portland on a path to reduce GHG emissions 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. The proportion of citizens travelling primarily by public transport, cycling or walking is expected to rise to 50%, and the number of electric vehicles is set to increase four-fold to 8,000. The CAP aims to reduce energy use in existing buildings by 1.7% annually, resulting in an annual GHG emissions reduction of 280,000 metric tonnes in 2020. Seoul (Social Equity & Climate Change): The Energy Welfare Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme aims to contribute to the city's targets on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction while simultaneously reducing energy consumption and spending for low-income families. In 2015, Seoul financed energy retrofits for 1,295 households and aims to finance a further 1,050 households in 2016. Shenzhen (Finance & Economic Development): Shenzhen is one of the fastest growing cities in the world with a population of 15 million and an annual GDP growth rate of 10%. Implementing an Emissions Trading System (ETS) scheme carried many challenges, but Shenzhen has recruited 636 enterprises to partake in its ETS scheme. Green low carbon development of the city is now possible thanks to uncoupling GDP potential from GHG emissions. Yokohama (Clean Energy): Yokohama Smart City Project (YSCP) strives to more effectively manage energy use and mitigate climate change through energy management systems. The city's action plan sets the target of an 80% CO2 emissions reduction by 2050. The project is designed to engage citizens and stakeholders as a key factor of successful implementation. Earlier in the day during the C40 Mayors Summit, C40 unveiled a report, Deadline 2020: How cities will get the job done, outlining a vision to reduce emissions by 2020 and help meet the Paris Agreement targets. For more information on the Awards and the winning projects, visit: http://www.c40.org/awards. You can download images from the winning cities here. For the most up-to-date details about the 2016 C40 Mayors Summit, please refer to the website: http://www.mayorssummit2016.c40.org. Advertisement Curitiba was honoured today at an awards ceremony in Mexico City. The C40 Cities Awards recognize the world's most inspiring and innovative cities tackling climate change. Sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies and BYD, the C40 Cities Awards ceremony was held during the C40 Mayors Summit, where more than 40 mayors from around the world gathered to create sustainable and liveable cities for citizens. "On behalf of C40, I want to congratulate all the winning cities for their commitment to their citizens and their dedication to tackling climate change," said outgoing C40 Chair and Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes. "Throughout my tenure as C40 Chair, I have been increasingly impressed by the calibre of the C40 Cities Award winners, and I look forward to seeing other mayors around the world adapting and implementing these models in their own cities." "The C40 Cities Awards recognize the best and boldest work being done by mayors to fight climate change and protect people from risks," said C40 President of the Board and U.N. Secretary General's Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change Michael R. Bloomberg. "The winning projects show that great progress is being made on every continent, and they serve as an inspiration to other cities. They also show how cities can help the world meet the ambitious goals set a year ago in Paris." Advertisement Curitiba's Urban Agriculture Project won this year's award in "Sustainable Communities." Urban Agriculture in Curitiba aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through urban agriculture: directly through carbon sequestration in soil, biological nitrogen fixation by legumes and non-use of chemical nitrogen fertilisers; and indirectly by reducing food and waste transport distances, composting organic waste, reduction of "heat islands" and creating environmental awareness. An expert jury panel comprised of former mayors, climate experts and others, selected ten winning urban sustainability projects based on excellence in urban planning and dedication to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving resiliency. The selected cities exemplified the best policies, projects and programmes globally, and for the first time included a category recognizing social equity. "Today, we celebrate some of the projects that are key to delivering on the world's climate ambition and will help put us on a path to a carbon-safe future," said Chuanfu Wang, Chairman and President of BYD Co. Ltd. "We recognise the incredible human power and thoughtful consideration that goes into making these projects reality. BYD is extremely proud to support the Awards and help to accelerate the implementation of these truly innovative programs." C40 has partnered with Associated Press Images to capture compelling images from each of the winning city projects. These can be downloaded by clicking here, and are free to use. Winning city projects are: Advertisement Addis Ababa (Transportation): The Addis Ababa Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project has improved the city's public transport system and created more than 6,000 jobs. The cumulative emission reduction potential of the LRT system is forecasted at 1.8 million tCO2e by 2030. Copenhagen (Adaptation in Action): Copenhagen is threatened by sea level rise and heavy downpours. The Cloudburst Management Plan - Project Implementation is an integrated system of green streets and pocket parks that will function as water retention areas and water basins. Curitiba (Sustainable Communities): Urban Agriculture in Curitiba aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through urban agriculture: directly through carbon sequestration in soil, biological nitrogen fixation by legumes and non-use of chemical nitrogen fertilisers; and indirectly by reducing food and waste transport distances, composting organic waste, reduction of "heat islands" and creating environmental awareness. Kolkata (Solid Waste): Kolkata's climate change risks have been exacerbated by unsanitary disposal and waste dumping. Kolkata Solid Waste Management Improvement Project has achieved 60-80% (depending on site) segregation of waste at its source, with further waste segregation occurring at transfer stations. Forward looking, the project aims to eradicate open dumiping and burning of waste and to limit the concentration of methane gas generated in landfill sites. Sydney & Melbourne (Building Energy Efficiency): The CitySwitch Green Office programme aims to overcome the knowledge and resource gap between building owners and tenants by prioritising the reporting of fully auditable achievements, and encourages members to adopt an energy target of between 4 avoidance of 50,000 tonnes of new CO2e per year by its signatory businesses. Advertisement Paris (Adaptation Plans & Assessments): The Paris Adaption Strategy is aimed at tackling climate change-related challenges including heatwaves, urban heat island effect, flooding and droughts. The programme addresses other sustainability issues like air pollution and health related risks, climate refugee challenges and water scarcity. Some actions being implemented by 2020, include: a greening programme to decrease heat-related risks; help for Parisians when it's hot; and a less vulnerable food supply. Portland (Climate Action Plans & Inventories): The overarching goal of Portland's 2015 Climate Action Plan (CAP) is to deliver an integrated set of strategies by 2020 to keep Portland on a path to reduce GHG emissions 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. The proportion of citizens travelling primarily by public transport, cycling or walking is expected to rise to 50%, and the number of electric vehicles is set to increase four-fold to 8,000. The CAP aims to reduce energy use in existing buildings by 1.7% annually, resulting in an annual GHG emissions reduction of 280,000 metric tonnes in 2020. Seoul (Social Equity & Climate Change): The Energy Welfare Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme aims to contribute to the city's targets on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction while simultaneously reducing energy consumption and spending for low-income families. In 2015, Seoul financed energy retrofits for 1,295 households and aims to finance a further 1,050 households in 2016. Shenzhen (Finance & Economic Development): Shenzhen is one of the fastest growing cities in the world with a population of 15 million and an annual GDP growth rate of 10%. Implementing an Emissions Trading System (ETS) scheme carried many challenges, but Shenzhen has recruited 636 enterprises to partake in its ETS scheme. Green low carbon development of the city is now possible thanks to uncoupling GDP potential from GHG emissions. Yokohama (Clean Energy): Yokohama Smart City Project (YSCP) strives to more effectively manage energy use and mitigate climate change through energy management systems. The city's action plan sets the target of an 80% CO2 emissions reduction by 2050. The project is designed to engage citizens and stakeholders as a key factor of successful implementation. Earlier in the day during the C40 Mayors Summit, C40 unveiled a report, Deadline 2020: How cities will get the job done, outlining a vision to reduce emissions by 2020 and help meet the Paris Agreement targets. For more information on the Awards and the winning projects, visit: http://www.c40.org/awards. You can download images from the winning cities here. For the most up-to-date details about the 2016 C40 Mayors Summit, please refer to the website: http://www.mayorssummit2016.c40.org. Kolkata was honoured today at an awards ceremony in Mexico City. The C40 Cities Awards recognize the world's most inspiring and innovative cities tackling climate change. Sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies and BYD, the C40 Cities Awards ceremony was held during the C40 Mayors Summit, where more than 40 mayors from around the world gathered to create sustainable and liveable cities for citizens. "On behalf of C40, I want to congratulate all the winning cities for their commitment to their citizens and their dedication to tackling climate change," said outgoing C40 Chair and Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes. "Throughout my tenure as C40 Chair, I have been increasingly impressed by the calibre of the C40 Cities Award winners, and I look forward to seeing other mayors around the world adapting and implementing these models in their own cities." "The C40 Cities Awards recognize the best and boldest work being done by mayors to fight climate change and protect people from risks," said C40 President of the Board and U.N. Secretary General's Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change Michael R. Bloomberg. "The winning projects show that great progress is being made on every continent, and they serve as an inspiration to other cities. They also show how cities can help the world meet the ambitious goals set a year ago in Paris." Advertisement Kolkata's Solid Waste Management Improvement Project (KSWMIP) won this year's award in "Solid Waste." Kolkata's climate change risks have been exacerbated by unsanitary disposal and waste dumping. KSWMIP has achieved 60-80% (depending on site) segregation of waste at its source, with further waste segregation occurring at transfer stations. Forward looking, the project aims to eradicate open dumping and burning of waste and to limit the concentration of methane gas generated in landfill sites. An expert jury panel comprised of former mayors, climate experts and others, selected ten winning urban sustainability projects based on excellence in urban planning and dedication to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving resiliency. The selected cities exemplified the best policies, projects and programmes globally, and for the first time included a category recognizing social equity. "Today, we celebrate some of the projects that are key to delivering on the world's climate ambition and will help put us on a path to a carbon-safe future," said Chuanfu Wang, Chairman and President of BYD Co. Ltd. "We recognise the incredible human power and thoughtful consideration that goes into making these projects reality. BYD is extremely proud to support the Awards and help to accelerate the implementation of these truly innovative programs." C40 has partnered with Associated Press Images to capture compelling images from each of the winning city projects. These can be downloaded by clicking here, and are free to use. Winning city projects are: Advertisement Addis Ababa (Transportation): The Addis Ababa Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project has improved the city's public transport system and created more than 6,000 jobs. The cumulative emission reduction potential of the LRT system is forecasted at 1.8 million tCO2e by 2030. Copenhagen (Adaptation in Action): Copenhagen is threatened by sea level rise and heavy downpours. The Cloudburst Management Plan - Project Implementation is an integrated system of green streets and pocket parks that will function as water retention areas and water basins. Curitiba (Sustainable Communities): Urban Agriculture in Curitiba aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through urban agriculture: directly through carbon sequestration in soil, biological nitrogen fixation by legumes and non-use of chemical nitrogen fertilisers; and indirectly by reducing food and waste transport distances, composting organic waste, reduction of "heat islands" and creating environmental awareness. Kolkata (Solid Waste): Kolkata's climate change risks have been exacerbated by unsanitary disposal and waste dumping. Kolkata Solid Waste Management Improvement Project has achieved 60-80% (depending on site) segregation of waste at its source, with further waste segregation occurring at transfer stations. Forward looking, the project aims to eradicate open dumiping and burning of waste and to limit the concentration of methane gas generated in landfill sites. Sydney & Melbourne (Building Energy Efficiency): The CitySwitch Green Office programme aims to overcome the knowledge and resource gap between building owners and tenants by prioritising the reporting of fully auditable achievements, and encourages members to adopt an energy target of between 4 avoidance of 50,000 tonnes of new CO2e per year by its signatory businesses. Advertisement Paris (Adaptation Plans & Assessments): The Paris Adaption Strategy is aimed at tackling climate change-related challenges including heatwaves, urban heat island effect, flooding and droughts. The programme addresses other sustainability issues like air pollution and health related risks, climate refugee challenges and water scarcity. Some actions being implemented by 2020, include: a greening programme to decrease heat-related risks; help for Parisians when it's hot; and a less vulnerable food supply. Portland (Climate Action Plans & Inventories): The overarching goal of Portland's 2015 Climate Action Plan (CAP) is to deliver an integrated set of strategies by 2020 to keep Portland on a path to reduce GHG emissions 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. The proportion of citizens travelling primarily by public transport, cycling or walking is expected to rise to 50%, and the number of electric vehicles is set to increase four-fold to 8,000. The CAP aims to reduce energy use in existing buildings by 1.7% annually, resulting in an annual GHG emissions reduction of 280,000 metric tonnes in 2020. Seoul (Social Equity & Climate Change): The Energy Welfare Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme aims to contribute to the city's targets on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction while simultaneously reducing energy consumption and spending for low-income families. In 2015, Seoul financed energy retrofits for 1,295 households and aims to finance a further 1,050 households in 2016. Shenzhen (Finance & Economic Development): Shenzhen is one of the fastest growing cities in the world with a population of 15 million and an annual GDP growth rate of 10%. Implementing an Emissions Trading System (ETS) scheme carried many challenges, but Shenzhen has recruited 636 enterprises to partake in its ETS scheme. Green low carbon development of the city is now possible thanks to uncoupling GDP potential from GHG emissions. Yokohama (Clean Energy): Yokohama Smart City Project (YSCP) strives to more effectively manage energy use and mitigate climate change through energy management systems. The city's action plan sets the target of an 80% CO2 emissions reduction by 2050. The project is designed to engage citizens and stakeholders as a key factor of successful implementation. Earlier in the day during the C40 Mayors Summit, C40 unveiled a report, Deadline 2020: How cities will get the job done, outlining a vision to reduce emissions by 2020 and help meet the Paris Agreement targets. For more information on the Awards and the winning projects, visit: http://www.c40.org/awards. You can download images from the winning cities here. For the most up-to-date details about the 2016 C40 Mayors Summit, please refer to the website: http://www.mayorssummit2016.c40.org. Melbourne & Sydney were honoured today at an awards ceremony in Mexico City. The C40 Cities Awards recognize the world's most inspiring and innovative cities tackling climate change. Sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies and BYD, the C40 Cities Awards ceremony was held during the C40 Mayors Summit, where more than 40 mayors from around the world gathered to create sustainable and liveable cities for citizens. "On behalf of C40, I want to congratulate all the winning cities for their commitment to their citizens and their dedication to tackling climate change," said outgoing C40 Chair and Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes. "Throughout my tenure as C40 Chair, I have been increasingly impressed by the calibre of the C40 Cities Award winners, and I look forward to seeing other mayors around the world adapting and implementing these models in their own cities." "The C40 Cities Awards recognize the best and boldest work being done by mayors to fight climate change and protect people from risks," said C40 President of the Board and U.N. Secretary General's Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change Michael R. Bloomberg. "The winning projects show that great progress is being made on every continent, and they serve as an inspiration to other cities. They also show how cities can help the world meet the ambitious goals set a year ago in Paris." Advertisement Sydney & Melbourne's CitySwitch Green Office programme won this year's award in "Building Energy Efficiency." The CitySwitch Green Office programme aims to overcome the knowledge and resource gap between building owners and tenants by prioritising the reporting of fully auditable achievements, and encourages members to adopt an energy target of between 4-Star and 6-Star on the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS). The programme has an overall target avoidance of 50,000 tonnes of new CO2e per year by its signatory businesses. An expert jury panel comprised of former mayors, climate experts and others, selected ten winning urban sustainability projects based on excellence in urban planning and dedication to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving resiliency. The selected cities exemplified the best policies, projects and programmes globally, and for the first time included a category recognizing social equity. "Today, we celebrate some of the projects that are key to delivering on the world's climate ambition and will help put us on a path to a carbon-safe future," said Chuanfu Wang, Chairman and President of BYD Co. Ltd. "We recognise the incredible human power and thoughtful consideration that goes into making these projects reality. BYD is extremely proud to support the Awards and help to accelerate the implementation of these truly innovative programs." C40 has partnered with Associated Press Images to capture compelling images from each of the winning city projects. These can be downloaded by clicking here, and are free to use. Winning city projects are: Advertisement Addis Ababa (Transportation): The Addis Ababa Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project has improved the city's public transport system and created more than 6,000 jobs. The cumulative emission reduction potential of the LRT system is forecasted at 1.8 million tCO2e by 2030. Copenhagen (Adaptation in Action): Copenhagen is threatened by sea level rise and heavy downpours. The Cloudburst Management Plan - Project Implementation is an integrated system of green streets and pocket parks that will function as water retention areas and water basins. Curitiba (Sustainable Communities): Urban Agriculture in Curitiba aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through urban agriculture: directly through carbon sequestration in soil, biological nitrogen fixation by legumes and non-use of chemical nitrogen fertilisers; and indirectly by reducing food and waste transport distances, composting organic waste, reduction of "heat islands" and creating environmental awareness. Kolkata (Solid Waste): Kolkata's climate change risks have been exacerbated by unsanitary disposal and waste dumping. Kolkata Solid Waste Management Improvement Project has achieved 60-80% (depending on site) segregation of waste at its source, with further waste segregation occurring at transfer stations. Forward looking, the project aims to eradicate open dumiping and burning of waste and to limit the concentration of methane gas generated in landfill sites. Sydney & Melbourne (Building Energy Efficiency): The CitySwitch Green Office programme aims to overcome the knowledge and resource gap between building owners and tenants by prioritising the reporting of fully auditable achievements, and encourages members to adopt an energy target of between 4 avoidance of 50,000 tonnes of new CO2e per year by its signatory businesses. Advertisement Paris (Adaptation Plans & Assessments): The Paris Adaption Strategy is aimed at tackling climate change-related challenges including heatwaves, urban heat island effect, flooding and droughts. The programme addresses other sustainability issues like air pollution and health related risks, climate refugee challenges and water scarcity. Some actions being implemented by 2020, include: a greening programme to decrease heat-related risks; help for Parisians when it's hot; and a less vulnerable food supply. Portland (Climate Action Plans & Inventories): The overarching goal of Portland's 2015 Climate Action Plan (CAP) is to deliver an integrated set of strategies by 2020 to keep Portland on a path to reduce GHG emissions 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. The proportion of citizens travelling primarily by public transport, cycling or walking is expected to rise to 50%, and the number of electric vehicles is set to increase four-fold to 8,000. The CAP aims to reduce energy use in existing buildings by 1.7% annually, resulting in an annual GHG emissions reduction of 280,000 metric tonnes in 2020. Seoul (Social Equity & Climate Change): The Energy Welfare Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme aims to contribute to the city's targets on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction while simultaneously reducing energy consumption and spending for low-income families. In 2015, Seoul financed energy retrofits for 1,295 households and aims to finance a further 1,050 households in 2016. Shenzhen (Finance & Economic Development): Shenzhen is one of the fastest growing cities in the world with a population of 15 million and an annual GDP growth rate of 10%. Implementing an Emissions Trading System (ETS) scheme carried many challenges, but Shenzhen has recruited 636 enterprises to partake in its ETS scheme. Green low carbon development of the city is now possible thanks to uncoupling GDP potential from GHG emissions. Yokohama (Clean Energy): Yokohama Smart City Project (YSCP) strives to more effectively manage energy use and mitigate climate change through energy management systems. The city's action plan sets the target of an 80% CO2 emissions reduction by 2050. The project is designed to engage citizens and stakeholders as a key factor of successful implementation. Earlier in the day during the C40 Mayors Summit, C40 unveiled a report, Deadline 2020: How cities will get the job done, outlining a vision to reduce emissions by 2020 and help meet the Paris Agreement targets. For more information on the Awards and the winning projects, visit: http://www.c40.org/awards. You can download images from the winning cities here. For the most up-to-date details about the 2016 C40 Mayors Summit, please refer to the website: http://www.mayorssummit2016.c40.org. Paris honoured today at an awards ceremony in Mexico City. The C40 Cities Awards recognize the world's most inspiring and innovative cities tackling climate change. Sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies and BYD, the C40 Cities Awards ceremony was held during the C40 Mayors Summit, where more than 40 mayors from around the world gathered to create sustainable and liveable cities for citizens. "On behalf of C40, I want to congratulate all the winning cities for their commitment to their citizens and their dedication to tackling climate change," said outgoing C40 Chair and Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes. "Throughout my tenure as C40 Chair, I have been increasingly impressed by the calibre of the C40 Cities Award winners, and I look forward to seeing other mayors around the world adapting and implementing these models in their own cities." "The C40 Cities Awards recognize the best and boldest work being done by mayors to fight climate change and protect people from risks," said C40 President of the Board and U.N. Secretary General's Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change Michael R. Bloomberg. "The winning projects show that great progress is being made on every continent, and they serve as an inspiration to other cities. They also show how cities can help the world meet the ambitious goals set a year ago in Paris." Advertisement Paris' Adaption Strategy won this year's award in "Adaptation Plans & Assessments." The Paris Adaption Strategy is aimed at tackling climate change-related challenges including heatwaves, urban heat island effect, flooding and droughts. The programme addresses other sustainability issues like air pollution and health related risks, climate refugee challenges and water scarcity. Some actions being implemented by 2020, include: a greening programme to decrease heat-related risks; help for Parisians when it's hot; and a less vulnerable food supply. An expert jury panel comprised of former mayors, climate experts and others, selected ten winning urban sustainability projects based on excellence in urban planning and dedication to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving resiliency. The selected cities exemplified the best policies, projects and programmes globally, and for the first time included a category recognizing social equity. "Today, we celebrate some of the projects that are key to delivering on the world's climate ambition and will help put us on a path to a carbon-safe future," said Chuanfu Wang, Chairman and President of BYD Co. Ltd. "We recognise the incredible human power and thoughtful consideration that goes into making these projects reality. BYD is extremely proud to support the Awards and help to accelerate the implementation of these truly innovative programs." C40 has partnered with Associated Press Images to capture compelling images from each of the winning city projects. These can be downloaded by clicking here, and are free to use. Winning city projects are: Advertisement Addis Ababa (Transportation): The Addis Ababa Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project has improved the city's public transport system and created more than 6,000 jobs. The cumulative emission reduction potential of the LRT system is forecasted at 1.8 million tCO2e by 2030. Copenhagen (Adaptation in Action): Copenhagen is threatened by sea level rise and heavy downpours. The Cloudburst Management Plan - Project Implementation is an integrated system of green streets and pocket parks that will function as water retention areas and water basins. Curitiba (Sustainable Communities): Urban Agriculture in Curitiba aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through urban agriculture: directly through carbon sequestration in soil, biological nitrogen fixation by legumes and non-use of chemical nitrogen fertilisers; and indirectly by reducing food and waste transport distances, composting organic waste, reduction of "heat islands" and creating environmental awareness. Kolkata (Solid Waste): Kolkata's climate change risks have been exacerbated by unsanitary disposal and waste dumping. Kolkata Solid Waste Management Improvement Project has achieved 60-80% (depending on site) segregation of waste at its source, with further waste segregation occurring at transfer stations. Forward looking, the project aims to eradicate open dumiping and burning of waste and to limit the concentration of methane gas generated in landfill sites. Sydney & Melbourne (Building Energy Efficiency): The CitySwitch Green Office programme aims to overcome the knowledge and resource gap between building owners and tenants by prioritising the reporting of fully auditable achievements, and encourages members to adopt an energy target of between 4 avoidance of 50,000 tonnes of new CO2e per year by its signatory businesses. Advertisement Paris (Adaptation Plans & Assessments): The Paris Adaption Strategy is aimed at tackling climate change-related challenges including heatwaves, urban heat island effect, flooding and droughts. The programme addresses other sustainability issues like air pollution and health related risks, climate refugee challenges and water scarcity. Some actions being implemented by 2020, include: a greening programme to decrease heat-related risks; help for Parisians when it's hot; and a less vulnerable food supply. Portland (Climate Action Plans & Inventories): The overarching goal of Portland's 2015 Climate Action Plan (CAP) is to deliver an integrated set of strategies by 2020 to keep Portland on a path to reduce GHG emissions 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. The proportion of citizens travelling primarily by public transport, cycling or walking is expected to rise to 50%, and the number of electric vehicles is set to increase four-fold to 8,000. The CAP aims to reduce energy use in existing buildings by 1.7% annually, resulting in an annual GHG emissions reduction of 280,000 metric tonnes in 2020. Seoul (Social Equity & Climate Change): The Energy Welfare Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme aims to contribute to the city's targets on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction while simultaneously reducing energy consumption and spending for low-income families. In 2015, Seoul financed energy retrofits for 1,295 households and aims to finance a further 1,050 households in 2016. Shenzhen (Finance & Economic Development): Shenzhen is one of the fastest growing cities in the world with a population of 15 million and an annual GDP growth rate of 10%. Implementing an Emissions Trading System (ETS) scheme carried many challenges, but Shenzhen has recruited 636 enterprises to partake in its ETS scheme. Green low carbon development of the city is now possible thanks to uncoupling GDP potential from GHG emissions. Yokohama (Clean Energy): Yokohama Smart City Project (YSCP) strives to more effectively manage energy use and mitigate climate change through energy management systems. The city's action plan sets the target of an 80% CO2 emissions reduction by 2050. The project is designed to engage citizens and stakeholders as a key factor of successful implementation. Earlier in the day during the C40 Mayors Summit, C40 unveiled a report, Deadline 2020: How cities will get the job done, outlining a vision to reduce emissions by 2020 and help meet the Paris Agreement targets. For more information on the Awards and the winning projects, visit: http://www.c40.org/awards. You can download images from the winning cities here. For the most up-to-date details about the 2016 C40 Mayors Summit, please refer to the website: http://www.mayorssummit2016.c40.org. Seoul was honoured today at an awards ceremony in Mexico City. The C40 Cities Awards recognize the world's most inspiring and innovative cities tackling climate change. Sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies and BYD, the C40 Cities Awards ceremony was held during the C40 Mayors Summit, where more than 40 mayors from around the world gathered to create sustainable and liveable cities for citizens. "On behalf of C40, I want to congratulate all the winning cities for their commitment to their citizens and their dedication to tackling climate change," said outgoing C40 Chair and Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes. "Throughout my tenure as C40 Chair, I have been increasingly impressed by the calibre of the C40 Cities Award winners, and I look forward to seeing other mayors around the world adapting and implementing these models in their own cities." "The C40 Cities Awards recognize the best and boldest work being done by mayors to fight climate change and protect people from risks," said C40 President of the Board and U.N. Secretary General's Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change Michael R. Bloomberg. "The winning projects show that great progress is being made on every continent, and they serve as an inspiration to other cities. They also show how cities can help the world meet the ambitious goals set a year ago in Paris." Advertisement Seoul's Energy Welfare Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme won this year's award in "Social Equity & Climate Change." The Energy Welfare PPP Programme aims to contribute to the city's targets on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction while simultaneously reducing energy consumption and spending for low-income families. In 2015, Seoul financed energy retrofits for 1,295 households and aims to finance a further 1,050 households in 2016. An expert jury panel comprised of former mayors, climate experts and others, selected ten winning urban sustainability projects based on excellence in urban planning and dedication to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving resiliency. The selected cities exemplified the best policies, projects and programmes globally, and for the first time included a category recognizing social equity. "Today, we celebrate some of the projects that are key to delivering on the world's climate ambition and will help put us on a path to a carbon-safe future," said Chuanfu Wang, Chairman and President of BYD Co. Ltd. "We recognise the incredible human power and thoughtful consideration that goes into making these projects reality. BYD is extremely proud to support the Awards and help to accelerate the implementation of these truly innovative programs." C40 has partnered with Associated Press Images to capture compelling images from each of the winning city projects. These can be downloaded by clicking here, and are free to use. Winning city projects are: Advertisement Addis Ababa (Transportation): The Addis Ababa Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project has improved the city's public transport system and created more than 6,000 jobs. The cumulative emission reduction potential of the LRT system is forecasted at 1.8 million tCO2e by 2030. Copenhagen (Adaptation in Action): Copenhagen is threatened by sea level rise and heavy downpours. The Cloudburst Management Plan - Project Implementation is an integrated system of green streets and pocket parks that will function as water retention areas and water basins. Curitiba (Sustainable Communities): Urban Agriculture in Curitiba aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through urban agriculture: directly through carbon sequestration in soil, biological nitrogen fixation by legumes and non-use of chemical nitrogen fertilisers; and indirectly by reducing food and waste transport distances, composting organic waste, reduction of "heat islands" and creating environmental awareness. Kolkata (Solid Waste): Kolkata's climate change risks have been exacerbated by unsanitary disposal and waste dumping. Kolkata Solid Waste Management Improvement Project has achieved 60-80% (depending on site) segregation of waste at its source, with further waste segregation occurring at transfer stations. Forward looking, the project aims to eradicate open dumiping and burning of waste and to limit the concentration of methane gas generated in landfill sites. Sydney & Melbourne (Building Energy Efficiency): The CitySwitch Green Office programme aims to overcome the knowledge and resource gap between building owners and tenants by prioritising the reporting of fully auditable achievements, and encourages members to adopt an energy target of between 4 avoidance of 50,000 tonnes of new CO2e per year by its signatory businesses. Advertisement Paris (Adaptation Plans & Assessments): The Paris Adaption Strategy is aimed at tackling climate change-related challenges including heatwaves, urban heat island effect, flooding and droughts. The programme addresses other sustainability issues like air pollution and health related risks, climate refugee challenges and water scarcity. Some actions being implemented by 2020, include: a greening programme to decrease heat-related risks; help for Parisians when it's hot; and a less vulnerable food supply. Portland (Climate Action Plans & Inventories): The overarching goal of Portland's 2015 Climate Action Plan (CAP) is to deliver an integrated set of strategies by 2020 to keep Portland on a path to reduce GHG emissions 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. The proportion of citizens travelling primarily by public transport, cycling or walking is expected to rise to 50%, and the number of electric vehicles is set to increase four-fold to 8,000. The CAP aims to reduce energy use in existing buildings by 1.7% annually, resulting in an annual GHG emissions reduction of 280,000 metric tonnes in 2020. Seoul (Social Equity & Climate Change): The Energy Welfare Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme aims to contribute to the city's targets on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction while simultaneously reducing energy consumption and spending for low-income families. In 2015, Seoul financed energy retrofits for 1,295 households and aims to finance a further 1,050 households in 2016. Shenzhen (Finance & Economic Development): Shenzhen is one of the fastest growing cities in the world with a population of 15 million and an annual GDP growth rate of 10%. Implementing an Emissions Trading System (ETS) scheme carried many challenges, but Shenzhen has recruited 636 enterprises to partake in its ETS scheme. Green low carbon development of the city is now possible thanks to uncoupling GDP potential from GHG emissions. Yokohama (Clean Energy): Yokohama Smart City Project (YSCP) strives to more effectively manage energy use and mitigate climate change through energy management systems. The city's action plan sets the target of an 80% CO2 emissions reduction by 2050. The project is designed to engage citizens and stakeholders as a key factor of successful implementation. Earlier in the day during the C40 Mayors Summit, C40 unveiled a report, Deadline 2020: How cities will get the job done, outlining a vision to reduce emissions by 2020 and help meet the Paris Agreement targets. For more information on the Awards and the winning projects, visit: http://www.c40.org/awards. You can download images from the winning cities here. For the most up-to-date details about the 2016 C40 Mayors Summit, please refer to the website: http://www.mayorssummit2016.c40.org. A survey found that both Chinese and foreign businesses adopted double standards toward product quality for goods sold in the Chinese and overseas markets, according to a Peoples Daily report on Dec. 2. Products in the Chinese market are usually of a lower quality compared to goods sold in the overseas market. Experts explained that such difference can be attributed to industrial standards, market demand and incomplete supervision systems, among other factors. According to the report, Chinese consumers often chase high-quality products overseas, only to find that many are actually made in China. Over 99 percent of food exported from China passes industry standards, but food in the domestic market only has a 90 percent passing rate, despite management and regulations. After coming to China, some international brands, such as McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut, become more lax with their standards, leading to several food safety scandals in recent years. Some have even refused to recall products after quality issues emerged. For example, in September, Samsung recalled its Note 7 smartphones in the U.S. and Australia, excluding the Chinese market from its recall list. Toshiba did the same thing by opting not to recall defective notebooks, TVs and other products in China. Zhao Ping, a researcher at the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said that consumers are more focused on quality these days, but high-quality products in China cannot satisfy the current needs of consumers. Persistent double standards have aggravated supply and demand conflicts in China. In addition to lower-quality products in the Chinese market, a supply and demand imbalance, overall supply and improper management have also contributed to dissatisfactory products in China, analysts believe. On the other hand, the phenomenon of high-quality products being made in China but sold abroad can be explained by the fact that high prices suppress sales among Chinese consumers, so producers choose to seek profit in international markets instead. Jing Linbo, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, pointed out that the government cannot only rely on the market to make adjustments, but should encourage producers to pursue higher quality in case of market failure. Price wars can no longer be the only point of competition between different enterprises; a good mechanism for product quality management must be established, the report stated. China should raise its current standards in order to accomodate shifting demands. Furthermore, China should improve its protection of intellectual property rights in order to encourage more innovation among producers, the paper said, citing experts. Shenzhen was honoured today at an awards ceremony in Mexico City. The C40 Cities Awards recognize the world's most inspiring and innovative cities tackling climate change. Sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies and BYD, the C40 Cities Awards ceremony was held during the C40 Mayors Summit, where more than 40 mayors from around the world gathered to create sustainable and liveable cities for citizens. "On behalf of C40, I want to congratulate all the winning cities for their commitment to their citizens and their dedication to tackling climate change," said outgoing C40 Chair and Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes. "Throughout my tenure as C40 Chair, I have been increasingly impressed by the calibre of the C40 Cities Award winners, and I look forward to seeing other mayors around the world adapting and implementing these models in their own cities." "The C40 Cities Awards recognize the best and boldest work being done by mayors to fight climate change and protect people from risks," said C40 President of the Board and U.N. Secretary General's Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change Michael R. Bloomberg. "The winning projects show that great progress is being made on every continent, and they serve as an inspiration to other cities. They also show how cities can help the world meet the ambitious goals set a year ago in Paris." Advertisement Shenzhen's Emissions Trading System (ETS) won this year's award in "Finance & Economic Development." Shenzhen is one of the fastest growing cities in the world with a population of 15 million and an annual GDP growth rate of 10%. Implementing an ETS scheme carried many challenges, but Shenzhen has recruited 636 enterprises to partake in its ETS scheme. Green low carbon development of the city is now possible thanks to uncoupling GDP potential from GHG emissions. An expert jury panel comprised of former mayors, climate experts and others, selected ten winning urban sustainability projects based on excellence in urban planning and dedication to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving resiliency. The selected cities exemplified the best policies, projects and programmes globally, and for the first time included a category recognizing social equity. "Today, we celebrate some of the projects that are key to delivering on the world's climate ambition and will help put us on a path to a carbon-safe future," said Chuanfu Wang, Chairman and President of BYD Co. Ltd. "We recognise the incredible human power and thoughtful consideration that goes into making these projects reality. BYD is extremely proud to support the Awards and help to accelerate the implementation of these truly innovative programs." C40 has partnered with Associated Press Images to capture compelling images from each of the winning city projects. These can be downloaded by clicking here, and are free to use. Winning city projects are: Advertisement Addis Ababa (Transportation): The Addis Ababa Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project has improved the city's public transport system and created more than 6,000 jobs. The cumulative emission reduction potential of the LRT system is forecasted at 1.8 million tCO2e by 2030. Copenhagen (Adaptation in Action): Copenhagen is threatened by sea level rise and heavy downpours. The Cloudburst Management Plan - Project Implementation is an integrated system of green streets and pocket parks that will function as water retention areas and water basins. Curitiba (Sustainable Communities): Urban Agriculture in Curitiba aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through urban agriculture: directly through carbon sequestration in soil, biological nitrogen fixation by legumes and non-use of chemical nitrogen fertilisers; and indirectly by reducing food and waste transport distances, composting organic waste, reduction of "heat islands" and creating environmental awareness. Kolkata (Solid Waste): Kolkata's climate change risks have been exacerbated by unsanitary disposal and waste dumping. Kolkata Solid Waste Management Improvement Project has achieved 60-80% (depending on site) segregation of waste at its source, with further waste segregation occurring at transfer stations. Forward looking, the project aims to eradicate open dumiping and burning of waste and to limit the concentration of methane gas generated in landfill sites. Sydney & Melbourne (Building Energy Efficiency): The CitySwitch Green Office programme aims to overcome the knowledge and resource gap between building owners and tenants by prioritising the reporting of fully auditable achievements, and encourages members to adopt an energy target of between 4 avoidance of 50,000 tonnes of new CO2e per year by its signatory businesses. Advertisement Paris (Adaptation Plans & Assessments): The Paris Adaption Strategy is aimed at tackling climate change-related challenges including heatwaves, urban heat island effect, flooding and droughts. The programme addresses other sustainability issues like air pollution and health related risks, climate refugee challenges and water scarcity. Some actions being implemented by 2020, include: a greening programme to decrease heat-related risks; help for Parisians when it's hot; and a less vulnerable food supply. Portland (Climate Action Plans & Inventories): The overarching goal of Portland's 2015 Climate Action Plan (CAP) is to deliver an integrated set of strategies by 2020 to keep Portland on a path to reduce GHG emissions 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. The proportion of citizens travelling primarily by public transport, cycling or walking is expected to rise to 50%, and the number of electric vehicles is set to increase four-fold to 8,000. The CAP aims to reduce energy use in existing buildings by 1.7% annually, resulting in an annual GHG emissions reduction of 280,000 metric tonnes in 2020. Seoul (Social Equity & Climate Change): The Energy Welfare Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme aims to contribute to the city's targets on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction while simultaneously reducing energy consumption and spending for low-income families. In 2015, Seoul financed energy retrofits for 1,295 households and aims to finance a further 1,050 households in 2016. Shenzhen (Finance & Economic Development): Shenzhen is one of the fastest growing cities in the world with a population of 15 million and an annual GDP growth rate of 10%. Implementing an Emissions Trading System (ETS) scheme carried many challenges, but Shenzhen has recruited 636 enterprises to partake in its ETS scheme. Green low carbon development of the city is now possible thanks to uncoupling GDP potential from GHG emissions. Yokohama (Clean Energy): Yokohama Smart City Project (YSCP) strives to more effectively manage energy use and mitigate climate change through energy management systems. The city's action plan sets the target of an 80% CO2 emissions reduction by 2050. The project is designed to engage citizens and stakeholders as a key factor of successful implementation. Earlier in the day during the C40 Mayors Summit, C40 unveiled a report, Deadline 2020: How cities will get the job done, outlining a vision to reduce emissions by 2020 and help meet the Paris Agreement targets. For more information on the Awards and the winning projects, visit: http://www.c40.org/awards. You can download images from the winning cities here. For the most up-to-date details about the 2016 C40 Mayors Summit, please refer to the website: http://www.mayorssummit2016.c40.org. Yokohama was honoured today at an awards ceremony in Mexico City. The C40 Cities Awards recognize the world's most inspiring and innovative cities tackling climate change. Sponsored by Bloomberg Philanthropies and BYD, the C40 Cities Awards ceremony was held during the C40 Mayors Summit, where more than 40 mayors from around the world gathered to create sustainable and liveable cities for citizens. "On behalf of C40, I want to congratulate all the winning cities for their commitment to their citizens and their dedication to tackling climate change," said outgoing C40 Chair and Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes. "Throughout my tenure as C40 Chair, I have been increasingly impressed by the calibre of the C40 Cities Award winners, and I look forward to seeing other mayors around the world adapting and implementing these models in their own cities." "The C40 Cities Awards recognize the best and boldest work being done by mayors to fight climate change and protect people from risks," said C40 President of the Board and U.N. Secretary General's Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change Michael R. Bloomberg. "The winning projects show that great progress is being made on every continent, and they serve as an inspiration to other cities. They also show how cities can help the world meet the ambitious goals set a year ago in Paris." Advertisement Yokohama's Smart City Project (YSCP) won this year's award in "Clean Energy." YSCP strives to more effectively manage energy use and mitigate climate change through energy management systems. The city's action plan sets the target of an 80% CO2 emissions reduction by 2050. The project is designed to engage citizens and stakeholders as a key factor of successful implementation. An expert jury panel comprised of former mayors, climate experts and others, selected ten winning urban sustainability projects based on excellence in urban planning and dedication to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving resiliency. The selected cities exemplified the best policies, projects and programmes globally, and for the first time included a category recognizing social equity. "Today, we celebrate some of the projects that are key to delivering on the world's climate ambition and will help put us on a path to a carbon-safe future," said Chuanfu Wang, Chairman and President of BYD Co. Ltd. "We recognise the incredible human power and thoughtful consideration that goes into making these projects reality. BYD is extremely proud to support the Awards and help to accelerate the implementation of these truly innovative programs." C40 has partnered with Associated Press Images to capture compelling images from each of the winning city projects. These can be downloaded by clicking here, and are free to use. Winning city projects are: Addis Ababa (Transportation): The Addis Ababa Light Rail Transit (LRT) Project has improved the city's public transport system and created more than 6,000 jobs. The cumulative emission reduction potential of the LRT system is forecasted at 1.8 million tCO2e by 2030. Copenhagen (Adaptation in Action): Copenhagen is threatened by sea level rise and heavy downpours. The Cloudburst Management Plan - Project Implementation is an integrated system of green streets and pocket parks that will function as water retention areas and water basins. Curitiba (Sustainable Communities): Urban Agriculture in Curitiba aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through urban agriculture: directly through carbon sequestration in soil, biological nitrogen fixation by legumes and non-use of chemical nitrogen fertilisers; and indirectly by reducing food and waste transport distances, composting organic waste, reduction of "heat islands" and creating environmental awareness. Kolkata (Solid Waste): Kolkata's climate change risks have been exacerbated by unsanitary disposal and waste dumping. Kolkata Solid Waste Management Improvement Project has achieved 60-80% (depending on site) segregation of waste at its source, with further waste segregation occurring at transfer stations. Forward looking, the project aims to eradicate open dumiping and burning of waste and to limit the concentration of methane gas generated in landfill sites. Sydney & Melbourne (Building Energy Efficiency): The CitySwitch Green Office programme aims to overcome the knowledge and resource gap between building owners and tenants by prioritising the reporting of fully auditable achievements, and encourages members to adopt an energy target of between 4 avoidance of 50,000 tonnes of new CO2e per year by its signatory businesses. Paris (Adaptation Plans & Assessments): The Paris Adaption Strategy is aimed at tackling climate change-related challenges including heatwaves, urban heat island effect, flooding and droughts. The programme addresses other sustainability issues like air pollution and health related risks, climate refugee challenges and water scarcity. Some actions being implemented by 2020, include: a greening programme to decrease heat-related risks; help for Parisians when it's hot; and a less vulnerable food supply. Advertisement Portland (Climate Action Plans & Inventories): The overarching goal of Portland's 2015 Climate Action Plan (CAP) is to deliver an integrated set of strategies by 2020 to keep Portland on a path to reduce GHG emissions 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050. The proportion of citizens travelling primarily by public transport, cycling or walking is expected to rise to 50%, and the number of electric vehicles is set to increase four-fold to 8,000. The CAP aims to reduce energy use in existing buildings by 1.7% annually, resulting in an annual GHG emissions reduction of 280,000 metric tonnes in 2020. Seoul (Social Equity & Climate Change): The Energy Welfare Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme aims to contribute to the city's targets on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction while simultaneously reducing energy consumption and spending for low-income families. In 2015, Seoul financed energy retrofits for 1,295 households and aims to finance a further 1,050 households in 2016. Shenzhen (Finance & Economic Development): Shenzhen is one of the fastest growing cities in the world with a population of 15 million and an annual GDP growth rate of 10%. Implementing an Emissions Trading System (ETS) scheme carried many challenges, but Shenzhen has recruited 636 enterprises to partake in its ETS scheme. Green low carbon development of the city is now possible thanks to uncoupling GDP potential from GHG emissions. Yokohama (Clean Energy): Yokohama Smart City Project (YSCP) strives to more effectively manage energy use and mitigate climate change through energy management systems. The city's action plan sets the target of an 80% CO2 emissions reduction by 2050. The project is designed to engage citizens and stakeholders as a key factor of successful implementation. Earlier in the day during the C40 Mayors Summit, C40 unveiled a report, Deadline 2020: How cities will get the job done, outlining a vision to reduce emissions by 2020 and help meet the Paris Agreement targets. For more information on the Awards and the winning projects, visit: http://www.c40.org/awards. You can download images from the winning cities here. For the most up-to-date details about the 2016 C40 Mayors Summit, please refer to the website: http://www.mayorssummit2016.c40.org. Advertisement The following is adapted from remarks delivered to the China General Chamber of Commerce. China is America's largest trading partner, and the U.S. is the largest partner for China. And while it's true that our two countries have differences, we know that when we work together, we can accomplish extraordinary things. Cooperation between the U.S. and China, after all, is what made the Paris climate agreement possible. In the wake of the presidential election, there has been much speculation about whether the U.S. will fulfill the pledges our nation made in Paris. Last week, China's chief climate negotiator, Minister Xie Zhenhua, said that no matter what the U.S. does, China will remain committed to taking action. That's a responsible thing to do for the Chinese people and the world. Advertisement I can't tell you what Donald Trump's administration will do -- and in all fairness, they will need time to figure it out themselves. What's said on the campaign trail is one thing; actually carrying out a specific policy is another. I hope they'll recognize the importance of the issue. But I am confident that no matter what happens in Washington, no matter what regulations the next administration adopts or rescinds, no matter what laws the next Congress may pass, we will meet the pledges that the U.S. made in Paris. The reason is simple: Cities, businesses and citizens will continue reducing emissions, because they have concluded -- just as China has -- that doing so is in their own self-interest. The U.S.'s success in fighting climate change has never been primarily dependent on Washington. Bear in mind: Over the past decade, Congress has not passed a single bill that takes direct aim at climate change. Yet at the same time, the U.S. has led the world in reducing emissions. That progress has been driven by cities, businesses and citizens -- and none of them are letting up now. Just the opposite: All are looking for ways to expand their efforts. Mayors and local leaders around the country are determined to keep pushing ahead on climate change -- because it is in their interest to do so. Advertisement Over time, as more and more Americans come to recognize what climate change means to their families and their futures -- by seeing the increasingly severe impact of storms, droughts and other weather events -- they will demand action from the federal government, too. But in the meantime, mayors and other local officials will lead the way. Last June in Beijing, during the U.S.-China Cities Summit on Climate Change, we announced a partnership between the Compact of Mayors and China's Alliance of Peaking Pioneer Cities. Since then, the Compact of Mayors has joined forces with the European Union's Covenant of Mayors, making the new Global Covenant of Mayors the single largest and most ambitious coalition of mayors on climate change. In fact, if the Trump administration does withdraw from the Paris accord, I will recommend that the 128 U.S. mayors who are part of the Global Covenant of Mayors seek to join in its place. Washington will not have the last word on the fate of the Paris agreement in the U.S. -- mayors will, together with business leaders and citizens. Note: this article originally ran in Bloomberg View. My close friend Andre is passionate about civil rights and is a scion of a Tuskegee University family. He's also a Donald Trump voter. Andre is a black Republican who, despite his deep misgivings about Trump's racism, misogyny, and myriad other character flaws, pulled the lever for the GOP nominee because of his deeper misgivings about Hillary Clinton. While we rarely talk politics (his wife Ashley and I are close friends and identify strongly as progressive Democrats), Andre's views are more complex than a simple left-right dichotomy. He's not a straight-ticket GOP voter, and if given the choice, he would have preferred Bernie Sanders in a heartbeat. This is why Clinton's loss served as such a stunning and sobering reminder for those of us who fell into the mantra of believing the inevitability of demographics. The election proved that changing demographics alone can't sustain a Democratic coalition. Moreover, the coalition of the ascendant is probably more nuanced than what we originally assumed to be. Advertisement What's ironic is that, in an age of vast data collection technology and better abilities to predict people's behavior, we still have a tendency to overgeneralize broad swaths of population. As a liberal, I believed every poll that had Clinton winning, particularly among communities of color, even as eyes told me otherwise. Driving through the heart of my home state of Pennsylvania, and even in areas that were bordering big cities, Trumpism was alive. Yet polling data was telling me not to trust what I was seeing, or even what I was hearing in conversations. Trump did more than rouse white anger against a changing America. He exploited the divisions among the coalition of the ascendant. Trump's comments about Mexican-Americans? They're not too far off from what you hear in some Dominican or Puerto Rican barbershops. His call for a Muslim ban or limiting illegal immigration? Music to the ears for some Indian-Americans and African-Americans. Too often, we try to paint ideological and political struggles as black and white, when the vast gray area that exists in between is right before our eyes yet rarely seen. Both Democrats and Republicans believed a demographic firewall was forming in the wake of the election of President Barack Obama. Democrats too often presumed the manifest destiny of that firewall, while Republicans -- often at the state and local levels -- have worked hard to thwart it. The GOP -- once left for dead as a national party -- systematically worked to restrict voting rights and gerrymander minority communities to dilute their voting power in the last six years. But they also worked to mobilize voters whose distinct self interests might align with their party ideology, even as they stirred white nationalism across the middle of the country and the South. As Trump's campaign lobbied for the Indian-American vote, the Clinton campaign assumed a uniform South Asian voting bloc would rise to the occasion, ignoring the very real tensions that exist among immigrant communities from the Indian subcontinent. Advertisement Just days after the election, my own family members (all of whom are staunch, straight-ticket Democratic voters) began to share stories of their friends (also Democrats) who voted for Trump because they perceived him to be pro-India. Some of my Latino friends said their family members voted Trump for myriad reasons, but their social conservatism played a similar role. As much as we like to talk about terms like intersectionality, they are often unrelatable to our daily lives. This is why building a coalition of voters who have been singularly aggrieved, disenfranchised, or isolated takes more than assuming demographic inevitability or that your most loyal voters will stay the same. If anything, the 2016 election will hopefully end the politics of assumption and, in the words of Sean Combs (Puff Daddy/P. Diddy), the practice of making an ass of one's self for assuming. This blog post coauthored by Alex Sheldon, Research Analyst at the Movement Advancement Project. Yesterday we commemorated World AIDS Day, a day to raise awareness, remember those we have lost to HIV-related illnesses, and stand in solidarity with the millions of people living with HIV. Since the start of the epidemic, an estimated 78 million people have acquired HIV and 35 million people have died of HIV-related illnesses. We have made significant progress in the fight against HIV at home and abroad through the empowerment of people living with HIV, advances in science, worldwide education, and increased access to treatment. In the decades since the first HIV diagnoses, more is known about HIV, how it is transmitted (and isn't), and what works to prevent transmission. Advocates and researchers have dispelled myths about behaviors with negligible risks and designed educational campaigns to fight misinformation and decrease stigma. Individuals, communities, and nations have created systems to increase access to healthcare, and for the 18 million people worldwide with access to life-saving HIV treatment, HIV is no longer a death sentence. Advertisement Unfortunately, progress in our understanding and treatment of HIV has not been met with progress in policies in the United States. In 38 states across the country, there remain problematic statutes and policies that carry penalties such as 35-year prison terms and required sex offender registration for behaviors now proven to have no risk of transmitting HIV (such as spitting and biting). Known as "HIV criminalization laws," these state policies are vestiges of fear that rely on misinformation about HIV transmission and undermine public health goals. These laws also ignore modern prevention methods (which can lower transmission risk to almost zero), they ignore modern medical treatment, and unlike other criminal laws, they don't take into account whether someone intended to cause harm. The Movement Advancement Project's newly released report, LGBT Spotlight Report: HIV Criminalization Laws, examines the problematic basis for these laws, their detriment to public health and the justice system, and the disproportionate impact these laws have on LGBT people. Few HIV criminalization laws take into consideration the science -- what we know about the risk, likelihood, and modes of transmission of HIV -- and the consequences are devastating. While the stated goal of these laws was to prevent HIV transmission, emerging research suggests these laws may result in the opposite effect, discouraging HIV testing and disclosure of HIV status. People living with HIV are put at increased risk of being charged with a crime. Some individuals have been sentenced to more than 30 years in prison when transmission did not occur. Others have been convicted even when they took steps to protect their sexual partners and the risk of transmission was negligible. In California alone, between 1988 and 2014, more than 380 people were convicted under that state's HIV-specific criminal statutes. Advertisement Take the story of Robert Suttle. After graduating from Louisiana State University -Shreveport, Suttle successfully worked for Louisiana's Second Circuit Court of Appeal as an assistant clerk. However, after a contentious romantic relationship ended, Suttle's former partner filed criminal charges against Suttle for allegedly not having disclosed his HIV status when they first met. Due to effective transmission prevention measures taken by Suttle, it was never determined whether his partner had contracted HIV and Suttle was not accused of transmitting HIV nor of lying about his HIV status. However, he was prosecuted under a Louisiana law that effectively requires people with HIV to disclose that status prior to having sexual contact, regardless of whether they engage in activity that has a risk of HIV transmission. Rather than face a possible a 10-year prison sentence, Suttle accepted a plea bargain and served six months in prison. He is required to register as a sex offender through 2024, and the words "sex offender" are printed in red capital letters underneath his picture on his driver's license. Today is a day of celebration for children's health care on the African continent as the Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital shows off its completed state-of-the-art facilities to the media and VIP guests for the first time - ahead of receiving its first patients in the New Year. It is also a wonderful day for Islamic Relief, which has contributed $7.7 million to the project to fund the children's oncology unit. Cancer is a blight on the lives of children all over the world but specialist treatment facilities on the African continent are particularly few and far between. This hospital promises to be a lifeline for many children, and a fitting addition to the legacy of Nelson Mandela, who passed away three years ago on Monday. Although HIV/AIDS infections amongst children remain a critical health priority in sub-Saharan Africa, cancer is emerging as a major cause of childhood death on the African continent. With our regional footprint in Southern Africa, this reality has become self-evident through our development programmes within the Southern African Development Community region, where we have worked to mitigate the effects of poverty on the indigenous populations of the area. Advertisement Currently, more than 450 million children live on the African continent. Yet there are only four specialist children's hospitals - compared to about 20 in the UK. In addition, statistics have shown that more than 40% of South African children with cancer never reach a specialist treatment centre, with this figure rising to 80% in other parts of the continent. With high levels of poverty and the lack of equipped healthcare facilities, diagnosis of cancer often takes place too late or the patient is forced to seek medical assistance from primary healthcare facilities that lack the sophisticated imaging equipment and trained staff. This is corroborated by the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP), who state that treating cancer in Africa has been problematic as it remains a "largely unknown" disease within communities - especially in rural areas. As a humanitarian organization, we believe that access to quality healthcare is a universal right, not a privilege reserved for those with wealth. We also recognise the great need for specialist paediatric services on the African continent, if the next generation of Africans are to survive and flourish. It is for this reason that we partnered with the Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital to build a state-of-the-art oncology unit in South Africa.This oncology unit will deliver specialist care for children with cancer and will help change these stark statistics by providing cutting-edge paediatric services. As a hub for the region as a whole, the hospital will build human capacity through training and research. It will ensure more children receive the specialist treatment and care that they need. Offering treatment to children across Africa, the hospital will also develop clinical excellence through training for clinical staff and health professionals, as well as research programmes. Advertisement Ultimately, The Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital is Nelson Mandela's lasting wish for the children of Africa, and his legacy for future generations to come. The 200-bed specialist hospital will set the standard for modern, child-centered healthcare facilities in Africa. It will serve children in South Africa and from across the continent. No child will be turned away because they cannot pay. Islamic Relief's International Programmes Director, Waseem Ahmad, is one of three representatives of major donors to the project speaking at today's launch. Also attending with Waseem are representatives of Islamic Relief USA including the CEO, Anwar Khan; and representatives of Islamic Relief UK including the Deputy Director, Tufail Hussain. Our US and UK offices have been the two biggest contributors to the $7.7 million raised for the hospital by the Islamic Relief global family, donating $1.75m and $2.5m respectively. I'm looking forward to the next play on offer at the Marin Theatre Company, in Mill Valley, but after the events of the past few months, I'm glad it doesn't open until next month. It's the West Coast premiere of Native Son, by Nambi E. Kelley, adapted from Richard Wright's justly famed 1940 novel. MTC's work is always so good, I'm sure the Chicago-set play, which conveys the social inevitability behind a horrific crime, will be well worth seeing. But like many people around here, I think, I need something gentle, sweet spirited, and charming right now. I need to laugh! Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley is just the ticket. Critics and playgoers will call it "a holiday delight," and they'll be right, but it's far more than a seasonal bonbon. Beyond its wonderful wit and humor, clever characterizations, and almost farcical comings and goings, the play delves into questions of freedom, duty, and happiness so deftly, you almost don't notice how thoughtful it is. If you know your Jane Austin, you're already aware that the play revisits our beloved Pride and Prejudice. It's set about two years after Lizzy Bennet has married Mr. Darcy and come to live on his grand estate. There for the holiday are her elder sister, Jane, and Mr. Bingley, awaiting their first child; Lydia Wickham, one of the two flibbertigibbet younger sisters; and Mary, the overlooked middle daughter. Darcy is the first to notice how observant, articulate, and witty Mary has become. The woman is stuck at home with her parents, with little to occupy her but her books and her pianoforte, and even her playing has become impressive...and expressive. Advertisement One who quickly does appreciate Mary is Darcy's cousin Arthur de Bourgh, nephew of the novel's odious Lady Catherine, who is Mary's equal in bookishness but far more awkward socially. Adam Magill is terrifically shy and bumbling, especially in the scenes where the late Lady Catherine's daughter, Anne, arrives at Pemberley and announces, to his surprise and Mary's extreme disappointment, that they're engaged. The scenes in which Lydia (Erika Rankin) and Anne (Laura Odeh) pursue him are hilarious. With Martha Brigham as Mary, they are at the top of a topnotch cast, which includes Cindy Im as Lizzy, Lauren Spencer as Jane, Joseph Patrick O'Malley as Darcy, and Thomas Gorrebeeck as Bingley. And the way the play deals with the serious questions at its core is exhilarating. As the only male heir, Arthur, not Anne, has inherited Lady Catherine's estate. The obvious solution to that problem is for them to marry; personal happiness is beside the point. As the play reminds us, Longbourn, the Bennet home, is similarly entailed to a male cousin; when her parents die, Mary will have to depart as well. The novel doesn't spend any time on the situation, but it is a terrible one, as the spirited Mary makes clear. The scene in which she reminds Arthur that he has choices, that he has the freedom a woman lacks--that he, unlike her, can shape his own life--is thrilling. When Arthur takes a stand at last, you want to cheer. Another excellent thing about the play--by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, beautifully directed by Meredith McDonough--is that all the sisters come into their own; there's more to each of them now. It's Lydia, of all people, finally looking beyond herself and no longer pretending to be happy, who suggests a different future to Anne. Advertisement The other night, my friend and I sat behind longtime Bay Area actors Joy and Nancy Carlin and discussed the play with them a bit at intermission. When the lights came up at the end, they turned around with tears in their eyes. "We got a little verklempt," Joy said. We all laughed a lot, too. What more could you want at Christmas, especially now? Through Dec. 23, Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley, 415.388.5208, marintheatre.org. (Note: In addition to being a college counselor, Patrick O'Connor is an award-winning instructor in political science.) It's been an unsettling week for the public employees of Michigan. Tuesday, the state Senate took up discussion of a bill that would change the retirement plan for all future teachers. The new plan would be a 401k that would replace the combination plan most teachers now have, which is a mix of a 401k and a traditional pension plan. Just as that debate was heating up, the state House introduced a series of bills that would drastically change the healthcare plans covering many retired municipal employees, including some police and firefighters. Unlike the teacher pension bill, these bills would alter the benefits current retirees are receiving. Advertisement To say these actions didn't go over well with the public sector would be an understatement, especially since the financial impact of both plans is unclear. Testimony on the Senate bill for teachers suggested the new plan might actually cost the state more in both the short and long term, while the brand new House bills were introduced with a common theme of "Well, we have to do something!" By the end of the day Thursday, the central question surrounding both bills was "What's the hurry?" Like all workers eager to tidy things up before heading out for vacation, the legislature usually puts on a burst of speed at the end of its two-year session, but many question the quality of the legislation that's passed. That's especially true this year, when the Republicans will still enjoy large majorities in the House and Senate, and Governor Snyder will enter his last two years of office. Elected officials are supposed to keep an eye on the state's finances, but given the economic complexities of these bills, why rush through what's clearly become two intricate issues when their solutions might become clearer with a few more months of study? Put simply, this allows both sides to get what they want. Governor Snyder has expressed concern about the Senate's teacher pension bill, a concern strong enough to lead some observers to wonder if he would sign it. On the other hand, his interest in balancing municipal budgets is quite high, so his support of the brand new House bills is clear. This creates the perfect atmosphere for some good old-fashioned horse trading. Knowing their teacher pension bill was facing an uncertain future, senators now have some leverage to make sure their desires are met; once the House and Governor Snyder approve the changes to the teacher pension plan, the Senate will OK the municipal healthcare changes the House and Governor Snyder want done by December. The atmosphere might be right for a similar bargain when there's more time to discuss both bills, but then again, it might not be--all the more reason to act now. Advertisement Citizens who feel all they can do is watch this play out are underestimating their power. Just like the child who makes their bed badly when they're told they can play once they're room is clean, it's up to us to call attention to the poor effort of this process, and support the concerns of Senators David Knezek, Marty Knolleberg, and others. Phone calls are already making an important difference, since both of these bills were supposed to be passed by the end of this week. They haven't passed, in part, because of the attention they've received from average citizens who have told their senators to give the bills more time. Cuba's President Fidel Castro gestures during a tour of Paris in this March 15, 1995 file photo. Ailing Cuban leader Castro said on February 19, 2008 that he will not return to lead the country, retiring as head of state 49 years after he seized power in an armed revolution. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/Files TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY Family photograph hand-colored by Rolando Estevez I got the news of Fidel Castro's death before the story broke in the United States. I heard it from my friend, the writer Sandra Cisneros, who texted me from Mexico. "Will your parents visit Cuba now?" she asked. She knows they are staunchly anti-Castro and anti-communist. "Maybe," I said. That night I uttered a prayer: May my parents, who are in their early 80s, live long enough to go back and see the island they haven't stopped dreaming about since we left fifty-five years ago. Advertisement Like all children of Cuban exiles who came to the United States in the early 1960s, I heard the name "Fidel Castro" constantly. He was the sole person responsible for the sorrow of my parents and grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who lost their beloved home in Cuba. As Cuban Jews, the wound came atop another wound. My grandparents, Jews from Poland and Turkey, were double refugees--they fled Europe on the eve of the Holocaust, finding refuge in a tropical island of rumba and sugarcane where everyone called each other "mi corazon" and anti-Semitism didn't exist. The family expected to stay in Cuba forever. They shared the patriotic fervor that led to the Cuban Revolution. But when Fidel Castro took away their livelihoods, they fled with other Jews in a mass exodus. Forced to confront the impermanence of life, they exclaimed, "Nada es para siempre" (nothing is forever), and choking back tears, they asked, "Who knows if we won't have to pack a suitcase and leave again?" I'll never forget how vehemently I was told, "No, you cannot take piano lessons! Learn to play something portable, like the violin." I was five and a half when we moved into a one-bedroom rental in Queens, New York. My father worked three jobs to save up to buy a Castro convertible sofabed, a modern contraption that the whole family thought was extremely sophisticated. My parents slept in the Castro in the living room so that my younger brother and I could have the bedroom. But as a little girl I was not only worried but very confused. How could Mami and Papi sleep on a sofabed called Castro? Wasn't that the name of the man who took our country from us? Going on shopping trips with my mother to Alexander's, a bargain basement store on Queens Boulevard, we spent hours hunting for the prettiest clothes on the sales rack. But the next day Mami would be wracked with guilt. Fidel Castro had called those of us who left Cuba the "worms" of the revolution, but Mami in her own way believed in the egalitarian ideals he had espoused. "We don't need so many clothes," she'd say. "Let's not be greedy." Since I spoke better English, I had to help her return everything to the store, hanging my head in shame as the saleswoman sniffed the clothes to be sure they hadn't been worn. Advertisement When I began returning to Cuba in the early 1990s, I was eager to see with my own eyes the place my family yearned for so desperately and that I left too young to remember. As an anthropologist, I travelled there to do research on the tiny Jewish community that remains, a mix of communists and converts who miraculously keep alive the Jewish heritage without a rabbi. But it wasn't just the research that made me keep wanting to return to Cuba over and over. I felt a longing to reclaim every memory ever stolen from me, to find the little girl who had once played under the banyan trees and ran unafraid on the high ledge of the Malecon feeling the sea mist. I wanted my childhood back. And in a way I got it. People on the island would correct me when I told them I had left Cuba. "No, you didn't leave Cuba, you were taken out of Cuba," they said. I realized I'd always be a little girl in Cuba. Never grow up. But now I'm an old little girl, "una nina vieja." I don't know how I managed to go to Cuba as often as I did, terrified as I always was of being in Cuba on the day Fidel Castro died. He was such a frightening figure from my childhood I was certain a cataclysmic rupture would happen on the day he ceased to exist. In my fantasies, I saw the earth breaking open and swallowing me whole and taking me with Him. As fate would have it, I wasn't in Cuba when he died. I have witnessed from afar the clanging of pots in Miami, the tears shed in Cuba. One of my wishes throughout the years, never spoken aloud for fear of jinxing it, was that Caridad, the beautiful Black woman who was my childhood nanny, would outlive Fidel Castro. When I first returned to Cuba, I was prepared for her to turn her back on me in a gesture of defiant revolutionary pride. Why would she care about a white middle class girl she once babysat for? Instead, Caridad took me in like an orphan. She had hoped to be a schoolteacher and didn't fulfill her dream under Batista or Castro, but she read voraciously. She remembered my mother fondly and one day gave me a gift to take back to her. They were my mother's honeymoon nightgowns, made from the lace my grandparents sold in their store on Calle Aguacate, left behind because they didn't fit in her suitcase. Somehow Caridad had the presence of mind to save the nightgowns for my mother in the turbulence of the revolution, an act of kindness that brought tears to my mother's eyes. At the age of 91, Caridad is now very frail, but she has outlived Fidel Castro. I take that as a sign that it is her spirit of kindness that will prevail in Cuba. We had come to think Fidel Castro was eternal. He was so omnipresent he found his way into the psyche of all Cubans, including children like me for whom he was a bogeyman. On the island, many believed he secretly practiced Santeria, the religion of Yoruba origin brought to Cuba by the African slaves. On one of his trips to Africa, people said, he received the sacred stones, the fundamentos. This African mojo protected him. "No puedan con el," people told me. No one could do battle with him. He was invincible. But in the end he wasn't invincible. Time caught up with him. As his ashes are ceremoniously wheeled across the island, it is the shock of his mortality that is on view. Fidel Castro will return to the earth on December 4th, the day Chango, a warrior deity who rules with lightening and thunder, is venerated in the Santeria religion. It is a fitting end. Fidel Castro tore a nation asunder. Even now, as Cubans mark his passing, we can't agree whether to weep for a revolutionary hero or cheer for the demise of a tyrant. But maybe we can declare a truce and try to see things from each other's side, so that we can all heal. I felt that note of hope in a text message my mother sent me, where she surprisingly expressed sympathy for the mourners in Cuba she had watched on television: "Hi Ruti, it was unbelievable to see the lines of people waiting for hours and hours in that infernal heat, and some who couldn't bear it even fainted, all just to offer their last goodbye." As an old little girl who has just turned sixty, I dream of the day when my parents will go with me to Cuba. In my Cuban dream, I am taking my parents by the hand and leading them through the broken streets of Havana that I have come to know so well. The streets are flooded, as they often are, by ocean waters that turn to rivers, cleansing away the years of sorrow, longing, and grief, giving us hope for the return of the home in the heart that never went away. Reuters is reporting that Donald Trump is considering ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson and former ExxonMobil CEO Lee Raymond for the post of Secretary of State. As someone who's been analyzing CEO pay for more than 20 years, I feel like I know these guys. So I couldn't resist pulling out excerpts from two of our annual Executive Excess reports in which Raymond and Tillerson played starring roles. First, in 2006, our report zeroed in on the CEOs who were profiting from the war in Iraq. Lee Raymond, as the outgoing CEO of ExxonMobil, was cashing in bigtime on war-related oil price volatility, something he readily admitted he had no control over. While ordinary Americans were feeling "pain at the pump," high oil prices had sent the value of his pay package soaring. Here's the timely excerpt: Advertisement Lee Raymond, ExxonMobil CEO, 1999-2005: In 2005, ExxonMobil collected $36 billion in profit, the grandest annual profit total ever recorded anywhere. Last November, called before Congress to explain the rising gas prices that appear to have fueled these record profits, ExxonMobil's Lee Raymond explained that rising prices reflect global supply and demand, nothing more. "We are all," Raymond assured Congress, "in this together, everywhere in the world." We're all in this together, except Raymond. As ExxonMobil CEO in 2005, his basic salary alone ran 63 times the average paycheck in the oil industry. Raymond's $4 million salary last year amounted to a weekly take-home of $83,333. But Raymond hardly had to content himself with just salary in 2005. His overall pay for the year totaled $69,684,030. Raymond retired from ExxonMobil at the end of 2005, and his near $70 million in compensation for the year seemed, at the time, a more than ample reward for his career of service to company shareholders. Company directors disagreed. This past April, news reports revealed that Raymond walked off into the retirement sunset with a going-away pay package that sets a staggeringly new golden parachute standard. Advertisement This retirement package -- a grab-bag of stock options, restricted stock awards from previous years, retirement-independent salary, and bonuses, plus a $1 million consulting contract, security services, a car and driver, access to the company corporate jet, and $210,800 in country club fees -- would add up to nearly $400 million. "He is a porker of the first order," executive pay expert Graef Crystal told Bloomberg after the news of Raymond's good fortune broke. "Those CEOs out there who are doing better at the trough must be thrilled he's flying fighter cover for them." Rex Tillerson, ExxonMobil CEO, 2006-present: And now on to ExxonMobil's current CEO, Rex Tillerson. In 2015, our Executive Excess report was the first to analyze how CEO pay practices are rewarding corporate leaders for accelerating climate change. The report documented, for example, how oil companies executive bonuses encourage behaviors that further lock the companies into fossil fuel dependency instead of diversifying into renewables. At ExxonMobil, the company's proxy statement cited successful drilling in "the first ExxonMobil-Rosneft Joint Venture Kara Sea exploration well in the Russian Arctic" among the reasons for awarding high executive payouts in 2014. The Russian government-owned Rosneft has a dismal environmental, safety, and transparency record, according to Greenpeace. Within months of the ExxonMobil bonus awards, international sanctions against Russia led to the scrapping of this controversial joint venture. Here's more from that report about Tillerson: A regular on lists of America's highest-paid corporate executives, Rex Tillerson pocketed $33 million in 2014, raising his total compensation over the past five years to $165 million. His gargantuan reward package doesn't just reflect the massive size of his firm, the nation's second-largest. As detailed later in this report, ExxonMobil aggressively uses stock repurchases to boost share prices, a move that in turn inflates Tillerson's equity-based pay. Between 2003 and 2013, buybacks accounted for an estimated 51 percent of ExxonMobil earnings per share growth. As of year-end 2014, Tillerson, who became ExxonMobil chair and CEO in 2006, was sitting on more than $166 million worth of unvested stock grants. Advertisement In the midst of all this share repurchasing, ExxonMobil has also been spending generously to support climate deniers. In the 2014 election cycle, ExxonMobil's PAC dished out $715,000 in campaign contributions to candidates who have either denied or raised questions about climate science. ExxonMobil, adds the Union of Concerned Scientists, also continues to quietly fund climate denial organizations. Shareholders have pushed hard for change at ExxonMobil. They've introduced 62 climate-related resolutions over the past 25 years. Management has opposed every one. CEO Tillerson, ironically, has little tolerance for environment-threatening behavior in his own backyard. Last year, his efforts to block a fracking project in his posh Dallas suburb made the front page of the Wall Street Journal. In a follow-up article in AlterNet, I noted that when a Catholic priest and shareholder activist urged investment in renewables at the company's annual meeting in 2015, Tillerson openly mocked him. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 2 By Anakhanum Hidayatova Trend: Trend has had an exclusive interview with Sebastian Kurz, Austrias minister for foreign affairs, who will chair the OSCE starting from 2017 when his country takes over the OSCE presidency from Germany. How do you assess the current state of bilateral political relations between Austria and Azerbaijan? What will be the main priorities of Austria in its relations with Azerbaijan in the future? The bilateral relations between Austria and Azerbaijan are very good and intense. One proof of this are the numerous high level visits over the last years: the then Austrian Federal President Heinz Fischer paid an official visit to Azerbaijan in 2011 and Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev returned the visit in May 2013. The presidents met again in November 2013 when in Vienna OSCE sponsored talks on Nagorno-Karabakh were held. Personally, I visited Azerbaijan in September 2014; furthermore I met Minister Elmar Mammadyarov at several occasions, the last bilateral meeting we had in the margins of the UN-GA in New York last September. Only a few days later Secretary General Michael Linhart visited Baku for political consultations. Azerbaijan is Austrias most important trading partner in the southern Caucasus and there is a huge potential for cooperation in the Silk Road and New Spice Road projects. We have identified many areas for intensified cooperation like culture, science and education. The Diplomatic Academy in Vienna offers annual Executive Training Programs for junior diplomats and civil service officials from the Black Sea/South Caucasus Region and participants from Azerbaijan are most welcome. We appreciate Azerbaijans role as one key provider of energy security for the EU; the deepening of this energy partnership as well as closer cooperation in Azerbaijans effort to diversify its economy should be priorities also in our future relationship. Austria also takes note of Azerbaijans fight against radicalization and violent extremism. The fight against terrorism of course in full compliance with our human rights obligations should be a common priority; the painful experience shows that terrorism is a global problem which can be stopped only by close international cooperation and by addressing the root causes. Another priority is an open dialogue over the shared values, especially those of democracy and human rights. And finally, we will also in the future offer our experience in confidence building measures, which are indispensable for the peaceful settlement of regional conflicts. Austria will be chairing the OSCE next year. Considering the protracted conflicts in the OSCE area, what Austria can do to bring Azerbaijan and Armenia closer to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and start working on the peace agreement? This is a decisive period and together with our international partners in the OSCE and the EU we are very clear that there can only be a peaceful solution to this conflict. We therefore call on all sides to focus on dialogue and diplomacy. There are ideas and offers on the table to strengthen trust and foster cooperation. The basic elements for further negotiations towards a peace agreement have been agreed upon by both Presidents - the Madrid Principles, with small adaptations, have been on the table now for nearly 10 years - so there is a basis and concrete issues to speak about. As a neutral country, and a country to chair the organization that has provided the major framework for negotiations of this conflict, we are fully aware of our high responsibility in this respect. While Austria is not a member in the Minsk Group, we are ready to help in its mediation efforts during our OSCE Chairmanship, and will also support the other elements of the Minsk Process. Azerbaijanis and Armenians can be assured that Austria is prepared to help in their search for a peaceful solution of this conflict through offering our neutral territory for negotiations, expert dialogue, youth meetings or any other activities that support to focus on peace and exclude the perspectives of war. Azerbaijan and the EU should soon be holding the negotiations related to the strategic agreement between the sides. What the EU and Azerbaijan should focus on, to make the mutual cooperation as effective as possible? Over the past two decades, the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PAC) signed between the EU and Azerbaijan in 1996 and being in force since 1999, has served as a solid framework for relations between the EU and Azerbaijan. Today Azerbaijan forms also part of the EU Eastern Partnership Program which envisages a differentiated approach towards Eastern Partnership countries addressing their particular needs and priorities. In this framework Azerbaijan only recently tabled an initiative for a new EU-Azerbaijani agreement. Currently, the Council and the European Commission are finalizing the mandate to negotiate a Comprehensive Agreement, and we expect negotiations to start in the foreseeable future. Austria is convinced that such an agreement will be beneficial for both sides, strengthen the cooperation and offer new opportunities. Until the new Comprehensive Agreement will enter into force, the working document between the EU and Azerbaijan remains the PAC. Azerbaijan initiated the Southern Gas Corridor project, which will play a significant role in strengthening Europes energy security and ensuring the diversification of energy sources. How do you assess the current progress in the implementation of the project? Austria is in favour of diversification efforts of energy suppliers and routes for the European Union. The Southern Gas Corridor has therefore strong support by Austria; it is also considered a strategic project by the EU connecting the Caspian and Middle East regions. At the same time, the Southern Gas Corridor is a challenging project. However, all countries along the route, including the important transit partner Turkey, are expected to continue close cooperation with the EU to finalise this project. Currently, there are no reasons to doubt the targeted completion of the first phase of the Southern Gas Corridor by 2020. All you need to do is stand up for 52 seconds, watch the Tricolour fluttering merrily on the screen, to the strains of a pleasant and inspiring song, which happens to be the National Anthem of India. Difficult? Strenuous? Even so, how many times in a month are you being asked to do it - twice, thrice, or maybe less or more, depending on how often you visit the cinema. Why a cinema hall? Why not?? When the brouhaha about the National Anthem started, I felt bemused. In my own experience, I have always felt a sense of pride, standing up in a cinema hall for the anthem and seeing the rest stand at attention too. It felt like a shared moment of collective pride in being part of a nation. We are not talking about religion here, nor class. There is no discrimination of any class of people or intolerance of another's religious beliefs here. This is not about some devious indoctrination or conversion. It is just about a small shared token of acknowledgement to your nation. It appears that the National Anthem has no legitimacy beyond sporting events and 15th August and 26th January. If the anthem is played beyond these boundaries, and, more so, horror of horrors in a cinema hall, it is strangely a case of 'force-feeding' patriotism. In my childhood years, a cinema hall was an appropriate enough place to play the anthem. In fact, memories of watching movies in those days are inextricably linked with the standing up at attention for the National Anthem, after the show. Was it a big deal? On the contrary. Everybody stood with respect and there was no intellectual angst or questioning of the rightness or wrongness of the gesture. For ultimately, it is just that. A small gesture to acknowledge your country through the symbol of its flag. Why was this sort of nationalism acceptable then, but is objectionable today? Because a war had been fought recently then, and the qurbani of our soldiers was fresh in the mind? Well, can only wars justify patriotism? Is it silly and irrelevant to nurture patriotic feelings otherwise and keep in mind the sacrifices it took and takes to be independent and free? Another mock query. Why, in a cinema hall and not malls, clubs, restaurants. Simple. A cinema hall has one unique quality that marks it out as being different from all other places cited. It is the one spot which cuts across all class lines, for here you have under the same roof, all classes of people, and all creeds. This makes it a perfect place to run the anthem to gently jog the sensibilities of the crowd, and stoke the ember of patriotism. Also, let's get one more thing clear - patriotism is not only about borders. It is about the soil that has nourished you, (Mere desh ki mitti), and which has granted you the right to call it your own. It is about the free air you breathe, the patch of sky that is rightfully yours. And, it is about your heart swelling in pride and gratitude at these supreme benedictions. These bounties have not come cheap. They have been fought for and won by the constant 'standing at attention' (in peace-time and war) of our Armed forces. Ask the homeless refugees of the world, what it is to have a homeland you can call your own. Then, reflect on the value of patriotism and how it can never be force-fed. For, ultimately patriotism is the most natural thing, being as it is, about pride, gratitude, and thankfulness. In the Ramayana, Lord Ram has praised love for one's Motherland as the highest heaven. There are certain noble emotions in human beings which if properly manifested create a sense of inner effulgence and well-being. Patriotism is one of them. It is as natural as breathing. Where's the question of being forced? Hearing the Jana Gana Mana - even in a cinema hall - reminds me of this debt I owe my nation. This debt - to the nation and its Armed forces - is something we should never forget. The Anthem, reminds me each time, of how hard-won freedom was, and to be continually grateful for it. Over the past two decades, the national media has given considerable attention to disturbing stories of youth suicides that have resulted in part from bullying. Advertisement As a result of the greater awareness, scientists have gained a better understanding of what constitutes bullying, why some youth bully and why others are victimized. There is also a better understanding of the short- and long-term effects of bullying. However, in spite of all these efforts, intervention programs to reduce bullying have had limited success. Why that should be so is what interests me as a prevention scientist and psychologist. Two headline results are these: Bullying prevention programs fail to take into account a number of factors, including the fact that youth who bully in middle school tend to be popular and powerful. And it turns out, sexual harassment among adolescents is directly related to bullying. How bullying is linked to sexual harassment I conducted a five-year study where I was the lead researcher who followed youth from middle to high school in Illinois to examine risk factors of bullying and sexual harassment. Advertisement My research shows that fifth and sixth graders in the U.S. who bully students often use homophobic name-calling such as "gay" or "fag," especially when boys do not act masculine and girls do not act feminine. We found that such homophobic language is used to assert power over other students. What is worse, my research shows that homophobic name-calling sets the stage for the development of sexual harassment. For example, when youth are called "gay" or "fag," they start to sexually harass members of the opposite sex to demonstrate that they are not gay. The nature of bullying incidents This five-year study of over 1,300 youth was complemented by interviews with students and teachers about sexual harassment among middle school youth. Middle school youth responded to questions about the most upsetting incident they experienced and identified characteristics of perpetrators. Teachers shared their perceptions about sexual harassment among youth. Not surprisingly, verbal victimization, such as unwanted sexual commentary and homophobic name-calling, was more frequent. However, our study also found that youth in school were a target of many troubling behaviors and even sexual assaults. What was most concerning was that the young people we spoke with failed to recognize the seriousness of some of those behaviors - a result, in part, of the failure of schools to address them. Our study found that youth in schools reported a range of harassment experiences. These included being a target of homophobic language. One person said, "People call me gay but I am not." Another told us, "People tell me I a gay because my mom is," or "spread rumor I am gay." One student said they "call me gay every five seconds." Advertisement But bullying behaviors were not limited to verbal harassment: 25 percent of youth in the above also reported being forced to kiss someone and even being sexually assaulted. Girls reported boys as perpetrators of sexual harassment and sexual assault, whereas boys reported their perpetrators as other boys and close friends. Bullying behaviors not recognized However, what surprised us was how dismissive these youth were of such victimization experiences, even though they related them as very upsetting incidents. Youth would describe having their private parts touched and then immediately say things like "but he was just kidding." This dismissiveness might stem from the fact that adults in schools failed to attend to and to stop sexual harassment when they saw it. For example, we found in our study that teachers, school officials and staff members did not even acknowledge that sexual harassment was happening in middle school. One teacher explained that "Most of the sexual harassment training was viewed as a 'human resource' responsibility, aimed at adults in the workplace and not as a problem that students experience." Advertisement We also found that in the absence of professional development on both bullying and sexual harassment, these adults in the school did not understand how sexual harassment was going on between students. Teachers were unaware of school, district or federal policies to protect students from harmful experiences and did not recognize their own role in preventing them. Many teachers did not see the link between bullying and sexual harassment. So, what can be done? This raises a larger question of how can schools stop bullying and sexual harassment among early adolescents. As bullying in middle school - largely driven by the use of homophobic slurs - has been found to be an antecedent to sexual harassment in high school, bullying prevention programs need to address homophobic language and sexual harassment directly. We have also found that social-emotional learning (SEL) programs can help reduce bullying, homophobic name-calling and sexual harassment in schools. These programs use activities and the teaching of skills like empathy, anger management, problem-solving, communication skills, impulse control, etc. Advertisement They help youth become self-aware, manage their emotions, build social skills (empathy, perspective-taking, respect for diversity), develop friendship skills and learn positive coping and problem-solving skills. My research shows that when teachers implement this classroom curriculum, it leads to significant reductions in sexual harassment in 36 schools with over 3,600 students. Such programs in middle school can minimize the escalation of gender-based violence (e.g., sexual harassment, teen dating violence). When bullying involves unwanted sexual commentary, rumor-spreading or touching, this should be considered sexual harassment and should be addressed immediately. As the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights says, "The sexual harassment of students, including sexual violence, interferes with students' right to receive an education free from discrimination and, in the case of sexual violence, is a crime." By Andrew Harding Abdirizak Fartaag is a Canadian Somali who returned to Mogadishu in 2009 and worked in the prime minister's office in charge of public finances. He was the man who had authorized Tarzan's first official check in 2010. In 2011, Fartaag was quietly relieved of his duties. He left Somalia in a hurry and proceeded to publish, in forensic detail, allegations of grotesque corruption that he said he'd uncovered during the years he'd worked at the heart of government. His allegations were breathtaking. Hundreds of millions of dollars had, he claimed, been systematically pocketed by officials at the very highest levels. And he wasn't just making vague allegations. In the tax year of 200910, he said that precisely $72,725,000 in foreign bilateral assistance had been "stolen." Advertisement No wonder Fartaag was now receiving death threats. When I first contacted him by email and told him what I was writing about, he wrote back almost immediately and with refreshing frankness. His email was full of words in capital letters and highlighted text, and it reminded me, in its indignation and its brusque certaintiesthough not its contentof the way Tarzan talks. "Why [is] a thug like Tarzan . . . news worthy? It's amazing how people . . . with no pedigree of government assume these offices with the sole purpose of enriching themselves while playing clan politics to remain in power. All the hope and aspirations of 3 years ago seem like a fart in the wind." No punches pulled. And Fartaag's email roared on, capturing the essence of something I'd heard from many other Somalis, particularly in the diaspora. "Why isn't positive news being reported from Somalia?" he demanded, and then proceeded to give me a list of worthy, well-known doctors and human rights workers"the true heroes of Somalia"whom I should be writing about instead. I could well understand his frustration. Still, I could also see a certain irony. Here was a man who had risked his life to expose massive government corruption demanding that outsiders focus on the good news instead. Advertisement Fartaag walked into the Nairobi cafe nodding and smiling at a few other Somalis sitting at nearby tables. He was wearing a white shirt with dark brown stripes, and his tousled gray-black hair sat toward the back of his scalp, leaving a large forehead exposed above his metal-rimmed glasses. He sat down and systematically unveiled his qualities, like a doctor setting out his implements. Charm first, then a probing intelligence, followed by skepticism, blistering indignation, self-doubt, contempt for lazy conformity, and finally a wry, half-amused sense of gloom. "Frankly speaking, everybody was corrupt," Fartaag said of his time in Somalia's transitional government. "Everybody?" "Everybody." He grimaced and tapped the side of his head. "Up here . . . We're mentally poor. Just a bunch of nomads." Fartaag described how the president or prime minister would routinely come back from trips to one of the Gulf states carrying briefcases full of cash. Sometimes $1 million. Sometimes up to $5 million. Sudan's government would send $2 million every month. "And it was your job to keep track of it?" I asked. "It was my job. It was hell. At the beginning . . . I don't want to give myself excuses, but at the beginning I did not understand exactly what was going on." He described taking two black suitcases containing $5 million to the central bank. The deposit was formally acknowledged, but without mentioning where the cash had come from. From time to time, an official would take the suitcases out and disappear with them. Advertisement Fartaag's description chimed with an anecdote I'd heard from another source, about the way blocks of cash would, it was claimed, be handed out during governmental cabinet meetings. On one occasion a minister allegedly accused a top official of pocketing nearly $1 million from the suitcase before the money was shared out. There was a huge row, but in the end, everyone took his or her stake. You could interpret such a scene, charitably, as business as usuala clan-based government, in a system shorn of any credible bureaucracy, dividing the wealth between those same clans in an open way that encouraged a degree of trust. Or you could see it as a Mafia-like move to establish collective guilt and to make it harder for anyone to blow the whistle. Over time, Fartaag said, he came to understand that the corruption was an uncontrollable force. And he was clear about where the bulk of the blame lay: the diaspora. "Everyone who came there had one thing in mind. How to rob the system," he claimed. Sign up for more essays, interviews and excerpts from Thought Matters. ThoughtMatters is a partnership between Macmillan Publishers and Huffington Post At which point, I raised the topic of Tarzan. It was a strange, uncomfortable moment for me. In some ways I was ready to hear the worst about him, to find out that he was, after all, no different from any other corrupt politician, spoiled by the temptations of working in such an opaque system and fueled, perhaps, by a sense of entitlementafter all, he was risking his life, surely he deserved to profit somewhere along the line, too. But I was also worried. The more I'd learned about Tarzan's life, and about his familyall those hours together at their modest council flat in London, in Mogadishu, and on the phonethe more inclined I'd become to believe him and Shamis, and Yusuf. Advertisement Given what he'd already said, I was expecting Fartaag to be blunt and damning. What I wasn't anticipating was his own discomforthis own reluctance to topple a statue. Fartaag began with the "facts." Before Tarzan had taken over, the mayor's office had been "idle and dysfunctional." There were no records of any government funding. When Tarzan arrived in 2010, his office received $50,000 from the prime minister's office, but the accountant general never declared it. Soon afterward, $1.5 million was reportedly allocated to the mayor's office by the Ministry of Finance, but in an annual statement, only $682,504 was declared. In other words, in Tarzan's first few months in the job, over $800,000 appeared to have gone missing. Conclusive? No. The Finance Ministry was, itself, profoundly corrupt and was blocking the government's auditors at every step. Fartaag had discovered large-scale misappropriations in almost every corner of government. But still. "Where did the money go?" Fartaag asked. And what about the subsequent income the mayor's office received as a share of the revenue from Mogadishu's seaport? "What has been done with that 15 percent share?" Fartaag let the question hang in the air for a while. He had no answer to it. "Show me the documents," he said, as if Tarzan was at the table with us. "Just show me. Allow me to vouch for your books." Advertisement And it was only now that Fartaag's frustration became tinged with something more melancholy, with a sense of having been let down. "I don't know if I'm being unfair here. But I was expecting someone like him, someone who has lived in Englandthe beacon of democracyto do the right things. He could have established a committee and said, 'This is what I get15 percent from the port. This is not my money. I'm going to go to England and get external auditors and I'm going to open my books. If you find anything wrong, expose me.' " Fartaag ran a hand through his hair. I could see him picturing how things might have been. "Oh, oh, that guy would have been a hero! He had all the possibilities to do the right things. He never did them. All these years I was hoping he would come to me and say, 'Fartaag, you're wrong,' and show me the documents." And now I could see his anger returning, along with something close to self-loathing. "We're all useless. Mediocre." He spat the words out. The diaspora were weak, greedy, and divided. The Islamists in the government were strong, driven, but utterly ignorant of Mogadishu's culture and history. "It's really sad. Really sad. I try to be fair to Tarzan. He's not the only one. We've given a bad name to the diaspora. Each and every one of us is pathetic." Advertisement Fartaag's thoughts began to ricochet. How could Somalia be fixed? The UN were "rubbish," but maybe Britain and America could get together and set up some sort of "soft colony," putting their own officials in to oversee each ministry. He began criticizing Somalia's new president, a quiet professor named Hassan Sheikh, who had chosen to stay in the country during the wars, working for several international aid organizations. Some believed the president was now beholden to Islamists. "Honestly speaking, I still prefer Tarzan to Hassan Sheikh," Fartaag said abruptly. The comment came out of the blueas if he couldn't get the mayor out of his head. "You mean you'd vote for Tarzan, after all you've said about him?" "I swear to God, I would vote for Tarzan. Because . . . Now I'm going to contradict myself." Fartaag paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. He wanted to make it clear that he could only support Tarzan if he could prove he hadn't stolen any money. But still, by saying that, he was now admitting it was a possibility. "The guy has guts. He's lived abroad. He's enlightened. He's someone I could . . . I could . . . I could . . . I could accept to be at the helm of the government." It was dark by the time I walked outside. I caught a cab by the petrol station across the road and we crawled off into Nairobi's traffic. I sat in the front seat, trying to work out what I'd just learned. Fartaag's vivid, self-flagellating sense of disillusionment rang true. Somalia had lived by its own set of rules for so long that corruption seemed almost hardwiredlike a logical, functioning system rather than an aberration. But where did that leave Tarzan? Again, Fartaag's own furious ambivalence seemed to make sense. Maybe it was as close as anyone could get to the truth. It would be several months before I would sit down with Tarzan in London and try to get some answers. All this time, Mogadishu continued to grapple with its own feverish contradictions. Impromptu cement block factories were popping up in empty courtyards to cater to a housing boom. New universities and dozens of small private schools were opening up. Modern hotels, too. But Al Shabab seemed more active than ever, launching a string of bloody assaults on government buildings and hotels and taking the blame for the hit-and-run assassinations that erupted almost daily on the city's increasingly traffic-clogged roads. Advertisement From THE MAYOR OF MOGADISHU by Andrew Harding. Copyright 2016 by the author and reprinted with permission of St. Martin's Press, LLC. Andrew Harding has been living and working abroad, as a foreign correspondent, for the past 25 years, in Russia, the Caucasus, Asia and Africa. He has been visiting Somalia since 2000. His television and radio reports for BBC News have won him international recognition, including an Emmy, an award from Britain's Foreign Press Association, and other awards in France, Monte Carlo, the United States and Hong Kong. He currently lives in Johannesburg with his family. By Michelle DeFreese From multiple perspectives, Gambia defies conventional knowledge and practices of international relations and foreign affairs. One of Africa's smallest nations, its controversial leader, Yahya Jammeh, has maintained relative peace and stability in comparison to the country's neighbors since assuming power in 1994. Outspoken in his views, often in direct opposition of human rights norms, and characterized by his authoritarian style of leadership, Jammeh has managed to maintain power despite coup attempts, low levels of human development, and economic dependence on remittances. In keeping with its contrarian positioning in international affairs, Gambia has developed a rather opportunistic strategy in sourcing development aid and in the formation and dissolution of diplomatic alliances. At a cursory glance, Gambia's current list of donors may appear to be quite random. In reality, these alliances are symptomatic of a development assistance framework that has become upended in recent years. As the foreign aid landscape has become more diverse, recipient countries have become increasingly selective in terms of accepting politically conditional aid. Non-aligned countries have a greater selection of potential donors than in the past, with opportunistic countries challenging conventional paradigms of aid conditionality. Once characterized largely by a relationship driven by unequal balances of power, the current status quo of development assistance has been challenged by new actors and emerging donors. The Overseas Developing Institute (ODI) describes this trend as "the age of choice." Few countries have challenged the traditional aid architecture in such a dramatic fashion as Gambia. Advertisement As a result of a proliferation of new donor states, disparate norms and stipulations can be tied to aid recipients that result in different mandates and challenges. For non-aligned countries, this has led to a tendency to negotiate more favorable terms and conditions upon receipt of aid. Indeed, Gambia has grown increasingly selective in its bilateral relations and development partners. Rather than conform to the political conditionality of aid (such as adherence to human rights norms and democratic governance) mandated by traditional Western donors, the West African nation has formed relationships with donor countries with different norms, values, and systems of accountability. In its quest to forge its own path with development partners, Gambia has broken diplomatic relations with Taiwan and the European Union, exited the Commonwealth of Nations, and realigned its foreign relations strategy to partner with donors more likely to turn a blind eye to the nation's human rights record. As traditional donors have attempted to align foreign aid policies with more progressive human rights conventions, Gambia's hardline stance on homosexuality in particular has caused a rift with many Western powers, leading the country to form close relationships with donors outside of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Development Assistance Committee, such as China, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. In the past three decades, Gambia has spurned long-term donors and political allies for unpredictable alignments with emerging donors. Despite its small size, Gambia has developed into a political maverick, eschewing human rights policies and stipulations on foreign aid to form unconventional alliances. This has allowed it to secure development assistance from high GDP, conservative Muslim countries with foreign policies less dominated by traditional Western human rights concerns, including Qatar and the UAE. These have included 11 loans totaling $91.1 million from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development. As a result of Gambian foreign policy maneuvering, the country has succeeded in reversing the typical donor-recipient relationship in which donors play the dominant role in determining the conditions of aid. Between 2008 and 2013, Gambia received 73 million euros in aid from the European Union. In 2013, the European Union temporarily withheld a reported 13 million euros of aid over human rights and rule of law concerns. In response, Gambia announced its withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Nations, further pulling away from traditional donors. Yet while the European Parliament has motioned for punitive measures to be taken against representatives of Gambia due to allegations of human rights abuses, to date the European Union remains the country's largest bilateral donor with $186 million in pending funding still earmarked for the country. Advertisement Western donors are not the only ones to have experienced the impetuous statecraft and donor wrangling employed by the small, West African nation in recent years. Gambia severed ties with Taiwan shortly after receiving $6.6 million in aid from the country. Reports suggest the rupture was caused by a refusal of Taipei to provide an addition $10 million in aid - despite the fact that Gambia owed Taiwan $10 million in loans. Much to the disappointment of Taipei, Gambia re-established diplomatic ties with China on March 17, 2016 marking the first time in eight years that the China has recognized an ally of Taiwan. Overall, Gambian foreign policy is an illustrative example of the increasingly complex, multipolar agreements and power dynamics guiding an interconnected web of African affairs, China-African relations, Islamic development finance, and South-South relations at work in the region. As emerging donors continue to increase in number and influence, Gambia's atypical, opportunistic approach to foreign policy decision-making is likely to become more common, serving as a telling precursor for a rapidly changing landscape of development norms and assistance. As a result, more unlikely partnerships and allegiances will unite opportunistic foreign aid recipients and donors willing to fund even the most repressive regimes. I went to a screening of "The Birth of a Nation" with my 85-year-old mother whose energy and interests continue to belie her age. She was the best date to go with to this screening. Her grandfather, my great grandfather, was a Turner, David Turner. Just like Nat Turner, he came from Southampton, Virginia. Unlike, Nat Turner, he was born barely free. I wonder just how free he was before coming north with my great grandmother, Ella Jones, whom he married in 1903. Jim Crow, no doubt ruled. His thirst couldn't be quenched just anywhere unless he carried his own bottle of "pop". And when he married my great grandmother at the age of 26, he was still someone's boy day in and day out, and definitely both he and his wife were still "colored" abbreviated, "Col" on their marriage license. At first, I asked myself, "Do I really need to see another movie about slavery?" "Do I really want to feel my breath getting heavy and eyes well up when yet another young enslaved woman is called upon to satisfy the master's friends or when an enslaved man steps out of line and gets beaten back into his place?" No. There is no film I need to see, just some that I should and this was one of them. It's a beautiful film, (Bravo, Nate Parker.) if such a film can be beautiful. There are gloriously sun-filled scenic shots. There's a joyous wedding celebration and a giggle every now and then. Giggle. It's an odd word to use when talking about a film on slavery. Maybe chuckle is better, a more sturdy word for a reprehensible act of man against man, and woman. A little comic relief never hurt a slave film, I guess. "Mother, you want some popcorn? I'm really not in the mood for it tonight. Somehow watching a film about slavery and its horrors and munching on popcorn just doesn't seem right." My mother chuckled. " I wouldn't mind some candy." I offered her a mint. Just like films before "Birth of a Nation", that same heavy feeling crept up on me. Memories came back like the time my sister, stepsister, cousin and I were asked out of a pool in the late 60's in LA where a friend, a white woman lived in the complex. She was the mother of my cousin's boyfriend. I remember the fury in her eyes as she went to a desk and whipped out notepaper to make her anger known in writing to management. I thought back to just a few weeks ago, when in the laundry room of my building on the Upper East Side, a Trinidadian woman upon discovering that she knew a friend of mine in Trinidad promised to try and connect us, asked, "How many days a week do you work in this building?" She thought we were both housekeepers. On Facebook, white former colleagues and friends I grew up with in the advertising business have retired; they travel and live their dreams effortlessly. No doubt they earned more than I from the first day they entered the ad business. How can a film depicting what happened over 200 years ago be so timely? It's easy. The scourge of slavery keeps on giving. It permeates every bit of our days even when we don't see it. Hence, "I don't see color," white people will boast as they leave the office to go home to their white neighborhoods, their white country clubs and white social events. They speak the truth. They don't see color. I remember my great-grandfather during his last days. He lived in a nursing home in Brooklyn for colored people, it said so on the facade of the building. My grandmother and great aunt would come back home after a visit and tick off what he ate. "He had some milk, and we made him have a little Jell-O." We'd go and visit him, his eyes staring into nowhere as we were busy with child's play. Maybe he was rewinding his life in his mind, happy to be in Brooklyn, New York where he walked down the street with his wife in peace. Walk in peace. Not so easy for many these days. You can't sit in your car in peace. You can't go home in peace. You can't live in peace in your neighborhood or outside of your neighborhood. You can't even do laundry in peace. I covered my eyes during the gory scenes in "The Birth of the Nation". I got mad when a little girl was taken out of the bed of an older white man who was soon violently put out of the his misery or was it the misery of the rebels and young girl? Recently, I was talking to a friend about where I live and how much I like my apartment. "But I get kind of tired of seeing the black servitude," I said. It's not free but it still seems like a natural. We're handed their young to raise eight hours a day, and we tend to their old until the last day." Many, I'm sure are happy to have these jobs, they come from islands like Jamaica still scarred by the slave trade. I'm not mad with them. After the screening, I said to my mother, "In light of what's going on these days in the country, while there has been great change and progress, the only real change has been the costumes." She nodded her head in agreement. At 85, she should know. It's her birthright and mine too. Details added (first version posted at 16:39) Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 2 Trend: Azerbaijan welcomes Russias setting, in its new foreign policy concept, the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a priority in interactions with other OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries, Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, told Trend Dec. 2. The concepts principles, outlined in the joint statements of the presidents of Russia, US and France, made in 2009-2013, are indicated as a basis for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement. Inadmissibility and instability of the status quo are stressed in the statements made by the presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries, Hajiyev added. Azerbaijan, together with Russia and other OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries, will continue constructive actions to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through substantive negotiations and rapidly change the existing unacceptable and unsustainable status quo in accordance with the talks of the presidents in St. Petersburg, Hajiyev said. Russia actively supports the political and diplomatic settlement of conflicts in the post-Soviet area, said a new foreign policy concept of Russia, approved by President Vladimir Putin and published on the official website of the Kremlin. Russia contributes to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict together with other OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries as part of the existing multilateral negotiation mechanisms and on the basis of the principles set out in the joint statements of the Russian, US and French presidents, made in 2009-2013, the concept 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. Laura Kelly, Derek Schmidt locked in close governor's race, poll shows New polling released Wednesday shows races for Kansas governor and attorney general remain toss-ups, as the Nov. 8 election nears. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 2 By Anakhanum Hidayatova Trend: After the agreement on simplification of visa regime with the EU is successfully implemented, Azerbaijan will request an action plan for a visa-free regime with Europe, Azerbaijans Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev told Trend. He said that Azerbaijan and the EU are successfully implementing the agreement on simplification of the visa regime. Agreement on simplification of the visa regime between EU and Azerbaijan entered into force Sept. 1, 2014. "Azerbaijan and the EU signed two agreements on visa facilitation and readmission, and as far as I know, Azerbaijan has no serious violations," said the deputy foreign minister. "There are very few migrants in the EU from Azerbaijan, at least in comparison with other countries. If all goes well, the next stage of the implementation of the visa-free regime between the EU and Azerbaijan will begin." He said that the most important thing for Azerbaijan is the exact fulfillment of all obligations under the agreement, in order to have arguments to request an action plan for implementation of the next stage of the agreement. The deputy foreign minister noted that currently, the visa-free regime between Azerbaijan and the EU is applied only those with diplomatic passports. Mammad-Guliyev went on to add that the Brexit wont affect future negotiations between the EU and Azerbaijan on a new strategic agreement. Music Publishing Roundup 12.2.16: Global Royalty Collections NY Music Tax Credits U-God Sues Wu-Tang Global music royalty collections were up for the second year in a row to $7.9 billion in 2015. At constant currency, that represented a 3.5% increased on 2014 according to the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC). CISAC is comprised of 239 member societies that represent four million creators worldwide, including US mechanical collection society Harry Fox Agency for the first time, which greatly contributed to the 13.2% rise year-on-year in the Canada/USA region. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has vetoed a $50 million tax-credit bill designed to boost music production jobs in the state. The bipartisan legislation called the Empire State Music Production Tax Credit would have provided a 25 percent tax credit for eligible music-production-related costs downstate and a 35 percent credit for those costs upstate. New York Is Music, a coalition of more than 200 music-related organizations is disappointed by the veto, but optimistic in the tax credits future. Founding member of Wu-Tang Clan U-God is reportedly suing the group over unpaid royalties. U-God claims in his suit that he hasnt received his share of royalty payments for six years, in addition to his share of merchandising and the top secret double album purchased by Martin Shkreli for $2 million. He is requesting at least $2.5 million which covers numerous breaches of contract as well as a complete accounting of Wu-Tangs revenue streams. Share on: Two Missouri-based mutual insurers, CFM Insurance, Inc. and Farmers Mutual Insurance Co. (FMIC) of Grundy County, have approved a plan for a merger presented by both companies boards via a unanimous vote.Upon approval by the Missouri Department of Insurances director, John Huff, all insurance policies issued by FMIC will be transferred to CFM, effective January 1, 2017.Both insurance companies have been in the business for over a century. FMIC was established in 1895, while CFM has been in business since 1869. Currently, CFM has US$20 million in written premiums and over 21,000 policyholders. With the merger, the resulting entity will be one of the most experienced mutual insurers in the state of Missouri. It aims to bring stronger coverage, more stable rates, and reduced reinsurance costs to its clients.CFM president and CEO Jacob Black and FMIC of Grundy County secretary and treasurer Gary Black issued a joint statement announcing the merger.This business relationship over the years has led to a valuable partnership that shares very similar beliefs and a strong history of over 120 years, thanks to such loyal policyholders, the statement reads. Like so many things we have seen evolve in our communities, the time had come for FMIC of Grundy County to become part of something bigger. Though big changes are taking place behind the scenes for the company, policyholders wont see much change other than a new logo on their bills and more payment and coverage options. We are excited for the future and the benefits our policyholders will experience moving forward. A police sergeant in Hingham, Massachusetts, has been found guilty of faking a car accident injury while he was on duty, and then filing false insurance claims.Kris Phillips, 53, was sentenced to two years in jail, of which he will serve six, after a three-day trial in Plymouth Superior Court.The sergeant was working at a shopping center in Hingham in July 2015 when he claimed he was struck and injured by a car backing out of a parking spot, the Boston Herald reports.An investigation found that his claims were fabricated and that he had filed false injury reports as well as fraudulently receiving health insurance coverage for treatment.At the trial, he was found guilty of one count of misleading a police investigation and two counts of filing a false insurance claim.As well as being sentenced to a stint in Dukes County House of Corrections, Phillips was ordered to pay $1,900 in restitution, and will no longer serve as a police officer.Each day they put the uniform on, our police officers put their lives on the line in order to keep the public safe, said District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz, who announced the sentencing today.The jury made the right decision in finding Mr. Phillips guilty, he continued. His unlawful actions and betrayal of trust should not tarnish the exemplary work performed day in and day out by members of the Hingham Police Department. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 2 By Anakhanum Hidayatova Trend: Czech Minister of Trade and Industry Jan Mladek will attend the Azerbaijan-Czech Republic intergovernmental commissions next meeting to be held in early February 2017 in Baku, Czech Ambassador to Azerbaijan Vitezslav Pivonka told Trend. The diplomat said the Vice-Speaker of the Czech Republics Parliament Vojtech Filip will also visit Baku to take part in the GUAM Parliamentary Assembly. The visit will take place from Dec. 14 to Dec. 16, noted Pivonka. We have prepared a memorandum of cooperation between the energy ministries of Azerbaijan and Czech Republic, and the final text is ready, he added. The agreement is expected to be signed by the two countries energy ministers in early 2017, said the ambassador. He also noted that there is a strategic cooperation between the two countries. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Anahanum There is to be no reprieve for a woman who was at the centre of an insurance killing 24 years ago.Catherine Thompson was 42 at the time when she allegedly arranged for her husband to be killed so she could collect a $400,000 life insurance payout. She was convicted in 1992 of embezzling money from her employer and then engaging in various fraudulent transactions to gain enough money to hire someone to kill her husband, Melvin Thompson, 49, who owned an auto repair shop in Santa Monica, California.He was shot dead at the shop with police arresting Catherine Thompson immediately she was in jail during his funeral and, according to an LA Times report, requested jewelry from his body be brought to her.Shortly after she was released she used the jewelry to finance a gambling trip and was later arrested again when police learned of her fraudulent dealings which linked her to Philip Sanders, the man she was convicted of hiring to carry out the killing.Now 68, Mrs Thompson claimed her constitutional rights were violated as she was forced to stand trial at the same time as Sanders; and claimed that the prosecution had conspired with Sanders to ensure her conviction in order for him to avoid the death penalty.In an acknowledgement, Justice Kathryn Mickle Werdegar described the cooperation with the prosecutor and defense as unusual but did not believe that Thompsons rights were violated.The evidence of defendants guilt was overwhelming, including her many financial frauds indicating her motive, her lies [and] her blurted-out statements indicating guilt, Werdegar wrote in a statement reported on by the LA Times.This was Mrs Thompsons first appeal and she still has the right to challenge the sentence and conviction on other grounds. 'Moonlight' tracks the passage of time and experience of a young, bullied African-American boy who grows up on the mean streets of Miami. 'Moonlight': Illuminating The DNA of everything that is wrong, sad and perplexing about race relations in the U.S. is poetically discerned and illuminated in filmmaker Barry Jenkins' Oscar-worthy "Moonlight." Jenkins ingeniously utilizes the low-budget, art house look of his sociologically profound film about a young black man's journey in ghettoized America to personalize the tale without the least bit of affectation. It is storytelling in our best, lyrical tradition, ripping open barely sealed wounds in its engrossing proof that there's nothing like the real truth to get your attention. In the slums of Miami, in an indeterminate near-past that implies the infinite stagnancy of such hopelessly forgotten locales, preadolescent Little hides from his bigger contemporaries. He's been tormented since his first steps on the cruel roads that he must traverse in order to get to school. Every day brings the same horror: pain inflicted by bullies for their own self-aggrandizement. He is marvelously portrayed by Alex Hibbert, who skillfully uses mime to underscore his fear of talking, lest he say something that brings him yet more undeserved, inexplicable punishment. It is utterly horrible to contemplate a childhood so deprived of the joys, dreams and life-affirming adventures that most American children pretty much take for granted. Thus we are somewhat heartened when Juan, the local pusher man and not the kind of fellow you want to mess with, takes Little under his wing. Sympathetically played by Mahershala Ali, he is a study in ambiguity, the definitive portrait in hypocrisy, the uneasy result of Darwinian necessity at odds with humanity's attempt to free itself from the rule of the jungle. One need not be a psychologist to sense that there's a pattern at work here, one almost as indelibly powerful as the forces of nature it is struggling to temper. Though it's hard to imagine, this hulking presence, who takes Little to luncheonettes, teaches him to swim in the nearby ocean he's hardly ever seen, and expounds about self-actualization in the face of seemingly impossible odds, was perhaps once a bit like Little. In any case, for now at least, Juan and his pretty girlfriend, Teresa (Janelle Monae), provide a modicum of sanctuary for the kid. You see, there's not much help at home. There's no talk at all of a dad, and Paula, his mom, sensationally acted by Naomie Harris is, to put it bluntly, a crack whore, and all that that entails. That's Scene 1 of the script written by Barry Jenkins, inspired by playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney's "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue." A fade out and fade in, stylishly managed to intone the tragedy of ill-fate and destiny at work, opens Scene 2 with the 16-year-old protagonist, now called by his real name, Chiron, being terrorized by the high school toughs. Dramatically outlining the forces that nurture this evil, Jenkins puts forth a clinically astute treatise on bullying, remarkably wrapped in his photo-realistic fiction to mesmerizing effect. Unless you are perversely sympathetic to what causes this national shame of denigration to each new generation, you are mortified by the villainy. We anguish. What to do, what to do? What about all the real Chirons in every city, town and hollow, living in constant fear, robbed of their childhood, bereft of horizons or great expectations, with hardly a soul to advocate for them? Mount Greylock School Committee Chairwoman Sheila Hebert and SU71 Chairman Dan Caplinger conduct Wednesday's joint meeting. Lanesborough-Williamstown Schools Begin Search for Interim Superintendent WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. The Lanesborough-Williamstown Tri-District is moving ahead with a plan that officials hope will bring an interim superintendent to the district as early as Jan. 1. On Wednesday evening, the Mount Greylock Regional School Committee held a joint meeting with its colleagues from Superintendency Union 71, the union of Lanesborough and Williamstown's elementary school districts, to consider a succession plan proposed by the two groups' Administrative Review Subcommittee. The subcommittee proposed that the hiring committees authorize it to screen candidates and name a pool of up to three finalists who would be interviewed by the full Mount Greylock and SU71 panels. It is a similar process to the one used by the Tri-District when it hired its last interim superintendent, Gordon Noseworthy, in December 2014. The subcommittee further recommended that the Tri-District look for an interim superintendent for a period of 18 months allowing time for a thorough search process and the planned completion of the new Mount Greylock Regional School, which is set to open in spring 2018. Mount Greylock shares its central office administration with its two "feeder" elementary schools, although each of the three remains a distinct district with its own elected school committee. Three members of the Williamstown School Committee and all three members of the Lanesborough School Committee serve on the SU71 Committee; together, SU71 and Mount Greylock will hire the next superintendent. Currently, the Tri-District's top administrator, Assistant Superintendent Kim Grady, is serving as acting superintendent. The four-person subcommittee plans to screen candidates from a pool made up of recommendations of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, which maintains a list of qualified potential interim administrators usually retired superintendents, as Noseworthy was. School committee members have indicated that there may be additional candidates known to the district apart from that list. The Mount Greylock and SU71 panels had just a couple of questions for the subcommittee members. Mount Greylock School Committee member Wendy Penner asked if the screening committee planned to get input from the three principals, who co-signed a letter outlining a series of complaints against the Tri-District's most recent superintendent. LES Committee Chairwoman Regina DiLego, a member of the ARS, said that group already had consulted with the principals. Mount Greylock's Steven Miller said the hiring process has to be transparent and open to the public. While the initial screening process by ARS would be done in executive session, the final interview and vote to name the interim superintendent would be done in public session, a fact that pleased Miller. Immediately after the SU71/Mount Greylock joint meeting which included an executive session to discuss a contract matter with non-union personnel the ARS members met and set a meeting for Friday morning to begin screening applicants. BCF Names Acting Executive Director After CEO's Sudden Death Diane Robie PITTSFIELD, Mass. Berkshire Children and Families, a social services agency serving Berkshire County and the Pioneer Valley since 1887, has appointed Diane Robie to the position of acting executive director, filling the vacancy caused by the recent death of President and CEO Carolyn Mower Burns. Robie, who was senior vice president at Berkshire Children and Families, came to BCF from Vermont in 2015, after 20 years of experience serving children, families and communities in programs that ranged from family support to child permanency. "Carolyn had both a vision in identifying the needs of children and their families and the ability to create and administer programs committed to alleviating those problems," said Linda Conway, chairman of the BCF Board of Directors. "Because her vision was so true, she was a trusted advisor, consultant and colleague throughout the community." When family support met child welfare years ago, Burns founded the Patch Approach, a community team practice model that brought together child protection and community-based services to enhance family resilience, caring capacities, and well-being. With her guidance, the Patch Approach took root in Massachusetts in a way that continues to evolve to this day. In 2010, Burns led Berkshire Children and Families in taking a bold step to challenge the root causes of social obstacles facing children and families. She believed passionately that all children and families had strengths and talents, yet not all had opportunities. Community Health Programs Names Permanent CEO GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. The board of Community Health Program has named interim CEO Amelia "Lia" Spiliotes as its permanent CEO, following a national search for a long-term leader. A federally qualified health center (FQHC), based in Great Barrington, CHP has eight practice sites countywide, and serves more than 22,000 area children and adults with medical care and family support services. "We had excellent candidates for the permanent position, but Lia was by far the best and brightest to lead CHP," said Jodi Rathbun-Briggs, CHP board chair. "She has brought us stability, strong management and deep knowledge of how FQHCs operate. She has set CHP on a path to the future with excellent leadership." Spiliotes, who has served as interim CEO for the past year, was among three final candidates considered for the position. Spiliotes' healthcare administration experience, leadership style and background running federally qualified health centers were key factors in the boards decision. But her initiatives in forging community connections and strategic partnerships unusual for an interim leader -- were also standout factors in the board's decision. David Phelps, president and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems, commended the CHP Board's appointment. Williams Grad Named Rhodes Scholar WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. A 2015 graduate of Williams Colleges Center for Development Economics, Diala Issam Al Masri, is one of three newly named Rhodes Scholars from Syria, Jordan, Lebanon or Palestine. This is the first year that the Rhodes Trust is choosing scholars from that region, the result of a new partnership with the Said Foundation that was announced in June. Al Masri is the first CDE graduate to be awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. The Rhodes Scholarship is among the oldest and most prestigious academic awards for college graduates. It provides two or three years of study at the University of Oxford in England. Al Masri was selected from among hundreds of applicants from the new Middle East region. Al Masri heard the news she had been selected for the Rhodes while celebrating Thanksgiving at the home of Williams professor Magnus Bernhardsson. "There were a few moments of disbelief, then pure, overwhelming joy," she said. "I feel deeply grateful to everyone who got me here, and at the same time, a responsibility to live up to the trust placed in me." A native of Lebanon, Al Masri received a Fulbright Scholarship to further her studies at Williams, taking a path less traveled to the CDE. Typically, CDE students are already working as economists in their home countries, but Al Masri came to the CDE directly after completing her bachelor's degree in political science/international affairs with a minor in economics in 2014 at the Lebanese American University in Beirut. The CDE offers an intensive, one academic year master's degree program designed for economists from low- and middle-income countries, to provide them with a thorough understanding of the development process, emphasizing analytical techniques helpful to policymakers. It is one of two master's degree programs offered at Williams (the other is a program in the history of art). Since receiving her master's in policy economics from the CDE, Al Masri has remained at Williams, working first as a teaching assistant at the CDE for the Class of 2016 and now in the Economics Department as a research assistant for professors Peter Pedroni and Peter Montiel. Her research encompasses determinants of capital flows and the long-term relationship of finance and development. Barrington Stage Company Names Director of Advancement PITTSFIELD, Mass. Barrington Stage Company welcomes Ashley Pirsig as its new director of advancement. Pirsig joins the Barrington Stage Company team having previously served as the director of development at Flat Rock Playhouse (Flat Rock, N.C.) and assistant director of development for Virginia Stage Company in Norfolk. Additionally, she has worked in marketing and development for Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Lyric Stage (Dallas, Texas) and Huntington Theatre Company. Pirsig has a BFA in Musical Theatre from Emerson College and an MBA and MA in Arts Management from Southern Methodist University. "We are thrilled that Ashley Pirsig has joined us as Director of Advancement," said Artistic Director Julianne Boyd. "Her impressive credits and deep knowledge of fundraising and community development will aid us greatly as we embark on our 23rd season and our move to the new Wolfson Center." "I am excited to join the BSC team and to work for an institution with both a national reputation for artistic excellence and an unwavering commitment to education and community outreach," Pirsig said. MCLA Names Jorge Professor of Education NORTH ADAMS, Mass. Dr. Nick Stroud, associate professor of technology and science education, recently was appointed to the Evelyn H. and Arlindo Jorge Professorship in Education at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. MCLA President James F. Birge said Stroud was nominated to the chair due to his expertise and influence as an educator of science educators, and the promise of his future contributions to the field, and to the local community. "The achievements and contributions Dr. Stroud has made, and will continue to make, more than support his appointment to the Jorge chair," Birge said. "I look forward to his continued leadership and scholarship as our Jorge professor." Stroud said he is deeply honored and humbled by the appointment, and expressed his gratitude to the Jorge family for their ongoing support of education. Based on his work as a principal investigator for the National Science Foundation-funded "Teaching to Learn" project and his role as a Massachusetts Science Ambassador, Stroud plans to continue to push for systemic change in science education, in grades pre-K through 16. "In particular, I aim to support and encourage excellent science education in local public schools, positively impact the science learning experiences of undergraduates, and foster a love of science in current and future teachers," Stroud said. "In this way I hope to help create a virtuous cycle of positive change and efforts in local science education." The 2016 Putnam Award Honorees Lisa Jacobs, Patricia Bradley, Ryan Booth, Kathy Brandi, and Joy Bull stand with SVHCs President and CEO Thomas Dee at the 6th Annual Putnam Awards and Service Recognition Ceremony on Nov. 1 at the Mount Anthony Country Club in Bennington, Vt. SVHC Honors Employees with 2016 Putnam Awards BENNINGTON, Vt. Southwestern Vermont Health Care leaders and staff gathered Nov. 1 at the Mount Anthony Country Club to honor employees for their service to the organization's mission. One award every year is presented for each of the organizations five core values: quality, empathy, safety, teamwork, and stewardship. The employees who received the awards are noted standard bearers and role models within the organization. The 2016 Putnam Award Honorees are: Lisa Jacobs, Physician Billing office manager, exceptional teamwork; Patricia Bradley, Corporate Compliance and Legal Services assistant, Dr. Richard Guerrero Safety Award; Ryan Booth, Information Systems desktop support specialist, empathy; Kathy Brandi, MSN, RN, clinical nurse specialist in Medical Surgical Services, quality; and Joy Bull, RN, Operating Room, stewardship. The evening also honored those celebrating employment anniversaries. Many were honored for 10, 20 and 30 years of employment with SVHC. Fifteen employees were noted for 40 or more years of service, and Christine Bacon, who works in the lab, was honored for 51 years of service. Together, the group represented more than 1,400 years with the organization. "The honorees we recognize tonight set the example for employees throughout our organization. Their longstanding commitment to our shared values makes Southwestern Vermont Health Care one of the finest health systems in New England," CEO Thomas Dee said. Williams Professor Wins Musicological Society Award WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. Williams College Professor of Music W. Anthony Sheppard received the H. Colin Slim Award for his article "Puccini and the Music Boxes," which appeared in the Journal of the Royal Musical Association in spring 2015, at the annual meeting of the American Musicological Society on Nov. 5 in Vancouver, Canada. He was also named series editor for the prestigious AMS Studies in Music book series published by Oxford University Press. The H. Colin Slim Award honors each year a musicological article of exceptional merit, published during the previous year in any language and in any country by a scholar who is past the early stages of her or his career. Sheppard's article was selected for open access publication and is available online. Sheppard is the first scholar at a liberal arts college to receive this award. In 2002 he received the AMS Alfred Einstein Award for best article published by a scholar in the early stages of his or her career. Sheppard's five-year term as series editor begins immediately. AMS Studies in Music publishes outstanding and innovative musicological scholarship drawn from the widest possible range of perspectives and areas of inquiry that will appeal to a broad scholarly audience. Sheppard has just completed his term as editor-in-chief of The Journal of the American Musicological Society. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 2 By Seba Aghayeva Trend: The next meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development will be held on Dec. 15 in Baku, GUAM Secretariat told Trend Dec. 2. The meeting agenda includes discussions on GUAM member-states integration to Europe, cooperation within the Eastern Partnership program, role of multilateral parliamentary cooperation in ensuring regional and international security, role of regional and international parliamentary organizations in development of interregional cooperation, energy potential of the GUAM region, and others. The meeting is expected to be attended by delegations of the GUAM member-states Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine as well as representatives of the Baltic Assembly, Visegrad Group and Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic Speaking Countries (TurkPA). The GUAM format was created by the post-Soviet states in 1997 during the summit of heads of states of the European Union in Strasbourg. In 1999, Uzbekistan joined the format and four years later withdrew. In 2006, Ukraine and Azerbaijan announced plans to further increase the GUAM member relations by renaming the organization as GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development and establishing its headquarters in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. Azerbaijan assumed the chairmanship in GUAM on January 1, 2016. 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 Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 2 By Maksim Tsurkov Trend: Azerbaijan Railways CJSC and Switzerlands Stadler Rail AG will expand bilateral cooperation, said a message from Azerbaijan Railways Dec. 2. This was decided during a meeting of Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC Javid Gurbanov and Stadler President Peter Spuhler. The message doesnt specify the directions in which the two sides are planning to expand their cooperation. During the meeting, the parties discussed the implementation of the project to construct the sleeping type cars ordered from Stadler, to be put into operation on the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, according to the message. Azerbaijan ordered 30 Stadler cars for use on the BTK. The cars are produced in four categories: standard, comfort, business and restaurant. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is being constructed on the basis of the Azerbaijani-Georgian-Turkish intergovernmental agreement. Its commissioning is planned for 2017. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 2 By Huseyn Veliyev, Elena Kosolapova Trend: Baku may turn into an international hub for postal shipments from Asia to Europe, Director General of the Universal Postal Union Bishar Hussein told reporters in Baku. He made the remarks Dec. 2 during the Bakutel 2016, the 22nd Azerbaijan International Exhibition and Conference on Telecommunications and Information Technologies. Postal technologies are used for online shopping, he said. Goods and services from the Far East, China, Indonesia, and all the other countries with tiger economies can now be delivered to Baku and then to the rest of Europe, he noted, adding that this business may bring in trillions of US dollars. I am very much encouraged by what I have seen here in Azerbaijan, he said. Postal organization is really very advanced and is providing good services. Post office is modernized here, he noted. We are buying the same technologies to provide services. The 26th Universal Postal Union Congress was held in Istanbul Sept. 20-Oct. 7 to come up with a global postal strategy which envisages using modern technologies to be able to provide best services to the citizens, Hussein added. Director general of the Universal Postal Union noted that he is very proud that Azerbaijan has advanced a lot in this direction. Details added (first version posted on 18:48) Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 2 By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend: Azerbaijan has enough potential to export its agricultural products to the US markets, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at the US Department of Commerce Michael Lally said. Lally made remarks at a press conference in Baku Dec. 2. Azerbaijan has determined its way, by setting the task to develop the non-oil sector of the economy, he said. Lally said that as a result, new investments can be attracted to Azerbaijan. He also stressed the US businessmens growing interest in Azerbaijan. Lally added that the economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and the US, based on the 25-year history, is expanding. Lally emphasized certain achievements in energy sector. At present, Azerbaijan and the US focus on cooperation in non-oil sector, he said. The American Chamber of Commerce in Azerbaijan (AmCham) has prepared a document with 16 recommendations for further development of trade and investment relations between the US and Azerbaijani businessmen and further improvement of the investment sphere in Azerbaijan, he said. Israelis You Should Know: Ilona Feher The Fellowship | December 2, 2016 Lived: December 1, 1901 January, 1988) Known for: A world-renowned violinist, Ilona Feher survived the Holocaust and made aliyah (immigrated) to Israel to become an equally famous violin teacher. Why you should know her: Born to a Jewish family in Budapest, Hungary, Ilona Feher was a violin prodigy, studying at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music. Before World War II, Ilona performed all over Europe. However, when the Nazis ran rampant across the European continent, Ilona and her daughter were sent to a concentration camp in 1942. Two years later, the two were able to escape, joining Hungarian and Czech partisans in the fight against the Nazis until liberation. After the war, Ilona returned to the concert stage, performing across Eastern Europe. In 1949, Ilona at last made aliyah to Israel, where she began a new career teaching violin. She became known as an inspired teacher one who used discipline as well as humor. Over her long career, her list of famous students included Pinkas Zukerman, Shlomo Mintz, Hagai Shaham, Ittai Shapira, Moshe Hammer, Yehonatan Berick, Shmuel Ashkenasi, David Erlich, Ron Ephrat, Yaakov Rubinstein, and Yoel Levi. In addition to teaching in the Holy Land, Feher also taught master classes across the globe and judged many international competitions. Among the many honors and awards given to Ilona Feher were the Golden Medal and Diploma of the Franz Liszt Academy, an honorary doctorate from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, and Honorary Citizen of Holon, her Israeli hometown. The content you are trying to view is exclusive to our subscribers. To unlock this article: Governor Brown Names U.S. Congressman Xavier Becerra California's Next Attorney General Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today named U.S. Congressman Xavier Becerra (D-CA) to replace Attorney General Kamala D. Harris, who was elected to the U.S. Senate last month. The nomination, which is subject to confirmation by the California State Assembly and Senate, will be officially submitted after Attorney General Harris resigns. Xavier has been an outstanding public servant in the State Legislature, the U.S. Congress and as a deputy attorney general, said Governor Brown. I'm confident he will be a champion for all Californians and help our state aggressively combat climate change. Rep. Becerra, 58, of Los Angeles, has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1992, most recently as the first Latino member of the Committee on Ways And Means, ranking member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security and chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. The congressman is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which he chaired from 1997 to 1998, and the Executive Committee of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. In 2010, Rep. Becerra served on the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. Governor Brown and our state leaders lean forward when it comes to advancing and protecting the rights and interests of the more than 38 million people in California, said Rep. Becerra. I'm deeply honored by Governor Brown's confidence in me to serve as our state's next chief law enforcement officer. It has been an extraordinary privilege to serve my fellow Californians in Congress for the past 24 years, fighting for working families like my parents, and I look forward to continuing that battle as California's attorney general. Prior to his election to Congress, Rep. Becerra served in the California State Assembly as representative for the 59th Assembly District in Los Angeles County from 1990 to 1992. He served as a deputy attorney general in the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General from 1987 to 1990. The congressman began his legal career in 1984, advocating for and representing individuals with mental illness. Rep. Becerra earned a Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Stanford University. Rep. Becerra is the son of working-class parents and was the first in his family to graduate from college with a four-year degree. His mother was born in Jalisco, Mexico and immigrated to the United States after marrying his father. Rep. Becerra is married to Dr. Carolina Reyes. They are the proud parents of three daughters: Clarisa, Olivia and Natalia. Details added (first version posted on 18:48) Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 2 By Maksim Tsurkov - Trend: Azerbaijan has enough potential to export its agricultural products to the US markets, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at the US Department of Commerce Michael Lally said. Lally made remarks at a press conference in Baku Dec. 2. Azerbaijan has determined its way, by setting the task to develop the non-oil sector of the economy, he said. Lally said that as a result, new investments can be attracted to Azerbaijan. He also stressed the US businessmens growing interest in Azerbaijan. Lally added that the economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and the US, based on the 25-year history, is expanding. Lally emphasized certain achievements in energy sector. At present, Azerbaijan and the US focus on cooperation in non-oil sector, he said. The American Chamber of Commerce in Azerbaijan (AmCham) has prepared a document with 16 recommendations for further development of trade and investment relations between the US and Azerbaijani businessmen and further improvement of the investment sphere in Azerbaijan, he said. He added that the representatives of 34 US companies visited Azerbaijan in the last three years and held around 200 meetings with potential Azerbaijani partners. Those visits and meetings brought some results, in particular, the US Honeywell company opened its office in Baku and other agreements were reached, he said. Lally added that Azerbaijan should take some measures for the development of non-oil sector. Lally emphasized great prospects for the Azerbaijan-US cooperation in the field of ICT and agriculture. Taking into account Azerbaijan's potential to export agricultural products to the European and US markets, that area must develop well, he said. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} You can watch almost nine minutes of upcoming action-adventure epic The Great Wall thanks to the release of a brand new international trailer. Interestingly, it seems that the film won't lean too heavily on actor Matt Damon who found himself at the centre of a "whitewashing" backlash following the release of the initial teaser. If this extended trailer of the Hollywood monster film is anything to go by, it seems the claims are unjust: the film from director Zhang Yimou (House of Flying Daggers) seems to be an ensemble of the highest order with the film's Asian cast just as fervent a presence as the Jason Bourne star. Hollywood whitewashing controversies Show all 11 1 /11 Hollywood whitewashing controversies Hollywood whitewashing controversies Scarlett Johansson cast as Motoko Kusanagi in Ghost in the Shell Blonde, white US actress Scarlett Johansson was announced to be playing the clearly Japanese character Motoko Kusanagi in Hollywood's Ghost in the Shell remake, much to the dismay of Asian film fans Hollywood whitewashing controversies Tilda Swinton cast as The Ancient One in Doctor Strange Marvel sparked outrage when Anglo-Scottish actress Tilda Swinton was cast as Tibetan mystic The Ancient One alongside Benedict Cumberbatch in Doctor Strange Hollywood whitewashing controversies Zoe Saldana was criticised for 'blacking up' to play the considerably darker-skinned soul singer Nina Simone in Nina AP Hollywood whitewashing controversies Jake Gyllenhaal stars in Prince of Persia The half Jewish, quarter Swedish actor was cast to play a Middle Eastern Prince in Disney's 2010 film Hollywood whitewashing controversies Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily in forthcoming film Pan Mara was been cast in the role of American Indian Tiger Lily, sparking an online protest from angry film fans Warner Bros Hollywood whitewashing controversies Christian Bale plays Moses in Ridley Scott's Exodus: Gods and Kings Ridley Scott claimed he would never cast 'Mohammed so-and-so from such-and-such a country' in a lead role in his Biblical epic, and went on to cast an entirely white cast instead Hollywood whitewashing controversies Jim Caveziel plays Jesus in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ Catholic star Mel Gibson chose to cast a Caucasian American actor in the role of Jesus for his controversial film AP Hollywood whitewashing controversies Micky Rooney plays a Japanese neighbour in Breakfast at Tiffany's Who better to play Holly Golightly's Japanese neighbour IY Yunoishi than American actor Mick Rooney. At least Hollywood has come some way since 1961 YouTube Hollywood whitewashing controversies Ben Affleck as Tony Mendez in Argo Ben Affleck became the subject of a few editorials in Latin American newspapers for casting himself (an American with English, Irish, Scottish and Swiss ancestry) as a Mexican CIA operative Hollywood whitewashing controversies Jennifer Connelly plays Alicia Nash in A Beautiful Mind Alicia Lopez-Harrison de Larde was a naturalised US citizen from El Salvador, but was played by an actress of Jewish, Irish and Norwegian descent YouTube Hollywood whitewashing controversies Chinese actresses cast in Memoirs of a Geisha What better way to alienate Japanese cinemagoers than to cast three Chinese actresses in the lead roles in a film about Japanese culture REUTERS The film's plot sees Damon's British warrior encounter the hurried construction of the Great Wall of China before realising that its purpose is to keep something out; quite exactly what that 'something' is can be glimpsed in the trailer. The Great Wall - Trailer Hollywood has faced a 'whitewashing' backlash quite heavily this year with Tilda Swinton's Ancient One in Doctor Strange and Scarlett Johansson's casting in Ghost in the Shell both coming under fire. The Great Wall - which also stars Willem Dafoe and Narcos actor Pedro Pascal - will be released in the UK on 17 February 2017 Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the The Life Cinematic email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The BFI has conducted its annual Sight & Sound poll, asking 163 critics and curators to pick their five best films of the year, and coming out on top is a German comedy about a dad playing pranks on his estranged daughter. Maren Ades Toni Erdmann was the number one choice, a Palme DOr competitor that has been quietly attracting strong reviews for its humour, inventiveness and intriguing twists. European cinema has a good showing in this years top 10, with rape revenge thriller Elle, Ken Loachs eye-opening political film I, Daniel Blake and French drama Things to Come (which also stars Elles Isabelle Huppert) all making the cut. Oscar contender Moonlight was also placed high up, along with dreamy road trip movie American Honey and Jim Adam Driver-starrer Paterson (a favourite here at the Indy). La La Land, which is likely to win this years Best Picture Oscar, came in at no. 16. The top 26, which includes ties, and their critics abstracts are as follows: 1. Toni Erdmann 49 votes Maren Ades winning daughter-father comedy Toni Erdmann contains some of the sharpest moments of audience blindsiding Ive ever encountered. Nick James, reviewing from Cannes Apart from being a comedy and a very human delight, Maren Ades film is also an intensely angry political statement about the way that capitalism disempowers, dehumanises and alienates. Jonathan Romney, reviewing from Cannes 2. Moonlight 34 votes A film about the complexity of black masculinity and the very human hunger for connection. It is about the fragility that lies beneath a mans swagger. Thrilling and sensuous. Simran Hans, reviewing from Toronto 3. Elle 33 votes Trust Verhoeven to venture where most wouldnt dare: a psychological rape-revenge fantasy thriller with jump-out-of-your-skin attack moments orchestated to a pounding score, and laced with comedy throughout. What should be problematic is here more complicated and intelligent than it first appears: rape is never a joke and Isabelle Hupperts Michele LeBlanc never a victim. Nick James, reviewing from Cannes 4. Certain Women 25 votes Kelly Reichardt articulates a familiar experience: the suspicion, bafflement or plain disregard met by women who dont conform to typical notions of femininity, as held by certain men. Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up Sophie Brown 5. American Honey 20 votes As much spectacle as a Hollywood musical. Within a collage of soaring music, soft light and writhing bodies, this brilliant film draws the outline of a bleak economic landscape. Pamela Hutchinson 6. I, Daniel Blake 17 votes Ken Loachs film is perhaps the most important film of the year in relation to the situation in a post-Brexit Britain. The fact that it has connected so powerfully with audiences is a tonic for the soul. Jason Wood 7. Manchester by the Sea 16 votes A blue collar high tragedy with wrenching performances that weigh the balance so carefully between the push and pull between guilt and responsibility that the film is emotionally exhausting. Nick James 8. Things to Come (LAvenir) 15 votes Wry, humane and thoughtful the film treats its destabilising cluster of crises with extraordinary restraint. It presents the hard, complex business of surviving life in a disarmingly simple way. Kate Stables 9. Paterson 14 votes A quietly utopian film, and a balm to watch. Its minimal narrative and attractively downbeat setting hark back to the Jim Jarmusch of the 80s and 90s. Henry K. Miller 10. The Death of Louis XIV 13 votes Albert Serra has made a film somewhat in the contained, stately, solemn manner of Straub-Huillet. Extremely beautiful and even moving, in a rigorously detached way. Jonathan Romney, reviewing from Cannes =11. Personal Shopper 12 votes Kristen Stewart is an enigmatic, warily frayed-yet-unafraid presence, almost as if shed be happy to step over to the other side at any moment. She is unquestionably the actress of the moment. Nick James, reviewing from Cannes =11. Sieranevada 12 votes A film analysing what it means to grow up believing in living-room myths and legends, and the discomfiting mix of terror, disappointment and guilt at realising that being an adult means propagating them at the risk of losing face. Adam Nayman =13. Fire at Sea 11 votes Moral courage and filmic artistry exist side by side in this essential offering from a director gradually earning the right to be thought of as one of the greats of our era. Trevor Johnston Rosi accounts for the tales of migrants by choosing an unconventional point of view, which acts as a tremendous call for action. Nico Marzano =13. Julieta 11 votes This tantalisingly open-ended film is Almodovars most sombre to date: it is to his last feature, 2013s airline farce Im So Excited!, as Interiors (1978) was to Woody Allens Bananas (1971). Jonathan Romney, from our September 2016 issue =13. Nocturama 11 votes The movie that completely defies binary categorisations of good and bad, the one I have absolutely no idea of whether I loved or loathed, but have pretty much thought about it every day since seeing it. David Jenkins =16. Cameraperson 10 votes Kirsten Johnsons Cameraperson concerns itself with the often idealistic, always knotty human desire to connect through documentary images. She goes through a catalogue of unused material from her long career as a cinematographer to make a kind of self-portrait through scraps, a diary by way of other filmmakers unwanted bits Profound empathy is manufactured by witnessing Johnson trying to find her shots and trying to decide when not to shoot. Scenes of pain and sadness are exhilaratingly edited next to scenes of exuberance. Robert Greene Johnson unifies ostensibly unrelated vignettes through a shared sense of empathy and an ethically inquisitive approach to the vagaries of cinematic mediation. Jordan Cronk If I had to shoot one movie into space to sum up this crazy, chaotic, hurting world in 2016 it would be this one. Tom Charity Which recent movies will become classics? Show all 21 1 /21 Which recent movies will become classics? Which recent movies will become classics? Birdman - Undoubtedly Alejandro G. Inarritus masterpiece will surely be remembered for years to come - fiercely original in its concept, brave in its single take(esque) format and the perfect satire of a very specific and bizarre era of cinema we find ourselves in. What perhaps was so astonishing about this Best Picture Oscar winner was that in spite of its experimental format and lofty intentions, it still also managed to be hugely entertaining, and is eminently rewatchable. - Christopher Hooton Fox Searchlight Pictures Which recent movies will become classics? There Will Be Blood - Potentially Inherent Vice feels like its been forgotten already, The Master was great but too weighty for some, but There Will Be Blood is the Paul Thomas Anderson film that comes up time and time again in pub film conversations, whether theyre between cinephiles or more casual fans. A blank yet brutal indictment of lucre, Daniel Day Lewis gave one of his best ever performances as oil man Daniel Plainview, and Jonny Greenwoods fearsome score is still being performed live several years after its release. But mainly, I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE! I DRINK IT UP! - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Avatar - Probably not Its undeniable that James Camerons gargantuan blockbuster Avatar will find its place in the cinematic history books. With a worldwide gross of over 2.7 billion, its currently the highest earning film of all time - even Star Wars' The Force Awakens return couldn't topple it. But will it actually be remembered fondly? Its ground-breaking special effects already betray the first signs of aging, and though its use of 3D was revolutionary at the time, its now so pedestrian as to be found in a Glee concert movie. What is there to revere then? The patronising narrative re-hash of the plot to Dances With Wolves? Or the bit where two cat-aliens had sex by plugging their hair braids into each other? - Clarisse Loughrey Which recent movies will become classics? Whiplash - Within its own genre at least Whiplash was perhaps the most buzzy, "have you seen it yet?" film of 2014, and winning major Oscars off a budget of $3.3 million was no mean feat. Damien Chazelle managed to make a film about drumming absolutely edge-of-your-seat stuff, and succeeded by not patronising his audience - trusting that even if they didnt understand the music theory detail, they would still be able to revel in it. Unfortunately, it might just be too small a film to be remembered as a classic, but will certainly be circling the top of best movies about music lists for some years to come. - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Skyfall Depends whos Bond next Best Bond of all time? Skyfalls slick, true, but its status as an icon seems heavily premature. Were still clinging onto the Craig era, and its hard to argue that Skyfall doesnt do the same; trading its entire dramatic tension on the premise that weve long been deeply attached to this grizzled Bond and equally grizzled M. In Silvas personal vendetta, or in the neat metaphors of Skyfall Lodges crumbling exteriors and Bonds crumbling interiors of a post-Vesper Lynd world; its only once the franchise has moved on to new pastures that well truly start to see whether Skyfall can go the distance. Doesnt help that Spectre was a bit of a disappointment, though. -CL Which recent movies will become classics? Mad Max: Fury Road - A gutsy yes Yes, its a madly confident move to already claim Fury Roads going to a bonafide classic within its first year of release, but Fury Road is a mad movie. 36 years after its original incarnation, George Miller returned to the wasteland to conjure the greatest adrenaline hit of the cinematic decade. Breathlessly edited, hued with the colours of dust and dirt and rage; packed to the brim with practical stunt work unseen in the digital age. Plus, its a film that actively dismantles the patriarchy through a gun-slinging, metal-armed Charlize Theron. If its not remembered as one of the greatest blockbusters of its time, itll certainly be remembered as one of the gutsiest. - CL Which recent movies will become classics? The Great Beauty - No, but it damn well should be It won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2014, but this Paolo Sorrentino masterpiece is still unknown to most. It centres on a group of aging intellectuals partying on rooftops across Rome to Eurodance, and within this frame of superficiality it manages staggering profundity. The dialogue is rich, the cinematography sumptuous, and if Fellini is considered classic, this fellow Italians work certainly should be too. - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Little Miss Sunshine - Within its own genre, yes The Sundance Effect has unfortunately developed a near plague of insufferable, self-conscious mawkishness over the years. Misfit boys finding new meaning to their existence in the arms of pink-haired manic pixie dream girls; sun-dappled bike rides as the latest band to feature a ukulele solo play softly in the distance. Some have indeed come off this false and cloying (Zach Braffs Garden State), others smarter and keener (last years Me and Earl and the Dying Girl); but as the fires of kook devour all in sight, there will always remain one film left standing in the ashes: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris Little Miss Sunshine. One scene that guarantees its elevation above the rabble sees teenager Dwayne (Paul Dano) realise hes colour-blind, and thus will never be able to achieve his dream of becoming a jet fighter. Danos meltdown here is so raw, and so positively tragic, that itll be a hard job to ever forget that epic f-bomb as the years pass. - CL Which recent movies will become classics? Lost in Translation - I'll still be watching it in my 80s at least Really a perfect movie. The casting couldn't have been better and Sofia Coppola conveys the choking feeling of an overly air-conditioned hotel room like no-one else. So many of the shots were beautiful in their simplicity. Bill Murray making a nice crisp, clean golf shot before walking off down the course. The flower arranging scene. Bill lightly grabbing Scarlett Johansson's foot and this subtly serving as the film's 'kiss'. It's the unconventional romance at the heart of the film that makes it so great, though, which is as much about companionship as physical and emotional love. - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Crash - Hahahahahahahahaha Seriously, how did it win that Oscar? Even the director doesn't know. - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Pans Labyrinth - Absolutely Guillermo del Toro dreams on celluloid; hes a weaver of fairy tales in an age where innocence is presumed dead. Its through innocence, through innocent eyes, that we witness the darkest excesses of human nature in a way that so exposes the incomprehensibility of evil committed in the pursuit of power. Through young Ophelias perspective we watch the horrors of Francos Spanish regime play out, the barbaric cruelty of her stepfather Captain Vidal; she fears not the horned faun who lives in the labyrinth when its so clear her own patriarchal figurehead is the true monster. And though its finale may be heart-breaking, del Toro still allows innocence a certain victory. Victory through Ophelias eyes, those pure and hungry enough to see beyond the borders of her bleak reality to find an escape from the seemingly unstoppable monstrosities of adulthood. - CL Warner Bros. Which recent movies will become classics? Im Still Here - When everyone realises its genius Initially admonished for being exploitative of Joaquin Phoenixs condition, it was astonishing that, when this Casey Affleck-directed mockumentary was revealed to be a hoax, most critics didnt give it a second review, and those who did still disliked it. In hindsight this was so much more than a prank. Phoenix stayed in character as a failed actor turned hip-hop artist for months on end. This dedication wasnt for nothing either (unlikely say, DiCaprio in The Revenant), Im Still Here is actually a very funny, moving and subtly satirical film, and definitely original. - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Boyhood - I doubt it While it too was an unprecedented piece of cinema, Boyhood for me faded from the memory very quickly. Dismissing this film as essentially a puberty timelapse might be a little harsh, but the set-up did ultimately come off gimmicky and as a coming of age story it failed to resonate. Admirable, but not a classic - CH Universal Pictures Which recent movies will become classics? The Social Network - Yes I was less than thrilled at the prospect of a movie about Facebook, but then pleasantly surprised upon watching it. A holy production trinity of David Fincher (director), Aaron Sorkin (screenwriter) and Trent Reznor (score) told a story that changed all of our lives with such panache. Texting, the internet, social media etc are so prosaic that many authors and filmmakers disingenuously leave them out of their stories, but here they were central and yet still the film was engrossing, stylish and human. - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Django Unchained - Hell yeah/hell maybe Swiping its titular characters name from a 1966 Spaghetti Western directed by Sergio Corbucci, Tarantino utilised his trademark flair for ultra-violence and nihilistic humour to create the perfect meeting point between revisionism and classicism. Django channeled brutality in the name of righteous fury, allowing the freedom fighting slaves of a pre-Civil War Deep South their own legendary cowboy of the John Wayne or Clint Eastwood type. - CL Which recent movies will become classics? The Tree of Life - A few people will kid themselves its classic Terrence Malicks experimental drama couldnt really have been more ambitious or tried to chip away at a bigger chunk of existence. As such, it was automatically lauded by many who didnt really know what to make of it, but looking back, was it worthy of the praise? The Brad-Pitt-is-a-family-man-in-the-50s plot strand was actually pretty unremarkable, and were it not for the brazenness of the extended shots of the universe being formed I doubt it would have made top ten lists the way it did. - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Her - Yes, as a historical document Films depicting the future remain fascinating decades later because they show, in retrospect, how we wanted the world to progress and what developments we simply couldnt have conceived. As such Her will definitely still be getting talked about in years to come, whether or not we do indeed end up falling in love with our computers. (Also see: Ex Machina) - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Any of the space movies? Maybe Interstellar We seem to get a big budget space movie annually these days, and while none of them really have the creativity of Kubricks 2001: A Space Odyssey, Interstellar stands a chance of staying atop VOD libraries. Gravity and The Martian, while technically brilliant, were pretty forgettable, and dont get me started on Sunshine. Interstellar was very impressive though, and if a Christopher Nolan films going to stand out Id rather it be this one than - CH Which recent movies will become classics? Inception - Please no Yes, its insanely watchable and the plot zips along nicely, but seriously, can we stop pretending people falling backwards off chairs and out of camp, alpine sub-dream worlds amounts to anything more than an overly convoluted, albeit pretty, action movie? - CH Which recent movies will become classics? The Wolf of Wall Street - Not compared to Scorseses earlier work If theres a burden of the artistic revolutionary, its that revolution is only ever momentary in its form; Martin Scorsese made his mark back in 1973 with Mean Streets, and its one thats been difficult to paint over in the 43 years which have since passed. The Wolf of Wall Street faults itself only in being pure Scorsese; its a film which trades purely in the breathless, macho style already so entrenched in cinematic culture. Essentially, Scorseses own genre-defining genius has doomed to obscurity any latter work which dares to fold into the directors own natural form of expression; its made derivative any work which doesnt actively rebel against what hes been most celebrated for. A tough reality, but a reality nonetheless. - CL Paramount Pictures Which recent movies will become classics? Nymphomaniac - Maybe if Part II hadnt happened Even the truest of arthouse directors are culpable for the whims of Hollywood franchises. Yes, with his dual Nymphomaniac films, Lars von Trier managed to ruin the potential classic of his career by needlessly stretching his narrative across two films; churning out the NC-17 answer to Peter Jacksons Hobbit trilogy in the process. Strip Nymphomaniac of the controversy and media hysteria surrounding its use of pornographic actors in its sex scenes; and theres a torn, throbbing soul at its centre. For all its salaciousness, von Triers exploration of the crippling effects of shame society burdens those, especially its women, who dare seek sexual pleasure is genuinely haunting. Thats in Part I, however; by the time Joes life story sees her grow from Stacy Martin into Charlotte Gainsbourg, von Triers epic dissolves into the bang of a drum in continuous, endless cycles. Shes horny and sad; we got it, Lars. - CL =16. La La Land 10 votes Accomplished in every aspect, its both a homage to and a rewriting of Hollywoods classic musicals Only the harshest cynics will resist this films bittersweet charm. Fernanda Solozarno 18. Love & Friendship 9 votes Whit Stillmans venture into Jane Austen territory for Love & Friendship was a welcome tickle of the costume movies well-corseted ribs. Sam Wigley =19. Aquarius 8 votes An intricate, laser-like vision of where Brazil is today, in its latest, neoconservative re-incarnation. Ela Bittencourt The magnificent Sonia Braga, steadfast in the face of political corruption and greed, may be the defiant heroine to inspire at the moment Lizzie Francke =19. Victoria 8 votes Victoria is literally an incredible achievement. How they pulled it off remains a delirious mystery Gareth Evans Schipper and his cast have managed to turn a gimmick into a surprisingly subtle portrait of a millennial generation overwhelmed by its own unstoppable momentum. Lisa Mullen =21. Embrace of the Serpent 7 votes Embrace of the Serpent felt like a rethinking of so much adventure cinema from the last half century. Nick James =21. Everybody Wants Some!! 7 votes Overlapping conversation, ready laughs and impressively naturalistic performances from a cast free of A-listers give Everybody Wants Some!! the easy charm of Linklaters best work. Pamela Hutchinson =21. Evolution 7 votes For Hadzihalilovic, the sense of control is essential to the creation of a complete, self-enclosed world, and to a visual aesthetic with its own stilled, enigmatic quality. Richard Combs =21. Hell or High Water 7 votes From Wild West to current malaise, theres a strong sense of Texan cultural history making its imprint on this crime thriller its ultimately a thorough investment in the whys and wherefores of place that makes this particular offering so satisfying and distinctive. Trevor Johnston =21. O.J.: Made in America 7 votes ESPNs ambitious five-part study of 1995s trial of the century ran to nearly eight hours, covering the courtroom drama, the fallen hero in the dock and the fallout from the shock verdict. In the New York Times, A.O. Scott called it a tightly packed, almost indecently entertaining piece of pop realism, a Dreiser novel infused with the spirit of Tom Wolfe, saying it had the grandeur and authority of the best long-form nonfiction. =26. Lemonade 6 votes Does Lemonade deserve to be on this list? Im not sure, but I cant deny its energising rush, its lightning effect on the culture, its blur of the lines between cinema, music video and album, and how explosively it digested the influence of black cultural history. Ian Mantgani =26. Nocturnal Animals 6 votes Ford is very effective at capturing the way reading triggers memories, the way it requires the reader to fill in a storys gaps with their own imagination and the way getting lost in a book creates a kind of vortex in time. Simran Hans, reviewing from Toronto =26. The Ornithologist 6 votes A fevered reverie, beginning as a National Geographic showreel and morphing with rugged elegance into a fable of erotic transcendence. Kong Rithdee =26. Raw 6 votes Examines the dynamics of sisterhood and pressures of female identity, with violent helpings of humour and horror an energetic tale of cannibalistic desire. Sophie Brown =26. Neruda 6 votes Pablo Larrains utterly brilliant Neruda needs to be watched more than once. Like a juggler, Larrain keeps in the air all the paradoxes and contradictions of the legend, the folktale, the myth and the man to (de)construct, in his own words, a Nerudian antibiopic of the Chilean diplomat, poet and Nobel prizewinner as working-class symbol, but also as a narcissist and a brothel habitue who is yet utterly in love with his wife. Mar Diestro-Dopido, reviewing from the London Film Festival Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} In a small studio in Cardiff, a large figure looms among cardboard boxes and wooden tables. Theres a scuffling sound a few chairs look like theyre going to topple over. Found it. Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys emerges with a giant bears head smoking a pipe, stepping over a plastic baby on his way. This is one of the things we used for the last live tour, he says, holding it aloft. Five minutes later were huddled around an old radiator in one of the rehearsal rooms as Rhys explains how a couple of friends of the band have created an institution of sorts like a social service for bands where most artists from the area come to rehearse. Later well peek into SFAs space and find the rest of the band crouching over foot pedals and adjusting guitar strings. Rhys loves it because here aside from the fact that its cut off from every possible distraction the studio attracts bands like Bullet For My Valentine in one room, then Budgie (from Wales), the hard rock band who were huge in the seventies and have their own festival in Texas every year. And then a completely new band in another one. But everyones using the same kettle. The 46-year-old artist is a wonderful, calming presence to be around. Recently back from a show in Mexico he found himself being interviewed on a cooking show called Lets Tacobout It. I thought they were trying to make some link to SFAs song Guacamole, but apparently they just wanted him to eat bugs (he didnt). He seems relieved to be back in the studio. SFA are rehearsing for their Fuzzy Logic/Radiator tour, which will see the psychedelic rock legends take their classic albums around the UK through December, with a homecoming show taking place at Cardiffs Motorpoint Arena on 17 December. Its been really nice, Rhys says. Whats enjoyable about it especially is that weve never played a lot of the songs live. So its an extra sort of special. Some of the ones from Fuzzy Logic are interesting songs but theyre harder to play for a gig, especially when we were starting out in the sorts of venues we were in. We were so reliant on energy. Now weve been touring for 20 years, we can play things that were inconceivable before. Performing at the Motorpoint Arena will give the band a chance to have some more fun onstage. They can bring their inflatable bears (an evil one and a good one). Rhys pulls out his phone to show how theyve had their album art by Pete Fowler animated; its going to be displayed, 40ft high, on screens behind the band. Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up So we dont have to bring the head (the bear from upstairs). And we have various characters. Theres a bat, the masked bear from Radiator wandering down the street and Howard, the Welsh drugs smuggler, author, and subject of SFA song Hangin With Howard Marks, who passed away this year. The last time we saw him was at his farewell show so he was able to plan his goodbye, Rhys says. We used to text and stuff. That was a good sign, that he was still active. So it was still a shock, in a way, when he died. We knew he was ill, but I had no idea... he trails off. The idea of a reissue for one of the SFA albums had been on the cards for a while, but it took the band years to figure out who actually owned the rights for Fuzzy Logic. Sony bought Creation Records, which had originally released that record 20 years ago. BMG and Sony merged, then they split up. And unbeknownst to the band, BMG took all the rights to their records. So we were trying to contact Sony to try and get the rights to our records, and they didnt actually own it, Rhys says. Then we heard that BMG owned it, and we were trying to contact them. And it turned out that theyd been trying to contact us the whole time. If that wasnt enough, the California warehouse where the Super Furry Animals records were being kept caught fire. Fortunately because the bands name began with an S, they were in the part of the building that had been spared but there was still smoke and water damage to deal with. Its a good thing they made themselves Super, or they might not have made it. The band performing at Green Man Festival last year (Rex) Last year saw the reissue of the band's fourth album, Mwng, 15 years after it first came out, and Rhys acknowledges that for a band that has been around for 20 years, anything is a potential anniversary. Its why SFA decided to tour Radiator at the same time: Unless it was some conceptual-art stunt where we relived our entire 20-year career for the next 20 years, with an anniversary every day, playing the same venues, he muses. But I think thatd be taking it too far. Thisll be the last tour for a good while so were going to enjoy it all the more. There are some places that we havent played Dublin for example, for a while thats an amazing place to play. Weve been catching up on all the places we havent been in a while. Recommended Our albums of the year 2016 SFA fans will be waiting a while for a new album too, it seems. Its been interesting touring the back catalogue, Rhys says. A pretty amazing experience. And its much less tense than touring a contemporary record where people are more judgemental. People know the songs, thats what shocked us the most on the last tour. People singing along to obscure album tracks. Welsh ones included? People have a go at singing along if theyre drunk enough. Dublin people sing along to every song whether they know it or not, its amazing. That was the biggest change from playing six years ago. In the past, people would know singles, but it seems people differentiate between whats been on the radio and what hasnt. Since the EU Referendum, there has been considerable hand-wringing over why around 52.5 per cent of the Welsh electorate voted Leave. While Rhys take on the EU is nuanced, when it came to a yes or no referendum he was for Remain with caveats he composed a song called I Love EU and released it in April ahead of the vote. Its an institution that needs to be changed radically, but in the opposite way to what seems to be the mainstream view of it, I think, he says. He feels that the result in Wales shouldnt have been quite the surprise that everyone made it out to be. I think a Leave vote in Wales would have been unimaginable five years ago. But on top of the extreme misinformation from the media, which had a big responsibility, and the misinformation from the Leave campaign if youve got nothing then youve got nothing to lose. So on paper, even if you have these areas that are showered with grants, it doesnt necessarily bring back thousands of well-paid jobs. Recommended Inside the Welsh town that took itself offshore in tax protest Its extremely hard to be motivated in a vote that was instigated by an idiot prime minister. Its very hard to be passionate about that. I think its an existential crisis for Wales, especially for Welsh-speaking communities to have a multi-lingual EU superstate seem more natural. Its a patchwork quilt of different cultures and languages, and its very attractive compared to more of a old-fashioned, one language colonial state. Welsh is Rhys first language (he pauses often during the interview, with a slight, concentrated frown, to translate things in his head to English) and he feels as though it is one thats in crisis. Whats been done to Welsh is a scandal, and its at its lowest-ever point every year. But there are measures that can be taken to safeguard it. Schools teaching it are on the increase. In the bulk of the 20th century, people were encouraged not to use the language, it was seen as this backward thing. Now people are largely proud of it, and now it just needs to be backed up by regulation, to give it concrete support. Especially for the communities where its spoken traditionally. Its precious, and it has the disadvantage of being invisible. If theres an ancient, historical building that represents a whole culture if thats wiped out then people are in uproar. But something as fragile as a living language, its harder to manifest itself visually in peoples imagination. The Super Furry Animals reissue of Fuzzy Logic is out now. The band perform two sold-out shows at Londons Roundhouse on 8 and 9 December, and a homecoming gig at Cardiffs Motorpoint Arena on 17 December Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Rolling Stones have revealed that they congratulated Bob Dylan on his Nobel prize for literature during the Desert Trip shows, and given some insight into how he feels about receiving the award. Speaking to The Guardian, Ronnie Wood said Dylan kept calling him "'Sir Ronnie... everyone from England is a sir, right?' "And we said, 'Yeah Bob, but it's not like... it's really good about your Nobel prize.' And he went: 'You think so? It's good, huh?' And we said, 'You deserve it.' And he said, 'That's great - thanks.' "He didn't know how to accept it but he thought he had done something pretty good." On Wednesday it was revealed that Dylan would not be attending the Oval Office to celebrate the award with other recipients. He will also not attend the ceremony hosted by the Swedish Academy in Stockholm on 10 December. It took Dylan two weeks to acknowledge that he had won the prize after the Nobel committee made their announcement. He told The Telegraph in October that it was "hard to believe" that he had one, in what seemed to be his first public acknowledgement of the prize, and that the announcement was "amazing, incredible. Whoever dreams about something like that?" Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Smiths are set to release their first new single since 'Sweet and Tender Hooligan' in 1995, according to reports. True to You, the reliable Morrissey website which often sources information from the man himself, reports that a vinyl single featuring a demo of 'The Boy With the Thorn in His Side' is set for release on Warner UK. The B-side would be a previously unissued version of 'Rubber Ring'. The sleeve features a vintage shot of actor Albert Finney, and was designed by Morrissey. A release date is yet to be confirmed. Johnny Marr revealed in October that The Smiths came very close to a reunion in 2008, despite the band having been apart for 29 years. In an except taken from Marr's critically acclaimed memoir Set the Boy Free, published by The Guardian, Marr said that during a rare period of communication with Morrissey the pair had met in 2008 in a pub in south Manchester. Reflecting on the band's history, the pair spoke about the "possibility of the band re-forming, and in that moment it seemed that with the right intention it could actually be done and might even be great," Marr said. "For four days it was a very real prospect. We would have to get someone new on drums, but if the Smiths wanted to re-form it would make a hell of a lot of people very happy, and with all our experience we might even be better than before." Since the band's split Marr has enjoyed a successful career as a solo artist, and has worked with other high profile artists including The Pretenders, The The, Paul McCartney and The Cribs. Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} What do you get if you strand two former child actors on Long Island with nothing for company but their dads vinyl collection and the Bay City Rollers old wardrobe? Apparently The Lemon Twigs, the glorious answer to a question that nobody had ever dared ask. Brothers Brian and Michael DAddario are just 19 and 17 respectively and, on the face of it, bear all the hallmarks of hipster conceit: prodigiously talented sons of a musician with an assured flamboyance beyond their years, they raid the musical culture of 1970s - post-Beatles Paul McCartney, Todd Rungdren, Big Star, Rod Stewarts haircut - like kids in a sweet shop to make lo-fi yet fantastical, structurally complex glam-pop. If that prospect sounds offputtingly try-hard - the way Brian hammily declares My Twiglets! before opener 'I Wanna Prove to You' is a reminder of his past on Broadway - then you need only to let the pairs melodies lodge in your brain. Debut album Do Hollywood can be overwhelming in its gleeful experimentation, but at its heart is some delightful songwriting. Supplemented by keyboard and bass, live the melodic lushness is brought to the fore with irresistible exuberance. As if to prove their flair, Brian sings the first half of the show while Michael drums, and vice versa for the second. Save Michaels impressively supple high kicks (you could pull a hernia just watching), the overall effect is the same as the pair take a magical mystery detour through their influences. At times songs are a patchwork of ideas: the Syd-Barrett-like 'Haroomata' breaks down into a frantic fairground swirl; set closer 'A Great Snake' is a mini-epic of changing tempos with a dreamy psychedelic outro. At other times, The Lemon Twigs are pure pop: the harmonious piano ballad 'How Lucky Am I?', sang beautifully by the brothers and keyboardist Danny Ayala, is genuinely McCartney-esque, while the chorus of 'As Long as Were Together' is an arms aloft, festival moment-in-waiting. They end with 'Queen of My School' a new, straight-up glam rocker and yet another take on the superstars of the 70s. The Lemon Twigs arent finished with their dads vinyl collection just yet, then. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.2 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Failure to carry through with the OPEC Vienna deal risks a renewed collapse in oil prices, the US JP Morgan bank said in its Oil Market Weekly report. During the Vienna meeting held Nov.30, OPEC members decided to implement a new OPEC-14 production target of 32.5 million barrels per day. The decision was made in order to accelerate the ongoing drawdown of the stock overhang and bring the oil market rebalancing forward. It was also decided to establish a High-level Monitoring Committee, consisting of oil ministers, and assisted by the OPEC Secretariat, to monitor the implementation of the agreement. However, JP Morgan analysts believe that Vienna deal could result in a bigger-than-anticipated response from shale producers. If OPEC were to deliver on its 32.5 mbd target, then there is additional upside to prices and consequently to non-US, non-OPEC supply estimates, although more noticeably for 2018 than 2017, said the report. The analysts expect both Nigeria and Libya, which were exempted from the output cut, to produce more in 2017 than in 2016. Regarding Indonesias decision to suspend its OPEC membership, JP Morgan said that this move reinforces its concerns about tensions within the organization and the challenge of delivering these cuts. The suspension of Indonesias membership in the cartel is a surprise, but so too are reports of the offer by Russia and other non-OPEC producers to cut up to 600,000 barrels per day in a coordinated move, according to the report. During the Vienna meeting, Saudi Arabia undertook the biggest cut in oil production, as the country agreed to reduce the output volume by 486,000 barrels per day to 10.058 million barrels per day (mbd) from Jan.1, 2017. The second biggest cut was undertaken by Iraq, which agreed to reduce its oil output by 210,000 barrels per day to 4.351 mbd, UAE 139,000 bpd to 2.874 mbd, Kuwait 131,000 bpd to 2.707 mbd. Algerias oil production will be reduced by 50,000 bpd to 1.039 million bpd, Angola 87,000 bpd to 1.673 million bpd, Ecuador 26,000 bpd to 522,000 bpd, Gabon 9,000 bpd to 193,000 bpd, Qatar 30,000 bpd to 618 million bpd, Venezuela 95,000 bpd to 1.972 million bpd. Iran is planned to increase the output by 90,000 bpd to 3,797 million bpd. Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The world lost a truly beloved comedic voice in the passing of Andrew Sachs, known for his iconic role as Manuel in the BBC's Fawlty Towers. The actor passed away aged 86, following a four-year battle with dementia, though he continued to work for a further two years after his initial diagnosis. Co-star John Cleese paid tribute to Sachs, proclaiming that: "I could not have found a better Manuel." Indeed, Sachs' impeccable sense of comedic timing transformed the hotel's hapless, but well-meaning waiter into a tour de force of utter mishap and confusion; his perpetual mix-ups only fuelling the bubbling temper of Cleese's Basil Fawlty. Recommended Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs dies aged 86 Though the show ran for only 12 episodes between 1975 and 1979, but Fawlty Towers left an inedible impression on the British comedy scene; named the best British television series of all time in a list drawn up by the BFI in 2000, voted by industry professionals. In tribute to Sachs' legacy, we've collected some of his most memorable moments as Manuel. 1. "I know nothing!" The declaration has become something of Manuel's catchphrase from the show, taking its origins from the episode 'Communications Problems'; as part of an attempted cover-up by Basil Fawlty, after he bets on a horse despite his wife Sybil (Prunella Scales)'s own wishes, foolishly believing Manuel will help conceal his misdeed. 2. The fire Manuel's smoked-out stumbling adds an extra layer of genius to the confusion caused when he accidentally starts a real fire mere moments before a fire drill is due to start with The Germans. Waving a saucepan like it's a beacon to disaster, Manuel clings to Basil's leg as he attempts to silence the waiter and keep his composure. Which doesn't last for long, and he's soon yelling, "Fa-fa-far-fire!", at the top of his lungs. 3. Manuel finally catches Basil the Rat The sixth and final episode of Fawlty Towers has become something of a fan favourite over the years; crowned by Sachs' bumbling physical comedy, as Manuel chases his beloved escapee pet rat - though he was conned into thinking it's a Siberian hamster - across the hotel. The search reaches a climax when the creature is finally caught by Manuel and stuffed into a biscuit tin, where he's promptly served to one of the guests. 4. Manuel practices his English Ducking under the reception desk counter while cleaning and practising his English, Manuel stuns Major Gowen (Ballard Berkeley) - the bumbling veteran who's become a permanent resident at the hotel - who believes the voice declaring, "I can speak English. I learned it from a book", is actually coming from the moose head propped up on the counter's edge; which Sybil has asked Basil to hang up on the lobby wall. 5. "Uno, dos, tres" Another language-based mishap for Manuel sees Basil attempt to tell the waiter that, "there is too much butter on those trays". Which Manuel promptly corrects him as a mispronunciation of "uno, dos, tres". Thus follows an epic confusion in which both individuals end up deeply lost in translation, all while attempting to communicate one simple instruction. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A few weeks ago, a federal judge in Oregon made headlines when she ruled that a groundbreaking climate lawsuit will proceed to trial. And some experts say its outcome could rewrite the future of climate policy in the United States. The case, brought by 21 youths aged 9 to 20, claims that the federal government isn't doing enough to address the problem of climate change to protect their planet's future -- and that, they charge, is a violation of their constitutional rights on the most basic level. The case has already received widespread attention, even garnering the support of well-known climate scientist James Hansen, who has also joined as a plaintiff on behalf of his granddaughter and as a guardian for "future generations." The U.S. government under President Obama, along with several others representing members of the fossil fuel industry, filed to have the lawsuit dismissed. But on Nov. 10, federal judge Ann Aiken denied the motion, clearing the case to proceed to trial. According to Our Children's Trust, the nonprofit representing the youth plaintiffs, a recent case management conference indicated that the case would likely go to trial by summer or early fall of 2017. "It's been called the biggest trial of the century, and it is," said Mary Wood, a law professor at the University of Oregon and expert in natural resources and public trust law. "Literally, when I say the planet is on the docket, it would be hard to imagine a more consequential trial, because the fossil fuel policies of the entire United States of America are going to confront the climate science put forth by the world's best scientists. And never before has that happened." The odds of success Theoretically, the trial's outcome could have major implications for the incoming Trump administration, which aims to dismantle many of the climate and energy priorities established under President Obama. Should the plaintiffs prevail, the federal government could be forced to develop and adhere to stringent carbon-cutting measures aimed at preserving the planet's climate future for generations to come. The only other place such action has ever been ordered by a court is in the Netherlands, where a similar case resulted in a landmark ruling last year requiring the Dutch government to slash its emissions by a quarter within five years. Julia Olson, chief legal counsel for the plaintiffs and executive director of Our Children's Trust, said she's optimistic that the youths will prevail in court. But while other experts agree on the case's historical importance, they're less sure about its outcome. "It's a terrific case," said James May, a distinguished professor of law and chief sustainability officer at Widener University. "It finally constitutionalizes climate change." But he added that he thinks the plaintiffs' odds of success are unlikely. The case relies on several specific claims. One of these references something called the "public trust doctrine," which holds that the government is responsible for preserving certain resources, such as lakes and rivers, for public use. The plaintiffs assert that "the overarching public trust resource is our country's life-sustaining climate system, which encompasses our atmosphere, waters, oceans, and biosphere." The suit also addresses a principle known as substantive due process, which prohibits the government from depriving any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law. The plaintiffs argue that "[o]ur nation's climate system...is critical to Plaintiffs' rights to life, liberty, and property," and that these rights are threatened by federal action, such as the continued development of fossil fuels. But while May notes that "strictly speaking, legally, the [plaintiffs'] causes of action have legs," the case's pioneering nature may make it difficult to argue in court. "The federal judiciary of the United States is not yet ready, by and large, to apply federal common law public trust doctrine and substantive due process to climate change," he said. "I think it's likely that the cases will be struck." But some experts are more optimistic. Wood, the University of Oregon law professor, feels that the case overcame its biggest challenge already when the motion to dismiss was denied. By declining to dismiss the lawsuit, the court was indicating that the plaintiffs do indeed have a right to sue the government over their constitutional right to a healthy environment in the context of the climate change threat -- something that has never been done before. And even experts who are skeptical about the lawsuit's eventual outcome agree this was an important milestone. "I think the fact that the plaintiffs have survived a motion to dismiss means that it's got to be taken somewhat seriously," said Daniel Esty, an expert in environmental law and policy at Yale University. Esty, like May, nevertheless suspects that the suit will not proceed much further. However, in Wood's opinion, the plaintiffs should have plenty of support to win the case. "If the children can show that the federal government is neglecting its fiduciary duty of trustee...then they can force a remedy," she said. "And it seems fairly straightforward based on existing climate science that the federal government is not fulfilling its just duties to protect these potential resources." Implications for the future While the lawsuit is currently aimed at the Obama administration, it will target the Trump administration by default after January. This means that if the plaintiffs prevail, a court order could require climate action from the new administration, such as halting new permits for oil drilling or reducing greenhouse gas emissions by a certain amount over a given period of time, according to Wood. However, such an outcome would almost certainly be appealed. According to Wood, the case could also end with a consent decree -- a kind of settlement in which the federal government agrees to take action rather than go through with a trial. "If [President Obama] really wants to secure the climate legacy, he could come forward and put measures on the table as a down payment for the climate recovery owed to these plaintiffs," Wood said. "He could make the first down payment on this huge climate debt. And if he did that, that would signal to everybody that he was serious about this climate crisis." Still, this outcome could also be appealed by the new administration -- and in any event that the case made it all the way to the Supreme Court, May said, it would likely be "dead on arrival." It may turn out that the greatest action on climate change in the coming years will take place at the state and local level instead, experts say. In addition to the federal case, Our Children's Trust has also filed similar climate lawsuits at the state level throughout the nation -- and they've enjoyed some success in Washington state, securing court orders requiring the state Department of Ecology to develop a plan to regulate carbon dioxide emissions. (Although the agency did develop a plan in response, the petitioners have recently deemed it inadequate and have taken the issue back to court.) Because state constitutions differ across the nation, it's difficult to predict exactly how these cases might play out in other places, May noted. But some states may go on to develop or continue strengthening their own climate plans regardless. "I see across the U.S. the number of governors and the number of mayors who are pursuing climate change agendas in their own places with great vigor," Esty said. "I expect that that will continue to be an important element of why the United States moves forward on its climate change agenda, even if there's some resistance from a Trump administration." And even if the federal lawsuit fails, its effects could still reverberate in other ways. It's opened up a new legal avenue for fighting climate change that may become more common in the future, May said. And according to Esty, the case may end up serving "as a source of inspiration to young people across the world who might, in their own countries and in their own legal context, decide that they should pursue court cases or other legal action against those who appear to be foot-dragging on the issue of climate change." In fact, according to Olson, Our Children's Trust is already supporting similar cases in several other countries, including Pakistan and Uganda. "I think we will win this case, and it will transform our federal climate policy so that it's focused on protecting the constitutional rights of young people," Olson said. "But I agree that whichever way the case goes, it is serving a very important purpose in reframing the climate crisis as one which affects human rights, and fundamental rights that citizens of the United States hold, and also citizens of other nations across the world." Washington Post For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} TalkTalk and other internet providers stopped providing connections to users after they were hit by a huge cyber attack. The troubled internet provider has said that it along with the Post Office and other internet providers across Europe were hit by the Mirai worm and had their connections taken offline. That worm is becoming increasingly dangerous. It was blamed for a huge internet outage earlier this year, and works by taking over a variety of unsecured internet devices and then pointing them at weak points in the webs infrastructure. This time it appears to have targeted a certain kind of router that is used both by the Post Office and TalkTalk, and so left customers of both companies unable to get online. 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 A spokesman for TalkTalk said in a statement: "Along with other ISPs in the UK and abroad, we are taking steps to review the potential impacts of the Mirai worm. "A small number of customer routers have been affected, and we have deployed additional network-level controls to further protect our customers." It follows news from Germany's Deutsche Telekom earlier this week that up to 900,000 of its customer had lost their internet connection as part of the same incident. No-one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Earlier, a spokeswoman for the Post Office said the issue had begun for their customers on Sunday but that no personal data from users was at risk. "Post Office can confirm that on November 27 a third party disrupted the services of its broadband customers, which impacted certain types of routers," they said in a statement. "Although this did result in service problems we would like to reassure customers that no personal data or devices have been compromised. "We have identified the source of the problem and implemented a resolution which is currently being rolled out to all customers. "We would like to apologise to any customers who have been experiencing issues with their Post Office broadband service. For those customers who are still having problems we are advising them to reboot their router." A similar attack on the US-based Dyn web domain provider in October knocked a host of prominent websites offline, including Spotify, Twitter and Reddit. Security experts have suggested the aim of the attack may have been to simply cause disruption. Jonathan Sander, from security firm Lieberman Software, said: "When the modified Mirai attack hit Deutsche Telekom over the weekend, many guessed that the fact that it simply shut down the devices it hit was a mistake by the bad guys trying to steal data. "Now that Post Office routers are falling victim to the same type of attack shutting them down, it begs the question if the shutdown is the goal. "Most cyber crime is about money. But every now and then there are bad guys who just want to watch the world burn." Additional reporting by Press Association For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} G4S has sold its Israeli security business after sustained pressure from human rights groups who have accused the company of complicity in human rights abuses. The controversial security firm said it will sell its its Israeli division - which also provides prison services and equipment - to private equity company FIMI. G4S will maintain a stake in a police training facility in the country. For years campaigners have protested G4S annual general meetings and led a boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) campaign against the organisation. Recommended Gay man accuses G4S staff of homophobic abuse at Tory party conference The company said this had not influenced the decision to sell and that the move was part a wider push to concentrate on core operations and shed unprofitable contracts. G4S Israel is a well-managed business that will grow and prosper as part of the FIMI group providing a positive future for our 6,000 colleagues in Israel and long-term, high-quality service and support to customers operating in the Israeli market, chief executive Ashley Almanza said. War on Wants Ryvka Barnard said G4S remains complicit in human rights abuses through its ownership of and investment in the facility. If G4S was concerned about human rights, it would leave the Israeli market completely, she added. 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 company is not the first operating in Israel to have seemingly been pushed out by sanctions movements. In September 2015, french multinational Veolia which had been similarly targeted, sold off all of its businesses in the country. Even an Israeli company, Sodastream, moved its factory out of the countrys illegal settlements, after an advertisement for their product featuring Scarlett Johansson led Oxfam to drop her as an ambassador. Foreign Office guidance warns companies of the potential reputational risk of operating in the Israels settlements. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Concerns over the outcome of Italys constitutional referendum and a presidential election in Austria dragged European stocks towards their biggest drop in a month on Friday. Italians will vote on reforming the countrys constitution on Sunday, and centre-left prime minister Matteo Renzi has vowed to step down if the proposal is rejected a result suggested by current polls. Meanwhile, the Austrian presidential election rerun, also on Sunday, could see the nation elect the EUs first far-right leader. Adding to political uncertainty in Europe, French President Francois Hollande announced on Thursday he will not be seeking a second term in the countrys upcoming presidential election. During European morning trade, the pan-European Stoxx 600 index was down 1.2 per cent, the lowest in more than three weeks. Elsewhere, Frances CAC 40 declined 1.3 per cent, while Germanys DAX 30 was down 1.2 per cent. European bourses managed to trim their slightly losses by closing time but trader remained cautious with most major indices ending both the day and the week lower. Simon Smith, chief economist at FX Pro, said: We have the Italian constitutional referendum over the weekend. This has the potential to induce some volatility in the early part of next week. There are still a lot of undecided voters, so although the no side is ahead, the result is not a given. And even if this does come to fruition, a rejection of the reforms would lead to political instability in Italy and quite possibly to early elections. Ipek Ozkardeskaya, of London Capital, said there have been many speculations about Mr Renzis political future post the referendum. On the back of the latest news, Prime Minister Renzi would resign if he fails to gather citizens support via Sundays referendum. Hence, a no vote could importantly squeeze Italian politics, as citizens veto to the constitutional change would lead the country to an early election, which could be as soon as in the first quarter of 2017, and favour the rise of the Five Star Movement, which has promised a referendum on Italys membership in the euro area. Ms Ozkardeskaya said investors should stay away from the euro ahead of the Italian referendum. The outcome of the referendum could have a significant impact on short-term euro volatility, she added. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The rise of mobile and electronic payments means cash is playing an increasingly less important role in our society. However, many cash enthusiasts remain devoted to the aesthetics of the paper banknote and are eagerly awaiting for the international of banknotes - the equivalent of the Oscars of paper currency. According to the 55-year-old International Banknote Society (IBNS) which confers the Banknote of the Year Award, banknotes nominated must have been issued to the public for the first time during the year of the award, and must have artistic merit and/or innovative security features, and be in general circulation. The IBNS assesses the money for its artistic merit and security features including the use of colour, contrast and balance. Nominations for the award will be accepted up to the 31st January of the following year, while the winners will be revealed in April 2017 after the IBNS Board meeting. The Bank of England new 5 note, which sparked a massive public outcry after the revelation it contains traces of animal fat, has been nominated for the award. The new polymer banknotes, featuring Sir Winston Churchill, fit in cash machines like paper ones, but are considerably more durable, cleaner and harder to counterfeit. Among the nominees are entries from Switzerland, Scotland, Maldives and Georgia. The 2016 banknote beauty pageant Show all 6 1 /6 The 2016 banknote beauty pageant The 2016 banknote beauty pageant currency of Scotland The 2016 banknote beauty pageant currency of Australia The 2016 banknote beauty pageant currency of New Zealand The 2016 banknote beauty pageant currency of Georgia The 2016 banknote beauty pageant currency of Belarus The 2016 banknote beauty pageant currency of Maldives The winner of IBNS Banknote of the Year 2015 award was New Zealands $5 note. In 2014, the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobagos $50 note got the award. Here are the nine banknotes vying for the title this year: Maldives 1,000 rufiyaa Georgia 50 lari Australia 5 dollar England 5 pound (Bloomberg via Getty Images) Scotland 5 pound New Zealand 50 dollar Belarus 100 Rouble Sweden 100 Kronor Switzerland 50 Swiss franc For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} British vegetarians and vegans are being stupid for protesting about the new five pound note containing animal fat, the Australian inventor of the polymer banknote said. After coming in for criticism earlier this week over the use of tallow in the polymer note, the Bank of England said on Wednesday it was aware of some peoples concerns and that it would treat them with the utmost respect. Vegans have expressed anger because the new fiver contains a small amount of tallow, which is derived from animal waste products. A petition to ban the note has attracted more than 120,000 signatures. Professor David Solomon, who developed the first polymer bank note in circulation in Australia in 1988, said the new 5 notes contain trivial amounts of tallow, an animal fat which is also found in candles and soap, yet pressure is being placed on the Bank of England to find an alternative. Its stupid. Its absolutely stupid, he told the Australian radio station 2GB. Theres trivial amounts of it in there, he added. Professor Solomon said polymer notes were extremely hard to forge and had a lot more benefits for the consumer than previous paper notes. Five things to know about the new 5 banknote It picks up less drugs than paper notes and you dont chop down trees, he said. Its more hygienic than a paper note by a long way. The Bank of England said on Wednesday its supplier is working on potential solutions to the issue of animal fat in its new 5 notes. Doug Maw, who started the growing petition, said he was disgusted. I understand old notes contain stuff as well we cant do anything about what is in circulation but the fact they are producing new ones is what really riles me, he told the Press Association. There is no excuse for it. There has got to be other ways of making money without using animal products. Norway's new artistic bank notes Show all 15 1 /15 Norway's new artistic bank notes Norway's new artistic bank notes Norway's banknotes Norway's new artistic bank notes Norway's banknotes Norway's new artistic bank notes Norway's banknotes Norway's new artistic bank notes Norway's banknotes Norway's new artistic bank notes Norway's banknotes Norway's new artistic bank notes Norway's banknotes Norway's new artistic bank notes Norway's banknotes Norway's new artistic bank notes Norway's banknotes Norway's new artistic bank notes Norway's banknotes Norway's new artistic bank notes Norway's banknotes Norway's new artistic bank notes Norway's banknotes Norway's new artistic bank notes Norway's banknotes Norway's new artistic bank notes Norway's banknotes Norway's new artistic bank notes Norway's banknotes Norway's new artistic bank notes Norway's banknotes The first of 440 million plastic 5 notes went into circulation in September. The new 5 notes, featuring Sir Winston Churchill, fit in cash machines like paper ones, but are considerably more durable as well as being cleaner and harder to counterfeit. A polymer 10 featuring novelist Jane Austen will go into circulation next year, and a polymer 20 will follow by 2020. A spokesperson for the Bank of England has confirmed 10 notes, will be printed on polymer from Innovia, the same supplier as the 5 notes. However, it remains unclear if the notes will also contains traces of tallow. The Bank has not yet awarded a contract for the polymer for the 20 notes. * The sub-heading to this article originally stated that the new 5 note was the first polymer note in circulation in the UK. In fact, polymer notes have been in circulation since 2015 in Scotland, and a polymer note was issued in Northern Ireland as long ago as 1999. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} London taxi driver Tony Caccavones love affair with the people of Cuba dates back two decades. One day he found himself chatting with some of customers and discovered they were Canadians, not Americans as he had initially assumed. So where do you Canadians go on holiday when youre not visiting London, he asked. Cuba, they said. That conversation inspired Mr Caccavone to shortly afterwards visit the Caribbean island. That happy holiday resulted in the 73-year-old widower deciding to make a trip every year, and to decorate his traditional London taxi in the colours of the Cuban flag. He used that flag to educate his customers with his take on Cuba and its controversial history. Nations such as Cuba can no longer depend on the Soviets for support ( (AP) It also meant that when Mr Caccavones taxi had come to the end of its 400,000-mile life, he decided that rather than scrapping it, he would donate it to the Havanas Motor Museum. That donation, and Mr Caccavones efforts to make sure it happened, are the subject of a short film, Taxi to Havana, by New York-based video journalist Tom Pietrasik. Short films benefit from strong characters, and when I first met Tony I knew he would make a great subject for a film, said Pietrasik. Tony's affection for Cuba is rooted in his socialist beliefs and I was impressed by his enthusiam to tell complete strangers of Cuba's achievements. Mr Caccavone, who helps run a Cuba solidarity group in London which collects items such as braille readers which they donate on their annual trips - Its not a beach holiday - makes no attempt to hide his affection for the late Fidel Castro, or his revolution. Speaking from London, he said the 1959 overthrow of the dictator Fulgencio Batista was a peoples revolution that had the support of the masses. He said that for decades, the US and other leading powers had enforced a genocidal blockade of the island. After the USSR dissolved, the Cubans were having to get formula milk sent from New Zealand, because America would not provide it, he said. He said that most people were not aware of the true nature of the Cuban peoples struggle and of the role of the US and countries, because of the mass of propaganda from the West and the biased reporting of the British and American media. Mr Caccavone wanted to donate his taxi to the Cuban people (Tom Pietrasik) The reason the West has been unable to overthrow the Cuban government is that it has the support of the Cuban people, he said. He said that reports of Castro imprisoning opponents and homosexuals were incorrect and part of the propaganda campaign. Students place candles around an image of the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro, at the university where Castro studied law as a young man, during a vigil in Havana, Cuba (AP) He said that he believed Castro had remained true in his promise to the Cuban people after he seized power. I believe he is Gods representative. As it was, Mr Caccavones most recent visit to Cuba coincided with the passing away of Castro, whose death at the age of 90 was announced ten days ago. He said the mood throughout the country was sombre and then many people, tourists among them, were signing condolences books that had been set out for people to share their memories. And as to his own feelings when he heard the news? I had a tear in my eye. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trump has launched a legal battle to try and prevent a recount of votes in Michigan a state he won by a razor-thin margin of barely 10,000 votes. Green Party leader Jill Stein, with the backing of Hillary Clintons campaign, has filed suits to order state officials in Michigan, Wisconsin and Michigan to carry out a hand recount of ballots. Mr Trump has condemned the proposal in the strongest terms. Michigans elections board will on Friday consider President-elect Trumps request to block a hand recount of all 4.8m ballots cast in the state he won by about 10,700 votes over Ms Clinton. Green Party nominee Jill Stein accused of splitting left-wing vote (Getty) (Getty Images) The Associated Press that on Thursday, lawyers for the Trump campaign argued that Ms Stein, who he had described as a bottom-dwelling candidate, could not seek the expensive, time-consuming recount because she was not aggrieved to the point where potential miscounting of votes could have cost her the election. She won just one per cent in Michigan. They also said in their objection that Ms Stein waited until the last minute to file her recount petition on Wednesday, making it impossible to finish by a 13 December deadline. Ms Stein said in response that Mr Trumps cynical efforts to delay the recount and create unnecessary costs for taxpayers are shameful and outrageous. His objections suspended the planned Friday start of the recount until next week. Dr. Jill Stein Accepts Green Party Presidential Nomination A recount is already underway in Wisconsin, which Mr Trump won by roughly 22,000 votes and where the first reporting of numbers was expected Friday. In Pennsylvania, a hearing was scheduled for next Monday on Ms Steins effort to secure a statewide recount, a legal maneuver that has never been tried, according to one of the attorneys who filed it. Ms Stein is among those who have said they do not believe the the recounts were likely to change enough votes to change the outcome in any of the states. As a result of such an admission the the Wisconsin recount does not carry nearly the same drama as the Florida recount in 2000, when the outcome of the presidential race between Al Gore and George W Bush hung in the balance. This is certainly not Bush v Gore, said Mike Haas, Wisconsins chief elections administrator. Even so, the campaigns for Mr Trump, Ms Clinton and Ms Stein all had observers spread throughout the state to watch the process, the AP said. The recount will have to move quickly. The federal deadline to certify the vote to avoid having the fate of Wisconsins 10 electoral votes decided by Congress is 13 December. Even if that were to happen, the votes would almost certainly go to Mr Trump, since Republicans control both chambers of Congress. Ms Stein has argued, without evidence, that irregularities in the votes in all three states suggest that there could have been tampering with the vote, perhaps through a well-coordinated, highly complex cyberattack. Verifying the vote through this recount is the only way to confirm that every vote has been counted securely and accurately and is not compromised by machine or human error, or by tampering or hacking, she said. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Ivanka Trump wants to become an ambassador for the fight against climate change, according to reports, despite her fathers repeated scepticism. President-elect Donald Trump has described climate change as a hoax invented by the Chinese to manipulate US markets. But his high-flying businesswoman daughter, who served as a key liberal-leaning personality within Mr Trumps campaign, is reportedly lining up an environmental public role. Politico claims a source says the issue will be one of the 35-year-olds signature themes while the billionaire tycoon is in power. Ivanka is in the early stages of exploring how to use her spotlight to speak out on the issue, said the unnamed source. Former Apprentice personality Mr Trump, tweeting in 2012, said global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive. In 2014 he tweeted: Its late July and it is really cold outside in New York. Where the hell is GLOBAL WARMING??? Donald Trump says he would probably be dating Ivanka if it wasn't his daughter The 70-year-old property magnate, speaking at an oil and natural gas conference in North Dakota in May, even pledged to pull out of the 2015 Paris climate agreement. Ivanka Trump comments on article about father's respect for women The COP21 conference in December last year saw 195 countries, in a legally binding agreement, pledge to keep global warming well below a 2C increase. The lead scientist behind a recent global warming report said Mr Trumps stance on climate change is catastrophic for humanity. There have been hints since the election that Mr Trump could adopt a more moderate climate-change policy, however. Mr Trumps White House chief of staff Reince Priebus said: Hell have an open mind about it but he has his default position, which is that most of it is a bunch of bunk, but hell have an open mind and listen to people. Asked in his long-awaited New York Times interview about the relationship of human activity and climate change, he said: I think there is some connectivity. There is some, something. Trump comments on Paris Climate deal It depends on how much. It also depends on how much its going to cost our companies. Former fashion model Ms Trump, who has said she does not consider herself categorically Republican or Democrat and in 2007 donated $1,000 to Hillary Clintons presidential campaign, was seen as the de facto first lady throughout her dads campaign. Family friend and businessman Carl Icahn has said: I think her father respects her a great deal, and not just because shes his daughter. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 2 By Maksim Tsurkov Trend: Suat Pashayev has been appointed director general in Aztelekom LLC, the national communication operator of Azerbaijan, the countrys Ministry of Communications and High Technologies said in a message Dec. 2. Pashayev has been appointed upon a decree of Azerbaijani Minister of Communications and High Technologies Ramin Guluzade, the ministry said. Pashayev has been acting director general in Aztelekom LLC since May 2016, the ministry said. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Supporters of Donald Trump have tried to stop or prevent election recounts in each of the three states where Green Party leader Jill Stein and the campaign of Hillary Clinton have asked for an audit. Ms Stein and her backers have filed suits seeking a manual recount of ballots in the states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, contests that were expected to be won by Ms Clinton but where Mr Trump secured narrow victories on election night. Ms Stein has said she does not believe the recounts will alter the outcome of the election, which Mr Trump cemented by means of an Electoral College win of 306-232. Yet she said amid claims of potential hacking of the system, the integrity of the voting operation should be tested. A recount got underway this week in the state of Wisconsin (AP) Our goal is not to change the result of the election, Ms Stein said this week. It is to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the vote. On Friday, Mr Trumps supporters sought to block or stop the recounts in each of the three states. The Associated Press said that the legal actions seeking to halt the recounts could cause delays that would make them extremely difficult or impossible to complete on time. Wisconsin is the only state where a recount is underway. It began Thursday, and one of the states 72 counties had already completed its task by Friday, the AP said, with Ms Clinton gaining a single a vote on Trump. Ms Clinton lost to Mr Trump in Wisconsin by about 22,000 votes, or less than 1 per cent. Two pro-Trump groups, the Great America PAC and the Stop Hillary PAC, along with Wisconsin voter Ronald Johnson went to federal court late o Thursday to try and stop the recount. They requested a temporary restraining order in US District Court to immediately halt the recount while the court considers their lawsuit. Trump returns to Ohio for celebration rally The lawsuit said Wisconsin violated the US Supreme Courts 2000 Bush v Gore ruling because it does not have uniform standards to determine which votes should be counted in a recount. They also argued that it threatened due process rights. If states miss the deadline, Congress would allot their electoral votes. No court hearings had been scheduled as of early Friday afternoon. The Wisconsin Department of Justice was reviewing the lawsuit, said Johnny Koremenos, spokesman for Attorney General Brad Schimel. Michigans elections board was deadlocked on Friday over a Trump campaign request to deny Ms Steins recount request. Both Republican members voted to prevent the recount while both Democrats voted to allow it, meaning it will begin Tuesday or Wednesday unless the courts intervene. Michigans Republican attorney general asked the state Supreme Court to do just that, echoing Mr Trump campaigns arguments that Ms Stein should not be allowed to seek the costly recount because she finished so far behind Mr Trump and Ms Clinton that she could not have herself won. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Elijah Wood has addressed the reaction to an interview where he appeared to suggest a child sexual abuse scandal had taken place in Hollywood, claiming his comments were taken out of context. In May, the Lord of the Rings actor suggested the film industry had a child sex abuse scandal comparable to Jimmy Savile in the UK during an interview with The Sunday Times. You all grew up with Savile Jesus it must have been devastating, he said. Clearly something major was going on in Hollywood. It was all organised. Months later, he says he is still receiving messages from people pressurising him to exposed the alleged scandal and perpetrators, despite stressing he has no first-hand experience of the allegations. 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. Those quotes came out of me discussing a documentary Id seen and were taken incredibly out of context, he told The Telegraph. But I now constantly get messages saying that I need to uncover the names of [the perpetrators], like Ive somehow become a spokesperson for a whole group of people. Truth is, I have nothing to do with that world. Im merely someone who is deeply disturbed by the fact that something like that exists, he said. In the original interview, Wood spoke of "vipers" in the industry and a "darkness in the underbelly" of Hollywood. "There are a lot of vipers i this industry, people who only have their own interests in mind. There is darkness in the underbelly. "What bums me out about these situations is that the victims can't speak as loudly as the people in power," he said. "That's the tragedy of attempting to reveal what is happening to innocent people: they can be squashed, but their lives have been irreparably damaged." Wood, who was a child actor himself, said his mother had protected him when his career was kick-starting: "She was far more concerned with raising me to be a good human than facilitating my carrer. I never went to parties where that kind of thing was going on. The bizarre industry presents so many paths of temptation. If you don't have some kind of foundation, typically from family, then it will be difficult to deal with." Days later, he clarified his remarks saying the interview sparked a number of false and misleading headlines, saying he had no first-hand experience of child abuse in Hollywood and was speaking to the reporter about a powerful documentary he had seen on the subject. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Jamie Oliver has dismissed suggestions that having his two eldest children watch his wife Jools give birth and cut the umbilical cord was controversial. In a wide-ranging interview with Good Housekeeping, which managed to span his new found appreciation of manicures, fear of mortality, childbirth, bad haircuts and Brexit the topic few interviews now manage to avoid, Mr Oliver, 41, explained why his teenage daughters were in the delivery room at Londons Portland Hospital in August. The chef and campaigners children Poppy Honey Rosie, 14, and Daisy Boo Pamela, 13, were there to watch their mother give birth to son River, in what Mr Oliver described on Facebook as an unbelievably composed, natural birth. My two eldest Girls got to come in at the very end as the baby was born, which was amazing to witness, very, very emotional, he said at the time. Recommended Jamie Oliver and wife Jools welcome son and daughters cut the cord Jools shared a picture of her newborn son shortly after the birth on Instagram and said she was very proud of her two eldest daughters for cutting the cord. Its only controversial to really strange people, insisted Mr Oliver. Most of the world has home births, and different countries have different habits. It was an idea from Mum and the kids, and we gave it lots of thought. As soon as the baby was out and safe, we got the nod Poppy cut the umbilical cord! To see my two teenagers watch their mum was extraordinary. It was the right age for them, the right scenario for us, and I witnessed their initial raw emotion as the little one was handed to them. I know they respect their mum now even more than they already did. It was an amazing show of strength. Mothers meeting their newborn babies Show all 9 1 /9 Mothers meeting their newborn babies Mothers meeting their newborn babies Fermont Fotographie Mothers meeting their newborn babies Fermont Fotographie Mothers meeting their newborn babies Fermont Fotographie Mothers meeting their newborn babies Fermont Fotographie Mothers meeting their newborn babies Fermont Fotographie Mothers meeting their newborn babies Fermont Fotographie Mothers meeting their newborn babies Fermont Fotographie Mothers meeting their newborn babies Mothers meeting their newborn babies Mr Oliver also addressed Brexit and the fears he has about how leaving the European Union could negatively affect his restaurant chain, warning British restaurants cannot function without employing staff from Europe. If it affects me, it will affect every restaurant and every farm and everyone in the food industry, which is the biggest industry on the planet, and the Government will not have that. We are constantly short-staffed. We havent got queues of people wanting jobs. We havent got enough chefs. There arent enough going through college. Everyone wants staff. Its an impossibility that Britain can function without European staff. End of. As far as Im told by the Government, it is going to be law that every restaurant has to have apprenticeships, which is kind of cute and nice, but you cant force it if there is no one who wants it. The full interview appears in the January issue of Good Housekeeping, on sale 8 December. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Almost 100,000 people have demanded Melania Trump pack her designer bags and leave New York, after it was announced the next First Lady of the United States intended to stay in the city until her son has finished the school year. Usually, the family of new presidents immediately move into the White House in Washington DC, but this time Ms Trump wants to defy convention and stay behind - at an estimated expense of $1,000,000 a day in security costs to New York taxpayers. The petition asks the Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, and City Mayor Bill De Blasio to refuse to pay to protect Donald Trumps wife, after he moves out of Trump Tower, the 58-story skyscraper on Fifth Avenue in midtown Manhattan, where the family currently reside in the luxury penthouse. Who is the new first family in the White House? The New York taxpayers refuse to pay over $1 million a day so she can stay, the petitioners wrote. If this decision has been made, between the two of them they should be the ones to pay for it. Not New York taxpayer dollars that could be used on roads, schools, transit, sanitation, new jobs and other expenses that the city has. They added: This is what tax dollars should be used for, improvements for the city and all the people of the city, not just one. Ms Trump has indicated she wants to stay under the crystal chandeliers and Greek-myth-painted ceilings of her home from when Mr Trump is sworn in, in January, until late spring or early summer when 10-year-old Barron's private school in Manhattan breaks for the summer. She is said to regularly drop her son off at the school, fees for which are reportedly $40,000 a year. Melania is extremely close to Barron, and they have become closer during the campaign," a source close to the transition team told the New York Post. The campaign has been difficult for Barron, and she is really hoping to keep disruption to a minimum. Transition officials were also asked about their plans. Jason Miller, a spokesman for Mr Trump, told the newspaper: No official statement has been released by the Trump family regarding transition timing, but like any parents, they are concerned about pulling their 10-year-old son out of school in the middle of the year. Their decision to remain in Trump Tower is expected to create particular set of security challenges for the Secret Service and the New York Police Department as the building is located on a busy street and members of the public can walk in and out of the building as they wish. The building has been surrounded by protesters, members of the press and police since the election result. President Donald Trump life in pictures Show all 16 1 /16 President Donald Trump life in pictures President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump poses in a rocking chair once used by President John F. Kennedy at his New York City residence Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Developer Donald Trump with his new bride Marla Maples after their wedding at the Plaza hotel in New York Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and Celina Midelfart watch the match between Conchita Martinez and Amanda Coetzer during U.S. Open. She was the date whom Donald Trump was with when he met his current wife Melania at a party in 1996 Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas serving as the grand marshal for the Daytona 500, speaks to Donald Trump and Melania Knauss on the starting grid at the Daytona International Speedwa Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Developer Donald Trump talks with his former wife Ivana Trump during the men's final at the U.S. Open Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and his friend Melania Knauss pose for photographers as they arrive at the New York premiere of Star Wars Episode : 'The Phantom Menace,' Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Billionaire real estate developer Donald Trump talks with host Larry King. Trump told King that he was moving toward a possible bid for the United States presidency with the formation of a presidential exploratory committee Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump answers questions as Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura looks on in Brooklyn Park. Trump said on Friday he 'very well might' make a run for president under the Reform Party banner but had not made a final decision Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Billionaire Donald Trump makes a face at a friend as he sits next to Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso before the start of the 2003 Miss Universe pageant in Panama City Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Entrepreneur Donald Trump is greeted by a Marilyn Monroe character look-a-alike, as he arrives at Universal Studios Hollywood to attend the an open casting call for his NBC television network reality series 'The Apprentice.' Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and Simon Cowell present an Emmy during the 56th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and Megan Mullally perform at the 57th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump, poses with his children, son Donald Trump, Jr., and daughters Tiffany and Ivanka Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Billionaire Donald Trump told Miss USA 2006 Tara Conner on Tuesday she would be given a second chance after reported misbehavior Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump holds a replica of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as his wife Melania holds their son Barron in Los Angeles Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures U.S. property mogul Donald Trump stands next to a bagpiper during a media event on the sand dunes of the Menie estate, the site for Trump's proposed golf resort, near Aberdeen, north east Scotland Reuters If his wife and son remain in New York, it is likely Mr Trump will fly back frequently to visit them, increasing costs to the city's police force. A transition team source previously said the President-elect was having discussions with advisers about how many days of the week he will be required to spend in the White House. During the presidential campaign, Mr Trump was known to fly back to Trump Tower late at night in order to wake up in his own bed. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The raw, lingering emotion of the 2016 presidential campaign erupted into a shouting match here Thursday as top strategists of Hillary Clintons campaign accused their Republican counterparts of fueling and legitimizing racism to elect Donald Trump. The extraordinary exchange came at a postmortem session sponsored by Harvard Universitys Kennedy School of Government, where top operatives from both campaigns sat across a conference table from each other. As Trumps team basked in the glow of its victory and singled out for praise its campaigns chief executive, Stephen K. Bannon, who was absent, the row of grim-faced Clinton aides who sat opposite them bristled. Clinton communications director Jennifer Palmieri condemned Bannon, who previously ran Breitbart, a news site popular with the alt-right, a small movement known for espousing racist views. If providing a platform for white supremacists makes me a brilliant tactician, I am proud to have lost, she said. I would rather lose than win the way you guys did. Kellyanne Conway, Trumps campaign manager, fumed: Do you think I ran a campaign where white supremacists had a platform? You did, Kellyanne. You did, interjected Palmieri, who choked up at various points of the session. Listen to the full discussion below: Do you think you could have just had a decent message for white, working-class voters? Conway asked. How about, its Hillary Clinton, she doesnt connect with people? How about, they have nothing in common with her? How about, she doesnt have an economic message? Joel Benenson, Clintons chief strategist, piled on: There were dog whistles sent out to people. . . . Look at your rallies. He delivered it. At which point, Conway accused Clintons team of being sore losers. Guys, I can tell you are angry, but wow, she said. Hashtag hes your president. Hows that? Will you ever accept the election results? Will you tell your protesters that hes their president, too? World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Show all 29 1 /29 World reaction to President Trump: In pictures World reaction to President Trump: In pictures London, England AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures London, England Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Manila, Philippines Getty Images World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Manila, Philippines Getty World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Mosul , Iraq Getty World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Manila, Philippines AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures New Delhi, India Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Karachi, Pakistan EPA World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Jakarta, Indonesia Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Lagos, Nigeria AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Kabul, Afghanistan AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Jerusalem. Israel Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Moscow, Russia Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Seoul, South Korea AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Lagos, Nigeria AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Peshawar, Pakistan EPA World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Jakarta, Indonesia Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Hyderabad, India AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Kolkata, India AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Sydney, Australia Getty World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Sydney, Australia AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Aleppo, Syria Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Mexico City, Mexico AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Jerusalem, Israel EPA World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Baghdad, Iraq Rex World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories Rex World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Tokyo, Japan Rex World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Mexico City, Mexico Getty The session was part of a two-day forum that the schools Institute of Politics has sponsored in the wake of every presidential election since 1972. It gathers operatives from nearly all of the primary and general election campaigns, as well as a large contingent of journalists, with the stated goal of beginning to compile a historical record. Generally, the quadrennial gatherings are frank but civil ones, in which political operatives at the top of their game accord each other a measure of professional respect. This year, in the wake of a brutal campaign with a surprise outcome, it was clear that the wounds have not yet begun to heal. The animosity of the campaign aides mirrors the broader feelings of millions of voters on both sides. Campaign officials lashed out at each other, and also against the media which neither side believed had treated it fairly. Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook also acknowledged that her operation had made a number of mistakes and miscalculations, while being buffeted by what he repeatedly described as a head wind of being an establishment candidate in a season where voters were eager for change. He noted, for example, that younger voters, perhaps assuming that Clinton was going to win, migrated to third-party candidates in the final days of the race. Where the campaign needed to win upward of 60 percent of young voters, it was able to garner something in the high 50s at the end of the day, Mook said. Thats why we lost. He and others also faulted FBI Director James B. Comey for deciding in the waning days of the campaign to revive the controversy over Clintons use of a private email server. Trump officials said Clintons problems went beyond tactics to her weaknesses as a candidate and the deficits of a message that consisted largely of trying to make Trump unacceptable. David Bossie, Trumps deputy campaign manager, taunted Mook: You call it head winds, I call it self-inflicted wounds. Conway added, Theres a difference for voters between what offends you and what affects you, arguing that Trump was speaking more directly to peoples anxieties and needs. Strategists for Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.), who waged a strong challenge against Clinton for the Democratic nomination, agreed. There was a large part of the Democratic primary electorate who had concerns about the secretarys veracity and forthrightness, said Jeff Weaver, Sanderss campaign manager. Clintons campaign aides insisted, again and again, that their candidate had been held to a different standard than the other contenders as evidenced by the controversy over her use of a private email server while secretary of state. Palmieri said that many political journalists had a personal dislike for the Democratic nominee and predicted that the email issue will go down in history as the most grossly overrated, over-covered and most destructive story in all of presidential politics. If I made one mistake, it was legitimizing the way the press covered this story line, Palmieri said. Mook added that Trump deftly used his rally speeches to switch up the news cycle. The media by and large was not covering what Hillary Clinton was choosing to say, Mook said. They were treating her like the likely winner, and they were constantly trying to unearth secrets and expose. For instance, Mook posited that the media did not scrutinize Trumps refusal to release his tax returns as intensively as the issue of Clintons private email server. Conway retorted: Oh, my God, that question was vomited to me every day on TV. The strangest criticism of the media, however, was by Trumps former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski. His complaint: Journalists accurately reported what Trump said. This is the problem with the media. You guys took everything that Donald Trump said so literally, Lewandowski said. The American people didnt. They understood it. They understood that sometimes when you have a conversation with people, whether its around the dinner table or at a bar youre going to say things, and sometimes you dont have all the facts to back it up. At a dinner the previous evening, CNN chief executive Jeff Zucker was heckled during a panel discussion about the media by operatives from several losing Republican campaigns, who accused the network of showering Trump with free publicity. To win the GOP nomination, Trump vanquished a highly credentialed field of 16 other Republicans, some of whom were backed up by tens of millions of dollars in outside spending. What his opponents failed to recognize, until it was too late, was that 2016 would be a year unlike any other, in which the standard rules would not apply. The uniqueness of this cycle made it such that some of those traditional kind of avenues became less effective, said Danny Diaz, who managed the campaign of the presumed early front-runner, former Florida governor Jeb Bush. Money and mechanics matter, but passion about a candidate matters more, added Mike DuHaime, a strategist for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), another establishment figure in the race. Barry Bennett, the campaign manager for retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, said of voters: What they wanted more than anything else was strength, and Donald Trump was supplying it every day. Clinton consultant Mandy Grunwald had a darker interpretation, which she expressed in an icy backhanded compliment to the Trump team on Thursday: I dont think you give yourself enough credit for the negative campaign you ran. She noted that the murky corners of the Internet were rife with false stories that Clinton was in dire health, and on the verge of going to prison. I hear this heroic story of him connecting with voters, Grunwald said. But there was a very impressive gassing of her. Benenson, meanwhile, served notice that the election may be over but that the battles it spawned are not. You guys won, thats clear, Benenson said. But lets be honest. Dont act as if you have a popular mandate for your message. The fact of the matter is that more Americans voted for Hillary Clinton than for Donald Trump. At which point Conway turned to her side and said: Hey, guys, we won. You dont have to respond. He was the better candidate. Thats why he won. Copyright: Washington Post Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} One of Britains top judges castigated a sexual assault victim for foolishness for getting drunk on the night she was attacked. High Court judge Andrew Gilbart made the remarks during sentencing of 18-year-old Yaqoob Alanezy at Manchester Crown Court. Alanezy pleaded guilty to sexual assault and kidnap after he put his arms around the 20-year-old victim, kissed her and then dragged her 30 yards down a street in south Manchester on 20 August 2016, the Manchester Evening News reported. The woman had found herself in an unfamiliar area of town after going to a flat with two men she met that night while drinking in the city centre, the court heard. After falling asleep at the flat, she left in the early hours, and was attacked by Alanezy shortly after, the court was told. A passerby witnessed the attack and intervened, shouting: Oi, causing Alanezy to flee the scene. The High Court judge said the victim only had a befuddled recollection of events. Im sure it was a frightening incident. She got very, very drunk. It doesnt excuse what happened, but people have to make sure they protect themselves and guard against this, she made herself very vulnerable, he told the court. The law seeks to protect victims such as this from their own foolishness. The complainant had got herself drunk, was in a public place, unable to protect herself and the law must be seen to protect vulnerable people from being picked on by those who spot their vulnerability and choose to attack them. Alanezy, who is from Kuwait, has now been given 22 months in a young offenders institution and been served with deportation papers. His defence lawyer Oliver Jarvis said the offence happened shortly after his 18th birthday and his supportive family were determined to keep him on the right track. He tells me hes deeply ashamed and deeply embarrassed, Mr Jarvis told the court. Recommended 22 signs we live in a rape culture In Kuwait theres no alcohol and the defendant came over here, tried alcohol for the first time and its been a real problem since, as a way of dealing with deep boredom. He makes no excuses, he had half a bottle of vodka that night and out he went into the street. This is not something that will be repeated. Hes very, very isolated in prison. He doesnt speak any English, theres a Libyan person he speaks to sometimes, but otherwise he keeps himself to himself and is really rather confused by everything, other than shame at the offending. The Survivors Trust chief executive Fay Maxted accused the judge of victim blaming. This is something that has been going on for decades, this victim blaming as opposed to looking at the behaviour of the perpetrator. Research has shown time and time again that attitudes towards victims from judges and barristers can be really punishing, she told the MEN. It is really disturbing and can have a massive impact. Comments like the ones made in court can deter victims from coming forward.If you report a burglary people dont criticise you for leaving the curtains open. It should not be happening. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A bus has burst into flames in the middle of a street in south west London. The driver escaped and was rushed to hospital after a 371 bus burst into flames near the Guildhall/Rose Theatre stop in High Street, Kingston. Two fire crews battled with the blaze as bright orange flames engulfed the back of the vehicle. It was not clear whether any passengers were on the bus but London Ambulance Service staff were at the scene to treat people for smoke inhalation. Martin Delaney, who witnessed the fire, described the scene as chaotic. "The road was taped off, there were acrid burning smells, local shops' fire alarms or smoke detectors had been triggered - it was quite a mess," Mr Delaney said. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said local residents were evacuated "as a safety precaution" and road closures were in place. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters 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 Tony Akers, Transport for London's head of bus operations, said the cause of the fire was not known, but a "full investigation" would take place. There were no casualties in the incident. Press Association contributed to this report. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Up to one million EU citizens are at risk of deportation after Brexit unless the government comes up with a more simple way of recognising their status in the country, a campaign group has warned. There has been a significant rise in EU citizens seeking permanent residency (PR) in the UK since the EU referendum, of which an "alarming" 30 per cent are unable to provide the unrealistic evidence required by the Home Office to prove their right to reside, according to 3 Million, a group lobbying for the rights of non-British citizens living in the UK. The latest immigration statistics quarterly data released by the Home Office shows the number of EU citizens applying for PR increased by 36 per cent since Britain voted to leave, rising from 10,269 in the three months prior to the EU referendum to 16,009 in the three months that followed. This has reportedly led to a backlog of almost 100,000 applications, a figure that has trebled since 2015, suggesting the Home Office is struggling to cope with the surge in applications. The 3 Million calculated that it would take the Home Office 47 years to process the three million applications from EU citizens for PR at the current rate, which it warned could leave many unable to have their rights to remain supported. Meanwhile, 30 per cent of EU citizens are unable to prove their right to residence despite living here legally, leaving one million potentially at risk of deportation from the day the UK leaves the EU. Nicolas Hatton, chair of the 3 Million, told The Independent: The anxiety among EU citizens living in the UK is enormous. The biggest concern is that the government wont guarantee their rights and is using them as bargaining chips. Ive spoken to hundreds of EU citizens in the UK as well as UK citizens living in Europe and its the same feeling that they dont feel supported by the Government. They feel like theyre being used. Recommended Net migration virtually unchanged in year up to the Brexit vote While currently EU citizens have the right to live in the UK without a permanent residency card under the treaty agreement, after Brexit they are likely to require the card in order to remain. But Mr Hatton explained that, under the current system of obtaining permanent residency, EU citizens living in the UK are required to provide the Home Office with evidence that many are unable to obtain, affecting for example people who are unemployed because they are caring for children. Many will be refused simply because they cant provide the evidence. They are living here legally, exercising their treaty rights, but the government is requesting evidence that is unrealistic," he added. If the permanent residency system currently used remains, around 30 per cent will face deportation. According to Mr Hatton, the viable solution would be for the government to make a gesture before triggering Article 50 saying all EU citizens currently living in the UK lawfully can remain. In a letter to Home Secretary Amber Rudd, Mr Hatton wrote: EU citizens have been feeling very anxious about their future since the referendum and this set of data will not reassure them. We call on you to remove the threat of deportation without notice and give us today guarantees that all EU citizens living legally in the UK will be able to exercise their right to remain before the UK leaves the EU. We are people with families, children, friends and work colleagues and we are rightly worried about a very uncertain future. In response to the findings, a Home Office spokesperson said: The home secretary has been clear that she wants to protect the status of EU nationals already living here, and the only circumstances in which that wouldnt be possible is if British citizens rights in European member states were not protected in return. Brexit Concerns Show all 26 1 /26 Brexit Concerns Brexit Concerns Brexit will put British patients at 'back of the queue' for new drugs Brexit will put British patients at the back of the queue for vital new drugs, the Government has been warned forcing them to wait up to two years longer A medicines regulator has raised the alarm over a likely decision to pull out of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as the EU itself. ealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt dropped the bombshell , when he said he expected the UK would quit the EMA because it is subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice. Getty Images Brexit Concerns London to lose status as 'gateway to Europe' for banks One of Germanys top banking regulators has warned that London could lose its status as gateway to Europe for the banking sector after Britain quits the European trading bloc. Andreas Dombret, who is an executive board member for the BundesbankGermanys central banktold a private meeting of German businesses and banks earlier this week in Frankfurt that even if banking rules were equivalent between the UK and the rest of the EU, that was still miles away from [Britain having] access to the single market, the BBC reports. Jason Hawkes Brexit Concerns Exodus The number of financial sector professionals in Britain and continental Europe looking for jobs in Ireland rocketed in the months after the UK voted to leave the European Union Shutterstock Brexit Concerns Brexit is making FTSE 100 executives richer Pay packages of many FTSE 100 chief executive officers are partly tied to how well share prices are doing rather than the CEOs performance -- and some stocks are soaring. ritish equities got a boost since the June vote because the likes of Rio Tinto, Smiths Group and WPP generate most sales abroad and earn a fortune when they convert these revenues back into the weakened pound. Sterlings fall also made UK stocks more affordable for overseas investors. Rex Brexit Concerns Theresa May: UK to leave single market Theresa May has said the UK "cannot possibly" remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean "not leaving the EU at all". Getty Brexit Concerns Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty Brexit Concerns Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the 'Jungle' migrant camp, as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty Brexit Concerns Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty Brexit Concerns The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week, potentially linked the the Calais 'jungle' camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA Brexit Concerns Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley, Britain Reuters Brexit Concerns Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty Brexit Concerns Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive, but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA Brexit Concerns The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty Brexit Concerns Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average, 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009, 33,100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty Brexit Concerns A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty Brexit Concerns Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions, potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty Brexit Concerns A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty Brexit Concerns Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, to protest against the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty Brexit Concerns Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty Brexit Concerns NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery, produce, farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming, post Brexit Getty Brexit Concerns The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live, to work and to access pensions, healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty Brexit Concerns A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the "Brexpats in Spain" group, about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens, at the town hall in Benalmadena, Spain Reuters Brexit Concerns The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums, hotels, and other important tourist attractions Getty Brexit Concerns The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit, said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty It comes as official data revealed the number of people coming into the UK outstripped those leaving by 335,000 in the year before the EU referendum. In the 12 months running up to June, 189,000 EU citizens migrated to Britain along with 196,000 non-EU citizens, with high levels of employment the main attraction, while 49,000 British citizens left. The new figures followed predictions from the UKs official forecaster that the cost of falling migration in future years as a result of Brexit will hit some 16bn in lost government revenue. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Train fares will go up by an average of 2.3 per cent from 2 January next year, the rail industry has announced. The increase in regulated fares, which includes season tickets, is capped at 1.9 per cent. But fares that are not regulated, such as off-peak leisure tickets, can increase by as much as train companies decide. The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators and Network Rail, said the fare hike would help improve services. We understand how passengers feel when fares go up, and we know that in some places they havent always got the service they pay for, said chief executive Paul Plummer. Around 97p in every pound passengers pay goes back into running and improving services. Fares are influenced by government policy, either through government-regulated fares such as season tickets or as a result of the payments train companies make to government. This money helps government to support the biggest investment in our railway since Victorian times. Yet Lianna Etkind of the Campaign for Better Transport condemned the increase, warning that some passengers are finding themselves priced off the railways. She said: The train operating companies and the Government need to work closely together to provide fairer, simpler and cheaper fares making sure people are always sold the cheapest ticket available. Between 1995 and 2016 passengers have seen average fares increase by 23.5 per cent and much more needs to be done by train operators and the Government to give them a truly affordable railway. Ms Etkind accused the Government of dragging its feet over the introduction of flexible season tickets with fair discounts for the eight million part-time workers across the UK. It is not right that part-time workers have to buy expensive one-off tickets, or season tickets which they then waste on the days they dont work, she said. The increases cover fares in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Irelands rail fares are handled separately. Rail, Maritime and Transport union general secretary Mick Cash said: This latest fares hike is another kick in the teeth for British passengers and condemns them to continue to pay some of the highest fares in Europe to travel on rammed out and unreliable trains. Once again the rip-off private train companies are laughing all the way to the bank as they whack up fares and axe staff in an all-out dash to maximise their profits. This culture of private greed on Britains railways has to stop and RMT will step up the fight for a publicly-owned railway where services and safety are the priority, not corporate profits. Alongside the fares announcement, the Government said that some of Southern rails long-suffering passengers in the south of England are to repaid the equivalent of a months travel. More than 84,000 passengers will be compensated to recognise the huge amount of delays, cancellations and disruption on the network in recent months. The chaos has partly been caused by strikes over changes to the role of conductors and high levels of staff sickness. Season ticket holders will be able to claim a refund for the equivalent of a months travel. Passengers with an annual ticket will be able to claim the one off pay out against their 2016 ticket, which can be paid directly into their bank account. Customers claiming against quarterly, monthly or weekly tickets must have bought travel for at least 12 weeks between 24 April and 31 December to be eligible. The Government said GTR, the parent company of Southern, has the details of most season ticket holders and it will be inviting them to log on to a website to claim compensation. The company will also be able to consider proof of purchase from people claiming a payout who have not previously registered. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters 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 Rail minister Paul Maynard said: Getting Southern rail services back on track is a priority for the Government and I know that what passengers want most is a reliable service. But when things do go wrong it is right that we compensate people who have not had the service that they deserve. This is a gesture in recognition of the problems people have faced. Were working hard to get Network Rail and Southern to improve this network and get this railway working the way people expect. We are investing record amounts in improving our railways and we need everyone in the rail industry, including the unions, to work together to deliver for passengers. Additional reporting by Press Association Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Remain-supporting Conservative MP has received death threats apparently suggesting that she should be killed in the same manner as murdered Labour MP Jo Cox. Police have launched an investigation into the messages sent to Anna Soubry, who has been an outspoken defender of Britains membership of the European Union. Ms Soubry revealed a Twitter post calling for her to be Jo Coxed a reference to the Remain-supporting MP murdered by a right-wing extremist in the run-up to the EU referendum. She also said her constituency office had received a call threatening to harm her in the same way as the murdered Labour MP. Someone jo cox Anna sourby [sic] please, the tweet read. The message was posted by a social media user identifying as Mike. His account has been removed from the website. A spokesperson for Nottingham Police said: Nottinghamshire Police has been made aware of reports of threats being made against an individual on Twitter and take such reports seriously. As a result we have started an investigation. Ms Soubry told her local BBC Radio Nottinghamshire: Somebody had rung the office on Wednesday and made a number of threats to harm me in the same way that Jo Cox was harmed... so we reported that. I reported it also to my local inspector... who has taken it seriously. Unfortunately, the Parliamentary Authorities did not advance it in the way they should have done. I was tweeting about the Richmond by-election, and I happened to see this request that I should be 'Jo Cox'd', in other words murdered. 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 I have reported that again to the police and the Parliamentary Authorities also saw it and got on to me but Im afraid it wasnt taken as seriously as it should have been, but it is now. Ms Soubry received supportive messages on Twitter after she revealed the messages. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 2 Trend: Azercell Telekom LLC continues to support Sabah project conducted by the Ministry of Education. The company organized an information tour for a Sabah group of 30 students on December 2. Ziba Mustafayeva, head of HR Department, Azad Huseynov, head of Business Analysis unit, Aytan Farzaliyeva, head of Units and Talents Management unit of HR Department and Asif Ibrahimov, Technology Department expert-engineer at Azercell held brief sessions on GSM Overview, Product Management and Build your Brand during the information tour. Azercell has carried out a number of interesting events for SABAH students. The company held a summer internship program for 4 students who had an opportunity to take the internship at Finance, IT, Marketing and Strategic Partnership and Customer Channel Management Departments of Azercell. In addition, the company organized several presentations and meetings with the students of SABAH project. SABAH project conducted by the Ministry of Education was developed to upgrade the quality of education at universities, establish a new and different environment, educate skilled and well prepared students and ensure capacity building to meet the increasing labor market requirements. The project provides a number of advantages including additional stipend, free accomodation and food, opportunity to participate in exchange programs, development of intellectual and creative capacity, work experience in innovative companies and further studies. Azercell Telecom regularly conducts projects aimed for the development of the youth. Under the Student Bursary program of the company, promising students from Azerbaijani universities get a great opportunity to receive special bursary from Azercell and take internship at various units of the company. Besides, many projects conducted by the company are related to education. Furthermore, Azercell cooperates with the leading universities and helps to improve their material and technical bases. Supporting education and the youth will remain a priority field for Azercell. The leader of the mobile communication industry of Azerbaijan and the biggest investor in the non-oil sector Azercell Telecom LLC was founded in 1996. With 48% share of Azerbaijans mobile market Azercells network covers 80% of the territory and 99,8% of population of the country. Currently, 4,5 million subscribers choose Azercell services. Azercell has pioneered an important number of innovations in Azerbaijan, including GSM technology, advance payment system, 24/7 Customer Care, online customer services, GPRS/EDGE, M2M, MobilBank, one-stop- shop service offices Azercell Express, mobile e-service ASAN signature, etc. Azercell deployed first 4G LTE services in Azerbaijan in 2012. According to the results of mobile network quality surveys of Global Wireless Solutions company and international systems specialized in wireless coverage mapping such as Opensignal and Testmy.net, Azercells network demonstrated the best results among the mobile operators of Azerbaijan. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Boris Johnson will today use his first major speech as Foreign Secretary to highlight how the UK can align with the incoming US administration of Donald Trump in order to strengthen the "special relationship". Mr Johnson will say Mr Trump "has a point", after the President-elect used a campaign speech to hit out at Nato allies who fail to pay their share towards collective defence. He will also suggest that it would be "sensible to talk" with Vladimir Putin, after Mr Trump indicated he could turn US foreign policy on its head and support Russia and the Assad regime in the Syrian conflict. Yet Mr Johnson will also warn that without British influence, a new global order could be established in which the "the strong are free to devour the weak". The Cabinet minister will pledge that Britain will not "cower and put the pillow over our heads" as it leaves the European Union and forges a new role in the world. The Foreign Secretarys address at Chatham House, entitled Beyond Brexit, will see him underline how the UK stood alongside "our American ally" throughout the Cold War and at the creation of the United Nations and also Nato. Mr Trump raised doubts over his commitment to the military alliances tenets when he said the US may not defend allies who do not hit the target of paying two per cent of GDP on defence. Mr Johnson was to say: "President-elect Trump has a point. It cannot be justified that one Nato ally, America, accounts for about 70 per cent of the alliances defence spending, while the other 27 countries manage only 30 per cent between them. CIA director warns Donald Trump over the worst mistakes he could make with Iran, Syria and Russia "I want every Nato member to meet the agreed target of spending two per cent of GDP on defence and 20 per cent of their defence budget on new equipment. Britain already abides by this target and I note that Natos most exposed members, including Estonia and Poland, do so as well." Mr Trump has suggested he could halt support for rebels in Syria and instead side with the Mr Putin and the regime of Bashar Assad, something contradicting UK policy requiring the end of the Syrian leaders reign. Mr Johnson planned to say: "Britain is prepared to be tough with Russia, but that does not mean that it is not also sensible to talk." He will then add: "We cannot normalise relations with Russia or go back to business as usual. "But as I have said time and again, Russia could win the acclaim of the world by halting its bombing campaign in Syria, delivering Assad to peace talks and abiding by the letter of the Minsk agreements in Ukraine and, once more, I will not shy away from delivering those messages face to face." He planned to tell his audience that the West was fighting non-state actors who view the concept of a "global liberal order" with contempt, and that if the UK failed to face up to the challenge "an older and more brutal system where the strong are free to devour the weak" could come about. The minister was to add: "We have to acknowledge that in many respects the world is not in good shape. We have the cult of the strong man, we have democracy in retreat, we have an arc of instability across the Middle East from Iraq to Syria to Libya. What is the answer of the UK, is it to cower and put the pillow over our heads? Emphatically not." Denying claims that the country is now too weak to have any influence on the world, he planned to say: "We are a protagonist a global Britain running a truly global foreign policy and my message to you today is that this global approach is in the interests both of Britain and the world." Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Conservatives were completely wrong not to field a candidate in the Richmond Park by-election, according to former party chairman Grant Shapps. The party decided not to run against Mr Goldsmith, who was also backed by Ukip, in the hope that the MP, who quit in protest over the Heathrow runway decision, would be returned to parliament and support the partys narrow majority. Bur Mr Shapps, a Cameron loyalist, said that the partys rules are crystal clear. If someone stands against the party, then we contest. It was therefore wrong not to be on Richmond Park ballot, he said. Recommended Londoners will never forgive Zac Goldsmith for his ugly electioneering The MP told website Politics Home: The precedent set by not being on the ballot paper is completely wrong. And, as it happens, it wouldn't have altered the outcome either. As a former party Chairman I know our rules are simple. If you stand against the party then you lose the whip and are no longer a member of the party. In such circumstance a Conservative candidate must then be selected to contest the seat. To do otherwise would have required the special suspension of this rule by the Conservative Party Board. So how and when was that decision taken? Mr Shapps, who is MP for Welwyn Hatfield, made similar comments when the party announced its decision two months ago. Mr Goldsmith lost the seat to Liberal Democrat Sarah Olney, who campaigned on a platform of keeping the UK within the EUs single market. Mr Goldsmith who beat the Liberal Democrats in to second place in a narrow victory in 2010, had increased his majority to over 15,000 at the 2015 election, following a long campaign against the proposed third runway at Heathrow. He also lost to Labour's Sadiq Khan in a bitter race for the London mayoralty in May this year. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Brexit secretary David Davis is promising businesses that the Government will not end EU freedom of movement in a way that damages the UKs economy. The Cabinet minister made the pledge as he suggested that firms should not be wringing our hands, but helping the Government forge the UKs future after Brexit. Mr Davis also warned other European countries against protectionist measures that would damage both the UK and EU member states. Recommended British based firms have started applying for Irish licences His speech at the CBI in Cardiff followed concerns raised in the private sector over whether businesses will be able to access the skilled labour they need after Brexit. It also comes after both he and Chancellor Philip Hammond raised the prospect of the UK paying the EU for access to the single market after Brexit, indicating the Government may accept a deal that concedes elements of free movement for access to the trade bloc. The Office for Budget Responsibility has estimated that falling migration in the run up to Brexit alone could cost the economy 16bn. Less than 24 hours ago, Director General of the CBI Carolyn Fairbairn said the Government risks hurting businesses if it implements a new immigration system that is too bureaucratic. Reassuring his audience, Mr Davis said on Thursday: As we take back control of immigration by ending free movement as it has operated before, let me also say this, we wont do so in a way that it is contrary to the national and economic interest. David Davis: We are losing Taliban battle Show all 2 1 /2 David Davis: We are losing Taliban battle David Davis: We are losing Taliban battle 62322.bin David Davis: We are losing Taliban battle 62321.bin Because as the Chancellor has said, Britain must win the global battle for talent. No-one wants to see labour shortages in key sectors. That wouldnt be in anybodys interest. Mr Davis also said he understands that people who voted to remain in the EU are disappointed, but that Brexit must happen. To firms worried about the consequences, he said: My request to you, leaders of industry here in Wales, and across the whole of the UK, is a straightforward one. Help us to write this new and exciting chapter in the country's history. I've said that it wont be plain sailing and that there will be some uncertainty in the months ahead. But we need to navigate the course together and do all we can to limit that. And do so not wringing our hands about what is changing, but projecting confidence about what lies ahead. But Mr Davis was also delivered a message to EU leaders with whom relations have been strained as the country prepares to trigger Article 50, launching official Brexit talks. He suggested the negotiation with the EU on the future relationship with Britain will be unlike any before, since both sides will start from a point of exact equivalence. Warning leaders not to pursue a punitive agenda against the UK, he said: It means we should steer clear of protectionist measures that would damage both the UK and Europe. Because its in all of our interests to avoid barriers to trade. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Former Conservative party leader Michael Howard has been fined 900 after being convicted of failing to say who was driving his car when it was caught by a speed camera. Lord Howard and his wife Sandra said either of them could have been driving their Toyota Prius when it was caught clocking 37.3mph in a 30mph zone as it was driven through Lewisham in south-east London on 24 January. The former Home Secretary was subsequently convicted of failing to give information relating to the identification of a vehicle to the Metropolitan Police and was fined 900 plus 625 costs and a 90 victim surcharge and received six penalty points on his driving licence. He said he intends to appeal. Prosecutor Andrew Perry told Wimbledon Magistrates Court: Shrugging your shoulders and saying: 'I can't remember is not enough. He said: It could be me, it could be my wife. We make that journey regularly and we can't remember who was driving'. He said Lord Howard had simply written wife on the form where it asks for information about who else could be driving, the Daily Mail reported. But giving evidence in court, Lord Howard said he and his wife use that route regularly when they drive back to London from their home in his former Kent constituency. He said: We were driving back from Kent, a journey we make very regularly and who drives depends on circumstances of whether one of us is tired, has work to do or is reading. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters 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 When asked again who was driving, Lord Howard insisted he did not remember though he wished he did. He explained that the couple had been holidaying in Grenada when the letter about the speeding offence arrived and by the time they had returned they could not remember who had been driving that night. He said: Neither of us has any desire to escape the consequences of our actions. I couldn't truthfully complete the form. I have no incentive to dissemble about this matter. I'd rather the driver was identified. Recommended Reus given largest ever driving offence fine in German history We frequently change over during the course of the journey. It's a sixty-five mile journey. District Judge Barbara Barnes described Lord Howards defence as credible and said she genuinely believed he and his wife had racked their brains to remember who was driving. But she said Lord Howard should have given his wifes full details on the form rather than simply writing wife. She said: At no stage did the defendant provide the particulars of his wife in his letter. To simply refer to his 'wife' does not provide sufficient information. The reasonable diligence has not been made out and I'm not in a position to give any credit since there was no plea of guilty. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The European Parliaments lead negotiator in Brexit talks has mocked David Davis over the Conservatives shock by-election defeat in Richmond. Following weeks in which European politicians have demanded more detail of the UKs position, Guy Verhofstadt said he would now finally have something to talk about with Britains lead negotiator and that he would ask Mr Davis to explain the defeat. It came after he took the unusual step of commenting on a nation states internal politics to say that Europe was proud of the Liberal Democrat win in the south-west London seat. Lib Dem candidate Sarah Olney said the result means opponents of Brexit can override the referendum. Mr Verhofstadt said: We have a lot of opportunities in 2017. Its going to be the year of elections, elections, elections, in the four corners of the European Union. They started a few days ago in Britain in Richmond Park, and finally I have a subject to discuss with David Davis. Next time I see him, Ill say, Mr Davis, can you explain to me what happened in Richmond Park? Lib Dem beats Zac Goldsmith in Richmond Park by-election shock Earlier in the day he tweeted: Congratulations @sarahjolney1 and @LibDems. Europe is watching & we are proud #IamEuropean. The former Belgian prime minister has a history of speaking his mind about British politics. He described David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage as rats fleeing a sinking ship following their resignations after Britain voted to leave the EU. Mr Goldsmith triggered the by-election after resigning from the Conservative Party following the announcement by Theresa Mays administration to build a third runway at Heathrow airport. Brexit Concerns Show all 26 1 /26 Brexit Concerns Brexit Concerns Brexit will put British patients at 'back of the queue' for new drugs Brexit will put British patients at the back of the queue for vital new drugs, the Government has been warned forcing them to wait up to two years longer A medicines regulator has raised the alarm over a likely decision to pull out of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as the EU itself. ealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt dropped the bombshell , when he said he expected the UK would quit the EMA because it is subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice. Getty Images Brexit Concerns London to lose status as 'gateway to Europe' for banks One of Germanys top banking regulators has warned that London could lose its status as gateway to Europe for the banking sector after Britain quits the European trading bloc. Andreas Dombret, who is an executive board member for the BundesbankGermanys central banktold a private meeting of German businesses and banks earlier this week in Frankfurt that even if banking rules were equivalent between the UK and the rest of the EU, that was still miles away from [Britain having] access to the single market, the BBC reports. Jason Hawkes Brexit Concerns Exodus The number of financial sector professionals in Britain and continental Europe looking for jobs in Ireland rocketed in the months after the UK voted to leave the European Union Shutterstock Brexit Concerns Brexit is making FTSE 100 executives richer Pay packages of many FTSE 100 chief executive officers are partly tied to how well share prices are doing rather than the CEOs performance -- and some stocks are soaring. ritish equities got a boost since the June vote because the likes of Rio Tinto, Smiths Group and WPP generate most sales abroad and earn a fortune when they convert these revenues back into the weakened pound. Sterlings fall also made UK stocks more affordable for overseas investors. Rex Brexit Concerns Theresa May: UK to leave single market Theresa May has said the UK "cannot possibly" remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean "not leaving the EU at all". Getty Brexit Concerns Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty Brexit Concerns Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the 'Jungle' migrant camp, as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty Brexit Concerns Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty Brexit Concerns The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week, potentially linked the the Calais 'jungle' camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA Brexit Concerns Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley, Britain Reuters Brexit Concerns Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty Brexit Concerns Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive, but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA Brexit Concerns The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty Brexit Concerns Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average, 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009, 33,100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty Brexit Concerns A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty Brexit Concerns Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions, potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty Brexit Concerns A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty Brexit Concerns Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, to protest against the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty Brexit Concerns Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty Brexit Concerns NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery, produce, farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming, post Brexit Getty Brexit Concerns The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live, to work and to access pensions, healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty Brexit Concerns A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the "Brexpats in Spain" group, about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens, at the town hall in Benalmadena, Spain Reuters Brexit Concerns The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums, hotels, and other important tourist attractions Getty Brexit Concerns The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit, said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty But while Ms Olney aligned herself with Mr Goldsmith on opposing Heathrow, she fought a fierce campaign on the Governments plans for leaving the EU, promising to vote against triggering Article 50 in the Commons if elected. Over 70 per cent of constituents in Richmond voted to Remain. The result saw Ms Olney poll 20,510 votes to Mr Goldsmith's 18,638, on a turnout of 41,367, or 53.6 per cent. The 21.75 per cent swing to the Lib Dems from Mr Goldsmith topped the 19.3 per cent swing they achieved from the Tories in the Witney by-election. When all the votes were counted, tellers revealed she had snatched 49.7 per cent in a result she claimed had sent a shockwave through Downing Street. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Europes centre-left parties must reject the establishment or watch the populist far-right win across the continent, Jeremy Corbyn has warned. In a speech to Labours European sister parties, at the Party of European Socialists conference in Prague, the Labour leader warned that the populist right had correctly identified problems with the prevailing economic model. But he argued the solutions of those anti-immigrant, anti-EU, and anti-Islam parties were only toxic dead ends that would not solve peoples problems. Mr Corbyns comments come a day before Austria votes in a rerun of its presidential election in which a far-right Norbert Hofer could be on the verge of victory. Other countries across Europe have also seen extreme right-wingers poised to take power, with the Freedom Party leading in the polls in Austria and the Front National set to make the final round of the French presidential election. Politics has been shaken across the world. As socialists and progressives, we know very well why the populist right is gaining ground, and it is up to us to offer the political leadership needed for a real alternative, Mr Corbyn told other leaders on Saturday. We know the gap between rich and poor is widening; we know living standards are stagnating or falling and insecurity is growing; we know that many people rightly feel left behind by the forces unleashed by globalisation, powerless in the face of deregulated corporate power. In many cases the populist right do identify the right problems, but their solutions are toxic dead ends of the past. They are political parasites feeding off peoples concerns and worsening conditions, blaming the most vulnerable for societys ills instead of offering a way for taking back real control of our lives the elites who serve their own interests. But unless progressive parties and movements break with a failed economic and political establishment, it is the siren voices of the populist far right that will fill the gap. Mr Corbyn also called for centre-left parties to work together across the continent to come to the best solution on Brexit negotiations. Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Show all 12 1 /12 Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn's reshuffle Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn and the Syria bombing vote Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn asks questions from the public at PMQs, meanwhile backbenchers plot to oust him Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn is unavailable to attend the Privy Council Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Conference rejects Corbyns call to debate Trident Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn At Labour conference Corbyn and McDonnell press for a Robin Hood tax Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyns hopes for a new politics look optimistic in the face of a media barrage Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn enters Labour leadership race He has organised a conference of socialist parties across Europe in London for February to discuss alternatives to the Governments Brexit plans. After the conference the Labour leader was set to travel to nearby Terezin, a former concentration camp and Jewish ghetto which now hosts a museum and memoral to the Holocaust. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Jeremy Corbyn will visit a Holocaust memorial and museum at a former concentration camp on Saturday during a visit to the Czech Republic. The Labour leader will be in Prague in the morning addressing European centre-left leaders, and will afterwards make the journey to Terezin, around an hours drive away. The camp, a former fortress, was adapted by the Nazis into a Jewish ghetto in 1941, later becoming a concentration camp. Thousands of Jews died in inhumane conditions there or were transported to death camps. Ahead of the visit, Mr Corbyn said the world should never forget the genocide that occurred at the camp and the dangers that far-right politics, antisemitism and racist scapegoating pose to society. The Labour leader has previously faced criticism in a report by MPs on the Home Affairs Select Committee, who said he had not shown enough leadership in tackling allegations of antisemitism in the party. The Terezin memorial is a vital reminder of the genocidal crimes carried out during the Second World War and the dangers that far-right politics, antisemitism and racist scapegoating pose to society, he told The Independent ahead of the visit. The stories of the families incarcerated here are deeply moving and sobering. Many died of starvation and malnutrition, the cruelty and inhumanity of their treatment was unspeakable. We must never forget the horrific crimes perpetrated by the racist, far-right Nazi regime in Europe and the justice of the struggle waged by the Allied forces and the anti-fascist resistance against it. It is an obligation for all of us to work together to build a world of respect, tolerance and peace. Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Show all 12 1 /12 Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn's reshuffle Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn and the Syria bombing vote Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn asks questions from the public at PMQs, meanwhile backbenchers plot to oust him Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn is unavailable to attend the Privy Council Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Conference rejects Corbyns call to debate Trident Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn At Labour conference Corbyn and McDonnell press for a Robin Hood tax Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyns hopes for a new politics look optimistic in the face of a media barrage Dave Brown on Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn enters Labour leadership race Mr Corbyn will visit the museum after giving a speech to Europes centre-left leaders in the countrys capital. He will tell the continents top socialists that they must reject the establishment or watch the populist far-right win across the continent. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Escalators in Parliament will be set to travel in reverse to get MPs to their votes faster, blocking off a key thoroughfare for other workers on the Parliamentary estate. Under a new scheme being trialled by Commons authorities a key pair of escalators connecting Portcullis House where many MPs have their offices and the Palace of Westminster will be changed from two-way to one way for five minutes at a time. The change will double the speed at which MPs can travel to the House of Commons chamber, but block off a key route through in Parliaments congested corridors to other people in the building. Workers on the parliamentary estate will have to take the long way around to travel between the two major locations or wait for a disabled access lift in which MPs will also have priority. The plan is an attempt to ease congestion of MPs marching to vote on laws, but may cause difficulties of its own. For the trial period for the first 5 minutes of a division, these escalators will both travel downwards, an official notice posted in the Palace of Westminster said. The aim is to improve the flow of people from Portcullis House to the Palace of Westminster during divisions, facilitating faster and easier access to escalators. To get to Portcullis House when both escalators are travelling downwards, use the alternative lift to the right although members have priority. [emphasis from original notice] UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters 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 MPs have priority over workers at some catering establishments in Parliament, as well as reserved seating in canteens. Some elevators are also reserved for the use of MPs only. The escalator trial will take place on Monday 5 December, Tuesday 6 December, and Wednesday 7 December. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Raheem Kassam has enjoyed a ferocious rise to prominence, from being an unknown blogger in west London Conservative circles, to making it into the President-elects glittering Manhattan apartment. A photo, taken outside Mr Trumps gold-plated front door and featuring Mr Farage, Ukip donor Arron Banks, Mr Kassam and Leave.EU campaign aides, has become iconic. The blogger-turned-firebrand right-wing politician has since said he will push for a special assistant on European affairs job for the White House. Breitbart: Questions over property tax arrangements for its London operation Nigel Farage with President Elect Donald Trump, Arron Banks, second left and Raheem Kassam (Twitter/Leave EU) Born in 1986 in Acton, the son of Indian Muslim immigrants from Tanzania and a father who owned a fast food chain, he attended Bishopshalt comprehensive school in Uxbridge and St Helens College in Hillingdon. The 30-year-old, who grew up attending mosque and practised as an Ismaili Muslim, has repeatedly spoken of the radical Islam he witnessed while studying politics at University of Westminster. Mohammed Emwazi, coined Jihadi John and who reportedly died in an airstrike in November last year, was two years below him. Raheem Kassam launches his Ukip leadership bid at the Westminster Arms pub As a young Conservative member, Mr Kassam joined the now defunct Young Britons Foundation and ran the anti-campus extremism group Student Rights for the Henry Jackson Society. He was also a researcher at the Bow Group think tank and worked a contract for the Taxpayers Alliance until a dispute with then chief executive Matthew Elliot. Raheem Kassam dropped out of the Ukip leadership campaign, citing harassment by the media Dan Kitwood/Getty (Dan Kitwood/Getty) He briefly headed-up his short-lived GreenCEASE project (green centre for economic analysis and sustainable environment), a play on words with Greenpeace, which criticised global warming theories. A handful of former colleagues have described Mr Kassams dramatic policy change, from being socially liberal and pro-immigration, to wanting to ban the niqab. One former colleague said Mr Kassam made a lot of enemies and shamelessly exploited a lot of sentiments for the gain of the alt-right Dan Kitwood/Getty (Dan Kitwood/Getty) Mr Kassam, who has called Ukip colleague Suzanne Evans a wrinkly old ginger bird and said Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon should have her legs taped shut, switched from the Tories to Ukip two days after the October 2014 Conservative party conference. The Independent spoke to several of Mr Kassams former colleagues but none were willing to be named on record. A number described him as a nice chap and wished him well, but all said they were dumbfounded by his rise to prominence. Sky News presenter questions Breitbart editor over poppy One Conservative activist said he had changed a huge amount and described him as socially liberal and pro-immigration, or at least not anti-immigration when they first met in 2008. He added: I dont know why its changed. If his objective is Breitbartism or Trumpism, then hes done very well. A third met him via The Commentator, a right-wing blog, where Mr Kassam was an editor in 2012 and 2013 up until an explosive falling out with owner Robin Shepherd. Recommended Raheem Kassam is the only chance we have of destroying Ukip He was always a very enterprising person to do his own thing, said the ex-Commentator source, who described how Mr Kassam used his Breitbart job to get further in with Ukip. He didnt go down the traditional journalistic route. He was always very good at selling snake oil to reach American donors or people he ended up working for at Breitbart. My personal view of him, is that hes more moderate and sensible than his Twitter account makes out. He knows what gets attention, whether thats working for Ukip and Nigel Farage, or working at Breitbart, which got him in the room with the president. Hes a genius at finding a gap. To be fair to him, how many British journalists can say they got in the room with the president? He is a modus operandi in shock-jock journalism and riling people up the wrong way. His help for Farage in the South Thanet General Election seat was counterproductive and his leadership campaign came crashing down. Farage says Brexit led to trump He has made a lot of enemies and shamelessly exploited a lot of sentiments for the gain of the alt-right. Other people will criticise him for that and he probably deserves it. Its an extraordinary rise that his friends didnt think would happen. They laughed at him, and to be fair, hes having the last laugh. Hes always been a weird insider-outsider in Westminster. No one at Westminster liked him, where he drank at the Westminster Arms, but then he went his own way. Another source, who met Mr Kassam via Breitbart, has described him as an energetic scattergun, a formidable operator on TV, and as Donald Trump on steroids. He would leave Ukip if Nigel Farage left the party, added the source, who says there is a cult of Raheem on Twitter. Mr Kassam was scapegoated by leading Ukip figures for Mr Farages General Election defeat in South Thanet, where the two briefly shared a flat, in May 2015. His profile increased during Arron Banks Leave.EU campaign in 2016, and its bitter rivalry with the official Vote Leave group, and again when he launched but aborted a Ukip leadership bid last month. Raheem Kassam is one of the nastiest pieces of work in Westminster, said a source, who wanted to be named as someone who has observed his campaign and had the misfortune of meeting him. Breitbart wants to give the impression to the US that Europe is full of gays, terrorists and liberals, for the insurgent right-wing types, and to give the Trump party a boost. He thrives on his own oxygen and thats why he loves retweeting himself so much and the best way to ignore him is to mute his account. He is just not a nice person and you have to believe that the truth will come out. Hes a fantasist who is incredibly good at self-promotion and hes turned into a specialist in being a wind-up merchant, which is an achievement to him, but only him. He would fall apart if he got a job close to the Trump team. Milo Yiannopoulos defends Breitbart headlines as 'satire' Mr Kassam and Breitbart has repeatedly criticised Ukips sole MP Douglas Carswell, who declined to comment when approached by The Independent. In a response to The Independent, Mr Kassam admitted editing his Wikipedia page because I dont agree with people writing Raheem is a c***' on it. Especially without a source link. He also said he could not possibly be Donald Trump on steroids because he does not do drugs and denied he was part of the extreme right alt right movement, adding: Anyone who follows my statements would know this. This is a silly smear. Mr Kassam, who also said maybe when asked if he would leave Ukip if Mr Farage did, added: True, about 80 per cent of people in Westminster [dont like me]. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Most of these people are talentless scumbags. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Caroline Lucas has hailed the Richmond Park by-election as a step forward for a so-called progressive alliance and credited her party with contributing to the Liberal Democrats victory. The Green Party co-leader said the decision by the local Greens not to stand made a difference to the numbers and tone of the by-election, triggered by Zac Goldsmiths decision to quit the Conservatives over the Governments airport expansion plans. At the general election in 2015 the Greens received 3,548 votes or 6 per cent in the constituency. Mr Goldsmith, who stood as an independent, lost the by-election by 1,872 votes. Speaking to The Independent Ms Lucas said the Lib Dem victory in Richmond Park shows that when progressive parties are willing and able to work together then we can win against the so-called regressive alliance. It often feels as if the right of the spectrum are more organised at getting themselves together to maximize their chances under what is an incredibly dysfunction electoral system, she added. Asked about the degree of impact her party had in the by-election by not fielding a candidate, the Green leader replied: I think it clearly made a difference it made a difference in numbers and in tone because what we were doing was going out and talking to people about the need for a different kind of politics. A less tribal politics if we can work together we can maximize our chances of success. The decision of the local Green party not to stand in the election was part of things that made a difference it made a contribution. It is clear, however, that in order for the progressive alliance to work and for a win in Richmond Park to be replicated across the country then it needs Labours backing. But despite senior Labour MPs, including the shadow Business Secretary Clive Lewis, also calling for their party to give the Lib Dems a clear run in Richmond Park, the leadership decided to stick to protocol and provide the electorate with a candidate. They chose Christian Wolmar, a writer, broadcaster, and railway historian, who received 1,515 votes (3.6 per cent) and lost the partys 500 deposit. But Ms Lucas is hopeful that Labours leadership and the party HQ will change its attitude towards the progressive alliance. She added: No one said its going to be easy of course there is resistance. I think its significant you had three Labour MPs coming together suggesting Labour should not stand a candidate in the Richmond by-election. Change doesnt happen overnight but I think change is happening. It is interesting that John McDonnell as the shadow Chancellor has changed his position on electoral reform. More and more Labour people are realising they are not going to win an outright majority at the next election and frankly, the result Labour got in Richmond will only reinforce that. Labour didnt even keep its deposit. Ms Lucas, who alongside her fellow co-leader Jonathan Bartley, labelled Mr Goldsmiths campaign as a regressive alliance after Ukip decided not to field a candidate to the delight of the Lib Dems in the affluent south-west London constituency. Recognising Zac as a principled man, who was fully committed to helping get Britain out of the European Union, Ukip leader Nigel Farage, in conjunction with our national executive committee, have agreed that we will not be fielding a candidate in the upcoming by-election for Richmond Park, a statement from the party said at the time. Ms Lucas continued: This regressive alliance has been defeated and the Government has suffered a hammer blow to its hard Brexit plans. By standing up at this unique moment the local Green Party showed real leadership and can take a great deal of the credit for Zacs toppling. Its good to see a candidate elected who will oppose Heathrow expansion, campaign for a fair electoral system and do their best to protect their constituents from the post-referendum chaos being inflicted on them by the Government. The Green Party will, of course, continue to stand in the majority of elections and look forward to campaigning to win seats in Richmond in the 2018 local elections." Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 2 By Elena Kosolapova - Trend: The exchange rate of Kazakhstans tenge increased by 4.42 tenge for USD (reaching 336.72) at the afternoon trading session at Kazakhstan's Stock Exchange (KASE) on Dec 2. The same session on Nov. 30 had tenge at 341.14 mark, before the oil deal reached by OPEC, KASE said in the message. On Nov. OPEC clinched a deal to curtail oil supply for the first time in eight years. OPEC oil production is expected to reduce by 1.2 million barrels a day to 32.5 million a day since January 1, 2017. KASE did not hold trading on Dec. 1 due to day off on the occasion of the First Presidents Day. At Kazakhstan's Stock Exchanges Nov. 30 morning trading session tenge rate hit 334.34 tenges for one US dollar compared to 342.03 tenges at Nov. 30 morning trading session. Average tenge rate against US dollar at the morning and afternoon sessions increased to 335.71 tenges on Nov. 30 compared to 341.44 tenges on Nov. 30. Follow the author on Twitter:@E_Kosolapova Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The crushing rejection of Zac Goldsmith at the Richmond Park by-election was an explicit rejection of hard Brexit, the Mayor of London has said. Sadiq Khan downplayed Labours poor result in the seat and said local voters had made their voters on the EU clear by rejecting the anti-EU former Tory MP. Richmond Park has never had a Labour Member of Parliament, the MPs always been a Tory or a Lib Dem, he told Sky News in an interview on Friday afternoon. Its for others to analyse why these voters rejected Zac Goldsmith. Im quite clear, though, that the voters of Richmond Park have rejected hard Brexit. Hard Brexit is the idea that the UK would impose border controls and leave the European single market after it left the EU. It is contrasted with Soft Brexit, where the UK would leave the blocs political institutions but retain current close economic relations. The Mayor has called for London to get its own Brexit deal, arguing that EU workers could get special work permits to work in the Greater London area, which he is responsible for. London voted strongly to Remain in the EU but is set to be forced out of the bloc based on the voters of other parts of the country. Similar scenarios loom in other parts of the country such as Scotland and Northern Ireland. Mr Khans interpretation of Thursdays by-election result is supported by a survey of Richmond Park voters conducted by the pollster BMG. The poll found that the most important issue for the most voters was Brexit, with the second most popular issue the views of the local candidates. Heathrow airport expansion was third placed in terms of local voters concerns, the survey conducted in late October found despite an attempt by Mr Goldsmiths campaign team to make the issue central to the discussion. All the main candidates at the by-election were opposed to Heathrow expansion, meaning the issue was largely neutralised. Former Tory Cabinet minister Michael Gove however said the result was not a mandate to reject Brexit Zac Goldsmith looking dejected whilst listening to newly-elected Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney speaking, during the Richmond Park by-election in Richmond upon Thames College (PA wire) (PA) I think it would be a mistake for [the new Lib Dem MP] or anyone else to interpret this as any sort of mandate to frustrate the will of the British people, he also said on Friday. Mr Goldsmith, who has held the seat since 2010, was defeated by Liberal Democrat Sarah Olney on a massive swing. Brexit Concerns Show all 26 1 /26 Brexit Concerns Brexit Concerns Brexit will put British patients at 'back of the queue' for new drugs Brexit will put British patients at the back of the queue for vital new drugs, the Government has been warned forcing them to wait up to two years longer A medicines regulator has raised the alarm over a likely decision to pull out of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as the EU itself. ealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt dropped the bombshell , when he said he expected the UK would quit the EMA because it is subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice. Getty Images Brexit Concerns London to lose status as 'gateway to Europe' for banks One of Germanys top banking regulators has warned that London could lose its status as gateway to Europe for the banking sector after Britain quits the European trading bloc. Andreas Dombret, who is an executive board member for the BundesbankGermanys central banktold a private meeting of German businesses and banks earlier this week in Frankfurt that even if banking rules were equivalent between the UK and the rest of the EU, that was still miles away from [Britain having] access to the single market, the BBC reports. Jason Hawkes Brexit Concerns Exodus The number of financial sector professionals in Britain and continental Europe looking for jobs in Ireland rocketed in the months after the UK voted to leave the European Union Shutterstock Brexit Concerns Brexit is making FTSE 100 executives richer Pay packages of many FTSE 100 chief executive officers are partly tied to how well share prices are doing rather than the CEOs performance -- and some stocks are soaring. ritish equities got a boost since the June vote because the likes of Rio Tinto, Smiths Group and WPP generate most sales abroad and earn a fortune when they convert these revenues back into the weakened pound. Sterlings fall also made UK stocks more affordable for overseas investors. Rex Brexit Concerns Theresa May: UK to leave single market Theresa May has said the UK "cannot possibly" remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean "not leaving the EU at all". Getty Brexit Concerns Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty Brexit Concerns Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the 'Jungle' migrant camp, as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty Brexit Concerns Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty Brexit Concerns The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week, potentially linked the the Calais 'jungle' camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA Brexit Concerns Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley, Britain Reuters Brexit Concerns Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty Brexit Concerns Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive, but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA Brexit Concerns The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty Brexit Concerns Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average, 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009, 33,100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty Brexit Concerns A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty Brexit Concerns Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions, potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty Brexit Concerns A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty Brexit Concerns Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, to protest against the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty Brexit Concerns Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty Brexit Concerns NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery, produce, farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming, post Brexit Getty Brexit Concerns The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live, to work and to access pensions, healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty Brexit Concerns A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the "Brexpats in Spain" group, about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens, at the town hall in Benalmadena, Spain Reuters Brexit Concerns The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums, hotels, and other important tourist attractions Getty Brexit Concerns The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit, said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty The ousted MP, who was heavily criticised for running a racist campaign for Mayor of London earlier this year, had voluntarily stepped down to trigger the by-election in protest over the Governments decision to build a third runway at Heathrow airport. A Conservative party spokesperson said: This result doesnt change anything. Brexit campaign Leave.EUs Andy Wigmore said: This changes nothing. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Richmond voters have described why they overturned a 23,000 majority previously held by ex-Tory candidate Zac Goldsmith to elect Liberal Democrats Sarah Olney in Thursday's by-election. Mr Goldsmith had triggered a by-election in protest at the Conservative Partys backing of a third runway at Heathrow, a decision he said he had fought on behalf of constituents whose lives if would impact. The 41-year-old ran and lost as an independent, with many voters attributing the hard Brexit direction the Conservative government is taking as the reason they abandoned the former MP, in what is a heavily pro-Remain constituency. I voted for the Liberal Democrat basically because of Brexit, said Roger Weizer, 73. I dont want a hard Brexit, I think it would be disastrous for the country. Ive always voted for Conservative, but I voted for Liberal Democrats, said Paula Pearce, 35. I think a lot of people have changed their minds since the referendum, so Im not for hard Brexit and I hope she [Theresa May] doesnt go for that. Mr Goldsmiths ability to make the by-election a referendum on Heathrow expansion was undermined by the other major candidate, Ms Olney, also opposing the runway. Brexit Concerns Show all 26 1 /26 Brexit Concerns Brexit Concerns Brexit will put British patients at 'back of the queue' for new drugs Brexit will put British patients at the back of the queue for vital new drugs, the Government has been warned forcing them to wait up to two years longer A medicines regulator has raised the alarm over a likely decision to pull out of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as well as the EU itself. ealth Secretary Jeremy Hunt dropped the bombshell , when he said he expected the UK would quit the EMA because it is subject to rulings by the European Court of Justice. Getty Images Brexit Concerns London to lose status as 'gateway to Europe' for banks One of Germanys top banking regulators has warned that London could lose its status as gateway to Europe for the banking sector after Britain quits the European trading bloc. Andreas Dombret, who is an executive board member for the BundesbankGermanys central banktold a private meeting of German businesses and banks earlier this week in Frankfurt that even if banking rules were equivalent between the UK and the rest of the EU, that was still miles away from [Britain having] access to the single market, the BBC reports. Jason Hawkes Brexit Concerns Exodus The number of financial sector professionals in Britain and continental Europe looking for jobs in Ireland rocketed in the months after the UK voted to leave the European Union Shutterstock Brexit Concerns Brexit is making FTSE 100 executives richer Pay packages of many FTSE 100 chief executive officers are partly tied to how well share prices are doing rather than the CEOs performance -- and some stocks are soaring. ritish equities got a boost since the June vote because the likes of Rio Tinto, Smiths Group and WPP generate most sales abroad and earn a fortune when they convert these revenues back into the weakened pound. Sterlings fall also made UK stocks more affordable for overseas investors. Rex Brexit Concerns Theresa May: UK to leave single market Theresa May has said the UK "cannot possibly" remain within the European single market, as staying in it would mean "not leaving the EU at all". Getty Brexit Concerns Lead campaigner Gina Miller and her team outside the High Court Getty Brexit Concerns Raymond McCord holds up his newly issued Irish passport alongside his British passport outside the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns SDLP leader Colum Eastwood leaving the High Court in Belfast following a judges dismissal of the UK's first legal challenges to Brexit PA wire Brexit Concerns Migrants with luggage walk past a graffiti on a wall as they leave the 'Jungle' migrant camp, as part of a major three-day operation planned to clear the camp in Calais Getty Brexit Concerns Migrants leave messages on their tents in the Jungle migrant camp Getty Brexit Concerns The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) which distributes approximately 700 meals daily in the northern Paris camp states that it is noticing a spike in new migrant arrivals this week, potentially linked the the Calais 'jungle' camp closure - with around 1000 meals distributed today EPA Brexit Concerns Migrant workers pick apples at Stocks Farm in Suckley, Britain Reuters Brexit Concerns Many farmers across the country are voicing concerns that Brexit could be a dangerous step into the unknown for the farming industry Getty Brexit Concerns Bank of England governor Mark Carney who said the long-term outlook for the UK economy is positive, but growth was slowing in the wake of the Brexit vote PA Brexit Concerns The Dow Jones industrial average closed down over 600 points on the news with markets around the globe pluninging Getty Brexit Concerns Immigration officers deal with each member of the public seeking entry into the United Kingdom but on average, 10 a day are refused entry at this London airport and between 2008 and 2009, 33,100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities Getty Brexit Concerns A number of global investment giants have threatened to move their European operations out of London if Brexit proves to have a negative impact on their businesses Getty Brexit Concerns Following the possibility of a Brexit the UK would be released from its renewable energy targets under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and from EU state aid restrictions, potentially giving the government more freedom both in the design and phasing out of renewable energy support regimes Getty Brexit Concerns A woman looking at a chart showing the drop in the pound (Sterling) against the US Dollar in London after Britain voted to leave the EU Getty Brexit Concerns Young protesters outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, to protest against the United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU following the referendum Getty Brexit Concerns Applications from Northern Ireland citizens for Irish Passports has soared to a record high after the UK Voted in favour of Leaving the EU Getty Brexit Concerns NFU Vice President Minette Batters with Secretary of State, Andrea Leadsome at the National Farmers Union (NFU) took machinery, produce, farmers and staff to Westminster to encourage Members of Parliament to back British farming, post Brexit Getty Brexit Concerns The latest reports released by the UK Cabinet Office warn that expats would lose a range of specific rights to live, to work and to access pensions, healthcare and public services. The same reports added that UK citizens abroad would not be able to assume that these rights will be guaranteed in the future Getty Brexit Concerns A British resident living in Spain asks questions during an informative Brexit talk by the "Brexpats in Spain" group, about Spanish legal issues to become Spanish citizens, at the town hall in Benalmadena, Spain Reuters Brexit Concerns The collapse of Great Britain appears to have been greatly exaggerated given the late summer crowds visiting city museums, hotels, and other important tourist attractions Getty Brexit Concerns The U.K. should maintain European Union regulations covering everything from working hours to chemicals until after the government sets out its plans for Brexit, said British manufacturers anxious to avoid a policy vacuum and safeguard access to their biggest export market Getty Having won 23,015 more votes in the 2015 general election than his nearest Lib Dem competitor, Mr Goldsmith lost to Ms Olney by just under 2,000 votes on Thursday. People do recognise that the Liberal Democrats are also anti-Heathrow and have done a lot of work there as well, said another voter. It doesnt need to be Zac [to stop Heathrow expansion]. Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Theresa May appears to subscribe to the same historically obsolete view on welfare as her predecessor David Cameron, a group of academics have claimed. Despite her pledge on the steps of Downing Street when she became Prime Minister to govern not in the interests of the privileged few the Cambridge academics warn Ms May is pressing ahead with austerity with further welfare cuts inflicted on the poor and their children, the vulnerable, and infirm older people. They add that cutting welfare and social care budgets in times of economic hardship, on the basis these are luxuries that can only be afforded when times are good, overlooks their role in a nation's economic success. The authors add: In his closing speech at the Conservative Party conference in 2014, the then Prime Minister David Cameron said that you can only have a strong NHS if you have a strong economy. The narrow view that spending on the NHS and social care is largely a burden on the economy is blind to the large national return to prosperity that comes from all citizens benefiting from a true sense of social security. There are signs that Theresa May subscribes to the same historically obsolete view. Investment in policies that develop human and social capital will underpin economic opportunities and security for the whole population. Writing in the medical journal The Lancet, they argue that the concept of a British welfare state dates back to the Poor Laws in 1598 and 1601 during the reign of Elizabeth I and helped England grow "the most dynamic economy in the world". By contrast, growth rates fell behind rival countries in the Victorian era after The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, which sent people to workhouses in appalling conditions in an effort to prevent abuses of the system. The paper argues that progressively-funded health and welfare spending is an integral part of economic growth. Professor Simon Szreter, co-author of the paper, said: "We are arguing from history that there needs to be an end to this idea of setting economic growth in opposition to the goal of welfare provision. "A healthy society needs both, and the suggestion of history is that they seem to feed each other." The Elizabethan Poor Laws enshrined in law an absolute "right of relief" for every subject of the Crown, funding the policy with a community tax. The authors say this represented the world's first social security system, made the elderly less reliant on their children for support, increased labour mobility, enabled urban growth and eased Britain's transition to an industrial economy. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Liberal Democrats defeat of Zac Goldsmith in the Richmond Park by-election has provided the latest in a year of seismic political shocks. While the vanquished incumbent had triggered the vote on the issue of the Governments approval of Heathrows expansion, Lib Dem victor Sarah Olney hailed the win as a rejection of anger and division in British politics. She went on to suggest her triumph signalled a rejection of Theresa Mays plans for a hard Brexit, and the evidence indicates the impact of the result will extend well beyond the affluent London constituency. Recommended This is how the 48 per cent fight back Where people are against Brexit, it can be the most pressing issue Heathrow expansion has been a hugely emotive issue in Richmond, the target of years of passionate campaigning. So when Mr Goldsmith pledged to quit his party if it pushed ahead with a third runway, it would have normally cemented the issue as the one to decide the ensuing by-election. But these are not normal times. In the space of a few months the fear, anxiety and opposition to Brexit brushed aside airport expansion to be peoples primary concern. If Brexit can override Heathrow to be the winning issue in Richmond, it has a strong chance of being the winning issue anywhere that voted to remain. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters 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 Remain voters will back an MP who pledged to block Article 50 Early in the by-election campaign, Ms Olney shifted her position on Brexit. Having written a post saying she accepted the result and did not want the referendum re-run, she then hardened her stance to blocking Article 50 in the face of hard Brexit. It has done her no harm. There are many MPs in the Commons who oppose Brexit, but have said they will vote to trigger the Lisbon Treaty Article, launching withdrawal talks. Richmond suggests that if those MPs have constituencies with a strong contingent of remain voters, they can expect their backing if they decide to oppose invoking the Article. Remain voters are not happy on the path to Brexit, and they will say it at the ballot box Brexiteers have branded many Remainers bad losers, who cannot accept the result of the referendum. Maybe they are. Either way, it doesnt really matter. They are half the electorate, and if they are willing to vote on Brexit at any chance they get, it will have an impact. The Tories had something of a political shield from the full force of the Brexit blow in Richmond, because Goldsmith stood as an independent. But Theresa May has firmly established the Conservatives as the party of Brexit, making it the main target of any anti-Brexit voting in the future. A general election based on Brexit just became much less attractive for the Prime Minister Ms May has said there will not be one until 2020, but there was strong suspicion she may push for one sooner with her party riding high in the polls and Labour in its weakened state. Yet there are a whole swathe of marginal Lib Dem/Tory seats, many won by David Cameron in 2015, that Tim Farron believes he can steal. After todays result, Tory officers will be frantically checking the numbers to see where they stand. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} An Irish student who has been detained without trial in Egypt for three years has written home begging to be buried back in Ireland if he does not make it out of jail alive. Ibrahim Halawa was arrested for allegedly taking part in protests in Cairo in 2013, when he was just 17 years old, and has had the threat of a death sentence hanging over him ever since. Last week, it was reported that the Irish Prime Minister, Enda Kenny, had written to Egyptian President Fattah al-Sisi requesting Mr Halawa's immediate release. That request has been rejected, according to The Times. Recommended Irish student facing death penalty in Egypt The 21-year-old student, who was born and raised in Dublin, has now written a letter from jail which carries concerning references to torture and his own death. "Dear Ireland," the letter reads. "I have been taken away from you for so long. But I miss you dearly. Its really out of my hands. I just cant understand why they have kidnapped me away from you." Mr Halawa has previously compained of witnessing torture and himself suffering physical and psychological abuse. He wrote: "Ireland, I really need to complain to you about how one human enjoys torturing another human, the continued injustice, the oppression and the killing of the innocent." And in a final paragraph which appears to allude to the fact that, if convicted, he faces a death sentence, he said: "One final wish, I beg from you, if I die away from you take me back from them to be buried in your soil to feel your goodbye tears." Mr Halawa faces a mass trial, but the shambolic nature of proceedings has seen the hearing adjourned 16 times. The Irish foreign minister, Charlie Flanagan, has raised the student's case multiple times with his Egyptian counterpart, according to the Irish Times, while EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini has also reportedly raised the case with Cairo. And Reprieve, the UK-based legal charity which is working on Mr Halawa's case, said the UK also had a role to play in bringing pressure to bear on the Egyptian government. Theresa May met President Sisi in September, and the Foreign Office says she impressed on him "the importance of human rights" being observed by the Egyptian regime. Yet at the same time, during a session in the Commons at the end of November minister Tobias Ellwood admitted Britain was "providing support" to the Egyptian security forces. Asked about the security situation in the country, Mr Ellwood said: "President Sisi is very conscious of the challenges that Egypt is facing from its own extremists, and Britain is providing support on that." Nosayba (left) and Somaia Halawa, sisters of Ibrahim Halawa, on Grafton Street in Dublin's city centre, where family members and supporters held an awareness day (PA) Speaking to The Independent, Reprieve's director Maya Foa said: "The UK continues to provide assistance to President Sisi a man who has presided over the jailing, torture and sentencing to death of hundreds of alleged protestors, including children. "Ministers have a duty to ensure that UK support doesnt inadvertently bolster the detention of people like Ibrahim Halawa a juvenile who should never have been locked up in the first place. "While its welcome that Theresa May has raised human rights concerns with Sisi, the Prime Minister must now push strongly for the release of all those detained on political charges including Ibrahim. Read Ibrahim Halawa's letter from Wadi el Natroun Prison in full: Dear Ireland, I really dont know what to say, I have been taken away from you for so long. But I miss you dearly. Its really out of my hands. I cant understand, I just cant understand why they have kidnapped me away from you. So young I was while you were teaching me how to live, laugh, love and care. But they have taken me away before you had the time to teach me how to struggle, how to deal with evil and hatred. When I was young I used to run to you whenever I was sad and needed to complain about my humongous kiddie problems. The time my Mum delayed getting me the latest PlayStation game when all the other friends had it. Or when I wasnt allowed stay out late at night. And when I entered secondary school and exams were much tougher than before. Or that time I came to complain about my first teenage love. Do you remember when I came running to you crying about the kid who screamed at me saying go back to your country and as usual you were crying rain and I was relieved because you were sharing my crying. But now that Im growing up away from you and banned from talking to you, who am I supposed to complain to now that my kiddie worldly problems turned out to be just a drop in the ocean. Ireland, I really need to complain to you about how one human enjoys torturing another human, the continued injustice, the oppression and the killing of the innocent. Ireland Im lusting to walk on the sand of Bray beach, screaming freedom from the top of the Cliffs of Moher, your rainforest trees to hug me tight and make me feel safe again and that kind bus driver on the daily commute, smiling at me even thought he does not know me. Ireland I really want to complain to you about the people my parents voted for, to protect me in any land and under any sky, and have failed to bring me back to you. Now I understand that you were not crying this rains with me but you were crying because of what the world holds for me One final wish, I beg from you, if I die away from you take me back from them to be buried in your soil to feel your goodbye tears. Ibrahim Halawa, Wadi el Natroun Prison 29/11/2016. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} South Sudan is on the brink of a genocide comparable to what happened in Rwanda, the UN has warned, urging that the international community is under an obligation" to prevent such a catastrophe from taking place. Following a 10-day visit to the country, the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan urged the international community to take action after they found the country was facing a repeat of the 1994 Rwanda genocide. According to the Commission, which is due to report to the Human Rights Council in March, a process of ethnic cleansing is underway, with brutal tactics such as starvation and gang rape being deployed against civilians. Yasmin Sooka, chairperson of the Commission, said: The stage is being set for a repeat of what happened in Rwanda and the international community is under an obligation to prevent it. There is already a steady process of ethnic cleansing underway in several areas of South Sudan using starvation, gang rape and the burning of villages; everywhere we went across this country we heard villagers saying they are ready to shed blood to get their land back. Many told us its already reached a point of no return. More than one million people have fled South Sudan since conflict erupted in December 2013, after President Salva Kiir Mayardit fired his vice president, Riek Machar, sparking a civil war between the two politicians and their followers. Since then, more than 4,000 people a day have been crossing into Uganda, where the Bidibidi refugee settlement, open since August, now hosts over 188,000 people. Another 36,600 refugees have reached Ethiopia since early September, and over 57,000 fled to Congo this year marking the largest mass exodus of any conflict in central Africa since the 1994 Rwandan genocide. South Sudanese authorities have denied civilians are being targeted, but the refugees' accounts point to both sides targeting civilians along ethnic lines, adding weight to the UN warning of a genocide in the making. The UN Commission met one woman who described being gang-raped by soldiers just three days earlier when her village was attacked, and heard reports of three other women who had been raped that very day by soldiers just outside the camp while going to collect firewood. They also met several displaced women in the Juba camp who were gang raped in July and four months later have not received adequate medical treatment for resulting complications. The scale of rape of women and girls perpetrated by all armed groups in South Sudan is utterly unacceptable and is frankly mind boggling, added Ms Sooka. Aid workers describe gang rape as so prevalent that its become normal in this warped environment but what does that say about us that we accept this and thereby condemn these women to this unspeakable fate? The report also noted that in the Western Bahr el Ghazal State civilians gave graphic accounts of how their husbands and children were robbed and murdered by soldiers from the army during violence in June in which at least 53 people were killed. Moreover in August it was reported that the movement of South Sudanese people was being restricted by the ongoing violence, harming their ability to get food and medicine to severely malnourished children. In light of the latest report, Leo Dobbs, UNHCR senior communications officer for Africa, told The Independent: The report is very alarming. Its really time for some action to be taken. Whats happening really looks very ugly. It is fuelling displacement particularly to Uganda, but also lots of other countries in the region. Its such a shame for this country to be let down by its leaders. Thousands on brink of starvation in South Sudan Show all 8 1 /8 Thousands on brink of starvation in South Sudan Thousands on brink of starvation in South Sudan Analysis by the UN estimates that 2.8 million people are currently facing acute food and nutrition insecurity in South Sudans Greater Upper Nile states, including Unity Ashley Hamer Thousands on brink of starvation in South Sudan This young Rooney fan is one of 40,000 people facing a catastrophic famine that the United Nations believe is already happening Ashley Hamer Thousands on brink of starvation in South Sudan Hunger is driving a range of behaviors. Families are running out of options, therefore the skin of cattle is being eaten; undigested food in slaughtered cattles stomachs is being removed and squeezed to create beef-smelling stock; the killing and eating of birds and animals, not usually hunted, is increasing Ashley Hamer Thousands on brink of starvation in South Sudan People living on the so-called highlands of the Sudd swamp travel on thin canoes for days to register for food Ashley Hamer Thousands on brink of starvation in South Sudan The WFP have evidence that children under 10, travelling on their own, walked over 120 miles over days to leave government-control locations for the thin security of Nuer-controlled Nyal Ashley Hamer Thousands on brink of starvation in South Sudan People endure three, four hour waits at five locations where the WFP counted, registered, and then finally distributed life-saving rations Ashley Hamer Thousands on brink of starvation in South Sudan A two-year bloody conflict between mainly Dinka and Nuer groups, allied to warring government and opposition forces, and now spreading into other inter-ethnic struggles, is destroying the countrys once potentially oil-rich future Ashley Hamer Thousands on brink of starvation in South Sudan One UN report says there is overwhelming evidence of a humanitarian emergency in four Unity counties where communities are already using severe coping strategies not been seen since the conflict began Ashley Hamer There had been a lot of hope. Its the worlds youngest country. This is a tragedy." Mr Dobbs added that the only viable solution was for the international community to ramp up their efforts at putting pressure on the country's politicians to bring an end to the violence. He said: The only solution possible is a political agreement. There had been quite a lot of it leading up to the peace treaty, but the international community needs to put political pressure on the government - this is the only way to curb this tragedy." Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Donald Trumps backing of a controversial oil and gas pipeline through a Native American reservation has nothing to do with his investment in the energy company, says his campaign. This week the president-elect announced his official backing of the Dakota Access pipeline, which cuts through several states and threatens to pollute the Missouri river and destroy Native American historical artifacts and burial grounds. He has a stake in the company building the pipeline, called Energy Transfer Partners, and he has a stake in Phillips 66, which holds a share of the project. Recommended The North Dakota Access Pipeline map that everyone should see His team said the support of the pipeline "has nothing to do with his personal investments and everything to do with promoting policies that benefit all Americans." "Those making such a claim are only attempting to distract from the fact that President-elect Trump has put forth serious policy proposals he plans to set in motion on Day One," read the note to campaign and congressional staff. His investment in the company has dropped from between $500,000 and $1 million in 2015 to between $1,500 and $50,000 this year. As reported by the Guardian, his stake in Phillips 66 rose between $50,000 and $100,000 last year to between $250,000 and $500,000, according to the forms. Kelcy Warren, CEO of Energy Transfer Partners, has given almost $169,000 to Mr Trumps campaign and the Republican National Committee. Activists have spent months protesting the $3.8 billion plans, and have recently endured violent action from the police, including water cannons, pepper spray and police dogs. North Dakota governor Jack Dalrymple ordered the immediate evacuation of the protest camp as of this week, and the states Republican senator, John Hoeven, said he met with Mr Trump and urged him to support the pipeline construction. The US Army corps of engineers has similarly threatened to evacuate the camps, saying that anyone found on land north of the Cannonball River could be arrested with trespassing. Although president Barack Obama suggested the army was looking at an alternate route for the pipeline, ETP has vowed to push ahead with the project. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A petition asking for the result of the US election to be reversed is now the most popular in the history of Change.org. The signatories who total 4.6 million people call on the Electoral College to stop Donald Trump from being President, which is a theoretically possible but never-before-attempted way of altering the result of the US election. Hillary Clinton won millions more votes than Donald Trump, but Mr Trump became President-elect because of the voting system. The petition is titled Make Hillary Clinton President and argues that because Ms Clinton won the popular vote she should be made President. It also argues that the President-elect is unfit to serve. Electoral College voting: How the United States decides its president With 4.6 million signatures, the petition has over two million more votes than the second largest campaign on the website. That was a campaign asking for the Yulin Dog Meat Festival to be shut down, which was begun three years ago. The petition against Mr Trump was begun just after the election on 10 November. It was started by social worker Daniel Brezenoff. Recommended Donald Trump could still theoretically not become president Signatures to the petition are based on the idea that it is still possible for the result of the election to be reversed. The Electoral College system requires that representatives of each state cast ballots to decide who will actually become the new President those members of the college are supposed to vote for whoever won their state, but could theoretically change their mind. On December 19, the Electors of the Electoral College will cast their ballots, the petition writes. If they all vote the way their states voted, Donald Trump will win. However, in 14 of the states in Trumps column, they can vote for Hillary Clinton without any legal penalty if they choose. Since the petition has started, some legal proceedings have been launched to test the legal penalty in those other states. There has never really been any need to enforce them, since faithless electors make up only a tiny number of people, but activists are looking to encourage more people not to vote this year. The petition itself argues that the Electoral College should change its mind because of the results of the popular vote. Hillary won the popular vote, the description reads. The only reason Trump won is because of the Electoral College. World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Show all 29 1 /29 World reaction to President Trump: In pictures World reaction to President Trump: In pictures London, England AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures London, England Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Manila, Philippines Getty Images World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Manila, Philippines Getty World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Mosul , Iraq Getty World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Manila, Philippines AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures New Delhi, India Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Karachi, Pakistan EPA World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Jakarta, Indonesia Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Lagos, Nigeria AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Kabul, Afghanistan AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Jerusalem. Israel Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Moscow, Russia Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Seoul, South Korea AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Lagos, Nigeria AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Peshawar, Pakistan EPA World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Jakarta, Indonesia Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Hyderabad, India AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Kolkata, India AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Sydney, Australia Getty World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Sydney, Australia AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Aleppo, Syria Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Mexico City, Mexico AP World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago Reuters World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Jerusalem, Israel EPA World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Baghdad, Iraq Rex World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Gaza Strip, Palestinian Territories Rex World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Tokyo, Japan Rex World reaction to President Trump: In pictures Mexico City, Mexico Getty But the Electoral College can actually give the White House to either candidate. So why not use this most undemocratic of our institutions to ensure a democratic result? There are another 6,000 petitions related to Mr Trump on the Change.org website. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} In the aftermath of the presidential campaign, no one on either side seems to want to move forward. The crudest measure of this stagnant pond was the familiar chant of Donald Trump supporters at his latest rally. Back in Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr Trump was in his comfort zone at the podium and in front of an adoring crowd, with free reign to chat about his cabinet and fighting Hillary Clinton. "We did have a lot of fun fighting Hillary, didn't we?" he asked, egging on the crowds. Recommended Trump ally says Clinton increases prosecution risk asking for recount "Lock her up!" supporters shouted back, pumping fists in the air. "Lock her up!" Meanwhile the fight was also on between Trump and Clinton top campaign aides at Harvard University. Ms Clintons communications director, Jennifer Palmieri, accused the Trump team of giving a platform to white supremacists. When asked about their spat on CBS the next morning, Mr Trumps campaign manager Kellyanne Conway replied: "I think some people are stuck in a permanent campaign." Yet Mr Trumps supporters - some of whom are still stuck on the idea of Ms Clintons impending doom - are likely to be disappointed. Trump returns to Ohio for celebration rally In a meeting with the New York Times last week, Mr Trump said prosecuting his former rival was "no longer something [he] felt so strongly about". He added he did not want to hurt the Clintons. "Look, I want to move forward, I dont want to move back. And I dont want to hurt the Clintons. I really dont," he insisted, instantly igniting the fires of diehard anti-Clinton sub-feeds on Reddit. "This is the problem with the media. You guys took everything that Donald Trump said so literally," Corey Lewandowski, Mr Trumps former campaign manager, said this week at Harvard. "The American people didnt. They understood it. They understood that sometimes when you have a conversation with people, whether its around the dinner table or at a bar youre going to say things, and sometimes you dont have all the facts to back it up." Shouting match erupts between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump aides in post-election review Both sides of the campaign are embroiled in legal action over recounting the votes in three swing states that went to Mr Trump - Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. The Trump campaign filed a first objection on 1 December against the recount in Michigan, initiated by Green party candidate Jill Stein. "Jill Steins 1% temper tantrum cannot go unchecked," said Michigan Republican Party chairperson, Ronna Romney McDaniel. "Stein is not an aggrieved candidate, she cannot possibly win, and she is putting the participation of every single Michigan voter in jeopardy, for no reason, at an exorbitant cost to the Michigan taxpayers." A voter recount is unlikely to overturn the election results, but the Clinton campaign said they want to participate in the process to ensure every vote has been counted. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} There are many uncertainties in the future. Jill Stein is leading the charge to recount the vote in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The Trump campaign has sued to block the recount in Michigan. Faithless electors are popping up from Washington state to Texas. Petitions have been signed by millions of people. But one certainty is that on 19 December, the electoral college body officially meets to vote for the next president. But how does that work, and who are these voters? All the most commonly asked questions are answered below. Recommended Teenage electoral college member is seventh voter to go against Trump Does the electoral college physically meet? Yes. On 19 December 538 electoral voters will convene in their home state and physically write down the name of the candidate they want to be president and who they want to be vice president. The two ballots harks back to a time where the two people running for the two top jobs did not have to be on the same ticket. For every electoral college member turning up to vote on that day, there will be another 538 at home, who did not get the chance to vote for their candidate. So whoever gets the most votes wins? Kind of. The winner must still get 270 electoral college votes. Mr Trump is on course to get 306 votes compared to Hillary Clintons 232 votes. When is the official count of that vote? On 6 January, members of the house and senate meet to carry out the official tally of the electoral votes. Two weeks later on 20 January is the inauguration, when the winner is sworn in as president. Electoral College voting: How the United States decides its president Who are these people who get to vote? Electoral college voters are generally decided ahead of time by heads of the party in each state, and are expected to be loyal to their party. How they are selected and their responsibilities vary in each state. The age and profession and background of each voter might be dramatically different. Wikipedia has a full list. It varies from 19-year-old Levi Guerra in Washington state to Bill Clinton in New York. Do the electoral college voters have to vote for their partys candidate? They are expected to, and normally do. According to government archives, more than 99 per cent of electors have voted as pledged. But they dont have to by law. So-called faithless electors who vote for another candidate usually face a relatively small penalty of around $1,000. They could be disqualified and replaced by a substitute elector. So far no elector has been prosecuted. How are electoral college voters distributed in each state? Why does Pennsylvania have 20 votes while New Hampshire only has four? It does not depend on the population. There is a minimum of three electoral voters per state - two for the two state senators plus one for the minimum number of state representatives. The number of state representatives depends on the state population. The more representatives, the more electors. The exceptions are Maine and Nebraska, which do not have a "winner takes all" system. They instead have a system of proportional representation. Are faithless electors enough to overturn the election? They are very unlikely to do so. A faithless elector does not mean they will vote for Ms Clinton. They could not vote at all, or they could vote for another Republican, like the so-called renegade group, the "Hamilton Electors", in Washington state. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.2 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the government of Kyrgyzstan have signed the financing agreement amounting to $95.1 million to rehabilitate a section of the North-South Alternate Road Corridor in Kyrgyzstan, said the message on ADBs website. The agreement was signed Dec.1 by Kyrgyz Minister of Finance and Governor to ADB Adylbek Kasymaliev and ADB Country Director for Kyrgyzstan Candice McDeigan. McDeigan pointed out that the road corridor rehabilitation will aid the countrys poverty reduction efforts and boost domestic and international trade by connecting two major Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) corridors, while providing a faster and safer alternative route to facilitate access to international markets. The project will rehabilitate an estimated 70-kilometer section connecting CAREC Corridors 1 and 3 in the center of the country, said ADB. Once rehabilitated the road corridor will help improve national and regional connectivity, link economically underprivileged regions with economic hubs, and enhance efficiency and safer movement of goods and people, said the message. CAREC Corridor 1 connects Russia and Europe to China, and it is the only North-South road linking central Kyrgyzstan to the rest of the country and beyond. CAREC Corridor 3 connects the Russia and Europe to the Middle East and South Asia. It is the only direct link between the southern and northern parts of the country, linking the capital Bishkek and the second largest city, Osh, two major economic and agricultural hubs. Joining these two CAREC corridors will connect the southern regions of Batken, Jalal-Abad, and Osh with the northern regions of Chui, Issyk-Kul, Naryn, and Talas. Rehabilitation of additional sections of the road will be co-financed by the Eurasian Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, and the Saudi Fund for Development, while the rehabilitation of other sections of the North-South Alternate Road Corridor is ongoing under the China Export-Import Bank financing. Kyrgyzstan joined ADB in 1994 and since then has received more than $1.5 billion in loans, grants, and technical assistance. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A female teacher has been accused of seducing two pupils and ranking their sexual performance. Kelsey Leigh Gutierrez, 25, had sex with one of the teenage students in a car park and later in his bedroom, police claimed. She now faces charges in Texas. The English teacher was fired in November after her school district launched an investigation based on a tip-off, it was reported. KPRC 2 News said court documents alleged Ms Gutierrez met an 18-year-old pupil in a car park just under a week before she was fired. They kissed in the front seat of her car and then climbed into the back to have sex, it was claimed. She was also said to have visited him at home for sex four days later. Investigators found evidence on both their phones about the teen's sexual performance and Ms Gutierrez admitted the relationship, according to reports. It was also alleged that last year she met another student and they kissed in her car at a petrol station car park. The pair were said to have met four times. Recommended 350 report child sexual abuse as Southgate was teammate of victim School authorities told KPRC 2: "As soon as the district learned of the allegations, an internal investigation began including campus administrators and the district police department, and the teachers employment with the district ended. We take very seriously any concerns that relate to the well-being of each of our students and our first priority is the safety and education of our students in our district. "Inappropriate actions by teachers will never be acceptable in this district." Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} After 24 years of hosting the leader of the North Pole, Larry Jefferson-Gamble of Irving, Texas is now the Mall of Americas first black Santa Claus. This is a long time coming, Landon Luther, co-owner of the Santa Experience, told the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. We want Santa to be for everyone, period. Mr Luther kicked off a nationwide search for a diverse St. Nicholas last Spring so that children of color can identify with the jovial man in red. He met Jefferson-Gamble at a Santa Convention in Branson, Missouri where he signed the actor to a four-day contract in Minnesota. It was like finding a needle in a haystack, he told the newspaper. Still, Mr Jefferson-Gamble said that the kids he meets rarely notice his race. What they see most of the time is this red suit and candy, he explained. [Santa represents] a good spirit. Im just a messenger to bring hope, love, and peace to girls and boys. Anybody can be Santa; its whats in your heart. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Having sex with an animal is one step closer to being banned in Ohio after the state Senate unanimously approved an anti-bestiality bill. The proposal must now pass through the Ohio House of Representatives for it to become law. The ruling will prohibit a person from engaging in sexual conduct with an animal and require an offender to undergo psychological evaluation or counselling. Ohio is one of a dozen US states that does not have a law banning bestiality. Jim Hughes, a state Senator, branded the lack of a law sickening in an earlier interview with TV station WHIO. We dont want Ohio to be the place you can come and have sex with an animal, he said. The bill has gained the support of various animal welfare groups. Sharon Harvey, CEO of the Cleveland Animal Protective League, told Cleveland.com there were a number of chat room-type groups that sexually abused animals. "I applaud the bill's sponsors for bringing up this difficult subject. This act in and of itself needs to be against the law, she said. The animals vs The people Show all 8 1 /8 The animals vs The people The animals vs The people 560331.bin Reuters The animals vs The people 560327.bin AP The animals vs The people 560334.bin Related video: Shooters target a trapped badger, leaving it to die slowly PA The animals vs The people 560330.bin PA The animals vs The people 560333.bin AFP/Getty Images The animals vs The people 560329.bin EPA The animals vs The people 560328.bin AFP/Getty Images The animals vs The people 560332.bin Getty Images The bill comes just months after Canadas Supreme Court announced most sex acts with animals are legal. The controversial ruling was met with outrage by animal rights groups. Camille Labchuk, executive director of organisation Animal Justice, told The Independent: "As of today, Canadian law gives animal abusers license to use animals for their own sexual gratification. "This is completely unacceptable, contrary to societal expectations, and cannot be allowed to continue. All the US states were bestiality is still legal: District of Columbia Hawaii Kentucky Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico Ohio Texas Vermont West Virginia Wyoming Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} When Californian woman Sherri Papini was released by captors after three weeks, her husband said she had screamed for help "so hard that she coughed up blood". In one of his first interviews since her release, Keith Papini told ABCs 20/20 show that his wife had been chained up by her abductors, and when she had been released, she was thrown from a vehicle, tied up in chains with a bag over her head. She used that same bag to flag down a passing vehicle and get help. She was on the side of Interstate 5 in Yolo County, and it was Thanksgiving morning. "She screamed so much, shes coughing up blood from the screaming trying to get somebody to stop," said Mr Papini. "And again just another sign of how my wife is, shes so wonderful. Shes saying, 'Well maybe people arent stopping because I have a chain that looks like I broke out of prison,' so she tried to tuck in her chain under her clothes." What local authorities have described as an "absolute miracle" - her return on Thanksgiving - also remains a mystery. Shasta County sheriff Tom Bosenko said authorities were looking for a dark-coloured SUV and two Spanish-speaking women. They have a limited physical description of the suspects - one with pierced ears, one with straight black hair - and a sketch artist is to render their appearances. Authorities do not yet know where Ms Papini had been held during those three weeks, or if she had been moved. A motive has not been given. The 34-year-old was bruised when she was taken to hospital, with a broken nose from multiple beatings, and she had lost a lot of weight. Her long blonde hair had been cut short. Most disturbing, perhaps, was that a "message" had been burnt into her skin. The injuries were confirmed by Mr Bosenko. "She was chained anytime she was in the vehicle," Mr Papini said in the interview, which airs on 2 December. "They opened the door, she doesnt know [where] because shes got a bag over her head. They cut something to free her restraint that was holding her in the vehicle, and then kind of pushed her out of the vehicle." Her husband rang the alarm in November after his wife went for a jog in the local park and then did not pick up their two young children from daycare. He appealed to Good Morning America, begging for her return and offering thousands of dollars for any information. After the family was reunited in hospital, he told the same show: "Nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to see upon my arrival at the hospital, nor the details of the true hell I was about to hear." He has since addressed what he described as "conspiracy theories", including accusations of his involvement and claims that the abduction was a hoax. I do not see a purpose in addressing each preposterous lie, he said. Speaking to KOBI-TV, the driver who discovered Ms Papini before sunrise on 24 November described how she found her: in a quarter inch-thick chain, her wrists in hose clamps. "I see this blonde woman waving what looks like a brown flannel shirt up and down desperately trying to flag someone down," Alison Sutton said. "I could have hit her because she was so close to the side of the road." Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} President-elect Donald Trump has warned companies they will face consequences if they ship jobs overseas during a visit to an industrial plant in Indiana. The comments were made as Mr Trump kicked-off his victory tour and celebrated the deal reached with Carrier the largest air-conditioning manufacturer in the US that will save 800 jobs. Although 1,300 jobs will still be outsourced. The deal will give Carrier a $7m tax-break package over 10 years negotiated by Governor and Vice President-elect Mike Pence. Companies are not going to leave the United States anymore without consequences, he said to a small room of workers at the Carrier plant. These companies arent going to be leaving anymore, they arent going to be taking peoples hearts out. The Trump-Pence deal with the company will include about 800 workers at the Indianapolis plant, including 300 research and headquarter positions which were not originally intended to go to Mexico, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Huntington, Indiana, electronics facility is still slated to close with some 700 jobs going to a plant in Mexico. President Donald Trump life in pictures Show all 16 1 /16 President Donald Trump life in pictures President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump poses in a rocking chair once used by President John F. Kennedy at his New York City residence Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Developer Donald Trump with his new bride Marla Maples after their wedding at the Plaza hotel in New York Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and Celina Midelfart watch the match between Conchita Martinez and Amanda Coetzer during U.S. Open. She was the date whom Donald Trump was with when he met his current wife Melania at a party in 1996 Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas serving as the grand marshal for the Daytona 500, speaks to Donald Trump and Melania Knauss on the starting grid at the Daytona International Speedwa Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Developer Donald Trump talks with his former wife Ivana Trump during the men's final at the U.S. Open Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and his friend Melania Knauss pose for photographers as they arrive at the New York premiere of Star Wars Episode : 'The Phantom Menace,' Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Billionaire real estate developer Donald Trump talks with host Larry King. Trump told King that he was moving toward a possible bid for the United States presidency with the formation of a presidential exploratory committee Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump answers questions as Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura looks on in Brooklyn Park. Trump said on Friday he 'very well might' make a run for president under the Reform Party banner but had not made a final decision Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Billionaire Donald Trump makes a face at a friend as he sits next to Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso before the start of the 2003 Miss Universe pageant in Panama City Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Entrepreneur Donald Trump is greeted by a Marilyn Monroe character look-a-alike, as he arrives at Universal Studios Hollywood to attend the an open casting call for his NBC television network reality series 'The Apprentice.' Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and Simon Cowell present an Emmy during the 56th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and Megan Mullally perform at the 57th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump, poses with his children, son Donald Trump, Jr., and daughters Tiffany and Ivanka Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Billionaire Donald Trump told Miss USA 2006 Tara Conner on Tuesday she would be given a second chance after reported misbehavior Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump holds a replica of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as his wife Melania holds their son Barron in Los Angeles Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures U.S. property mogul Donald Trump stands next to a bagpiper during a media event on the sand dunes of the Menie estate, the site for Trump's proposed golf resort, near Aberdeen, north east Scotland Reuters Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders offered a scathing critique of Mr Trumps deal with the company in a comment piece published in the Washington Post on Thursday. Lets be clear: It is not good enough to save some of these jobs, Mr Sanders wrote. Trump made a promise that he would save all of these jobs, and we cannot rest until an ironclad contract is signed to ensure that all of these workers are able to continue working in Indiana without having their pay or benefits slashed. Mr Sanders added that United Technologies took Trump hostage and won. And that should send a shockwave of fear through all workers across the country. Bernie Sanders calls Trump's tweets 'delusional' and 'insane' White House press secretary Josh Earnest said that the deal was welcome good news, but added that if he is successful in doing that 804 more times then he will meet the record of manufacturing jobs, created during President Barack Obamas two terms. Mr Trump launched his USA Thank You Tour 2016 on Thursday beginning in Cincinnati, and continuing in states instrumental in his surprising victory against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He will visit key battleground states like Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida, and Iowa over the next few weeks, as his transition team continues to assemble his Cabinet. Meanwhile, as Mr Trump takes his self-celebratory victory lap, the efforts to contest his election led by Green Party nominee Dr Jill Stein are losing momentum ahead of the 19 December electoral college vote. CNN vs Donald Trump round 3: Anderson Cooper asks 'doesn't he have an Isis briefing to be reading?' Dr Stein filed for statewide recounts in Michigan, Wisconsin, as well as a partial recount in Pennsylvania, citing irregularities in voting. After a presidential election tarnished by the use of outdated and unreliable machines and accusations of irregularities, people of all political persuasions are asking if our election results are reliable, Dr Stein said on Wednesday regarding Michigan. We must recount the votes so we can build trust in our election system. We need to verify the vote in this and every election so that Americans can be sure we have a fair, secure and accurate voting system. But the Trump campaign scoffed at the notion of Dr Steins efforts. Many of these costs would be acceptable if Michigan law really did entitle Stein to a recount, the Trump team wrote. But it does not. And there is no reason to rewrite Michigan election law to accommodate the conspiracy-minded requests of an acknowledged loser. The statement clashes with Mr Trumps continued false claims of at least three million instances of voter fraud that resulted in Ms Clintons commanding lead in the popular vote a claim that recalls his complaints of a rigged system, despite his ultimate electoral win. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} President-elect Donald Trump announced that he chose retired Marine Gen Jame Mattis to run the Pentagon as Secretary of Defence. The announcement came prematurely following reports citing anonymous sources from The Washington Post and CNN. But Mr Trump yet again defied convention by making the announcement during his first stop on an unprecedented thank you tour in key battleground states. We are going to appoint Mad Dog Mattis as our Secretary of Defence, he told the Cincinnati audience Thursday evening. But were not announcing it until Monday, so dont tell anybody. He added: They say hes the closest thing to [World War II] Gen George Patton that we have and its about time. President Trump protests Show all 20 1 /20 President Trump protests President Trump protests Patrons hold a sign as people march by while protesting the election of Republican Donald Trump as the president of the United States in downtown Los Angeles, California Reuters President Trump protests Demonstrators rally following the election of Republican Donald Trump as President of the United States, in Oakland, California Reuters President Trump protests Demonstrators march following the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States Reuters President Trump protests Thousands of protesters rallied across the United States expressing shock and anger over Donald Trump's election, vowing to oppose divisive views they say helped the Republican billionaire win the presidency AFP/Getty Images President Trump protests Demonstrators protest outside the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, Illinois Getty President Trump protests A police officer aims a launcher after demonstrators threw projectiles toward a line of officers during a demonstration in Oakland, California Reuters President Trump protests An officer examines a vandalized police vehicle as demonstrators riot in Oakland, California Reuters President Trump protests Demonstrators take over the Hollywood 101 Freeway just north of Los Angeles City Hall in protest against the election of Republican Donald Trump as President of the United States Reuters President Trump protests A woman holds up a sign reading 'Trump you are an Idiot' as demonstrators gather during a protest against President-elect Donald Trump outside the City Hall building in Los Angeles, California EPA President Trump protests A masked demonstrator gestures toward a police line during a demonstration in Oakland, California Reuters President Trump protests Demonstrators protest against the election of Republican Donald Trump as President of the United States, near the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Las Vegas, Nevada Reuters President Trump protests Musician Lagy Gaga stages a protest against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on a sanitation truck outside Trump Tower in New York City Getty President Trump protests A woman yells as she takes part in a protest against President-elect Donald Trump in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood AP President Trump protests A man dressed in red-white-and-blue sits on the curb during a protest against President-elect Donald Trump in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood AP President Trump protests A protester sets off fireworks during a protest against President-elect Donald Trumpin Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood AP President Trump protests University of California, Davis students protest on campus in Davis, California, U.S. following the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States Reuters President Trump protests An Oakland police officer checks out damage after a window was broken by protesters at a car dealership in downtown Oakland, Calif AP President Trump protests A protester faces a police line in downtown Oakland, Calif AP President Trump protests President-elect Donald Trumpis victory set off multiple protests AP President Trump protests A fire burns during protests in Oakland, Calif AP Earlier in the day, a Trump spokesperson denied the speculation of Mr Mattis new role, as he tweeted that no decision had been made. Mr Mattis, 66, will join Mr Trumps national security team, which includes national security advisor Michael Flynn and Mike Pompeo for CIA director. The retired general will face a legal barrier before taking the job in January. He retired four years ago, but federal law prohibits service members from entering civilian positions for seven years. Congress will need to pass legislation for Mr Mattis to serve as defence secretary something that has not been done since 1950. Noam Chomsky: 'Trump has no known ideology other than me' Mr Mattis is best known for leading the Marines during the 2004 Battle of Fallujah in Iraq. But he sparked controversy in 2005 when he made light of killing people while in battle. Actually its quite fun to fight them, you know. Its a hell of a hoot, he told a San Diego audience in 2005. Its fun to shoot some people. Ill be right up there with you. I like brawling. You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didnt wear a veil. You know, guys like that aint got no manhood left anyway. So its a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them. But Mr Mattis has already appeared to soften Mr Trumps position on positions, such as torture although the President-elect maintains he still wants to continue waterboarding terror suspects. When Mr Trump asked him his thoughts on the now-banned method of torture that simulates drowning, he said he did not find it useful. He said Ive always found, give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers, and I do better with that than I do with torture, Mr Trump shared with The New York Times. Im not saying it changed my mind. Look, we have people that are chopping off heads and drowning people in steel cages and were not allowed to waterboard? But Ill tell you what, I was impressed by that answer. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} President-elect Donald Trump held what appeared to be more of a campaign rally during his transition as he launched his thank you tour in Ohio. Although Mr Trump has remained in the news by sending out early morning tweets falsely claiming he won the election in a landslide if not for three million illegal votes, falsely claiming to have saved jobs in Kentucky, or falsely accusing the press of dishonesty, he has been otherwise elusive since winning the election. The President-elect returned to form Thursday night on Cincinatti, where he spoke before a stadium with far more empty seats than his previous appearance in the venue in October. Granted, there were still a fair amount of attendees to see the unlikely head of state revel in victory. We had a lot of fun fighting Hillary Clinton, he said to the crowd. It was a moment of call and response, as the audience chanted Lock her up. Mr Trump broke from his script numerous times, glorifying his win. In the case of Ohio, a state he claimed to have won by 10 points, he inflated the numbers by two. How about North Carolina how well did we do in North Carolina? Remember when they said he cannot win North Carolina? Mr Trump said, rebuking the dishonest press. The crowd booed when he pointed to the press pool in the back of the arena. Donald Trump cant break the blue wall, right? We didnt break it, we shattered that sucker. We shattered it, man. That poor wall is busted up. He also took the opportunity to confirmed that he had chosen retired Marine Gen James Mattis as Secretary of Defence a break from his spokesperson, Jason Miller, who denied earlier reports from the Washington Post and CNN. We are going to appoint Mad Dog Mattis as our Secretary of Defence, he said after a lengthy preamble about how he did not want to tell the audience. But were not announcing it until Monday, so dont tell anybody. In his return to the teleprompter, Mr Trump attempted to denounce the wave of hundreds of reported hate crimes that spiked since his election. Claiming to represent inclusivity with hopes to unite the nation, he condemned bigotry and hatred in all its forms. He did not specifically speak out against the white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups who have openly celebrated his victory and appointment of Stephen Bannon as chief strategist, however. Still, he repeated alienating promises to bar refugees from the Middle East. He blamed the Monday knife attack at the Ohio State campus on lax refugee policies created by our very, very stupid politicians. People are pouring in from regions of the Middle East, he falsely insisted, skirting the fact that the OSU attacker immigrated from Somalia when he was a child. We have no idea who they are, where they come from, what theyre thinking and were going to stop that dead, cold flat. President Donald Trump life in pictures Show all 16 1 /16 President Donald Trump life in pictures President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump poses in a rocking chair once used by President John F. Kennedy at his New York City residence Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Developer Donald Trump with his new bride Marla Maples after their wedding at the Plaza hotel in New York Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and Celina Midelfart watch the match between Conchita Martinez and Amanda Coetzer during U.S. Open. She was the date whom Donald Trump was with when he met his current wife Melania at a party in 1996 Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas serving as the grand marshal for the Daytona 500, speaks to Donald Trump and Melania Knauss on the starting grid at the Daytona International Speedwa Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Developer Donald Trump talks with his former wife Ivana Trump during the men's final at the U.S. Open Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and his friend Melania Knauss pose for photographers as they arrive at the New York premiere of Star Wars Episode : 'The Phantom Menace,' Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Billionaire real estate developer Donald Trump talks with host Larry King. Trump told King that he was moving toward a possible bid for the United States presidency with the formation of a presidential exploratory committee Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump answers questions as Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura looks on in Brooklyn Park. Trump said on Friday he 'very well might' make a run for president under the Reform Party banner but had not made a final decision Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Billionaire Donald Trump makes a face at a friend as he sits next to Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso before the start of the 2003 Miss Universe pageant in Panama City Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Entrepreneur Donald Trump is greeted by a Marilyn Monroe character look-a-alike, as he arrives at Universal Studios Hollywood to attend the an open casting call for his NBC television network reality series 'The Apprentice.' Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and Simon Cowell present an Emmy during the 56th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump and Megan Mullally perform at the 57th annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump, poses with his children, son Donald Trump, Jr., and daughters Tiffany and Ivanka Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Billionaire Donald Trump told Miss USA 2006 Tara Conner on Tuesday she would be given a second chance after reported misbehavior Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures Donald Trump holds a replica of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as his wife Melania holds their son Barron in Los Angeles Reuters President Donald Trump life in pictures U.S. property mogul Donald Trump stands next to a bagpiper during a media event on the sand dunes of the Menie estate, the site for Trump's proposed golf resort, near Aberdeen, north east Scotland Reuters Mr Trumps return to the stump is unprecedented in US politics. Presidents-elect do not generally return to the trail to deliver their promises while they are supposed to be filling critical Cabinet positions. The move is especially unusual given reports of Mr Trumps rejection of intelligence briefings. Earlier on Thursday, Mr Trump took a victory lap in Indiana for a deal reached with the Carrier heating and air-conditioning company. In the agreement reached with Carrier and their parent company, United Technologies,800 factory, as well as 300 research and technology jobs, will remain in Indiana rather than going to Mexico. Still, despite Mr Trumps boast of saving almost 1,000 jobs in the US, some 1,300 jobs will be outsourced. The Wall Street Journal reported that 600 jobs from the Indianapolis plant are still expected to move to Mexico. While a United Technology factory in Huntington, Indiana, will close and send 700 jobs to Mexico. In his speech celebrating that deal, Mr Trump warned companies that outsourced jobs during his presidency. Companies are not going to leave the United States anymore without consequences, he said. Its simply not going to happen. Mr Trump did not disclose whether he would penalise Carrier and United Technologies come January. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Hillary Clinton has received more than 2.5 million more votes than Donald Trump in the Presidential election, making her lead over her rival greater than 10 previous US Presidents. The former Secretary of State lost the electoral college and conceded her 232 electoral votes distributed in different numbers per state to Mr Trumps final tally of 306 votes. Yet the Democrat has accrued 65,250,000 total votes so far, compared to the President-elects 62,686,000 meaning at least 2,564,000 more Americans voted for her. The Democrat's lead has been swelling thanks to late counting of mail in and absentee votes in states including California, New York and Washington. As ballots continued to be counted on Thursday, 46.2 per cent of the electorate had voted for Mr Trump, while 48.1 per cent opted for Ms Clintons figures that have caused critics to complain the voting system is undemocratic. Despite polling failing to forecast the bombastic property tycoon's win, Ms Clintons 1.9 per cent lead puts her on track to secure the popular vote pollsters predicted in the days before the election. Her lead is five times that of Al Gores advantage over George W Bush in the contentious 2000 Presidential election.. Shouting match erupts between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump aides in post-election review Mr Trump is the fifth President in US history who lost the popular vote, and his win has revived criticism that the electoral College disadvantages Democrats because of their distribution across the country. A petition on MoveOn.org to abolish the electoral college has received 585,889 signatures in the wake of the election results. Politicians have also called for reform. On Tuesday, when it was known that 2.3 million more people had voted for Ms Clinton, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told CBS: I, for one, am very focused on this. I hope people are all over the country, because it's inconceivable to me that the will of 2.3 million people has been ignored in this result. It doesn't make sense. And it's supposed to be in our constitution: one person, one vote. That's not what happened here. Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Hillary Rodham Clinton as a Wellesley College senior Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham in at Wellesley College Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Hillary Rodham Working with the House Committee on Nixon's Impeachment Case Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures US Presidential candidate Bill Clinton with wife Hillary and daughter Chelsea at the Democratic National Convention Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Bill and Hillary Clinton at the Inaugural Ball Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Bill and Hillary Clinton with Barbara Bush Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, President William Jefferson Clinton their daughter Chelsea, at the first state dinner of the Clintons administration Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Hillary Clinton meets with 12 chidren in response to their letter to the President concerning their health problems Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Nelson Mandela jokes with First Lady Hillary Clinton Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Senator Hillary Rodham comforts Maren Sarkarat the conclusion of the Family Memorial Service held at Ground Zero of the WTC Getty He is also the first US President ever who lost earned less than 50 per cent of the vote in both primary and general elections, which undercuts post election claims from the Trump camp that the President-elect has a mandate to push through his campaign pledges. This election was not close. It was not a squeaker, senior adviser Kellyanne Conway told Fox News the Sunday after the election There is a mandate there, and there is a mandate for his 100-day agenda, as well. Although the billionaire property tycoon has won more votes than any previous Republican nominee, the 2016 election also set a record for the most votes cast for candidates other than the eventual President. The 538 electors are convening on 19 December to rubber stamp Mr Trumps presidency. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The total number of votes for the Green Party has exceeded Donald Trumps narrow lead over Hillary Clinton in several US states, leading some commentators to suggest Jill Stein handed the Republican candidate the presidency. In Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, Ms Stein got 51,463, 49,678, and 31,006 votes respectively, whereas Mr Trump won by a margin of 10,704, 46,765, and 22,177 in the same states, new figures show. Most people who voted for Ms Stein would otherwise have been more likely to vote Democrat than Republican, analysts have said, particularly in this election where Mr Trump's denial of climate change and far-right policy proposals were the antithesis of many Green Party values. Ms Stein has been compared on social media to Ralph Nader, the Green Party candidate who is widely believed to have split the left-of-centre vote in 2000, helping Republican candidate George W Bush narrowly defeat the Democrat candidate Al Gore. The new figures could fuel speculation that Bernie Sanders, who lost to Ms Clinton in the race to be the Democrat's presidential candidate, could have defeated Mr Trump if he had been allowed to stand, by winning over voters who are politically left of Ms Clinton. However, as more voting data is revealed, Ms Clinton's performance in the election is looking increasingly impressive: she now has 2.5 million more votes than Mr Trump nationwide in the popular count, according to analysts. This is a wider margin than any of the past five candidates who won the presidential election. Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Show all 10 1 /10 Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Hillary Rodham Clinton as a Wellesley College senior Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham in at Wellesley College Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Hillary Rodham Working with the House Committee on Nixon's Impeachment Case Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures US Presidential candidate Bill Clinton with wife Hillary and daughter Chelsea at the Democratic National Convention Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Bill and Hillary Clinton at the Inaugural Ball Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Bill and Hillary Clinton with Barbara Bush Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, President William Jefferson Clinton their daughter Chelsea, at the first state dinner of the Clintons administration Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Hillary Clinton meets with 12 chidren in response to their letter to the President concerning their health problems Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Nelson Mandela jokes with First Lady Hillary Clinton Getty Hillary Clinton's life in pictures Senator Hillary Rodham comforts Maren Sarkarat the conclusion of the Family Memorial Service held at Ground Zero of the WTC Getty If she reaches 65 million votes she is currently on 64.9 million she would be on par with Barack Obamas 2012 victory and George W Bushs win in 2004. Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} US President-elect Donald Trump shared a telephone call with Rodrigo Duterte and invited him to visit the White House next year during a "very engaging, animated" talk, an aide to the Philippines leader has said. The call lasted just over seven minutes, the President of the Phillipine's special advisor, Christopher Go, said in a text message to media. Mr Go, Duterte's longtime aide and better known as "Bong Go", said the Philippines president had invited Trump to come to his country next year when it is chair of a series of summits of the Association of South East Asian Nations Mr Duterte has previously told President Barack Obama to "go to hell" and once allegedly called him a "son of a whore". As part of his violent war on drugs in the Phillipines, around 3,000 people have been killed. Mr Duterte won a May election by a huge margin and is often compared with President-elect Trump, having himself been the alternative candidate from outside of national politics. He campaigned on a populist, anti-establishment platform and struck a chord among ordinary Filipinos with his promises to fix what he called a broken country. The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Show all 9 1 /9 The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On killing drug addicts These sons of whores are destroying our children. I warn you, dont go into that, even if youre a policeman, because I will really kill you. If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself as getting their parents to do it would be too painful The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Message to China I will go there on my own with a Jet Ski, bringing along with me a [Phillipino] flag and a pole, and once I disembark, I will plant the flag on the runway and tell the Chinese authorities, Kill me AP The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Christmas message to law-breakers If you do not want to stop, and just continue committing crimes, then this would be your last Merry Christmas AP The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On sex life I was separated from my wife. Im not impotent. What am I supposed to do? Let this hang forever? When I take Viagra, it stands up AFP/Getty Images The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On the drugs trade None of my children are into illegal drugs. But my order is, even if it is a member of my family, kill him'" AP The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Insulting the Pope We were affected by the traffic. It took us five hours. I asked why, they said it was closed. I asked who is coming. They answered, the pope. I wanted to call him: Pope, son of a wh**e, go home. Do not visit us again AFP/Getty Images The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Joke about rape I saw her face and I thought, 'What a pity... they raped her, they all lined up. I was mad she was raped but she was so beautiful. I thought, the mayor should have been first AFP/Getty The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte Insulting Barack Obama "Mr Obama should be respectful and refrain from throwing questions at me about the killings, or son of a bitch, I will swear at you in that forum" REUTERS The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte On Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants "If I have to face them, you know I can eat humans. I will really open up your body. Just give me vinegar and salt, and I will eat you. If you annoy me to the fullest... I will eat you alive. Raw" EPA Following the shock election of the property tycoon as US President, the controversial Filipino leader congratulated him, saying: Long live Mr Trump! We both curse at the slightest reason. We are alike, he said. Additional reporting by Reuters Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 2 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: A meeting was held in Ashgabat as part of preparation of Turkmenistans chairmanship at the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS), the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in a message. The representatives of United Nations (UN), World Bank (WB), European Union (EU), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Regional Environmental Center for Central Asia (CAREC) also participated in the working meeting, the message said. During the discussions, the representatives of the above-mentioned structures stressed that Turkmenistan will become a platform for the Central Asian countries to make joint efforts in the further development of regional water and environmental cooperation, the ministry said. The IFAS was established in 1993 to support scientific and practical research and organize financing social and economic and environmental programs in the region aimed at improving environmental situation of Aral Sea region. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} A Slovakian woman is to be deported from Denmark for begging for the first time under a controversial law that criminalises the practice. Judges at the City Court of Copenhagen sentenced the woman to 40 days in prison on Tuesday, after which she will be expelled from the country. Police said the woman had previously been convicted several times for begging for money from passers-by in the Danish capital. Sweden: See scuffles at protest against anti-begging posters This is the first time a person has been deported from Denmark for begging, a statement said, adding that the court found the defendant had come to Denmark with the sole purpose of supporting herself by begging. Even though she is an EU citizen and therefore enjoys enhanced protection against expulsion, the court assessed that there were grounds for deportation, a spokesperson added. Article 197 of Denmarks penal code criminalises begging for anyone who has previously ignored police cautions, with a maximum prison sentence of six months. Begging must be active to be illegal, rather than someone passively accepting donations. EU citizens are frequently warned or fined, while those from outside the continent can be immediately deported. Danish law also prevents local authorities giving shelter to unregistered immigrants without a national identification number. Prosecutors said they were satisfied with the landmark judgement allowing the Slovakian woman to be deported. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty It might seem harsh to deport a person for begging for money, but the fact is that begging is illegal in Denmark, said prosecutor Anne Jacobsen. When a person repeatedly comes to Denmark solely for making a living through crime, then at some point you have to say no. And that is what the court has done. Politicians in neighbouring Sweden have been considering implementing their own anti-begging law amid fears of an influx of people fearing prosecution in Denmark. The country has seen a sharp rise in numbers of beggars from eastern Europe, which has riled anti-immigration groups, but left wing politicians have hit back. "You cant ban poverty, said Swedish Green Party migration spokesperson Maria Ferm. "It is not the governments policy to use criminal law against people who ask others for help." For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Iceland's president has invited the anti-establishment Pirate Party to form a government after the two largest parliamentary parties each failed to put together a coalition. President Gudni Johannesson made the announcement on Friday after a meeting with the head of the Pirates parliamentary group, Birgitta Jonsdottir. Recommended Pirate Party may step in as Iceland hits election stalemate Earlier today I met with the leaders of all parties and asked their opinion on who should lead those talks. After that I summoned Birgitta Jonsdottir and handed her the mandate, he told reporters. Following the meeting, Ms Jonsdottir said: "I am hopeful that we will find a way to work together." Iceland held a snap legislative election on 29 October, but none of the seven parties or alliances managed to gain a clear majority. The conservative Independence Party, which performed best in the vote, initially tried to form a government with the liberal, centre-right Reform Party and the centrist Bright Future, but the proposed alliance broke down over disagreements reportedly relating to the European Union, institutional reform and fishing. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty The Left-Green Movement, the second biggest party, suspended coalition negotiations with the president last week. The president then allowed the parties to hold informal talks between themselves, which led the Independence Party and the Left-Green Movement to discuss terms for sharing power, but this also failed. It follows the resignation of Icelands Prime Minister, Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson, who stepped down after his centre-right Progressive Party saw its number of parliamentary seats and share of the vote halved in the general election. The Pirate Party caused the major upset of the election by winning 10 out of the 63 parliamentary seats up for grabs. The small and controversial party, promoting direct democracy, 35-hour working weeks and total drug decriminalisation, promised during the election campaign to implement radical institutional reforms following the Panama Papers scandal, which led to the resignation of the former Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson and the snap October vote. It won 14.5 percent of votes, which was less than pollsters had predicted, but a significant improvement on their sixth place finish in the 2013 general election. Additional reporting by agencies For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Irish legislators have passed a bill to make cannabis legal for medicinal use after the government said it would not stand in the way. The bill seeks to legalise and regulate cannabis products for those suffering serious illnesses like cancer, multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia, as well as people who live with chronic pain. Its sponsor, People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny, said that if finalised it would give doctors the power to decide if their patients would benefit from the drug, RTE reported. The bill was passed in Ireland's lower house without a vote. It is the latest in a series of moves by politicians around the world to make marijuana legal for medical use. A school district in New Jersey, USA, has even allowed the drug to be administered to pupils on its grounds by a parent or guardian. In the UK an underground medical marijuana industry has sprung up, according to a Viceland documentary. Growers give away tens of thousands of pounds-worth of the drug to people who are ill, and risk spending years in prison. Cannabis is a Class B drug in the UK. Possession is punishable by five years in prison, while those caught supplying it can receive a 14-year sentence. Ireland's legalisation bill will now pass to the Dail's committee stage where health minister Simon Harris said regulators will advise him on the scientific and clinical value of cannabis as a medicine. Changes would need to be made to the legislation to avoid accidentally making the drug legal for recreational use, he added. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Isis is likely to carry out new terror attacks across Europe in the near future as jihadis consider car bombings, chemical weapons and other methods to maximise casualties, security services have warned. A new report by Europol, the EU-wide law enforcement agency, found that the terrorist group was changing its modus operandi as militants are driven out of key strongholds in Syria and Iraq. Britain is among the top targets for atrocities, with at least 12 attempted attacks foiled in the past three years, and the threat level could now be increasing with the return of defeated foreign fighters with weapons training and links to Isis commanders. Gilles de Kerchove, the EUs counter-terror coordinator, said the danger will last for years as battles against Isis continue in the Middle East and North Africa. Paris terror attacks: Francois Hollande leads anniversary commemorations These people are trained to use explosives and firearms and they have been indoctrinated by the jihadist ideology, he added. An effective response requires a comprehensive approach and long term commitment. Intelligence services estimate that several dozen jihadis under Isis direction are already present in Europe with the capability to commit terrorist attacks, but Europol warns of the additional risk of lone wolf terrorists who have no direct contact with the group. While the deadliest attacks so far, in Paris on 13 November 2015, were directed by Isis and carried out by militants deployed from its Syrian territories, the Nice attack and a succession of terrorist murders in France, Belgium and Germany were committed by extremists with no external aid or training. Europols report, by the European Counter Terrorism Centre, said the vast majority of attackers in Europe have been young men with a criminal past, who feel discriminated, humiliated and marginalised in society, and may have mental health issues. Not all are strict Muslims and may have recently converted to the religion, or solely to Isis ideology, either on their own or through terrorist recruiters. 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 Religion may thus not be the initial or primary driver of the radicalisation process, but merely offering a window of opportunity to overcome personal issues, analysts said. The report raised concern that Syrian refugees may be targeted by recruiters as Isis seeks to gather support for its cause by inflaming the migration crisis to polarise the EU population and turn sections of it against those seeking asylum. Recommended How Isis is turning young criminals into new brand of terrorist The group uses a network of recruiters as well as a sophisticated propaganda machine churning out videos, magazines, terror manuals and websites aimed at gathering supporters and inciting attacks. Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, the Isis propaganda chief who was killed in a drone strike in August, released a video in May calling on anyone prevented from travelling to the so-called caliphate to wage jihad in their home countries. Make examples of the crusaders, day and night, scaring them and terrorising them, until every neighbour fears his neighbour, he urged ahead of a fresh spate of attacks in Europe. Know that your targeting [of] those who are called civilians is more beloved to us and more effective, as it is more harmful, painful, and a greater deterrent to them. Europol warned that potential targets are difficult to predict as all countries participating in the US-led coalitions air strikes have been singled out in propaganda videos, with a growing preference for soft targets like public transport that have little security and provoke maximum fear. A lone wolf attacker used a lorry to kill more than 80 people in Nice on Bastille Day (AP) Indiscriminate attacks have a very powerful effect on the public in general, which is one of the main goals of terrorism: to seriously intimidate a population, the report said, adding that attacking critical infrastructure like power grids and nuclear facilities is currently not a priority. Europol also says the consensus among intelligence agencies in EU member states is that the cyber capabilities of terrorist groups are still relatively low, but adds that the possibility of terrorist-affiliated cyber groups engaging in cyber warfare sponsored by Nation States those with capacities to engage in this type of attacks should not be discounted. Terrorists are known to have acquired hand grenades, rocket launchers, and high-grade plastic explosives and detonators from organised crime groups in Europe, while Isis magazines contain instructions on making TATP the homemade explosive used in the Paris and Brussels attacks, as well as the 2005 London bombings. Europol said suicide bombings, shootings, car rammings and stabbings are likely to remain the main mean of attacks as terrorists turn to the most easily available weapons. But its report warned that methods used in atrocities in Syria and Iraq may be exported to Europe, including car bombs, kidnappings, extortion and the possible use of chemical or biological weapons. Moroccan authorities dismantled an Isis cell planning attacks potentially involving chemical weapons in February, discovering biological agents among a cache of weapons from Libya to foil a catastrophic attack. Libyan forces are currently driving Isis out of Sirte but the report warned Libya is still a major base for the group (Getty) Libya, which remains locked in a continuing civil war following the British-backed ousting of Muammar Gaddafi, threatens to become a second springboard for Isis attacks on Europe, Europols report warned. Militants are losing ground in their stronghold of Sirte, but the country is still a major destination for foreign fighters, bolstered by a free flow of weapons and unlimited places in which jihadists could be trained for future terrorist attacks. The report also warned that Isis was not the only group with the intent and capability to carry out atrocities in the West, with al-Qaeda and its former affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra continuing to inspire attacks including the Charlie Hebdo massacre. Rob Wainwright, the director of Europol, said police and security services were intensifying cooperation to combat the threat, causing an increase in terror arrests and the foiling of several plots. This shows that the increased cooperation and exchange of data between all relevant services across Europe is a successful means to mitigate the threat posed by Isis, he added. Nevertheless, this report shows that the threat is still high and includes diverse components which can be only tackled by even better collaboration. The report concluded that the scale, frequency and impact of terror attacks was rising in the EU and that new attempts are likely to take place in the near future, adding: As long as Isis remains a factor in Syria and Iraq, and even if they are defeated there, they will continue with their attempts to encourage and organise terrorist attacks in the EU. For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Children are being killed while trying to escape battles raging in the Syrian city of Aleppo, humanitarian groups have warned as tens of thousands of people flee the governments advance. Save the Children said dozens of people have died attempting to flee eastern Aleppo, where the situation for families under constant bombardment and with no proper shelter and almost no food or fuel is desperate. The group reported children being separated from their parents and being killed or injured when venturing into the open in attempts to reach safety. At least 70 people are said to have died in recent days while trying to cross frontlines to safety. At least 45 Syrian refugees killed by regime missile while trying to flee Aleppo Sonia Khush, Save the Childrens Syria director, said: Families should not be forced to leave their homes and communities under the threat of bombs and starvation. The reality, however, is that international aid has not been allowed in to the city for almost five months, and conditions have become so desperate that people are taking deadly risks to flee under fire and cross frontlines into an uncertain fate. More children are going to die trying to reach safety in the coming days if we do not urgently establish safe, internationally monitored routes. The world has utterly failed the children of East Aleppo, but the warring parties have an obligation to protect them now in their hour of greatest need. Bashar al-Assads forces and allies from Russia, Iran and Hezbollah are advancing on rebel territory, retaking the district of Hanano and parts of Karm al-Qaterji and al-Hilwania in a campaign that has so far displaced 31,000 according to the UN. There have been reports of Bashar al-Assads forces shelling civilians, killing dozens of refugees in one street earlier this week, as well as men and boys being detained by government troops or forced into service. If you dont leave these areas quickly you will be annihilated, warned leaflets dropped by Syrian aircraft. In pictures: Aleppo bombing Show all 14 1 /14 In pictures: Aleppo bombing In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Smoke rises after airstrikes on the rebel-held al-Sakhour neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria April 29, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian family runs for cover amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of Al-Qatarji in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, on April 29, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A man reacts as he stands on blood stains at a site hit by airstrikes in the rebel held area of Aleppo's al-Fardous district, Syria, April 29, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo The damage of the airstrikes in the rebel-held area of Aleppo on April 28 Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo The damaged the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)-backed al-Quds hospital after it was hit by airstrikes, in a rebel-held area of Syria's Aleppo Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrians evacuate an injured man amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following an air strike on a rebel-held of Aleppo on April 29, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo People inspect the damage at a site hit by airstrikes, in the rebel-held area of Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr AP In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A man leads a woman in tears and child out of the scene after airstrikes hit Aleppo AP In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Civil defence members search for survivors after an airstrike at a field hospital in the rebel held area of al-Sukari district of Aleppo Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian boy is comforted as he cries next to the body of a relative who died in a reported air strike in the rebel-held neighbourhood of al-Soukour in the northern city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian family walks amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported air strike in the Bustan al-Qasr rebel-held district of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrian civil defence volunteers and rescuers remove a baby from under the rubble of a destroyed building following a reported air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of al-Kalasa in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrians help a wounded youth following an air strike on the Fardous rebel held neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrian civil defence volunteers evacuate people from a damaged building following a reported airstrike in the rebel-held neighbourhood of Tareeq al-Bab in the northern city of Aleppo Save yourselves. You know that everyone has left you alone to face your doom and have offered you no help. There were also warnings from the UN that some rebel factions are preventing people from leaving areas under their control. Displaced residents interviewed on Syrian state television reported abuses by opposition groups, with one woman saying her son was shot dead as he attempted to flee their territory. Syrian and Russian authorities have repeatedly claimed to set up routes of safe passage for civilians but after five years of civil war and months under siege and intense bombardment, the pledges have been met with fear and distrust. Save the Children called for the UN and International Committee of the Red Cross to be allowed to monitor the movement of people and immediately implement a 72-hour pause in fighting to allow aid in to the remaining population. At a heated meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Stephen OBrien, the under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said international law had been systematically disregarded in the ongoing civil war, with Aleppo becoming the apex of a growing catalogue of horrors. Syrian children, such as this one at a shelter in Jibrin, face severe dangers (AFP/Getty Images) For the sake of humanity, we call on, we plead, with the parties, and those with influence, to do everything in their power to protect civilians and enable access to the besieged part of eastern Aleppo before it becomes one giant graveyard, he said. There are no limits or red lines left to cross. Matthew Rycroft, the UKs Permanent Representative to the UN, blamed Russia for vetoing resolutions to stop the violence in what he called the most horrific conflict of our lifetimes. But Vladimir Putins government has repeated Syrias assertions that it is fighting terrorists a term used by the Assad regime to refer to all opposition groups. Syrian and Russian media have been hailing the liberation and stabilisation of eastern Aleppo, while highlighting rebel violations like a rocket attack that was reported by state media to have killed six civilians including two children in western Aleppo on Thursday. As government forces continued to close in, rebel groups announced the creation of an Army of Aleppo to fight the advance. Among the members listed on propaganda channels were local opposition fighters, Turkmen groups and Islamists including Jaysh al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham. Additional reporting by AP For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The US-led coalition has admitted inadvertently killing at least 54 civilians over seven months of its campaign of air strikes against Isis in Syria and Iraq. They included families, reported to include young children, who died while possibly being used as human shields as jihadis were driven out of their former stronghold of Manbij in July, as well as motorists overtaking targeted vehicles and innocent bystanders struck by bombing. The militarys latest report brings the number of confirmed civilian deaths in air strikes since August 2014 to 173, although critics and humanitarian groups say the figure is far higher. Airstrike on weapons facility in Mosul, Iraq President Barack Obama and American commanders have repeatedly described the strikes as the most precise air campaign in history but the toll is likely to rise as investigations into other reported civilian casualties continue, with the results released on a monthly basis. A spokesperson for the Combined Joint Task Force said all reported deaths would be investigated as thoroughly as possible, adding: Although the Coalition makes extraordinary efforts to strike military targets in a manner that minimises the risk of civilian casualties, in some cases casualties are unavoidable. We regret the unintentional loss of civilian lives resulting from Coalition efforts to defeat Isil [Isis] in Iraq and Syria and express our deepest sympathies to the families and others affected by these strikes. Officials reviewed 18 reports of civilian deaths in October, with three found to be credible, three still under assessment and 12 determined to be non-credible either through a lack of evidence or proof that coalition planes were not active at the location or time in question. The deadliest single incident confirmed by US investigators was a strike on 18 July that killed 24 civilians alongside almost 100 Isis fighters, whose fighting positions, vehicles, car bombs and mortars were also destroyed. The Combined Joint Task Forces report said: Up to 24 civilians who had been interspersed with combatants were inadvertently killed in a known Isil [Isis] staging area where no civilians had been seen in the 24 hours prior to the attack. Reports indicated that approximately 100 Isil fighters were preparing for a large counterattack against partnered Syrian Arab Coalition/Syrian Democratic Forces and, unknown to Coalition planners, civilians were moving around within the military staging area, even as other civilians in the nearby village had departed over the previous days. British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria Show all 10 1 /10 British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A Tornado jet takes off from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, as RAF Tornado jets carried out the first British bombing runs over Syria British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria Pilots and ground crew prepare combat aircraft Panavia Tornados at RAF Marham at RAF Marham, UK Getty British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A Eurofighter Typhoon jet takes off from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, as RAF Tornado jets carried out the first British bombing runs over Syria British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A RAF Tornado arrives at RAF Akrotiri to begin operations in Akrotiri British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A Tornado jet ahead of taking off from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, as RAF Tornado jets carried out the first British bombing runs over Syria, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed. The air strikes were carried out within hours of a vote by MPs in the Commons to back extending operations against Isis from neighbouring Iraq British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria Personnel work on a British Tornado after it returned from a mission at RAF Akrotiri in southern Cyprus British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria Two RAF Tornado GR4's, both with remaining weapons ordnance, approach RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, as they return to the base after carrying out some of the first British bombing runs over Syria British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A RAF Tornado takes off from RAF Akrotiri, on the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria A Tornado jet leaving RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland British jets prepare for air strikes in Syria AKA RAF Tornado arrives at RAF Akrotiri to begin operations in Akrotiri, Cyprus. The RAF has sent two further Tornado aircraft and six Typhoons to bolster aircraft now flying sorties to both Iraq and Syria The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Local Co-ordination Committees reported at least 15 deaths, including children, in the incident. Central Command has not yet concluded an investigation into an air strike the following day on the village of al-Tokhar where more than 70 civilians were reported dead in what is believed to be the worst massacre in the coalition campaign. Recommended An airstrike in Syria killed entire families instead of Isis fighters The Observatory said their homes appeared to have been targeted by mistake in the raids, while the Syrian foreign ministry blamed French planes and wrote to the UN demanding an investigation into the incident. Other confirmed incidents included the death of three civilians in an artillery strike on an Isis mortar system in Sala Heya, Syria, in March. In May, two civilians were killed during battles to retake the Isis stronghold of Al-Shaddadi in Syria when seven Isis fighters were targeted in a moving vehicle. One civilian was a passenger while the other was on a passing motorbike. In July, 15 civilians died near Arghanndorh in Syria when another Isis vehicle was hit after it slowed in a populated area after the missile was released. Eight more were killed on 22 October, during the bombing of a building used as a firing position by Isis fighters near Fasitiyah in Iraq. Two civilians were also killed in separate strikes on militants in Syria one on 4 October near Taltanah and one on 17 October near Idlib. The RAF started air strikes in Syria in December 2015 (Getty Images) The US, Britain, France and other members of the coalition have conducted a total of 16,291 strikes so far as part of the anti-Isis Operation Inherent Resolve, with about two-thirds taking place in Iraq and the rest in Syria. A report by Amnesty International claimed that at least 300 civilians were killed in just 11 air strikes by the US-led coalition in Syria, with a report released in October finding adequate precautions were not always taken to minimise deaths and damage. Lynn Maalouf, deputy director for research at the groups Beirut office, urged US authorities to come clean about the full extent of casualties. We fear the US-led coalition is significantly underestimating the harm caused to civilians in its operations in Syria, she added. Some of these attacks may constitute disproportionate or otherwise indiscriminate attacks. With the vast majority of strikes hitting territory under Isis control, the true number of casualties and the victims identities are difficult to verify. US Central Command admitted it was unable to fully investigate all reports of possible civilian casualties using traditional investigative methods, such as interviewing witnesses and examining the site, adding it interviews pilots, reviews strike footage and analyses information from partner forces, governments, humanitarian groups, and both traditional and social media. A spokesperson said all possible precautions are taken and that the strikes are in compliance with international law. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Imagine how cool it would be if you could have dinner round a top London chefs house. Well, at new gastro-stay Coombeshead Farm, you dont have to imagine. First, the backstory. April Bloomfield might be best known for her celeb-studded Manhattan gastropub The Spotted Pig but it was at her hip restaurant, The Breslin, at the nearby Ace Hotel, that she ran into Tom Adams, the twentysomething, tattooed owner-chef at Londons celebrated barbecue joint Pitt Cue (now transplanted from its five-table Soho spot to a 100-cover behemoth just off Bishopsgate). The pair became fast friends, based on mutual fastidiousness about sourcing, and the happy upshot is this a farmhouse retreat in remotest Cornwall, where the two chefs cook up feasts for paying guests using their own farms produce and hyperlocal suppliers. Its a cliche to say somewhere feels more home than hotel but at Coombeshead Farm, no other description will do. Adams and his girlfriend, Lottie Mew, live in a barn conversion across the yard from the 16th-century farmhouse the latter offers five guest rooms (one with an adjoining bunk room). An evening here is spent very much in the couples company: chatting with Adams as he prepares dinner, Mew pouring the wine and mixing the drinks, as though youve just casually popped to theirs for a dinner party. That impression is compounded by the dining room set-up: one communal table that, as the night wears on, becomes littered with an obscene array of plates and wine glasses, the chatter between strangers growing louder and looser. (Its casual enough that my sister attended the dinner table in her socks.) Theres no menu: dishes are served family style and depend on whats growing and ready from the smokehouse and pickling rooms. Plates proffered on my visit included pig skin dipped in plum ketchup, crispy oysters alongside smoky salad cream, and some truly lovely cured monkfish with pickled celery. The communal dining table in the farmhouse (Claire Menary) Indeed, if there were any doubt that pickling is still well and truly in, Coombeshead dispels it every shelf I saw in the kitchen and dining room was stacked with jars stuffed full of things fermenting. In fact, one of my favourite tasters of the evening was an artsy array of pickled tomatoes, nasturtium capers, wild garlic and fermented parsnip a wonderfully wince-worthy assault of almost boozy vinegariness. Appropriate for the guy who popularised the Pickleback a shot of whiskey followed by a shot of pickle juice in London. Chef Tom Adams picking his homegrown produce (Charlie McKay) As well as this feast of flavours, the wine cellar Adamss personal collection features everything from the usual suspects to biodynamic numbers and wild vintages from his brothers micro-vineyard, Les Clos Perdus, in the Corbiere region of the South of France. Do try the house cocktails, priced at an eminently reasonable 8 each. The Rhubarb & Ginger is the perfect balance of sweet, spicy and herbal. And while it all feels incredibly personal to Tom and Lottie, the chef tells me Bloomfield makes it back from the US now and then to join him in the kitchen, and plans to spend more time here next year. Location Five miles from Launceston, Coombeshead is out on a limb; the nearest train station is Liskeard, though the rail journey down from Paddington is a gorgeous romp across country and along coast. Dartmoor National Park, 20 miles away, tempts walkers, while Padstow is a 40-minute drive. Check-in times are a little stingy in after 4pm and out by 11am so plan a day out accordingly. One of the comfortable, but not quite luxurious, guestrooms (Charlie McKay) Comfort For the kind of foodies who whisper names such as David Chang and David McMillan with religious reverence, this is Eden. But anyone expecting a slicker hotel experience may take some adjusting. Rooms are basic, lacking amenities such as phones, robes and TVs. Some of the en-suites, all clean lines and classic tiles from Heritage Bathrooms, are tiny and dont have tubs. True, you should really spend your stay waxing poetic about umpteen-hour-smoked pig jaw or enjoying a satisfying tramp around the farms 66 acres. But when, already under the shower, I realised that the St Kitts Rosemary & Bergamot toiletries hadnt been refilled, I did wish I could call down for service. Still, it seems churlish to fret too much when theres so much love and attention being lavished on the real reason people come here the dining. And they are coming; despite having only opened in July, I met repeat guests on my visit. A gourmet take on breakfast, with locally sourced bacon and sausage (Charlie McKay) And while the bedrooms arent quite luxurious though comfortable enough the rest of the farmhouse is warm and welcoming in a manner you might call country millennial. A boars head overlooking the stairs has a cigar stuck between its lips; the library where youll find books with names like The World Atlas of Beer and Extraordinary Pigs has an honesty bar stocked with craft gins and on-trend Fernet Branca. The cosy, lived-in feel comes courtesy of furnishings salvaged from reclamation yards; Adams and Mew dont like waste. Mew, in fact, gave up her job at an environmental agency to come here and hand-makes all the soap. Coombeshead, then, is a world unto itself a sort of locavore, gastro utopia thats quite unlike anything else. Want The Dorchester? By all means go to The Dorchester. But if you want something different, new and brilliant, this wont disappoint. Essentials Coombeshead Farm, Lewannick, Cornwall (01566 782 009; coombeshead farm.co.uk). Doubles from 175 per night, including breakfast; dinner is an extra 50 per person, excluding drinks. Wifi: Free Parking: Free Pets: Welcome, though they are not permitted upstairs and into the rooms Access: Not wheelchair accessible Rooms: *** Service: **** Value: **** Getting there Advance single fares from Paddington to Liskeard from 21.50 each way (gwr.com). Then, it's a 25-minute taxi ride to Coombeshead Farm. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Yet some British Airways passengers, in the future, may be given a snack with a difference: an ingestible sensor that transmits how you are feeling so that cabin crew are better able to provide what you need. BA is a busy company these days, as the airline seeks to compete with low-cost European rivals and the aviation-empire-building Gulf carriers. Three of the busiest people at the airline are Daniel Jobling, Estelle Levacher and Glenn Morgan. I dont know them personally, but I do know that they are listed as the inventors on one of the most unusual airline patents I have ever read. Just in case you have more pressing tasks than wading through the 24-page document, allow me to digest the patent for you. The title is Travel Environment Control. Thats not about controlling the impact of travellers on the environment, but about the environment of the posh seats in a plane (at least judging from the accompanying diagram). The document takes a holistic look at travel, with a view to providing a smoother end-to-end journey for premium passengers. That could involve you swallowing a chip a miniature transmitter to tell the cabin crew how your body is coping with the long haul. The patent envisages a flight involving Digital pills or other ingestible sensors that detect internal temperature, stomach acidity and other internal properties, and wirelessly relay this information outside the passengers body. From somewhere deep inside your body, you will be unwittingly emitting signals to the cabin crew about your wellbeing, or lack of it. I hate to criticise forward-thinking research on how to improve the air-travel experience. But its interesting that the airline is spending time and money on a project that looks, if I am not being unkind to the inventors, like a solution in search of a problem. In a customer-service industry like aviation, airlines constantly strive to improve their offer, to create differences that will stimulate demand and persuade passengers to pay a premium in a ferociously competitive market. But there are ways to improve the passenger experience without the need to think outside the box or, indeed, consume a chip that will presumably part company with the passenger some time after the flight. Are you sitting comfortably? A 'digital pill' deep inside you may tell the cabin crew (British Airways) Does the cabin feel too hot? Turn down the temperature. Too cold? Offer passengers a blanket. Better still, the traveller, even after a glass or two of Club World champagne, may be sentient enough to ask for one (though in my experience requesting a blanket is not worth doing in Air Canadas economy class between Toronto and Amsterdam). Passengers, not crew, are responsible for their wellbeing. The patent talks of service instructions to provide water when the passenger is determined to be dehydrated. But every long-haul traveller needs constant topping up with water, and on good airlines such as BA the crew regularly offer it. Easiest of all: reduce fatigue by cutting the length of time passengers spend in an airport and aboard a plane. Airports and planes are a lot like prisons (apart from the easy availability of illicit drugs): you want to get out as quickly as you can. Airlines are fastidious about demanding that passengers sticking to the published timetable. Try to get airside at Heathrow Terminal 5 with less than 35 minutes before your flight departs, and you will be turned back at the entrance to the security check yes, even if you are on a short-haul flight departing from one of the easy-to-reach A gates. But a quick check on Friday morning revealed about a dozen BA departures from Heathrow that left around half an hour late. So if the airline knows theres going to be mild disruption of this order, Id like a text that cuts me the appropriate 30 minutes of slack; that will help de-stress the journey for any wildly optimistic people trying to reach Heathrow on the Piccadilly line of the Tube. Call me Sherlock, but the best way to reduce the time spent on board the plane is not to get on it too early. I appreciate that it helps the ground staff and the flight crew if all the passengers are on board and strapped in, just in case an earlier departure becomes possible. But statistically, Im not convinced that quicker clearance happens enough to justify making passengers spend an extra half-hour on board the aircraft. And if Daniel, Estelle and Glenn from BA want to use those thoughts: theres no patent. Click here for the latest travel offers from Independent Holidays Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Eating your way around a country is a peculiarly illuminating way of understanding a culture. Seeking out classic foods gets you up close with locals, takes you into their favourite restaurants, bars and cafes, and stokes their greatest, most patriotic passions. There are hundreds of foods I could write ardent poems for everything from Ethiopias wonderfully sour and spongy injera, to San Sebastians artistic pintxos but here Ive chosen six big hitters that are perhaps the most misunderstood, and tell you where to eat them. A monster pastrami sandwich in New York City No, not at Katzs. The deli made famous by Meg Ryans fake orgasm has long been touted as the best spot for the classic pastrami on rye, and while this beefy treat is certainly a decent size, it doesnt quite justify the equally enormous price tag of $19.95. But head to Rego Park in Queens and youll find proper old-school delicatessen (ie, not a tourist circus) Bens Best, where not only is the pastrami sarnie even more insanely massive, its also cheaper at $16.95. Of course, NYCs got more on the menu than brined beef with sour pickles and brain-lasering lashings of mustard. (You must have these to accompany your sandwich, or you have failed.) The food scene here is endlessly thrilling, plating up everything from perfect pizzas to unbeatable bagels and salty baked pretzels, not to mention all the other exciting ethnic eats (try Roosevelt Avenue around Jackson Heights in Queens for the most boggling selection). But, above all else, the pastrami is the citys signature sandwich, defining our impression of classic New York or should that be Noo Yoik? For a brilliantly modern twist on it, check out Mu Ramen in Long Island City, which dishes out the Japanese noodles in a bone marrow broth with beef brisket and sour pickle. Good luck getting your mouth around the sandwiches at Bens Best Deli (Wendy/Flickr) Spaghetti bolognaise or tagliatelle al ragu in Bologna Right, lets get this straight Bologna did not invent spaghetti bolognaise. Spag bol is an Anglo-bastardisation, along the same lines as curry, which youll never find in India because they dont have the foggiest what that is. The signature dish of Bologna, in fact, is tagliatelle al ragu, and they get really angry if you try and call it spag bol (I should know, Ive experienced first-hand the tourist board getting incredibly irate about it). So whats the difference? Recommended 5 foods worth travelling for First of all, they use tagliatelle because apparently the meat sticks all the better to the flatter shape. The ragu is a saucy little number cooked up from minced beef, pancetta, tomatoes, red wine, onion, celery and carrot. Nutmeg, salt and pepper should be the only seasoning, aside from the piles of parmesan youre permitted to sprinkle on the top. And thats it. Bellissimo! Got it? Good. Now slurp up a big bowl at locals favourite Osteria Broccaindosso (00 39 051 234153; 7/A Via Broccaindosso), where theyll ply you with lethal portions of pasta, and the smallest dessert plate has eight different puddings on it. Good luck. Authentic tagliatelle al ragu in Bologna, Italy (Jessica Spengler/Flickr/CC BY 2.0) A super-fresh sushi platter in Tokyo If youre one of those weirdoes who thinks they dont like sushi especially if its because you dont like your flavours too fishy its time you found enlightenment in Tokyo. Sushi, of course, doesnt taste fishy at all these raw cuts of seafood burst with clean freshness, the best-quality portions offering a luxurious creaminess too. Theres no end of sushi restaurants in Tokyo about 5,000 to be almost precise ranging from conveyor-belt quickies to high-end event dining. The citys most expensive sushi joint, Sukiyabashi Jiro, will set you back about 250 for 20 mouthfuls served over just 30 minutes. The sushi counter at Daiwa Sushi in Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo (Laura Chubb) For something more affordable, get in line at Tsukiji Fish Market. The biggest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world, it doesnt get much fresher than breakfast at one of the sushi counters here, where youll munch on the mornings catches. The only drawback? To avoid four-hour queues, be sure youre outside Daiwa Sushi at 4am, ready for the 5am opening. Next doors Sushi Dai has even crazier lines there was already a six-hour wait time when I arrived at 4am for Daiwa. The reward is a super-fresh sushi set at about a quarter of the price youd pay in a fancy establishment think fat hunks of tuna belly, sweet shrimp and sea urchin for around 25. Want something more extreme? How about chicken sashimi in Kyoto? I ate a platter of raw chicken hearts, liver and other bits at the recommendation of my hotel concierge while in the city and lived. A chicken sashimi platter (yes, raw chicken) in Kyoto (Laura Chubb) Proper Peking duck in Beijing You know that delicious shredded duck with pancakes you love so much down your Chinese? Utter rubbish compared with the real thing in Beijing. In Chinas chaotic capital, this signature dish should be eaten in two parts, side-by-side: thick slices of salaciously juicy pink flesh, offset by near-caramelised skin attached to audaciously flavourful, melt-in-the-mouth fat. At DaDong Roast Duck Restaurant, you can forget about those papery pancakes, too. Instead, you get gloriously crispy toasted sesame buns, into which youre encouraged to stuff the meat along with spring onions and plum sauce, while the skin-fat slices are for dipping in sugar. Heart-stoppingly decadent and so good Im salivating at the mere memory. Good Beijing duck is a mix of juicy flesh, crispy skin and unctuous fat (Facebook) A real vindaloo in Goa Those of a delicate disposition will be relieved to hear that a real vindaloo is not something lagered-up men eat to prove their might and then regret bitterly in the morning. This Goan dish is actually a vinegary concoction with pork and ginger that has little in common with its balls-to-the-wall British cousin. The name is derived from the Portuguese vinha dalhos literally garlic wine marinade cooked up by the colonists of 16th-century, Portugal-ruled Goa. Indian cooks replaced the Europeans red wine with palm vinegar and added some spices, explaining its zingy flavour. (Fact fans: this also answers why the dish does not feature potato, called aloo in Hindi.) Recommended You can now have dinner and a sleepover with a top London chef As well as the happy news that a real vindaloo wont sting later, you can find some of the best examples of the dish at dirt-cheap prices. Head to any of the seaside restaurants around Little Vagator beach in north Goa, where they serve up their addictively sour pork vindaloos utterly unlike any other Indian dish for just a couple of quid. If youre feeling particularly brave, wash it down with feni the regions greasy homebrew hooch, available in cashew and coconut flavours. How a real vindaloo should look, as seen in Goa (Facebook) A classic poutine in Canada Being Yorkshire born and bred, the concept of chips topped with cheese and gravy is not, to me, foreign. For many others, though, this classic Canadian concoction is a thing of great and mysterious exoticism. The most common misconception about poutine is that you can just grate cheddar over the top and be done with it. This is preposterous. The key to a good poutine is that it must be topped with cheese curds squeaky little cubes of cooked cheese that has been cured to produce a distinctive tanginess. There are many origin stories for Canadas national dish, though most agree it first sprung to life in Quebec in the Fifties, inspired by the Brits. (That our filthy drunk food could become the national dish of another country is, perhaps, a beautiful and profound case for globalisation.) A near-perfect example of poutine can be sampled at Chez Ashton, a chain particular to poutines home region of Quebec thats got the thickness of the fries, the tanginess of the curds and the salty-spiciness of the brown gravy just right. You can even add sausage on top but that would be disgusting, right? The classic poutine served at Chez Ashton in Quebec (Laura Chubb) Click here for the latest travel offers from Independent Holidays Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Ominously for Zac Goldsmith, most of the people who thought Britain would stay in the EU and Hillary Clinton would be president say he will hold his seat in the Richmond Park by-election on Thursday. In the political prediction business it ought now to be respectable to say I dont know. So I dont know if Goldsmith will win or if Sarah Olney, the Liberal Democrat, will pull off a sensational victory a victory so sensational that it will immediately be rationalised as completely predictable if only we had had but eyes to see it. The big question is how strongly the well-educated electorate of Richmond Park feel about Brexit, compared with how strongly they feel about Heathrow Airport and how warmly they regard Goldsmith, their MP of six years. When I say well educated, I mean the constituency has the highest proportion of graduates in the UK: 64 per cent of its adults hold a degree or NVQ level 4. Level of education is most strongly correlated with support for EU membership. Chris Hanretty of the University of East Anglia estimates that the Remain vote in Richmond Park was 72 per cent. What experts have said about Brexit Show all 11 1 /11 What experts have said about Brexit What experts have said about Brexit Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond The Chancellor claims London can still be a world financial hub despite Brexit One of Britains great strengths is the ability to offer and aggregate all of the services the global financial services industry needs This has not changed as a result of the EU referendum and I will do everything I can to ensure the City of London retains its position as the worlds leading international financial centre. Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Yanis Varoufakis Greece's former finance minister compared the UK relations with the EU bloc with a well-known song by the Eagles: You can check out any time you like, as the Hotel California song says, but you can't really leave. The proof is Theresa May has not even dared to trigger Article 50. It's like Harrison Ford going into Indiana Jones' castle and the path behind him fragmenting. You can get in, but getting out is not at all clear Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Michael OLeary Ryanair boss says UK will be screwed by EU in Brexit trade deals: I have no faith in the politicians in London going on about how the world will want to trade with us. The world will want to screw you that's what happens in trade talks, he said. They have no interest in giving the UK a deal on trade Getty What experts have said about Brexit Tim Martin JD Wetherspoon's chairman has said claims that the UK would see serious economic consequences from a Brexit vote were "lurid" and wrong: We were told it would be Armageddon from the OECD, from the IMF, David Cameron, the chancellor and President Obama who were predicting locusts in the fields and tidal waves in the North Sea" PA What experts have said about Brexit Mark Carney Governor of Bank of England is 'serene' about Bank of England's Brexit stance: I am absolutely serene about the judgments made both by the MPC and the FPC Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Christine Lagarde IMF chief urges quick Brexit to reduce economic uncertainty: We want to see clarity sooner rather than later because we think that a lack of clarity feeds uncertainty, which itself undermines investment appetites and decision making Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Inga Beale Lloyds chief executive says Brexit is a major issue: "Clearly the UK's referendum on its EU membership is a major issue for us to deal with and we are now focusing our attention on having in place the plans that will ensure Lloyd's continues trading across Europe EPA What experts have said about Brexit Colm Kelleher President of US bank Morgan Stanley says City of London will suffer as result of the EU referendum: I do believe, and I said prior to the referendum, that the City of London will suffer as result of Brexit. The issue is how much What experts have said about Brexit Richard Branson Virgin founder believes we've lost a THIRD of our value because of Brexit and cancelled a deal worth 3,000 jobs: We're not any worse than anybody else, but I suspect we've lost a third of our value which is dreadful for people in the workplace.' He continued: "We were about to do a very big deal, we cancelled that deal, that would have involved 3,000 jobs, and thats happening all over the country" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Barack Obama US President believes Britain was wrong to vote to leave the EU: "It is absolutely true that I believed pre-Brexit vote and continue to believe post-Brexit vote that the world benefited enormously from the United Kingdom's participation in the EU. We are fully supportive of a process that is as little disruptive as possible so that people around the world can continue to benefit from economic growth" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Kristin Forbes American economist and an external member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England argues that the economy had been less stormy than many expected following the shock referendum result: For nowthe economy is experiencing some chop, but no tsunami. The adverse winds could quickly pick up and merit a stronger policy response. But recently they have shifted to a more favourable direction Getty But it is also the constituency most strongly opposed to Heathrow expansion, by the less decisive margin of 52 per cent to 37 per cent. The Heathrow effect is complicated because all the main candidates oppose the third runway Government approval of which prompted Goldsmiths resignation and caused the by-election. Goldsmiths campaign have tried to blunt Olneys anti-Heathrow pitch by pointing out that her husband worked on Terminal 5. And they make a lot of their candidate having kept his word. He said he would resign if the Government went ahead with Heathrow expansion and he has even if, they dont add, it is a fairly pointless gesture. That said, electing Olney as an anti-Brexit protest would also be a gesture only. There is no question that there is a large majority in the House of Commons for triggering Article 50, if that is what the Supreme Court requires. But if there is a place in Britain where the voters feel a pointless Remainer gesture needs to be made, Richmond Park may be it. Goldsmith, of course, is a longstanding Eurosceptic, so that is a stark difference between him and his challenger. There has been only one opinion poll, by BMG, which put Goldsmith on 56 per cent, well ahead of Olney on 29 per cent. But that was a month ago: since then Lib Dem activists have flooded the constituency. In by-elections, opinion can change quickly and turnout is low. Zack Goldsmith says by-election 'must be a referendum on Heathrow expansion' Nor is history much of a guide. By coincidence, the swing needed by the Liberal Democrat, 19.5 points, is almost the same as that achieved by the partys unsuccessful candidate in the Witney by-election last month, 19.3 points. But MPs do not often stand down and then put themselves forward for re-election, when they might benefit from a local following. David Davis did it in his incomprehensible protest against CCTV and other instruments of the New Labour police state in 2008, and was re-elected. Bruce Douglas-Mann did it when he left Labour for the SDP in 1982, and he lost. If Goldsmith does win, I suspect his majority will be smaller than the Labour vote. That would re-open the controversy caused by Labour MPs including Clive Lewis, whose views are close to Jeremy Corbyns, and who called for Labour to stand aside to maximise the chances of defeating Goldsmith. But Corbyn refused to follow the example of Ukip, who stood aside and backed Goldsmith, and the Greens (also deeply divided on the question), who stood aside and backed Olney. But if the by-election does come down to the strength of feeling against Brexit and that against the Heathrow third runway, then Olney will win. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 2 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: Turkmenistans Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov held talks with the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia-Pacific Affairs Ebrahim Rahimpour, the Turkmen ministry said in a message. The parties exchanged views on cooperation in energy, transportation and trade. They mentioned substantial potential for expanding and diversifying trade turnover between the two countries. A number of major economic projects in energy and transportation have been implemented over the years of the Turkmenistan-Iran cooperation. Iran ranks third in Turkmenistans foreign trade, primarily, due to natural gas purchase. In its turn, Turkmenistan imports raw materials, building materials, steel products and inorganic chemicals, plastic products, rubber, detergents, food and other consumer goods from Iran. Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} It would be foolish for anyone to dismiss the Liberal Democrats win in Richmond Park, superficially easy as it is. The result adds to a parliamentary force still in single figures. It will not, in and of itself, change anything in government policy. It isnt going to stop Brexit in its tracks. Everyone knew that this extraordinarily prosperous, if noisily overflown, corner of the capital was Europhile, with many of its inhabitants dependent on the financial, legal and other sectors in London for their incomes and their house values. We know things are different in Grimsby. Indeed, given that the Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Olney joined Zac Goldsmith in adamant opposition to Heathrow expansion, thus neutralising the issue, it might have been more of a surprise if the Richmonders had decided to carry on with their hardline anti-European MP (whose father, Sir James, arguably started the whole Brexit thing rolling with his Referendum Party campaign at the 1997 election). Yet it is significant. First, it is a necessary restorative to Liberal Democrat health, which has not been good since they entered the coalition and the tuition fees fiasco. It is, in fact, the first time the Liberal Democrats have won a seat from another party since 2006, and the first gain from the Conservatives since 2000. Without anyone much noticing, the traditional conditions for a Liberal Democrat revival were reset at last years general election: a Conservative Government running into economic difficulties with a Labour opposition drifting off to the extremes, including a more Eurosceptic stance. Not since the early 1980s have the conditions been more propitious for a revival, though nowadays the Liberal Democrats have to contend with Ukip and the nationalists as alternative vehicles for protest votes. More significant than the psephology, though, is the political philosophy. The Liberal Democrats, for the first time in about half a century, have the sole claim, at least in England, to be the party of Europe. Suddenly, they have a clear cause rooted in their ideals. Having supported the European project from its earliest beginnings in the 1950s, through to saving the Maastricht Treaty from collapse in the 1990s, the Liberal Democrats have alone been unequivocal and brave in their support for the European project. Although that can feel lonely, they should be comforted by the fact that 48 per cent of those voting in the June referendum rejected leaving the EU. In many countries such a significant minority it hardly qualifies for the term minority would be sufficient to bar any constitutional change on this scale. Arguably only a 60 per cent or a two-thirds majority and parliamentary vote should have been the trigger for Article 50. As the Brexiteers argue, there is no point in rerunning the referendum or moaning about the fact that the Leave side won. However, Tim Farron and the Liberal Democrats are right to argue that the terms of the exit from the EU should be approved by a democratic vote, either in Parliament or in a referendum. Sir John Major and Tony Blair have also argued this case, and perhaps the Richmond result will remind those in government now that there is a large body of public opinion that is demanding such a say. As the reality of Brexit dawns on many more people, it is perfectly reasonable for them to be able to assess whether the settled terms of Brexit, when they arrive, are indeed a better bet than the status quo or, for some of the more ardent Leavers, a hard Brexit might even be preferable. We would then not be asked to buy a pig in a poke. Those arguments are for the future, though the campaign starts now, and the Lib Dems victory in Richmond is one step towards them. For now, ministers would do well to listen to public opinion in its entirety and treat Parliament with more respect than it has been inclined to. The Commons should be told much more than it has been about the issues at stake, and the Governments ambitions. Until it does so, it will not win the argument about the terms of Brexit. Until we have a vote approving the prospective terms of Brexit, the European issue will not be resolved. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Introducing the Governments much-anticipated Green Paper on the reform of corporate governance, Prime Minister Theresa May was moved to repeat the words she uttered upon her entry into No 10 Downing Street. The Government will build an economy that works for everyone, not just the privileged few, she wrote. Ms May went on to state her strong belief in the power of businesses and markets to drive prosperity while at the same time accepting that reform is necessary to restore the faith of a public which is rapidly losing faith in both. In part that is because, as the paper recognises, the growth in executive pay has far outstripped the growth in salaries of those further down. The average FTSE 100 chief executive was paid 1m in 1998, which rose to 4.3m in 2015 despite scant evidence of any corresponding improvement in corporate performance or long-term value. Ms May has already done away with a proposal that might have seen workers representatives appointed to boards, something that is commonplace and uncontroversial in continental Europe. However, some of the ideas contained within the paper have created sufficient consternation among those parts of the corporate lobby that have set themselves in opposition to any change at all to suggest that it may be on the right track. One of those is a proposal to require companies to publish pay ratios that would show the gap between the pay of the chief executive and that of the average worker. While this is something of a blunt instrument it would, after all, make Goldman Sachs, with its glut of high-paid workers, look more equitable than John Lewis, which already sets a pay ratio for its relatively modestly paid executives it is not without merit. It might make remuneration committees think more carefully before passing bloated pay packages if they had to be justified by dint of their comparison to the pay of a companys workers. The suggestion that remuneration committees might have to look workers representatives in the eye and explain the rationale behind some of the more excessive awards they have made could also pay dividends. Remuneration committees are typically drawn from the business elite. Their members are typically serving executives, former executives or senior consultants who are well rewarded for their work and have little interest in reform. They take advice from remuneration consultants who have even less motivation to rock the boat given where their fees come from. The requirement to take advice from ordinary employees might be illuminating for them. However, the majority of the papers proposals are focused on giving more power to shareholders, which, in practice, means institutional shareholders. The suggestion of a binding annual vote, the creation of shareholder committees, and even allowing shareholders to set an upper limit for pay are all worthy ideas. The trouble is that the Citys institutions have a lamentable record when it comes to using the tools they already have in their armoury. It speaks volumes that since the last set of reforms were adopted in 2013, just four FTSE 100 companies, two small cap companies and no members of the second tier FTSE 250 have lost a non-binding annual vote on a remuneration report. While certain institutional fund managers have taken up the activist baton, they are still too few in number to effect meaningful reform. There is little point in legislating to give shareholders powers if they fail to use them. The paper does contain a suggestion that the disclosure of their voting records be made mandatory. That might encourage a few of them to more regularly exercise their franchise. However, given their role in stewarding a large proportion nations savings, it is high time for the Government to ask them some rather more searching questions. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} Today it was reported that a Saudi women who posted a picture of herself on social media in public without wearing a hijab faced outrage on social media, including calls for her execution. One man memorably declared: Kill her and throw her corpse to the dogs. To the surprise of the some, Saudi Arabia which has been bombing Yemen for 18 months, including one incident where the countrys fighters bombed a funeral, and which has arguably the worst record on womens rights in the world was recently re-elected to the Human Rights Council, the United Nations premier human rights body. There was, predictably, an outcry. Governing womens clothing, whether on the beaches of Cannes or the streets of Riyadh, is a violation we should all stand against. And clearly people in the Islamic world believe this as ardently as atheists in the West. This year, men in Iran wore headscarves in solidarity with their wives who are forced cover their hair in public places. The campaign against the enforced hijab in Iran has seen women defying morality police in public and even shaving their hair. If men in Saudi Arabia campaigned in similar numbers and joined the fight, perhaps wed see a change in the Middle Easts political landscape. Steps have been made, however small, of late to extend womens rights in Saudi Arabia. In August this year, the kingdoms passport office suspended a programme that notified a womans male guardian (usually her husband) if she wished to travel outside the kingdom. Furthermore, a Saudi prince and business magnate, Alwaleed bin Talal, added his voice to the debate over womens rights in Saudi Arabia, urging it to abandon its driving ban for women. In an unprecedented move, he stated that preventing women from driving is an "issue of rights similar to the one that forbade them from receiving an education. 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Show all 10 1 /10 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In October 2014, three lawyers, Dr Abdulrahman al-Subaihi, Bander al-Nogaithan and Abdulrahman al-Rumaih , were sentenced to up to eight years in prison for using Twitter to criticize the Ministry of Justice. AFP/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2015, Yemens Sunni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was forced into exile after a Shia-led insurgency. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition has responded with air strikes in order to reinstate Mr Hadi. It has since been accused of committing war crimes in the country. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Women who supported the Women2Drive campaign, launched in 2011 to challenge the ban on women driving vehicles, faced harassment and intimidation by the authorities. The government warned that women drivers would face arrest. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Members of the Kingdoms Shia minority, most of whom live in the oil-rich Eastern Province, continue to face discrimination that limits their access to government services and employment. Activists have received death sentences or long prison terms for their alleged participation in protests in 2011 and 2012. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses All public gatherings are prohibited under an order issued by the Interior Ministry in 2011. Those defy the ban face arrest, prosecution and imprisonment on charges such as inciting people against the authorities. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses In March 2014, the Interior Ministry stated that authorities had deported over 370,000 foreign migrants and that 18,000 others were in detention. Thousands of workers were returned to Somalia and other states where they were at risk of human rights abuses, with large numbers also returned to Yemen, in order to open more jobs to Saudi Arabians. Many migrants reported that prior to their deportation they had been packed into overcrowded makeshift detention facilities where they received little food and water and were abused by guards. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses The Saudi Arabian authorities continue to deny access to independent human rights organisations like Amnesty International, and they have been known to take punitive action, including through the courts, against activists and family members of victims who contact Amnesty. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Raif Badawi was sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison for using his liberal blog to criticise Saudi Arabias clerics. He has already received 50 lashes, which have reportedly left him in poor health. Carsten Koall/Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Dawood al-Marhoon was arrested aged 17 for participating in an anti-government protest. After refusing to spy on his fellow protestors, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his confession. At Dawoods trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer. Getty Images 10 examples of Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses Ali Mohammed al-Nimr was arrested in 2012 aged either 16 or 17 for participating in protests during the Arab spring. His sentence includes beheading and crucifixion. The international community has spoken out against the punishment and has called on Saudi Arabia to stop. He is the nephew of a prominent government dissident. Getty In addition, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Mutlaq, a prominent member of the Saudi Committee of Senior Scholars, said this year that there is no legitimate reason to ban women from driving under Islamic law. Across the Arab world, and in Saudi Arabia, female Islamic scholars and activists have been pushing for interpretations of Sharia law that consider women and men as equals before God. Nevertheless, its now time for the International community to put pressure on the Saudi regime. It is scandalous that we are complicit in human rights violations perpetrated by a kingdom that continues to behead people for breaking their laws. Indeed, it was reported in January that Saudis beheadings had reached their highest level in two decades. Our deafening silence in the face of multiple human rights violence in Saudi has gone on for too long. Our Government has put business, arms and trades deals before human rights, casually expecting the country to catch up with it in terms of equality. But when a woman appearing without a hijab on social media provokes calls for her to be killed and eaten by dogs, perhaps its time we took our fingers out of our ears and started listening. Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} The Iraqi army, backed by US-led airstrikes, is trying to capture east Mosul at the same time as the Syrian army and its Shia paramilitary allies are fighting their way into east Aleppo. An estimated 300 civilians have been killed in Aleppo by government artillery and bombing in the last fortnight, and in Mosul there are reportedly some 600 civilian dead over a month. Despite these similarities, the reporting by the international media of these two sieges is radically different. In Mosul, civilian loss of life is blamed on Isis, with its indiscriminate use of mortars and suicide bombers, while the Iraqi army and their air support are largely given a free pass. Isis is accused of preventing civilians from leaving the city so they can be used as human shields. Contrast this with Western media descriptions of the inhuman savagery of President Assads forces indiscriminately slaughtering civilians regardless of whether they stay or try to flee. The UN chief of humanitarian affairs, Stephen OBrien, suggested this week that the rebels in east Aleppo were stopping civilians departing but unlike Mosul, the issue gets little coverage. One factor making the sieges of east Aleppo and east Mosul so similar, and different, from past sieges in the Middle East, such as the Israeli siege of Beirut in 1982 or of Gaza in 2014, is that there are no independent foreign journalists present. They are not there for the very good reason that Isis imprisons and beheads foreigners while Jabhat al-Nusra, until recently the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, is only a shade less bloodthirsty and generally holds them for ransom. At least 45 Syrian refugees killed by regime missile while trying to flee Aleppo These are the two groups that dominate the armed opposition in Syria as a whole. In Aleppo, though only about 20 per cent of the 10,000 fighters are Nusra, it is they along with their allies in Ahrar al-Sham who are leading the resistance. Unsurprisingly, foreign journalists covering developments in east Aleppo and rebel-held areas of Syria overwhelmingly do so from Lebanon or Turkey. A number of intrepid correspondents who tried to do eyewitness reporting from rebel-held areas swiftly found themselves tipped into the boots of cars or otherwise incarcerated. Experience shows that foreign reporters are quite right not to trust their lives even to the most moderate of the armed opposition inside Syria. But, strangely enough, the same media organisations continue to put their trust in the veracity of information coming out of areas under the control of these same potential kidnappers and hostage takers. They would probably defend themselves by saying they rely on non-partisan activists, but all the evidence is that these can only operate in east Aleppo under license from the al-Qaeda-type groups. It is inevitable that an opposition movement fighting for its life in wartime will only produce, or allow to be produced by others, information that is essentially propaganda for its own side. The fault lies not with them but a media that allows itself to be spoon-fed with dubious or one-sided stories. For instance, the film coming out of east Aleppo in recent weeks focuses almost exclusively on heartrending scenes of human tragedy such as the death or maiming of civilians. One seldom sees shots of the 10,000 fighters, whether they are wounded or alive and well. In pictures: Aleppo bombing Show all 14 1 /14 In pictures: Aleppo bombing In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Smoke rises after airstrikes on the rebel-held al-Sakhour neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria April 29, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian family runs for cover amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of Al-Qatarji in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, on April 29, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A man reacts as he stands on blood stains at a site hit by airstrikes in the rebel held area of Aleppo's al-Fardous district, Syria, April 29, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo The damage of the airstrikes in the rebel-held area of Aleppo on April 28 Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo The damaged the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)-backed al-Quds hospital after it was hit by airstrikes, in a rebel-held area of Syria's Aleppo Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrians evacuate an injured man amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following an air strike on a rebel-held of Aleppo on April 29, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo People inspect the damage at a site hit by airstrikes, in the rebel-held area of Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr AP In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A man leads a woman in tears and child out of the scene after airstrikes hit Aleppo AP In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Civil defence members search for survivors after an airstrike at a field hospital in the rebel held area of al-Sukari district of Aleppo Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian boy is comforted as he cries next to the body of a relative who died in a reported air strike in the rebel-held neighbourhood of al-Soukour in the northern city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian family walks amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported air strike in the Bustan al-Qasr rebel-held district of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrian civil defence volunteers and rescuers remove a baby from under the rubble of a destroyed building following a reported air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of al-Kalasa in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrians help a wounded youth following an air strike on the Fardous rebel held neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrian civil defence volunteers evacuate people from a damaged building following a reported airstrike in the rebel-held neighbourhood of Tareeq al-Bab in the northern city of Aleppo None of this is new. The present wars in the Middle East started with the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 which was justified by the supposed threat from Saddam Husseins possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Western journalists largely went along with this thesis, happily citing evidence from the Iraqi opposition who predictably confirmed the existence of WMD. Some of those who produced these stories later had the gall to criticise the Iraqi opposition for misleading them, as if they had any right to expect unbiased information from people who had dedicated their lives to overthrowing Saddam Hussein or, in this particular case, getting the Americans to do so for them. Much the same self-serving media credulity was evident in Libya during the 2011 Nato-backed uprising against Muammar Gaddafi. Atrocity stories emanating from the Libyan opposition, many of which were subsequently proved to be baseless by human rights organisations, were rapidly promoted to lead the news, however partial the source. In pictures: Mosul offensive Show all 40 1 /40 In pictures: Mosul offensive In pictures: Mosul offensive A doctor carries an Iraqi newborn baby at a hospital in Mosul, Iraq July 18, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi girls play at a yard of a school in Mosul, Iraq July 18, 2017alal Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A woman on crutches who is a relative of men accused of being Islamic State militants is seen at a camp in Bartella, east of Mosul, Iraq July 15, 2017. Picture taken July 15, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A displaced girl, who fled from home carries a doll at Hamam al-Alil camp south of Mosul, Iraq July 13, 2017. Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi federal police members and civilians celebrate in the Old City of Mosul on 9 July 2017 after the government's announcement of the "liberation" of the embattled city. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office said he was in "liberated" Mosul to congratulate "the heroic fighters and the Iraqi people on the achievement of the major victory" AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A picture taken on 9 July 2017, shows a general view of the destruction in Mosul's Old City. Iraq will announce imminently a final victory in the nearly nine-month offensive to retake Mosul from jihadists, a US general said Saturday, as celebrations broke out among police forces in the city. AFP In pictures: Mosul offensive Members of the Iraqi federal police raise the victory gesture as they ride on a humvee while advancing through the Old City of Mosul on 28 June 2017, as the offensive continues to retake the last district held by Islamic State (IS) group fighters. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Smoke billows as Iraqi forces advance through the Old City of Mosul on 26 June 2017, during the ongoing offensive to retake the last district held by the Islamic State (IS) group. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi man wearing the green scarf of the Shi'ite faith kisses an Iraqi Army soldier on safely reaching the Iraqi forces position as Iraqi civilians flee the Old City of west Mosul where heavy fighting continues on 23 June 2017. Iraqi forces continue to encounter stiff resistance with improvised explosive devices, car bombs, heavy mortar fire and snipers hampering their advance. Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A picture taken from the inside of an Iraqi forces armoured vehicle shows residents walking through a damaged street as troops advance towards Mosul's Old City on 18 June 2017, during the ongoing offensive to retake the last district still held by the Islamic State (IS) group. Military commanders told AFP the assault had begun at dawn after overnight air strikes by the US-led coalition backing Iraqi forces. They said the jihadists were putting up fierce resistance. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi Army soldiers advance in a destroyed street after an Iraqi forces airstrike targeted an Islamic State sniper position 17 June 2017 in al-Shifa, the last district of west Mosul under Islamic State control. IS snipers, as well as car and suicide bomb attacks continue to hinder the Iraqi forces efforts to retake the final district. A series of airstrikes by Iraqi helicopter gunships attempted to hit multiple Islamic State sniper positions in al-Shifa. Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier frisks a displaced Iraqi man at a temporary camp in the compound of the closed Nineveh International Hotel in Mosul on 16 June 2017 which was recovered by Iraqi troops from Islamic State group fighters earlier in the year. A screening centre set up in the compound's fairgrounds sees a constant stream of Iraqis fleeing the battle for Mosul, awaiting their turn to be checked by the Iraqi forces who are searching for suspected Islamic State (IS) group members. The small fairground lies at the end of a pontoon bridge across the Tigris recently opened to civilians that is the only physical link between the two banks of the river. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqis staying at the al-Khazir camp swim in a river near the camp for internally displaced people, located between Arbil and Mosul on 11 June 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi government forces drive on a road leading to Tal Afar on 9 June 2017, during ongoing battles to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi policeman carries a poster bearing an image of Mosul's iconic leaning minaret, known as the "Hadba" (Hunchback), on 22 June 2017. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqis stand in line to receive food aid in western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood on 7 June 2017, during ongoing battles as Iraqi forces try to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. Living conditions in Mosul have again deteriorated since the start of the Iraqi government's offensive on the city in October in which they retook a large part of the west of the city. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Displaced Iraqis carry lightbulbs and sacks as they evacuate from western Mosul's Zanjili neighbourhood as government forces advance in the area during their ongoing battle against Islamic State (IS) group fighters on 13 May 2017 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) flashes the victory gesture as he patrols in western Mosul's al-Islah al-Zaraye neighbourhood on 13 May 2017 AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi army soldiers from the 9th armoured division on a truck flash the sign of victory as they drive back from Mosul to the town of Qaraqosh (also known as Hamdaniya) Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Members of Iraqi forces flash the sign of victory on their vehicle as they advance towards Hammam al-Alil area south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi security forces gestures in Hammam al-Alil, south of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi children, one flashing the sign of victory, greet Iraqi army's soldiers from the 9th armoured division in the area of Ali Rash, adjacent to the eastern Al-Intissar neighbourhood of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Peshmerga forces look at a tunnel used by Islamic State militants near the town of Bashiqa, east of Mosul, during an operation to attack Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier takes a photograph with his phone as his comrade stands next to a detained man, whom the Iraqi army soldiers accused of being an Islamic State fighter, who was fleeing with his family in the Intisar disrict of eastern Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Iranian Kurdish female members of the Freedom Party of Kurdistan (PAK) hold a position in an area near the town of Bashiqa, some 25 kilometres north east of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi families, who fled their homes in Hamam al-Alil, gather on the outskirts of their town Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Displaced people walk past a checkpoint near Qayara, south of Mosul, Iraq AP In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi families who were displaced by the ongoing operation by Iraqi forces against jihadists of the Islamic State group to retake the city of Mosul, are seen gathering in an area near Qayyarah In pictures: Mosul offensive A boy who just fled Abu Jarbuah village is seen with his family at a Kurdish Peshmerga position between two front lines near Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi child eats a pomegranate upon the arrival of Iraqi forces in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive People who just fled Abu Jarbuah village sit as they eat at a Kurdish Peshmerga position between two front lines near Bashiqa, east of Mosul, Iraq Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive A couple who just fled Abu Jarbuah village are escorted by Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers Reuters In pictures: Mosul offensive Women carry a boy over a wall as civilians flee their houses in the village of Tob Zawa, Iraq AP In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier and a civilian ride a motorbike as smoke rises behind them, on the road between Qayyarah and Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi forces, wearing a skull mask, waits at a checkpoint for people fleeing the main hub city of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive An Iraqi soldier sits at a checkpoint in an area near Qayyarah Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi men prepare food portions for Iraqi forces deployed in areas south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi forces celebrate upon the arrival of vehicles bringing food to them Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive Iraqi childen smoke cigarettes upon the arrival of Iraqi forces in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty In pictures: Mosul offensive A member of Iraqi forces distributes drinks to children in the village of Umm Mahahir, south of Mosul Getty The Syrian war is especially difficult to report because Isis and various al-Qaeda clones made it too dangerous to report from within opposition-held areas. There is a tremendous hunger for news from just such places, so the temptation is for the media give credence to information they get second hand from people who could in practice only operate if they belong to or are in sympathy with the dominant jihadi opposition groups. It is always a weakness of journalists that they pretend to excavate the truth when in fact they are the conduit rather than the originator of information produced by others in their own interests. Reporters learn early that people tell them things because they are promoting some cause which might be their own career or related to bureaucratic infighting or, just possibly, hatred of lies and injustice. A word here in defence of the humble reporter in the field: usually, it is not he or she, but the home office or media herd instinct, that decides the story of the day. Those closest to the action may be dubious about some juicy tale which is heading the news, but there is not much they can do about it. Thus, in 2002 and 2003, several New York Times journalists wrote stories casting doubt on WMD only to find them buried deep inside the newspaper which was led by articles proving that Saddam had WMD and was a threat to the world. Journalists and public alike should regard all information about Syria and Iraq with reasoned scepticism. They should keep in mind the words of Lakhdar Brahimi, the former UN and Arab League Special Envoy to Syria. Speaking after he had resigned in frustration in 2014, he said that everybody had their agenda and the interests of the Syrian people came second, third or not at all. Recommended We have to accept that Assad will win in Syria The quote comes from The Battle for Syria: International Rivalry in the New Middle East by Christopher Phillips, which is one of the best informed and non-partisan accounts of the Syrian tragedy yet published. He judiciously weighs the evidence for rival explanations for what happened and why. He understands the degree to which the agenda and pace events in Syria were determined externally by the intervention of foreign powers pursuing their own interests. Overall, government experts did better than journalists, who bought into simple-minded explanations of developments, convinced that Assad was always on the verge of being overthrown. Phillips records that at a high point of the popular uprising in July 2011, when the media was assuming that Assad was finished, that the long-serving British ambassador in Damascus, Simon Collis, wrote that Assad can still probably count on the support of 30-40 per cent of the population. The French ambassador Eric Chevallier was similarly cautious, only to receive a classic rebuke from his masters in Paris who said: Your information does not interest us. Bashar al-Assad must fall and will fall. The woman disappeared from the Isle of Inishmore ferry Rescuers searching for a ferry passenger believed to have gone overboard in the Irish Sea have found a body. The UK Coastguard said a woman's body had been located in the Lawrenny area of Pembrokeshire. A statement said: "Dyfed-Powys Police have confirmed that a body has been located in the Lawrenny area, Pembrokeshire, during the search for a missing female. "The body has not been formally identified at this time. "Dyfed-Powys Police officers are working closely with specialist recovery teams from HM Coastguard and the ambulance service to recover the female body. "Our thoughts are with the family at this sad time." The alarm was raised just after 8.15am on Friday when the Isle of Inishmore ferry reported that a female passenger was missing. The vessel was travelling from Pembroke in Wales to Rosslare in Co Wexford, where it is currently berthed. The UK Coastguard led the massive air and sea search and sent its helicopter based at St Athan to help. Two Irish Coastguard helicopters, Tenby, Llansteffan and St Govans Coastguard Rescue Teams, Angle inshore and all-weather lifeboats and a Port Authority vessel also assisted in the operation alongside Dyfed Police and officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Norwegian Air International (NAI) has been finally granted a licence by US authorities that will enable to launch highly anticipated direct transatlantic routes between Ireland and American cities including Boston and New York. The flights the first ever direct routes between Cork and the United States are now certain to launch in 2017. Boston is first on NAIs planned schedule from Cork, with New York to follow later. Kevin Toland, the chief executive of the DAA, which controls Cork and Dublin airports, tonight welcomed the decision. I am delighted that the Norwegian Air International licence has been progressed. It makes for a big year for Cork, he told the Irish Independent. He thanked all the communities, companies, educational bodies and others who had supported NAIs application. For three years, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) has been sitting on an application from NAI to secure a foreign carrier permit that will allow it to operate between the EU and the US. The DOT said in April that it intended to grant the permit, but it had not been issued. It was widely expected that the DOT would wait until a new administration was in the White House before any final decision was made. The delay invoked the ire of the European Commission, which has said that wider trade agreements between the US and the EU could be threatened. The NAI application had been opposed by powerful US aviation unions, who claimed that granting NAI a licence to operate between the EU and America would eventually result in tens of thousands of US aviation jobs being lost claims that NAI and its parent had denied. But the US DOT has dramatically said it has formally decided to grant NAI its licence. In a statement, the DOT described the NAI case as being among the most novel and complex it has ever undertaken. It said: We have taken the necessary amount of time to review and consider the comments from a wide range of stakeholders. Regardless of our appreciation of the public policy arguments raised by opponents, we have been advised that the law and our bilateral obligations leave us no avenue to reject this application. Therefore, we have decided to finalise our tentative decision to grant NAIs request for a foreign air carrier permit. The decision is certain to be hugely welcomed in Cork, but to enrage US aviation unions. Tim Cannoll, the president of Americas biggest pilot union, Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), told the Irish Independent in October that the union would consider pursuing legal action including a judicial review, if the US DOT issued the permit without the unions labour concerns being addressed. ALPA has opposed NAIs plans to use Ireland as a base to avail of the Open Skies agreement that exists between the European Union and the United States. That agreement allows airlines from the EU to fly to any destination in the US, and vice versa. In granting a permit to NAI, the US DOT conceded that opponents had raised a number of significant concerns regarding the applicant's potential hiring and employment practices affecting its operations in US markets. In reaching our decision to grant NAI's permit, we have taken into account the totality of the record regarding its application, including those changes to its hiring and employment practices that it has offered as a direct result of the difficult issues that have been raised during the course of this proceeding, said the US DOT. We anticipate that they will be implemented, consistently with applicable laws. It added: Opponents have also raised another novel and important argument that goes directly to a central legal feature of the Agreement. By arguing that NAI represents a flag of convenience, opponents lose sight of this key feature of the Agreement: that under the concept of a Community airline, any carrier may fly under the flag of any European Union country, as well as Norway or Iceland, as long as it is satisfactorily owned and controlled by citizens of those countries. A Legal action by a distributor of foods for the animal industry against a grain supply company over ground nut it bought which was allegedly contaminated with morphine has been settled. William Connolly and Sons, trading as Connolly's Red Mills, Gorsebridge, Co Kilkenny, sued Dublin based importer of bulk materials used for animal feeds, Torc Grain and Feed Ltd. Grass cattle are now gone and winter finishers need a substantial price increase to cover costs and sell cattle out of sheds, according to IFA National Livestock Chairman Angus Woods. He said traditional winter finishers are not going to feed cattle at a loss and many are considering putting stock to grass next spring. He said beef prices are rising but far too slowly, and base prices of 3.70/3.75/kg for steers have been paid this week with 3.80/3.85/kg paid for heifers. He said these prices need to go a lot further in the lead into Christmas, The positive change to sterling, moving from 89p back to 85p/, is worth 20c/kg in returns. Factories are in a position to lift beef prices and farmers selling cattle are demanding more. Woods said, With the forecast for an additional 100,000 head of cattle next year, a strong live export trade is vital for calves, weanlings, stores and finished cattle. Live exports are essential for competition and to support market balance and viable prices, as well as additional market outlets. He called on the Department of Agriculture to increase resources and dedicated personnel on market access and to prioritise the live trade. In addition, he said Minister Creed must work to remove the barriers on the live trade to Northern Ireland and Britain. Angus Woods said a boat taking up to 4,000 weanlings was loaded last week for Turkey and another boat is being loaded this week with store cattle for Libya. Brexit Angus Woods raised Brexit issues for the beef sector directly with the EU Commission and Commissioner Hogan at sessions in Brussels and the European Parliament this week. At a meeting with MEPs in the European Parliament on Tuesday evening, Angus Woods said the collapse in beef prices blamed on Brexit is a market disturbance, similar to the Russian ban, and justifies direct action by the EU Commission. He called on the Government to mount a strong campaign at national and EU level to the challenge from Brexit. Some farmers are handing over large sums of money to join the agri-environment scheme GLAS. That is according to Fianna Fail TD Eamon O Cuiv who was speaking in the Dail this week. He asked the Minister for Agriculture, Micheal Creed if his attention has been drawn to the fact that farmers with shares in three commonages are paying up to 2,300 in professional fees to join the scheme. OCuiv also wanted to know the steps the Minister will be taking to reduce the cost of compliance for such farmers. In response, Minister Creed said the GLAS Scheme includes a measure which provides support for farmers to manage their commonage lands. For commonage farmers who wish to join GLAS, the Scheme requires the development and implementation of a GLAS Commonage Management Plan (CMP) which must be prepared and completed by a trained and qualified Agricultural Advisor. The Advisor is paid by the farmer and is not working for the Department. The price paid is a matter between the farmer and the Advisor, he said. The Minster added that the Department did not set any rules or guidelines in relation to professional fees involved in joining GLAS. Under the GLAS Scheme payment to farmers in respect of commonages was increased from 79 per hectare under the previous agri-environment measure to 120 per hectare per annum for five years to take account of potential additional costs to the farmer, he said. Taosieach Enda Kenny has made a strong defence of Ireland's relationship with Apple after meeting the tech giant's boss Tim Cook - saying it is not a "brass plate" company. The pair discussed the European Commission's ruling that Ireland must seek 13bn in back taxes from Apple. Mr Kenny said he spoke to Mr Cook about how Apple was working on setting up an escrow account where an as yet undetermined sum would be lodged while the legal battle surrounding the Commission's ruling continued. But the Taoiseach emphasised Ireland's rejection of the commission's decision last summer that Apple's tax arrangements amounted to illegal state aid. "We believe that to be wrong... We believe that we can only collect tax in respect of economic activity generated in the country," he said. "Apple is not a brass plate. Obviously almost 6,000 employees in Cork, at a very high level, speaks for itself." Ruling Mr Kenny outlined how Ireland had already lodged its appeal against the ruling in a European court. He added that Apple "are working on the escrow account. There are a number of issues to be worked out there and obviously they want to get on with that as we do as well." Mr Kenny and Mr Cook met for more than half-an-hour at Apple's HQ in Cupertino, California. The Taoiseach said they also discussed the company's expansion in Cork and its data storage centre being developed in Athenry, Co Galway. Mr Kenny said he had no concerns that the commission's ruling may threaten the tech giant's future in Ireland, adding: "Apple are very happy in Cork." The ruling is set to be published in full by the European Commission in the coming weeks. It was withheld at the time of the announcement as parts were said to be commercially sensitive. Mr Kenny was asked if he was worried there was anything in the full report that might damage Ireland's reputation. He said he had not seen it, but added: "I don't have any reason to believe that there would be anything else in there that wasn't referred to or contained in the judgment of the commission." Mr Kenny is on a three-day visit to the United States where his message is that "Ireland is very much open for business". Last night he addressed members of the San Francisco Bay Area Economic Council at Facebook's Silicon Valley headquarters. He also met several Irish staff members that work for the social media firm. Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Dec. 2 By Huseyn Hasanov Trend: The UAEs new strategy opens up the opportunities for the intensification of cooperation with Turkmenistan, UAE Ambassador to Turkmenistan Hassan Abdullah Al Adhab said in an interview with Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper. He added that great success, especially in the economic sphere, has been achieved in the development of the bilateral partnership since the opening of the UAE embassy in Turkmenistan. "We will make every effort to strengthen and develop these relations in various fields," the ambassador added. The diplomat added that renewable energy sources are one of the priority areas for Turkmenistan. The UAE is ready for cooperation on the basis of exchange of knowledge and mutually beneficial joint projects, he said. Diplomatic relations between Turkmenistan and the UAE were established in October 1995. The UAE companies successfully operate on the local energy market. One of such companies - Dragon Oil has been operating in the Turkmen sector of Caspian Sea since 1999 as part of the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA). The company is one of the largest foreign investors in Turkmenistan. Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) Shares in Bank of Ireland rose almost 7pc yesterday, bucking the wider market trend. The shares surged after the European Central Bank, its regulator, said the bank must maintain a Common Equity Tier 1 ("CET 1") ratio of 8pc on a transitional basis from January 1, 2017. With an existing CET1 of 13pc, it is well above the required level. It was enough to separate the shares from European peers to end at 21.50 cent, up 6.9652pc, while shares in State-owned AIB lost over 12pc in value. Markets across Europe closed lower on Thursday as concerns about the results of a referendum in Italy took hold. Defeat for sitting Prime Minister Matteo Renzi would signal another anti-establishment vote and could trigger the premier's resignation. The prospect of the eurozone's third-largest economy being governed by an anti-EU party in the near future has spooked investors. London's FTSE 100 lost 0.45pc, while the French CAC dropped by 0.4pc. Germany's Deutsche Boerse lost 1pc over the course of the day. However, investors clearly felt that Italian assets had been oversold, with Milan's FTSEMIB the only major index across the continent to post gains (1pc) Ireland's FTSE 100 was also down, closing at 6171.93, a loss of 43.87 points, or -0.45pc. It was a mixed day for Irish stocks, Hostelworld was up 6pc, while oil retailer Applegreen gained 5pc. Oil rose more than 4pc on Thursday, with Brent crude at its highest in about 16 months, extending gains after OPEC and Russia agreed to restrict output to speed up the rebalancing of a long-oversupplied market. OPEC agreed its first oil output reduction since 2008 on Wednesday. GIVING JD Wetherspoon permission to build a new 4m superpub "would be an unwelcome milestone" in the trend to "completely alcoholise" a Dublin street, according to a resident. Barry Chambers has halted the JD Wetherspoon plan - for now - after lodging an appeal with An Bord Pleanala against Dublin City Council's decision to grant permission. A report lodged by the UK-based Wetherspoon with the council shows that there are 12 pubs in the area of Camden Street/Wexford Street. The company said the plan which includes a 98-bedroom hotel, would create 100 jobs if it was given the green light. The application coincides with a separate Wetherspoon pub plan, which has received the go-ahead on Dublin's Lower Abbey Street. Mr Chambers told An Bord Pleanala that allowing another pub in the Camden area, "would be seriously detrimental to the residential amenity and character of the area". He argues that "drink-fuelled ever-increasing noise, nuisance and anti-social behaviour, ranging from the benign to the very serious which goes hand in hand with the drinking culture has already started to change the character of the area for the worse. "The introduction of a super pub selling cheap alcohol does not bear thinking [about]." Mr Chambers points out that the area is densely-populated with young families and said "it is sincerely hoped that we do not go further down the Temple Bar route - an area that has been blighted by the over concentration of pubs and late-night drinking". Wetherspoons has also appealed a condition contained in the permission that excludes a courtyard area, stating that the plan provides for adequate protection of residential amenity, pointing out that the level of noise from the development would be negligible in the context of city living. JD Wetherspoon also said the bar is not intended as a late-night destination, with the latest opening hours to be 12.30am at weekends. It also said it is committed to upholding the objectives of its own code on responsible retailing. The firm states that the planned courtyard will be used for low-key dining and will not incorporate any amplified music and will therefore have minimal impact on residential amenity. Consultants for the pub giant have pointed out that the site is vacant and that the plan "will deliver a commercial development that will create vibrancy at street level and restore vitality to the surrounding area". The firm states a reduction in seating would reduce the viability of the bar and the hotel. A decision on the appeals is due next April. Meanwhile, a Dublin company whose directors include Ulster Bank's former head of capital markets, David MacNeice, has been refused a planning extension for a multi-million euro hotel in the capital after failing to submit relevant documentation on time. The company - Locket Connections - had planned to build an 18-bedroom, five-storey boutique hotel on Parnell Street. It secured planning permission in 2011, but did not proceed at the time. Locket Connections sought a time extension to the planning permission from Dublin City Council in October. The council had sought some additional information, but it was not received within the required four weeks and permission was therefore refused. Locket Connections, which is backed by Ulster Bank, is owned by Designer Electric, which is in turn owned by Michael and Grainne Stone. Mr Stone is a former ESB executive. Mr MacNeice has been the chief financial officer at the Designer Group, which is a leading mechanical and electrical engineering contracting firm, since 2015. The Central Bank hasn't tried to put any UK-based banks off coming here in the wake of the Brexit vote, and is receiving applications from a range of sectors, its deputy head has insisted. The Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, Cyril Roux, said yesterday that the regulator has not discouraged investment banking or trading in Dublin, contrary to recent reports. The statement contradicts reports that Irish authorities had discouraged UK firms from relocating here after Brexit because of regulatory concerns about how they would be policed. Yesterday, Mr Roux was adamant this was not the case. "I want to be clear ... we do not have such a position. We have not sought to dissuade any such entities from seeking authorisation nor are we planning to do so," he said. However, he said that the Bank will only allow businesses in Ireland that have a "substantive presence" in the country. Mr Roux said the Bank was not concerned about the arrival of major firms, but that smaller financial institutions may attempt to use Ireland as a convenient base within Europe, while the companies retain their real operations in the UK. "The flagship firms are not a problem. They don't expect to bring a big balance sheet here and have a handful of people. "There are some other firms of a different nature who believe you can just come here and nail a brass plate and rent a room and keep on doing everything from the UK. We have to tell them it's not going to happen. "The Irish financial sector is set to grow, and quite possibly to a significant extent. The Bank is committed to meeting the challenge," Mr Roux said, adding that Dame Street was ready to hire further staff next year to cope with an increased workload. Mr Roux said there had been "a material increase" in the number of UK-based firms inquiring about becoming licensed in Ireland. He added the applicants would be met with an "engaged, efficient, open, and rigorous" approach from the Central Bank. He said the new applications were across "the whole spectrum". "We are seeing applications for licensing for firms that are not based here, but we also see very significant indications from regulated firms that are small today but want to be big tomorrow," he said. Mr Roux spoke of the action the Bank has taken recently with regard to fines for financial firms who overcharged customers on tracker mortgages. Permanent TSB (PTSB) was fined 4.5m earlier this week for "serious failings in its obligations" to tracker customers relating to mortgages owned by Springboard, a sub-prime unit. PTSB will also be forced to pay 5.8m in redress to 222 customers affected by the overcharging. Mr Roux also stated that the Bank will be advising the Government against introducing legislation - proposed in the 2016 Finance Bill - that would cap variable mortgage rates being charged by lenders. "In a nutshell, we believe that the Bill would conflict and interfere with our monetary and prudential mandates, while having counterproductive effects for our borrowers," he said. The Central Bank has "a consumer protection mandate", he said, "but it is not a competition authority. That is an important distinction." The issue of rising insurance premiums was also raised, but Mr Roux said the Bank was powerless to intervene because of EU law. The airline also hopes to lower capacity on three of the seven routes it operates to Cuba. American Airlines to cut nearly 25pc of its flights to Cuba in 2017, attributing the move to travel demand rather than the election of Republican Donald Trump as U.S. president. Starting in mid-February, American, the world's largest airline, will offer one trip a day instead of two from Miami to Holguin, Santa Clara and Varadero, reducing its daily service to 10 round-trip flights from the current 13, spokesman Matt Miller said in a telephone interview. The airline also hopes to lower capacity on three of the seven routes it operates to Cuba. It plans to use a 128-seat aircraft between Miami and Holguin instead of a 160-seater, and hopes to contract out flights to Camaguey and Cienfuegos to a regional carrier that would use 76-seat aircraft, pending U.S. regulatory approval. The regional partner is Republic Airways Holdings Inc. "This was done purely to remain competitive in the market," Miller said. "We can't speculate on what the next administration may do." Airlines are generally expected to perform poorly when entering a previously restricted market, but American's decision to prune its Cuban itinerary two months after starting service may come as a surprise in light of the industry's enthusiasm to fly to the Communist-run island. "If American can't earn the profit that it requires from these routes, they're going to cut back on the flying. It's as simple as that," said Henry Harteveldt, founder of the travel consultancy Atmosphere Research Group. Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, threatened on Monday to end the recent rapprochement between the United States and its former Cold War foe unless Havana was willing to "make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban/American people and the U.S. as a whole.". The United States and Cuba began normalizing relations in December 2014 after 18 months of secret talks and have since restored full diplomatic ties. They reached a memorandum of understanding that allowed U.S. airlines to start scheduled flights to Cuba this year after a half-century hiatus. President Barack Obama's administration has eased travel restrictions for U.S. citizens, although general tourism remains illegal. Republican leaders in the U.S. Congress oppose ending the decades-long trade embargo against Cuba. The oil price rally sparked by an Opec-Russia deal to cut output is likely to be short-lived, say traders in Asia, because the agreement may only draw more supplies from storage tanks and more crude shipments from the United States. Even without increased supplies from elsewhere, if the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and Russia do reduce production by 1.5 million barrels a day (bpd) as pledged, the cuts would not be deep enough to shrink a glut that began to build in mid-2014, traders said. "The cut by Opec will be largely offset by increases in US production, where the rig count has already increased," said India Oil Corp's Director of Finance A K Sharma. "So surplus (oil) will stay in the market. If there is any impact, it will be short term." Higher oil prices and lower production costs are encouraging US shale operators to increase output, while Kazakhstan started production at the Kashagan field in October. Traders said the extent of the impact of the output deal will also depend on how it affects exports from Saudi Arabia and other Opec members. Cuts in export supply from producers could come from changes in operational tolerance, a contractual clause that allows either the buyer or seller to increase or reduce volumes by up to 10pc, trade sources said. Production cuts early in the year are also a normal response to a low-demand season in February and March when Asian refiners typically shut for maintenance, he said. Asian refiners are more concerned about the impact of higher oil prices on demand and profitability rather than the Opec supply cuts as most have other crude sources to turn to. (Reuters) Members of pop group Duran Duran have reacted with shock and anger after losing a High Court battle over US rights to some of their most famous songs. They expressed outrage after a judge ruled major publishers Gloucester Place Music, ultimately owned by US business Sony/ATV, were legally entitled to court orders preventing them serving notices to terminate copyright agreements related to their first three albums. The notices were served under US copyright laws which give songwriters "an inalienable right" to call for a reversion of copyright after 35 years. But Gloucester Place argued in court the group members had breached music publishing agreements by serving notices related to the three albums - Duran Duran, Rio and Seven And The Ragged Tiger - plus A View To A Kill, the Bond film title track. Mr Justice Arnold, sitting in London, agreed with the publishers and ruled English laws of contract barred the group members from seeking to reclaim rights over their own works. The judge said the language of the copyright agreements "would have conveyed to a reasonable person having the relevant background knowledge that the parties' intention was that the 'entire copyrights' in the compositions should vest, and remain vested, in the claimant (Gloucester Place) for the 'full term' of the copyrights." The ruling came as a blow to group members Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, Roger Taylor and John Taylor and former member Andrew Taylor. Founding member and keyboardist Rhodes said: "We signed a publishing agreement as unsuspecting teenagers, over three decades ago, when just starting out and when we knew no better. Expand Close Duran Duran / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Duran Duran "Today, we are told that language in that agreement allows our long-time publishers, SonyATV, to override our statutory rights under US law. "This gives wealthy publishing companies carte blanche to take advantage of the songwriters who built their fortune over many years, and strips songwriters of their right to rebalance this reward. "We are shocked that English contract law is being used to overturn artists' rights in another territory. If left untested, this judgment sets a very bad precedent for all songwriters of our era and so we are deciding how properly to proceed." Le Bon added: "What artist would ever want to sign to a company like SonyATV as this is how they treat songwriters with whom they have enjoyed tremendous success for many years? Video of the Day "We issued termination notices for our copyrights in the US believing it simply a formality. After all, it's the law in America. "SonyATV has earned a tremendous amount of money from us over the years. Working to find a way to do us out of our rights feels like the ugly and old-fashioned face of imperialist, corporate greed. I thought the acceptability of this type of treatment of artists was long gone - but it seems I was wrong. "SonyATV's conduct has left a bitter taste with us for sure, and I know that other artists in similar positions will be as outraged and saddened as we are. We are hopeful this judgment will not be allowed to stand." From the outset the Duran Duran legal action has been seen as an important test case which could affect many other UK songwriters who may want to end long-standing contracts which allow a music publishing company to exploit their work. The judge said the arguments on English contract law and how it affected the agreements was "finely balanced" but in the end "not without hesitation, I have come to the conclusion that the (Gloucester Place) interpretation of the agreements is the correct one". The judge ruled that, in seeking to take advantage of US laws on copyright termination, the group members had acted in breach of their agreements. The judge concluded that the language of the copyright agreements made by them with Gloucester Place " implicitly precludes the group members from exercising rights under US law which have the result that the claimant's ownership of the copyrights is brought to an end prior to their expiry". Duran Duran representatives said publishers in the UK can benefit from the global success of some of their songwriters from the very beginning of their careers until 70 years after their death. They said in a statement: "Nowadays, for good reason, songwriters very rarely accept such agreements that give huge corporations rights in perpetuity, but in the 1970s/80s this was not unusual. "In 1976, in America, lawmakers ruled to redress this balance in favour of those in the artistic community, allowing US rights to revert after 35 years. "That Duran Duran is entitled to get its early copyrights back in America after 35 years under US law is not contested. "Yet English contract law is now being used by SonyATV to overturn these US rights. "This flies in the face of a US Federal statute which prevents a contract being used to avoid returning rights to the creators, which is why Duran Duran is particularly surprised and disappointed by this judgment." During the November 14-15 hearing of legal argument, Ian Mill QC, appearing for Gloucester Place, told the court: "My clients entered into contracts and agreed to pay these artistes sums of money by way of royalties in return for which the artistes promised to give them rights to exploit, subject to the payment of those sums, for the full term of copyright." Mr Mill argued that, by seeking to exercise their reversion rights, the group members were breaching their contracts under English law because they had agreed "that they will not seek to obtain a reversion". Michael Bloch QC, appearing for the group, suggested there was no doubt that the publishers were eager "to keep on milking this particular cow in the US", and that was a measure of how profitable it had proven to be. The QC suggested the publishers' "shameful" case was "as feeble as it is greedy". He said if they were right "the English court may serve as an offshore haven for any of their ilk who wish to defeat the protective provisions of the US - the principal market for popular music in the English language - or any similar legislation elsewhere". Rescuers searching for a ferry passenger believed to have gone overboard in the Irish Sea have found a body. The UK Coastguard said a woman's body had been located in the Lawrenny area of Pembrokeshire. The alarm was raised just after 8.15am on Friday when the Isle of Inishmore ferry reported that a female passenger was missing. Two Irish Coastguard helicopters, Tenby, Llansteffan and St Govans Coastguard Rescue Teams, Angle inshore and all-weather lifeboats and a Port Authority vessel assisted in the operation alongside Dyfed Police and officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The vessel was travelling from Pembroke in Wales to Rosslare in Co Wexford, where it is currently berthed. A statement said: "Dyfed-Powys Police have confirmed that a body has been located in the Lawrenny area, Pembrokeshire, during the search for a missing female. "The body has not been formally identified at this time. "Dyfed-Powys Police officers are working closely with specialist recovery teams from HM Coastguard and the ambulance service to recover the female body. "Our thoughts are with the family at this sad time." Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Dec. 2 By Demir Azizov Trend: Chairman of the CIS Executive Committee and the CIS Executive Secretary Sergey Lebedev, who is leading a CIS monitoring mission in the Uzbek presidential election, has arrived in Uzbekistan, said the press service of the countrys Central Election Commission. As previously reported, more than 70 observers representing Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and the CIS Executive Committee had been accredited in the CIS monitoring mission. The mission began its monitoring Nov. 17. In an interim report covering Nov. 17- 28, the mission stated that the election campaign in Uzbekistan was being held in a calm atmosphere, in the spirit of open competition and at a high organizational level in accordance with international standards. Uzbekistan will hold an early presidential election December 4 due to the death of ex-president Islam Karimov, who passed away after suffering a stroke at the age of 79 on Sept. 2. Candidates from four political parties of Uzbekistan participate in the presidential election Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party (UzLiDeP), People's Democratic Party (PDPU), Milly Tiklanish (National Revival) Party, and Adolat (Justice) Social Democratic Party. Among the presidential candidates are the countrys Acting President Shavkat Mirziyoyev from UzLiDeP, Sarvar Otamuratov from Milly Tiklanish Party, Nariman Umarov from Adolat Party, and Hotamzhon Ketmonov from PDPU. CCTV image via RTE Prime Time. Inset - Innocent victim Trevor O'Neill who was shot in case of mistaken identity A SENIOR Spanish police officer has said the force is determined to dismantle and crush the Kinahan cartel. The international crime gang, lead by Daniel Kinahan, is being investigated by the Guardia Civil in Spain for crimes from murder to money-laundering. The Kinahan clan has been settled on the Costa Del Sol for a number of years, and they are one of the most relevant and dangerous criminal organisation operating in Europe, La Guardia Civil officer told RTE Primetime, on the condition of anonymity. They are mostly integrated and made up of Irish, British and Spanish citizens and they are involved in drug trafficking, arms trafficking and money laundering among other criminal activities, he said. Our commitment with the rest of the national and international partners is total to completely dismantle this international gang. We believe this is the right way to crush this menace. And La Guardia Civil is absolutely determined to do it. The show also revealed CCTV images showing the gunman who shot innocent dad of three Trevor ONeill as he holidayed in the Spanish resort of Costa de la Calma last August. The chilling images show a gunman approach the Dublin City Council worker before fleeing the scene less than 30 seconds later. The CCTV was captured from a store near the scene of the brutal murder. Mr ONeill was shot in a case of mistaken identity and the Kinahan cartel are believed to have been behind the botched hit. Speaking to LMFM from Cuba, Mr Adams said he did not know if the politicians were being treated as 'murder suspects'. Photo: Tom Burke Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald have said Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams must come clean on any information he has in relation to the murder of prison officer Brian Stack. Speaking last night, Mr Kenny said Mr Adams "seems to have known about this for a very long time", adding "this is another case of the full truth not being known". The pair are the latest senior political figures to ramp up the pressure on Sinn Fein. Ms Fitzgerald described the 1983 killing as an "utterly unjustifiable act of pointless violence". She said gardai were pursuing the killers of Brian Stack and would use any fresh information to advance their probe. The Tanaiste said revelations that Mr Adams had linked the names of three serving Sinn Fein politicians to the killing was a serious development. "Put simply, anybody with any such information should bring it directly and promptly to the gardai, and everybody who can do so should co-operate fully with gardai in seeking to bring to justice those who carried out this callous act," Ms Fitzgerald told the Irish Independent. "As Justice Minister it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the details of Garda investigations, but it is fair to say that serious issues have been raised in the public domain by Deputy Adams recently which require answers." Meanwhile, Enda Kenny said anyone who has committed an act of murder should be brought before the courts. "Justice should apply to everybody, somebody who has murdered a man in cold-blood should be brought before the court to be punished by the courts and dealt with by the laws of the land," he said. Silence "The person or persons who carried that out were not brought before the courts, [and] were not punished by the courts. Kangaroo courts are no substitute for the courts of the land," Mr Kenny said. Mr Adams broke his silence yesterday, three days after it was revealed that he sent the names to Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan in an email three days before the General Election. Read more: Senior republican who killed Brian Stack 'disciplined' by IRA - Adams Three of the men are serving Sinn Fein politicians, while the fourth is a ex-IRA boss. Speaking to LMFM from Cuba, Mr Adams said he did not know if the politicians were being treated as "murder suspects". He said he contacted the politicians he named in the email to inform them of his intentions. Mr Adams also said he was provided the names by the victim's son, Austin Stack, a claim that was once again contradicted by the Stack family last night. An actor who was fired after he was judged to have "fluffed his lines" on the Dublin Ghost Bus Tour has won his unfair dismissal case. In the case before the Labour Court, Declan Mills received two bad reviews of his performance on board the bus in April and May of last year. Mr Mills's work troubles arose in April 2015 after the commercial manager for Dublin Bus 'Ms B' took the tour and saw him performing. 'Ms B' was dissatisfied with certain aspects of the tour and subsequently conveyed her feelings to the founder of the tour, 'Mr O'D'. According to evidence given by Dublin Bus at the Labour Court hearing, following the actor's "unsatisfactory" performance, he was advised verbally and in writing of his shortcomings but failed to address these matters. The bus is billed as Dublin's 'tour of terror', with customers told that they will be transported into a world of ghostly happenings, comedy horror and terrifying histories. Visitors are promised 'a journey of hair-raising frights' and Mr O'D went on the Ghost Bus tour in May 2015 to evaluate for himself Mr Mills's performance. According to Dublin Bus, Mr Mills made it clear that he did not care to make the improvements required in his performance. However, Mr O'D later informed him that he would be asking Ms B to let him go. On June 2, Mr Mills received his dismissal letter telling him that "your services are no longer required on the Ghost Bus Tour". Dublin Bus told the hearing that there were substantial grounds justifying the decision to terminate Mr Mills's involvement in the tour. In his evidence at the Labour Court, Mr Mills contended that Dublin Bus had not followed a fair procedure in dismissing him, and in particular that he was fired without good cause or the facility to appeal against his dismissal. Ruling that he was unfairly dismissed, the Labour Court found that Dublin Bus followed no clear procedure when it terminated Mr Mills's employment. It also found that Mr Mills was not afforded adequate opportunity to address the issue which gave rise to the decision of Dublin Bus to dismiss him. Upholding the decision of the adjudication officer in the case, the Labour Court awarded Mr Mills 7,500. Businessman Denis OBrien leaves the Four Courts after giving evidence in his High Court action. Photo: Collins Courts Businessman Denis O'Brien has said he was sent threats that his throat would be slit and that he would be shot in the head. The media and telecoms tycoon told a court in a written submission of the chilling threats, which he received just weeks after a TD spoke about his banking arrangements with the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC) in the Dail. Expand Expand Previous Next Close Catherine Murphy. Photo: Tom Burke Pearse Doherty. Photo: Tom Burke / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Catherine Murphy. Photo: Tom Burke In papers filed with the High Court, Mr O'Brien said he received an email on May 31, 2015, referring to him and his family. He said it "expressed the desire that we would die in our sleep that night". The affidavit continued: "It also contained the chilling fantasy the sender had about slitting my throat." On the same day, Mr O'Brien said an individual who claimed to have been a member of the French Foreign Legion posted under a photograph of him on Facebook: "I'm pretty good with a sniper rifle and this c***'s got a big head." A different person then posted a picture of Mr O'Brien with former IBRC chairman Alan Dukes with the comment: "7.62, .50, 5.56 " Mr O'Brien said he had been advised this was a reference to military grade ammunition. "I regularly receive nasty hateful emails, but I have never been the subject of anything approaching the level of this," he said in the affidavit. "I was fearful for myself and for my family and reported these threats personally to An Garda Siochana." The submission was disclosed after Mr O'Brien finished giving evidence in his legal action alleging comments in the Dail by two TDs interfered with a court case he was involved in with RTE. Read more: Denis O'Brien legal challenge: Defence argues 'no jurisdiction in courts to intervene in process of freedom of speech on floor of house' Read more: 'Line crossed' when media tycoon O'Brien's banking details revealed Under questioning from his barrister, Michael Cush SC, Mr O'Brien confirmed he had received the death threats, but did not get into the detail of them. He was giving evidence in an action arising out of statements by Catherine Murphy and Pearse Doherty (both inset) in the Dail in May and June 2015 about his banking affairs. In May 2015, Mr O'Brien was involved in injunction proceedings against RTE, to stop the station from broadcasting banking information. But the court had heard Dail statements made by the two TDs had the effect of putting all of the information at issue in the injunction proceedings into the public domain. Mr O'Brien said the TDs behaved "recklessly and maliciously", but he had not sued them and it was unlikely he would do so. Instead his action is against the Clerk of the Dail, the State and the Dail Committee on Procedure and Privileges, which cleared the two TDs of any wrongdoing. The businessman said there was "nothing more confidential than banking details except maybe medical records". "In this situation, my solicitors sought an injunction, a court order and that was granted. In parallel, two miles away in the houses of the Oireachtas, information that was part of that order was being disclosed," Mr O'Brien said. "I thought that if you went to the High Court and got an order of the High Court, I thought that could not be unravelled by another arm of the State, in this case the Oireachtas." Under cross-examination by Michael M Collins SC, for the committee, he said he felt that having details of his banking arrangements discussed in the Dail was "wrong". "If a person's banking files were stolen, as they were in this case, and given to a member of the Oireachtas, the Oireachtas should have given them to the guards instead of reading them out in the Oireachtas," he said. "I am here today to see if there is a way for this to never happen again, for any citizen." Mr O'Brien said it would be "a pretty extraordinary situation if the private details of a citizen's banking arrangements were disclosed publicly". "Hopefully, if I am successful, this will never happen again," he said. Opening defence submissions later, Mr Collins SC, said: "The freedom of expression of Dail deputies is absolutely integral to the separation of powers." The case continues. Businessman, Denis O Brien pictured leaving the Four Courts on Thursday after giving evidence in a High Court action.Pic: Collins Courts Businessman Denis OBrien has no Constitutional right to achieve personal satisfaction by having members of the Dail sanctioned for statements he complained about, the High Court has been told. A defence lawyer said the investigation into comments by two TDs was entrusted exclusively to the Dails Committee for Procedure and Privileges (CPP), and Mr OBrien had no right to see this was done to his satisfaction. Michael Collins SC, for the CPP, made the argument on the fourth day of Mr OBriens court action against that committee, the Clerk of the Dail and the state, over statements made in the Dail about the businessman's banking affairs. This afternoon, Mr Collins said it was being argued by the plaintiff that the Dail statements were an infringement on the separation of powers and that they effectively determined the outcome of his interlocutory injunction. Michael Cush SC, for Mr OBrien, then interjected, saying: Once the information was put into the public domain, it determined the outcome of the entire action. I couldnt go to trial. Mr Collins said the TDs' statements could never be an infringement of the separation of powers. The exercise by the deputies of their Constitutionally protected freedom of speech could not be a breach of the separation of powers, he said. Mr Collins said that in the cut and thrust of political life things were done that changed the factual mix that might come before the court for a decision, but that did not in any way interfere with the judicial function or judicial independence. He then moved on to the role of the CPP and the plaintiffs argument that there was an entitlement for the court to review its decision. Referring to a Supreme Court judgement in another case, he said the court could not intervene with the operation of a Dail committee which was operating on its own standing orders. The committee had not been seeking to question or reprimand Mr OBrien, whose role had been simply to make a complaint, Mr Collins said. Whoever made a complaint, the process that was then triggered was an enquiry into members of the House alone. From then, it was exclusively a matter within the House and exclusively entrusted to the House to deal with under the Constitution. Who or what triggered it isnt the issue, he said. What Constitutional right of (Mr OBriens) was put in peril by the committee? No Constitutional right was put in peril because they were not dealing with him, Mr Collins said. Where is the Constitutional right that he has, to see that an internal Dail committee carrries out an investigation into two of its members to his satisfaction merely because hes the complainant? he asked. Judge Ni Raifeartaigh asked if citizens did not have some right to see fair procedures followed in the Oireachtas. There is no Constitutional right to achieve some personal satisfaction by somebody sanctioning somebody against whom you have a complaint," Mr Collins said. Earlier today, Mr Collins told the High Court the "walls" set up by the Constitution were there to "repel judicial invaders" from the Dail. Mr Collins said the court could decide in difficult cases where the boundaries lie but they were "crystal clear" in this case. Utterances of members of the Dail lay "very deep" in constitutional territory, he said. "The walls set up by Article 15 (13) (of the Constitution) are not fuzzy or imprecise," he said, adding that they were "there to repel judicial invaders." He told the court case law was "replete" with statements about the competence of the Dail in dealing with issues that may arise concerning debates within the house. Mr O'Brien alleges comments in the Dail by two TDs interfered with a court case he was involved in with RTE. The action arises out of statements by Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy and Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty in the Dail in May and June 2015 about his banking affairs. At the time, Mr OBrien was involved in injunction proceedings against RTE, to stop the station from broadcasting banking information. But the court had heard Dail statements made by the two TDs had the effect of putting all of the information at issue in the injunction proceedings into the public domain. Lawyers for Mr OBrien have claimed the TDs were guilty of an unwarranted interference in the RTE case, and had disregarded the constitutional separation of powers between parliament and the courts. Mr OBrien has not sued the two TDs. Instead his action is against the Clerk of the Dail, the State and a Dail committee which cleared the two TDs of any wrongdoing. He is not seeking damages, but wants a declaration his rights were breached. He also wants declarations that the courts had the exclusive right to determine the outcome of the proceedings with RTE, that the substantial effect of the TDs comments was to decide the outcome of that case, and that their interference was unwarranted. Mr OBrien also wants the court to declare that the Dail Committee on Procedures and Privileges made an error when it cleared the TDs of any wrongdoing. The claims are denied by the defendants. The case continues before Ms Justice Una Ni Raifeartaigh. Gardai arrived to a Cork home that was "covered in blood" after a 63-year-old man tried to murder his partner by repeatedly stabbing her, a court was told. Patrick O'Rourke apologised "sincerely and unconditionally" to his former partner Donna Foster for what he had done. The court heard that as a result of the "horrific" attack, Ms Foster's airways were exposed in her neck and she had injuries to her upper abdomen through which her small intestine was visible. Ms Foster told gardai that O'Rourke "never stopped stabbing her" and felt that she was going to die, the court heard. Ms Foster had suffered "quite horrific injuries" in the attack. O'Rourke, of Cooline Drive, Ballyvoloon, Cobh, Co Cork was charged with attempting to murder Ms Foster at Cooline Drive on August 11, 2015. Yesterday, O'Rourke wished her "health, happiness and success in her life" and said that their years together were the "happiest" of his life. "On the morning of August 11, 2015, my life and the life of many changed. "I stand here before you Donna Foster to sincerely and unconditionally apologise for that morning. I am really sorry for what I have done," he said to the court. On Monday at the Central Criminal Court, O'Rourke pleaded not guilty to the charge and a jury was sworn in to hear his trial. But yesterday, Brendan Grehan SC asked for his client to be re-arraigned and arraigned on another count. Apology Mr Grehan also asked the court for an opportunity for his client to read a letter of apology to the court. O'Rourke then pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Ms Foster in Cork last year. He also pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to a minor at the same address on the same date. Mr Justice McCarthy told the jury that as the accused had pleaded guilty, there was no need to hold a trial. O'Rourke was then remanded in custody ahead of his sentence hearing on November 25, when victim impact statements will be read to the court. The trial of a GP who is pleading not guilty to the manslaughter of her severely disabled daughter has heard that a note was found at the scene which read: "I cannot let Emily's suffering continue." Dr Bernadette Scully (58), of Emvale, Bachelor's Walk, Tullamore, Co Offaly, has denied the manslaughter of her daughter Emily Barut (11) by an act of gross negligence. The prosecution alleges she gave toxic amounts of the sedative chloral hydrate to her daughter on September 15, 2012. The trial at the Central Criminal Court heard the note, signed "Bernie" and dated 15/9, was contained in an envelope found in a brown handbag in the sun room of the house by Det Garda Colin Lawlor, a crime scene investigator. On the outside of the envelope was written: "If anyone thinks I'm awful for doing this you should've listened to poor little Emily crying the last eight days. I love her dearly." Inside was a piece of paper with writing on both sides. It read: "I'm sorry love. Andrius, I love you more than you will ever know. You are what's kept me and Em alive over the past five to six years." "I do not want to die," the note read. "I cannot let Emily's suffering continue. I can't watch it any longer. The pain is too big. The struggle each day is too hard. The loneliness and isolation too much." It continued: "I am of sound mind and I leave everything belonging to me and Em to Andrius, who needs a home." "This is to cancel a previous will I made at a stressful time," the note read, adding that the will was with "Johanna". Read more: 'I dont think she saw her life without Emily' - Partner of manslaughter accused gives evidence at trial It added: "Katrina, I love you and I'm sorry. Please keep close to dad and look after him for me." "Mammy, I'm sorry you have to face all this at this time in your life." The note asked that a wake not be held because: "I don't want people gawking at our bodies." It asked: "Can we be cremated and our ashes be mixed together and given to Andrius to scatter near the swans at Galway where we were happy. "Goodbye my love, thank you for all you did for me and Emily. All my love Bernie x Emily x" A recording of the 999 call made by Dr Scully's partner Andrius Kozlovskis was played. Mr Kozlovskis was not in court at the time. The call detailed his frantic distress on having discovered his partner and her child and had urged for two ambulances to be dispatched to the scene. "I think it's very bad," Mr Kozlovskis said, begging the emergency services to "hurry, hurry". He said there was a lady who "had taken sleeping tablets" and a girl who he thought was not breathing. He then said: "I think Emily is dead" and that Bernie was "still asleep". Mr Kozlovskis was urged by the dispatch operator to go to Emily and to "lay her flat on her back". Mr Kozlovskis's distress was evident as he explained how "something came out". He told how Emily was in the bed and he was instructed to put her on the ground, before being urged to "go outside and get the ambulance". The call then ended with the sound of the paramedics arriving. Dr Scully wept in court throughout the playing of the recording. Another recording was played of a telephone call at 2pm on the day of the incident to the Poisons Information Centre of Beaumont Hospital made by someone identifying herself as "Dr Scully of Tullamore". The caller queried the lethal dosage of a particular drug and claimed she had a patient who had taken a large quantity of pills, adding: "It's not sounding great now, is it?" Earlier, Elaine Donohoe of the Poisons Information Centre told the court how she had taken the call, recalling how she had had to ask questions but they were answered "without hesitation". Dr John Michael Morris, a pharmacist and retired director of Irish Medicines Board, gave evidence relating to chloral hydrate, which he agreed would be metabolised more slowly by a smaller, inactive person. The trial continues. If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article contact the Samaritans at 1850609090. A 63-year-old man who tried to murder his partner by repeatedly stabbing her after she told him she no longer wanted to be with him and planned to leave, has been jailed for nine years. Patrick ORourke of Cooline Drive, Ballyvoloon, Cobh, Co Cork pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Donna Foster at Cooline Drive on August 11, 2015. He also pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to a minor at the same address on the same date. On Friday at the Central Criminal Court, Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy imposed a nine year sentence on O'Rourke and backdated it to when he went in to custody. He also sentenced O'Rourke to three and a half years for the charge of assault causing harm on the minor, to run concurrently. Expand Close Patrick ORourke / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Patrick ORourke Before handing down sentence today Mr Justice McCarthy said it was clear that this was "an extremely serious attack" by O'Rourke on his former partner. "They were still living together and had been together for 15 years," he said. The judge said there was no evidence of violence during their relationship but arguments arose as their relationship came to an end. "Ms Foster was entitled to bring that relationship to an end and any possible adverse reaction by her partner must be regarded as beyond comprehension," he said. Expand Close Victim Donna Foster pictured outside Dublin Central Criminal Court following the sentence of Patrick O'Rourke of Cooline Drive, Ballyvoloon, Cobh, Co Cork. Pic: Collins Courts / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Victim Donna Foster pictured outside Dublin Central Criminal Court following the sentence of Patrick O'Rourke of Cooline Drive, Ballyvoloon, Cobh, Co Cork. Pic: Collins Courts Mr Justice McCarthy said Ms Foster suffered a number of serious wounds when the accused stabbed her with a boning knife and she was "obviously extremely fearful and distressed." The judge referred to Dr Emmet Andrew's medical report where he outlined that Ms Foster had received "two particularly serious lacerations" and it was miraculous that she was not injured more severely. "The evidence is that Ms Foster has found it very difficult to return to work and she was self-employed. Undoubtedly apart from the financial difficulties which this has caused it has no doubt had an impact on her sense of well being," said the judge. The judge also referred to the minor who was in the house at the time and witnessed "the horrific event" which caused "grave distress" on her part. "It seems there was a laceration across the palm of her right hand when she was intervening to protect Ms Foster and also a superficial abrasion to her left palm. This is a significant injury which has left her with significant challenges and limited movement," he said. Referring to Ms Foster's victim impact statement, Mr Justice McCarthy said the ordeal has been emotionally draining and psychologically traumatic on her. "She truly and honestly believed she was going to die. She states she is grateful for having survived and now has a different perspective on life" he said. The court heard that it was accepted in evidence that the accused was described by gardai as "very cooperative" and he had difficulty coming to terms with what he had done but claimed responsibility for the attack. The judge said that while the evidence against O'Rourke is "very strong", he has been described as contributing positively to prison and is a well-behaved prisoner. "On the evidence he seems to be a person who was a valuable member of the community," he said. Mr Justice McCarthy said it was still a mitigating factor that O'Rourke pleaded guilty at the very end of the legal process. The appropriate starting point for this crime was "in or around 12 years" but sentencing was a subjective process, the court heard. "He is nearing 65 years of age which is a significant sentencing factor," he said. The judge said he had taken into account O'Rourke's previous good character, his age as well as behaving well in prison. "The principal mitigating factors are the guilty plea, his cooperation and his remorse. The remorse is in good faith and he read out an apology from the witness box," he said. Mr Justice McCarthy then sentenced ORourke to nine years in prison and backdated it from when he first went into custody on August 11, 2015. He also sentenced O'Rourke to three and a half years for the charge of assault causing harm on the minor, to run concurrently. Speaking outside the Central Criminal Court today, Ms Foster said she was pleased with the sentence and was happy it was over with. She also agreed she got justice. "I'm just happy it is all over and now myself and the girls can just draw a line under it and move on with our lives. I'm feeling OK. I had a make-up artistry business and that's gone as I now can't do the work I was doing with the injuries I have." Her father, Harry Foster, said: "At least he is paying for what he did and we actually decided what the judge said we would be pleased with it and that's it.[SIC] As a result of the "horrific" attack, Ms Fosters airways were exposed in her neck and she had injuries to her upper abdomen through which her small intestine was visible. Giving her victim impact statement, Ms Foster said she was left with physical, emotional and psychological scars by the "continuous, vicious and frenzied attack" by her former partner after she told him she planned to leave. Delivering her statement, Ms Foster said she needed time to heal from the "atrocity" inflicted on her by O'Rourke. She added: "I sustained serious stab wounds from a continuous, vicious and frenzied attack which left me fighting for my life, as I truly and honestly believe I was about to die." She said that if it were not for the intervention of the minor who was also injured in the assault, she would not be here today. "For me, I now have a different perspective on life. I realise that life is precious and fragile," she said. She said she finds it hard to believe that a man she trusted "would subject me to the most horrific attack in an attempt to kill me." Taking the stand last month O'Rourke wished his former partner "health, happiness and success in her life" and said that their years together were the "happiest" of his life. Detective Garda Bill Dillane of Cobh Garda Station previously told the court that the relationship between Mr O'Rourke and Ms Foster had broken down prior to the attack but there had been no previous violence. Speaking to Brendan Grehan SC, representing O'Rourke, Det Gda Dillane said Ms Foster and Mr O'Rourke had been together about 15 years. Two weeks before the attack Ms Foster said she no longer wanted to be with him and planned to leave. Det Gda Dillane agreed that O'Rourke had given a statement to gardai in which he described confronting Ms Foster about her plans to leave on the morning of the attack before fetching the knife he used to stab her repeatedly. Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Dec. 2 By Demir Azizov Trend: Ali Abolhassani Shahreza, director of Political Affairs Department at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), who is leading the OIC mission to monitor the Uzbek presidential election, has arrived in Tashkent, said the press service of the countrys Central Election Commission Dec. 2. More than 80,000 local observers and nearly 600 international ones will be monitoring the election in Uzbekistan. The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the CIS missions have started their work. Uzbekistan will hold an early presidential election December 4 due to the death of ex-president Islam Karimov, who passed away after suffering a stroke at the age of 79 on Sept. 2. Candidates from four political parties of Uzbekistan participate in the presidential election - Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party (UzLiDeP), People's Democratic Party (PDPU), Milly Tiklanish (National Revival) Party, and Adolat (Justice) Social Democratic Party. Among the presidential candidates are the countrys Acting President Shavkat Mirziyoyev from UzLiDeP, Sarvar Otamuratov from Milly Tiklanish Party, Nariman Umarov from Adolat Party, and Hotamzhon Ketmonov from PDPU. The OIC was established in September 1969 to ensure Islamic solidarity in social, economic and political spheres. The organization has 57 member states. Uzbekistan became an OIC member in 1996. Pat Hickeys bail payment has arrived in the country according to his legal team in Brazil. The bond money required for the release of his passport has been received in Brazil in recent days. There was some initial confusion about whether the payment had been made, after it a senior counsel, Arthur Lavigne, for the former president of the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI), said he had no knowledge of any payment. However later on Friday, lawyer Simone Kamenetz confirmed that the money arrived into the country in the past couple of days. His lawyers are waiting for the money to pass through banking compliance systems, so that it may subsequently be lodged to the courts according to RTE. The Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), of which Mr Hickey was vice-president, would pay the 410,000 required by the Brazilian courts. The money will allow Mr Hickey to retrieve his confiscated passport, liberating him to leave Brazil. ANOC said it had agreed to temporarily loan the money to Mr Hickey, who was arrested in Rio in August on ticket touting allegations, to allow him to return home for medical reasons. Mr Hickeys legal team hope he will be liberated to leave Brazil as soon as possible, but that he needs to pay the bail. It is likely that on receipt of a payment to the courts, the return of Mr Hickeys passport would take about a week, depending on how quickly a judge could formally order its return. The bail conditions laid down by the courts in Rio de Janeiro state that the passport may be returned to Mr Hickey to enable him to travel home to receive medical attention, but that he must fully comply with the ongoing legal process in Brazil and return when requested. The bail would be returned to Mr Hickey on completion of the legal process, if the accused were acquitted. The money would also be returned in full if the case is shelved before reaching court, as has been requested by the legal team, but such a request has been denied by the Special Court for Supporters and Large Events. If condemned, the money would be used to meet legal costs, fines, or compensation arising from the case. When granting bail conditions for the return of Mr Hickeys passport, Judge Juliana Leal de Melo acknowledged the possibility that, once bailed, Mr Hickey might not return to Brazil. However, she said this needed to be weighed up against Mr Hickeys right to receive medical treatment, and the fact that Mr Hickey does not have any ties to Brazil, where he has spent the last three months. Two men have been remanded in custody after they were charged with stealing 95,000 during a post office tiger raid in Dublin. A post-mistress along with her daughter and another woman were held at her home in Malahide in the early hours of Sept. 25, 2014 before the money was taken from her workplace. Paschal Kelly, 51, from Cormeen, Castlerahan, Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan and Patrick Carroll, with an address at Forest Way, Swords, Dublin did not apply for bail after they were charged on Friday morning. They are accused of false imprisonment of the post-mistress, her daughter and another young woman, burglary, and theft of a car at Seabury Drive, Malahide, Dublin on Sept. 25, 2014. They are also charged with robbery at Bayside Post Office and threatening to kill on the same date, and were brought before Dublin District Court. Det Garda Brian Pentony, of Malahide station, told Judge David Waters that Mr Kelly was charged at 10.28am on Friday after which he made "no comment". Dressed in a grey jacket and shirt and jeans, Mr Kelly remained silent during the hearing. Det Garda Pentony told the court that there would be an objection to bail. No application for bail was made and he was remanded in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court next Friday. The co-defendant, Patrick Carroll, made no reply after he was charged, Det Gda Domhnall O'Connell told the court. Mr Carroll, wearing a blue jacket, jeans and runners, asked to speak to his solicitor in court. When the case resumed the judge was told Mr Carroll would be applying for bail at a later stage. He was granted legal aid and was also remanded in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on Dec. 9. The judge heard the DPP has directed that the pair must face "trial on indictment". This means a book of evidence has to be prepared before they can be returned for trial before a circuit court judge and jury. An investigation is underway after a girl alleged she was assaulted on a dance floor at a teenage disco. The 17-year-old was attending a disco for third year and transition year students at Limerick Racecourse last Friday night, November 25 when the incident is alleged to have taken place. Independent.ie understands that the young woman has claimed she was sexually assaulted on the dance floor at approximately 10.50pm during the event attended by up to 1,500 youths. Gardai in Patrickswell attended the scene and the area was preserved for a technical examination. The teenage girl was scheduled to attend University Hospital Limerick last Saturday. No arrests have been made and gardai are examining CCTV from the premises. The event was organised by Sinbin teen events and according to the Limerick Leader it had been billed as 'Munster's biggest disco for third year and transition year students' which includes 'three floors and six massive parties'. A garda spokesman said: "Officers at Patrickswell are investigating a complaint of an alleged sexual assault at Limerick Racecourse on November 25." A spokesman for Sinbin teen events said they had no comment on the matter which they explained was under garda investigation. A well-known criminal was shot dead in West Dublin on Friday night. Dublin Fire Brigade and gardai attended the scene in Griffeen, Glen Park, Lucan at 8pm. A source said the 41-year-old man, named locally as Mark 'The Guinea Pig' Desmond, was shot a number of times in the head during the gangland style gun attack. A Mazda 6 car was found on fire a short distance away on Hayden's Lane. A video of the car on fire emerged tonight. Desmond was a 'well-known criminal from West Dublin' and gardai are investigating if he was chased before being shot. He was previously questioned over a grisly double murder and was a suspect in two further killings. The Ballyfermot native had been based in Co Sligo recently and was acting as a 'heavy' for a local drugs gang. The drug dealer was in regular disputes with rival gangs and IRA factions. This will all form part of the garda investigation. Expand Close Gardai in Lucan are investigating the discovery of the man's body at Griffeen Valley Park, Lucan. Picture: Arthur Carron / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Gardai in Lucan are investigating the discovery of the man's body at Griffeen Valley Park, Lucan. Picture: Arthur Carron Read More A source said: "This man had a long list of enemies. There is no obvious suspect at this stage." All entrances to Griffeen Park remained sealed off on Friday night as detectives carried out door to door inquiries. Crews from Tallaght are IA at a reported shooting in the Lucan area Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) December 2, 2016 Garda forensic officers also attended the scene shortly after 9.30pm to carry out a preliminary technical examination of the scene. Locals in the Lucan estate expressed shock at the shooting in what they described as a very quiet area. Eryk W, who asked that we do not use his full name, explained that he was at home sitting in his living room at the time watching television. "At first time I heard bangs but it sounds like someone knocking the door quite loud. "Then second time same sound but more like an explosion. I looked out the window and saw a lot of dark smoke. "I went out from the house and then I saw something is burning followed by another little explosion. I started running to the bushes and saw a car with open driver door burning. And then I started recording the car on fire." One man, who lives beside the park where Desmond was shot dead said: "I heard the helicopter overhead but didn't think too much of it, until around half an hour later when more Garda cars started arriving on the road." Another local man said: "People always think this couldn't happen in there area, that their exclusive. They're not, it can happen anywhere. I walk in that park all the time, even at night with my kids. Unfortunately it'll always be known as the park where the man was killed". A garda spokesperson said in a statement: "Gardai in Lucan are investigating the discovery of the body a male at Griffeen Valley Park, Lucan this evening after 8pm with gunshot injuries. "The scene is currently preserved for a technical examination and gardai are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed anything in around the Grifeen Valley Park area this evening to contact Lucan Garda Station on 01- 6667300, The Garda Confidential Telephone line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station." Dublin Fire Brigade tweeted: "Crews from Tallaght are at a reported shooting in the Lucan area." Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald has condemned the "brutal attack" which she said is another reminder of the "callous disregard for human life displayed by people intent on murder and mayhem" "An Garda Siochana will continue to take every possible measure to counteract activity of this kind and will have the continued support of the Government and the community in doing so," Ms Fitzgerald said. "Every effort will be made to bring the perpetrators of this dreadful shooting to justice and we will face down those who mistakingly think they can get away with these evil acts." Fine Gael councillor William Lavelle said: "I am a local councillor who lives nearby and I can tell you that people are absolutely shocked. We are aware that 2016 has had a large amount of shootings in the Dublin area, but there is still surprise when it turns up on their doorstep." Galway hurling legend Joe Canning has just returned from the Turkish border with Syria where he witnessed first-hand the plight of frightened children who have fled Aleppo. Unicef ambassador Joe met many children who have been scarred by the war and are receiving psychological help to cope. Around 25 people a day are being killed in Aleppo where families dodge snipers, helicopters dropping barrel bombs, and Russian fighter bombers to escape the city. Expand Close Unicef Ireland ambassador Joe Canning plays football with Syrian children in Gaziantep, Turkey. Photo: Mark Condren / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Unicef Ireland ambassador Joe Canning plays football with Syrian children in Gaziantep, Turkey. Photo: Mark Condren Once the families finally cross the border into Turkey, Unicef Ireland is trying to bring some stability to them by providing schools and counselling. "Psychologically, they are really scarred from where they came from but they can see a future, they can see a light at the end of the tunnel," said Joe. "I think it was very poignant when one mother said she wants her children to have the dreams she didn't have - she wants them to go to university and complete their education. I think if we can help in some way towards that I think that's all the better." The fighting in Aleppo has been the bloodiest and most horrific of the long civil war between on one side the Assad-led army and the other Isil and a coalition of rebels. Assad this week tightened the noose around Aleppo with decisive breakthroughs helped by constant bombardments led by Russian airstrikes. Around three million Syrians have fled to Turkey - many end up in refugee camps run by Turkish authorities, living in tents and containers. The remainder live in poverty in cities on the border. With little income to survive on, in many cases their children are forced to work in textile factories once they reach the age of 11. It's estimated there are 850,000 child labourers in Turkey - and as the Syrians arrive, what they earn plummets. Joe described how Unicef is funding teachers to give the children the education to escape the poverty trap. Despite the horrors at home, many of the refugees still harbour the hope of returning. "When you really think about it, your home is your home," said Joe Canning. "But when there is a war at home, I don't know if I'd want to go home myself. All the families we met felt strongly about that, they wanted to go back to Aleppo when, hopefully, the war ends." Read more on our exclusive dispatch from the Syrian border tomorrow on independent.ie Advocacy groups are casting doubt over claims a new kind of cigarette called Iqos is less harmful than traditional tobacco products. Stock photo: PA News Advocacy groups are casting doubt over claims a new kind of cigarette called Iqos is less harmful than traditional tobacco products. Big tobacco company Philip Morris has reportedly invested US$3bn (2.8bn) on developing the technology. It works like a vaporiser, by heating tobacco without burning it. The company claims the vapour still contains nicotine, but has 10pc less harmful ingredients. But the Asthma Society of Ireland has pointed to claims made in the past by the tobacco industry, to raise concerns over these claims. "Tobacco companies lied for years about the link between smoking and cancer. "Now Marlboro manufacturer Philip Morris is making fresh health claims. We would be crazy to believe them without independent proof," CEO of the organisation Averil Power said. "Tobacco companies will do and say anything to sell their products," she added. Donal Buggy, head of services and advocacy at the Irish Cancer Society, backed the scepticism. "There is no such thing as a safe cigarette. The only safe level of consumption of cigarettes is none whatsoever," he said. Mr Harris has indicated that he is writing to his counterparts in other countries to try to form a collective bid to make the medicine more available The company which makes the cystic fibrosis drug Orkambi has called for a meeting with Health Minister Simon Harris and said it was surprised an agreement to make it available to patients has not been reached by now. Vertex also claimed the quoted 392m price tag for prescribing the drug for Irish cystic fibrosis sufferers was "incorrect" and did not reflect recent discussions with the HSE. Around 500 people with cystic fibrosis in Ireland are desperate to try Orkambi but a cost benefit analysis has so far deemed it too expensive. Read more: 'I don't know if I'd be here today without your help' - Doctor moved to tears by letter from cystic fibrosis patient Elle (10) Vertex vice-president and regional general manager in northern Europe Simon Lem said in a letter to Cystic Fibrosis Ireland chief executive Philip Watt that the pharmaceutical company had "continually engaged in good faith with the HSE since Orkambi was licensed over one year ago". Vertex had hoped that an agreement was within reach and was surprised by the latest developments. Mr Lem added: "Vertex met with HSE representatives six times in five months, presenting a range of specific workable proposals that could expedite access for all eligible patients. "At no time during the process did we receive a counter-offer or guidance from the HSE on decision making criteria. Proposals from Vertex included, for example, guarantees of budget certainty for the HSE, novel access schemes and ways to reduce the timelines on future reimbursement decisions. "Vertex therefore refutes allegations by the HSE of failing to meaningfully engage and the publically quoted budget impact figure of 392m is incorrect, unrealistic and does not reflect discussions to date with the HSE." Mr Lem said Vertex was ready to meet Mr Harris at short notice in order to resolve this vitally important issue for the cystic fibrosis community of Ireland. Mr Harris has indicated that he is writing to his counterparts in other countries to try to form a collective bid to make the medicine more available. A major search operation is underway in the Irish Sea for a woman who disappeared from a ferry. It is understood the woman went overboard. The ferry departed Pembroke, Wales on Thursday evening and the passenger was reported missing on Friday morning. UK authorities are coordinating the operation, while the Irish Coastguard have sent two helicopters to assist in the search. More to follow The prospect of the Naval Service being used to ferry people stranded on the Inis Mor to the mainland is being explored by the Government. Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald told the Dail the problem was primarily a dispute between the company and Galway County Council, which centred on council by-laws. But she said Gaeltacht Minister Sean Kyne was "deeply concerned about the impact of the stoppage of the ferry service". She said: "The Minister of State is making himself available at all times and is involved in a detailed way to ensure the best possible outcome and is taking every action he can to find a resolution." Ms Fitzgerald added that discussions in relation to the Naval Service have taken place with Paul Kehoe, the Minister of State with responsibility for Defence. But they were hoping a resolution could be found with the commercial operator. In response, Fianna Fail's Eamon O Cuiv said: "Hoping is not doing. The genesis of the problem is that the county council and the Department took a view that the islanders should pay 80 cent to land on the pier on their own island. "That is equivalent to asking someone entitled to free travel to pay 80 cent to use the platform in Pearse Station." A large number of island residents protested yesterday morning over the suspension of the winter passenger ferry service between Inis Mor and Connemara. The cut will affect about 900 people living on the three islands at the mouth of Galway Bay. Island resident Michael Gill said the issue needed to be resolved sooner rather than later. He said: "We are calling on the Government to solve this problem. There has to be an all island policy. People living on the mainland wouldn't be taxed for new roadways, so why are we being taxed for a new harbour? "The ferry company is the main way of getting from Inis Mor to the mainland, and it really affects people doing their Christmas shopping and especially going to appointments. "Aer Arann has agreed to put on more flights, but they are looking for people to book in advance and early. "We are aware of ongoing negotiations with Galway County Council and we are hoping for that there will be word back on that very soon." Fellow islander Dara Molloy said the loss of the ferry service would have a big impact on the lives of the people who lived there. "The ferry service is like our main road to the city centre," he said. On Wednesday, about 50 passengers made the trip as the ferry sailed from Rossaveal in Connemara to Inis Mor, including about 20 tourists. Jason O'Sullivan, a spokesperson for Island Ferries Teoranta, told RTE's Morning Ireland the costs on which the levy was based have not been independently audited or assessed. He also said the company felt it was a "discriminatory tax" and that the route was not profitable during the winter months. Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Dec. 2 By Demir Azizov Trend: The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Uzbekistan is completing preparations for holding the presidential election scheduled for Dec. 4, CEC Chairman Mirza-Ulugbek Abdusalomov said Dec. 2 at a briefing in the country. The program of events on the preparation and holding of the election made it possible to organize the entire election process at a high level, provide conditions for full implementation of the electoral rights of the Uzbek citizens, said Abdusalomov. The Uzbek presidential election campaign started Sept. 9, 2016. In accordance with the countrys legislation, as many as 14 electoral districts were established, the district and precinct election commissions were formed, and 9,381 polling stations were created, including 44 polling stations under offices of Uzbekistan in 36 countries. Precinct election commissions compiled the full lists of voters, which included 21.4 million citizens. The polling stations in Uzbekistan are provided with everything necessary, with the means of communication, computers and office equipment, legal literature. Cabins for secret voting have been equipped in the designated areas, ballot boxes installed. To date, all the voters have been notified by the precinct election commissions of Uzbekistan about the time and the place of voting. Voters were given every opportunity to familiarize themselves with the election programs, biographies of the Uzbek presidential candidates through the mass media outlets or directly at the pre-election meetings of the candidates with the voters. In accordance with the Uzbek legislation, 87,500 voters, who are unable to be present at their place of residence on the election day, used their right of early voting, which began November 24 and ended at 18:00 (GMT + 5 hours) Dec. 2. More than 80,000 local observers from public organizations, political parties, as well as 600 international ones from the OSCE ODIHR, CIS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Association of World Election Bodies, as well as from a number of countries, will be monitoring the presidential election in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan will hold an early presidential election December 4 due to the death of ex-president Islam Karimov, who passed away after suffering a stroke at the age of 79 on Sept. 2. Candidates from four political parties of Uzbekistan participate in the presidential election - Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party (UzLiDeP), People's Democratic Party (PDPU), Milly Tiklanish (National Revival) Party, and Adolat (Justice) Social Democratic Party. Among the presidential candidates are the countrys Acting President Shavkat Mirziyoyev from UzLiDeP, Sarvar Otamuratov from Milly Tiklanish Party, Nariman Umarov from Adolat Party, and Hotamzhon Ketmonov from PDPU. A sign for Kings Hospital School where an alleged sexual assault took place. Picture credit; Damien Eagers 2/12/2016 A sign for Kings Hospital School where an alleged sexual assault took place. Picture credit; Damien Eagers 2/12/2016 A security guard speaks to a driver at the entrance to Kings Hospital School where an alleged sexual assault took place. Picture credit; Damien Eagers 2/12/2016 A sign for Kings Hospital School where an alleged sexual assault took place. Picture credit; Damien Eagers 2/12/2016 A top private school confirmed today that gardai and Tusla are investigating an incident which is alleged to have happened on its campus last Thursday. The statement was issued by Kings Hospital school in Dublin after it was alleged a 13 year old boy was sexually assaulted by up to eight other boys. Gardai are understood to be angry that the school failed to report the alleged incident to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency for four days. The guidelines state this should happen without delay. In a statement today the school did not refer to any delay in making a report to Tusla. However, it confirmed that An Garda Siochana and TUSLA are currently investigating an alleged incident. It said: "We cannot make any statement which might prejudice those investigations. However, it is imperative that certain inaccuracies reported in the media which have caused understandable anxiety to parents of our pupils and to the wider public are corrected. The safety, health and welfare of the student concerned, and all students have from the very outset been and will continue to be the priority for every member of staff at The King's Hospital. It said the management and staff have actioned the correct procedures and requirements, including liaising with the appropriate agencies. We also ensured that the parents of the alleged victim and of the students allegedly involved were briefed as soon as possible. At no stage did the management and staff fail to act on legal advice," the statement added. Neither did the school seek advice from the State agencies by using hypothetical scenarios. It said the school will make not make any further comment until the investigations are complete. It is understood that eight pupils have been suspended in the wake of the incident at the school where seven-day boarding fees can be as high as 16,000. Meanwhile Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said he'd be very upset if it turns out that allegations of a sexual assault at a Dublin school went unreported for several days. Education minister Richard Bruton has already said he is disturbed by the allegstions. Speaking in New York, Mr Kenny said: I'd be very upset if that allegation [of a delay in reporting the alleged incident] is true. Mr Kenny added: Clearly minister Bruton has expressed a serious concern about this. I know that the authorities have now been informed Tusla and the Gardai." He said that Mr Bruton is also "exceptionally distressed" at the allegations about what happened to the pupil involved. "I do hope that the allegations that have been made are dealt with quickly and effectively by the authorities," Mr Kenny said. "It wouldn't be for me to comment on the nature of the allegations until the authorities have carried out a full investigation of this," he added. The Taoiseach said: "Ireland has very strong child security systems and that "children are central to government" with support for them "enshrined in the constitution". Dr Ken Fennelly, who is the Secretary to the Board of Education at the Church of Ireland told RTE Drivetime on Friday night that the first heard of the alleged assault of the 13 year old boy earlier this week from a journalist who contacted him about it. "Though I should put that into context; the school wouldn't be under any obligation to tell us - to tell me here. "We in the Church of Ireland Board of Education, we're responsible as an advisory body for primary schools, not for secondary, and their obligation would be to the statutory authorities, not to us. In fact, it would have been a breach of procedure if they had told us anyway," he said. "We had a role to make sure that nobody was in danger and that the statutory authorities had been notified." Crowds have flocked to a house in Co Limerick after an 'apparition of the Virgin Mary' appeared on an external wall. These photos, taken by Aisling O'Reilly, show an outline of what locals in Kilmallock claim is the Blessed Virgin. They were posted to Facebook late on Thursday night and have already generated a huge interest online. Ms O'Reilly said she was convinced it is a legitimate appearance, writing: "Our lady appeared tonight on my grandfather's sister's house in Kiilmallock." The Limerick Leader is reporting that within hours of the peculiar appearance up to 50 people had gathered outside the house. A local priest also reportedly attended and the rosary was said. This is the second 'sighting' of the Virgin Mary in Co Limerick in recent years. In 2009 believers from across the country flocked to the St. Mary's Parish Church in Rathkeale after an image of the Blessed Virgin appeared in a wooden stump. A man has been airlifted to hospital after a serious accident on a Co Cork farm this evening. The man apparently suffered injuries to his chest and head in an accident while working on a farm outside Mallow. The accident is understood to have occurred shortly after 3pm on a property at Mourneabbey, some 10km from the north Cork town. He was treated at the scene by paramedics before being airlifted by the Irish Coastguard helicopter to Cork University Hospital (CUH). The man is in a serious condition. As is routine in such incidents, a full Health and Safety Authority (HSA) investigation will take place. It is the second serious farm accident in Cork this week. Last Tuesday, Tom Hales (83) died while inspecting his land in Ballineen in west Cork when the quad he was riding overturned on top of him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Cork Co Council launched a farm safety awareness campaign three days ago amid concern over the scale of injuries and fatalities on Irish farms. A total of 18 people have died in accidents on Irish farms this year. Three have died over the past month. Gardai are carrying out planned searches of a lake as part of an investigation into a woman who has been missing for over 31 years. Members of the garda water unit began the searches near the home of missing mother-of-seven Barbara Walsh on Thursday morning. Ms Walsh was married with a young family when she went missing from her home in Rusheenamanagh, Carna, Co Galway in 1985. The disappearance of the 33-year-old was reported on June 22 that year at around 4am, the early hours of the morning. A full review of this case was launched in January 2015 as part of an ongoing review of all missing persons in the Galway Garda Division. The new investigation involved the appointment of a senior investigating officer and the establishment of an incident room. Some 112 lines of enquiry have been generated and close to 60 people have been interviewed in the course of this review. The Garda Technical Bureau have been assisting gardai with searches of the lands. Gardai are continuing to appeal for anyone who may have any information into the disappearance of Barbara, to contact them at Clifden Garda station on 095 22500, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station. Education Minister Richard Bruton has said he is very "disturbed" by allegations of sexual assault at a top fee-paying school that allegedly went un-reported for almost a week. "The allegations are very disturbing but there are now authorities investigating this," he said of investigations by gardai and the child and family agency Tusla into allegations that a 13-year old boy was sexually assaulted in a dorm room at the exclusive King's Hospital secondary school. The incident involving up to eight boys is alleged to have taken place last Thursday, but it's alleged that officials from the Church of Ireland-run school didn't report the incident to authorities until Tuesday. "I think we need to give time for those investigations to take place. Clearly this is a matter that would worry any parent. But I think have to step back to allow those who have the authority to investigate and get the time and space to do that and then we can draw conclusions afterwards." Expand Close Kings Hospital school in Palmerstown, Dublin / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Kings Hospital school in Palmerstown, Dublin Asked by Independent.ie whether school authorities should face criminal prosecution it they do not follow proper abuse disclosure guidelines, he said: "We have to wait and see what the investigation by both Tusla and the gardai reveal. If there is need to review any elements of our codes we will always review them in light of. the findings of an inquiry such as this." He added the Government can't prejudge what occurred but if there was a delay why did that delay occur?" He said if there are "any weaknesses in the processes we will have to review them." The Army Bomb Disposal Team were called to a housing estate this morning after a suspect device was discovered. The suspicious item was found at an estate in Rush, Co Dublin. Following a request from gardai the Defence Forces deployed the Army Bomb Disposal Team. In a statement the Defence Forces confirmed that a cordon was established in the surrounding area and a number of houses were evacuated to ensure the safety of the residents. The specialist bomb disposal experts arrived at 09.40am and made the device safe at the scene. The area was declared safe at 11.30am. A spokesperson said: "The device was then removed to a secure military location for further examination. "Material of an evidential nature will be handed over to An Garda Siochana to assist them with their investigation." A major split has emerged within Government over how to deal with the fallout from unpaid water charges, with ministers and the Taoiseach openly expressing different views. Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar has emphatically backed his Fine Gael leadership rival Simon Coveney's position that there should be no refunds for people who paid water charges - but Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Transport Minister Shane Ross have refused to rule it out. Although he did not state a firm view on the issue, Finance Minister Michael Noonan has told TDs he wants the "dead cat off the field" before the next election. But Mr Varadkar said he did not believe the issue would be resolved that quickly. "I think ideally we would like to resolve every pressing issue before the next election. I'm not sure if that's realistic," he said, noting that legislation will be needed to change the existing regime. The minister has proposed applying attachment orders to houses which could see Irish Water collecting the unpaid bills over years and even decades. "Certainly my own view is that they shouldn't be refunded," Mr Varadkar said. "There are other legally established charges or bills, for example the household charge, management company fees, previous water charges and bin charges. "All of those are outstanding debts against an individual or a property and they are all ultimately recovered. "There are still people even today who are selling on houses and are finding out that they have a bill that they have to discharge before they sell the house." However, Mr Ross said he believed there was a "good case" for paying out refunds because it was "unlikely" that Irish Water would be able to collect the outstanding money. Read more: 'I don't want to commit to anything' - Taoiseach doesn't rule out refunds for water charges Read more: 'No refund for water billpayers' - Coveney says it would set dangerous precedent "I think that there's a very good case for refunding them. If people are going to be let off, then I think there's a very good case for refunding those who have already paid them, yes I do," he said. And speaking in San Francisco, Mr Kenny repeatedly refused to rule out refunds, saying he wants to see what the Oireachtas committee on water proposes. Mr Coveney has insisted since the publication of the Expert Commission on Water's report that Fine Gael's position is that everybody should pay their outstanding debt. But when asked directly if he agreed with his minister's line on refunds, Mr Kenny avoided the question. "I don't want to commit to anything now until such time as the committee is allowed to do its work," he said. He pointed out that Fine Gael's position during the negotiations to form a government was that there would be a national public utility for water, metering to determine usage and to find leaks, and a "fair and affordable charging regime". Meanwhile, junior minister Sean Canney has said rural families who use their own well or a privately funded group water scheme must be treated equally with their urban counterparts. "The current debate is unfortunately ignoring the hundreds of homes across Ireland who are connected to group water and waste water schemes," the Independent Alliance TD said. "Group water schemes are run on a voluntary basis and provide water for thousands across the country. "People are paying into these schemes on an annual basis through a charge. The schemes are managed on very small budgets in order to keep costs to a minimum." Mr Canney said if the majority of the population were to receive water that was paid for through general taxation, "we need to make sure that those people on private water and private waste water treatment plants are not unfairly penalised". "People are calling for a fair and just method of providing water to our citizens - I have heard very little about the people who have been paying for decades through private group schemes and it would be a complete disservice to them if we did not take on board their concerns," he said. Irish Water moves focus away from bills - but won't be drawn on refunds Irish Water has not made any significant reduction to its staffing levels despite not issuing any domestic bills since May. The utility has a contract with Abtran to provide a range of services, including billing. A spokesperson said that since the suspension of charges the focus has been on providing information regarding leaks, outages, boil water notices and other incidences and events affecting water supply and usage. "Abtran also handle non-domestic billing which is currently transferring from local authorities on a phased basis from this month as planned. "The contract can be scaled up and down to reflect the service needs of Irish Water, such as the suspension of domestic billing," the spokesperson said. Asked whether the resources would be available to administer a refund scheme, they said: "Decision on refunds or outstanding debt are a matter for government." Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said Ireland has had a "stream of enquiries" from financial services firms seeking to leave Britain in the wake of Brexit, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said Mr Kenny was speaking on Bloomberg TV in New York and said Ireland will have to compete with other countries to attract businesses relocating from the UK. He reiterated his view that it will be "impossible" for Britain to leave the European Union in the two year time-frame intended once Article 50 is triggered. He said this is due to the "50 years" of regulations dealing with the relationship between Britain and Europe. Mr Kenny said that any Brexit deal will have to acknowledge the Good Friday Agreement and the Peace Process in the North. He also said it must recognise the condition in the Good Friday Agreement that a reunification vote can take place if there is a majority in favour of such a vote. Bloomberg news editor in chief John Micklethwait put it to Mr Kenny that he is sometimes viewed as a candidate for a senior EU job. Mr Kenny said he is focused on achieving his priorities as Taosieach. But Mr Kenny said European leaders need to focus on "fragilities" in the political system and where Europe "wants to be in 5, 10, 20 years time." Dr Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, the Grand Mufti of Syria (in white turban) and his delegation arriving at Leinster House for the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs to discuss the situation in Syria. Photo: Tom Burke A controversial cleric has denied that Syria's allies are responsible for atrocities in the war-torn country as a delegation called for the lifting of EU sanctions. Sheikh Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, the Grand Mufti of Syria, was among a delegation of Syrian clerics and physicians who appeared before the Dail's Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday. The delegation urged Ireland to use its influence as a "peace-loving country" to lobby the EU to lift sanctions against the regime of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, which the group claimed are killing more people "than Isil did". But in a heated exchange with committee chair Brendan Smith and Labour Senator Ivana Bacik, Dr Hassoun defended Mr al-Assad's regime, claiming his allies Russia and Iran "didn't kill any civilians" in Aleppo. "They came to defend the Syrian people," he said through an interpreter. "This regime built 28 hospitals and three universities in Aleppo. Why would the regime destroy it?" The Grand Mufti has drawn criticism for his televised speech in 2012 predicting the war would trigger suicide bombers in Europe and US. He claimed his speech was taken out of context by the media. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.1 By Dalga Khatinoglu Trend: OPEC members reached a deal on November 30 to decrease oil output by 1.2 mb/d - a huge step which led to 8.5-percent growth in oil price. According to the deal, OPEC would produce 32.5 mb/d in average during the first half of 2017, all members will decline the production by 4.5 percent, except for Iran. Irans oil production decreased dramatically during 2012-2015 due to sanctions and the country says it has right to resume the output to the pre-sanctions level. OPEC agreed to take the highest level of Irans oil output since 2000, which was about 3.975 mb/d (in 2005) and after declining 4.5 percent from this volume like all members, Iran would be allowed to produce 3.797 mb/d. This figure is even about 90,000 b/d more than the countrys October oil output level, according to the OPECs own estimations. Beside oil export revenues growth, Iran would have advantage to attract foreign investments in the countrys oil and gas projects as well. The global investments in upstream oil and gas sectors decreased by 44 percent during last two years due to low oil prices and Iran needs at least $100 billion investments in these sectors by 2021, of which 80 percent is projected to be attracted from foreign companies and financial entities. According to the International Energy Agency, Irans oil output is likely to reach 6 mb/d by 2040. Belfast is getting a new connection to Iceland, with Icelandair announcing a direct service to Reykjavik in 2017. Icelandair will fly from Belfast City Airport, three times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays), as part of the new service. Flights will kick off on June 1 next year, with one-way prices currently quoted from 123.68 (145) that month on icelandair.is. It is the third airline to announce direct flights to Iceland, with WOW air flying from Dublin and easyJet flying from Belfast International to Reykjavik. WOW air is also due to start flights from Cork next May. Birkir Holm Gunason, Icelandair chief executive, said: Belfast is a vibrant, fast growing city with great business and leisure opportunities and we are happy to be able to offer our customers this exciting addition to our network." Expand Close Icelandair. Photo: Deposit / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Icelandair. Photo: Deposit Katy Best, commercial and marketing director at Belfast City Airport, said: "Belfast City Airport is delighted to announce our new three-times weekly flight to Reykjavik, which is a further extension of our growing European route network and a major boost to the Northern Ireland economy. "Icelandair has a proven international pedigree and our partnership with the airline for this new service will be a hugely welcome addition to the local market for business and leisure passengers." Economy Minister, Simon Hamilton MLA, said: I welcome the hard work and commitment of George Best Belfast City Airport to develop routes like this one which will contribute to our efforts to make global connections as we create a competitive economy." Visit Belfast chief executive Gerry Lennon, also welcomed the news. "This is a real vote of confidence for our tourism industry and confirms the fact that Belfast is perceived as a vibrant and attractive leisure and business tourism destination. "It is also testament to the great efforts of our airports in connecting the world to Belfast - the service will not only provide another option for Icelandic visitors to consider Belfast and Northern Ireland but will also enable us to promote the city region globally, through Icelandairs extensive global network." The new flight to Keflavik is being operated by Air Iceland on its 72-seat Bombardier Q400 aircraft, which is part-made in Belfast. Additional reporting by Pol O Conghaile. Read more: While revelations about death threats against Denis O'Brien undoubtedly grabbed the most attention when the businessman gave evidence, they are unlikely to figure prominently in the High Court's deliberations. The death threats, while clearly unpleasant and upsetting, are not at the heart of the case. Indeed, Mr O'Brien agreed there was no suggestion either of the two TDs he claims "recklessly and maliciously" divulged his banking information in the Dail had been responsible for the threats. Ms Justice Una Ni Raifeartaigh is more likely to zero in on Mr O'Brien's acceptance that if he wins his action, the mere fact of issuing High Court proceedings would "greatly restrict" Dail speech. The proposition was put to Mr O'Brien by counsel for the State Maurice Collins SC. During a robust line of questioning, Mr O'Brien accepted Dail speech would be restricted by the issuing of proceedings, but made no apologies for his view. "You're trying to make victims out of two TDs yet I'm the one being wronged here," he said to Mr Collins. "My details were stolen and given to them and they chose to release it." Among other things, the court has been asked to decide where the line can be drawn between the powers of the courts and the powers of the Oireachtas. Mr O'Brien's sought and obtained an injunction against RTE in May 2015 when it wanted to broadcast details of his banking arrangements with IBRC. The injunction proceedings came at the height of controversy over the purchase of services company Siteserv by Mr O'Brien's firm Millington. Dail statements by Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy and Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty put the information subject to the injunction into the public domain. Mr O'Brien believes the TDs breached the separation of powers and determined the outcome of the RTE case. In a written submission to the court, he said: "I do not seek damages against any party for what I believe to have been wrong. "Rather, I believe it is vitally important to establish what is permissible and what is not." He said it was "a pretty extraordinary situation" for a private citizen's banking arrangements to be disclosed publicly. The case was about much more than what had happened to him, he said. "I firmly believe that the protection of banker/customer confidentiality is important, not just for me personally but for the country as a whole, for the conduct of business in Ireland and for the protection of privacy of citizens." If the actions of Ms Murphy and Mr Doherty were permissible, he believed there were profound implications for the country as a whole and all of its citizens. Lawyers for the State, the Clerk of the Dail and the Dail's Committee on Procedure and Privileges will spend the coming days arguing against the reliefs sought by Mr O'Brien. I have often wondered what possessed David Cameron to hold the referendum that he did. The only question that was asked of electors was should the United Kingdom leave or remain in the European Union. As Paddy Ashdown, the former Liberal party leader, put it in recently: the people had voted to leave but had not voted for a destination. What had the UK prime minister to gain even if the remain side had won? True, he had promised prior to the election a referendum on Britain's relationship with the EU. But this was to ward off the threat that Ukip then appeared to pose for the Tories. But Ukip won only one seat in the election and Mr Cameron secured an overall majority. So, could he not have said: the people have spoken and given us a clear mandate to govern? Even if he had carried the referendum, he would not have been able to shake off the eurosceptics. They would continue - recalling PJ Mara's vivid phrase - to nibble at his bum. The warning signs for a defeat were there with a strong Scottish nationalist showing in the election and with the likelihood that a majority in Scotland and Northern Ireland would vote to remain. Not heeding Machiavelli's advice that a prudent ruler cannot, and must not, honour his word when it places him at a disadvantage, he went ahead with the referendum but, apparently, with no proper plan on what was to be done if the Brexiteers won. The question posed for the London High Court at the hearing last month on the surface appeared simple enough: could the government, as an executive act without consulting parliament, trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, to exit the UK from the EU? The government's submission was that the making or unmaking of international treaties was historically a matter for the executive to carry out without the prior approval of parliament. But the court found that things were not as simple as that. Here was the nub: by making and unmaking treaties the government creates legal effects on the plane of international law, but in doing so it cannot change domestic law. It cannot without the intervention of parliament confer rights on individuals or deprive individuals of rights. An 1972 act and other statutes provided for EU law to have effect in domestic law - we have a similar regime - so it was not possible to affect those laws by a government decision. Directly effective rights under EU law override even domestic primary legislation. So EU law operates as superior to all domestic law. The court pointed to three categories of rights that would be affected by a withdrawal. First were rights that could be expressed in domestic law in any event. The difference with withdrawal would be no one could seek redress from the European Court of Justice. The second category are those enjoyed by British citizens and companies in other EU member states, such as the free movement of persons and capital and the obligation on all member states to respect and give effect to those rights. The third category would embrace the right to vote in European elections and to stand to be an MEP; another example would be the right to seek the help of the European Commission to take regulatory action. In summary, the government could not change domestic law and modify rights acquired in domestic law under the act of 1972 (by which EU law was adopted). So the court held the government could not give notice under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. But the court went on to make another interesting finding. It was that the referendum was intended only to be advisory because a vote in favour of leaving the EU would inevitably leave for future decision many important questions relating to the legal implications of withdrawal from the EU. There had been a briefing paper to parliamentarians explaining that the referendum would have advisory effect only. It may be that it was that finding that caused anger among some media outlets. One newspaper referred to the judges on the court as the 'enemies of the people'. Later this month an appeal will be held by Britain's Supreme Court consisting of 11 judges. What is at issue is an age-old concept: the supremacy of parliament. Seeing the 1915 edition of Albert Dicey's 'Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution' quoted brought me back to my student days 60 years ago. We did not then have a developed constitutional law of our own. So we were somewhat in awe of Dicey. The Supreme Court will hear arguments on behalf of the Scottish government, too. So it is likely that the court will be concerned with more than the 'rights' referred to in the High Court. It will likely weight the importance of the majority votes in Scotland and Northern Ireland. And how would the Belfast Agreement fare if Britain were to leave too fast? It is likely much will require to be ironed out before Britain serves notice to leave - if it ever does, which is more and more questionable. Former premiers John Major and Tony Blair have joined the debate that Britain must behave with great caution. There is much talk that a second referendum will be required. (L-R) Victoria's Secret models Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and Lily Donaldson depart for Paris for the 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 27, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) Kendall Jenner poses backstage prior to the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) (L-R) Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner attend the Kanye West Yeezy Season 4 fashion show on September 7, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Yeezy Season 4) Khloe Kardashian, North West, Kim Kardashian West, Kendall Jenner and Kourtney Kardashian attend Kanye West Yeezy Season 2 during New York Fashion Week at Skylight Modern on September 16, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Kanye West Yeezy) Kendall Jenner poses backstage prior to the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) Kendall Jenner poses backstage prior to the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) Kendall Jenner prepares backstage prior to the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) Kendall Jenner poses prior the 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) Kendall Jenner walks the runway at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) Kendall Jenner walks the runway during the 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) (FromL) Brazilian model Lais Ribeiro, US model Gigi Hadid, US model Kendall Jenner and Chinese model Liu Wen cheer during the 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at the Grand Palais in Paris Kendall Jenner walks the runway at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) Kendall Jenner walks the runway at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) (L-R) Martha Hunt,Jasmine Tookes,Taylor Hill, Josephine Skriver,Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid pose backstage during 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dominique Charriau/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) Kendall Jenner attends the 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show after party on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) Kendall Jenner attends the 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show after party on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) Adriana Lima and Kendall Jenner pose backstage during 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dominique Charriau/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) (L-R) Kendall Jenner, Adriana Lima and Daniela Braga pose backstage during the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dominique Charriau/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) (L-R) Joan Smalls, Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Adriana Lima poses backstage during the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dominique Charriau/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) Kendall Jenner walks on the runway with Swarovski crystals during Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Julien M. Hekimian/Getty Images for Swarovski) Kendall Jenner walks on the runway with Swarovski crystals during Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Julien M. Hekimian/Getty Images for Swarovski) Kendall Jenner poses prior the 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) Kendall Jenner poses prior the 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) Kendall Jenner reportedly had a "special handler" at all times during her latest trip to Paris. The American model's older sister, Kim Kardashian, was left shaken and traumatised when a gang of masked men with guns broke into her Paris hotel, bound and gagged her and made off with money and jewellery in October. So when it came to Kendall making her return to the French capital for the Victorias Secret Fashion Show on Wednesday night, the 21-year-old model is said to have gone all out to ensure her own safety. An insider told the New York Post's gossip column Page Six that while security at the show was "sky-high" already, Kendall insisted on special handlers and security. She also apparently "wanted nothing to do with anyone except the people doing her hair and make-up, her handler and (friend) Gigi Hadid." Expand Close Kendall Jenner walks the runway at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Kendall Jenner walks the runway at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) Kendall is also said to have ignored requests for interviews from journalists at the event, in the wake of a dramatic few months for her family which has also included her brother-in-law Kanye West's recent hospitalisation. "Kendall wouldnt do press interviews and was actually hiding at one point," the insider added. "One reporter asked her a question and she literally ignored her. She just kept looking at pictures of herself on her phone." It wasn't just security that was high around Kendall though. Event organisers had gone all out to ensure there were no issues at the star-studded show, with streets around the Grand Palais venue barricaded off and sniffer dogs on hand. Vehicles dropping off models like Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Irina Shayk and Gigi and Bella Hadid were only allowed to stop briefly to let their passengers out, rather than parking up. Expand Close Kendall Jenner attends the 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show after party on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Kendall Jenner attends the 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show after party on November 30, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) "Even VIPs had to circle the block while they waited their turn to stop," the source revealed. When contacted by Page Six, a Victoria's Secret spokesperson said: "The Victorias Secret Fashion Show is a high-profile event and we take every precaution to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for our team and guests no matter what city were in." Expand Close Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner attend Famous by Kanye West a private exhibition event at Blum And Poe, Los Angelesat Blum & Poe on August 26, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Kanye West) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner attend Famous by Kanye West a private exhibition event at Blum And Poe, Los Angelesat Blum & Poe on August 26, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Kanye West) Video of the Day However, a representative for Kendall did not return the outlet's request for comment. The Syrian government took over a city just outside Damascus after a rebel retreat (AP) About 31,500 people have been displaced in rebel-held parts of Aleppo over the past week, according to the UN humanitarian aid agency, with some reportedly killed or detained trying to enter government-held areas. Most of those displaced fled to government and Kurdish-held areas in western Aleppo, separated only by roads and deserted buildings. Many were also displaced inside rebel-held parts of the city, cramming into already crowded and damaged areas in south and central eastern Aleppo. From the government-controlled areas, state broadcaster al-Ikhabirya TV showed hundreds of displaced people sitting on rain-soaked streets. They also showed newly displaced residents lodged in empty buildings pockmarked with bullets, fresh laundry hung between. The state-owned channel showed dozens of the displaced people waving Syrian flags from green government buses. The government has been keen to show it is restoring normality to the shell-shocked community after the swift restoration of government control to areas held by the opposition for four years. Syrian officials visited the newly captured areas as workers were filmed clearing debris. An Ikhbariya broadcaster said work is under way to reopen a road linking the eastern and western parts of the city, disused for years. He also interviewed newly resettled residents, who spoke of rebel abuses. One displaced woman interviewed in the government-held Jibreen district said her son was shot dead as he fled rebel areas. The woman, who did not give her name, said she would carry a gun to avenge her son's killing. She praised the Syrian army and said her family had no food or drink in rebel-held areas and were treated badly. Others interviewed in the newly captured Hanano district complained of being mistreated on suspicion of co-operating with the Syrian army, including one who said he was detained. Opposition and activists had also accused the government of shelling displaced Syrians who were fleeing the government advance. At least 50 people were killed in artillery shelling in the rebel-held district where to which they were fleeing. The Office of Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated that 26,500 people fled to government-held Jibreen, east of Aleppo, and Kurdish-held Sheik Massoud. Another 5,000 were displaced within eastern Aleppo. Spokesman Jens Laerke cited reports that some men and boys trying to enter government-controlled western Aleppo had been detained by government troops. Amnesty International said it had received reports of Syrian security forces detaining men in areas recaptured by the government and warned of the potential for revenge attacks. The reports could not be independently confirmed and a Syrian military official said screening measures were in place to prevent "terrorists" infiltrating the civilians. Meanwhile, clashes continued on the southern edge of eastern Aleppo as pro-government troops attempted to breach the rebel enclave. Another front is in the eastern part of the rebel-held enclave, where pro-government troops have kept up their advance on opposition fighters, state media reported. Al-Ikhbariya said at least one person was killed in western Aleppo by rebel rockets. UN officials have expressed concern over the plight of civilians caught in the fighting in Aleppo, and called for more access to the eastern part of the city that has been besieged since July. There have been no operational hospitals in eastern Aleppo for nearly two weeks after they were bombed. Meanwhile, the Russian military criticised the UN for dragging its feet on delivering humanitarian aid to the areas of Aleppo seized by Syrian government forces. Defence Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said the Russian military has been the only source of food, medicine and other supplies for 90,000 residents of neighbourhoods seized by the Syrian army this week. UN emergency co-ordinator Stephen O'Brien said local partners of the UN have provided hot meals and drinkable water to those displaced in Jibreen and urged the Syrian government to ensure UN staff can deploy unrestricted and safely across Aleppo. AP North Walsham High School librarian Liz Sawyer holding an overdue book from 1953 which has been returned 63 years late (PA/Andy Newman) An apologetic pensioner has returned a library book 63 years late. The woman, now in her 70s, borrowed the book while she was a student at a school in north Norfolk in 1953. When clearing out clutter in her house she discovered the 1929 copy of Travels With A Donkey In The Cevennes by Robert Louis Stevenson and was shocked to find it stamped with a 1953 return date. It has now been returned to North Walsham High School which, fortunately for the reader, has a policy of not fining people for overdue books. The school library is appealing for anyone else who might have a long-overdue book to return it. "While we don't lose many books, there must have been a few which have been inadvertently retained by students over the years," said school librarian Liz Sawyer. "It would be really nice to get some of them back, especially older books which we might not have on the shelves today. "The lady who brought back the Robert Louis Stevenson book apologised for not returning it sooner - but better late than never." Travels With A Donkey In The Cevennes is Robert Louis Stevenson's account of his 120-mile solo hike through the sparsely-populated Cevennes mountains in south-central France in 1878. His only companion was Modestine, a stubborn donkey with which he has a difficult relationship, but eventually grows fond of. The world's largest fine for an overdue library book is 345.14 US dollars (273.02) according to Guinness World Records. The book was borrowed from Kewanee Public Library, Illinois, in the US, and was due back in April 1955, two years after the Norfolk book. It was found by the daughter of the woman who borrowed it, 47 years later. Ashton Kutcher and wife Mila Kunis have become parents for the second time (AP) Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher have become parents for the second time. Melissa Raubvogel, a publicist for the actress, said Kunis had given birth without providing further details, including whether the baby was a boy or girl. But dad Kutcher may have spilled the gender beans. In an October appearance on NBC's Today, he said the couple's two-year-old daughter Wyatt was pointing to her mother's belly and saying: "Baby brother." Kunis and Kutcher, who were castmates in the sitcom That '70s Show, married in July 2015. AP Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 2 By Emil Ilgar Trend: Iran's investment company Ghadir has been negotiating with Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR, Russian Lukoil and Gazprom as well as Italian Eni to develop two joint fields in Iran, the companys CEO Gholamreza Soleimani told IRNA Dec. 2. He didnt mention the fields names, but said that one of them is offshore and another is onshore. The fields need 2.7 billion euros and 1.6 billion euros investment, he said. Mohsen Pak Ayeen, Iran's former ambassador in Baku, told Trend Feb. 25 that Ghadir and SOCAR signed a memorandum of understanding in February 23 to jointly put investment in oil and gas projects. Ghadir is among 11 local companies included by Iranian Oil Ministry to the exploration and production (E&P) list, capable of being involved in the new designed oil contract, called the Iran Petroleum Contract or IPC. Iran is preparing to issue tenders on upstream projects based on IPC in two months. Only E&P companies are allowed to participate in tenders. Based on IPC, a local company should choose a foreign partner to develop the projects and if a foreign company wins the tender, it must choose a local partner. Iran needs about $100 billion of investment in upstream to develop 49 oil and gas projects based on IPC. The country plans to increase its oil output to 5.2-5.7 million barrels per day by 2021. Elsewhere, Soleimani said Ghadir would sign heads of agreements with Oil Ministry in coming two months, and then finalize selection of foreign partners to seal contracts. Buzz Aldrin with Christina Korp in hospital in Christchurch, New Zealand (Christina Korp/AP) Octogenarian ex-astronaut Buzz Aldrin has been airlifted from the South Pole to a New Zealand hospital after falling ill. Aldrin, 86, the second man to walk on the moon, who was visiting Antarctica as a tourist, was flown to Christchurch from McMurdo Station, a US research centre on the Antarctic coast. Tour company White Desert said Aldrin had fluid in his lungs, but was responding well to antibiotics. He was due to remain in hospital overnight for observation. His manager Christina Korp, who accompanied him, said he was in good spirits. On Twitter, she said the past 24 hours had been gruelling. She posted side-by-side photos of Aldrin - one on a stretcher giving a thumbs-up with a purple knit cap on his head, another in a hospital bed, on oxygen and with an IV tube in his left arm. Aldrin and Neil Armstrong became the first men on the moon, on July 20 1969. Armstrong died in 2012. Just three weeks ago Aldrin was at Nasa's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida for the unveiling of a new astronaut exhibit. The ceremony coincided with the 50th anniversary of his launch with Jim Lovell on Gemini 12, the last of the two-man Gemini flights. Both were present and looked as energetic as usual. Aldrin has criss-crossed the globe in recent months and years, pushing hard for human exploration of Mars and promoting space and science education. His latest book, No Dream Is Too High: Life Lessons From A Man Who Walked On The Moon, came out in April. He has also teamed up with Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida, now home to the Buzz Aldrin Space Institute. Aldrin lives in nearby Satellite Beach, Florida, not far from Cape Canaveral and its launchpads. "We wish Buzz a speedy recovery," London-based White Desert said in a statement. Aldrin was part of an Antarctica sightseeing tour, along with son Andrew. The elder Aldrin was clearly excited about his adventure to the bottom of the world. "South Pole here I come!" he said via Twitter on November 28. The group departed from Cape Town, South Africa, on Tuesday, on a trip that was supposed to last just over a week. Doctors agreed an evacuation was prudent after Aldrin's condition deteriorated, according to his staff in Florida. The National Science Foundation helped provide the airlift via a ski-equipped LC-130 cargo plane from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station to McMurdo, and then on to New Zealand on another plane. AP Ballots in Wisconsin are placed in front of workers as a state-wide presidential election recount begins (AP) A federal court in Wisconsin has rejected an attempt by pro-Donald Trump groups to stop a recount of the state's presidential vote, saying there was no harm in allowing it to continue. Two pro-Trump political action committees and a Wisconsin voter on Thursday filed a lawsuit and a request for a temporary restraining order seeking to stop the recount, arguing that it was an unconstitutional violation of the Constitutional rights of people who had voted for Trump. But US District Judge James Peterson on Friday denied the motion to temporarily halt the recount, saying there would be no harm in allowing it to proceed while the state prepares arguments in defence. Judge Peterson scheduled a hearing for December 9 on the underlying lawsuit. Meanwhile President-elect Trump's margin of victory in Pennsylvania is shrinking as more counties finish tallying their votes. An updated count on Friday by state election officials shows Trump's lead over Democrat Hillary Clinton has shrunk to 49,000, from 71,000. That puts Trump's lead at 0.8%, down from over 1%, out of six million votes cast. It is still shy of Pennsylvania's 0.5% trigger for an automatic statewide recount. Trump's Pennsylvania victory was crucial to his capturing the White House. AP Donald Trump's supporters had moved to prevent or halt election recounts in Michigan and Pennsylvania as well as Wisconsin, involving the courts less than two weeks before the states would have to complete the tasks to meet a federal deadline to certify their election results. The legal actions seeking to block or halt the recounts in three states Trump narrowly won could cause delays that would make them extremely difficult or impossible to complete on time. The recounts were requested by Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who says they are necessary to ensure that voting machines were not hacked, even though there is no evidence that they were. Critics say Stein is simply trying to raise money and her political profile while building a donor database. "Our goal is not to change the result of the election," Stein said in an opinion piece released Thursday. "It is to ensure the integrity and accuracy of the vote." Wisconsin was the only state where a recount is under way. It began Thursday, and one of the state's 72 counties had already completed its task by Friday, with Clinton gaining a single a vote on Trump. Clinton lost to Trump in Wisconsin by about 22,000 votes, or less than one percentage point. Michigan's elections board deadlocked on Friday on a Trump campaign request to deny Stein's recount request and on how a recount would be conducted. Both Republican members voted to prevent the recount while both Democrats voted to allow it, meaning it likely would begin on Wednesday unless the courts intervene. It also would be conducted by hand, as Stein requested. In separate lawsuits against the state, Michigan's Republican attorney general and Trump asked state courts to prevent the recount, saying Stein should not be allowed to seek one because she finished so far behind Trump and Clinton that she could not have won, even if some votes were miscounted. Stein got about 1% of the vote in all three states. The Michigan courts appeared unlikely to rule immediately, with one asking for a response from state elections officials by Tuesday. In Pennsylvania, a hearing is scheduled for Monday on Stein's push to secure a court-ordered statewide recount there. Republican lawyers filed a motion that was posted on the court's website Friday accusing Stein of engaging in legal antics and saying her recount request endangers Pennsylvania's ability to certify its electors by the federal deadline. Stein has argued, without evidence, that irregularities in the votes in all three states suggest that there could have been tampering with the vote, perhaps through a well co-ordinated, highly complex cyber attack. Elections officials in the three states have expressed confidence in their results. AP A police and crime commissioner has criticised a high court judge's sentencing remark that a sex attack victim was "foolish" for getting "very, very drunk". Stock picture A police and crime commissioner has criticised a high court judge's sentencing remark that a sex attack victim was "foolish" for getting "very, very drunk". Mr Justice Gilbart made the comment at Manchester Crown Court when sentencing a teenager for sexually assaulting a 20-year-old woman in Manchester in August. Yaqoob Alanezy, 18, put his arms around his victim, kissed her and then dragged her along a street before a passer-by intervened as he lay on top of her The Manchester Evening News reported that the judge said: "I'm sure it was a frightening incident. She got very, very drunk. "It doesn't excuse what happened, but people have to make sure they protect themselves and guard against this - she made herself very vulnerable. "The law seeks to protect victims such as this from their own foolishness." Greater Manchester PCC Tony Lloyd said the comments risked discouraging victims of such crimes from coming forward. He said: "These comments are deplorable, unhelpful and unfair. It is never the victim's fault when someone is sexually assaulted - that always lies with the attacker, with no exceptions. "If we are to ensure that victims of sexual assault have the confidence to come forward without fear of being blamed for what has happened to them, then the entire criminal justice system needs to put the victim first - and that includes judges. "I do not want any victim of crime to be discouraged from coming forward, but injudicious words create the very real danger of just doing that." Alanezy was sentenced to 22 months in a young offenders institution after he admitted sexual assault and kidnap. A murder investigation has been launched launched after a man believed to be in his 20s was stabbed to death outside student halls. The Metropolitan Police was called to reports of a fight outside a University of the Arts London building in Acton at around 6.30pm on Thursday. A man was found with stab wounds outside The Costume Store dormitory in Victoria Road and taken by ambulance to a west London hospital, where he died. Scotland Yard said he is yet to be formally identified and his next of kin had not been informed. Detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command have not made any arrests. Bus on fire in Kingston, south west London: Hannah Page/PA Wire Fire crews are battling a blaze on a bus that has sent a plume of dark grey smoke funnelling into the sky from a south-west London street. Police, firefighters and ambulance crews were called to tackle flames on the 371 bus near the Guildhall/Rose Theatre stop in High Street, Kingston, at just after 9am. Pictures shared on social media showed the back of the double-decker engulfed in bright orange flames. The driver escaped before crews arrived, London Fire Brigade said. London Ambulance Service staff were at the scene to treat people for possible smoke inhalation, police said. A Metropolitan Police spokesman added: "Local residents have been evacuated as a safety precaution. Expand Close Bus on fire in Kingston, south west London Credit: @MPSKingston/PA Wire / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Bus on fire in Kingston, south west London Credit: @MPSKingston/PA Wire "The road remains closed. Motorists are advised to avoid the area." London Fire Brigade said the fire was under control just after 10am. The cause is unknown. Tony Akers, TfL's Head of Bus Operations, said: "There will be a full investigation into the incident." Special French police brigade secure a street near the travel agency where a gunman has taken hostage about half a dozen people in what appears to be a robbery, a police source said, in Paris, France. Picture: REUTERS/Charles Platiau Special French police brigade secure a street near the travel agency where a gunman has taken hostage about half a dozen people in what appears to be a robbery, a police source said, in Paris, France. Picture: REUTERS/Charles Platiau Special French police brigade secure a street near the travel agency where a gunman has taken hostage about half a dozen people in what appears to be a robbery, a police source said, in Paris, France. Picture: REUTERS/Charles Platiau Police are searching for a gunman who tried to rob a travel agency in southern Paris, the mayor of the local district said on Friday. Police initially believed the man had taken about half a dozen people hostage, but when they entered the property they found no trace of him, Jerome Coumet told reporters. "There were two floors. The people on site were scared that the robber was still there, which was not the case. The police intervened and freed everybody," Coumet said. The travel agency, which is used in particular by Asian customers who deal in cash, has been held up in the past, a police source told Reuters. More to Follow Europol said there had been a shift from symbolic targets like police and military personnel to indiscriminate attacks on soft targets (AP) Europol has warned that Islamic State could launch fresh attacks in Europe in the near future with police forces across the continent investigating more than 50 terrorism cases. The European Union's police agency said in a grim analysis of IS tactics that EU countries participating in the US-led coalition fighting the extremist group in Syria and Iraq are most at risk. France and Belgium, which have suffered major attacks in the last two years, are among the nations in the US-led coalition. Others include the UK, the Netherlands and Denmark. Germany's military is also involved, but not in combat operations. Europol director Rob Wainwright said in an interview that counterterrorism agencies are tackling the threat from IS in co-operation with his Hague-based agency. Europol is assisting more than 50 terror investigations by national agencies across the continent, he said. "That says something about the level of the threat, but also about the level of interconnectedness amongst the counterterrorist community here," he said. In the report, Europol said car bombings and other tactics IS uses in Iraq and Syria could also be deployed in Europe. It said attacks such as those in France and Belgium show that extremists acting in the name of IS can plan complex attacks. "Estimates from some intelligence services indicate several dozen people directed by IS may be currently present in Europe with a capability to commit terrorist attacks," according to the report, which draws on counterterrorism intelligence from around Europe as well as media reports and previously publicised calls by IS leaders for attacks. Despite the warnings, Mr Wainwright expressed optimism that the counterterrorism efforts will, over the long term, rein in the threat posed by IS. "We're not there yet. I think we will get there. It might be replaced in the future, of course, by another iteration in the international terrorist scene," he said. "So it doesn't have to be the new normal, but we have to take the right measures, right now, to protect our citizens from the kind of atrocities that unfortunately we've suffered in the last two years." Community leaders also have a role to play in diminishing the threat from IS recruiters and trainers who prey on marginalised youths - some of whom may have mental health problems or backgrounds in petty crime - and incite them to carry out attacks, Mr Wainwright said. "We have to work in the community with faith leaders, with parents, with teachers to try and make sure that these young, impressionable minds are not turned so easily," he said. The Europol report noted a shift in IS attacks from symbolic targets like police officers and military personnel to indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets, such as the attacks a year ago in Paris at a rock concert, the national stadium and bustling pavement cafes. "Indiscriminate attacks have a very powerful effect on the public in general, which is one of the main goals of terrorism: to seriously intimidate a population," according to the report, which concludes the focus on soft targets means that attacking critical infrastructure like power grids and nuclear facilities is "currently not a priority". Meanwhile, a police raid in Morocco in February may have thwarted a possible chemical or biological attack by an IS cell, raising the spectre that such weapons also could be used in Europe. The report noted that automatic firearms, knives and vehicles are more easily available and that "the effectiveness, ease of use and access of these weapons will continue to be relevant". The consensus among intelligence agencies in EU states is that "the cyber capabilities of terrorist groups are still relatively low", Europol's report said. But the document's authors added that "the possibility of terrorist-affiliated cyber groups engaging in cyber warfare sponsored by nation states - those with capacities to engage in this type of attacks - should not be discounted". AP Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 2 By Emil Ilgar Trend: The US Senates passing a 10-year extension of sanctions against Iran on Dec. 1 violates the nuclear dear signed between Iran and P5+1 (the US, France, the UK, Russia, China and Germany), Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said. It violates the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as well as the US commitments not to interfere in the countries interior affairs and international relations, the official website of Foreign Ministry quoted Qasemi as saying Dec. 2. The bill now will be submitted to the White House for President Barack Obama to sign it into law. Qasemi said Obama committed himself to veto any action in the United States which violates the nuclear deal implemented in January. He also said Iran commits itself to all of its obligations based on the nuclear deal. We monitor Washingtons actions and we will prepare a report about violations in JCPOA implementation for Iranian Supervisory Committee, he added. The Supervisory Committee comprises eight officials, including members of Iran's National Security Council to monitor the implementation of nuclear deal. Yahya Jammeh arrives to vote in the election in Banjul, Gambia (AP) Gambians tore down posters of long-time president Yahya Jammeh and celebrated in the streets as the ruler of more than two decades conceded defeat in the election. Mr Jammeh congratulated opposition coalition leader Adama Barrow, who won the most votes in the election that will remove him from power after 22 years. Speaking on state television, Mr Jammeh praised the election and vowed not to contest the result. The election commission had earlier declared Mr Barrow the newly elected president, a stunning outcome in a country where critics have long alleged votes are rigged and opponents jailed. The commission said Mr Barrow received 45% of the vote compared to Mr Jammeh's 36%. Unprecedented crowds publicly cheered Mr Jammeh's defeat. A group of men packed in a pick-up truck screamed "Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!" Just days earlier, Mr Jammeh had declared that no demonstrations of any kind would be permitted, regardless of the vote's outcome. For the tens of thousands watching abroad from political exile, it was a day they thought might never come. "We have freedom at last! And there will be an economic boom, and people jailed can be freed, and people exiled abroad will come back home to their families," said Aminata Jawara, a 23-year-old lab technician. Another opposition candidate who was not in the eight-party coalition finished with 17%, according to the national election commission. Mr Jammeh will be calling Mr Barrow "to congratulate him and pray for peace and tranquillity", said Alieu Momarr Njai, chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission. Many Gambians stayed up all night listening to the radio and tallying results as they were read out constituency by constituency. News of Mr Barrow's victory prompted thousands to take to the streets in celebration - some on foot while others rode in cars and trucks and on motorbikes - as confused soldiers looked on. Eight opposition parties united behind Mr Barrow, a former businessman, and the campaign period featured large opposition rallies and unprecedented expressions of frustration with Mr Jammeh's rule. Nevertheless, Mr Jammeh had projected confidence, saying his victory was all but assured by God and predicting "the biggest landslide in the history of the country" after he voted on Thursday. "We are happy to be free," said Omar Amadou Jallow, an opposition leader for the People's Progressive Party, which joined the coalition that backed Mr Barrow. "We are able to free the Gambian people from the clutches of dictatorship, and we are now going to make sure Gambia becomes a bastion of peace and coalition. Our foundation will be based on national reconciliation." Mr Jammeh came to power in a coup in 1994 and then swept elections in 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011 after a 2002 constitutional amendment removed presidential term limits. Critics say those earlier elections were not free and fair. Human rights groups have accused Mr Jammeh of ordering the deaths of countless political opponents as well as targeting journalists and gays and lesbians. All internet and international phone service was cut on election day in a bid by Mr Jammeh to thwart unrest. If Mr Jammeh does step down peacefully, it would demonstrate that even Africa's most entrenched leaders can be brought down if opposition politicians overcome their divisions and unite, said Jeffrey Smith, a human rights activist and founding director of Vanguard Africa, a US-based group that worked with Gambia's opposition coalition. "This is going to have resonance way beyond the tiny borders of Gambia," Mr Smith said, describing the result as "a momentous occasion for the region writ large". AP Iraqi special forces fighting Islamic State militants in Mosul have seized a new neighbourhood and taken full control of another densely populated area, according to Iraqi field commanders. Lieutenant Colonel Muhanad al-Tamimi said his men are in full control of the Zohour neighbourhood, more than a week after they entered the district, where troops found a residential complex for IS fighters He said his men also captured Qadissiyah-2, bringing to 23 the number of neighbourhoods retaken by special forces in the eastern sector since the campaign to recapture the city began on October 17. Brigadier General Haider Fadhil said his troops had taken over two adjacent two-storey houses in Zohour where IS fighters lived. In the garden, they found life-sized cardboard cutouts for target practice. The walls inside the houses were adorned with posters of grenade launchers, assault rifles and artillery shells. Flyers bearing the names of the fighters who slept in each room were plastered on doors. The state-run al-Iraqiyah TV network showed footage taken inside the houses, with black-clad special forces searching them with their rifles at the ready. The footage showed metal bunk beds dressed with colourful blankets. There has been some discrepancy over the number of neighbourhoods retaken from IS, something Iraqi commanders explain as a possible result of the use of different maps of the city or the small size of some neighbourhoods. Most of the fighting in Mosul has taken place in the city's eastern sector, where Iraq's special forces are making slow progress because of fears over the safety of civilians still inside the city and spirited IS resistance. The campaign to retake Mosul is being conducted on a multitude of fronts, with forces from the army, federal police and Sunni tribal militias deployed to the north and south of the city. State-sanctioned militias are holding territory to the west of Mosul, but are not expected to enter the mostly Sunni city. Iraq's second largest city was captured by IS in 2014 when the militants swept across much of Iraq's north and west. The city is the largest urban centre in Iraq still held by the militants. AP Syrian rebel leaders are to hold secret talks with regime ally Russia in the Turkish capital Ankara tomorrow in an attempt to resolve the crisis in Aleppo. Opposition fighters have lost 40pc of their territory in east Aleppo to regime troops backed by Russian air support. After a week of steady regime advances, east Aleppo is close to becoming what UN officials term "one giant graveyard" and rebels are on the verge of a strategic defeat. Yet as the noose tightens around east Aleppo, Syria's most powerful backer may be reconsidering its next step. The city is unlikely to fall immediately, and the military force required to take and hold it may not be sustainable without incurring penalties on other fronts. About 30,000 people are receiving aid after fleeing the city in the past few days. Syria and Russia yesterday declined a United Nations request for a pause in the fighting to evacuate 400 sick and wounded. Russia said that it wanted to discuss setting up four humanitarian corridors. Talks between Russian diplomats and key members of the Syrian opposition tomorrow - reportedly the second in a week - suggest Moscow may be willing to negotiate an end to the fighting in Aleppo. "Russia has indicated it would be willing to accept aid access and local council control of the east, in return for JFS's withdrawal," said Syria researcher Charles Lister, referring to Jabhat Fatah Al Sham, the al-Qa'ida aligned group formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra. "Russia's key terms indicate a point of difference with Assad and Iran," he said, adding that opposition groups had not rejected them. The talks began on Monday. A separate source in Washington DC confirmed that Russia had invited the Islamist group Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki, a member of Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, to attend. A Moscow military expert played down reports that Russia was changing tactics. Vladimir Evseev, of the CIS Countries Institute in Moscow, said Russia had likely already taken a decision to finish the battle in Aleppo by force of arms. ( Daily Telegraph London) A prosecutor has cleared a Charlotte police officer in the killing of a black man whose death touched off civil unrest, and he presented detailed evidence to rebut claims that the slain man was unarmed. Officer Brentley Vinson was justified in opening fire on Keith Scott and won't face charges, Charlotte-Mecklenburg District Attorney Andrew Murray said. In a 40-minute news presentation to reporters, Mr Murray produced evidence that Mr Scott was armed with a handgun and the officer who killed him feared Mr Scott would shoot. The 43-year-old was killed on September 20 in the car park of an apartment complex. Much of Mr Murray's presentation centred on the gun and debunking witnesses who said Mr Scott wasn't armed. Mr Murray displayed a store's surveillance video taken shortly before the incident, showing the outline of what appeared to be a holstered gun on Mr Scott's ankle. He said Mr Scott's DNA was found on a Colt .380-calibre semi-automatic handgun recovered at the scene. He shared a Facebook conversation from the man who said he sold the stolen gun to Mr Scott and recognised him from TV coverage after the shooting, and police radio traffic where officers talked about the gun before confronting Mr Scott. He also released his report online and asked the public to review his findings before protesting again. Two nights of protests after the shooting resulted in looted stores near the scene and in downtown Charlotte, millions of dollars of damage, a fatal shooting and more than two dozen injuries to police officers and others. "The community should read the report. Digest the report. Please do not act viscerally on news snippets," Mr Murray said. A group of nearly 100 people gathered at Charlotte police headquarters in the rain on Wednesday night before marching around downtown Charlotte for about two hours. They said they don't believe Mr Scott had a gun. They said a white officer actually shot Mr Scott and Mr Murray and state investigators were using Mr Vinson as a scapegoat despite body and dashboard camera footage only showing Mr Vinson firing his weapon. Mr Murray said his team of homicide prosecutors reviewed the evidence, along with other lawyers. He said the investigation relied on 63 State Bureau of Investigation agents working for 2,300 hours. Mr Murray said every one of them agreed with his conclusion. "All of the credible, available and believable evidence supports the conclusion that Mr Scott was armed with a gun," Mr Murray said. Immediately after the shooting, a video of Mr Scott's final moments recorded by his wife, Rakeyia, was posted on social media. In it, she shouted to police that her husband "doesn't have a gun." She pleaded with officers not to shoot before a burst of gunfire could be heard. US president-elect Donald Trump: He has admitted the job is bigger than he had realised. Photo: Reuters/Mike Segar Donald Trump has admitted the presidency is "a bigger job than I thought", a leading Republican has revealed. After meeting the president-elect last week, former speaker of the house Newt Gingrich told 'USA Today' the billionaire businessman was starting to appreciate the burden of the Oval Office. Mr Gingrich said: "He commented, 'This is really a bigger job than I thought.' Which is good. He should think that." As president of the United States, Mr Gingrich said "you have war and peace, you have enormous powers...and it all comes down to the Oval Office and it all comes down to you." After President Barack Obama met his successor at an official meeting in the Oval Office, sources inside the White House told 'The Wall Street Journal' that Mr Trump "seemed surprised by the scope" of responsibilities the job entails. The newspaper also reported Mr Trump had been unaware he would have to replace the entire presidential staff upon taking office. His transition has continued to be controversial, not only for his choices for major cabinet and White House positions, but also the role his children have had in the process and his ongoing relationship with his business empire. Mr Trump's unconventional activities on Twitter have also prompted a series of headlines. His posts have included a condemnation of the cast of 'Hamilton the Musical' for "harassing" vice president-elect Mike Pence after a performance, criticism of the 'New York Times' and a false claim he won the popular vote if you ignore the millions of illegal votes. Read More: Mr Gingrich also criticised the president-elect for his unfounded assertion regarding illegal voting. He said: "The president of the United States can't randomly tweet without having somebody check it out. "It makes you wonder about whatever else he's doing. It undermines much more than a single tweet." It also emerged yesterday that Sarah Palin may soon return to government after a seven-year hiatus, as she emerged as a candidate to join Donald Trump's cabinet. Ms Palin, the 2008 vice-presidential nominee, still has a large following among Tea Party Republicans, but has not held office since resigning as governor of Alaska in 2009. She has starred on reality television and launched an online news network, making headlines most recently by endorsing Mr Trump for president in a widely-mocked speech featuring lines like, "right-winging, bitter-clinging, proud clingers of our guns, our God, and our religion". As one of Mr Trump's most high-profile endorsers, though, she immediately drew speculation as a possible cabinet official. Her first choice was energy secretary, a post she said she wanted in order to end the department entirely. But ABC News reported she was being considered to run the veterans affairs department. Meanwhile, a teenage member of the electoral college will be the seventh person to break ranks by not voting for Donald Trump, adding to a small but growing pool of so-called "faithless electors". Washington state member, 19-year-old Levi Guerra, has said she will join the "Hamilton electors", named after Alexander Hamilton, a renegade group that believes the 538 electors have a moral responsibility to prevent demagogues from entering the White House. "I promised those that elected me that I might do the whole lot I might to make sure Trump didn't grow to be our president. To maintain this promise, I consider I need to forged my vote for an alternate Republican," she said at a press conference. Ms Guerra is one of 12 electors in the state who will have been mandated to vote for Hillary Clinton, who won in their state on November 8. Ms Clinton has a lead of at least 2.5 million votes in the popular count but the electoral college system, starting with the Founding Fathers, guarantees a winner takes all system in each state. The Democrat won 53pc of the vote in Washington compared to Mr Trump's 37pc. ( Independent News Service) Coutts, which is known as the Queen's bank, is one of those fined. Two London-based banks are being fined more than 4.1 million by Singapore regulators for breaching money laundering rules. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) fined the local branch of Standard Chartered Bank 5.2 million Singapore dollars (2.85 million) for "significant lapses" in customer due diligence measures and controls in relation to an indebted Malaysian state fund. Regulators also fined the Singapore branch of private bank Coutts 2.4 million Singapore dollars (1.3 million) for inadequate customer due diligence on "politically exposed persons". Coutts, which is headquartered in London, is winding down its Singapore operations after the Royal Bank of Scotland sold it to Union Bancaire Privee last March. Singapore's actions result from findings of a multinational probe into allegations that people close to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak stole more than one billion US dollars from 1MDB, or 1Malaysia Development Bhd. "The control lapses stemmed from inadequacies in policies and procedures, insufficient independent oversight of front office staff, and a lack of awareness of money laundering risks among some bank staff," the monetary authority said in a statement. In February, Singapore authorities said they had "seized a large number of bank accounts" in connection with the Malaysian fund probe. Regulators are expected give a final update on their findings in early 2017. The monetary authority also said it planned to impose a 10-year ban on conducting banking business and functions on a former Goldman Sachs executive. Tim Leissner led Goldman Sachs's Singapore branch until February although he moved to Hong Kong in 2011. He managed three 1MDB bond issuances from 2012 to 2013 and issued an unauthorised reference letter to a financial institution in Luxembourg last June. The authority said Mr Leissner falsely claimed the bank had conducted due diligence on businessman Low Taek Jho, who is close to Najib's family. It said it was working with foreign "regulatory authorities" to investigate Goldman Sachs' role in the bond transactions for 1MDB. Goldman Sachs said it discovered the violation of its own standards in January, "took steps to separate Mr Leissner from the firm", and reported the problem to regulators in several places, including Singapore. "We continue to cooperate with the MAS," the company said in a statement. Mr Leissner's attorney said he had not received any notices or been questioned by the Singapore Monetary Authority. "Prior to today, Mr Leissner had not heard of any contemplated regulatory action by the MAS and had not been contacted by the MAS or given any opportunity to respond to the MAS regarding the allegations raised in the notice," Marc S. Harris of the Scheper Harris & Kim law firm in Los Angeles, California, said in a statement. "He has been invited by the MAS to respond to the allegations raised in the notice, and he looks forward to doing so," it said. AP Game Of Thrones star Maisie Williams has appealed to the public to stop buying tickets to marine shows - to help prevent the capture and killing of dolphins in Japan. "These animals travel the ocean. That's what they explore daily. No tank will be big enough. No tank will ever be deep enough, ever be exciting enough," she said from the small Japanese town of Taiji, whose dolphin hunt was depicted in Oscar-winning documentary The Cove. Williams, 19, is the latest celebrity joining the cause to save dolphins. Others include Brian May of Queen, Sting and Daryl Hannah. She hopes her influence, especially on social media, with 4 million followers on Instagram and 1.5 million on Twitter, will help the cause. Ric O'Barry, the dolphin trainer for the Flipper TV series, started the protests against the Taiji dolphin kill. He starred in The Cove, which shows a pod of dolphins getting herded into an inlet and bludgeoned to death. The animals that are killed and sold for meat are leftovers from the main purpose of the hunt - to sell the best-looking ones to aquariums and shows. The hunters in Taiji and their supporters defend the custom as tradition, although eating dolphins is extremely rare in Japan. The Tokyo government also defends whaling as research. Williams, the global ambassador for O'Barry's Dolphin Project campaign, said only a handful of Taiji fishermen benefit from the practice and many Japanese do not even know about Taiji. "It's not an attack on Japan at all, or on Taiji, or the people of Taiji," she said. "I want to say, honestly, hand on heart, that this is not an attack on anyone in specific." The Cove, released in 2009, was not widely shown in Japan, but it went online on Friday for free viewing limited to Japan, after the Dolphin Project rebought distribution rights. Williams said she went to the cove earlier in the day, but there was no slaughter. During her trip, her second time in Japan, she plans to go whale-watching in the Mikura Islands, south of Tokyo, where whales are protected and dolphins are often seen swimming in the wild. "It was something that just struck a chord in my heart. And I'm a firm believer that, if there is something that you really want to stand up and fight for, then you should. And with everyone doing their own little bit for what they believe in, hopefully together we can make the world a better place." AP South Korea's main opposition parties have said they will push for a vote next week on President Park Geun-hye's impeachment. The opposition had planned to call for a vote this week on whether to impeach Ms Park over a growing scandal involving a shadowy long-time confidante, but they disagreed on the timing after she made a conditional offer to resign. Leaders of the three major opposition parties met and agreed to put an impeachment motion to a floor vote next Friday, according to a statement from the largest opposition group, the Democratic Party. "From now on, there won't be any cracks among the three opposition parties," the statement said. The opposition lacks enough legislators to pass the impeachment on its own and needs help from dissenters in her ruling party. A group of anti-Park legislators in the ruling party decided on Friday to vote for her impeachment if she fails to announce by next Wednesday that she will step down voluntarily in April, according to the office of Hwang Young-cheul, one of the dissenters. They also want her to promise to help ensure a smooth power transfer to her successor, his office said. It is unclear how Ms Park will react to the demands. She said on Tuesday she would leave office if parliament comes up with a stable power transfer plan. Opposition legislators immediately condemned the move, saying it was a ploy to buy time and find ways to survive the affair. The scandal, which has sparked massive street protests and plunged Ms Park's approval rating to 4%, is centred around allegations that she let her friend of 40 years, Choi Soon-sil, manipulate government affairs from the shadows and extort money from businesses. Choi, who has never had a government job, is a daughter of a late cult leader who served as Ms Park's mentor. Prosecutors have indicted Choi and two of Ms Park's former aides and accused the president of colluding in their criminal activities. She denies the allegations, although she has acknowledged she received help from Choi in editing speeches and unspecified "public relations" issues. Her single five-year term ends in early 2018. If impeached, she will be stripped of her presidential powers until the Constitutional Court rules on her fate within 180 days. AP US president-elect Donald Trump is nominating controversial retired general James Mattis to be his defence secretary. Mr Mattis, 66, retired from the Marine Corps in 2013 after serving as the commander of the US Central Command. But his selection raises questions about increased military influence in a job designed to insure civilian control of the armed forces. The concerns revolve around whether a recently-retired service member would rely more on military solutions to international problems rather than take a broader, more diplomatic approach. For Mr Mattis to be confirmed, Congress would first have to approve legislation by-passing a law that bars retired military officers from becoming defence secretary within seven years of leaving active duty. Mr Mattis has a reputation as a battle-hardened, tough-talking marine entrusted with some of the most challenging commands in the US military. In a tweet last month, Mr Trump referred to him by his nickname "Mad Dog" and described him as "A true General's General!". Mr Mattis would be only the second retired general to serve as defence secretary, the first being George Marshall from 1950-51 during the Korean War. But Mr Marshall was a much different figure, having previously served as US secretary of state and playing a key role in creating closer ties with western Europe after the Second World War. He was the only previous exception to the law requiring a gap after military service. Although his record in combat and his credentials as a senior commander are widely admired, Mr Mattis has little experience in the diplomatic aspects of the job of secretary of defence. Richard Fontaine, president of the Centre for a New American Security, described Mr Mattis as a defence intellectual and a military leader who distinguished himself in combat. "He knows the Middle East, south Asia, Nato and other areas and has evinced both a nuanced approach to the wars we're in and an appreciation for the importance of allies," Mr Fontaine said. "If he were to get the nomination, I suspect that he could attract a number of very talented people to work with him." But Mr Mattis has not been immune to controversy. He was criticised for remarking in 2005 that he enjoyed shooting people and drew more recent scrutiny for his involvement with the embattled biotech company Theranos, where he serves on the board. Born in Pullman, Washington, Mr Mattis enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1969, later earning a history degree from Central Washington University. He was commissioned as an officer in 1972. As a lieutenant colonel, he led an assault battalion into Kuwait during the first US war with Iraq in 1991. As head of Central Command from 2010 until his retirement in 2013, he was in charge of both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Mr Mattis commanded the Marines who launched an early amphibious assault into Afghanistan and established a US foothold in the Taliban heartland. As the first wave of Marines moved towards Kandahar, Mr Mattis declared that "the Marines have landed, and now we own a piece of Afghanistan". Two years later he helped lead the invasion into Iraq in 2003 as the two-star commander of the 1st Marine Division. In 2005, he raised eyebrows when he told a San Diego forum that it was "fun to shoot some people". According to a recording of his remarks, Mr Mattis said, "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you, I like brawling." He added: "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." Mr Mattis was counselled to choose his words more carefully. A year later he came under scrutiny during one of the more high-profile criminal investigations of the Iraq war, the shooting deaths of 24 Iraqis by Marines. The Iraqis, who included unarmed women and children, were killed by Marines in the town of Haditha after one of their comrades was killed by a roadside bomb. Eight Marines were charged in connection with the killings - four enlisted men were charged with unpremeditated murder and four officers who were not there at the time were accused of failures in investigating and reporting the deaths. As commander of the accused Marines' parent unit, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Mr Mattis ultimately dismissed charges against most of the troops. As a top Marine general he pushed for the military to adopt blood-testing technology developed by Theranos. As reported by The Washington Post, Mattis first met Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in 2011. A year later, according to emails obtained by The Post, Ms Holmes used her connection to Mr Mattis to pressure him to intervene after a Pentagon official raised concerns that the company was distributing its technology without approval by the Food and Drug Administration. The emails show within hours after Ms Holmes asked Mr Mattis for help, he forwarded her email to other military officials asking them:"How do we overcome this new obstacle?" Mr Mattis joined the Theranos board the same year he retired. The company, which raised hundreds of millions of dollars on the promise of breakthrough blood-testing technology, was forced to invalidate two years of patients' test results after the reliability of its proprietary blood-testing machinery was questioned by internal and government whistleblowers and investigative reporting by The Wall Street Journal. AP Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 2 By Emil Ilgar Trend: A day after reports came about the arrest of two Iranians in Kenya, charged on terror plot against Israeli embassy, Irans Foreign Ministry has called on Nairobi to release both of them immediately. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said the arrested people are lawyers of two other Iranians sentenced to 15 years prison in 2013 on the same charges, Mehr reported Dec. 2. Two Iranians and their Kenyan driver, who worked for the Iranian embassy in Nairobi, were charged on Dec. 1 with collecting information for a terrorist act after filming the Israeli embassy, Reuters quoted lawyers Thursday. Seyyed Nasrollah Ebrahimi and Abdolhosein Safaei and their Kenyan driver Moses Keyah Mmboga were found taking video clips of the Israeli embassy... for the use in the commission of a terrorist act, according to a charge sheet produced in court. The three men were in a car belonging to the Iranian embassy when they were arrested on Tuesday, the court papers said. The diplomatic status of the two Iranians was unclear. Qasemi said the two Iranians were released after a diplomatic conversation on December 1, but a third party interfered and Kenyan police arrested them again. My clients pleaded not guilty and have been detained by the ATPU [Kenya's Anti Terrorism Police Unit] for further interrogation, defence lawyer Cohen Amanya told Reuters after the mens court appearance. Kenya has suffered repeated militant attacks in recent years, but those were mainly carried out by ethnically Somali militants. In 2002, 15 people died when an Israeli-owned hotel was bombed in the coastal town of Mombasa, while two missiles were fired at an Israeli jet, narrowly missing it. In 2013, a Kenyan court jailed two Iranians for life on terrorism-related charges, including possessing explosives. The sentence was reduced to 15 years on appeal. Rhode Island voters will head to the polls Tuesday to choose the first new face to represent the state's 2nd congressional district in 20 years as leading candidates Seth Magaziner and Allan Fung vie to replace the retiring James Langevin, who has served in the role since 2001. The tightly-contested congressional race is just one of a number of important contests taking place Tuesday as the state will also select its next Governor, voters will decide the fate of a number of high-priced ballot initiatives and towns up and down Rhode Island select their local officials in a number of highly-divisive and politicized town council and school committee races. Do you believe the results of this years election will make a positive or negative impact on your community? Let us know in this week's poll question below. You voted: By Pritesh Samuel Indias Aviation Market is on a high growth path and aims to be the third-largest market by 2020 and the largest by 2030. At present, India is the ninth largest civil aviation market with a size of around US$ 16 billion. The growth of the airline industry is also expected to boost other sectors from manufacturers, ground handling services, tourism boards, shippers, and so on. The city of Bangalore in the southern state of Karnataka is Indias aviation manufacturing hub and accounts for around 65 percent of the countrys aviation manufacturing output. Indias domestic passenger air traffic has grown steadily; it rose by 23.14 percent between January and August 2016, to reach 64.47 million from 52.36 million during the same period in 2015. Aircraft movement as of July 2016 at Indian airports was 168,400, which was a 14.3 percent increase over that observed during the same period last year. International aircraft movement also increased by 8.2 percent, compared to last year. The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) states that domestic air traffic is expected to cross 100 million passengers by financial year 2017, compared to 81 million passengers in 2015. While the Indian aviation market is extremely competitive, airlines operating in the country are expected to record operating profits of US$ 1.29 billion in 2016. The air transport sector supports 8 million jobs and contributes around US$ 72 billion to the GDP. Foreign investment in the sector from April 2000 to March 2016 was valued at US$ 931.05 billion. Government Initiatives The government recently unveiled the countrys first National Civil Aviation Policy 2016. With hopes to modernize existing airports, the government recently allowed 100 percent investment under the automatic route in brownfield airport projects. Previously, foreign investment beyond 74 percent was subject to the government approval route. In addition, the government raised the FDI limit in air transport services to 100 percent under the automatic route as against the 49 percent limit earlier. Non-resident Indians (NRIs) can invest 100 percent under the automatic route, but foreign airlines can invest in Indian companies operating airport services by up to 49 percent of their paid up capital. Regional Airports: The government wants to boost traffic at the 34 regional airports in the country to increase connectivity. To incentivize airlines to fly to such airports, the government has abolished airport charges, reduced service taxes, and excise duty levied on aviation turbine fuel. State governments will provide free police and fire services, while power, water, and other utilities will be at concessional rates. To fund this project, the government has created a separate fund and will impose a levy of around 2 percent on domestic flights. In addition, ticket prices have been capped; for a one hour long flight ticket prices cannot be more than US$ 36 (Rs 2,500) and for a half an hour journey, it cannot exceed US$ 17 (Rs 1,200). 5/20: Domestic airlines were earlier required to have 20 aircrafts and fly for at least five years before commencing on lucrative international routes. However, the policy has changed to allow any domestic airline to fly internationally so long as 20 aircrafts or 20 percent of the total aircraft capacity is allocated to domestic operations. The amended rule will benefit domestic airline Vistara (a joint venture between Indian conglomerate, Tata Sons, and Singapore Airlines), which is two years old and has a fleet of 13 commercial planes as well as Air Asia India (a joint venture between Tata Sons, Malaysian AirAsia Berhand, and Telestra Tradeplace), which has a fleet of eight planes. Open Skies: The government will implement an Open Sky Policy on a reciprocal basis with SAARC countries and other countries beyond 3,100 miles (5,000 km) from the capital New Delhi. This is expected to enhance traffic to South Asian countries and make flying internationally viable for domestic carriers. India already has an open sky policy with the US, a near open sky agreement with the UK with a restriction on flights to and from Delhi and Mumbai. Most recently, several European countries, such as Greece, Netherlands, Sweden, and Georgia have requested additional flights to India under the open skies agreement. Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO): The MRO of Indian airlines is mainly done outside of India. To give a push to this sector, the government has rationalized customs duty and the procedure for clearance of goods is now simplified. Airport royalty and additional charges will not be imposed on MRO providers for 5 years from the date of approval, while state governments will be persuaded to lift value added tax (VAT) on MRO activities. RELATED: Industry Spotlight: Indias Dynamic Solar Energy Sector Takeaways Indias aviation market is still untapped with ample growth opportunities. Flying is still considered expensive for the majority of the population, out of which around 40 percent is in the upwardly mobile middle class. While the new civil aviation policy is in the right direction, more can be done to further grow the sector. Airport charges, landing fees, and aviation fuel in India remain some of the highest in the world. If the government addresses these concerns with the right policies, and focus on quality, cost, and passenger interest India can easily become a larger and much more successful aviation market. Markets see a day in red Indian equity markets saw a day in red today. Nifty 50 ended the day, down by 62.55 points. Sensex ended the day, down by 215.26 points. Top Gainers today were Hindalco, Sun Pharma, ITC. Top Lo... November 02, 2022 | 02-11-2022 4:08 pm Pudumjee Paper PBT rises 57% during Q2FY23 Pudumjee Paper Products Limited (PPPL), has reported impressive results for the six-month period ended September 30, 2022. During the six-month period ended September 30, 2022, the C... November 02, 2022 | 02-11-2022 3:23 pm Airtel crosses 1 million customers on it 5G network Bharti Airtel on Wednesday has announced that it has crossed the 1 million unique 5G user mark on its network. The company achieved this milestone in less than 30 days of its commercial la... November 02, 2022 | 02-11-2022 2:50 pm Rupee declines 12 paise against the dollar In morning trade on Wednesday, the rupee lost 12 paise to 82.71 against the US dollar due to a flat trend in domestic stocks. Forex traders reported that the rupee started the day flat before t... November 02, 2022 | 02-11-2022 2:45 pm Markets near day's low with Nifty below 18,100 Domestic benchmark indices trading in the red after a gap-down opening on Wednesday. Both the Sensex and Nifty benchmarks are marginally lower in the afternoon market session. Moreover, globall... November 02, 2022 | 02-11-2022 2:00 pm Tehran, Iran, December 2 By Mehdi Sepahvand Trend: Despite the common belief, Donald Trumps foreign policy as the future president of the United States may turn out to be favorable for Iran, says Saeed Yari, chief secretary of the Organization on Iran's National Interest Protection. Trump has already said that extremist terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh), and al-Qaeda need to be dealt with seriously, which is what Iran wants, Yari told Trend December 2. Trump has criticized former US officials for engaging in the invasion of Iraq. He has also rebuked them for having reared the IS. He has even said he may help Syrian President Bashar Assad, which also goes in parallel with Irans will to preserve Assad, Yari noted. Trump has also said he likes Russian President Vladimir Putin and that their share the same views in some areas, not to mention that Putin has also positively approached Trump's election as the US president. A rapprochement between the US and Russia will benefit Iran for its closeness with Russia. Even Trumps arrangement of harsh, anti-Iran people in his administration will not necessarily harm on Iran, Yari stated. The important factor is amity between the US and Russia. The other factor is Trumps support of Assad and tackling of IS. Trump has selected the retired marine general James Mattis to serve as his first Pentagon chief, the first of his national-security appointments that will reassure the establishment of defense circles Trump scorned on the campaign trail. Mattiss hawkishness on Iran alienated many in Barack Obamas White House. On the nuclear deal, it seems Trump will follow a 25-year modality which will step by step open more opportunities for Iran, including the chance to use modern technology, use new nuclear machinery, and also enjoy the economic gains that are to be considered as achievements of the JCPOA, Yari noted. So we will never have to tear or archive the JCPOA. Trump will pursue the national interest of the US and refrain from radicalism. The world will work in a friendly, constructive atmosphere. Republicans have always been a bit radical. But it does not mean Iranophobia or Islamophobia will be on their agenda anymore, he said. Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 2 By Orkhan Quluzade Trend: Three servicemen of the Turkish Army were killed in a skirmish with the members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the Cukurca District of Turkeys Hakkari Province, Hurriyet newspaper reported Dec. 2. Three other servicemen were wounded in the skirmish. Many terrorists were neutralized, according to the newspaper. The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has continued for more than 30 years and has claimed more than 40,000 lives. The UN and the European Union list the PKK as a terrorist organization. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade Synthetic cannabinoids, often marketed with labels like "Spice" and "K2," have been deemed illegal in many jurisdictions due to their harmful health impacts. Photo by U.S. Marine Corps Laced Marijuana Hits Pine Ridge Streets By Brandon EcoffeyLakota Country Times Editor PINE RIDGE On the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation more and more tribal-citizens are coming up ill after unknowingly smoking marijuana that has been laced with other drugs. Last month, an elderly community member had to be rushed to the hospital after it was discovered that she had been up for more than three days and was displaying symptoms consistent with a heart attack. After an investigation by the family into what led up to their mothers condition it was determined that she had consumed marijuana that had been laced with the synthetic drug Spice. Spice, as well as other synthetic cannabinoids like K-2, have been marketed as an alternative to marijuana but are chemically different and provide users with a high similar to methamphetamine or PCP. Although the use marijuana for medicinal purposes is legal in 28-states, South Dakota has voted down attempts to legalize medical marijuana before and the plant remains illegal across the Oglala Lakota Nation. The community member had previously used marijuana to treat an arthritic condition, but when her supply of high grade cannabis ran out, she sent a family member to purchase a few joints locally. The marijuana that was brought back to her had apparently been laced with Spice. Consumption of the synthetic marijuana led to an allergic reaction that landed the subject in the hospital where she is currently recovering. John Mousseau, founder of the security agency Canksa Yuha and a former tribal police officer, said that there are starting to be more and more instances of people unknowingly smoking laced marijuana. They have been doing it for a while here, said Mousseau. They lace it with Spice, meth, or other chemicals to get people addicted and increase profit, he said. Visit the Lakota Country Times and subscribe today Mousseau says that from what he has seen he believes that the marijuana is not being tainted locally but that it arrives on the reservation already containing the foreign substances. There has been weed captured while being transported by police and subjected to field tests where it has been determined to have other drugs on it, he said. Nurses at Indian Health Service have stated that there have been multiple patients who have come to the emergency room under the influence of drugs like methamphetamine, but have these same patients have stated that they only remembered smoking marijuana. (Contact Brandon Ecoffey at editor@lakotacountrytimes.com) Join the Conversation The Indian Army proved the Trinamool government wrong, in the raging raging controversy over its exercise in West Bengal. The Army released four letters it had written to different authorities in the West Bengal government to inform them of the exercise and request their cooperation. AFP The letters the Army released clearly show acknowledgements that they were received by the concerned authorities. This busts West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party's claim that the Army had been deployed at toll booths across the state as vengeance for Trinamool Congress's opposition to demonetisation. ANI The letters were released a little over an hour after the Army's officiating GoC of Bengal area, Major Gen Sunil Yadav, told a press conference that all necessary departments had been informed and necessary permissions taken. He had also stated that all this had been done on November 24, a week before the exercise. And the letters release by the Army corroborate Maj Gen Yadav's statements. Here are the four letters released by the Army: TOI Continued.. TOI The Great Khali has put his weight behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi-backed demonetisation scheme, saying the fight against black money will help India in the long run. Khali, India's former WWE superstar who now runs CWE in Jalandhar, recently met PM Modi and congratulated him for banning the old Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes. Today I had a great time meeting the excellent leader and the best Prime Minister Mr. NARENDRA D. MODI ji, My best wishes to him. pic.twitter.com/LJhJs63wPy The Great Khali (@GreatKhali) December 1, 2016 "He (Modi) has taken this decision in the interest of the country. I wanted to congratulate him. I told him that it is good for the country though there are some difficulties being faced by the people. But it is temporary and it will help the country in the long run," Khali is quoted as saying by PTI. Youtube "Suppose we stop eating eggs and chicken for a few days, we will not die," Khali, aka Dalip Singh Rana, said of the pertinent problems regarding cash crunch experienced by the people. RBI Governor Urjit Patel earlier urged people to start utilising their debit cards and digital wallets more and more as it will make transactions cheaper and easier. The dependence on cash would also get reduced and pressure on banks would also be released in the process. This historic step will gradually bring India on par with developed nations. Gujarat police have told the Supreme Court that they have gathered documentary evidence against social activist Teesta Setalvad and her husband "siphoning off" Rs 3.85 crore for "personal use" from the Rs 9.75 crore donations received by their NGOs for the welfare of the 2002 riot victims. AFP In an 83-page affidavit, assistant commissioner of police Rahul B Patel alleged the non-cooperation by Setalvad, her husband Javed Anand and their trusts, Centre for Justice and Peace (CJP) and Sabrang, in providing documents needed to investigate complaints by riots victims at Gulbarg Society that the couple did not deliver as per promise once the donations swelled. After the Gujarat high court rejected the couple's anticipatory bail plea , the SC had restrained police from arresting the two but asked them to furnish documents required by the police for investigation. Apart from the apex court, Setalvad and Anand had also moved the NHRC complaining that the Gujarat police had initiated the probe as a sinister campaign to harass and malign them. Setalvad had taken the lead in highlighting the plight of 2002 riot victims and had convinced the SC to set up a special investigation team to probe nine gruesome incidents of rioting. AFP Gujarat police informed the SC that it had examined bank accounts of CJP, Sabrang, Setalvad and Anand from 2007 till 2014. It said the two NGOs received total foreign and domestic donations of Rs 9.75 crore during this period and alleged that the couple utilised Rs 3.85 crore for personal expenses. The police said two accounts in United Bank of India, Mumbai, opened by the couple on January 1, 2001, had no deposits till December 31, 2002. From January 2003 till December 2013, Anand deposited Rs 96.43 lakh and Setalvad put in Rs 1.53 crore in their accounts. The police alleged that the couple also drew money for their personal use from the Rs 1.40 crore grant given by the HRD ministry from February 2011 to July 2012. The police said it had knowledge of only three accounts of CJP and Sabrang Trust initially. "As soon as these three accounts were seized on January 23, 2014, the couple immediately transferred Rs 24.5 lakh and Rs 11.5 lakh from the other two accounts of Sabrang Trust, unknown to the investigation authority, by way of demand drafts on a single day," it said. AFP It accused the couple of concealing from the SC and high courts that "after seizure of the accounts by police, they opened two separate accounts of Sabrang Trust, namely Sabrang Trust General account and Sabrang Trust HRD account in another bank". "Prior to 2007, there was negligible receipt in the accounts of CJP and Sabrang Trust. It is only after the applicant-accused, through their websites, newsletters, interviews, CDs etc expressed an urgent need for funds to save and rehabilitate riot victims and set up a 'Museum of Resistance' that donations from all over the world started pouring into these accounts," the police alleged. It also attempted to prove wrong Setalvad's claim that most riot-related cases were fought free of cost by top lawyers. "It is revealed that more than Rs 71.40 lakh was paid to different advocates as legal fees," the police alleged. Seeking custodial interrogation of the couple, the police said, "They have calculatingly misappropriated trusts' huge funds and pocketed in their personal accounts." The high voltage political showdown in West Bengal has taken a dramatic turn on Thursday night after state chief minister Mamata Banerjee camped overnight at her office in the secretariat, protesting the presence of Army at toll booths, even at the high security zone. ANI Mamata said the deployment was done despite Police objection to it. The Eastern Command of the Indian Army however said the deployment was the part of a routine exercise across northeastern states including West Bengal. The Army later withdrew from the toll booth near the CM's office at night after it snowballed into a political controversy. Army conducting routine exercise with full knowledge & coord with WB Police. Speculation of army taking over toll plaza incorrect @adgpi EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) December 1, 2016 Routine exercise in all NE states. In Assam @ 18 places, Arunanchal@13, WB@19, Manipur@6, Nagaland@5, Meghalaya@5, Tripura & Mizoram@1@adgpi EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) December 1, 2016 Mamata who had questioned the move calling it a likely military coup, however refused to budge. "These people may have gone. But they are there in 18 other districts. I don't know what will happen overnight... I will guard democracy...I will continue to be at the Bengal Secretariat till Army at all toll plazas is withdrawn," she said. PTI/ File Mamata also accused the Army of spreading "misleading facts" about the army deployment. Absolutely wrong and misleading facts by @easterncomd We have great respect for you, but please please don't mislead the people Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 1, 2016 More army deployment in diff Bengal districts Jalpaiguri,Alipurduar, Darjeeling,Barrackpur, N24Pgs, Howrah,Hooghly,Kol,Murshidabad Burdwan Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 1, 2016 Reacting to the allegations, BJP's Siddharth Nath Singh said, "Maverick Mamata is suffering from mental imbalance which is why she is coming up with such conspiracy theories of threat to her life. I suggest TMC to take her to the hospital." Jo paisa unhone (WB CM) gavaaya hai, usse sadma unhe hua hai, uske baad wo apne maansik santulan mein nahin hain: SN Singh,BJP pic.twitter.com/tRfNYcAbCJ ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2016 Her party, the Trinamool Congress is expected to raise the issue in the parliament which, once again is likely to be stormy. The party has been locking horns with the BJP since the demonetisation announcement last month. The party, which is seemingly leading the opposition charge against the move had gone out on a full-on face-off with the BJP over the issue. It had however escalated to an all new level after the party alleged that there was an attempt to assassinate her. This was after an IndiGo flight carrying her from Patna to Kolkata was allegedly made to hover over the Kolkata airport on Wednesday despite the plane reportedly running low on fuel. The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) has released a report that suggests that a significant number of ministers in India had large cash holdings until March 31, 2016. The report is significant as it comes within days of the Central government asking for its own MPs to be transparent in their accounts. The Code of Conduct for Ministers requires them to declare their assets and liabilities in addition to other financial dealings with the Prime Minister s office annually. Meanwhile, people across the country are struggling to stand in extended queues in front of banks to cope with demonetisation. The report bases its data on the statements submitted by individual ministers on March 31 this year and finds that the largest cash in hand was declared by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley (excess of 65 lakh). He was followed closely by Shripad Yesso Naik and Hansraj Ahir, MoS. The amounts declared by both were Rs. 22 lakh and Rs. 10 lakh respectively according toa report in The Hindu. The report added that 23 of them had under Rs 2 lakh in cash while 15 had cash above 2.5 lakh. According to the report, Prime Minister Narendra Modis declared cash possession stood at Rs 89,700. The report also found that a number of senior functionaries, including Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti did not comply with the Code of Conduct by not declaring their assets. The details furnished by most of the Union Ministers as on March 31 can be accessed on the official website of the Prime Ministers office. You must have seen these days hoardings and billboards around you that read Kar chori se ladai mein, mera paisa surakshit hai (In the fight against tax evasion, my money is safe). These billboards and hoardings featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi at almost all flying corners of cities and towns have details on the deadline to submit scrapped currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000. Indiatimes/Tarique Anwar Do you know how much money has been spent on this campaign to promote the demonetisation drive? It is Rs 10 crore. Surprised? Dont be because the governments advertisement budget for demonetisation awareness campaign to quell the fear in minds of people on their hard earned money is pretty low compared to the expenditure on other government schemes. Similarly, the government if a report published in Mint is to be believed spent in excess of Rs 100 crore to promote its Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (clean India mission) launched by PM Modi on October 2 this year. A cost of 23.5 percent of the total advertising budget of Rs 170 crore was allocated to the ministry of information and broadcasting for the promotion of the drive. And spending on the campaign has increased over the years as the government releases more ads, including television commercials, to promote sanitation and end open defecation, says the report citing a person close to the development. Reuters Last year, the government reportedly extravagantly spent an extra amount of Rs 55 crore on advertising completion of its first year in office and then International Yoga Daya pet project of the prime minister. The Central government has spent more than Rs 1,100 crore in two and a half years (from June 1, 2014 to August 31, 2016) on advertisements, according to information provided by the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry to activist Ramveer Singh under the Right to Information. On breaking down the figure, it comes to around Rs 1.4 crore per day. Indiatimes/Tarique Anwar Notably, this spending is only for advertisements on television, the Internet and other electronic media. It does not include other platforms like print advertisements, hoardings, posters, booklets and calendars. The total sum will be much higher if these costs are also included. It is worth mentioning to note here that the Delhi government led by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had come under heavy criticism earlier this year after a similar RTI query revealed that it spent Rs 16 lakh a day on advertising. A careful examination of the bodies of the three terrorists killed by BSF personnel after they infiltrated into Jammu & Kashmir's Samba, using an 80-metre long tunnel, has led to the discovery of an Afghanistan mobile number scribbled on one of the slain suicide attacker's inner arm. ANI The revelation has left investigators wondering why the number of a contact based in a third country was given to the attacker, suspected to be a Pakistani, by his handler. Intelligence agencies suspect that the number was deliberately written on the terrorist's arm to mislead post-attack probe by disguising the Pakistani origins of the fidayeen. ANI "The terrorists who infiltrated Samba were obviously on a suicide mission. Now, to have an operational number written conspicuously on the body of a suicide attacker is rather unusual, as it would immediately give away his origins and contacts. Prima facie, the Afghanistan contact number seems to be a red herring for investigators," a top intelligence functionary said. ANI Investigators are trying to trace the person in whose name the number is registered in Afghanistan, apart from origins of the Motorola set recovered from the attackers. Also Read: Samba Terrorists Used Tunnel To Come To India. Their Plan Was Carry Out Attack Like Uri Senior counter-terrorism experts say that leaving behind slips with names or numbers, particularly ones describing attacks as "revenge" for hanging of Parliament attack accused Afzal Guru, has been a known modus operandi of Maulana Masood Azhar-led Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). JeM terrorists had, in the January 3 attack on Mazar-e-Sharief consulate in Afghanistan, left behind graffiti in their own blood stating that their mission was intended to avenge Guru's execution. ANI In the Pathankot attack too, a note was recovered from the car used by the attackers to access the airbase, stating that the purpose of the strike was to avenge Afzal's hanging. Recoveries from terrorists who attacked the Nagrota camp also include a similar note mentioning Afzal. ANI Agencies are trying to find out whether the six terrorists who attacked the Army installation in Nagrota and three killed by BSF in Chamliyal (Samba) on the same day had a connection. An examination of the 80 metre-long tunnel reveals that it could only transport a person only once to either end. While India is still trying to come to terms at the over Rs 500 crore spent on mining tycoon Gali Janardhan Reddy's daughter's wedding, two IAS officers of the 2014 cadre in Andhra Pradesh have set a whole new example by getting married at Rs 500 and returning to their duty stations within 48 hours. Vijayawada sub-collector Dr Saloni Sidana married Ashish Vashishta, an Indian Administrative Service officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, on Monday by paying a court fee of Rs 500 in the office of Bhind additional district magistrate. Facebook/Amol Padile The 27-year-old officer does not think it is a big deal. I dont think there is anything unusual about it. It was purely a personal affair and hence we wanted to have it in a very simple manner. In fact, my husband also returned to the duty on Wednesday itself, she told Hindustan Times. It was really a pleasant surprise to all of us. She has shown an example to all of us at a time when the currency crisis has hit the entire nation, a junior official in the chief ministers office told HT. Asked whether they would like to throw a party for their friends and relatives, Sidana laughed and said, We have not planned it so far. Maybe, we would do it later. Facebook/Pradeep Pura Daughter of an agriculturist in a small village in Punjabs Jalalabad district, the 2014-batch IAS officer fell in love with Ashish of the same batch while undergoing training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie. A topper throughout her academic career, Sidana completed her MBBS course in Delhi and worked at the All India Institute Of Medical Sciences as a radiologist for some time before opting for the civil services. She cleared the UPPSC exam in her first attempt in 2013 by securing the 74th rank and was given the Andhra cadre. US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini during his visit to Belgium next week, US State Department spokesperson John Kirby announced in a press briefing on Friday. Hell then go to Brussels on December 6 and 7 for the NATO foreign ministerial, and while in Brussels he will also meet with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini to discuss cooperation between the United States and EU on a range of issues, Kirby told reporters. The spokesperson added after visiting Belgium, Kerry will head to Hamburg, Germany on December 7-8 to attend the OSCE ministerial. He lived as an angel for the children of Aleppo... Anas al-Basha will not be walking the streets of the rebel held Syrian city of Aleppo anymore, spreading smiles. AP Al-Basha who was better known as 'the Clown of Aleppo" is no more... He was killed in a government airstrike earlier this week, his brother confirmed of Facebook. The 24-year-old social worker from Aleppo was the part of a local charity, Space for Hope, a center that helps hundreds of Syrian children in the rebel-held region of Aleppo. AP He used to dress up as a clown to cheer up traumatised children of the war ravaged city. He would act out skits for the children to break the walls between them, his supervisor Samar Hijazi, was quoted saying. Al-Basha is survived by his wife, whom he reportedly married just two months ago. His parents had left the city before the government sealed its siege of the rebel-held eastern districts last summer. He chose to stay on, and had his salary sent to where they were taking refuge in the countryside. AP Anasrefused to leave Aleppo and decided to stay there to continue his work as a volunteer to help the civilians and give gifts for the children in the streets to bring hope for them, his brother's Facebook post recalls. His charity, Space for Hope supports 12 schools and four psycho-social support centers in eastern Aleppo, providing counseling and financial support for 365 children who have lost one or both parents. A social media storm was kicked off in Saudi Arabia after a woman was seen pictured without hijab in a market. People reacted with outrage after they saw an image taken in capital city Riyadh. One man even called the state to kill her and throw her corpse to the dogs. The photo was allegedly first posted by an account under the name of Malak Al Shehri, which has since been deleted. twitter A Saudi woman went out yesterday without an Abaya or a hijab in Riyadh Saudi Arabia and many Saudis are now demanding her execution. pic.twitter.com/gPMOz5bRAr Anon (@dontcarebut) November 29, 2016 The person who reposted the image told the website that photographed lady had announced she was going out to breakfast without either a hijab or abaya; a traditional Saudi body covering. So many people retweeted it and what she did reached extremists, so she got threats, said the person who posted the image. She deleted her tweets but they didn't stop, so she deleted her account." A hashtag which translates into English as we demand the imprisonment of the rebel Angel Al Shehri subsequently went viral. One user wrote we propose blood", while another demanded a "harsh punishment for the heinous situation". Despite the outrage, many more users in Saudi Arabia came out in support of the womans actions. Its about time to protest against this discriminative abaya prison against women #shout_for_freedom https://t.co/QbyYvPw1gp (@FarahAqqad) November 29, 2016 A brave Saudi lady decided not to wear her Abaya or Hijab out & about. Many praised her, others (males) said she should be killed for it... https://t.co/Swq30GKCcS Mikey Kay (@MikeyKayNYC) November 29, 2016 This is not the first time when the Kingdom is seeing such demands. The laws against women often give rise to debates over their freedom and equality in the society. Turkey slammed Friday the Greek defense minister's recent remarks targeted at President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, calling on Panos Kammenos to act in a manner "befitting the dignity of his position", Anadolu reported. "If Erdogan wants to annul Lausanne, then we will go back to Sevres," Kammenos said Thursday, referring to the 1920 Treaty of Sevres after World War I, which was signed by the Ottoman Empire only to be rejected by the Republic of Turkey, which later signed the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, the final treaty concluding WWI. Kammenos' remarks came in response to Erdogan, who said late September that Lausanne was indeed not a "victory" but a "defeat," and Ankara had left the Aegean islands to Greeks as part of the treaty. The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement Friday saying the Greek minister's attitude was harming the efforts to promote cooperation between the two countries, and invited Kammenos to "refrain" from making similar statements in the future. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had also reacted to Erdogan, saying that questioning the Treaty of Lausanne -- which established today's boundaries between the two countries -- was threatening bilateral relations. The Greek Foreign Ministry also made an announcement Thursday, responding to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's comments the same day regarding the Aegean islands, saying that "the Imia islet is Turkish territory" and both de jure and de facto status of the islands had remained the same during the term of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party. The Greek statement said the sovereignty of Greece over its Aegean islands, including the Imia islet, "is unquestionable and guaranteed by international law." "Irresponsible reports to the contrary are challenging because the status of the islands and islets of the Aegean is clearly determined by a number of International Agreements in the last century. "Whoever ignores this international legal reality does not contribute to the strengthening of good neighborly relations, and undermines them instead," it added. Were excited to announce that indmin.com is now part of fastmarkets.com. A new look and an improved experience means you can still stay ahead of this fast-moving market with price data, news and market intelligence right here on Fastmarkets. Discover more than 2000 prices, news and analysis in primary and secondary metals markets. We cover base metals, industrial minerals, ores and alloys, steel, scrap and steel raw materials. If you already have a Fastmarkets account, youll still have uninterrupted access to your markets by logging in with your current details. Trump Ponders Petraeus for Senior Job President-elect Trumps promise to drain the swamp of Washington seems forgotten like so many political promises as he meets with swamp creatures, such as disgraced Gen. David Petraeus. By Ray McGovern The news that President-elect Donald Trump called in disgraced retired Gen. David Petraeus for a job interview as possible Secretary of State tests whether Trumps experience in hosting The Celebrity Apprentice honed his skills for spotting an incompetent phony or not. Does Trump need more data than the continuing bedlam in Iraq and Afghanistan to understand that one can earn a Princeton PhD by writing erudite-sounding drivel about counterinsurgency and still flunk war? Granted, the shambles in which Petraeus left Iraq and Afghanistan were probably more a result of his overweening careerism and political ambition than his misapplication of military strategy. But does that make it any more excusable? In 2007, Adm. William Fallon, commander of CENTCOM with four decades of active-duty experience behind him, quickly took the measure of Petraeus, who was one of his subordinates while implementing a surge of over 30,000 U.S. troops into Iraq. Several sources reported that Fallon was sickened by Petraeuss unctuous pandering to ingratiate himself. Fallon is said to have been so turned off by all the accolades in the flowery introduction given him by Petraeus that he called him to his face an ass-kissing little chickenshit, adding, I hate people like that. Sadly, Petraeuss sycophancy is not uncommon among general officers. Uncommon was Fallons outspoken candor. The past decade has shown that obsequiousness to those above him and callousness toward others are two of Petraeuss most notable character traits. They go along with his lack of military acumen and his dishonesty as revealed in his lying to the FBI about handing over top-secret notebooks to his biographer/lover, an indiscretion that would have landed a less well-connected person in jail but instead got him only a mild slap on the wrist (via a misdemeanor guilty plea). Indeed, Petraeus, the epitome of a political general, represents some of the slimiest depths of the Washington swamp that President-elect Trump has vowed to drain. Petraeus cares desperately about the feelings of his fellow elites but shows shocking disdain for the suffering of other human beings who are not so important. In early 2011 in Afghanistan, Petraeus shocked aides to then-President Hamid Karzai after many children were burned to death in a coalition attack in northeastern Afghanistan by suggesting that Afghan parents may have burned their own children to exaggerate their claims of civilian casualties and discredit the US, reported The Washington Post, citing two participants at the meeting. Killing 60 people, and then blaming the killing on those same people, rather than apologizing for any deaths? This is inhuman, one Afghan official said. This is a really terrible situation. Yet, on other occasions, the politically savvy Petraeus can be a paragon of sensitivity like when he is in danger of getting crosswise with the Israel Lobby. Never did Petraeuss fawning shine through with more brilliance, than when an (unintentionally disclosed) email exchange showed him groveling before arch-neocon Max Boot, beseeching Boots help in fending off charges that Petraeus was anti-Israel because his prepared testimony to a congressional committee included the no-brainer observations that Israeli-Palestinian hostility presents distinct challenges to our ability to advance our interests and that this conflict foments anti-American sentiment, due to a perception of US favoritism for Israel. Meanwhile, al-Qaeda and other militant groups exploit that anger to mobilize support. So, telling the truth (perhaps accidentally in prepared testimony) made Petraeus squirm with fear about offending the powerful Israel Lobby, but he apparently didnt hesitate to lie to FBI agents when he was caught in a tight spot for sharing highly sensitive intelligence with Paula Broadwell, his mistress/biographer. But, again, Petraeus realized that it helps to have influential friends. A court gave him a slap on the wrist with a sentence of two years probation and a fine of $100,000 which is less than he usually makes for a single speaking engagement. Military Incompetent Without Parallel And, if President-elect Trump isnt repulsed by the stench of hypocrisy if he ignores Petraeuss reckless handling of classified material after Trump lambasted Hillary Clinton for her own careless behavior in that regard there is also the grim truth behind Petraeuss glitzy image. As a military strategist or even a trainer of troops, Petraeus has been an unparalleled disaster. Yes, the corporate media always runs interference for Official Washingtons favorite general. But that does not equate with genuine success. The Iraq surge, which Petraeus oversaw, was misrepresented in the corporate media as a huge victory because it was credited with a brief dip in the level of violence at the cost of some 1,000 American lives (and those of many more Iraqis) but the surge failed its principal goal of buying time to heal the rift between Shiites and Sunnis, a division that ultimately led to the emergence of the Islamic State (or ISIS). Then, in early 2014, the crackerjack Iraqi troops whom Petraeus bragged about training ran away from Mosul, leaving their modern U.S.-provided weapons behind for the Islamic States jihadists to play with. In part because of that collapse with Iraqi forces only now beginning to chip away at ISIS control of Mosul the Obama administration was dragged into another Mideast war, spilling across Iraq and Syria and adding to the droves of refugees pouring into Europe, a crisis that is now destabilizing the European Union. You might have thought that the combination of military failures and scandalous behavior would have ended David Petraeuss government service, but he has never lost his skill at putting his finger to the wind. During the presidential campaign, the windsock Petraeus was circumspect, which was understandable given the uncertainty regarding which way the wind was blowing. However, on Sept. 1, 2015, amid calls from the mainstream US media and establishment think tanks for President Obama to escalate the US proxy war to overthrow the Syrian government, Petraeus spoke out in favor of giving more weapons to moderate Syrian rebels, despite the widespread recognition that U.S.-supplied guns and rockets were ending up in the hands of Al Qaedas Nusra Front. The new harebrained scheme favored by Petraeus and other neocons fantasized about Al Qaeda possibly joining the fight against the Islamic State, although ISIS sprang from Al Qaeda and splintered largely over tactical issues, such as how quickly to declare a jihadist state, not over fundamental fundamentalist goals. But more miscalculations in the Middle East would be right up Petraeuss alley. He played an important role in facilitating the emergence of the Islamic State by his too-clever-by-half policy of co-opting some Sunni tribes with promises of shared power in Baghdad and with lots of money, and then simply looking the other way as the U.S.-installed Shia government in Baghdad ditched the promises. Surge? Or Splurge With Lives The so-called surges of troops into Iraq and Afghanistan are particularly gross examples of the way American soldiers have been used as expendable pawns by ambitious generals like Petraeus and ambitious politicians like former Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The problem is that overweening personal ambition can end up getting a lot of people killed. In the speciously glorified first surge, President George W. Bush sent more than 30,000 additional troops into Iraq in early 2007. During the period of the surge, about 1,000 US troops died. There was a similar American death toll during President Barack Obamas surge of another 30,000 troops into Afghanistan in early 2010, a shift toward a counterinsurgency strategy that had been pressed on Obama by Petraeus, Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Despite the loss of those 1,000 additional US soldiers, the counterinsurgency surge had little effect on the course of the Afghan War. The bloody chaos that continues in Iraq today and in the never-ending war in Afghanistan was entirely predictable. Indeed, it was predicted by those of us able to spread some truth around via the Internet, while being blacklisted by the fawning corporate media, which cheered on the surges and their chief architect, David Petraeus. But the truth is not something that thrives in either US politics or media these days. Campaigning early this year in New Hampshire, then-presidential aspirant Jeb Bush gave a short partial-history lesson about his big brothers attack on Iraq. Referring to the so-called Islamic State, Bush said, ISIS didnt exist when my brother was president. Al Qaeda in Iraq was wiped out the surge created a fragile but stable Iraq. Jeb Bush is partially right about ISIS; it didnt exist when his brother George attacked Iraq. Indeed, Al Qaeda didnt exist in Iraq until after the US invasion when it emerged as Al Qaeda in Iraq and it wasnt eliminated by the surge. With huge sums of US cash going to Sunni tribes in Anbar province, Al Qaeda in Iraq just pulled back and regrouped. Its top leaders came from the ranks of angry Sunnis who had been officers in Saddam Husseins army and when the surge failed to achieve reconciliation between Sunnis and Shiites the US cash proved useful in expanding Sunni resistance to Baghdads Shiite government. From the failed surge strategy emerged the rebranded Al Qaeda in Iraq, the Islamic State. So, despite Jeb Bushs attempted spin, the reality is that his brothers aggressive war in Iraq created both Al Qaeda in Iraq and its new incarnation, Islamic State. The mess was made worse by subsequent US strategy beginning under Bush and expanding under President Obama of supporting insurgents in Syria. By supplying money, guns and rockets to moderate Sunni rebels, that strategy has allowed the materiel to quickly fall into the hands of Al Qaedas Syrian affiliate, Nusra Front, and its jihadist allies, Ahrar al-Sham. In other words, US strategy much of it guided by David Petraeus continues to strengthen Al Qaeda, which through its Nusra affiliate and its Islamic State spin-off now occupies large swaths of Iraq and Syria. Escaping a Lost War All this is among the fateful consequences of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq 13 years ago made worse (not better) by the surge in 2007, which contributed significantly to this decades Sunni-Shia violence. The real reason for Bushs surge seems to have been to buy time so that he and Vice President Dick Cheney could leave office without having a lost war on their resumes. As author Steve Coll has put it, The decision [to surge] at a minimum guaranteed that his [Bushs] presidency would not end with a defeat in historys eyes. By committing to the surge [the President] was certain to at least achieve a stalemate. According to Bob Woodward, Bush told key Republicans in late 2005 that he would not withdraw from Iraq, even if Laura and [first-dog] Barney are the only ones supporting me. Woodward made it clear that Bush was well aware in fall 2006 that the US was losing. Indeed, by fall 2006, it had become unavoidably clear that a new course had to be chosen and implemented in Iraq, and virtually every sober thinker seemed opposed to sending more troops. The senior military, especially CENTCOM commander Gen. John Abizaid and his man on the ground in Iraq, Gen. George Casey, emphasized that sending still more US troops to Iraq would simply reassure leading Iraqi politicians that they could relax and continue to take forever to get their act together. Here, for example, is Gen. Abizaids answer at the Senate Armed Services Committee on Nov. 15, 2006, to Sen. John McCain, who had long been pressing vigorously for sending 20,000 more troops to Iraq: Senator McCain, I met with every divisional commander, General Casey, the corps commander, General Dempsey, we all talked together. And I said, in your professional opinion, if we were to bring in more American troops now, does it add considerably to our ability to achieve success in Iraq? And they all said no. And the reason is because we want the Iraqis to do more. It is easy for the Iraqis to rely upon us do this work. I believe that more American forces prevent the Iraqis from doing more, from taking more responsibility for their own future. The US ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, sent a classified cable to Washington warning that proposals to send more US forces to Iraq would not produce a long-term solution and would make our policy less, not more, sustainable, according to a New York Times retrospective on the surge published on Aug. 31, 2008. Khalilzad was arguing, unsuccessfully, for authority to negotiate a political solution with the Iraqis. There was also the establishment-heavy Iraq Study Group, created by Congress and led by Republican stalwart James Baker and Democrat Lee Hamilton (with Robert Gates as a member although he quit before the review was competed). After months of policy review, the Iraq Study Group issued a final report on Dec. 6, 2006, that began with the ominous sentence The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating. It called for: A change in the primary mission of US Forces in Iraq that will enable the United States to begin to move its combat forces out of Iraq responsibly By the first quarter of 2008all combat brigades not necessary for force protection could be out of Iraq. Rumsfelds Known-Knowns The little-understood story behind Bushs decision to catapult Robert Gates into the post of Defense Secretary was the astonishing fact that Donald Rumsfeld, of all people, was pulling a Robert McNamara; that is, he was going wobbly on a war based largely on his own hubris-laden, misguided advice. In the fall of 2006 Rumsfeld was having a reality attack. In Rumsfeld-speak, he had come face to face with a known known. On Nov. 6, 2006, a day before the mid-term elections, Rumsfeld sent a memo to the White House, in which he acknowledged, Clearly, what US forces are currently doing in Iraq is not working well enough or fast enough. The rest of his memo sounded very much like the emerging troop-drawdown conclusions of the Iraq Study Group. The first 80 percent of Rumsfelds memo addressed Illustrative Options, including his preferred or above the line options such as an accelerated drawdown of US bases to five by July 2007 and withdrawal of US forces from vulnerable positions cities, patrolling, etc. so the Iraqis know they have to pull up their socks, step up and take responsibility for their country. Finally, Rumsfeld had begun to listen to his generals and others who knew which end was up.?The hurdle? Bush and Cheney were not about to follow Rumsfelds example in going wobbly. Like Robert McNamara at a similar juncture during Vietnam, Rumsfeld had to be let go before he caused a President to lose a war. Waiting in the wings, though, was Robert Gates, who had been CIA director under President George H. W. Bush, spent four years as president of Texas A&M, and had returned to the Washington stage as a member of the Iraq Study Group. While on the ISG, he evidenced no disagreement with its emerging conclusions at least not until Bush asked him to become Secretary of Defense in early November 2006. It was awkward. Right up to the week before the mid-term elections on Nov. 7, 2006, President Bush had insisted that he intended to keep Rumsfeld in place for the next two years. Suddenly, the President had to deal with Rumsfelds apostasy on Iraq. Rumsfeld had let reality get to him, together with the very strong anti-surge protestations by all senior uniformed officers save one the ambitious David Petraeus, who had jumped onboard for the surge escalation, which guaranteed another star on his lapel. All Hail Petraeus With the bemedaled Petraeus in the wings and guidance on strategy from arch-neocons, such as retired General Jack Keane and think-tank analyst Frederick Kagan, the White House completed the coup against the generals by replacing Rumsfeld with Gates and recalling Casey and Abizaid and elevating Petraeus. Amid the mainstream medias hosannas for Petraeus and Gates, the significance of the shakeup was widely misunderstood, with key senators, including Sen. Hillary Clinton, buying the false narrative that the changes presaged a drawdown in the war rather than an escalation. So relieved were the senators to be rid of the hated-but-feared Rumsfeld that the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Dec. 5, 2006, on Gatess nomination had the feel of a pajama party (I was there). Gates told them bedtime stories and vowed to show great deference to the judgment of generals. With unanimous Democratic support and only two conservative Republicans opposed, Gates was confirmed by the full Senate on Dec. 6, 2006. On Jan. 10, 2007, Bush formally unveiled the bait-and-switch, announcing the surge of 30,000 additional troops, a mission that would be overseen by Gates and Petraeus. Bush did acknowledge that there would be considerable loss of life in the year ahead as US troops were assigned to create enough stability for Iraqs Shiite and Sunni factions to reach an accommodation. At least, he got the loss-of-life part right. Around 1,000 US troops died during the surge along with many more Iraqis. But Bush, Cheney, Petraeus, and Gates apparently deemed that cost a small price to pay for enabling them to blame a successor administration for the inevitable withdrawal from Americas failed war of aggression. The gambit worked especially well for Gates and Petraeus. Amid glowing mainstream media press clippings about the successful surge and victory at last in Iraq, Gates was hailed as a new wise man and Petraeus was the military genius who pulled victory from the jaws of defeat. Their reputations were such that President Obama concluded that he had no choice but to keep them on, Gates as Defense Secretary and Petraeus as Obamas top general in the Middle East. Petraeus then oversaw the surge in Afghanistan and landed the job of CIA director, where Petraeus reportedly played a major role in arming up the Syrian rebels in pursuit of another regime change, this time in Syria. Although Petraeuss CIA tenure ended in disgrace in November 2012 when his dangerous liaison with Paula Broadwell was disclosed, his many allies in Official Washingtons powerful neocon community are now pushing him on President-elect Trump as the man to serve as Secretary of State. Petraeus is known as a master of flattery, something that seemingly can turn Trumps head. But the President-elect should have learned from his days hosting The Celebrity Apprentice that the winning contender should not be the one most adept at sucking up to the boss. (Now, with the whole Middle East in turmoil, I find some relief in this brief parody by comedienne Connie Bryan of Petraeuss performance in training Iraqi troops.) Ray McGovern works with Tell the Word, a publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in inner-city Washington. He was an Army infantry/intelligence officer and then as a CIA analyst for a total of 30 years, from the administration of John Kennedy to that of George H. W. Bush. He is co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS). The Constitution Is Our National Strategy By Bruce Fein December 01, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Washington Times " - Contrary to conventional wisdom (which is invariably wrong), the United States Constitution is the nations strategy for greatness. The strategy entails invincible self-defense; peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations; and, entangling alliances with none. At present, that strategy means returning our troops stationed abroad back to the United States to defend we the people, not foreigners whose loyalties lie elsewhere. It means repositioning all of our air and naval forces to defend we the people, not foreigners whose loyalties lie elsewhere. It means devoting our cyber warfare capabilities to defending we the people, not foreigners whose loyalties lie elsewhere. And it means renouncing all of our treaty commitments to defend other nations militarily without congressional declarations of war. Our national strategy of invincible self-defense; peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations; and, entangling alliances with none, finds expression not in the Constitutions text, but in its dispersal of power among the three branches. Institutions possess distinct personalities that transcend the personalities of the occupants of the offices. These institutional personalities determine policies within a very narrow range. The Constitution as our national strategy follows inexorably from its assignment of the war power exclusively to Congress, i.e., its prohibition of presidential wars. Article I, section 8, clause 11 empowers only the legislative branch to declare war. The Constitutions profound authors knew that Congress would be a talking shop. It would be highly risk-averse, like a dog that retreats to its kennel when danger appears. Members of Congress would have little to gain but much to lose politically by initiating war. No obelisk or monument had ever been constructed to honor a legislators vote for war. Legislative powers diminished during belligerency. And if the war ended in defeat or a truce because of the Presidents ineptitude as commander in chief or otherwise, Members would not be able to evade political responsibility. The Constitutions drafters knew to a virtual certainty that Congress would only declare war in response to actual or perceived aggression against the United States, i.e., only in self-defense. Indeed, during the drafting, debating, and ratification of the Constitution, no participant conceived that the war power would ever be exercised for preemptive, preventive, humanitarian, economic, democratizing or other non-self-defense objectives. History has vindicated the Constitutions conception of the congressional personality. In 227 years, Congress has declared war in only five conflicts, and only in response to actual or perceived aggression against the United States: the War of 1812; the Mexican-American War; the Spanish-American War; World War I; and, World War II. The Declare War Clause required Congress to decide whether to cross the Rubicon from peace to war. Congress could not escape its responsibility by delegating the decision to the President. The June 18, 1812 Declaration of War is exemplary. It provided: Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congress assembled, That war be and the same is hereby declared to exist between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the dependencies thereof, and the United States of America and their territories. The Constitutions national strategy of wars only in self-defense and declared by Congress is vastly superior to all the alternatives that have ever been conceived or attempted. War diverts invaluable genius and resources from production to killing, which is an economic deadweight. War crushes liberty and silences the law. War breeds secrecy, which fathers fraud, waste, abuse, and crime. War subordinates civilian supremacy to tenuous claims of military necessity. War makes killings legal that would customarily be punished as first-degree murder. War makes children orphans and wives widows. War causes courageous soldiers to be slaughtered and maimed. It causes taxes to be raised or money to be borrowed to finance the war machine. Abraham Lincoln elaborated: The provision of the Constitution giving the war making power to Congress was dictatedby the following reasons: kings had always been involving and impoverishing their people in wars, pretending generally, if not always, that the good of the people was the object. This our convention understood to be the most oppressive of all kingly oppressions, and they resolved to so frame the Constitution that no one man should hold the power of bringing this oppression upon us. Lincoln was echoing James Madison, father of the Constitution, who had lettered Thomas Jefferson: The constitution supposes, what the History of all Govts demonstrates, that the Ex. is the branch of power most interested in war, & most prone to it. It has accordingly with studied care, vested the question of war in the Legisl. But the Doctrines lately advanced strike at the root of all these provisions, and will deposit the peace of the Country in that Department which the Constitution distrusts as most ready without cause to renounce it. Mr. Jefferson agreed in a letter to Mr. Madison: We have already given in example one effectual check to the Dog of war by transferring the power of letting him loose from the Executive to the Legislative body, from those who are to spend to those who are to pay. James Wilson, delegate to the constitutional convention and future Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, similarly understood that depositing the war power with Congress would be the death knell to gratuitous wars. He informed the Pennsylvania Ratification Convention: This system will not hurry us into war; it is calculated to guard against it. It will not be in the power of a single man, or a single body of men, to involve us in such distress, for the important power of declaring war is vested in the legislature at large; this declaration must be made with the concurrence of the House of Representatives; from this circumstance we may draw a certain conclusion, that nothing but our national interest can draw us into a war. The United States generally followed the Constitutions national strategy for a century. We astonished the world with our vertical climb in riches and prosperity by devoting our energies and talents to making money in lieu of making war. We proved the prescience of Adam Smiths instruction: Little else is requisite to carry a state to the highest degree of opulence from the lowest barbarism, but peace, easy taxes, and a tolerable administration of justice: all the rest being brought about by the natural course of things. But after a century, we lost our way. We were misled by the intellectual delusions and messianic ambitions of Woodrow Wilson and the rebarbative apotheosis of war and killing by Theodore Roosevelt. The former coveted war to transform the world into Camelot. The latter barked that,[i]f there is not the war, you dont get the great general; if there is not a great occasion, you dont get a great statesman; if Lincoln had lived in a time of peace, no one would have known his name. As President and commander in chief, Roosevelt warred against Filipinos fighting for self-determination in the aftermath of the Spanish-American war by employing waterboarding and perpetrating mass atrocities. The United States Senate Investigating Committee on the Philippines meticulously documented the grisly war tactics that flourished under President Roosevelt. We ignored the warning of Secretary of State John Quincy Adams on July 4, 1821, that we could become dictatress of the world, but if we did, our policy would degenerate from liberty to coercion and domination, and we would plunge from light to darkness. We have come full circle from fighting the empire ambitions of British King George III to embracing them. We have become the chosen people of the Old Testament bent on destroying modern counterparts of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Rephaims, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, the Jebusites, the Perizzites, the Ammonites, the Amalekites, and the Philistines. To recapture our former greatness and prosperity attained by a national strategy of invincible self-defense; peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations; and, entangling alliances with none, we need only to follow the Constitutions entrustment of decisions on war or peace exclusively to Congress. The Constitutions authors were intellectual and philosophical giants that have never been equaled. In comparison, todays leaders are pygmies. Should we follow the giants or the pygmies? Bruce Fein (born March 12, 1947) is an American lawyer who specializes in constitutional and international law. Copyright 2016 The Washington Times, LLC Leaves of a mature marijuana plant are seenin a display at The International Cannabis and Hemp Expo April 18, 2010 at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California. (Photo : Getty Images/Justin Sullivan) Home to over 36 million people and a global destination for tourists around the world, California has legalized recreational marijuana use a day after the recently concluded elections in the United States. California voters approved the marijuana legalization with a vote margin of 56 percent to 44 percent, making it the fifth state in the U.S. to legalize recreational marijuana use, 20 years after it legalized medical marijuana. Advertisement Washington was the very first state to legalize recreational marijuana use in Dec. 6, 2012. It was followed suit by Colorado six days after. Alaska, the third state to legalize Cannabis did so in Feb. 14, 2014. Oregon did the same thing a few months later on July 1 of the same year. Two other states, Arizona and Maine, who voted on the same day as California last Nov. 9, ended up voting against recreational marijuana use, The New York Times reported. The legalization of recreational marijuana is no longer surprising to many Americans, but in general, it is still considered intolerable to the majority of states in the U.S. The implications of the recreational use of marijuana is that it can now be consumed like a bottle of wine in California. "First the bad news," Amanda Reiman, Drug Policy Alliance manager said in an interview with Time. "There aren't any adult-use pot shops yet, and you can't just walk into a medical dispensary without a patient card and start buying up brownies." According to Reiman, adults 21 and above can now possess, use and even share cannabis. Moreover, California dwellers can now grow them at home. When asked where people should buy marijuana for recreational use, she said, "You cannot legally buy a marijuana plant, but someone can give you one. There could be a whole sharing economy that emerges," Reiman said. She made it clear, however, that there shouldn't be any money involved in the exchange of cannabis plants. For instance, someone who is already growing a cannabis plant can only share the bud with a friend, but not sell it. Reiman also emphasized that the growing of Cannabis plants must be done in a "fully enclosed and secure" way to avoid attracting robbers. As for being able to buy it from a store, California will start issuing licenses to "pot shops" beginning Jan. 1, 2018. Here is a news clip on the recent legalization of recreational marijuana use in California: What Can Go Wrong? By William Blum December 01, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - That he may not be qualified is unimportant. That hes never held a government or elected position is unimportant. That on a personal level he may be a shmuck is unimportant. What counts to me mainly at this early stage is that he as opposed to dear Hillary is unlikely to start a war against Russia. His questioning of the absolute sacredness of NATO, calling it obsolete, and his meeting with Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, an outspoken critic of US regime-change policy, specifically Syria, are encouraging signs. Even more so is his appointment of General Michael Flynn as National Security Adviser. Flynn dined last year in Moscow with Vladimir Putin at a gala celebrating RT (Russia Today), the Russian states English-language, leftist-leaning TV channel. Flynn now carries the stigma in the American media as an individual who does not see Russia or Putin as the devil. It is truly remarkable how nonchalantly American journalists can look upon the possibility of a war with Russia, even a nuclear war. (I can now expect a barrage of emails from my excessively politically-correct readers about Flynns alleged anti-Islam side. But that, even if true, is irrelevant to this discussion of avoiding a war with Russia.) I think American influence under Trump could also inspire a solution to the bloody Russia-Ukraine crisis, which is the result of the US overthrow of the democratically-elected Ukrainian government in 2014 to further advance the US/NATO surrounding of Russia; after which he could end the US-imposed sanctions against Russia, which hardly anyone in Europe benefits from or wants; and then finally! an end to the embargo against Cuba. What a day for celebration that will be! Too bad that Fidel wont be around to enjoy it. We may have other days of celebration if Trump pardons or in some other manner frees Chelsea Manning, Julian Assange, and/or Edward Snowden. Neither Barack Obama nor Hillary Clinton would do this, but I think theres at least a chance with the Donald. And those three heroes may now enjoy feeling at least a modicum of hope. Picture a meeting of them all together on some future marvelous day with you watching it on a video. Trump will also probably not hold back on military actions against radical Islam because of any fear of being called anti-Islam. Hes repulsed enough by ISIS to want to destroy them, something that cant always be said about Mr. Obama. International trade deals, written by corporate lawyers for the benefit of their bosses, with little concern about the rest of us, may have rougher sailing in the Trump White House than is usually the case with such deals. The mainstream critics of Trump foreign policy should be embarrassed, even humbled, by what they supported in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria. Instead, what bothers them about the president-elect is his lack of desire to make the rest of the world in Americas image. He appears rather to be more concerned with the world not making America in its image. In the latest chapter of Alice in Trumpland he now says that he does not plan to prosecute Hillary Clinton, that he has an open mind about a climate-change accord from which he had vowed to withdraw the United States, and that hes no longer certain that torturing terrorism suspects is a good idea. So whatever fears you may have about certain of his expressed weird policies just wait they may fall by the wayside just as easily; although I still think that on a personal level hes a [two-syllable word: first syllable is a synonym for a donkey; second syllable means an opening] Trumps apparently deep-seated need for approval may continue to succumb poorly to widespread criticism and protests. Poor little Donald so powerful yet so vulnerable. The Trump dilemma, as well as the whole Hillary Clinton mess, could have probably been avoided if Bernie Sanders had been nominated. That large historical if is almost on a par with the Democrats choosing Harry Truman to replace Henry Wallace in 1944 as the ailing Roosevelts vice-president. Truman brought us a charming little thing called the Cold War, which in turn gave us McCarthyism. But Wallace, like Sanders, was just a little too damn leftist for the refined Democratic Party bosses. State-owned media: The good, the bad, and the ugly On November 16, at a State Department press briefing, department spokesperson John Kirby was having one of his frequent adversarial dialogues with Gayane Chichakyan, a reporter for RT (Russia Today); this time concerning US charges of Russia bombing hospitals in Syria and blocking the UN from delivering aid to the trapped population. When Chichakyan asked for some detail about these charges, Kirby replied: Why dont you ask your defense ministry? GK: Do you can you give any specific information on when Russia or the Syrian Government blocked the UN from delivering aid? Just any specific information. KIRBY: There hasnt been any aid delivered in the last month. GK: And you believe it was blocked exclusively by Russia and the Syrian Government? KIRBY: Theres no question in our mind that the obstruction is coming from the regime and from Russia. No question at all. MATTHEW LEE (Associated Press): Let me - hold on, just let me say: Please be careful about saying your defense minister and things like that. I mean, shes a journalist just like the rest of us are, so its - shes asking pointed questions, but theyre not KIRBY: From a state-owned - from a state-owned LEE: But theyre not KIRBY: From a state-owned outlet, Matt. LEE: But theyre not KIRBY: From a state-owned outlet thats not independent. LEE: The questions that shes asking are not out of line. KIRBY: I didnt say the questions were out of line. KIRBY: Im sorry, but Im not going to put Russia Today on the same level with the rest of you who are representing independent media outlets. One has to wonder if State Department spokesperson Kirby knows that in 2011 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking about RT, declared: The Russians have opened an English-language network. Ive seen it in a few countries, and it is quite instructive. I also wonder how Mr. Kirby deals with reporters from the BBC, a STATE-OWNED television and radio entity in the UK, broadcasting in the US and all around the world. Or the state-owned Australian Broadcasting Corporation, described by Wikipedia as follows: The corporation provides television, radio, online and mobile services throughout metropolitan and regional Australia, as well as overseas and is well regarded for quality and reliability as well as for offering educational and cultural programming that the commercial sector would be unlikely to supply on its own. Theres also Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, Radio Liberty (Central/Eastern Europe), and Radio Marti (Cuba); all (US) state-owned, none independent, but all deemed worthy enough by the United States to feed to the world. And lets not forget what Americans have at home: PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) and NPR (National Public Radio), which would have a near-impossible time surviving without large federal government grants. How independent does this leave them? Has either broadcaster ever unequivocally opposed a modern American war? Theres good reason NPR has long been known as National Pentagon Radio. But its part of American medias ideology to pretend that it doesnt have any ideology. As to the non-state American media There are about 1400 daily newspapers in the United States. Can you name a single paper, or a single TV network, that was unequivocally opposed to the American wars carried out against Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, Panama, Grenada, and Vietnam while they were happening, or shortly thereafter? Or even opposed to any two of these seven wars? How about one? In 1968, six years into the Vietnam war, the Boston Globe (February 18, 1968) surveyed the editorial positions of 39 leading US papers concerning the war and found that none advocated a pull-out. Has the phrase invasion of Vietnam ever appeared in the US mainstream media? In 2003, leading cable station MSNBC took the much-admired Phil Donahue off the air because of his opposition to the calls for war in Iraq. Mr. Kirby would undoubtedly call MSNBC independent. If the American mainstream media were officially state-controlled, would they look or sound significantly different when it comes to US foreign policy? Soviet observation: The only difference between your propaganda and our propaganda is that you believe yours. On November 25, the Washington Post ran an article entitled: Research ties fake news to Russia. Its all about how sources in Russia are flooding American media and the Internet with phoney stories designed as part of a broadly effective strategy of sowing distrust in U.S. democracy and its leaders. The sophistication of the Russian tactics, the article says, may complicate efforts by Facebook and Google to crack down on fake news. The Post states that the Russian tactics included penetrating the computers of election officials in several states and releasing troves of hacked emails that embarrassed Clinton in the final months of her campaign. (Heretofore this had been credited to Wikileaks.) The story is simply bursting with anti-Russian references: An online magazine header Trolling for Trump: How Russia Is Trying to Destroy Our Democracy. the startling reach and effectiveness of Russian propaganda campaigns. more than 200 websites as routine peddlers of Russian propaganda during the election season. stories planted or promoted by the disinformation campaign were viewed more than 213 million times. The Russian campaign during this election season worked by harnessing the online worlds fascination with buzzy content that is surprising and emotionally potent, and tracks with popular conspiracy theories about how secret forces dictate world events. Russian-backed phony news to outcompete traditional news organizations for audience They use our technologies and values against us to sow doubt. Its starting to undermine our democratic system. Russian propaganda operations also worked to promote the Brexit departure of Britain from the European Union. Some of these stories originated with RT and Sputnik, state-funded Russian information services that mimic the style and tone of independent news organizations yet sometimes include false and misleading stories in their reports. a variety of other false stories fake reports of a coup launched at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey and stories about how the United States was going to conduct a military attack and blame it on Russia A former US ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, is quoted saying he was struck by the overt support that Sputnik expressed for Trump during the campaign, even using the #CrookedHillary hashtag pushed by the candidate. McFaul said Russian propaganda typically is aimed at weakening opponents and critics. They dont try to win the argument. Its to make everything seem relative. Its kind of an appeal to cynicism. [Cynicism? Heavens! What will those Moscow fascists/communists think of next?] The Post did, however, include the following: RT disputed the findings of the researchers in an e-mail on Friday, saying it played no role in producing or amplifying any fake news stories related to the U.S. election. RT was quoted: It is the height of irony that an article about fake news is built on false, unsubstantiated claims. RT adamantly rejects any and all claims and insinuations that the network has originated even a single fake story related to the US election. It must be noted that the Washington Post article fails to provide a single example showing how the actual facts of a specific news event were rewritten or distorted by a Russian agency to produce a news event with a contrary political message. What then lies behind such blatant anti-Russian propaganda? In the new Cold War such a question requires no answer. The new Cold War by definition exists to discredit Russia simply because it stands in the way of American world domination. In the new Cold War the political spectrum in the mainstream media runs the gamut from A to B. Cuba, Fidel, Socialism Hasta la victoria siempre! The most frequent comment Ive read in the mainstream media concerning Fidel Castros death is that he was a dictator; almost every heading bore that word. Since the 1959 revolution, the American mainstream media has routinely referred to Cuba as a dictatorship. But just what does Cuba do or lack that makes it a dictatorship? No free press? Apart from the question of how free Western media is (see the preceding essays), if thats to be the standard, what would happen if Cuba announced that from now on anyone in the country could own any kind of media? How long would it be before CIA money secret and unlimited CIA money financing all kinds of fronts in Cuba would own or control almost all the media worth owning or controlling? Is it free elections that Cuba lacks? They regularly have elections at municipal, regional and national levels. They do not have direct election of the president, but neither do Germany or the United Kingdom and many other countries. The Cuban president is chosen by the parliament, The National Assembly of Peoples Power. Money plays virtually no role in these elections; neither does party politics, including the Communist Party, since all candidates run as individuals. Again, what is the standard by which Cuban elections are to be judged? Is it that they dont have private corporations to pour in a billion dollars? Most Americans, if they gave it any thought, might find it difficult to even imagine what a free and democratic election, without great concentrations of corporate money, would look like, or how it would operate. Would Ralph Nader finally be able to get on all 50 state ballots, take part in national television debates, and be able to match the two monopoly parties in media advertising? If that were the case, I think hed probably win; which is why its not the case. Or perhaps what Cuba lacks is our marvelous electoral college system, where the presidential candidate with the most votes is not necessarily the winner. Did we need the latest example of this travesty of democracy to convince us to finally get rid of it? If we really think this system is a good example of democracy why dont we use it for local and state elections as well? Is Cuba a dictatorship because it arrests dissidents? Many thousands of anti-war and other protesters have been arrested in the United States in recent years, as in every period in American history. During the Occupy Movement of five years ago more than 7,000 people were arrested, many beaten by police and mistreated while in custody. And remember: The United States is to the Cuban government like al Qaeda is to Washington, only much more powerful and much closer; virtually without exception, Cuban dissidents have been financed by and aided in other ways by the United States. Would Washington ignore a group of Americans receiving funds from al Qaeda and engaging in repeated meetings with known members of that organization? In recent years the United States has arrested a great many people in the US and abroad solely on the basis of alleged ties to al Qaeda, with a lot less evidence to go by than Cuba has had with its dissidents ties to the United States. Virtually all of Cubas political prisoners are such dissidents. While others may call Cubas security policies dictatorship, I call it self-defense. William Blum is an author, historian, and renowned critic of U.S. foreign policy. He is the author of Killing Hope: U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II and Rogue State: A Guide to the Worlds Only Superpower, among others. williamblum.org The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy. Why Chomsky and Zizek are Wrong on the US Elections Chomsky and Zizek clashed on voting in the US elections, but the views of both are critically flawed. By Hamid Dabashi December 01, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Al Jazeera " - The torturous course and calamitous consequence of the 2016 United States presidential election is bound to sustain a critical course of reflections for quite some time to come - and quite rightly so. The disproportionately dangerous power of the occupant of the White House and the fact that the peace and sanity of the world at large is very much contingent on a reasonable and sane person to occupy that office requires continued reflections on what is happening in this country and its perilously volatile political culture. In two consecutive conversations with Al Jazeera's Mehdi Hasan, two prominent critical thinkers with a global audience have reflected closely on their respective views on the course and consequence of this presidential election. In a conversation with British Channel 4 aired just before the US election Slavoj Zizek had said he would vote for Trump, for "it will be a kind of big awakening. New political processes will be set in motion," a point he reiterated later after the election in his interview with Mehdi Hasan. On the opposite side, the distinguished American linguist and critical thinker Noam Chomsky restated his pre-election position in a conversation with Hassan and famously said leftists who didn't vote for Hillary Clinton to block Trump "made a bad mistake". Chomsky then targeted Zizek and compared him with those intellectuals who had welcomed Hitler. Whereas in his pre-election position Chomsky had wisely encouraged voting for Clinton in "swing states", in his post-election Al Jazeera interview he evidently dispensed with any such stipulation and categorically denounced those who had not voted for Clinton as immoral. Arcane views collide To be sure, both Zizek and Chomsky were and remain highly critical of Clinton. However, the former thinks voting for Trump would expedite the necessary changes he as a leftist yearns for, while Chomsky believes such acts, or even not voting for Clinton, let alone voting for Trump, would be morally reprehensible and politically flawed, for one should always opt for "lesser of two evils". Both these positions are politically flawed and misguided, morally obtuse and insular, both entirely oblivious of what actually has happened in this presidential election. The fact is that the American political culture today has reached an historic crossroads where the crude cosmetic liberalism of the deeply corrupt Democratic Party must either be swept away to clear the way for far more radical changes offered by Bernie Sanders and Jill Stein or else the proto-fascism of Trump will destroy any semblance of democracy left in this country. While it is neither surprising nor strange why Zizek is entirely oblivious to such facts, it is both curious and disappointing that Chomsky does not see this, even after the calamitous results of this election are clear for all to see. In the encounter between Zizek and Chomsky, as a result, we have two opposing but equally stale and arcane views: one is to vote for Trump while the other is to vote for Clinton. One is meant irresponsibly to stir things up, hoping they might get better, and the other equally irresponsibly meant to sustain the status quo for fear of fascism - both out to lunch as to the factual evidence that people have either made a judicious decision to vote for Clinton in "swing states" and refrain from voting for that corrupt warmonger in solidly "blue states", or else voted for Trump not because they are necessarily illiterate racists but to throw a monkey wrench at a deeply corrupt and heartless system that the flawed logic of "lesser evil" has historically sustained. The choice of not voting for Clinton, which I among millions of other Sanders' supporters made, was not out of any political piety to refrain from getting my hands dirty but to help put the factual evidence of a changing political culture electorally on the map. My not voting for Clinton in New York did not cost her anything - she won New York and all its electoral college counts. But it did deny her diehard supporters from counting me among her "popular vote" and thus sustain their dangerous delusion that she is really a very popular politician or that the majority of American people are really on her side, as diehard liberal supporters of the nefarious Islamophobe Bill Maher such as Michael Moore is doing as I write. Immoral choices meet abstract politics In opting for Clinton or Trump, Chomsky and Zizek both avoid the crucial question of actual voters and how and why they voted the way they did, and are fixated on the abstract illusion of being on the left or right side of a vacuous argument. Contrary to Chomsky's high moral horse, it is immoral to vote for a corrupt warmonger who is partially responsible for a pernicious war that has destroyed the entire nation-state of Iraq and murdered hundreds of thousands of innocent human beings, a close partner of Barack Obama in the nearly total destruction of Libya, and deeply in the pocket of the notorious Zionist billionaire supporter of racially profiling Muslims, Haim Saban, and therefore the closest bosom buddy of the nefarious Benjamin Netanyahu, and who as a result even more adamantly than Chomsky himself is dead against BDS, a peaceful act of civil disobedience against the murderous occupiers of Palestine. From the comfort of an armchair in front of Mehdi Hasan it is of course easy to moralise about the lesser or greater evil. But not if you are at the receiving end of the US or Israeli military rage. "In Gaza, we aren't mourning Clinton's loss," rightly declares Yasmeen El Khoudary, a Palestinian from Gaza, and yet the august thinkers on either side of the Atlantic, too preoccupied with navel-gazing on who is more "left" in their own estimations, wonder why. "Hereby, I dedicate Trump's victory to every democracy-loving American senator ... who gambled with our lives and futures in order to win more AIPAC votes." Shall we not add to the list of dedications that El Khoudary names critical thinkers on whose moral maps Palestine and the rest of the world do not appear when commanding us to choose between the lesser of two evils? Closer to home But we need not go all the way to Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, or Libya to see the absurdity of "the lesser of two evils" argument. Right here in the US far superior, far more critically intelligent, were positions beautifully articulated by towering critical thinkers such as Eddie S Glaude Jr, the chair of the Department of African-American Studies at Princeton University. Glaude's argument was simple and principled: "Perhaps the most persuasive reason to vote for Hillary Clinton is Donald Trump. Trump is worse. I know that. The prospects of a Trump presidency - what would be a deadly combination of arrogance and ignorance - ought to frighten anyone. It frightens me. But my daddy, a gruff man who has lived all of his life on the coast of Mississippi, taught me that fear should never be the primary motivation of my actions. It clouds your thinking, and all too often sends you running to either safe ground when something more daring is required, or smack into the danger itself." If we do not heed the warnings of people such as El Khoudary and Glaude, those who write from experience and pain, not from useless speculations, and through them come to terms with the seismic changes now running amok in the US and around the globe, then the calamitous neoliberalism Chomsky scolds us to choose will surely end up with the neoconservative fascism that Zizek is wishing upon us all. Hamid Dabashi is Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in New York. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy. Foreclosure King For Treasury By Sarah Anderson December 01, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " HP " - Donald Trumps pick for Treasury Secretary has sparked rave responses from Wall Street lobbyists but a firestorm from public interest groups. Steve Mnuchin is a Wall Street insider, a 17-year-veteran of Goldman Sachs, and currently the head of the hedge fund Dune Capital Management. The Financial Services Roundtable, a Wall Street lobby group, was quick to praise Trumps choice. Steve is a seasoned and results-oriented leader who is really smart, interested in public policy, and understands the urgent need to boost economic growth and opportunity, the groups leader, Tim Pawlenty, said in a statement. Mnuchin may be a leader who gets results, but they are not exactly the results we need if were to reverse extreme inequality. Alys Cohen, an attorney with the National Consumer Law Center, responded to Trumps choice by pointing out that Mnuchin has a track record of profiting by foreclosing on older homeowners and homeowners in communities of color. Hedge Clippers, a campaign to reduce the undue political influence of private investment fund managers, documented this disturbing part of Mnuchins past in a report released prior to the election. A major focus is Dune Capitals ownership of OneWest Bank, one of the major villains in Californias foreclosure crisis. Mnuchin served as the banks chair from 2009 to 2015. During this period, OneWest foreclosed on more than 36,000 families. According to the California Reinvestment Coalition, 68 percent of these foreclosures occurred in zip codes with a majority non-white population and 35 percent were in zip codes where the non-white population was more than 75 percent of the total population. According to the Hedge Clippers report, OneWest was also notorious for engaging in predatory practices, including robo-signing of loan agreements and pushing reverse mortgages on older Americans. The coalition Americans for Financial Reform is ringing alarm bells about a bill the House of Representatives is expected to consider any day now that would further enrich Mnuchin. In a letter to members of Congress, AFR charged that H.R. 6392, the Systemic Risk Designation Improvement Act of 2016, would increase the likelihood of bank failures by loosening financial regulations on financial institutions that have assets of more than $50 billion but are not among the eight largest U.S. banks. One bank that happens to fit into that category is CIT. The bank topped the $50 billion threshold only recently after purchasing another bank Mnuchins infamous OneWest. The expected Treasury nominee, who could soon be in a position to make major decisions regarding banking regulation, sits on CITs board of directors. At the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Chuck Marr was quick to rebut a statement by Mnuchin on CNBC this morning regarding tax policy, which also comes under the purview of the Treasury Secretary. In response to concerns about Trumps proposals to slash taxes on the wealthy, Mnuchin claimed on air that these cuts would be offset by new restrictions on deductions. Marr pointed out that this assertion is completely at odds with the tax plan that Trump announced during the campaign. While Trump is in favor of some limits on itemized deductions for high-income taxpayers (to $100,000 for individuals, $200,000 for joint filers), Marr says his proposed tax cuts would far outweigh these limits. Frank Clemente, head of the coalition Americans for Tax Fairness, piled on to say that Mnuchin is simply the wrong choice for Treasury. Strong proactive leadership in the Treasury Department is necessary to challenge wealthy special interests that seek to preserve or expand tax loopholes and subsidies, Clemente said. The Treasury secretary must stand for a fairer, more inclusive economy, not one that only works for those already at the top. Steven Mnuchins history indicates he will do the opposite. In his response to Trumps choice, Public Citizen President Rob Weissman zeroed in on the president-elects hypocrisy. Just this past August, Weissman pointed out, Trump declared that We cant fix a rigged system by relying on the people who rigged it in the first place. By tapping Mnuchin for Treasury, Weissman says its obvious that weve been had. Say goodbye to the candidate who promised to fix a rigged economic and political system. And say hello to the incoming president intent on turning over the machinery of government to the corporate elite against whom he railed just a few short months ago. The Orwellian War Against Skepticism Official Washingtons rush into an Orwellian future is well underway as political and media bigwigs move to silence Internet voices of independence and dissent. By Robert Parry December 01, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Consortium News " - Under the cover of battling fake news, the mainstream U.S. news media and officialdom are taking aim at journalistic skepticism when it is directed at the pronouncements of the U.S. government and its allies. One might have hoped that the alarm about fake news would remind major U.S. news outlets, such as The Washington Post and The New York Times, about the value of journalistic skepticism. However, instead, it seems to have done the opposite. The idea of questioning the claims by the Wests officialdom now brings calumny down upon the heads of those who dare do it. Truth is being redefined as whatever the U.S. government, NATO and other Western interests say is true. Disagreement with the Wests group thinks, no matter how fact-based the dissent is, becomes fake news. So, we have the case of Washington Post columnist David Ignatius having a starry-eyed interview with Richard Stengel, the State Departments Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy, the principal arm of U.S. government propaganda. Entitled The truth is losing, the column laments that the official narratives as deigned by the State Department and The Washington Post are losing traction with Americans and the worlds public. Stengel, a former managing editor at Time magazine, seems to take aim at Russias RT networks slogan, question more, as some sinister message seeking to inject cynicism toward the Wests official narratives. Theyre not trying to say that their version of events is the true one. Theyre saying: Everybodys lying! Nobodys telling you the truth!, Stengel said. They dont have a candidate, per se. But they want to undermine faith in democracy, faith in the West. No Evidence Typical of these recent mainstream tirades about this vague Russian menace, Ignatiuss column doesnt provide any specifics regarding how RT and other Russian media outlets are carrying out this assault on the purity of Western information. Its enough to just toss around pejorative phrases supporting an Orwellian solution, which is to stamp out or marginalize alternative and independent journalism, not just Russian. Ignatius writes: Stengel poses an urgent question for journalists, technologists and, more broadly, everyone living in free societies or aspiring to do so. How do we protect the essential resource of democracy the truth from the toxin of lies that surrounds it? Its like a virus or food poisoning. It needs to be controlled. But how? Stengel argues that the U.S. government should sometimes protect citizens by exposing weaponized information, false information that is polluting the ecosystem. But ultimately, the defense of truth must be independent of a government that many people mistrust. There are inherent dangers in having the government be the verifier of last resort, he argues. By the way, Stengel is not the fount of truth-telling, as he and Ignatius like to pretend. Early in the Ukraine crisis, Stengel delivered a rant against RT that was full of inaccuracies or what you might call fake news. Yet, what Stengel and various mainstream media outlets appear to be arguing for is the creation of a Ministry of Truth managed by mainstream U.S. media outlets and enforced by Google, Facebook and other technology platforms. In other words, once these supposedly responsible outlets decide what the truth is, then questioning that narrative will earn you virtual expulsion from the marketplace of ideas, possibly eliminated via algorithms of major search engines or marked with a special app to warn readers not to believe what you say, a sort of yellow Star of David for the Internet age. And then theres the possibility of more direct (and old-fashioned) government enforcement by launching FBI investigations into media outlets that wont toe the official line. (All of these solutions have been advocated in recent weeks.) On the other hand, if you do toe the official line that comes from Stengels public diplomacy shop, you stand to get rewarded with government financial support. Stengel disclosed in his interview with Ignatius that his office funds investigative journalism projects. How should citizens who want a fact-based world combat this assault on truth? Ignatius asks, adding: Stengel has approved State Department programs that teach investigative reporting and empower truth-tellers. Buying Propaganda After reading Ignatiuss column on Wednesday, I submitted a question to the State Department asking for details on this journalism and truth-telling funding that is coming from the U.S. governments top propaganda shop, but I have not received an answer. But we do know that the U.S. government has been investing tens of millions of dollars in various media programs to undergird Washingtons desired narratives. For instance, in May 2015, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) issued a fact sheet summarizing its work financing friendly journalists around the world, including journalism education, media business development, capacity building for supportive institutions, and strengthening legal-regulatory environments for free media. USAID estimated its budget for media strengthening programs in over 30 countries at $40 million annually, including aiding independent media organizations and bloggers in over a dozen countries, In Ukraine before the 2014 coup ousting elected President Viktor Yanukovych and installing a fiercely anti-Russian and U.S.-backed regime, USAID offered training in mobile phone and website security, skills that would have been quite helpful to the coup plotters. USAID, working with currency speculator George Soross Open Society, also has funded the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, which engages in investigative journalism that usually goes after governments that have fallen into disfavor with the United States and then are singled out for accusations of corruption. The USAID-funded OCCRP collaborates with Bellingcat, an online investigative website founded by blogger Eliot Higgins. Higgins has spread misinformation on the Internet, including discredited claims implicating the Syrian government in the sarin attack in 2013 and directing an Australian TV news crew to what appeared to be the wrong location for a video of a BUK anti-aircraft battery as it supposedly made its getaway to Russia after the shoot-down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2014. Despite his dubious record of accuracy, Higgins has gained mainstream acclaim, in part, because his findings always match up with the propaganda theme that the U.S. government and its Western allies are peddling. Higgins is now associated with the Atlantic Council, a pro-NATO think tank which is partially funded by the U.S. State Department. Beyond funding from the State Department and USAID, tens of millions of dollars more are flowing through the U.S.-government-funded National Endowment for Democracy, which was started in 1983 under the guiding hand of CIA Director William Casey. NED became a slush fund to help finance what became known, inside the Reagan administration, as perception management, the art of controlling the perceptions of domestic and foreign populations. The Emergence of StratCom Last year, as the New Cold War heated up, NATO created the Strategic Communications Command in Latvia to further wage information warfare against Russia and individuals who were contesting the Wests narratives. As veteran war correspondent Don North reported in 2015 regarding this new StratCom, the U.S. government has come to view the control and manipulation of information as a soft power weapon, merging psychological operations, propaganda and public affairs under the catch phrase strategic communications. This attitude has led to treating psy-ops manipulative techniques for influencing a target populations state of mind and surreptitiously shaping peoples perceptions as just a normal part of U.S. and NATOs information policy. Now, the European Parliament and the U.S. Congress are moving to up the ante, passing new legislation to escalate information warfare. On Wednesday, U.S. congressional negotiators approved $160 million to combat what they deem foreign propaganda and the alleged Russian campaign to spread fake news. The measure is part of the National Defense Authorization Act and gives the State Department the power to identify propaganda and counter it. This bipartisan stampede into an Orwellian future for the American people and the worlds population follows a shoddily sourced Washington Post article that relied on a new anonymous group that identified some 200 Internet sites, including some of the most prominent American independent sources of news, as part of a Russian propaganda network. Typical of this new McCarthyism, the report lacked evidence that any such network actually exists but instead targeted cases where American journalists expressed skepticism about claims from Western officialdom. Consortiumnews.com was included on the list apparently because we have critically analyzed some of the claims and allegations regarding the crises in Syria and Ukraine, rather than simply accept the dominant Western group thinks. Also on the black list were such quality journalism sites as Counterpunch, Truth-out, Truthdig, Naked Capitalism and ZeroHedge along with many political sites ranging across the ideological spectrum. The Fake-News Express Normally such an unfounded conspiracy theory would be ignored, but because The Washington Post treated the incredible allegations as credible the smear has taken on a life of its own, reprised by cable networks and republished by major newspapers. But the unpleasant truth is that the mainstream U.S. news media is now engaged in its own fake-news campaign about fake news. Its publishing bogus claims invented by a disreputable and secretive outfit that just recently popped up on the Internet. If that isnt fake news, I dont know what is. Yet, despite the Posts clear violations of normal journalistic practices, surely, no one there will pay a price, anymore than there was accountability for the Post reporting as flat fact that Iraq was hiding WMD in 2002-2003. Fred Hiatt, the editorial-page editor most responsible for that catastrophic group think, is still in the same job today. Two nights ago, MSNBCs Chris Matthews featured the spurious Washington Post article in a segment that like similar rehashes didnt bother to get responses from the journalists being slandered. I found that ironic since Matthews repeatedly scolds journalists for their failure to look skeptically at U.S. government claims about Iraq possessing WMD as justification for the disastrous Iraq War. However, now Matthews joins in smearing journalists who have applied skepticism to U.S. and Western propaganda claims about Syria and/or Ukraine. While the U.S. Congress and the European Parliament begin to take action to shut down or isolate dissident sources of information all in the name of democracy a potentially greater danger is that mainstream U.S. news outlets are already teaming up with technology companies, such as Google and Facebook, to impose their own determinations about truth on the Internet. Or, as Ignatius puts it in his column reflecting Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy Stengels thinking, The best hope may be the global companies that have created the social-media platforms. They see this information war as an existential threat, says Stengel. The real challenge for global tech giants is to restore the currency of truth. Perhaps machine learning [presumably a reference to algorithms] can identify falsehoods and expose every argument that uses them. Perhaps someday, a human-machine process will create what Stengel describes as a global ombudsman for information. Ministry of Truth An organization of some 30 mainstream media companies already exists, including not only The Washington Post and The New York Times but also the Atlantic Council-connected Bellingcat, as the emerging arbiters or ombudsmen for truth, something Orwell described less flatteringly as a Ministry of Truth. The New York Times has even editorialized in support of Internet censorship, using the hysteria over fake news to justify the marginalization or disappearance of dissident news sites. It now appears that this 1984-ish MiniTrue will especially target journalistic skepticism when applied to U.S. government and mainstream media group thinks. Yet, in my four decades-plus in professional journalism, I always understood that skepticism was a universal journalistic principle, one that should be applied in all cases, whether a Republican or a Democrat is in the White House or whether some foreign leader is popular or demonized. As we have seen in recent years, failure to ask tough questions and to challenge dubious claims from government officials and mainstream media outlets can get lots of people killed, both U.S. soldiers and citizens of countries invaded or destabilized by outsiders. To show skepticism is not the threat to democracy that Undersecretary Stengel and columnist Ignatius appear to think it is. Whether you like or dislike RTs broadcasts or more likely have never seen one a journalist really cant question its slogan: question more. Questioning is the essence of journalism and, for that matter, democracy. [In protest of the Posts smearing of independent journalists, RootsAction has undertaken a petition drive, which can be found here.] Investigative reporter Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories for The Associated Press and Newsweek in the 1980s. You can buy his latest book, Americas Stolen Narrative, either in print here or as an e-book (from Amazon and barnesandnoble.com). The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Information Clearing House editorial policy. Trump Selects Retired Marine Gen."Mad-Dog" Mattis for Secretary of Defense By Dan Lamothe December 01, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " WP " - President-elect Donald Trump has chosen retired Marine Gen. James N. Mattis to be secretary of defense, according to people familiar with the decision, nominating a former senior military officer who led operations across the Middle East to run the Pentagon less than four years after he hung up his uniform. To take the job, Mattis will need Congress to pass new legislation to bypass a federal law stating that defense secretaries must not have been on active duty in the previous seven years. Congress has granted a similar exception just once, when Gen. George C. Marshall was appointed to the job in 1950. An announcement is likely by early next week, according to the people familiar with the choice. Mattis, 66, retired as the chief of U.S. Central Command in spring 2013 after serving more than four decades in the Marine Corps. He is known as one of the most influential military leaders of his generation, serving as a strategic thinker while occasionally drawing rebukes for his aggressive talk. Since retiring, he has served as a consultant and as a visiting fellow with the Hoover Institution, a think tank at Stanford University. Like Trump, Mattis favors a tougher stance against U.S. adversaries abroad, especially Iran. The general, speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in April, said that while security discussions often focus on terrorist groups such as the Islamic State or al-Qaeda, the Iranian regime is the single most enduring threat to stability and peace in the Middle East. Mattis said the next president is going to inherit a mess and argued that the nuclear deal signed by the Obama administration last year may slow Irans ambitions to get a nuclear weapon but wont stop them. In terms of strengthening Americas global standing among European and Mideastern nations alike, the sense is that the America has become somewhat irrelevant in the Middle East, and we certainly have the least influence in 40 years, Mattis said. But Mattis may break with Trumps practice of calling out allies for not doing enough to build stability. In the same event, Mattis said he was troubled by President Obamas remarks in a March interview with The Atlantic that there were free riders accepting U.S. help without reciprocating. He added that he read the Atlantic story after printing it out, and briefly thought he had accidentally mixed it with a news clip that highlighted Trumps views. The President-elect is smart to think about putting someone as respected as Jim Mattis in this role, said a former senior Pentagon official. Hes a warrior, scholar, and straight shooter literally and figuratively. He speaks truth to everyone, and would certainly speak truth to this new commander in chief. But the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss Trumps personnel choices, said, If theres any concern at all, its the principle of civilian control over the military. This role was never intended to be a kind of Joint Chiefs of Staff on steroids, and thats the biggest single risk tied to Mattis. For Mattis, the biggest risk for him personally is that he will have a national security adviser in the form of Mike Flynn whose management style and extreme views may arch Mattis eyebrows and cause conflict over time. Its no fun to be secretary of defense if you have to constantly feud with the White House. Mattis served from November 2007 to August 2010 as the supreme allied commander of transformation for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, in which he focused on improving the military effectiveness of allies. Trump called NATO obsolete earlier this year, before saying later that he was all for NATO, but wanted all members to spend at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense, a NATO goal. Mattis will join the Trump administration after calls by some conservatives for him to join the presidential race in a long-shot independent bid aimed at derailing Trumps ascent this spring. The general declined to do so, saying he didnt understand the speculation. Mattis, whose nicknames include Mad Dog and the Warrior Monk, has had a leading hand in some of the U.S. militarys most significant operations in the last 20 years. As a one-star general, he led an amphibious task force of Marines that carried out a November 2001 raid in helicopters on Afghanistans Kandahar province, giving the Pentagon a new foothold against the Taliban after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Using the call sign Chaos, he commanded a division of Marines during the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, and returned there the following year to lead Marines in bloody street fighting in the city of Fallujah. Mattis continued to rise through the ranks and establish his credentials as a military thinker, co-authoring the U.S. militarys new counterinsurgency manual with then-Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus while Mattis was a three-star general at Quantico, Va. He was considered a leading contender to become commandant of the Marine Corps in 2010, but was bypassed in favor of Gen. James F. Amos. Instead, Mattis replaced Petraeus as the chief of Central Command, overseeing U.S. military operations across the Middle East. Even though Central Command didnt encompass Israel, Gen. Mattis made a concerted effort to reach out to his Israeli military counterparts, according to Steven Simon, who worked with Gen. Mattis when he served on Obamas National Security Council. Simon, who now teaches at Amherst College, said Mattis made frequent stops in Israel during trips to the region, part of an effort to encourage the Jewish State and its Arab neighbors to work together to counter Iranian influence. They respected Mattis because they saw him as a straight shooter and a good listener, said Simon of the Israelis and Arabs. The general retired from that position about five months earlier than expected in 2013, prompting speculation that he was forced out after clashing with some in the Obama administration on Iran policy. U.S. officials denied that was the case at the time, and Mattis declined to comment. Mattis occasionally has come under scrutiny for impolitic remarks. Most notably, he said in 2005 during a panel discussion in San Diego that its fun to shoot some people and I like brawling, drawing criticism from then-Marine Commandant Gen. Michael Hagee. But Hagee also later backed Mattis, saying the general often spoke with candor to reflect the horrors of war. Other supporters noted that he often stressed to his own troops that it was important to treat civilians in a combat zone with care. Its unclear whether the legislation required to make Mattis Pentagon chief will be difficult to obtain from Congress. The 1947 national security law said that any general must wait 10 years from leaving active duty before becoming defense secretary. An exception was granted on a one-time basis for Marshall, with lawmakers saying in special legislation at the time that it is sense of the Congress that after General Marshall leaves the office of Secretary of Defense, no additional appointments of military men to that office shall be approved. The 10-year period was reduced to seven years in 2008 for several senior civilian defense positions, including defense secretary. Philip Rucker, Adam Entous and Missy Ryan contributed to this report. Trump Picks Retired Marine General "Mad-Dog" Mattis As Secretary Of Defense By Tyler Durden President-elect Donald Trump has chosen 66-year-old retired Marine General James N. "Mad-Dog" Mattis to be secretary of defense, according to The Washington Post. An announcement is likely by early next week, according to the people familiar with the decision. Mattis declined to comment. Spokespersons for Trump's transition team did not respond to requests for comment. Mattis, 66, retired as the chief of U.S. Central Command in spring 2013 after serving more than four decades in the Marine Corps. He is known as one of the most influential military leaders of his generation, serving as a strategic thinker while occasionally drawing rebukes for his aggressive talk. Since retiring, he has served as a consultant and as a visiting fellow with the Hoover Institution, a think tank at Stanford University. Mattis has also gotten cheers from veterans and Trump supporters online , in the form of celebratory memes dubbing him the Patron Saint of Chaos (Chaos was Mattiss call-sign in Iraq and Afghanistan), praising his lethal double knife hands, and saying that he Puts the Laughter in Manslaughter. Mattis gets the nod ahead of a notable group who were up for the top role.. * David Petraeus, former CIA director and retired Army general * Tom Cotton, Republican U.S. senator from Arkansas * Jon Kyl, former Republican U.S. senator from Arizona * Duncan Hunter, Republican U.S. representative from California and early Trump supporter, member of the House Armed Services Committee * Jim Talent, former Republican U.S. senator from Missouri who was on the Senate Armed Services Committee * Rick Perry, former Republican Texas governor * Stephen Hadley, former national security adviser under President George W. Bush His bio - as one would expect - is impressive...(apart from the Theranos aspect) (via The Intercept) Mattis is exactly what Trump is not, a soldier-scholar who knows something of the wider world. Now 66 years old, Mattis was born in Walla Walla, Washington. His lifelong bachelordom is the source of one of his many nicknames: warrior-monk. He served in every major U.S. Middle Eastern conflict from the first Iraq War on. In 2001, as a one-star general, he led 4,000 Marines in a search for Osama bin Laden near the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. In 2004, as a two-star, he led a Marine division into the second battle for Fallujah. He went on to lead combatant commands at the Pentagon and NATO, culminating in two years as the head of Central Command under President Barack Obama, reportedly leaving after disagreeing with Obamas policy on Iran. Shortly before his departure, Mattis appears to have weighed in with the Pentagon on behalf of Theranos, Elizabeth Holmess troubled biotech firm. He later joined the companys board. Should Trump nominate Mattis, emails between Mattis and Holmesare likely to come up during his Senate confirmation hearing. But here are 16 quotes (via FreeBeacon) to get a better feel for "mad-dog"... 1. I dont lose any sleep at night over the potential for failure. I cannot even spell the word. (San Diego Union Tribune) 2. The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some assholes in the world that just need to be shot. (Business Insider) 3. I come in peace. I didnt bring artillery. But Im pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, Ill kill you all. (San Diego Union Tribune) 4. Find the enemy that wants to end this experiment (in American democracy) and kill every one of them until theyre so sick of the killing that they leave us and our freedoms intact. (San Diego Union Tribune) 5. Marines dont know how to spell the word defeat. (Business Insider) 6. Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet. (San Diego Union Tribune) 7. The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears. (San Diego Union Tribune) 8. You are part of the worlds most feared and trusted force. Engage your brain before you engage your weapon. (Mattis Letter To 1st Marine Division) 9. There are hunters and there are victims. By your discipline, cunning, obedience and alertness, you will decide if you are a hunter or a victim. (Business Insider) 10. No war is over until the enemy says its over. We may think it over, we may declare it over, but in fact, the enemy gets a vote. (Defense News) 11. There is nothing better than getting shot at and missed. Its really great. (San Diego Union Tribune) 12. You cannot allow any of your people to avoid the brutal facts. If they start living in a dream world, its going to be bad. (San Diego Union Tribune) 13. You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didnt wear a veil. You know, guys like that aint got no manhood left anyway. So its a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them. Actually its quite fun to fight them, you know. Its a hell of a hoot. Its fun to shoot some people. Ill be right up there with you. I like brawling. (CNN) 14. Im going to plead with you, do not cross us. Because if you do, the survivors will write about what we do here for 10,000 years. (San Diego Union Tribune) 15. Demonstrate to the world there is No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy than a U.S. Marine. (Mattis Letter To 1st Marine Division) 16. Fight with a happy heart and strong spirit (Mattis Letter To 1st Marine Division) You better believe what you have just read. When it comes to HIV/AIDS, the new word in the medical world is self-testing. With the advent of new technologies in medicine, you and I can know our HIV status with a simple test that can be taken in the privacy of our homes. Nowadays, testing yourself for HIV means that you and other people can use oral fluid or blood-finger-pricks to discover their status in a private and convenient setting. Results are ready within 20 minutes or less. Some tests only require a swab of saliva and your result is ready after 30 minutes. This is important because of the stigma associated with the viral disease. Most people are often scared to take the test in laboratories or health centres where they can run into any one they know. These fears are profound and not unfounded. We have had instances where untrained nurses carelessly disclosed the HIV status of patients to other people. Being able to test yourself makes it easier to accept the result, says consultant haematologist, Dr. Kunle Adetayo. Adetayo says that despite the counselling given to patients before testing, having someone else disclose their results is often a blow that many may not recover from. I would rather be the first to know that I am HIV positive or not. Its a diagnosis most people would prefer to know. Then you can quietly walk into a clinic and get registered for treatment, knowing you have scaled the first hurdle. Self-testing will also increase the population of people who know their HIV status because believe it or not, more than half of those infected do not know and they will keep transmitting it, he says. Adetayo painted the right picture. According to the Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Dr. Margaret Chan, new statistics show that over 40 per cent of those infected with HIV are unaware of their status. Chan says, Millions of people with HIV are still missing out on life-saving treatment, which can also prevent HIV transmission to others. HIV self-testing should open the door for many more people to know their HIV status and find out how to get treatment and access prevention services. Doctors note that even though over 90 million Nigerians know that HIV/AIDS exists and kills when not detected early, they are yet to get tested. A report by the Federal Ministry of Health also estimates that more than 70 per cent of Nigerian population do not know their HIV/AIDS status. Public health physician, Dr. Zizi Egbuwoku- Imatorbhebe, says that knowing ones HIV status saves rather than kills. She says that although there is currently no cure for HIV/AIDS, there are drugs and treatments, such as anti-retroviral drugs, which have been proved to slow down the course of the disease and infected people who use these drugs can live a long and healthy life. Imatorbhebe, who defines HIV as a virus that attacks the immune system, the bodys natural defence system, explains that the sooner one gets tested, the sooner one can access treatment and information to help manage the condition and delay the onset of AIDS(the advanced stages of the infection), should one test positive for the disease. She adds, We cant overstate the importance of testing for HIV to ensure an early diagnosis. People respond better to treatment when they are diagnosed at an earlier stage of the disease. Knowing your HIV status is the key to both effective treatment and to preventing onward transmission. HIV, when not treated, quickly advances to AIDS. Make no mistake about it, AIDS kills because the immune system would be too weak to resist infection by then. Apart from getting treatment, Imatorbhebe states that by not knowing ones status, one puts ones spouse, siblings, parents and children at risk of getting infected. She states that since HIV can be transmitted in many ways, which include blood-blood contact like blood transfusion, fluid-fluid contact such as vaginal, oral sex, anal sex and blood transfusion, it is possible to infect others without knowing it. For instance, an infected pregnant woman can pass HIV to her baby or babies during pregnancy, during delivery and through breast feeding if she does not know she is infected. However, if a pregnant woman tests positive for HIV, appropriate treatment can reduce the risk of infecting the baby. Experts state that HIV-positive women have about a one-in-four chance of infecting their baby during pregnancy or birth but getting treatment before child birth can reduce this figure to about one in 12. Imatorhebe says, You dont have to have had sex before you contract HIV. Babies have got it from their parents who did not know that they had it. Siblings have contracted it from each other through blood contact without knowing. But if you find out you are infected, you can make sure that you protect your sex partner from becoming infected. If more people know their HIV status and use the knowledge to act responsibly, the pandemic can be better controlled. Remember that giving out this information is entirely your decision. Health professionals and counsellors, who conduct and discuss the test with you, must, by law, keep the results strictly confidential. Are you ready to know your own HIV status? If you are ready, walk to a pharmacy nearest to you, ask for a self-test kit and do the needful. Source: Punch A division of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday has ordered the immediate release of the leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, (IMN), Ibrahim El-Zakzaky who is been detained against his will. El-ZakyZaky alongside his wife and some members of the Shiite group were arrested on December 14, 2015, after a clash between the Army and the group in Kaduna State, which reports said led to the death of about 347 members of the movement. In his application tendered by his lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, the Shiite leader contested his continuous detention without being charged to court, he also prayed to the court to declare it as a violation to his fundamental rights and unlawful Justice Gabriel Kolawole, in his judgement rejected the submission of the counsel to the State Security Service, Tijjani Gazali, that Mr. El-Zakzaky was kept in protective custody of the SSS, adding that the decision to hold him and his wife for their safety is against the law.w. I have not been shown any incident report or any complaint lodged by residents around the neighbourhood that the applicant has become a nuisance to his neigbourhood, said the judge. While making reference to the death of former leader of the Boko Haram leader, Mohammed Yusuf, who died in custody, Justice Kolawole said holding the Islamic cleric for a long time amount to a great danger. If the applicant dies in custody which I do not pray for, it could result in many needless deaths, he said. Mr. Kolawole however, ordered the Federal Government to within the next 45 days release the applicant and his family to the police, who shall within 24 hours take them, guarded by escort, to a safe place. He added that the SSS will pay a fine of N25 million each to Mr. El-Zakzaky and his wife, making a total of N50 million. Nigerian newspaper headlines December 2, 2016. Punch Nigerians in Jerusalem observing the 2016 pilgrimage have asked for Gods intervention in the economic recession facing the country. Vanguard Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has made good his promise to throw away his U.S residency green card and leave the United States, if Donald Trump won the presidential election. Guardian Senate House Committee on Privatisation has disclosed that the aviation sector will get zero allocation in the 2017 budget proposal that the president will present soon. Thisday The import substitution policies being driven by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the federal government appear to be yielding results, as a country assessment report on Nigeria by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has indicated that a sharp decline in imports contributed to a modest recovery in Nigerias external current account balance in the first half of 2016. Leadership A LEADERSHIP poll has shown that Nigerians are divided on whom to blame for the nations woes, though many said ministers have not lived up to expectations. Premium Times Aggrieved workers of Julius Berger residing at Berger Camp, Kubwa, on Thursday, chased out a team of security personnel sent by the management of the company to disconnect utility services in the camp. The Sun Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas, yesterday launched Operation Eagle Eye, a new strategy to combat militants and other criminal elements in the Niger Delta region. The Nation The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said it has initiated investigation to determine the identity of the dead stowaway found in South Africa on an Arik Air flight. The timely intervention of the Enugu State Police Command prevented the lynching of Mr Kingsley Ubenyi, the Managing Director of Kesley Mega Micro-Finance Bank, by the banks aggrieved customers on Friday. The State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Ebere Amaraizu, said that the rescue of the bank boss came as a result of prompt intervention of a police patrol team after a security tip-off by some members of the public. He said reports reaching the police indicated that hundreds of aggrieved customers of the bank were seen striking the managing director, who was forced to sit in his vehicle, which was later damaged by the irate crowd. The aggrieved customers maintained that they are customers of the micro-finance bank and that despite repeated efforts to withdraw their money in their savings accounts with the bank, no light was seen at the end of the tunnel. Not long after, a meeting between the bank MD and the customers was convened at De Dome event centre, New Haven, Enugu, where the bank boss tried to explain the difficulties faced by his bank over the payment of customers money. This did not go down well with the aggrieved customers, who got violent and descended heavily on him before the intervention of the police operatives, he said. Amaraizu, however, said the aggrieved customers were advised to be law-abiding and to seek redress by taking the lawful step to access their monies. The managing director is currently receiving treatment at a nearby hospital, he said at the time of writing this report. Source: NAN The Sokoto State Government has successfully conducted a test run of its N3.8 billion Independent Power Project, IPP, whose contract was awarded in November, 2008. The project, the first of its kind in the northern part of the country, has an installed capacity of a minimum of 30 megawatts and a maximum of 38 megawatts. The Chief Operating Officer of the contracting firm, Vulcan Elvaton Ltd, Franklin Ngbor, told journalists during the test run that the turbine of the project had already been tested three times. He said: What remains now is the synchronization of the plant with the fuel tank and the main evacuation line, down to the transmission line. The plant when fully completed, finally fired and integrated into the national grid, can work for five consecutive years nonstop. It is only after it works for five years that it can be shut down for routine maintenance. The Director-General of the project, Umar Bande, stated that, the plant has a multiple type turbine that can use diesel, gas or LPFO. According to Mr. Bande, the plant was now being test run on diesel, saying it consumes 33,000 litres per day. He said plans are afoot to sign a fuel supply security agreement with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) or other major oil firms. This, he noted, was to make the fuel supply cheaper, more sustainable and ensuring maximum operations of the plant. The Secretary to the State Government, Bashir Garba, said so far, nine stages, out of 11, required for a successful test run, have been carried out without hitches. He said an agreement will soon be signed between the state government and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), on the evacuation of the power to the national grid. Mr. Garba explained that the project was necessitated by the epileptic power supply to the state from the national grid. He added: The state will be enjoying nearly 24-hour power supply when the plant becomes fully operational. This is a project that is worth celebrating as power supply in Nigeria will be bolstered with the injection of 38 megawatts to the national grid. This will also eventually boost the socioeconomic landscape in the state, curb poverty, restiveness and unemployment, among other myriad of direct and indirect benefits. Laying the Keel: Full-scale Replica of Titanic to Be Constructed in Daying, China The Titanic replica, which costs $145.31 million, or 1 billion yuan, will be finished by the end of 2017. (Photo : whatshallwedonext/YouTube) Jack and Rose's experience of a cruise ship as lavish as the Titanic can be soon experienced too by people who can afford such a luxury. On Wednesday, a keel laying ceremony for the construction of a life-sized replica of the Titanic was held in Daying county in Southwest China's Sichuan Province and was attended by Peter Mandelson, British former deputy prime minister, and some U.S. designers. Advertisement RMS Titanic, a luxury cruise ship which sank upon hitting an iceberg on its very first voyage in 1912, was immortalized in a Hollywood film starring Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet and would soon be an object of tourism in Daying county. A county officer revealed that unlike the 1912 ship, its replica will not go sailing but will be docked permanently at the Qijiang River. But despite this, a high-technology equipment will simulate the iceberg collision, letting the visitors experience a slice of the infamous tragedy. According to a China Daily report, the budget for this project which will follow the original design of both the exterior and interior of the ship, was 1 billion yuan ($145 million). Qixing Energy Investment, the investor of the project, had taken years to gather most of the original blueprints from different collectors in different parts of the world, Qixing Chairman Su Shaojun revealed. "The interior of the replica will include the large banquet hall and the first-class guesthouse," Su said. The plan for this construction was started more than two years ago, and the designing process has taken much time because GC High-Tech, the company that was invited to design the ship, was in the US and they had to constantly consult Wuchang Shipyard, the shipbuilder which is based in Wuhan, Hubei. Self-storage developer LSC Development LLC is in the process of acquiring a former commercial laundry facility in Oceanside, N.Y., with the intent to convert it into a Life Storage Inc. facility. The two-story, 76,000-square-foot Oceanside Institutional Industries (OII) plant at 2525 Long Beach Road will comprise 42,252 square feet of storage space in 716 storage units, according to a source. The Town of Hempstead last month granted a special-use permit for the project. The plant once cleaned 60 million pounds of laundry annually but closed in June for economic reasons, a source reported. Commercial laundry company Unitex acquired the OII business in July. Neighboring residents had previously complained about chemical smells and traffic noise caused by laundry delivery trucks, according to Christian Browne, an attorney with Sahn Ward Coschignano PLLC, which represented LSC Development in obtaining the special-use permit. The developer will remediate the property for any environmental contamination as part of the project, Browne said in a press release. This new project is a home run for the developers and the community, Browne said in the release. It will reduce the amount of traffic in front of the facility along Long Beach Road and the impacts on the neighbors. The building will be repurposed, so it wont be torn down, and it wont place any further encumbrances on the residents. Based in Barrington, Ill., LSC Development specializes in industrial parks, office complexes and self-storage facilities. It also owns and leases nearly 700,000 square feet of industrial and office space in Aurora, Barrington, Chicago, Elgin, Harwood Heights and Libertyville, Ill., according to the company website. Life Storage Inc. is the real estate investment trust formerly known as Sovran Self Storage Inc. Based in Buffalo, N.Y., it operates more than 650 self-storage facilities in 29 states under the Life Storage and Uncle Bobs brands. Its portfolio of owned and managed facilities comprises more than 45 million square feet. Fred Horn, owner of Shelbyville Self Storage in Shelbyville, Tenn., has requested the city assist in repairing a culvert and water/sewer line he believes have contributed to flooding along Fairground Heights, which borders his property at 321 Bethany Lane. The issue caused a potential sale of the facility to fall through earlier this year, Horn told the city council on Tuesday during a work-study session. During the meeting, Horn met privately with City Manager Jay Johnson and verbally agreed to make a one-time payment of $12,000 toward fixing the water issues, the source reported. Johnson blamed the problem on drainage not flooding. Horn, who is 77 and lives in a retirement community in Florida, told the council he needed to sell the property and has already spent $100,000 on renovations. The former city engineer said material estimates for the repair work totaled $7,800 in addition to labor and equipment, according to the source. Though Horn offered to supervise the proposed improvements, city officials voiced concerns about liability issues and a potential conflict of interest. Councilmembers discussed having city engineer Will Owen and Eric Pierce, director of the public works department, manage the project. Pierce warned the project could impact properties upstream and downstream from the self-storage facility. He also urged the council to consider addressing drainage issues along nearby Rockwood Drive if it moved forward with Horns proposal. The council could discuss the item formally during its Dec. 8 meeting, the source reported. After almost 40 years in the financial industry, Jon Lukomnik sees plenty of room for improvement. The pension and asset management governance veteran lays out his prescriptions in his latest book, What They Do With Your Money: How the Financial System Fails Us and How to Fix It. Lukomnik, 60, is managing partner of Sinclair Capital, a consulting firm whose clients include asset managers and owners. Since 2008 the New York native has been executive director of the Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute, which examines corporate governance and capital markets issues. Lukomnik began his career in civic roles that included deputy comptroller of and investment adviser to the New York City Pension Funds during the 1990s. Hes also directed public and private companies, not-for-profits, and litigation trusts, and served on the creditors committee that rehabilitated bankrupt telecommunications giant WorldCom. A trustee for mutual fund firm VanEck, he co-founded the International Corporate Governance Network in 1995. Lukomniks new book, written with Stephen Davis, associate director of the Harvard Law School Programs on Corporate Governance and Institutional Investors, and David Pitt-Watson, executive fellow of finance at London Business School, proposes overhauling an inefficient financial system focused on short-term performance. Why did you write this book? About five or six years ago my co-authors and I were having a drink postfinancial crisis, when the central banks were flooding the world with liquidity. It was clear that the banks were dealing with the immediate crisis and the capital markets of the world were not going to implode and freeze. At the same time, we detected a certain complacency that we thought was strange because while the financial crisis was like a decapitation that was the threat, that the markets were just going to stop we noted that there were a lot of slow-bleed problems. They werent life-threatening, but they werent healthy for the financial market or the financial markets clients. What are the slow-bleed problems in the financial industry? There are a multitude of problems that include the misuse of VaR [value at risk] models and investment consultants conflicts of interest. Studies have suggested that they dont pick asset managers any better than anyone else. Another major issue has been the explosion of intermediaries in financial services. In mutual funds, for example, not only is there the management company, but then theres a valuation agent and a proxy voting agent and an administrator in a 401(k) and a transfer agent and sometimes a subtransfer agent. If youre using ADRs, theres the sponsoring bank, and theyve got three different fees. People werent paying attention to the slow bleed that was, in our initial opinion, making the financial sector less efficient than it could be. What is the role of financial intermediaries today, and how has it changed? Perhaps the most important thing the financial industry does is take money from point A in the real economy and move it to point B in the real economy, where it finances your return or new equipment or research and development. That is the real service to the economy. The question is, how much are you going to charge for the intermediation? Thomas Philippon, an economist at New York University, found that it has cost 2 percent for the past 130 years. That means that financing railroads was as efficient as financing SpaceX and Tesla. How is that possible when we have computerization, ATMs, and other technological advances? It is true that some of the intermediate steps between the financial intermediaries have become more efficient. But weve offset those by increasing the complexity of the chain so there is much more of what is called the financialization of the real economy. One study found that there were 16 agents between point A and point B. While that number varies depending on a particular transaction, there has been no improvement in efficiency in the financial system in 130 years. How has the growth of intermediaries and the inefficient movement of assets affected the industry? We have ceased to focus on the most important element of asset management: beta, or the market. The business model of the asset management industry today relies on short-term relative performance. It also focuses heavily on trading and transaction. Everyone thinks theyre above average, like in Lake Wobegon, and that they can get short-term relative-return differential, or alpha, by trading. But this thinking disincents us from improving the beta or efficiency of the markets. We focus on alpha and systematically have underthought what our impact could be on the beta of the marketplace. This has created a suboptimal overall market for everybody. If youre a universal owner the way an index fund or a large pension fund is, beta is what matters. How would you realign the financial system? It takes a certain amount of nerve to write a book subtitled How the Financial System Fails Us, and it takes even more nerve to say, and How to Fix It. We come from the financial industry, and we dont want to blow up the system. No one wants to put asset managers out of business, and most asset managers do a good job. But we need to decrease the amount of complexity, reduce the number of agents, and pay attention to the marketplace as a whole, not just try to trade our way to relative return. In our book we recommend close to 100 individual, specific suggestions, looking at new technologies, suggesting different ways to regulate that can improve the efficiency of the system and better align it with the needs of the real economy and society as a whole. Some of them are quite technical; others are quite general, such as extending fiduciary obligation through the chain of intermediaries to anyone whos managing other peoples money. In another example of positive change, the Canadian pension funds are a model of the right direction in which to head. The pension fund officials cut out a number of intermediaries by investing directly, they have longer time horizons, and their returns are better on average than at U.S. pension funds. The Titanic replica, which costs $145.31 million, or 1 billion yuan, will be finished by the end of 2017. (Photo : whatshallwedonext/YouTube) Star Energy Investment Group began on Wednesday the construction of a full-scale replica of the Titanic. Once finished, the vessel would simulate the ill-fated ships collision with an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean on April 15, 1912. The replica would be part of a tourist resort along Qijiang River in Chinas Sichuan Provinces Daying County. To celebrate the start of the construction, Star Energy held a keel-laying ceremony and fireworks, Reuters reported. Advertisement Su Shaojun, chief executive of Star Energy, said that it should not be weird that a replica of Titanic would be found in Chinese waters. After all, the U.S. makes film about Asian cultural icons such as the martial art kung fu in Kung Fu Panda. He insisted that Titanic is of universal value. He estimated the Titanic replica, which costs $145.31 million, or 1 billion yuan, would finish by the end of 2017. To ensure the vessel replica being made would look authentic, Star Energy hired Curtis Schnell, a production designer and producer in Hollywood, to oversee the ships construction as design expert. About 1,500 people died when Titanic sank. The sinking of the Titanic was made into a blockbuster movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, shown in 1997. If it was alright for Hollywood to make a movie out of the tragedy and earn from the blockbuster film, Su Shaojun reckoned that it would not be wrong for Star Energy to make a replica of Titanic and use it for tourism purposes since the company is using the project in a very respectful way, he stressed. Although they are not building it room for room, the replicas shell and exterior would be quite accurate. Interior rooms that tourists could visit would also be faithful to the original ships design for historical accuracy, Su Shaojun said. Besides the Titanic replica, the resort would also feature a man-made beach, a 6D cinema where Titanic would presumably be shown and Venetian church and European castle replicas. The replica would be 269 meters long and 28 meters wide. It would have a ballroom, theater and swimming pool, Xinhua news agency reported. To ensure the replica is faithful to the original Titanic, Star Energy spent years buying blueprints of the ship from collectors. The Jersey-based founder of pet insurance company Animal Friends has defended spending AU$1.87 million (1.1 million pounds) in a charity auction to secure a private concert by her favourite band, Take That.Superfan Elaine Fairfax, 62, has faced an ugly backlash from people criticising the amount she spent, despite the proceeds going to a worthy cause the UKs Children in Need charity.Theyve missed the point, Fairfax told the Daily Mail. None of this is really about me or even Take That, however exciting it might feel.Yes, 1.1 million pounds is a lot of money but its only money, and its not like Ive been handed it on a plate. Ive worked bloody hard for it.The most important thing is that it has gone to Children in Need and will help vulnerable children.Fairfax won the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity live on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show, after getting into a bidding war with Patrick from Guildford.She said her husband of 30 years, Chris, was fully supportive of her, despite having agreed on a budget of only half a million pounds the night before!Now, the boys from the band will earn $41,481 per minute in what has to be one of their cushiest numbers to date.Fairfaxs hubby Chris said: I dont care what it cost, she deserves it. She has spent her life helping others and working hard, now its her turn.Fairfax didnt have a particularly propitious start in business.She left school at 15 with no qualifications apart from a couple of horse-riding certificates.She then worked her way up through a number of jobs including telephone operator, girl Friday, air conditioning company worker and legal secretary while teaching horse riding in her spare time.She met her barrister husband through her work at the riding stables and the pair got married in 1986. They didnt have children but threw their love at animals and hoped to start an animal charity together, the Daily Mail reported.Instead, Fairfax had the idea to set up a pet insurance company with a difference.For instance, every policy holder who loses a pet receives a personal letter of condolence from Fairfax who also gives a large chunk of the firms profits to animal charities.The company now has a turnover of $152 million a year, making it the second biggest pet insurer in the UK, and has given around $10 million to animal charities.Fairfaxs love of animals is only matched by her love for Take That, especially Gary Barlow.When she discovered the frontman also loved animals she was smitten.She already has signed photos, framed records, and a giant Paddington bear that was handpainted by the band which she bought for several thousand dollars in another charity auction for Save the Children.She even has two life size cardboard cutouts of Barlow, one of which she keeps in the shower!She has named her 18m motor yacht Shine after the second single from the bands 2006 comeback album and her speedboat is called Little Shine.She has also met Barlow before at various other celebrity charity weekends, a backstage chat and two dine and disco events.I just love him as a person. Id like him to be my brother, or my friend. Hes such a nice person and he LOVES animals!On realising shed won the auction she tapped into her inner teenybopper: I am so, so excited. I just cant believe it because Ive always loved them so much. The New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS), South Australian Country Fire Service (CFS), and Understand Insurance, an initiative of the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA), are urging households to assess their bushfire exposure this disaster season.According to ICAs recent figures, 1.75 million blocks of land nationwide may be vulnerable to bushfires, including Tasmania (64% of blocks), Western Australia (34%), Victoria (24%), New South Wales (22%), and South Australia (19%).The warning came following the release of Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centres (BNHCRC) upgraded seasonal outlook, which now cautioned against above-average fire risk in parts of South Australia.In a statement, Understand Insurance said that factors such as the proximity of a home to bushland and slope of the land can not only affect a homes vulnerability to bushfires, but also a households insurance needs by influencing rebuilding costs. Campbell Fuller , Understand Insurance spokesman, said there is a higher risk of underinsurance for some households due to changes in national building standards for homes in bushfire-prone areas.State and local governments have introduced tougher building standards over recent years to make homes in bushfire-prone areas more resilient. This is a positive step, but it can substantially raise rebuilding costs, especially for properties built before 2009, Fuller said.Households that arent aware of this may choose to insure their property for a sum thats too low to fully rebuild their home or replace its contents.After a bushfire, or other disaster, they are then forced to borrow money, or sacrifice size and features to rebuild their home on a smaller budget. In some cases, they simply cant afford to rebuild.Fuller advised households to contact their local council to know about the bushfire zoning of their property.If your home is in a designated bushfire-prone area, your council can provide you with information about what development controls are applicable at that location, he explained.Meanwhile, Greg Nettleton, CFS chief officer, said residents in exposed areas should start making a bushfire survival plan.Bushfires will happen again this season. You need to have a plan and know what you will do if, and when, a fire starts, Nettleton said. Virginia suffered only a glancing blow from Hurricane Matthew last month when unprecedented amounts of rain fell, but on Wednesday officials estimated flood damage to be hundreds of millions of dollars, making it the costliest storm since Hurricane Isabel in 2003. Emergency management officials are now renewing calls for residents to get flood insurance, saying a vast majority of homeowners in areas vulnerable to major hurricane storm surge lack coverage. This was the glancing edge of a Category 1 storm, Jeffrey Stern, the state coordinator for the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, told reporters in Virginia Beach. We really need to pause and get ready for a direct hit. Donald Keldsen, a coordinator with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said about 4,000 people affected by Matthew in Hampton Roads have registered with FEMA so far. They have received $7 million in aid, much of it for hotel rooms and emergency repairs. Those numbers are likely to rise before the registration deadline in January. The major costs will come from flood insurance payouts as well as aid for the majority of victims who lacked coverage. Stern said the National Flood Insurance Program is expected to pay out $80 million to policyholders, who make up about 15 percent of Matthews victims. Stern said aid from FEMA and volunteer groups as well as federal loans will have to cover thousands of other homes. The flooding was a surprise to many here because it occurred in neighborhoods miles from the Atlantic Ocean or Chesapeake Bay. Instead of a storm surge that most fear, weeks of rain brought by Matthew and previous storms overwhelmed drainage systems. Homes that had never flooded or stayed dry for decades were inundated with as much as 3 feet of water. Ellen Ughetto, 78, of Virginia Beach, told The Associated Press that she canceled her flood insurance two years ago. Water hadnt entered her house since 1964, and she and her late husband had paid off their mortgage, releasing them from any obligation to buy coverage. Plus, she said, rates had doubled to $1,600 a year after her neighborhoods flood map was updated. Then the rains from Matthew came. Four inches of water entered her home. She expects the damage will cost her $20,000. Ughetto has already used some of her savings to buy materials for flooring and walls. She was preparing to crack open an annuity from her husbands life insurance policy when she received $13,000 from FEMA. She said getting the federal dollars meant she had to buy flood insurance again. Ive learned my lesson, she said. The fear, officials said, is that too few people will be insured when a major hurricane strikes. Stern, of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, said 473,000 homes are vulnerable to storm surge from a Category 4 hurricane but less than 8 percent of them have flood insurance. The damage from such a storm, he said, would be billions of dollars. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Flood Hurricane Virginia Though the worst impacts of rising seas in New Hampshire are decades away, a state commission is warning that coastal communities must act now to ensure vulnerable buildings are protected and roads, bridges and other structures constructed in the future are protected from increased flooding and storm surges. The New Hampshire Coastal Risk and Hazards Commission report released Wednesday recommends that the 17 towns and cities on the coast identify their most vulnerable assets, amend ordinances and rules to ensure they are in line with the latest science and secure funding to implement climate adaptation strategies. Other recommendation in the bipartisan report include encouraging business to develop preparedness plans, making existing structures more resilient to flooding and protecting and restoring vulnerable natural resources, such as salt marshes, from flooding. For many people, this might seem to be a distant problem. Its 30, its 50, its 100 years in the future There is uncertainty about how severe the problem will be and by when, said Cliff Sinnott, chairman of the commission and executive director of the Rockingham Planning Commission. That combination can be an excuse for doing nothing, he said. We believe very strongly that this will be a very costly mistake. If we dont take some basic steps to prepare early, the problem and the cost of dealing with it become much greater. State Rep. Fred Rice, a Republican from Hampton and a self-described climate skeptic on the commission, said he endorsed the document despite the 800-pound gorilla in the room. That 800-pound gorilla is the fact that not everyone subscribes to those beliefs around climate change and sea level rise, he said. This report is a contingency plan, Rice said. Its not a mandate These are guidelines for each of the municipalities that touch water here on the seacoast of New Hampshire, steps for them to consider in developing their own emergency plans. A commission report earlier this year found that sea levels in New Hampshire have been rising by an average of 0.7 inches per decade since 1900. Using 1992 levels as a baseline, sea levels in the state are expected to rise between a half-foot and 2 feet by 2050 and around 11/2 and 61/2 feet by 2100, the report said. The data show that as of last year, the states 17 coastal communities were home to about 12 percent of the state population and host more than 100,000 jobs. The report says the region is growing at nearly three times the rate of the state as a whole. Democratic State Sen. David Watters, a commission member from Dover, said his biggest concern is preparing the states transportation network and historic sites, such as the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion in Portsmouth, to withstand rising seas. For me, the essential issue confronting the commission was how to sustain our economy, how to sustain our built landscape, how to sustain our natural resources and our heritage so that future generations could enjoy the extraordinary place that first attracted settlers to New Hampshire in 1623 and we have enjoyed ever since, Watters said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics New Hampshire Global insurance brokerage Hub International Limited (Hub) has acquired the assets of Pinnacle Financial Group and Pinnacle Insurance Agency, a Boston, Mass., based provider of life insurance solutions and services to family offices, affluent families and middle market and large market companies. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Michael Mingolelli Jr., Pinnacles CEO, will join Hub New England and report to Charles Brophy, President and CEO of Hub New England. We are delighted to have Michael and his partners David Hauptman, Ken Masters and Marc Mingolelli of Pinnacle join Hub New England, said Brophy in a press release. We are looking forward to expanding Pinnacles successful platform throughout our region. Headquartered in Chicago, Ill., Hub International Limited provides property and casualty, life and health, employee benefits, investment and risk management products and services from offices located throughout North America. Going forward, it is committed to growing organically and through acquisitions to expand its geographic footprint and strengthen industry and product expertise. Source: Hub International Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Massachusetts Specialist global insurer Hiscox announced that Michael Krefta has been appointed CEO of Hiscox Re and ILS, and CEO of Hiscox Bermuda, effective Aug. 1, 2017. He will succeed Jeremy Pinchin who, after five years in Bermuda, will return to London in 2017 where he will continue in his role as Hiscox group claims director and as a member of the Hiscox executive committee. He will also join the board of Hiscox Special Risks. Krefta currently serves as chief underwriting officer of Hiscox Re. In his new role, he will be based in Bermuda and report to group CEO Bronek Masojada. His appointment is subject to regulatory and immigration approvals. Krefta joined Hiscox 13 years ago as an analyst for Hiscox UK before moving into the catastrophe modeling team and spending the last 11 years in various roles within reinsurance. When Hiscox Re was formed in 2013, he was appointed director of Non-Marine Underwriting, and in 2014 he was appointed Hiscox Res chief underwriting officer, at the same time serving as joint active underwriter of Syndicate 33 and active underwriter for Syndicate 6104. Throughout the recent transformation of our reinsurance business, Michael has expertly guided the underwriting integrity that is so attractive to our third party supporters, while instituting a more commercial approach in our underwriting, commented Group CEO Masojada. I look forward to working closely with Michael as he leads the business through its next phase of growth, particularly as our ILS business grows in significance with now more than US$1 billion [assets under management], he added. Jeremy has had a huge influence on the evolution of our Bermudian operation. It is under his leadership that Hiscox Re was not only created but has since successfully navigated a turbulent reinsurance market. He also initiated the creation of Kiskadee Investment Managers, our ILS fund manager, and evolved our approach to product innovation, with repeated success, Masojada continued. In returning to London, I am confident our group claims function will continue to benefit hugely from his leadership. I am delighted that he will also join me on the board of Hiscox Special Risks, which underwrites over half of the worlds specialist corporate protection insurance premium, and has led the development of this market for more than two decades, he said. Source: Hiscox Topics Underwriting XL Catlins insurance operations announced the launch of an Emergency Security and Disaster Evacuation (ESDE) solution for businesses with employees working internationally. This new solution, underwritten out of London, Guernsey, Hong Kong and Singapore, has been designed to respond to the needs of companies which, without the coverage, would not have access to immediate, expert logistical support and run the risk of having to pick up the significant costs of evacuating employees from an affected area due to political emergency or natural disaster, XL Catlin said in a statement. The solution covers expenses such as the cost of transportation, accommodation and salary continuation. Protecting employees and ensuring their well-being is of primary concern to multinational companies, said Charlie Matheson, global head, Kidnap & Ransom. In the event that they have to evacuate their people from an area of or even a country in the wake of a natural disaster, a terrorist attack or political unrest, what they need is an insurance coverage which is clear and responsive. We understand that, and that is also why our coverage includes 24/7 access to one of the worlds leading emergency evacuation response experts, Drum Cussac*, Matheson explained. Weve seen how natural disasters, political violence, coups detat can appear with little or no warning and have wide-ranging consequences for the people they affect. In recent times the Arab Spring is one such noteworthy example, commented Stephen Ashwell, chief underwriting officer Crisis Management at XL Catlin. Evacuations are not only costly; they can also be very complicated and stressful for individuals. As such, weve designed the ESDE solution to help companies protect their employees in the wake of these unforeseen and high impact events. The ESDE cover complements XL Catlins existing suite of solutions including kidnap and ransom, war, terrorism and political violence, product recall and event cancellation. * Drum Cussac, which is a travel risk management and security specialist, said its core business is protecting clients assets and employees traveling or located anywhere in the world. With its research and intelligence capabilities, clients are kept informed on fast moving global risk and security related events. The company provides 24/7 emergency, crisis and advisory support during incidents or at periods of heightened uncertainty, insecurity and instability. Topics AXA XL PERILS AG has today disclosed its fourth and final loss estimate for the floods in the UK which occurred Dec. 4-24, 2015 and were linked to storm Desmond and other low pressure systems. The revised estimate of the insured property market loss is 604 million ($758.7 million). This compares to the third loss estimate of 597 million ($749.9 million), which was issued by PERILS on June 3, 2016. (PERILS is the independent Zurich-based organization that provides industry catastrophe insurance data.) The fourth loss report for the Desmond Floods provides the data in full resolution, with information provided by CRESTA zone (area code), and broken down by residential and commercial property lines, said PERILS in a statement. In addition, for the first time it contains three different flood intensity measures: the percentage of area flooded within each CRESTA zone; the average water depth within each zone, and the maximum gauge height above the 5 percent gauge level within each zone, added PERILS. By combining this industry loss data with the PERILS industry sums insured data for the Desmond Floods, subscribers are able to analyze the relationship between flood intensity and damage ratios at a CRESTA zone resolution. Subscribers to the PERILS Industry Exposure & Loss Database can access more information on the Desmond Floods in the Industry Loss section of the PERILS Portal. Source: PERILS Topics Profit Loss Flood Windstorm Swiss Res solar power installation at its U.S. headquarters in Armonk, N.Y., a 2-megawatt facility expected to be up and running by late spring 2017, is just one part of a green theme that the carrier has been writing for itself over several years. Work began in October on the power plant, which will occupy roughly 10 acres of land on Swiss Res property. It is expected to generate 60 percent of the power required by the 700-plus employees working there. One of those employees is Megan Linkin, the companys natural hazards expert, who spoke to Insurance Journal on behalf of the carrier about its commitment to the environment. The company definitely practices what it preaches, Linkin said. Weve acknowledged that climate change poses a significant risk to our society. Swiss Re Americas President and CEO Eric Smith in a statement said that the power plant honors our brand and is what we are all about. Our mission is to make the world more resilient and a big part of that is helping society protect against natural catastrophes, his statement reads. It is sustainable projects like this that demonstrate this commitment to making a difference. The solar facility is in keeping with the companys participation in RE100, a global collaborative initiative of businesses committed to 100 percent renewable electricity and working to increase renewable energy demand and delivery. Swiss Re helped form the initiative, which was launched during Climate Week NYC in 2014. The carriers efforts to be green have garnered it recent recognition. It was called out in an annual report by sustainability leadership advocate Ceres that assessed insurer disclosures on climate change risks. The report, Insurer Climate Risk Disclosure Survey Report and Scorecard, evaluated the quality of responses from insurance companies in the annual National Association of Insurance Commissioners Climate Risk Disclosure Survey. Only 22 of all insurers studied earned the High Quality rating. One of those was Swiss Re. Another of the carriers initiatives focuses on closing the protection gap. Linkin described this as a multifaceted approach to try and increase insurance penetration throughout the world. The approach includes: Diversifying its product offering such as creating parametric products to provide more options to consumers in hopes of spurring interest in purchasing insurance to increase financial resilience after a natural disaster; Working with microfinance and micro-lending institutions in low-income economies to offer solutions to the poorest individuals, and increase the financial resilience of that population; Expanding its target clients to include the public sector. We are the first reinsurer to put together a team that focuses exclusively on the public sector, she said. Its Global Partnerships team consists of 35 individuals located globally, with members in the U.S., Mexico, Switzerland, China, Singapore, India and England. The sole purpose of the team is developing insurance products to address the needs of the public sector, which Linkin believes is facing the prospect of taking an even bigger role in footing the bill after a natural disaster than it already does. The rate of growth of total losses has outpaced the growth of insured losses over the last 35 years, according to Swiss Res annual Sigma report issued earlier this year. In 2015, the global protection gap was USD $55 billion. In terms of 10-year rolling averages, insured losses grew at 10 percent between 1979 and 2015, and total losses by 10.4 percent, the report shows. If those losses arent picked up by the private insurance market, those losses are going to have to be picked up by the government, Linkin said. Beyond creating new products, Swiss Re played a part in addressing the needs of the public sector when it contributed to a climate change adaption report commissioned by the city of New York and released in June 2013 in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. The city applied Swiss Res natural catastrophe models to NYC to shine a light on the potential impacts of wind and storm surge on the city assuming a world of rising sea levels and more intense storms. The city and Swiss Re combined three sets of inputs: Hurricane models: Swiss Re uses data from the National Hurricane Center that includes nearly 1,200 observed tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin between 1851 and 2008. The model then tweaks each of these historical storms hundreds of times to create more than 200,000 storms that could form in the area, and then uses established models for atmospheric pressure, speed, size, and angle of landfall to assess the resulting storm surge and wind fields. Swiss Re uses data from the National Hurricane Center that includes nearly 1,200 observed tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin between 1851 and 2008. The model then tweaks each of these historical storms hundreds of times to create more than 200,000 storms that could form in the area, and then uses established models for atmospheric pressure, speed, size, and angle of landfall to assess the resulting storm surge and wind fields. Climate change scenarios: The city provided Swiss Re with guidance on projected sea level rise in the 2020s and 2050s, based on work of the New York Panel on Climate Change, and instructed the company to assume of a sea level rise by the 2020s and the 2050s based on those projections. The city provided Swiss Re with guidance on projected sea level rise in the 2020s and 2050s, based on work of the New York Panel on Climate Change, and instructed the company to assume of a sea level rise by the 2020s and the 2050s based on those projections. City-level asset and economic activity: Consultants worked with city agencies to develop a working model of asset value divided into several categories, including buildings, transportation, telecommunications and utilities. These values were further broken down by ZIP code, as was the citys economic activity. An overview in the report states: In setting out to define plans for strengthening New York Citys resiliency to climate change, it was critical to anchor the development of those strategies in the best possible understanding of the magnitude of the risks facing New York including its infrastructure and its neighborhoods. Linkin said studies like this help government put a price tag on what climate change can potentially cost them in the future and how much they can save if they initiate resiliency measures now. The green theme is found within the company as well. Employees are incentivized to make environmentally friendly changes to their homes though subsidies to purchase energy efficient appliances or energy efficient windows. And there are incentives for purchasing bicycles, or incentives to purchase an electric or hybrid car, depending on the area. It really gives me a sense of pride, Linkin said. Because I am a scientist and because I study climate change, I want to work for a firm that has the same ideas I do, and cares about science, and the environment and the planet. Editors note: This is the final in a series of columns looking at carriers that are recognized as green. The first piece focused on The Hartford and the second on Zurich. Related: Topics Carriers USA New York Climate Change Swiss Re Johnson & Johnson was ordered by a Texas jury to pay more than $1 billion to patients who claimed the company hid flaws in its Pinnacle artificial hips that had to be surgically removed, in J&Js second loss linked to the implants. Officials of J&Js DePuy unit, which makes the Pinnacle hips, knew the devices were defective, but failed to properly warn doctors and patients about the risk they would fail, the federal jury in Dallas concluded Thursday. The verdict includes more than $30 million in actual damages for the six plaintiffs and more than $1 billion in punitive damages, according to court filings. J&J still faces almost 9,000 lawsuits accusing the company of mishandling the metal-on-metal hips. J&J stopped selling the devices in 2013 after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration toughened artificial-hip regulations. At $1.04 billion in damages, its the third-largest overall jury award of 2016, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The largest, for $3 billion, came in June in a breach of contract case brought by Hewlett-Packard Co. against Oracle Corp. The punitive award against J&J was the largest against a company this year, according to Bloomberg data. Such punishment damages are intended to dissuade defendants from continuing sanctioned practices. The jury is telling J&J that they better settle these cases soon, said Mark Lanier, who represented the group of six hip patients who sued J&J and DePuy. All they are doing by trying more of these cases is driving up their costs and driving the companys reputation into the mud. J&Js DePuy unit acted appropriately in designing and testing the product, spokeswoman Mindy Tinsley said in a statement. The companies have strong grounds for appeal and remain committed to the long-term defense of the lawsuit allegations, according to the statement. Lawyers for J&J said U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeades rulings barred J&J from providing a fair presentation to the jury. Now the appellate court will need to review errors made by the judge, attorney John Beisner said in an e-mailed statement. The company will ask Kinkeade not to schedule any more trials until the appellate review is completed, he said. Trial Losses The verdict continues a losing stretch for J&J before U.S. juries. Six of the seven largest product-defect verdicts in the U.S. this year have been against J&J units, including three in lawsuits claiming its talc products cause ovarian cancer. J&J won the first Pinnacle hip case to go to trial in October 2014 after a jury rejected a Montana womans claims that the devices were defective and gave her metal poisoning. In March, a Dallas jury ordered J&J to pay $502 million to a group of five patients who accused the company of hiding defects in the hips. A judge cut that verdict in July to about $150 million. The Pinnacle devices werent covered by New Brunswick, New Jersey-based J&Js $2.5 billion settlement covering its ASR line of artificial hips. In 2010 J&J recalled 93,000 of those implants worldwide, saying 12 percent failed within five years. Since the six hip recipients who sued J&J were all California residents, that states law governs the handling of punitive damages awarded in the case. California has no cap on punishment awards, so it may be difficult for the company to argue that this part of the verdict should be reduced under state law. The U.S. Supreme Court has said such bad-conduct awards must be proportional to compensatory damage verdicts that underlie them and has limited punitive verdicts to 10 times a plaintiffs actual damages. The company still faces 8,900 suits over Pinnacle hip failures, according to a May filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. That figure is up from 8,300 suits the company listed in an October 2015 regulatory filing. Cobalt Poisoning The patients in the cases before Kinkeade alleged their DePuy hips leached cobalt and chromium material into their bloodstreams, leading to the device failures and surgical removal. They claimed J&J officials knew their metal-on-metal design would cause such injuries but pushed ahead with the product to rack up billions of dollars in sales. The plaintiffs also contend DePuy officials rushed the Pinnacle hips to market with little testing and turned a blind eye to studies that showed metal-on-metal prosthetics posed a deterioration risk for human tissue and bone. Kinkeade has scheduled another test trial involving claims by 10 hip recipients for September 2017, according to court filings. Despite its pledge to appeal Thursdays verdict, J&J shouldnt wait for an outcome to approach hip patients with settlement offers, said Erik Gordon, a University of Michigan law professor, who teaches classes about how drugs and medical devices are developed and regulated. They may think they have good defenses to these claims, but they dont seem to be working with juries, Gordon said in an interview Thursday. Theres no easy way out of these cases now that they have a billion-dollar verdict against them. They better start thinking of how they can settle these claims before the price goes up any more. The consolidated case is In Re DePuy Orthopaedics Inc. Pinnacle Hip Implant Products Liability litigation, 11-md-2244, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas (Dallas).The lead case in this trial was Andrews v. DePuy Orthopedics, 15-cv-03484-K, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas (Dallas). Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics Lawsuits USA Texas A Chinese firm is criticized for explicit description of an employees sex life. (Photo : Getty Images) Who would have thought that the phrases exchange sexual experience, give sexual guidance and masturbation would appear in a state-owned firms official document? Well, it just happened with China Railway Corporations (CRC) announcement. CRC has drawn criticism for revealing in an announcement the explicit details of an officials inappropriate sexual relationship with a female colleague and her daughter. Advertisement According to the document, the 50-year-old official named Huang Gang sent more than 2,300 lewd texts to his female colleague surnamed Yang over a period of six months. The pair also discussed how Huang can provide sexual guidance to Yangs daughter. As punishment for Huangs inappropriate sexual behavior, he was demoted to the position of deputy director and was given one-year probation by the disciplinary council. After its release, the five-page document has been shared by over 1,000 netizens on Sina Weibo. Most of the netizens stated that they have never read a bold and exciting official document like this one and that it seems like reading a pornographic book. Amid the publicity of the document, many experts have criticized CRC for publishing such an explicit announcement. Legal experts say that the firm has violated Huang and Yangs right to privacy. According to lawyer Zhang Xinnian, though it is normal for the disciplinary council to investigate and write all the details as possible, it is very inappropriate to include the explicit details of the report in a public document. "The punishment notices that are open to the public, such as those published on the official website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, only give a general description such as saying the person 'lead a corrupt life' and 'traded power and sex' and never depict specific details," said Zhang. Zhang also stated that though adultery is an immoral act, it is not considered as a crime in China. Only moral condemnation is imposed on ordinary citizens committing adultery, but for officials, a punishment is necessary. In the case of Huang, his demotion should have been enough as a punishment. Public humiliation should not be included because he and Yang still have the right to privacy. Aside from privacy issues, many netizens also criticized CRC for giving a very light punishment to Huang. However, this case is not unique to CRC since there is still no strict law in China for adultery. With the rise in reported cases, the government is now trying to fight adultery, especially when public officials are involved. A judges ruling that upholds Waller Countys ban on guns in its courthouse keeps the southeast Texas county at odds with the state attorney general. State District Judge Albert McCaig Jr. ruled this week in a lawsuit by a gun rights supporter who wanted county officials to remove signs warning visitors to the courthouse in Hempstead that firearms are prohibited. State attorney General Ken Paxton has said the government entities that can be penalized for posting such signs include a government courtroom or those offices essential to the operation of the government court. But McCaigs decision interpreted that to prohibit all firearms and other weapons in the entire government building that houses a court. State law already bars firearms from the premises of any government court or offices utilized by the court. The Waller County Courthouse, where McCaig has a courtroom and offices, also houses the countys administrative offices, an arrangement common in many Texas county courthouses. This was not, and still is not, a matter of Waller County, or any member of Waller Countys Commissioners Court, being anti-gun or anti-carry in any way, Waller County Judge Trey Duhon told the Houston Chronicle. Waller Countys decision in this matter was simply to enforce the law exactly as it was intended by the Texas Legislature. Paxton, who has filed his own lawsuit against the county, said McCaigs ruling that resolved a suit involving Terry Holcomb Sr., founder of the group Texas Carry, makes a mockery of legislative democracy. Holcomb, who started the legal fight in May with a letter requesting removal of the courthouse signs, said hes appealing McCaigs ruling. I have no doubt that the Court of Appeals will reject the trial judges usurpation of law and apply the statutes as written, Paxton said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Legislation Texas Gun Liability Twenty years ago today insurers began selling California Earthquake Authority policies two years off of a hard lesson learned by the states residents and its insurance market. But 20 years later are we any better off? Glenn Pomeroy, the CEAs CEO, has no doubts about the change that has occurred, or the changes that will occur one way or another. Weve grown so much in terms of being able to offer a much more valuable product, Pomeroy said. The concept of the CEA was born from the rubble of the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The 6.7 magnitude blind thrust quake caused roughly $24.5 billion in insured losses, and insurers began refusing to write new California residential policies to avoid a new state law mandating that earthquake policies be offered. Eventually, new home policy sales across almost 95 percent of the market were closed. The California Legislature established the CEA in 1996 to address a home insurance market crisis that ensued. In creating the privately funded, publicly managed nonprofit, participating carriers could sell and service CEA earthquake policies, while the CEA would bear the risk in the event of covered claims. CEAs participating insurers began writing its policies on Dec. 1, 1996, and over the next year the market crisis dissipated and home insurance sales returned to normal. However, it took one more lesson following the Northridge Quake before the state could get to that point. Between 1994 and 1996, when the market was in turmoil, the Legislatures first attempted fix resulted in the mini-policy. The barebones policy offered insurance for a structures for replacement value, but only $5,000 worth of contents coverage, one deductible (15 percent), $1,500 in additional living expense coverage and no discounts for mitigation. The benefits were minimal, Pomeroy said. Pomeroy blames all of those limitations on a lack of uptake, and said the CEA has since worked to add options and lower rates. He noted that the CEA now offers up to $200,000 worth of personal property coverage, up to $100,000 worth of loss of use coverage, a 20 percent discount for retrofitting and a range of deductibles (5 percent, 10 percent, 20 percent, 25 percent). He added: And weve lowered our rates by 55 percent combined over the last 20 years. The CEA now has 923,000 policies issued, and according to Pomeroy 2016 has been the entitys best year yet. This year is by far and away the biggest growth year weve ever experienced, Pomeroy said. Over the last 10 years, the CEAs average annual new policy growth rate is around 12,000 per year. In first 10 months of this year, more than 43,000 new policies have been sold. Were more than tripling the annual average in annual policy sales, he said. He credited that in part to the new options and lower rates introduced at the start of the year. He also credited increased public awareness of earthquake potential due to recent highly publicized disasters from temblors in other countries. The latest figures show the states current residential earthquake uptake is now 12.45 percent, which is up over a steady 10-percent market penetration thats held over the past several years, according to the California Department of Insurance. Pomeroy thinks thatll be a bigger number someday. Frankly, I think were going to have weathered an earthquake over the next 20 years, he said. I think the value of earthquake insurance protection will be even more evident then. Related: Topics California Catastrophe Natural Disasters Earthquake Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC has acquired Presidio Benefits Group, a San Francisco, Calif.-based employee benefits consulting firm. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. All of Presidios employees, including its founders Alan Ikeya and Matthew Coan, are joining MMA and will operate out of MMAs existing San Francisco office. Presidio offers a range of employee benefits and human resource services to employers in the Bay Area. MMA is a subsidiary of Marsh established in 2008 to serve as a platform for the middle market. Topics Mergers & Acquisitions California (Bloomberg) -- Republicans are coalescing around a plan to quickly pass next year a delayed repeal of Obamacare to give them two or three years to craft an alternative. But that plan, designed to create a cliff that according to lawmakers and aides would push Congress to get its act together, comes with significant perils. Were going to begin immediately to repeal Obamacare and reconciliation is the only way to do it. And I believe we will have 51 Republican senators or 52 to vote for that, Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who chairs the health committee, told reporters Thursday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said it will be two or three years before the repeal takes effect, Alexander said, urging his party to provide clear signals about a replacement plan before the vote. Privately, Republicans are engaging in frantic efforts to find a way forward and fulfill that promise, now that theyve won control of the White House and Congress. Theyve been unable to agree on a healthcare alternative ever since the 2010 law was enacted over their objections. GOP lawmakers and policy aides describe it as a top priority next year under President-elect Donald Trump. After a closed-door meeting of House Republicans on Friday, Representative Blake Farenthold of Texas said the earliest action on a repeal will probably come in February because of procedural rules. "The idea is to repeal immediately, and act on a replacement as soon as possible," he said. A replacement will require Democratic votes in the Senate and work has to be done with insurance companies, Farenthold said. "Leadership doesnt want to over-promise," he said. Senator John Cornyn, the Republican majority whip, said he expects a repeal to move forward in the first 100 days of the Trump administration, even if the Senate is "jammed up" with confirmations of appointments by the new president. But undoing President Barack Obamas signature law is easier said than done. There are at least five major obstacles the GOP must overcome. No Party-Wide Consensus Congressional Republicans have held dozens of votes to repeal or dismantle the 2010 law, but havent been able to push through a detailed replacement plan in either chamber. A scattershot of replacement proposals -- including one from House Budget Chairman Tom Price, Trumps pick to run the Department of Health and Human Services -- have failed to gain traction within the party. Itll take a while, and nobody should think that on day one were going to repeal and replace it, said Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona. One reason is that many Republicans are unable to agree on what to do about the estimated 22 million people who would stand to lose their health insurance, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, if the law is repealed. I am of the view that we cant pull the rug out from under people who have been, in many instances, forced into Obamacare, said Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas. So this will take some time to make certain that we protect people and their healthcare. Ideologically, conservative opposition to regulations and spending creates a dilemma. Before Obamacares new rules, insurers had more discretion to deny coverage to sicker Americans. And many Republicans oppose using taxpayer money to subsidize healthcare for the poor, which limits the options for extending coverage. Popular Pieces Tied to Unpopular Ones Republicans -- including Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan -- say they want to keep popular components of the law, such as the coverage guarantee for people regardless of their medical history. Sixty-nine percent of Americans support the pre-existing condition provision, including majorities of Republicans, Democrats and independents, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll released Thursday. Yet only 35% support the individual mandate to buy insurance or pay a tax penalty. That disconnect will be tough to reconcile. The mandate is seen by many health policy experts -- as well as the insurance industry -- as inextricable from the pre-existing conditions guarantee, as it increases participation of healthier people to defray the high costs of caring for sick customers. Thats certainly the challenge. How do you create a process by which you can get your pre-existing conditions covered? Moran said. Im beginning to think it can be accomplished, he said, but he wasnt sure how. The survey found that majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents also support provisions in Obamacare that let people under 27 stay on a parents insurance plan, guarantee preventive services without out-of-pocket costs, subsidize costs for lower-income Americans and expand Medicaid. Industry Opposition Health insurers and hospitals have shifted their businesses over the last half-decade to adjust to the Affordable Care Act, and theyre warning against any sudden moves that could hurt patients, or their businesses. The American Hospital Association, for instance, said in a Nov. 30 letter to Trump that any repeal of the ACA should also include a replacement plan. We urge you not to make any abrupt changes that could lead to significant instability for patients, providers, insurers and others, the group said. Already, Trumps talk of repealing the ACA threatens to destabilize the laws markets. Thats because insurers are counting on more people to sign up for coverage during the current enrollment period, while the rhetoric and uncertainty may actually depress sign-ups. Its possible that some people are going to say, Why bother to sign up? Ill wait and see what the new one is, Michael Neidorff, chief executive officer of health insurer Centene Corp., which has a major business selling ACA plans, said on Nov. 10. Medicare Time Bomb The ACA cut $700 billion from Medicare reimbursements to providers, helping extend the solvency of the program from an initially projected date of 2016 to 2026, according to its trustees. Repealing the law and restoring those expenses could create an imminent solvency problem for Medicare, which many Senate Republicans say is a conversation theyre not ready to deal with. Democratic Opposition Republican aides argue privately that a cliff for repeal would force Democrats to come to the table and work with them on a healthcare replacement. Republican Representative Daniel Webster of Florida said Friday the plan is for the Senate to move first on a budget resolution in January that then would go to the House. Alexander argued that the law could be repealed with 51 votes under the budget reconciliation process, but a replacement would need 60 votes. That means winning over at least eight Democrats -- and for now, Democrats are not in a giving mood and would prefer to jam Republicans. Theres no way to keep those good things without keeping some of the other things in the ACA. And so theyre stuck, and thats why they dont have a solution, said Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the incoming Democratic leader. Its a risky bet, but after winning the election some Republicans are prepared to roll the dice. "If we do an outright repeal, wed be better off," said Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama. "And then well replace it with what we want. Something better." If you need a significant sum of money and don't expect to have the means to repay it, one option that may be available is a hardship withdrawal from the 401(k) at your current employer. Without the hardship provision, withdrawals are difficult at best if you're younger than 59. A hardship withdrawal, though, allows funds to be withdrawn from your account to meet an immediate and heavy financial need, such as covering medical or burial expenses or avoiding foreclosure on a home. But before you prepare to tap your retirement savings in this way, check that you're allowed to do so. Employers don't have to offer hardship withdrawals, or the two other ways to get money from your 401(k)loans and non-hardship in-service withdrawals. Below, we'll discuss what you need to know about hardship withdrawals, beginning with what you need to prove in order to qualify for one. Key Takeaways A hardship withdrawal from a 401(k) retirement account can help you come up with much-needed funds in a pinch. Unlike a 401(k) loan, the funds to do not need to be repaid. But you must pay taxes on the amount of the withdrawal. A hardship withdrawal can give you retirement funds penalty-free, but only for certain specific qualified expenses such as crippling medical bills or the presence of a disability. Eligibility for a Hardship Withdrawal Even if your employer offers the measure, you should be cautious about using it. Financial advisors typically counsel against raiding your retirement savings except as an absolute last resort. Indeed, with new rules now in place that make hardship withdrawals easier, some advisors fear a run on retirement funds at the expense of using options that are less damaging to long-term financial health. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS)'s immediate and heavy financial need stipulation for a hardship withdrawal applies not only to the employee's situation. Such a withdrawal can also be made to accommodate the need of a spouse, dependent, or beneficiary. Immediate and heavy expenses include the following: Certain medical expenses Home-buying expenses for a principal residence Up to 12 months worth of tuition and fees Expenses to prevent being foreclosed on or evicted Burial or funeral expenses Certain expenses to repair casualty losses to a principal residence (such as losses from fires, earthquakes, or floods) You wont qualify for a hardship withdrawal if you have other assets that you could draw on to meet the need or insurance that will cover the need. However, you needn't necessarily have taken a loan from your plan before you can file for a hardship withdrawal. That requirement was eliminated in the reforms, which were part of the Bipartisan Budget Act passed in 2018. Nothing in the reforms, however, makes it any more certain that you can take a hardship distribution. That decision is still up to your employer. A retirement plan may, but is not required to, provide for hardship distributions, the IRS states. If the plan does allow such distributions, it must specify the criteria that define a hardship, such as paying for medical or funeral expenses. Your employer will ask for certain information and possibly documentation of your hardship. How Much You Can Withdraw You cant just withdraw as much as you want; it must be the amount necessary to satisfy the financial need. That sum can, however, include whats required to pay taxes and penalties on the withdrawal. The recent reforms allow the maximum withdrawal to represent a larger proportion of your 401(k) or 403(b) plan. Under the old rules, you could only withdraw your own salary-deferral contributionsthe amounts you had withheld from your paycheckfrom your plan when taking a hardship withdrawal. Also, taking a hardship withdrawal meant you couldn't make new contributions to your plan for the next six months. Source: Congress.gov. Under the new rules, you may, if your employer allows it, be able to withdraw your employers contributions plus any investment earnings in addition to your salary-deferral contributions. Youll also be able to keep contributing, which means youll lose less ground on saving for retirement and still be eligible to receive your employers matching contributions. Source: Congress.gov. Some might argue that the ability to withdraw not just salary-deferral contributions but also employer contributions and investment returns is not an improvement to the program. Heres why. What Hardship Withdrawals Will Cost You Hardship withdrawals hurt you in the long run when it comes to saving for retirement. You're removing money you've set aside for your post-pay-check years and losing the opportunity to use it then, and to have it continue to appreciate in the meantime. You'll also be liable for paying income tax on the amount of the withdrawaland at your current rate, which may well be higher than you'd have paid if the funds were withdrawn in retirement. If you are younger than 59, it's also very likely you'll be charged at 10% penalty on the amount you withdraw. 10% The penalty on withdrawn retirement funds before age 59, in addition to paying taxes due, if they do not meet the criteria for a penalty waiver. If you're in that age group, you'll be subject to the 10% penalty unless you're receiving the funds under any of the following circumstances: A corrective distribution. This is money repaid to you as a highly compensated employee deemed to have contributed too much to a 401(k) compared to other employees; income tax is owed on this money Death Total and permanent disability A qualified domestic relations order, issued as part of a divorce decree) IRS levies on the plan A series of substantially equal periodic payments A dividend pass-through from an Employee Stock Ownership Plan Medical expenses in excess of 10% of adjusted gross income (AGI) Employee separation from service after age 55 Certain distributions to qualified military reservists called to active duty Also, note that 401(k) no-penalty withdrawal rules are slightly different from those for withdrawing from a traditional IRA. Other Options for Getting 401(k) Money If you're at least 59, you're permitted to withdraw funds from your 401(k) without penalty, whether you're suffering from hardship or not. And account-holders of any age may, if their employer permits it, have the ability to loan money from a 401(k). Most advisors do not recommend borrowing from your 401(k) either, in large part because such loans also threaten the nest egg you've accumulated for your retirement. But a loan might be worth considering in lieu of a withdrawal if you believe there's a chance you'll be able to repay the loan in a timely way (with most 401(k)s, that means within five years). 401(k) loans must be repaid with interest in order to avoid penalties. Loans are generally permitted for the lesser of half your 401(k) balance or $50,000 and must be repaid with interest, although both the principal and interest payments are made to your own retirement account. It is also worth noting that the CARES Act raises the borrowing limit from $50,000 to $100,000. If you should default on the payments, the loan converts to a withdrawal, with most of the same consequences as if it had originated as one. How Long Does a 401(k) Hardship Withdrawal Take? A hardship withdrawal can take 7-10 business days, which includes a review of your withdrawal application. How Do You Prove Hardship for a 401(k) Withdrawal? You do not have to prove hardship to take a withdrawal from your 401(k). That is, you are not required to provide your employer with documentation attesting to your hardship. You will want to keep documentation or bills proving the hardship, however. How Much Tax Is on a 401(k) Hardship Withdrawal? Hardship withdrawals, although they avoid the 10% early withdrawal penalty, are taxable events. Thus, your 401(k) plan administrator will withhold a mandatory 20% from the amount requestedalthough you may end up owing more depending on your income level. The Bottom Line About two-thirds of 401(k)s also permit non-hardship in-service withdrawals. This option, however, does not immediately provide funds for a pressing need. Rather, the withdrawal is allowed in order to transfer funds to another investment option. You might, however, consult a tax or financial advisor to explore whether this option might be able to serve your needs. Indeed, engaging professional advice to help explore your options is wise if you're considering a hardship withdrawal or any other move to obtain funds immediately. Top News - Investor Idea A Boat-full of Potential - Renewed Interest in the Cruise Industry Bolsters Luxury Markets (OTC: MASN) (NYSE: CCL) (NYSE: CUK) (NYSE: RCL) (NYSE: NCLH) Vancouver, Kelowna, Delta, BC - November 2, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Investorideas.com, a leading investor news resource covering luxury goods and cruise ship stocks releases a special report featuring Maison Luxe, Inc. (OTC: MASN), a company that offers luxury retail consumer items. Top AI Stock News - Investor Idea Breaking AI Stock News: Intellagents, a FatBrain AI (OTCQB: LZGI) Company, Announces Hiring of Insurtech Industry Veteran as Chief Revenue Officer NEW YORK, NY - November 2, 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, announces the hiring of Euan King, an experienced and respected Insurtech industry leader as Chief Revenue Officer for insurance technology-focused subsidiary Intellagents. Top Health and Wellness News - Investor Idea Health and Wellness Stock News - Endexx (OTCBB: EDXC) Secures $3.8M Order for Non-Nicotine Vape Product HYLA from Italy CAVE CREEK, Az. - November 2, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Endexx Corporation (OTCBB:EDXC), a provider of innovative, plant-based, and sustainable health and skincare products, today announces it has secured a new $3.8 million USD order for its newly acquired, non-nicotine based vape product, HYLA from customers in Italy. Top EV Stock News - Investor Idea Breaking EV Stock News: Overwhelmingly Positive Reactions Pour in From First Leg of Mullen Automotive's (NASDAQ: MULN) 'Strikingly Different' FIVE EV Crossover Tour BREA, Calif. - October 31, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN), an emerging electric vehicle ("EV") manufacturer, announces today that the Mullen FIVE has received overwhelmingly positive reactions from members of the public, reservation holders and Mullen investors who were able to ride in the vehicle for the very first time on the "Strikingly Different" tour which kicked off last week in Pasadena, California. Check out our Podcasts for great investor ideas: Get new posts by email: Subscribe Powered by Investorideas.com Newswire: Subscribe to Investor Ideas Newswire A visitor looks at Alibaba Cloud's display booth during the Singles' Day event. (Photo : Getty Images) Australian small to midsize enterprises (SMEs) looking to do business in China will now have easier access as Alibaba Cloud, also known as Aliyun, opened its new data center in Sydney, the fourth data center opened this month, following launches in Japan, Germany and the United Arab Emirates. Advertisement An article by zdnet.com said that the move is part of Aliyun's efforts to expand its global presence against other market players that include Amazon, Microsoft and Google. It now has a physical presence in 14 locations around the world that includes mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the U.S. Aliyun also plans to expand its local team which is based in Sydney and Melbourne, to help build the local cloud ecosystem, the article said. Alibaba Group announced on Nov. 21 that Sydney was chosen to be one of the four locations for its data center, as part efforts to enhance its cloud computing unit, with $1 billion worth of investment. As China's largest trading partner, it was easy for Alibaba Group to pick Australia as the location for its data center. Sicheng Yu, VP of Alibaba Group said in a press conference on Monday, Nov. 28, that Aliyun can help Australian small to mid-size enterprises (SMEs) to do business in China, considering its strength and scale in the local market. Yu added that customers of Alibaba Cloud were able to manage their organizations in different regions with one global account. "We are a real global cloud [platform] in terms of having a global infrastructure covering both the west side and east side," Yu said. "If an Australian enterprise is looking to set up an e-commerce portal serving their global customer needs, including the Australian local market, the Middle East, and China, what you would typically do is acquire a virtual machine from a cloud vendor, plus the connectivity in those locations, plus the data center," Yu added. "We would be the perfect vendor to provide this because we have facilities in all these locations." According to the company, it can both connect technologically and commercially the east-west gap for businesses through its program called AliLaunch. The program, which was launched in August, can help partners pass the hurdles that international companies meet when expanding into China. However, compared to Amazon Web Services (AWS), Alibaba Cloud has limited presence as it has 35 availability zones and 13 regions globally. Some of the new regions in China, Canada, Ohio, and the United Kingdom are still in the process of going online. Beginning in 2009 as a separate entity, Alibaba Cloud was able to acquire more than 2.3 million users worldwide, with more than 650,000 customers that included developers, SMEs and big global organizations. During the 11.11 online shopping festival, Alibaba Cloud used its super computational engine Aspara to process 175,000 transactions per second on its ecommerce platforms during peak traffic. In Australia, the company said that its initial focus will be to help small businesses move to the cloud as Alibaba Cloud president Simon Hu believes that Australia is a strong market for its cloud unit. He also expects that the general adoption of cloud will be faster than in other regions outside China. Yu named Accenture as its only partner in Australia. In the third quarter this year, Alibaba Group had posted a total revenue of $5.14 billion. About 83 percent of Alibaba's revenue may be attributed to e-commerce while Alibaba Cloud total sales rose from 3 percent in 2015 to 4 percent this year. Its cloud revenue surged 130 percent from last year to $244 million. In the fortnight since Kym Owens was attacked in Maynooth, gardai have interviewed 200 people. The first-year student, who is 18, remains under sedation in hospital after suffering multiple injuries in an assault on her way back to college on Sunday November 18. The timeline of what exactly happened remains unclear as foggy conditions prevented a clear view of the scene on CCTV footage. Gardai hope that when Ms Owens regains consciousness, she may be able to shed light on the attack and give them clues to help in their investigation. Ms Owens left her home in Castleblaney, Co Monaghan, and boarded the A2B bus at around 6.15pm, arriving in Maynooth two hours later. She walked 1km to Moyglare Abbey Estate, where she was attacked sometime between 8.15pm and 8.40pm. She was within 500m of her digs when she was seriously assaulted and left unconscious on the footpath, said Supt Gerry Wall, from Leixlip Garda Station. He said Ms Owens, a first-year student of arts at Maynooth University, suffered extensive head injuries. Supt Wall said the bus started its journey at Monaghan, stopping at Carrickmacross and Castleblaney and going on to Ardee and Slane, before reaching Maynooth. He appealed to anyone on that bus, who got on or off and who got off at Maynooth to contact gardai. He said it was very, very possible the attacker was on the bus, but stressed it was not the only avenue they were exploring. Pat Hickey is to get a loan from the Association of National Olympic Committees to pay his bail in Brazil. Mr Hickey was arrested in Rio in August and was held in the high-security Bangu prison. He was granted the right to leave Brazil for health reasons by a judge. Update 4.30pm: In a statement, King's Hospital school confirmed gardai and Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, are currently investigating an alleged incident at the school. The school said no further statement would be made at this time. Meanwhile, the Church of Ireland expressed its "sincere concern" and offered thoughts and prayers after news of the elleged incident surfaced. A statement issdued on behalf of Archbishop Richard Clarke, Archbishop Michael Jackson and Bishop Pat Storey said: "Following news of an alleged sexual assault at the Kings Hospital School, we express our sincere concern and offer our thoughts and prayers for the child and family at the centre of this incident. "We trust that the process of investigation by the statutory authorities will bring about a just outcome, and we also pray for the wellbeing of the pupils and staff of the school at this difficult time." Earlier: Gardai have confirmed that they are investigating an alleged assault at a school in the Lucan area of Dublin. It is reported that a 13-year-old boy was sexually assaulted with a hockey stick by eight other pupils at King's Hospital school in Palmerstown last Thursday. The Irish Times also claims a number of students have been suspended from the co-education boarding and day secondary school. The school confirmed that the alleged incident is being investigated by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. It said it will make no further statement, while Tusla has said it does not comment on individual cases. File photo of the North Korean border (Photo : Getty Images) The United Nations Security Council unanimously voted to impose new sanctions on North Korea in response to the latter's latest nuclear weapons test in September. All members of the 15-member council agreed to adopt the resolution drafted by the United States to impose sanctions on coal exports coming from North Korea, Reuters reported. Advertisement Under the new resolution, U.N. member countries will cut down imports of coal from North Korea by about 60 percent. There would also be an annual sales cap of around $400.9 million to be imposed on the hermit country. Coal is the North's single biggest export, with China believed to be the only country buying from the rogue state. The country reportedly imported more than 18.6 million tons from North Korea, up by 13 percent from 2015. Under the U.N. resolution, China has agreed to cap its imports of North Korean coal to just a million tons, valuing at $53.5 million, by the end of the year. Due to the two countries' close economic ties, China has traditionally sided with North Korea when it comes to the various sanctions being imposed on the latter by the U.N. However, the Asian superpower has recently hinted on its intentions to sign the proposed resolution aimed to punish the country's government. Experts see China's move to support the new sanctions as part of its efforts to position itself as an important global leader. Aside from cap on coal importation, the resolution adopted by the council also called for the ban on the importation of metal ores, including zinc, nickel, silver, and copper, from North Korea, The Wall Street Journal reported. The exports of metal ores bring in an estimated $100 million annually to the country. There will also be a ban on the export of decorative statues, which is also a major industry for the North. Additionally, there will be restrictions on banking transactions against 10 individuals and 11 entities involved in North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. With growth up and joblessness declining, the report card turned out to be a promising one. The eurozones third-biggest economy expanded 0.3% in the third quarter, while a separate report showed manufacturing unexpectedly accelerated last month. Italy also revised up second-quarter GDP growth from stagnation, and unemployment fell slightly to 11.6% in October. The jobless rate peaked at 13.1% in 2014. A separate survey showed Italian manufacturing expanded last month. The pace of the economic recovery, which remains subdued, and the outlook for the labour market oddly enough werent main themes in the referendum campaign, said Paolo Pizzoli, a senior economist at ING Bank in Milan said before the latest reports were released. Those challenges will still be there after the vote. Italys growth reaches 1%, Mr Renzi said in a post on Twitter after the release. If the country unlocks itself, we will do more, he added in a reference to the choice Italians now face with the weekend referendum. The new numbers might influence undecided voters heading to the polls on Sunday or reject reforms that Mr Renzi says are needed to move the country forward. The figures also provide a report card on his almost three-year-old economic strategy. During the period, hes tried to contain the countrys huge public debt, of 2.21 trillion. It has exceeded 130% of GDP during his tenure and is expected to increase again at the end of 2016. To boost growth, Mr Renzi passed in his first months in power a personal-income tax rebate for low-paid employees and then temporary discounts on social contributions for employers hiring workers. Mr Renzi said this week the government made a deal with state-employee unions on a long-awaited salaries rise. Wages were frozen in 2010 under a measure approved by then-prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. A euro volatility measure yesterday rose to the highest since before the Brexit vote, as investors braced for the referendum in Italy and Austrias election for president, also on December 4, as well as the ECBs policy decision next week. Ken Greene, managing director of Greene Farm Foods, said: We will continue to be specialist producers of premium sliced cooked meats, and in particular we will continue to develop the Greene Farm Brand. It will also bring a new developmental dynamic to our site. Greene Farm Foods processes and markets a range of cooked convenience meats into the retail and foodservice distribution channels, mostly in Ireland. William Gilsenan, aged 24, of The Green, Larch Hill, Oscar Traynor Road, Santry, Dublin 17, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Edward Fitzgerald, aged 29, in the car park outside the accuseds home on October 17, 2014. Charlie Brodigan told Orla Crowe, prosecuting, that he was in college with Mr Gilsenan that morning. They finished in the early afternoon, went to the gym and then took a taxi together to the accuseds home. When he arrived he noticed two people in a car looking at him and then the driver, whom he later knew to be Mr Fitzgerald, got out and started arguing with Mr Gilsenan. He said the argument was over 100 that Mr Gilsenan owed to Mr Fitzpatrick. The witness knew about the debt, which was for marijuana. It started off calm and then started getting aggressive because your man [the deceased] obviously wanted his money. He said they threatened one another and it looked as if they were going to fight. He said Mr Fitzpatrick told the accused: I want my money or youre going to get a slap. The witness added: It was what anyone would say if you owed money to them. Mr Gilsenan walked away and went with the witness to the apartment in The Green. Mr Brodigan said they wanted to smoke a joint but they had no cigarette papers so they decided to go to Shane Cullens apartment, which was also in The Green. As they walked over Mr Fitzpatrick, now back in the drivers seat of the car, called out to Mr Gilsenan. The accused approached the open passenger side window and the argument flared up again. He said the deceased then threw a punch at Mr Gilsenan through the window. Then Willy went around to the drivers side of the car, he said. I seen what I thought was a little fight, I thought they were exchanging digs. It was all over before I got to the car. He said Mr Gilsenan just walked away and that was the end of it. The witness did not know that Mr Fitzgerald had been stabbed. They went to Mr Cullens house, where Mr Gilsenan was given a loan of a bike and he cycled to his fathers house. Mr Brodigan became aware of the seriousness of the incident when he saw paramedics arriving. He agreed with Caroline Biggs, defending, that in a statement to gardai he said he heard Mr Fitzgerald say that he would smash the accuseds house and burn it down and that he would burn his mothers house down. He said he also heard him threaten Mr Gilsenan. He said that Mr Gilsenan was shaken and white in the face after the first confrontation, adding: He didnt really know what to do. He also agreed that in his statement to gardai he said that Mr Fitzgerald had started the row. The trial continues. One can hardly believe that we are having the coldest weather at the moment by the way the female presenters are dressed. It looks so ridiculous, read a complaint that was released under the Freedom of Information Act. Another complaint stated: I find Met Eireann reports more glamour-orientated. Deputy head of forecasting at Met Eireann, Evelyn Cusack, said comments are always welcomed. We always welcome feedback from the public, she told the Irish Examiner. If people arent happy thats their prerogative. If theyre not happy about how people are dressed, thats down to individual taste. Other comments referred to alleged inaccuracies in the weather reporting. I can see no reason why you continue to announce forecasts that [are] so abysmally incorrect, read one complaint. Ms Cusack responded to that point by explaining that weather forecasting was not an exact science. In total, Met Eireann received 78 complaints from members of the public between January 1, 2016 and November 1. One comment took aim at the extra focus that Dublin seemed to receive. The member of the public stated: Since when is Dublin a region? Are the Dubs now considered the fifth province? Ms Cusack explained that Dublin was not singled out on the TV broadcast, only on their website under a heading entitled region. The reason we single out Dublin is because 1.5m people live there and it has its own microclimate, she said. The Wicklow Mountains are south of Dublin and because most of the countrys rain comes in off the Atlantic Ocean, the capital is protected therefore receiving one of the lowest rainfalls across the island. Our job is to present the weather in the best possible way, Ms Cusack added. The High Court heard that the minister had agreed to pay 250,000 compensation to Gerard Walsh, who thought he would die in the assault. Mr Walsh had told the court that in June 1992 he was stationed in Tramore, Co Waterford. He and colleagues had been clearing a pub in Portlaw, Co Waterford, when he suddenly received a blow from behind to his right temple. Mr Walsh told his barrister, Bruce Antoniotti SC, that he failed to grab his assailants hands. The man, who the court heard was a martial arts champion, had then hit and kicked him repeatedly. Mr Antoniotti, who appeared with barrister David Richardson, said that after his client, Mr Walsh, had fallen, his assailant grabbed him from behind and tried to choke him by putting his thigh and lower leg around his neck. Mr Walsh told Mr Justice Bernard Barton he had been choking and thought he would lose consciousness. He had been terrified and fearful for his life and had felt he was blacking out. The court heard that Mr Walshs colleagues intervened and put an end to the assault. He had been unable to stand due to pain in his left knee. His colleagues had carried him to a lounge area. Mr Walsh said he was taken by ambulance to a hospital. He had suffered bruising on his face, a swollen knee and soft tissue injuries to his body. The court heard he had strangulation marks. He told the court he suffered headaches for weeks and his neck had been sore for several years. He had suffered a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee for which he had later needed to undergo surgery. Mr Walsh said he had ongoing pain in his knee and had restricted movement. He had lost his confidence following the assault and had later developed psoriatic arthritis, a form of arthritis that affects the skin and the joints, in his feet, elbow and shoulders. He claimed his arthritis had been triggered by the assault. He had later developed depression symptoms and had been unable to return to full garda duties. Mr Walsh, who now lives in Rathcormac, Co Cork, had been informed in 2001 that he was being retired on medical grounds, because of infirmity of his mind and body. He sued the minister for compensation for his injuries and also for loss of earnings and loss of pension. Michael J Durack SC, for the minister, had argued that Mr Walshs arthritis condition was not linked to the assault. After an adjournment, Mr Richardson told Judge Barton the case had settled. The judge approved a settlement agreement between the parties and ordered 250,000 compensation be paid to Mr Walsh, with his legal costs. The Beamish family from West Cork, who lost a son and brother in a workplace accident in Clonakilty last year, have donated almost 12,000 raised in his memory to the Munster flying doctor project. Nollaig Beamish said they hope that something positive will come from their nightmare: If this type of accident were to happen again, and if this kind of air ambulance service was in place, it would be of huge benefit to the people of West Cork. Her youngest brother, Fearghal, 26, from Ardfield, suffered fatal injuries in a workplace accident in Clona Dairies in Clonakilty on July 14, 2015. Paramedic Martin Haughney, who lives locally, was first on the scene, but despite the best efforts of medics, Fearghal died. Nollaig said her family dad John, brother Gearoid and sister Eimear were devastated. Her mother, Marion, died 16 years ago. She described Fearghal as a keen sportsman, who loved playing football with St Jamess GAA, cycling, road bowling and motorsport. She said he was a very positive person, bubbly and witty who is deeply missed. But she said: He wouldnt want us sitting back and not turning this into something positive. The family wanted to mark the first anniversary of his death last summer with something meaningful, and decided to stage a fundraising event as part of the Ardfield Summer Festival. Following consultation with family and friends, they opted to stage a fundraising walk, run and cycle. Organisers were expecting up to 300 people but Ms Beamish said the family was stunned when almost 1,000 people from all over Munster took part, raising almost 12,000. Mr Haughney suggested the family consider donating the money to the new Irish Community Air Ambulance service a major expansion of the ground-based Irish Community Rapid Response service established in West Cork in 2009. Ms Beamish said it felt like the perfect suggestion: Who knows maybe if a service like this was in place when Fearghal had his accident, he might still be here today. It is hoped the service, which will serve almost one million people in Munster, will be airborne next spring. Ms Beamish paid tribute to the community for their support with the event, and singled out Conor Hegarty for his efforts. She said her family is considering staging the fundraising event in Fearghals memory every year. Spider-Man: Homecoming is set to hit the big screens on July 7, 2017. (Photo : YouTube/ComicBookCast2) New details and spoilers for "Spider-Man: Homecoming" will feature a leaked trailer and Spidey teaming-up with Iron Man to fight Shocker and The Vulture. Instagram username troyanolo posted several photos of the possible first trailer of "Spider-Man: Homecoming" as it was reported that the trailer will be shown in Brazil this week. Advertisement The film rip images features Peter Parker (Tom Holland) living his life as a high school student and fighting crime as his alter-ego Spider-Man, ScreenGeek reported. Peter in "Spider-Man: Homecoming" will have to balance his studies and being vigilante as he tries to figure out what he is meant to do with his life. There is already a leaked trailer description of "Spider-Man: Homecoming" as it starts with an amusing montage set to Joan Jetts Bad Reputation, featuring all of the Avengers and Stephen Strange's high school yearbook portraits to illustrate that all heroes have a beginning. The scene suddenly cuts to Midtown High as Peter Parker is the main focus of the scene. Peter is seen attending classes and admiring cute girls from a distance. He works hard on maintaining his academic grades and crime fighting lifestyle as Spider-Man. Peter is also seen watching a video on YouTube during his encounter with Scott Lang/Ant-Man/Giant-Man (Paul Rudd) and the renegade heroes during the events of "Captain America: Civil War", while trying to create a new web fluid during a seminar. The next scene a several of Peter's high school friends and classmates which include Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori), Liz Allan (Laura Harrier) and Michelle (Zendaya). Peter and his friends attend several classes, while staring at girls which he replied as "creepy", but Michelle shows up and tells them. Peter is seen in the study hall with a teacher (Martin Starr) as he gets a text and immediately leaves with Michelle curiously asking him where. Peter changes to Spider-Man as he seen fighting crime and web swinging, which were featured in several leaked set photos of the film, The footage ends with Spider-Man encountering Adrian Toomes/The Vulture ( Michael Keaton) as his armor is similar to Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) Iron Man suite, but with wings. Meanwhile, it appears that Tony Stark's appearance will "Spider-Man: Homecoming" more than just a cameo as Instagram username delta.customs posted a photo of a possible fight sequence within the film. It featured names such Spider-Man, Vulture, Iron Man and Shocker (Bokeem Woodbine). Vulture, Shocker and Tinkerer (Michael Chernus) will join forces to take down Spider-Man, hence Peter needed some help in the form of Iron Man. Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be mentoring Peter the same way he did within the comics. Tony recruited Spider-Man in his fight with Captain America (Chris Evans) in "Civil War" film and will likely see more of that in future film projects. The first trailer for "Spider-Man: Homecoming" will likely launch on Dec. 16 and its attached to the "Rogue One: A Star Wars story" film, ComicBook reported. "Spider-Man: Homecoming" will be release on July 7, 2017. Organisers of the Irish Redhead Convention an annual celebration in Crosshaven, Co Cork, of all things ginger, attracting global media attention and thousands of visitors over the last seven years confirmed it will not take place next summer. Founder Joleen Cronin said she was extremely disappointed, and blamed increased costs and lack of public funding for the decision. She described the level of funding the event received as a joke, given the media attention it attracted. When we launched in 2010, we had little idea of the enormous impact our ginger gathering would have on redheads of all ages and the positive shifts in attitudes towards having red hair. We created more than just a festival; we created a family, lifelong friendships, a support network and years of wonderful memories. However, she said organisers faced significant challenges in recent years, with a larger festival incurring greater costs. With little public funding and the lack of a main sponsor, ticket sales and the sponsorship and support of small local businesses have not been enough to cover the costs. We need to take stock and take a year out to try to resolve the issues, so that we can once again the deliver the kind of festival that you are used to and deserve, Ms Cronin wrote on the festival website. This years convention cost 26,000 to run, but secured just 2,000 from Failte Irelands Regional Festival fund. An application for 15,000 in Cork County Council economic development funding was turned down. Bad weather hit attendance figures, but it was still worth an estimated 200,000 to the local economy. However, the fall in income, sponsorship, and funding combined to leave organisers facing an 11,000 shortfall. The organisation said: Anoc can confirm that on humanitarian grounds they have agreed to temporarily loan the bail payment for Patrick Hickey to return home for medical reasons. The decision was unanimously approved by Anoc president Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah and all Anoc vice-presidents via a postal vote on 20 November 2016. The payment was made as a temporary loan so that Patrick Hickey could meet his bail requirements and return to Ireland where he can receive medical treatment for a heart condition. The terms of the temporary loan make it clear it must be repaid to Anoc in full. The court was told Robert Noel Tanner, aged 74, Hillcrest, Crush, Glanmire, Co Cork, had assaulted the boy while he was staying at the home of the victims parents in the 1970s. In sentencing the pensioner, Judge Stephen Fowler said it was a gross breach of trust, not to mention the hypocrisy of preaching to the sect and child by doing this behind their back. The parents were also members of the sect and the preacher was in his early 30s when the offences occurred and the boy was in his early teens. It was customary for a preacher to stay in the homes of other members of the sect, the court heard. At Dungannon Crown Court, the defendant, who has Parkinsons disease, admitted both charges for the offences, which happened on dates between December 31, 1973, and January 2, 1975. The court heard the defendant had asked the boy at what stage does the seed start coming. The boy thought the preacher was referring to a religious term. However, the defendant then touched the boys private parts and masturbated him. He then told his victim not to tell anyone and he tried to abuse the boy again, when the latter was lying on the bed and reading a childs encyclopaedia, but he was unable to do so, as the boy lay face down on the bed and the defendant was unable to turn him over. Judge Fowler said the defendant later tried to say the boy had been reading pornography. He wrote to the parents of the boy 10 years ago, admitting his guilt and he apologised for his actions. Judge Fowler said it was clear the victim had suffered significantly and continued to suffer significant psychological effects. The judge said the defendant had previous convictions in the Republic of Ireland, but his early plea had saved the victim the ordeal of giving evidence before a jury. Judge Fowler said Tanners remorse was genuine and not born out of self-pity and he noted his age and his Parkinsons disease. In addition to a years jail sentence, Tanner was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register and was not allowed to be near children or vulnerable adults for a period of a year. Pensioner jailed for year for indecently assaulting young sect member in 1970s The latest rent index for the third quarter of this year, prepared by the ESRI for the Residential Tenancies Board, shows that while rents continue to rise, the rate of growth slowed over July to September compared to the second quarter of the year. Nationally, monthly rents increased 2.3%, marginally slower than the previous quarter, when they rose 3.5%. The index also recorded the first quarterly decline in Dublin rates in over three years, and found that rents outside Dublin are now rising at a faster pace than in the capital. Rosalind Carroll, director of the Residential Tenancies Board, warned against reading too much into the results from one quarter of the year: In Q2, rents in Dublin went up by 4.4%, whereas this quarter we have seen much-reduced growth of just 0.6%. But taking the Q3 2016 data, based as it is on actual rents being paid, as opposed to asking rents, it does appear that the rate of growth has slowed, and in particular that the rate of rental growth in Dublin appears to have slowed. What is also significant is that the rents outside of Dublin are now rising more rapidly than Dublin rents. Annually rents outside of Dublin grew by 9.7% compared to 7.1% in the Dublin market. It should be noted though that while rents outside of Dublin are accelerating, they are still 7.3% behind the peak levels of 2007, she said. The board says its index is the most accurate and authoritative rent report of its kind on the private accommodation sector in Ireland, because it is based on 30,260 new tenancies which started between July and September this year. These tenancies were registered with the board, and so the figures reflect the actual rents being paid, according to its records, as distinct from the asking or advertised rent. Rents for houses are rising at a slightly faster rate than rents for apartments, at 2.6% compared to 1.8%. The slowdown in growth in the capital appears to be due to a slight decrease in Dublin house rents of 0.6%, while rents for Dublin apartments rose 1.5% over the same period. Overall rents outside Dublin increased 3.6%, which consisted of a 3.6% increase in house rents while apartment rents rose by 3.4%. There was hope that a report this week on solving the water charge dilemma for politicians, would gift Fine Gael a grand political fudge like no other to quietly consign water bills to the dustheap, but instead it has given the party an almighty headache which will last for months. Fianna Fail look like they will get away with vague answers on what to do about water, while all the pressure is now mounting on Fine Gaels rank and file for refunds. Instead of just sweeping the charging regime under the carpet, the party of law-and-order is now split on whether to chase non-payers or whether to give pay back to households which paid their bills. After a revolt from backbenchers at the Fine Gael party meeting in Leinster House on Wednesday night over the thorny issue, Housing Minister Simon Coveney will surely have to cave in now. How can his party, and others, delay a decision on refunding water customers until a new Oireachtas Committee finishes its deliberations next year on the expert water commission report? Finance Minister Michael Noonan compared the issue to a dead cat yesterday and said it should not be allowed become an election issue. Its too late for that now. By yesterday morning backbenchers, with the hangover of a tense party meeting on water the night before, walked the halls of Leinster House, privately admitting this was here to stay now. It is understood that during the party meeting, Dublin-Fingal TD Alan Farrell told his colleagues that Fine Gael would now be stuck with water as an issue again for at least another year. There will be no putting this to bed now, as Minister Coveney so calmly declared on radio during the week. Even worse for Fine Gael is that its upper ranks are mainly in favour of no refunds, while TDs, senators, and junior ministers are the ones arguing to give money back to people. In an emotional plea, Drugs Minister and Dublin South Central TD Catherine Byrne, said she is getting huge criticism over water and wants her own water charge payments refunded. Mr Coveney would not budge, though. However, by this morning, his junior housing minister was showing cracks from the pressure. Damien English told RTEs Sean ORourke show that, yes, a system of refunds might have to be considered if decided by the Oireachtas Committee and supported by the Dail. However, ministers privately fear the administration cost alone for refunds will become another headache. Added to all this is the fact that the EU have yet to decide on accepting the expert commission proposals and essentially allowing the Government to pay for water services, with tariffs being applied for excessive use. Leo Varadkar doesn't think those who paid their water charges should be refunded https://t.co/GaxtC9c6Vs pic.twitter.com/l1KTYRFZpU Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) December 1, 2016 Clearly, there is massive division in Fine Gael on the matter of whether to refund the two-thirds of households who paid their water charges since late 2014. TDs and ministers contacted by the Irish Examiner were split. Many said it was a no-brainer: Refunds are needed. Others say go after the non-payers. The Cabinet is also split. Members of the Independent Alliance, including Shane Ross, favour refunds, while Fine Gael ministers dont. This issue is not going away anytime soon. It almost sounds like the basis for an Irish joke: How do you get almost 100 Irish people into a room for two days to discuss abortion and not have a cross word spoken? Answer: Set up a Citizens Assembly. That is exactly what happened in a Dublin hotel last weekend, when the much-derided gathering of 99 citizens got down to the basics of discussing abortion in Ireland. Inside, there was a serious, calm, well-organised, working person-like atmosphere. Outside, there had been a small protest, less than a handful of people, carrying horribly graphic images. They didnt hang around. Admittedly last weekend was, in its way, a fact-finding missions for the citizens. The aim was to tell them the current state of the law and the situation as it exists factually, without examining the perceived advantages or disadvantages of our current regime. The speakers were well chosen. They set out their professional experience factually ranging from a legal expert, to an obstetrician, a GP, an ethics expert to offer guidance on decision making, to a HSE expert on crisis pregnancy, to the one of only three perinatal psychiatrists in the country. It was the Convention on the Constitution which paved the way for this assembly. It recommended same-sex marriage. For that, there was a 66/33 split between citizens and politicians. This time there are no politicians, and there is a definite sense that all in the room are equal. Calls to name date for vote on abortion https://t.co/7RJWFM4seN via @JoyceFegan (GM) pic.twitter.com/wIbHbCuDSk Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) December 1, 2016 The 99 citizens are representative of the census, with the youngest at 20 and the eldest in their 70s, and an even gender spread. Interestingly, ahead of last weekend, a spokeswoman for the Assembly Secretariat acknowledged that they had been preparing for an onslaught in terms of how anything to do with abortion in this country typically pans out, but it simply hadnt materialised. By the end of the weekend, the citizens had been filled with a head-bursting amount of information on the topic which has divided Irish society for so long. At the beginning, assembly chairwoman Judge Mary Laffoy told the group the 8th Amendment of the Constitution is a complex and contentious issue which requires a reasoned, sensible, and compassionate approach. Indeed, as the morning wore on, it became clear, even to those of us familiar with the issue over the years how difficult it is to grapple with all its complexities. In short, such a pigs ear has been made of this area legally and constitutionally that answering questions from the citizens with any degree of certainty was virtually an impossibility. They are the ones left to grapple with the decades of hand- wringing, obfuscation, partial solutions, and mind-bending procrastination. Payment for denied abortion shows State culpability https://t.co/z9LA8LyzEy via @JoyceFegan (GM) pic.twitter.com/3ovZUzeVTr Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) December 1, 2016 Eoin Carolan, an expert in Irish Constitutional law, gave a comprehensive history of Article 40.3.3 and the law on abortion in Ireland from what the 1937 Constitution had to say about abortion, right up to today. It is interesting to read his speech and see it littered with phrases and words such as ambiguity, uncertainty, it was not clear, the courts never authoritatively decided, could not be stated with certainty, language of the article is relatively general, does not state what should happen in every situation, and still many areas of uncertainty. In the question and answer session afterwards about when the unborn acquires rights, he said there is no legal clarity. We really just dont know, he told a questioner. While a 2009 Supreme Court judgement on the status of frozen embryos gives some clarity on a pre-implanted embryo not being an unborn until implanted in the womb, the situation outside of an assisted reproduction scenario is basically as clear as mud. He also spoke of the uncertainty relating to fatal foetal abnormalities. The final question and answer session on Sunday gave a good indication of where the citizens were headed after the hours of information that had just been presented to them. They were able to give their feedback table by table. It was clear there was a lot of overlap in what they are seeking in the forthcoming meetings. They want more concrete information; to hear from pro-life and pro-choice groups. They wish to hear from women who have real experience of abortion; to hear from a representative from the Rape Crisis Centre. They want more female expert voices to address them, and also to hear about fathers rights. They want to hear from those who provide abortion services to Irish women in the UK and of the abortion regime there. They had been told on Saturday by Janice Donlon of the HSE Sexual Health and Crisis Pregnancy Programmes that research has shown that, despite its illegality, between January 2010 and December 2015, 5,650 women from the island of Ireland consulted the Women on Web website, which supplies the abortion pill. The citizens asked for more information on the safety of these pills. State offers 30,000 to woman denied an abortion in fatal foetal abnormality case https://t.co/CbFHSre7Hd pic.twitter.com/Ug60cBrTUv Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) November 30, 2016 Unsurprisingly, the citizens wanted to hear more about what the options are for changes to the Constitution and the eighth amendment. They requested more information on medical ethics, specifically on the right to live, the right to die, and information on fatal foetal abnormalities. In his address to the assembly, Brendan OShea of the Irish College of General Practitioners said that most family doctors and many patients who attend them in the course of an unplanned pregnancy, do not experience the eighth amendment, or the process required for the operation of the current legislative framework, to be satisfactory or helpful. This was the most pointed and political remark heard during the day, but delivered factually and calmly. Dr OShea also said GPs found collectively that, in the majority of unplanned pregnancies, the woman opts to follow through with her pregnancy and this was most likely to occur among women from deprived or migrant backgrounds owing to cost and ability to travel. Poorer women accept the pregnancy because they cant get together 1,000 to fund a termination abroad, said Dr OShea. Varadkar and Ross have different views on Pope's visit and clash with #abortion poll, writes @Ocionnaith https://t.co/AxdfT1YsWf ^DH pic.twitter.com/f7i1cc8WGn Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) November 28, 2016 So, on Sunday, the citizens asked to hear from more GPs in disadvantaged area about the experiences of such women and their partners, specifying those from more vulnerable groups including sex workers, refugees, and women from the Traveller community. Last weekend was the first of four proposed weekend discussions on the eighth amendment by the assembly. The next one takes places in January. It is acknowledged by Judge Laffoy that more weekends may be needed. When it was operating, the Convention on the Constitution had a vote at the end of each weekend of deliberation, but when it comes to the assembly and the eighth amendment issue, no votes will take place until the final weekend. There is no escaping that this assembly was yet another procrastination on the part of Taoiseach Enda Kenny when it came to dealing with abortion. However, it is here now. The next few weekends are bound to be more contentious but, if last weekend is anything to go by, what is being said there is well worth listening to. Asia Young Gay Men at the Frontline of AIDS Prevention in China College and primary school students hold a giant red ribbon made by them during an event to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS on World AIDS Day, in Fuyang, Anhui province, December 1, 2014. / Reuters BEIJING Young gay men are the frontline of Chinas battle to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, with new cases occurring at one of the fastest rates of any segment of the population. More than 2,300 students between 15 and 24 tested positive for HIV/AIDS in the first nine months of this year, with new cases in the group increasing fourfold since 2010, according to data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDCP) that was cited by the official Xinhua News Agency late on Wednesday. By the end of September, more than 654,000 people were living with HIV/AIDS in China, Xinhua said. As the problem worsens, Beijing has turned its HIV/AIDS prevention efforts towards highschool and university students. Chinas first-ever health center focusing on preventing the spread of the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, among those aged 15-24 was opened in Beijing on Saturday, according to the official China News Service. The proportion of cases caused by unprotected sex between males in that age group had risen to more than 80 percent from around 60 percent in 2008, Bao Yugang, China director at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a non-profit group told China News at the launch of the center. World AIDS Day was celebrated on Thursday and Peng Liyuan, Chinas popular First Lady and a World Heath Organization HIV/AIDS prevention goodwill ambassador, attended an event at a Beijing university on Tuesday to raise awareness among students. The government has struggled to raise awareness about safe sex and the need for regular checks among high-risk groups, with many HIV-positive individuals going untested. When I was first confirmed [as HIV-positive] it wasnt because I intentionally went to get tested, it was when I was having treatment for an illness in hospital, the hospital just did a test without telling me, said Xiao Ji, a 25-year-old who identifies as gay man and who used a pseudonym. When the results came out [the hospital] refused to treat me, he said. The spread of HIV/AIDS remains a serious issue in China, with nearly 9,000 deaths from AIDS and more than 34,000 new cases in the first eight months of 2016, according to a CCDCP report. According to UNAIDS, many men who have sex with men do not see themselves as homosexual. Many are also married or have sex with women. Wu Zunyou, director of the Chinese National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, said, Because of reasons related to fear, exposure of their identity, exposure of the fact that theyre infected, and discrimination, those who have contracted [HIV] dont wish to talk about their own identity as a host of the disease. CAPTION: College and primary school students hold a giant red ribbon made by them during an event to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS on World AIDS Day, in Fuyang, Anhui province, December 1, 2014. (Photo: Reuters) Burma Arakanese Civil Society Groups Refuse to Meet Kofi Annan-Led Commission Locals protest the arrival of Kofi Annan and the Arakan State Advisory Commission in Sittwe, Arakan State, on Friday morning. / RMC / Facebook RANGOON Secretary of the Arakan State government U Tin Maung Swe confirmed that around 10 locals protested the arrival of the Kofi Annan-led Arakan State Advisory Commission at the Sittwe airport on Friday morning. U Tin Maung Swe noted that the number of protesters was significantly fewer than the hundreds who turned out for Kofi Annans first visit to Arakan State in early September. The nine commission members current three-day visit will take them to Buthidaung, Maungdaw, Minbyar townships and the ancient Arakanese capital of Mrauk-U. Mr. Annan and his delegation will tour rural Maungdaw on Saturday, where attacks on police outposts in the area in October led to heightened Burma Army clearance operations in search of suspected militants. The commission will go to Kyee Kan Pyin, the border police headquarters, and the villages of War Piek and Kyat Yoe Pyin. Many of the civil society organizations from the state capital of Sittwe have claimed that they would not meet with Mr. Annan unless he would refrain from referring to the areas Muslim community as Rohingya, the term with which the population self-identifies. The group is labeled by ethnic Buddhist Arakaneseand many Burmeseas Bengali, implying that they are originally from Bangladesh. Arakanese nationalist U Than Tun pointed out that Burmas State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had previously requested foreign diplomats to also avoid using the terminology, citing instability in the region. He used that word during a press conference in Sittwe airport, said U Than Tun, referring to Kofi Annans adoption of the term Rohingya during the September visit to the region. So we concluded that the commission is biased toward the other side, he added. U Than Tun told The Irrawaddy that he would meet with Mr. Annan if he refrained from recognizing the Rohingya as such. On Thursday, Mr. Annan conducted a closed-door meeting with Buddhist and Muslim youth from Arakan State at Rangoons Center for Diversity and National Harmony. He also held talks with Arakanese historian Dr. Aye Chan, divisional Arakanese ethnic affairs minister U Zaw Aye Maung, Reuters Burma correspondent U Aung Hla Tun, as well as local politicians, at Sule Shangri-La Hotel in the commercial capital. Burma Burma Army Proposes Branding of Northern Alliance as Terrorist Organizations Military lawmakers arrive at the Union Parliament in Naypyidaw on March 15, 2016. / Soe Zeya Tun / Reuters NAYPYIDAW Defense Minister Lt-Gen Sein Win proposed on Friday to the Lower House that the Parliament should consider a labeling of the northern ethnic alliance that launched offensives in Shan State as a coalition of terrorist organizations. The Northern Alliance includes the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and Arakan Army (AA). They launched a joint offensive against the Burma Army in Shan State in November, displacing around 5,000 people. Lt-Gen Sein Win said that these groups should be considered terrorist organizations as they had incurred the deaths and injuries of civilians, opened fire on non-military infrastructure and vehicles as well as damaged public property. I also assume that the Parliament should urge NGOs and INGOs to stop providing aid to the KIA, MNDAA, TNLA and AA in the name of humanity because those groups committed violence, said Lt-Gen Sein Win. Military representative Col Than Aung said that tough actions should be taken against the main perpetrators including United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) chairman NBan La, KIA leader Gam Shawng, TNLA leader Tar Aik Bong, MNDAA leaders Peng Jiasheng and U Peng Daxun and the AAs commander Tun Myat Naing, in line with existing statutes, including an anti-terrorism law. I would like to urge the Parliament to consider the KIA, TNLA, MNDAA and AA as insurgent organizations. At the same time, we should ban and stop international organizations from supplying relief and providing medical treatment on humanitarian grounds, said Col Than Aung said. On Friday, twelve lawmakers also debated an urgent proposal by Dr. Maung Thin of Meiktila Constituency which said that the Parliament was also concerned that deliberate shooting, use of mines and explosives by the Northern Alliance had caused death, injuries and displacement of civilians and affected national sovereignty, rule of law, stability and the countrys peace process. An expert scans sample displayed on the monitor. (Photo : YouTube/ DNews ) HIV and AIDS are medical conundrum that has long propelled medical experts and scientists to seek for cure. With the latest development in the pharmaceutical industry, a Japanese founded company may have already figured out the potential way to control the AIDS causing virus. With the various methods and procedures being presented to potentially stop the dreaded disease, Japanese pharma Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. may have already discovered a drug that could lead to a dramatic advancement in the fight against AIDS. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, even flew to Massachusetts to personally validate the fact that Takeda's drug may play a huge role in fighting AIDS. Advertisement According to JapanTimes, the drug developed by Takeda Pharmaceutical served to suppress the virus to undetectable levels in the eight monkeys used during trial. Such findings raises the bar for a so-called "functional cure." Thus, putting the dreaded diseases in sustained remission. Now if further studies and development of the Takeda drug will be more successful, then more HIV and AIDS patients will surely benefit from such development. This would be a major breakthrough after an elaborate stem cell transplant was made and proven to be successful with the case of Timothy Ray Brown, the so-called "Berlin patient." Meanwhile, in the other part of the globe, Nigerian researchers claimed to have found an herbal complement for the treatment of HIV and AIDS. According to Nigeria's The Guardian, local researchers may have discovered a herbal cure for HIV/AIDS by means of a water-based extract of bitter leaf, Vernonia amygdalina. According to a research conducted on the effect of Vernonia amygdalina leaf extract, it was found out that it could serve as a nutritional supplement in an HIV-infected or immuno-compromised condition. Therefore suggesting that such extract could serve as adjuvant in the management of HIV/AIDS. With all the medical breakthroughs concerning HIV/AIDS cure, it would not be long enough for a definitive cure to be made available in the market. We would just have to wait and see how these promising researches will deliver. Burma Rangoon University Students Union Building to be Rebuilt Next Year The former building of the Rangoon University Students Union, which was demolished in 1962. The historic Rangoon University Students Union (RUSU) building will be rebuilt next year, according to deputy minister for education U Win Maw Htun. We have a plan to allocate a budget for the student union building in the next fiscal year, U Win Maw Htun told the Lower House of Parliament on Friday. He revealed the plan in response to the question of U Oo Hla Saw from Arakan States Mrauk-U Township who asked about timeframe and framework for designing separate charters for individual universities and a general charter for all universities. He also asked if the government had planned to rebuild the RUSU. The deputy minister said his ministry was drawing up a budget for building a student union building in the original place of the previous one, and that the building would serve as a hub of student activities. The RUSU building was demolished with dynamite at 6 am on July 8, 1962, following student protests against the governments dissolution of university councils on the campus of Rangoon University on July 7, under the dictatorship of U Ne Win. Officially, 15 students and lecturers were killed and 27 were wounded in the militarys crackdown on the July 7 demonstration. Unofficial sources, however, claim that hundreds were killed. Student unions under successive governments have called for the rebuilding of the RUSU. Since ex-President U Thein Seins quasi-civilian government came to power in 2010, students and activists have publicly memorialized the July 7 event annually. Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko. Burma State Counselor Discusses Peace Process, Corruption, and Sexual Assault Cases in Singapore Daw Aung San Suu Kyi speaks at a meeting with the Burmese community in Singapore. / State Counselor Office / Facebook RANGOON State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi discussed the latest trending news topics in a meeting with the Burmese community in Singapore on Thursday, at the end of her three-day visit to the island nation. About 7,000 Burmese people attended the event at the Big Box Event Hall in Singapores Jurong East neighborhood, and the State Counselor accepted selected questions from the community. The questions ranged from the role of government in reducing child rape casesa widespread public outrageto the recent military clashes in northern Shan State and to the state of the struggling peace process. A series of high-profile child rape cases over the past few months has prompted widespread public concern and inspired campaigns for harsher sentencing of child sex offenders, to possibly include the death penalty. In her Singapore speech, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi emphasized the need to analyze the root causes of sexual abuse against minors. While harsher punishments for sex offenders should be considered, she said, harsher punishments alone would not reduce the number of cases. It is also a social issue, she said. We have to analyze why there are so many rape cases against minors and what kind of weak points our society has. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi also stressed that it would be important to find out if rape cases are connected with parenting habits or the social environment of the children. We need to analyze these cases from a social perspective, and then we will decide how we should resolve these cases in every possible way, she said. Singapores Burmese community also asked the State Counselor if the recent clashes in northern Shan State have had any impact on the 21st Century Panglong Conference, and if the government had a plan for improving the lives of ethnic peoples beyond achieving a nationwide ceasefire agreement. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi answered that the recent clashes in northern Shan State have pointed a spotlight on the importance of the 21st Century Panglong Peace Conference. Some dont have the courage to achieve peace, when the mistrust [between communities] is bigger than the desire for peace, she said. Since Nov. 20, a coalition of four ethnic armed groups has carried out a military offensive against the Burma Army in northern Shan State. The ethnic armed groups include the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), the Arakan Army (AA), and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA). The ongoing clashes have displaced thousands of people. Armed clashes, dissatisfaction, and mistrust between communities over many decades have all contributed to the unresolved peace process, she said. Another question posed by the Singapore Burmese community concerned her plan to improve the government administration system. The questioner pointed out that many current government officials are practicing the same bureaucratic schemes as the officials of the corrupt previous administration. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi urged the attendees to participate in the fight against corruption by submitting complaints about corrupt government officials directly to the State Counselors Office. During her electoral campaign, she pledged to tackle long-rooted corruption in government as one of her first priorities. In Singapore, the State Counselor visited the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB). Singapore is one of the least corrupt countries in the world, ranking eighth out of 168 nations in a 2015 report from the Berlin-based graft monitor Transparency International. Burma ranked 147th in the same index. Burma State-Level Arakan Investigation Commission Formed A border policeman stands in Wa Piek, a Muslim village located near a police outpost in Maungdaw Township. It has been burned down. / Moe Myint / The Irrawaddy RANGOON A state-level commission to investigate deadly attacks in northern Arakan State was formed by Burmas president on Thursday, nearly two months after clashes broke out between government troops and militants. The commission formation statement, signed by President U Htin Kyaw, said the 13-member commission led by Burmas Vice President-1 U Myint Swe was assigned to look into seven different points including the background and causes of attacks in Maungdaw Township, verification of outside allegations during area clearance operations, deaths, injuries, destruction and other damage. The members include a former UN senior advisor, the president of the Womens Affairs Federation, a National Human Rights Commission member, lawmakers, Burmas police force chief as well as the countrys interfaith chairman. The investigation commission was formed according to a resolution from the third work coordination meeting of the Central Committee for the Implementation of Peace, Stability and Development in Arakan State. The committee is led by State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. On Friday, Amnesty International released a statement on the formation of the investigation commission and urged the government for credibility, stating, it will only be effective if it is independent, impartial and applies international human rights law and standards. The Myanmar authorities should also grant independent observers, journalists and human rights monitors unfettered access to northern Rakhine State. A credible investigation cannot take place under the cover of darkness, where only parties with an interest in the outcome can visit the affected areas, said Rafendi Djamin, Amnesty Internationals Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific. The violence in Maungdaw first broke out on Oct. 9 when three police outposts in the area were attacked by a group of assailants, killing security forces and looting firearms and ammunition. Since then, clashes between government troops and militants scattered across the area where security forces have been carrying out area clearance operations have continued and the government has made dubious claims that the attackers were linked to outside terrorist organizations. According to government statistics, 70 people and 17 soldiers and policemen were killed in the ongoing violence and 528 arrests have been made. The formation of the official investigation commission came after the Burmese government suffered international criticism for a lack of transparency in handling the issue, and for restricting media access to the conflict-torn area. Security forces in the area have been accused of burning Muslim villages, rape and extrajudicial killings during the operations, but the government has denied all of the accusations. The commission will report its findings to the president by Jan. 31. Presidents Office spokesperson U Zaw Htay was unavailable to comment on Friday. In 2012, communal violence between Arakanese Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims erupted in Arakan State, killing hundreds. Since 2012, communal strife between the two groups has killed scores and displaced up to 140,000 people. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi founded the Arakan State Advisory Commission in August as an impartial body to propose concrete measures for improving the welfare of all people in Arakan State. It is composed of six locals and three international experts, and is chaired by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. On Friday, the chairman and his entourage visited Arakan State in order to examine the conflict in the northern part of the state. "Competitive outdoor products made in Nepal, home to the roof of the world. Tried and tested by genuine Sherpas. This also allows us to contribute to social responsibility," says Wolfgang Jahn, a veteran in the business and now Sherpa Adventure Gear's Sales Manager for Europe. "You can't beat our story." In fact, his company has a unique selling point others can only dream of: 85 per cent of Sherpa products are manufactured in Nepal (the remainder in Vietnam), the pinnacle of any mountaineer's career, home to Mount Everest and of course the Sherpas. Descendant of legendary Sherpa The company was founded in 2003 by a descendant of one of the most famous Sherpa dynasties in the Himalayan region. Ang Gyalzen, company founder Tashi Sherpa's uncle, was a member of Sir Edmund Hillary's historic expedition up Mount Everest in 1953. Hillary rose to historic and global fame as part of the first expedition confirmed to have reached the summit of the world's highest mountain. However, as is so often the case with mountaineering expeditions to the Earth's highest peaks, the true heroes were the Sherpas. Over the years, many guides and carriers died doing their job. This largely left their families alone and destitute. Android 7.0 Nougat (Photo : YouTube/Android) Android 7.0 Nougat roll out has begun across various smartphones OEMs. Google to is expected to release Android 7.1.1 Nougat update for its Nexus devices soon. Samsung Android 7.0 Nougat Update Samsung is currently offering beta version of Android 7.0 Nougat to Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge users in the U.S., the U.K, South Korea and China. Soon, it is expected to begin Nougat beta program in other countries of the world. Advertisement After releasing Android Nougat update to Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge users, the update is also expected to be available for Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge+, Galaxy S6 Edge and Galaxy S6 in 2017. Google Nexus Android 7.1 Nougat Update Google is expected to release Android 7.1.1 Nougat update to devices like Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, and other devices like Nexus 9, Nexus Player, and Pixel C from Dec. 5. The software upgrade is also expected to be available for Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones. Sony Android 7.0 Nougat Update Sony has started Android 7.0 Nougat roll out for its 2016 flagships Sony Xperia X Performance, X Performance Dual and Sony Xperia XZ. The software upgrade will be soon arriving to other devices such as Sony Xperia X, Xperia X Compact, Xperia Z5 series, Xperia Z3+, Xperia Z4 Tablet, Xperia XA and XA Ultra in 2017. HTC Android 7.0 Nougat Update In the last week of November, as promised the unlocked HTC 10 owners started receiving Android 7.0 upgrade. Its carrier variants along with carrier and unlocked editions of HTC One M9 and A9 are going to receive the software update in 2017. LG Android 7.0 Nougat Update After releasing Android 7.0 Nougat upgrade for LG G5 in South Korea, carrier variants in the U.S. are now receiving the update. LG users on T-Mobile, US Cellular and Verizon are now able to install the new software. Motorola Android 7.0 Nougat Update In October, Motorola began the release of Android 7.0 Nougat for Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus in India. In November, the company confirmed that Moto Z and Moto Z Force will be the first devices in the U.S. to get the upgrade. The other devices that are eligible to get upgraded to Android N include Moto Z Droid, Moto Z Force Droid, Moto Z Play, Moto G4 Play, Moto X, Moto X Pure Edition (2015), Moto X Style, Moto X Force, Droid Turbo 2, Droid Maxx 2 and Nexus 6P. Xiaomi Android 7.0 Nougat Update Android 7.0 Nougat flavored MIUI 9 upgrade will be coming to a slew of Xiaomi devices such as Xiaomi Mi 5, Mi 5s, MI 5s Plus, Mi 5, Mi 4c, Mi 4i, Mi 4s, Mi Max, Mi Max Prime, Mi Note Pro, Mi Pad 2, Redmi Pro, Redmi Note 3, Redmi 3S, Redmi 3S Prime, Redmi 3A and Redmi 2A Prime, Tech Updates reported. The software upgrade is also expected to hit newer Xiaomi devices such as Redmi Note 4, Redmi 4, Redmi 4 Prime, Mi Mix, Mi Note 2, MI 4s, Redmi 3x, Mi 4s and upcoming Mi 5c are also expected to Android N upgrade. The software upgrade is expected to begin first with newer flagships later this month. Huawei Android 7.0 Nougat Update Huawei has confirmed that the Huawei Mate 9 and Huawei P9 will be the first smartphones to get Android N software update along with EMUI 5.0. The new software will also arrive for its recent smartphones such as Huawei P9 Plus, P9 Lite, Nova and Nova Plus. OnePlus Android 7.0 Nougat Update OnePlus 3 users are now receiving the Nougat beta build. Rumors have it that OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 3 will be getting the stable Nougat software in this month, Droid-Life reported. The upgrade will be arriving for OnePlus 2 users later in 2017. Here are the new features arriving on Android 7.0 Nougat: For years, the Department Of Motor Vehicles has been denying Tesla Motors for putting up a store in Virginia. However, that just changed as the DMV commissioner reversed a previous decision to block the company from getting a dealership license in the area. Tesla was just given the approval to put up their own branded store in Virginia, making it their second store in the United States. The decision shows significant growth for the electric car company as they have been battling local courts and regulatory bodies to gain approval of their stores. Although the decision is not yet 100 percent, as they still need approval from the state's Motor Vehicle Dealer Board, all signs are leading to the company being able to put up shop and operate in Richmond, Virginia. The DMV commissioner stated his astounding support for Tesla during the announcement. He cited Tesla's leading customer satisfaction stores for its quality service as one of the reasons why he approved granting them the license. Another factor that affected the decision is the distance that Virginia Tesla car owners will have to travel for servicing after purchase. The approval will prevent customers from traveling far to find a store and can have their cars services right in Richmond. Tesla May Be Facing One More Obstacle The Virginia Automobile Dealers Association has been opposing Tesla's presence in the state of Virginia in the past. The filed a lawsuit in March, right after Tesla applied for a license grant, claiming that the electric car company is violating an agreement made on 2013. The supposed agreement was for Tesla not to be able to operate a second dealership in the state until August of 2017. DMV commissioner, Richard H. Holcomb, determined that "there was no dealer independent of the automaker in the community that could own and operate a Tesla franchise in a manner consistent with the public interest. Making Tesla eligible to operate as both a manufacturer and a dealer of its electric motor vehicles," said Holcomb. Tesla said in an emailed statement -"This decision will allow Richmond-area consumers to learn about and purchase their Tesla vehicles in close proximity to their homes. We are thankful for the many Tesla owners and citizens of Virginia for their support." The company is determined to begin construction for the new store that will be opened in 9850 West Broad Street in Richmond. A Great Business Strategy Overall, Tesla's decision to keep their marketing strategy exclusively for their own brand has made a great impact in their business. Basically, only Tesla dealers are allowed to sell their vehicles, which mean that other independent dealers will not use their cars as moneymakers and they can be confident that their vehicles will be priced accordingly without any unnecessary additional costs. Consumers from all over the United States are hoping that there will be more Tesla stores to accommodate them without having to travel far. Tesla will definitely have more as time goes by and as regulations change, it's just a matter of time before everyone gets a hold of a Tesla for convenience, which is what the company is planning all along, anyway. After former managers at the Finnish company Nokia licensed the handset brand from Microsoft and negotiated partnerships with phone manufacturer Foxconn and Google, Nokia is planning for a comeback. Nokia's History According to Fortune, Nokia was once the world's dominant mobile phone maker. The company was well-known for its unexpensive, yet robust handsets. Nokia was the most important phone brand in the market, back in its glory days. At one point the company's products convinced an entire generation to start using mobile devices. The Finnish company experienced a huge setback with the arrival of the smartphones, especially the iPhone. Nokia basically disappeared as phone manufacturer, leaving the place vacant to other companies taking its position in the market. The company chose Microsoft's unpopular Windows operating system for its "Lumia" phone lineup and missed the shift to smartphones. By selling its handset activities to Microsoft in 2014, Nokia quit smartphones to focus on mobile network equipment. Lumia smartphones continued being sold by Microsoft under its own name. However, this year Microsoft largely abandoned that business, as well. The company HMD Global, led by Nokia veteran Arto Nummela, has announced its plans to launch its first Nokia smartphone in the early part of next year. The mobile device will run on Google's Android operating system. No Funding From Nokia Smart Connect, a private equity fund run by Jean-Francois Baril, owns HMD. Baril was once in charge of Nokia's world-leading supply chain management system. On Thursday, Dec. 1, HMD took over the feature phone business sold by Nokia to Microsoft. The new partnership includes a licensing deal with Nokia that provides the sole use of the brand on tablets and mobile phones for the next decade. Nokia has no direct investment in HMD and the company will pay Nokia royalties for the brand and patents. All the new Nokia devices will be manufactured by Foxconn of Taiwan and their smartphone operating system is built by HMD in partnership with Google. Nokia Brand To Rise Again According to Ars Technica, the new company will enter the global smartphone market in 2017 with the next generation of Nokia phones running Android. In order to succeed, Nokia smartphones will need to be able to steal market share from Samsung, Apple and other well-established players in the highly competitive mobile phone industry. But Nummela is confident in chances that Nokia will rise again. He said that even if consumers carry now different smartphones, they might not be all loyal to those brands. The Nokia consumer brand used to be the badge for cheaper, entry-level "feature phones" sold mainly in Eastern Europe, India, and Asia. These basic phones sell for as little as $20, But smartphones typically cost anywhere from 10 to 30 times as much. Mobile phone analyst Ben Wood of CCS Insight, said that having an established brand provides a good advantage for a new entrant on the market. According to him, those phone vendors with weaker brands have to take very seriously the new challenge. Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications and information technology company, founded in 1865. Nokia is headquartered in Espoo, Uusimaa, in the greater Helsinki metropolitan area. According to many rumors, the coming back phones of Nokia on 2017 will all be powered by Google. No one knows yet what will be its name and how many smartphones are there for the fans, but sure things is Nokia is back on track. Nokia's 2017 Smartphones Will All Be Powered By Android As reported by The Verge, the first Nokia-branded handsets running Android are due to arrive early next year, 2017. After announcing its plans to return to tablets and phones back in May, Nokia is providing more details today as it formalizes a licensing agreement with HMD Global (HMD). Also based in Finland, HMD global is the new home of Nokia phones under a brand licensing deal that will last for at least 10 years. Today, Nokia is launching a new phones section on their website. It is probably the sign of the return of Nokia-branded smartphones and tablets after Microsoft acquired its phone business and killed off the Nokia brand in favor of Lumia for smartphones. The first Nokia-branded smartphones powered by Android will be available in the first half of 2017, alongside Nokia-branded feature phones. HMD Global Partnership The partnership will see HMD manufacture the first batch of Android-powered Nokia smartphones in early 2017 with plans to expand its efforts to also include the production of affordable feature phones. Here are some of the statement from HMD posted by TNW. HMD has developed a unique strategic partnership model that will see it working with some of the worlds leading technology companies including Nokia, FIH Mobile Limited (FIH) and Google. Future Nokia smartphones will utilise Googles Android operating system, currently deployed on 86 [percent] of the worlds smartphones. HMD is developing an exciting new consumer centric product range which will focus on innovation, quality and experience, alongside the iconic Nokia mobile phone attributes of design, robustness, and reliability. Just early this year, the Finish phone maker reminded customers of its brand when it surprisingly dropped a new feature phone. So for now, well have to wait until the first half of next year to find out whether Nokias smartphones will be Android-powered handsets. Intestinal microbes may be one of the major Parkinson's Disease causes. In order to find out more about Parkinson's brain symptoms, it is important to have your gut checked. For mouse brains, such microbes are capable of activating microglia, a kind of immune cells, that causes inflammation similar to the PD's. It also causes motor problems in mouse brains. Scientists are now suggesting that doctors may be able to cure Parkinson's Disease if they have a look at the patient's intestine. If the bacterial imbalance is fixed, it is possible to have a successful treatment for the disease. According to neuroscientist John Cryan, the latest discovery is quite exciting. Cryan from University College Cork in Ireland says this is not the first time scientists have found a connection between intestine and brain. This is, however, the first time that the microbiome comes into the forefront. Sarkis Mazmanian, who is a microbiologist at Caltech, adds that the study adds a mechanistic and functional role of the microbiome. The study coauthor, nevertheless, says that it is unclear if intestinal microbes are responsible for causing Parkinson's Disease. Mazmanian's team researched with mice with too much alpha-synuclein. Such kind of protein is believed to be causing Parkinson's if it clusters in the brain. Those with additional alpha-synuclein started behaving like those with Parkinson's. It is critical to know Parkinson's Disease causes, as the disease affects over 10 million people around the world. Interestingly, around 70% of those suffer from gastrointestinal problems like constipation. Several recent researches have indicated that there is a clear relation between Parkinson's and gut microbes. According to Cell, while gut microbes do influence neurological disorders, there is no functional link between neurodegenerative diseases and intestinal bacteria. According to Abstracts Online, Parkinson's symptoms include the loss of catecholaminergic neurons. Olfactory and gastrointestinal deficits may lead to the disease. When aSyn fibrils travel to the CNS from peripheral organs, it may be considered as one of the major Parkinson's Disease causes. "Stranger Things" season two has already been confirmed by Netflix to happen. Aside from the exciting news on Millie Bobby Brown to return as Eleven, there are still many aspects of the series that are highly anticipated by the fans, including the love triangle between Jonathan, Nancy and Steve. "Stranger Things" Season 2 To Feature The Return Of Eleven And The Coming Of Two new Characters There have been many aspects about the upcoming "Stranger Things" season two that have been confirmed and are about to bring more drama and thrill to the storyline. It has already been confirmed that the most-loved character of the series is going to return, Eleven. Many of the audience have doubted her return but ever since it was confirmed, it got them all the more excited about the upcoming season. New characters will also be joining the show for the second season. Sadie Sink and Dacre Montgomery are going to play the roles of siblings Max and Billie respectively when "Stranger Things" returns for the second season. Their roles in the storyline haven't been very much revealed in detail yet, but will soon be known once the official trailer for the second season is released. However, there have been reports speculating that the second season premiere will revolve around the story of a girl whose appearance may seem odd to them, since it is so typical to that of a boy. Being someone who has a complicated history, she will definitely bring more mystery to the series during the first episode of the upcoming season. Will Nancy Be Able To Deal With Her Feelings About Jonathan And Steve? Another issue about "Stranger Things" that needed to be tackled on the storyline is the love triangle between Jonathan, Nancy and Steve. It has recently been revealed during the New York Comic Con that when the show returns for its second season, the love triangle will definitely be addressed. The writer himself is torn about who Nancy should end up with. However, the audience are leaning more into Jonathan for Nancy since their friendship is genuine and could start something romantic, especially that Barb is confirmed not to return in the next season. "Stranger Things" season two is set to premiere on Netflix sometime in 2017. Abortion laws in Texas now require clinics to either bury or cremate fetal remains. While critics claim that this is a bare attempt of shaming and financially pressuring women who seek the abortion, the governor believes it is "giving voice to the unborn." The decision comes after the US Supreme Court's rule in favor of abortion. The high court earlier rejected a Texas law that intended to restrict abortion. But, health officials were quick to suggest alternate methods to restrict abortion. Now, the rule for the burial of fetal remains comes with an argument that it will help prevent the spread of infectious diseases. The Texas Department of State Health Services is willing to impose the new rule from the latter part of December. The debate is now about the reason behind the new addition to the abortion laws in Texas. Some believe this is another way of trying to stop abortion, while some other believe this is related to public health. Critics of the new rule claim that each procedure of burial will cost $2,000 on an average. According to the Texas Medical Association and Texas Hospitals Association, cremation might cost up to $4,000. According to Planned Parenthood, it takes between $300 and $950 to perform each abortion. The cost depends on the kind of procedure needed for an individual case. However, the state claims that the cost is nowhere close to what the critics are claiming it to be. It says the annual cost is going to be $450 for each facility. Supporters of the new rule say it is all about providing dignity to the fetus. Several pro-life organizations demand that fetuses should be treated with dignity, instead of being discarded in a landfill. The new addition to the abortion laws in Texas has already found enough critics and supporters. "While the Supreme Court tragically does not allow states to ban most abortions, we believe that Texas law should be changed to assure that the bodies of the victims of abortion are not treated like medical waste," Fox6now quoted Joe Pojman, the executive director of Texas Alliance for Life, as saying earlier in July. Fans have been waiting for the Game of Thrones Season 7 as soon as the final episode of Season 6 was aired. Even the actors are excited with the upcoming installment that they cant stop talking about it. Sophie Turner has recently revealed what is in store for Sansa Stark next season and now Nikolaj Coster-Waldau dishes out more on what might happen. Game of Thrones Season 6 ended with Cersei Lannister blowing up Kings Landing resulting to the death of several of the major characters such as Margaery Tyrell and the High Sparrow. Cerseis plan fueled from the resentment she had towards the High Sparrow and the Faith Militant, who had betrayed her after accusing her of various unspeakable deeds. Her rage reached its limit when her son, King Tommen, who was the only child left alive among her three children, jumped off the window to commit suicide. The death of her last living child with her brother Jaime Lannister devastated her and renewed her objective to rule over Kings Landing. With King Tommens wife, Margaery dead, only Cersei was allowed to ascend to the throne. Jaimes reaction towards these events in Season 6 has yet to be revealed in Game of Thrones Season 7. But Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has hinted that his character might just kill Cersei. The reason for that is because Cersei has become a whole new person and Jaime did not like her evil transformation. He emphasized Jaime had to kill the Mad King to save Kings Landing and then only to find out that his sister and the woman he loved pulled the trigger instead. Along with that, it has been reported that Game of Thrones has added two new Irish actors to the cast to fill up roles in the new season. Brendan Morrissey has been cast for the role of the new Lord of Frey. Walder Frey, portrayed by David Bradley, used to head the House of Frey and was the Lord of the Crossing but Arya Stark murdered him in Season 6. Lastly, Rory Dignam has been cast in the upcoming season of the popular television series but his role has not yet been disclosed. It has been announced though that he will playing a supporting role and has finished filming in Spain, which is one of the sets of Game of Thrones. The fantasy drama series, Game of Thrones Season 7 will be aired on HBO in 2017. A Colorado pediatric anesthesiologist has called Michelle Obama a "monkey face." Dr. Michelle Herren also believes the US first lady speaks "ebonic English." The doctor with white ethnicity has been asked to stop seeing patients. She has also been fired from her teaching job at a medical school. Herren is a faculty member at University of Colorado School of Medicine. She is a practicing at Denver Health Medical Center. The physician made the comment after a Facebook user called the Us first lady eloquent. However, Herren does not consider herself racist even after making such a comment. She believes she just calls a spade a spade. The Colorado doctor also questioned Obama's educational background. Michelle Obama graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Law School. However, according to Herren, Harvard is a place for "entitled" folks. The doctor got her degree Creighton University School of Medicine in Nebraska. JoAnn Nietto, one of the people who saw Herren's Facebook comment, flagged it for the University of Colorado medical board. She said she was outraged to see that the person who made such a comment worked at Denver Health. The organization serves a huge number of minority population. Denver Health has declared on its Facebook page that Herren had been asked not to see patients or provide anesthesia services at Denver Health Medical Center. It is now looking for legal options to discipline the doctor. The hospital released a statement and marked Herren's comments as an insult to its mission and values. The statement said that hospital authorities were "appalled" by Herren's comments. "As a public entity we are constrained by both state and federal law, including the First Amendment right of free speech, to terminate any employee for their off-duty comments, regardless of how offensive their comments may be," the Denver Post quoted the statement. Herren is going to lose her faculty appointment at University of Colorado's School of Medicine after calling Michelle Obama a "monkey face." School Spokesman Mark Couch said Herren had "compromised her ability to meet the teaching and patient care mission of the School of Medicine." The Huawei Mate 9 is the company's first device to offer the EMUI 5.0 based on Nougat out of the box, and now, Huawei is announcing when their other smartphones will receive the update. EMUI 5.0 will be rolled out to the Huawei P9, Nova and Nova Plus, and others in the first quarter of 2017. Huawei Announces Android Nougat Update As reported Giz Bot, HTC, OnePlus, Motorola and a few other big smartphone vendors have either already started updating their flagship smartphones or have announced a particular time-frame for the Nougat update. The latest company to join the list is Huawei, one of the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world. It has recently launched both on the Huawei Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro with Android 7.0 Nougat out-of-the-box and is planning to push the software update to its other set of smartphones. The company has also confirmed a list of devices that will get Nougat update which it plans to roll out starting from the first quarter of 2017. Here Are The Smartphones Involved According to GSM Arena, the roll-out will begin sometime in Q1, 2017, with the Huawei Mate 8 and P9 getting the update first, followed by the P9 Plus, P9 lite, nova, and nova Plus. Android Central reported that Huawei will roll out beta tests before kicking off the final builds. In his review of the Mate 9, Alex Dobie liked the changes introduced in EMUI 5.0: Huawei claims that the new EMUI 5.0 is more efficient, secure, and user-friendly. It "significantly cuts down on the number of steps needed to achieve the desired function," the company says in a press release, adding that "furthermore, the user can reach 90% of the core functions in just two to three clicks." The Sound of Your Heart (Photo : Adoras Little Studio/YouTube) China may have banned Hallyu but Korean content still manages to enter the Asian giant. The latest Korean drama to be shown over Chinese TV is the upcoming The Sound of Your Heart, starring Lee Kwang Soo. Inquisitr reported that KBS has sold the broadcasting rights of The Sound of Your Heart to Sohu TV, a Chinese internet company based in Beijing. The 20-episode drama would first air in South Korea on KBS 2TV, the station that broadcast Descendants of the Sun. Advertisement The drama, where Descendants of the Sun actor Song Joong-ki would have a key role and not just a cameo appearance, would premiere on Friday, Dec. 9, 2016 and run until Jan. 6, 2016. Every episode runs for 15 minutes and KBS 2TV would air four episodes every week. However, Hallyu fans who want to be ahead could view The Sound of Your Heart beginning Nov. 7 2016 live streamed on tvcast.naver.com. However, Ha Byoung-hun, director of The Sound of Your Heart, said that the 31-year-old actors role in the new drama is not like he role of Captain Yoo Shi-jin he played in Descendants of the Sun. He added that Song Joong-ki would appear in the first and last episodes of The Sound of Your Heart where his character plays a very important role in the overall story. The drama is based on the webcomic Maeumui Sori by Jo Suk and first published in Sept. 8, 2006. The plot of The Sound of Your Heart revolves around the webcomic author Jo Suk and people close to him such as his older brother Jo Joon and girlfriend who eventually became his wife, Ae-Bong. The cast is led by Lee Kwang-soo (Jo Suk), while Jung-So-Min plays his wife (Ae-Bong). The role of Ae-Bong was initially offered to Hani of EXID, but she declined the offer. Other main actors are Kim Dae-Myung (Jo Joon), Kim Byung-Ok (Jo Suks father) and Kim Mi-kyung (Jo Suks mother). Video streaming would be the way Korean content could find its way to China and go around the Hallyu ban due to South Koreas deployment of the THAAD missiles. The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was considered as a worldwide success when it officially launched a few months ago. The company was able to ship an estimated 4.3 million units worldwide. It seemed like smooth sailing for Samsung, who had the winning formula with its Note series but then reports started spreading about the Note 7 blowing up. Samsung pointing fingers According to reports, Samsung blamed a certain battery supplier as the culprit, which is surprisingly reported to actually be their own subsidiary. The first batches of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 units were then recalled by the company. Sales of the units were temporarily banned until replacement models were ready. Bad luck continues But unfortunately, reports were still spreading that the Note 7's in circulation continued to explode or catch fire. One notable report stated that a Southwest Airline flight was evacuated when a passenger's purported replacement Note 7 overheated and caught fire. Note 7 discontinuation Roughly a month after its official release and product recalls, Samsung has officially announced that the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 will be discontinued. After estimated cases of 35 incidents were reported, some have even included replacement units. The company has then decided to halt all sales of its flagship device. The timing of the incident also happened to be the moment when Apple was about to launch its newest iPhone 7 lineup. Samsung is already making investigations Reports have said that Samsung has already launched an internal investigation on November 11. They are reportedly working closely with several product safety experts from Korea and the U.S. Apparently, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 limbo has already affected their entire Galaxy brand. Still, Samsung is expected to announce their flagship phone early next year. The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 investigation is expected to come up with results soon. Samsung claims to have the details of the investigation made public before the end of the year. The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 could soon receive the much awaited Android 7.0 Nougat update. A new leak shows that Samsung may be testing a Galaxy Note 5 Nougat firmware internally. At the moment, Samsung is working on polishing the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge Nougat update for public release. The company recently started the beta program for Android 7.0 on the S7 and S7 Edge. Users have already received several betas and the update is almost ready for the public. Galaxy Note 5 Android 7.0 Nougat Samsung has promised to deliver the Nougat update to the Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge Plus and the Note 5. An exact time frame of when the update will be available is not known. However, a Galaxy Note 5 running Android 7.0 was spotted earlier on GFXBench. SamMobile spotted the firmware and believes that it is real. It has been rumored that the Galaxy Note 5 will inherit the Grace UX from the deceased Note 7. This interface is much smoother and better than the TouchWiz UI found on the Note 5. An upgrade to Android 7.0 and Grace UX should make the smartphone better. This, according to BGR, should make it more desirable to customers looking to buy a powerful phablet. Recently, a Samsung Galaxy S6 was also seen on the website running Android 7.0. This shows that Samsung is testing a build at their labs, but when will it be available? Note 5 Android 7.0 Release Date There is no telling when Samsung will release the Galaxy Note 5 Nougat firmware to beta testers or the public. Seeing as a beta test for the S7 and S7 Edge is currently in progress, the Note 5 beta may arrive in late December or early January. A full scale public release may only happen in February 2017, but that is only speculation. Samsung could speed up the process and deliver it sooner, although the company is not known for that. The 2018 Toyota Camry is set to make its debut at the Detroit Auto Show next month. A lot of people are already excited to see the next model and the automaker has just decided to fan the flames. Fans, enthusiasts and buyers will definitely get more anxious to see the next one as the 2018 Toyota Camry teases before its Detroit Auto Show debut. A Taste Of What Is Coming The teaser came in a way all teasers do, giving a little taste of what is coming but not revealing the whole picture. The image showed the right rear section of the 2018 Toyota Camry featuring its new taillights, a lip spoiler, a rear bumper cap and an odd air vent that runs down from the taillights. Whether the air vent actually has function or not is still unknown, CNET noted. The Unknown Sparks More Curiosity The more things are hidden, the more people want to try and see what they are. A report from Autoblog mentioned that the 2018 Toyota Camry shown in the teaser images is an XSE trim. That however, is obvious given the fact that the "XSE" is visible in the picture. The same report also mentioned that there are a few elements in styling that has been borrowed from other models of other automakers. This sparks more curiosity as to what else did the 2018 Toyota Camry borrow in terms of styling. People WIll Just Have To Wait And See Given how the teaser image only revealed so much, people can do nothing at this point but to wait and see whether the conclusions they have drawn from the teaser image will be proven true or not. In any case, the wait will not be that long as there is only about a month left before the 2017 Detroit Auto Show where the 2018 Toyota Camry will be making its debut. "Fifty Shades Darker" actor Jamie Dornan has been rumored to be in talks with DCEU after he was offered the role of Green Lantern. A media outlet announced that the actor will play the role of Green Lantern in the "Justice League" movie and the standalone film for "Green Lantern." While this may be good news for Dornan's fans, it turns out that this casting rumor is false. "Green Lantern" Rumors While excitement increases over the new "Justice League" film, fans became more excited about the actors who will play the roles of their favorite heroes. On Tuesday, Nov. 29, Bravo! Film News tweeted that Dornan will play the role of Green Lantern. Given the actor's physique and appeal, at first look, he seems to be a good fit for Hal Jordan's role. Despite the marketability of the actor and the possible increase in the number of female viewers, many DC fans are against the idea. Dornan might look great in the Green Lantern Corps skintight suit. However, most people see Mr. Christian Grey as a billionaire playboy with a fondness for ropes and floggers. Hence, many fans are worried that he will not be able to give justice to the role because of his reputation. The last actor to play the role was Ryan Reynolds back in 2011. However, the movie was considered a flop after earnings declined on its second week. Jamie Dornan Cast Rumors Debunked Just a day after the tweet revealing the casting rumor, Umberto Gonzalez, a reporter from The Wrap debunked these rumors. According to him, the account was reporting fake news and it was not true that there were talks between DCEU and Dornan. DC Comics COO Geoff John hearted Gonzalez' tweet debunking the rumor about Dornan's new filming engagement. Hence, fans are more convinced that the news is not true. "Green Lantern Corps" will have its own film in 2020, while "Justice League" where Green Lantern will make an appearance is scheduled for release on Nov. 16 2017. The Russian government claims to have foiled a "large-scale" cyber attack from foreign intelligence services meant to destabilize the countrys financial system. The governments Federal Security Service made the statement on Friday without blaming a specific country, but said the attack was meant to be carried out on Dec. 5 against a number of major Russian banks. The hack would have also included the use of social media and SMS text messages to circulate posts claiming a crisis in Russias financial system. Several dozen cities in the country had been targeted, the Federal Security Service claimed, stating it had already neutralized the threat. The security service went on to say that a Ukrainian web hosting company called BlazingFast was being used to launch the attack through servers based in the Netherlands. However, BlazingFast said on Friday its found no evidence of an imminent attack coming through its systems. We reviewed all our systems and network and we have not found any abnormal pattern changes that could lead to FSB's allegations, the company said in a Facebook post. The Russian security service has not been in contact, it said. We must assume FSB has been able to handle the situation without the need of BlazingFast's cooperation, the Ukrainian company said. Nevertheless, we hereby publicly demonstrate our willingness to cooperate with any legal entity. BlazingFast has thousands of customers and monitors its network to prevent any illegal activity, it said. Russias security service didnt provide any details on how it stopped or detected the attack. But it come as the country is already facing tensions with the U.S. over claims that Russia tried to influence the recent U.S. presidential election. In October, U.S. intelligence agencies publicly blamed the Russian government for allegedly sponsoring several high-profile hacks that targeted U.S. officials and political institutions, as a way to leak sensitive information to the public. The Obama administration has said its planning a possible response, but its unclear if anything materialized, beyond a warning to Russia. In addition, hackers from Ukraine have been allegedly targeting Russia. In October, one such Ukrainian group called CyberHunta released leaked emails from a senior Russian official, after hacking his account. Both countries have been locked in bitter disputes after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. South Korean actor Lee Joon-Gi plays the lead character of 4th Prince Wang So in SBS drama 'Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo.' (Photo : Instagram/actor_jg) December is going to be a very busy month for "Scarlet Heart: Ryeo" actor Lee Joon-Gi. In addition to his upcoming Seoul fan-meetings, the 34-year-old Hallyu star will release his seventh studio album later this month. Dubbed "Thank You," the upcoming single album contains three tracks titled "Thank You," "Now" and "We Wish You A Merry Christmas," All Kpop reported. The title track is dedicated to all his fans at home and abroad, while the second one depicts Lee's desire to maintain a lasting relationship with them. Lastly, the third one is dedicated to the upcoming holidays. Advertisement Much to the delight of many, Lee's new single album will be out on Dec. 3, which is also the kick-off date of his Asia fan meeting tour. The actor will commence the Seoul leg of his meet-and-greet event on Dec. 3-4 at the Gyedang Hall, Sangmyung University. Following the Seoul fan-meetings, Lee will soon travel across Asia to meet with his fans. It has already been confirmed that he will hold a similar meet-and-greet event in Taiwan and Japan, respectively. Meanwhile, Lee, who had his first major acting role in the 2005's "The King and the Clown," will star next in "Seven First Kisses," an upcoming web drama directed by Jung Jung-Hwa, Han Cinema reported. He is set to transform into a rich and religious heir. Produced by Lotte Duty-Free, "Seven First Kisses" follows a duty-free store employee, Min Soo-Jin (Lee Choi-Hee), who never had a boyfriend since birth. One day, she meets the goddess of multiple fates (Choi Ji-Woo) who gives her the chance to choose among the seven handsome guys that will win her first kiss. Her options include a romantic boss (Park Hae-Jin), a charming student (EXO's Kai), a sexy secret agent (Ji Chang-Wook), a naive rich kid (Ok Taecyeon), a free spirit traveler/writer (Lee Min-Ho) and a nation's most beloved actor (Lee Jong-Suk). It will be released online starting Dec. 05. Watch the official "Seven First Kisses" trailer here: As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. Close TOMORROW is Small Business Saturday a chance for Islanders to show support for local traders. Isle of Wight Council long-stay car parks, Ventnor car parks and Pier Square, Yarmouth, will be free from noon to 6pm. Norman Arnold, from the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "In the age of online shopping and the megastore, it is important people are given every opportunity and encouragement to support the local businesses that are the lifeblood of a thriving community." Kevin Smith, from the IW Chamber of Commerce, which supports the campaign, said: "Small businesses from a wide range of sectors make a huge contribution to the Islands economy and our wider community. "We would always encourage Islanders to buy from and support local businesses wherever possible and events like this help to spotlight this important message." A national campaign, Small Business Saturday, has been running on the Island since 2013. IW Cllr Phil Jordan said: "The council is very pleased once again to be supporting Small Business Saturday. "It is important we do what we can to help local businesses in the run-up to Christmas and encourage shoppers to come into our towns. "The council is determined to assist local traders during the day by encouraging patrons to shop leisurely after the morning rush and ensuring those still determined to spend the day on the mainland continue to pay for their parking. "Island traders are joining forces to bring vibrancy into our towns and the council is keen to play its part in that. "It is also a good opportunity for local shops to entice customers into their businesses by offering incentives given the expected increase in shoppers on the day." For further information about the businesses taking part, visit smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com Reporter: davidn@iwcpmail.co.uk Town sued over denied water service The town council met in executive session last week to discuss its defense after a lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court by a Jamestown homeowner who was denied permission... Scout earns Eagle rank with boardwalk work A local Boy Scout is the latest member of Troop 1 Jamestown to lead an environmental project at a wildlife sanctuary in his mission to attain the Eagle rank. Alex... State: Steer clear while deer breeding As deer begin mating during the rut, public safety officials are urging drivers to be cautious on the roads because herds tend to move around more frequently during this time.... (High Point N.C.) December 1, 2016 - Premier Productions announces dates for RoadTrip Spring Break 2017 , where Christians from across the country can gather in Panama City Beach, Fla. at Laketown Wharf to experience music from artists such as Elevation Worship, Lauren Daigle and Colony House for an all-new spring break experience. RoadTrip Spring Break 2017 offers a choice of three separate weekends including March 8-11, March 15-18, and March 22-25. Packages are on sale beginning Friday, December 2, 2016. "RoadTrip is a 4-day beach party for 18 to 25-year-olds, where Christians from coast-to-coast gather to redefine spring break," said Shane Quick, co-owner, Premier Productions. "RoadTrip is your opportunity to build new relationships, experience incredible shows, and have one unforgettable party with people who share the same heartbeat." Weekend 1 March 8-11 | Elevation Worship, Colony House | More artists announced soon Weekend 2 March 15-18 | Lauren Daigle, Colony House | More artists announced soon Weekend 3 March 22-25 | Colony House | More artists announced soon More artists in the lineup for RoadTrip Spring Break 2017 announced soon. To purchase packages to RoadTrip Spring Break 2017, visit: www.roadtripspringbreak.com. About Premier Productions: Formed in 1996, Premier Productions is the largest producer of Christian concert events in the nation and the co-founder of the Winter Jam Tour Spectacular, Christian music's largest annual tour! Premier promotes award-winning artists with No. 1 hits such as - TobyMac, Skillet, Casting Crowns, Hillsong Live, Hillsong UNITED, Lecrae, Bill Gaither & Friends Homecoming, Jesus Culture, Kari Jobe, Matthew West and many more! For more information on Premier Productions, please visit premierproductions.com. Movie and series streaming, and all-around-cure-for-boredom Netflix seeks world domination just like all tech companies. The first step was to introduce the convenience and addictive quality of streaming legally-licensed videos then introduce an offline feature to help people watch their series anywhere. The third step and further steps can be quite difficult. Netflix addiction is certainly "en masse." In a BuzzFeed.com article, "Can We Guess Your Age And Location", the algorithm -- heavily based on their community's feedback -- focuses on fast food and a choice of Netflix flick. Anyone addicted to burgers and childish comedy the survey can judge as a 19-year-old living in Virginia. While it is highly inaccurate and obviously made for fun, Netflix's expansion and influence is increasing. According to Business Insider, one obviously difficult step is to localize all their movies and series altogether. With a majority of movies and series in Netflix's database in English, a subtitle mode available in different languages can help it expand in Central Asia where only about 10% of the total population speaks English. Driving down their prices can make them attractive in internet-challenged countries. One might find Netflix cheap, but if the company's competitors are illegal free-streaming websites offering the same content that are easy to access despite slow internet, they will have a challenge. Netflix is the home of many renowned series that people "binge-watch" because of their high quality and intriguing stories. Marvel's "Jessica Jones", "Daredevil", "Luke Cage" and the upcoming "Iron Fist" fans watch on a daily or even one-time-all-episodes basis. Original series such as Netflix's own "Black Mirror" also introduce insight while being entertaining at the same time. Netflix's hardware can be inconsistent at times but it is not the major problem for its expansion. The offline feature the company introduced is a huge help for many users with slow internet. But to expand further, it would need more effort to make its content accessible for everyone, price or hardware-wise. All employees have the dilemma of asking their boss for a raise. Most people would just settle with what they have and never really aim higher. The common problem is that people don't know how to ask for what they want. Well, here are three brilliant and effective ways of asking for a raise like a boss without sounding like one. You need to make things easier for your boss. According to IWTYTBR, if you want to be in the perfect position to ask anything you want from your boss, you need to show the company that you are not a burden. Companies don't like the idea of giving raises but if you just do your work which is required of you, you will have the right of asking for a raise. Try to put yourself in the shoes of your boss if you are a deserving employee. Show your worth to your company. In an article by AMA, one effective way of getting that raise that you always wanted is by making the company need you. There are different ways of being needed so you need to innovate depending on the situation. For example, if you think your company is trying to exploit you, try to say no. Saying no to overtime and working vacations will make the company realize that without you, life is hard for them. In other situations, you can do the exact opposite and make the company feel that you will always be there to help them. Ask for it like a boss. Sometimes people still feel nervous even if they are already deserving of a raise. When you think that the time is right, go and ask for it. If you see that you have been a good employee and the company is enjoying the fruits of your hard work, don't chicken out and be the boss. Remember, when asking for a raise, it's not all about you but it's all about the company as well. Try to help the company and you will get what you deserve. Citing the need to reduce costs, Airbus announced it would cut as many as 1,164 positions throughout the company on Tuesday. The aircraft manufacturer did not state how many workers would lose their jobs. Airbus is based and has its main assembly facility at Toulouse, France. Airbus relies on several facilities in located in Germany, Spain, and other countries to produce airplane parts. According to the French website The Local, the move will cost 640 jobs in France and a total of 429 jobs in Germany. The worldwide slowdown in aerospace business has hit Airbus particularly hard. Just last August, Airbus announced slashing production of A380 jets - the world's largest and only superjumbo jetliner in service, due to slowed demand for four-engined jets. On October, its helicopter manufacturing subsidiary also announced to cut around 600 jobs due to a weak market. It is also to note that Airbus has been in an intense legal fight with US-based competitor Boeing, accusing each other of receiving illegal amounts of government aid. The job cuts came several days after Airbus announced plans to restructure the company, which will consist of merging its parent company with its commercial jetliner unit. The company said previously in a Reuters article that the move is aimed to reduce bureaucracy and help simplify the brand. Airbus stated that the cuts will be done through voluntary departures, early retirement, relocation of jobs, or through layoffs if needed. The company stated that the cuts are planned to be finalized on 2018. The plan was announced to its union groups on November 29. Labor groups in the company threatened strikes if there is no agreement on conditions for the cuts. They accuse Airbus of trying to increase profits at worker's expense since that company has booked orders amounting to nearly 1.0 trillion euros ($1.5 trillion USD). Airbus is the manufacturer the superjumbo A380 and the popular A320 jetliner. For more business news, check out Jobs and Hire. The year is about to end, but it is not too late to for people who are still seeking jobs in 2016. For this month of December, there are currently top 5 US cities that continue to close the gap of unemployment margin. To best understand how a city qualifies as the best for job-seekers, the most quantifiable basis is a comparison between a ratio of residents and the average number of appointments. A report published by Forbes Magazine highlights these cities based on the remaining job postings per 1,000 residents. This updated list was first published in October and they provide a good window of opportunity for those seeking jobs in 2016 for the last time. 1. San Jose, California 67 jobs per 1,000 residents. 2. Salt Lake, Utah 65 jobs per 1,000 residents 3. Denver, Colorado 57 jobs per 1,000 residents 4. Raleigh, North Carolina 52 jobs per 1,000 residents 5. Seattle, Washington 42 jobs per 1,000 residents Curiously, a comparison from the same article published by Life Hacker in May of 2016 still placed San Jose as the foremost destination that provides employment opportunities for Americans. Meanwhile, Seattle dropped to the 5th rank while cities like Salt Lake and Raleigh picked up the 2nd and 4th place from its previous 7th and 8th ranking because of its economic and financial stability. Colorado suddenly reached the 3rd rank considering that this city was nowhere in the top 10 May list. Things are indeed looking up for American citizens living or immigrating into these top 5 US cities. American citizens who are seeking jobs in 2016 as of this final month could expect positive improvements for careers in health care, steel manufacturing, and automobile production. An article published by Jobs & Hire underscores the 100-day prosperity plan of US President Donald Trump. After all, one of his top priorities for the country is to create wealth by revolutionizing the nation's current labor conditions. Being happy at ones work is important in once job. There are a lot of things that employees could be happy in the job that they do. A person must follow their purpose in life and not their passions to be truly happy. Quartz stressed that it is important to focus on adding value to once work rather than following what you really want to do. It may sound cliche but they encouraged employees to help other people before helping themselves. The site explained to employees that it is important to "improve the lives of others then just work backwards," they probably encouraged this to establish networks to other people. The site also said that it is important for an employee to stay open-minded and prioritize work culture above all else. They reminded employees that work culture is important to a happy work-life. They reported that most successful start-up businesses were the once that creates an authentic work culture. The site explained that it will not work if they copied someone else's business culture. According to Entrepreneur, in looking for a job that will make an employee happy there are a lot of things to consider. Employees must consider their own requirements for a job. They should be able to know what job requirements they can and can not do. The site explained that an employee's requirement is not a one-size-fits all, it differs from each employee. If an individual happens to be unemployed and looking for a job that will make him happy, Jobs & Hire reported that job hunting may take a while and they would need patience. It is also important to be with people an employee could work with. The site explained that it is important to be in a workforce where people will challenge and inspire an employee. Aside from that, it is important for an employee to take his time. It is important for an employee to know their co-workers and expand their network. "It's not about finding a new job. It's about finding the right role at the right time with the right people." The site concluded. It is important to remember that happiness can be found everywhere even in once job. There's some good news for "Hunter X Hunter" fans, as rumors have been circulating that the series will resume in 2017 and it will be having a new writer. There are some fans though who are fearing that a new writer will change the way story of the series goes. According to GameNGuide, there have been reports that the Shueisha, the publisher of "Hunter X Hunter," is set to resume the manga series sometime in 2017. And it has been rumored that creator Yoshihiro Togashi is being replaced. The grapevine in the manga world is that Togashi is already unable to continue making the manga due to a sickness and the publisher has been looking for a replacement for him. One artist that is said to be replacing Togashi is Sui Ishida, the creator of "Tokyo Ghoul." Though Ishida is a great manga artist, fans are worried that about this move of Shueisha. The Bitbag reports that there are speculations circulating that new writers would also mean new ambiance for the series. It is a fact in the manga industry that an artist's work reflects his or her personality. So putting a new artist in an already ongoing series like "Hunter X Hunter" would mean that there will now be a different approach in making the chapters of the manga. If indeed a new artist would be used to continue the series, fans are expecting that "Hunter X Hunter" would have a different feeling. However, everything is not yet final and one artist who is also rumored to be considered to continue the series is Naoko Takeuchi, Togashi's wife. There are even rumors that she is already preparing the script for the next chapter. If this is true, Takeuchi is the perfect candidate to replace Togashi as the writer of "Hunter X Hunter." As Togashi's wife, Takeuchi definitely knows Togashi better. Plus, she is an award-winning manga artist herself, having created the hit manga "Sailor Moon." If Shueisha does hire a new writer to continue "Hunter X Hunter" in 2017, then Takeuchi should be the choice. With her as the writer, there likely won't be drastic changes to the manga series. A solar plant established in Kamuthi, Tamil Nadu is thought to be the largest solar power plant in a single location. The plant has a capacity of 648 MW and covers an area of 10 square Kilometers, and consists of 2.5 million solar modules, 576 inverters, 154 transformers as well as 6,000 kilometers of cables. According to Thenextweb, images have been released showing the huge new solar plant that is found in South India. The building of the plant was funded by the Adani group and was built for 8 months. The plant is daily cleaned by robotic systems and charged by its own panels. It is expected to produce electricity power for about 150,000 homes. Aljazeera reported that by 2022, India aims at ensuring that sixty million homes have power that results from solar energy. The government of India has an aim of producing forty percent of its power from non-fossil fuels. The goal of the government has been praised by the environment activists who view it as a step towards solving the problem of air pollution in India, especially New Delhi which reached its worst levels of pollution this year in 17 years. India is expected to become the world's 3rd largest solar market from next year followed by China and America. Solar power in India is a fast-growing industry. As of 30th September 2016, the country's solar grid had a capacity of 8,626 megawatts (MW) or 8.63 gigawatts (GW). On January 2015, the Indian government expanded its solar plans, targeting US$100 billion of investment and 100 GW of solar capacity, including 40 GW's directly from rooftop solar, by 2022. The rapid growth in preparation of solar power is recorded and updated monthly on the Indian Government's Ministry of New and Renewable Energy website. Large scale solar power deployment began in 2010; India is continuing to develop the use of solar power for localized energy needs. Solar products have increasingly helped to meet rural needs that lack electrification, and by the end of 2015 total of just under 1 million solar lanterns had been sold in the country reducing the need for expensive kerosene. In addition, total of 30,256 solar powered water pumps for agriculture and drinking water had been installed. Fans of Indi would have to wait longer for "Indiana Jones 5." Actor Shia Lebouf might not return for the film's sequel. Producer Frank Marshall explained that the movie's script is still not finished. In fact, it is still in the thinking period. Cinemablend reported that fans of the film have nothing to worry about because 5th sequel is due on July 19, 2019. They explained that the pre-production of the film will probably start in 2017 up to 2018. The site also reported that Marion Jones, played by Karen Allen, is not sure to return. Producer Frank Marshall explained that he does not get involved until the script is established. Actor Shia Lebouf is also not certain to be returning in the series. In "Indiana Jones And the Crystal Skull," Lebouf played Mutt Williams, the unknown son of Indiana Jones. "Though Shia Lebouf seemed to be the perfect actor to take over the Indiana Jones franchise, the career path he chose over the years makes it impossible for him to continue playing the role. Warner Bros. even thinks that Lebouf is too big of a risk for "Suicide Squad," the site stressed. "It's unlikely that Disney, a more reserved production company, would progress with Shia Lebouf. Whether, this will affect the involvement of Karen Allen remains to be seen," they concluded. According to Movie Web, Harrison Ford only agreed to Disney to reprise his role as Indiana Jones in "Indiana Jones 5"under two conditions. Ford wanted Steven Spielberg to direct the film and David Koepp to write the script. The legendary actor said that he always through that there was an opportunity to do another. However, he does not want to do it without Steven Spielberg and a really good script. He added that he was happy to have both. Jobs & Hire reported that age was not a problem with Harrison Ford who will be part of the "Blade Runner" sequel. The site also reported that before the announcement Tom Hanks, as well as, Bradley Cooper, Robbert Pattinson and Chris Pratt were being considered for the role of Indi in "Indiana Jones 5." But they can not still beat the original "Indiana Jones," Harrison Ford. Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met with United States Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan on Friday, saying the meeting was to "highlight the strategic relations between Egypt and the US." On the third day of his visit to Washington, Shoukry also met with other Congressional leaders. "[It was a] very fruitful meeting between Minister Shoukry and Speaker of the House Ryan, reinforcing Egypt US relations," a spokesman for the Egyptian foreign ministry said on Twitter. Shoukry began his trip by signing a bilateral memorandum of understanding with his US counterpart John Kerry on Wednesday, imposing restrictions on the illegal selling of Egypt's archaeological material. Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid noted that the agreement is "considered the first signed by the United States with a country in the Middle East in this field." Shoukry also met Wednesday with vice president-elect Mike Pence to relay a verbal message from Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. Shoukry is the first Arab official to meet with the vice president-elect. El-Sisi's message emphasised the importance of long-lasting and strategic relations between Egypt and the United States, and that Egypt looks forward to strengthening cooperation with the new administration. On Thursday, Shoukry held intensive talks with leaders of the US Congress in both chambers, including ranking members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, to discuss "regional challenges in the Middle East and the role of the Egyptian army in promoting stability in the region," Abu Zeid said. The officials also discussed recent economic, political and social developments in Egypt. On the margins of his visit, Shoukry attended on Thursday a reception organized and hosted by the Egyptian Embassy in Washington to celebrate the repatriation of four Egyptian artefacts that were smuggled into the United States. Search Keywords: Short link: Email Links to our top local news stories of the day, Monday through Saturday. The Russian military says the Syrian government has taken over a city just outside of the capital after a rebel retreat. The military's Center for Reconciliation in Syria said the government took full control of Khan al-Shih just southwest of Damascus Thursday. It said that rebel groups that had controlled the town since 2012 left it this week under a deal with authorities. It said in Friday's statement that 1,846 rebels and 1,164 of their relatives had moved to the rebel-held city of Idlib in northern Syria in buses provided by the government. It said another 100 rebels and 300 members of their families will depart for Idlib in the coming days. Russia-backed Syrian government forces also have won significant gains this week in the rebel-held eastern part of Aleppo. Search Keywords: Short link: N.C. Rate Bureau asks hike in dwelling insurance rates The N.C. Insurance Department said Thursday it has received a dwelling insurance rate filing from the N.C. Rate Bureau. The bureau represents all companies writing property insurance in the state. It has requested a statewide average rate increase of 19.6 percent, varying by territory, with a requested effective date of July 1. Dwelling insurance policies are offered to non-owner-occupied residences, including rental properties and investment properties. The filing includes a requested decrease of 16.6 percent for fire policies and an increase of 37.3 percent for extended coverage (wind) policies. The bureau also has requested revisions to the current geographic rating territories. The proposed territory revisions would reflect the same territories as with homeowners policies. Richard Craver Investment income bolsters Cone Health Cone Health reported this week having a 31.2 percent increase in excess revenue for fiscal 2015-16 to $60.3 million. In a not-for-profit organization, excess revenue is analogous to profit in a for-profit organization. The Greensboro health-care system had $33.3 million in core operating income, down 40.3 percent from $55.8 million a year ago. However, the decline was offset by the system gaining $46.6 million in investment income, compared with just $15.7 million a year ago. Not-for-profit hospitals depend on investment income to increase their bottom lines and to help pay for capital investments. Core patient revenue was up just under 5 percent to $1.56 billion. The system reported having a 28.6 percent increase in other operating revenue to just under $76 million, along with $41.7 million in premium revenue in fiscal 2015-16 while having none in 2014-15. Cone Health issued the report on the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Boards website, www.emma.msrb.org. Reports are aimed primarily at bondholders and ratings agencies and typically are released two months after the end of a quarter. Richard Craver Retired BB&T executive Allison plans speech The Wake Forest University School of Business will host a keynote speech from John Allison, an executive in residence, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday in Farrell Hall on its Reynolda campus. The general public is invited to attend. The lecture is titled The Philosophical Fight for the Future of America. Allison is retired chairman and chief executive of BB&T Corp. and retired president and chief executive of the Cato Institute. He is a member of the business schools Board of Visitors. Allison was discussed as a potential U.S. Treasury secretary nominee for the Trump administration. Richard Craver With contracts across Africa running into billions of dollars, Morocco is placing business at the heart of its strategy to win support for its re-entry into the African Union. From Senegal to Madagascar, King Mohammed VI is leading a drive to invest in banking, insurance, telecoms, manufacturing and construction projects. And while it has long nurtured warm ties with its francophone neighbours in West Africa, Morocco is now using mega-projects to mend ties with East African countries long at odds with Rabat over the Western Sahara issue. Rabat officially requested in September to rejoin the African Union, 32 years after quitting the bloc in protest at its decision to accept Western Sahara as a member. "The Moroccan vision consists of making its national companies real ambassadors in Africa," said Amine Dafir, professor at Hassan II University in Mohammedia near Rabat, who labels the strategy "economic diplomacy". It is a drive that has seen the monarch lead a cohort of ministers and business leaders on official visits across the continent. In recent months they have been hosted by Rwanda, Tanzania, Gabon, Senegal, Ethiopia and Madagascar, where they finished a 10-day visit on Thursday. Nigeria and Zambia are next on the list. Each trip has resulted in a flurry of business deals. The king's trip to Madagascar in November produced 22 agreements including a vast project to "upgrade" the Pangalanes canal, a series of waterways that extends around 700 kilometres (430 miles) along the country's east coast. Also in November, Morocco signed an agreement to build a giant factory aimed at making Ethiopia self-reliant in fertiliser by 2025. The announcement came during as King Mohammed visited Addis Ababa -- seat of the African Union. Morocco quit what was then called the Organisation of African Unity in 1984 to protest at the admission of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic declared by the Polisario independence movement. Morocco maintains that Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony under its control, is an integral part of the kingdom. The Polisario Front, which campaigns for the territory's independence, demands a referendum on self-determination. Isolated in Africa for decades, Morocco launched an "African Strategy" in the early 2000s in partnership with its "national champions" -- Moroccan firms that have developed branches across the continent. Since then, the kingdom has inked around 500 deals in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Moroccan think tank OCP Policy Center. The region is now the target of more than 60 percent of its foreign investments. Until 2016, those investments mainly targeted Rabat's francophone West African neighbours, which largely support its position on Western Sahara. For example, Morocco is the biggest foreign investor in the Ivory Coast, where Moroccan companies are working on a vast $160 million (150 million euro) project to revamp the Cocody bay in the economic capital Abidjan. But its desire to rejoin the African Union prompted Rabat to change tack, with King Mohammed paying unprecedented visits to other parts of the continent, where many countries support the Western Sahara's Polisario Front. He has played up "south-south cooperation" to promote Moroccan outreach, with a touch of anti-colonial rhetoric. "During my visits to Africa and through the projects I have launched there, it is not at all about giving lessons, it is about sharing experiences," he told the Madagascan press during his recent visit. On the front line of those projects are Morocco's champion businesses, many of which are partly owned by the royal family's investment group, the National Investment Company (SNI). Attijariwafa Bank, the country's top banking group, through investments and acquisitions, has gained a presence in 12 countries across the continent. State-owned firms are also involved, with phosphate mining company OCP -- one of the world's top fertiliser producers -- leading the charge. OCP plans to pump roughly $15 billion (14 billion euros) into African projects over the next 15 years. Driss Grini, professor at the University of Marrakesh, said attempts by world powers to invest in the continent are often "badly perceived by Africans". "On the other hand, Morocco's relations with sub-Saharan African countries are seen in a positive light," he said. "They are governed by a vision of common interests and a win-win logic." Search Keywords: Short link: Opinions on an upcoming smoking ban in public housing are about as strong as an unfiltered Winston. Maybe stronger. The head of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Julian Castro, announced on Wednesday that within 18 months, smoking will be prohibited in all public housing in the country. The move will impact almost a million units of public housing nationwide. Here, the ban will affect 1,200 units in several major public housing apartment complexes, including Cleveland Avenue Homes, Piedmont Park Apartments, Crystal Towers, Sunrise Towers and Healy Towers. We think it is a good thing, making the properties safer and healthier for the residents to enjoy, said Alisa Quick, who directs public relations at the Housing Authority of Winston-Salem (HAWS). Tell that to Chineka Stanley, a smoker who lives at Cleveland Avenue Homes and who denounced the ban as unjust Thursday afternoon: This is a tobacco city, Stanley said. Why are they targeting us? Why should they tell us that we cant smoke in our houses? Why is it put on public housing? Why just our neighborhood? All of a sudden just us. Taking the opposite side was Khadijia Rice, who lives with her year-old son across the way from Stanley. People in public housing live too close together to avoid someone elses smoke, she said, and a ban would help protect her sons health. The way public housing is set up, your neighbor is right there, boom, Rice said. I am sitting on my porch and (a neighbor) is taking a cigarette break, and Im getting second-hand smoke. Quick said that HAWS has seen the new rules coming and will be making efforts to educate public housing residents about the coming changes and maybe encouraging smoking-cessation classes for folks who want to quit. HAWS already bans smoking in some of its newer developments, high-profile places such as The Oaks at 10th and Camden Station. When people look for public housing, they find out which ones allow smoking and which dont. HUD officials say the ban will cover indoor units, indoor common areas, administrative buildings and outdoor areas up to 25 feet from the public housing and administrative buildings. HUD said that higher enforcement costs are outweighed by the health benefits. Those benefits, they say, will include air quality in the housing, and a lowering of both maintenance costs and the risk of catastrophic fire. Local housing officials agree with those points. Many times when a resident moves out and they are a heavy smoker, it costs us additional funds to get the odor and smell out of the unit, said Larry Woods, the executive director of HAWS. It is a good safety measure. And smoking is one of the major causes of public housing fires, along with unattended stoves, Quick said. There are also folks who have health issues, who need oxygen, who have respiratory issues, she said. William Nelson is a smoker who lives at Cleveland Avenue Homes, but nonetheless thinks the ban is a good idea. I will be glad because it will save me some money, Nelson said. I dont like paying for them because they cost too much. Im trying to quit anyway. It is a good idea because a lot of people get cancer, and it is hurting people. But smoker Shaunte Sherman said forcing smokers outside to smoke will put people out in the rain and snow. I understand everything about starting a fire, but you have responsible smokers and irresponsible smokers. They should make an area in the neighborhood where we could smoke cigarettes. One looming question will be enforcement: How much will that cost and how strict will it have to be? Compliance with the rules is good in the existing non-smoking units, Quick said, although she acknowledge that enforcement will be harder with a population used to smoking. That is something that we are going to have to look at enforcing more strictly, Quick said. It will be a transition, and it will not happen overnight. The new rules say that housing authorities can choose to restrict smoking to designated areas, or even create additional areas where smoking is not allowed, such as near a playground. Some at Cleveland Avenue Homes suggested Thursday that the concern for the health of public housing residents at the heart of the new rules seems like misplaced emphasis. Do they protect us from the roaches coming out from the ground? No, said Daria Stanfield, for 20 years a resident of Cleveland Avenue Homes. Do they protect us from the rats coming out from the ground or through the walls? No. Why dont they talk about that? Stanfield, who calls herself an occasional smoker, sees the ban as another way to oppress people who live in public housing. If the government can suppress smoking in public housing, she said, it should be consistent and also ban it in military housing. One thing for sure: A ban on public housing smoking may not be the end of regulation. HUD officials say they will be asking for feedback on requiring smoke-free policies in other HUD-assisted housing. As it stands, the new rule does not apply to so-called Section 8 or Housing Choice vouchers, which provide a subsidy for people to obtain housing in the private sector. Quick said there are currently no plans to build special smoking buildings on public housing sites for people that smoke, but that the agency may look at whether smoking-cessation services might be provided. Stanley said she isnt trying to argue that smoking isnt bad for health, but that the new rule singles out public housing residents: Smoking is bad for your health, she said. But you are just targeting a certain kind of class. HIGH POINT The Salvation Army of High Point received what you might call a gift of the magi. Not frankincense or myrrh. Gold. Sometime this past weekend an anonymous person dropped a U.S. Gold Eagle $5 coin in a Salvation Army red kettle. Volunteers found it Tuesday. Salvation Army personnel arent certain when the coin was dropped into that kettle, according to Hannah Joyce, the chapters marketing and development coordinator. We just know it came in over the weekend, she said. We discovered it when they brought it in. Every day, when the kettles turned in, their contents are dumped into a coin-counting machine, Salvation Army Capt. Bobby Jackson said. The machine sorts coins by denomination. If a coin doesnt fit or is damaged, it kicks the coin out to a reject bag, Jackson said. Once a week, we go into that reject bag to see if there are damaged coins that didnt go through, he said. We found that coin. We didnt know where it came from. Depending on its condition, the 1881 coin could have been worth up to several thousand dollars. But the gifts value is outweighed by the symbol of giving and sharing in this holiest of seasons. The tremendous blessing would allow the organization to provide utility assistance for three families or to feed 50 families, Jackson said. The gold in the coin is worth $293. The Salvation Army had the coin appraised at High Point coin dealer Coins & Stuff, whose owner explained the coins history and said it was worth $400 or more and gave the organization $500 for it. The Salvation Army pays a food bank 10 cents a pound for boxes of food it provides needy families. The price of the coin can feed 50 families for a week, Jackson said. People trust us to do the most with their gifts, he said. This means that the person had incredible confidence in us to take this gift and do the most with it. Joe Gamm is a reporter for the Greensboro News & Record. Contact him at joe.gamm@greensboro.com or at (336) 373-7090. HUNTSVILLE, Ala. A real-life Grinch set fire to Whoville, burning down the Dr. Seuss-themed float before it could reach the Huntsville Christmas Parade in Alabama Thursday. Jeananne Jackson, the creator of the group behind the float, told WHNT someone flicked a cigarette from another car while they were driving on South Memorial Parkway. Jackson said her husband was driving the truck with the float and she was in another vehicle and saw everything happen. The cigarette butt landed in several hay bales and the elaborate creation quickly caught fire three months of hard work up in flames. Jackson said they spent $1,000 in materials for the mobile Whoville replica, built for the Dr. Seuss-themed parade. The Huntsville Fire Department responded to put out the fire, but most of the structure had burned. Luckily, they were able to save some of the dogs, pigs and other creatures wearing custom-made Thing costumes and wigs. The float was created by the Facebook group for Lost and Found Pets of Huntsville/Madison County. It helps reunite missing pets with their owners they have nearly 13,000 members and 5,000 success stories. The group was trying to win the $300 prize for best float, so they could use that money to pay for more pets to be spayed and neutered. The group scrambled to get another trailer brought to the parade site, so they could put the items they saved onto it. Group members also dressed in costume, trying to make the best of a bad start. For more information on the group, visit their Facebook page. WASHINGTON Richard Stengel, the State Departments undersecretary for public diplomacy, bluntly states the problem that has been worrying him, and should worry us all: In a global information war, how does the truth win? The very idea that the truth wont be triumphant would, until recently, have been heresy to Stengel, a former managing editor of Time magazine. But in the nearly three years since he joined the State Department, Stengel has seen the rise of what he calls a post-truth world, where the facts are sometimes overwhelmed by propaganda from Russia and the Islamic State. We like to think that truth has to battle itself out in the marketplace of ideas. Well, it may be losing in that marketplace today, Stengel warned in an interview. Simply having fact-based messaging is not sufficient to win the information war. Stengel poses an urgent question for journalists, technologists and, more broadly, for everyone living in free societies or aspiring to do so. How do we protect the essential resource of democracy the truth from the toxin of lies that surrounds it? Its like a virus or food poison. It needs to be controlled. But how? Stengel argues that the U.S. government should sometimes protect citizens by exposing weaponized information, false information that is polluting the ecosystem. But ultimately, the defense of truth must be independent of a government that many people mistrust. There are inherent dangers in having the government be the verifier of last resort, he argues. Our conversation took place in Stengels office, the same room that was used by Secretary of State George C. Marshall, a paradigmatic figure in the American age of reason. As Stengel observed, the problems of todays information-saturated society would have been unimaginable for Marshall, who lived at a time when information was scarce and precious, and openness brought change. Now, says Stengel, social media give everyone the opportunity to construct their own narrative of reality. He recalls the early days of the Islamic State in 2014, when extremists used brutal imagery to terrorize people and recruit followers. The State Departments early counter-radicalization efforts mistakenly were tit for tat, arguing with jihadists interpretation of Islam. A better strategy, U.S. officials learned, was to empower others who could make the case more effectively. The central insight was that were not the best messenger for our message, Stengel explains, because in the post-truth world, the people were trying to reach automatically question anything from the U.S. government. As the Islamic State has weakened, so, too, has its media campaign. Messages have dwindled; recruits have disappeared; the brand has been devalued. Russias propaganda campaigns since the 2014 invasion of the Crimea have been much subtler and harder to combat. Thats partly because Moscows goal isnt to confront the West head-on, but to spread doubt and mistrust within. Stengel quotes Peter Pomerantsev, the author of Nothing is True and Everything is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia. For a Russian leadership schooled on KGB tactics, Pomerantsev argues, Its not an information war. Its a war on information. Stengel dissects the pastiche of fact and fantasy on Russian media outlets such as Russia Today and Sputnik this way: Theyre not trying to say that their version of events is the true one. Theyre saying: Everybodys lying! Nobodys telling you the truth! Russias hacking during the U.S. presidential election had this aim of polluting the public information stream. They dont have a candidate, per se. But they want to undermine faith in democracy, faith in the West. In the cyber-propagandists atomized, construct-your-own-narrative world, agreement on a common framework of factual evidence can become almost impossible. How should citizens who want a fact-based world combat this assault on truth? Stengel has approved State Department programs that teach investigative reporting and empower truth-tellers, but hes right that this isnt really a job for Uncle Sam. The best hope may be the global companies that have created the social-media platforms. They see this information war as an existential threat, says Stengel. The tech companies have made a start: He says Twitter has removed more than 400,000 accounts, and YouTube daily deletes extremist videos. The real challenge for global tech giants is to restore the currency of truth. Perhaps machine learning can identify falsehoods and expose every argument that uses them. Perhaps someday, a human-machine process will create what Stengel describes as a global ombudsman for information. But right now, the truth is losing. And we wonder: Which side will Americas next president take in the war on information? Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. A Turkish prosecutor called Friday called for charges related to a deadly Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound ship to be dropped following diplomatic reconciliation between Turkey and Israel, state media reported. Nine Turkish activists died when Israeli marines stormed the Mavi Marmara as it headed to the Gaza Strip in 2010, and a 10th died in hospital in 2014. The raid triggered a crisis in relations, with both countries withdrawing their respective ambassadors from the country capitals, though diplomatic ties were never fully severed. The bitter rift came to an end in June this year after they held long-running secret talks in third countries with Israel offering an apology over the raid and $20 million in compensation. Israel also agreed to allow Turkish aid to reach Gaza as part of the agreement. Under the terms of the deal, both sides also agreed individual Israeli citizens or those acting on behalf of the Israeli government would not be held liable -- either criminally or financially -- for the raid. On Friday the prosecutor told an Istanbul court that the case against the Israeli individuals should be dropped because of the agreement, state-run news agency Anadolu said. Prosecutors had been seeking life sentences for the alleged involvement of former military chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi, former navy chief Eliezer Marom, former military intelligence head Amos Yadlin and former air force intelligence chief Avishai Levy, who went on trial in absentia in 2012. The demand is likely to anger families and lawyers, who told AFP in October they had no intention of dropping the lawsuits despite the deal. One of the final key elements of returning to normal relations was the exchange of ambassadors, which will formally take place this month. Israel's envoy Eitan Naeh arrived in Ankara on Thursday, and he is due to present his letter of credence to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan within days. Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim's policy advisor Kemal Okem will start work as Turkey's ambassador to Israel on December 12, Anadolu said on Friday. Search Keywords: Short link: As part of a concerted effort to mitigate the opioid crisis on a local level, the Summerville Medical Center and Summerville PD coalesced on Oct. 29 to collect opiate varieties that are either expired and/or no longer needed by individuals they were originally prescribed to. Read moreCrushing the opioid crisis Reddit Email 268 Shares TeleSur | The threatening letters have been sent to mosques in at least seven states. To the children of Satan, begins the letter that was first sent to sent to three California mosques but has has now been dispatched to mosques all over the country. You Muslims are a vile and filthy people. You are evil. You worship the devil. But, your day of reckoning has arrived, the letter continues. There is a new sheriff in town President Donald Trump. He is going to cleanse America and make it shine again. While the letter had first shown up in the mailboxes of six mosques in California including in Los Angeles, Fresno and San Jose more mosques are reporting that they, too, have received the exact same letter. The pamphlet has turned up in locations in Ohio, Michigan, Rhode Island, Indiana, Colorado and Georgia. Los Angeles police have been investigating the letters as a hate incident, but not a hate crime, because they claim it does not contain a specific threat. The letter has prompted police protection for mosques. | Photo: Facebook / CAIR The Council on American-Islamic Relations has asked the FBI to investigate, but for the same reason, agents are not investigating the case at this point, though officials have said they are monitoring the situation. Police in Providence, Rhode Island, have vowed to increase patrols in wake of the incident. The letters are marked with an address in the cities they were sent to, but are postmarked in either Los Angeles or Santa Clarita, a suburb about 30 miles north Los Angeles. The name above the return address is Reza Khan, said Shehadeh Abdelkarim, president of the Islamic Center of Cleveland, which was one of the mosques to receive the letters. He commented that thats a Muslim name. The person obviously knows a little about Muslim culture, Abdelkarim said. However, the name is bogus, said Sgt. Mike Abdeen of the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department, which is assisting LAPD. Meanwhile, last week the Southern Poverty Law Center said there had been more than 700 hate-related crimes since the victory of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump. CAIR has tallied more than 100 incidents targeting Muslims alone since he was elected. Via TeleSur - Related video added by Juan Cole: Video: CAIR-GA Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell on CNN to Discuss Surge in Anti-Muslim Hate Incidents Reddit Email 76 Shares By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | The interview of Gen. James Mattis by Wolf Blitzer at Aspen in 2013, in which the recently-retired former CENTCOM commander spoke freely on Middle East policy, has come back to haunt him now that Donald Trump has put him forward as the next Secretary of Defense. At a time when the US has ground troops in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, however, it is not his position on those conflicts that is controversial. It is his remarks on Secretary of State John Kerrys attempts at peace talks between Israel and Palestine . Alternet quoted him as saying: So weve got to work on [peace talks] with a sense of urgency. I paid a military security price every day as a commander of CENTCOM because the Americans were seen as biased in support of Israel, and [because of this] moderate Arabs couldnt be with us because they couldnt publicly support those who dont show respect for Arab Palestinians. Everybody involved in US foreign policy and security knows that aggressive Israeli colonization of the Palestinian West Bank and siege of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip is a major cause of terrorism against the United States, since Washington is blamed for it, and is a major security problem because it makes the US a pariah in the Muslim world. One of the reasons Usama Bin Laden gave for attacking the US was the Israeli mistreatment of stateless Palestinians: Third, if the Americans aims behind these wars are religious and economic, the aim is also to serve the Jews petty state and divert attention from its occupation of Jerusalem and murder of Muslims there. The best proof of this is their eagerness to destroy Iraq, the strongest neighboring Arab state, and their endeavor to fragment all the states of the region such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Sudan into paper statelets and through their disunion and weakness to guarantee Israels survival and the continuation of the brutal crusade occupation of the Peninsula. As Ive said before, if it were a matter of taking a hit to defend Israel on its peoples right to live in safety, then the US will always step up. But to take a hit to defend Israeli wanton war crimes and disregard of international law is unacceptable. In his Aspen interview in 2013, Mattis went on to use the A word: Ill tell you, the current situation is unsustainable Weve got to find a way to make work the two-state solution that both Democrat and Republican administrations have supported, and the chances are starting to ebb because of the settlements. For example, if Im Jerusalem and I put 500 Jewish settlers to the east and theres ten-thousand Arabs already there, and if we draw the border to include them, either [Israel] ceases to be a Jewish state or you say the Arabs dont get to vote apartheid. That didnt work too well the last time I saw that practiced in a country. Jimmy Carter was treated shamefully by Alan Dershowitz and Brandeis University and the entire Israel-Lobby Establishment for voicing precisely the same warning, and was excluded by their pressure from speaking at the Obama Democratic National Conventions. Watchlists have been made of academics who dare critize Israeli squatting on Palestinian-owned land. And let us remember how poor Chuck Hagel was treated, a distinguished Vietnam War vet with two purple hearts and a senator, during the hearing to confirm him as Secretary of Defense, at the behest of Neocon chickenhawks: Ah, and then there is Lindsey Graham, the Red Queen of the Senate (who is the essence of the pedantic governess and asks through-the-looking-glass questions like: Divide a loaf by a knife: whats the answer to that?). . . Then the Red Queen went after Hagel for having said that the Jewish lobby intimidates people. He demanded, Name one person here whos been intimidated by the Jewish lobby . . . Name one dumb thing weve been goaded into doing due to pressure by the Israeli or Jewish lobby. Hagel said he didnt have anyone in mind. The irony, of course, is that Graham is himself part of the Israel lobby, and there he was intimidating Hagel for complaining about having been intimidated! All the congressmen and senators know that the Israel lobby intimidates them or tries to, on a daily basis. Ernst Hollings complained, you cant have an Israeli policy other than what AIPAC gives you around here. AIPAC is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the de facto foreign agent of the Israeli government in the United States, which gets away with not having to register as such because it has bought off or intimidated Congress. So lets see if Senator Graham treats Gen. Mattis the same way (I wouldnt advise it; he is called Mad Dog for a reason), or whether the Israel lobbies will just have to swallow this defeat. So can the sensible observers of the Middle East now be invited to dinner again and the Israel-Lobby blackballing of them be lifted? By the way, the rest of Mattiss interview in 2013 was likewise informed and usually sensible. He was against getting involved in Syria, and warned that military action couldnt resolve the issue of Irans nuclear enrichment program. CENTCOM Review: Turmoil in the Mideast and Southwest Asia Rebels put up fierce resistance on Friday in a key district of Syria's battered Aleppo, where a regime offensive has left bodies in the streets and sparked global outrage. The government assault on the northern city has spurred a mass exodus of tens of thousands of residents from the opposition-held east and prompted fresh calls by Russia for aid corridors. President Bashar al-Assad's forces captured northeast Aleppo this week and were focused on seizing Sheikh Saeed, a large district on the city's southeast edges. But anti-government fighters fought back strongly there overnight, rolling back recent government gains, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "The regime and allied fighters... wanted to take this neighbourhood at any cost, because capturing it would allow them to target all remaining rebel-held districts," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. "But rebels put up ferocious resistance, because they knew they would be trapped if Sheikh Saeed fell," he added. Abdel Rahman said opposition forces now once again controlled at least 70 percent of the neighbourhood. Sheikh Saeed borders the last remaining sections of Aleppo still in rebel hands -- a collection of densely populated residential neighbourhoods where thousands have sought refuge from advancing regime forces. In preparation for street-by-street fighting in these districts, hundreds of fighters from Syria's elite Republican Guard and Fourth Division arrived in Aleppo on Friday, the Observatory said. The Observatory said four civilians were killed in rebel rocket fire on government-held areas, bringing to 59 the civilian toll in the city's west. More than 300 civilians, including dozens of children, have been killed in east Aleppo since the government offensive began on November 15, according to the Observatory. Intermittent clashes on Friday rocked a block of residential buildings on Aleppo's eastern edges, where advancing regime forces have sought to secure the road towards the airport. AFP's correspondent in east Aleppo said ferocious clashes could be heard in the Tariq al-Bab district, where regime forces were advancing on Thursday. Civilians had already totally emptied the adjacent neighbourhood of Al-Shaar, where a few rebels manned positions in the streets. The escalating violence has been met with international outrage, including a UN warning that east Aleppo could become "a giant graveyard". Russia on Thursday proposed setting up four humanitarian corridors into east Aleppo to bring in aid and evacuated severely wounded people. Moscow has announced several humanitarian pauses in Aleppo to allow civilians to flee, but until the recent escalation, only a handful did so. East Aleppo's residents have been wary of previous such offers because of Russia's support for Assad, including launching a bombing campaign in support of his forces in September 2015. Dozens of families trickled out on Friday, adding to the more than 50,000 people who have poured out of east Aleppo into territory controlled by government forces or local Kurdish authorities, the Observatory said. Among those fleeing are nearly 20,000 children, according to estimates by the UN's children's agency. "What is critical now is that we provide the immediate and sustained assistance that these children and their families desperately need," UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac told reporters in Geneva. "It's a race against time, as winter is here and conditions are basic." On a one-day trip to Beirut on Thursday, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier pledged 50 million euros ($53 million) to organisations serving the "suffering population" of Aleppo. He said the political transition in the United States after Donald Trump was elected president meant world powers should not "aim for a major political solution", but focus on "defusing the conflict". "What we must achieve is an agreement on breaks in the fighting, hopefully leading to a ceasefire so those who are suffering so horribly can finally have their basic needs met," Steinmeier said. The loss of east Aleppo -- a rebel stronghold since 2012 -- would be the biggest blow to Syria's opposition in more than five years. More than 200 civil society groups on Thursday appealed to the UN General Assembly to take action on Syria because "there is no sign that the Security Council deadlock will end anytime soon". They urged "UN member states to step in and request an Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly" to end violence in Aleppo and across Syria. The conflict erupted in March 2011 with protests calling for Assad's ouster, and has since evolved into a bloody and highly globalised war that has killed more than 300,000 people. Search Keywords: Short link: Reddit Email 0 Shares By Frud Bezhan | ( RFE/RL) | The office of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has cited a phone conversation with Donald Trump in which it says the U.S. president-elect described nuclear-armed Pakistan as a "fantastic country" and its embattled prime minister as a "terrific guy." The exchange, as described by Sharifs side, was followed by a more muted description of the November 30 conversation from the Trump transition team that said the "productive conversation" centered around how the two countries "will have a strong working relationship in the future." Trumps team added that the president-elect "is looking forward to a lasting and strong personal relationship" with Sharif. Trumps transition team did not confirm the authenticity of the Pakistani transcript. The seemingly effusive praise quoted in Sharifs statement appeared to surprise some in Pakistan, a conservative Muslim-majority country that Trump described as "not our friend" during a campaign in which the billionaire real-estate mogul frequently employed anti-Muslim rhetoric. In the phone conversation with Sharif, the Pakistani government quoted Trump as saying that Pakistan was a "fantastic place" with the most "intelligent" people and "your country is amazing with tremendous opportunities. The statement said Trump told Sharif, currently embroiled in a corruption court case, that he has a "very good reputation" and he was doing "amazing work." Among the extensive references in the Pakistani readout, Sharifs office said Trump told Sharif he was "ready and willing to play any role that you want me to play to address and find solutions to the outstanding problems." U.S. officials have grappled with Washingtons complicated relationship with Pakistan, sending hundreds of millions of dollars in annual aid but publicly questioning Islamabads commitment to fighting international terrorism. Pakistan also has fought four wars with regional rival India, which also has nuclear weapons and has enhanced its ties with the United States over the past two decades, particularly in the areas of civil-nuclear cooperation, trade, and security. It was unclear if Sharifs office intended the passages on Trump speaking to be regarded as direct quotes. The transcript was released by the Pakistani governments Press Information Department. The praise attributed to Trump has not gone unnoticed in Pakistan, which saw an outpouring of bafflement, ridicule, and support in the mainstream and social media. Fantastic Diplomacy The Pakistani Foreign Ministry welcomed Trumps remarks on December 1, saying Islamabad "would like to strengthenthe existing relationship further and we would like to continue working with the new administration when it takes over." Trumps purported praise made the front pages of many Pakistani newspapers. The Jang newspaper went with the headline: "If Fulfils His Promise, Trump Would Be First U.S. President To Visit Pakistan In Democratic Rule." Trump would be the first U.S. president to visit since George W. Bush during then-military leader Pervez Musharrafs rule in 2006. Meanwhile, a report in the English-language daily The News said that Trumps alleged promise to visit Pakistan has come as a "pleasant surprise" but cautioned that "only time will prove whether the U.S. president-elect fulfils his promise." Some social media users also appeared to welcome the phone-call revelations. "Fantastic diplomacy," Pakistani journalist Waseem Abbasi, who is based in Washington, posted on Facebook. Other Pakistanis were more skeptical. Pakistani journalist Ali Salman Alvi tweeted: "Donald Trump has never met PM Nawaz Sharif but Trump knows Sharif has an outstanding reputation, and understands he is a terrific man." Journalist Omar Quraishi tweeted: "But Mr Trump do you know most Pakistanis are Muslim how can they be brilliant and exceptional as well? Wont you stop them entering?" Another Twitter user, Baba Sattar, posted: "Were all trumped by Trump & Sharif. Yes, hilarious in a sad way. Bigly!" Others were simply baffled, suggesting the remarks were fake. CNN journalist Muhammad Lila tweeted that Trumps remarks were real and "not a spoof." Not A Friend Trumps remarks could come as a relief to many Pakistanis wary of his sharp criticisms of the country in the past. In January 2012, Trump tweeted: "Get it straight: Pakistan is not our friend. Weve given them billions and billions of dollars, and what did we get? Betrayal and disrespect and much worse. #TimeToGetTough" Months later, he asked when Pakistan will "apologize to us for providing safe sanctuary to Osama Bin Laden for 6 years?! Some ally." Pakistanis have also been suspicious of Trumps relationship with India. Trump courted Indian-American voters during the campaign and he met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month. Islamabad relies heavily on U.S. aid and security assistance. U.S. officials have accused Pakistan of not doing enough to crack down on militants group like the Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network that use the country as a springboard for attacks in neighboring Afghanistan. Since 2002, Washington has sent around $20 billion in aid to Islamabad for its help combating international terrorism. There are fears that with Trump at the helm, he might scale back on such aid. Chinese officials on Friday suspended the law license of prominent human rights lawyer Li Jinxing. The Justice Bureau of the city of Jinan, where Lis license is apparently registered, made the announcement [WSJ report] in an official notice. The bureau stated that it was taking this action as a response to Lis unacceptable behavior in court while defending his client Yang Maodong. Specifically, according to the bureau notice, Li interrupted a judge, verbally abused court officials and interfered with formal court proceedings. Yang, better known as Guo Feixiong, is a free-speech activist who was sentenced to a six-year prison term after he displayed a banner calling on government officials to disclose their assets. The bureau has given Li three days to apply for a hearing on the suspension of his license, but Li stated that he is yet to decide whether he would appeal the ruling. Maya Wang, a China researcher for Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] stated that the government has just become increasingly intolerant of anyone challenging its power Despite the promise of President Xis rule of law, these lawyers who are basically fighting to promote the rule of law on the ground are being punished. Li is a highly reputed lawyer well known for his civil rights advocacy in Chinas human rights circle. Li, together with Beijing Institute of Technology professor Xu Xin, co-founded the Innocence Project of China [ABA report], modeled after its counterpart started in the US by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld in 1992. Through this organization, Li has managed to overturn approximately half-a-dozen wrongful convictions [WSJ report] in China in recent years. Specifically, in 2014 Li managed to overturn the convictions of four men accused of bombing a Communist Party office, and of a man accused of poisoning his neighbors. The defendants in both cases claimed that the confession was obtained through torture [ABA report]. Lis work was highlighted in a report [WSJ op-ed] in July. The German Parliament [official website] passed a controversial persons with disabilities rights act Thursday. The Federal Participation Law [draft text, in German], has been in the works since early 2016 and is proposed to enhance an inclusive society and increase the access of Germans with disabilities to assistance and partnerships [bill summary, in German]. The passage of the act was in part due to the 2008 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities [official website], and Parliamentarians hope the passage of the law will increase the self-determination of persons with disabilities. Some activists have opposed the legislation [DW report], saying it does not go far enough. The rights of persons with disabilities is a global issue. In November the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities issued a report finding that the UK has infringed upon the rights of disabled persons since their welfare reforms in 2012 [JURIST report]. In September UN rights experts called for the creation of inclusive education programming [JURIST report] to include those living with disabilities as a central and crucial step in order to create peaceful and inclusive societies. The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities released a statement in August that women with disabilities face discrimination and are often excluded from freely participating in society [JURIST report. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed suit against the state of Georgia in August alleging that the state discriminates against students [JURIST report] with behavior-related disabilities. Last year Human Rights Watch (HRW) sent Moroccan officials a letter claiming that a draft framework law before the countrys parliament was in conflict with obligations [JURIST report] under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Russian/Syrian coalition committed war crimes in Aleppo during September and October, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] said [press release] Thursday. HRW alleges that the bombings constitute war crimes, as the bombings appear to be recklessly hitting civilians and in some cases intentionally targeting civilian facilities, so far killing more than 440 civilians. HRW further alleges that the weapons used in Aleppo constitutes a war crime. The report documents use in heavily populated areas of incendiary weapons, cluster bombs and bombs of a size that have made whole buildings collapse. Based on the reports of war crimes taking place in Aleppo, HRW and hundreds of other non-profit organizations (NGOs) have appealed [text] to the UN member states to step in. In response to Russia vetoing all resolutions regarding the bombings in Aleppo in the UN Security Council, the coalition of NGOs has urged that a special emergency session be held in the UN General Assembly to address the problem. The conflict in Syria [JURIST backgrounder] started during the Arab spring in 2011 and has been going on since. The violence seems to have escalated of late, with several organizations criticizing the actions of the Russian/Syrian coalitions. In October the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights Zeid Raad Al-Hussein [official profile] stated that the bombing of Aleppo constituted war crimes of historic proportions [JURIST report]. There have also been calls for investigations into whether the central actors in the conflict can be indicted for war crimes. In October France announced [JURIST report] its intention to pursue an investigation of the alleged war crimes through the International Criminal Court [official website] and in November a group of German lawyers filed suit [JURIST report] against the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a German court. The Obama administration on Thursday challenged [notice of appeal, PDF] a federal judges decision [opinion, PDF; JURIST report] to block the implementation of a new overtime pay rule [text, PDF]. The Department of Labor (DOL) [official website] filed a notice of appeal in the Eastern District of Texas [official website]. The new rule would have made [NPR report] 4 million more Americans eligible for overtime pay. The rule [DOL report] requires employers to pay overtime to employees who worked more than 40 hours in a week and earned less than $47,476 a year. Twenty-one states sued to block the rule and the district court issued an injunction. Regardless of the outcome for the appeal, the future of the rule is uncertain as the incoming Trump administration has already discussed ending the measure. In May the White House announced [Business Insider report] that the DOL would raise the salary threshold for overtime pay to $47,476 a year or $913 a week. The new Overtime Rule, as it is referred to by challengers, was promulgated by the DOL and its Wage and Hour Division to update salary and compensation standards as well as to provide guidelines for determining who qualifies for exemption from from the FLSA minimum wage and overtime pay protections. The regulation raises the bar for exemption by doubling the baseline salary requirement and implementing a duties test. The change has widespread implications [Forbes report] for businesses and nonprofits that must either raise wages for employees or pay overtime compensation. The Obama administration has maintained that the new rule will improve the lives of workers while businesses and Republicans have criticized [SHRM report] the rule stating that it will hurt the lowest paid American workers the most. In June the US Supreme Court ruled [JURIST report] in Encino Motorcars v. Navarro [SCOTUSblog materials] that it could not rely on the DOLs interpretation of a statute on overtime pay, sending the case back to the lower court. In September Texas and Nevada filed suit [JURIST report] on behalf of 19 other states against the DOL challenging the regulation. The European wing of Uber [corporate website] was indicted [press release, in Danish] in Denmark on Friday on charges of assisting drivers in their violation of taxi laws, although Copenhagen prosecutor Vibeke Thorkil-Jensen stated that this is just a test case seeking judicial assessment of Ubers involvement in the illegal acts of two of its drivers. One Uber driver was convicted and fined USD $855 last month for violating taxi laws while another was sentenced for failing to appear in court. This is the first time Uber, as a corporate entity, has been indicted in Denmark. The Copenhagen prosecutor is seeking a fine [Reuters report] of USD $4,300. The date for the hearing on the case is yet to be set, but Uber has assured its customers that its ride-hailing app will not be disrupted while the legal process is ongoing. Welcoming the opportunity to clarify its legal position to the prosecutor, Uber stated that it is encouraged by the governments indications concerning the modernization of Denmarks taxi regulations. This is the latest in Ubers legal troubles worldwide. Last month a UK employment tribunal ruled [JURIST report] that Uber can no longer treat its drivers as self-employed and must provide certain workers rights to its drivers, including minimum wage. In September the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [official website] ruled [JURIST report] that Uber drivers may not join in a class action suit to pursue employment claims against the transportation company but must resolve their disputes individually. In April Uber reached a settlement [JURIST report] with 385,000 of its drivers in Massachusetts and California in a case surrounding the drivers status as independent contractors. The California Labor Commission [official website] ruled [JURIST report] in June of last year that drivers for the personal transportation service Uber are considered employees, not contractors. With the rapid growth of companies like Lyft [official website] and Uber, ride-sharing services have been among the most controversial business models [JURIST backgrounder] in recent history. App-based ride-sharing services have been both praised for their successful implementation and criticized for their uncertain position in transportation regulation. In several states, ride-sharing companies have met significant legal opposition, frequently led by competitors such as the taxi industry. Other unresolved questions about the future of ride-sharing [JURIST backgrounder] continue to prompt debate among lawmakers. UN officials urged [UN News Centre report] the international community on Wednesday to unite with the UN Security Council [official website] to protect civilians in the war-torn eastern Aleppo region of Syria. UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, stated that there is a humanitarian tragedy underway in Aleppo displacing an estimated 25,000 individuals from their homes in the last two weeks, primary as a result of continuing ground and air assaults. According to Geert Cappelaere, Regional Director of UNICEF [advocacy website] for the middle east and north Africa, tens of thousands of children have been killed and many have been deprived of basic medical care and safe drinking water. Cappelaere stated that it is difficult to imagine what words could still adequately convey the unspeakable horrors endured by Syrias children every day. Simply put, Syrias children are trapped in a living nightmare. UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen OBrien, while regretfully acknowledging that it may be too late for many of the people in eastern Aleppo, expressed hope that the UNSC can, with the support of the international community, stop the brutality and also prevent a similar fate befalling other Syrians. The conflict in Syria [JURIST backgrounder] has continued for five years in a civil war surrounding the legitimacy of Bashar al-Assad [official website]. For much of that time attacks have taken place on humanitarian convoys, medical facilities, and other forms of critical civilian aid. On Wednesday the US Central Command [official website] concluded [JURIST report] that airstrikes carried out by the US-led coalition near Dayr az Zawr, Syria, in September did not violate international law. According to Russian sources [JURIST report], the strike killed 60 soldiers loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad [CNN profile]. A group of German lawyers on Monday announced the filing of charges [JURIST report] against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, alleging that he committed war crimes in Aleppo. As Germany has the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows countries to sue foreigners for international crimes, they are allowing the suit on that ground. In October Russia President Vladimir Putin [official website] rejected suggestions [JURIST report] that his country could face war crimes charges because of its role in the airstrikes in Aleppo, primarily responding to remarks from French President Francois Hollande [official website; in French] that the airstrikes were tantamount to war crimes. Earlier that same month French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault [official profile; in French] stated [JURIST report] that France intends to pursue avenues for the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website] to initiate an investigation into the alleged war crimes committed by Syrian and Russian forces in Aleppo. Also the same month US Secretary of State John Kerry [official website] made a similar call [JURIST report] for an investigation into the alleged war crimes of Russia and Syria in Aleppo. In September the EU called attacks in Aleppo a breach of international humanitarian law [JURIST report], denouncing the targeting of a humanitarian convoy hit by an airstrike the week prior. Track product launches by FMCG companies to get an understanding of the product-level strategies including geographic concentrations, innovation types, product claim, category focus and more Monitoring the advertising strategies of various brands and gain insights into channel focus, regional focus, and more Perform company-level analysis to understand business model, size, and geographic focus Unilever product advertising is mainly through mainstream TV channels. Out of the products advertised so far at least 50% (over 850) of ads have been run on TV, while print media comes second with 496 ads. Unilever also utilizes social media platforms for advertisement. Unilever products are categorized by innovation ratings and tags in our product launch database. The North American region consists of almost 74 products with innovations related to the formulation of the product. Europe and other regions also have more products categorized under formulation-related innovation, followed by the packaging and positioning of the products. Most Unilever products are tagged with High Vitamins, Recyclable, and Natural tags to understand what the product differentiator is from other products available in the market. The majority of products belong to the personal care industry with a total of 5,788 products to date. This report, through the Unilever Example, illustrates how GlobalData Explorer enables you to:Dont miss out on key market insights that can help optimize your next investment read the report now. Terror networks such as the Islamic State group are evolving their tactics to attack soft targets in Europe, which could see the use of deadly car bombs, Europol warned on Friday. Islamist militant attacks on EU member states have not yet involved "the use of home-made, commercial or military explosives in vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices" as in Syria or Iraq, Europe's police agency said in a report issued in The Hague. But "given the fact that the (techniques) used in Middle Eastern countries tend to be copied by terrorists operating in Europe... it is conceivable that jihadist groups will use this means at some stage," it said. The group responsible for attacks in Paris a year ago and in Brussels in March wanted to deploy such devices until police actions forced them to change their plans, the report said. Islamist militants massacred 130 people in November 2015 in attacks on the Bataclan concert hall, a handful of bars and restaurants in eastern Paris, and France's national stadium. In Belgium, suicide bombers struck Brussels airport and a metro station near the European Union headquarters on March 22, killing 32 people. The 14-page report, an update on methods and tactics used by IS, also said counter-terror experts were concerned that strife-torn Libya could develop into a "second springboard for IS, after Syria, for attacks in the EU and North Africa". Since the armed revolt five years ago that overthrew dictator Moamer Kadhafi, the North African country has been plagued by violence and political instability. "Experts expect that IS will start planning and dispatching attacks from Libya if the current phase, in which they are primarily focused on taking territory and dispatching of local enemies, comes to an end." Europe's security services arrested 667 suspects for suspected Islamist militant activities in 2015, the report added. A Belgian mayor said he had been told that his country was under threat again, following the March 22 suicide bombings at Brussels airport and on the metro. "It's new for Belgium, it's new for Europe... that there is a call from the highest level of IS on using car bombs in Europe," Vilvoorde Mayor Hans Bonte, who has contacts with Belgian intelligence and police, told AFP. "Belgium is clearly mentioned as one of the target countries," added Bonte, whose town just north of Brussels has seen a number of young people leave to fight jihad in Syria. A Belgian official told AFP on condition of anonymity that it is likely that the Belgian government will issue new detailed instructions over the next few days to police agencies about how to deal with the risk of car bombs. The official also said the alert level will stay at three, the second-highest level in Belgium, not because of the new car bomb threat but because there are several large upcoming public gatherings for Christmas and other seasonal events. Search Keywords: Short link: NEWSLETTER Sign up Tick the boxes of the newsletters you would like to receive. Just Drinks Daily News The top stories of the day delivered to you every weekday. Just Drinks Weekly News A weekly roundup of the latest news and analysis, sent every Monday. Just Drinks Magazine The industry's most comprehensive news and information delivered every quarter Unilever this week held its annual investor day in Port Sunlight, the village built in the 1880s by one of the companies that were the forerunners of the consumer goods giant and now home to the research and development arm of the groups home and personal care business. However, Unilevers management used the occasion to give an update on the company as a whole, including on its plan to drive improvements in its profitability and on where it sees growth from food. Dean Best reports. Free Report Whats the forecast for the food and grocery industry? Market drivers and inhibitors Five-year forecasts and the impact of COVID-19 The performance of the online channel versus offline Major trends in the market including rapid delivery, ambient retailing, supply chain disruption, and inflation Assess developments within this sector to help your business thrive in 2022 and beyond. The food and grocery sector thrived during the pandemic, largely due to the shutdown of the food service industry and the sectors subsequent necessity, panic-induced bulk purchasing, and spending more time at home. The market has grown as a result of inflation. Consumer unwillingness to go out and socialize, and the reopening of several hospitality facilities, helped maintain the demand for groceries, particularly online, in 2021. As consumer behavior changes, we consume more food and drink at home, and inflation increases basket sizes. GlobalData predicts that the sector will continue to hold a higher share than had been predicted prior to the pandemic. This is true despite the fact that the food and grocery sector's share of overall retail will decline from its peak in 2020. This report will discuss market forecasts and key themes in the global food & grocery industry in 2022 and beyond. It covers:Assess developments within this sector to help your business thrive in 2022 and beyond. by GlobalData Enter your details here to receive your free Report. 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Visit our privacy policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address. Thank you.Please check your email to download the Report. The biggest change at Unilever for a decade Unilever has in recent months been busy working on a number of initiatives to adapt some of the macro pressures and challenges facing all FMCG companies: from lacklustre demand and deflation in much of Europe to volatility in emerging markets; and from changes in areas such as consumer eating habits, technologies and channels to the need to be, as the Knorr and Magnum maker sees it, being at the same time global and local. At Unilevers 2015 investor day in Singapore, held at the end of November and start of December, and when the company published its trading statement for the first quarter of 2016 in April, the company touted three initiatives net revenue management, zero-based budgeting and new functional models it said would drive efficiency and strengthen its organisation. Since then, Unilevers work on adapting to the macro pressures facing the business has crystallised into an overarching programme dubbed Connected 4 Growth, which the company first outlined in July when it announced its half-year results but about which CFO Graeme Pitkethly and then CEO Paul Polman spoke at length at Port Sunlight. Pitkethly said Unilever has devised Connected 4 Growth to put more resource directly in our markets and, he added, to try to make the company faster, simpler, more agile, more consumer- and customer-centric and ready for the connected world. The new organisational model contains Country-Category Business Teams say, for example, UK Foods, that, Pitkethly told analysts, are responsible for driving performance, brand penetration, market share and competitive growth. Alongside these teams are Unilevers global brand communities, which, he said, are closer to the markets and can select exactly the right person to create a piece of work and lead a project as required. This way, the organisation will reduce duplication and hand-offs, unlock trapped capacity, make us more agile and lower cost. Pitkethly added: It represents the biggest change Unilever has undergone in the last ten years. Weve invested a lot of time in the redesign as its really important to get this right and were now putting it into place. Polman described the Country-Category Business Teams as the centre of gravity of the business. He told analysts: You should see them as mini-entrepreneurs, with full responsibility and accountability for delivering the results, including the financial parts of it. These CCBTs report into the categories to give the categories the connection with the markets and the ownership of delivering in these markets without any hand-offs, faster feedback on the insights and faster delivery of the results we need in the marketplace. At the same time, the markets themselves have a tremendous job. If you are the general manager in a market, you need to have a go-to-market strategy, which depends on your portfolio, your development in the market, the external constraints the market has not every market deals with the same competitors or regulatory environment. Theres a huge job to be done to develop these country strategies, to enable these markets to grow. It really is a different operational model that affects everybody in the organisation. This makes it challenging and makes it one of the biggest change efforts this company has ever done. It fundamentally changes the way we do business. Where weve implemented this already, we see significant differences in results. Were very positive that this is the right thing to do. Unilever is aiming to have the programme in place by the third quarter of 2017. Extending zero-based budgeting Pitkethly said Unilevers Connected 4 Growth programme is being enabled by three initiatives net revenue management, zero-based budgeting and digital 2.0, which he described as moves to deliver consumer-centric, data-driven, multichannel media. At Port Sunlight yesterday, Pitkethly told analysts Unilever is aiming for its net revenue management, which includes moves to optimise prices and promotions, to have been rolled out to a portion of the business accounting for half its turnover by the end of this year. Unilever, meanwhile, has been among a cohort of food majors to have started to implement zero-based budgeting in an attempt to manage costs and boost profits. The company had earmarked EUR1bn in savings by 2018 from the organisational changes through what was the new functional models but is now the Connected 4 Growth programme, plus from its implementation of zero-based budgeting. Pitkethly said moves to extend zero-based budgeting to Unilevers supply chain and to a wave of smaller countries mean the company now expects those savings to grow to more than EUR1bn by 2019. Speaking to analysts yesterday, Polman sought to emphasise why Unilever had decided to bring in zero-based budgeting but insisted the way the company is implementing the practice is different to some of its peers. Its not so simple as the zero-based budgeting that some of our other competitors out there make you believe which has been roughly translated into Lets cut all the costs as long as we can get away with it to show you better margins for a short period time but I cant promise any growth along the way., Polman said. Our ZBB is really about looking at re-engineering all of our processes to make our company more focused, more ownership accountability and to be faster, to take the waste out but also to re-invest where it counts, to be able to grow faster and to be more front-facing. A new margin target Unilever outlined a new target for operating margin, in part driven by plans to widen the companys use of zero-based budgeting. The company has set a goal for its core operating margin to rise between 40 and 80 basis points a year between 2017 and 2019. The new target is up from Unilevers current goal of annual growth of 20-40 basis points. Pitkethly said Unilevers core operating margin in its 2016 and 2017 financial years would be in the lower half of the new target range. This year and next are years of transition. Restructuring costs will be slightly higher than the normal 100 basis points or so, he explained. Asked for the categories or countries that could help Unilever meet its new margin target, Pitkethly said: Our approach to innovation. Having 75% of our innovation being accretive to gross margin is a very, very large driver of that. Looking around the geographies, whilst we need to invest to remain competitive first and foremost, a lot of the investments over the course of the last three or four years have been focused on North America. Our margin came down in North America as a consequence and were now seeing quite a fast recovery of the margin in North America. Unilever stuck to its forecast for its top line, which is to grow ahead of the market, even if the company expects market growth to be lower. Martin Deboo, an analyst covering Unilever at investment bank Jefferies, called out the new guidance in his analysis, published this morning, of the investor day. Its the symbolism that is resonating for us this morning. Unilever have felt compelled to offer guidance for the first time in nine years, having famously suspended it in 2009. The balanced ticket of growth, margin and cash contrasts with the win share, grow volume and profit and cash will follow mantra of the early Polman years the words are ours, Deboo wrote. The inference is that Unilever, like Nestle, have felt obliged to capitulate to the new verities of perma-deflation in developed markets, chronic volatility in emerging markets and the associated de-stabilising influences of channel shift and more vigorous local competition. Being global and local It fell to Amanda Sourry, the president of Unilevers foods business, to utter the ugly word glocal as she presented to analysts in Port Sunlight yesterday. But Unilevers bid to be global and local was a common theme in all of the managements presentations. With Unilevers worldwide presence and scale, it is obvious the company is one of the more global FMCG players and will continue to seek to push a range of international brands, which, in food, will include Knorr and, from its ice cream-to-tea refreshments arm, Magnum and Ben & Jerrys. However, Unilever looks set to be putting just as much importance on trying to be as local as possible. Polman, in explaining the rationale for the Connected 4 Growth organisational changes, admitted the company became a little bit too centralised and in some cases far too removed from the consumers we wanted to serve. He added: When you see who is growing, you see it is local competitors. They are closer to consumers in these markets. We need to be sure that the next step in this company addresses this question of agility. We believe we do have a competitive advantage in responding to this, not least our long presence in these emerging markets. Pitkethly, explaining the macro pressures facing the business, pointed to how new trends in technologies are shaping the future, disrupting traditional models on a global scale, while at the same time encouraging fragmentation at a granular, local scale, adding that, while Unilever was in aggregate gaining share in its categories, the big winner is local players. Kevin Havelock, the president of Unilevers refreshment division, remarked: We want to make sure we are truly global but also truly appropriately local. It is clear one of the biggest challenges facing the likes of Unilever is the growing strength of local competitors. The companys strategists will be crucial in monitoring local competition and will be on the hunt for insight on the local businesses, especially in emerging markets, that could be threats to the multinational. Food very strategic The push to be as local as possible will perhaps be most felt in food, one of the most fragmented industries in FMCG as tastes and habits remain more region- or country-specific than in other consumer goods industries. Sourry insisted half of Unilevers food portfolio is made up of truly iconic local brands including Bango soy sauce in Indonesia and Kissan ketchup in India. Most of Unilevers recent acquisitions have been outside food and the bulk of its disposals have been in the category, taking the division down from being 35% of the business in 2008 to 24% at present. The more focused nature of Unilevers food portfolio has helped the business eke out sales growth from the business, while the division has managed to see growth in its own core operating margin, Sourry noted. The disposals from Unilevers food portfolio have largely though not exclusively been in developed markets, contributing to the fact emerging markets now account for 43% of the companys food sales, up from 30% in 2008. However, Unilevers work to try to grow its food business in emerging markets has also paid off, with sales in those countries up over 3% in 2014, 7% in 2015 and more than 7% in 2016 so far. Sourry says emerging markets will continue to be a key pillar of the strategy for Unilevers food business, calling out some powerhouse markets including Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and Indonesia. Its about how do we continue to accelerating our powerhouse markets, where theres enormous opportunity for packaged food still, underpinned by positive factors, such as continued urbanisation, increasing the number of women who are working and consumers looking for more convenient options and, in many cases, looking for other flavourful options from other parts of the world as well. Growing those powerhouse markets, where Unilever has also got incredible sales muscle as well. Leveraging very strong local jewels and really embedding sustainable nutrition into everything were doing in emerging markets, she explained. Connected 4 Growth, she argued, would help Unilevers local food brands. In creating an organisation that is global and more local, it enables us to be more global but absolutely executed in the right way at a global market giving far more flexibility to some of our local iconic brands to be fast, agile and to some extent unshackled from being part of a global category. When either attending or viewing analyst conferences, just-food has heard Unilever asked numerous times about the future of its food business in the wider group. Those questions have been asked less as the performance of the division has improved. In Port Sunlight yesterday, Polman was asked what role he sees food playing in the companys strategy. In his answer, Polman first looked to the past, pointing to the fact Unilevers food business was now, after the companys disposals, more focused, generated more of its sales through emerging markets and had strong positions in its five categories (including ice cream and tea). Its a very focused business, which is number one in each of these categories, with twice the share of our competitors, with the exception of savoury, where we are increasing the share gap but we dont have the price, Polman said. He then suggested Unilevers Sustainable Living Plan, a programme to reduce the companys impact on the environment and decouple that impact from its growth, can help the company react to changes in consumer demand in the food sector. What is happening in this category is theres an enormous change at an enormous speed in the way people eat. I never thought the US market would change. The bigger the hamburger, the more on your plate, the more calories, the lower the price, the happier they seemed to be but that country has changed quite dramatically at a speed nobody had anticipated. It put a lot of companies in a challenging position. In that scenario, growing 4% is pretty good. One of the reasons we can respond is because of our Unilever Sustainable Living Plan. Whats the future for spreads? Two years ago, Unilever announced a move to put its spreads business into a standalone operating unit Baking, Cooking and Spreading that would report into the consumer goods giants wider food business in a bid to try to get the division growing. Sales, however, have remained under pressure and analysts have speculated about the future of the business, which includes Flora and Becel, weighing up it whether it could be put for sale. Ahead of Unilevers investor day, some analysts were looking for the company to provide an update on the future of the unit. Unilevers management said the company is focused on preserving the value of the spreads unit and investing the cash from the under-pressure division into other parts of its operations but will continue to look at options for the business were sales to remain in decline. Polman, who sounded a little frustrated at the questions Unilever has faced in recent months about the unit, said the company would not simply get rid of the spreads unit and said there were pockets of the business where it was responding. However, he acknowledged Unilever would continue to look at the options for the business if sales carried on declining. Jefferies Deboo, who attended the event, said this morning: There was no get-out-of-jail free card played on spreads, as we expected. The objective is to preserve value. This would appear to resolve into an ambition to limit sales decline to low single digits (from the current minus five to minus seven per cent or so) and to harvest cash to compensate, following a capex bulge. A non-trivial challenge to our eyes, but one which Unilever have little choice but to accept. Strategic buyers are in short supply and we think that a listing simply isnt viable with the top line in such poor shape. Related Companies Japanese food group Nagatanien Holdings has struck a deal to buy UK-based freeze dried fruit processor Chaucer Food Group. Free Report Whats the forecast for the food and grocery industry? Market drivers and inhibitors Five-year forecasts and the impact of COVID-19 The performance of the online channel versus offline Major trends in the market including rapid delivery, ambient retailing, supply chain disruption, and inflation Assess developments within this sector to help your business thrive in 2022 and beyond. The food and grocery sector thrived during the pandemic, largely due to the shutdown of the food service industry and the sectors subsequent necessity, panic-induced bulk purchasing, and spending more time at home. The market has grown as a result of inflation. Consumer unwillingness to go out and socialize, and the reopening of several hospitality facilities, helped maintain the demand for groceries, particularly online, in 2021. As consumer behavior changes, we consume more food and drink at home, and inflation increases basket sizes. GlobalData predicts that the sector will continue to hold a higher share than had been predicted prior to the pandemic. This is true despite the fact that the food and grocery sector's share of overall retail will decline from its peak in 2020. This report will discuss market forecasts and key themes in the global food & grocery industry in 2022 and beyond. It covers:Assess developments within this sector to help your business thrive in 2022 and beyond. by GlobalData Enter your details here to receive your free Report. 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Visit our privacy policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address. Thank you.Please check your email to download the Report. Nagatanien, which is paying US$130m including the assumption of debt, said it wants to combine its long-established production know-how with Chaucers abundant resources in global market[s]. The acquisition is part of Nagataniens strategy to expand in international markets in order to shrug off sluggish growth prospects and intense competition in its domestic market. In particular, Nagatanien said it is targeting the value-added food market in western countries. Nagatanien will strive to develop overseas business using our technology in freeze dried production, particularly in the developed Western countries where there is a noticeable shift to high value-added foods, the group noted. Chaucer operates production facilities in Europe, the US and China. The business generates a revenue of US$139m in the year to the end of December 2015. After Nagatanien has completed the purchase, it said it will transfer a 40% stake in Chaucer to Innovation Network Corporation of Japan, a public-private partnership that aims to boost the competitiveness of Japanese companies by providing capital and managerial support. Commenting on the deal, Chaucer said the acquisition will provide a strategic growth platform for both companies, allowing the UK-based manufacturer to expand its global operating platform. Chaucer will operate as a subsidiary of Nagatanien and its current management team will be retained. Chaucer CEO Andy Ducker will continue to lead the group. We are delighted to be partnering with Nagatanien. They are a longstanding business and the leading brand in the Japanese market for premixed, instant and freeze-dried food. From inception Nagataniens corporate philosophy has been Aji-Hitosuji translating to naturally excellent taste, and this is perfectly aligned with our own attitude of producing healthy ingredients to meet the growing trend towards healthy eating and nutrition, Ducker said. The group is excited by the cross-selling and growth opportunities that this partnership opens up to both parties and I look forward to working with the Nagatanien team. Nagatanien said it is still assessing the impact the deal is expected to have on its earnings. Any change in financial results forecast or other relevant matters requiring disclosure will be made public as necessary in a timely manner, the group added. Related Companies Taliban militants have killed 23 civilians in Kandahar Province in the last 48 hours, an Afghan police official said. Gen. Abdul Raziq said Friday that the killings took place in different areas of the Nash district. He did not provide further details. Raziq said that around 29 Taliban fighters and six members of the Afghan security forces have been killed in ongoing battles in the district in recent days. Search Keywords: Short link: German authorities have arrested an Afghan man suspected of being a member of the Taliban. Federal prosecutors said Friday that 20-year-old Hekmat T. was arrested a day earlier on suspicion of membership in a terrorist organization. Prosecutors alleged the man joined the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2013 and repeatedly took part in fighting against Afghan police and security forces. The statement didn't say where the man was arrested or why he was in Germany. His full name wasn't provided due to German privacy laws. Thousands of Afghans have come to Germany in recent years seeking asylum due to the conflict in their home country. Search Keywords: Short link: Top Russian cultural figures urged President Vladimir Putin on Friday to protect the freedom of artistic expression something the Russian leader pledged to do, even as he warned artists to be careful not to offend religious believers. Putin also firmly rejected a plea to release an imprisoned Ukrainian filmmaker, saying that a Russian court had found him guilty. Putin's comments at a meeting with Russian creative figures came amid increasing attempts by officials and conservative vigilantes to meddle in the arts sphere. Russia's growing conservative streak has worried many in the country's artistic community. A Moscow art gallery recently shut down an exhibition of nude photos by an American photographer after a raid by vigilantes. A theater in the Siberian city of Omsk also was forced to cancel a performance of the musical "Jesus Christ Superstar" following a petition by devout Orthodox believers. In an emotional speech Friday, Alexander Sokurov, who won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2011 for his film "Faust," strongly urged Putin to release Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges of plotting terror attacks. Sentsov, a native of Crimea, opposed Russia's annexation of the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine in March 2014. The United States, the European Union, international rights groups and global filmmakers have demanded his release. "He must compete with me at film festivals, not sit in our Arctic prison," Sokurov said. "It's a shame, it's sad." Unmoved, Putin insisted that the court found Sentsov guilty of preparing terror attacks. At the same meeting, Yevgeny Mironov, a prominent actor who is the artistic director for Moscow's Theater of Nations, urged Putin to stop officials and conservative groups from trying to censor the creative arts. "Any hooliganism, any attempts to thwart a theater performance or an exhibition are absolutely inadmissible and must be punished in all severity of law," Putin said. But he also added that "any freedom has another side: responsibility." "There is a very narrow edge between dangerous buffoonery and freedom of expression," Putin said. He pointed to a 2015 attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris that killed 12 people as an example of the dangers of offending religious feelings. "A question arises, did those cartoonists need to offend Islamic believers?" he said. "The artists might not have wanted to offend anyone, but they did." "We must bear that in mind and not to allow that, not to split the society," Putin added. Sokurov, the filmmaker, asked: "Who will protect atheists?" Russia's conservative trend has come in sync with the tightening of controls over the nation's political scene after Putin's election to a third presidential term in 2012. Members of the punk provocateur band Pussy Riot were arrested in 2012 for staging an anti-Putin protest in Moscow's largest cathedral. Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova spent nearly two years in prison on charges of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" despite an international outcry against their conviction. In 2015, performance artist Pyotr Pavlensky was jailed on charges vandalism in 2015 after setting fire to the doors of the headquarters of the main KGB successor agency. He spent seven months behind bars until a court ordered his release earlier this year. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture Search Keywords: Short link: As Nebraska continues developing its tourism economy, one of the heftier challenges that must be addressed is how to best promote what we have. Promotion is at the heart of successfully growing tourism because Nebraska must unlock the key to luring visitors here from other states and convincing travelers to pull off Interstate 80 to enjoy local attractions. Promoting Nebraska attractions can be challenging because, unlike many other states, our attractions arent branded. For example, if we were to mention Colorado, scenic mountain vistas come to mind. Mention Minnesota and its 10,000 lakes. Say Kansas City and its barbecue. These are just a few examples of how branding pre-sells potential visitors. When someone is in the mood for stunning scenery, Colorados colorful mountains are among the first choices they consider. Thats the power of branding. Among Nebraskas leading attractions is the world-class Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. The zoo attracts 1.5 million visitors annually. Many of those people choose the attraction based on its reputation alone. Theyve heard about the zoos amazing and diverse attractions and place it on their to-do list for vacationing. Henry Doorly Zoo has worked hard building its reputation. Other Nebraska attractions arent as widely known, however, and need more promotional push. One strategy would be to build tourism centers at strategic locations in eastern, central and western Nebraska. The centers could promote attractions in their regions by educating travelers about whats available and then directing them to the attractions. Travelers need encouragement to visit places such as the Lied Imax Theater in Hastings, Stuhr Museum in Grand Island and Great Platte River Road Archway in Kearney. Those attractions and many others are worthy of visitors time and money, but whether travelers stop for a visit depends on how those attractions are promoted. Strategically placed tourism centers could do well in funneling travelers off the main roads to attractions where they can spend time, relax and afterwards visit local businesses or use the services of restaurants or hotels. Unless its the Henry Doorly Zoo, an attraction needs the kind of promotional push several well-placed centers could produce. OMAHA -- Rebecca Palmer had read comments on social media about a fish kill at Wehrspann Lake. The reality hit her when she opened her car door at her favorite fishing spot Thursday evening. The second you get out, it smells like dead fish, she said. More seagulls than she has ever seen swarmed, feasting on the thousands of carcasses that floated on the water or had washed up on shore. More than 250,000 gizzard shad and some sport fish were killed off this week at Wehrspann, drawing complaints from anglers. But Nebraska Game and Parks officials say the lake in the Chalco Hills Recreation Area will see benefits for years to come. The chemical rotenone was applied Tuesday to remove the shad, resulting in piles of dead fish around the 245-ace lake near 154th Street and Giles Road. The gizzard shad, which are considered bait fish, were competing with bluegills, crappie and small bass for food. Were directing those nutrients in the food chain toward more desirable sport fish species instead of being all wrapped up in gizzard shad, said Daryl Bauer, the fisheries outreach program manager for Game and Parks. A low dosage of rotenone was applied to the lake, which was first stocked in 1982 and opened for fishing in 1988. Shad are highly susceptible to the chemical in the fall when the water is cold. Other fish are more tolerant of the chemical. It only affects gill-breathing organisms. Bauer said there was some collateral damage to other fish species, but that was expected. A larger dose would have killed all fish. I saw acres of dead shad, he said. Four Game and Parks officials later walked the shoreline from the boat ramp to the fishing pier to assess the impact on sport fish. Jordan Katt, a Southeast fisheries biologist, said they spotted 61 dead channel catfish, 51 dead walleye, 284 dead carp, 52 dead blue catfish, two dead largemouth bass and four dead flathead catfish. We were surprised by how many larger catfish showed up, said Dave Tunink, assistant administrator for the fisheries management section. We were happy to see only two largemouth bass. Its the loss of those big fish that especially disappointed Palmer. She saw blue catfish, carp and quite a few walleye the same ones she has spent two or three visits a week trying to catch. It was just really emotional, she said. The excitement when you catch them thats why you fish. You want the thrill. She said shes left wondering if there are any big fish left in the lake, and if its even worth fishing there anymore. The answer from Tunink is a definite yes. Game and Parks did the same thing at Louisville Lake No. 2 in the fall of 2013 and at Pawnee Reservoir, and the results were excellent. The fishing at Louisville No. 2 is fabulous, Bauer said. We did Pawnee three years ago, and so far what weve seen there looks really good, too. Some anglers were upset that there wasnt any prior notice given. That was for two reasons, Bauer said. One was so workers could apply the chemical without interruption. The other concern was that because Wehrspann is one of the last waters in the Omaha area with gizzard shad, someone might have tried to save a few, creating future problems at another lake. The dead fish are being left to decompose. The nutrients will recycle back into the aquatic food chain. Tunink said the rotenone wont affect the seagulls or the scavenger animals that are gorging on them. The water is safe for animals to drink and is also safe to fish. The small panfish, bluegill and crappie will ensure there is still plenty to eat for the remaining fish in the lake. There wont be a lack of food, Bauer said. Next spring, the lake will be stocked with additional 4-inch largemouth bass. Bauer said they should have a good survival rate with the absence of the shad. Theyll also stock catfish and walleye sometime next year. Bauer said Game and Parks officials regret that other fish species were killed but are confident that this was the best move for the future of fishing in the lake. Well get improved growth rates on the fish that anglers like to catch, he said. Nobody likes to catch shad. Its only used for feeding other fish. GRAND ISLAND -- The cause of a fire on West 11th Street early Wednesday morning remains under investigation. No one was hurt in the fire, but two dogs were killed, said Grand Island fire Capt. Tom Cox. The fire was reported at 12:39 a.m. at 2003 W. 11th St., he said. When firefighters got to the home, the occupant, Sarah Foote, and her preschool-aged son were outside. There were heavy flames visible at the front of the small, single-story home when fire crews arrived, he said. We got them knocked down pretty quickly, Cox said. Foote told firefighters the home had smoke detectors but she wasnt sure if they were working at the time of the fire. She was awake in her bedroom when she heard the fire in the living room. Her son was sleeping in the same bedroom and she was able to scoop him up and get out, Cox said. Firefighters were unable to rescue the two dogs due to the fire and smoke, he said. Corey Jacobson owns the home and also lives there. However, she was in Lincoln at the time of the fire preparing for her wedding, he said. The home is uninhabitable, he said. Personnel from the Central Plains Chapter of the American Red Cross responded to the scene, but Foote and her son are staying with family, he said. Firefighters from all four stations responded to the call, Cox said. FILE - In this May 2, 2005 file photo, bottles of Chanel No. 5 perfume are displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute exhibit in New York. Chanel is making a stink over a possible high-speed train line through jasmine fields in Provence, warning it could threaten production of its Chanel No. 5 perfume. (AP Photo/Hiroko Masuike, File) FILE - In this Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, file photo, Buzz Aldrin, former NASA Astronaut and Apollo 11 Pilot, prepares to testify on Capitol Hill in Washington, before the Senate subcommittee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness hearing on human exploration goals and commercial space competitiveness. Officials said Aldrin, one of the first men to walk on the moon, has been evacuated by plane from the South Pole for medical reasons. An association of Antarctica tour operators said Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016, that Aldrin was visiting the South Pole as part of a private tourist group when his health deteriorated. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) FILE - In this Oct. 10, 2016, file photo, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen delivers a speech during National Day celebrations in front of the Presidential Building in Taipei, Taiwan. President-elect Donald Trump spoke Dec. 2, with the president of Taiwan, a self-governing island the U.S. broke diplomatic ties with in 1979. It is highly unusual, perhaps unprecedented, for a U.S. president or president-elect to speak directly with a Taiwanese leader and will be sure to anger China. Washington has pursued a so-called Auone ChinaAu policy since 1979 when it shifted diplomatic recognition of China from the government in Taiwan to the communist government on the mainland. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File) 884 Shares Share Reading about the opening of the Noahs Ark Theme Park in Kentucky brings to mind the days when I worked as a physician in that state. I had moved from an academic position in Colorado and joined a large group of private practice cardiologists in Louisville. I found that people in Kentucky were different from those in Colorado. They were much more overtly religious. As an interventional electrophysiologist, I would meet with each patients family before and after every procedure. Not infrequently, one person from each group in the waiting room was introduced as this is our pastor. Usually, at some point, the pastor would suggest a round of prayer, and I was expected to participate, at least by bowing my head and maintaining a respectful silence. If the prayer was before the procedure, the primary focus was usually to make sure God guided my hand, and the outcome would be good. Prayers after the procedure usually focused on thanking God for safely getting the patient through the procedure and asking for a speedy recovery. It was not a good time to bring up the fact that I was an atheist. So I just went along with it, only briefly and mildly discomforted. Religion gives strength and comfort to people in life and death situations that doctors often deal with. I rationalized that my silent participation was helping my patient and the family psychologically. Besides, how would they feel about my performing complicated heart procedures on their loved one if they thought I was an unbelieving heathen incapable of accepting Gods guiding hand? Its uncomfortable to be an atheist and a doctor, just as it uncomfortable in America to be an atheist in general. Polls show that the public distrust atheists to about the same degree they distrust Muslims. Being an atheist is practically taboo for someone running for public office. George H. W. Bush famously said, I dont think that atheists should be regarded as citizens, nor should they be regarded as patriotic. This is one nation under God. Atheists are considered immoral by religious people. They point to the atrocities committed by Stalin, Mao or Hitler. Atheists, in turn, point out the Crusades, the Inquisition, the burning of witches or, more recently, the atrocities of al-Qaeda and ISIS. Neither the religious nor the non-religious have a monopoly on morality. As social consciousness raises about oppressed groups, such as the LGBT community, there has been little progress in the acceptance of atheists in American society (I mention America because the situation is entirely different in Europe). And yet, the non-religious are a fast growing group. In 2014, 22.8 percent of Americans did not identify with a religion. Although a relatively small percentage of these people call themselves as atheists, probably because of the negative connotations of that term, this overall percentage is larger than the percentage of Catholics, Mormons, Jews or Muslims. It is amazing how unrepresented this large group is in our government! If one looks at scientists, (2009 Pew poll ), only 33% profess belief in God, vs. 83% in the general public. There is some evidence that top, elite scientists are even less likely to believe in God (only 7%). But do doctors hold beliefs similar to scientists? An earlier poll from 2005 showed that 77% believe in God, slightly fewer than the general population, but far more than scientists. Nevertheless, there are undoubtedly many doctors who do not share the religious faith of their patients. To the religious patients who read this and feel they wouldnt want a non-religious doctor: I can assure you that I am a good person, with a sense of morals rooted in our shared humanity. Not believing in an afterlife just makes me want to focus more on improving the quality of this earthly life, the only life I believe we have. I would only ask you not to assume that your doctor holds the same religious beliefs as you or that your doctor wants to participate in group prayer with you and your family. To the non-religious doctors who read this, I ask: how do you deal with your atheism in your practice? Are you, like I was, basically mum about it? Would your patients distrust you if they knew? Would they find another doctor? Is it better to pretend to be religious, just as pretending that a placebo is a real drug can be beneficial? In many parts of the country this question comes up rarely or not at all (I never faced it in Colorado), but in Kentucky, the state of Ken Ham and Kim Davis, as well as throughout the Baptist South, I assure you that this is an issue you will face. Back when the Creation Museum opened in Petersburg, Kentucky in 2007, I was one of the protesters who stood by the entrance and waved signs touting science and reason over the belief that the Earth is only 6000 years old and that dinosaurs and humans lived together at the same time. I watched as families with small children and church buses filled with impressionable kids drove past. There were some obscene gestures pointed our way, but most people just seemed puzzled that anyone would question their beliefs. Standing next to the hospital bed, I only wanted to help my patient and if that meant concurring with their religious beliefs, so be it. But I also think non-religious doctors, and non-religious people in general, are afraid to come out of the closet and assert their beliefs belief in the beauty of nature and science, and in our innate morality. After the attacks in Paris, San Bernardino, Brussels, Orlando, Istanbul and Baghdad just to mention some of the latest the destructive force of extreme religious ideology is evident to all. Given what is at stake it isnt helpful for non-religious doctors or for that matter for any non-religious people to hide their beliefs, which is why I wrote this. David Mann is a retired cardiac electrophysiologist and blogs at EP Studios. Image credit: Shutterstock.com 57 Shares Share The wrong body was cremated by the county coroners office in Los Angeles. Jorge Hernandez died of an overdose, and the body of another Jorge Hernandez, an indigent patient, scheduled for cremation, was also present in the morgue. The distraught family of overdose victim Jorge Hernandez had planned a funeral with a viewing and were shocked when they were told his body had been cremated by mistake because a morgue attendant failed to verify the coroners case number. According to the Los Angeles Times, the coroners office has a strict policy requiring staffers to check the name and the coroners case number to make sure there are no misidentifications. A spokesman for the corner said this system has generally worked. Thats reassuring. The coroners office is short-staffed and underfunded, but its hard to believe theyre so busy that no one had time to check a number which might take all of 10 seconds. The family has retained a lawyer. Another case of mistaken identity recently occurred in Massachusetts where the wrong patient had a kidney removed. Although details are vague, the mixup apparently began before the patient was admitted to the hospital. Another patient with the same name had a CT scan showing a tumor in the left kidney. The wrong patient was admitted and underwent a left nephrectomy. That patients medical record contained no CT scan report showing a tumor. Whether the actual CT scan images were viewed in the operating room on a digital radiology system is unknown. No tumor was found on pathologic examination. Since the error originated outside of the hospital, it blamed the surgeon and said its personnel had followed proper procedures. However shortly after the incident, the State Department of Public Health conducted a five-day investigation and found numerous deficiencies in the hospitals protocols and response to its internal investigation. The Boston Globe said CMS has threatened to end the hospitals participation in Medicare if all the problems are not corrected by December 12. This wrong site surgery is a little different than the more common ones that involve calling for the wrong patient or operating on the right patient but doing the wrong procedure. That a doctors office would have two patients with the same name both of whom must have had abdominal CT scans at about the same time is quite a coincidence, but it happened. It is not clear whether the surgeon mixed up the two patients or was referred the wrong patient. We dont know the size of the tumor, but since the resected kidney was normal, was it thoroughly examined visually and by palpation before it was removed from the patient? In addition to using a minimum of two patient identifiers, I was always taught the first thing you should do when you look at an x-ray or a report is to make sure it refers to the correct patient. I am sorry for the patient who lost a normal kidney and the surgeon who will be haunted by this forever. This is a cautionary tale for any medical professional especially those who scoff at using two patient identifiers. I hope more information becomes available so we all can learn from this mishap. Skeptical Scalpel is a surgeon who blogs at his self-titled site, Skeptical Scalpel. This article originally appeared in Physicians Weekly. Image credit: Shutterstock.com 455 Shares Share So, have you talked to your teenage daughter about sex? Have you really talked to her about sex? Im not talking about the superficial birds and the bees conversation; Im talking about using words like vagina, penis, and condom. Yes, those words! As an obstetrician-gynecologist and a mother of girls, I know the challenges that our daughters face as they navigate their teenage years. I know how critical it is to have real conversations with teenage girls, and how difficult it is to have these discussions. I know that it is uncomfortable to discuss sex, especially with your 13, 14, or 15-year old daughter, who is still a little girl in your eyes. Get yourself together! No matter how difficult, you must have these conversations with your daughter. If you dont, she will get incorrect information from her friends or from the internet. Face it, if your daughter is 17, chances are she has had sex or is thinking about having sex, because on average, most young people in the U.S. have sex for the first time at age seventeen. Every few months in my clinic I see a teenager with a genital herpes infection who thinks the sores on her bottom are from scratching herself too hard; a teenager with abdominal pain who finds out she is five months pregnant; or a college student with abdominal pain and chlamydia. Many of my teenage patients have not had a frank discussion with their parents about their bodies, or about sex, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), or contraception. Teenagers dont get this information at school either, as most schools lack comprehensive reproductive health education. So, Mom and Dad, its up to you to guide your daughter during this important transition period from girlhood to womanhood. Start early, before she even thinks about having sex, so that she has the information she needs to better protect herself. Start during childhood by having short conversations about her anatomy, so that she is comfortable talking to you about her reproductive health. As she gets older, show her real pictures, not just illustrations, of people with STDs so that she understands the gravity of these infections and the dangers and consequences of having sex. She needs to understand that only abstinence can prevent pregnancy and STDs, but she also needs to know that condoms can decrease the risk of STDs and that contraceptives can decrease the risk of unintended pregnancy. Partner with your daughter, and help guide her reproductive health decisions. Ask her important questions like: Do you plan to wait until you are married to have sex? Do you plan to wait until you are in college? Do you plan to wait until you are an adult? Are you planning to have sex soon? Are you already having sex? Take her to her doctor so that they can establish a relationship early. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that girls should have their first gynecological visit between ages thirteen to fifteen. Dont be apprehensive about taking your daughter for this first visit, as most girls will not get a pelvic or breast exam. The first visit is usually a counseling visit, as a pelvic exam is not needed until a teenager is sexually active. The doctor will have an age-appropriate discussion about your daughters changing body, immunizations, contraception, the dangers posed by STDs, and the medical reasons to delay having sex. For teenagers that are already having sex, the doctor will discuss the importance of condoms to prevent STDs, and different contraceptives including safe and effective long term methods like the arm implant or the intrauterine device. Start talking to your daughter now, so that you can help her transition from girlhood to womanhood. Every teenage girl needs guidance from her parents to help her make decisions that will ensure a healthy and safe reproductive life. Fatu Forna is an obstetrician-gynecologist and author of From Your Doctor To You: What every teenage girl should know about her body, sex, STDs and contraception. Image credit: Shutterstock.com SEOUL, Dec 2 (Reuters) - South Korea's construction sector will continue to support economic growth for the time being, as it has done throughout this year, a Bank of Korea (BOK) executive said on Friday. Construction grew a still-robust 3.7 percent in the third quarter, although that figure was revised down from the 4.4 percent originally estimated. Annual construction growth was revised to 10.6 percent in the third quarter from the 11.4 pecent first estimated. S. Korea's economy grew a revised 0.6 percent in the July-September period, down from the BOK's earlier estimate of 0.7 percent, with year-on-year growth revised to 2.6 percent from 2.7 percent. Third quarter growth was revised partly because of a fall in mobile phone exports and a decline in consumption by foreign tourists, Kim Young-tai, director of the BOK's national accounts division, said on the sidelines of a briefing. (Reporting by Christine Kim; Editing by Eric Meijer) HANOI, Dec 2 (Reuters) - NapshtHere's a snapshot of Vietnamese dong exchange rates in the official market and indicative SJC gold prices in Hanoi at 0107 GMT. Dec 2 Dec 1 USD/VND mid-point 22,124 22,127 USD/VND interbank 22,680/22,690 22,685/22,690 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 35.62/35.84 35.56/35.78 NOTES: As of Jan. 4, 2016 the State Bank of Vietnam has begun setting the mid-point rate on daily basis, allowing dollar/dong transactions to move in a band of +/- 3 percent around the mid point. The dong's exchange rate against other currencies is not restricted by a band. Interbank quotes are indicative bid/ask prices. One tael is equivalent to 37.5 grams or 1.21 troy ounces. SJC gold prices are quoted by state-owned Saigon Jewelry Co, the gold manufacturer. Interbank offered rates are indicative, quoted from market sources. For Vietnam market overview click on: Vietnam's bonds market auctions: Bonds auction results: (Compiled by Hanoi Newsroom) HANOI, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Here's a snapshot of Vietnamese dong exchange rates in the official and unofficial markets, indicative SJC gold prices in Hanoi and interbank offered rates at 0433 GMT. Dec 2 Dec 1 USD/VND mid-point 22,124 22,127 USD/VND interbank 22,680/22,690 22,685/22,690 USD/VND unofficial 22,870/22,900 22,850/22,900 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 35.69/35.91 35.56/35.78 Interbank offered rates Overnight 2.4-3.6 2.8-3.7 1 week 3.4-3.7 3.2-3.8 1 month 3.8-4.2 3.8-4.2 3 months 4.7-5.0 4.4-5.0 NOTES: As of Jan. 4, 2016 the State Bank of Vietnam has begun setting the mid-point rate on daily basis, allowing dollar/dong transactions to move in a band of +/- 3 percent around the mid point. The dong's exchange rate against other currencies is not restricted by a band. Interbank offered rates are the latest indicative bid/ask prices, quoted from market sources. One tael is equivalent to 37.5 grams or 1.21 troy ounces. SJC gold prices are quoted by state-owned Saigon Jewelry Co. For more interbank rate fixings released at 0400 GMT, click on . For Vietnam market overview click on: Vietnam's bonds market auctions: Bonds auction results: (Compiled by Hanoi Newsroom; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips) CHICAGO, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The junk-rated Chicago Public Schools (CPS) on Friday announced a bigger, largely bond-financed capital budget a day after a veto by Illinois' governor put a $215 million hole in the district's budget. CPS said it added $600 million in projects to its fiscal 2017 capital plan, bringing the total to $938 million. That plan will be funded in part with $840 million of bonds backed by a $45 million property tax levy earmarked solely for capital expenses, according to CPS. The district is struggling with pension payments that will jump to about $720 million this fiscal year from $676 million in fiscal 2016, as well as drained reserves and debt dependency - factors that have pushed its credit ratings deep into the junk category and led investors to demand fat yields for its debt. On Thursday, Republican Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill to give CPS a one-time $215 million state payment to help cover pension costs. While the Senate quickly overrode the veto, no action was taken in the House. A spokesman for Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who controls the schools, said late on Thursday the city will be working to complete a veto override in the coming weeks. CPS, the nation's third-largest public school system, included the money in its $5.46 billion fiscal 2017 operating budget. Moody's Investors Service said on Friday the lost money could result in a net cash deficit of more than $1 billion when the district's fiscal year ends June 30. "The bigger issue for the district is its poor liquidity position. Even if they had gotten this money, they still would be very stressed," said Rachel Cortez, a Moody's analyst, pointing to an increased need for cash-flow borrowing. For the current fiscal year, CPS can borrow $1.55 billion for cash flow purposes, up from $1.065 billion in fiscal 2016. Dan Solender, who heads municipal bond investments at Lord Abbett, said CPS will have a hard time selling bonds due to its fiscal woes. "Anything sizeable is unlikely to be acceptable (by the municipal market)," he said. CPS said new debt sales will be dictated by market conditions and construction schedules. Last month it put a $426 million general obligation bond sale on hold after muni prices dropped in the wake of the presidential election. (Reporting by Karen Pierog; Editing by Matthew Lewis) By Bruno Federowski SAO PAULO, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The Brazilian real seesawed on Friday as increased central bank intervention partially offset local political concerns. The real was nearly flat after weakening more than 2.3 percent on Thursday amid fears that friction between lawmakers and prosecutors could increase political instability and delay the approval of austerity measures. The central bank reacted by announcing after the market close on Thursday an auction of currency swaps, which function like selling dollars to investors for future delivery, to roll over January maturities. The bank rolled over all of the $6.5 billion worth of swaps maturing in December as foreign exchange volatility spiked following the election of Donald Trump to the White House. It had refrained from rolling over any of the swaps that matured between May and November, seeking to reduce its costly exposure to the swaps, currently at $26.5 billion. Speculation that the central bank had contacted traders to test the demand for further interventions briefly lifted the real mid-morning. Two traders at primary dealer institutions denied those rumors. Other Latin American currencies treaded water after stronger-than-expected U.S. jobs data. The figures lifted appetite for risky assets but gains were limited by the prospect of higher U.S. rates as the economy recovers. Brazil's benchmark Bovespa stock index fell 1.1 percent weighed down by local political woes. Shares in petrochemical company Braskem SA were among the few gainers, rising the most in more than two months. Braskem, the largest petrochemical producer in Latin America, said it is close to reaching a leniency deal with U.S. and Brazilian officials related to a sweeping graft probe. Other emerging market currencies were mixed after manufacturing data from major developing economies painted a divergent picture while the prospect of rising oil prices and a weaker dollar provided some support. Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies at 1355 GMT: Stock indexes daily YTD % % change Latest change MSCI Emerging Markets 850.56 -0.91 8.09 MSCI LatAm 2217.31 -0.66 21.99 Brazil Bovespa 58835.70 -1.13 35.72 Chile IPSA 4190.45 -0.17 13.86 Chile IGPA 20942.45 -0.14 15.38 Venezuela IBC 35777.75 -1.49 145.25 Currencies daily YTD % % change Latest change Brazil real 3.4650 0.06 13.91 Mexico peso 20.7575 0.12 -16.99 Chile peso 673.9 0.09 5.31 Colombia peso 3080 -0.23 2.90 Peru sol 3.411 0.09 0.09 Argentina peso (interbank) 15.8400 0.09 -18.04 Argentina peso (parallel) 16.2 -0.31 -11.91 (Reporting by Bruno Federowski; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Bill Trott) * Government agrees 8 pct rise in minimum wage * Agrees spending cap for 2017 of 118 bln euros * Minority government faces tough time passing budget (Adds details, background) By Paul Day MADRID, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Spain's minority government has agreed to raise the minimum wage and regional deficit targets, seeking to placate the Socialist opposition in a bid to win Parliamentary support for the first step of the 2017 budget. The long-delayed budget, which will aim to bring down one of Europe's largest public deficits, was put on hold after two inconclusive elections left the country without a fully functioning government until October. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was then reinstated for a second term but without a majority his party will need to garner support on any legislation from the Socialists or newcomers - market-friendly Ciudadanos or anti-austerity Podemos. An increase of 8 percent in the minimum wage, the largest one-time rise since 1986, was agreed late on Thursday between the Socialists and the PP. The government also gave the regions, many of which are run by opposition parties, more room to spend within their own deficit targets, raising the limit to 0.6 percent of economic output from an original, more stringent, 0.5 percent. Following the accords, the Socialists said on Thursday they would abstain for the Parliamentary vote, giving the PP the necessary numbers to pass its spending cap, the cornerstone of the 2017 budget. The government announced on Friday it would set the spending limit at 118 billion euros, little changed from 2016. However, the spending limit is just the first step in a drawn-out process to get the budget in place. Once agreed, Rajoy must then convince Parliament to accept the necessary budgetary measures to meet those targets. To reduce the public deficit to 3.1 percent of economic output in 2017 from 4.6 percent this year, the government on Friday proposed tax hikes on alcohol, tobacco and sugared drinks and the elimination of certain tax breaks for companies. The Socialists have said they will not support the proposals, which have already been widely reported in the national press. (Editing by Sonya Dowsett/Jeremy Gaunt) SHARE By Josh Farley of the Kitsap Sun PORT ORCHARD ? The case of a Port Orchard man charged with human trafficking got underway Wednesday, the first trial for Kitsap County under a state law that targets the exploitation of women trapped in prostitution. Kitsap County prosecutors have charged Anthony Dewayne Parker, 34, with 11 felony crimes related to the alleged beating, prostituting and controlling of a young woman whose services were advertised on the Internet. Whether the woman was forced to work and controlled by Parker was called into question by his attorney, who argued Wednesday morning that the young woman "had free will, and chose to stay" in the environment. Parker, investigated by the Bremerton police's Special Operations Group, faces a minimum of 25 years in prison if convicted, prosecutors say. He remains in Kitsap County Jail on $750,000 bail while the trial is ongoing. While a human trafficking law was passed in Washington 10 years ago ? it was the first in the country ? Kitsap County authorities ramped up efforts to investigate and prosecute such cases in the past year. A coordinated effort with the FBI, the Prosecutor's Office, local law enforcement and local advocacy groups has generated a handful of human trafficking cases while working to help those involved in prostitution to get out of the profession. Prosecutors Wednesday painted Parker as a self-proclaimed pimp who had authority over every aspect of the life of one woman, in her early 20s, after Parker had bailed her out of jail. Parker's attorney, Matthew Wareham, told jurors that she could have left Parker but chose not. He urged jurors to keep an open mind, alleging the prosecutor's case relied too heavily on experts in sex trafficking and was thin of actual witnesses to the allegations. "I want you to look underneath the veneer," Wareham told jurors in opening statements. "As you look further into this case, you're going to see things aren't quite adding up the way the state states they do." Kitsap County Deputy Prosecutor Farshad Talebi said jurors would learn of an "underbelly" of society, a world of prostitution facilitated by the Internet. "You're going to hear about a world that you probably didn't know existed," he told jurors. Parker is charged with five counts of assault, human trafficking, kidnapping, promoting prostitution, burglary, unlawful firearm possession and witness tampering. The trial is expected to last until at least late next week. By Jhoo Dong-chan Rival parties and the government have agreed to pass next year's budget proposal, which is set at a record high of 400.7 trillion won ($342 billion). The agreement includes expanding the central government's budget for the "Nuri free childcare program" to 860 billion won and raising income taxes on high earners. The corporate tax hike, which the opposition parties have long demanded be returned to the level it was before the Lee Myung-bak administration, however, was not included in the agreement. The National Policy Committee member lawmakers _ ruling Saenuri Party Rep. Kim Gwang-lim, main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Rep. Yun Ho-jung and People's Party Rep. Kim Sung-sik _ and Strategy and Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho said they came to an agreement on Friday, the deadline for passing the 2017 budget plan at the National Assembly. Under the agreement, the government agreed to unburden nearly half of the total Nuri program budget from local governments. It is expected to establish the three-year special account to support the program through the central government's general grants worth 860 billion won, or 45 percent of the total Nuri program budget next year. Local education offices will be responsible for the remaining 55 percent. Rival parties, however, have decided not to raise corporate taxes. In 2009, the former Lee administration cut the corporate tax rate from 25 percent to 22 percent in hopes of enlarging domestic investment and employment by corporations. Pointing out they are stockpiling cash for themselves instead of putting it back into investments or employments, though, opposition parties, which command a majority in the 300-member National Assembly, have sought to raise the rate to its previous level of 25 percent. Fearing the hike could jeopardize the government's effort to bottom out the nation's near-death economy where many countries are competing to attract foreign businesses through cutting taxes, however, rival parties and the government have decided to leave the corporate tax intact. Instead, they have agreed to raise income taxes. High earners making more than a 500 million won a year are expected to be subject to paying higher taxes. The current income tax rate of 38 percent will also be raised to 40 percent next year. "The Nuri free childcare program has been finally settled where rival parties have long sharply opposed each other over the issue," said National Assembly Speaker Chung Se-kyun. "I expect the opposing parties will continue to do the same. Gwangju City Mayor Yoon Jang-hyun speaks during the Gwangju-Tsinghua Automobile Forum at Kimdaejung Convention Center in Gwangju, Thursday. / Courtesy of Gwangju Metropolitan Government By Jhoo Dong-chan The Gwangju Metropolitan Government and China's Tsinghua University jointly held the Gwangju-Tsinghua Automobile Forum at Kimdaejung Convention Center in Gwangju, Thursday. During the two-day forum, some 300 government officials and Tsinghua University scholars talked about possible cooperation between the two countries to promote eco-friendly auto industry. "The forum is the second of its kind between the two parties. It is important that Gwangju and Hsinghua University continuously work together to study future trends in the auto industry," Yoon Jang-hyun said in his welcoming address at the forum. "I hope our friendship will extend beyond the auto industry into a wider range of society economic, humanity, culture and tourism." The participating scholars and government officials at the forum first discussed Korea's auto industry and its labor-management relationships. Government officials also introduced environmental regulations in the nation's car industry and its roadmap to see more eco-friendly cars on the street. Tsinghua University official also introduced Chinese eco-friendly auto industry as well as the Chinese government's efforts to develop connected car technologies. Choi Yearn-hong Poet Choi Yearn-hong proposed Thursday a new renaissance in calligraphy and literature, which he called two inseparable arts, by bringing calligraphers, poets and writers together. Poet Choi Yearn-hong proposed Thursday a new renaissance in calligraphy and literature, which he called two inseparable arts, by bringing calligraphers, poets and writers together. At a forum held in Seoul, Dec. 1, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Iljoong Kim Choong-hyun's death, Choi emphasized the history of calligraphy in China, Japan and Korea, and said that Koreans need to revive the traditional art. Choi said that Koreans need to uphold the spirit of Iljoong, who created Korean calligraphy by using both Hangul and Chinese characters in the form of beautiful art. "Poetry is expressed in calligraphy," he said. "Both are the images of aesthetic values." Choi has compiled Iljoong's major calligraphy works ranging from Korean classic literary works to modern poetry. Poets Lee Kun-bae and Lee Geun-chung participated in the forum. A scene from "Romeo et Juliette" / Courtesy of Korea National Opera By Yun Suh-young "Romeo and Juliet," one of Shakespeare's most popular tragedies, is best known for its play and movie versions. Its opera format is fairly unfamiliar and also rarely performed as a musical, despite the popularity of the story. The opera "Romeo et Juliette," which will be staged in Seoul Dec. 8 to 11, is the French version of the opera featuring music composed by Charles Gounod and script written by Jules Barbier and Michel Carre. The five-act opera debuted in the Theatre Lyrique in Paris on April 27, 1867. The 175-minute opera is brought to Korean stages for the second time, following its 2014 debut. It will be held at the Seoul Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The opera is directed by Elijah Moshinsky who has helmed "Romeo et Juliette" since its 2014 debut. Moshinsky first worked with the Korea National Opera (KNO) on "Don Carlo" in 2013 and was asked to direct "Romeo et Juliette" the following year. This year's "Romeo et Juliette" will be upgraded with more intense action, according to the production official. Moshinsky is well-known for his authentic and deep analysis of the story and characters and is one of the biggest names in the opera world. Conductor Kim Doc-ki will conduct the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra and the Grande Opera Chorus for "Romeo et Juliette" and costume and stage director Richard Hudson will overview the production. French soprano Nathalie Manfrino and Korean soprano Park Hye-sang are double cast as Juliette. Stephen Costello, American star tenor of the New York Metropolitan Opera, and Korean tenor Kim Dong-won will alternate as Romeo. "The special year-end repertoire Romeo et Juliette is staged for the second time in Korea to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of Shakespeare," said KNO artistic director Kim Hak-min. "The piece will be directed by Elijah Moshinsky who demonstrates traditional opera directing. Choreographer Terry John Bates and martial arts director Philip d'Orleans will showcase strengthened movement." Ticket prices range from 10,000 won to 150,000 won. Visit nationalopera.org for more information. A female diver of Jeju Island works in the sea off Namwon-eup, Seogwipo, digging for conches. / Yonhap By Kim Ji-soo The female divers of Jeju Island the island known for its strong winds, stony land and strong women have been added to UNESCO's cultural heritage list. In a country where men are usually the breadwinners, these female divers on the island took on that role, working in the traditional way without air tanks. And UNESCO recognized their singularity. Their listing was forecast and UNESCO, in its session held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Wednesday, added "haenyeo" (literally, sea women), to its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. This marks Korea's 19th cultural asset to be recognized by UNESCO. The U.N. body noted that the culture of the women divers shows the region's unique cultural identity and the empowerment of women. "I feel so happy I could fly," Hong Kyung-ja, 65, a haenyeo in Hallim-eup, Jeju Island, told The Korea Times over the phone. Hong has been working in the sea since she was 12 years old, following in her mother's footsteps. "I think the strength of the female divers of Jeju Island is embodied in the community spirit. Not only do we work together as a group, like for us, 40 divers work together and we sometimes share our catches fairly with the novices. But we also help out the community when it's suffering economically," said Hong. The haenyeo work with flippers, goggles and a float when they dig for seafood such as abalone and conches. The number of haenyeo, once peaking at 23,000, is down to around 4,300, as more women leave the island for educational opportunities and other jobs. Many of them are over 60 years old. A female diver displays her catch she caught under water on Jeju Island. Yonhap A group of female divers prepares to go to work wearing bodysuits and carrying their floats on Jeju Island. / Yonhap Divers return to land after a group dive in the waters off Namwon-eup, Seogwipo, Jeju Island. / Yonhap Female divers bow in their ritual of prayer to the "god of the seas" for safety on Jeju Island. / Yonhap Bereaved family members of the Sewol ferry disaster victims and members of civic groups demand President Park Geun-hye reveal the truth about the sinking, including where she was during the first seven hours after the accident, as well as for her to take responsibility for the scandal involving her confidant Choi Soon-sil, during a press conference at Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul, Tuesday. / Yonhap By Kim Bo-eun The unraveling influence-peddling scandal involving President Park Geun-hye's confidant Choi Soon-sil is again raising questions about the President's "seven missing hours" in the aftermath of the Sewol ferry disaster on April 16, 2014. Suspicions and rumors link Choi with the unknown whereabouts of Park, with some even saying the accident was related to a sacrificial ritual. The President was absent during the crucial first seven hours of the ferry's sinking, which killed more than 300 passengers on board, mostly high school students on a school excursion. Cheong Wa Dae has never given a clear explanation about what the President was doing during those hours, just repeating she was in her office working. This prompted public outrage and demands for the truth behind the accident. At the time of the Sewol disaster, there were rumors that the President had been with her former aide Chung Yoon-hoi, who is Choi's former husband. Choi was barely known to the public at that time. Tatsuya Kato, former Seoul bureau chief of Sankei Shimbun, wrote a column based on the rumor, alleging the two were in a romantic relationship. He was indicted on defamation charges and later acquitted. With the Choi scandal emerging, new rumors are spreading now that Park was with Chung, but for a different purpose related to Choi's father. College students dressed in black call for the resignation of President Park Geun-hye, who allegedly helped her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil meddle in critical state affairs for her own benefit, at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, Saturday. / Yonhap By Choi Ha-young A protester wears a mask to mock President Park as Marie Antoinette, the last Queen of France, who could not understand the plight of the people. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul Students from high school to college have emerged as a core element in the candlelit protests. Collegians from Sookmyung Women's University and other universities nationwide are joining a campaign to boycott classes to protest the presidential scandal. They are taking to the streets to express their frustration and anger against embattled President Park Geun-hye who is under pressure to quit over the scandal involving her friend Choi Soon-sil. College students, who call their country "Hell Joseon" (Korea) because of the high jobless rate and other hardships facing them, had previously been busy preparing to land jobs and ignored social issues. However, the presidential scandal made it hard for university students to stay put. Kim Ji-yoon, a sophomore at Sookmyung, said, "I am majoring in political science. According to what I learned, politics is all about how to distribute national resources in a fairer manner. However, the reality is the opposite." Kim said politicians have ignored the public, failing to meet their main mission: serving the people. "They must think about the origin of the government authority they are exerting." More student council bodies are pledging to join the campaign to boycott classes. "We will boycott classes on Nov. 30., demanding Park's resignation," said Lee Tak-gyu, 23, newly elected chief of the student body of Soul National University (SNU). Kim Ji-soo, 22, a Hanyang University student, said that students also need stronger solidarity to make their voice heard. "We dream of equal solidarity. We welcome everyone regardless of their age and gender. We need to stage an active protest based on the legal framework that police and a court have approved," Kim said. Students also demanded that the Park administration cancel its plan to publish a state-authored history textbook. Cho Seong-hoon, 21, a student of Myongji University, said, "Students are taking to the streets as they are angry about Park's policies, including a government-authored history textbook." Braving the snow and wind, around 3,000 students gathered in front of the King Sejong statue in Gwanghwamun Square, central Seoul., at 2 p.m. before the fifth mass rally began. Protesters masquerade as men with no necks waiting to hear the news that President Park Geun-hye has decided to resign. The masquerade represents the Korean idiom, "Wait until the neck comes out," which means waiting for a long time. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul Disputes inside campus South Korean babies born in 2015 are expected to live more than 82 years as the risk of death has been diminished by medical advances and other efforts, a government report showed Friday. The life expectancy at birth averaged 82.1 years in 2015, slightly up from the previous year's 81.8 years, according to the report by Statistics Korea. Baby boys and girls were expected to live 79 years and 85.2 years, respectively, last year, with the male-female difference dropping 0.2 year to 6.2 years. The gender gap in life expectancy has been on a steady decline since 1985, when it peaked at 8.6 years. The statistics report also showed that a 40-year-old man in 2015 will be alive for the next 40.1 years, while a 40-year-old woman will live until 96 years old. For those aged 60, men have 22.2 remaining years and 27 years for women. A baby boy born last year has a 56.5 percent chance of reaching 80, while the chances of a baby girl becoming an octogenarian stood at 77.7 percent. Corresponding numbers for a boy reaching 100 stood at 1 percent and 3.6 percent for a girl. The chances that a person could die of cancer in the future stood at 27.3 percent for male babies and 16.1 percent for female babies, while the death rate from heart problems stood at 9.7 percent for men and 12.6 percent for women. If the death risk from cancer is excluded, the life expectancies for male and female babies would increase by 5.1 years and 2.9 years, respectively, the report said. In comparison with 35 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), South Korea's life expectancies for male and female babies are 1.1 years and 1.9 years longer than the OECD average, respectively. The country's life expectancy for men ranked 18th, while that for women stood at seventh. Iceland had the longest male life expectancy of 81.3 years and Japanese for women at 86.8 years. (Yonhap) By Park Si-soo President Park Geun-hye shed tears on her way back to Seoul from a fire-ravaged market in Daegu, her spokesman said on Thursday -- believe it or not. The spokesman might have spoken of Park's emotion to emphasize the embattled President's "sincere sympathy" for victims of the blaze in the face of deepening public distrust of herself. But now few take the comment at face value. Rather, most people consider it as yet another political gimmick to help Park survive the ongoing crisis and extend her span in office. And her behavior at the gutted Seomun Market shows why. Park spent only 10 minutes inspecting the site, surrounded by multiple layers of security guards and keeping affected merchants at bay. She even gave Cheong Wa Dae press corps the slip by giving wrong information about her visit to the market -- the presidential office said Park would arrive at 3 p.m., but she appeared at 1:30 p.m. Reporters checking damage at the market accidently spotted her. The only civilian Park met and talked with during the visit was Kim Young-ho, leader of the market's merchants' association. The dialogue between the two remains unpublished. Rep. Yoo Seong-min of the ruling Saenuri Party, a prominent member of a party faction opposing President Park Geun-hye, speaks to reporters after a meeting with the party's floor leader Rep. Chung Jin-suk at the National Assembly, Friday. The faction asked her to specify by Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. exactly when she will resign, or they will join forces with opposition parties to impeach her. / Yonhap Anti-Park members ask her to clarify resignation by Dec. 7 By Yi Whan-woo Saenuri Party lawmakers aligned against President Park Geun-hye called on her, Friday, to specify by Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. when she will resign, in what appeared to be a tricky bargain over her fate. The anti-Park faction threatened to join forces with the opposition bloc to vote for her impeachment on Dec. 9 if Park fails to meet the deadline. Cheong Wa Dae said Park would hold meetings with Saenuri Party lawmakers, including the rival faction, next week to discuss how to resolve the chaos over her presidency. The "ultimatum" came amid rampant speculation that the National Assembly was entrapped by Park's "stall tactics" to avoid impeachment by creating a rift among parties and factions. Defying the opposition's call to cooperate on an impeachment motion, members of the rival faction and Park loyalists unanimously decided on Thursday to promote her "orderly" resignation. The ruling party said it would help the President step down in April while rescheduling the presidential election from December to June. Park's single five-year presidential term was initially due to end in February 2018. The anti-Park faction members also claim that bipartisan talks by Dec. 7 should be a precondition for them to endorse an impeachment motion when it is put to a vote on Dec. 9. It is the last day of this year's regular parliamentary session. They pointed out that Park offered on Tuesday to leave it to the National Assembly to decide her fate through bipartisan discussion, which the opposition strongly opposed and refused to accept. Cheong Wa Dae renewed Park's offer, Friday. The three opposition parties Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the People's Party and Justice Party made a consensus to put the impeachment motion to a vote on Dec. 9, although their initial plan to do so today failed. "The credibility of the President's offer has been called into question because she did not specify the exact time for her resignation," said Rep. Hwang Young-cheul, a spokesman for the anti-Park factions. Mobile network company trucks are parked in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul, Friday, working on the communication network system in preparation for the sixth weekly rally to be held Saturday. / Yonhap Part of protest scheduled in Yeouido to express disappointment By Chung Hyun-chae The sixth mass protest against President Park Geun-hye on Saturday is expected to include a rally on Yeouido, home of the National Assembly, to express the people's anger against politicians. "We resented the irresponsibility of the ruling Saenuri Party, which we think is accomplice to President Park Geun-hye," said Han Seon-beom, a spokesperson for the rally's organizers. "There have been calls to hold a protest march to the National Assembly." He said participants would rally in front of Saenuri Party headquarters on Yeouido at 2 p.m. and would then join the main rally in Gwanghwamun Square at 6 p.m. On Friday evening, protesters holding candles were already gathering in front of Saenuri Party headquarters. Public anger is directed at ruling party members who reject calls to impeach the President, especially after her speech on Monday, and opposition party members who could not agree on the details of her impeachment by Friday afternoon. "We can see a democratic curse," wrote internet user zitterswee***. "Although more than 96 percent of the people distrust the President, foolish lawmakers are unable to kick her out." By Jung Min-ho Park Young-soo, the special prosecutor named to investigate the Choi Soon-sil scandal, said Friday he will investigate President Park Geun-hye's whereabouts during the crucial first seven hours after the Sewol ferry began sinking in 2014. Speaking to reporters near his office in Seoul, the independent counsel said he will look into the "seven missing hours" as well as the President's other alleged crimes, including abuse of authority and bribery. "The special investigation team will look into the seven missing hours as well," he said. The Park administration was denounced for responding belatedly to the accident in which more than 300 passengers died after rescue operations failed. Her mysterious absence has created a flurry of rumors, including that she was undergoing cosmetic medical procedures when the tragedy occurred on April 16, 2014. To clear up all the key questions surrounding the President, the independent counsel said he will push for a face-to-face interrogation, which the prosecution failed to accomplish during its earlier investigation. By Rachel Lee Lee Jae-myung Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung is gaining popularity rapidly among young voters for his harsh words against President Park Geun-hye and the conglomerates, emerging as a serious contender for Cheong Wa Dae. The outspoken mayor has struck a chord among anti-Park protesters by consistently demanding Park's impeachment in street speeches since the corruption scandal involving Park erupted in late October. He has also blasted the political establishment tied to the chaebol, or family-controlled conglomerates. According to a survey by Real Meter last week, the 51-year-old mayor was ranked third among presidential contenders with 11.6 percent support, following Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) former head Moon Jae-in at 21.2 percent and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with 17.4 percent. Former People's Party co-leader Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo had 11.4 percent to sit in fourth place. Up 1.6 percentage points from a week earlier, Lee took over the third spot previously occupied by Ahn who dropped 0.6 percentage points. The survey was conducted with 1,519 Koreans, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Rep. Woo Sang-ho, center, joins hands with Rep. Park Jie-won, left, of the People's Party and Roh Hoe-chan of the Justice Party, ahead of their meeting at the National Assembly, Friday. / Yonhap By Rachel Lee Three opposition parties agreed Friday to put their impeachment motion against President Park Geun-hye to a National Assembly vote on Dec. 9, calling on lawmakers of the ruling Saenuri Party not aligned with the President to join forces to remove her from power. After the agreement, they jointly submitted an impeachment motion to the Assembly after gathering consent from their lawmakers. Assuming that all 172 opposition and independent lawmakers vote for the motion, at least 28 votes are required from the ruling party for the passage of the motion, which requires support from two-thirds of the 300-member Assembly. Earlier in the day, the ruling party's anti-Park faction, which holds the key to the motion's passage, proposed talks with the opposition bloc on setting up a political roadmap for Park's resignation, including the date for an early presidential election. The rival faction also urged Park to clarify by Monday when she will resign, saying they would vote for impeachment if all these efforts fail. They suggested Dec. 9 would be best for the date of the vote, if it takes place. The opposition parties accepted their proposal for the date of the vote, but made it clear they will not negotiate over Park's resignation until the impeachment vote takes place. During a plenary session at the National Assembly, the leaders of the three opposition parties the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the People's Party and the Justice Party decided to push ahead with Park's impeachment even if Park declares her will to voluntarily resign in April as demanded by the ruling Saenuri Party. South Korea's decision to deploy advanced missile defense systems on its soil has led to the suspension of all high-level defense talks with China, sources said Sunday. An official here said the planned meeting between Seoul's Defense Minister Han Min-koo and his Chinese counterpart Chang Wanquan has been put on hold. He said the military strategy policy talks chaired by vice defense minister level officials that have been held every year since 2011 has also be suspended, hinting that China has been lukewarm about talks. The conference allowed the two neighbors to discuss topics like personnel exchange, communications through a military hotlines in case of unforeseen crises and deliberations about air defense identification zones that both countries maintain. Seoul agreed to station the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense in July to better cope with North Korea's evolving nuclear and missile threats. Seoul views the deployment as a way to better defend the country, but Beijing has stringently opposed THAAD, claiming it undermines its national interests and destabilizes the balance of power in Northeast Asia. "China has not extended an invitation to Han, and our government has not asked," the defense ministry source, who did not wished to be identified, said. He pointed out that senior Chinese officials have persistently warned that THAAD will hurt government-to-government and military ties that have been expanding in scope and depth in recent years. Some military experts said that weakening of military ties could adversely affect Seoul's ability to deal with future North Korean missile and nuclear provocations. Pyongyang detonated two nuclear devices this year alone and fired off a series of missiles in defiance of the global communities calls to desist from cranking up tensions. (Yonhap) North Korea on Thursday condemned a fresh package of sanctions imposed on it by the U.N. Security Council. In an English-language statement released on the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the North's foreign ministry said the country "strongly censures and categorically rejects" the sanctions, adopted in response to the country's fifth nuclear test in September. The statement said the move was "another excess of authority and violation of the DPRK's sovereignty by the UNSC acting under instructions of the U.S." DPRK is an acronym for the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The statement argued that the nuclear test was only carried out as a "practical step" to tackle the nuclear threat and sanctions by the U.S. and other hostile forces. "Many countries including all the permanent member states of the UNSC have so far conducted thousands of nuclear tests and rocket launches but the UNSC has never prevented them from doing so," the ministry added. "The 'sanctions resolution' that denied outright the sovereignty of the DPRK and its rights to existence and development will trigger off its tougher countermeasures for self-defense." The ministry warned that the sanctions will "inevitably escalate tensions" and that the North will hold the U.S. accountable as the chief culprit in that case. The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted Resolution 2321, with a focus on curtailing North Korea's coal exports, its single biggest export item and source of hard currency. (Yonhap) North Korea carried out a massive artillery drill observed by its leader that simulated striking military targets in South Korea, Pyongyang's media said Friday, as the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) adopted another sanctions resolution. On Thursday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un guided the exercise of his front-line units, which were tasked with striking South Korea's islands south of the inter-Korean sea border in the Yellow Sea, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The exercise, was timed with the UNSC's imposition of sanctions to punish North Korea for its September nuclear test. The UNSC decided Wednesday to slap a significant cap on Pyongyang's exports of coal and apply other restrictions on the reclusive state in a bid to cut off the main source of hard currency. Cutting the inflow of money will make it harder for Pyongyang to pursue its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. In an apparent protest against the U.N. move, the North's leader said that "nobody and nothing" could survive the North Korean military's strikes. "If a war breaks out, such a deadly strike should be inflicted upon the South Korean forces to completely break their will of counteraction at the start and make a clean sweep of them," Kim was quoted as saying by the KCNA. The report said that the artillery drill was carried out on the first day of North Korea's combat and political training for 2017. It is part of the military's winter training program, which usually runs from early December until April in the following year. Kim said that the year 2017 is "of significance" as it marks the 105th birth anniversary of late founder Kim Il-sung and the 75th birth anniversary of former leader Kim Jong-il, late father of Kim Jong-un. The year also marks the 85th founding anniversary of the Korean People's Army. In response to the drills, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff strongly condemned the North's threats of striking South Korean territory and warned of a "strong and stern" retaliation against any provocation. Kim has escalated tensions on the tense western sea border by visiting military units in front-line islands eight times since November, it said. The unification ministry, meanwhile, said that North Korea is fully prepared to carry out more nuclear and missile provocations at any time. Pyongyang is taking a wait-and-see mode to assess policy directions under way in the United States after Donald Trump won last month's presidential race. But experts said that the North could make provocative acts around its key anniversaries in December to boost its internal solidarity. Dec. 17 marked the fifth anniversary of the death of Kim Jong-il, and the country's incumbent leader will also mark the fifth anniversary of him assuming the supreme commandership of the military on Dec. 30. (Yonhap) South Korea unveiled a set of its own punitive measures against North Korea on Friday, blacklisting scores of people and entities suspected of supporting the regime's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The move came days after the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) unanimously adopted Resolution 2321 on Wednesday condemning the North's fifth and most powerful nuclear test in September, with the main focus placed on significantly restricting the country's coal exports deemed to be a major source of its hard currency. "We have expanded the number of those subject to sanctions by adding to the list 35 entities and 36 individuals that are playing a critical role in developing weapons of mass destruction and contributing to the North Korean regime's efforts to secure foreign currency," Lee Suk-joon, the top official in charge of government policy coordination at the Prime Minister's Office, told reporters. Included in the blacklist were Choe Ryong-hae, a vice chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party, and Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong-so, director of the military's general political bureau, both of whom are regarded as close aides for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The Workers' Party and the State Affairs Commission were also added along with other entities suspected of supporting the regime's efforts to export its coal and generate earnings. In particular, Dandong Hongxiang Industrial Development and four of its executives were included on the list, marking the first time that a Chinese firm is facing South Korea's unilateral sanctions. The company is under investigation on suspicions that it exported aluminum oxide -- a nuclear bomb ingredient -- to the North at least twice in recent years. In September, the U.S. blacklisted it along with its owner and other company officials. (Yonhap) By Yi Whan-woo North Korean leader Kim Jong-un threatened to "wipe out" South Koreans during his latest supervision of a heavy artillery drill, a possible act of protest over the fresh rounds of international sanctions imposed on Pyongyang. "Our first strikes against South Koreans should discourage them from fighting back," Kim was quoted as saying by Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency (KNCA), Friday, after overseeing a drill jointly staged by multiple artillery units, Thursday. "If there are still those who frantically attempt to counter us, we should wipe them all out." South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said North Korea will "face powerful and stern punishment" if it makes provocations, claiming the drill "adds to heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula." The KCNA's report coincided with the South Korean government's announcement of its own nuclear sanctions against North Korea, Friday. The measure was taken as a follow-up to the U.N. Security Council'sapproval of Resolution 2321, Wednesday, to tighten loopholes in the USNC's toughest-to-date sanctions 2270. Kang Jung-ho South Korean major league player Kang Jung-ho was arrested after a crash that occurred under the influence of alcohol Friday, Seoul police said. According to Gangnam Police Station in southern Seoul, Kang was booked for fleeing the scene after crashing into a guard rail on his way to his hotel in Samseong-dong at 2:48 a.m. A person in the passenger seat, whose identity was withheld, reported to police that he or she was the driver of the vehicle. After analyzing the car's black box, police determined that Kang had been behind the wheel and called him in for questioning. Kang's blood alcohol content level was 0.084 percent, a level subject to the suspension of one's license. The legal limit here is 0.05 percent. Police said the Pittsburgh Pirates infielder admitted to the charges. Hollande, who announced his decision in a hastily scheduled televised address to the nation, became the first leader in recent French history not to run for a second term. He said he could not allow his already deeply divided leftist ranks to explode by running. That would end all hope for a victory in next spring's elections, paving the way for a win by conservatives, or even the far right. In a surprise announcement, French President Francois Hollande said Thursday that he would not run for re-election, leaving the leftist field wide open ahead of next year's vote in which the far right is expected to poll strongly. Hollande's popularity has sunk to a record low -- down to 4 percent last month. The left is indeed splintered, and two of his ex-ministers have thrown their hat into the ring. Many expect Prime Minister Manuel Valls to follow. Hollande's time in office has been marred by some of the worst terrorist attacks on French soil in modern history, as well as unsuccessful attempts to significantly reduce the unemployment rate. He nonetheless defended his record Thursday and attacked conservative candidate Francois Fillon, who won the center-right race and who is considered to have a good shot at the presidency. The president criticized Fillon's program, which calls for implementing tough economic reforms and cracking down on immigration and radical Islam. He also took a stab at the anti-Europe, anti-globalization platform of far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who is also polling strongly. Drawing parallels with the upset victory of Donald Trump in the United States, Hollande said Le Pen's protectionist, inward-looking policies presented the biggest dangers for the country. By Oh young-jin Karl Marx would turn in his grave, if he knew the interclass struggle is spreading like an infectious disease and reaching global proportions. The problem for the father of communism is he wouldn't know whether to be happy or upset by this belated flourishing of his prediction. He may most likely get choked on this part: his movement's poster child (considering him to be puerile) is Donald Trump, the U.S. real estate mogul, who under his theory is supposed to be the very target for a Marxian revolution. Then, Britain's embracing of an exit out of the European Union or Brexit can't be explained simply by the inequity of wealth distribution. So Marx may be right and wrong at the same time, so to speak. Here it is even less materialistic as Koreans are gathering their force to oust their unjust leader, Park Geun-hye. Trump's presidential election victory is the show of discontent by people who feel left behind. The popular effort to oust Park looks to be a search for poetic justice punishing the leader for wrongdoing of colossal proportions. But a look underneath the surface also shows it is also the revolt by the disaffected. Although Trump's supporters were thought to be composed of white uneducated rural people, the outcome of the Nov. 8 vote shows Trump's support base is much broader than thought. Anti-Park groups are just about everybody. Polls show her disapproval ratings surpassed 90 percent and support dropped to 4 percent. Looking at the population of protestors in Gwangwhamun, one would feel that they are from every walk of life mothers with babies in strollers, fathers with young children, young couples and others. Trump is behind Clinton in popular votes. His victories in swing states helped him win in the winner-take-all Electoral College system. Undeniable is a strong element of surprise because Clinton was heavily favored in the very lead-up to the election. Trump acted indecently. He associated with white supremacists, called Mexicans rapists and treated Muslims as terrorists. He talked about preposterous ideas erecting the wall along the Mexican border, deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants. He said that he would not accept it if he lost in the election. He threatened to send Hillary to jail. For all horrible acts and remarks, Trump got away unharmed, and won. Why? It's public antipathy against the establishment. Hillary Clinton's email scandal and her speech to Wall Street fat cats only consolidated her establishment image. The voters dumped her and chose Trump. The June 23 pro-Brexit vote finds the same root of dissatisfaction with the establishment. In the lead-up to the vote, the Financial Times, the mouthpiece for mercantilism and plutocracy, had tried to tell what's wrong with it but its columns and editorials showed unbridled passion that readers could cry in sympathy, albeit not for their cause. But the voters didn't buy it. The process was also dramatic. Soon after the vote was finished, Boris Johnson, the leading Brexiteer, made a concession. Prematurely, it turned out. Here, the candlelit protests drew millions of people. The biggest crime by this supposed corrupt leader is that she thought she could be her father. Park Chung-hee led Korea's rise from ashes, masterminded its industrialization. He wanted to be a king, president for life. He treated chaebol as if they were private coffers. After all, he helped them grow. The incumbent Park was like a princess in the Sleeping Beauty. She spent those 20 years as first daughter and then acting first lady after her mother was shot to death. Her father was killed by his aide. When Park was out of touch with the real world, the real world has changed. Park lived in a cocoon, being taken care of by people like Choi Soon-sil, Korea's Resputin. The people are upset to see their leader privatize her mandate and her proxies line their pockets illegally. The revelation that Park was an avatar being controlled by Choi, hit them hard with the double whammy of disillusionment and betrayal. Greatly contributing to it is tough life seizing much of the nation. The word, Hell Joseon, well captures it. In Hell Joseon, young people can't get jobs, marriage is too expensive and saving for the rainy day is not possible. There is no future so people want to escape. This hellish sentiment provides the foundation for the uncommon unity of people against Park. This neo-class struggle is haves vs. have-nots as shown in occupy Wall Street movement, establishment against anti-establishment as shown in Brexit and Trump, the ruled against the ruler as in the Park case. What is the common denominator? It's enormous energy of people who are eager for change. Can we convert this mega energy and beat our status quo that has reached its critical mass? So far, the success is least assured. Trump obviously has been overwhelmed by his own victory. Left to his own device, the Trump change will likely cater only to the viewpoints of anti-globalists, isolationists and people with minimalist agendas. For Brexit, Brits are hobbled by court in their move out of EU. Even if it is given the go-ahead, the process could be stymied again. For Korea, the fear is an enormous state of chaos to be followed by Park's ouster and the absence of competent opposition as alternative leadership. Do these hurdles mean the new class struggle is destined to end in failure? We may need to wake Marx up to answer, unless anybody has a better idea. Oh Young-jin is The Korea Times' chief editorial writer. Contact foolsdie5@ktimes.com and foolsdie@gmail.com. This column was rewritten on the basis of a speech that he gave during a lecture at the Linton Global College at Hannam University, Tuesday. By Young Hoy Kim Kimaro The general education level in Tanzania is low. The last time I scrutinized education statistics here, only about 60% of the children completed primary education and less than half of those continued on to the secondary school. That means 70% of young people here are formally educated only up through primary school. Many of these primary school dropouts, as we call them in TZ, attend vocational schools to acquire skills in carpentry or masonry, tailoring, plumbing, car maintenance, and other trades, to become employable. However, the quality of teaching in these schools is low. A running joke has it that masons so trained can't produce a straight wall. Even so, it is amazing how some of these poorly educated and poorly trained young people show sparks of skill and innovative thinking far beyond expectations. This is a story of one such worker in carpentry. When Anence had a house built in Moshitown at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, she engaged a village carpenter which raised many eyebrows. Now she is tickled that the very same individuals, when they visit her home, are full of "Wow's" at what they see of the woodwork by Sadiki, a humble village carpenter. They rave over her kitchen. The upper cabinets have glass doors, the lower have pull out shelves for easy access. Vertical dividers allow cookie sheets and cutting boards to be stowed upright. A narrow cupboard next to the pantry has a pull out shelf with rods where table cloths can be hung to minimize creasing. Above it are pullout shelves for placemats and napkins. "You brought those kitchen cabinets with you from America?" they ask her. "No. Not at all. They were all built right here by a village carpenter," she tells them. Incredible! Her guests caress the smooth, silky finish of her cabinets as they admire the symmetry and simplicity of the design. My friend, who lived in the U.S. all her life until she retired to her home village, likes to tell whoever would listen that her whole house was built entirely by people from her village. She is proud of that. She finds the work the local craftsmen can do is simply amazing if they are given proper guidance. "They become surprised too to discover what they are capable of producing," she remarks. Her closets are something out of a Good Housekeeping magazine. Shallow shelves, honeycombed with dividers, make organization easy. Drawers catch smaller items. Double rods for shirts and jackets double the space. But her closet doors top everything. They are made of colorful African print fabric panels attached to wooden door frames which allow air to flow through while keeping dust at bay. They prevent mold and mildew from setting on clothes, shoes and bags during the three-month long rainy season, just as it was used in Korea during the long monsoon rains before air conditioning became the norm. These fabric panels are removable. They can be taken down from time to time to brush off the dust that builds up. Her house has plenty of dust because the road that passes by is not paved. Mosquitoes annoyingly linger in and around closets. Here, where malaria is still prevalent, that's a bother one wishes one didn't have to live with. In Anence's house, one doesn't have to. Sadiki used cedar, a natural moth repellant. It turns out cedar also repels mosquitoes! Despite his exceptional skill and hard work, Sadiki's lot in life is only a fraction better than run of the mill carpenters who have minimal skills and who also only put in minimal effort. The saving grace for Sadiki is that his satisfied customers go back for more and his reputation spreads by word of mouth. Poor carpentry work here is to be blamed not only on the poor training carpenters receive here and the poor equipment they must struggle with, but also on market failure. Carpenters don't know how to package their products and market them effectively. In developed countries too if it were not for department stores and furniture stores to stock and sell the products of the carpenters there, they too would face similar marketing problems. Unfortunately, the department stores and furniture shops are in urban areas and they prefer to import their goods from China or other Asian countries rather than bother with helping the local carpenters. The few stores that carry locally produced furniture mostly cater to the expatriates. These specialize in "exotic" products such as furniture made of seasoned dhow (traditional sail boat) wood or wood ornately carved in the Zanzibari style, all sold at exorbitant prices. Exceptional village carpenters like Sadiki are known only to consumers in their immediate environ. Since rural consumers are not particular about the quality of finish but are more concerned about costs, given their meager income, even Sadiki curbs his penchant for quality and churns out mediocre products in the shortest possible time. So should it be any surprise that the furniture we see around is very much of substandard quality? It's so tempting for outsiders to draw quick and fast conclusion that carpenters here are incompetent. But chance encounters with the likes of Sadiki is positively humbling. No doubt there are workers like him in all walks of life. That raises questions that are worth pondering. What if we were in his disadvantaged position from birth, how far could we ourselves have reached? What if Sadiki had the benefits of the developed world behind him from birth, how far could he have soared? Humbling food for thought. The writer resides on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. She worked for the World Bank for nearly 30 years and her email is youngkimaro@gmail.com. Seoul unveiled new sanctions against North Korea Friday following the adoption of a U.N. resolution condemning Pyongyang's fifth and most powerful nuclear test in September. It is particularly noteworthy that the sanctions blacklist some of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's closest aides. They include Choe Ryong-hae, a vice chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party; and director of the military's general political bureau Hwang Pyong-so, a vice marshal. Dandong Hongxiang Industrial Development, a Chinese firm, and its executives are also on the list the first time a foreign firm has been subject to Korea's sanctions for dealing with North Korea. Sixty-nine organizations, including the Workers' Party and the State Affairs Commission, and 79 individuals will be subject to punitive measures in connection with Pyongyang's nuclear activities. The U.S. and China are also expected to announce fresh sanctions soon. Shortly after the adoption of the U.N. resolution, which caps Pyongyang's annual coal exports, Pyongyang conducted a large-scale artillery drill simulating an attack on Seoul. Korea's new sanctions come amid high uncertainty, with the nation's commander-in-chief unable to function properly due to a political crisis that has led to an impeachment push by opposition parties. The President is struggling with political survival, but the government should maintain its focus on security issues and North Korea affairs. The relevant ministries should keep cooperating closely with the U.S., China and Japan and the rest of the international community on ways to curb North Korea's nuclear program. Seoul should show leadership in ensuring that multilateral and unilateral sanctions are properly implemented. The government should also be alert about changes that may occur in North Korea's regime under the Trump administration in the U.S. There is speculation that the North Korean leader may show an intention to communicate with the new U.S. president. Seoul should prepare to deal with various scenarios so that its security situation will not be undermined by a power transition in the U.S. President needs to spell out when she will leave Faced with an impeachment crisis and nationwide anti-President protests for weeks, Park Geun-hye made a third national address earlier this week in which she mentioned for the first time her willingness to leave office early. This did little to assuage the people's fury toward the scandal-ridden President or change the opposition parties' impeachment push, as the address contained no details on when she would step down. Instead she told the National Assembly to agree on a roadmap for her resignation. Park said she only hopes for the nation to get back on track as soon as possible. The President must realize this is impossible unless she specifically sets a date for her exit and assures the people she is truly willing to take responsibility for the unprecedented influence-peddling scandal. During her third public apology Tuesday, the President said she would "put everything down." But since then, Park's course of action suggests her true intentions are far from letting go of power. Her visit to Seomun Market in her political hometown of Daegu was highly inappropriate. Park has visited Seomun Market, one of Daegu's biggest, at several critical junctures in her political career. This was her first outside public appearance in 35 days since she visited Busan on Oct. 27. The visit was criticized as nothing more than a photo-op because she stayed only about 15 minutes and left without hearing the concerns of those who work in the market. Public sentiment in Daegu, where Park started her Assembly career, is not much different from that in the rest of the country. The visit was ill-timed and politically motivated to regain public support as her approval rating has plummeted to an irrecoverable level. In a rare move, Cheong Wa Dae even disclosed that Park cried upon returning to Seoul from the market. It is incomprehensible that the presidential office, which has only given vague responses to the many allegations surrounding the President, was so forthcoming about such trivial information. No amount of tears will bring back the trust Park has lost or turn the tide of an impeachment vote set for next week. Even her Saenuri Party is tilting toward a voluntary exit in place of an impeachment motion, which will lead to more confusion and prolong the leadership void. The ruling party has decided to have Park resign by April 30 and hold a presidential election in June. Another huge protest is scheduled for Saturday in central Seoul to demand Park's immediate resignation. Park should listen to some Saenuri Party members who have asked her to specify the timing of her resignation by no later than Dec. 7. According to Cheong Wa Dae, Park is planning a meeting with the ruling party and possibly a press conference. On these occasions, Park must specify when she will leave office and should not attach any conditions. She should also announce definitively that she will back away from state affairs and hand over her authority to the Assembly-recommended prime minister. South Korea's unilateral action aimed at punishing North Korea for its recent nuclear test will be an expanded version of Seoul's existing sanctions designed to get Pyongyang to give up its nuclear and missile development programs, a government official said Thursday. Seoul is set to announce a fresh set of sanctions on Friday, just two days after the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) adopted a new package to penalize the reclusive state for moving forward with its fifth nuclear test in September. The announcement will be made by the prime minister's office. An official at Seoul's unification ministry declined to reveal details, but he said that the upcoming punitive steps will be an updated version of the unilateral sanctions imposed in March. On March 8, South Korea unveiled its own sanctions, including an entry ban at South Korean ports of vessels that have visited the North, about a week after the UNSC slapped its toughest-ever sanctions on Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile provocations early this year. It also blacklisted scores of key North Korean officials and organizations suspected of being involved in the development of its nuclear and missile programs. But the North's leader Kim Jong-un and his younger sister Kim Yo-jong were not included on the list. Touching on the latest U.N. sanctions, the official said that the resolution reflected efforts to close loopholes found in the previous resolution. On Wednesday, the UNSC decided to impose a significant cap on Pyongyang's exports of coal and slap on other restrictions in a bid to cut off major sources of hard currency for the regime. Under the March resolution, North Korea's coal exports for "livelihood" purposes were allowed, an exception that has been exploited by the country. The government official said North Korea's trade with China rose by a smaller-than-expected pace this year from a year earlier, possibly affected by a set of U.N. sanctions. North Korea's trade with China rose 2.7 percent on-year to US$3.33 billion in the April-October period, the official said, citing data by the Korea International Trade Association (KITA). (Yonhap) CEO Kim Jung-gong talks with The Korea Times about his new company Chef on, a fine dining delivery service. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk Chef on delivers affordable fine food to people's homes By Kim Ji-soo, Kim Tae-gyu In the connected and busy Korean society, almost everything is just a click or a call away. Kim Jung-gong, CEO of the online-to-offline (O2O) food delivery business Chef on, believes fine dining food should also be. Started barely eight weeks ago, Chef on delivers fine food directly to people's homes on the belief that people should be able to enjoy high-quality, delicious food at relatively affordable prices. "For me, food brings people together and creates memories. I have always thought that food comforts people," Kim said. Kim, a Seoul native, has always enjoyed food. His father could not digest artificial condiments so his mother had to cook well, and cook well she did. Kim said many of his friends came over to his house to enjoy his mother's cooking. His mother also suffers from diabetes so Kim is picky about what goes into his food. So for his start-up, Chef on, which he started with seed financing from Korean accelerator company The Ventures he partnered with three Korean chefs: Choi Seung-gwang, who has been cooking French food for a long time; Chung Ho-gyun, who is known for his experimental spirit and makes the pasta with Chef on; and Lim Hoe-seon, who is known for her healthy Mediterranean dishes. Together, the three chefs, with the help of four cooks, have developed some 12 dishes, including tiramisu. They make the dishes, including the stock and sauces, from scratch and only upon order. "At Chef on, we make our own sauces, and we start cooking when the order comes in. Our goal is to make the delivery so that the food remains hot," Kim said. To keep the prepared food warm, it is packed in cases that can go into the microwave or on the grill for an hour at most. Kim, who studied chemical engineering at Hanyang University and previously worked in leading companies such as Samsung C&T, Lazard and LG Electronics, also has a broad wealth of experience with fine dining. When he was studying for his MBA at the University of California, Berkeley, he dined at fine restaurants in the area such as Chez Panisse. He said he was also inspired by the book "Setting the Table" by Danny Meyer, who created Union Square Cafe in New York, and more recently, the burger chain Shake Shack. "This is food from a high-end restaurant that ends up on your table, instead of on a restaurant table, at a reasonable price," Kim said. The Chef on menu includes a la carte French dishes, such as beef bourguignon (35,000 won) and chicken roulade (19,000 won), that you may otherwise find only in multi-course meals at top French restaurants. The chicken roulade, one of the most popular dishes at Chef on, comes with barley risotto, pesto and broccoli and asparagus, Kim said. Chef on's chicken roulade by chef Choi Seung-gwang. / Courtesy of Chef on "These dishes take a long time to prepare, but the chefs put in the hours, and you can have the dishes delivered to your home," he said. The main and pasta dishes are delivered with salad. The company delivers orders priced at 30,000 won and above free of charge. One must check the menu on its website (www.chefon.kr), the dingdong app and over the phone (02-567-7670) before ordering. While Chef on currently services only the southern Seoul districts of Gangnam and Seocho, it plans to extend service to other neighborhoods, such as Jamsil, Mok-dong and Gwanghwamun, as well as to Pangyo and Bundang in Gyeonggi Province. But Kim's real ambition is for the business to expand beyond Korean borders; he wants to launch Chef on in such Asian markets as Hong Kong and Singapore, where the customers are more accustomed to paying higher prices for good food and where there is a larger pool of consumers for fine dining to begin with. If and when these ideas come to fruition, he wants to facilitate a chef exchange, between Korea and, perhaps, Hong Kong, and subsequently introduce fusion menus. Kim believes he is lucky to have been able to start the service in the 1.5 trillion won, highly advanced domestic delivery food market. "So many Korean people have food delivered to their homes and places of work, but I haven't really seen food that comes up to our standards. I am also fortunate that there is a heightened interest in chefs," he said. For those thinking about prices, Kim said Chef on meals are priced starting at 30,000 won through 49,000 won with the option of adding extras, a price range that is on par with Chinese food delivery. He said so far, 50 percent of their customers have been repeat customers. But the business is still in its early days, and he hopes to add more dishes and more chefs to Chef on. "Dining is an important ritual. Eating together means one is willing to share food, the dishes, which means a lot," Kim said. "But food is about your lifestyle; it reflects your values in life, I think." By Lee Min-hyung CEO Jo Seong-jin LG Electronics hopes to give momentum to its ailing mobile business under the new leadership of Vice Chairman and CEO Jo Seong-jin. The Seoul-based electronics firm announced the management reshuffle on Thursday, eliminating its previous triple-CEO structure and promoting Jo as sole CEO. He has been head of the home appliance and air solution (H&A) unit since 2013, having been noted for his crisis management ability and innovative mindset. The H&A division reported a 1.19 trillion won ($1.1 billion) combined operating profit from the first to third quarters this year, up more than 25 percent from a year ago. Market watchers estimate its yearly operating profit to top 1.5 trillion won this year. LG attributed Jo's performance-based capability and strong leadership to the unit's stunning growth this year, leading the firm to promote him to the top post. But the management reshuffle came at a critical time with its mobile communication (MC) division posting weak earnings in recent quarters. LG believes the new management system led by Jo can give fresh momentum to its ailing mobile business, helping the unit possibly post a turnaround next year. "LG Electronics decided to name Jo as our new sole CEO in recognition for his charismatic decision-making in recent years to launch innovative new products, and his performance has been proven in quarterly earnings," an LG Electronics official said. "We highly recognized his efforts to maintain stable growth and improve our brand value by successfully launching our premium brand LG Signature and Signature Kitchen Suite. This will have positive effects on other divisions." LG Electronics' mobile chief Cho Juno will continue in office next year, despite predictions that he might lose his post amid weakening profitability, with its flagship devices losing market share here and abroad. The MC division has reported an operating loss for six consecutive quarters since the April-June quarter last year. In particular, the division posted a 436.4 billion won operating loss this third quarter, a huge drop compared with a year ago, when it reported a 302.9 billion won operating loss. At that time, the company attributed the loss to weak sales of its flagship smartphone, the G5. As part of the company's efforts to offset the impact, LG has sought to realign its handset distribution structure by selling budget models in the U.S. which failed and worsened profitability. Despite all the negative landscape, chances are that the mobile unit can generate synergies by teaming up with Jo, according to a mobile industry source. "Jo has turned LG's home appliance division into the global No. 1 brand," said the source. "I believe other units including the MC can take advantage of his decades-long expertise in the electronics industry." By Lee Min-hyung Dongbu Daewoo Electronics is facing a lawsuit from a female worker at its U.K branch who claims she has fallen victim to sexual and racial discrimination from her boss, according to local reports Friday. The 43-year-old woman has sued the Seoul-based electronics company for gender, age and racial discrimination, after she claimed she was demoted to secretarial duties for refusing to bow to her boss, the Guardian reported. She reportedly said the problem started when she was promoted to become the firm's financial manager and head of human resources who reported directly to the boss surnamed Yoo. She reportedly asked him why she was asked to do secretarial duties such as making coffee. But her boss was quoted as saying: "Isn't that what female workers should do?" according to reports. She said she felt discriminated against as she was viewed as a Korean female and younger, which is why she thinks she can be looked down upon. The woman has an English father and Korean mother. She claims she lost her managerial role, as she was not a white British man. "Nothing specific has yet to be confirmed over the incident and her argument," said a Dongbu Daewoo Electronics spokesman, refusing to comment further citing the ongoing investigation. "The local branch will do the utmost to unveil the truth behind the incident." The boss has reportedly denied the claim by saying that: "The suggestion raised by her about me demanding that she bow to me is simply not true." He also reportedly stressed that bowing is entirely voluntary, even if bowing is considered a custom in Korea. But she claimed that Yoo wanted her to be his eyes and ears, and was constantly called into his office, spending hours in the room with the door firmly shut. This was because she has been the only bilingual Korean and English speaker at the firm until a native Korean employee joined her team in February 2015, according to local news reports. Korean actor Ko Kyung Pyo will be visiting Singapore for his first event with fans! This will be his first visit to Singapore and his first fan meet overseas in the South East Asia region. Ko Kyung Pyo is a rising Korean actor whose last acting production was the popular drama, "Jealousy Incarnate" (otherwise known as "Incarnation of Jealousy"), where he played the role of Ko Jung Won, the only heir to a large corporation that manages several clothing brands. Prior to this, Ko Kyung Pyo was also the main cast in the popular family drama series, "Reply 1988", where he played the role of Sung Sun Woo, a student council president. Organized by KMTV Asia, and sponsored by Grand Park Orchard and 5:5, Ko Kyung Pyo's 1st Fan Meeting in Singapore will be held on 7th January 2017 (Saturday), 7PM at Suntec Convention Centre, Level 3. This exclusive event is only open to 150 fans who will have the chance to get upclose and personal with the actor himself. Fans attending the fan meeting will receive a hi-touch and a group photo with Ko Kyung Pyo at the end of the event. During the event, some lucky fans might even have the chance to take a selfie with him too! Tickets priced at $148 (excluding $3 booking fee), will go on sale at www.asiaboxoffice.com from 17 December 2016 at 10AM. Be sure to follow KMTV on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and stay tuned for more exciting announcements on getting up-close with the actor! Ticketing Details Ko Kyung Pyo's 1st Fan Meeting in Singapore Date & Time: 7th January 2017, 7PM Venue: Suntec Convention Centre, Level 3 Price: $148 (excluding $3 booking fee) Thailand's crown prince, Maha Vajiralongkorn, has ascended to the throne as the country's new king, marking a new era in Thai history after the 70-year reign of his late father, Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in October. Thai media reported late Thursday the 64-year-old crown prince had accepted an invitation to ascend to the throne presented by Thai National Legislative Assembly President Pornpetch Wichitcholchai. The "invitation" was made to the crown prince just hours after returning from Germany where he also has a residence. The new monarch will be known as His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, and will be Thailands 10th king of the Chakri Dynasty. The date of the coronation day has not yet been set. But it is likely to take place after the royal cremation of King Bhumibol, expected late in 2017. Process The process began earlier this week when the president of the National Legislative Assembly invited Vajiralongkorn to ascend to the throne "and become king of the Thai people." Since a revolution in 1932 overturned the absolute monarchy, the role of the king in Thailand has been as a constitutional head of state. Vijiralongkorn, whom Bhumipol anointed as his heir in 1972, will be the 10th in line of , which dates back to 1782. The line was noted by the reign of Rama V, King Chulalongkorn from 1868 to 1920, known for his steps at modernizing the country. Highly acclaimed actor Jang-Hyuk is currently shooting for the new crime drama "Voice" with Lee Ha-Na. The drama will be shown on the Orion Channel Network (OCN), a popular cable channel for TV and movie in Korea and a subsidiary of CJ E&M "Voice" will start airing on January 7, 2017, according to Seoul Daily News. Jang-Hyuk and Lee are the lead characters in the drama. The drama follows the story of a police detective Moo Jin-Hyuk (Jang) who is an excellent detective. However, one day his wife was murdered in an alleged serial killer attack. He is filled with guilt subsequently, and secretly hunting down his wife's murderer. Another main character is a police academy graduate Kang Kwon-Joo (Lee) who work at the emergency call center. Her father is also a police officer, and in one occasion he was murdered at the crime scene by the perpetrator. To overcome her grief, Kwon-Joo went to the U.S. to study profiling and becoming voice profiler when she returns to Korea. Korean Air has launched a new route to Delhi, India, becoming the country's second carrier after Asiana Airlines to fly from Incheon to the Indian capital. The airline said on Thursday it will operate the route five times a week -- Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays -- flying an Airbus A330-200 with a capacity of 218 passengers. The airline now flies to 119 cities overseas, including Mumbai, India. Hollywood actors Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence will visit Korea this month to promote their new science-fiction film "Passengers." Universal Pictures International Korea said on Thursday that the stars will arrive on Dec. 16 for their first visit to the country and attend a fan meet and press conference. Seoul announced unilateral sanctions against North Korea on Friday to throttle the flow of money into the regime's nuclear and missile programs. The aim is to supplement a fresh sanctions package adopted by the UN Security Council on Wednesday in response to the North's latest nuclear test in September, a government spokesman here said Thursday. Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said the U.S. and Japan will also announce their own plans to further tighten sanctions against the North. The fresh UN sanctions slap limits on coal exports on the North and ban trade in precious metals. South Korea's own sanctions will include blacklisting China's Hongxiang Industrial Development, which is thought to handle much of the trade between China and North Korea and became the target of a secondary boycott from the U.S. in September. It is the first time Seoul has targeted a Chinese company over dealings with the North Korean regime. South Korea will also extend the entry ban on ships under flags from third countries if they spend at least six months in North Korean ports, on the assumption that they are either flying flags of convenience or depend solely on trade with the North, meaning they will have to give up on the much bigger South Korean market. In a largely symbolic move, Seoul also blacklisted a number of North Korean officials including top apparatchiks Choe Ryong-hae and Hwang Pyong-so. Tokyo is soon set to approve a re-entry ban on more members of the influential pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan or Chongryon, and to freeze assets of more North Korean enterprises and officials, NHK reported. Back in March, U.S. President Barack Obama issued an executive order to blacklist North Korean officials responsible for human rights violations, based on which Washington blacklisted North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on July 6. "Washington will highly likely expand the scope of sanctions against Pyongyang through a new executive order this time, too," a government official here said. The Obama administration "will likely lay the groundwork for the incoming administration to apply a broader secondary boycott rather than naming specific companies like Hongxiang," a diplomatic source said. Exports grew in November, the first increase in three months and a 16-month high in money terms. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Thursday that exports totaled US$45.5 billion last month, up 2.7 percent compared to the same month last year. Exports rebounded in August for the first time in 20 months but slowed down again until last month. Imports in November totaled $37.5 billion, up 10.1 percent on-year. Cumulative exports during the first 11 months totaled $483.3 billion, down 7.4 percent. Eleven out of 13 key export items including petrochemicals, semiconductors, steel and automobiles rose. Shipments to China, Korea's No. 1 export destination, rose 0.4 percent on-year to $11.66 billion last month, the first increase since June 2015. But analysts said global risk factors limit hopes that the recovery will continue. The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary Read more This article appears in the December 2, 2016 issue of Executive Intelligence Review. Zepp-LaRouche Sparks Peru Mass Movement [Print version of this article] Nov. 29Few voices have ever been heard in any national conference of any economist associations in the trans-Atlantic region in recent decades discussing even the status of the existing physical economy, let alone a vision for its future development. Not so in the XXIII Annual Congress of the Peru Association of Economists, held from Nov. 17-19. The Ucayali chapter of the national association, hosting this years congress, organized the gathering around the subject of The Peru-Brazil Bioceanic Railroad: Impact on the Economy of the Amazon Region and the Country, and they invited the world-renowned Silk Road Lady, Schiller Institute founder and president Helga Zepp-LaRouche, to deliver the keynote presentation. The Congress was held in Pucallpa, a city of some 210,000 people which is the capital of the department of Ucayali in Perus Amazon region. The Ucayali economists have been in active discussions with several Chinese institutions on building the bioceanic train connecting the Atlantic and the Pacific through Peru and Brazil for good reason: Pucallpa is only an hour and 10 minute flight from the nations capital, Lima, yet it takes two and a half days to reach Pucallpa by land, because of the condition of the roads leading to it. These folks understood that investment in infrastructure is required if any development is to occur. Zepp-LaRouche presented the Economists congress, however, with a sweeping overview of the stunning potential for a New Paradigm for all of humanity, and what Perus role can and should be in advancing it, which went far beyond the common, limited notion of infrastructure (see Nov. 25 EIR), and the effect was electrifying. Economy From the Moon Congress of Economists Discusses a Futurist Plan of a Lunar Economy, Impetu, the dean of the Pucallpa media, headlined its coverage of the congress, featuring Zepp-LaRouches presentation. Zepp-LaRouche argued that in less than a year, an alliance of nations has been created, which has built a parallel economy at breakneck speed dedicated exclusively to the building of the real economy, in opposition to the maximization of speculative monetary gain, which now includes more than half of humanity, Impetu wrote. This new community of nationsZepp-LaRouche continuedrepresents a center of power based on economic growth, and above all, on advanced technology which belongs to the future, as is seen in the success of the Chinese moon exploration program, focused on the idea of bringing great quantities of helium-3 from the Moon to Earth for the future thermonuclear fusion economy. She argued that this orientation for a futurist economy points the way to a scientific and technological revolution which will increase, by orders of magnitude, energy flux density, both in the production process on Earth, as well as in the fuel for space travel, and, in this way, introduce a completely new phase in the evolution of the human species. Another Pucallpa daily, Al Dia, headlined its coverage: Specialist Helga Zepp Explained Via Internet to the Congress of Economists that the Bi-oceanic Railroad Can Bring the World to a More Just Economic Order. Zepp-LaRouche explained that the bi-oceanic railroad is a project which will change the current world, which is seeking a more just economic order, they reported. She noted that the change of world paradigms, recently exemplified in the Brexit vote and the U.S. presidential elections, in the context of the global trans-Atlantic financial crisis, which is much worse than that of 2009, may have in the bi-oceanic railroad a basis for world economic recovery. Helga Zepp reviewed the history of Chinas One Belt, One Road policy, the alternative to the trans-Atlantic financial collapse, as well as her own activity over 45 years, along with the U.S. economist Lyndon LaRouche, and with developing sector statesmen such as Indira and Rashid [sic] Gandhi and Jose Lopez Portillo, among others, in support of development corridors designed to build a more just world economic order. Zepp-LaRouches presentation shows the unique opportunity that the Brazil-Peru trans-continental rail project represents, which is being supported by broad political, business and professional sectors in Peru and South America, and by the Chinese government; whereas The Economist of London has attacked it as damaging to the Amazon environment, a false and misleading argument, according to social organizations of the Peruvian Amazon region, the newspaper concluded. A National Mobilization Begins Zepp-LaRouche delivered her keynote address on Nov. 17, at the opening session of the congress. On the second day, a parallel meeting was held in Pucallpa to pressure for the immediate adoption of Chinas proposed Bioceanic Rail Corridor. More than 400 people attended this public session of the Transportation Committee of the National Congress of Peru, eight of whose members traveled from Lima to Pucallpa for the occasion. Numerous regional governors, including of the host region Ucayali, and mayors were also present, along with a number of popular organizations and business groups, as well as a strong delegation from the Association of Economists (whose national congress continued nearby). Perus major national print and TV media were also present. EIRNS Hundreds of copies of a DVD of Zepp-LaRouches presentation the day before, were handed out to those present by the head of the Ucayali Economists Association, as were hundreds of copies of the 60-page pamphlet published by the association, containing excerpts from EIRs The New Silk Road Becomes the World Land-Bridge special report, and Lyndon LaRouches Four Laws. All of the congressmen present came out strongly in favor of the rail project, with a number of them denouncing the government of Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (PPK) for blocking the project. Congressman Carlos Tubino of the Fujimorista Fuerza Popular party (which was defeated in the recent presidential elections by Boston banker PPK), announced that, immediately upon his return to Lima, he would be calling a hearing in the national Congress on the rail project, and requiring the presence for questioning on the matter of PPKs Transportation Minister. The Ucayali Development Front, a regional popular organization, spoke of organizing a regional strike if the rail project is not begun immediately. The Governor of Ucayali also spoke forcefully for the project. A detailed report on the technical details and feasibility of the project was given by Justo Vargas, an adviser to the Governor of Ucayali and a leading organizer of the Economists Association congress, who had also traveled to China earlier this year for meetings with CREEC (the China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Company, Ltd.) and others. All in all, some 18 peopleincluding EIRs Peru representative Luis Vasquezaddressed the explosive meeting, of whom 16 voiced unqualified support for the project; only two raised environmentalist concerns. We Share Zepp-LaRouches View Following the conclusion of the congress of the Economists, Roberto Vela Pinedo, Dean of the Association of Economists of Ucayali, issued a document summarizing the results of the gathering, sent to all 24 regional Associations of Economists in Peru with their 20,000 or so members. Its opening statement was blunt: We economists of Peru, gathered in the city of Pucallpa, informing national and international public opinion of our position regarding the current situation of the country and the world, state the following: 1) That, analyzing the keynote address presented to us by Dr. Helga Zepp-LaRouche, we share the perspective on world development that her message presented, and which can be seen at the following link: http://financiardesarrollo.blogspot.pe/2016/11/la-ferrovia-transcontinental-brasil.html After this opening point of emphasis, Vela went on to write: 6) To overcome this crisis, the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), led by China and Russia, proposed and initiated the construction of a new financial architecture directed at developing nations physical economies, in a sovereign relationship in which everyone wins (the win-win [original in Englished.]) strategy, that demolishes the ancien regimes zero-sum game, under which some win and others lose. . . Peru must join this process in order to achieve growth. 7) We must restructure the states economic policy and replace the neoliberal model with a model of development of productive transformation with equity. . . 8) We need to apply science, technology and innovation in our economic development, as the basis for being competitive. . . 11) We must create a Ministry of Strategic Planning to formulate the vision of the country we wish to be. . . and have a new Ministry of Technology and Production. . . 16) The first great step along the path of industrial development and the promotion of scientific and technological capabilities, is that Peru, as a paradigmatic example of this new sovereign relationship in which everyone wins (the win-win strategy), should approve the proposal of the government of the Popular Republic of China to build a trans-continental railroad along the Northern Route, which would link the ports of Santos in Brazil and Bayovar in Peru, emphasizing the development of hundreds of complementary projects, such as: agriculture, agro-industry, manufacturing, fishing, ports, nuclear energy, petrochemicals, scientific and technological innovation, road infrastructure, the creation of new intelligent cities, and the creation of thousands of jobs, etc. After four days of deliberations, we have agreed to demand that the central government [of Peru] accept and promote the construction of this mega-project, given that it is the only one at this time focused on continental integration, and which already has a signed Memorandum of Understanding among the governments of the China, Brazil and Peru. Gretchen Small This edited transcript appears in the December 2, 2016 issue of Executive Intelligence Review. TOWARD OUR HIGHER IDENTITY A Moment for Greatness by Kesha Rogers [Print version of this article] The dignity of man into your hands is given. Its keeper be. With you it sinks, with you it will arise. from Schillers poem, The Artists Adapted from an oral presentation to the meeting of the Manhattan Project, Nov. 26. Nov. 27During a recent discussion with leaders of his U.S. national organization, Lyndon LaRouche made the following assessment in response to the rapidly developing global situation. He weighed just how this profound moment of great achievement and profound responsibility must be approached, as it confronts all thinking Americans and all others throughout the world who seek a more prosperous future for the whole of mankind. The things to be considered are deep, he said. They are not choices of program policies; they are not superficial. That goes to the space program, and once you look at the space program in a critical way in terms of the universenot in a practical way, but in terms of the universethen you really begin to see what the chances before us in the world now are. Understand that practical interpretations will not cut the mustard. You have to get at the idea of what the procedure is, the manner to create the new universe of mankind. So, that is the question at hand. What is the procedure that must be put forth to create the new universe of mankind? I think that is the question before us: How do we bring this new universe into existence? Thats the challenge that all of us have right now, as we see the rapid transformations in the world economy. At this very moment, the United States has a unique responsibility to join in the efforts for the global shifts now under way. What we accomplish in the next four weeks will be decisive for shaping this new universe which mankind must bring about. The imperative fight before us is for the immediate implementation of Mr. LaRouches Four Laws, with the reinstatement of Glass-Steagall banking protection as a first measure. Mr. LaRouche has defined these Four Laws, not as a part of some sort of policy decision, but as a total transformation, which is now underway, to bring the United States up to the standard of what it must do in light of the global shifts taking place throughout the world. These shifts themselves have been a response to the leadership of Lyndon and Helga Zepp-LaRouche over the past decades, against the evils of a financial oligarchical system; that is what Glass-Steagall represents. We are now poised to bring down the Bush/Obama/Cheney apparatusthe disintegrating financial system and evil empireonce and for all. A Leap in Progress Once you do that, what is it that youre going to be bringing into existence? I think it is important to look at the developments, the rapid transformation that has been underway for the past several weeks now. Look particularly at the ongoing developments coming from the leadership of the BRICS nationsRussia, China, India, Brazil, South Africaand particularly from the leadership of Russia and China. This is not something that just sort of fell into our laps, or that should be looked as a development of new events. It is really a transformation of mankind. It is mankind taking a leap in the development of a new system of relations among nations, throughout the planet and throughout the universe, which has to be understood in a critical way. The conception of mankind, and of the intrinsic nature of mankind, as Mr. LaRouche has identified it, is imperative for understanding the ongoing global events. If, for example, you look at the global shifts manifest in the developments at the APEC summit in Lima, Peru, Nov. 17-19 and the role of Chinas President Xi Jinping and others there, you see that you have to address this from the understanding that a new system of international relations is now coming into being. View full size Xinhua/Ding Lin In the aftermath of the summit, President Xi visited Peru, Ecuador, and Chile. Chinas Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, described the tour as aimed at building a community of common destiny. He told the Xinhua news service that the results were impressive, making enormous strides towards building a community of common destiny with other nations of Latin America and the Caribbean by holding the higher banner of a peaceful development and cooperation. He said they were coordinating their development strategies, upgrading their cooperation, and bringing benefits to their people. In the midst of these rapid international developments, our leadership was also manifest. On the opening day of the APEC summit, November 17, Mrs. LaRouche addressed a meeting in Lima, Peru that had a profound impact. This is really characteristic of the leadership shown by Mr. and Mrs. LaRouche. She addressed the XXIII National Congress of the Association of Peruvian Economists. At the conclusion of the event, the economists issued a conclusive statement of endorsement, saying, We share Helga Zepp-LaRouches perspective on world development. What is under way here has to be understood as a leap in the progress of mankind. We are now at a point where the evil of a system of empire, of degeneracy, of financial collapse, is now totally disintegrating and is ending. This result has been the ongoing work of Lyndon and Helga Zepp-LaRouche and our political organization. This is exactly what Mr. LaRouche addressed yesterday as the fight that is now under way, saying that these are not just choices of programs or policies that can be enacted in a superficial way, or that you can look at these world developments in a piecemeal way. As if this event is happening here, or that event is happening there. It is imperative to recognize that a new definition of mankind is now coming to fruition. In addressing LaRouches conception of a corresponding economic platform for this new definition of mankind, my colleague Ben Deniston of the LaRouche PAC Basement Team took up the profound conception that has been uniquely identified by Lyndon LaRouche, that the platform must be conceived from the standpoint of the development of the Solar system, with the leaps necessary for our development of the Moon as a first priority. Infrastructure Not the Answer But why is all this necessary? How do you think about these things? First of all, you have to ask the question as Mr. LaRouche did: What is the intrinsic meaning of the human being? Of the existence of the human being, and of all human beings? What makes the universe do what it does for the function of mankind as such? The question is, what mankind can do to change the behavior of the universe as such. As he was making those comments, it reminded me of President John F. Kennedy, when he proclaimed, My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: Ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. If you really want to address that goal in the way that Kennedy intended, and which the financial British imperial system and oligarchy have completely opposed from the very beginning, you really have to address it from the standpoint of mankinds unique role in changing the behavior of the universe as such. View full size NASA That means we have to go to work to understand what the characteristics of the universe are, to understand the creative nature of mankind in being able to increase the leaps of development and transform not just our single planet, but the entire universe. I think that gets at the core of the platform conception of economic development of Mr. LaRouche. What Ben Deniston laid out yesterday were the fundamental practical applications that are absolutely necessary to get us to the point where we reject the notion of limits to growth and reject the notion that there is a budgetary crisis that keeps us from accomplishing these goals of mankind in mastering the development of space. We must understand the concept of leaps in economic platforms so that we can avoid addressing the needs of space development from a piecemeal standpoint. The United States must enter into the new paradigm that is now underway and is being immediately defined by the nations of Russia and China. We have clearly defined the actions necessary to bring the United States into that new system of international relations in our publication, The United States Joins the New Silk Road: A Hamiltonian Vision for an Economic Renaissance. It outlines the programmatic approach of our movement. You cannot create an economic renaissance, or even have a Hamiltonian vision for an economic renaissance, by addressing economic development from the standpoint of infrastructure. This gets to the very core of the discussion currently under way. What is the difference between piecemeal steps of infrastructure development, and the conceptual understanding of creating an economic renaissance through leaps in mankinds creative progress? Mr. LaRouche has taken up that subject on many counts. In a moment I will read a quote from him that addresses it from the standpoint of physical economy: increases in the creative potential of mankind, and the leaps of economic progress that come from these advances in the creative potential of the human mind. I am referring to advances in what we as a species have that is uniquely different from all other species. When you talk about leaps in economic platformsmy colleagues and I were just discussing this todayit probably would have been mind-boggling to people in the pre-Lincoln era of the Oregon Trail if they could see where we are today. Then, it took four or five months to travel from Missouri to Oregon under very harsh conditions. Now, because of leaps in transportation technology, you can make the trip in a matter of four to five hours. Then you look at what it took for us to get to the Moon with the Saturn V rocket. That technologyas essential as it was at the timewould not be sufficient now to get us to Mars safelyin the context of the necessary leaps in economic, scientific, and technological platforms. We have to actually develop the region of low-Earth orbit and the region of the Moon, as a platform for launching to Mars. This is something that really has to be taken up. Higher Conception of Human Identity Lets go back to LaRouches conception of an economic platform in physical economics. What I am going to quote fromand I recommend that you go back and read itis the book that Mr. LaRouche wrote in 2008 after his famous economic forecast of July 25, 2007. Its called The State of Our Union: The End of Our Delusion! In that programmatic work, he writes: In physical economy, for example, it is those creative powers of the individual human mind associated with the means by which the human mind generates, or replicates either a discovery of a universal physical principle, or a modification of the application of that physical principle as such, which is the essential marker of cognitive activity. This includes discoveries respecting the principle of life itself. It is the processes of discovery of such principles, of amplification of the categories of application and range of application of such discovered principles, which are the core subject of creativity. So, that is what is at hand right now for our understanding of the embodiment, what lies at the foundation of Lyndon LaRouches Four Laws. They represent a transformation in the prevailing conception of who we are as a species, and state the corresponding policy that must be enacted now. This is not a policy that can be eventually adopted, nor can we wait to see what President-elect Donald Trump is going to do. Our role and responsibility is to shape the institution of the Presidency and to shape the new Presidency. That means not just shaping relations within the United States and within the process of political activities in the United States. Understand this as a process shaping the universe as a whole, shaping the global developments of the world as a whole, and that is imperative now. There is not a choice in the matter; this is not just a nice idea. It has to be undertaken immediately! We have to now realize the Hamiltonian vision for an economic renaissance. There has to be a new conception of mankind underway to do that. San Diego Air and Space Museum Archives We go back to Mr. LaRouches emphasis on development in space as a key to how we address the needs of mankind on the planet, how we address this higher identity of who we are as a species. He continues to bring up the role and leadership of the great space pioneer Krafft Ehricke, who has become a dear friend of mine in this fight to understand what is required to lead this nation from the brink of despair, under the evil and destructive policies of the Bush/Cheney/Obama regime, which now has to be ended. Ehrickes Insight I want to read a quote from Ehrickes article, A Case for Space. It is phenomenal, because he writes this eight months after the launch and landing of the Apollo 11 mission. This is February 1970; the Apollo mission had landed in July 1969. Its really fascinating just to think that Krafft Ehricke was not just an engineer, aeronautical scientist, and engineer who looked at space from the standpoint of practical applications. He looked at development in space from the standpoint of the human creative process; we do not go into space because its there, he wrote, but because we need its potential and we need to develop its potential for the development of the human species as a whole. On March 25, 1961, President Kennedy had announced the program to land a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth before the decade is out. There was then a major fight by the limits to growth, anti-human, anti-scientific progress, budget-cutting people, who were prepared to do everything to make sure that it didnt happen. After the horrific events in 1967 that halted the space programthe cabin fire that killed all three crew members of the Apollo 1 missionthere was a two-year period when it was very uncertain whether we were going to accomplish that goal that Kennedy had set into motion. NASA But as soon as that goal was accomplished and we had succeeded in sending a man to the Moon and returning him safely to Earth, despite a major (and continuing) fight, Ehricke wrote this paper, because the budget-cutting, imperialist, anti-development agenda was rearing its ugly head as never before. In his Case for Space, Krafft Ehricke writes: Among the many important challenges of our time, space is the only major challenge that is not borne out of past acts of ignorance, indifference, or mans inhumanity to man.... Space opens new horizons beyond Earth and offers new beginnings in the ways we can manage this precious planet. It offers noble aspirations, opportunities for creative action, for bringing the human family closer together and contributing to a better future for all. After further developing this thought, he identifies some of the attacks on the space program: Why would we want to spend this money in going into space; we have poverty and so many other concerns, so why would we want to actually spend the money to go into space? Ehricke writes that you do have to deal with war, with poverty, and all of the things that confront the nation and confront mankind; and he says, Like the space program, these other efforts have important positive goalsbadly needed in the era in which loss of identity is feared by so many young people, though never with less justification if they would just tune in rather than out. He continues, Improving living conditions and education, conquering disease, and overcoming social injustices are positive goals. The national space activity contributes to many of these efforts and certainly does not impede the others. Ehricke understood that the inspiration and development of mankinds purpose to enhance our development in space is absolutely imperative for accomplishing these goals, for addressing these concerns confronting mankind. Because they are not concerns that cannot be addressed; you have to look at what is bringing such injustices about. Mankind has suffered under a limitation on its creative potential. A limitation on growth has been put on mankind. Until we remove that limitation, we will never be able to address these concerns. To remove those limitations, we must define mankinds true purpose: What is the intrinsic nature of mankind? How do we create this new universal system? It is accomplished through the development of space and through bringing forth the vision, once and for all, of a true economic Renaissance in which the development of space is at the core of that mission. This article appears in the December 2, 2016 issue of Executive Intelligence Review. Xi Jinpings Ibero-American Tour Signals Global Strategic Shift by Cynthia R. Rush [Print version of this article] Nov. 28On the eve of Chinese President Xi Jinpings Nov. 17 arrival in Ecuador for a state visit, that countrys President Rafael Correa stated that Xis visit was the most important visit by a head of state in Ecuadors history, adding that Chinas involvement in Ecuadors economic development had changed Ecuadors history forever. Also anticipating Xi Jinpings arrival, Chiles former ambassador to China, Fernando Reyes Matta, told Xinhua, we will joyfully welcome Xi Jinping to Chile. . .We have new subjects [to discuss], new potentialities to dream, create and imagine with our feet placed in the 21st Century to develop both nations. These remarks are emblematic of the breathtaking shift in the global strategic situation, including in Ibero-America, away from the rotting trans-Atlantic financial system and toward the Russia- and China-led New Paradigm of win-win cooperation, to transform the planet with massive infrastructure development and advanced science and technology. This is what Xi Jinping has repeatedly referred to, over the past few years, and in last weeks Ibero-American tour, as building a Community of Common Destiny. The optimism and enthusiasm with which the Chinese President was greeted during his Nov. 17-23 state visits to Ecuador, Peru, and Chile, during which he outlined exciting proposals for broader cooperation at all levels, and the response to his crucial intervention at the Nov. 19-20 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Lima, offered stunning confirmation of this shift in a region where, only three months ago, London and Wall Street financial predators were boasting they had taken back the region for their side, after staging a coup against Brazils nationalist President Dilma Rousseff. That international bankers coup was intended to pull Brazil out of the BRICS, of which it is a founding member, or greatly weaken its role. View full size Xinhua/Lan Hongguang The explosive response to Schiller Institute President Helga Zepp-LaRouches keynote presentation at the Nov. 17-20 annual congress of the Economists Association of Peru, held in the Amazonian city of Pucallpa, was another powerful indicator of this strategic shift. Organized around the theme The Peru-Brazil Bioceanic Train: Impact on the Economy of the Amazon Region and the Country, the conference heard Zepp-LaRouche speak on Nov. 17, the same day that Xi Jinping began his Ibero-American tour, on the subject of the New Silk Road Concept: Facing the Collapse of the World Financial System. The broad impact of her keynotehundreds of DVDs of it are circulating widely was such that in summarizing the results of the Pucallpa gathering, in a document sent out to 20,000 members, Roberto Vela Pinedo, the Dean of the Ucayali chapter of the Economists Association which hosted the national congress, pointedly wrote that analyzing the keynote address presented to us by Dr. Helga Zepp-LaRouche, we share the perspective on world development that her message presented. (See page 9.) Center of Gravity Has Shifted In a Nov. 20 discussion with associates, Zepp-LaRouche emphasized that these developments reflect the international shift in the center of gravity and power to the new power center located in the New Paradigm and Chinas One Belt, One Road initiativea dynamic which has also been shaped by Lyndon and Helga LaRouches own decades-long fight on behalf of the World Land-Bridge conceptionwhich has evolved in accelerating fashion in a series of rapid-fire regional conferences in the past two months leading up to the APEC summit. The Sept. 2 meeting of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok was followed by the Sept. 4-5 G-20 meeting in Hangzhou, China, the Sept. 6-7 Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Laos and the Oct. 16 BRICS summit in Goa, Indiaall sharply focused on integrating the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) with Chinas One Belt, One Road initiative. Todays reality, Zepp-LaRouche said, is that the trans-Atlantic establishments are completely incapable of understanding that their model of globalization and neoliberal distribution of wealth from the poor to the rich has completely failed, and they are neither able to predict developments nor can they cope with the consequences of such events as the June Brexit vote in Britain or the Nov. 8 election of Donald Trump in the United States. APEC: Death Knell for the TPP The APEC summit, and the bilateral meetings and discussion that took place around it, reflected this new global reality, starting with its delivering a well-deserved burial for Barack Obamas hideous Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the bankers corporate dictatorship disguised as a free trade agreement. While lame duck Obama couldnt even be bothered with addressing the summithe was off trying to impress young Peruvians at a town hall meeting at Limas Catholic University Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, and other regional leaders seriously debated bold new initiatives to transform the Asia-Pacific region, a centerpiece of which is Chinas proposed Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP), first proposed at the 2014 APEC summit in Beijing. View full size Xinhua/Ju Peng In the past, Xi has used the annual APEC summits to launch major global initiatives. In 2014, aside from proposing the FTAAP, in a press conference with the hapless Obama standing at his side, he also announced the New Silk Road initiative and urged the United States and other nations to join in. Obama refused the offer. Then in 2015, in Manila, Xi announced the formation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), again emphasizing it was open to the entire world. Obama turned his back on it. Now, in 2016, Xi is doing the same with the FTAAP. Unlike the TPP, which was designed specifically to exclude China, the FTAAP would include all nations of the Asia-Pacific region wishing to join, including the United States, and is intended to foster the physical-economic development of the participating nations. As Xi emphasized in his Nov. 19 speech to the APEC CEO summit, the FTAAP is a strategic initiative for the long-term prosperity of the Asia-Pacific, which is directly linked to the Belt and Road initiative which China proposed three years ago. We need a framework of regional cooperation of equality, joint participation, and shared benefits. Arrangements that are closed and exclusive are not the correct option, he stressed. The 2016 Leaders Declaration, issued at the end of the APEC summit, reiterates their commitment to the eventual realization of the FTAAP. Xi stressed that over 100 countries and international organizations have joined in, or expressed support for, the One Belt, One Road initiative, forming a close circle of friends brought together by the common vision, mutual trust and friendship. The AIIB, he said, is up and running. The Silk Road Fund is in place . . . China welcomes all parties to join this initiative to meet challenges, share opportunities and seek common development. As he did at the early-September G-20 summit in Hangzhou, Xi stressed that the role of science and innovation is key, in solving the global economic crisis. We will continue to pursue the strategy of innovation-driven development and deepen R&:D structural reform to change outdated mindset and remove institutional obstacles, to fully leverage the role of science and technology in economic and social developments, and tap into all sources of innovation. This is exactly what thinking Ibero-Americans want to hear. A Land of Vitality and Hope In what was clearly a coordinated move, just one day after Xi Jinping concluded his tour, on Nov. 24, Chinas Foreign Ministry issued a very detailed policy paper on China, Latin America, and the Caribbean, which it describes as a blueprint for the future, based on new ideas and proposals and initiatives to deepen cooperation in a multitude of areas, including infrastructure building, technology transfer, manufacturing, science and technology, and aerospace, among others. Describing Latin American and the Caribbean as a land full of vitality and hope, the document states that Chinas relations with Latin America and the Caribbean are in a new stage of comprehensive cooperation at a time when the world is undergoing unprecedented historical changes, with multipolarity and globalization gaining momentum. The partnership among China, Latin America, and the Caribbean, it underscores, is a shining example of developing countries working together to seek common development. It is precisely this optimistic, future-oriented perspective to which Ibero-American leaders responded in the course of Xis tour. In Ecuador and Chile, presidents Rafael Correa and Michelle Bachelet, respectively, signed agreements to upgrade their bilateral ties with China to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership, something already done by Peru during Chinese Premier Li Keqiangs May 2015 visit. In both cases, that upgrade will mean expanded cooperation on several fronts, involving traditional areas such as mining, energy and agriculture, but also it is aimed at diversifying the relationship away from raw materials export and toward becoming partners with China, both in national industrialization plans and coordination in international affairs. Although the Obama Administration had strongly pressured Bachelet not to stray from the TPP, following her Nov. 21 meeting with Xi, during which they signed twelve cooperation agreeements, the Chilean President voiced support for the FTAAPleaving the TPP issue hangingand announced that her goverment wished to join the AIIB as soon as possible. Ibero-America Must Create Knowledge Science and technology are crucial components of these relationships as the Chinese Foreign Ministry document particularly emphasizes. As Chiles former ambassador to China Fernando Reyes Matta put it in a Nov. 17 statement to Xinhua, its time for Latin America and Chile to discover the meaning of the word innovation. The fundamental principles of Chinas development model, he said, are related to the development of advanced science and technology. Latin America, he asserted, must develop the ability to create knowledge. President Correa was effusive in his praise for China in helping to finance his countrys high-tech City of Knowlege located at Yachay, which he described as Ecuadors most important project, not because of its cost but because of its focus on the hard sciences. (See page 12.) In an interview with Xinhua published Nov. 20, President Bachelet stressed that science, technology and innovation are top priorities in Chiles bilateral relationship with China, and pointed to the importance of Chinas offers to help build various rail and other bioceanic corridors across South Americaa subject she had also emphasized to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during his May 2015 visit to Chile. In this context, she pointed to the possibility of connecting the two countries via an underwater fiber-optic cable, which would be a bridge to the rest of Latin America. . .important for both countries integration is what we can do in the Latin American region, she said. Among the twelve agreements signed by Bachelet and Xi was one to set up a China-Chile agricultural research and development center. Chile is one of South Americas premier agricultural producers, and both exports agricultural products to China and advises it on advanced agricultural techniques. Agriculture is a key component of the Peru-China relationship, as Xi mentioned. (See page 13.) A highlight of Xis two-day visit to Ecuador was the inauguration ceremony of major high-tech projects made possible by Chinese financing, including the emergency 911 system China had helped develop, and the giant Coco Coda Sinclair hydroelectric dam in Ecuadors remote Amazon region, built under Chinese engineering direction by a workforce of 7,000 Chinese and Ecuadoreans. The project, which took six years to build and is the largest energy project in Ecuadors history, has a generating capacity of 1500 MW, and as one beaming official proudly announced, it is already exporting electricity to Colombia. The two Presidents were also connected by interactive video to the groundbreaking (by huge excavators) for a new hospital in the city of Chone, whose old hospital was completely destroyed in the April 2016 earthquake. The head of Chinas CAMAC Engineering Co., which is in charge of the project, told the ceremony that CAMAC is committed to completing construction of the 120-bed hospital with state-of-the-art, earthquake-resistant technology. Real Connectivity Premier Li Keqiangs May 19-26, 2015 trip to four Ibero-American nationsBrazil, Colombia, Peru, and Chilefocused heavily on construction of bioceanic corridors and was met with great exicitement, with one Peruvian commentary at the time describing the proposed Brazil-Peru transcontinental rail project, first put forward at the July 2014 BRICS summit in Brazil, as auguring the arrival of the New Silk Road to the Americas. In a May 25, 2015 China-Chile Business Forum attended by Li, President Bachelet said it is important to have Chinas support to attain the much-desired physical integration of South America through bioceanic corridors, in order to consolidate Chiles role as a port and bridge-nation looking toward Asia. . .we need important infrastructure works, both in the region and in Chile. During Lis visit to Peru last year, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by representatives of Brazils Transportation Ministry, Perus Transportation Ministry, and Chinas National Reform and Development Commission to begin the feasility study on the Brazil-Peru transcontinental railroad. As just occurred in Peru with her Nov. 17 address to the Economists Association congress in Pucallpa, on May 28, 2015, two days after Li Keqiang completed his tour, Zepp-LaRouche delivered a strategic briefing on The Silk Road Becomes the World Land Bridge to an international video-conference in Lima, entitled The BRICS Alternative and the Development of Peru and South America, sponsored by the Association of Alumni of Perus Superior War College (ADECAEM). Joining Zepp-LaRouche as a speaker at that event was retired Chinese diplomat Dr. Liu Youfa, who emphasized the critical importance to Chinese-Ibero-American relations and their joint industrial development of building a transcontinental railroad, detailing the history of this dream which he said went back to South Americas forefathers. Today, while Perus President and former Wall Street banker Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (PPK) insists he wants to expand trade with China, and signed agreements with Xi Jinping to that effect during their state visit, he has no intention of allowing the dramatic transformation of Perus or South Americas interior that building the Brazil-Peru transcontinental railroad would bring about. Although the feasibility study on the project was completed by the China Railway Eryuan Engineering Co. (CREEC) and delivered to the government, PPK is refusing to release it to Congress or other interested parties. When he appeared before the press following his hour-long meeting with Xi and accompanying cabinet ministers Nov. 21, PPK reported on a number of agreements signed by the two, but made no mention of the Brazil-Peru bioceanic rail project. Nor did anyone else. (See page 15.) But should he try to continue with his sabotage, PPK may quickly discover that history will pass him by, just as it is doing with Brazils President Michel Temer or Argentinas London-owned President Mauricio Macri, who assume their loyalty to London and Wall Street means their futures are secure. In the context of the global strategic shift and support for Chinas win-win development cooperation, there will be no containing the repercussions of Helga Zepp-LaRouches intervention at the Economists Association conference in Pucallpa, and the broad interest, press coverage, and spontaneous organizing activity it has unleashed. Just one indication of that: Carlos Tubino, one of eight congressman from the opposition Fujimorista Fuerza Popular party (of former presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori) who attended a parallel event in Pucallpa, coinciding with the Economists congress, denounced sabotage of the bioceanic project as treason, and announced that upon his return to Lima, he will call a hearing of the congressional transportation committee on the Brazil-Peru rail project and demand that PPKs transportation minister appear for questioning. This editorial appears in the December 2, 2016 issue of Executive Intelligence Review. CALL TO ACTION Germanys Future Lies with the New Silk Road! [Print version of this editorial] Nov. 26Heinrich Heines famous concern comes to mind: When I think of Germany in the night ... Indeed, where is Germany headed, or rather, where is it drifting? The fact that Angela Merkel is going to run for a fourth term is not reassuring. Contrary to the impression she is attempting to create, four more years of a Merkel government are no promise of stability, but the opposite. oil on paper on canvas by Moritz Daniel Oppenheim (18002) Both the Brexit and the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. Presidency are expressions of the rejection of the entire paradigm of neo-liberal globalization, which is just a synonym for the Anglo-American empire. That globalization has led to the impoverishment of growing sections of the population, to the benefit of the financial oligarchy, in all countries that have been subjected to the rules of neo-liberal monetarism. That globalizationi.e., the City of London and Wall Streets demand for unipolar supremacy over the worldis responsible for an entire series of wars based on lies, from Afghanistan to Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Yemen, which together caused the refugee catastrophe. Globalization also means color revolutions, a policy of regime change against democratically elected governments such as in Ukraine; it means the eastward expansion and encirclement policy of NATO and the EU, and it likely would have brought us sooner rather than later into a global confrontation with Russia and China under a Hillary Clinton administration. Chancellor Merkel and the shocked Ursula von der Leyen represent this losing paradigm, and the idea of four more yearswith no change in policy and absolutely no vision for the futuredoes not mean stability, but escalating political divisiveness in Germany and the disintegration of an EU in rebellion. With the next financial crisis, which is bound to come, the Merkel-Schaeuble duo is sure to foist the costs on the citizens once again, and risk chaos by so doing. The fragility of the abominable refugee deal with Erdogan and various governments in Africa, promises that it will only be a matter of time before this crisis again explodes. Merkel represents this paradigm which is irreversibly sinking. Just like the 304 members of the European Parliament who have just voted for a resolution accusing Russia of conducting massive anti-European propaganda, she supports an EU and NATO policy which does exactly what they accuse Russia of doing. We must put an end to the logic of the Cold War once and for all. President-elect Trump has said that he wants to cooperate with Russia and China, and has already held conversations with Russian President Putin and Chinese President Xi to this effect. Trump has even signaled that the United States would like to participate in the AIIB and cooperate with Chinas New Silk Road policy. In the space of only three years, Chinas Silk Road initiative has become the greatest infrastructure and economic growth program in history, twelve times larger than the Marshall Plan if measured in todays dollars. Seventy nations are cooperating with it, and more than 30 international institutions. China alone has provided 1.4 trillion Euros in investments; 4.4 billion people are already benefitting from an unbelievably multifaceted array of themhigh-speed trains, energy generation and distribution, water management, new science cities, basic scientific research, innovation, joint research for space exploration, and so on. Xi Jinping has offered cooperation with the New Silk Road to every country on Earth on the basis of win-win cooperation. More and more countries are swinging into this new paradigm which, instead of being a zero-sum game, helps overcome poverty and underdevelopment for the common advantage of all. Join Me in This Fight For more than 25 years, I have campaigned for the program of constructing the New Silk Road, a program which I, along with my husband Lyndon LaRouche, proposed for the first time as a response to the Fall of the Wall and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. We have presented this concept at hundreds of conferences and seminars around the world since then, and now it is the policy of the majority of the human race. With your help, we can now put this program on Germanys agendaa program which would especially profit the Mittelstand (small and medium-sized industry), and from which many productive jobs would be created. To create a real perspective and alternative for Germany, we dont need an AfD [party] which has no solutions to offer, but, together with me, you can put cooperation with the United States, Russia, and China on the agenda in building the New Silk Road. It is only through such cooperation that we can develop the Middle East and Africa with a New Silk Road-Marshall Plan, and thus solve the refugee crisis humanely. That is, moreover, what General Michael Flynn, Trumps new security adviser, had already called for in April 2015. Germany must work for this peace policy for the 21st Century, a totally new paradigm which replaces geopolitics with the common aims of Mankind, and must make itself a part of a real community of common destiny, as Xi Jinping has put it. Germany must also make an important contribution to the dialogue of cultures, which must accompany this new world economic order if we are to be successful. We in Germany have a rich heritage of humanist philosophy and Classical culture, which, wondrously, find an echo in the highpoints of other cultures. Only if we revive the best cultural expressions of all nations, and bring each other into a living dialogue, can we overcome the current civilizational crisis. Join me in the fight to ensure that this extraordinary opportunity is seized in and for Germanyan opportunity for cooperation with the new, ready-to-cooperate administration in the United States, and the economic alternative which exists in the New Silk Road dynamic. If you do so resolutely, Germany can again become a nation of poets, thinkers, and inventors [a patriotic German expression: ein Volk der Dichter, Denker, und Erfinder], and future generations will enjoy progress once again. PRESS RELEASE China Asserts Inalienable Right to Development Dec. 1, 2016 (EIRNS)China has issued a major white paper, The Right to Development: Chinas Philosophy, Practice and Contribution. In it China asserts that there is an an inalienable right for countries and people to develop. The right to development must be enjoyed and shared by all peoples. Realizing the right to development is the responsibility of all countries and also the obligation of the international community, the paper says. It requires governments of all countries to formulate development strategies and policies suited to their own realities, and it requires concerted efforts of the international community as a whole. China calls on all countries to pursue equal, open, all-round and innovative common development, promotes inclusive development, and creates conditions for all peoples to share the right to development. But the white paper does so much more. It clearly shows that Chinas model for development and Chinas political and social structure has achieved unqualified success. And while the model continues to develop, it is at a pace and in a form that is determined by the Chinese people themselves. The paper notes how China has already raised 700 million people out of poverty, now with only 5.7% of the population living under the poverty linethe first nation, the report notes, to reach the UNs Millenium Goals. But it is not going to stop there. China is determined to eliminate poverty altogether. In March 2016, the "Outline of the 13th Five-Year Program for the National Economic and Social Development of the Peoples Republic of China" was published, in which the Chinese government outlined a strategy of eliminating poverty among the rural population by 2020. The paper also presents other stunning accomplishments in terms of the development of its labor force. In 1949, average longevity was only 35 years; in 2015, it was 76.34 years. Enrollment of school age children was about 20% in 1949; in 2015, it was 99.88%. These parameters were also reflected in the growth of GDP and the raising of the standard of living since 1978, at the beginning of the reform and opening up. From 1978 to 2015, the annual GDP increased from RMB367.9 billion to RMB68,550.6 billion, and per capita GDP grew from more than US$200 to above US$8,000. In 1978, per capita disposable income of urban households was only RMB343.4, and per capita net income of rural households was only RMB133.6. In 2015, per capita disposable income of all residents reached RMB21,966; the figures were RMB31,195 for urban residents and RMB11,422 for rural residents. In addition the document goes on to detail the reforms that have been made in other areas, reforms in judicial system, voting reforms at the local and village level, instituting compulsory education and improving the educational and medical facilities in the countryside and for the numerous minority groups in China. A social welfare system has been set up throughout the country and a system of medical insurance is steadily expanding. The white paper also underlines the developments in the area of culture, the cultivation of the arts and music even in the more distant parts of the country, the opening up of libraries and the establishment of public museums and cultural centers. The promotion of digital museums and the expansion of the internet in rural areas, and a national campaign to encourage people to read. The document also points out how the country is also contributing to the development of its neighbors and countries in the developing sector through the Belt and Road Initiative and through the 100 Programs targeting developing countries, through the establishment of 100 poverty reduction programs, 100 agricultural agricultural cooperation programs, 100 hospitals and clinics, and 100 schools and vocational training centers in developing countries. In addition, 120,000 training opportunities and 150,000 scholarships will be made available to developing countries in China, and 500,000 vocational technical personnel will be trained. China will also set up a South-South Cooperation and Development Academy. PRESS RELEASE Corriere della Sera Interviews Lavrov: Italy Loses on Sanctions but U.S. Wins Dec. 1, 2016 (EIRNS)In an interview in the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed the hope that Italy will act in its own best interests in its relations with Russia, especially with respect to the European Union sanctions against Russia. "The European sanctions on one hand, to which Italy has adhered, and the Russian measures on the other hand have had a negative influence on the economic and commercial bilateral cooperation," Lavrov told Corriere, according to the English translation posted on Corrieres website. "The situation in this field remains very complex still today and both countries are seriously worried. An evident indicator is the significant reduction of the commercial exchange. Last year there was a decrease by 36.2%, going down to $30.6 billion. In the first nine months of this year it has gone down by 41.2%, reaching $14.2 billion. "Today Italy is Russias sixth commercial partner, but for a long period of time it has been its fourth. It is significant that the U.S. are now at the fifth place. Thus, Washington, which became the initiator of the considerable part of anti-Russian settings, does not sustain losses itself. Here is food for thought for our Italian and in general our EU partners," Lavrov stated pointedly. Lavrovs interview came ahead of his official visit to Italy on Dec. 1-2, when he will meet with Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni. On Dec. 2 he will address the second MED-Rome Mediterranean Dialogues International Conference. This, just days before the decisive vote in Italy scheduled for Dec. 4, which could lead to a chain reaction implosion of the entire trans- Atlantic financial system. Lavrov continued, "We have registered that political, economic and social environments in Italy are constantly unsatisfied with the policy of sanctions and they support a return to more bilateral relations. We know that even in Italian regions there are many people who argue that economical- commercial relations with Russia should be unlocked; many of these regions have also approved some resolutions for sanctions to be lifted. We hope that Rome is willing to build its relations with Moscow but maintaining its interests in the first place. The entire story of Italian-Russian relations, based on a long experience of lucrative cooperation, is an example of the important results that, with joined efforts, we have been able to obtain.... During the negotiations between President Putin and Prime Minister Renzi on the occasion of the 20th Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, the perspective of a more dynamic Italian-Russian cooperation in the most important fields has been discussed." Lavrov concluded.l PRESS RELEASE Former Italian Prime Minister Dini Exhorts Trump To Recognize Crimeas Referendum Rejoining Russia Dec. 1, 2016 (EIRNS)Speaking at the Primakov Readings International Forum in Moscow, Italys former Prime Minister and former Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini called on U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to recognize the referendum in Crimea which approved the region unifying with the Russia Federation. "Nowadays, tensions between Russia and the United States has [sic] reached, possibly, the highest level since 1998," TASS quoted Dini as saying, emphasizing that the policy of sanctions "the U.S. and European countries imposed on Russia" was to be blamed for this. "President-elect Trump has a unique opportunity to restore relations with Russia, in particular by recognizing the referendum in Crimea and cooperating with Russia against international terrorism in Syria," Dini said, expressing hope that Russian-U.S. cooperation should be resumed to make progress on international issues. The Primakov Readings is an annual international forum commemorating academician Yevgeny Primakov, which was held in Moscow on Nov. 28-30, chaired by Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov and addressed yesterday by Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was attended by Russian and foreign experts, diplomats, and representatives of the authorities, civil society, and the media. Among the international speakers were former NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana, former Foreign Minister of Egypt and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, former World Bank President James Wolfensohn, and Dini, all of whom had been good friends and colleagues of Primakov. Primakov had held the position of Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and chief of Russias Foreign Intelligence Service, among others. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave a speech at the event outlining Primakovs immense influence and accomplishment in Russias post-Soviet foreign policy, which has formed the basis of Russias current foreign policy. He detailed Primakovs developing the concept of multipolarity of world politics; his role in creating the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS); agreements with NATO, including the Russia NATO Council; his attempts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, which actually were realized in the Normandy Four agreement. PRESS RELEASE Russian De-mining Teams, Mobile Hospital on Way to Aleppo Dec. 1, 2016 (EIRNS)The Russian Defense Ministry announced, yesterday, that a Russian de-mining team is on its way to Syria to help clear the newly freed districts of Aleppo from mines and booby traps left behind by the jihadis. "Today, an advanced detachment from the international anti-mine center of the Russian Armed Forces is leaving to defuse unexploded ordnance in Aleppo," Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi, the Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian General Staff, said during a briefing yesterday. "Overall, more than 200 servicemen and 47 units of combat and special equipment will be involved in the de-mining activities in Aleppo." TASS, in reporting Rudksois announcement, recalls that after the liberation of Palmyra from ISIS, last March, Russian de-mining teams defused 17,500 explosive devices in a period of 45 days, clearing 2,500 buildings in the process. At the same time, the Defense Ministry also announced that cargo aircraft loaded with medical equipment and personnel left Russia for Syria to provide medical assistance to civilians in Aleppo, in accordance with the order issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin the day before. "The personnel of the Russian Defense Ministrys special medical unit, a field hospital, special gear, and medical equipment have left for Syria by plane," the Defense Ministry said. "Upon arrival Russian military medics will start providing medical assistance to civilians and refugees near Aleppo." While the Russian government was thus mobilizing resources to aid the civilian population of Aleppo, the ghoulish shards and remnants of the Obama-British apparatus were trying to blow things up at the UN Security Council yesterday, in a desperate bid to reverse the recent victories of the Syrian army in Aleppo. In an emergency meeting called by French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, the American, French, and British UN ambassadors used the reports of UN officials on the situation in Syria to savagely denounce the Russian and Syrian governments for supposedly massacring uncounted numbers of civilians. Vitaly Churkin, Russias UN Ambassador, responded that maybe its now time Kathleen Collins was a professor of film history at New Yorks City College who made a groundbreaking contribution to the subject that she taught. Losing Ground (1982), which Collins wrote and directed, was one of the first feature-length dramas made by an African American woman. Collins, who was also an activist and playwright, never got the chance to make another film. She died in 1988, at age 46, after a bout with breast cancer a life, and a lifes work, cut brutally short. Losing Ground is the story of a marriage in crisis and an intimate portrait of the black creative class in New York in the 1970s. Sarah, a promising young academic, is married to Victor, an older and somewhat louche painter who has just made his first major sale to a museum. (Notably, his work is acquired not by an American institution but by the Louvre.) To celebrate, they rent a summer house in a majority-Puerto Rican community in the Hudson Valley, where Victor becomes smitten with the local culture (and a local woman) while Sarah starves for intellectual and emotional attention, until one of her students asks her to come back to the city to star in a film of his. Richard Brody, writing in the New Yorker this past spring, called Losing Ground a nearly lost masterwork and noted ruefully that [h]ad it screened widely in its time, it would have marked film history. The film, which never had a theatrical release, was digitally remastered in 2015 and released on DVD and Blu-ray. The project was overseen by Collins daughter Nina, who began exploring her mothers archives in 2006. That same exploration has now yielded up a manuscripts worth of short fiction, newly published as Whatever Happened to Interracial Love? Advertisement The title story is set in 1963, [t]he year of race-creed-color blindness, when Idealism came back in style. People got along for a while. The main characters are two recent Sarah Lawrence graduates both women; one black and one white who have turned their Upper West Side apartment into an interracial mecca for artists, poets and activists. Wry notice is taken of another nubile Sarah Lawrence girl (white) who accompanies a young, vital heroin addict (Negro). Every character is tagged by race, but the tag is always in scare quotes, an acknowledgment of the simultaneous absurdity and inescapability of race as a category. The black roommate takes her lover, a white Freedom Rider, to meet her father, who is in the hospital after a stroke. He could not move a muscle, yet he seemed to be saying, Is it for this that I fought and struggled all these years, for this, this indecent commingling? The Freedom Rider, meanwhile, has a father who will not even venture to meet the girl he has chosen to marry. How can he ever bring such a man to an understanding of what it feels like to be beaten to a pulp? Teeth mashed in, jaw dislocated, nose rearranged, stomach pulpy. And all for freedom. Several pieces draw on Collins knowledge of the film world. Exteriors describes a couples argument in terms of the set decoration and lighting in their apartment. When Love Withers All of Life Cries plays with the film script as a literary form, and Documentary Style is a satire narrated by an egotistical assistant cameraman who thinks he ought to be in charge of the shoot hes working on. Broken Spirit, Treatment for a Story and Only Once, meanwhile, pack worlds of emotion into a few pages apiece. (Comparisons to Amy Hempel and Grace Paley have been made, and are apropos.) Collins can work wonders with a single line. The narrator of The Uncle recalls the neer-do-well she grew up worshipping: To be broke but still so handsome and beautiful, lazy and generous. Christine, in The Happy Family, wanted so much for her father to laugh, be gay; it was as if she were seeing her childhood for the first time with all its gloomy contours and she wanted so much for it to be otherwise. A woman in When Love Withers All of Life Cries remarks, I hate fights fights and working both make me sick. There is admittedly perhaps inevitably some variation in quality among the 16 stories. I will even share my suspicion that the author herself, had she lived, might have regarded a few of them as not quite finished. But Collins voice is so original, her corpus so small and this discovery of her work so long overdue that one can only applaud the editors decision to err on the side of inclusion. At this point, why hold anything back? In the foreword to the volume, poet Elizabeth Alexander writes, The very existence of this book feels to me like an assurance that while we may think we have done our archival work and unearthed all the treasures of black thinking women, there is always something more to find. We have literary foremothers who are not just the ones we know we had, who continue to remind us of ourselves: Our minds are intricate. Our desires are complex. We are gorgeously contradictory in our epistemologies. We were not invented yesterday. That this needs to be said at all, much less spelled out and insisted upon, should occasion reflection and dismay, particularly among those such as yours truly whose historical privilege has all too often facilitated passive ignorance and/or active tuning out of what are (or ought to be) self-evident truths. But please understand that Im not asking you to eat your literary spinach here. The best reason to read this book is simply that it is fantastic: original, provocative, revelatory and bursting with life. Taylors most recent book is the short story collection Flings. :: Whatever Happened to Interracial Love? Kathleen Collins Ecco: 192 pp., $15.99 paper It looks like the $2.2-billion, 558-megawatt Carlsbad Energy Center power plant will get built. The 1st District Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled late Thursday that it would defer to the California Public Utilities Commission, whose members voted 4 to 1 in May 2015 to approve a contract for the power plant. In a 14-page ruling, the appeals court said that the utilities commission was just and reasonable and that its decision on the contract was supported by the evidence. Advertisement A number of environmental groups sued to try to stop the construction of the natural-gas-fired Carlsbad Energy Center. Its both a tragedy and a travesty, said April Rose Sommer, executive director of the Protect Our Communities Foundation, which took part in a petition to the appeals court asking for a review of the utilities commissions decision. Its totally in opposition to the states efforts to reduce greenhouse gases and transition away from a fossil-fuel-based energy system. The plant is slated to be built by NRG Energy Inc. whose headquarters are in Princeton, N.J., and in Houston and will replace the aging Encina Power Station in Carlsbad. We appreciate that the Court of Appeal has upheld the CPUCs decision to approve the contract for the Carlsbad Energy Center, NRG spokesman David Knox said in a statement. San Diego Gas & Electric plans to buy power from the plant. The energy produced from the Carlsbad Energy Center is expected to complement the growing amount of renewable energy, private solar, energy storage, electric vehicles and other clean energy innovations being added every day to the modern grid powering our lives, SDG&E spokeswoman Allison Torres said in a statement. Supporters of the planned Carlsbad plant have called it a new workhorse for the region and say it will help California meet its target of 33% clean-energy generation by 2020 and 50% by 2030. Critics say the plant will harm the environment along the coastline, especially the nearby Agua Hedionda Lagoon, and question whether the plant is needed at all. Due in large part to the growth in rooftop solar, the latest demand projections for the San Diego region are far less than expected, Sierra Club attorney Will Rostov said in an email. This suggests that the plant isnt needed. The California Public Utilities Commissions troubling history of approving costly unneeded gas plants needs to stop. The commissions vote raised objections from opponents of the plant because the vote was held without holding a public bidding process and after an aide for the commissions president, Michael Picker, met privately with the developer of the project about downsizing an earlier plan for the plant that had been rejected by the commission. The 62-year-old Encina Power Station is being retired in large part because of its cooling systems that suck in seawater, a process called once-through cooling that regulators have opposed in recent years because it harms marine life. Part of the rationale for building the Carlsbad Energy Center was to make up for the loss of electricity generation from the now-shut San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Natural gas has become a bigger source of power for California in recent years, accounting for 59.9% of in-state generation in 2015. In 2005, natural gas accounted for 42.5% of in-state generation. On the same day the appeals court green-lighted the Carlsbad plant, the California Supreme Court denied a petition by consumer advocates to reject three other natural gas plants in the Los Angeles basin in Huntington Beach, Long Beach and Stanton. A fifth project is also on the books outside of Oxnard. Its been a thoughtful couple of days, said Bill Powers, of San Diego-based Powers Engineering and one of the consumer advocates fighting the plants. Ultimately, we couldnt get the time of day in the judicial system. Theres no other recourse, legislative maybe. rob.nikolewski@sduniontribune.com UPDATES: 11:55 a.m.: Information about a California Supreme Court action on other power plants was added, This article was originally posted at 8:55 a.m. Your credit card may start winking at you soon in an effort to keep your data safe. French digital security company Oberthur Technologies, which maintains a significant design and production operation in Los Angeles, has developed a digital display powered by a micro-thin battery. It will change the three or four-digit CVV number that stands for credit verification value on the back of credit and debit cards as often as 72 times every 24 hours. This latest defense against financial data theft wasnt available for Black Friday or Cyber Monday. But when it comes to the United States, as early as 2017, it may help plastic remain the dominant payment option. Advertisement Oberthurs Motion Code technology promises relief to U.S. merchants who havent exactly embraced the most recent technology upgrade security chips built into credit cards. This new development wont require retailers to buy expensive new hardware to process transactions. There is a constant balancing act between security and simplicity, said Martin Ferenczi, Oberthurs president for North America operations. Motion Code solves this better than any other option. The United States has been a laggard in adopting technology to protect credit and debit card data, and consumers and merchants have wound up paying for the delays. Americans account for about 23% of global purchases and cash volume but suffer nearly 39% of the worlds credit card fraud, according to the Nilson Report, which tracks payment card data. Thats because the United States hasnt embraced what is pretty much old news in Europe so-called EMV smart-chip cards, named for developers Europay, Mastercard and Visa. The embedded EMV chip is that small metallic-colored square that is usually found on the left of the credit cards face. The chip issues a special code with each use, making it far more difficult to counterfeit a payment card. Keeping up with the current EMV chip technology hasnt been simple, said John G. Mooney, who specializes in information systems and technology management as an associate professor at Pepperdine Universitys business school. Merchants have been slow to adopt the chip readers, Mooney said, partly because the smartcards require a chip reader that can cost $500 apiece. Many are still using the old swipe machines which do not take advantage of the chip. As of October, about 2 million U.S. merchants had installed the chip readers, or about 25% of the nations 8 million retail establishments, according to the Nilson Report. Moreover, some businesses that have the chip readers arent using them yet. The EMV chips also have limitations, doing nothing for the consumer when he is sitting in front of the computer, tablet or phone, online, and deciding to buy whatever it is he wants to buy, Ferenczi said. Some have tried to add security to online credit transactions by requiring an added step of verification, such as a number that is texted to ones phone or sent to an email address. The number of transactions that are dropped through this is too high, Ferenczi said. Merchants dont really like it. The phone might not be on or the battery might be dead or you might not be able to get to your email quickly enough. Ferenczi said Oberthurs Motion Code improves the safety of in-store and online payments without expecting more from the merchant or the consumer. Lawrence Harris, a finance professor at USCs business school, agreed that creating a system that changes the CVV number on a regular basis provides an additional level of security. That should be very attractive to merchants and card issuers, he said. Consumers can use their cards over the Internet with some additional confidence. Oberthur, the worlds second largest manufacturer of chip-enabled smartcards, employs about 1,200 people in the United States and Canada, part of a global workforce of nearly 6,500. About 300 work in Southern California. The new Motion Code technology hasnt arrived yet at the Oberthur facility in Rancho Dominguez, where workers put the final touches on plastic cards produced at an Oberthur factory in Pennsylvania. The plastic is mated with the personal information of a future cardholder on something that resembles an assembly line in miniature. The company recently upgraded its network of Oberthur machines, which rapidly improved output, said William Hoskins, the facilitys deputy director. The card is finished in one pass through the machine, which is twice fast as the equipment we used to use, Hoskins said. We have more than doubled our production capacity to 200 million cards per year. The work is taken very seriously at Oberthur. The windows have steel bars as thick as those used to protect fine art storage buildings. Reflective window glass means no one can see inside. The secured sections of the building sit behind turnstiles so sensitive that workers have done face-plants into the glass before mastering the technique. Smartphones are collected at the door. The lab coats have pockets just wide enough for a pen and little else. Getting a job there requires 10 years of employment and residential history. Theft isnt the only threat facing Oberthur. Digital payments using the likes of Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Venmo and Google are making inroads into the use of credit cards. Millennials are the biggest concern because they havent shown the same trust in banking as previous generations, experts say. I dont think that credit cards are going to go away for quite some time, Pepperdines Mooney said. But, he added, I would not bet on the credit card industry continuing to be as profitable as it has been. Ferenczi said Oberthurs own history is one reason to have faith in its future. The company name comes from Francois-Charles Oberthur, a master printer and lithographer whose company in 1842 produced currencies and stock certificates. SIGN UP for the free California Inc. business newsletter Oberthur eventually got out of the paper money business, expecting plastic payment cards to replace banknotes. But paper currencies survived. So will plastic, Ferenczi said. Even so, Oberthur has hedged its bets widely. For one thing, its products are also inside smartphone hardware. You have a SIM card in your phone, Ferenczi said. We produce SIM cards for the largest mobile networks in the world. Additionally, Oberthurs reach extends to citizen access and identity. We are involved with electronic passports, electronic identification cards and other types of physical access IDs. We consider ourselves as an embedded security software developer, Ferenczi said. We dont have any fear that the need for that technology is going to go away. ron.white@latimes.com Twitter: @RonWLATimes MORE BUSINESS NEWS The never-ending election: How to stop recurring campaign donations Blocked on Twitter by the incoming leader of the free world Immigration detainees should be held in for-profit prisons, panel says Steven Mnuchin is stepping down from the boards of CIT Group Inc. and Sears Holdings Corp., days after he confirmed that President-elect Donald Trump wants him to be the next Treasury secretary. Mnuchin, 53, joined CIT last year when the New York financial services company bought Pasadena-based OneWest Bank; he was chairman of OneWests parent company. An investor group he led bought the remains of failed mortgage lender IndyMac Bancorp in 2009 and turned it into OneWest. Mnuchin joined the board of Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based Sears in 2005, about the same time Sears, Roebuck & Co. was merging with Kmart Holding Corp. Before that, he served on Kmarts board of directors. Advertisement The resignations from the companies boards, announced Friday, were effective immediately. Mnuchin spent 17 years on Wall Street at investment bank Goldman Sachs before leaving in 2002. He later started his own private equity firm and has financed Hollywood blockbusters including American Sniper and Mad Max: Fury Road. Read more: Steven Mnuchin is already a polarizing figure He had never worked in politics before serving as finance chairman for part of Trumps campaign and helping create Trumps proposal to overhaul the tax code. His deep roots on Wall Street fit the mold of past Treasury secretaries though he never led a large investment bank but they contrast with the populist stance the president-elect took during his campaign. Mnuchin leaves CIT shortly after two California advocacy groups asked federal housing regulators to investigate allegations that OneWest discriminated against or failed to serve minority communities. Sears, meanwhile, has struggled to compete in the new era of online retail. Its falling sales have prompted it to shed workers and close and shrink stores. The companys recovery plan includes a more intensive marketing focus on well-known brands such as Kenmore and Craftsman. Mnuchins appointment as Treasury secretary is subject to Senate confirmation. amarotti@chicagotribune.com Times staff writers contributed to this report. Wells Fargo & Co. customers who learned that bank employees opened accounts without their consent later discovered another problem when they tried to sue to recover lost fees and for other damages. They couldnt. The San Francisco-based bank says that clauses in contracts the customers signed when they opened legitimate accounts forced all disputes even those over the roughly 2 million unauthorized accounts in the scandal into private arbitration. Now, two federal lawmakers want to change that. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Porter Ranch) on Thursday introduced the Justice for Victims of Fraud Act, which would allow Wells Fargo customers to have their day in court. Advertisement If a customer never authorized the opening of a credit card or checking account, that same customer should not be bound by an arbitration agreement for a separate, legitimate account, Sherman said. Cheated customers should have the choice to opt out of phony contractual arbitration provisions and seek justice in court, he said. Wells Fargo agreed to a $185-million settlement in September with Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to end investigations into the unauthorized accounts. Brown and Sherman said their bill is backed by several consumer and advocacy groups, including Consumers Union, the California Reinvestment Coalition and the NAACP. But the legislations fate is uncertain in the Republican-controlled Congress. Although many Republicans said they were angered by the Wells Fargo scandal, the bills 11 co-sponsors in the House and 14 in the Senate so far are all Democrats. Republicans generally oppose expanding the right for consumers to file class-action lawsuits. Last month, in response to a class-action suit, Wells Fargo asked a federal judge in Utah to order customers to submit claims over unauthorized accounts to binding arbitration. Wells Fargo spokeswoman Jennifer Greeson Dunn said the banks goal is to always make things right for our customers. If a problem with an unauthorized account cant be resolved directly by the bank, it provides free mediation services for the resolution of disputes, through an objective third-party, she said. Arbitration would only take place after that. Wells Fargo fully intends to address all consumers impacted by improper sales practices, Dunn said. Brown said thats not good enough. Wells Fargos customers never intended to sign away their right to fight back against fraud and deceit, he said Thursday. We need to give customers back the ability to seek justice in court so they can be made whole again. The bill would end a legal strategy The Times documented last year in which Wells Fargo argued that arbitration clauses signed by customers in opening genuine accounts covered all disputes with the bank. Attorneys for bank customers have called that argument laughable and said theres no way customers knew they would be giving up the right to sue over accounts they never authorized. But local and federal judges have ruled in favor of the Wells Fargo. The arbitration provisions in the plaintiffs customer agreements with Wells Fargo are broad, covering any dispute between customers and the bank, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria wrote in a 2015 order forcing a suit over unauthorized accounts to go to arbitration. Browns bill would allow customers to sue even if they agreed in other valid contracts with Wells Fargo that all disputes would be resolved through arbitration. Brown and Sherman said their bill would work in conjunction with proposed rules from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that would prevent arbitration clauses for financial products from including language that bans customers from joining class-action lawsuits. Such bans are common in mandatory arbitration clauses. The bureaus latest proposal, released in May, could take effect next year. But the arbitration rule could be changed if President-elect Donald Trump replaces bureau director Richard Cordray after taking office in January. Republicans have criticized how aggressively Cordray has run the agency, created by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act. A federal appeals court last month in a case brought by a mortgage lender fined by the agency handed down a ruling that said the president should be able to fire the CFPBs director at any time, rather than only for cause, as spelled out in Dodd-Frank. That ruling, which the CFPB is appealing, might allow Cordray to be replaced prior to the end of his term in 2018. jim.puzzanghera@latimes.com Follow @JimPuzzanghera on Twitter Terry Hendricks supports Hillary Clinton up to a point. The Fullerton resident thinks that point was reached Nov. 8 when Clinton lost the presidential election to Donald Trump. Hendricks, 69, reckons that her recurring $10 monthly contributions to the Hillary Victory Fund should have come to a halt once the contest was decided and the candidate stopped running. Last week, however, the fund helped itself to another $10 credit-card payment, and Hendricks is worried that the contributions may never end. She said shes made over two-dozen calls: to the fund, to her bank, to the Democratic National Committee, to the Federal Election Commission. Either she got no response or she was informed that there was nothing to be done. Advertisement I realize its only $10 a month, Hendricks told me. But its upsetting that I cant stop it and I dont even know where the money is going. Other political donors and would-be donors should know this: Such behavior by a major campaign is unusual. Its extremely out of the ordinary, said Taryn Rosenkranz, a Washington, D.C., fundraising consultant who specializes in Democratic campaigns but played no role in the Hillary Victory Fund. Typically, nothing is processed after the election. Whats striking here, therefore, is the profound difficulty Hendricks has faced in communicating with someone who could address her issues. As with all customer-service horror stories, this speaks to an institutional failure and an inability to treat those you count on in this case, voters with appropriate courtesy and respect. The Clinton campaigns shortcomings are no different from a business forcing customers to navigate a complex phone tree and then being kept on hold for a half-hour (or longer). The Hillary Victory Fund was established last year as a joint fundraising effort by the campaign, the Democratic National Committee and about three-dozen state Democratic committees. Californias state party ran its own fundraising operation. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the Hillary Victory Fund amassed a war chest of more than $473 million. Much of that went to Clintons campaign but millions also were disbursed to state Democratic causes nationwide. California businesses were among the top donors. DreamWorks SKG, the production company co-founded by Steven Spielberg, led the pack with $1.6 million in contributions to the fund. It was followed by Santa Monicas Saban Financial Group ($1.5 million); the investment firm Pritzker Group, which has a growing Los Angeles presence ($1.4 million); and Apple ($1.2 million). Hendricks, a retired teacher, said she decided to set up a recurring monthly donation over the summer, after receiving an email from Clintons campaign offering T-shirts for sale. A solicitation for contributions accompanied the sales pitch. It was something I could do, Hendricks recalled, and it was easier to give $10 a month instead of a large amount at once. Clinton lost the election. I just assumed that the donations would immediately stop, Hendricks said, not unreasonably. Then came last weeks credit-card payment. Hendricks promptly called the number on her statement for the Hillary Victory Fund and got a recording saying that all representatives were busy and instructing her to leave a message. She did. Nobody called back. I must have called 27 times, she said. Each time I left a message and each time I was ignored. It was like theyd all packed up and gone home. I called the same number and similarly heard a recording that everyone was really busy and that if I left a message someone would get back to me. No one did. I also called the number listed on the funds official paperwork and left a message there. No response. Hendricks said she called the Democratic National Committee, but a representative insisted that the committee had no control over fund matters. Hendricks reported the problem to the Federal Election Commission, but it too had no ready solution. More troubling is what happened with her card issuer, Bank of America. Hendricks said she spoke with two bank representatives and both said they couldnt stop the payments. This was flat-out wrong. Customers can call us to put a stop on recurring payments, said Betty Riess, a bank spokeswoman, adding that she didnt know why Hendricks wasnt told this. Even when the payee wont stop helping itself to your cash for a canceled gym membership, say, or a canceled telecom service your bank has the power to erect a financial firewall. If a customer rep wont do it, ask for a supervisor. Im thinking it also should be a law that no recurring political contributions to a candidate be permitted to continue after election day. The candidates campaign should have to make the opt-out process transparent and should be required to respond in a timely fashion to all inquiries. If you click any of the donation links on Clintons campaign website, HillaryClinton.com, youll be automatically transferred to a site run by the Democratic Party encouraging you to donate money to help us stand up to Trump and the GOP. The day before the election, Hendricks received an email from the Clinton campaign thanking her for her support. It noted that recurring contributions would be automatically charged to her credit card for the length of the campaign. The switcheroo with the websites suggests that Clintons campaign continues, one way or another. That may be fine with many donors. But its not what Hendricks, and probably numerous others, signed up for. Oh, and she heard from BofA late Thursday that the bank has cut off the Hillary Victory Fund from any further payments and secured a $10 refund for the last charge. Thats how its done. David Lazarus column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and followed on Twitter @Davidlaz. Send your tips or feedback to david.lazarus@latimes.com. MORE BUSINESS NEWS Tech stocks and big dividend payers rise, but rally fades for oil and banks Ford recalls 680,000 cars; seat belts may not hold in crash U.S. economy creates 178,000 jobs in November; jobless rate drops to 4.6% Nancy Silverton knows how to throw a good party. Several times a year, the legendary L.A. chef throws open the doors to her Hancock Park home for rollicking backyard gatherings. Theres her July 4 bash, when she closes Pizzeria Mozza, Osteria Mozza and Chi Spacca so employees can come over. At a recent event Silverton hosted for the Alexs Lemonade Stand childrens cancer charity, 150 people packed into her four-bedroom, 3,000-square-foot home, noshing on fried chicken from Howlin Rays and galbi from Parks BBQ. The restaurateur and cookbook author relishes that her home is the place to be. But if you ever score an invite, dont even think about showing up with a casserole. Advertisement I almost never allow anyone to bring anything to my house besides wine, Silverton said. Cookies are OK. Im not a fan of potlucks. I prefer to do all the cooking. Why is the backyard your favorite space? My favorite room would be the one I entertain in, and in California, where its sunny 364 days a year, where I entertain is my backyard. The rooms in my Craftsman house are not large at all. I love to have big crowds over. Youve lived in this home for more than two decades. Have you done much to it? When I moved in 1993, I did some cosmetic changes to the house. But the only thing I did that was really major was extending the backyard patio. I built a fireplace to cook in and affixed it to the house. You also put in a pool. I remember being so resentful that I didnt grow up with a swimming pool. When I moved to this house, the first house I ever owned and have now owned for 23 years, I finally put one in. And I dont even swim. I just like that its there. How would you describe the style of your backyard? Theres a midcentury look. Theres a big arbor; when the wisteria is in bloom, it covers it completely. And there are string lights and speakers for music. Its not large by any means, but its very comfortable. My backyard is very tasteful, and I would like to think its the same with the way I cook. Nothing is showy, everything is complementary without being overly designed. Do you often have other chefs over? One of my favorites is Suzanne Tracht from Jar. She prefers to work the grill and barbecue rather than sitting down and socializing. Ill invite her over, and, sure enough, she grabs an apron, leaving me to refill bowls and drinks and be more of a hostess. What do you cook? I am very, very careful in putting out a table, laying it full of food, with everything served at room temperature. Nothing is heat-sensitive, everything is sturdy enough to sit so that people can, at their leisure, come back for seconds. I pick a protein and choose how many things I want to serve with that protein. Most of the time, it ends up being something like hamburgers, steaks, lamb chops, etc. Any advice for throwing a killer backyard party? I am constantly investing in platters and serving utensils, adding to my collection so I have a lot of colors, sizes and shapes to choose from. Ive never had a backyard party where people ate with paper plates and napkins. I like candles in the evening and proper cloth napkins. But in the end, it just seems effortless. I dont insert place cards or overwrought table settings. It has that homemade quality. hotproperty@latimes.com Leah Nanako Winklers new play Kentucky is a comedy about a Japanese American woman raised in the South. Like her protagonist Hiro, Winkler is half-Japanese and grew up in Kentucky. Like Hiro, she left for New York and didnt return for years. And like Hiro, Winkler found her sisters embrace of evangelical Christianity puzzling and alarming. It was like shed joined a cult, recalls Winkler, who clarifies that she wasnt entirely like the Hiro of her play. For the record: An earlier version of this article implied that playwright Leah Nanako Winkler didnt see her family for years until her sister got married in Kentucky. Although the family is from Kentucky, the wedding was held in Michigan. Also, the article said New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players 2015 production of The Mikado featured an all-white cast; it was a mostly white cast. I didnt actually try to stop my sisters wedding, she says with a laugh. Advertisement Speaking from the dressing room at East West Players theater in downtown L.A., where the West Coast premiere of Kentucky runs through Dec. 11, Winkler says the new work is circumstantially autobiographical. It started from a place of reality, but the events that take place arent real, she says. Its like a bizarro-world version of my life. Her story happens to touch on so many cultural divisions racial, economic, religious, rural vs. urban heightened by the recent presidential election, the new play feels especially timely. For Winkler, though, one of her goals for Kentucky was personal: to shed what she calls the angry playwright label. When I first started writing this play, I thought it would get produced because Im not outwardly criticizing anyone, she says. I just wanted to write something that addressed race and class without doing so directly, in part because and I dont know if this was a positive thing I didnt want the angry label anymore. Soon after she arrived in New York City on a Greyhound bus about a decade ago, Winkler founded the Everywhere Theatre Group with friends. None of them had grown up with money, and they struggled to finance their dreams in the downtown arts scene, which to them seemed like a playground for rich kids. They had been putting on shows and getting attention when their 2012 production Flying Snakes in 3-D, a satirical exploration of class divisions in the arts, provoked the community. For us this was a comedy, Winkler says. But so many people got so angry. A critic for a smaller downtown blog wrote a huge Facebook post that was like, Dont blame the white man for your critical failures. We got bad reviews, like, These whiny people are mad because they have to do jobs and do theater. Which was not the point. Everywhere Theatre Group disbanded, but Winkler kept writing plays and asking questions about diversity and representation onstage. She found herself at the heart of another flap in 2015 when she asked the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players about an upcoming production of The Mikado, featuring mostly white cast made up to look Japanese, in what Winkler called yellowface. A blog post she wrote about the conversation urged others to protest. In the end, the troupe decided to do The Pirates of Penzance instead, postponing The Mikado until a reimagined production could open later this season. I used to not want to talk about this because I got a lot of backlash, Winkler says. I got featured on Lookatthatstupidgirl.com and a lot of conservative blogs. And the angry label stuck. Winkler says her point wasnt to stop a production but rather have the company explain its choices. I dont think anyone has the power to say, We cant do this text. I think the issue now is that if you do it in a way that is obvious yellowface, you cant expect people not to have a reaction. If youre fully prepared for it, then go ahead. I think with ancient texts like The Mikado, its a question of whos the the best person to do it, and how can you reinvent so its relevant. Show us what this play is in the context of this ever-changing world. Leah Nanako Winkler on the set of Kentucky. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times ) Im not afraid of any label anymore. Especially in light of this election, its important to be honest. Leah Nanako Winkler During an interview she comes across as friendly, witty and not angry, just self-possessed. Ive always been outspoken, she says. Im not always right, but if I see something wrong, Ill ask a question about it. She remembers that during her orientation at Butler University, the liberal-arts college in Indiana, she raised her hand to ask, Is everybody here white? Back then I think it was disorienting for white people to hear that, she says. But Butler was where I first experienced the culture shock of how white theater is. Those were the first kernels of, you know, what can I add to the conversation: How can I change the landscape. Born in Japan, Winkler spent some of her childhood there before moving to Kentucky. She wont say how old she was at the time. I dont like to answer that question because theres a lot of judgment placed on that, she says. Theres a big difference if I say 2 or if I say 12. People like to peg you on how Japanese or how American you are, when youre mixed race. She will say that she was old enough to experience a double identity crisis. In Japan I was a child model because of my Western looks, she says. I was considered gaijin, which means foreigner. But in America I was the girl from Japan. SIGN UP for the free Essential Arts & Culture newsletter The Kentucky of Winklers childhood was far more diverse, ethnically and socioeconomically, than outsiders might imagine, she says. I grew up in an extremely diverse Kentucky, an artistic Kentucky, she says. Im from Lexington. We have an openly gay mayor. There are people of color there, a lot of them. I went to Japanese school on Saturdays. My public high school was extremely diverse, in class as well as race. We had kids who were driving Mercedes into school from the horse country parts of town and kids who were walking from the projects. One of the issues she explores in her play is how cultural stereotypes get in the way of understanding: Hiros contempt for her old Kentucky home is as simplistic and limiting as her familys disdain for so-called New York values. Even if she werent naturally outspoken, Winkler points out, writing plays based on her own experiences would pose a challenge to the theatrical status quo. I put two hapa [mixed-race] sisters front and center, she says. Thats a political act, but it just happens to be my life. I love creating opportunities for actors who normally dont get to play roles. Efforts to increase diversity in the American theater, if well-intentioned, says Winkler, are still fairly rudimentary. Ive been noticing a trend in new plays recently, where white writers want to put diverse characters in their plays, but they do this hilarious thing where the diverse characters just talk about being diverse. Theyll come onstage and be like, Im Asian. Thats what Im not interested in. Im more interested in universalizing and normalizing stories that are we all experience. The solution, she suggests, is to bring more writers of color on board and not just in a token way. A lot of writers groups on the theater circuit, and MFA programs for directing, are curated like the Spice Girls: one white woman, a queer white woman, a black woman and an Asian woman. A lot of my Asian friends and I cancel each other out for fellowships. Its like, OK, Susan. I guess its your turn. According to East West Players artistic director, Snehal Desai, only 20% of the plays produced in Los Angeles and across the country are written by women 1 in 5, he says for emphasis. As a corrective, his company established in 1965 and billed as the longest-running professional theater of color in the country has dedicated its new season entirely to female artists and their work, partnering with community groups such as the L.A. Female Playwrights Initiative. Winkler encourages other theaters to follow suit. Women of color lose opportunities because theres usually one female slot in any theater season, she says. Right now I think theaters with an older white subscriber base arent taking the risk to program plays by people who are marginalized because they dont think their stories will be universal enough to resonate with their subscriber base. But its simply not true. I look at audiences here at EWP and I think thats the dream. Theyre young and old, men and women, from different backgrounds, as diverse as the subways I ride every day. After Kentucky, she adds, Im not afraid of any label anymore. Especially in light of this election, its important to be honest. Im a fun person, and I know that my voice is important, and I dont feel any shame. In this political climate, I actually feel more motivated to tell stories about people because how else are we going to humanize each other? ------------ Kentucky Where: East West Players David Henry Hwang Theater, 120 Judge John Aiso St., Los Angeles When: 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, through Dec. 11. Tickets: $30-$50 Information: (213) 625-7000, www.eastwestplayers.org Follow The Times arts team @culturemonster. ALSO Times art critic Christopher Knights latest reviews Times theater critic Charles McNultys latest reviews Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthornes latest columns Times music critic Mark Sweds latest review Ever since he was sidelined by illness from his role as Cubas leader in 2006, Fidel Castro loomed like a historical shadow. El barbudo (the bearded one), as he was known, was present in the occasional staged photograph or rambling newspaper editorial but no longer a part of daily life in the country he had micromanaged since the revolution he led in 1959. (Castro, quite famously, involved himself in everything from sugar harvests to cow breeding.) But his death last week at the age of 90 nonetheless marks a titanic turning point for Cubans. Among them: The countrys artists. For nearly six decades, culture has been tightly controlled by the government, both through patronage and censorship. And even though Castros death may not bring immediate liberties to artists in search of free expression, it does mark a tremendous psychological milestone. Its really an important moment, says independent curator Dan Cameron. The former Orange County Museum of Art chief curator has been traveling to Cuba for more than two decades and was in the country last year to conduct research for one of the Pacific Standard Time exhibitions to be held in Southern California next year. Advertisement [Castro] was the most potent living symbol of the revolutionary period of the 20th century and not just for Cubans, he explains. For many Latin Americans, for people around the world, including people who were born many decades after the revolution happened, he is a really important symbol of defiance. And Castros continuing presence, however slight in his declining years, still held a psychic weight. There has been a resistance to change, whether consciously or not, as long as he was taking breath, adds Cameron. But with his death, its hard to imagine that things will stay the same. None of this means that freedom of expression is going to blossom in Cuba overnight. It will take some time for all of this to get sorted out on the level of actual culture not commerce. Norberto Rodriguez, artist Graffiti artist Danilo Maldonado Machado, left, with his mother and a friend in Havana in 2015. (Desmond Boylan / Associated Press ) In fact, on Saturday, Cuban dissident artist Danilo Maldonado Machado, known as El Sexto, was reportedly taken into custody by the authorities after celebrating Castros death on social media. Moreover, the authorities have banned live music and alcohol around the country during an official nine-day period of mourning (to the dismay of international tourists). Tania Bruguera, a Cuban-born artist who was detained on multiple occasions by authorities in Havana early last year after attempting to stage a performance about free speech, notes that though Castro is gone, his brother Raul, who has managed the country for the last decade, is still firmly in charge. We will have to wait and see, she stated via email from Cambridge, where she is on a fellowship at Harvard University. Raul has demonstrated to like secrecy, closed-door negotiation meetings and not sharing with his people or even with the press what he is doing. Darrel Couturier, of L.A.s Couturier Gallery, who has represented Cuban artists in Southern California since the 1990s and travels to the island regularly, concurs. I dont think any immediate changes will happen, he says. The government is more or less the same. The Cuban flag flies at half-staff outside the Museum of the Revolution in Havana shortly after Castros death. (Desmond Boylan / Associated Press ) Bruguera, a Cuban national who divides her time between Cuba, the U.S. and Europe, is in the midst of staging a satirical, long-term performance piece that comments on the lack of democracy on the island: She recently announced that she is running for president of Cuba when Raul steps down in 2018 a futile act in a one-party state that doesnt hold presidential elections. Fidels death, she says, gives the topic greater urgency. I think it is more pertinent than ever to exercise the right to access power by anyone who wants to make some change, she writes. It is a good civic exercise to think you can have something to say in the new view of Cuba. Although change may not happen overnight, it is nonetheless afoot and has been for some time. Fidels slow fade from the public eye and Cubas ongoing social and political opening, including the reestablishment of diplomatic ties with the U.S., has already led to shifts in how artists operate and how art is made. I dont think the themes addressed in contemporary Cuban art are as focused on the political and social conditions as they were, as [Castro] once defined them, says Couturier, who is currently showing the work of a trio of contemporary Cuban artists in his gallery. Cuban artists have gone and moved on to a more international community and become a part of the world. Cameron, likewise, has worked with a number of Cuban artists who live and work internationally, including Bruguera, sculptor Alexandre Arrechea and the collective Los Carpinteros all of whom have shown at major museums around the U.S. You have these artists who are used to working in Europe and traveling around the world and they to go to Florida and they work in United States, he says. Coming back to Cuba, coming face to face with the absence of freedoms in their home country, makes it more unsustainable over time to maintain a lack of freedom. For specific artists, he adds, the situation is even more delicate. If you look at Tania Brugueras situation the face-off she had with the state security apparatus, Cameron says something like that starts to look really unsustainable after Castros death. Cuban performance artist Tania Bruguera in Havana in 2014. (Adalberto Roque / AFP/Getty Images ) If restrictions do continue to loosen, Cuba could be the site of an unparalleled cultural renaissance of the type that has occurred in other countries where long dictatorships have come to an end. This includes Spain at the end of Francisco Francos nearly four-decade reign, which saw a rush of film production after the lifting of moralist codes that barred nudity, and Chile in the wake of the regime end of Augusto Pinochet, where a renewed attention to urban design helped transform the country into a center for architectural innovation. Norberto Rodriguez is a Cuban American artist based in Los Angeles who traveled to Cuba last year as part of a cultural exchange program. Artists have been living with the presence of Castro for 60 years, he says. Its more than a lifetime for most artists, some of whom are really young. This guy has taken that space for so long that we dont know a world without that space being occupied none of us do. But with Castro gone, Cuban artists across the board not just the ones who globe trot may feel freer to explore new terrain. Culture hasnt been allowed to thrive, says Rodriguez. Until now, youve had artists working with two hands and two legs tied behind their back. But that is going to change. You have some brilliant artists who have the potential to affect culture in a really universal way, to move culture forward. In 15 or 20 years it could be like Paris in the 20s. But it will take time. And of course there will be a bunch of curators and gallerists and collectors who are going to go down there and grab whatever they can grab. Artists will have to navigate that. And it will take some time for all of this to get sorted out on the level of actual culture not commerce. Cuban American artist Norberto Rodriguez in his West Hollywood apartment in 2010. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times ) We are dealing with a wild card here. Darrel Couturier, Couturier Gallery, on Donald Trump effect on Cuba At this moment in time, all of this remains speculative since no one knows if Raul Castro will actually retire in 2018 as he has indicated he might, and no one can be sure that his retirement will be followed by the implementation of a democratic system or greater freedom of expression. There is also the very big question of President-elect Donald Trump, who, in the wake of Fidels death, threatened to roll back some of President Obamas measures to establish full relations with Cuba. We are dealing with a wild card here, says Couturier. Its a complete unknown to everybody. But Cameron says that regardless of what Trump threatens to do, Cuba is likely to remain on a path to greater openness especially in the arts, which draws audiences to the island not just from the U.S., but from all over Latin America and Europe. After Sao Paulo, the Havana Biennial is one of the most important exhibitions in the Western Hemisphere, he says. The genie is out of the bottle. And there is nothing Trump can really do that will change that. Sign up for our weekly Essential Arts & Culture newsletter Find me on Twitter @cmonstah. ALSO: Fidel Castro dead at 90: The revolutionary icons influence was felt far beyond Cuba The late Cuban artist Belkis Ayons mysterious world unfurls at the Fowler Museum Cultural feeding frenzy: Art world descends on Cuba for Havana Biennial Review: Thrilling new exhibition shows modern Mexican art is bigger than murals Its the hot-button fashion question of the moment: Which designers would dress future First Lady Melania Trump if asked? In an industry that swung heavily and vocally Hillary Clintons way during the presidential election, many are avoiding the question like the plague. But not all. Here, several designers offer thoughtful assessments on where they stand. Diane von Furstenberg: Donald Trump was elected and he will be our president. Melania deserves the respect of any first lady before her. Our role as part of the fashion industry is to promote beauty, inclusiveness, diversity. We should each be the best we can be and influence by our example. Advertisement Tommy Hilfiger: Yes I would dress Melania. I think she is a beautiful woman who would make any designers clothes look great. Marc Jacobs: I have no interest whatsoever in dressing Melania Trump. I didnt see [Sophie Theallets] letter. Personally, Id rather put my energy into helping out those who will be hurt by [Donald] Trump and his supporters. Cynthia Rowley: In the midst of this heated debate, the question actually seems somewhat irrelevant. She can simply purchase whatever she wants, so how can we control it? Just because shes shown wearing a designer does not mean that designer is endorsing her, her husband or any of their beliefs. Checking someones ethical beliefs before theyre allowed to purchase, sets up an exclusionary dynamic that feeds into the exact mentality that is preventing us from moving forward in a positive direction. Some people say fashion and politics should never mix, but when given the choice, I think you should address and dress your conscience. Thom Browne: Out of respect for the position of the first lady of our United States, I would be honored to be considered to design for any first lady of the United States. Derek Lam: What a tough question to answer now that the election has been decided! Ive been slammed on social media when expressing an opinion about the election outcome. I was warned by people that I should not make an opinion which could alienate a client. Having been duly warned, my response is, while I have incredible respect for our countrys political institutions, I find it challenging to be personally involved in dressing the new first lady. I would rather concentrate my energies on efforts towards a more just, honorable and a mutually respectful world. I dont know Melania Trump personally, so I dont wish my comments to seem I am prejudging her personal values, but I really dont see myself getting involved with the Trump presidency. Phillip Lim: Its been such an emotional roller coaster of an election process. The result has only confirmed my belief that we must stand for what we represent as a brand, so my sentiment is still the same. As a global brand, we are always looking to partner with individuals that we have authentic relationships with ultimately, women and men that share similar set of values, desires and ideologies: inclusion, diversity, justice, consciousness, innovation. ... With that said, we do not have a current relationship with Mrs. Trump and I dont foresee a relationship developing under the Trump administration. Vera Wang: We have not been contacted by the Trump campaign or administration thus far. But the first lady-elect should support American fashion, as did her predecessors. Elections film effects Regarding A New Lens: In the Wake of Donald Trumps Victory, Some Movies Suddenly Play Very Differently Than They Did Before [Nov. 29]. This substantial article is delicious reading and informative simultaneously. Rick Edelstein Bedford ::: Another day, another absurd, hysterical, fear-mongering piece about Trump. Somehow movies that were made before Trump was elected are now telling us how dangerous he is. The fascism Robert A. Heinlein wrote about is already here, on our college campuses and in the liberal media The Times included that silence any opposing view while also boasting about how inclusive they are. Advertisement Stan Evans Valley Village Add White to big music losses In your remembrance of Sharon Jones [Sharon Jones Raw Honesty, Nov. 22] you write, This has been a year of great musical loss. David Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen, Leon Russell and Merle Haggard... What about Maurice White, founder and producer of Earth, Wind & Fire, which just may be Americas finest band ever Charles L. Freeman Jr. Baldwin Hills Dont forget the spoiler alert In Justin Changs review of Allied [A Vintage Game of Spy vs. Spy, Nov. 23], he writes that no one not even the audience initially realizes that these two gorgeous-looking Parisian expats are in fact assassins working for the Allied Forces Well, thanks a lot. Now anyone who has read your review will know this and presumably will have his enjoyment of the movie that much reduced. Robert Schechter Los Angeles Music should have its charms Like Mark Swed, I attended the Tuesday night performance of the new Alice opera by Gerald Barry [Making Alice Even More Madcap, Nov. 25] and marveled that sonic chaos could be deemed entertaining and that deconstructed Carroll would be preferable to the original. I wondered why instead of this operatic mishmash the Philharmonic didnt, and doesnt, perform the splendid Alice works of composer David del Tredici, who from 1968 to 1996 composed some two-dozen beautiful, tuneful, neo-Romantic works explicating Carrolls conceptions. It is music that charms, not assaults. Carl Pearlston Torrance A Farrell fan suggests Home Just finished reading your article on Colin Farrell [Farrell Tries Roles of Many Stripes, Nov. 27] and noticed that my favorite movie of his is not listed. If you have not seen it, you must. Its called A Home at the End of the World. A little gem. Carlos DellAcqua Malibu Language says little in Arrival Regarding Inside the Geekily Linguistic Heart of Sci-Fi Film Arrival [Nov. 28]. Yes, the visual language used by the aliens was brilliant, but that was all that was remotely compelling in this awful movie. The rest felt as if they spent so much money on CGI that there was nothing left to edit the movie into something cogent. Your article elevated an inferior film into a lesson in alien-speak for dummies. Lynn Leatart Sherman Oaks Putting a pause on popular Please refrain from ever again suggesting that Scientology is or ever was popular with Hollywood A-listers [Former Leader Shares Her Story, Nov. 29]. Two people out of dozens (or more) do not make anything popular. They are just highly visible fools whom Scientology is more than happy to showcase. Stan Brothers La Crescenta Waiting for Doris Days time Regarding Feedback: Doris Day Needs an Oscar Too [Nov. 27]. Im in total agreement with Mike McCrann. Doris Day should have some kind of recognition from Hollywood; with all of her movies, she has made plenty of money for the studios and has brought endless joy to all of her fans. Shame on Hollywood. Anthony Lanzetta Silver Lake Immigration authorities should continue holding people accused of immigration violations in for-profit prisons despite complaints about safety and other problems, a Department of Homeland Security review panel has concluded after examining the issue. Privately run detention facilities have long attracted criticism from immigration advocates and human rights groups for poor conditions and inadequate medical care. But in a 23-page report released Thursday, the panel said eliminating them would cost too much and make it harder for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to cope with sudden surges in the detainee population. Advertisement Use of these facilities will continue, Karen Tandy, who led the panel that conducted the two month review, told the Homeland Security Advisory Council. Weve seen dramatic surges in detention. Using a mix of private and public facilities to house detainees now costs $3 billion a year. Using only government-run prisons would cost up to $6 billion, the panel found. But Marshall Fitz, a senior fellow at the left-leaning Center for American Progress who helped draft the report, wrote a dissent saying evidence points directly toward the inferiority of the private prison model. This is a premature conclusion, Fitz said of the panels endorsement of private prisons. I couldnt in good conscience sign on to that. The report passed the advisory council, although 17 of the 23 members signed on to Fitzs dissent. Only five voted to pass the report as written. One voted against approval. The debate played out in front of Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, who attended the meeting and said he would read the report. In a statement, ICE spokeswoman Danielle Bennett said the agency will review and consider the councils recommendations and will implement any changes, as appropriate. The report is good news for the firms that now operate immigration detention centers, which have seen their business prospects brighten as investors count on a steady flow of new detainees. The stock price for CoreCivic, the new name for the Corrections Corp. of America, the largest private prison company in the world, has increased 67% since last months election. The value of GEO Group stock, another private prison company with immigration detention centers, has risen 40%. Both companies saw their stocks tank in August after the Department of Justice announced plans to phase out its use of private prisons. Ratings agency Moodys downgraded the credit ratings of both companies, reflecting substantial uncertainty around the industry. Though both companies have contracts with other government entities including cities and states the federal government, and ICE in particular, is their biggest customer. Contracts with ICE accounted for 24% of CoreCivics revenue last year and nearly 18% of GEO Groups. In a statement, GEO spokesman Pablo Paez said the review confirms our long history of providing culturally responsive, safe and humane environments that meet the non-penal needs of those individuals entrusted to the care of ICE. Jonathan Burns, a spokesman for CoreCivic, said the company provides a safe, humane and appropriate environment for those entrusted to our care. But the report was a stinging disappointment for civil rights and immigrant advocacy organizations that were hoping Homeland Security would end contracts with private detention facilities. They say the facilities are likely to only get more crowded once President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Trump has vowed a vastly harsher regime of immigration enforcement. The big business of incarceration will only intensify under the president-elects anticipated deportation regime, Mary Small, policy director of the Detention Watch Network, said in a statement. Advocates say the government should expand supervised release and other alternatives to detention. It clearly shows they acknowledge a lot of the problems, yet their recommendation is to give ICE more funding, Jacinta Gonzalez, an immigration advocate at the Not One More campaign, said of the report. In August, Johnson asked the panel to examine the effect of stopping use of private facilities to detain immigrants facing deportation. The request followed a Federal Bureau of Prisons decision to stop using private prisons after reports of abuses. A deputy attorney general said in a memo that they were not as good as federal facilities and not substantially cheaper. But the Homeland Security advisory report argued that its easier to phase out private detention beds for criminals than for immigrants. While only 15% of the Bureau of Prison inmates are held in privately run prisons, the industry handles 65% of immigration detainees, the report says. Only 10% are in government-run facilities. The rest are in cells rented from state or local jails. The report says those jails, which also may hold suspects who have committed violent crimes, are not appropriate for immigration violations and that those contracts should be phased out. A recent surge of illegal immigration has meant record numbers of people in custody from a normal range of 31,000 to 34,000 people to 41,000 now. Johnson has said the department needs more beds to cope with the increase. The report said ICE could improve conditions by better monitoring, including more unannounced inspections and placing a high-ranking ICE official as a sort of warden in each center. The agency also could improve procedures for tracking complaints and improving healthcare by putting more funds into the Health Services Corp., ICEs own medical bureau, the report said. Twitter: @ByBrianBennett brian.bennett@latimes.com Times staff writer James Rufus Koren contributed to this report. ALSO When Trump says he wants to deport criminals, he means something starkly different than Obama Yes, Trump can boost deportations and gut the Dreamer program for young immigrants An outsider takes charge of the Border Patrol and yes, hell wear the green uniform Companies may be held liable if asbestos from a job site causes someone in a workers home to become sick, the California Supreme Court decided unanimously Thursday. The state high court ruling allows lawsuits to go forward on behalf of people allegedly diseased by asbestos fibers brought into the home on another persons clothing. Employers have a duty to take reasonable care to prevent workers from carrying home asbestos on their clothing or other personal effects, Justice Goodwin Liu wrote for the court. Advertisement Under the decision, only members of a workers household may sue for harm caused by secondary exposure. To be sure, there are other persons who may have reason to believe they were exposed to significant quantities of asbestos by repeatedly spending time in an enclosed space with an asbestos worker for example, a regular carpool companion, Liu wrote. But he said the rule would limit litigation and protect an identifiable category of people most likely to have suffered a legitimate, compensable harm. Though the commercial use of asbestos began to be phased out decades ago, lawsuits alleging that it caused disease remain abundant. The product was widely used in building materials as well as in hair dryers and automobile brakes. Lawyers who represent people who claim asbestos caused their disease say construction workers and others may continue to be exposed. The ruling stemmed from two lawsuits. One was brought by Johnny Blaine Kesner Jr., who was diagnosed with perotineal mesothelioma in February 2011 and died at the age of 53 in 2014. He sued Pneumo Abex LLC, which owned a brake manufacturing plant in Virginia that employed his uncle. Kesner spent at least three nights a week at his uncles home from 1973 to 1979, and the uncle said he sometimes slept near Kesner or roughhoused with him while wearing work clothes. The other suit was filed by the children of Lynne Haver, who was diagnosed with mesothelioma in March 2008 and died in April 2009. Their suit alleged that the mother was exposed to asbestos from her former husbands clothing. Havers husband worked for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, a predecessor of BNSF Railway Co., from July 1972 through 1974 and was exposed to asbestos from pipe insulation and other products, the suit said. Mesothelioma is a cancer of the chest and abdomen closely linked to asbestos exposure. Victims may be exposed by inhaling or ingesting microscopic asbestos fibers in the air. Ted W. Pelletier, who represented Kesner, said companies knew of the dangers of asbestos for decades but failed to provide locker rooms or showers for workers. Mondays decision means wives and children and husbands who were needlessly and preventably poisoned can seek justice, Pelletier said. The ruling was significant, he said, because it ended a legal bar on lawsuits from people exposed outside a workplace. Lisa Perrochet, who represented the employer in the Kerner case, said the ruling was likely to spark more lawsuits. This is a departure from what a majority of other states do, she said. maura.dolan@latimes.com A woman convicted 24 years ago of killing her husband for money will remain on death row under a ruling Thursday by the California Supreme Court. The state high court unanimously upheld the conviction and death sentence of Catherine Thompson, convicted in 1992 of hiring someone to kill her husband so she could collect $400,000 in life insurance. The victim, Melvin Thompson, 49, owned and operated Kayser Service and Community Brake, an auto repair shop in Santa Monica. Catherine, 42 at the time of the killing, was his second wife. Advertisement She had embezzled money from her employer and had agreed to pay it back, the court said. She then engaged in various fraudulent transactions to get more money before hiring someone to kill her husband. He was shot to death at his repair shop, and police arrested Catherine Thompson. She was in jail during his funeral and told others to collect all the jewelry from his body and bring it to her. After her release, she pawned the jewelry to finance a gambling trip to Laughlin, Nev., the court said. Police arrested Thompson again after learning of her fraudulent dealings and linking her to Phillip Sanders, the man she was convicted of hiring to kill her husband. Catherine Thompson, now 68, argued that her constitutional rights were violated when she was forced to stand trial with Sanders. She contended the prosecution cooperated with Sanders in an attempt to ensure she was convicted. Sanders was convicted but spared the death penalty. In a ruling written by Justice Kathryn Mickle Werdegar, the court acknowledged that the degree of cooperation between the Los Angeles County prosecutor and Sanders defense was unusual. But the court said it was not persuaded that Thompsons rights were violated when the judge repeatedly refused to sever her trial from Sanders. The evidence of defendants guilt was overwhelming, including her many financial frauds indicating her motive, her lies [and] her blurted-out statements indicating guilt, Werdegar wrote. The ruling came in Thompsons first appeal. She will now be entitled to challenge her conviction and sentence on other grounds. maura.dolan@latimes.com Twitter: @mauradolan Hugs and signs of remembrance in San Bernardino From the earliest hours Friday, people touched by the attack one year ago in San Bernardino began gathering to remember the victims and honor those who offered their help in a moment of terror. Several gatherings were set to take place in the city throughout the day, each one reflecting the profound impact of the violence on the lives of victims families, first responders, county employees and many others throughout the region. Fourteen people were killed and 22 wounded on Dec. 2, 2015, when a county employee and his wife entered an office holiday celebration in a conference center at the Inland Regional Center and opened fire. Friday morning, members of law enforcement and their supporters met at San Bernardino Police Department headquarters for a 14-mile bike ride each mile representing a victim of the attack. The ride concluded at the Inland Regional Center, where employees and others had gathered in front of the conference center for a moment of silence and memorial ceremony. A large memorial gathering for the community is scheduled Friday evening at Cal State San Bernardino. Great kickoff to our IRC memorial bike ride this morning! We had about 100 riders and proceeds raised go to victims. #SBStrong pic.twitter.com/oSeBDbr4qa San Bernardino PD (@SanBernardinoPD) December 2, 2016 Were here to remember those who lost their lives and remember those who were injured, said San Bernardino police Sgt. Emil Kokesh, who helped organize the bike ride and was among the first responders on Dec. 2. It was one of the most tragic things our department has ever had to respond to, he said. Its something that the first responders who were there are never going to forget. At the Inland Regional Center, dozens of employees were among those who participated in a moment of silence, which began just before 10:58 a.m. the time dispatchers received the first 911 call. A bell rang 14 times for each of the victims. A year has passed and we continue to heal, said Lavinia Johnson, executive director of the regional center, which coordinates services for more than 30,000 people with developmental disabilities in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Larry Daniel Kaufman, 42, who ran a coffee shop at the regional center, was killed in the attack. One year later, the conference center remains closed for repairs but there are plans to reopen it sometime next year, officials said. County employees Paula Garcia and Zen Martinsen, said they took time off work to attend the ceremony. They were working at a county office in Yucaipa when the attack took place. Garcia remembered listening to broadcast coverage and feeling helpless. You cant do anything to help but pray, she said. One year on, the attack continues to have a deep impact on county employees, both women said. The thoughts never stop, Garcia said. They made a point of attending Friday mornings memorial, she said, to show support, and to grieve for our family. A federal judge ruled Thursday that a former Los Angeles Times reporter who interviewed then-Sheriff Lee Baca during an unfolding scandal over abuses in the county jails must testify in the former sheriffs corruption trial, which is scheduled to begin next week. Prosecutors want the reporter, Robert Faturechi, to testify about a Sept. 29, 2011, article in which Baca described an FBI undercover sting and a visit that sheriffs investigators made to an FBI agents home. They also want to ask Faturechi about statements he made on KCRW radio earlier this year. Attorneys for Faturechi, who is now with the nonprofit news outlet Pro Publica, argued that the First Amendment protects him from testifying, in part because prosecutors could find other witnesses to establish similar facts. Advertisement U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson said the prosecutions need for disclosure outweighs Faturechis 1st Amendment protection as a journalist. He noted that Faturechis attorney has not argued that the interview with Baca was confidential or that the reporter would be reneging on a promise to keep the conversation off the record. Faturechis testimony will generally be limited to the content of the newspaper article and the radio appearance, but attorneys may be allowed to ask related questions, such as where he interviewed Baca. Ill decide when I hear them, Anderson said of what questions will be admissible. Faturechis attorney, Kelli Sager, said her client would take the stand, but she could not guarantee what questions he would answer. Anything thats not in the article, I cant make a representation of what Mr. Faturechi will do, she said at Thursdays hearing. Baca, 74, is charged with obstruction of justice, conspiracy and lying in connection with a 2011 scheme to interfere with an FBI investigation into widespread abuses at the county jails. Assistant U.S. Atty. Brandon Fox said that Faturechis testimony will be relevant to both the obstruction and false statement charges. Sager had argued that if an offhand comment is enough to compel a journalist to testify, government officials will confine themselves to prepared statements rather than giving spontaneous interviews. In the 2011 article, Faturechi quoted Baca as saying that the investigators did not intend to intimidate the FBI agent when they visited her home. Baca also described other details of the encounter, which occurred several days before the article was published, noting that the agent directed the deputies questions to her supervisors. Prosecutors allege that Baca lied to them by saying that he was not aware until after the encounter that the deputies were planning to talk to the FBI agent or threaten to charge or arrest her one of four false statements listed in the indictment against Baca. The two deputies were among other sheriffs officials, including Bacas former second-in-command, who have been convicted in the scheme to obstruct the FBI investigation. Baca had initially agreed to plead guilty to lying to federal officials in exchange for a sentence of up to six months in prison. But Anderson threw out the deal, which he termed too lenient, and Baca elected to go to trial on new charges. In February of this year, after he had left The Times and joined the nonprofit news outlet Pro Publica, Faturechi spoke about his interview with Baca on KCRW radio. Faturechi told the host, Warren Olney, that Baca acknowledged he was aware and he sent these deputies to this FBI agents home. It appeared that Baca later backtracked on those statements in his interviews with the feds, but he told me this very clearly at the time, Faturechi said on the radio program. Bacas attorneys want a UCLA psychiatrist to testify that the former sheriff, who was diagnosed with Alzheimers disease earlier this year, was probably already suffering from the early stages of the illness in April 2013, when he made the alleged false statements to federal investigators. Anderson said Thursday that he will probably allow some of the testimony. But he expressed concern that jurors could also use the information to evaluate Bacas behavior when the alleged obstruction scheme was taking place in 2011, before any evidence of mental impairment. Anderson proposed addressing the issue by splitting the case into two trials one for the obstruction of justice and conspiracy charges and another for the false statements. Fox called the idea creative and said he would seriously consider it but wanted time to think through the implications and confer with Bacas defense team. Nathan Hochman, one of Bacas attorneys, said he also wanted more time. Jury selection is set to begin Monday, when Anderson may also revisit his proposal to sever the case in two. cindy.chang@latimes.com For more news on the Los Angeles Police Department, follow me on Twitter: @cindychangLA UPDATES: 6:00 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about the court hearing. This story was originally published at 5:30 p.m. A Yucca Valley man was convicted Thursday of the 2011 torture and burning death of his ex-girlfriend, who named him in her dying words. A Rancho Cucamonga jury found Hector Meza, 43, guilty of one count of first-degree murder, according to the San Bernardino County district attorneys office. The jury found true the special circumstances that the murder was committed during the course of commission of mayhem, that the murder was intentional and involved infliction of torture and that the defendant killed the victim, Maria Banuelos, by means of lying in wait. Advertisement The jury also found Meza guilty of one count of aggravated mayhem, one count of torture and one count of arson causing great bodily injury, according to the district attorneys office. Ontario police officers arrived at an apartment complex on Oct. 22, 2011, where they found residents administering aid to Banuelos, 34, who was on fire. On this particular night, the victim was leaving her apartment, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Kent Williams, who prosecuted the case, She left her apartment and shortly later her family heard screams. They exited the apartment and saw the victim engulfed in flames on the ground. At the scene, Banuelos identified Meza and three others as her attackers. While in the ambulance, her dying words were: Hector Meza set me on fire. He is abusive and obsessive. She was taken to a hospital where she died two days later. The coroner later determined that Banuelos had been hit on the head three times with something like a metal bar before being set on fire, the district attorneys office said. Hours after the attacks, Meza was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. After Banuelos death, investigators arrested four other suspects linked to the attack: Robert Chico Zapata, 24; Johnny Eugene Hernandez, 23; Johnathan Zuniga, 28; and Genese Ramirez Leon, 25. The four remaining defendants are due back in court next month. Meza is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 4. He faces life in state prison without the possibility of parole. brittny.mejia@latimes.com Twitter: @Brittny_Mejia ALSO P-45 mountain lion no longer faces the death penalty After 3-year investigation, former Bakersfield principal again accused of killing her husband Blue-haired woman sentenced to more than 100 days for scrawling anti-Trump graffiti on government buildings Authorities in Bakersfield arrested a former elementary school principal Thursday evening in connection with the death of her husband in 2013, signaling a breakthrough in the years-long investigation of the brutal slaying. Leslie Jenea Chance, 49, was arrested just before 5:30 p.m. and booked on a charge of first-degree murder, according to Ray Pruitt, a spokesman for the Kern County Sheriffs Office. A farmworker found the body of Todd Chance riddled with gunshot wounds in a dirt field on the morning of Aug. 25, 2013. About 20 miles away, his 2011 black Ford Mustang was found abandoned. Advertisement From the outset, detectives zeroed in on Todd Chances wife of 17 years, who was also known as Jenea Chance. Without publicly offering a motive, deputies arrested her within days of her husbands death. But in early September 2013, just before she was set to make her first court appearance, prosecutors ordered her release and asked detectives to strengthen the case. We have sent the case back to the Sheriffs Department for further investigation, Mark Pafford, Kern Countys chief deputy district attorney, said at the time. Sheriffs officials said they had since conducted an extensive, exhaustive investigation into the killing of Todd Chance, whose obituary described him as a devoted father of three daughters. Inside Todd Chances Mustang, investigators in 2013 found a .38-caliber revolver and a note written on white paper, the Bakersfield Californian reported. Authorities also collected the DNA and fingerprints of Jenea Chance. Its unclear what transpired over the last three years that led to the womans arrest. Pruitt, the sheriffs spokesman, declined late Thursday to share what new developments had emerged. Her attorney, Kyle J. Humphrey, emphasized that his client was innocent and criticized police for using a sneak attack by arresting Jenea Chance at night a move he theorized was a strategy to intimidate her. An arrest is nonsense, Humphrey told The Times. The police can arrest whoever they want. The lawyer said he had not yet met with Jenea Chance behind bars but predicted that she was deeply wounded and concerned for her children. Once again, she will be pilloried by the people who always believe the government, and supported by the people who know her and her character, Humphrey said. Before her first arrest, Jenea Chance worked as principal of Fairview Elementary School, a school of roughly 525 students. In 2013, Ken Chichester, then the assistant superintendent of personnel of Greenfield Union School District, said she had joined the district in 1997 and was well-respected and smart. Its very shocking so out of character for everybody that knows her, Chichester told The Times. The school districts website on Thursday listed Jenea Chance as an administrator on assignment. A school district spokesman could not be reached for comment. She was being held without bail and is expected to appear in Kern County Superior Court on Monday for her arraignment. Times staff writer Joseph Serna contributed to this report. matt.hamilton@latimes.com Twitter: @MattHjourno. ALSO P-45 mountain lion no longer faces the death penalty Man identified as killer by dying ex-girlfriend convicted of murder, torture and arson Blue-haired woman sentenced to more than 100 days for scrawling anti-Trump graffiti on government buildings The suspects had no idea that the bottle of cough syrup perched on a shelf at a Tustin pharmacy contained something more than cough relief. It wasnt until the nondescript package was removed from the small Newport Avenue business by burglars that its secret ingredients went to work. Concealed inside the bottle of cough syrup was a GPS device that began tracking the medicine thieves every move, according to police investigators. Advertisement After days of tracking, undercover surveillance and evidence gathering, investigators arrested Willie James Clark, 21, of Rowland Heights and Brian Vega Salinas, 20, of La Puente on suspicion of committing the Nov. 10 burglary. Tustin police spokesman Lt. Robert Wright said investigators decided to drop the small piece of technology into a bottle of cough syrup after a half-dozen pharmacy burglaries this year. Before planting the tracker, a department crime analyst examined the days, times and neighborhoods where pharmacy burglaries had occurred for possible patterns. He then determined a likely target: the Creative Compounding Pharmacy in the 13000 block of Newport. Its pretty much like a guess, Wright said. Investigators got permission from owner Denise Taylor to plant the tracker, which functions like the Find my iPhone app, Wright said. Taylor had the misfortune of being burglarized in 2012 a year after her pharmacy opened but the thieves were never apprehended, although they were captured on video surveillance. Maybe the next time would be different, she figured. The cough syrup with the GPS tracker sat on a shelf for several months before it was grabbed in last months break-in. It paid off, Taylor said. This was the first time Tustin police successfully used a tracking device in pharmaceuticals. The technology has also been used on bicycles, delivery packages and one automobile. The car experiment didnt work so well, however, because nobody took the bait. I dont think they liked the car, Wright said. In all, more than 100 suspected thieves have been nabbed with the departments use of GPS devices. The technology allows us to secrete the system in a variety of items and is only limited by our imagination, the Police Department said in a statement. We will continue using this technology as we want every criminal who is considering stealing something in our city to wonder if a GPS device is hidden inside. veronica.rocha@latimes.com For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter. ALSO Gunmen in Stockton bank robbery where hostage was killed plead guilty to murder L.A. tentatively agrees to pay $4 million in fatal shooting of homeless man in Venice by LAPD officer Con man who concocted diabolical, murderous scheme to kill federal judge sentenced to 20 years Attorneys for the city of Los Angeles have agreed to a $4-million payout to settle lawsuits filed by the family of an unarmed homeless man fatally shot last year by an LAPD officer in Venice, court records show. The tentative deal comes as prosecutors weigh whether to charge the officer, Clifford Proctor, in connection with the May 5, 2015, killing of Brendon Glenn. In a highly unusual move, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck recommended that prosecutors file criminal charges in the case. Attorneys representing Glenns family and the city reached the settlement this fall and notified the court about their agreement two weeks ago, according to documents filed in federal court. U.S. District Judge Manuel L. Real dismissed the case a day later, citing the proposed settlement. Advertisement If approved by the City Council, the deal would settle lawsuits filed in both federal and state court on behalf of Glenns mother, Sheri Camprone, and 4-year-old son, Avery, according to attorney V. James DeSimone. This has impacted this familys life each and every day, DeSimone said of Glenns death. It has really robbed them of a lot of the joy of living. There are reminders each and every day of how much they miss Brendon. Spokesmen for both the city attorneys office and the LAPD declined to comment on the proposed settlement before the City Council weighs in. An attorney representing Proctor in the civil case did not immediately return a call seeking comment. In dismissing the case two weeks ago, Real said the federal lawsuit could be reopened within 60 days if the settlement is not finalized. DeSimone said Glenns family was hopeful that the district attorney would pursue charges against the officer but said they were surprised that a decision had not yet been announced. Beck went public with his recommendation in January, the first time as police chief that he has suggested criminal charges against an officer in a fatal on-duty shooting. It is unclear why prosecutors have not yet made a decision. A spokesman for the district attorneys office declined to comment because the case is still pending. Proctor told investigators that he opened fire during a struggle with Glenn because he saw the 29-year-olds hand on his partners holster and thought Glenn was trying to grab the officers gun, according to an LAPD report made public earlier this year. But video from a security camera at a nearby bar on the Venice boardwalk didnt show Glenns hand on or near any portion of the holster, the report said. Proctors partner never made any statements or actions suggesting Glenn was trying to take the gun, the report added. The Police Commission sided with the police chief in April, finding Proctor violated LAPD rules for using deadly force. The decision capped an 11-month review of Glenns death, one of several shootings by LAPD officers last year that fueled criticism of police and how officers use force, particularly against African Americans. Glenn was black, as is Proctor. The union that represents rank-and-file officers has blasted Becks handling of the case, saying the chiefs public support for charges overstepped his authority and was unfair to Proctor, a nearly nine-year veteran of the LAPD. Proctor has been relieved of duty, without pay, pending a hearing before a disciplinary board, an LAPD spokeswoman said Friday. Officers sent to those hearings typically face serious punishment lengthy suspensions or termination. The events leading up to the deadly encounter began shortly before midnight, when Proctor and his partner went to Windward Avenue after someone complained that a homeless man was harassing customers outside a restaurant, police said. The officers told investigators that Glenn was staggering and slurring his speech when they first approached, according to the LAPD report from Beck to police commissioners. He started to walk away, they said, so they decided not to arrest him. Then Glenn headed toward the Townhouse bar, where he yelled at patrons, the officers said, according to the report. Glenn and a bouncer began pushing each other, so the officers walked over, planning to take Glenn into custody. One officer grabbed Glenns arm and ordered him to turn around, but Glenn refused and tried to break free, the report said, citing the officers account. Glenn cursed, using a racial epithet. The officers then took him to the ground, the report said. The bars security camera captured the fight. The video showed an officer grab Glenn by his hair, the report said. Everything was happening so fast, Proctor told investigators. Everybodys hands were flailing around. At one point, Proctor said, he saw Glenns left hand on his partners holster, according to the report. Proctor fired a shot, but said he didnt see Glenn react. The officer admitted that he then had a little tunnel vision and pulled the trigger again. I dont really know where his hands were, but he is still holding on, Proctor told investigators. I honestly believed that this guy was on something strong, like some kind of drug. And the first round did absolutely nothing to affect him. But the evidence, Beck said in his report, didnt independently support Proctors claim. His partner told investigators that he never saw Glenns hand near his gun or felt any jerking movements, the report added. The LAPD has not identified Proctors partner, but the lawsuits filed by Glenns family identified him as Jonathan Kawahara. The department has not released the security camera video from the bar. And the business owner declined to show it to a Times reporter. kate.mather@latimes.com For more LAPD news, follow me on Twitter: @katemather UPDATES: 5:15 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from an attorney representing Brendon Glenns family, including more details about the proposed settlement. It was also updated to include additional information about Officer Clifford Proctor. This story was originally published at 1:50 p.m. At least some spectators gazing from the bluffs of Palos Verdes Estates hoped the metallic rap of jackhammers rising from Lunada Bay this week sounded the end of an era. For decades, outsiders have complained that they were harassed and their vehicles vandalized by a crew of surfers determined to keep the bays well-shaped waves to themselves. On Thursday, after months of pressure on the city by the California Coastal Commission, a wrecking crew finished dismantling the stone fort the surfers, dubbed by some as the Bay Boys, had built without permits on the rocky shore. Advertisement This is great, said a veteran surfer from Redondo Beach, who did not want to be identified out of fear of reprisal. Ive had rocks thrown at me and been intimidated twice I never surfed the bay because of it. But if tearing down the fort was meant as a sign that authorities have finally lost patience with the bullying known as localism, that was diminished by the fact that someone sneaked in one night and damaged workers trucks and set fire to their air compressor. A man who declined to give his name carries a surfboard up a trail as city contractors demolish a patio built by local surfers. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times ) Palos Verdes Estates officials, whom many have criticized for failing to take effective action against the territorial surfers, are investigating the vandalism. They said that tearing down the structure that served as a sort of clubhouse for the surfers is just one step in addressing the hostility toward outsiders. Critics say the action comes only after the Coastal Commission intervened and told the city to increase public access to the beach. It also coincides with two lawsuits accusing the surfers of bombarding outsiders with rocks, slashing their tires and assaulting them in the water or along the treacherous paths that lead down to the beach. The cases also accuse the city of failing to do whats necessary to stop the intimidation. We are making progress toward resolving a problem, City Manager Anton Dahlerbruch said. We are confident that the measures we are taking will positively improve the publics enjoyment of the bay. He said the city has increased police patrols and plans to monitor surf reports during the winter wave season and assign more officers as needed. If a proposed contract is approved with the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, deputies will monitor the bay when local authorities are unavailable, Dahlerbruch said. Localism, a territorial practice to exclude outsiders, has probably been a part of surfing since the first time two people tried to catch the same wave. As Southern Californias population grew, so did the aggression of surfers at some notorious breaks, such as Windansea in San Diego and Hollywood by the Sea in Oxnard. An inscription along the shoreline at Lunada Bay. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times ) Paradoxically, though, crowding on waves eventually made localism moot, said Scott Hulet, the editor of Surfers Journal. This sort of thing has been absorbed by extreme numbers in the water, he said. Its a real anachronism to be in the heart of Los Angeles and have a group assume any sort of ownership over a surf spot. But Lunada Bay, which has long had a reputation for the worst localism on the coast, is still seen by many as a dangerous place where well-to-do bullies with a sense of entitlement use threats and violence to lord over a slice of coast as if it were theirs alone. There is no place like Lunada Bay, said Steve Hawk, a former editor of Surfer magazine who was confronted himself by a group of locals at the top of the bluff after surfing the break. This is not private land or a private beach, he said. The public has a right to be there. Imagine if a bunch of African Americans from South-Central Los Angeles did something like this at Lunada Bay. How would the city of Palos Verdes Estates react? The city has given [the Bay Boys] a pass for decades. The Coastal Commission, which eventually stepped in to make sure the public can get to the public beach, has been in discussions with city officials off and on since January. Though the powerful land use agency supports the increased police patrols, its correspondence with the city shows continuing concern that Palos Verdes Estates has not implemented the commissions recommendations to enhance access by improving trails to the beach and adding benches, signs and viewing areas on the bluffs. We identified the fort as a potential site that could be used to intimidate beach-goers, said Andrew Willis, a commission enforcement supervisor. We will monitor the situation. Restricting access to the beach is a Coastal Act issue. In a letter sent to the commission in October, Dahlerbruch, the city manager, said the city opposes the recommendations because it wants to maintain its coastal bluffs and beaches in a pristine natural state. He added that the stepped-up police presence has been effective as demonstrated by a lack of significant incidents. A man looks from above the bluff as city contractors demolish a patio built by local surfers at Lunada Bay. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times ) But two pending lawsuits in federal and state courts challenge the citys commitment to solving the problem. The suits, which name Palos Verdes Estates, Police Chief Jeff Kepley and 10 individuals as defendants, allege that the intimidation of outsiders has persisted for years despite city efforts. El Segundo Police Officer Cory Spencer, Diana Milena Reed and the Coastal Protection Rangers Inc., a small nonprofit organization, brought the cases earlier this year. Spencer said he was harassed repeatedly and run over in the water by a surfer in late January during his first visit to the bay. This is not about money, he said. Its about changing the behavior out there and giving part of the coast back to the public. Named as defendants are David Melo, Mark Griep, Sang Lee, Brant Blakeman, Michael Rae Papayans, Angelo Ferrara, Frank Ferrara and Charlie Ferrara and one minor. At this time, Alan Johnston is a defendant only in the the federal case. The lawsuits, which claim the Bay Boys amount to a street gang, specifically mention 12 alleged incidents in which beach-goers, including the organizer of a surfing event to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., were harassed, assaulted, threatened and intimidated. Victor Otten, one of the attorneys representing Spencer and Reed, has a profanity-laced video of Bay Boys intimidating beach-goers, more than 100 statements from witnesses and 57 police reports filed over the last 20 years related to harassment, assaults and vandalism involving Lunada Bay surfers. Attorneys for the city and Chief Kepley deny the allegations, but they said it is too early in the litigation to provide any specifics of their defense. Two other lawyers representing Johnston and Blakeman questioned whether the so-called Bay Boys amounted to a criminal street gang and contended that the situation at Lunada Bay has been greatly exaggerated. There is the allegation of a criminal street gang. This is legally incorrect and truly disrespectful of the victims of actual street gangs, said J. Patrick Carey, Johnstons attorney, who described the defendants as friends and members of a surfing club. Carey contended that the one allegation against his client, for battery, is groundless. The concept of the Bay Boys is a false one, said Robert S. Cooper, Blakemans attorney. As to Mr. Blakeman, he has lived here [in Palos Verdes Estates] almost his entire life. He is loved and respected. He has very strong support in the community. ...He has never done . . . anything that is alleged in the lawsuit. Those who say they are out to end localism at Lunada Bay contend that the destroying the fort was an important step. Police reports over the years show that the shelter, with its stone patio, fire pit, table, wooden benches and palm thatch roofing, was constructed without permits near the waters edge, and was the site of parties as well as frequent drug and alcohol use. Otten, one of the attorneys behind the lawsuit, has emails from a witness to Palos Verdes Estates police indicating that officers have been present at the shelter while people were drinking alcohol but did nothing about the municipal code violation. Some who watched the shelters demolition this week doubted that the action will have the desired effect and questioned whether the news media and others have exaggerated the situation. I dont understand what razing that patio is going to do to stop territoriality, said Earl Isaacson, 68, who lives in the Lunada Bay area and has attended barbecues at the shelter. I have been here 35 years, and I have never witnessed anyone getting hassled. They are tying to make it look like these guys are a gang. Its not a gang. There are lots of people here with good jobs. Its all been blown out of proportion. No one up here wanted that patio torn down. Its like a landmark. dan.weikel@latimes.com ALSO Allegations flowing in against the surfer gang of Lunada Bay Beach fort erected by Bay Boys surfer gang will be demolished, Palos Verdes Estates officials say Contractors equipment vandalized during demolition of surfers stone fort at Lunada Bay The Montrose Shopping Park has been hit with a string of thefts over the last few months but, instead of stores being robbed of merchandise, thieves have been targeting Christmas lights. Someone has been stealing the Christmas lights that adorn many of the trees at the shopping park between the 2200 and 2400 blocks of Honolulu Avenue. Dale Dawson, business administrator for the shopping park, said the cost of the thefts and replacing the lights has been more than $2,000. Advertisement He said its the first time he can recall anything like this happening. We havent got a clue as to who is doing it and we cant really pin down a specific location because they hit various areas, he said. Dawson suspects that whoever has been stealing the lights has been selling them and that some of the thefts may have occurred in the daylight, because lights that were present in the afternoon were gone by the evening. Its a head-scratcher that someone could be so bold, he said. Tahnee Lightfoot, Glendale police spokeswoman, said the department was notified of the thefts several days ago. Businesses have already been told to provide any relevant security footage to the department while citizens have been asked to keep a lookout for suspicious activity. We have a community thats upset about this because everybody loves going down to Montrose and go shopping or to dinner its always been a really beautiful place during the holidays, she said. Despite the continued thefts, Dawson said that the shopping park will continue to replace any of the lights during the holiday season. A $250 reward is even being offered to help catch the person or persons responsible. Its just worth it to maintain the lights for the community and merchants, he said. Its something thats just iconic here. Saturday marks the return of the Montrose Christmas Parade, which will be celebrating its 40th anniversary. The parade which takes place along Honolulu, between Rosemont Avenue and Verdugo Road begins at 6 p.m. and will feature more than 1,000 participants, with up to 25,000 spectators. Anyone with information about the thefts is encouraged to call the police at (818) 548-4911. Nguyen writes for Glendale News-Press. Andy Nguyen, andy.nguyen@latimes.com Twitter: @Andy_Truc The mountain lion known as P-45 has been granted a reprieve by the owner of 10 alpacas that the big cat is suspected of killing recently. Victoria Vaughn-Perling will work with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the National Park Service toward a goal of having authorities capture the animal and then decide whether to relocate it in the Santa Monica Mountains or place it in captivity, her attorney, Reid Breitman, said Thursday. State officials on Monday issued a permit to Vaughn-Perling to kill the mountain lion after the 5-year-old predator was suspected of killing 10 alpacas and injuring two others Saturday at ranches off Mulholland Highway and Little Sycamore Canyon Road, said Andrew Hughan, a spokesman for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. Advertisement The attacks drew national attention and sparked an outcry among some animal welfare activists, who called it unfair to punish the puma for acting on its instincts. Victoria initially took out the state depredation permit thinking it allowed her to kill the mountain lion or have it captured and relocated, Breitman said. By Thursday, however, wildlife activists and local ranchers in the Malibu hills persuaded her to seek other options, including accepting donations that would enable her to build lion-proof enclosures for her livestock, he said. Vaughn-Perling also decided to let state wildlife authorities determine the best approach: either relocate the mountain lion in the Santa Monica Mountains or place it in captivity, Breitman said. L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl issued a statement Thursday regarding the possible resolution of the fate of P-45. I am very grateful to the property owner for her willingness to work with my office, the National Park Service, the National Wildlife Federation, and others, to spare the life of one of the precious few mountain lions left in our Santa Monica Mountains, Kuehl said. This is a great example of the constructive ways that government, residents, nonprofits and activists can work together to forge a common-sense solution that is a win-win for wildlife and ranchers. Times staff writer Matt Hamilton contributed to this report. louis.sahagun@latimes.com brittny.mejia@latimes.com Twitter: @LouisSahagun and @Brittny_Mejia MORE LOCAL NEWS Companies can be held liable when workers bring home asbestos dust that sickens others, court rules Mayor Eric Garcetti is trying to strike a balance with Donald Trump. Will it pay off? Those mysterious creatures along Huntington Beachs coast are burrowing sea cucumbers In an interview set to air Friday on ABCs 20/20, the husband of abducted Redding mother Sherri Papini described how he knew his wife had been freed after three weeks in captivity: He got a phone call from police and could hear his wife screaming in the background. It was my wife screaming in the background, yelling my name, and a CHP [California Highway Patrol] officer that seemed somewhat confused at the moment, like, What is going on? Keith Papini said. And [the officer] said, I need you to be calm. I need you to be calm. I already know its her. I can tell her voice. Sherri, 34, disappeared Nov. 2 while she was out for a jog in the small town of Mountain Gate in Shasta County. Advertisement Her husband reported her missing after he came home from work and found that she hadnt picked up their children from daycare, officials said. Her cellphone and headphones were found near where she had last been seen, about a mile from her home, investigators said. She was found before sunrise on Thanksgiving on the side of Interstate 5 in Yolo County with a quarter-inch thick chain around her waist, hose clamps around her wrists, her face bruised and her nose broken from beatings she sustained during her time in captivity, her family said. She was emaciated and weighed only 87 pounds when she flagged down a motorist, who dialed 911. She screamed so much, shes coughing up blood from the screaming trying to get somebody to stop, her husband, Keith Papini said in the 20/20 interview. And again just another sign of how my wife is, shes so wonderful. Shes saying, Well maybe people arent stopping because I have a chain that looks like I broke out of prison, so she tried to tuck in her chain under her clothes. I love you, I love you, I love you, Oh my God, youre here. Youre back. Where are you? Keith Papini recounting his conversation with his wife When the CHP officer handed the phone to Sherri to speak with her husband, he was overcome with emotion, Keith Papini told ABC. I get the phone and, [I said], Oh my God, honey. And of course shes screaming, Papini said. Its very emotional. And, I love you, I love you, I love you, Oh my God, youre here. Youre back. Where are you? And then the phone gets taken away from her. Like, super quick. Im panicked but Im happy because at this point this is the first time Ive heard her voice, he added. I know shes alive. Officials said they were not aware of a motive for the apparent kidnapping. Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko also said it was not clear whether Sherri knew her abductors. In an interview with Good Morning America that aired Wednesday morning, Bosenko said Sherris hair had been cut off and she had been branded. I would think that was some sort of either an exertion of power and control and/or maybe some type of message that the brand contained, Bosenko said. It is not a symbol, but it was a message. Her kidnappers covered their faces and usually had a bag over Sherris head, her husband said. The women freed her by simply kicking her out of their car on the side of the road, he told ABC. She was chained anytime she was in the vehicle, he said. They opened the door, she doesnt know [where] because shes got a bag over her head. They cut something to free her restraint that was holding her in the vehicle, and then kind of pushed her out of the vehicle. Sherri described her captors as two women who spoke Spanish most of the time, Bosenko said. She described one of the captors as having long curly hair, pierced ears, thin eyebrows and a thick accent. The second captor was described as being older, with thick eyebrows and straight black hair with some gray. Deputies are working with a sketch artist to see if they could create renderings, but only the eyes would likely be shown, Bosenko said. joseph.serna@latimes.com For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter. ALSO We may never know why the San Bernardino terrorists targeted a Christmas party. Heres what we do know Chilly 60 mph Santa Ana winds expected to get even stronger and howl through L.A. County Transamerica to close L.A. and Folsom offices, cutting hundreds of jobs A Van Nuys man was sent to prison Thursday for fatally stabbing his live-in partner, a transgender woman, and torching their apartment. Ezekiel Jamal Dear, 27, was convicted Oct. 19 of voluntary manslaughter and arson, according to Ricardo Santiago, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County district attorneys office. Dear appeared in Van Nuys Courthouse, where a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge imposed a prison term of 12 years and 8 months for the Jan. 31, 2015, slaying of Yasmin Vash Payne. Advertisement Dear stabbed Payne, 33, several times before setting the apartment ablaze, prosecutors said. Firefighters responding to a call of a fire at the apartment complex in the 14600 block of Saticoy Street found Payne on the kitchen floor with multiple stab wounds to the torso. Paramedics pronounced Payne dead at the scene. The next day, Dear walked into a South Los Angeles police station accompanied by a pastor and was interviewed by homicide detectives, LAPD Sgt. Neil Wank said. He was arrested and charged with murder. The slaying was one of several acts of violence against transgender people in recent years and galvanized local activists to shut down traffic outside the Beverly Center in protest. Transgender women especially those of color, who suffer high levels of poverty are more likely to be targeted by violence and harassment, according to several studies. Up to about half of all transgender people experience violence from an intimate partner over their lifetime, according to a review of research by the Williams Institute. In 2014, Deshawnda Ta-Ta Sanchez, 21, was shot in Chesterfield Square. On a 911 call, she told a police dispatcher that she had been attacked and robbed. The phone went silent after gunshots were fired. Months earlier, Aniya Knee Parker, 47, was shot in East Hollywood after a struggle over her purse. In March, Kourtney Yochum, 32, was fatally shot while walking along South San Pedro Street near skid row. Daniel Molayem, a man who was dating Yochum, was later charged with murder; his case is pending in Los Angeles County Superior Court. matt.hamilton@latimes.com Twitter: @MattHjourno. MORE LOCAL NEWS After 3-year investigation, former Bakersfield principal again accused of killing her husband Man identified as killer by dying ex-girlfriend convicted of murder, torture and arson Companies can be held liable when workers bring home asbestos dust that sickens others, court rules A woman has been sentenced to more than 100 days in jail after admitting to causing thousands of dollars in damage by spray-painting anti-Donald Trump graffiti on several Los Angeles County buildings. Victoria Jayne Bay, 37, of Los Angeles pleaded guilty to one felony count of vandalism over $400 damage, according to the Los Angeles County district attorneys office. Bay was sentenced to 180 days in jail, three years of probation and ordered to pay restitution, Deputy Dist. Atty. Brenda Chan said. Advertisement On Nov. 20, Bay tagged the Hall of Justice, the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, the Hall of Records and the countys Central Heating and Refrigeration Plant. Surveillance video showed a woman using a can of blue spray paint to deface four buildings in downtown L.A. She spray-painted vulgarities about Trump and other writings about the president-elect, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. Officials released surveillance images of the woman, who wore a plaid shirt and had a distinct mop of blue hair. Two days later, Los Angeles Police Department officers on patrol near 1st Street and Soto Avenue stopped a woman for having an open alcoholic beverage container in public and recognized her as the suspect from the graffiti investigation, officials said. Officers arrested Bay on suspicion of felony vandalism. At her arraignment Monday, Bay had pleaded not guilty. The plea agreement was reached later. The damage was estimated at more than $10,000, according to the district attorneys office. A restitution hearing is scheduled for Jan. 4. brittny.mejia@latimes.com Twitter: @Brittny_Mejia A year ago today, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik killed 14 people in a terrorist attack at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino. Since then, federal authorities have said the couple was self-radicalized in part by reading radical Islamic literature online. But why did they pick the Christmas gathering held by colleagues of Farook, who worked as a health inspector for San Bernardino County? Advertisement Here is we know: Why was the IRC targeted? Officials said they dont know for sure. San Bernardino Police Lt. Mike Madden noted that in 2014, Farook attended another work event in that room, which was decorated for Christmas. Malik later stated in an online account that she felt Muslims should not have to attend Christian events, Madden said. Madden added that she did not specifically mention the event in her posting and that its far from clear that it played any role in last years attack. It is open to speculation why they chose the party, he said. I dont know if we can say with any certainty why the party was chosen apart from it was a soft target. San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan agreed. There are a lot of questions, and we dont have all the answers, he said Thursday. We never established the motive. The best we can do is theorize. What was the timeline of events? Farook left his Redlands home at 8:37 a.m. Dec. 2 and arrived at the Inland Regional Center 10 minutes later. His co-workers were gathered for a holiday event and training session there. He carried with him a bag containing a bomb, authorities say. He stuck around the center for about two hours before leaving. He returned to the event at 10:56 a.m. with his wife. They were armed with AR-15s, and their faces were covered. They sprayed the room with bullets before fleeing. They left behind an explosive device made of several pipe bombs. They later were killed by police at the end of a high-speed chase. How extensively did they plan an attack? Officials believe they planned for months, gathering weapons and building bombs in their garage. Farook traveled to the Middle East before the attack and came back with his wife. Farook was born in Illinois, but Malik was raised in Pakistan and lived in Saudi Arabia before marrying him. From the beginning, one of the biggest questions was whether the attack was part of a larger international plot hatched by Islamic State or some other Islamic terror group. Malik posted a note on Facebook pledging allegiance to Islamic State shortly after the attack, authorities said. The FBI concluded fairly quickly that the two were self-radicalized. They were inspired by terrorist groups, officials said, but did not receive financial support from any foreign or domestic organizations. A year later, the investigation continues. What are memorial plans today? San Bernardino will sponsor a Night of Remembrance Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Cal State San Bernardinos Coussoulis Arena. Our community continues to stand together united in solidarity and support for the victims, survivors, and families of those affected by the December 2nd terrorist attack, Mayor R. Carey Davis said in a statement. A memorial bicycle ride is planned to the IRC Friday morning. A special lighting formation in the hills above San Bernardino to memorialize the victims is also planned. ALSO They survived the San Bernardino terror attack. Now, they feel betrayed For survivors of San Bernardino terrorist attack, its a daily struggle against memory A year after the San Bernardino terror attack, the FBI is still struggling to answer key questions UPDATES: 7:55 a.m.: This article was updated with memorial information. This article was originally published at 7:43 a.m. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen James N. Mattis, a highly respected retired Marine four-star general, to head the Defense Department, filling in a critical national security position in the emerging Cabinet. Mattis served 44 years in the Marine Corps before he retired in 2013. He headed U.S. Central Command in his final three years and oversaw the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as other military operations in the Middle East. Trump announced his pick Thursday night at a rally in Cincinnati, urging his supporters to keep the news quiet. Were not announcing it until Monday so dont tell anybody, he joked. Advertisement He compared Mattis to Gen. George Patton, the legendary front-line general who helped liberate Europe in World War II. Unmarried all his life, Mattis, 66, was known as a hard-charging but scholarly figure who issued heavy reading lists to his subordinates and who carried Meditations by Marcus Aurelius on his deployments. In speeches, he was as likely to quote from Shakespeare or an ancient Greek poet as from traditional military strategists Carl von Clausewitz or Sun Tzu. His nicknames included Mad Dog and Warrior Monk. He is the combination of strategic thinker and successful operator at all levels of warfare, said retired Marine Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro and author of On War and Politics: The Battlefield Inside Washingtons Beltway. His entire life has been learning about and implementing a strong national defense. The GOP-led Congress would need to grant Mattis a waiver to confirm him as head of the Pentagon because he has not been out of uniform for seven years. The limit was set under a law intended to maintain civilian control of the military. Winning a waiver shouldnt be difficult. Mattis has powerful backers in Congress, including Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who chairs the Armed Services Committee, which is responsible for overseeing the confirmation process. Gen. Mattis is one of the finest military officers of his generation and an extraordinary leader who inspires a rare and special admiration of his troops, McCain said after Mattis first emerged as a candidate. Mattis clashed with White House aides before he retired over the Obama administrations outreach to Iran, which he considered unwise. He was openly critical of the Iran nuclear deal that was signed after he left the military. Mattis shares a deep distrust of Iran with Trump and Michael Flynn, a retired Army general who Trump has named as White House national security advisor. During the campaign, Trump called for ripping up or revising the nuclear deal. Among all the issues facing us in the Middle East, I think Iran is actually foremost, Mattis said in April at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington. And yet at the same time, it appears here in Washington that weve forgotten how to keep certain issues foremost. But more recently Mattis has said that its too late to rip up the Iran deal because its being implemented by the world powers who negotiated it with Tehran: the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany. Whether he and Trump share the same worldview in other areas is unclear. Trump pledged during the campaign to scale back Americas military involvement around the globe; Mattis has always espoused a muscular role to advance U.S. interests overseas. Mattis has embraced diplomatic efforts to craft a two-state solution in Israel, backed Obama administration efforts to provide weapons to Syrian rebels, and he supports the NATO military alliance, all issues where he and Trump may disagree. We need to stay engaged in the world and resist isolationism, Mattis said in August in a speech at Washington State University. Mattis already has had an impact on Trumps thinking. In a recent interview with the New York Times, the president-elect indicated he was reconsidering his calls for waterboarding terrorism suspects after talking to Mattis. He said I was surprised he said, Ive never found it to be useful, Trump said. He said, Ive always found, give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers and I do better with that than I do with torture. And I was very impressed by that answer. If confirmed, Mattis would oversee a Pentagon that is battling Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, has lost ground to a renewed insurgency in Afghanistan, is grappling with Russian aggression in Ukraine and is facing a growing Chinese presence in the South China Sea. Trump has vowed to boost Pentagon spending for more soldiers, ships and aircraft, and in a video this week, said he would seek a new strategy for cyberdefense. A native of eastern Washington state, Mattis enlisted in the Marines in 1969 and was commissioned a second lieutenant through the ROTC program in 1972. He commanded an assault battalion during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. He led the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade during the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and the 1st Marine Division during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He is best known for leading U.S. Marines into the battle of Fallouja in Iraq in late 2004. Marines fought house-to-house for six weeks to oust entrenched Sunni insurgents. The battle saw the heaviest urban combat for the U.S. military since Vietnam. More than 90 Americans were killed and nearly 600 were wounded. He gave each Marine a one-page commanders intent, telling them the fight was against the Iraqi leadership, not the Iraqi people. Any Iraqi soldiers who surrendered should be treated with soldierly compassion, he wrote. Mattis preferred to be close to the fighting, saying he disdains chateau generals, a World War I phrase for commanders who stayed in comfortable billets while their troops fought in the trenches. He had an old-school military manner, gruff but polite. In 2004, he was typically blunt when he met with a group of Iraqi tribal sheikhs. I come here in peace to help you build a better Iraq, he said. I did not bring artillery. I tell you, with tears in my eyes, I do not want violence, but if your forces fight us, we will kill every one of them. A year later, Mattis was embroiled in controversy after a speech in San Diego. Actually, its a lot of fun to fight, he said. You know, its a hell of a hoot.... Its fun to shoot some people. Ill be right up front with you. I like brawling. You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didnt wear a veil. You know, guys like that aint got no manhood left anyway. So its a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them. While the mostly military and veteran crowd approved of his comments, his superiors told him to tone down his frankness. In 2010, President Obama named Mattis to lead U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations across the Middle East, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Iran. Since retiring, he has served on several corporate boards, including General Dynamics and Theranos, a controversial Silicon Valley biotech company. Earlier this year, there was a grass roots effort by disaffected Republicans to recruit Mattis to run as a third-party candidate in the presidential race. He ultimately declined. Under the National Security Act of 1947, the Secretary of Defense must be a civilian who has been out of uniform for at least 10 years, or must get a waiver. Congress lowered the limit to seven years in 2008. Only one waiver has been sought. In 1950, President Truman nominated retired Army Gen. George Marshall to head the Pentagon at the outset of the Korean War. Marshall already had served as secretary of State, and Congress granted the exemption. No waiver was necessary for Chuck Hagel, who was the only Vietnam War combat veteran to head the Pentagon. Hagel, a former Republican Senator from Nebraska, served as Defense secretary from 2013 to 2015 under President Obama. Michael E. OHanlon, a military analyst at the nonpartisan Brookings Institution in Washington, said few are likely to question granting Mattis a waiver. I lean towards preferring a nonmilitary civilian, he said. But I dont feel so strongly as to sound major warning horns. william.hennigan@latimes.com Twitter: @wjhenn UPDATES: 5:35 p.m.: This article was updated with Trump making an announcement about Mattis at a rally. This article was originally published at 5:25 p.m. Democrats draw sharper battle lines in tug of war over party leadership By Chris Megerian Even as Democrats try to move past last years defeats, their internal fault lines show signs of deepening in the campaign for the partys leadership. The latest evidence came Wednesday when former Vice President Joe Biden endorsed Thomas E. Perez, who served as President Obamas Labor secretary, to chair the Democratic National Committee. We have a lot of good people vying for this important job, Biden said in a statement. But I do think for this moment and in this time, Tom Perez is our best bet to help bring the party back. The endorsement was seen as more evidence that key members of the recently departed Obama administration were backing Perez. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) with Sen. Bernie Sanders. (Alex Wong / Getty Images) It was followed by a statement from Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont reiterating his support for Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), another leading candidate in the race. Although Sanders lost to Hillary Clinton in the presidential primary, he has continued to try to pull Democrats to the left, and he has emphasized the need to create a grass-roots party. Obama left office with strong poll numbers, but under his watch, Democrats lost power not only in Washington but in states around the country, something Sanders and his allies have stressed in the fight over the party chairmanship. The question is simple: Do we stay with a failed status-quo approach or do we go forward with a fundamental restructuring of the Democratic Party? Sanders said. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Border Patrol chief is abruptly out after being brought in as a reformer By Brian Bennett The chief of the Border Patrol will leave his post at the end of the month, likely the result of a change in direction by the Trump administration and a reflection of the new power of the agencys union. Mark Morgan, the agencys head, was hired from the FBI in June to reform the force after a series of corruption allegations and problems with excessive force. He will leave the Border Patrol abruptly after seven months on the job, according to a person familiar with the decision who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Morgans departure was first reported by the Associated Press. Morgan spent 20 years at the FBI and was first brought to Customs and Border Protection, the Border Patrols parent agency, in 2014 to overhaul its internal affairs division. After a subsequent stint running the FBIs training academy, he started the top job at the Border Patrol in June. The Border Patrols union had opposed Morgans appointment, preferring a candidate who had risen through the ranks of the agency. The union endorsed President Trump in the election, breaking with its practice of remaining neutral in elections. News of Morgans departure comes a day after Trump announced he would build a border wall and hire 5,000 more Border Patrol agents, bringing the total force to 26,000. Trump said the Border Patrol union would have a lot of clout in department decisions. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump was silent on new U.S. sanctions against Russia, but he praises Putins response By Michael A. Memoli After President Obama on Thursday announced retaliatory measures against the Russian government for what the U.S. has concluded were efforts to interfere in the election, President-elect Donald Trumps response was terse and dismissive, saying it was time to move on to bigger and better things. But after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that he would not respond in kind to the U.S. actions preferring to wait until the new administration takes office Trump weighed in with high praise. Great move on delay (by V. Putin) - I always knew he was very smart! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2016 Trumps tweet did not appear to be off the cuff. As if to underscore his sentiment, Trump affixed the tweet to the top of his Twitter feed. And he posted an Instagram photo shortly after, quoting himself. View Instagram post Trumps effusive words were particularly striking given the bipartisan view of Putin as more adversary than ally. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said they supported the Obama administrations move to expel Russian diplomats and block access to two properties owned by its government. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) is expected to call a hearing on Russias cyber activities when the new Congress convenes next week. A Trump transition spokesman was asked earlier Friday whether Trump had spoken or planned to speak with Putin before his inauguration. The priority right now is for the president[-elect] to get an update next week from the intelligence community, Sean Spicer said. Trumps praise did get tacit approval from some quarters. The Russian embassy in Washington retweeted it. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Most popular White House petitions included requests to label a hate group and deport Justin Bieber By Colleen Shalby Over the past five years, Americans have produced and signed nearly 5,000 petitions through the White Houses We the People site. How could we ever forget the effort to get the Obama administration on board with building a Death Star? Some, like that one and a petition to deport Justin Bieber, resulted only in conversation. But others made an impact. The Pew Research Center analyzed the petitions in a recent report. They ranged from serious, like an effort to ban gay conversion therapy at a state level that led the president in 2015 to support states bans, to playful. A request for Obama to appear on a previously unvisited talk show, for example, prompted him to appear on Real Time with Bill Maher in January 2016. In 2015, 106-year-old Virginia McLaurin requested a meeting with the first black president, something she never thought shed live to see. Her petition garnered only 19 signatures. But it nonetheless resulted in one of first couples most memorable meetings, this dance party: The petitioning system, launched in 2011, was part of Obamas open-government initiative. The most common topics for petitioning included healthcare, veterans issues and requests to honor individuals, such as Yogi Berra, and create or officially recognize holidays, like Talk Like a Pirate Day. While not every petition made a change or elicited a response from the White House, many captured a momentary pulse of the nation. Here are the five most popular: Legally recognize the Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group, posted Dec. 14, 2012; 367,180 signatures. Establish justice and prevent a great catastrophe, posted April 4, 2016; 331,914 signatures. File charges against the 47 U.S. senators in violation of the Logan Act in attempting to undermine a nuclear agreement, posted March 9, 2015; gained 322,117 signatures. Ask President Obama to appear on HBOs Real Time with Bill Maher, posted Jan. 15, 2016; 314,226 signatures. Deport Justin Bieber and revoke his green card, posted Jan. 23, 2014; 273,698 signatures. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Obama slaps Russia with sanctions for meddling in the U.S. election By Christi Parsons In the most sweeping retaliation against Russia in decades, President Obama slapped the country with new penalties Thursday for meddling in the U.S. presidential election, kicking out dozens of suspected spies and imposing banking restrictions on five people and four organizations the administration says were involved. All Americans should be alarmed by Russias actions, Obama said in a statement. Such activities have consequences. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print How Trump and an Obamacare rollback could affect the growing gig economy By Chicago Tribune Gabby Golub of Chicago does chalkboard art for bars and restaurants in addition to driving for Lyft and working part time at her old high school. (Kristan Lieb / Chicago Tribune) A growing share of the U.S. workforce is reyling on alternative work arrangements, which include on-demand gigs through online platforms like Lyft or Uber as well as work through temporary help agencies, freelance assignments and independent contracts. The Bureau of Labor Statistics plans to conduct a comprehensive survey of these so-called contingent workers next year, its first since 2005, helping policymakers understand the size and makeup of a workforce not covered by many labor protections or privy to the benefits that come with a traditional employer relationship. Whether policy will catch up to the labor shifts is a question experts will watch in 2017. A major conversation point has been how to develop portable benefits that give gig economy workers access to retirement plans, unemployment insurance and paid sick leave even as they move from job to job. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump touts plans by Sprint and OneWeb to create 8,000 U.S. jobs By Jim Puzzanghera (Don Emmert / AFP/Getty Images) President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday touted plans by telecom company Sprint and technology start-up OneWeb to hire a total of 8,000 workers in the U.S. in what he said was very good news for the economy. He appeared to be highlighting previously made jobs announcements. OneWeb, which is building a network of satellites to deliver high-speed Internet access, said on Dec. 19 that it expected to create nearly 3,000 jobs in the U.S. over the next four years after securing $1.2 billion in funding, mostly from Japans SoftBank Group Corp. And the head of SoftBank, which owns Sprint, said on Dec. 6 that the company had agreed to invest $50 billion in the U.S. and create 50,000 jobs here. The announcement by SoftBank Chief Executive Masayoshi Son came after he met with Trump at Trump Tower in New York City. Trump touted it that day. Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., on Wednesday, Trump said Sprint was going to be bringing 5,000 jobs back to the United States. They have taken them from other countries. They are bringing them back to the United States, Trump said. Sprint, though, said in a statement that the jobs would be a mixture of new positions and others that were reinstated. It wasnt clear whether those jobs were part of the 50,000 that were mentioned earlier in the month at Trump Tower. We are excited to work with President-Elect Trump and his administration to do our part to drive economic growth and create jobs in the U.S., said Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure. We believe it is critical for business and government to partner together to create more job opportunities in the U.S. and ensure prosperity for all Americans. Trump also said the OneWeb hiring is very exciting. OneWeb did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 3:25 p.m.: This story was updated with comment from Sprint. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Kerry offers fierce defense of Obamas support for Israel, urges resumption of Mideast peace talks By Laura King Secretary of State John Kerry outlines his proposals for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Zach Gibson / Getty Images) With President-elect Donald Trump tweeting from the sidelines, Secretary of State John F. Kerry on Wednesday outlined broad principles for reviving the moribund Israel-Palestinian peace process -- calls that quickly ignited a new burst of Israeli anger against the Obama administration. Kerrys lengthy and impassioned address, delivered at the State Department, marked the latest chapter in an unusually bitter public clash between the United States and Israel -- and the even more extraordinary spectacle of a president-elect again inserting himself into a sensitive diplomatic matter before taking office. In a speech lasting more than an hour, Kerry appealed for a hiatus in Jewish settlement activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, called on Palestinian leaders to explicitly denounce terrorist attacks against Israelis, and warned repeatedly that the prospects for a two-state solution, with Israel and a Palestinian state existing side-by-side, were in jeopardy. We cannot in good conscience do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hope of peace slipping away, he said. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Former California lieutenant governor will meet with Trump to discuss running Agriculture department By Michael A. Memoli Abel Maldonado. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times) President-elect Donald Trump is considering former California Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado to lead the Agriculture department, a move that would bring greater diversity to the Republicans Cabinet. Maldonado will meet with Trump on Wednesday at his Palm Beach, Fla., estate. Trump spokesman Sean Spicer noted that Maldonado, owner of Runway Vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley, comes from three generations of farmers and has strong roots in the agriculture industry of California. Trump will also meet with Dr. Elsa Murano, the former president of Texas A&M University and a former Agriculture undersecretary for food safety, in connection to the post, one of the few Cabinet positions yet unfilled. Maldonado, 49, was once considered to be the kind of Republican who could break through the partys struggle to attract widespread Latino support. A Santa Barbara County farmer whose parents were Mexican farmworker immigrants, he served as mayor of Santa Maria before being elected to the state Assembly in 1998. Perhaps Maldonados most notable political moment came when he worked with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to force Democrats to embrace the top-two primary system for California during negotiations on the state budget crisis in 2009. Schwarzenegger rewarded Maldonado with the appointment to the then-vacant post of lieutenant governor in 2010. But Maldonados role in helping push the nonpartisan primary system made him a pariah among many conservative Republicans, and he failed in subsequent races for Congress in 2012 and a brief flirtation with a run for governor in 2014. If nominated and confirmed, Maldonado would be the sole Latino in Trumps Cabinet. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump attacks Obama over Israel just ahead of Kerrys speech on the Mideast By Michael A. Memoli The detente between President Obama and President-elect Donald Trump, as both aimed to portray a smooth transition of power, appears in jeopardy. Trump condemned the Obama administrations foreign policy on Wednesday, tweeting he was doing his best to overlook inflammatory Obama moves, while engaging in 1990s-style sarcasm. Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks.Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2016 Last week, Obama decided to have the U.S. abstain from a United Nations Security Council vote on a resolution condemning Israeli settlement activity, which allowed the measure to pass. The vote angered Israeli leaders, who accused senior U.S. officials of complicity in drafting the resolution, a claim disputed by the U.S. We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. They used to have a great friend in the U.S., but....... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2016 not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (U.N.)! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 28, 2016 Trumps postings came just before Secretary of State John F. Kerry delivered a major address on U.S. foreign policy that included a rebuttal to Israeli government criticisms of the Obama administration. Trumps statement of support for Israel was welcomed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long had a tense relationship with Obama. President-elect Trump, thank you for your warm friendship and your clear-cut support for Israel! @IvankaTrump @DonaldJTrumpJr https://t.co/lURPimG0wS Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) December 28, 2016 Trump transition spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters that the president-elects tweets speak for themselves, very clearly. He also stressed that White House officials have been helpful and generous with their time, at least in terms of the mechanics of the transition. In a brief statement to reporters Wednesday night, Trump said he had a general conversation with Obama during the day. Very, very nice, was how the president-elect described the chat, which he said Obama initiated. A White House spokesman confirmed the call and characterized it as positive. When asked whether he thinks the U.S. should exit the U.N., Trump repeated his earlier comments that the global body is not living up to its potential. When do you see the United Nations solving problems? he asked. They dont, they cause problems, so if it lives up to its potential its a great thing, if it doesnt its a waste of time. The U.N. seemed to respond to Trump on Monday, in a message pinned to the top of its Twitter feed: Here's a list of 10 ways the UN makes a difference in the lives of millions every day. See what else we do: https://t.co/MGT7G5uPFL pic.twitter.com/nMxHV0rvkf United Nations (@UN) December 26, 2016 Times staff writer Christi Parsons in Honolulu contributed to this report. 5:10 p.m.: This story was updated with White House comment. 2:45 p.m.: This story was updated with Trumps comments. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement John Kerry, tireless in his diplomatic efforts, often came up empty-handed By Tracy Wilkinson John F. Kerry is nothing if not indefatigable, traveling to all corners of the world as Americas top diplomat over the last four years. But as he prepares to leave office, he confronts a mixed legacy: a handful of successes coupled with searing defeats, especially in the Middle East. His inability to halt the carnage in Syria, or to block Russias growing influence, ranks as the most serious blot on his record. But he also got nowhere trying to end the Israeli-Palestinian standoff, or to stop Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally, from bombing civilians in Yemen. Kerrys greatest success was the historic accord to curtail Irans nuclear development program and a landmark climate change treaty to limit greenhouse gas emissions and slow global warming. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print At Pearl Harbor, Obama says we must resist the urge to demonize those who are different By Christi Parsons Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Obama. (Marco Garcia / Associated Press) President Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe scattered petals together on the waters of Pearl Harbor on Tuesday in a symbolic act aimed at laying to rest the enmity of the Japanese attack 75 years ago that drew the U.S. into World War II. In a moment consumed with history, both leaders were fixed on the future. They expressed concern that the lessons of the war might be forgotten amid a shifting world order and the anti-internationalist sentiment that has swept over politics around the globe, most notably with the ascendance of President-elect Donald Trump. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Obama and Japans Abe to visit Pearl Harbor amid renewed talk of nuclear concerns By Christi Parsons Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu on Monday. (AFP/Getty Images) President Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are scheduled to honor the war dead at Pearl Harbor on Tuesday, marking the 75th anniversary of the attack that thrust the U.S. into World War II. The visit was planned as a coda to Obamas visit to Hiroshima in May, where Abe hosted him as the first sitting president to visit the site where the U.S. dropped one of two nuclear bombs in 1945 to end the war, the only instances of nuclear attacks in history. But the visit has taken on a new meaning. President-elect Donald Trump reawakened old fears of a nuclear arms race last week by declaring his commitment to strengthen and expand U.S. nuclear capability. In his remarks at Pearl Harbor, Obama will have an opportunity to address those renewed anxieties and to lay out the dangers of an arms race. Obama has fought to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons and to secure existing caches. The visit is meant to highlight the strength of the relationship between the U.S. and Japan, an administration official said. Several Japanese prime ministers before Abe have visited the Pearl Harbor site. But Abe is the first to go to the memorial at the resting place of the battleship Arizona, where 1,177 American military personnel died in the Japanese aerial attack on Dec. 7, 1941. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Will the Feds Janet Yellen take away the punch bowl after Trump takes office? By Don Lee After three years of almost single-handedly juicing up the slow-growing economy, Janet L. Yellen and the Federal Reserve should be looking at easier days ahead. Yellen, in what will probably be her last full year as Fed chair, may finally get help from somewhere else in Washington. Tax cuts and infrastructure spending planned by President-elect Donald Trump, if backed by the Republican-controlled Congress, would lighten the load for a Fed whose easy-money policies have been the primary economic support for the nation. She is already breathing easier on the Feds employment mandate; the jobless rate has fallen to a nine-year low of 4.6%. Inflation, too, is under control and, by all accounts, creeping toward the central banks optimal level of 2%. And yet, Yellen may come under as much economic and political pressure as ever, on both the Feds policy and the independence of the institution. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Obama says he could have beaten Trump By Tracy Wilkinson (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press) President Obama says he could have defeated Donald Trump in last months election by recapturing the same vision of hope that twice carried him to the presidency. Obama also was mildly critical of the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, saying her campaign didnt do enough to get her message out. The remarks were notable because Obama has been careful since the election to avoid criticizing Trump, or to deliver a post-mortem on Clintons failed bid. Obama spoke in a wide-ranging interview with former senior advisor and now CNN commentator David Axelrod for the Democratic political operatives Axe Files podcast. The interview was released by CNN on Monday. You know, I am confident in this vision because Im confident that if I -- if I had run again and articulated it, I think I couldve mobilized a majority of the American people to rally behind it, Obama said. His comments were part of a wider discussion of what he called ugly sentiments of racism and xenophobia that surfaced during the 2016 campaign. Obama repeated his assertion that Clinton faced a double standard as a woman, which put her at a disadvantage. But he also said a kind of complacency set in that made the Clinton campaign too cautious and thus unable to get its message out sufficiently. If you think youre winning, then you have a tendency, just like in sports, maybe to play it safer, Obama said. During the interview, Obama also spoke of his family, the strength hed gotten from wife Michelle and the improbability of his own political career. And the president said the spirit that his candidacy originally inspired, especially among young people, was never snuffed out despite the last eight years of turmoil. The idealism and the dedication stayed with the staff and got us through some really hard times, he said. Trump later responded to the remarks on Twitter. UPDATE 2:07 p.m.: This article was updated with Trumps response. This article was originally published at 12:28 p.m. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Obama personally authorized U.S. abstention from U.N. vote on Israeli settlements By Michael A. Memoli President Obama personally directed Friday that the U.S. abstain from a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement activity, seeing the escalation of settlement building as an increasing threat to the viability of a two-state solution to the regions problems. Ahead of the expected vote, Obama, who is vacationing with his family in Hawaii, convened a discussion Thursday with Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John F. Kerry and other top national security officials. The vote was postponed, but U.S. officials continued to monitor discussions over the Egyptian-authored resolution until Friday. Obama spoke with national security advisor Susan Rice on Friday to issue his final decision. President-elect Donald Trumps intervention in the discussions, which included a conversation with Egypts president Thursday that preceded the delay in the planned vote, did not affect Obamas calculations, deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes told reporters.. Theres one president at a time, he said. The decision to allow the resolution to pass, rather than cast a veto to block it is consistent with long-standing, bipartisan U.S. policy opposing Israeli settlement activity, Rhodes said. One of the administrations great concerns was that such activity in the West Bank and East Jerusalem has accelerated significantly since 2011, when the U.S. last vetoed a comparable resolution. U.S. officials also have been concerned about continued incitements of violence by Palestinians, and Rhodes said the resolution voted on Friday included greater balance to reflect that than past resolutions. Weve been very concerned that these accelerating trends are putting the very viability of the two-state solution at risk, Rhodes said. In that context, we therefore thought that we could not in good conscience veto a resolution that expressed concerns about the very trends that are eroding the foundation for a two-state solution. He also underscored what he called Obamas iron-clad commitment to Israel and its security, noting that the administration recently concluded a major military assistance package. The U.S. did not vote for the resolution because of continued concerns about the United Nations as a venue for Middle East peace discussions, Rhodes said. He also responded to what he called strident comments of Israeli officials criticizing the U.S. move. It seems like the Israeli government wants the conversation to be about anything other than the settlement activity, he said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump team seeks to ease fears on womens programs at State Department By Tracy Wilkinson ( Andrew Harnik / Associated Press) Donald Trumps transition team said Friday its requests to the State Department for details on positions and funding for global womens programs were part of an effort to ensure and protect gender equality. The statement appeared to be an attempt to allay concerns that Trump might seek to cancel or roll back gender-focused programs at the State Department following a request by the transition team on Wednesday for information about them. Most were created or championed by Trumps campaign rival, Hillary Clinton, when she served as secretary of State during President Obamas first term. The transition team statement Friday did not outline Trumps plans for the programs, which seek to promote equality, education and vocational training for women around the world as well as combat gender-based violence. President-elect Trump will ensure the rights of women across the world are valued and protected, the statement said. To help fulfill this promise, the transition team inquired about existing programs at the State Department that helps [sic] foster gender equality, ends gender-based violence, and promotes economic and political participation finding ways to improve them. The statement said the inquiry was one of hundreds of requests it sent to federal departments as part of the transition effort. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump team asks State Department for details on programs aimed at helping women By Tracy Wilkinson Donald Trumps transition team has asked the State Department for details on programs aimed at benefiting women around the world, including identifying staff members who worked to reduce gender-based violence and promote women in the workplace. In an email sent to numerous State Department offices Wednesday, the president-elects transition team asked for urgent response to its inquiries about gender-related staffing, programming and funding. Many of the programs were begun or were championed by Hillary Clinton, who was secretary of State during President Obamas first term and who lost to Trump in November. The unusual request to the State Department follows a similar email to the Department of Energy. There the transition team asked for names of staff members who had worked on efforts to combat climate change, which Trump has dismissed as a hoax. Several Obama administration officials called that query chilling. The Trump team withdrew the request after it was widely criticized. The latest email suggests the incoming Trump administration will attempt to roll back some of the State Departments most innovative programs and may seek to penalize people who worked on them. People are freaked out, said a senior State Department official who was not authorized to speak publicly. The email asked the State Department to deliver issue papers from bureaus and offices (one paper max per bureau/office) outlining existing programs and activities to promote gender equality, such as ending gender-based violence, promoting womens participation in economic and political spheres, entrepreneurship, etc. It said the issue papers should note jobs whose primary functions are to promote such issues, as well as money allocated for those activities and programs in fiscal year 2017. While at State, Clinton made womens issues a top priority. An office was created to deal exclusively with global womens issues, and money was allocated for programs that promote education of girls, train women in marketable skills and offer microloans. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump taps seasoned Republican operative Sean Spicer as White House press secretary By Lisa Mascaro President-elect Donald Trump named Sean Spicer as his new press secretary, tapping a seasoned Republican operative as the public face of the new White House. Spicer, a top Republican National Committee strategist who brought a measure of establishment Washington to Trumps operation, is known for his combative but engaging approach to communications. He will likely take over the press podium as the top spokesman at the incoming White House. Two other veterans of the Trump campaigns press operation also will get White House jobs: Jason Miller, who had been Trumps communications chief after moving from the campaign of Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, will stay in that role as communications director at the White House. Hope Hicks, who was Trumps spokesperson on the campaign trail and one of his earliest campaign aides, will be assistant to the president and director of strategic communications, and Dan Scavino will serve as director of social media. Sean, Hope, Jason and Dan have been key members of my team during the campaign and transition. I am excited they will be leading the team that will communicate my agenda that will Make America Great Again, Trump said in a statement. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Obama eliminates post-9/11 registry for foreigners, making it harder for Trump to restart it By Brian Bennett (Don Emmert / AFP/Getty Images) The Obama administration is taking apart a controversial, dormant national registry program that tracked visitors from countries with active terrorist groups for several years following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. A final rule eliminating the program will be published in the federal register on Friday. The move would make it more difficult for President-elect Donald Trump to revive the registry, which hasnt been used since 2011. The Department of Homeland Security determined it was ineffective and didnt improve security. Civil rights advocates have long said the program was discriminatory. On the campaign trail, Trump promised to track Muslims coming to the U.S. and require them to register. He later changed his stance to say he would bar people from countries with a record of Islamist extremism. Trumps policy advisors have been looking closely at ways to jump start the registry, called the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System, after he takes office at the end of January. With the program being officially dismantled on Friday, Trumps team would have to issue new federal rules to restart it, a process that could take several months and would require a period for soliciting comments from the public, which likely would be contentious. The Trump transition team is preparing several executive actions for the incoming president, Trump spokesman Jason Miller told reporters Thursday morning when asked about Obama dismantling the registry. Stopping radical Islamic terrorists from entering the U.S. is of paramount importance, Miller said. He didnt say directly if Trump would rebuild the visitor registry. The American people strongly support tough measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of our country, and President-elect Trump has made clear that we will suspend admissions of those from countries with high terrorism rates and apply a strict vetting procedure for those seeking entry in order to protect American lives, he said. When asked on Wednesday if he would set up a registry for Muslims or impose a ban on Muslim immigrants in the wake of the truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin, Trump said simply: You know my plans. Democratic lawmakers and civil liberties advocates have demanded in recent weeks that Obama dismantle the registry. Theyve cited a 2012 inspector general report that said Homeland Security databases collecting traveler fingerprints, flight manifests and intelligence information on foreigners are more effective at preventing terrorist attacks. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) praised the Homeland Security Departments decision to strip away dead-letter regulations no longer in use. These regulations symbolized an ineffective program based on religious and ethnic profiling, rather than individualized suspicion a program based on fear, rather than reason, Leahy said in a statement. That has no place in this great country, under any administration. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump is unwinding some foreign deals but many potential conflicts remain By Joseph Tanfani The Trump hotel in Baku, Azerbaijan, would be among the finest in the world, Donald Trump promised two years ago, another example of our involvement in only the best global development projects. But the dream of a world-class Trump Baku died this month, with Trump saying he was backing out of the deal because of delays and blown deadlines caused by the developer, a 34-year-old with close family connections to the countrys government. The demise of Trump Baku is not an isolated decision. With his inauguration less than a month away, President-elect Trumps company has pulled out of a few international business deals that might have created especially sticky conflicts and controversies for his administration. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump names UC Irvine professor and fierce China critic to new White House Trade Council By Don Lee Peter Navarro, left, and China expert Gordon Chang attend a screening of Death By China, the film adaptation of Navarros book, in New York in 2012. (Andy Kropa / Getty Images) President-elect Donald Trump, signaling that he intends to follow through on his tough talk on trade, is establishing a new White House-based trade council to be headed by a vehement critic of Chinas economic policies. Trump on Wednesday named Peter Navarro, a Harvard-trained business professor at UC Irvine, as director of trade and industrial policy and head of the newly created White House National Trade Council. The move sends a strong message: The Trump administration will take a much more aggressive posture to shrink the nations large trade deficit and combat what the president-elect and Navarro believe are forces behind Americas manufacturing woes unfair and mercantilist practices on the part of China and other trading partners. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print The issue of race has hung over Sen. Jeff Sessions like a shadow. Heres why By Del Quentin Wilber (Scott Olson / AFP/Getty Images) Jeff Sessions uneasy history with race can be traced back to the long, winding country roads that cut through the pine forests and farm land in this deep corner of the Deep South. As a boy, Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III began each day before dawn, boarding a segregated bus to his all-white school. En route he and his classmates passed the bus ferrying black students in the opposite direction. The day ended when he sat down to dinner each night with his father, an avowed segregationist until the end of his life. Reflecting on those years, Sessions acknowledged recently that he knew back then that segregation was morally wrong and regretted standing by passively as civil rights leaders in the 1960s struggled and died in the fight for equality. I should have stepped forward more and been a leader and more positive force, Sessions said in February while participating in a ceremony honoring the Selma foot soldiers. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Kellyanne Conway will join Trump in the White House By Evan Halper (Gerald Herber / Associated Press) Donald Trump has named his media-savvy campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, to advise him in the White House in the role of counselor, his transition team announced early Thursday morning. The move comes after Conway sought to put to rest speculation that she would continue to serve as the public face of the Trump team. But the new job is sure to keep her profile high. Conway will will work with senior leadership to effectively message and execute the administrations legislative priorities and actions, according to a statement from the Trump transition team. Kellyanne Conway has been a trusted advisor and strategist who played a crucial role in my victory, Trump said in the statement. She is a tireless and tenacious advocate of my agenda and has amazing insights on how to effectively communicate our message. The appointment would boost diversity in a Trump inner circle made up mostly of older white men. It also sets up another potentially competing power center on a White House staff that already will have several, including Reince Priebus, the chief of staff; Stephen K. Bannon, the chief strategist; and Stephen Miller, the policy chief. Conway had previously turned down other proposals for White House jobs, telling reporters late last month that she did not want to spend long hours away from her children. At that point, Conway said she thought she could best help Trump by forming an outside organization to support his policies. But that role appears to have gone to Brad Parscale, who ran Trumps online operations during the campaign. Conway joined Trumps campaign during the summer when it was beset with infighting and disarray. She is widely credited with helping bring message discipline and professionalism to an operation in desperate need of it. In the run-up to the election and the weeks that followed, Conway was a ubiquitous presence on cable news networks, capably moving through her talking points in tough interview settings often on the firing line and held to account for the exaggerations and incendiary remarks Trump was prone to make on the campaign trail and Twitter. I am humbled and honored to play a role in helping transform the movement he has led into a real agenda of action and results, Conway said in the statement. She is the founder and owner of the Polling Company, inc./WomanTrend, a GOP firm that has been advising candidates for two decades. Trump has not yet chosen a press secretary. But he is believed to be considering several candidates. Sean Spicer, former communications chief of the Republican Party who has served in a spokesman role for Trump through the transition, has been a prominent possibility, although Trump reportedly has considered several women, including conservative talk radio star Laura Ingraham and Fox News personality Kimberly Guilfoyle. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump Hotel employees in Las Vegas get a union contract By Kurtis Lee (Mike Nelson / Getty Images) Its owned by President-elect Donald Trump and is among a handful of hotels on the Las Vegas Strip to not be unionized. But that will change soon. For more than a year, Trump and his staff at the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas have fought efforts by employees and the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 to negotiate a contract. But a four-year contract announced by the union on Wednesday will offer Trump employees annual wage increases, a pension and family healthcare, among other benefits. In Nevada, the culinary union is the states largest and most powerful, representing nearly 55,000 workers who serve cocktails and prepare food at hotels throughout the state. A majority of the unions members are Latino. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Wait! Dont cancel that Air Force One order just yet By Evan Halper Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2016 After Donald Trump scolded Boeing earlier this month for the escalating cost of building a new Air Force One, the companys CEO projected confidence that Trump wouldnt be following through with his threat to cancel order! The two men met together at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Wednesday. Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said they spoke about a range of issues. The Air Force One project, which Trump complained would cost taxpayers more than $4 billion, invariably arose. Were going to get it done for less than that, and were committed to working together to make sure that happens, Muilenberg said. The company had previously noted that the project did not yet have a firm price tag. I was able to give the president-elect my personal commitment on behalf of the Boeing Company. This is a business thats important to us. We work on Air Force One because its important to our country, and were going to make sure that he gets the best capability and that its done affordably, Muilenberg added. He called the conversation terrific and Trump a good man who is doing the right thing. The presidential aircraft remains a long way from takeoff a new plane wont be ready for use in the next four years. Even if Trump is reelected, he might not get to use the plane, as the earliest projected date for completion is 2024. Boeing is currently doing early development work on the plane a modified 747 that will likely be outfitted with such gadgetry as top-secret communications equipment, countermeasures to foil missile attacks, and aerial refueling capability that would enable it to remain airborne for days at a time if necessary. The timing of delivery was among the topics that came up at Trumps meeting with the Boeing CEO. Thats what were going to work on together, Muilenberg said. We have an active 747 production line, and were eager to get started on the program. We havent actually started the build of the airplane yet, but once we finalize the requirements and make sure that its affordable, well launch on building the aircraft. Weve got a hot production line and were ready to go. The government actually has two planes outfitted to serve as Air Force One, which is the designation given to whichever plane is carrying the president. The current planes, which were put into service during the Reagan administration, are nearing the end of their design life. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Fierce China critic and UC Irvine professor to head Trumps new trade council By Don Lee (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times) President-elect Donald Trump is establishing a new White House-based trade office that will be headed by a UC Irvine professor known for his fierce criticisms of Chinese trade and economic practices. In appointing Peter Navarro as director of trade and industrial policy and the head of the new National Trade Council inside the White House, Trump is signaling that he wants to follow through on his tough campaign rhetoric in which he blamed the Chinese for the large U.S. trade deficit and manufacturing woes. During the campaign,Trump threatened to slap a 45% tariff on Chinese imports. Navarro, a Harvard-trained economist who advised Trump during the campaign, is the author of the book Death by China: Confronting the Dragon a Global Call to Action. Trump endorsed the 2011 book as well as Navarros film version of the polemical work. I read one of Peters books on Americas trade problems years ago and was impressed by the clarity of his arguments and thoroughness of his research, Trump said Wednesday in a statement announcing the appointment. He will fulfill an essential role in my administration as a trade advisor. Trump said the new trade office would develop policies to shrink the nations trade deficit and curb the off-shoring of jobs, as well as to lead initiatives such as the Buy America, Hire America program. Navarro, in a statement, said he would be honored to serve Trump and the nation and to advise on policies to re-balance our trade, rebuild our industrial base, and restore Americas comprehensive national power by making America great again. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Trump stops the drain the swamp talk as new alligators emerge By Evan Halper Newt Gingrich. (Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press) It made for a great slogan during the campaign, but now that hes won, Donald Trump is finding that maybe he doesnt actually want to drain the swamp. In fact, the alligators seem to be doing quite well. Former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski on Wednesday boasted about his access and proximity to Trump in announcing a new consulting firm he plans to open with former Trump campaign advisor Barry Bennett. The firms offices will be one block from the White House. Clients who pony up what are sure to be hefty fees for the firms services are being assured by Lewandowski in his marketing materials that he turned down multiple opportunities within the administration so he can serve them. The pitch implies Lewandowski will remain a de facto surrogate for Trump with all the access that implies as he bills those seeking to influence the Trump administration for his services. So perhaps the time is ripe for Trump to stop using the drain the swamp phrase. And that is what Trump has decided to do, according to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who describes himself as an outside advisor to the president-elect. Im told he now just disclaims that, Gingrich said in an interview on National Public Radio, referring to the slogan Trump used in the final phase of his campaign to crystallize his promise to cleanse Washington of insiders and self-dealers. He now says it was cute, but he doesnt want to use it anymore, Gingrich said, adding that perhaps all this swamp draining talk isnt presidential. Hes in a different role now and maybe he feels that as president, as the next president of the United States, that he should be marginally more dignified than talking about alligators in swamps, Gingrich said. I personally have, as a sense of humor, like the alligator and swamp language, he added. I think it vividly illustrates the problem, because all the people in this city who are the alligators are going to hate the swamp being drained. And theres going to be constant fighting over it. But, you know, he is my leader, and if he decides to drop the swamp and the alligator, I will drop the swamp and the alligator. Lewandowski, for his part, made no mention of swamps or alligators in announcing his new consulting firm would be open for business. Proud to launch our new venture today to support @realDonaldTrump achieve his agenda in Washington D.C. pic.twitter.com/ZEot6IrvJ4 Corey R. Lewandowski (@CLewandowski_) December 21, 2016 Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Death penalty in steep decline, but not in Los Angeles County By David Savage Lonnie Franklin Jr. was tried and convicted of 10 counts of murder. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles County and the state of California again recorded the most new death sentences this year, amid a sharp decline across the nation in both executions and new death sentences. Judges and juries in Los Angeles County imposed a death sentence on four murderers during 2016, including Lonnie Franklin Jr., the so-called Grim Sleeper, who was convicted of killing 10 women. No other county had more than one death sentence, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Since 2010, Los Angeles County has recorded 36 new death sentences, more than any county in the nation. This year marked the first time in more than 40 years where no state recorded 10 or more new death sentences, the group said in its year-end report. California had the most with nine, followed by Ohio (five), Texas (four), Alabama (three) and Florida (two). California has by far the nations largest death row, with 750 condemned inmates, but it has not carried out an execution in the past decade. Overall, the report documented the steep decline for capital punishment over the past two decades. The number of new death sentences had fallen by 90%, from 315 in 1996 to only 30 this year. And the number of executions has fallen from a high of 98 in 1999 to 20 this year. Georgia (nine) and Texas (seven) accounted for most of the executions. The only other states to put inmates to death were Alabama (two), Missouri (one) and Florida (one). Robert Dunham, the groups executive director, says the nation is clearly turning away from capital punishment. Whether its concerns about innocence, costs and discrimination, availability of life without parole as a safe alternative, or the questionable way in which states are attempting to carry out executions, the public grows increasingly uncomfortable with the death penalty each year, he said. But his report noted that Californias voters, by a 53%-47% margin, rejected a ballot measure to abolish the death penalty, and narrowly approved a measure, by a 51%-49% margin, to limit appeals and expedite executions. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement New survey finds less optimistic Democrats seeking many paths to their future success By Cathleen Decker (Andrew Harnik / Associated Press) Since Hillary Clintons November defeat, Democrats have squabbled over how to return to prominence. Should they continue to court ascendant voter groups in the country, such as women, minorities and young people? Or should they turn to those who have long been in their camp but abandoned the party nominee this year, such as rural and non-college-educated voters. The answer, according to a Pew Research poll published Tuesday: Democrats want to walk both paths, simultaneously. The poll asked Democrats and Republicans whether their parties had spent too much, too little or just the right amount of time meeting the interests and concerns of specific groups of voters. Among Democrats, 64% said the party had spent too little time talking to rural voters, and 58% said the same about non-college voters. Almost two-thirds of Democrats said low-income voters had not gotten enough of the partys attention, and 58% said middle-class voters had been ignored to some extent. But Democratic voters did not want to let up on the partys outreach to its stronger supporters this year. About half said that the concerns of women and African American voters had gotten too little attention, while 43% said the same about Latinos. In the case of women, African Americans, Latinos, low-income voters, rural residents and younger voters, Democrats were substantially more likely than Republicans to say their party had not put enough emphasis on the groups concerns. The poll suggested far more confidence by Republicans than Democrats in their partys current positioning. Much of that may simply be the flood of confidence that accompanies a presidential victory. When the pollsters asked before the election about their view of their party, 61% of Republicans said they were optimistic, as did 77% of Democrats about their own party. After the election those figures reversed, with 79% of Republicans optimistic compared with 61% of Democrats. A key to Trumps success also was evident in the poll: a chameleon-like ability to make the different ideological groups in the party think he was one of them. Almost 3 in 5 conservatives said that Trumps views were conservative. And among moderates, 52% said that Trumps ideology was a mix of conservative and liberal, echoing their own posture. But queries about the new presidents impact on his party drew sharply partisan responses. More than two-thirds of all voters said that Trump had forced major changes on his party. Yet 72% of Democrats cast those changes as bad ones, while 83% of Republicans cast the changes as good ones. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print The artist and the senator: One built a desert masterpiece, the other a Nevada legacy By Lisa Mascaro When Sen. Harry Reid heard about a reclusive artist building a massive land sculpture across desolate acres in the Nevada desert, he knew they should meet. Its not just that Reid enjoys eccentrics and fighters, which he does. Michael Heizer had found an unusual way to express the majesty and artistry of the same lonely Nevada landscape that formed Reids childhood, when he would escape the dismal, rugged conditions of tiny Searchlight to play in the deserts hidden springs and abandoned fortresses. Both men discovered in Nevada what many outsiders miss. Far from seeing a nuclear wasteland, a dumping site or even a playground for gamblers, they drew inspiration from Nevadas quiet beauty. Heizer created an American masterpiece a milelong complex of dirt, rock and cement rising from the desert floor like modern-day pyramids or the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza. For Reid, his appreciation for Nevadas unique landscape became a cornerstone of one of the most lasting yet less-familiar pieces of his political legacy. Read More Artist Michael Heizer and Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) speak in the Capitol. (Lisa Mascaro / Los Angeles Times) Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print With 304 votes, electoral college seals Donald Trumps election as president despite more desertions than ever By Michael Finnegan They convened amid unusual scrutiny, widespread protests and rafts of speculation about efforts to alter the outcome, but, in the end, the nations 538 presidential electors mostly stuck to the script Monday, formally sealing Donald Trumps victory with 304 votes in the electoral college, well above what he needed to capture the White House. After all the efforts to lobby Republican electors to desert Trump, only two did a pair from Texas, one of whom voted for former Texas Rep. Ron Paul and the other for Ohio Gov. John Kasich. Indeed, instead of an uprising against Trump, the days voting was punctuated more by small, but persistent, gestures of Democratic discontent with Hillary Clinton. A handful of electors deserted her and a few more tried to, but were deterred by state faithless elector laws. Some of the Democratic dissenters were supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who lost the primaries to Clinton but galvanized the partys left wing. Others were backers of an abortive effort that had tried to recruit Democrats and Republicans to unite behind a third candidate other than Clinton or Trump. In the end, seven electors voted for a person other than the candidate who won their states the largest number of electoral college desertions in a presidential contest in U.S. history, eclipsing a record set in 1808. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print As electoral college meetings end in Hawaii, Bernie Sanders gets a vote that will stick By Michael A. Memoli David Mulinix, Hawaii elector who voted for Sanders, said Clinton wasn't qualified. Also said @POTUS wasn't progressive, but "conservative" pic.twitter.com/miCnZ6PzXI Mike Memoli (@mikememoli) December 20, 2016 The last of the 50 states gave Bernie Sanders his first electoral college vote that counted. Hillary Clinton received three of the states four electoral votes after winning 60% of the popular vote here last month. But one elector, David Mulinix, said he cast his vote for the Vermont senator because he was the most qualified candidate. They can call me faithless, but the point is if we dont think someones qualified and Hillary Clinton I do not feel is qualified, he said. Hawaiis electors are chosen by the major parties at their state conventions. Mulinix said he joined the party only this election cycle to support Sanders, who he said would have been elected president had he been the Democratic nominee. He had previously told the Associated Press he would cast his vote for Clinton, but said he changed his mind at the last minute. She did not lose the vote to Russian hackers; she lost the vote right there at the convention, he said, referring to the Democratic National Convention, where he said Sanders backers were treated unfairly. They robbed us, and the millennials know it. Mulinix, who, like his fellow electors, wore a lei made of green jade flowers, arrived for the vote with a list of candidates who had received votes in other electoral college meetings across the country. He was aware that an elector in Maine had tried to vote for Sanders but that his vote had been invalidated. An election official said the vote for Sanders here would count. The brief proceedings here in a nondescript conference room on the state Capitols third floor began with another elector, John Bickel, asking whether there was any penalty for electors who cast their ballots for someone other than the winner of the statewide vote. He said later that he had asked because he suspected someone might stray. The electoral college is outdated. If any election has proved the electoral college is outdated, its this one, Bickel said. Dolly Strazar, another elector and the vice chair of the state Democratic Party, said she had long supported the electoral college because it ensured some degree of competition between large states and small ones like Hawaii. It really seems in our times, its thoroughly outdated, she said. Janice Bond, the fourth elector, said she would have voted for Sanders but did not believe she was able to. She also expressed regret that President Obama, who was born in Hawaii and is vacationing here with his family, did not attend the meeting. To have him be on our island and not show face was disappointing, she said. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement No fireworks as Nevada electors cast votes for Clinton By David Montero Nevadas six electors cast their votes for Hillary Clinton on Monday afternoon in Carson City, reflecting her victory in the swing state despite losing the overall electoral college vote to President-elect Donald Trump. Clinton won Nevada by almost 3 points over Trump, and the swing state was one of her few bright spots on election day. The six electors five from northern Nevada and one from Las Vegas cast their ballots before about 75 people who had packed into the Old Assembly Chambers of the state Capitol. A few brought signs in support of Clinton, and there was some applause when the votes were cast. It all took place in less than a half-hour. No fireworks, said Wayne Thorley, deputy secretary of state for elections. He said about 40 people showed up in front of the state Capitol in the morning in sub-freezing temperatures to also show support for Clinton. Thorley said he hadnt anticipated a lot of controversy as the electors were required to sign a pledge before voting that said they wouldnt deviate from Nevadas Nov. 8 election results. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print In solemn ceremony, California electors cast votes for Hillary Clinton By Melanie Mason Casting my electoral vote for President and Vice President of the United States of .... https://t.co/jI2FGFCrVg pic.twitter.com/qufSJUM5WF Susan Eggman (@SusanEggman) December 19, 2016 In a proceeding long on formalities and short on speeches, Californias 55 electors cast their vote for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Monday, a ceremony that coincided almost exactly with Republican Donald Trump clinching the national electoral college win. Contrasting with the spirited protests outside the state Capitol, the mood in the state Assembly chambers was muted, even a bit glum, as electors, tapped by the states Democratic establishment, convened to cast their votes for Clinton. California, which overwhelmingly backed Clinton in the presidential contest, requires all 55 electors to back the states winner. Todays solemnity and formality reminds us that in our nation, American greatness and American independence, rests on a foundation of law, said Assemblyman Ken Cooley (D-Cordova), who presided over the event. As written ballots were distributed, the room was completely silent, save for the clicking of camera shutters. Just moments before voting began, Trump, Clintons rival, had secured the electoral college win, with Texas, Californias perennial rival, putting him over the top. His victory went unacknowledged in the ceremony. Among the electors were current elected officials, such as Assemblywomen Susan Talamantes Eggman of Stockton and Shirley Weber of San Diego. Others included Christine Pelosi, daughter of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Laphonza Butler, leader of the powerful labor union SEIU in California. Electors did not make individual speeches during the main ceremony, and Trumps name was hardly mentioned. But there were subtle references to the rancorous political season: Rev. Bob Oshita, the Assembly chaplain and former reverend of the Sacramento Buddhist Church, urged leaders to engage in calming self-reflection in an opening prayer. The tone grew considerably sharper at the end of the gathering, when Pelosi offered a motion calling for an investigation into Russian efforts to influence the election outcome. I move that as an Electoral College, we do not normalize this election. We do not accept Russian interference in our election, Pelosi said. Her motion was adopted by electors, with applause. View Twitter post This post was updated at 3:32 p.m. with comments from Christine Pelosi. It was originally published at 3:12 p.m. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print All of Floridas electoral votes go to Trump By Gray Rohrer Floridas electors applaud as the vote for Donald Trump is announced at the state Capitol in Tallahassee on Monday. (Steve Cannon / Associated Press) Donald Trump officially won all 29 of Floridas electoral college votes on Monday during a ceremony held at the Capitol in Tallahassee, despite pleas from protesters to electors to change their vote at the last minute. About 100 protesters gathered outside the Florida Senate chambers before the vote, chanting love trumps hate and flip the vote and holding signs that read Vote Your Conscience, Dont Make Russia Great Again! The electors, made up of Republican Party of Florida members and high-ranking elected officials like state Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi, Senate President Joe Negron and state party chairman Blaise Ingoglia, did their best to ignore the protesters. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim was a Trump nemesis. Now the president-elect says hes wonderful By Evan Halper Donald Trump has decided that Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, one of his favorite villains during the presidential election, might not be so bad after all. Hes even wonderful, Trump now says. The two dined together Saturday at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, after which Trump had only nice things to say about Slim, according to a report in the Washington Post. Trump described the interaction with his erstwhile nemesis as a lovely dinner with a wonderful man. This is not how Trump talked about Slim, one of the worlds richest men, during the election. The Mexican billionaire was a regular target of the then-GOP nominee because of his large ownership stake in the New York Times. Add to that Slims generous contributions to the Clinton Foundation and his citizenship in the country Trump reveled in attacking, and he made for good fodder at Trump rallies. When Trump objected to the New York Times coverage of his campaign and its reporting on the allegations by multiple women of past inappropriate sexual advances by Trump he alleged it was all part of a conspiracy cooked up by Slim. Trump called the outlets reporters corporate lobbyists for Carlos Slim and for Hillary Clinton. The New York Times called Trumps charges a fabrication, saying Slim had never inserted himself in editorial decision making there. And Trump offered no evidence to the contrary. A spokesman for Slim said at the time the two had never met, and the Mexican businessman had no interest in involving himself in the U.S. election. Now theyve met. The takeaway from the meeting, though, is murky. Maybe it indicates Trump is softening his posture toward Mexico or maybe it just indicates billionaires enjoy the company of other billionaires. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Meet the California electors By Liam Dillon Among the electors are Janine Bera, the wife of Rep. Ami Bera of Elk Grove; Christine Pelosi, the daughter of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and chairwoman of the state partys womens caucus; Eileen Feinstein Mariano, granddaughter of Sen. Dianne Feinstein; and Olivia Reyes-Becerra, daughter of Rep. Xavier Becerra of Los Angeles. State Assemblywomen Susan Eggman of Stockton and Shirley Weber of San Diego, former state Sen. Christine Kehoe of San Diego, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nury Martinez and Laphonza Butler, president of the Service Employees International Union chapter that represents home care employees, also are on the list. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Three Washington state Democratic electors vote for Gen. Colin Powell, one for Faith Spotted Eagle By Rick Anderson (Elaine Thompson / Associated Press) Despite a statute binding the 12 members of the electoral college to vote for the winner of the states 2016 presidential election popular vote, four Washington electors made history and risked a $1,000 fine by voting for someone else Monday. But it wasnt Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton, supported by 57% of the states voters, wound up with eight of the 12 electoral votes at a session held in the State Capitol building here. Gen. Colin Powell received three votes. And Faith Spotted Eagle, an elder of the Yankton Sioux, received one. Read More Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Colorado elector says he was oppressed by state law into voting for Clinton By David Kelly In Denver, all nine electors voted for Hillary Clinton, after one was replaced for casting his ballot for Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich instead. A boisterous crowd packed the state Capitol and booed when elector Michael Baca was dismissed and another sworn in to take his place. Vote your conscience! someone cried. The new elector voted for Clinton. Hecklers screamed Resign! Resign! at Secretary of State Wayne Williams after he shooed Bacas lawyer off the podium. Suspense had been building for weeks over how the electors would vote. Two courts blocked their attempts to vote for someone other than Clinton. State law here says electors must support the candidate who won the popular vote. On Sunday night they went to court again, this time asking a judge to reject a new oath drawn up by the secretary of state requiring electors to pledge to support the winner of the popular vote. Their motion was denied. As they waited, the crowd sang This Land is Your Land and America the Beautiful. But once the electors filed in, it was over quickly. Elector Robert Nemanich said he was oppressed by state law into voting for Clinton and would go to the U.S. Supreme Court. He did not elaborate. Lance Armstrong, 68, stood outside with an American flag. Im glad some of the electors made a point today, he said. Any point is better than none. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Trump officially gets 270th electoral vote, sealing his election as president By Julie Westfall Donald Trump has obtained the required 270 electoral votes to become president. Although electors in dozens of states still have to vote, the electoral balloting in Texas put Trump over the majority threshold, according to a state-by-state tally by the Associated Press. Thirty-six of the states electors voted for Trump, one for John Kasich and one for Ron Paul. The next, and last, official step in the electoral process is for Congress to count the votes. Under the procedure set out by the 12th Amendment to the Constitution, that formal process is scheduled for Jan. 6. Some anti-Trump activists had hoped against hope that they could persuade electors in states that voted for Trump to defect, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Electors are nearly all party loyalists. Additionally, they faced more than two centuries of tradition and, in some states, legal obligations that called for them to cast their ballots according to which candidate won the popular vote in their states. No defectors have ever changed the result of a presidential election. Four electors today successfully defected in Washington state. Instead of voting for Hillary Clinton, who won the states popular vote, three electors voted for former secretary of State Colin Powell and one voted for Faith Spotted Eagle, an environmental activist. Electors in two other states who tried to vote against the states winner were replaced with alternates. There may be additional defections in the remaining states, but since Trump now has a majority of the electoral votes, those would not be enough to change the result. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Emotions high in Maryland as electors unanimously vote for Clinton By Erin Cox (Erin Cox/Baltimore Sun) As Marylands 10 electors unanimously cast votes for Democrat Hillary Clinton for president Monday, several said they were privileged to vote for the countys first female presidential nominee. Outside, hundreds of anti-Trump protesters cheered as the solemn ceremony unfolded on live-stream television. A state delegate, who had the ceremonial task of handing the electors votes to another official, wept while executing her duty. This is an emotional moment for many, many women in this country and in this state, said Del. Maggie McIntosh, a Baltimore Democrat. She added later: I guess I didnt cry enough on Nov. 8. Marylands electors were bound by state law to vote for the winner of Marylands popular vote, which Clinton secured with more than 60% of the ballots cast. About 100 protesters who had been chanting and singing around the historic State House grounds for at least four hours before the vote said they came in solidarity with protesters in Republican state capitols, pleading with electors not to endorse President-elect Donald Trump. This is appalling and unacceptable, and Im hoping the Republicans, in particular, rise above and do the right thing, said Cheryl Kreiser, a retired teacher from the Washington, D.C., suburb of Silver Spring. For an hour every day for the last 21 days, Kreiser has protested Trumps win on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. It was the only way I could cope with the disappointment, she said. Marylands Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who wrote in his fathers name rather than vote for Trump on election day, opened Marylands 58th electoral college meeting but left the room before electors were sworn in. Each elector had been appointed by the Maryland Democratic Party state chair, Bruce Poole, who reminded the crowd the United States is not a direct democracy ruled by the popular vote. A lot of people lose sight of the fact that were a republic. Were not a democracy, Poole said. The whole idea was that the president would not be chosen just by the whims of the moment, but instead there would be an opportunity for people who were thoughtful, who had judgment, who had integrity to take a step back from the moment of emotion and consider what would be in the best interest of the country. Here is "the old book" where Maryland has recorded its Electoral College electors every year since 1789. pic.twitter.com/GlsaJd3F3X Erin Cox (@ErinatThePost) December 19, 2016 Before he introduced Marylands electors, Poole lamented the state of political discourse in the country. We live in the age of information. It is not necessarily the age of wisdom or age of judgment, he said. People on both sides, on all sides, make decisions at the snap of a finger. Maryland was both the model for creating the electoral college and the first state in the country to vote to bypass it. Framers modeled todays system after the way the Maryland House of Delegates selected Maryland senators, a process the state later abandoned after it was considered undemocratic, according to a history of the electoral college written by staff at the Maryland Board of Elections. Hogan noted the state is one of six to have participated every year since 1789. In 2007, Maryland was the first state to vote to sign the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, a promise designed to award the electoral college to the winner of the national popular vote. It required enough states to comprise 270 votes to sign on for it to take effect. So far, only 10 states including California with a combined 165 votes have signed the compact. The president of Marylands electors, Courtney Watson, also co-chaired Clintons campaign in Maryland. She said she thought changes to the electoral college should be considered and described Monday as a poignant moment for Maryland residents. Its a very emotional time, she said. Many of us have worked long and hard, and for the first woman candidate. The point, though, is that people are still moved and even more engaged. And thats what I find promising for our future and the future of women. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Christine Pelosi, daughter of Nancy Pelosi and California elector, demands to know the truth about Russian influence By Jazmine Ulloa Elector @sfpelosi: We won't stand down. #caleg pic.twitter.com/4cM3cE4Wb6 Jazmine Ulloa (@jazmineulloa) December 19, 2016 California elector Christine Pelosi on Monday told crowds gathered outside the Capitol that she has been part of a chorus of people demanding to know the truth about Russian interference in the November presidential election. Pelosi, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosis daughter, is leading 10 other electors in a call for an intelligence briefing on Russian influence. Shouting into a microphone Monday, she said Russian hackers aim to turn the American people against each other and had marginalized her and others for speaking out. They trespass on servers, she said. They receive stolen emails. They pump out stories that day after day focus on scandal rather than policy, rather than talking about climate and immigration and human rights. Californias meeting of electors is about to get underway in the state Capitol. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print After prayer for national unity, Georgia electors vote for Trump By Jenny Jarvie Outside the Georgia Capitol today, some may have held a flicker of hope that a GOP elector would refuse to cast a ballot for Donald Trump as 45th president of the United States. Yet among the inner circle of Republicans who gathered inside the cozy, wood-paneled Senate chamber, there was little doubt about what would unfold. One by one, all 16 electors - dressed in formal business suits and red dresses, bow ties and blazers -- cast their ballots for the contentious Republican candidate. It was a short ceremony, with little opportunity for disruption. Security guards prevented the public from entering the chamber, cordoning off the hallway outside the room with a red rope and locking the main door before proceedings began. The electors chosen by Georgias Republican Party included well-connected attorneys and real estate agents, a high school teacher and a farmer. As they waited for the gathering to begin, many snapped selfies and waved at loved ones above in the upper gallery. After a call to order by the Georgia Republican Party chair, the electors bowed their heads, and Rachel Little, an elector and grass-roots Republican organizer, delivered an invocation. Lord, we know we are a divided country right now, she said. We pray that you will unite us. We pray that [those who oppose Trump] will see our conservatism lived out in a gracious way. In a short speech, Gov. Nathan Deal hit out at activists who had bombarded electors with emails, letters and phone calls in an effort to sway their votes. You have been the subject of harassment by those who perhaps are not as dedicated to the proposition of what this body is supposed to do as they are agitated by the fact that the people didnt do what they wanted them to do. I have every confidence you will not succumb to that, Deal told the electors. My words to you: Do your job. Shortly before the electors cast their ballots, Rep. Barry Loudermilk, a Republican who represents Georgias 11th District, took to the podium to present a short history of the electoral college. Our founders actually despised the idea of democracy because mob rule often results in a decision made out of pure emotion, Loudermilk told the electors, after referencing the noise of protesters outside. It does not result in good government. In fact, our founders often cited the historic trial of Jesus as how mob rule does not work. The electoral college was devised to protect the integrity of government, Loudermilk said. To protect those who live in the rural areas of America, those who work, those who are part of the farming communities and part of the industrial communities, those who live and work every day, that their interests are protected as well of those who make their living on Wall Street. For a moment earlier this year, there was an inkling of a Republican revolt against Trump in Georgia. In August, Baoky Vu, a GOP elector based in Decatur, Ga., admitted he might not cast his ballot for Trump if he won. Within hours, however, he was forced to resign. Trump went on to win 51% of Georgias popular vote. On Monday, Vu did not show up at the Capitol, and he was formally replaced by a solid Trump backer, John Padgett, the chairman of the Georgia Republican party. There seems little chance that Georgia legislators might vote to overhaul the electoral college. Earlier this year, Republican legislators authored two bipartisan pieces of legislation in Georgias House and Senate that would have made Georgias electoral votes based solely on the outcome of the national popular vote. Yet both bills stalled, and Republicans say there is little momentum to revive the debate. The system prevents the tyranny of the majority, said Kirk Shook, an elector who is a high school teacher in rural Oconee County. He scoffed at those who, since the election, had sought to overhaul the electoral college system. Theres all this weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, Shook said of those who opposed Trumps win. And rightly so. Theres going to be a Republican president, a Republican Congress and a Republican Supreme Court. With the stroke of a pen, 90 percent of what Obama considered his legacy will be gone. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Four Washington state electors defect from Clinton; one chooses Faith Spotted Eagle instead By Associated Press (Elaine Thompson / Associated Press) Four members of the electoral college in Washington state cast their votes for a candidate other than Democrat Hillary Clinton, who won the states popular vote. Its the first time in four decades the states electors have broken from the popular vote for president. Washingtons 12 electors met Monday afternoon in the state Capitol to complete the constitutional formality. Clinton got eight votes while other candidates got the remaining four. Elector Bret Chiafalo, who earlier in the day said he planned to vote for Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich, said that he ultimately changed his vote to former Secretary of State Colin Powell after conversations with other Washington electors. The exact breakdown of the other four votes wasnt immediately known, although at least one vote was cast for Faith Spotted Eagle. In last months election, Republican Donald Trump won 306 electoral votes to Clintons 232, though Clintons tally will now be lower. A candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win. The last time an elector broke from the popular vote in Washington was in 1976, when Mike Padden, who is currently a Republican state senator, voted for Ronald Reagan instead of Gerald Ford, who had won the state. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Hundreds protest the electoral college at Capitol building in Sacramento By Jazmine Ulloa Protesters are now chanting, "hey hey ho ho, Donald Trump has got to go" pic.twitter.com/4nNyTMroI5 Marcus Yam (@yamphoto) December 19, 2016 Cheers and chants of U.S.A and Keep him out filled the air Monday, as dozens of protestors gathered outside the California Capitol in a last ditch attempt to sway the electoral college from voting for president-elect Donald Trump. Speakers called Trump a celebrity and authoritarian unfit for the presidency. And they urged Congress to do away with the electoral college process, which they described as an outdated and broken system susceptible to foreign influence and manipulation. This is a secret system of voting where we are not allowed to see where the votes are actually coming from or how they are counted, Brent Turner, with the movement organization Democracy Spring, shouted into a microphone. John Franco, 52, says the electoral college is an outdated system that can be manipulated with or without hackers. #caleg pic.twitter.com/fs2L2W2HKp Jazmine Ulloa (@jazmineulloa) December 19, 2016 John Franco, a 52-year-old business owner visiting Sacramento from New Orleans, said he came to the demonstration with his family to protest that secret process. We dont feel a system that can be manipulated represents the interests of the people who voted for Hillary Clinton, he said. Rochelle Towers was among hundreds to protest at the CA Capitol today: "I'll take any shot that there is. #caleg https://t.co/QcOhWklrpx pic.twitter.com/mtx76NjdEW Jazmine Ulloa (@jazmineulloa) December 20, 2016 Rochelle Towers, 68, said she drove in from Oakland in an attempt to persuade the electoral college from voting for Trump. She said she would not have to live through a lot of what its decision would set in motion. But my children and grandchildren will, she said. Even though this is a real long shot, Ill take any shot that there is. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Colorado elector removed after refusing to vote for Clinton By David Kelly A new elector is sworn in in Colorado after one refused to vote for Hillary Clinton. (David Kelly / Los Angeles Times) Eight of nine Colorado electors have voted for Hillary Clinton. One elector, Michael Baca, refused to vote for Clinton and was immediately replaced with an alternate, who was sworn in on the spot. As the crowd jeered, the new elector promptly voted for Clinton. Shouts of Resign! followed Secretary of State Wayne Williams announcement of the results. Protesters at the state capitol in Colorado. (David Kelly/Los Angeles Times) Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Electors say they have been barraged with emails By Nigel Duara View Twitter post Arizona elector J. Foster Morgan said he had received several letters protesting the election of Donald Trump, but experienced nothing on the scale of some his fellow Arizona electors whose email addresses were distributed to protest lists. They heard the worst thing imaginable, Morgan said. I just got a few letters. Despite protests outside the meeting, Morgan said, the vote went fine. Eleven votes for Donald Trump. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Democratic electors in Minnesota and Maine try to vote for Bernie Sanders By Associated Press (Spencer Platt / Getty Images) A second elector this one in Minnesota has refused to cast a vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton in Mondays electoral college tally. It wasnt immediately clear why Muhammad Abdurrahman didnt vote for Clinton, but he was a delegate for Bernie Sanders at the Democratic National Convention. The electors are pledged to cast Minnesotas 10 electoral votes for Clinton since she won the state. Abdurrahman was immediately replaced by an alternate who later voted for Clinton. Earlier in the day, a so-called faithless elector in Maine cast his vote for Sanders, who lost the Democratic presidential nomination to Clinton. David Bright said on his Facebook page that he cast his vote for Sanders because voting for Clinton would not have helped her win. But he ultimately voted for Clinton on a second vote after being ruled out of order. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Utah voting goes off without incident six for Trump By David Montero A protest sign outside the gathering of Utah electors (Rick Bowmer / Associated Press) Despite chants of vote your conscience and the whole world is watching from more than 100 protesters, Utahs six electors cast their votes for President-elect Donald Trump today in Salt Lake City. Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox announced the official results within minutes of the votes being cast, but he was drowned out by jeers of Shame on you by the protesters. I hope you know this is what our country is all about, Cox said. I hope all of us here are sincerely grateful we live in a country where we have the opportunity to express ourselves. The six electors -- two small-business owners, a custom metal worker, a farmer, a Brigham Young University professor and a Republican activist -- quickly introduced themselves before casting their ballots. The votes were largely a formality, as the state requires electors to vote for the winner. Trump defeated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by getting 45%t of the vote. He also withstood a challenge from Evan McMullin, who garnered 21% in what was largely a protest vote from those, many of them Mormons, who felt uncomfortable casting a ballot for Trump. Cox said the turnout for this years electoral vote was a far cry from 2012, when four people and one camera crew showed up. Im a big fan of the electoral college, Cox said to the restless crowd. You dont have to boo me now. You can boo me later. About 200 protesters and Trump supporters arrived in the rotunda of the state Capitol about three hours before the votes were cast shortly after noon. The room where the votes were cast was too small to accommodate everyone, and the fire marshal sought to limit occupancy to about 130 people. Interest was high, and the vote even drew Hawthorn Elementary School students, who helped lead the room in the Pledge of Allegiance. Cox thanked them for coming and told them they were getting an experience youll never forget. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Clinton elector balks in Minnesota One of 10 Minnesota electors has decided not cast a vote, Muhammad Abdurrahan. An alternate is now being sworn in. #ElectoralCollege pic.twitter.com/4eN1PIrZdO Dylan Wohlenhaus (@DylanWohlenhaus) December 19, 2016 In Minnesota, where the 10 electors had all pledged their votes to Hillary Clinton, one of them refused to go through with it. Elector Muhammad Abdurrahman opted not to vote. He was replaced by an alternate, who cast a vote for Clinton. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement As Pennsylvania went unanimously for Trump, a voice from the back: Thank you By Steve Esack Electors sworn in in Pennsylvania (Matt Rourke/Associated Press) In Pennsylvanias capital of Harrisburg, the states 20 electoral college voters selected Trump today in a ceremony marked by traditional pomp and bellowing protests. Trump won the popular vote in Pennsylvania by 44,292 votes the first Republican presidential candidate to do so since 1988. It earned him the states 20 electoral college votes. When the result was announced shortly before 1 p.m. inside the gilded, ornate House chamber, protesters jeered and supporters cheered. Shame on you, a womans voice called down from the public balcony. Thank you, a male voters voice responded back from the floor. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print How some electors have reacted to all the mail from voters Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Protesters outside Florida Senate chambers: Trump is dangerous By Gray Rohrer Protesters gather outside the Florida Senate chambers ahead of the electoral college voting ceremony. (Gray Rohrer / Orlando Sentinel) A group of about 100 protesters huddled outside the Florida Senate chambers Monday morning as Floridas 29 electors prepared to cast their votes for Donald Trump in the formal electoral eollege vote ceremony later in the day. The protesters held signs that read You can fix this, keep America free, What would Hamilton do? and Electors: Protect Us, Trump is Dangerous, pleading for electors to change their minds and not vote for Trump, who beat Hillary Clinton by 112,911 votes in Florida, about 1.2%t of all votes cast in the state. Tallahassee resident Bonnie McCluskey held a sign reading Send it to the House. If enough electors across the country do not vote for Trump, hell fall short of the 270 electoral votes required to win the presidency, sending the matter to the U.S. House. The reason Im here is because I dont trust [Trump]) and I think he will harm the United States, McCluskey said. My grandmothers were suffragettes; their ancestors were willing to be traitors to the British crown to create this democracy and I dont want to see it end. And that sounds awfully dramatic but thats how Im feeling. She said that part of the reason she doesnt trust Trump is because he didnt pay a company she worked for that did promotional videos for his buildings in 1998. They were basically given the opportunity to take 10 percent or go to court. Back then I didnt realize that was his business plan, McCluskey said. I didnt make the deal with him I was just one of the people who saw a company go bankrupt. Despite the pleas from protesters, all of Floridas electors are expected to vote for Trump. Some, such as Florida Senate President Joe Negron, have posted pictures of hundreds of letters theyve received asking them to change their vote but declaring theyll be voting for the Republican candidate. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Advertisement Colorado electors make last-ditch plea to switch votes By David Kelly Crowds await the electoral college vote at the Colorado Capitol in Denver. (David Kelly / For The Times) Colorado electors are trying a last-chance legal appeal to avoid voting for Hillary Clinton, and instead vote for an alternative candidate to replace Donald Trump. A week ago, a district court judge told them they had to vote for Clinton, who won the popular vote in Colorado. A few days ago, a federal appeals court upheld that decision. But just hours before the vote today, two electors filed suit to stop the Colorado secretary of state from requiring them to swear to vote for the candidate supported by the electorate. Their effort is part of a loose national scheme to defeat Trump by persuading Republican electors to join with Democrats, such as those in Colorado, and coalesce around an alternative candidate. There has been no decision so far. Facebook Twitter Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Copy Link URL Copied! Print Chants of Shame! erupt as Wisconsin electors cast ballots for Trump By Bill Ruthhart Demonstrators erupt after Wisconsin's 10 presidential electors cast their #ElectoralCollege ballots for Republican Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/A0GrASaIbY Bill Ruthhart (@BillRuthhart) December 19, 2016 Wisconsins 10 presidential electors unanimously cast their ballots for Republican Donald Trump as expected Wednesday, but the vote still drew chants of Shame from dozens of demonstrators who had pleaded for them to back away from the president-elect. The typically procedural vote in a fourth-floor conference room in the Wisconsin State Capitol was anything but routine as about 150 protesters greeted the 10 electors with signs pleading for them to vote your conscience not your pledge. In a short 15-minute meeting, the electors quickly cast their ballots for Trump. They did not address the controversial nature of the election and no speeches were made before the Good morning. Its Friday, Dec. 2, and heres whats going on across California: TOP STORIES Unanswered questions In the year since the San Bernardino terrorist attack, authorities have conducted more than 600 interviews, gathered more than 500 pieces of evidence and served dozens of search warrants. Despite piecing together a detailed picture of what happened, federal officials acknowledge they still dont have answers to some of the critical questions posed in the days after the Dec. 2 attack. Los Angeles Times Advertisement Political earthquake California will have its first Latino attorney general, as Gov. Jerry Brown tapped House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra of Los Angeles to replace U.S. Senate-bound Kamala Harris. The choice surprised even Becerra and is something of an earthquake in California politics. Becerra has long been seen as a rising star in Democratic circles and was considered a contender to be Hillary Clintons vice presidential pick. Los Angeles Times Garcettis big pivot Before election day, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti didnt hold back when it came to Donald Trump: Hes a racist. Hes a bigot. Hes sexist. But since Trump won the election, Garcetti is taking a more cordial tone with the president-elect, forced in part by necessity. Its a delicate and politically perilous balancing act. Los Angeles Times L.A. STORIES Reprieve for P-45: The mountain lion known as P-45 is suspected of recently slaughtering 10 alpacas, an act that prompted the alpacas owner to get a permit from the state to kill P-45. But wildlife activists and local ranchers in the Malibu hills have persuaded her to seek other options. Los Angeles Times I love L.A.: L.A. has received a different kind of love letter from comedian Issa Rae and her HBO show Insecure. BuzzFeed Crumbling ruins: Many stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame are in a state of disrepair, prompting concerns from fans and questions about money. Hollywood Reporter Money exit: The former head of a San Fernando Valley charter school, who resigned abruptly amid scrutiny over the schools finances, will receive $215,000. Daily News Silver Lake rising: Riverside Drive in Silver Lake is becoming increasingly residential, with a new development planned there. The Eastsider POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT Ultimatum in Paramount: In a dramatic move, L.A. County health officials ordered two Paramount metal-processing plants Thursday to stop emissions of hexavalent chromium or shut down operations contributing to high levels of the cancer-causing air pollutant. The move comes amid growing community concern about the health effects of the emissions. Los Angeles Times Leaving? How likely is the California secession movement to work? Experts say there is a chance but it remains highly, highly unlikely. Sacramento Bee Pasadena bank autopsy: Trumps nominee to be Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, is likely to face a lot of questions about a Pasadena bank that failed during the 2008 financial crisis and how he benefited. Wall Street Journal CRIME AND COURTS Murder mystery: A shotgun on the beach and a bounced check are key clues to the Hollywood murder of a young woman, a prosecutor says. Los Angeles Times Last words: An Oakland teen spoke out against gun violence. Then he became a victim of it. San Francisco Chronicle Social media: A Facebook post, a womans loyalty to her brother and allegations of witness tampering. Now, Sylvia Castro Garcia is headed to prison. Fresno Bee Original activism: Decades before Black Lives Matter, there were the Black Panthers in Oakland. Los Angeles Times DROUGHT AND CLIMATE A big job: The costly, complicated effort to save San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento Delta. CALmatters Marine mystery: So what is up with that rare killer whale off the Orange County coast? Orange County Register CALIFORNIA CULTURE Juice of life: What the success of L.A.s Moon Juice empire says about consumerism and self-enlightenment. The New Yorker Light it up: San Diego is known for its beaches and sun. But British artist Peter Fink wants to light up the city at night using a lot of lights. His plan starts with illuminating the San Diego-Coronado Bridge, but thats just the beginning. San Diego Union-Tribune Next chapter: What happens when movie moguls become mere mortals. It can be tough or refreshing. New York Times House hunter: The famous Full House home in San Francisco recently sold for $4 million. Who bought the Victorian landmark? The TV sitcoms creator, Jeff Franklin. SFist CALIFORNIA ALMANAC Los Angeles: Dry, cold Santa Ana winds will heighten fire danger through Saturday. San Francisco: Clouds by Sunday with highs in the 60s. Sacramento: Cloudy weekend with a chance of rain late next week. AND FINALLY Todays California memory comes from Ed McSpedon: I came to California from New York with my wife and our 5-year-old daughter in December 1983. We rented a townhome in Calabasas Park for what was to be a one-year assignment managing the engineering of a segment of L.A.s planned new subway. One day I took a break in the afternoon and hit our community hot tub for a dip, something that was impossible in New York. There was only one other person using the spa that day, a handsome older gentleman who welcomed me to the neighborhood and introduced himself as Clayton Moore, a.k.a. the Lone Ranger. Well, as a child of the 50s he was my No. 1 boyhood hero! We shared an incredible hourlong conversation where my hero was transformed into my new friend and neighbor. Thirty-plus years later we are still here and are now frequent riders of L.A.s expansive rail transit system. Over the years I have had hundreds of celebrity encounters, but none was as memorable as that first one in the spa on that winter afternoon. If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.) Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Shelby Grad. Seven members of the Senate Intelligence Committee wrote to President Obama this week asking him to declassify and make public additional information concerning the Russian government and the U.S. election that committee members apparently have learned about in confidential briefings. The president should take their advice. Cynics might be tempted to view their letter which was signed only by Democrats and an independent senator who caucuses with them as a partisan ploy designed to buttress the argument that Donald Trumps victory was rendered illegitimate by Russian meddling on his behalf. But seeking information about possible Russian meddling in the election shouldnt be a partisan issue. If the Russian government indeed attempted to influence, disrupt or subvert the outcome by stealing and publicizing the emails of senior Democratic officials or promoting the dissemination on social media of fake news damaging to Hillary Clinton, that should outrage Americans regardless of whom they supported on Nov. 8. The public has a right to know as much about any such operation as can be made public without compromising intelligence sources and methods. Advertisement It would be a mistake to minimize the sort of meddling of which Russia stands accused, or to allow it to pass under-covered and under-discussed. Both on and off the record, U.S. officials have made it clear for some time that they believed senior Russian officials were complicit. In October, for instance, the director of national intelligence and the Department of Homeland Security put out a statement saying they were confident that the Russian government directed the hacking, adding that these thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the U.S. election process. If true, those charges are extremely serious and deeply troubling. That view has not been universally embraced. Some analysts have disputed the attribution of the hacking and, more recently, the assertion that Russia was behind a barrage of fake news stories designed to influence voters. And its true that multiple actors, some of them unconnected to any government, operate in the shadowy world of Internet sabotage and disinformation. Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied that Moscow tampered with the U.S. election, rejecting as utter nonsense the notion that the Kremlin favored Trump. But such skepticism is only more reason for the U.S. government to be as forthcoming as possible. If the Russians were involved, the world must be told of it and persuaded of it; if they were not, then it was irresponsible of the intelligence community to level the accusation in the first place. The Obama administration should make such an accounting in its remaining seven weeks in office. If it doesnt do so, the Trump administration should do so. Trump has a special obligation to take a stand against Russian interference in the American political process not just because he repeatedly praised Putin during the campaign, but also because, at a news conference in July, he said he hoped that Russia could find emails that were deleted from Clintons private email servers in 2014. Russia, if youre listening, I hope youre able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing, Trump said. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press. Perhaps, as Trump later insisted, he was merely being sarcastic; but once he assumes the presidency he needs to make it clear that he is as opposed to interference in democratic elections as Obama is. Congress has taken at least one step in the right direction to respond to Russia. This week the House approved an intelligence authorization bill that calls for the establishment of an interagency committee within the executive branch to counter active measures by the Russian Federation to exert covert influence in other countries, including the United States. But public support for sanctions or other retaliatory measures will be stronger if the government explains its conclusion that Russia was behind the hacking and disinformation campaigns. It would be a mistake to minimize the sort of meddling of which Russia stands accused, or to allow it to pass under-covered and under-discussed in the foggy aftermath of 2016s wild and crazy election. Its true that nations always have spied on one another, and at times have sought to influence elections in other countries, sometimes in underhanded and unethical ways. The U.S. is far from blameless in that regard, especially in the Caribbean and Latin America during the Cold War. But if Russia engaged in a high-tech attempt to sabotage an American presidential candidate, that is a provocation that cant be ignored simply because it occurred in the fog of a bizarre campaign. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook During the George W. Bush administration, Americans abroad were advised to affix Canadian-flag patches to their backpacks or adopt a British accent to avoid the locals disgust with our elected leader. The warnings stuck with me, and as I packed my bags for a trip to Europe last month, I steeled myself for sneers about Americas incoming president. I went as far as to type, I didnt vote for him, and he didnt even win the popular vote into Google Translate. The sneers never came. Whats striking about being in Europe right now, as opposed to during the Bush years, is that everyone is taking Donald Trumps impending presidency very seriously. There are no snarky comments about Americans voting for an idiot, no jokes about his tiny hands or poorly punctuated tweets. Ive heard nothing but condolences and grave concern. The worry among Europeans is ... that an outcome like Trumps election could very well happen in their own countries. Advertisement Bush, with his base of religious conservatives and Cabinet full of hawks, seemed typically American. Trump is hitting much closer to home for Europeans. His victory seems connected to events such as the United Kingdoms vote to exit the European Union. And his rhetoric, which pits white citizens against nonwhite newcomers, is eerily close to the talking points of European nationalist leaders such as the Netherlands Geert Wilders and Frances Marine Le Pen. Both Wilders and Le Pen are polling strongly in advance of general elections next year. The fake news articles that contaminated Facebook and aided Trumps rise, moreover, arent just an American problem: German Chancellor Angela Merkel recently warned that public opinion is being manipulated online. We must confront this phenomenon, she told Agence France-Presse, and if necessary, regulate it. If she wants to stop the spread of bogus news sites in Germany, shell need to move fast. Her country is also having a federal election next year. The worry among Europeans is not that Americans are stupid and voted for someone with no policy-making experience its that an outcome like Trumps election could very well happen in their own countries. Or, worse, that the world is becoming less democratic altogether. New research forthcoming in the Journal of Democracy finds that popular support for liberal democracies around the world is on the decline and support for autocratic alternatives is rising, even in many stable Western nations long thought to be beacons of freedom. Europeans dont see me as a visitor from a backward nation thats trying to drag the world down with it (as some did during the Bush years). They see me as an ambassador from the future, someone whos starting to cope with life a country in which the worst has happened. The events of the last months and days should be treated as a warning sign for all who believe in liberal democracy, Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, wrote in a post-election statement. In Europe and the United States alike, those of us who believe in the democratic experiment are struggling with how to protect minorities without alienating the white working class, and how to continue to reap the benefits of globalization while mitigating its negative effects. Despite some Americans halfhearted promises to move to Canada or Europe, its becoming clearer every day that the thorny problems assailing our country are not easy to escape. The political parties have different names, the stigmatized immigrants have different nationalities, and the tone of the debate may differ. But these challenges are everywhere. While it provides some immediate comfort to commiserate with like-minded people abroad, its actually quite frightening that every European Ive met has instantly (and correctly) assumed that I did not vote for Trump. There is such a profound economic and cultural divide that a college-educated woman from California one who has the means to spend time overseas doesnt need to declare her sympathies; demographics are enough to communicate that Im likely not a supporter of this ascendant strain of white-nationalist populism. An us versus them attitude still prevails, but there has been a shift in whos included in each category. Ann Friedman is a contributing writer to Opinion. She lives in Los Angeles. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook MORE FROM OPINION American abroad: Europeans mocked Bush, but theyre downright scared of Trump Half the firearms in the U.S. are owned by 3% of adults, and that means trouble for the NRA Xavier Becerra: A reliable, respectable (and surprising) pick for the next California attorney general When Floridians narrowly voted for Donald Trump on Nov. 8, they might as well have elected to drown themselves. Rising seas and accelerating storms are inundating this low-lying state, but a majority of its citizens still chose a presidential candidate who calls climate change a hoax. A disconnect between its political choices and climate reality is all too familiar in the Sunshine State. Floridas newly re-elected U.S. senator, Marco Rubio, and its two-term governor, Rick Scott, are both climate-change dodgers. They shrug off the science that indicates 1 in 8 houses in their state will be lost to rising seas by the end of the century. They endorsed Trump, and theyre famed for responding to global warming questions with I am not a scientist. Meanwhile, an octopus swam into a Miami Beach parking garage in November during one of the citys periodic sunny day floods. Massive sewer spills are poisoning Tampa Bay as local storms worsen. And beaches and shoreline are rapidly disappearing along the southeast Atlantic coast, where sea level rise is accelerating from 8 inches over the last century to a conservatively projected 3 feet by the end of this one. The entire state of Florida averages just 6 feet above sea level. Advertisement Most of the nation is ... like Florida: State governments and voters resist the cure because they refuse to believe they have the disease, or that it exists. A few states California chief among them are grappling directly with climate disruption. Theyve put a price on carbon, mandated lowering carbon emissions and promoted green energy. Unlike Scott in Florida, California Gov. Jerry Brown supports a statewide (and global) response to fossil-fuel-fired climate change and rising seas. But most of the nation is more like Florida: State governments and voters resist the cure because they refuse to believe they have the disease, or that it exists. But that doesnt stop dire symptoms from occurring, and so, across Florida, individual communities are already dealing with climate change outcomes because they have no choice. St. Petersburg, on Tampa Bay, is one such community. Since 2015, St. Petersburg has had three major sewage spills. In September, more than 120 million gallons of partially treated human waste poured into the bay, leaving residents and visitors complaining of the stink and fearful to enter the water. St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman diagnosed it correctly: Changing climate, in the form of heavier rains and storms, has been overwhelming the citys aging wastewater treatment system. St. Petersburg has now committed more than $60 million for short-term upgrades and $300 million to fix the water management system as a whole. In November the City Council also earmarked $800,000 for climate planning, including a switch to 100% renewable energy. Still, City Council Vice Chairwoman Darden Rice told me that when she tried to explain the link between sewage spills, seawater intrusion, increased rains and climate change, one of her constituents told her to stop talking about climate change and just fix the damn sewer plant. In Miami Beach, the famous barrier-island resort city a causeway away from Miami proper, locals are also paying a steep price for climate change. During sunny day floods, seawater in Miami Beach fills some streets ankle- or knee-deep. Now the city is on the hook for more than $400 million in expenditures to raise streets and to install sophisticated water pumps, including infrastructure that can support ever-larger pumps as sea level rises. The mayor, Philip Levine, is confident these measures will work. Im quite optimistic that therell be a Miami Beach 50 years, 100 years from now, he told National Public Radio. But we need to set aside the debate about whether climate change is happening and embrace our problem. Four southern Florida counties are doing just that. Tired of obfuscation and too little direct action out of the state Capitol in Tallahassee, Broward, Miami-Dade (where Miami Beach is located), Monroe and Palm Beach counties have formed the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact. Theyve appointed sustainability officers to work on mitigation and resiliency policies before Fort Lauderdale, Miami, the Everglades and the Florida Keys are inundated. Tallahassee itself cant entirely avoid dealing with global warming, even if the governor and the Republican majority wont call it what it is. To respond to beach erosion, state officials are permitting the construction of thousands of new sea walls, and in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the state continues to hire contractors to dredge and dump sand in Miami and elsewhere. Unfortunately both strategies have high price tags and questionable outcomes in terms of actually protecting the coast. Florida is a canary-in-the-coal-mine model for what global warming has in store for us. It is facing not just the effects of rising seas and worsening storms but increased wildfires, drought, insect-borne diseases, coral bleaching and heat waves. Environmentalists used to say, Think globally, act locally. If the fact that CO2 emissions are increasing temperatures isnt acknowledged, Florida will also become a model for how we cope with our new reality: denying climate change globally, but acting frantically, expensively and with too little impact locally. David Helvarg is executive director of Blue Frontier, an ocean conservation and policy group. His latest book is The Golden Shore Californias Love Affair with the Sea, just released in paperback. Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook MORE FROM OPINION Did Russia meddle in our presidential election? American abroad: Europeans mocked Bush, but theyre downright scared of Trump Texas requiring aborted fetuses to be buried is plain ridiculous To the editor: If Dean Baker wishes to reduce professional income inequality and also protect the American healthcare consumer, he should rethink his version of unfettered free trade for the American medical profession. (Globalization hurt factory workers. Why not doctors? Opinion, Nov. 27) The vast majority of U.S. doctors are general practitioners and family physicians, averaging salaries of $137,000 and $167,000 respectively, not the $250,000 he cites for all doctors. These dedicated physicians are allowed to enter practice only after completing at least nine competitive years of higher education, including an American residency, often paying off medical school debt in excess of $100,000. Flooding the U.S. medical market with foreign doctors who have not participated in American residency training is a fraught concept, successful only in disadvantaging those doctors with the best education and training. Advertisement William G. Preston, MD, Laguna Hills .. To the editor: Baker exhibits the kind of thinking and focus on detail that should come from elected officials. When jobs are involved, lines can be drawn in different ways to highlight local winners and losers. Many states refuse to recognize other states professional licenses for doctors, lawyers and other workers. Arguments suggesting that a lack of state reciprocity is the way to control quality of care are a sick joke; it only benefits the few professionals. We might all make better decisions if we recognized the obvious answers to these questions: Is whats good for my immediate family always good for me? Is whats good for my neighbors always good for me and my immediate family? What about about my country and even the world? Id answer no to all these questions. Still, I vote for leaders who scrupulously avoid conflicts of interest, make less reactionary and more strategic decisions and do more to help the disadvantaged, both domestically and internationally. Ron Paulinski, Ventura Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook To the editor: I am writing in (horrified) response to the news that there is a bounty on the head of one of the most beautiful, resilient and inspiring members of the Santa Monica Mountains wildlife community: mountain lion P-45. Those of us familiar with his story know that hes overcome incredible odds over the past five years and that his genetic profile offers real hope to the endangered local mountain lion population. (Save P-45, editorial, Nov. 30) Here are my three suggestions to put an end to this tragic hunt: revoke, reason, restitution. If at all possible, revoke the hunting permit from the ranchers. Advertisement Reason with the rancher whose alpacas were killed by P-45, starting with sending her The Times compelling editorial. As for restitution, we should start a fund to compensate for the loss of the alpacas. The rancher would, in turn, have to forfeit the current hunting license and promise to refrain from seeking another depredation permit in the future. Id be the first to contribute. Teddi Lynn Chichester, Orange .. To the editor: Mountain lions are top predators that cannot be hunted. They are decimating the California deer population, and their growing numbers cause them to hunt in populated areas. Lions are out of balance with their natural food source because of laws that overprotect them. Most certainly citizens should protect themselves and their animal property against this predator. Currently, a predation permit is the only legal way, and anyone criticizing such action is either naive to the ways of a lion predator or is physically or emotionally removed from people who must deal with them. Better would be to allow the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to better manage their numbers by permitting limited hunting of mountain lions. John Burk, Santa Barbara .. To the editor: One thing that residents in traditional lion country can do is stop introducing nonnative species. Cattle, sheep and goats pose enough problems for sane wildlife management. Domestic cats and dogs are best kept indoors lest they end up as morsels for a native carnivores meal. Alpacas are an exotic species. If someone insists on raising here, he or she needs to take extraordinary precautions, which should not include killing local lions. Organizations like the Mountain Lion Foundation have programs to help ranchers and others who husband nonnative species build pens that can keep a determined mountain lion out. Baiting, keeping guard dogs or shooting a lion might be quick solutions, but they are ultimately not more effective and certainly less ecologically wise and humane. Kathryn A. Klar, Richmond Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook Gov. Jerry Brown had to pick an attorney general faster than he expected (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) The phone call that Gov. Jerry Brown made on Wednesday night was unusual. A governor who marches to his own methodical timetable for decisions was having his hand forced by the politics of Capitol Hill, and the job of California attorney general hung in the balance. In the end, Brown got the man he wanted: Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles). But it was Becerras effort to make a big career move that complicated things. In interviews with advisers to the governor and those close to Becerra, a portrait emerged of two veteran politicians who have mutual admiration but dont really know each other very well. In fact, the 12-term congressman plans to spend part of this weekend meeting with Brown in Sacramento. It was Becerras angling for an unexpectedly open high-profile post leading Democrats on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee that sparked the circumspect governor into action. Nancy McFadden, the governors top staffer, decided she did not want to be attorney general. (Robert Durell / For The Times) In Sacramento, those close to the governor said that the list of potential replacements for Kamala Harris was short, much shorter than the ones circulated by political watchers. Advisers confirmed that either First Lady Anne Gust Brown or the governors top aide, Nancy McFadden, could have had the job if they had wanted it. Neither did, perhaps knowing the importance being placed on picking someone who would be willing to run for a full term in the job in 2018 (though Becerra declined to talk about future plans when asked on Thursday). Becerra, on the other hand, intrigued the governor. Not only did he have the right credentials -- a former deputy attorney general, former state legislator, veteran member of Congress -- but advisers said the governor also valued diversity. And the chance to select the states first Latino attorney general was important. While few jobs are as important to Brown, himself a former attorney general, the leading contender never came in for an in-person interview. Becerra, who grew up in Sacramento, had been in town just before election day to stump for the reelection of Rep. Ami Bera (D-Elk Grove). He met with McFadden on that visit, but not the governor. And so the two men, who had no deep personal relationship, made the big decision long distance. When they talked, McFadden said in an interview, the man matched the resume. Becerra had been looking for somewhere to land. Out of places to move in House leadership and nearing the limit on how much longer he could lead the House Democratic Caucus, the vocal advocate for Hillary Clinton had spent the last year campaigning for her across the country with hopes it might lead to a new position. Clintons loss Nov. 8 put an end to that speculation, and for a while Becerras next move didnt seem clear. Surprise news Tuesday afternoon that the ranking Democrat on Ways and Means, Rep. Sandy Levin (D-Mich.) would not seek the position again led Beccera to quickly announce his plans to seek the position and lobby colleagues to back him. Levin quickly endorsed Becerra over Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Richie Neal, who had sought the job before. Word of Becerras effort quickly reached the state Capitol and the governors inner circle sprang into action. Perhaps fewer than a half dozen people knew of Browns decision until news began to spread early Thursday morning. Becerra called the offer sudden and said with Congress in session he hadnt even had a chance to talk with Brown about the job in person. It went very quickly when it started to move, he said. I was as stunned as you probably were and others were. Baffled at times and often bitter, more than two dozen of the countrys top political operatives grappled with questions that have dominated American politics for 18 months: What explains Donald Trumps astonishing political success and what, if anything, could they have done to stop it? Campaign managers for Trumps defeated Republican primary rivals blamed their losses on media coverage they saw as unfair. Aides to Hillary Clinton talked of racism, sexism and what they saw as unprecedented interference in the election by FBI Director James B. Comey. Trumps own aides cited a feckless inability of the other Republicans to mount a serious campaign against him until it was too late. Advertisement Nearly all, however, agreed on one point a factor that could prove crucial to whether Trump succeeds as the nations 45th president: his seemingly unbreakable bond with his core supporters, no matter how provocative his words or deeds. He was Godzilla walking into the power plant, said David Kochel, the chief strategist to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bushs campaign. He touched the third rail, he touched the fourth rail, he touched the fifth rail he just got stronger. The venue was the Institute of Politics at Harvards John F. Kennedy School of Government, which, since 1992, has invited top aides from the winning and losing campaigns to spend a day and a half after each presidential election answering questions about what they did and why. Few of the quadrennial sessions have been so contentious. Aides to Trump and Clinton clashed angrily on Thursday as the Democrats accused Trump of having used racial prejudice and dog whistles to power his victory. If providing a platform for white supremacists makes me a brilliant tactician, I am proud to have lost, Clintons communications director, Jennifer Palmieri, declared after Trumps campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, praised his strategist, Stephen K. Bannon. Bannon previously ran Breitbart News, which has helped give prominence to the so-called alt-right, a movement that pushes racist views. I would rather lose than win the way you guys did, Palmieri said. Do you think you could have just had a decent message for white, working-class voters? Conway shot back. How about, its Hillary Clinton, she doesnt connect with people? How about, they have nothing in common with her? How about, she doesnt have an economic message? Tensions among the Republicans remained only slightly less raw. Over and over, aides to Trumps defeated GOP rivals complained of their inability to break through Trumps domination of media coverage. From the day Trump announced his candidacy through to the final stage of the primary season, there were only two weeks that he didnt get more media impressions than all the other candidates paid and free media combined, said Terry Sullivan, the campaign manager for Sen. Marco Rubio, referring to campaign ads and mentions on news programs. We couldnt keep up. Trump aides agreed that his understanding of social media and television and how they could be put to work for him was a key asset. If Donald Trump sent out a tweet in the morning, said his former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, Fox News would cover it: Donald Trump just tweeted from his pajamas. For that matter, most of the media did. The campaign, added deputy campaign manager Michael Glassner, got billions of dollars in free media as a result of Trumps ability to use Twitter to drive the days news agenda. Mr. Trump would say it was like owning the New York Times with no overhead, he said. Lewandowski had his own, unorthodox, complaint about news coverage that the press had focused too much on Trumps actual words. This is the problem with the media. You guys took everything that Donald Trump said so literally, he said. The American people didnt, he added. They understood that sometimes when you have a conversation with people, whether its around the dinner table or at a bar youre going to say things, and sometimes you dont have all the facts to back it up. The anger that many Republican campaign aides still feel over the coverage Trump enjoyed boiled into public view during a panel discussion. Several campaign advisors yelled at CNN President Jeff Zucker as he defended his networks coverage while adding that from a business standpoint, the campaign had produced the most profitable year in the history of CNN. You showed hour upon hour of unfiltered coverage of Trump, a top aide to Rubio shouted. Zucker conceded, as he has before, that if we could do it over, the network would not have aired as much live coverage of Trump. But, he insisted, that is not why he was the Republican nominee. Another reality, Lewandowski said during a brief interview between sessions, was that GOP opponents failed to take Trump seriously until it was too late. Give me $150 million, I could beat anybody, he said, referring to the massive budget for Bushs campaign and allied super PAC. The inability of Republican competitors to find and effectively use material against Trump that surfaced later during the general election provided a key break for his candidate, but was political malpractice, he said. Indeed, at one crucial point, a rival campaign aided Trumps rise. After Trumps loss in the Iowa caucuses, Jeff Roe, campaign manager for Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, called Lewandowski to warn him that polls they had done showed Trumps support dropping in the coming New Hampshire primary because Trump was attacking other candidates too much. Trump was not doing his own polls, Lewandowski said, so the insight provided key guidance which allowed them to recalibrate strategy. A loss in New Hampshire might have crippled Trump. Instead, his victory there, followed by triumphs in Nevada and South Carolina, virtually assured him the nomination. Roe, in an interview, confirmed Lewandowskis account. At that point in the campaign, we needed Trump to defeat other candidates, he said, ruefully. At the same time, the Democratic primary battle between Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont was exposing her weakness among a key bloc of voters the Democrats needed those younger than 30. It was a shortcoming Clinton never fully overcame. Pollsters for Trump and Clinton agreed that the Democrat led the general election race coming into the final weeks after the three debates. At that point, both sides polls began to show Trump gaining ground as Republicans who had flirted with third parties started returning to their partisan homes. Trumps pollster, Tony Fabrizio, said his campaign had targeted voters who said they wanted change in Washington but were suspicious of Trump and were leaning toward Johnson. In the campaigns final days, as Trump emphasized his drain the swamp message, we saw that group shrink, shrink, shrink, Fabrizio said in a joint interview with Clintons pollster, Joel Benenson, conducted by pollsters Margie Omero and Kristen Soltis Anderson. The problem for Clinton, Benenson said, was that a parallel movement among potential Democratic voters stalled after Comeys announcement that the FBI was examining a new cache of emails that might be related to Clintons handling of classified data while she was secretary of State. Ultimately, the renewed probe yielded nothing for investigators, but it had a critical influence on a small but key slice of voters, said Clintons campaign manager, Robby Mook. When the director of the FBI sends a letter 10 days before the election, he said, that has a suppressive effect, with particular effect on young voters who were deciding among Clinton and either the Libertarian, Gary Johnson, or Green Party candidate, Jill Stein. We needed to be in the low 60s with young people, and at the end of the day, we were in the high 50s, Mook said. Thats part of why we lost. Trump aides said Clintons campaign focused too narrowly on trying to convince voters that he was unqualified for the job. They wanted to frame the race as, Do you trust him to have his finger on the button? said Fabrizio. But with the Cold War long over, fear of nuclear war no longer had the influence it once did. What a lot of voters didnt buy was that it was ever going to be a time where you have to worry about his finger on the button, he said. Clintons senior media advisor and longtime aide Mandy Grunwald disagreed, saying that voter fears that Trump would blow up the world came up constantly in focus groups. But, out of the roughly 135 million ballots cast nationwide, we lost by 100,000 votes, she said, overstating the 80,000 vote margin in the three key states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Everyone has a theory of what might have gotten us another 100,000 votes, she said. They all might have. David.Lauter@latimes.com For more on Politics and Policy, follow me @DavidLauter ALSO Trump to preside over the richest Cabinet in U.S. history Trumps trip to Carrier plant helps buff his image and distract from controversies too Trump picks retired Marine Gen. James Mattis as Defense secretary UPDATES: 1:20 p.m.: This article was updated with additional comments from pollsters for both Trump and Clinton. This article was originally published at 7:50 a.m. Former Sen. Scott Brown won a surprising ally this week in his quest to become President-elect Donald Trumps Veterans Affairs secretary: Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Warren, a leader of the Democratic left and one of Trumps sharpest-tongued critics, has been a longtime nemesis of Brown. She defeated him in 2012 in one of the most bitter and costly Senate elections in recent years, then campaigned against him two years later when he tried in vain to win a Senate seat in neighboring New Hampshire, and has mocked him ever since as the biggest loser. Brown, a Republican, has been one of Warrens harshest critics too, making her undocumented claims of Native American heritage a central campaign issue in their 2012 race. Trump latched on to it when he referred to Warren repeatedly as Pocahontas throughout his own public feud with her. As recently as June, Brown challenged Warren to take a DNA test to prove her ancestry and attacked her for character flaws while speaking on Trumps behalf. Advertisement Such bitter animosity has faded, Brown said. Relations between the two have been thawing for a while, he said, at mutual appearances including a recent celebration in Boston for an employee who worked in both of their Senate offices handling constituent problems. Brown said that Warren, her husband and her staff made him and his family feel especially welcome as they celebrated the employee, who had been a holdover from the time when their Senate seat was occupied by Edward M. Kennedy. Thursday night, Warren phoned Brown and they spoke for 15 minutes about their families, veterans and Senate dysfunction, Brown said. Warrens office confirmed the call. The friendly conversation occurred on the same night that top aides to Hillary Clintons and Trumps campaigns argued heatedly over their election battle at a Harvard forum, a reminder that the countrys ugly divide over politics has not ended for many. Brown said he remembers all the barbs between him and Warren, and he did not quite apologize for his end. But he spoke humbly about the need to move on. Weve been trying to tone things down for quite a while, Brown said in a phone interview. She won. I lost. She was jabbing at me and I was jabbing at her. It wasnt who I am. I [am] a better person. I dont mind disagreeing on politics and policy. The personal stuff, as I get older, Im trying to be better. Warren made her support for Brown public earlier Thursday on WGBH radio in Boston while criticizing Trumps pick for Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, whom she derided as a man who was responsible for turning the lives of millions of people upside down financially. Warren had much kinder words for Brown. If Scott Brown is the nominee for Veterans Affairs, I have no doubt that he would put his heart and soul into trying to help veterans, and I would put my heart and soul into trying to help him do that, she said. You bet Id support him for that. Warren also gave support, albeit more qualified, for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as a potential secretary of State. Id like to hear more, but I think Mitt Romney is a smart man and and I think hes got a pretty level-headed view of the world, she said. Brown thanked Warren on Twitter, and added in his phone interview that he was gratified that some of Warrens liberal supporters sent him social media messages pointing to Warrens validation as the basis for their newfound trust. Brown said he did not know of Warrens support in advance, adding that Warren was probably merely responding to a question, rather than making a planned pitch. Brown, who retired from the National Guard in 2014 after 35 years, has been a longtime veterans advocate dating to his days as a state senator. He has no significant administrative experience, which could hinder his bid in running a sprawling bureaucracy that will be central to fulfilling Trumps campaign promise to repair the agency and improve veteran care. But he was an early and enthusiastic Trump endorser in New Hampshire, where he now lives, and seems to have a strong relationship with Trump. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has also been reported as a potential candidate for the job, which may help Brown in winning support from senators who find her too polarizing. Warrens three brothers served in the military, and Brown said the commitment to veterans that he and Warren share is sincere. Trumps spokesman did not respond to questions about Brown. The detente came as a surprise, and drew some skepticism. Maybe shes damning him with excessive praise, said Rob Gray, a veteran GOP political operative in Massachusetts. Its hard to say what her motivations are. It may be just whats she says it is. You have to wonder if Trump may think if my enemy is your friend, maybe I should have second thoughts about you. Brown dismissed that theory. We are people first, he said. This isnt about me or her or Trump or anybody making criticisms. Its about our veterans. Peter Ubertaccio, director of the Martin Institute at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass., said it would smack of knee-jerk partisanship for Warren to oppose Brown, who has a record of helping veterans. But he does not expect the two to form a deeper alliance. I doubt that the relationship becomes warm and chummy in the way weve seen other partisans like Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter bury the hatchet or President Clinton and the first George Bush, he said. What this demonstrates is that people like Warren and Brown and plenty of others in Washington are able to compartmentalize. noah.bierman@latimes.com Twitter: @noahbierman ALSO: Trump makes new announcements that help him look good and distract from controversies too Trump says he saved American jobs, but he hasnt shown how he can turn the victory into policy Even elite campaign aides still arent sure why Donald Trump succeeded Donald Trump is now a bit more than three weeks into the most unexpected presidential transition in decades, and a few patterns have emerged: The president-elect likes to keep people guessing. He has a fondness for peers from the ranks of the super-wealthy. And he has gravitated toward Cabinet secretaries who have strongly held views about the agencies they are slated to head. Advertisement Good afternoon, Im David Lauter, Washington bureau chief. Welcome to the Friday edition of our Essential Politics newsletter, in which we look at the events of the week in the presidential transition and highlight some particularly insightful stories. OPINIONATED PICKS By and large, Trumps appointees dont have experience running big government bureaucracies retired Gen. James Mattis, his pick to head the Defense Department, stands as the chief exception by virtue of his time as a top military commander. But that doesnt mean they lack ideas about policy. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Trumps pick as attorney general, has spent two decades as a lawmaker taking strongly conservative positions on issues of immigration, law enforcement and civil rights. As head of the Justice Department, he could move aggressively to shape immigration enforcement, Brian Bennett reported. Betsy DeVos, Trumps choice for secretary of Education, has been one of the countrys leading crusaders for giving parents taxpayer funds to spend on private schools. Rep. Tom Price of Georgia, who is slated to head Health and Human Services, has led efforts to overturn President Obamas healthcare law. In each of those domestic policy choices, Trump has gone for the most conservative of options he had. That doesnt necessarily prove where his policy priorities will land once he takes office, but it does undercut the argument that as a New Yorker who had once contributed heavily to Democrats, Trump would turn out to be more moderate in office than he had been in the campaign. Trump likes to present himself as unpredictable, and he certainly appears to enjoy the speculation around his major appointments, most notably secretary of State. Little by little, however, his appointments have begun filling in blank spots on the canvas, and the emerging picture so far looks like an administration that will stand further to the right than any the U.S. has seen since at least Ronald Reagan, and perhaps before. BILLIONAIRES AND GENERALS Dwight D. Eisenhowers Cabinet got the nickname of nine millionaires and a plumber the latter referring to Martin P. Durkin, the former head of the plumbers and pipefitters union who served briefly as secretary of Labor. But as Don Lee reported, Trump seems all but certain to go well beyond that, and is heading toward presiding over the wealthiest administration in U.S. history. The other category of appointees Trump appears to favor are former high-ranking military officials, including both Mattis and retired Gen. Michael Flynn, his choice as national security advisor. Mattis, a decorated Marine general who is well respected on Capitol Hill, seems likely to win easy confirmation. First, however, Congress will have to pass legislation to waive the requirement that a military officer be out of uniform for seven years before presiding over the Pentagon. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, an enthusiastic backer of Mattis, plans to push the waiver through, but some senators are objecting. On Friday, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York said she would oppose a waiver. Civilian control of our military is a fundamental principle of American democracy, and I will not vote for an exception to this rule, she said in a statement. Who has Trumps ear on making those decisions? As Chris Megerian wrote, the circle is small, and one person has more access than any other Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner. A LONG LIST OF POLICY QUESTION MARKS As Cathy Decker wrote, Trump has energetically used Twitter and his mastery of television to create an image of action, even as his administration-in-waiting has put off some hard decisions on policy issues. One key issue will be how quickly Trump will try to repeal Obamacare. As Noam Levey reported, repeal is a lot harder than it sounds. And as new polling has shown, much of the law is pretty popular. Another unknown, Evan Halper reported, is how aggressively Trump will try to reverse Obama administration policies on climate change. Still another is whether he will try to scrap the deal that Obama reached with Iran to limit that nations nuclear program. As Bennett reported, top U.S. intelligence officials have warned Trump about the risks of doing so. Then theres the question of whether the new administration will fight against states that have legalized marijuana. Sessions has strongly opposed federal cooperation with marijuana legalization. Whether Trump will give him latitude to pursue his views will be a carefully watched question in the eight states that have legalized recreational use of pot and the considerably longer list that allow medical use. A key player in many of those battles will probably be Rep. Xavier Becerra, who is soon to take office as Californias attorney general. Much as Texas officials used the courts to take on Obama administration policies, Becerra will be in position to battle Trumps appointees on a broad range of issues on which their policies will clash with the states values. STILL LITIGATING THE ELECTION Meantime, both Trump and some of his opponents seem to find benefit in continuing to fight the last war. The president-elect went to Ohio on Thursday evening for a rally in which he regaled his audience with staples of his campaign and aired grievances against long-time foils, including the media, Hillary Clinton and Ohios Republican governor, John Kasich. At the other end of the ideological spectrum, Jill Stein, the Green Party nominee, has discovered a pot of gold or at least a very reliable source of email fundraising in her efforts to get recounts in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. The Clinton campaign, outside experts and even Stein herself say they do not think the recounts will have any impact on the election results: Clinton will win the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes, while narrowly losing the electoral college. But the recount will, at minimum, keep lawyers busy. On Friday, Michigans attorney general, Bill Schuette, said he would go to court to block a recount in his state. Finally, Harvards Institute of Politics holds a session very four years in which managers of the rival campaigns talk about what they did and why they did it. This years version, which took place on Thursday, was among the most contentious ever. Heres my account of the campaign managers trying to figure out whether anyone could have stopped Trump. LOGISTICS That wraps up this week. My colleague Christina Bellantoni will be back Monday with the weekday edition of Essential Politics. Until then, keep track of all the developments with our Trail Guide: Transition to Trump, at our Politics page and on Twitter @latimespolitics and @LATpoliticsCA. And if you like this newsletter, tell your friends to sign up! Send your comments, suggestions and news tips to politics@latimes.com. A 24-year-old Glendale man faces multiple charges in connection with the burglary of a Burbank gun store late last month. Tigran Zmrukhtyan is accused of burglarizing AEGIS Trading Enterprises on the morning of Nov. 22. Seven handguns were taken from the business, according to police. Security camera footage recovered by police showed a black Mercedes C Class fleeing from the business. Authorities said the same vehicle was identified later that day at an attempted commercial burglary in Hollywood. Using footage from that crime, Burbank police said it eventually was determined that Zmrukhtyan was a suspect in both incidents. Police then set up surveillance of Zmrukhtyans Glendale residence, where the same vehicle seen in the footage was parked outside. Zmrukhtyan attempted to flee on foot from officers after they contacted him outside his home, according to police. He subsequently was captured. Officers then searched Zmrukhtyans home and found the stolen guns hidden in a crawl space; bolt cutters, a pry bar and methamphetamine were found in the car. Police said they also discovered the car had been reported stolen. The Los Angeles County district attorneys office has charged Zmrukhtyan with burglary, attempted burglary, grand theft auto and being an ex-convict in possession of a firearm. Zmrukhtyan previously was convicted of several felonies including grand theft and burglary. He is currently being held without bail. -- Andy Nguyen, andy.nguyen@latimes.com Twitter: @Andy_Truc In the last few weeks, three people have asked me about the term no problem. I had learned only recently in the last two years or so that some people consider no problem to be a problem. It seems that a growing number of people consider it a sub-par response to thank you. Heres reader Wayne. To say no problem instead of youre welcome when being thanked just seems wrong to me, he wrote. The word problem, he explained, implies that a problem existed and while the first speaker may not have been aware of it, the second speaker could see it and solved it quite easily. Therefore, unless a problem exists, either implied or otherwise, why even use the word at all? I get that. No problem is a bit like telling someone, You dont smell bad when there had been no discussion of smells up to that point. But that doesnt mean no problem is truly a problem. Its just another example of how language is kooky and gets even kookier when you closely examine expressions and figures of speech. Consider the youre welcome. Chew on that for a moment and it starts to seem just as weird. Joe compliments Bettys new watch. Betty says, Thank you. Joe says, Youre welcome. That raises the question: Welcome to what? Betty already received the compliment. So what more might she be welcome to? Future compliments, perhaps? On the same watch? The logic of youre welcome doesnt hold up to scrutiny any better than no problem. In fact, when you look at a bigger picture, no problem starts to look pretty good. The once-popular alternative dont mention it is meant to be courteous, as if the thing that drew the thanks was so effortless and well-deserved that its hardly worth thanking anyone for. But analyze those words for a few minutes and you realize that, in its most literal sense, dont mention it means something shockingly similar to shut up. Latin languages dont fare much better. De nada in Spanish and de rien in French both suggest that the act that elicited thanks was nothing. If it really was nothing, then the person saying thanks is mistaken and needs to be corrected. The undertone, if youre looking for one, could be categorized as passive-aggressiveness or even martyrdom. The Italians say prego when thanked. But prego can also be the first thing a waiter says to you in a restaurant because it means, How can I help you? So it risks confusion, especially for poor tourists who know the word best as a brand of spaghetti sauce. Australians say no worries, which is getting more popular here. Its the same idea as no problem, except possibly with a hint of Oh, dont agonize over how badly youve imposed on my generosity. Ill survive. So, short of saying, Im glad you enjoyed the thing youre thanking me for, its hard to imagine how we could improve on no problem. Of course, no problem is still considered informal. Ill definitely stick to Youre welcome if I ever meet the queen of England. But in the warm, informal contexts in which we often thank one another, I have no problem with no problem. But the word problem causes other problems too, as Wayne reminded me. The city is having issues with pot holes. Issues? Isnt it really having problems? Of course it is. And people who think it sounds silly to sugar-coat every problem this way have a point. But as a former newspaper reporter, I sympathize with anyone trying to avoid editorializing. Issue is more neutral than problem. It leaves labels and judgments to the reader, though, admittedly in a sort of spineless way. And there are good reasons why someone would prefer the word issue to describe a lot of disorders, such as overeating. Calling someones eating a problem is basically a diagnosis. But if that person just has an issue, it may seem less daunting to fix it. -- JUNE CASAGRANDE is the author of The Best Punctuation Book, Period. She can be reached at JuneTCN@aol.com. Animator Ron Campbell was asleep at his home in Australia when he was awakened by a phone call. A colleague on the other end of the line shared with him a new television show that he said needed Campbells directorial skills. The name of the show? The Beatles. It was the 1960s, and Beatlemania was gripping the planet or at least most parts of it. Theyd make terrible characters. Theyre ugly ... theyre insects! Campbell told the caller, unaware that the reference wasnt about crawly things at all. No, the colleague answered. The Beatles are the biggest rock n roll group of the time, he explained. I liked classical music and I wasnt listening much to popular music, Campbell, 77, said recently by phone from his home north of Phoenix, Ariz. But once I became familiar with the Beatles, I very much admired their music. That job inquiry started Campbells 50-year career in animation. Hes best known for his work on the The Beatles animated television series, which ran on ABC from 1965 to 1969, as well as the animated feature film Yellow Submarine. Success of the TV program led Campbell to work on a variety of animated television series, including The Jetsons, The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, Rugrats and The Smurfs. Now retired, the septuagenarian grandfather creates watercolor pop-art paintings based on the cartoons that framed his career. A particular emphasis is on the Beatles. Campbell travels with his work to various U.S. cities and will be making an appearance at the Forest & Ocean Gallery in Laguna Beach this week. His work will be on display there and available for purchase from Monday to Wednesday. While at the gallery, he will also create new paintings and talk to guests about his work and career. Long before Campbell would direct the Beatles television cartoon series, which remained No. 1 in the ratings for its four-year run, he was a youth in Seymore, a small town in the Australian state of Victoria. At age 6, Campbell would go with his friends to the movies to watch cartoons. These were the days before television. The characters became like distant gods to him, he said, and each time hed watch Tom and Jerry, hed try to figure out how they moved on the screen. The picture looked so real that he figured the characters were a real cat and mouse. He shared this assessment with his grandmother, and she explained that he was looking at a drawing. The answer hit him like a epiphany. Campbell soon became obsessed with painting and sketching, and during his teenage years, he enrolled in art school. It was hard to make money while working as an artist, but once television arrived in his country, Campbell learned he could make a living. He soon worked on Beetle Bailey, Krazy Kat and Cool McCool and eventually The Beatles cartoon series. The design for the series was done in London, but he and his team in Australia did the storyboards. Campbell later moved to the U.S. and wrote and produced cartoons for Sesame Street and did animation for the original George of the Jungle and Tom Slick television shows. He founded Ron Campbell Films Inc. and produced and directed the animation for the Big Blue Marble, earning him an Emmy for Best Childrens Show of the Year. He ventured to Disney TV animation and was eventually nominated for an Emmy for a storyboard for Aaahh! Real Monsters and another for Rugrats. Now Campbell has a new creative outlet though his cartoon pop art isnt far removed from that 50-year career. He plans to display 40 to 50 recent works of art, which he paints in his studio in Arizona. Prices range from $295 to $8,000. The most expensive piece is a 3-by-5-foot framed work of the Beatles dressed in their Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band outfits. The artwork, he said, is wildly colorful and impressive. It may sound odd, but people like to buy my paintings, Campbell said with a laugh. There comes a point in ones life where retirement stares at you in the face and you ask yourself, What the devil do I do? I decided to paint, and you know, my retirement is keeping me alive so far. * IF YOU GO What: Ron Campbells Beatles Cartoon Art Show When: 5 to 8 p.m. Monday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday Where: Forest & Ocean Gallery, 480 Ocean Ave., Laguna Beach Cost: Free admission; his paintings are for sale Information: (949) 371-3313; forestoceangallery.com kathleen.luppi@latimes.com Twitter: @KathleenLuppi The Wall, tucked into the northeast corner of the Orange Circle, was originally going to be named The Patio. And while the final product does have an ample outdoor seating area at which to enjoy beers and food, emphasizing the bar-without-a-bars true selling point makes it a restaurant well timed for this political moment. While walls used to make me think of Pink Floyds seminal album and the subsequent performance of it at the tearing down of the one separating East and West Berlin, the word has taken on another special significance this year. After all, the building of a long one along the Mexican border became a central promise during this years divisive election rhetoric. (The suggestion to build one between California and the rest of the country also mounted soon after Nov. 8.) But The Walls owners Dan Martinez, Ryan Sauter and Zac Henson werent trying to make any kind of political statement when they started building The Wall last year. And in the end, their wall, which opened to the public a few months ago, isnt one that divides. In fact, it plans to bring people together through a very democratic process. Thats because The Walls wall is a self-serve beer station a high-tech, first-in-O.C. lineup of 50-plus rotating craft beer taps that lets you skip the bartender and get straight to pouring yourself a cold one. The whole restaurant runs on a proprietary computer program designed by Henson, a Chapman University alum who developed the software as a resident in the colleges Launch Labs entrepreneurship incubator program. For now, there are still servers, who drop food and drink menus on your table and punch in your order on pocket-sized tablets. But when the whole pour-your-own system is up and running in a few weeks, youll be given a chip-implanted bracelet thats attached to your credit card, letting you walk right up to the tap you want and unlock access to pull the handle. Whether you get a taster or a full glass, youll only be charged for the number of ounces you extract. Ive been thinking of it like a Yogurtland or Dave and Busters, except with local craft beer. Since its soft opening in September, the tap list has remained an ever-shifting, highly selective cross-section of California beer, from Breaker Pale Ale by Huntington Beachs Beachwood and IPAs from Anaheims Unsung Brewing to sours from San Diegos Bitter Bros. and saisons by San Franciscos Almanac. Its a reflection of the local craft pedigree both in the kitchen and on the floor: Chef Dave Larsen used to run C4 Deli and was brewmaster at Haven Brewing before leaving to be a brewer at Cismontane; general manager Mike Long came from Santa Ana gastropub Chapter One. Like the self-pour wall itself, The Walls menu creates bridges more than it divides. Larsens menu celebrates the diversity of flavors found at the Orange International Street Fair and includes imaginative updates on street foods from Latin America, Asia and beyond. Chicken wings come doused in either spicy Korean gochujang or chicken tikka masala sauce, arguably two of the worlds greatest meat coatings. Using butter lettuce instead of tortillas, a pair of well-stuffed short rib tacos ooze with their sweet Coke braise. And the Frito Pie almost bleeds through its paper serving tray, the chunky chili, poached egg, house-made goo-cheese and herbaceous cilantro crema creating a casserole version of the nostalgic Texas treat. Favorite small bites from Vietnam, Spain, Peru and Italy are also on the menu, so a full posse can easily eat their way around the world without ever leaving their seat. When it comes to dessert, the chalkboard walls are scrawled with weekly ice cream and spicy popsicles flavors (one week: pistachio saffron and lemon ginger, respectively), but instead you should get the Wallasada, a Larsen-ified version of the hard-to-find Hawaiian-Portuguese coconut-cream-filled doughnut known as malasada. With thoughtful food and dozens of new beers to explore, The Wall aims to be a place to sip and savor, not get hammered. To prove it, the smart devices youll soon be given also use information about your height and weight to portion the amount of beer youre able to pour per visit. After it determines a body mass index, the bracelet cuts off pouring right before you reach your legal alcohol limit, ensuring a DUI-free drive home. It might not have been part of its original intentions, but The Wall is exactly the kind of bar-less bar that Orange County needs right now, a place where all flavors of beer and food from all countries are housed under one do-it-yourself concept. Yet, The Wall does not take its name from a Pink Floyd album, nor is it meant to present any political opinion on walls. According to a story in the Chapman University newspaper, The Panther, the name comes from, yes, the wall of taps and TVs that is its main draw, but also a quote in the book Cassie Draws the Universe, by P.S. Baber. There are four kinds of people in the world, Ms. Harper, it reads. Those who build walls. Those who protect walls. Those who breach walls. And those who tear down walls. The owners of The Wall built a beer-filled one in order to tear more down. --- SARAH BENNETT is a freelance journalist covering food, drink, music, culture and more. She is the former food editor at L.A. Weekly and a founding editor of Beer Paper L.A. Follow her on Twitter @thesarahbennett. When he first came to the U.S. in 1965, baker Paul Gauweiler could barely speak English and couldnt even form a frosting rose, which is considered one of the simpler tasks in American pastry making. But now the German native can create cakes that stand several feet tall one resembling the Taj Mahal at his Huntington Beach shop, The Cake Box. And then theres the baumkuchen cake. The traditional German treat, which translates to the king of cakes and looks like doughnuts stacked high atop one another, is made of dozens of eggs and heaping amounts of butter, sugar, flour and flavorings. That batter is then ladled into a baumkuchen machine, which has a motorized rod that creates rings as it spins. The rings, of different lengths, are placed so they hug each other, expanding out into a big doughnut shape. The completed confection is then drizzled with an apricot glaze and sometimes topped with chocolate. Gauweiler said his 80-year-old baumkuchen machine, which he received from Orange Coast Colleges culinary department 15 years ago, is one of a few in the United States. He said he also knows of one in Colorado, he said. As a teen, the now-78-year-old served apprenticeships at German pastry shops, making cookies, cakes and other treats. At age 26, he moved from Germany to the U.S. At age 14, when we finished school, we started an apprenticeship unless we went to some higher school, the Huntington Beach resident explained with a slight German accent. It was after the war, and I couldnt find any other job, so I went to work in a pastry shop that my sister also worked at. When he moved to the U.S. with his wife, Gauweiler, who earned a masters degree in pastry making in Germany, worked for almost a decade in pastry shops in Lake Tahoe and at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim barely able to communicate but guided by an older baker. Then fate stepped in. One day, he looked down at his feet and saw a newspaper ad for a vacant 1,400-square-foot space for sale in Huntington Beach. He knew he had to have it. In 1973, he opened The Cake Box at the location. The shop doubled in size several years later when the store next door closed. Beside serving cookies and other pastries, the owners create cakes for birthdays, weddings and other occasions, like the annual Duck-A-Thon in Huntington Beach, in which participants race rubber ducks in the ocean. At first, the cakes were decorated with air-sprayed frosting. Now, theyre adorned with edible pictures and sculpted with fondant to make three-dimensional figures. In fact, every part of each cake is edible no wires, wood or other props, Gauweiler said. Huntington Beach resident Chris MacDonald, 35, said his family frequents The Cake Box. My mom is German and loves the baumkuchen, he said. Shes never had anything like it. It is very special. We go at least once a month. The delicious tree cake makes it unique, as well as his artistic decorations on cookies. Paul once made a peanut butter pie for my birthday. It was scrumptuous. Gauweiler said he believes that shops like his, where his son and grandson also work, are being driven out by markets that have bakeries. He said hes not worried, though, because he still provides the rare baumkuchen cake. The Cake Box is at 6054 Warner Ave. in Huntington Beach. It is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. It is closed on Sundays. For more information, call (714) 842-9132. brittany.woolsey@latimes.com Twitter: @BrittanyWoolsey Laguna Beach officials said the Orange County district attorneys office will clear citations issued to seven businesses in the city, including five art galleries, during last months First Thursdays Art Walk. Undercover officers from the Laguna Beach Police Department and the states Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control cited businesses for serving alcohol without a license during Art Walk on Nov. 3, prompting an outcry from some gallery owners and other proprietors who said they had no warning of a crackdown. Some gallery owners have offered complimentary wine and beer during Art Walk for more than a decade. Art Walk is a monthly event when gallery owners open their doors to guests from 6 to 9 p.m. Festivities can include musical performances and new exhibits. A woman who answered the phone at the D.A.'s office referred questions to Laguna Beach police. Susan Kang Schroeder, the offices chief of staff, said she was looking into the matter. The best resolution to the citations is to educate and inform and allow businesses to comply [with laws], Laguna Beach Police Chief Laura Farinella said Thursday in explaining the citys rationale backing down from prosecution. Lets first educate before we say boom, she said. We never told [all of the gallery owners] about the change. Thats not how we want to address a long-standing issue. Pam Panattoni, president of Laguna North Gallery, a cooperative of 13 members who deal in oil, pastel and water color paintings, said she heard about citations being cleared but had not seen an official letter from the D.A.'s office. If that is so, it is a huge relief, Panattoni said, adding that the cooperative must still pay legal fees for the attorney who had agreed to represent the one member who was cited. The city acknowledged in a news release that it did not do an effective job of informing owners about related rules. While some notices were provided to participating businesses, they clearly did not convey the necessary information to the right people and, unfortunately, citations were issued that exceeded the intent of the cooperative effort to gain compliance with all applicable laws, the release said. All seven citations were considered criminal misdemeanors, meaning they could have resulted in a maximum $1,000 fine, up to one year in jail or both, police said. Other concerns surrounding Art Walk have surfaced, including complaints about amplified music or outside speakers, drinking in public, intoxicated people and displays creeping onto sidewalks. Police sent a letter to some businesses noting these issues, and held a late October meeting with 25 gallery owners and First Thursdays Art Walk board members. But Torrey Cook, vice president of the Art Walk board, told the Daily Pilot last week the meeting was sparsely attended, and she believes that is why word of the Police Departments plan did not reach more people. Police will work with the Art Walk board in the coming months to establish an appropriate program that respects the purpose of the event while ensuring that a safe and legal environment is provided for all, according to the release. The city values the Art Walk program and how it celebrates our communitys heritage and culture. bryce.alderton@latimes.com Twitter: @AldertonBryce Newport Beach City Manager Dave Kiff addressed topics such as city pension obligations and medical marijuana as the guest speaker at Thursday mornings Wake Up Newport meeting at the Central Library. Kiff, city manager since 2009, said during the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce-sponsored forum that Newport does not face bankruptcy over its rising pension costs, though it is a problem that keeps him awake at night. He said the city allocates about $40 million a year toward employee pensions; $9 million of that is paid by the employees themselves. The future fiscal challenge, Kiff added, is to somehow allocate extra millions so Newport can stay on top of its pension obligations. I havent got there yet, frankly, he said. I know this is going to be sobering to the community. Paying for pensions may come only after cuts to city staff or services, he said. We are not alone, Kiff said. Every city is going to see difficulties with pension obligations. Regarding marijuana, which became legal for recreational use in California under an initiative passed by voters in November, Kiff noted that cities will still be able to regulate the sale or manufacturing of the drug as they see fit. Given Californias new law, marijuana is scheduled to be discussed by the City Council in January, he said. Kiff also mentioned that having the Newport Beach Police Department take over policing at Newport Harbor a job currently handled by the Orange County Sheriffs Department could be a priority in 2017. He said it likely would be a different model that is less law enforcement-driven and more community service-driven, similar to park rangers. bradley.zint@latimes.com Twitter: @BradleyZint Newport Beach police and state investigators have issued citations to five local establishments accused of selling alcohol to minors, city officials said Thursday. On Nov. 23, Newport detectives and investigators with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control visited 12 alcohol licensees with minors who tried to buy alcoholic beverages there, according to a news release. City officials allege that The Alley restaurant and bar, Rudys Pub & Grill, CP Restaurant & Lounge, Cassidys Bar & Grill and the Balboa Peninsula location of Ginas Pizza sold alcohol to minors. The businesses face a $250 fine and/or 24 to 32 hours of community service for a first violation, authorities said. They also could face administrative action such as suspension or revocation of their liquor licenses. A $48,191 state grant to Newport Beach police funded the operation. City officials said Newport businesses have about 430 active retail ABC licenses. bradley.zint@latimes.com Twitter: @BradleyZint With about four months until voters head to the polls to elect local leaders in April, residents will see two unprecedented changes on the ballot. Eager to inform residents about what to expect, city and school officials held a town hall meeting Tuesday night, which drew about 50 people to the community room of the Glendale Police Department, where they heard about the upcoming changes. Next year, instead of voters electing residents to serve on the Glendale School Board or Glendale Community College Board of Trustees regardless of where they live in the Jewel City, those officials will be elected to represent a district in which they reside. Join the conversation on Facebook >> With reluctance, officials on both boards switched from an at-large voting system to a district-based one, with Glendale Community College officials making the change in 2015 under the threat of litigation. Meanwhile, Glendale school board members adopted a district-based voting system earlier this year after the district was sued for allegedly violating the California Voting Rights Act. The law mandates a district-based system in elections where an at-large method would dilute the votes of minority groups. The complaint filed against the school district alleged racially polarized voting in Glendale and that Glendale Unifieds at-large election method impairs the ability of people of certain races, color or language minority groups, such as Latino voters, to elect candidates of their choice or to influence the outcome of elections conducted in the Glendale Unified School District. As part of the school board members decision to settle the case and not incur legal fees to fight it, they agreed to switch to a district-based system. The city of Glendale, however, will continue to elect residents to serve on City Council, and as City Treasurer and City Clerk, through its at-large system, said City Atty. Michael Garcia at least for now. If we get contacted, well have to look at the issue further, Garcia said during the town hall. When we look at the data, we actually dont think theres racially polarized voting in our community. While the colleges voting districts are numbered, Glendale Unifieds are lettered. On the Glendale School Board, the three seats up for election this April are in Districts B, C and D, encompassing the middle and southeast corner of the city. Meanwhile, Glendale Community College trustee seats that are up for election are in Districts 2, 3 and 4, made up of the middle and southern parts of Glendale. The voting districts, which were drawn to encompass roughly the same number of residents within each one, do not align to the same boundaries. Glendale Unifieds voting map mostly adheres to the elementary and high school attendance boundaries across the city, a major factor that shaped the school districts map, but one that Glendale Community Colleges map did not need to consider. Residents running for a seat in each of those districts must receive the most votes from fellow residents residing in their district to win the election. In both cases this spring, the majority of La Crescenta and Montrose residents will not vote for a college trustee or school board member because the seats representing those districts known as A for Glendale Unified and 1 for Glendale Community College will not be up for election until April 2019. -- Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com Twitter: @kellymcorrigan When you make that road trip to Death Valley National Park, dont just drive to Badwater, which is famed for being the lowest point in North America. Try to get there at sunrise or sunset, when the dramatic light all but transforms the landscape into a sci-fi set. Then hike a few hundred yards out onto the salty flats, then look up at the east canyon wall for the white sign about 282 feet above you. Thats sea level. (The bottom of the Grand Canyon? About 2,000 to 2,400 feet above sea level, depending where you measure.) Advertisement In honor of this years National Park Service centennial, the Travel section is posting 100 park travel ideas and tips based on trips staff travel writer Christopher Reynolds has taken, along with photo-op advice from Times photographer Mark Boster. Well post one per day through Dec. 31. Follow Reynolds on Twitter: @MrCSReynolds See travel videos by Reynolds from around the world. It was the election result analysts predicted would never happen. And even if it did, everyone thought the mercurial president of the tiny West African nation of Gambia, who once said he would rule for a billion years, would cling to power. Just last month, Yahya Jammeh, 51, declared that no mortal could take power from him, only god. Instead, Jammeh, an authoritarian figure who ruled with fear after taking power in a coup 22 years ago, conceded defeat Friday night on state television. Advertisement Voters cast marbles in steel cans Thursday, the traditional voting method. The vote sees West Africa emerging as a democratic stronghold in Africa with several peaceful democratic transfers of power in the region, including last years momentous election in Nigeria, where the president, Goodluck Jonathan, conceded defeat to Muhammadu Buhari. The difference between the 2016 Gambian election and previous votes was that Gambias fractured opposition joined forces in a coalition behind a former businessman, Adama Barrow, who pledged to restore human rights and the rule of law. Barrow promised to release political prisoners and end disappearances and imprisonment without trial. The electoral commission declared Barrow the victor with 45.5% of the vote against Jammehs 36.7%. A minor third candidate, Mama Kandeh, got the remaining vote. The election provides a model for opposition forces in other African countries, in many cases small splintered groups arrayed around personalities or ethnicity, who often lose power because of a failure to unite forces. Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, casting his ballot this week, said he didnt mind being called a dictator. (Marco Longari / AFP/Getty Images ) Jammeh seized power in a 1994 coup, but then was elected to his first five-year term in 1996. Had he won this week, it would have been his fifth term in office. Human Rights Watch has accused Jammeh of jailing and killing opposition figures, journalists and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual people. Being called a dictator doesnt bother me at all because I am a dictator of development and progress, Jammeh said last month. The Gambia is a sliver of a nation situated on the Gambia River and its delta, within the borders of Senegal. The former British colony of 1.8 million people depends on agriculture, remittances and tourism for survival. With high youth unemployment and 58% of the population under 25, thousands of young people leave the country annually, many of them making hazardous journeys across the Mediterranean Sea to try to get to Europe. Jammehs leadership style was at times eccentric. He always wore white and decreed that he should be known as His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Doctor. In 2007 he announced he could cure AIDS and asthma and began holding bizarre herbal treatment sessions with patients. In 2009, after his aunt died, Jammeh blamed witchcraft and dispatched security forces to round up about 1,000 witches and sorcerers in one village. Those detained were forced to drink a herbal concoction which made them hallucinate, and many were severely beaten, according to Amnesty International. In 2012 he announced he would have all 47 prisoners on death row executed by firing squad. Several days later, nine prisoners were shot, but he didnt carry through his threat to execute the other 38. In December 2014, when Jammeh was out of the country, a group of gunmen launched a coup attempt but were swiftly overcome by Jammehs presidential guard. Four U.S. citizens of Gambian origin who plotted the coup were tried in the United States for contravening the Neutrality Act, which makes it illegal to engage in military action against a country friendly to the U.S. They were convicted and sentenced to up to a year and a day in jail. An earlier coup attempt was thwarted in 2006. On Wednesday Jammeh had warned opposition supporters that protests would be banned after the election result came in. Internet access, cut off during voting, was restored Friday, and Barrow supporters celebrated in the streets. Jammehs acceptance of this weeks balloting consolidates democracy in West Africa, where peaceful power transitions have taken place in recent years in Nigeria, Senegal and Ghana; in Burkina Faso people power averted both a military coup and the attempts of a longtime president to cling to power. In some other parts of the continent, however, democracy has not been doing so well. Somalias auditor general said last month that parliamentary elections were not credible because of fraud and vote-buying, and the countrys presidential vote, a crucial step to stabilize the country, was postponed this week. Numerous presidents in Africa have delayed elections, ignored presidential term limits, shut down independent media or repressed opposition candidates in recent times. Meanwhile, some African presidents have ruled for decades, including Zimbabwes Robert Mugabe, Cameroons Paul Biya and Ugandas Yoweri Museveni. robyn.dixon@latimes.com Twitter: @RobynDixon_LAT ALSO South Africas indestructible president survives another bid to oust him. Again Not everyones ready to make peace with rebels in Colombia Why U.S. airstrikes are still killing Syrian civilians even with the most high-tech targeting technology Stockbroker charged over US$10m fraud From:Shanghai Daily | 2016-12-02 01:46 A FORMER stockbroker accused of fleeing Shanghai 14 years ago and leaving behind more than 70 million yuan (US$10.2 million) in debts has been charged with embezzlement, the Pudong New Area Peoples Procuratorate said yesterday. Prosecutors said Wu Jianguo, 48, former client manager of China Eagle Securities outlet on Pudong Avenue, made counterfeit versions of his employers official seals in late 1997 and used them to fool clients into thinking their money had gone into the companys accounts. Instead, he put their money into his personal accounts, which he then used to speculate in stocks, prosecutors said. He distributed 10 percent of the profits to his clients but kept the rest. He made a fortune in the first few years, but began losing badly when the bear market hit in 2002. He quit in March, 2002, owing clients about 50 million yuan, and embezzled a further 20 million yuan for personal use, they said. Wu fled to Zhumadian City, Henan Province, with his wife, newborn daughter and his mistress, Liu Yingying. There, Liu allegedly introduced the family to her friend and local gang member, Chen Jun, who helped the family get fake IDs. Wu took on the name Yang Yongxin. But they moved on and settled in Yantai City, Shandong Province, after Chen extorted 1 million yuan when he was told Wus story. After spending what money he had been able to flee with, Wu became a delivery man to support his family, prosecutors said. But Chen was caught earlier this year over involvement in a killing and told police about Wu in a bid to get more lenient treatment. Wu was arrested in June. He has also been charged with breach of duty. The online denunciations pile up daily: Muslims cant be trusted. Neither can the mainstream media. The elites have run amok. Institutions are out of touch with the will of the people. It might sound a lot like the hubbub surrounding last months U.S. presidential vote. But this time, the balloting is in Austria, which on Sunday will become the latest testing ground for European far-right populist movements energized by Britains June vote to exit the 28-nation European Union and the November election victory of Donald Trump. For the record: This article incorrectly refers to Angela Merkel as Germanys prime minister. She is the chancellor. The rise of populism a volatile but loosely affiliated mix characterized by strident nationalism, anti-immigrant sentiment, economic resentments and a deep suspicion of international alliances and trade pacts has been building across the Continent for years, particularly in its more disadvantaged corners. Advertisement But this has been the year that European populist movements burst into full and furious view, driven by complex factors that vary widely from one country to the other united, however, by a broad sense of grievance against the political establishment and all it represents. Elections set to take place next year in Germany and France, continental Europes main political and economic powers, are being closely watched as candidates declare themselves or take themselves out of the running. So too is next years balloting in the Netherlands, a onetime liberal bastion that could be poised to make a sharp rightward turn. On the immediate horizon, contests that might otherwise have garnered relatively little outside attention Austrias presidential vote, coinciding with a Sunday constitutional referendum in Italy are looming large as indicators of whether the populist wave has already crested or is poised to gather even greater momentum. Everybodys very nervous its hard to know whats going on, said analyst Heather Grabbe of the Open Society Foundations European Policy Institute. There is really a question as to how the zeitgeist is changing. Trumps triumph could be as much a sign that European movements leaped across the Atlantic as the other way around, some analysts maintain. Or leapfrogged back and forth; as a candidate, Trump greeted the Brexit result with glee though with a measure of confusion, as he congratulated Scots who had overwhelmingly voted to remain in the EU. Whether they saw themselves as followers or forerunners, European far-right leaders rejoiced at the American election results. Marine Le Pen, a French presidential hopeful, declared that Trump had made possible what was presented as completely impossible. Many of the populist figures embracing Trump consider his win not only a vindication of their more incendiary political views, but a sign of kinship born of proudly self-proclaimed outsider status. Hungarys staunchly anti-immigration Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who swept to power in 2010, has until now been held at arms length by both Washington and centrist European leaders over actions widely perceived as anti-democratic. That ostracism, the Hungarian leader crowed, would soon change. Our position has improved remarkably, the prime minister told the Hungarian business daily World Economy after speaking with the U.S. president-elect by phone late last month. He invited me to Washington; I told him I hadnt been there for a long time as I had been treated as a black sheep. To which, he said, Trump laughed and replied: Me, too. The presidential race in Austria, the Alpine enclave that is Adolf Hitlers birthplace, has been a tempestuous one, pitting far-right parliamentarian Norbert Hofer against leftist Alexander Van der Bellen. The electoral battle has dragged on for more than a year after an earlier result was contested in court. In its latest incarnation, the campaign has been marked by social-media smears of Hofers opponents, including a recent Facebook post by a leader of his Freedom Party suggesting the 72-year-old Van der Bellen might be senile. There has also been heavy traffic to a far-right news website Unzensuriert, or Uncensored with distinct conspiracist bent and a preoccupation with the influx of migrants to Austria over the past two years. Sundays contest was expected to be close enough that results might wait until Tuesday. Anti-European Union sentiment is a crucial engine in some of the most highly fraught political contests, and the alarm of the blocs leaders has only grown since Britains shock decision to abandon the EU. Most of them see a potent new threat in Italys national referendum on Sunday, with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi saying he will step down if a package of constitutional reforms is voted down. That could open the door to political opponents who want to break with the EU a move that could not only spur other member states, but potentially trigger a new and widely felt banking crisis in Italy, the continents fourth-largest economy. And damaging economic reverberations across the Continent, which has already fought off repeated crises involving its common currency, would likely add fuel to the populist fire. The movement is bolstered by the perception that a regulatory-heavy European Union and a self-interested political and social elite consistently trample the economic well-being of ordinary people. Its all going to be very complex how these things play out, said Alina Polyakova, a senior European analyst at the Atlantic Council. Even without far-right victories in key elections, she said, Brexit and Trump have set off a trend of anti-EU forces that are likely to follow. While the populist movement has many champions across Europe, the centrist camps that have dominated the continents politics for a generation have struggled to find charismatic leaders around whom to rally. Scorched-earth tactics have been a boon for politicians like the Dutch firebrand Geert Wilders, once considered far outside the mainstream but winning adherents with bellicose calls for the closing of Islamic schools and creation of a religious registry. Wilders, awaiting a verdict in his latest hate-speech trial, leads the Party for Freedom, which is leading in the polls in advance of Marchs parliamentary elections. That leaves a heavy responsibility in the hands of a few stalwarts. German Prime Minister Angela Merkel, her immense popularity dented over the last two years by Europes migrant crisis, announced last month she would seek a fourth term. But she sharply rejected the notion that she could serve as a sole standard-bearer for liberal democratic principles such as human dignity and equality under the law values she made a point of citing in a carefully worded message of congratulations to Trump. Meanwhile, the political casualties pile up. French President Francois Hollande, whose approval ratings have sunk so low that members of his Socialist party have stated publicly he couldnt win next years election, cited the threat posed by the extreme right when he announced Thursday his decision not to run. Even if the United States is not commonly held up as an exemplar many far-right movements have had a traditional mistrust of things American the dawn of the Trump era has helped cement the view that political insurgency reaps big rewards. Certain kinds of political behavior have been normalized, said Grabbe, the analyst. And its made the anti-establishment candidates say to themselves, See, you can win. laura.king@latimes.com @laurakingLAT Times staff writer Alexandra Zavis contributed to this report. Even as Islamic State loses ground in Iraq and Syria, its fighters still have the ability and the will to launch attacks in Europe, the European Unions police agency warned Friday. Several dozen fighters capable of committing terror attacks may already be present on the continent, and more are expected to join them if the group is defeated or severely weakened in the Middle East, Europols European Counter Terrorism Center said in a report on militant tactics. A separate analysis by German security authorities offered insight into the mind-set of those who have returned from Syria and Iraq. Only about 1 in 10 have grown disillusioned with the extremist ideology, according to the confidential report, which was obtained by the German newspaper Die Welt. Nearly half 48% remain committed to that world, it said. Advertisement Together, the reports offer a grim assessment of the continuing threat posed by Islamic State at a time when Iraqi forces, backed by the United States and other foreign allies, are attempting to drive the militants from their last major stronghold in that country. High profile attacks including the gun and bomb assault on Paris nightspots that killed 130 people in November 2015 and bombings at a Brussels airport and subway station that killed 32 others in March demonstrate Islamic States ability to quickly plan and carry out relatively complex operations, the Europol report said. Counter-terrorism officials believe such attacks could be coordinated from Libya in future. The report also noted that the group has urged followers to launch attacks on their own using any means at their disposal. The devastating potential of such lone-wolf-style operations was demonstrated in July, when a truck plowed into a crowd of revelers who were celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, killing 85 people and injuring hundreds more. Future assailants are likely to use some of the same tactics but may also deploy car bombs and other strategies from the battlefield in Iraq and Syria, Europol said. We have to be vigilant, since the threat posed by the so-called Islamic State and returning foreign fighters is likely to persist in the coming years, said Gilles de Kerchove, counter-terrorism coordinator for the 28-member E.U., in a statement. These people are trained to use explosives and firearms and they have been indoctrinated by the jihadist ideology. Rather than aim their attacks at the police or military, these fighters appear to have shifted their focus to soft targets in order to instill maximum fear in the population, the Europol report said. This suggests that attacking critical infrastructure, such as power grids and nuclear facilities, is not currently a priority. Neither are cyber-attacks, in Europols opinion, because of the comparatively low impact on the general public. France remains high on Islamic States target list, it said. The report mentioned several possible explanations, including the countrys position as a symbol Western culture, its economic and military engagement in predominantly Muslim nations in Africa and the Middle East, and the social and economic isolation of Muslims in some of its urban areas. The report also cited Islamic States obsession with history and honor, saying the group blames France in particular for the breakup of the Ottoman Empire after World War I and the abolition of the caliphate, a form of Islamic rule. It cautioned, however, that any EU member that has joined the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is also a potential target. The militants also have an interest in staging attacks in Germany in order to turn public opinion against the influx of refugees from Syria, it added. Authorities in Germany estimate that as many as 100 of their nationals were leaving each month to join the fight Syria and Iraq at the time Islamic State proclaimed its caliphate in 2014. But the new report said just 49 such departures were recorded between July 2015 and June 2016. Of the 274 militants who are known to have returned to Germany, about a quarter cooperated with officials, providing information about the Islamist scene in Syria and at home, Die Welt reported. But the paper said that in about 8% of cases, the authorities believed that the returnees were simply taking a break from the battlefield or helping move money or equipment. While Islamic State is the main group threatening Europe, Europol warned that Al Qaeda and other extremist factions remain a potential threat and a reason for the EU to focus on a broader range of religiously inspired groups. Special correspondent Erik Kirschbaum contributed to this report from Berlin. MORE WORLD NEWS As Colombia forges ahead with peace deal, bitterness lives on Bad things happen: How civilian deaths underscore the limits of the U.S. air war in Syria 82 major cities are meeting this week to talk about how to limit the worst effects of climate change UPDATES: 2:35 a.m.: This article was updated with staff reporting and details of a separate report by German security authorities. This article was originally published at 7:25 a.m. The sun had yet to rise over the northern Syrian village of Al Tokhar on July 19 when a U.S. airstrike obliterated much of the town, leveling adobe buildings and killing families as they slept. Soon grisly photos of bloody corpses and grieving survivors began appearing on social media, alerting the world to the carnage. A Pentagon statement issued Thursday said the bombing of Al Tokhar killed about 100 Islamic State fighters. But it also mistakenly killed up to 24 civilians who, it said, were believed to have fled the area. Advertisement The total is far fewer than the 100 or so civilian casualties that independent Syrian monitoring groups blamed on the airstrike. But its still the worst civilian death toll from a single U.S. raid since the war against Islamic State began in mid-2014. The case, days after the Pentagon acknowledged a coalition air raid in September had killed dozens of Syrian-backed troops in error, highlights the limits of an air war that relies on highly trained crews and the most high-tech aircraft, targeting and munitions in history. Six additional botched airstrikes have killed 30 civilians in Iraq and Syria this year, according to the Pentagon, bringing the official civilian death toll from U.S. mistakes to 173 since mid-2014. Several hundred civilians also have been reported killed in U.S. airstrikes in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia in recent years, though exact figures are difficult to pin down. In all, the Pentagon has received 257 allegations of civilian casualties since mid-2014. It has ruled 181 were not credible. Several officers and crew members have been disciplined, but none has been prosecuted for violating the laws of war. U.S. officials say the death toll, while regrettable, is still remarkably low given the relentless pace of bombing by coalition aircraft: more than 60,000 munitions have been dropped in Iraq and Syria over the last 30 months. They also note that Russian and Syrian airstrikes against rebel positions in Syria have killed many more civilians, partly because they have hit hospitals, schools and other targets in the countrys bitter civil war. Do we make mistakes? Sure, we do, but it isnt deliberate, said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, now dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies in Arlington, Va. I can promise you: there isnt a military in the world that takes the time and care to avoid civilian casualties like the United States. The Obama administrations efforts to limit risk to U.S. pilots and ground forces has increased reliance on local forces and surveillance aircraft to accurately identify targets. That has sometimes led to faulty intelligence and inaccurate targeting. Even though the U.S. military is unparalleled in their targeting processes, bad things happen, said Micah Zenko, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations. The errors come from both the ground and the sky. Advances in technology may improve processes but they can never be made perfect. On Sept. 10, for instance, U.S. warplanes targeted an Islamic State tactical unit in the militants Syrian stronghold of Raqqah. It instead killed five civilians, according to a Pentagon investigation. A week later, an hourlong air raid on a garrison in the eastern Syrian town of Dair Alzour mistakenly killed about 60 Syrian government-backed troops, rather than Islamic State fighters. Pentagon investigators later determined that an analysts warning that surveillance did not indicate that Islamic State was at the camp was not forwarded to the commanders who authorized the attack. On Sept. 28, an American drone had a group of Al Qaeda-linked Shabab fighters in its sights in the north-central Somalian city of Galkayo. It instead mistakenly killed 10 members of an allied militia. The following day, the United Nations condemned a U.S. airstrike that it said had killed at least 15 civilians in Afghanistans Nangarhar province. The attack was supposed to be aimed at Islamic State. Norton Schwartz, former Air Force chief of staff, said the Obama administration is clearly uncomfortable with the loss of American lives in combat and has tried to thread the needle by carrying out complex operations primarily from the sky. Without eyes on the target, you open yourself up to false information and run a higher risk of causing a deadly mistake, he said. The Air Force will hit whatever we aim at. The question is whether its the right target. The military was convinced it had identified the right target in Al Tokhar. U.S. reconnaissance drones had prowled above the Syrian town for weeks, hunting for Islamic State positions. U.S. aircraft were supporting advancing Syrian Democratic Forces, a loose alliance dominated by Syrian Kurdish militiamen working alongside Arab and Turkmen. The village was near Manbij, a strategic border town then held by Islamic State but under siege from the rebel forces. Early on July 19, the alliance radioed they were being shelled and feared an Islamic State counterattack. U.S. and coalition commanders at the air operation center in Qatar responded by scrambling two A-10 attack jets and a B-52 bomber while a drone circled above the town. Their attack was brief but deadly, said Mohammad, who was reached in Al Tokhar on Facebook but did not want his last name used out of concern for his safety. You could say there were 11 or 12 missiles, he said. On our house, two missiles fell. On the one beside us there were six and the rest on the third house. Five or six families lived in each house, he said. Once the strike occurred, those who were still alive ran out to see what was going on, but once they would get out, they saw the body parts and their neighbors wounded, they would run back inside, he said. It was horrific. Jamaily, who also declined to use his last name, said Kurdish and Islamic State fighters had clashed all day. So, he said, his family and others fled north to a refugee camp by a high school. They told me they literally flew up in the air from the shaking of the ground back in Al Tokhar, he said via Facebook. Photographs of bloody corpses soon began to appear on Facebook and Twitter. One showed a man carrying a limp child coated in dust; another showed a body in a shallow grave. A U.S. military investigation later found some of the photos were fakes that had been posted online after previous attacks. But some were new and the Pentagon ordered a review of the attack. Investigators did not visit the village but they reviewed surveillance video almost frame by frame to find out what happened, said a U.S. military official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the process. It turned out, unbeknownst to us, that there were civilians interspersed with the forces we hit, he added. The Syrian Network for Human Rights, an independent group that tracks casualties in Syria, said up to 98 civilians were killed. It provided names and images of dead bodies, all appearing to be civilian and including children. We have a list composed by several sources of evidence: names, photos, videos, testimonies, Fadel Abdul Ghany, director of the group, said. Like all of our reports, this is not estimation, this is reality. Special correspondent Nabih Bulos in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report. william.hennigan@latimes.com Twitter: @wjhenn ALSO: Climate change is real: Just ask the Pentagon Overweight, tattooed, stoned? The Pentagon may still want you Captured battlefield cellphones, computers are helping the U.S. target and kill Islamic States leaders All material is subject to strictly enforced copyright terms & conditions and cannot be repurposed or reproduced. 19882022 Latin American Financial Publications Inc. UPDATE: After disastrous blaze, raze or repair notices issued for 3 homes When Allentown firefighters arrived about 8 p.m. Thursday, they entered 440 N. Fulton St. to attack a blaze. "We tried to make an interior attack," Capt. John Christopher said. "The fire was too far ahead. We backed them out." The department was forced into a defensive posture as a second alarm was called at 8:15 p.m. and a third alarm at 8:30 p.m. Six row homes burned and two others were damaged by smoke and water, Christopher said. No one was hurt, but 23 people were displaced, Christopher said. "It was very fast-moving," he said. As many as 40 fire department personnel were involved along with eight engines and an aerial truck, he said. Firefighters were called in on overtime and mutual aid personnel manned the city's fire stations in case there were another fire. The fire was fought from above and from the street level, Christopher said. Water came from nearby hydrants, he added. The fire was brought under control about midnight, and after that, firefighters could go back inside to deal with hot spots in some of the homes, he said. Personnel began to be released about 1:45 a.m., but a city truck remained there overnight. The buildings had fire walls, so it's not immediately clear why the fire jumped so quickly down the row, he said. That will be part of city fire Marshal Michael Barron's investigation. So far, no cause or ignition source has been identified, Christopher said. The fire started inside 440 N. Fulton St., which is in an alley between 15th and 16th streets and bordered by Gordon and Liberty streets. At least one of the buildings was unoccupied, Christopher said. While the degree of damage differs, seven homes can't be lived in at the moment, Christopher said. The city's building standards department will decide if any of the row needs to be torn down. The American Red Cross is assisting the nine families affected by the blaze. "We are going to continue to work with these family and help them in their road to recovery," said spokeswoman Loa Esquilin-Garcia. Asked about people wanting to help the victim, Esquilin-Garcia said anyone interested can make a donation at RedCross.org. There were equally bad row home fires in 2012 on Eighth Street and around 2004 on North Street, Christopher said. "We get them from time to time," he said. "It's just the nature of building construction in center city." Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. South mountain middle school The South Mountain Middle School in Allentown. (Courtesy Photo) ( ) A 14-year-old Allentown girl accused of bringing a loaded handgun to her middle school will remain in detention until her next juvenile court hearing. The hearing for the South Mountain Middle School student was closed to the public, though Pennsylvania law allows open hearings for juvenile defendants ages 14 or older who are charged with a felony. Defense attorney Andrea Olsovsky made the motion to close the hearing, and Senior Deputy District Attorney Mike Edwards did not object. Master Theresa Loder then ruled two reporters would need to leave the courtroom. Olsovsky had no comment following the hearing, which lasted about eight minutes. Outside the courtroom, a member of the girl's family, who had been in the hearing, cursed at reporters and said they needed to leave. Asked if she had anything else to say, another family member said "no comment" as he ushered the woman away. District Attorney Jim Martin said through a spokeswoman that the office agreed to close the hearing because it was a reasonable request. Police said on Thursday morning students at the school at 709 Emmaus Ave. alerted administrators the girl had a handgun. Staff searched the 14-year-old's locker, found the loaded gun and the girl was taken into police custody. The girl has been charged with possessing a weapon on school property and carrying a firearm without a license. Assistant Chief Gail Struss said police are investigating how the girl got the gun, but there was no new information on Friday. The school district said as soon as the administration was aware there was a weapon on school property, safety procedures were implemented. Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive UPDATE: 8 homes damaged, 23 people displaced A stubborn row-home fire Thursday night in Allentown grew to three alarms, as the fire department command brought in extra manpower and equipment in an effort to bring it under control. It was reported shortly before 8 p.m. at 440 N. Fulton St. Flames could be seen erupting from the roof of the homes near North 15th and West Liberty streets. Reports from the scene indicated at least five homes were involved. The American Red Cross of Eastern Pennsylvania said it was responding to assess the needs of those impacted and provide assistance as needed. Fire department officials were not immediately available to provide further information, including on any injuries. Freelance photographer Mike Nester contributed to this report from the scene. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. lucas cabassa Lucas Cabassa (lehighvalleylive.com file photo) Thanks to a successful appeal, convicted killer Lucas Cabassa will be eligible for parole when he's 67 rather than when he's 70 years old. The 21-year-old Bethlehem man was sentenced Friday to 48 years to life in prison for the murder of Joseph Rodriguez on June 2, 2013, in Bethlehem. Pennsylvania Superior Court denied his request to have his guilty verdict thrown out. But they did downgrade a gun charge from a felony to a misdemeanor. The appellate court said Northampton County Judge Craig Dally made a mistake when he held a prior burglary against Cabassa and graded the gun charge as a second-degree felony. A recent court decision determined the prior crime shouldn't be held against Cabassa because he was a juvenile when he committed it. The Superior Court threw out Dally's 51-years-to-life sentence, and Dally imposed a legal sentence Friday. Cabassa's attorney Donald Leeth argued there wasn't enough evidence to convict Cabassa and that he shot Rodriguez because he was afraid he was going to seriously hurt Cabassa's friend, Jonathan Martinez. The argument didn't sway Dally or Superior Court. Prosecutors showed Martinez was bigger than Rodriguez and was winning the fight. Factors weighing against Cabassa were his gang affiliation and his criminal history. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. A car and pickup truck collided Friday afternoon at South 25th Street and Lehigh Drive, just north of the Glendon Bridge in Palmer Township, police report. The woman driving a black Honda Civic had to be cut free from the vehicle by firefighters and was taken by Suburban EMS ambulance to St. Luke's University Hospital in Fountain Hill, township police said. Both driver's side doors of the Honda, the front passenger door and the windshield were removed in the rescue effort. The woman was attempting to turn left about 1:15 p.m. from the stop sign on Lehigh Drive onto South 25th Street, police said. At the same time, two cars made right turns off 25th onto Lehigh Drive, township police added. The Dodge Ram pickup was in the left lane of South 25th Street heading toward the bridge, police said. The woman said that because the cars in the right lane were turning toward her, she never saw the pickup and pulled out into its path, police reported. The driver of the pickup didn't appear badly hurt and was walking near the truck, which came to a rest facing traffic on the far side of the bridge. The car struck a guardrail and stopped just past Lehigh Drive only feet from where it originally pulled out. Firefighters from Wilson Borough, Palmer Township and Bethlehem Township assisted at the scene. Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. While they applaud Lafayette College for its openness, College Hill neighbors say the school may want to rethink its major plan for new dorms and retailers. About 70 neighbors attended a community forum Thursday to discuss the Easton college's $46 million expansion plan. The college wants to put new dormitories, a bookstore, a diner and wellness center on McCartney and Cattell streets, just outside what has been the traditional border of the campus. It's part of the school's plans to add 400 students and become "need blind" in its admission practices. The college needs zoning concessions from the City of Easton, and some residents say the city ought to be careful before giving away too much. "We want this development to be worthy of this campus and worthy of College Hill," said Mary Liz Colley, the head of the Aging in Place Village on College Hill, a neighborhood organization that helps seniors stay in their homes rather than move to nursing facilities Architect Paul Felder said the school touted its commitment to sustainability with the construction of Oechsele Hall, yet it asked for zoning permission for no greenspace on the new dorm areas. "If you're a sustainable college on your own campus, why wouldn't you be sustainable when you're building off campus?" he asked. The dorm plan does call for a grass courtyard. Felder said the college spent about double the amount per square foot on Oechsele Hall than it plans to spend on the new buildings. The college wants permission to build up to 55 feet high, which might make the new dorms monolithic against the smaller neighborhood homes. He suggested the college might want to put the dorms on the site of Watson Courts, which it plans to tear down anyway. Or, the dorms could go near a new 300-space student parking lot on Bushkill Drive or the site of the former Hub Cap and Wheel Store. "A lot of colleges will take old buildings and rather than tear them down they'll rebuild them," Felder added. College Hill Neighborhood Association executive board member Hubert Etchison said the college has welcomed collaboration from the neighbors and even agreed to slow down the building process to take a closer look at pedestrian and vehicle traffic. "If you put 400 more people up on College Hill, I don't know how people are going to get in and out of there," said resident Caron Anderson. "It's going to be a nightmare." Etichson urged residents to attend the city planning commission meeting on Wednesday. It will be one of the first public discussions of the plans. The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 7 at city hall, 123 S. Third St. Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. said the zoning changes and dorm plans are nowhere near ready for city council approval. "Wednesday is just an opportunity to start the dialogue," Panto said. Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook. Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth ribbon cutting Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, seen in this file photo from Monday, said Wednesday she does not support paid sick leave mandates and minimum wage hike to $15 an hour. She is expected to run for governor in 2017. (Rob Spahr | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) TRENTON -- Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour in New Jersey -- a proposal Democrats running for governor next year support -- will likely lead to drivers having to pump their own gas, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno said Wednesday. Guadagno, a Republican who is also eyeing her own run for governor, told the New Jersey Gasoline-Convenience-Automotive Association: "If we pass the $15 minimum wage, you're pumping your own gas," according to a report at northjersey.com. "You go to $15 minimum wage, you're not going to be able to hire that high school kid, or that senior citizen, or that person who is here trying to move here from out of the country," Guadagno said. "Minimum wage was never intended, in my mind, to provide a living wage," she added. "It won't, not in New Jersey. So let's make minimum wage what it's supposed to be, and that is a stepping stone up." New Jersey's minimum wage is $8.38 an hour. New Jersey and Oregon are the only two states that have self-service bans, though Oregon this year began allowing drivers to pump their own gas at night in rural counties. New Jersey's ban would have to be repealed by law. Several attempts to do so have failed, however, and talk about a repeal has not gained traction even with a 23-cent gas tax increase per gallon that took effect Nov. 1. Guadagno's role as New Jersey first lieutenant governor has been "to improve New Jersey's economic vitality, encourage job growth, streamline government, and make businesses feel welcome again in New Jersey," according to her webpage. Guadagno's remarks aligned with those of her boss, Gov. Chris Christie, who vetoed a $15-an-hour minimum wage hike in August. She made headlines in October when she spoke out against a Nov. 8 ballot question Christie supported that called for dedicating all petroleum gas tax revenues to funding transportation projects. It was a move seen an attempt to distance herself from the governor, whose poll numbers are slipping, and to carve out her own identity and positions as the 2017 gubernatorial race gets underway. Voters approved the referendum. Guadagno also spoke out at the gathering of about 100 gas station and convenience store owners that she does not agree with mandating sick leave pay. A bill is pending that would allow employees to accrue one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. "Should the government dictate to you what you provide to your employees?" she said. "I personally do not believe so." Democratic candidate for governor Phil Murphy has endorsed the $15 minimum wage hike. Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), another gubernatorial candidate, was a prime sponsor of the bill Christie vetoed. Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook. UPDATE: Kayla Rodriguez - fugitive of the week Kayla Rodriguez (Courtesy photo) Hackettstown police are searching for a co-conspirator they said helped her boyfriend rob victims by befriending them and then, taking their money. Police are on the hunt for Kayla Rodriguez, 20, whose last known address was in the 700 block of Herbert Street in Building No, 23, Scranton, Lackawanna County. She is described as white, 5 feet, 7 inches and having brown eyes and brown hair. Rodriguez at 11:05 p.m. June 27 allegedly called a male victim for help with car trouble in a municipal parking lot. As the victim opened the hood to check the engine, Rodriguez's boyfriend, 20-year-old Franklin L Williams Jr. of Wilkes-Barre, approached him with a gun, police said. Williams put the gun to the victim's back and demanded cash and his cellphone, according to police. He also demanded the victim get into the car, but the male was able to run from the scene, police said. Williams made off with the cellphone, valued at $250, and $800 in cash, according to police. At 10:30 p.m. June 19, the pair are accused of committing a similar crime. Police said Rodriguez in that incident forged a relationship with another male and entered his home in the 200 block of Sharp Street with an intent to rob him. Rodriguez scoped out the scene and alerted Williams to enter, police said. Williams barged into the house, pushed the victim to the ground and punched the victim in the face, according to police. Williams then allegedly demanded money and made off with undetermined amount of cash from the victim, police said. In the June 19 crime, Williams is charged with robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary and aggravated assault. In the June 27 crime, Williams is charged with robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, attempted kidnapping, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a handgun. Williams was arrested Wednesday and released due to being under 24-hour medical care. A court date is pending. Rodriguez is charged in the June 19 crime with robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery, burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary. She is charged in June 27 crime with robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. Rodriguez remains on the lam and bail is set at $250,000. Police obtained arrest warrants for the pair on Nov. 14, Sergeant Darren Tynan said. Those with information on Rodriguez's whereabout are urged to call the Hackettstown Police Department at (908) 852-3300. Assisting the Hackettstown Detective Bureau in the case is the Warren County Prosecutor's Office, New Jersey State Police, Scranton Police Department and Wilkes-Barre City Police Department. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook. An asylum seeker who claimed he stole a jacket from a Portlaoise store in order to get some money for his fare back to his hostel in Limerick has been given community service in lieu of prison. Before last weeks Portlaoise District Court was Hocine Bensadok (24), Westbourne Hostel, Dublin Road, Limerick. Inspector Aidan Farrelly told the court that the accused entered Dunnes Stores, Kyle Shopping Centre, Portlaoise, on September 3, and stole a mens jacket. When arrested he admitted the offence and the property was recovered. The accused had two previous convictions for thefts, for which he had received community service. Defence, Ms Josephine Fitzpatrick said her client, an Algerian national who came to Ireland in 2014, was an asylum seeker residing in Limerick. On the day of the offence he came to Portlaoise to meet a friend, with enough money to get a ticket to travel here, but when he got to Portlaoise he did not meet his friend and had no money to get home, so decided to enter the store to get an item for which he could get money. Ms Fitzpatrick said her client, who received 19 a week, had no family in Ireland. Defence also said that a previous occasion on which Bensadok had failed to attend court was because he didnt have the money for the bus that day. Judge Staines imposed 100 hours community service in lieu of three months in prison. Laois TD Sean Fleming has declined to rule out a return to Fianna Fail of former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern but he has not supported his return either. Asked on the Vincent Browne show on TV3 if he would welcome Mr Ahern back Deputy Fleming said initially that it was a "hypothetical question" but that he would welcome "most people" into the party though he would be "very suspicous" if Vincent Browne wanted to join. Asked again Dep Fleming said if Mr Ahern chooses to apply "that would be looked at". He said "it would be up to Bertie" if he wished to apply. Dep Fleming, a poll topper in Laois, said the former taoiseach "has retired" and that "he would not want to jepordise the outcome" if Mr Ahern did reapply for membership. The former leader resigned from Fianna Fail after he resigned as Taoiseach. His Cumann in Dublin Central recently voted for Mr Ahern to rejoin. Emergency service workers, Gardai and hospital staff in Laois and Offaly play a central role in the new anti-drinking driving campaign fronted by the Treacy family from Portarlington who lost a son and brother Ciaran in a drink-fueled crash in 2014. Ambulance paramedics Christy Kelly and Gary Finlay, nurses Patrice O'Connell and Mary Joyce, Garda Sergeant Dave Lynam, firefighter Greg Donagher are among those who feature in the campaign. Their experience on the day of Ciaran's death in 2014 feature a number of short films and a centre piece ad which have been posted to Youtube. Tanaiste and Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald TD attended praise these workers and the family. We are united here today with our colleagues in the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, An Garda Siochana, the RSA, Emergency Services and all others who play a role in keeping our roads safe with one simple message - drink-driving destroys lives. "It is a scourge on our roads, a threat to our safety and a selfish act that will not be tolerated. Gillian and Ronan Treacy have shown extraordinary courage and selflessness by sharing their story - it is now up to each of us to honour Ciarans memory by never ever drinking and driving, she said. The Leinster Leaders beer columnists, Kildare town sisters Susan and Judy Boyle were the toast of London last night when they won a no less than two medals for their writing on beer at British Guild of Beer Writers annual awards. The award was announced at a gala event at the Park Lane Hotel in Piccadilly, London on Thursday, December 1, hosted The pair won the medals - a bronze in the Beer and Food Writing category and a silver in the Best Regional Beer Writing category - for their work in the Leinster Leader. Speaking briefly to this reporter this morning, Susan Boyle said they were thrilled and honoured with the wins. The Awards is headed by a very serious group of industry figures and media critics. Breandan Kearney, last years Beer Writer of the Year and chairman of judges for 2016, said said that the the Awards recognise the UK and Irelands most talented communicators about beer and pubs. Judges had difficult decisions to make in choosing the finalists and winners from a field of high-quality entries. Another judge, Dave Myers of Hairy Bikers fame, noted that there is some seriously good writing about beer and pubs out there and discovering it was a delight. The best writers combine a sure grasp of their subject matter with a talent for storytelling, so as a reader you want to taste the beer theyve drunk, visit the pub theyve been to or meet the brewer theyve interviewed. Kearney and Myers were joined on the judging panel by: Rebecca Smithers, consumer affairs correspondent at The Guardian: Kate Nicholls, chief executive of the British Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers and Roger Ryman, head brewer at St Austell Brewery. Judith Boyle is a qualified chemist (MSc) and accredited beer sommelier. She says she loves helping people discover delicious beers. She is also one of 16 Failte Ireland food champions who represent the importance of food to tourism and visitors to Ireland as part of the Food Tourism Network Development programme. Susan Boyle is a playwright, artist and drinks consultant and is fascinated by the history and stories behind drinks. and performs a one woman show A Wine Goose Chase. The sisters are proud to be fifth-generation publicans. Their family business is Boyle's bar and off-licence in Kildare Town, and they brew Brigid's Ale under the brand Two Sisters Brewing. Article 1: Purpose The publishing company Le Monde, a French public limited company with Group Management and Supervisory Boards with a capital of 94,610,348.70, with registered offices at 80, boulevard Auguste-Blanqui, 75707 Paris Cedex 13, France, registered in the Paris Trade Register under no. 433 891 850, is organising a competition from 25 November 2016 until April 2017 rewarding European innovative solutions to improve urban life, entitled the Le Monde Smart Cities Innovation Awards. Article 2: Presentation of the competition 2.1 Definition of the Smart Cities concept The aim of Smart Cities is to improve services, the quality of life, reduce costs and protect the environment through the use of useful technologies and civic engagement. 2.2 Purpose of the award: to reward the best innovations in the area of urban transformation for their originality, effectiveness and impact on the daily life of a district or city in Europe. 2.3 The awards presented seek to promote innovations that deserve to be publicised so that their example may be followed and adapted. These innovations are launched by local authorities, companies and civil society alike and employ the resources of cities and companies as well as civic engagement and the use of information technologies. The idea is not to reward the institutions, but the concrete solutions being implemented by one or several of the players mentioned above. Article 3: Presentation of the awards categories 3.1 The jury reserves the right not to present any of the awards in the event where none of the projects presented is deemed sufficiently innovative, i.e., an innovation less than three years old being implemented or at least in the test phase. The Urban Technologies Award will reward a technological and/or social innovation applied to the city. The Citizen Engagement Award will reward a democratic, horizontal process whereby citizens play a role in developing and managing physical and virtual urban spaces and services. This award will be presented in partnership with the INTA (the International Urban Development Association). The Habitat Award will reward an innovative project in terms of urban living space (residential, offices, new materials, etc.). The Mobility Award will reward a project that facilitates movement around the city at a more human level and in a more economical way. The Energy Award will reward a project that seeks to reduce the carbon footprint of cities by either reducing their consumption or improving their energy efficiency. The Cultural Action Award will reward a social and/or digital innovation in the approach to urban cultural activities. Article 4: Presentation of applicants The competition is open to all private individuals, private companies, public institutions or associations within the European Union. The awards will be presented to projects from any of the parties involved in the development of our cities (start-ups, local government, associations, districts, citizens, or groups of citizens), from the countries in the European Union on 10 September 2016: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Article 5: Applications 5.1 Applicants to the competition must submit a full application by 19 February 2017 at midnight at the latest (UTC +1), with the clock on the servers of the LeMonde.fr website being used as the official timekeeper. Projects must be sent to the email address smartcities@lemonde.fr. 5.2 The applicants must state in the subject line of their email the category under which they wish to apply, on the understanding that projects can only be proposed under a single category. 5.3 The application must contain: A photo or scanned copy of an official document as proof of a) the identity of the participant(s) in charge of the project or the representative of the informal group behind the project; b) the legal existence of the public body, company, association or institution, whatever the case may be. Applicants must provide a postal address and telephone number where they can be reached as well as the duly completed agreement for the transfer of copyright for the use of the works presented. - A video (three minutes maximum) or a link to the website hosting the video, as well as an introductory text (3,000 characters maximum) containing a description of the innovation, its aim(s), the type of innovation, the projected schedule, players, cost and funding. 5.4 A jury composed of journalists from the daily newspaper Le Monde and international experts will select a winner for each award category from the applications received. The awards will be presented on 7 April 2017 in Lyon (date subject to confirmation). The members of the European Le Monde Smart Cities Innovation Awards jury are listed here. 5.5 The representatives of the winning projects will be notified individually by email. The name of the projects and the names of the applicants may also appear in the Smart Cities section of the LeMonde.fr website. Article 6: Prizes and media coverage of the winners 6.1.1 The winners of each award will receive a prize of 1,000. The grand award winner will receive a prize of 2,000. If a project receiving an award is jointly presented by several participants, the participants are responsible for sharing the prize between themselves. 6.1.2 The winners of each European award will be included in the international Le Monde Smart Cities Innovation Awards, which will take place in Singapore in May or June 2017 (date to be decided). 6.2 The winning innovations for each award will be the subject of an article/portrait in the Le Monde Smart Cities section of the lemonde.fr/smartcities website, in the Le Monde daily newspaper and in announcements in the context of the Le Monde Smart Cities Innovation Awards project. 6.3 The selected winners will be invited to take part in an awards ceremony day organised by Le Monde on 7 April in Lyon (date subject to confirmation). Expenses borne by the winners will be reimbursed by Le Monde. Article 7: Verification procedures The participants authorise their identity to be verified by the publishing company Le Monde. These verification procedures will be carried out strictly in accordance with legal provisions concerning data privacy. Any indication that the identity is false, fraudulent, untrue, incorrect or inexact will lead to cancellation of the persons participation in the competition. The publishing company Le Monde reserves the right to report the first name(s), surname(s) and town of residence of the participants and the winners for the purposes of public relations in the context of the competition, without thereby conferring on them any right to remuneration or any benefits other than participation in the competition and, if applicable, the competition prizes. Article 8: Exemption from liability The publishing company Le Monde will not be liable for any malfunctioning of the internet network and/or telecommunications networks preventing access to the lemonde.fr/smartcities website or the sending of applications. In particular, the publishing company Le Monde shall not be held liable for any malicious acts from outside. Article 9: Interpretation and modification of the Terms and Conditions of the competition The publishing company Le Monde reserves the right, if circumstances so require, to shorten, extend, postpone, change or cancel the competition at any time, without incurring any liability whatsoever. Article 10: Applicable law These terms and conditions are governed exclusively by French law. Article 11: Data protection In accordance with the provisions of the data protection law of 6 January 1978, applicants are entitled to access, rectify or delete their personal data by writing to the competition address smartcities@lemonde.fr Signed in Paris on 2 december 2017 Read more about : Reglement des Prix europeens de linnovation- Le Monde Smart Cities 2017 Le Monde I will stand up for the open, tolerant, united Britain that we believe in. pic.twitter.com/c51dqx1UDN Sarah Olney (@sarahjolney1) December 2, 2016 We have done it! We had just 37 days to persuade the voters of Richmond Park. To overturn a 23,000 majority in such a short time is incredible. Initially, the two numbers that matter. Zac Goldsmith 18,638 Sarah Olney 20,510 Monster Raving Loony Party 184 One Love Party 67 Christian Peoples Alliance 164 Independent 173 Christian Woolmar (Labour) 1515 Liberal Democrat majority 1872 on a turnout of 53.6%. Its a swing of 21.6%. And the percentage changes via Britain Elects: Richmond Park result: LDEM: 49.7% (+30.4) ZAC: 45.2% (-13.1) LAB: 3.7% (-8.7) Britain Elects (@britainelects) December 2, 2016 Sarah Olney is on Sky News now, saying that we didnt know until the last minute how it was going to go. People wanted her to win, she says, because of Brexit. They were alarmed about the direction the Conservative Brexit government was going in. She says that she will vote against the triggering of Article 50. She believes that remaining in the EU is best for Britain and she will fight for that. Asked if the Liberal Democrats have a woman problem, she highlighted that the party has some brilliant women selected in key seats so there will be more. It is so good that our MPs have become slightly more diverse. Its still embarrassing and we must never allow ourselves to get into this position again. Sarah is our first Newbie MP. She joined the Liberal Democrats in the wake of our election defeat last year. Like thousands of others, she was motivated to keep generous-spirited, open, internationalist, liberal values alive. Some, though, remain unmoved by these marvellous events: Hazel isn't excited enough about @sarahjolney1's stunning victory, I feel. pic.twitter.com/nh0Yi2DiVN Caron Lindsay (@caronmlindsay) December 2, 2016 * Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings Those hours between close of poll and the declaration of a hard-fought parliamentary by-election results are particularly tense. The only people who wont be feeling overcome with butterflies are those at the count because they will be too busy. They will have some indication of the result once all the votes have been verified, but if, as expected, its really close, they will have their eyes peeled during the counting stage to make sure every single Liberal Democrat vote goes on our pile and not on someone elses. However, we have some good news to start our night of by-election coverage. The first result is close to home for LDV. Our own Paul Walter has been elected to the Parish Council in Greenham in Berkshire. He and his colleague Lindsey Middlemiss bring the number of Liberal Democrat councillors gained in Newbury and West Berkshire this year to seven. Heres the result in full: Nick East (Lab) 71 Alex Keegan (Lab) 57 Lindsey Middlemiss (Lib Dem) 329 Paul Walter (Lib Dem) 304 Weve also won a seat from the Tories in impressive style in Chichester. Southbourne (Chichester) result: LDEM: 57.7% (+15.8) CON: 25.8% (-32.3) UKIP: 11.8% (+11.8) LAB: 4.7% (+4.7) Britain Elects (@britainelects) December 1, 2016 Its a fantastic win for Jonathan Brown who is the chair of the Liberal Democrats in Chichester and a regular contributor to Liberal Democrat Voice. Well done to our three new Liberal Democrat councillors! * Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings Well, were winning parliamentary by-elections again. Whod have thought it possible on that awful night almost 19 months ago? Liberal Democrats everywhere are grinning this morning. Weve seen the brilliant local government results over the past few months. We saw the amazing Liz Leffman surge forward in the Tory heartland of Witney in October. Now, we have actually won another MP. We shouldnt under-estimate how massive a task winning Richmond Park was. Its only been 37 days since Zac resigned. We had just over 5 weeks to change the agenda from Heathrow to Brexit and win the argument. A combination of clever literature, a fantastic candidate and an army of activists prepared to drop everything did it. Way back in the 90s when we were winning by-elections all the time, we had at least 3 times as long to make our case. We also shouldnt under-estimate how important it was that we won this. It was a seat we used to hold with a whacking great Remain vote. If we hadnt, even if we had had a Witney type surge, people would have doubted our ability to change the political weather. Sarah Olneys victory has shown that we have still got what it takes to win the big moments. That is incredibly important for the outside world to see. Theresa May will be hoping that her MPs in similar seats to Richmond, where there is Liberal Democrat history, dont cause any further by-elections. For Zac supporters to complain that we had our big party machine and they didnt is disingenuous at best. The right wing press were on his side and he had the implicit and explicit backing of the local and national Conservatives. The Tories didnt want to risk splitting the vote and letting us in. That didnt go so well for them. The right wing alliance was defeated by a progressive one. The decision of the Greens to stand down and the political courage of Caroline Lucas putting her progressive alliance money where her mouth is was hugely important. The Greens, as their vote unsqueezed, took 3.500 votes just 18 months ago. Their normal level of support in that seat had been around about 1200-1400 since 1997. Sarahs majority was 1872. Do the maths. The Womens Equality Party similarly chose not to contest the seat and back Sarah. Labour did stand and they lost their deposit as their voters understood what they needed to do. There is something of a dilemma now for the Liberal Democrats. The problem is that there are few places where us standing down would make a similar difference, but we cant be the ones who benefit all the time. We cant get all snooty about it and say that they benefit from a progressive candidate winning. We need to recognise the sacrifice for them in terms of an opportunity to build local profile and membership that a by-election gives. There is a job of work to do to turn the mood music of politics away from the disgusting and divisive rhetoric we hear from the right and we have more chance of success if we work together. That doesnt necessarily mean standing aside in elections, although there might be times when there is an obvious reason to do so. It means all of us getting out there and fighting the Tories, not each other. Jo Swinson had some interesting points to make about this on Facebook this morning, which I reproduce with her permission: By-election victories can change the political weather. 13 years ago the amazing Sarah Teather won Brent East in a blow to the then Labour Government and its disastrous policy on Iraq. Today the brilliant Sarah Olney is the new MP for Richmond Park, defeating a UKIP-endorsed Brexiteer who earlier this year ran a nasty mayoral campaign that sought to divide London on race. This is a historic win for the Liberal Democrats, and it has wider significance too: it is a win for the values of openness and tolerance. The Greens stood aside and Caroline Lucas openly backed Sarah. Labour didnt but many Labour supporters understood how best to progress their values here. At the More United action day, I campaigned with former Labour members and activists. A friend of mine who is a long-standing, card-carrying Labour member joined me at the Lib Dem HQ to campaign for Sarah. This year has felt like our cherished liberal values are under threat like never before. As we (finally!) wake up to an election result worth cheering, its worth reflecting that we need to continue to work together to make this victory a turning point for our politics. Its hard to imagine a by-election where us stepping aside would be beneficial, but we need to look at this on a case by case basis. Similarly, at a general election, we dont want to stand aside in too many places because national vote share is a key factor in determining our funding. However there may be a few places, such as the changed Brighton constituency being contested by Caroline Lucas, where it may be sensible to do so. We will need to get smarter about combating the inevitable Tory backlash, too. We saw the damage the Miliband/SNP thing did although the potency of that argument has diminished a bit given the disaster this government has wreaked. In the short term, the most important thing we can do is try to win over the public mood against Brexit before Article 50 is triggered. I find the anti-democratic argument ridiculous. The people said one thing on 23 June. They might think differently when confronted with the reality of what Brexit would mean. They have the right to have another say. Saying that they dont is kind of like saying that because the people voted in a Conservative majority in 2015, there should be no argument against the government. The right of the people to change their mind is the very essence of democracy. If you deny the people their right, youre straying into despot territory. The Brexiteers know that they would be struggling to get a majority to back a deal and thats why they wont allow a further vote. This result is truly worthy of celebration, but we cant party for too long. Theresa May intends to move Article 50 within 118 days. We have work to do. That starts now in Sleaford and North Hykeham. Ross Pepper has been fighting a spirited campaign in a seat which has not in the past been our strongest area. As a former inhabitant of the East Midlands, its been great to see. Lets put our energies into making sure he has a significant improvement in vote share next Thursday. Then we have to win the argument in the rest of the country, to make people realise that rushing into triggering Article 50 is not the right course. * Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings Tim Farron emailed party members tonight to thank them for their work in Richmond Park. He said he was proud of the campaign that we ran and hoped we would get the result that we deserved. This is what he said: The polls have just closed in Richmond Park and counting is about to begin. Win or lose, I know that were going to get a tremendous result. But right now I want to tell you how proud I am of the campaign we just fought. Im so proud of our candidate, Sarah Olney, who wasnt even a member of our party 18 months ago. She has put in an amazing effort against a tough opponent in Zac Goldsmith. Im so proud of our Campaign Team led by James Lillis. Theyve put together one of the best Lib Dem campaigns weve ever seen at a by-election. Weve shown that our campaigners are some of the best in the country. Im so proud of you and the thousands of Liberal Democrat members who have supported this campaign. Its been so great to see so many of you in Richmond Park and I know many more have made donations or phone calls from home. I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. We can all be proud of what weve done in Richmond Park lets now hope that our hard work delivers the result I truly believe it deserves. Thanks and best wishes Tim Farron A very proud Leader of the Liberal Democrats STYLE and history collided in spectacular fashion amid the stunning ruins of the 13th Century Dominican Abbey in Kilmallock during a winter fashion shoot showcasing Limericks wealth in the style stakes. Under the creative direction of Kilmallock native, stylist Fiona Hayes, established model Becky Costello, also from Kilmallock, showcased a number of luxurious fabrics and bespoke designs by world-class Irish designers and contemporary independent retailers. With Irish women pushing the boundaries when it comes to fashion and embracing emerging Irish talent and independent retailers they are no longer sticking to what they know. Irish women are becoming increasingly confident without the fear of judgement in their personal style, said Fiona who has worked with fashion stalwarts such as retail consultant Mary Portas, and exclusive British stores Harvey Nichols and House of Fraser. Fiona also runs a personal shopping business all over Ireland. What you wear should never be trend-led unless in all instances you work with your body shape and this has been one of the biggest lessons that I have taught Irish women, Fiona continued. Its about loving your size no matter what that is and the sooner you accept what size you are wearing you can then focus on making the most of what you have. To mix up your fashion wardrobe, especially if you are used to wearing one colour, include texture to create something a little different. I love working with print and different fabrics from silk to satin and fur to velvet everything which has a more luxurious feel, Fiona added. WHEN Dominik Przyborski moved from Poland to Ireland 12 years ago, little did he imagine he would be making history. But thats exactly what hes done, after he became the first Polish-man on Limericks garda beat. He is attached to Henry Street garda station. Its something I love doing. I enjoy working with people, helping people. Its the kind of job where you do something different each day. Every day I have to use my problem solving skills. There is no shift quite the same, Mr Przyborski told the Leader at a special event organised by the Honorary Polish Consulate in Limerick this Wednesday. Mr Przyborski, 37, had long held an ambition to join the force from when he moved to these shores from his home near Gdansk after Poland joined the European Union in 2004. Having worked in a hotel for the first five years in Ireland, he joined the garda reserves in 2009. The recession frustrated his efforts to join the force full-time, with a public sector recruitment embargo put in place. Mr Przyborski was not to be outdone, however, and in 2014, he joined the Garda training college in Templemore, and ultimately worked his first day on the beat in August. Patrick OSullivan, the honorary consul for Poland in Limerick, said: I think it is very important, not just for Limerick citizens, but also for our Polish citizens who now have a member from their own country who they can relate to a bit better than our own gardai, who have done a fantastic job, he said. Supt Derek Smart, Henry Street garda station, added Mr Przyborski is a great asset to the force, and said he will be able to help the huge local Polish community. But the new recruit added: I am a member of An Garda Siochana. I am Polish but I am not a Polish garda. I am here to serve everyone. If I can assist with the Polish language, or my experience of being a Polish person, I will do it. But I am here for all communities. Members of the Polish community came to the consulate event as did Cllr Jerry ODea, representing the local authority, and Mr Przyborskis colleagues. A SENIOR official with the Novas Initiatives homeless charity believes there may be more than one homeless campsite in Limerick city. Dr Una Burns, the national communications spokesperson for Novas, was speaking after pictures emerged for the first time of a refugee-style settlement, which sees up to 16 rough sleepers bed down there nightly. The makeshift camp has been set up at an abandoned warehouse on the edge of the city, with no light and heat. Dr Burns said: We are absolutely appalled by this. It is intolerable that people are living in such squalor in 2016 in Ireland. We would urge more needs to be done immediately. We are advocating more beds to be put in place immediately, and will be working very closely with the Limerick Homeless Action Team to make this happen as soon as possible. She said there could be any number of camps like this in Limerick City, adding: I think we all know this is not a true reflection of the extent of what is happening. It is horrific. Revealing the presence of the camp in a local authority meeting last week, Cllr Sean Lynch said he believed settlements like this are mainly populated by people refusing emergency accommodation. But Dr Burns said in her experience, it is only a minority of people who would choose to sleep on the street or in a settlement like this. Most people want access to emergency accommodation and the therapeutic supports which go along with this, including enhanced health and well-being. There are a small number who would rather be on the streets, and we need to link with them through the street outreach to gain trust with them and support them to access mainstream services, she said. The council led Homeless Action team remains in talks to open 15 new emergency beds in the city. THE Limerickman who was chosen from over 80,000 applicants to star on this years The Apprentice UK, has heard the dreaded words Youre fired!. Millions of people tuned into BBC One this Thursday night for another nail-biting episode of the 12th series of the hit show. Speaking after getting the chop, Dillon St Paul, who is originally from Castletroy, said he was happy that he had remained very much himself during the process and was quite authentic. Obviously Im devo (devastated) being fired but as the same time I find it hard to find something that I really didnt like, said Dillon, speaking on The Ryan Tubridy Show this Friday morning. Im actually glad I was that way because when you watch yourself back you can live with yourself a lot easier when you are 100% yourself. Art director Dillon and sales executive Sofiane Khelfa were the latest candidates to face the chop after their team failed to impress in a task that challenged the contestants to move into the world of virtual reality (VR). The two teams went head-to-head to create a new VR game before pitching it at the world-famous Comic Con exhibition in London. Dillon described the feedback he has received since going on the show as positive overall. I get a lot of teenage girls and their moms coming up and a lot of young guys as well coming up and they are so sweet. The highpoint of the show he said was making friendships for life. Describing himself as super-creative, Dillon previously told the Limerick Leader that he felt he was in with a good shot of taking the 250k winning prize. However, he also said that he is not egotistical enough to not consider some of the other candidates serious contenders as well. The 37-year-old decided to put himself forward for the series after a friend of his missed the deadline to apply last year. A former student of Milford National School and Ardscoil Ris, Dillon studied graphic design at Limerick School of Art and Design before he started working for a web design agency. While he dabbled in other work he went on to focus mainly on magazines and publishing in Dublin. His biography which is included in the BBCs press pack says he intends to be Machiavellian about tasks and says he will tell white lies if he needs to. When asked by presenter Marty Morrissey if he would do The Apprentice again, Dillon replied: Yeah, definitely! ELEVEN new members of An Garda Siochana arrived, bright and early, for their first day of duty this Friday morning at Henry Street garda station. And warmly welcoming the young recruits, Chief Superintendent Dave Sheahan said that he was thrilled with the new tranche of gardai who are starting their careers in Limerick. Of the 11, six have been assigned to Henry Street garda station, and five are reporting for duty at Roxboro Road garda station. This is said to be the largest number of recruits to come to Limerick in many years. This is very welcome, and it is going to be a great boost to the city, particularly in light of new blood coming in, and being able to train these people to same high standard that I would be accustomed to, here in Limerick, Chief Supt Sheahan said. The Limerick garda division made a bid to the Garda Commissioner and the headquarters to take in a number of gardai, following the loss of 10 members to Templemore in recent months. I am only replenishing on what was done, and I am very appreciative of the Garda Commissioner and also the Minister [for Justice] in ensuring that those whom we lost are now and have been replenished, said the Chieft Supt. According to Sgt John Flanagan, who will assist the new recruits throughout their 18-week probationary period, there will be stronger garda visibility on the streets, thanks to this new batch. The 11 nine male and two female will be assigned a tutor garda every day while they are on duty, and will undertake a BA in Applied Policing, accredited by University of Limerick. New recruit Gda David Barry said that he is looking forward to his time working in the Limerick city community. Gda Eimear O'Sullivan, who is assigned to Roxboro Road garda station, said: I cant wait. Its a new experience, and I am delighted to get Limerick because its a great station. Mainly from the Munster region, five hail from Cork, two from Galway, two from Kerry, and one each from Tipperary and Clare. THIRTY-one years after the moving statue phenomenon in Ballinspittle, an unusual sighting of what is believed to be an image of the Virgin Mary has drawn crowds to a house in a County Limerick town. At around 11pm on Thursday reports began to circulate of a peculiar image which appeared on the front of a house in the Riverview Estate in Kilmallock. Within an hour, up to 50 people had gathered outside the two-storey home - some travelling from as far away as Mitchelstown - to say prayers and light candles, at what locals believe is an image of Our Lady. During the commotion, residents called to the house of a local priest at around 11pm asking him to attend the scene. At that stage there were up to 40 people gathered. A number of cars and vans had parked up. People were saying the Rosary and holding candles. The priest joined in, said one local. The so called apparition was the topic of discussion in the local pubs, the doctors surgery and the shops this Friday morning. It is also a hot topic of discussion on social media sites including Facebook. A woman who had been at the doctor was talking about it and a woman who was at the doctors was showing her pictures of it on her phone. Its going all around the town, the local explained. The crowds had swelled bigger again by 3.30am at which time one local woman in the estate awoke to a phonecall from a neighbour telling her to look out her front window. While some are convinced the sighting has a religious foundation, others are putting it down to the freezing temperatures overnight. I think it has to be ice, smiled one local. This is the second "apparition" in County Limerick in the past decade. In 2009, thousands flocked to Rathkeale in west Limerick to worship at a tree stump in the shape of Our Lady. Dec 1, 2016, 2 PM Mail from western forts in the 19th century, such as this scarce 1848 folded letter from Fort Childs (in present day Nebraska), was normally carried outside the postal system until it reached a post office, often the one at Fort Leavenworth, Mo. (now Kans This otherwise unassuming cover contains a four-page letter sent in 1850 by Maria Chamberlain, one of the earliest missionaries in Hawaii, to her sister in Pennsylvania. The postmark indicates that the cover entered the U.S. mail in San Francisco. By Labron Harris You cant tell a book by its cover. This is an adage I grew up with. Paraphrased it also applies to postal history. You cant tell the interest of a cover until you read the contents of the cover. Many covers that appear ordinary on the outside contain enclosures that are significant to the overall value of the cover. Connect with Linns Stamp News: Sign up for our newsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter I can think of four reasons contents enhance a cover: first, if the inside letter was written by an important person, such as a signer of the Declaration of Independence or a president; second, if the letter has historical importance; third, if the contents are decorative, such as a patriotic letter sheet or an ornate letter head; and fourth, if the letter originated from somewhere other than where the postmark would indicate and was carried outside the mail to a post office. In this months column, I am discussing two covers that were carried outside the mail at some point during their journey. In 1820, the first missionaries arrived in Hawaii to preach to the natives. On April 23, 1823, the second shipload of missionaries arrived with Levi Chamberlain on board. The third ship arrived on March 30, 1828. On board was Maria Patron, who married Levi Chamberlain later that year. They subsequently had eight children and ministered to the Hawaiians during their marriage. In 1849, Levi died after a long illness. Shown nearby is a cover that contains a four-page letter datelined Honolulu, April 20, 1850, which Maria wrote to her sister in Pennsylvania talking about her husbands death. At this time, there was no Hawaiian post office; it opened in the fall of 1850. Before that, the mail from Hawaii was carried by ship usually to the northeast United States, where it entered the mail and was carried to its destination. On Feb. 28,1848, William Van Voorhies arrived in San Francisco to set up the United States postal services in the new California Territory. After this was accomplished, mail from Hawaii could be carried to San Francisco and enter the mail there. The cover from Maria shown here was then carried by a ship to San Francisco where it entered the mail and received a SAN FRANCISCO/1/JUNE/40 postmark, indicating payment the 40 transcontinental rate. It was then sent on to Pennsylvania. In 1804, Lewis and Clark began their exploration of the newly acquired lands of the Louisiana Purchase. They started their expedition at St. Louis and proceeded up the Missouri River, then the Platte River, then across the Rocky Mountains finally arriving at Astoria, Ore., on the Pacific Coast. This historic adventure was aided by the Indians along the way who provided valuable assistance by showing and guiding them through the passages necessary to reach the ocean. By and large the Indian tribes were friendly and extremely helpful. The awareness of an enormous area to be settled and developed soon encouraged settlers to move west to improve their lives. This movement of people became a flood as wagon trains began moving across the Great Plains in large numbers with no respect for the original inhabitants of the area, the Indians. The settlers would violate sacred areas, displace villages and at times massacre populations. The Indians retaliated, and it became dangerous to cross these areas. The Army was sent to protect the settlers during their travels, and many forts were created along the route. One of the most important forts was Fort Kearny, near the Platte River in present day Nebraska. It was originally garrisoned in 1848 as Fort Childs, named after Thomas Childs, a colonel in the Mexican-American war. The name was changed in late 1848 to Fort Kearny, named after Col. Stephen Kearny who had made expeditions in the area for the War Department. Mail from western forts was normally carried outside the postal system until it reached a post office, often the one at Fort Leavenworth, Mo. (now Kansas). Illustrated here is a cover datelined Fort Childs Dec. 30, 1848 (it was still being called Fort Childs, probably because the directive to change the name hadnt arrived ), from the commander of the Fort, Capt. C.F. Ruff, asking for a settlement of financial affairs for one of his soldiers, Pvt. John Morris. The cover was carried to Fort Leavenworth, postmarked March (date illegible), 1849, rated for postage with a manuscript 10[] (due), and sent to Ohio. Any cover from Fort Childs is scarce. These are two examples of important postal history items that were not apparent from the outer wrappers. I hope you will read the contents of any old mail that comes your way in the future. You never know what you might find inside. May 3, 2021, 7 PM The Wells Fargo and Co. 1883-88 blue U.S. Routes newspaper stamp (Scott 143LP9) is a good buy at the 2017 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers values of $3.50 in unused condition and $5 in used condition. By Henry Gitner and Rick Miller Wells Fargo and Co. was founded March 18, 1852, in New York City. In July of that year, it opened offices in California. Headquartered in San Francisco and acquiring and absorbing other companies, it quickly became the dominant express company in the western United States. Eventually banking became its most important service, and today it is the worlds second largest bank by market capitalization and the third largest bank in the United States by asset value. Wells Fargo and Co. began issuing stamps for prepayment of express delivery charges in 1861. The companys Pony Express stamps are among the most famous and eye-catching U.S. local post stamps. Less well known, but equally collectible are the companys newspaper stamps. The nondenominated stamps prepaid shipment of single newspapers over Wells Fargos established routes. Connect with Linns Stamp News: Sign up for our newsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Many of the newspaper stamps are pricey, but some are quite affordable, especially in unused condition. Look for the 1883-1888 blue U.S. Routes newspaper stamp (Scott 143LP9). The 2017 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers values the stamp at just $3.50 in unused condition and just $5 in used condition. It is an excellent buy at those prices. Dec 2, 2016, 12 PM In 1917, Swiss postal authorities invited 10 prominent artists to submit designs for stamps to mark the end of World War I. The three Peace designs judged best were issued as stamps on Aug. 1, 1919. In 1917, Swiss postal authorities invited 10 prominent a In 1923, the Swiss PTT took note of gifted artist Karl Bickel and commissioned him to design some of that nations first airmail stamps, including this 15-centime brown-red and apple green Aircraft stamp. Karl Bickel designed both the 3-franc Peace and 60-centime William Tell stamps that frank this 1945 registered airmail cover sent from the Venezuelan legation in Bern, Switzerland, back to Caracas. Though the two stamp designs may seem contradictory, it w Karl Bickel, whose name appears before the lower frameline, designed the three top denominations of the 1945 Peace set. Here is the black proof of an early essay for the 3-franc stamp along with an imperforate essay in red approaching the issued design. T Issued in May 1945, panes of the 5-centime to 2-franc Peace stamps have labels in the selvage alternating in Switzerlands official languages noting that the stamps were only good for 12 months after the armistice took place. The 2fr stamp is shown with t Aldo Patocchi of Lugano designed the middle denominations in the 1945 Peace set, displaying symbols of peace in the left foreground superimposed on photographic backgrounds. The symbols include an olive branch, key to the door of peace, horn of plenty, an An imperf essay in black proof form of the 10-franc high value of the Peace set at first appears to show an elderly woman with her head flipped from the finished design in rose violet, but in fact the shading of her neck is distinctively different in the The design process for the 5-franc stamp yielded an early imperf black proof showing the clasped hands of an elderly person, which also appears on the issued stamp printed in brown lake, and is part of the mosaic of the elderly woman installed by Bickel a Basel artist Niklaus Stoecklin designed the lower denominations in Switzerlands 1945 Peace set, 5-centime to 40c Numeral stamps in which the Latin Pax Hominibus Bonae Voluntatis (Peace, goodwill toward men) frames the stamp. At Paxmal, the peace monument built by Karl Bickel, walls flanking the entryway show man as he lives at left, and as he reaches his spiritual destiny at night. The elderly couple inside the foyer are clearly the same older couple pictured on Switzerland's By Fred Baumann Last month we met outstanding Swiss stamp engraver Karl Bickel and his beautiful Landscape definitives of 1936-48. In the course of preparing that article, I came across another Swiss stamp set in which Bickel had a vital role a set that seemed especially suited to this time of year when so many of us give thanks and pause to consider the value of human harmony and cooperation. Its also a great story, in a season that has so many of them. To begin, you need to know a bit more about Bickel, who was born in Zurich in 1886, lost his father when he was 4, and was raised by his mother, who later remarried. When he was 14, young Bickel apprenticed with a graphic-arts firm designing picture postcards. He swiftly rose to work as the technical head at a second firm, and by 1909 he held his first art exhibition in Zurich. Connect with Linns Stamp News: Sign up for our newsletter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Brilliant but restless, Bickel cared deeply about his craft. The greatest perquisite of his early success was three months he took each year to practice and study, especially the human form and the Alpine landscapes of his homeland. After opening his own commercial studio, which did a brisk business, he left it behind in 1912 on an extended visit to Italy, studying Michelangelo and learning to sculpt in marble. Early in 1913, he caught and barely survived tuberculosis, spending more than a year in northeastern Switzerland recuperating at a sanatorium in Walenstadtberg. Bickels near-death experience at age 27 made him more thoughtful and reflective about what was important in art and life. The coming of World War I focused him further still. Protected by its natural mountain fortress and a well-trained and disciplined citizen army, neutral Switzerland had a unique position in Europe. It was well aware of the war to end all wars that raged around its borders, but also able to contemplate its well-earned good fortune in not having to share in the carnage. The engaging story of the Swiss Landscapes definitive stamps: Fred Baumann dives deep into why these Swiss definitives are so special to world stamp collectors. Well before the fighting ended in November 1918, Swiss postal authorities had invited submissions from 10 prominent artists for stamps to commemorate the return of peace to Europe. Of these, essays by three were selected, and the stamps were issued Aug. 1, 1919 (Scott 190-192). The 7-centime denomination pictures opposing soldiers shaking hands with mutual respect on the last battlefield. The 10c stamp shows a female allegory of Peace extending the symbolic olive branch, while the 15c stamp pictures an exhausted combatant, head bandaged and sword shattered, reclining at the end of hostilities. The conflict had a galvanizing effect on Bickel as well. According to an excellent article by Adrien Keppel in the March 2016 Gibbons Stamp Monthly, it was during this period that Bickel created his vision of a community of labor, justice and peace and vowed that if he would manage to beat his illness, he would devote his life to his vision. Beginning after his mothers death in 1924, Bickel would invest much of his free time, wealth, and imagination for the next 25 years of his life building Paxmal, an intensely personal monument to that vision in the mountain splendor where he had regained his health. As for the Swiss PTT (postal, telegraph and telephone service), it had already taken notice of the gifted artist. In 1923, it commissioned him to design some of the nations first airmail stamps, including the 15c brown-red and apple green stamp (Scott 3). Bickels modernistic designs were criticized by those who preferred more conventional stamps, but the post office was impressed enough to offer Bickel much more work in years to come. Stamp design accounted for most of his income through the 1930s. World War II Peace Stamps When World War II ended in 1945, the Swiss PTT issued a much larger set of stamps to commemorate that historic event (Scott 293-305), but again utilized the services of three different artists. The theme was profoundly biblical, adapted from the story of the Nativity as told in the Gospel of Luke 2:14, in which the angels celebrating the birth of Jesus cry Pax Hominibus Bonae Voluntatis (Peace, good will toward men). Basel artist Niklaus Stoecklin was responsible for the lower denominations in the 1945 Peace set. These included 5c to 40c Numerals (Scott 293-297) in which the text frames the stamp, as well as a 5c+10c Red Cross semipostal sold at the same time (B145). The semipostal features a numeral design similar to that of the postage stamps, with the addition of a red cross in the upper left above the 5 and a +10 in red in the lower left. Scott does not regard this semipostal as part of the Peace issue. Aldo Patocchi of Lugano designed the middle values in the set. These larger stamps have the appearance of horizontally formatted commemoratives. Patocchis designs combine symbols of peace in the left foreground with backgrounds based on photographs by Hans Steiner. The symbols include an olive branch on the 50c (Scott 298), the key to the door of peace on the 60c (299), an overflowing horn of plenty on the 80c (300), a dove on the 1 franc (301), and a spade turning up Earth as flowers bloom on the 2fr (302). How postal history tells the story of the atomic bomb: The history of the atomic bomb began with Albert Einsteins Aug. 2, 1939, letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The stamps were issued in May 1945. An unusual aspect of them is that panes of the 5c to 2fr denominations have labels in the selvage alternating in Switzerlands official languages (German, Italian and French) noting that the stamps were only good for one year after the armistice took place. The 2fr stamp is shown nearby with the Italian inscription, Valevoli 1 anno / dallarmistizio (Valid 1 year / from the armistice). I have seen covers with these stamps used throughout May 1946, but not beyond, although Im sure some must exist. Karl Bickels Peace Designs Bickel designed the 3fr, 5fr, and 10fr high denominations of the 1945 Peace set, which differ from the rest. They are printed on yellow granite paper, with many colored silk fibers in the paper giving it a distinctive appearance. I do not know if their period of use differed from the lower denominations, but there were no instructional inscriptions in the selvage of these stamps. Nearby is the black proof of an early essay for the 3fr stamp along with an imperforate essay in red approaching the design of the issued stamp. The green, perforated stamp amid a field of crocuses is the issued commemorative (Scott 303). Bickels surname in capital letters is centered along the bottom margin in all three of his designs. An early, imperforate black proof of the 5fr design shows the clasped hands of an elderly person, which also appear on the issued stamp printed in brown lake (Scott 304). An imperf essay in black proof form of the 10fr high value of the set at first appears to show an elderly woman with her head flipped from the finished design in rose violet (Scott 305), but in fact the shading of her neck is distinctively different in the two portraits. A look at images from Bickels Paxmal monument in the mountains shows where he got much of his inspiration. Note the PAX inscription on the temple, and the mosaic portraits of the elderly couple cropped from the main alcove at the temple that seem to almost mirror the 10fr stamp. 9 Important Steps to Succesfully Soak Stamps: You can get a stamp collection going with just a few things most everyone can find around their home.Sign up for our free newsletter and we'll give you instant access to our exclusive Linn's Stamp News report. What impressed me about Bickels Peace stamps was the unusual imagery he employed, but I realized thats at least in part due to the unique perspective the Swiss would have had toward a global conflict in which they did not take part. Like many families on this continent, mine has had members who served in almost every conflict since the Civil War. Some did not come back, and I am named for one of them, killed two months before these stamps were issued. I think that Bickel had it right. Whats best about peace isnt swords beaten into plowshares or doves with olive branches. Whats best is the priceless gift most of my generation has received: The chance to grow up, mature and grow old with someone you love. Its what my uncle would have wanted, Im quite sure. Watching two world wars pass by your door can teach nations such a lesson. The 15-gram cover shown here is more postscript than postal history, sent by registered airmail Oct. 30, 1945, from the Venezuelan legation in Bern, Switzerland, to Caracas. It is franked with two of Bickels stamps, the 3fr Field of Crocus Peace stamp and a 60c definitive picturing William Tell, crossbow at the ready, with an arm raised as if to stop an assailant (Scott 271). Some people might regard the two stamps as contradictory, but Switzerland itself demonstrates that in fact they are not only complimentary, but instructive. Along with Bible verses, William Tell knew another Latin proverb, as did the 20th-century Swiss who successfully sealed their frontiers against European bloodshed, Si vis pacem, para bellum (If you want peace, prepare for war). Bickel engraved his last stamp in the 1960s, but lived to the ripe old age of 96. If you travel to Walenstadtberg, you can visit his museum nearby. In fact, if you time your arrival to meet the Swiss postal bus, it will take you to a curve in the road where a trying hike up more than 1,200 feet of mountain will deliver you to Paxmal, Bickels classic-style monument to peace and humanity. Youll also find a polished black stone there, engraved with German text that translates as follows, Paxmal was donated to the Swiss PTT by its creator Karl Bickel in the year 1966, and is under their protection. Which stamps, sets or series make you glad to be a collector? Which ones do you turn to first when you meet with other collectors, or have occupied your interest and fascination for years? If you have one or more candidates, please write to me in care of Linns Stamp News, or email me at fwtb53@gmail.com. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page. Nihonium is a radioactive, synthetic element about which little is known. It is classified as a metal and is expected to be solid at room temperature. The element, No. 113 on the Periodic Table of Elements, had previously been designated ununtrium, a placeholder name that means one-one-three in Latin. In November 2016, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) approved the name nihonium for element 113. Scientists with Japan's RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science proposed the element name nihonium, which is one way to say "Japan" in Japanese and means "the land of the rising sun," according to the IUPAC. Nihonium's atomic symbol is Nh. The IUPAC also approved names for elements 115 (moscovium, with atomic symbol Mc), 117 (tennessine, Ts) and 118 (oganesson, Og). Discovery Kosuke Morita and his colleagues created the elusive element on Aug. 12, 2012, after colliding zinc nuclei together in a thin layer of bismuth. Like other superheavy elements, after 113 was created, it quickly decayed, ultimately turning element 113 into 111, and then 109, 107, 105, 103 and finally into element 101, according to Morita. Nihonium has six isotopes with known half-lives. The most stable is 286Nh, with a half-life of about 20 seconds. The atomic weight for manmade transuranium elements is based on the longest-lived isotope. These atomic weights should be considered provisional since a new isotope with a longer half-life could be produced in the future. [See Periodic Table of the Elements] Just the facts Atomic Number: 113 Atomic Symbol: Nh Atomic Weight: [286] Melting Point: Unknown Boiling Point: Unknown Sources To produce nihonium, Element 115 now called moscovium must first be made. Atoms of americium (Element 95) are bombarded with ions of calcium (Element 20) in a cyclotron, which produces moscovium. Then, moscovium quickly alpha decays into nihonium. Uses of nihonium Only a few atoms of nihonium have ever been made, and they are only used in scientific study. Additional resources For women who have heard that drinking plenty of water can help prevent or treat a urinary tract infection, you may want to put down that extra glass: A woman in England ended up in the hospital after loading up on liquids to keep a UTI at bay, according to a new report of her case. The 59-year-old woman went to the emergency room in October 2015 to get antibiotics for a UTI, according to the report. After she received her antibiotics, she intended to go home and rest, but because she felt increasingly lightheaded and sick, her partner persuaded her to stay at the hospital. The woman developed trouble speaking and finding words, and became distracted, doctors wrote in the report of her case, published today (Dec. 1) in the journal BMJ Case Reports. Her partner told the doctors that she had drunk several liters of water that day, according to the report. [7 Foods You Can Overdose On] The patient herself commented in the report that she was no stranger to UTIs. "I have, since my 20s, had periods where cystitis [inflammation of the bladder] and related UTIs have flared up," she wrote. So when she woke up one Sunday morning and felt a "dull 'thumbprint' pressure" in her lower abdomen, she followed her usual protocol, which meant "(a) drink lots of water and (b) get to the doctor or [emergency room] quickly to get antibiotics," she wrote. The woman wrote that she recalled receiving advice to drink half a pint of water every half hour. But she drank even more, she wrote. "I am sure I exceeded the 'half-a-pint-every-half-hour' advice," she added. The woman wrote that after her partner persuaded her to stay at the hospital after receiving her antibiotics, it was "the end of any accurate memory [she had] of the day." Sodium: A balancing act When a person drinks too much water, he or she can develop a dangerous condition called hyponatremia, the doctors who treated the woman wrote in the report. Hyponatremia means that the levels of sodium, an important electrolyte, in a person's blood are too low. Normally, the salts in a person's blood "are in a very delicate balance with each other to keep the water in your body in the right areas," said Dr. Maryann Noronha, an emergency-medicine physician at the Royal London Hospital in England and the senior author of the report. Noronha and her colleague, Dr. Laura Lee, treated the patient. "If the amount of sodium in your blood falls, this makes [the blood] more dilute than other areas, meaning that water will be pulled out of your blood vessels into areas that are more concentrated as the body tries to balance things out again," Noronha told Live Science. "One of the areas most vulnerable to this is your brain, which can become swollen as water enters it in an effort to even out the sodium levels," Noronha added. This swelling can lead to symptoms such as confusion and speech problems, according to the report. The condition can be deadly if it develops quickly and is not treated, Noronha said. Noronha noted that she has seen many cases of hyponatremia in her 10 years of medical practice, so the condition was on her list of possible diagnoses for the woman. However, she also wanted to rule other dangerous conditions, such as a stroke, Noronha said. "Hyponatremia can be very non-specific in its symptoms and can mimic many other conditions. It can also accompany many other illnesses, so it can sometimes be difficult to spot," she added. [Here's a Giant List of the Strangest Medical Cases We've Covered] But if you know to test for low sodium levels, however, a simple blood test can spot the condition. Treating low sodium levels depends on what caused the condition in the first place, Noronha said. In the woman's case, for example, the cause was straightforward: the sodium levels had been diluted down by excess water, she said. If this is the cause, the main treatment is "often simply water restriction," she said. If the condition occurs "because there truly is not enough sodium in the body, then the treatment can get more complicated," Noronha added. The doctors treated the woman by restricting her water intake to 1 liter for 24 hours. Thirteen hours into the treatment, her sodium levels had increased to a normal level, and the woman was discharged later that day, according to the report. Indeed, the woman wrote that "something like 24 hours [after being admitted] I was bored, a sure sign I was on the mend!" She added that "it took about a week to feel 'normal' again" and was tired for at least another week after that. The doctors last spoke with the woman several months ago and "were pleased to find that she was fully recovered," Noronha said. Since treating the woman, Noronha said that she now tries to be a bit more specific when advising patients about how much water they should drink. "It is important to stay well-hydrated during any acute illness to balance the effects of a [fever] and the infection in the body," but this can be achieved by maintaining "normal fluid intake and [thinking] about drinking maybe half again on top of that," she said. Originally published on Live Science. The remains of the toolbox were found in what archaeologists think was a workshop in the Viking fortress at Borgring. This story was updated on Dec. 7 at 4:10 p.m. ET. A Viking toolbox found in Denmark has been opened for the first time in 1,000 years, revealing an extraordinary set of iron hand tools that may have been used to make Viking ships and houses, according to archaeologists. The tools were found this summer at a mysterious, ring-shaped fortress at Borgring, on the island of Zealand, as was first reported by ScienceNordic. The famed 10th-century Danish king Harald Bluetooth is thought to have ordered the construction of the fortress. So far, archaeologists have found at least 14 iron tools inside a single deposit of earth excavated from a gatehouse building of the fortress. The researchers said only traces remain of the wooden chest that once held the tools. [See Photos of the Viking Tools Found at the Danish Fortress] Iron was valuable in Viking-age Denmark, and the researchers think the tools once belonged to a craftsman who occupied a workroom in the gatehouse until it collapsed in the late 10th century. The archaeologists are still studying the heavily rusted objects, but they've already identified several sophisticated hand tools and other metal items, including a set of "spoon drills" that were used to make holes in timber; what looks like a pair of tweezers or small pliers; a "clink nail" used to fasten wooden planks together; four carefully crafted chain links attached to an iron ring; and a drawplate to make metal wires that may have been used in jewelry. Archaeologist Nanna Holm, a curator at the Danish Castle Center in Vordingborg who is leading the excavations of the ringed-shaped fort at Borgring, said this is the first time an entire set of tools has been discovered in a Viking workplace. "This is not an ordinary find," Holm told Live Science. "Not many tools are found in Scandinavia, but the others found before this have all been left for the gods, by being put down in a swamp." The newfound tools are special because they were found where the craftsman would have been working, she said. "That's why it's so exciting for us to see what's inside, because we can see what one man has used at this specific site," Holm added. Viking iron The cache of iron tools was first located by amateur archaeologists using a metal detector near the eastern gate of the buried fortress at Borgring. That discovery inspired Holm's archaeological team in August to excavate the eastern gatehouse, where they removed the deposit of earth containing all the tools in one piece a delicate process that took two days. The next step was to transport the lump of earth, rust and iron to a local hospital, where it was scanned with computed tomography (CT) equipment usually used by doctors to examine the internal organs of their patients. [Photos: 10th-Century Viking Tomb Unearthed in Denmark] The CT scans revealed the precise arrangement of at least 14 iron tools, which have since been excavated from the toolbox deposit for individual X-ray studies and preservation before they are put on display in an exhibition next year, Holm said. All of the tools are heavily corroded, but much of the original iron remains, and even more tools may be hidden in the rust, according to the researchers. "There are a minimum of 14 tools, but I think there are 16 now, from the new X-rays that we've already done," Holm said. The contents of the toolbox provide a rare glimpse of working life in the late Viking age, she said. "They can be used for different crafts," Holm said. "We have some spoon drills for making holes in wood, which could be used for building ships or for building houses." The iron drawplate has a series of small holes of different sizes that were used to make wires from softer metals, the researchers said. "You pulled the metal through each of the holes to make it smaller and smaller, and thinner and thinner," she explained. Bluetooth technology The toolbox is an important early find for the archaeologists, who will conduct further excavations at Borgring each summer for the next three years, Holm said. [Fierce Fighters: 7 Secrets of Viking Culture] The remains of houses and human graves have been found at other Viking ring forts, but the toolbox is the first direct evidence of human habitation at Borgring itself, she added. "So far, we haven't found any houses, but we now have proof that there were people here so hopefully, next year, we will find their houses," Holm said. Archaeologists think the ringed-shaped fort at Borgring and four others like it were built by the Danish king Harald Bluetooth around A.D. 980, as military outposts to enforce his rule as he introduced Christianity into Denmark and parts of Sweden and Norway. The origin of the king's curious surname is uncertain, but his success in uniting the unruly Viking clans into a single kingdom inspired the name of today's Bluetooth wireless technology, according to the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), which oversees development of the technology. Borgring has appeared on maps since the 1600s, but Holm said the site was only recently recognized as one of Bluetooth's network of Viking ring forts. "This is the first ring fort in 60 years that we'll be studying with all the new archeological methods, and today we can do so much more with science," she said. "It's pretty different work compared to what else we've done in Denmark, so this is something special. Hopefully, we will get a little bit closer to finding out what actually happened here and what the forts have been used for." Editor's Note: This story was updated to reflect that the findings were first reported by ScienceNordic. Original article on Live Science. A woman in England was rushed to an emergency room with life-threatening symptoms after she mistakenly used the leaves of a poisonous plant to make an herbal tea, according to a new report of her case. The 63-year-old woman recovered after receiving treatment, according to the report, which was published today (Dec. 1) in the journal BMJ Case Reports. The plant that the woman used to make the tea, called foxglove, contains potentially harmful compounds that act on proteins called ion channels in heart cells, and can cause a person's heart rate to slow down, said the lead author of the report, Dr. Mathew Kurian Vithayathil, a doctor at the Kings College Hospital in London, who treated the woman. [10 Amazing Facts About Your Heart] The woman came to the emergency department in April 2016, Vithayathil told Live Science. When she was admitted to the hospital, her symptoms included vomiting, irregular heartbeat and lightheadedness, according to the report. When the doctors examined the woman, they found that her heartbeat was slower than normal and her pulse was irregular. However, the woman had no history of heart problems and was not taking any medications. However, the woman told her doctors that, the night before, she had tried a new herbal remedy a tea made from the leaves of a plant named comfrey that her friend had recommended to help the woman treat her insomnia. The woman took her friend's advice and purchased a product at a local market that was labeled as comfrey leaves. She then mixed the leaves with hot water at home and drank the tea. But she developed the symptoms in just a few hours. Because the woman had not previously had heart problems, and she did not take medication, her doctors suspected that the herbal tea caused her symptoms. [27 Oddest Medical Cases] But when they looked up "comfrey" on the National Poisons Information Service (NPIS) website, they did not find any information about its potential toxicity. However, when the researchers extended their search to other web sources, they found that the comfrey plant resembled and was easy to confuse with the foxglove plant, which contains potentially toxic compounds that might have caused the symptoms that the woman experienced. When the doctors examined the woman's blood composition, they found increased levels of one such compound, called digoxin, in her blood. They treated the woman with an antidote for this compound and monitored her condition for the next five days until her heart rate went back to normal. After that, she went home. The new report shows that, although herbal remedies may seem harmless, they can also be potentially fatal, especially if they are sold or purchased by people who have limited knowledge of plants, the researchers said. Originally published on Live Science. This mummy hand, from the eighth century B.C., had been smuggled into the United States from Egypt. The blackened, cloth-wrapped hand arrived in a parcel at Los Angeles International Airport in January 2013. It was listed as a sci-fi movie prop, valued at $66. But as officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection learned, the hand was from a real Egyptian mummy, nearly 3,000 years old. The hand was apparently voluntarily forfeited by the importer, and this week, U.S. authorities repatriated it and four other illegally smuggled artifacts to Egypt as part of an ongoing investigation known as "Operation Mummy's Curse." "It's sort of amazing the things people will try and ship across international borders," archaeologist Fredrik Hiebert, a National Geographic fellow, said in a video statement. [See Photos of the Mummy Hand and Other Artifacts Returned to Egypt] In addition to the eighth-century-B.C. mummy hand, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, also returned intricately painted ancient sarcophagi in a ceremony at the Egyptian embassy in Washington, D.C., on Thursday (Dec. 1). "While we recognize that cultural property, art and antiquities are assigned a dollar value in the marketplace, the cultural and symbolic worth of these Egyptian treasures far surpasses any monetary value to the people of Egypt," ICE Director Sarah Saldana said during her remarks. ICE launched "Operation Mummy's Curse" in 2009 to bust a network of antiquities smugglers bringing illicit artifacts from other countries into the United States. Saldana said her agency has made four arrests and two convictions in this investigation. The operation has also recovered about 7,000 artifacts, not just from Egypt, but also from Greece, India and Iraq. ICE has already returned many of those cultural objects in past repatriation ceremonies. In March 2015, for example, ICE returned artifacts to Iraqi officials, including an ancient Sumerian ax that was being sold on Craigslist in 2012 as well as a gold-plated soap dish from Saddam Hussein's palace that turned up in Connecticut. In April 2015, ICE handed over dozens of other artifacts to Egypt, including a nesting sarcophagus the agency recovered from a garage in Brooklyn, New York. Though international treaties and Egyptian laws protect Egyptian artifacts, a black market for antiquities thrives. Using satellite data, researchers have documented an uptick in illegal excavations across archaeological sites in Egypt over the last decade. Smugglers using forged papers can bring looted material into the U.S. under the guise of a robust legal antiquities market. Census Bureau documents show that about $26 million worth of artifacts were exported from Egypt to the United States just during the first five months of 2016. But that could change. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry signed an agreement with Egypt on Tuesday (Nov. 29) that imposes tougher import restrictions on Egyptian archaeological material that dates from 5200 B.C. to A.D. 1517. Original article on Live Science. Tornados are behaving strangely: The number of tornado outbreaks per year is fairly constant, but the number of tornados per outbreak has skyrocketed. And scientists aren't entirely sure why. In an effort to learn more, researchers looked at meteorological factors related to tornado outbreaks, and then dug into the data to see whether these factors had changed over time, said study lead researcher Michael Tippett, an associate professor of applied physics and applied mathematics at Columbia University. The analyses did yield a result, but an unexpected one, Tippett said. [The Top 5 Deadliest Tornado Years in US History] "The meteorological factors that are related with tornado outbreaks have also become more extreme," Tippett told Live Science in an email. "The surprising finding was that the change in meteorological factors did not have the expected signature of climate change." That's not to say that climate change isn't involved, he said, but it does leave two possibilities: "Either the recent increases are not due to a warming climate, or a warming climate has implications for tornado activity that we don't understand," Tippett said in a statement. Windy research Tippett said he became interested in tornadoes in the spring of 2011, when multiple deadly twister outbreaks struck the U.S. That includes the multivortex tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri, killing 158 people and injuring more than 1,000. "The public was asking what caused these record-breaking outbreaks, and scientists didn't have an answer," Tippett said. This graph shows how tornado outbreaks with an extreme number of twisters have increased over time. (Image credit: Michael Tippett Columbia Engineering) In the following years, Tippett and other scientists published studies on tornado clusters, a sequence of six or more tornadoes that happen within several days of one another. In the new study, Tippett and his colleagues found that the number oftwisters in the most extreme outbreaks has increased over the years, making these clusters more dangerous than in the past, he said. For instance, between 1965 and 2015, over five-year periods, the estimated number of tornadoes in the most extreme outbreaks (clusters with 12 or more tornados) roughly doubled, from 40 in 1965 to almost 80 in 2015, he said. Climate connection? To see whether this mysterious increase was connected to climate change, Tippett and his colleagues looked at two data sets from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), one that included tornado reports and another with observation-based estimates of meteorological factors associated with tornado outbreaks, he said. They were particularly interested in a factor called "convective available potential energy" (CAPE), the amount of energy available for convection in which hot, less dense material rises, and cold, dense material sinks. CAPE is related to the vertical wind speed, meaning that higher CAPE values indicate that severe weather will be more extreme, according to WeatherOnline. As the climate warms, CAPE is expected to increase, past studies have suggested, the researchers wrote in the study. However, CAPE has stayed fairly steady. Instead, "we see trends in the winds," Tippett said. The wind metric he looked at, called storm relative helicity (SRH), is a measure of corkscrew-like upward winds, something that was not expected to increase with climate change, he said. [Tornado Chasers: See Spinning Storms Up-Close (Photos)] The finding is unexpected but important, said Harold Brooks, a senior scientist at NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory, who was not involved with the study. "The fact that they can explain the tornado changes by storm relative helicity changes is, in one aspect, not surprising (it's a much better predictor of whether a storm will make a tornado than CAPE is)," Brooks wrote in an email to Live Science. "But, in another aspect, [the results are] difficult to explain. We don't really have a good conceptual model for why high SRH values should increase as the planet warms." Another viewpoint The study is "intriguing," but it has several limitations, said Victor Gensini an associate professor of meteorology at the College of DuPage in Illinois. For starters, the study includes tornados only from 1979 to the present, which is a "fairly short historical record," Gensini said in an email to Live Science. It's also possible that tornado reporting has gotten better over time, and that earlier records left out some tornadoes, he said. In addition, past studies have shown an increase in the variability of the U.S. tornado season, and climate models suggest that future severe weather will become more variable, Gensini said. But, in general, "there are better environmental metrics to examine tornado environments that the authors failed to use here," he said. "This is just one study, and people shouldn't hang their hat on one study." The study was published online Dec. 1 in the journal Science. Original article on Live Science. Construction to begin in Q1 2017 on $3.3bn major commercial maritime facility near Algiers, with container handling capacity of 6.5 million teu Algerias Transport minister Boudjemaa Talai has unveiled plans for a new container port and the development of an international airport dedicated to cargo in Tamanrasset in southern Algeria that it is claimed could serve as a hub for sub-Saharan Africa. The airport, which already handles civil and military air traffic, is equipped with two runways ranging from 3,100 to 3,600 metres in length. The minister provided few details on the project but said a study paper would be published in January next year. He also drew attention to the creation of a large commercial port situated in El Hamdania, near the city of Cherchell, about 80km west of the Algerian capital, which economic analysts Oxford Business Group say could emerge as a new hub for Chinese-origin maritime traffic in the western Mediterranean. Work on the port, which will attract investment of US$3.3 billion, will commence in the first quarter of next year. Construction is scheduled to take four years to complete and will be carried out by China State Construction Corporation (CSCEC) and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), which will also manage the new maritime gateway via an Algerian-registered company in which it will have a 49% stake. Provision is made for the new port to have an annual container handling capacity of 6.5 million teu. Image: Shutterstock.com Grass cutting and slurry equipment manufacturer Major Equipment Intl Ltd, is hosting an Open Day on Saturday, December 3 from 2pm until 5.30pm at its factory on the Charlestown Road in Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo. This event is being organised for applicants of the TAMS II scheme or anyone considering upgrading their slurry handling operations or grass mowing equipment. Applications for the scheme have been submitted already, but many farmers and contractors are expressing uncertainty about what system is most suitable for their circumstances. The Low Emission Slurry Spreading scheme under TAMS is encouraging a move towards a more environmentally sound method of slurry application, explained Martin Walsh from Major Equipment. However we are getting a lot of enquiries from our customers who are unsure what system to choose, he said. The businessman said that while there were plenty of manufacturers of slurry application equipment to choose from, the options available can be bewildering, with some products not suitable or appropriate for Irish conditions. Representatives from Micro Hydraulics Ltd, Vogelsang Injection Systems and First Citizen Agri Finance will also be there on the day to offer advice and answer any queries people may have. Major will also be showcasing a range of grass toppers including their Cyclone Mower. There will be refreshments available on the day and anyone considering moving to a trailing shoe or dribble bar system is urged to attend. For more information call Major Equipment Intl Ltd on 094 9630572 or visit www.major-equipment.com. Israelis voted on Tuesday for an unprecedented fifth time in four years to break the political impasse that has paralysed the country. Donald Trump hasn't even taken office yet and he's already fulfilled a campaign promise. This week, he struck a deal to save 1,000 jobs at a Carrier air-conditioner factory in Indianapolis. This factory became a campaign issue when a leaked video showed management announcing that the plant would close and move to Mexico, with 1,400 unionized American workers losing their jobs. The deal gives a glimpse of Trump's potential governing stylea style shaped by his professional background as a New York City real-estate developer. While President Trump may be able to push individual infrastructure projects over the finish line through force of will, our national infrastructure-building strategy requires substantial reform. Trump thinks big and is a master of complex deal-making. He has a project orientation, seeks to maximize his PR value, focuses on brand-building and increasing brand value, and boasts of his cost efficiency and operational excellence. Trump really did save that late, mismanaged, and over-budget Wollman Rink project in Central Park, finishing in mere months a renovation that had dragged on for four years. He really did spend far less than both his primary opponents and Hillary Clinton during the election. And now he really has cut a deal to save Carrier. Trump buildings are extremely well managed. Like it or not, he does a good job, the head of a real-estate brokerage told Crain's New York. The challenge for Trump is that this operational orientation translates imperfectly to the presidency. Trump may have run a large business empire, but it's small enougheven nowfor him personally to oversee deals and projects. The presidency isn't like that. There's no way he can govern effectively by involving himself in deals relating to individual factories or infrastructure projects. Abandoning this successful style will be a challenge for Trump. He'll need to be strategic about which deals he chooses to oversee himself as president. The Carrier agreement was high-visibility and it fulfilled a campaign promise, making it a perfect example of the kind of deal Trump should involve himself in. Because Carrier's parent company is a large defense contractor, Trump had leverage. His running mate, Mike Pence, is still governor of Indiana, and thus had a governor's economic-development tools to work with. Above all, the Carrier deal sends a powerful message to corporate America: There's a new sheriff in town. Still, it can't be the norm. Instead, Trump needs to think bigger, focusing on transformative agreementsrenegotiating unfavorable trade deals, getting legislation through Congress, adjusting relations with foreign governmentsthat affect the larger economy. Trump should also apply his brand-building skill to the American economy. Brand USA needs to encompass more than just post-industrial services like tech and finance. How can Trump make the United States an aspirational brand for middle-class employers? Branding is critical. It's not just about the product. Marketing matters, too, and Trump is a master marketer. He built his business empire as a luxury brand, then demonstrated his prowess by running a successful political campaign with a working-class brand. Trump knows that the United States badly needs a brand lift, and this may be the first time that the country has had a brand builder as president. There are real opportunities here. Infrastructure should also have great appeal to Trump. He already understands the value of physical structures like Trump Tower to his personal and business brand. The Wollman Rink project formed a key part of his legend. Publicly financed buildings and structures often have a plaque attached with the names of all the elected and appointed officials involved in their construction. There are still buildings with WPA markers on them, for example. A vast number of public works projects in America with Donald J. Trump, President of the United States on them would give him a legacy etched in concrete and steel. Again, Trump needs to be strategic. He can't treat infrastructure like a bunch of Wollman Rink projects. He should pick a few high-profile and high-visibility projects to push through as personal priorities. The Gateway Tunnel beneath the Hudson River and the water-system rebuild in Flint, Michigan, come immediately to mind. Beyond that, he needs to crack the code on America's dysfunctional infrastructure system, which too often chooses the wrong projects to build or repair, and thenas with Wollman Rinkweighs them down with vast delays and inflated costs. The good news is that we still know how to build things quickly. After the I-35 bridge collapsed in Minneapolis, its replacement opened 18 months later. That should be the model for all replacement and maintenance projects. While President Trump may be able to push individual infrastructure projects over the finish line through force of will, our national infrastructure-building strategy requires substantial reform. The notion of systems change is not a part of his developer's DNA. He will need to adjust. Unfortunately, Trump's choice of Elaine Chao for Transportation secretary doesn't suggest that he has reform in mind. In short, Trump's background is a good but uneven fit for the Oval Office. Though his Carrier deal can be justly celebrated, Trump can't allow himself to get so distracted by ribbon-cutting and deal making that he starts acting like a governor or mayor instead of the president of the United States. This piece originally appeared on Crain's Chicago Business, adapted from City Journal ______________________ Aaron M. Renn is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and contributing editor at City Journal. Follow him on Twitter here. Adventures in Castros Cuba Dear Paraders, Some years ago my then girlfriend, now wife, Deirdre and I set off to search Planet Earth for our personal paradise. Cuba was one of the places we seriously considered. My logic at the timeand this would be about 1995was that Castros regime couldnt last. And that once his heavy grip on the throat of the economy was released, the countrys natural charms and resources, sited as they are just 90 miles off the coast of Florida, would assure an entrepreneurially-minded individual (me) a solid chance of profiting. My plans were a bit more specific than that. I would spend the years between my arrival and Castros departure creating and successfully branding a micro-brewery as making the best beer in Cuba. You know, the sort of boutique brewery operation now dominating the upscale suds market in the US. For marketing purposes, I planned to launch a line of Cuban-themed beers, for example a dark sugar cane beer. I even had a jingle that came to me in my sleep and that I leapt out of bed to videotape in the middle of night. If you watched it (and it still exists), youd think I was demented. But thats how entrepreneurial dreams manifest. Driven by the dream, I took two extended trips to Cuba at a time when it was very much verboten for an American to travel there. For that reason, on arrival in Havana from Montreal, I asked the border officer if he would mind not stamping my passport. With a knowing wink and a Bienvenidos a Cuba, he slid my passport back across the counter and waved me on. And with that, I pushed my way through the tangled crowd blocking the egress from the terminalCubans arent big on order or personal spaceand out into the heat and squalor of Havana and into a country frozen in the 1950s. (For the music lovers among you, Im currently listening to It Was Always You by Maroon 5, a group with a surprisingly deep catalogue.) Adventures in Castros Cuba On the first of my two trips, a Canadian friend of mine with business interests in Cuba kindly helped arrange appointments with government apparatchiks at a high enough level to make something happen. He also introduced me to Carlos Charlie Figueroa, a hero of the Cuban Revolution. Charlie was at the helm of the first of Castros captured tanks to enter Havana, essentially announcing the revolutionaries had prevailed. You can still see his tank at the University of Havana where it remains as a monument to this day. Over the course of my two trips, Charlie and I spent a lot of time together and became friends. As a reward for his efforts on behalf of the revolution, Fidel gave Charlie a sprawling house and property abutting the Canadian embassy. I dont know whose house it was before being appropriated by Castro, but even back at the time of our visit, it would have easily sold for a million dollars. Charlie was possessed of great passions, none of which had anything to do with advancing the cause of the international proletariat. My undying memory of the man is me bouncing around the potholed streets of Havana in the copilot seat of his ancient Lada as he drove with his knees. That allowed him to lean out of the window, a cigar in one hand and a cigarette in the other, making whooping sounds and unmistakably obscene gestures at every black prostitute we passed. And there were a lot of black prostitutes. More than a few waved back and shouted out his name as we bumped by. In any event, Charlie became my personal guide and one of several keys I used to open doors in Castros bureaucracy in the quest for the permissions needed to launch my micro-brewery. I could regale you with many stories about that first trip, but suffice it to say that after a couple of weeks on the ground, and having met and spent a lot of time with a number of Cubans, I concluded the dream might be feasible. With one small exception. At the time, and likely to this day, it was literally impossible for a foreign male to walk more than two minutes in any direction without someone pestering you to buy a box of stolen Cohiba cigars or rent a woman. To provide you with a sense of just how persistent was the pandering, I will relate an incident that occurred when taking a swim off the beach in Varadero. Out of seemingly nowhere, a young mermaid popped out of the water in front of me, bathing suit top askew, to make her pitch up close and personal. That I was well offshore at the time was a testament to her ability to swim long distances underwater. Thanks to my puritanical roots, I declined. In any event, I concluded that, in addition to knowing the right people, the secret to doing business in Cuba was to come properly prepared to ward off the constant solicitations. So I returned to the US and not very much later came back with Deirdre. Upon returning, the first thing I did was to buy a box of contraband cigars. And thus armed, off we set. Senor, I have a very special box of Coh Spotting the box of cigars tucked under my arm worked like magic in stopping the cigar hawkers mid-pitch. And Deirdre on the other arm was an equally effective talisman against the pimps and prostitutes as we sallied forth on our mission to conquer Cuba (or at least a corner of the beer industry). Behind the Curtain On our return, I immediately reconnected with Charlie as well other people I had come to know on my first trip. These included various foreigners with business interests in Havana, as well as locals I had become friendly with, including the twenty-something girlfriend of a late forty-something Canadian journalist then living on a sailboat moored in the Marina Hemingway. On my first trip, several of my Cuban acquaintancesexcept Charlie, who couldnt be botheredwere openly complimentary about the successes of the Cuban government. Each was able to rattle off factoids such as that the country boasted the highest number of physicians and engineers per capita in the world. Interestingly, when we returned to Cuba, having built up some level of mutual trust, the tenor of the conversation took a 180-degree turn. For example, the engineering student and companion to the Canadian journalist pulled me into the cabin of his sailboat and whispered angrily that everything she had said the last time I was in Havana was a lie. That rather than creating a proletarian paradise, Cubas government was a corrupt and brutal dictatorship and all the progress she had touted was a sham. The people had no money, no food, no freedom, no future, no medicine, and no real healthcare. Furthermore, most of the doctors and engineers graduated with little and maybe no knowledge of the professions designated on their Potemkin diplomas. As part of her emotional outburst, she also told me that her decision to be the Canadians companion was not based on her feelings for the man, but solely out of the necessity of providing food for her family. To say it was an uncomfortable and eye-opening conversation would be an understatement, and it was just the first of many I had over the course of our second visit. The most memorable one came as a consequence of accepting a dinner invitation from a stranger who lived in the Malecon, the large slum located just off Havanas seawall. We had met Jose on the street the day before, when he asked us if we could use a guide. As we could, we agreed on the terms, and off we went. Wandering around the city, the three of us chatted away. We provided Jose with insights into the lives and attitudes of Americans, and he responded with guarded comments on life under Castro. Understandable, given that at the time (and to this day), saying the wrong thing in Cuba could result in a prison term. Or worse. After about three hours of genuinely enjoying each others company, the day came to an end, and Jose somewhat hesitantly extended an invitation for us to join him and his family for dinner the next evening. In the Malecon. Never hesitant about saddling for a new adventure, we accepted the invitation. An act of great naivete, to be sure. That we actually showed up the next night at the agreed-upon rendezvous point, a small hotel on the edge of the Malecon, was sheer folly a thought that came to mind as we followed the weak beam of Joses flashlight through the Malecons warren of broken buildings and littered streets, cloaked in almost complete darkness due to the lack of electricity. People use the word dystopian rather freely these days. However, as an aficionado of video games, which occasionally include post-apocalyptic settings, I can assure you that dystopian is nearly the perfect word to use in describing the Malecon. Dystopian: an imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one. After about 10 minutes, we arrived at our destination. As it turned out, we had read Jose right, and he was sincere and not one of the legions of criminals living in the Malecon. As a consequence, instead of a gang of thugs lying in wait for us as we walked through a hole in the wall of the building where he and his family lived, our eyes were greeted with a surrealistic sight. Virtually all of the five or six stories in the building had collapsed of age and poor construction, perhaps helped along by a hurricane. The result was a jagged atrium, the ground floor strewn with broken concrete and other rubble from the collapsed floors. The stairs to his familys third-story apartment clung tenuously to the wallno railing, just crumbling cement stairs attached to the shell of the structure. From where we stood at the entrance, we could see a faint light cast by a light bulb powered by a small generator that illuminated the familys apartment on the third floor, the only one still occupied in the destroyed husk of the building. What was left of their apartment was separated from the gaping wound of the atrium only by a ragged half-wall. After climbing up to the apartment, Jose introduced us to his family. At first, the conversation was quite awkwardJoses bringing two gringos to dinner was an oddity to his family, as was our accepting his invitation in the first place. None of them had ever talked to a gringo before, and it was clear they were wondering what the hell we were doing in the Malecon, let alone joining them for dinner in their hovel. Our meal consisted of stewed beans washed down with a weak juice served in cups made by tearing Coca-Cola cans in half. Joses father joined us after about an hour, crawling through a hole in the roof of a closet. It led to a secret hidey-hole he had built on the floor above where he kept an illegal radio that allowed him to listen to Radio Free America. As the evening wore on and the level of trust rose, the family confirmed the stories we were now hearing regularly. Of the extreme poverty and suffering of everyone except Castros elites and functionaries. Of life in a police state, with watchers everywhere ready to turn in their neighbors for a reward for anti-state behavior. Now I more fully appreciated why our presence was making Joses mother so anxious. The evening took a further unexpected turn after dinner when Jose led us through the dark streets to a local bar. Some clever fellow had rented the roof of one of the decaying buildings and set up a small cane and palm frond structure. That was the bar. All he had on offer was watery beer and workers rumtrue rotgut, but at something like 10 cents a glass cheap enough to allow the proles to periodically drink away their worries. To gain admission, Jose yelled up to the bar owner, who leaned over the edge and dropped the front door key to us, three stories below. We stayed a couple of hours at the bar, which overlooked the sea of ruins in the blacked-out slum, sipping on rum just one cut above grain alcohol. In addition to Jose, we were joined by a group of pobres and enjoyed a lively discussion about politics, peppering each other with questions about life in our respective countries. In the wee hours, Jose led us back to the edge of the Malecon, and we said our goodbyes. The last words he spoke to us were to the effect of, You were very foolish to have accepted my invitation. Never do anything like that again. I Get My Brewery! In between sightseeing and ultimately apartment hunting, Charlie and I dashed all over Havana in his Lada to meetings with government officials, occasionally joined by executives from my well-connected Canadian friend to add gravitas to the conversation. In each meeting, I would carefully lay out my plans for creating a new beer line, to join the two then-dominant brands, Hatuey and Cristal. The apparatchiks would ask questions, then insist that there was another bureaucrat I needed to see and get permission from, and off wed go. I lost count of the number of meetings we had, but ultimately, near the end of my second trip, we made it through the maze to the decision maker and, to my great shock, got the green light to proceed. With terms. Of course, but what terms? I wondered out loud. I will explain, but we must drive somewhere first, one of the group replied. And with that, Deirdre and I and probably eight more people hopped into trucks and headed out of town, into the scruffy jungle on the outskirts of Havana. In due course, we left the (badly) paved road and began following a dirt track into the jungle. I forget how long we drove, but ultimately the caravan came to a halt and we climbed out into the stifling heat. There it is! one of the Cuban officials stated, pointing his finger. Following the direction of his arm, I could make out the twisted, rusted metal frame of what had clearly once been a large industrial operation, complete with broken conveyors wending their way up probably four stories. What is it? I asked, feeling no longer in Kansas anymore. Your brewery! the Cuban replied with a smile, setting off a round of smiling and head-nodding among his comrades. I wont linger on the events that followed, but once the proverbial dust had settled, it turned out that the terms for getting permission to launch my brewery included refurbishing the abandoned Hatuey beer factory and rehiring the 500 employees who had lost their jobs after the place collapsed from disrepair. Keep in mind, I had explained in great deal to everyone assembled, and all the apparatchiks we had worked our way through to get to this point, that I needed no more than probably six workers to get my micro-brewery up and running, and then wed see how it went from there. They werent done with the terms. In addition to refurbishing the bombed-out hulk of a factory the great state of Cuba was so generously contributing to my cause, I was to pay my 500 new employees US$500 a piece, per month. So, US$250,000 a month. Carlos, can you explain to them what micro means? In response, Carlos leaned into my ear to whisper, Heres how it works. You pay them US$500 a month per worker, and they pay the workers 500 pesos. They keep the difference. As I recall it, 500 Cuban pesos at the time might have been worth something like US$15. The negotiations continued for another day, by which time it became clear that unless I made it financially worthwhile to each of the comrades in the chain of commandincluding Castros clique sitting like ticks at the top of the heapthere was no deal to be made. At this point, we had already found a nice apartment and so pondered staying on and trying to find a way through the wall of bureaucracy. In the end, we concluded we didnt want to have a bunch of corrupt comrades as business partnersthe sure outcome, no matter how things turned outand decided to move on. In addition, we realized that having more money in our pockets than the average Cuban made in a month, or maybe six months, meant wed always be targets. And so it was that, with some sadness, we checked out of the grand old Hotel Nacional de Cuba and headed to the airport to fight our way through the mob and on to greener pastures. Post-Mortem Since Fidels departed this world last week, there has been much ink spent on eulogizing him. Remarkably, a number of political and social leaders have bemoaned his passing. Just a couple of examples will suffice. "Fidel Castro was a symbol of the struggle for justice in the shadow of empire. Presente!" Jill Stein, head of the Green Party (As Stein uses the word Presente, its pretty much the equivalent of clicking her heels together and snapping a crisp salute in the direction of Fidels corpse.) Rosalyn and I share our sympathies with the Castro family and the Cuban people on the death of Fidel Castro. We remember fondly our visits with him in Cuba and his love of his country. Jimmy Carter In many ways, after 1959, the oppressed the world over joined Castro's cause of fighting for freedom & liberationhe changed the world. RIP. Jesse Jackson With the death of Fidel Castro, the world has lost a man who was a hero for many. He changed the course of his country and his influence reached far beyond. EU Chief Jean-Claude Juncker Its mind-numbing to me that these people so clearly fail to understand the nature of the man and his revolution. I can only assume it is because they have been blinded by their allegiance to socialist ideals. Why let institutionalized murder camps and the subjugation of essentially all human rights for over 50 years get in the way of an uplifting narrative of the little people coming together in a common purpose? If they and others of the philosophical ilk bothered to take even a little peek over the rims of their fashionable half-glasses, they would find that Castro was just another power-mad tin-pot dictator, albeit one with notable skills at manipulating the useful idiots of the Western press. The US blockade made his great ruse easier. When we were there, it was clear that any number of countries were trading with Cuba, including Canada, Spain, and the UK. Yet, as with all centrally controlled economies, which are invariably weighed down by corruption, the lack of the free flow of goods and services ensured that what little wealth was generated never dripped down to the common folk. Adroitly using the US blockade to his political advantage, Castro had a big billboard planted on the seawall next to the Malecon with a cartoon of Fidel pointing at a disreputable-looking Uncle Sam. The cartoon-Fidel was admonishing Uncle Sam with words to the effect of America, stop the blockade and let our people live! Utter bullshit. But effective in that Castro could, and did, blame the economic hardship caused by his kleptomania and idiotic policies on the US embargo. On top of the economic hardships he foisted upon his beloved fellow citizens, there was also the brute force of a dictator unchecked by any sense of morality or compassion. For an accurate portrayal of lifeand deathunder Castro, take a moment to read this article on the laundry list of his murderous policies. I feel very fortunate for the time I spent in Cuba, for the people I met, and for having been able to observe life in a country run by communists. Based on that experience, I have concluded the word communist is a term with zero meaning. Thats because, as confirmed time and again by history, once the comrades take charge, they show no concern for the proletariat. Instead, they use the ideal of a society where everyone participates from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs as easy cover for looting the landed gentry, professional and entrepreneurial classes, all for their personal gains. Try to stand up to them and, again claiming to be operating on behalf of the common people, the ruling cadre will first crush your spirit and then your bones. The useful idiots in the US media have made much of Trumps insensitive comments upon hearing Fidel was headed to hell (one hopes). His comments included: "Fidel Castro's legacy is one of firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty, and the denial of fundamental human rights." Based on my direct experience, that sounds entirely accurate. Good riddance. Snippets I wonder where Charlie is? I said to his beautiful wife near the end of dinner at an underground restaurant in Havana where we were marking the end of the first of my two trips to Cuba. Charlie had excused himself from the table shortly after the main course and, 20 minutes on, had not reappeared. Oh, my Charlie! she replied with a laugh and a casual wave of the hand. Hes probably off with those black prostitutes again. He LOVES the black prostitutes! My face reddening, Im sure, I stammered a gentlemanly reply. Oh, no. Im sure he wouldnt be doing anything like that! Its of no consequence, she said with a dismissive flip of the hand. Then she leaned forward and innocently inquired, Have you been with a Cuban woman yet? Uh, no, actually, I answered truthfully, my face now surely beet red. Oh, but you must! she answered brightly. We are very, very good at sex! I remember reflecting at the time, and many times since, how very different the worlds cultures can be. **** You know, youre crazy, I said this morning to the back of Deirdres head as I wrote up these musings. And why would you say that? she asked, lifting her head from her daily Duolingo practice. You must be crazy, otherwise you would never have agreed to go to dinner in the Malecon that night. It seemed like it would be interesting, was her reply. But it could have gone so wrong. We might not only have gotten mugged, but you could have gotten raped or worse. Fortunately, we avoided all of that. Besides, it seemed a lot safer to me than that time in Barbados when we were surrounded by the gang on the empty beach. True, that was a close call. And yet, here we are. Here we are, indeed. The Blackest of Black Boxes This week a friend sent me an article from Bloomberg on the super-secretive Medallion Fund. Its worth a read. Entirely, or at least mostly, using proprietary quant models created by a group of top mathematicians and programmers, the fund has been able to churn out 30%-plus annualized returns for decades. Impressively, they do it entirely on short-term trading, with the models fine-tuned to pick valid trading signals out of the daily data hurricane of global financial markets. Heres a link to the article. So heres an investment tip. If you can get a place in the Medallion Fund, jump at the opportunity. Unfortunately, that is easier said than done, as the fund is now closed to all but employees. At Compelling Investments Quantified, the proprietary computer model we use to uncover compelling opportunities is nowhere near as sophisticated. And we avoid frenetic short-term trading in favor of long-term, deep-value plays. However, heres why you should find the Bloomberg article highly illuminating: it shows you the need to do something other than read a popular finance writer or consult a few charts before placing your hard-earned money into the markets. Failing to take advantage of the current generation of powerful computers and the sophisticated quantitative modeling adopted by leading investors is to show up to a gunfight with a rubber knife. We havent advertised it, but since launching the service, I have personally invested between $50,000 and $100,000 in every stock weve recommended. Thats how much confidence I have in our stock screening process and the deep-value picks our research uncovers. In addition, I think telling people what to do with their money, but not having the strength of conviction to make the same investment, is a bit cowardly. If you are tired of going it alone, dont even hesitate a moment to take us up on our fully guaranteed trial subscription to Compelling Investments Quantified. If its not everything you are looking for, simply cancel for a full refund. Really, you have nothing to lose. Here are the details. Here Come the Clowns As this edition is running long, Im going to sign off with just one item in our Clowns feature. Breakfast in America. This week the Kellogg company made the following announcement: We regularly work with our media-buying partners to ensure our ads do not appear on sites that arent aligned with our values as a company, said Kris Charles, a spokeswoman for Kellogg. We recently reviewed the list of sites where our ads can be placed and decided to discontinue advertising on Breitbart.com. We are working to remove our ads from that site. So, heres the thing. Roughly 93% of Americans eat cold cereals of the sort that Kellogg sells. That is an incredible level of market penetration. From a marketing perspective, that means one of the few avenues open for increasing revenues is to take market share from one of your well-entrenched competitors. Kellogg apparently has decided that the best way to achieve a more favorable return for its shareholdersyou know, the people who actually own the companyis to try to alienate the millions of Trump voters. Now, I have zero problem with corporate management deciding to eschew certain advertising outlets. But having spent a lot of advertising dollars over the years, deciding to take a pass on advertising on any particular outlet takes zero effort. And it sure doesnt require making a public announcement. If I were a Kellogg shareholder, I would be mighty peevedregardless of my political inclinationsbecause for management to use something as brainless as ending an advertising contract to make a political statement sure to offend half of the market, and an intensely competitive market at that, is most assuredly an act of fiduciary irresponsibility. So far, the stock has traded down since the announcement, but I suspect the real fun is only beginning, especially when the fall-off in sales shows up in the next quarterly reporting. What a bunch of clowns. ADDENDUM: Oils Last Stand After finishing the draft for this weeks Passing Parade, OPEC announced that its members had approved a bold new plan to reduce production and henceforth adhere to a quota to reduce the glut and support higher prices. The price of oil, and related stocks, surged. Hallelujah! Higher prices and happy days are here again. That is, if you are fortunate enough to be near the front of the chow line in one of the petroleum kleptocracies that make up OPEC and their conspirators. A new heyday for oil is just around the corner. Or is it? For the reasons I outlined in The Passing Parade of November 18, count me a skeptic. For starters, most of the nations signing on to the new quota arrangement are already hard at work figuring out how to cheat on it. In addition, there is the simple reality that, should supply shortfalls support oil at anywhere near todays levels, the worlds largest exporter, the United States, with its hyper-efficient frackers will rush to fill the gap and merrily go laughing all the way to the bank. The next couple of weeks should prove very interesting in the energy patch, because if the hot air of OPECs announcement begins to cool, as it almost certainly will, a severe and sustained reversal may begin. I rarely go short, but as of today, I am short. And with that, I will sign off for the week. Next week, I intend on writing about my candidate for the toughest person who ever lived. If you have any comments about this weeks edition, please drop me a line at David@garretgalland.com, or even better, use the commenting feature at the bottom of the page so others can join in the fun. Until next week, thanks for subscribing and dont forget to enjoy the perpetual parade! David Galland Managing Editor, The Passing Parade http://www.garretgalland.com Garret/Galland Research provides private investors and financial service professionals with original research on compelling investments uncovered by our team. Sign up for one or both of our free weekly e-letters. The Passing Parade offers fast-paced, entertaining, and always interesting observations on the global economy, markets, and more. Sign up now its free! 2016 David Galland - 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. Trump Nominee Will Politicize Dept. of Justice In his successful run to the presidency, Donald Trump spent a lot of time talking about the Second Amendment and defending gun ownership. He spent very little time talking about the other amendments, other than to say he supported the Constitution. He knew his core support came from those who could effortlessly repeat a phrase, Donald Trump supports my Second Amendment rights, without knowing much more than that. Theres probably a reason why Trump wasnt specific about the other rightshe doesnt know much about the Constitution. That became apparent this past week when he said he would jail anyone who burned the flag. However, the Supreme Court, in Texas v. Johnson (1989), ruled that burning the flag is protected by the First Amendment right of free speech, no matter how hateful or unpatriotic it may seem. Trumps tweet was soundly condemned by all media and civil rights organizations. Trumps knowledge of the Constitution isnt as important as his attorney generals enforcement of Trumps political beliefs. Most attorney generals have been apolitical; Trumps nomination may not be. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama) will face significant questioning by most Democrats and a few Republican senators during confirmation hearings. Ronald Reagan withdrew his support for Sessions in 1986 after nominating him for a federal judgeship. The nomination had drawn heated opposition by numerous groups , individuals, and four Department of Justice lawyers over Sessions history of racially insensitive comments. Among comments that Sessions made was that the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the ACLU, and the National Conference of Churches were un-American. Sessions says he isnt a racist. Perhaps thats accurate, but lets see what he said in 2014. In an uninformed opinion about the recruitment of not-naturalized immigrants into the military, Sessions stated, I just think in terms of whos going to be most likely to be a spy: somebody from Cullman, Alabama, or somebody from Kenya? Elaborating, he stated, We dont have a difficulty getting American citizens to fill our military slots. That is unbelievable that in a time of high unemployment and we get a lot of calls Help my son get in the military. Hes been turned down, can he get in? So I just think this is not the right thing to do right now. However, an investigation conducted by the Kansas City Star revealed the problem wasnt that the military was turning down American citizens but that the reduction of ground troops led to increased requirements for recruits and about 80 percent of American citizens who applied were rejected as unfit for service. Unfit also applied to the Klan, which Session says was OK until I found out they smoked pot. He claims he was joking. But he wasnt joking about his opinion of marijuana. In 2016, he incorrectly stated, Good people dont smoke marijuana. Again elaborating on his main theme, the four-term senator said, We need grown-ups in charge in Washington to say marijuana is not the kind of thing that ought to be legalized, it ought not to be minimized, that its in fact a very real danger. He opposes sentence reduction and believes in seizing the assets of those arrested for possession, even before those arrested are convicted, a distinct civil rights violation to the Constitutional guarantee that persons arrested are considered to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. He opposes same-sex marriage, voted against repealing the militarys Dont Ask, Dont Tell policy, and believes that the U.S. should be allowed to torture suspected terrorists. Sessions was an early supporter of Trumps proposal to ban immigration of Muslims to the United States. He stated there was no vetting process for Syrian refugees, a claim that wilts in face of the reality that it takes 18 to 24 months of intensive investigation before immigrants are admitted to the U.S. Sessions also argued against the H-1B provision of the Immigration Act that allows persons who possess significant skills are allowed admission to the U.S. if there are not a sufficient number of Americans to fill those jobs. The H-1B provision has often been used to allow physicians and medical workers into the U.S. In the Senates Judicial Committee, Sessions delivered a 30 minute speech about why there needed to be a ban. Many people are radicalized after they enter, Sessions stated, again inaccurately, and then claimed, How do we screen for that possibility, if we cannot even ask about an applicants views on religion? Would we forbid questions about politics? Or theology? However, the Constitution and Supreme Court interpretations of the Constitution are specific in stating that there can be no religious test for immigrantsbefore or after admission to the U.S. An attorney general has wide latitude on whom he or she prosecutes or doesnt prosecute, or what terms are acceptable on plea bargains. With Jeff Sessions as attorney general, there is every probability that there will be an overhaul of career staff who are apolitical, of the prosecution of certain crimes at the expense of other crimes, and the refusal to pursue many civil rights violations. [Dr. Braschs current book is Fracking Pennsylvania, which looks at the impact of fracking upon public health, worker safety, the environment, and agriculture. The book--available at local bookstores and amazon. com--also looks at the financial collusion between politicians and Big Energy.] By Walter M Brasch PhD http://www.walterbrasch.com Copyright 2016 Walter M Brasch Walter Brasch is a university journalism professor, syndicated columnist, and author of 17 books. His current books are America's Unpatriotic Acts , The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina , and Sex and the Single Beer Can: Probing the Media and American Culture . All are available through amazon.com, bn.com, or other bookstores. You may contact Dr. Brasch at walterbrasch@gmail.com Walter Brasch Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. The following article was published in the first issue of the new Marxist theoretical magazine, Lal Salaam, published in Pakistan. The attitude of scientists and many other people these days regarding philosophy is usually one of indifference or even contempt. As far as modern philosophy is concerned this is well deserved. For the past one and a half centuries the realm of philosophy resembles an arid desert with only the occasional trace of life. The treasure trove of the past, with its ancient glories and flashes of illumination seems utterly extinguished. One will search in vain in this wasteland for any source of illumination. Yet on closer inspection the contempt for philosophy is misplaced. For if we look seriously at the state of modern science or more accurately its theoretical underpinnings and assumptions, we see that science has in fact never freed itself from philosophy. Unceremoniously expelled by the front door, philosophy makes its re-entry, unannounced, through the back window. Scientists who proudly assert their complete indifference to philosophy in reality make all kinds of assumptions that are philosophical in character. And in fact, this kind of unconscious and uncritical philosophy is not superior to the old fashioned kind but immeasurably inferior to it. Moreover, it is the source of many errors in practice. Unfortunately, for many decades the kind of philosophy taught in universities has been based on false and misleading theories such as logical positivism, which under one guise or another has been the dominant philosophical trend particularly in the Anglo-Saxon countries for most of the 20th century. The meagre content of this school of thought did not prevent its adherents from assuming the most arrogant airs and graces, reserving for themselves the stately title of philosophers of science. However, this positivist love affair with science was by no means met with corresponding zeal from those active in the field. The obsession of the positivists with an imaginary structure of science, the fiddling and fussing about meaning and semantics all strikingly resembled the rarefied atmosphere and convoluted debates of the medieval Schoolmen. The intolerable pretensions of the high priests of logical positivism eventually led to rejection and revolt on the part of the scientists themselves. A major advance in the application of the dialectical method to the history of science was the publication in 1962 of TS Kuhns remarkable book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. This demonstrated the inevitability of scientific revolutions and showed the approximate mechanism whereby these occur. All that exists deserves to perish holds good not only for living organisms but also to scientific theories, including those which we currently hold to be of absolute validity. The origins of philosophy Anyone who takes the trouble to study the history of philosophy will find a goldmine of the most profound ideas. Philosophy is a way of thinking that is different from everyday thinking. It deals with the big questions, which everyone at one time or another has considered: what is the meaning of life? What is good and what is bad? What is the nature of the universe? These questions, many of which have been answered by science itself, have occupied the minds of great thinkers for over 2000 years. The link between science and philosophy therefore goes back a long way. Like so much of our modern culture and civilisation, philosophy and science begin with the Greeks. Although it is true that important discoveries in these fields were made by earlier civilisations (The Indus Valley, Babylon and Egypt), human thought at that stage was impregnated with religious superstition. With the Greeks for the first time we find an attempt to explain the universe without recourse to the supernatural, without the intervention of the gods an attempt to explain nature in terms of nature itself. The word philosophy seems to have been used first by Pythagoras in the sixth century BC: Life, he said, is like a festival; just as some come to compete, some to ply their trade but the rest come as spectators, so in life, slavish men go hunting for fame or gain, the philosophers for truth. (Diogenes Laertius) From the time the early philosophers of the Ionian Islands sought a rational explanation of nature without the intervention of the gods, science and philosophy were inextricably connected. These early Greek philosophers were materialists. They studied the causes of natural phenomena like lightning, thunder, earthquakes, comets and stars. For all these phenomena they sought for rational explanations, free from the intervention of gods and other supernatural agencies. Front page of the first edition of Lal Salaam - Image: Lal SalaamIn his Tusculan Disputations Cicero wrote that the early Greek philosophers studied number and movement, and the source from which all things arise and to which they return; and these early thinkers inquired zealously into magnitude, intervals, and courses of the stars, and all celestial matters. That is to say, the pre-Socratic philosophers studied nature. They were the courageous pioneers who prepared the way for all subsequent scientific advances. They made extremely important discoveries. They knew that the earth was round and that the moons light reflected that of the sun. They knew that humans were descended from fish and proved it by examining human embryos and fossils. However, most of these discoveries were the result of inspired guesswork. Inevitably at a certain stage they came up against the limitations related to the given level of technology. At a certain stage the attention of thinkers was directed away from natural phenomena and towards society, morality and all questions pertaining to human life. In the fifth century BC Aristotle noted: The study of nature was given up and philosophers turned their attention to practical goodness and political science. In the Tusculan Disputations Cicero says that Socrates first called philosophy down from the skies, set it in the cities and even induced it into homes, and compelled it to consider life and morals, good and evil. The Sophist school of philosophy that arose at this time was closely related to the development of Athenian democracy, in which skills in oratory and debate were the necessary conditions for success in public assemblies. Sophism was challenged by Socrates and Plato who developed dialectics, although they did so on the basis of philosophical idealism. The term "dialectics" comes from the Greek "dialektike," derived from "dialegomai," to converse, or discuss. Originally, it signified the art of discussion, which may be seen in its highest form in the Socratic dialogues of Plato. Greek philosophy entered into a period of decline together with Athenian democracy itself. The flame of civilisation passed to the Romans who, however, added nothing substantial to the ideas they took from Greece. Greece and Rome were based on the economic system of slavery. All the great cultural and scientific advances of those societies were ultimately based on the Labour of the slaves. The same has been true of every other civilisation for the last 10,000 years. Slavery has always existed in one form or another, and still exists today in the form of wage slavery. Art, culture and science down the ages has always ultimately been based on the exploitation of the masses. Slave society ultimately reached its limits, just as capitalism has reached its limits at the present time. And when a society enters into decline, the results can be seen at every level, including culture itself. In the absence of a revolutionary alternative, the breakdown of slave society produced a frightful collapse of culture, the effects of which lasted for 1000 years. In the period known as the Dark Ages, the scientific and artistic achievements of Antiquity were largely lost in Europe. The flame of learning was kept alight in Byzantium, Ireland and, above all, in the part of Spain occupied by the Arabs. The rest of Europe remained sunk in the morass of barbarism for centuries. The last known philosopher of antiquity was a remarkable woman called Hypatia, a teacher of philosophy, science and mathematics at the University of Alexandria, who was brutally murdered by a Christian mob and her body burned. Christians closed Pagan temples and academies, destroying or scattering their libraries. In 391 AD, an edict of the emperor Theodosius prohibited visiting Pagan temples and even looking at their ruins. Christians burned the famous library at Alexandria, and profaned its images. However, throughout the dark ages in Europe the flame of civilisation burned brightly in Islamic Spain where the culture of antiquity was venerated and preserved. For centuries the works of Aristotle were known in Europe only from Arab translations. To this very day we stand in wonder before the marvels of architecture in the mosque at Cordoba and the Alhambra in Granada. In their unique beauty and grace, they have never been equalled in any country in the world. This was the high point of Islamic culture and civilisation. While Europe languished in darkness and ignorance, the Arabs in Spain built famous universities where learning flourished in this spirit of tolerance that allowed Jews, Christians and Muslims to debate and discuss ideas. This shows what can be achieved by the human spirit when it is free from the shackles of narrowness, superstition and fanaticism. Empiricism In the ancient world, from where all our science is ultimately derived, we already have the painstaking investigations of Aristotle into nature. The rebirth of civilisation at the time of the Renaissance in Europe coincides with the early development of capitalism and with it a new interest in science. Later, the French philosopher Descartes has a strong claim to be the founder of the modern scientific method, while Francis Bacon in England pioneered the method of experimental science and induction that laid heavy stress on observation, experiment and the collection of facts. Newton's Principia - Photo: Andrew DunnThe German philosopher Leibnitz can claim to have discovered the integral and differential calculus (although Newton may have discovered it at the same time). It therefore does not surprise us that when Newton published his great work in 1687 he called it The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. Kant first advanced the hypothesis that the solar system had evolved out of a rotating gas nebula. And when Dalton introduced the modern concept of the atom into chemistry, he had his book published under the title A New System of Chemical Philosophy. (1808). The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries marked a decisive break with the stifling intellectual dictatorship of the Church, and laid the basis for the modern scientific method as Engels explains: "Genuine natural science dates from the second half of the fifteenth century, and from then on it has advanced with ever increasing rapidity. The analysis of nature into its individual parts, the division of the different natural processes and objects into definite classes, the study of the internal anatomy of organic bodies in their manifold formsthese were the fundamental conditions for the gigantic strides in our knowledge of nature that have been made during the last four hundred years. But this has bequeathed us the habit of observing natural objects and processes in isolation, detached from the general context; of observing them not in their motion, but in their state of rest; not as essentially variable elements, but as constant ones; not in their life, but in their death. And when this way of looking at things was transferred by Bacon and Locke from natural science to philosophy, it begot the narrow, metaphysical mode of thought peculiar to the last centuries." (Engels, Anti-Duhring, p. 25) In its day, empiricism played a most progressive (even revolutionary) role in the development of human thought and science. However, empiricism is helpful only within certain limits. Many people only feel secure when they can refer to the facts. Yet, of course, the facts do not select themselves! A definite method is required that will help us to look beyond the immediately given and lay bare the processes that lie beyond the facts. That wonderful old philosopher Spinoza one of the fathers of modern philosophical materialism once said that the task of philosophy is neither to weep nor to laugh, but to understand. The Anglo-Saxon world in general has proved remarkably impervious to philosophy. Insofar as they possess any philosophy, the Americans and their English cousins have limited the scope of their thought to the narrow boundaries of empiricism, and its soul-mate pragmatism. Broad generalizations of a more theoretical character were always regarded with something akin to suspicion. But in the words of the great German philosopher Hegel, it is the wish for a rational insight, and not the accumulation of a heap of facts that must possess the mind of one who wishes to adopt the scientific standpoint. The importance of dialectics The input of philosophy into science has therefore been considerable. However, the remarkable advances of science over the past century seem to have made philosophy redundant. In a world where we can penetrate the deepest mysteries of the cosmos and follow the complex motions of subatomic particles, the old questions which absorbed the attentions of philosophers have been resolved. The role of philosophy has been correspondingly reduced. However, there are two areas where philosophy retains its importance: formal logic and dialectics. The dialectical method was developed to its highest degree by Hegel. However, it appears here in a mystical, idealist form. It was rescued by the revolutionary work of Marx and Engels, who for the first time showed the rational kernel in Hegels thought. In its scientific (materialist) form, the dialectical method provides us with an indispensable tool for understanding the workings of nature, society and human thought. Marxist dialectics provides us with the necessary analytical tools we require to make sense of the mass of information we now possess about nature and society. Marxist philosophy the only consistent revolutionary philosophy is of enormous practical importance for the class struggle. But these wonderfully profound ideas have a far wider application, especially to the field of science. Here, however, we are confronted with a difficulty. The most systematic account of dialectics is contained in the writings of Hegel, in particular his massive work The Science of Logic. But the reader can soon be disheartened by the highly inaccessible way in which Hegel sets forth his ideas abstract and abstruse, Engels called it. Marx intended to write a work on dialectical materialism in order to make available to the general reader the rational kernel of Hegels thought. Unfortunately, he died before he could do so. After Marxs death, his indefatigable comrade Frederick Engels wrote a number of brilliant studies on dialectical philosophy (Ludwig Feuerbach and the end of German classical philosophy, Anti-Duhring, and The Dialectics of Nature). The last-named work was intended to be the basis for a longer work on Marxist philosophy, but unfortunately, Engels was prevented from completing it by the immense work of finishing the second and third volumes of Capital, which Marx left unfinished at his death. Scattered throughout the works of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky and Plekhanov, one can find a very large amount of material on this subject. But it would take a very long time to extract all this information. The task of putting together a more or less systematic exposition of Marxist philosophy still remains to be done. To the best of my knowledge, Reason in Revolt, written by Ted Grant and myself over 20 years ago was the first attempt to apply the method of dialectical materialism to the results of modern science since The Dialectics of Nature. In his book Anti-Duhring, Engels pointed out that in the last analysis, nature works dialectically. The advances of science over the last hundred years have completely borne out this assertion. American scientists have been in the forefront of some of the most important areas in modern science. I am thinking in particular of the work of R.C. Lewontin in the field of genetics, and above all the writings of Stephen J Gould. Goulds discoveries of palaeontology were the basis of a new and very dialectical theory of evolution which he called punctuated equilibria. This fundamentally modified the old view of evolution as a slow, gradual process, uninterrupted by sudden catastrophes and leaps. Gould himself was influenced by the ideas of Marxism, and he paid tribute to the contribution of Frederick Engels, who, in his little masterpiece The Part Played by Labour in the Transition from Ape to Man, brilliantly anticipated the latest discoveries in the investigation of human origins. Chaos theory Chaos theory and its derivatives are clearly a form of dialectical thinking. In particular, the idea of the transformation from quantity to quality is central to it. One of the basic laws of dialectics is the law of the transformation of quantity to quality. Let us cite one easily understood example. When water is or heated cooled, there is a leap from one state of aggregation to another: at zero degrees it is a solid (ice). At 100 degrees it changes to a gaseous state (steam). If we increase the temperature still further, to 550 degrees, it becomes plasma, an entirely new state of matter, where the disassociation of atoms and molecules occurs. Each of these states is known as a phase transition. The study of phase transitions constitutes a very important branch of modern physics. Similar changes can be observed in the history of society. The equivalent of a phase transition is a revolution. History knows both evolution (slow, gradual development) and revolution (a qualitative leap, where the process of evolution is enormously accelerated). Evolution prepares the way for revolution, which in turn prepares the way for a new period of evolution on a higher level. This dialectical process was described most beautifully by Hegel in the Preface to The Phenomenology of Mind: The bud disappears when the blossom breaks through, and we might say that the former is refuted by the latter; in the same way when the fruit comes, the blossom may be explained to be a false form of the plants existence, for the fruit appears as its true nature in place of the blossom. These stages are not merely differentiated; they supplant one another as being incompatible with one another. But the ceaseless activity of their own inherent nature makes them at the same time moments of an organic unity, where they not merely do not contradict one another, but where one is as necessary as the other; and this equal necessity of all moments constitutes alone and thereby the life of the whole. We often see the apparent repetition of stages of development that have long since been overcome. We see the same thing in the study of embryos, which apparently go through the stages of evolution. A human embryo starts as a single cell, then divides and acquires more complex forms. At one stage it has gills like a fish, later it has a tail like a monkey. The similarity between human embryos and those of other animals, including fish and reptiles, is striking, and was already noted by the ancient Greeks, who, as we have seen, over two thousand years before Darwin, deduced that man had evolved from a fish. The process of evolution has gone on uninterruptedly from the first primitive life-forms that emerged, as we now know, at a surprisingly early period in the earths history. The first primitive organisms probably emerged on the bed of the primeval oceans, deriving energy not from the sun, but from volcanic vents, generating heat from below the earths crust. The earliest protozoa developed into chordata, through the earliest land-dwelling amphibians, to reptiles and later to mammals and humans. The genetic difference between humans and chimpanzees is less than two percent and we share a large percentage of our genes with fruit flies and even more primitive organisms. The last desperate counterattack of the Creationists (hiding under the banner of intelligent design) was shattered against the remarkable results of the Human Genome Project. However, the two percent difference that separates us from the other primates is a qualitative leap that carries humankind to an entirely different and higher level. Can human society be understood? The dialectical method is not confined to nature. Even the most superficial observation proves that human society has passed through a number of definite stages and that certain processes are repeated at regular intervals. Just as in nature we see the transformation of quantity into quality, so in history we see that long periods of slow, almost imperceptible change are interrupted by periods in which the process is accelerated to produce a qualitative leap. In nature the long periods of slow change (stasis) can last for millions of years. They are interrupted by catastrophic events, which are invariably accompanied by the extinction of animal species that were previously dominant, and the rise of other species that previously were insignificant but were better adapted to take advantage of the new circumstances. In human society wars and revolutions play such a significant role, that we are accustomed to use them as milestones that separate one historical period from another. It was Marx and Engels who discovered that the real locomotive force of history is the development of the productive forces. This does not mean, as the enemies of Marxism frequently assert, that Marx reduced everything to economics. There are many other factors that enter into the development of society: religion, morality, philosophy, politics, patriotism, tribal alliances etc. All these enter into a complex web of social interrelations that create a rich and confusing mosaic of phenomena and processes. At first sight it seems impossible to make sense of this. But the same thing could be said of nature, yet the complexity of the universe does not deter scientists from attempting to separate the different elements, analyse them and categorise them. By what right do men and women imagine that they are above nature, and that they alone in the entire universe cannot be understood by science? The very idea is preposterous and a manifestation of that burning desire of humans to be some kind of special creation, entirely separate from all other animals and with a special relation to the rest of the universe determined by God. But science has mercilessly stripped away these egocentric illusions. Marx and Engels for the first time gave communism a scientific character. They explained that the real emancipation of the masses depends on the level of development of the productive forces (industry, agriculture, science and technology) which will create the necessary conditions for a general reduction of the working day and access to culture for all, as the only way of transforming the way people think and behave towards each other. Marx pointed out that no social order ever disappears before it has exhausted all the potential for the development of the productive forces inherent within it. Every successive socio-economic formation opens up the possibility for a greater development of the productive forces and therefore increases humanitys power over nature. In this way, the material basis is prepared for what Engels described as humanitys leap from the realm of necessity to the realm of freedom. Historical materialism The essential content of social development is the development of the productive forces. But on the basis of the productive forces there arise property relations and a complex superstructure of legal, religious and ideological relations. The latter constitute the forms through which the former express themselves. Content and form can come into contradiction, but in the last analysis, the content will always determine the form. The content changes faster than the forms, creating contradictions that must be resolved. The obsolete superstructure impedes the development of the productive forces. Thus, at the present time, the development of the productive forces, which has attained levels undreamed of in previous history, is in open conflict with private ownership and the nation state. The old forms are strangling the development of the productive forces. They must be burst asunder in order to resolve the contradiction. The obsolete forms are burst apart and replaced by new forms that are in consonance with the needs of the productive forces. Broadly speaking, human society can be divided into four categories (if we exclude the Asiatic mode of production, which was a historical dead end). The earliest was the primitive communal system that lasted over a million years. This was superseded, in the west, by slavery, which lasted for about 10,000 years. The fall of the Roman Empire, which represented slavery in its most developed form, caused, first a collapse of civilization, then a slow revival under the feudal system that lasted just over a thousand years. Finally, the capitalist system has lasted for 200-300. Each of these socio-economic systems had its own laws of motion that differed fundamentally from the others. It is therefore pointless to try to discover the laws of political economy in general. It is necessary to discover the particular laws that govern each system, and this is what Marx did. The anarchy of production cannot contain the demands of modern industry, technology and science. The only way to solve the contradictions of capitalism that are the cause of starvation, poverty, wars and terrorism, is through the socialist transformation of society. It is important to note how the process of human development has undergone a constant acceleration. Feudalism lasted for a shorter time than slavery, and capitalism has existed for only two or three centuries. Moreover, the pace of development of the productive forces under capitalism has been far more rapid than in any previous society. There have been more inventions in this period than in all previous history. But this feverish development of industry, science and technique has come into conflict with the narrow limits of private property and the nation state. Capitalism in its period of senile decay is no longer capable of developing the productive forces as it did in the past. This is the fundamental cause of the present crisis, which is beginning to threaten the very existence of humanity. Socialism or barbarism Even a whole society, a nation, or even all simultaneously existing societies taken together, are not the owners of the globe. They are only its possessors, its usufructuaries, and, like boni patres familias, they must hand it down to succeeding generations in an improved condition. (Marx) Marx once remarked that cultivation when it progresses spontaneously and is not consciously planned leaves deserts behind. The capitalism of the 21st century is in the process of turning the planet into a desert. Anarchistic interference in natural processes, unrestrained deforestation, uncontrolled hunting and fishing, the pollution of the environment, the poisoning of the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink, upsets the balance of nature on a vast scale and places a question mark over the future of the planet, and, possibly, of life on earth. As long as the economic system that governs the world is subordinate to the profit motive, the rape of the planet will continue. The domination of the world economy demands a planned economy, that is to say, world socialism. Climate change, the destruction of the environment, etc., cannot be solved by any other means. A socialist planned economy is the only way to protect the natural environment and eliminate pollution of the oceans and the atmosphere and thus save the planet from an ecological catastrophe. The rational use of nature, the discovery and implementation of new sources of clean energy will open up the possibility of sustainable development, about which the ecologists talk, but are powerless to implement. It is entirely possible to feed the population of the world on the basis of the presently existing technology. The problem is not that we do not possess the means for solving the problem, but that the productive forces are constrained by the profit motive. A socialist planned economy would free science and technology from the shackles of the profit system. It would enormously accelerate the economic progress of humanity, while safeguarding the treasures of the natural world that are threatened by capitalist market economics. In the words of Marx Under socialism people can regulate their interchange with Nature, bringing it under their common control, instead of being ruled by it as by the blind forces of Nature, and achieving this with the least expenditure of energy and under conditions most favourable to, and worthy of, their human nature. It is clear to any thinking person that the capitalist system is a monstrously oppressive and inhuman system which means untold misery, disease, oppression and death for millions of people in the world. It is surely the duty of any humane person to support the fight against such a system. However, in order to fight effectively, it is necessary to work out a serious programme, policy and perspective that can guarantee success. We believe that only Marxism (scientific socialism) provides such a perspective. Marxists invite men and women to fight to transform their lives and to create a genuinely human society which would permit the human race to lift itself up to its true stature. We believe that humans have only one life, and should dedicate themselves to making this life beautiful and self-fulfilling. We are fighting for a paradise on this Earth, because we do not think there is any other. Karl Marx pointed out long ago that the choice before the human race was socialism or barbarism. The truth of that prediction is very clear for the people of Pakistan. After decades of formal independence, a beautiful and potentially rich country has been reduced to a state of unparalleled misery, oppression and suffering. The elements of barbarism already exist and threaten the very existence of Pakistan. Only a socialist revolution can save Pakistan from falling into the bottomless pit of barbarism. Only by overthrowing the rule of a criminal elite of bankers, landlords and capitalists who oppress and plunder the people can we achieve the conditions for our final emancipation. Our task is to unite to put an end to the dictatorship of Capital that keeps the workers and peasants in a state of slavery. A socialist Pakistan would introduce a planned economy, under the democratic control and administration of the working class. Socialism would permit the free development of human beings, without the constraint of material needs. It would be able to mobilize the vast resources of the country to satisfy the needs of the people. This would give a powerful impetus to the revolutionary movement in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Nepal. The working class will sweep away all the artificial frontiers created by imperialism, preparing the way for the creation of the Socialist Federation of the Subcontinent. This would be a giant step forward for the victory of socialism on a world scale and the establishment of a new page in the history of humankind. A socialist Federation of the Subcontinent would develop the productive forces to a level where all the evils of poverty, unemployment, ignorance and misery would be abolished. Socialism will carry human civilisation to a level unseen at any period in the past. The glories of Cordoba and Granada will be surpassed and poetry, art, literature, philosophy and science will attain new levels of greatness. It is the task of the Marxists to fight for this great aim: the emancipation of the working class. The role of philosophy in the modern epoch must be to facilitate this task, clarifying our ideas and providing a rational explanation of the most important manifestations of our age. In the words of Karl Marx: Philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways. The point is, however, to change it. London 17th November 2016 CHICOPEE -- Friendly's will close its Chicopee distribution center six months after selling off its ice cream plant and retail distribution business, putting about 50 employees out of work. Restaurant operator FIC Restaurants, which operates under the brand name Friendly's, will use US Foods for restaurant distribution services beginning in February 2017, according to a statement from spokeswoman Maura Tobias. The company is working with those 50 employees to find them new jobs at Friendly's or with Dean Foods, which bought the Wilbraham ice cream factory and wholesale distribution operation in May for $155 million in cash. Friendly's is also working with other employers in the region and pans to host job fairs for the affected Chicopee workers. In the sale, Friendly's and its owner, Sun Capital Partners, retained the Chicopee operation and the restaurants. "This partnership allows for more flexible distribution options and services as we focus on opening new restaurants, both company and franchise," Tobias said. "While this move will align Friendly's distribution services with preferred distribution practices in the restaurant industry, we are providing transition services and working with US Foods and others to provide job fairs to assist Distribution Team Members in finding new opportunities." Brothers Curtis and S. Prestley Blake founded Friendly's in 1935 in Springfield. Neither brother has any ownership in the company any longer, although Prestley Blake fought a long battle against a previous management regime he felt was destroying the brand and its legacy. Friendly's filed for bankruptcy protection in 2011 and closed 63 restaurants, laying off about 1,000 employees, before emerging about a year later. Five of those locations were in Western Massachusetts. At the time of the sale, Friendly's had 16,000 employees, including 200 in the Wilbraham plant and 150 "support center" jobs in Wilbraham and in Chicopee. The support center is now split between Friendly's restaurants and Dean Foods. US Foods has distribution centers near Albany, N.Y., in Norwich, Connecticut, and in Seabrook, New Hampshire. It does have an ad on its website for shuttle truck drivers to work in the Springfield area. Friendly's will use U.S. Foods locations in in Pittston, Pennsylvania, and Seabrook, NH. ludlow students who wrote cards to soldiers.jpg Students at East Street Elementary School in Ludlow sent handmade cards with personalized messages to 2nd Lt. Andre Welch, son of Principal Thomas Welch, and his unit serving in Iraq. (Ludlow Public Schools) LUDLOW As part of a recent lesson on the meaning of Veterans Day, students at East Street Elementary School in Ludlow sent cards to support Principal Thomas Welch's son, an Army officer serving in Iraq. With help from art teacher Gloria Walker, the students created handmade cards with personalized messages for 2nd Lt. Andre Welch and the rest of his unit, which is currently outside Mosul. "After hearing the voices of concern for our military, from our youngest students in Ludlow, I thought with the holidays right around the corner it would not only be a nice gesture for our school to send cards of well wishes to our troops, but it would also be a great opportunity to teach our students about spreading kindness to others," Thomas Welch said. The students also examined the idea of heroism, particularly what it means to be a hero and examples of heroism. "We talked about the fact that heroes can be ordinary people doing extraordinary things and that heroes can be found everywhere," Walker said. East Street Elementary School Principal Thomas Welch is shown here with his son, 2nd Lt. Andre Welch, who is serving in Iraq. Students at the school sent handmade cards to the solider and the rest of his unit in Iraq. "We also discussed how each of them can also be a hero by being nice to a peer on the playground or helping someone who is struggling," she said. After working on the project for three days, almost 350 handmade cards were placed in a box and mailed to Andre Welch's unit in Iraq. The box also contained a letter, which, in part, stated: "While you're away from your families during this holiday season, please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. Remember how important you are to all of us back home and note that the youngest of our citizens look up to all of you as their heroes." Anne Marie Corrieri, an instructional technology specialist for Ludlow public schools, highlighted the story on East Street Elementary's website. A link to that story is available by clicking HERE. professorwatchlist.jpg A screen shot from the homepage of the 'Professor Watchlist' website. AMHERST -- Two University of Massachusetts professors are listed on a website launched by a national conservative student organization to highlight academics who allegedly "advance a radical agenda." The site, professorwatchlist.org, includes about 200 professors from around the country. From UMass Amherst are Sut Jhally, a professor in the Department of Communication, as well as retired economics professor Richard D. Wolff. No other Five College professors are listed. The site claims its parent organization, Turning Point USA, "will continue to fight for free speech and the right for professors to say whatever they wish." But, the site says, "students, parents, and alumni deserve to know the specific incidents and names of professors that advance a radical agenda in lecture halls." In a blog post, Turning Point USA founder and executive director Charlie Kirk wrote that the site is "dedicated to documenting and exposing professors who discriminate against conservative students and promote anti-American, left wing propaganda in the classroom." In a Nov. 21 post to his Twitter account, Kirk encouraged students to submit "crazy radical" professors to the site: Crazy radical professor at your school? CHECK OUT "Professor WatchList"https://t.co/ONVzq70vUJ Submit your professors on the site! pic.twitter.com/H2O8WnfUvW Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) November 21, 2016 Despite its mission of providing information about "specific incidents," the listing for Wolff cites no incidents other than listing several of his book titles and saying he "has been called the most prominent Marxist economist in America." That description appears to be taken from a 2012 New York Times Magazine article by economics columnist Adam Davidson, who called Wolff "probably America's most prominent Marxist economist" as he recounted the professor's accurate prediction of a housing bubble leading to the financial crisis that began in 2008. "It's a sad misunderstanding of what education should be and what the job of a professor is," Wolff, who last taught at UMass Amherst in 2008, told the Daily Hampshire Gazette in an interview this week. The site says Jhally, who is also the founder and executive director of the Northampton-based nonprofit Media Education Foundation, was included because he is "infamous for his politically loaded Twitter account." The post cites an October 2013 tweet in which Jhally linked to an Esquire article about the federal government shutdown and wrote, "The New Republican Party - American Terrorists." In a January 2013 tweet cited by the website, Jhally linked to an article headlined, "The Second Amendment Was Ratified to Preserve Slavery." Jhally did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. A statement issued by UMass spokesman Edward Blaguszewski reads, "Freedom of speech and discourse are at the heart of the American educational system and academic freedom is one of the core values of the University of Massachusetts Amherst." The statement continues: "Through their scholarly research and teaching, faculty members share their expertise on a broad spectrum of disciplines that enrich the educational experience of students, who benefit from discussion and debate of divergent views and are encouraged to develop their own ideas and beliefs." In a New York Times article, Hans-Joerg Tiede -- associate secretary for the department of academic freedom, tenure and governance at the American Association of University Professors -- cautioned that the site could be used to harass professors or sabotage their careers. "There is a continuing cycle of these sorts of things," Tiede told the Times. "They serve the same purpose: to intimidate individuals from speaking plainly in their classrooms or in their publications." The site was registered in May 2016, according to WHOis.net, but Turning Point USA began promoting it in mid-November. Related Video: Watch "Why America can't think straight about race" on Jhally's website, below. c.jpg Amherst police continue to search for the driver who struck and killed William Wanczyk who was sitting in a bus depot marked by these cones. (Republican file Diane Lederman) AMHERST -- Police say they are "making excellent headway" in the investigations of two recent cases: an Oct. 30 home invasion on South East Street and a Nov. 6 hit-and-run on North Pleasant Street that killed a Northampton man. Police Chief Scott P. Livingstone said the investigations are "very active, continuing," adding: "I am extremely happy the direction the investigations are going, but with all investigations, if the public has information they feel may be beneficial, we always welcome their calls." Anyone with information, he said, is asked to contact the detective bureau at 413-259-3015. Crash investigation Police have been working to find the driver of a green truck that struck and killed 55-year-old William E. Wanczyk of Northampton while he waited in a downtown bus shelter. The driver left the scene of the crash. Witnesses said the truck was seen speeding downtown with no headlights on around 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 6, according to police. The truck began to fishtail in front of 141 North Pleasant St., striking the covered bus stop and hitting Wanczyk. The vehicle, which was abandoned north of the crash site, was heavily damaged, according to a spokeswoman for the Northwestern district attorney's office. Wanczyk was a former Northampton firefighter. Home invasion suspects sought While 25-year-old Hadley resident Patrick Bemben was arrested in connection with an Oct. 30 home invasion at a South East Street residence, other suspects remain at large. Police expect to make other arrests, Livingstone said. Bemben is charged with armed robbery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. According to the court records, Bemben allegedly stole marijuana worth about $300 and other items during the incident. He is being held at the Hampshire County Jail and House of Corrections in Northampton pending a dangerousness hearing Dec. 23. Police reports stated that Bemben acted "jointly with co-conspirators" while armed with a hatchet, boot knife, folding knife, pepper spray and a baton. At the time of his arrest, according to police, he was wearing a ski-type mask, googles, a head lamp, binoculars, communication radio equipment and a tactical bulletproof vest. A 23-year-old man who was assaulted with the hatchet was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, while a 24-year-old man was allegedly struck with a pistol and suffered a laceration to the head and scalp, according to the Amherst police report. Bemben was treated at Cooley Dickinson in Northampton from injuries inflicted as residents defended themselves, according to the report. BOSTON PARKING (AP Photo/Chitose Suzuki) Two Boston neighborhoods will see a shift in parking prices early next year thanks to a new surge pricing system. Starting Jan. 3, 2017, the city will roll out its Performance Parking Pilot through two different rate structures in the Back Bay and Seaport areas. Citing other cities that have implemented similar policies, Boston hopes to reduce traffic caused by drivers circling for spots and reduce parking violation. The city says San Francisco saw those two problems decrease by 43 percent and 22 percent, respectively, after implementing performance parking. In Back Bay's pilot phase, there will be a blanket increase to $3.75 an hour for all meters. The city says they will also ramp up enforcement of parking laws on double-parked vehicles, vehicles with expired meters and illegally parked vehicles in an attempt to free up more spaces. In the Seaport pilot phase, the city will implement prices that vary by time and location. The city says they "will also change them every two months based on how often motorists use parking spots." Pricing for the Seaport will begin at $1.50 an hour. For blocks with drivers using more than 90 percent of spots, $0.50 will be added to the price. For blocks with drivers using less than 70 percent of spots, $0.50 will be deducted from the price. Though the pricing will be updated every two months, meters will never go below $1 an hour or above $4 an hour. The prices will also vary by four different time periods: weekdays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.; 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.; and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. as well as all day Saturday. Price schedules are set to be posted on the city website at least a week before any rate changes in addition to always being posted on the meter and ParkBoston app. This will be the first increase in parking meter prices since 2011, when the current $1.25 citywide rate was set. The $7 million incentive package Carrier Corp. will receive as part of a deal the company reached with President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence represents a departure from how tax credits are typically used in Indiana. Its also the kind of agreement Trump slammed on the campaign trail. But the deal differs from most other economic development agreements in Indiana, where incentives are usually aimed at luring jobs, not merely retaining them. In fact, about 400 workers at Carrier will still lose their jobs under the deal, as will 700 employees at a related company in Huntington. USA Today Network Tony Cook, The Indianapolis Star Full Story: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/12/01/carrier-incentives-stir-debate-over-rewarding-offshoring/94781008/ *** Trumps Carrier deal is right out of Putins playbook Its good that about 1,000 Carrier Corp. workers will not be losing their jobs. But there is a whiff of Putinism in the combination of bribery and menace that may have affected Carriers decision the bribery of tax breaks, the menace of potential lost defense contracts for Carriers parent company, United Technologies. If this were to become the U.S. governments standard method of operation, the results would be Russian, too: dwindling investment, slowing economic growth, fewer jobs. By Fred Hiatt https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trumps-carrier-deal-is-right-out-of-putins-playbook/2016/12/01/f0456af6-b7e6-11e6-a677-b608fbb3aaf6_story.html?hpid=hp_no-name_opinion-card-f%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.704645cd64a7 Infectious disease monitoring and management is not only a challenge abroad but also locally in the continental United States. At Texas A&M, Dr. Jennifer Horney PhD, MPH, CPH from the School of Public Health and Dr. Daniel Goldberg, PhD from the College of Geosciences have lead an effort to attack Zika, an Aedes mosquito-borne virus, at its source, standing water, through iOS and Android apps. The platform crowdsources data from citizen scientists about the locations of standing water that health departments can use to identify hotspots where samples can be collected to test for the presence of Zika. We had a chance to sit down with Dr. Horney to learn more about the groups mobile platform. Mike Batista, Medgadget: Tell us a little about your background and interest in Zika. Dr. Horney: I am an epidemiologist whose research focuses on outbreak investigations and natural disasters. I worked a lot on the novel influenzas that were happening in 2006 (avian flu) and 2009 (H1N1). Since coming to Texas A&M, Ive been able to work with researchers across the university on issues related to infrastructure and health, climate and health. Zika is a great example of how we might be facilitating the spread of new diseases through issues like infrastructure and climate. Medgadget: Within the past couple of years efforts have been underway to fight Zika. What led you to the idea of creating a mobile app to address the problem? Dr. Horney: We heard from local health department partners that they needed volunteers to help with surveillance for mosquitoes. The mosquitoes are collected from standing water and then tested for Zika virus. By crowd-sourcing the data collection, we can collect a lot of data about where standing water might be concentrated to improve the efficiency of these local health departments. Medgadget: How does the app work and who would use the mobile app? Dr. Horney: Anyone can download the app and enter data about the number of potential breeding containers in their own yard, property, or in public areas. All data is uploaded and mapped to generate hot spots where there are a lot of potential breeding containers. Medgadget: Who benefits from the mobile app? Dr. Horney: The idea is that by using citizen scientists to collect data on risk factors for Zika and mapping places where the mosquitos that transmit the virus can breed, we can cover a lot more areas than if we have to rely on limited public health staff to conduct surveillance for mosquito breeding. By having residents anywhere around the world contribute data, we can identify hot spots and put resources there to mitigate mosquito breeding. Medgadget: The mobile app is free for download in the iOS and Android app stores. Are there plans for monetizing this technology as a platform? Dr. Horney: There are no plans to monetize the technology. We are hoping to secure grant support to enhance the app. For example, we could add more questions to collect data about the prevalence of other potential risk factors for Zika and related diseases, like travel, housing quality (i.e. window screens), and contact with stray dogs. Medgadget: What more can or needs to be done today to make strides against the Zika virus? Dr. Horney: We saw our first reported case of local transmission of Zika virus in Texas just this week in Cameron County. Zika is here to stay. This is also true for other diseases that weve previously only seen in more tropical locations like leishmaniasis and dengue. We will need major investments in public health infrastructure and in health education to keep people safe. In the long run, we have to consider how changes in the environment and the climate facilitate the spread of these types of diseases. Medgadget: Do you see mobile health technology playing a role in the management of other infectious diseases? Are there any examples where it has already been or could be applied? Dr. Horney: Google Flu Trends and other platforms have been used to track clusters of disease before they could be identified with traditional public heath surveillance. The idea of outsourcing data collection to citizen scientists is one that is not going away. However, more work needs to be done to ensure data quality and to better understand how we can analyze these types of crowd-sourced data to develop public health interventions. TAMU Zika app downloads: iOS and Android by Jess Nelson , December 1, 2016 Crocs has partnered with DEG to develop an email marketing campaign that reminds parents when they may need to purchase larger shoe sizes for their children. A child's foot grows rapidly, and a new shoe size may be necessary every few months, according to the Institute for Preventative Foot Health. On average, a child's foot under 15 months will grow half a shoe size every two months. From the age of two to three a child's foot grows half a shoe size every three to four months, and until the age of five, a child's feet will continue to grow by half a shoe size every four months. Crocs and DEG worked together to create the "Next Size Up" email marketing campaign to target customers who had recently purchased a pair of childrens shoes. Customers received a personalized followup email six to eight months after their initial purchase that highlights additional products they might be interested in, including larger shoe sizes for their growing children. advertisement advertisement From May to October 2016, this campaign netted an average open rate of 17% and a click-through rate of 3.5%. Ultimately, this resulted in 8% revenue per every email sent. Crocs has built an email subscriber list of loyal customers that totals more than 2 million, having grown its list more than 500% since partnering with cross-channel digital marketing agency DEG in 2008. Based in Kansas City, Kansas, DEG also has offices in Kansas City, Missouri, Des Moines, Iowa; and Denver, Colorado. Kelsey Vendetti, manager of CRM, loyalty, and email marketing at Crocs, says the company is investing in email marketing because it still delivers the highest ROI of all digital media channels. Email enables our team to reach, engage, convert, and reactivate our customers in a branded, personalized, and timely way, says Vendetti. Vendetti says Crocs continues to grow its subscriber list through mobile acquisition strategies such as Facebook Lead Generation Ads and on-site optimization. Cara Olson, director of relationship marketing at DEG, says consistent messaging is critical in email marketing, and any digital marketing campaign. Customers get frustrated really easily if brands keep repeating messages that arent relevant, says Olson. For example, if you click on an email link to take you to the brands Web site, you dont want a popup telling you to subscribe to emails, because thats where you came from. Olson recommends that brands evaluate subscriber data, such as past purchases and past engagement with marketing content, to deliver more personalized messaging to customer segments and personas. To predict where theyre going, you have to know where theyve been, says Olson. by Sean Hargrave , Staff Writer, December 2, 2016 The figures are in, and email is again bucking the trend. According to Adobe , it greatly increased its share of directing and influencing Cyber Monday sales while the two channels that ranked above it -- search and direct traffic -- dipped. In fact, the role of email in driving sales was up nearly a third compared to last year, while search and direct traffic each saw a dip of around 5% in their contribution to Cyber Monday sales. So that meant that very nearly one in five items sold over Cyber Monday were driven by email, while roughly a third and a quarter of all sales were driving by search and direct traffic. This puts mail in third place, as it was on Black Friday, but the key point is that the two channels above it are starting to weaken. It's also arguable that email plays a large role in keeping brands fresh in the minds of consumers and so could well play an important role in driving direct traffic. Social media, interestingly, doesn't get given a percentage of sales. When Adobe did grade the channel alongside email for Black Friday sales, the comparison was pretty embarrassing for the channel beloved by the "social ninja" and "guru." It delivered just under 1% of sales compared to email's near 18%. Well, with its Cyber Monday figures all I could see from the figures was that social was reduced to a measure of "buzz" that saw eBay beat Amazon, apparently. And there, my friends, we have all we need to know about the channel. While email is there and is being compared to search for driving sales, social is instead being talked about for which brands got the most mentions. Not too sure about your CEO or your main contact at a major client but the last time I checked, they are more likely to ask how many sales their marketing budget managed to drive, rather than how many times people mentioned their brand in Facebook and Twitter. So, there you have it. Email absolutely thrashed social on Black Friday -- in fact, it wasn't even a contest. Then on the other side of last weekend, it drove a fifth of sales and was the only of the three top sales drivers to see substantial growth compared to last year. Keep these observations ready for the next time a social "ninja" tries to persuade you that email is dead. by Mike Azzara , Op-Ed Contributor, December 1, 2016 If there are roughly 400,000 journalists, bloggers, and other potential influencers publishing in the English-speaking world, wouldnt it be great if you could send that press release about your lovingly brewed craft beer only to those who actually cared? After all, the current approach of carpet-bombing as many as you can find is costly and inefficient. And -- speaking as a former reporter, bureau chief, news editor, managing editor and editor-in-chief -- receiving irrelevant releases really, really annoys the very folks whose favor youre looking to curry. Last week, I learned of a U.K. start-up using AI machine learning technology to solve this problem. Trimaldi Ltd., just shy of nine months old, recently announced an AI-backed press release distribution service that uses machine learning algorithms to send a marketers release only to those who really care. Earlier this week, Trimaldi founder Stuart Fieldhouse explained it to me this way: His PressHalo service has a giant AI eye-in-the-sky that continuously monitors the global news stream and learns which writers care about what topics, and how that changes from day-to-day. Then, when a client comes along with a press release, PressHalo distributes it to those whom its algorithm expects actually will get all hot and bothered about it. And then it continues to do so over time, as its constant monitoring and AI brain uncover additional potentially interested journalists. The proof in the pudding: PressHalo sent Trimaldis PressHalo release to MediaPost EIC Joe Mandese, who promptly forwarded it to me with this note: There could be a fun column derived from receiving a press release from a company that is using AI to optimize press releases. You bet there is! Whats more, Joe and I actually care about AI that makes marketing better; we both love the recursivity of the situation, and we believe our readers should care about both those things, too. Fieldhouse, also a former journalist who covered financial services (including six years for the Financial Times), says the machine learning algorithms behind PressHalo began life in the hedge fund market. They were created by folks Fieldhouse knows from his days covering that beat. Naturally enough, Trimaldis first product, IR Halo, targets asset fund managers. IR Halo uses the same AI algorithms as PressHalo, but to help fund managers assess their competition and their position within that competitive universe. Fieldhouse says that, as a former journalist himself, he saw the potential for a more efficient information distribution service with high potential engagement rates. Trimaldi has spent the last nine months amassing a database of roughly 400,000 English writers around the world, using natural language processing and deep learning to produce a semantic representation of the content it finds. In other words, it self-organizes the classification of topics that everyone is writing about, but in ways that the machine can understand and use. It then enriches the content with other details from our curated digital knowledge bases, Fieldhouse says. When a marketer distributes through PressHalo, the AIs natural processing algorithms analyze the release and then match the results against its writer database to find those writers whose content output suggests theyd welcome the news. Fieldhouse notes that while the database contains email addresses for lots of writers, Its also smart enough that if it doesnt have the contact information of an individual journalist, it can associate that writer with the general address of the publication. Fieldhouse points out that no two press releases will have the same distribution. The distribution pattern for this week will be different than next week, depending on the changing dynamics of what journalists are writing about, and on the content of the release. Marketers can upload their release and get an analysis of its newsworthiness, or expected uptake, he said. Pricing is simple: Like any self-respecting modern marketer of software or SaaS, the first taste is free. After that, PressHalo costs 350 per release -- which, at the moment I wrote this sentence, was worth $437.52. Fieldhouse likes the simple per-release pricing approach, particularly for smaller companies that wont put out a lot of releases. The way the technology works, the system learns over time, and each individual release gets the best result available at the moment its sent. Coincidentally, this is not my first experience with this type of technology, having done consulting for a content AI company named mSpoke that was acquired by LinkedIn in 2010. Aimed at publishers, it analyzed the content site visitors read and then offered each visitor content ideally matched to him or her. I refrained from asking Fieldhouse if his AI brain, too, worked by representing articles as vectors through an n-dimensional hypersphere, because I only really understood that for about 30 minutes right after the mSpoke techs explained it. Also coincidental: The first commercial use of mSpokes tech was for financial services. But you have to ask yourself, are these really coincidences? Or did the PressHalo AI know it all along? by Tanya Gazdik , December 1, 2016 Honda has signed on as the exclusive automotive partner of the 2017 HGTV Dream Home. As part of the sponsorship, the Honda Pilot will be integrated into this years HGTV Dream Home 2017 television special on Jan. 1, including photography and video footage of the home. Honda and Mediavest/Spark will produce a 30-second custom vignette showcasing the Pilot that is intended to prompt consumers to enter the sweepstakes. The creative concept for the spot highlights the shared design approach of the Dream Home and the Honda Pilot: to make dreams come true. Viewers will see styling comparisons of the Honda Pilot and the HGTV Dream Home 2017 focusing on design, convenience features, and innovative technologies. Entering its 21st year, HGTVs popular Dream Home program annually awards one lucky family with a unique American home. A Honda Pilot Elite is now part of the prize package, along with a spectacular new home on St. Simons Island, Georgia, and a cash prize of $250,000 from Quicken Loans. The HGTV Dream Home sweepstakes officially launches December 28. advertisement advertisement Combining the Honda Pilot with the ultimate dream home makes for an impactful partnership, says Susie Rossick, assistant vice president of Honda auto marketing. This is the first time the Honda brand has partnered with HGTVs Dream Home programming, although Honda has a long history as an HGTV advertiser. Hondas partnership with the HGTV Dream Home is a great fit as both Honda and HGTV share the approach of creating big dreams for our customers, and both brands place a strong emphasis on styling, convenience features, and innovative technologies, Rossick tells Marketing Daily. by George Simpson , Featured Contributor, December 1, 2016 You probably looked at the headline on this column and said to yourself, "Oh Christ, not another story on fake news?!?!" The primary debate seems to revolve around who is responsible for making sure fake news is not widely disseminated. Facebook, as the biggest media distribution system perhaps in all of history, doesn't want to get in the "censorship" business (and besides, its only a tech company, right?). As a self-styled satirist, I have an intimate relationship with fake news. For example, years ago, at the dawn of the social media age, I wrote a fake news story about a guy who was so busy responding to online forums that he starved to death. The MediaPost column was picked up by other sites, with comments from readers who thought it all "tragic." Clearly, many pass-along readers missed the satire. Publishers Daily Editor Erik Sass wants to shift the burden of responsibility to the individual, writing, "if large numbers of Americans readily believe false news content because they fail to perform the basic due diligence of an informed news consumer, then the issue is the individuals intelligence and judgment. Readers should check the source of information or look for confirmation of sensational claims in other sources." advertisement advertisement To which reader Benny Thomas from Crispin Porter +Bogusky responded: "Unfortunately, our biases are stronger than our rational intelligence and no one has the time to fact-check." (Since I failed to "perform the basic due diligence of an informed news consumer," I can't be sure it was really Benny Thomas or if he REALLY works at Crispin Porter+Bogusky, which may not exist at all, in spite of its catchy name). Many years ago, I argued that consumers would eventually revert to known (branded, if you will) news properties because they had built a legacy of trust over many decades. But that was before social media became the primary source of news for an astonishing number of Americans who apparently find credibility in crap they find in their feeds without bothering, as the alleged Benny Thomas wrote, "to fact-check." To add to the merriment, when you hold up the New York Times as a source for credible news, you get pushback from those who believe the liberal bias of the paper is reflected in its choice and handling of stories. After all, didn't the outcome of the election simply prove that the Great, Eastern, Monied Establishment Press are really extensions of the liberal democracy agenda? Which, by the way, seems to be tanking around the globe. Meanwhile, Not My President's tweets are more evidence that you can't trust anything you read on or offline especially, and sadly, anything from him. My recommendation? Stay flexible. Do not corner yourself with an ideology that may prove to have an underlying agenda that will have you spouting erroneous facts and figures that are neither factual nor accurate. Don't rely on a single source for your news, either. Each day I read three newspapers, and watch three different TV news programs at least plus read a ton of stories online stories, mostly from trusted sources like ProPublica (donate to them right this minute!!) the AP, Reuters, BBC, etc. And read history. It gives you perspective. Finally, shut up and listen to others. Value what they have to say even though you may not agree with them. Try to understand where they are coming from and how they got there. People are complex thinkers and although they at first may sound like fascists or bleeding hearts, gently probe and you might learn something that will challenge your own biases. Allow them to think differently, even if you are convinced they are delusional. It is not your job to change what others think. And when presenting diametrically opposed POVs, do so knowing that you may not be heard. Then again, if you have raised teenagers, none of this will be new to you. by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, December 1, 2016 Mozilla, which recently released a mobile browser that blocks tracking, vowed today to continue advocating for online privacy. "At Mozilla, we fight to protect privacy and security online. We believe that there must be transparency, trust and user control in cybersecurity," the company said in its 2015 annual report, unveiled Thursday. The report cites several privacy-related initiatives over the last year, including the company's decision to weigh in on Apple's side in a highly publicized battle with the FBI over encryption. In that matter, the FBI obtained a court order requiring Apple to assist decrypting an iPhone used by a terrorist. The FBI ultimately decrypted the device without Apple's assistance. Before then, however, the companies fought over the order in court. advertisement advertisement Mozilla and other tech companies argued in a friend-of-the-court brief that the government has no right "to commandeer a company's own engineers to undermine their products' data security features." The company also says it will work to preserve the net neutrality rules, passed last year by the Federal Communications Commission, but faces a threat from the incoming Trump administration. Those rules prohibit broadband providers from blocking or throttling traffic, and from charging companies higher fees to prioritize delivery of their material. "Any new administration can reconsider the issue. We hope they dont," chief legal and business officer Denelle Dixon-Thayer writes today in a blog post. "But, if the issue is revisited -- we are all still here, and so are others who supported and fought for net neutrality." The nonprofit is able to fund its work through various search partnerships, which made up the bulk of its $420 million revenue last year, according to its financial statement. by Tobi Elkin @tobielkin, December 2, 2016 A new whitepaper sponsored by Xaxis in conjunction with IDC advances the idea that the media industry is seguing into an era of so-called programmable brands. The whitepaper, entitled Get Ready For The Age of Programmable Brands," focuses on how programmatic is changing the way in which marketers are approaching their TV spends. Programmatic TV (PTV) is also expected to change the way media buyers think and they way they buy. The Xaxis/IDC whitepaper defined programmable brands as the idea of bringing programmatic technology to brand advertising and running brand campaigns in an automated fashion. With programmable brands, digital advertising will begin to challenge TV and print as the dominant brand advertising channel. Programmable brands will help marketers excel, stand out, and be more competitive, the paper stated. Last year, nearly $15 billion was spent on brand campaigns based on automated advertising platforms, according to the whitepapers findings. In 2017, spending is projected to reach $31.9 billion. And by 2020, IDC estimates spending on automated advertising will reach more than $100 billion. In terms of programmatic growth, in the U.S., the whitepaper found that automated guaranteed experienced a 103% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2015 to 2020; private marketplace deals (PMPs) 34% CAGR, and RTB (real-time bidding) 15% (CAGR). Globally, automated guaranteed deals experienced 105% CAGR from 2015 to 2020; PMPs 42%, and RTB deals 19%. advertisement advertisement The whitepaper found that while the U.S. leads the programmable brand movement, Western Europe -- specifically, the U.K. -- is also on the forefront, followed by France and Germany. In the Asia-Pacific region, China, Japan, and Indonesia will lead growth. In Latin America, Brazil and Mexico will be markets to watch. Based on the whitepaper's data, the top five markets in year-over-year projected growth from 2016 to 2020 are: India, Indonesia, Phillipines, Turkey, Norway, and Austria. Overall, the fastest growing markets are: --Asia-Pacific excluding Japan: 76% CAGR from 2015 to 2020 --Latin America: 76% CAGR from 2015 to 2020 --Central and Eastern Europe: 73% CAGR from 2015 to 2020 --Middle East and Africa is growing faster with 120% CAGR forecast, the whitepaper noted it's a tiny market One of the main drivers of programmable brands will be the amount of data available to marketers. The whitepaper identifies six qualities of programmable brand marketing. They are: Brand marketing: Programmatic advertising has typically been thought of as direct-response advertising. However, programmable brands enable brand advertising campaigns to reap the benefits of automation and data. Buying audiences, not impressions: With programmable brands, its possible to truly target individual users by using machine learning technology to analyze large amounts of data. Marketing is now about data, not about media. Media, the paper notes, are merely used to activate data. Omnichannel marketing: Programmable brand marketing enables marketers to address audiences beyond boundaries. Omnichannel marketing allows brands to follow individual customers across all devices or channels automatically. Programmability: Marketers no longer need to use one size fits all black-box solutions from vendors to bid for media that fit the data. Instead, theyll be able to plug in their own, custom bidding algorithms into demand-side platforms. Alternatively, vendors themselves, or even third parties or open-source libraries, will evolve and offer algorithms for marketers. One such example, is an initiative called Co-Pilot which Xaxis debuted in September 2016 in cooperation with AppNexus, a champion of such portable algoriths.(Xaxis holding company, WPP, is a stakeholder in AppNexus). Dynamic advertising: With improved data and analysis, programmable brands can deliver customized messages to millions of individual consumers. The paper argues that this will help combat ad blocking by making ads more relevant to consumers. Attribution: As marketing technology advances, it will become easier and faster to use attribution technology to track key performance indicators that inform marketers of activities that occur farther down the sales funnel. These insights can be used to optimize campaigns. We think programmatic TV [PTV] will change the way media buyers think and the way they buy, said Ekapat Chareonlarp, global vice president and managing partner, Xaxis. Chareonlarp noted that Xaxis began looking at the way marketers approached their TV spends in September 2015. By January, 2016, Xaxis focused on how brands could become more programmable. We changed our focus from PTV to programmable brands. Programmatic is mixed in both brand and direct response advertising. Over time, we see that that programmatic is appealing to brand marketers, Chareonlarp said. Marketers, he said, need to incorporate programmatic buys into TV, mobile, and other media. Among the whitepapers other findings: --Currently, 85% of buyers in the U.S. use programmatic advertising in one way or another. --Private marketplace deals (PMPs) are the most popular form of automated deal because they confront ad fraud, viewability, and brand safety issues. PMP deals are perceived to be less complicated forms of programmatic buys. --Audience segmentation and audience-based buying is increasingly de rigueur. --Brand marketers dont place a lot of emphasis on how theyll change the way they spend on creative. They look more at ad formats instead of talking about dynamic creative optimization. Creatives arent embracing the data side of the house, and the data teams arent talking to the creatives. There is, as yet, no common language to bridge that gap. Theres a tipping point in terms of brand marketers embracing programmatic. They cant afford not to, Chareonlarp said. Every digital campaign will be performance-based, meaning it will get measured somehow. The old brand campaign is obsolete, he predicted. The concept of guaranteed performance will reshape the industry. Paying an hourly commission on the buy no longer offers guaranteed performance. Brands need to hold someone accountable. Chareonlarp went on to say that all brand markers need to embrace performance metrics and take risks. The new KPIs for brands are return on ad spend, click to wallet, foot traffic, cost per subscriber, click to cart -- and there are still others that marketers will need to embrace and optimize toward." CNNs separately operated Great Big Story for the last year has lived on showing artful videos that are decidedly un-CNNish. Theres no news, no blitzers and the wolves, if there are any, would be found in beautifully packaged feature pieces not shouting out the headlines. And just around two minutes long. Its an app made for mobile devices, though often accessed via Facebook and YouTube. And as OTT has grown, Great Big Story fans have realized, those gorgeously photographed pieces look great on bigger screens. Those big screen viewers are part of the reason behind special longer pieces now in the pipeline, in series of videos that fall under the title Really Great Big Story. The second one, of a dozen planned in the next year, is called Hard Ship. It just debuted, and at 23 minutes or so, is far longer than the typical Big Story. It was produced by GBS and CNN Films. advertisement advertisement "Hard Ship" tells the story of three severely paralyzed men, adventurers all, who met as on adaptive surfing circuit and decided to enter a sailboat competition called Race to Alaska. It ought to have grueling in its official title because its always the adjective used to describe it. The race is 750 miles long, from Washington State, past the entire coast of British Columbia and ending in Ketchikan, Alaska, through frigid, lonely waters, so far from anything that help from the Coast Guard, were told, is at least a half day away. Theyre more than paraplegic, these three. Their bodies have been mangled by accidents. It would be awesome if we were just paraplegic, says the skipper of the three-man crew, Spike Cain, in a Liverpool accent. But theyre tough as nails and theyre in it to win it. Were not a novelty act, Cain tells the camera. Were far from a novelty act. If Hard Ship was a typical reality show event, youd know how it all ends. Its enough to say things dont go quite as envisioned, even by the Really Great Big Story producers. Its a remarkable piece of work, especially given the usually sparse video quality of a lot of streaming content, and because Hard Ship avoids most of the cliches of adventure/reality videos like these. (To give away a little bit of what doesn't happen, theres no instance in which the crew faces gale force winds, killer whales, starvation or madness.) Matt Drake, the director of content and development at Great Big Story, brags that GBS video project doesnt have to pander to the conventions of the feature genre. Theres no formula, per se. If it doesnt resonate with interest within our own walls, we dont think it will with our viewers, he says. We havent found any special recipe. GBSs main distribution place is YouTube, but Drake says viewers via Roku and Apple TV apps constitute an important audience. According to one published report, GBS videos, fortified by some advertising supported content, received 65 million Facebook views in October alone. Drake says the average viewer is 25 to 35 with 27 as the sweet spot, and viewership is pretty much divided down the middle male/female. The YouTube and Facebook comments for many GBS videos are ridiculously positive. Comments for Hard Ship are over the moon. Like this: Awesome video! I admire your work, GBS! Putting out such content without a big subscriber base is really courageous and just plain awesome! Not surprisingly Drake says Reading those have become one of the most edifying things in my career. I look at them and think, Oh, wow, were not all horrible people trolling out there. by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, December 2, 2016 A Golden State Warriors fan is urging a judge to allow her to proceed with a lawsuit accusing the team, along with app developer YinzCam and beacon technology company Signal360, of eavesdropping on her through the team's mobile app. The app allegedly contains an "undisclosed functionality" that requires smartphones to "constantly record and monitor all background audio, which necessarily includes all of its users conversations," New York resident LaTisha Satchell says in court papers filed Thursday. "While there may be a hypothetical consumer who is glad to let three separate entities capture and analyze all of his or her daily interactions -- e.g., from ordering lunch, to conversing with colleagues at the workplace, to private conversations at the family dinner table -- defendants never told any of their users about the apps invasive recording and audio usage practices," Satchell adds. advertisement advertisement Satchell makes the assertions in response to a request by the Warriors, YinzCam and Signal360 to dismiss her lawsuit. The dispute dates to September, when Satchell alleged in a class-action complaint that the app turns on devices' microphones, and then records conversations and other audio whenever it's running, even if people aren't actively using the app. Satchell, who says she used the app from April through July of this year, accused the companies of violating the federal wiretapping law by intercepting her private conversations without consent. The app sends offers to fans when they pass concession stands, and notifies users about the possibility of seat upgrades at the team's home stadium in Oakland, California. To accomplish this, the app tracks users' physical locations via beacons, which transmit out audio signals that are picked up by phones' microphones, according to Satchell's complaint. Last month, the Warriors, Signal360, and YinzCam asked U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey White in Oakland to dismiss the complaint. They argued that the app doesn't violate the federal wiretap law, because the app only detects high-frequency signals, which are inaudible. They also say the app doesn't cause audio data to be transmitted from phones to servers or other devices. Satchell is now asking White to reject those arguments. "Defendants unlawful 'interceptions' began as soon as the App was opened and the microphone began listening and recording, continuously doing so (seemingly over a four-month period) without consent," she argues. "These facts readily state an actionable interception." She argues that the app "intercepted" her communications regardless of whether it transmitted any conversations to outside servers. "All that matters is Defendants captured her communications using the app," she argues. The Warriors and other companies additionally contend the lawsuit should be dismissed on the grounds that Satchell didn't suffer any "concrete" harm as a result of using the app. Satchell counters that a privacy violation is in itself the type of concrete harm that can warrant legal proceedings. "Unauthorized surveillance by private parties, whether it be eavesdropping or tapping a phone -- snooping, essentially -- has long been actionable in the courts," she argues. "And it is the snooping itself, not anything done with the information (blackmail, monetization, etc.), that has traditionally given rise to an injury." Satchell and the companies are expected to present arguments to White in January. On November 8, 2016, North Dakota Medical Marijuana Legalization Initiative, also known as the Initiated Statutory Measure 5, took place on ballot as an initiated state statute. It was a cheerful day for the North Dakotans who woke up the next day to the news that medical marijuana was legal in their state. Medical marijuana was approved with a resounding yes with a 63.79% of the states citizens affirming to the legalization. The contribution for the campaign totaled up to $5,609.90 as of October 19, 2016. With this initiated Statutory Measure 5, medical marijuana has been legalized to treat defined debilitating medical conditions, such as cancer, AIDS, Hepatitis C, ALS, Glaucoma, and Epilepsy, and developing certain procedures for regulating medical marijuana growing, dispensing, and usage. The measure goes ahead to make the growing, possession, use and distribution of marijuana legal for those over the age of 21. The fight to legalize marijuana The first attempt to legalize marijuana in USA through the initiative process goes way back in 1972, when California activists got an initiative certified for the ballot. Although the measure was defeated, there were several come backs and in 2012 there was a break through when both Washington and Colorado legalized recreational marijuana. In the same way, legalizing marijuana in North Dakota has not been an easy task as the supporters have had to face a lot of resistance. During the 2015 legislative session, the North Dakota House of Representatives defeated two bills that would have legalized medical marijuana. The first attempt was in February 2015 with an aim of legalizing medical marijuana to state statues in addition to it proving for the regulation of the medical marijuana program and penalties for violations. Unfortunately, it was defeated in a 67-26 house vote. A second bill intended to legalize medical marijuana for individuals with serious medical conditions was again defeated in a house vote of 61-32. However, this did not dampen their spirits and so a petition was submitted on November 2, 2015, and issued a petition title on November 12, 2015. It was approved for circulation on November 30, 2015. To qualify for the measure for the 2016 general election, supporters had to collect 13,452 valid signatures by July 11, 2016 which they were able to accomplish and the Initiated Statutory Measure 5 qualified for the ballot on August 10, 2016. Patients qualified for medical marijuana Measure 5 allows medical marijuana treatment to be given to patients with specified debilitating medical conditions such as: Cancer and its treatments, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Decompensated Cirrhosis (Hepatitis C), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrigs disease, PTSDM Agitation of Alzheimers disease, Dementia, or the treatment of these conditions, Crohns disease or Fibromyalgia, Glaucoma, Epilepsy, Spinal stenosis or chronic back pain including neuropathy or damage to the nervous tissue of the spinal cord with objective neurological indication of intractable spasticity. This also includes any other medical condition or its treatment added by the North Dakota Department of Health. In addition, a chronic or debilitating disease or medical condition similar to the above or its treatment that produces one or more of the following: Cachexia or wasting syndrome, severe debilitating pain that has not responded to previously prescribed medication or surgical measures for more than three months or for which other treatment options produced serious side effects. It is also available for conditions such as intractable nausea, seizures, or severe and persistent muscle spasms, including but not limited to those characteristic of multiple sclerosis. Measure 5 has even made medical marijuana more accessible for the people in North Dakota as patients may petition the North Dakota Department of Health to add to the list qualifying medical conditions. It also allows people to possess up to 3 ounces of medical marijuana for treatment of up to nearly a dozen medical conditions. The State Health Department is responsible for offering facilities of medical marijuana distribution with licenses and only those operated by nonprofit organizations. Conclusion The North Dakota Measure 5 is a great victory for the people in North Dakota especially those who are suffering from debilitating conditions. Although it has not been an easy struggle, a first remarkable stage has been passed and now we await the second one. One a move to legalize recreational marijuana, another marijuana-related measure, North Dakota Legalization of Marijuana Initiative (2016), was submitted for the 2016 ballot. Although it was not certified for the 2016 ballot, its circulation status did not expire and so supporters could potentially qualify it for the 2016 as stipulated in the North Dakota Constitution that initiated measures that are approved by voters become law 30 days after the election. Bipolar disorder is one of the most disabling medical conditions among adolescents worldwide. Similarly, being overweight or obese is common in adolescents and is known to confer risk for cardiovascular disease and other poor health outcomes in adulthood. As a result, the intersection of bipolar disorder and overweight is a matter of clinical and public health concern. Previous studies have demonstrated that overweight and obesity are more prevalent among adults with bipolar disorder as compared to the general population, and that overweight and obesity are associated with proxies of increased bipolar disorder severity, such as suicide attempts and greater symptom burden. Thus far, little is known about overweight among adolescents with bipolar disorder. A study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) is the first to examine this topic in a large, representative sample of the US adolescent population. The NCS-A is a face-to-face survey of mental disorders in a representative sample of adolescents 13-17 years old. Participants included 295 adolescents with bipolar disorder, 1,112 with major depressive disorder, and 8,716 with neither of these conditions. 37.9% of adolescents with bipolar disorder were also overweight, compared to 32.4% of adolescents with major depressive disorder, and 32% of adolescents with neither of these conditions - differences that were not statistically significant. "We were somewhat surprised about the fact that obesity was not more prevalent among the adolescents with bipolar disorder compared to their peers. But this is good news, as it confirms that there is a window of opportunity to intervene in order to prevent the increased risk of obesity that is evident in adults and in clinical samples of adolescents with bipolar disorder," said Dr. Benjamin Goldstein, director of the Centre for Youth Bipolar Disorder in Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and lead author of the study. The researchers also found that although overweight is not more common among adolescents with bipolar disorder than other adolescents, overweight adolescents with bipolar disorder showed signs of increased illness severity, including more suicide attempts, psychiatric hospitalizations for depression, co-occurring conduct disorder and bulimia/binge-eating, and history of physical or sexual abuse. "It is concerning that despite the fact that this a non-clinical sample, the links between obesity and indicators of greater bipolar disorder severity are already evident. Some have wondered whether these links are secondary to greater exposure to psychiatric medications, some of which confer risk of weight gain, among adolescents with greater severity of bipolar disorder," added Dr. Goldstein. "Our findings, based on a community sample with low rates of medication use, confirm that there is more to the story than medications - there appears to be a direct relationship between obesity and greater severity of bipolar disorder." Asked what next steps should be taken, Goldstein responded: "The main clinical question now becomes: what strategies are most effective for preventing obesity in this specific group of teens, for whom the risks of obesity in terms of both physical and mental health may be especially significant? The answer to that question will require additional research, informed in part by the findings of this study. In addition, there are scientific questions about the biological, psychological, and environmental factors that explain the increased severity of bipolar disorder among obese teens with bipolar disorder." To that end, Goldstein and his team are studying how overweight is associated with brain structure, cognition, and blood markers of inflammation and other processes, among adolescents with bipolar disorder. Goldstein is planning to study intervention strategies to prevent and treat overweight among adolescents with bipolar disorder, and is hopeful that if successful these strategies will improve mental as well as physical health. "Wouldn't it be interesting, and efficient, if an intervention focused on optimizing weight could also yield mental health benefits?" he concluded. Article: Correlates of Overweight and Obesity Among Adolescents w ith Bipolar Disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey - Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A), Benjamin I. Goldstein, Carlos Blanco, Jian-Ping He, Kathleen Merikangas, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP), doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2016.08.010, published 1 December 2016. Women and men look at faces and absorb visual information in different ways, which suggests there is a gender difference in understanding visual cues, according to a team of scientists that included psychologists from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). The researchers used an eye tracking device on almost 500 participants at the Science Museum over a five-week period to monitor and judge how much eye contact they felt comfortable with while looking at a face on a computer screen. They found that women looked more at the left-hand side of faces and had a strong left eye bias, but that they also explored the face much more than men. The team observed that it was possible to tell the gender of the participant based on the scanning pattern of how they looked at the face with nearly 80 per cent accuracy. Given the very large sample size the researchers suggest this is not due to chance. Lead author Dr Antoine Coutrot from QMUL's School of Biological and Chemical Sciences said: "This study is the first demonstration of a clear gender difference in how men and women look at faces. "We are able to establish the gender of the participant based on how they scan the actors' face, and can eliminate that it isn't based on the culture of the participant as nearly 60 nationalities have been tested. We can also eliminate any other observable characteristics like perceived attractiveness or trustworthiness." The participants were asked to judge how comfortable the amount of eye contact they made with the actor in a Skype-like scenario. Each participant saw the same actor (there were eight in total) during the testing period, which was around 15 minutes. At the end of the session the researchers collected personality information about the participants through questionnaires. Co-author Dr Isabelle Mareschal also from QMUL's School of Biological and Chemical Sciences added: "There are numerous claims in popular culture that women and men look at things differently - this is the first demonstration, using eye tracking, to support this claim that they take in visual information in different ways." The team describe their findings in the Journal of Vision and suggest the gender difference in scanning visual information might impact many research fields, such as autism diagnosis or even everyday behaviours like watching a movie or looking at the road while driving. The research was funded by the Leverhulme Trust and EPSRC and involved researchers from University College London and University of Nottingham. Article: Face exploration dynamics differentiate men and women, Antoine Coutrot; Nicola Binetti; Charlotte Harrison; Isabelle Mareschal; Alan Johnston, Journal of Vision, doi:10.1167/16.14.16, published November 2016. Researchers have created a material, that includes a chemical found in a crab's shell, that can bridge the gap in the heart's electrical signals caused by a heart attack. The international collaboration, involving Imperial College London and the University of New South Wales, was co-funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF). A heart attack can leave a person's heart damaged and unable to pump blood around the body effectively, a condition known as heart failure. Over half a million people in the UK are living with heart failure1. The new patch, which can be attached to the heart without the need for stitches, has now been shown to improve the movement of the heart's electrical pulses across scarred heart tissue in rats. The research is published today in the scientific journal Science Advances. After a heart attack, scars are formed within the heart muscle. These scars are our body's way of repairing damaged heart tissue after a heart attack. However, they can also block the electrical signals that control the coordination of the heart's pumping action causing heart rhythm disturbances (arrhythmias). The electrically-conductive patch is made from three components: a film of chitosan, a chemical found in crab shells that is often used as a food additive; polyaniline, a conductive material; and phytic acid, a substance found in plants, which is added to the polyaniline to switch it to its conducting state. Professor Molly Stevens, who led the research at Imperial College London, said: "For people who have suffered a heart attack and have heart failure, arrhythmias are a common and very serious problem, which this patch has the potential to help with. "No stitches are required to attach it, so it is minimally invasive and potentially less damaging to the heart." In addition to helping to prevent arrhythmias in scarred hearts this patch may also advance our ability to use stem cells to regenerate damaged heart tissue. Professor Sian Harding, Director of the BHF Centre of Regenerative Medicine at Imperial College London and a co-author of the study, said: "When a person has a heart attack, they are not only left with scarring but sections of their heart muscle can also be left damaged, meaning that the heart is less able to pump blood around the body. "We are working on using stem cells to replace this damaged muscle. However, when stem cells are first introduced into the heart they don't immediately beat at the same time as the rest of the heart muscle. This heart patch could help us to address this issue and ultimately bring us one step closer to being able to mend broken hearts." So far, the patch has been shown to work in rats but is still some way off being used in patients. The next step is to use tissue taken from human failing hearts removed at transplant as well as mathematical modelling to try to predict whether the patch will have the same effects for a much bigger human heart. Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said: "Although significantly more work will need to take place before we see this patch used in people, it is a highly novel way to try to enable the heart to function better after a heart attack. "This research represents real hope for the hundreds of thousands of people in the UK who have had a heart attack and are at risk of developing heart failure. "Through our Mending Broken Hearts Appeal we have already funded over 25 million of groundbreaking research, like this, which will lead to real benefits for people living with heart failure." The research was funded by the BHF, Marie Curie, Wellcome and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology. CHICAGO Dec. 2, 2016 North America Germany Andreas Feisst Rami Homsi Julian A. Luetkens Daniel Thomas Hans H. Schild Darius Dabir Monday, Nov. 28 Oak Brook, Ill. /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Too little sleep takes a toll on your heart, according to a new study to be presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of(RSNA).People who work in fire and emergency medical services, medical residencies and other high-stress jobs are often called upon to work 24-hour shifts with little opportunity for sleep. While it is known that extreme fatigue can affect many physical, cognitive and emotional processes, this is the first study to examine how working a 24-hour shift specifically affects cardiac function."For the first time, we have shown that short-term sleep deprivation in the context of 24-hour shifts can lead to a significant increase in cardiac contractility, blood pressure and heart rate," said study author Daniel Kuetting, M.D., from the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology at the University of Bonn in Bonn,For the study, Dr. Kuetting and colleagues recruited 20 healthy radiologists, including 19 men and one woman, with a mean age of 31.6 years. Each of the study participants underwent cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging with strain analysis before and after a 24-hour shift with an average of three hours of sleep."Cardiac function in the context of sleep deprivation has not previously been investigated with CMR strain analysis, the most sensitive parameter of cardiac contractility," Dr. Kuetting said.The researchers also collected blood and urine samples from the participants and measured blood pressure and heart rate.Following short-term sleep deprivation, the participants showed significant increases in mean peak systolic strain (pre = -21.9; post = -23.4), systolic (112.8; 118.5) and diastolic (62.9; 69.2) blood pressure and heart rate (63.0; 68.9). In addition, the participants had significant increases in levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroid hormones FT3 and FT4, and cortisol, a hormone released by the body in response to stress.Although the researchers were able to perform follow-up examinations on half of the participants after regular sleep, Dr. Kuetting notes that further study in a larger cohort is needed to determine possible long-term effects of sleep loss."The study was designed to investigate real-life work-related sleep deprivation," Dr. Kuetting said. "While the participants were not permitted to consume caffeine or food and beverages containing theobromine, such as chocolate, nuts or tea, we did not take into account factors like individual stress level or environmental stimuli."As people continue to work longer hours or work at more than one job to make ends meet, it is critical to investigate the detrimental effects of too much work and not enough sleep. Dr. Kuetting believes the results of this pilot study are transferable to other professions in which long periods of uninterrupted labor are common."These findings may help us better understand how workload and shift duration affect public health," he said.Co-authors on the study are, M.D.,, M.D.,, M.D.,, M.D., Ph.D.,, M.D., and, M.D.Note: Copies of RSNA 2016 news releases and electronic images will be available online atbeginningRSNA is an association of more than 54,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists, promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based inFor patient-friendly information on cardiac MRI, visit To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/short-term-sleep-deprivation-affects-heart-function-300366100.html SOURCE Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) HemoCue, the global leader in point-of-care diagnostics, launched HemoCue HealthTrender Anemia, the new-age anemia screening and monitoring system at an event held on November 30, 2016 at Embassy of Sweden, New Delhi. The event was graced by important stakeholders including policy makers, government officials, bureaucrats, health administrators, public health experts, doctors and media persons.Speaking at the event,, emphasized on the need of technological interventions to support and strengthen government efforts to eradicate anaemia. He says,He adds,Affecting over half of all Indian women, a fourth of all men, 79% of children aged 659 months and causing 20 per cent maternal deaths, anemia presents a formidable public health challenge. Seeing the magnitude of the problem, there is a dire need to take urgent steps to ensure anemia is diagnosed in time and treatment measures instituted promptly.Early and accurate diagnosis can play a key role in improving treatment outcomes in anaemia. Employing detection methods that are fast, accurate and reliable promises to be a significant step forward in meeting the challenge anaemia poses. Moreover, manual collation of data associated with these methods takes months and is error-prone, which in turn means that anaemia management policies often have to be based on either insufficient or unreliable data.Talking about anaemia screening, Bjorn Christ, President HemoCue AB adds,adds Deepak Sharma, Regional Sales Director Asia Pacific, HemoCue.Numbers reveal that the physical and cognitive losses due to iron deficiency have a significant effect on the Gross Domestic Product in some developing countries up to as much as 4 percent.The Government of India is relentlessly involved in carrying out programs to fight anemia. Many of the programs are executed by village clinics, healthcare centers and NGOs in rural areas under harsh conditions with limited access to electricity, pure water combined with a poor infrastructure.Under these conditions it becomes virtually impossible to collect data, to review, act or evaluate the programs in a timely and effective way; something that has been requested for a long time but never adequately solved.HemoCue HealthTrender Anemia is a cloud-based solution can help overcome these challenges as it offers immediate insight using real-time data captured from the HemoCue Hb201+ analyzer in the field. A stream of data over time can help policymakers manoeuver the direction of programmes and also facilitate consistent monitoring of hemoglobin levels in the target groups. Advertisement People below 60 years who had no history of Alzheimer's disease People above 60 years with a history of Alzheimer's People above 60 years without Alzheimer's Alzheimer's Disease - (//www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/alzheimers.htm) Douglas M. Zeppenfeld et al. Association of Perivascular Localization of Aquaporin-4 With Cognition and Alzheimer Disease in Aging Brains. JAMA Neurology; (2016) doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2016.4370 Researchers from the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), used brains donated for scientific research.They discovered that among older adults who did not suffer from Alzheimer's Disease, aquaporin-4 was prevalent."It suggests that aquaporin-4 might be a useful target in preventing and treating Alzheimer's disease," said senior author Jeffrey Iliff, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine. "However, we aren't under any illusion that if we could just fix this one thing, then we'd be able to cure Alzheimer's Disease."Alzheimer's is a progressive, neurodegenrative disease, that is most often associated with aging. It is characterized by the formation of plaques and tangles in the brain cells. It destroys an individual's ability to reason, remember, imagine and learn.It is the leading cause of dementia worldwide and is currently the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Every 67 seconds, someone in the U.S is affected by this condition.About 44 million people worldwide are affected with Alzheimer's disease and by 2030, this number may rise to 76 million.One in 6 women of age 65 years has a chance of developing this condition compared to one in 11 men.The disease has no known cure but there are treatments available for some of its symptoms.The brain-wide network of channels is collectively known as the glymphatic system. Aquaporin-4 is a key part of this system.The role of Aquaporin-4 is to allow cerebral-spinal fluid from outside the brain to wash away proteins such as amyloid and tau that otherwise build up within the brain.Accumulation of these proteins are seen in people suffering from Alzheimer's, which plays a role in destroying neurons in the brain gradually."This system, and the failure of the system, may be one of many things that goes wrong in people with Alzheimer's disease," Iliff said.The study closely examined 79 brains donated through the Oregon Brain Bank, a part of the OHSU Layton Aging and Alzheimer's Disease Center.Results showed that the brains of people younger than 60 years and older people without Alzheimer's had presence of well organized aquaporin-4 protein, lining the blood vessels of the brain.However in the brains of older people with Alzheimer's, the aquaporin-4 protein appeared disorganized.This may explain why these brains are unable to wash away proteins like amyloid beta, which leads to their accumulation and hence disease progression.The study concluded that future research focusing on the form or function of aquaporin-4 may ultimately lead to medication to treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease.In addition to Iliff, co-authors included Douglas M. Zeppenfeld; Matthew Simon, J. Douglas Haswell, and Daryl D'Abreo of the OHSU Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine; Charles Murchison, Joseph F. Quinn, M.D., and Jeffrey Kaye, M.D., of the OHSU Department of Neurology; and Marjorie R. Grafe, M.D., Ph.D., and Randall L. Woltjer, M.D., Ph.D., of the Department of Pathology.Source: Medindia Advertisement Overdiagnosis refers to the detection of harmless cancers that will not cause symptoms or death during a patient's lifetime. But because it is not possible to distinguish between lethal and harmless cancers, all cancers detected mainly by screening are treated.This exposes people to the potential side effects of treatment, but without an equal expectation of benefit, because the cancer is unlikely to advance.However, some sceptics remain unconvinced. So to investigate whether screening for thyroid cancer led to the current "epidemic" in South Korea, a team led by Jin Soo Lee at the National Cancer Center Research Institute in Goyang, analyzed the medical records of 5,796 thyroid cancer patients diagnosed in 1999, 2005, and 2008.Most participants were women with an average age of 47 years. Age-standardized incidence of thyroid cancer was estimated, and the changes in incidence between 1999 and 2008 were examined according to how the tumor was detected (by screening, by clinical symptoms associated with thyroid disease, or unspecified).Between 1999 and 2008, they found more than a sixfold increase in thyroid cancer incidence, from 6.4 to 40.7 per 100,000 people.Of the increase, 94% (34 per 100,000 people) were for tumors less than 20 mm, which were detected mainly by screening and 97% of the total increase was for localized and regional stage tumors.Even where cases were clinically detected, 99.9% of the increase (6.4 per 100,000 people) over the same period were for tumors less than 20 mm."Our study shows that the increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer in South Korea mainly resulted from overdetection, most likely as a result of widespread use of sensitive imaging tools (eg. ultrasound examination)," say the authors."Considering the increase in thyroid cancer incidence, the financial burden of using ultrasound to detect small tumors (and the often unnecessary subsequent surgery) is expected to rise rapidly," they warn.They call for concerted efforts at national level "to reduce unnecessary ultrasound examination of the thyroid in the asymptomatic general population, unless clinically indicated."In a linked editorial, US researchers say these findings "strongly suggest that the increase is due to overdiagnosis rather than an as yet unidentified new risk factor. Even more importantly, their data suggest that we might need to re-examine what we include in our definition of subclinical or indolent disease," they add.Source: Eurekalert The Kahaani 2 - Durga Rani Singh trailer left me flummoxed, mainly because quite a bit of the plot was given out. A woman gets knocked down by a vehicle after her daughter is kidnapped. A cop investigating the accident finds a diary written by the woman and stumbles upon her past, where she possibly murdered and kidnapped a child. Could the same child be the one she now calls her daughter? All this was covered by the films rather linear trailer, and left me wondering, What did I miss? After watching Kahaani 2, I realised that I didnt miss anything at all. What the trailer made the film look like - a fast-paced thriller rather than a simmering mystery like its predecessor, Kahaani - is exactly what Kahaani 2 is. The makers arent trying to pull a fast one on us here, like they did in the first film (showing flashbacks that eventually turned out to be fake). Instead, Kahaani 2 is a straightforward but mostly compelling film, relying more on drama than mystery. Kahaani, which released in 2012, was a taut thriller about a pregnant woman looking for her missing husband in Kolkata, which pulled the rug under audiences feet with a final twist. A cast led by an actor at the top of her game, memorable characters (Remember Bob Biswas?) and a gripping, slow-burn narrative kept you hooked through its 2 hour-plus runtime, ending with a revelation that few saw coming. YouTube A sequel carries baggage with it, of either living up to or outperforming the original, and creates expectations that may have not existed earlier. Kahaani 2 suffers from being a part two of something. While the first Kahaani benefited from the surprise element, the second feels weighed down by it. A lot of effort seems to have gone into writing the climax as one big plot twist (also strongly felt in Te3n, by the same team), and that disrupts the rhythm the film retains till that point. Director Sujoy Ghosh has made the sequel darker and creepier (fine work by Tapan Basu behind the camera), and ensured the tonality supplements the deeper themes his co-writers are dealing with this time around. Ritesh Shah, Suresh Nair and Ghosh keep the tension up for most part, swiftly moving between past and present and lending characters quirks that make them interesting. The third act, however, remains awkward - and even though its not as forgettable as it was in Te3n, it does take away a lot of the sheen. In most instances, a film is remembered by how it leaves you feeling - not necessarily due to how it ended, but based on how well the different parts fit together. The first Kahaanis parts fit together more snugly in that sense, even though the sequel aims for more. The only element - apart from Kolkata - that the film needed to retain was, of course, Vidya Balan, who makes a fine return-to-form as actor. Balans had a bad run at the movies lately (for no fault of hers, of course), and in a film that does complete justice to her presence, she nails the part. In Arjun Rampal, Balan finds a dependable costar, and the actor delivers a finely-controlled, dignified performance. The supporting cast is pitch-perfect (Jugal Hansraj has never been better). Manini Chadha makes a fine debut as Rampals wife. Their domesticity punctuates the tension nicely. Kahaani 2 - Durga Rani Singh is worth a watch, for its treatment and performances, but only if you dont pin your hopes on that final kahaani mein twist. This tale could have done without one altogether. Of late, we have been coming across a lot of brutal instances of animal abuse and cruelty, where some animals were subjected to mutilation and some were thrown from the terrace by people for their sadistic pleasures. Who can forget the agony of the poor monkey who was tortured and killed by medical students in Tamil Nadu? The gruesome pictures still leave us disgusted. Pexels This isnt anything new, earlier a man in Hyderabad was arrested for killing a dog and raping her carcass. While on one hand, some people are subjecting cruelty, there are some organizations that are turning out to be a messiah for these poor souls. One such organization is The Department of Animal Husbandry in Chandigarh, which has started a facility to provide ambulance service for small and pet animals. The ambulance will cater to the transportation of injured and sick animals for treatment at the Government Veterinary Hospitals nearby that were introduced under MPLAD Scheme. Wikimedia An official statement said, This state of the art ambulance will operate at a nominal fare of Rs. 300 per-to-and-fro trip from the house of caller to nearest hospital and return. The ambulance is equipped with first aid and emergency medication and will be given under the supervision of Para-Veterinary staff, it further mentioned. All you will have to do is call for an ambulance, they will reach at your doorstep, take your pet to the nearest government veterinary hospital and post the treatment they will drop them back at your house. This is a great initiative and we hope that other cities and states will take lessons from Chandigarh to help the animals. Source: Indian Express In the winter of 1962, invading Chinese troops made a bold statement when they decided to venture and capture deep Indian Territory at the height of the Sino-Indian war. With every passing hour, the Chinese aggression on the Indian side was increasing in intensity and something needed to be done to at least put a temporary end to the Chinese advances across the Indian territory. And this is when they decided to attack and capture Rezang La in Ladakh. Rezang La pass is located at around 16000 feet near Chushul. Commonly also known as Ahir Dham because of the local inhabitants Ahirs, the pass was one of the most critical nerves held by the Indian army in Ladakh, one whose cessation to the Chinese would mean total surrender by the Indian army. In that context, when the Chinese troops attacked Rezang La, not only did they attack a major Indian post but also struck a heavy blow on the Indian Army ego. Twitter The Charlie Company of the 13th Kumaon regiments was led by the legendary Major Shaitan Singh Bhati. Stationed at Rezang La with 120 men under him, Shaitan Singh took the bull by its horn and decided to hold ground against hordes of Chinese attacking under heavy artillery fire from the Chinese side. The Indian side, however, couldnt hope for a defending artillery fire as it was situated behind a hill feature thus leaving the 120 brave men to fend for themselves. The first attack from the Chinese came from the Nullah, a dry river bed, and was successfully thwarted by the Charlie Company with the help of the machine gun. The Chinese didnt expect such strong retaliation from the Indian side and regrouped to launch a second attack which almost eclipsed the first one by a ratio of 3:1. This too was well defended by the boys of the Charlie Company. Twitter But Shaitan Singh knew that he couldnt sustain it for too long because the next Chinese attack would overwhelm his brave men even if they stood their ground in case of a total rout. He moved from one post to another to motivate his squad and asked for their ultimate sacrifice in the name of their motherland. And they did. On that day, 114 of the 120 odd jawans lost their lives in service to the nation. There have been many estimates as to how many Chinese men were killed which range from 500-2000. When the bodies of the Indian men were fetched, many of them were still holding onto a bomb. A medical help was found with a syringe and bandage in his hands. This meant that the attack was on from the Indian side when many of the posts were overrun by the Chinese, meaning the Indian men didnt leave their posts till they were physically confronted by the enemy and still died on the field with bombs in their hands. Twitter General K.S Thimayya, one of the most recognized soldiers of the Kumaon regiment who served as the Army chief once said this about the battle of Rezang La: You rarely come across such example in the annals of world military history when braving such heavy odds, the men fought till the last bullet and the last man. Certainly the Battle of Rezang La is such a shining example." Major Shaitan Singh, who died motivating his company, became only the second winner of the Param Vir Chakra which was awarded to him posthumously. Other fighters who were awarded the Veer Chakras included Naik Hukum Chand (posthumous), Naik Gulab Singh Yadav, Lance Naik Ram Singh (posthumous), Subedar Ram Kumar and Subedar Ram Chander. In the end, Shaitan Singh and his men proved that no matter what the odds, some battles are just worth dying for. Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain. Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred. For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here. Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Amanatidis and Education, Research & Religious Affairs Minister Kostas Gavroglou met jointly with Theodoros II, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa. During the meeting, which took place at Mr. Amanatidis office, with ministry officials in attendance, there was a discussion of issues concerning the educational and social activities of the Patriarchate of Alexandria that fall within the competencies of both the Ministry of Education, Research & Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In their statements, the Education Minister and the Deputy Foreign Minister praised the work of the Patriarchate, whose mission in Africa is of a special importance and nature, and they expressed their will to solve problems to facilitate and assist the Patriarchates inspiring work. The Deputy Foreign Minister thanked Mr. Gavroglou for hosting the meeting and for his sensitivity to the problems of our Senior Patriarchates, expressing the support of the government and the Foreign Ministry, under Mr. Kotzias, for the missionary work being carried out on the African continent by Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Stratos Efthymiou made the following statement in response to a journalists question on a statement from the spokesperson for the Turkish Foreign Ministry regarding the status of Imia: The public reiteration of a legally groundless position does not make that position any less unsound, nor can it lend it any legal standing. The legal status in the Aegean has been clarified explicitly in the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, the Italian-Turkish Convention and Protocol of 1932, and the 1947 Treaty of Paris, which clearly determine Greeces sovereignty over the islands and islets of the Aegean, including Imia. Turkey needs to decide whether or not it respects international law, international conventions and agreements. It needs to make clear whether it perceives that international law stands above domestic expediencies. N. KOTZIAS: Mr. President, dear Mr. President, dear Ministers, Secretaries General, Ministry personnel, new Ministry Personnel arriving from the Diplomatic Academy, welcome, parents and friends of our young diplomats. I think that one of the happiest moments one can experience as a Minister, and at the same time as a university professor -- and I imagine the same holds true for our President -- is to welcome new personnel to the Ministry, to be able to wish them a good journey as they represent the country with courage, knowledge and frankness. We have 15 young people arriving with their dreams, at what is in our opinion -- and it couldnt be otherwise -- the countrys best Ministry and, I would say, one of the very good Foreign Ministries globally. We are talking about our young diplomats who will represent our country abroad, work and fight, under difficult conditions, for a country that went through a long economic crisis -- I would say, the longest post-war economic crisis. A country that acts and moves in a region of instability where, as I stated on my return from Libya the night before last, we were able to pick up the thread of history and restore all of our relations creatively, productively, upgrading the country. They will live in a time when, amid much information, they will have to identify ignorance, lies and propaganda here at home and, mainly, abroad, and creatively seek the truth, defend what is right, what is just, and our interests. At the same time, always remember, young diplomats, that however right we are in what we say, we always have to say it in a way that sounds right to the ear we are addressing, because, as the poet says, the ear doesnt hear in the same way that the mouth speaks. We not only have to have justice and what is right on our side, but we also have to know how and when to say it. That is, we need to learn about and understand the other side, and we need to have, deep in our souls, the sense of patriotism and constitutional democracy, and not, of course, of false nationalism. Even more so, we must not accept the nationalism of the other side. I believe that you are coming to a Ministry that, with all the problems of the time and of the institution, provides you with a large family, affection, knowledge. We have extremely good diplomats from whom we all have much to learn. It is a Ministry that had no problem -- over the past two years -- combating the corruption that had accrued. We are proud to have sent 91 cases to the prosecutor, from illegal payments to NGOs to personnel who got involved in situations with visas and other illegal activities. You, my good young diplomats, hold on to what is good at this Ministry. Resolve never to adapt to the negative aspects you will come across and to always state your opinion frankly. Your knowledge is a good thing, it is vital to our being able to avoid mistakes and better enrich our policy as a Ministry. Silence is necessary only when needed, and it is not always golden. Together, we have to fight back against any failings and defend the good of this land and its laws. And it is a great honour for our Ministry, for you and me, to have with us the President of the Republic, a person who is the living embodiment of diplomacy, who makes us feel proud every time he represents the country, and to whom, if I may, I want to give the floor. Mr. President, welcome to our Ministry. P. PAVLOPOULOS I want to thank the Foreign Minister, the whole leadership of the Foreign Ministry, because once again you are giving me the opportunity to talk to the young attaches. I did the same last year, and at a very critical moment, in fact. But I remember, and I say it to my dear friend, Mr. Kotzias, and to all of you who were here with us last year as well: What we said then is being put into practice. When your colleagues took the oath last year, Greece was being shaken by the troubles that we got through and that will not be repeated. I say this to you and to the relatives who are here with us. And I am pleased that you are here with us, showing your support for these young attaches as they begin this journey. What I am going to say comes from my heart. I assure you. There is no artifice. It is the truth. You should be aware that this Ministry has a long history. Consider the fact that all of this lands great successes in foreign policy were achieved through close cooperation between political leaderships and the diplomats, the Greek diplomats, who proved themselves worthy of the homeland. With the highest example -- and this is what we must focus on at this time -- being how Eleftherios Venizelos achieved the great success of the Treaty of Lausanne. Eleftherios Venizelos at that time had with him diplomats, starting with Nikolaos Politis, who worked silently, but through the wisdom they had and their dedication to duty, they achieved things based on which the country came out larger and with defences for the future. And if the subsequent troubles, which in many cases were due to our own mistakes, had not impeded things from going as initially planned, Greeces fortune would have been even better. But we must learn from mistakes. Remember this: You are setting off on a career in the Diplomatic Service, the Hellenic Diplomatic Service, to which our country owes a great deal. So, you have this legacy, and it is precious at this time. Because you are entering the Diplomatic Service at a very critical time, not just for our country, but also for our wider family, Europe and the whole world. The great advantage that we have today is that, in the European Union, together with our national issues, we also defend European issues. Because you know that Greek National Issues are now also European issues. And it is good for Europe to realise this, because Greece is not struggling solely for its national interest. It is struggling for the interest of the whole of Europe. And the threats emerging today concern not only our country, but also Europe. Allow me to give you two examples that show that these times are critical and turbulent, as well as that you, from here on in your careers, have important weapons with which to defend the homeland, Europe and international legality in general. And I will take two current issues, the Cyprus problem, on the one hand, and the Treaty of Lausanne, on the other. First of all, let me make it clear that we Greeks, on all of these issues, have what we might call a doctrine: We do not claim anything that isnt ours. Moreover, Greece has never carried out campaigns of conquest. And the great campaign of Alexander the Great, I want you to remember, was not a campaign of conquest. It was more a campaign of acculturation. So, because we have this mindset, we did not endeavour to create empires. The empire of the Hellenic Spirit is enough for us. So, in this context we lay no claim to anything that isnt ours. But neither are we willing to relinquish, even in the slightest, what belongs to us based on international and European law. This is the foundation from which we begin. So I bring forth these two examples, and I know that I am perhaps being a little tiresome, but it is better that we should repeat things so that they are understood. The Cyprus issue. First of all, the Cyprus problem is not a Greece-Cyprus issue. It is an international issue and, of course, a European issue par excellence, given that Cyprus is a full and equal member of the European Union and of its hard core, the Eurozone. With regard to the Cyprus issue, Greece and Cyprus present a united front. And this was proven recently, moreover, with regard to our lines, which are also European lines. So, with regard to Cyprus, one thing is clear. We are pursuing the resolution of the Cyprus problem, and we have been doing so for years. There must be a solution to the Cyprus problem. A just solution, a viable solution. But for this to happen, there has to be full respect for international and European law. Without this respect, we arent talking about a solution, but about the dissolution of any state that might arise. This requires, beyond the other issues, that first and foremost we fully respect the notion of the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus. We respect the sovereignty, but what sovereignty? That sovereignty that corresponds fully to international and European law. The notion of sovereignty is currently formulated based on international law, but also, for the states of Europe, based on European law. From your studies at the Academy, you will already know that article 4, paragraph 2, of the Treaty of European Union clearly defines this concept of sovereignty. It is the full and unconditional ability of each state to ensure its territorial integrity and safeguard its national security. I am using the terminology of article 4, paragraph 2, verbatim. So, any solution cannot but respect this notion of sovereignty. Because otherwise the solution will violate the notion of sovereignty according to international and European law, and, I assure you, it will create an extremely dangerous precedent for the whole of the European Union. Because what would hypothetically happen in a Republic of Cyprus with deficient sovereignty could be repeated for any other European Union state. So, when we and Cyprus have this stance, we are defending the sovereignty of the states of the European Union. This has to be made clear to our partners, who must adopt this position as a European position. This notion of sovereignty does not accept, in any case, occupation forces, and nor, of course, does it allow for guarantees. So we make it clear that we are pursuing the solution, and we will defend this solution. Just as I also want to stress this, because weve been hearing a lot in recent days: There is no Turkish Republic of Cyprus. There is a Turkish invasion and occupation. There is a Turkish occupation army. There is no such state entity. This is what international law says, this is what European law says, and to this there can be no objection -- there is no disputing this. And I stress that this in no way means that we want to clash with our neighbour Turkey. But I say, we claim nothing, but we also relinquish nothing. And on the second issue, the Treaty of Lausanne, to which I referred earlier -- here, too, things are extremely clear. Because this issue, too, which also concerns Greeces relations with Turkey, is a European issue. We dont forget that the Treaty of Lausanne is an integral part of international law. How international agreements are revised is the ABCs of international law. We need to know this well, and you know it very well. The fact that some people ignore it is their problem. Perhaps there are some who also think all this is trivial -- why am I dealing with this? I assure you, on national issues, which are also European issues -- I repeat once again -- there is nothing trivial. These, too, must be dealt with, because these issues can start out in the form of a review on the international level, but if we dont take appropriate care, they can quickly become tragedies. And we Greeks are not prepared to put up with this. We will not allow it, and the implementation of international law and European law cannot succumb to any manner of populist Sirens. And those who do it will know that, even if they send messages that this is ostensibly for domestic consumption, for us it isnt a matter of domestic consumption. The response will always be there. So the Treaty of Lausanne is an integral part of international law. There is no possibility, in any version of events, of its implementation being called into question or of there being an issue of its revision. This Treaty, fully in force, determines Greeces borders as well as the borders of the European Union. Any disputing of this Treaty, much less its violation, constitutes a disputing and violation of the borders of Greece and the European Union, and naturally it will not go unanswered. I stress all of this, saying sincerely to our neighbour Turkey, we are here, we were the ones who extended a hand of friendship in times of difficulty. Even with the latest troubles, when Democracy was jeopardised in Turkey, through the coup. We are the door and the window of Europe. And we say this because it is only through peaceful coexistence that we can overcome the problems that both peoples have. But we need to remember, peaceful coexistence, friendship, is based on respect for international law. If some people believe that international law is the same as law of the powerful, they are making a big mistake. By its nature, international law is the law of equality and is founded on the principle of pacta sunt servanda. If they are unaware of it, they should learn about it. If theyre not unaware of it, but want to use it for there own ends, I reiterate, we will not stand for it. And history has taught us that the strength of peoples does not depend on size. It depends on their resolve and, mainly, on their unity. That is why, at such times, we must all be united, especially when we are dealing with issues of this kind. So I wish you all -- with your qualifications and the conscientiousness and resolve of your predecessors -- a successful career. I have confidence, and we have confidence, in your abilities and your dedication. My warm congratulations. May you be strong, and may God be with you. #football S. Korea dealt devastating World Cup blow with Son Heung-min surgery South Korea's chances of reaching the knockouts at this year's World Cup, slim as they already may have been, were dealt a massive blow Thursday morning, when the news of surgery f... BAD AXE Longtime rock musician Ted Nugent can wield a mean guitar. Also an avid outdoorsman, Nugent has been known to wield some mean guns as well. Thanks to a clever local businessman, Nugent has added another gun to his arsenal. Anyone familiar with the Michigan hunting scene already knows about the Ruger American 450 Bushmaster. The bolt action rifle legal in the Michigans limited firearm zone has taken the state by storm with its unprecedented power, accuracy and lightness. Thats the big magic to this caliber, said Randy Brown of Randys Hunting Center. That great big bullet with so much energy it just knocks things flat. The brainchild behind the movement, Browns business is currently the only one in the country selling the prized gun. And the honor comes with a few perks, including receiving a phone call from the Motor City Madman himself. Earlier this month, Brown answered his cell phone and it was none other than Nugent, looking to get his hands on the rifle. Just like thousands of other hunters in search of the gun that had flooded Randys Hunting phone lines and email account, Nugent had trouble getting through. But after pulling a few strings, Nugent was finally successful. It wasnt long before Brown delivered a custom built Ruger American 450 Bushmaster to Nugent at the stars hunting compound. He said, Thats the perfect rifle why didnt anyone else ever get this done? Brown said of Nugents initial reaction. After using the gun, Nugent was even more impressed. He told Brown he planned to show it off on one of his hunting shows in the near future. He warned me, Brown said. He said, I have 33 million followers. How many do you think arent going to want this gun? Added Brown: We had a good conversation. We made a little video clip and we had some fun doing it. The phenomenon began to take shape around three years ago, after Michigan passed a law allowing rifles to be used in the limited firearm zone as long as the caliber was a straight walled pistol cartridge under a certain specified length. The changes opened up the door for a gun like the Ruger American 450 Bushmaster to be created and more importantly, legally used in the states limited firearm zone. With that in mind, Brown got an idea. Knowing hunters would be looking for an alternative to using a shotgun or AR15, Brown began the process of bringing his idea to fruition. First, Brown had his rifle pieced together by various gunsmiths in the Midwest and had some success, but the gun was too expensive to produce. In the meantime, he continued pestering every major gun company that would listen. Eventually, he broke through with Ruger. I had worked with Ruger on quite a few different projects in the past on some different rifles and some pistols, Brown said. I really bent their ear badly. I saw them every chance I could get, harped on them over and over and finally they asked me what I wanted. I think to get me out of their hair. Ruger agreed to make a small initial run, which came and sold out in October. Another small run came in November and was sold out in one day. A feature on Brown by Michigan Out of Doors helped further the rifles popularity, which is now nationwide. Brown has heard a lot of good things from people in Texas and Louisiana who want the gun for killing hogs, as well as hunters in Montana and Alaska that think it would make the ultimate bear gun. Randys Hunting currently has a waiting list for the gun of 4,000 people and counting, and are getting around 140 emails per hour with requests or questions. They can not even make them close to fast enough for us right now, Brown said. So far, Randys Hunting has sold 1,100 of the rifles. A new shipment is set to arrive in early December. They (Ruger) make 2.5 million guns in a year, Brown said. To make 1,000 guns, or even 5,000 guns its such a small drop in the bucket. Im just honored they would even think to do something like that for a guy in Bad Axe. The ultimate winner is the guy thats holding that gun the hunter himself because they just shoot so nice. If the guns popularity continues, Brown believes Ruger could be putting it in their regular line for 2017. If that time comes, youll be able to get the gun just about anywhere, which is fine with Brown. I think youre going to see it mainstream here fairly soon, he said. If they decide to go gung ho and if its in every store in the nation, I guess I can say Well, I started that. The Navy's littoral combat ship is costing taxpayers billions more than budgeted, failing survivability assessments, and may never live up to the original vision for the program, a panel of Navy and government oversight officials told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday. The hearing, which focused on continued testing and acquisition of the small surface vessels, came at the close of a 12-month period in which five of the eight littoral combat ships in service have suffered major mechanical and engineering casualties. Navy officials have ordered dramatic program overhauls and reviews of ship employment and training in response to the breakdowns. And despite the program's underperformance, costs continue to skyrocket, testified Paul Francis, managing director of acquisition and sourcing management at the Government Accountability Office. The ship's unit cost has more than doubled from $220 million to $478 million apiece, and plans to conduct a "block buy" of 12 redesigned littoral combat ships, to be called frigates, will put taxpayers on the hook for nearly $14 billion, he wrote in a GAO report released Thursday. "The miracle of LCS didn't happen," Francis told the Senate panel. "... Once the money wheel starts to turn, the business imperatives of budgets and contracts and ship construction take precedence over acquisition and oversight principles." In an era when other major-dollar acquisition programs such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Gerald R. Ford-class carrier have dominated headlines on account of delays and budget overruns, the sternest rebukes in Congress may be reserved for the embattled LCS program. "The experience of LCS, it broke the Navy," said Sean Stackley, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition. "... We have our program managers pretty much under a microscope right now, and we've taken things like cost and we've put cost into our requirements so that you don't get to ignore costs while you're chasing requirement. Just like speed, range, power and payload, if you start to infringe on the cost requirement that we put into our documents, you have to report to [Research, Development and Acquisition] and [the Chief of Naval Operations] just like you do if you infringe on one of the other requirements." In prepared testimony for the hearing, the Pentagon's director of Operational Test and Evaluation, J. Michael Gilmore, gave a damning accounting of where the program stands, saying neither of the two LCS variants now being built by competing contractors is expected to be survivable in combat, a fact that undermines the whole concept of operations for the ship class. Design failures also hobble the ship's effectiveness, he wrote in the 30-page document. The small crew size, he said, limited mission capabilities, combat endurance, and the ability of the crew to conduct major repairs without bringing in outside help. While a new crewing model introduced by the Navy in September will allow the ships to each focus on a single mission -- surface warfare, mine countermeasures, or asymmetric warfare -- Gilmore said his department does not yet have enough information to determine whether this approach will solve the problem. In air warfare, he wrote, both ship variants lagged behind in testing, and it appeared unlikely that the LCS ultimately would be able to meet the Navy's air defense requirements. "The need for this testing is all the more acute given the recent [anti-ship cruise missile] attacks against Navy ships off the coast of Yemen," Gilmore wrote, citing a series of incidents in October that prompted the Arleigh-Burke Class Destroyer Mason to fire missiles in self-defense. In shock trials this summer with the littoral combat ship Milwaukee, designed to test the ship's ability to withstand an attack and keep fighting, the Navy had planned to conduct a traditional "three-shot" shock trial, with controlled blasts maxing out at only two-thirds the required shock level for the ship's design. But the service stopped the trial after only two shots, Gilmore said, due to concerns that the third would "significantly damage substantial amounts of non-hardened equipment, thereby necessitating costly and lengthy repairs." The Milwaukee was commissioned Nov. 21, 2015, and suffered a major engineering casualty less than a month later due to debris collection in the lube oil filter, requiring a 40-mile tow back to port. The only voice on the panel who expressed unmixed optimism about the LCS was Vice Adm. Thomas Rowden, commander of Naval Surface Forces. He was grilled by committee chairman Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, who asked him to take responsibility for the engineering casualties that had happened on his watch, at least several of which were the result of engineer error. "Should you be in your job?" McCain demanded. "Yes sir, I believe I'm capable of fulfilling my responsibilities," Rowden replied. "What I did find was that training we had provided to the young men and women was insufficient. I think we're in a much better place moving forward. We are going to start holding people accountable." Pressed by the committee, Rowden said he believed the ships, deployed with sailors and Marines aboard, would hold up in combat. Gilmore disagreed. "You're never going to get from me, or anyone else, an honest, ironclad guarantee that the ships are going to perform the way people say they hope they will," he said. -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck. The U.S. Army has announced it will convert one of its infantry brigades into an armored brigade combat team amid an increasing demand for heavier formations to counter Russian aggression in Europe. Beginning this summer, the 4,200 soldiers from the 2nd IBCT of the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia, will be converted into an ABCT and equipped with M1 Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles. "The conversion of an IBCT to an ABCT better postures the Army to meet the defense strategic guidance by developing force structure capabilities to retain overmatch in key warfighting functions," said Maj. Gen. Andrew Poppas, Army director of force management, in a recent Army press release. The announcement comes two months after the service announced that the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Carson in Colorado, will deploy to Europe in January, beginning a continuous rotation of U.S.-based armored brigades to the region as part of the European Reassurance Initiative. The conversion of the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team -- scheduled to begin next summer -- will add more than 200 armored vehicles as it transitions to the Army's 10th active-duty armored BCT and the 15th in the entire force. Once the conversion is complete, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, will mirror its sister ABCT at Fort Stewart -- 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division -- which recently returned from deployment to Eastern Europe as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve. Earlier this year, Defense Secretary Ash Carter told lawmakers that Russia, China, North Korea and Iran are among the evolving strategic challenges driving future planning and budgeting. "The Army is pragmatically and proactively increasing the number of armored brigade combat teams in the force to address the several security challenges that have been identified by the secretary of defense," Col. Brian Ellis, force management division chief with the Army's G-3/5/7, said in an Army release. If all goes as planned, the Spartan Brigade will convert to an armored BCT in October, begin training exercises in 2018 and conduct a combat training center rotation the following year, according to Ellis. None of the brigade's units will be moved from Fort Stewart, and there will be just a slight reduction in its 4,200-soldier force as it changes to armored vehicles, he said. The brigade is set to receive 87 M1A1 Abrams tanks with situational awareness configuration upgrades and 138 Bradley fighting vehicles, along with 18 M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzers. "It benefits the Army in that it provides an additional rotational capability and it expands the armored brigade combat team capacity for the Army," Ellis said. The service is moving ahead with the conversion despite gridlock in Congress over the defense budget that has been holding up Army plans to boost defenses against Russia in Europe. The White House proposed quadrupling European Reassurance Initiative funding to $3.4 billion in the fiscal 2017 defense budget, but the recommendation stalled in late September when Congress passed a 10-week stopgap funding measure, called a continuing resolution, to avoid shutting down the government. The CR continued spending at fiscal 2016 levels. A fully funded program would have helped support continuous troop rotations of U.S.-based armored brigade combat teams to the European theater in early 2017, which brings the total Army presence in Europe up to three fully manned Army brigades. By the end of 2017, program funding would have paid for a continuous presence of three fully equipped Army brigade combat teams -- one armored, one airborne and one Stryker brigade -- as well as one pre-positioned set of combat-ready equipment sufficient to support another armored brigade combat team and division-level enablers in Europe. -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved a 2.1 percent pay raise next year for troops. The measure was included in the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, which the lower chamber overwhelmingly backed by a vote of 375-34. The massive $619 billion bill sets policy and spending goals for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. "This bipartisan bill focuses on our troops, Americas most important national defense resource," Rep. William "Mac" Thornberry, a Republican from Texas and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement. "It provides them a full pay raise for the first time in four years, it stops layoffs of our military personnel and actually increases the end strength of our Armed Forces, and it starts to stabilize the readiness problems that are making it more difficult for our troops to accomplish their mission and increasingly represent a danger to their lives," he added. "It contains landmark reforms to improve our militarys strength and agility." House negotiators successfully convinced their Senate counterparts to agree to a higher pay raise for service members in 2017. The Senate had agreed with the White House to increase troop pay next year by 1.6 percent. The House, however, pushed for a 2.1 percent increase in pay in keeping with private-sector wage growth. Lawmakers in the lower chamber noted the alternative would have marked the fourth straight year troops would have seen a lower-than-expected raise. By law, military pay hikes are supposed to track wage growth in the private sector as measured by the government's Employment Cost Index (ECI). The basic pay hike in 2016 was capped at 1.3 percent, a full percentage point below the level pegged by the ECI; and in both 2014 and 2015 at 1 percent when 1.8 percent was needed to match wage hikes nationwide, according to Military.com contributor Tom Philpott. For an E-5 with four years of service, the higher raise next year would translate into an extra $48 a month, for a total of $2,315 in basic pay; for an O-3, it would mean another $117 a month, for a total of $5,683 in monthly pay, according to a basic calculation using 2016 pay tables from the Pentagon's Defense Finance and Accounting Services. The Senate is expected to vote on the defense bill next week. It appears less likely President Barack Obama will try to veto the legislation, given the lower chamber's strong support for it. The president and members of his cabinet, including Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, have previously threatened to reject the measure over the level of war funding, among other areas of disagreements. -- Brendan McGarry can be reached at brendan.mcgarry@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Brendan_McGarry. The Pentagon's new policy for carrying firearms on base is intended for uniformed service members and civilians working for the U.S. military -- not for retirees, Defense Department officials maintain. "Arming and the Use of Force," a Nov. 18 Department of Defense Directive approved by Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work, provides detailed guidance to the services for permitting soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guard personnel to carry privately owned firearms on DoD property, according to the document. In response to its Nov. 21 story, Military.com has received numerous emails from retired service members, asking if the directive will allow them to carry their firearms on base. The directive is a broad DoD policy that each of the service chiefs will enforce as they see fit, according to Pentagon spokesman Maj. Jamie Davis. The policy, however, does not apply to retirees, he said. "This policy only covers active service members, DoD civilian employees, and DoD contractors -- when applicable," Davis said. "Guidance for retirees, dependents and other members of the public will be addressed in a separate instruction at a later date." Commanders, O-5 and above, "may grant permission to DoD personnel requesting to carry a privately owned firearm (concealed or open carry) on DoD property for a personal protection purpose not related to performance of an official duty or status," the document states. Applicants should be 21 years of age or older, the age many states require an individual to be to own a firearm, according to the document. Proof of compliance may include a concealed handgun license that is valid under federal, state, local or host-nation law where the DoD property is located. "Written permission will be valid for 90 days or as long as the DoD Component deems appropriate and will include information necessary to facilitate the carrying of the firearm on DoD property consistent with safety and security, such as the individual's name, duration of the permission to carry, type of firearm, etc.," according to the document. Until now, DoD personnel have not been authorized to carry personal firearms on military installations, a policy that came under scrutiny in the wake of "active-shooter" attacks at U.S. military bases that have resulted in the deaths of service members. It will be up to each service to "go through and fine-tune it to suit that service's needs," Davis said. "It could be very restrictive based on the leadership of that service. It really boils down to how the services want to implement this." Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley has argued against reversing the DoD policy that prohibits service members from carrying concealed weapons on post. Testifying at an April 14 congressional hearing, Milley cited the Nov. 5, 2009, mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, in which 13 people were killed and 42 others injured. The day of the shooting, Nidal Hasan, then an Army major and psychiatrist, entered the Fort Hood deployment center carrying two pistols, jumped on a desk, shouted "Allahu Akbar!" -- Arabic for "God is great" -- and then opened fire. Milley defended the short time it took for law enforcement there to secure the scene and said he is not convinced that allowing soldiers to carry privately owned weapons would have stopped Hasan. Military.com reached out to Milley's office for comment on the story, but his spokeswoman, Lt. Col. Cathy Wilkinson, said the chief's office was unable to provide a comment by press time. The directive also advises that personnel authorized to carry privately owned firearms must "acknowledge they may be personally liable for the injuries, death, and property damage proximately caused by negligence in connection with the possession or use of privately owned firearms that are not within the scope of their federal employment," according to the document. -- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. Camp Lejeune Town Halls Aim to Help Those Exposed to Toxic Water. Heres How You Can Go. Retired Marine Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger made it his mission to tell the world that if they lived or served on Camp Lejeune... After breaking down Nov. 21 during a transit through the Panama Canal, the newly commissioned destroyer Zumwalt has completed repairs and is once again en route to its new San Diego homeport, Navy officials said Thursday. Lt. Julianne Holland, a spokeswoman for U.S. Third Fleet, said in a statement that crew members had made repairs to the damaged propulsion system, aided by a repair team from General Electric and Naval Sea Systems Command. "The necessary testing and evaluation have been completed and the ship is continuing her transit to her new homeport of San Diego, where she is expected to arrive in the coming weeks," Holland said. According to a Navy official, the Zumwalt experienced two separate engineering casualties during its Panama Canal southbound transit. Both appeared to be the result of failed heat exchangers within the lube oil coolers of advanced induction motors, the official said. The $4 billion Zumwalt is the Navy's most expensive destroyer and the first of three ships in its three-ship class, built with very few right angles to maintain the stealthiest possible profile in the water. The ship, which was commissioned Oct. 15, was previously sidelined in September due to a problem in its engineering plant, and repaired at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. Ultimately, the Defense Department plans to base the Zumwalt and the two ships to follow it in the Pacific. -- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at@HopeSeck. BATTLE CREEK, MI -- Arcadia Brewing Co. will celebrate 20 years in Battle Creek Saturday with kilts, bagpipers, Celtic music and haggis. The day starts with a traditional breakfast of corned beef and hash served by founder and CEO Tim Suprise from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Official festivities for the 20th Anniversary Celebration start at 5 p.m. with food specials by Arcadia's chef Sean Kelly. At 6 p.m., a traditional bagpipe procession will proceed an Address to a Haggis by Tim Suprise, in honor of Scottish poet Robert Burns. Celtic-based band An Dro starts playing at 7:30 p.m. Battle Kriek, a reserve 20th anniversary ale, will be tapped at 9:30 a.m. and will be served all day. Arcadia will sell pre-orders of 750 ml bottles of Battle Kriek Saturday for $9.99 a bottle. Battle Kriek is an American Wild Ale that has aromas of cherry pie, citrus zest and peaches. Pickup for the bottles will be Dec. 17 and will include free breakfast from 11 a.m. to noon. Cost to attend the party is $5 after 5 p.m. Arcadia will donate $1 from every pint sold during Saturday's party will benefit Habitat for Humanity. Arcadia's first 25-barrel batch was brewed in a Brick Kettle Brewing System from England at the Battle Creek location. Now, every batch is brewed in the 50-barrel brewhouse at Arcadia's Kalamazoo brewery. Arcadia also is launching a mug club at its Battle Creek location. Members pay $30 a year and get specials on beer, food and growler fills. COMSTOCK PARK, MI -- Something special is always happening at Perrin Brewing Company where head brewer John Stewart is leading the way with experimental, but well-balanced beers. Currently you'll find about 20 beers on tap here, and a lot of activity behind the scenes. This week -- for example -- it was all about collaboration. On Thursday morning, Stewart was joined by fellow brewers Tim Matthews of Oskar Blues in Colorado and Wayne Wambles of Cigar City in Florida. I stopped by to check out the progress of "Triangulation," a one-time batch of an Imperial Oatmeal Stout they were brewing in Comstock Park. "It's an interesting twist on an Imperial Style....lots of oats and a really cool spectrum of malt flavors and malt products form around the world," Matthews said. "We're excited to see how it will express itself." I asked Wambles if there were any challenges when it comes to collaborations. "It's not really a challenge," he said. " I think it's nice to get together and share different information and integrate that knowledge into one complete product that represents everyone involved. "The most challenging part is to come up with the initial concept, and after that everybody usually runs really hard with the ball." "Triangulation" will be released at Perrin taproom in mid to late January. "Triangulation" is an Imperial Oatmeal Stout that comes in at 9% ABV and 60 IBUs. The release also coincides with Perrin's expansion into in the Florida market beginning in February. "Triangulation" 4-packs only will be available in Michigan and Florida markets. Wambles said the big bodied, robust Oatmeal Stout will also feature some experimental hops and a special London ale yeast strain. "It will have dark caramel components. We are using experimental hop HBC 472, which can provide vanilla, macaroon and even barrel notes," he said. The end result of the Imperial Oatmeal Stout is 9% ABV and 60 IBUs. Established in 2012, Perrin Brewing expects to brew more than 26,000 barrels in 2016, a 70% increase over 2015. Oskar Blues/Perrin/Cigar City are under the same ownership team. One of the first things Kyle Mayer will tell you about the Reading Now Network, an intensive effort to improve reading skills among elementary students in West Michigan, is that it wasn't formed in response to the recent third-grade reading law. That legislation will require some third graders with poor reading skills to be held back as their more capable classmates go on to fourth grade. But the legislation, signed by Gov. Rick Snyder in October, was introduced by a lawmaker from Holland, near where Mayer serves as assistant superintendent in the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District. Talk of the legislation began around the time the Reading Now Network launched, about three years ago. A coincidence, Mayer said. But a lucky one, because the network says it has helped education leaders achieve early success in boosting reading achievement among the region's youngest gradeschoolers. That's good news not only for the region trying this approach, which encompasses 13 counties along Lake Michigan and inland east of Grand Rapids, but perhaps for the rest of Michigan, which has seen its performance in early reading dip in national rankings. Michigan ranks 41st in fourth grade reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. If the state continues on its current path, it stands to fall to 48th by 2030, according to the Education Trust-Midwest, a nonprofit education advocacy group in Michigan. "Poverty is not an excuse," Mayer said of the program's ambitions, which doubles down on the amount of time teachers in early grades spent on reading instruction. "Everyone has to be improving from where they are now." The clock started ticking on this year's kindergarteners across Michigan, which under the recently approved legislation have until their third-grade year to be reading no more than one year behind grade level or face the possibility of having to repeat the grade. 'Collaborate like never before' The thinking behind the Reading Now Network would be familiar to any factory manager or corporate executive who ever tried to improve a process within an organization. Look at the people who are having more success, figure out what they do and then have everyone else do it. Mayer and his colleagues plotted data from more than 100 public school districts across the state's Region 3, encompassing 10 intermediate school districts and 13 counties, benchmarking reading scores on the state's former standardized test, known as the MEAP, and adjusting student performance based on poverty levels. They identified 14 schools that consistently scored better-than-expected results year after year. Teams visited five of those 14 schools to determine what those teachers and principals were doing differently, or better. The educators operated under what Mayer calls a "heart-attack protocol." "When doctors find a better way to treat a heart attack, they don't keep it to themselves," he said. "No matter where you have a heart attack, no matter what hospital you go to, the best treatment is shared." Mayer admits the group didn't find new ways to treat educational heart attacks. Instead, he said, the process encouraged the schools to focus on those reading strategies that worked. For the most part, the solution was fairly simple: Build everything in the early-elementary curriculum around the essential skill of reading. "When we benchmarked the successful schools, we didn't find anything that wasn't already known," he said. "We added nothing to the body of research that was new. "The power was that (successful strategies weren't necessarily) in another city, it was in a neighboring town. It wasn't in Chicago, but in Zeeland. It's not a program, it's about the behavior of adults in schools and communities that get results." Highlighting core practices The group set about distilling its findings and applying them throughout the region, customizing its approach to fit individual schools. Boiled down, it amounted to a few core practices -- among them, making reading an intense classroom focus, closely tracking individual students' progress, building strong leadership in every building and refusing to give up on any student. Although mastering reading skills has long been a core of early education, in practice it wasn't always treated as such, Mayer said. "When we came out of the field study and told others about the 90-120-minute reading block" -- up to two hours every morning devoted solely to reading, the centerpiece of the approach -- "the reaction was, 'How are we going to do that?'" Mayer said. Some educators worried that putting so much emphasis on reading would shortchange other subjects and special classes. The leaders' response was simple: Make it work. Reading now gets its own 90- to 120-minute teaching block every morning, with time devoted to large-group, small-group and one-on-one instruction, so that every student gets the attention they need. Teachers know precisely where each student is reading, according to grade level, and examine the data often. Meanwhile, best practices, in teaching and administration, are shared from school to school. Getting schools across the region to buy in required district-level leadership to "collaborate like never before. This was 100 districts being vulnerable" and opening their doors to improvement, Mayer said. He added that not only low-achieving, high-poverty schools were targeted for improvement, but so were above-state-average schools, if their scores indicated they could be doing better given their more affluent demographics. But he said the results have been worth it. Mayer said when the study started, in 2012, about 9,000 students across the region were reading below grade-level proficiency. After three years of work, that number has dropped to 8,000, with the greatest gains among the poorest students. As the program evolves, he said he expects the number of underperformers to drop further and that far fewer third-graders will be required to repeat when the new law takes effect. Constant data analysis will catch lower achievers earlier, so that if they do have to repeat a grade it likely will be kindergarten, where repeating a year is less traumatic for a child, Mayer said. The third-grade reading law was prompted by a consensus among researchers that students who are not reading at grade level by third grade are more likely to struggle academically in the future. Adding to the urgency is other research which shows that forcing students to repeat a grade presents a host of other problems for students. While promising, the West Michigan reading data has yet to be independently reviewed outside of the region. One expert said more analysis is needed to help the state find ways to reverse its slide in early reading. That might include considering reading strategies used in other, more successful states. "While we applaud efforts to improve literacy levels, Michigan's early literacy performance continues to stagnate or even trail many other states around the country," said Amber Arellano, executive director of Michigan-based Education Trust-Midwest, an advocacy group. "Clearly, leaders need to take a closer look at the strategies here compared to other states, especially those states producing far higher levels of achievement and improvement than Michigan. "The data suggest it's too early to make decisions about major, statewide investments in early literacy. We still have a lot to learn -- and much to evaluate -- about what are the most effective strategies being implemented across the state, as well as outside of Michigan." In one elementary, a singular focus Jens Milobinski is the first to admit he "walked into a good situation" when he assumed the principal's job at Lakeshore Elementary in Holland. Lakeshore was one of the five schools in the 2012 field study, high-scoring in spite of significant challenges. The school, located in a rural-suburban landscape of small farms and blueberry fields, counts a little over half its student body as eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch program, the standard measure of poverty in education. About a quarter are English-language learners, many the children of the farmworkers who staff the fruit operations throughout the region. They not only speak Spanish at home, many pull their children out of school in late fall to follow jobs to Florida or Texas, returning in late winter. Some students leave the country. Milobinski said he recently worked with a teacher to put together a packet for a first-grader who was off to spend the cold months with a 30-year-old sibling in Mexico. "It's a huge challenge," Milobinski said. "(The teacher) had photocopied books, reading, math. She has the brother's email address. She'll be in contact with him all winter." But Lakeshore's building still wears the banner it raised after being named a National Blue Ribbon School in 2014, and an atmosphere of accomplishment and encouragement reigns. "Don't forget to read 20 minutes" is the principal's standard farewell as students leave for the day, with overnight loans of books in their backpacks. "Word walls" dominate classrooms, and a wall of lanyards covers a sizable patch in the central office. These are worn by parent volunteers, who Milobinski and teachers recruit relentlessly to help teachers do one-on-one reading with students. The more there are, the more children can get focused attention. The library is spacious and bright, roomy enough to accommodate several racks and tables for a Scholastic Book Fair, which is also promoted with signs inside the school and out. But well inside the central office is where the work is measured. The percentages of students at each grade level who are reading proficiently, below, or well below grade level are recorded on a whiteboard. The numbers are updated every seven weeks, when the whole staff (administrators and teachers alike) meets and plots strategy, setting goals for the next seven weeks. Milobinski credits his teaching staff with extraordinary dedication. He recalled that the parents of one student said they wouldn't be reading to their child over the holiday break, so the teacher asked if she could call daily during the break and read with the child over the phone. The parents said they wouldn't mind, and the teacher followed through, calling every day and reading with the student, trading paragraphs back and forth for 45 minutes at a time. Data and more data The importance of meticulously measuring each student's progress is essential. At Woodbridge Elementary in Zeeland, an above-average school that was determined to be falling short of its potential, the conference-room whiteboard has been given over to listing every student in the school who is reading below grade level (out of sight of these, or any other student). As students advance, each letter is crossed out and the new one written in. Barb Johnson, who was principal at one of the five higher-achieving schools, led an in-service training for Woodbridge principal Michael Dalman and other principals recently, suggesting strategies for using the 90-to-120-minute reading block each school now has. The goal, Dalman said, is for no third-graders to be retained in three years. Forcing a child to repeat third grade is demoralizing and humiliating for an 8-year-old, and may end up being even more of a setback. "There's no magic pill. Retention isn't going to solve the problem," Dalman said. "What we're doing here will solve the problem." This approach -- bringing even building leaders into the team for individual students, via data analysis -- is key to the program's success, Mayer said. "We all know how to be professional educators. We can track every kid until they are proficient. Why weren't we all not doing that before?" Mayer asked. Individual data analysis is still fairly new in education and not universally adopted, he said, answering his own question. He said skeptics sometimes ask whether, with the intense focus on reading, other subject areas like science or math are neglected. Not by test scores, he replies, which he said have not slipped as a result. But the success of the Reading Now Network, he said, suggests the next step: "Math Now Network." 5 steps to improving childhood reading Here are what educators in West Michigan describe as the the most important strategies they learned for improving the reading skills of young students: Collaborate and share. When doctors come up with better ways to treat heart attacks, they don't keep it a secret. Educators should follow similar advice. Know your data. Teachers, administrators, parents and students should know how their students are performing, and track progress towards defined goals. Cultivate classroom libraries. The school library at the end of the hall isn't enough. Classrooms needs 500-1,000 titles, so that every child can find something engaging and appropriate to read. Include tablets and digital sources, too. Take the time. 90-120 minutes should be spent on a daily reading block, with a variety of activities -- group reading, small-group reading, one-on-one. Whatever it takes. Early grades are critical, not only to each student's education, but for the rest of their lives. Successful schools won't take failure for an answer. If the only way to get a student to read on holiday break is to read to them over the phone, make the call. The 4 don'ts of reading success Schools that are serious about improving reading skills don't do the following: Don't hide a student's status. If a student is underachieving, let them know and then help them set goals for improvement and support them fully. Don't keep success a secret. If a particular book or series has captured one classroom's interests, let others know about it. If you had a breakthrough, share it. Don't let parents off the hook. Teachers only have a few hours of a child's day. Parents have the rest. Let them know what they need to do to support their child's learning, and give them the tools they need to do it, from overnight loans from classroom libraries to summer packets. Don't hesitate to seek help. Students are the workers of tomorrow, and local businesses have good reason to want them to succeed. Approach the business community for for any support they can offer, as volunteer readers, mentors, or to buy books for libraries, etc. Michigan's early reading scores fall Over the last dozen years, Michigan's fourth graders have seen their reading scores fall in national tests, making Michigan one of only five states to see scores decline (The test, known as the NAEP, is not given to third graders). In 2003, the state's fourth-graders ranked 25th among all states; by 2015 they had fallen to 41st. 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 Change from 2003 National rank 25 30 30 34 34 38 41 -16 Average scale score 219 218 220 218 219 217 216 -1.4% Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress --- (c) , reprinted with permission. Bridge Magazine, a publication of , produces independent, nonprofit public affairs journalism and is a partner with . ANN ARBOR, MI - A letter received by the Islamic Center of Ann Arbor was also sent to mosques across the country this week, addressing Muslims as "children of Satan" and declaring President-elect Donald Trump as the "new sheriff in town." Eid Farha is president of the Muslim Community Association of Ann Arbor and Vicinity and said the letter was opened Wednesday, Nov. 30, by the Islamic Center's office manager, who then contacted Center officials. It was a copy of a letter sent to mosques across the country Farha had seen circulating social media earlier this week. "I looked at it and immediately recognized it," Farha said. The letter, also sent to the Islamic Center of East Lansing, includes numerous mentions of Trump: "There's a new sheriff in town - President Donald Trump. He's going to cleanse America and make it shine again. And, he's going to start with you Muslims. He's going to do to you Muslims what Hitler did to the jews. (sic)" Wylie Christopher of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service confirmed to The Ann Arbor News that the department is one of several agencies conducting an investigation into the letters. "Our agency in Michigan and in other states, as well as other law enforcement agencies, are pursuing leads," Christopher said. He could not comment on whether the investigation has resulted in any leads or suspects, but said the letter received by the Islamic Center of Ann Arbor was postmarked in California and that mosques and other Muslim communities across the country received the letter as well. Farha said he believes anti-Muslim rhetoric has increased over the last year, in part because of a presidential campaign that saw Trump discuss banning Muslims from entering the United States. Trump was asked about the rash of reported racist incidents during a post election interview on CBS' "60 Minutes." Trump said he was "saddened," and he looked into the camera and said, "Stop it." The letter particularly hurt, Farha said, because the Muslim Community Association includes the Islamic Center and the Michigan Islamic Academy, which educates students from kindergarten through 12th grade at the same location. He has a nephew who attends the school, and plans to send his children there. There has been similar literature received by the Muslim Community Association before, Farha said, but nothing comparable to this week's letter. "This is on a whole new level," Farha said. One of the first organizations alerted to the presence of the letter was the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, which has chapters across multiple cities and states. The mission of CAIR is to "enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding," according to its website. Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, said Ann Arbor and Lansing are the only two communities in the state that received the letters, "that we know of thus far." He sees the letters as something related to the election campaign. "Mr. Trump, for an entire year, stirred up xenophobia and racism in our community to give a level of public acceptability for expressing those things," Walid said. "I blame him for this more caustic climate we live in right now. If he is to be a real leader, he should be much more robust in speaking out against all these different expressions of hate that are being done in his name." The letters are signed "Americans for a Better Way," which Walid said he believes is "not a registered group or an organization, per say." "I think it might be one person or a few people who just have some serious hate in their hearts. I don't think this is a large, well-organized group," Walid said. "This moniker they are using is probably a reflection of the tens of thousands of lone wolf bigots and white supremacists that are roaming our country and have been inspired by Mr. Trump." Some mosques in Michigan have taken additional security precautions, like installing security cameras or hiring security guards, Walid said. The Muslim Community Association in Ann Arbor has increased security over the past year, Farha said, in response to safety concerns for the property and school as well as nearby organizations and passers-by. At the same time, Farha said the Muslim community in Ann Arbor has seen an outpouring of support over the past year in the form of positive phone calls and uplifting letters which spiked since news of the letter hit Washtenaw County. "We have pastors and rabbis calling us, and telling us they stand with us," Farha said. "I can't say enough about the Ann Arbor community. It feels really good, it's really supportive. We relay that all to our community." While there are concerns about not only Islamic but minority communities being targeted, Farha said there also is hope by the overall positive response from Ann Arbor residents and organizations. "Our task as the leadership of the Muslim community of Ann Arbor is to ensure the community we are not alone, we have our friends, we have the Constitution on our side," Farha said. "Anything hopeful we can bring in, we do. I don't want this letter to overshadow all of that." DONALD SICHENEDER JR.jpg (Ohio Department of Corrections) TOLEDO, OHIO - A former co-organizer of an event named "Ypsitucky Jamboree" is serving seven years in prison in Ohio for first degree rape of a child under 10 years old. According to Lucas County Common Pleas Court documents, the charge was filed against 38-year-old Donald L. Sicheneder Jr. by the Lucas County Prosecutor on Feb. 17. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to seven years in prison on May 24. Sicheneder is not eligible for early release and is classified as a Tier III sex offender. That means he will remain on the sex offender registry for life and is subject to community notification. Donald Sicheneder Jr. The case was handled by Lucas County Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Reed in the office's Child Victims Unit. She said she was present for Sicheneder's confession to police, who were notified of the incident in February. Reed said Sicheneder admitted to abusing a child under 10 years old. She said Ohio law considers rape "any penetration, however slight, which can include digital penetration." Sicheneder previously served as director of the Ypsitucky Jamboree and co-organized it with the Depot Town Community Development Corp. The now-defunct, two-day bluegrass and jam band festival took place in Riverside Park. Some residents said in 2009 that they found the name "Ypsitucky" offensive, sparking an intense debate that lasted several months before the development corporation decided to change the name. Sicheneder also formerly played in the band Dragon Wagon. In a Feb. 28 post on the band's Facebook page that was still up as of Dec.1, he wrote that he was leaving the band because "Life has its challenges and I am forced to put my focus on my family at this time." ANN ARBOR, MI - The next 1st Ward representative on the Ann Arbor City Council could be the swing vote that decides the fate of a major development deal years in the making in the heart of downtown. The property in question is the city-owned Library Lot just north of the downtown library on Fifth Avenue. It's the public parking lot atop the city's Library Lane underground parking garage. There has been a community debate about whether it should be developed or turned into a park -- or a combination of both -- for many years. The City Council was expected to make a decision on a deal with a private developer before the end of this year, but it now looks like it won't come before council until early 2017, after a new 1st Ward council member is seated. When a proposal for a hotel/apartment high-rise on the city-owned lot came before the City Council in January, seven council members voted in favor of proceeding with negotiations to sell the property's development rights to Chicago-based developer Core Spaces for potentially $10 million. That was enough to get negotiations started, and negotiations have continued behind the scenes for the last several months. But if the city is going to follow through on selling the development rights, it requires eight votes, so the developer still needs to pick up one more vote. Some have assumed Sabra Briere, D-1st Ward, would be the swing vote on the 11-member council, with her vote making or breaking the deal. That's because when she voted against proceeding with negotiations in January, she gave some indication that she could be swayed, spelling out a list of items she wants the city's administration to try to negotiate with the developer, including an affordable housing component, additional elements of environmentally responsible design and construction, and improved pedestrian connectivity. But now Briere is leaving council. Her last meeting is Monday, Dec. 5, before she moves to California. She had hoped -- and requested -- to be able to vote on the Core Spaces deal before leaving council, and for a while that appeared to be the plan. Tom Crawford, the city's chief financial officer, said last month he was preparing a resolution to go before council on Dec. 5, and council members were expecting it to be on their agenda next Monday night. But now it won't be. "We have a number of items we are finalizing with the city and expect to be back in front of City Council in the next 30-45 days," Luke Bonner, a representative for the development team, said this week. "Overall things are going well." Crawford said city staff has been busy with a number of priorities and plans to bring a resolution forward when the information is complete and accurate. "We are close to bringing something, but you're correct, it won't be Dec. 5," he said this week. "I can't give an exact date yet. The details of the revised proposal will be available when the resolution is finalized." Details about how the development proposal has or hasn't been revised and what's holding it up aren't being shared publicly right now. Briere said she hasn't seen anything and hasn't had conversations with the developer, so she can't say whether she would or wouldn't have been swayed to support selling the Library Lot development rights to Core Spaces. "I don't know what part of this proposal has been sufficiently problematic that they can't get it to the table," she said. She said she's disappointed she won't get to cast a vote on it before leaving council, partly because she doesn't want to see the next person who sits in her seat burdened with making that decision. "The sad news about the fact that they're not going to deal with it while I'm sitting at the table is whoever the council picks to sit at the table could easily have his decision on that project hang like an albatross around his neck," Briere said. The City Council interviewed seven men seeking to replace Briere on council this week. One of them, Jason Frenzel, ran for council this year with support from a majority of council, including Mayor Christopher Taylor, and is expected by many to be appointed, though a decision won't be made until Monday night. Taylor and his allies on council are the ones who voted in January in favor of negotiating to sell the Library Lot development rights to Core Spaces. Frenzel said this week he's open to the idea of approving a deal with Core Spaces. If whoever is appointed to fill Briere's seat competes in the 2017 election to keep the seat after next November, Briere said the new council member is going to face controversy regardless of how he decides on the Library Lot question. If he becomes the eighth vote needed to sell the development rights to the Library Lot, which many residents want to see stay in the city's hands and transformed into a downtown park and civic center commons, he'll be faulted for that by many people, Briere said. And if he opposes the deal, costing the city many millions of dollars that could be used to fund priorities such as affordable housing, that also becomes a campaign issue, Briere said. "Whoever is appointed then spends an entire campaign getting flak ... and it just doesn't seem fair," she said. Briere said she was never thrilled about potentially being the swing vote on the project if it came back while she was still on council. "My heart's not breaking that I am not casting this vote," she said, adding she still has no idea how she would have voted. "Because I have not seen anything since the last time we all voted, and so I don't know how the developer and the city have negotiated potentially a better project." As last presented to council, the Core Spaces development included a 180-foot-tall, 352,496-square-foot hotel/apartment high-rise with a 12,000-square-foot public plaza, 360 apartments, 131 hotel rooms, 3,353 square feet of retail/restaurant space, and 20,198 square feet of office space. The City Council has rejected requests by citizens asking to put the question of what to do with the property to a vote of the people. Frenzel said he's open to seeing a development on the Library Lot and could be convinced to vote in favor of a deal with Core Spaces if he's on council. "I'm not against it, and there are a lot of potential really positive scenarios that could come out of it if everybody around the table is willing to seek common ground and compromise," he said. He said his general feeling is that downtown development that is thoughtful and aesthetically pleasing is a benefit to the city. Given the public interest and contentiousness surrounding the future of the Library Lot, Frenzel said, it's important to get the design right. He said Core Spaces has a positive track record when it comes to working with the community and listening to public input, so that's a plus. Frenzel noted it already has been determined there will be a public plaza included in any development plans, so he's comfortable with that part, but he wants to make sure there's good pedestrian connectivity with surrounding areas, and he's still waiting to see the details of the final proposal. He said he does have some concerns about the height of the proposed building, though he knows reducing the height would reduce the financial benefit to the city, so that's another aspect to consider. In addition to Frenzel, the six other contenders for the 1st Ward seat are K.C. Lopata, Jeff Hayner, Roman Moya, Charles Bultman, Brent Eliason and Taha Hussain. Watch their interviews here. ANN ARBOR, MI - The 2016 Rockin' for the Hungry campaign began Thursday, Nov. 29, and continues through Sunday at Ann Arbor Kroger stores. The event is sponsored by 107one radio and The Kroger Co. of Michigan, and aims to raise funds for Food Gatherers, Washtenaw County's food rescue and food bank program. 107one and Kroger have set a goal to raise enough food and funds to provide 800,000 meals to those in need. The fundraising campaign kicked off at the Kroger at 3615 Washtenaw Ave., and continues through Sunday at the Kroger at 400 South Maple Road. Donations can be made by cash, check or credit card at the S. Maple Rd. Kroger, online at the Food Gatherers website, or over the phone by calling Food Gatherers at (734) 761-2796. ANN ARBOR, MI - High levels of toxic vapor from a plume of pollution in the ground are getting into the basement of a rental house next to an Ann Arbor dry cleaner, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has found. Low levels also were found in two other houses nearby, said Matt Naud, the city of Ann Arbor's environmental coordinator. The EPA stepped in this past month to test the indoor air at five houses near Armen Cleaners, 630 S. Ashley St., where government officials have known about soil and groundwater pollution problems for decades. Releases of a dry-cleaning solvent known as tetrachloroethylene -- a known carcinogen -- left the ground polluted decades ago. There have been some mitigation efforts over the years, and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has provided air filters to an adjacent rental house, but the state has claimed it lacked funds to adequately deal with the situation. The state called on the EPA for assistance in early October after confirming nearby residential buildings were being affected by releases of the dry-cleaning solvent tetrachloroethylene. Naud said the EPA found high levels in the air in the basement of the house at 628 S. Ashley St., a four-unit rental house immediately north of the dry cleaner, and low levels in two other nearby houses. "The EPA has met with all of the residents and property owners," Naud said. "A high level was found in the basement of one home, but in the living areas the levels were significantly lower and not at ... trigger levels that the health department felt like they needed to evacuate." Naud said the residents affected have been approached and offered an option to move out, though none of them have taken the option at this point. "They believe they can mitigate the high levels in the basement," Naud said of the concerning levels at 628 S. Ashley St. He said it turns out the house actually had a manhole-sized grate in the basement that leads to the city's sewer system. He said officials are perplexed as to why that was ever there and it's likely it will be sealed off. "Other measures will be taken to limit the way that dry-cleaning fluid could get into the home," Naud added. "Air filters will get turned back on, additional tests will be made, and the EPA and the health department will see whether that's enough to mitigate that." While there were two other homes where low levels were found, Naud said it's not believed there's any immediate threat or action needed at this time. Rachel Bassler, a spokeswoman for the EPA, said the EPA has shared preliminary information with affected residents, but she said the EPA, as a matter of agency policy, will not at any point publicly release the official test results because the EPA does not release "personally identifiable information." In response to a request for comment, Bassler released a statement on behalf of the EPA, saying the test results showed the basement of a rental house next to the dry cleaner did exceed the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services standards. She said the EPA and the Washtenaw County Public Health Department met with each resident in the rental house and provided information about the contaminant, and WCPH, in conjunction with guidelines from MDHHS, made the determination that temporary relocation was not mandatory, but was offered as a voluntary measure in an abundance of caution. "Currently, all residents declined temporary housing," she said, echoing what Naud indicated. Bassler said the basement contains only a washer and dryer used by tenants and that was the only floor where the standards were exceeded. "EPA has asked the owner of the building to temporarily seal off access to the basement until EPA can complete the installation of mitigation systems to keep the apartment building safe," she said. "EPA began mitigation work immediately and will continue to work until a permanent mitigation system is in place. EPA will continue to work with MDHHS and WCPH to keep residents up to date." Naud thanked the EPA, the DEQ and the county and state health departments for working together on the issue. "This is a really good example of the feds and the state working with the locals, bringing all their different expertise together," he said. The EPA indicated last month it was doing indoor air testing at six houses near Armen Cleaners. Bassler said on Friday, Dec. 2, that figure was incorrect and it was only five houses. She said the sixth property would have been Armen Cleaners, but the owner declined to participate. An Auditor General audit of the DEQ's environmental protection programs in September 2014 highlighted the Armen Cleaners site as an example of a high-priority environmental cleanup project that lacked funding. "Soil and groundwater contamination produced by chemicals from Armen Cleaners in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has created a known health risk by creating vapor intrusion," the report stated. "DEQ provided some initial mitigation efforts by providing indoor air filters to an adjacent apartment building. However, the lack of funding has prevented DEQ from conducting any further site studies and remediation efforts." The dry cleaner has been in operation for more than 60 years -- in the Kim family since the 1990s -- and the PCE releases occurred decades ago under a previous owner. The contamination of the soil and groundwater near Armen Cleaners was first detected in 1985, and it's been an issue ever since. The DEQ's records state the contaminated soil and groundwater extend directly beneath the adjacent rental house, which contains four apartments. "The health consultation confirmed that the residential buildings immediately surrounding the Armen Cleaners property are being impacted by releases of the dry-cleaning solvent PCE," states a report provided by the DEQ earlier this year. "The interim measures currently in place are inadequate for the long term. The highly contaminated soils continue to serve as an ongoing source of groundwater contamination, which, in turn increases the likelihood that additional nearby residences will be subject to having contaminants volatilize into indoor air." The EPA earlier this week announced tetrachloroethylene, also known as perchloroethylene, and trichloroethylene are among the first 10 chemicals it plans to evaluate for potential risks to human health and the environment under reforms to the Toxic Substances Control Act. Another toxic chemical, dioxane, which is spreading through the Ann Arbor area's groundwater, also made the list. There are concerns that dioxane in shallow groundwater on the city's west side also could intrude into homes as toxic vapor, posing health risks for residents in the path of the plume. The city is now going to court to fight for better cleanup and monitoring, holding the polluter, Gelman Sciences, accountable for the dioxane plume. 1022hospitalmug_KYM001 A civil lawsuit filed by a former administrator and current University of Michigan professor alleging the university fired her as an act of retaliation has been settled in Washtenaw County Circuit Court. Katie McLean | The Ann Arbor News (Submitted photo) ANN ARBOR, MI - A civil lawsuit filed by a former administrator and current University of Michigan professor alleging the university fired her as an act of retaliation has been settled. Dr. Carmen Green, the plaintiff in the lawsuit and former head of the U-M Office of Health Equity and Inclusion, alleged that she was fired after presenting research indicating that "UMHS staff disproportionately -- 2.5 times more often -- reach for the phone to call Security when confronted with Black visitors or patients that become emotional in UMHS emergency rooms, intensive care waiting rooms, surgical waiting rooms." Dr. Carmen Green After a case evaluation in October, Green and U-M's Board of Regents -- listed as the defendant in the lawsuit -- settled the case before it was scheduled to head for trial on Dec. 5 in Washtenaw County Trial Court. Green declined to comment on the settlement and her attorney said Green did not want to reveal the amount of the settlement. "It doesn't cover all of the charges, but it is certainly a strong statement by the three case evaluators that how U-M handled Dr. Green's situation was wrong," Green's attorney Jim Fett said of the settlement. Green had been seeking in excess of $500,000 due to the loss of her position, as well as compensation for emotional distress and attorney fees, Fett noted in late October. U-M Spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said the university had no comment due to the confidential nature of the settlement. In its legal response to the lawsuit, U-M said Green's dismissal had nothing to do with the study. It claimed Green's firing was the result of findings of a "climate assessment survey" conducted within the Office for Health Equity and Inclusion submitted in November 2014, a month before Green's report. The assessment survey claimed Green yelled at and bullied co-workers and had some leadership deficiencies, according to U-M's lawsuit response. "Dr. Green was removed from her administrative appointment as head of the Office of Health Equity and Inclusion effective Jan. 6, 2015, because she repeatedly violated the U-M Health System Code of Conduct and the university's Professional Standards for Faculty in her interactions with team members whom she supervised," U-M spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said in an email to The Ann Arbor News in late October. In her first and only evaluation in September 2014, Green received positive feedback from then U-M Medical School Dean James Woolliscroft, remarking that "Your understanding of the importance of inclusion for the Office for Health Equity and Inclusion is much appreciated," Green's lawsuit contended. The review resulted in Green receiving a raise in pay, the lawsuit stated. Fitzgerald said the university continues to take steps to address equity in the delivery of health care "in response to either data-supported disparities or anecdotal concerns that are brought to our attention." "While we cannot confirm the conclusions reached by Dr. Green, the information that OHEI gathered already has helped implement educational interventions to address unconscious or implicit bias, teach de-escalation skills and to promote partnerships with the hospital's social work and spiritual care departments," Fitzgerald said in an email. Green remains a professor of anesthesiology, obstetrics and gynecology and health management and policy in U-M's Schools of Medicine and Public Health. Rivard and Kildee U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, and Mitch Rivard visit Beecher High School and Tucker Elementary School in September 2014 to learn more about the district's balanced calendar. (Jake May | MLive.com) BAY CITY, MI -- After leading communications in Michigan for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign during the election, Mitchell Rivard, a 2008 Bay City Western High School graduate, is back to work as deputy chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee. "I am excited to be back on Capitol Hill working with Congressman Dan Kildee," Rivard told MLive. "He's a true champion for working families and our state and I look forward to continuing to play a small role in helping people in our district." Rivard, 26, who is also president of the LGBT Congressional Staff Association, recently did an interview with Roll Call, saying lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender staffers on the hill need to have a voice in President-elect Donald Trump's administration. "With a new administration and with new positions that the president-elect may take, including on LGBT issues, it may become especially important for people who are LGBT, who work on the Hill and are members of our organization, to speak up and make sure that their rights are being protected," Rivard told the paper. Prior to joining Kildee's office, Rivard, a 2011 Michigan State University graduate, worked in various offices across Michigan and Washington, D.C., including stops with the U.S. Department of Justice and for former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm. As Clinton's Michigan communications director, Rivard was responsible for overseeing and managing her press outreach in the state. He called it a dream of his to work a presidential campaign. "It was an absolute honor to work for Hillary Clinton, who has been a role model to me and millions of other Americans throughout her career," he said. "Obviously I am disappointed by the outcome of the election, but I continue to be inspired by Hillary and her life's work to make our country a better and more inclusive place." A Westland woman has been sentenced 30 months to 20 years in prison for stealing more than $2 million from the Veterans Health Administration Credit Union, the Attorney General's office reports. Fuataina Afutiti, 50, pleaded guilty to one count each of receiving proceeds from a continuing criminal enterprise and embezzlement from a credit union. The former Veterans Health Administration Credit Union president and CEO was sentenced before Judge David Groner Thursday, Dec. 1 in Wayne County. An investigation into Afutiti's finances revealed she leased or bought a number of vehicles, including a 2013 Mercedes Benz and a $100,000 motorhome. Bill Schuette's office said Afutiti also used money taken from the veterans' credit union to fund vacations. "This person not only took advantage of her position within the credit union but took advantage of military veterans, many of who are disabled or on a fixed income," Schuette said in a news release. "Individuals who served and sacrificed for this country deserve the utmost respect and instead the members of the credit union were victimized. I am pleased to see this verdict." Afutiti embezzling was discovered in February after a routine audit at the credit union. The audit, done by the Credit Union Examiners from the Department of Insurance and Financial Services, shows "significant irregularities" and cash missing, the state attorney general's office reports. In the aftermath of the disappearance of the $2.3 million, the credit union was forced to close. Afutiti was ordered to pay $1.9 million in restitution. Veterans Health Administration Credit Union accounts were transferred to the Public Credit Union, which assumed all of its assets and loans according to the A.G.'s office. you are here: business Old note deposits slowing down in last 2-3 days: SBI The number of transactions and amount deposited in banks following demonetisation is on a downward trajectory, says Rajnish Kumar, MD of SBI. He believes the overall deposits could not have yet touched the highly-speculated Rs 11 lakh crore figure. business Consensus eludes GST Council meet; no breakthrough on Day 1 The fifth meeting of goods and services tax (GST) saw no breakthrough as the dual control impasse continued. In tomorrow's eight hour long meet too the dual control hitch will be discussed in the hope of coming to a consensus. Our seminary in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is named St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. However, most Catholics do not know about this great saint whose feast day is on November 4th. He was the Archbishop of Milan from 1564 until 1584... Ex-choir director in Bucks County pleads no contest to molesting two students, secretly filming another December 02, 2016 December 1942 - Expert: A Soviet Occupation Of Stalingrad Would Be Too Costly Stalingrad, December 1942. The German 6th Army and attached allied forces under General Paulus are surrounded and besieged by the Soviet Red Army. A relief attack from the outside of the cauldron has failed. The besieged have few supplies and can not hold out on their own. But Karl Auflister, a Soviet Union expert working at the Slavic Institute in Berlin, does not believe that the Red Army will storm the city. "The Soviets are hedging their bets. They would prefer to make a deal with the German forces," he said. "If Stalingrad were to fall, the Soviet regime would need so many troops to hold the city that its forces would be left thin elsewhere in the country." Some readers may have problems with the logic Mr. Auflister applied. Why would the Soviets need more troops to hold a reconquered Stalingrad than they need to besiege it? But what do you know. You ain't an expert. Mr Auflister, the expert, is very serious. Here is the relevant snippet from the Financial Times. Posted by b on December 2, 2016 at 19:03 UTC | Permalink Comments More than 250 students in the Burke County Public Schools band program are now traveling approximately 4,600 miles to Waikiki, Hawaii , to musically participate in the parade honoring the 75th anniversary of the bombings of Pearl Harbor. All four high school bands are joining together to create a combined band that will represent North Carolina and the USS North Carolina Battleship at the commemoration on Dec. 7. Each band left their school parking lot early this morning to head to Charlotte for their plane ride and will be gone one week. The invitation was given when the East Burke High School marching band visited Normandy, France, to participate in the 70th anniversary commemoration of the D-Day invasion in 2014, said Jonathan Berry, band director at EBHS. The organizers of the D-Day event are also the organizers of the Pearl Harbor event, Berry said. One of the organizers enjoyed the performance by EBHS in Normandy and he then extended the invitation for them to return for the Pearl Harbor anniversary. The more we talked about it the more he seemed to convince me that this was the thing to be, Berry said. Once students arrive by plane to Waikiki, Hawaii, they will be immersed in a different culture and have the opportunity to experience new landscapes and people. There will be a mass band performance before the parade begins at the opening ceremonies where they will honor the Pearl Harbor veterans that are able to be there, Berry said. The bands will be performing the standard military arrangement of God Bless America and , then during the parade , they will be performing a version Berry arranged himself to Mele Kalikimaka a Hawaiian Christmas song. They will also be performing on board the USS Missouri and going on a tour of Pearl Harbor, he said. The students will also have the opportunity to take an island tour and go to a Hawaiian luau, Berry said. Each BCPS band director believes this trip is the opportunity of a lifetime. This is surreal because we have prepared two years for this and it has been a fantasy, but now it is here and it is almost a reality, said Jason Hoyle, band director at Draughn High School. He says students have worked hard with several fundraisers over the past couple years to help pay their way to Hawaii. I have two brothers in my band program and between both of them they raised enough to pay for one of their trips, Hoyle said. He says more than half of the Draughn band will be participating and he is pleased that many are able to go. First and foremost , I hope they see the significance of Pearl Harbor and the sacrifice that was made for their freedom and I think we glance over that sometimes as a privileged American, Hoyle said. Students who have social media accounts have been instructed to use the hashtag Aloha BCPS to document their time in the trip. Chad Higdon, band director at Patton High School, says this is not his first trip to Pearl Harbor. I had this opportunity when I was in high school, Higdon said. We took Freedom High School to Hawaii in 1999 and I was the assistant director there, so I have been to Pearl Harbor a couple times and it is truly very emotional to see the (USS) Missouri and to understand the history that happened there that day. The Patton students have voiced their excitement to him in many ways. They are excited about many of the activities that they are going to do besides the performances, Higdon said. One of the neatest things we are going to do is see the Polynesian Culture Center. The center will have people from different Polynesian islands who share about their culture with performances and craft exhibits, he said. They (the students) learn from doing everyone does, he said. There are going to be so many educational opportunities. From navigating an airport, flying in a plane for 15 h ou rs, and seeing a different culture are all lessons that Higdon hopes the students learn. With the trip being a combination of all the bands in Burke County, Robert Johnston, band director at Freedom High School, hopes that school rivalries will turn into camaraderie and that friendships will form across school lines. I hope we take the opportunity to see things that our students and most of our adults have only seen in history books, Johnston said. This is going to be one of the last big ceremonies because most of the veterans that are still alive wont be around for the 100th anniversary. It is a great way for our students to also meet people that were there on the day that it happened. While students perform on the USS Missouri , they will be accompanied by a Marine Forces Pacific Band, he said. There also will be around 15 other high school bands from 13 different states, Johnston said. For those interested in watching, a live stream of the parade will be available on www.pearlharborparade.org, Johnston said. They will be 37th in the lineup for the parade. Due to television programming and time zone constraints, there will not be a live television broadcast of the parade, the website said. However, the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade will be webcast live on www.pearlharborparade.org, the website said. For more information about their trip, visit www.jcberr0.wixsite.com/bcpsbandspearlharbor. Staff Writer Jonelle Bobak can be reached at jbobak@morganton.com or 828-432-8907. Waste disposal is a rather unloved sector it is easy to understand why. It may not make polite dinner conversation, but that does not rule it out for investment purposes. One of the sectors more well-known protagonists, Biffa (BIFF), has suddenly turned bearish. This seems a little unfair. The problem is that it is very difficult to get a handle on quite how well or badly Biffa is doing. It reported revenue up 8.6% in the 26 weeks to September 23 but 4.9% came from acquisitions. Still, 3.7% organic growth isnt bad. Margins improved as well. More difficult to interpret are the profit figures. Forget about EBITDA earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization which regular readers know is a meaningless figure, especially where a company has been on an acquisitions spree. When this is the first profit figure highlighted, as in the case of the Biffa announcement, you should be especially suspicious. Then we get underlying operating profit; much higher, and statutory operating profit; down heavily, and a pile of footnotes about depreciation and amortisation and acquisition intangibles and material impacts from changes in real discount rates you get the picture. Well, actually no, you probably dont get the picture because your eyes have glazed over. You have to go a long way down the statement to find the first mention of pre-tax profit, which is the figure I look for first, and even then there is the confusion of underlying profit of 23.9 million but a statutory loss of 3.6 million. Comparisons with last year come way down the statement. I dont like investing in floats because of the hazards there usually are in interpreting the figures, especially comparisons with the previous year. Biffa was floated on 17 October at 180p a share. It ran up to 185p on the first day of conditional trading but has been below the float price since. The shares were hardly changed on the announcement but slipped 2% the following day. Chief executive Ian Wakelin reckons this was a strong first half performance and he looks forward to reporting on further progress. Despite two paragraphs of management speak in between these two pronouncements, I think he is probably right. Those who were confident enough to buy in the float have no reason to sell at this stage. However, I dont invest in companies I do not understand, and I really dont understand a lot of the Biffa figures. Ill look again when the picture is clearer too bad if that proves to be too late. Dividends Up at Glencore I feel no envy, only admiration, for the brave souls who bought into mining and commodity trading group Glencore (GLEN) when its shares hit the bottom around 70p and have seen the value of their holdings quadruple in little over a year. Profit expectations have been pushed higher, the fire sale has been completed without causing too much damage and there are prospects for a resumption in the dividend in 2018. Even those who subscribed to the rights issue at 125p have more than doubled their money. At least I understand Biffas business. I stayed away from Glencore because I dont really understand what it does, and I suspect few if any other people do either. The shares dipped 2.5% the day after the latest results on profit taking. Given this groups past record I think those who are cashing in are eminently sensible. Hope for OPEC? So the oil producers who form OPEC were serious after all. They have agreed to not only cap production but reduce it, quite an achievement. The price of crude has doubled from $27 a barrel in February to around $54 this week. Shares in Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB), in which I hold a stake, and BP (BP.) initially jumped on hopes that crude would soon reach $60. I wouldnt chase them higher. OPEC members have a history of cheating on their quotas. Rodney Hobson is a long-term investor commenting on his own portfolio; his comments are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice. 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 latest numbers from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation support its CEOs recent assertion that foreign ownership plays only a minor role in the record-breaking price increases in the countrys three hottest real estate markets, but an analyst stated that massive gaps in data still need to be addressed if Canadian governments are to mount an effective strategy against the home affordability crisis. We have to realize that [foreign ownership] is a factor, but it's not the main factor, CIBC economist Benjamin Tal told CBC News. I want to open up the hood here and get a better sense of what the motivation is. Tal noted that information on why exactly do overseas nationals buy Canadian homes is woefully scarce, and that domestic consumers would benefit immensely from knowing if foreigners are acquiring properties for investment purposes or just to park their funds. The analyst added that governments need to focus on dealing with more identifiable contributors towards home price increases, such as the phenomenon of shadow flipping. On Wednesday (November 30), the CMHC announced in its report that foreign money accounts for only 2.2 per cent of condo units in Vancouver and 2.3 per cent in Toronto as of October 2016. The evidence tells us that the origin of investor activity in Canadian real estate is primarily domestic, CMHC president and CEO Evan Siddall said in a speech. When a white person buys a house, we dont know. When a person of a different colour does, we do, and thats not good economics. The numbers and comments backed up similar observations made by the B.C. government earlier this year, which found that foreign nationals held only 3.6 per cent and then 1.7 per cent of all sales in the province in September and October, respectively. A high-ranking executive of National Bank said on Friday (December 2) that the institution will continue to support brokers despite its abrupt shelving of its broker division.Were still committed to the broker market and to the broker channel. Its just that were going to do our business a bit differently through a third-party model, specifically with Paradigm Quest and the MERIX Financial brand, National Bank assistant vice president W. Mark Squire told MBN.The closure of the Banks broker-mediated distribution has left Scotiabank and TD as the last of the Big 6 to sell mortgages through brokers.According to D+H, National Bank held a 2.5 per cent share of the broker market as of the last quarter. In the same time frame, brokers accounted for around 25 per cent of the Banks mortgage production.Effective this month, National Bank will be utilizing a third-party model for its mortgage funding, specifically through mortgage process outsourcing firm Paradigm Quest.Under this new agreement, Paradigm will originate mortgages in the broker channel under the MERIX Financial brand, with funding provided by National Bank. Paradigm will also underwrite and service the loans on National Banks behalf, according to the Banks news release.The Bank also assured that it will set the underwriting parameters in all originations, thus preventing the issues prevalent in the broker-mediated set-up from arising.Our legacy systems prevented us from being as efficient as we wanted to be, so that proved to be one of the deciding factors, Squire stated.Its a natural extension of a great partnership that weve had for several years with National Bank; we are thrilled to be supporting them in their future business objectives, Paradigm Quest president Kathy Gregory said. Paradigm will continue to provide innovative mortgage processing to ensure best-in-class servicing for National Bank.Their state-of-the-art technology is going to make things a lot more efficient for the brokers, so were quite excited for that, Squire concluded. Were hoping that the brokers that have entrusted their business with us over the years will entrust that to our new system, as well. Miami Valley native scOtt summitt represents the Gem City on the silver screen this holiday when he appears in the upcoming feature film BELIEVE, opening across the nation this December. I play a character named Charlie, summitt says. Hes a salt of the earth, no nonsense kind of fellow. A simple man with a big heart. Hes the right hand man to the lead character in his journey towards finding his hope again. The film was shot in Bristol and Grundy, Virginia earlier this year and completed post- production in Los Angeles in time for its December holiday release. While the film has a holiday theme to it, summitt says the movie has an inspiring story that resonates with a lot of people and families. I really like the message of the film, summitt explains. The storys about finding ones hope during troubling times. It also touches on subjects like unemployment and homelessness, which provides a very timely and realistic backdrop for the story. Ryan OQuinn, the star and one of the executive producers of the faith-based film, and writer- director Billy Dickson watched multiple casting auditions before seeing summitts audition submission for their project. We saw actors from New Orleans to New York and everywhere in between, OQuinn says. In my opinion, one of the standouts was scOtt summitt. summitts casting came quickly via a self tape audition submitted through his talent agency. It was wild because it happened so fast, summitt says. My agent sent me the casting info on a Sunday night, I taped & submitted my scenes on Monday morning, and got the call that same evening. All within 24 hours! Later that week, I was in Bristol, Virginia for a month long shoot on the film. His ability to authentically play the everyman character was a perfect compliment to my character and his genuine delivery in the film is truly a standout performance, OQuinn says of his co-star. I enjoyed every minute on set with scOtt and look forward to any opportunity to work with him again. Mount Pleasant, SC (29464) Today Partly cloudy skies. Low near 60F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. Low near 60F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Spooky sites Fall is the season of holiday spectacle in Moorpark. In December, of course, Pinedale Road transforms into Candy Cane Lane and dazzles visitors with Santa splendor. But for those who... Local hula group inspires global connections When the pandemic ushered everyone indoors, Moorpark resident and longtime dancer Lisa Rauschenberger decided to get people back outsidesocially distanced, of course. She began to hold weekly hula lessons at... Teens face high stakes in the Oval Office A press room befitting Americas commander in chief was set up inside the Reagan Library in Simi Valley. Journalists and others gathered inside. Ladies and gentlemen, I need you all... Many across the nation predicted an easy presidential win for Democrat Hillary Clinton, but the results on Election Day proved otherwise, and Republican candidate and businessman Donald Trump claimed victory. The response has resulted in increased donations and volunteerism to environmental groups that push for a reversal of climate change, according to a recent Bloomberg report. The push to get the message out has gotten more intense. RL Miller of the super PAC Climate Hawks Vote and Steve Everley of FTI Consulting each spoke with the Reporter Telegram last month to give their insights into what changes their organizations foresee in the coming months and their strategies. Heres what they had to say: The push for change Climate Hawks Vote is a super PAC that attempts to get candidates friendly to climate-change reversal elected into office at the federal level. Miller said her organization supported 10 races nationwide, including a House race in Texas. Overall, she said Climate Hawks Vote was successful, winning eight of 10. Miller said they were successful in Texas, even though Democrat Tom Wakely lost to incumbent Rep. Lamar Smith, who she described as horrible on climate change. Climate Hawks Vote considered it a victory getting Smith below 60 percent in the voting. The organization knew Smith was almost impossible to upset, so its mission was to chip away at just how many votes he won by. We beat the spread, she said. We met our goal, even if we didnt win the race. The Clinton loss has only strengthened interest in her organization. On the Democratic side of things, we all expected Hillary Clinton to win and that we were going to fight over whether the people on her transition team were going to be good, mediocre or not very good, from our point of view, Miller said. We were expecting to be writing petitions to Hillary Clinton that basically said, You agree with us on climate change; can you move a little faster? Instead, everybody has been turned upside down. The good news is, we have a huge uptick in volunteerism. Ive gotten 100 new volunteers out of the blue in the past few days. Our fundraising has been great. This has jolted people out of a complacency they had for a Clinton presidency. Climate Hawks Vote did not campaign for Clinton because a poll among members showed more support for Democratic primary challenger Sen. Bernie Sanders, who during his campaign was very vocal about climate- change reversal. Millers organization doesnt have a keep it in the ground platform like other environmental groups. Rather, it understands market forces drive change. More than that, though, is acknowledgment that energy jobs are more than just about employment. One thing I want to emphasize is, speaking as a Democrat and as a human being, jobs matter, Miller said. Clinton got herself tripped up with the coal industry. The Democrats have basically lost Appalachia because coal is not just an industry, but a culture. I suspect the same thing is going on in (the Permian Basin). Miller said oil is in a different place than coal and that it has more time for substitutes to be found. When asked what her message is to the tens of thousands of people in the oil industry who work in the Permian Basin who feel under attack by climate-change reversal campaigns like hers, she responded: My message is this: Think about the kind of future you want your children to inherit. There will be time to diversify, please use that time wisely. Battling on FTI Consulting is a firm that conducts publicity campaigns for various oil and gas organizations. Everley is the spokesman for North Texas Natural Gas but was also on the Fracking for President campaign, a tongue-in-cheek project to educate the public about the benefits of oil and gas. Unfortunately, Fracking didnt win this year. We were disappointed about that, Everley said. We had an email breach the day before the election from a group called Frackileaks, which posted internal emails that we were convinced was designed to ruin our momentum and ultimately impact the election. We were forced to concede on Election Day, but I think Election Day shocked everyone. He said Fracking for President was a lot of fun and received a lot of attention. Still, its hard to cut through the noise of fracking misattributions, particularly on social media. Threes an old saying that a lie gets halfway around the world before the truth can get its pants on, Everley said. Theres so much misinformation out there. In one sentence, someone can say, We need to ban fracking because it causes earthquakes, and theyre referring to a particular area in North Texas or Oklahoma where theyre not talking about fracking, but about injection. In once sentence, that person has the ability to make a claim and be on offense, even though its not supported by any science or fact whatsoever. The ability to respond to that is always going to be a challenge. In politics, if youre explaining, youre losing. Its hard to respond to that with something that is based in fact that can fit in a 140 character tweet. Combating climate change reversal campaigns from large environmentalist organizations such as the Sierra Club is difficult, especially when unraveling arguments by those who prefer to keep fossil fuels in the ground. I have never seen any legitimate plan for a fossil fuel-free world, Everley said. I have seen a lot of claims that we can do it. I have seen a lot of advocacy opposing fossil fuels. But creating a livable society in that world theyre advocating for is never a part of it. The closest theyve gotten is from a Stanford researcher on 100 percent renewables. The problem is, pretty much everyone else in the scientific community has looked at it and said its nowhere near what we need and its completely impractical. The best they can do is rely on a report the science community has rejected while calling everyone else science deniers. Everley isnt working on any new publicity campaigns currently. Rather, he and his clients continue with the same messages, particularly that they arent climate change deniers. Climate change is a problem to address, but its not the only problem we need to address as society. This is where we differ from the keep it in the ground campaign, he said. The environmental activists say this is the only issue we should be focusing on. The reality is, we have people who do not have food, clean water and basic necessities. The idea that its more important for them that we need to move away from fossil fuels than to have affordable power is offensive to a lot of people. That, I think, is the crux here: We can recognize there are multiple problems in society to address, and only one side is acknowledging there are multiple problems. Looking at a 2-degree temperature change in 50 to 100 years means nothing to someone who is living in poverty today and might not live to see next week. Like Trevor on Facebook and follow him on Twitter at @HowdyHawes. Building a Wide & Thick Back with Victor Martinez & Juan Morel Written by Ron Harris 15 May 2019 Building a Wide & Thick Back Victor Martinez & Juan Morel Master Class They are good friends, they are both native New Yorkers and they are both full-blooded Dominicans. In fact, Victor Martinez and Juan Morel are the two best Dominican-American bodybuilders ever. Both men have spectacular physiques, with some strong points in common. A muscle group that Victor and Juan both share elite-level development is their rugged backs. Its a lot of area to cover, both literally and figuratively. We let each man expound their general thoughts on developing back musculature muscle group. Heres what this Dominican Double Dynamite team has to tell you about training your back! Victor Talks Back The Toughest Area to Build Back wasnt as easy for me to develop as areas like my chest or my arms. I had to learn to visualize what was going on back there because I couldnt see it. Id say thats very common for most bodybuilders. It takes a lot of concentration and learning to feel that connection with the lats to get your back up to par. Back is the hardest muscle group to really isolate, which is why its the area you dont see developed very well on too many guys. Blast the Basics for a Big Back You have to do your deadlifts. You have to do your bent rows and T-bar rows. Those are the core exercises for back thickness. They are also the most uncomfortable exercises you can do. Thats why so many guys avoid them and just do cable rows instead. The toughest and most uncomfortable exercises are the most effective exercises. If you baby yourself and do cables and machines, youre gonna have a baby back! Planet Fitness-Type Gyms Suck for Building a Back! Kids now avoid the basics, and I blame all these modern fitness gyms in part for that. They dont want people working hard on free weights. They would rather see you breaking a light sweat on their bright purple and yellow machines or with their dumbbell racks that only go up to 60-70 pounds. These kids get a false sense of accomplishment. I just did 300 pounds on a rowing machine! Meanwhile, they couldnt budge 300 pounds on a barbell for rows. And kids today are lazier a lot of times. They will find any excuse to train with less intensity or not do much because they dont want to overtrain. I got news for you. You need to know what training really is before you start worrying about overtraining. Whether Youre Big or Small, Do Your Pull-ups! There are times I am doing pull-ups when it feels like I might dislocate my shoulder or tear a rotator cuff, especially when Im over 270 pounds. But pull-ups are a must. Theyre so essential that I dont even really count them as part of the workout. And you cant limit yourself, or else you will limit your progress. The other day I was training back and doing bent rows with 225, 275 and 315. I put another quarter on for 365, and I started feeling a pull like my brachialis was going to tear. So I racked it. But you cant avoid an exercise just because you heard or you think it might be dangerous. You do that, and youll never reach your full potential as a bodybuilder. Back and Nothing Else Back has to have its own day. If you do pull-ups, deadlifts, barbell rows and a couple of other exercises too, you shouldnt be able to train anything else. If you can, either youre Superman or you werent working very hard on your back. Victors Rx for a Solid Back Workout: Pull-ups 5-6 x 10 Barbell Rows 4 x 10 Lat Pulldowns 4 x 10 Dumbbell Rows 4 x 10 Seated Cable Rows 4 x 10 Juan Talks About the Exercises Barbell Rows When he first started training, Juan trained more along the lines of a powerlifter and did only basic exercises. Barbell rows were among that select handful. For my back, it was pretty much just these, pull-ups and deadlifts for a couple of years to build a base.And boy, did that trio produce results! My back became much thicker from barbell rows, Juan says. And that happened pretty much in proportion to how much stronger I got at them. For inquiring minds, that eventually became 405 for 12 or more reps, and 495 for six. Morel does both the standard overhand grip as well as the underhand grip popularized by Dorian Yates over 20 years ago, usually in the same workout. I feel the underhand grip working a little lower down the lats than the overhand one, he explains. The back is such a big and complex muscle group that you have to mix things up to keep seeing gains. Deadlifts (not shown) Juan credits much of his back development to the most raw of all pulling movements, the deadlift. Ask him how many sets of deadlifts he does, though, and its tough to get a clear answer. Thats because he will warm up with singles and doubles until he arrives at whatever weight feels heavy enough that day to do one or two work sets of eight reps with. It might take four sets to get there, or six to seven. At his heaviest off-season bodyweight of over 270 pounds, Morel can usually handle eight plates, or 765 pounds, for a double, though he would stick with a mere 675 for eight. Dumbbell Rows The one-arm dumbbell row is another staple in Juans heavy back workouts, and how heavy he goes all depends on where he is. His main training headquarters is Synergy Fitness in Manhattan, where the bells go up to 150 pounds. But as most New York area bodybuilders do, Juan tries to catch workouts at Bev and Steves Powerhouse Gym in Syosset. Its easily the best-equipped gym on the East Coast, and even the biggest of the big boys are usually more than satisfied with the dumbbell rack that goes up to pairs of 200. I did a 220 one time at a gym that had one, but that was a little too heavy for me to really feel my back working, Juan notes. Lat Pulldowns Lat pulldowns are the only exercise that Juan does on both of his distinct back training days, but he never does them the same way twice in one week. I alternate between the regular wide grip, a wide underhand grip or the bar attachment thats about shoulder width and has your hands facing toward each other, he explains. I do chins on my light day, but lat pulldowns let you get a lot more control over the contraction and the stretch. Seated Cable Rows Morel feels the seated cable row is such a valuable movement for adding detail and helping beef up the mid-back that he does it first with both hands, then switches out the attachments so he can perform it one arm at a time for supreme concentration and isolation. This is the row that I take the most time to stop the movement at the point of full contraction and squeeze the hell out of my lats, he tells us. Victors Training Split: 3 On, 1 Off* Day 1: Chest and biceps Day 2: Quads and calves Day 3: Shoulders and triceps Day 4: OFF Day 5: Back and hams Day 6: Chest and biceps Day 7: Quads and hams *The order of body parts trained remains the same, but because there are four different training days, the rest day constantly shifts in terms of where it falls in the rotation. Juans Training split Day 1: a.m. Chest p.m. Biceps and Triceps Day 2: a.m. Shoulders p.m. Back (heavy) Day 3: a.m. Quads p.m. Hamstrings Day 4: a.m. Chest p.m. Biceps and Triceps Day 5: a.m. Back (light) p.m. Shoulders Victors Back Routine Pull-ups 4 x 10-12 Lat Pulldowns to Front 4 x 10-12 T-Bar Rows 4 x 10-12 One-arm Dumbbell Rows 4 x 10-12, each arm Seated Cable Rows 4 x 12 Juans Back Routine Deadlifts (lighter) 3 x 12-15 superset with Pull-ups 3 x 12-15 Deadlifts (heavier) 3 x 8 superset with Hammer Strength Seated Rows 3 x 10 Barbell Rows (overhand grip) 3 x 10 superset with Supported T-Bar rows (underhand grip) 3 x 10 Corner T-Bar Rows 3 x 15 superset with Dumbbell Rows 3 x 15 Deadlifts 3 x 10 DISCUSS THIS ARTICLE ON THE MD FORUM READ MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS IN THE TRAINING SECTION New members inducted into Institute of ... Snow in Yosemite Valley View Photos The High Wind Warning issued for the Sierra Nevada will expire at 10 PM this evening. According to the National Weather Service, winds of thirty to forty mph will continue with gusts reaching up to sixty mph. Some of the impacts will include possible strong crosswinds, which could cause numerous trees to fall on structures and across roadways. Highway 108 (Sonora Pass) and Highway 4 (Ebbetts Pass) and Highway 120 (Tioga Pass) are all closed for the winter. A High Wind Warning means a hazardous high wind event is expected or is occurring. Sustained wind speeds of at least forty mph or gusts of fifty eight mph or more can lead to property damage. State Treasurer John Chiang View Photos Sacramento, CA Concerned about discrepancies between state and federal law, California Treasurer John Chiang has created a Cannabis Banking Working Group to address the issue of banks and other financial institutions generally refusing to provide services to marijuana related businesses. It is an issue that is coming to the forefront with the states passage of Proposition 64 which legalizes marijuana for recreational use. However, the federal government still bans marijuana. The state ballot measure will allow individuals 21-and-older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana, and grow up to six plants at home. Speaking by telephone this morning, Treasurer Chiang says, The standoff between states and the federal government means a lot of businesses will be hauling around a lot of cash with no place to deposit their money, putting themselves at the risk of robbery. He adds that preventing that money from entering the banking system could exacerbate tendencies towards money laundering. Chiang has put together a task force, of sort, that includes bankers, members of credit unions, taxing agency leaders, law enforcement officials and members of the cannabis industry itself. He is also sending letters to President Elect Donald Trump, and members of Californias Congressional delegation, asking for guidance and cooperation from the federal government. Chiang concludes, Participating in the nations banking system is not, and should not be per se, an illegal activity. A lot of money is expected to change hands when marijuana becomes legal in 2018. Proposition 64 imposes a 15% tax on the retail sale of cannabis. By taxing marijuana, Chiang estimates it will bring in around $1-billion in new revenue, annually. Proposition 64 does allow local jurisdictions to pass ordinances prohibiting the sale of marijuana. We reported previously that Tuolumne County is moving in that direction. However, counties cannot pass laws preventing residents from possessing up to an ounce or growing six plants. Also of related note, weve reported recently about robberies at marijuana grows in Calaveras County. Click here to read an earlier story. Hes a life-long adventurer, known for walking on the moon. But, Buzz Aldrins latest journey landed him in the hospital. The 86-year-old, who lives in Brevard County, had to be evacuated from the South Pole while on a tour excursion after he got fluid in his lungs and his health deteriorated rapidly. Official statement about Buzz and his evacuation from the South Pole. He's recovering well in NZ. Full statement https://t.co/OacRI4577Z pic.twitter.com/QdrEaHuQHq Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) December 1, 2016 He posted this picture on his Twitter page, saying hes recovering and in stable condition at a hospital in New Zealand. Aldrin documented his epic journey from flights between Dubai and Cape Town, South Africa, to safety training alongside with manager, Christina Korp on his Twitter page. Its now filled with well-wishes for his recovery following illness. Aldrin traveled with White Desert Tours, an operator which takes travelers to far flung places, like Antartica. Trips listed on the luxury excursion website cost about 64,000 euros per person to travel the South Pole. But, after he fell ill, the tour operator posted on its Instagram page that Aldrin was successfully evacuated, flown to Christchurch, New Zealand, to receive antibiotic treatment. Aldrin, who took part of Apollo XI and Gemini 12 space missions, has a loyal following. Many headed online to share their well wishes for the former astronaut. As Aldrin recovers, his manger tweeted that the former astronaut did reach his objective: making it to the South Pole. Have you heard, Santa Claus, that jolly and generous spirit of Christmas frolic, is traveling from the North Pole to the Ollie Liner Center in Plainview to meet and greet good little girls and boys at Breakfast with Santa. Runningwater Draw RSVP and partner Hale County 4-H welcome Santa and Mrs. Claus each year as they take time out of their busy North Pole schedules to join RSVP and their volunteer helpers to share Christmas joy at the annual Breakfast with Santa from 9-10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 3. All children attending will get to tell Santa what special toy theyre wishing for. Ive even heard that all of Santas helpers have been busy preparing a gift sack of goodies for each child. The morning fun includes drawings for toys, culminating in a drawing for a girls and a boys bicycle and head gear also. Activity booths will include face-painting along with a variety of crafts for the children. The breakfast menu includes a McDonalds sausage biscuit and 2 cookie pack with coffee available for the parents. Tickets for the event are $5 for children and $5 for parents who eat breakfast with their child. There is no cost for parents who do not eat breakfast. Tickets may be purchased at the RSVP office at 825 Austin (basement of Unger Library) or at the door. Call RSVP at 291-1223 for more information. While RSVP will not take pictures, parents are encouraged to bring their cameras and capture the moment with Santa. Breakfast with Santa is not a fundraiser, but a gift to area children and a longtime tradition of the RSVP Advisory Council. Santas helpers, who also serve on the RSVP Advisory Council, are Elsa Cooper, Joe Provence, Nicki Logan, Norvene Owen, Mary Parrish, Rosie Rendon, Emma Herring, Sally Phillips, Alice Rey, Carol Schulz, Gail Thrasher, Gail Williams, Bobbye Dennis, Gary Stennett and Rodney Watson. (It is rumored that Rodney Watson and Inez Hillman have a special friendship with Santa and Mrs. Claus.) Breakfast with Santa is a great way to start the holiday season. RSVP hopes to see you there. Irma Shackelford is director of Runningwater Draw RSVP. 806-291-1223 With a newly elected US president pledging to dump the TPP, Beijing's next move has become a prime topic of discussion Will China take advantage of Donald Trump's decision to effectively scuttle Asia's biggest-ever trade deal? The US president-elect announced on Nov 21 that on the first day of his presidency he will withdraw the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who had expended considerable political capital getting the deal passed against opposition from his own farmers, has said TPP will be effectively "meaningless" without the US. A container port in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province. China, the largest trading nation in Asia, may look to lead regional trade if TPP collapses. Geng Yuhe / For China Daily The 11 other members, aside from the US, had almost all signed up because it offered a closer trade relationship with the world's largest economy. President Barack Obama had come close to turning the TPP - which covers 40 percent of the global economy - into the physical embodiment of his "pivot to Asia" strategy, which critics say was designed to contain China's power in the region. A major question is whether China will now move into the vacuum and attempt to build its own trade partnership with other Asian countries for which it is already, in most cases, the largest trade and investment partner. This could mean breathing new life into RCEP - the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership - which was launched at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Cambodia in 2012. It is seen as a China-led grouping and one that also notably excludes the United States. There might also be an attempt to finally realize the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific, or FTAAP, the roadmap for which was put in place at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, forum in Beijing in Nov 2014. It is seen as more of a long-term initiative. With a more protectionist US as one of its potential members, it may lose momentum. Kerry Brown, professor of Chinese studies and director of the Lau China Institute at King's College, London, believes Trump's TTP decision does play into China's hands. "It depends on how China deals with this. It is not an easy space to fill because it will have to propose its own free trade proposals, and that will be complicated. It can, however, now do this in a way it couldn't do before the announcement was made," he says. The academic, however, believes it is a spectacular "own goal" for the US. "It means that after 10 years of effort, America is withdrawing from developing an economic zone that was largely in its own interests and would not have included China," he says. That the US would not stick with the TPP, which was signed by all its members (including the US) in February, was not a surprise. Even the Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton - who, when Secretary of State had called it the "gold standard" of trade treaties - made a U-turn during her campaign. Hugh White, professor of strategic studies at the Australian National University and once a foreign policy adviser to former Australian prime minister Bob Hawke, does not believe she would have changed her mind had she won the election. "It is very unlikely she would have done that," White says. "She would have found it difficult to get it through Congress, given strong opposition on her own Democrat side as well as all the Republicans who would have denied her." Trade minister Steven Ciobo announced his backing of the RCEP approach within hours of Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaking to Trump following the US election, signaling the country had its sights set on the China-led grouping. White, author of The China Choice, which deals with the politics of the South China Sea region, says the whole episode looks like a retreat by the US. "It is such a striking demonstration that America's resolve to remain strong in Asia is not as strong as what everybody keeps saying it is," he says. He is also unclear whether China will now take up the mantle and create trade blocs that deliberately exclude the US, since that might not be in its ultimate interest. "China wants to see the US as a full economic partner in Asia, but it wants itself to be the primary strategic power in the region. It may believe in the end that the economic relationship is more important than the strategic." Leading foreign policy expert Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations and director of the Center on American Studies at Renmin University of China in Beijing, does not believe - even if there were a change of heart in Washington - that China and the US would be comfortable together in any new trading bloc. "There would be a danger, from China's point of view, of the US gradually gaining greater influence over the other members because it has a bigger economy and a high technological level," Shi says. Stephen Roach, former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia and author of Unbalanced: The Codependency of America and China, also thinks it unlikely that China will suddenly conjure a new body in the wake of Trump's decision. "It is unrealistic to think that all of a sudden some new arrangement will be cobbled together to exclude a country like the US, which is in a political position to start raising objections to existing trade deals, let alone new ones," Roach says. "China has got a whole load of other issues to deal with, not least managing its own domestic economy and its own relationships in the South China Sea, before it can assume a strong leadership role in the region." Roach, however, believes the pivot to Asia strategy, which was so much the central plank of Obama's foreign policy, is in tatters. "It was the crux of the pivot, and without TPP it would have exclusively been done on military terms, which would have created more tensions. I think the pivot without TPP now rings hollow," he says. Many are concerned that with the UK's Brexit decision, and now with the election of Trump on a distinctly protectionist agenda, the world is moving to a new era that has echoes of the 1930s. Shi of Renmin University insists there is no direct parallel. "Then, Hitler was already in place, we had a militarist government in Japan, and the protectionism was much more severe than anything we are seeing today," he says. "I do think the current situation, however, is worse than at any time since the end of the Cold War, with nativism and nationalism prevailing almost everywhere in the world. We have all these strongmen saying they want to make our nations great again." Roach, who is also a senior lecturer at the Yale School of Management, thinks trade deals are a difficult sell in a world consumed by populist election outcomes. "The votes in the UK and now the US, and those coming up in Italy and France, are all a significant large piece of sand in the gears of liberalization and globalization," he says. He also cannot conceive that Trump's protectionist agenda will work in practice because the US and China are now completely dependent in each other: "China depends on the US for its markets, and the exports to these markets are a key driver of the economic growth that produce such fabulous results for China. And the US needs China to provide low cost goods for income-constrained American consumers. We also need China's surplus savings because we don't save and it is hard to grow without saving." He believes the lack of savings in the US will make it even more reliant on China if Trump pursues a fiscal expansion policy to invest money in infrastructure. "If there are to be larger deficits under the Trump administration, the US weak savings position will probably go into negative territory somewhere around 2018 or 2019. If we turn protectionist at a time when we need even more savings from abroad, that has enormous potential consequences." Brown at King's College believes the TPP decision or protectionist rhetoric will not affect the overall relationship between the US and China. "There has been so much work done on the relationship, and the vast majority of those involved in it will carry on as normal. It would take a huge amount of effort for any individual to shift the tramlines an inch, never mind totally changing them," Brown says. Paul Cheng, the former chairman of NM Rothschild & Sons in Asia and author of On Equal Terms: Redefining China's Relationship with America, says the TPP might be replaced by a more deal-making approach across Asia by the US. He is encouraged by the expected appointment of American investor Wilbur Ross, who spent 24 years in Rothschild's New York office, as commerce secretary in the new administration. "Wilbur is a guy who really knows where to pick value. It's a skill that can be really useful. I know that he was highly regarded by the Rothschild family." ANU's White thinks Trump's TPP decision is likely to lead to a major rethink as to whether trade deals are the way forward. "There is real question as to whether these regional, multilateral or even bilateral trade agreements of various sorts are really the best way to go in terms of global trade," he says. "The big steps made in global trade were perhaps made when we had these global multilateral deals under organizations like GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade), the forerunner of the World Trade Organization. These might be now preferred in future." andrewmoody@chinadaily.com.cn Trade proposals in pipeline Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Formed in 2005 with Brunei, Chile and New Zealand and Singapore. The US joined in 2008. It now has 12 members, including the original four, plus Australia, , Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Vietnam and the US. China was not a member. It's absence was seen as part of the US "pivot to Asia" strategy. The TPP has tough regulatory standards on labor, environmental protection, intellectual property and government procurement. President-elect Donald Trump signaled in November that the US would withdraw from the agreement in January. RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) Formed in 2012. Includes the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, plus six regional trading partners - China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India and New Zealand. The RCEP excludes the United States and is seen as China-led since it is the largest economy in the grouping. Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP) Still on the drawing board. First discussed at the Asia Pacific Economic cooperation summit in Hanoi in 2006. The roadmap for its eventual realization was announced at the APEC Summit in Beijing in November 2014 and given further impetus by a keynote speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Lima Summit in November. Both the US and China could play a leading role in the FTAAP, although this seems less likely with US President-elect Donald Trump's position on TPP. ( China Daily European Weekly 12/02/2016 page1) Modern trade deals should move to a more sophisticated version 2.0, which includes globalization, center's president says Wang Huiyao insists that, in light of the impending withdrawal of the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, trade treaties need to deal better with the complexities of globalization. Wang, who is president of the Center for China and Globalization, China's largest independent think tank, says the deals now need to be more version 2.0 than 1.0. "The old concept of free trade was to have no tariffs, and everything to be free within a group of countries. Wang Huiyao, president of the Center for China and Globalization, China's largest independent think tank, sees the likely collapse of TPP due to US non-participation as an opportunity to reshape Asia-Pacific trade. Zou Hong / China Daily "We now need to come up with something more complex than that, which maybe sets a few boundaries and adds some new rules," he says. "The US could enter into a treaty with China, for example, where there is a condition that China has to invest in manufacturing in the American Rust Belt, which would help Trump provide jobs there." Wang, who was speaking in his offices in Hanwei Plaza in Beijing's Chaoyang district, sees the likely collapse of TPP due to US non-participation as an opportunity to reshape Asia-Pacific trade. "There is more hope of this under Trump than with Hillary (Clinton). With her we would still be on 1.0. But now we can go on to 2.0." Appointed a counsellor on the Chinese State Council, or cabinet, last year by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Wang says one of the fault lines of the TPP was that it did not include China and was seen as being part of President Barack Obama's pivot to Asia strategy, of which Clinton was a leading architect as secretary of state. He believes there is an opportunity for a new trade agreement that includes both the United States and China. "Why don't they just do another trade deal and write the rules? Here is an opportunity for the clever politicians to demonstrate some capacity for leadership and get a new deal approved," Wang says. "China and the US are the two largest trading nations in the world, and they have one of the largest bilateral trading relationships as well. So any major trade agreement for the Asia-Pacific without China or the US can't really be complete or workable." Wang believes the new administration might be open to a strong relationship with China, despite Trump's threatening during his campaign to impose a 45 percent tariff on Chinese imports. He says a recent article by Trump's national security adviser, James Woolsey, in the South China Morning Post - which argued that Obama's opposition to China's Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) was a mistake - was encouraging. "I think this alone sends an enormous signal to China that there may be movement on a lot of issues. It might be that China might invite the US to join its Belt and Road Initiative. There might be a lot more flexibility about these things," he says. Wang, 57, founded the globalization center in 2008. It now has more than 100 staff members, 50 in Beijing and the rest in offices in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Qingdao and Shanghai. There are also representative offices in Washington, New York and Europe. The center publishes special reports in a number of areas, including Chinese enterprises expanding overseas, developing talent and global governance. Wang believes the vehicle for taking trade negotiations forward could be the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, or FTAAP, which was first discussed at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Hanoi in 2006. Chinese President Xi Jinping gave fresh impetus to it in his keynote address at the APEC meeting in Lima, Peru, in November. Such a free trade agreement would likely involve the 21 Pacific Rim members of APEC, including both China and the US. "With what has happened to the TPP, it could now succeed. I also think Donald Trump, who is both a businessperson and pragmatist, would also see it as a good way of engaging with China and the Pacific countries," Wang says. He believes that the TPP is effectively now dead in the water. "It still exists, but as (Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo) Abe said it is now irrelevant," he says. Wang, who grew up in Sichuan, had his education interrupted by the "cultural revolution" (1966-76). He was among the generation of Chinese students that returned to university studies in 1978. He studied English and American literature at Guangzhou University of Foreign Studies before going on to do an MBA at the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada. He became chief trade representative to the Quebec government in Hong Kong and China, returning to China in 1993. Wang, who has a PhD from Manchester Business School, has taught at Peking University's Guanghua School of Management and at Tsinghua University, and is also a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution and a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. He has also held a number of key business positions. He attended the official opening ceremony of a new factory of Chinese auto glass maker Fuyao, which will be the largest in the world, in Moraine, Ohio, in October. The plant currently employs 2,000 but this is expected to grow to as much as 2,500 by the end of next year. "More than 800 people attended - governors, congressmen, people from the local community and also from the Brookings Institution and other such bodies. I think it is a really good example of how trade and investment between China and the US can be maintained," Wang says. "If Donald Trump really wants to make America great again this is how he can do it: by encouraging more Chinese investment in the US. It is a way of delivering good jobs and better incomes for people in these areas of the US were people feel their living standards have fallen behind." He is confident Trump as president will be open to such arrangements and will not impose barriers on imported Chinese goods, which he believes are unworkable. "He was talking tough during the campaign but we have seen he is a flexible man," Wang said. "He said he was going to jail Hillary and now he is not. He said he was going to build a wall (along the Mexican border) and now its is only a fence. He was going to scrap Obamacare and now he is only going to modify it. What you see is a businessman's flexibility," Wang says. Wang believes there is a need to move away from the anti-China rhetoric that underpinned the TPP. Obama said when he wanted congressional backing for the treaty that it was important China did not "write the rules". "We still have a Bretton Woods system of governance that was established at the end of the World War II," he says. "The US has to accept that China is no longer a follower in the international system but needs to be a participant in the rule-making. The blunt language from Obama was not helpful. We now have an opportunity to reshape world trade." andrewmoody@chinadaily.com.cn (China Daily European Weekly 12/02/2016 page7) This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WASHINGTON In tapping Rep. Xavier Becerra, a veteran Los Angeles lawmaker and son of Mexican immigrants, to become Californias next attorney general, Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday placed a stalwart defender of immigrant rights at the forefront of anticipated legal battles between California and the incoming Trump administration. Becerra, 58, the governors surprise pick to replace outgoing Attorney General Kamala Harris, who was elected last month to the U.S. Senate, on Tuesday had announced his intention to seek the top Democratic spot on the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees tax and health care law and the nations huge entitlement programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, all targets for overhaul by the new administration and Republican-led Congress. If confirmed as expected by the state Assembly and Senate, Becerra would become the states first Latino attorney general, putting him in position to defend Californias far-reaching environmental, health and immigration laws against expected attacks at the federal level. In a telephone interview, Becerra said without a doubt he expects to defend the so-called Dreamers, young immigrants brought to the United States as children by their parents without papers, and given relief from deportation under the Obama administrations Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program that is considered vulnerable under the Trump administration. Browns choice for the elected seat was unexpected. Sacramento insiders had speculated that the governor would appoint a placeholder perhaps a career member of the attorney generals staff to fill out the two remaining years of Harris term. Becerra himself said the appointment came as a surprise, following recent phone conversations with Brown. But his selection drew wide accolades from California Democrats. State Senate President pro tem Kevin DeLeon, D-Los Angeles, called Becerras appointment a perfect matching of man and moment, given that Californias prosperity and people are currently under threat by a hostile Trump administration. California Republicans were less kind. San Francisco attorney Harmeet Dhillon, a Republican National Committee member, called Becerra a poor choice because he lacks recent courtroom experience. He hasnt practiced law for 24 years and that strikes me as not the best choice for attorney general for California, she said. Becerras law license has been inactive since 1991, according to the California State Bar, but this is not expected to hinder his confirmation because of court rulings that allowed Brown to serve as attorney general from 2007 to 2011, despite being in a similar situation. Meanwhile, the pick prompted instant interest in Becerras downtown Los Angeles House seat. Former Assembly Speaker John Perez announced his candidacy for the seat within hours of the news. Born in Sacramento, Becerra grew up in a 685-square-foot home he shared with his parents and three sisters. A self-described affirmative action baby, Becerra was the first in his family to go to college, earning his undergraduate degree in economics and law degree from Stanford University. Becerra said that his parents will serve as his touchstone in his new job, which is the second-most-powerful elected position in California behind the governor. They now are the models that I look to to know if Im doing a good job as the states top law enforcement officer, Becerra told The Chronicle. Am I protecting people like my parents from violence and criminal activity? Am I protecting them from consumer abuse? Am I making sure that they have clean air and clean water? Am I making sure ... that other immigrants like them know that they have a home in California? The Legislature has 90 days to confirm his selection once Harris leaves office. His two years as attorney general would then provide a launch pad either for election to a full four-year term or higher office. Brown said in a statement that Becerra, who was a state deputy attorney general for three years before his 1992 election to Congress, will be a champion for all Californians and help our state aggressively combat climate change. Genial and well-liked on Capitol Hill, Becerra served on several high-profile deficit-reduction committees, where he defended Social Security from GOP efforts to cut benefits and raise the retirement age. He is the highest-ranking Latino in Congress and former chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Term-limited out of his House leadership job as caucus chairman this year, Becerra flirted with a U.S. Senate bid and was floated as a possible vice presidential pick for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. In an interview with The Chronicle last spring, Becerra described how his father, now 88, dropped out of school in the sixth grade because he got tired of being put in the corner and having a dunce cap put on him because he had a difficult time understanding English. Now he has a grandchild who was just accepted at Yale, Becerra said. His mother, now 82, came to the United States from Mexico at 18 to marry his father. Becerra said in the interview that he had envisioned continuing his career in Congress, but was always ready to do more. Put me on the field, he said. I just want to play. I dont care what the position is. Ill catch. Ill block. Whatever you need me to do, Im going to try to do. Becerra is married to Dr. Carolina Reyes, a Stanford graduate with a medical degree from Harvard. They have three daughters, Clarisa, Olivia and Natalia. Carolyn Lochhead is the San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent; Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: clochhead@sfchronicle.com; mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carolynlochhead; @MelodyGutierrez A federal magistrate in San Francisco says the American Civil Liberties Union can proceed with a nationwide suit challenging government contracts to religious organizations that provide care for minors who enter the United States on their own but deny them access to abortion or contraception. The ACLU says it has received reports that between 60 and 80 percent of unaccompanied young women crossing the border have been raped or sexually assaulted. The Border Patrol catches tens of thousands of minors each year as they enter the country, mostly fleeing violence from their homelands in Central America. More than 33,000 were apprehended last year, according to government data. Unlike adults who are held in detention centers, minors are sent to group homes and other facilities run by federal contractors while awaiting immigration proceedings. Most are eventually reunited with family members in the U.S., and the rest are deported unless they can obtain political asylum, said Brigitte Amiri, the ACLUs lead attorney in the case. The lawsuit cited the case of 17-year-old Rosa, who fled her Central American country in 2014 and was raped by one of the guides bringing her to the United States. She learned she was pregnant while being held in a Catholic Charities facility in Miami and was hospitalized after becoming suicidal when she was denied an abortion, the ACLU said. After her release, the ACLU said, Catholic Charities and another faith-based group turned her away because she still wanted an abortion, and the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement, which oversees the programs, eventually found an organization where she could undergo the procedure. In a number of cases, Amiri said, contractors objections to reproductive care have forced young women to be relocated far away from their families. The ACLU first sued in Massachusetts in 2009, and won a federal judges ruling in 2012 barring government contractors from denying access to reproductive services. That case ended when the governments contract with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops expired, but the contract was renewed in September 2015, and the ACLU filed its latest suit in San Francisco this June. The civil liberties group contends it is unconstitutional to allow a religiously affiliated entity that gets missions in federal money to impose its religious beliefs on a vulnerable population by dictating what kind of health care services they receive, Amiri said Friday. The Obama administration sought to dismiss the case, arguing that the ACLU had not suffered any direct harm and had no right to sue over alleged misuse of federal funds. But U.S. Magistrate Laurel Beeler said Tuesday that the suit was authorized by a 1968 Supreme Court ruling allowing taxpayers to challenge federal subsidies for religious schools. As in that case, Beeler said, the ACLU is challenging federal spending authorized by Congress for a specific purpose to provide for the care and custody of all unaccompanied minor children and distributed by the refugee office to religious organizations, allegedly in violation of the constitutional ban on a government-recognized establishment of religion. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The people who have been battling AIDS for three decades got together in San Francisco on Thursday to buck each other up for what they say are the brand-new battles bound to come after Inauguration Day. The fight against the virus, and with the people who control the health care purse strings, never ends, said the 500 or so AIDS activists and supporters who gathered in Golden Gate Park for the 23rd annual World AIDS Day observance. Were in a serious time, AIDS activist Paul Kawata told the crowd, speaking of the incoming Trump administration and its vow to alter health care spending. Im as scared as I have ever been, but we cant have people scared and fearful. Kawata, the executive director of the National Minority AIDS Council, spoke beneath a large white tent at the National AIDS Memorial Grove, shortly after receiving the groves annual leadership award for serving as the voice for more than 3,000 AIDS groups nationwide. We are an amazing movement, and I hope we remember that we changed health care when others wouldnt, and we stood up when others turned their backs on us, Kawata said, to rousing applause. Now, more than ever, were going to need to speak truth to power. Also receiving an award was Jeanne White-Ginder, mother of the late Indiana teenager and hemophilia patient Ryan White, who died of AIDS in 1990 after receiving tainted blood products to treat his disease. Little did we realize that the drug we thought would save his life would take his life, White-Ginder said, standing beside a backdrop of multicolored balloons and giant swaths of the fabled AIDS memorial quilt. Dr. William Meyer, the technical director of the Quest Diagnostics laboratory chain, recalled how his early research into AIDS in the 1980s was met with resistance from his colleagues when he tried to bring blood samples from AIDS patients into the research facility. There was a lot of fear related to HIV, he said. They told me that we dont need to concern ourself with samples from these patients. My colleagues made me do my research in a toolshed outside the main laboratory. Before the speeches, the crowd assembled beneath the groves giant trees at a ring of granite engraved with 3,100 names of late AIDS patients and their friends. John Chard stood beside the newly engraved name of his late husband, Steve Keith, a former nurse at the original San Francisco General Hospital AIDS ward three decades ago. He worked for his community, Chard said. He said it was his duty, serving others. Chard recalled how his husband would comfort dying patients by lying beside them and taking their hands after family and friends had abandoned them. Dianne Boate of San Francisco, who lost two sons to AIDS three decades ago, stood silently beside their carved names. Then she recalled how the manager of her apartment house refused to allow her son, Tom, to enter the building and visit her in the 1980s after he learned that Tom had AIDS. Thats how it was then, she said, her voice breaking. Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveRubeSF San Franciscos police union intensified its attack on a proposal to restrict officers from shooting at moving vehicles a top priority for reform advocates by releasing an advertisement dramatizing what could happen if a raging motorist gunned his pickup into a crowd of street activists. Many will die, or be injured, the videos narrator warns, over an image of an officer unable to draw his gun because of the departments new use-of-force policy. But the ad, set to air on local TV stations starting Friday, drew criticism over the unions stance as well as how it sought to make its case. The video pointed not only to the truck attack that killed 86 people celebrating Bastille Day in France in July, but also a 2003 incident in San Francisco in which two officers shot and killed a driver in a chaotic encounter. The ad falsely suggests the San Francisco driver had steered into a crowd and was determined to run people down. There was no crowd, and the 18-year-old appeared to be focused on trying to escape from police when he was killed, said his father, who was outraged when he learned of the ad Thursday. Police Commission President Suzy Loftus, whose face appears at the end of the ad as the union asks for the public to contact her with complaints about the proposed policy, said the political message was misleading and represented Trump-like fear-mongering. The facts matter, now more than ever, Loftus said. Twenty-five percent of officer-involved shootings in San Francisco since 2000 involved officers shooting at cars. These were not terror attacks, as we see in the tragic case highlighted in the video. The dispute comes amid an ongoing investigation into a sergeants fatal shooting of an unarmed car-theft suspect in the Bayview neighborhood in May, which prompted the resignation of Chief Greg Suhr. It is likely to heighten tensions between the Police Officers Association, which says it must protect officers safety, and those pushing for changes in the wake of several controversial police shootings in San Francisco. Critics say the union which in the past year has lashed out aggressively against its opponents is standing in the way of needed reforms. The proposed update of the use-of-force policy was developed after the fatal shooting of Mario Woods in the Bayview on Dec. 2, 2015 one year ago Friday and was an effort to emphasize de-escalation. The Police Commission passed it June 22, but under city and state law such policies must be approved by the union. Though the union agreed with most of the new policy, there was an impasse on shooting at vehicles, and union officials filed a grievance that could trigger arbitration. The citys previous use-of-force policy warned that shooting at a moving vehicle was inherently dangerous, but allowed for officers to do so under certain circumstances. The new policy bars officers from firing at a moving vehicle unless the driver poses an immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury to the public or an officer by means other than the vehicle. Under this language, a person who poses a threat with a gun while driving can be shot. The commercial begins with an angry pickup truck driver barreling toward pedestrians. Its a sunny autumn day and a group of activists are quietly marching on a city street, the narrator says. Suddenly, a 4-ton truck begins plowing into the crowd. Police rush to halt the driver but are prohibited by city policy from drawing their weapons. With wounded victims sprawled along the street, the dramatization transitions to Officer Reggie Scott, one of two city officers who shot Michael Moll on Feb. 19, 2003. In Nice, France, 86 people died before police shot and killed the terrorist driver, Scott says in the video. Thirteen years ago, I was forced to use my weapon to stop a driver determined to run people down in the Taraval district. Lives were saved. Viewers then see a mock-up article from San Francisco Newsline with a caption stating Moll drove into a crowd on the sidewalk and struck an officer before two other SFPD policemen were able to terminate the threat of a driver turning his vehicle into an instrument of deadly destruction. But reports from the time say nothing about Moll steering into a crowd or trying to kill pedestrians. Police said then that Moll had been driving a stolen Honda Civic erratically, running stop signs and at one point jumping a sidewalk, before crashing into a stopped car. When two undercover officers approached with guns drawn, Moll allegedly shifted into reverse, striking an officer standing behind his open door. Moll, who according to an autopsy report had methamphetamine in his system, was fumbling to drive forward when the officers opened fire, police said. The officer who was struck reportedly suffered bruises and was released from a hospital the same day. He did try to get away, but he only bumped other cars, said his father, Russell Moll. He wasnt using the car as a weapon, and I know well that he was not driving onto a sidewalk into a crowd of people. Those are facts, in the police incident reports. Russell Moll said he was angry that the union would use his sons death politically, painting him as a terrorist when he was just a troubled kid. He had some problems and we were trying to work with him to get him through that stuff, he said, but he was no maniac killer by no stretch of the imagination. ... I cant believe this. Police union President Martin Halloran said the Moll case, the Bastille Day massacre and last weeks car-ramming attack at Ohio State University had a common theme: In all cases, the vehicle was the primary weapon used in an attempt to kill people. In order to stop a suspect who is attempting to kill people with a vehicle, police officers need to be able to use their weapons, Halloran said. The policy has to be written in a way that allows officers to use their weapons under exceptional circumstances to stop a slaughter. A growing number of police agencies have restricted shooting at moving vehicles, a practice that the U.S. Department of Justices community-policing division and President Obamas Task Force on 21st Century Policing say should be restricted. The practice has been a focus of police watchdogs, who contend that in many situations officers shoot drivers whose goal is to flee not to hurt or kill anyone. Moreover, proponents of restrictive policies say shooting at a moving vehicle can worsen an already dangerous situation: If a suspect is struck, that doesnt necessarily mean the car will stop, and bystanders may be at risk. Experts say permitting officers to shoot at vehicles also allows them to put themselves in perilous situations in which they are forced to shoot their way out, such as stepping in the way of a car. San Franciscos ban on shooting at cars is in line with national best practices, said Chuck Wexler, president of the Police Executive Research Forum, a prominent policy organization. Its about keeping both officers and the public safe. Loftus said the proposal allows officers to use their judgment in extraordinary situations like the Bastille Day attack. The introduction to the policy states, No policy can predict every situation. Officers are expected to exercise sound judgment and critical decision making. Referring to the woman who was killed in May while allegedly driving a stolen car, Loftus said, What they want is something that will allow for what happened to Jessica Williams, and we dont want that. Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo A man charged with attacking officers in a BART station has gone on trial in San Francisco after an Alameda County judge rejected the public defenders claim that the trial judge was biased in favor of the prosecution. Testimony began Thursday in the Superior Court trial of Michael Smith, accused of misdemeanor battery and resisting arrest in a July 29 confrontation with BART police at the Embarcadero Station in San Francisco. Smith, 22, was arrested by officers who were responding to a report that an armed man had tried to rob a passenger on a train. Cell phone footage taken by bystanders appeared to show an officer punching Smith while he was in handcuffs and lying on the station platform. Prosecutors said police body cameras showed Smith kicking and spitting at BART police. Public Defender Jeff Adachi contends Smith was trying to defend himself against the officers. In pretrial proceedings, Adachi argued that Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo should be removed from the case because of bias. Adachi said Massullo had been one-sided in her pretrial rulings, including one that prohibited defense lawyers from asking prospective jurors about the Black Lives Matter movement or the case of Oscar Grant, a black man shot to death by a white BART police officer. Smith is African American. Adachi also said Massullo had allowed the prosecution to offer expert testimony on the use of force while barring testimony by a defense expert. He contended the judge had unfairly excluded evidence that might have discredited the original report of an attempted robbery on the train, had addressed him in much harsher tones than she used for the prosecutor, and had also shown bias against the defense in previous cases. State court officials referred Adachis complaints to Alameda County Superior Court Judge Tara Desautels, who found no evidence of bias. Disputes over evidence, like the exclusion of defense expert testimony and questions about the attempted robbery, were judgment calls for Massullo that can be addressed by higher courts if Smith is convicted, Desautels said in a ruling last week. She said Massullo had listened to both sides and showed no signs of bias. While refusing to let Adachi bring up the subjects of Black Lives Matter or Grant during jury questioning, Massullo sent jurors a written questionnaire that included racial issues and allowed the lawyers to ask them about their responses, Desautels said. She said the judge had made an open-minded attempt to better understand the facts of the case while excluding irrelevant issues. Recordings showed Massullo speaking sharply to both lawyers at times during pretrial arguments, Desautels said. Frustration, even when exhibited through sharp tone or short comment, does not automatically equate to bias, she said, also noting that Massullo had issued some rulings in the defendants favor. The trial is proceeding while Adachi appeals Desautels ruling. He sought to take the dispute to the First District Court of Appeal, but that court transferred it to the San Francisco Superior Courts appellate division, an action that frustrated the public defender. Why would you have an appeal decided by colleagues of the same judge who is being challenged? Adachi said Wednesday. He said he was also concerned that the appellate division would withhold action until after the trial ends in a week or two. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate SAN ANTONIO A short dirty list this week is highlighted with some rather uncommon violations, including food handlers and rodents getting too comfortable in kitchens. To make the Express-News' list of dirtiest restaurants, an establishment must earn a score of 89 or below or anything less than an "A" during a random city inspection. Mehran at 7271 Wurzbach Road received this weeks lowest score, and was cited when an inspector saw clean dishes covered in rodent droppings and a food handler wearing sandals. In another unusual violation, Andrew's Heavenly Ice at 7491 Grissom Road earned demerits when a deep fryer and ice maker were being used outside the establishment. A total of 11 restaurants all located on San Antonios northern half made this weeks dirty list. Notable names include the Quarry-areas Piranha Killer Sushi at 260 E. Basse, which was cited when an employee stored their personal food near customer food, and Alamo Cafe at 14250 N. US 281, which received demerits for cross contamination issues. Get all the highlights from this week's dirtiest restaurant list in the slideshow above. RELATED: San Antonio restaurant inspections: The worst reports from last week The San Antonio Express-News examines hundreds of restaurant inspections each week conducted by the San Antonio Food and Environmental Health Services division to bring you the eateries with scores of 89 or below. Restaurants are graded on a 100-point system, where "100" is a perfect score, and demerits are based upon the number of violations found during a regular food establishment inspection. There are three categories of demerits and each are assigned a demerit score of 3, 2 or 1 points, according to the health division. Scores and demerits listed are only representative of the state of the restaurant at the time of inspection and are surveyed at random. rsalinas@mysa.com Twitter: @RebeccaLSalinas This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A tiny Texas huntress dressed head-to-toe in camouflage gear and holding a gun her size has a lot of people talking, and watching. More than 2 million people, to be exact. Cody and Daisy Klapper, parents of 7-year-old Lilly Klapper, shared a video of the little girl shooting her first deer on Tuesday. In less than a week of being published, the 2-minute video has triggered 30,000 reactions, 50,000 shares, 7,000 comments and 2.5 million views. RELATED: 12-year-old Utah huntress' graphic Facebook photos causing worldwide outrage, spurring death threats Lilly Klapper focuses on her target while seated beside her dad for about a minute of the video. Then her jaw drops and she exchanges high-fives after pulling the trigger and hitting the deer. Cody Klapper, who looks to be from Jacksboro about an hour north of Fort Worth based on his wife's Facebook page, addressed people who may not agree with the video. "I respect and understand that this video may not be for everyone, if you think that you might be offended by this video that has my daughter shooting a deer with a modern hunting rifle please keep scrolling," he said in the Facebook post. RELATED: Texas girl, 12, reels in record 30-pound catfish in Lake Ray Hubbard for the second time The Nov. 29 Facebook video is not the first hunting experience of little Lilly Klapper to be posted online. The Klappers run a Facebook like page titled "Lilly Pad's Outdoors," where her hunts are chronicled and supporters have left comments of encouragement following the viral exposure. "Great job shooting, young lady," a Facebook user from San Antonio said while another complimented Cody Klapper, calling him "a great dad." RELATED: 10-year-old Texas girl kills 13-foot, 800-pound alligator with crossbow Cody Klapper was not immediately available to return mySA.com's requests for comment, but told Fox 4 News his daughter has been shooting since she was 5 years old. "We have a passion for the outdoors, and it was primarily intended to be for family and friends," Klapper said. "But now that it has had 1.4 million views, I hope that it inspires other parents to get their children into the outdoors." mmendoza@mysa.com Twitter: @MaddySkye This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate GREENWICH A group of conservation-minded residents raised $50,000 for their cause during a fund-raiser Thursday that included a raffle and banquet. About 100 men and three women gathered at Greenwich Country Club to raise money for the waterfowl conservation organization Ducks Unlimited. Money raised will be used for waterfowl-focused conservation projects across North America. It takes us several days to clear all the details, said Wayne Roberts, a regional director with the organization. Having all our tables full is always a great thing. That was the greatest thing about last night, we had a lot of fun. Among the items sold at auction was a two-hour rifle instruction class from Eli Stuhlmacher, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and is the former team leader and lead sniper of Seal Team Four. The lessons made $1,400 for the ducks, as the auctioneer kept reminding the audience. Ducks Unlimited focuses on areas that are most important to waterfowl: breeding grounds and migration routes. Most of the national organizations projects take place elsewhere because southwestern Connecticut does not have a particularly high concentration of affected birds. Greenwich and its environs lie partly in the eastern portion of the Great Atlantic Flyway, but its overall impact is much lower than the breeding grounds of the northern Canadian provinces or other areas in the U.S. that are threatened by coal, oil and timber operations. Roberts said regions with the greater population densities arent the biggest breeding grounds, but the places that are the better breeding grounds are often not populated enough to fund the projects that need to happen. In that aspect, events like the one held in Greenwich are very important, Roberts said. A couple of the tables were taken up members of the Campfire Club of America, a Chappaqua, N.Y.-based organization full of conservation-minded hunters and anglers. President Teddy Roosevelt was an early member. Roberts said the Campfire Club organization has done a lot for Ducks Unlimited over the years, and it was nice to have them at the event. They have donated to DU a lot over the years, it was nice to have a group of those guys at the event last night and gave us the chance to thank them after all these years, Roberts said. Guys were having a great time. pfrissell@hearstmediact.com; @PeregrineFriss China can only wonder at how Western discontent will affect trading conditions in the future The Brexit vote in Britain, Donald Trump's victory in the United States and the likelihood of further electoral upsets in the coming year, reflect widespread discontent in the West that the benefits of free trade and globalization have been unevenly applied. Among the targets of disgruntled voters on both sides of the Atlantic are a widening income gap, the rise of international elites to whom the laws of economics do not seem to apply, and what they see as the machinations of nefarious foreigners buying up industries and snapping up jobs. Part of Trump's electoral appeal was an "America first" policy that appealed to voters in the old industrial "Rust Belt" states by directly blaming China for destroying the local economy. It is a political atmosphere in which even the most free trade politicians must at least nod in the direction of protectionism or face the electoral consequences. With unplanned irony, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond announced in Parliament in November that his cash-strapped government would plow funds into helping high-tech startups avoid being taken over by foreign companies. He was perhaps unaware that the very next day China's travel services provider Ctrip would announce it was spending 1.4 billion ($1.7 billion; 1.6 billion euros) to buy Scotland-based Skyscanner. The travel price comparison website exactly fit the profile of the so-called unicorn companies that Hammond said he wanted to protect. On the morning the deal was announced, Prime Minister Theresa May said that foreign takeovers of UK companies would in the future be examined to determine whether they were in the national interest. May's government is not about to slam the door on foreign acquisitions. The UK can hardly afford to turn down foreign investment at a time when it is struggling with the consequences of a vote to leave the European Union. The so far mild embrace of at least some aspects of protectionism has not been confined to the UK. Ahead of a visit to China in November, German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said it was not right that "Germany sacrifices its companies on the altar of free markets, while at the same time our own companies have huge problems investing in China." He was reflecting popular concerns in Germany where Chinese investment funds bought up some 40 local companies in the first half of 2016. That was part of a 72 billion euro Chinese investment in the whole of the EU in the same period. In October, the signing of a free trade treaty between the EU and Canada was delayed because of objections from the Belgian province of Wallonia demanding protection for local farmers and businesses. European industrial leaders have expressed fears that, if President-elect Trump presses ahead with his threat of punitive tariffs on Chinese imports to the US, China could respond by boosting exports to Europe, in turn prompting the EU to erect its own protectionist tariff barriers. It is certain that, in private, many Western politicians recognize that inward-looking trade and investment policies would probably damage rather than improve the livelihoods of voters who have been encouraged to reject globalization. But in the face of the populist rhetoric from those such as Trump and would-be leaders waiting in the wings in Europe, such as France's Marine LePen, candidate of the right-wing National Front, free trade supporters are on the defensive. There are many who challenge the prevailing trend toward protectionism, but their voices are not getting through. Those in the US who pointed out that the domestic manufacturing sector has been enjoying record production levels, and that most job losses were the result of automation, rather than overseas competition, were drowned out by the simple refrain that foreigners were to blame. China's policymakers can only sit back and contemplate how the Western trend will evolve and to what degree it will impact the domestic and global economies. In a restatement of the so-called Go Out policy, state officials said in Shanghai on Nov 28 that China would continue to encourage the healthy development of outbound investment. The writer is a senior editorial consultant for China Daily UK. (China Daily European Weekly 12/02/2016 page11) This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate MILFORD If you were an astronaut, and 99.99 percent of your spacecrafts 2 million parts worked perfectly, you could still have big problems with the 200 parts that didnt. So it might come as a surprise that two teenagers are being entrusted to approve about a dozen lockers for use aboard the International Space Station. But Jessica Liscinsky, of West Haven, and Elizabeth Petroski, of Derby both Platt Technical High School students are NASA-certified inspectors. Were not giving them any free passes just because theyre high school students, said NASAs Florence Gold, who heads the 15-year-old high school participation effort. Theyll have to adhere to the exact same specifications and tolerances that our contract supplies must follow. Officially, the effort is called HUNCH, for High school students United with NASA to Create Hardware. When the program first began, the students only made gear for training, Gold said. But we were so impressed by the quality, we decided to have their work certified for ISS duty, which involves a lot more documentation and inspection. David J Tuttle, Platts department head of precision machining technology, said about 60 students will be participating. Elizabeth and I work at Stephens Manufacturing (in Milford) as inspectors, so thats how we got involved in the project, Liscinsky said. They do a lot of aerospace work for Sikorsky Aircraft, so were familiar with the some of the inspections protocols. More Information ISS: Fun Facts The ISS solar array could cover the U.S. Senate Chamber three times over, and supply up to 90 kilowatts of power. ISS is larger than a six-bedroom house and the oldest assemblies are 18 years old. Its orbital speed is 8 kilometers per second. The station circles the Earth once every 90 minutes. ISS has an internal pressurized volume of 915 cubic meters, or equal that of a Boeing 747. The solar array wingspan (73 meters) is longer than that of a Boeing 777 200/300. More than 115 space flights were conducted on five different types of launch vehicles over the course of the station's construction. More than 100 telephone-booth-sized rack facilities can be in the ISS for operating the spacecraft systems and research experiments. The ISS is almost four times as large as the Russian space station Mir and about five times as large as the U.S. Skylab. The ISS has a mass of about 420,000 kilograms. That's the equivalent to more than 320 automobiles. The ISS is nearly as long as a football field including the end zones. Eight miles of wire connects the electrical power system. The entire 55-foot robot arm assembly is capable of moving a mass of 1,000 kilograms, or a space shuttle orbiter. See More Collapse We took a test to see if we qualify as inspectors, and we all passed, Petroski said. A third student, Brianna McCrystal of Oxford, will be working on a different project for NASA; she will be redesigning an electrical tool and parts kit because the one being used on the ISS has some shortcomings, she said. When NASA visited us, they gave us information on gear that needs redesigning, so I decided to look at their pin kit, which is used to make electrical tests and repairs, she said. The problem they have now is that when they open the kit, all the little parts alligator clips, that sort of thing float away when they undo the Velcro pouch. So my design will look something like a drill bit index, made of hard plastic. McCrystal said shell have to have her prototype ready by Feb. 3. Gold said about 100 schools nationwide and about 2,000 students are involved with HUNCH. Platt is an exceptional school with a lot of great instructors and top-notch equipment, Gold said in a telephone interview from her office in Montana. The girls, all seniors, will receive at least some notoriety. Well get to sign our names on the lockers with a Sharpie, so our names will be in orbit, Liscinsky said. Even the Sharpie is a special one from NASA. Work on the lockers will begin in earnest after the raw materials will be delivered from NASA by truck on Dec. 9. About 60 Platt students will be involved in the locker-fabrication project, Tuttle said. Albany The mainline state Senate Democratic conference on Thursday urged Gov. Andrew Cuomo to unite Democrats in the chamber after their candidate in a tight Long Island race declared victory. Although ballots remain to be counted, a victory by John Brooks would make him the potentially crucial 32nd Democratic vote to control the chamber. Cuomo stayed quiet, with a spokesman saying only that the governor's office is watching the situation closely. Brooks declared victory in the 8th Senate District race on Wednesday, though the GOP incumbent, Sen. Michael Venditto, has not conceded. If he wins, Brooks would be the 24th member of the mainline Democratic Conference. To secure control of the chamber in January, that group would have to unite with the seven-member Independent Democratic Conference and Sen. Simcha Felder, a Brooklyn Democrat who has again committed to caucus with the GOP. "Once again, a majority of our State Senators in New York are Democrats and for some reason there is the mind-boggling question about who controls the Senate," said Democratic Conference Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins in a statement. "In addition to the entire federal government, the governments of 25 states are fully controlled by Republicans as opposed to only five by Democrats," she said. "New York has an opportunity to join those five states to create a counterpoint and bring greater balance to government, but we need leadership to get there," Stewart-Cousins said. "Now is the time for Gov. Cuomo to step up and unify the members of his party so we can fulfill the wishes of New Yorkers who voted for a Democratic Senate." That statement was part of a barrage of pleas from progressive groups for Cuomo to step in as mediator and broker a truce. "This is a leadership test for Gov. Cuomo," said Bill Lipton, state director of the progressive Working Families Party. "He has yet to use the full powers at his disposal to unite Senate Democrats. ... If the governor wants to help lead the national opposition to Trump, he can start in his own backyard." While other groups also pointedly urged Cuomo, as head of the state party, to step in, one union president was noticeably reserved. 32BJ President Hector Figueroa, a Cuomo ally, said only that "it is imperative that Democrats in Albany come together, respect the voice of the voters and pass the legislation we need." Cuomo has been criticized in the past for not doing enough to help the Democrats win Senate control. But he did campaign for Democratic candidates on Long Island and in Westchester County this year, hosted fundraisers and put up his own campaign cash for their efforts. Absent Cuomo's involvement, it would seem Democratic infighting will continue. IDC spokeswoman Candice Giove said Thursday afternoon that Stewart-Cousins and Klein had not spoken in nearly a month. "We have no idea what her grand plan is for Democratic unity," Giove said. "Leaders lead by engaging directly. The IDC will continue to do what's in the best interest of New York's working- and middle-class families." Senate Democratic spokesman Mike Murphy retorted that Stewart-Cousins and Klein have had productive conversations numerous times over the past few months. "This is a good example of why we need Gov. Cuomo to fulfill his role as the leader of our party and unite Democrats for the good of New York State," Murphy said. mhamilton@timesunion.com 518-454-5449 @matt_hamilton10 Pat Eaton-Robb / Associated Press The father of a boy who died in the Sandy Hook massacre joined Connecticut senators and other supporters in Hartford Friday morning to celebrate progress on a bill to fund mental health reform, the opioid epidemic response, and medical research. Mark Barden, who co-founded the non-profit Sandy Hook Promise after the 2012 massacre of his son and 25 other students and educators at Sandy Hook School, joined U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal to praise passage in the House of Representatives this week of the $6.3 billion Cures Act. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate BRIDGEPORT Nearly two years to the day after he watched his mother die in a fatal hit-and-run crash, 13-year-old Michael Agyei faced his mothers alleged killer across a crowded courtroom Thursday. The small teen, dressed in a starched white shirt with a bow tie decorated with musical notes, walked robot-like to the witness stand in the Fairfield County Courthouse, then sat and stared straight ahead. You are nervous to be here? Senior Assistant States Attorney Marc Durso asked him gently. Yes, the youth answered simply, continuing to stare through thick-rimmed glasses at an imaginary point on the courtrooms back wall. The Agyei family had come to the U.S. from Ghana in July 1998. The mother, Evelyn Agyei, was a caregiver at a home in Trumbull. The father, Jonathan, worked at Rite Aid in Norwalk. Both Michael and his sister were honor students at Central High School. Bumper stickers commemorating the childrens success adorned the rear bumper of the Subaru sport utility vehicle that lay smashed against a tree in the photo Durso and Senior Assistant States Attorney Adam Mattei showed the six-member jury. At the defense table, former state correction officer Patricia Daniels sat with her jaw clenched as she looked at the photo. And this was only day one of her trial. The prosecution claims the 44-year-old Daniels rammed Agyeis car not once but twice as she sped down Boston Avenue on the morning of Dec. 4, 2014, killing Agyei and injuring her son, before fleeing the scene. She is charged with first-degree manslaughter, risk of injury to a child, evading responsibility in a death and misconduct with a motor vehicle. Evelyn Agyei and her son had left their East Side home about 6 oclock that morning. The youth recalled chomping on a sandwich as he settled himself, seat belt fastened, in the back seat. His mother was going to go to work after dropping Michael off at school, and then pick him up in the afternoon their daily routine. Evelyn Agyei pulled up to the stop light on Bond Street and Boston Avenue, preparing to travel west on Boston Avenue. She stopped at the red traffic light, made sure the way was clear and proceeded to make a right turn, her son testified. As we were taking a right turn, I saw a white car coming down the hill in the left lane. To me, it looked like it was going fast, Michael testified. He said as the car came up behind them, he saw it was a white BMW sport utility vehicle. The BMW hit us and my mom began to lose control, he said, still staring straight ahead. My mom was scared, but she was trying to gain control. She was saying, Are you crazy. He continued: The white BMW hit us again from behind and our car went over the median and onto the other side of the road. It was two or three seconds later before I knew it, we had hit a tree. Everything was slow and dizzy, and I started to see two of the same things. I was asking my mother if she was OK, but her eyes were closed. She didnt respond. Evelyn Agyei was dead by the time she arrived at Bridgeport Hospital. Her son was transferred to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where he was treated for an eye injury and a torn ligament in his neck. The thick-rimmed glasses that he appeared so uncomfortable with on the witness stand are required as a result of his injury. It was now the turn of Daniels lawyer, Norman Pattis. Pattis began by apologizing to the young witness. He had never cross-examined a child before, he said. Repeatedly addressing the teen as sir, he tried to show that the youth was confused, unsure of what had occurred. It had been dark and things happened fast, he ventured. Perhaps his mother had misjudged the distance between the two vehicles when she made the turn. It was two streets away, the teen insisted. Police are expected to testify in the case on Friday. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Troy City checks will bounce in April when it runs out of money if the 2017 budget isn't cut by 8 percent, Mayor Patrick Madden said Thursday. The administration is confronting the task of figuring out what city services and employees will have to go to close the $5.8 million gap between the budget expenses of $72.3 million and revenues of $66.5 million. "We're trying to get the lay of the land. We're looking at a whole load of options," said Madden, a Democrat. A spokesman for the state comptroller's office said the mayor and the Republican-controlled City Council will have to determine how to balance the budget. The specific options aren't known as the administration tries to determine the legal and contractual requirements it must meet to reduce expenses, including how to lay off up to 90 employees. Madden said it's too early to outline the reductions or even set a date for taking action. Property taxes are what the city relies on to carry it through the early months of the year. Most non-property tax revenues, such as state grants and sales tax, are received later. The city is in this situation after the City Council fell one vote short in its attempt to override the state tax cap of 0.86 percent when the four Republicans of the Majority Steering Committee refused to vote for a tax increase that exceeded 12.5 percent. Council President Carmella Mantello issued a statement condemning the mayor for using city employees as "political pawns" and for not adopting the steering committee's recommendations for staff and spending cuts. The budget needed a 28.3 percent increase to be balanced. Staying under the state cap means city taxpayers will see their property taxes rise 8 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. That's instead of the $3.41 per $1,000 proposed in the 28.3 percent increase proposed in the budget. The 2016 city tax bill of $1,207 for a home valued at $100,000 will go up $9 instead of $341. The city allocates its budget to have 75 percent covering personnel costs; 10 percent covering debt payments; and 15 percent paying for day-to-day operations. "I've been asked to cut more than half of operations," Madden said. The city's operations are carried out by its employees. Some have spent their careers working in a climate of fiscal instability since the 1990s when the state intervened to clear up the city's mounting budget deficits. "Today is worse that it was in the 1990s," said fire department Capt. Mike Spinelli, who was working his last day of 30 years service with the city on Thursday. "We don't have the reserves. I hope all the city employees make it OK," Spinelli said. When he began his career, the city had about 170 firefighters. The city's 1990s financial crisis led to staff cuts bringing the department down to 120 firefighters. That created the overtime expenses that bedevil the city in the fire and police departments. Madden said the city opted for a business model that requires overtime to maintain the minimum staffing to operate the fire department. Due to contracts with the federal government for grants programs, the city must keep fire and police at their current staff levels. Paying overtime is one of the factors in the political fighting that's still unfolding over the failed tax cap override vote. kcrowe@timesunion.com 518-454-5084 @KennethCrowe AUSTIN -- A Trump Administration may mean a seismic shift in the Affordable Care Act, but Texas health care advocates say it will be critical to continue to fight for the state's share of Medicaid dollars. Texas is one of 19 states that refused to accept federal funds to expand Medicaid eligibility, but it does benefit from a Medicaid 1115 waiver. The Health and Human Services Commission recently negotiated an extension of the five-year $29 billion waiver through the end of 2017. Once intended to be a supplement to pioneer new and innovative regional partnerships, those Medicaid payments have become a lifeline to many hospitals. Those payments, in fact, are almost a third of the revenue for hospitals, equal to direct pay for hospital care. Anne Dunkelberg of the Center for Public Policy Priorities estimates the losses to Texas if the waiver is not extended would be $1.3 billion in federal funds. Actually, the total would be $2.3 billion because local governments are expected to put up matching funds. "There's a big formula fight in our future, and part of the challenge, from an advocate's point of view, is to get Texas to fight for the bigger ball of wax," Dunkelberg told a crowded room of health care advocates at the two-day Dare Texas Summit in Austin. "So, what's going to happen to our waiver? It's very possible we're going to get another status quo extension. They won't want to mess with Texas right away." The full story can be found in the Quorum Report. Copyright 2016, Harvey Kronberg,http://quorumreport.com/index.cfm, All rights are reserved. This story is presented as part of the Houston Chronicle's collaboration with Quorum Report. For inside information on Texas politics and government and to sign up for real-time updates, go here. McDonald's has been around for 61 years, but its most well-known offering, the Big Mac, wasn't even on the menu until more than a decade into the chain's history. It was the creation of Michael James "Jim" Delligatti, a franchise owner in Uniontown, Pa. This week, Delligatti died at 98 at his home in Fox Chapel, Pa. Today, we celebrate the 98 inspirational years of Big Mac inventor, Michael "Jim" Delligatti. Jim, we thank and will forever remember you. pic.twitter.com/wmEFrmazdn In 1967, Delligatti had to work to convince the higher-ups that the 45-cent burger was worth the risk. It took only a year for the now-iconic sandwich to land on the restaurant's national menu. Today, it is available in more than 100 countries. The Golden Arches recently added two new Big Mac options for diners: an even bigger and a slightly smaller burger. These ideas originated at franchise locations in Ohio and Texas. Read on for ten facts about innovative franchisee Jim Delligatti. Related: McDonald's to Sell a Bigger Big Mac -- and a Less Big, Big Mac? 10. Delligatti decided to open a McDonald's after meeting founder Ray Kroc at a restaurant trade show in Chicago in 1955. 9. He was the first person to own a McDonald's in western Pennsylvania. He opened his first location in the Pittsburgh suburbs in 1957. 8. During World War II, he served in the army and was stationed in Europe. 7. After the war, he hitchhiked from West Virginia to California, He first got into the restaurant industry by working at drive-ins and managing a Big Boy. 6. Over the course of 25 years, Delligatti opened 48 stores across Pennsylvania. Related: McDonald's Will Soon Have Self-Serve Kiosks and Mobile Ordering in U.S. Stores 5. For the burgers 40th birthday in 2007, he opened a Big Mac Museum Restaurant in North Huntingdon, Pa. Visitors can see not only a statue of Delligatti, but also the largest Big Mac in the world a 12- by 14-foot bronze sculpture. 4. Delligatti reportedly never tired of his creation, and he ate one Big Mac every week according to his family. 3. You can thank him for those breakfast sandwiches. He was among the first to serve breakfast at McDonald's. He put hotcakes and sausage on the menu to feed his customers who worked long, late shifts at steel mills. 2. He helped launch the seventh Ronald McDonald House, which opened its doors in Pittsburgh in 1979. 1. McDonald's became a Delligatti family business. His two children and two of his grandkids are also franchisees. Related: Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Fasten your oxygen mask before assisting others is an all-too-familiar instruction that many of us tune out when waiting for our flight to take off. But this sage advice can not only save you in an emergency, it can save you in life and as an entrepreneur. You need to take care of yourself first so that you can take care of your family, employees and clients. If you feel overwhelmed in your business, read this first to learn how to reduce some of the stress in your life. Its also helpful to get a refresher on the law of diminishing returns to make sure that the additional work youre doing is actually creating a better outcome for your business. Once you can manage your own stress, you can lead by example to create a less stressful work environment for your employees. For additional help, here are a few of my own insights based on my 20-plus years as an entrepreneur and small business advisor: 1. Set clear goals for your employees. It's important to be transparent about the goals of the business and how job roles support these goals. This gives employees peace of mind because they know what they need to focus on and why. I recommend that you establish three to five strategic goals at the start of each year. Be sure to involve your employees in developing these goals so they buy into them and feel part of the process. Related: 4 Stress-Management Tips for Reducing Anxiety and Getting More Done There are free easy-to-use templates available to help guide you. Once you have your business goals, each employee should develop their own 3 to 5 individual goals. They should ladder up to the company goals and be measurable. This helps them understand how what they do on a daily basis aligns with the companys objectives. 2. Offer a flexible work environment. Keeping employees is the most important thing you can do. If not, you can lose thousands of dollars for every employee who leaves due to lost productivity and the cost of finding and training a new employee. But for many small business owners, it can be difficult to stay competitive with pay. But pay isnt everything. Many people are looking for a purposeful mission at the place they work. Others want a flexible work environment that helps reduce some of the other pressures in their lives. So when you can't compete on pay, look for other creative ways to keep employees happy. For example, if employees have children, be open to letting them come into the office early and leave early to pick their children up after school. You can also be flexible about letting employees work from home by having the right technology in place that facilitates remote work. To attract millennials to your business, its important that you offer work-life integration. This means that work is task and effort oriented. So if they work at 2 a.m. rather than 3 p.m., its not monitored as long as their work is completed by specific deadlines. This flexibility allows them to continue to enjoy the things they want to do -- whether thats attending their kids games or participating in hobbies -- and still achieve what they need to for the business. 3. Share your profits. So often employees see money coming in and don't feel like they are getting their fair share. If your business is profitable, look at ways that you can reward employees when the business does well. This could mean creating a profit sharing plan where they get a percentage of the profits or a quarterly bonus. And even if your business doesn't have a lot of extra cash, you can be generous in other meaningful ways. For example, at one of my businesses, I used to close down the office for the day and take the staff to a spa and lunch as a celebration. This was something that the employees looked forward to and worked to earn. Related: How Successful People Manage Stress 4. Discourage multitasking. Multitasking makes it hard for the brain to focus. In fact, new research shows that multitasking drains the energy reserves of your brain. It uses up the oxygenated glucose in the brain, which is the same fuel that your brain needs to focus. In fact, every time you are interrupted it also takes about 23 minutes for you to regain focus according to Gloria Mark, a professor in the department of informatics at the University of California, Irvine. So the best way to get meaningful input and work product from your employees is to discourage them from multitasking. You can do this by asking them not to bring laptops or phones to meetings. You can also encourage them to post and respect do not disturb signs on their desks or on their messenger app when they are focusing on an activity. You can also recommend that employees take a 15-minute break every few hours. Research shows that this short break helps our brains recharge so that we can better focus on the next activity. The best way to make this happen is to lead by example. Make sure you are fully present at meetings -- not looking at your phone or laptop -- so you can make clear decisions. You can also shorten meetings to 15 to 20 minutes. Then give yourself 10 minutes between meetings to catch up. This way you and your employees dont feel stressed about emails piling up. 5. Encourage employees to move their bodies. The mind cant work at an optimal level without the body. Just like you block off your calendar for work, it's important to block off 30 to 60 minutes each day to move your body. So encourage employees to take time from their day to exercise at the gym, take a walking lunch or meeting or try a yoga class. Youll find that your employees will work smarter, and have greater focus and clarity of thought. I often teach a yoga class at lunch. Many of the employees who attend my class tell me how they return to their desks with a renewed sense of energy and creativity. Others say that they can solve issues that weren't able to solve before taking that mental reprieve. Physical activity such as yoga and running is also a good way for employees to learn how to pace themselves at work. Related: 3 Ways to Manage Stress and Recharge Your Life These simple steps can help you reduce the stress level of your employees. Not only will this improve their lives but you will create loyal employees who enjoy coming to work each day. In turn, happy employees create happy clients and are the foundation for making your business successful over the long run. Related: Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved The goal for China's ongoing nationwide value-added tax reform is to reduce the tax burden for enterprises by 500 billion yuan ($73 billion; 68.8 billion euros; 58.3 billion) by the end of this year. The amount was announced on Nov 29 at a State Council executive meeting presided over by Premier Li Keqiang, who heard a report on the progress of the VAT expansion. The VAT reform, which is designed to reduce the tax burden for service industries and boost industrial upgrading and innovation, has extended China's value-added tax since May to the construction, real estate, finance and consumer services sectors VAT reform is playing a crucial role in China's effort to ensure steady economic growth and structural adjustment, Li said. Ministry of Finance figures show that between May and October, taxes continued dropping in the newly-added sectors. During the past six months, the new tax plan has helped enterprises in those sectors to save a total of 96.5 billion yuan in taxes. The tax burden has been reduced or leveled off for 98.5 percent of business owners, the figures show. "Our goal through VAT reform is to better invigorate the market and boost the modern service industry," Li said. "The steady progress of tax cuts reduces the burden for enterprises and will help create enormous employment opportunities." The premier has placed great emphasis on the progress of the reform, requiring departments to develop tailored policies for various sectors to boost innovation and industrial upgrading. In the past six months, 530,000 taxpayers in the construction, real estate, finance and consumer service industries have benefited from the reform, according to the ministry. Problems remain, however. Sectors such as finance, technology and tourism might need tailored tax assessment measures. Additionally, some companies have not made full use of the new VAT plan. Tax assessment measures will be further tailored in the finance and construction sector, as well as for technological transfers. The government will also provide guidance to business owners on how to understand and best use the new tax policy so they can ease their tax burden. The government will also improve tax collection methods. Li said: "This is part of our positive fiscal policy, instead of giving policy support to particular industries and returning to the planned economy." The meeting also decided on Nov 29 that distribution of VAT revenue will be balanced between the country's eastern, central and western regions. Benny Li, CEO and president of Huaxia Finance Equity Investment Management Co, said: "The full introduction of VAT allows us to plan ahead and manage our accounting risk, which has a direct impact on our profitability and sustainability." Contact the writers at zhangyue@chinadaily.com.cn (China Daily European Weekly 12/02/2016 page15) This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The City of Orange, which recently spent $20,000 on a new Nativity display, snowman and Santa Claus decorations, has for the second year in a row denied a local atheists group's request to hang a "Happy Holidays" banner on the lawn of city hall. "We spent a lot of money to put our stuff up, and we don't want any banners up," said Orange Mayor Jimmy Sims. Clara Gilley, a spokesperson for the Orange County Atheists of Texas, said she received an email from Orange City Manager Shawn Oubre on Nov. 8 denying the group's request to hang the banner alongside the city's new holiday decorations, which include a set of carolers, a toy soldier and a menorah. Oubre's email said the city council had already approved the arrangement of the city hall holiday display at its Oct. 25 council meeting and agreed it would go up "without signage." The email also noted that the display was "multiple component," meaning it includes non-Christian elements like the menorah and snowman, making it compliant with federal law. The Orange County Atheists asked the city last year to include a banner next to its city hall Nativity scene that read in full: "Whether you are celebrating Saturnalia, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, the Winter Solstice, or any other holiday this time of year, the Orange County Atheists would like to wish you... Happy Holidays!" The city denied the request and instead relocated the manger scene to Stark Park, a private park. The U.S. Supreme Court decisions in 1984 and 1989 established the "reindeer rule," which said Nativity scenes can be set up on public property as long as they are a part of a larger holiday display. The Nativity scene was the only holiday decoration displayed at city hall last year. "It's still kind of a slap in the face because it's a legal way of excluding us," Gilley said of this year's "multiple component" display. "And they just blew $20,000 of taxpayer money on these holiday decorations." Gilley said city officials are responding to pressure from the city's Christian community to reject the atheist banner. Oubre could not be reached for comment Friday. Gilley said her group has discussed hosting benefits to raise money for local charities to "offset the cost" of the city's holiday decorations. "Whether they want to admit it or not, not just Christians live in Orange County," Gilley said. NKrebs@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/natalie_krebs Hoping to help needy schoolchildren stay warm during the winter, Conroe firefighters are planning on delivering more than 100 brand-new coats to kids Monday as part of an annual charitable event. The Conroe Professional Firefighters Association in a partnership with the Conroe Fire Department, collects funds and donates the coats each year through Operation Warm, a nationwide initiative aimed at donating new, American-made coats to low-income children across the country. As part of an ongoing commitment to Conroe children, the Conroe firefighters' union has helped raise money to purchase the coats for kids at various Conroe ISD schools, including Armstrong Elementary, Runyan Elementary, Ben Milam Elementary, Austin Elementary, and C.C. Hardy Elementary. This year, about 130 students at B.B. Rice Elementary, located in the 900 block of Gladstell Street, will be welcomed by firefighters Monday with the coats. "This program that we do is by far my favorite," President Lloyd Sandifer said Thursday. "You're not just giving a check to someone and they use it for good. We actually get these coats in and deliver them ourselves, personally. We hand them to the kids and get to interact with them and see the look on their face when they get the coat. They're super excited." The union has been doing it for about five years in Conroe and has provided hundreds of coats since. But the firefighters this year saw their largest order yet, up from the normal 50 to 70 coats they normally deliver each year. The firefighters get that number by talking with teachers and counselors at each school they interact with. The school staff takes measurements of each child in need and sends them back to the firefighters, who turn around and order the individualized coat. "There were a lot more kids who needed these coats than we thought," Sandifer said. "There are a lot of 'coats for kids' programs that are out there that are good. I think they all are very helpful. But with this one, they're actually brand-new coats made and ordered specifically for these kids." Firefighters from CFD's Station 3 will head to B.B. Rice Elementary around 2 p.m. Monday to deliver the coats. Sandifer said anyone or any business who has donated is welcome to attend. "When we deliver the coats, we bring the fire truck," Sandifer said. "It's not just giving them the coat. We then get to bring them outside to give them a tour of the fire truck, let them climb on it, show them the lights and sirens. It turns into a fun day for them as well." To donate, visit https://give.operationwarm.org/events/conroe-firefighters-iaff-local-2731-operation-warm-fundraiser/e86652. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Montgomery County Judge Craig Doyal denies accusations that he allowed a former county employee to use county equipment for work on his campaign while on and off the clock in 2012. Attorney Eric Yollick, of The Woodlands, brought the issue to light during public comment of the Nov. 23 Commissioners Court meeting. "(The fact) a commissioner would permit such a situation to occur is reprehensible and reflects an attitude that the county property is there not to safeguard, but for the personal and political use of the commissioner," Yollick said during the meeting. He said the situation is a waste of county dollars. According to documents provided by the county, the termination occurred in March 13, 2012, when Doyal was Precinct 2 commissioner. He terminated office supervisor Melissa Goetz, whom Doyal hired in 2006, for using the equipment. Doyal claims this has come to light only for political reasons. The Montgomery County Employee Policy Manual states that employees are prohibited from ... removing county property without authorization. "This is a four-year-old incident that was settled by the county attorney and (Human Resources) that I believe is being brought up today for political purposes," said Doyal, adding that since the incident, the county has tightened its policies on the use of county equipment. Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley, who worked under Doyal at that time, said he saw Goetz bringing a printer back to the office on a Monday morning and later reported the situation to Doyal. According to the documents obtained by The Courier through an Open Records request, Doyal stated in the termination paperwork, "It just came to my attention that on or about January 9, 2012, you returned a printer to the office which you admitted using to prepare campaign materials. The printer was owned by Montgomery County. You have been repeatedly warned to not use county materials, equipment or time to work on my campaign." While the termination documents state her offense was so severe that pervious warnings were not needed, Goetz's personnel file indicates she was suspended for 2-1/2 days in November 2011. However, the paperwork, signed by Doyal, does not state a reason for the suspension and shows it was received by Human Resources on April 23, 2012, which was after Goetz's termination. Doyal said he did not recall the reason for the action. Goetz's response letter to termination In an April 17, 2012, letter to Human Resources Director Dodi Shaw, Goetz requested numerous documents regarding her termination. Goetz also outlined how Doyal instructed her to use county printers and other equipment to prepare campaign finance reports and campaign fliers. "Personal direction from Craig Doyal regarding changes that needed to be made on his reports during work hours, request to create political program ads during work hours, requests to prepare and mail political checks during work hours, and requests to work on fundraisers during work hours led me to believe that not only were these activities approved by Craig Doyal, they were required of me as part of my regular duties," Goetz stated. "The time used to complete these activities was under his immediate direction." Goetz, who claimed she was "wrongfully terminated" in the letter continued, " other county employees working on campaign activities and fundraisers during work hours, also led me to believe that Craig Doyal approved of these activities." She noted that Precinct 2 crews built platforms used at Doyal's fundraisers in the county shop and that Riley made food purchases at Sam's Club for Doyal's fundraisers during work hours. "(These) are just further indicators of Craig Doyal's knowledge of and approval of the use of county materials, equipment, or time to work on his campaign," she stated. Riley denied Goetz's accusations. "No, never did," Riley said of working on Doyal's campaign. Shaw did not respond to an email regarding Goetz's personnel file and any further investigation into her accusations. Goetz, who could not be reached for comment before press time, is the mother of Brian Goetz, 22, who was arrested and charged with two counts of intoxicated manslaughter and one count of intoxicated assault after he crashed his truck in October 2012 killing two of his passengers. Following a week long trial, Brian Goetz was found guilty Nov. 9 of this year of a lesser charge of DWI and sentenced to six month in jail. He was released from the Montgomery County Jail less than two weeks after the sentencing for time served. LEGAL IMPLICATIONS While the Texas Election Code does not specifically address the use of county equipment for campaigns, the code does address the use of public funds for political advertising. Section 255.03 states "an officer or employee of a political subdivision may not knowingly spend or authorize the spending of public funds for political advertising." A violation of the section is a Class A misdemeanor. Additionally, Texas Attorney General Opinion No. H-1165 states the use of public property, labor or service by a public officials or employee for private benefit constitutes the offense of theft. According to Yollick, the statues of limitation for theft by a public servant of government property over which he exercises control in his official capacity is 10 years. "Ms. Goetz alleged all of these activities to have occurred in the 2011 and 2012 time frame," Yollick noted. Cultural atmosphere While Goetz made the claims that others, including Riley, worked on Doyal's campaign using county equipment on an off the clock, she also claimed employees used other county equipment, such as chain saws and leaf blowers, for personal use. "Again, conflicting practices regarding the use of county resource have confused the issue at hand," Goetz stated noting Riley's delay in telling Doyal about the incident was an "excuse to have me terminated." Doyal declined to respond to Goetz's claims he was aware of her using the equipment on and off the clock but said there was no further action or investigation into the claims after she was terminated. Goetz claims also indicate Riley and Doyal created an "atmosphere of leniency to exist in the commissioner's office." Riley said was aware of Goetz's letter but had not seen it. "I have not seen the letter. I hear there are two, and I don't care to see either one," Riley said. Riley did say while crews do take county equipment home, it is not for personal use. "They get called out 24 hours a day, seven days a week," Riley said. "Anything can happen at any time. It makes sense to do that." Dwindling labor force, increasing average age threaten negative impact on China's future economy The universal two-child policy "should not be the end of the family-planning policy adjustment", and further relaxation is expected to ease the population challenges China is facing, according to experts. "A dwindling workforce and an aging population are inevitable in China, and a further adjustment of the family-planning policy is needed, based on consistent monitoring of births," according to the Green Book of Population and Labor 2016, which was released by the Population and Labor Economics Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences on Nov 30. The latest family-planning policy, which allows all couples to have two children, will not result in a big population increase, due to reasons such as a reduced willingness to give birth and the age of eligible women, says Zhang Chewei, director of the institute and an author of the book. The latest family-planning policy, which allows all couples to have two children, will not result in a big population increase, according to a report. Provided to China Daily As a result, the universal two-child policy will not effectively ease the social and economic challenges China is facing, such as a reduced workforce and a population that is rapidly aging, he says. "Judging from the experiences of some other countries, with people continuously delaying marriage and pregnancy, it is possible that Chinese people's willingness to give birth will continue to decrease," Zhang says. "China may need to further relax its family-planning policy in the future, and it may even abolish restrictions." In recent years, China has been relaxing its family-planning policy - which used to allow most couples in urban areas to have only one child - in the face of a reduced fertility rate and challenges such as an aging population. Since early 2014, couples where one partner is an only child have been allowed to have a second child in most areas of China. Of 11 million eligible couples, only 1.45 million had applied to have a second child by the end of May last year, according to a report by Beijing News. At the beginning of this year, all couples were allowed to have a second child. The number of people over 60 in China reached 222 million last year, accounting for more than 16 percent of the population. That percentage is expected to exceed 30 by 2050, according to some population experts. China's workforce population, or those between 16 and 60, has been declining since 2012, which may negatively impact the economy. "It is an irreversible trend. The workforce population will continue to decrease even if the family-planning policy is totally abolished," says Lai Desheng, a professor of economics at Beijing Normal University. Yuan Xin, a professor in population studies at Nankai University in Tianjin, says that although problems such as population aging and a dwindling workforce population are inevitable, more research and evaluation should be made before adjusting the current family-planning policy. "The universal two-child policy will not have a significant impact on China's population growth in the short or even medium term, due to generational gaps in birth," he says. "But with several generations having two children, the policy will contribute greatly to population growth by the end of the century." The National Health and Family Planning Commission, China's top health authority, will monitor population changes for possible policy adjustment, according to a statement provided to China Daily by the commission in October. China's large population will continue to be a burden on economic and social development until the middle of the century, so the fertility rate should be continually monitored, the commission said. (China Daily European Weekly 12/02/2016 page15) A corporation isn't required to have a full team of c-suite executives and large, formal shareholder meetings. It is possible to be the sole shareholder, director and officer for your corporation. States also allow you to form a single member Limited Liability Company (LLC) -- which can be a good option for those solo owners who want to avoid some of the corporate formalities. In this article, well review the keys steps involved in forming and maintaining a single owner LLC: including forming the LLC, selecting the management structure and staying compliant with state rules so you dont lose your liability protection. The basic structure of the LLC. Corporations must have a board of directors, as well as officers (president, treasurer, etc.). LLCs offer a lot more choice and flexibility. With an LLC, you can choose to operate like a corporation and set up officers and directors, Or, you can operate with much less formality and name a single person (yourself) as the principle. 1. Choose your management structure. There are two forms of management for LLCs: member-managed and manager-managed. This is true whether you have a multi-member LLC or single-member LLC. In most states, if you dont specify your management structure in your Articles of Organization or Operating Agreement, youll be operating as a member-managed LLC by default. Whats the difference between member-managed and manager-managed? It boils down to the relationship between ownership and management. In a member-managed LLC, the owner is the manager. In a manager-managed LLC, you formally create a manager role that is separate from ownership. In this case, the manager typically has the authority to handle the day to day operations for the LLC, such as hiring/firing employees, writing checks, entering business contracts. But the owners may have sole authority for higher level decisions such as getting a loan, acquiring another business, etc. Related: What to Consider When Deciding Between Forming a Sole Proprietorship or LLC In many cases, most single-member LLCs opt to be member-managed. But there are some situations where youd want to create a manager-managed single-member LLC. For example, if your LLC owns retail stores, you may want to appoint a manager who has the authority to run the store, manage employees, handle inventory, etc. To set up a manager-managed LLC, youll need to spell this out in your Articles of Organization, as well as define the specific responsibilities in your Operating Agreement. 2. Choose your title. In a single-member LLC, you have the freedom to choose whatever title best reflects your role. Unlike a corporation, you dont have to worry about naming specific titles like President and treasurer. You can call yourself the president, principal, managing partner, founding director, chief of technology, marketing director whatever works best for you. 3. Create an Operating Agreement. The Operating Agreement isnt required for setting up an LLC, and if youre forming an LLC on your own, youre probably wondering whats the point of creating a contract for yourself? Creating an Operating Agreement for a single-member LLC is a great opportunity to make sure youve thought through all the logistical details -- such as how the LLC will be funded, who is responsible for making decisions and what happens to the business should you become incapacitated? The other advantage of creating an Operating Agreement, is that it provides evidence of the separation between your personal and business affairs. This helps to keep up your corporate veil and protect your personal assets. Single member LLC taxes. Filing taxes as a single member LLC is much simpler than corporations or multiple manager LLCs. Most single member LLCs are considered disregarded entities, meaning that youll be taxed like a sole proprietorship. In this case, the business wont need to file a separate tax return, but you will report your income and expenses on Schedule C of your individual tax return. This allows you to avoid the issue of double taxation that can occur with a C Corporation and allows you to simplify tax filings as much as possible. Keep in mind that the single member LLC, like traditional multi-member LLCs, can elect to be taxed as a corporation should that route be preferable. Related Book: The Tax and Legal Playbook by Mark J. Kohler Single-member LLCs and liability. Personal liability protection is one of the key advantages of the LLC. In many cases, members of an LLC arent personally liable for the debts of the business. If your LLC is sued or cant pay its debts, your personal savings and assets arent at risk. However, there are some important distinctions to be aware of when it comes to single-member LLCs. Liability protection typically protects against contract suits (e.g. when the business cant live up to its end of a contract). It also protects you against the actions of another owner (e.g. your business partner did something wrong). However, liability protection typically doesnt protect against tort lawsuits related to your own actions. So, if youre performing some kind of work for the business and your actions harm someone, you can still be personally liable. Related: Determining the Best Legal Structure for Your Business In addition, limited liability requires that the business and individual are two separate entities. As a single-member LLC, you are more likely to blur your personal and business finances, and a plaintiff may be able to pierce your corporate veil. For this reason, if you are concerned about minimizing your personal liability, be sure to keep your business finances and accounts sharply separated from your personal finances. The bottom line. The bottom line is that you can set up a single-member LLC for your business. Its easy to do and there are fewer formalities involved compared with a corporation. Just be sure to understand how liability works and follow every step to maintain the LLC throughout the year, such as keeping your personal and business finances separate and filing your annual report (if your state requires one). Related: How to Structure a Single Member LLC How to Know When the Corporate Veil Is Right for You 8 Reasons to Incorporate Your New Company Early Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved NEW CANAAN Mark Lynchs arraignment for manslaughter charges will now occur in Stamford Superior Court after his attorney requested to move the appearance. A solemn Lynch, 57, appeared before Judge Alex Hernandez in Norwalk Superior Court a week after he turned himself in to New Canaan police on a warrant for charges of manslaughter. Lynch will be arraigned for this, as well as additional narcotics charges, after a police investigation found he supplied his recvoering son with the heroin that caused his fatal overdose. Hernandez approved the motion to move the arraignment. Lynch will appear in Stamford on Dec. 16. Lynchs attorney, Matthew Maddox of the Maddox Law Firm in New Canaan, objected a request from local media services to photograph Lynchs court appearance, claiming that he was concerned that media coverage of the trial would lead to the contamination of the jury pool, should the case go to trial. Hernandez denied Lynchs request. Lynchs son, Chris, was 25-years-old when he was found dead in his fathers Parade Hill Road home in New Canaan on the morning of Sept. 25. The younger Lynch had been living out in Colorado with his mother, stepfather and girlfriend for the past nine months and had been in recovery from a drug problem which court documents revealed began when his father introduced him to heroin years ago. Interviews with family members and Chris counselors revealed that Chris had been dedicated to his recovery and had not been using when a court appearance in Norwalk forced him to return to Connecticut. Both family members and Chris counselor said Chris had a tumultuous relationship with his father, an addict himself, and had avoided him in order to stay ontrack with his recovery. The two had a history of using drugs together. When Chris arrived in the area in September with his girlfriend, he saw his father which led to his relapse. The two went to the elder Lynchs New Canaan home on Sept. 24. That night, Chris went to bed around 8 p.m. and his father and girlfriend heard him struggling to breath in his sleep throughout the night. In the morning, Chris was found unresponsive. Paramedics were called and declared Chris dead on scene shortly after arriving to the home. An investigation revealed Chris died of acute heroin intoxication and that his father knew about his drug problem. The elder Lynch also confessed to supplying Chris with heroin the night before he died. ekayata@hearstmediact.com; @erin_kayata This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WESTPORT Only in Westport can you find a homeless shelter in such proximity to a Tiffany & Co. The Gillespie Center, a center for single men nestled in the heart of downtown, is just one of the 10 facilities run by Homes with Hope that collectively house over 100 people each night in Westport. After five surgeries, a divorce and a number of layoffs, Steve Goldfarb found himself in the Gillespie Center three months ago, the first time he had ever been without a home. As far as what Ive heard of other shelters, this is the Ritz-Carlton of shelters, but its still a shelter. You still get people in who are not always stable and who need a roof over their heads and they provide it. They provide tons of food, Goldfarb said. The centers community kitchen serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. I was in New York City three weeks ago. I walked past a shelter on 124th Street and Third Avenue and came back here and said, Thank God for this place, he said. Since entering the Gillespie Center in September, Goldfarb said the shelter has encouraged him to look for permanent housing, all the while making sure he is meticulous about his finances and helping him find a job. Open 24 hours a day, the center provides highly trained social workers and caseworkers to help the men with everything from overcoming a drug problem to getting proper identification to apply for a job. Its not just a shelter in the sense of having a roof over someones head, Rob Lockhart, the program director of the Gillespie Center, said. More Information The reach of Homes with Hope Emergency Shelters: places where people live temporarily until they find permanent housing Gillespie Center and Hoskins Place: Opened in 1989, Gillespie Center serves as a shelter for men. Hoskins Place was opened in 1993 as a shelter for women. Bacharach Community: Opened in 1993, Bacharach provides housing for single mothers and their children. Linxweiler House: An extension of Bacharach Community that opened in 2009. Supportive Housing: permanent housing Powell Place: Open since 1998, the nine-unit facility provides housing for families and individuals. Westport Rotary Centennial House: The six-unit complex provides housing for individuals and families. It was opened in 2009. Fair Street Apartments: An eight-unit living facility in Norwalk, opened in 2010. Hales Court: Since 2011, 10 units have been occupied by both individuals and families. Hayes Avenue: Opened in 2014, two units serve families and individuals in Norwalk. Sasco Creek Village: The six-unit complex has served individuals and families since 2015. Project Return Under the Homes with Hope umbrella for only a few months, the home, which was opened in 1986, provides services for young women in crisis. See More Collapse What it offers is all the supports that go along with helping someone succeed. So generally that is making sure that theyre in a stable environment, there isnt alcohol or drugs around and theres a heavy emphasis on case management, he said. The shelter continues to help guests even after they leave. Lockhart said they will provide a bag of groceries if somebody needs it and will help them fill out forms such as lease renewals or benefit packages. Michael P., who requested his last name be withheld, ended up homeless after a severe car accident left him with a number of financial problems. Following a year-long stint at another shelter Michael said the Gillespie Center was a drastic improvement from his old shelter. I came in and they accepted me, said Michael, describing the two as heaven and hell. The chance to live with people who were not intoxicated made the living circumstances for Michael much easier to get back on track. After six months in Westport, Michael is on his way to securing permanent housing in Norwalk. Since Jeff Wieser became president and CEO of Homes With Hope in 2010, the number of homeless people housed in town increased from 80 to 115. Westport gets a lot of grief for mansions or people not caring, yet Ive got that list of 800 or so Westporters who donate money to a homeless shelter and that says to me that theres a lot of compassion in the town, he said. There are a lot of good people who are looking out for their neediest neighbor. Wieser celebrates the fact the operation is located in such a rich town. Only three other affluent suburban shelter programs like the one in Westport exist: Fairfield, Conn., Reston, Va., and Petaluma, Calif., Wieser said. The rest of the world makes it a big-city problem, he said. Homes with Hope takes care of Westport residents in need, as well as people from neighboring communities. We have capacity for others, as an affluent community should. But most affluent communities take the opposite approach. They say, We dont want to take care of our own, let alone help others. Lets send them all to the big city. And the big cities cant afford to educate their children, let alone look after suburban homeless or their own homeless, he said. Wieser said if every community had a program like Homes with Hope, the burden would shift from the cities and the homeless would be in places where they could be helped and not just warehoused. Many homeless shelters, unlike Westport, are open to the homeless from dinner until the morning, leaving them to loiter while they wait for the shelter to reopen a model that fails to help those in need get a job and housing, he said. Wieser celebrates an important statistic: Forty-five percent of the people who left our emergency shelters here went to some sort of permanent housing, which, for a shelter, is huge. @chrismmarquette; cmarquette@bcnnew.com Shanghai gets a view of Mediterranean glamour Italian culture in a mere 15 minutes. That is what was on offer at the Salone del Mobile Milano's Shanghai edition from Nov 19 to 21 through Panorama, a 360-degree video presentation covering almost all aspects of "made in Italy", including fashion, design, food and drink, hospitality and cars. With the help of drones and immersive media technology, the video took the audience on a virtual journey, flying over the Coliseum in Rome, attending fashion shows by top designers and visiting Mediterranean wineries. It featured 250 of the country's greatest artworks by masters such as Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Giotto di Bondone and Sandro Botticelli. It also showcased Italian craftsmanship and jewelry, with music by renowned Italian musicians playing in the background. Top and above: Visitors attend the screening of Panorama, an Italian video, at Grand Central Station in New York city in June. The video featured more than 200 locations, including museums, theaters, city squares, buildings and natural landscapes. The video, which made its debut at the Milan Expo last year and was screened at New York City's Grand Central Terminal in June this year, has been seen by 260,000 people so far. The mission of the video is to showcase the Italian luxury industry, which represents about 5 percent of the country's gross domestic product, says Andrea Illy, chairman of the Altagamma Foundation, the Italian luxury industry association. He is also the president of Illycaffe, a renowned Italian coffee brand. The video is also part of the organization's efforts to propel the growth of the luxury industry in Italy, he says. "This is the best way to show Italy's natural beauty, culture and manufacturing prowess. We want to improve the engagement, the image and the reputation of Italian luxury." "It is to promote the luxury industry rather than specific brands. If you showcase fashion items, it is only for a while and then it is gone. New consumers want to understand the cultural side of Italian heritage. So, it becomes important to show them the culture and the roots of Italian luxury. This is what Panorama hopes to do." Illy, who first visited China more than 25 years ago, has returned to the country more than 25 times since and has witnessed how the country has changed. He says Chinese customers, in particular, are now more educated and sophisticated and Italian brands have been quick to react to this changing trend. He recalls when he first visited Shanghai he could not even find proper socks, but this, he says, is no longer the case. He adds that even though China's luxury industry is experiencing a squeeze due to a campaign against extravagance and an economic slowdown, it is in fact entering a new era. Explaining his point, he says: "No economy can survive for long only on exports and public expenditures. So, the main driver, at the end of the day, has to be internal consumption. And that is what is happening in China now. "So, what I am saying is the very opposite to what is generally believed - that is, China is entering a very positive phase in its economic cycle, which is one of internal consumption. Now, disposable income is growing and consumers are getting more drawn to quality products and services. So, this is the moment when luxury businesses will find solid growth." sunyuanqing@chinadaily.com.cn (China Daily European Weekly 12/02/2016 page22) The Plainview Christian High School Choir will present the beloved musical Fiddler on the Roof Friday and Saturday, Dec. 9-10, at the Fair Theatre. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the production begins at 7 p.m. A powerful celebration of the human spirit, Fiddler on the Roof is the tale of love, laughter, devotion, defiance and tradition, all happening in the face of a changing world. Set in the small village of Anatevka, on the eve of the Russian Revolution, it is the story of Tevye (Caleb Craig), a poor Jewish milkman, and his wife Golde (Hannah Leyendecker) as they search for acceptable husbands for their three oldest daughters Tzeitel (Karly Sanchez), Hodel (Micah Martinez) and Chava (Brooklyn Golden). Tevye must choose between their happiness and the cherished traditions that give his world balance. Meanwhile, the community begins to face larger forces as the Jews are being persecuted, threatening the very life Tevye is trying to preserve. Moments of pride and joy occur as Tevye and the people of Anatevka find that their future is as precarious as a fiddler on a roof. Other rich and memorable characters who reside in Anatevka include the local matchmaker, Yente (Stephanie Stukey) and the village butcher Lazar Wolf (Enoch Nartey), who has set his sights on Tzeitel. However, Tzeitel and Motel (Trip Fortenberry) plan to defy tradition and arrange their own match for marriage. The outside world is represented by the characters of Perchick (Hagen Pitts) and Fyedka (Grip Fortenberry). Perchik is a student from Kiev who brings new, revolutionary ideas to the village. His way of thinking flies in the face of the village traditions held by Mordcha (Tyler Culwell), Avram (Carson Tibbets), and the rest of the Jewish people of Anatevka. Fyedka is a Russian soldier who falls in love with Chava and comes to question the persecution his people are delivering to the Jews. Winner of 10 Tony Awards when it debuted in 1965, Fiddler on the Roof demonstrates how strong family ties, customs and love can help a Jewish family survive the trials of oppression. The musical has touched audiences around the world with its humor, warmth and honesty. It's universal theme of tradition cuts across barriers of race, class, nationality and religion, leaving audiences crying tears of laughter, joy and sadness. The show is the creation of Broadway legends Jerome Robbins and Harold Prince, songwriters Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick and book writer Joseph Stein. It is known for its timeless songs such as Sunrise, Sunset, If I Were a Rich Man and Matchmaker. Thirty-one PCA students will be appearing in the cast. There is a parallel in the story and their experiences as a cast and crew, said Marla Marseca, director. In a small school like ours, students tend to be involved in everything and it has been a struggle to find time to rehearse. But the kids have really come together and dedicated themselves to telling this story with the same joy and spirit of family that the people of Anatevka relied on to help them survive and flourish. They are a wonderful group of students and I couldnt be more proud of them. Hannah Morgan, a dancer and vocalist who has performed in numerous Lubbock Moonlight Musical and Ballet Lubbock productions, has taken the lead on choreographing the show. Having Hannah choreograph for us has been a huge benefit. She has been in Fiddler twice herself, so her knowledge and help have been priceless. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. They can be purchased by calling the school at 806-296-6034 or will be available at the door beginning at 6:30 p.m. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate William Jennings "Bill" Stephenson was at breakfast aboard his ship early on Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, when it was interrupted by bombs, torpedoes, explosions, smoke, gunfire and terror. Stephenson, who died on Wednesday at 93, was all of 18 years old then, a high school graduate from Jasper. He joined the Navy with his friend and classmate, Delton Mathews, that summer. Stephenson might have been the last local survivor of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that drew the United States into World War II. Just two days before his death at Beaumont's Harbor Hospice, Stephenson recounted his experience at Pearl Harbor. Stephenson and Mathews knew war was coming. They went to Orange and joined up the summer of 1941, right after graduation. "He was the one who wanted to join," Stephenson said. "We joined together." Sunday breakfast forgotten, Stephenson, a seaman second class in the Navy's enlisted ranks of the era, was ordered to help man a gun aboard his ship, the USS Honolulu, which was a big cruiser berthed near Hickham Field. Mathews, also 18, was aboard the USS Vestal, a repair vessel immediately outboard from the USS Arizona and docked alongside Ford Island in Battleship Row, a main target of the Japanese assault to destroy the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet. Stephenson remembered the public address system called for "general quarters." That means drop everything and get to battle stations. "GQ blew and we went to our battle stations. Mine was on one of the large guns. There were two of us in that little room," Stephenson said. A large gun needed several men to operate it, lifting gunpowder canisters and shells into place from the ship's magazine where the explosives were stored and into the barrel of the gun. Another team fired it. "A bomb hit our dock and blew a hole through our ship. I was knocked down. The other guy had his cheek opened. Our battle station was blown apart. The first thing they did was jerk us out of there," Stephenson said. A damage report recorded it as minor hull damage from a near miss. "I was asked, along with everyone else, if I knew how to fire an anti-aircraft gun. We didn't know, but I volunteered. I was assigned to an anti-aircraft gun with another fellow who didn't know, either. Because of the fuses we had on the shells, we were told the only way to bring down a plane was to get a direct hit," he said. The Japanese attacked with 353 planes from six aircraft carriers. American forces shot down 29 attacking planes but lost four battleships and several smaller ships. The attack killed 2,400 Americans. As the Japanese departed, Stephenson remained on watch almost until darkness fell. When he went off watch, he wanted to find Mathews. Stephenson couldn't find him but was told he survived. "He was going around, picking up dead bodies after the attack," Stephenson said. "We survived an attack that was very brutal." Stephenson said Mathews came home from the war but has since died. Ovis Stephenson, 91, said she met the man who became her husband while he was on leave in Jasper. She had moved to Jasper with her family from a small farm in San Augustine County. They were married on March 28, 1943. "We hadn't known each other very long," she said. "It was war. You get married and everybody went back to business." Their son, Marcus, said he tried to write a report for school when he was in the eighth grade, but his father wouldn't share much. "All he told me was that he manned a battle station," he said. "He's just now opening up about it." "He didn't want to remember," Ovis Stephenson said. After the war, Stephenson worked as an instrument electrician at the Firestone plant in Orange. Ovis Stephenson worked at Gibson's hardware store on 11th Street in Beaumont. They lived in Vidor, about halfway from each other's jobs. Stephenson said he tried to write some song lyrics about his experience, something along the lines of, "Pearl Harbor, Pearl Harbor, the place I loved to be." He thinks about the day, the war and his experience. "Most of my duty was unusual," he said. "Pearl Harbor was the most memorable." A graveside service for Stephenson was held Friday at Woods Cemetery in Broaddus. He was preceded in death by daughter Collene Stephenson. Stephenson is survived by his wife, Ovis, of Vidor; son Walter Mitchell Stephenson and his wife Loyce of Bevil Oaks; son Marcus Stephenson of Vidor; daughter Jamie Massey and her husband Ricky of Vidor; brothers Larry Stephenson and Wayne Stephenson, both of Jasper; seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. DWallach@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/dwallach There's an old saying that you should never judge a book by its cover. Today, perhaps, that conventional wisdom has rarely had more meaning. -- Robert McCrum, "The Guardian" A book or guest article in a leading publication will take any expert and turn them into a thought leader in no time flat, right? Its not quite as simple as that. In the world of PR and business, thought leader is a term which is thrown around quite loosely these days. Many industry leaders are publishing guest articles and books with the aim of raising their online social proof and reinforcing their personal brand. However, while business experts have piles of valuable information they want to share, few have the skills, time or energy needed to put pen to paper and write the book or article. Consequently, more than ever ghostwriters are being hired to shoulder the burden of extraction, ideation and writing. And all too often, authors books are being left devoid of their own voice and personal brand. We are living in the "on-demand" era. As thought leadership and ghostwriting is on the rise, so are platforms and startups like CreateSpace and Upwork, which are offering the option of hands-off, "book in a box" style ghostwriting or self-publishing contracts. Through these services, clients can pay for a finished piece of work on a set theme or topic, with very little input or inclusion on their part. Related: How a Ghostwriter Can Breathe Life Into Your Startup's Content Strategy But if someone else writes your book or your content without meeting or speaking to you, what are the chances of that material conveying your true voice and expertise? I spoke to TED Talk contributor and Blooming Twig founder, Dr. Kent Gustavson about the best tactics for working with a ghost to create valuable content that will really make an impact. Write for a reason. Between 2010 and 2015, the number of print books published per year in the United States rose from 114,215 to 573,965. This massive increase of books published can be explained by a number of factors, including on-demand printing providers, such as CreateSpace, Lulu, or LightningSource, which enable users to print books inexpensively, as well as the rising popularity of on-demand service providers, like UpWork, Freelancer.com or even Fiverr, where users can pay as little as $5 for editing or copywriting services. Nowadays, pretty much anyone with an idea, story or in need of a shot of publicity, can directly contract writers to write content, whether for guest articles in leading publications, or full-length traditional books. Just because you publish a book, however, it doesnt mean that anyone is going to buy it. U.S. publishing industry sales peaked in 2007 and have either fallen or been flat since then. In a market inundated by hundreds of thousands of new titles each year, sales per title have plummeted. Once friends, family and clients have purchased a book, there isnt much market runway left. However, for many people who hire ghostwriters -- be it for an article for a leading publication, a business text or an autobiography-- it is not sales that they are interested in, but more-so the reputation which comes from having their name placed in front of the wider audience as a thought leader. Kent Gustavson talks about the priceless yet worthless value of well-written and well-crafted books. He argues that a book can be priceless for the thought leader who sells their book in the back of the room. But the book will also be worthless if it is poorly written, poorly marketed, and sits alone in the authors basement, or at the bottom of Amazon.com. Ultimately, value comes from the content: Many business books and articles are now being written with next to no input from the so-called author, says Gustavson. This book in a box approach is not designed to create valuable material which offers real takeaways to the reader and unique thought and expertise. It is meant to stroke egos. The first step is to ask yourself: Why am I writing this content and are my views, experiences and opinions going to be useful, interesting and new to the reader? Will this make an impact on the world? Gustavson leans on an example of Eric McElvenny, a former U.S. Marine who lost his leg to an IED in Afghanistan, and has since gone on to become one of the top Ironman competitors in his class. Related: Telling Your Story: 5 Rules for 'Content Marketing' While his story is amazing in itself, Gustavson advised McElvenny that without a target demographic and a deep reason for writing, there would be little value to his upcoming book, despite the incredible challenges he has overcome. This allowed McElvenny to write for a reason, tailor his story into an inspirational text which offers advice as to how to move past hard times, and keep on moving even when it seems impossible. In doing so he gives people a reason to read his book, and is able to channel his true voice through sharing his anecdotes and opinions. Speak to a targeted group of people. When writing any type of content, it is important to have a clear idea of who your audience is. If your content has real takeaways, the chances are that it is not going to be suitable or interesting for everyone. In ghostwriting, the cart comes before the horse, says Gustavson. The purpose and target audience should be set in stone before any content is created. Ask yourself who you are speaking to, why you are qualified to do so and whether your chosen writer is suitable to spread your message in an interesting manner. Highlighting your target reader demographic should be the first step in the process of working with a ghostwriter. It is important to choose someone who has experience in this style of writing, and who has preferably published this type of work before. Your target audience, and the strong takeaways that you want to place in front of them, should be obvious to both the ghostwriter and the reader themselves, from the very first page. People shouldnt have to dig through hundreds of pages to find something useful to them, continues Gustavson. Not knowing who you are speaking to is the tell-tale sign of a vanity piece, which doesnt really offer any value to anyone. Be part of the process. Ghostwriting traditionally required a close relationship between ghostwriter and his or her employers. Testimonials from ghostwriters for public figures like Julian Assange and Donald Trump paint a brutally honest picture of the challenging and draining process of pulling out the information for the book through months of lengthy interviews, phone calls and transcripts. Related: The Entrepreneur's Complete Guide to Ghostwriting However, in the era of "pay to play" ghostwriting, many clients are looking to make the process as hands off as possible. But while not everyone has weeks to devote to the process, it is important to put aside time to converse with the writer, and give them as much material as possible -- be it previously published content, diaries, memoirs, blogs and social media posts, YouTube videos or recordings of speeches or presentations -- that will allow the writer to tell your true story. Rather than simply waiting to be presented with a nicely wrapped final copy, those who hire ghostwriters should ask for regular updates. In the media and publishing industries, professional writers are used to rigid editorial processes including drafts, edits and changes, so ghostwriting should be no different. A tell tell sign of "book in a box" style pieces is that they follow generic templates and lack an original style or flow. Gustavson states that a great ghostwriting or editorial team, if they are doing their job properly, will extract rather than contrive content. He says that great ghostwriters are able to channel their authors voice and style, but that even the best ghostwriters should insist on an authors candid feedback and rewrites. Find the right match. While you might not go as far as classic authors from the past, who often had live-in editors, it is important to have a close relationship with your ghostwriter throughout the writing process. The writer you choose should be experienced in writing the type of prose you want to publish, and more importantly resonate with the message you want to share. On-demand services might streamline the process of finding affordable writers, but they also make the experience more impersonal. In the same way as Tinder makes it easier to meet new people, but dramatically increases the chances of uncomfortable dates, misleading photos, and bad matches, hiring a writer you have never met before based on an unqualified profile and potentially fabricated work history has its risks too. Leaning on the dating reference once more, Gustavson states: You should put as much effort into finding a good match for a writer as you would a potential partner. In the same way as you are more likely to trust a date recommendation from your mother, or friend, you should lean on personal and industry contacts for writer recommendations. But as anyone who has ever been on a blind date will know, just because your mom thinks youre a good match doesnt mean you will really hit it off. Gustavson continues, Finding a good match goes further than a strong resume, there should be some sort of connection there on a personal level, too. Leave a legacy. Great content should outlive its author. For this reason it is important that content not only shares a strong message which is of value to the reader, but also that this message is conveyed in the style and character of the author. Getting a book, article or any content written in your name is like getting a stone sculpture made of you, which will sit in public view for hundreds of years to come. You want the likeness to be flattering, but the finished piece has to resemble you. If it goes too far in either direction, ending up more like a badly-crafted Picasso or a Greek Adonis then eyebrows will be raised. Always remember that the end goal should be for people to read and engage you about your content, so it is best that your true opinions and voice are included. It will change your impact on the world, and it will cement your legacy. Its not every day that you publish a book or write an article for a leading publication, so put in the time and effort to make sure your voice and your vision remain at the center of the final piece. Related: Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved California Highway Patrol / California Highway Patrol An on-ramp to the westbound lanes of Interstate 580 in Richmond was closed Thursday as police investigated a shooting, officials said, the second shooting on the East Bay section of the highway in as many days. The California Highway Patrols Oakland Division was investigating a report of an occupant of one vehicle shooting at another on the Canal Boulevard on-ramp in Richmond around 3 p.m. Thursday, said Officer Sean Wilkenfeld, a spokesman for the CHP. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate A Houston-area police officer fatally shot a man who allegedly stole a can of beer after he threatened the lawman with a box cutter, officials said. Friendswood Police Chief Robert Wieners on Wednesday identified the dead man as Toby Cummins, 55, of California. "We've got queries about where he was staying, how long he has been here and what his purpose was in being in the downtown area," Wieners said. "We believe he is a transient." Cummins sister told the Houston Chronicle her brother was originally from Redding but has been recently living with family in Campbell, Calif. Any information about Cummins, who was shot on Tuesday, remains confidential because of the ongoing investigation, he said. Wieners said the man threatened the officer. "The box cutter had the blade extended, and the officer was in fear of his life," he said. Friendswood police confirmed that officers wear body cameras, although it was unclear whether the officer in the shooting was using one. The Houston Chronicle has made a public information request for any police videos of the incident. Wieners said the officer's name would be released sometime Friday. "We want to be as transparent as possible," he said. "I think what you will find is that at the 72-hour mark we will have a comprehensive statement." The officer has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of three independent investigations, Wieners said. Police are conducting a criminal investigation into Cummins's actions; the police internal affairs division is determining whether the officer violated police policy, and the Galveston County District Attorney's Office is probing whether the officer violated the law. The district attorney's office automatically investigates shooting deaths by officers and will present its findings to a grand jury, said James Haugh, who heads the district attorney's public integrity division. "Regardless of what the investigation reveals, this will go before a grand jury," Haugh said. Determining whether an officer was justified in the use of deadly force can be difficult, said Kevin Buckler, associate professor of criminal justice at the University of Houston Downtown. "It's really kind of subjective in terms of what the officer perceives and the reaction to it," Buckler said. " An autopsy was completed on Cummins, police spokeswoman Lisa Price said, but the results were withheld by police. The events leading to Cummins's death began when he walked into a convenience store at a Shell Service Station on the southeast corner of FM 2351 and South Friendswood Drive, said station owner Mehran "Ron" Jadidi. Cummins asked Jadidi's employee if he could have a beer and pay for it the next day, Jadidi said. The employee refused. Cummins was calm, never raised his voice or became belligerent, Jadidi said. "He said, 'I have to have a beer or I'll have to take it from you,' " Jadidi said. The employee replied. "I'll have to call the cops," Jadidi said. Cummins replied, "You do what you have to do." Cummins took a beer from the cool case and walked out of the store, Jadidi said. Jadidi called police about 3:10 p.m. As Cummins walked south on South Friendswood Drive, he walked past David Beil, owner of Tri County Irrigation of Mexia, and Tomas Molina, Beil's employee, as they worked on a landscaping project. "He didn't look out of the ordinary," Beil said Wednesday. Cummins wasn't running and they saw nothing in his hands, he said. Attorney Alton C. Todd was in his office on the southwest corner of South Friendship Drive and Willowick, about four blocks from the Shell station, when he heard three gunshots. Todd looked out the window and saw an officer with his gun drawn standing in the street. Cummins had been shot near the front door of a corner building on the law office property. Beil and Molina were about a half-block away when they heard the shots and ran to the scene, where they saw Cummins crumpled on the sidewalk and two officers with drawn pistols. "He wasn't moving," Beil said. "He was gone." Wieners said police had interviewed about a dozen people and urged anyone with information to call 281-996-3300. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate NORWALK When work starts on the first phase of the Washington Village Transformation Plan this month, it will also be a groundbreaking for a new concept in public housing being tested nationwide. Washington Village was built in the early 1940s as public housing. The transformation plan will revamp it into a mixed-income complex that goes beyond bricks and mortar and provide residents with job training and other services. All of the things that weve learned in the many decades since Washington Village was built, the things that weve learned that actually take what would just be housing and turn it into a springboard for economic opportunity, for jobs, for health, for interaction with the broader community and with the economic engines of a city like Norwalk are all being incorporated into this wonderful project, Congressman Jim Himes, D-Conn., said at the recent ceremonial groundbreaking. Boston-based developer Trinity Financial, LLC plans to start work this month on 80 new apartments at 13 and 20 Day St. Comprehensive approach A $30 million grant through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developments Choice Neighborhoods Program is fueling the larger project. In 2010, the federal government replaced its HOPE VI neighborhood revitalization program with Choice Neighborhoods. HUD describes Choice Neighborhoods as a comprehensive approach to neighborhood transformation that engages local leaders, residents and other stakeholders to rebuild distressed public-housing with more than just bricks and mortar. Its goals are to build high-quality, mixed-income housing, provide children and families with educational and other services, and to spur public and private investment. State Rep. Bruce V. Morris, D-Norwalk, described the concept as better than the model under which Washington Village was built. You think about it back in the 40s and 50s and 60s, it was really about a matter of just taking a lot of people in poverty and placing them in dense areas together, Morris said. However, this is a different model. Everyone knows inclusionary zoning is one of the best things you can do for dealing with the achievement gap. Of the 80 new apartments planned for 13 and 20 Day Street, 40 will be public housing, 18 will be moderate-income and 22 will be market rate. The larger Washington Village Transformation Plan will replace 136 public-housing units with a new 273-unit development. Half of the new units will be reserved for public housing. Under the Choice Neighborhoods program, communities compete for planning grants to develop transformation plans for distressed HUD-assisted living facilities. The Norwalk Housing Authority was awarded a $250,000 planning grant in 2011 and a $30 million implementation grant in 2013. Boston takes lead Norwalk is among a dozen communities nationwide to have received Choice Neighborhoods implementation grants between 2010 and 2013, according to HUD. The city of Boston was among the first communities to receive a Choice Neighborhoods implementation grant. It was awarded a $20.5 million grant leveraging $43.3 million in other funding to implement the Quincy Corridor Transformation Plan. The money has helped redevelop the HUD-assisted Woodledge/Morrant Bay complex. To date, we have completed the housing component, which consisted of the $53 million Choice-funded redevelopment of the severely distressed 129 unit scattered-site Woodledge/Morrant Bay development into the 129-unit Quincy Height development, said Lisa Mansdorf Pollack, director of media and public relations of the Department of Neighborhood Development in Boston. Rhonda Siciliano, public affairs officer for HUDs New England Region office in Boston, said the transformation is already visible in the larger neighborhood through, among other things, the conversion of an old meat factory into a kitchen space. They redid the building and turned it into a kitchen incubator space, Siciliano said. It provides jobs for the people living in the neighborhood so its been very successful. The Washington Village Transformation Plan is a collaboration of numerous entities, including the Norwalk Housing Authority, Connecticut Department of Housing, Norwalk Redevelopment Agency, Norwalk Community College and Trinity Financial. The Boston-based company will manage the complex once it is complete. Partnership in Norwalk Today marks a new beginning for the residents of South Norwalk, said Trinity Financial Vice President of Development Eva Erlich. Washington Villages groundbreaking is an exciting milestone that will provide so many benefits to the City from affordable housing to job creation, even improvements to community spaces like Ryan Park. Part of the $30 million implementation grant will go to revamp Ryan Park, a two-acre city-owned park adjacent to Washington Village. Norwalk Fair Housing Office Margaret K. Suib, who has pressed for affordable housing and not separating such housing from the rest of the community, is taking a wait-and-see approach on how Washington Village residents emerge from the transformation plan. Im happy to say that its a one-for-one replacement requirement by HUD so were not losing any brick-and-mortar public housing, Suib said. My concern is since theres one management company for the three different kinds of units that the rules and regulations not be different for the different income people. Leading international auction chief says Chinese collectors will play a pivotal role in future market Jussi Pylkkanen is the president of Christie's, one of the two biggest auction houses in the world. But he sees himself as more of an aficionado and part of the cultural landscape that connects museums, foundations and art dealers from all parts of the globe. A fan of Chinese porcelain and English glass, the 53-year-old Pylkkanen is the auctioneer at the center of the art world's biggest sales. Jussi Pylkkanen, global president of Christie's, takes a bid on a painting by Georges Seurat entitled Attelage Rural during the Impressionist and Modern Evening Art Sale in February 2015 in London, England. Getty Images He believes China has a pivotal role to play in the global market as its collectors show an ever-growing interest in art, and auction sales in China continue their inexorable rise. Under Pylkkanen's leadership, Christie's recently opened its new central Beijing flagship center, part of a continued expansion in China. It is the second Christie's venue on the Chinese mainland after its Shanghai branch, which opened in 2014. According to Pylkkanen, the auction house is continuing to grow and invest in China and the new Beijing space is not only an important milestone in the auction house's 250-year mission to connect art and collectors but also illustrates its resolve to continue expansion in the country. Pylkkanen recently spoke to China Daily about his China strategy, leadership style and personal life. The following are edited excerpts from the interview: Art collecting has been popular and auctions have done well in China over the past few years, as Chinese moguls have splashed out money on masterpieces. How would you describe the Christie's business in China in recent years? China is an absolutely critical part of the international art market today. Over the last three years, since our Shanghai office opened, we have witnessed huge growth in interest from Chinese collectors in all areas of the international art market - in Hong Kong, New York, London, Geneva and elsewhere. There is no question that in years to come the number of Chinese buyers - and Western buyers showing an interest in buying Chinese art - will grow very rapidly. We have witnessed this before, when we opened our business in North America in 1977. Quickly the US became a critical part of the market for us. As well as being a London-based company, we are also a multicultural company with significant operations across the world. How has the Christie's expansion in China been going so far? What strategies will you adopt to expand further? We already have three exhibition bases in China, which I am very proud of: the one in Hong Kong, which we have continuously developed over 30 years, a historical location in Shanghai and the new space in Beijing. We have the kind of exhibition spaces that no other businesses, other than the local Chinese ones, have. We are pleased to be the first Western company to have a broad, structured footprint in China and we will continuously grow. Is there a leadership style that is particularly effective in China? What is the proportion of Chinese and expats in your management team? We are trying to make Chinese collectors comfortable to work with our business. We have opened many relationships over the past 250 years. We have strong resources and love to get very close to museums, collectors and young artists. It's a combination of the classical and the new here in China. And Christie's gives collectors an international platform, which is very important. The management team in China is 100 percent Chinese. We have a staff in China of almost 50. They are all from the Chinese mainland. We want to build a business, which is all about being in China and run by Chinese. How hot is the competition that Christie's faces in China? What do you do to distinguish Christie's from competitors? We don't see anybody working in the art market as being a competitor. We see them as part of the art landscape that includes the museums, the foundations and the art dealers. It's one big community of art and culture. The more people dealing with art and culture, the better. We are leading our business with a team of many creative minds. What is your competitive edge in this community you describe? We have very high selling rates. We deliver what we promise. We like to do things well. Our exhibition spaces in Beijing brought out the exhibition on Pablo Picasso and other Chinese artists, and when we opened the space in Shanghai in 2014 we did the same thing. People know we take our responsibilities seriously. We make sure the culture and art of every nation is well represented. I'm currently on a tour, visiting museums, collectors and foundations and looking for exhibition spaces, and with all of them we want to reach out to the community. What are the biggest achievements, opportunities and challenges for Christie's in China? If we look at the commercial side, 28 percent of our buyers last year came from Asia, and 40 to 50 percent of those were from China. We sold around $6 or $7 billion (6.6 billion euros; 5.6 billion) -worth of artwork last year. It's a very healthy environment and many people want to create relationships with us. Some of them are buyers, some want to come and learn about the art market, and some come to the education courses provided by Christie's. In China we are launching a new education course with Yale University, based in Beijing. As more Chinese moguls buy world-famous works of art, do you think there's now a trend for art collections to house a major portion of global wealth? People have been collecting artwork for over two centuries. People have been collecting as a symbol of their wealth and their position for many years - hundreds of years - and it continues today. It's normal. It's part of a culture that we are all in. Some compare China's current art-collecting phenomenon with that of Japan in the mid '80s, when wealthy Japanese were chasing impressionist masterpieces. What do you think? Japanese collectors have fantastic taste. They bought beautiful things and continue to buy beautiful pieces. The Chinese collectors are doing the same. There are sometimes financial ups and downs and I wouldn't call it a Japanese issue. The Japanese are continuing to collect art pieces and the Chinese are now, too. The Chinese just arrived more recently in the market than the Japanese. The Japanese have had a long time to collect. Japan's economy subsequently went into deep recession due to the bursting of an asset bubble, and the art market followed. Will China experience a similar fate and how can it avoid that? I don't think so. The Chinese economy is very strong. As long as the Chinese economy, or any economy in the world, is strong, there will be individuals able and wanting to collect works of art. During your trips to China, is there a place that particularly impressed you? Of all the places I have ever been to, the Forbidden City stands out as incredible. I was able to go with our top specialist who showed me the wonderful pieces and porcelain in the museum. That was really a highlight for me. They are magnificent. What are your hobbies? How do you spend your time off-duty while in China? I collect contemporary art from across the world. But I also collect artwork, like glass from my home country, England. It's very close to the porcelain in China. What's your favorite piece of artwork? I love collecting artwork and I'm a passionate collector of Scandinavian and modern British glass. And one of my favorites is Modigliani's painting Nu Couch, Reclining Nude. In recent years we have created very meaningful relationships with collectors in China, and the Long Museum in China bought it last year. zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn (China Daily European Weekly 12/02/2016 page31) The Amur International Rail Bridge - known in China as the China-Russian Tongjiang Rail Bridge - was first proposed in 2007 by Valery Solomonovich Gurevich, vice-chairman of the Jewish autonomous oblast - or administrative region - in eastern Russia. The 2,197-meter bridge will link Nizhneleninskoye in the Russian Jewish region with Tongjiang, Heilongjiang province, at an estimated cost of nearly $230 million (216 million euros; 183 million), according to Gurevich. The bridge was designed by Russia's Giprostroymost Institute, meeting both Russian and Chinese standards. It will have both a standard gauge (1,435 mm) track and a Russian gauge (1,520 mm) track, with the two tracks offset by 800 mm, so that only one can be used at a time. Coordination of the Belt and Road Initiative with the Eurasian Economic Union is promising and historic, experts say. The Silk Road Economic Belt was initiated by President Xi Jinping in 2013, first in Kazakhstan, which is a key member of the Eurasian Economic Union, and he paid a state visit to Uzbekistan in June, on the path of the ancient Silk Road. Shakhrat Nuryshev, Kazakhstan's ambassador to China, said China was the first country, in 1992, to recognize the independence of Kazakhstan and to establish diplomatic relations with the former Soviet republic. Nuryshev says the Belt and Road Initiative, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and EEU can be more connected and provide a clear direction for multinational cooperation. Kerry Brown, of the China Studies Center at Sydney University in Australia, says China would like to provide opportunities for EEU countries, especially those that are involved in the Silk Road Economic Belt, with long-term, low-interest loans similar to those given in Africa for big infrastructure projects. Kamel Mellahi, professor of strategic management at Warwick Business School in the United Kingdom, says: "Regional connectivity is the main objective of the strategy of China's Silk Road. There is little doubt that it's a win-win project for all countries involved." Yang Cheng, deputy director of the Center for Russian Studies at East China Normal University in Shanghai, says most EEU countries have resource-based economies whose energy sectors suffered from the rapid downturn in oil prices - even though the lower prices brought opportunities for cooperation with China in other sectors. Yang says the coordination of initiatives provides opportunities for countries that want to raise their competitiveness in international markets. Such coordination could result in constructive reforms of their resource-based economies and also see China and EEU countries build an efficient industry chain, allowing greater capital input. He says that to coordinate the two initiatives, "all countries need to establish greater industrial cooperation - and not only industrial cooperation but capital, talent, technology, market and cultural cooperation". renqi@chinadaily.com.cn (China Daily European Weekly 12/02/2016 page30) Flocks of birds fly over the coastline at the Zhanqiao scenic spot in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, Dec 1, 2016. [Photo/China News Service] Avid bird-watchers can now head to East China's Qingdao, Shandong province, to check out the stunning view of thousands of birds soaring in the sky. Every winter, the coastal city attracts over 100,000 gulls, especially black-headed ones, becoming one of the main destinations for the winter bird taking shelter from the cold of North China, according to China News Service. The birds stay in Qingdao from late October to April next year. When spring arrives, it's time for them to flap their wings again and fly back to their breeding places in the north. Germany took over the presidency of the G20 from China on Thursday, determined to build on the outcome of Septembers Hangzhou summit as it prepares to host its own meeting of world leaders in Hamburg in July, according to a top German official. Lars-Hendrik Roller, chief economic adviser to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, expressed the importance of continuity and implementation of the G20 agenda at the start of a conference aimed at helping governmental officials form the agenda and discussion points for G20 meetings. "We are going to work closely with China and Argentina, the 2018 summit host, to maintain continuity while injecting fresh content into the agenda-setting process," said Roller, who is also Germanys G20 sherpa, the name given to organizing officials. The Berlin meeting, being held over two days, was organized by the Bonn-based German Development Institute and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, two leading German think-tanks entrusted by the German government with coming up with policy suggestions for its G20 presidency. The organizers say the meeting, attended by more than 300 representatives from nearly all the G20 economies, marked the formal start of Germanys presidency. Roller said Germany is well on the way to preparing to an agenda focused on policy, sustainability and responsibility, which he called the three pillars of a German presidency which would be targeted on global growth and sustainable development. "What we believe is that the G20 agenda should go beyond economic success and bring in social and environmental dimensions," said Roller. Chen Dongxiao, President of the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, suggested that the German presidency should focus on continuity and implementation when he addressed a plenary discussion attended by Roller. "We should remember that G20 leaders have already achieved many outcomes when they met in Hangzhou; they have already signed and entered into consensuses in many areas," said Chen, whose institute was one of the major Chinese think-thanks contributing to sustainability policy at Hangzhou. "I should say it is essential to deliver such outcomes and consensuses." Chen expressed concern that the new developments worldwide has added uncertainty in delivering the outcomes achieved at G20 levels. Roller said he knows the Chinese leadership is very serious about implementing commitments and outcomes achieved at Hangzhou and Germany would maintain that direction. Roller also emphasized that the German presidency will also focus on the priorities of economic growth, energy, climate change, health and the development of Africa, while addressing the refugee crisis. The Berlin meeting is focusing particularly on climate policy, Africa, migration challenges and the UNs 2030 agenda, which are expected to be highlighted during the German presidency. "We are very happy that the Hangzhou summit was a success and especially that China has made the first step to let the Paris [climate] agreement be inserted into the agenda," said Dirk Messner, director of German Development Institute. "And we should continue the efforts to integrate the 2030 agenda of the United Nations into the G20 agenda-setting process." Reviewing the global economic situation and geopolitical developments, Messner said the German presidency faces tremendous difficulties and challenges. "Of course, we also have many opportunities to deliver," said Messner. To contact the reporter: fujing@chinadaily.com This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Terrence Holmes will take the oath of office as Jefferson County Court at-law No. 2 judge Monday, about a month earlier than a new judge normally would because current judge Cory Crenshaw plans to resign effective Saturday, wrapping up an almost three-year appointment. Holmes, 60, won election as a Democrat on Nov. 8, defeating Republican Luke Nichols, a county prosecutor. Holmes is currently a Beaumont municipal court judge and is a defense attorney in private practice. He started his law career in 1990 as a prosecutor in Orange County before opening his own practice four years later. On Thursday, Holmes said he would notify the chief muncipal judge, Craig Lively, of his intent to resign if he is sworn in Monday by the county. He said already had been closing down his private practice for the last two weeks, informing clients and transferring his court-appointed cases. "I'll be ready," he said. Crenshaw first came to prominence in the county courthouse when he was appointed to finish former District Attorney Tom Maness' term. Maness retired in December 2013. In both appointments, first to the DA's office and later to the Court at-law No. 2 bench, Crenshaw said he would not seek election to the open seat. Holmes ran for County Court at-Law No. 3 judge in 2014 but lost to Republican Clint Woods. As a county judge, Holmes will earn $157,000 a year. DWallach@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/dwallach San Antonio police have nabbed four people believed to be involved in an argument over money that led to the brutal killing of a 31-year-old man on the East Side last month. Ramon Rivera, 31, was found dead by his common-law wife at a home in the 2200 block of East Houston Street Nov. 10. His death was caused by ax chop wounds to the head and ruled a homicide by the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller left a note for the employees at OHMS Cafe & Bar in Amarillo after he apparently did not enjoy his meal earlier this week, according to his Facebook page. "Terrible steak, not a rib eye," Miller wrote on the back of a business card he left for the restaurant, according to myhighplains.com."More like prime rib which I hate." He went on to say he "paid $34 for mac and cheese." RELATED: Controversial Texas Ag Commish Sid Miller reportedly eyed for Trump cabinet post Josh Fuller, the manager of the cafe, told myhighplains.com that Miller came in for dinner Wednesday night and did not like the steak he was served. Fuller said the commissioner was offered a different meal but declined, left his card and wrote an additional note on his check before leaving. Miller told myhighplains.com he did not expect to be charged for a steak he "couldn't eat." "But they did," Miller said, according to the report. "So I paid it and didn't say anything." He told the news outlet his note to the restaurant was constructive criticism. RELATED: Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller calls Hillary Clinton C-word on Twitter, blames staffer On Facebook Thursday, Miller addressed the myhighplains.com story. "Friends, here is a grade A example of why the American public is sick and tired of the media," he said. "I was served a bad meal at a restaurant in Amarillo and made my disappointment clear to the chef when I paid the bill (and tipped the server). I'm sure many of you can relate. When you pay for something you expect someone to be held accountable. Next thing I know, it is the TOP STORY on KAMR (NBC) Channel 4 in Amarillo." RELATED: Twitter suspends account that likely inspired Sid Miller's infamous c-word tweet Miller, who is still under consideration to be President-elect Donald Trump's agriculture secretary, said journalism was dead in America and Trump "saw through liberal media attacks" to win the White House. kbradshaw@express-news.net Twitter: @kbrad5 The last time humans visited the moon was more than four decades ago in 1972, and while the astronauts came as tourists, the NASA technology that helped them explore the lunar surface still remains. Now, a private team of German engineers known as the "Part Time Scientists" want to return with a rover to study NASA's historic Apollo 17 landing site. Wed., Nov. 2, 4-6 p.m. University of Illinois at Springfield 1 University Plaza, Springfield Lake Springfield Area Auditions, Bulletin Board, Theater & Comedy Open auditions for UIS Theatres student-directed scenes will take place in VPA 170 (Acting/Directing Studio) on the UIS campus. No preparation is necessary. Cold readings from the scripts will take place. 10-20 Minute SCENES FROM THESE PLAYS:THE TWO CHARACTER PLAY by Tennessee Williams. Directed by Chip Deiss.IN THE BLOOD by Suzan-Lori Parks. Directed by Siobhan Hoskins.GOD OF CARNAGE by Yasmina Reza. Directed by Will Moffett.RAVENSCROFT by Don Nigro. Directed by Naim Salahuddin.PIPELINE by Dominique Morisseau. Directed by Nia Tiller.BAD SEED by Maxwell Anderson. Directed by Damaris Tovar. Performances will be December 1 and 2 in the Studio Theatre (7:30pm 217-206-6073 As Nelson Mandela taught us, There can be no keener revelation of a societys soul than the way in which it treats its children. Mandela is not simply declaring the import of treating our children well. He is challenging us with a question: When we, as a society, honestly measure the well-being of children under our care, are we happy with what it says about who we are? It is through the prism of this question that we must ask ourselves, are we comfortable that millions of children, many of Latino heritage, now live under the threat that they or their parents would be soon be deported? This threat, which largely emerged during the presidential campaign, is causing high levels of distress and anxiety, particularly for the undocumented children who live in our community. Most of these children were brought to the U.S. when very young, attend local schools, and are fully integrated into our community. Others have fled the gang and political violence in their countries of origin and arrived in our community as unaccompanied minors. Others are American-born, but live with undocumented parents or other family members. For 60 years, the nonprofit Child Guidance Center of Mid-Fairfield County has served as the safety net for families in our community who cant afford mental health services for their children. Every year we help over 600 children from the greater Norwalk/Westport region who suffer from a wide spectrum of emotional and behavioral health disorders. Most of the children we help are between the ages of 8 and 13. Due to the highly diverse demographics of our region, some of these children are undocumented or have undocumented family members. Recently, we have observed that many of these children have experienced a significant amplification of their existing symptoms or the development of new symptoms in response to the threat of deportation. They are terrified of being forced out of the country they consider home, of having their parents or loved ones torn away from them, of being sent back to the violence from which they escaped. What we are observing at the center is happening to children throughout our country. These are not irrational childhood fears, like monsters under the bed, which fade with time. Their fears are completely rational, reinforced daily in the news. In addition, their fears are often intensified by an increased level of bullying due to their heritage and presumed immigration status. Helping these children cope with such anxieties is a major challenge. The leadership and associates at the Child Guidance Center are politically and ideologically diverse. Yet we are unified in the belief that the well-being of children should always transcend politics and ideology. We hope any government policy, regardless of its ideological origin, will explicitly take into account the welfare of children, with a deliberate emphasis on ensuring they are not separated from their families or forcibly removed from an environment they consider safe. A swift public declaration to this effect would significantly mitigate the emotional trauma that recent immigration policy statements have already inflicted on millions of children and families. For over half a century, the mission of the center has been to help all children with mental and behavioral health needs achieve emotional stability, academic success, and happy and productive lives. We stand by this mission and its theme of complete inclusivity. Whatever the prevailing political winds may be, the center will always be an unrelenting advocate for every child in mental distress, regardless of gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual identity, or citizenship status. Roy Berger is the Chief Executive Officer of the Child Guidance Center of Mid-Fairfield County, serving the towns of Norwalk, Westport, Weston, Wilton, New Canaan, Darien, and Stamford. Dr. David Sasso is the centers medical director. The centers Board of Trustees also signed this op-ed. Bottled water is everywhere, in offices, airplanes, stores, homes and restaurants. But is bottled water any better or safer than tap water? According to the Mayo Clinic, tap water and bottled water are generally comparable in terms of safety. So the choice of tap or bottled is mostly a matter of personal preference. We drink 21 gallons of bottled water per capita per year on average, according to the Columbia Water Center at Columbia University's Earth Institute in New York. The Columbia Center says the bottled-water industry is so successful, it has outpaced milk, coffee and juice in number of gallons of drinks soldbehind only beer and soda. Americans purchase enough bottled water to circle the globe more than five times. One problem with bottled water is that more than 80 percent of the bottles end up in landfills each year, according to the Columbia Water Center. They do not break down naturally and release toxic chemicals when they decompose. Another major problem with bottled water, according to Columbia, is that a traditionally public good has been privatized. Bottled water companies gain high profits by drawing water from public water sources, putting it in plastic containers, and reselling it at more than 2,000 times the price of regular tap water. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees bottled water, while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates tap water. Some medical professionals, according to Scientific American, recommend tap water over bottled water claiming that tap water has stricter regulations, does not negatively impact the environment and costs much less, while some plastic bottles may contain harmful chemicals. They also say tap water offers less risk of bacterial contamination and that up to 50 percent of bottled water comes from the same place as tap water, not from some pure, exotic stream. The International Bottled Water Association emphasizes that once the water enters the bottled water plant, several processes ensure it meets the FDA purified water standard. These treatments can, according to the IBA, include measures such as: reverse osmosis, distillation, micro-filtration and ultraviolet (UV) light. The finished water product, says IBA, is then placed in a sealed bottle under sanitary conditions and sold to the consumer. Though the sale and consumption of bottled water is on the rise, certain policymakers and activists have taken steps to reduce it and encourage people to drink tap. In 2009, the Australian city of Bundanoon became the first city in the world to ban bottled water from its store shelves, installing water fountains around the city instead. Among U.S. cities that have taken action are San Francisco and Seattle, which no longer buy water for city use, and Chicago, which added a five-cent tax on each bottle. Several restaurants in those cities have also given up bottled for filtered tap. Bottled water is also an alternative to less-healthy sugary packaged beverages Drinking water, whether tap, filtered or bottled, plays a vital role in peoples lives. Cheers! And thats how I see it Larry Johnson is an author and motivational speaker. You can contact him via email at larjo1@prodigy.net or visit his website at www.mexicobytouch.com Twenty-five years ago December 1991 communism died, the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union disappeared. It was the largest breakup of an empire in modern history and not a shot was fired. It was an event of biblical proportions that my generation thought it would never live to see. That dawn marked the ultimate triumph of the liberal democratic idea. It promised an era of Western dominance led by a preeminent America, the worlds last remaining superpower. And so it was for a decade as the community of democracies expanded, first into Eastern Europe and former Soviet colonies. The U.S. was so dominant that when, on Dec. 31, 1999, it gave up one of the most prized geostrategic assets on the globe the Panama Canal no one even noticed. That era is over. Autocracies are back and rising; democracy is on the defensive; the U.S. is in retreat. Look no further than Aleppo. A Western-backed resistance to a local tyrant he is backed by Russia, an expanding Iran and proxy Shiite militias is on the brink of annihilation. Russia drops bombs; America issues statements. What better symbol for the end of that liberal-democratic historical moment. The West is turning inward and going home, leaving the field to the rising authoritarians Russia, China and Iran. In France, the conservative partys newly nominated presidential contender is fashionably conservative and populist and soft on Vladimir Putin. As are several of the newer Eastern Europe democracies Hungary, Bulgaria, even Poland themselves showing authoritarian tendencies. And even as Europe tires of the sanctions imposed on Russia for its rape of Ukraine, President Obamas much touted isolation of Russia has ignominiously dissolved. The European Union, the largest democratic club on earth, could itself soon break up as Brexit-like movements spread through the continent. Its members dash with unseemly haste to reopen economic ties with a tyrannical and aggressive Iran. As for China, the other great challenger to the post-Cold War order, the administrations pivot has turned into an abject failure. The Philippines openly defected to the Chinese side. Malaysia then followed. And the rest of our Asian allies are beginning to hedge their bets. When the president of China addressed the Pacific Rim countries in Peru last month, he suggested that China was prepared to pick up the pieces of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, now abandoned by both political parties in the United States. The Wests retreat began with Obama, who reacted to post-9/11 overreach by abandoning Iraq, offering appeasement (reset) to Russia and accommodating Iran. In 2009, he refused even rhetorical support to the popular revolt against the rule of the ayatollahs. Donald Trump wants to continue the pull back, though for entirely different reasons. Obama ordered retreat because hes always felt the U.S. was not good enough for the world, too flawed to have earned the moral right to be the world hegemon. Trump would follow suit, disdaining allies and avoiding conflict, because the world is not good enough for us undeserving, ungrateful, parasitic foreigners living safely under our protection and off our sacrifices. Trumps is not a new argument. As the Cold War was ending in 1990, Jeane Kirkpatrick, the quintessential neoconservative, argued that we should now become a normal country in a normal time. It was time to give up the 20th-century burden of maintaining world order and of making superhuman exertions on behalf of universal values. Two generations of fighting fascism and communism were quite enough. Had we not earned a restful retirement? Repose presupposes a fantasy world in which stability is self-sustaining without the United States. It is not. We would incur not respite but chaos. A quarter-century later, we face the same temptation, but this time under more challenging circumstances. Worldwide jihadism has been added to the fight, and we enjoy nothing like the dominance we exercised over conventional adversaries during our 1990s holiday from history. We may choose repose, but we wont get it. letters@charleskrauthammer.com. During the campaign, Donald Trump accused the Clinton Foundation of being a criminal enterprise that relied on pay-to-play to enrich Bill and Hillary Clinton when she was Secretary of State. But the fact is that President-elect Trump has always had far more potential for pay-to-play and on a much larger scale. And, absent details, this is still the case despite his tweets on Wednesday that he would separate himself from his businesses to avoid conflicts of interest. And his previous comments dont offer encouragement that he recognizes what adequate separation means. He has said there is no need to separate himself from his vast businesses worldwide because the president, by law, simply cant have a conflict of interest. Dont believe it. The potential for pay-to-play exists because various players in various countries could reasonably conclude that granting Trump business favors will be rewarded with presidential or administration action. Is this not conflict? Even if Trump or his children make no requests for special treatment for their far-flung businesses, there is high probability that well-connected business people and officials in foreign governments will hedge bets by granting these anyway. Since Lyndon Baines Johnson, presidents have created blind trusts in which a trustee manages their funds without the presidents direct knowledge. The point is to separate decision making from business interests to avoid even the appearance of conflict. But heres what isnt meaningful separation: A President Trump maintains ownership of the hotels, real estate and other holdings in his conglomerate and it is managed by his children and other Trump executives. His comments on Wednesday promised removing himself from business operations and to leave the Trump businesses in total, but this is not the same as divesting himself of his financial stakes and perhaps not the same as a blind trust. He said he would put his children in charge, which means potential conflicts of interest would still exist. Trump promises a major news conference in two weeks to offer details. These details will be important because the president can have actual conflicts, though the legal sanctions to halt these can leave him unscathed, unless it is a gift that falls under the Constitutions emolument clause. That clause says no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of Congress, accept any present, emolument, office or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince or foreign state. A New York Times investigation revealed recently that the Trump business portfolio is chock full of the potential for personal gain. No conflict? In his campaign, the New York Times noted, Trump, in December 2015, suggested a ban on Muslim immigration. This outraged Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who demanded that the Trump name be removed from the Trump Towers Istanbul. So, in July, Trump defended Erdogans brutal crackdown on opponents and civil liberties after a failed coup attempt. The issue went away. Now, imagine a President Trump thinking first of his or his childrens business interests at the expense of U.S. principles and policies. Trumps dealings span the globe, though not all of his connections are known because he failed to release his tax records during the campaign. The Washington Post has reported that at least 111 Trump companies have done business in 18 countries and territories. The potential for Trump to enrich himself and his family during his presidency is quite real. Whatever separation is crafted, there has to be sufficient degrees of it so the American public knows Trump is acting on its behalf, not on behalf of his pocketbook or his childrens. The New York Times also reported that Trumps organization has dealings with a Philippine businessman who is the countrys president, Rodrigo Duterte, has appointed a special envoy to the United States. Dutertes controversial anti-drug campaign has resulted in summary executions of thousands of suspects by police and vigilantes. And Duterte says he intends on throwing out all U.S. military from the country at a time when China is flexing muscles militarily in the region. Will a Trump administration stand for human rights and U.S. strategic interests in the Philippines or act in the U.S. presidents business interests? President-elect Trump owes it to the the country to craft true separation, followed by a vetting to see if it properly achieves that. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Alaska is witnessing its coldest air in almost two years, and some of the biting chill is forecast to plunge into the western United States in about a week's time. In Fairbanks on Tuesday morning, the temperature tanked to minus-31 degrees, ending a 624-day stretch in which it was warmer than that - the second longest on record. Tuesday afternoon, the mercury only recovered to minus-21, ending a record-long 658-day stretch with highs above minus-10. It was even colder in Bettles, Alaska, on Tuesday, where the temperature dropped to minus-41 with a bone-chilling wind chill of minus-53. Statewide, it was the first time Alaska's daily temperature index was significantly below normal in almost a year. This morning, some locations in our 49th state plummeted as low as minus-40 to minus-45 degrees. Although the weather in the Last Frontier is cold compared with the past two years, it has been much colder in the past. Alaska's coldest November temperature of minus-62 was set in 1970 at Prospect Creek. Through October this year, Alaska was having its warmest year on record. But it's cold now and expected to stay cold for at least another week or so. For the first time since February 2014, the National Weather Service predicts much of the state to be colder than normal in its six- to 10-day outlook. As the cold continues to build over Alaska and western Canada over the next week, some of it will begin to bleed south. Computer models are unanimous in bringing a significant blast of cold air to the western half of the United States in about six to eight days. On Wednesday afternoon next week, temperatures are forecast to be 20 to 30 degrees colder than normal in much of the Rockies and western Plains. While the exact numbers are subject to shift, this would mean highs in the teens in Denver and Billings, Mont., and the 20s around Salt Lake City. Some of this cold air is likely to shift toward the eastern half of the country in eight to 10 days, but models tend to suggest it will lose some of its intensity. When the cold assaults the western United States this time next week and clashes with milder air to the east, a storm is likely to form, producing heavy snow west of its center and potentially strong thunderstorms to the east. It is far too early to pin down the specific storm track, but the central United States should start to monitor the situation in the coming days. (c) 2016, The Washington Post Fast rising dancehall musician Anita Jackson, who started recording at the age of 15, has opened up on the dangers of abuse and how detrimental it can be to ones confidence and dreams. The Unonzi Ani singer made the revelation recently at the University of Zimbabwes all female students inspiration session organised by fashion stylist Florence Rupapa in a bid to empower the girl child. Jackson said she fought a lot of trauma because of abuse from her father, and that made her strong. Abuse is bad, she said. I grew up with an abusive father who would beat me and my mother after taking one too many, and it affected me a lot. He had little care for us and life was a nightmare. That experience affected my confidence growing up, but I am grateful to God for helping me pick up the pieces and becoming a somebody in life. Jackson, who has won the lady of the moment tag following successful collaborations with artistes such as Poptain, Jah Master and Mega T, encouraged the female students to stay focussed and pursue their dreams in spite of life challenges and the limitations of a largely patriarchal society. My message to you as young female students is that you must never allow anyone and any experience to weigh you down, she said. You were all born for a purpose. Yes, we are living in a society where women are generally disadvantaged, but as we commemorate the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, I want to thank Trend-Zone Designer Wear for organising this event. The take for all us is that we are special and we must rise to conquer abuse and all the societal limitations. Jackson said she was enjoying a purple patch in her career and will be working on a full album soon. Through all these highs and lows of life, the abuse and challenges, God has been faithful and I want to encourage you all to commit your lives and dreams to God, she said. My career has taken a positive turn and I am receiving a lot of attention and getting a lot of gigs locally and even regionally. Whatever your career path, my advice is that you must remain focussed and work on your goals. Jackson, who was introduced to music in her teenage years, has remained consistent and has performed before large crowds even before she became a hit with many young music lovers. Trend-Zone Designer Wear boss Rupapa said the event was part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives and encouraged people to follow their heart. It is usually the girl child who suffers the most when it comes to achieving their goals if not fully supported. You should take education seriously as this is the only key to success. Remember that scares the men most, if you are independent, educated and successful. We should complement each other rather than abuse, she said. The event, which saw students receiving early Christmas gifts in form of shoes, body lotion and sanitary wear from Rupapa in partnership with Maverick Foundation, was graced by various speakers including Zimpapers Group public relations and corporate affairs manager Beatrice Tonhodzayi, George Munengwa of ProAir, comedienne Madam Boss and patron of the Enrico Maverick Foundation, Dr Enrico Maverick. Some of the speakers touched on various topics such as grooming, entrepreneurship, leadership and self-actualisation. Chronicle Breaking News via Email The Tanzanian government has issued a warning against men who crave breast milk. According to Africanews, this practice has impacted the health of mothers and their babies. This was revealed by Toba Nguvila, who is the commissioner of the Handeni District in the country. The alarm came as the world was commemorating breastfeeding week which started on 1 August and ended on 7 August. The commissioner said women had complained about their men who had developed a rare habit of craving breast milk. The practice, according to the commissioner, has been peddled by the narrative that this improves se_xual performance and muscle building among men, the article read. It is reported that this traditional practice is not new in East Africa. In some parts of Uganda, the practice has been linked to gender-based violence as men allegedly become violent when they demand to be breastfed. According to research by Kyambogo University in Kampala and the Britains University of Kent, men were breastfed at least once a day for one hour before the baby is fed. DailySun Breaking News via Email This is Naked Capitalisms special fundraiser, to fight a McCarthtyite attack against this site and 200 others by funding legal expenses and other site support. For more background on how the Washington Post smeared Naked Capitalism along with other established, well-regarded independent news sites, and why this is such a dangerous development, see this article by Ben Norton and Greenwald and this piece by Matt Taibbi. Our post gives more detail on how we plan to fight back. 380 donors have already supported this campaign. Please join us and participate via our Tip Jar, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Rogue Beaver Apprehended After Trashing Store That Sells Fake Christmas Trees Huffington Post (Chuck L). My kind of animal! Although I do have a certain fondness for fake Christmas trees, our family having acquired an aluminum pom-pom tree in Boston, when buying synthetic trees was unusual, by virtue of not being able to procure the real deal. And it was duly decorated for many years thereafter, along with the traditional type. Bomb detector works better with fake dog nose on the end Guardian (YY) 1 million Google accounts compromised by Android malware called Gooligan ars technica (Bill B) Judge forces Coinbase to hand over years worth of user data to IRS ars technica (Chuck L). We said Bitcoin = prosecution futures. The IRS has deemed Bitcoin to be property, so selling at a profit results in taxable income. Eurozone unemployment hits seven-year low Politico. Of a really awesome 9.8%! Uncork the champagne! Brexit Dutch parliament votes to ban burqa in public buildings Christian Science Monitor. Given the crazy costuming one routinely sees on the street in NYC, I find this hard to fathom. Italian Referndum France presidency: Francois Hollande decides not to run again BBC. Readers were correctly skeptical of a report otherwise. Trump Transition Obama to Block Second Chinese Deal on Security Concerns Bloomberg AFL-CIO mulls Ellison endorsement for DNC chair Politico Amazons Growing Power In The U.S. Economy Forbes. Today, half of all U.S. households are subscribed to the membership program Amazon Prime Can this be correct? New McCarthyism The New Red Scare Andrew Cockburn, Harpers (margarita). Todays must read. Not about the WaPo row, but about the dubious claims that Evil Rooskies were behind the DNC hack. Fears ebb of Trump blocking AT&Ts $85bn Time Warner deal Financial Times Two U.S. Job-Market Views: Strong Enough for Fed, Not Trump Bloomberg Wells Fargo splits chairman and CEO roles after investor pressure Financial Times Class Warfare Antidote du jour. Jason G: Taken at Vinoy Park in Saint Petersburg Florida. This is a heron and the label on the photo says Vinoy Heron which I assume is a breed name. See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. This is Naked Capitalisms special fundraiser, to fight a McCarthtyite attack against this site and 200 others by funding legal expenses and other site support. For more background on how the Washington Post smeared Naked Capitalism along with other established, well-regarded independent news sites, and why this is such a dangerous development, see this article by Ben Norton and Greenwald and this piece by Matt Taibbi. Our post gives more detail on how we plan to fight back. 374 donors have already supported this campaign. Please join us and participate via our Tip Jar, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Yves here. I am featuring this piece as a reader critical thinking exercise. While it marshals some useful data, one can contest some of the conventional conclusions, which are often mere assertions, reached from the figures. For instance, Joyce points out that immigrants account for 16% of the workforce, and contends that reducing their level would increase the dependency ratio (as in the level of workers in the economy relative to those that dont work). This is specious given the large number of discouraged workers who are no longer counted as part of the workforce, the level of under-employment, and the number of older workers who need to work past normal retirement age to survive. Another conventional and erroneous assumption treated as an article of faith is that factory worker wages drive product costs, and hence it is a competitive imperative to move production to low wag locations. For most manufactured products, thats rubbish. For instance, for cars, direct factory labor is only 10-13% of wholesale costs. And the reduction in direct factory labor is substantially, and usually entirely offset by hard and hidden costs: increased managerial costs (those top dogs have MUCH higher pay) due to greater complexity of extended supply chains, larger transportations and financing costs, greater inventory risks (more risk of being stuck with overproduction, again due to the difficulty and complexity of cutting orders for products that arent selling as well as forecast), and greater business system fragility. Thus much of offshoring is properly understood as not cost driven, but as a way to increase managerial incomes at the expense of direct factory labor pay. And you can see that dramatically in how CEO compensation has exploded at average incomes have stagnated. By Joseph Joyce. Originally published at Angry Bear The reasons for the election of Donald Trump as President of the U.S. will be analyzed and argued about for many years to come. Undoubtedly there are U.S.-specific factors that are relevant, such as racial divisions in voting patterns. But the election took place after the British vote to withdraw from the European Union and the rise to power of conservative politicians in continental Europe, so it is reasonable to ask whether globalization bears any responsibility. The years before the global financial crisis were years of rapid economic globalization. Trade flows grew on average by 7% a year over the 1987-2007 period. Financial flows also expanded, particularly amongst the advanced economies. Global financial assets increased by 8% a year between 1990 and 2007. But all this activity was curtailed in 2008-09 when the global financial crisis pushed the world economy into a downturn. Are the subsequent rises in nationalist sentiment the product of these trends? Trump seized upon some of the consequences of increased trade and investment to make the case that globalization was bad for the U.S. He had great success with his claim that international trade deals are responsible for a loss of jobs in the manufacturing sector. In addition, he blamed outward foreign direct investment (FDI) by U.S. firms that opened production facilities in foreign countries for moving manufacturing jobs outside the U.S. Among the firms that Trump criticized were Ford Motor, Nabisco and the Carrier Corporation, which is moving a manufacturing operation from Indiana to Mexico. Have foreign workers taken the jobs of U.S. workers? Increased trade does lead to a reallocation of resources, as a country increases its output in those sectors where it has an advantage while cutting back production in other sectors. Resources should flow from the latter to the former, but in reality it can be difficult to switch employment across sectors. Daron Acemoglu and David Autor of MIT, David Dorn of the University of Zurich, Gordon Hanson of UC-San Diego and Brendan Price of MIT have found that import competition from China after 2000 contributed to reductions in U.S. manufacturing employment and weak U.S. job growth. They estimated manufacturing job losses due to Chinese competition of 2.0 2.4 million. Other studies find similar results for workers who do not have high school degrees. Moreover, multinational firms do shift production across borders in response to lower wages, among other factors. Ann E. Harrison of UC-Berkeley and Margaret S. McMillan of Tufts University looked at the hiring practices of the foreign affiliates of U.S. firms during the period of 1977 to 1999. They found that lower wages in affiliate countries where the employees were substitutes for U.S. workers led to more employment in those countries but reductions in employment in the U.S. However, when employment across geographical locations is complementary for firms that do significantly different work at home and abroad, domestic and foreign employment rise and fall together. Imports and foreign production, therefore, have had an impact on manufacturing employment in the U.S. But several caveats should be raised. First, as Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee of MIT and others have pointed out, technology has had a much larger effect on jobs. The U.S. is the second largest global producer of manufactured goods, but these products are being made in plants that employ fewer workers than they did in the past. Many of the lost jobs simply do not exist any more. Second, the U.S. exports goods and services as well as purchases them. Among the manufactured goods that account for significant shares of U.S. exports are machines and engines, electronic equipment and aircraft. Third, there is inward FDI as well as outward, and the foreign-based firms hire U.S. workers. A 2013 Congressional Research Service study by James V. Jackson reported that by year-end 2011 foreign firms employed 6.1 million Americans, and 37% of this employment2.3 million jobswas in the manufacturing sector. More recent data shows that employment by the U.S. affiliates of multinational companies rose to 6.4 million in 2014. Mr. Trump will find himself in a difficult position if he threatens to shut down trade and investment with countries that both import from the U.S. and invest here. The other form of globalization that drew Trumps derision was immigration. Most of his ire focused on those who had entered the U.S. illegally. However, in a speech in Arizona he said that he would set up a commission that would roll back the number of legal migrants to historic norms. The current number of immigrants (42 million) represents around 13% of the U.S. population, and 16% of the labor force. An increase in the number of foreign-born workers depresses the wages of some native-born workers, principally high-school dropouts, as well as other migrants who arrived earlier. But there are other, more significant reasons for the stagnation in working-class wages. In addition, a reduction in the number of migrant laborers would raise the ratio of young and retired people to workersthe dependency ratioand endanger the financing of Social Security and Medicare. And by increasing the size of the U.S. economy, these workers induce expansions in investment expenditures and hiring in areas that are complementary. The one form of globalization that Trump has not criticized, with the exception of outward FDI, is financial. This is a curious omission, as the crisis of 2008-09 arose from the financial implosion that followed the collapse of the housing bubble in the U.S. International financial flows exacerbated the magnitude of the crisis. But Trump has pledged to dismantle the Dodd-Frank legislation, which was enacted to implement financial regulatory reform and lower the probability of another crisis. While Trump has criticized China for undervaluing its currency in order to increase its exports to the U.S., most economists believe that the Chinese currency is no longer undervalued vis-a-vis the U.S. dollar. Did globalization produce Trump, or lead to the circumstances that resulted in 46.7% of the electorate voting for him? A score sheet of the impact of globalization within the U.S. would record pluses and minuses. Among those who have benefitted are consumers who purchase items made abroad at cheaper prices, workers who produce export goods, and firms that hire migrants. Those who have been adversely affected include workers who no longer have manufacturing jobs and domestic workers who compete with migrants for low-paying jobs. Overall, most studies find evidence of positive net benefits from trade. Similarly, studies of the cost and benefits of immigration indicate that overall foreign workers make a positive contribution to the U.S. economy. Other trends have exerted equal or greater consequences for our economic welfare. First, as pointed out above, advances in automation have had an enormous impact on the number and nature of jobs, and advances in artificial intelligence wii further change the nature of work. The launch of driverless cars and trucks, for example, will affect the economy in unforeseen ways, and more workers will lose their livelihoods. Second, income inequality has been on the increase in the U.S. and elsewhere for several decades. While those in the upper-income classes have benefitted most from increased trade and finance, inequality reflects many factors besides globalization. Why, then, is globalization the focus of so much discontent? Trump had the insight that demonizing foreigners and U.S.-based multinationals would allow him to offer simple solutionsripping up trade deals, strong-arming CEOs to relocate facilitiesto complex problems. Moreover, it allows him to draw a line between his supporters and everyone else, with Trump as the one who will protect workers against the crafty foreigners and corrupt elite who conspire to steal American jobs. Blaming the foreign other is a well-trod route for those who aspire to power in times of economic and social upheaval. Globalization, therefore, should not be held responsible for the election of Donald Trump and those in other countries who offer similar simplistic solutions to challenging trends. But globalizations advocates did indirectly lead to his rise when they oversold the benefits of globalization and neglected the downside. Lower prices at Wal-Mart are scarce consolation to those who have lost their jobs. Moreover, the proponents of globalization failed to strengthen the safety networks and redistributive mechanisms that allow those who had to compete with foreign goods and workers to share in the broader benefits. Dani Rodrik of Harvards Kennedy School has described how the policy priorities were changed: The new model of globalization stood priorities on their head, effectively putting democracy to work for the global economy, instead of the other way around. The elimination of barriers to trade and finance became an end in itself, rather than a means toward more fundamental economic and social goals. The battle over globalization is not finished, and there will be future opportunities to adapt it to benefit a wider section of society. The goal should be to place it within in a framework that allows a more egalitarian distribution of the benefits and payment of the costs. This is not a new task. After World War II, the Allied planners sought to revive international trade while allowing national governments to use their policy tools to foster full employment. Political scientist John Ruggie of the Kennedy School called the hybrid system based on fixed exchange rates, regulated capital accounts and government programs embedded liberalism, and it prevailed until it was swept aside by the wave of neoliberal policies in the 1980s and 1990s. What would todays version of embedded liberalism look like? In the financial sector, the pendulum has already swung back from unregulated capital flows and towards the use of capital control measures as part of macroprudential policies designed to address systemic risk in the financial sector. In addition, Thomas Piketty of the Ecole des hautes etudes en sciences (EHESS) and associate chair at the Paris School of Economics, and author of Capital in the Twenty-first Century, has called for a new focus in discussions over the next stage of globalization: trade is a good thing, but fair and sustainable development also demands public services, infrastructure, health and education systems. In turn, these themselves demand fair taxation systems. The current political environment is not conducive toward the expansion of public goods. But it is unlikely that our new Presidents policies will deliver on their promise to return to a past when U.S. workers could operate without concern for foreign competition or automation. We will certainly revisit these issues, and we need to redefine what a successful globalization looks like. And if we dont? Thomas Piketty warns of the consequences of not enacting the necessary domestic policies and institutions: If we fail to deliver these, Trumpism will prevail. Shape matters when light meets atom (Nanowerk News) Have you ever wondered how you see the world? Vision is about photons of light, which are packets of energy, interacting with the atoms or molecules in what youre looking at. Some photons reflect off, reaching your eyes. Others get absorbed. The main decider of which happens is the photons energy its colour. But look closely at the moment that light meets matter, and theres more to be discovered. Scientists at the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) at the National University of Singapore have just shown that a photons shape also affects how it is absorbed by a single atom. We dont often think of photons as being spread out in time and space and thus having a shape, but the ones in this experiment were some four metres long. Christian Kurtsiefer, Principal Investigator at CQT, and his team have learned to shape these photons with extreme precision. For the research, published in Nature Communications ("Time-resolved scattering of a single photon by a single atom"), the team worked with Rubidium atoms and infrared photons. They shone the photons one at a time onto a single atom. Scientists at the Centre for Quantum Technologies at the National University of Singapore have shown that a photon's shape affects how it is absorbed by a single atom. This artist's illustration is not to scale: in the experiment the photons are some 4 meters long, while the atom is less than a nanometer wide. (Image: Timothy Yeo / Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore) Our experiments look at the most fundamental interaction between matter and light says Victor Leong, for whom the work contributed to a PhD degree. A four-metre photon takes about 13 nanoseconds to pass the atom. Every time a photon was sent towards the atom, the team watched to see if and when the atom got excited. By noting the excitation times and collecting them together, the researchers could map the probability of the atom absorbing the photon as a function of time. The team tested two different photon shapes one rising in brightness, the other decaying. Hundreds of millions of measurements made over 1500 hours showed that the overall probability that a single Rubidium atom would absorb a single photon of either type was just over 4%. However, when the team looked at the process on nanoscale timeframes, they saw that the probability of absorption at each moment depends on the photons shape. The researchers found that if the photon arrived dimly, from the atoms point of view, then ended brightly, the peak probability of excitation was just over 50% higher than when the photon arrived bright and had a long, fading tail. Researchers had expected atoms might prefer to soak up the rising photons. Thats because of what happens naturally when an excited atom decays. Then, the atom spits out a decaying photon. Imagine running the process backwards the equations say it should look the same and the atom would arrive with rising brightness. Our choice of photon shape was inspired by the time symmetry of quantum mechanics, says coauthor Matthias Steiner. The Three Drives community has landed a prestigious 2016 Pride of Place Award. At the annual Pride of Place Awards Ceremony last Saturday in Belfast the Three Drives Family Resource Centre was presented with one of the top awards in the competition when named as the overall winner in the Housing Estates category. Remarking on the Three Drives Family Resource Centre, the judges said Three Drives was a huge story of perseverance, innovation and significant collaboration down the years. The judges said were really impressed with the Three Drives project, the people they met, and the impact of the project and the work being done. The winners of the Pride of Place awards, known affectionately by many as the Community Oscars, were announced at the special gala event in Belfast Waterfront Hall in front of an audience of approximately 1000 guests and VIPs with many more people tuning in on-line to watch the live broadcast of the ceremony. Now in its 14th year, the all-island Pride of Place Awards promotes and celebrates the best in community development and recognises the selfless efforts of people in making their neighbourhoods better places to live, work and socialise. The Lord Mayor of Belfast Alderman Brian Kingston, paid tribute to the people behind the Tree Drives project and all the other winners. We were honoured to welcome friends and colleagues from across the island of Ireland to Belfast to celebrate the important work being done, much of it by dedicated volunteers, to improve quality of life in our cities, towns and villages and to create vibrant, supportive communities. Peter Sheridan, Chief Executive Co-operation Ireland said Tonight we see at first hand how people can make a real positive change to society he said. The event was attended by the people behind the Tree Drives project and by councillors Roger Kennedy and Michael Fitzgerald. Glowing tributes were paid to the people involved in driving the project over the years by members of Tipperary/Cashel Municipal Society at their meeting on Monday. The 2016 Gwenda Hurst Memorial Medal has been awarded to Aine Heffernan who sat her Leaving Certificate at Rockwell College last June. Each year, the Association of Geography Teachers of Ireland selects the most meritorious paper in the Leaving Certificate geography examination for the award. Aine and her teacher Mr. Michael Doyle, along with Aine's parents Noel and Olive from Kilcommon Cross in Cahir, attended the ceremony in Trinity College Dublin where the medal was presented on Wednesday, November 23rd. Aine's exam script was selected from over 19,000 other candidates who sat geography at higher level in the Leaving Certificate. Aine's teacher, Mr. Doyle, described Aine as "a wonderful student to teach, highly motivated and dedicated. I am delighted to see her abilities recognised with this award." Aine is currently studying science at Trinity College Dublin, where she has also been recognised with an Entrance Scholarship for the overall academic performance in the Leaving Certificate. Aine hopes to go on to specialise in neuroscience in the future. Troops from 11 NATO Allies concluded a two-week training exercise in Lithuania on Friday (2 December 2016). Dubbed Iron Sword, the annual exercise tested the combat readiness of participating soldiers. Over 4,000 troops took part in the exercise, which began on 20 November in Pabrade and Rukla, Lithuania. Led by the Lithuanian Armed Forces, participants exercised in tactics used in urban combat. Soldiers conducted an assault on an urban warfare training site. Working as part of multinational battalions, they also took turns attacking and defending the site over several days. The exercises tested the readiness, coordination and interoperability of the participating forces. It demonstrated Allies' resolve and commitment to collective defence. Under the auspices of the OSCE, military observers from Belarus and Kazakhstan visited the exercise. NATO partners Sweden and Ukraine also sent military observers. NATO and Allied exercises, such as Iron Sword, increase the readiness and flexibility of our forces. They remain a fundamental part of how the Alliance provides security to its members. 'The matrix is like a rope' New discoveries follow the development of new tools (NaturalNews) New research indicates that there are interactions between an animal cell and its surrounding environment within a fibrous network called the extracellular matrix, and that in turn plays a vital role in how cells function, including migration and growth.However, as reports , scientists don't yet fully understand the mechanical forces that govern such interactions.The site noted that a multidisciplinary team of engineers from Cornell University and colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania have come up with a way to measure the force a cell in this instance a breast cancer cell exerts on its fibrous surroundings. The researchers said that learning how to understand those forces will have huge implications for a number of disciplines, including cancer biology and immunology, and may even assist scientists with designing better biomaterial scaffolds for the engineering of tissues.The group, led by Mingming Wu, an associate professor in the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, devised a technique known as 3-D traction-force microscopy to determine the displacement of fluorescent marker beads added to a collagen matrix. The engineering team said that an important component of their research was finding a way to calculate the force exerted by cells as they displaced the beads. The calculation was made by the team led by University of Pennsylvania professor of materials science and engineering, Vivek Shenoy.The paper, "Fibrous nonlinear elasticity enables positive mechanical feedback between cells and extracellular matrices," was published online Nov. 21 in the journal,Matthew Hall, PhD, who is now conducting post-doctoral research at the University of Michigan, is the study's lead author and the one who engineered the collagen matrices used to conduct the research.Wu, who was also affiliated with the Cornell Center on the Microenvironment and Metastasis at Weill Cornell Medicine, which existed from 20092015, said that her group's work focused on a primary question: "How much force do cells exert on their extracellular matrix when they migrate?"The answer to that question was previously unknown."The matrix is like a rope, and in order for the cell to move, they have to exert force on this rope," she said, as quoted by. "The question arose from cancer metastasis, because if the cells don't move around, it's a benign tumor and generally not life-threatening."The engineer groups found that it is when cancerous cells migrate that serious problems tend to occur. That's because the migration takes place via "cross-talk" between the moving cell and the matrix, they discovered. As the cell tugs on the matrix, that causes the fibrous matrix to stiffen. In turn, the increased stiffening causes the cell to pull even harder, which then stiffens the matrix even more. The increased stiffening also boosts cell force transmission distance, the teams found, which can then, potentially, promote the metastasis of the cancer cells Hall noted that the teams demonstrated that cells are "able to align the fibers" that surround them through the exertion of force. In addition, the teams showed that "when the matrix is more fibrous - less like a continuous material and more like a mesh of fibers - they're able to align the fibers" by creating more force. Once the fiber is lined up and tight, it becomes far easier for cells "to pull on them and migrate."Hall stated further that she was a big believer that each new scientific discovery generally coincides with "new technology development." She noted further that with each new tool, scientists and researchers are empowered to discover new things.It isn't clear where the research would go from this point or whether it will have an immediate impact either on traditional cancer treatment or ongoing cancer research. Socialized systems are always subject to budget cuts The U.S. system is so inefficient because of government over-regulation (NaturalNews) Any American who truly believes that government-run healthcare (not just the catastrophe that has resulted from government-run healthvia Obamacare) is a much better alternative than the private market, a) has not been paying attention to how badly the government runs the VA hospital system, and b) has never had to deal with government-run healthcare.But there are plenty of examples of just how bad government-run healthcare or more commonly known as socialized medicine really is. And one need only look across the Atlantic to our closest ally, Britain.Paul Dibbins, in an interview with the, told the news network that he was forced to cut off his own gangrenous toes after his scheduled hospital operation for the same thing"I came in and took me shoes and socks off, and the ends of my feet were completely black," he said, adding that it was like they had been "dipped in soot."During the interview, Dibbins said that his toes likely changed color from a case of frostbite. But when he was preparing to have a procedure at a local hospital to remove his gangrenous toes, medical officials cancelled on him.That left him with little choice but to cut off his own toes using surgical pliers."I probably saved me foot," he told theIn addition, he may have saved, considering that gangrene is a painful, acute medical condition requiring immediate care, including antibiotics and removal of dead skin. Left untreated, gangrene can spread toxins throughout the body and cause life-threatening septic shock.But surely hospitals and medical professionals in Britain know this, right? Of course they do.The problem isn't a lack of knowledge, but a lack of funding and resources, which is very common in socialized medicine . And while many Brits and especially British politicians and National Health System officials will say that the system works like a champ, the reality is very different.For instance, notedin July 2013, a report on the country's socialized system found that as many as 13,000 needless deaths have occurred in about 14 NHS hospital trusts since 2005."This is no fluke," the business news site noted. "It's the result of socialized medicine, done by experts."According to the OECD, the country's public medical systemaccounted for 82 percent of all healthcare spending, but was in a shambles.Before the report, some hospitals, such as one in Mid-Staffordshire, were found to be more akin to death traps, due to neglect, misspent funds and lack of investment. But the OECD report found that neglect and "needless" deaths are essentially characteristics of the entire system.The UK has attempted reform after reform of its NHS, but never to much effect or difference in terms of delivery of service. That's because in a socialized system versus a private system in the OECD, only the U.S., Mexico and Chile have private systems the financial priorities of the state trump those of consumers. And it's always been that way.When the economic situation demands it, government budgets get cut, and that means the services that government (via taxpayers) support have to be cut as well. When there is no medical system other than one supported entirely by tax dollars, then obviously that gets cut as well.But the U.S. system is no better, you say; it's rife with paperwork requirements and no incentives to be more efficient or place responsibility on patients for care. That's because the American healthcare systemthat really, it's "private" in name only.Only a healthcare system free from government regulation and control would best serve the public. The problem is, there are too many little Napoleons in Congress and the federal bureaucracy who don't want to relinquish control over our healthcare decisions. Despite some minor risks, licorice is a solid choice for anti-cancer nutrition (NaturalNews) It seems as though people either love it or hate it, but one thing is for sure: licorice is a powerhouse of immune-boosting and cancer-fighting nutrition that, when used properly, has been shown to help minimize one's risk of developing "The Big C," and specifically cancer of the breast.Research out of the School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, has revealed the presence of eight unique immunomodulators in licorice and several other herbs that, in various ways, help the body to thwart the development of cancer tumors. These constituents include: Ajoene, a powerful anti-fungal Arctigenin, an anti-cancer lignan Beta-carotene, an antioxidant Glabridin acid, a DNA protectorDespite a plethora of conflicting information about its effects on the body, licorice is proving to be an effective weapon in the fight against chronic disease, not the least of which include cancer. Its tumor-modulating and hormone-regulating properties make it an aggressive weapon in the fight against hormone-sensitive cancers of not only the breast, but also the ovaries, uterus, and prostate. Numerous studies confirm the cancer-fighting potential of licorice, including: Research out of Rutgers University which found that a polyphenol molecule known as beta-hydroxy-DHP (BHP), extracted from licorice, is capable of selectively killing cancer cells of both the breast and prostate, all while leaving healthy cells protected. Research out of China's Nanjing Medical University which found that dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), another licorice constituent, taken in high doses is protective against estrogen-positive breast cancers , helping to keep estrogen levels in check to block breast cancer cells from proliferating. Research showing that licorice helps to balance testosterone metabolism, decrease serotonin re-uptake, and reduce cortisol levels, all of which help fight and prevent breast cancer. Studies showing that isoliquiritigenin and naringenin, two compounds found in licorice , help promote T-cell growth while boosting immunity. Licorice also contains glycyrrhisin and other antioxidant compounds that help mitigate cancer-causing inflammation throughout the body.There are over 400 healing compounds in licorice, in fact, and many ancient systems of medicine in places like China, India, and the Middle East have been using them for centuries to promote healing and fight disease. Licorice is widely recognized as a hormone-balancing, immune system-boosting, oral health-promoting, digestive system-balancing "superherb" with vast healing potential.There are some potential drawbacks to be aware of, though. For some people with heart problems such as arrhythmias, taking too much licorice can be a detriment. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that eating too much licorice can lead to dangerous drops in potassium levels:"...black licorice contains the compound glycyrrhizin, which is the sweetening compound derived from licorice root," the agency explains on its website. "Glycyrrhizin can cause potassium levels in the body to fall. When that happens, some people experience abnormal heart rhythms, as well as high blood pressure, edema (swelling), lethargy, and congestive heart failure."Research out of the University of Massachusetts also found that eating too much licorice can actually harm one's hormone profile as opposed to balancing it. The adrenals can become overwhelmed, this research suggests, potentially leading to a blood condition known as pseudoaldosteronism, or Liddle's syndrome, that can lead to hypertension.For this reason, it is recommended that people at risk of this condition choose deglycyrrhizinated licorice, or DGL, rather than full-spectrum licorice. For everyone else, natural licorice not the artificial kind sold as candy, by the way is a great supplemental herb for cancer prevention, especially when used in conjunction with other anti-cancer foods and herbs "In traditional Chinese medicine, licorice is often used in herbal formulas to harmonize the effects of other herbs," explains the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Here are 15 tips to break the stronghold of depression, whatever form it manifests. (NaturalNews) Depression comes in many forms and is experienced differently from one individual to the next. Depression can be caused by spiritual, mental, or emotional factors and can be exacerbated by specific experiences. It can be of biological origin, of nutrient deficiency or even hormone changes. Modern psychiatry treats depression as a serotonin deficiency. The common "anti-depressant" drugs ( SSRIs ) attempt to change how the brain uses serotonin, but this singular mode manipulation often leads to more serious consequences. Serotonin levels are only an indicator, just a symptom. The root problems of depression often go ignored.Some of the most depressed individuals also have some of the most comfortable lives. Never before in history have humans been able to access information at the touch of screen, communicate with other people in seconds, eat out, and travel. Even with all the conveniences, people are depressed like never before. This is because we do not appreciate what we have. Sometimes the body needs to endure hard, physical labor in order to appreciate again. This also lets the body get a deep restful sleep that resets the mind.If your depression seems to hinge on your life situation, remember that people throughout history had to survive much tougher situations than you and they are the reason why you are here today. Be thankful.It's not always easy, but it's worth it.There are species of bacteria that are designed to live symbiotically within the human gut to protect the blood and the blood-brain barrier from incoming toxin threats. Fermented foods help establish the diversity and strength of the human microbiome. Apple cider vinegar with the mother enzymes combined with prebiotic-rich raw honey is a great tonic to take daily to re-establish healthy gut bacteria. Probiotics are a key ingredient to your inner resilience.These drugs indiscriminately deplete the body of both infectious bacteria and the beneficial co-hosts that make up the all-important microbiome. Researchers are now calling the microbiome the "third brain" because of the bacteria's role in protecting the brain and maintaining homeostasis of important brain chemistry.Like antibiotics, glyphosate interrupts the life cycle of commensal bacteria species in the gut. If the microbiome is continuously assaulted, the mind and body go unprotected and are more readily influenced by toxic elements that are sure to enter the body.A hormonal shift can be the baseline factor for your mood swings, low libido, or depression . There are numerous endocrine disrupting chemicals assaulting the body on a daily basis. Limit your exposure to plastics, herbicides, and cosmetic chemicals. Consume a raw root like Siberian ginseng (male) or dong quai (female) to assist the body's ability to maintain hormonal homeostasis. Fenugreek seeds and chaste berries also produce a hormone-balancing effect.Vitamin D is naturally produced within the skin after you are exposed to sunlight. Vitamin D strengthens human immunity and activates happiness in the brain. Most people are vitamin D deficient, especially in the winter months. A good Vitamin D supplement could change your outlook and erase pessimistic, depressing thoughts.The minerals that are missing from depleted, over-farmed soils are essential for the mind to function. Selenium, chromium, magnesium, zinc, and all the B vitamins are important for a strong mind. A healthy brain also requires healthy fats, so omega-3s are important, too.The cadence of our modern lifestyle is often hurried and stressful. Our bodies have learned to breathe shallowly and therefore we are starved of oxygen. Taking time out to deep breathe is essential for clearing the mind. Likewise, getting out in nature can change your outlook for the day.Music therapy is now being used in nursing homes to lift the spirits of elders. Music can excite old memories and experiences. The frequencies of music have a noticeable effect on the mind.CBDs from cannabis strengthen the nervous system. Rhodiola, passionflower, and skullcap herb all fight depression where it counts. Oat straw and lavender tea is calming. St. Johns Wort herb is a safer mood elevating intervention than SSRIs.A support network with common spiritual ties is a key component for long term happiness. This can be found in a marriage, in raising a family, or could come from church groups or other spiritual gatherings. Showing empathy and compassion for one another is vital in any community if the feelings are real and genuine.Don't let other people's words upset you or define you. You are in control of your emotions. Don't let a doctor pin you with a condition or a psychiatric diagnosis label. You are responsible for your reactions in any situation. Even emotions such as anger or sadness can be used as motivation to change a situation for the better. If the situation cannot be changed, don't dwell on it, forgive, and let go. Sometimes darkness can show us the light. How to instantly make the entire lying mainstream media irrelevant... Bypass the swamp entirely by announcing news to the REAL free press in America CNN is dangerous to America... it needs to be made extinct (NaturalNews) Dear Donald Trump: As long as we're draining the swamp, let's alsowith all the other swamp scum.It's time tofrom the White House press corps. Why give these hateful, anti-American propaganda rags direct access to you, your travel plans and your administration? They aren't going to play nice, you know. They're only going to use their access to you towhile deliberately attempting to destroy you.Here's how to turn all this around and...All you have to do is, and make all your announcements directly to the independent media and the American people.DENY the mainstream media access to you and your administration. Instead, distribute a list of "approved independent media" contacts to the members of your administration. That list should be made entirely of... you know, the ones that helped you win the election!Those organizations, ironically, are all the ones the lying Washington Post ridiculously accused of being run by the Russian government . They knowingly fabricated the entire story, of course, naming Matt Drudge, Alex Jones, Paul Craig Roberts, Project Veritas, Wikileaks and Natural News as being Russian propaganda fronts. (I don't even know how to speak Russian... but I do speak TEXAN!)It turns out these are all the organizations that will. We, the independent media , are comprised of intelligent, patriotic and highly diverse Americans who have battled our way to the top of the internet by exposing the lies and corruption of broken government., the real free press of America, and we are not run by (or funded by) George Soros, powerful special interests or foreign governments.It's a beautiful strategy: Just distribute your announcements and news to the independent media first, followed by the mainstream media a few hours later. The independent media will be the first to publish your stories, rendering the dishonest mainstream media increasingly irrelevant.Sites like Drudge, InfoWars, Natural News, Activist Post, Liberty Blitzkrieg and over a hundred others are ready to report honest news while helping protect and defend the Republic from the communist-leaning, race-baiting lunatic leftists running CNN and the Washington Post.I built a search engine to search the independent media, by the way: It's called GoodGopher.com and it excludes all the mainstream media liars and news fabrication propagandists working for CNN, WashPost, NYT, MSNBC and so on. We already have an authoritative list of who's who in the independent media. Compiling a contact list would only take a day or two.Radio hosts like Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin should also be in your first wave contact list. People like Hannity and Savage, going to bat for you during the long campaign. It was the broad support of influential, conservative radio hosts that helped make your victory possible.Remember how CNN cheated during the debates and gave the debate questions to Hillary Clinton well in advance? Remember how all the lying leftist news outlets deliberately tried to make Trump rallies look tiny while staging Clinton rallies in ways that exaggerated her attendee numbers?Notice how the Trump rally "violence" was all staged by the left, working in collusion with CNN, NPR and the NYT to falsely blame Donald J. Trump for everything?In staging all those falsehoods, media showed its true colors. The mainstream media is your enemy, and they will do anything and everything to destroy you. They have no intention of honestly reporting any news at all. Their entire mission now is to destroy your presidency, your reputation and your influence. Why let them into the White House at all?It's time to deprive those lying, deceptive media outlets of all the oxygen in the room.. Bring in the real media... the independent publishers, radio hosts and bloggers who are truly the only remaining free press in America.We all have teams of writers, video editors, bloggers and researchers ready to report the real news about the successes of your new administration. We willand help defend the Republic against the assaults of the Fidel Castro-worshipping lunatic fringe left.My own network of online sites includes Trump.news, WhiteHouse.news and hundreds of others. Combined with Infowars.com, PrisonPlanet.com, DrudgeReport.com and others, we already dwarf most of the mainstream media outlets in terms of reach. We absolutely dwarf all mainstream media in terms of the public trust factor.It's time toonce and for all. The network doesn't deserve to operate in any free society (but they might feel right at home in North Korea). And it's time to support the rise of the new, independent media in America. Kellogg's helping fund anti-cop, anti-white groups rooted in racial hatred Stop the HATE. Boycott all Kellogg's brands and products (NaturalNews) When you buy Kellogg's products, you may be funneling money into the kind of hate-based operations associated with people who advocate killing cops in America. A Breitbart.com investigation found that "W.K. Kellogg Foundation has partnered with and given major donations to George Soross Open Society Institute and the Tides Center as part of its massive push to promote a far-left agenda."George Soros, often described as an "international terrorism money man," is a key funding source for numerous radical, left-wing, anti-American groups such as Black Lives Matter which openly advocates executing police officers. (See video below for proof.)As documented on TruthWiki's George Soros page All across American society,. Apparently, Kellogg's thinks this is all just dandy, because they're giving money to George Soros organizations like Open Society Institute and the Tides Center. This means thatthat plays right into the hands of truly evil globalists like Soros.The racial hatred, division and anti-white racism that's funded by Kellogg's is, of course, described as "racial justice." As Breitbart explains:"Racial justice," of course, means "executing white cops" to the radical left that's funded by George Soros (and Kellogg's). That's why you get Black Lives Matter protesters chanting violent threats against police such as "Pigs in a blanket, fry 'em like bacon!"When you purchase Kellogg's products, which include Kashi, Pop-Tarts, Mueslix, Raisin Bran, Smart Start and All-Bran, you arevia George Soros "racial justice" groups that call for the open killing of law enforcement officers.Keep that in mind the next time you're shopping. And if that's not reason enough, just realize that Kellogg's productsand other junk ingredients linked to chronic disease. (Natural News) Ask yourself one massively important question please: Why are flu shots free, when no other kind of medicine or drug is free, anywhere, anytime? Well? Were waiting for your answer. Are you guessing because your government just wants nothing more than for you to be healthy and avoid the flu? Wrong. So then, what is the answer? Could it be that the flu shot itself causes so much sickness and disparity health-wise that simply by dishing out toxic medicine for free, tens of millions of Americans end up seeking expensive healthcare treatment directly caused by the mercury, aluminum, and formaldehyde in influenza vaccines? Nary a human being can fathom just how HUGE the U.S. vaccine market really is, nor the fact that drug companies work in conjunction with the US government to reap the profits from the chronic sick care required to treat the damage that inoculations inflict on adults, teens, children, infants, and yes, pregnant mothers. Fact: The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has accumulated $3.5 billion in vaccine tax revenue thats all sitting in a slush fund called the Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund. This fund is used to keep parents quite after their children are violently injured from vaccine toxins that can literally destroy the central nervous system, the immune system and the brain. Where does the money come from, you ask? Theres a $0.75 excise tax on all the vaccinesthe ones that the CDC recommends, and also the ones that are force-vaccinated (at gunpoint should you refuse) on the children of California (who cannot attend public or private school if they dont get jabbed). Thats right, the taxpayers are forced to pay into a slush fund that in turn pays for just a small portion of the injuries to innocent children that are crippled by vaccine toxins. How exciting! Also, with your tax dollars, the government hires the countrys top attorneys to litigate against you in their own special court if you try to sue them for compensation when your kids are maimed or killed by immunizations. How ironic, huh? How much does your lawyer cost? Some families fight this special court for ten years just to get some compensation. Welcome to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Why did Congress create this scam of a program? Answer: There were so many huge lawsuits for injuries and deaths from vaccines that the drug manufacturers were literally losing money. Imagine that. So instead of forcing the vaccine makers to actually make safer vaccines, such as taking out the mercury, aluminum, MSG, formaldehyde, human albumin, and genetically modified ingredients, Congress simply granted all vaccine makers immunity from civil litigation. What a country! Certain flu shots, like Fluluval, have been proven in scientific laboratories to contain 25,000 times more mercury than the EPA allows in drinking water. Go figure. This highly toxic preservative is injected into muscle tissue, thus bypassing all human normal defense mechanisms of filtration, including the lungs, skin, and digestive processes. Even your filtering organs dont get a chance. Vaccine toxins cross the blood/brain barrier and do chronic damage, especially to infants and children. Why do you think autism rates spiked from 1 in 10,000 kids twenty years ago to 1 in 68 today? The GAO (General Accounting Office) of the Federal Government reports the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program pays out only about $350 million yearly from their slush fund. How much is your childs life and health worth? Take a big guess now why the slush fund is so padded? The reason is because autism spectrum disorder has been taken OFF the list of vaccine injuries that can be compensated for from this massive slush fund. Thats like medical insurance that doesnt cover cancer, heart attack, diabetes, stroke or dementia. According to records, more than 40% of cases filed in the special vaccine court represented autism cases. Which vaccines cause the most cases of autism? The beloved MMR and MMR II (measles, mumps, rubella combo jab). For every million doses of vaccine injected into naive Americans, only one person will be compensated for injury By the way, in case you are unaware, there are filing deadlines for vaccine injuries also. If you dont file for injury within 3 years, you have no rights. If you dont file for death from vaccine within 2 years no more rights! Many medical doctors and pediatricians alike know that too many vaccines given too close together cause horrific neurological disorders, central nervous system failures, and permanent brain damage, not to mention auto-immune disorders where your body essentially attacks itself. These doctors can never say a word about this or the AMA and CDC will take away their medical license faster than you can say,Autism spectrum disorder. Save yourself and your children the nightmare of chronic health conditions literally caused by the toxins in todays vaccines and flu shots. You can build immunity to infectious diseases, colds, bacteria and viruses by simply buying organic natural remedies like medicinal mushrooms, garlic, oil of oregano, licorice root, cinnamon, aloe, chlorella, vitamin D, and turmeric. Sources: HRSA.gov HealthImpactNews.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com TV.NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) PECO is the biggest electric and natural gas provider in Philadelphia and a subsidiary of the Exelon Corporation, the largest provider of energy in the nation. Since 2012, PECO has been rolling out Smart Meters to just over 2 million Pennsylvania customers. PECO declares that using smart meters will give faster, more convenient service, which will allow the company to detect problems faster, and identify potentially dangerous situations. PECO makes no mention of the DNA damaging health affects of smart meters, like the bursts of EMF radiation that can cause cancer. Catherine Frompovich is a retired nutritionist with many advanced degrees in the holistic sciences. She is also a writer and breast cancer survivor who is fighting PECOs AMI Smart Meter mandate in her Philadelphia home. As reported by Naturalblaze.com, Ms. Frompovich recently gave testimony to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commissions Administrative Law Court. She presented evidence from other EMF researchers who confirmed the 24/7 presence of radiation frequency (RF) and electromagnetic radiation (EMF) is similar to the cell phone cancer-causing technology that would be detrimental to her health: . . . Smart meters and cell phones occupy similar frequency bands of the electromagnetic spectrum . . There is building evidence that the [smart meters] sharp, high intensity pulses are particularly harmful, [and] the cell phone study findings are applicable . . . Without an opt-out provision, the threat of no electric service and the forced health dangers from smart meters, Frompovich also believes her personal freedom is at stake. As part of her testimony, she refers to Pennsylvania states constitution which proclaims a citizens inherent rights to defend life and liberty. There are other constitutional infringements from smart meters that Frompovich doesnt address the loss of privacy, data mining and yielding control of your energy. Abby Martin from Breaking the Set calls smart meters little surveillance units and gives this report about their snooping. Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) in California, offers an opt-out for customers who dont want smart meters, but like PECO, they do not inform customers of their inherent dangers. Mechanical engineer Rob Smart, M.S., gives an excellent overview of those EMF spiking waves and the serious health effects in his presentation called The Dark Side of Smart Meters. With the continual assault of EMF, its essential to remain informed. Electricsense.com and StopSmartGrid.org are two excellent sources of information to help protect your family. Sources: Peco.com Peco.com Science.NaturalNews.com Vimeo.com NaturalBlaze.com YouTube.com YouTube.com Thursday, December 01, 2016 by: JD Heyes Tags: Australia , chemical weapon , NaturalNews.com , thunderstorm asthma This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author (Natural News) You wont hear much about it in the global establishment media, but thousands of Australians have been hospitalized in recent days with more than six dying as a result of what some think could be a biological warfare experiment gone awry. According to a few locally published reports, including one from The Sydney Morning Herald, the phenomenon that sent some 8,500 people to the hospital (and a few to the morgue) is called thunderstorm asthma, which overwhelmed ambulance and emergency services with respiratory problems and sudden shortness of breath associated with the condition. On a recent Friday afternoon, the paper reported, department of health officials noted that a number of people remained hospitalized in intensive care because of the outbreak, with five being listed as critical. In all, the department said the bulk of the 8,500-plus Australians who went to Victorian hospitals on the following Monday and Tuesday were admitted due to breathing problems. The stormy weather conditions caused pollen to literally explode in the air, which affected people across the state, especially those with histories of lung problems and asthma. This must be a rare event because nobody planned for it On Tuesday, officials with Ambulance Victoria said the service received almost 2,000 calls for help during a five-hour period the previous Monday night, or about six times their normal call load. The paper said officials confirmed that two people died after ambulances took 15 and 31 minutes respectively to reach them. Families grieving over the loss of loved ones are now openly questioning whether the disaster was predictable, and whether government officials and weather forecasters missed out on the opportunity to warn the public. Also, Australians are questioning whether the ambulance service should have told people to drive affected loved ones to hospitals on their own because of delays. Jill Hennessy, the health minister for Victoria, said overwhelmed emergency services were not immediately certain what they were dealing with as calls poured in and demand for assistance from other services and, most likely off-duty personnel, soared. When we have one bomb go off, we know what were dealing with, she told local media. But when there were so many people calling for ambulances about one call every 4.5 seconds at the outbreaks peak it was like having 150 bombs going off right across a specific part of metropolitan Melbourne. She added that was a scenario that the service and the health department never planned for. That means what happened is very rare; it would have to be, otherwise emergency services and the countrys health agencies would most certainly have practiced how to respond and would have had a protocol in place. Something doesnt add up here So, what exactly is thunderstorm asthma? According to the Sydney Morning Herald, it is a health emergency that occurs following a sudden change in weather with specific additional conditions present, apparently. The paper said that hot, dry weather drove Melbournes temperature up shortly before a thunderstorm broke out after about 6 p.m. local time. The storm and associated heavy rains caused rye grass pollen to absorb moisture and then burst, which dispersed smaller pollen particles in the air to become trapped in peoples lungs. That sudden pollen load then caused the wave of thousands of victims to suffer breathing issues and even cardiac arrest. The ambulance demand was so great that Ambulance Victoria officials were forced to call in firefighters, police officers and non-emergency patient vehicles as well as doctors trained in disasters to get them in the field to treat and transport acutely ill patients. Strangely missing from the Morning Heralds piece was any information on just how rare this event is, which makes it suspicious. Some, including The Daily Sheeple, believe there may be something more sinister at play here. They may be right. Sources: SMH.com.au TheDailySheeple.com (Natural News) Breitbart.com, with a massive reader base of 45 million fans, has just announced a massive boycott of all Kelloggs brands. Its not over GMOs, however. Breitbart.com doesnt focus on food, herbicides or genetic engineering. Their focus is politics, and over the last two years, theyve risen to become the No. 1 most credible political news publisher in America (while the lying mainstream media collapses in both credibility and readership). But Kelloggs corporatist snowflakes who are clearly behaving as intolerant, politically correct safe space protectionists have decided that Breitbart.com doesnt reflect Kelloggs values. Article republished from NaturalNews.com Kelloggs, in other words, has become genetically modified junk food for leftists. And thats freaking hilarious, because its progressives who are the most concerned about GMOs in the first place. If anyone is scientifically ignorant enough to eat Kelloggs products, youd think it would be a certain subgroup of conservatives who tend to know nothing about the dangers of agricultural chemicals, glyphosate, genetic pollution and GMOs. But nope! Now Kelloggs has decided it doesnt like conservative viewpoints such as supporting freedom, liberty and the U.S. Constitution so its going to feed GMOs to clueless liberals instead. #DumpKelloggs already trending 120,000 sign the Breitbart petition Breitbart.com reports: In response, Breitbart News, one of the worlds top news publishers, has launched a #DumpKelloggs petition and called for a boycott of the ubiquitous food manufacturer. The petition is found at this link. Interestingly, Natural News readers boycotted Kelloggs over a year ago for the company funneling money into state legislative efforts to defeat GMO labeling. Kelloggs was one of the many food giants that handed money over to the money-laundering GMA (Grocery Manufacturers of American), which knowingly and deliberate violate state laws in Washington to defeat a GMO labeling bill there. The Washington State Attorney General later fined the GMA $18 million for its willful violation of campaign finance laws. Kelloggs took part in all that, making it an accomplice to criminal money laundering. Apparently, that sort of behavior reflects Kelloggs company values most of all. Kelloggs would rather do business with a criminal money laundering GMA than provide advertising support to a liberty-oriented, pro-America news publisher like Breitbart. That tells you a lot about the values of the Kelloggs company, doesnt it? By pulling its ads from Breitbart, Kelloggs is engaging in an act of discrimination and intense prejudice, says the Breitbart.com petition: Breitbart news is the largest platform for pro-family content anywhere on the Internet. We advocate for traditional American values, perhaps most important among them is freedom of speech. For Kelloggs, an iconic American brand, to blacklist Breitbart News in order to placate left-wing totalitarians is a disgraceful act of cowardice. They insult our incredibly diverse staff and spit in the face of our 45,000,000 highly engaged, highly perceptive, highly loyal readers, many of whom are Kelloggs customers. Boycotting mainstream American ideas is an act of discrimination and intense prejudice. If you serve Kelloggs products to your family, you are serving up bigotry at your breakfast table. With Kelloggs, youre also serving up a huge heap of GMOs, pesticides, herbicides and other toxic agricultural chemicals found in numerous Kelloggs products. Yes, this is true even with Kashi branded products, which are positioned to make them falsely appear to be incredibly healthy when, in reality, theyre just more junk cereal products offered by a dishonest, intolerant, America-hating corporation rooting in delusional leftism. Now both progressives and conservatives have good reasons to boycott Kelloggs The upshot of all this is that informed progressives are boycotting Kelloggs due to GMOs and collusion with the GMA, while informed conservatives are boycotting Kelloggs due to the Breitbart.com situation. Now, people on both sides of the political aisle have good reason to boycott Kelloggs. Which brings us all to the question: Who, then, is still buying and eating Kelloggs products? Only the dumbest members of society who are totally clueless about everything. Kelloggs, in other words, has become breakfast cereal for retards. (And by that, I mean no offense to those who have suffered brain damage due to no fault of their own, such as children damaged by vaccines.) Seriously, the next time youre in line at the grocery store, and you see someone buying a bunch of Kelloggs products, just take a closer look at the person (if you dare), and try to guesstimate just how low their IQ is. You almost cant guess low enough Some of Kelloggs brands to boycott include: Kelloggs Frosted Flakes Kelloggs Nutri-Grain Pop-Tarts Rice Krispies Cheez-It Kashi Eggo Frosted Mini-Wheats Cocoa Krispies Morningstar Farms Famous Amos Kelloggs Corn Flakes Kelloggs Honey Smacks cereal Corn Pops Mothers Cookies Keebler Company Smart Start Froot Loops Kelloggs Raisin Bran Low Fat Granola Fruit Flavored Snacks Apple Jacks Cracklin Oat Bran Mueslix Smart Start Smorz Kelloggs Raisin Bran Krave Crispix All-Bran Apple Jacks Crunchmania Read more at: NaturalNews.com (Natural News) The new report, The Great Palm Oil Scandal, released Wednesday, investigates labour exploitation on plantations in Indonesia that provide palm oil to Wilmar, which is the worlds largest processor and merchandiser of palm and lauric (palm kernel) oils and controls over 43% of the global palm oil trade. (Article by Joel B. Pollak, republished from Breitbart.com) Wilmar provides palm oil to Kelloggs and other producers of consumer goods. The report states: Amnesty International found serious human rights abuses on the plantations of Wilmar and its suppliers. These included forced labour and child labour, gender discrimination, as well as exploitative and dangerous working practices that put the health of workers at risk. To document the use of child labor, Amnesty International interviewed workers, including several children. It concludes: Some children started working from the age of eight years onwards and all were below 15 years of age. Most of the children help their parents in the afternoons, after attending school, and on weekends and holidays. However, some children have dropped out of schools and work for all or most of the day. Children carry heavy loads, as they have to carry sacks of loose fruits and some transport wheelbarrows full of heavy palm fruit bunches over uneven terrain and narrow bridges. They run the risk of injuries from repetitive movements, carrying heavy loads and from working in an environmental where they are exposed to chemicals. The company did not deny that children had been seen at work, but said that it discouraged the practice. Amnesty International describes that response as insufficient, and says the company may be breaking the law. In addition, Amnesty International found evidence of forced labor specifically involving women: Amnesty International documented cases of foremen threatening women workers in plant maintenance units with not being paid or having their pay deducted in order to exact work from them. It also reports that some of Wilmars subsidiaries do not pay workers a daily minimum wage if they fail to meet their harvesting quotas. Amnesty International points the finger directly at Kelloggs, among other companies, saying that it is sourcing palm oil from refineries where the palm oil has been directly supplied or, at the very least, been mixed with palm oil produced on plantations where there are severe labour rights abuses. The organization reports that neither Kelloggs nor any of the other companies had done enough due diligence to determine that child labor was being used in their supply chain. Kelloggs specifically declined to take any action until next year, partly because it never studied labor practices at Wilmar: Kelloggs referred to using an audit program to review its suppliers facilities in high-risk categories or high-risk regions. However, the company revealed that both palm oil and Wilmar will only be assessed in 2017 as part of its Global Supplier Code of Conduct. This indicates that to date no human rights due diligence has been conducted on Wilmar. The companys response to Amnesty International is included on the organizations website. In it, Kelloggs says that it respects human rights and only uses palm oil from Wilmar in Pringles sold in China. Kelloggs purchased Pringles from Procter & Gamble in 2012, and Wilmar has been an essential partner for Kelloggs in China. The Pringles brand is essential to Kelloggs overall growth and profitability. In its most recent quarterly report, Kelloggs states that Pringles sales in the Asia/Pacific market continued to grow at a double-digit rate, despite decreased sales of other Kelloggs products elsewhere. Amnesty urges consumers to be informed about Kelloggs products that may use palm oil from child labor sources: Kelloggs uses palm oil in products like CrunchyNut clusters, Pop Tarts and Nutri-Grain. However it denied that the palm oil in these products comes from Wilmar. Kelloggs confirmed that Pringles in China are made using palm oil from Wilmar and from a refinery linked to the plantations Amnesty International investigated. Chinese Pringles are made by a joint Kelloggs-Wilmar joint venture. The organization also urges consumers to spread awareness. CALL ON KELLOGGS TO STOP CHILD LABOUR IN PALM OIL, the website says, urging supporters to Tweet this now!: I dont want my favourite brands to use #palmoil that supports child labour. @KelloggsUS will you protect workers in Indonesia? The Amnesty International report also urges Kelloggs immediately to exercise proper due diligence; to pressure Wilmar to stop using child labor and other exploitative practices; and to compensate the victims, among other actions. Peter Frankental, Amnesty Internationals business and human rights programme director, told the UK Independent: You can be sure that if one of these companies products were contaminated and had to be taken off the shelves of supermarkets, they would ensure that they could trace the source to specific plantations. The brutal truth is that human rights abuse in the supply chain is not viewed as a quality control issue, but it should be. Products containing human rights abuses should be viewed as defective. In an official response to the report, as reported by Canadas National Post, Wilmar stated: We acknowledge that there are ongoing labor issues in the palm oil industry, and these issues could affect any palm company operating in Indonesia. Read more at: Breitbart.com Keep that in mind the next time youre shopping. And if thats not reason enough, just realize that Kelloggs products also contain GMOs, glyphosate, pesticides, corn syrup and other junk ingredients linked to chronic disease. When you purchase Kelloggs products, which include Kashi, Pop-Tarts, Meuslix, Raisin Bran, Smart Start and All-Bran, you are financially supporting HATE in America via George Soros racial justice groups that call for the open killing of law enforcement officers. Racial justice, of course, means executing white cops to the radical left thats funded by George Soros (and Kelloggs). Thats why you get Black Lives Matter protesters chanting violent threats against police such as Pigs in a blanket, fry em like bacon! Another W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant in 2016 gave over $380,000 to Tides in order to: Provide updated publications/tools describing the state of grantmaking with a racial equity/racial justice lens, including insights to support grantmaking considerations at the program officer and institutional levels, through support of the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity. The racial hatred, division and anti-white racism thats funded by Kelloggs is, of course, described as racial justice. As Breitbart explains: All across American society, George Soros is funding racial division, hatred and social unrest . Apparently, Kelloggs thinks this is all just dandy, because theyre giving money to George Soros organizations like Open Society Institute and the Tides Center. This means that buying Pop-Tarts is an act of racial hatred that plays right into the hands of truly evil globalists like Soros. Soros funded the Ferguson protest movement, after the death of Michael Brown, on TV and on the streets. The liberal billionaire forged a political machine that impacts American politics and policy and mobilizes protest groups to spread hate propaganda across the US. Through years of funding, Soros injected more than $30 million to embolden on-the-ground activists in Ferguson and also gave rise to the combustible protest movement after the criminal event in Missouri. George Soros, often described as an international terrorism money man, is a key funding source for numerous radical, left-wing, anti-American groups such as Black Lives Matter which openly advocates executing police officers. (See video below for proof.) ( Natural News ) When you buy Kelloggs products, you may be funneling money into the kind of hate-based operations associated with people who advocate killing cops in America. A Breitbart.com investigation found that W.K. Kellogg Foundation has partnered with and given major donations to George Soross Open Society Institute and the Tides Center as part of its massive push to promote a far-left agenda. About the author: Mike Adams (aka the Health Ranger) is a best selling author (#1 best selling science book on Amazon.com called Food Forensics), an environmental scientist, a patent holder for a cesium radioactive isotope elimination invention, a multiple award winner for outstanding journalism, a science news publisher and influential commentator on topics ranging from science and medicine to culture and politics. Follow his videos, podcasts, websites and science projects at the links below. Mike Adams serves as the founding editor of NaturalNews.com and the lab science director of an internationally accredited (ISO 17025) analytical laboratory known as CWC Labs. There, he was awarded a Certificate of Excellence for achieving extremely high accuracy in the analysis of toxic elements in unknown water samples using ICP-MS instrumentation. Adams is also highly proficient in running liquid chromatography, ion chromatography and mass spectrometry time-of-flight analytical instrumentation. He has also achieved numerous laboratory breakthroughs in the programming of automated liquid handling robots for sample preparation and external standards prep. The U.S. patent office has awarded Mike Adams patent NO. US 9526751 B2 for the invention of Cesium Eliminator, a lifesaving invention that removes up to 95% of radioactive cesium from the human digestive tract. Adams has pledged to donate full patent licensing rights to any state or national government that needs to manufacture the product to save human lives in the aftermath of a nuclear accident, disaster, act of war or act of terrorism. He has also stockpiled 10,000 kg of raw material to manufacture Cesium Eliminator in a Texas warehouse, and plans to donate the finished product to help save lives in Texas when the next nuclear event occurs. No independent scientist in the world has done more research on the removal of radioactive elements from the human digestive tract. Adams is a person of color whose ancestors include Africans and American Indians. He is of Native American heritage, which he credits as inspiring his Health Ranger passion for protecting life and nature against the destruction caused by chemicals, heavy metals and other forms of pollution. Adams is the author of the worlds first book that published ICP-MS heavy metals analysis results for foods, dietary supplements, pet food, spices and fast food. The book is entitled Food Forensics and is published by BenBella Books. In his laboratory research, Adams has made numerous food safety breakthroughs such as revealing rice protein products imported from Asia to be contaminated with toxic heavy metals like lead, cadmium and tungsten. Adams was the first food science researcher to document high levels of tungsten in superfoods. He also discovered over 11 ppm lead in imported mangosteen powder, and led an industry-wide voluntary agreement to limit heavy metals in rice protein products. In addition to his lab work, Adams is also the (non-paid) executive director of the non-profit Consumer Wellness Center (CWC), an organization that redirects 100% of its donations receipts to grant programs that teach children and women how to grow their own food or vastly improve their nutrition. Through the non-profit CWC, Adams also launched Nutrition Rescue, a program that donates essential vitamins to people in need. Click here to see some of the CWC success stories. With a background in science and software technology, Adams is the original founder of the email newsletter technology company known as Arial Software. Using his technical experience combined with his love for natural health, Adams developed and deployed the content management system currently driving NaturalNews.com. He also engineered the high-level statistical algorithms that power SCIENCE.naturalnews.com, a massive research resource featuring over 10 million scientific studies. Adams is well known for his incredibly popular consumer activism video blowing the lid on fake blueberries used throughout the food supply. He has also exposed strange fibers found in Chicken McNuggets, fake academic credentials of so-called health gurus, dangerous detox products imported as battery acid and sold for oral consumption, fake acai berry scams, the California raw milk raids, the vaccine research fraud revealed by industry whistleblowers and many other topics. Adams has also helped defend the rights of home gardeners and protect the medical freedom rights of parents. Adams is widely recognized to have made a remarkable global impact on issues like GMOs, vaccines, nutrition therapies, human consciousness. In addition to his activism, Adams is an accomplished musician who has released over fifteen popular songs covering a variety of activism topics. Click here to read a more detailed bio on Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, at HealthRanger.com. Find more science, news, commentary and inventions from the Health Ranger at: Brighteon.com: Brighteon.com/channel/hrreport Diaspora: (uncensored social network) Share.NaturalNews.com GAB: GAB.com/healthranger Podcasts: HealthRangerReport.com Online store: HealthRangerStore.com #1 Bestselling Science Book Food Forensics: FoodForensics.com iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-health-ranger-report/id1063165791 SoundCloud: Soundcloud.com/healthranger Health Rangers science lab CWClabs.com Health Ranger bio HealthRanger.com TruthWiki.org Search engine: Webseed.com After months of uncertainty during the campaign season, employers finally know that Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States. The Trump administration, which takes power on Jan. 20, 2017, will likely bring fundamental changes to immigration law and policy. Although many of the details remain uncertain, employers who act now and remain up to date on current developments will have a significant competitive advantage. Work Authorization (I-9 Compliance) President-elect Trump promised to repeal the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides work authorization for almost 1 million undocumented individuals who came to the United States as children. Repealing DACA will cause almost 1 million workers currently in the labor force to have work authorization that cannot be renewed. An employer that does not have standardized procedures to reverify the work authorization of existing employees risks employing individuals without work authorization. Given the new administration will likely increase enforcement, employers should be particularly vigilant to avoid employing individuals without work authorization. Heres what an employer can do to prepare: 1. Review internal procedures to reverify employment authorization. Remember that you cannot reverify the employment authorization of all employees. Reverifying the employment authorization of all employees could subject employers to liability in a lawsuit alleging document abuse. Speak to your attorney or human resources professional before reverifying. 2. Conduct an internal audit. Select employee files at random to determine if human resource professionals have properly verified employment authorization and documented the need for reverification. 3. Large employers should consider purchasing software to track employees who require reverification of work authorization Optional Practical Training Immigration laws provide work authorization for optional practical training (OPT) to foreign national students who graduate from a U.S. school. Students are ordinarily eligible for 12 months of post-graduation OPT. Students with degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) can receive work authorization for an additional 24 months. Immigration laws do not impose minimum wages on students working under OPT. Under the administration of President Barack Obama, the STEM OPT was justified by citing a shortage of American workers with STEM degrees. The Obama administration created the 24-month STEM OPT extension without the need for Congressional approvaland the Trump administration can eliminate STEM OPT without Congressional approval. Given the president-elects priority of protecting American workers, there is a high probability that the new administration will eliminate the STEM OPT extension. Indeed, the new administrations nominee for Attorney General, Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama), has described the reported shortage of American STEM graduates as a hoax. If, however, employees obtain a STEM OPT extension before the regulation is repealed, their work authorization will remain valid for 24 months. Heres what an employer can do to prepare: 1. Identify employees who have graduated in the last year and are working through post-graduation OPT. 2. Encourage eligible employees to apply for a STEM OPT extension as soon as possible. Eligible employees can apply for the STEM OPT extension up to 90 days before the current OPT employment authorization expires. Henry M. Mascia is a civil litigator and immigration attorney at Rivkin Radler LLP. As a litigator, Mascia drafts and argues appeals, and litigates a variety of civil matters in federal and state courts. As an immigration attorney, he helps corporations and individuals navigate the labyrinth of U.S. immigration law. Mascia represents clients seeking H-1B Visas for workers in specialty occupations, L Visas for intra-company transfers engaged in specialized employment, O Visas foreign nationals with extraordinary ability, E Visas for treaty traders and investors, P Visas for entertainers and athletes, and TN Visas for highly skilled Mexican and Canadian professionals. Henry also represents individuals seeking to sponsor family members to become lawful permanent residents and advises corporate clients on compliance with E-Verify and Employment Eligibility Verification, Form I-9. News Release Symrise, a leading global manufacturer of flavors and fragrances, announces the launch of a new company website, http://vanilla.symrise.com The site describes Symrises strong vanilla expertise and capabilities, which date back to when Symrise was the first company to synthesize vanillin more than 140 years ago. Emmanuel Laroche, Vice President of Symrises Marketing and Consumer Insights Group and Global Marketing Leader, stated, Because vanilla is one of Symrises core capabilities, theres every reason why it should have a dedicated website. We believe that the website can serve as a vital vanilla information resource because of its great content. Viewers of our website will learn about our role as pioneers and our ongoing creativity with breakthrough vanilla offerings. It demonstrates how we continue to live up to our reputation as an innovative, leading, worldwide supplier of this incomparable ingredient. Mr. Laroche said the new website demonstrates Symrises commitment to vanilla which begins with dedicated farmers in Madagascar. These farmers, in conjunction with R&D, flavorists, production, marketing and sales, are part of an entire vanilla team in a sustainable supply chain from Madagascar through final production. The team is committed to continually improve every aspect of vanilla development. He explained that the new website also describes Symrises extensive research and understanding of what global consumers want in products that feature vanilla as a defining ingredient. To learn more, visit Vanilla.Symrise.com. It's often believed that it's much harder to remember memories from childhood. This is why memories from being a toddler are almost impossible to remember. However, recent studies show that the right triggers can force these memories back, at least on mice. Alessio Travalgia at New York University told New Scientist that most people can't remember the first two or three years of their lives. Some that claim to do so often have inaccurate memories or based on stories people tell them. Interestingly, the really important stuff stays with us, such as how to move or communicate and what things we like. So why won't autobiographical memories stay? According to New Scientist, others say the incredible growth of new neurons during early childhood interfere with memory storage, meaning our earliest memories may be lost forever. Travalgia and his colleagues did a study on rats that they believe should also suffer from "infantile amnesia." Young, 17-day-year-old rats (which, in rat days, is about a two- to three-year-old child) could learn to associate one side of a box with shock. However, these memories would be gone within a day. Older rats that may participate in the experiment may remember these for a long time. Interestingly, the right "reminder" may help young rats remember these lost memories. Once the little rats forgot which side had the shock, they reintroduced the concept. And suddenly, their memories were back. This suggests that the memories may still be there, but they are inaccessible. Travaglia said this may apply to humans as well and that the "off days" we experience may result from the subconscious reactivation of unpleasant memories. Meaning something inside us may be forcing unpleasant memories we don't even remember we have. Andril Rudenko and Li-Huei Tsai of MIT praised the study, citing it "breaks new ground" as it shows that very early memories in mammals are not really lost but may, in fact, be latent and can be recalled later. The researchers also found out that several proteins either increased or decreased in number in the hippocampi of rats, which is vital for memory. These changes are triggered by learning and not time. One of the proteins, called BDNF, seemed to be important, since when young rats were injected with this, it prevented their memories from being lost. It seems, medically wise, this method may help children retain their first memories as well. Older people used to say the proverb that we shouldn't go to bed angry. It appears the words of wisdom hold scientific credence as a new study shows that it's harder to suppress bad memories if we sleep on them. The study reveals that there may be new and other ways to treat people with conditions such as PTSD, and it reinforces an idea that it may be possible to suppress bad memories with the opposite of sleep -- sleep deprivation. Christoph Nissen at the University of Freiburg Medical Center in Germany told New Scientist that a work such as this will spark new interest to those who want to rid of unwanted memories or memories of traumatic events. Nissen was not involved in the work. The study involves 73 male students that memorized 26 mugshots, each paired with a disturbing image such as a multilated body, a corpse or a crying child. The next day they were asked to recall the images associated with half the mugshots. The group were then directed to memorize the 26 pairs and half an hour later they again thought about half the associated images. Finally, they were asked to describe the image associated with each of the now 52 mugshots. The idea was to see if suppressing memory works better before or after sleep. The participants struggled most to forget the disturbing images were the ones that came the first day. This means that sleep may make it hard to erase bad memories. Yunzhe Liu, who worked on the study at Beijing Normal University, said that it may be possible for people to get a bad memory out of their minds by not thinking about it much and not sleeping on it. In fact, scans on the students' brains showed that different regions were involved in actively "dispelling" these images away from their heads. For instance, when they tried to forget images they learned half an hour ago, the task relied on the hippocampi or the brain's memory storage. After sleeping, the task required activity in a much more diverse set of regions. This implies that bad memories get consolidated across several brain regions during sleep, making them harder to erase. It also suggests that sleep deprivation could be used to prevent these memories from sticking around. However, another key factor may be the passage of time, not just sleep deprivation. Nissen said future research is needed to check whether the event is time-dependent or sleep-specific. The second man to walk on the moon Buzz Aldrin, despite his age, is still active with his works. However, due to a sickness, the former astronaut was evacuated from the South Pole for immediate medical treatment. Aldrin was rescued from the South Pole last Thursday, Dec. 1 after his health allegedly deteriorated from an ailment. Buzz Aldrin, the famous astronaut and the second man on the moon is 86 years-old. The senior astronaut was airlifted from the Antarctic to New Zealand in order to receive proper medical care, according to reports. After his ordeal, Aldrin is currently in stable condition today although no specific details about his sickness are available to the media. Aldrin was in the South Pole together with a BBC film crew when his condition worsened. But experts say it is common for visitors to experience sickness especially for new arrivals on the Antarctic. "The South Pole is at 10,000 feet with very thin and dry air, which can cause severe acclimatization issues in even healthy people, or trigger symptoms of a pre-existing condition," Jonathan Weber of the U.S. Antarctic Program said in an interview with Daily News. "We've seen both happen here multiple times...His condition did deteriorate, which is what prompted the evacuation," Weber added. BBC said Aldrin is visiting the Antarctica with a tourist group. Apparently, the former astronaut suffered from incurring fluids in his lungs but is very responsive to treatment. This was confirmed by his manager, Christina Korp who said in a Twitter post that Aldrin is already in 'good spirits' accompanied with the photo of Aldrin smiling though still in a hospital bed. Aldrin was airlifted to the Christchurch in New Zealand from a U.S. research center located on the Antarctic coast, according to BBC. The former astronaut allegedly made a thumb sign upon arrival signifying that he is conscious and on its way to recovery. There are no limits to what science and technology can discover especially today. NASA satellites and observatories played a big role in a huge discovery here on Earth. An ancient lost city underneath Oklahoma was unearthed, thanks to the agency's instruments. An ancient lost city was discovery underneath a forest believed to have been a refuge for native Americans. In order to make the discovery, NASA used its remote-sensing equipment called the LIDAR technology. Scientists used the instrument to analyze the site by zooming in on Oklahoma. A careful analysis of the images led to the discovery of what is believed to be a 10,500-year-old community settlement. The area remained hidden until the NASA LIDAR technology was used to inspect the area. To provide scientists with the data they needed to further study the area, NASA's LIDAR system called the Teledyne Optech Lidar produced a 3D representation of the ancient lost city in Oklahoma. The system is also capable of creating bare Earth versions for scientific purposes. A Goddard Space Flight Center engineer, George Shaw further explained how the system worked. The light detecting and ranging LIDAR system use laser pulses that bounce back when it hits obstacles. The system then will calculate the time the pulses requires before it bounced back in order to determine the distance. The system has also been incorporated in various NASA projects such as the OSIRIS-REx, according to a report. A team of scientists is already camping near the Beaver River to further delve deeper into the study of the ancient lost city found underneath, according to Daily Star. Without the help of NASA LIDAR, it would take longer for the scientists to locate the exact spot to search for signs of the ancient city that were abandoned by Native Americans. "This innovative system helps scientists to see structures or features that were so overgrown that they wouldn't be obvious at all to someone on the ground," Paul LaRoque, president of Teledyne Optech special projects division, said in a statement. LIDAR is capable of looking beyond the surface and inspecting thick layers of forestation in order to analyze the surface below and even beneath. NASA said this device has been instrumental for the agency's research and has already helped speed up a ton of researchers by allowing them to analyze structures faster. A Russian supply spacecraft headed for the International Space Station (ISS) had malfunctioned after its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Thursday morning. According to reports by the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, they had lost all communications with the spacecraft called Progress. The spacecraft was said to have broke off over Siberia. The unmanned vehicle contained 2.6 tons of food along with fuel and supplies for the astronauts aboard the ISS. While the Progress spacecraft failed to make it to the station, Roscosmos and NASA stated that the loss of supplies on the spacecraft would not affect operations of the ISS or the life of its crew. "Our astronauts and the Russian cosmonauts are safe aboard the station," stated NASA, adding, "Consumables aboard the station are at good levels." The cause of Progress spacecraft's' failure is still unclear. Yet, the specifics as to where the cargo craft had broken up have been detailed in a report. Progress had broken up at an altitude of 190 kilometers over a region in Siberia, the Russian Tuva region which borders Mongolia. Locals in the area reportedly saw a flash of light and heard a loud thud west of Kyzyl, the regional capital which is more than 2,200 miles east of Moscow. As where a Russian spacecraft launch is concerned, this is the third botched launch recorded in two years. In May 2015, a Russian cargo ship plunged into the Pacific Ocean, while in May 2014 a Proton-M rocket broke up in the atmosphere. The said rocket was carrying an advanced satellite. Despite the failed resupply mission by the Russian spacecraft, another resupply mission is scheduled for next week, which by this time, the Japanese space agency will be in charge. In addition, one resupply mission to the ISS is set for early 2017. One of NASA's twin Electra radios aboard Europe's Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) has aced its first relay test on Nov. 22. The orbiter's main radio received data transmitted by NASA's Opportunity and Curiosity rovers and was successfully relayed to Earth. This will strengthen the international telecommunications network supporting future Mars explorations, NASA said. "The arrival of ESA's Trace Gas Orbiter at Mars, with its NASA-provided Electra relay payload on board, represents a significant step forward in our Mars relay capabilities," Chad Edwards, manager of the Mars Relay Network Office within the Mars Exploration Program at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a statement. "In concert with our three existing NASA orbiters and ESA's earlier Mars Express orbiter, we now have a truly international Mars relay network that will greatly increase the amount of data that future Mars landers and rovers can return from the surface of the Red Planet." The European Space Agency's (ESA) TGO is part of the ExoMars mission - a joint project between Europe and the Russian federal space agency Roscosmos. TGO reached Mars on Oct. 19 and is well within its initial highly elliptical path around the Red Planet. According to ESA, its orbit ranges from as far as 60,000 miles above the surface to less than 200 miles, circling the planet every 4.2 days. NASA added that the frequent use of TGO's relay capability to support Mars rover operations will start more than a year from now, once the orbiter is at a 250-mile (400-kilometer) altitude circular orbit around Mars. The Electra radios include special features for relaying data from a rover or stationary lander to an orbiter passing overhead. The relay of information from surface craft to orbiters, then from orbiters to Earth, will allow space agencies to receive more data from surface missions. "We already have almost 13 years' experience using ESA's Mars Express as an on-call backup for data relay from active Mars rovers, and TGO will greatly expand this to routine science-data relay," Michel Denis, TGO flight director at ESA's European Space Operations Center in Darmstadt, Germany, said in a statement. "In 2020, TGO will extend this relay support to ESA's ExoMars rover and the Russian Surface Platform, an important capability together with its science mission that enhances the international data network at Mars." Scientists have finally solved a long-standing mystery about a flickering galaxy in the distant. According to NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory website, the galaxy, known as Markarian 1018, was once an active galaxy with an active galactic nucleus (AGN) or an extremely bright core. But Markarian 1018's AGN has been dimming over the last 30 years. Data from Chandra and other observatories suggest that the black hole at the center of the galaxy is actually starving to death. Like Markarian 1018, several other galaxies have extremely bright cores or nuclei that are powered by material falling toward a supermassive black hole. However, when the black hole is not being fed enough fuel, the AGN's light dims. According to NASA, Markarian 1018 is different because it has changed type twice, from faint to bright AGN in the 1980's and then became faint again - about eight times fainter in X-rays - between 2010 and 2016. Using data from the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) Very Large Telescope, the scientists ruled out the possibility that the increase in the brightness of the AGN was caused by a black hole eating a single star. Data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory gathered in 2010 and 2016 showed that a surrounding cloud of gas was not hiding the AGN as earlier thought. Instead, data from the Hubble Space Telescope, NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey showed that the AGN had dimmed because the black hole is starving of infalling material. The starvation is also behind the fading of the AGN X-rays. Astronomers believe that a second black hole in Markarian 1018 is disrupting the flow of material to the first black hole. According to NASA, a binary black hole is likely, as Markarian 1018 is a product of a collision and merger between two giant galaxies, each possibly containing a supermassive black hole at its core. The findings are based on two new research papers that were published in the September 2016 issue of the Astronomy & Astrophysics journal. Suffering a population decline of 30 percent in the past 25 years, African leopards may qualify the "endangered status" under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday. Last July, the Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society International (HSI), International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Fund for Animals filed a legal petition to extend the full protections of the Endangered Species Act to African leopards (Panthera pardus pardus) HIS director of the wildlife department Teresa M. Telecky, Ph.D, said in a statement, "African leopard numbers are plummeting and as the largest leopard trophy importer in the world, the United States has taken a critical step toward ensuring that our consumption does not threaten the survival of this species." In Asia and Africa, leopards are at a huge risk of extinction due to the current poaching and trophy hunting. Studies show that poorly managed trophy hunting was a key driver of leopard population decrease. Early this year, South Africa has banned trophy hunting in their lands due to the alert from its CITES Scientific Authority that the number of leopards in the country was unknown and that trophy hunting risks the survival of the species. "This is a crucial step forward in saving these imperiled animals," said Jeff Flocken, IFAW's North America regional director. "We thank the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for recognizing that enhanced protections under U.S. law may be warranted." Taken all together, the leopard meets the A2cd criterion for vulnerable based on loss of habitat and prey and exploitation. These causes of the suspected reduction are not well understood, have not ceased, and are likely to continue, and future decline is anticipated unless conservation efforts are taken. In a report from the Center for Biological Diversity, Sarah Uhlemann, international program director at the Center for Biological Diversity explained that "leopards in Asia and northern Africa have long been recognized as endangered." "And the United States must extend this same level of protection to all leopards to reverse their disturbing decline," Uhlemann added. The highest gatekeepers of Chemistry have officially accepted the new names of the four elements added to the Periodic Table of Elements. Washington Post reports thay four new elements were announced by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). After a five-month review, the chemists at IUPAC have approved the names for the four superheavy elements set to be added to the periodic table. These elements numbered 113, 115, 117, and 118 were all created in labs. The elements were first synthesized between 2002 and 2010. However, it wasn't until 2015 that the IUPAC recognized their discovery. Given the tradition of naming the elements, these should honor a place, a scientist, or a region. The four new elements and the history of their naming is as follows: Element 113: Nihonium (Nh), which is derived from the Japanese word Nihon meaning Japan. Element 115: Moscovium (Mc), which was named after Moscow as the team who discovered it was a group of Russian scientists. Element 117: Tennessine (Ts), which was named after the state Tennessee. Element 118: Oganesson (Og), which was named after Yuri Oganessian, a renowned element hunter. "Overall, it was a real pleasure to realize that so many people are interested in the naming of the new elements, including high-school students, making essays about possible names and telling how proud they were to have been able to participate in the discussions," said Jan Reedijk via Live Science, the president of the IUPAC's Inorganic Chemistry Division, adding, "It is a long process from initial discovery to the final naming, and IUPAC is thankful for the cooperation of everyone involved. For now, we can all cherish our periodic table completed down to the seventh row." According to Washington Post, as for where the element Nihonium is concerned, this is the first to be named after a Japanese origin. Kosuke Morita, a chemist at Kyushu University, is filled with "deep emotion" following the announcement of the element. Nihonium was first synthesized in 2004. However, it wasn't until 2005 that the element was recreated and again in the year 2012. The popular home-sharing website Airbnb announced new enforcement measures on Thursday for some of its European users, which could impact consumers in the U.S., including those in the Bay Area. Airbnb promised to institute tighter restrictions that would limit how often users can rent out their homes in London and Amsterdam, but it's unclear whether the company is willing to do the same in its hometown of San Francisco. The policy changes come in the wake of complaints that the fast-growing home-sharing industry has led to a decrease in full-time housing since homeowners can potentially make more money by renting out their properties to short-term visitors instead of long-term tenants. In May, the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit exposed how thousands of people across San Francisco are renting out their homes illegally, with few facing penalties. Now, Airbnb is tightening up enforcement abroad. The home-sharing company will now ban hosts in London and Amsterdam from renting out their homes for more days than their cities allow, unless hosts can prove they obtained the necessary permits to rent out their homes more frequently. Airbnb said it will use "new and automated limits on its website to restrict London users to just 90 days of hosting per year by spring 2017. Amsterdam users will be limited to only 60 days of hosting per year beginning Jan. 1. We want to be good partners, Airbnb said in a statement posted on its website as part of the announcement. [We] continue to lead our industry on this matter, and ensure home sharing grows responsibly and sustainably. As the Investigative Unit reported earlier this week, San Francisco is now among the list of cities that passed laws limiting how often people can rent out their homes on a short-term basis. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors, in a 7-3 vote, set a 60-day-a-year cap for anyone wanting to rent out their home to visitors for less than 30 days at a time. Airbnb declined to comment to the Investigative Unit on whether it is now willing to institute automated limits on its website for San Francisco rentals, similar to those that will soon be imposed on users in London and Amsterdam. Individuals wanting to rent out their San Francisco home on a short-term basis must remain the primary resident of that home. Unlike London or Amsterdam, San Francisco requires hosts to also obtain a permit regardless of how infrequently the home is rented. Hosts must register with the citys Office of Short-Term Rentals, which requires a $250 fee every two years. "We look forward to working with San Francisco on solutions and have been able to do so in other cities," said Alex Kotran, press secretary for Airbnb. "The current 60-day proposal in San Francisco merely doubles down on a system that everybody agrees is broken, and harms real people without fixing the process." While Mayor Ed Lee has until next week to decide whether to veto the bill, the Board of Supervisors is one vote shy of the super-majority needed to override the mayors veto. Meanwhile, San Francisco and Airbnb are still entangled in a bitter, months-long lawsuit involving even more regulations for the home-sharing industry. Airbnb sued the city in June to block the new legislation that would have made home-sharing companies, including Airbnb, vulnerable to hefty fines and misdemeanor penalties if they allow their users to post and book rentals that do not comply with San Franciscos rules and regulations. The new penalties remain on hold, by order of a federal judge, as the city and Airbnb attempt to work out specifics of the enforcement process. Airbnb has repeatedly voiced concerns that it could unfairly face criminal sanctions because of the citys lack of a functional verification system that can provide home-sharing companies real-time information as to which rental listings comply with the citys laws, and which need to be removed. Both sides are expected to meet privately for a second round of mediation talks on Jan. 23. ______________________________________ Watch the entire series in this NBC Bay Area investigation: San Francisco police have arrested a suspect in Wednesday's fatal shooting of a Department of Public Works employee in the Mission District. Michael Higginbotham, 26, was arrested in Vallejo on Wednesday evening on suspicion of murder in connection with the shooting earlier that day of 27-year-old Jermaine Jackson Jr., according to police. Jackson was working in the area of 25th and Vermont streets, not far from San Francisco General Hospital, when he was shot around 8 a.m., police said. He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Department of Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru said Jackson, the father of two young children, was working with a crew removing graffiti at the time of the shooting, which he called a "tragic incident." A laborer apprentice with the department since March 2015, Jackson was expected to graduate from that program next year. He had previously participated in the city's Interrupt, Predict, Organize anti-violence program and had earned his GED while in it, Nuru said. Nuru described Jackson as a "motivated, hard-working and well-liked employee." Police are asking anyone with information to call (415) 575-4444 or to send a tip by text message to TIP411 with "SFPD" at the start of the message. Hundreds of people gathered Thursday in San Francisco for the annual World AIDS Day. Many in attendance touted medical advances but also noted the fight must continue. They worry that those very advances could be in jeopardy under under a Donald Trump presidency. AIDS activists and families affected by the disease shared stories of loss and hope. Marcy Fraser was a nurse at San Francisco General Hospital as the AIDS epidemic unfolded in the 1980s. "It felt like we banded together to do what other people wouldnt do," Fraser said. "Im grateful for the progress we have made. I have a completely different understanding of what a virus is and how it works and what we dont know." Fraser joined hundreds of others in Golden Gate Park to mark significant progress in fighting AIDS and offering reminders that there is still so much at stake. John Cunningham, executive director of the National AIDS Memorial, said it's critical the progress of the past two decades doesn't get undone by a new administration. "For all of us, to realize that so many rights and so many expanded freedoms, causes of equality, that we have worked so hard for over the last 25 to 30 years are at risk, I believe its all our responsibility to make sure we hold our government accountable," Cunningham said. Among those honored at Thursdays ceremony was Ryan White, whose story many credit with getting the world to pay attention to the AIDS epidemic. Ryan contracted HIV in 1984 after a blood transfusion, and parents of his classmates who feared a then-misunderstood disease fought to have him kicked out of his Indiana school. Ryan died in 1990 at age 18. His mother accepted the award Thursday. "It's such a proud moment to remember those who have gone before Ryan, even after Ryan, people who have made a difference in the AIDS community," Jeanne White Ginder said. San Francisco moved a step closer to opening city-run health centers where intravenous drug users can shoot up heroin or other illegal drugs. The citys top public health official, Barbara Garcia, says she is open to the idea, but there are some big hurdles to clear. For one, so-called "shooting galleries" are against state law. A site has been targeted on 12th street, near the Civic Center hotel. Five months ago, it was a magnet for used syringes. Today, its a navigation center helping the homeless, the kind of center that may take in IV drug users shooting up under the supervision of public health workers. Lisa Morris is one of the hotel tenants, and she said the prospect of it becoming a safe injection site is fine with her. "Ive helped too many friends with overdoses, seen too many friends die," she said. Supervisor David Campos, who sponsored navigation centers like the one in the Mission district, said state law must be changed to allow centers to help more than the homeless. "We want to help drug users as well as neighbors," Campos said. "There are needles everywhere. The status quo hasnt worked. Let's try this." But some neighbors are skeptical. "Theyre not going to come inside," argued one neighbor, who did not want to be identified. "Wherever they are, thats where theyre going to do it." Mayor Ed Lee isnt so sure, saying "there are many issues with this ... concerns include impact on neighborhoods, medical liability, cost and long-term effectiveness." Garcia, the public health director, said if state law can be changed, the city would need several centers to deal with the estimated 22,000 IV drug users in the city. In scrubs and sweaters, staff at Kaiser Permanente-San Leandro Medical Center marched around the hospital on World AIDS Day to remember patients lost to the disease. Thursday's march was dedicated to one particular patient, Ron Chavez, who founded Grupo VIP, a support group for HIV-positive Spanish speakers based in Fremont 13 years ago. Chavez died suddenly after a stroke and other AIDS-related illnesses in September. He was 59. "He was beloved. He was saintly. His work is being carried on," said Dr. Dan Klein, an infectious disease expert who treats HIV/AIDS patients at the San Leandro hospital. Longtime friend and colleague Gustavo Fernandez said Grupo VIP has continued to meet monthly and connect HIV-positive Spanish-speakers and their families with support and services. But he misses his friend. "I'm here to honor him. I'm here as a face for the group," Fernandez said. "I've lost a lot of people, a lot of friends (to AIDS). I've lost 300 people that I've known in the community. And they're missed, and they're remembered every year and every day in everybody's hearts." Kaiser supported the Grupo VIP nonprofit with grants. Anyone who wants to get tested for HIV can visit a Kaiser facility or a community clinic. Recently-elected Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx was sworn in Thursday, becoming the first African-American woman to hold the office. Foxx was sworn in by Chief Cook County Judge Timothy Evans before a crowd that included Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Chicago police superintendent Eddie Johnson and former Gov. Pat Quinn, among others, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. During her speech Thursday, Foxx referred to her election as the journey of a lifetime. The Democrat, who was raised in the Cabrini Green housing project, beat out embattled former States Attorney Anita Alvarez in the March Democratic primary. Alvarez came under fire for her handling of the Laquan McDonald case. The Chicago teen was shot and killed by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke in October of 2014. Subsequently, Foxx soundly defeated Republican Christopher Pfannkuche in the November general election. During her swearing in Monday, Foxx claimed that hopelessness reigns throughout the country and the city of Chicago and promised "transparency and justice" as a way to shift the culture. The Democrat vowed to address the citys pervasive violence head on, outlining her plan to meet with angry members of the community and hold responsible parties accountable for their actions, no matter who they are. According to the Sun-Times, Foxx also said she plans to review police-involved shootings and how they are handled. Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a $215 million funding bill for Chicago Public Schools that would aid with the struggling districts teachers pensions, but the Illinois House adjourned Thursday evening without voting on the measure. So, whats next? The House is now expected to attempt to override the veto when they reconvene for next months lame duck session. The Illinois Senate already voted 36-16 to override the veto Thursday. If the House successfully overrides Rauners veto, the bill will be passed into law without the governor's approval. If not, the bill is dead. Rauner vetoed the measure Thursday after claiming Democratic leaders backed out of a deal to pass comprehensive pension reform by the end of the current General Assembly. Senate President John Cullerton denied that there was ever an agreement and urged Rauner to sign off on the funding Thursday before the governors veto. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called the decision to veto the pension funding bill reckless and irresponsible. Make no mistake, its our children who will pay the price, Emanuel said in a statement. The governor is lashing out, imperiling the system-wide gains earned by Chicago students and teachers, and proving just the latest example of his willingness to put the burden of his failures on the backs of the states most vulnerable citizens, whether its schoolchildren, college students, seniors, or those living with disabilities. This is no way to run a state, the mayor added. Three men were killed in a violent wrong-way collision on I-88 in suburban Naperville early Friday morning. Police say the two-vehicle accident occurred just before 1 a.m. when a 2012 Toyota Camry was travelling eastbound in the westbound lanes of I-88 and crashed into a 2007 Chrysler 300 head-on. An Illinois State Police sergeant told NBC 5 they received a 911 call from a witness who said they saw the driver of the Toyota Camry originally driving in the right direction on the interstates westbound lanes, but it then hit a wall, causing the car to spin out into the opposite side of the roadway and then it continued in the wrong direction. The 911 call came minutes before the driver of the Toyota Camry, who was traveling alone at the time, plowed into the front-end of the Chrysler head-on, police said, which had two men inside. State police said airbags were deployed in the vehicles, but they were unable to save any lives. All three were pronounced dead on the scene. Authorities identified the driver of the Toyota Camry Friday as 30-year-old Domenic Andreoni from Elgin. The men in the Chrysler were 32-year-old Ali Erhaima from Aurora and 40-year-old Shiva Inampudi from Naperville. Capt. James Stenger, the 9th Marine Corps District public affairs officer, confirmed one of the people killed in the crash was a Marine. "Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who are affected by this tragedy," Stenger said in a statement. All westbound lanes on I-88 were closed at Naperville Road for five hours as emergency responders worked to clear the debris scattered across all four lanes of the roadway from the powerful collision. Authorities were able to clear the scene around 6 a.m. to reopen the lanes to drivers. Investigators said there was no evidence of alcohol found on scene, but that is still a component of their ongoing investigation. A 73-year-old suburban father and community leader from Chicagos suburbs was killed in a drive-by shooting Friday morning on the citys West Side. Ronald Allen of Naperville was driving his black Mercedes R350 on the 1300 block of North Laramie in Chicago when police say shots were fired in his direction. Gunfire shattered both windows on the vehicles right side, police said, spraying the side of Allens body with bullets and killing him. His vehicle then went crashing into two parked cars along the side of the road, police said. Neighbors recalled to NBC 5 hearing four to five gunshots before the loud collision. Allen was a retired Allstate Insurance CEO, according to his family, and served on various boards. The 73-year-old dedicated much of his time to community service, his family said, and had been the Naperville precinct 37 committeeman for six years at the time of his death. He had also written a book and lectured on African American history, but most of all he was a family man, his son Keith Allen said. Allen leaves behind a wife of more than 50 years, four children, and eight grandchildren. Family said Allen had friends in Chicago that he would visit, but as to why he was in the city Friday morning or why he was killed they are left without answers. His son, Keith Allen, told NBC 5 that they were shocked, but not angry. Im not sitting here asking for vengeance, Keith Allen said. I dont think that more vengeance and more violence is going to solve anything. Not at all. But what I can tell you and to everybody else out there is that what we need in this world is for people to start coming together, to start working with each other, to start loving each other. Over the past year, Allen had been working on a unity partnership program to bring communities in and around Chicago together with police to stop the violence, his family said. Chicago police are still investigating the fatal drive-by. No one is in custody. An Army veteran who served in Afghanistan is facing deportation after serving seven years in prison for a drug conviction. Miguel Angel Perez-Montes, 38, of Mexico, was convicted in February 2010 for manufacture/delivery of more than two pounds of cocaine and sentenced to 15 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In 2012, Perez-Montes was placed into removal proceeds by ICE while serving his prison sentence. He has remained in ICE custody since Sept. 23 of 2016 while deportation proceedings are pending in federal immigration court. Perez-Montes appeared in court today but no decision on his deportation was made. His sister says she prays every day her brother will not be sent back to Mexico. We were really nervous coming in herestill nervous, she said. We wanted my brother here for Christmas but we have another opportunity to make it happen. The veterans attorney, family members and men in military uniforms answered questions and made statements following the hearing. In a statement, ICE, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, said it respects the service and sacrifice of military veterans. Any action taken by ICE that may result in the removal of an alien with military service must be authorized by the senior leadership in a field office, following an evaluation by local counsel, the agency said. ICE exercises prosecutorial discretion, when appropriate, on a case-by-case basis for members of the armed forces who have honorably served our country. ICE specifically identifies service in the U.S. military as a positive factor that should be considered when deciding whether or not prosecutorial discretion should be exercised. At 8 years old, Perez-Montes came to the United States from Mexico with his family but never became a U.S. citizeneven after joining the military and serving two tours of duty in Afghanistan. Perez-Montes' attorney, Chris Bergin, says if his client is sent back to Mexico he could be targeted by the vicious drug cartels there. They know youve got weapons training, military training, strategic training, you have ins with people in the United States, youre going to work for us, he said. Perez-Montes is due back in court on Feb. 6. A popular Chicago bar will no longer serve MillerCoors beer. The owner of The Green Lady on North Lincoln Avenue in the city's Roscoe Village neighborhood made the call after she found out a member of the Miller family, Pete Miller, co-hosted a fundraiser for President-elect Donald Trump. In a statement, MillerCoors said Pete Coors' support of the controversial President-elect is independent of the company. The Green Lady posted a response on their Facebook page Wednesday standing behind their decision. "This is news from back in June but it's important to keep in mind in the post-election landscape," the post read. "We will no longer buy Miller lite or Miller High life - the remaining cases that we've already purchased will be sold for $6 a bottle and all profits will be donated to Planned Parenthood in Pence's name." Its the hot toy this holiday seasonand its nearly impossible to find in the Chicago area. We typically get around 40 to 50 guest calls per day inquiring if we have any in stock, says Amy Henson, manager of the Target in the citys Bucktown neighborhood. Shoppers searching for Hatchimals, a cuddly creature inside an egg that hatches, are having a tough time at area storesbut help could be on the way. Jorge Arroyo, manager of Toys R Us in Roscoe Village says hes expecting a new shipment Sunday. We dont have a number as to how many well receive, Arroyo said. When we open up our doors on Sunday morning at 8 a.m., these items will sell very quickly. Hatchimals typically cost between $60 and $70but on eBay theyre going for much more. A message posted on the Hatchimals website says more of the cutesy toys are on the way. We have increased production and a whole new batch of Hatchimals will be ready to hatch in early 2017, the statement reads. This is a special season and we don't want anyone to be disappointed. Target says shoppers looking for the toy can call overnight to see if a new shipment has arrivedthe phone lines are staffed around the clock. But beware: the shipments are selling out immediately, so youll have to get up early and wait in line. Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a massive energy plan Thursday that will bailout two struggling Exelon nuclear power plants. "For months our administration has been very clear that any energy legislation should follow the guiding principles of protecting jobs, ratepayers and taxpayers," Rauner wrote Thursday. "After dozens of hours of good faith negotiations, we have reached an agreement that aligns with those principles." "This legislation will save thousands of jobs," he added. The measure, which will raise rates for Commonwealth Edison customers, passed the House 63-38 following a spirited debate. Shortly after that vote, the Senate approved the bill 32-18. On Wednesday, Exelon and ComEd announced that they had reached an agreement with Gov. Bruce Rauner on the measure. Prior to the deal, Rauners opposition to the bill was seemingly its biggest impediment. Ultimately, Exelon agreed to certain changes that would limit rate increases for average ComEd customers to 25 cents per month. Additionally, the deal limits rate hikes on businesses to a 1.3 percent increase from last years rates. Proponents of the measure championed it as a groundbreaking green energy, while detractors warned that it could lead to job loss. After passing both chambers of the General Assembly, the bill is now sent to Rauners desk for approval. A suburban school district was put on lockdown Thursday afternoon as police searched for a suspect wanted in connection with the weekend killing of a railroad security guard, authorities said. Ford Heights School District 169 was placed on lockdown earlier Thursday afternoon, but the lockdown was lifted around 3 p.m. and students were released by 3:30 p.m. A source close to the investigation says the activity near Ford Heights was in connection to the search for Rashad Williams, a man wanted in connection with the shooting death of Tyrone Hardin. The Cook County Sheriff's office later said it was "actively exhausting investigative leads our office received out of the Harvey Police Department regarding a subject wanted for murder." "This is still an ongoing active investigation," the sherrif's office said in a statement. "There is no imminent threat to the public based on the information we have at the moment." Police had earlier announced an arrest warrant for 24-year-old Williams, who is accused of first-degree murder and is considered to be "armed and dangerous," authorities said Thursday. Hardin, who was working at the Canadian Railroad Complex in Harvey, was fatally shot on the job Saturday evening. Around 7 p.m., a woman called police to report a man stealing her car, according to Harvey spokesperson Sean Howard. She was able to get in another car and followed the man while on the phone with police. After hearing sirens and realizing he was being followed, the suspect crashed the stolen car into a viaduct near 159th Street and Park Avenue. He then ran on top of the viaduct onto Canadian National Railroad property, according to Howard. He saw a contracted security guard inside his vehicle and opened fire, authorities said, with witnesses reporting nearly 15 shots fired. The guard was shot in the abdomen and taken to South Suburban Hospital where he was pronounced dead, officials said. The guard was later identified as 38-year-old Tyrone Hardin from Riverdale, according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. The suspect then stole Hardin's vehicle before abandoning it in the 100 block 171st Street in East Hazel Crest, Howard said. Harvey police and multiple other agencies were searching in an active manhunt that began overnight in the three communities connected by the railroad, including East Hazel Crest, Hazel Crest and Markham. "Unfortunately for us this is a wide area, and 171st Street is a wide area and it's going to take a lot of manpower to accomplish this task," Howard said Saturday night. The suspect is described as having a medium build and was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt and blue jeans, said Howard. From evidence recovered, police said the shooter does not live in Harvey. Residents are encouraged to stay aware and remain indoors or travel in pairs. Authorities are requesting that the suspect turn himself in, but if anyone has information about this incident they are asked to contact police. The Michaels employee who became the target of a customer's now-viral tirade at a Chicago store said she is in "utter shock" at the donations strangers from across the country have made in an effort to show their support this holiday season. In a letter to those that raised more than $32,000 for her, the store manager identified only as Holli wrote "you have all single handedly changed my life." "You will be blessed for this act of unconditional kindness," she wrote. "I never thought my ginormous dreams would become a reality so soon and at the hand of others, but with your support I can now take the steps needed to build a better future. Because of you this dark world has a lot more light in it." Supporters rallied around the Michaels employee after video of an incident at a location in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood the day before Thanksgiving went viral. The footage, which had been viewed more than 590,000 times as of Monday afternoon, showed an angry customer yelling at an employee claiming she was discriminated against while checking out last week. By Tuesday morning, more than 2 million people watched the footage. In the video, the white customer is seen calling a black employee at the Lakeview store an animal and telling one employee to shut your face. She claims an employee discriminated against her and mumbled that she must have voted for Donald Trump, but the employee is heard in the video denying that claim. And I voted for Trump, so there, she said. What? You want to kick me out because of that? And look who won. Look who won. The woman vows to report the employees to their corporate headquarters and yells at bystanders filming the incident before calling the police. An employee can be heard in the background telling the woman she was not discriminated against, but that the employee asked if she would like to buy a reusable bag. "When I asked for my things to be bagged, and I don't care about the size of the bag, this other woman makes a big deal about it, coming around," she says in the video. "She's screaming at me from across the store, screaming at me." Jessie Grady, who witnessed and filmed part of the 30-minute ordeal, posted the footage to social media and started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the employee targeted in the so-called rant. Grady said the employees did nothing to provoke this verbal attack and in fact treated all customers with professionalism and courtesy. I was so shocked by this unprovoked attack that I captured 17 minutes of it on video on my phone, Grady wrote on the GoFundMe page. I am starting this gofundme [sic] because Id like to do something to try to make it up to the employee who was the main target of this racist attack. Id like to show her that many people are horrified by how this woman treated her, and that we stand with her and appreciate her hard work. She inspired me because despite the hateful words that were being hurled in her direction, she stood in that entranceway calm and unmoving to protect her staff and customers. Both the woman in the video and bystanders called police to report the incident. Police confirmed officers were called to the store Wednesday, but when they arrived, the woman was gone and no police report could be filed. Michaels said in a statement it does not tolerate discrimination or racism of any kind against our team members or customers. We regret that our customers and team members were affected by this unfortunate incident and are grateful for the leadership of our store team in working to resolve it without further escalation, the statement read. The company also tweeted Monday, We appreciate the outpouring of support for our Chicago-based team member. Grady said that she was "astounded" by how big her GoFundMe campaign grew. "What started as a small gesture to let one person know that she is valued and important to her community turned into something I never imagined," she wrote on Facebook. "I never expected this to get past the neighborhood. Our country has been completely divided in the past couple years, but somehow this one story resonated with and united millions of people." She noted that there were "hundreds of Trump supporters who donated and sent kind messages denouncing this behavior." "Millions of you saw that this was about more than one incident," she wrote. "This was about treating workers with dignity and respect. This was about community and kindness and standing up against hatred. These are values Americans once believed in and other countries admired us for. Shine a mirror on it. This wont solve all of our problems, but its one small step." Read the manager's full letter below: A letter from Holli: I'll start with this. I am in utter shock. You have all single handedly changed my life. Each of you have shown me that this world is worth living in. I have felt so misguided in a sense of why can't I get passed where I am. I've tried to be kind, I've tried to be fair, I've tried to share regardless if I was able to. I want others to smile when I smile back at them. Knowing deeply we all have a higher purpose. How can I help!! For some time now, I've felt this overwhelming sense of failure. I want to make a positive change in this world. I know what I'm here for and that's to help others reach their higher potential. With your support I have been blessed with the opportunity to live and not just survive daily. I can properly provide for my family and meet all our children's needs. I will now have the ability to get my business up and running in order to provide a better future for us. And I can still give back to my community even more now. You have personally contributed to SO much more than you could possible know. I ask that you please forgive me as I'm a little afraid to make a public video. Just know that from my soul to yours. You will be blessed for this act of unconditional kindness. I never thought my ginormous dreams would become a reality so soon and at the hand of others, but with your support I can now take the steps needed to build a better future. Because of you this dark world has a lot more light in it. Not to preach at you or push spirituality at you. That being said I pray that you gain real fulfillment in your life. I don't know you but I love you. It's weird to some people but whatever, I believe we are one people so if I love myself therefore I love you. We've been taught that what we do unto others, we receive in return. A great teacher of mine has said "All forms of pain, suffering, illness or financial chaos are there to promote spiritual growth and character change." We are the change. You are this change. We stand together side by side in truth and know love trumps hate. Blessings to you may your light continue to break through the darkness. -Yours sincerely Jony AKA Holli A 61-year-old woman has been sentenced to prison in a drunk driving crash that critically injured an Illinois State Trooper more than two years ago, police said. Leslie Thurow, of Mount Prospect, was sentenced to 13 years at the Illinois Department of Corrections after she was charged with several counts of aggravated driving under the influence, leaving the scene of a personal injury crash and aggravated reckless driving, according to Illinois State Police. **WARNING: Graphic footage** Video shows the moment an Illinois State Police trooper was hit by an alleged drunk driver in 2014. The trooper has since returned to work and the driver was sentenced to 13 years in prison. Thurow was accused of striking Trooper Michael Cokins on Interstate 294 near North Avenue around 2:45 p.m. on Sept. 6, 2014. Cokins was conducting a traffic stop on the right shoulder of the roadway when he was hit by a vehicle and hurled over the hood of the car he had pulled over. The driver allegedly continued traveling northbound on I-294, where she hit an SUV carrying a family of four, police said. The SUV rolled over in the crash and the other vehicle crashed into the concrete median. Cokins suffered 15 broken bones and underwent eight surgeries and 17 months of therapy before returning to work in May, nearly two years after the crash. Police said Thurows blood alcohol content was over twice the legal limit at the time of the crash and her drivers license had been revoked for previous driving under the influence convictions. It was not immediately clear if she had an attorney. Drinking and driving is a dangerous choice that can lead to deadly consequences, ISP Director Leo P. Schmitz said in a statement. Driving under the influence is never a good option and can be very costly both financially and criminally. Always designate a driver before consuming alcohol. President-elect Donald Trump and his supporters went to court Friday to prevent or halt election recounts in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, less than two weeks before the states would have to complete the tasks to meet a federal deadline to certify their election results. The legal actions seeking to block or halt the recounts in three states Trump narrowly won could cause delays that would make them extremely difficult or impossible to complete on time. Even if the recounts happen, though, none would be expected to give Democrat Hillary Clinton enough votes to emerge as the winner. The recounts were requested by Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who says they're necessary to ensure that voting machines weren't hacked, even though there's no evidence that they were. Critics say Stein is simply trying to raise money and her political profile while building a donor database. "In an election already tainted by suspicion, previously expressed by Donald Trump himself, verifying the vote is a common-sense procedure that would address concerns around voter disenfranchisement," Stein said in a statement. "Trump's desperate attempts to silence voter demands raise a simple question: why is Donald Trump afraid of these recounts?" Wisconsin is the only state where a recount is underway. It began Thursday, and one of the state's 72 counties had already completed its task by Friday, with Clinton gaining a single a vote on Trump. Clinton lost to Trump in Wisconsin by about 22,000 votes, or less than 1 percentage point. Two pro-Trump groups, the Great America PAC and the Stop Hillary PAC, along with Wisconsin voter Ronald R. Johnson went to federal court late Thursday to try and stop the recount. They requested a temporary restraining order in U.S. District Court to immediately halt the recount while the court considers their lawsuit. The lawsuit says Wisconsin is violating the U.S. Supreme Court's 2000 Bush v. Gore ruling because it doesn't have uniform standards to determine which votes should be counted in a recount. They also argue that it threatens due process rights because it may not get done by the federal deadline to certify the vote, putting Wisconsin's electoral votes in jeopardy. If states miss the deadline, Congress would allot their electoral votes. The Wisconsin Department of Justice was reviewing the lawsuit, said Johnny Koremenos, spokesman for Attorney General Brad Schimel. Michigan's elections board deadlocked Friday on a Trump campaign request to deny Stein's recount request and on how a recount would be conducted. Both Republican members voted to prevent the recount while both Democrats voted to allow it, meaning it likely would begin Wednesday unless the courts intervene. It also would be conducted by hand, as Stein requested. In separate lawsuits against the state, Michigan's Republican attorney general and Trump asked state courts to prevent the recount, saying Stein should not be allowed to seek one because she finished so far behind Trump and Clinton that she couldn't have won, even if some votes were miscounted. Stein got about 1 percent of the vote in all three states. The Michigan courts appeared unlikely to rule immediately, with one asking for a response from state elections officials by Tuesday. In Pennsylvania, a hearing is scheduled for Monday on Stein's push to secure a court-ordered statewide recount there. Republican lawyers filed a motion that was posted on the court's website Friday accusing Stein of engaging in legal antics and saying her recount request endangers Pennsylvania's ability to certify its electors by the federal deadline. Stein has argued, without evidence, that irregularities in the votes in all three states suggest that there could have been tampering with the vote, perhaps through a well-coordinated, highly complex cyberattack. Elections officials in the three states have expressed confidence in their results. Trump defeated Clinton in Wisconsin by about 22,000 votes, or less than 1 percentage point. His margin of victory in Michigan was even slimmer, at about 10,700 votes out of 4.8 million cast. An updated count Friday by Pennsylvania election officials showed Trump's lead over Clinton in that state had shrunk to 49,000 from 71,000, as more counties wrap up final tallies. That put Trump's lead at 0.8 percent, down from over 1 percent, out of 6 million votes cast. It's still shy of Pennsylvania's 0.5 percent trigger for an automatic statewide recount. Four people were taken to the hospital after a serious four-car crash at Dixwell Avenue and Hartford Turnpike in North Haven this morning and the road is closed for several hours, according to police. Firefighters and paramedics responded to the scene at 5:54 a.m. and police said it appears a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe traveling west on Dixwell Avenue and a 2005 Toyota Rav 4 collided and the force of the crash sent the vehicles into a 2005 Chevrolet Uplander and a 1999 Honda Civic that were stopped at the intersection. A 43-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman who were in the Hyundai sustained serious injuries and were transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital, police said. The 30-year-old man who was driving the Honda and a woman around 40 years old who was driving the Toyota were also injured, police said. Police said they are still trying to determine who was driving the Hyundai. The patients were thrown from their seats and North Haven firefighters had to extricate them. The driver of the Chevrolet declined medical treatment at the scene, police said. "This was a very serious crash involving multiple vehicles and multiple patients. I want to commend our firefighters for their diligent work in assessing the patients and rescuing multiple trapped occupants," Chief Januszewski said in a statement. The North Haven Police Department is investigating. A 45-year-old Lisbon woman was killed in a crash on Route 2A in Preston on Thursday evening. Police have identified the woman as Jenette Grabowski. She was driving a 1992 Ford Tempo east on Route 2A and collided with the drivers side of a 1999 GMC Sonoma heading west just before 5:30 p.m., according to state police. Grabowski was transported from the scene in an ambulance and died before arriving at Backus Hospital in Norwich, according to police. Police are investigating and ask anyone with information about the crash to call Troop E in Montville at 860-848-6500. Linda McMahon could be Connecticuts voice in the White House when the Trump administration takes over in January. Gov. Dannel Malloy enjoyed close relationships with both the president and Vice President Joe Biden, especially because of their common ground policy positions on raising the minimum wage, support for same-sex marriage, and their support for criminal justice reform. But with the Trump administration that ends. As of now it appears McMahon would be the highest profile link to Connecticut, if Trump taps her for a post in the White House. McMahon met with Trump Wednesday at Trump Tower. She said of the encounter, The meeting went great, it was really nice to be up and I was honored to be asked to come in. As for some of the substance of the meeting, McMahon added, We talked about business and entrepreneurs and creating jobs and we talked about SBA, and so we had a really good conversation. Since the main conversation was about business, that could be music to the ears of small and large employers around Connecticut, especially because the states economy has struggled to recover from the Great Recession. "Obviously Connecticut becomes part of the knowledgebase and certainly some of the challenges and issues in Connecticut may get better addressed because of that, said Peter Gioia, an economist and Vice President with the Connecticut Business and Industry Association. Gioia adds that McMahon would have a knowledge of some of the issues plaguing Connecticut. Greg Lanouette with A.H. Harris Construction Supplies says the issue hes looking at is transportation. His company would thrive with more infrastructure projects. A.H. Harris provides construction supplies for companies around the world and across the United States. He says transportation work do wonders for the construction industry, meaning more people would perhaps stay in Connecticut. "Look at some of the companies that have pulled out of this state. Why do they do that? It's for the people first of all, the pool that's available, the brainpower. But it's also it's how much time are people spending in front of their windshields." A 2-year-old boy missing from Westport since Thursday afternoon has been found at a relative's home in Manhattan and he is OK. Two-year-old Messiah Frazier was reported missing Thursday. Police said his oys grandmother, who had custody, passed away Thursday of natural causes. The boys biological uncle, Danny Frazier, who also lived in the home, took the child and was not answering calls from family or police, according to police. Messiah and Danny were dropped off at a barber shop in Norwalk between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Thursday and police said there were reports the uncle left the child unsupervised and went to a bank, a check-cashing store and a cell phone store in Norwalk. Police said they were concerned for the childs safety because Danny Frazier has a known criminal background and is a known drug user. Westport police said the boy was found around 2:30 p.m. Friday at a relative's home in Manhattan. He is being brought back to Connecticut and will be turned over to the state Department of Children and Families. A 20-year-old Enfield man who was hit by a car on Route 5 in Enfield early Friday morning is dead and police are searching for the driver who fled the scene. Police said a vehicle struck and killed Jeremy Mercier, who was on a skateboard, on Route 5, or Enfield Street, near Orlando Drive, around 1 a.m. Someone who saw Mercier lying on the side of the road called police, who said the local man was dead by the time officers arrived. Police Chief Carl Sferrazza said police are trying to find the vehicle that struck Mercier. I sure wish I had something I could say to prevent tragedies from happening but it happened," he said. "Our prayers go out to the individual's family and now our job is to find out whos responsible and make an arrest. Anyone with information should call Enfield Police Department. The families of some of the victims killed in the 2012 Newtown school shooting asked a court to reinstate their wrongful-death lawsuit against the maker of the rifle used in the massacre and the Connecticut Supreme will hear their appeal, according to the law firm representing the families. Lawyers for a survivor and relatives of nine people killed in the shooting filed the appeal and asked the Connecticut Supreme Court to immediately take the case from a lower appellate court. We very much welcome the Courts swift action, particularly as these families approach the fourth painful anniversary of the shooting, the families attorney, Josh Koskoff of Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, said in a statement. Time and again our Supreme Court has recognized the importance of allowing litigants their day in court and the indispensable role of a jury as arbiters of justice. That is all these families have ever asked for. In October, a Superior Court judge dismissed the lawsuit against Remington Arms, citing an embattled federal law that shields gun manufacturers from most lawsuits over criminal use of their products. In November, Remingtons attorney issued a statement about the appeal. Remington expects the Connecticut appellate court to come to the same conclusion as the trial court. Plaintiffs claims fail under both Connecticut common law and the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act," the statement said. Adam Lanza killed 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School with a Bushmaster AR-15-style rifle made by Remington. He killed his mother at their Newtown home earlier in the day and fatally shot himself at the school as police arrived. The lawsuit accuses Remington of violating state law by selling and marketing a dangerous weapon to the public. Father of Dylan Hockley on why Newtown families are appealing the dismissal of their lawsuit against gun manufacturer @NBCConnecticut #NBCCT pic.twitter.com/gD9dVbezor Justin Schecker (@jscheckerNBCCT) November 15, 2016 "Children and teachers were gunned down in classrooms and hallways with a weapon that was designed for our armed forces and engineered to deliver maximum carnage," the appeal says. "Fifty-pound bodies were riddled with five, 11, even 13 bullets. This is not sensationalism. It is the reality the defendants created when they chose to sell a weapon of war and aggressively market its assaultive capabilities." Lawyers for Remington Outdoor Co., formerly known as Freedom Group, said the Madison, North Carolina-based company did not violate any laws. One of the lawyers, James Vogts, previously said he expected the appeal to be dismissed. But families of the victims spoke publicly, asking for the high court to hear the appea. I am bringing this appeal for our dead son, Dylan, who never stood the chance as he stared down the barrel of a military-grade weapon, Ian Hockley, father of Dylan Hockley, said during a news conference last month. "Nothing will ever bring back my son, Dylan, or the other lives stolen from us on that awful day," Nicole Hockley said in statement. "Our only goal in bringing this appeal is to help prevent the next Sandy Hook from happening, and we have faith that Connecticut's Supreme Court will take up what is literally a matter of life and death." David Wheeler, whose son, Benjamin, also died in the massacre, added in a statement: "As a father who lost a bright and shining child, all we ask is for our day in court to address the negligence of these companies." At issue in the case is the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which was passed by Congress in 2005 and shields gun makers from liability when their firearms are used in crimes. The families' lawyers had argued that the lawsuit was allowed under an exception in the federal law that allows litigation against companies that know, or should know, that their weapons are likely to be used in a way that risks injury to others Advocates for gun control and against gun violence have criticized the law as special protection for gun makers. It became an issue in the presidential campaign earlier this year when Hillary Clinton criticized her main challenger in the Democratic primary, Bernie Sanders, for his past support of the law. Sanders, a Vermont U.S. senator, now wants to repeal it. Besides Remington, other defendants in the lawsuit include firearms distributor Camfour and Riverview Gun Sales, the now-closed East Windsor store where Lanza's mother, Nancy, legally bought the Bushmaster XM15-E2S rifle. Dallas Independent School District Board of Trustees members debated Thursday about what to do about troubled bus contractor, Dallas County Schools. Board members revealed Thursday that Dallas ISD has hired a consultant to begin looking at using other bus companies for at least some of its routes. Some board members believe competition may help push DCS to become safer and more reliable. "We know from some excellent investigative reporting by NBC 5 that crashes have doubled in more than a year," said school board trustee, Dustin Marshall. Marshall urged his colleagues to consider new bus companies, saying they cannot tolerate a bus agency with safety lapses, including hundreds of red-light running tickets. "To me that sounds very much like a vendor that has put safety aside and isn't trying to protect our children," said Marshall. Other board members chided district staff, saying they need to do more now to demand better service from DCS. "For us to come and talk about all the issues and not every day in their face holding them accountable, then that's a problem and that's failed leadership," said school board trustee, Bernadette Nutall. In a statement Thursday, DCS said it is conducting a systematic review of its operation but the bus agency disputed Dallas ISD's claims that one-third of its buses are late. DCS claims about 90 percent were on-time Thursday. "Unfortunately, it appears school bus safety is evolving into a political issue and not an administrative responsibility," the DCS statement said. "We have put in a call to the Dallas ISD Superintendent because many of the facts presented in today's meeting are not correct." "This is one of the safest bus systems in Texas and in the nation," the DCS statement continued. Still, some Dallas ISD board members insist the service is unacceptable and that DCS charges the district twice as much compared to just four years ago. "This is a clear issue where safety is on the downhill spiral, reliability service is all poor, the cost is rising and there are very clear alternatives on this one," said Marshall. The Dallas ISD school board did not take any votes Thursday. The meeting was just a board briefing, but district leaders are moving ahead with a study to review their options. Parents in the Cleburne Independent School District are being cautioned after two cases of mumps were confirmed in the district. District leaders were notified by regional health officials late Wednesday that a student at Cleburne High School and one at neighboring Wheat Middle School had gotten sick with the rare illness. Parents were notified by email that night and district Director of Community Relations Lisa Magers said a note was sent home Thursday with students as well. The notices made families aware of the signs and symptoms of mumps and also gave information about prevention of the illness that, to many, has been off the radar in recent years. "Due to immunizations and other things it's kind of like, in very few cases do you hear much of it anymore. So, yes, this it kind of a new wrinkle," said Magers. Notification of Cleburne's cases came just hours after families in nearby Keene were put on notice. That school district has seven confirmed cases among students. "Some of these students have traveled to Arkansas, and so there may be an Arkansas connection as well," said Dr. Elvin Adams, with the Johnson County Health Authority. Mumps can be spread through the air from coughs and sneezes, and it is highly contagious. Symptoms include swollen salivary glands below the ears, fever, headache, muscle aches, fatigue and loss of appetite, the Texas Department of State Health Services says on its website. There is no treatment for mumps, and the illness can take up to 25 days for symptoms to appear. The MMR vaccine, which also protects against measles and rubella, is the best way to protect yourself from mumps, officials said. As an extra precaution, both Cleburne and Keene school leaders said their custodians are deep cleaning the schools with industrial-grade disinfectants to help prevent further spread of the illness. Dallas County also confirms four adult cases of the illness there. Authorities said someone set two fires at a Fort Worth high school early Friday morning. Fort Worth Independent School District officials said someone set fire to a riding lawnmower outside the school before dawn Friday. The person then went into the building and started another fire in the basement, which is used for freshman classes. Neither fire caused structural damage to the school, but officials said the fire in the basement left soot that needed to be cleaned. A cafeteria in the same part of the building has already been cleared to return to normal service. School remains in session, according to district officials, but some freshman classes will be moved. Authorities said four people were injured when a pickup truck collided with a Dallas Area Rapid Transit bus in Oak Cliff Friday morning. [[404246226,C]] Police said the pickup truck driver ran through a stop sign and crashed into the bus near the intersection of Fordham Road and Ramona Avenue at about 5:30 a.m. The bus driver was transported to Methodist Dallas Medical Center with injuries to his head neck and side, according to authorities. There were no passengers on bus at time. Three people in the pickup truck were also transported to Methodist Dallas Medical Center with injuries that police said were not life threatening. Police said they're investigating whether the pickup truck was involved in a hit-and-run crash reported in Lancaster before the collision with the bus. Check back and refresh this page for the latest update. As this story is developing, elements may change. Some 21 doctors, executives, investors and others have been accused of a massive conspiracy to direct patients to the Forest Park Medical Center in Dallas in exchange for money. The group dished out nearly $40 million in bribes and kickbacks which influenced doctors to refer higher-paying patients to the medical center, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The group was charged in a sealed indictment last month following an FBI investigation. The indictments were unsealed Thursday. FPMC was an out-of-network hospital in Dallas, prosecutors said. This meant it could usually set its own prices and receive greater reimbursements from some patients. It also meant patients whom doctors and surgeons referred to FPMC usually had high-reimbursing out-of-network private insurance benefits, according to the indictment. According to the indictment, two surgeons were paid over $3 million to refer their patients to FPMC. Another surgeon allegedly received $7 million in exchange for a referral. Many of the doctors and surgeons involved were also FPMC investors. The surgeons spent the vast majority of the bribe payments marketing their personal medical practices, which benefitted them financially, or on personal expenses, such as cars, diamonds, and payments to family members, the Justice Department said. From 2009 to 2013, the medical center allegedly collected over $500 million from patient insurance plans and over $200 million in paid claims. Medical providers who enrich themselves through bribes and kickbacks are not only perverting our critical health care system, but they are committing a serious crime, U.S. Attorney John Parker said in a statement. The long list of doctors, surgeons, investors and executives who are under investigation could receive up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. It could also force the defendants to forfeit any property, real or personal, which constitutes or is derived from proceeds traceable to the offenses," prosecutors said. Here is a list of 21 people indicted: Alan Andrew Beauchamp, 64, of Dallas Richard Ferdinand Toussaint, Jr., 58, of Dallas Wade Neal Barker, 51, of Dallas Wilton McPherson Burt, 61, of Costa Rica Andrea Kay Smith, 37, of Rockwall, Texas Carli Adele Hempel, 40, of Plano, Texas Kelly Wade Loter, 48, of Dallas Jackson Jacob, 53, of Murphy, Texas Douglas Sung Won, 45, of Dallas Michael Bassem Rimlawi, 45, of Dallas David Daesung Kim, 54, of Southlake, Texas William Daniel Nicholson IV, 46, of Dallas Shawn Mark Henry, 46, of Fort Worth, Texas Mrugeshkumar Kumar Shah, 42, of Garland, Texas Gerald Peter Foox, 69, of Tyler, Texas Frank Gonzales Jr., 41, of Midland, Texas Israel Ortiz, 49, of Dallas Iris Kathleen Forrest, 56, of Dallas Andrew Jonathan Hillman, 40, of Dallas Semyon Narosov, 51, of Dallas Royce Vaughn Bicklein, 44, of San Antonio, Texas A Mexican man must serve life in a U.S. prison for stalking and helping arrange the 2013 Texas slaying of a lawyer who'd been the acting head of a Mexican drug cartel. Jose Luis Cepeda-Cortes was sentenced Thursday in Fort Worth. The case involved the shooting death of Juan Jesus Guerrero Chapa in Southlake, near Dallas. Cepeda-Cortes in May was convicted of interstate stalking, conspiracy to commit murder for hire and tampering with documents or proceedings. Officials said the tampering involved efforts to destroy evidence on his computer. His cousin, Jesus Gerardo Ledezma-Cepeda, was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder for hire and tampering and was sentenced to 20 years after testifying against his father and his father's cousin. Prosecutors say the 60-year-old cousins, who were convicted in May 2016, used electronic devices to track the victim before he was killed by an attacker still at large. A former Army Special Forces officer is accusing retired Marine General James Mattis, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to be defense secretary, of "leaving my men to die" after they were hit by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2001, NBC News reported. Mattis has not commented publicly on the incident, which was chronicled in a 2011 New York Times bestselling book, "The Only Thing Worthy Dying For," by Eric Blehm, which portrays Mattis as stubbornly unwilling to help the Green Berets. His actions, which were not formally investigated at the time, are now likely to get far more scrutiny during the retired general's Senate confirmation process. Trump's transition team did not respond to request for comment from NBC News. Mattis, whose 2013 retirement from the military means he would need a waiver from Congress to serve as the civilian Pentagon chief, did not respond to a request for comment from NBC News. What's up, Jocs? Space Jam 2 is slated for 2017, but fans of the Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny film from 1996 got a small taste of what's to come in a 90-second commercial for Jordan's brand Defy on Thursday. The commercial stars Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler who starts the ad by saying, "It's the same story it's always been," as the world prepares for the return of the "villains," the Monstars who are looking for a rematch after losing to Jordan and the Looney Tunes 20 years ago. However, it's not Butler who steps up to square off with the Monstars, but Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin. Four players decked out in Jordan gear head down the back alley of a Foot Locker where they are met by Bugs Bunny who pushes Griffin out a door to help the kids challenge the Monstars. The commercial is for the new Air Jordan XXXI shoes and isn't necessarily linked to the new reboot of the film that stars LeBron James and will be directed by Fast and Furious head Justin Lin, but it's possible that Griffin and Butler could play a role in the film as they are both signed to the Jordan brand. In the meantime, you can take a peak at the full commercial below and tune in to TNT on Wednesday night as Griffin's Clippers challenge James Cavaliers in a matchup of two of the best teams in the NBA. A former Laguna Beach resident was sentenced today to 20 years in federal prison -- a punishment that will begin when he finishes a 14-year term in a separate fraud case -- for trying to arrange the kidnapping and murder of a judge, two prosecutors and a pair of FBI agents. John Arthur Walthall, 61, was convicted in July of soliciting the killing of U.S. District Judge Andrew Guilford, who had sentenced him to 14 years behind bars in the fraud case, and the other would-be victims. During the sentencing hearing, Walthall launched into a 20-minute-long, meandering, difficult-to-follow diatribe against various law enforcement officials involved in his prosecution and incarceration. The gist of his argument appeared to be that he was the focus of a conspiracy by law enforcement who railroaded him and that he acted under "duress" of threats to his life and the lives of his family. U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney eventually cut Walthall off and imposed the 20-year sentence. "Mr. Walthall is a manipulative, dangerous, angry, cruel and sadistic man," Carney said. "He concocted a diabolical murder scheme to exact revenge and got out of prison to continue his life of crime," Carney added, referring to a period when Walthall fled while awaiting trial. He was arrested in 2011 in Nevada with a .45-caliber gun, three barrel extenders, a fake silencer and a book titled, "How to be Invisible." During his rambling statement, Walthall claimed that he was housed at one point in a mental hospital with hundreds of child molesters and that he had been threatened with gang rape and placed in custody with an Aryan brotherhood shotcaller. "To this day I am fearful of my life," Walthall said. The defendant also insisted, "I didn't commit any crime." He said incriminating statements he made to an undercover agent were made "under duress, under threat of being attacked." As he did at his sentencing hearing in the fraud case, Walthall attacked his attorney, Timothy Scott, particularly for the "diminished capacity" defense that relied on psychiatric experts who suggested Walthall was suffering from mental illness. "Supposedly, because I attempt to assert my constitutional rights, I'm mentally ill," Walthall said. Carney said the maximum punishment was warranted because Walthall was too dangerous to be freed. "Mr. Walthall is a very intelligent individual," Carney said. "I don't believe he should be left alone without proper supervision." Carney recommended the Bureau of Prisons put the defendant in a high- security facility. As Carney gave a routine advisement on the deadline for filing an appeal, Walthall said, "Your honor, I'm going to appeal. I also object to being murdered in prison. ... And now you are sentencing me to die." Carney cut off the inmate, who was in a wheelchair, and ordered his microphone turned off as the proceeding ended and he was wheeled away. Walthall, while serving the 14-year federal prison sentence for a gold investment scheme, was indicted in December 2014 for soliciting the killing of Guilford and the others. Walthall's first trial in April ended with jurors deadlocked 10-2 in favor of guilt, leading to the retrial that ended with his conviction. The case centered around comments he made to fellow Lompoc inmates Crisanto Diego Trejos Ortiz and Antonio Rodriguez, as well as an undercover FBI agent, about hiring someone to abduct the judge and the others and kill them. Walthall eventually became suspicious of Ortiz, Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Sheppard said in his opening statement of the trial. "This defendant was getting pissed," Sheppard said. "According to him, in his own words, Diego Ortiz was either a snitch or a (expletive) artist and he might go the same way as the others." Rodriguez told Walthall he knew of a "middleman" who could help get the jobs done, Sheppard said, and that man was an undercover FBI agent. Walthall told the agent, "Above all else they need to die, but first I want them tortured," according to Sheppard. Sheppard recounted for the jury how, while awaiting trial in the fraud case, the defendant jumped bail and fled to Nevada, where he was recaptured. Before he jumped bail, he had a friend buy three guns for him, Sheppard said. "When he said he wanted them dead he meant it," the prosecutor said, adding that Walthall told the undercover agent, "Everything I'm asking you to do has been in the works for three years." "And it wasn't because he didn't know what he was saying," Sheppard said, adding the defendant has not been diagnosed with a mental illness. Donations are pouring in to replace stolen wheelchairs bound for disabled children and adults. Someone stole a truck with 80 wheelchairs intended for disabled children and adults in Indonesia. State Assemblyman Matt Dababneh rallied behind the nonprofit behind the effort, Global Mobility and delivered a $15,000 check to the company. "This is an absolute blessing," said David Richard, the president and founder of Global Mobility, during a news conference. "A bad has turned into a good." The wheelchairs that were stolen were going to be loaded into a shipping container heading for Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Dababneh said he saw the story on NBC4 and it broke his heart. He tweeted about it and rallied local business leaders to raise the money. "We want to make sure that that tragedy turns into greater hope for more disabled individuals," he said. A judge Thursday tentatively ruled that a former reporter for The Los Angeles Times must testify about a 2011 interview he conducted with the county's now-retired sheriff, who is facing federal corruption charges in a trial set to start next week. U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson said during a pretrial hearing that he was leaning toward denying a motion to quash a subpoena issued by government prosecutors to ex-Times reporter Robert Faturechi. Despite arguments from media and First Amendment attorney Kelli Sager, Anderson said Faturechi, who now works for the investigative news organization Pro Publica, can be questioned on the stand about his interview with ex-Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca and a subsequent radio interview the reporter gave to a public affairs radio show. Anderson said prosecution and defense attorneys can question Faturechi about the content of the Times article and "Which Way, L.A." interview, and would deal with other types of inquiries on a "question by question" basis during the trial. "I'll decide those when I hear them," the judge said. Faturechi's proposed testimony is both "relevant" and "clearly admissible," the judge said, adding that this was not a case where a reporter was being asked to name a confidential source. Baca is accused of conspiring to commit and committing obstruction of justice from August to September 2011, and making five false statements to the federal government in April 2013. Prosecutors contend Baca lied to the FBI about his knowledge of department efforts to subvert a federal probe into civil rights abuses in the jail system. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday. Based on Faturechi's interview, The Times published an article in which Baca, among other things, defended a decision to have deputies approach an FBI agent at her house in an attempt to question her about an ostensibly covert probe of conditions within the jail system. The confrontation with the FBI agent is an element in the charges against Baca, but the then-sheriff did not say in the newspaper interview whether he was aware in advance of the plan -- a key allegation against him. However, a prosecutor suggested that Faturechi said in the radio interview that Baca had admitted that he dispatched deputies to the agent's home. In her argument to have the subpoena tossed, Sager said the government was violating legal protections that shield reporters from having to testify about their reporting. Sager requested that, if Anderson decides Faturechi must take the stand, the judge limit the prosecution and defense to questions about what the reporter included in his article. Baca, 74, is in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Both sides stipulate that the retired lawman is competent to stand trial. However, defense attorneys still want a jury to hear that their client was impaired from the disease as early as 2011. Anderson also tentatively ruled that a defense dementia expert would be allowed to take the stand. If convicted of all charges, Baca faces a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors have decided not to charge Los Angeles police officers with a crime in the fatal shooting of a homeless black man on Skid Row last year. The Los Angeles district attorney said Thursday that the shooting was justified because Charly "Africa" Keunang had reached for an officer's gun. Prosecutors say Keunang posed a deadly threat to officers and civilians when he was shot six times on March 1, 2015. The Police Commission had previously cleared the officers, saying they did not violate the department's rules for using deadly force. Though it found one officer's tactics violated policy. Video of the shooting that was shot by a bystander has been viewed millions of times online and prompted protests in the city. Keunang's family has filed a $20 million lawsuit against the city and police department. A Montgomery County judge is rejecting Green Party-backed requests for recounts of presidential election results in about 78 precincts. Judge Bernard Moore gave no immediate reason for the rejection Wednesday. Lawyers for the Republican Party and the county argued against the requests during a hearing. Green Party-inspired voters are seeking similar recounts in scores of precincts in various other counties. Pennsylvania has more than 9,000 precincts. A Monday hearing is scheduled on a Green Party-backed request for a court-ordered statewide recount of Pennsylvania's Nov. 8 presidential election, won by Republican Donald Trump. Failed Green Party candidate Jill Stein is spearheading a recount effort in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, states where Trump won narrowly over Democrat Hillary Clinton. Stein trailed them significantly. Stein cites concerns that cyberattacks could have altered results tabulated on Pennsylvania's electronic voting machines. Tempers flared and political fault-lines were inflamed, as aides to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton gathered for their first meeting since Election Day. Every four years since 1972, top presidential campaign aides have met for a polite discussion of the fierce battle they just waged. Not so this year. After an election that left the political world spiraling, this year's gathering at the Harvard University's Institute of Politics felt an awful lot like group therapy or a knife fight. Stony-faced campaign aides heckled pollsters, jeered top media executives and traded shouted charges of racism, sexism and fear-mongering. "Let's be honest, don't act as if you have some popular mandate for your message," said Hillary Clinton's chief strategist Joel Benenson, citing Clinton's more than 2 million-vote lead in the popular vote. "Hey guys, we won," Kellyanne Conway, Donald Trump's former campaign manager, shot back. She later added: "Hashtag: he's your president. How about that?" The evening forum, hosted by CNN's Jake Tapper, is intended to give an insider's view of the 2016 presidential campaign, including what the candidates did right or wrong during the bruising contest. Here were some of the exchanges: LET TRUMP BE TRUMP Trump's aides defended his controversial statements, including his recent comments about criminalizing flag-burning, a Muslim travel ban and his racial comments about a federal judge overseeing class-action lawsuits against Trump University. "I think the American people agree with him that burning the flag is wrong," said former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who was fired in June. "I don't care what the Supreme Court has said." Besides, they argued, there was little they could do to change the mind of a political novice who'd just bested a primary slate of well-known Republican politicians. Clinton's team said they didn't regret their responses to Trump's racist and sexist remarks, saying they were some of their proudest moments in the race. "If providing a platform for white supremacists makes me a brilliant tactician, I would rather lose than win the way you guys did," said Clinton's Director of Communications Jennifer Palmieri, her voice shaking. "Do you think I ran a campaign where white supremacists had a platform?" Conway asked. Benenson piled on, accusing Trump's team of sending out "dog whistles" to its supports. "Look at your rallies. He delivered it, Bensenson added. Conway accused Clintons team of being sore losers. MEDIA ANGST Top Trump staffers cited the billionaire businessman's "innate understanding" of the media as a major reason for his victory, crediting his unique ability to drive the news cycle and social media. The coverage struck a nerve with his rivals, who argued that the media gave Trump benefits they didn't get. Aides to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's campaign admitted they feared the "full Trump" their term for when the New York mogul was shown simultaneously on all three cable news networks. At a panel on the media's role in the election, top GOP campaign managers heckled CNN's Jeff Zucker after the network president claimed that other candidates turned down interview requests. "I don't remember being asked to call in," shouted former Carly Fiorina campaign manager Sarah Isgur Flores, arguing that the cable news shows would demand other candidates show up at a studio while letting Trump phone in. "You showed empty podiums," shouted Todd Harris, who worked on Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's campaign. Zucker stood his ground: "I understand that emotions continue to run high. That is not cable news' fault and that is not CNN's fault." TRUMP'S CRITIQUE Trump's campaign argued that Clinton should have simply released all her emails to the public, nullifying some of their attacks. Instead, Trump's deputy campaign manager David Bossie said her team "used the old Clinton playbook" by fighting off lawsuits asking to make her correspondence public. "Is that the playbook you used on taxes?" asked campaign manager Robby Mook, citing Trump's decision not to release his tax returns. Bossie shot back: "It was a winning playbook, I guess." Trump's staff argued that Clinton simply didn't work for it, citing their more active travel schedule coming out of the national conventions, and failed to motivate women voters despite her historic role as the first female major party nominee. They also said that Clinton's understanding of the electorate was wrong, saying they used a model that projected turn-out more akin to the 2014 midterm races, when Democratic turnout was low, than President Barack Obama's 2012 victory. BLAME GAME Clinton's team attributed their devastating defeat to a lot of factors just few self-inflicted. Aides argued that FBI director James Comey's investigation, media coverage, the hacking of Democratic email accounts, gender bias and even Clinton's personal penchant for privacy and policy were to blame for her defeat. They accused Trump's team of peddling lies on social media and alt-right websites. "I don't think you guys give yourself enough credit for the negative campaign you ran," said strategist Mandy Grunwald, pointing to Trump's historic negative ratings and his team's trafficking in conservative media. "There was a very impressive gassing of her." Palmieri said her only strategic regret was not pushing for a fourth debate, arguing that Clinton was strongest when she faced off on a stage with Trump. Mook admitted he regretted not putting more staff in Michigan, a state her team lost narrowly. But said Grunwald, dismissing many of the post-game analysis, "it's all theoretic." A NEW RULEBOOK? Strategists on both sides of the aisle were struggling with a big question in the post-Trump world: Do the time-worn tactics of political campaigns still apply? Trump won, according to his aides, not by issuing serious policy plans or establishing an extensive political machine but through "branding." "You guys took Donald Trump so literally and the American public didn't," Lewandowski said. Clinton's campaign, saddled with a policy wonk candidate, felt penalized for playing by the old rules. "This was the first sort of post-factual campaign and I think you were punished for telling the truth and being true to nuance," Mook said. The well-funded Super PACs and extensive political organizations in battleground states "didn't matter," said Dave Kochel, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's chief strategist, who likened Trump to Godzilla. "(Trump) touched the third rail. He touched the fourth rail. He touched the fifth rail and just kept growing," he said. Moving beyond Castro's death, the future of Cuba's relationship with the U.S. is complicated and unclear. Perhaps the most painful legacy of past and present tension has been decades of family division. Between revolution and embargo, 90 miles has separated families physically and politically for generations. For Carmen Garcia Puente that separation is physical and personal. She turned 87 on Monday. Another birthday without her only daughter. Carmen has suffered multiple strokes and has trouble speaking, but her pain is understood. Like many native Cubans, Carmen's daughter Lissette Bustamante used to travel between countries to visit family. As a young journalist, she gained access to Fidel Castro's close circles. From Spain in 2008 she published a book on the current leader Raul Castro, in the shadow of Fidel. Now living in Miami, for Lissette to travel across Florida straits to see her ailing mother depends on government permission. Permission, Carmen says, her daughter hasn't been granted in nearly 3 years "It's not right" Carmen says in Spanish. She says can't make sense of it. In between tears, when asked about her thoughts on Fidel Castro's death, Carmen said it's better for her to stay quiet. Julia Bagg is on assignment in Cuba. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliaNBC6 for behind the scenes action as she covers the death of Fidel Castro. Gov. Rick Scott announced Friday that a second so-called "Zika Zone" is being eliminated, weeks after another in South Florida was reduced. Flanked by state and local officials, Scott said at a press conference in St. Mary Cathedral School that the zone between NW 79th Street and 63rd Street as well as 10th Avenue and Miami Avenue has been lifted, 45 days after the last case of transmission was discovered. "We've been very aggressive. The city and the county, whether it's code enforcement or spraying for Zika," Scott said. It's the second time a zone has been lifted on mainland Miami-Dade County, following the original transmission area in the Wynwood section, which was eventually cleared. The Florida Department of Health confirmed one new travel related case in Miami-Dade County recently, with around 1,200 cases being reported across the state since June. Nearly two weeks ago, the state eliminated part of the transmission zone from 28th Street to 63rd Street keeping in place the part from 8th Street to 28th Street. "This is not passed. We're going to have mosquitos next year, so we're all going to work together," Scott said. Police are searching for a man they say allegedly broke into a Key Biscayne home Friday morning and now may be inside a nearby school. Officers from Key Biscayne and Miami-Dade Police responded to the scene off Woodcrest Lane, capturing video of the man inside the home courtesy of a baby monitor. Several reports say a housekeeper was tied up by the suspect, but was able to get free and notify police. Two nearby schools Key Biscayne K-8 Center and St. Agnes Academy were placed on lockdown while officers searched the area. Officials have alerted parents and all students are reported to be safe. Police have also closed off sections of Fernwood Road, Glenridge Road and Woodcrest Lane as their search continues. Breaking once more from presidential custom, Donald Trump is turning to a military man to steer the U.S. military, choosing retired Gen. James Mattis, who will be the first career officer to lead the Pentagon since just after World War II. Mattis, 66, is a Marine Corps general who retired in 2013 after serving as commander of the U.S. Central Command, responsible for directing America's wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The president-elect, who has referred to Mattis by his nickname "Mad Dog," made the announcement of his choice for defense secretary at a postelection victory rally Thursday night in Cincinnati. The selection raises questions about increased military influence in a job designed to ensure civilian control of the armed forces. Those traditional concerns revolve around whether a recently retired service member would rely more on military solutions to international problems rather than take a broader, more diplomatic approach. For Mattis to be confirmed, Congress would first have to approve legislation bypassing a law that bars retired military officers from becoming defense secretary within seven years of leaving active duty. Mattis has a reputation as a battle-hardened, tough-talking Marine who was entrusted with some of the most challenging commands in the U.S. military. In a tweet last month, Trump described him as "A true General's General!" Mattis also has talked tough on Middle East policy, and was blunt in his assessment in 2013 that the Obama administration's program of sanctions and diplomatic efforts to stop Iran from gaining nuclear weapons were not working. Tehran, he said, "has a history of denial and deceit." He also warned of risks in setting up the no-fly zone over Libya in 2011. And he was vocal in his assessment that the U.S. needed to keep two Navy aircraft carriers in the Middle East to provide additional security and support for American military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan that dragged on in recent years. Mattis would be only the second retired general to serve as defense secretary, the first being George C. Marshall in 1950-51 during the Korean War. Marshall was a much different figure, having previously served as U.S. secretary of state and playing a key role in creating closer ties with Western Europe after World War II. The only previous exception to the law requiring a gap after military service was for Marshall. Although his record in combat and his credentials as a senior commander are widely admired, Mattis has little experience in the diplomatic aspects of the job of secretary of defense. Richard Fontaine, president of the Center for a New American Security, described him as a defense intellectual and as a military leader who distinguished himself in combat. "He knows the Middle East, South Asia, NATO and other areas and has evinced both a nuanced approach to the wars we're in and an appreciation for the importance of allies," Fontaine said in an email exchange. "If he were to get the nomination, I suspect that he could attract a number of very talented people to work with him." But Mattis hasn't been free of controversy. He was criticized for remarking in 2005 that he enjoyed shooting people. He also drew more recent scrutiny for his involvement with the embattled biotech company Theranos, where he serves on the board. Born in Pullman, Washington, Mattis enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1969, later earning a history degree from Central Washington University. He was commissioned as an officer in 1972. As a lieutenant colonel, he led an assault battalion into Kuwait during the first U.S. war with Iraq in 1991. As head of Central Command from 2010 until his retirement in 2013, he was in charge of both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Mattis commanded the Marines who launched an early amphibious assault into Afghanistan and established a U.S. foothold in the Taliban heartland. As the first wave of Marines moved toward Kandahar, Mattis declared, "The Marines have landed, and now we own a piece of Afghanistan." Two years later, he helped lead the invasion into Iraq in 2003 as the two-star commander of the 1st Marine Division. In 2005, he raised eyebrows when he told a San Diego forum that it was "fun to shoot some people." According to a recording of his remarks, Mattis said, "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot. ... It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you, I like brawling." He added, "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil," Mattis continued. "You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." Mattis was counseled to choose his words more carefully. A year later, Mattis came under scrutiny during one of the more high-profile criminal investigations of the Iraq war, the shooting deaths of 24 Iraqis by Marines. The Iraqis, who included unarmed women and children, were killed by Marines in the town of Haditha after one of their comrades was killed by a roadside bomb. Eight Marines were charged in connection with the killings four enlisted men were charged with unpremeditated murder, and four officers who weren't there at the time were accused of failures in investigating and reporting the deaths. As commander of the accused Marines' parent unit, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Mattis ultimately dismissed charges against most of the Marines. Separately, as a top Marine general, Mattis pushed for the military to adopt blood-testing technology developed by Theranos. As reported by The Washington Post , Mattis first met Theranos founder Elizabeth A. Holmes in 2011. A year later, according to emails obtained by the Post, Holmes used her connection to Mattis to pressure him to intervene after a Pentagon official raised concerns that the company was distributing its technology without approval by the Food and Drug Administration. The emails show within hours after Holmes asked Mattis for help, he forwarded her email to other military officials asking them, "How do we overcome this new obstacle." Mattis joined the Theranos board the same year he retired. The company, which raised hundreds of millions of dollars on the promise of breakthrough blood-testing technology, was forced to invalidate two years of patients' test results after the reliability of its proprietary blood-testing machinery was questioned by internal and government whistleblowers and investigative reporting by The Wall Street Journal. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has not yet come up with mandatory requirements for trucking companies to deal with fatigued driving, despite several recent deadly truck crashes. The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that the FMCSA adopt a fatigue management program because it could cost "several hundred million dollars to train existing drivers and supervisors" and that the safety benefits can be "difficult to quantify." A spokesperson for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Assocation told NBC 4 New York, "A fatigue management mandate would completely miss the root of a much larger problem regarding highway safety. Fatigue is not the only thing to consider. Lack of flexibility within the Hours of Service regulations is the larger problem combined with paying drivers only for miles driven." And a spokesman for the American Trucking Associations said that "fatigue management programs can be an effective way of reducing driver fatigue and improving safety. Yet, the trucking industry is very diverse, so a blanket one-size, fits-all solution is not practical and would likely be ineffective." But attorney Benedict Morelli, who represented actor Tracey Morgan and other passengers in a civil suit following a deadly crash, said, "People who drive the big rigs, whether they are 30 or 60 years old, everyone needs to rest. They are not robots." Morelli said the driver of the Wal-Mart truck that rear-ended the van that Morgan and his friends were riding just "fell asleep." According to the NTSB accident report, the crash was caused because the truck driver, Kevin Roper, was fatigued due to his "failure to obtain sleep before reporting for duty." The report revealed Roper had not slept in 28.5 hours, and that prior to starting his shift, he had commute from his home in Georgia and drove 800 miles. "Being awake for 24 hours is just as dangerous as being legally drunk, and it impairs performance," said Dr. Charles Czeisler of Brigham and Womens Hospital. Currently, truck drivers can only work up to 14 hours and are required to be off the clock for 10 hours. What to Know A judge denied the request to appoint a special prosecutor Wayne resident William Brennan's complaint says Christie violated the official misconduct statute when he failed to reopen lanes on the GWB Christie attorney Craig Carpenito said Brennan doesn't have standing to seek a special prosecutor A New Jersey judge has denied a request to appoint a special prosecutor in a citizen's official misconduct complaint against Gov. Chris Christie in the George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal. Superior Court Judge Bonnie Mizdol dismissed activist Bill Brennan's request that a special prosecutor be appointed in the investigation into the governor, saying that the Wayne resident lacked the standing to make such a request. Brennan, a former Teaneck firefighter, filed a complaint earlier this year alleging that Christie failed to order subordinates to reopen the bridge access lanes from Fort Lee after it became clear that the September 2013 lane closures were adversely affecting the flow of traffic. A different judge ruled that there was probable cause to let the complaint go forward in October. He slammed the judge's decision Friday, vowing a new line of attack to be launched early next week. "An obvious conflict of interest was argued and established in open court," Brennan said in a statement. "Judge Mizdol's refusal to address that clear conflict was an act of judicial cowardice, her reputation will never recover. Defendant Christie has nothing to celebrate, this is not over." Christie has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and was never charged in the scheme to create traffic jams on the country's busiest bridge as political payback to a mayor who didn't endorse the governor's re-election. Two former Christie allies were recently convicted in the case, and a third earlier pleaded guilty and testified against them. They testified during a federal trial in September and October that Christie was told about the lane closures if not necessarily the motive behind them ahead of time and while they were ongoing. Brennan, representing himself, argued Wednesday that a special prosecutor is needed to remove the appearance of a conflict of interest. Attorney General Chris Porrino and Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir Grewal, both appointed by Christie, have recused themselves from the case, but Brennan argued that their subordinates also should be recused. Grewal's subordinates are not appointees. "The conflict is real and it's palpable. They're all on the same side, figuratively, literally and visually," he said as he pointed to lawyers representing the prosecutor's office, attorney general's office and Christie. Attorney Craig Carpenito, representing Christie, accused Brennan of grandstanding and "seeking to prolong his 15 minutes in the public eye." The attorney general's office has argued that Brennan, as a citizen making a complaint, doesn't have the standing to call for a special prosecutor and that there is no legislative mechanism to appoint one. Carpenito said Brennan's claims that assistant county prosecutors couldn't be fair "insults the process." Brennan contended the case is novel because it involves a sitting governor as a defendant and has no guiding legal precedent. He told Mizdol "the eyes of the world are on this courtroom" and urged her to grant his motion so that "then, and only then, will the citizens believe the governor is being held to the same standards as everyone else." What to Know 67 dogs, cats and turtles were rescued from the woman's Jackson Heights home earlier this year The conditions in the house were deplorable, a criminal complaint says, with feces, fur and trash strewn about Rescue workers were so overwhelmed by the smell in the home they had to wear respirators to breathe, the complaint said A 48-year-old Queens woman has been indicted on charges of felony aggravated cruelty to animals and other crimes after authorities rescued more than five dozen dogs and cats, many of them extremely sick and starved, from her feces-covered home earlier this year. Prosecutors say a crime prevention officer went to Elizabeth Grant's Jackson Heights home on Jan. 6 to visit her elderly mother, a crime victim. No one answered a knock at the door, but it was open. The officer went inside and saw multiple animals in the home, which was filthy, prosecutors say. The officer went back to the house Jan. 28 with ASPCA representatives. Grant's mother was home that time, and when the group went in, they found excessive amounts of feces and fur in the home; the smell of urine permeated the main floor and numerous flies were present, court documents say. The home appeared to be strewn with clutter and trash and the ceiling was peeling and rotting. Many of the animals appeared to have patches of fur missing, crusted eyes and one cat did not appear to be able to walk. A court-authorized search warrant was issued the same day and authorities went back to the home, where they rescued 67 animals -- 55 cats, 12 dogs and two turtles. Veterinarians determined that many had dental diseases, ear mites, respiratory infections, as well as pain and discomfort from a host of other ailments. A dog by the name of Dorothy was vomiting and had diarrhea related to chronic kidney and liver disease, according to a criminal complaint. Much of her coat was matted with feces and she had severe dental disease and a chronic digestive-related illness, the complaint said. The dog had to be euthanized. Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said Grant allegedly allowed the dozens of animals to live in deplorable conditions. "The homes floor and furnishings were allegedly covered in feces, fur and urine. Rescue workers stepping inside the dwelling, were overwhelmed by the smell of ammonia and had to wear respirators to breathe, as well as protective clothing," Brown said. "No person or animal should live in such wretched conditions." Grant was arraigned on a 138-count indictment charging her with four counts of aggravated cruelty to animals, 66 counts of overdriving, torturing or injuring an animal and 66 counts of failure to provide proper food and drink to an impounded animal. If convicted, she faces up to two years on each of the four felony counts. Information on an attorney who could comment on the allegations against Grant was not immediately available. She's due back in court in January. What to Know The raucous campaigner in President-elect Trump came out as he kicked off his "Thank You Tour" rally in Ohio and made a cabinet announcement The terror attack in San Bernardino, California, happened one year ago today and remembrances are planned Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, had to be evacuated from the South Pole after he fell ill there Get the top headlines of the day in your morning briefing from NBC 4 New York, Monday through Friday. Sign up for our newsletter here. Trump Kicks off Thank You Tour President-elect Donald Trump took a victory lap on Thursday, appearing in Indiana to salute workers at a factory that he made a campaign promise to save. The Midwest swing is the first time Trump, who has shown an early inclination to revel in the role of showman-in-chief, has barnstormed across the country since the campaign. Trump used the air-conditioning company Carrier's decision to keep an Indianapolis plant open as a backdrop to push his pro-business and trade reform agenda. As Trump touted the Carrier victory, workers at another of the company's Indiana plants said they're still losing their jobs. Trump also traveled to Ohio, the first stop in a battleground Thank You Tour. It was his first major public appearance since Election Day and he held court in front of thousands of adoring fans. From the stage, he announced that he will be offering the post of Defense Secretary to retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis. 1 Year Since San Bernardino Attack On Friday, community members in California will gather to remember the 14 people killed and 22 wounded in the terror attack in San Bernardino one year ago. The hardscrabble city of 216,000 people east of Los Angeles is preparing to mark the anniversary of the Dec. 2 attack by husband-and-wife assailants on a holiday luncheon for county health employees. The husband of one of the victims described raising their son as a single parent and how the attack changed his life. "I think when you've been through something like that, it changes the way you think," James Godoy said. Engineer in Crash Sues Metro-North The engineer who nodded off at the controls of a Metro-North train just before it derailed in the Bronx in 2013, killing four people and injuring more than 70 others, is suing the railroad for $10 million. Attorneys for William Rockefeller filed the suit in federal court on Thursday morning, alleging that the railroad acted negligently by not providing mechanisms that would automatically slow trains as they approached a dangerous curve near the Spuyten Duyvil station or an alerter to keep an engineer in the control cab alert before the Dec. 1, 2013, crash. Buzz Aldrin Evacuated From South Pole An ailing Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, was evacuated from the South Pole to New Zealand where he was in a hospital on Friday in stable condition. Aldrin, 86, was visiting Antarctica as a tourist when he fell ill. Tour company White Desert said Aldrin has fluid in his lungs, but was responding well to antibiotics. Aldrin and Neil Armstrong became the first men on the moon, on July 20, 1969. Armstrong died in 2012. Nestle to Cut Sugar in Candy Kitkat and Aero bar maker Nestle said it has found a new way to reduce sugar by up to 40 percent without affecting the taste of its products. Nestle said the process works by changing the structure of sugar particles so each dissolves faster on the tongue. The chocolate maker said it would begin to use the new sugar in 2018. Obamas Light Christmas Tree Barack Obama and Michelle Obama lit the National Christmas Tree for the last time as president and first lady Thursday. The 94th annual National Christmas Tree Lighting took place on the Ellipse at the White House Thursday evening. The first couple and daughter Sasha took the stage to light the tree after a musical performance by Kelly Clarkson. Check out these national Christmas trees from over the years. More Holiday News The slow recovery of the U.S. economy is continuing to keep the cost of Christmas or at least the gifts listed in "The Twelve Days of Christmas" from spiraling out of control. The price of two turtle doves jumped from $290 to $375 this year, but nine of the other 12 gifts listed in the carol stayed the same price or became cheaper, including a partridge in a pear tree, according to the 33rd annual PNC Wealth Management Christmas Price Index released Thursday. And it looks like American pets behaved well this year. Americans are expected to spend a furtune on their four-legged friends over the holiday season. In other holiday news, the Mall of America welcomed its first black Santa Claus since opening in the early 1990s. A missing New Jersey woman who was found dead at a state forest reserve on Thursday was the victim of a homicide, according to authorities. Essex County prosecutors said the county's Crime Stoppers are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever killed Sarah Butler and left her body in the Eagle Rock Reservation in West Orange Thursday morning. Butler, of Montclair, was a second year at New Jersey City University in Jersey City. She was reported missing to the Montclair Police Department on Nov. 23 and was last seen at a recording studio. "NJCU is devastated by the tragic and senseless loss of Sarah Butler, whose life touched so many throughout the campus," the university said in a statement on Friday. "Our deepest sympathies go out to Sarah's family and friends during this difficult time." Friends and family of Butler consoled one another upon hearing the news. A childhood friend, Melody, said the community was hoping for a different outcome. Details on how or why she was killed weren't immediately available. Police said that the Homicide Task Force is taking part in an ongoing investigation. Investigators ask anyone with information to call the prosecutors tip line at (877) 847-7432. As U.S. backed forces push deeper into Mosul to drive out ISIS, more civilians are getting caught in the middle. The only medical care available for many of them on the frontlines is being provided by two American volunteers, including a 27-year-old man from New Jersey. Pete Reed from Bordentown works at what is probably the most important clinic in all of Iraq now that almost every civilian injured in Mosul is taken there. Its the only front-line medical post in the entire city. Reed works with another 27-year-old American, Derek Colemen from San Diego. Together the two volunteers are on a mission to save lives. The very first day we were here we had over 65 casualties, including twelve dead on arrival, Colemen said. Reed and Colemen are the first ones to give care to civilians like a woman named Farida, who was injured by shrapnel caused by ISIS firing indiscriminately into Mosul. The 27-year-olds came to Mosul on their own, knowing the risks. Quit my job, sold my truck, sold most of my possessions. Came out here on a hope and a dream, Colemen said. The two of them initially came to Iraq to work with Iraqi forces and help fight ISIS, but they realized they could do more good saving lives. There are 5,000 American troops in Mosul, but very few of them are allowed to leave their bases and help out on the front lines. Thats where Colemen and Reed come in. Theyve made do with donations of medical supplies from private individuals and small organizations. Colemen is a machinist who has basic first aid training. Reed is a former Marine who served two tours in Afghanistan. I still have some fight left in me. I can use my medical for good, Reed said. Together, theyve treated more than 500 people. They said its the kids who have stuck with them most. Dealing with children, wounded children, dying children. Weve had some days with half-a-dozen kids die, Colemen said. Despite some close calls like when they were chased by an ISIS car bomber they know that the people of Mosul are depending on them. I have every intention of staying here until the battle is over, Colemen said. Three New York City men have been arrested in an Orange County home invasion, accused of holding up a man at gunpoint before taking off with jewelry and cash, police say. Clarkstown police said the 49-year-old victim encountered the robbers when he went into his garage to get something Wednesday night. Two men were pointing guns at him, and demanded valuables. He complied, and the robbers ran to a waiting vehicle, police said. No residents were hurt in the robbery. Police stopped the men in the car on the New York Thruway and took them into custody without incident, authorities said. A search near the car turned up a loaded 9-mm gun and a loaded 40-caliber pistol. The suspects, a 30-year-old Bronx man, a 33-year-old Bronx man and a 26-year-old Brooklyn man, were charged with felony counts of robbery, burglary and criminal possession of a stolen property. They were expected to be arraigned later Thursday. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie helped break ground on a new Trenton Central High School Friday. Christie joined other officials at the groundbreaking along Chambers Streets in Trenton. The school project follows years of concerns over the old, decaying building. Students have been attending classes in four different locations since 2014. Christie said his administration is committed to not only building a new school but fostering a positive school environment. A Mission Valley man is the first person to successfully undergo a heart and liver transplant in San Diego. When I first walked in here, I was just falling apart, Frank Sonny Taitano said Thursday from his bed at UC San Diego Medical Center. Taitano, 58, is one of just a handful of people who can say they survived such an operation. Fewer than 10 of these surgeries are performed each year in the U.S. First diagnosed with congestive heart failure and an enlarged heart 11 years ago, Taitano underwent a number of treatments but nothing seemed to work. Simple things like walking from his car to his apartment suddenly became a challenge. He's got to fight and I kept telling him, Just keeping fighting, said his wife Linda. We still have a lot to do in life. Alan Hemming, M.D. handled the liver transplant and he said there were several times when Taitano's condition deteriorated prior to the surgery. There were at least three times where we thought he was going to die, Hemming said. The surgery on November 4 lasted about 10 hours and at one point up to 70 people from UC San Diego Health were in the operating room. A team Taitano now considers part of his family. "California is unfortunately one of the worst states in the country to need a liver transplant in," Hemming said. About 1 in 5 people on the waiting list will die, he said. "The only way we can improve that is to have more people donate," Hemming said. "Donations save lives." Taitano chokes up when he thinks about the people who donated the organs that gave him a second chance at life. He still has family in his native Guam. and h's looking forward to spending time with his wife, six children and 13 grandchildren. He hopes to leave the hospital before the Christmas holiday. Organs from one donor can save or help as many as 50 people. To register click here. Eater San Diego shares the top stories of the week from San Diegos food and drink scene, including an inside look at a brand-new tiki bar in Pacific Beach, and expansion news from a breakfast favorite. 10 Cool Things About The Grass Skirt Tiki Bar Eater takes you inside San Diego's newest tiki speakeasy, The Grass Skirt in Pacific Beach, with pro tips on how to score a seat in the busy bar plus details on interactive cocktails, future menu additions, and scoop about a top secret drink list. [G] Dual Poke and Tiki Spot to Debut in Pacific Beach Breakfast Republic Expanding to Carmel Valley Breakfast Republics rapidly growing empire will expand to add another location in The Village at Pacific Highlands Ranch in Carmel Valley. This is the fifth eatery for owner Johan Engman, who currently operates the morning-centric concept in Liberty Station, North Park and Encinitas, with a new outpost also coming to the East Village. Master Indian Chef Opens La Jolla Restaurant Acclaimed chef Hemant Oberoi, whose culinary career spans more than four decades in India's top kitchens, has teamed up with his son to open Masala Street, described as a "colonial Indian gastropub," in downtown La Jolla. The menu here features Indian street food with a California twist and over 20 local craft beers. Voltaire Beach House Heading to Ocean Beach Currently in construction on a prime corner of the Ocean Beach neighborhood is Voltaire Beach House. The eaterys design takes inspiration from beach homes on the Nantucket Island sea shore. Its scheduled to open next month and will feature a menu specializing in New American cuisine. Moto Deli Brings Gourmet Sandwiches to Encinitas North County's newest casual eatery, Moto Deli, has opened on North Coast Highway in Encinitas. The European-inspired deli features gourmet sandwiches stacked with house-smoked meat, house baked bread, housemade pickles and condiments. The deli also includes a market section selling artisan foods. Candice Woo is the founding editor of Eater San Diego, a leading source for news about San Diegos restaurant and bar scene. Keep up with the latest Eater San Diego content via Facebook or Twitter, and sign up for Eater San Diegos newsletter here. A U.S. Marine aircraft made a precautionary emergency landing east of San Diego, near Mount Laguna, on Thursday afternoon, military officials said. The unplanned landing happened during routine training, shortly before 4 p.m. The helicopter landed 30 miles east of the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, USMC Miramar Lieutenant Gabriel Adibe said. Cal Fire spokesman Isaac Sanchez said the Osprey landed in an open field in the Cleveland National Forest in the U.S. Forest Service's jurisdiction. The MV-22 Osprey made it safely to the ground with no reports of injuries, or damage to the helicopter, officials said. "The aircraft was conducting routine training and the pilots landed the aircraft safely with no injuries to personnel," read a statement from Gabide. The aircraft experienced some kind of equipment maintenance issue, U.S. Forest Service's Spokeswoman Olivia Walker said, and landed on private property near Pine Valley. Those possible equipment issues were still being investigated immediately following the incident. On Friday, Cleveland National Forest officials said the aircraft had experienced some sort of engine malfunction. It was not a serious malfunction, but enough to force the precautionary landing. Officials likened the malfunction to driving your car and seeing the Check Engine light go on. Officials said it was part of standard protocol to land the aircraft and get the it checked out and fixed. As of 9 p.m., the Osprey remained in the field where it landed. Officials said they were working to remove the aircraft from the area, but expected it to stay put through the night. The Osprey's crew stayed in the field with the aircraft. As of 11 a.m. Friday, the helicopter was still in the field. Officials said they planned to fix the aircraft and have it moved by noon. After repairs, they expected the Osprey to be able to take off without assistance. However, the removal of their aircraft was delayed and it remained in the field through Friday. Officials said they would remove it over the weekend. By 3:30 p.m. Saturday, the Osprey was out of the field and in the air. The site where the helicopter landed is near Mount Laguna Lodge. NBC 7 spoke with an employee from the lodge who said that as soon as he heard the Ospreys crew was stranded in the field, he went there to feed them dinner. He said the crew of six was thankful. He said a pilot told him the aircraft had experienced an engine malfunction with the hydraulics, but told him it was nothing serious. A Carlsbad man was sentenced to more than five years behind bars for his involvement in laundering more than $15 million for international drug rings, including the Sinaloa Cartel. Bradley John Martin, 55, pleaded guilty in May to having laundered money on several occasions including transporting $1,800,000 in cash for the hawala ring. He also admitted to operating an unlicensed remitting business. A hawala ring is an alternate way of transferring moneyonly the value of the money is transferred but not the money, according to the indictment. Two brokers operate each hawala and move money across various countries with other money laundering rings, all without any legal bindings. Individuals lending assistance to drug traffickers in the form of laundering drug proceeds are arguably no better than the traffickers themselves. Martins sentence is a warning to others that might be tempted to collude with drug trafficking organizations, said Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge John S. Comer. According to a press release by the U.S. Attorneys Office, the international scheme spanned across Canada, India, Mexico and the United States. The money was sent to the Sinaloa Cartel, which used it to invest in drugs that were then sold in the U.S. and Canada. The Sinaloa Cartel, formerly run by drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman" is an international drug trafficking and money laundering ring. Martin was sentenced to five years and three months in federal prison and will be supervised for three years after his release. Retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis has been selected by President-elect Donald Trump to be the first career officer to lead the Pentagon since just after World War II. In 2005, Mattis was chastised by his superiors for saying in a public speech in San Diego that it was "fun to shoot some people." It was also during that appearance that Mattis said some Afghans deserved to die. Mattis, 66, retired in 2013 after serving as commander of the U.S. Central Command, responsible for directing America's wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Trump, who has referred to Mattis by his nickname "Mad Dog," made the announcement of his choice for Secretary of Defense at a post-election victory rally Thursday night in Cincinnati, Ohio. Mattis has been known to speak bluntly and off-the-cuff. In 2005, the then-three-star general was stationed in Quantico, Virginia when he spoke to a group of about 200 people gathered at the San Diego Convention Center. "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight," he said. "You know, it's a hell of a hoot. . . . It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right upfront with you. I like brawling." "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil," Mattis continued. "You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." While many military members laughed at the comments, a military expert interviewed by NBC 7 immediately after the event called the comments "flippant." "I was a little surprised," said Retired Vice Adm. Edward H. Martin at the time. "I don't think any of us who have ever fought in wars liked to kill anybody." At the time, Mattis was in charge of Camp Pendleton's 1st Marine Division. His boss at the time, Gen. Mike Hagee, said that the comments reflected the "unfortunate and harsh realities of war" but that Mattis had been asked to watch his words in public. San Diego-headquartered Hotel Investment Group (HIG) has acquired an Old Town office complex for $2.2 million, with plans to convert it into an extended-stay boutique hotel. A company statement said the 10,000-square-foot property is at 2254 Moore St. and was purchased from the estate of Allison Burns McBride. HIG plans to renovate the property into a hotel under its cool niche of properties included in its Lifestyle Hotels concept. Others currently operating under that banner include Hotel Iris in Mission Valley and Hotel Aqua Mar in Point Loma. I think the Old Town hotel community was in need of an extended-stay hotel, said HIGs owner, Bhavesh Bobby Patel. Construction on the Old Town property will begin in the new year and last approximately eight months, with the hotels opening scheduled for October 2017. HIG currently owns and operates a total of 10 hotels in San Diego, El Cajon, Imperial Beach, South San Francisco and Santa Clara. Additional stories from the San Diego Business Journal are available here. Sign up for their free daily email newsletter. Dozens of local artists and vendors will unite Sunday at a hotel in North Park to host a holiday market focused on goods made in San Diego. San Diego Made, an artists collective organization that aims to increase awareness of local arts, will host its 3rd annual San Diego Made Holiday Market at the Lafayette Hotel, Swim Club & Bungalows (2223 El Cajon Blvd.) from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event will boast handmade goods for sale from about 50 local makers, plus holiday-themed food stations, seasonal craft cocktails and beer stations. As shoppers peruse the goods, they can also enjoy activities like outdoor games in the courtyard, a free mid-century themed photo booth, live music, Tarot card readings, raffles and more. The first 100 people to visit the Holiday Market will receive a free swag bag, organizers said. There will also be a couple of crafty workshops led by artists with The Tiny Bloom and Local Home Girl: a fresh holiday wreath lesson and a handmade stamp workshop, respectively. The 90-minute wreath workshop will teach you to design and assemble a 12-inch wreath using fresh, seasonal greens, berries and ribbon. Tickets to attend this workshop cost $36 per person, and will happen four times throughout the event in the Conservatory at the Lafayette Hotel: at 11:30 a.m.; 1 p.m.; 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. The 50-minute stamp workshop costs $24 per person and teaches the basics of using foam board to create unique stamps in different shapes and patterns. This crafting class, also in the hotels Conservatory, includes sticking the stamps onto recycled wood pieces and vintage wood spools. Each student will make three stamps and take home their art. The four time slots for this workshop are: 11:30 a.m.; 12:50 p.m.; 2:10 p.m.; 3:30 p.m. Organizers say patrons are encouraged to dress in their most dapper duds, as the theme of this years marketplace is A Mid-Century Holiday. Attendees can expect lots of vintage decor at the venue to set the tone. Tickets to the San Diego Made Holiday Market cost $5.25 per person, and can be purchased here. For the full list of makers participating in the event, click here. San Diego Made was founded in 2014 by local artists, craftsmen and makers Brittany Kaszas, Brook Dailey, Sarah Lowry, Kristin Dinnis and Eva Zuzuarregui, who were inspired to create a united coalition of local artists in San Diego. A San Diego man convicted of having sexually explicit photos of young children on his cellphone, many of them clients at a day care operated by his ex-wife, has been sentenced to decades in prison. Rancho Bernardo resident Abdullah Sediqi, 66, has pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including five counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 and two counts of invasion of privacy (recording under the clothing of another). He was originally pleaded not guilty to 13 charges. On Thursday, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison. At previous court appearances, graphic details of the crimes he's accused of were revealed. "A third victim, he was laying on his bare chest in clearly what is his bedroom, and clearly at one point, he is kissing her," said Deputy District Attorney Claudia Grasso. "A fourth victim, again he has her posed with her little shirt over her head and the camera is focusing on her chest and abdomen." The alleged victims are children currently or formerly enrolled at the Kid's Castle Day Care on Matinal Road, a Rancho Bernardo business owned and operated by Sediqis ex-wife, Katrien Sediqi. Police said Sediqi was living in the house where the day care is operated. The daycare has since been suspended. Sediqi is also accused of taking up-skirt photographs of women as they shopped at the Valley Thrift Store on East Valley Parkway in Escondido. Police said Sediqi was first arrested on June 13, 2015 after a woman shopping at the Valley Thrift Store noticed the suspect crouched down closely behind her with his cellphone in hand. The woman moved away from him and then saw Sediqi approach another woman shopping at the store. Sediqi then allegedly crouched down low to take a photograph under the womans clothing, police said. The witness called police and officers arrived at the store to speak with the suspect. Officers discovered Sediqi had used his phone to snap several photos underneath the clothing of unsuspecting women in the store, two of whom were minors. The up-skirt images were taken from at least two separate locations, police said. Sediqi was arrested at the scene and booked in the Vista Detention Facility. He posted bail and was released. As part of the investigation, police said Sediqis phone was forensically analyzed by an Escondido Police detective with the San Diego Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The detective found that Sediqis phone contained more than 6,000 photographs, and while most were innocuous, they found more than up-skirt shots. Many of the pictures were very graphic and disturbing, images of children, Escondido Police Chief Craig Carter said during a news conference Thursday morning. Some of the girls in the photos appeared to be as young as three to five years old -- many from Katrien's day care. Further investigation revealed that many of the children in those disturbing photographs were kids that attend Kids Castle Day Care on Matinal Road, a Rancho Bernardo business owned and operated by Sediqis ex-wife, Katrien Sediqi. The day care also goes by the name of Sediqi Family Day Care. The EPD said detectives served a search warrant on the Sediqi home and day care facility and seized all records of current clients of the business. More phones, computers and external hard drives were also taken from the home by investigators. The police department said officers contacted the parents of every child who is a current client of Kids Castle Day Care and alerted them of Sediqis arrest. Local military veterans plan to gather at the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota next week to show their support for those camped in protest of the four-state Dakota Access pipeline. The San Diego-based veterans join thousands of veterans across the country heading to North Dakota. Veterans Stand for Standing Rock says 2,000 veterans will gather Sunday in Fort Yates, which is on the reservation. The organization says they'll be bused to the protesters' main camp on Monday and spend most of Tuesday and Wednesday on the front lines. On Thursday afternoon, veterans in San Diego were meeting at Balboa Park to collect donations for their trip. The group has set up a page at GoFundMe.com to raise money for food, transportation and supplies. As of Wednesday afternoon, it had raised nearly $700,000 of its $1 million goal. Locally, another GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for the cause. One local veteran said he's treating it like a deployment. "You're going to get arrested. You could possibly get hit by a rubber bullet," said veteran Ivan Sam. "Tear gassed. Concussion grenade. The possibility of that is likely to happen." North Dakota's governor said via a spokesperson Tuesday that an evacuation order he issued to those protesting the Dakota Access oil pipeline was "misconstrued" and that he has no intention of blocking food and supplies from those gathered at the encampment 50 miles south of Bismarck. Gov. Jack Dalrymple issued Monday a "mandatory evacuation" for the camp "to safeguard against harsh winter conditions." But the order didn't specify any action to be taken against protesters who don't comply, and state Emergency Services spokeswoman Cecily Fong later said no action would be taken to enforce it. Standing Rock Sioux tribal leader Dave Archambault called Dalrymple's order "a menacing action meant to cause fear, and is a blatant attempt by the state and local officials to usurp and circumvent federal authority." Dalrymple's order was not the first attempt from officials to clear the camp of protesters: The Army Corps of Engineers issued a letter last week stating that all federal lands north of the Cannonball River will be closed to the public for "safety concerns" starting Dec. 5. That order includes the encampment called Oceti Sakowin, or Seven Council Fires camp. A North Dakota sheriff on Monday dismissed the Dec. 5 deadline as a meaningless move aimed only at reducing the government's legal responsibility for hundreds of demonstrators. The Corps "is basically kicking the can down the road, and all it is doing is taking the liability from the Corps and putting it on" the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier said. The agency had cited North Dakota's oncoming winter and increasingly contentious clashes between protesters and police as reasons for the evacuation date. But in a statement issued late Sunday, the Corps said it "has no plans for forcible removal." Anyone on land north of the river, including the main protest camp, after the deadline may be prosecuted for trespassing. Before issuing his own order, Dalrymple had called the Corps' position "very puzzling." "When you put out a pronouncement that people must leave your land by a certain date, I think you take on a responsibility to somehow bring that about," Dalrymple said. "Clearly the responsibility of clearing that land now lies primarily with the Corps." The 1,172-mile pipeline is nearly complete except for a small section beneath a Missouri River reservoir near the encampment, which is about 50 miles south of Bismarck. As thousands of people file into Balboa Park this weekend for December Nights, parking for the large-scale event and security will likely be top of mind for many. About 350,000 visitors are expected over the course of the two-day holiday festival, which runs from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday. Its the years largest free community festival in San Diego. That being said, parking and traffic around Balboa Park during December Nights is always a challenge. Attendees are urged to use free shuttles to get into the event or take public transportation. [G] Balboa Park December Nights 2016 Organizers say commuters should avoid the southbound 163 between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. on both days, as that freeway is always backed up during the holiday event. Free shuttles for December Nights will run from 3 p.m. to midnight Friday and from 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday. The final shuttles depart toward the park at 8:30 p.m. on both nights. The last shuttle from the park back to the parking areas leaves at 11:45 p.m. Free parking, with shuttle service, can be found in the City College parking lots between 16th Avenue and B and C streets. The shuttle will drop off passengers at 6th Avenue and Laurel Street, right outside Balboa Park. People can also walk from City College to Balboa Park, which is about a quarter-mile. To get to the City College lots while bypassing that busy SR-163, drivers should use Interstate 5 and exit at B Street. Organizers say there are also several $5 parking lots in downtown San Diego, on Ash Street between 5th and 6th avenues. Theres also free street parking in that area after 6 p.m. The free shuttle will also take passengers from those lots and drop them off at 6th Avenue and Laurel Street throughout December Nights. Balboa Park December Nights is billed as the nations premiere holiday festival. This is the 39th consecutive year of December Nights. To gauge how large this event is, NBC 7s Todd Strain spent the day at Balboa Park has the story of December Nights by the numbers. Visitors should note that there is no free shuttle from Petco Park this year. Also, by 1 p.m. Friday, the parking lot at the nearby San Diego Zoo was nearly full, and the same was expected for that lot on Saturday. Balboa Parks December Nights has partnered with LYFT this year, so if you use the ride-sharing service to get and from Balboa Park during the festival, you can get a 20 percent off discount for up to two rides, with up to $5 off per ride. The code is BPDN50. NBC 7 spoke to festival organizers Friday about security measures in place this year during the big event. Tomas Herrera-Mishler, Executive Director-Chief and Executive Officer for the Balboa Park Conservancy, said security for December Nights last year was increased by 20 percent from 2014. This year, security remains the same. He said organizers are given security recommendations by the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) on how much security to staff for the event and they stick to that recommendation. Free or Cheap Things to Do in San Diego He said, as always, safety is the No. 1 priority at December Nights. Herrera-Mishler said additional SDPD officers will be on hand at Balboa Park starting Friday afternoon, as well as extra crews from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD). He said organizers will also have 20 Zone Ambassadors scattered around Balboa Park during the event, assigned to oversee designated areas of the festival. Those ambassadors are all connected to a phone system with one another so they can notify each other in case they spot any suspicious activity in their zones. They are also meant to act as resources for December Nights attendees who may have questions as they make their way through the event. For tips on what to see and do once you get to December Nights, click here. For a fun look at the festival by the numbers, and exactly what it takes to put on December Nights year after year, click here. In light of President-elect Donald Trumps plan to save hundreds of Carrier jobs from relocating to Mexico, NBC 7 took a look at what tax-incentive programs are available to local businesses. The South County Economic Development Council is pushing state and local tax-incentive programs to help South Bay businesses. A $100 million tax incentive program from the state, called California Competes will become available in January to help small businesses hire more workers. National City business owner Walter Weinman runs the first business to receive funds from an earlier phase of the tax-incentive program. Weinman has been in the copy, mailing and printing business for 30 years. In the last decade, hes seen more than a dozen print shops like his go out of business in the South Bay. In April 2015, he received a $75,000 tax incentive to hire more workers over the next decade. His small business usually employees about 6 to 10 workers. It was a process, Weinman said, thumbing through a binder of paperwork. It wasnt particularly difficult or too time-consuming, but I couldnt have done it without the help of the South County EDC and the National City Chamber of Commerce, he said. Small businesses like his across the state can apply for the same break. But, Weinman stressed, like the Carrier deal, its not a handout or a bailout. Its not like anyone is handing them $7 million up front, he said. Heres how he explained the California Competes program works: The more workers you hire, the more you are able to write-off on your taxes on the wages you already pay to your employees. If you dont hire more workers, you dont get the break. It works really well, he said Especially if you are in a growth cycle. Thats what they want. Thats what I want. Thats what everyone wants, but its not always happening every year. Weinman says tax incentives help businesses like his stay afloat. Small business is really the backbone of the United States, said Weinman. South County EDC Chairwoman Clarissa Falcon said theres a diversity of incentives from both government and other organizations that can fit the needs of any size business. Its not a one-size fits all kind of thing, Falcon said. Theres a diversity of incentives and our job is to leverage all those incentives and programs and connect them together as a package for companies looking to grow their business here and looking to locate here. Turns out President-elect Donald Trump isn't the only person with a Muslim dilemma. Showrunners from some of the most popular shows on television, including ABC's "Quantico," and Showtime's "Homeland," said the negative hysteria surrounding the Muslim population following the presidential election has made their storytelling more difficult, as they attempt to weave intricate plots while steering clear of fueling anti-Muslim hysteria. The plot lines of both shows often center around attempted terrorists attacks against the United States. Approximately two weeks after Election Day, The New York Times gathered a select group of showrunners together to discuss Muslim representation on television. The roundtable included Howard Gordon, creator of both 24 and Homeland, and Joshua Safran creator of "Quantico," an ABC series about F.B.I. operatives. Jimmy Fallon and Priyanka Chopra celebrate the fall season by taking turns to see who can grab the most apples using only their mouths. For his part, Safran vowed he'd never depict a Muslim as a terrorist on the show. "For me, it was important to not ever put a Muslim terrorist on our show," Safran said. "There hasnt been one. This year we have the appearance of one which is a spoiler. But its not true." Gordon, also created "24," a show that often depicted Muslims as terrorists. When asked if he had any concerns about the storylines on "Homeland" being used as fodder to fuel anti-Muslim sentiment, Gordon responded, "The short answer is, absolutely, yes. On "Homeland," its an ongoing and very important conversation." The roundtable discussed the necessity of bringing in diverse voices to the process. "If you bring in writers with different experiences, you get different stories, " said Zarqa Nawaz, creator of the Canadian series Little Mosque on the Prairie. "I have great hope for the future," Nawaz told the Times. "I pitched a show to one of the networks about a Muslim family, and I was told by the executive, 'There is no way an American network is going to have a Muslim woman with a hijab on television. Get her out. We will not do it.' And then I watch 'Quantico' [which has a main character in a hijab]. Im like, 'Oh my god. Ive been vindicated.'" The Washington Monument is not expected to reopen to visitors until 2019 after a string of elevator issues led to its indefinite closure in August, according to the National Park Service (NPS). Businessman David M. Rubenstein is pledging funding to modernize the Washington Monument elevator, NPS said in a statement released Friday. The $2-3 million project is needed to repair the elevator's ongoing mechanical, electrical and computer issues that have trapped visitors and forced numerous closures of the monument. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton applauded Rubenstein for supporting the renovation of the elevator in a statement. "The Washington Monument is a symbol of national pride for all Americans and is vital to the District's local tourist economy," Norton said. The renovation is expected to include a new computer system as well as a remote diagnostic system, which will allow the causes of problems to be determined more quickly. The existing elevator will be refurbished and existing hardware will be replaced. The trouble for the elevator began roughly after the reopening of the monument in 2014. The monument had undergone almost three years of repairs after the 2011 earthquake cracked and chipped the stone obelisk. During these repairs, the lone elevator within the monument was not renovated. Shortly after reopening in 2014, a string of elevator issues caused the monument to frequently close and reopen once more. In August, after the elevator broke down several times, trapping visitors at the top of the monument and forcing them to walk down, NPS announced that the monument would be closed indefinitely. In addition to modernizing the elevator, NPS requested funding to construct a permanent screening facility for the monument, a project Norton has also pledged her support for. "The Washington Monument is one of our nation's most iconic structures. It is one of many monuments in Washington, D.C., that is important in telling the story of America's rich and diverse history," said Jonathan B. Jarvis, director of the NPS. A growing number of people with mental illness are repeatedly arrested for nonviolent offenses -- only to be released back into their community with no treatment or support, according to experts. It's a problem felt in criminal justice systems across the country, including the D.C. area. "The largest psychiatric facilities in the United States are our American jails, and its a crisis level," said Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy. Montgomery County is the latest in the region to launch a mental health court to try to solve the crisis. Officials said the county's detention facility has just 39 beds for the thousands of inmates who pass through each year with mental health issues. "It can be a a revolving door for some of these individuals," said Robert Green, the director of the Montgomery County Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. "Its a chess process every day and how we move various pieces of our system to accommodate the most ill that are coming in." The new mental health court will focus on those who routinely break the law and, until now, had few options. "Traditionally in criminal cases the options are prison, or jail or probation," said Judge Gary E. Bair, with the Montgomery County Mental Health Court. "The hope is that well be able to help, you know, prevent some crime and help get some treatment for people that need treatment." How will it work? Nonviolent defendants will apply to have their cases moved from criminal court to mental health court. "The judges will have available to them, mental health services at the bench, therapists at the bench, connection to [The Department of Health and Human Services] at the bench," Green said. In addition, Bair said there is a case manager, a probation agent and mental health workers working for the court. That team of people, led by the judge, will provide a support system for the defendants and focus on three main objectives: housing, job placement and maintaining and stabilizing the patients' medication. The defendants will also report back to the judge each week, rather than to a probation officer. "Probation agents arent psychiatrists. Probation agents arent social workers. Probation agents have heavy case loads," Bair said. Montgomery County officials said they expect to see findings on how the patients respond to the new court system within its first year. D.C., Baltimore and Prince George's County have mental health courts. To find information on mental health courts across the country, visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website. Some of Vice President-elect Mike Pence's new Washington neighbors are welcoming him to the area with gay pride flags. Several people on Pence's new block have hung rainbow pride flags to show their displeasure about his positions on LGBT issues, NBC News reported. Pence is living in the Chevy Chase neighborhood during the transition before he moves into the vice president's mansion on the grounds of the Naval Observatory next year. LGBT activists have criticized Pence for a "religious objections" law he signed as Indiana governor that they said could sanction discrimination against gay people. They also pointed to a past insinuation while speaking in Congress against same-sex marriage that being gay is a choice and that same-sex couples would bring on "societal collapse." And detractors have also objected to his platform during a 2000 congressional campaign that included a call for HIV funding to direct resources "toward those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior." LGBT activists have said that signaled his support for anti-gay conversion therapy. The American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association have been among those who say the therapy does not work and have condemned it. A spokesman for Vice-President elect Pence recently told The New York Times that the congressional campaign statement had been misinterpreted. Pence does not support the conversion therapy and had been calling for money to go to "groups that promoted safe sexual practices, the spokesman said. But activists aren't convinced and have also criticized a line that made it into the Republican Party platform this year to support the "right of parents to determine the proper medical treatment and therapy for their minor children, the Times reported. "When I think of Mike Pence, the first thing I think about is his stance on the LGBT community," new neighbor Joanna Pratt told NBC Out. "What bothers me most are his statements that he supports conversion therapy, which is completely outrageous. I find it abhorrent." Pratt told NBC Out that she didn't think that there were any LGBTQ families on the block, though a gay tenant had sent a note of support. A Pence spokesman did not immediately respond to emails by The Associated Press and NBC Out seeking comment. In room 1349 at Hayfield Secondary School, there are hard drives, mother boards and screws and 23 high school students putting them all together to make newly refurbished laptops. The new Virginia Student Training and Refurbishment (STAR) program gives students at the Alexandria, Virginia, school the chance to learn how to repair computers and then donate them to local families in need. Technology teacher Constance Chiplock brought the program to Hayfield Secondary School this year. She said the most important lesson from the program is the importance of helping those less fortunate. Technology is a right, not a luxury. We believe everyone should have access no matter what their economic bracket, she said. These kids are responsible for changing a familys life of access. The students received a $4,000 grant and 25 donated laptops from the VA STAR program. They have been working on the computers a couple times a week since September, and hope to be ready to give them away by early next year. Its kind of sad that other people dont have access [to computers] like we do, so I think its great that were doing something like this to give back to them, said sophomore Sydney Bui. I think its really great because were benefiting, and also those people are benefiting. So I think its kind of a win-win thing. Hayfield senior Edwin Adjare said he grew up without advanced technology, so he can relate to the families he is now helping. Everyone should get an opportunity with certain types of technology. And it feels really good because you know that youre helping someone in need, and youre giving back to the people," he said. Junior Mosah Kamran described the program as fantastic. Its the most awesome thing to do [for] people that havent used a laptop or a computer ever in their life, he said. His classmate, junior Fawaz Ahmad, added that its easy to get caught up and lose gratitude in what we have. So its always nice to take a step back and do something for someone else, Ahmad said. Chiplock said she plans to continue the program at Hayfield. She hopes to reach a total of 100 refurbished laptops. Police say three men who were pretending to be police officers robbed and assaulted a pregnant woman in Maryland, punching her in the stomach. Maryland State Police say the woman was driving from New York to Norfolk, Virginia, Thursday when she was pulled over by what she thought was a police car. The 38-year-old woman is from Brooklyn, New York. The victim said one of the men approached the car and sprayed pepper spray into the car before spraying it on a towel that he held over her face. The woman said the man then punched her in the stomach when she got out of the car. She said that another man who was holding a handgun stole her purse, which contained cash and an expensive jeweled belt. Police have not found the suspects. The Mall of America is celebrating diversity this holiday season. For the first time since it opened in the early 1990s, a black Santa will hear children's wishes at the Minnesota mall. "It's pretty historic," Landon Luther, co-owner of The Santa Experience, which runs a small photo studio in the mall, told NBC. "We want Santa to be for everyone." Luther said he wanted a diverse bunch to pose for photos with visitors this year, so he sent staff members to a Santa convention in Bronson, Missouri. There was a single black Santa at the convention, Texas resident Larry Jefferson. Luther got in touch with Jefferson, who agreed to a four-day contract at the country's largest mall. And so far, there's been nothing but holiday cheer for Jefferson. "It's been nothing but positive. We're getting a lot of support," Luther told NBC. In fact, Jefferson is so popular that he's now fully booked for the weekend that he is scheduled to appear at the mall. Luther is hoping Jefferson will come back to the Mall of America for a longer stint as Santa next year. As Donald Trump held a victory lap touting a decision by Carrier to keep an Indianapolis plant open rather than move the facility to Mexico, workers at another of the company's Indiana plants said they are still losing their jobs, NBC News reported. Around 700 jobs will be lost when United Technologies Electronic Controls moves to Mexico sometime in 2018, workers told NBC News. CNBC confirmed Thursday that the company still plans to close the Huntington plant and move it to Mexico. "What about our jobs in Huntington," read a sign carried by Bob Breedlove, 60, who has worked at the Huntington facility for 11 years and was told layoffs will begin sometime in 2017. Breedlove voted for Trump. "I still support him, I'm glad he is able to save some jobs," he said of the Indianapolis deal. "Obviously, I wish he would be able to save ours also." A mosque in Wayland, Massachusetts received a hate-filled letter that calls Muslims vile and filthy people. Malik Khan, president of the Islamic Center of Boston, Wayland, said he received the threatening letter Thursday afternoon. The letter praises President-Elect Donald Trumps victory and says he will "do to you Muslims what Hitler did to the Jews." Copies of the letter have been sent to mosques across the country, including a Rhode Island mosque earlier this week. The letter is postmarked in California, but has a local Boston return address. They are all signed by "Americans for a Better Way." Khan said he is contacting the Wayland Police Department and the Office of the Attorney General of Massachusetts about the letter. Police say they intercepted a twisted murder-for-hire plot, and now a New Hampshire woman is behind bars. Claremont Police say Monique Earle is the mastermind behind a plot to get her ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend out of the way. "This is only the second time in my career that I've seen an investigation of this nature," said Claremont Police Chief Alex Scott. Scott says an informant called police Tuesday night with a startling piece of evidence. "A hand-written document allegedly from Ms. Earle outlining what she wanted to happen to this individual," Scott explained. "The plans were for [the victim] to be kidnapped, drugged, and raped for a few days," court documents read. "She wanted [the victim] locked in a room and starved for three days and then killed." With that information, the investigation moved quickly. "We devoted full resources to it," Scott said. By Wednesday, Earle believed she was meeting with a hit man, who was actually an undercover officer. Police say Earle offered to pay $500 for the services and even made a down payment before the meeting was over. "It was clear that she wanted this officer to end this young lady's life," Scott said. Police arrested Earle Wednesday night. She's now inside the Sullivan County Jail on $100,000 bail, and the victim is safe. "We were able to put the case together in less than 24 hours and put an end to what could have been a very dangerous situation," Scott said. Earle is charged with conspiracy to commit murder and is due in court Dec. 8. The owners of a cog railway that climbs up New Hampshire's Mount Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast, want to build an upscale hotel a mile from the summit. The plan to accomodates summer tourists would be a throwback to the hotels that once graced the mountain in the 1800s. With the loss of the Old Man of the Mountain, a granite profile and state symbol that crumbled in 2003, the 6,288-foot Mount Washington has been attracting more tourists in New Hampshire's North Country. It draws over 300,000 guests annually. The railway owners are considering a 35-room hotel with a restaurant on their own land that would withstand the weather extremes of Mount Washington. It would be open from late April through November. The hope is to open it by July 3, 2019, the railway's 150th anniversary. A company responsible for spilling paint along a 3-mile stretch of road in West Newbury, Massachusetts, has vowed to clean it up within the next week. According to town officials, an employee of RoadSafe caused the spill after he had completed a painting job in town Oct. 19. As he left town, police reports stated he claimed he didn't realize there was paint spilling out of his work truck. It was not until the police department received several complaints from drivers that they were able to track down who was responsible. "One fellow in town's car was only three days old, and he drove through it and he got yellow splatter all over his three day old car," explained resident, Rick Thurlow. In total, there were nine reports of car damage. But in a statement to necn, Roadsafe said they've either dealt directly with drivers or referred them to their insurer. "They caused damage and we want it to be fixed," said town clerk, Mike McCarron. This week, the town and company reached an agreement to proceed with repairs to the road. "RoadSafe is relieved that it has reached a resolution with the town of West Newbury who has given RoadSafe permission to proceed with remediation of the spill as of late yesterday," Margaret Bennett, a spokesperson for RoadSafe, wrote in a statement Thursday. "Weather and municipal cooperation permitting, RoadSafe will begin its work to remove the temporary waterborne paint from the roadway tomorrow. We accept full responsibility for the failure and are taking all necessary steps to prevent this type of occurrence in the future. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused to the town of West Newbury and its residents." A man has been arrested and charged in the murder of his 2-year-old daughter in Berlin, New Hampshire. The office of New Hampshire Attorney General Joseph Foster announced Friday that Roger Dana, the father of Madison Dana, would face a second degree murder charge in the child's death. The victim was at home on York Street in Berlin on Sunday when authorities were called around 3:30 p.m. The child was transported to Androscoggin Valley Hospital, where she was pronounced dead in the early evening. An autopsy conducted Monday morning by the medical examiner's officer determined the manner of death to be homicide, and the cause of death to be blunt impact injuries. The attorney general's office alleges that Roger Dana physically assaulted the child repeatedly and exhibited "an extreme indifference to the value of human life." Roger Dana is due to be arraigned Monday at 1:30 p.m. in Lancaster. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney. The decapitated body found along the Merrimack River in Lawrence, Massachusetts, on Thursday has been identified as a missing 16-year-old. Lawrence resident Lee Manuel Viloria-Paulino was last seen on the evening of November 18. Friday night, friends and family gathered for a candlelight vigil outside Lawrence High School, where Viloria-Paulino was an honors student. "This is a tragic loss for his family and friends," Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said. "We are working tirelessly to determine the person or persons responsible for Mr. Viloria-Paulino's death." Police were called to the Merrimack River at McCabe Court around 2:45 p.m. Thursday after a woman walking her dog found the body. The teen's head was found roughly 30 feet away from his body. For hours, crews in boats and on land searched for the victim's hands. Officials have said little about the case, concerned that any information that is released could negatively impact their investigation. Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera said at a press conference Friday that "rumors and innuendo" surrounding the case were causing concerns about public safety. "I share everyone's frustration and anger, about the incident itself, about the lack of information currently available and, frankly, about how this can happen in our community," he said. Rivera and Blodgett have said there is not much they can say without jeopardizing the investigation except that it is not believed to be a random act. Rivera said he does not know if the killing might have been connected to drug or gang activity and urged people not to believe everything they are reading about the incident on social media. "I live here, I work here and I'm concerned about this," he said. "This is a serious matter in a very big city with a lot of people." A farm in northern Vermont got quite a surprise this past weekend when a moose snuck into a cow pasture and appeared to try to befriend the animals there. Cattle ranchers Sharyn and Tim Abbott were returning to their Sheldon home from an outing when they noticed a creature had joined their herd. "I thought it was pretty cool," said Sharyn Abbott, whose Belted Galloway cows, Precious and Primrose, got up close and personal with the moose. The Abbotts said the moose looked really healthy, and didn't appear to be in search of food or water. "I think she was looking for companionship," Tim Abbott speculated. At one point, the moose flopped down to rest not far from one of the cows, a picture shows. In another photo, the moose and one of the cows appear to have locked eyes, making the Abbots wonder what the animals thought of each other. "It was a treat just to see the pictures, and get pictures close, and see how big and massive and tall they are," Sharyn Abbott said of the experience. They said while one of their Belted Galloways, Primrose, was really friendly with the moose, the other, Precious, was much more hesitant. "The brown one was scared to death of her," Tim Abbott said of Precious' tendency to avoid the moose. A young child of a neighbor dubbed the moose "Molly," believing the animal needed a name. After a full day of visiting, the Abbotts decided it was time to shoo Molly away. They explained they didn't want her getting injured or stuck in the barn if she attempted to enter. The Abbotts also wanted to avoid the moose damaging some of the fences on their property, they said. The Abbotts are now curious if the moose will ever come back. "We watch for her every day, thinking she might show up again," Tim Abbott said, smiling. We're guessing Precious and Primrose are thinking the same. Federal and state authorities searched an abandoned New Hampshire property owned by a family marred by homicide and a recent death at sea on Thursday, a source confirms. The Spofford property was owned by John Chakalos, the grandfather of the man who survived an apparent shipwreck and whose 2013 murder in Connecticut remains unsolved. The Keene Sentinel reports there were at least a dozen people in "haz-mat style suits" and about 30 vehicles on the property during Thursday's search. "The FBI's Evidence Response Team was assisting a multi-agency investigation. Due to the ongoing investigation, we're going to decline further comment," an FBI Boston spokesperson said in a statement on the property search. Nathan Carman, 22, was found in a lifeboat near Martha's Vineyard in late September, eight days after an apparent shipwreck with his mother, Linda Carman. Linda Carman, who was Chakalos' daughter, was not found and is presumed dead. Carman's Vermont home was searched shortly after he was found, and an affidavit shows authorities were looking for evidence in connection with his mother's presumed death. He also previously told the Associated Press that he had nothing to do with his grandfather's murder and didn't hurt his mother. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Thursday that she'd support her former bitter rival Scott Brown if President-elect Donald Trump taps him for Veterans Affairs secretary. The Massachusetts Democrat told WGBH-FM she is convinced that her one-time Republican foe, who served more than 30 years in the National Guard, would put the concerns of veterans first. "If Scott Brown is the nominee for Veterans Affairs, I have no doubt that he would put his heart and soul into trying to help veterans,'' Warren said. ``And I would put my heart and soul into trying to help him do that. You bet I'd support him for that.'' The two were fierce rivals in 2012 when Warren unseated Brown in the most expensive campaign ever waged in Massachusetts. Following a 2010 special election, Brown filled the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of longtime Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy. Brown has told reporters he believes he is "the best person'' for the VA job. He said his priorities would be to combat veterans' mental health issues in hopes of preventing suicides. Brown, who now lives in New Hampshire, was an early supporter of Trump, choosing to endorse him ahead of that state's first-in-the-nation primary. At the time, Brown's public backing of the New York real estate developer was the first endorsement by a current or former senator and was an early indication that some in the Republican establishment were warming to his candidacy. Warren also praised former Republican Gov. Mitt Romney, under consideration for secretary of state. "I'd like to hear more, but I think Mitt Romney is a smart man, and I think he's got a pretty level-headed view of the world,'' Warren said. "There's a lot of good stuff to say about him.'' She said she'll hold off on saying more until she has a chance to meet with Romney if he is the nominee. Warren was one of Trump's most caustic critics during the campaign, lambasting him as a "fraudster-in-chief'' and a ``small, insecure moneygrubber.'' She is up for re-election in 2018. Residents in a waterfront community in New Hampshire are locking up tighter Thursday night as police search for suspects in a string of burglaries. Rye resident Patricia Reilly didn't want to show her face on camera as she spoke with necn about what her surveillance cameras captured Sunday afternoon. "It was a little disconcerting," she said. "To be by yourself and know that someone has been breaking in." Police are looking for two people of interest in their investigation as they try to figure out who broke into three waterfront homes along Ocean Boulevard Reilly's however, was not one of them. "The officers working patrol unit got called by one of residents down there stating one of their doors had been attempted to be kicked in," said Rye Police Lt. Scott Blaisdell. None of the targeted houses had surveillance. Reilly is convinced the cameras deterred the criminals from trying to get inside. "They had to see them," she said. "Maybe that's why they didn't." Now police are using her video to ask the community for help and to remind people that crimes happen everywhere. There is a financial reward for anyone with information that leads to an arrest. Police are advising residents to lock their doors and turn on outside lights at night. Authorities in Texas have arrested the suspect in a hit-and-run crash that left a man dead in Chelsea, Massachusetts, back in June. Chelsea Police confirmed Friday that Texas Rangers took 34-year-old Jose Daniel Arevalo, an Everett resident, into custody outside Houston. He was wanted in the crash that killed 25-year-old Marco Salguero-Cruz on June 4. Late last month, authorities released three new images of the suspect they believe was the driver. Previously, authorities had released video of the suspect vehicle, but it never led to any solid clues about the identity of the driver. Authorities believe Arevalo fled to El Salvador two days after the incident, but that he was back in the U.S. in November. Officials intend to return Arevalo to Massachusetts. Church and Police work to tackle slavery in E Anglia Church and Police work to tackle slavery in E Anglia Catholic church leaders, senior Police force officers and ethnic chaplains have met the UKs Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner to discuss solutions to tackling human trafficking taking place within East Anglia. Keith Morris reports. Facebook wants to grow the community of companies that understand and use artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate progress in the field. Tech leaders Facebook, Google, Microsoft and IBM believe AI is the next platform that will follow mobile. During the last October, Google CEO Sundar Pichai described the AI platform shift, paraphrasing Facebook mobile-first tagline as an AI-first world. Facebook publishes its AI and machine learning research, speaks at conferences and licenses its software under open source licenses to accelerate development and demystify AI. Today, in a blog post, Facebook released six short videos, narrated by Yann LeCun, head of Facebook's AI research group and machine learning pioneer, to introduce developers, data scientists and people interested in the most important AI topics. The videos linked below explain the most-talked-about topics in machine learning today and are intended to encourage technically interested people at all levels to want to learn more. Introduction to AI (2 minutes, 40 seconds) An explanation of how machines can be intelligent. Machine learning (4 minutes, 17 seconds) Machine learning uses models running on neural networks built with libraries such as Tensorflow, Torch or Caffe that can be trained with data instead of programmed to recognize and interpret application-specific cases such as text, images and video. A neural network is a computing system made up of a number of simple, highly interconnected processing elements that process information based on their dynamic state response to external inputs. Feeding the data into the generic algorithms of the model teaches the model to operate on data without programming. To train a model to translate Russian to English, large sample data sets are fed into the model until the probability of the predicted accuracy of a Russian sentence translated into English is very high. Likewise with recognizing the contents of an image; large numbers of images are feed into the model until the probability of the accuracy of the models recognition of images is very high. That this works is confirmed by experience. Facebook users with multilingual friends can read foreign language posts by clicking on translate. Google Photo users can let Google organize their photos based on the content by giving the app just a little information about who is in the photo. Gradient descent (2 minutes, 30 seconds) Machine learning learns by its mistakes. During training, when the neural network incorrectly predicts or misinterprets an input, it is because some of the neural networks processing elements have the incorrect values and the algorithm produces the wrong answer. For example, an image of a cat is recognized as a turnip. All of the incorrect processing element states are collected and reduced to an error function, which is applied to correct the algorithm. The processing element errors can be simplified to three data points on a graph, and the correct processing element state is a line drawn on the graph that minimizes the difference between the line and the data points. The error function corrects all of the models errors. The errors have many more data points, and the correct state is much more complex than a line, but conceptually it is the same. By repeating the process, correcting for more errors, the models errors are reduced and accuracy of a correct prediction increased. Deep learning (1 minute, 3 seconds) More layers of processing elements are added to the neural network, and the states of the multiple layers of processing elements are represented as vectors instead of data points. Deep learning can also change how the models learn. Simpler models require labeled data sets to train. The training method is called supervised learning, and it uses data that has been categorized. For example, an image of a cat is labeled cat, an image of a dog labeled dog, etc. Deep learning can also be unsupervised, meaning the model learns without human categorization and labeling. Back propagation (1 minute, 42 seconds) Back propagation is the application of gradient decent to correct the errors of the multi-layer neural network. Convolutional neural nets (1 minute, 50 seconds) Convolutional neural nets, or convnets, were inspired by the visual cortex in animals. Neural networks can be tiled to understand a part of an image, part of a sentence, a change of location of an element in an image, or change of location of a word in a sentence. These videos are indexed on Facebooks engineering website. Another good source of introductory neural network and machine learning information is Adam Geitgeys five-part blog series, Machine Learning Is Fun! The current debate over fake online news has one country feeling vindicated: China. For years, its controversial censorship system has been cracking down on so-called "online rumors," and last week a state-controlled newspaper essentially told the U.S., "I told you so." "Chinas crackdown on online rumors a few years ago was harshly condemned by the West, wrote the Global Times. Things changed really quickly, as the anxiety over internet management has been transferred to the U.S." To be sure, the two are very different. In the U.S., its private citizens and internet companies that are questioning the role of fake news while acknowledging freedom of speech. In China, the government itself is arresting people as part of its concerted effort to maintain control over all corners of the internet. "Hearsay, fabricated news or guesswork that distorts the facts is prohibited," a Chinese internet regulator said in July. Chinese authorities have deleted user accounts found spreading such content, and theyve banned media organizations from citing unverified sources on social media. Some users have faced harsher actions. For instance, in August 2015, some Chinese were arrested as part of a crackdown against 197 people for posting false information about stock market turmoil and an explosion in the city of Tianjin. China saw problems with false information on social media early on, said Jason Ng, a researcher at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, who has studied Chinese online censorship. "To their credit, [China] recognized there is a potential vacuum where these sort of things can fester, and lead to real consequences," he said. So Chinese censors have axed false reports about a celebrity's death or ways to cure cancer. On the other hand, they've also targeted the truth, banning discussion of subjects the government would rather citizens didnt talk about, he said. + ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD: Gartner on doing business in China: Privacy? Whats that? + Censors have been found scrubbing social media posts that mention the death of the Chinese Communist Party or freedom of the press, according to Ng's research. China claims this is necessary for societal order, and its also resulted in the blocking of major U.S. Internet companies, including Facebook, Twitter and Google. Domestic social media services -- which routinely censor posts critical of the government -- have taken their place. This approach stands at odds with that of the U.S. government, which has supported free speech and been critical of tech businesses that support Chinas censorship apparatus. So its with some amusement that internet users in China have noted the U.S. debate on fake news. "The West arrogantly thought they could use their social media networks as a tool to overthrow other countries, but in the end they became a victim of it," wrote one user on Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like site. Michael Kan Sina Weibo is a Twitter-like site in China that regularly censors posts, including fake news. Social media is such an active place for exchange of information in China in part because users dont trust mainstream media, most of which is state-run and tightly controlled. To find unfiltered news, internet users often turn to Chinese social media networks, where they can post and read content that sometimes gets past the censors. Social media in China has been the channel through which internet users can exchange information that wouldnt have been allowed in state-run media, said Mark Natkin, managing director of Beijing-based Marbridge Consulting. And despite the censorship, more Chinese internet users are relying on social media for unfiltered news, even if the source is questionable, Ng said. "The potential for fake news can happen because Chinese citizens have such distrust in the official media," he said. Perhaps the same can be said of America's problem with fake news. Distrust of mainstream media led a portion of the U.S. population to seek out alternative news online, and that helped fake news flourish. I guess one mans rumor is another mans scoop, said Duncan Clark, chairman of technology consultancy BDA China. For the Chinese government, cracking down on online rumors is about nipping unrest in the bud before it becomes a political movement, he said. But the rise of social media is creating a new media environment in both countries. "As I think Barack Obama just said to the New Yorker, 'everything is true and nothing is true'," Clark said. It's a concern that internet users in China are also very aware of. "Most Chinese users are actually against fake news," Ng said. "Because they know that in this environment, it has the potential to flourish." By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Assuring Indian startups that he remains committed to the market, Japanese conglomerate SoftBank chairman Masayoshi Son on Friday said that India will surpass $10 billion in the next few years. We have already invested $2 billion in last two years... we will surpass my commitment of investing $10 billion, said Son at the HT Leadership Summit. Sanguine about the prospects for an improved economy, Son said he would expand on his existing solar power generation and Internet investments. Masayoshi Son, SoftBank In 2014, SoftBank invested $210 million in Ola cabs, $627 million in Snapdeal and $90 million in Housing.com along with existing shareholders such as Falcon Edge. The company has also invested $120 million in Grofers and $100 million in Oyo Rooms along with other investors last year. SoftBank which teamed up with Saudi Arabia in October for a $100 billion technology fund, of which SoftBanks share will be $25 billion, has already received commitment of over $70 billion for the fund. On SoftBanks over $30 billion acquisition of chipmaker ARM, Son said he saw the move as a huge opportunity as ARM is expected to ship one trillion chips over the next 20 years. Meanwhile, Sons statement comes eves as SoftBank booked an investment loss of $ 560 million on its investments in the country, including Ola cabs and e-commerce website Snapdeal. In November, SoftBank had reported a loss of 58.1 billion yen in the share value of Indias investments for a six-month-period ending September 30, 2016 as compared to a gain of 112.6 billion yen during the same period of the previous year. .... this is the country (India) where I am very much interested in investing, said Son as he as it looks for newer opportunities in the country. NEW DELHI: Assuring Indian startups that he remains committed to the market, Japanese conglomerate SoftBank chairman Masayoshi Son on Friday said that India will surpass $10 billion in the next few years. We have already invested $2 billion in last two years... we will surpass my commitment of investing $10 billion, said Son at the HT Leadership Summit. Sanguine about the prospects for an improved economy, Son said he would expand on his existing solar power generation and Internet investments. Masayoshi Son, SoftBank In 2014, SoftBank invested $210 million in Ola cabs, $627 million in Snapdeal and $90 million in Housing.com along with existing shareholders such as Falcon Edge. The company has also invested $120 million in Grofers and $100 million in Oyo Rooms along with other investors last year. SoftBank which teamed up with Saudi Arabia in October for a $100 billion technology fund, of which SoftBanks share will be $25 billion, has already received commitment of over $70 billion for the fund. On SoftBanks over $30 billion acquisition of chipmaker ARM, Son said he saw the move as a huge opportunity as ARM is expected to ship one trillion chips over the next 20 years. Meanwhile, Sons statement comes eves as SoftBank booked an investment loss of $ 560 million on its investments in the country, including Ola cabs and e-commerce website Snapdeal. In November, SoftBank had reported a loss of 58.1 billion yen in the share value of Indias investments for a six-month-period ending September 30, 2016 as compared to a gain of 112.6 billion yen during the same period of the previous year. .... this is the country (India) where I am very much interested in investing, said Son as he as it looks for newer opportunities in the country. P Ramdas By Express News Service KOCHI: Thursday was an unusually hard day for 78-year-old Kamalam, who has been drawing pension for over two decades. In her entire life, she never yearned for money as much as she did on Thursday, the first pay day post demonetisation. Kamalams impatient wait in the long queue at the Ernakulam sub-treasury began early in the morning, where some had turned up as early as 4.30 am. Pension was distributed on first-come-first-served basis, and there was no token system. Kamalam, who had reached the treasury at 7.30 am, was still in the middle of the queue at 9 am. I retired from service in 1993 as an attender at Maharajas College, and I collect my pension from the sub-treasury every month. This time, I was a little apprehensive that I might not get money. But, I was relieved when I reached the counter around 12 pm, she said, and raised concern over the hardships faced by the common man due to demonetisation. Retired assistant sub-inspector K C Thomas who landed in the city after a long journey from Bengaluru joined the queue around 4.45 am. After retirement, I have been living in Bengaluru. Every month on the pay day I reach Kochi early in the morning. Though I was a bit worried this time, owing to the demonetisation, I managed to withdraw Rs 16,500 without much difficulty, says Thomas. Dharmadas, a retired police officer, says the Central Governments decision has put pensioners in trouble. At this age, after long years of service, we are made to stand in such long queues, says Dharmadas. Lucy Antony, another pensioner who was visibly irked, said her cheque for Rs 14,780 was declined by the officials, saying that cash would be disbursed only in the 2,000 denomination. Since I had brought a plain cheque leaf, I managed to withdraw Rs 14,000, says Lucy. Muhammad Kunji, 71, of Chalikkavattom complained that he was forced to stand in the queue for around 4.30 hours for his pension, which he needed to meet some routine expenses. How can I buy a bottle of water or a cup of tea with this Rs 2,000 note I got from the treasury? asked Elamakkara-native Subhadra Devikunhamma, and complained that the governments initiative to secure the future had aggravated the woes of the common man. Even when the clock ticked 12.30 pm, more than 200 pensioners were still waiting in the queue. KOCHI: Thursday was an unusually hard day for 78-year-old Kamalam, who has been drawing pension for over two decades. In her entire life, she never yearned for money as much as she did on Thursday, the first pay day post demonetisation. Kamalams impatient wait in the long queue at the Ernakulam sub-treasury began early in the morning, where some had turned up as early as 4.30 am. Pension was distributed on first-come-first-served basis, and there was no token system. Kamalam, who had reached the treasury at 7.30 am, was still in the middle of the queue at 9 am. I retired from service in 1993 as an attender at Maharajas College, and I collect my pension from the sub-treasury every month. This time, I was a little apprehensive that I might not get money. But, I was relieved when I reached the counter around 12 pm, she said, and raised concern over the hardships faced by the common man due to demonetisation. Retired assistant sub-inspector K C Thomas who landed in the city after a long journey from Bengaluru joined the queue around 4.45 am. After retirement, I have been living in Bengaluru. Every month on the pay day I reach Kochi early in the morning. Though I was a bit worried this time, owing to the demonetisation, I managed to withdraw Rs 16,500 without much difficulty, says Thomas. Dharmadas, a retired police officer, says the Central Governments decision has put pensioners in trouble. At this age, after long years of service, we are made to stand in such long queues, says Dharmadas. Lucy Antony, another pensioner who was visibly irked, said her cheque for Rs 14,780 was declined by the officials, saying that cash would be disbursed only in the 2,000 denomination. Since I had brought a plain cheque leaf, I managed to withdraw Rs 14,000, says Lucy. Muhammad Kunji, 71, of Chalikkavattom complained that he was forced to stand in the queue for around 4.30 hours for his pension, which he needed to meet some routine expenses. How can I buy a bottle of water or a cup of tea with this Rs 2,000 note I got from the treasury? asked Elamakkara-native Subhadra Devikunhamma, and complained that the governments initiative to secure the future had aggravated the woes of the common man. Even when the clock ticked 12.30 pm, more than 200 pensioners were still waiting in the queue. Ujwal Bommakanti By Online Desk On May 11, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was addressing an election rally in Kerala compared the state with crisis-hit Somalia. Keralites took to social media to vent their ire against Modi for such a comparison and the hash tag #PoMoneModi (a play on a Malayalam film dialogue Po Mone Dinesha) started trending on Twitter. Ironically, the latest Global Terrorism Index (GTI) published by Institute for Economics and Peace shows that there is only a minor difference between the two countries, India and Somalia, in terms of terror attacks. On a scale of one to ten, India scores 7.484 at eighth position while Somalia stands right above at seventh with a score of 7.548. **Source: START GTD, IEP calculations* However, when we analyse the data from previous four or five GTI reports, India has seen improvements. The report said, In 2015, India had the highest number of attacks since 2000, whilst paradoxically it had the second lowest number of deaths for a single year since 2000. Almost 80 per cent of the attacks had no casualties. The disparity between fatalities and attacks perhaps indicate that the nature of terrorism in India is different. Most of these groups seem to be looking for political recognition rather than killing people. For example, around 10 attacks came from the Peoples Liberation Army in India which resulted in no casualties. **Source: START GTD, IEP calculations* In plain numbers, India saw 289 deaths from 800 attacks, which accounts for 7% of terror attacks globally. Most of these attacks were targeted towards the government which is also the case in other South Asian countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq. According to the report, the two most deadly terror groups of 2015 are Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahedeen. Another surprising factor from the report is that among the 49 different terrorist groups that engaged in terrorism, four of them accounted for 72 per cent of all deaths. For example, two Maoist attacks claimed around 176 deaths, mainly comprising police officers operating in Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Predictably, the main source of Islamist terrorism comes from the Kashmir dispute with Pakistan. LeT and Hizbul Mujahedeen killed 33 civilians in 2015. Meanwhile, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria countries worst-affected by terrorism constitute 47% of overall terror attacks across the world. **Source: START GTD, IEP calculations* On May 11, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was addressing an election rally in Kerala compared the state with crisis-hit Somalia. Keralites took to social media to vent their ire against Modi for such a comparison and the hash tag #PoMoneModi (a play on a Malayalam film dialogue Po Mone Dinesha) started trending on Twitter. Ironically, the latest Global Terrorism Index (GTI) published by Institute for Economics and Peace shows that there is only a minor difference between the two countries, India and Somalia, in terms of terror attacks. On a scale of one to ten, India scores 7.484 at eighth position while Somalia stands right above at seventh with a score of 7.548. Create your own infographics **Source: START GTD, IEP calculations* However, when we analyse the data from previous four or five GTI reports, India has seen improvements. The report said, In 2015, India had the highest number of attacks since 2000, whilst paradoxically it had the second lowest number of deaths for a single year since 2000. Almost 80 per cent of the attacks had no casualties. The disparity between fatalities and attacks perhaps indicate that the nature of terrorism in India is different. Most of these groups seem to be looking for political recognition rather than killing people. For example, around 10 attacks came from the Peoples Liberation Army in India which resulted in no casualties. Create your own infographics **Source: START GTD, IEP calculations* In plain numbers, India saw 289 deaths from 800 attacks, which accounts for 7% of terror attacks globally. Most of these attacks were targeted towards the government which is also the case in other South Asian countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq. According to the report, the two most deadly terror groups of 2015 are Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahedeen. Another surprising factor from the report is that among the 49 different terrorist groups that engaged in terrorism, four of them accounted for 72 per cent of all deaths. For example, two Maoist attacks claimed around 176 deaths, mainly comprising police officers operating in Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Predictably, the main source of Islamist terrorism comes from the Kashmir dispute with Pakistan. LeT and Hizbul Mujahedeen killed 33 civilians in 2015. Meanwhile, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria countries worst-affected by terrorism constitute 47% of overall terror attacks across the world. Create pie charts **Source: START GTD, IEP calculations* By ANI KOLKATA: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has hit back at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for politicising the mock drill conducted by the Indian Army and alleged that she is least bothered about her state and of late has been campaigning across the country against the Centres demonetisation move. Its so ridiculous that the CM does not know about the mock drill of the army, which takes place every three to four years. It is quite strange that the CM is not aware about it even as the DM and state administration has proper knowledge about the same, BJP leader Rahul Sinha told ANI. Mamata has said that she is waiting at the Bengal State Secretariat to guard democracy as the army is still stationed at the spot even hours after she expressed her apprehensions on the same. Mamata described the event as extremely unfortunate. Very unfortunate. Army stationed in front of Nabanno, the Bengal State Secretariat in a high security zone, in-spite of police objection , she tweeted I am waiting here at the Secretariat and watching, to guard our democracy, she added. Earlier, Mamata alleged that the army was deployed at the behest of the Centre at two toll plazas, Palsit and Dankuni, on NH 2 without informing the state government. Mamata said this move clearly violates the nations federal structure. The state was not informed about this development. In a federal structure, the functions of Centre and state are clearly divided. But this act clearly violates our jurisdiction, she said. According to reports, at least six vehicles of military police were spotted at the toll plaza Vidyasagar Setu, a bridge that connects Kolkata to Howrah. However, it was later reported to be a mere routine exercise. Reacting to this, the chief minister stated that the permission of the government is needed even if the army was to conduct a mock trial in the state. Even if the army conducted mock trial, the permission of the state should have been sought, she said. Mamata said that she would not take this incident lightly as she would approach President Pranab Mukherjee and apprise him of the matter. KOLKATA: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has hit back at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for politicising the mock drill conducted by the Indian Army and alleged that she is least bothered about her state and of late has been campaigning across the country against the Centres demonetisation move. Its so ridiculous that the CM does not know about the mock drill of the army, which takes place every three to four years. It is quite strange that the CM is not aware about it even as the DM and state administration has proper knowledge about the same, BJP leader Rahul Sinha told ANI. Mamata has said that she is waiting at the Bengal State Secretariat to guard democracy as the army is still stationed at the spot even hours after she expressed her apprehensions on the same. Mamata described the event as extremely unfortunate. Very unfortunate. Army stationed in front of Nabanno, the Bengal State Secretariat in a high security zone, in-spite of police objection , she tweeted I am waiting here at the Secretariat and watching, to guard our democracy, she added. Earlier, Mamata alleged that the army was deployed at the behest of the Centre at two toll plazas, Palsit and Dankuni, on NH 2 without informing the state government. Mamata said this move clearly violates the nations federal structure. The state was not informed about this development. In a federal structure, the functions of Centre and state are clearly divided. But this act clearly violates our jurisdiction, she said. According to reports, at least six vehicles of military police were spotted at the toll plaza Vidyasagar Setu, a bridge that connects Kolkata to Howrah. However, it was later reported to be a mere routine exercise. Reacting to this, the chief minister stated that the permission of the government is needed even if the army was to conduct a mock trial in the state. Even if the army conducted mock trial, the permission of the state should have been sought, she said. Mamata said that she would not take this incident lightly as she would approach President Pranab Mukherjee and apprise him of the matter. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: In an attempt to reduce the pendency of cases, the Narendra Modiled NDA government, which has decided to appoint former judges in high courts, has so far received the names of 18 judges for the positions. The 18 names have been received from the high courts of Andhra Pradesh/Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Allahabad and Calcutta. The names are under the consideration of the Ministry of Law and Justice, headed by Ravi Shankar Prasad. The the government and the judiciary have agreed that an extraordinary provision of the Constitution can be invoked to appoint retired judges with proven integrity and track record as judges of high courts to tackle the rising pendency. After the chief justices and chief ministers conference in April this year, Chief Justice of India T S Thakur announced that the conference adopted a resolution that Article 224A of the Constitution would be invoked to allow chief justices of high courts to appoint retired judicial officers as ad hoc judges. Article 224A of the Constitution states that the chief justice of a high court, with the prior consent of the president, can request any person who has held the office of a judge of that court or any other high court to sit and act as a judge of the high court for that state. There are nearly three crore cases pending before the judiciary, including the Supreme Court, the 24 high courts and various subordinate courts. He said these ad hoc judges will tackle criminal cases where appeals have not been heard for the past five years. These judges will be appointed for a period of two years or up to the time they attain the age of 65. Judges who have retired in past two years will be considered first for the ad-hoc appointment. Chief Justice of India T S Thakur said these judges could also preside over holiday courts on Saturdays and Sundays. The proposal has the backing of the Law Commissions 125th report, which had made the recommendations in this regard and stated, These retired judges constitute a pool of rich talent which requires to be fully utilised. They have sharpened decision-making process which is an asset. The art of adjudication is in their blood. Court processes and court procedure are handy to them. They have acquired a certain expertise in dealing with matters civil, criminal, tax, labour and constitutional, coming before them. Recently, CJI T S Thakur had criticised the Centre for not clearing appointments to high courts. He had said there were 500 vacant posts in high courts across the country. According to Supreme Court data, of the sanctioned strength of 1,041 judges in high courts, 442 posts (42 per cent ) were vacant on March 31. NEW DELHI: In an attempt to reduce the pendency of cases, the Narendra Modiled NDA government, which has decided to appoint former judges in high courts, has so far received the names of 18 judges for the positions. The 18 names have been received from the high courts of Andhra Pradesh/Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Allahabad and Calcutta. The names are under the consideration of the Ministry of Law and Justice, headed by Ravi Shankar Prasad. The the government and the judiciary have agreed that an extraordinary provision of the Constitution can be invoked to appoint retired judges with proven integrity and track record as judges of high courts to tackle the rising pendency. After the chief justices and chief ministers conference in April this year, Chief Justice of India T S Thakur announced that the conference adopted a resolution that Article 224A of the Constitution would be invoked to allow chief justices of high courts to appoint retired judicial officers as ad hoc judges. Article 224A of the Constitution states that the chief justice of a high court, with the prior consent of the president, can request any person who has held the office of a judge of that court or any other high court to sit and act as a judge of the high court for that state. There are nearly three crore cases pending before the judiciary, including the Supreme Court, the 24 high courts and various subordinate courts. He said these ad hoc judges will tackle criminal cases where appeals have not been heard for the past five years. These judges will be appointed for a period of two years or up to the time they attain the age of 65. Judges who have retired in past two years will be considered first for the ad-hoc appointment. Chief Justice of India T S Thakur said these judges could also preside over holiday courts on Saturdays and Sundays. The proposal has the backing of the Law Commissions 125th report, which had made the recommendations in this regard and stated, These retired judges constitute a pool of rich talent which requires to be fully utilised. They have sharpened decision-making process which is an asset. The art of adjudication is in their blood. Court processes and court procedure are handy to them. They have acquired a certain expertise in dealing with matters civil, criminal, tax, labour and constitutional, coming before them. Recently, CJI T S Thakur had criticised the Centre for not clearing appointments to high courts. He had said there were 500 vacant posts in high courts across the country. According to Supreme Court data, of the sanctioned strength of 1,041 judges in high courts, 442 posts (42 per cent ) were vacant on March 31. By PTI KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee continued to stay put at the state secretariat today protesting against army presence at toll plazas in several parts of the state and asked whether it was an "army coup". Army personnel, however, had left the toll plaza near the secretariat last night. Speaking to reporters late last night at 'Nabanna', the state secretariat, she said, "I will stay at the secretariat to guard our democracy". "Is this a military coup," she asked. She said that army personnel were there in different districts like Murshidabad, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, North 24 Paragans, Burdwan, Howrah, Hooghly etc. "The army is deployed without informing the state government. This is unprecedented and a very serious matter", she had said. The TMC leadership has decided to raise the issue in both the houses of Parliament and also inform President Pranab Mukherjee about the incident. "We are talking to all political parties. We are planning to raise the issue in Parliament today. Lets see," TMC national spokesperson Derek O' Brien told PTI. A senior TMC leader on condition of anonymity said, "We are planning to meet President Pranab Mukherjee and inform him about the incident. The entire country should know, how BJP is engaged in vindictive politics,". The senior TMC leader said they have spoken to Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and discussed how to counter this issue jointly. Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel had called up Banerjee in the morning and inquired about the incident. A defence spokesperson had said that the army conducts bi-annual exercise throughout the country with an aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of a contingency. "There is nothing alarming about this and it is carried out as per government orders", Wing Commander S S Birdi had said. The Army had said they were conducting routine exercise with full knowledge and coordination with West Bengal Police. Derek O'Brien, however, said the army claim that the exercises were conducted in coordination with police was "incorrect". "All respect for army, but must set record straight 1) Data is already available 2. Cannot do vehicle check, not authorized to do so. Saying exercise by @easterncomd was coordinated with police is absolutely incorrect. Also, troops were moved into districts even after midnight. Bengal CM kept watch from Secretariat overnight. She is still there," Brien said on twitter. KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee continued to stay put at the state secretariat today protesting against army presence at toll plazas in several parts of the state and asked whether it was an "army coup". Army personnel, however, had left the toll plaza near the secretariat last night. Speaking to reporters late last night at 'Nabanna', the state secretariat, she said, "I will stay at the secretariat to guard our democracy". "Is this a military coup," she asked. She said that army personnel were there in different districts like Murshidabad, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, North 24 Paragans, Burdwan, Howrah, Hooghly etc. "The army is deployed without informing the state government. This is unprecedented and a very serious matter", she had said. The TMC leadership has decided to raise the issue in both the houses of Parliament and also inform President Pranab Mukherjee about the incident. "We are talking to all political parties. We are planning to raise the issue in Parliament today. Lets see," TMC national spokesperson Derek O' Brien told PTI. A senior TMC leader on condition of anonymity said, "We are planning to meet President Pranab Mukherjee and inform him about the incident. The entire country should know, how BJP is engaged in vindictive politics,". The senior TMC leader said they have spoken to Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and discussed how to counter this issue jointly. Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel had called up Banerjee in the morning and inquired about the incident. A defence spokesperson had said that the army conducts bi-annual exercise throughout the country with an aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of a contingency. "There is nothing alarming about this and it is carried out as per government orders", Wing Commander S S Birdi had said. The Army had said they were conducting routine exercise with full knowledge and coordination with West Bengal Police. Derek O'Brien, however, said the army claim that the exercises were conducted in coordination with police was "incorrect". "All respect for army, but must set record straight 1) Data is already available 2. Cannot do vehicle check, not authorized to do so. Saying exercise by @easterncomd was coordinated with police is absolutely incorrect. Also, troops were moved into districts even after midnight. Bengal CM kept watch from Secretariat overnight. She is still there," Brien said on twitter. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Opposition parties including the Congress, BSP, SP and Trinamool Congress targeted the Government in the Rajya Sabha over the deployment of Army at toll plazas in West Bengal. The Opposition cried foul over the move but the Government, which termed it as a "routine exercise", slammed the Opposition parties for trying to politicize Army, saying it reflected "political frustration". The issue was raised during Zero Hour in the morning session. As soon as the topic got over during the Zero Hour and Chairman of the Upper House Hamid Ansari called for the first question in the Question Hour, members of Congress, Trinamool, SP and BSP created a ruckus, shouting slogans demanding Modi's presence and an apology from him. Ansari told the protesting members to maintain order in the House and urged them not to "trample upon the rights of members asking starred questions." Despite Ansaris appeal, members intensified shouting slogans --"Pradhan Mantri Maafi Maango (PM should apologize), Rona Dhona Bandh Karo, Pradhan Mantri House mein aao (Stop crying, Prime Minister come to House). Even the members from the Treasury benches were on their feet to counter the Opposition and shouted "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan" slogans. Observing that sloganeering in the House was unfair", Ansari said "Why aren't you doing slogan shouting in the streets. This is not the place to shout." Ansaris pleas to maintain order went unheeded and the House was adjourned till 2.30 PM. As soon as the House reconvened at 2.30 PM, the Opposition members again trooped into Well of the House and created ruckus by shouting slogans such as "Modi teri taanasahi nahin chalegi"(Modi, your dictatorship will not be allowed)". Countering the Opposition, BJP members also shouting slogans but nothing could be heard in the din. Amid the continuing ruckus, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien adjourned the House for the day. NEW DELHI: The Opposition parties including the Congress, BSP, SP and Trinamool Congress targeted the Government in the Rajya Sabha over the deployment of Army at toll plazas in West Bengal. The Opposition cried foul over the move but the Government, which termed it as a "routine exercise", slammed the Opposition parties for trying to politicize Army, saying it reflected "political frustration". The issue was raised during Zero Hour in the morning session. As soon as the topic got over during the Zero Hour and Chairman of the Upper House Hamid Ansari called for the first question in the Question Hour, members of Congress, Trinamool, SP and BSP created a ruckus, shouting slogans demanding Modi's presence and an apology from him. Ansari told the protesting members to maintain order in the House and urged them not to "trample upon the rights of members asking starred questions." Despite Ansaris appeal, members intensified shouting slogans --"Pradhan Mantri Maafi Maango (PM should apologize), Rona Dhona Bandh Karo, Pradhan Mantri House mein aao (Stop crying, Prime Minister come to House). Even the members from the Treasury benches were on their feet to counter the Opposition and shouted "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan" slogans. Observing that sloganeering in the House was unfair", Ansari said "Why aren't you doing slogan shouting in the streets. This is not the place to shout." Ansaris pleas to maintain order went unheeded and the House was adjourned till 2.30 PM. As soon as the House reconvened at 2.30 PM, the Opposition members again trooped into Well of the House and created ruckus by shouting slogans such as "Modi teri taanasahi nahin chalegi"(Modi, your dictatorship will not be allowed)". Countering the Opposition, BJP members also shouting slogans but nothing could be heard in the din. Amid the continuing ruckus, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien adjourned the House for the day. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Condemning the summary passage of the Income Tax Act, Second Amendment Bill, 2016 in the Lok Sabha by the NDA government without a debate, 26 leaders of 16 opposition parties, including Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, together met President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday evening. We (the opposition delegation) gave the President a memorandum. The Bill was passed without any discussion. This is not the way to run parliamentary business. Voice of the opposition was stifled in Parliament, the Congress said, after the meeting. Earlier in the day, Naresh Agrawal of Samajwadi Party raised the same issue in the Rajya Sabha and told the government it was undermining the Upper House by treating the key tax amendment bill as a money bill. The government lacks majority in the RS. The bill as passed by the Lower House, proposes to tax all unaccounted demonetised cash that is disclosed at 50 per cent and levy a steep up to 85 per cent tax and penalty on undisclosed wealth after the window closes on December 30. Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, 2016, those declaring black money have to mandatorily park 25 per cent of their ill-gotten wealth in zero-interest accounts under a four-year-no-withdrawal scheme. Terming proposed amendments to the Income Tax Act as a win-win proposition, experts have said it would give one more opportunity to black money holders to come clean by paying tax and penalty of 50 per cent. Citing the manner in which the government chose to push through the Bill amidst protests from the Opposition benches, Rahul said it was tantamount to stifling the voice of the country and this is being done in Parliament itself. However, I&B Minister Venkaiah Naidu pooh-poohed the charge: They have my best wishes. The opposition has met the President once before, let them go again. Though the President of India has the option of returning the Bill to Parliament without his approval, when the government/speaker sends it back, without changes, he will have no option but to sign on the dotted line. APJ Abdul Kalam had sent back the office-of-profit bill to Parliament. The Opposition leaders will get a chance to counter the provisions of the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, but since it has been passed as a money bill in the Lok Sabha, they would be able to demand amendments. It can only make suggestions which the Lok Sabha is not obliged to accept. The Rajya Sabha will also have to return the Bill within 14 days, otherwise it will be deemed as approved by Parliament. NEW DELHI: Condemning the summary passage of the Income Tax Act, Second Amendment Bill, 2016 in the Lok Sabha by the NDA government without a debate, 26 leaders of 16 opposition parties, including Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, together met President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday evening. We (the opposition delegation) gave the President a memorandum. The Bill was passed without any discussion. This is not the way to run parliamentary business. Voice of the opposition was stifled in Parliament, the Congress said, after the meeting. Earlier in the day, Naresh Agrawal of Samajwadi Party raised the same issue in the Rajya Sabha and told the government it was undermining the Upper House by treating the key tax amendment bill as a money bill. The government lacks majority in the RS. The bill as passed by the Lower House, proposes to tax all unaccounted demonetised cash that is disclosed at 50 per cent and levy a steep up to 85 per cent tax and penalty on undisclosed wealth after the window closes on December 30. Under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, 2016, those declaring black money have to mandatorily park 25 per cent of their ill-gotten wealth in zero-interest accounts under a four-year-no-withdrawal scheme. Terming proposed amendments to the Income Tax Act as a win-win proposition, experts have said it would give one more opportunity to black money holders to come clean by paying tax and penalty of 50 per cent. Citing the manner in which the government chose to push through the Bill amidst protests from the Opposition benches, Rahul said it was tantamount to stifling the voice of the country and this is being done in Parliament itself. However, I&B Minister Venkaiah Naidu pooh-poohed the charge: They have my best wishes. The opposition has met the President once before, let them go again. Though the President of India has the option of returning the Bill to Parliament without his approval, when the government/speaker sends it back, without changes, he will have no option but to sign on the dotted line. APJ Abdul Kalam had sent back the office-of-profit bill to Parliament. The Opposition leaders will get a chance to counter the provisions of the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, but since it has been passed as a money bill in the Lok Sabha, they would be able to demand amendments. It can only make suggestions which the Lok Sabha is not obliged to accept. The Rajya Sabha will also have to return the Bill within 14 days, otherwise it will be deemed as approved by Parliament. By Online Desk A day after West Bengal chief minister lashed out at the Centre, against the Army presence near the secretariat, the officiating GoC of Bengal area, Major Gen Sunil Yadav clarified that it was an 'annual exercise'. Addressing a press conference in Kolkata on Friday, Yadav said, "This is an annual exercise carried out every year. We had carried out a similar exercise last year from November 19-25, in the same location, with the same number of personnels." He added that similar drills were carried out by the army in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand too, from September 26 to October 1. The army personnel were stationed at around 1:00 am on 31st November. When asked if there was a confusion with the local police regarding the deployment, Yadav denied the same. Yadav also denied, 'with full contempt', the allegations that the soldiers were collecting money at the toll gates and demanded for proof for the same. The exercise was done to get data from entry points. NDTV displayed the letters communicated by the Army, informing the state government about the exercise. The letters were reportedly delivered to different police stations as well as the Transport department. Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien tweeted one of the letters, presented by Parrikar in LS, in army's defense. This is one of the documents laid in #Parliament by MoS Defence. It is now in the public domain. Let the facts speak pic.twitter.com/qqfIL5ITO5 Derek O'Brien (@quizderek) December 2, 2016 In Lok Sabha, Defence Minister Manmohar Parrikar termed it a "routine exercise not unique to West Bengal" and saying that similar operations to collect information on heavy vehicle movement that can be used during national emergencies had last month being conducted in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. Along with West Bengal, similar exercise was carried out in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghlaya and Mizoram, he said while responding to TMC and Congress MPs. He also stated that originally the exercise was planned for November 28-30 but was shifted to December 1 and 2 at the request of Kolkata Police as those dates were clashing with the protests against demonetisation. "It is shocking that a Chief Minister is saying this. The Army's deployment was part of routine exercise which has been going on for several years, which has been going on for last 15-20 years. Even last year it was held on November 19 to 21," Parrikar said. "Concerned officials were informed in West Bengal. The original date was fixed for November 28 to 30 but due to Bharat Bandh the local police had advised the army to shift it to December 1 and 2," he said. "Due to traffic congestion, the exercise is being done with the help of local police." TMC leaders in both Houses alleged that neither the state government, nor local administration including police were taken into confidence on the exercise or their permission sought. Congress and BSP too wanted to know from the government how such an unprecedented move to carry out an army exercise without taking state government into confidence was done. "It was very unfortunate that army has been dragged into an unnecessary controversy," Parrikar said. "It was political frustration rather than projection of correct situation." (With inputs from agencies) A day after West Bengal chief minister lashed out at the Centre, against the Army presence near the secretariat, the officiating GoC of Bengal area, Major Gen Sunil Yadav clarified that it was an 'annual exercise'. Addressing a press conference in Kolkata on Friday, Yadav said, "This is an annual exercise carried out every year. We had carried out a similar exercise last year from November 19-25, in the same location, with the same number of personnels." He added that similar drills were carried out by the army in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand too, from September 26 to October 1. The army personnel were stationed at around 1:00 am on 31st November. When asked if there was a confusion with the local police regarding the deployment, Yadav denied the same. Yadav also denied, 'with full contempt', the allegations that the soldiers were collecting money at the toll gates and demanded for proof for the same. The exercise was done to get data from entry points. NDTV displayed the letters communicated by the Army, informing the state government about the exercise. The letters were reportedly delivered to different police stations as well as the Transport department. Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien tweeted one of the letters, presented by Parrikar in LS, in army's defense. This is one of the documents laid in #Parliament by MoS Defence. It is now in the public domain. Let the facts speak pic.twitter.com/qqfIL5ITO5 Derek O'Brien (@quizderek) December 2, 2016 In Lok Sabha, Defence Minister Manmohar Parrikar termed it a "routine exercise not unique to West Bengal" and saying that similar operations to collect information on heavy vehicle movement that can be used during national emergencies had last month being conducted in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. Along with West Bengal, similar exercise was carried out in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghlaya and Mizoram, he said while responding to TMC and Congress MPs. He also stated that originally the exercise was planned for November 28-30 but was shifted to December 1 and 2 at the request of Kolkata Police as those dates were clashing with the protests against demonetisation. "It is shocking that a Chief Minister is saying this. The Army's deployment was part of routine exercise which has been going on for several years, which has been going on for last 15-20 years. Even last year it was held on November 19 to 21," Parrikar said. "Concerned officials were informed in West Bengal. The original date was fixed for November 28 to 30 but due to Bharat Bandh the local police had advised the army to shift it to December 1 and 2," he said. "Due to traffic congestion, the exercise is being done with the help of local police." TMC leaders in both Houses alleged that neither the state government, nor local administration including police were taken into confidence on the exercise or their permission sought. Congress and BSP too wanted to know from the government how such an unprecedented move to carry out an army exercise without taking state government into confidence was done. "It was very unfortunate that army has been dragged into an unnecessary controversy," Parrikar said. "It was political frustration rather than projection of correct situation." (With inputs from agencies) Anand ST Das By Express News Service PATNA: Yoga guru and ayurvedic products entrepreneur Baba Ramdev on Friday met RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, taught him a few yoga postures and then publicly praised him as a politician with huge importance for Indias future. A happy Lalu then tweeted the yoga gurus words almost verbatim in a sort of patted his own back. Baba Ramdev said: You are a social and political heritage. Your keeping physically fit is necessary for the countrys politics. I thank Baba for inquiring about my health, said Yadav, who had earlier been highly critical of Ramdev, especially after the latters association with the Anna Hazare-led movement for Lokpal and then his growing closeness to BJP. At Yadavs 10- Circular Road residence on Patna, which is allotted to his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, Ramdev was joined with the Yadav couple and their elder son Tej Pratap Yadav, Bihars health minister. The RJD chief, who is not keeping well for the past week, posted on twitter a photograph of this meeting. Ramdev, however, rubbished reports of his plans to get his niece married with Tej Pratap Yadav. The yoga guru, an enthusiastic proponent of the demonetisation exercise, also denied that his meeting with the RJD chief, whose party has been opposing it, had anything to do with it. I made Lalujee practice pranayam, anulom-vilom and mandukasana exercises. I asked him to practice at least one asana daily. Considering this large nations long future, it is necessary that he stays physically fit. He is a social and political heritage of the country, Ramdev later told the media. This meeting was about rog-bandi (preventing diseases), not about note-bandi (demonetisation), he added. Congress, RJDs ally and a partner in Bihars alliance government led by JD(U), picked holes in Ramdevs praise for Yadav. Ramdev should first seek apology from Bihars people for having earlier denigrated Yadav, said Congress leaders. PATNA: Yoga guru and ayurvedic products entrepreneur Baba Ramdev on Friday met RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, taught him a few yoga postures and then publicly praised him as a politician with huge importance for Indias future. A happy Lalu then tweeted the yoga gurus words almost verbatim in a sort of patted his own back. Baba Ramdev said: You are a social and political heritage. Your keeping physically fit is necessary for the countrys politics. I thank Baba for inquiring about my health, said Yadav, who had earlier been highly critical of Ramdev, especially after the latters association with the Anna Hazare-led movement for Lokpal and then his growing closeness to BJP. At Yadavs 10- Circular Road residence on Patna, which is allotted to his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi, Ramdev was joined with the Yadav couple and their elder son Tej Pratap Yadav, Bihars health minister. The RJD chief, who is not keeping well for the past week, posted on twitter a photograph of this meeting. Ramdev, however, rubbished reports of his plans to get his niece married with Tej Pratap Yadav. The yoga guru, an enthusiastic proponent of the demonetisation exercise, also denied that his meeting with the RJD chief, whose party has been opposing it, had anything to do with it. I made Lalujee practice pranayam, anulom-vilom and mandukasana exercises. I asked him to practice at least one asana daily. Considering this large nations long future, it is necessary that he stays physically fit. He is a social and political heritage of the country, Ramdev later told the media. This meeting was about rog-bandi (preventing diseases), not about note-bandi (demonetisation), he added. Congress, RJDs ally and a partner in Bihars alliance government led by JD(U), picked holes in Ramdevs praise for Yadav. Ramdev should first seek apology from Bihars people for having earlier denigrated Yadav, said Congress leaders. Despite hopes raised by the meeting of the Foreign and Fisheries Ministers of India and Sri Lanka in New Delhi on November 5, the issue of Tamil Nadu fi shermen poaching in Sri Lankan waters and getting arrested or beaten up, continues. Apparently, no steps have been taken by India to provide the fi shermen with an alternative to bottom trawling in the Palk Strait, or secure the release of 105 trawlers, now in Sri Lankan custody. With each costing `25 lakh, the detention is hitting huge numbers of Tamil fi shermen economically. As per the India-Sri Lanka communique issued on November 5, the Joint Working Group of Fisheries will meet every three months; the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Fisheries will meet every six months, and the fi shermens associations will also meet every six months. India had agreed to consider the Sri Lankan proposal for joint naval patrolling of the Palk Strait. To curb destructive bottom trawling, India promised to expedite a transition to deep sea fi shing. But like the past agreements, the devil will be in implementation. With Indian fi shermen having no immediate alternative to fi shing in Sri Lankan waters, they will continue to cross the International Maritime Boundary Line. New Delhi is unlikely to use force if there is joint patrolling, and Colombo will be dismayed. Indian fi shermen have been unsuccessfully pleading for 85 days of fi shing in a year as an interim measure to allow the transition from bottom trawling. Lankan fi shermen say that experience shows that Tamil fi shermen do not keep their word. To help transition to deep sea fishing, New Delhi fi nancial help is essential. TN had asked the Centre for `9750 million over three years, a request which is yet to be met. Things dont look good for Indian fi shermen with the Sri Lankan government considering imposing fi nes up to `7 crore on vessels entering its waters illegally. Prospects of a resolution of the fi shing issue look dim indeed. Despite hopes raised by the meeting of the Foreign and Fisheries Ministers of India and Sri Lanka in New Delhi on November 5, the issue of Tamil Nadu fi shermen poaching in Sri Lankan waters and getting arrested or beaten up, continues. Apparently, no steps have been taken by India to provide the fi shermen with an alternative to bottom trawling in the Palk Strait, or secure the release of 105 trawlers, now in Sri Lankan custody. With each costing `25 lakh, the detention is hitting huge numbers of Tamil fi shermen economically. As per the India-Sri Lanka communique issued on November 5, the Joint Working Group of Fisheries will meet every three months; the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Fisheries will meet every six months, and the fi shermens associations will also meet every six months. India had agreed to consider the Sri Lankan proposal for joint naval patrolling of the Palk Strait. To curb destructive bottom trawling, India promised to expedite a transition to deep sea fi shing. But like the past agreements, the devil will be in implementation. With Indian fi shermen having no immediate alternative to fi shing in Sri Lankan waters, they will continue to cross the International Maritime Boundary Line. New Delhi is unlikely to use force if there is joint patrolling, and Colombo will be dismayed. Indian fi shermen have been unsuccessfully pleading for 85 days of fi shing in a year as an interim measure to allow the transition from bottom trawling. Lankan fi shermen say that experience shows that Tamil fi shermen do not keep their word. To help transition to deep sea fishing, New Delhi fi nancial help is essential. TN had asked the Centre for `9750 million over three years, a request which is yet to be met. Things dont look good for Indian fi shermen with the Sri Lankan government considering imposing fi nes up to `7 crore on vessels entering its waters illegally. Prospects of a resolution of the fi shing issue look dim indeed. By Express News Service MYSURU: Mysuru police have busted a child trafficking gang with international links, following the arrest of 11 persons. The gang used to lure poor and vulnerable people and later sell their children to childless couples in various parts of the country and abroad. Children were sold for prices ranging between `1 lakh and `4 lakh. Higher rates were there for good-looking babies, police said on Thursday. Their nexus remained unnoticed for six years and it got exposed only after the kidnap of a nine-month-old baby in Nanjangud. As many as 16 children, including nine girls, have been rescued till date. All the rescued children are aged between 25 days and six years, police said. Most of the children given for illegal adoption were born at Nasim and Aravind Hospital, they said.Hospital authorities declared the child as dead, and later gave it for adoption. One Madanlal, who adopted a child illegally first, later became an agent. One of the accused Ravichandra sold his own daughter, they added. A child traded to one Serene, residing in the United States, has been traced. Police suspect that another child might have been traded from Kerala to Kenya and they are likely to visit the country soon. SP Ravi D Channannavar said the gang members wanted to earn quick money for lavish life. MYSURU: Mysuru police have busted a child trafficking gang with international links, following the arrest of 11 persons. The gang used to lure poor and vulnerable people and later sell their children to childless couples in various parts of the country and abroad. Children were sold for prices ranging between `1 lakh and `4 lakh. Higher rates were there for good-looking babies, police said on Thursday. Their nexus remained unnoticed for six years and it got exposed only after the kidnap of a nine-month-old baby in Nanjangud. As many as 16 children, including nine girls, have been rescued till date. All the rescued children are aged between 25 days and six years, police said. Most of the children given for illegal adoption were born at Nasim and Aravind Hospital, they said.Hospital authorities declared the child as dead, and later gave it for adoption. One Madanlal, who adopted a child illegally first, later became an agent. One of the accused Ravichandra sold his own daughter, they added. A child traded to one Serene, residing in the United States, has been traced. Police suspect that another child might have been traded from Kerala to Kenya and they are likely to visit the country soon. SP Ravi D Channannavar said the gang members wanted to earn quick money for lavish life. By Express News Service BELAGAVI: Seems like the ongoing winter session in Belagavi has little respite for the farmers of north Karnataka, who have been fighting for Mahadayi waters. Addressing the Assembly on Thursday, Water Resources Minister M B Patil detailed the steps taken by the state government to solve the decade-old water issue. He said the government believes in intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to solve the water dispute between the three states. As the tribunal suggested, the Prime Minister should convene a meeting of CMs of Mahadayi basin states - Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa - to solve the dispute, he said. Taking a dig at the governments decision, JD(S) members led by Navalgund MLA N H Konaraddi, staged a protest at the well demanding the government to take a firm decision on Mahadayi. Responding to them, Siddaramaiah clarified that his government was doing everything to reach out to the CMs of Maharashtra and Goa. We have also met the Union Water Resources minister to discuss the issue. In a federal system, its important for the Prime Minister to intervene to solve the problem, he said. Leader of Opposition Jagadish Shettar said that it was ironic that the Congress government was pinning hopes on PM Narendra Modi. However we did not see the Congress mounting pressure on Manmohan Singh who was the PM for a decade. The state BJP will try its best to solve the matter. However before we approach the Prime Minister, there must a positive atmosphere to have a dialogue, he said. This angered Congress members. Quoting a recent announcement of former CM B S Yeddyurappa, who promised Mahadayi waters in 24 hours if he comes to power, Siddaramaiah said the BJP must stop playing politics and demand an intervention of the Prime Minister. BELAGAVI: Seems like the ongoing winter session in Belagavi has little respite for the farmers of north Karnataka, who have been fighting for Mahadayi waters. Addressing the Assembly on Thursday, Water Resources Minister M B Patil detailed the steps taken by the state government to solve the decade-old water issue. He said the government believes in intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to solve the water dispute between the three states. As the tribunal suggested, the Prime Minister should convene a meeting of CMs of Mahadayi basin states - Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa - to solve the dispute, he said. Taking a dig at the governments decision, JD(S) members led by Navalgund MLA N H Konaraddi, staged a protest at the well demanding the government to take a firm decision on Mahadayi. Responding to them, Siddaramaiah clarified that his government was doing everything to reach out to the CMs of Maharashtra and Goa. We have also met the Union Water Resources minister to discuss the issue. In a federal system, its important for the Prime Minister to intervene to solve the problem, he said. Leader of Opposition Jagadish Shettar said that it was ironic that the Congress government was pinning hopes on PM Narendra Modi. However we did not see the Congress mounting pressure on Manmohan Singh who was the PM for a decade. The state BJP will try its best to solve the matter. However before we approach the Prime Minister, there must a positive atmosphere to have a dialogue, he said. This angered Congress members. Quoting a recent announcement of former CM B S Yeddyurappa, who promised Mahadayi waters in 24 hours if he comes to power, Siddaramaiah said the BJP must stop playing politics and demand an intervention of the Prime Minister. By Express News Service UDUPI: Unaccounted cash to the tune of Rs 71 lakh, in the new Rs 2,000 denomination, was seized from three persons near Shanthipalke in Bailoor, Karkala rural limits on Thursday evening. The trio is currently being questioned by the officials of Income Tax Department's (I-T) intelligence wing. The operation was conducted based on a tip off by a police team led by Karkala circle inspector A Joy Antony. Three persons identified as Imran, Asif and driver of the vehicle - Deepak were found to be transporting a bundle of the new Rs 2,000 denomination notes totaling 3,550 in number to an undisclosed location from Mangaluru. The car they were travelling in was seized and trio was handed over to the I-T department by the police. According to police, none of them could give any satisfactory explanation or produce any documents on enquired about the source of the money. I-T department officials have directed them to produce the documents justifying the possession before December 5, said sources. One of the persons currently being interrogated is believed to have worked in Dubai. UDUPI: Unaccounted cash to the tune of Rs 71 lakh, in the new Rs 2,000 denomination, was seized from three persons near Shanthipalke in Bailoor, Karkala rural limits on Thursday evening. The trio is currently being questioned by the officials of Income Tax Department's (I-T) intelligence wing. The operation was conducted based on a tip off by a police team led by Karkala circle inspector A Joy Antony. Three persons identified as Imran, Asif and driver of the vehicle - Deepak were found to be transporting a bundle of the new Rs 2,000 denomination notes totaling 3,550 in number to an undisclosed location from Mangaluru. The car they were travelling in was seized and trio was handed over to the I-T department by the police. According to police, none of them could give any satisfactory explanation or produce any documents on enquired about the source of the money. I-T department officials have directed them to produce the documents justifying the possession before December 5, said sources. One of the persons currently being interrogated is believed to have worked in Dubai. By Express News Service BHUBANESWAR: The winter session of the assembly started on a stormy note with the Opposition Congress members demanding a discussion on the death of over a hundred children in Malkangiri due to Japanese Encephalitis and other unknown diseases by suspending the question hour. Leader of the opposition Narasingh Mishra drew the attention of Speaker Niranjan Pujari to the issue as soon as the question hour started and demanded the matter should be discussed by suspensing the question hour. However, the Speaker rejected the demand of Mishra and decided to continue with the question hour. After the Speaker rejected the demand for discussion, Congress members led by oposition chief whip Taraprasad Bahinipati rushed to the well of the house shouting slogans forcing the Speaker to adjoun the house till 3pm. In the afternoon session also the Speaker had to adjourn the House twice till 4pm. The issue was settled at the all party meeting convened by the Speaker and after the business advisory committee (BAC) fixed time for discussion of the issue. The leader of the opposition later told mediapersons outside the House that considering the urgency, the issue should have been discussed after cancelling the Question Hour. He said that even as more than 100 children have died due to the disease, the government failed to control the situation. The disease has spread to new areas, he said. Criticising the disruption of the Assembly, BJD spokesperson Samir Dash, also speaking outside the Assembly, said the issue could have been discussed after the Question Hour. The government is ready to hold discussion on any issue raised by the opposition, he said. BHUBANESWAR: The winter session of the assembly started on a stormy note with the Opposition Congress members demanding a discussion on the death of over a hundred children in Malkangiri due to Japanese Encephalitis and other unknown diseases by suspending the question hour. Leader of the opposition Narasingh Mishra drew the attention of Speaker Niranjan Pujari to the issue as soon as the question hour started and demanded the matter should be discussed by suspensing the question hour. However, the Speaker rejected the demand of Mishra and decided to continue with the question hour. After the Speaker rejected the demand for discussion, Congress members led by oposition chief whip Taraprasad Bahinipati rushed to the well of the house shouting slogans forcing the Speaker to adjoun the house till 3pm. In the afternoon session also the Speaker had to adjourn the House twice till 4pm. The issue was settled at the all party meeting convened by the Speaker and after the business advisory committee (BAC) fixed time for discussion of the issue. The leader of the opposition later told mediapersons outside the House that considering the urgency, the issue should have been discussed after cancelling the Question Hour. He said that even as more than 100 children have died due to the disease, the government failed to control the situation. The disease has spread to new areas, he said. Criticising the disruption of the Assembly, BJD spokesperson Samir Dash, also speaking outside the Assembly, said the issue could have been discussed after the Question Hour. The government is ready to hold discussion on any issue raised by the opposition, he said. By Express News Service BHUBANESWAR: With India Inc united in its show of confidence in the Make In Odisha Conclave, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday said the State Government is looking at a massive `2.5 lakh crore investment in next 10 years time. At the Plenary Session of the investors summit, billed as the largest biz meet in the State, Naveen said his Government has strategised the Odisha Industrial Development Plan Vision 2025 which has identified five focus sectors that would accelerate growth in Odisha. While envisaging `2.5 lakh crore investment, the Government is also looking at creation of 30 lakh new employment opportunities by 2025. With at least 14 industry captains making their presence felt at the session with Naveen and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, an upbeat Chief Minister said in the last 15 days, at least nine industrial projects have been rolled out as well as inaugurated. ''We have taken several new initiatives over the last one year to reduce physical interface in governance by leveraging technology in a big way. Our prime focus is to create world class infrastructure for investors,'' he said. As part of the strategy, the Government is focusing on large investment regions in the form of national Investment and Manufacturing Zone at Kalinga Nagar, a Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Regions at Paradip and a port-based manufacturing zone at Dhamra. Industry Secretary Sanjiv Chopra, who delivered a presentation on the State's initiatives, said in the last one decade, Odisha has attracted at least `2.88 lakh crore in investment which has provided employment to 1.75 lakh persons. Naveen who chose to be expressive on the occasion said he has just one vested interest in the whole process and it was the progress of people of the State. He urged investors to join Odisha's growth story and promised to walk the extra mile to facilitate investment to promote growth and employment and reduce disparities. Naveen, who felt that the investment summit would go a long way in carrying forward the Brand Odisha image, also met 19 industry leaders on the day. Aditya Birla Group's Satis Pai, Gautam Adani of Adani Group, Chairperson of SBI Arundhati Bhattacharaya, Vedanta chief Anil Agarwal, Sanjay Mehrotra of SanDisk, SK Poddar of Adventz Group, Navneet Bhagat of Fortunex and Krishna maheswar, Kamal Maheswari, R Kirshnamurty and Prasahna Choudhury of Essel Group had a one-on-one with the CM. CII president Naushad Forbes led a delegation of industry honchos to Naveen that included MD of Tata Steel TV Narendran, N Kumar of Sanmar Group, Vinod Sharma of Deki Electronic, Tom Albanees of Vedanta Resources, Vinayak Chatterjee of Feedback Infra, Ramesh Kymal of Gamesa Wind Turbines, Piruz Khamatta of Rasna Pvt Ltd, S Siva Kumar of Agri and IT Business of ITC, Ashwini Malhotra of Weikfield Foods Pvt Ltd, BK Goenka of Welspun Group, Sukaran Singh of TASL and B Thiagarajan of Blue Star. BHUBANESWAR: With India Inc united in its show of confidence in the Make In Odisha Conclave, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday said the State Government is looking at a massive `2.5 lakh crore investment in next 10 years time. At the Plenary Session of the investors summit, billed as the largest biz meet in the State, Naveen said his Government has strategised the Odisha Industrial Development Plan Vision 2025 which has identified five focus sectors that would accelerate growth in Odisha. While envisaging `2.5 lakh crore investment, the Government is also looking at creation of 30 lakh new employment opportunities by 2025. With at least 14 industry captains making their presence felt at the session with Naveen and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, an upbeat Chief Minister said in the last 15 days, at least nine industrial projects have been rolled out as well as inaugurated. ''We have taken several new initiatives over the last one year to reduce physical interface in governance by leveraging technology in a big way. Our prime focus is to create world class infrastructure for investors,'' he said. As part of the strategy, the Government is focusing on large investment regions in the form of national Investment and Manufacturing Zone at Kalinga Nagar, a Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Regions at Paradip and a port-based manufacturing zone at Dhamra. Industry Secretary Sanjiv Chopra, who delivered a presentation on the State's initiatives, said in the last one decade, Odisha has attracted at least `2.88 lakh crore in investment which has provided employment to 1.75 lakh persons. Naveen who chose to be expressive on the occasion said he has just one vested interest in the whole process and it was the progress of people of the State. He urged investors to join Odisha's growth story and promised to walk the extra mile to facilitate investment to promote growth and employment and reduce disparities. Naveen, who felt that the investment summit would go a long way in carrying forward the Brand Odisha image, also met 19 industry leaders on the day. Aditya Birla Group's Satis Pai, Gautam Adani of Adani Group, Chairperson of SBI Arundhati Bhattacharaya, Vedanta chief Anil Agarwal, Sanjay Mehrotra of SanDisk, SK Poddar of Adventz Group, Navneet Bhagat of Fortunex and Krishna maheswar, Kamal Maheswari, R Kirshnamurty and Prasahna Choudhury of Essel Group had a one-on-one with the CM. CII president Naushad Forbes led a delegation of industry honchos to Naveen that included MD of Tata Steel TV Narendran, N Kumar of Sanmar Group, Vinod Sharma of Deki Electronic, Tom Albanees of Vedanta Resources, Vinayak Chatterjee of Feedback Infra, Ramesh Kymal of Gamesa Wind Turbines, Piruz Khamatta of Rasna Pvt Ltd, S Siva Kumar of Agri and IT Business of ITC, Ashwini Malhotra of Weikfield Foods Pvt Ltd, BK Goenka of Welspun Group, Sukaran Singh of TASL and B Thiagarajan of Blue Star. By AFP INDIANAPOLIS: Donald Trump launched into a post-election victory lap Thursday by visiting a company where he claimed credit for saving American jobs, as he warned other US firms they will face consequences if relocating abroad. The president-elect, who made guaranteeing jobs for blue-collar American workers a key plank of his campaign, strode triumphantly through an Indiana factory that makes Carrier air conditioners, trumpeting a deal to keep 1,100 manufacturing positions from being shifted to Mexico. He completes his tour of the Midwest later Thursday with a campaign-style mass rally in Ohio. The events mark Trump's first major public outings since winning the White House on November 8. Casting aside interviews for senior cabinet positions yet to be filled, the 70-year-old maverick tycoon flew to Indianapolis where he glad-handed workers on an assembly line before defending his negotiation with the company. "I think it's very presidential. And if it's not presidential, that's OK because I like doing it," Trump said. "But we're going to have a lot of phone calls made to companies when they say they're leaving this country because they're not going to leave this country." During the presidential campaign, the Republican billionaire threatened to slap tariffs on firms that decamped for places like Mexico or Asia where labor costs are cheaper. It became a refrain of his victorious campaign, during which he repeatedly leaned on Carrier not to ship a planned 2,000 jobs to Mexico. "Companies are not going to leave the United States any more without consequences. Not going to happen," Trump said as Greg Hayes, chairman of United Technologies Corporation which owns the Carrier brand, looked on. "You don't have to leave anymore. Your taxes will be at the very low end and your unnecessary regulations will be gone," he said, repeating campaign promises to cut corporate tax rates from 35 percent to 15 percent and curb regulations on industry. Carrier has announced that it will preserve more than 1,000 jobs and continue to manufacture gas furnaces in Indianapolis. Hundreds of jobs reportedly will still be moved to Mexico. Under a deal hammered out with the help of Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who is Indiana's outgoing governor, the state offered Carrier $7 million in incentives over 10 years, "contingent upon factors including employment, job retention and capital investment," the company said. Critics are fearful that workers' rights may not be adequately protected, or that the deal may embolden other firms to threaten to relocate jobs. Fierce criticism "United Technologies took Trump hostage and won," Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont and prominent Trump critic on the left of American politics, wrote in a stinging op-ed in Thursday's Washington Post, saying it "endangered" other American jobs. Trump "has signaled to every corporation in America that they can threaten to offshore jobs in exchange for business-friendly tax benefits and incentives." The Trump team hailed the agreement as a "big win." Anthony Scaramucci, an entrepreneur and member of the Trump team's executive committee, said "the whole purpose" was to slash corporate tax rates to make it more competitive for US companies to allocate capital at home. "I'm hoping that every CEO in America is getting that beacon signal from the new Trump administration that we're open for business here in the United States, and we've got to get American people back working in American jobs." Steven Mnuchin, the multi-millionaire former Goldman Sachs banker who Trump has nominated as Treasury secretary, said he couldn't remember the last time a president had made such an intervention with an American chief executive. "I think it's terrific," he told reporters Wednesday, saying that he and Wilbur Ross, the billionaire nominated as commerce secretary, would work with Trump to "do the right thing for the American workers." The deal is an extraordinary industry intervention by a president-elect. The White House avoided outright criticism of Trump's effort, but it did express skepticism about the strategy of keeping jobs on American soil, one company at a time. "Mr Trump would have to make 804 more announcements just like that to equal the standard of jobs in the manufacturing sector that were created in this country under President Obama's watch," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Wednesday. Trump has so far peppered top-level administration appointments with billionaires and millionaires, after slamming his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for her Wall Street ties and for amassing millions in between stints in public office. He has been narrowing his choices for secretaries of state and defense. The Washington Post reported Thursday that Trump has decided on retired Marine general James Mattis, 66, to head the Pentagon. The pick would be a break from tradition and require congressional intervention, as federal law prohibits defense secretaries from having been on active duty in the previous seven years. Mattis retired in 2013. INDIANAPOLIS: Donald Trump launched into a post-election victory lap Thursday by visiting a company where he claimed credit for saving American jobs, as he warned other US firms they will face consequences if relocating abroad. The president-elect, who made guaranteeing jobs for blue-collar American workers a key plank of his campaign, strode triumphantly through an Indiana factory that makes Carrier air conditioners, trumpeting a deal to keep 1,100 manufacturing positions from being shifted to Mexico. He completes his tour of the Midwest later Thursday with a campaign-style mass rally in Ohio. The events mark Trump's first major public outings since winning the White House on November 8. Casting aside interviews for senior cabinet positions yet to be filled, the 70-year-old maverick tycoon flew to Indianapolis where he glad-handed workers on an assembly line before defending his negotiation with the company. "I think it's very presidential. And if it's not presidential, that's OK because I like doing it," Trump said. "But we're going to have a lot of phone calls made to companies when they say they're leaving this country because they're not going to leave this country." During the presidential campaign, the Republican billionaire threatened to slap tariffs on firms that decamped for places like Mexico or Asia where labor costs are cheaper. It became a refrain of his victorious campaign, during which he repeatedly leaned on Carrier not to ship a planned 2,000 jobs to Mexico. "Companies are not going to leave the United States any more without consequences. Not going to happen," Trump said as Greg Hayes, chairman of United Technologies Corporation which owns the Carrier brand, looked on. "You don't have to leave anymore. Your taxes will be at the very low end and your unnecessary regulations will be gone," he said, repeating campaign promises to cut corporate tax rates from 35 percent to 15 percent and curb regulations on industry. Carrier has announced that it will preserve more than 1,000 jobs and continue to manufacture gas furnaces in Indianapolis. Hundreds of jobs reportedly will still be moved to Mexico. Under a deal hammered out with the help of Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who is Indiana's outgoing governor, the state offered Carrier $7 million in incentives over 10 years, "contingent upon factors including employment, job retention and capital investment," the company said. Critics are fearful that workers' rights may not be adequately protected, or that the deal may embolden other firms to threaten to relocate jobs. Fierce criticism "United Technologies took Trump hostage and won," Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont and prominent Trump critic on the left of American politics, wrote in a stinging op-ed in Thursday's Washington Post, saying it "endangered" other American jobs. Trump "has signaled to every corporation in America that they can threaten to offshore jobs in exchange for business-friendly tax benefits and incentives." The Trump team hailed the agreement as a "big win." Anthony Scaramucci, an entrepreneur and member of the Trump team's executive committee, said "the whole purpose" was to slash corporate tax rates to make it more competitive for US companies to allocate capital at home. "I'm hoping that every CEO in America is getting that beacon signal from the new Trump administration that we're open for business here in the United States, and we've got to get American people back working in American jobs." Steven Mnuchin, the multi-millionaire former Goldman Sachs banker who Trump has nominated as Treasury secretary, said he couldn't remember the last time a president had made such an intervention with an American chief executive. "I think it's terrific," he told reporters Wednesday, saying that he and Wilbur Ross, the billionaire nominated as commerce secretary, would work with Trump to "do the right thing for the American workers." The deal is an extraordinary industry intervention by a president-elect. The White House avoided outright criticism of Trump's effort, but it did express skepticism about the strategy of keeping jobs on American soil, one company at a time. "Mr Trump would have to make 804 more announcements just like that to equal the standard of jobs in the manufacturing sector that were created in this country under President Obama's watch," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Wednesday. Trump has so far peppered top-level administration appointments with billionaires and millionaires, after slamming his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for her Wall Street ties and for amassing millions in between stints in public office. He has been narrowing his choices for secretaries of state and defense. The Washington Post reported Thursday that Trump has decided on retired Marine general James Mattis, 66, to head the Pentagon. The pick would be a break from tradition and require congressional intervention, as federal law prohibits defense secretaries from having been on active duty in the previous seven years. Mattis retired in 2013. By Associated Press GATLINBURG: rews discovered the remains of more people as they searched the rubble of wildfires that torched hundreds of homes and businesses near the Great Smoky Mountains, bringing the death toll to 11, officials said Thursday. Authorities set up a hotline for people to report missing friends and relatives, and after following up on dozens of leads, they said many of those people had been accounted for. They did not say whether they believe anyone else is still missing or may have died. "I think it's fair to say that the search is winding down," Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said. "And hopefully we will not find any more." He said the searches would likely be completed Friday. Nearly 24 hours of rain on Wednesday helped dampen the wildfires, but fire officials struck a cautious tone, saying people shouldn't have a false sense of security because months of drought have left the ground bone-dry and wildfires can rekindle. The trouble began Monday when a wildfire, likely caused by a person, spread from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park into the tourist city of Gatlinburg as hurricane-force winds toppled trees and power lines, blowing embers in all directions. "We had trees going down everywhere, power lines, all those power lines were just like lighting a match because of the extreme drought conditions. So we went from nothing to over 20-plus structure fires in a matter of minutes. And that grew and that grew and that grew," Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said. More than 14,000 residents and visitors in Gatlinburg were forced to evacuate, and the typically bustling tourist city has been shuttered ever since. At least 700 buildings in the county have been damaged. "Gatlinburg is the people; that's what Gatlinburg is. It's not the buildings, it's not the stuff in the buildings," Mayor Mike Werner said. "We're gonna be back better than ever. Just be patient." Starting Friday, homeowners, business owners, renters and lease holders will be allowed to go see most of their Gatlinburg properties, said City Manager Cindy Cameron Ogle. The city is hoping to open main roads to the general public Wednesday. There were other signs of recovery. Waters declared that Sevier County was "open for business." In nearby Pigeon Forge, the Comedy House rented an electronic billboard message that said it was open for laughs, and a flyer at a hotel urged guests to check out the scenic Cades Cove loop. "Take a drive and remember what you love about the Smokies!" the flyer said. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash has said the fires were "likely to be human-caused" but he has refused to elaborate, saying only that the investigation continues. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are helping investigate the cause. About 10,000 acres, or 15 square miles, burned inside the country's most visited national park. Another 6,000 acres were scorched outside of the park. One of the victims was identified as Alice Hagler. Her son Lyle Wood said his mother and brother lived in a home at Chalet Village in Gatlinburg and she frantically called his brother Monday night because the house had caught fire. The call dropped as Wood's brother raced up the fiery mountain trying to get to his mother. He didn't make it in time. "My mom was a very warm, loving, personable person. She never met a stranger. She would talk to anybody," Wood said. Authorities said they were still working to identify the dead and did not release any details about how they were killed. Three brothers being treated at a Nashville hospital said they had not heard from their parents since they were separated while fleeing the fiery scene during their vacation. A number of funds have been established to help victims of the wildfires, including one set up by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and another by country music legend and native Dolly Parton. The flames reached the doorstep of Dollywood, the theme park named after Parton, but the park was spared any significant damage and will reopen Friday. About 240 people stayed overnight in shelters, including Mark Howard, who was flat on his back in the hospital with pneumonia when the wildfires started. He called 911 when he heard his house was consumed. "I had no insurance. It's a total loss," the 57-year-old owner of a handyman business said. GATLINBURG: rews discovered the remains of more people as they searched the rubble of wildfires that torched hundreds of homes and businesses near the Great Smoky Mountains, bringing the death toll to 11, officials said Thursday. Authorities set up a hotline for people to report missing friends and relatives, and after following up on dozens of leads, they said many of those people had been accounted for. They did not say whether they believe anyone else is still missing or may have died. "I think it's fair to say that the search is winding down," Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said. "And hopefully we will not find any more." He said the searches would likely be completed Friday. Nearly 24 hours of rain on Wednesday helped dampen the wildfires, but fire officials struck a cautious tone, saying people shouldn't have a false sense of security because months of drought have left the ground bone-dry and wildfires can rekindle. The trouble began Monday when a wildfire, likely caused by a person, spread from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park into the tourist city of Gatlinburg as hurricane-force winds toppled trees and power lines, blowing embers in all directions. "We had trees going down everywhere, power lines, all those power lines were just like lighting a match because of the extreme drought conditions. So we went from nothing to over 20-plus structure fires in a matter of minutes. And that grew and that grew and that grew," Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said. More than 14,000 residents and visitors in Gatlinburg were forced to evacuate, and the typically bustling tourist city has been shuttered ever since. At least 700 buildings in the county have been damaged. "Gatlinburg is the people; that's what Gatlinburg is. It's not the buildings, it's not the stuff in the buildings," Mayor Mike Werner said. "We're gonna be back better than ever. Just be patient." Starting Friday, homeowners, business owners, renters and lease holders will be allowed to go see most of their Gatlinburg properties, said City Manager Cindy Cameron Ogle. The city is hoping to open main roads to the general public Wednesday. There were other signs of recovery. Waters declared that Sevier County was "open for business." In nearby Pigeon Forge, the Comedy House rented an electronic billboard message that said it was open for laughs, and a flyer at a hotel urged guests to check out the scenic Cades Cove loop. "Take a drive and remember what you love about the Smokies!" the flyer said. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash has said the fires were "likely to be human-caused" but he has refused to elaborate, saying only that the investigation continues. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are helping investigate the cause. About 10,000 acres, or 15 square miles, burned inside the country's most visited national park. Another 6,000 acres were scorched outside of the park. One of the victims was identified as Alice Hagler. Her son Lyle Wood said his mother and brother lived in a home at Chalet Village in Gatlinburg and she frantically called his brother Monday night because the house had caught fire. The call dropped as Wood's brother raced up the fiery mountain trying to get to his mother. He didn't make it in time. "My mom was a very warm, loving, personable person. She never met a stranger. She would talk to anybody," Wood said. Authorities said they were still working to identify the dead and did not release any details about how they were killed. Three brothers being treated at a Nashville hospital said they had not heard from their parents since they were separated while fleeing the fiery scene during their vacation. A number of funds have been established to help victims of the wildfires, including one set up by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and another by country music legend and native Dolly Parton. The flames reached the doorstep of Dollywood, the theme park named after Parton, but the park was spared any significant damage and will reopen Friday. About 240 people stayed overnight in shelters, including Mark Howard, who was flat on his back in the hospital with pneumonia when the wildfires started. He called 911 when he heard his house was consumed. "I had no insurance. It's a total loss," the 57-year-old owner of a handyman business said. By PTI SANTA CLARA: Fidel Castro's ashes were taken today to a symbolic reunion with his fallen comrade-in-arms Ernesto "Che" Guevara in Santa Clara, the first stop in the late Cold War titan's last trip across Cuba. After two days of tributes in Havana, hundreds of thousands of flag-waving Cubans lined the streets to bid farewell as a military jeep began a four-day journey on Wednesday morning with the cedar urn in tow. Crowds chanted "I am Fidel!" as the convoy started retracing the victory tour that Castro's guerrilla took in 1959 to celebrate their defeat of US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. The flag-covered urn, which rested under a glass case on a small olive-green trailer, arrived in Santa Clara after midnight and entered a complex with a mausoleum and museum dedicated to Guevara. "It's a historic meeting, two comandantes who change the history of Cuba and humanity," said Agnier Sanchez, a 33-year-old medical imaging technician. A somber guitar, song and dance show played across a giant statue of Guevara as the "caravan of freedom" paused a third of the way into its 950-kilometer (590-mile) trek across the island. The convoy will resume today, heading to other cities before a final ceremony on Sunday in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba, where Castro's ashes will be laid to rest next to 19th century independence hero Jose Marti. Cubans were observing the fifth of nine days of mourning for Castro following his death on Friday at age 90. Castro ruled from 1959 until an illness forced him to hand power to his brother Raul in 2006. Dissidents call Castro a dictator who jailed opponents but others in Cuba praise his legacy of providing free education and health care to Cubans while defying the US "empire." "I come from a poor family. I am black. In another era, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to be who I am today," said Maria Gonzalez, a 31-year-old computer engineer. Castro met Guevara in 1955 while in exile in Mexico, and the young doctor joined Fidel and Raul on the boat that took them to Cuba a year later. Guevara won a crucial battle in Santa Clara in 1958, derailing an armored train and taking the city. Guevara was given high-ranking positions in the government but he left in 1966 to lead a guerrilla expedition in Bolivia, where he was captured and executed a year later. His remains were recovered three decades later and taken to Santa Clara, now home to a huge statute of Che and a museum dedicated to the revolutionary icon. SANTA CLARA: Fidel Castro's ashes were taken today to a symbolic reunion with his fallen comrade-in-arms Ernesto "Che" Guevara in Santa Clara, the first stop in the late Cold War titan's last trip across Cuba. After two days of tributes in Havana, hundreds of thousands of flag-waving Cubans lined the streets to bid farewell as a military jeep began a four-day journey on Wednesday morning with the cedar urn in tow. Crowds chanted "I am Fidel!" as the convoy started retracing the victory tour that Castro's guerrilla took in 1959 to celebrate their defeat of US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. The flag-covered urn, which rested under a glass case on a small olive-green trailer, arrived in Santa Clara after midnight and entered a complex with a mausoleum and museum dedicated to Guevara. "It's a historic meeting, two comandantes who change the history of Cuba and humanity," said Agnier Sanchez, a 33-year-old medical imaging technician. A somber guitar, song and dance show played across a giant statue of Guevara as the "caravan of freedom" paused a third of the way into its 950-kilometer (590-mile) trek across the island. The convoy will resume today, heading to other cities before a final ceremony on Sunday in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba, where Castro's ashes will be laid to rest next to 19th century independence hero Jose Marti. Cubans were observing the fifth of nine days of mourning for Castro following his death on Friday at age 90. Castro ruled from 1959 until an illness forced him to hand power to his brother Raul in 2006. Dissidents call Castro a dictator who jailed opponents but others in Cuba praise his legacy of providing free education and health care to Cubans while defying the US "empire." "I come from a poor family. I am black. In another era, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to be who I am today," said Maria Gonzalez, a 31-year-old computer engineer. Castro met Guevara in 1955 while in exile in Mexico, and the young doctor joined Fidel and Raul on the boat that took them to Cuba a year later. Guevara won a crucial battle in Santa Clara in 1958, derailing an armored train and taking the city. Guevara was given high-ranking positions in the government but he left in 1966 to lead a guerrilla expedition in Bolivia, where he was captured and executed a year later. His remains were recovered three decades later and taken to Santa Clara, now home to a huge statute of Che and a museum dedicated to the revolutionary icon. By PTI LAHORE: Four persons, including the main suspect Rana Muzamil, have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder of Pakistani theatre actress Kismat Baig. According to a senior Lahore police official, the suspects were traced following a clue from Biag's cell phone. "We have arrested the main suspect Rana Muzamil and his three accomplices. Muzamil had tasked his accomplices to kill Kismat after she severed relations with him," the official said, adding Muzamil claimed to have invested a lot of money to launch the actress' career in showbiz. "After getting the job done the hired assassins informed Muzamil on his cell phone," he said. Pakistan's Punjab province Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said the suspects belong to the theatre industry. He said the police arrested the suspects from Faisalabad and Gujranwala. Baig, also a dancer, was shot dead on November 25 by some car and motorcycle-bound assailants who intercepting her car and opened fire while she was returning home after performing in a stage play on Ferozpur Road. The actress and her driver suffered injuries and were taken to the Services Hospital where Baig died because of profuse bleeding, whereas the driver survived. The attackers were waiting outside the theatre and when she left for home they chased her. After spraying bullets on her legs, one of the gunmen was quoted by Baig's driver as saying, "Kismat, now you will not be able to dance". LAHORE: Four persons, including the main suspect Rana Muzamil, have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the murder of Pakistani theatre actress Kismat Baig. According to a senior Lahore police official, the suspects were traced following a clue from Biag's cell phone. "We have arrested the main suspect Rana Muzamil and his three accomplices. Muzamil had tasked his accomplices to kill Kismat after she severed relations with him," the official said, adding Muzamil claimed to have invested a lot of money to launch the actress' career in showbiz. "After getting the job done the hired assassins informed Muzamil on his cell phone," he said. Pakistan's Punjab province Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said the suspects belong to the theatre industry. He said the police arrested the suspects from Faisalabad and Gujranwala. Baig, also a dancer, was shot dead on November 25 by some car and motorcycle-bound assailants who intercepting her car and opened fire while she was returning home after performing in a stage play on Ferozpur Road. The actress and her driver suffered injuries and were taken to the Services Hospital where Baig died because of profuse bleeding, whereas the driver survived. The attackers were waiting outside the theatre and when she left for home they chased her. After spraying bullets on her legs, one of the gunmen was quoted by Baig's driver as saying, "Kismat, now you will not be able to dance". By AFP GAMBIA: Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has conceded defeat to the opposition, the chairman of the electoral commission said Friday, bringing a dramatic end to his 22 years in power. "It's really unique that someone who has been ruling this country for so long has accepted defeat," Alieu Momar Njie told reporters ahead of the results of Thursday's presidential election. Jammeh, who once said he would govern for a billion years if God willed it, was attempting to win a fifth term with his Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC). Gambian state television told AFP that Jammeh would make a statement later in the day to congratulate opposition leader Adama Barrow, 51. Barrow, a previously unknown businessman, was chosen as the opposition flag bearer by a group of political parties who have joined forces for the first time and won unprecedented popular support. If the concession is confirmed, Barrow will likely decide to serve a three-year term at the head of a transition reform government in the tiny former British colony with pristine beaches that occupies a narrow sliver of land surrounded by French-speaking Senegal. Jammeh campaign manager Yankuba Colley said he was not aware of the electoral commission chairman's statement but said he believed the president would step down if the Gambian people wanted it. "When the Gambians make their verdict, he is someone who is faithful," he told AFP. "It is a difficult result but the man I know will accept whatever comes." Barrow's camp confirmed the Independent Electoral Commission statement. Thursday's election was marked by an internet blackout that sparked condemnation from rights groups and the United States. But early results on Friday were positive for Barrow as he took the capital Banjul -- a traditional Jammeh stronghold. Barrow won nearly 50 percent of the vote in Banjul's three constituencies, according to the IEC, compared to 43 percent for Jammeh. Security forces had deployed heavily in Banjul earlier Friday amid nervousness over whether Jammeh would accept a ballot box defeat. Before dawn broke, military and police, some covering their faces, set up checkpoints every few hundred metres on the outskirts of the capital, while citizens were inside sleeping or watching the results come in. "Power belongs to the people. You cannot stop us and you cannot stop them," Barrow said at his final rally this week. Jammeh meanwhile had predicted the biggest landslide of his political career. The United States said turnout appeared to be high and that the vote took place in "generally peaceful conditions", while the IEC hailed "a very successful election." The US State Department and Human Rights Watch voiced concern however over the blanket cut to internet and international phone calls, as well as claims of voter intimidation. "The government's communications cutoff and threatened protest ban are only likely to increase tensions between the government and opposition groups," said Babatunde Olugboji from Human Rights Watch. At his final campaign rally, Jammeh had warned that protests over the election result would not be tolerated, saying The Gambia "does not allow" demonstrations. No professional international observers were on the ground for the vote, diplomats confirmed, but a small team of African Union experts monitored events along with Banjul-based US and European delegations already present in the country. A Senegalese security source confirmed to AFP in Dakar that The Gambiahad closed the borders on Thursday, a common occurrence during elections in west Africa. Jammeh seized power in a 1994 coup and had until now survived multiple attempts to remove him from the presidency. Some 60 percent of the population live in poverty in The Gambia, and a third survive on $1.25 (1.20 euro) or less a day, according to the UN. GAMBIA: Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has conceded defeat to the opposition, the chairman of the electoral commission said Friday, bringing a dramatic end to his 22 years in power. "It's really unique that someone who has been ruling this country for so long has accepted defeat," Alieu Momar Njie told reporters ahead of the results of Thursday's presidential election. Jammeh, who once said he would govern for a billion years if God willed it, was attempting to win a fifth term with his Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC). Gambian state television told AFP that Jammeh would make a statement later in the day to congratulate opposition leader Adama Barrow, 51. Barrow, a previously unknown businessman, was chosen as the opposition flag bearer by a group of political parties who have joined forces for the first time and won unprecedented popular support. If the concession is confirmed, Barrow will likely decide to serve a three-year term at the head of a transition reform government in the tiny former British colony with pristine beaches that occupies a narrow sliver of land surrounded by French-speaking Senegal. Jammeh campaign manager Yankuba Colley said he was not aware of the electoral commission chairman's statement but said he believed the president would step down if the Gambian people wanted it. "When the Gambians make their verdict, he is someone who is faithful," he told AFP. "It is a difficult result but the man I know will accept whatever comes." Barrow's camp confirmed the Independent Electoral Commission statement. Thursday's election was marked by an internet blackout that sparked condemnation from rights groups and the United States. But early results on Friday were positive for Barrow as he took the capital Banjul -- a traditional Jammeh stronghold. Barrow won nearly 50 percent of the vote in Banjul's three constituencies, according to the IEC, compared to 43 percent for Jammeh. Security forces had deployed heavily in Banjul earlier Friday amid nervousness over whether Jammeh would accept a ballot box defeat. Before dawn broke, military and police, some covering their faces, set up checkpoints every few hundred metres on the outskirts of the capital, while citizens were inside sleeping or watching the results come in. "Power belongs to the people. You cannot stop us and you cannot stop them," Barrow said at his final rally this week. Jammeh meanwhile had predicted the biggest landslide of his political career. The United States said turnout appeared to be high and that the vote took place in "generally peaceful conditions", while the IEC hailed "a very successful election." The US State Department and Human Rights Watch voiced concern however over the blanket cut to internet and international phone calls, as well as claims of voter intimidation. "The government's communications cutoff and threatened protest ban are only likely to increase tensions between the government and opposition groups," said Babatunde Olugboji from Human Rights Watch. At his final campaign rally, Jammeh had warned that protests over the election result would not be tolerated, saying The Gambia "does not allow" demonstrations. No professional international observers were on the ground for the vote, diplomats confirmed, but a small team of African Union experts monitored events along with Banjul-based US and European delegations already present in the country. A Senegalese security source confirmed to AFP in Dakar that The Gambiahad closed the borders on Thursday, a common occurrence during elections in west Africa. Jammeh seized power in a 1994 coup and had until now survived multiple attempts to remove him from the presidency. Some 60 percent of the population live in poverty in The Gambia, and a third survive on $1.25 (1.20 euro) or less a day, according to the UN. By AFP PAKISTAN: More than 380,000 registered Afghan refugees have returned from Pakistan this year, the highest number since 2007, the United Nations said Friday, adding it handed out $135 million in cash assistance in the last three months alone. Fears of a crackdown on refugees in Pakistan along with a doubling of the UN's cash grant for voluntary returnees to $400 saw a surge over the border after July this year, the UN has said. "These are unprecedented numbers we did not anticipate. In October alone some 148,000 returned, which is the highest number of returns in one months (sic) since August 2005," Duniya Aslam Khan, a spokesman for UNHCR, told AFP. At one point UNHCR was processing an average of 5,500 refugees per day, she added. Estimates suggest that a further half a million unregistered refugees may also have returned this year, though the figure could not be verified by officials. The returnees face an uncertain future in an Afghanistan still torn apart by decades of war, where a record half a million people were internally displaced by the fighting in 2016, according to UN figures. The mass migrations are draining local resources, especially in safer urban areas, officials have said. UNHCR said Friday the voluntary repatriations will be halted from December 1 for a routine winter break, resuming in March. The break will also allow the agency time to mobilise additional resources, Khan said. UNHCR had estimated just 50,000 refugees would return in 2016, based on trends from previous years. Khan said some 1.34 million registered refugees still reside in Pakistan. A further half a million undocumented refugees are also estimated to still be in the country, making Pakistan one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world. Pakistan has extended a deadline for the refugees to leave its territory from March 2017 to December next year. Some Afghan refugees have been sheltering in Pakistan for decades, first fleeing over the border after the Soviet invasion of 1979. Some 4.2 million Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan voluntarily under the UNHCR-funded Voluntary Repatriation programme since 2002. PAKISTAN: More than 380,000 registered Afghan refugees have returned from Pakistan this year, the highest number since 2007, the United Nations said Friday, adding it handed out $135 million in cash assistance in the last three months alone. Fears of a crackdown on refugees in Pakistan along with a doubling of the UN's cash grant for voluntary returnees to $400 saw a surge over the border after July this year, the UN has said. "These are unprecedented numbers we did not anticipate. In October alone some 148,000 returned, which is the highest number of returns in one months (sic) since August 2005," Duniya Aslam Khan, a spokesman for UNHCR, told AFP. At one point UNHCR was processing an average of 5,500 refugees per day, she added. Estimates suggest that a further half a million unregistered refugees may also have returned this year, though the figure could not be verified by officials. The returnees face an uncertain future in an Afghanistan still torn apart by decades of war, where a record half a million people were internally displaced by the fighting in 2016, according to UN figures. The mass migrations are draining local resources, especially in safer urban areas, officials have said. UNHCR said Friday the voluntary repatriations will be halted from December 1 for a routine winter break, resuming in March. The break will also allow the agency time to mobilise additional resources, Khan said. UNHCR had estimated just 50,000 refugees would return in 2016, based on trends from previous years. Khan said some 1.34 million registered refugees still reside in Pakistan. A further half a million undocumented refugees are also estimated to still be in the country, making Pakistan one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world. Pakistan has extended a deadline for the refugees to leave its territory from March 2017 to December next year. Some Afghan refugees have been sheltering in Pakistan for decades, first fleeing over the border after the Soviet invasion of 1979. Some 4.2 million Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan voluntarily under the UNHCR-funded Voluntary Repatriation programme since 2002. By AFP BAGHDAD: The scope of the toll the six-week old battle for Mosul has taken on Iraqi forces emerged Thursday, with UN figures showing that around 2,000 had been killed in fighting last month alone. While high casualty tolls were expected for what has been Iraq's toughest battle against the Islamic State group to date, few figures had been released. The United Nations' mission in Iraq released monthly casualty figures for November that showed 1,959 members of the Iraqi forces were killed just last month and 450 others wounded. The UN toll includes members of the army, police engaged in combat, the Kurdish peshmerga, interior ministry forces and pro-government paramilitaries. The UN statement also said at least 926 civilians were killed, bringing to 2,885 the number of Iraqis killed in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict last month. "The casualty figures are staggering, with civilians accounting for a significant number of the victims," the top UN envoy in Iraq, Jan Kubis, said. The spike in casualties comes as a major offensive to retake the IS stronghold of Mosul, Iraq's largest military operation in years, enters its seventh week. Kubis said the growing death toll was largely a result of the jihadists' ferocious defence of Mosul, the city where they proclaimed their now crumbling "caliphate" in 2014. "Daesh (IS) has been employing the most vicious tactics, using civilian homes as firing positions as well as abducting and forcibly moving civilians, effectively using them as human shields," he said. The US-led coalition assisting anti-IS forces in Iraq and Syria admitted Thursday to "inadvertently" killing 54 civilians in both countries between March and October. "Although the coalition makes extraordinary efforts to strike military targets in a manner that minimizes the risk of civilian casualties, in some cases casualties are unavoidable," the coalition said in a statement. A July 18 strike that killed 100 IS fighters also killed as many as 24 civilians, the statement added. The UN did not provide a regional breakdown of the overall toll but its casualty figures have been going up steadily since the launch of the Mosul offensive on October 17. Increase in casualties The number of members of the Iraqi forces killed released by the UN for October was 672. The highest number of civilian deaths recorded in November was in Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital, with 332, the UN figures showed. The UN explained it had few reliable figures for the western province of Anbar, which has seen continued IS-related violence in recent weeks, and suggested that real casualty figures were likely higher. The government in Baghdad rarely divulges casualty figures during a military operation. Officials from the Kurdistan region's peshmerga ministry said more than 1,600 peshmerga fighters were killed since IS took over large parts of Iraq in June 2014. "Since the beginning of the war against Daesh, which means June 2014, until November 30 (2016), the total number of martyrs is 1,614 and the wounded are 9,515," peshmerga ministry secretary-general Jabar Yawar told AFP. Burials at the main Shiite cemetery of Najaf, as well as partial figures provided by local officials across the country and the number of obituaries posted on Facebook also pointed to significant losses among the security forces. After the launch of the offensive in mid-October, tens of thousands of Iraqi forces started closing in on Mosul, retaking towns and villages in Nineveh province. Iraqi federal forces entered the city from the eastern side and admitted they were met by stiffer than expected resistance. Military officials and experts had warned before the start of the offensive that the toughest fighting would be on the western side of the city. The peshmerga were mostly involved in the early phase of the offensive and now hold positions a few miles from Mosul city limits. BAGHDAD: The scope of the toll the six-week old battle for Mosul has taken on Iraqi forces emerged Thursday, with UN figures showing that around 2,000 had been killed in fighting last month alone. While high casualty tolls were expected for what has been Iraq's toughest battle against the Islamic State group to date, few figures had been released. The United Nations' mission in Iraq released monthly casualty figures for November that showed 1,959 members of the Iraqi forces were killed just last month and 450 others wounded. The UN toll includes members of the army, police engaged in combat, the Kurdish peshmerga, interior ministry forces and pro-government paramilitaries. The UN statement also said at least 926 civilians were killed, bringing to 2,885 the number of Iraqis killed in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict last month. "The casualty figures are staggering, with civilians accounting for a significant number of the victims," the top UN envoy in Iraq, Jan Kubis, said. The spike in casualties comes as a major offensive to retake the IS stronghold of Mosul, Iraq's largest military operation in years, enters its seventh week. Kubis said the growing death toll was largely a result of the jihadists' ferocious defence of Mosul, the city where they proclaimed their now crumbling "caliphate" in 2014. "Daesh (IS) has been employing the most vicious tactics, using civilian homes as firing positions as well as abducting and forcibly moving civilians, effectively using them as human shields," he said. The US-led coalition assisting anti-IS forces in Iraq and Syria admitted Thursday to "inadvertently" killing 54 civilians in both countries between March and October. "Although the coalition makes extraordinary efforts to strike military targets in a manner that minimizes the risk of civilian casualties, in some cases casualties are unavoidable," the coalition said in a statement. A July 18 strike that killed 100 IS fighters also killed as many as 24 civilians, the statement added. The UN did not provide a regional breakdown of the overall toll but its casualty figures have been going up steadily since the launch of the Mosul offensive on October 17. Increase in casualties The number of members of the Iraqi forces killed released by the UN for October was 672. The highest number of civilian deaths recorded in November was in Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital, with 332, the UN figures showed. The UN explained it had few reliable figures for the western province of Anbar, which has seen continued IS-related violence in recent weeks, and suggested that real casualty figures were likely higher. The government in Baghdad rarely divulges casualty figures during a military operation. Officials from the Kurdistan region's peshmerga ministry said more than 1,600 peshmerga fighters were killed since IS took over large parts of Iraq in June 2014. "Since the beginning of the war against Daesh, which means June 2014, until November 30 (2016), the total number of martyrs is 1,614 and the wounded are 9,515," peshmerga ministry secretary-general Jabar Yawar told AFP. Burials at the main Shiite cemetery of Najaf, as well as partial figures provided by local officials across the country and the number of obituaries posted on Facebook also pointed to significant losses among the security forces. After the launch of the offensive in mid-October, tens of thousands of Iraqi forces started closing in on Mosul, retaking towns and villages in Nineveh province. Iraqi federal forces entered the city from the eastern side and admitted they were met by stiffer than expected resistance. Military officials and experts had warned before the start of the offensive that the toughest fighting would be on the western side of the city. The peshmerga were mostly involved in the early phase of the offensive and now hold positions a few miles from Mosul city limits. By Associated Press MOSCOW: The Russian military is criticizing the United Nations for dragging its feet on delivering humanitarian aid to the areas of Aleppo, which have been recently seized by Syrian government forces. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said that the Russian military has been the only source of food, medicine and other supplies for 90,000 residents of Aleppo's neighborhoods seized by the Syrian army this week. In Friday's statement, Konashenkov called on Jan Egeland, a senior U.N. aid official for Syria, to move faster to provide aid to the area. Russian-backed Syrian government troops have made significant gains in the rebel-held eastern part of the city since the weekend. MOSCOW: The Russian military is criticizing the United Nations for dragging its feet on delivering humanitarian aid to the areas of Aleppo, which have been recently seized by Syrian government forces. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said that the Russian military has been the only source of food, medicine and other supplies for 90,000 residents of Aleppo's neighborhoods seized by the Syrian army this week. In Friday's statement, Konashenkov called on Jan Egeland, a senior U.N. aid official for Syria, to move faster to provide aid to the area. Russian-backed Syrian government troops have made significant gains in the rebel-held eastern part of the city since the weekend. By PTI SEOUL: South Korea's main opposition parties say they will push for a vote next Friday on President Park Geun-hye's impeachment. The opposition had earlier planned to call for a vote this week on whether to impeach Park over a snowballing scandal involving a shadowy longtime confidante. But they later squabbled over when to do so after Park made a conditional offer to resign. The main opposition Democratic Party said it met with two smaller opposition parties today and agreed to put an impeachment motion to a floor vote on Decmeber 9. The opposition lacks enough lawmakers to pass Park's impeachment on its own. Dissenters in Park's ruling party say they'll vote for her impeachment if she fails to announce by next Wednesday that she will step down voluntarily in April. SEOUL: South Korea's main opposition parties say they will push for a vote next Friday on President Park Geun-hye's impeachment. The opposition had earlier planned to call for a vote this week on whether to impeach Park over a snowballing scandal involving a shadowy longtime confidante. But they later squabbled over when to do so after Park made a conditional offer to resign. The main opposition Democratic Party said it met with two smaller opposition parties today and agreed to put an impeachment motion to a floor vote on Decmeber 9. The opposition lacks enough lawmakers to pass Park's impeachment on its own. Dissenters in Park's ruling party say they'll vote for her impeachment if she fails to announce by next Wednesday that she will step down voluntarily in April. Express News Service COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Thursday appealed to the Joint Opposition led by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, not to thwart the constitution-making and ethnic reconciliation processes by indulging false propaganda because if the current chance to solve the national problem is missed due to narrow minded jockeying for power, the country will only return to conflict and bloodshed. In a powerful speech in parliament, Sirisena said that the Rajapaksa-led opposition is under the mistaken notion that they can come to power by indulging in false propaganda about the constitution-making process and the status of Buddhism. They complain to the Buddhist monks that the new constitution will wreck the unity of the country and downgrade Buddhism, when the governments plans are anything but that. The President warned that the oppositions tactics will only create a situation in which they will not be able realize their dream of coming to power. He recalled that it was the narrow-minded nationalists of the past who had taken the country to war and destruction by using various techniques, including drafting Buddhist monks in their campaigns. Many Sri Lankans had had to flee the country to take refuge abroad. For Sri Lanka, this is a shameful thing. Such a thing should not be allowed to happen again, the President said. The ethnic question will have to be solved now, and not left to future generations. It will be anti-national to leave it to the next generation, the President said. He said anybody trying to thwart a settlement now is anti-national. Sirisena further said that he is not looking for political heroes but heroes who would stick their necks out for solving the national question here and now. In this context he praised the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R.Sampanthan who is also the official Leader of the Opposition, saying that he is the best Tamil leader after A.Amirthalingam. Lambasting former President Rajapaksa for changing his stance to meet political exigencies, Sirisena recalled that when Rajapaksa was in power, he had promised to the international community that he would go beyond the 13 th.Amendment to devolve power to the Tamil-speaking provinces, but now, out of power and wanting to come to power, he is saying something quite contrary. The President appealed to those who oppose any action in favor of the minority Tamils to visit the war-affected Northern Province and see the destruction of life wrought by war for themselves. To those who oppose the return of lands to the Tamils, he said that the Tamils are only asking for lands which belonged to them. People who oppose this demand will realize its justness only if they themselves have lost their lands, the President said. Sirisena said that unity across caste, ethnic, religious and regional differences will have to be established to frame a constitution which will meet the needs and aspirations of all Sri Lankans. This is a must for the constitution to be approved in a referendum, he said. COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Thursday appealed to the Joint Opposition led by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, not to thwart the constitution-making and ethnic reconciliation processes by indulging false propaganda because if the current chance to solve the national problem is missed due to narrow minded jockeying for power, the country will only return to conflict and bloodshed. In a powerful speech in parliament, Sirisena said that the Rajapaksa-led opposition is under the mistaken notion that they can come to power by indulging in false propaganda about the constitution-making process and the status of Buddhism. They complain to the Buddhist monks that the new constitution will wreck the unity of the country and downgrade Buddhism, when the governments plans are anything but that. The President warned that the oppositions tactics will only create a situation in which they will not be able realize their dream of coming to power. He recalled that it was the narrow-minded nationalists of the past who had taken the country to war and destruction by using various techniques, including drafting Buddhist monks in their campaigns. Many Sri Lankans had had to flee the country to take refuge abroad. For Sri Lanka, this is a shameful thing. Such a thing should not be allowed to happen again, the President said. The ethnic question will have to be solved now, and not left to future generations. It will be anti-national to leave it to the next generation, the President said. He said anybody trying to thwart a settlement now is anti-national. Sirisena further said that he is not looking for political heroes but heroes who would stick their necks out for solving the national question here and now. In this context he praised the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R.Sampanthan who is also the official Leader of the Opposition, saying that he is the best Tamil leader after A.Amirthalingam. Lambasting former President Rajapaksa for changing his stance to meet political exigencies, Sirisena recalled that when Rajapaksa was in power, he had promised to the international community that he would go beyond the 13 th.Amendment to devolve power to the Tamil-speaking provinces, but now, out of power and wanting to come to power, he is saying something quite contrary. The President appealed to those who oppose any action in favor of the minority Tamils to visit the war-affected Northern Province and see the destruction of life wrought by war for themselves. To those who oppose the return of lands to the Tamils, he said that the Tamils are only asking for lands which belonged to them. People who oppose this demand will realize its justness only if they themselves have lost their lands, the President said. Sirisena said that unity across caste, ethnic, religious and regional differences will have to be established to frame a constitution which will meet the needs and aspirations of all Sri Lankans. This is a must for the constitution to be approved in a referendum, he said. By PTI WASHINGTON: Donald Trump is unlikely to "insert" himself in resolving Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan as the US President-elect has signaled his interest in deepening ties with India, a top American expert has said. "It is highly doubtful that Trump administration will consider inserting itself into the volatile Indo-Pakistani dispute, especially when Trump has signaled his interest in prioritising deepening ties with India," Lisa Curtis of The Heritage Foundation said in an op-ed in The Daily Signal. "Indeed, if there is any useful role the US can play in tamping down tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals, it is to press Pakistan to crackdown on anti-India militants that operate freely in Pakistani territory," Curtis said. In her op-ed, Curtis said concerns are being raised about the US President-elect Donald Trumps phone conversation with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and what it might mean for his policies toward the subcontinent. Pakistan in a statement said that Trump during a telephonic conversation with Prime Minsiter Nawaz Sharif offered to play "any role" in helping Pakistan address its outstanding issues, which it claimed was a reference to Kashmir issue. "These comments, however, should merely be seen as friendly banter that could have been made to almost any foreign leader," Curtis said. "It is not surprising that Pakistani leaders would take advantage of a polite and warm exchange to push their agenda of bringing international attention to the Indo-Pak conflict in Kashmir," Curtis wrote. Observing that the US handling of India-Pakistan relations is a delicate matter, she said it is important for US officials to avoid the mediation trap and "any illusion that the US itself can resolve this nearly 70-year-old dispute." Referring to the series of attacks against Indian Army bases, Curtis said the Uri attack demonstrates Pakistans willingness to up the ante in order to draw international attention to Kashmir at a time when civil protests had been wracking the region. "The US must demonstrate that such Pakistani behaviour is unacceptable and will have consequences," Curtis said. WASHINGTON: Donald Trump is unlikely to "insert" himself in resolving Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan as the US President-elect has signaled his interest in deepening ties with India, a top American expert has said. "It is highly doubtful that Trump administration will consider inserting itself into the volatile Indo-Pakistani dispute, especially when Trump has signaled his interest in prioritising deepening ties with India," Lisa Curtis of The Heritage Foundation said in an op-ed in The Daily Signal. "Indeed, if there is any useful role the US can play in tamping down tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals, it is to press Pakistan to crackdown on anti-India militants that operate freely in Pakistani territory," Curtis said. In her op-ed, Curtis said concerns are being raised about the US President-elect Donald Trumps phone conversation with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and what it might mean for his policies toward the subcontinent. Pakistan in a statement said that Trump during a telephonic conversation with Prime Minsiter Nawaz Sharif offered to play "any role" in helping Pakistan address its outstanding issues, which it claimed was a reference to Kashmir issue. "These comments, however, should merely be seen as friendly banter that could have been made to almost any foreign leader," Curtis said. "It is not surprising that Pakistani leaders would take advantage of a polite and warm exchange to push their agenda of bringing international attention to the Indo-Pak conflict in Kashmir," Curtis wrote. Observing that the US handling of India-Pakistan relations is a delicate matter, she said it is important for US officials to avoid the mediation trap and "any illusion that the US itself can resolve this nearly 70-year-old dispute." Referring to the series of attacks against Indian Army bases, Curtis said the Uri attack demonstrates Pakistans willingness to up the ante in order to draw international attention to Kashmir at a time when civil protests had been wracking the region. "The US must demonstrate that such Pakistani behaviour is unacceptable and will have consequences," Curtis said. Asia is ground zero for malware infections dubbed "Gooligan" and aimed at Android operating systems, with the majority of the million Google accounts breached since August located there, researchers said. The malware burrows in to mobile devices running on Android and steals information from Gmail, Google Photos, Google Docs, Google Play, Google Drive and G Suite, researchers from Check Point Software Technologies said. Attackers can also generate revenue by installing apps from Google Play on infected phones. The malware infects a device after a user downloads and installs a "Gooligan"-infected app on third-party app stores, or when users accidentally click on malicious links in phishing attacks. After the infected app is installed, it sends data about the device to the malware's main server and downloads a rootkit, which enables the attacker to gain control of the mobile device. "This theft of over a million Google account details is very alarming and represents the next stage of cyber-attacks," Michael Shaulov, Check Point's head of mobile products. said. "We are seeing a shift in the strategy of hackers, who are now targeting mobile devices in order to obtain the sensitive information that is stored on them." Since 2014, the Android security team had been tracking a family of malware called "Ghost Push," of which the "Gooligan" malware is a variant, according to a Wednesday public post by Google's Director of Android security Andrian Ludwig. "We used automated tools to look for signs of other fraudulent activity within the affected Google accounts. None were found. The motivation behind Ghost Push is to promote apps, not steal information, and that held true for this variant," Lugwig said. Lugwig encourages Android users to conduct device integrity checks and update their devices, as the malware opportunistically installs apps on older devices. About 57 percent of the affected devices are found in Asia, while 9 percent are in Europe. Another 15 percent of breached devices are in Africa and 19 percent are in the Americas. Story continues "The malware is more dominant in the older version of Android, namely 4 and 5. Though we can't say for sure why, some sources say the older Android versions are still pretty prevalent in Asia," Steve McWhirter, vice president of Asia, Middle East and Africa at Check Point Software Technologies, told CNBC. The malware targets mobile devices running on the earlier operating systems Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Android 4.4 KitKat and the Android 5.0 Lollipop, all of which make up 74 percent of the devices in the market. Android device users who suspect their account might have been hacked will need to go through a process called "flashing," which can be done by mobile service providers or a certified technician, Check Point Software Technologies said, adding that Google account passwords should be changed immediately after "flashing." Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook. More From CNBC By Byron Kaye SYDNEY (Reuters) - Infant formula maker Bellamy's Australia Ltd warned new import rules in China had created a supply glut that was hurting sales, sending its shares plunging more than 40 percent and sparking a broader sector sell-off. China said in April that companies exporting infant milk formula imports through international websites would need to be officially registered by 2018 - a change that was not expected to affect major manufacturers. But on Friday, Bellamy's said it now expects sales to fall about 2 percent in the current financial year to end-June as formula exporters which don't expect to get registration dump stock at heavy discounts. The new level of uncertainty hit shares in the sector hard as firms that export milk products from Australia and New Zealand tend to enjoy high valuations on hopes of hot demand from China, making them susceptible to sell-offs on negative news. "Until we've got clarity on that position, it would be difficult to put a line in the sand," Bellamy's Chief Executive Officer Laura McBain told analysts on a conference call. "We can continue to build in China (but) it's been disrupted over the last six months." Bellamy's shares fell by as much as 44 percent on Friday, their biggest drop since listing in 2014 and hitting their lowest intraday level in a year. But even after that plunge, the stock was trading at a trailing price-earnings ratio of 30, about double the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index. The company is backed by high profile investors including Crown Resorts Ltd billionaire majority owner James Packer, who has a 5 percent holding. New Zealand rival a2 Milk Company Ltd saw its shares fall 12 percent. A spokesman for the company said it believed it was well placed to manage the regulatory change. A2 trades at 60 times earnings, four times the benchmark. Sydney-listed dairy producer Bega Cheese Ltd, which runs a venture exporting formula to China with vitamin maker Blackmores Ltd, fell 5 percent. Blackmores dropped 3 percent. Last month, Bega warned the venture's early sales were below expectations due to regulatory changes and soft demand, sending shares of both companies sharply lower. Bega shares trade at 26 times earnings while Blackmore trades at 20 times. ($1 = 1.3477 Australian dollars) (Additional reporting by Charlotte Greenfield and Swati Pandey in Wellington and Tom Westbrook in Sydney; Editing by Edwina Gibbs) Staying true to his election-campaign promise, President-elect Donald Trump was recently able to coax Carrier, one of the operating segments of diversified conglomerate United Technologies Corporation UTX, to retain some of the jobs at its Indianapolis unit. The win-win deal that critics allegedly referred to as federal arm-twisting tactic is likely to act as an alarm bell for other companies who seek to outsource a sizable amount of their jobs to low-cost nations to improve their margins. Before analyzing the efficacy of such allegations, let us dig a little deep to find the trade-offs of the deal. Tax Incentives United Technologies has been grappling with various macroeconomic challenges and has been restructuring its operations to improve its profitability. Post third-quarter 2016 earnings, the company recorded an average return of 6.0% almost in line with the Zacks categorized Diversified Operations industry, and looks poised for an uptrend with rising earnings estimates for the current year. In order to retain the manufacturing units and the associated jobs within the state, Indiana had offered Carrier $1.7 million in grants and tax incentives from 2011 to 2013. Despite the tax inducements, Carrier decided to shift about 2,000 jobs to Mexico early this year to save approximately $65 million in operating costs. As Donald Trump entered the fray for the U.S. Presidency, he vociferously condemned such job outsourcing in his campaigns and vowed to bring back those jobs to the American shores, if he got elected. In order to keep his words, he along with Vice President-elect and Indiana Governor, Mike Pence negotiated with Carrier and was able to retain about 1,100 jobs in the U.S. These included 300 jobs in research and headquarter positions and 800 manufacturing positions at its production unit. In exchange, United Technologies was awarded $7 million in tax incentives over 10 years over four times the previous inducements. Although Carrier got a better deal to impede the job outsourcing, a Wall Street Journal article reportedly claimed that it is still shifting about 600 jobs from the Indianapolis factory and 700 jobs from the nearby Huntington, IN plant to Mexico. Nevertheless, the deal offered some respite to Trump and was a face-saver for his claims of "putting America first." The Critics Critics allege that offering sops and incentives in the form of tax breaks are short-term solutions and are not likely to curb the job outsourcing unless some drastic changes are made to the prevailing laws. Furthermore, it would create a race for higher tax incentives by other states in the U.S. as they vie for a bigger pie in the job market. For instance, General Electric Company GE relocated its corporate headquarters from Fairfield, CT to Boston, MA, to significantly reduce its tax burden. In order to entice as big a company as General Electric, Massachusetts offered up to $120 million in grants and other incentives and property tax savings of up to $25 million. (Read: Will GE's Boston Relocation Have Any Impact on Shares?) Tax incentives might also give a perfect opportunity to companies to offset a significant part of their labor costs and, in turn, automate their operations to further reduce fixed costs. The U.S. has reportedly lost about 5 million manufacturing jobs since 2000, with Indiana alone losing 150,000 factory jobs. Indiana also lost around 7,000 manufacturing jobs last year. Critics pointed out that Trump would not be able to negotiate tax incentives for each and every company that seeks to relocate their jobs outside the country in his individual capacity, as it would relate to as meddling in business operations. They argue that companies mostly resort to job outsourcing to reduce operating costs, and tax incentives are often not enough to compensate the benefits of outsourcing. Moving Forward Business-friendly policies that aim for the holistic growth of companies in general and the economy in particular are the call of the hour. Whether Carrier has set the precedence for several such similar tax incentives for other companies in the near future at the cost of the public exchequer remains to be seen. United Technologies currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A couple of better-ranked stocks in the industry include Danaher Corp. DHR and Hitachi, Ltd. HTHIY, carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Danaher is currently trading at a forward P/E of 21.8x and has beaten estimates thrice in the trailing four quarters, the average positive earnings surprise being 6.1%. Hitachi is currently trading at a forward P/E of 13.6x and has beaten estimates thrice in the trailing four quarters, the average positive earnings surprise being 103.5%. Zacks Best Private Investment Ideas In addition to the recommendations that are available to the public on our website, how would you like to follow all Zacks' private buys and sells in real time? Our experts cover all kinds of trades from value to momentum . . . from stocks under $10 to ETF and option moves . . . from stocks that corporate insiders are buying up to companies that are about to report positive earnings surprises. You can even look inside exclusive portfolios that are normally closed to new investors. Starting today, for the next month, you can have unrestricted access. Click here for Zacks' private 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 DANAHER CORP (DHR): Free Stock Analysis Report UTD TECHS CORP (UTX): Free Stock Analysis Report GENL ELECTRIC (GE): Free Stock Analysis Report HITACHI (HTHIY): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research As President-elect Donald Trump touts a deal to save Carrier factory work Thursday, a bill passed by the GOP-led House could undermine his campaign promise to create new American jobs. The Republican-controlled House voted 243-174 last month to effectively block the Treasury secretary from authorizing the sale of about 80 Boeing (BA) commercial jetliners to Iran Air, the state-owned airline. The plane sale is part of President Barack Obama's larger nuclear agreement with Iran. The Boeing deal could be worth as much as $18 billion and result in the creation of tens of thousands of jobs at Boeing and its suppliers. It comes as Trump announces an agreement to keep more than 1,000 jobs at United Technologies' (UTX) Carrier furnace factory in Indiana from going to Mexico. "These are some of the highest valued jobs in America," Howard Rubel, an aviation analyst at Jefferies, said in an interview Wednesday. "People are voting this on an emotional basis as opposed to being logical." The House action Nov. 17, which largely fell along party lines, adds to the Iran deal's overall uncertainty given Trump as a candidate has called the larger nuclear pact "the worst deal ever negotiated." The proposed measure was received in the Senate this week and read twice before being referred to a committee. Specifically, H.R. 5711 would block U.S. financial institutions including the Export-Import Bank from participating in the financing of the Boeing planes. It was sponsored by Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga of Michigan, who in introducing the measure said the U.S. State Department previously concluded Iran "is the world's foremost state sponsor of terrorism" and that the Treasury found it to be "a jurisdiction of primary money laundering concern." Back in September, the Treasury Department had approved a license for Boeing and its rival Airbus to sell passenger jets to Iran Air. The financing is seen as a critical element to complete the Boeing sale, and if the House prevails in blocking it, Airbus could benefit since it already has an agreement with a foreign leasing firm to finance aircraft to Iran. Story continues There is a way around the U.S. bank hurdle for Boeing's Iran deal, but it would require the airline manufacturer to go overseas for financing as was done by Airbus. Analyst Rubel estimates the Boeing deal could create between 10,000 and 15,000 jobs for at least one year at Boeing and additional jobs in the supply chain from suppliers of the engines, landing gear and other parts. Also, some of Iran planes could extend production lines that are threatened with downsizing. "From an economic standpoint, we're actually hurting ourselves," said Rubel. "If we're trying to put America first, the House vote puts America last." Still, some House members insist the Boeing commercial aircraft deal to Iran Air is wrong because the national carrier might use the new civilian planes to support terrorism or transport Iranian Revolutionary Guard troops. Moreover, critics of the plane deal say Iran remains a threat to Israel and that the House's action is needed to cut off Iran's means of delivering weapons to terror groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as to the Syrian regime itself. "The scandal is that there are American companies, there are international companies Boeing, Airbus that are now making their own names inextricably linked with terror forever more," Republican Rep. Peter Roskam of Illinois said on the House floor a day before the vote. Another critic of the Boeing plane sale maintained that the American taxpayer could be on the hook for the deal so the House bill was necessary. "Incredibly, under current U.S. law, if we issued a license for Iran Air to purchase aircraft from an American manufacturer and then Iran walked away from its commitment, U.S. taxpayers would have to foot the bill for Iran," said Republican Rep. Paul Chabot of California prior to the H.R. 5711 vote. "In this case, that could end up to $70 billion on the U.S. taxpayer. Given Iran Air's multiple unpaid commitments over the years, that outrageous outcome is entirely possible." For its part, a Boeing spokesperson said it is following the U.S. government's guidance in dealing with Iran airlines and will continue to do so. "It's premature to speculate on the outcome of possible legislation or policy changes," the Chicago-based manufacturing giant said. Boeing wants to sell three models of its planes to Iran, including the short- to medium-range narrow-body 737s, the long-range wide-body 777s and a few of its 747s jumbo jets. Most of the Boeing commercial production work takes place in Washington state, which Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton carried in the recent presidential election. "I don't know how people sleep at night knowing this would place American manufacturing at a disadvantage, thereby allowing foreign competitors to take away these jobs, but also because we are telling Iran that the nuclear deal is off," Democratic Rep. Denny Heck said in a release after the House vote. Heck represents the Puget Sound region of Washington where many of the Boeing aerospace jobs are located. Iran's aging commercial airplane fleet is among the oldest in the world due to sanctions that have been in place for decades. The average age of Iran Air's planes now exceeds 20 years and the Tehran government wants the Boeing jetliners due to safety concerns as well as to modernize the national carrier. "The Republicans not only seek to scuttle that deal with all of the implications, but they do it by stopping an American company from selling a flagship American product around the world," Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut said in comments on the House floor prior to the vote. Added Himes, "If you use the Department of Commerce's multiplier, the bill they are pushing would result in 100,000 American jobs not created so that they can continue with this fetish of eliminating a deal, which has made us safer." Woman getting nose measured for surgery | Jonatan Fernstrom/Getty Images Rhinoplasty or nose surgery, commonly known as a "nose job," involves a surgeon reshaping the bones, cartilage and tissues in your nose to alter its proportions and to enhance your facial looks. Thought the procedure is often for cosmetic purposes, it also may be necessary to correct defects in the nose that impair your breathing. When it's done as a cosmetic procedure, it's unlikely your health insurance covers a nose job, so it pays to spend time researching the costs before deciding if surgery is the right option for you. So, how much does a nose job cost? Rhinoplasty costs According to statistics published by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons in 2014, the average cost of rhinoplasty is $4,694. However, this figure doesn't include other expenses, such as anesthesia and operating facilities, so the total price can range from $5,000 to $10,000. The breakdown of rhinoplasty costs is: Surgeon's fee of approximately $3,500. Anesthesia fee of $600 to $1,000. Operating facilities fee of $700 to $1,100. Additional expenses may include surgery garments, medical tests and prescription medications. RATE SEARCH: Saving up for some cosmetic work? Get some interest on your savings starting today by shopping money market accounts. Factors affecting costs There are many factors that determine the overall cost of a nose job, including: The surgeon's skill : The most skilled plastic surgeons are in high demand, and their time comes at a premium. The type of procedure : Complicated procedures take longer and therefore cost more. Geographical location: As with any service, plastic surgery fees vary significantly between areas of the country, so where your surgeon chooses to operate has an impact on the price. Second surgery One of the biggest factors affecting the total cost is if you need to have a second surgery. Because your nose swells during the operation, the surgeon may get a false impression of the final shape of your nose. As the swelling goes down, it may become apparent that a second surgery is necessary to achieve the look you want. Approximately 15 percent of rhinoplasty surgeries require a second surgery. Story continues To minimize the risk that a second surgery won't produce the expected results, ensure the surgeon is aware of your expectations. Consider cutting pictures from magazines as a visual aid. Health insurance Health insurance rarely covers cosmetic surgery, so if you're having a nose job for the sole purpose of enhancing your facial harmony, you usually will pay for the procedure out of your own pocket. However, it's common for insurance to cover rhinoplasty for resolving a breathing defect or for reconstructing the nose following a severe trauma. Check with your insurance provider to see if you're covered. No insurance? Set your savings goal today. Choosing a cosmetic surgeon Rhinoplasty is one of the most complex and difficult types of cosmetic or reconstructive surgery, and if anything goes wrong with the procedure, or you're not happy with the end result, the evidence is on your face for everyone to see. For these reasons, it's not always a good idea to choose your plastic surgeon based on price alone. It's worth bearing in mind the saying "you get what you pay for," and the main reason for selecting a surgeon should be the surgeon's skill, not the cost of the procedure. Take the time to research possible surgeons, review the surgeon's work on other patients, get word-of-mouth recommendations and read reviews. Don't be afraid to ask for credentials before committing to a procedure, and if possible, seek a surgeon who regularly performs nose jobs and has special ear, nose and throat training. Conclusion A nose job is a difficult type of cosmetic or reconstructive surgery, and it pays to find a skilled physician with the surgical and artistic talent to sculpt your nose perfectly. When you ask specialists "how much does a nose job cost," understand that the best surgeons command the highest fees, and if your nose job is entirely for cosmetic reasons, you cannot rely on your health insurance to settle the bill. Consider your options carefully, and make sure you're comfortable with the surgeon's level of skill and the amount the procedure is going to cost before making a final decision. Fortunately, many surgeons offer payment plans if you don't want to pay a lump sum. If your nose job is for medical reasons, such as rectifying breathing problems, your insurance may cover the costs, so always check your insurance carrier. ADVISER SEARCH: Need help with your finances? Bankrate can help you find a financial adviser near you today . More From Bankrate.com Food deals, seals and the 'Karate Kid': Can't-miss events this weekend Get your fill at area restaurants, watch some seals, laugh at a comedy show, take in a concert and maybe even leave Newport County for some fun. Over the Thanksgiving holiday in 2012, John Rodakis, a father of a child with autism, observed his son's condition dramatically improve while taking a common antibiotic. This marked the beginning of a four year quest to understand how an antibiotic might affect behaviors associated with autism. Today, on the four year anniversary of that observation, Baylor College of Medicine is launching a national study funded by the non-profit the father started, N of One: Autism Research Foundation, to investigate this routinely observed phenomenon. The first-of-its kind study will investigate why some children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience improvements or changes in their autism symptoms when taking antibiotics. The study will follow children over a two-year period and capture information anytime antibiotics are prescribed by their regular physicians and compare changes in the gut microbiome (bacteria, yeasts and fungi found in the gut) and metabolome (small biological molecules produced by the microbes) during antibiotic use of those who experience a change in symptoms during to those who do not. The study seeks to understand when and why these changes occur and how this information can be harnessed for future interventions. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neuro-developmental disorder with a steadily growing prevalence that affects more than 2 percent of children. Many parents have reported that their children experienced significant changes in their ASD symptoms, typically improvements, though sometimes a worsening of symptoms, when taking antibiotics, aka the "antibiotic effect." Recent research has documented abnormalities in the gut microbiome of children with autism. Researchers have speculated that changes in the gut bacteria caused by antibiotics may be behind the changes in symptoms observed in some children with autism. The gut-brain axis is now being widely investigated by researchers in many fields of medicine. The study marks the first collaboration between N of One: Autism Research Foundation and Baylor College of Medicine and is the brain-child of two parents of affected children, Dr. Ruth Ann Luna and John Rodakis, who have both been investigating the microbiome's role in autism. Dr. Luna is one of the nation's leading investigators of the role of the microbiome in autism and is the Director of Medical Metagenomics at the Texas Children's Microbiome Center at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. Dr. Luna is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology & Immunology at Baylor College of Medicine. Mr. Rodakis is a former medical venture capitalist who founded the N of One: Autism Research Foundation. Both Luna and Rodakis have observed changes in their children's autism symptoms while taking antibiotics. "Working with Dr. Luna has been very energizing because as a fellow affected parent, we share a real passion to get this right for our children as well as millions of others," says Rodakis. Lab Diagnostics & Automation eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today "The support of N of One is enabling a much needed study that would have been unlikely to be funded elsewhere. Because we have both witnessed the antibiotic effect in our own children, we knew this was a natural starting point targeting a gap in published autism research. Our goals reach far beyond this first study and include using these initial data to more effectively subtype autism and thereby develop and deliver more effective microbial-based interventions." There is a growing recognition that the microbiome plays a role in autism. In 2000, a clinical trial conducted at Chicago Rush Children's Hospital demonstrated that eight out of 10 children experienced a significant improvement while taking the antibiotic vancomycin. Despite this and numerous reports published in the media and medical literature of children with ASD unexpectedly improving while taking antibiotics, there have been no systematic attempts to investigating this antibiotic effect until now. "The question of why some children's autism symptoms improve is important to me scientifically and personally. We saw this in our own child in 2012 and I www.microbecolhealthdis.net="">published a paper describing what I saw. Soon, I began hearing from parents all over the world who had observed same thing," Rodakis says. "It was stunning to me that there was a frequently reported phenomenon of improvement that was not being used as a clue to guide further research. Today we begin that process." The phenomenon has parallels to the "fever-effect," an observation that some children with ASD experience improvements when they had a fever. Parents had been reporting this for decades, but the reports were not followed up on until 2007 when a Johns Hopkins researcher, Dr. Andy Zimmerman, (a scientific advisor to N of One) documented the effect and later in 2014 used the observations as the basis for a successful treatment trial using sulforaphane, a compound found in broccoli. N of One: Autism Research Foundation was also a sponsor of that trial. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has chosen an LSU Health New Orleans team that developed a test for the early detection of a potentially life-threatening gastrointestinal disease affecting pre-term, low birthweight babies to receive expert guidance to move the technology forward. NSF awarded LSU Health New Orleans a $50,000 grant so the LSU Health New Orleans researchers led by Sunyoung Kim, PhD, Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, can participate in the national NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Program in January 2017. Kim developed a novel diagnostic biomarker panel for necrotizing enterocolitis, a potentially fatal condition described as the most common and serious intestinal disease affecting pre-term infants. The disease develops when tissue in the small or large intestine is injured and begins to die. Inflammation follows, and sometimes the intestine perforates, leaking bacteria and waste. The resulting infection can quickly overwhelm these fragile babies. "Neonatologists at LSU Health approached my research group to develop a better diagnostic test for necrotizing enterocolitis two years ago," notes Kim. "The disease affects one out of eight infants who are extremely premature; it also has a high rate of mortality. Furthermore, there is a 3- to 4-fold greater risk for male, African American infants to develop necrotizing enterocolitis. Louisiana has one of the highest rates of preterm births in the United States and has a large African American population. Developing health care solutions for the people of the state is our responsibility, our calling and our strength." Diagnostic tests are critical for disease management and better outcomes, but current ones have poor success in identifying necrotizing enterocolitis. The current gold standard diagnostic method is X-ray, which has a true positive rate of only 44%. LSU Health New Orleans' noninvasive Neonatal DDx biomarker panel, which is performed on stool samples, identifies 93% true positives and 95% true negatives in diagnosing the disease that affects about 6,000 premature infants every year in the US. To make the test widely available, Kim started a spin-out company, Chosen Diagnostics, to commercialize this promising new technology. Because NSF "recognizes that transitioning technology out of an academic laboratory requires a skill set and knowledge base that differ from those required for research and those skills and expertise are much more common in a start-up environment than an academic one," NSF established the I-Corps Program. According to NSF, the I-Corps program "teaches NSF grantees to identify valuable product opportunities that can emerge from academic research and offers entrepreneurship training to participants by combining experience and guidance from established entrepreneurs through a targeted curriculum." I-Corps teams are composed of the principal investigator(s) (PI), an entrepreneurial lead (EL), and a mentor, typically an experienced or emerging entrepreneur with experience in transiting technology out of academic labs. Kim, who also has experience in grant management and intellectual property development, is the principal investigator. Rebecca Buckley, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher working in Kim's lab at LSU Health New Orleans who has relevant experience and deep knowledge of all technical aspects of the biomarker panel, is the entrepreneurial lead. James Davis, PhD, Director of the Stephenson Entrepreneurship Center in LSU's E. J. Ourso College of Business and an entrepreneur with a proven background in creating new business opportunities through technology, is the I-Corps team mentor. The team participated in a regional I-Corps Program at LSU A & M in Baton Rouge over the summer. With the new award, the team will continue its education and training in California in the new year. Invited I-Corps participants learn through a special, accelerated version of Stanford University's Lean LaunchPad course. The course teaches academics how to talk to potential customers, partners and competitors, and encounter and manage the challenges and uncertainty of successfully translating their discoveries to the market. "In academia, we work toward having strong links to outreach," says Kim. "However, this effort is purposeful in establishing direct links with the public stakeholders, patients and physicians. We are not so far removed from providing solutions to real world problems, and the I-Corps Program provides the means to think critically about how to do so. There is an immense power in listening to people who want solutions from science and who directly benefit from our expertise." The NSF says the I-Corps environment is fast-paced and rigorous; teams are pushed, challenged, and questioned in the hope that they will learn quickly whether their ideas are worth pursuing. Teams are expected to complete at least ten customer interviews a week, which means that over the ten-week course, teams have contact with 100 potential customers. "NSF's I-Corps Program is invaluable in teaching scientists with great research the importance of knowing one's customer," notes Patrick Reed, Director of Technology Management at LSU Health New Orleans. "A great idea without a market is only a great idea; a great idea with a well-defined market and customer base will lead to public benefit - a core component of our mission." Biosciences research has other benefits in addition to solving health problems. "Academic inventions can be used to start spin-off companies that benefit the local New Orleans economy," says Kim. "Our hope is that collaborations between science and medicine at LSU Health New Orleans will foster economic growth, resilience, and diversity for our city and our state. Toward these goals, we have benefitted tremendously from the technology management offices at LSU Health New Orleans and LSU Baton Rouge, as well as from the New Orleans Bioinnovation Center." Kim's hopes for the technology and her startup revolve around the tiny beneficiaries of her labors. "By personalizing medical management of infants, our technology may prevent 1,000 infants from dying each year. The added benefit is it may also save US insurance companies $720 million in health care costs." Front-line staff, such as servers in restaurants, are often trusted with providing customers with food safety information regarding their meals. A challenge to the food-service industry is that these positions have high turnover, relatively low wages and servers are focused primarily on providing patrons with a positive experience. And new research shows that this poses a problem. A recent study finds restaurants don't do an effective job of communicating with customers when it comes to addressing risks associated with eating undercooked meat - specifically hamburgers. Inaccurate information provided by servers often contradicts science-based information customers need to make informed food safety decisions. All 50 states in the U.S. have adopted some version of the Food & Drug Administration's Model Food Code, which requires restaurants to tell customers about risks associated with undercooked meat and poultry products. "We wanted to know how well restaurant servers and menus communicated with customers about these risks, specifically in the context of beef hamburgers," says Ben Chapman, co-author of a study on the work and an associate professor at North Carolina State University whose research program is aimed at improving food safety. The researchers focused on beef hamburgers because consuming undercooked ground beef has been linked to a lot of foodborne illness outbreaks, including outbreaks related primarily to Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. For this study, the researchers sent trained "secret shoppers" into 265 full-service, sit-down restaurants in seven different regions around the U.S. At each restaurant, the patrons ordered one well-done hamburger and one medium-rare hamburger to go. The shoppers then recorded how, if at all, the restaurant communicated about risk. This study is the latest in a long line of real-world research that Chapman and his collaborators have conducted. "We try to actually match what people do versus what they say they do because people will say anything on a survey," Chapman says. "We've looked at cooking shows; observed handwashing and cross-contamination in commercial kitchens; examined hand hygiene during a norovirus outbreaks and others. What people actually do is the difference between an enjoyable meal and a foodborne illness. "For example," Chapman says, "did the server mention risks associated with undercooked meat when the shopper ordered? If not, the shopper would ask about the risk of getting sick, and then record whether the wait staff responded with clear, accurate information." The shoppers also looked to see whether restaurants included clear, accurate risk information on their menus. The study found that 25 percent of restaurants wouldn't even sell an undercooked hamburger to secret shoppers. However, at restaurants that would sell a medium-rare hamburger, the majority of servers - 77 percent - gave customers unreliable information about food safety. "Servers said that meat was safe because it was cooked until 'until the juices ran clear' - which is totally unreliable," says Ellen Thomas, a food safety scientist at RTI International and lead author of the study who worked on the project while a Ph.D. student at NC State. "Those 77 percent didn't mention things like cooking meat to the appropriate temperature - either 155F for 15 seconds, or 160F for instant kill. "The indicator of safety most widely reported by servers was the color of the burger, and that's also not a reliable indicator at all," Thomas says "Time and temperature are all that matter. An undercooked, unsafe burger can be brown in the middle, and a safely cooked burger can still be red or pink in the center." Meanwhile, almost all of the menus complied with FDA guidance. But what servers told customers often contradicted the information on the menu. "If a menu says something is risky but a server says that it isn't, that can downplay the risks for consumers and impact a customer's decisions," Chapman says. "It's confusing, leaving the patron to choose which message to believe" The researchers also found that chain restaurants fared much better than independent restaurants at having servers offer reliable risk information. "That's not surprising," Chapman says. "Large chains implement standardized training across all outlets for servers in order to protect their brand and reduce the likelihood of being implicated in a foodborne illness outbreak. That's bad for business. "This study tells us that servers aren't good risk communicators," Chapman says. "We encourage consumers to ask food-safety questions, but they should probably ask a manager. "It also tells us that we need to work on addressing the widespread - and wrong - belief that color is a reliable indicator of food safety in meat," Chapman adds. "Restaurants are in a position to help us share this information with consumers, but many servers are currently sharing incorrect information." A team of researchers led by a University of Rhode Island scientist has discovered an important molecular link between a rare childhood genetic disease, Fanconi anemia, and a major cancer gene called PTEN. The discovery improves the understanding of the molecular basis of Fanconi anemia and could lead to improved treatment outcomes for some cancer patients. According to Niall Howlett, URI associate professor of cell and molecular biology and Rhode Island's leading expert on Fanconi anemia, the disease is characterized by birth defects, bone marrow failure and increased cancer risk. He said the genes that play a role in the development of the disease are also important in the development of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Howlett's new study now establishes a molecular link between Fanconi anemia and a gene strongly associated with uterine, prostate and brain cancer. This research was published this month in the journal Scientific Reports, with URI graduate student Elizabeth Vuono as lead author. About 1 in 150,000 children in the United States is born with Fanconi anemia. "People often ask why we study such a rare disease," said Howlett, who has been studying Fanconi anemia for nearly 20 years. "First and foremost, there is no cure or effective treatments for it. So a greater understanding of the molecular basis of Fanconi anemia is critical to address this need." In addition, Howlett said there are countless examples of how the study of Fanconi anemia has greatly benefited the general population. The first umbilical cord blood transplant, for example, was performed with a Fanconi anemia patient. Bone marrow transplants have become much safer and more effective because of studies with Fanconi anemia patients. And new breast and ovarian cancer genes have been discovered as a result of studies on the molecular biology of Fanconi anemia. Howlett's current research is another example of the broader impact of Fanconi anemia studies. The URI researcher speculated about the existence of a biochemical link between Fanconi anemia and PTEN. Mutations in PTEN occur frequently in uterine, prostate and brain cancer. "The PTEN gene codes for a phosphatase - an enzyme that removes phosphate groups from proteins," explained Howlett. "Many Fanconi anemia proteins have phosphate groups attached to them when they become activated. However, how these phosphate groups are removed is poorly understood." Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today Howlett said that cells from Fanconi anemia patients are characteristically sensitive to a class of drugs widely used in cancer chemotherapy called DNA crosslinking agents. "So we performed an experiment to determine if Fanconi anemia and PTEN were biochemically linked," he said. "By testing if cells with mutations in the PTEN gene were also sensitive to DNA crosslinking agents, we discovered that Fanconi anemia patient cells and PTEN-deficient cells were practically indistinguishable in terms of sensitivity to these drugs. This strongly suggested that the Fanconi anemia proteins and PTEN might work together to repair the DNA damage caused by DNA crosslinking agents." By using epistasis analysis, a genetic method that determines if genes work together, Howlett and his research group found that the Fanconi anemia proteins and PTEN do indeed function together in this repair pathway. "Before this work, Fanconi anemia and PTEN weren't even on the same radar," said Howlett. "This is really important to understanding how this disease arises and what its molecular underpinnings are. The more we can find out about its molecular basis, the more likely we are to come up with strategies to treat the disease." Howlett's research is equally important to cancer patients who do not have Fanconi anemia. He said that since his study found that cells missing PTEN are highly sensitive to DNA crosslinking agents, it should be possible to predict whether a particular cancer patient will respond to this class of chemotherapy drug by conducting a simple DNA test. "We can now predict that if a patient has cancer associated with mutations in PTEN, then it is likely that the cancer will be sensitive to DNA crosslinking agents," he said. "This could lead to improved outcomes for patients with certain types of PTEN mutations." Previous studies identified the Hippo pathway kinases LATS1/2 as a tumor suppressor, but new research led by University of California San Diego School of Medicine scientists reveals a surprising role for these enzymes in subduing cancer immunity. The findings, published in Cell on December 1, could have a clinical role in improving efficiency of immunotherapy drugs. "Before our study, no one knew that the Hippo pathway was regulating immunogenicity," said first author Toshiro Moroishi, MD, PhD, postdoctoral researcher at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center. "LATS1/2 deletion in cancer cells improves tumor immunogenicity, leading to the destruction of cancerous cells by enhancing anti-tumor immune responses." Hippo pathway signaling regulates organ size by moderating cell growth, apoptosis and stem cell renewal, but dysregulation contributes to cancer development. In vitro studies of Hippo pathway kinases LATS1/2 showed that the loss of these enzymes promoted cell proliferation and tumor survival. In vivo research using immune-compromised mouse models also supports a tumor suppressor function of the Hippo pathway. However, when Moroishi and team deleted LATS1/2 from mouse cancer cells and examined tumor growth in models with healthy immune systems researchers found that immunogenicity the ability to stimulate an immune response improved, destroying cancer cells. Researchers caution that immune systems of mouse models are different from the human immune system so the response might be different and further studies are needed. If the outcome proves to be the same, using a LATS1/2 inhibitor alone or in combination with an immune checkpoint inhibitor may stimulate the immune system of patients that previously did not respond to immunotherapy treatments. Currently, most immunotherapy research focuses on targeting the immune system, but the new findings reveal that tumor cells may also be vulnerable to inhibitors. "Inhibiting LATS1/2 could be an attractive approach to treat cancer," said Kun-Liang Guan, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology at Moores Cancer Center and senior author of the study. "LATS is an ideal target because there are many kinase inhibitors that have been successfully developed as cancer drugs." This study focused on breast cancer, melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma but the same could be applied to other cancers, said Moroishi. Source: University of California San Diego Health Sciences Researchers from the University of Sao Paulo (USP) at Ribeirao Preto in Brazil have developed a platform that analyzes clinical samples from patients to diagnose infection by 416 viruses found in the world's tropical regions. According to its creators, the tool can be used by reference laboratories such as Adolfo Lutz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) and Evandro Chagas Institute in Brazil to assist epidemiological surveillance by detecting pathogens with the potential to cause epidemics in humans. Results of the research project, which was coordinated by Victor Hugo Aquino, a professor at the University of Sao Paulo's Ribeirao Preto Pharmaceutical School (FCFRP-USP), and supported by FAPESP, have been published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. "The number of patients with suspected dengue, Zika or chikungunya infection will increase when summer arrives," said Aquino, lead author of the article. "Conventional methods are frequently unable to confirm diagnosis of these diseases, so we don't know which viruses are circulating." In his view, if a tool like this had been available when Zika began circulating in Brazil, it might have been possible to restrict its spread to the initial outbreak location. "We took a long time to realize an epidemic was under way because no one was thinking of Zika at the time," he said. In addition to the pathogens, the platform detects others that as yet have been identified only sporadically but could become epidemics. Examples include Mayaro, an alphavirus related to chikungunya that is transmitted by wild mosquitoes such as Haemagogus janthinomys, and Oropouche, which to date has caused epidemics confined to riverine communities in the Amazon region and is transmitted mainly by midges of the species Culicoides paraensis. "There are several other viruses that haven't yet caused problems in humans but may do so one day," Aquino said. "They're evolving all the time, and with the degradation of natural environments infectious agents once confined to natural niches could spread farther afield." Although the platform is designed above all to detect pathogens transmitted by arthropods such as mosquitoes and ticks, it can also diagnose infectious agents transmitted by small mammals, like hantavirus. Aquino explained that the selection encompasses all viruses occurring in tropical regions with DNA sequences deposited in GenBank, a public database maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), which is part of the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM). How it works The platform consists of a DNA microarray slide with eight identical sub-arrays containing viral probes replicated at least three times to complete the array with 15,000 probes. Each probe contains the sequences for 60 nucleotides that are complementary to the genomes of the viruses to be detected. According to Aquino, the sequences were mounted on the basis of information from GenBank using bioinformatics. "If a blood sample contains one of the 416 viruses included on the microchip, the pathogen's genome will bind with one of the probes to produce a marker that can be detected by a scanner," Aquino said. The device that reads the results is the same as that used in microarray assays for the analysis of gene expression. "Initially, the test will not be for the entire population because of high cost," Aquino said. "It will be used on patients with suspected dengue, Zika or other febrile diseases whose diagnosis isn't confirmed by conventional methods." The methodology was validated using 20 viruses available at FCFRP-USP's Virology Laboratory. The validation tests did not point to cross-hybridization, which produces a positive result for more than one infectious agent and hinders correct identification of single viruses. Nevertheless, the method proved effective to diagnose cases of co-infection, such as when the same patient has been infected by both Zika and dengue. According to new research by Rogelio Saenz, dean of The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) College of Public Policy (COPP), and Kenneth Johnson, senior demographer at the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire, more white deaths than births were reported in 17 U.S. states--more than in any time in the country's history--compared to only four in 2004. The 17 states include California, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine and Rhode Island. "When births fail to keep pace with deaths, a region is said to have a natural decrease in population," said Saenz. More than 121 million people--roughly 38 percent of the total U.S. population--reside in the 17 states with an explicit white natural decrease. In 12 of the 17 states, the white population diminished overall between 2013 and 2014. The researchers believe that the decreasing white population in these states can be attributed to the rising number of aging adults, a decrease in their fertility rates and the falling number of white women of childbearing age. Despite the large number of states with white natural decline, only two states had more deaths than births in their combined population. For the other 15 states, the white natural decrease has been offset by natural increases in minority populations. In particular, due to the youthfulness of the Latino population, Latino births exceeded deaths by a considerable margin during the same time frame. This trend, the researchers said, is related to the increasing diversity of the U.S. population. A 2014 report by Saenz, in fact, contends that the single largest component of the U.S. child population will be Latino by 2060. "Our analysis of the demographic factors causing white natural decrease and minority population growth suggests that the pace is likely to pick up in the future," said Saenz. "These demographic trends have major policy implications from increasing demands on healthcare and retirement systems for aging populations to considerable necessary investments in education and training for younger ones." The report suggests that competing demands between these populations could create considerable potential for disagreements regarding funding priorities. A team headed by Professor Albert Rizvanov, director of the Gene and Cell Technologies Open Lab, created a gene therapy drug that encodes growth factors for the stimulation of blood vessel and bone formation. The combination was highly effective in a patient admitted to the Republican Clinical Hospital in Kazan, Russia. The treatment was approved by the ethical committee, supported by the Ministry of Healthcare of Tatarstan and published in BioNanoScience. Professor Rizvanov explains: We combined a demineralized bone transplant with recombinant genetic material, which carries genes for vascular endothelial growth factor, to stimulate new blood vessel growth (angiogenesis), and bone morphogenetic protein to stimulate bone growth (osteogenesis). Thus survival of transplant and bone tissue formation was achieved at the desired location. We were able to translate our basic and pre-clinical research and are the first to document the efficacy of such therapy in a real clinical case of pseudarthrosis. Lab Diagnostics & Automation eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today As the team leader noted, for a long time clinicians have tried standard methods of bone regeneration - osteosynthesis and osteoplasty - when an absent bone part is replaced with allogenic, cadaveric or demineralized bone matrix. In the latter case cells and minerals are removed from an animal bone tissue, and only the matrix is left - a "bone-like sponge" that can be used to fill in defects in the bone to stimulate formation of a new bone. However, current procedures often result in complications, such as resorption of the transplant. Parts of the problem are poor blood supply and low levels of pro-osteogenic growth factors. Our therapy, a combination of demineralized bone with gene therapy, is a promising solution for the currently existing complication problems in pseudarthrosis and other bone defects and fracture treatments. We now plan to offer such innovative treatments at the Kazan University Clinic as a part of a new clinical trial program at strategic academic unit Translational 7P Medicine for biomedical and translational research. South Sudan's first unified basic sign language and sign language dictionary will be officially launched and presented in the capital city Juba on Thursday. The dictionary contains 200 signs recorded by the development organization Light for the World in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare of the Republic of South Sudan as well as local disabled peoples organizations and experts from the Universities of Addis Ababa and Leiden. Girl signing the letter "L" / Credit: Jaco Klamer/Light for the World "The sign language dictionary is a historic milestone for people in South Sudan who are deaf and hearing impaired. For the first time, unified signs have been recorded that can be used for communication across the country and to address key educational challenges of the deaf community", explains Klaas Aikes, program coordinator of South Sudan at Light for the World. Until now, the worlds youngest nation did not have an official and unified basic sign language. While deaf and hearing impaired people used a variety of local and regional signs, they had to use a mixture of Ugandan, Sudanese and American signs for official situations and for cross-regional communication. However, these were not widely known and did not cover much of the signing practiced. The new unified sign language is comprised of signs that are used in all regions of South Sudan. "The first 200 signs recorded in the dictionary are mainly about everyday topics such as family, education, food and drinks but also cities and state names", says Klaas Aikes, adding: "The goal is to expand this collection of signs and codification continuously and to capture other areas of life". Process of Sign Language Recording Over the past three years, Light for the World designed and coordinated the process of recording the new official sign language of South Sudan together with local and international actors among them members of the South Sudanese deaf communities and two sign language experts from the Universities of Leiden and Addis Ababa. In cooperation with local disability organizations, data-collectors were trained across the country to systematically identify and record regional signs. The recordings were analyzed with the support of sign language experts, selected together with local organizations and edited for the dictionary. "Representatives of the Deaf Communities in South Sudan were at the heart of the sign language development process, as they are the experts of sign language practice and represent the local communities, explains Klaas Aikes, adding that, the development of their own sign language also gave them more self-confidence and encouraged them to fight for their rights and inclusion in society. Among the main contributors from the deaf communities were the Equatoria Association of the Deaf, the National Association of the Deaf, the Association of Deaf Concern as well as members from the Women Disability Network. The sign language project was strongly supported by the Ministry of Educations department for Inclusive Education as well as the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare in South Sudan, which will officially launch the new dictionary together with Light for the World and disability organizations on December 1st in Juba on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3rd Dec.). The ministry will also present their new disability policy. Advancement of Sign Language Planned "The new official basic sign language and the dictionary will be further developed during the coming years", explains Klaas Aikes. Light for the World is working on an advanced edition with new signs representing further areas of life. In addition, master trainers for the new sign language will be trained in order to make the language known throughout the country and to facilitate the use of the language, especially in official situations, such as in education or for translation. Breast cancer patients in one of the United States' largest and fastest-growing ethnic minority groups are likely to experience numerous gaps in care following their primary treatment, research from Oregon State University suggests. Seventy-four Latina women who'd had breast cancer participated in the "survivorship" care research, recruited through support groups and health fairs. The subjects, ages 30 to 75, took part in semi-structured focus groups that used a question guide crafted by a task force of academic researchers and community partners such as the American Cancer Society. Approximately half of the women were low-income, uninsured or publicly insured. "Results indicate numerous gaps and unmet needs in Latinas' survivorship care experiences, including problems with finances, continuity of care, unmet needs for information, and symptom management," said Carolyn Mendez-Luck, an assistant professor in OSU's College of Public Health and Human Sciences and one of the authors of the study. The California Breast Cancer Research Program provided primary funding for the research. Results were recently published in Public Health Nursing. Optimal survivorship care, according to the Institute of Medicine, includes the prevention of recurrence, new cancer and late effects of cancer treatment; the monitoring or surveillance for cancer and medical, mood and social issues; interventions for the effects of cancer and its treatment; and coordination among specialists and primary care providers to ensure all health needs are met. "Many survivors experience persisting symptoms including fatigue, pain, depression and sleep disturbance, but until recent years, survivorship has been relatively neglected in education, clinical practice and research," Mendez-Luck said. People of Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Central and South American descent comprise 17.6 percent of the U.S. population, and about 10 percent of the women in the Hispanic/Latino population will develop breast cancer at some point in their lifetime. Latina women are more likely to be diagnosed at later stages than non-Hispanic whites and also face linguistic and cultural barriers to diagnosis and treatment, including modesty; spiritual beliefs that cancer is God's punishment; de-prioritizing their own health care in favor of their roles as mother and wife; and passivity in interactions with health care providers out of respect for their authority. In addition, there are often financial hurdles - more than 25 percent of Latina women live in poverty and lack health insurance. "Understanding the cultural context in which women receive care is important," Mendez-Luck said. Women in the study sample expressed confusion and anxiety associated with a lack of information regarding future surveillance and treatment once primary care concluded. Many were unsure who was to be in charge of their treatment in the future, what the right schedule was for follow-up examinations, what self-care activities were recommended, and what to expect regarding their physical and psychological well-being. "Among the women in our focus groups, survivorship care plans were scarce," Mendez-Luck said. "The vast majority of participants reported never having heard of them, or associated them with a completely different meaning - making a plan for how their families could carry on after they were gone." The research also showed that depending on the person, "survivor" could have negative or positive connotations. "Negative perceptions included feelings that being identified as a cancer survivor was depressing, victimizing and stigmatizing," Mendez-Luck said. "Also, that thinking about the cancer could potentially contribute to an increased likelihood of a recurrence, either by 'tempting fate' or from the stress brought on by negative thinking." Positive views, the professor noted, included feeling special, strong, and blessed by God. Many survivors felt they had a special purpose for living, often including a mission to serve others. "A survivorship care plan is meant to be this living document for you and your care providers, a document a patient can follow through this entire process of what's going on with the cancer and what she can do to stay healthy and reduce the chances that the cancer will return," Mendez-Luck said. "It makes the patient truly a partner in her own care with health providers. But that's not happening, clearly, at least not for these women. There's an enormous opportunity there for improvement." Source: Oregon State University People confined to a wheelchair are still confronted with insurmountable obstacles in everyday life even in todays more wheelchair-accessible society. There are often no elevators in a building or if so, theyre out of order. And while there are already wheelchairs that can climb stairs, persons with physical disabilities still require assistance to prevent tipping over. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now developed a stairclimbing wheelchair with the ability to stabilize itself. It is part of a larger mobility concept that enables wheelchair users to move independently for short and medium distances. Scientists at TUM developed a wheelchair that can climb stairs. (Photo: Uli Benz / TUM) Whether visiting friends, going shopping or participating in events outside the home: mobility is the prerequisite for a self-determined life. People who are mobile also do not need to be looked after or attended to. However, something as simple as leaving their home without assistance is a major hurdle for persons with disabilities. "Very few buildings with older residents have elevators," explains Prof. Bernhard Wolf of the Heinz Nixdorf professorship at TUM. It quickly became clear to the scientists: A wheelchair must be developed that can climb stairs. It should also be agile and narrow. The researchers thus limited the chassis to one axis. In contrast to a two-axle wheelchair chassis, this wheelchair can move forward and backward and rotate around its own axis almost simultaneously. The wheelchair holds itself up according to the inverted pendulum principle. "Each small positional change is recognized and immediately compensated by the drive system," says Wolf. The ability to navigate even narrow staircases So how exactly does the new wheelchair conquer staircases? Previous concepts have utilized crawler chassis or castor configurations. "But those wheelchairs have to be monitored during the process," explains Wolf. In other words, another person has to be on hand to ensure that the chair does not topple over. In addition, such wheelchairs have a large turning circle making them unsuitable for use on narrow staircases. The scientists decided on a bionic concept for their new chair. Two "feet" that have a similar configuration to human legs with an upper and lower leg are attached to the wheelchair. If the chairs ultrasonic sensors detect stairs in the path of travel, the wheelchair reverses itself with its back to the stairs until the two wheels have physical contact with the first stair. Then the "feet" are extended, and the wheelchair lifts itself up the step. Powered by an electric motor, the legs push the wheelchair to the next higher step. Meanwhile, a camera system monitors the staircase topography to ensures that the wheelchair is firmly on a step and not, for example, on the edge. This technology also makes it possible to manage very narrow staircases with the exception of spiral staircases. When the chairs done ascending the stairs, it retracts its legs, and swings back into forward motion in drive mode. The wheelchair can thus also go down the stairs again. Comprehensive mobility concept Using a prototype, engineers were able to show that their principle works. The concept goes beyond the climbing of stairs, however. "We want to give people a truly viable mobility alternative with this wheelchair," says Wolf. The chair could also be used as a car seat in the future, for example dispensing with the need to fold and stow the wheelchair prior to departure. It would also not be necessary for the user to be lifted from the car seat back into the wheelchair upon arrival. Since it has an internal drive, it is narrower than a standard wheelchair. The potential industrial partners are still reluctant, however. "I think it is because the principle is technically a little complex and of course, there are already standardized wheelchairs", says Wolf. He is convinced that the demand for the bionic wheelchair would definitely be high: although it costs more than a standard wheelchair, it offers its users the possibility to move around more freely. WideCells Group PLC, the healthcare services company focused on providing stem cell banking services and ground breaking insurance for stem cell treatment, is pleased to announce that it has taken steps to secure a new revenue stream, in addition to the cash flow opportunities outlined in the Companys prospectus published in July this year, having signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Qigenix and its CEO, Dr. Todd Ovokaitys. Qigenix is a California-based clinical stage medical device company which has co-developed a new laser technology designed to increase the homing and integration of stem cells. The two parties aim to sign a definitive, binding agreement (the 'Definitive Agreement') before 1 March 2017. Qigenix has agreed to pay a fee of 100,000 in aggregate to WideCells Group to undertake research work at its Institute of Stem Cell Technology laboratory (ISCT) at the University of Manchester Innovation Centre (UMIC), designed to test Qigenixs laser technology on cord blood cells to enhance the clinical applications of these cells (the Research Project). The first payment of 25,000, which is binding under the LOI, will be paid to WideCells by the end of December 2016. The remaining 75,000 will be paid in two further instalments, with the final payment due when the research project is completed, which is targeted for Q2 2018. The ISCT is operated by the Companys stem cell laboratory division, WideCells, which has been established primarily to retrieve, process and store stem cells from a wide range of human tissues in Europe within its Cryogenics department. In support of this, the ISCT has recently made an application to the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) for a Human Application Licence (application number 22665). Additional licence applications for dental pulp and adipose stem cells are planned to be made in 2017. However, with this LOI now signed, the Company is now applying to the HTA Research Licence to permit it to carry out the Research Project. The Research Project is planned to begin in H1 2017, subject to the HTA Research Licence having been granted. Work to establish the ISCT is progressing according to schedule and budget. It is due to become operational in H1 2017. The Cryogenics Department, which will handle the freezing and long term storage of stem cells, is currently under development. The Cryogenics Department will have state of the art controlled rate freezing technology along with liquid nitrogen tanks for the long term storage of stem cells. The storage tanks are constantly monitored and have automatic alarms, which contact WideCells ISCT staff directly in the event of any activities which could affect the quality and safety of the stored stem cells. The Cryogenics Department has constant atmospheric oxygen level monitoring linked to an automatic ventilation system which activates if the atmospheric oxygen levels drop due to the presence of liquid nitrogen. This system is essential for the health and safety of WideCells ISCT staff. The Cryogenics Department also has a bespoke security system, including CCTV monitors, to ensure the safety and security of stored stem cells. WideCells Group CEO, Joao Andrade, said: The French Formula One Grand Prix is set to return in 2018 after a 10-year absence, the sport's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone said on Friday. "Yes, I think it will happen," the 86-year-old Briton told Reuters when asked about French media reports that a deal had been agreed to host the race at the Le Castellet circuit in southern France. Also known as the Circuit Paul Ricard after the local pastis magnate who financed it, Le Castellet last hosted a grand prix in 1990. The most recent Formula One race in France was at Magny-Cours in 2008. Ecclestone indicated that France was likely to be scheduled for a July date rather than the late August or early September slot reported in French media. "More or less sort of the German date, probably," he said, referring to a race under threat that has traditionally occupied a late July slot. Germany has been axed from the 2017 calendar due to financial reasons, despite the country having world champions in Mercedes and Nico Rosberg, but Hockenheim still has a contract to host the loss-making race in 2018. Le Castellet, which features the long Mistral straight, has been fully renovated and is now owned by Ecclestone's family trust, which will not be involved in hosting the race. "It's nothing to do with them at all. I think they are renting it to the people that are going to be the promoters," said the Briton. L'Equipe reported that a five-year deal had been agreed with the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur (PACA) region in association with the city of Toulon, department of Var and the French motorsport association (FFSA). PACA president Christian Estrosi is a an ex-mayor of Nice and also a former car and motorcycle racer who finished fourth in the 1978 French 500cc Grand Prix at Nogaro. The race's return is expected to be announced formally at a news conference scheduled for Monday in Paris. For those who don't know this monster, a first gander upon the Nissan GTR gives almost a subtle appeal. It doesn't have those dramatic and intimidating looks expected from a supercar, but the GTR, called 'The Godzilla' with love, is capable of chomping big names in the fast car category.Much to the delight of every petrolhead in the country, the Nissan GTR was on December 2 launched in India.Some also call it a 'Supercar Killer'. The Nissan GT-R has been one of the fastest and yet practical supercars of all time. Ever since its first launch, Nissan never slowed down on developing the GTR. With constant tweaks and upgrades to power and mechanics, the Godzilla has finally arrived in India. It has been priced at Rs 1.99 crore.It is also the GTR's ability to be modified heavily that made it a global sensation, with enthusiasts tuning it to enter and conquer the supercar territory. Remember the opening scene in 2 Fast 2 Furious, when Paul Walker wins the race in a Skyline GTR.The GTR was initially marketed as a successor of Nissan Skyline GT-R, but it wasn't really a part of the Skyline range. However, it was developed with the same idea of outperforming more powerful and expensive cars just as the Skyline did. So, it carried forward the fictional monster's name which in Japanese, pronounced as Gojira, means the 'King of Monsters.'Also read: Here's Why the Nissan GT-R Could Be the Game Changer for India Tiny details on the GTR suggest its all about speed, for which Nissan have given it a design as aerodynamic as possible. The overall look of the car does not have a supercar appeal, but that is what has become its charm. It's practical, it can carry your luggage and defeat a Porsche 911 Turbo in the process.But walk towards the back and you will see a massive rear wing. And then there's jet fighter-style canopy and striking multi-spoke alloys. The taillights, of course, are maintained as the traditional four lamp ones we're used to seeing. Also, air flow below the vehicle is handled by the carbon fibre underbody diffuser.Also read: 2017 Nissan GT-R Pre-Bookings Open: 'Godzilla' in Just Rs 25 Lakh Step inside and there's Japanese sense of perfection and obsession with all things tech. The interior of the R35 generation GT-R has computers and high-tech sensors monitoring even the tiniest of movements of the car. The dashboard has a big screen that displays all the functions of the car. Yes, the GTR is said to be a four-seater, but we wouldn't recommend long journeys on the latter of the 2+2 seats.The reason for Gojira's name being attached to the GT-R (or the Skyline) is the sheer power and performance.It is powered by a 3.8-litre V6 engine. Doesn't sound like much in the supercar district, but Nissan have added two turbochargers to the highly advanced engine. What that does is churn out 542 bhp and 612 Nm of torque, which is enough to power the 1.8-tonne GTR to 100 kmph in under three seconds.The engine is connected to a dual-clutch semi-automatic rear mounted transmission and whats probably the most effective all-wheel drive system ever, which also gives it immense grip around the bends.The GTR is capable of doing 313 kmph, however, some engines have known to develop more power than claimed as each engine is handmade and the actual power figure could vary a bit.Building an engine by hand takes highly-skilled engineers, and Nissan only have four of them, who are called Takumi. The Takumis are given three months each to build an engine, and their names are engraved on the engine cover of their respective units. Now that's a way to honour talent. This is why every GTR unit is special for the company and the owner. : A few days before his killing, Kashmiri militant leader Burhan Wani had spoken to Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed seeking his blessings and offered to put up a united front of LeT and his own Hizbul Mujahideen in their jehad against Indian security forces.CNN-News18 has accessed an audio tape of the conversation between Wani from his jungle hideout and Saeed sitting in Pakistan, which was intercepted by Indian intelligence agencies.Wani, 22, was the posterboy of Kashmiri militancy, and his death in an encounter with security forces a few day after he spoke to Saeed had set off a wave of protests in Kashmir. The state has been in a security lockdown ever since the encounter last July.The three-decade old Kashmiri militancy has always been marked by turf wars with outfits often competing with each other. Wani's own Hizbul, led by Sayed Salahuddin, is a pro-Pakistani outfit but mostly made up of Kashmiris. However, the Lashkar, commanded by Hafiz Saeed, draws its cadre predominately from Pakistani Punjab, and hasnt shied away from launching attacks outside Jammu & Kashmir like the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.In this context, security agency sources said that Wani reaching out to Lashkar pointed towards a concerted effort by Kashmiri militant organisations to bury their differences and pose a united threat to India, prompted by their Pakistani handlers.CNN-News18 could not independently verify the authenticity of the tape in which Wani is also heard requesting Saeed to extend more support to Lashkar militants inside Kashmir Valley in terms of arms, ammunition and money.Saeed is heard praising Wani, but even while listening to all that he was saying, the Lashkar leader refuses to open his mind.The tape begins with a call from Saeed's location in Pakistan where his assistant tells Wani that he is handing over the phone to Peer Sahib (Hafiz Saeed)."You people are living in very difficult conditions. But you dont have to worry. Whatever you need just tell us we are ready for every help. Will be ready for anything. You just have to tell us," Saeed tells Wani.Wani tells Saeed that "the enemy is almost defeated and we have to maintain this.""We have to go all out on attacks and shouldnt lose this opportunity. For this we need ammunition and support from the back. We should work together for this (Hizbul & Lashkar)," Wani is heard as saying. Cincinnati: President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday that he will nominate US Marine retired general James Mattis, who oversaw US war efforts in the Middle East, to be his defense secretary. "We are going to appoint 'Mad Dog' Mattis as our secretary of defense," Trump told a large crowd in Cincinnati, Ohio, referring by nickname to the tough-talking general who headed the US Central Command, giving him authority over troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. "He's our best. They say he's the closest thing to (World War II-era) general George Patton that we have," Trump said, apparently divulging his pick days ahead of schedule as his transition team had already said there would be no more cabinet announcements this week. "Okay. So I gave up a little secret. My people over there are probably saying, 'You weren't supposed to do that, Mr Trump,'" the president-elect quipped. Mattis, who is 66, commanded a Marine battalion during the First Gulf War and a Marine division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In 2010, the tough-talking native of Washington state was named to head the US Central Command. That gave him authority over troops in Iraq, where he helped develop a counterinsurgency approach before overseeing the US withdrawal, and Afghanistan, where he implemented a troop surge. It also gave him responsibility for an area including Syria, Yemen and Iran. Previously, he led the US Joint Forces Command and a Nato command charged with preparing the alliance's forces to meet future challenges. A colorful commander, he earned the nickname "Mad Dog" with his battle-hardened swagger and the sort of blunt language marines are famous for. He has been quoted as saying, "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet." But to serve as defense secretary, Mattis would need Senate confirmation and a waiver of a law that bans uniformed military officers from serving in that post for seven years after leaving active duty. The law is intended to ensure the bedrock notion of civilian control of the nation's military. New Delhi: For the first time in a decade, the Centre has failed to nominate a full-time director for the post of CBI director, and has temporarily given the charge to head Indias premier probe agency to a Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana. Asthana, currently an additional director in the agency, has previously probed the fodder scam in Bihar and the Godhra train burning incident. The 1984-batch officer has now taken over from Anil Sinha, who hung up his boots on Friday. Earlier, the goings-on at the CBI headquarters had the rumour mills flying after the senior-most officer in the agency Special Director RK Dutta was transferred to the Home Ministry as Special Secretary for Internal Security just 48 hours before Sinhas retirement. Government sources said the transfer was routine, but that didnt put the speculation to rest as to why senior officer involved in the ongoing high-profile 2G scam investigations was abruptly moved out to make way for Asthana. The Supreme Court had ruled last year that officers probing high profile cases not be shifted out. The post of CBI director as the chief of the premier agency tasked with investigating sensitive corruption cases has a structured selection process. The officer is selected through a collegium comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition or the largest party in Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India. Incidentally, Chief Justice TS Thakur, who had criticised the government on the delay in judicial appointments, is retiring in January first week. Only a week ago, the apex court had slammed the government for not appointing a Lokpal and for using the excuse that there was confusion over the leader of opposition a post required also in the selection of the anti-corruption ombudsman. Theres enough criticism already that the government is deliberately delaying the appointment of the next CBI Director because it feels it is best to keep the CBI chiefs baton in the temporary hands of Rakesh Asthana. An IPS officer from the Gujarat cadre Rakesh Asthana, currently Additional Directory in the agency, is seeing his second stint in the CBI and has in the past been associated with other sensitive political investigations like the fodder scam probing Lalu Yadav. New Delhi: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch 83 satellites, 80 of them being foreign, in one go in January next year, the Lok Sabha was told on Thursday. 80 satellites weighing 500 kg belonged to five foreign countries -- Israel, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Switzerland and the US. "These international customer satellites are being launched as part of the commercial arrangement between them and Antrix Corporation Ltd, the commercial arm and PSU under the ISRO," Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in the PMO said in a written reply. The Department of Space comes under the PMO. It will be the first of its kind mission in ISRO's space history. Three Indian satellites are namely Cartosat-2 series weighing 730 kg as primary payload, INS-IA and INS-1B, total weighing 30 kg. Reacting to the audio conversation between slain Kashmiri militant leader Burhan Wani affiliated with Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed, former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on Friday that LeT is the best NGO of Pakistan and Wani is a Martyr who was forced to take up arms. "There is nothing to be surprised that the two are in touch with each other. Hafiz Saeed is an educated man, an engineer. LeT is the best NGO of Pakistan as they did a lot of work during floods," Musharraf told CNN-News18. Defending Burhan Wani, Musharraf said that the policies of the Indian government forced him to take up arms. "Indian military forced Wani to pick up arms and fight because they harassed his family," Musharraf added. On Hafiz Saeed, Musharraf said, "I do not accept that Hafiz Saeed as a terrorist. If I were a lawyer I would have fought his case in the court. If I was a President then I would have fought his case in UN," Musharraf added. Musharraf alleged that India has a better influence in the world than Pakistan and the Indian government doesn't want to talk. On PM Modi's visit to Lahore, Musharraf said that it hardly matters as PM Modi is a warmonger. "PM Modi is a warmonger. The PM can visit Lahore and kiss PM Nawaz as many times as he wants," Musharraf told CNN-News18 over the phone from Lahore. Mumbai: Two brave hearts from Maharashtra- Major Kunal Manndadir Gosavi and Lance Naik Sambhaji Yeshvantrao Kadam, who attained martyrdom in Nagrota terror attack, were on Thursday cremated at their native places with full state honours. The mortal remains of Major Gosavi were consigned to flames in Pandharpur town in Solapur district, while Lance Naik Kadam was cremated at Janapuri village in Nanded district. The body of Gosavi, who is survived by his wife Uma and father, was brought to Pandharpur in the morning. The funeral pyre was lit by his father in the presence of a large number of people this evening. District Guardian Minister Vijaykumar Deshmukh and District Collector Ranjit Kumar also offered their respects to the departed Armyman. The body of Kadam, who is survived by wife Sheetal, three-year-old daughter Tejaswini and two sisters and his parents Yashwant and mother Lata, was brought this evening to Janapuri village, where his family owns a small farm. Meanwhile in Rajasthan, the mortal remains of armyman Raghvendra Singh Parmar, who was martyred in Nagrota terror attack were on Thursday consigned to flames with full military honours at his ancestral village in Dholpur district of Rajasthan. Grenadier Parmar, 28, was martyred on November 29 in the militant attack at an Army base in Nagrota in which seven armymen including him lost their lives. Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje visited Parmar's village Gadhi Jafar and offered floral tributes. She consoled his family members and promised a government job to his widow and naming a government school or hospital after martyred soldier. The funeral was performed with full military honours in the presence of the officers from his unit, district administration and police. Jammu was rocked by two terror attacks on November 29 in which seven army personnel, including two Major-rank officers, were killed and eight other security men, including a BSF DIG, were injured, before six heavily-armed terrorists were eliminated in the separate fierce encounters. Washington: India-born Preet Bharara, the powerful US attorney who has facilitated many high-profile insider trading convictions, has agreed to remain in the position after meeting President-elect Donald Trump. Appointed as the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York by outgoing US President Barack Obama in 2009, Bharara has earned the reputation of a "crusader" prosecutor. "The President-elect asked, presumably because he's a New Yorker and is aware of the great work that our office has done over the past seven years, asked to meet with me to discuss whether or not I'd be prepared to stay on as the United States attorney to do the work as we have done it, independently, without fear or favour for the last seven years," Bharara said. "We had a good meeting," he said in a brief interaction with reporters after his meeting with Trump yesterday. "I said I would absolutely consider staying on. I agreed to stay on," said Bharara, who is in his late 40s. "I have already spoken to Senator (Jeff) Sessions, who is as you know is the nominee to be the attorney general. He also asked that I stay on, and so I expect that I will be continuing to work at the southern district," said the top Indian-American attorney. Born in a Sikh family in Ferozepur, Punjab, in 1968, Bharara grew up in New Jersey after his parents moved to the US. After being appointed as the US attorney for the powerful South District of New York, Bharara has made a national and international mark for himself with many high-profile cases and investigations including foreign countries, insider trading and those involving US politicians. It was under Bharara's prosecution, that India-born former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta was convicted for insider trading in 2012. "Leaving Preet in office sends a powerful message to Wall Street that this is not open season for Wall Street folks to run around and do whatever they want," Greg Morvillo, a partner at Morvillo LLP, told The Wall Street Journal. Morvillo LLP had represented hedge-fund manager Anthony Chiasson whose insider-trading conviction was obtained by Bharara's office. New York Senator Charles Schumer welcomed the move and said Trump had called him last week and asked for his thought on Bharara staying in this position. "I told him I thought Preet was great, and I would be all for keeping him on the job and fully support it," Schumer said. "Preet has shown as a prosecutor that he is willing to take on the political establishment," Arlo Devlin-Brown, a former chief of Bharara's corruption unit who is now a partner at the law firm Covington and Burling told The New York Times. "He's also shown he can win. There is no question that these are qualities that the president-elect admires," he said. (Reopens FGN 14) "Bharara has shown a record of independence as a prosecutor, as well as a willingness to take on powerful figures in state government, Democrats included," The New York Times reported. "President elect Trump after meeting with the fearless United States attorney Preet Bharara, in a move more poignant then any before, declared that America, a nation of laws, will enjoy law enforcement without regard to political party labels: Republican or Democrat," Indian-American attorney Ravi Batra said. "After all, as has been said before, there is no Democratic or Republican way to lock up a criminal," said Batra. "Given Preet Bharara's exceptional service to the people of the United States, meeting, and I believe well exceeding, the power that emanates from the chair of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York -- I hope that then-president Trump will appoint Preet to become a justice of the United States Supreme Court when the next vacancy occurs -- beyond the one created by the untimely demise of the great Nino Scalia," Batra said. For every person hunting for new ways to convert their black money, there is someone else coming up with new ways to help those rendered cashless by demonetisation.One such Good Samaritan is Syed Naseer, the owner of Food on Fire restaurant in Hyderabads Mehndipatnam area. Nasser and his friends have come together to feed those who have not been able to afford food since Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes were demonetised.After demonetisation, some daily wage workers outside my restaurant told me that they had not eaten for two days as they had not been paid in legal denominations. After listening to them, my friends Akram and Gajendra, and I decided to start the free food stall," Naseer tells CNN-News18.Most of those thronging the stall for free lunch are migrant labourers who came to the city for work but are now struggling to get paid. Those waiting for their salaries are also queuing up outside the stall and even getting food packed for family members.[caption id="attachment_1318727" align="alignnone" width="474"] Photo: Venkatesh[/caption]"We are not getting money. There is no work. So where and how do we get food?" asks Raju, a daily wager who visits the food stall everyday with other labourers.It is not only daily wagers who are benefitting from Naseers good work. His stall also feeds those with Rs 2,000 notes as no budget eatery is able to tender legal change for the high denomination new currency note.[caption id="attachment_1318728" align="alignnone" width="474"] Photo: Venkatesh[/caption]Where do I spend my Rs 2,000 note? Nobody is taking that note. So when I have no other place to eat food, I come here, says Abdul, an auto-rickshaw driver.Around 500 people are served free lunch, which includes dal and rice, at the stall every day. Naseer and his friends manage funds with contributions from like-minded friends and relatives.[caption id="attachment_1318729" align="alignnone" width="474"] Photo: Venkatesh[/caption]The food service began on November 21 and these Hyderabadis plan to continue till the cash flow returns to normal. Srinagar: After remaining suspended for nearly five months due to unrest in the Kashmir valley, the rail service connecting Banihal in Jammu with Baramulla in Kashmir resumed on Thursday, officials said. Full operations were expected to commence within the next two-to-three days, the officials said. The rail service resumed from Budgam district in central Kashmir to Banihal town in the Jammu region. The railway track and railway property were damaged by protestors in the Valley during the last five months. The Northern Railway suspended the service as a precautionary measure on July 9 following widespread protests over the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces. We have suffered losses to the tune of Rs 4.5 crore during the last five months, said Neeraj Kumar, Northern Railway PRO. The train service comes very handy for students, government servants and other professionals who commute daily between the northern and southern parts of the Kashmir Valley. The United Opposition came out in support of Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee as the West Bengal Chief Minister raised the issue of Army deployment in the state in Lok Sabha.Echoing the sentiments of the TMC Chief, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, in Rajya Sabha, questioned the deployment of the Army at the Dankuni and Palsit toll plazas on National Highway 2.Azad asked the Centre to clarify its stand on issue. He claimed that when no law and order issue is there in the state, then why are its rights being impinged on.Reacting to Azad's questions, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said that Bengal was taken into confidence and urged the leaders to not drag Army into any controversy."It is a sensitive matter as it pertains to the Army, let us not derail from important issues," he said.BSP Chief Mamata Banerjee came forward in support of Banerjee and accused the Centre of doing injustice to the Bengal CM. She also said that the situation in Bengal today, is an attack on the Constitution of India."Politicisation of the Indian Army should not be done," Mayawati added.Meanwhile, giving an explanation amid uproar in Rajya Sabha, MoS Defence Subhash Bhamre informed that a similar exercise was done in 2015 at the same location.On this, the TMC accused Bhamre of misleading the Rajya Sabha. The party also sought for a conclusive answer by the Centre on the issue of Army deployment.Noteworthy, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, slamming the claims made by the West Bengal Chief Minister, said in Lok Sabha that the concerned officials were intimated by Army.He also asserted that the original dates of the drill were December 28, 29 and 30 which were changed to December 1 and 2 later.Expressing grief, he also said that it is saddening to see that a routine exercise has been turned into a controversy.Meanwhile, denying the charge of money collection by the Army at two toll booths in West Bengal, Major General Sunil Yadav termed the allegations as baseless.He clarified that the deployment of the Army is an exercise carried out for their operational purposes and that the personnel at the toll booths are unarmed.Exercise involves collection of data in all NE states, including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Sikkim."Over 80 such collection data points established in entire region," he said. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has come out in support of Trinamool chief minister Mamata Banerjee against the army deployment at the Dankuni and Palsit toll plazas on National Highway 2 (connecting Delhi and Kolkata). Mamata has alleged that it was done without informing the state government in West Bengal. "West Bengal is targeted because Mamata Di dared to speak against demonetisation. I will request her to keep up the fight, the whole nation is with her," Kejriwal said. Echoing Arvind Kejriwal's views, Rajeev Shukla said the Government should take the matter seriously. "If Mamata Banerjee is saying she is feeling threatened then the government should take the matter seriously," Shukla said. Supporting Mamata, TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay said that the Eastern Commander is not telling the truth. They should have contacted the state administration. On the other hand, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu criticised Mamata's move referring to it as an "excuse" to disturb the House. A day after the purported phone call between Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and US President-elect Donald Trump, a controversy erupted after conflicting reports about the details of the conversation between the two leaders emerged in the public domain. According to CNN, in a clear violation of diplomatic protocol, Team Nawaz Sharif even released the details of phone call between the two leaders, where Trump glowingly praised Sharif. The statement as reported by CNN quotes President-elect Trump as telling Sharif "you are a terrific guy. You are doing amazing work which is visible in every way. I am looking forward to see you soon. As I am talking to you, Prime Minister, I feel I am talking to a person I have known for long." Donald Trump's team however has claimed that the two leaders spoke about how to improve their ties in the future. Both the leaders "had a productive conversation about how the United States and Pakistan will have a strong working relationship in the future," statement released by Trump's office said contradicting the details released by the Pakistan. Earlier on Thursday, a statement by Pakistan PM's office quoted Trump as telling Sharif "I am ready and willing to play any role that you want me to play to address and find solutions to the outstanding problems. It will be an honour and I will personally do it. Feel free to call me any time, even before 20th January, that is before I assume my office." On Wednesday, Sharif had invited Trump to visit Pakistan to which the latter reportedly said that he would love to visit the country and meet its people. Earlier, Trump had said that if elected, he'd like to mediate between India and Pakistan. But like the Obama administration, Trump also said that he would only mediate if both countries asked him to do so. Saronno: An Italian doctor and his nurse lover arrested this week near Milan are suspected of killing dozens of people from 2011-2014, including the woman's husband, prosecutors said on Thursday. Emergency room anaesthetist Leonardo Cazzaniga, 60, and nurse Laura Taroni, 40, were held on Tuesday over the deaths of at least five patients elderly patients but prosecutors are now examining the medical files of more than 50. The couple is also suspected of killing Cazzaniga's father, as well as Taroni's mother and Taroni's 45-year-old husband, who the couple reportedly tricked into believing he was diabetic. Taroni's spouse died on June 30, 2013 after regularly taking medicine that was "absolutely incongruous with his actual health conditions, weakening and eventually killing him," according to a police report. A cocktail of medicines, including extremely high doses of morphine and Propofol was administered to the murdered patients "in overdoses and in rapid succession" at Saronno Hospital, about 30 km north-west of Milan, where Cazzaniga and Taroni worked together, prosecutors said. Wiretapped conversations allegedly in the possession of investigators recorded the couple talking about killing other relatives, as well as Taroni discussing the "perfect murder" with her 11-year-old son. In one of the most disturbing calls, Taroni told Cazzaniga she was also prepared to kill her son and her eight-year-old daughter, wiretaps allegedly reveal. "If you want, I'll kill the children," she told Cazzaniga, who replied: "No, not the children." There is no evidence that Cazzaniga and Taroni were practising unauthorised euthanasia or that they were motivated by compassion. "Every now again I have this urge to kill someone - I need to," Taroni allegedly told Cazzaniga in an intercepted conversation. According to one of Cazzaniga's colleagues, the anaesthetist frequently referred to himself as an "angel of death". Prosecutors are also probing 14 people, including the top management of Saronno hospital, for failing to investigate the suspicious deaths. Regional health authorities have pledged to set up a committee of enquiry over the issue. One of the people under investigation, a female doctor, is allegedly suspected of blackmailing the hospital into hiring her in exchange for keeping quiet about the murders and of helping Taroni falsify blood tests results to convince her husband he had diabetes. An Italian nurse, Fausta Bonino, was arrested in Tuscany in March on suspicion of killing 13 patients but was released from custody in April pending further investigations. Aleppo: Rebels put up fierce resistance on Friday in a key district of Syria's battered Aleppo, where a government offensive has left bodies in the streets and sparked a global outcry. The government assault on the northern city has spurred a mass exodus of tens of thousands of residents from the opposition-held east and prompted fresh calls by Russia for aid corridors. President Bashar Assad's forces captured the city's northeast this week and were focused on seizing Sheikh Saeed, a large district on the city's southeast edges. But anti-government fighters put up a strong defense there overnight, rolling back recent government gains, according to the opposition-aligned Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "The regime and allied fighters ... wanted to take this neighborhood at any cost, because capturing it would allow them to target all remaining rebel-held districts," said Observatory head Rami Abdel-Rahman. "But rebels put up ferocious resistance, because they knew they would be trapped if Sheikh Saeed fell," Abdel-Rahman added. The head of the Britain-based Observatory said rebel forces were now once again in control of at least 70 percent of the neighborhood. Sheikh Saeed borders the last remaining sections of Aleppo still in rebel hands a collection of densely populated residential neighborhoods where thousands have sought refuge from advancing government forces. In preparation for street-by-street fighting in these districts, hundreds of fighters from Syria's elite Republican Guard and Fourth Division arrived in Aleppo Friday, according to the Observatory. - Rocket fire, clashes - More than 300 civilians, including dozens of children, have been killed in east Aleppo since the government began its offensive on Nov. 15, according to the Observatory. Retaliatory rocket fire by the rebels on government-held western areas of the city has killed 55 civilians, the Observatory said. According to Syrian state news agency SANA, one civilian was killed and three were wounded Friday in rebel rocket attacks. An AFP correspondent could hear steady rocket fire on west Aleppo overnight and into Friday morning. Intermittent clashes Friday rocked a block of residential buildings on the city's eastern edges, where advancing government forces have sought to secure the road leading towards Aleppo's airport. The escalation of violence in Aleppo has been met with international outrage, including a warning by the U.N. that the city's east could become "a giant graveyard." Russia Thursday proposed setting up four humanitarian corridors into east Aleppo to bring in aid and evacuated severely wounded people. Moscow has announced several humanitarian pauses in Aleppo to allow civilians to flee, but until the recent military escalation, only a handful did so. Its support for Assad, including launching a bombing campaign in support of his forces in September 2015, means many residents of east Aleppo have been wary of such offers in the past. Since Saturday more than 50,000 people have poured out of east Aleppo into territory controlled by government forces or local Kurdish authorities, according to the Observatory. Many are transported to temporary shelters outside the city, where they register with Syrian authorities to receive food, blankets, and mattresses. For many, the hot meals they receive at these shelters are their first in months, after a suffocating government siege since July on Aleppo's rebel-held districts. The loss of east Aleppo a rebel stronghold since 2012 would be the biggest blow to Syria's opposition in more than five years. More than 200 civil society groups Thursday appealed to the U.N.'s General Assembly to take action on Syria's 5-1/2-year war because "there is no sign that the Security Council deadlock will end anytime soon." "This is why we, a global coalition of 223 civil society organisations, urgently call upon U.N. member states to step in and request an Emergency Special Session of the U.N. General Assembly to demand an end to all unlawful attacks in Aleppo and elsewhere in Syria, and immediate and unhindered humanitarian access so that life-saving aid can reach all those in need." Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011 with protests calling for Assad's ouster, but it has since evolved into a bloody and highly globalized war. The violence has killed more than 300,000 people and forced more than half the country's pre-war population out of their homes. Rome: The United States and Russia are studying new ways to break a months long diplomatic deadlock over how to stop the fighting in the Syrian city of Aleppo, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday. He said the "ideas" will be tested in follow-up discussions between American and Russian diplomats next week. While Kerry didn't elaborate on the substance of the fresh approaches being worked on with Russia, he stressed that the US and Russia both see the situation as urgent and aren't waiting for Donald Trump's presidency to begin on January 20. But given the repeated failures of the former Cold War foes to halt Syria's five and-half-year civil war, it is unclear how much hope the new effort holds. "We have exchanged a set of ideas, which there will be a meeting on early next week in Geneva, and we have to wait and see whether those ideas have any legs to them," Kerry said after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Rome. "I will say that both sides understand the importance of trying to continue the diplomacy and trying to see if something can be done. Nobody is waiting for the next administration. We both feel there is urgency." Kerry said he will gauge progress with Lavrov when they meet again on the sidelines of a European security conference in Hamburg, Germany, on Wednesday. While the talks were going on, Syria showed off its recent gains in Aleppo, once the country's largest city and commercial center. State media reported today from areas captured this week in a Russian-backed ground offensive, airing reports of roads being restored, debris removed and civilians resettled. The UN aid agency said an estimated 31,500 people have been displaced as a result of the recent fighting, which takes Syrian President Bashar Assad's government closer to capturing the whole city and completing what would be perhaps a devastating blow to US-backed rebel forces. The war has killed as many as half a million people since 2011, contributed to Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II and allowed the Islamic State group to emerge as a global terror threat. In today's diplomatic discussions, Russia's Lavrov emphasized that his country won't allow Syria to follow the example of lawless Libya after NATO's 2011 intervention that helped topple dictator Moammar Gadhafi. That country now is experiencing perhaps its worst violence in two years as rival militias and extremist groups such as IS continue to vie for power. While Washington has accused Moscow of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria, Lavrov blamed both the US and United Nations for the current situation. He lamented that the US has been unable to fulfill its commitment under several past cease-fire plans to separate the so-called "moderate" opposition groups from the al-Qaida-linked fighters that Russia says it is targeting. And he questioned why the UN isn't restarting peace talks or rushing aid to areas of Syria in need, something the global body has been extremely reticent to do since a September convoy was hit by an airstrike. The US has blamed Russia for that attack, a charge Moscow denies. "The time is ripe for compromise," Lavrov said. Both diplomats met Friday with the UN's envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura. The state plans to transfer three Central Virginia Training Center residents to Petersburg regardless of whether their guardians approve, according to a statement Thursday from the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. The three individuals cannot be served at the Madison Heights facility housing people with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities once beds classified for skilled nursing are decertified Dec. 31, DBHDS Executive Advisor Meghan McGuire said in an emailed statement Thursday. Their families did not solidify alternate plans after the transition announcement came in August, so the department moved forward with organizing transfers to a state facility with skilled nursing care in Petersburg, she said. The families still may be able to negotiate, though. Atul Gupta, whose 16-year-old daughter Alisha lives at CVTC, received a notice Wednesday she would be transferred to Hiram W. Davis Medical Center in Petersburg on Dec. 22. He called DBDHDS after receiving the notice and was able to meet with a department representative in Richmond on Thursday. I am optimistic that they will be able to find an ideal solution for my daughter, Gupta said Thursday afternoon. I saw some positivity after a long time. ... Its always been very negative, fight, fight, fight. Gupta was among guardians for six CVTC residents who were told in August that Building 31 no longer would provide certified skilled nursing care after Dec. 31, meaning they would have to move much sooner than the 2020 closure date. Reclassifying the beds is a step toward closing that building by the end of 2017. A group of CVTC families continues to contest the facilitys closure, scheduled as part of a plan to meet a settlement agreement with the Department of Justice stemming from an investigation at the Madison Heights facility. The plan calls for closing four of five state facilities called training centers. When DBHDS made the August decertification announcement, Building 31 housed 46 people, McGuire said. Now 27 remain in the building; overall, there currently are 174 residents at CVTC, she said. Alisha Gupta cannot move by herself. She only can communicate with her eyes and by smiling, her father said. He has researched the Lynchburg area without finding a suitable location for her care and is worried about her transfer to Petersburg. Every day, he or his wife visit their daughter, he said. If you move her to Petersburg, shell be far away from family, which she enjoys most every day, Monday through Sunday, January through December, Atul Gupta said. State code allows the DBHDS commissioner to transfer people from one training center to another. In its statement Thursday and in the letter to Gupta, DBHDS says Hiram Davis meets those qualifications under state code. Gupta said that assertion shocked me. Several documents discussing the plan to close training centers, including a recent update in September, make no mention of Hiram Davis. The DBHDS website listed Hiram Davis as a medical center Thursday. A separate section for training centers did not list Hiram Davis but does list Central, Southeastern and Southwestern training centers, the three still open, along with CVTC. Only Southeastern in Chesapeake is slated to remain open after 2020. According to state code, training center means a facility operated by the Department that provides training, habilitation, or other individually focused supports to persons with intellectual disability. Sen. Steve Newman, R-Bedford County, said Hiram Davis has not generally been in the conversation about closing four of five training centers. If we get to the point that we are contorting the meaning of words, that clearly is not within the intent of the legislation, Newman said Thursday. Since 2010, 25 former training center residents statewide have moved to Hiram Davis because of severe medical conditions requiring skilled nursing care, McGuires email said. HDMC has long served as an option for residents of the other DBHDS facilities, has certified skilled nursing facility beds, and qualifies as a training center under Virginia Code section 37.2-100, McGuires email said. Planning for the transfer ahead of the decertification date gives time for a safe discharge plan with proper supports in place, McGuire said. The real risk in the present situation that DBHDS and CVTC are trying to guard against is the harm that could come to residents by remaining in a unit that is not adequately staffed and therefore cannot meet their needs. The actions that DBHDS and CVTC are taking now will prevent such a scenario by allowing for safe, well-planned transfers of residents to alternate settings before continued staffing level declines force haphazard and immediate transfers, McGuires email said. Martha Bryant received an email Thursday proposing her two sons Taylor and Tyler be moved to Hiram Davis on Dec. 13, Dec. 19, or Jan. 3. A certified letter was waiting for her at the post office, but she hadnt been able to pick it up with her son, Taylor, in the hospital. Bryant has fought for her 22-year-old sons who cannot move on their own or speak to remain at CVTC. When she researches for a worthy replacement home, Bryant said she cant find facilities that meet their needs. Of 84 beds at Hiram Davis, 50 are certified skilled nursing beds, McGuire said. Those beds are 80 percent occupied, she said. The facility has a doctor on duty at all times and does not need to hire additional staff to cover new CVTC patients, she said. The Medicare.gov website for comparing nursing homes ranks Hiram Davis three of five stars for quality. CVTC has five stars. They use the word propose, but its very much a power move of force into a bad decision, Bryant said. ... Ill try to get them the best medical care I can find them. ... I just dont have the solution yet. Warren Davis Ayres IIIWarren Davis Ayres III breathed his last late Monday night, November 28, 2016. A man of many skills and many nicknames to many friends. "Speck" "Fuzzy" "Snidley" "Sprockett" and "Smeck", he was the son of Warrren D. Ayres Jr. and Jennie Mae Macleod Ayres.Speck was born on November 6, 1944. He grew up on Riverside Dr. where his grandparents also lived. While at E.C. Glass High School he acquired an old model Ahe "tweaked" until he got it running but his grandmother's car was more reliable.Graduating in 1962, he and three other friends put two aluminum canoes in the New River, floated the Kanawha, then the Ohio River where three men went in one canoe and turned left into the Mississippi River reaching New Orleans on September 7th. Returning home, Speck returned to high school to do "post graduate work" before enlisting in the Navy. He served on the U.S.S. Yosemite as 2nd Class Petty Officer Electronics Tech Radar until 1967.Returning to Lynchburg, "Fuzzy" Ayres began work at Babcock and Wilcox as a Senior Electronics Technician. He also attended and graduated Central Virgina Community College. There were annual forays with friends to Mardis Gras, Nags Head when you could camp on the beach and various other jeep or bike "outings". Then "Snidley" found a cabin on Abert Rd., sharing rent and tight quarters with four friends. Many stories about each other, jeeps, the goat, outdoor shower, Edith Ann, Warren the cat, came into being while living there. And we all looked forward to annual New year's parties around fire barrels.In 1976-77 Speck bought the old cabin on Reed Creek, and began working on it on weekends. When he met Janice Raley in 1980 they got into a pattern of week end and vacation time cabin building which became a career. The relief from tedious chinking; reworking and building an additional cabin and endless"tweaking"on this and that, were evenings on the creek bringing laughter at stories until it hurt and tears streamed. Speck retired in 1995 but continued to do consultation and piece work circuitry for ten more years. He married Janice February 24, 1999 alongside Reed Creek with the sheriff officiating.Forty years he and Janice spent building "A real log cabin'a mountain home most of the time with only temporary power. Whatever Speck did was exacting and done exceptionally well and he never got in a hurry. He was generous in his help to others about mechanics or electrical advice. His hand often twisted at his beard while the wheels of his mind smoothly turned like gears and a far off or mischievous look was always in his eyes.He lived a full life and made a lot of people laugh and enjoy life.The help of neighbors Jeff and Susan Tolley and friends who came to visit and help Speck and Janice in the past year were an immense support and God sent to keep up a supply of firewood or cut the grass or downed trees. It was especially great to have had two family reunions at the cabin in the last ten years.He is survived by his wife, Janice Ayres of Big Island; two sisters, Julie Mitchell of Midlothian and Page Cowley of New York City; a niece, Betsy McNeer of Winston Salem, N.C.; and nephews Charlie Bowler of Paso Robles, Calif., and Robert Mitchell of Baltimore, Md.There will be no service for Speck, rather he wished for a gathering of friends and family take place at a future time at the cabin. He has donated his body to science.Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg, is assisting the family. To send condolences please visit tharpfuneralhome.com. Electric automobile maker Tesla Motors Inc. is eligible to open its own dealership in the Richmond area, according to a decision by Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Richard D. Holcomb that seems likely to be appealed. Tesla, a California-based company founded by tech industry tycoon Elon Musk, applied to the DMV in January to open its second company-owned retail store in Virginia. The company, which makes battery-powered cars sold online and at company stores, wants to open a store at 9850 W. Broad St. in western Henrico County. The Virginia Automobile Dealers Association, a trade group that represents independent dealers in the state, opposed Teslas request, arguing that it should sell its cars through independent dealerships, as other manufacturers do. State law prohibits automakers from owning dealerships except under certain circumstances for instance, when no independent dealer is available in a community to sell a manufacturers cars in a manner consistent with the public interest. After careful review of the entire record, I find that there is no dealer independent of Tesla in the community or trade area of Richmond, Va., to own and operate a Tesla franchise in a manner consistent with the public interest, Holcomb wrote in a decision released Wednesday. The Virginia Automobile Dealers Association can appeal the decision to a circuit court in Virginia, or petition Holcomb for reconsideration. On Wednesday night, the dealers association released a statement saying it is considering an appeal and charging that Tesla has been working the political back channels to get this result. The organization said it is disappointed that Commissioner Holcomb has apparently bowed to political pressure in the decision he issued on Teslas request to open a second store. Tesla released a statement saying the company applauds the commissioners decision to allow us to open our new store and service center in Richmond, Virginia. This decision will allow Richmond-area consumers to learn about and purchase their Tesla vehicles in closer proximity to their homes, the company said. We are thankful for the many Tesla owners and Virginians for their support. We intend to swiftly begin construction to open our new store and service center at 9850 W. Broad St. and look forward to joining Richmonds business community, the company said. The dealers association said it cannot stand back and allow its dealer members to be railroaded by a political decision that ignores the law and precedent binding every other manufacturer and dealer that does business in Virginia. Tesla opened its only company store in Virginia near Tysons Corner in February 2015 but only after going to court and reaching a legal settlement with the DMV and the dealers association. After Tesla sought permission from the DMV to open a second store here, the dealers group responded by producing letters from 11 auto dealers in the region who expressed an interest in selling Tesla cars. The owners of five dealerships subsequently testified during an administrative hearing at the DMV that they would be interested in selling Tesla cars. Thousands of pages of documents were submitted by both sides, and nearly 20 hours of testimony were given over three days before a DMV hearing officer in March, April and July. Tesla argued that the independent dealers would be unable to make a profit from Teslas cars because the company sells them at fixed prices and dealer discounts or markups would not be available. The DMV hearing officer recommended in September that Teslas request to open its own dealership be denied, concluding that the question of profitability was irrelevant to the laws requirements. Holcomb disagreed with that in his own decision, saying that the question of profitability is relevant if a dealership is to be owned and operated in a manner consistent with the public interest, namely, to promote the interest of the retail buyers of motor vehicles. The letters of interest and testimony by the automobile dealers were not sufficient to establish that there is a dealership in the Richmond area that could sell Tesla cars in a manner consistent with the public interest, according to the decision. Holcomb also noted that the public has also expressed support for a Tesla-owned dealership in the Richmond area, as evidenced by the multiple Tesla customers who testified at the administrative hearing or submitted letters and emails to DMV. Holcomb said his decision does not express any opinion regarding whether Tesla is entitled to a license issued by the Motor Vehicle Dealer Board. The dispute between Tesla and the dealers group seems likely to end up in a legislative battle in the General Assembly over whether the states dealership laws should be changed, said George Hoffer, a University of Richmond economics professor who specializes in the auto industry. The General Assemblys next session is scheduled to begin Jan. 11. Holcomb came to the viable, rational decision ... that you cannot have a pro-business state when you in essence deny someone with a different economic model a different business model the right to do business, Hoffer said, noting that the China-based automaker Geely also plans to sell cars in the U.S. starting in 2018 through a direct-to-consumer model. Hoffer questioned whether the reasoning in Holcombs decision was right, saying it is somewhat convoluted but I think it is the only position in the long run that the state can take. The Golden Age, the Silver Age, and beyond: the different eras of comic book history explained What do people mean when they refer to the Golden Age, Silver Age, Bronze Age, and beyond? GamesRadar+ is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Heres why you can trust us. Dancing to flamenco guitar and pan IF SOUND could teleport one to another space and time, then patrons of the seventh annual Spanish Embassy Christmas Concert were transported to spaces in Barcelona, Granada or Cordoba and right here, in TT. Composer, flautist and saxophonist, Jorge Pardo accompanied by acoustic bassist, Brad Barrett; percussionist/ dancer/choreographer, Jose Moreno; guitarist, composer and improviser, Juanito Pascual and dancer, Sonia Fernandez brought Huellas to Queens Hall, St Anns on November 22. Huellas is Pardos 2002 double record that has earned him Best European Jazz Musician awarded by the French Academy. It blends jazz and and flamenco music. The evenings 70-minute event began promptly at 6.30 pm with host Jessie-May Ventour greeting the audience and calling on Spanish Ambassador, Jose Maria Fernandez Lopez de Turiso, to address the audience. He said to the well-attended event that the annual event filled the embassy with pride and enthusiasm. Turiso described Pardo as one of Europes best jazz musicians. A video presentation was then done by members of two groups being funded this year: The Mt Hope Renal Youth Group and The Kidney Recipient Support Group of Trinidad and Tobago. With flute in hand at 6.45 pm and dressed in a black suit with multi-coloured sneakers, Pardo opened his performance with an improvisation of the buleria. The notes floating off into the audience, railing from one to the other. Pardo was then joined on stage by percussionist Moreno. The drums and the haunting melodies of the flute frenetically mixing into the distinctly flamenco sound. Moreno and Pardo were then joined by Pascual, described as the one of the top flamenco guitarist in recent years. Pascual strummed the guitar, the tones creating mental images of gypsy women standing in a circle clapping hands and dancing to the music. As Pardo and his band of performers moved into the Alegria, they were joined on stage by bassist, Barrett. During the song, Pardo was seen clapping along with the music, a distinctive style of flamenco. Barrett was seen moving his fingers vigorously along the top of the bass guitar, head bowed, as if in deep reverence to the music. As the group played the Solea, Pardo shifted his instrument to the saxophone, bringing the deep and soulful sound of the Solea alive. There was a constant interplay between Pardo and the other players, each musical energy feeding off of the other. Each instrument and player being given its spot in the flamenco ring. During the tango flamencos, the lights were turned off and a soft light placed only on the players. The black sheets hanging blew gently, giving the appearance of leaves blowing in a gentle ocean breeze. Dancer Sonia Fernandez came onto the stage in her turquoise dress interspersed with light shades of pink. Lifted knee-high and with tipped toes, she danced, challenging the players as if goading a bull in a musical ring. But the evenings highlight came when pannist Mikhail Salcedo surprisingly joined Prado and the other performers on stage. With each note that Pardo played, Salcedo matched on the national instrument, much to the audiences delight. Moreno then sang with Fernandezs movements giving life to the words. The evening came to a close at 8:30 pm with Moreno joining and dancing for the audience. CHILDREN BURNT TO DEATH When Newsday visited the rural community at Tattoo Trace off the Toco Road yesterday, residents wore dazed looks as they struggled to comprehend the loss of two innocent lives. The victims three other siblings are now homeless and were staying at the homes of relatives. Autopsies are expected to be done on the tiny, charred remains of the brother and sister at the Forensic Science Centre in St James for an official cause of death. Villagers who spoke with Newsday did not mince words as to their thoughts on what caused the deaths of little Miracle and Mawaki - gross negligence. Aye hear nah man, this is negligence of the worst order. How could you leave a four-year-old and two-year-old in a house unattended? All alone, newly elected councillor for Valencia Simone Gill said. I am not a mother, but as a woman, I do not understand how two children could be left home alone when there are avenues in which you could find a way to take care of your children. Poverty is not an excuse! My grandmother grew up four children in a life of poverty and my other grandmother grew up 13 children and they always ensured that no matter what the safety of the children was first priority. They made sure that the children were safe. So I will not accept poverty as an excuse for what happened here, the youthful councillor said. Gill was moved to tears while explaining the circumstances surrounding the fire. It was reported that at about 12.40 pm yesterday, officers of the Valencia Police Post along with officers of the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service responded to calls of a fire at Tattoo Trace but when they arrived the small, wooden house was already gutted and the whereabouts of the siblings could not be ascertained. When officers made preliminary checks, they found two charred corpses in the burnt out ruins of the house. Police sources said that the two tiny bodies were found in an embrace at the entrance way to the structure leaving investigators to theorise that Miracle and Mawaki reached as far as the locked door before being overcome by the smoke. They lay next to each other and died in an embrace...a final act of sibling love in the face of impending fiery death. The district medical officer later ordered the bodies removed from the scene. Newsday was told that neighbours smelled smoke but assumed that someone was burning garbage. It was not until they heard the screams of a woman that they realised something was wrong and called the authorities. Sources said when police interviewed two relatives of the dead children, they said that they had just left the house and when they looked back, they saw the house engulfed in flames. Newsday understands that when investigations are concluded, police may seek advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). One relative is said to be a hair dresser while another is a taxi driver. Judith Daniel, a villager, claimed this was not the first time that the children were left home alone. This is not the first time. They accustomed leaving them children. At that age, they should have been in a daycare centre if those people could not stay with them. There is absolutely no reason except negligence for this tragedy to happen, Daniel said. Jenice sleeps with the Angels This was the prevailing sentiment at the funeral service yesterday for the girl who an autopsy showed, died as a result of blunt force trauma. Simply put... she was beaten to death. Through tears, her uncle Fenton James said the way Jenice died was barbaric. He insisted to mourners gathered at the house of mourning in Whiteland that justice must be served. Jenices life was snuffed away in a barbaric manner. She was an innocent child loved by everyone within the community. My heart goes out to this innocent child. Why, James cried as he was consoled by other relatives. He continued, Last month we observed International Childrens Day. Why is it that a child has to go through such traumatic experience. But God is good and I know that Jenice is in a better place, he cried. Nothing must be swept under the carpet and I know justice will prevail, he said. Last week Thursday, Jenice was found in an unresponsive state lying on a mattress at her home. She was rushed in an ambulance to San Fernando General Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. An autopsy at the Forensic Science Centre revealed she died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head and stomach. She was a student of the Whiteland Early Childhood Learning Centre. Delivering the eulogy, Jenices aunt Kimberly Lee described her niece as an angel. Jenice loved dancing, singing. She was free spirited, well-mannered and full of energy, Lee said. She added that her niece like every little girl, loved playing doll house. Farewell my precious jewel...you are an angel in Heaven watching over us. She was a princess, the woman cried. Rev Deena Ramnarine in her sermon called on parents to instil values and morals in their child/children. As parents we need to set good examples for our children, they are watching us, so you cannot live a careless life...the children are watching, Ramnarine said. Jenices mother Shana Charles wept over the body of her only daughter who was dressed in pink dress and had a silver tiara on her head. Jenice was laid to rest at the Poonah Whiteland Cemetery. Police are yet to detain anyone in connection with the childs murder. Rowley: Grande is ours This means the status quo of the PNM and the UNC each having four seats in the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation, following Mondays Local Government Elections remains unchanged. PNM general secretary Ashton Ford said in addition to this, the party also won the recount in the Caura seat in the Tunapuna/ Piarco Regional Corporation yesterday. Rowley also said data gathered by the PNM showed that the turnout in Mondays local government elections was approximately 34 percent and not the 17 percent which certain analysts and segments of the media. The Prime Minister said these groups did not have reliable data to make a proper assessment of the voter turnout and the analysis they were doing was, pontification without the data. In a release late yesterday, the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) said the official results of the elections will be released today. Rejecting Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessars that the PNM claimed victory in the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation on Monday, Rowley supported the position taken by party chairman Franklin Khan at a news conference at Balisier House on Tuesday about the PNM retaining control of this corporation.Once the results were clear enough to us and we sought proper legal advice, the Prime Minister said. We got it and as soon as we got it, we made that advice available to the public. Saying the UNC reacted as expected, Rowley declared, The fact of the matter is that under law, we retain the chairmanship and control of the Sangre Grande Corporation, not by any favour and not by any coalition. The Prime Minister reiterated, The law provides for us to remain there and we sought legal advice before we spoke and thats how the PNM conducts its business. Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young said the ability of incumbent chairman Terry Rondon to remain in office is contained in the provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act and in other pieces of subsidiary legislation. Section 15 (2) of that Act allows a mayor or chairman to remain in office unless he resigns, ceases to be qualified, becomes disqualified or is removed from office in accordance with the Act. Saying the PNM and the UNC each have four councillors (and each have two aldermen) in the corporation (for a total of six votes each), Rowley said Rondon will remain as chairman and has a casting vote in terms of the corporation running its business. He explained that the last time he checked, seven is more than six. PM HITS MEDIA Explaining his response on Monday to a reporters question about an alleged 17 percent voter turnout, Rowley said, My reaction was to the misinformation that was being peddled and it was aggravating to me. While he retained confidence in the media to do its job, the Prime Minister was concerned that segments of the media were misled by, people who did not want to face another defeat , who, organised themselves to feed misinformation to those who were informing the public. Saying certain sections of the media and certain analysts did not have credible data to assess the voter turnout, Rowley said, Our (PNM) information is that in many areas, the turnout was as high as 40 odd percent. Most areas were in the 30 odd percent. The average was 34 percent. He stated the lowest voter turnout was 22 and 23 percent in Port-of- Spain and Diego Martin respectively, where incidentally, the PNM won all 22 seats by upwards of 70 or 80 percent. Rowley said while the PNM went in with 83 seats and won 82 of the 137 seats on Monday, somehow the people who won 55 seats were somehow getting the media to say, they won the elections. The Prime Minister declared that contrary to the Oppositions claims, the PNMs vote declined by only eight percent to its vote in the 2013 Local Government Elections. However he said the UNCs vote declined by 30 percent from 2013 to now. I have not heard that being said as part of the conversation. We are not the party that lost 70,000 (votes), that is the Opposition, Rowley quipped. Rejecting Persad-Bissessars claim that the UNC wrestled 12 seats from the PNM, Rowley declared, There are seven corporations in which the PNM alone won seats. We have seats in every corporation, bar one, Penal/Debe. He continued, We polled more votes in some areas than we did in 2013. In some cases we polled more votes in those areas but we did not in fact win the seats, we lost the seat by very narrow margins. Rowley said the PNM won a newly created seat and also won a seat in San Fernando which it had not won in 24 years. In contrast, Rowley said the UNC did not win back the Chaguanas Borough Corporation as Persad-Bissessar alleged. Brazils federal police have initiated a raid against the Sao Paulo-based financial products and services provider Itau Unibanco Holding S.A.s ITUB as part of the widening probe into alleged bribery of tax officials. The investigating officials executed 34 search warrants and took testimony from 13 people in the states of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Pernambuco. The raids are in connection with the so-called Operation Zealot, which investigates the alleged involvement of companies and banks in the bribing of Brazilian tax authorities to avoid huge fines by reducing or waiving tax payments. Notably, the police did not name the targeted banking institution. However, the largest bank of Latin America, by market value, confirmed being the target. The probe centers on tax disputes involving the local unit of FleetBoston Corp. (formerly known as BankBoston) which Itau Unibanco had acquired from Bank of America Corp. BAC in 2006. The investigating officials mentioned that they have evidence of conspiracy between a member of Brazils tax-appeal council CARF and Itau Unibanco regarding manipulation of tax disputes during 20062015. Further, the officials noted that this manipulation of administrative procedures was done atleast three times during the mentioned period. Per a statement by Itau Unibanco, the acquisition did not involve transfer of tax cases from FleetBoston and that it is the responsibility of BofA to resolve the matter. Further, the companys representative stated, Itau has had no involvement in the conduct of those businesses, including the hiring of any consultancy firm or lawyers. On the other hand, BofA stated that it is complying with the Brazilian authorities investigation by providing them the required documents. The investigation stems from a worsening political environment in Brazil, resulting from a large-scale scandal involving several contractors, state-controlled firms and dozens of politicians. This has slowed down the recovery of the Brazilian economy from a two-year recession, along with denting business confidence. The tax probe had also targeted Itau Unibancos peer, including Banco Bradesco S.A. BBD and Banco Santander (Brasil) S.A. BSBR, whereby both the firms denied the allegations of any wrongdoing. Itau Unibanco currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) Rank stocks here. The companys shares gained more that 63% on the NYSE so far this year, significantly outpacing the 2.5% growth of the Zacks categorized Foreign Banks industry. 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Click to get this free report BANK OF AMER CP (BAC): Free Stock Analysis Report BANCO BRADESCO (BBD): Free Stock Analysis Report BANCO ITAU -ADR (ITUB): Free Stock Analysis Report BANCO SANT-ADS (BSBR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Matelot still cut-off This even as members of the TT Defence Force (TTDF), the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) and the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation descended on Matelot in an attempt to provide much-needed assistance. The collapsed bridge is the infrastructure connecting Matelot to Grande Riviere. Members of the 1st Battalion Engineering Corps are working to repair the bridge and restore mobility to villagers. Newsday visited the Paria Main Road, Grand Riviere, one of the hardest hit areas, yesterday to look at the relief efforts that were under way. Councillor for the area and Chairman of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation Martin Terry Rondon was on the ground with the authorities and described the scene as utter chaos. It was total chaos, its gotten better and I must commend the various authorities for the swift response and hard work at this time. But I must say that this entire area should have been cleared up since yesterday (Wednesday). Rondon added that he will continue to work closely with the ODPM and the Defense Force to ensure that debris is cleared and that residents are provided with the necessary supplies and also called on the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to carry out an assessment of crops lost by farmers during the landslide. On entering Grand Riviere, from Sangre Grande, the damage incurred by the landslides was clear, as trees and electricity poles were felled - some covered by large quantities of earth. Technicians with the TT Electricity Company (TTEC), were working assiduously as they attempted to untangle cables from the leaves of trees and restore power to the nearby village. Residents joined in the clean up effort as well as they cleared a path for passing vehicles. Two stranded hikers were rescued yesterday by members of the Air Guard. Defence Force public affairs officer Lt Cmdr Kirk Jean-Baptiste stated that the TTDF continues to provide aid and assistance to the Toco Region. As at 6.40 am (yesterday) the TT Regiment delivered relief supplies from ODPM to Grande Riviere as the Main Supply Road has not been completely cleared. Work too clearly the roads are continuing through the 1st Engineer Battalion in support of the Ministry of Works and Transport, Jean-Baptiste said. A TTDF release stated that TTDF is providing constant surveillance in conjunction with Air Unit of the National Operations Centre and Units from the Coast Guard remain on standby to assist, and is continuing to do its part to render all assistance necessary in the recovery efforts of the Toco Region. The release said the Acting Commanding Officer of the Regiment is in constant liaison and working with MP Glenda Jennings-Smith, and Councillor Terry Rondon to have supplies sent and distributed to Matelot and Grande Riviere. The release further stated that at about 1 pm (yesterday)the TT Regiment 1st Engineer Battalion delivered supplies from ODPM which were distributed by the MP Glenda Jennings-Smith, Councillor Terry Rondon and several Community Leaders in support of the Ministry of Works and Transport (MOWT) and the Regional Corporation. Jean-Baptiste also noted that the TT Air Guard safely airlifted Police Officers from Toco to Matelot and other affected areas in order to maintain law and order and to assist in relief efforts. TT, Venezuela to sign gas agreement Explaining that TT and Venezuela have been engaging in very far reaching discussions on this matter for over a year, the Prime Minister disclosed, We are now at the stage where we are in a position to sign the government to government agreement and the commercial structure which will open the door for commercial exploitation of the Dragon gas field in Venezuela which is to the north of us here, just beyond the Bocas. During the visit of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to TT in May, Rowley and Maduro discussed the supply of natural gas from the Dragon field to TT amongst several other issues of mutual interest to both countries. The Prime Minister continued, That gas field will become the first major field that would supply gas from Venezuelan fields into TT pipelines towards Point Lisas to supply our facilities there. We have done this in the context of looking after the future of TT in the medium and the long term. Indicating that the details of the arrangements would be made public later, after the signing, Rowley stated, The whole intention is that our operations here in TT can have a much longer future and the gas shortage which has been plaguing us for the last few years, in the not too distant future, would be dealt with by a sustained and sufficient supply coming from the Venezuelan fields which will be processed here in TT and supply us with an export product into our current market and other markets. He told reporters, This is very good news for us in TT. The Prime Minister said energy multinational company Shell is partnering with Government in this exercise. $34 million claim for One Alexandra In a lawsuit filed in the Civil Registry of the Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago, COSL Office Supplies Limited, is seeking to recover payment owed to it for the outfitting of the building, which now houses the Ministry of Public Utilities. Senior Counsel Avory Sinanan, Richard Jagai, Varun Debideen and Joel Gobin are COSLs attorneys in the multi-million dollar claim. According the lawsuit, COSL was awarded the contract by PSAEL in May 2012, and completed the job in December 2014, when the building was handed over to PSAEL. The contract was for the customisation and outfitting of office space at One Alexandra Place to accommodate the Ministry of Local Government. The contract sum was listed at $50.5 million in the lawsuit. The lawsuit stated that COSL submitted invoices for work done but has, to date, not been paid by PSAEL. It went on to add that in August 2015, PSAEL acknowledged it owed $28.8 million but COSL said after extensively reviewing its records, it issued a statement of outstanding invoices for the $34.5 million it is seeking in the high court action which the company says is the true sum for which PSAEL is indebted. It is also seeking $18.8 million in interest and an additional $22,000 a day from October 15. The lawsuit contends that COSLs managing director Andy Balgobin has attempted on numerous occasions to receive payment but is yet to receive any or part of the outstanding sums owed to his company. A pre-action protocol letter was sent to PSAEL on May 5, 2016, and an extension of time to respond to was requested but PSAEL is yet to respond to its claim for payment. The lawsuit was filed in the San Fernando Civil Court Registry on November 24. During the recently concluded Local Government election campaign, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said the real reason the Peoples Partnership Government never used the building at One Alexandra Place was because they were more concerned with making sure that their friends and family were awarded the contract for retrofitting the building. He said the Ministry of Public Utilities had already moved into the building and the rest of the ministry was in the process of moving with the ministry being the anchor tenant of a three-year lease from September 1, 2016 going forward. Youths reminded of importance of education Coppin told them, When I was asked to say a few words today, what came to mind was a few words from The Mighty Sparrow who spoke about, and allow me to paraphrase, education, education gives you the right foundation Our rising population needs sound education/ To be recognised anywhere you go/you must have your certificate to show.../There is simply no room in this whole wide world for an uneducated little boy or girl. I think we can all agree that the problem of youth delinquency and youths not having a clear purpose in life, perhaps being the fundamental problem... Coppin also commended the Esimaje Foundation on its efforts to assist the youth of the nation, saying that their philosophy is in line with the philosophy of the current Governments, which is, involving volunteer organisations like Esimaje to help address the social problems afflicting the State. He reminded attendees of Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowleys statement that the people of Trinidad and Tobago have to get rid of the dependency syndrome, that the State must always provide, and said that what he believed the PM meant to say that there should be a joint effort between the state and volunteer organisations to efficiently address the social ills facing the nation. The programme in question aims to identify schools in high need communities, in order to improve existing educational resources Get the news faster. Tap to install our app. Access Newser even faster. Click here to install our app on your desktop. X (Newser) From 2011 to 2015, the DEA paid about $237 million to 10,000 or so "voluntary" confidential sources to riffle through the luggage and mail of ordinary citizens, BuzzFeed reports. The Department of Justice spent more than two years investigating the system, which is a potential violation of privacy rights and the Fourth Amendment, releasing a report in September and briefing the House oversight committee Wednesday. The system worked like this: The DEA would recruit employees at Amtrak, airlines, and parcel companies and give them cash rewards any time they came to the DEA with evidence, typically large amounts of shipped cash. These sources were supposed to just be volunteering any evidence they came across, but that's not what happened. The Justice Department report found that the "voluntary" sources were basically unofficial paid DEA employees, with some even getting federal health benefits (possibly illegally). One parcel company employee made more than $1 million providing information to the DEA. And TSA employees were taking tips about suspicious packages to the DEA for cash rewards instead of going to their superiors. The DEA can't say how successful this expensive, potentially privacy-invading system was, because it didn't keep stats on false searches or bad information that came from the sources. "Like, what did we get for $237 million?" an incredulous House oversight committee chairman asked. Read the full story here. (The DEA takes millions of dollars from US travelers, often without charges.) (Newser) Sources tell the Washington Post that Donald Trump has picked a "Mad Dog" for secretary of defense. That's just one of the nicknames held by retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, who CNN notes is also known as the "Warrior Monk." Apart from spending four decades with the Marines, Mattis was recently the chief of US Central Commanda role in which he clashed with President Obama over Iranand spent time as the supreme allied commander of transformation for NATO. John McCain has called Mattis "one of the finest military officers of his generation and an extraordinary leader." He has a "cult-like following" among infantry Marines and soldiers, the Military Times reports. "He speaks truth to everyone and would certainly speak truth to this new commander in chief, a former Pentagon official tells the Post. Mattis has raised eyebrowsto say the leastin the past with quotes such as "It's fun to shoot some people" and, "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet." Trump has called him the "real deal." Mattis would require a special waiver from Congress before being confirmed because he's been a civilian for less than seven years. Despite a Trump transition spokesperson saying no decision has been made, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted that Mattis was offered the gig and an official announcement is expected next week. (Read more Lt. Gen. James Mattis stories.) (Newser) The International Space Station crew may find themselves short of a few presents this Christmas: A Russian Progress 65 cargo spacecraft carrying around 5,400 pounds of supplies to the station broke up over Siberia on Thursday, minutes after it was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Bloomberg reports. The supplies on the unmanned ship included hundreds of pounds of food, clothing, and other items for the space station's two American astronauts, three Russian cosmonauts, and one French astronaut. Russian authorities, who haven't identified the cause of the crash, say mountains near the border with Mongolia are being searched for debris, the AP reports. This is the fourth time an unmanned Russian rocket has failed in the last two years, NPR reports. There have also been failed American supply missions to the station, including an October 2014 one that ended in a spectacular explosion at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. But NASA says the station remains well stocked for now, and Japan will launch another supply mission next week. (The American astronaut who arrived last week broke a record when she got there and will have broken another by the time she gets back.) (Newser) Donald Trump isn't exactly known for following protocol, but his penchant for picking up the horn to talk with world leaders is causing special concern among US and world diplomats, the New York Times reports. The president-elect has been speaking with heads of statesome say with no preparation and on personal phone linesincluding a recent call with Kazakhstan President (and "enduring dictator") Nursultan Nazarbayev in which he called the country's "success" a "miracle." The paper says this week's call with Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif has so far "caused the most angst" due to what White House press secretary Josh Earnest deems the "quite complicated" relationship between the two countries. The Times notes the Pakistani readout of that conversation left some DC diplomats thinking it was a joke. Daniel F. Feldman, a former special rep to Afghanistan and Pakistan, says Trump's "cavalier" approach to the calls could be dangerous, especially those involving nuclear-armed regions. "He's made himself not only a bull in a china shop, but a bull in a nuclear china shop," he notes. The White House has offered to help Trump out. "I'm confident that as ... Trump takes office, those same State Department employees [who helped Obama] will stand ready to offer him advice as he conducts the business of the United States overseas," Earnest says. "Hopefully he'll take it." The Times piece has more on how Obama has carefully handled Pakistan, a country he never visited as president. (Read more Donald Trump stories.) (Newser) With his deal to keep Carrier's factory in Indianapolis open, Donald Trump has fulfilled a big campaign promise, saved 1,100 highly paid American jobsand, once again, created an enormous controversy. Carrier, which had planned to shift production to Mexico, will receive at least $7 million in financial incentives from Indiana. Critics say this sets a dangerous precedent, and wonder whether Trump is planning to make deals with every company that threatens to move jobs overseas. A round-up of coverage: Trump praised the deal in a visit to the factory Thursday, CBS reports. "Companies are not going to leave the United States anymore without consequences. Its not gonna happen," he said. United Technologies, Carrier's parent company, "took Trump hostage and won. And that should send a shock wave of fear through all workers across the country," Bernie Sanders writes in a Washington Post op-ed. With the deal, he writes Trump has endangered previously safe jobs by signaling "to every corporation in America that they can threaten to offshore jobs in exchange for business-friendly tax benefits and incentives." White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters the deal is "obviously good news," but hardly comparable to the 804,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector he said President Obama created, the Guardian reports. Trump would need to "make 804 more announcements just like that" to equal what Obama did, Earnest said. Trump revealed to Carrier workers that despite his promise to keep jobs there, he hadn't really been talking about that particular factory. "I said Carrier will never leave," he said. "But that was a euphemism. I was talking about Carrier like all the other companies from here on in." He said he decided to get on the phone to execs anyway "because of the love affair Ive hadthis has been a very special state to us." Jimmy Pethokoukis, an analyst at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, didn't pull his punches in an interview with CNBC. He said Trump's remarks were the worst economic speech since Walter Mondale's attack on Reaganomics in 1984. He says it is "absolutely chilling" that American corporations will now have to make business decisions based on "fear of punitive actions based on who knows what criteria exactly from a presidential administration." NPR notes that United Technologies makes a lot of money from government contracts, suggesting "strong-arm" tactics played a role in the deal. Analysts including George Mason University professor of economics Tyler Cowen, a libertarian, warns that "crony capitalism" could prevail under Trump, with plenty of rewards flowing to companies that please the president. But at the Carrier plant itself, the mood is unsurprisingly jubilantand pro-Trump. The announcement was a "Christmas miracle," Jeffery Blackford, who was worked for the company for 25 years, tells the Indianapolis Star, which reports that under the deal, the average wage will be $30.91 an hour. "Hopefully this right here will be a start of a new beginning, where we can stop manufacturing from leaving this country." (Read more Donald Trump stories.) (Newser) Thailand has a new king, with the country's crown prince formally taking the throne to succeed his much-revered late father, who reigned for 70 years. The new monarch, who received the title "His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun," assumed his new position Thursday, according to an announcement broadcast on all TV channels, the AP reports. He will also be known as Rama X, the 10th king in the Chakri dynasty that was founded in 1782. A videotaped broadcast showed senior officials presenting the formal invitation to the prince to become king, and then his acceptance. It then showed the officials prostrate themselves at the feet of the new king, who was wearing a formal white uniform with decorations. "I would like to accept in order to fulfill his majesty's wishes and for the benefit of all Thais," Vajiralongkorn said in the videotape. Vajiralongkorn's father, Bhumibol Adulyadej, died on Oct. 13 at age 88 after many years of ill health. In 1972, Bhumibol designated Vajiralongkornhis second child and only sonas his successor. Vajiralongkorn, 64, was originally expected to assume the throne the day his father died, but in a surprise announcement, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said the prince asked for the succession to be put off so he would have time to mourn. On Friday, the new king carried out his first official duty, attending a solemn religious ceremony to honor his father. (After Bhumibol's death, vendors across Thailand ran out of black clothes.) (Newser) A pilot used his flight path to spell out a friendly message Monday in Germany, the Guardian reports. The privately owned Robin DR400/180 Regent aircraft, which took off near Agathenburg, flew a 37-minute path that spelled out "Hello" on radar, as captured by Flightradar24. The global flight tracking service tells the Guardian that though the identity of the plane's owner is unknown, "This aircraft has a history of inventive flight art." Earlier this year, the plane, registered as D-EFHN, flew paths that resulted in pictures of an airplane and a heart. (Read more uplifting news stories.) (Newser) Presidential election recount efforts in Wisconsin and Michigan are hitting roadblocks, the AP reports. Trump supporters have filed a federal lawsuit and a request for a temporary restraining order in an attempt to block the Wisconsin recount effort, arguing that the recount, which started Thursday, threatens the due process rights of Trump voters. The lawsuit also argues that since Dec. 13 is the deadline, election officials will probably make mistakes. Meanwhile, in Michigan, the state's attorney general has asked the state Supreme Court to block a potential recount there. Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein requested the recount in both states, and Michigan's AG argues that she has no right to do so because there's no way she would have won the state even if the votes were miscounted. Stein also hopes to get a recount in Pennsylvania. (Read more Election 2016 stories.) (Newser) In August 1994, a Chinese man was named a suspect in the rape and murder of Kang Juhua, whose body was found in the northern Hebei province. He was allegedly beaten into a confession, subjected to a trial his parents couldn't attend, and executed by gunshot without their knowledge seven months later. Now, 21 years after that, China's supreme court has declared Nie Shubin, just 20 years old at the time of his death, innocent. CNN calls it "a landmark case that exposed deep flaws in China's criminal justice system," where 99.93% of cases ended with a conviction in 2013. In their ruling, the judges noted that Nie was made a suspect "without a shred of evidence" and that the time and cause of death and murder weapon couldn't be verified, reports the AP. And, then, there was the other confession. A man named Wang Shujin admitted to the crimes in 2005; it took nine years for a legal review of the case to commenceBeijing legal expert Xu Xin tells the New York Times the police and prosecutors who worked on the case drove the hold-upand the court in June of this year decided the case should be retried. On Friday, Xinhua reports the Supreme People's Court, among other things, ruled the "truth and legitimacy of Nie's confession" were in doubt. Nie's mother, burdened by both the loss of her son and her husband's attempted suicide in the wake of Nie's death, broke down sobbing at the news. She tells CNN, "I wanted to tell my son: you're a good person, you're innocent." Xinhua reports Wang was sentenced to death for unrelated rape and murder cases. (Something similar happened almost exactly two years ago.) (Newser) Two years ago when someone stole an infamous iron gate from the former Nazi concentration camp at Dachau, Angela Merkel called the theft "appalling" and the director of the Dachau memorial said it was a "deliberate, reprehensible attempt to deny and obliterate the memory of the crimes." On Friday, police announced the gate bearing the Nazi propaganda slogan "Arbeit Macht Frei""Work Sets You Free"has likely been found in Bergen, Norway, following an anonymous tip, the BBC reports. According to CNN, police haven't given any information about the tipper or where specifically the gate was found. No arrests have been made, Reuters reports. Police say the gate, which appears to be in OK condition, will be returned to Germany "as soon as practical." The Nazis opened the Dachau camp in 1933, and by the time it was liberated by US soldiers in 1945, more than 41,000 peoplemost of them Jewshad been killed there, the Guardian reports. The 220-pound iron gate was made by inmates at the camp, and its slogan was an attempt by the Nazis to pass off the concentration camp as a "work and re-education camp." The Dachau camp is currently a memorial, and German authorities installed a replica gate there last year. A $10,000 reward had been offered for the return of the original gate. A sign with the same "Arbeit Macht Frei" phrase on it was stolen from Auschwitz in 2009 by a Swedish neo-Nazi, who spent more than two years in jail. (A Holocaust-themed skating number didn't go over well.) Japan has now reported its plan to be on top of the international supercomputer by building the world's fastest supercomputer that they announced will be fully functional by 2018. Currently, China holds the world's supercomputer named Sunway TaihuLight which have Electronic brands of 93 petaflops. China and USA, at the moment, are the two countries that dominate building supercomputers. The Sunway TaihuLight-93 petaflop (China), the Tianhe-2-34 petaflop (China, see photo), Cray Titan XK7 (US)-24 petaflop, are currently the three top-ranking supercomputers in the world. Meanwhile, China and the USA will be the countries to defeat when in comes to building supercomputers. They claim to have 171 systems each in the recent rankings, followed by Germany (32), Japan (27), France (20), and UK (17). Reuters reported that Japan plans to spend $173 million to build a machine that could calculate 130 quadrillion calculations per second or 130 petaflops. This supercomputer will beat out China's number one Sunway TaihuLight. The Japanese government will keep pursuing its main goal to make Japan the world leader in the field of technology again. The supercomputer will be used to make advancements in AI, to give Japans tech builders a massive increase in terms of the research they're capable of, and the classification of products they can generate. Japan will be naming the project as AI Bridging Cloud Infrastructure or ABCI. They are still looking for bids from the producers who they think that could help them build the said supercomputer. The director general of Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Satoshi Sekiguchi, quoted that "As far as we know, there is nothing out there that is as fast," reported by news site. Earlier this year, Nvidia revealed their DGX-1 supercomputer, which the founder claimed as the world's first deep-learning supercomputer. The machine is equipped with 17 petaflops that could help some universities and hospitals with their AI research. Japan by 2018, will have a machine that has the processing power that will help organizations that are aiming at driverless cars, medical diagnostics, and robotics. KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Malaysia's central bank announced new measures on Friday to encourage more domestic trade of the ringgit, as it looks to stem the currency's recent slide against the surging U.S. dollar. Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) said in a statement that exporters can only retain up to 25 percent of export proceeds in foreign currency. Higher balances would need BNM approval, it said. "Foreign currency arising from conversion of export proceeds will be used to ensure continuous liquidity of foreign currency in the onshore market," the statement said. All ringgit proceeds from exporters can earn a higher deposit rate of 3.25 percent per annum, it added. Speaking to reporters, Assistant Governor Adnan Zaylani said exporters are free to convert currency to meet up to six months of loan obligations that are not denominated in ringgit. The new measures state that all payments among resident exporters should only be made in ringgit. Other measures to ease onshore hedging were also announced. (Reporting by Joseph Sipalan; writing by Praveen Menon; Editing by Kim Coghill) On Wednesday night, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was in Paris. Victoria's models like, Kendall Jenner, Adriana Lima and Gigi Hadid have already been posted pictures of themselves touring the city of lights. Recently, it was reported that one of the known celebrities was robbed, and in addition, several awful terrorist assaults cause fear in the country. The authorities advised them to take precaution to avoid such incident. Retired SWAT Supervisor Scott DeFoe said the models should be careful while visiting the French capital. As what the reports say that Paris is a high terrorist attack and elevated with threats. All government authorities and private organizations are not focusing on smaller issues. Their main concerns are the safety of the potential terrorist attacks, petty crime, robberies, and basic street crime, as well as the transportation of explosives that might me driving around the cities. The Vice President in Pinkerton Private Security, Jason Porter, said that being aware of oneself is one of the keys that might help when traveling with safety concerns. Common sense is a great factor plus being aware and knowledgeable is better than any tactics for safety. Greg boles the associating managing director with Krolls security risk management said that the elite stars visiting Paris should be well alert. Planning to visit Paris requires a lot of advance thinking and preparation that includes the transportation, hotel accommodations, and even tourists' destination spots. These celebrities should be guarded while walking around the streets of the City of Lights. Early October of this year, TV personality Kim Kardashian was robbed and held captured in her luxurious hotel in Paris. Mid-November this year, a Bollywood actress was smashed with tear gas of the same case with Kardashian, robbery. On the November 21, two elite Qatari sisters were robbed and taking more than $5 million in jewelry off from them. The government authorities and private security are doing ways to aware those well-known celebrities for their safety that they may enjoy the beautiful French Capital. In science, water is one of the major indications of life. Scientists discovered an active deep water beneath the Earth's surface. Could this mean that aliens are inhabiting the heart of the Earth? A report by the NY Post shares that this discovery might be the answer to the everlasting search for alien life. Researchers from the Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois suggest that the Earth's mantle core could be carrying huge bodies of water. These deep waters are found around 1,000 kilometers, or about 620 miles, beneath the Earth's crust. In a comprehensive interview with the New Scientist, Northwestern University researcher Steve Jacobsen tries to enlighten the people on their recent hypothesis. According to Jacobsen and his colleagues, lifeforms at these bodies of water is possible and since they won't be able to instantly confirm what creatures they may be, the scientists refer to them as aliens. The search, although it may still look vague for others, could be closer to confirmation with smaller discoveries leading to the bigger ones. For one, the scientists found diamonds in Brazil that existed from at least 90 million years ago and they came from halfway to the Earth's core. The researchers took a deeper examination with these imperfect diamonds and the imperfections, they discovered, were caused by hydroxyl ions that came from water presence. In an even earlier study, scientists from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and Florida State University have a similar belief that in the core of the Earth, indeed, lies water that is protected by the mineral Brucite, reports The Inquistr. Meanwhile, the researchers are further contemplating on their discoveries and early proofs to come up with an even clearer conclusion. Should these bodies of water do exist and be capable of providing life, the next question would be: what lies ahead for the relationship between present Earth's creatures and the alien lifeforms underneath the surface of the globe. The recent celebration of the World AIDS Day every December One of each year marks the long commemoration of the first global health day in 1988. This 2016 celebration includes the real-based story of writer and director Brandon Cordiero who made "Ribbon". The short film centers this young Portuguese who encountered the AIDS Crisis in Provincetown, Massachusetts. This composition of this filming aims to touch the hearts of the viewers' sending the message that the main scuffle Cordiero faced in the past is the scrupulous struggle younger generation undergo. "Sharing "Ribbons" with the world has been a beautiful gift and continues to bring opportunities that I would never have imagined," Cordiero said in an interview with Towleroad. He added the story also includes the LGBTQ youth that in the future becomes the support group for this world epidemic. President Barack Obama also made his short and meaningful message for the World AIDS Day early Thursday. He highlighted his administration's role in fighting the spread of HIV and AIDS with its quest in reaching out and educates people. Further, he said that if all people come together with the quest to fight HIV and after his term ends as President, the community will find a partner in him. In fact, Obama's proposal for the Fiscal Year 2017 budget includes the PEPFAR or President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief states that from 2004 now totals $70 Billion. From the long line of millions of men, women, LGBTQ, and other vulnerable community benefited from this program, the numbers trim goes down to only 11.5 Million people not just in the United States but across the Globe. There are an estimated 34 million people living with HIV and AIDS in the entire world and over 35 million who died of the most disparaging pandemics in global history. The December One celebration is a commemoration and the time that people can show their support for the cause and getting into the advocacy to fight HIV, AIDS, and the stigma it brings. People are not limited to stand just for a day but by making this a commitment to serve not the present day community but the generation to come, a world-free from HIV and AIDS. Fairbanks, AK (99707) Today Cloudy. Snow showers developing late. Low around 10F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 40%. Snow accumulations less than one inch.. Tonight Cloudy. Snow showers developing late. Low around 10F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 40%. Snow accumulations less than one inch. Moscow: An unmanned cargo ship travelling to the International Space Station burned up in the atmosphere shortly after launching on Thursday, the Russian space agency said, raising concerns over space travel safety. According to preliminary information, as a result of an abnormal situation, the cargo ships loss occurred some 190 kilometres above the remote, unpopulated mountainous territory of (Russias) Tuva region, and most fragments burned up in dense layers of the atmosphere, Roscosmos said in a statement. Roscosmos said earlier on Thursday that it had lost contact with the Progress MS-04 ship 383 seconds after it launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and that its specialists were looking into the problem. The space agency said the loss of the cargo ship will not affect the normal operations of the ISS systems and the subsistence of the stations crew.NASA meanwhile said on its website that supplies at the space laboratory are at good levels. The cargo ship, which had been scheduled to arrive at the ISS on Saturday, was carrying 2.4 tonnes of fuel, food and equipment when it took off from Baikonur, Roscosmos said. The Russian agency said a state commission would probe the incident but did not say whether it would affect future launches. This latest incident represents the second failed launch of a Progress cargo ship in less than two years. In April 2015 a Progress ship disintegrated as it plummeted to Earth, a failure Russia blamed on a problem with a Soyuz rocket. The incident saw Russia put all space travel on hold for nearly three months and forced a group of astronauts to spend an extra month on the ISS. Russia said at the time that because the same type of rocket is used for manned ships, all issues with Progress resupply missions needed to be thoroughly investigated before any manned vessels could be launched. Russia sends three or four such spacecraft per year to supply the ISS. After making their delivery, they plummet back to Earth, burning up in the atmosphere above the Pacific Ocean. Last month Frenchman Thomas Pesquet, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky and American astronaut Peggy Whitson launched to the ISS for a six-month mission.The launch followed that of Russians Andrei Borisenko and Sergei Ryzhikov and American Shane Kimbrough in October, which was pushed back by nearly a month due to technical issues. Technical mishaps have complicated plans to extend the periods during which the ISS is fully staffed with six astronauts. Russias Soyuz capsules offer the only way for global astronauts to reach the space station since the American space shuttle programme was retired in 2011. The space laboratory, where a range of research is carried out, has been orbiting Earth at about 28,000 kilometres per hour since 1998. For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kolkata: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Thursday spent the night at her office to demand removal of army deployment at toll plazas in West Bengal terming such deployments a 'military coup'. She is scheduled to meet the President Pranab Mukherjee over the issue on Friday. After a high drama over deployment of army at certain toll plazas in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee decided to stay put at the state secretariat Nabanna for the Thursday night, even after the force was removed from a toll plaza near it as per her demand. I am the custodian of common people. So I cant leave them insecured. I will stay put here for the whole night and observe the situation, Banerjee told reporters at around 1.30 AM on Friday. (Read full time line of the high intensity drama here) About her demand that she would leave the office only when Armymen were removed from the second Hooghly bridge toll plaza near Nabanna, she said, These people may have gone. But they are there in 18 other districts. Sometime before her press meet, journalists went to the toll plaza near Nabanna and found that the Armymen were no longer there. Also read | Mamata protests presence of soldiers at West Bengal toll plazas; Army terms it routine exercise A temporary shed set up for them was also removed. There was no official version of the Army about the removal. Accusing the Centre of deploying the Army at toll plazas in West Bengal without informing the state government, Banerjee had refused to leave the office till the Armymen were withdrawn from the toll plaza at second Hooghly bridge. The Army said they were conducting routine exercise with full knowledge and coordination with West Bengal police. Army conducting routine exercise with full knowledge & coord with WB Police. Speculation of army taking over toll plaza incorrect, the Eastern command said on Twitter. Routine exercise in all NE states. In Assam@18 places, Arunanchal@13, WB@19, Manipur@6, Nagaland@5, Meghalaya@5, Tripura & Mizoram@1, it said. The Kolkata police, however, said they have raised objection to this Army exercise due to security reasons and traffic problem. Army exercise at toll plaza was objected to in writing by Kolkata Police, citing security reasons & traffic inconvenience, the city police said on Twitter. The drama unfolded in the evening when Banerjee alleged that Army deployment was done in toll plazas without informing the state government and described it as unprecedented and a very serious situation worse than Emergency. She claimed that people got panicky due to deployment of Army at toll plazas. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. - By David Goodloe Michael Price (Trades, Portfolio), who runs hedge fund MFP Investors LLC, invested in seven new holdings in the third quarter. Price's estimated net worth is $1.2 billion; MFP Investors has $1.6 billion under management, much of it Price's money. His largest purchase was 521,500 shares of Regions Financial Corp. (RF), a financial services company based in Birmingham, Alabama, for an average price of $9.36 per share. The deal had a 0.68% impact on the portfolio. Richard Pzena (Trades, Portfolio) is Regions Financial's leading shareholder among the gurus with a stake of 27,450,466 shares. The stake is 2.23% of Regions Financial's outstanding shares. Eight other gurus have positions in Regions Financial. Regions Financial has a price-earnings (P/E) ratio of 16.33, a forward P/E ratio of 14.49, a price-book (P/B) ratio of 1.08 and a price-sales (P/S) ratio of 3.21. GuruFocus gives Regions Financial a Financial Strength rating of 6/10 and a Profitability and Growth rating of 6/10 with return on equity (ROE) of 6.35% that is lower than 65% of the companies in the Global Banks - Regional - US industry and return on assets (ROA) of 0.92% that is higher than 53% of the companies in that industry. 1480715111330.png Regions Financial sold for $13.74 per share at market close Friday. The DCF Calculator gives Regions Financial a fair value of $9.1. The guru bought 85,000 shares of The WhiteWave Foods Co. (WWAV), a packaged food company based in Broomfield, Colorado, for an average price of $55.05 per share. The transaction had a 0.61% impact on the portfolio. Eric Mindich (Trades, Portfolio) is WhiteWave's leading shareholder among the gurus with a stake of 3,340,905 shares. The stake is 1.89% of WhiteWave's outstanding shares. Four other gurus have positions in WhiteWave. WhiteWave has a P/E ratio of 49.24, a forward P/E ratio of 34.01, a P/B ratio of 6.90 and a P/S ratio of 2.39. GuruFocus gives WhiteWave a Financial Strength rating of 5/10 and a Profitability and Growth rating of 7/10 with ROE of 15.45% that is higher than 75% of the companies in the Global Packaged Foods industry and ROA of 4.63% that is higher than 57% of the companies in that industry. Story continues 1480715152947.png WhiteWave sold for $55.19 per share Friday. The DCF Calculator gives WhiteWave a fair value of $11.99. The guru invested in 91,892 shares of Dell Technologies Inc. (DVMT), a Texas-based information technology company, for an average price of $46.83 per share. The deal had a 0.58% impact on the portfolio. Dodge & Cox is Dell Technologies' leading shareholder among the gurus with a stake of 10,811,775 shares. The stake is 4.85% of Dell Technologies' outstanding shares. Nineteen other gurus have positions in Dell Technologies. Dell Technologies has a P/B ratio of 5.68. GuruFocus gives Dell Technologies a Financial Strength rating of 3/10 and a Profitability and Growth rating of 3/10 with ROE of -20.10% that is lower than 88% of the companies in the Global Computer Systems industry and ROA of -0.63% that is lower than 70% of the companies in that industry. 1480715202729.png Dell Technologies sold for $52.75 per share Friday. The DCF Calculator gives Dell Technologies a fair value of $-38.42. The guru purchased 715,237 shares of Accuride Corp. (ACW), a vehicle parts manufacturer based in Evansville, Indiana, for an average price of $1.78 per share. The transaction had a 0.24% impact on the portfolio. Jim Simons (Trades, Portfolio) is Accuride's leading shareholder among the gurus with 724,400 shares. The holding is 1.5% of Accuride's outstanding shares. Mario Gabelli (Trades, Portfolio) and Paul Tudor Jones (Trades, Portfolio) also have positions in Accuride. Accuride has a P/B ratio of 5.10 and a P/S ratio of 0.21. GuruFocus gives Accuride a Financial Strength rating of 3/10 and a Profitability and Growth rating of 5/10 with ROE of -94.65% that is lower than 98% of the companies in the Global Auto Parts industry and ROA of -7.93% that is lower than 92% of the companies in that industry. 1480715252505.png Accuride sold for $2.58 per share Friday. The DCF Calculator gives Accuride a fair value of $-5.99. The guru bought 57,200 shares of Randolph Bancorp Inc. (RNDB), the Massachusetts-based holding company for Randolph Savings Bank, for an average price of $12.79 per share. The deal had a 0.1% impact on the portfolio. Randolph Bancorp has a P/E ratio of 123.49, a P/B ratio of 1.01 and a P/S ratio of 3.28. GuruFocus gives Randolph Bancorp a Financial Strength rating of 5/10 and a Profitability and Growth rating of 3/10 with ROE of 6.30% that is lower than 65% of the companies in the Global Banks - Regional - US industry and ROA of 0.37% that is lower than 78% of the companies in that industry. 1480715317153.png Randolph Bancorp sold for $14.62 per share Friday. The DCF Calculator gives Randolph Bancorp a fair value of $1.28. The guru invested in 53,382 shares of FSB Bancorp Inc. (FSBC), a holding company for First State Bank of Altus, Oklahoma, for an average price of $12.57 per share. The transaction had a 0.09% impact on the portfolio. FSB Bancorp has a P/E ratio of 59.38, a P/B ratio of 0.88 and a P/S ratio of 3.23. GuruFocus gives FSB Bancorp a Financial Strength rating of 4/10 and a Profitability and Growth rating of 3/10 with ROE of 2.25% and ROA of 0.21% that are lower than 86% of the companies in the Global Banks - Regional - US industry. 1480715350912.png FSB Bancorp sold for $14.23 per share Friday. The DCF Calculator gives FSB Bancorp a fair value of $2.46. The guru also purchased 29,380 shares of Florida-based BKF Capital Group Inc. (BKFG) in the third quarter. Disclosure: I do not own any stocks mentioned in this article. Start afree seven-day trialof Premium Membership to GuruFocus. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Mumbai: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has made Bollywood superstar Salman Khan as its face for the drive aimed at keeping the city clean, in tune with the Centres Swachh Bharat campaign. Being a popular actor having a huge fan following, Salman would extend his support in terms of offering five mobile toilets across city. He will also appeal to citizens not to defecate in open, Assistant Municipal Commissioner (Solid Waste Management) Kiran Dighavkar, who is associated with the cleanliness drive, said on Thursday. According to an estimate of the civic body, there were over 117 major open defecation spots in city, mainly located across the plots owned by government departments and agencies, which have been reduced to 77 in last two years following the BMCs extensive drive against the menace. Also Read: Salman Khan welcomes Suniel Shetty's son Ahan for signing first Bollywood film The civic corporation has a plan in place to eradicate this social evil of open defecation by building toilets, the officer said. Dighavkar has been entrusted with the responsibility to supervise the anti-open defecation campaign in the megapolis. On taking Salman on board, he said, Seeing his vast fan following, we had approached him last week to be associated with our drive and his response has been extremely encouraging for us as he accepted our offer within a week. He said the superstar would associate himself with the drive through his NGO Being Human which has informed the civic body by writing a letter. We are pleased to inform you that Salman Khan will be happy to accept your invitation and through Being Humanthe Salman Khan Foundationwill help the BMC in creating awareness about cleanliness drive, stated a letter addressed to Dighavkar, written by a trustee of Being Human Foundation. Earlier, BMC had declared 12 out of Mumbais 24 wards open defecation-free and chalked out an action plan for other wards, which it aims to make free of the menace by this year end. Among the wards that are now open defecation-free comprise Dongri, Pydhonie, Chira Bazar, Bhendi Bazar and parts of Marine Drive. Expressing hope that Salmans support will help the BMC, Dighavkar said, Salmans initiative in our efforts would definitely make our campaigns reach wider. He has himself said that he lives in Mumbai and several times he himself has seen people defecating in open spaces, which doesnt go with the pulse of the city. Dighavkar further informed that Viacom media has come forward to donate 100 mobile toilets through its CSR initiative and has so far handed over two mobile toilets. For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu on Friday termed TMC chief and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's demands to remove army from checkpoints in the state as attempts of diversion from the main issue at hand - demonetisation.A Speaking ahead of another day of Winter Session of Parliament in New Delhi, Naidu said Army is just doing regular exercise which will continue for another 3 days.A Mamata banerjee camps out at office In dramatic turn of events on Thursday night, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spent the night locked up inside her office a state secretariat aNabanaa in Kolkata demanding removal of Army soldiers deployed on different toll plazas in throughout the state. According to reports, the army soldiers have since vacated the toll plazas in Kolkata, but West Bengal CM is still in her office claiming that there are similar deployments in 18 other inner districts.A However, Army has termed it a routine exercise.A The incident, she termed as military coup, comes only hours after TMC and other opposition parties raised issue of aattempt to murdera on her in Parliament.A West Bengal CM had on Wednesday claimed that her plane was aforced to hover 30-40mins without sufficient fuela on her way to Bhubaneswar for a rally.A Here are the latest updates:A 1:00pm: In repsonse to Indian Army's letters, Supratim Sarkar, Additional CP of Kolkata Police, released a letter saying they did not give permission to army for the routine exercise. @KolkataPolice has released a letter showing that they had denied required permission to #IndianArmy for carrying out 'exercise' in Nabana pic.twitter.com/nF6UIZ4srk a News Nation (@NewsNationTV) December 2, 2016 11:45am: Newsnation gets letter that Indian Army sent to concerned authorities to seek intimate about excercisesA #IndianArmy intimated Kolkata Police Commissioner, Road Transport Authority & other govt agencies abt carrying out 'exercise' frm Nov 28-30 pic.twitter.com/xqIkOcMIMX a News Nation (@NewsNationTV) December 2, 2016 A Howrah DM and several other agencies were informed by #IndianArmy before exercise in West Bengal pic.twitter.com/L96rqF87EQ a News Nation (@NewsNationTV) December 2, 2016 A #IndianArmy intimated govt agencies abt carrying out 'exercise' frm Nov 28-30 pic.twitter.com/soQ8X5ZyaE a News Nation (@NewsNationTV) December 2, 2016 11:20 am: Major General Sunil Yadav on army collecting money from people at the toll counters in WB A #Similar exercise also been carried out in Jharkhand, UP and Bihar from 26th September to 1st October this year #They're only collecting data of heavy vehicles,this is an annual exercise carried out every year #Over 80 such collection data points established in entire region, personnel of army consisting of 5-6 at each point are unarmed #Exercise involves collection of data in all NE states, including Assam,Arunachal,WB,Manipur,Nagaland,Meghalaya,Tripura,Mizoram,Sikkim #Army formations in Eastern command at local levels are carrying out routine annual data collection exercises #This is baseless, we deny this charge #This is an exercise carried out for our operational purposes 10:25 am:A Eastern command said its a regular exercise, will do this for 3 days. Fine if they want to divert from main issues,or raise in Parl: Venkaiah Naidu, Union MinisterA Sudip Bandyopadhyay, TMC on the issue 10:06am:A Suddenly it was seen that army was covering big important toll plazas, controlling bridges under WB GovtA 10:04am:A Want a clarification by Def Min on army deployment in Bengal, we will be very vocal about this in both the houses 10:02am:A It is a grave situation when a CM is being continuously harassed and her life is in danger 10:00am:A Without intimating state Govt, way they are operating whole system,is unbelievable as if some emergency is going to be proclaimed in WB 9:25am:A Indian Army sighted conducting checks in Siliguri, West Bengal Military police conducting checks in Siliguri (West Bengal)A pic.twitter.com/Ot1tRLfP3N a ANI (@ANI_news)A December 2, 2016 A Hereas the time line of the drama that unfolded through Thursday night: Friday, Dec 2 7:30am: TMC to raise the issue of "army deployment in West Bengal" in both the houses of Parliament today. 7:00am: TMC announced that Mamata Banerjee will meet President Pranab Mukherjee to discuss this issue on Friday.A 1:30am: Past midnight, the West Bengal CM conducted a hurried press conference where she accused Centre of creating a situation aworse than emergencya. She also rubbished the claim of defence ministry spokesperson that it was a routine exercise.A When told that Army has been removed the toll plazas, she said she cannot leave yet as there are similar deployments in 18 other inner district and she has a duty to protect democracy in the state.A Thursday, Dec 1 12:00am a 1:30am: Somewhere before Mamata Banerjeeas late night press conference, media journalists went to the toll plaza near Nabanna and found that the Armymen were no longer there. A temporary shed set up for them was also removed. There was no official version of the Army about the removal.A 11:45pm: Soon the WB CM noted that there were more army deployments in the inner district on the state. A More army deployment in diff Bengal districts Jalpaiguri,Alipurduar, Darjeeling,Barrackpur, N24Pgs, Howrah,Hooghly,Kol,Murshidabad Burdwan a Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 1, 2016 11:34pm: Backing Derek OaBrien and Mamata Banerjeeas argument, West Bengal Police also took to Twitter and denied giving consent to the army presence or exercise and claimed that they had in fact issued a written objection to any such activity.A aArmy exercise (sic) at Toll Plaza was objected to in writing by Kolkata Police, citing security reasons & traffic inconvenience. @easterncomd,a @KolkataPolice tweeted. Army excercise at Toll Plaza was objected to in writing by Kolkata Police, citing security reasons & traffic inconvenience.@easterncomd a Kolkata Police (@KolkataPolice) December 1, 2016 11:31pm: Mamata Banerjee dismissed Indian Armyas claim and prior information and A accused them of misleading the public, aAbsolutely wrong and misleading facts by @easterncomd We have great respect for you, but please please don't mislead the people.a Absolutely wrong and misleading facts by @easterncomd We have great respect for you, but please please don't mislead the people a Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 1, 2016 11:24 pm: Jumping into the quagmire, TMCas senior leader Derek OaBrien dismissed Armyas claim and termed it incorrect.A Absolutely incorrect. Do not spread misinformation. Please https://t.co/guiFZ8YnG1 a Derek O'Brien (@quizderek) December 1, 2016 10:57pm: Few minutes later Indian Armyas Eastern Command reacted to the escalating situation and clarified that it was just a routine exercise being conducted with consent of state police: aArmy conducting routine exercise with full knowledge and coordination with WB Police. Speculation of army taking over toll plaza incorrect.a Army conducting routine exercise with full knowledge & coord with WB Police. Speculation of army taking over toll plaza incorrect @adgpi a EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) December 1, 2016 10:38pm:A About an hour later the state chief minister announced that she will stay put in her office until the army deployment is not removed from all toll plazas.A aUntil and unless the Army stationed in front of Nabanno, the Bengal state govt secretariat, is withdrawn I will be staying at my Secretariat to guard our democracy,a he tweet said. Until and unless the Army stationed in front of Nabanno, the Bengal state govt secretariat, is withdrawn 1/2 a Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 1, 2016 ... I will be staying at my Secretariat to guard our democracy 2/2 a Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 1, 2016 9:51pm: Mamata Banerjee noted the presence of Indian Army near her secretariat late on Thursday night and remarked that such a presence was without state policeas consent, aVery unfortunate. Army stationed in front of Nabanno, the Bengal State Secretariat in a high security zone, inspite of Police objection. I am waiting here at the Secretariat and watching, to guard our democracy,a she tweeted. Very unfortunate. Army stationed in front of Nabanno, the Bengal State Secretariat in a high security zone, inspite of Police objection 1/2 a Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 1, 2016A ... I am waiting here at the Secretariat and watching, to guard our democracy 2/2 a Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 1, 2016 6:24pm:A TMC leader Derek O'Bren raised the concern of Indian Army collecting toll at the plazas in Kolkata:A Is it Army's duty ? Is this interference part of a plan to start an internal war? Proof on this VIDEO #DeMonetisation #emergency #notesban pic.twitter.com/LxM1EvcZb6 a Derek O'Brien (@quizderek) December 1, 2016 A #BREAKING Situation has got worse. How is the Army collecting tolls at a toll plaza near the Bengal secretariat, a high security zone ? 1/2 a Derek O'Brien (@quizderek) December 1, 2016 What is the Army doing at toll plazas in Bengal without Centre informing State. Watch video 2/2 pic.twitter.com/3Kxb9yYa85 a Derek O'Brien (@quizderek) December 1, 2016 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Whenever there is a culture war, a seminal event or any debate or discussion of global importance social media serves as the best platform to its users to divulge their sides. From politicians, socialites to the common person social media has become the battleground for them to hold their guns onto each other. Twitter has become the virtual battleground for Indian polity to lose or win over. Sometimes, it is serious, funny, apologetic, dubious, shocking, disappointing informative, controversial or call it whatever!A Imagine the epic scale at which micro-blogging service Twitter is used that it has become a hot bed for hackers. Hackers of various breeds from nationalists, anti-nationalists, comic, sarcasm masters, wit master to anybody take it so seriously that by hacking the official accounts of their antagonists they feel on top of the world. The most recent case of Twitter battle happens to be Thursday night high voltage drama by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in which all actors acted, reacted and counter-acted on Twitter. Derek OaBrien: TMC MP first raised the question on Indian Armyas presence on toll plazas in West Bengal on Twitter What is the Army doing at toll plazas in Bengal without Centre informing State. Watch video 2/2 pic.twitter.com/3Kxb9yYa85 a Derek O'Brien (@quizderek) December 1, 2016 Is it Army's duty ? Is this interference part of a plan to start an internal war? Proof on this VIDEO #DeMonetisation #emergency #notesban pic.twitter.com/LxM1EvcZb6 a Derek O'Brien (@quizderek) December 1, 2016 It hasn't stopped at Army at 2 Bengal toll plazas. Now Army in more districts.?Can confirm Murshidabad, Bengal. Have u declared Emergency ? a Derek O'Brien (@quizderek) December 1, 2016 #BREAKING @MamataOfficial will continue to be at Bengal Secretariat, till army at toll plazas is withdrawn.Says "I will guard democracy" a Derek O'Brien (@quizderek) December 1, 2016 Absolutely incorrect. Do not spread misinformation. Please https://t.co/guiFZ8YnG1 a Derek O'Brien (@quizderek) December 1, 2016 All respect for army, but must set record straight 1)Data is already available 2. Cannot do vehicle check,not authorized to do so 1/2 a Derek O'Brien (@quizderek) December 2, 2016 Mamata Banerjee: West Bengal CM announced her decision to stay inside State Secretariat all night demanding removal of Army from toll plazas through micro-blogging site. Very unfortunate. Army stationed in front of Nabanno, the Bengal State Secretariat in a high security zone, inspite of Police objection 1/2 a Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 1, 2016 Until and unless the Army stationed in front of Nabanno, the Bengal state govt secretariat, is withdrawn 1/2 a Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 1, 2016 Absolutely wrong and misleading facts by @easterncomd We have great respect for you, but please please don't mislead the people a Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 1, 2016 More army deployment in diff Bengal districts Jalpaiguri,Alipurduar, Darjeeling,Barrackpur, N24Pgs, Howrah,Hooghly,Kol,Murshidabad Burdwan a Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) December 1, 2016 Indian Army: Even the Eastern Command of Army chose to reply on the matter of serious national security concern on social media Army conducting routine exercise with full knowledge & coord with WB Police. Speculation of army taking over toll plaza incorrect @adgpi a EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) December 1, 2016 Routine exercise in all NE states. In Assam @ 18 places, Arunanchal@13, WB@19, Manipur@6, Nagaland@5, Meghalaya@5, Tripura & Mizoram@1@adgpi a EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) December 1, 2016 Kolkata Police chose to participate in the debate using the same channel In almost all areas of West Bengal army has been deployed without consent of the State Govt a West Bengal Police (@wbpolice) December 1, 2016 Congress and Rahul Gandhi official Twiiter accounts got hacked Recently Rahul Gandhias official Twitter account got hacked and the hacker indubitably posted objectionable content that was laughed upon. Congress cried conspiracy while people found it funny to ever happen. The very next day Congress official account was also hacked in a similar way. Within hours, Congress Partyas Twitter account too got hacked and it also reflected two things- first- this shows how Twitter has become an indispensable, inseparable part of our lives? And second- How important it is to validate your thoughts, opinions that a hacking event can either make you big or put you down. Not only this, Twitteratis are too fast that any information is consumed at high speed and propagated at even faster speed. RBI announcements and demonetisation Whenever there are any RBI announcements, government decisions Twitter is ever ready with its witty quotes, funny pictorial graphs, edited pictures, photoshopped frames to mock the talk.A More than the News, here sarcasm and wit do the talking. Call it boon or bane but this is the power of social media. You can get trolled here, blame it on technology or the fast-paced consumption. Nobody is spared here- be it the new notes or post demonetisation feeds. You see the prism of reality filtered through the jokes based on real time situations. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: David Wiltshire at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, on Thursday announced that he had conceded the wager to India's Thanu Padmanabhan on the nature of the so-called "dark energy" and - under the written terms of the wager - gifted an "objet d'art" to Padmanabhan. Thanu Padmanabhan an Indian physicist has won a 10-year-old bet with a physicist from New Zealand who had challenged his ideas in 2006, while delivering a lecture on the phenomenon of dark energy at the 23rd Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics in Melbourne. During the time, not all cosmologists were convinced about the role of the cosmological constant, and professor David Wiltshire of the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, took up a wager Padmanabhan offered to the astrophysics audience at the event. The object is a $200 decorative lamp that Padmanabhan, a professor at the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, has now placed in his living room. The terms and conditions of the wager were that if Wiltshire won, he would be given a clock of his choice to help him keep better track of the lack of constancy of cosmological ideas. And, if Padmanabhan did, he would buy a lamp of his choice to help him better illuminate his calculations of the darkness of the universe. If the observationally verified model of cosmology corresponded to a solution of Einsteins equations in the next 10 years, that person would be the winner. The value of the prize object would not exceed $200 or be less than 10 per cent of the losers monthly salary, whichever is lower. At the end of his plenary talk on December 15, 2006 at the 23rd Texas Symposium, Padmanabhan offered a bet to the audience that in the next ten years there will be no evidence to contradict the theory that dark energy (cosmological constant) is the root cause of accelerated expansion of the universe.The challenge was taken up by Wiltshire, professor in the department of physics and astronomy, University of Canterbury, New Zealand. "Mathematics shows that dark energy behaves like a fluid and it has negative pressure," Padmanabhan told an English daily. Four years ago, while working on a deeper paradigm of Einstein's theory, Padmanabhan along with his daughter Hamsa Padmanabhan, co-authored a paper where they derived the numerical value of the cosmological constant. For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Medellin: The Bolivian Civil Aviation Authority is indefinitely suspending permission for LaMia airline to operate following the deadly crash of one its charter planes in Colombia. Officials made the announcement on Friday, and not provide additional details. The LaMia charter flight crashed while approaching Medellin, Colombia, killing all but six of the 77 people on board. The airline was founded in Venezuela in 2009 but operates in Bolivia. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: One BSF jawan was injured on Friday in cross border firing by Pakistan troops in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.A According to reports, the condition of the jawan is stable now. He is out of danger.A More details are awaited.A UPDATE: Condition of the BSF Jawan injured in Rajouri district of J&K in cross border firing by Pakistan is stable and out of danger a ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2016 One jawan injured in Rajouri district of J&K in cross border firing by Pakistan a ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2016 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: In a News Nation impact, Birla Shloka Edutech Ltd, a Yash Birla Group company, was on Friday blacklisted by the Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad for allegedly providing fake guarantees to seven banks. News Nation had accessed the documents that revealed that the company allegedly indulged in a scam to the tune of Rs 2,82,71,000 for providing bank guarantees. The Lucknow Police had on Thursday registered a FIR against the company. The FIR was filed against company's managing director Ashish Mahendrakar, CA Vineet Tripathi. UP Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order) Daljit Singh Chaudhary on Thursday said that probe would be done on banks who gave the guarantee and also on the bank employees. He further said that strict action would be initiated against those found guilty in the case. In order to fetch tenders to provide computer hardware and software to 1608 schools under government's Information and Communication Technology (ICT) scheme, the company infringed with the guarantees papers and prepared fake documents from City Union Bank's Coimbatore branch. Watch: FIR against Birla Shloka Edutech Ltd for allegedly providing fake guarantees to 7 banks Meanwhile, Minister of State for Finance, Arjun Ram Meghwal, said that stirct action must be taken against the people involved in the scam. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: An Indian start-up company is getting ready to land its rover to moon in January 2018. Bangalore based company, Team Indus, on Thursday announced that it has secured a ride with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to send its rover to the moon. Team Indus is one of the 16 teams that are in the race for the Google Lunar Xprize challenge wherein the first team to successfully land a rover on the Moon, make it travel for 500 metres and send back HD videos and images of Earth will win $20 million. It is also the only Indian company in the race. Even though Team Indus was a late entrant to the competition, the company claims to have made significant progress in the mission and has become the fourth team to win a contract for a commercial launch with ISRO. This is also the first time a private Indian company has been granted a dedicated launch vehicle for a space mission by ISRO. What is Google Lunar Xprize Challenge? Also known as Moon 2.0, the competition is funded by Google and organized by Xprize. It involves global spaceflight teams to become the first to land a private rover on the Moon, travel 500 meters and send back HD images and videos. Last year, Xprize extended the deadline for the competition to December 2017 if at least one of the participating teams could bag a verified launch contract by end of December 2015. Who is Team Indus? Team Indus is a for-profit organization, and the only Indian company in the competition. It was founded by IIT-Delhi alumnus Rahul Narayan, Indranil Chakraborty and Julius Amrit. Currently, it has over 100 staff including retired ISRO scientists and several aeronautic engineers. Even though the company joined the competition three years after the Lunar Xprize was announced, it was one of the three teams to win $1 million milestone award for the successful pilot test of lunar lander technology. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Pyongyang: North Korea says a sweeping new round of UN sanctions aimed at choking its nuclear program by cutting off as much of a quarter of its foreign trade revenue is doomed to fail and will be met with tough countermeasures. Indicating how seriously the North takes the UN move, its vice foreign minister called a gathering of foreign diplomats in the capital early Friday to lay out his countrys opposition to the sanctions, which are the harshest to date and have the support of China, North Koreas primary trading partner. North Koreas Foreign Ministry, in a statement issued soon after the sanctions were announced, categorically rejected the sanctions, prompted by its nuclear test on September 9. It warned of tough countermeasures, but didnt say what they might be. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington: Donald Trump is unlikely to insert himself in resolving Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan as the US President-elect has signaled his interest in deepening ties with India, a top American expert has said. It is highly doubtful that Trump administration will consider inserting itself into the volatile Indo-Pakistani dispute, especially when Trump has signaled his interest in prioritising deepening ties with India, Lisa Curtis of The Heritage Foundation said in an op-ed in The Daily Signal. Indeed, if there is any useful role the US can play in tamping down tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals, it is to press Pakistan to crackdown on anti-India militants that operate freely in Pakistani territory, Curtis said. In her op-ed, Curtis said concerns are being raised about the US President-elect Donald Trumps phone conversation with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and what it might mean for his policies toward the subcontinent. Pakistan in a statement said that Trump during a telephonic conversation with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif offered to play any role in helping Pakistan address its outstanding issues, which it claimed was a reference to Kashmir issue. These comments, however, should merely be seen as friendly banter that could have been made to almost any foreign leader, Curtis said. It is not surprising that Pakistani leaders would take advantage of a polite and warm exchange to push their agenda of bringing international attention to the Indo-Pak conflict in Kashmir, Curtis wrote. Observing that the US handling of India-Pakistan relations is a delicate matter, she said it is important for US officials to avoid the mediation trap and any illusion that the US itself can resolve this nearly 70-year-old dispute. Referring to the series of attacks against Indian Army bases, Curtis said the Uri attack demonstrates Pakistan?s willingness to up the ante in order to draw international attention to Kashmir at a time when civil protests had been wracking the region. The US must demonstrate that such Pakistani behaviour is unacceptable and will have consequences, Curtis said. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Islamabad: Pakistan's right wing Jamaat-e-Islami has invited former army chief General Raheel Sharif to join the party following his retirement. Jamaat parliamentary in the Punjab assembly, Waseem Akhtar, invited Sharif who retired this week after a three-year tenure to join the party. Akhtar asked the former army chief on Thursday to help the party change the face of politics the same way he "altered the fate of the nation" through the operation Zarb-e-Azb against terrorism, the Express Tribune reported. While speaking on a supplementary question during the question hour, he said after mandatory two years for every government servant before joining politics, Sharif should join the Jamaat-e-Islami. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump on Friday warned US companies of "consequences" if they relocate abroad and promised to slash tax from 35 per cent to 15 per cent to make America attractive for businesses. "Companies are not going to leave the US any more without consequences. Not going to happen. It's not going to happen, I'll tell you right now," Trump said as he visited a plant of leading air conditioning manufacturer Carrier in Indiana where he announced that he has struck a deal with the company to change their plan to relocate to Mexico and saved more than 1,100 jobs in the process. Trump said he called the top leadership of Carrier to make the deal happen."We're losing so much. So one of the things we're doing to keep them is we're going to lowering our business tax from 35 per cent, hopefully down to 15 per cent, which would take us from the highest-taxed national virtually in the world -- this is terrible for business -- to one of the lower taxed. Not the lowest yet, but one of the lower taxed," he said. During the presidential campaign, the Republican billionaire had threatened to slap tariffs on firms quit Ameica for places like Mexico, China and India where labour costs are cheaper. It became a repeated refrain of his victorious campaign. "I just want to let all of the other companies know that we're going to do great things for business. There's no reason for them to leave anymore because your taxes are going to be at the very, very low end, and your unnecessary regulations are going to be gone," he said assuring companies that the US would be a business friendly destination.Trump also blamed people from Middle East 'pouring in the US. "People are pouring in from regions of the Middle East. We have no idea who they are, where they come from, what they're thinking and we?re going to stop that dead, cold flat," he said.Trump insisted that his administration will build the wall across the Mexico border."We're going to build the wall. People are saying: Do youthink Trump's going to build the wall? Trust me, we're goingto build a wall. And by the way, people are going to comethrough that wall. We're going to have doors in that wall, butthey're going to come through legally," he said. "People are going to come through on worker permits towork the fields. We're going to have a lot of people are goingto come through. But it's going to be done through a legalprocess," he asserted. Addressing the gathering, the vice president-elect MikePence said Trump personally called the top leadership ofUnited Technologies, which owns Carrier. "President-elect Donald Trump did just what he said hewould do. He picked up the phone. I was actually in the room.He picked up the phone. He talked from one American toanother. He talked about our plans, our plans to make Americamore competitive, to reduce taxes, to roll back regulations,to put American jobs and American workers first again. He madethe case for America," he said. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Washington : US president-elect Donald Trump's "ignorant" conversation with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may send India an unwelcome message, a leading American magazine has said. The Forbes magazine said that Trump's "flattering" conversation sends a message that he has no awareness of the issues between the US, Pakistan and India. "His bluster is more likely to be taken as the initial signal of his Administration's position. When he goes on and on about how wonderful Pakistan is, and how strong is his friendship, it matters. It matters that he uses words like: very good reputation, amazing work...fantastic country, fantastic place, fantastic people," it said. "One of the main messages it sends, is that he shows no awareness of the issues between the United States, Pakistan, and India," it said. Stating that Trump is not aware about the ground realities in South Asia, it said, his "ignorant" conversation with Sharif may send India an "unwelcome message". Meanwhile, a prominent Hindu American group urged Trump to carefully look at the records of Pakistan in particular its fight against terrorism and human rights. "Diplomacy is necessary in dealing with Pakistan, but President-elect Trump and his administration will need to proceed with caution and full awareness of the country's double-dealing track record," Suhag Shukla, executive director of Hindu American Foundation (HAF) said in a statement expressing concern over the readout issued by Pakistan after a telephonic conversation between Trump and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. "If the transcript of the conversation is indeed accurate, we?d urge President-elect Trump to look more carefully at Pakistan's record within its own borders and with its neighbours before offering praise to a state that according to most observers is failing," Shukla said. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kolkata: Its been more than 24 hours now that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is at her Kolkata office, saying she will only go home when the Army pulls out from toll booths across the state. "Is this a military coup?" a furious Mamata asked. The Centre and the Army have said that the soldiers are at the toll booth in a routing vehicle counting exercise. They have also refuted Mamatas allegation that the state government was not informed about the same. The issue also echoed in the parliament on Friday. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that he is shocked and hurt and said it was unfortunate that the Army was being dragged into a controversy. He said it was a routine Army exercise conducted in West Bengal and other states. It was last year conducted in Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. ALSO READ | Army's letters to state govt agencies indicate that they were informed in advance; WB Police issues reply "It is done in different states with the consent of officials," Parrikar said. A united opposition backed Trinamool Congress as it raised the issue in both Houses of parliament. Army at Toll Plazas: Cautious Mamata Banerjee spends night in office, calls it 'military coup' "We need the Army, but the army comes only after the permission of the state. They have come without the permission in West Bengal, this is an attack on the federal structure," said Mayawati of the Bahujan Samaj Party. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kolkata: Trinamool Congress MLAs and ministers staged a protest dharna outside Raj Bhavan in Kolkata on Friday demanding immediate withdrawal of army from toll plazas in the state. TMC legislators and some ministers marched to the Raj Bhavan from state assembly and sat outside carrying placards and posters criticising the Narendra Modi government besides raising slogans like 'Modi haaye haaye'. "We are here to protest against the unconstitutional method adopted by Modi government," TMC chief whip in the assembly Nirmal Ghosh said. Governor KN Tripathi, however, was not present at the Raj Bhavan as he is in Delhi. When contacted, Tripathi told PTI, "I have read about it newspapers. Army has already given a clarification. I have nothing more to say." Asked to comment on party chief Mamata Banerjee's allegation of "army coup" on army presence at toll plazas in several parts of the state, Tripathi said, "It is the chief minister's view. I have nothing more to say." For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kolkata: Urging political parties to refrain from dragging army into politics, senior congress leader Sachin Pilot asked both the TMC government in West Bengal and the BJP government at the Centre not to indulge in petty politics over functioning of the armed forces. "Army should not be dragged into politics. Army fights for the nation, sacrifices their life for the safety and security of our country," Pilot told reporters in Kolkata. "If the army was doing the checking without informing the state, then defence minister should make a statement and if the army has done the checking after informing the state, then the state government should come out clean on why they are making such statements. I would request both TMC and BJP not to drag army into politics," Pilot, a former Union minister, said. The row over Army taking over road toll plazas in West Bengal today echoed in Parliament with TMC seeing "sinister" designs behind the move and the government vehemently denying the charge, saying it was a routine exercise conducted in full knowledge of the local authorities. The issue was raised in both Houses of Parliament with main opposition Congress too seeking clarification on the army deployment at 19 toll plazas in West Bengal. In Lok Sabha, defence minister Manohar Parrikar termed it a "routine exercise not unique to West Bengal" and saying that similar operations to collect information on heavy vehicle movement that can be used during national emergencies was conducted in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee continued to stay put at the state secretariat on Friday protesting against army presence at toll plazas in several places of the state and asked whether it was an "army coup". For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Sydney: A judge in Australia has denied to hear evidence from the wife of an Islamic extremist after she refused to remove the veil of her burqa despite being offered alternative options. Moutia Elzahed, one of the two women married to convicted criminal and Islamic extremist Hamdi Alqudsi, is suing the police alleging they punched her and called her a "bitch"during the Operation Apple by terrorism raids at her Revesbyhome in south-west of the Sydney on September 18, 2014. In what is believed to be an Australian first in a civilcase, that New South Wales (NSW) District Court judge Audrey Balla would not let Elzahed take the stand unless she took off her veil this week, the daily telegraph.com.au reported. Elzahed refused to take off her burqa and she failed toturn up to the fourth day on November 30 of the hearing. Her lawyer Clive Evatt said, for religious reasons, his client could not show her face to any man. Judge Balla gave Elzahed a choice; she could have thecourt closed while she gave evidence or she could giveevidence via video link. But Evatt declined both options on his client's behalf because the mostly male lawyers on both sides would still bein court and would see her face. Dressed in long robes, scarf and veil, Elzahed also refused to stand for Judge Balla when she entered and left thecourt. Elzahed's refusal to take off the veil is a blow to hercase, which relied on her sworn testimony that she was punchedby police during the dawn raid. She is seeking financial compensation for "assault andbattery, wrongful arrest and false imprisonment and intimidation". She is joined in the lawsuit by her husband Hamdi Alqudsiand sons Hamza George, 17, and Abdulla George, 17. Since the raid Alqudsi has been convicted of helpingseven men travel to Syria to fight with Islamist rebels. He isserving a sentence of eight years with a non-parole period ofsix years. Outside of court Elzahed said "it is not fair" that shecould not give evidence. The federal and state governments, acting on behalf of Federal and NSW police, deny all allegations of police brutality, arguing officers used only reasonable force. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The central governments war on black money seems to be yielding fruits. An Ahmedabad based businessman Mahesh Shah has declared nearly Rs. 13,860 crore black money and the I-T department is conducting searches at his home and offices. As per the new rules, Shah will have to deposit Rs. 6,890 as tax and penalty. His CA has said that the IT department will record Shahs statement. The government had announced the income declaration scheme (IDS) and as per that Shah was required to declare his black money by Wednesday. IT Dept doing its job, they will now record Mahesh Shah's statement: Tehmul Sethna, CA of Mahesh Shah (who declared Rs 13,860 crores cash) pic.twitter.com/2zVV39iUYW ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2016 Sources claimed that Shah needed to deposit Rs. 975 crores as tax. Also Read: Mahesh Shah, who went missing after disclosure of Rs 13,860 crore, detained by I-T department However, he forgot about it and thus the IT department conducted its raids. Also Read: Karnataka Police seizes Rs 71 lakh in new Rs 2,000 currency notes, 3 arrested However, shocking revelations have emerged disclosing that Shah was only a pawn in the hand of big shots such as businesmen, politicians and government officers. The IT department noticed that that the black money declared by Shah belonged to many people and Shah received handsome commission for the disclosure. IT Dept officials conduct searches at several places connected to Apaji Amin & Company,who disclosed Rs 13,860 crores cash under IDS Scheme. ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2016 Further, the whole incident occurred under the observation of Shahs CA. FULL COVERAGE: BLACK MONEY CRACKDOWN For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The standoff between West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and the Centre over armys presence at toll booths in the state continued for the second straight day on Friday with the latter now vowing to fight the matter legally. Banerjee, who was camping at the state secretariat to protest the deployment of soldiers at toll plazas, alleged the army is being used for political vendetta. In the evening, the chief minister left the office at around 6.30pm. If government doesn't withdraw army deployed in the state, we will fight legally. I have great respect for the army but why are they being used for political vendetta? This is wrong, ANI quoted Mamata as saying. #WATCH Kolkata: WB CM Mamata Banerjee, who was in her office in state Secretariat since 9 PM y'day monitoring situation, now leaves building pic.twitter.com/aPS13f8x2P ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2016 Read | West Bengal 'coup': Army's letters to state govt agencies indicate that they were informed in advance; WB Police issues reply However, armys eastern command maintained that it is a routine exercise that will continue till midnight on Friday. Army deployment (in West Bengal) won't be called off. Routine exercise will continue till midnight today, Eastern Command CPRO Wing Commander SS Birdi said. Read | TMC MLAs stage dharna at Raj Bhavan demanding withdrawal of soldiers from toll booths For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The Central Industrial Security Forces (CISF) on Friday seized Rs 39.11 crore cash, jewellery worth Rs 40 lakhs, silver worth Rs 7.5 lakhs, 163.572 Kg gold from airports across the country. Post demonetisation move by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8, the CISF has been keeping a vigilant watch across the country. In seperate incident, Karnataka Police seized Rs 71 lakh in new Rs 2,000 currency notes from a car in Bailoor area. The police have arrested three persons in this regard. The matter has been handed over to the income tax department for further investigation. On Thursday, the income tax sleuths had seized more than Rs 4.7 crore in new currency notes after conducting searches in premises of two individuals in Bengaluru. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Friday granted bail to four accused, including two policemen, who were arrested for their alleged involvement in the Dalit flogging incident at Una town of Gir-Somnath district. Those granted bail by Justice A J Desai are Shantibhai Monpara, Nitin Kothari, suspended police inspector of Una Nirmalsinh Zala and sub-inspector Narendradev Pandey. Monpara is the trustee of Sanatan Gau-Seva Trust, while Kothari is associated with the trust and allegedly thrashed the Dalits. During the arguments today, Monpara and Kotharis lawyer Virat Popat pleaded that both of them should be released on bail as the investigations into the case is complete and the charge sheet is also filed in September. The counsel urged the court that both his clients are having a clean track-record and no other offence was lodged against them in the past except this one. He urged the court that there is no meaning of keeping the duo in jail at this juncture. The state government opposed the bail plea of all the four accused, saying that the offence committed by them was of serious nature. Gujarat government also pleaded that the accused may threaten the victims if they are granted bail. 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 skinning a dead cow. Later, four of these Dalit youth were taken to Una town, where they were tied up with a vehicle and allegedly thrashed by the gau rakshaks (cow vigilantes). The matter came to light after a video of flogging, allegedly made by the vigilantes, went viral on social media platforms. Later, the probe was handed over to CID-Crime. In the charge sheet, filed in September, CID has alleged that four policemen attached to Una police station, including Zala and Pandey, misused their position by not acting against the perpetrators. It is alleged that though four Dalits were thrashed for almost 4 to 5 hours by self-proclaimed cow vigilantes, these policemen did nothing to stop the crime. As per the charge sheet, Kothari is accused of beating these youth in Una along with some other cow vigilantes. Monpara is accused of inciting these cow vigilantes and sending them to the village, which resulted in the atrocities on Dalits. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: The bail pleas of 15 suspected ISIS operatives was dismissed by Delhi High Court. These operatives were arrested from different parts of the country by the NIA for allegedly financing and recruiting people to join the dreaded terror group. A bench of Justices Gita Mittal and Anu Malhotra rejected the appeals filed by all the accused against the trial court's order saying they were "devoid of any legal merit". They had approached the high court challenging the trial court's order saying it had dismissed their applications for bail despite the fact that neither the charge sheet was filed against them, nor the period of their detention under judicial custody was extended. Advocate M S Khan, appearing for these accused, had said in the appeal that his clients were entitled to be released on statutory bail by trial court under section 167(2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure as no charge sheet had been filed against them till then. However, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had later filed a chargesheet in the case. The appeals in the high court were filed by arrested accused -- Abu Anas, Mohammed Afzal, Najmul Huda, Suhail Ahmed, Mohd Hussain, Mohammed Aleem, Asif Ali, Syed Mujahid, Imran, Mudabbir Mushtaq Shaikh, Mohd Nafees Khan, Mohd Shareef Moinuddin Khan and Mohammad Obaidulla Khan. They were arrested in January 2016 by NIA which had alleged that they were involved in a larger conspiracy of ISIS, in India and abroad, including recruitment of resident and non-resident Indians. Besides them, two other accused -- Adnan Hassan and Mohd Farhan Shaikh -- were also arrested by NIA in a separate case lodged in January 2016 and they had also moved the high court. The agency had alleged that they were supporters of ISIS and were in touch with active members of the outfit. NIA had earlier alleged that the arrested accused, during interrogation, had admitted to "their involvement in the case regarding recruiting and financing persons willing to join the Caliphate of ISIS at Syria". They were arrested for alleged offences under several sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and IPC. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. DailyFX.com - EUR/USD holds weekly doji low USD/JPY best 4 week rally ever Bond yields rate of change and slope indicate possible ceiling --Subscribe to Jamie Saettele's distribution list in order to receive a free report to your inbox several times a week. --Quarterly charts and comments EUR/USD Weekly Technical Weekly: Dollar and Yields - Too Far Too Fast Chart Prepared by Jamie Saettele, CMT See REAL TIME trader positioning High Frequency Trading Tools -2 weeks ago, it looked like EUR/USD was about to go off of a cliff. Many a cliche would work here; its always darkest before dawn comes to mind. Anyway, a doji formed during Thanksgiving week and EUR/USD held the doji low this week. The combination of EUR/USD at range lows (same place as last year in factEUR/USD closed at 1.0614 on 12/2/2015), the doji, and the proliferation of King USD and Europe is done stories provide a powerful bullish backdrop. As always, define your risk points (read more about traits of successful traders here). -For forecasts and 2016 opportunities, check out the DailyFX Trading Guides. GBP/USD Weekly Technical Weekly: Dollar and Yields - Too Far Too Fast Chart Prepared by Jamie Saettele, CMT See REAL TIME trader positioning -The GBP/USD rally contends with its first major resistance point since the October crash. The levels in question are the July low at 1.2791, August low at 1.2865 and a long term parallel that has cut through some big inflection points over the last 7 years. The 96 month (8 year) cycle low count is still in the back of my mind as well. AUD/USD Weekly Technical Weekly: Dollar and Yields - Too Far Too Fast Chart Prepared by Jamie Saettele, CMT See REAL TIME trader positioning -There is no change to recent comments as AUD/USD has followed through on the bearish outside week. AUD/USD traded to its highest since the week of the April high and closed at its lowest week since mid-October. The bearish outside week isbearish, until further notice. As noted a number of times in recent weeks, a weekly close above .7719 is needed in order to signal a major upside breakout. The action suggests that Aussie is vulnerable. Story continues NZD/USD Weekly Technical Weekly: Dollar and Yields - Too Far Too Fast Chart Prepared by Jamie Saettele, CMT See REAL TIME trader positioning -There is no change to NZD/USD analysis other than noting that the rate is testing the underside of former trendline support. After reversing from the magnetic 1985-1993 trendline, Kiwi carved a bearish outside week which suggested that the interpretation of price action since July as a top, rather than consolidation, would win out. The break under trendline support this week reinforces the idea that NZD/USD is headed lower. In fact, the entire rally from August 2015 may be just a re-test of the long term bear move that began with the double top confirmation in early 2015. USD/JPY Weekly Technical Weekly: Dollar and Yields - Too Far Too Fast Chart Prepared by Jamie Saettele, CMT See REAL TIME trader positioning -USD/JPY has rallied a bit over 10% in 4 weeks. Thats the largest 4 week rally ever. 4 week rallies in excess of 8% occurred in August 1995, March 1999, February 2007, and November 2014. The results after those moves are mixed. The middle 2 instances were near big peaks. The 1995 instance signaled the beginning of a major move higher from what was then the all-time low. The most recent instance was the beginning of the end of the USD/JPY rally from 2011. Price wise, the May high at 111.44 was support this week and that level needs to give in order to indicate even a minor behavior change. The floor from late 2014 through early this year should be monitored for resistance in the mid-115.00s. USD/CAD Weekly Technical Weekly: Dollar and Yields - Too Far Too Fast Chart Prepared by Jamie Saettele, CMT See REAL TIME trader positioning -I wrote in the last update that USD/CAD remains constructive and the next spot on the chart is 1.3800. This weeks drop negates the constructive outlook and brings back the possible bearish wedge (red line is the lower wedge boundary) scenario from the May 2015 high. Weekly RSI turning over at 60 is typical of sideways or downward trends. Also, notice that the rate has turned down from the same price region that price accelerated higher from exactly one year ago. The observation suggests a good deal of vested interest in the price region and therefore potential for an important change to take place. USD/CHF Weekly Technical Weekly: Dollar and Yields - Too Far Too Fast Chart Prepared by Jamie Saettele, CMT See REAL TIME trader positioning -Dont forget about the long term time symmetry described here. The rectangle breakout has materialized. Given probes of a VERY long term parallel beginning in November 2015, this rectangle could end up launching a major behavior change and rally to 1.15 or so (trendline from 1985). A check on the breakout level would result in a dip below parity. Bonus Chart Yield on 30 Yr. U.S. Treasury Bond Weekly Technical Weekly: Dollar and Yields - Too Far Too Fast Chart Prepared by Jamie Saettele, CMT See REAL TIME trader positioning -The 30 year Treasury Bond yield has rallied 44% in 21 weeks (the low was 21 weeks ago and Im using weekly closing prices). This is the same rate of change that was registered in June 2015, which was the most recent peak. The only larger rate of change (since 1981) was the 68% rally after the financial crisis into May 2009. Yield topped 4 weeks later. There is something about a nearly 50% move in 21 weeks; the lowest rate of change recorded was -45% during the financial crisis. That weeks reading was the low. Needless to say, the move in yield is extreme and Im looking for a turn lower. Watch for support in the 2.6s. For more, check out this video. original source DailyFX provides forex news and technical analysis on the trends that influence the global currency markets. Learn forex trading with a free practice account and trading charts from IG. Trump hasnt even taken office yet and hes already saving and creating jobs (BigGovernment.news) White House spokesman Josh Earnest sounded like a petulant child a few days ago when a reporter asked him what President Obama thought about President-elect Donald J. Trumps agreement with Carrier one of the last remaining air conditioner manufacturers in America to keep 1,100 of about 2,000 jobs at its current Indiana plant, rather than move all of the jobs to a new plant in Mexico. Well, Earnest sniffed, good for the Trumpster (and yeah, okay for those whose jobs were saved. But in order to be the man, If he is successful in doing that 804 more times, then he will meet the record of manufacturing jobs created in the United States while President Obama was in office. Earnest then went on to claim that Obama saved the American automobile industry, which was complete BS; Obama essentially used the federal checkbook to buy the auto industry via bailout and then shortchange investors in the process. But we digress. The fact of the matter is, no matter what Earnest says, Trump has already accomplished something Obama never did and never will he managed to keep a campaign promise. And he kept it even before he took office. And whats more, at the Carrier plant yesterday, Trump vowed to repeat his successby lowering the corporate tax rate and cutting red tape and over-regulation. Those promises are in part what led Carrier to abandon a plant it had largely completed south of the border and agree to keep most of its jobs here. Trump has proven, in resounding fashion, that big government doesnt create jobs it inhibits job growth. Only Trump and the folks at Carrier know what was said during their meeting, but company executives would not have made the decision to keep most of the plants Indiana jobs in the U.S. if they werent promised that the federal government would make it worth their while to stay. And the only way that could happen is if Trump made promises already backed by leaders in the GOP-controlled Congress to lower the companys tax and regulatory burdens. Earnest (and Obama) can sniff and snoot all they want; they (and every other #nevertrump politician) still have no idea who theyre dealing with. Trump is not one of them; he doesnt operate off of Washingtons script. They say its not presidential to call up these massive leaders of business, I say its very presidential, and if its not presidential thats okay, said Trump yesterday at Carrier. The American people have obviously tired of careerist politicians like Obama and Hillary Clinton. They dont care what Trump has to do in order to make good on his pledge to Make America Great Again. In fact, they love it that he, as president, has no problem rolling up his sleeves, picking up the phone and calling companies to make a deal to keep jobs in our country. Hes doing exactly what we elected him to do. If you have difficulty imagining Obama or Clinton picking up the phone and calling a major American company in an effort to convince them to stay, thats because they wouldnt. More: 2016 USA Features Media. Submit a correction >> DANBURY - The group raising money for Danbury Mayor Mark Boughtons 2018 gubernatorial run has hired a Georgia fundraiser to lead the effort. Lindsay Jacobs, a former political affairs manager for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and a former deputy finance director for U.S. Sen. David Perdue (R-GA), will be in charge of raising $250,000 in small amounts by December, 2017, when Boughton will decide whether he has enough support to make a third run for the states highest office. The quarter-million-dollar amount is needed to qualify Boughton for millions in public campaign financing for the GOP primary and the general election. In 2014, Boughton bowed out of the race because he lacked the funds. To effectively communicate our message across the state, we are building a strong team at every level, Boughton said in a prepared statement on Friday. Lindsay will be a major part of that infrastructure. Her track record and experience are unparalleled and I am excited to have her onboard. I am humbled and excited to join Mayor Boughton and the Connecticut Comeback Committee, Jacobs said in a prepared statement. During his tenure as mayor, Danbury has not only become Connecticuts safest city, but also its best place to start a business and create jobs. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate No mechanical defects were found in the airplane that crashed into a North Salem, N.Y., reservoir last year, killing two Danbury restaurant owners, according to a report by the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSBs factual report, released late Wednesday, also determined in toxicological tests that both pilot Val Horsa and passenger Taew Robinson were negative for the presence of volatiles or drugs for all of the submitted samples. The report called the defining event in the accident loss of control in flight. The report does not give a definitive reason why the pilot lost control of the plane, which slammed into Titicus Resevoir on Friday, Nov. 20, 2015. The report provides detailed descriptions of what was found in the wreckage about 90 percent of the plane was recovered but it found no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation at the time of the accident. More News NTSB releases preliminary report on plane crash as family... Horsa and Robinson were on their way home from a four-day visit to Mississippi when something went wrong minutes before their planned landing at Danbury Municipal Airport. Horsa and Robinson, both of South Salem, had owned Bangkok Restaurant since 1986, the first Thai restaurant in the state. Robinson, who was born in Thailand, was the restaurants main chef. Now that mechanical explanations have been ruled out, Horsas son, Eric, wondered whether the crash could have been caused by a vortex, a mini-tornado caused when air masses of different temperatures combine. Horsa said a vortex could have flipped the plane suddenly, which would explain the loss of communication with the tower. If it did happen, which is a guess, he couldnt have adjusted it because of that low altitude, Horsa said. He doesnt believe the accident to be experience-related because his father had flown for 30 years. We really dont know, Horsa said. Unfortunately, the only people who do know are no longer here to share their side of the story. The flight The fight departed from Tunica, Miss., after the pilot received a weather briefing on the fight path to Danbury. After topping off the fuel tank at Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport in Parkersburg, W.Va., the plane departed about 1:35 p.m. for Danbury. At 3:39 p.m., the pilot acknowledged the clearance to land at Danbury. About two minutes later, as the controller was preparing to terminate radar services and transfer communications, he noticed the airplane was in a descending right turn away from the airport and asked the pilot if he was established on the approach, the report said. The pilot did not respond. The controller attempted to contact the pilot several more times, but there was no response. The report found that a review of radar data revealed the airplane descended to an altitude of 1,500 feet and reached a ground speed of 160 knots before it began to climb to 2,400 feet on a westerly ground track. During the climb, the airplanes ground speed slowed to 120 knots. Several seconds later, the airplane descended to an altitude of 2,000 feet and a ground speed of 90 knots before the radar data ended. A search for the missing plane was delayed because of poor weather. Airplane debris was found the following day in the Titicus Resevoir about eight miles from Danbury airport. The report said a witness who is a certified pilot saw the plane flying near Danbury airport. She stated the airplane was flying too high and turning in different directions not consistent with an approach to the airport, the report said. The witness, who did not see the plane crash, contacted authorities after learning of the accident. The NTSB report listed the time of the crash at 3:44 p.m. The crash The airplane, a 1971 Beech F33A, impacted the Titicus reservoir and fragmented into several sections, the report said. Sections of the plane were dispersed over several hundred yards in cold and murky water. About 90 percent of the wreckage was recovered. All major flight control surfaces were accounted for and there was no evidence of an in-flight break-up or in-flight fire, the report said. An examination of the planes engine, propeller and fuel pump, found no anomalies. Eric Horsa said he cant believe its already been a year since the crash. In that time, he and his wife have taken over the restaurant his parents owned and operated for 30 years. He said the accident has taught him to give those he loves an extra hug and not take them for granted. You should spend the extra time with them if you can because you might not have tomorrow, he said. NEWTOWN - The mother of a boy who was slain in the Sandy Hook massacre appeared on Good Morning America Friday to launch a public service announcement about recognizing the warning signs of a youth in danger of committing harm. Nicole Hockley, whose son was among the 26 first-graders and educators slain by a troubled 20-year-old gunman at Sandy Hook School in 2012, told Good Morning America host George Stephanopoulos that the two-and-a-half minute public service announcement is meant to help people recognize red flag behavior that is easy to miss. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate WESTPORT After a series of efforts to contact a missing two-year-old boys relatives, police received a tip from an attorney representing the childs family that led them to find the child. Detectives located Messiah Frazier safe at a relatives home in New York City around 2:30 p.m. Dec. 2, after he had been last seen between 2 and 3 p.m. in Norwalk the day before. He was safe and healthy and transported to the Department of Children and Families custody in Connecticut. A family member reported Messiah missing from a Westport address Dec. 1, Lt. David Farrell said. The childs grandmother, who had custody of the two-year-old, died that day of natural causes. She lived at the address from which the boy was reported missing, Farrell said, and there was no paperwork or direction for anyone other than the grandmother to have custody of the child. Police said the department will continue to investigate the boys uncle, Danny Frazier, who was last seen with Messiah at a barber shop in Norwalk. Police say Frazier reportedly left the child unsupervised while he went to check cashing and cell phone stores and a bank in the area. Police have yet to speak with or confirm information with Frazier, but he is currently the primary person of interest in the incident and detectives are looking into potential charges, Farrell said. Due to the death in the family, police are allowing time before they will eventually request Frazier go in for an interview. The departments priority had been ensuring Messiahs safe return, Farrell added. Westport Police were working with the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Norwalk Police to find the toddler. A Silver Alert was issued late Dec. 1. The child had been brought to Manhattan and dropped off at a female relatives home, Farrell said. Police were afraid that the boy could be in danger because of a medical condition. According to police, the child is non-verbal. Lweiss@hearstmediact.com; @LauraEWeiss16 More than 7,000 people have been killed and nearly 37,000 wounded since Yemen's conflict escalated since a Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened militarily in March last year (AFP Photo/Ahmad Al-Basha) (AFP/File) Aden (AFP) - The UN envoy to Yemen and President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi met Thursday in the southern city of Aden to discuss a new bid to end the country's conflict, a government official said. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, who flew in from Riyadh, held several hours of talks with Hadi at the hilltop Al-Maashiq palace, where members of his government are also staying, before leaving Aden, the official said. The UN envoy, after meeting Hadi in Aden for the first time, said the visit was a "message of respect" for the president, in videotaped comments sent to reporters. The aim of his mission was to "return to dialogue and a peaceful solution", Ould Cheikh Ahmed said, reporting "much positivity" from Hadi. Aden has been serving as Yemen's temporary capital since pro-Hadi forces with support from a Saudi-led Arab coalition recaptured it from Iran-backed Shiite Huthi rebels last year. Hadi, who has been based mostly in Riyadh since Yemen's conflict broke out, flew to Aden last Saturday. The government-run sabanew.net website said Hadi handed the envoy a letter reiterating the governments rejection of a roadmap presented by Ould Cheikh Ahmed in October, which would see the president eased out of power. The contents of the peace roadmap have not been made public. But informed sources say it calls for agreement on naming a new vice president after the rebels withdraw from the capital Sanaa and other cities and hand over heavy weapons to a third party. Hadi would then transfer power to the vice president who would appoint a new prime minister to form a government in which the north and south of Yemen would have equal representation. Late last month, Ould Cheikh Ahmed said he has been preparing "for a new round" of peace talks, after a previous round held in Kuwait collapsed in August. More than 7,000 people have been killed and nearly 37,000 wounded since Yemen's conflict escalated after the Saudi-led military coalition intervened in March 2015 to support Hadi. Story continues On a separate front, Aden has been the target of frequent jihadist attacks claimed by Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State group which have expanded in Yemen's south and east. On Thursday, three Al-Qaeda suspects, including a local leader named Abu Jeni al-Suairi, were killed in an apparent US drone strike on their vehicle in the eastern province of Hadramawt, security officials said. In Shabwa province, further south, suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen shot dead a retired intelligence officer, Colonel Salem Yusr, as he was left a local market, they said. Washington regards Al-Qaeda's Yemen-based branch as its most dangerous, and it has kept up a long-running drone war targeting its commanders. Thank you for choosing me to continue serving as your state senator. I am deeply grateful for the continued opportunity to represent you in Hartford. It is an honor and a privilege that I do not take lightly. I ran for office because I wanted to make a positive difference in peoples lives. I am committed to reflecting the values, beliefs and aspirations of the people in our region. We may not see eye to eye on every issue, but I assure you that I will work tirelessly on our communitys behalf to create a more prosperous future for the state of Connecticut. Nepali parliament disrupted over constitution amendment proposal Nepal,Immigration/Law/Rights,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Politics, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Kathmandu, Dec 2 (IANS) The opposition parties in the Nepali parliament have been disrupting proceedings in protest against the proposed amendments in the Constitution tabled earlier this week. The protests by the opposition Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxists-Leninists), Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist), Rashtriya Janamorcha Party Nepal and Nepal Workers Peasants' Party follow the tabling by the government of the constitution amendment proposal on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported. The tabling of the constitution amendment proposal seeks to meet the demands of agitating Madhesis and other ethnic groups whose protests last year left more than 50 people dead. CPN (UML) Vice Chairman Bamdev Gautam on Thursday described the amendment as anti-national and said his party will not allow the House business to proceed. "The government has brought in the constitution amendment proposal to split the hill region from the Terai which is not acceptable to us," Gautam said. Anti-government protests have spread in various parts of the Himalayan nation against the proposal. Meanwhile, Madhes-based parties, agitating under the banner of the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF), have refused to back the proposal saying it was not acceptable in its current form, in a blow to the ongoing efforts of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" to achieve reconciliation with groups agitating over the national charter. The government's amendment proposal seeks to carve out a new state in the western region of Nepal to meet the demands of the ethnic Madhesi community. The government requires a two-thirds majority in parliament to secure passage of the proposal. Nepal introduced the new constitution on September 20 last year after it became secular republic in 2008 with the overthrow of the 240-year-old Shah monarchy. --IANS py/dg 23 civilians killed by militants in Afghanistan Israel,Indo-Pak/Pakistan,Defence/Security,Terrorism, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS Kabul, Dec 2 (IANS) At least 23 Afghan civilians were killed by militants during clashes in the country's Kandahar province within two days, a police official said on Friday. "Hundreds of militants stormed remote Nash district in an effort to capture its control but the security forces repelled the attackers, leaving 29 militants dead," Xinhua news agency quoted the official as saying. He said six police personnel were also killed and four policemen wounded during the clashes. "The Taliban sneaked into several houses in villages across the district and killed 23 civilians in retaliatory attacks," he said. "A cleanup operation continues in the district," he added. The province is notorious for poppy growing and militancy. The Taliban militants have escalated attacks and have been on the rampage since April when they launched an annual rebel offensive in different places in Afghanistan, killing and injuring hundreds. More than 2,560 civilians were killed and over 5,830 injured in the first nine months of the year in conflict-related incidents across Afghanistan, according to the latest figures released by the UN mission in the country. Ground engagements remained the largest cause of civilian casualties, followed by suicide attacks and improvised explosive device explosions. --IANS py/vt UN apologises to Haiti for cholera epidemic United States,Health/Medicine,Diplomacy, Fri, 02 Dec 2016 IANS United Nations, Dec 2 (IANS) The UN formally apologized to Haiti for its role in the country's cholera epidemic after refusing to admit its responsibility up until this year. "On behalf of the United Nations, I want to say very clearly: we apologize to the Haitian people. We simply did not do enough with regard to the cholera outbreak and its spread in Haiti. We are profoundly sorry for our role," Efe news agency quoted UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as saying on Thursday. Speaking at the General Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York, went on to say that eliminating cholera from Haiti and living up to our moral responsibility to those who have been most directly affected, will require commitment of the international community and the resources necessary. Ban will end his tenure as UN chief at the end of December. The cholera epidemic in the impoverished Caribbean nation has killed more than 9,000 people since 2010. According to experts, it originated when human waste was dumped into a local river by UN peacekeepers from Nepal. For years, the international body has resisted admitting its role in the epidemic, while victims' groups have tried to secure compensation from the organisation in the courts. --IANS vgu/ TORONTO, Dec. 2, 2016 /CNW/ - Since the launch of R.I.D.E. on November 24th, we have seen the OPP lay over 100 impaired driving charges and two high profile tragedies on our roads. With the first weekend of December here and many picking up adult beverages for office holiday parties, family get-togethers and other celebrations this season, arrive alive DRIVE SOBER & R.I.D.E. are hosting a Holiday Pre-Party at two The Beer Store locations on Saturday, December 3rd to remind everyone to plan ahead and drive sober. arrive alive DRIVE SOBER's Holiday Pre-Parties will encourage The Beer Store customers to plan a safe ride home for themselves and their guests; arrive alive DRIVE SOBER will use home-hosting kits, quizzes, giveaways and contest to share their message. On Saturday from 10:30am until 2:30pm volunteers will interact with customers at two The Beer Store locations including the Stockyard Beer Store (2153 St. Clair Ave West) and the Etobicoke Beer Store (3560 Lakeshore BLVD W). A final note from arrive alive DRIVE SOBER Executive Director Anne Leonard "It is important to remember that if you if you drink a lot and stay up late, you can still be over the limit the next day. Plan ahead to have a safe and happy holiday season". http://www.arrivealive.org/happyholidays/ Arrive alive DRIVE SOBER is a registered charity (registered as Ontario Community Council on Impaired Driving) #88075 5939 RR0001 operating since 1989. We host the arrive alive DRIVE SOBER campaign. We do not telemarket, we do not use professional fundraisers. SOURCE arrive alive DRIVE SOBER Image with caption: "arrive alive DRIVE SOBER (CNW Group/arrive alive DRIVE SOBER)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161202_C4661_PHOTO_EN_830366.jpg For further information: Anne Leonard, 647-529-6440 MONTREAL, Dec. 2, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - Merck Canada Inc., Alberta Health Services and Alberta Innovates Announce Program to Address Aboriginal Maternal Mortality Merck Canada Inc., Alberta Health Services and Alberta Innovates are launching a program entitled Innovation to Improve Access and Care Quality for Aboriginal Women in Alberta to address maternal health needs in the indigenous communities of Alberta. With the help of a $1 million grant from Merck Canada Inc., through the Merck for Mothers program, and a $300,000 grant from Alberta Innovates, Alberta Health Services (AHS) and Merck will develop a collaborative initiative aimed at improving access and quality of care for aboriginal mothers in Maskwacis, Little Red River Cree Nation and inner-city Edmonton. (Top row, from left to right): Mr. Don Iveson, Mayor of Edmonton; Mr. Randy Littlechild, Executive Director, Maskwacis Health Centre; Dr. Naveen Rao, Lead, Merck for Mothers; Mr. Wayne Burnstick, Elder; Mr. Chirfi Guindo, President and Managing Director, Merck Canada Inc.; and Mr. Jason Krips, Deputy Minister, Alberta Ministry of Economic Development and Trade. (Bottom row, from left to right): Dr. Pamela Valentine, Transition Chief Executive Officer, Alberta Innovates; Ms. Cecilia Blasetti, Executive Director, Boyle McCauley Health Centre and Pregnancy Pathways; and Dr. Verna Yiu, President and CEO, Alberta Health Services. SOURCE Merck Canada Inc. Image with caption: "Merck Canada Inc., Alberta Health Services and Alberta Innovates Announce Program to Address Aboriginal Maternal Mortality Merck Canada Inc., Alberta Health Services and Alberta Innovates are launching a program entitled Innovation to Improve Access and Care Quality for Aboriginal Women in Alberta to address maternal health needs in the indigenous communities of Alberta. With the help of a $1 million grant from Merck Canada Inc., through the Merck for Mothers program, and a $300,000 grant from Alberta Innovates, Alberta Health Services (AHS) and Merck will develop a collaborative initiative aimed at improving access and quality of care for aboriginal mothers in Maskwacis, Little Red River Cree Nation and inner-city Edmonton. (Top row, from left to right): Mr. Don Iveson, Mayor of Edmonton; Mr. Randy Littlechild, Executive Director, Maskwacis Health Centre; Dr. Naveen Rao, Lead, Merck for Mothers; Mr. Wayne Burnstick, Elder; Mr. Chirfi Guindo, President and Managing Director, Merck Canada Inc.; and Mr. Jason Krips, Deputy Minister, Alberta Ministry of Economic Development and Trade. (Bottom row, from left to right): Dr. Pamela Valentine, Transition Chief Executive Officer, Alberta Innovates; Ms. Cecilia Blasetti, Executive Director, Boyle McCauley Health Centre and Pregnancy Pathways; and Dr. Verna Yiu, President and CEO, Alberta Health Services. (CNW Group/Merck Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161202_C3320_PHOTO_EN_830620.jpg For further information: Ani Armenian, Merck Canada Inc., 438-862-2794 In a bold but not unexpected move, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (or OPEC) agreed on Wednesday to reduce production starting next month. Seen as a desperate bid to break a fall in oil prices, the group led by Saudi Arabia promised to take 1.2 million barrels a day out of the market. Now, the time has come for U.S shale players to outpace OPEC in the rat race for production share. With the cartels output sacrifice, the U.S energy companies are expected to take advantage of higher oil prices in the coming days by producing more oil. OPECs Production Cut This is the first time since 2008 that OPEC has signed a deal to cut oil production. This is arguably the most crucial move in the energy sector this year to restore crude prices and oil has started shining again. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude witnessed a more than 8% improvement to settle at $49.44 per barrel yesterday. Per the accord, OPEC will lower its production by 1.2 million barrels per day (MMB/D) to 32.5 MMB/D effective Jan 1, 2017 from 33.6 MMB/D. Notably, the production cut almost 1% of worldwide output is much more than what was projected by most analysts. Saudi Arabia has shouldered most of the output cut. It will lower production by about 486,000 barrels per day. Iraq agreed to cut 210,000 barrels per day, which marks the second-highest reduction. Investors should also know that non-OPEC players, including Russia, have shown willingness to cut production by 600,000 barrels per day. Of the total amount, Russia the major oil producing player alone will contribute 300,000 barrels to output cut. Road Clear for U.S Shale Players? Now, if the cartel is successful in enforcing the cut, U.S. shale producers will increase their market share by producing more oil at the expense of OPEC. In other words, U.S. frackers will capitalize on higher oil prices in response to the cut. Story continues However, there is a saying, Nothing Happens Overnight. Definitely oil price is shining again. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude has again crossed $50 per barrel mark and closed at $51.06 yesterday. But that improvement on the crude front could not get translated into an immediate ramp up in production for the U.S shale players. It will take some time. Why? Huge Debt Burden: The first and foremost reason is that shale players are laden with huge debt after they got hit by persistently weak oil prices. The companies so long carried on their operations simply by borrowing and also by selling many prospective assets that could hurt future production. Hence, after selling oil at higher prices, the companies will first pay their outstanding debt. Moreover, before rushing to produce new oil, shale players will rather complete drilled wells that were left incomplete during the downtime. Availability of Skilled Workers: Moreover, it will really be difficult to get skilled workers now as most of them have engaged themselves in some other jobs after being laid off. On top of that, many rigs were retired during the downtime. Most importantly, the higher numbers of rigs recently are being utilized to replace other declining rigs and also for holding leases. Oil Should Reach $60: Lastly, according to some analysts, for energy majors to rush to the oil patch, oil needs to improve further. According to Jason Wangler perInvestors Business Daily, managing director of investment banking at Wunderlich Securities, crude needs to reach $60 per barrel for oil patch to see enough producers. 5 Shale Players to Watch Although it is not possible for shale players to immediately return to oil plays, the road seems clear for the long run. In fact, Jason Wangler added that there might be 20% to 25% more capital spending for the shale players during 2017 from 2016 following the improvement in crude. We have employed our proprietary stock screening model to find out U.S shale companies that are worth watching. Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation COG based in Houston, TX, is an independent oil and gas exploration company with producing properties mainly in the continental U.S. Cabot focuses on high-impact natural gas-focused drilling in the Marcellus Shale and supplements it with an Eagle Ford-based liquids program in Texas. Over the last one month, the company significantly outperformed the S&P 500 Composite Market (SP5M). Cabot gained almost 14% while the SP5M increased only 5% during the aforesaid period. Cabot carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). For 2016, the company improved its projected capital spending to $380 million from $345 million. This improved spending will likely get converted to higher output that may further lead to increased cash flows for shareholders. Based in Fort Worth, TX, Range Resources Corp. RRC is an independent oil and gas company engaged in the exploration, development and acquisition of oil and gas properties primarily in the southwestern, Appalachian and Gulf Coast regions of the United States. Over the last one month, the company significantly outperformed SP5M. Range Resources gained almost 15% while the SP5M increased only 5% during the aforesaid period. For the current year, the company which carries a Zacks Rank #3 is projected to witness year-over-year earnings growth of 55.4%. San Ramon, CA-based Chevron Corp. CVX is one of the largest publicly traded oil and gas companies in the world, based on proved reserves. The company holds roughly 600,000 net acres of land in the Marcellus Shale. Chevron gained almost 8% while the SP5M increased only 5% during the aforesaid period. The company with a Zacks Rank #3 has a good record of increasing dividend even during the downtime. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Oklahoma-based Chesapeake Energy Corp. CHK is an independent oil and gas company engaged in the acquisition, development, and production of onshore U.S. natural gas resources. The company is one of the largest producers of oil and natural gas liquids in the U.S. It has stakes in liquids-rich plays like Eagle Ford Shale, and Utica Shale. The company with a Zacks Rank #3 has managed to beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters, with an average positive surprise of 71.1%. Chesapeake gained almost 31% while the SP5M increased only 5% during the aforesaid period. Houston, TX-based EOG Resources Inc. EOG is a major independent oil and gas exploration and production company, with operations in the U.S., Canada, offshore Trinidad, the U.K., China, Canada and select other international areas. The company has prospective resources in Eagle Ford and Barnett Shale plays among others. EOG Resources gained almost 14% while the SP5M increased only 5% during the aforesaid period. This Zacks Rank #3 company also managed to beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters, with an average positive surprise of 4.1%. Zacks' Best Investment Ideas for Long-Term Profit Today you can gain access to long-term trades with double and triple-digit profit potential rarely available to the public. Starting now, you can look inside our stocks under $10, home run and value stock portfolios, plus more. Want a peek at this private information? Click here >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report CHEVRON CORP (CVX): Free Stock Analysis Report RANGE RESOURCES (RRC): Free Stock Analysis Report CHESAPEAKE ENGY (CHK): Free Stock Analysis Report CABOT OIL & GAS (COG): Free Stock Analysis Report EOG RES INC (EOG): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research TORONTO, Dec. 2, 2016 /CNW/ - Mortgage Professionals Canada, the national voice for Canada's mortgage industry, is disappointed with the announcement of December 1, 2016, that National Bank will withdraw its brand from the mortgage broker channel in Canada. In its statement, National Bank states it will, however, continue to fund mortgages through Paradigm Quest. "The timing of this announcement is very unfortunate, especially given that the new federal changes to mortgage insurance and eligibility are just coming into force," said Paul Taylor, President and CEO. "The impact of these changes on the market place are still being determined, but in times of increased uncertainty and technical changes of this nature, consumers will be more inclined to seek the expert advise they will receive when working with a mortgage broker." Mortgage Professionals Canada believes now more than ever, the mortgage broker channel is poised to grow so the withdrawal by National Bank is an ill-timed move. The continued funding of broker originated loans through Paradigm Quest Inc. is good news, however, National Bank will miss out on their branding value in the market. Additionally, National Bank offered some specific products through brokers that will discontinue. As an association whose members promote choice to Canadian consumers, the reduction of available options always has an impact on overall competition. That said, our members are innovative, resilient and are always working in the best interest of the Canadian mortgage consumer. It is this focus that will ensure the broker channel remains strong, vibrant and competitive long into the future. SOURCE Mortgage Professionals Canada For further information: For interviews with Paul Taylor, please contact: Jeri Brown, Media Profile, [email protected], 416-342-1842 International partnership bringing species at risk back from brink of extinction FORT SMITH, NT, Dec. 2nd, 2016 /CNW/ - Parks Canada manages one of the finest and most extensive systems of protected natural and cultural heritage areas in the world, and is a recognized world leader in conservation. The 2016 nesting survey from the Wood Buffalo-Aransas flock showed that 45 new whooping crane chicks were born in Wood Buffalo National Park during the 2016 breeding season, the third highest number of chicks on record. One nesting pair even raised a family of twins, an uncommon occurrence for whooping cranes. Since its inception, this international partnership has witnessed the Wood Buffalo-Aransas flock grow from only 48 birds, to 329 in 2016. Today, the cranes are healthy and reproducing at a reassuring rate. Parks Canada and its partners, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), are celebrating 50 years of whooping crane conservation at Wood Buffalo National Park. This international conservation partnership began in 1966 when the fragile state of the world's last whooping crane flock brought Canadian and American partners together to share their knowledge and work on joint species recovery efforts. This example of successful international stewardship is a model for cooperation amongst conservation groups in the preservation of endangered species that cross international borders. Today, the International Whooping Crane Recovery Team oversees the cranes' recovery. This group, made up of national, provincial, territorial, and state wildlife authorities and non-government organizations, works to preserve the ecological integrity of crane habitat, identify potential threats to the cranes, and foster research that builds a greater understanding of the species. Quote "The Government of Canada is committed to preserving our national parks and contributing to the recovery of species-at-risk. There is much to celebrate in the progress that has been made over the past 50 years in the recovery of this beautiful and iconic bird and I am very proud Canada's role in this international conservation effort. I applaud Parks Canada and its partners, both domestically and in the US, for their on-going efforts to save this species-at-risk." Catherine McKenna Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada Quick Facts Whooping cranes are North America's tallest bird species. They nest and fledge in Wood Buffalo National Park in the spring and winter in the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas . They travel 5500 kilometres between their summer and winter habitats. tallest bird species. They nest and fledge in Wood Buffalo National Park in the spring and winter in the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in . They travel 5500 kilometres between their summer and winter habitats. Wood Buffalo National Park was established in 1922 to protect the last remaining herds of wood bison in northern Canada . Today, it protects an outstanding and representative example of Canada's Northern Boreal Plains. Situated on the boundary of northeastern Alberta and the southern Northwest Territories , it is the largest national park in Canada . Associated Links Species at Risk - Whooping Crane Nature Canada - Species Spotlight: Whooping Cranes Wood Buffalo National Park http://www.twitter.com/parkscanada SOURCE Parks Canada Image with caption: "A photo from the 2016 whooping crane chick survey in Wood Buffalo National Park shows crane parents with their twin chicks. Raising twins is uncommon for whooping cranes, who usually lay two eggs but raise only one chick. (CNW Group/Parks Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161202_C3091_PHOTO_EN_830630.jpg For further information: Media Relations, Parks Canada Agency, 855-862-1812, [email protected] MONTREAL, Dec. 1, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - Three months ended October 29, 2016 Sales for the three months ended October 29, 2016 were $245.6 million as compared with $240.3 million for the three months ended October 31, 2015, an increase of 2.2%, despite a net reduction of 81 stores as the Company reduced the number of stores to optimize performance in select markets. Same store sales1 increased 7.1% with stores increasing 4.7% and e-commerce increasing 40.1% as the Company continues to experience strong growth in its e-commerce channel. The Company's gross margin for the three months ended October 29, 2016 was 57.0% as compared to 57.4% for the three months ended October 31, 2015. Gross profit for the three months ended October 29, 2016 increased $1.9 million or 1.4% to $139.9 million as compared with $138.0 million for three months ended October 31, 2015 despite a negative foreign exchange impact of approximately $4.6 million. Results from operating activities for the three months ended October 29, 2016 were $6.5 million as compared with $3.0 million for the three months ended October 31, 2015, an increase of $3.5 million. Net earnings increased $7.9 million for the three months ended October 29, 2016 to $7.6 million ($0.12 basic and diluted earnings per share) as compared with a net loss of $0.3 million ($0.00 basic and diluted loss per share) for the three months ended October 31, 2015. Adjusted EBITDA1 for the three months ended October 29, 2016 was $18.4 million as compared with $15.3 million for the three months ended October 31, 2015, an increase of $3.1 million. The increase in adjusted EBITDA was primarily attributable to improvements in gross profit and reduced store operating costs. Nine months ended October 29, 2016 Sales for the nine months ended October 29, 2016 were $703.5 million as compared with $695.0 million for the nine months ended October 31, 2015, an increase of 1.2%, despite a net reduction of 81 stores as the Company reduced the number of stores to optimize performance in select markets. Same store sales1 increased 7.5% with stores increasing 5.0% and e-commerce increasing 48.3% as the Company continues to experience strong growth in its e-commerce channel. The Company's gross margin for the nine months ended October 29, 2016 decreased to 56.4% from 57.2% for the nine months ended October 31, 2015. Gross profit for the nine months ended October 29, 2016 decreased $0.7 million or 0.2% to $396.6 million as compared with $397.3 million for the nine months ended October 31, 2015 including a negative foreign exchange impact of approximately $10.1 million. Net earnings increased $18.8 million for the nine months ended October 29, 2016 to $10.6 million ($0.17 basic and diluted earnings per share) as compared with an $8.2 million loss ($0.13 basic and diluted loss per share) for the nine months ended October 31, 2015. Adjusted EBITDA1 for the nine months ended October 29, 2016 was $37.2 million as compared with $34.9 million for the nine months ended October 31, 2015, an increase of $2.3 million. The increase in adjusted EBITDA was primarily attributable to reduced store operating costs. Dividends At the Board of Directors meeting held on December 1, 2016, a quarterly cash dividend (constituting eligible dividends) of $0.05 per share on all outstanding Class A non-voting and Common shares of the Company was declared, payable January 26, 2017 to shareholders of record on January 16, 2017. Sales for the four weeks ended November 26, 2016 Sales for the month of November (the four weeks ended November 26, 2016) increased 0.4% with same store sales1 increasing 5.1%, stores increasing 1.4% and e-commerce increasing 47.0%. At November 26, 2016, the Company operated 694 stores as compared to 773 stores at November 28, 2015, a net reduction of 79 stores. About Reitmans (Canada) Limited The Company is a leading ladieswear specialty apparel retailer with retail outlets throughout Canada. The Company operates 694 stores consisting of 302 Reitmans, 127 Penningtons, 98 Addition Elle, 84 RW & CO., 64 Thyme Maternity and 19 Hyba. 1 Non-GAAP Financial Measures The Company has identified several key operating performance measures and non-GAAP financial measures which management believes are useful in assessing the performance of the Company; however, readers are cautioned that some of these measures may not have standardized meanings under IFRS and, therefore, may not be comparable to similar terms used by other companies. In addition to discussing earnings in accordance with IFRS, this press announcement provides adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("adjusted EBITDA") as a non-GAAP financial measure. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net earnings before income tax expense, other income, dividend income, interest income, net change in fair value of marketable securities, interest expense, impairment of goodwill, depreciation, amortization and net impairment losses. The following table reconciles the most comparable GAAP measure, net earnings or loss, to adjusted EBITDA. Management believes that adjusted EBITDA is an important indicator of the Company's ability to generate liquidity through operating cash flow to fund working capital needs and fund capital expenditures and uses the metric for this purpose. The exclusion of dividend, interest income and net change in fair value of marketable securities eliminates the impact on earnings derived from non-operational activities. The exclusion of depreciation, amortization and impairment charges eliminates the non-cash impact. The intent of adjusted EBITDA is to provide additional useful information to investors and analysts and the measure does not have any standardized meaning under IFRS. Although depreciation, amortization and impairment charges are non-cash changes, the assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced in the future, adjusted EBITDA does not reflect any cash requirements for such replacements. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as discretionary cash available to invest in the growth of the business and as a measure of cash that will be available to meet the Company's obligations. Adjusted EBITDA should therefore not be considered in isolation or used in substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. Other companies may calculate adjusted EBITDA differently. From time to time, the Company may exclude additional items if it believes doing so would result in a more effective analysis of underlying operating performance. The exclusion of certain items does not imply that they are non-recurring. The Company uses a key performance indicator ("KPI"), same store sales, to assess store performance (including each banner's e-commerce store) and sales growth. Same store sales are defined as sales generated by stores that have been continuously open during both of the periods being compared and include e-commerce sales. The same store sales metric compares the same calendar days for each period. Although this KPI is expressed as a ratio, it is a non-GAAP financial measure that does not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures used by other companies. Management uses same store sales in evaluating the performance of stores and considers it useful in helping to determine what portion of new sales has come from sales growth and what portion can be attributed to the opening of new stores. Same store sales is a measure widely used amongst retailers and is considered useful information for both investors and analysts. Same store sales should therefore not be considered in isolation or used in substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. The following table reconciles net earnings (loss) to adjusted EBITDA for the three and nine months ended October 29, 2016 and October 31, 2015: (in millions of Canadian dollars) (unaudited) For the three months ended For the nine months ended October 29, 2016 October 31, 2015 October 29, 2016 October 31, 2015 Net earnings (loss) $ 7.6 $ (0.3) $ 10.6 $ (8.2) Depreciation, amortization and net impairment losses 11.2 11.6 32.3 35.7 Dividend income (0.6) (0.6) (1.9) (1.9) Interest income (0.2) (0.1) (0.5) (0.4) Net change in fair value of marketable securities (0.5) 4.3 (4.1) 10.7 Interest expense - 0.1 0.1 0.2 Income tax expense (recovery) 0.9 0.3 0.7 (1.2) ADJUSTED EBITDA $ 18.4 $ 15.3 $ 37.2 $ 34.9 ADJUSTED EBITDA as % of Sales 7.5% 6.4% 5.3% 5.0% Forward-Looking Statements All of the statements contained herein, other than statements of fact that are independently verifiable at the date hereof, are forward-looking statements. Such statements, based as they are on the current expectations of management, inherently involve numerous risks and uncertainties, known and unknown, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Consequently, actual future results may differ materially from the anticipated results expressed in forward-looking statements, which reflect the Company's expectations only as of the date of this Press Announcement. Forward-looking statements are based upon the Company's current estimates, beliefs and assumptions, which are based on management's perception of historical trends, current conditions and currently expected future developments, as well as other factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances. This Press Announcement, for the Company contains forward-looking statements about the Company's objectives, plans, goals, aspirations, strategies, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, performance, prospects, opportunities and legal and regulatory matters. Specific forward-looking statements in this Press Announcement include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Company's anticipated future results and events, future liquidity, planned capital expenditures, amount of pension plan contributions, status and impact of systems implementation, the ability of the Company to successfully implement its strategic initiatives and cost reduction and productivity improvement initiatives as well as the impact of such initiatives. These specific forward-looking statements are contained throughout the Company's MD&A including those listed in the "Operating and Financial Risk Management" section of the Company's MD&A. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as "expect", "anticipate", "believe", "foresee", "could", "estimate", "goal", "intend", "plan", "seek", "strive", "will", "may" and "should" and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company and its management. Numerous risks and uncertainties could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed, implied or projected in the forward-looking statements. Please refer to the "Forward-Looking Statements" section of the Company's Management Discussion & Analysis for the three and nine months ended October 29, 2016. Other risks and uncertainties not presently known to the Company or that the Company presently believes are not material could also cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed in its forward-looking statements. Additional risks and uncertainties are discussed in the Company's materials filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities from time to time. The reader should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements included herein. These statements speak only as of the date made and the Company is under no obligation and disavows any intention to update or revise such statements as a result of any event, circumstances or otherwise, except to the extent required under applicable securities law. The Company's complete financial statements including notes and Management's Discussion and Analysis for the three and nine months ended October 29, 2016 are available online at www.sedar.com . Montreal, December 1, 2016 Jeremy H. Reitman Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Telephone: (514) 385-2630 Corporate Website: www.reitmanscanadalimited.com REITMANS (CANADA) LIMITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS (Unaudited) (in thousands of Canadian dollars except per share amounts) For the three months ended For the nine months ended October 29, 2016 October 31, 2015 October 29, 2016 October 31, 2015 Sales $ 245,604 $ 240,270 $ 703,538 $ 694,999 Cost of goods sold 105,687 102,236 306,977 297,707 Gross profit 139,917 138,034 396,561 397,292 Selling and distribution expenses 122,730 123,927 357,627 367,985 Administrative expenses 10,663 11,110 32,434 33,791 Results from operating activities 6,524 2,997 6,500 (4,484) Finance income 2,033 1,426 6,474 6,072 Finance costs 39 4,401 1,679 10,974 Earnings (loss) before income taxes 8,518 22 11,295 (9,386) Income tax expense (recovery) 903 291 691 (1,224) Net earnings (loss) $ 7,615 $ (269) $ 10,604 $ (8,162) Earnings (loss) per share : Basic $ 0.12 $ 0.00 $ 0.17 $ (0.13) Diluted 0.12 0.00 0.17 (0.13) REITMANS (CANADA) LIMITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (Unaudited) (in thousands of Canadian dollars) For the three months ended For the nine months ended October 29, 2016 October 31, 2015 October 29, 2016 October 31, 2015 Net earnings (loss) $ 7,615 $ (269) $ 10,604 $ (8,162) Other comprehensive income (loss) Items that are or may be reclassified subsequently to net earnings (loss): Cash flow hedges (net of tax of $2,599 for the three months and $2,340 for the nine months ended October 29, 2016; $2,228 for the three months and $905 for the nine months ended October 31, 2015) 7,103 (6,125) (6,397) (2,486) Foreign currency translation differences (146) - 113 (119) Total other comprehensive income (loss) 6,957 (6,125) (6,284) (2,605) Total comprehensive income (loss) $ 14,572 $ (6,394) $ 4,320 $ (10,767) REITMANS (CANADA) LIMITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited) (in thousands of Canadian dollars) October 29, 2016 October 31, 2015 January 30, 2016 ASSETS CURRENT ASSETS Cash and cash equivalents $ 101,794 $ 97,192 $ 118,595 Marketable securities 49,270 50,597 45,189 Trade and other receivables 6,048 5,107 4,103 Derivative financial asset 3,267 6,439 14,405 Income taxes recoverable 868 1,134 3,301 Inventories 167,672 142,617 124,848 Prepaid expenses 7,433 9,956 8,921 Total Current Assets 336,352 313,042 319,362 NON-CURRENT ASSETS Property and equipment 126,602 138,128 134,363 Intangible assets 23,363 23,575 24,347 Goodwill 38,183 42,426 38,183 Deferred income taxes 27,859 29,508 25,828 Total Non-Current Assets 216,007 233,637 222,721 TOTAL ASSETS $ 552,359 $ 546,679 $ 542,083 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY CURRENT LIABILITIES Trade and other payables $ 120,847 $ 92,167 $ 98,135 Derivative financial liability 3,678 616 1,816 Deferred revenue 12,705 11,277 19,325 Current portion of long-term debt 1,988 1,867 1,896 Total Current Liabilities 139,218 105,927 121,172 NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES Other payables 7,380 8,468 8,112 Deferred lease credits 9,053 11,407 10,640 Long-term debt 153 2,141 1,655 Pension liability 20,005 22,355 19,336 Total Non-Current Liabilities 36,591 44,371 39,743 SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY Share capital 38,397 38,687 38,397 Contributed surplus 9,570 8,809 9,007 Retained earnings 328,473 346,189 327,370 Accumulated other comprehensive income 110 2,696 6,394 Total Shareholders' Equity 376,550 396,381 381,168 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY $ 552,359 $ 546,679 $ 542,083 REITMANS (CANADA) LIMITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (Unaudited) (in thousands of Canadian dollars) Share Capital Contributed Surplus Retained Earnings Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Total Shareholders' Equity Balance as at January 31, 2016 $ 38,397 $ 9,007 $ 327,370 $ 6,394 $ 381,168 Net earnings - - 10,604 - 10,604 Total other comprehensive loss - - - (6,284) (6,284) Total comprehensive loss for the period - - 10,604 (6,284) $ 4,320 Share-based compensation costs - 563 - - 563 Dividends - - (9,501) - (9,501) Total contributions by (distributions to) owners of the Company - 563 (9,501) - (8,938) Balance as at October 29, 2016 $ 38,397 $ 9,570 $ 328,473 $ 110 $ 376,550 Balance as at February 1, 2015 $ 39,227 $ 8,014 $ 368,581 $ 5,301 $ 421,123 Net loss - - (8,162) - (8,162) Total other comprehensive loss - - - (2,605) (2,605) Total comprehensive loss for the period - - (8,162) (2,605) (10,767) Cash consideration on exercise of share options 2 - - - 2 Cancellation of shares pursuant to share repurchase program (542) - - - (542) Share-based compensation costs - 795 - - 795 Dividends - - (9,616) - (9,616) Premium on repurchase of Class A non-voting shares - - (4,614) - (4,614) Total (distributions to) contributions by owners of the Company (540) 795 (14,230) - (13,975) Balance as at October 31, 2015 $ 38,687 $ 8,809 $ 346,189 $ 2,696 $ 396,381 REITMANS (CANADA) LIMITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INTERIM STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited) (in thousands of Canadian dollars) For the three months ended For the nine months ended October 29, 2016 October 31, 2015 October 29, 2016 October 31, 2015 CASH FLOWS (USED IN) FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES Net earnings (loss) $ 7,615 $ (269) $ 10,604 $ (8,162) Adjustments for: Depreciation, amortization and net impairment losses 11,235 11,593 32,302 35,699 Share-based compensation costs 430 345 908 795 Amortization of deferred lease credits (805) (1,189) (2,373) (3,623) Deferred lease credits 622 682 786 1,852 Pension contribution (501) (485) (1,160) (1,188) Pension expense 609 525 1,829 1,575 Realized loss on sale of marketable securities - - - 15 Net change in fair value of marketable securities (498) 4,333 (4,081) 10,734 Net change in fair value of derivatives - - - 12,335 Foreign exchange loss (gain) 1,510 (2,342) 4,184 (7,809) Interest and dividend income, net (774) (667) (2,254) (2,095) Interest paid (39) (68) (139) (225) Interest received 215 113 532 492 Dividends received 633 636 1,825 1,884 Income tax expense (recovery) 903 291 691 (1,224) 21,155 13,498 43,654 41,055 Changes in: Trade and other receivables (722) (318) (1,909) (564) Inventories (20,513) (11,129) (42,824) (36,177) Prepaid expenses 1,214 (973) 1,488 2,192 Trade and other payables 944 (3,677) 22,904 1,556 Deferred revenue (4,523) (4,679) (6,620) (9,796) Cash (used in) from operating activities (2,445) (7,278) 16,693 (1,734) Income taxes received 2,119 1,859 2,489 1,861 Income taxes paid (7) (365) (438) (1,935) Net cash flows (used in) from operating activities (333) (5,784) 18,744 (1,808) CASH FLOWS USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES Purchases of marketable securities - - - (5,660) Proceeds on sale of marketable securities - - - 1,678 Additions to property and equipment and intangible assets (8,885) (8,293) (25,244) (27,519) Proceeds on disposal of property and equipment and intangibles - - 416 - Cash flows used in investing activities (8,885) (8,293) (24,828) (31,501) CASH FLOWS USED IN FINANCING ACTIVITIES Dividends paid (3,167) (3,189) (9,501) (9,616) Purchase of Class A non-voting shares for cancellation - (850) - (5,156) Repayment of long-term debt (477) (447) (1,410) (1,323) Proceeds from issuance of share capital - - - 2 Cash flows used in financing activities (3,644) (4,486) (10,911) (16,093) FOREIGN EXCHANGE GAIN ON CASH HELD IN FOREIGN CURRENCY 118 1,333 194 6,681 NET DECREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS (12,744) (17,230) (16,801) (42,721) CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, BEGINNING OF THE PERIOD 114,538 114,422 118,595 139,913 CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, END OF THE PERIOD $ 101,794 $ 97,192 $ 101,794 $ 97,192 SOURCE Reitmans (Canada) Limited For further information: Jeremy H. Reitman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Telephone: (514) 385-2630, Corporate Website: www.reitmanscanadalimited.com TORONTO, Dec. 2, 2016 /CNW/ - Winter is here and Christmas is just around corner! But why spend the holidays shovelling snow in the bitter cold, when there are sandcastles to be built on the beach? With Sunwing's Holiday sale, customers can bask in the sun, or even construct a sandy snowman on the beach, for less. From now until December 9th, sun-worshippers can enjoy the Christmas festivities with their loved ones without having to lift a finger to cook that sumptuous turkey dinner, or cleanup the house for when the in-laws usually come to celebrate the holiday. When customers book now, Saint Nick can visit them at top-rated resorts across Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America. And with less than three weeks before Christmas, it's never been a better time to book now and save on a relaxing, yet festive holiday. But, these deals are expected to melt away fast, so beachgoers will need to act quickly if they want to wrap up their all inclusive beach getaway. Sand, sunshine, the sound of the waveswhat's not to love about the beach? As Canada's #1 provider for adult, luxury, and family vacations on the beach, the tour operator has an option to suit every traveller's taste. Active beachgoers will enjoy water sport activities like catamaran trips and snorkelling, just off the pristine white sands on Dominican Republic's Bavaro Beach, while couples looking for a romantic getaway will find the exclusive adults only beach at Hideaway at Royalton Riviera Cancun a perfect setting. Also great for families, the beaches on Cuba's Cayo Coco are perfect for little tots to play, and make lasting memories. For more information and tips on the best beaches, visit sunwing.ca or contact your local travel agent. All Sunwing packages to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America include return flights on Sunwing Airlines where passengers can sit back and relax with on-board Champagne Service, which includes a sparkling wine toast, complimentary non-alcoholic beverage service and buy on board selection of light meals and snacks with choices inspired by Food Network Canada Celebrity Chef, Lynn Crawford. Passengers also benefit from a generous complimentary 23kg checked luggage allowance. About Sunwing As Canada's #1 to the sun and North America's largest vertically integrated travel company, Sunwing has more flights to the south than any other leisure carrier with convenient direct service from over 34 airports across Canada to over 50 popular sun destinations. This scale enables Sunwing to negotiate the best deals and exclusive offers at all of the top-rated resorts across the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. Renowned for its award-winning service, Sunwing is consistently voted the #1 leisure airline by travel agents and is the perennial winner of the Consumer Choice Award. Customers can look forward to starting their vacation off in style with Champagne Service, which features a complimentary glass of sparkling wine, tea and coffee and non-alcoholic beverage service; together with a buy on board menu of light meals and snacks (including kids' choices) inspired by Food Network Canada Celebrity Chef, Lynn Crawford. Sunwing customers also benefit from the assistance of the company's own knowledgeable destination representatives, who greet them upon arrival and support them throughout their vacation journey. SOURCE Sunwing Vacations Image with caption: "Holiday on the beach for less (CNW Group/Sunwing Vacations)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161202_C3401_PHOTO_EN_830511.jpg Image with caption: "Sunwing Vacations (CNW Group/Sunwing Vacations)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20161202_C3401_PHOTO_EN_830509.jpg For further information: For all media enquiries, please contact: Kim Banjac, PR Specialist, Sunwing Vacations, 1-800-387-5602, [email protected] Mastroianni Brothers.jpg Mastroianni Brothers Bakery was sold Wednesday to a Utica-area family-owned bakery for $220,000. (Facebook photo) Mastroianni Brothers Bakery, based in Rotterdam, has been bought by a family-owned bakery in the Utica area. The Daily Gazette reports that Mastroianni Brothers was sold on Wednesday for $220,000. The sale happened at an auction held in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Albany. Pumilia's Pizza Shells, which also operates as New York Dough Co. in Waterville, won the auction over a Vermont bakery. Mastroianni Brothers opened in 1923 and sold its products to restaurants and supermarkets like Price Chopper and Hannaford. A decline in sales following the death of president Armond Mastroianni in 2008 lead to business failure, the Gazette says. Warren Zeiser, CEO of Mastroianni Brothers, worked with Pumilia's leading up to the final bid. He said the company will live on in Upstate NY, but it's unclear whether the bakery will continue as a separate business. "The goal is to restart the bakery," Zeiser told the Gazette. Pumilia's Pizza Shells was founded in 1993. Based on demand, the pizza shell company was created to sell pizza dough in supermarkets. John Pumilia, the grandson of the original owner, was among those representing the company during the auction. He said the company is looking to expand from its current location. "The good thing is the company will stay in upstate, the jobs will stay in upstate, and the taxes will stay in upstate," Zeiser said. Chinas HTR-PM (high temperature pebble bed nuclear reactor) project is squarely aimed at being a cost-effective solution that will virtually eliminate air pollution and CO2 production from selected units of Chinas large installed base of modern 600 MWe supercritical coal plants. It is a deployment program with the first of a kind commercial demonstration approaching construction completion and commercial operation by mid to late 2018. Major parts of the machinery will be able to be merged into the existing infrastructure. The current critical path item is the completion of the steam generators one for each of the two reactors. The shells and internals have been completed, but the final stages of attaching the piping to the thick-walled, large diameter pressure vessels will delay site delivery until sometime close to the middle of 2017. Development challenges were overcome Zhang Zuoyi gave an excellent overview of the design and testing challenges that the project has faced and overcome. Nearly every item on the list of critical steps for design and testing had been completed. For example, the development effort included building four different prototypes for the helium circulators. The primary design included magnetic bearings, but the developers knew that they were well past the size limits of proven uses of magnetic bearings so they had a couple of fall back designs. They did not want the project to fail because of failure to deliver on a single component. In another example, the reactor pressure vessels weigh in at 600 tons, making the act of installing them a very heavy lift that exceeded previously existing capabilities. As operational experience is gained with the first unit (where two nuclear reactors feed one steam turbine), the developers will be building more boilers and installing them in configurations of six to twelve boilers providing steam to a single steam turbine. China will replace coal burners with these high temperature nuclear units In some cases, these nuclear boiler installations will be part of entirely new power stations. The more intriguing aspect of the concept, however, is the fact that the high temperature atomic boilers produce steam conditions that are identical to the design conditions for a large series of modern, 600 MWe steam plants that currently use coal as the heat source. On March 20, 2016, the first of two reactor pressure vessels was installed at the demonstration HTR-PM high-temperature gas-cooled reactor unit under construction at Shidaowan in Chinas Shandong province. The twin-reactor unit is scheduled to start up next year. The vessel about 25 meters in height and weighing about 700 tonnes was manufactured by Shanghai Electric Nuclear Power Equipment. It successfully completed factory acceptance on 29 February and was dispatched from the manufacturing plant on 2 March. The pressure vessel arrived at the Shidaowan site on 10 March, plant owner China Huaneng Group announced the following day. A proposal to construct two 600 MWe HTR plants each featuring three twin reactor and turbine units at Ruijin city in Chinas Jiangxi province passed a preliminary feasibility review in early 2015. The design of the Ruijin HTRs is based on the smaller Shidaowan demonstration HTR-PM. Construction of the Ruijin reactors is expected to start next year, with grid connection in 2021. Replacing coal During the question and answer period, Prof. Zhang Zuoyi responded to my questions by confirming that some of the pebble-bed atomic boilers will be installed as replacement heat sources for existing steam plants. Those installations will be able to take advantage of the switchyards, the installed transmission networks, the cooling water systems, the sites and in some cases the entire steam plant including the steam turbine The priority for replacing coal boilers with nuclear boilers will be at power plants in areas with major pollution problems. Those plants are often located very close to population centers; that reality is one of the reasons that China has invested in developing reactors that can be tested and proven to be safe. The HTR-PM modules can withstand complete loss of pressurization and helium flow without a forced shutdown and still not release enough radioactive materials to exceed the very conservative dose limits in place today. China started building its first supercritical coal plant in 2001. Construction of a first reference plant was Yaomeng power plant. China currently has over 900,000MW of coal-fired capacity, the equivalent of about 1,300 large coal-fired units. The actual number of coal plants is more as there are smaller 100, 200 and 300 MW plants as well as 600 MW and 1000MW Sourcewatch has a list of existing coal plants in China. Most of the coal plants completed after 2007 are supercritical plants. About one third of Chinas coal power is ultracritical or supercritical plants. China has another 200,000MW of coal-fired capacity under construction, and a new Greenpeace analysis has identified a further 150,000MW of projects potentially able to enter construction. Converting to nuclear power for just the burner could be done for 300-400 plants at the cost of about $1.2 billion for each that is about 600MW in size. This could be achievable by about 2040. Cost And Value The overall cost of this first of a kind nuclear plant will be in the neighborhood of $5000.00/kw of capacity. That number is based on signed and mostly executed contracts, not early estimates. It is about twice the initially expected cost. According to Zhang Zuoyi, 35% of the increased cost could be attributed to higher material and component costs that initially budgeted, 31% of the increase was due to increases in labor costs which Zhang Zuoyi noted were rising rapidly in China and the remainder due to the increased costs associated with the project delays. Zhang Zuoyi described the techniques that will be applied to lower the costs; he expects them to soon approach the $2,000 to $2,500 / kw capacity range. SOURCES- Sourcewatch, World Nuclear News, Atomic Insights The members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) pledged in 2014 to increase their defense spending to 2 percent of their gross domestic products by 2024 During the campaign, President elect Trump indicated that he would only support NATO only if NATO countries met their commitments. Mr. Trump raised alarm during the election campaign when he questioned whether the United States would automatically defend NATO allies if they were attacked. Mr. Trump said American support would depend on the willingness of those countries to pay their fair share for military protection. He has also called NATO obsolete and said that the alliance was failing to fight terrorism. Those allies not willing to pay for American military protection, he warned, could receive a stark message: Congratulations, you will be defending yourself. There have been calls for Europe to offset its dependence on American defense have been intensifying since Mr. Trumps election. In an interview with Reuters this week, Roderich Kiesewetter, a spokesman on foreign policy for Ms. Merkels conservative bloc in the German Parliament, said that Europe needed to think about developing its own nuclear deterrent strategy, given the possibility of a retrenchment under Mr. Trump. Mr. Kiesewetter said that Germany, the largest economy in the 28-member European Union, could play a central role in urging nuclear powers like Britain and France to take over from the United States in providing nuclear security guarantees for the rest of the region. The UK meets its 2% commitment. The UK defense minister is trying to use the election of Trump to get more movement from other countries to raise their military capabilities. Europeans underestimate the political significance of 2 percent in the U.S. debate over security commitments to Europe. Americans overestimate the political significance of 2 percent among Europeans struggling with austerity and divergent threat perceptions, which make it difficult to increase their defense commitments. Europe will be forced to step up its defense capabilities in the future if it wants to deal with the myriad threats in its neighborhood. This includes more and smarter defense spending, more defense cooperation, more shared threat assessments, and more leadership by hitherto reluctant nations. The Federal High Court, Abuja, has ordered the unconditional release of Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, leader of Shiite sect in Nigeria, and his wife... The Federal High Court, Abuja, has ordered the unconditional release of Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, leader of Shiite sect in Nigeria, and his wife, Malama Zeatudden, from detention, within 45 days.The court also ordered the Federal Government to provide a new accommodation for El-Zakzaky in Zaria or any northern town of his choice.The court, presided by Justice Gabriel Kolawole, also awarded El-Zakzaky and his wife N50 million as general damages.The court also held that the continued detention of the applicant without trial amounted to a gross violation of his constitutionally guaranteed rights.The court dismissed FGs position that the applicant and his wife were under protective custody. Specifically, the Shiite leader who has been in detention since December 14, 2015, applied for the enforcement of his fundamental rights to life, personal liberty, dignity of human person, right to private and family life and private property.His arrest and detention followed a bloody clash between members of the sect and soldiers attached to the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Tukur Buratai, at Zaria, Kaduna State.The suit marked FHC/CS/128/2016, was predicated on sections 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40, 41 and 46 (1) & (2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as on Articles 4, 5, 6, 11 and 12(1) of the African Charter on Human & Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, LFN, 2010.The court was among other things, prayed to declare that the detention of the applicant at Abuja by the respondents since December 14, 2015, is illegal and unconstitutional as it violates his fundamental rights to personal liberty as enshrined in section 35 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, and Article 6 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (CAP A10), Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.More details soon. National Youth Service Corp Friday cleared the air over the controversial death of a First Class graduate of Transport Management, Ifedola... National Youth Service Corp Friday cleared the air over the controversial death of a First Class graduate of Transport Management, Ifedolapo Oladepo from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo at its orientation camp in Kano .In an exclusive chat with Vanguard , the KANO Coordinator of NYSC, Abdullahi Baba said that the late Coper died in a Government hospital.The truth of the matter was that the Coper did not died at the camp, she died in the hospital.She was sick, treated at the camp clinic, and when she was not responding, she was taken to second facility hospital at Gwarzo General hospital . Speaking further, the state CoordinatorI have reported the matter to my Head office, she was handled by our doctors in the camp before she was transferred to Government hospital.He distanced the Camp management from the Copers death stressing that we have nothing to do with her death, the records and the file are there, the Doctors that treated her at the camp are there likewise those that treated her in her at the Government hospital.The Coordinator declared that anything outside this account is falsehood and people are free to hold opinion whether positive or negative but the beautiful things are that the records there for anyone to access .Abdullahi Baba who ruled out negligence on the part of NYSC management said her case was handled by professional and I believe they know better. Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has hailed the judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja, ordering the release of the leader of... Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has hailed the judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja, ordering the release of the leader of the Shiite Muslim sect, Ibrahim Zakzaky and his wife.The governor also commended the court for the N50m damages awarded against the Department of State Services.Fayose, who had called for the release of El-Zakzaky two weeks ago, however said he wont be surprised if the Federal Government did not obey the judgment.The judgement will be for posterity even if in their usual style of impunity, those holding power in Abuja ignore the judgment.He called on the judiciary to save democracy in Nigeria as well as Nigerians from tyranny by being courageous and firm even in the face of intimidation, harassment, blackmail and character assassination by those whose desire, he said, was to muscle opposition and turn Nigeria to as one party state.Fayose, according to a statement issued on Friday, by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, reiterated his earlier call on the International Criminal Court, Amnesty International and other world bodies to investigate extra Judicial killings in the country in the last 15 months, especially the murder of over 300 Shiite Muslims in Zaria and killing of over 150 Biafra activists.He argued that under international human rights law governing the use of firearms during policing operations, the intentional use of lethal force is only permitted when strictly unavoidable, to protect life.Fayose noted that the detention of El-Zakzaky, since last year December after the murder of over 300 of his followers was inhuman and wicked. The agencies indicted by a federal government audit for failure to remit over N450 billion into the government coffers between 2010 and 2... The agencies indicted by a federal government audit for failure to remit over N450 billion into the government coffers between 2010 and 2015, are to be prosecuted, Finance minister Mrs Kemi Adeosun, has said.They are to be reported to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for prosecution.Mrs Adeosun said demand notices had been issued to affected agencies for the payment of outstanding operating surpluses, which was a violation of the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007.She said the agencies had been invited to a meeting on Tuesday , to enable them submit a repayment plan or face appropriate sanctions, including deduction of amount owed directly from TSA balances, besides prosecution by the EFCC.The defaulting agencies are: ?Nigeria Communication Commission, Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Bureau of Public Enterprises, Nigeria Shippers Council, National Pensions Commission, Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading? and National Health Insurance Scheme. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Thursday paid glowing tributes to the late House of Representatives member representing Ifako-Ijaiye Federal... Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Thursday paid glowing tributes to the late House of Representatives member representing Ifako-Ijaiye Federal Constituency, Dr. Elijah Adewale.The governor spoke during a rally to drum up support for the All Progressives Congress ahead of Saturdays by-election which would be held to get a replacement for Adewale, who died on July 20, 2016.Ambode hailed the contributions of the deceaseds family to the party and promised to commence work on the mini stadium project in the area in the first quarter of next year.The governor said the performance of his government justified the need to vote for the APC candidate in the by-election, Mr. Akinwunmi Olaitan.Olaitan emerged the partys candidate following the death of Adewale, who was elected in the last years election.He said, The past, present and future belong to all of you. Ojokoro and Ijaye will move forward. In the last one and a half years, Lagos has been working. We have not started anything yet. Lagos will make greater progress next year. We will implement the budget faithfully. We will fulfill our promises.After observing a minute silence in honour of Adewale, Olaitan received the partys flag from the state Chairman of the party, Henry Ajomale.At the rally were the Lagos State APC Deputy Chairman, Cardinal James Odunmbaku, a House of Representatives member, Jide Jimoh, and other party chieftains.The senator representing Lagos-West senatorial district, Olamilekan Adeola, urged the people of the constituency to repeat the feat of last years election by voting for the APC candidate.He said, This is the first time the APC will vote under the Ambode administration. You should vote for the APC in appreciation of the good works of the governor. National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) Friday dismissed claims that late Ifedolapo Oladepo died of a strange disease. National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) Friday dismissed claims that late Ifedolapo Oladepo died of a strange disease. It insisted that the late corps member died as a result of protracted illness.The NYSC claims was contrary to counterclaim that the victim was suffocated with a strange disease which she developed during the regimental exercise in Kano.The late Oladapo an indigene of Oshogbo in Osun state reportedly died during the ongoing batch C 2016 orientation exercise holding at Karaye camp, about 50km from Kano.A management staff of NYSC in Kano who prefer anonymity told the reporters that Oladepo was discovered with earlier illness when she was presented before the camp clinic contrary to insinuation.The source equally denied the rumour that the victim died in orientation camp.According to the source The corps member did not carry any disease from camp and for the purpose of emphasis; she did not die in camp.Although the nature of the sickness was not disclosed, it was learnt that the late corps member was initially admitted for treatment by NYSC doctors, but later referred to Gwarzo general hospital after some complications.Information gathered revealed she was discharged for fitness back to camp soonest. Few days after she was rushed back to the General hospital where she finally passed on.We try all possible best to save her life but we finally lost him. Our doctors on camp did their best before taken her to the hospital its unfortunate she did not survive it, the source disclosed. President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday in Abuja met briefly with King Mohammed VI of Morocco, who arrived Abuja on Thursday, for a 3-day off... President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday in Abuja met briefly with King Mohammed VI of Morocco, who arrived Abuja on Thursday, for a 3-day official visit to Nigeria.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the king, on arrival at the Presidential Villa at about 1.20p.m. inspected a guard of honour mounted by men of the Guards Brigade.The Guards Brigade also honoured the visiting King with 21-gun salute.NAN reports that shortly after the inspection of the guard of honour, Mr. Buhari and Mohammed met behind closed doors, before leaving the Presidential Villa for National Mosque to perform the 2-rakaat Jumaat Prayer.NAN further reports that King Mohammed, who is leading a 300-man delegation, is visiting Nigeria for the first time since he ascended the throne in July 23, 1999.The meeting between President Buhari and King Mohammed, which would continue after the Jumaat prayer, would focus on bilateral trade and economic relations.Laoye Jaiyeola, Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), said that public and private sectors of both countries would collaborate to leverage on opportunities for sustainable economic growth.Mr. Jaiyeola spoke at the Nigeria-Morocco Business Meeting , with the theme: Business Climate and Investment Opportunities.According to him, improved business relations between Nigeria and Morocco will create mutual benefits, connect the continents markets and enhance competitiveness.Analysts say with the visit the diplomatic row between Nigeria and the Kingdom of Morocco which erupted over a purported phone conversation between former President Goodluck Jonathan and King Mohammed VI, may have been put to rest. A former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi on Friday in Abuja, advised President Muhammadu Buhari to jettis... A former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi on Friday in Abuja, advised President Muhammadu Buhari to jettison the proposed plan to take $30 billion foreign loan because of its grave consequences.According to him, even if the Senate approves the loan, no foreign nation or financial institutions would be willing to grant the request.Sanusi, who is also the Emir of Kano, threw the challenge in his paper entitled: A plan to restore confidence, direction and growth, during a policy dialogue organised by an economic think tank, Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development.The ex-CBN governor argued that for a nation that has five exchange rates, it would be difficult for such request to scale through.He said since the nations foreign exchange lacked credibility, the Federal Government should embrace private sector investments as means of boosting the economy out of recession. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in last Saturdays election in Ondo State Eyitayo Jegede yesterday urged his support... Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in last Saturdays election in Ondo State Eyitayo Jegede yesterday urged his supporters not to be discouraged.He assured them of a better future.The former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice came second in the election won by the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.The Akure lawyer spoke when he met supporters at his campaign office in Akure, the state capital.He was accompanied by his running mate, John Ola Mafo, PDP chieftains Debo Ologunagba, Publicity Secretary Banji Okunomo, Coordinator of the Eyitayo Volunteer Group (EVG) Olumide Ogunkua, among others.Jegede said the outcome of the election was not what was envisaged, going by his massive and unprecedented acceptability.His words: Im proud to have won the peoples hearts. The meeting is just to encourage our people and thank them for their support and love. It is to demonstrate that it is not only when you are pronounced winner that you appreciate God and the work of men. In all seasons, we must give glory to God.There is still a future for all of us, that is why we are here. Our supporters should remain steadfast as we are always ready to offer selfless service. We promise not to be far from them. The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has expressed disappointment over a remark by his Kano state counterpart, Alhaji Abdullahi Gand... The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has expressed disappointment over a remark by his Kano state counterpart, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, who chairs the All Progressives Campaign Committee for the December 10 rerun elections in Rivers state that free and fair elections are not normal in that part of the country.The Kano Governor had made the remark while speaking with reporters shortly after meeting behind closed doors with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, stating however, that efforts would be made to ensure that the elections are credible this time round.Ganduje, while expressing confidence that the APC was ready and would win the elections, said: We are prepared. We just came out of Ondo elections. We have fresh ideas even though both environments are different but we have our own strategies.Like in Ondo State, we must ensure have free and fair elections.You know in that part of the country, having free and fair elections is not normal and we have to make it normal this time.We must ensure that there is security so that people will come out and vote. That is our main preoccupation at the moment. We are making wider consultations with stakeholders and we believe we will succeed.But reacting to his Gandujes claim, Wike said the statement was unfortunate, wondering if Ganduje has constituted himself into the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, that would conduct the elections.His words, It is unfortunate if he (Ganduje) said so. As far as I am concerned, elections have been normal in my part of the country. All we are asking for is free and fair election.Is Governor Ganduje speaking on behalf of INEC? Is he the one conducting the elections now? I have respect for him as an elderly person but his statement is unfortunate.When his friend won the governorship election in Rivers State, the election was normal. The election was also normal in Edo State where his party won. We are waiting for him to come and perform the magic he did in Kano State.The Rivers Governor declared that he would be waiting for Ganduje to come and perform the magic he performed in his state during the last general elections. It was meant to be a little ceremony to mark the beginning of the rehabilitation of a hospital. But for Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wik... Security agencies are planning to assassinate him, he told a shocked crowd that gathered at the General Hospital , Terabor and General Hospital, Bodo in Gokana Local Government Area.Wike also accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of publishing a list of adhoc staff filled with members of the All Progressives Congress (APC). December 1o has been fixed for some election in the state.Wike said: For me, they are threatening that I will be the first governor they will assassinate. They are threatening that they will show me that they are security agencies. But, I will always protect the interest of Rivers State , no matter the threat.Nobody should intimidate you with security agents. Beginning today, resist any arrest. You must move around in groups to promote resistance of the robbers of mandate.Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, said the police were not aware of any plot to kill the governor.He said it was unfortunate that INEC and security agencies were disregarding the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari that they should be impartial and deliver free and fair elections.The governor said: INEC has released a fake list of adhoc staff for the rerun elections before the conclusion of their mandatory training . Majority of those on the list are known APC ward chairmen and ward secretaries who are mainly unemployed , but listed by INEC as staff of the University of Port Harcourt .They think that my love for peace is a sign of weakness, but I want to declare that enough is enough. We are supposed to be under an era of change , but the love for fraud by INEC and police is unprecedented.The governor added: Anyone whose son or daughter is on that fraudulent INEC list should tell him/her to stay away on election day.All these desperate actions are geared towards the plot to rig in favour of a particular candidate , but that candidate will not win. The people of Rivers South-East Senatorial District must be allowed to vote persons of their choice.On the rehabilitation of the Hospital , Terabor and General Hospital , Bodo, Wike said it will be completed and equipped in a record time.He added that the Kpopie-Bodo road is nearing completion and the dualization of Sakpenwa-Bori road is progressing according to schedule .Wike urged Ogoni people to vote for the PDP, pointing out that for eight years , APC failed to execute well meaning projects in Ogoni land.Responding yesterday, APC State Publicity Secretary Chris Finebone said his party could not comprehend what the governor is talking about.Finebone said: Definitely, APC candidates are busy campaigning for the rerun election while governor Wike is busy with his circus show. We wish him luck.Rivers people are tired of Wikes allegations. Soon we will not join issue with him because he is no longer making sense. Mr Mukhtar Jawad, an SS3 student of Community Staff Schools Asokoro, Abuja, has built a motor-bike prototype ready for commercialisation... Mr Mukhtar Jawad, an SS3 student of Community Staff Schools Asokoro, Abuja, has built a motor-bike prototype ready for commercialisation. Jawad, who is an art student, told newsmen on Thursday that he invented the motorcycle to ease mode of transportation in Nigeria and Africa at large.According to him, he has been riding the prototype as a mode of transportation from his house to the school for more than three months without any problems.He pleaded with the Federal Government and relevant stakeholders to promote his made-in-Nigeria motorcycle for mass production for better means of transportation in the country. I like things that involve mechanical, assemble and dissemble. This made me perceived I can do something different to better the means for transportation. My motor-bike has features that are partly bicycle and partly motorcycle, he said. The principal of the school, Mr Saidu Ahmed said that it was a thing of joy for such one of the art students to use his talent for such a discovery.I have gone to his house to encourage him and he later told me that he had finished the project. This is genuine knowledge from him; it should be cheaper and easier to manage compared with bicycle or motorcycle, he said. According to the principal, previous achievements of the school include representing Nigeria for Africa Regional Competition/Exhibition at Ghana in 2011, first position in the Christmas Carol Music competition organised by Darr Sat Communications for schools in FCT in 2011.Ahmed said that the school was well known for its academic performance aside of extracurricular activities. Some of the schools achievements in this area are first position in Spelling Bee competition for Junior Secondary Schools by Decipher Solutions, first position Dicken Samomi Foundation Esay Competition fourth edition. Juniour Achievement Nigeria Winner Company of the year 2016, first position in Quiz Competition organised by the Federal Ministry of Health for World TB Day.First position in Drawing competition 2016 organised by National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to mark International Day for Disaster Reduction among others, he said. The Executive Secretary of the School, Mr Abdukadir Jamo described the students of the school as unique regarding the gift of God giving they exhibited both in academic and extra-curricular activities.Jamo said that all the schools candidates for West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) in 2016 passed excellently with results that would qualify them for any tertiary institutions of their choices. He described Jawad feat as a pace setter for many other students in the school. Ibrahim Magu, Chairman of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has asserted that there is corruption everywhere in the country,... Ibrahim Magu, Chairman of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has asserted that there is corruption everywhere in the country, including the EFCC.There is corruption in every institution, including the EFCC," he said, calling for cooperation amongst government organizations."The reasons why we are here is that we need everyones support. We do not have the monopoly of knowledge to do what we are doing. There is corruption everywhere, every institution, including the EFCC. We are battling with internal corruption. So, everybody has a stake in this fight.He spoke on Friday when he paid a visit to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai in Abuja. CHICAGO - The long -- well, not that long -- awaited return of Taylor Hall to the Devils lineup will come when the team visits the Chicago Blackhawks at 8:30 p.m. Eastern on Thursday at the United Center. Hall was expected to miss three-to-four weeks after suffering a torn meniscus and undergoing left knee surgery on Wednesday, Nov. 14, but just 15 days later, he will play after missing eight games. The return of Hall means the Devils finished 2-4-2 during his absence, failing to win a game in regulation during that stretch, which did include six road games. The Devils will also be looking to avenge a 3-2 overtime loss to the Blackhawks at the Prudential Center on Oct. 28. As the Devils hit the ice in Chicago, join NJ.com's live chat in the comments section below. You can also follow along with live score updates and stats above. Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com Devils on Facebook. newark robber wanted Authorities released photos of a man wanted in a Dec. 1, 2016 robbery at 197 Ferry Street in Newark (Photos: Dept. of Public Safety) ( ) NEWARK -- Authorities on Friday asked for the public's help to identify the man who robbed a jewelry store, fired a shot at the merchant and carjacked a woman during his escape in the city's Ironbound section. Police responded to a robbery around 11:45 a.m. Thursday at Vinhas Jewelers Inc. on Ferry Street, where the lone gunman approached a salesperson and asked to see Cuban gold chains, according to Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose. When the clerk retrieved the items, the robber pulled a gun and ordered the worker to fill a fanny pack with gold chains. The robber fled on foot and fired a shot toward the store owner, who tried to follow him, Ambrose said in a statement. The robber stepped in front of a beige 2006 Nissan Altima and ordered the woman driving out at gunpoint on Polk Street near the shop, according to authorities. He took off in the Nissan, which was later found near Somme Street and Raymond Boulevard. Police released photos of the robber and a distinctive tattoo on his right arm showing flames near his wrist. Ambrose urged anyone with information to call the city's 24-hour tip line at 1-877-NWK-TIPS (1-877-695-8477) or 1-877-NWK-GUNS (1-877-695-4867). Authorities said all anonymous tips are kept confidential and could lead to a reward. Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Seth Boyden School.jpg Seth Boyden Demonstration School in Maplewood. (Jessica Mazzola | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) MAPLEWOOD -- Police have arrested a 22-year-old man who is accused of trying to steal an elementary school student's backpack. Maplewood police say the little boy, a Seth Boyden elementary school student, was on Jacoby Street at about 8:15 a.m. Friday walking to school when a man approached him and tried to steal his backpack. After an investigation into the incident, police said they arrested Jordan Jones, of Irvington, and charged him with endangering the welfare of a child. The school is located on Boyden Avenue, not far from Jacoby Street. No additional details about the alleged incident were immediately available. Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Newark carjacking robbery arrests (Photos: Dept. of Public Safety) ( ) NEWARK -- Two men were arrested and a third suspect was at-large after the assailants carjacked a 63-year-old woman, robbed a man and crashed the stolen car as they tried to evade police in the city, authorities said Thursday. The crime spree began Wednesday around 8:25 p.m. when the woman was accosted by a robber who pointed a gun at her and demanded she turn over the keys to her car near Reynolds Place and Woodbine Avenue, authorities said in a statement. A second assailant got out of a sport utility vehicle with the gunman and got in the passenger side of the woman's car before both vehicles left the scene. About two hours later, a 29-year-old man was walking near Chestnut Street and New Jersey Railroad Avenue when the three assailants pulled up to him in the carjacked vehicle, according to city Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose. The front and rear passengers robbed the pedestrian at gunpoint before taking off in the woman's car. Police saw the carjacked vehicle near Tichenor Street and McCarter Highway, but the driver noticed the officers and began to drive erratically, Ambrose said. The stolen vehicle lost control, hit a traffic pole and crashed into another vehicle that was stopped at a red light near Irvine Turner Boulevard and Madison Street. Three men took off running in different directions from the stolen car, authorities said. Officers arrested Rajahn Fitzpatrick, 18, of Bloomfield, and Tykeim N. Saxton, 18, of Newark, at the crash scene. The two men were each charged with carjacking, conspiracy, robbery and various weapons offenses. Authorities said there were no injuries in the crash. Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook. UPDATE: Death of N.J. college student is ruled a homicide MONTCLAIR -- Investigators say they are working "around the clock" to determine what happened in nine days between when a New Jersey college student disappeared and the discovery of her body at Eagle Rock Reservation on Thursday. Sarah Butler, 20, of Montclair. (Facebook) "We are trying to piece the timeline together," Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly said Friday. The body of 20-year-old Sarah Butler, a Montclair resident and student at New Jersey City University in Jersey City, was found at the reservation Thursday morning. She was reported missing on Nov. 22. "It is an extremely active investigation," by the prosecutor's office homicide unit, Fennelly said. He declined to say where exactly her body was found in the reservation, a more than 400-acre park and recreational preserve that spans multiple towns in Essex County. Butler's cause of death is still pending a report from the Medical Examiner's office, which could come as early as Friday afternoon, Fennelly said. Family friend Pluchet Alexander said Friday that the discovery has devastated Butler's loved ones. "Everyone is in shock that this happened to such a nice girl," Pluchet said. "This is a family's worst nightmare. She never did anything to hurt anyone and was loved by all." Friends described Butler as a dancer and volleyball player. She was a freshman at New Jersey City University. She lived on campus, and was majoring in media arts, school officials confirmed. "NJCU is devastated by the tragic and senseless loss of Sarah Butler, whose life touched so many throughout the campus community and beyond," the school said in a statement. "At times of tragedy such as this, we must call upon our community to comfort one another, to grieve with one another, and to take solace in knowing we had the privilege of calling Sarah a part of the NJCU family. Our deepest sympathies go out to Sarah's family and friends during this difficult time." Butler leaves behind a mother, father, and two sisters who are "obviously devastated," Alexander said. "She had so much more to give, and now we can only hope that her killers are caught." Jessica Mazzola may be reached at . Follow her on Twitter . Find . hasidic02.JPG Hasidic Jews outside 221 Martin Luther King Dr. in Jersey City on April 26, 2016. Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal (Jersey Journal file photo) JERSEY CITY -- A three-story synagogue on Martin Luther King Drive is at the center of a controversy in a rapidly changing inner-city neighborhood. The leader of the area's business group has asked the city to shut down the shul, pointing to zoning laws that largely do not permit houses of worship along Martin Luther King Drive. Members of the Hasidic Jewish community are objecting, and tell The Jersey Journal the location is a community center, not a formal synagogue. The tussle comes as the historically black neighborhood has become more attractive to Hasidic Jews who say they have been priced out of Brooklyn. They say the Martin Luther King Drive location is a temporary meeting place as they make plans for a larger, more formal synagogue. Michele Massey is a former councilwoman who runs the Jackson Hill Main Street Management Corp., which oversees the commercial strip running along Martin Luther King Drive and Monticello Avenue. Massey wrote a letter last month asking city zoning officials to look into the synagogue, located at 221 Martin Luther King Dr. Massey said she fears allowing the synagogue to remain would set a precedent for others to open houses of worship in the commercial district. She said her mission is to make the area thrive commercially, and not to target any faith-based group. "Race, cultural or religious beliefs are not the issue," Massey told The Jersey Journl. "The issue is simple, following the zoning law established by the redevelopment plan. If there is no enforcement, then what is the point creating the zoning?" A new redevelopment plan for the area approved earlier this year forbids new houses of worship except on one Martin Luther King Drive block, the Sacred Heart Church property located across the street from the synagogue. Rabbi Shaul Dushinsky, 52, told The Jersey Journal that worshipers may call the Martin Luther King Drive location a synagogue, but the word is used to describe any place more than a handful of worshipers gather. "Whenever we say synagogue, we mean where we can pray," said David Gottlieb, 30, a Hasidic Jew who moved to Randolph Avenue from Brooklyn about five months ago. The city said it is siding with Massey. "We agree with Jackson Hill and the city has asked zoning inspectors to meet with synagogue leadership to explain to them that current zoning doesn't allow houses of worship in that area," city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill. Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. JERSEY CITY -- Forensics experts have begun testing the gun authorities believe was used during a 2015 robbery that left a recent Hudson Catholic graduate seriously wounded. Abbas Yousaf, 19, of Bayonne, Luis Villegas, 19, of Jersey City, Nicholas Mercado, 25, of the Bronx, and Mario Jean-Phillippe, 26, of Jersey City, all appeared briefly in court Thursday afternoon before Judge Mark Nelson for an update on the investigation. The four men are charged with attempted murder and weapons offenses for shooting 20-year-old Matthew Bolger in the head on Oct. 10, 2015. Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Zuppa said the gun has been swabbed, but the state lab in Hamilton was unable to test the findings so they will need to be sent to a New York lab instead. Zuppa said the defense attorneys were previously informed the test may need to be conducted out of state. None of the men charged with the shooting spoke during the hearing as they stood beside their attorneys. Bolger's parents sat two rows behind Zuppa. Following the hearing, the 20-year-old's mother Connie Bolger said her son continues to attend physical and occupational therapy daily. "Matt's a miracle," she said. Connie Bolger said while the past year has been tough, her family grows stronger everyday with support from one another and friends. "I wouldn't want any mother, any parent, to go through this," she said. A fifth person, 19-year-old Rossman Agbanlog, of Jersey City, has pleaded guilty to second-degree armed robbery in the case. He is awaiting sentencing. Attorney Russel Victorio filed a motion to have Mercado's case tried separately from his co-defendants. A motion hearing is scheduled for Jan. 8. Yousaf is represented by Jacob Hudnut, Villegas by Kevin Purvin, and Jean-Phillippe by Hope Mitchell. All four attorneys declined to comment on the case and are due back in court on Jan. 9. Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. Jersey City police car.JPG Police are investigating shots fire in Jersey City. (Jersey Journal file photo) JERSEY CITY -- Authorities are investigating a shooting Wednesday night in the Greenville section of the city. Shots were fired on Bidwell Avenue at about 9:30 p.m. between Ocean Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive, city spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill said. No one was injured in the shooting, which remains under investigation. Additional information about the shooting could not be provided. Wednesday's shooting is at least the third in the city this week. On Sunday night, a 24-year-old was critically injured on Clerk Street when he was shot 19 times. Two men were arrested and charged with attempted murder and police recovered two handguns. Then again on Monday gunfire erupted in the Heights, damaging a car on New York Street near North Street. Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook. 1202HCDcheer.jpg Some of the Delaware Valley High School cheerleaders who will be hosting Snack With Santa are (from left to right) Catherine Cunningham, Hannah Cohen, Claire Polin, Ashley Henderson and Kaitlin Marinelli. (Courtesy of Richard Epstein) The Delaware Valley High School cheerleaders invite kids of all ages to come have a snack with Santa on Saturday, Dec. 10, 10 a.m.-noon at the school in Alexandria Township. All guests are asked to bring a new unwrapped gift - or $10 - to the event. This year, the gifts will be brought to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick to brighten the holidays of the children there. Those kids are this year's beneficiaries because of a personal connection with the hospital. Freshman cheerleader Kaitlin Marinelli was a patient there at age 9, and her family has been finding ways to support the kids there ever since. Snack With Santa will take place in the high school cafeteria and feature an assortment of goodies and a chance to chat one-on-one with Santa Claus. Kids can also make a holiday ornament to take home. The cheerleaders will be painting little faces and applying temporary tattoos. No reservations are needed; just show up with a toy. The school is at 19 Senator Stout Road (GPS address: Frenchtown). Here are some of the gift ideas offered by the cheerleaders: infant toys that make noise or light up, infant mobiles and rattles, Barbies, art supplies, card games, books, action figures, ear bud headphones, puzzles, batteries (AA, AAA, C, D), gift cards, wrapping paper, clothing for teens, journals, video games and Lego sets. This item was submitted by Richard Epstein. 1202HCDemma.JPG Emma Scheick, a Pre-Physician Assistant major at Lock Haven University, accepts holiday donations from Shane Murray and Robby Brueggeman, students from The Preschool of Whitehouse United Methodist Church. (Courtesy of Chris Scheick) Emma Scheick, a Pre-Physician Assistant major at Lock Haven University, accepted holiday donations from Shane Murray and Robby Brueggeman, students from The Preschool of Whitehouse United Methodist Church. The donations are bound for Jamaica as part of a college community service project in January. This item was submitted by Chris Scheick. Win Cowgill County Board of Agriculture President Meredith Compton presents the Distinguished Service Award to Win Cowgill. (Photo by Vilma Hockenbury) RARITAN TWP. - Win Cowgill, retired Hunterdon County agricultural agent, was honored by the county Board of Agriculture at its annual dinner meeting. Cowgill received the board's 2016 Hunterdon County Distinguished Service Award. Board President Meredith Compton made the presentation. Cowgill retired last April after serving 38 years as a county agricultural agent for Warren and Hunterdon counties and was the regional North Jersey Fruit Agent. Over the years he received numerous state, regional and national awards for his applied research on tree fruits and in particular for his work in apples. He was in charge of 14 acres of tree fruit at the Rutgers' Snyder Research Farm in Franklin Township, where he implemented a major portion of his fruit research. In particular he was involved in multi-state NC-140 tree rootstock research, now in its 25th year. In honoring Cowgill, the cited how he addressed his job "with dedication, enthusiasm and a great deal of work." In particular it praised his work at the Snyder Farm, where he confronted "the same goals, concerns and constraints that any commercial grower has." The practical aspects of the endeavor "allowed him to understand the grower needs and relate new approaches with a background of true experience." Cowgill is well recognized for his fruit work, both nationally and internationally. During a three-month sabbatical in 1993 he worked with fruit experts Joe Costante and Jon Clements to initiate an email discussion group called Apple Crop. It's still active 23 years later, serving an important function to allow tree fruit researchers and growers worldwide to exchange information and ideas. Also the three developed one the first apple-related websites, the Virtual Orchard. It's said to be one of the first 500 sites on the World Wide Web. Cowgill, who grew up in Metuchen, Middlesex County, attended Delaware Valley College and received a bachelor of science degree in horticulture. Later, he received a master's degree at Rutgers University. He began his career with Rutgers as a general Ag Extension Agent in Warren County, and a year later became the North Jersey Area Fruit Agent. He started conducting applied research that focused on enhancing the sustainability of New Jersey farms. Although he also did vegetable, nursery and strawberry and grape research, tree fruits became his specialty. He's been active in the International Fruit Tree Association, which in 2013 recognized him with its Outstanding Extension Award. The dinner, held Nov. 19 at the Elks Lodge in Raritan Township, also included a presentation by Myranda Bond of West Amwell Township, the New Jersey State FFA president, highlighting her trip earlier this year to South Africa. She went there for the International Leadership Seminar for State Officers, a program designed to empower current and past state FFA officers by providing them with global perspective. The board is the county division of state Farm Bureau organization, which is part of the American Farm Bureau Federation, the nation's leading voice for agricultural interests. Over the years it has played a major role in creating what have become county institutions, including Hunterdon Medical Center and the 4-H and Agricultural Fair. Submitted by Terry Wright on behalf of the Hunterdon County Board of Agriculture. Paul Beaugard was wiping tears from his eyes in his kitchen. "I'm overwhelmed beyond my wildest dreams,'' the owner of Bogie's Hoagies in Hawthorne said. "I feel like we won already.'' Beaugard was referring to the sub shop's selection as one of 10 finalists in our search for N.J.'s best sub/hoagie shop. After a painstaking month-long process that included reader nominations of 350-plus shops, plus 40,000 votes and visits to 40 semifinalists, we are down to ten shops. On Wednesday, Dec. 7, we will walk, unannounced, through the door of the winning sub/hoagie shop; you can watch the celebration live at nj.com. Don't forget you can vote for the Readers' Choice winner until midnight Tuesday, Dec. 6. I will pick the overall winner. You don't have to tell Beaugard how semifinalist or finalist status in one of our N.J.'s best showdowns can impact business. "The whole town is into it,'' he said of Hawthorne. "We're getting a lot of town participation, comments. They're into it as much as I am. One customer said 'he's coming today, he's coming today.''' "He'' meaning me, leading my crew of assistant judges. The judges who will accompanying me all week are acting in an advisory capacity. For Beaugard, it's been a long and winding road leading to the shop on Lafayette Avenue in Hawthorne. He grew up in Leonia; his favorite store there was Joe's Subs. He joined the Navy, became a medical corpsman; when he returned home he attended and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. Two days later, he was off to Italy, where he spent two years working in restaurants. Then came stints at several fine dining restaurants in New York City. One day, he walked into a deli in Dumont and told the owner, 'This smells like the greatest sub shop ever,''' a reference to Joe's in Leonia. Turns out the owner's uncle ran Joe's. Beaugard ended up buying the Dumont shop; he opened Bogie's Hoagies in March 2010. There is the usual lineup of mainstream subs, but you'll want to check the blackboards at Bogie's Hoagies. On the day we visited, there was a BBQ beef sub with pickled onions and cucumbers, and a roasted pork loin sub with tempura vegetables and garlic soy mayo. "Amazing sauce, amazing consistency,'' Rachel Constant, one of my judges, said of the roasted pork loin. She also loved the chicken cutlet sub, with the provolone "melted to perfection.'' But the Super Sub was a letdown. '"You couldn't taste the prosciuttini or any of the other meats,'' she said. "It was just a very plain sandwich.'' Jeffrey Carhart singled out the "perfect'' sub rolls and the Super Italian sub, "piled high with top-quality meats and cheese and full of flavor.'' Beaugard gets his bread from Verp's Bakery in Haledon. Bread played a major role in the determination of our finalists. The overwhelming majority of shops use the same meats (Boar's Head and Thumann's), so other factors came into play: bread, toppings and creativity, among them. Veronica Osorio found four of the five subs sampled "outstanding and worth traveling for.'' Kori Phillips's favorite was the BBQ beef sub, the meat "sublimely smoky, peppery and delicious,'' although the pork loin was "a very close second,'' with flavor pairings "spot on'' and an "amazing'' sauce. She wasn't a fan of the #5, though, finding it "blah with a capital B.'' My favorite sub here: The Big Boy sub, with Italian meats and Lebanon bologna. Why this shop can win it all: Big, hefty subs with creative, out-of-the-box combinations. Homemade soups, salads, pastas. SERGIO & CO., DENVILLE The first time I stopped at Sergio & Co., in the semifinal round, owner Sergio Sciancalepore was wiping off plates. The second time, in the final round, he was clearing off tables -- and greeting customers by their first name. This is clearly not an owner who sits all day in the office counting his money. Sciancalepore calls Sergio & Co. a "hardcore Italian speciality shop,'' stocked with imported, often hard-to-find products like sardine and fennel sauce, a Feast of St. Joseph's tradition. His dad once owned M&R in Jersey City -- across the street from Andrea Salumeria, another of our ten finalists -- then he opened Michael's Salumeria in Lyndhurst. Sergio started working there when he was 12 or so, "cleaning dishes, making coffee, taking out the garbage.'' He worked for a wholesaler, where he learned the Italian specialty products business, opening Sergio & Co. in October, 1999. "A Dream Come True,'' is the message on a wall plaque. "God made me to make people happy,'' he says. "I don't have too many bad days. (Customers) here lift me up.'' My crew of judges sure seemed happy with the subs sampled. Osorio's two favorites were the #1 with prosciutto, mozzarella, basil and virgin oil ("an emotional and magical experience'') and the #5 turkey sub ("supreme''). Phillips admired the "salty deliciousness'' of the #1 and the "spike of vinegar from the caponata'' on the #2, with sopresata, imported sharp provolone and eggplant caponata. Carhart was another fan of the #2, with its "mouthwatering'' caponata, but he found the meat in the chicken cutlet sub "too dry.'' Constant loved the "fantastic'' breads here (Sciancalepore uses Sullivan Street Bakery, Tribeca Oven and Bel Pane) and the #1 was so good it made her "want to jump off the waterfalls at Niagara Falls.'' Wait, it gets better. The #2? "There was an explosion taste in my mouth like dynamite, I couldn't put it down,'' she said. "It was so bomb that you needed to call the SWAT team.'' She wasn't a fan of the turkey ""the mozzarella overpowered the sandwich'') or the chicken cutlet ("wasn't crispy, tasted bland'). My favorite sub here: The #4, with ham, salami, provolone, lettuce, tomato, oil and vinegar on a semolina roll. Why this shop can win it all: Well-stocked Italian specialty store with standout sandwiches. You won't find endless sub variations as at many mainstream shops, just a dozen or so tastefully-curated combinations. Peter Genovese may be reached at pgenovese@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PeteGenovese or via The Munchmobile @NJ_Munchmobile. Find the Munchmobile on Facebook and Instagram. maltaroman02.JPG Kimberle Malta-Roman appears at a Hudson County freeholders meeting in 2015 to discuss her lawsuit. The county will be in court today hoping to have an $8.45 million jury award vacated. (Journal file photo) Hudson County is hoping a Superior Court judge will vacate an $8.45 million jury award to a Department of Family Services employee after she filed a discrimination lawsuit against the county. Kimberle Malta-Roman was previously awarded $2.45 million for compensatory damages, such as physical and emotional distress, and $6 million in punitive damages. She alleged she was fired from her job because she suffered from depression. Hudson County filed a motion to have the jury award vacated on Sept. 30, less than one month after the initial ruling. Malta-Roman filed the civil lawsuit seeking back pay from July 2012 to March 2015. She alleged she was fired from her position with human resources because she took extra medical leave for mental health treatment. The county is asking Judge Joseph Turula to retry the entire case. The Rossi Psychological Group, Robert Kanen, and William Head -- who were named as co-defendants in the suit -- reached a settlement with Malta-Roman before going to trial, according to a proposed order by the county's lawyer. In 2012, Malta-Roman returned from a medical leave and became distressed when she discovered that her co-workers had been told she was being treated for a mental illness. She entered a year-long battle with the county over diagnoses and doctors until she was found fit work again. Malta-Roman's attorney Colin Page of Roseland-based Berkowitz and Lichtstein said Turula should not rehear the entire case, but simply reconsider how the award is allocated. An oral order to vacate the ruling was announced on Nov. 10, but Turula has not signed off on the paperwork yet. A clerk at the records room said Turula will be hearing several motions this morning at 10:30 a.m. Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. UPDATE: Police charge teens who fled onto school, causing lockdown HIGHTSTOWN -- Police apprehended two teenagers on the roof of a building at the Peddie School Thursday evening during a search that led the private school to lock down its campus for about three hours, borough police said. The teens - Peter Davison, 19, and a 17-year-old female - were apprehended at about 4:25 p.m., police Sgt. Benjamin Miller said. Before they were caught, police received a report they may have a handgun, but no firearm was located during their arrests. They are suspected of being the occupants who fled a vehicle that crashed on the campus at about 1:45 p.m. after briefly fleeing a police detective, Miller said. Davison is from Cornwall, N.Y., where the vehicle was reported stolen. Police did not identify the 17-year-old girl but said she is reportedly Davison's girlfriend. The Peddie School lifted their lockdown shortly before 5 p.m., the school said in a social media alert. During the searches, people on campus, some apparently students, were seen with their hands raised above their heads while being led by police officers. And during the search, officers evacuated and searched the school's library after getting a report the subjects may be inside. No injuries were reported to anyone on the Peddie campus, nor to police officers, and Miller described the teens' arrests as non confrontational. Miller said Davison faces several charges related to the incident, but he was in the midst of being charged Thursday night as the investigation continued. The 17-year-old was later taken to a local hospital for evaluation. Miller said the incident began when borough Detective Jerry Mecca passed the vehicle on South Main Street and noticed it driving recklessly and passing vehicles in the opposite lane of travel. Mecca turned around to follow it. Miller said Mecca found it moments later crashed on a campus lawn after hopping a curb at South Main Street at South Street. The occupants ran and Mecca last saw them hopping a fence on the school's campus, Miller said. Police eventually set up a perimeter and started searching the area and evacuating some Peddie buildings. Hamilton police's SWAT team responded and a West Windsor K-9 dog tracked the teens on the campus. The duo was later located on a roof and the Hightstown Fire Department assisted police in removing them, Miller said. Miller said the vehicle Davison drove is believed to be connected to a residential burglary in Cornwall, a Hudson River town in Orange County, N.Y. Police said a handgun also was taken. A BB gun was recovered from the stolen vehicle, Miller said. Peddie Headmaster Peter Quinn posted a message on social media following the incident praising the school on how they followed their lockdown procedures, and police for their "quick and detailed work." A statement from Peter Quinn, Headmaster. pic.twitter.com/GyYgLhFATF Peddie School (@PeddieSchool) December 1, 2016 Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook. TRENTON - The Princeton man accused of holding a woman captive for three hours Monday night was dating the victim, whom he allegedly threatened to suffocate and torture during that time, Mercer County prosecutors said in court Thursday. Benjamin Li A bail hearing was held Thursday morning for 22-year-old Benjamin Li, of Princeton, who is charged with kidnapping, criminal restraint and receiving stolen property. During the hearing, Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Eugene and defense attorney Jeffrey Goldblatt gave differing accounts on the incident, with Goldblatt calling the kidnapping charges, "not appropriate." Eugene said in court that the case started around 8 p.m. Monday night when Li was driving his 20-year-old Plainsboro girlfriend in his Mercedes Benz around the area. The two had gotten into an argument when the girlfriend asked to be let out of Li's car - a request that Li refused, Eugene said. Instead, Li kept driving through various towns, even passing his girlfriend's house, ignoring her pleas to let her out, according to prosecutors. Eugene said Li drove through West Windsor, Plainsboro and Lawrence, at one point punching his girlfriend in the arm and stealing her phone. The incident finally ended when an officer parked on Nassau Street saw the Mercedes Benz drive by and heard a girl screaming "help, help me," out of the window, according to prosecutors. When the officer pulled over the car, the girl got out and said that Li was trying to kill her, Euguene said. The 20-year-old girlfriend added that Li had threatened to suffocate her and torture her, according to prosecutors. But according to Li's attorney, Jeffrey Goldblatt, the actual account of what happened is vastly different from the girlfriend's story. Goldblatt said Li and his girlfriend have had a contentious on-off relationship for six years and that both have struggled with mental health issues. He said that when they got into the car Monday, the couple had already packed their bags and were planning to drive to Baltimore for a concert and short vacation. But shortly after they left, a fight disrupted their plans, Goldblatt said. He said the couple got into a "mutual fight" and that they were driving around the area, arguing, when they got lost in Plainsboro. Li kept driving for hours because he was lost, according to the attorney. "There was no intent on his part not to let her go at some point," Goldblatt said. He added that Li has only minor drug charges on his record and is not a flight risk or a danger to the community. Goldblatt said that Li, a former Indiana University student, was planning to reenroll in the school for the spring course. A judge reduced Li's bail from $225,000 to $200,000 Thursday. Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman loser-hall-tcnj-rename.jpg Loser hall was named after Paul Loser when his family donated $1 million dollars enabling the building's construction. (Greg Wright | Times of Trenton) ( ) EWING -- The College of New Jersey announced Thursday it will begin a conversation about the legacy of Paul Loser - whose name is on a campus hall - after student research discovered he fought for segregation of Trenton Public Schools after the practice was ruled unconstitutional. The students, Tim Osborne, Chris Loos and Kevin Montayo, argue Paul Loser Hall should be changed. "In the last two days, aspects of Dr. Paul Loser's past have been brought into focus on campus," R. Barbara Gitenstein, president of the college, said in an email to students. "I congratulate the students and their faculty mentor for having brought light to this important historical era." Loser was Superintendent of Trenton Public Schools from 1932 to 1955. In the 1940's, in the case of Hedgepath Williams vs. the Board of Education, two parents sued the district after they were denied admission to a new neighborhood school because they were black. Loser testified before the State Supreme Court that the school "had not been built for negroes and that they were better off when separated from whites." In January 1944, the court sided with the mothers, ordering the board to immediately admit all black students to all Trenton schools by the end of the year, but Loser, the students' documents show, enacted vindictive polices against the former all-black school and delayed integration for as long as he could after the ruling. "In their research, our students documented that he espoused beliefs that run counter to our commitment to an inclusive campus," Gitenstein's email said. The college says provost, Jacqueline Taylor, has reached out to the research students and their faculty mentor to begin the discussion. "We have already received excellent research documentation and have asked to meet with the students to learn more," the email said. "We are hoping they will be willing to participate in campus presentations on the matter." Gitenstein said the college 'must be thoughtful in understanding the full historical context but forthright in confronting the facts' and 'must decide what is the most productive plan of action when we learn that our campus has honored someone whose belief system is inconsistent with our mission.' The email said this 'conversation is an important one' and that 'while we are proud of the progress we have made, there is much left to do.' Loser Hall was named as such after Paul Loser's now-late son, Tom Loser and his wife Carol made a $1 million donation to the school in 1987 -- the largest in the School's history at that time. College spokesman David Muha said Thursday that monetary donation and other subsequent donations by the family 'will not have any bearing on the process that the college will take.' Muha says the college invites all views of alumni and area residents to voice their thoughts. "What's happening is exactly what needs to happen," he said. Greg Wright may be reached at gwright@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregTheWright. Find NJ.com on Facebook. NEW BRUNSWICK -- The 25-year-old man accused of stabbing two people inside the Rutgers Business School last month remains hospitalized and under police guard, according to Rutgers Police Chief Kenneth Cop. Joshua S. Thompson, 25, of Mountainside, is under 24-hour guard at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, in New Brunswick, Cop said. He has been in the hospital since the Nov. 4 stabbing of a Rutgers University student and a faculty member inside the business school during afternoon classes. Thompson suffered from what authorities say were self-inflicted wounds. They did not release details on the extent of Thompson's injuries. All three had been previously listed in critical condition. One of the patients has been released and two remain, according to Peter Haigney, a spokesman for Robert Wood. Haigney on Thursday said, "Both remain in fair condition." Due to patient privacy laws, however, it is unclear who, other than Thompson, remains in the hospital. Thompson has been charged with attempted murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon in connection with the crimes, Rutgers police have said. His bail remains at $1 million, according to Cop. No court appearances have been scheduled at this time, Cop added. Cop said Thompson would receive a court date once he is released from the hospital and taken to the county jail, after which he will appear for a bail hearing and receive a date for his next court appearance. Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the Find NJ.com on Facebook. 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. The Student Life Department at North Platte Community College is spreading holiday cheer and helping a worthy cause in the process. Its offering Santas Workshop from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the fireplace area of the McDonald-Belton Building on NPCCs South Campus. The event is open to the public. Admission is a canned food item for the Rape/Domestic Abuse Program of North Platte. RDAP is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault. All of its services are provided free of charge. We selected RDAP as the food recipient because the organization has always supported NPCC, said Augie Sanchez, NPCC assistant director of housing and student activities. We partner with RDAP to spread rape and domestic abuse information to our students, and we encourage our students to contact the organization if they are ever in need of assistance. Children will have the chance to visit and have their photos taken with Santa, decorate cookies, make crafts, watch a puppet show, play games and win prizes. All kids must be supervised by an adult. Mid-Plains has a long tradition of giving back to the community, and this is just another example of that, said Sanchez. We wanted to offer an event to families in North Platte and surrounding towns that would get them in the holiday spirit. More information about the event is available by contacting Sanchez at 308-535-6452. On Sunday, I stopped to fill up with gasoline at Fat Dogs in North Platte. Big 6-foot numbers up on a 60-foot-tall sign advertised gas for $1.97 a gallon. They had 18 pumps, and the first eight were all full, so I pulled over to pump 16. Cheap gas with 10 percent ethanol was $2.34 per gallon, midgrade with 5 percent ethanol was $2.44 and premium with 0 percent ethanol was $2.54. The big sign was flashing two different prices for diesel on credit card and cheaper diesel paid with cash. Since I needed gasoline and my wife was already inside getting some food, I went ahead and filled up anyway. I just assumed that I got stuck paying more because I was using a credit card. But as I was filling up, I kept looking up at the big $1.97 sign, and it never switched between a cash and a credit price. So after I was done, I took my receipt and went inside to inquire if the difference between $1.97 and $2.34 was the difference between cash and credit. The cashier said no, cash and credit were all the same price for gasoline, but only pumps 1 and 2 had gas for $1.97. The other 16 pumps were all selling gasoline for $2.34! I told them I thought that was crooked, but they said there was a sign when you first drove in stating that pumps 1 and 2 had gas for $1.97. I looked, and there was a sign with 6-inch letters that, if you read it slowly, said something about pumps 1 and 2. It didnt say pumps 1 and 2 only, but it did say pumps 1 and 2. I told them that I considered that to be totally rotten, and they both just told me to have a nice day, sir. Well trained, and repeated many times a day, Im sure. I was, and am, royally POd. I contacted the Chamber of Commerce, both local newspapers and the Nebraska attorney general, and will dispute the charges on my credit card. Not that any of it will do any good, but I want them to have to sweat a little for their dirty dollars. As I told Gary Person with the Chamber of Commerce, I will not be stopping in North Platte again, if I can possibly help it. My apologies to the rest of the fine citizens of North Platte, but perhaps you could boycott them and let it be known that they are giving the entire town a bad name. John Vorwerk Lakewood, Colorado GIO Stadium has traditionally been a tough venue for traveling NRL sides to win at, with conditions and a partisan Canberra crowd creating a hostile environment for those teams from out of town. Raiders members also have to endure some of the most extreme conditions of any supporters in the competition, with blazing hot afternoons met with bitterly cold nights across the NRL calendar. Don't forget the infamous 2000 'snow game', either. As a show of thanks for fans who Raiders CEO Don Furner describes as the "toughest" in the NRL, a total prize pool of $1,000,000 will be up for grabs for members who participate in the club's season predictor and spin-the-wheel membership promotion. Members are invited to predict how many points the Raiders will score and have scored against them, as well as how many tries they'll both score and concede. Those who correctly guess these figures will share in the $500,000 prize pool, with a further $500,000 on offer across the first 10 home games of the year if the selected member can land the wheel on the $50,000 prize at each game. One man who will be instrumental in Canberra's attacking potential next season is halfback Aidan Sezer, who was also unveiled as the face of the promotion. Ahead of his second year in the nation's capital, the former Titans playmaker said he hopes he and right-edge duo Jordan Rapana and Joseph Leilua can play their part in delivering the ultimate prize to deserving Canberra members. "It's hard to go off season averages after last year, hopefully we can score a few more tries and someone gets the estimate," Sezer told the assembled media at Raiders HQ on Thursday. "Hopefully we can get a few more tries on the left as well. 'Jordy' (Rapana) and 'BJ' (Leilua), they killed it last year so hopefully they can replicate that this year." Sezer's time with the Green Machine didn't get off to an ideal start. Restricted to rehab for a portion of the 2016 pre-season, an injury in Round 1 saw the Bulldogs junior sit out the next month. But once he returned in Round 5 the 25-year-old featured in every other game for his new side, all the way through to their preliminary final loss to the Storm. With a year under his belt in lime green and a greater understanding with halves partner Blake Austin, hooker Josh Hodgson and fullback Jack Wighton, Sezer said the experiences of 2016 holds his side in good stead as they aim to improve next season. "[When you] turn up to pre-season not trying to forge relationships with the boys, it's something that's obviously going to help your game," Sezer said. "Going in off the back of last season into a new year will be only beneficial for the team. "Everyone's always optimistic ahead of the new season and we're no different. "Hopefully we get back after the Christmas break with 'Hodgy' (Hodgson) and the international boys and build on the platform we laid last year." The Canberra Raiders have released forward Jarrad Kennedy from the final year of his contract to take up a contract with another NRL club. Kennedy played 49 matches for the Raiders since making his debut in 2012. Kennedy was also part of the Raiders inaugural NYC team who claimed the title in 2008, scoring the match winning try in Golden Point extra time. In 2016 Kennedy was an instrumental part of Mounties push to the Intrust Super Premiership Grand Final. The Raiders would like to wish Jarrad all the best in the future. The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor welcomed its 200th ship of the year this week, the 656-foot Federal Oshima bulk carrier. Since Indiana is turning 200 years old, state officials seized the occasion to celebrate the state's Bicentennial at the deepwater port on Lake Michigan. Port officials gave Captain Pankaj Sah and his crew of 22 a ceremonial Steel Stein recognizing Northwest Indiana's place as the steel capital of North America. "Indiana has always been a hub of transportation and industry," Indiana Bicentennial Commission Executive Director Perry Hammock said. "Our ports have also played a huge role in Indiana becoming a crossroads for the world. From steel and grain to wind turbines and coal, shipping is an important part of Indiana's history and her future. We proudly honor Captain Sah and his crew for their ship being the 200th vessel to pass through Indiana's Lake Michigan port this year." The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel brought the port in Portage 12,600 tons of steel that it picked up at the Port of Antwerp in Belgium. It will return to Europe with a cargo hold full of potash it will pick up at Thunder Bay in Ontario. The Federal Oshima, owned by shipper FedNav, of Montreal, is one of many international vessels to dock at the Burns Harbor port every year. "In 1816, Indiana's founding fathers saw the potential for a Great Lakes port and extended the state's boundary line 10 miles north giving Indiana 45 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline," Port Director Rick Heimann said. "This foresight has given the world direct access to the Midwest by way of the Atlantic Ocean, St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes." The final Bicentennial event will take place on Dec. 11 at the Indiana Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. Congressman Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville, is calling for more steel tariffs and more vigorous enforcement of trade rules. Visclosky testified this week before the International Trade Commission on proposed tariffs on carbon and alloy steel cut-to-length plate which ArcelorMittal and other steelmakers have requested. The product is principally made at ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor, and used in infrastructure and U.S. Navy ships. "I cannot emphasize enough how critical cut-to-length plate is to the security of this nation. This product is used to make armor vests that protect our military personnel. It is used to build ships and aircraft carriers that secure our national defense," Visclosky said. "In fact, of the roughly 50,000 tons of steel plate required for the construction of an aircraft carrier, ArcelorMittal supplies the majority of the steel, of which half is manufactured and produced in Burns Harbor." Visclosky told the ITC American steelworkers are fighting for survival against illegal imports, and the federal government must crack down further. "For far too long, this steel has been finding its way to be illegally dumped in our market, to the detriment of our steel industry," he said. Visclosky and ArcelorMittal want tariffs as high as 179 percent on plate imports from Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, South Africa, Taiwan, and Turkey. The Congressional Steel Caucus, which Visclosky vice-chairs, also wrote a letter to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection demanding that recently passed laws be enforced. The Congressmen, who represent steel producing states, were concerned the federal agency failed to investigation duties China was allegedly ducking on circular welded carbon quality steel pipe. EAST CHICAGO A health expert in childhood exposures to environmental toxins will meet Saturday with residents living in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys lead- and arsenic-polluted Superfund site. Dr. Bruce Lanphear, a health sciences professor at Simon Fraser University in Canada, is scheduled to speak from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the East Chicago Public Library Pastrick branch, 1008 W. Chicago Ave., in East Chicago. Lanphear has studied the effects of lead exposure in early childhood for 30 years. Lanphear said he hopes to offer some perspective on how subtle reductions in IQ or increases in behavior problems in individual children can add up to big impacts in groups or populations of children. Even at low levels, lead can have a lasting impact on childrens academic achievements, levels of intelligence and ability to pay attention. This perspective should offer some comfort the impact on any one child is subtle but still acknowledge that our failure to prevent their children from being exposed to lead was negligent, Lanphear said. Lanphear will meet with residents who are part of the "East Chicago, Calumet Coalition," a community advisory group that that is advocating on behalf of residents as the EPA continues cleanup of the Superfund site. David J. Chizewer, an attorney at the Chicago-based Goldberg Kohn, said his law firm invited Lanphear to East Chicago to bring in an expert who is "unbiased and unaffiliated" with any local, state and federal agencies involved in the cleanup. Chizewers firm is working pro bono for some community groups that have formed in response to the lead cleanups. His firm also has offered to talk to individuals about the possibility of filing claims on a pro bono basis, Chizewer has said. EPA holds open house On Dec. 10, the EPA is holding a multi-agency open house from 1 to 4 p.m. at Carrie Gosch Elementary School, where Dr. Susan Buchanan, with the University at Chicago's Great Lakes Center for Children's Environmental Health, will present about health effects of lead poisoning, according to an EPA news release. Buchanan spoke previously at another EPA informational public meeting. The Great Lakes Center for Children's Environmental Health, established in 1999, is funded by the EPA and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, according to Buchanan's biography on UIC's website. One of the best gifts we can give during the holiday season is our time to help others. This year several groups in Griffith are pulling together to make the annual Griffith Emergency Funds Holiday Toy Drive a success. It's also known as "The Holiday-Caroling, Ugly-Sweater-Wearing, BYO Mug Hot-Chocolate-Drinking Toy Drive and it is under the direction of Shawn Graham, a financial adviser with the Edward Jones firm. Participating groups include Strack and Van Til, 7/11, Barbara Novak and the Griffith High School Choirs, which will be performing at the First Christian Church on the evening of the drive. To get in, just bring a toy, said Graham, whose two sons are participating in the toy drive. His oldest son, Shawn Graham Jr., sings in the choir. Even those who cant make the Toy Drive can drop off toys at Grahams Edward Jones office at 1939 Glen Park Ave. from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday until Dec. 14. This Toy Drive gives Kristin Anderson, the Griffith High School Choir teacher, her students and my family and I the opportunity to combine our efforts to give back to the community through volunteerism during the holiday season, said Graham, adding that hes made Griffith not only home for his family but also for his business. "When you call a place home, you suddenly feel you have a stake in it. Thats why we intend to remain active in volunteering here, to make it a better place to live. The Griffith Emergency Fund is an organization run entirely by volunteers and donations that helps families in need. Graham said the toy drive and the fund can always use volunteers. Besides helping others, theres a plus for those who volunteer. Volunteering is associated with positive outcomes during teen years and into adulthood, according to a study by Child Trends. Studies show that teens who volunteer are less likely to become pregnant or to use drugs and are more likely to have positive academic, psychological and occupational well-being. Children younger than 14 are positively impacted by becoming involved in helping others. Studies indicate that volunteering nurtures important life skills and values in children and like their older peers, is shown to deter negative behaviors. Bruce Rowe, supervisory park ranger/public information officer at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, said they have volunteer opportunities for kids to do with their parents. We also get some teens who help at our Paul H. Douglas Center on weekends or who do Eagle Scout projects, he said. One such activity is its BioBlitz, a 24-hour event where teams of volunteer scientists, families, students, teachers and other community members work together to find and identify as many species of plants, animals, microbes, fungi and other organisms as possible. We have an assortment of interpretive programs that kids and families may join, which are on our website, said Brad Bumgardner, interpretive naturalist at the Indiana Dunes State Park. There are plenty of volunteer opportunities at a series of holiday events put on by the Schererville Parks Department. Our Primetimer Holiday Luncheon, which is for seniors, is coming up and there are plenty of ways kids can help out, said Josh Barnes, program coordinator for the parks department. They can help with the activities, help serve and overall just help them have a good time. Other ways to spread holiday cheer include the parks Dec. 17 Candy Cane Hunt, where it typically attracts 200 kids who search the lawn at the Schererville Community Center for candy canes including special ones for bigger prizes. After the hunt, its inside for a craft project, hot cocoa and cookies. Theres no shortage of events for volunteering, Barnes said. Those interested in volunteering can contact Maddie Grimm, recreation coordinator for the parks department at (219) 865-5530, ext. 6102. Parents also can get their kids involved by talking to them about what they would like to do to help others. Maybe its making a meal for an elderly or sick neighbor, helping a younger child do a craft project, gathering nonperishables to donate to a local food bank, collecting gently used clothing for Goodwill or other service organizations, going together to buy a toy for Toys for Tots or doing chores for someone for those in need. PORTAGE Two women and two teenage boys were arrested Friday morning on alcohol-related charges, and one of the boys ran from a police stop, but was quickly apprehended. Police were called at 6:02 a.m. Friday to Steak 'n' Shake, 6231 U.S. 6, for a report of a possible drunken driver. According to Portage police, two women, both 20, and two juvenile males, were in a car and had been drinking. As police were questioning them, one of the boys ran from officers. Police said he ran across U.S. 6 to the north and was arrested in the field behind Texas Roadhouse, 6130 U.S. 6. Police said he was wanted by Crown Point police as a runaway. He was charged with minor consumption and resisting law enforcement. The other teen was charged with minor consumption. He was being held at the Portage police station until his parents picked him up. The two women were charged with minor consumption and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. They were taken to Porter County Jail. Their names and further details were not immediately available. MICHIGAN CITY A 38-year-old man has been charged with murder, a year and a half after the body of a 31-year-old woman was found dead in a car in the 300 block of Holliday Street. Officers traveled to Kentucky to serve Alan Landry with the arrest warrant, according to Michigan City Police Chief Mark Swistek. The department is awaiting Landry's extradition back to Indiana. Nekia Hyler was found dead at 6 p.m. April 14, 2015, police said. A forensic autopsy was done and investigators analyzed and sorted through numerous forms of documentation, data, forensic evidence and interviews that led them to Landry, police said. The case was turned over to the LaPorte County prosecutors office for review, and it was decided to move forward with the case, police said. EAST CHICAGO Police are investigating after a man was fatally shot Friday morning near the intersection of 149th Street and Melville Avenue outside the Macedonia Baptist Church. Police reportedly responded to the scene at about 10:30 a.m. for a report of shots fired in the city's Calumet neighborhood. Terance Jackson, 22, of East Chicago, was pronounced dead at 12:09 p.m. Friday, according to a Lake County Coroner's Office news release. The cause and manner of death is gunshot wound in a homicide. Police officers from the East Chicago Police Department and investigators with the Lake County Sheriff's Department CSI Unit cleared the scene about 2:15 p.m. Friday. Investigators Friday afternoon could be seen retrieving about a dozen yellow evidence markers in the street beside shell casings. The homicide investigation is in close proximity to where federal agents on Thursday served search warrants. East Chicago Police Department spokeswoman Lt. Marguerite Wilder could not be reached for comment Friday. A number of shootings have been reported in the city's Calumet neighborhood in recent weeks. A 15-year-old boy was wounded Nov. 25 in a shooting Friday in the nearby West Calumet Housing Complex, and on Nov. 5, a 15-year-old Chicago boy was shot in the foot Saturday in the area of 149th Street and Alexander Avenue. HAMMOND The Indiana Department of Education has named Donald A. Gavit Middle-High School as this years National Title I Distinguished School for Growth and Closing the Achievement Gap. Gavit Middle-High School was selected for its creative approaches to motivate students, collaboration among middle and high school teachers, and its team atmosphere and mentoring program, according to an Indiana Department of Education news release. I think the secret is that the teachers treat kids like their own, school principal Michelle Ondas said Thursday. The students and teachers want to be here and the success comes because students know the teachers are invested in them and believe in them. The school was selected, in part, for improving test scores, but also for the strong collaboration among teachers, and the establishment of AP course offerings for middle and high school students. Since 1996, the National Title I Association has selected examples of superior Title I school programs for national recognition, according to the state department news release. Selected schools demonstrate a wide array of strengths, including "team approaches to teaching and learning, focused professional development opportunities for staff, individualized programs for student success, and strong partnerships between the school, parents and the community," according to the release. Title I Distinguished Schools are selected after thorough review of student achievement data and school accountability performance, as well as student demographic data and an analysis of Title I funding expenditures. Ondas said Thursday she is speechless to hear her school was selected out of the 1,002 Title I schools in the state of Indiana. Other area top nominees for this years Growth and Closing the Achievement Gap award was Columbia Elementary School and Morton Elementary School, both Hammond schools. A Lake County Superior Court judge heard arguments Thursday on whether to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed against radio personality and activist Eve Gomez. Joan Gorcos, a St. John Police Department secretary and part-time county dispatcher, sued Gomez in April over allegations the activist said in a speech that Gorcos engaged in racial profiling. *The speech was delivered April 8 during a press conference in St. John organized by the League of United Latin American Citizens. The league organized the conference after it was allegedly leaked copies of internal police communications where former police officer Daniel Kolodziej told Gorcos he was conducting a Mexican hunt. Kolodziej is Gorcos' son, according to court filings. Gorcos claims in her lawsuit Gomez defamed her when she allegedly said in the speech that the county dispatcher's conduct was disgraceful and disrespectful to our race, and that Gorcos should be arrested. Gorcos' further contends Gomez defamed her in The Times. The newspaper reported April 7 Gomez said in an interview that Kolodziej and the dispatcher were the only two individuals she knows of who are alleged to have engaged in racial profiling. Gorcos claims in her lawsuit Gomez knew that the dispatcher was not alleged to have engaged in racial profiling. Gomez has denied the defamation allegations in court filings and requested Thursday Judge Bruce Parent enter a summary judgment in her favor. Defense attorney Trent McCain argued at the hearing Gorcos misconstrued Gomez's statements from the press conference, and Gomez never identified the mother and son in her speech. McCain included a transcript of the speech in his motion for summary judgment, which was filed in October, and provided The Times an audio recording he said was from the press conference. Gomez said in the recording provided by McCain that, as a community leader, she would not stand for anything that is disrespectful to Mexicans, or humans in general. She said in the recording she was not at the press conference to hurt the officers or the mother of whoever is involved in this case, but instead was there so they could learn a lesson. Gomez went on to say in the recording that if a Mexican engaged in similar conduct to the officer or dispatcher, they would be arrested. Gorcos' attorney, Christopher Cooper, argued at the hearing it did not matter for the purpose of defamation whether Gomez identified his client by name. He further claimed Gomez made statements she knew were false, or that a reasonable person would question was false. Parent, the judge, said he would take the arguments under advisement and could issue a decision as early as next week. McCain said after the hearing he was confident the judge would dismiss the lawsuit. The plaintiff has to overcome a high threshold for defamation, and we do not believe they met that burden, McCain said. Cooper expressed less confidence. You never know, he said. It's fifty-fifty. *Editor's note: This story has been corrected from an earlier version. The speech was delivered April 8. INDIANAPOLIS President-elect Donald Trump claimed Thursday that American workers won a tremendous victory after Carrier Corp. agreed to maintain in Indianapolis some manufacturing jobs the company previously announced would be relocated to Mexico. The Republican said he persuaded Carrier executives to keep the jobs in Indiana by promising to reduce the U.S. corporate income tax rate to 15 percent, from 35 percent, and make the federal government more business-friendly when he takes office on Jan. 20. "There's no reason for them to leave, anymore," Trump said. "Your taxes are going to be at the very, very low end, and your unnecessary regulations are going to be gone." Carrier also is slated to receive as part of the deal up to $7 million in state tax credits over the next 10 years if the company continues to employ 1,069 Hoosier workers. At the same time, Carrier and its parent company, United Technologies Corp., still are planning to move 1,300 Indiana jobs to Mexico, including 600 from Indianapolis and another 700 from Huntington, Indiana. Trump did not acknowledge those Hoosier job losses in his 17-minute speech following a tour of the Carrier plant on Indianapolis' west side. He also repeatedly misstated that Carrier makes air conditioners at the factory when it produces gas furnaces. Trump reiterated his campaign promise to slap high tariffs on products made by U.S. companies that move manufacturing overseas to take advantage of cheap labor. "Companies are not going to leave the United States anymore without consequences. It's not going to happen," Trump warned. "They're not going to be taking people's hearts out. They're not going to be announcing, like they did at Carrier, that they're closing up and they're moving to Mexico." Reached out to CEO Trump acknowledged that it's unusual for presidents, or presidents-elect, to personally get involved in negotiations to retain a single business facility. But, he insisted, things are going to be different in his administration. "We're going to have a lot of phone calls made to companies when they say they're thinking about leaving this country," he said. "Because they're not leaving this country; they're not going to leave this country, and the workers are going to keep their jobs." Trump made similar pledges throughout his successful campaign for president, but admitted he didn't think about doing anything to aid Carrier workers until he saw one last week on a television news report claiming that Trump promised to save his job. "I never thought I made that promise. Not for Carrier. I made it for everybody else. I didn't make it really for Carrier," Trump said. "I was talking about Carrier like all other companies from here on in." Nevertheless, Trump said after seeing that worker on TV he decided to contact United Technologies CEO Greg Hayes to determine if anything could be done. Hayes said he agreed to keep the Indianapolis Carrier plant open, and invest $16 million in improvements, in light of Trump's promises to bolster business competitiveness in the United States and to take "a more thoughtful approach to regulations." Neither man mentioned that United Technologies is a major defense contractor and potentially stood to lose a significant share of its business if a Commander-in-Chief Trump decided to redirect U.S. military contracts to other companies. 'Leadership and change' Trump was demure in his relatively short speech compared to the over-the-top enthusiasm that marked his long, occasionally raucous, campaign rallies. He said he remains grateful to the people of Indiana for helping him effectively clinch the Republican presidential nomination in May, and giving him a nearly 20 percent margin of victory on Election Day. "This has been a very special state to us," Trump said. "I just love the people, incredible people." Trump also thanked Indiana for giving him Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate. He said he's constantly told that his selection of Pence shows he knows how to make good decisions. Pence was on hand to cheer the Carrier deal, which he proclaimed has "renewed hope and promise" for Indiana and the nation. "The simple truth was that policies coming out of our nation's capital were literally driving jobs out of this country," Pence said. "What was missing was leadership and change." "Well, the American people voted for change last month, and even before taking office our president-elect provided real leadership that makes a difference. ... Today, America won, and we have Donald Trump to thank." CROWN POINT The city's police officers got the OK to grow beards during the month of November for a cancer awareness event. Some of the officers looked good and some "not so much," Chief Pete Land said, but it was for a great cause. Thanks to their effort, $2,000 was raised during "No Shave November" that will go to the Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids Foundation, which supports families of kids who have cancer. "We're so very grateful," said Donna Crider, executive director of NICK. "Once again sadly it's a record year for us with 22 new children added to our now over 100 families (diagnosed with cancer) since 2009. Business is booming, which for us is not a good thing." The police department partnered with the FOP Lodge 176 for the event, in which officers were able to go against department policy prohibiting beards as long as they donated $40 to NICK. As a bonus, officers could keep their beards through December if they donated an extra $10. Mayor David Uran also announced that officers can keep their beards through the winter months as long as they continue to contribute to NICK. A planned two-night stay in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, turned into a night of panic Monday as a Highland woman and her boyfriend fled as wildfires quickly spread through the Smoky Mountains. Sara Pingleton and Tim Zarris arrived Monday afternoon in Gatlinburg on their way home to Highland after visiting Asheville, North Carolina. The pair were vacationing with another local couple and were staying in a cabin in the mountains outside Gatlinburg. Pingleton said the air was filled with smoke when they arrived. They visited a visitor center in town to get more information, she said, and were told there were some evacuations underway, but not in the area of their cabin. She said they asked officials how they would find out if they needed to evacuate, but didn't get an answer. The weather forecast for that night called for rain, but was supposed to be nice on Tuesday, Zarris said, so despite the smoke in the area the group decided to stay in the cabin that night. "We decided to stay inside because you couldnt breathe," he said. But at about 8:30 p.m. Monday the high winds, which fueled the wildfires, had picked up and they lost electricity. Pingleton said they called the police and were told they needed to evacuate. "We went out, and it was unbreathable." Pingleton said. "We grabbed as much as we could and left. "We could see people scattering and leaving it was really chaotic." "What really put us into panic mode is someone yelled look at the sky and it was bright red," she said. "We should have left way earlier." Zarris said with every gust of wind you could feel the heat of the wildfires getting closer. Traffic was very heavy as tourists and residents were fleeing the burning mountains, Pingleton said. "It was like a mass exodus. To see that many people coming down the mountain in a traffic jam was crazy." Fires had burned down next to the road, Pingleton said. "The trees were going down as we drove by," he said. "It was demolishing itself because it got so hot so fast." Pingleton said they had planned to go to nearby Pigeon Forge, but that area was being evacuated, so they went to Knoxville for the night and eventually returned home to the Region. She said the cabin where they had been was lost in the fire. Zarris said he believed the fire probably reached their cabin just minutes after they left. Pingleton said they were fortunate because they were on vacation and able to return to their homes. The residents of Gatlinburg were not so lucky. She said she hopes people would consider donating to causes that will benefit people in that region. GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has declared a state of emergency to expedite aid to victims of the wildfires and storms ravaging eastern Tennessee. The Republican governor on Tuesday suspended certain state laws and eased other requirements to help victims of the storms. He gave the commissioner of Commerce and Insurance discretion to assist policyholders even when premium payments have been delayed, and waived fees for the issuance of driver's licenses and other identification for victims of the disasters. His order freed up medical professionals licensed in other states to help Tennessee victims. Wildfires descended on Gatlinburg and the surrounding area Monday night and were followed by tornadoes and other destructive storms in eight eastern Tennessee counties. Death toll at 10 A Tennessee mayor says that the death toll from wildfires earlier this week has increased to 10. Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters said Thursday afternoon that authorities had discovered three additional deaths. He did not release any details about the fatalities and said authorities are still working to positively identify the remains. More than 14,000 residents and tourists were forced to evacuated Monday night when high winds spread wildfires throughout the area near the Great Smoky Mountains. Help for victims Country music legend Dolly Parton says she's establishing a fund to help victims of the wildfires that burned hundreds of homes and businesses in the Great Smoky Mountains area and left seven dead. She says The Dollywood Co. and The Dollywood Foundation are establishing the My People Fund, which will provide $1,000 monthly to Sevier County families who lost their homes. The flames reached the doorstep of Dollywood, the theme park named after Parton. The park was spared any significant damage and will reopen Friday. Cause of wildfire The superintendent of the Great Smoky Mountains National park says the wildfires that devastated parts of eastern Tennessee were likely human-caused. Cassius Cash's comments, made Wednesday afternoon, were reported by The Washington Post. Seven people have been killed in the wildfires which destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses, many in the Gatlinburg area. Gatlinburg Mayor Mike Werner said officials were discussing the possibility of re-opening the town Friday, which would give business owners and residents their first look at the damage in a city that's been closed since Monday night. WESTVILLE A cross-section of community leaders from across LaPorte County began work Wednesday on the county's first strategic plan in 25 years. Glen Minich, a farmer who has served on the LaPorte County Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals, is upbeat about the process. "I've felt that LaPorte County has been transitioning for some time and is ready to find something that makes us unique," Minich said. Pat Carlisle, of Chesterton, worked at Purdue North Central's Westville campus for decades before she retired. "I think it's ready and has been in transition for many, many years," she said. "I'm just feeling there's an energy I didn't experience in my years at Purdue University." Consultant Kyle May, of Columbus, Ohio-based Planning NEXT, walked participants through pertinent data about the county' population, prosperity and places. Over the past five to 10 years, the county has had slow to no population growth. The county's population has, in fact, dropped 574 since 2010. "We're seeing more people living alone," May said, and more single parent households. There are fewer families with children, too. Incomes have been stagnant, May said. The county's per capita personal income is about 93 percent of the state average, which lags the nation. Child poverty is the fifth worst in the state, with 29 percent of LaPorte County children living in poverty. The growth in child poverty between 2000 and today was the fastest in the state, too "an important stat to address," May said. LaPorte County has lost about 3,400 jobs, a common trend throughout the Midwest. "Just over 85 percent of these jobs were made redundant by technology," not shipped to another country, May said. Transportation data showed about 12 percent of the county's households have no car available, compared to 7 percent for the state. As for the workforce, "about half of them commute, and some of them commute quite far, about 25 miles," May said. There are many challenges facing LaPorte County, but the county has a lot going for it, too. "The dunes, some of your older communities, some of your downtowns, the unique places in your community, that can be celebrated and should be celebrated," May said. Participants offered ideas that addressed the themes May highlighted. Alissa Clemons, a sixth-grade teacher at Wanatah Middle School, wants youth to become more empowered and involved in their community. Rich Mrozinski, elected last month to the LaPorte County Board of Commissioners, is concerned about parts of the county beyond Michigan City and LaPorte. "The small communities are important, too," he said. "What's good for LaCrosse is good for the whole county." Minich, who is concerned about preserving the county's farmland and building the agricultural economy, and Clarence Hulse, executive director of the Michigan City Economic Development Corp., expressed concern about growth beyond the core communities. "When you build out in the hinterlands, that places a huge government to maintain the roads," Hulse said. "I come from the sprawl in Florida. It's costly." Input from the participants in Wednesday's workshop will be compiled and reviewed as the strategic planning process enters its next stage. The LaPorte County Better Government Study Group, Unity Foundation of LaPorte County and Purdue Extension Services sponsored the event. "As a result of this, I'm confident that 10 years from now we'll be a better community," LaPorte County Commissioner Vidya Kora said. "We'll be bold in setting our goals, but we'll also be realistic," he said. Eight powerful men, including a former top aide to Governor Andrew Cuomo, were in federal court Thursday, entering pleas in a massive state corruption scheme. NY1's Courtney Gross filed the following report. As photographers chased Joe Percoco from federal court, he reminded them of something. "I used to set up pictures for you, young man," he said. He is recalling how he used to set up press conferences for the governor. Percoco was the longtime right-hand man for Andrew Cuomo. Now, he doesn't have much more to say other than not guilty. He entered that plea in federal court on Thursday alongside seven other defendants who are all facing corruption charges. "We entered our plea of not guilty, and we will be reviewing the evidence before our next appearance, and we will have a comment for you then," said Barry A. Bohrer, Percoco's attorney. Percoco allegedly accepted hundreds of thousand of dollars in bribes from upstate executives who were seeking to do business with the state. Those executives have also been charged. That includes the former head of SUNY Polytechnic, Alain Kaloyeros, who is accused of bid-rigging in connection with Governor Andrew Cuomo's upstate economic development program known as the Buffalo Billion. Kaloyeros has since resigned from his high-profile position. On Thursday, he also pleaded not guilty. Because there are so many defendants in this case, they took up the entire front row of the courtroom. One by one, they stood up, entering pleas of not guilty. Prosecutors and the judge questioned whether all of these defendants would make it to trial or whether some of them will take a plea instead. Already, the government is working with one of the alleged culprits, Todd Howe, who is an upstate lobbyist and considered a Cuomo loyalist. Cuomo has not been implicated in the case, but it has been a huge hit for his administration. "They are very sad. They are sad to me personally. And we will now let the justice system takes its course," he said. The case will not make it in front of a jury any time soon. Attorneys will take months to review evidence, including 2 million pages of documents and 2 terabytes of data. Monroeville, Harper Lees Alabama hometown, inspired the depiction of fictional Maycomb in Ms. Lees novel To Kill a Mockingbird, and now her former lawyer hopes to transform part of the towns square to honor the author under a new plan. According to the website al.com, a proposed Harper Lee Trail would include a museum to be located in a refurbished 1909 bank building, where Ms. Lees father kept a law office. Other plans include building replicas of homes in Ms. Lees novel and renovating her house on West Avenue in Monroeville. Tonja Carter, Ms. Lees former lawyer, and the industrialist and philanthropist George Landegger have begun putting together preliminary plans for such a trail, according to the Alabama news site. A public, charitable foundation would fund the trail. In its purest form, it will be tourism for our county, and thats a green industry, said Monroe County Probate Judge Greg Norris, who has spoken to the principals about the plan. This summer Mr. Norris and Ms. Carter made separate visits to William Shakespeares birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, where they saw how much of that town and its business revolved around Shakespeares legacy. . Ousmane Sow, often called the Auguste Rodin of Senegal, who earned an international reputation for his expressive sculptures of the Nuba, Masai and other African peoples, died on Thursday in Dakar, Senegal. He was 81. The death was reported by Agence France-Presse. Mr. Sow (pronounced So) spent much of his life as a physical therapist but in his 50s became a full-time sculptor. After seeing the German photographer Leni Riefenstahls book on the Nuba people of southern Sudan, he executed a series of larger-than-life-size sculptures of Nuba wrestlers. Exhibited outside the French Cultural Center in Dakar in 1987, the Nuba series marked Mr. Sow as a talent of the first order. He made good on that initial impression with a series of sculptures on the Masai of Kenya and Tanzania, the Zulus of South Africa and the nomadic Fulanis of West Africa. Working without drawings, and relying on his intimate knowledge of the human anatomy from his years working as a physical therapist, he created imposing, rough-textured figures, bristling with energy, that seemed to embody the fierce spirit of postcolonial Africa. Andrew Sachs, who starred in the British television comedy series Fawlty Towers as Manuel, the earnest but bumbling waiter who was regularly recruited into the schemes of the hotel owner Basil Fawlty, played by John Cleese, died on Nov. 23 at a care facility near his home in London. He was 86. The cause was vascular dementia, his son John said. Mr. Sachss credits included dozens of movie and television appearances, but his most memorable role came in the 12 episodes of the BBC series Fawlty Towers, six of which were broadcast in 1975 and the other six in 1979. The show was also popular in the United States. The ill-tempered Basil Fawlty ran his hotel with a blend of disdain and obsequiousness toward guests. The comedy played out as he tried to advance grand plans against the wishes of his strong-willed wife, Sybil, played by Prunella Scales, and in his frequent miscommunications with Manuel, who was from Barcelona and not proficient in English. Que? was a refrain as Manuel, his eyebrows raised, mouth slightly agape and eyes wide, tried to absorb something his boss was impatiently explaining to him. We value your privacy. Focus Taiwan (CNA) uses tracking technologies to provide better reading experiences, but it also respects readers' privacy. Click here to find out more about Focus Taiwan's privacy policy. When you close this window, it means you agree with this policy. MOSES A Human Life By Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg 225 pp. Yale University Press. $25. Moses fails to enter Canaan, not because his life is too short, but because it is a human life. So read Franz Kafkas diary entry on Oct. 19, 1921. The subtitle of Avivah Gottlieb Zornbergs new biography of Moses, A Human Life, is a tribute to Kafka. By casting her psychological portrait of the prophet under the auspices of the Prague writer, Zornberg ushers the reader into the sinuous, metaphysical angst of a man facing the divine and the elusive meaning of life. A celebrated biblical scholar, keen on weaving together traditional Jewish exegesis, psychoanalysis and postmodern criticism, Zornberg always displays minute attention to the psychological subtext of the Scriptures. Her previous work, Bewilderments, had already captured Moses in the desert, ridden by skepticism. Expanding her inquiry to his whole existence in this current book, she shows how Moses flaws and shortcomings function as a metaphor for humanity as he confronts Gods will and struggles to convey his word. Moses is a stammering leader whom God prevented from entering the Promised Land. When he glimpses that place of milk and honey shortly before his death, it only emphasizes the incompleteness of his lifes work. Since the Jewish tradition holds Moses to be the author of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, and even more specifically of the fourth book, Numbers, Zornberg claims to find autobiography in the biblical text. She conjures up the world of Moses as an adopted infant, his origins cloaked in silence, a Hebrew raised at the Egyptian court whose identity was revealed to him only as an adult. Zornberg sees these beginnings as the reason for his fragmented state of being. It is the lot of prophets to accept their task reluctantly it is even more accurate for Moses, whose own identity as a Hebrew was fraught with uncertainty and who, as a result, could never act as a natural leader. Much of that will not be easy to carry out. Mr. Fillon will face opposition on austerity from Socialist and National Front lawmakers in Parliament. Heightened security after the terrorist attacks in France will add pressure not to include police and hospital workers in Civil Service reductions. And his ambitious plans for helping businesses are likely to bring unions and workers back out into the streets. At the smallest sign of change, theres protest, said Philippe Plantier, the founder of Travaux Grande Hauteur, a midsize industrial cleaning company near Aix-en-Provence, in southern France. He is one of thousands of businessmen across France who hope that Mr. Fillon, if elected, will stand firm in the face of almost certain strike action. As an employer, anything that will streamline the labor code and get rid of the 35 hours would help create jobs, Mr. Plantier said. We need to liberate this economy, Anglo-Saxon style, if France is to be competitive. In the sluggish economy, his orders fell this summer for cleaning big industrial structures, like bridges and cement factories. Mr. Plantier moved to lay off several of his more than 50 employees to adjust for declining income. But the workers sued to block the layoffs and sought more than 100,000 in damages. When you hire someone in France, its for life, he said. French politicians, and the French people, agree that the economy needs repairing. Since France emerged from a recession in 2010 after Europes debt crisis, growth has languished below 2 percent annually. Unemployment is stuck around 10 percent, more than twice the rate in Germany. Nearly a quarter of young people are without work, and many of the new jobs being created are on precarious temporary contracts. France is, of course, still a rich country. It has the second-largest economy in the eurozone behind Germanys, scores of world-class multinational companies and a stream of international investment. Yet there remains a heated debate about how to improve growth. For all the complaints from vanquished rivals, Mr. Trump has been no fan of CNN in recent weeks, especially after the network along with other news organizations discredited the president-elects false claim that millions of illegal ballots cost him the popular vote. Mr. Trump thinks that CNNs coverage of him turned negative at the start of the general election, according to a person with direct knowledge of his thinking. He also thinks that he helped advance the career of Mr. Zucker, whom he has known for years since they worked together at NBC on The Apprentice. In 2012, Mr. Trump recommended Mr. Zucker as the next president of CNN during a dinner at the Plaza Hotel with Phil Kent, then the chief executive of Turner, CNNs parent company, according to three people with knowledge of the hiring process, who were granted anonymity to share private conversations. Mr. Trump believes he was instrumental in getting Mr. Zucker that job, the people said, although Mr. Kent had already been discussing the position with Mr. Zucker and his conversation with Mr. Trump lasted only a few minutes. Clad on Wednesday in a silky pinstripe suit, Mr. Zucker seemed aware that he might be in for an onslaught. The first question had Mr. Trump been good for CNN? set off snickers in the audience, and Mr. Zuckers co-panelist, Kathleen Carroll of The Associated Press, smiled. Ba dum bum, she said. Mr. Zucker conceded, as he has in the past, that he broadcast too many unedited Trump rallies in the early months of the campaign. But he rejected claims of bias, saying that rival candidates received ample invitations to appear and rarely accepted. People should think about the decisions they made not to come on the cable news networks, Mr. Zucker said, even as some campaign aides in the audience argued that Mr. Trump was featured as a ratings draw, and treated less aggressively. When Sasha Issenberg, the moderator, suggested that the panel move from CNN to a less contentious subject, fake news, Jeff Roe, Mr. Cruzs campaign manager, piped up. Even before the political ascendancy of Donald J. Trump, who, among other distinctions remains an avatar of 1980s materialism, the 80s, it seemed, were under review. In May, an auction at Christies set a record for the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, when a large, untitled canvas he created in Italy in 1982 sold for $57.3 million. More recently, the clothing line Alice & Olivia, in conjunction with the Basquiat estate, produced graphic printed skirts paying tribute to the artist, while the Japanese retailer Uniqlo delivered Basquiat T-shirts. Beyond that, the Museum of Modern Art is currently reprising The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, Nan Goldins visual confessional of indulgence and torment, a defining artistic achievement of the 80s whose themes violence among intimates, AIDS, the reimagining of family were totemic to the period. It stands as a journalists curse to seek meaning in trends when often coincidence is merely exerting a hand. Perhaps 80s revivalism was inevitable after a long period in which the culture was steeped in nostalgia for New York in the 70s (novels like City on Fire and The Flamethrowers, television series like Vinyl and The Get Down). Or perhaps the 80s have simply come to seem more relatable to our current moment because Wall Street then, too, wielded a disproportionate influence over the citys psyche Basquiat facetiously painted in Armani. The hedonism of the 70s had given way to a new and necessary decadent rage (Die yuppie scum, as the rioters against East Village gentrification declared). The power structure of the Reagan years repressive, phobic, money-loving, indifferent to the mounting horrors of AIDS offered artists and activists something to beat their fists against, and whatever might have inspired these renewed reflections, their rebellions now seem very much worth revisiting. Both David France, in his new book, How to Survive a Plague, a chronicle of the AIDS years that serves as a companion to his Oscar-nominated documentary of the same name, and Tim Murphy, in Christodora, his novelistic telling of the period and its haunting aftermath, offer guidebooks, in essence, to battling the most destructive kinds of oppression. What is required is an almost baroque, almost pathological commitment. The CD skillfully winds through a variety of genres and spoken-word segments, including some fast-talking Christmas banter from La Mega, a New York Latin radio station. Mr. Adler recorded several hours of the station last year in preparation. A Dominican group, Alberto Diaz y Sensacion, performs a lightning-fast merengue, Navidad con Lechon, which translates roughly as Christmas With Suckling Pig. (Mr. Adler may not do cheese, but he does do pork.) Mr. Adler will happily detail the provenance of each and every track on his mixes. You go looking for one record, he said of his YouTube searches, but then there are two dozen other records you didnt even know about. The challenge every year is to find enough great music to fill up that years lineup. Luckily, he said, theres a ton of new Christmas recordings released every year, and theres a continent of previously recorded Christmas songs still to be discovered. Most of it is damn near unlistenable, in my opinion, but I always manage to sift out 50 to 55 minutes of gold. Theres rockabilly, electric blues guitar, Cajun music, a Christmas waltz, some soul and a Sleigh Ride through the honking horns and revving motors of Los Angeles with El Vez, known as the Chicano Elvis. As a palette cleanser, Kent Brockman, the news anchor from The Simpsons, makes an announcement about global warming: Meteorologists warn there will be no snow this Christmas anywhere in America, not even in Alaska, where the Eskimos now have 100 words for nothing. Sixty years ago, the pier belonging to the Luckenbach Steamship Company was the largest in New York Harbor: one-third of a mile long and 175 feet wide. On Dec. 3, 1956, the flagship dock of the Bush Terminal cargo shipping complex, at the end of 35th Street in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Sunset Park, was the site of one of the largest explosions in New York City history. Ten people were killed and 247 were injured many when the accompanying shock wave shattered glass up to a mile away. Investigators estimated the loss of property to be in excess of $10 million. At 3:15 p.m. that Monday, longshoremen on the piers north side were using a torch to repair cargo-handling equipment, a routine job. (1) Sparks and bits of metal fell to the ground below, igniting a pile of highly flammable foam rubber (2). Firefighters were quick to respond, but the thick black smoke from the rubber scraps made the blaze difficult to approach from land. Four fireboats were soon at the scene, attacking the flames from the harbor. (3) Unknown to the firefighters, a critical mass of a material used in controlled detonations (4) one categorized by federal regulators as minimum hazard sat nearby. At 3:41 p.m., an explosion (5) eviscerated the southern midsection of the pier. The blast launched steel beams half a mile, rattled buildings in Lower Manhattan and could be heard 35 miles away. No firefighters died; the explosion projected the debris over their heads. Other people, including one man more than 1,000 feet away, were not as fortunate. ALBANY Upsetting the New York State Capitols usual rhythms of activity budget in March, all-nighters in June, indictments almost anytime the Legislature is contemplating an unusual December special session, with a glittering prize as motivation: a pay raise. A salary increase has long been elusive for lawmakers, and if it is to happen by a Dec. 31 deadline, it may come only after some negotiation with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. The governor previously suggested that if lawmakers wanted a raise they should tackle ethics reform. But in recent days, Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, has amplified his request. If all 213 state lawmakers are to return to Albany this month, he wants them to consider a wider array of policy proposals, including financing for a new hate-crime task force and reforms for the state and New York City university systems. Perhaps even more surprising, Mr. Cuomos office requested two amendments to the states Constitution that would substantially change the nature of the government in New York by creating a full-time Legislature with four-year terms and setting term limits for officials that hold statewide posts. It is now up to the Legislature to decide what they want to do, said Richard Azzopardi, a spokesman for the governor. In New York Citys tabloid newspapers and on blogs, they have been derided as clown cars. The previous police commissioner, William J. Bratton, described the subcompacts as midget cars, even as he announced their rollout last year. But the city cannot seem to get enough of the tiny, bean-shaped vehicles, which look like curiously shrunken cousins of the iconic New York Police Department patrol car and which never fail to draw the attention, and sometimes the affection, of curious passers-by. So despite the quips, and in part because of them, the agency is rolling out even more of the little vehicles, which are outfitted with red and blue lights and the insignia of the Police Department. The two-seat Smart Fortwos are taking the place of three-wheeled scooters that for decades have had their own peculiar place in the citys vast fleet of otherwise muscular police vehicles. By noon on Thursday, Davis Erin Anderson had copied the addresses of a few dozen websites and online PDFs that listed signs of climate change by state and region. In a book-lined room on the third floor of the New York Academy of Medicine in Manhattan, Ms. Anderson was hunched over a laptop, working her way through a list of states. All of the material had been posted by federal agencies, and Ms. Anderson was sending it off to an archive so that it would not disappear when the new presidential administration took office in January. Im up to Maryland, she said. My goal is to get through them all today. With the arrival of any new president, vast troves of information on government websites are at risk of vanishing within days. The fragility of digital federal records, reports and research is astounding. Dear Diary: I was in Chinatown today and decided to go to a supermarket on Hester Street. They had all kinds of fresh produce, and I got a bag of lemons with a label that read, imported from Chile. Then I went to the fish counter, and there was a lovely display of fresh fish on ice. The price of salmon was only $7.99 a pound, so I asked for a piece. The man behind the counter put it on the scale, and I asked him: Where is this fish from? He looked over, pointed behind him and said, the aquarium. It is a time when one is filled with vague longings; when one dreams of flight to peaceful islands in the remote solitudes of the sea, or folds his hands and says, What is the use of struggling, and toiling and worrying any more? Sound familiar? It could refer to the end of the year, a time when youre thinking about getting away, or about buying new books to give as holiday gifts; some ideas on that subject follow in this column. Its also how Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner described the Gilded Age in their 1873 novel of the same name. Esther Crain, who created the Ephemeral New York blog, has produced a second book about the 19th centurys golden era, as a follow-up to her three-dimensional tome on the period that came with a stereoscopic viewer, produced in 2014. A walk through the bustling streets of Midtown Manhattan can be auditory anarchy, with intrusions from squealing bus brakes, roaring garbage trucks, whining ambulances and other noisy contributors. For Elena Kowalsky, the cacophony is music to the ears. You really can make music of it, if you pay attention the right way, said Ms. Kowalsky, 42, who has absolute pitch, commonly called perfect pitch, which is the rare ability to identify and name tones without having to use a keyboard for reference. And while Ms. Kowalsky, a classically trained pianist, might prefer some Bach, Sinatra or Led Zeppelin, she is also a fan of the unintended compositions by the city, offered up by the street-level smorgasbord of pitches. Those taxi horn blasts, subway screeches or jarring police-car whoops: She hears them as pure or often out-of-tune pitch tones. On Wednesday, she pointed to an M5 public bus heading down Fifth Avenue, its decelerating engine emitting a heavy exhale, which Ms. Kowalsky identified as a B on the piano that descended a short way down the scale to a G. When he won, it really gave me new faith in American and human potential to do something that no one could ever do, said Robert John Burck, the Cowboy. On a recent afternoon he sat on a banquette in Trump Bar in Trump Tower explaining what had drawn him to the building every day for nearly three months. He wore a silky American-flag print dressing gown over briefs stamped with the word Trump. I want to be a New York City icon and have my own apartment on the roof, on the top floor who wouldnt! said Mr. Burck, 45, adding that he had read all of Mr. Trumps books. A waiter, unbidden, handed him a drink in a highball glass. Its beautiful, Mr. Burck said. Its the symbol of America and success! On Monday, Mr. Burck, who over the years has franchised his Cowboy brand and become the eponymous spokesman for a line of oysters, took on another role: as a scantily clad participant in political intrigue. Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser to Mr. Trump, bumped into Mr. Burck and one of his colleagues near the lobbys golden elevators. In a video taken of the encounter, she leans over and whispers to them. Suddenly, Mr. Burck bursts into extemporaneous song. In crude language, he criticizes Mitt Romney, a leading contender for secretary of state, whom Ms. Conway has disparaged for his attacks on Mr. Trump during the Republican primary campaign. Ms. Conway laughs. Other notes of protest are quieter. As dignitaries and curiosity-seekers roamed the lobby, one man stood in a corner, reading aloud from A Peoples History of the United States by Howard Zinn, as a friend recorded a Facebook Live video. The man, Jeff Bergman, an art dealer from Westchester County who works near Trump Tower, has spent his recent lunch hours protesting Mr. Trumps election by offering his version of a daily teach-in. He began this week reading Elie Wiesels Holocaust memoir, Night, and plans to come every day until Mr. Trumps inauguration. For starters, the populist appeal of the deal far outweighs its practical effect. Carrier still intends to send 1,300 jobs to Mexico (Mr. Trump said Thursday that more than 1,100 jobs will be saved, but that includes 300 positions that never were scheduled to leave the country). Over all, factory employment in Indiana is down by more than 20 percent since 2000; nationwide, it is down by nearly 30 percent. Stopping the outsourcing of jobs is a worthy goal, but it does not address the underlying trends in technology and public policy that are behind the demise of blue-collar jobs. It would be naive to believe that United Technologies which had estimated it would save $65 million a year by moving the Carrier jobs to Mexico would give in to Mr. Trump without an expectation of something in return. The State of Indiana has reportedly offered the company $7 million in tax breaks over 10 years to keep the jobs in the state. In addition, Mr. Trump is expected to ease up on his campaign pledge to slap a 35 percent tariff on Carrier air-conditioners imported from Mexico, a nice concession, given that Carrier will still be outsourcing more jobs than it is retaining in the deal. The most significant benefits could well come in the form of corporate tax cuts (and, inevitably, tax loopholes for specific industries) along with regulatory rollbacks, which Mr. Trump has promised, without supplying details. Can there be much doubt that this deal will ultimately save United Technologies more than it would have saved by moving the Carrier jobs to Mexico? Mr. Trump campaigned against crony capitalism, but one-on-one deals like this are at best inefficient and at worst riddled with just that kind of corruption. As a result, the Carrier deal on its own doesnt offer a template that can be scaled up to protect millions of workers whose futures are threatened by offshoring or technological change. But there may be ways to get closer to that goal. Senator Bernie Sanders has proposed denying future federal contracts to businesses that plan to move more than 50 jobs out of the United States. This approach would most likely face legal obstacles under international trade agreements, but Mr. Trump has already vowed to rewrite those pacts. An advantage of this tactic is that the burden of keeping jobs in America would become a cost of doing business for large companies, rather than a taxpayer expense. A Russian spacecraft carrying 2.6 tons of food, fuel and supplies but no astronauts to the International Space Station failed to reach orbit on Thursday and largely burned up in the atmosphere as it fell back down. Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, reported that a Soyuz rocket carrying the Progress 65 cargo ship successfully lifted off from Kazakhstan. The first six minutes and 22 seconds of the flight proceeded normally. But shortly after the upper stage separated from the core booster, flight telemetry stopped, leaving ground controllers confused about what had happened. Roscosmos later confirmed that the Progress 65 and its cargo had been destroyed, with the failure occurring about 120 miles over Tuva, a Russian republic in southern Siberia. Three months after one of its rockets exploded on a launchpad, SpaceX hopes to resume launching in a couple of weeks. Iridium Communications, which provides communications services through a constellation of more than 60 satellites, announced Thursday that it was aiming to launch the first batch of its next-generation satellites on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Dec. 16. The launch hinges on approval by the Federal Aviation Administration, which is reviewing SpaceXs investigation of the Sept. 1 launchpad explosion. A Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral, Fla., caught fire and exploded during fueling before a test firing of its engines. The explosion destroyed a $200 million Israeli satellite that Facebook had planned to use to expand internet services in Africa and elsewhere. But Matthew J. Desch, chief executive of Iridium, said his company had taken part in the SpaceX investigation, adding that he had read a preliminary explanation for the accident. I wouldnt approve our satellites to be launched if I wasnt confident, Mr. Desch said in an interview. The judge could only urge her to make sure that Damian presents himself in all of his future hearings. Weighed down by a backlog of more than 520,000 cases, the United States immigration courts are foundering, increasingly failing to deliver timely, fair decisions to people fighting deportation or asking for refuge, according to interviews with lawyers, judges and government officials. With too few judges, overworked clerks and an antiquated docket based on stacks of paper files, many of the 56 courts nationwide have become crippled by delays and bureaucratic breakdowns. The courts will be a major obstacle for President-elect Donald J. Trump and his plans to deport as many as three million immigrants he says have criminal records. Many of those deportations at least hundreds of thousands would have to be approved by immigration judges. Mr. Trump has also said he intends to freeze federal hiring, which would prevent the courts from bringing on new judges and clerks, who are federal employees. Without significant new resources, the courts would probably slow Mr. Trumps deportations to a stall. On a visit to the immigration court in Denver four years ago, cases were moving briskly, but judges were starting to worry because hearing delays were reaching 18 months. Now in Denver, the court with the longest wait times in the country, most cases drag on more than five years, the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a research group studying federal data, has found. In Arlington, by reputation one of the nations best-run courts, eight judges have more than 30,000 cases, with some scheduling hearings in 2022. COLUMBUS, Ohio The young refugee smiled broadly as he accepted his associate degree from a local community college less than seven months ago, jumping in the air on stage as the announcer said, Abdul Razak Artan, cum laude. Mr. Artan, who had been in the United States for just two years, seemed to be a success story in this citys large network of Somali refugees, excelling in his classes at Columbus State Community College and getting accepted as a transfer student to nearby Ohio State University. But the image of a jubilant graduate in a cap and gown conflicted sharply with Mr. Artans actions on Monday, when the police say he rammed a car into pedestrians on a sidewalk at Ohio State before jumping out and stabbing people with a butcher knife. Mr. Artan was shot dead within about a minute by a university police officer, and the 11 people injured are expected to survive. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, and social media posts have led investigators to believe Mr. Artan may have been inspired to act by that terror group or by Anwar al-Awlaki, the American Qaeda operative who was killed in a drone strike in Yemen in 2011. DENVER Representative Keith Ellison is facing increasingly vocal resistance to his bid to become chairman of the Democratic National Committee, with Jewish groups and some labor unions expressing unease about making the Minnesota liberal a face of the opposition to Donald J. Trump. As Democratic state leaders gather here Friday for what will effectively be the first audition to take over a party still reeling from last months election, a disparate coalition is going public with concerns about Mr. Ellison, who has won support from some of the most prominent figures on the left and emerged as an early favorite in the committee race. After initially mixing praise and criticism for Mr. Ellison, the Anti-Defamation League on Thursday effectively came out in opposition to his candidacy, citing remarks he made about Israel in a 2010 speech that the anti-discrimination group termed disqualifying. In an audiotape released Thursday of a fund-raiser for his re-election to Congress that year, Mr. Ellison asserted that United States foreign policy in the Middle East is governed by what is good or bad through a country of seven million people, an allusion to Israel. CAMBRIDGE, Mass. Top strategists from the campaigns of Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton, interrupting each other and sometimes raising their voices, engaged in an angry debate on Thursday about how Mr. Trump pulled off his upset victory. Emotions were still raw at the campaign post-mortem, held at Harvards Institute of Politics, particularly over the influence of Stephen K. Bannon, who left Breitbart News which he has called a platform for the white nationalist alt-right to help run Mr. Trumps campaign. Mr. Bannon will serve as a senior aide to Mr. Trump. David Bossie, Mr. Trumps deputy campaign manager, called Mr. Bannon a brilliant strategist. That provoked the Clinton campaigns director of communications, Jennifer Palmieri, to respond, If providing a platform for white supremacists makes me a brilliant tactician, I am more proud to have lost. WASHINGTON Five months after his death, Elie Wiesels family gathered here on Wednesday with prominent political figures from the writer and Nobel laureates adopted country to honor his contributions to Jewish history and memory. Mr. Wiesel was born in Romania, survived the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps and spent considerable time in Europe and remote corners of the world after World War II. The tributes he received spanned the whole of his political and literary life, but many of the speakers at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum talked of how he made America his home after moving here in 1955. As a journalist in New York, he discovered the pleasures and contradictions of American life on road trips across the country: the dreaminess of Disneyland, where he said he had visited his childhood; the cruelty of Southern racism that made him feel shame for being white; the surprise of meeting a Holocaust survivor on an American Indian reservation in Arizona, after which he joked, America is truly a wonderland. Even the Indians speak Yiddish. But his relationship with his new home was established before he even visited it, on April 11, 1945, when the United States Third Army liberated Buchenwald. As several speakers said on Wednesday, Mr. Wiesel lived his entire adult life with that image of American heroism. WASHINGTON President-elect Donald J. Trump said on Thursday he had chosen James N. Mattis, a hard-charging retired general who led a Marine division to Baghdad during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, to serve as his secretary of defense. Mr. Trump made the announcement at a rally in Cincinnati, calling General Mattis the closest thing we have to Gen. George Patton. General Mattis, 66, led the United States Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East and Southwest Asia, from 2010 to 2013. His tour there was cut short by the Obama administration, which believed he was too hawkish on Iran. But his insistence that Iran is the greatest threat to peace in the Middle East, as well as his acerbic criticism of the Obama administrations initial efforts to combat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, made him an attractive choice for the incoming president. WASHINGTON As President-elect Donald J. Trump fills his cabinet with people of wealth and power, he is rekindling animosity between his anti-establishment supporters and more traditional Republicans, a rift that could test the endurance of his new political coalition. Some supporters, including those closest to Mr. Trump, are warning him that after running for president as a disrupter of the political and ruling classes, he risks charges of hypocrisy by bringing into his administration the kinds of people he vowed to drive out of Washington. Its a delicate dance, said Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council. Mr. Perkins added that no one fully knew what to expect from the new president or his cabinet, or what the role of the conservative movement would be for the next four years. Part of this is just establishing what those relationships and those boundaries are going to be like, he said. Its imperative that the Trump administration walks in lock step with the Trump campaign in terms of how their policies match their promises. WASHINGTON President-elect Donald J. Trump inherited a complicated world when he won the election last month. And that was before a series of freewheeling phone calls with foreign leaders that has unnerved diplomats at home and abroad. In the calls, he voiced admiration for one of the worlds most durable despots, the president of Kazakhstan, and said he hoped to visit a country, Pakistan, that President Obama has steered clear of during nearly eight years in office. Mr. Trump told the British prime minister, Theresa May, If you travel to the U.S., you should let me know, an offhand invitation that came only after he spoke to nine other leaders. He later compounded it by saying on Twitter that Britain should name the anti-immigrant leader Nigel Farage its ambassador to Washington, a startling break with diplomatic protocol. Mr. Trumps unfiltered exchanges have drawn international attention since the election, most notably when he met Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan with only one other American in the room, his daughter Ivanka Trump dispensing with the usual practice of using State Department-approved talking points. Voters in the tiny West African nation of Gambia cast marbles on Thursday in an election that is widely expected to keep the countrys ruler of more than two decades in power, despite a unified challenge from the opposition. Polls closed at 5 p.m., and election workers were expected to work late into the night tallying results. Earlier in the day, after voting with his wife in the capital, Banjul, President Yahya Jammeh predicted a decisive win. This will be the biggest landslide in the history of the country, said Mr. Jammeh, who was met with cheers as he walked toward a sport utility vehicle that whisked him away from his polling site. He refused to comment when asked whether he would concede in the event of defeat. Nathalie Nepton, who manages the list of registered Indians for Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, said recognition according to the Newfoundland model is a slow process that depends on more than genealogical ties. There is a lot that needs to be looked at, she said. Are they able to prove they inhabited the area? Were there traditional activities involved? Were they displaced? Pam Palmater, a Mikmaw lawyer who has written extensively about First Nations identity, said there are hundreds of organizations across the country making claims similar to Ms. Swans. She believes the government made a mistake setting such lax criteria for the Newfoundland Mikmaq and is not likely to make it again. But the real problem is the concept of Indian status itself, she argued. Despite the concession to the Newfoundland Mikmaq, many critics contend that the Indian Act is intended to eventually erase the legal existence of First Nations and release Canada from its centuries-old treaty obligations. Under the act, if two successive generations of a family marry people without Indian status, the third generation will generally lose that status altogether. (The government has put a bill before Parliament to modify those rules somewhat, chiefly to eliminate differences in how men and women are treated.) Given the high rates of out marriage, Dr. Palmater said, each First Nation has an extinction date of roughly 75 to 100 years from now. We are all called Indians, but we are not Indians, said Terry Paul, chief of the Mikmaw Membertou Band in Sydney, Nova Scotia. He said that the broad Indian categorization does not account for cultural variations between nations or recognize differences among the various treaties that the individual nations have signed. We want to be recognized as Mikmaq, he said, not as Indians. LONDON In a surprise upset, a candidate of the centrist and pro-European Liberal Democrats defeated a prominent supporter of British withdrawal from the European Union in a parliamentary by-election on Thursday. The victory, by Sarah Olney, delivered a badly needed lift to the Liberal Democrats, who were in danger of becoming extinct after disastrous losses in last years national elections, and it highlighted some of the deep divisions in Britain over its looming departure from the European Union, commonly referred to as Brexit. In the election in the Richmond Park and North Kingston constituency in southwest London, Ms. Olney had 20,510 votes, to 18,638 for Zac Goldsmith, according to results announced early Friday. Mr. Goldsmith won the same seat for the governing Conservative Party only last year, and by more than 23,000 votes. He resigned from Parliament in protest over government plans to expand Heathrow Airport a project that is unpopular locally. IOWA CITY The tree wasnt growing correctly. The projection cues werent right. A mouse got stuck as it scurried up a pole. The Nutcrackers sword broke, then broke again. Stop, please, Christopher Wheeldon called out patiently for the umpteenth time as the technical team of his new production of The Nutcracker, for the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, worked away at a table in the newly rebuilt, gleaming Hancher Auditorium here recently. Its hard to make magic, Mr. Wheeldon, the British-born choreographer, said with a laugh during a break. But Ive done this enough to know what the process is. It may feel like chaos now, but its all going to work. As if predictable chaos wasnt enough, Mr. Wheeldon was in a wheelchair: Several days earlier, he had stepped backward off the darkened stage, falling into the orchestra pit and breaking his ankle. Its frustrating not being able to rush up and down between the stage and the front of house, he said. Its a lesson in patience and trust. It was Day 2 of a week of stage rehearsals at the Hancher, where the Joffrey would present five preview performances before opening in Chicago on Saturday, Dec. 10. A week of onstage rehearsal and previews is an unusual luxury for a ballet company. But a lot rides on this Nutcracker, a $4 million reimagining of the traditional story its set at the 1893 Chicago worlds fair that will serve as replacement of the Robert Joffrey production that the company has performed every December for 28 years. In a neat bit of symmetry, its 1987 premiere was at the former Hancher (closed after flooding in 2008 and rebuilt in a new spot); Ashley Wheater, the director of the Joffrey who was then a company member, danced as the Snow King. On the booth of the Los Angeles dealer Susanne Vielmetter, a large, stern portrait in pencil by Karl Haendel depicts Hillary Clinton, lips pursed and eyes gazing skyward, as one-half of a diptych; the other half is solid, light-sucking black. Gladstone Gallery, from New York, is showing a painting by Elizabeth Peyton of Barack Obama, dating to 2008. Then a young senator from Illinois, Mr. Obama stands before a washy background of blue-and-gray stripes, but Ms. Peytons adoring, soft-hued portrait appears shatteringly sad now that the promise so many saw has been annulled. And for Gavin Browns Enterprise, also from New York, the artist Rirkrit Tiravanija has quickly produced three large, bitter text-based works, each stenciled on pages of The New York Times from the day after the election. The works each bear a bleak, ambiguously narrated statement: THE TYRANNY OF COMMON SENSE HAS REACHED ITS FINAL STAGE. After years when artists and curators have mystically insisted that contemporary art could have instant, magical political benefits, Ill take a little fatalism. I shouldnt oversell the dourness. Art Basel is still Art Basel, and Miami, mis companeros, is still Miami. The sun is shining, the Ubers are surge-priced, the yacht companies are hosting cocktail parties, and Chaka Khan is singing at Soho House. The intensely air-conditioned aisles of the Miami Beach Convention Center feature enough seven-figure art to decorate all your country houses, though one blue-chip gallery that has tacked to a more historical presentation is Galerie Gmurzynska, from Zurich, which has mounted a large display of art of the early Soviet avant-garde. An arresting photocollage from Gustav Klutsis, a great Latvian graphic artist who was executed on Stalins orders, features a hammer and sickle atop masses of workers. The book cover designs of Varvara Stepanova, dating to 1919, consist of boldly swashed watercolor crosses, ringed with peppy Cyrillic lettering. Paul Gauguins life, especially the years he spent in the South Pacific, has become shrouded in myth and legend, much of it of his own making. But now a Munich art dealer, Daniel Blau, is displaying at a gallery in Paris what he says are the only two known photographs of the artist in French Polynesia, images that if the identification is confirmed vividly illuminate Gauguins true character. The photographs, at the Oceanic art specialist Galerie Meyer until Saturday, date from 1896 and show a man with a striking resemblance to the Post-Impressionist painter attending a festive picnic at Point Venus on Tahiti. In one, a group photo of European men and local women, he is shown wearing a wreath of flowers, hugging two girls, kissing one on the cheek and fondling the other. In the other image, he stares challengingly at the camera. Ive seen a lot of photos of white people in the Pacific posing with local girls, Mr. Blau said. He behaves so differently. Hes pretty straightforward and is very involved with the viewer. This is an artist who has something to show. Mr. Blaus wife, Maria, first made a connection between Gauguin whose extroverted personality is extensively documented and the man shown in the photographs in 2005, when she and her husband saw the photo of him embracing the girls in a small album of Tahiti and Hawaii images they had bought at auction. These photos are posted and passed around the liberal social media bubble, where theyre received like salves for the lingering pain of the election. The selfie offerings have collectively racked up tens of thousands of likes and shares on social media, along with coverage from CNN, Vogue and The Daily Mail. Mrs. Clinton shot plenty of selfies with supporters throughout the campaign, of course. But while it may have been energizing for supporters to catch her at a planned stump speech, its a bizarre thrill for them to spot her unexpectedly scampering through a pastoral setting. Many who have crossed her path pass on morsels of wisdom from Mrs. Clinton: Dont be discouraged, never give up, one woman says she told her at the grocer. We must stay strong together no matter what, relayed another. But the real message is in the visuals. In each photograph, Mrs. Clinton smiles warmly. Her face is free of makeup, her hair undone. She wears practical layers leggings, turtlenecks, patterned fleeces, fun scarves. After the knock-down, drag-out battle of the campaign, the images suggest she has, unexpectedly, found peace. She has cast off the militaristic coats, the pantsuit uniform, the helmet hairdo and the mask of TV news makeup that she wore as Hillary Clinton, embattled Democratic hopeful and Republican villain. Now she presents as a recently retired woman living her best life. Publicly commemorating an albums 10th anniversary is not the most brash rock n roll move, but forgive the Hold Steady and its fans for feeling nostalgic. This week the band roared back into Brooklyn (roar is perhaps the only gear it possesses) for four sold-out concerts, Wednesday through Saturday, at the Brooklyn Bowl, with a particular focus on its third and breakout album, Boys and Girls in America, from 2006. The groups joyous classic-rock racket features prominent shades of Thin Lizzy, Cheap Trick and the E Street Band sounds that were not very fashionable as influences in 2006. Brooklyn was a nurturing home for the band, though, and its indie-rock scene has continued to shift and evolve, despite a few setbacks: Goodnight Brooklyn, a new documentary, celebrates the history of and bemoans the closing of Death by Audio, a performing arts space in Williamsburg, the neighborhood where the Hold Steady formed. Two and a half years have passed since the band released its sixth album, Teeth Dreams, to mixed reviews; its leader, Craig Finn, has put out his second solo album, Faith in the Future, in the time since. Its unclear whether this week of high energy in the borough where the band spent its formative years is a tentative moment of rebirth or a celebratory wake. Just before soundcheck on Wednesday night, Mr. Finn and the keyboardist Franz Nicolay sat on black leather couches in a room above the Brooklyn Bowls stage. Mr. Nicolay is back for now after leaving the lineup in 2010 to pursue an eclectic range of other musical and literary endeavors. Besides those early trips through Guadalajaras sewers, Mr. del Toro drew inspiration for the series from cultural references high and low: Jonny Quest cartoons. The early work of Hayao Miyazaki, back when he was animating for Toho. Irish folklore and Arthurian legend. Kids movies from the 1980s, like The Goonies. Asked about a scene involving a gnome and a dollhouse, he admitted with a laugh that, yes, it did indeed come from the 1963 Twilight Zone episode Miniature, starring Robert Duvall. Mr. del Toro was at the Four Seasons Hotel here recently, explaining how he incorporated many of these past and present loves into his current venture. Dressed in a black hoodie, black T-shirt and jeans, he looked a lot like the fanboys who flock to see him at comic conventions or who queued up for hours to view his recent exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Guillermo del Toro: At Home With Monsters. Many of the exhibited works there a fraction of the directors vast collection of paintings, animation cels, comic books and movie props shaped his vision of Trollhunters. I do not lead a normal life, he said. I spend my day surrounded by creatures. A lifelong lover of fairy tales, Mr. del Toro recalled a Brothers Grimm story about a king who offered his daughters hand in marriage to anyone who could hold her attention. Three brothers go to the kingdom. The youngest is something of a scatterbrain, picking up a piece of string here, a dead bird there. His brothers laugh at him, Mr. del Toro said, but eventually he uses those objects to keep the interest of the princess. Thats me, he continued. Ive always got my head in the clouds, looking at the floor, picking up string that nobody picks up, and enshrining it. FRANCIS PICABIA Our Heads Are Round So Our Thoughts Can Change Direction Edited by Anne Umland and Catherine Hug Illustrated. 368 pp. The Museum of Modern Art, New York/Kunsthaus Zurich. $75. Paintings are made for dentists, Francis Picabia declared in Jesus-Christ Rastaquouere, a manifesto (one among many he wrote) that offers ample evidence of this avant-garde artist and poets subversive, disdainful sensibility toward art and art making. Still, the very next line So what! Lets get on with it! aptly characterizes the eager, if not promiscuous approach to his own career, one that spanned the first half of the 20th century and engaged nearly every movement of that period. From his earliest Impressionist efforts, through Cubist, Dadaist, Surrealist and realist work, to the abstract iterations that marked the years before his death in 1953, Picabia shifted fluidly with the cultural moment, all the while vigorously denouncing the style hed just left behind. His leave-taking was often as cryptic as it was vehement: I separated from Dada because I believe in happiness and I loathe vomiting; the smells of cooking make a rather unpleasant impression on me. With copious illustrations and 16 essays, this hefty catalog for the current retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art attempts to chart a zigzag career that made up in energy what it lacked in depth of exploration. Anne Umland, one of the shows curators and an editor of the volume, notes in her introduction that unlike Picassos stylistic pluralism, Picabias style-switching involves extremes that exude and provoke skepticism and doubt. She goes on to quote the art historian Benjamin Buchloh, who observed a specter of derivativeness in the artists work. This imitative quality and its attendant pluralism (noted to some degree or another by most of the critics assembled here) doesnt only bother art historians; its readily apparent to those less schooled. In a single year, 1922, Picabia produced geometric abstractions, figurative silhouettes (La Nuit Espagnole is perhaps the most notable), and conventional, vaguely impressionistic watercolors of women draped in floral fabrics. It can be hard to reconcile such aesthetic dissonances. Image La Nuit Espagnole Credit... 2016 Francis Picabia/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris, Museum Ludwig, Cologne. Ludwig Collection Even when the contributors properly contextualize the role of strong influences, the images themselves have their own say. George Baker, in his essay The Body After Cubism, compares Picabias Figure Triste to Marcel Duchamps Jeune Homme Triste dans un Train and then strives to account for the inanimate quality of the Picabia, whose still-legible figure seems securely seated, resting head on hand in an obvious homage to another sad figure, Albrecht Durers female allegory in Melancolia I. But the paintings lack of dynamism, a deficit made pointed by the inclusion of the kinetic Duchamp, suggests Picabias understanding of Cubism was less organic, less inspired than that of his contemporaries. A WRETCHED AND PRECARIOUS SITUATION In Search of the Last Arctic Frontier By David Welky Illustrated. 502 pp. W.W. Norton & Company. $28.95. In 1906, Robert E. Peary, the worlds most famous explorer, managed, as the historian David Welky puts it, to literally put Crocker Land on the map. This shimmering and hitherto unknown territory, spied across a stretch of Arctic ice floes off the northwest corner of Ellesmere Island, was promptly named after a sponsor of Pearys most recent expedition. Was it an island, an archipelago or something larger? According to Welky, the answer to that question symbolized the conclusion of the global journey of exploration begun many thousands of years ago when a few hundred bipedal hominids living in East Africa set out to learn what lay over the horizon. In A Wretched and Precarious Situation, Welky tells the rather less epic story of the Crocker Land expedition, which headed north in July 1913 to find out exactly what Peary had seen. Donald MacMillan, a prep-school teacher, and his younger colleague, George Borup, had conceived the idea when both accompanied Peary to the Arctic in 1908, two years after he had sighted the new territory. They thought they might find a new continent and it might be inhabited. This newspaper announced that the journey, sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History and the American Geographical Society, would be the most ambitious ever undertaken by any scientific institution for the purpose of discovery. The expeditions bad luck began just months before departure when Borup, who was engaged to Pearys daughter, drowned in a canoeing accident, leaving MacMillan as its sole leader. And the bad luck continued. MacMillans ship, the Diana, a 43-year-old sealer, smashed into some rocks off the coast of Labrador, and his team was obliged to transfer to another hastily hired vessel. Setting off from the bottle-shaped port of St. Johns in Newfoundland, they established winter quarters in Greenland, and the ship departed. THIS HOUSE IS MINE By Dorte Hansen Translated by Anne Stokes 325 pp. St. Martins Press. $26.99. A northern German farmhouse groans in the wind, its old, bare timbers like gray bones. Thats what witches sound like when theyre burning, thinks 5-year-old Vera, the refugee at the center of Dorte Hansens shrewd, timely, completely absorbing debut novel. Readers captivated by the gothic opening of This House Is Mine may be surprised to watch this dark bud blossom into a quirky family saga and social satire. Manderley this is not. Veras mother, Hildegard von Kamcke, fled East Prussia with her at the end of World War II. They find a bed but not a home on Ida Eckhoffs ramshackle farm in the Altland. For months, Hildegard disappears nightly to steal milk directly from Idas cow and to pocket a few apples from her orchard. Eventually Ida makes grudging accommodation for Hildegard (who completes her takeover by marrying Idas war-damaged son, Karl) and begins to look after Vera. She teaches Vera to read the Low German inscription carved on the houses gable: This hoose is mine ain and yet no mine ain, he that follows will caw it his. Gruff Ida performs admirably in loco grandparentis. Later, when Hildegard abandons Vera and Karl for a wealthy man and his villa in suburban Hamburg, Karl does equally well for his adoptive child. And she becomes his caretaker, nursing him through his night terrors. Because he cant be left alone for long, Vera moves away only to earn a dental surgery diploma, then returns to care for Karl. There wasnt a word for what Karl had been, Vera reflects after his death, not a father, nor a brother, nor a child. Her comrade perhaps. Her fellow man. Vera inherits the sagging, distinguished house that is hers but not hers. She survives among her insular country neighbors by being slightly terrifying keeping ferocious dogs, for example but also by not asking or expecting to belong. We recognize the modern, make-do, lateral construction of Veras family: a reluctant host who gradually assumes a grandmothers role; a stepfather who becomes the sole parent. In the city, having brushed off the dirt of Altland, Hildegard gives birth to another daughter. Raised apart, Vera and her half sister barely know each other. Yet one day, Anne, the half sisters daughter, drives up to the farm with her own child and his pet rabbit in a cage. Vera Eckhoff didnt know much about her niece, Hansen writes, but she knew a refugee when she saw one. For the ONeill biographer, the challenge is to reveal the connections between his calamitous life and his four dozen plays not just the correspondence between a certain person in his life and a certain character in his drama, but the way the totality of his experiences gave rise to all those depictions of betrayal, guilt, murder, etc., etc., in a body of work that stands all but unrivaled among American dramatists for its range and depth. The task is complicated by the fact that a beautiful literature about ONeills plays already exists one written by ONeill himself. The four members of the Tyrone family in Long Days Journey Into Night are, in his words, trapped within each other by the past, each guilty and at the same time innocent, scorning, loving, pitying each other, understanding and yet not understanding at all, forgiving but still doomed never to be able to forget. Nobody could write more sensitively about ONeills art or his family. In the Gelbs case, its not for lack of trying. With the publication of their new volume, they have spent almost as much time making sense of ONeills life as ONeill spent living it. They produced the first major biography of ONeill in 1962, nine years after the playwrights death. Nobody thought to call that book hasty or slapdash. (It took them six years to write it ran 964 pages.) Still, with the emergence of new sources, and the added sympathy that comes from more life experiences, they felt compelled to rewrite it. In ONeill: Life With Monte Cristo, the Gelbs brought their revised account of ONeills life up to 1920, when he made the leap from one-act plays in Greenwich Village to full-length dramas on Broadway. Now, 16 years after that books publication, they have finished their story. A certain unblinking doggedness is one of the traits the Gelbs share with their subject, the leading American practitioner of the jumbo-length dramatic event. So is their lack of conspicuous lyricism. You wont find a striking turn of phrase anywhere in this biography of a playwright who, as a line-to-line stylist, cant match Tennessee Williams or Tony Kushner (both of whom revere him). In fact, the best and worst you can say of the Gelbs book stolid, overlong, but wielding a peculiar power is that they have written about ONeill ONeill-ishly. They pick up his story in 1928, on the opening night of Strange Interlude. Its not a natural pivot in his Broadway career, but it does mark a milestone in his relationship with the dark-haired beauty who makes her way down the aisle that night, taking her seat as his chosen representative: Carlotta Monterey, the onetime ONeill actor, soon-to-be ONeill spouse. No playwright ever wrote her a better role than the one she created for herself. Born Hazel Nielsen Tharsing in California (she picked her new last name from the city there), she charmed and/or seduced nearly everybody she encountered. She dressed stylishly (helped by the annual payments she received from a rich former lover) and told lies with perfect grace (ONeill thought her money came from a rich aunt and went on thinking it for decades). ONeill was drawn to her beauty, her sophistication, her willingness to indulge his writerly compulsions. His work is him & he is it, she recorded in her diary, the release of which provides the Gelbs the most important source that eluded them in 1962. Yet no sooner does the book settle into a comfortable rhythm of depicting Gene and Carlottas life together the drinking binges, the spousal abuse, the weepy remorse than it essentially starts over, rewinding to cover ONeills previous marriage to Agnes Boulton. She was, like Monterey, extraordinarily devoted. (Very late one night, at Nantucket, she rowed out to a schooner where ONeill had drunk himself into a stupor, rowing them both to shore at dawn.) But unlike Monterey, Boulton had a troublesome fertility, bearing two children ONeill didnt want: Shane (who, according to his father, simply does not interest me as a human being) and Oona (a spoiled, lazy, vain little brat). The Gelbs show he was doing to his children what his own parents had done to him. The skipping around in time, as well as the weaving back and forth between real life and the plays, gives the book a weird, woozy quality. Is this how it felt to be ONeill, alone at his writing desk, ruminating variously on his memories, his visions and the ruckus on the other side of the office door? Id like to think the authors let the narrative slip around so much precisely to create this effect. More likely its a byproduct of not structuring the thing more effectively. Why, during their account of 1922 one of the most consequential periods of his life, they write does the narrative drop into an actual timeline? The landscape clears as the familiar Tudor soap opera begins. Twelve-year-old Anne Boleyn is the first one we meet, and she pops up regularly, sometimes where history offers no direct proof of her presence. Like Katherine of Aragon before her, Anne was a woman who could be said to have made Europe but by failure rather than success. Forget queens, this was a game of wombs. However smart a seductress, Anne would never have bagged the crown (and sparked the break with Rome) had Katherine given Henry the male heir he so desperately needed. And it was her own failure on that score that signed Annes death warrant. As an example of female power, its the most painful and flawed sort. But Gristwood goes further: She claims that this age of queens produced a sisterhood that recognized both their own bonds as women and their ability to exercise power in a specifically feminine way. Did female rulers really feel sisterhood? While there are moments they might claim it Mary Stuart and Elizabeth could be lavish with the concept in their letters beneath the obligatory courtesy theres little evidence of any nascentfeminism. A woman rulers loyalty was to country (and family), not gender. Four and a half centuries on, Britains Theresa May and Scotlands Nicola Sturgeon are largely still playing the same game. There is one area where Gristwoods thesis does bite. Sixteenth-century Europe was violently torn asunder by the birth of Protestantism. Male rulers often favored cutting out the gangrene of heresy. Women, for a while at least, tended to err on the side of tolerance. The Roman Catholic Catherine de Medici and the Protestant Jeanne dAlbret of Navarre might have been enemies in faith, yet they did their best to keep the peace. (DAlbret, a worthy addition to the female canon, deserves to be better known.) Elizabeth famously chose not to open windows into mens souls. However, when the going got tough, the women could be as ruthless as the men. These days, history is a little kinder to Catherine over the St. Bartholomews Day massacre, but theres no doubt that the flame she lit ended with as many as 20,000 Protestants slaughtered. And when British Catholics plotted to dethrone Elizabeth, she had no problem sending the ringleaders to agonizing deaths. At the 1972 Edinburgh Festival, she performed Rhythm 10, in which she splayed her fingers on a sheet of white paper and stabbed the spaces between them with a series of 10 knives, striking faster and faster, occasionally drawing blood and groaning in pain. It was as if electricity was running through my body, and the audience and I had become one. Over the decades, Abramovic continued to raise the level of risk and danger. She lay on blocks of ice; surrounded herself with burning wooden rails until the heat made her lose consciousness; carved a star in her stomach with a razor blade; invited a gallery audience to choose any of several objects (among them needles and a gun) to use on me as desired. In Amsterdam she met Ulay, whom she recognized instantly as her soul mate; they shared the same birthday and finished each others sentences. The couple inspired and challenged each other to perform ever riskier work: In one piece, Ulay sewed his lips shut; in another he held a bow and arrow, aimed at Abramovics heart. Together they traveled to fascinating, if inhospitable, regions, most notably the Australian Outback, where they spent months among the Aborigines. (This sojourn occasioned an immensely insensitive passage that appeared in the bound galleys of the memoir and received a great deal of negative prepublication publicity; it doesnt appear in the finished copy.) Abramovic describes many physically challenging journeys, mostly involving pilgrimages to healers, gurus and holy men. We can track the ways in which these meetings influenced the obsessive, maniacal body of work that is difficult not to admire, if only for its sheer wildness and for its creators dogged perseverance. Abramovic and Ulays most ambitious project was planned for years and carried out despite financial and political obstacles. They would each start at one end of the Great Wall of China, walk toward each other, and meet in the middle. Though it was originally intended to culminate in the couples marriage, the pair were by then so estranged that they used the occasion to mark their formal separation. Along the way, their experiences were quite different. Abramovics Chinese translator despised her because hed been assigned to accompany her as punishment for his obsession with Western break dancing. Ulay got along much better with his Chinese guide. I would soon learn that he had impregnated his translator. . . . They would marry in Beijing in December. Abramovic writes touchingly about romantic heartbreak, about the pain of separation from Ulay and her sense of betrayal when her husband, the Italian artist Paolo Canevari, left her for a self-styled sexual anthropologist. A scene in which Abramovic confronts her rival is, in its way, as brutal as one of her bloodier performance pieces. She is also moving on the subject of grief, including here the strong (and forgiving) eulogy she delivered at her mothers funeral. Perhaps whats most unexpected are the flashes of humor. Remarking on a piece in which she complained about her life while eating raw onions, she notes the self-centeredness of her having given third billing to shame about the war in Yugoslavia after shame about the size of her nose and her behind. She writes ruefully of failures and impractical schemes; a plan to have 400 rats run around an iron stage in magnetic shoes was abandoned because the Belgian cobbler reported that the rats feet were so many different sizes that the process of fitting them all would be endlessly long and too expensive. Such moments broaden our sense of the woman who seemed so unremittingly solemn when, during her retrospective, she spent 700 hours gazing at more than 1,500 people who came, one by one, to sit across from her in the MoMA atrium and stare back. Aspiring colonial artists faced daunting obstacles, including a lack of both skilled mentors and access to museums with exemplary works by ancient and modern masters. Staiti, a professor of fine arts at Mount Holyoke College, reveals how some painters strove to offset these disadvantages. Initially apprenticed to a saddle-maker, Peale took art lessons from a second-rate limner. Stuart learned how to draw faces from an untrained but naturally gifted African slave. Kamensky, a Harvard historian, describes a young Copley earnestly studying engravings of anatomical images, all the while worrying if he would ever realize his lofty goals. The solution to this predicament was to go to London. Sooner was better than later, as the career of Benjamin West demonstrated. West left Philadelphia in his early 20s and never looked back. Honing his skills in the company of such eminences as Sir Joshua Reynolds, West specialized in epic historical themes and rose to the top of Britains art world. A founder of the Royal Academy, he became court painter to George III an astonishing trajectory for an erstwhile provincial. Other colonial artists eagerly sought Wests patronage once they made it to the metropolis. In Copleys case, however, what Kamensky identifies as an idiosyncratic blend of caution and ambition led him to postpone his trans-Atlantic journey and instead ship paintings to West for display and critique. By the time the 35-year-old Copley sailed at last in 1774, he was too set in his ways to achieve the painterly effects that might have earned him the high praise from London connoisseurs he desperately craved. Wests royal appointment protected him from the financial distress that plagued the others, especially in colonial settings where art was more business than calling. American patrons preferred portraits to allegorical or historical subjects, and often demanded a degree of verisimilitude that stifled any impulse to artistic license. Paintings took a long time to complete and rarely generated enough income, forcing artists to seek revenue from cheap engravings of their work. Trumbull went so far as to solicit subscriptions to prints based on paintings he had not yet begun. In London, Copleys schemes to charge admission to exhibits of his work cost him the respect of critics who disparaged his entrepreneurialism, which eventually lost him money. Stuart repeatedly fled his creditors and sometimes sold paintings to buyers other than the patrons who had commissioned them. When the Revolution erupted, these artists dispersed into various political camps. Only Peale and Trumbull staunchly supported the American side. Stuart remained politically apathetic throughout the conflict. West may have harbored sympathies for the rebels but suppressed them to retain royal favor. Marital ties to a prominent loyalist family shaped Copleys allegiance, although he always insisted that he left Boston for Europe in 1774 to seek artistic advancement rather than escape political upheaval. Even so, as Kamensky shows, he remained conflicted to the end, bitterly fighting to retain his abandoned Boston property while struggling to reverse the downward slide of his professional fortunes in England. These fine books approach the topic of Revolutionary-era cultural production from complementary angles. Staitis group portrait permits comparisons of the painters various paths to artistic accomplishment and reveals the mix of cooperation and competition that shaped their careers. With a singular focus on Copley and a more vibrant prose style, Kamensky probes deeply into such matters as family relations, local politics and the psychological costs of failing to realize ones ambitions. The authors occasionally diverge in their pictorial interpretations. Take Copleys famous Watson and the Shark. Staiti argues that Copley, adopting the style of Italian Renaissance masters, aggrandized Watsons personal adversity to emphasize heroic valor, with Christian overtones. For Kamensky, the painting represents a parable of redemption. By commemorating the rescue of a drowning boy in Havana Harbor in 1749, the image alluded to Britains 1762 naval victory in the same setting. Copley first exhibited it in 1778 as the tide of the Revolution turned in Americas favor, offering viewers an image of a war in which Britain might still prevail. AM I ALONE HERE? Notes on Living to Read and Reading to Live By Peter Orner 316 pp. Catapult, paper, $16.95. Image Orner opens his meditations with an anecdote. Accused by his daughter of loving only two things books and apples he protests that of course he dearly loves many things, including her. But, as he wryly notes, he had to suspend his reading to answer her, and while answering had kept his place in his book with his finger. What Orner ponders is the oscillation between reading and living, concentrating on the moment when we look up from the page. Reading takes its color, for Orner, from the ways it is aerated by those interruptions. As a result, this record of his reading life is a fractured memoir, even a travel diary. He tells of reading Cheever stories in an Albanian cafe, To the Lighthouse by a lake in northern Minnesota, Alvaro Mutis while volunteering with the Zapatistas in Chiapas. Some of the traveling is simply in time: Orner weaves vignettes from the death of his father and the slow demise of his first marriage with loving, eccentric paraphrases of stories by Chekhov, Kafka, Welty, Wideman and Babel, treating his reading not as an escape from, but a mode of experiencing, his lifes unspooling. Too irresponsible to be literary criticism, and too irregular to be autobiography, Orners book (with illustrations by his brother, Eric Orner) is instead an entrancing attempt to catch what falls between those genres: the irreducibly personal, messy, even embarrassing ways reading and living bleed into each other, which neither literary criticism nor autobiography ever quite acknowledges. HOW BAD WRITING DESTROYED THE WORLD Ayn Rand and the Literary Origins of the Financial Crisis By Adam Weiner 250 pp. Bloomsbury, paper, $19.95. Image Weiners is an intellectual history told as a horror story. The history is a deliberately ironic one: how rational egoism, the doctrine of Nikolai Chernyshevskys 1863 novel/manifesto What Is to Be Done?, which was the inspiration for Russian revolutionaries from Bakunin to Lenin, migrated to the United States in the guise of Ayn Rands far-right objectivism. The horror is the uncanny resilience of this particular bad idea: Like a zombie, rational egoism has staggered on despite attempts, from Dostoyevskys Demons to Nabokovs The Gift, to kill it by ridicule, parody or the power of superior art. But there are real monsters in Weiners story as well, from the ascetic and ruthless revolutionary Sergei Nechaev to the coterie of sycophants (among them Alan Greenspan) who gathered around Rand. Weiner rises to the challenge of paraphrasing Chernyshevsky and Rand and illustrating the clumsiness and incoherence of their books. But his effort doesnt solve the mystery of their evergreen appeal; instead he inadvertently deepens it. Is graceless style and faulty logic enough to make a book unreadable? Weiner seems to suggest as much, but the record of Chernyshevskys and Rands countless dedicated readers says otherwise. The mystery of the appeal of bad writing is something Weiners prosecutorial approach can never quite solve. To tackle the problem would require considerable sympathy, even for writers and readers who, given the disastrous impact of these books, dont deserve it. THE SULTAN AND THE QUEEN The Untold Story of Elizabeth and Islam By Jerry Brotton Illustrated. 338 pp. Viking. $30. Neither the earth, the seas, nor the heavens, have so much force to separate us, as the godly disposition of natural humanity, and mutual benevolence have to join us together. So wrote Elizabeth I to the Shah of Persia in 1561. Her letter, composed in a mixture of Hebrew, Italian and Latin, was designed to open up trade between the two countries, and was entrusted to an extraordinary traveler, Anthony Jenkinson, as he boarded a ship laden with woolen cloth. Jenkinson, a mercer by profession, had already held private audiences with two of the worlds most powerful rulers: the Ottoman sultan, Suleyman the Magnificent, and the Russian czar, Ivan the Terrible. Hes just one of the fascinating characters who forged Englands first sustained interaction with the Muslim world, a neglected aspect of Elizabethan history that Jerry Brotton, a professor of Renaissance studies at Queen Mary University of London and the author of A History of the World in 12 Maps, brings vividly to life in this elegant and entertaining book. Jenkinsons interview with Shah Tahmasp was not a success, not least because another great Muslim power, the Ottoman Empire, chose to deprecate his mission. Religion was a factor too: Jenkinsons footsteps in the palace were blotted out with sand, as Brotton notes, in a symbolic erasing of the polluting presence of the unbeliever. But, then, religion was one of the reasons behind this burst of interest in the Muslim world. In 2012, Ursula K. Le Guin personally edited a two-part collection of her short stories, published then by Small Beer Press. This collection has now been reprinted by Saga Press in a single massive hardcover called THE UNREAL AND THE REAL (Saga, $29.99). In tandem with the story collection, and new this year, Le Guin has also gathered all of her published novellas in a volume called THE FOUND AND THE LOST (Saga, $29.99). While all 39 of the stories and all 13 of the novellas have been published previously, many havent appeared in print in decades which alone makes this collection worth the price. Theres little overlap between the two volumes; several of the novellas and short stories are part of the Hainish Cycle, but each stands alone thematically and plotwise. The only redundancy is one novella that appears in both books: the trippy Coyote tale Buffalo Gals, Wont You Come Out Tonight. Yet the two volumes are unified by Le Guins consistent exploration of womens voices and the numinous, as well as her contempt for the artificial division between genre and realist literature. Perhaps to emphasize the latter, Le Guin divides the short story collection into halves: stories set in modern America and other realistic milieus, and stories on other planets or in fantasy realms. The unreal stories are no less powerful than the real, as anyone who has ever read the beautifully brutal The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas already knows. The novella collection is not so meaningfully organized, but this isnt necessary; the stories are more in conversation with the genre (and literature in general) than with one another. Fans of Le Guin should get both books. People who have read one story of hers on a college syllabus but nothing else should get both books. Critics should get both books as well as her recent essay collection WORDS ARE MY MATTER (Small Beer, $24). Only people who might have difficulty with the weighty hardcover volumes or their equally weighty price should reconsider. Those people should get the e-books. It takes powerful storytelling indeed to mitigate one of the most horrific atrocities in human history. The veteran short fiction and essay writer Nisi Shawl manages to succeed, paradoxically, through emphasis. In several stark scenes, the characters of EVERFAIR (Tor/Tom Doherty, $26.99) attend to the bodies of children murdered by the dozen, women who have been decapitated, people whose hands have been cut off. These victims and millions more were the grisly harvest of the Belgian King Leopold IIs colonialist regime in the region then known as the Congo Free State now the Democratic Republic of Congo. VANITY FAIRS WRITERS ON WRITERS Edited by Graydon Carter 424 pp. Penguin Books. Paper, $20. A good working assumption, if you are a struggling young writer, dreaming of laurels but subsisting on lentils, is that those successful writers you envy are all off somewhere together, Champagne-drunk at a party to which your invitation has mysteriously not arrived. Vanity Fairs Writers on Writers, a collection of pieces from the magazines modern incarnation, offers little to disprove this theory. It is not only that the characters you will meet over the course of 400-some pages and 43 articles were no strangers to the cocktails-at-7 circuit (and many of them on close personal terms with the cocktails themselves). They also drank, fought, fawned and flirted with and among one another. The writers life is, in part, a vigilant prowl for characters. (This being the state capital, we had all the state institutions in Jackson blind, deaf and dumb, insane, Eudora Welty said in praise of her Mississippi hometown in a 1999 profile by Willie Morris. Made for good characters.) As it happens, many of those writers turn out also to be good material themselves. Accordingly, this anthology reads less like a worshipful or sententious exploration of the art of writing, and more like a highbrow scandal sheet which, in the best way, Vanity Fair is. (It is an institution in and of itself, and while blindness, deafness and mutism are not often in evidence, insanity is.) It is no slight to say that the gangs all here and so, tantalizingly enough, is the gossip. For Toni Morrisons account of Gabriel Garcia Marquezs thoughts on Viagra, turn to Page 169. There are enough gems of this trivially miscellaneous kind to recommend Vanity Fairs Writers on Writers on this front alone, at least to any reader invested in the foibles of the great and infamous. And there are worse ways to read it than by skipping from leavening detail to leavening detail, the bits that any magazine writer knows must lard a finished piece. Vanity Fair has called upon some of the most gimlet-eyed to supply them over the course of its history: Martin Amis, Salman Rushdie, James Wolcott, Patricia Bosworth and Michael Lewis for starters, all of whom are represented in this volume. (In its original incarnation, published in the United States between 1913 and 1936, the magazine famously employed Dorothy Parker and Clare Boothe Luce, both of whom receive tributes here. Luce, then Clare Boothe Brokaw, apparently had an ermine toilet-seat cover.) What were some early leadership lessons for you? One of the things I learned very quickly was that when you work with a team, you make sure that it doesnt really matter who gets the credit. Ive always been very hesitant to take credit for myself, especially within that context. Its more about giving others credit, because I learned very quickly that it made them want to work and contribute even harder. How have you tried to build the culture of your current company? I think start-ups kind of take on the value system of their founders. There are three of us who started the company, and were all first-time entrepreneurs. We tend to be very first principle thinkers. What I mean by that is when youre trying to solve a problem, you start by trying to understand the essence of the problem, rather than starting with what the answer should be and then working your way to justifying it. So its all about making sure that everyone understands the problem were trying to solve. And to do that, you have to maintain a broader perspective and listen very carefully to people. I have one-on-ones with every single person on the team and then connect the dots. So I ask a lot of questions and build a mental model of the outline of what we need to do. Then when something seems inconsistent in that mental model, you get people together and say, Wait a second, how do we resolve this? The other thing thats important is to have people on the team who want to take personal ownership of a problem. You get 10 times better results when somebody feels personally invested in solving a problem rather than somebody just saying, Hey, Im doing it just to check the boxes. So how do you interview people to make sure they have that quality? The way you assess that is to talk to them about a couple of things. When they talk about things theyve done in the past and how well theyve done it, do they light up? That tells you that they were all in when they were working on that problem. This sort of international collaboration was endorsed after the financial crisis by the Group of 20 leading industrial nations. The Group of 20 indicated that financial regulatory cooperation would be one its highest priorities. But international cooperation is under fire in Washington. The Financial Choice Act introduced by Representative Jeb Hensarling, a Republican of Texas and the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, would repeal the parts of the Dodd-Frank Act that encourage regulatory cooperation. It would also require the promulgation of domestic standards before engaging in any form of international collaboration. Congress has introduced similar legislation for insurance supervision. What this means for existing regulatory collaborations like the Financial Stability Board is unclear. If American banks are required in 2017 to hold even more capital by the board, will American regulators comply? On the other hand, these international arrangements serve as a constraint on domestic deregulation. As a matter of law, there is no reason domestic banking supervisors must put into effect the recommendations of the Financial Stability Board and other international regulatory efforts, but the consequences of noncompliance are high. The financial industry has long sought a level playing field when it comes to capital regulation. The idea is that American banks would be subject to the same amount of supervision as European and Asian banks when they are active in those parts of the world. Withdrawal from an international architecture intended in part to produce this level playing field would invite European and Asian regulators to impose discriminatory requirements on American financial institutions. They could do so without having to worry about the treaties we do have to prevent this sort of economic discrimination. Financial stability regulation has been exempted from the disciplines of the World Trade Organization or the various investment treaties to which the United States is a party. So the risk of a trade war could keep American regulators engaged with the Financial Stability Board, even as Congress passes statutes limiting the subjects on which collaboration is permitted. But Mr. Maurer struggles to see how this would create any jobs in the United States. The American textile industry is small and increasingly dominated by robots. The rest of the world holds billions of hands willing to work cheaply. Someone else will pick up the business, Mr. Maurer said. These markets are very fast. But the textile and apparel trades are relatively simple businesses. If the cost of making trousers becomes less appealing in China, a room full of sewing machines in Cambodia can quickly be filled with low-wage seamstresses. Industries involving precision machinery are not so easily reassembled somewhere else. An abrupt change to the economics would devastate factories that could not quickly line up alternative suppliers. American automakers are especially dependent on the global supply chain. Between 2000 and 2011, the percentage of imported components that went into exported American-made vehicles grew to 35 percent, from 24 percent, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. At EBW Electronics in Holland, Mich., workers in lab coats tend boxy soldering machines as they make circuitry for LED lights that go into cars. It buys tiny parts and slots them into circuit boards, which are sold to major automakers. Some 80 percent of the components are imported from China. Even that number fails to capture the degree to which the company and its 240 workers depend on unfettered trade. The appeals court acknowledged that the general rule is that buyers of patented products can do with them what they wish. But it said the conditions Lexmark placed on the sale of its cartridges could be enforced as a matter of patent law. The Obama administration urged the Supreme Court to hear the case, saying that ruling was mistake. For more than 150 years, this court has held that, once a particular patented article has been sold in the United States by the patentee or with his authorization, the patent laws do not constrain the subsequent use or resale of that article, the administrations brief said. The appeals court also ruled on foreign sales, saying that patent holders could control what was done with their products after they were sold abroad and re-imported by buyers like Impression Products. That ruling may be in tension with a 2013 Supreme Court decision in a copyright case, Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons. In that case, the Supreme Court ruled that it was lawful to import and resell textbooks that were first sold abroad. Advocacy groups including Public Knowledge and the Electronic Frontier Foundation filed a brief supporting Impression Products, saying Lexmarks approach was part of a disquieting trend. Product manufacturers have routinely attempted to expand their rights under intellectual property law to restrict the spread of information about their products and to prevent customers from using their devices in new and useful ways, the brief said. The court should ensure that patent law does not provide a road map to legitimize such practices. The Vanguard Group does its best to stay away from politics when advertising, going so far as to have a policy against marketing on overtly partisan websites. So it was a surprise to Vanguard, an investment management company, when it found its ads on Breitbart News, the hard-right site that has become closely tied to President-elect Donald J. Trump. An email from a client alerted Vanguard to the issue last week, prompting it to pull its ads from the site. Breitbart had been inadvertently included on a list of preapproved websites the company and its ad agency use to try to reach people who have visited Vanguards site, said Emily Farrell, a spokeswoman. Vanguard is one of at least a dozen companies, including prominent brands like Allstate, Kellogg and Warby Parker, that have said recently that they will stop advertising on Breitbart. The brands have attributed their appearances on the site to the automated nature of online advertising, in which a complicated system of third-party networks and agencies is used to place ads. That has cast a spotlight on how the zeal to capitalize on consumer data and advanced targeting technologies has resulted in some companies being associated with sites they want to avoid. It is increasingly rare for marketers and their agencies to place ads directly on websites. Unlike advertising on television or in magazines, where brands often choose placements in advance based on content, marketers online deploy sophisticated technologies to target and personalize ads in real time for the people who are most likely to be interested in their products or services, wherever they may be roaming on the web. Ed Ou, a Canadian freelance photojournalist, spent 10 years covering the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia. He endured aggressive interrogations at border crossings in some of the worlds most authoritarian nations. But he says a recent confrontation at the United States border has left him shaken. The incident has been criticized by advocates of privacy and press freedom. Mr. Ou, 30, said he was detained on Oct. 1 for more than six hours when he tried to fly from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Bismarck, N.D., to cover the protests of an oil pipeline project near the Standing Rock reservation. He was ultimately denied entry, and he said though he was not given a reason, he was told his name matched that of a person of interest. During the hours of detention, he was asked to describe how and why he had traveled to each country he had visited in the past five years, and questioned about whether he had seen anyone die. As executive director of the Community Mortgage Lenders of America, Glen S. Corso represents many of the small entities that depend on the liquidity provided by Fannie and Freddie to make their loans. He said in an interview that he and his Main Street constituents were extremely encouraged by the comments from Mr. Mnuchin. Since 2012, weve been advocating for the G.S.E.s to be reformed, recapitalized and then released from conservatorship, Mr. Corso said. Were hopeful that is the direction the Trump administration will head in. That would be an almost total turnabout from the proposals pushed in recent years by housing officials under President Obama and some influential lawmakers. Railing against recapitalizing the companies and releasing them from conservatorship, they have put forward an array of complicated and impractical proposals that would have reconfigured the mortgage market and, in some cases, handed over a big chunk of it to the nations largest banks. Although there was not much talk of Fannie and Freddie on the campaign trail, it was widely assumed that a Clinton administration would embrace some of those Obama housing officials as well as their ideas. That those officials now have little sway is one reason shares in Fannie and Freddie soared in value just after the election and even before Mr. Mnuchin spoke about the companies. As a former head of the mortgage-backed securities desk at Goldman Sachs, Mr. Mnuchin well understands the mechanics of this enormous market. He also recognizes the significant role a well-capitalized Fannie and Freddie could play in ensuring that borrowers have access to mortgage money in good economies as well as bad. So what might happen now? In his comments, Mr. Mnuchin nodded to a crucial issue regarding Fannie and Freddie: safety and soundness. Well make sure that when theyre restructured, theyre absolutely safe and they dont get taken over again, he said, But we got to get them out of government control. Not long ago, a street artist named London Kaye became embroiled in an unexpected controversy. A flea market in Bushwick, Brooklyn, partnered with her to create a large-scale installation. So Ms. Kaye crocheted a portrait, measuring 15 feet by 10 feet, of Sam Shakusky from Wes Andersons Moonrise Kingdom holding hands with the creepy twins from The Shining. It was about young love, she said. Not everyone was charmed. Though Ms. Kaye did not know, the flea market hadnt secured permission to hang her work on an adjacent building. Anti-gentrification activists took their frustrations against her to social media. Gothamist reported that one aggrieved person equated Ms. Kaye and her work to colonizers who claim indigenous lands for themselves. I was the perfect scapegoat, said Ms. Kaye, who is 28. It was three white kids holding hands it was huge. She took the installation down. There may be a double standard here. Few would call Banksys work gentrifying, but Ms. Kayes genre of street art, known as yarn bombing, has been widely derided as a hipster fad or dismissed as cutesy, mere womens work. Kerby Jean-Raymond, the founder of the independent, critically acclaimed fashion label Pyer Moss, planned to attend more than a dozen events at Art Basel Miami Beach this weekend, including an exhibition that showcases some of his labels shoes. Instead, hell be flying to North Dakota. Mr. Jean-Raymond is among a number of designers and brands that are responding to the basic needs of demonstrators fighting to prevent the Dakota Access pipeline from being built near the Standing Rock Reservation out of concern for the environment and Native American ancestral lands. Activists have requested nylon coveralls, heavy-duty sleeping bags, gloves, wool clothes and blankets, along with monetary donations, on their own websites and on Amazon. After all, temperatures in Cannon Ball, N.D., the town near which protesters have gathered, range from highs in the low 30s to single digits. And its not about to get any warmer. On Monday, Gov. Jack Dalrymple of North Dakota cited anticipated harsh weather conditions when issuing a mandatory evacuation order. Once upon an algorithm, a widower in San Francisco who was an expert in online consumer behavior took to the internet to find the one. I was still hurting, said Bill Tancer, whose wife of 17 years had succumbed to complications of breast cancer in July 2014. But I felt it was time to put myself out there and start dating again. Mr. Tancer did exactly that in January 2015, when he created a dating profile and sent it to eHarmony. He fully expected to receive numerous matches, wishing to find among them a woman who could potentially become, as he put it, my one and only. But Mr. Tancer, then 48, received a reply that seemed to come not from an algorithm in a search engine, but from a genie in a bottle. He was granted exactly what he had wished for: one match, and one match only, an improbable result that brought to his screen the profile of Erika Holiday, a 38-year-old forensic psychologist and adjunct professor of psychology at the University of Southern California, some 300 miles away. On that particular evening back in 2003, my parents were in the car together returning home from work my mother was a babysitter, my father an electrician when they noticed three men in suits reading the labels on the mailboxes in front of our building. This was on the urban streets of New Jersey, against a backdrop of dilapidated buildings, and they immediately assumed who it was. Go in your bedroom and hide, my mother hissed over the phone. Immigration is here. Do not open the door. My younger sister, Kim, was only 12, and I was 16, a junior in high school. When I relayed the message to her, we both grinned. Our family had a dark sense of humor, and even though we were residing in the United States illegally, this sounded like just the kind of prank she would play on us. Krys, she said, this is not a joke! I am sitting outside with your father. They are going upstairs right now. Hide! Her voice was too serious, too worried. Not a tremor of a laugh vibrated in her words. So I shut my sister in our bedroom, turned off all the lights and locked the windows. We lived in a third floor walk-up in Bayonne. It would take them a couple of minutes to get up there, so I stood behind the door of our apartment and peered through the peephole. I could hear footsteps on the wooden stairs not the weary ascension of the old Egyptian lady and her husband who lived across the hallway or the skip of the little Puerto Rican boy below us or the cheerful whistle of the African-American woman on the first floor. It was when the tops of their heads floated above the railing that I really believed my mothers words. Having gone through the motions of locking the apartment down, I was still hoping it was all an elaborate gag. I felt the unlawfulness of our status in this country acutely. As far as I knew, they could, and had every right to, remove us from our apartment and send us back to our country, Trinidad and Tobago. As is the case with a lot of cinephiles my age (lets say Im a late boomer), horror movies were my gateway drug to movie love. It started in the late 1960s, when my mom asked me to watch The Haunting with her when it played on network television. (My dad was working nights.) I was traumatized but hooked. Martin Scorsese cites the New York TV station WORs Million Dollar Movie as the site of his early film education; mine was that stations Chiller Theater (not to be confused with a similar program on WPIX). It would be a few years before Id see a horror movie Night of the Living Dead in an actual movie house. Things have come full circle in a sense. My favorite American contemporary horror director is Mike Flanagan, and Ive yet to see any of his movies in a theater. (His latest theatrical release, Ouija: Origin of Evil, is one I need to catch up with.) His 2011 debut feature, Absentia, is a tense, creepy tale about a woman who registers her husbands death seven years after his disappearance, only to have him turn up alive, and in very weird state. Oculus, from 2014, about an evil mirror and the havoc it wreaks on a brother and sister during two distinct periods in their lives, is an ingenious atmospheric shocker with intimations of the 1944 classic The Uninvited. This years Hush is a brisk stalker-and-sensory-deprivation exercise, with its deaf heroine terrorized in her cabin in the woods by a sadistic killer. Absentia and Oculus I saw on Amazon; Hush had its premiere at the 2016 South by Southwest Film Festival, and went to Netflix directly thereafter. Mr. Flanagan just completed shooting a film set for Netflix in 2017, Geralds Game, an adaptation of Stephen Kings very provocative 1992 novel, in which the battle of the sexes takes on a grotesquely Grand Guignol dimension. Mr. Flanagan is, like Mr. King, eclectic in his range: He can do supernatural and non-supernatural horror with equal conviction. His movies contain violence, sometimes of the grisly kind, but he doesnt go for the constant semiautomatic, conviction-free sadism that distinguishes the Saw franchise and other movies. He also doesnt go for the arguably cheap jump scares that are a feature of many contemporary horror pictures. MOSCOW President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, in a meeting with film directors and artists, vowed on Friday to protect artistic freedom in the country but also said a court was right to give one director a 20-year prison term. Meddling in the arts by government officials and the Russian Orthodox Church is raising worries over a return of censorship not only to political news, but also to plays, movies and art exhibitions. One of the Moscows leading galleries, the Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography, recently shuttered a nude photo show by Jock Sturges, an American, after conservative activists blocked the entrance. A theater in the Siberian city of Omsk canceled a performance of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar after Orthodox Christian activists complained to regional authorities. At the meeting in St. Petersburg, Russias cultural capital, Aleksandr Sokurov, a filmmaker, pleaded with Mr. Putin to review the case of the Ukrainian director Oleh Sentsov, who is serving a 20-year sentence in Siberia. A New Jersey judge on Friday dismissed a bid to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Gov. Chris Christies involvement in the lane closings at the George Washington Bridge in 2013, leaving the case in the hands of a county prosecutors office that is led by one of Mr. Christies appointees. In her decision, Judge Bonnie J. Mizdol of Bergen County Superior Court wrote that the citizen who made the request, William J. Brennan, did not have standing to make such a motion. Mr. Brennan had petitioned the court to order the recusal of the Bergen County prosecutors office and the state attorney generals office, which are both overseen by appointees of Mr. Christie, a Republican. But Judge Mizdol cited various precedents that indicated that Mr. Brennan did not have the legal right to file such motions in the case. This court is mindful of the heightened concern for conflict when a governor is facing criminal prosecution by the very state he is tasked to govern, Judge Mizdol wrote. However, this court is duty-bound to uphold our Constitution, statutes, case law and court rules; none of which convey standing upon Brennan. Gurbir S. Grewal, the Bergen County prosecutor and a Democrat, has recused himself and designated another prosecutor in his office, John L. Higgins III, to oversee the case. The office has the authority to decide whether to pursue the case further. By the time the struggle was over, both men were out of breath, Anthony Torres recalled. It all had happened so quickly. Mr. Torres, a correction officer on an infirmary unit at Rikers Island, had jumped in when a seriously ill inmate got into a fight with another correction officer, Brian Coll, early one morning in December 2012. Mr. Torres tackled the inmate, Ronald Spear, and both fell forward to the ground. But the episode was not over. In emotional testimony on Friday in Federal District Court in Manhattan, Mr. Torres, who is cooperating with the government, broke into tears as he testified about what happened next. He said Mr. Coll began to kick Mr. Spear repeatedly on the side of the head. Mr. Torres said Mr. Coll then pulled up Mr. Spears head and leaned forward. This is what you get, Mr. Coll told Mr. Spear, using an expletive. Remember I did this. The story behind the policy is all-important here what Senator Al Franken called the complex burden of historical trauma. Consider how Jon Stewart once described the national holiday just passed. I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way, he said. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land. Now consider what the Bundy brothers said they were fighting for when they took over the Malheur Wildlife Refuge by armed force earlier this year. They wanted the government to give up turf owned by every American and let a handful of white ranchers come back and reclaim their land. This prompted collective whiplash from members of the Paiute Tribe, whose people have lived in the high desert of Oregon for centuries. For them to say they want to give the land back to the rightful owners well, I just had to laugh at that, the tribal chairwoman, Charlotte Rodrique, said at the time. The Indian view is much more than P.C. revisionism, if you believe in the rule of law. A huge swath of the northern Plains was promised to bands of the Sioux in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, one of the few times when Native Americans forced the government to terms after defeating it in war. The tribes lost much of that treaty land to intruders, backed by the Army. A more ripe and rank case of dishonorable dealings will never, in all possibility, be found in our history, the Supreme Court concluded in 1980. One of the legacies of the great Sioux tactician, Red Cloud, was an apt description of how the big emerging nation treated the diminished ones. They made many promises, he said. But they kept but one: They promised to take our land, and they took it. The complex burden of trauma that Senator Franken referred to includes images of frozen Indian bodies in the snow after the massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890. And yet, even with that history haunting the present protest, many of the natives at Standing Rock are not bitter, and see this stand in spiritual terms. In the face of this we pray, Lyla June Johnston, a young Native leader, told me the day after the blizzards blew in. In the face of this we love. In the face of this we forgive. Because the vast majority of water protectors know this is the greatest battle of all: to keep our hearts intact. Among the dozens of people who addressed Colombias Congress this week before lawmakers ratified a peace deal with the countrys largest guerrilla group, Richard Moreno stood out. Men like him dont often get to confront the ruling elite. So when he got his turn at the podium, Mr. Moreno, an Afro-Colombian activist from Choco, one of the poorest and most violence-scarred departments in the country, didnt speak. He bellowed. History will remember you for being willing to let us continue exchanging lead for 52 more years! Mr. Moreno exclaimed, using slang for bullets, as he addressed lawmakers opposed to the deal. Many of you who want the conflict to carry on, your kids dont serve in the army, theyre not recruited by the guerrillas; when things get tough, they get sent abroad. In the end, lawmakers approved the deal, in the Senate on Tuesday and in the House the next day. Yet this milestone, which paves the way for the disarmament of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, is being greeted with more apprehension than jubilation. The final stretch of the peace negotiations, which began in 2012, deeply polarized the nation. In October, a slim majority of voters rejected an earlier version of the deal in a plebiscite, forcing President Juan Manuel Santos to go back to the negotiating table to seek additional concessions from the FARC. His team reached a more favorable accord, under which the FARC agreed to, among other things, surrender all its assets to compensate victims. Opposition lawmakers argued that those concessions were insufficient and boycotted the votes. Donald Trump won the Electoral College (though not the popular vote) on the strength of overwhelming support from working-class whites, who feel left behind by a changing economy and society. And theyre about to get their reward the same reward that, throughout Mr. Trumps career, has come to everyone who trusted his good intentions. Think Trump University. Yes, the white working class is about to be betrayed. The evidence of that coming betrayal is obvious in the choice of an array of pro-corporate, anti-labor figures for key positions. In particular, the most important story of the week seriously, people, stop focusing on Trump Twitter was the selection of Tom Price, an ardent opponent of Obamacare and advocate of Medicare privatization, as secretary of health and human services. This choice probably means that the Affordable Care Act is doomed and Mr. Trumps most enthusiastic supporters will be among the biggest losers. The first thing you need to understand here is that Republican talk of repeal and replace has always been a fraud. The G.O.P. has spent six years claiming that it will come up with a replacement for Obamacare any day now; the reason it hasnt delivered is that it cant. Obamacare looks the way it does because it has to: You cant cover Americans with pre-existing conditions without requiring healthy people to sign up, and you cant do that without subsidies to make insurance affordable. But most of all there is sex. The alt-right has a lot of young men in it, young men whose ideology can be assumed to confront them with obstacles to meeting people and dating. Sex-cynicism and race-pessimism, of course, often travel in tandem. At the National Policy Institute conference, the writer F. Roger Devlin gave a talk on why young Norwegian women in Groruddalen, outside Oslo, preferred dating Somali and Pakistani gang members to ethnic Norwegian boys-next-door. The female instinct is to mate with socially dominant men, he explained, and it does not matter how such dominance is achieved. Likewise, the common alt-right slur cuckservative, a portmanteau combining cuckold and conservative, is not just a colorful way of saying that establishment conservatives have been unmanly. According to Matthew Tait, a young ex-member of the far-right British National Party, the metaphor has a precise ornithological meaning. Like the reed-warbler hatching eggs that a cuckoo (from which the word cuckold comes) has dropped into its nest, cuckservatives are raising the offspring of their foes. One can apply the metaphor equally to progressive ideas or to the children of the foreign-born. Type reed warbler into YouTube, and you will find a video with more than a million views, along with a considerable thread of alt-right commentary. The internet liberates us to be our worst selves. Where other movements have orators and activists, the alt-right also has ruthless trolls and doxers. The trolls bombard Twitter and email accounts with slur-filled letters and Photoshopped art. Doxing is the releasing of personal information onto the internet. Last month, several alt-right writers, including Mr. Spencer, had their accounts suspended by Twitter. Mr. Spencer says he appreciates the frenetic energy of trolling but doesnt do it himself. The alt-right did not invent these tactics. But during this election the trolling reached a sadistic pitch. Journalists who opposed Mr. Trump received photos of themselves and in some cases their children dead, or in gas chambers. Jewish and Jewish-surnamed journalists were particular targets, especially those seen to be thwarting Mr. Trumps rise: Jonah Goldberg, Julia Ioffe and Ben Shapiro, among others. The Daily Stormer has been particularly aggressive in deploying its troll army against those with whom it disagrees. A signature punctuation of the alt-right is to mark Jewish names with echoes, or triple parentheses, like (((this))). One got a strange sensation at the National Policy Institute gathering that everyone in the room was either over 60 or under 40. There was a lot of tomorrow-belongs-to-me optimism, as if the attendees felt the ideas being aired there were on the verge of going mainstream. Whether this had anything to do with Mr. Trumps victory or the effect of alt-right rebranding was hard for a newcomer to say. As Mr. Spencer spoke, a dapper guy named Ryan looked on. Ryan was a 27-year-old who sported the common fashy haircut close-cropped (like a skinhead) on the sides, free-flowing (like a mullet) on the top. Mr. Spencer was lecturing journalists about how it took courage to embrace a movement that was quite frankly, heretical. For the moment, Ryan muttered. Mr. Tait, who hopes to start an alt-right movement in England, said: What youre seeing now is young people who have never been affiliated to any kind of politics, ever. They dont remember what it was like before the war or in the 1960s or even in the 1980s. Their motivation isnt a sense of loss. That is what is alt about the alt-right. These people are not nostalgic. They may not even be conservatives. For them, multiculturalism is not an affront to traditional notions of society, as it would have been in the Reagan era. It is society. The Vanderbilt University political scientist Carol Swain was among the first to describe the contours of this worldview. In her 2002 book, The New White Nationalism in America, she noted that young people were quick to identify double standards, and that they sometimes did so in the name of legitimate policy concerns. I knew that identity would come next, she recalled. It had to come. All they had to do was copy what they were hearing. The multiculturalist arguments you hear on every campus those work for whites, too. Mr. Spencer, asked in an interview how he would respond to the accusation that his group was practicing identity politics in the manner of blacks and Hispanics, replied: Id say: Yuh. Youre right. Professor Swains analysis does not just pertain to radicals. It is a plausible account of what is happening in the American electoral mainstream. The alt-right is small. It may remain so. And yet, while small, it is part of something this election showed to be much bigger: the emergence of white people, who evidently feel their identity is under attack, as a minority-style political bloc. The great steel arch that has been inched into place over the blackened and crumbling sarcophagus containing the radioactive carcass of Chernobyls Reactor No. 4 is an extraordinary feat of human ingenuity. Resembling a vast, gleaming hangar, it was designed to withstand extreme temperatures, tornadoes and corrosion for at least a century, and it had to be built far from the toxic reactor and then slid, all 32,000 tons of it, into place. It was also a feat of international cooperation. The $1.5 billion in financing, arranged by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, comprised donations from the United States, the European Union and about 30 other nations; the bank itself provided more than $500 million. The construction was by a French consortium, and the workers came from many lands. It was a model, in other words, of what humanity can do in the face of a real danger that no one country certainly not Ukraine, which inherited Chernobyl from the defunct Soviet Union could manage. This is worth celebrating, even as the Chernobyl accident itself must be mourned and studied for the hubris and failure it represents. An article on Thursday about the Sol Project, which aims to usher Latino artists into the mainstream of American theater and was conceived by Jacob G. Padron after he attended a national meeting of the group Latina/o Theater Commons, referred incorrectly to a meeting currently being held in New York by the Commons. It is a regional gathering, not the national meeting. OPINION An Op-Ed essay on Wednesday about the future of the evangelical movement after Donald Trumps election included an outdated affiliation for a Trump supporter, James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family. He left the organization in 2010. OBITUARIES Because of an editing error, an obituary on Wednesday about the historian Bruce Mazlish omitted the name of one of his survivors. In addition to his wife, children, stepchildren and grandchildren, he is survived by a sister, Elaine Wyden. A picture with the obituary carried an incorrect credit. The most recent edition of Professor Mazlishs book In Search of Nixon, the cover of which was pictured, was published by Transaction Publishers, not Penguin Random House. The obituary in some copies also misstated part of the title of another of Professor Mazlishs books. It is The Fourth Discontinuity: The Co-Evolution of Humans and Machines not The Co-Evolution and Humans and Machines. An obituary on Saturday about the actress Florence Henderson misstated when she first hosted The Tonight Show and erroneously attributed a distinction to her. It was 1966, not 1962; and she was one of the first women to be a Tonight Show guest host, not the first. The Times welcomes comments and suggestions, or complaints about errors that warrant correction. Messages on news coverage can be e-mailed to nytnews@nytimes.com or left toll-free at 1-844-NYT-NEWS (1-844-698-6397). Comments on editorials may be e-mailed to letters@nytimes.com or faxed to (212) 556-3622. Scientists on Friday debunked a widely circulated news media report suggesting that recent record-high global temperatures were unrelated to climate change. The report, which first appeared in The Mail on Sunday and was summarized in Breitbart News, the right-wing opinion and news site, cited incomplete data and drew incorrect conclusions, the scientists said. Federal and international agencies have said that 2016 will likely be the hottest year on record, eclipsing the record set last year. In its report, The Mail on Sunday cited a recent decline in temperatures over land since the weather phenomenon known as El Nino ended this year, and said that El Nino, and not climate change, was responsible for the record heat. But scientists said that while the recent El Nino did contribute to the record warmth, climate change played a major role, too. Ms. Rice has written more than two dozen books, 12 of which comprise the series known as The Vampire Chronicles, which began with Interview With the Vampire in 1976, a book that later became an A-list-heavy film in 1994. Her book signings have been spectacles stocked with exotic dancers and fans in costume. She has ridden in closed coffins to these signings, with ice to keep her cool. Ms. Rices cadre of sexy vampires evolved from pop-Gothic fantasy creations into figures so complicated they required their own glossaries in later novels. Perhaps it was time for a new scene. She had been working on a novel about Atlantis for years, but when it wasnt panning out, she turned back to her hero. When I put Lestat and the vampires into the mix, it really came to life, she said. And all of the problems were solved immediately. The result is Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis, which was released Tuesday. Moving on from the kittens and a perturbed-looking preserved monkey, Ms. Rice visited the museums library, which contained art fashioned out of the hair of the dead and a few objects of Catholic art that caught her eye. Ms. Rice has a fraught personal history with religion. In 2010, she announced that she had quit Catholicism, saying she objected to what she called anti-gay and anti-feminist views. Her feelings on the faith today, she said, remain the same. An attack on the computer systems of Saudi Arabias aviation agency, reported on Thursday, is a reminder that the problems of malware and bots are still very much with us. The attack relied on malware called Shamoon, which was also used to target Saudi energy companies four years ago, Sewell Chan writes. It is not yet clear who was responsible, but computer experts believe the attack in mid-November came from outside the country, and hackers in Iran are possible suspects. Similar malware was used two years ago in attacks on the Las Vegas Sands and Sony. Image About a month earlier, still-unidentifed hackers shut down access to a range of computer sites by sending a flood of traffic to a New Hampshire company that manages chunks of the internets infrastructure. They relied on corrupted internet-connected devices, like cameras, to generate that huge volume of traffic. The most visible sign of an artistic quickening in Arles is probably the Frank Gehry-designed tower rising at LUMA Arles, a contemporary art center being created in a former rail yard. But its Chardon, a cozy restaurant that opened this summer, which perfectly expresses its new bohemian effervescence. This bistro and wine bar is run by the British chef Harry Cummins, known for his light but earthy and original produce-driven cooking style, and Laura Vidal, a Quebecoise sommelier. (They are partners in both business and life.) Since 2013, the 30-something pair, who met while working at the celebrated Paris restaurant Frenchie, have run the Paris Pop-Up, a roaming series of food-and-wine events featuring his cooking and her biodynamic wine lists. But Arles made them decide to stay put for a while. Arles is becoming really edgy because the new cultural institutions are drawing more creative people, Ms. Vidal said. This is why we thought our concept of a restaurant thats constantly evolving instead of being static would work here. So when you dont see Mr. Cummins in the kitchen, you might find a visiting cook, like Haan Palcu-Chang, a Canadian of Chinese-Romanian descent, who was the last guest of 2016 at Chardon. Chardon is like a little theater, because the show, which is the menu, changes often, said Mr. Cummins. The only criterion for visiting chefs is that they follow Mr. Cumminss lead by cooking with local seasonal produce when possible. Whether the immediate postelection effect of Canadas appeal as a permanent home is here to stay remains to be seen. But heading there for a getaway is more of an established trend: From January through August of this year, the number of visitors from the United States to Canada increased 9.4 percent, to 9.8 million people, compared with the same period last year, according to Destination Canada, Canadas national tourism marketing organization. Also, Kayak saw a 15 percent increase in flight searches from the United States to Canada between Jan. 1 and Nov. 22 this year compared with the same time frame in 2015. The surge, said Adam Weissenberg, the head of travel, hospitality and leisure at Deloitte & Touche, is likely caused by the strength of the United States dollar against the Canadian dollar. Canada is a bargain for Americans to visit right now and is the best deal it has been in a while, he said. Numbers from the New York City-based economic research firm Oxford Economics show that this value proposition is true: the United States dollar appreciated around 25 percent against the Canadian dollar from the second quarter of 2013 to the second quarter of 2016 (the latest exchange rate is around 1 United States dollar to around 1.35 Canadian dollars). Here are five trips that may inspire you to vacation in Canada: Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge in Alberta is offering the Jasper Family Ski Experience over the winter. Included are accommodations, transportation to and from the ski hill and ski lift tickets for two adults and one child. Prices from 469 Canadian dollars a night for a two-night minimum. Rather, it seems that travelers who are eager enough to have already booked trips arent backing out, while those who planned to hold off until Cuba has more hotels and services are still waiting. We have not had any clients say they wouldnt go or that they were concerned based on recent comments by our President-elect, said Honey Moss, a travel consultant in Miami with Protravel International, one of the largest traditional travel agencies in North America. But several clients have asked what would happen if they planned a trip and then the borders were closed again, she said. We have been advised by the partners we work with in Cuba that all deposits and payments would be refunded. Sandie Wiesenthal, a luxury travel consultant with Protravel International in Beverly Hills, Calif., who visited Cuba in October, said that her clients havent expressed concerns about the new administrations viewpoint on Cuba. Instead, theyre sticking to their own views. The excitement is still there, she said. Clients who want to visit before it changes still feel the same way, and the people who wanted to wait until there was more of a structure for tourism continue to have the same thoughts. Since the election, Overseas Adventure Travel, a tour company that offers Cuba land tours through its Grand Circle Foundation such as Cuba Revealed: Cultural Pathways from Camaguey to Havana and Cuba: A Bridge Between Cultures said that it has seen a slight drop in sales, but not by much. Given that our travelers are older and grew up during the Castro era, theyre extremely curious about Cuba and hopeful to experience it, said Priscilla L. OReilly, a spokeswoman for the company. In other words, some travelers are taking a wait-and-see approach, as Gabe Saglie, a senior editor with the travel deals site, Travelzoo, put it. Many were doing that even before the election, research by Travel Leaders Group shows, saying they would go immediately to Cuba if all government restrictions were lifted (there are currently only a dozen categories of authorized travel outlined by the Treasury Department; travelers cant just go to Cuba for a beach vacation). On the other hand, Mr. Saglie said of Mr. Trumps threats, even a slim potential for changes is enough to have another batch of intrigued travelers making the decision to go sooner rather than later. One of the reasons Travelzoo named Cuba to its 2016 list of places expected to have bargains in the new year was because of the uncertainty beyond this year. Sometimes budget travel means spending as little as possible to take the longest, farthest, most ambitious adventure possible. Other times, you just need a break. If the goal of a trip is to relax and spend focused time with family, you have to be realistic about scheduling and budgetary constraints and honest about your tastes and you need to seize any window of opportunity. Here are some lessons this vacation-package skeptic learned from her first experience with what the industry calls bulk travel. Make a List If you have only a few days for your trip, spend as little time as possible in transit. Use Google Flights highly customizable search parameters to explore your options. Add the name of your home airport, pull down nonstop flights and select a duration of six hours or less. By leaving the destination blank, Google will return a list of places matching your requirements. From there, you can further narrow the search using the Interests tab. The Frugal Familys search for beaches and a nonstop flight from the Bay Area turned up a handful of destinations in Hawaii, Mexico and Central America, for example. Window Shop, Within Reason Armed with your list of potential destinations, begin plugging your dates into sites selling vacation packages. There are dozens, but opening a manageable number of browser tabs (five or six, max) is adequate for comparison shopping. Initially I was most intrigued by sites like Costco and Groupon, which I dont typically turn to for travel. But there are also niche sites, like Last Minute Travel, which caters to the spontaneous, and Cheap Caribbean, which specializes in a single region. Its likely, however, that your best option is a site like Priceline, Kayak or Booking.com that youre probably already using for the rest of your travel. What Does the Package Include? Every bundle includes at least airfare and hotel, but some offer a rental car, tours and more. In the case of the Frugal Familys recent trip [Whats an Unlikely Vacation Bargain? Hawaii], which was booked through Expedia, adding a car increased our price by $300 to $400. I was confident I could get a better rate on a stand-alone rental. Using Pricelines Name Your Price feature, I reserved an economy car for just $21 a day, a reminder that buying in bulk isnt always best. Donald Trump will meet the Filipino president. Mr. Trump, whose unscripted telephone calls with world leaders have broken with protocol and left diplomats in Washington aghast, on Friday invited President Rodrigo R. Duterte of the Philippines to visit the White House next year, according to an aide to Mr. Duterte quoted by Reuters. Mr. Duterte, who has been criticized by the State Department for waging a bloody and ruthless antidrug campaign that has killed about 2,000 people in the Philippines, has called President Obama a son of a whore and, in September, said he can go to hell. The remarks prompted Mr. Obama to cancel a planned meeting with Mr. Duterte in Laos at a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Mr. Trump has business and government connections in the Philippines, where he has partnered with a real estate company controlled by Jose E.B. Antonio, named in October as Mr. Dutertes special envoy to the United States, on a $150 million office tower in Manila. Officials for Mr. Trumps transition did not confirm the call or include it in a rundown they gave on Friday of conversations with world leaders that Mr. Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence had held over the past 24 hours. They did provide official accounts on Thursday of calls Mr. Trump had with the prime minister of Pakistan and the president of Kazakhstan, but those were sanitized versions of the readouts provided by those countries, which indicated that the president-elect had heaped praise on their leaders and suggested a readiness to side with them on delicate matters of diplomacy. A look at policies to come. Senator David Perdue of Georgia, a Republican and an early and vocal supporter of Mr. Trump, stopped by the microphones at Trump Tower to share his views of the legislative rush to come next year. Job 1 is getting people put back to work were talking about Obamacare, the Keystone Pipeline, the Waters in the U.S. and the Clean Power Plan, he said, singling out the transcontinental pipeline that President Obama killed, new clean water regulations and Mr. Obamas climate change plan. A new strategy to register voters got a first test last month, and the early results suggest it was a success. Under a first-in-the-nation law that went into effect at the start of the year, Oregon automatically registered more than 225,000 residents based on interactions with the states department of motor vehicles, such as obtaining or renewing a drivers license. Of those, nearly 100,000 voted last month, a turnout rate of 43 percent, more than half the 80 percent rate among all registered voters in the state. For Oregon to get that just among the people who are automatically registered is quite a feat, said Barry Burden, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of that schools Elections Research Center. The law represents one of a handful of recent attempts by states to expand voting access even as many others sought to limit it, often by imposing strict requirements intended to protect against voter fraud, which most experts agree is not a widespread concern. WASHINGTON President-elect Donald J. Trump spoke by telephone with Taiwans president on Friday, a striking break with nearly four decades of diplomatic practice that could precipitate a major rift with China even before Mr. Trump takes office. Mr. Trumps office said he had spoken with the Taiwanese president, Tsai Ing-wen, who offered her congratulations. He is believed to be the first president or president-elect who has spoken to a Taiwanese leader since at least 1979, when the United States severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan as part of its recognition of the Peoples Republic of China. In the statement, Mr. Trumps office said the two leaders had noted the close economic, political, and security ties between Taiwan and the United States. Mr. Trump, it said, also congratulated President Tsai on becoming President of Taiwan earlier this year. Mr. Trumps motives in taking the call, which lasted more than 10 minutes, were not clear. In a Twitter message late Friday, he said Ms. Tsai CALLED ME. After an extraordinarily contentious election, crucial elements of the rules that determine how Americans vote will be under assault from conservatives and facing legal challenges heading toward the Supreme Court as Donald J. Trump prepares to become president. Mr. Trumps claims of a rigged election made before he won and his false declaration after his victory that millions of people had voted illegally for Hillary Clinton made headlines. They also amplified longstanding Republican claims that rampant voter fraud justified a welter of state laws making it more difficult to register and vote. Democrats say the laws are not about combating fraud but about suppressing the vote of minorities and other Democratic-leaning constituencies. Mr. Trump will have enormous power to shape future policy on voting. The last time we had a national government that was as hostile to the protection of minority voting rights as we may have with this president was probably near the end of the first Reconstruction after the Civil War, said Pamela S. Karlan, a Stanford University law professor, who was a deputy assistant attorney general under President Obama until 2015. LANSING, Mich. President-elect Donald J. Trump and his allies have filed separate legal challenges in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in a suddenly robust effort to stop the presidential election recount efforts there. None of the challenges immediately derailed the recounts in those states, but they promised to complicate them with more legal wrangling by Mr. Trump, groups supportive of him, state officials and Jill Stein, the Green Party presidential candidate. Ms. Stein initiated the recounts and a successful fund-raising drive after suggesting that voting machines were susceptible to hacking. On Friday, Mr. Trump filed a lawsuit in the Michigan Court of Appeals in an attempt to block the recount there, which had not yet begun. If the Bureau of Elections moves forward with the recount, it will waste the States scarce resources, create a logistical nightmare for counties across the State, and assure that Michigans Electoral College voters will not be counted, the filing said. Bill Schuette, Michigans attorney general, filed a separate lawsuit in a bid to halt the recount, saying that it put the states voters at risk of paying millions and potentially losing their voice in the Electoral College in the process. I think the problem, too, with replaying history here is that Rory isnt a mini-Lorelai. Shes weaker and less headstrong. Shes not someone who would leave her familys riches to go hardscrabble it with a baby. At heart, she isnt someone who would want to raise a baby alone. It goes against everything weve ever known about her character. Hilary I dont mind the Christopher-Logan echoes so much, but I do not think Jess is Luke II. Luke is the most reliable man other than Richard on this entire show. He has been a constant presence in Lorelais and Rorys lives, one who encouraged them and supported them (including once giving Lorelai a loan), and legit fed them just about every day. Jess is not that. I am down for Adult Jess, and I absolutely buy that many people who are snotty teens can grow into more thoughtful adults. (Hello.) But Lukes whole thing was his fundamental obsession with family: He turned his dads store into a diner, and he lived there for his entire adult life. Luke likes routine and stability. I dont think thats true of Jess, and I wonder how active a role hed play in his mothers life if not for Lukes insistence. Jess loves Luke because Luke really was there for him, not just because Luke is his uncle. It would have made perfect sense for Mr. Medina to be taking a personal interest in [Rory] and, seeing that she was floundering a bit, wanting to mentor her. Wouldnt it have been dramatic if it had been Mr. Medina who saw she was speaking and slipped into the back of the classroom and sat down? Catherine If we get Digger at the funeral, why no Max at Chilton!? Lawranne Is it just me, or did Rory seem super dismissive of headmaster Charlestons offer to be a teacher at Chilton? I feel like she did a great job with those students, and for someone who always made a huge deal about loooving school and learning, teaching seems like a no-brainer, right? To say nothing of the fact that she was GUARANTEED A JOB at a pretty damn prestigious prep school. That seems a huge step up compared to a glorified newsletter that doesnt pay its editor/cant spring for a used computer with Publisher installed. Plus, masters programs for teaching take 1 to 2 years, tops. Ugh, Rory. Kristen Mr. Medina at Chilton would have been great, and would have made complete sense, even though we really didnt see much of him after he and Lorelai broke up. (Keg!! Max!! being the exception.) I also think that could have helped give some depth to Rorys big return tour. No one she saw seemed to shake her out of her funk. Could the lady-killer Max Medina have been the one? Hm. As to Rorys being a teacher, I dont know. Loving school and loving teaching are not the same thing; part of being a good teacher is explaining things in a variety of ways that appeal to a variety of learning styles. I just cant picture Rory getting very good at that. She was incredibly rude about it, though. After more than 24 hours of an internet and phone blackout, networks lit up Friday morning in the nation, which has a population just under two million, as the news that Mr. Jammeh was trailing in the vote count began to trickle out. On the streets in Gambia, men took off their shirts in celebration, pounding on passing cars. One yelled repeatedly, Today we are free! Mr. Jammeh seized power in a coup in 1994, and he has become known for eccentric behavior that included claiming to be able to cure AIDS with herbs, prayer and a banana. He has been denounced by human rights groups for threatening to behead gay people, ordering so-called sorcerers to be hunted and killed, and arresting and prosecuting journalists and supporters of the opposition. It is the birth of a new Gambia where we can together as people raise our fists to the sky and say never again shall we experience dictatorship, said Sheriff Bojang Jr., a Gambian journalist who has lived in exile in Dakar, Senegal, for 15 years. Mr. Barrow, a real estate agent and former security guard at a London department store, is an accidental presidential candidate. He was thrust into the position after members of his party were either arrested or died in prison this year. Supporters describe him as an unassuming businessman. Yet he managed to do what no other opposition candidate has done in recent elections: bring various groups together to support him. His coalition of opposition groups jelled in the final days of the campaign as enthusiasm swept the streets of Banjul, the capital. People gathered by the hundreds for peaceful protests, crying out for the end to what they said was an oppressive government. What happened is unity, said Jeffrey Smith, founder of Vanguard Africa, a political consultancy and nonprofit group that supported Mr. Barrow in the campaign. That is precisely what is needed to take down highly entrenched regimes. In 1981, amid warnings that he was on a death list and even after members of his parish had been targeted or had disappeared, Father Rother made a brief visit to Oklahoma but decided to return to Guatemala. The shepherd cannot run at the first sign of danger, he wrote in a letter in late 1980, cited by the Catholic News Agency. In another letter to a friend in Oklahoma, written in January 1981, he described his despair at seeing the abduction of a parishioner, a 30-year-old father of two small boys. I had just witnessed a kidnapping of someone that we had gotten to know and love and were unable to do anything about it, he wrote in the letter. They had his mouth covered, but I can still hear his muffled screams for help. As I got back in the rectory I got a cramp in my back from the anger I felt that this friend was being taken off to be tortured for a day or two and then brutally murdered for wanting a better life and more justice for his pueblo. He added, That makes 11 members of this community that have been kidnapped and buried here. Father Rother would soon suffer a similar fate. On July 28, 1981, three masked men entered the parish rectory and shot him twice in the head. He was 46. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City said in a telephone interview that the killing was never solved, though members of a paramilitary death squad were suspected of having carried it out. No one was ever brought to justice, he said. On Thursday, some of Mr. Zmarais victims laughed at how badly they had been duped. Gen. Noor Habib Gulbahari, the police chief of Baghlan Province and one of the recipients of the certificates, said Mr. Zmarai had introduced himself as a prince and governmental envoy in charge of security matters in the northeast of the country. He gave certificates of appreciation to some high-ranking officials including the army corps commander, myself and some other officials, General Gulbahari, in a kind of humorous amazement, said in a phone interview. He came to Baghlan from Balkh with a bunch of army commandos, then he called the army corps commander in Balkh to inform him that he had arrived safely to Baghlan. I also talked with the corps commander in Balkh through his phone, and he told me to take care of him. During his stay in Baghlan, Mr. Zmarai was put up in a government guesthouse. When he moved on to assess the security situation in neighboring Kunduz Province, General Gulbahari asked his deputy to accompany Mr. Zmarai in a convoy and provide security for the journey. What we consider before using anonymous sources. Do the sources know the information? Whats their motivation for telling us? Have they proved reliable in the past? Can we corroborate the information? Even with these questions satisfied, The Times uses anonymous sources as a last resort. The reporter and at least one editor know the identity of the source. Learn more about our process. We did not ask him for any document or ID as he came in an army chopper and with army commandos, General Gulbahari said. He did not ask us for money or anything. A picture of Mr. Zmarais broad exploits over the past decade and a half was quick to emerge. Mr. Zmarai, believed to be in his late 20s, hails from Khanabad District in Kunduz Province, according to government officials and relatives who were reached by phone. His father sells wheat in the local market, and his brothers work as tailors and mechanics. Relatives, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they did not want to anger the family, said Mr. Zmarai had made his foray into con work about 14 years ago. He would pose as a government inspector on local projects in Khanabad, luring officials and contractors to give him a cut. But early on, he was arrested twice by the authorities. BEIJING A report that Beijings already notorious smog contained bacteria with antibiotic-resistant genes spread through the city last week like pathogens in a pandemic disaster movie. Drug-resistant bacteria make people very afraid, The Beijing Evening News said in an article reposted by Xinhua, the state news agency, after a scientific study by Swedish researchers drew interest during yet another flare-up of hazardous smog. The study, published in October in the journal Microbiome, found antibiotic-resistant genetic material in the smog but no evidence of live bacteria capable of infecting anyone. That did not make residents of Beijing feel much better, though. The actress Zhang Ziyi perhaps best summed up the feelings among many of Beijings 22 million residents by writing on her Weibo account on Saturday that the smog made her want to pick up her 11-month-old daughter and fly away. Ms. Zhang worried that it made it easier to get sick. HONG KONG Chinas Supreme Court on Friday exonerated a man who had been executed for murder in 1995, in a dramatic example of the inequities in the countrys legal system and the authorities halting attempts to come to grips with them. The man, Nie Shubin, was 20 when he was convicted of killing Kang Juhua, a woman who was raped and murdered in the northern province of Hebei in the summer of 1994. The local police arrested Mr. Nie soon after her body was found, and he confessed to the killing after days in detention. He was executed by gunshot in April 1995. In 2005, another man, Wang Shujin, confessed to murdering Ms. Kang. But it took Mr. Nies family 11 more years of campaigning to clear his name before the Supreme Court did so on Friday. The court ruled that there had not been enough evidence to convict Mr. Nie and cast doubt on the authenticity of his confession. Mr. Nie is not the first person to be posthumously exonerated by a Chinese court years after execution, but it is impossible to estimate how many have been wrongly put to death. Even the number of annual executions is a state secret; Amnesty International estimates that it is in the thousands, more than in any other country. They seem to have declined since 2007, after the Supreme Court began reviewing the implementation of the death penalty, the rights group said in a 2015 report. HONG KONG Hong Kongs government drastically escalated a dispute over lawmakers oaths of office on Friday, asking a court to disqualify four additional legislators, after an extraordinary intervention last month by Beijing led to the removal of two pro-independence politicians. The pro-Beijing government of Hong Kong filed papers in court arguing that the four lawmakers were ineligible to serve in the 70-member Legislative Council because they had failed to deliver their oaths as set out in Hong Kong law that was strictly prescribed by the National Peoples Congress in China early last month, the government said in a statement. A ruling in favor of the government could decimate the ranks of pro-democracy lawmakers and would defy the will of the voters. It could also constitute a drastic breach of the principle of one country, two systems, which has allowed this former British colony to maintain a considerable degree of autonomy since Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997. That autonomy includes civil liberties like freedom of speech, an independent court system and a legislature in which half the seats are filled through popular elections. Opponents of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have said that he lacks the necessary nerve to take polarizing positions on heated issues. If nothing else, that line of argument came to an end this week after Mr. Trudeau approved the expansion of a pipeline that links Albertas oil sands to a tanker port in British Columbia. The move buoyed the energy industry, Premier Rachel Notley of Alberta and oil workers across the country. It infuriated environmentalists, some of Mr. Trudeaus political allies and many residents of British Columbia. In announcing the decision, Mr. Trudeau reminded Canadians that he had always promised to strengthen the energy sector while also tackling climate change and improving other environmental protections. There is not a country in the world that would find 170 billion barrels of oil and leave it in the ground, he said. OSLO A wrought-iron gate bearing a notorious Nazi slogan and believed to have been stolen from the Dachau concentration camp in southern Germany has been found in a suburb of Bergen, Norway, police officials in the two countries said on Friday. The gate, a replica of the original bearing the phrase Arbeit Macht Frei, or Work Sets You Free, is one of the most photographed symbols of the camp. It was stolen in November 2014 in what the German authorities believed was an organized crime. An anonymous tipster alerted the Norwegian police to the presence of the gate. Margrethe Myrmehl Gudbrandsen, a police spokeswoman in Norway, said the tip had come in this week, but she declined to give further information. She did not provide any details about the exact location of the discovery. The Bavarian police, who investigated the theft, said they were working with their Norwegian counterparts to determine whether the gate that was found was, indeed, the one from Dachau. The Norwegian authorities had left the announcement of the discovery to the Germans out of deference for its symbolism, Ms. Gudbrandsen said. LONDON An election just contested here was supposed to be a referendum on the expansion of Heathrow Airport, and only of local interest. But it turned into something far more profound: a referendum on the referendum for Britain to quit the European Union, and its results sent tremors through the Conservative government of Prime Minister Theresa May and made the Labour Party look irrelevant. The race for a seat in Parliament was won on Thursday by the candidate of the diminished Liberal Democratic Party, which is calling for another referendum on the terms of Britains departure from Europe, known as Brexit. Its candidate, Sarah Olney, defeated Zac Goldsmith, who had held the seat representing the London borough of Richmond for the Conservatives since 2010. It was not just that Ms. Olney won, but how. She defeated Mr. Goldsmith by about 2,000 votes out of 41,367 votes cast, after Mr. Goldsmith had a 23,000-vote margin in the previous election. The Labour candidate drew so few votes, around 1,500, that the party was forced to forfeit a deposit of 500 pounds ($634) that is extracted from nuisance candidates and typically refunded to major parties. TURIN, Italy Italys prime minister, Matteo Renzi, only 41, once seemed to have solved the riddle of how to survive Europes populist, anti-establishment tempest. But with a critical national referendum on Sunday, the populist wave is now threatening to crush him and plunge Italy into a political crisis when the European Union is already reeling. From Washington to Brussels to Berlin, fears are rising that Italy may be stumbling into its own Brexit moment. What should be an inward-looking referendum on whether to overhaul Italys ossified political and electoral system has taken on much broader import. Financial analysts warn of a potential banking crisis, and pro-Europe supporters fear that a no vote in the referendum could accelerate the populist movement across the European bloc. Italy is potentially the next domino to fall, partly because of the disillusionment of young voters. They have been swept up by many of the same forces that led peers in Spain and Greece to vote for upstart parties, the British to vote to leave the European Union, and Americans to elect Donald J. Trump. In France, President Francois Hollande announced on Thursday that he would not seek re-election another establishment figure succumbing to the political moment. Mr. Renzis supporters have taken to calling his opponents in the internet-born, populist Five Star Movement Trumpisti. They accuse their opponents numerous blogs and websites of flooding the Facebook accounts of young people with anti-Renzi, pro-Russian fake news. The referendum has essentially become a referendum on Mr. Renzi, who gave extra motivation to his political enemies by vowing to resign if voters reject the proposed political changes. The referendum would provide for the definitive abolition of Italian provinces a level of governance below that of the regions and transfer some powers now overseen by the regions like civil protection, strategic infrastructure and energy, and major transportation to the central government in Rome, mostly reversing a change undertaken more than a decade ago, which devolved power to the regions. The referendum would abolish a national council on the economy and labor that advises the government and Parliament. It would tweak the process for electing judges to Italys highest court and its governing body, as well as the procedures for electing the president of the republic, who serves as head of state. It would also make it easier for citizens to propose legislation. Each article has been the subject of intense debate. In broad terms, supporters say they believe that the changes will help streamline Italys sclerotic legislative process, where laws can take months, if not years, to get passed. Opponents say the changes will concentrate too much power in the hands of the government, a risk that the drafters of the Constitution, written a few years after the downfall of Mussolinis fascist government, wanted to avoid. Many opponents argue that proposed overhaul of the Senate is too complicated, creates more problems than it will solve, and will grant parliamentary immunity to regional officials, a privilege they do not have. Why is the referendum on national issues so controversial? When Mr. Renzi, who took office in a party coup in 2014, was riding high in the opinion polls, he staked his administration on the outcome, vowing to step down should his overhauls be rejected. But since then, his popularity has fallen, and his opponents have jumped on the referendum as a means by which to topple the government. Many polls suggest that the referendum could be seen as a litmus test for the Renzi government a big risk for the prime minister. Mr. Maters photographs captured the often jarring juxtapositions of the sacred and the commercial, a House of Donuts near the citys entrance, and a gleaming mall near the Grand Mosque. He also ventured away from the pilgrimage sites, with one chapter in his book dedicated to a large slum inhabited by undocumented Burmese immigrants, and another on the homes and celebrations of the citys prominent families. The story of Mecca is the story of a living settlement, Mr. Mater said. He also photographed the city from above in multiple helicopter flights, taking in, among other things, the abundance of fluorescent green lighting, which he said gave the city a Las Vegas feeling. Mr. Mater also often relied on high-level contacts to make his work easier. He received help from the governors of Mecca and Medina, both of whom are princes in the royal family and have previously supported Saudi artists. I dont know if they will like the book or not, Mr. Mater said, given its documentation of aspects of the city that many Saudis would rather outsiders not see. But it is my opinion in the end. The book was published in Europe in September, and was released in the United States last month, but it is unclear if it will be sold in Saudi Arabia. Mr. Mater has submitted a copy to the Ministry of Culture and Information, which must approve all books sold in the kingdom, but has yet to hear back. The ministry did not respond to a request for comment. The son of a Saudi military officer, Mr. Mater, 37, grew up in a village in southern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen, surrounded by cows and sheep. He became interested in art during medical school, and then worked at a government hospital in the southern city of Abha. A Swell of Trade Brings Complexity Nafta, which took effect in 1994, opened the economic borders between the United States, Canada and Mexico. Chinese exports surged after China entered the World Trade Organization in 2001. The trade deals solidified the countries as the United States most important trading partners. Total goods traded with the United States in 2015 Imports plus exports, not including services, in billions of dollars 2 7 5 8 4 1 6 Nafta countries 3 9 10 $599 6. S. Korea $115 1. China 114 7. Britain 2. Canada 577 8. France 78 3. Mexico 532 9. Taiwan 4. Japan 194 67 175 10. India 5. Germany 66 Total goods traded with the United States in 2015 Imports plus exports, not including services, in billions of dollars 5. Germany 2. 7. Britain $175 Canada Nafta countries $114 $577 6. South Korea 8. France 4. $115 $78 Japan 1. United States China $194 Top ten trading partners are labeled $599 3. 9. Taiwan Mexico $67 $532 10. India $66 Total goods traded with the United States in 2015 Imports plus exports, not including services, in billions of dollars 5. Germany 2. 7. Britain $175 Canada Nafta countries $114 $577 6. South Korea 8. France 4. $115 $78 Japan 1. United States China $194 Top ten trading partners are labeled $599 3. 9. Taiwan Mexico $67 $532 10. India $66 Total goods traded with the United States in 2015 5. Germany $175 2. Canada $577 7. Britain $114 Nafta countries 6. South Korea $115 8. France $78 4. Japan $194 1. China $599 United States Top ten trading partners are labeled 3. Mexico $532 9. Taiwan $67 10. India $66 Imports plus exports, not including services, in billions of dollars Total goods traded with the United States in 2015 5. Germany $175 2. Canada $577 7. Britain $114 Nafta countries 6. South Korea $115 8. France $78 4. Japan $194 1. China $599 United States Top ten trading partners are labeled 3. Mexico $532 9. Taiwan $67 10. India $66 Imports plus exports, not including services, in billions of dollars The New York Times | Source: Census Bureau Concerns About Unbalanced Trade While the growth of the American economy has followed trade, the changing dynamics have also prompted concerns about lost jobs, especially in the well-paying manufacturing sector, and the rising trade deficit. In recent years, the imbalance has become higher with Mexico. $4.0 tril. Total United States trade 3.5 3.0 Adjusted for inflation EXPORTS 2.5 2.0 1.5 IMPORTS 1.0 0.5 90 95 00 05 10 15 Annual trade deficits Exports minus imports $200 billion 400 Nafta takes effect China joins the W.T.O. 600 800 90 94 01 05 10 15 Total U.S. trade with Nafta countries $1.2 tril. Goods only, adjusted for inflation MEX. 1.0 0.8 CAN. EXPORTS 0.6 MEX. 0.4 IMPORTS 0.2 CAN. 90 95 00 05 10 15 Balance of trade with Nafta countries CANADA MEXICO TRADE DEFICITS $20 billion 40 60 80 100 90 94 01 05 10 15 $4.0 tril. Total United States trade Annual trade deficits 3.5 Exports minus imports $200 billion 3.0 Adjusted for inflation EXPORTS 2.5 400 2.0 1.5 Nafta takes effect China joins the W.T.O. 600 IMPORTS 1.0 0.5 800 90 95 00 05 10 15 90 94 01 05 10 15 Total U.S. trade with Nafta countries Balance of trade with Nafta countries $1.2 tril. Goods only, adjusted for inflation CANADA MEXICO MEX. 1.0 TRADE DEFICITS $20 billion 0.8 CAN. EXPORTS 40 0.6 MEX. 60 0.4 IMPORTS 80 0.2 CAN. 100 90 95 00 05 10 15 90 94 01 05 10 15 $4.0 trillion Total United States trade Annual trade deficits 3.5 Exports minus imports Adjusted for inflation $200 billion 3.0 EXPORTS 2.5 400 2.0 1.5 Nafta takes effect China joins the W.T.O. 600 IMPORTS 1.0 0.5 800 90 95 00 05 10 15 90 94 01 05 10 15 Total U.S. trade with Nafta countries Balance of trade with Nafta countries $1.2 trillion Goods only, adjusted for inflation CANADA MEXICO MEXICO 1.0 TRADE DEFICITS $20 billion 0.8 CANADA EXPORTS 40 0.6 MEXICO 60 0.4 IMPORTS 80 0.2 CANADA 100 90 95 00 05 10 15 90 94 01 05 10 15 $4.0 trillion Total United States trade Annual trade deficits 3.5 Exports minus imports Adjusted for inflation $200 billion EXPORTS 3.0 2.5 400 2.0 1.5 Nafta takes effect China joins the W.T.O. 600 IMPORTS 1.0 0.5 800 90 95 00 05 10 15 90 94 01 05 10 15 Total U.S. trade with Nafta countries Balance of trade with Nafta countries $1.2 trillion Goods only, adjusted for inflation CANADA MEXICO MEXICO 1.0 TRADE DEFICITS $20 billion 0.8 CANADA EXPORTS 40 0.6 MEXICO 60 0.4 IMPORTS 80 0.2 CANADA 100 90 95 00 05 10 15 90 94 01 05 10 15 $4.0 trillion Total United States trade Annual trade deficits 3.5 Exports minus imports Adjusted for inflation $200 billion EXPORTS 3.0 2.5 400 2.0 1.5 Nafta takes effect China joins the W.T.O. 600 IMPORTS 1.0 0.5 800 90 95 00 05 10 15 90 94 01 05 10 15 Total U.S. trade with Nafta countries Balance of trade with Nafta countries $1.2 trillion Goods only, adjusted for inflation CANADA MEXICO MEXICO 1.0 TRADE DEFICITS $20 billion 0.8 CANADA EXPORTS 40 0.6 MEXICO 60 0.4 IMPORTS 80 0.2 CANADA 100 90 95 00 05 10 15 90 94 01 05 10 15 The New York Times | Source: Census Bureau Made in America, but With Parts From Around the Globe Clothing. Cars. Computers. Even when something is manufactured in the United States, the product is typically made up of parts and pieces from around the world. The American auto industry is the most reliant on imports, with most coming from Japan, China, Canada, Mexico and Germany. But this cross-border supply chain has helped make the American auto industry competitive with manufacturers in Asia and Europe, which also have both lower- and higher-wage countries with different specialties. Buzz Aldrin, the adventurer, former astronaut and second person to walk on the moon, was evacuated from Antarctica on Thursday after falling ill while visiting the South Pole with a tourism group. The National Science Foundation said in a statement that it had provided a humanitarian medical evacuation for an ailing visitor from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station to McMurdo Station, the main research facility on the coast of Antarctica. The statement said Aldrin, 86, was then flown to Christchurch, New Zealand. White Desert, the tourism operator, said in an email that Aldrin, who was taken to a hospital, currently has fluid in his lungs but is responding well to antibiotics and being kept overnight for observation. It described his condition as stable and said he was in good spirits. In an earlier statement, the tour operator said Aldrins condition had deteriorated after his tourist group arrived at the South Pole. As a precaution, following discussion between the White Desert doctor and the U.S. Antarctic Program doctor, Mr. Aldrin, accompanied by a member of his team, was evacuated on the first available flight out of the South Pole to McMurdo, it said. White Desert said Aldrin was then handed over to the U.S. Antarctic Program before his journey to New Zealand. Aldrin, born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr., had for days been tweeting enthusiastically about his trip to the South Pole. On Nov. 29, he posed for a group photo in front of an airplane and announced, Buzzs Polar Penguins countdown to liftoff has commenced. In 1969, following in the footsteps of Neil Armstrong, Aldrin walked on the moon. He is the author of several books. In his memoir, Magnificent Desolation, he recounts a period of ruinous drinking and clinical depression after his time in space. In Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration, he advocates for a manned mission to the planet. After six years and 10,000 deaths, the United Nations issued a carefully worded public apology on Thursday for its role in the 2010 cholera outbreak in Haiti and the widespread suffering it has caused since then. The mea culpa, which Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon delivered before the General Assembly, was an implicit acknowledgment that cholera was not present in Haiti until U.N. peacekeepers arrived in the country from Nepal, where a cholera outbreak was underway. The peacekeepers lived on a base that often leaked waste into a river, and the first cholera cases in the country appeared in Haitians who lived nearby. Numerous scientists have long argued that the base was the source of the outbreak, but for years U.N. officials refused to accept responsibility. Over the summer, Bans office acknowledged that the U.N. did, in fact, play a role in the initial outbreak, with Ban only recently accepting moral responsibility for the disease and the suffering that it caused. We simply did not do enough with regard to the cholera outbreak and its spread in Haiti, Ban said on Thursday. We are profoundly sorry about our role. Apologies are rare for the U.N. In 1999, Bans predecessor, Kofi Annan, expressed deep remorse for the organizations failure to protect civilians from the genocide in Rwanda five years earlier. Bans apology belated in the view of his critics is part of his push for redress in Haiti before the end of his 10-year tenure on Dec. 31. Yet the people of Haiti have seen few tangible benefits so far. The U.N. has not yet met its promise to eradicate cholera once and for all from Haiti, though Bans aides said Thursday that they were close to raising the $200 million they say they need to fix Haitis water and sanitation system and treat Haitians for cholera. Nor has the U.N. yet raised an additional $200 million it wants for material assistance to families and communities that have suffered; donor nations have not yet come forward with the funds. It is aimed at providing a meaningful but necessarily imperfect response to the impact of cholera on individuals, families and communities, Ban said in a report made public Thursday. The United States, which is the biggest funder of the United Nations, has said nothing publicly about whether it would contribute to the assistance package. Few things have damaged the standing of the U.N. and Bans record as its secretary-general as the cholera outbreak and particularly, his response to it. In a country where few people have access to clean water and proper sanitation, the disease quickly spread in 2010 when U.N. peacekeepers failed to adequately follow protocols for disposing wastewater while deployed in Haiti. Cholera surged again in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, which hit the nation in October. One of the reasons the disease spread so widely, public health experts have said, is because it was allowed to. Had there been a vigorous response in the first couple of years, it would have been far easier to contain, and fewer people would have died. The death toll stands at an estimated 10,000; some say it could be higher. In the report issued Thursday, Ban blamed perennial underfunding for cholera eradication. Efforts were beset from the start by the challenge of insufficient funding, which has had a dramatic negative impact on the capacity to respond effectively to the disease, he said. Perhaps most damaging to the United Nations, which regularly presses governments around the world to pursue accountability, Ban and his aides have all along claimed immunity from prosecution under a long-standing diplomatic treaty. That view was upheld in August by a federal court in Manhattan, in response to a class-action lawsuit by cholera victims. In recent months, Ban has expressed moral responsibility for the outbreak and deep regret. Senior U.N. officials said they had been constrained from saying any more by their lawyers, who were concerned that it would make them vulnerable to further legal claims elsewhere over misconduct or mistakes of its peacekeepers. Ban made the apology in English, French and Haitian Creole. It was delicately worded to avoid the impression that the U.N. was taking full responsibility for cholera in Haiti. That could imply legal culpability. The group that represents the victims, the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, has said it has not yet decided on whether to take the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court to seek compensation. Bans aides have said they would prefer to use the material assistance funds to aid communities most affected by the cholera outbreak by giving children of survivors a free education, for instance rather than open up a fund for individual claims for compensation. Whatever they use it for, they need the money first. Of the estimated $200 million, only $500,000 has so far been pledged. I better win this time, Orange County chef Shirley Chung proclaims in the first few minutes of the premiere episode of Top Chef, which aired Thursday night on Bravo. After finishing fourth in Season 11, the pressure is on for Chung to out-do her previous performance. But theres one big problem. The Newport Beach resident is competing with seven other redemption-seeking Top Chef alumni. On top of that, the veteran contestants are battling eight cocky rookies with impeccable credentials. Its a recipe for yet another exciting season of the award-winning culinary competition show hosted by Padma Lakshmi. So how did the co-founder of Twenty Eight in Irvine perform in Charleston, South Carolina? Lets take a look. Warning: Spoilers ahead. Quickfire Challenges: There are separate rounds one for the rookies, one for the veterans. The losers in each round face off in a Sudden Death challenge. That means one chef will be eliminated on the first day before the first Elimination Challenge. Brutal. Fun lookie loo twist: While the eight TV rookies cook one or more chicken dishes for the judges, the veterans watch via a live stream in the Stew Room. Heckling and cheering begins, and we instantly get to see the vets personalities. Chung comes off as a sweetheart, rooting for the young chefs to do their best. Chungs dish: The Top Chef alumni are given 30 minutes to produce their spin on a classic Southern dish: shrimp and grits. Chung calls her dish a bowl of hug because the dish is inspired by a childhood meal made by her mom. She serves the shrimp and grits with a steamed egg, savory custard, corn and bacon. Judges thoughts: New judge Graham Elliot says Chungs dish has explosive flavor. He also nails her secret ingredient: sesame. The always colorful Colicchio said of the dishs kick: It definitely gave you a hug after it slapped you. Final decision: Brooke Williamson, the runner-up on Season 10, and Jim Smith, a self-professed food nerd, are the winners. Note: Smith, who cooks for the governor of Alabama, is already my vote for Fan Favorite. Hes so chipper and goofy, everyone wants to hug him. Packing knives: Floridas Gerald Sombright loses the sudden death challenge to Season 10 contestant John Tesar. They had to roast an oyster, and Tesar pulled off an uber rich French dish using shaved black truffles hed stashed in his cooking bag. Nice secret weapon. Next Week: The remaining chefs tackle their first real elimination challenge. Contact the writer: nluna@scng.com SAN BERNARDINO The world knows this city. Its the city where 14 lives were lost and countless others changed forever, wounded physically or psychologically by the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil since Sept. 11, 2001. Its the city where America learned that terrorism can strike anywhere. FULL COVERAGE: Read everything related to San Bernardino shootings 1 year later It is also home to 215,000 people who, despite the national spotlight, continue to struggle with the more immediate issues of high crime and a dearth of jobs. Before and after the Dec. 2, 2015 attack at the Inland Regional Center, San Bernardino faced great hardship municipal bankruptcy, crime, poverty and great hope. But as todays anniversary of the attack arrives, the struggle continues to avoid becoming just a symbol of a terrorist target, said Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-San Bernardino. Its painful when we hear that, or when we hear San Bernardino become a punchline in a presidential debate or speech or just become a talking point, Aguilar said. Its much more than that, and this community has so much more to offer than that alone. So I hope whenever someone talks about San Bernardino, theyre also willing to back it up and to help us come together and to achieve the resources that we need in order to effectuate change. There are clear signs that people want to help. Beginning the day after the attack and for months afterward, donations poured into an Arrowhead United Way fund to help the victims of the attack. When the money was distributed in July, $2.5 million had been collected, and occasional donations have come in since then, said Doug Rowand, the organizations president. Bills to compensate the agencies that responded to the attack went forward in Congress and the Legislature, as has other assistance. But work continues to decide just what San Bernardino will mean. A HOME BECOMES A SYMBOL More than most outside of San Bernardino, Pat Llodra understands part of what the city is going through. As first selectman in Newtown, Conn., Llodra holds the highest elected office in the town known for the deadliest mass shooting of schoolchildren in U.S. history on Dec. 14, 2012. You have to experience that kind of terror and trauma personally to understand, Llodra said. The world that hasnt experienced it cant. For the first two years after 26 people were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School, every time she introduced herself she was met with expressions of sympathy and questions about the shooting. We were so identified with that tragedy that I know there was a reluctance of some people to say they were from here, Llodra said. Not that they were ashamed, but it always was the first thing people would say. There was a struggle. It was a struggle trying to define ourselves. Aguilar said he gets a similar response. People give us their thoughts and prayers. Its an ohhh response, he said. I used to tell people I represented the 31st District in San Bernardino, halfway between L.A. and Palm Springs. I dont need to add that anymore. They all know. Particularly within California, though, San Bernardino was known for other things. Its not a quiet New England town like Newtown, which Llodra said is most distinctive for the quality of its schools and environment. Candidly, I hear more people talking about the bankruptcy and Measure L, said Connie Leyva, D-Chino, who represents part of the city in the state Senate and was referring to the initiative to change the city charter that residents passed in November. Mayor Carey Davis also said that outside the city he hears mostly about the bankruptcy and steps to improve quality of life and the crime rate. I do meet with a number of electeds from other communities, and its my sentiment that people are wanting to see the city regain its foothold, he said. And its a genuine communication on their part to me that they see that we are starting to see some improvements. People will come to me and say the city is looking better. When San Bernardino is invoked on the national stage, its often as an argument for policy proposals that promise to make tragedies like the Dec. 2 attack less likely. Thats also similar to Newtown, a touchstone in the gun control debate. The horror of the mass shooting provoked different reactions from different people, Llodra said. Theres been no referendum in our community about gun control. We are as diverse in that perspective as any other community in the nation, said Llodra, a Republican. On a personal level, I have been very active in Mayors Against Guns. I am a supporter of many of the common-sense gun reform movements; to me, they are common sense. President-elect Donald Trump also repeatedly has mentioned San Bernardino, proposing a ban on Muslims entering the U.S. after the attack here and saying that many people saw bombs in the terrorists apartment something fact checkers say is not true. In general, the proposals aimed at preventing another San Bernardino arent generated in San Bernardino, Davis said. Those are national issues, he said, praising police for enforcing existing law. Aguilar also has supported efforts such as universal background checks and No Fly, No Buy that he relates to the attack. There isnt one thing that can be done that would have eliminated Dec. 2. There isnt one law that we couldve passed that wouldve kept it from happening, he said. But shame on us if we dont work to help our community. That means jobs, but it also means gun violence and crime in our community. BECOMING WHOLE Legislators have gotten federal and state funding to reimburse much of the cost of the attack. However, Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed Leyvas bill, passed unanimously in the Senate and Assembly, to have the state fully reimburse costs the federal government doesnt cover. I recognize the unique circumstances of this horrific terrorist attack, Brown said in his veto message. However, this bill sets the expectation that the state will assume all financial responsibility for future emergency costs. The general fund cannot afford this precedent. Leyva said she still is working with the governors office to get full compensation. The shortfall is about $1.6 million, she said. He said he didnt want to set a precedent, but were still working to get reimbursement for those things that dont usually get covered porta-potties, having to feed all these folks things that add up, she said. Aguilar and Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, secured federal reimbursement for state and local agencies for overtime and regular salary costs. What hasnt come, in reaction to either the bankruptcy or the attack, is much additional funding to help the city recover in the long term, Davis said. We now have that national recognition, and hopefully that will assist in our ability to acquire those resources, he said before naming a number of grants the city had applied for but not gotten. Well continue applying and hopefully will get them. The U.S. Department of Justices Community Oriented Policing Services did give the city a $2.8 million grant for 11 police officers, part of $119 million in grants it announced nationwide in October. Aguilars letter supporting the citys application mentioned the city still was recovering from the terrorist attack, but he said he thinks it was the statistics about San Bernardino crime and policing that made the case. Though the FBI recommends 2.4 officers per 1,000 residents in a city of San Bernardinos size, the Police Department had 0.9 officer per 1,000 residents because of difficulties in financing and recruitment. Although there was no discernible effect on recruiting from the attack itself, Davis said he has seen the citys reputation consistently improve. He attributes that mostly to elected officials working better together and to good management, starting with City Manager Mark Scott, who applied days before the attack. But, he said, praise for first responders handling of the attack is not only well-deserved but a positive for the city. That sentiment, I think, got carried on throughout the nation, and weve seen that ongoing sense with our (police) chief, whos been called upon (to tell conferences): Why was San Bernardino able to deploy so quickly and so effectively? Davis said. That, I think, has helped modify the reputation for the city and it was on a national and worldwide scale. Contact the writer: rhagen@scng.comTwitter: @rmhagen As his term expires, Laguna Niguel Councilman Gary Capata spoke about serving for the past four months following former mayor Jerry McCloskeys death. When Capata was appointed to the council in July, he said he wouldnt run for re-election. John Mark Jennings, vice chair of the planning commission, will replace him. Q: What motivated you to run for council in 2004? A: I thought that I would be able to continue the good work that previous council members had done and be able to make a great city greater. I have always enjoyed being involved in working in organizations where I could truly make a difference. Q: You left the council in 2012 after serving two four-year terms. What were your thoughts at the time of leaving local government? A: I was proud of the many accomplishments that we had made. I truly enjoyed working with my fellow council members, city staff and the residents of Laguna Niguel. Amongst the many highlights was being able to be mayor when the City Hall was opened. We built the building on time and under budget and paid cash. I was also looking forward to spending more time in my professional endeavors. I thought that the many extra hours available would help me build my CPA practice. Little did I realize how much growth the firm would experience. Q: Describe the relationship you had with the late Jerry McCloskey. What stood out most in your relationship with him? A: Jerry and I had been friends for many years. We were both in the Laguna Niguel Rotary Club and Lions Club together. There were many great qualities that Jerry had. The ones that stood out the most were his great sense of humor and zest for life. Q: Did you think you would be appointed as his replacement? A: No, I did not. I had gone to the council meeting to speak on behalf of John Mark Jennings being appointed. Q: How did it feel to be back on the council, knowing that your term was limited? A: It was a great experience. I forgot how much fun it was to be involved in the running of such a great city. Q: How would you compare these past few months with your previous eight years on council? A: There has been quite a change in the economic and political climate in the nation since I was on the council the first eight years. On a local level, the city has new executive management and a lot of new staff. Yet this is still the best city in the world to live, work, play and shop. Q: What do you see McCloskeys legacy as being in the next 10 or 15 years? A: Jerry McCloskey was the impetus for the Agora project. As that development comes into existence, we will all remember the way that McCloskey was able to build consensus in the community for that project and many others. McCloskey will always have a living legacy in the city for his tireless work with the botanical preserve, YMCA, Rotary Club, Lions Club, Presbyterian Church and many other charitable organizations. Contact the writer: 714-796-7844 or snewell@scng.com Twenty-five years ago December 1991 communism died, the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union disappeared. It was the largest breakup of an empire in modern history and not a shot was fired. It was an event of biblical proportions that my generation thought it would never live to see. As Wordsworth famously rhapsodized (about the French Revolution), Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive/But to be young was very heaven! That dawn marked the ultimate triumph of the liberal democratic idea. It promised an era of Western dominance led by a pre-eminent America, the worlds last remaining superpower. And so it was for a decade as the community of democracies expanded, first into Eastern Europe and former Soviet colonies. The U.S. was so dominant that when, on Dec. 31, 1999, it gave up one of the most prized geostrategic assets on the globe the Panama Canal no one even noticed. That era is over. The autocracies are back and rising; democracy is on the defensive; the U.S. is in retreat. Look no further than Aleppo. A Western-backed resistance to a local tyrant he backed by a resurgent Russia, an expanding Iran and an array of proxy Shiite militias is on the brink of annihilation. Russia drops bombs; America issues statements. What better symbol for the end of that heady liberal-democratic historical moment. The West is turning inward and going home, leaving the field to the rising authoritarians Russia, China and Iran. In France, the conservative partys newly nominated presidential contender is fashionably conservative and populist and soft on Vladimir Putin. As are several of the newer Eastern Europe democracies Hungary, Bulgaria, even Poland themselves showing authoritarian tendencies. And even as Europe tires of the sanctions imposed on Russia for its rape of Ukraine, President Obamas much touted isolation of Russia has ignominiously dissolved, as our secretary of state repeatedly goes cap in hand to Russia to beg for mercy in Syria. The European Union, the largest democratic club on earth, could itself soon break up as Brexit-like movements spread through the continent. At the same time, its members dash with unseemly haste to reopen economic ties with a tyrannical and aggressive Iran. As for China, the other great challenger to the post-Cold War order, the administrations pivot has turned into an abject failure. The Philippines has openly defected to the Chinese side. Malaysia then followed. And the rest of our Asian allies are beginning to hedge their bets. When the president of China addressed the Pacific Rim countries in Peru last month, he suggested that China was prepared to pick up the pieces of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, now abandoned by both political parties in the United States. The Wests retreat began with Obama, who reacted to (perceived) post-9/11 overreach by abandoning Iraq, offering appeasement (reset) to Russia and accommodating Iran. In 2009, he refused even rhetorical support to the popular revolt against the rule of the ayatollahs. Donald Trump wants to continue the pullback, though for entirely different reasons. Obama ordered retreat because hes always felt the United States was not good enough for the world, too flawed to have earned the moral right to be the world hegemon. Trump would follow suit, disdaining allies and avoiding conflict, because the world is not good enough for us undeserving, ungrateful, parasitic foreigners living safely under our protection and off our sacrifices. Time to look after our own American interests. Trumps is not a new argument. As the Cold War was ending in 1990, Jeane Kirkpatrick, the quintessential neoconservative, argued that we should now become a normal country in a normal time. It was time to give up the 20th-century burden of maintaining world order and of making superhuman exertions on behalf of universal values. Two generations of fighting fascism and communism were quite enough. Had we not earned a restful retirement? At the time, I argued that we had earned it indeed, but a cruel history would not allow us to enjoy it. Repose presupposes a fantasy world in which stability is self-sustaining without the United States. It is not. We would incur not respite but chaos. A quarter-century later, we face the same temptation, but this time under more challenging circumstances. Worldwide jihadism has been added to the fight, and we enjoy nothing like the dominance we exercised over conventional adversaries during our 1990s holiday from history. We may choose repose, but we wont get it. Charles Krauthammer is a columnist for The Washington Post. Letters@charleskrauthammer.com LOS ANGELES A Jamaican fugitive sought in the slaying of four people at a Los Angeles birthday party in October was added Thursday to the FBIs most wanted list. A reward of up to $100,000 was offered for information leading to the arrest of Marlon Jones, who should be considered armed and extremely dangerous, the FBI said. Los Angeles prosecutors have filed four counts of murder against Jones for a wild gun battle that erupted in a home Oct. 15 after he shot and killed a rival Jamaican gang member, the FBI said. Three others were killed and 10 were wounded in the ensuing gun fight in the house that was being used as a restaurant. Dozens of people were at the party and witnesses said they heard gunshot blasts and then saw several bloody victims sitting or lying on the ground outside the house. Putting him on the most wanted list provides publicity that has led to the capture of more than 150 suspects with the help of the public, the FBI said. Los Angeles police have obtained a warrant for Jones arrest, but he is believed to have fled California and could leave the country, the FBI said. In addition to ties to California, he has connections to New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Tennessee, Virgin Islands and Jamaica. Jones, who uses several aliases and birth dates, is believed to be in the U.S. illegally. He has a violent history and is a member of an East Coast Jamaican gang known for illegally selling marijuana. Boats didnt go other way There are a lot of different opinions about Fidel Castro. Some have said he did so much for education and health in Cuba. A number of years ago a guy conceived of our inspiration for the interstate highway system, began kindergartens and brought his country out of a deep recession. Time Magazine named him person of the year in 1938. Along the way, he killed millions of people. No one comments on the positive aspects of Hitler because of his slaughtering of people. In 1980, as a junior Army major, I was deployed to Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa., to be the night officer in charge of a little over 5,000 Cuban refugees. They had come during the Mariel Boatlift that was initiated to allow Cubans, mostly imprisoned, to come to the U.S. In the camp where I was, there were about 1,000 homosexuals, slightly less than 100 hardened criminals, about 2,000 children, most of them orphans and born in prison, and about 2,000 married couples. They arrived in the camp carrying a trash can liner that held all of their worldly possessions. It would take a better author than I to adequately describe the misery seen in that camp, and also the joy at being out of Cuba. I dont know of any boatlifts carrying people to Cuba. That should be enough said. Tom Cagley, Lake Forest Friendship over fear John F. Kennedy had every intention of making peace with Fidel Castro. Richard Nixon romanced the leaders of China and Russia in the early 1970s. Barack Obama traveled to Cuba, in a way, to complete JFKs mission. We have always preferred friendship over fear. The defense industry prefers fear, and the resulting wars. Phil Silverman, Laguna Woods And pick whom? Re: Free the electors [Letters, Nov. 30]: Letter-writer Richard Cervisi put forth the idea that neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump should be elected president because neither one won more than 50 percent of the vote. Okay, what do we do? Cervisi proposes that the electors be let free to select someone else as president. Who might that be? Not Gary Johnson, surely, since he also did not win a majority and certainly not Jill Stein since she did not win a majority either. So our electors are to choose someone for president for whom no one voted? Forrest Bonner, Huntington Beach State Treasurer John Chiang has formed a working group focused on finding ways to provide banking services for the cannabis industry, which is now forced by federal law to operate largely in cash. California has about a year to come up with a plan. Thats when the states first recreational marijuana shops are expected to open under voter-approved Proposition 64, which legalized marijuana for adults 21 and over. We need quick action and practical solutions, Chiang said on a call with reporters Friday. California is willing to assume a leadership role nationally to effectively achieve this goal. RELATED: Welcome to The Cannifornian, our new marijuana site Federal law still classifies cannabis as a Schedule I narcotic on par with heroin. That means major banks and credit card companies wont do business with growers and dispensaries out of fear theyll be penalized for money laundering. That changed little even after U.S. Deputy Attorney General James Cole in 2013 issued his now-famous Cole memo, which gave banks guidance on how to service marijuana businesses without breaking any federal laws. Some local banks and credit unions have been quietly taking on marijuana businesses as customers. A 2015 report from American Banker showed 266 of the nations nearly 6,200 financial institutions had accounts with marijuana-related businesses. But once recreational pot shops can open after Jan. 1, 2018, Californias cannabis industry is expected to start raking in $7 billion in profits and paying $1 billion in state taxes each year. A lot of businesses will be hauling around a lot of cash with no place to deposit their money, putting them at risk of robbery, Chiang said. That also makes the industry ripe for money laundering, he noted. Chiang brushed aside the idea of creating a state bank specifically to service cannabis customers. Its an approach proposed by the Board of Equalization to combat the industrys poor record of paying state taxes, but one thats been shut down by federal regulators in other legalized states. Efforts to remove marijuana from the Schedule I drug list have also repeatedly failed, most recently under the Obama Administration. So have efforts to pass legislation that would remove criminal penalties for banks that service businesses which are operating in accordance with state law. Those avenues seem even less promising now that Republicans, who have traditionally been less supportive of marijuana legalization, control both the executive and legislative branches. And President-Elect Donald Trumps choice of Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions for Attorney General hasnt boosted optimism for a federal solution, given the Republican Senators staunch opposition to marijuana in the past. Chiang on Thursday reached out to both Trump and Californias entire congressional delegation asking for clarification and support in finding banking solutions for the industry. In Sacramento on Dec. 19, the Treasurer will lead the first meeting of his new Cannabis Banking Working Group, which includes representatives from the banking and cannabis industries, law enforcement, taxing authorities and local government. Given that 45 states now permit some form of legal marijuana use, Chiang said hes optimistic theyll be able to make progress over the coming year in easing the conflict between state and federal law. SAN BERNARDINO Follow along with Southern California News Group staff as they report live from memorials across the Inland Empire reflecting on the one-year anniversary of the San Bernardino terrorist attack at the Inland Regional Center. The mass shooting took the lives of 14 people and wounded 22 others on Dec. 2, 2015 when Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik opened fire on a San Bernardino County holiday party. Having trouble viewing this on a mobile device? Click here to read the Dec. 2 anniversary live blog. Donald Trumps infrastructure improvement plan for America is under attack once again. The president-elects crime? Suggesting that private companies could play a role in rebuilding Americas water, transportation and energy systems. First, it was New York Times columnist Paul Krugman who, in his Nov. 19 column, recoiled at the thought of private investor participation in Trumps sewage system repair scam. In Krugmans view, this approach lacks transparency and lines the pockets of favored interests. Instead, he says, the government should just build more infrastructure. Then, it was Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders turn to blast Trump. While agreeing that our infrastructure needs to be modernized, the former Democratic nominee candidate echoed Krugman, calling Trumps plan a scam that gives massive tax breaks to corporations and Wall Street. In Bernies view, big government is always the solution, and taxpayers should shell out $1 trillion for the government to solve our infrastructure woes. The problem is that Krugman and Sanders partisan talking points willingly ignore reality. Private sector involvement in infrastructure reform can be beneficial for everyone because it shifts the risks of big moneyed investments to private investors for benefits that can be accrued by the public. Consider the examples from the United Kingdom. In 1989, England and Wales transferred water and waste services to the private sector. Years later, private companies are continuing to invest billions. In 2010, more than 99.9 percent of drinking water quality tests were passed. All of this was accomplished with less government and more private sector involvement. A new study from the California Policy Center explains how private investments could benefit the Golden States lagging infrastructure. The states water infrastructure has not been expanded since the 1970s and is designed to accommodate 20 million residents when California now has nearly 40 million residents. Its energy infrastructure is increasingly oriented toward renewables, without a clear plan to achieve the distribution and storage upgrades necessary to realize this dramatic shift. Current policies in California embrace water and energy conservation to balance demand with supply. Enforcing these policies runs counter to creating the prosperous state with access abundant and affordable resources that Californians deserve. Another area where private investment could significantly help is with upgrades to Californias transportation infrastructure, which is considered one of the worst maintained in the United States. But instead of improving existing roads and trains, California is pursuing the high-speed rail project, which was approved by ballot measure in 2008. At that time, voters were told the train ride between Los Angeles and San Francisco would be two hours and forty minutes. The voter guide quoted a total construction cost of $45 billion. Since then, the expected travel time has risen together with the projected cost. The system is now expected to cost $62 billion. Instead of HSR, an upgrade for CalTrain backed by private sector investment would be far more cost-effective. And the reintroduction of private capital into high occupancy toll lanes could reduce the estimated 48 million hours that motorists lose while stuck in traffic bottlenecks each year. Of course, these ideas require thorough review from engineers and financial planners and acceptance from financial markets and institutional investors. But with private investors involved, that process could happen with far less political bias and with greater scrutiny. After all, investors would be putting their own money on the line. The government would not have to be completely sidelined, though. As CPCs study points out, public-private partnerships can be beneficial. State and local authorities could keep fares and user fees affordable via subsidies, while leaving the private sector to handle construction costs and to ensure that projects are completed in a timely manner. With Californias fiscal health in far from optimal shape and billions of dollars at stake, it will be critical to tap successful business leaders to play a role in completing the major infrastructure projects California needs. Setting aside certain items on Sacramentos politically driven wish list like high-speed rail and seeking more realistic proposals from investors would be a good start. Like the president-elects infrastructure plan, Californias agenda should also be met with scrutiny and a healthy debate. But the knee-jerk reaction against private-sector involvement in infrastructure reform is a position that ultimately harms the taxpayer. With a more creative approach that includes private investors, the United States and particularly California could see infrastructure improvement projects delivered under budget and ahead of schedule. Marc Joffe is the director of policy research for the California Policy Center. Homebuying in Irvine in the third quarter rose as 1,083 residences sold vs. 957 a year ago, according to CoreLogic. Thats a sales gain of 13.2 percent. Here are 15 real estate trends in and around Irvine from the summertime report: 1. Irvine ZIP code 92602 110 homes sold in the period vs. 121 a year ago. Thats a sales loss of 9.1 percent. Median selling price of $830,000 vs. $1,000,000 a year ago, a loss of 17 percent. 2. Irvine ZIP 92603 102 homes sold vs. 109 a year ago. Thats a sales loss of 6.4 percent. Median of $1,175,000 vs. $1,050,000 a year ago, a gain of 11.9 percent. 3. Irvine ZIP 92604 77 homes sold vs. 96 a year ago. Thats a sales loss of 19.8 percent. Median of $720,000 vs. $681,000 a year ago, a gain of 5.7 percent. 4. Irvine ZIP 92606 40 homes sold vs. 49 a year ago. Thats a sales loss of 18.4 percent. Median of $702,250 vs. $680,000 a year ago, a gain of 3.3 percent. 5. Irvine ZIP 92612 98 homes sold vs. 99 a year ago. Thats a sales loss of 1 percent. Median of $595,000 vs. $650,000 a year ago, a loss of 8.5 percent. 6. Irvine ZIP 92614 66 homes sold vs. 80 a year ago. Thats a sales loss of 17.5 percent. Median of $570,000 vs. $552,000 a year ago, a gain of 3.3 percent. 7. Irvine ZIP 92618 329 homes sold vs. 178 a year ago. Thats a sales gain of 84.8 percent. Median of $838,000 vs. $706,000 a year ago, a gain of 18.7 percent. 8. Irvine ZIP 92620 261 homes sold vs. 225 a year ago. Thats a sales gain of 16 percent. Median of $798,000 vs. $790,000 a year ago, a gain of 1 percent. And heres some countywide trends of note for the July-to-September period: 9. Orange County median price for the quarter was $643,000 up 4.9 percent or $30,000 in a year! 10. Countywide sales were 10,077 up 0.2 percent in a year! 11. Local single-family home sales totaled 6,111 down 3.9 percent from a year ago. Median selling price was $705,000 up 3.7 percent from a year ago. 12. Resales of O.C. condos were 2,920 down 0.7 percent from a year ago. Median selling price was $450,000 up 5.4 percent from a year ago. 13. Builder sales in the county were 1,046 up 38 percent from a year ago. Median selling price was $820,000 down 0.6 percent from a year ago. 14. In Orange Countys 27 least expensive ZIPs median sales price at $568,750 and below 2,754 homes sold. Thats down 5.6 percent compared to a year ago. 15. In the 27 priciest ZIPs median sales price beginning at $705,000 3,147 homes sold. Thats up 8.9 percent compared to a year ago. DID YOU MISS? Did one of these bring you here? 9 reasons folks move to California Census: 1 in 5 of new arrivals to Southern California came from foreign lands Want affordable housing? Move to Trumpland! SACRAMENTO Californias largest public-employee union on Friday canceled a planned one-day strike, averting a potentially disruptive protest that would have kept up to 95,000 state employees off the job. The Service Employees International Union Local 1000 said negotiators from the union and the state both feel we have found a pathway forward. Our goal has never been to go on strike. It has always been to get a contract we can all be proud of, Local 1000 President Yvonne Walker said in a note posted on the unions website. We will provide constant updates throughout the day and into the night, if necessary. Stay tuned. Walker did not offer details about the breakthrough that led to the cancellation. Joe DeAnda, a spokesman for the California Department of Human Resources, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The decision came shortly after a judge earlier Friday declined to intervene in the labor dispute, postponing until Dec. 13 a decision on whether to block some union members from taking part in strike action as the state had requested. Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Raymond Cadei did not issue an injunction Friday in response to requests by the Public Employment Relations Board and Gov. Jerry Browns administration, which last month asked the board to seek an order blocking a strike by all 95,000 state workers who are members of the Service Employees International Union. Instead, he continued a hearing on the matter. The board had sought to block about 6,000 members of the local who are deemed essential to public health or safety. Those include nurses, cooks and janitors who work at state mental hospitals, prisons, veterans homes, care centers for the disabled and schools for the deaf and blind. The state sought to block a strike by all workers or, failing that, to add more employees to the list of essential personnel. Attorneys for both sides declined to speak to reporters as they left the court proceeding, which was held behind closed doors. The state has offered the union a nearly 12 percent salary increase over four years, but SEIU officials say the 3 percent annual raises would be offset by a 3.5 percent employee contribution to retirees health care. The union says the state is flush with cash from a booming economy and can afford a larger raise. While the talks are at an impasse over wages, the tensions Friday centered on whether workers have the right to take the one-day action. Browns administration says the strike is illegal and prohibited by the unions contract, which remains in effect while negotiators work on a new one. Union officials say the no-strike provision doesnt apply if workers are protesting bad-faith bargaining. They accuse the administration of refusing to budge on compensation or to consider the unions proposals to address alleged gender pay inequities, as well as threatening to discipline workers who participate in a strike or picket line. The administration says it has bargained in good faith and is committed to reaching a deal with the union. The memories may seem insignificant. A laugh. A Hawaiian-themed Thanksgiving. Hikes in the mountains. But for 15-year-old Katharine Kate Bowman they have helped her remember her father since he was killed in the Dec. 2 terrorist attack. Events of the past year also offered inspiration and a new calling in the world of politics for the Upland teenager. FULL COVERAGE: Read everything related to San Bernardino shootings 1 year later The feeling of missing him comes through little moments and memories, Katharine said of her father, Harry Hal Bowman, in an email earlier this month. His loud, funny-sounding laugh, kayaking, whale watching, museum visits, that aloha Thanksgiving all little things that I never really thought about until he was gone. Bowman, a 46-year-old Upland resident, was a statistical analyst with the San Bernardino County Department of Public Healths Division of Environmental Health Services. He had been with the division a few months before the attack at the Inland Regional Center. A favorite memory of Katharines is climbing Mount Baldy, the highest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains, with him. The entire climb was really fun and took longer than expected because we kept stopping to talk or look out at the view or look at a specific rock with a really interesting geological history that Dad just really had to take a picture of, she wrote. When they reached the top, it was time to rest. And talk. We talked about the most random stuff, most of which I dont remember in the slightest, she wrote. But, it was just the two of us out in our mountains on a beautiful day. Katharine has continued hiking those mountains with her mother, Karen Fagan, her fathers ex-wife, and her sister, Elizabeth Bowman, 12. But life isnt as carefree any more. Now she stands near doors and gets anxious when there are no open exits. Logically, I know that nothing will happen, but theres still a significant part of my mind that remembers that everyone in the San Bernardino shooting thought that, too, she wrote. Afterwards, I realized how much comfort I had taken in thinking that nothing that bad could ever happen to me. But, it happened to my dad and it happened to my family and now I no longer have that comfort. Despite the tension, she has found herself turned off by the hate and divisiveness that she has seen well up since the attack. More division and fear is not what the United States needs, Katharine wrote. We need compassion and unity. She and her family joined about 200 others for a sometimes tearful speech in January by President Barack Obama in the East Room of the White House. It solidified her belief in the presidents gun control proposal, what she believes is common sense. The day that I came back from the Presidents gun control announcement in D.C., I decided that I wanted to go into politics and that I wouldnt be silent anymore, she said. Katharine applied for and is now studying at the School for Ethics and Global Leadership in Washington D.C., which offers high school juniors a semester focusing on international studies and thoughtful leadership development. I decided that change wasnt happening fast enough, she wrote, and that it was my responsibility to do something about it. Led by the United Teachers of Los Angeles, educators at four local schools have refused to accept a $3.75 million gift because it would come from Great Public Schools Now, a pro-charter school organization. The unions president, Alex Caputo-Pearl, blustered, Its a public relations stunt that offers chump change to a couple of LAUSD efforts while they continue to put tens of millions of dollars into unregulated charter growth. The unions hostility dates back to September 2015 when it was revealed that the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation had formed GPSN, a nonprofit organization whose goal was to create 260 new charter schools and enroll 130,000 students in Los Angeles. The plan included strategies to raise money, recruit teachers, provide parental outreach and navigate the inevitable political battles. Upon hearing the plan, the education establishment was furious and immediately counterattacked. L.A. School Board President Steve Zimmer charged that the Broad plan represents a strategy to bring down LAUSD. Caputo-Pearl unleashed a trove of cliches, targeting billionaires alleged influence in education. Their attacks must stop and they should not be running public education. He also regurgitated another hoary cliche: Charters are unregulated and will create inappropriate competition in addition to other fact-free scare tactics. After much of this badgering, GPSN relented and modified its focus. The group announced in June that it would include the funding of high-performing traditional public schools in low-income Los Angeles neighborhoods that deserve replication or expansion. Making good on that promise in October, GPSN awarded $250,000 per year in grants to five winning schools over a three-year period. GPSNs goal, very simply, is to do more of what works. Having modified its original charter expansion plan to now include traditional public schools, the union should be happy, right? Wrong. So what would make Caputo-Pearl happy? Claiming to be open to olive branches, he said, We would actually be very encouraged if Eli Broad (and the Walton Family Foundation) came back with another offer and said, What were going to do is give a substantial amount of money, millions of dollars, to the L.A. School Board to spend in the way they see fit. GPSNs executive director Myrna Castrejon responded to Caputo-Pearls comments by saying, I wish I could say I was surprised to see UTLA which purports to represent teachers and students around Los Angeles put politics ahead of what is essentially no-strings-attached funding for district schools. She was perplexed that UTLA would impede teacher leaders from developing innovative programs to better serve their students. Ms. Castrejon is right. With UTLA and teachers unions in general its all about politics and power. Kids, their parents and taxpayers are mere props to be used for PR purposes and little else. The unions view any change to the status quo as a threat, a start down a slippery slope, which is why a philanthropic donation to schools that work is deemed a public relations stunt and must be stopped in its tracks. The money in question would go directly to the school district and could be on the L.A. school boards agenda as soon as December 13. UTLA is asking the board to turn down the cash. The $3.75 million question is whether the board will go along with the unions self-serving propaganda or do right by the kids and accept the donation. Larry Sand, a former classroom teacher, is the president of the non-profit California Teachers Empowerment Network. The views presented here are strictly his own. SAN BERNARDINO A year has passed. But it still hurts. Survivors still fight tears as they recall that horrific morning when two masked people burst into the Inland Regional Center and opened fire on more than 70 San Bernardino County workers at a holiday party. Relatives of those killed in the Dec. 2 terrorist attack climb Mount Baldy,play at Disneyland and cling to a Star of David necklace. But memories and mementos cant bring the 14 victims back. San Bernardino residents no longer explain to newcomers they live halfway between Los Angeles and Palm Springs. But having their town pasted on the international map by a mass shooting isnt flattering. SPECIAL SECTION: San Bernardino terror attack one year later The immediate danger has long passed. But the massacre shattered forever the notion that the unthinkable cant happen in relatively quiet, off-the-beaten-path, Inland Southern California. Many in the area now lock their windows, avoid public places or rely on guard dogs and guns for protection. Area Muslims grieve for the victims. They also watch out for anger that might be vented in their direction. The terrorists are dead. Yet the investigation into what at the time was the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11 is far from over. Authorities still cant account for 18 minutes of that fateful day. Meanwhile, more than $2.5 million has been donated to help victims, survivors and their families. And, in the next few days, memorial ceremonies will see tears and tributes. The community is determined to never forget. In a special project, the Southern California News Group looks into the attacks lasting effects on survivors, families, first responders, investigators and other members of the community. View the special section by clicking here or below, find links to our complete coverage: THE VICTIMS A look back at the victims of the San Bernardino terror attack After fathers death in San Bernardino terror attack teen finds new purpose San Bernardino terror attack victims husband takes it day-by-day Unwitting spokesman tries to move on after loss of boyfriend in San Bernardino terror attack Widow of San Bernardino terror attack victim hopes to change gun policies Mementos help keep husband slain in San Bernardino terror attack close Family of San Bernardino terror attack victim struggles to carry on How you can help San Bernardino terror attack victims and their families THE HEROES AND SURVIVORS As anniversary nears, San Bernardino terror attack survivors anxiety grows San Bernardino police chief reflects on role as leader as terror attack anniversary nears For San Bernardino terror attack first responders, healing is ongoing San Bernardino terror attack counselors ease grief, but they also suffer San Bernardino terror attack first responders honored for bravery THE AFTERMATH A year after attack, San Bernardino struggles to be more than symbol of terror After San Bernardino terror attack, Inland Empire residents reflect on tragedy Inland Empire Muslims live, worship in shadow of terrorism Adjusting to a new normal, San Bernardino on a healing path a year after terror attack #SBStrong logo brings recognition, pain for San Bernardino artist How a reporter got caught in cross fire of gun battle with San Bernardino terrorists THE INVESTIGATION Everything we know about the San Bernardino terror attack investigation A year later, normalcy returns to Redlands neighborhood of San Bernardino terrorists How the San Bernardino terrorist attack inspired efforts to change laws IRC conference center where San Bernardino terror attack occurred to reopen in 2017 Newport Beach-based Pimco will pay the Securities and Exchange Commission $20 million to settle charges that it misled investors about one of its funds. Pimco was accused of mismarking securities in its Pimco Total Return Active ETF, or exchange-traded fund, managed by co-founder Bill Gross, who left the bond giant in 2014. Pimco is committed to conducting its business in a manner that meets or exceeds the expectations of its regulators, the company said in a statement. Accordingly, the firm has enhanced its policies and procedures relating to valuation of smaller-sized positions and performance attribution disclosure. The SEC said Pimcos ETF attracted investors as it outperformed other funds when it launched in 2012. The company, according to the commission, allegedly provided misleading reasons for its early success and did not disclose that the funds growth was not sustainable. Pimco misled investors about the true long-term impact of its odd lot strategy and denied them the opportunity to make fully informed investment decisions about the Total Return ETF, said Andrew J. Ceresney, director of the SECs Division of Enforcement, in a statement. Investment advisers must accurately describe the significant sources of performance and the strategies being used. Gross, now at Janus Capital Group, and Pimco have been engrossed in legal battles since he left the company. Gross filed a lawsuit contending Pimco forced him to resign so it wouldnt have to pay him a bonus, costing him at least $200 million. Pimco, in turn, said Gross leaked confidential information to the media. The company also accused him of improperly destroying documents relevant to the lawsuit. Contact the writer: hmadans@ocregister.com or Twitter: @HannahMadans It was at the time the worst terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11. The Dec. 2 shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, which left 14 dead and 22 wounded, saw a massive response from law enforcement agencies from throughout the region, along with the FBI. Nearly a year later, FBI agents remain on the case. Heres a look at where the investigation has led: QUICKLY IDENTIFIED Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, 29, both of Redlands, were identified as the shooters shortly after the attack and died in a gunfight with law enforcement near San Bernardino Avenue and Richardson Street about five hours after the massacre. FULL COVERAGE: Read everything related to San Bernardino shootings 1 year later Malik, a Pakistani who came to the United States in 2014 to marry Chicago-born Farook, made a Facebook statement in support of terrorist organization Islamic State around the time of the shootings. It appeared the couple otherwise kept their radicalized views off open social media. They also destroyed some of their mobile phones before the attack. But at least one was left intact. The couple had drawn a flat line with only a violent spike at the end for investigators to pick apart. AT THE SCENE OF THE ATTACK The attack with semi-automatic, military-style rifles took place during a combination training session and holiday party for Farooks co-workers at the San Bernardino County Environmental Health Department, where he worked as a health inspector. A bag Farook had placed on a table in the meeting room at the IRC where about 80 of his colleagues had gathered was later found to contain explosive devices, wired for remote detonation. In the weeks that followed the massacre, the FBIs investigation would reach to the bottom of a local lake to look for possible ditched evidence and into unmapped areas of constitutional law as it tried to pry information from an encrypted Apple iPhone during a world-watched court case. Agents used shoe leather, witness interviews, and private and public outdoor closed-circuit video cameras to account for all but 18 minutes of where Farook and Malik aimlessly traveled in their rented black SUV in the hours after the shooting. That gap still has not been filled, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said in an email on Nov. 10. But we continue to evaluate any new information that comes to our attention. MARQUEZS ALLEGED DISCLOSURES Agents went into Inland neighborhoods and overseas through their legal attaches and interviewed at least 500 people among them witnesses, associates, and friends of Farook and Malik. One of them, Enrique Marquez Jr., 24, of Riverside allegedly described during several days of interviews with agents a shocking account of earlier, unfulfilled gun-and-bomb attack plans he made with Farook that could have killed untold numbers of victims. DETAILS OF ATTACK PLANS The two wanted to open fire on people at Riverside City College and attack motorists at an inescapable chokepoint along the 91 Freeway, Marquez said. The plans were halted in 2012 when FBI agents coincidentally arrested a group of Inland men who planned to join Al-Qaida overseas and attack American service personnel there, according to an FBI affidavit filed in federal court. Marquez also unspooled a soap-opera style scheme in which authorities said he married the Russian sister of Farooks brothers wife, but lived apart from her. It was allegedly done in exchange for payments to Marquez because the marriage allowed his bride to change the status of her expired visa, the affidavit said. Marquez is accused in Riverside federal court of supplying rifles and explosive powder used in the attack, which he originally purchased for the 2012 schemes, as well as one count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, two counts of lying on federal forms for gun purchases and two counts of marriage fraud. Marquez pleaded not guilty to the charges in January and faces up to 50 years in federal prison if convicted on all of them. He faces trial Sept. 26. Marquez is the only person charged in the attack. He told agents he was radicalized and converted to Islam by Farook when they were neighbors in Riverside. Eimiller said the investigation remains open. THE IPHONE CASE When FBI agents conducted warranted searches of the Redlands townhouse that Farook and Malik shared with their then-6-month-old daughter and Farooks mother, Rafia, they seized pipe bombs, bomb-making materials and thousands of rounds of ammunition. In late December, divers from the FBI and San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department checked the bottom of Seccombe Lake in San Bernardino, reportedly looking for a hard drive the couple may have tossed into the water. They found nothing but said due diligence required the search. Agents also found Farooks undamaged San Bernardino County-issued iPhone in his mothers black Lexus. Farook had entered a private pass code for the iPhone 5c that was not shared with the county, and agents were concerned they would permanently lose any data on it if they failed too many times to open it. Instead, they got a federal magistrate in Riverside to issue an order in February for Apple engineers to develop software for a backdoor entry to the phone. Apple, which had cooperated with the FBI in other efforts to get the information from the Farook iPhone, drew the line. Creation of such a brute force program could threaten the encryption security of all Apple devices using a pass code, the tech giant argued. Apple filed in court to block the order, and CEO Tim Cook personally took up the cause as the media covered every move in the case, in and out of court. Heated court documents were traded exploring where the law stood on the right to privacy and public safety and whether the 18th-century All Writs Act and 20th-century rulings on government access to telephone records could apply to the 21st-century device at the center of the case. Then, on the eve of a March court hearing to decide the issues, the FBI announced it had found a third party that could hack the phone. The hearing was taken off calendar, the FBI reported the phone was successfully entered and the case ended unresolved. FBI spokeswoman Eimiller declined to comment Nov. 10 on whether the phone yielded anything. THIRD SHOOTER REPORTS Reports of a third person involved in the IRC attack or afterward in the shootout with law enforcement officers have not been substantiated beyond anecdotes. Investigative efforts (which were exhaustive) and data all indicated there were two shooters, Eimiller said in her email. A 162-page report, Bringing Calm to Chaos, written by Community Oriented Policing Services and the Police Foundation, written with a grant and the cooperation of the Justice Department, identified only Farook and Malik as the shooters at the IRC. The report also looked at similar reports from the shootout and concluded authorities determined that there was not a third suspect at that scene. Among the listed sources for the report were the FBI, the San Bernardino Police Department, and the spectrum of local law enforcement involved in the attack and its aftermath, as well as the attack victims and their families and audio and video files. MOSCOW An unmanned Russian cargo spaceship heading to the International Space Station broke up in the atmosphere over Siberia on Thursday due to an unspecified malfunction, the Russian space agency said. The Progress MS-04 cargo craft broke up at an altitude of 118 miles over the remote Russian Tuva region in Siberia that borders Mongolia, Roscosmos said in a statement. It said most of space ships debris burnt up as it entered the atmosphere but some fell to Earth over what it called an uninhabited area. Local people reported seeing a flash of light and hearing a loud thud west of the regional capital of Kyzyl, more than 2,200 miles east of Moscow, the Tuva government was quoted as saying late Thursday by the Interfax news agency. The Progress cargo ship had lifted off as scheduled at 8:51 p.m. from Russias space launch complex in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, to deliver 2.5 metric tons of fuel, water, food and other supplies. It was set to dock with the space station on Saturday. Roscosmos said the craft was operating normally before it stopped transmitting data 383 seconds after the launch. The Russian space agency would not immediately describe the malfunction, saying its experts were looking into it. This is the third botched launch of a Russian spacecraft in two years. A Progress cargo ship plunged into the Pacific Ocean in May 2015, and a Proton-M rocket carrying an advanced satellite broke up in the atmosphere in May 2014. But both Roscosmos and NASA said the crash of the ship would have no impact on the operations of the orbiting space lab that is currently home to a six-member crew, including three cosmonauts from Russia, two NASA astronauts and one from the European Union. Orbital ATK, NASAs other shipper, successfully sent up supplies to the space station in October, and a Japanese cargo space ship is scheduled to launch a full load in mid-December. NASA supplier SpaceX, meanwhile, has been grounded since a rocket explosion in September on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The company hopes to resume launches in December to deliver communication satellites. One set of holiday shopping stats shows how presidential politics economically divided the nation. President-election Donald Trump won the White House with calls for brash economic reforms. That message resonated with voters, especially in Rust Belt states, who juggle challenging household finances and a lack of job security. So, is it a surprise that consumers in these states werent starting the holiday shopping season with as much gusto as states that supported Hillary Clinton? Adobe Digital Insights tallied the first major holiday gift-buying period since the election, the Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday madness. The report showed online spending in the states carried by Trump grew slower than in states carried by his opponent, Hillary Clinton. Want affordable housing? Move to Trumpland! I put Adobes figures into my trusty spreadsheet to learn that shoppers from the 30 states that backed Trump spent $6.16 billion online in the so-called Cyber Five period. Online spending in 20 Clinton states (plus D.C.) totaled $6.63 billion over the long-weekend-plus-a-day. This is yet another example of the disparity in economic clout between the support bases of the candidates. Trump fared surprisingly well in the nations economically challenged heartland, while Clinton did best in more prosperous coastal states. Next, look at the varied pace of change. Trumpland consumers spent $680 million more this year vs. the same period in 2015, or a 12 percent jump. Pretty bullish, no? Not so bold when comparing that to the shopping spree of residents of the states that went for Clinton. They spent online a total $6.63 billion over the long weekend plus a day. Thats up $982 billion, or 17 percent, from a year ago. Trump carried the nations heartland while Clinton did best in more prosperous coastal states. So can you guess which states had the tiniest year-over-year online spending jumps? Nine of the 10 smallest online sales gains were in Trump states: Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi, West Virginia, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Kentucky. Or look at the checkbook analysis this way: Online spending averaged $40 a person in Clinton states vs. $30 per capita in Trumpland. Thats 33 percent extra spending per resident a spending surplus larger than the 23 percent gap between household incomes in Clinton states vs. Trumpland. Contact the writer: jlansner@scng.com DID YOU MISS? Did one of these bring you here? 9 reasons folks move to California Census: 1 in 5 of new arrivals to Southern California came from foreign lands CINCINNATI A triumphant Donald Trump soaked up the adulation of thousands of supporters here on Thursday as he kicked off a two-week thank you tour featuring rallies meant to capture the campaign-style frenzy that sent him to the White House. The rally took Trump back to U.S. Bank Arena, where tens of thousands of people gathered in mid-October for a raucous campaign event. The crowd was noticeably smaller this time; thousands of seats remained empty as Trump started his remarks. The event carried the hallmarks of Trumps whiplash style during the election: indicting and promising, nostalgic and forward-looking. He resurrected signature lines like the pledge to make America great again and, in a surprise, announced a Cabinet nomination, retired Gen. James N. Mattis for secretary of defense. Im here today for one main reason: to say thank you to Ohio, Trump told the crowd. Thank you. We won the state by almost 10 points, which they say is totally unheard-of. Those who attended expressed pride in his election and hope that Trump would be able to make good on his promise to make the country better. He wasnt originally my guy, but the more he spoke, the more he spoke to what rural America, what we want, it was just down to earth, said Kim Pollack, 50, who took a break from her two jobs and drove two hours to attend her first Trump rally. It was a familiar scene, with hundreds of Trumps supporters lined up outside the arena. Volunteers clad in red shirts handed out Trump/Pence signs. The crowd chanted drain the swamp. The president-elect plans several more rallies in the next two weeks, most in swing states where his surprise victories helped power him to victory in the Electoral College. Earlier Thursday, Trump visited a Carrier plant in Indianapolis, celebrating his role in keeping up to 1,000 manufacturing jobs in the United States. He went to trumpet a deal under which Carrier will not move the jobs from Indiana to Mexico. The Indiana-based manufacturing company had announced plans to transfer 1,400 positions to Mexico, but partially reversed course after Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence intervened. The company said it would receive a $7 million package of state incentives to keep the factory here. The company said the package would extend over several years and was contingent on employment, job retention and capital investment. Some experts, however, have been skeptical of the deal, saying it could create a haphazard system in which the government winds up picking corporate winners and losers. SANTA ANA A medical malpractice civil trial began Thursday against a Newport Beach doctor who performed an experimental vein-opening treatment for multiple sclerosis on a Canadian woman who suffered a stroke as a result. Linda Vicary, 54 at the time, traveled to Orange County in the summer of 2011 for a balloon angioplasty performed by Dr. Michael Arata, an interventional radiologist. Her attorney, Marshall Silberberg, said in opening statements at Central Justice Center that Vicary was desperate to improve her symptoms, which included difficulty with balance, swallowing, speech and strength. Instead, he said, she experienced a stroke that left her unable to walk or care for herself. Silberberg said hours passed before Vicary was taken to Fountain Valley Regional Hospital in rush-hour traffic rather than to Hoag Hospital, a mile away. Linda Vicary cant use her walker, cannot dress herself, has to be catheterized. She needs to be fed. She still has MS, Silberberg told jurors. Aratas attorney, Ray McMahon, said Arata was not negligent and that Vicarys condition deteriorated as a result of her illness progressing. In 2011, the Register ran a story featuring Arata and the controversy over the procedures use for MS patients after a Canadian woman died in April 2011, five days after Arata performed her angioplasty. The treatment is based on a hypothesis that insufficient vein drainage from the nervous system, dubbed chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency, or CCSVI, is linked to MS. While the angioplasty itself is considered low-risk, some neurologists called it a sham treatment for an autoimmune disorder that exploited vulnerable patients. Arata told the Register at the time that he had seen undeniable improvement in patients, including a woman who regained the ability to eat, speak and move her limbs. In 2012, the Food and Drug Adminstration issued a safety alert about risk of death or serious injury from the procedure. The FDA noted complications including stroke and blood clots, saying the treatment was unproven. During Thursdays proceedings, Silberberg said Arata and his colleagues marketed their practice to Canadian patients and charged $8,000 cash plus imaging fees. Canada has among the highest MS rates in the world. He was not at that point involved in any research, Silberberg said. Hes not an MS expert. He said Vicary underwent surgery for the stroke at Fountain Valley. A shunt was placed in her brain and remains there. She did not travel to Orange County for the trial. McMahon said in his opening statement that Vicarys decline was due to the progressive nature of her illness, not anything done by Arata. He pointed out that the consent form she signed included risk of stroke or death and included language that any improvement in multiple sclerosis symptoms is still being investigated and outcomes are not guaranteed. McMahon said since Vicarys diagnosis in 1997, medical notes from her Canadian doctors document her worsening symptoms and mention that she was a well-informed patient with a strong interest in alternative medicine. Youre going to see, sadly, the progression of the multiple sclerosis over time, McMahon told the jury. She was not a naive patient in any way. McMahon described Vicarys angioplasty as uneventful and said a medical expert would testify that most likely a perforation during the procedure caused the bleeding in her brain. He said perforations, which are a known risk, give no sign as they happen and are not caused by negligence. You cant stop them, McMahon said. The trial is set to resume Tuesday morning before Judge Linda Marks. Contact the writer: cperkes@scng.com 714-796-3686 Subjects in brain research who sat facing each other while talking had brains that lit up while those who sat back-to-back had much less brain activity, the Institute for PR was told Nov. 30. Electroencephalography subject Distinguished IPR Lecturer Geoff Colvin, senior editor-at-large of Fortune, used the results of the experiment to impress on the audience of more than 200 at the Roosevelt Hotel that they need to communicate F2F with editors and others for maximum impact. Tonights dinner, where all of you are talking and communicating with each other, is a good example of what I mean, he said. Geoff Colvin Recording electrical activity of the brain, called electroencephalography, (EEG) is done with electrodes placed along the scalp. Spontaneous activity is recorded while various activities take place. Dialogic Loop Was Urged Tina McCorkindale, Ph.D., president and CEO of IPR, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary, expressed strong support for F2F in a 2013 essay in PRSAs online PR Journal. The essay said a dialogic loop is the ideal form of communications for PR people. Co-authored with Marcia DiStaso, 2014 chair of the PRSA Educators Academy, the article defined dialogic loop as any negotiated exchange of ideas and opinions. Both parties must be willing to be open and listen to the other parties even if there is a disagreement, said the 23-page article on The Use of Social Media in Fortunes Most Admired Companies. Attempts by this reporter to set up a loop with either McCorkindale or DiStaso were unsuccessful. None of the other 14 board members of the Educators Academy would respond. Two demanded that we never contact them again. Oscar Suris of Wells Fargo is IPR chair. F2F in Decline in PR While Colvin, McCorkindale and others preach the value of F2F, there has been a decline in such activity in the PR and press communities in New York and elsewhere. F2F PR/press activity is a fraction of what it once was. Press groups themselves practice press avoidance. The Committee to Protect Journalists, which inveighs against press interference abroad and now says it will fight that in the U.S., wont let working press sit with corporate guests at its annual dinner. Money isnt the issue since it has a net worth of $16.5 million. The repeated claims of love of press freedom by speakers provoked tweets with words such as hypocrisy, cognitive dissonance, and laughter among the attendees. The New York Financial Writers Assn. had no room for working press at its annual $400 a plate dinner and Follies Nov. 11. Reporters could go if they wished to stand at the back of the room, said executive manager Britt Tunick. Bill Egbert of Downtown Express is the elected president. Press/PR Lunch/Dinner Groups Vanish PR Society:New York, a mostly corporate group that hosted major speakers each month for more than 50 years, folded in 2013. Coverage of its demise includes details of more than 20 New York PR/press lunch/dinner groups that also bit the dust. PR/press communication currently is mostly via emails. Corporate/institutional employers keep a strict eye on any dialogue with reporters. With so many other ways to reach customers and potential customers, such as social media and house webs and publications, there is less interest in placing articles in traditional media where the news hole is much smaller than it once was. Companies are showing a preference for branded content which is ads that resemble regular editorial matter. Media including the New York Times, Atlantic magazine, Hearst publications and others are cultivating such business. Tell Stories, Says Colvin Colvin said PR people must be alert to the power of story telling. That is the best way to capture and hold the interest of desired audiences, he said. The general public must get in touch with what the public is actually thinking and not what they think the public is supposed to be thinking, he said. The election of Donald Trump as president and the U.K. vote to leave the Common Market shocked many including the media and showed how out-of-touch with reality media and much of the public are, he added. Understand the public, he advised. Asked what the election of Trump means, Colvin said PR people should check the policies and programs that he is supporting since that is what got him elected. B-Ms Ford Hits Coarse Election Patrick Ford Patrick Ford, vice chairman and chief client officer, Burson-Marsteller, who received IPRs Alexander Hamilton Medal, said One need look no further than the coarse public discourse that characterized the U.S. elections this year, and others around the world, to see that the role of the PR professional is more important today than ever. PR people must focus as much or more on behavior as we do on words, he said. We need to be the driving force we have always striven to be: for truth, authenticity and transparency. Ford expressed admiration and gratitude to B-M founder Harold Burson, who was present at the dinner. Thank you, Harold, for teaching me how to be the best PR practitioner I could be. And for teaching me to be a trusted adviser to our clients, who we both value so highly. Hamilton, noted Ford, was a PR master, a description given him Allan Nevins, Ph.D., in a 1978 essay in PR Review. Shelley Spector, a founder of the Museum of PR, had pointed that quote out to him. Full text of Fords speech is here. Otto Gets Felton Medal Charlotte Otto, senior corporate strategist, Weber Shandwick, who was at Procter & Gamble 33 years including 20 in global PA and external relations, was awarded the Jack Felton Medal for lifetime achievement for advancement of research, measurement and evaluation. William Ward White, Milwaukee PR executive and board member of IPR more than 20 years, who died Aug. 9 at the age of 76, was posthumously given the IPR Distinguished Service Award. Sylvia Jiankun Guo, University of Maryland, was awarded the Grunig PRIME Research Fellowship. Michael Vafeiadis, Penn State University, was given the Don Bartholomew Award for Excellence in PR Research. Dejan Vercic, Ph.D., professor and head of Centre for Marketing & PR, University of Ljubljana, was given the Pathfinder Award. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been engaged in a months-long lobbying battle on Capitol Hill ever since the passage of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, which famously survived a September veto from President Obama. That bipartisan bill, also known as S.2040, was introduced in May by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and John Cornyn (R-TX). It amends the federal judicial code to allow U.S. citizens the ability to sue foreign governments in civil court when their family members are the victims of terrorism. A majority of the 19 hijackers involved in the 9/11 attacks 15 of them were Saudi citizens. A 28-page declassified 9/11 report released in July by the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee (which was originally redacted from the original 9/11 Commission Report released in 2004) suggested possible ties between some of the 9/11 hijackers and Saudi officials. JASTA passed both chambers of Congress on September 9, but was vetoed later that month by Obama, who, in a three-page letter to Congress regarding his decision, said the bill undermines core U.S. interests, and would neither protect Americans from terrorist attacks nor improve the effectiveness of our response to such attacks. President-elect Donald Trump in September expressed his support of JASTA and called Obamas veto of the bill shameful. Congress overwhelmingly voted to override the Presidents decision, marking the first veto override of Obamas presidency. Saudi Arabia goes on lobbying splurge Bracing for JASTAs Congressional showdown, the Saudi Royal Court in September hired Squire Patton Boggs in a $100,000-per-month pact to advise the country on legal and strategic policy advice and advocacy on foreign and related issues in the U.S. government, according to Foreign Agents Registration Act documents filed in September. The same month, the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia hired WPP lobbying giant Glover Park Group to provide communications and government relations support on matters related to general foreign policy, as well as legislative, public policy and media-related activities of interest, according to FARA documents. JASTAs veto survival has sent Saudi Arabia into a lobbying frenzy. In October, Saudi Arabia hired law firm King & Spalding to provide advocacy and legal services related to JASTAs passage to Saudi Arabias Ministry of Commerce and Investment. Saudi Arabias national oil and natural gas company, The Saudi Arabian Oil Company, also hired public affairs powerhouse Podesta Group at $30,000 for a month-long campaign to serve as a third party-contractor through international law firm White & Case LLP, who had inked an earlier pact with Saudi Arabia. The country in November similarly hired consulting and lobbying firm The McKeon Group to work as a subcontractor under Glover Park Group and provide communications and government relations counsel, as well as undertake special advocacy assignments, which may include communication with U.S. government officials, according to FARA documents filed in October. Beltway political tabloid The Hill in November reported that Saudi Arabia has now employed more than a dozen lobbying firms in its bid to battle JASTA, also signing pacts with BGR Group, Hogan Lovells and Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. Sudan signs White & Case In addition to its work for Saudi Arabia, Washington, D.C.-based White & Case in November also signed a $250,000 pact to represent the government of Sudan. According to FARA documents, White & Case will provide legal services to the violence-torn nation in connection with several litigation matters pending before federal courts. Those litigation matters refer to the terrorist bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen in October 2000. al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for that attack, which killed 17 US sailors and injured nearly 40 more. In 2010, injured sailors and victims families filed a federal lawsuit against Sudan, claiming that country provided funding, training and support to terrorists in their execution of the bombing. The US District Court held Sudan liable for the attack, and issued a judgment awarding $315 million in compensatory and punitive damages. The Sudanese government appealed the decision in 2014, but in September 2015, the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in New York denied the appeal and ordered the Sudanese bank to turn over that countrys assets to cover the judgment. In September of this year, the 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals refused requests from the U.S. and Sudanese government to reconsider its 2015 ruling. Jordanian Embassy hires Hogan Lovells International law firm Hogan Lovells has been hired by the Jordanian embassy in Washington, D.C., to provide counsel regarding ongoing discussions with U.S. government officials related to the court case of Courtney Linde et al, v. Arab Bank, PLC. In that landmark case, initially filed in 2004 in New York federal court, more than 500 U.S. citizens sued the Arab Bank, Jordans largest lender and one of the largest financial institutions in the Middle East, under civil liability provisions pursuant to the AntiTerrorism Act. The suit alleged that Arab Bank facilitated terrorist attacks committed in Israel between 2001 to 2004 by maintaining accounts for individuals and organizations that supported terrorist organizations such as Hamas. In September 2014, Arab Bank was found liable for financing terrorism relating to 24 different terrorist acts, accounting for the first terror-related judgment against a major bank in U.S. history. Arab Bank in April 2015 struck a settlement deal with plaintiffs some estimating as high as $1 billion but later said it would appeal the 14 liability verdict, as the bank claims it did not knowingly offer financial services or assistance to Hamas. That rehearing is currently pending in the Second Circuit. Agricultural News Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association's Fall Meetings a Success - Raises Discussion Over Policy Issues Members of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association have kept a full schedule this season with their Fall Gatherings throughout the month of November, including a few extra new meetings they decided to host this year as well. Farm Director Ron Hays caught up with Michael Kelsey, OCA's executive vice president, to find out how those meetings went and what's been on the minds of his members lately. "A big conversation piece was 777, both before and after, but also a lot of other issues that are going on in the cattle industry and then of course the market," Kelsey said. "It went really well, attendance was fantastic. Discussion was good, lots of questions." Kelsey says addressing the failed passage of State Question 777 - Right to Farm, was high priority for OCA members at these meetings. He says talks steered mainly towards planning for the opposition's next move, which according to Kelsey, is really just a mystery at this point. However, he insists the ag community needs to anticipate that they will want to ride out the momentum from their win. He advises those that supported 777 to continue sharing agriculture's story with the same passion they had leading up to the vote. Meanwhile, he in tandem with other state ag organizations, will remain vigilant during the legislative session to intercept any proposed legislation that threatens agriculture in Oklahoma. The association also hosted informational meetings this fall regarding the Veterinary Feed Directive. Kelsey says producers in Oklahoma at this point seem fairly knowledgeable of VFD and understand that having a good veterinarian-client-patient relationship is really 80 to 90 percent of the battle. However, he cautions producers to be cognizant of continued federal intervention, which the industry will be keeping an eye on. "FDA's not done with the Veterinary Feed Directive," Kelsey said. "They're going to continue to look at ways to monitor antibiotic use. What that means is injectables, they're on the chopping block next, as well as other types antimicrobials that we use in our industry." Aside from this, OCA will also be hosting their first winter policy meeting on January 24th, and Kelsey invites all OCA members to participate. This meeting will give the association an opportunity to make fresh decisions regarding policy matters ahead of the legislative session that commences in February. Listen to Hays and Kelsey speak more on OCA's agenda just coming off their fall meetings, by clicking or tapping the LISTEN BAR below. Be sure to catch Kelsey who joins Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays for his weekly In the Field segment on KWTV News9 in the Oklahoma City area this Saturday morning at 6:40 a.m. Click below to hear Hays and Kelsey speak more on OCA's agenda just coming off their fall meetings WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady NSI Top Agricultural News Andrew Sachs: Fawlty Towers' Manuel dies aged 86 BBC News2 December 2016Fawlty Towers star Andrew Sachs, who played hapless Spanish waiter Manuel in the BBC sitcom, has died aged 86, his family has confirmed.The actor died on 23 November and was buried on Thursday, his wife Melody said in an interview in the Daily Mail She told the paper that Sachs had been diagnosed with dementia four years ago.On his role of Manuel, Sachs had told the BBC in 2014: "It was just a part I was playing and people seemed to laugh."Manuel was one of the most imitated comedy characters of the 1970s.The waiter, who famously hailed from Barcelona, often said little more than the word "Que?" to generate laughs, but arguably his most famous line was "I know nothing".The waiter was regularly shown being hit by John Cleese's hotel manager character, Basil Fawlty."I never got upset when he hit me," Sachs said in 2014."He's my friend. I must say yes, yes [it hurt], several times, more than once."Cleese, 77, who was also the co-creator of Fawlty Towers, paid tribute to his co-star.He wrote on Twitter : "Just heard about Andy Sachs. Very sad."A very sweet gentle and kind man and a truly great farceur. I first saw him in Habeas Corpus on stage in 1973."I could not have found a better Manuel. Inspired."Sachs, who was born in Berlin in 1930 to a Jewish father and Catholic mother but fled Germany for London in 1938, had dozens of other acting roles, both serious and comic - including stints in TV's two biggest soaps.In 2009, he played the role of Ramsey Clegg, half-brother of Norris Cole, in ITV's Coronation Street and in 2015 he briefly joined the BBC's EastEnders as Cyril Bishop.He inadvertently became the subject of headlines in 2008 when he received a series of lewd answerphone messages from Russell Brand and fellow BBC Radio 2 presenter Jonathan Ross during a radio show, which related to Sachs's granddaughter.The so-called Sachsgate affair resulted in Brand and the controller of Radio 2 resigning. Ross was suspended from broadcasting for three months and a review was held into the way BBC output was vetted.Sachs's friend, Blackadder actor Tony Robinson, told BBC Radio 5 Live that Sachs had been "very modest" and said that "it really came as a surprise to him that he had the success that he did"."People know him for that one comedy performance, but he was actually a magnificently talented man in a number of fields," he said, adding that Sachs had been "a very fine photographer" and "a very accomplished playwright".He said: "He's worked in radio for very many years and in a way, given how shy and retiring he was, it was a good form for him."His face wasn't shown. He could work a lot but he didn't have to be a celebrity - and then suddenly he was thrown into the limelight."Comedian Omid Djalili tweeted : "Sad to learn of the passing of Andrew Sachs. Fond memories sharing a dressing room with him & Bill Bailey at We Are Most Amused in 2008."Samuel West, whose mother Prunella Scales starred alongside Sachs in Fawlty Towers, tweeted : "Creator of one of our most beloved EU migrants."Such warmth and wit; impossible to think of him without smiling."Little Britain creator David Walliams described his performances as Manuel as "comic perfection".He tweeted : "I had the pleasure of working with #AndrewSachs in 'Attachments'. A beautiful soul who never tired of all my 'Fawlty Towers' questions."Comedy writer Edgar Wright said Sachs had "spun comic gold as Manuel in Fawlty Towers".Actor Eddie Marsan, who starred in the BBC's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrel, tweeted : "RIP Andrew Sachs. You came here as a refugee with nothing but your talent and your spirit, and you enriched our lives. Thank you so much."'Allo 'Allo actress Vicki Michelle said : "So sorry to hear of #AndrewSachs passing. Happy memories of working with him, a lovely gentle man. Thoughts are with his family."BBC Radio 2 DJ Tony Blackburn also joined the tributes, tweeting : "So sad that Andrew Sachs has passed away. He gave us all so many laughs on Fawlty Towers, thank you. R.I.P."Actor Mark Gatiss wrote : "Had the great pleasure to work with the sweet and gentle Andrew Sachs on [writer] Bert Coules's Further Adventures. His Manuel is imperishable."Charlotte Moore, the BBC's director of content described Sachs as a "wonderful actor"."He will be fondly remembered for his many appearances across television and radio, not least for making the nation laugh in the classic role of Manuel. He entertained millions across a brilliant career and will be greatly missed." Thanks to a new savings program that launched in Nebraska over the summer, certain disabled residents in Alabama now have a place to save money without running the risk of jeopardizing their public assistance benefits. Treasurers in both states on Thursday announced they had signed a contract through which Nebraskas Enable Savings Plan becomes available to Alabamians. Nebraska State Treasurer Don Stenberg is trustee for the program here, which will operate as Enable Savings Plan Alabama in that state. First National Bank of Omaha is program manager for Enable plans. Enable will encourage and assist individuals and families to save private funds to support individuals with disabilities in order to maintain health, independence and quality of life, said Alabama Treasurer Young Boozer. Nebraska in June became the third state to offer a tax-advantaged savings account, known locally as the Enable Savings Plan, under a 2014 federal law that authorized the establishment of programs aimed at facilitating savings for disabled people. Earnings in the accounts are not subject to federal or state taxes, and money withdrawn from the accounts is not taxed as long as its used for qualifying expenses like education, housing, job training and education. Before passage of the Federal Achieving a Better Life Experience legislation in 2014, people receiving benefits from needs-based programs like Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid could have had those benefits reduced if they held more than $2,000 in assets. The ABLE law modeled after state-sponsored 529 college savings programs changed that, and programs like Enable now allow savers to put away up to $100,000 in tax-advantaged accounts. Strategists and party officials say their warnings about the partys lackluster outreach to rural voters went unheeded by Democratic leaders for years Click to expand... For the record, I've been on several liberal websites and complained about it as well. Told those Dem party idiots that their failure to do so would bite them in the azz but they were too stupid to pay attention. There is no question that the Republicans are the ones who screwed the farms in the 1920s and in the mid 80s under Reagan and that it was the Dems who bailed then out. But instead of exploiting that issue for their own good the morons in the party decided not to use it. Now the entire country and the world will likely get fukked over by Trump. But if this is what they want, then so be it. Robert Reynolds, who was convicted of first-degree murder in 2014, has had his conviction reversed by the Court of Appeals of Iowa. The Supreme Court of Iowa could reverse the court of appeals decision. Barring that, Reynolds will get a new trial. Reynolds was convicted by a jury on Nov. 21, 2014, of fatally shooting Patricia Kinkade-Dorsey in the early morning hours of April 8 of that year at Reynolds Oakland home. Kinkade-Dorsey was a friend of Theresa Reynolds, Roberts wife, and was staying at the house that night before she was to leave for California. After a night of hanging out with neighbors and friends, Theresa Reynolds woke that night to find Kinkade-Dorsey and Robert Reynolds arguing in the kitchen before the shooting. On Nov. 9 of this year, the court of appeals ruled in favor of Reynolds. The report from the court of appeals states Reynolds objected to the venue of the trial and the makeup of the jury pool. The court of appeals determined the trial court erroneously changed the venue of Reynolds trial and that he is entitled to a new trial. Both the prosecution and defense agreed to try the case in the East Pottawattamie County Courthouse, located in Avoca. However, concerns including the lack of an internet connection, space for a large jury pool to assemble and facilities for inmate holding in addition to security issues moved the case to Council Bluffs. The court decided the trial would be held at the Pottawattamie County Courthouse, but the jury pool would only include residents of east Pottawattamie County. This is because of an 1884 law that divided Pottawattamie County into two for judicial purposes. One judicial seat was in Council Bluffs, the other in Avoca. Attorney Joe Reedy, who along with Eric Nelson represented Reynolds in the 2014 trial, said it was their position since the beginning that the trial should have been held in Avoca. It was the law at the time. We believe it will be applied again and should be in Avoca, Reedy said. Reedy said he believed the law was based on the venue for such a trial had to be within one days horse ride for residents. Its a long county 40 miles would have been a tremendous ride back then, he added. Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber described the law as an anomaly that has since changed after Reynolds trial. He said technically the case is still on appeal and that the Supreme Court could review it. However, if it is not reviewed, the appeals court ruling will stand. Reynolds also argued a jailhouse phone call should not have been admitted into evidence because the prosecution failed to lay the proper foundation for the evidence. However, the court of appeals decided the state provided proper foundation for that evidence. Wilber said the possibility of doing a new trial is frustrating not for his office, but for the witnesses who testified in 2014 and the family of the victim. Its easy to make those decisions when youre sitting in Des Moines, he said, where the court of appeals is located. This is traumatic for the families. Attempts to reach Melinda Nye, assistant appellate defender for Reynolds, were not successful. AURORA, Neb. A would-be hit man who had second thoughts in a murder-for-hire case was sentenced Thursday in Hamilton County District Court. Derrick Shirley, 31, of Bradshaw, Nebraska, was sentenced to 16 to 20 years in prison by District Judge Rachel Daugherty. Based on state sentencing guidelines, he could be released within eight years. Authorities say Robert S. Honken of Aurora hired Shirley to kill his wife, Bethany. Court records indicate that Shirley obtained a rifle through a friend, staked out Bethany Honkens home and had a thorough plan to kill her, including befriending her dog with hot dogs. He backed out, though, and Honken subsequently tried to recruit an undercover State Patrol investigator. As part of a plea bargain, Shirley pleaded no contest to possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony. In sentencing Shirley, Daugherty said the lengths that Shirley took to plan the slaying and the possibility that he could still be a danger to the community prompted the sentence. She dismissed any possibility that marijuana use, anger or money motivated Shirley. Daugherty noted that Shirley didnt know Bethany Honken so he couldnt be angry with her and wasnt paid enough by Honken $400 to be motivated by money. She concluded the Shirley was motivated by the thrill of killing. You were a man on a mission, just as you were in the military, Daugherty said to Shirley. Shirley served in the military and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome. Calling the crime outrageous, a judge rejected a plea for leniency Friday from an Omaha man who stabbed and beat his mothers dog to death. Douglas County District Judge Marlon Polk sentenced 34-year-old Nathan C. Mayer to 18 months in prison. Mayer also must serve 18 months of post-release supervision and is prohibited from owning or living with a pet for 10 years. Mayer had pleaded no contest to felony animal mistreatment for killing the pet in November 2015. Im shaking my head, because I dont even know where to begin, Polk said as he prepared to issue the sentence. Even if this court were to accept your alleged version of what took place, this was just, this was so far out of the box, I dont know, this was just outrageous. Investigators have said Mayer stabbed the dog, a German shepherd named Shoes, and beat it with dumbbell weights. Mayer reportedly told Douglas County sheriffs deputies that the dog had bitten him and he defended himself. Deputy Douglas County Attorney Amy Jacobsen said Mayer maintained that he simply stabbed Shoes because Shoes was biting him. But she said that the dog had broken teeth and fractured cheekbones and that bloodstains were left through two stories of the house, including behind a couch and end table where investigators believe the dog tried to hide. Jacobsen said Mayers record did not make him a good candidate for probation. And she asked Polk to ban him from owning an animal for 15 years. Mayers attorney, Ryan Thomas, suggested intensive outpatient treatment for Mayer. Thomas said Mayer served in the Army, received an honorable discharge and is attending college. But Thomas said Mayer has had substance abuse problems. My clients not a bad person, Thomas said. He made a bad decision. ... This year has been difficult for him. If he could go back and change what he did, he would. Polk said he was concerned that if rage could cause Mayer to do those things to an animal, what might he do if he became similarly enraged at a person? The prison sentence sends a message, said Mark Langan, vice president of field operations for the Nebraska Humane Society. I hope it will send a message that animal cruelty will not be tolerated, Langan said, surrounded by dozens of Humane Society supporters who had filled the courtroom and the hallway outside. Langan said people had answered the Humane Societys call for support by sending more than 300 letters to Polk. A 21-year-old man who is accused of fatally shooting another man after an altercation at the Douglas County Courthouse will stand trial, a judge ruled Friday. Bernard Turner Jr. is charged with first-degree murder and two firearms charges in connection with the March 2 death of Jarrell Haynes, 22. Secretia Benton, 26, and Tashekia Lockett, 27, two of Turners girlfriends, are awaiting trial on accessory charges in the case. Haynes was standing on his grandmothers porch at 1634 Victor Ave. when he was shot in the abdomen. Police recovered 15 Winchester 9 mm casings scattered in the street, Detective Ryan Hinsley testified. No weapon was recovered. Haynes was able to crawl inside the house but died after being taken to a hospital. Hinsley said Haynes and Turner had run into each other on the second floor of the courthouse at 9:20 a.m. March 2. Haynes later told friends and family members that Turner had threatened to kill him, Hinsley said. Video surveillance shows a black Chrysler 200 sedan turning on the street before the shooting about 10:45 a.m. Benton and Turner were stopped in the same black sedan two days earlier by an Iowa State Patrol trooper, Hinsley said. Cellphone records also indicate Turners phone was in the area of the shooting. Lockett, who police said helped hide Turner from authorities in her Bellevue apartment, was in Sarpy County Court on Friday morning. Her preliminary hearing was continued until Dec. 13. Sarpy County Judge Stefanie Martinez lowered Locketts bail from $500,000 to $100,000. Prosecutor Alyson Roudebush said in court that Lockett helped Turner evade authorities for seven months, allowing Turner to commit crimes in other jurisdictions. Turner is being held without bail. Staff writer Emily Nitcher contributed to this report. For Kelloggs, an American brand, to blacklist Breitbart News in order to placate left-wing totalitarians is a disgraceful act of cowardice, Alex Marlow, Breitbart editor in chief, wrote in article published online Wednesday. Boycotting Breitbart News for presenting mainstream American ideas is an act of discrimination and intense prejudice. If you serve Kelloggs products to your family, you are serving up bigotry at your breakfast table. I'd be interested to see who prevails in this battle of the boycott. Other companies pulling ads from the self-described "site for the alt-right" are Allstate, Novo Nordisk, eyeglass maker Warby Parker and the San Diego Zoo. I'd like to see someone organize a boycott of businesses that advertise with Breitbart to counter their boycott of Kellogg's. I just don't have the time to be that organizer. * * * I've been feeling pretty good since my last ER visit nearly a month ago. But I did a little too much Tuesday and found myself feeling a bit lightheaded. So I rested and it went away. Happened again today and I'm wondering if I should be concerned. Assuming it doesn't happen again tomorrow I'm not going to worry about it. Plus I see the doctor at the end of next week and none of the "triggers" that indicate any of my chronic problems are flaring. Fortunately the ER is always open.* * *Donald Trump should be offered membership in the famed Magic Castle, due to his incredible skill in misdirection. Misdirection is one of the techniques of the magician. When I was 15 years old or thereabouts, I studied magic with a man named Paul Scarne. Paul was a relative of the legendary John Scarne and Paul taught me sleight of hand. I was never really good at it, although I did master one sleight of hand move.So how is the President-elect misdirecting? With his incendiary tweets. I doubt he seriously believes he can change the fact that flag-burning is a constitutionally protected form of expression. But he gets everyone focused on that and it take the attention away from other things.What other things? Tax returns perhaps? Did he not say that he would release his returns after the election? What about the returns that are no longer under audit?Or maybe the fact that once he takes office, he will be in breach of the lease agreement under which his new Washington, D.C. hotel. As reported by The Atlantic, there is a provision in the lease that prohibits any elected official from deriving benefit from the lease agreement.Or maybe the fact he's filling out his Cabinet with billionaires and Washington insiders.Education - Betsy DeVos, who comes from a family with a net worth of over $5 billionCommerce - Wilbur Ross, net worth of nearly $3 billion.Treasury - Steve Mnuchin, net worth of $40 million and the man who was chairman of One West Bank when it was involved in "questionable foreclosures."Transportation - Elaine Chao, wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellSo much for draining the swamp, eh?* * *Breitbart.com is not pleased that Kellogg has pulled its advertising from their site. They've started attacking the cereal maker for doing nothing more than exercising their right to choose with whom they advertise. OGALLALA, Neb. One of Nebraskas largest farm and ranch operations fetched $37,555,000 in bids at auction Thursday. The auction of Thomas Land Co., a 28,645-acre operation that overlooked Lake McConaughy, attracted international interest but drew a mostly regional crowd of 300 people to the Keith County Fairgrounds. The operations 45 square miles of ranch and farmland would roughly cover Omaha from the Missouri River on the east to Interstate 680 on the west, and from Dodge Street south to the Douglas-Sarpy County line along Harrison Street. Hall and Hall Auctions offered the land in 50 parcels, and bidders were permitted to bundle the tracts across parts of Keith, Perkins and Deuel Counties into any size. Bidding took nearly seven hours to complete. In the end, 19 bidders were alone on the leader board. The average price per acre was $1,405. The property included grassland, nonirrigated cropland and center-pivot irrigated cropland. Bill Sheridan, a Mason, Michigan, auctioneer who helped with the sale, said the $37.5 million in bids was a fairly accurate indicator of the value of the operation. He said Hall and Halls inside appraiser estimated the property would sell for $34 million to $38 million. When you gather this many in a hall like this and give everybody an equal opportunity to bid against one another, you will come up with a true indicator of what market value is today, Sheridan said. Sheridan said the agricultural land market has softened in recent years because of weaker commodity and cattle markets. So the attitude in the country for buying land is not quite as aggressive as it was a few years ago, he said. Bidding, although spirited at moments, advanced at glacial speeds. People had more time to deliberate, and we captured more market value, he said. Auctioneer Spanky Assiter of Canyon, Texas, cajoled bidders to take advantage of the opportunities the diverse farm and ranch operation would provide their own businesses. Dont wake up in the morning and say, Dang, I wish I had given $5,000 more, he said. We broke the operation up to give you the opportunity to buy the land of your dreams. The first rounds of bidding brought offers for all parcels totaling $19.8 million. Then one bidder offered $21 million for everything. Another group of bidders pushed the buy-it-all total to $28 million. Six hours later, the buy-it-all bidders were out of the picture and dozens of others carved out parcels of the operation and raised the final total to $37.5 million. Owner Lola Thomas, who lives in Miami Beach, Florida, attended the auction. She and her late husband, Michael Thomas, put together the operation starting in 2005. Michael Thomas was a 1958 graduate of Ogallala High School. He died at age 74 in 2015. As the auction opened, Thomas addressed the crowd, tearfully thanking the people of Keith, Deuel and Perkins Counties for making my husband so happy in his last years. She said afterward that she was pleased that neighbors and local farmers and ranchers purchased most of the land. I absolutely wanted the neighbors and local producers to be able to stay in the game and increase their involvement in Nebraska agriculture, she said. It was time to sell, she said. Im just very happy for what my husband and I did in Nebraska, and Im very happy to see it culminate today in this auction, Thomas said. I hope the people that purchased the property will help it grow just as my husband and I tried to. Thomas attorney, David Domina of Omaha, said she accepted the majority of the bids and considered it a successful sale. The sale featured 26,739 deeded acres and 1,906 leased acres. It included 3,647 acres of irrigated land, 11,705 dryland acres and 13,293 acres of ranchland. The grassland, plus hay and harvested cropland, provides grazing and feed for 1,250 cow-calf pairs. Twenty-seven center-pivot irrigation systems water the irrigated corn and soybean land. Nebraska has about 49,100 farms and ranches. The average operation consists of about 920 acres. Ranches in western Nebraskas cattle country typically are significantly larger. John Molko, a certified general appraiser and land broker from Gering, Nebraska, noticed many colleagues from other brokerages sitting in on the auction. The ag economy is in a bit of decline now and everybodys looking for a foothold, he said. Theyre curious to get the big picture here of what land might be worth. Theres some uncertainty. Lindy Elson, a broker and auctioneer from Curtis, Nebraska, was one the onlookers. They dont sell these kind of big ranches very often, he said. Nebraska voters have spoken definitively in favor of the death penalty. Now the state needs a way to carry it out. The last Nebraska execution was in 1997, when Robert Williams was electrocuted. The state hasnt attempted an execution in the seven years since the method was switched to lethal injection. Public opposition to capital punishment has been increasing, both nationwide and in Nebraska, and lawsuits filed against manufacturers of the drugs used to carry out the death penalty have made it harder for states to procure them. Many American and European manufacturers no longer sell the drugs to states for use in carrying out the death penalty by lethal injection. Nebraska has spent thousands of dollars to buy the drugs internationally, yet failed to import them. Some death penalty states have been able to obtain the needed drugs by passing laws or adopting procedures shielding the manufacturers names. The names are public under the 2009 Nebraska law that changed the states method of execution to lethal injection. Gov. Pete Ricketts, saying he respects the will of the voters, backs an administrative change in the death-penalty protocol. Ricketts and the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services propose adding a pharmacist or pharmaceutical chemist to the states execution team. Prison officials say doing so would help the state obtain the drugs to carry out a death sentence, since the identities of execution team members are kept confidential under the 2009 state law. Prison officials say death-row inmates would be notified about the specific drugs to be used 60 days before a scheduled execution and say that should provide time for appeals. Advocates for open government and critics of Nebraskas death penalty question the need to shield the manufacturers identity. Some state senators have discussed clarifying the intent of the 2009 law. Its up to the Legislature to decide whether to accept the governors proposal through legislation that would codify it or reject it. For now, the public is left to weigh the Corrections Department proposal. The administration has scheduled a public hearing for Dec. 30 on its policy change. Nebraskans should take the opportunity to offer comments on the new protocol. State leaders should receive as much feedback as possible on the protocol for an issue as difficult and divisive as the death penalty. Death penalty politics in Nebraska are complex. The Legislature repealed the death penalty. Then the governor led and helped finance a successful effort to restore it. He also campaigned against senators running for re-election who voted to repeal the death penalty or allowed the repeal to advance. Given the states difficulties in procuring execution drugs, officials may need to pursue some sort of protection for the drug manufacturers, whether in policy or law. This discussion pits two important principles against one another: complying with the publics expressed will versus government transparency. Let the debate begin. Italy may be the next stop on the worlds journey to more economic nationalism. First we had Brexit Britains decision to leave the European Union. Then we had the election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president, pledging to put America first in his policies. Now Italy may be treading down the same path. Whats at issue is a constitutional referendum, scheduled for Sunday, that would make it easier for the parliament to pass measures intended to improve a lackluster economy. But the latest polls suggest the referendum will fail, placing Italy in a precarious economic and political position. Almost everyone agrees that Italys economic performance needs help. According to figures from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, growth of the economy (gross domestic product) has been limping along at less than 1 percent annually, while unemployment is about 11.5 percent. Government debt is 132 percent of GDP. In an ideal world, faster economic growth would enable Italy to pay down its debt and reduce unemployment. But Italys political system is gridlocked, says Jacob Funk Kirkegaard of the Peterson Institute, a U.S. think tank. Its hard to loosen the economys shackles. The Italian legislature has upper and lower houses that must pass identical bills; there is no reconciliation system to resolve differences, as exists in the U.S. Congress. Coalitions are often unwieldy because theres no effective limit on small parties, and legislators often switch their allegiances. The referendum would reduce these obstacles, says Kirkegaard. First, the powers of the upper chamber would be confined to local issues, and its members would be appointed, not elected. Next, a party in the lower house that obtained 40 percent of the vote would automatically receive enough extra seats to give it a majority. The idea is to centralize power, making it easier to streamline the economy. Presumably, if the referendum passes, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi would propose policies covering labor markets, taxes, regulations and government spending. But if the referendum fails, the spillover effects for Italy and the rest of Europe could be nasty. Writing in The Hill, economist Desmond Lachman of the right-of-center American Enterprise Institute put it this way: Italy could be in for a prolonged period of political and economic uncertainty. Such an outcome could throw into question the countrys continued euro membership its use of the euro as money and could raise basic questions as to the eurozones chances for survival in its present form. A widely agreed vulnerability is Italys banking system, which is heavily invested in weak loans and Italian government debt. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, about 18 percent of banks business loans are nonperforming, meaning interest or principle arent being paid on time. If you have a crisis in the Italian banking sector, said economist Megan Greene of Manulife Asset Management on CNBC, that could spread across Europe. A banking crisis would probably involve panicky withdrawals from suspect banks. European officials have downplayed the danger. If the referendum is rejected, some blame will likely be heaped on growing nationalism and distrust of distant bureaucracies this time the headquarters of the European Union in Brussels, which has urged Italy to overhaul its economy. But theres another factor as well: Renzis declaration that he would resign if the referendum failed. This is largely viewed as a blunder, says Kirkegaard, because it seemed arrogant and united many voters who dislike Renzi, for whatever reason. The presumption is that after a failed referendum and a Renzi resignation, a temporary government would be appointed and a general election called. One winner is likely to be the Five Star Movement, an anti- establishment and environmental party that has been critical of the European Union. IT raids in Bengaluru: 2 officials suspended Bengaluru oi-Anusha The Karnataka Home Minister on Friday announced the government's decision to suspend 2 state government officers after Income tax department found huge amounts of unaccounted money in their possession. [Also Read: Bengaluru IT raids unearth illegal wealth worth Rs 152 crore] Dr G Parameshwara made the announcement in the legislative council following uproar by the opposition demanding probe into the issue. "The government has decided to suspend C S Jayachandra and Chikkarayappa after Income Tax department found unaccounted cash with them. They will remain suspended until they are given a clean chit", said the Home Minister. Both officals were raided along with 2 contractors who work for them over the last 3 days by Income Tax officials who unearthed illegal wealth worth Rs 152 crore including Rs 5.7 crore in new Rs 2000 currency notes. The Anti Corruption bureau in Bengaluru is all set to file a suo moto case against both officials and begin investiations into the haul of illegal cash and property. OneIndia News Take a look at EWS flats at Kalkaji to be inaugurated by PM Modi [Photos] For beneficiaries of EWS flat a gift from PM Modi like none other Admired by Modi, Punjab innovator arrested with fake Rs 2,000 notes India oi-IANS By Ians English Mohali (Punjab), Dec 2: A young engineer, whose innovation got appreciation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, landed in police net after he and his accomplices were caught with fake Rs 2,000 notes in Mohali town of Punjab, police said on Friday. The Punjab Police in Mohali, adjoining Chandigarh, have recovered fake currency worth Rs 42 lakh in Rs 2,000 denomination and arrested Abhinav Verma, his cousin Vishakha Verma, and Ludhiana-based property dealer Suman Nagpal. The trio, along with two others, were duping people by exchanging the demonetised Rs 500 and 1,000 notes for the fake Rs 2,000 notes. They were charging 30 per cent commission for the exchange. Mohali Superintendent of Police (City) Parminder Singh said the fake currency was recovered on Wednesday from a brand new luxury Audi SUV which the trio were using. The vehicle even had a red beacon, which is allowed only for VVIPs, on it. The police have been conducting raids to arrest two more members of the gang who slipped away. "The currency given by the gang (to their customers) even after charging commission was fake," Singh said. "Abhinav is an engineering graduate who is into manufacturing sensors to be installed in the sticks for visually handicapped. His office is in Chandigarh and they used to print the fake currency of Rs 2,000 denomination at his office only," the official said. While Abhinav, 21, and Vishakha, 23, who is pursuing MBA, used to print the fake currency, the property dealer used to find clients who wanted to get their unaccounted money converted to new currency. "The notes seized from them had the same serial number," an investigating official said. Abhinav had last year claimed to have created 'Live Braille', a wearable technology innovation that helped blind people to walk around without the aid of a walking stick. The device used sensors to guide blind people and was hailed as a success. It even got a mention from Modi in December last year at the Indian Science Congress in Bengaluru. The device was commercially launched this year, touted as an innovation under the 'Make in India' programme, and sold in India and over 15 countries. Abhinav, who wanted to "change the lives of 50 million blind people in India" with the device, had termed it as a "freedom device". He even established a fund-raising initiative -- Milaap -- for this campaign. The 'Milaap' website prominently mentions Abhinav's innovation as "Recognised by the honourable PM Narendra Modi and former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. This device was amongst the Top-3 Hardware Technologies in India and was nominated amongst the Top-15 hardware startups at the Asia Hardware Battle, organised by TechCrunch and TechNode in March 2016". IANS Prego Cans Giveaway During tonights live visit to the Grand Prize winners, Prego Malaysia will give 100 Free Prego cans* to viewers who are having a Prego Family dinner. Take a photo of your family dinner. Make sure that Prego product is visible. And post it between 7pm and 9pm on the link given during the Facebook Live. The first 100 valid entries will win. **Terms and conditions apply** ~Click here for Prego Facebook page~ To Participate Prego In Prego Traditional, vine-ripened tomatoes provide the base for the perfect balance of sweet tomato taste and savory Italian seasonings. A true classic! Traditional, vine-ripened tomatoes provide the base for the perfect balance of sweet tomato taste and savory Italian seasonings. A true classic! Prego Mushroom: If you love great mushroom taste, then this is the sauce for youmade with only fresh mushrooms! Prego Tomato, Basil & Garlic: Vine-ripened tomatoes, sweet basil, and a hint of garlic. It doesnt get any better than that, does it? Other Ongoing FREE Samples Giveaway Akhilesh not averse to alliance with Cong in UP polls India oi-PTI New Delhi, Dec 2: Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today appeared not averse to an alliance with Congress for UP Assembly polls, saying such a combine can win over 300 seats in the 403-member House, but firmly ruled out any tie-up with BSP. Only last month, Samajwadi Party supremo and Akhilesh's father Mulayam Singh Yadav had ruled out any pre-poll alliance and asserted that there can only be mergers. Replying to a volley of questions on a possible tie-up with Congress against the backdrop of its poll strategist Prashant Kishor meeting Mulayam and and himself later, the Chief Minister said that a final decision on the alliance will be taken by the SP supremo and he can only give suggestions. Akhilesh also suggested that Congress will have to accept that it may have to fight on a fewer number of seats than it wants in an alliance because a tie-up will not work out if it keeps thinking about "profit and loss". He also hit back at BSP chief Mayawati, who had recently mocked him for calling her 'bua', saying her problem is that BSP is not in contention to capture power and added that he will no longer call her 'bua' (father's sister). Speaking at the HT Leadership Summit here, Akhilesh (43) attacked the Modi government over demonetization and took potshots at his rivals, including Amar Singh, within SP. "It is a big dream," he quipped when asked if Amar Singh was also a contender for the Chief Minister's post. He, however, asserted that the murky infighting that put his uncle Shivpal Yadav against him is behind him and he, "like Arjun is focusing on one goal, which is to form government in the state again". It is for Congress, which has projected Sheila Dikshit as its chief ministerial candidate, to take a final decision on an alliance, he said, adding that Kishor had met him after meeting Mulayam. "When there is an alliance, somebody has to accept that he will get fewer number of seats (to contest). If you keep thinking about profit and loss, then it will not work out. We are anyway going to form government again with a majority and if they (Congress) also come along, then we will cross 300," he said. Akhilesh said that he conveyed this to Kishor too. "It (UP polls) is a big battle. If the ally is good, then we can sort out other parties," the Chief Minister said, though he ruled out any alliance with BSP which, he noted, had formed government with BJP three times earlier and Mayawati "used to tie" Rakhi to some BJP leaders. Attacking the central government, he said it has made everybody stand in queue and wondered if this was the 'achchhe din' for which people had voted for Narendra Modi. "It has harmed the economy," he said. PTI Mamata slams Centre's 'lack of decency' in sending invite via undersecy for Netaji Bose statue unveiling 'Is this acceptable?' Mamata Banerjee on Hindu Mahasabha's depiction of Mahatma Gandhi as Asura Amit Shah to chair two-day 'Chintan Shivir of Home Ministers'; Mamata to skip the meet Army presence across West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee refuses to leave secretariat India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer Kolkata, Dec 2: As Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee refused to leave Nabanna, the Bengal State Secretariat in a high security zone, till wee hours of Friday, heavy army presence was reported from across the state. The Chief Minister decided not to go home and instead stay put at the state secretariat to protest against the "sudden deployment" of the army near Nabanna. "I won't leave unless the army is withdrawn from near the secretariat. I'll keep vigil to protect democracy, to protect my democratically elected government," Banerjee told reporters. [Also Read:Military Coup? Mamata Banerjee refuses to leave office over army at toll booths] In fact, the Chief Minister hurriedly convened a late night media meet on Thursday at the secretariat building. According to ANI, military police were conducting checks in Siliguri, West Bengal, on Friday morning. Military police conducting checks in Siliguri (West Bengal) pic.twitter.com/Ot1tRLfP3N ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2016 "The WB CM has been in the secretariat building overnight. Till midnight I got reports that in over a dozen districts army personnel were being deployed," Derek O'Brien of All India Trinamool Congress, the ruling party, told ANI. We have full respect for the army, but we are told that the data they are looking for is already available: Derek O'Brien (TMC) pic.twitter.com/1nwtVCBX8g ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2016 "Are they authorised to collect funds from toll plazas? Eastern command said this is being coordinated, police knows...this is untrue," added O'Brien. The Defence Ministry rubbished all the allegations. A Defence Ministry spokesperson said the army was conducting routine exercise with full knowledge of and co-ordination with West Bengal police. "The army conducts the annual exercise throughout the country with the aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of a contingency," he added. OneIndia News Bank unions seek Jaitley's intervention to end cash-shortage India oi-PTI Vadodara, Dec 2: Two large bank unions on Friday demanded immediate intervention of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in ending the acute cash shortage in the system following the demonetisation of high-value notes last month. In a letter written to Jaitley, All-India Bank Employees Association and All-India Bank Officers Association has said that RRI should take immediate steps to supply adequate cash to all banks and daily announce the details of the notes it supplies. "You (Jaitley) are very well aware of the problems being faced by the bank staff and customers after November 8 (when demonetisation was announced). Even after so many days we find that problem of acute cash shortage persists due to lack of lower denomination notes and non-functional ATMs," the letter said. They said the Rs 100 notes being supplied now by the RBI are soiled so badly that customers are not accepting them. While the RBI is repeatedly making public statements that adequate cash is being supplied to banks, the reality is otherwise. Also read: Printing new notes will take time, it is time consuming says Arun Jaitley People feel that RBI is supplying cash but banks are deliberately not extending the payments, the letter said. "In this background, it is highly imperative that the RBI is asked to publicly announce the details of currency notes supplied to various currency chests/banks on a daily basis so that the allegations that some private banks are being favoured with more currency notes and public sector banks are discriminated can be answered properly." Seeking protection for banking staff, the letter said there have been instances where angry citizens have locked up the bank branches from outside to protest lack of cash. "The situation is becoming unbearable and officers and employees are reaching...on the brink of losing their patience due to sheer fatigue," the letter said. The unions said there are allegations that RBI is supplying more notes to some private banks at the cost of public sector lenders. "We wish this information is wrong," they added. PTI BSF seizes Rs 3 lakh in Pak currency from man, grandmother returning from Kartarpur Sahib In a joint op by BSF & Assam Police, heroin worth over Rs 45 cr seized BSF shoots down drone along Pakistan border in Punjab J&K: BSF medical officer arrested in recruitment case sent to 10-day CBI remand BSF guns down infiltrator near Pathankot India oi-Vikas By Vikas The Border Security Force (BSF) on Friday evening shot dead an infiltrator from Pakistan near Tinda post in Pathankot's Bamiyal sector. The body of the intruder is yet to be recovered as it fell close to the border. Sources say that Pathankot has been put on high alert and a massive search operation has been launched to ascertain if the slain intruder has any accomplices. According to reports, as many as 250 security personnel including SWAT commandos have been deployed. OneIndia News Congress dubs IT Amendment bill as "unleashing of taxation terrorism" India oi-PTI New Delhi, Dec 1 (PTI) Describing the Income Tax Amendment Bill as "unleashing of taxation terrorism", Congress today said it is "a big assault" on the federal economy of the country that would reduce the income of states to the extent of 50 per cent. Congress also attacked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government over demonetisation, saying the step is a "total assault" on the economy, the farmers and the common people of the country, which has also created a "panic situation". Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily said the Prime Minister has created an "artificial drought" in the country as also for creating a "jobless economy". "It is a big assault on the federal economy of this country. It is nothing but unleashing of taxation terrorism. The income Tax Amendment bill will deprive the states of their income to the extent of 50 per cent, as taxes will not go to the states and there is no threshold limit on the money received," he said. "It is a big assault on the economy in this country. Anybody can be raided. It is nothing but unleashing the Tax Terrorism on the entire country. Anybody becomes vulnerable in this. So, this is total assault on the economy, total assault on the farmers, total assault on the day to day life of a commoner and this is a very-very panic situation and in fact this has effected everybody," the former Union Minister said. He said former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has already come out with a very firm statement with absolute clarity that demonetisation is a monumental mismanagement and organised loot and plunder. "I totally subscribe to him," he said. Moily said even the Finance Ministry feels that the GDP will be 5.5 pc as against 7.5 pc which they had expected, which is a 2 pc fall. "In next three years GDP will fall when the country was picking up, the economy was to become vibrant, farming sector just picking up after the 2 years of consecutive draughts, a panic button is pressed by the Prime Minister of the country. In fact, this is a 'Panic Strike' on the people of the country and they are disrupted," he said. Moily accused the BJP of "subverting" Parliament and alleged that "they have already demolished" some of the Institutions. "They have practically demolished the RBI, 'Niti Aayog' is only Aayog and no Niti, they are now demolishing even Parliament. They are intolerant to the utmost extent,"he said. PTI Coup in West Bengal- Army rubbishes Mamata's allegation India oi-Anusha West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stayed overnight in her office taking offense to the army being deployed at toll booths in West Bengal. She cried foul and her party members termed it as a coup. However the army has rubbished these allegations and the Eastern Command of the Indian army took to its Twitter account to set the record straight. Army conducting routine exercise with full knowledge & coord with WB Police. Speculation of army taking over toll plaza incorrect @adgpi EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) December 1, 2016 [Also Read: Army presence across West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee refuses to leave secretariat] On its social media handle, the army made it clear that it was a routine exercise in all North Eastern states. The Eastern command's Twitter handle called the bluff and said that the routine exercise was with full coordination and knowledge of the West Bengal police. The Army thrashed Mamata Banerjee and TMC's speculations of the army taking over toll booths calling it incorrect in their tweet. Trinamool Congress Chief had locked herself up in her office demanding that the army be withdrawn. She had also stated that her party MPs will raise the issue in the parliament on Friday. Routine exercise in all NE states. In Assam @ 18 places, Arunanchal@13, WB@19, Manipur@6, Nagaland@5, Meghalaya@5, Tripura & Mizoram@1@adgpi EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) December 1, 2016 The Indian Army also stated that this was nothing more than a routine exercise that was being carried out in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. OneIndia News Gods on the runway: Kerala airport halts flights every year to make way for temple procession I will break your legs: SFI issues threat to principal in presence of cops in Kerala Didn't join ISIS, practicing Salafi Islam: Kerala youth tells mother India oi-Madhuri By Madhuri Bengaluru, Dec 2: Ashfaque Majeed, one of the 21 youth who went missing from Kerala to allegedly the join Islamic State, has reportedly called his mother and said that he has not joined Islamic State and that he is safe in Afghanistan, practicing Salafi Islam (Salafi is a term often used to describe fundamentalist Islamic thought). According to a report in the Indian Express', Ashfaque Majeed had called his mother, Ayesha and told her that he not joined any terror outfit. I am following Salafi Islam in Afghanistan, he said during the phone call. He further told his mother during the 5 minute conversation that he lived in a village which had bad mobile network. I have travelled to a town nearby just to call you, he also said. [ Also read: 16 from Kerala suspected to have joined ISIS ] He also informed his mother that the others had left India were unable to follow true Islam. I will be starting a medical store along with Dr Ijaz (cousin), he also said. Earlier, Ashfaque's youngest brother had received a voice message on whatsapp which was sent by him to his family members asking them to leave India and join him in land of Islam. He also said that not to inform police regarding this. In August this year, Ashfaque's father Abdul Majeed had lodged a complaint with the Mumbai Police claiming that his son had left the country to join the IS. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, December 2, 2016, 10:54 [IST] Take a look at EWS flats at Kalkaji to be inaugurated by PM Modi [Photos] For beneficiaries of EWS flat a gift from PM Modi like none other Don't point fingers at the army- PM hands out a stern warning India oi-Vicky New Delhi, Dec 2: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that none should question or raise their fingers against the Indian army. He made this statement while addressing senior ministers during a meet he had chaired this morning. The response by the Prime Minister comes in the wake of the TMC and other opposition parties questioning the presence of the army in West Bengal. There has been ruckus in both houses of Parliament over this issue. The PM said in clear terms that it was wrong to question the Indian army. Clearly hitting out at Mamata Banerjee for raising the charges, Modi said that none should point a finger at the Indian army. Coup in West Bengal- Army rubbishes Mamata's allegation Meanwhile the army has also denied all charges made by the TMC and other opposition leaders. The army is not collecting toll at counters in West Bengal. 4 documents sent by Army have a stamped, signed receiving from the departments of the West Bengal Govt. TMC has dug itself into a big hole. Rahul Kanwal (@rahulkanwal) December 2, 2016 It is exercise being carried out for operational purposes, Major General Sunil Yadav, the general officer in command in the area said. OneIndia News 'Is this acceptable?' Mamata Banerjee on Hindu Mahasabha's depiction of Mahatma Gandhi as Asura Drama in West Bengal: BJP calls CM Mamata Banerjee mentally unstable India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer New Delhi, Dec 2: In the wake of a high voltage political drama in West Bengal, after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee protested against the presence of army personnel in toll booths across the state, a war of words has erupted between the TMC and the BJP on Friday. Reacting to the allegations of "military coup" in the state by West Bengal Chief Minister, BJP's Siddharth Nath Singh, said, "Maverick Mamata is suffering from mental imbalance which is why she is coming up with such conspiracy theories of threat to her life. I suggest TMC to take her to the hospital." Jo paisa unhone (WB CM) gavaaya hai, usse sadma unhe hua hai, uske baad wo apne maansik santulan mein nahin hain: SN Singh,BJP pic.twitter.com/tRfNYcAbCJ ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2016 First WB CM had apprehensions about flight being low on fuel, then she related a regular army exercise to a coup: Siddharth Nath Singh,BJP pic.twitter.com/pijiKBWFTO ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2016 The Chief Minister decided not to go home and instead stay put at the state secretariat to protest against the "sudden deployment" of the army near the area on Thursday. [Also Read: Army presence across West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee refuses to leave secretariat] "I won't leave unless the army is withdrawn from near the secretariat. I'll keep vigil to protect democracy, to protect my democratically elected government," Banerjee told reporters. "It is a grave situation when a CM is being continuously harassed and her life is in danger," said Sudip Bandyopadhyay of TMC. Regarding army deployment in West Bengal, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said it was a routine exercise. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, December 2, 2016, 11:15 [IST] Explained- What the army is doing in West Bengal India oi-Vicky There has been a furore in Parliament over the army being stationed in West Bengal. Mamata Banerjee the Chief Minister of West Bengal has termed it as a coup a charge that has been denied by the government of India and the army. [Also Read: Army in WB: Routine exercise, controversy 'saddening', says Manohar Parrikar] OneIndia explains what this exercise by the army really is. Such an exercise is carried out as a routine twice a year across the country. It is an exercise aimed at collecting information of the number of average load bearing vehicles, trucks or buses that pass through a particular area. Collection of information: The army stations troops at strategic places at state or national highways including the toll plazas to get information on load bearing vehicles. The personnel have to make a note of the vehicle including the load carrying capacity and also the frequency at which the vehicle passes. [Also Read: Army not collecting toll in West Bengal: Maj Gen Sunil Yadav] This data is then compiled and the statistics given to the local commander at the Sub Area headquarters. The data is referred to when an operational mobilisation takes place. This data would help the army to find out how may vehicles it may require to hire to ferry troops and equipment. This would be in addition to the army's own fleet of vehicles. The last time around such a major exercise was carried out was following the Parliament attack in 2001. The army basically wants to know the availability of load bearing vehicles which would be available to ferry men and equipment. The vehicles that are hired would be paid by the army. Such an exercise is always carried out with the consultation of the state government. OneIndia News THE WALL OF SHAME "The only thing [Trump's] mouth is good for is being Vladimir Putin's c--k holster." --STEPHEN COLBERT "[Ivanka Trump] Your father is a racist birther. Steve Bannon an anti-Semitic opportunist. You and your husband are enabling hatred. F--- your shoes." --BRADLEY WHITFORD "Melania [Trump] is a hooker." --JACOB BERNSTEIN "And my job is to shut other white people down when they want to interrupt." "We have to, at the DNC, provide training. We have to teach them how to communicate, how to be sensitive, and how to shut their mouths if they're white." --SALLY BOYNTON BROWN "And to our detractors that insist that this march will never add up to anything: F--- you! F---you! "Yes, I have thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House." --MADONNA "Barron Trump looks like a very handsome date-rapist-to-be." --STEPHEN SPINOLA "Barron [Trump] will be this country's first homeschool shooter." --KATIE RICH "Hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners, and if we kick 'em all out, you'll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not the arts." --MERYL STREEP "There's a billion to one chance we're living in base reality." [That means we're almost positively living in a simulation, like a video game.] --ELON MUSK "When I would deny that there was a significant racist component in some of the politics on our side, it was because the people I hung out with were certainly not. When suddenly, this rock is turned over, there is this'Oh shit, did I not see that?'" ---------------------------- "In any other scenario, Hillary Clinton's lying about her emails, and her pay-for-play relationship with the Clinton Foundation would be disqualifying issues. The only reason they're not disqualifying is because Donald Trump is a fundamentally more repellent, dishonest figure." --CHARLIE SYKES "I made a mistake in recalling the events of twelve years ago... I said I was traveling in an aircraft that was hit by RPG fire. I was instead in a following aircraft." --BRIAN WILLIAMS "I'm here to tell you if you elect me governor of this state, I will end the civil war." --TOM BARRETT "I would not look to the U.S. Constitution, if I were drafting a constitution in the year 2012. I might look at the constitution of South Africa. That was a deliberate attempt to have a fundamental instrument of government that embraced basic human rights, had an independent judiciary. It really is, I think, a great piece of work that was done." --RUTH BADER GINSBURG "Callista Gingrich. Karen Santorum. Ann Romney. Now, do you really think our country is ready for a white first lady?" --ROBERT DE NIRO "The death of Andrew Breitbart disproves the adage that only the good die young." --JULIAN BOND "The National Institute of Health has said that it is a danger to women's health and safety of their families that for 30 years to be exposed to the prospects of pregnancy." --GWEN MOORE "[Tea Party Republicans] have acted like terrorists." --JOE BIDEN "Why did- Couldn't the President have said at that moment, way back in December of last year, 'no game playing. No hostage-taking. No terrorizing this country with the debt ceiling. I'm not going to negotiate with you guys. You can't play it that way.' Could he have done that?" --CHRIS MATTHEWS "[T]he tea-party Hobbits could return to Middle Earth having defeated Mordor." --WALL STREET JOURNAL EDITORIAL "I remember distinctly an image of--we were sitting on his couches, and I was looking at [Obama's] pant leg and his perfectly creased pant, and I'm thinking, a) he's going to be president and b) he'll be a very good president." --DAVID BROOKS "I feel like calling her back and smackin' her around." --FRED CLARK, DEMOCRAT "The picture was of me, and I sent it." --ANTHONY WEINER "[I]f you go back to the year 2000, when we had an obvious disaster and - and saw that our voting process needed refinement, and we did that in the America Votes Act and made sure that we could iron out those kinks, now you have the Republicans, who want to literally drag us all the way back to Jim Crow laws and literally - and very transparently - block access to the polls to voters who are more likely to vote Democratic candidates than Republican candidates. And it's nothing short of that blatant." --DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ "This is probably one of the worst times we've seen because the numbers of people elected to Congress. I went through this as co-chair of the arts caucus. In '94 people were elected simply to come here to kill the National Endowment for the Arts. Now theyre here to kill women." --LOUISE SLAUGHTER "The protesters have proven today that theyre not going away. It was a pretty rough night last night. You can imagine if people said, well, we just cant fight the power. Instead, this morning, they came by tens, by hundreds, by thousands. By midday today, it was easily more than 10,000, perhaps as many as 15,000 people on the square here in Madison. Not organized by anyone, just grassroots citizens who came out just like the Minutemen in 1776." --JOHN NICHOLS "They're sitting on the money, they're using it for their own -- they're putting it someplace else with no interest in helping you with your life, with that money. We've allowed them to take that. That's not theirs, that's a national resource, that's ours. We all have this -- we all benefit from this or we all suffer as a result of not having it. I think we need to go back to taxing these people at the proper rates." --MICHAEL MOORE "Why don't we just raise the taxes and let these folks have their collective bargaining, have their union representation and go back to their jobs? Raise the taxes on the wealthy." --DAVID LETTERMAN "In 1933, [Hitler] abolished unions and that's what our Governor [Scott Walker] is doing today." --LENA TAYLOR, Democrat State Senator "So I would urge my Republican colleagues, no matter how strongly they feel -- you know, we have three branches of government. We have a House. We have a Senate. We have a president. And all three of us are going to have to come together and give some, but it is playing with fire to risk the shutting down of the government." --CHUCK SCHUMER "Well, when you start off with the Preamble of the Constitution, you talk about the pursuit of happiness." --JOHN LEWIS "I'm Rebecca Kleefisch. I performed fellatio on all the talk show hosts in Milwaukee. And they endorsed me and that's how I became lieutenant governor." --SLY SYLVESTER "Do you think this Constitution-loving is getting out of hand? I mean, is it a nod to the Tea Party?" --JOY BEHAR "We cant just leave it up to the parents." "[Military leaders] tell us that childhood obesity isnt just a public health issue; they tell us that it is not just an economic threat -- it is a national security threat as well." --MICHELLE OBAMA "Actually, I did not take part in [the assassination of Sarah Palin]. I led it." --KATHLEEN PARKER "[The repeal of ObamaCare is] a kind of creeping genocide." --JESSE JACKSON "[Obama] has to realize that Mitch McConnell has virtually said so that politically he wants to cut out his heart and throw his liver to the dogs." --DAN RATHER "And the instructions are not to improvise a comedy sketch, but to elect a group of unqualified, unstable individuals who will do what they are told, in exchange for money and power, and march this nation as far backward as they can get, backward to Jim Crow, or backward to the breadlines of the '30s, or backward to hanging union organizers, or backward to the trusts and the robber barons. "Result: the Tea Party. Vote backward, vote Tea Party. And if you are somehow indifferent to what is planned for next Tuesday, it is nothing short of an attempted use of democracy to end this democracy." --KEITH "Reagan's dead and he was a lousy President" OLBERMANN "I gotta wonder when people are gonna start wearing uniforms. I mean they've got an army out there in Alaska of militia people. You've got these guys going around acting like street thugs. I mean it isn't far from what we saw in the thirties, where all of a sudden, political parties started showing up in uniform." --CHRIS MATTHEWS "[Sharron Angle] is a moron on top of being evil... I'd like to see her do this ad in the South Bronx. Come here, bitch. Come to New York and do it. I'm not praying for her. She's going to hell. She's going to hell, this bitch." --JOY BEHAR "So people have been hurting and I understand that. And it doesn't give them comfort or solace for me to tell them, you know, but for me, we'd be in a worldwide depression." --HARRY REID "And to play Dick Cheney, all I had to do was find my Dick Cheney. And you can find all the villainy in the world in your own heart, and that's what an actor's job is. I always say to kids, inside you is Hitler and Jesus. And you got to find the appropriate person and bring them out." --RICHARD DREYFUSS "Because I live in the District of Columbia which is so predominantly Democratic, I am a registered Democrat. But I am an avowed neutral. And to put that into practice, I take my young daughter into the voting booth and she votes for me. She's now 14. We've been doing this since she was about age 4. She's now quite informed." --BOB WOODWARD "Sarah Palin's an idiot. Come on. This is a remarkably, stunningly, jaw-droppingly incompetent and mean woman." "The Democrats may have moved into the center, but the Republicans have moved into a mental institution." --AARON SORKIN "Perhaps the greatest threat of all is the undermining of our Constitution and the systematic attack against the inalienable rights of the citizens of this nation, rights that are guaranteed by our Constitution. At the vanguard of this insidious attack is the Tea Party. This band of misguided citizens is moving perilously close to achieving villainous ends." --HARRY BELAFONTE "[Christine O'Donnell is] a witch who doesn't masturbate." --JOY BEHAR "Ah, the Tea Party, the nativist bed-wetters who somehow control our national dialogue. Yes, I call them the Pee Party, Jay, because they're always peeing in their pants about something. They're just, they're afraid of a mosque being built in New York. They're afraid of guns. You know, they think Obama, who like every other pussy Democrat has never said a single word about gun control, but they are very sure that he and his Negro army are coming after their guns. You know what? If you think that he's coming after your guns, you need to get out of your chat room and have your house tested for lead. He's not coming after your guns or your Bible or your fishing pole or your chewing tobacco." --BILL MAHER "That's a trade-off society is making because of very, very high medical costs, and a lack of willingness to say, you know, is spending a million dollars on that last three months of life for that patient, would it be better not to lay off those ten teachers and to make that trade-off in medical costs. But that;s called the 'Death Panel' and you're not supposed to have that discussion." --BILL GATES "NOT the 'whiteman's bitch'" --IESHUH GRIFFIN "[If Rush Limbaugh suffered a heart attack in my presence, I would] laugh loudly like a maniac and watch his eyes bug out. I never knew I had this much hate in me. But he deserves it." --SARAH SPITZ "You want freedom, you going to have to kill some crackers. You going to have to kill some of their babies." --KING SAMIR SHABAZZ "If this was Texas, which is the state that, that is directly on the border with Mexico, and they were calling for a measure like this, saying that they had a major issue with, you know, with undocumented people flooding their borders, I would say I would have to look twice at this. "But this is a state that is a ways removed from the border. And, um, it just, it doesn't make sense to me that when you google this subject, if you put in 'Arizona S.B. 1070,' that you see a picture of the governor of Arizona meeting with President Obama in May of 2010. If you have direct linkage to the president, there are already National Guard troops on the border in Arizona." --PEGGY WEST "Tell [the Jews] to get the hell out of Palestine. Remember, these people are occupied and it's their land. It's not German. It's not Poland. [The Jews] can go home. Poland. Germany." --HELEN THOMAS "After the last eight years, it's good to have a president that knows what a library is." --PAUL McCARTNEY "By the way, I just want to point out I'm wearing my splash shield because I was told I was going to be in the splash zone (during Harry Smith's colonoscopy on live TV)." --KATIE COURIC "And that Word is, we have to give voice to what that means in terms of public policy that would be in keeping with the values of the Word." ---------------------------- "Think of an economy where people could be an artist or a photographer or a writer without worrying about keeping their day job in order to have health insurance or that people could start a business and be entrepreneurial and take risk, but not job loss because of a child with asthma or someone in the family is bipolaryou name it, any condition is job-locking." --NANCY PELOSI "Back in World War II, we viewed the Japanese as 'yellow, slant-eyed dogs' that believed in different gods. They were out to kill us because our way of living was different. We, in turn, wanted to annihilate them because they were different. Does that sound familiar, by any chance, to what's going on today?" --TOM HANKS "The 'White Right' is trying to set Barack up to be assassinated.... Here are Christians praying for God to kill Barack Obama." --LOUIS FARRAKHAN "I refuse to accept the notion that the United States of America is not going to lead the world economically throughout the 20th Century." --JOE BIDEN "Obama's critics keep blasting him for Chicago-style politics. So, fine. Channel your inner Al Capone and go gangsta against your foes. Let 'em know that if they aren't with you, they are against you, and will pay the price." --ROLAND MARTIN "Martha Coakley is running to fill the rest of Ted Kennedy's term, and her opponent is a far-right tea-bagger Republican." --CHUCK SCHUMER "I tell you what, if I lived in Massachusetts, I'd try to vote ten times. I don't know if they'd let me or not, but I'd try to. Yeah, that's right, I'd cheat to keep these bastards out. I would. 'Cause that's exactly what they are." --ED SCHULTZ "We also see how revved up the tea baggers are at the thought of hijacking health care reform and every chance we have at making progress in Washington." --JOHN KERRY "A few years ago, this guy (Obama) would have been getting us coffee." --BILL CLINTON "I didn't realize I had written a column defending Roman Polanski and minimized his crime - are you sure it was me? I mean, I? There is, apparently, more to this crime than it would seem, and it may sound like a hollow defense, but in Hollywood I am not sure a 13-year-old is really a 13-year-old." --TOM SHALES "Joe Wilson yelled 'You lie!' at a president who didn't. But, fair or not, what I heard was an unspoken word in the air: You lie, boy!" --MAUREEN DOWD "One awkward moment for Sarah Palin at the Yankee game... During the 7th inning, her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez." --DAVID LETTERMAN "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasnt lived that life." --SONIA SOTOMAYOR "We all considered sexual abuse of minors as a moral evil, but had no understanding of its criminal nature." --REMBERT WEAKLAND, Archbishop of Milwaukee 1977- 2002 "You know, you might want to look into this, [President Obama], because I think maybe Rush Limbaugh was the 20th hijacker, but he was so strung out on Oxycontin he missed his flight." "Rush Limbaugh -- 'I hope the country fails.' I hope his kidneys fail." ---------------------------- "[Obama] told me I did a great job. The first lady said the same thing. I got a 'well done' from the president, I'm on cloud nine." --WANDA SYKES "Americans are looking for more government in their life, not less." --COLIN POWELL "[Tea Party goers are] just a bunch of wimpy, whiny, weasels who don't love their country." --PAUL BEGALA "I wouldn't want [gay marriage] to go to the United States Supreme Court now because that homophobe Antonin Scalia has too many votes on this current court." --BARNEY FRANK "Going forward, my mind will be open to every solution -- except one. We should not -- we must not -- and I will not -- raise taxes." --JIM DOYLE, Liar "He's a terrorist. Rush Limbaugh is a terrorist." --JOY BEHAR "You know, I just want to say to her (Sarah Palin), just very quickly...F--- you." --JON STEWART "Should I be worried about being a slave and being returned to slavery?" --WHOOPI GOLDBERG "I also believe that America is the greatest sin against God." --FR. MICHAEL PFLEGER "Those who think they can revive the stinking corpse of the usurping and fake Israeli regime by throwing a birthday party are seriously mistaken. Today the reason for the Zionist regime's existence is questioned, and this regime is on its way to annihilation." --MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD "We'll be eight degrees hotter in ten, not ten but 30 or 40 years and basically none of the crops will grow. Most of the people will have died and the rest of us will be cannibals." --TED TURNER "Look, [Mitt] Romney comes from a religion founded by a criminal who was anti-American, pro-slavery, and a rapist. And he comes from that lineage and says, 'I respect this religion fully.'" --LAWRENCE O'DONNELL "Mexico does not end at its borders... Where there is a Mexican, there is Mexico." --FELIPE CALDERON "The planet has a fever. If your baby has a fever, you go to the doctor. If the doctor says you need to intervene here, you don't say, 'Well, I read a science fiction novel that told me it's not a problem.' If the crib's on fire, you don't speculate that the baby is flame retardant." --AL GORE "Don't fear the terrorists. They're mothers and fathers." --ROSIE O'DONNELL "Is America ready for a black president? Well, I say we just had a retarded one. When did being black become a bigger deterrent than being retarded?" --CHRIS ROCK "Shut the f--- up! Shut up if you can't take a joke [about President Bush]!" --BARBRA STREISAND "Right, oh, yeah, Happy 9/11! Celebrate the day, right?" --JAMES BROLIN, Mr. Barbra Streisand "I think President Bush very well may have signed an authorization for the 9/11 attacks." --KEVIN BARRETT, UW-MADISON Lecturer "I said what I said. I am not guilty." --SADDAM HUSSEIN "Terri will not be starved to death. Her nutrition and hydration will be taken away." --MICHAEL SCHIAVO "On the eve of the election last month my wife Judith and I were driving home late in the afternoon and turned on the radio for the traffic and weather. What we instantly got was a freak show of political pornography: lies, distortions, and half-truths -- half-truths being perhaps the blackest of all lies. " --BILL MOYERS "I hate the Republicans and everything they stand for." --HOWARD DEAN "The Iraqis who have risen up against the occupation are not 'insurgents' or 'terrorists' or 'The Enemy.' They are the REVOLUTION, the Minutemen, and their numbers will grow -- and they will win." --MICHAEL MOORE "And there is no reason, Bob, that young American soldiers need to be going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night, terrorizing kids and children, you know, women, breaking sort of the customs of the--of--the historical customs, religious customs." --JOHN KERRY "F---ing retarded." "[Republicans] can go f--- themselves!" --RAHM EMANUEL "I'm not going to have some reporters pawing through our papers. We are the president." --HILLARY CLINTON "It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is." --BILL CLINTON "And let me tell you something -- for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change. And I have been desperate to see our country moving in that direction and just not feeling so alone in my frustration and disappointment." --MICHELLE OBAMA "If asking a billionaire to pay the same tax rate as a Jew, uh, as a janitor, makes me a warrior for the working class, I wear that with a badge of honor." ---------------------------- "If you love me, you got to help me pass this bill." ---------------------------- "[F]or most of my lifetime, the United States was such a dominant economic power, we were such a large market, our industry, our technology, our manufacturing was so significant that we always met the rest of the world economically on our terms. And now, because of the incredible rise of India and China and Brazil and other countries, the United States remains the largest economic and the largest market but theres real competition out there. And that's potentially healthy. It makes -- Michelle was saying earlier I like tough questions because it keeps me on my toes. Well, this will keep America on its toes." ---------------------------- "If Latinos sit out the election instead of saying, 'We're gonna PUNISH OUR ENEMIES and we're gonna reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us,' if they don't see that kind of upsurge in voting in this election, then I think it's gonna be harder and that's why I think it's so important that people focus on voting on November 2." ---------------------------- "We don't mind the Republicans joining us. They can come for the ride, but THEY GOTTA SIT IN BACK." ---------------------------- "We can absorb a terrorist attack. We'll do everything we can to prevent it, but even a 9/11, even the biggest attack ever... we absorbed it and we are stronger." ---------------------------- "We're buying shrimp, guys." ---------------------------- "We are the ones we've been waiting for." ---------------------------- "We talk to these folks because they potentially have the best answers so I know whose ass to kick." ---------------------------- "We're not trying to push financial reform because we begrudge success that's fairly earned. I mean, I do think at a certain point you've made enough money. But, you know, part of the American way is, you know, you can just keep on making it if youre providing a good product or you're providing good service. We don't want people to stop fulfilling the core responsibilities of the financial system to help grow the economy." ---------------------------- "If you've got a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen." ---------------------------- "It is a vital national security interest of the United States to reduce these conflicts because whether we like it or not, we remain a dominant military superpower, and when conflicts break out, one way or another we get pulled into them. And that ends up costing us significantly in terms of both blood and treasure." ---------------------------- "But I -- I think that the most important thing for the public to understand is, we're not handling any of these cases any different than the Bush administration handled them all through 9/11." ---------------------------- "One such translator was an American of Haitian descent, representative of the extraordinary work that our men and women in uniform do all around the world -- Navy CORPSE-MAN Christian [sic] Brossard. And lying on a gurney aboard the USNS Comfort, a woman asked Christopher: 'Where do you come from? What country? After my operation,' she said, 'I will pray for that country.' And in Creole, CORPSE-MAN Brossard responded, 'Etazini.' The United States of America." ---------------------------- "I hear that Dr. Joe Medicine Crow was around, and so I want to give a shout-out to that Congressional Medal of Honor winner. It's good to see you." ---------------------------- "We are God's partners in matters of life and death." ---------------------------- "[T]he Cambridge police acted stupidly." ---------------------------- "I am going to teach [my daughters] first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby." ---------------------------- "The reforms we seek would bring greater competition, choice, savings, and INEFFICIENCIES to our health care system." ---------------------------- "Over the last 15 months, weve traveled to every corner of the United States. Ive now been in 57 states? I think one left to go. Alaska and Hawaii, I was not allowed to go to even though I really wanted to visit, but my staff would not justify it." --BARACK OBAMA HC disposes of pleas challenging entry tax on online orders India oi-PTI Ahmedabad, Dec 1: The Gujarat High Court today disposed of a set of petitions filed by e-commerce players Flipkart, Amazon, and Instakart challenging the entry tax imposed by the state government on the goods purchased through e-commerce portals. A division bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice V M Pancholi disposed of the petitions in view of a recent Supreme Court judgement, which upheld the validity of entry tax imposed by the states. The high court, however, allowed the petitioners to approach the relevant adjudicating authorities for raising procedural matters arising from the imposition of entry tax. The Supreme Court had last month upheld the constitutional validity of the state legislations with regard to the levy of entry tax on goods coming from other states, ruling that tax legislation by the state does not require the consent of the President under Article 304 of the Constitution. Flipkart Internet Pvt Ltd, Amazon Seller Services Pvt Ltd, and Instakart Services Pvt Ltd had in April and May moved the high court with petitions challenging the imposition of entry tax by Gujarat government on goods purchased on e-commerce platforms. The petitioners claimed that the state government's amendment to the law to levy entry tax on goods purchased through e-commerce portals was discriminatory as no such tax is imposed on goods brought into Gujarat through other modes of sale. They argued that they only provide online platform to manufacturers, traders and buyers and are themselves not involved in selling any product and hence the tax is unjustified. However, the government had argued that it was done to provide a level-playing field to traders and retailers in the state. The Gujarat Tax on Entry of Specified Goods into Local Areas (Amendment) Bill, was passed on March 31 this year. From April 1, any goods being purchased online is being subject to 5 to 15 per cent entry tax. While normal goods are being levied five per cent tax, specified goods are subject to up to 15 per cent tax. The bill amended the Act of 2001 to bring e-commerce transactions in its ambit, as it felt this was adversely-affecting local traders. The new law amends the word "importer" to cover those who "bring or facilitate to bring any specified goods for consumption, use or sale in Gujarat from any part of the country using online platforms." PTI 'Is this acceptable?' Mamata Banerjee on Hindu Mahasabha's depiction of Mahatma Gandhi as Asura Military Coup? Mamata Banerjee refuses to leave office over army at toll booths India oi-IANS By Ians English Kolkata, Dec 2: In a dramatic turn of events, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee vowed to stay put at the secretariat despite the withdrawal of soldiers from a toll gate close to it early Friday. Accusing the central government of "deploying the army" along a highway toll plaza, which is at the second Hooghly Bridge and about 500 m from the secretariat, Banerjee had previously said that the state government was kept "in the dark". "I won't leave unless the army is withdrawn from near the secretariat. I'll keep vigil to protect democracy, to protect my democratically elected government," Banerjee told a hurriedly convened late night media meet on Thursday at the secretariat Nabanna in neighbouring Howrah district. A little after midnight, the Eastern Command said the army has been asked to withdraw from the toll plaza near Nabanna as it had already collected the data it required. Past 2 a.m., Banerjee -- holding her third round of media conference since the evening -- reiterated she would spend the night at Nabanna, fearing the Army may be back. "The army has withdrawn from the second Hooghly Bridge after 2 am. They will definitely come back. After Nabanna, they have entered various districts. The army has been deployed in 80 per cent of the areas," she said. "I'll remain awake all night to keep vigil. I will spend the night at Nabanna," she said. The riveting drama unfolded on Thursday evening, when Banerjee alleged the army has been deployed at the Dankuni and Palsit toll plazas on National Highway 2 (connecting Delhi and Kolkata) without informing the state government. She said the Chief Secretary was writing to the central government and she would approach President Pranab Mukherjee seeking clarification on the issue. "This is unacceptable. Federal structure has been disrupted and democracy twisted. Has Emergency been declared?" she asserted. The Defence Ministry said the army was conducting routine exercise with full knowledge of and co-ordination with West Bengal police. "The army conducts the annual exercise throughout the country with the aim of getting statistical data about the load carriers that could be made available to the army in case of a contingency," said a Defence ministry spokesman. Around 10 p.m., Banerjee held the second round of media conference, rubbishing the spokesman's clarification and declaring she would camp at the secretariat. "The National Highway Authority of India has all this data. They have records of the number of cars plying in each state, and through each highway." She also tweeted: "Absolutely wrong and misleading facts byA@easterncomdAWe have great respect for you, but please please don't mislead the people." Banerjee, also supremo of the ruling Trinamool Congress, said she has collected information from Maharashtra, Kerala, Odisha and Chhattisgarh and nowhere such a thing was been done. "Why is it been done in Bengal? Is it because I am speaking for the people?" she asked, claiming the army has been positioned in Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Darjeeling, North 24Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, Kolkata, Murshidabad and Burdwan districts. Banerjee said: "The secretariat "Nabanna" is a sensitive zone. The toll plaza on the second Hooghly Bridge is within the sensitive zone. It is under our secretariat." Demanding to know whether a military coup has taken place, she said "the motive is political, vindictive, unconstitutional, unethical and undemocratic". Besides the Chief Minister, a number of ministers and the Home Secretary, State Director General of Police, the Kolkata Police Commissioner were all camping at the secretariat. Banerjee said despite the city police commissioner informing the army about the state government's objection to their presence, the army men had refused to budge. Banerjee alleged that the army was taking money from the people at the toll plazas, and called it "loot". "Even if the Army carried out a mock exercise, the state government should have been kept in the loop. If this is happening in a civil area in Bengal, this could happen in Bihar, next in Uttar Pradesh, then in Tamil Nadu and other states as well. It is a very serious situation and it is dangerous than Emergency. We are facing an extremely black day," she said. "I'll urge all state governments to look into the matter. A team of Opposition... all political leaders... will meet the president (soon)," she added. Soon after Banerjee's allegations, the spokesman said the routine exercise was being carried out in all states of the eastern region. "Permission for carrying out this exercise in West Bengal was initially sought for November 28. On specific request of the police the date had been shifted to December 1. No permission has been withdrawn so far," the spokesman added. "Routine exercise in all NE states. In Assam @ 18 places, Arunanchal@13, WB@19, Manipur@6, Nagaland@5, Meghalaya@5, Tripura & Mizoram," the Eastern Command tweeted. But the Kolkata police said they had given their objection in writing. "Army exercise at Toll Plaza was objected to in writing by Kolkata Police, citing security reasons & traffic inconvenience," the Kolkata police claimed on its twitter handle. IANS TRS, BJP are two sides of same coin: Rahul Gandhi in Telangana Congress will bring back old pension scheme in Gujarat, if voted to power: Rahul Gandhi Modi bases his entire policy on Television Rating Points: Rahul Gandhi India oi-Madhuri By Madhuri New Delhi Dec 2: During the Congress Parliamentary party meet, Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that Congress never gave India a Prime Minister who based his entire policy on TRPs. Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress vice President said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a prisoner of his own image. ''We never gave India a PM who by-passed the experience of those sitting in the institutions''. ''We never gave a PM who was ready to inflict such tremendous suffering on people of India to protect his own persona'', says Rahul at CPP meet. Rahul Gandhi further said that its high time that Government develops a coherent strategy. The idea behind surgical strikes was to stop Pakistan from cross border attacks. But there have been 21 major attacks and hundreds of ceasefire violations ever since the strikes. ''Today the same person who used to ridicule us sits silently while Kashmir burns'' he added in CPP meeting. The Congress, along with other opposition parties, has attacked the demonetisation move and demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's apology in Rajya Sabha. The meeting concludes with Opposition ready for debate in both the houses in Parliament. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, December 2, 2016, 11:29 [IST] Maharashtra govt plans a new prison and police stations in Mumbai Stuck in an elevator, 62-year-old woman dies in Mumbai Pathaan teaser review: SRK may have 'KGF-like winner' in hand Comedian Atul Khatri's joke on seatbelt becomes one on him as Mumbai Police responds Mumbai Police arrests 7 with 9 kgs of gold India oi-Vikas By Vikas Mumbai, Dec 2: The Mumbai Police arrests seven persons in possession of nine kilograms of gold from Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, Andheri, here this evening. The value of the seized gold is around Rs.2.5 crore. Mumbai police arrests 7 persons with 9 KG gold worth Rs 2.5 cr (approx) in Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, Andheri area ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2016 As per reports, the gold was brought from New Zealand and other countries. The cops have informed the customs authorities about it. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, December 2, 2016, 20:29 [IST] Note Ban: RBI issues advisory, asks banks not to entertain gossip India oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer New Delhi, Dec 2: The rumour mongers are having a field day as they are spreading "lies" about demonetisation on social media. Reports say, these rumours are often taken seriously by many and some bank personnel have also fallen prey to gossips. On Thursday, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) asked banks not to believe social media gossip that's creating confusion in the minds of the people. [Also Read: Are Rs 10 coins fake? RBI dispels rumours] The central bank issued an advisory asking banks not to rely on unsecured or unofficial channels such as social media for information. "In the wake of the withdrawal of legal tender character from the Specified Bank Notes (SNBs), Reserve Bank of India has been, from time to time, issuing instructions to the banks through the website of RBI (www.rbi.org.in) and official mail. It has been reported that certain guidelines/instructions purported to be issued by RBI are being circulated in the social media by some unscrupulous elements creating confusion in the minds of the public/ bank personnel. Banks are, therefore, cautioned to abide by only those instructions which are either uploaded on our website (www.rbi.org.in) or mailed through the official mail," said the advisory. The RBI also dispelled rumours regarding fake Rs 10 coins circulating in the market. "It has been reported that some less-informed or uninformed persons who suspect the genuineness of such coins are creating doubts in the minds of ordinary people including traders, shopkeepers, etc, impeding the circulation of these coins in certain pockets of the country causing avoidable confusion." OneIndia News "RSS activist's killers had Indian Mujahideen, PFI links" India oi-Vicky Bengaluru, Dec 2: The recent murder of RSS worker Rudresh in Bengaluru is being investigated and according to the government the accused persons have links with the Indian Mujahideen, SDPI, PFI and al-Ummah. The Home Minister of Karnataka, Dr G Parameshwar told the assembly that in the past three years, nine persons associated with either the BJP or RSS have been murdered. The minister assured that the BJP and RSS workers would be given security, if they wanted it. He said that the suspects in the recent murder case of RSS worker, Rudresh are said to have links with SDPI, PFI, Indian Mujahideen and Al Ummah of Tamil Nadu. He further informed that the suspect in the murder case of Raju, a Mysuru based RSS activist the accused are in judicial custody. RSS worker's murder- Killers were paid to get the job done The home minister also said that in the other cases, investigations had learnt that the killings were due to personal reason. He emphasised that the state police was probing into all the cases and the accused would be brought to justice. OneIndia News Sonia likely to address MPs in CPP meet India oi-PTI New Delhi, Dec 1: Congress president Sonia Gandhi is likely to address her party MPs at the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting here tomorrow. This is the first meeting of the CPP during the ongoing Winter session. The meeting assumes significance as it is being held in the wake of opposition offensive against the government's move to demonetise high vaule denomination currency notes. The Congress, along with other opposition parties, has attacked the demonetisation move and has been demanding presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in both Houses of Parliament to discuss the issue. Congress has alleged that note ban has hit the common man hard and is seeking to raise the concerns of the people, in Parliament. Gandhi had been unwell and has just returned from hospital following a viral infection. PTI Vijender Gupta meets Jung, alleges 'victimisation' of BJP MLAs in Delhi India oi-PTI New Delhi, Dec 2:Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta today submitted a memorandum to Lt Governor Najeeb Jung alleging "victimisation" of BJP legislators by AAP government and sought his intervention. Gupta accused that BJP MLAs are "not allowed" to speak in the 70-member Assembly, which has 67 AAP legislators. "Points of order raised by them (BJP MLAs) are ignored. They are thrown out of the Assembly as and when they try to raise their voice in the Vidhan Sabha on public issues. Committee of Privileges is being misused to muzzle their voice," he said in a statement. Gupta said a notice was issued to him by the Deputy Secretary of Assembly Secretariat, asking him to appear before the Committee of Privileges today in the matter of breach of privilege against him for allegedly casting aspersions on the Members of the Rajya Sabha and calling for abolition of the House in a newspaper article. He claimed that he had already tendered an unconditional apology over the matter to the Chairman, Rajya Sabha through a letter dated August 1. In the memorandum, Gupta, MLA from Rohini, sought the LG's intervention in the matter to ensure that AAP government "functions" as per the Constitution. PTI Carter to visit India next week International oi-PTI Washington, Dec 2: Reflecting a new bonhomie of Indo-US defence ties, the Pentagon today announced that outgoing Defence Secretary Ashton Carter would be visiting India next week on his final around the world trip. Slated to be in India on December 8, Carter would travel to Japan, Bahrain, Israel, Italy and Great Britain before returning to the US on December 16. This is for the first time that an outgoing American Defence Secretary has included India in his itinerary for the final overseas trip. "He (Carter) will look to build on the strategic handshake between the two nations and to continue the momentum in the relationship over the past decade, including expanded defence cooperation during his time as Secretary," the Pentagon said in a statement. Carter among others would meet Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. Ahead of his visit, informed sources said India has made maritime security a significant priority and in discussion with the US for sale of Predator drones from General Atomics. The outgoing Obama administration is trying to concretize steps taken with India in the defence domain as they transition the efforts to the Trump administration, sources noted, adding that on Carters agenda include M777 and Predator Guardian for the Indian Navy. Early this year, India was able to join the MTCR with support from the US. Subsequently, India was also designated a "a major defence partner" when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the US and met President Barack Obama at the Oval Office this Summer. The first opportunity for US Government to showcase this would be in the maritime domain surveillance area with the export of Predator Guardian, informed sources pointed out, adding that Obama and Carter are keen to establish a concrete legacy with India. Vivek Lall, chief executive, US and International Strategic Development at General Atomics, are among the US leaders that have been advocating greater convergence between the US and India. It is under his leadership that, India had acquired Boeing P8I aircraft in 2009 which would complement the Guardian aircraft for maritime security. Noting that Obama and Modi have repeatedly stressed that cooperation in the Indian Ocean is key to both countries national security interests, it is anticipated that both sides will discuss the Avenger drones for the Indian Air Force. India requires more than 100 such drones, sources said. The combined value of Guardian and Avengers could be almost equivalent to the MMRCA requirement in value. Most militaries around the world are focusing their budgets and efforts to acquire unmanned platforms in the future. Modi spoke to President-elect Donald Trump on November 9 to congratulate and build on the strong Indo-US relations. Both leaders are believed to be keen to take the strategic partnership to a new heights. India hopes that Trump will pursue a strategy in South Asia making India truly a priority and an anchor in the region. PTI Companies leaving US will face 'consequences': Trump International oi-PTI Indianapolis, Dec 2: US President-elect Donald Trump has warned American firms wanting to relocate abroad that they will face punishment, as he announced a deal with air conditioning manufacturer Carrier to keep jobs in the country. "Companies are not going to leave the United States any more without consequences. Not going to happen," Trump told workers at the Carrier plant in Indianapolis in his first major public remarks yesterday since winning the White House. "They can leave from state to state, and negotiate deals with different states, but leaving the country will be very, very difficult," Trump added. During the presidential campaign, the Republican billionaire threatened to slap tariffs on firms that decamped for places like Mexico or Asia where labor costs are cheaper. It became a repeated refrain of his victorious campaign. Trump specifically singled out Carrier, a brand of United Technologies Corporation, saying he had been encouraging the company not to shift thousands of jobs to Mexico. If they did, he said his administration would impose major tariffs on Carrier products as they made their way back into the United States. "But I called Greg (Hayes, UTC's chairman) and I said it's really important, we have to do something because you have a lot of people leaving and you have to understand we can't allow this to happen anymore with our country," Trump said as he recalled an early exchange with the firm's top executive. Under a deal hammered out with the help of Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who is Indiana's outgoing governor, the state offered Carrier USD 7 million in incentives over 10 years, "contingent upon factors including employment, job retention and capital investment," the company said in a statement. Pence said the deal will keep about 1,100 jobs in "the heart of the heartland." "This is a great day for Indiana and it's a great day for working people all across the United States of America," Pence said. The deal is seen as an extraordinary industry intervention by a president-elect. His supporters have described it as the first tangible part of Trump's jobs creation plan. But liberal Senator Bernie Sanders, who challenged Hillary Clinton for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, said the deal should worry Americans. Carrier "took Trump hostage and won," Sanders said in an op-ed he wrote for The Washington Post. Trump "endangered" other US jobs, Sanders said, "because he has signalled to every corporation in America that they can threaten to offshore jobs in exchange for business-friendly tax benefits and incentives." PTI Kathy Lodl hopes area residents will get to relive a few childhood memories during Scribners Community Christmas Celebration. Activities are planned on two Saturdays this month in the Dodge County town. Prizes, movies, hayrack rides, hot dogs, cookies and other treats are part of the holiday festivities. The celebration begins with Afternoon at the Movies, said Kathy Lodl, economic development director for the city of Scribner. People of all ages are invited to see free Christmas movies and cartoons from 1:30-3 p.m. Dec. 10 in the Scribner Fire Hall. Free snacks will be provided. Another free movie event with refreshments starts at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 17 in the fire hall. Santa Claus also may make a visit that afternoon. While children are watching the movie, parents are encouraged to search for winning numbers for prizes. Numbers will be inserted into the Rustler Sentinel newspaper on Dec. 14; papers will be on racks downtown. Participating downtown businesses will have numbers posted in their windows on Dec. 17. Participants look for the winning numbers. They then can go into a business with the number to claim their prize. We also have hot dogs and hot chocolate on Main Street from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., Lodl said. Drawings for any unclaimed prizes will take place near where the hot chocolate is being served. Hayrack rides also are planned from 3:30 to about 4:15 p.m. that day. Merchants are being encouraged to decorate their windows. Members of the public will vote for their favorite that Saturday on Main Street and a winner will be announced. Were also having a residential lighting contest, Lodl said. Scribner residents are asked to decorate their houses with Christmas lights. A panel of judges will go around town that week to view them all and decide the winners. Rural residents are encouraged to do the same and need to contact Lodl at 402-664-3101 so judges can come and look at their display. Scribner-Snyder students, planning to take a trip to Europe in 2018, are planning a fundraiser. Weather permitting, theyll be outside selling trays of cookies. Individual cookies also will be available for sale. If its cold, students will be indoors, but signs will direct would-be cookie buyers to their location. Lodl invites area residents to come and take part in an old-fashioned style Christmas celebration. Scribner has a lot of treasures in it that were more than willing to share with those who come and visit us, Lodl said. "Delicious Hyderabad House Flavors in North Carolina" International oi-Oneindia By Oneindia Staff Writer North Carolina, Dec 02nd 2016: Hyderabad House, the methodically growing Indian restaurant chain which is soft opened in Morrisville earlier is now all set for the Grand Opening on the Dec 2nd. We will welcome this critical milestone with a super grand buffet that comes with lot of yum's and will start serving the full menu as well. Most of the folks already witness how good our food should be and what is meant by real service & how the restaurant needs two phases of opening. This approach itself will talk by itself and we are proud to claim that we are the only desi chain in US where the Indian soul & American spirit can meet happily. Proud to share the news that we were requested to serve food even at our next-door triangle winery due to popular demand from their customers. This is one of many achievements that we could accomplish within 2 weeks of soft open & we have way to go. We witnessed several well-wishers in this short journey including from popular Telugu actress Pranitha (Attarintiki Daredhi fame). Click here to watch Telugu actress Pranitha's message Thank you, Pranitha & we love to host an event when you are in the area. Some of our dishes from the enticing, spice-rich menu includes but not limited to Curry Leaf Chicken, Monagadu Kodi Vepudu, No Name Chicken, Anakapur, Gongura Royyala Iguru, Paneer Karaikudi & lot more to name here in terms of specialties. Too many special biryani's & pulav's to name here. "Raju Gari Kodi Pulav" was gone empty by 8 PMish on most days & it shows how much you folks liked it. Hyderabad House (HH) RTP is open daily from 11:30 AM to 10 PM with additional hours during the weekends & holidays. We have daily lunch buffet that can accommodate around 94 people at a time with a cozy atmosphere. We are located in the corner of Davis Dr & McCrimmon Pkwy & is strategically the best & most convenient location in the entire Triangle for desis. HYDERABAD HOUSE NORTH CAROLINA: 3735 Davis Drive, #105 Morrisville, NC 27560 Phone: 919-924-0503 www.hydhousertp.com Every dish in your HH is intimately designed to stimulate your senses. Again, always enjoy your dining experience only in the diversified desi kitchen & visit our website to find a closer location to you. For more details & license information, contact: Siva @ 201-562-5753 Vamsi @ 551-208-4336 Email: info@hyderabadhouse.net www.hyderabadhouse.net Press release by: Indian Clicks, LLC Donald Trump's chat with Nawaz Sharif ignorant: Forbes International oi-PTI Washington, Dec 2: United States President-elect Donald Trump's "ignorant" conversation with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may send India an unwelcome message, a leading American magazine has said. The Forbes magazine has said that Trump's "flattering" conversation sends a message that he has no awareness of the issues among the U.S., Pakistan and India. "His bluster is more likely to be taken as the initial signal of his administration's position. When he goes on and on about how wonderful Pakistan is, and how strong is his friendship, it matters. It matters that he uses words like: very good reputation, amazing work...fantastic country, fantastic place, fantastic people," it said. "One of the main messages it sends, is that he shows no awareness of the issues between the United States, Pakistan, and India," it said. Stating that Trump is not aware about the ground realities in South Asia, it said, his "ignorant" conversation with Sharif may send India an "unwelcome message." Meanwhile, a prominent Hindu American group urged Trump to carefully look at the records of Pakistan - in particular, its fight against terrorism and human rights. "Diplomacy is necessary in dealing with Pakistan, but President-elect Trump and his administration will need to proceed with caution and full awareness of the country's double-dealing track record," Suhag Shukla, executive director of Hindu American Foundation said in a statement expressing concern over the readout issued by Pakistan after a telephonic conversation between Trump and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. "If the transcript of the conversation is indeed accurate, we'd urge President-elect Trump to look more carefully at Pakistan's record within its own borders and with its neighbours before offering praise to a state that according to most observers is failing," Shukla said. PTI For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, December 2, 2016, 20:34 [IST] Burkina Faso: Is the recent coup a boon for Russia? France calls for its citizens to leave Iran immediately Is a new protest movement starting in France? France warns of Russian cyber-attacks during presidential campaign International oi-IANS By Ians English Paris, Dec 2: French authorities have warned the officials of the country's political parties of potential Russian cyber-attacks during the presidential election campaign, local media reports said. Suspicions arose from incidents during the recent presidential elections in the US which involved hacking the private email account of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of state, Efe news agency reported. France reiterated Germany's concerns over possible cyber-attacks, as the latter is also holding its legislative elections in September next year. The director of France's national agency of IT security Guillaume Poupard, estimates that cyber-attacks can have a real impact and change the voting results. Elections are scheduled to be held in 2017. IANS VK Singh to visit Iraq on April 1 to bring back the mortal remains of 39 Indians killed in Mosul Mosul offensive takes toll as Iraq casualties soar International oi-PTI Baghdad, Dec 1: The scope of the toll the six-week old battle for Mosul has taken on Iraqi forces emerged today, with UN figures showing that around 2,000 had been killed in fighting last month alone. While high casualty tolls were expected for what has been Iraq's toughest battle against the Islamic State group to date, few figures had been released. The United Nations' mission in Iraq released monthly casualty figures for November that showed 1,959 members of the Iraqi forces were killed just last month and 450 others wounded. The UN toll includes members of the army, police engaged in combat, the Kurdish peshmerga, interior ministry forces and pro-government paramilitaries. The UN statement also said at least 926 civilians were killed, bringing to 2,885 the number of Iraqis killed in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict last month. "The casualty figures are staggering, with civilians accounting for a significant number of the victims," the top UN envoy in Iraq, Jan Kubis, said. The spike in casualties comes as a major offensive to retake the IS stronghold of Mosul, Iraq's largest military operation in years, enters its seventh week. Kubis said the growing death toll was largely a result of the jihadists' ferocious defence of Mosul, the city where they proclaimed their now crumbling "caliphate" in 2014. "Daesh (IS) has been employing the most vicious tactics, using civilian homes as firing positions as well as abducting and forcibly moving civilians, effectively using them as human shields," he said. The US-led coalition assisting anti-IS forces in Iraq and Syria admitted Thursday to "inadvertently" killing 54 civilians in both countries between March and October. "Although the coalition makes extraordinary efforts to strike military targets in a manner that minimizes the risk of civilian casualties, in some cases casualties are unavoidable," the coalition said in a statement. A July 18 strike that killed 100 IS fighters also killed as many as 24 civilians, the statement added. The UN did not provide a regional breakdown of the overall toll but its casualty figures have been going up steadily since the launch of the Mosul offensive on October 17. PTI Pak off the FATF grey list doesn't mean it's not under scrutiny anymore: MEA secretary Imran Khan again targets Pakistan's establishment on Day 2 of protest march; govt rules out talks over snap polls Amid turmoil at home, Pakistan PM Sharif to visit China to felicitate Xi for his record win Shehbaz Sharif arrives in China on maiden visit to felicitate President Xi Jinping on his record win Pak party invites ex-army chief Raheel to join politics International oi-PTI Islamabad, Dec 2: Pakistan's rightwing Jamaat-e- Islami has invited former army chief General Raheel Sharif to join the party following his retirement. Jamaat parliamentary in the Punjab Assembly, Waseem Akhtar, yesterday invited the former army chief who retired this week after a three-year tenure to join the party. Akhtar asked the former army chief to help the party change the face of politics the same way he "altered the fate of the nation" through the Operation Zarb-e-Azb against terrorism, the Express Tribune reported. While speaking on a supplementary question during the question hour, he said after mandatory two years for every government servant before joining politics, Sharif should join the Jamaat-e-Islami. PTI Trump rings Sharif- Has America's relationship with India and Pakistan been upturned? International oi-Vicky Islamabad, Dec 2: The you are a terrific guy comment by Donald Trump while referring to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had many heads turning. Many news outlets described Trump's call to Sharif as something that may have upturned America's relationship with both India and Pakistan. Trump's team however released a bland read out of the conversation in which it was said that the two leaders had a productive conversation about how the US and Pakistan will have a strong working relationship in future. Further it stated that Trump was looking forward to a lasting relationship with Sharif. A Trump advisor said that this rare read out was issued because of the flowery account of the conversation that was put out by Pakistan. There was however no denial of the account put out by Pakistan. Trump has been criticised for speaking out of turn. The New Republic said Trump said that with one phone call, Trump may have upturned America's relationship with India and Pakistan. India however maintained that it had seen only one side of the conversation. "I will reserve my judgement. We have seen only one side of the conversation. And that conversation does talk about the US President-elect willing to resolve all outstanding issues of Pakistan. We believe that the most outstanding issue of the outstanding issues is Pakistan's continued support to terrorism. To that extent, we will welcome a dialogue between the US and Pakistan to resolve that issue, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. Read the entire transcript here as released by Pakistan PMO: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif called President-elect USA Donald Trump and felicitated him on his victory. President Trump said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif you have a very good reputation. You are a terrific guy. You are doing amazing work which is visible in every way. I am looking forward to see you soon. As I am talking to you Prime Minister, I feel I am talking to a person I have known for long. Your country is amazing with tremendous opportunities. Pakistanis are one of the most intelligent people. I am ready and willing to play any role that you want me to play to address and find solutions to the outstanding problems. It will be an honor and I will personally do it. Feel free to call me any time even before 20th January that is before I assume my office. On being invited to visit Pakistan by the Prime Minister, Mr. Trump said that he would love to come to a fantastic country, fantastic place of fantastic people. Please convey to the Pakistani people that they are amazing and all Pakistanis I have known are exceptional people, said Mr. Donald Trump. OneIndia News For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Friday, December 2, 2016, 7:24 [IST] UK's Foreign Secretary backs India's bid for permanent membership of UNSC International oi-PTI London, Dec 2: British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson today supported India's quest for permanent membership of the UN Security Council (UNSC) as he called for its expansion to include India for a more "realistic" re-alignment of the world order. Delivering his first major foreign policy speech at the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House in London entitled 'Beyond Brexit: A Global Britain', the senior minister in Prime Minister Theresa May's Cabinet also said as Britain leaves the European Union (EU), it would look to engage deeply with Asia. "We should be realistic enough to accept that the international order needs to change. That is why Britain supports enlarging the permanent membership of the (UN) Security Council to other global powers, including India," Johnson said. "It is right that we should make a distinctive approach to policy-making as regards China and East Asia. Our approach in that region must go beyond the quest for exports and commercial contracts, vital though they are. The emerging balance of power system in Asia needs the influence of friendly countries, with our emphasis on the rules-based system, in order to reduce the risk of miscalculation and unwanted confrontation," he added. India has long been seeking a permanent place in the UN Security Council to reflect its importance as a trillion dollar economy and a major South Asian power. Johnson also used the speech to throw his weight behind US President-elect Donald Trump's campaign to get NATO countries to spend more on defence. PTI Govt seems cornered as demands for JPC probe into Rafale deal gains momentum Congress trying to underline suit-boot government remark with involvement reliance in Rafale deal Rahul reiterates 'chor' jibe against Modi, says 'watchman' has resorted to thievery Won't run for re-election as president, says French President Francois Hollande International oi-IANS By Ians English Paris, Dec 2: French President Francois Hollande said that he would not be putting forward his candidacy to run for re-election in 2017, media reports said. "Power has never caused me to lose my clarity. Thus, I am aware of the risks I would run in a candidacy that would not rally support. I have decided, therefore, not to be a candidate in the presidential election," he said in a 10-minute televised speech on Thursday. Hollande, 62, becomes the first French head of state to renounce a chance at re-election, Efe news agency reported. Hollande offered a defence of his administration, one of France's least popular governments in decades, while decrying protectionism and other proposals of the populist right. The President's surprise announcement came on the first day to register as a candidate in the Socialist primary. Representing the party's left wing, former Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg has already announced his candidacy and Hollande's decision clears the way for Prime Minister Manuel Valls to enter the race. Polls showed Hollande trailing not only conservative candidate Francois Fillon, but also Marine Le Pen, the standard-bearer of the rightist National Front, as well as leftist hopefuls Emmanuel Macron and Jean-Luc Melenchon. IANS After Bengaluru IT raids, Rs 71 lakh in new Rs 2,000 notes seized in Udupi Mangalore oi-Anusha Udupi police seized Rs 71 lakh in new Rs 2,000 currency notes that was being transported by three persons in a car in Karkala, Karnataka. The cash has been handed over to the Income Tax department while the three persons are being questioned. The vehicle was intercepted by Karkala police in the wee hours of Friday. The trio, identified as Imran, Asif and Deepak, all natives of Mangaluru have been detained for questioning and the money has been seized. The trio was unable to explain the source of the money. Details of where the money came from and where it was being transported to is yet to be ascertained. OneIndia News PM Narendra Modi has hit back hard at opposition parties for consistently disrupting the Parliament session and ruckus in both the houses. The PM has cautioned the opposition parties like AAP, TMC and Congress that threats don't work in a democracy. The opposition parties have constantly disrupted the proceedings of the Parliament to protest against Government's demonetisation decision. Larry Klahn, Dodge County Weed Superintendent, recently attended the Nebraska Weed Control Fall Training Seminar at Ramada Inn, Kearney. This was the third opportunity of 2016 to obtain 10 of the required 20 annual continuing education hours. This training also served as our Commercial Applicators Recertification Training. Each topic was part of the Noxious Weed Act, and had to meet the standards as directed by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA). November 2nd speakers and topics included Pesticides and Environmental Protection, Craig Romary, Nebraska Department of Agriculture; Application Techniques, Calibration and Calculation, Todd Whitney, Phelps County Extension Educator; Nebraskas Biological Control Program, Shayne Galford, USDA APHIS PPQ; Pesticide Laws and Regulation, Eric Fuentes-Ruiz, Pesticide Inspector NDA; Ag Plant Pest Control, Todd Whitney, Phelps County Extension Educator; Pest Identification and Biology, Kristi Paul, Sheridan County Weed Superintendent. Thursday November 3rd, topics included Pesticide Properties and Selection, Ted Bethell, Area Manager, Van Diest Supply; Labels and Label Comprehension, Rob Schultz, Hall/Howard County Weed Superintendent; Safety and Personal Protection, Mike Reed, Douglas County Weed Superintendent; Ornamental and Turf Pest Control, Nicole Stoner, Gage County Extension Educator; Nebraska Invasive Species Council Update, Allison Zach, NISC Coordinator; Aquatic Pest Control, Kent and Jamion Aden, Working Ecosystems LLC; and Right of Way Pest Control, Mitch Coffin, Noxious Weed Program Manager, NDA. As with all NWCA trainings, roll call was answered twice each day, and an exam was taken at the end of each day. Superintendents must answer all roll calls and receive a passing grade on both exams to receive 10 hours of credit. The final training opportunity for this year will be the Nebraska Association of County Officials Conference at Younes Conference Center in Kearney, December 14-15, 2016. OK! Magazine 02 Nov 2022 Cardi B has yet to speak out on the recent death of Takeoff after her husband, Offset, had troubles with the rapper. Rumble 18 Oct 2022 Absurd justifications people make for their own poor choices. Get off the couch, put the cookie down and go move GlobeNewswire 27 Jul 2022 According to Precedence Research, the global nanobots market size is projected to be worth around USD 21.45 billion by 2030 and is.. NPR 23 Sep 2021 James Mattis said Holmes misled him into believing she was on the verge of rolling out a blood-testing breakthrough that he hoped.. Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. Learn more Opalesque Industry Update - Francesco Trapani enters the capital structure of Tages Holding with a 9% participation through a reserved capital increase. He will also join Tages Holding Board together with the current shareholders: Umberto Quadrino, Panfilo Tarantelli, Sergio Ascolani and Salvatore Cordaro and Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, as independent director. Trapani began his career as Chief Executive Officer of the Bvlgari Group in 1981. In 1984 he developed successfully a strategy based on product diversification, expansion of the distribution channels and significant investments in communication. He led Bvlgaris transformation from a simple Italian jewelry brand to one of the leading multi-product global players in the luxury market, with a turnover of over 1 billion, 4,000 employees and 300 direct stores worldwide. The steady growth generated underpinned the listing of Bvlgari (in Milan and London) in 1995 and then, in 2011 the integration with the LVMH Group, where Francesco Trapani acted as Chairman of the Watches and Jewelry Division as well as being a member of the Board of Directors of the LVMH Group and advisor to Bernard Arnault. Trapani subsequently joined Clessidra SGR S.p.A., one of the leading private equity firms in Italy, as Chairman until last September. With the addition of Trapani, Tages Holding will benefit from a high profile professional with a unique entrepreneurial experience and private equity skillset. TagesHolding currently includes: 1) one of the leading asset managers in Europe active in hedge fund, seeding, UCITS and risk premia businesses with over 2 billion AUM, located in London; 2) the infrastructure fund, Tages Helios, which recently become the third biggest operator in the solar power business in Italy, managing a portfolio of 157 MW (megawatts) and 3) Credito Fondiario one of Italys top players in management and servicing of distressed and illiquid credit, currently engaged as advisor to Atlante on NPL transactions with a gross Book Value in excess of 30bn. We are excited that a high profile entrepreneur like Francesco Trapani has decided to invest in Tages stated Tages Holding founder and CEO Panfilo Tarantelli as it demonstrates the attractiveness of our partnership which is built around outstanding professionals with a strong commitment to the business. I believe that the addition of Francesco to our partnership will add momentum to our growth path. I look forward to bringing my experience and entrepreneurial spirit to work closely with the founders of Tages Holding said Francesco Trapani, Tages Holdings future Executive Vice President I am pleased to be joining a group of such talented professionals that I have long held in high regard, The strong growth and constant evolution of Tages is truly impressive and I look forward to contributing in the future. Opalesque Industry Update - SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc., a global provider of financial services software and software-enabled services, announced it completed the acquisition of Wells Fargo's Global Fund Services business, a provider of comprehensive administration, middle-office, operations, and cash/collateral management services. GFS administers more than $42 billion in alternative assets. As a result of the acquisition, SS&C will add more than 250 employees and 130 fund relationships in Hong Kong, London, New York, Minneapolis and Singapore. The acquired GFS group will fold into SS&C's Alternative Assets business group and will be managed by Chris Kundro, Head of Wells Fargo Global Fund Services. "GFS is an exceptional business and we welcome their clients and staff to SS&C. Today's announcement enables SS&C to further develop its servicing footprint and provide an expanded offering to our new and existing clients," said Bill Stone, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, SS&C Technologies. "SS&C continues to enhance its position as the single source for our clients' entire middle and back office needs, bringing significant new hedge, private equity and real estate capabilities." "We are delighted to have found a good home for our customers and staff and look forward to bringing them even more products, services and value through the SS&C offering," said Chris Kundro, Managing Director, SS&C GlobeOp. "We plan to further accelerate our growth by leveraging SS&C's technology and global footprint to increase our capabilities and expand our market reach." SS&C is a global provider of investment and financial software-enabled services and software for the global financial services industry. Founded in 1986, SS&C is headquartered in Windsor, Connecticut and has offices around the world. Some 10,000 financial services organizations, from the world's largest institutions to local firms, manage and account for their investments using SS&C's products and services. These clients manage an aggregate of over $44 trillion in assets. Opalesque Industry Update - Golden State Wealth Management is excited to welcome its newest Wealth Manager, Mario Vasquez of Mission Viejo, California. I am excited to welcome Mario to the Golden State Wealth Management team. Marios knowledge and experience are exceptional and his commitment to providing outstanding service to his clients is at the very core of Golden States mission, said Daniel Catone, president of Golden State Wealth Management. Mario joins the team with over 10 years of experience in financial services. After obtaining his Bachelor Degree with a Major in Finance from the University of Florida, Mario received the opportunity to move to New York City to work on Wall Street with Lehman Brothers. In 2008 Mario moved to London to rollout prime services capabilities to international hedge funds clients. After 3 months on assignment, during the financial crisis, Lehman Brothers New York was bought by Barclays Capital. Mario moved back to New York and joined Barclays Capital, working in the prime services group. Missing the strong support of his family, Mario decided to leave New York and seek employment in New Orleans. In 2009 Mario joined JPMorgan Private Bank as a Global Investment Specialist. There he helped high net worth clients to preserve and grow their wealth. Marios main objective is to provide ethical financial advice to help clients achieve their personal financial goals. He believes there is no greater success than helping clients have a secure financial future. Mario moved to California with his wife in 2012 and currently resides in Laguna Hills. They have three beautiful, rambunctious children and one Shih-Tzu named Oreo. Outside of business, Mario enjoys traveling inside and outside the US. He also enjoys hiking and taking his children to the beach. Golden State Wealth Management is a Hybrid Registered Investment Advisor dedicated to financial professionals and their clients. We believe in providing an infrastructure and support network that allows our affiliated advisors to focus on their clients and professional development. The firm promotes practice ownership, succession planning, flexibility in investing decisions, compliance oversight, dedicated transition support, and a low-cost investment platform that benefits both advisors and investors. Our alignment with LPL Financial, the nations largest independent broker/dealer, provides comprehensive tools and research necessary in todays complex markets. As I write this article, our film company, Paradise Cove Productions, is withdrawing all funds from Wells Fargo Bank. Our family, also, is transferring all money from Wells Fargo checking and savings accounts to another institution. Wells Fargo is the lead bank investing in the Dakota Access Pipeline- DAPL. Other major US banks include Bank of America, Chase, Citibank, US Bank, and JP Morgan. The complete list can be found at http://act.climatehawksvote.com/_nodapl_close_your_account?utm_campaign=20161201nodapl&utm_medium=email&utm_source=climatehawksvote These banks depend on lots of people who deposit their cash in checking or savings accounts. They are using our money to fund this ecologically destructive project. If there is a mass movement by consumers to close their accounts and transfer their funds to institutions which are cleaner, the big banks will hurt, and reconsider their position on DAPL. There are many European and Asian funders, a total of 17 institutions. Two Norwegian banks have already withdrawn their investments from DAPL, citing their poor treatment of Native Americans and the banks' support for indigenous rights. Other European banks, such as those in Germany and Holland, might well follow suit, if pressure is applied. The link above includes contact information for each institutional investor, as well for their chief officers. http://act.climatehawksvote.com/_nodapl_close_your_account?utm_campaign=20161201nodapl&utm_medium=email&utm_source=climatehawksvote Financial pressure is an excellent way to change corporate policy. Stockholders have used divestment as a tool very successfully. While most members of the public only have relatively small amounts of money in checking and savings accounts in major banks, cumulatively it is a huge amount which could make a big difference. Of the roughly $2.5 billion dollars needed for the pipeline, about half is on hold pending final approval of the pipeline route. The courageous stance of the Standing Rock tribe and their millions of supporters may be making those who have pledged funds reconsider, and put their money elsewhere. Every day of delay is costing them, as well as costing the State of North Dakota, Morton County, and all other agencies who are opposing the Water Protectors. The bottom line for corporations and banks is money, so let's do all we can to move money away from them, toward institutions who agree with our views on politics and ecology. Bernie Sanders speaking at a recent Washington DC NO Pipeline rally. I hope you will be among the first to sign this petition. I n addition to the Senators I have written about already in this context (Sanders, Heinrich, Reid, Udall, Franken, and Booker), we must also include the top 3 Democratic Leadership Senators, plus North Dakota's Heidi Heitkamp, Washington's Maria Cantwell, and Montana's Jon Tester, and and incoming California US Senator Kamala Harris. We need all of them to be unequivocally part of the solution not the problem. For more impact, you are most welcome to add comments when you sign the petition that are directed to these Senators, and we hope to publish compilations of your comments at OpEdNews, as I have done in the past. This is the title: U.S. Senators, Please Intervene to Protect Standing Rock Defenders This petition will be periodically presented to these Senators. Here is the URL: click here Please sign this petition, as well as share it widely, especially to groups, thus we WILL make the difference and bring change. I also encourage you to write and call both of your Senators, in addition to the ones on this petition, and particularly if they are in the Republican Majority in the United States Senate; they need to hear from us, too! I look forward to knowing your ideas and insights. Feel free to contact me directly at: Email address Thank you very much from Stephen Fox in Santa Fe, New Mexico >>>> The petition has been out only a few hours and here are some of the most striking comments thus far: Kevin Gilbert from Mankato, MN (this is the fellow who filmed the extraordinary footage the night they used water cannons and tear gas on the Water Defenders who were trapped on the bridge, and the night that Sophia Wilansky's arm was almost blown off, and may still yet be amputated) Speaking to the Senators directly: Please come and lend your support. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). November 30, 2016 WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall, incoming vice chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, condemned the violence against Tribal members and others protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline and called on President Barack Obama to take urgent action to protect the protesters and address their concerns about how the pipeline could harm the water quality near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. In a letter, Udall urged the Obama administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to consider every available option to fully protect Tribal rights and land, including re-routing the pipeline. Udall's letter comes nearly three months after he first wrote to the president in opposition to the alarming use of violence against demonstrators, the vast majority of whom are peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights. Today, Udall issued the following statement: "Over the last seven months, members of Indian nations from across North America have been demonstrating against a segment of the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline, which they believe threatens their water supplies and crosses the sacred ancestral land of the Standing Rock Sioux. Over 300 Tribes are represented, including several from New Mexico; it's the largest community of Native American protesters in recent memory. They are standing up within their First Amendment rights to protect their heritage, clean air and water, and to prevent the degradation of sacred lands. And that is why I am extremely disturbed by the increasingly aggressive and violent tactics that have been used against them. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). For some thirty-five years, practicing general medicine in a rather small town in Florida, I have gotten to know my patients' views pretty well. In fact, I could usually tell who was going to win presidential elections and senatorial elections by the tenor of my patients' degree of interest and their approval of the candidates. Our area of the country has always been a fairly accurate barometer of national elections. The 2000 presidential contest appeared to be a dead heat--determined by Jeb Bush in what I have to admit was one of his rather rare lapses of moral judgement during his term as governor of Florida. His brother's disastrous presidency was not worth the reputations of thousands of voters deprived of the right to vote by the governor falsely accusing them of being felons. More troubling was the fact that, at the time, Eric Holder held the position of U.S. Attorney General (upon the premature retirement of Janet Reno) and he was apparently "double dipping," still collecting a few million dollars a year from the same law firm that was representing Governor George W. Bush in the infamous recount. Meanwhile. It seemed obvious that John Kerry, despite his pitiful campaign and even more pitiful vice-presidential pick, had beaten George Bush in 2004. The exit polls showed him winning by four points or so (the same in Ohio), but the "tabulated" votes revealed a different result in the two swing states. After Ken Blackwell, Ohio Secretary of State and State Republican reelection chairman, used his own company's voting machines, Bush again beat the exit polls by several percentage points. Unlike the slumbering citizens of Florida, however, Ohioans fought back. They launched several lawsuits against the election board, claiming that Blackwell and Karl Rove had recruited Republican National Committee IT expert, Michael Connell, to divert computerized voting-count results to intermediate servers to change the actual vote counts. Reports in the national press suggested that Connell, wilting under the pressure, was about to testify against Rove and Blackwell. In fact, the lead attorney for one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Blackwell and the Election Board had sought protection for Connell in a letter to U.S. Attorney general Mukasey because of alleged threats from Karl Rove. Shortly after being subpoenaed to testify, Connell was killed in the crash of his small plane. The investigation and the case were hastily swept under the rug and never again pursued. Pertinent computer records relating to 2004 and 2006 elections have apparently never been recovered despite the subpoenas originally issued. On first blush, it seems no surprise that President Obama would protect his dear uncle, Tom (Eric) Holder and refuse to pursue serious cases of actual election fraud (usually election supervisors taking thousands of votes home and changing results, as happened several times in Wisconsin, with no punishment). The "surprise," of course, is supposed to be that Mr. Obama, after all the sordid details of the elections of 2000 and 2004, would choose for his attorney general the person least likely to straighten out anything related to serious voting irregularities. For that matter, as Holder's record shows, he has always failed to even pretend to address bogus political prosecutions and any of the corruption in the Bush administration. Apparently, in our so-called "justice system," the price for confirmation to the Supreme Court is to ignore legitimate appeals by innocent political prisoners. Republicans, apparently, don't have a monopoly on weak-willed Justices with selective consciences (except for Clarence Thomas who seems to have no conscience at all). In fact, I don't really see much difference between the effete, rightly called "injustice systems" of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush or Barack Obama. I actually believe that all three of the aforementioned presidents initially intended to serve admirably and thought that they could improve the lives of millions of Americans. In fact, they all did some good things while making plenty of mistakes. In each case, even President Bush's, their mistakes reflected character flaws more than lack of intelligence. Bill Clinton's ego, unfortunately, outdistanced his considerable political and administrative abilities. He was duped by the Enron loophole and over-regulation of energy entities that actually did an adequate job of self regulation. His sexual exploits undermined some of his best attempts at unifying the country. George W. Bush, a competent governor because he worked with both sides of the aisle, ignored the math and claimed that without even a plurality of the electorate favoring him, declared that he had a "mandate." Doing virtually no historic research of his own and with no long-term plan he had somehow decided, even before 9/11, to take over Iraq, never realizing that he would be handing it over to Iran. Never realizing the significance of the Sunni / Shiite conflict, he compounded the problem by putting the psychological equivalent of the "Three Stooges," Rove, Rumsfeld, and Cheney, in charge of the situation- three apparent, by definition , sociopaths, who, unlike Bush, cared more about money than national and world security. Bush's chief character flaw seemed to be trusting all the wrong people instead of his own father. His claim that he consulted "a higher father" instead, is a troubling subject for another day. However, suffice it to say that even with the ill-conceived invasion of Iraq, without the Three Stooges' inept and corrupt handling of the Iraq war and occupation, there probably would be no ISIS. President Obama seems to present a much different set of character flaws. Pleasant and erudite, ironically, he is the most "presidential" of our recent chief executives, well liked and, despite Republican criticism, well respected abroad. Of course, Putin, Assad, and various dictators are critical of him and Netanyahu pouts and is just as critical of him as he is of anyone who doesn't give him his way. Obama seems to spend too much time trying to be appreciated. In doing so, he never took control of his own party. One of the best orators of his time, he never took his bully pulpit, which seems to be the reason for permitting Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid (I once referred to them as the "political harlot and the political half wit," something I will not apologize for at this time), to take over his job as head of the Democratic party. Mired in pointless intellectual dilemmas, he has permitted lesser lights to influence decisions that he needed to make on his own. It seems that Mr. Obama, the intellectual, purposely avoided the investigation of the worst of the Bush-era decisions, the illegal political prosecutions, fixed elections, five million illegal emails between the White House and Karl Rove purposely destroyed, honoring the Bush administration's deal with an Iranian government in Iraq to remove our troops whenever they felt like it, even though they had violated their part of the agreement by persecuting the Sunnis! Bush may have been instrumental in the creation of ISIS, but Obama helped strengthen it by agreeing to prematurely withdraw our troops from Iraq. He ended up with the best deal he could with Iran under the circumstances because the banks would no longer honor sanctions against Iran . However, despite the fact that he made a better deal than Bush could have made in the bank bailout, the terms were still far too weak, apparently enabling the banks to prematurely force a deal with Iran. It remains to be seen as to how seriously Mr. Obama's (ironically) conservative approach to the protection of both U.S. sovereign immunity as well as virtual immunity for both elected politicians and appointed members of the judiciary and the "Justice" Department will affect the legitimate function of a "rigged" system. So far, by defending the Saudi's sovereign immunity against the right to be sued, he was defending the immunity of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Karl Rove and many others, not only from being sued, but even from being tried as international war criminals. Even more important is the ultimate impotence of Mr. Obama's campaign promises to go after certain political lobbies, specifically those which are most influential in the very "rigging" of the system. This can only be done by a president who was not dependent on huge lobby donations. Obama, through Howard Dean's finance techniques, was not really dependent on lobbies. However, by turning his administration over to lesser elected officials, by not talking directly to the members of both parties and the common people and by maintaining the corrupt "Justice Department" of his predecessors, he leaves whatever is left of this country in hands of the same lobby-infested Congress in which he found it. From Consortium News Under the cover of battling "fake news," the mainstream U.S. news media and officialdom are taking aim at journalistic skepticism when it is directed at the pronouncements of the U.S. government and its allies. One might have hoped that the alarm about "fake news" would remind major U.S. news outlets, such as The Washington Post and The New York Times, about the value of journalistic skepticism. However, instead, it seems to have done the opposite. The idea of questioning the claims by the West's officialdom now brings calumny down upon the heads of those who dare do it. "Truth" is being redefined as whatever the U.S. government, NATO and other Western interests say is true. Disagreement with the West's "group thinks," no matter how fact-based the dissent is, becomes "fake news." So, we have the case of Washington Post columnist David Ignatius having a starry-eyed interview with Richard Stengel, the State Department's Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy, the principal arm of U.S. government propaganda. Entitled "The truth is losing," the column laments that the official narratives as deigned by the State Department and The Washington Post are losing traction with Americans and the world's public. Stengel, a former managing editor at Time magazine, seems to take aim at Russia's RT network's slogan, "question more," as some sinister message seeking to inject cynicism toward the West's official narratives. "They're not trying to say that their version of events is the true one. They're saying: 'Everybody's lying! Nobody's telling you the truth!'," Stengel said. "They don't have a candidate, per se. But they want to undermine faith in democracy, faith in the West." No Evidence Typical of these recent mainstream tirades about this vague Russian menace, Ignatius's column doesn't provide any specifics regarding how RT and other Russian media outlets are carrying out this assault on the purity of Western information. It's enough to just toss around pejorative phrases supporting an Orwellian solution, which is to stamp out or marginalize alternative and independent journalism, not just Russian. Ignatius writes: "Stengel poses an urgent question for journalists, technologists and, more broadly, everyone living in free societies or aspiring to do so. How do we protect the essential resource of democracy -- the truth -- from the toxin of lies that surrounds it? It's like a virus or food poisoning. It needs to be controlled. But how? "Stengel argues that the U.S. government should sometimes protect citizens by exposing 'weaponized information, false information' that is polluting the ecosystem. But ultimately, the defense of truth must be independent of a government that many people mistrust. 'There are inherent dangers in having the government be the verifier of last resort,' he argues." By the way, Stengel is not the fount of truth-telling, as he and Ignatius like to pretend. Early in the Ukraine crisis, Stengel delivered a rant against RT that was full of inaccuracies or what you might call "fake news." Yet, what Stengel and various mainstream media outlets appear to be arguing for is the creation of a "Ministry of Truth" managed by mainstream U.S. media outlets and enforced by Google, Facebook and other technology platforms. In other words, once these supposedly responsible outlets decide what the "truth" is, then questioning that narrative will earn you "virtual" expulsion from the marketplace of ideas, possibly eliminated via algorithms of major search engines or marked with a special app to warn readers not to believe what you say, a sort of yellow Star of David for the Internet age. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Two Trump White House prospects, two felony dodgers: David Petraeus & Jamie Dimon (Image by ThisCantBeHappening!) Details DMCA Donald Trump's cabinet choices are suggesting a governing philosophy along the lines of a corrupt municipal police force relying on gangsters to help it keep street crime held in check. Trump has been naming top Wall Street bankers and hedge fund owners to staff his Commerce Department (former Rothschild banker and billionaire Wilbur Ross), Treasury (former Goldman Sachs executive and hedge fund executive Steve Mnuchin, and more recently, as top "economic strategy advisors", Blackstone Group CEO Steven Schwartzman and JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon. The president-elect has actually demonstrated a predilection for considering people who play the "rigged system' and even actual criminals (albeit unindicted in some cases) in his cabinet and White House advisory staff. Dimon, of course, heads a too-big-to-fail bank that was one of five that pleaded guilty last year to federal felony charges involving a huge currency manipulation conspiracy. Dimon had his bank cop a plea and pay a $5.6-billion fine that allowed him to avoid facing criminal charges himself for the bank's admitted criminal behavior and even to stay on in his lucrative top spot running the felonious institution . Meanwhile, Trump is reportedly considering naming disgraced former General David Petraeus, who in 2015 also copped a guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of "mishandling top-secret information" while he was CIA director (a post he had to resign), in order to avoid more serious felony charges of providing such national security secrets to his paramour and biographer Paula Broadwell, and of potentially of lying about it to FBI investigators, also a felony. Petraeus, who did not have to do jail time under the plea deal, is still on two-year's probation through April 23, 2017 though, and if appointed to a cabinet post by Trump would have to report his new job to his probation officer, and also obtain advance permission for any work-related travel until that date -- a historic first for a top government appointee. Either that or Trump, once inaugurated President, would have to pardon Petraeus before appointing him. Could the idea of putting the gangsters in charge of national economic and foreign policy and economic regulation in order to fix what Trump calls a "rigged system" work as a governing philosophy? I guess you'd have to ask how well having a crooked, mob-linked police force in New York, Philadelphia, Boston or Chicago worked in years past at keeping crime in check in those cities. The evidence is not particularly good, I would suggest, having lived in several of those venues. For the rest of this article by DAVE LINDORFF inThisCantBeHappening!, the uncompromising, collectively run, five-time Project Censored Award-winning online alternative news site, please go to: www.thiscantbehappening.net/node/3380 John Shelley's Journal (Image by johnshelleysjournal.com) Details DMCA With the ongoing hysteria over "fake news" after the shocking defeat of Hillary Clinton and her neocon war cabinet now at a deafening pitch, it is an opportune time to eradicate the alternative media once and for all. That could easily be facilitated by dangerous legislation quietly moving through Congress that would create a totalitarian environment for government thought police to bring an iron jackboot down upon whatever a new intelligence committee with sweeping powers deems to be "Russian" propaganda. In layman's terms, this means that ANYONE who communicates views that are critical of the corrupt oligarchy's war machine is subject to harassment, prosecution and worse. You won't read about this existential threat to free speech and association anywhere in the corrupt and thoroughly discredited U.S. establishment media but it is getting some attention across the pond. In a terrifying story from The Guardian entitled "US Legislation Proposes New Committee to Counteract Russian 'Covert Influence" it is reported: A provision in intelligence legislation that is going through Congress would create a new high-level body aimed at thwarting covert Russian political interference around the world, potentially placing it at odds with the incoming Donald Trump administration. The measure, tucked into the fiscal 2017 House and Senate bills authorizing US intelligence operations, would create a powerful new committee across the security services to oppose Russian destabilization measures and propaganda domestically and worldwide. Its mission -- defined broadly and without geographic limitation -- is to "counter active measures by the Russian Federation to exert covert influence over peoples and governments", according to the texts of both the House and the Senate bills, both of which have won the approval of their intelligence committees. AND Specifically, the high-level committee would be tasked with "exposing falsehoods, agents of influence, corruption, human rights abuses, terrorism and assassinations carried out by the security services or political elites of the Russian Federation or their proxies". Yet its work would not be necessarily limited to exposing such activity. It can be broadened to include "such other duties as the president may designate", a vague and potentially expansive mandate. Capitol Hill sources said the House version could receive a floor vote as soon as Wednesday, with the Senate version likely to follow in a matter of weeks, before the current legislative session expires. Intelligence authorization bills rarely fail to pass when brought up for votes. That this is taking place with absolutely zero domestic media coverage nor a public debate is an outrage. In the place of honest reporting we instead have one of the nation's two most prominent newspapers engaging in what can only be referred to as a neo-McCarthyist witch hunt by promoting a murky and mysterious group's blacklist of over two-hundred alternative websites that are labeled as Putin's domestic propaganda outlets. The Washington Post's technology columnist Craig Timberg served up a Thanksgiving Day feast of vile red-baiting innuendo in his magnum opus of anti-Americanism entitled "Russian propaganda effort helped spread 'fake news' during election, experts say" that is so diseased and deranged that it should place an indelible blot upon the paper's reputation for as long as it exists. The sites on the list run the gamut from very right-wing to libertarian to progressive to leftist and the WAPO never once bothers to provide the criteria used to identify why a particular website is on the list. There many obscure and some outright bigoted blogs along with flat-out conspiracy theory clearinghouses but one gets the feeling that they are only on the list to slime legitimate sources of reporting and anti-establishment opinion by association. A few common elements are present with many of the sites and that is that they opposed the Clinton restoration, reported honestly on the Wikileaks releases of emails detailing Democratic party skullduggery and are generally critical of U.S. foreign policy as it relates to Syria, Ukraine and Russia. I would doubt that the vast majority of the sites that PropOrNot is calling for federal investigation of give a rat's ass about Russia outside of trying to prevent the neocon zealots and their cruise missile liberal allies from starting World War III. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). by Walter Brasch In his successful run to the presidency, Donald Trump spent a lot of time talking about the Second Amendment and defending gun ownership. He spent very little time talking about the other amendments, other than to say he supported the Constitution. He knew his core support came from those who could effortlessly repeat a phrase, "Donald Trump supports my Second Amendment rights," without knowing much more than that. There's probably a reason why Trump wasn't specific about the other rights--he doesn't know much about the Constitution. That became apparent this past week when he said he would jail anyone who burned the flag. However, the Supreme Court, in Texas v. Johnson (1989), ruled that burning the flag is protected by the First Amendment right of free speech, no matter how hateful or unpatriotic it may seem. Trump's tweet was soundly condemned by all media and civil rights organizations. Trump's knowledge of the Constitution isn't as important as his attorney general's enforcement of Trump's political beliefs. Most attorney generals have been apolitical; Trump's nomination may not be. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama) will face significant questioning by most Democrats and a few Republican senators during confirmation hearings. Ronald Reagan withdrew his support for Sessions in 1986 after nominating him for a federal judgeship. The nomination had drawn heated opposition by numerous groups , individuals, and four Department of Justice lawyers over Sessions' history of racially insensitive comments. Among comments that Sessions made was that the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the ACLU, and the National Conference of Churches were un-American. Sessions says he isn't a racist. Perhaps that's accurate, but let's see what he said in 2014. In an uninformed opinion about the recruitment of not-naturalized immigrants into the military, Sessions stated, "I just think in terms of who's going to be most likely to be a spy: somebody from Cullman, Alabama, or somebody from Kenya?" Elaborating, he stated, "We don't have a difficulty getting American citizens to fill our military slots. That is unbelievable that in a time of high unemployment and we get a lot of calls -- 'Help my son get in the military. He's been turned down, can he get in?' So I just think this is not the right thing to do right now." However, an investigation conducted by the Kansas City Star revealed the problem wasn't that the military was turning down American citizens but that the reduction of ground troops led to increased requirements for recruits and about 80 percent of American citizens who applied were rejected as unfit for service. "Unfit" also applied to the Klan, which Session says "was OK until I found out they smoked pot." He claims he was joking. But he wasn't joking about his opinion of marijuana. In 2016, he incorrectly stated, "Good people don't smoke marijuana." Again elaborating on his main theme, the four-term senator said, "We need grown-ups in charge in Washington to say marijuana is not the kind of thing that ought to be legalized, it ought not to be minimized, that it's in fact a very real danger." He opposes sentence reduction and believes in seizing the assets of those arrested for possession, even before those arrested are convicted, a distinct civil rights violation to the Constitutional guarantee that persons arrested are considered to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. He opposes same-sex marriage, voted against repealing the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, and believes that the U.S. should be allowed to torture suspected terrorists. Sessions was an early supporter of Trump's proposal to ban immigration of Muslims to the United States. He stated there was no vetting process for Syrian refugees, a claim that wilts in face of the reality that it takes 18 to 24 months of intensive investigation before immigrants are admitted to the U.S. Sessions also argued against the H-1B provision of the Immigration Act that allows persons who possess significant skills are allowed admission to the U.S. if there are not a sufficient number of Americans to fill those jobs. The H-1B provision has often been used to allow physicians and medical workers into the U.S. In the Senate's Judicial Committee, Sessions delivered a 30 minute speech about why there needed to be a ban. "Many people are radicalized after they enter," Sessions stated, again inaccurately, and then claimed, "How do we screen for that possibility, if we cannot even ask about an applicant's views on religion? Would we forbid questions about politics? Or theology?" However, the Constitution and Supreme Court interpretations of the Constitution are specific in stating that there can be no religious test for immigrants--before or after admission to the U.S. An attorney general has wide latitude on whom he or she prosecutes or doesn't prosecute, or what terms are acceptable on plea bargains. With Jeff Sessions as attorney general, there is every probability that there will be an overhaul of career staff who are apolitical, of the prosecution of certain crimes at the expense of other crimes, and the refusal to pursue many civil rights violations. [Dr. Brasch is an award-winning social issues/investigative journalist who has covered government and politics for four decades. His latest book is Fracking America: Sacrificing Health and the Environment for Short-Term Economic Benefit.] "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag." Breitbart and other "fake news" sources report that 37% of Federal sentences are, using the Nazi phrase, illegal aliens. Of course, less than 7% of prisoners are in Federal custody, and of the 27,000 unauthorized prisoners, about 3000 are guilty of crimes other than documentation violations. There are among them, 12 murderers. Each one got headline news in a nation where 40 a day are murdered, 150,000 since 9/11 by US citizens. According to FY 2014 USSC data, of 74,911 sentencing cases, citizens accounted for 43,479 (or 58.0 percent), illegal immigrants accounted for 27,505 (or 36.7 percent), legal immigrants made up 3,017 (or 4.0 percent), and the remainder (about 1 percent) were cases in which the offender was either extradited or had an unknown status. Broken down by some of the primary offenses, illegal immigrants represented 16.8 percent of drug trafficking cases, 20.0 percent of kidnapping/hostage taking, 74.1 percent of drug possession, 12.3 percent of money laundering, and 12.0 percent of murder convictions." Mexicans leaving the US....................................... Of 27,000 prisoners without documentation, note: " Citing the American Community Survey, the report also notes that the percentage of foreign-born men in the United States who are incarcerated (1.6%) is less than the percentage of U.S.-born men who are imprisoned (3.3%). And the reason they're behind bars is often tied to immigration offenses. Given that 70% of "foreign- born men" are here legally, that leaves a total of about .5% of undocumented immigrants who are imprisoned, compared to 3.3% for US citizens. Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Another anniversary of John F. Kennedy's death has come and gone with nary a whisper about its meaning. Sure, numerous conferences attended by diehard conspiracy believers and less biased interested parties marked the occasion. But the significance of the event seems lost on a new generation coping with problems associated with an incoming administration that seems hell-bent towards destroying everything the country has gained in the past eight years. There was a time when even I -- someone who has researched and written articles on the assassination since 1978 -- tried to forget the anniversary of that awful November day. So I understand the desire to move past that tragedy. It seems like there will be questions about whether the government framed a mostly innocent man, or whether he had help or was an informant attempting to stop the plot, a century from now. Even when a case is taken to court, as the late New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison did so in 1969, many don't believe the conclusion. Some point to how the assassination of Kennedy remains a homicide and there is no statute of limitations on murder. Lee Harvey Oswald was never tried in court. Many questions remain. As a country, we should support bringing murderers to justice, no matter how long it takes. That's all good and noble, but it doesn't really propel a society to act on something more than five decades behind us when there are so many other more pressing issues. Moreover, setting the history books straight is a debate that will also likely rage in academic and scholarly circles for another century. While I believe that demands attention, I harbor no illusions that this question will be resolved in my lifetime, or my kids' lifetimes. Abraham Lincoln's 1865 assassination resulted in four alleged associates of assassin John Wilkes Booth being hung. Boarding house owner Mary Surratt was among them, becoming the first woman to be executed by the U.S. government. Questions remain to this day about the extent of Surratt's involvement in the plot against Lincoln. Did our government, in its fury and guilt at not doing more to protect its president, hang a mostly innocent woman? So if questions remain about a more open-and-shut case more than 150 years ago, why add to the confusion that surrounds the JFK killing? My answer comes down to unearthing stories, important stories that speak to and help illuminate matters we grapple with to this day. One of those stories I highlight in a recent book, Death of the Rising Sun: A Search for Truth in the John F. Kennedy Assassination, concerns Klansman Willie Somersett. While rising to national Klan leadership positions, Somersett had an epiphany. He agreed with many right-wing positions, such as maintaining segregation and opposing Kennedy's perceived push to sell out his country to the Soviet communists and United Nations-supporting liberals. Yet at times, he worked to stop race discrimination. Somersett did not support Klan violence, believing there were legal ways to advance the Klan agenda without resorting to lynchings and bombings. When the FBI recruited Somersett to inform on the organization and other right-wing groups in 1949, Somersett accepted. The extra money helped. Organizing for a labor union on a part-time basis didn't pay many bills. As a longtime member of far-right groups and an imposing man whose nickname among authorities was "88" since he reminded them of an Oldsmobile 88, Somersett could gain the confidence of Klan leaders like Joseph A. Milteer. The latter man represented the Dixie Klan faction and far-right Constitution Party that was a front for a violent undercover group. Somersett fed the FBI information even as he became adjutant to the National Grand Council of Klans, a position that afforded him extensive travel opportunities to KKK meetings. Through that position, he fed the FBI important information that helped authorities stop plots against not just Kennedy but Martin Luther King Jr. and others. The risks were great; if fellow Klan members discovered his role, he faced retaliation that included death. The FBI even dropped him as an informant in 1961 after agents feared he was compromised, but Somersett went to work for Miami police and still fed the FBI tidbits for free. Perhaps there was something that drove Somersett beyond money. "Through the years, Somersett had been associated with right-wing politics, but he disliked groups pressing for violence," journalist Dan Christensen wrote in a 1976 Miami Magazine article. "Why he became an informer is uncertain. Money? Honor? Patriotism? It could just have been his job." Somersett informed about the widespread threats made against perceived liberal politicians, business people, and diplomats at the far-right Congress of Freedom meeting in early 1963. The FBI interrogated several suspects who spoke at the meeting, and talks of broad-based assassinations subsided. But they were replaced with a more specific plan targeting Kennedy, Somersett said, which included discussions at the Constitution Party's meeting in Indianapolis in mid-October. The focus again had veered from just JFK; Milteer at the same meeting offered to have a member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee in Atlanta killed. Two weeks before Kennedy died, Somersett secretly tape recorded a conversation with Milteer at Somersett's Miami apartment. Milteer claimed there was a plot to assassinate JFK, though he refrained from saying he was involved himself. As they discussed JFK's planned November 18 trip to Florida, Milteer said the plot would likely involve shooting "from an office building with a high-powered rifle." Miami police provided a transcript of the recording to Secret Service agents on November 12. The Secret Service and FBI opened files on the matter and conducted an investigation of Milteer. Rather than cancelling the trip as White House officials had done when alerted to threats in Chicago a couple of weeks earlier, Kennedy visited Florida as planned on November 18. But authorities took more precautions. Hundreds of police and agents mingled with the crowd in Tampa and searched for signs of a rifle pointed from an open window along JFK's parade route. Somersett claimed the plot planners had been intimidated by the stepped-up police presence and set their sights on Texas. For some reason, Secret Service agents planning preparations for security at Kennedy's stops in Texas were not informed about the Florida threats, according to the House Select Committee on Assassinations's 1979 report. Somersett later went so far as to charge Robert Kennedy with not performing his duties as attorney general by sending more FBI agents to Dallas to guard his brother. Copies of his tape were sent to RFK, the FBI, and Secret Service well before November 22, Somersett said. But it was not clear if RFK actually heard that tape. So all that Somersett's risks likely did was prolong Kennedy's life for two weeks, which some would say is admirable in itself. After the assassination, Somersett continued to help authorities stop other plots of attempted racially-based killings and bombings in the South before he died in 1970. The FBI reported that he was "one of the few Klan informants that possesses the ability, incentive, and appropriate cover to go anywhere in the southeast section of the United States concerning [FBI] matters." Researcher Jeffrey H. Caufield called him "an unsung hero" in the efforts against the racist violence of the 1950s and 1960s. "His work likely prevented untold numbers of bombings, burnings, and murders," Caufield wrote. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). Global Thermal ProcessiecastGlobal Thermal Processing System Industry 2016 Market Development, Research and Forecast http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=878925&type=E http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-thermal-processing-system-sales-market-report-2016.htm http://www.qyresearchreports.com/press-releases.htm Qyresearchreports include new market research reportGlobal Thermal Processing System Sales Market Report 2016" to its huge collection of research reports.The report on global Thermal Processing System industry is a comprehensive study of the market dynamics, which is expected to have a lasting impact on the market from 2016 to 2021. It gives a detailed introduction of the global Thermal Processing System industry, its past status, and also the current state of the market. The past and present market size are then utilized to forecast the future growth of the global Thermal Processing System market. 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The study of challenges help players and investors to brace themselves for the likely problems they will face and devise plans and tactics to overcome these problems or prevent them altogether.The report includes a competitive landscape wherein key players in the market are profiled and the collective share of the top three players in the market are also given. The business overview of the companies, coupled with the financial overview, their joint ventures, collaborations, and partnerships have all been discussed.Table of ContentsGlobal Thermal Processing System Sales Market Report 20161 Thermal Processing System Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Thermal Processing System1.2 Classification of Thermal Processing System1.2.1 Type I1.2.2 Type II1.2.3 Type III1.3 Application of Thermal Processing System1.3.1 Application 11.3.2 Application 21.3.3 Application 31.4 Thermal Processing System Market by Regions1.4.1 United States Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.2 China Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.4.4 Japan Status and Prospect (2011-2021)1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Thermal Processing System (2011-2021)1.5.1 Global Thermal Processing System Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2021)1.5.2 Global Thermal Processing System Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2021)Browse Complete Report with TOC @2 Global Thermal Processing System Competition by Manufacturers, Type and Application2.1 Global Thermal Processing System Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1.1 Global Thermal Processing System Sales and Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2011-2016)2.1.2 Global Thermal Processing System Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2011-2016)2.2 Global Thermal Processing System (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global Thermal Processing System Sales and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)2.2.2 Global Thermal Processing System Revenue and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)2.3 Global Thermal Processing System (Volume and Value) by Regions2.3.1 Global Thermal Processing System Sales and Market Share by Regions (2011-2016)2.3.2 Global Thermal Processing System Revenue and Market Share by Regions (2011-2016)2.4 Global Thermal Processing System (Volume) by Application3 United States Thermal Processing System (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 United States Thermal Processing System Sales and Value (2011-2016)3.1.1 United States Thermal Processing System Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2016)3.1.2 United States Thermal Processing System Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2016)3.1.3 United States Thermal Processing System Sales Price Trend (2011-2016)3.2 United States Thermal Processing System Sales and Market Share by Manufacturers3.3 United States Thermal Processing System Sales and Market Share by Type3.4 United States Thermal Processing System Sales and Market Share by Application4 China Thermal Processing System (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4.1 China Thermal Processing System Sales and Value (2011-2016)4.1.1 China Thermal Processing System Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2016)4.1.2 China Thermal Processing System Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2016)4.1.3 China Thermal Processing System Sales Price Trend (2011-2016)4.2 China Thermal Processing System Sales and Market Share by Manufacturers4.3 China Thermal Processing System Sales and Market Share by Type4.4 China Thermal Processing System Sales and Market Share by ApplicationFor Latest QYResearchreports Press Release Visit @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: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com Precision Agriculture Is Swiftly Gaining Popularity Among Farmers Due to the Increasing Need of Optimum Production with the Given Resources http://www.researchbeam.com/precision-agriculture-market http://www.researchbeam.com/precision-agriculture-market/request-sample http://www.researchbeam.com/precision-agriculture-market/purchase-enquiry http://www.researchbeam.com/ Research Beam added report on World Precision Agriculture Market Technology, Trends, Analysis, Growth and Research Global Opportunities and Forecasts, 2015 - 2022Precision agriculture also known as site specific crop management (SSCM) and satellite farming is an advanced farming technique that utilizes several technologies such as GPS, GIS and remote sensing to collect crucial field related information, which is further analyzed to support growers decisions with regard to crop fertilizing, planting, and harvesting. In addition, sensors are placed throughout the field that measure temperature, nutrition level and humidity of the soil. Therefore, the technology eliminates manual human efforts by automating crucial processes including real-time farm monitoring and information sharing.Precision agriculture is swiftly gaining popularity among farmers due to the increasing need of optimum production with the given resources. Further, the changing weather patterns due to increasing global warming, have necessitated the adoption of advanced technologies to enhance the productivity and crop yield. By offering technologies such as real-time farm monitoring, weather forecasting, optimal field requirements and similar others, precision agriculture enables the farmers to increase the yield with minimum human efforts and wastage. Moreover, the technology enables the farmers to manage their resources as well as access real time information through their smartphones, thereby offering greater mobility and ease of operation. However, major restraints of the market are affordability of the technology and lack of awareness about the benefits of precision agriculture among farmers, particularly in the developing countries.Read Full Report with TOC @Segmentation OverviewThe report also presents a complete analysis of the world precision agriculture market based on technology, component, and geography. GIS, telematics, VRT, GPS, and remote sensing are some of the key technologies covered in the technology segment. Among these, GPS is the most popular technology. The world precision agriculture market is further bifurcated into two key components: hardware and software. Hardware includes sensors, drones, ASS, radar, GPS, and others (display, satellite, and mobiles). Software includes GIS, crop management software, weather tracking and forecasting software, inventory management software, people management software, and financial management software. The market is further analyzed across four different geographies: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. North America includes the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, whereas Europe covers U.K., Russia, Germany, Italy, France, and rest of Europe. The countries covered under Asia-Pacific are Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and rest of Asia-Pacific. LAMEA is bifurcated into Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa.Get Sample Copy @KEY BENEFITS The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the world precision agriculture market with current trends and future growth opportunities, challenges, and competitive scenario. The current market trends are quantitatively analyzed and estimated for the period 20152022, which have been provided to highlight the financial competency of the market. Porters five forces analysis provides inputs on the potential of buyers and suppliers and highlights the competitive structure of the market, which is likely to enable market players to devise effective growth strategies and facilitate better decision-making. Value chain analysis provides key inputs on the role of different stakeholders involved at various stages. SWOT analysis of the key market players highlights the essential strengths and potential opportunities in the market.Ask for Discount @With the arsenal of different search reports, Research Beam helps you here to look and buy research reports that will be helpful to you and your organization. Our research reports have the capability and authenticity to support your organization for growth and consistency. With the window of opportunity getting open and shut at a speed of light, it has become very important to survive in the market and only the fittest and competent enough can do so. So, we try and provide with latest changes in the market that can suit your needs and help you take decision accordingly.5933 NE Win Sivers Drive, #205, Portland, OR 97220U.S. & Canada Toll Free: + 1-800-910-6452UK: + 44-845-528-1300, India: +91 20 66346070Fax: +1 (855) 550-5975Email: help@researchbeam.comWeb: New update "Global M2M Platform Market 2015-2019" The Report covers an In-depth Market Trends, Worldwide Analysis, Forecast, Review, Share, Size, Growth, Effect. https://goo.gl/WDyXs4 "Global M2M Platform Market 2015-2019" The Report covers current Market Trends, Worldwide Analysis, Global Forecast, Review, Share, Size, Growth, Effect.Description-About M2M PlatformM2M platform is the programed unit in which M2M applications and services are built on. For instance, a connected car M2M platform integrates a vehicles input devices such as microphones, output devices such as speakers, the Internet, and consumer devices such as smartphones. As a result of the growing adoption of IoT and M2M services, the demand for innovative M2M platform for enabling several new M2M services such as smart home is increasing. Since the entry barrier to this market is low, many small players are entering in the global M2M platform market.Get Sample Report With TOC @Technavio's analysts forecast the global M2M platform market to grow at a CAGR of 21.29 % over the period 2015-2019.Covered in this ReportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global M2M platform market for the period 2015-2019. The report provides the segmentation of the market based on geography.Technavio's report, Global M2M Platform Market 2015-2019, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. It covers the market landscape and its growth prospects in the coming years. The report includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key RegionsAmericasAPACEMEAKey VendorsGemaltoJasper TechnologiesSierra WirelessTelit Wireless SolutionsXively (LogMeIn)Vendors to Watch OutAmdocsDigi InternationalKore Wireless GroupPTCOther Prominent VendorsAerisBosch Software InnovationsComarchCumulocityEricssonEurotechnTelsRed BendWiproMarket DriverGrowing Adoption of Connected DevicesFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket ChallengeComplexity in Integrating M2M DevicesFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket TrendAdoption of M2M Cloud-based Platform among MNOFor a full, detailed list, view our reportKey Questions Answered in this ReportWhat will the market size be in 2019 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?ResearchMoz 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. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Researchmoz Global Pvt. Ltd.90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United States,Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free),Tel: +1-518-621-2074 New update "Global Low Voltage Motors Market 2015-2019" The Report covers an In-depth Market Trends, Worldwide Analysis, Forecast, Review, Share, Size, Growth, Effect. https://goo.gl/X8i2S5 "Global Low Voltage Motors Market 2015-2019" The Report covers current Market Trends, Worldwide Analysis, Global Forecast, Review, Share, Size, Growth, Effect.Description-About Low Voltage Motors MarketThe HVAC industry is one of the major end-users of low voltage motors, contributing a significant portion of the revenue to the global low voltage motors market. The market is expected to grow at a rapid rate during 2014-2019, backed by high demand from HVAC, F&B, and oil and gas industries in North America, MEA, and APAC. In terms of geography, APAC will lead the market, followed by the Americas and EMEA.Technavio's analysts forecast the global low voltage motors market to grow at a CAGR of 9.58% over the period 2014-2019.Get Sample Report With TOC @Covered in this ReportThis report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global low voltage motors market for 2015-2019. Motors running on 690 V or less are considered as low voltage motors in this report.Technavio's report, Global Low Voltage Motors Market 2015-2019, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. It covers the market landscape and its growth prospects in the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key CountriesChinaUSKey VendorsABBSiemensTECO-Westinghouse Motor CompanyWEGOther Prominent VendorsAnhui Wannan Electric MachineATB GroupGE IndustrialHyosung Power and Industrial Systems Performance GroupLeroy SomerLEZ RuselpromLuan JiangHuaiNIDECRegal BeloitShandong Huali Electric Motor GroupToshiba InternationalVEM GroupMarket DriverEnforcement of Various Motor Efficiency LegislationsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket ChallengeVolatility in Raw Material PricesFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket TrendGovernment RegulationsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportKey Questions Answered in this ReportWhat will the market size be in 2019 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?ResearchMoz 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. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Researchmoz Global Pvt. Ltd.90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United States,Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free),Tel: +1-518-621-2074 New Yorker Electronics Releases New CDE Rugged Critical Systems Capacitor Delivering 5,000-Hour Life at 125C Cornell Dubilier Electronics (CDE) new MLSG Ruggedized, Near-Hermetic Aluminum Electrolytic Flatpack and Slimpack Capacitors, Seal NORTHVALE, NEW JERSEY New Yorker Electronics has introduced the latest in a series ruggedized aluminum electrolytic capacitors with welded seals from Cornell Dubilier Electronics (CDE), the MLSG in both Flatpack and Slimpack. This series targets compact power supply applications in military and aerospace, as well as other critical systems. Design enhancements and a new electrolyte push the MLSG to nearly double the operating life of its predecessor, the MLSH, at no added cost.Two principal package profiles are offered in this technology, the MLSG Flatpack which measures just 0.5in thick and 1.75in wide and the MLSG Slimpack measuring 0.5in thick by 1in wide, both offered in lengths of 1.5, 2, 2.5 or 3 inches.MLSG Flatpack welded seals capacitors can be made to withstand up to 50g vibrations (10g standard) and altitudes greater than 80,000 feet. With stainless steel cases and near hermetic welded seals, they are built for extended duty in very harsh conditions. Especially noteworthy is that a high level of performance is maintained over the full operating temperature range. Capacitance retention at -55 C is very strong, with excellent high temperature performance up to +125C. The new electrolyte system is fully REACH compliant, allowing application of the components in a broad range of applications where space efficiency and extraordinarily long life are required.A wide range of standard capacitance values from 220F to 24,000F are available, with voltage ratings up to 250VDC. The unique flat package design does more than save space. It is easily cooled, and can offer unique flexibility in ganging two or more devices in ways that conventional electrolytics cant.Options include High Vibration (HVMLSG), for performance to 50g, and High Reliability (HRMLSG), with burn-in at rated voltage and 85C. Where a true glass-to-metal hermetic seal is required, CDE offers the MLSH Slimpack, which is similarly constructed in a flat stainless steel package. It is available in nine values, from 120F to 3,200F, with ratings up to 250VDC.With a profile of 1in x .5in, the MLSG Slimpack welded seals capacitors fit into the tightest of spaces and meet a DC test of 5,000 hours at rated voltage, 125C. MLSG Slimpack is a perfect fit for military and aerospace applications requiring a low profile, rugged design and long-life. The MSGL Slimpack is also available in an HRMLSG type for high reliability burn-in and is rated to vibration levels of 80g.Features & Benefits 5,000 hours @ rated voltage of 125C Stainless steel case Withstands more than 80,000ft altitude Type HR, high reliability burn-in Type HV, high vibration levels Flatpack to 50g; Slimpack to 80gApplications Aerospace Military Critical Systems Power SuppliesNew Yorker Electronics is a franchise distributor for Cornell Dubilier carrying the MLSG Flatpack Ruggedized Flat Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitor as well as its full line of Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors, AC Oil Filled Capacitors, DC Oil Filled Capacitors, Film Capacitors, MICA Capacitors, Ultracapacitors, Surface Mount Capacitors, Aluminum Polymer Capacitors, Supercapacitors, plus Capacitor Hardware and Capacitor Kits.New Yorker Electronics is a certified franchised distributor of electronic components, well known for its full product lines, large inventories and competitive pricing since 1948. New Yorker Electronics is an AS9210 and ISO 9001:2016 certified source of capacitors, resistors, semi-conductors, connectors, filters, inductors and more, and operates entirely at heightened military and aerospace performance levels. It also functions in strict accordance with AS5553 and AS6496 standards verifying that it has implemented industry standards into everyday practices to thwart the proliferation of counterfeit parts. It is a member of ECIA (Electronics Component Industry Association) and of ERAI (Electronic Resellers Association International).209 Industrial Parkway, Northvale, New Jersey, 07647 USA Touchscreen Simulation App SENSE 2 is just released New Touchscreen Simulator http://fieldscale.com/sense-simulation-software-for-touchscreens/ Thessaloniki, December 1, 2016 | Simulation Software company Fieldscale launches today the second version of SENSE, their advanced Touchscreen Design and Simulation App.The first version of SENSE was introduced in Display Week Show in San Francisco earlier this year. With the second version, the company introduces new functions like resistance computation and automatic report extraction, new analysis types for mutual- and self- capacitive sensors as well as for floating and earth models, modification options for the finger or stylus dimensions, and an enhanced library of ready-to-use patterns. All those features will smoothen the workflow of the touch sensor designer, enable better and deeper analyses and provide the manufacturer with accurate information for better design decisions.Its the convenience of SENSE and the speed of the simulations that will save design engineers lots of effort and time stated Dr. Vasilis Zagkanas, Fieldscales Head Application Engineer. We wanted to introduce a software tool that would enable the modeling of the touch sensor in a matter of minutes, and we are proud to say that we did it. On the other hand, Dr. George Bouzianas, CTO of the company focuses primarily on the solving speed Our algorithms are extremely scalable and combined with the Cloud Service Fieldscale offers, engineers can speed up their simulation process by 10X with literally one click.SENSE will be available in monthly, annual and perpetual licenses, along with the unprompted support of Fieldscales Your personal engineer application team.More information about SENSE features atQuote, Trial and even more information about SENSE atsupport@fieldscale.comFieldscale is a simulation software provider that utilizes parallelized algorithms integrated within a simple, intuitive user environment to support the effortless design of great products. Founded in 2015 and based in Thessaloniki, Greece, Fieldscale offers state-of-the-art simulation software for electric design and analysis. Fieldscales solvers cover the constantly growing demands of engineers for accuracy and efficiency in the design phase of any hardware product.Fieldscale Plastira 45, 54250ThessalonikiGreeceTel: +30 2310 94 74 84 The LITE Games CrossPromo Program as a free support for indie developers and start-ups CrossPromo Program www.lite-games.com www.lite-games.com www.facebook.com/LiteGames Hamburg, 01.12.2016 Hamburg-based casual games publisher, LITE Games, is launching its CrossPromo program to promote new apps. This will enable indie developers and start-ups on a limited budget to launch their app and gain greater visibility in the app stores. So how does it work?LITE Games GmbH was founded in Hamburg in 2014 and focuses on the development and publishing of casual classics for mobile iOS and Android platforms.The LITE Games portfolio comprises over 30 games, with the emphasis on contemporary adaptations of classic game concepts that include popular games such as Rummy, Canasta, and Crazy Eights, and board, puzzle, and dice games.The idea behind the CrossPromo program is quite simple: ads run in the majority of LITE Games titles, so indie developers and start-ups can submit their apps for inclusion in the CrossPromo program. If the app is accepted, LITE Games will show ad impressions for the app in its games to help it gain more visibility and boost its profile.It is increasingly difficult to attract attention in the large app stores, so our aim is to give promising developers some good exposure without launching an expensive advertising campaign, says Christian Twellmann, CEO of LITE Games GmbH.The CrossPromo program is totally free for participants. If the app is successful, the developer can return the favor by promoting one of the LITE Games titles. It may not work of course, and thats a shame, but they wont have to repay us for the ad impressions in any other way.You can submit an app using the online form on the LITE Games website, which also contains more details on the conditions of submission and the materials required.LITE Games website:CrossPromo program form:/crosspromo/LITE Games GmbH was founded in 2014 in Hamburg, Germany and focusses on developing and publishing "casual classics" for the mobile operating systems Apple iOS and Android.The constantly expanding portfolio of LITE Games currently comprises more than 30 games, the emphasis lies on the adaption of classical game concepts, and contains card games like Rummy, Canasta or Crazy Eights as well as board-, brain- or dice- games.With more than 25 million downloads and many internationally top ranking apps in the most important app stores (Apple, Google, Amazon) LITE Games is one of the leading providers of mobile casual games.Malte KopkeJunior Marketing ManagerLITE Games GmbHMittelweg 24 d20148 Hamburg/GermanyTel: (0)40 211 078 67Mobile:(0)160 935 213 68Email: malte.koepke@lite-games.comFacebook: PROLIM Named as Winner of 2016 Dallas 100 Fastest growing Entrepreneurial Company Award Dallas, TX November 30, 2016 - PROLIM, fastest PLM growing private Company, was announced to be the Fastest growing Entrepreneurial Company in the Dallas area Tuesday evening at the 26th Annual SMU Cox Dallas 100 Awards Ceremony and Banquet at the Omni Dallas Hotel, presented by the Cox Schools Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship.Dallas 100, co-founded by the Caruth Institute, honors the ingenuity, commitment and perseverance of the fastest-growing privately held entrepreneurial businesses in the Dallas area. According to Caruth Institute data, this years winning companies collectively generated $4.6 billion in sales in 2015, and grew at an average annual growth rate of 91 percent per year for each of the last three years.The Dallas 100, presented by the Caruth Institute at SMU Cox, was sponsored this year by Avison Young; BKD LLP; CARR Intellectual Property Law; The CFO Suite; The Dallas Business Journal; Evos Financial; Executive Press; KRLD 1080 News Radio; and Texas Capital Bank. The event recognizes privately held corporations, proprietorships or partnerships headquartered in the Dallas area that often dont get attention, but which have created jobs and generated wealth for their founders and employees and enhanced the area economy.We have an exciting year, Prabhu Patil, CEO of PROLIM said. We are honored to be the fastest growing company in North Texas, without the great team members we have and our clients we would never be able to achieve this. Given PROLIMs focus on enabling innovation through IT and PLM technology with high performing deep industry knowledgeable PLM software teams, we are able to consistently help our clients quickly scale their PLM needs reducing their time-to-market.PROLIM is the leading provider of IT, PLM Solutions and Engineering Technology Solutions provider for Global 1000 companies. Recognized by Inc. magazine as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America, PROLIM has been named one of Michigan's 50 companies to watch by the Cassopolis-based Edward Lowe Foundation. PROLIM is a leading provider to industries like Automotive, Aerospace, Manufacturing Supplier and Life Sciences.Media ContactKris Shaw214-228-1723Kris.shaw@prolim.comPROLIM Global Corporation2805 N. Dallas ParkwaySuite 610Plano, TX 75093Phone: 214-945-2667 Global 3D IC Market - 3M Company, Tezzaron Semiconductor Corporation, United Microelectronics Corporation, Samsung Global 3D IC Market http://bit.ly/2gOzp6Y http://atozresearch.com/global-3d-ic-market-research-reports/ http://bit.ly/2fYD5kU http://atozresearch.com/ 3D IC (LED, Memories, MEMS, Sensor, Logic and Others) Market by Substrate Type (Silicon On Insulator and Bulk Silicon) and by Fabrication Process (Silicon Epitaxial Growth, Beam Re-Crystallization, Solid Phase Crystallization and Wafer Bonding) for Information and Communication Technology, Military, Consumer Electronics and Others Applications: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Segment, Trends and Forecast, 2014 2020.Global 3D IC Market Set for Rapid Growth, To Reach Around USD 8.6 Billion by 2020.The report covers forecast and analysis for the 3D IC market on a global and regional level. The study provides historic data of 2014 along with a forecast from 2015 to 2020 based on revenue (USD million). The study includes drivers and restraints for the 3D IC market along with the impact they have on the demand over the forecast period. Additionally, the report includes the study of opportunities available in the 3D IC market on a global level.Request Sample Report:In order to give the users of this report a comprehensive view on the 3D IC market, we have included a detailed value chain analysis. To understand the competitive landscape in the market, an analysis of Porters Five Forces model for the 3D IC market has also been included. The study encompasses a market attractiveness analysis, wherein application segments are benchmarked based on their market size, growth rate and general attractiveness.The study provides a decisive view on the 3D IC market by segmenting the market based on applications. All the application segments have been analyzed based on present and future trends and the market is estimated from 2014 to 2020. Key product market covered under this study includes LED, memories, MEMS, sensor, logic and others. Key product segments covered under this study includes LED, memories, MEMS, sensor, logic and others. Different substrate segments covered under this study includes silicon on insulator and bulk silicon. Major fabrication process segments covered under this study includes silicon epitaxial growth, beam re-crystallization, solid phase crystallization and wafer bonding. Some of the prime application segments covered under this study includes information and communication technology, military, consumer electronics and others applications. The regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa. This segmentation includes demand for 3D IC based on individual applications in all the regions.Browse detail report at:The report also includes detailed profiles of end players such as 3M Company, Tezzaron Semiconductor Corporation, United Microelectronics Corporation, Samsung, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd., Xilinx, STMicroelectronics and amongst others. The detailed description of players includes parameters such as company overview, financial overview, business strategies and recent developments of the company.This report segments the global 3D IC market as follows:3D IC Market: Product Segment AnalysisLEDMemoriesMEMSSensorLogicOthers3D IC Market: Substrate Segment AnalysisSilicon on Insulator (SOI)Bulk Silicon3D IC Market: Fabrication Process Segment AnalysisRead Report TOC:Silicon Epitaxial GrowthBeam Re-CrystallizationSolid Phase CrystallizationWafer Bonding3D IC Market: Application Segment AnalysisInformation and Communication TechnologyMilitaryConsumer ElectronicsOthers3D IC Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaEuropeAsia PacificLatin AmericaMiddle East and AfricaAbout A to Z ResearchA to Z Research is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations. A to Z Research is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air. We have market research reports from number of leading publishers and update our collection daily to provide our clients with the instant online access to our database. With access to this database, our clients will be able to benefit from expert insights on global industries, products, and market trends.Contact US3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138,Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442, USATel: +1-386-310-3803GMTTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No.1-855-465-465Email: martin@atozresearch.comWebsite: E-Book Reader Market Expecting Worldwide Growth by 2022 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/9107 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/9107 E-book reader or electronic book reader is a handheld computer device carried by user that enable user to read digital books or periodicals better call e-books, the advantages of using e-book readers instead of smart phones or tablets are they are more efficient having longer battery life its display is more like physical paper, more environment friendly and user friendly as well. E-book reader appeared in the market late 1990s, but it took around a decade to gain attraction because there are many formats of e-books present in the market, there has been continuous advancement in the technology used in e-book reader but the popularity of e-book readers did not really take off until 2009 and 2010 when some big players come up with their extremely different and user friendly e-book reader. Usually matte monochromatic display used up by most of e-book reader because of its advantages like it is more energy efficient, gives better view in direct sunlight as compare to LCD or LED display. Now e-book readers are also coming with LCD or LED display with some more features apart from reading e-books like web browsing and viewing multimedia content.Request to view Sample Report @The key trend responsible for the growth of global e-book reader is emerging trend of collecting information online for research or educational purpose is adding to the growth. The key growth drivers of global e-book reader market are the sensitivity of books to wear and tear and need of adequate care, combined with high cost is further increasing the demand for books. Also the region where customers prefer to read books in both the English language and in their mother tongue boosting the demand of e-book reader which is having direct impact on volume of e-book reader sales in particular geography, also the globalization and digitalization (internet) bring this market to a new height. On the other hand there are also some factors which are hindering the growth of global e-book reader market, those restraints are lack of awareness refer to the content of e-books and also the replacement of e-book readers by latest smart phones and tablets are acting as a key restraints of global e-book reader market.Segmentation of e-book reader market is done on the basis of screen type, connectivity type & Geography. On the basis of screen type, global e-book reader market is segmented as monochrome eInk screens, LDC screen and LED screen. These segments further sub-segmented into its sub-segments as; eLink screen technology is further sub-segmented into eInk Pearl (grayscale), eInk VizPlex (Greyscale), eInk Triton (color) and SiPix (grayscale). LCD screen segment is further sub-segmented into LCD TFT (color), LCD IPS (color), LCD LTPS (color), LCD FFS (color) and eInk & LCD - double screen e-readers. Among all the above segments eLink screen segment is the most popular segment has been used by most e-book readers. On the basis of connectivity, global e-book reader is segmented as always on radio connection type, wireless connection enabled and 3G cellular data connection enabled.Request to view Table of content @Geographically, e-book reader is segmented into seven regions which are ; North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), and Middle East and Africa (MEA). Among all the regions North America is the highest contributor in term of revenue in global e-book reader market followed by Western Europe & Asia Pacific and it is expected that same trend is being followed in near future as well.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com Force Sensor Market Aims Bigger with Technological Innovations 2022 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/9167 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/9167 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.Request to view Sample Report @The 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.The 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.On 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 to view Table of content @Key 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.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com Global Electric Vehicles Market: 2015 Size, Trends ,Growth , Research and Forecast to 2020 http://www.syndicatemarketresearch.com/request-for-sample.html?flag=S&repid=50306 http://bit.ly/2cj1ijT http://www.syndicatemarketresearch.com/market-analysis/electric-vehicles-market.html http://www.syndicatemarketresearch.com Electric vehicles are also known as electric drive vehicles. Electric vehicles are growing in popularity and are seen as a potential option towards a less carbon intensive road transport. It can be powered by electricity from off-vehicle sources or may be self-contained with a battery or generator to convert fuel to electricity.Request Sample Report:The electric vehicles market mainly is driven by decreasing a cost of the battery and increasing in popularity among end users. Electric vehicles reduce dependence on petroleum and tap into a source of electricity that is often domestic and relatively inexpensive. These attributes seem to drive the demand for an electric vehicle over the forecast period. However, lack of awareness in end-users among emerging technology and scarcity of expertise in research and development is expected to hamper the growth of mobile robotics industry.Vehicle type segment have been analyzed based on historic, present, and future trends, and the market has been estimated from 2015 to 2020 in terms of revenue (USD Million). Key vehicle type segments covered under this study includes hybrid (HEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and others. Battery electric vehicles segment is leading region for electric vehicles market and expected to remain to prolong segment over the years to come.Request TOC (Table of Contents) of this report:In order to give the users of this report a comprehensive view on the electric vehicles, we have included a detailed competitive scenario and product portfolio of key vendors. To understand the competitive landscape in the market, an analysis of Porters Five Forces model for the electric vehicles market has also been included. The study encompasses a market attractiveness analysis, wherein application segments are benchmarked based on their market size, growth rate, and general attractiveness.Regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for electric vehicles in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa (MEA) with its further bifurcation into major countries including U.S., Germany, France, UK, China, Japan, India, and Brazil. North America is leading region for electric vehicles market. However, Asia Pacific is a fastest growing region for electric vehicles market over the forecast period.Some of the key players for global electrical vehicles market include BMW, Daimler, General Motors, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan Motor, Renault, Tesla Motors, Kandi Technologies Group, Kia Motors, Mahindra, Roewe, Shuanghuan Automobile and Wheego Electric Cars.Browse report at:This report segments the global electric vehicles market as follows:Electric Vehicles Market: Vehicle Segment AnalysisHybrid (HEV)Plug-In Hybrid (PHEVs)Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs)OtherElectric Vehicles Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeGermanyUKFranceAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilMiddle East & AfricaAbout US:Syndicate Market Research provides a range of marketing and business research solutions designed for our clients specific needs based on our expert resources. The business scopes of Syndicate Market Research cover more than 30 industries including energy, new materials, transportation, daily consumer goods, chemicals, etc. We provide our clients with the one-stop solution for all the research requirements.Contact US:Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suite #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@SyndicateMarketResearch.comWebsite: Automotive Horn Systems Market to Record an Impressive Growth Rate During the Forecast 2026 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/12115 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/12115 With the advent of efficient connected vehicles technologies, Internet of Things and autonomous vehicles, redundant designs and components have undergone a substantial change to adapt and increase the overall efficiency of the vehicle. Similarly, as one of the pivotal integral components of vehicle, the automotive horn systems has come a long way from pedestrian hand operated horn system or a whistle to inbuilt automated electric horn serving the same function of alerting other approaching vehicles and alerting pedestrian throughout its history. With advancement in automotive horn systems the startling high decibel sound has gradually been mellowed down to audible yet soft honk which is enough to indicate a perceived emergency. A wide range of air horns and electric with customizable sounds is also in demand by many motorist and enthusiast throughout the world. These horns have a higher frequency and intensity which can be detected for a quite a range.Request to view Sample Report @The increasing new automotive sales are propelling the demand for the automotive horn system market. Although the life cycle of automotive horn is dependent on the kind of utilization, the estimated minimum life cycle of a horn system 2 to 4 years. Increasing replacement of automotive horn system therefore provides sustainable opportunity for the aftermarket of automotive horn systems. Manufacturers are upgrading designs for efficient functioning and are focusing of softer and relatively lower tones to comply with regional noise laws. With increasing preference for compact engine and better performance, there is an increasing demand for trumpet horns for light and heavy commercial vehicles. Owing to increasing heath concerns and targeted regulation aimed to reduce certain frequencies, there has been a restriction in production options and offerings for certain manufacturers in the automotive horn system market.Request to view Table of content @The automotive horn system market can also be segmented on the basis of region as North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific ex. Japan, Middle East and Africa and Japan. The automotive horn systems market in the United States automotive horn systems market is expected to increase with escalating sales of hybrid and electric vehicles. The recuperating sales of light commercial vehicle segment is further expected enhance the revenue contribution of the automotive horn system market. The Western Europe market has a strong export market with Germany and Italy therefore are leading contributors to the automotive horn system market in the region. The APEJ automotive horn system market is spearheaded by key region of India and China. The regions represents maximum opportunities for automotive horn system market owing proliferating production of vehicle and sustainable aftermarket opportunities. The Latin America automotive horn system market is expected to witness relatively moderate growth till 2018 after which the market it expected to regain sustainable growth throughout the forecast period. The sales of passenger and light commercial vehicle in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina are expected to boost sales of the automotive horn system in the region. The automotive horn system market is expected to be propelled by swiftly changing automotive industry dynamics of South Africa, Egypt and Iran.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com Microbiology Testing Technologies Market : Rising Incidences Of Infectious And Sexually Transmitted Diseases Globally Will Drive The Microbiology Testing http://bit.ly/2dCHlbu http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ Microbiology Testing Technologies Market: OverviewMicrobiological tests comprise the studies of various types of microbial products such as bacteria, yeast, fungus, viruses and their effects on patient population. These products provide an array of experimental approaches (i.e. synthesis and sequencing) to either modify a biological system or mimic it. Microbiology testing technologies enables to examine presence of pathogenic micro-organisms or their metabolites by means of micro-biology techniques. Microbiological testing technologies have wide area of application in the field of healthcare (e.g. syphilis, tuberculosis, gastrointestinal tests), food industries (e.g. food safety testing) and environmental industries (e.g. environmental testing). The foremost objective to use microbiology testing technologies is to understand human diseases (e.g. cancers, genetic diseases and others) better than before and identify new molecular targets to facilitate drug discovery.Microbiology Testing Technologies Market: DriversRising incidences of infectious and sexually transmitted diseases globally will drive the market of microbiology testing. In addition, technological advancements have made microbiology tests faster and more accurate that increases the use of these tests and hence drives the growth of the market. Additionally, wide application areas of microbial test in the field of healthcare, energy and environment will further increase the uptake of nicrobiology technologies hence drives the market growth of microbiology testing technologies.For Any Queries Get Solutions With A PDF Sample :Moreover, introduction of new tests by key players will further drive the growth of microbiology testing technologies market globally. For example, in February 2012, BioControl Systems launched a new Non-O157 Shiga Toxigenic E.coli (STEC) test. This test is different in that it has advanced the techniques associated with food microbiology and molecular technology. More importantly, it aids in the quicker and more efficient detection of the non-O157 serotype of E.coli. Thus, such innovative launches by key players attract new customers to use microbiology tests and technologies and will consequently drive the growth of the market. However less specific actions of microbiology tests will restrain the growth of microbiological testing technologies market. In addition, insufficient regulatory framework and guidelines and high cost of microbial products will restrain the growth of microbiology testing technologies market.Microbiology Testing Technologies Market: SegmentationThe market of microbiology testing technologies can be segmented into: By Technologyo Rapid microbiological methodso Antibiotic resistance detectiono Bio-fuel technology By End Userso Clinical applicationo Non clinical applicationGeographically, the most dominant region in the global microbiological testing technologies market is North America. The regions leading position can be mainly ascribed to the presence of key players headquartered and/or operational in this region; many of these players offer an expansive portfolio of microbiological tests and technologies. Europe, which is the second-largest regional market for microbiology testing technologies, also holds promising opportunities.Consistent advancements in the field of molecular diagnostic tests, such as the genetic probe test, for instance, coupled with positive initiatives by governments for the development of the field of microbiology will help stimulate advances in microbiology technologies. This will prove beneficial for the markets growth in Europe. For example, in March 2012, Abbott Laboratories obtained the CE Mark approval in the European Union, which allowed it to market PLEX-ID. This instrument features advanced molecular diagnostic technology which makes it suited for detecting and identifying a broad range of microbes. With such new launches and approvals by government authorities, the uptake of microbiology testing technologies will eventually increase and lend support to the markets growth.In addition to traditional markets, countries in South-East Asia along with India and China are regarded as rapidly developing markets for microbiological testing technologies because of increasing acceptance of microbiology tests and technologies by biotechnology companies and others.Microbiology Testing Technologies Market: Key PlayersVarious key players actively participating in this market are Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Abbott Laboratories, Gen-Prove, Inc., Agrivida, Inc., Agilent Technologies, Inc., Biosearch Technologies, Renewable Energy Group, Inc., ATG: biosynthetics GmbH, Torrey Pines Scientific, Inc., PSS Precision System Science, BioControl Systems 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.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 Pyridine Market : APAC to Account 51.6% volume share http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3521 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/pyridine-market.asp http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/pyridine-market/toc http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com Pyridine is a toxic and soluble flammable liquid base with a distinct, strong odor. It is often considered the parent compound of several naturally occurring organic compounds. It is the preferred choice as a precursor to agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. Initially, pyridine was extracted from coal tar or obtained as a by-product of coal gasification. The process was very expensive and inefficient as coal tar constituted only 0.10.2% of pyridine after extraction. Currently, pyridine and its derivatives are produced synthetically. The most commonly used reactions for pyridine synthesis are Chichibabin synthesis, Bonnemann cyclization, and Cobalt-catalyzed alkyne-nitrile cyclotrimerization, etc.Request Report Sample @The global pyridine market is estimated to reach US$ 1,741.4 Mn by 2025 from US$ 786.4 Mn in 2015.By region, the market in Asia Pacific has been estimated to account for 51.6% volume share of the overall pyridine market by 2015 end, followed by Europe and North America. Due to increase in usage of pyridine and its derivatives in agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals segments in Asia Pacific, the pyridine market in the region is projected to expand at a higher than average CAGR of 9.9% over 20152025 in terms of revenue. The U.S. pyridine market, which has been estimated to account for 89.5% revenue share of the overall market in North America by 2015 end, is expected to be driven by increasing adoption of pyridine and its derivatives in chemicals and pharmaceuticals segments. The pyridine market in the Middle East & Africa is estimated to register increased revenue due to a growth of pharmaceuticals and chemicals segments in the region. Europe market is anticipated to witness lower revenue growth in the coming years as compared to other regions due to the economic downturn in the region.Browse Report @Globally, pyridine N-oxide segment volume is estimated to expand at a lower than average CAGR of 7.4% over 20152025. Demand for 2-Methyl-5-Ethylpyridine (MEP) and gamma-picoline is expected grow significantly due to increasing application of these product types in chemicals segment. Alpha picoline finds wide application as a solvent in chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food industries. The segment is projected to exhibit moderate growth over the forecast period. Key growth contributor for alpha picoline segment is 2-vinylpyridine, which is used as a raw material for styrene-butadiene-2-vinylpyridine terpolymer latexes (SBV latexes). Beta picoline is used to produce Vitamin B3. In terms of value, beta picoline segment is projected to experience significant growth rate over the forecast period. This is mainly attributed to rising demand for niacin in developing regions such as APAC and Middle East & Africa.For More Information Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report @Asia Pacific is the most attractive region in terms of CAGR and market share in the global pyridine market. India has been estimated to account for 24.4 % of the total APAC pyridine market by 2015 end due to expected increase in domestic pyridine production by 40%. In terms of value, gamma-picoline segment is expected to experience the highest growth rate during the forecast period in the Asia Pacific market. The Middle East & Africa accounts for the smallest market share. However, it is expected to expand at a CAGR of 9.9% in terms of value over the forecast period. Food segment is expected to expand at the highest CAGR in terms of volume during the forecast period in the Middle East & Africa market. Pyridine manufacturers are strengthening their presence in the regulated markets of Japan, North America and Europe as well as in key emerging markets. They are also focusing on local tie-ups and out-licensing of local companies in order to strengthen their regional presence.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: Rigid Bulk Packaging Market: Rising Production of Oil and Gas is Expected to drive the Demand Globally http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=17096 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Packaging has become a vital part of any products lifecycle predominantly because the packaging protects and preserves a product from any kind of harm such as leakage, contamination, damage, etc. during the course of transit, consumption and storage. Achieving highest degree of product safety at every stage of product lifecycle is considered to be one of the major concerns of sensitive products manufactures. Moreover, sensitive products require rigid packaging. Rigid bulk packaging is primarily used for packaging perishable goods such as food & beverages items, pharmaceutical products and chemicals. The basic purpose of rigid bulk packaging is to protect these goods from the point of manufacturing to the point of distribution. Rigid bulk packaging is generally done with rigid plastics, steel and paper. The rising demand for industrial packaging from chemicals and petroleum industry is anticipated to fuel the growth of rigid packaging market over the forecast period.Request a PDF Brochure with Report Analysis:Rigid bulk packaging Market- Market Segmentation:The global rigid bulk packaging market is segmented on the basis of product type, material, and end use. On the basis of product type, rigid bulk packaging market can be segmented into drums, pails, bulk boxes, material handling containers, and rigid intermediate containers (RIBCs). On the basis of material, rigid bulk packaging market can be segmented into plastic, steel, paper boards, and wood panels. On the basis of end use, rigid bulk packaging market can be segmented into chemical, pharmaceutical, paint & coating, detergent & cleaners, food & beverages and agricultural.Rigid bulk packaging Market - Market Dynamics:One of the significant factors contributing to the growth of the rigid bulk packaging market is the growing construction and manufacturing activity which in turn increases the production of chemicals and plastic materials. This will continue to support the augmented demand for rigid bulk packaging. Additionally, growing preference for higher value reusable containers, as these are considered more effective in terms of cost than smaller containers with short shelf life, is also anticipated to boost the demand for rigid bulk packaging over the forecast period. Moreover, the rising production of oil and gas is further expected to drive the demand for rigid bulk packing in future.However, stringent packaging regulations have been laid down by the U.S regulatory authority as materials used in rigid bulk packaging are considered hazardous. Moreover, recyclability of materials used during packaging are often restricted by these authorities. It is quite likely that these factors will restrain the demand for rigid bulk packaging over the forecast period. Additionally, growing competition from flexible packaging is also anticipated to hamper the growth of rigid bulk packaging over the forecast period.Rigid bulk packaging Market - Regional OutlookGeographically, the global rigid bulk packaging market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC) and Middle East & Africa (MEA). The global rigid bulk packaging market is expected to witness a significant CAGR over the forecast period of 2016 to 2024. Moreover, due to an increase in construction and industrial activities, APAC is expected to contribute the most to the rigid bulk packaging market. It is expected that the growing movers and packers industry in India and China will further fuel the growth of rigid bulk packaging market over the forecast period. While North America is expected to follow APAC in rigid bulk packaging market over the forecast period, the rest of the world will witness a steady growth during the forecast period.Rigid bulk packaging Market - Major Players:Some of the major players identified across the globe in the rigid bulk packaging market are Rock-Tenn Company, Greif Bros., Sonoco Products Company, Berenfield Containers, Packaging Corporation of America and Berry Plastics. Other prominent players includes Bonar Plastics, BWAY, Chem-Trainer, CorrPak, Hedwin, IBC North America, and International PaperAbout TMRTMR is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Contact TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Global 1,3-Butadiene Market 2016- ExxonMobil, SABIC, DOW, Shell, Eni, Chevron Phillips Chemical and LyondellBasell. http://bit.ly/2fMU3qS http://bit.ly/2gGbarm Global 1,3-Butadiene Industry 2016 Market Size, Share, Trends, Global Price, Company Profiles, Demand, Insights, Analysis, Research And Forecast 2016-2021.The Report Covers Major Manufacturers Analysis of 1,3-Butadiene - ExxonMobil, SABIC, DOW, Shell, Eni, Chevron Phillips Chemical and LyondellBasell With Analysis like- Company Profile, Product Picture and Specifications, Sales Volume, Sales Revenue, Sale Price, Gross Margin and Contact Information.The research report, titled Global 1,3-Butadiene Industry 2016, presents crucial information and statistical data about the 1,3-Butadiene market with respect to China as well as the rest of the world. The market report provides an overall analytical study of the 1,3-Butadiene market, taking growth drivers, restraints, and future prospects into account. The prevalent trends and opportunities are also discussed in this study.The report analyzes the China and global 1,3-Butadiene market on the basis of various key segments based on the product types, applications, and end users. The regional markets for 1,3-Butadiene are also considered for the analysis, the results of which are utilized to predict the performance of the 1,3-Butadiene market in China and across the globe during the period from 2016 to 2021.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Each of the market verticals of the 1,3-Butadiene industry are qualitatively as well as quantitatively analyzed to present a comparative assessment of the market. Basic information such as the definition, the industry chain feeding the market, and the policies are also discussed in the report.The products available in the market are studied on the basis of their manufacturing chain, product pricing, and the profit they generate. In-depth analysis is then performed on the various regional markets for 1,3-Butadiene, examining the production volume and efficiency of the 1,3-Butadiene industry in China and around the world. The demand and supply statistics for 1,3-Butadiene as well as the growth figures experienced by the 1,3-Butadiene market are also presented for each regional market in this report.Various analytical tools are applied in the analysis on the 1,3-Butadiene market to achieve an accurate understanding of the market players into the potential development of this market. These tools include feasibility analysis, investment return analyses, as well as SWOT analysis of the major market players.Browse Complete Report with TOC @About Us:QYResearch Group is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. QYResearch Group also carries the capability to assist you with your customized market research requirements including in-depth market surveys, primary interviews, competitive landscaping, and company profiles. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics. QYResearch Group is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air.Contact US:Joel John3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442,United StatesTel: +1-386-310-3803GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651 Osteopenia Global Clinical Trials Review Research Report 2016 | New Release http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=728945 http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=728945 http://www.researchmoz.us/ http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Osteopenia Global Clinical Trials Review, H1, 2016" to its huge collection of research reports.Osteopenia Global Clinical Trials Review, H1, 2016" provides an overview of Osteopenia clinical trials scenario. This report provides top line data relating to the clinical trials on Osteopenia. Report includes an overview of trial numbers and their average enrollment in top countries conducted across the globe. The report offers coverage of disease clinical trials by region, country (G7 & E7), phase, trial status, end points status and sponsor type. Report also provides prominent drugs for in-progress trials (based on number of ongoing trials). GlobalData Clinical Trial Reports are generated using GlobalDatas proprietary database - Pharma eTrack Clinical trials database. Clinical trials are collated from 80+ different clinical trial registries, conferences, journals, news etc across the globe. Clinical trials database undergoes periodic update by dynamic process.The report enhances the decision making capabilities and helps to create an effective counter strategies to gain competitive advantage.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Scope- The report provides a snapshot of the global clinical trials landscape- Report provides top level data related to the clinical trials by Region, Country (G7 & E7), Trial Status, Trial Phase, Sponsor Type and End point status- The report reviews top companies involved and enlists all trials (Trial title, Phase, and Status) pertaining to the company- The report provides all the unaccomplished trials (Terminated, Suspended and Withdrawn) with reason for unaccomplishment- The Report provides enrollment trends for the past five years- Report provides latest news for the past three monthsReasons to buy- Assists in formulating key business strategies with regards to investment- Helps in identifying prominent locations for conducting clinical trials which saves time and cost- Provides top level analysis of Global Clinical Trials Market which helps in identifying key business opportunities- Supports understanding of trials count and enrollment trends by country in global therapeutics market- Aids in interpreting the success rates of clinical trials by providing a comparative scenario of completed and uncompleted (terminated, suspended or withdrawn) trials- Facilitates clinical trial assessment of the indication on a global, regional and country levelMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @ Global Polyalkylene Glycol Market: Developing Automotive Industry to Encourage Growth, says TMR http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=4806 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/polyalkylene-glycol-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ http://globalresearchanalysis.blogspot.in/ The global polyalkylene glycol market is extremely fragmented in nature with a large number of players operating in it, states a research study by Transparency Market Research (TMR). In 2014, the top players in the global polyalkylene glycol market, namely The Dow Chemical Company, BASF SE, Lyondellbasell Industries NV, Bayer AG, and Royal Dutch Shell plc collectively held a share of 50.1% in the overall market.The rising number of strategic collaborations and mergers and acquisitions is contributing extensively towards the growth of the global polyalkylene glycol market. The competitive scenario of the market is expected to remain high, owing to which the leading players are making efforts to increase their market penetration to attain a dominant place in the market.Interpret a Competitive outlook Analysis Report with PDF Brochure :According to the research study, in 2015, the global market for polyalkylene glycol was valued at US$7.35 bn and is estimated to reach a value of US$16.95 bn by the end of 2023. The market is estimated to register a progressive 11.0% CAR between 2015 and 2023.Asia Pacific to Lead Global Polyalkylene Glycol Market with 51.80% ShareFrom a geographical perspective, in 2015, Asia Pacific led the global polyalkylene glycol market and is estimated remain at the topmost position throughout the forecast period. The growing demand in diverse end-use industries is one of the primary factors augmenting the Asia Pacific polyalkylene glycol market, which is slated to account for a dominant 51.80% share by the end of 2023. North America is expected to remain in the second position in terms of revenue, thanks to the increasing disposable income among consumers and the development of the economy.In terms of application, the polyurethane foam segment is projected to lead the global polyalkylene glycol market and hold a share of 45.30% in the global market by the end of 2023. High growth of this segment can be attributed to the rising application of polyurethane foam in diverse industries, such as refrigeration, construction, aerospace, and automotive. The lubricants and personal care segments are anticipated to witness robust growth in the next few years, says a TMR analyst.Rising Demand from Automotive Industry to Bolster Global Polyalkylene Glycol MarketThe growing demand for polyalkylene glycol for the manufacturing of polyurethane foam is the primary factor fuelling the growth of the overall market. In addition, the increasing number of properties offered by polyalkylene glycol, such as high viscosity indexes, water solubility, and bio-degradability, is estimated to contribute significantly toward the growth of the overall market.Furthermore, the developing automotive industry in emerging nations and the rising demand for polyalkylene glycol for refrigerator oils are estimated to accelerate the growth of the global market in the near future. The expansion of application base is also likely to encourage the markets growth across the globe.Browse The Full Polyalkylene Glycol Market Report At :Unstable Crude Oil Prices to Hinder Market GrowthThe global polyalkylene glycol market, however, is restricted by the fluctuating prices of crude oil. In addition, the high cost of polyalkylene glycol in comparison with conventional mineral oils is estimated to hamper the growth of the overall market throughout the forecast period. Nevertheless, the rising number of applications of polyalkylene glycol in pharmaceuticals and personal care segments is projected to generate potential opportunities for the key players operating in the market. Moreover, the rising focus on research and development activities is likely to supplement the growth of the market in the next few years.This information is based on the findings of a research report published by Transparency Market Research (TMR), titled Polyalkylene Glycol Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 20152023.The global polyalkylene glycol market has been segmented as below:Global Polyalkylene Glycol (PAG) Market, by Product TypePolyethylene Glycol (PEG)Polypropylene Glycol (PPG)Others (Including higher adducts, copolymers, etc.)Global Polyalkylene Glycol (PAG) Market, by ApplicationPolyurethane (PU) FoamFunctional FluidsLubricantsPersonal CarePharmaceuticalSurface Active AgentsOthers (Including chemical intermediates, CASE, additives, etc.)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.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog : Global & U.K. Biomass Boiler Market: Government Funding to Play Important Role in Fueling Installation. http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=4007 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/biomass-boiler-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com The global biomass boiler market is highly fragmented. In 2014, the top six players collectively accounted for 40.2% of the market, states a new report by Transparency Market Research (TMR). These players are Baxi Group Limited, ETA Heiztechnik GmbH, Lin-Ka Maskinfabrik A/S, Polytechnik Group, Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc., and Thermax Ltd. Many mergers and acquisitions are taking place in the biomass boiler market. A case in point would be, acquisition of Alstom SA by GE Company. The degree of competition is high and shall continue to be high owing to a lack of regulations, which is enabling inexperienced manufacturers to go unchallenged. Rivalry between players is high as both established as well as emergent players are fighting to acquire key portion of the market share. Players in the market are competing by means of product differentiation. Efficiency, quality, standard, and specifications are a few parameters for product differentiation.According to the report, the global market opportunity in biomass boiler is expected to rise from US$2,426.5 mn in 2015 to US$8,907.0 mn by 2022. The market is expected to expand at an impressive 19.9% CAGR between 2014 and 2022. On the basis of feedstock type, the stoker segment led in the past and will continue to do so through 2022. By end user, the commercial segment led in 2014 and will also lead by 2022. The segment accounted for 40.7% of the market in 2014. On the basis of application, the heating segment accounted for 80.1% of the market in 2014 and will also lead in the coming years. By geography, Europe accounted for a massive 67% of the market in 2014 and is expected to continue to lead in the market by 2022.Interpret a Competitive outlook Analysis Report with PDF Brochure :Government Funding to Drive Biomass Boiler Markets GrowthThe use of biomass in boilers as energy source has many economic and environmental benefits. The installment of biomass boilers plays an important role in the achieving climate policy objectives, which is driving their adoption. The various regulatory frameworks and government support such as grants and funding programs will help the market to grow. Many countries such as Germany, the U.S., and the U.K. are offering a range of grants and incentives for the development and use of biomass boilers. In addition to this, countries such as India, Scotland, Japan, and Australia are proposing legislations that will boost investments in the market. Moreover, in order to encourage investors to enter the market, these countries are planning to provide feed-in-tariffs (FIT).High Cost of Transportation and Storage to Pose ChallengeThe high cost of fuel transportation and fuel storage are expected to hamper the growth of the global biomass boiler market. Biomass boilers that burn fuels such as wood chips or other biomass waste, may experience water wall corrosion owing to the presence of aggressive fuel components at low temperatures. The delivery of biomass fuel into the store requires a stable access to pipeline and vehicular access. Problems relating to the control of hazardous substances and slips and falls can be risky when handling biomass fuels, says a TMR analyst. Thus, it is essential to for the design and manufacture of biomass boilers to comply with pressure related regulations. However, government programs such as Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), which offer financial support to non-domestic generators of renewable heat in several countries such as Scotland, Wales, and England are expected to aid the growth of the market.Browse Report with Full TOC at :The global biomass boiler market is segmented as follows:Global Biomass Boiler Market: Feedstock Type AnalysisWoody BiomassAgriculture & Forest ResiduesBiogas & Energy CropsUrban ResiduesOthersGlobal Biomass Boiler Market: Product Type AnalysisStoker BoilersBubbling Fluidized Bed (BFB) BoilersCirculating Fluidized Bed (CFB) BoilersGlobal Biomass Boiler Market: End-user AnalysisResidentialCommercialIndustrialGlobal Biomass Boiler Market: Application AnalysisHeatingPower GenerationContact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: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.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207 Global Chandeliers Market Competitive Trends And Forecast By End-Use Industry 2016 Chandeliers http://bit.ly/2gOSvKs http://bit.ly/2gSRgse Professional Research Report on "Global Chandeliers Market 2016" is an analytical study of the Chandeliers market, enveloping a detailed estimation of the markets regions like United States, EU, Japan and China as well as worldwide. This Research Report provides a Major Manufacturers Analysis of Chandeliers- with detail like Company Profile, Product Picture, Specifications, Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross, Revenue and Contact Information.The report estimates the current size of the Chandeliers market and all important segments within it. The authors of the report also provide recommendations for growth based on their understanding of the latest analysis and trends. The report on the Chandeliers market analyzes factors that will promote expansion, as well as threats that could hold back the growth rate.Request for FREE Sample Report of Chandeliers Market:This report provides a complete understanding of the competitive scenario in the Chandeliers market based on the key attributes of companies on the following fronts: Company history, product/services portfolio, revenues, and recent developments. The market research study throws light on the key market drivers which led to the augmentation of the Chandeliers market. A detailed overview of the market challenges and the buying criteria in Chandeliers market is also been presented in this report. The market trends as well as market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors have also been elaborated in this study.The factors governing the growth of each of the market segments have been discussed in the report. The report closely follows the past performance of the market and studies the factors which are likely to impact its growth trajectory. Factors such as economy growth rate, government regulations, and consumer demand have been taken into consideration while estimating the future market growth in key geographic segments. New opportunities for the growth of the global Chandeliers market have been discussed in the report.In the end, the report includes Chandeliers new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, investment return analysis, and development trend analysis. The key rising opportunities of the quickest growing international Chandeliers market segments also are coated during this report.Browse Complete Report AtAbout Us:QYResearch Group is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. QYResearch Group also carries the capability to assist you with your customized market research requirements including in-depth market surveys, primary interviews, competitive landscaping, and company profiles. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics. QYResearch Group is the comprehensive collection of market intelligence products and services available on air.Contact US:Joel John3422 SW 15 Street, Suit #8138,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442,United StatesTel: +1-386-310-3803GMT Tel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No. 1-855-465-4651Email: sales (@) qyresearchgroup (dot) com Southeast Asia Pet Care Market Set to Grow Exponentially During the Forecast, 2020 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-45 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-45 www.futuremarketinsights.com Future Market Insights (FMI) delivers incisive insights into emerging regions in its latest report titled, Southeast Asia Pet Care Market Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2014 - 2020. The report states that the SEA pet care market is mainly driven by the burgeoning trends of pet humanization and increasing adoption of private label brands in countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.FMI analyst P.S. Neha sheds light on why the SEA pet care market will become one of the major markets in the region in the near future: Growth of the pet care market across Southeast Asia is driven by increasing adoption and humanization of pets. Pet owners are now more inclined towards more nutritious, healthy and organic foods for their pets.By type, the overall SEA pet care market is segmented into dog food, cat food, pet products and others. Dog food is the major segment in this region, accounting for a 51.6% share of the market in 2014; however, this is expected to decrease by 30 BPS by 2020.Request Free Report Sample@This report also covers the pet care market by category and by channel. On the basis of channel, the market is segmented into supermarket, pet shop, veterinary clinic and others. The supermarket segment is the leading distribution channel in the SEA pet care market. However, veterinary clinics are anticipated to exhibit the fastest CAGR at 7.1%, followed by supermarket at a 6.8% CAGR during the forecast period. This growth is attributed to a shift in consumer buying habits and an increasing inclination of pet owners to purchase health and wellness products from reliable sources such as veterinary clinics.Furthermore, by category, the market includes economy-priced, mid-priced and premium-priced products.Improving consumer lifestyles and increasing disposable income in Southeast Asian countries has resulted in a growing acceptance for pets, not only among the high-income group, but also the middle-income group. In 2014, Thailand was the dominant country in the overall Southeast Asia pet care market with a 43.62% share, followed by Malaysia and Indonesia, accounting for 21.74% and 15.47% respectively.Send An Enquiry@The pet care market in the Philippines is expected to register a significant CAGR of 8.4%. This is expected to be followed by Vietnam at a CAGR of 8.0% during the forecast period.Innovation remains the key to gaining a competitive edge in the SEA pet care market, especially in the pet food category. Companies such as Nestle Purina, Zoetis, Mars, Inc. and Merck & Co., account for over 50% of the overall market share and constantly focus on mergers and acquisitions to expand their geographical presence and customer base.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.comPress@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: MENA Point of Use Water Purifier (POU) Market Demand is Increasing Rapidly in Recent Years http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-ma-30 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-ma-30 www.futuremarketinsights.com Future Market Insights (FMI) announced the release of a latest report titled, POU Water Purifiers Market: MENA Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2014 - 2020. FMI estimates that the Point of Use (POU) water purifier market in Middle East and North Africa is expected to reach US$ 471 Mn at a CAGR of 7.6% from 2014 to 2020.Residential water purification system includes point of use water purifiers (POU), point of entry (POE) water purifiers, portable water purifiers. Moreover, the demand for POU water purifiers is high among consumers in MENA region as compared to POE and portable water purifiers.In the POU water purifiers market, products with high purification capabilities such as combination of reverse osmosis (RO) and Ultraviolet (UV) technologies are more preferred. It has also been observed that a majority of the demand is coming from urban centres in GCC when compared to the entire MENA region.Request Free Report Sample@Market SegmentsThe POU water purifiers market is segmented on the basis of technology which includes RO, UV and media-based. RO technology based water purifiers segment is estimated to account for slightly over 40% of the total POU water purifiers market in MENA region in 2014. Media-based water purification, which is a conventional water purification technology has also witnessed technological advancements, and is estimated to display a CAGR of 9.3% during the forecast period, in terms of volume. The third technology, UV based water purifiers, is estimated to exhibit a sluggish growth rate during the forecast period due to its limitation in removing only organic contaminants from water. Additionally, UV-based water purifiers are also priced higher in comparison to media-based water purifiers and hence the product preference for UV based water purifiers is comparatively low.Region-wise, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey, Israel, Egypt and Algeria are the promising markets for POU water purifiers. In addition, a cumulative scenario has been highlighted for rest of MENA (includes smaller countries like Kuwait, Jordan etc.). Among the aforementioned regions, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is estimated to be the prominent market for POU water purifiers, followed by Turkey, due to its growing population and rapid urbanization, and increasing awareness for safe drinking water forecast period.In addition, penetration of bottled water is a challenge for the POU water purifiers market in Anatolia. As a result, Anatolia is estimated to demonstrate a sluggish growth rate in the near future. Furthermore, POU water purifiers market in UAE is anticipated to reach 149.2 thousand units by 2020, exhibiting a CAGR of 10% between 2014 and 2020.Send An Enquiry@Drivers and RestraintsDeteriorating water quality, rising cost of bottled water, increasing population coupled with increasing per capita income are some of the prominent factors which will catalyse the point of use water purifiers in the region. Though the MENA market is attractive in terms of absolute dollar opportunity, low awareness about safe drinking water and product unavailability are major challenges for the MENA POU water purifier market.Competitive LandscapeKey players operating in the MENA water purifier market are LG, Eureka Forbes, Strauss Water, Panasonic, WaterLife and Coolplex. The report sheds light on their key growth strategies and recent developments. In addition, the report also discusses the value chain followed by multinational companies in MENA for POU water purifiers.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.comPress@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Specialty Silica Market Demand to Reach 3,188.1 KT in 2016 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-577 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-577 www.futuremarketinsights.com Specialty silica demand will continue to be strong in 2016, fuelled by its wide-ranging applications in the rubber and plastics industry. Global demand will reach 3,188.1 KT (thousand tonnes) in 2016, up by 3.7% y-o-y, representing market value worth US$ 5.6 Bn.Rubber industry will continue to be the largest application segment for specialty silicas in 2016, accounting for 1,933.0 KT. Use of specialty silica in tyre manufacturing will drive demand, as focus on improving fuel-efficiency of automobiles continues to gain momentum. Plastics will be the second largest application segment, representing a revenue share of 8.8% in 2016.Precipitated silica will continue to witness the highest demand on the basis of product type, with total consumption set to reach 2,280.3 KT in 2016. Precipitated silica is a highly sought-after performance additive in tyre manufacturing, representing 70.7% worth of revenues in 2015. By 2016, global precipitated silica revenues are anticipated to reach US$ 3,997.5 Mn.Request Free Report Sample@Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) will remain the largest specialty silicas market in 2016, accounting for 1,315.8 KT in volume. High demand for speciality silica from the rubber sector, including footwear, industrial & mechanical rubber, and automotive tyres will continue to create sustained demand for specialty silica in the region.China is expected to continue its dominance as a major supplier for specialty silica in the global market in 2016 and beyond. To cater to the rising demand, China-based manufacturers are ramping up their production capacity. Global companies are following suit by setting up manufacturing bases in China. While regional Chinese players are increasing their capacity for conventional silica, global players are focusing on high-performance product grades, such as highly dispersible silica (HDS) that require use of advanced technical manufacturing process.Send An Enquiry@Evonik AG, Solvay SA and Huber Engineered Materials are the leading players in the specialty silica market. These players are highly focused in expanding their market shares for high-end products and applications. This strategy of these players has made the market for high-performance products extremely consolidated. For instance, Solvay SA alone supplies over 50% HDS thats currently in use for manufacturing fuel-efficient tyres.Long-term Outlook: FMI maintains a positive long-term outlook on the specialty silica market, projecting the market to increase at a CAGR of 5.8% during the forecast period 2016-2026. Asia Pacific will remain the largest market throughout the forecast period, increasing at a CAGR of 7% during the forecast period.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.comPress@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Global Offshore Investments Analytics http://www.reportbazzar.com/request-sample/?pid=439724&ptitle=Global+Offshore+Investments+Analytics&req=Sample http://www.reportbazzar.com/product/global-offshore-investments-analytics/ http://www.reportbazzar.com/discount-form/?pid=439724&ptitle=Global+Offshore+Investments+Analytics&req=Discount http://www.reportbazzar.com/ SummaryGlobal Offshore Investments Analytics enables cross-comparison of the global offshore investments markets at a country level for 55 countries. For each of these markets, the dashboard presents historic data on the balances for the key product areas available for the market under consideration. The product areas are deposits, mutual funds, equities, and bonds.Request Sample Report:Synopsis Compare the performance of 55 offshore investments markets around the world. Understand the asset class composition of each market with segmentation for deposits, equities, bonds, and mutual funds. Understand the retail vs. non-retail and residents vs. non-residents composition of each market. Export the graphics from the dashboard, or if you are more at ease using Excel, export the data into your own worksheets.Reasons To Buy Which offshore markets across the globe have grown the most over the last five years? Which are the largest offshore markets and how has this changed in the last five years? What is the importance of non-resident deposits, mutual funds, equities, and bonds in each of the 55 markets? Which are the largest markets by balances for each product category?Buy Complete Report:Key HighlightsPressure to limit the role of offshore countries in tax avoidance schemes has impacted asset growth in many of the markets. Such pressures have come in the form of increased regulation and tax amnesties, as in the cases of the US, Germany, Italy, and the UK.The US is the largest offshore center for deposits, mainly because of its reputation as a safe haven. France, Germany and the UK, in second, third and fourth place respectively, are not usually associated with traditional offshore centers; however, high values of non-resident assets are held in these countries.The US has by far the largest non-resident holdings of bonds among the 55 countries examined, worth over $9tn in 2014. Other markets with significant non-resident bond holdings are France, Germany and Italy.Enquiry Before Buying:About Us:Reportbazzar.com is your trusted source for the most inclusive and informative assortment of market research reports designed to empower you with the latest in industry information that translates to time and cost savings for your business. We not only help you give wing to your latent business ideas but also facilitate you in taking the best informed and strategic decisions that guarantee success in your most promising business endeavors.Contact Us:ReportBazzarUnited States30 Wall Street, 8th floor,New York, NY 10005.US: +1 (212) 389-6363India: +91 20 66528525Email Id: sales@reportbazzar.comWebsite: Healthcare IT Market Advancement, Emerging Evolution, Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends And Forecast 2012 - 2018 http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/169885 http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/pressreleases http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/ Healthcare IT is a collective term used for solutions offered by information technology in the healthcare industry. These solutions offer better data management and secure exchange of health information among customers, governments, providers and insurers. There is a huge demand of general applications such as electronic health and medical record system and computerized physician order entry system along with specialized solutions such as clinical trials management system, data mining system and clinical decision support system. Applications such as Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) and Radiology Information Systems (RIS) are used to store and manage patient scans and images. In addition, software solutions such as hospital information systems, ambulatory care management systems, EMR, HER, e-prescribing systems and patient management systems are being widely adopted by hospitals and clinics to provide better patient care.The advantages of adopting IT solutions in healthcare are reduction in medical errors, increased successful outcomes in procedures, reduce health costs and increased health care productivity are the major driving factors for the healthcare IT market. For instance, the U.S. government has passed several regulatory acts emphasizing on the adoption of e-healthcare by both public and private sector entities, to reduce the enormous healthcare costs. In addition, the introduction of cloud computing in the healthcare industry has further eased real-time communication and exchange of data. Being in its nascent stage, the major restraint for the healthcare IT market is its limited geographical reach. It still lacks presence in rural areas of the developed regions such as North America and Europe and in major parts of developing countries of Asia.Request For a Sample Copy: Get The Sample Copy Of This Report:With increase in disposable incomes and technical awareness, the market has huge opportunity of enhancing its presence in developing regions such as Asia. Moreover, adoption rate of cloud computing for healthcare in developed regions is expected to surge substantially by the end of forecast period, contributing significantly to the overall growth of the healthcare IT market.The companies such as Neusoft, ICT for Health and Candelis Inc. provide the imaging applications such as PACS and RIS. While the companies such as Wipro and Mckesson provide software solutions such as hospital information system and electronic health records and practice management systems.This research report analyzes this market depending on its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends. Geographies analyzed under this research report includeNorth AmericaAsia PacificEuropeRest of the WorldThis report provides comprehensive analysis ofMarket growth driversFactors limiting market growthCurrent market trendsMarket structureMarket projections for upcoming yearsThis report is a complete study of current trends in the market, industry growth drivers, and restraints. It provides market projections for the coming years. It includes analysis of recent developments in technology, Porters five force model analysis and detailed profiles of top industry players. The report also includes a review of micro and macro factors essential for the existing market players and new entrants along with detailed value chain analysis.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 technological growth map over time to understand the industry growth rateIt provides a seven-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 segmentsAbout usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.To View The Latest Industry Press Releases:ContactTel: +1-518-621-2074E-Mail: sales@marketresearchreports.bizWebsite:MarketResearchReports.biz supports your business intelligence needs with over 100,000 market research reports, company profiles, data books, and regional market data sheets in its repository. Our document database is updated by the hour, which means that you always have access to fresh data spanning over 300 industries and their sub-segments.State Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948(USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz Bijl Architecture - The Leading Architect Company Recognize For Their Excellence http://www.bijlarchitecture.com.au/): http://www.bijlarchitecture.com.au/ Bijl Architecture, brightest name in Architecture in Sydney. Thousands see their particular projects each day: Burrawong House, Shelf House, Diffuse House, Escu House, Step Down House, Wairangi House, Naremburn House, Killara House, Collaroy House, Florence Street House, Chatswood House, Elanora Heights House, Artarmon House, Turramurra Park House, Parkway Avenue, Neutral Bay House, Newtown House, Turramurra House, Penshurst Avenue House, North Sydney House, Coal Point House, Dee Why House, College Street, Prosperity Workplace, e-Cycle IT Facility, St Saviour's Kitchen, North Sydney Bus Stop, Trade Ways - Post+ Capitalist city - 1#Shop, Hyperbole Street Works, National Emergency Services Memorial, Block Masterclass UTS, De-Form Wall, BuildAbility, and also a variety of great projects around the boards.Bijl Architecture is the most famous company in Sydney for their notable work and brilliant architecture projects and superior service. This developing architecture firm believes big with regards to their clients' requirements. "We react efficiently and quickly, with clear, open conversation between the client and also the design/construction team. Bijl Architecture takes pride in a true team approach", states Owner and Principal Architect MELONIE BAYL-SMITH.It's word of mouth as well as referrals that have assisted Bijl Architecture evolve very well in just recent times," says MELONIE BAYL-SMITH. This constant growth is due in part to MELONIE BAYL-SMITH's 20 years of architectural experience as well as leadership, combined with the support of her experienced team.They are honored with several award - 2016 - Australian Institute of Architects NSW Chapter State Architecture Awards, Shortlist2014 - LightCycle Competition, Fourth Place2014 - NSW Master Builders Association Housing Awards, Joint Winner2014 - Urban Commons Foodscape Design Competition, Winner2013 - NSW Business Chamber North Eastern Sydney Business Awards, Business Leader Regional Finalist2013 - CASF Australia Corian Design Awards, Winner Wildcard (residential category)2013 - Metal Roofing and Cladding Association of Australia Awards, WinnerAnd many awards they get awards from 2006As Smith's client relationships build, accurate her influence on Sydney community.About Bijl Architecture (This enterprise is a complete, solution based architectural design firm devoted to services for tasks that fluctuate in scope and intricacy. Bijl Architecture makes use of technologically superior materials and techniques while incorporating visible and visual design creativity to boost their client's inspiration.Contact Name : Melonie Bayl-SmithCompany Name : Bijl ArchitectureContact Email : office@bijlarchitecture.com.auContact Phone : 02 9958 7950Website :Address : 7/100 Penshurst Street, Willoughby, New South Wales, Australia 2068 Global Cyber Attacks Increase Need for Penetration Testing Services http://www.provasolutions.com/qa-and-testing-services/penetration-testing-services/ Texas (USA), Canada (Toronto) & India (Business Network)Nov 14, 2016: In one of the latest reports by MarketsandMarkets, the global market of security & penetration testing is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 23.7%, by 2021. In the past 5 years, economies worldwide have suffered major losses due to unforeseen cyber breaches and increasing malware intent. Most businesses are willing to spend some extra funds to arm against security trespassing. Prova Solutions, a leading independent QA testing provider for USA and Europe, tells us why it is mandatory to have penetration testing done:Critical business processes are carried out with the help of an integrated IT infrastructure. Every component of this infrastructure functions as a brick in the wall. Hence, thorough penetration testing becomes important as you will need all your bricks to be sturdy against malware attacksProva offers a range of penetration testing services including:Black box testingOn-going assessments (after every change in the application)Application source code security assessmentWeb application firewall deploymentWith an increase in number of mobile users globally, it is important for companies to ensure supreme security encryptions in their software applications. But dont go for penetration testing because it is becoming the trend of the day. Network security is a make or break feature in your business process. Getting to know how a penetration testing strategy can affect your everyday output is important before signing up for it.Prova provides quarterly, semi-annual or annual penetration testing services to suit varying needs of companies. With latest security intelligence and years of experience in penetration testing services, Prova Solutions has helped organisations upgrade and stabilize their IT security posture. Provas penetration testing services have delivered over 100+ websites from companies across IT & ITES, Banking and Finance as well as popular Government portals.Partnered with Suma Soft, a global ITES & BPO company with 16+ years of experience, Prova provides penetration testing services based on benchmarked frameworks. Experienced Testing professionals at Prova work according to OWASP Top 10 criteria, CWE/SANS TOP 25 Most Dangerous Software Errors and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).About Prova:Headed by a team of talented IT experts with minimum 10+ years of experience in QA testing, Prova Solutions offers certified and affordable QA testing services to companies in Europe and USA.To know more about penetration testing services offered by Prova, click here >>>As Independent QA testing services provider, Prova offers a range of cost-effective, agile and customized testing solutions to leading enterprises. Founded in 2010 by two experienced women entrepreneurs and headquartered at Pune, India, Prova has been actively empowering software and product development companies with indigenous testing strategies. Prova is partnered with Suma Soft Pvt Ltd, an STQC (Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification) empanelled and an Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, CERT-IN empanelled IT Security Auditor.Suma Soft Pvt Ltd2nd Floor, SumaCenter, Opposite Himali Society, Erandawane, Swaroop Society, Himali Society, Vakil Nagar, Erandwane, Pune, Maharashtra 411004 Global Forklift Truck Market to Reach US$ 55.9 Billon by the End of 2021 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3552 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/forklift-trucks-market/toc http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/ Persistence Market Research (PMR), delivers key insights on the forklift truck market in its latest report titled Global Market Study on Forklift Trucks: Asia-Pacific to Witness Highest Growth by 2021 According to the report, the global forklift trucks market was valued at US$ 35.3 Bn in 2014 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of 6.9% during the forecast period to reach US$ 55.9 Bn by the end of 2021.Request to view Sample Report @Key driving factors identified in the global forklift truck market include expansion of warehouse space globally, growing e-commerce business across the globe, strong demand for forklift truck replacement in developed markets, and bulk investments in purchase of low-cost forklift trucks in emerging markets.Assessing the various factors driving the market growth, PMR analyst opined, The global material handling equipment market is growing significantly at an annual growth rate of 3%7%. Electric type forklift truck is one of the prominent segments in this market. These trucks are gaining traction due to the implementation of various advanced technologies and their growing application across various industries worldwide. The China market is projected to exhibit the fastest growth over the forecast period due to various factors, such as favorable economic environment and a need for technological advancements in in-house logistics in the country.From a regional perspective, Asia-Pacific was the largest market for forklift trucks in 2014, accounting for approximately 41.4% volume share of the overall market. Europe is projected to account for the second largest volume share of the global forklift truck market and expand at a CAGR of 4.6% over the forecast period, due to the positive outlook of the economy in Western Europe and expected rise in trade of goods, in turn leading to a significant growth in demand for forklift trucks in the region in the near future.Request to view Table of content @Key market participants covered in the report include Kion Group AG, Jungheinrich AG, Hyster-Yale Materials Handling, Inc., Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO), Mitsubishi Nichiyu Forklift Co., Ltd., Crown Equipment Corporation, Anhui HeLi Co., Ltd., CLARK Material Handling Co., Ltd., and UniCarriers Americas Corporation.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who 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.Each PMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With a wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve clients and satisfy their overall research requirement.For information regarding permissions, contact:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:media@persistencemarketresearch.com Global Automotive Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems Market to be Valued at over US$ 7.5 Bn by 2016 end http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3630 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/tire-pressure-monitoring-systems-market/toc http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/ Direct TPMS is estimated to account for leading market revenue share of 99% by 2016 end. Global sales of direct TPMS is estimated to increase at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2016 to 2024. This high growth is due to expected implementation of legislations related to the TPMS in countries such as China, India, Japan, and Russia.Request to view Sample Report @Stringent government regulations to equip TPMS in passenger vehicles, growing adoption of automotive safety systems and rising focus on improving fuel economy and reducing property damage as a result of accidents associated with low tire pressure are key factors expected to fuel demand for automotive TPMS over the forecast period (2016-2024).By vehicle type, passenger car segment is the largest segment in the global automotive TPMS market. This segment is estimated to account for 79% value share of the market by 2016 end. Growing demand for luxury cars is expected to continue to push demand for automotive TPMS in passenger car segment. Mandatory use of TPMS in passenger vehicles in the U.S., South Korea, and the European Union is further fueling the growth of the passenger cars segment in the global automotive TPMS market.Aftermarket segment is projected to continue to account for a major market share in 2016. Direct TPMS requires replacement after a certain period of time and increasing vehicle parc is expected to drive sales through the aftermarket, especially in the U.S. and the European Union where the TPMS use mandatory for passenger vehicles.North America is estimated to remain the largest market for automotive TPMS, accounting for 47.3% revenue share of the market by 2016 end. Demand is expected to be robust in Europe, where adoption of TPMS mandating legislation would drive the growth of the market.Request to view Table of content @Sensata Technologies Inc., Continental AG, and Pacific Industrial Co., Ltd. are projected to continue to be the top three players in the global automotive TPMS market. Mergers & acquisitions remains a key business strategy for leading players in the global automotive TPMS market. Major players in the global TPMS market are also focusing on expanding their aftermarket businesses, as the aftermarket sales is a major revenue generation source for TPMS manufacturers.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who 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.Each PMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With a wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve clients and satisfy their overall research requirement.For information regarding permissions, contact:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:media@persistencemarketresearch.com Robotic Vision Market Global Industry Analysis and Forecast Till 2026 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1913 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1913 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/robotic-vision-market www.futuremarketinsights.com Robotic vision comprises of vision algorithm, calibration, temperature software & cameras that are used to identify and determine the position of all the objects in robot workplace. Apart from identification and navigation, robotic vision also facilitate robots to analyse, interpret, extract and characterize the image information and to make description accordingly. Robotic vision technology provides several benefits including improvement in quality, reliability, safety and productivity. Performance of robotic vision depends on the effective communication between robot system & application and control over the environment.Robotic Vision Market: Drivers and RestraintIntelligent homes are specifically designed for the ageing population, where robots are capable to assists the elderly people in day-to-day tasks. The demand for intelligent homes is continuously increasing, as the ageing population is growing with significant rate across the globe. Increase in demand for intelligent homes, government regulations about sanitation in food processing industry and rising need of precise, safe and reliable vision guided robots in different verticals are major driving factors of the robotic vision market.However, high initial investment and lack of global standards for robotic implementation are some of the major challenges for the robot vision market.Request for sample report:Robotic Vision Market: SegmentationRobotic Vision market can be classified on the basis of component, application and type.On the basis of component, the market can be bifurcated into hardware and software. Hardware segment consists of camera, sensors, lightning, and optics. Camera, sensors, lightning and optics incorporate with each other in order to facilitate the collapsible free movement of robot in environment. Camera, lightning and optics are used to capture the images while sensors allows obstacle free movement of robots. Software segment is composed of object tracking and image processing software.Robotic vision has high demand in wide range of industries including food processing, automotive and aerospace for several applications. On the basis of applications, the robotic vision market is segmented into inspection & testing, material handling, manufacturing, assembling and packaging. Manufacturing and packaging are the dominating segments in the category, as the governments across the major countries maintain stringent sanitation standards in food processing & packaging industry.On the basis of type, the market can be categorised in to 3D and 2D. 3D vision is more precise and capable of providing accurate dimensional data of an object. Currently, 3D robotic vision systems are more expensive than 2D and restricted for specialised operations.Request for TOC:Segmentation on basis of Region:Robotic Vision Market is segmented into 7 key regions- North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Japan and Middle East & Africa.Robotic Vision Market: Region-wise OutlookNorth America was the largest market of robotic vision in terms of consumption in 2015. US was the leading market in the region, as there was significant growth in rate of deployment of reliable and precise vision guided robot systems in food and manufacturing industries in 2015.By the end of year 2015, Asia Pacific was the fastest growing market for robotic vision, due to significant growth in demand for industrial robots in manufacturing and automotive industries in the region. China, South Korea and Japan were the leading regional markets in Asia Pacific.Robot vision market in Europe is driven by the metal, automotive and food & beverage industry. Germany was the largest market in the region in terms of volume consumption in 2015.Browse full report:Robotic Vision Market: Key PlayersOmron Adept Technologies, Inc (US),? ComauS.p.A.(Italy), MVTec Software GmbH (Germany), Matrox Electronic Systems Ltd. (Canada), ABB Ltd (Switzerland), Point Grey Research, Inc. (US),Cognex Corporation (US), Matrox Electronics Systems Ltd (Canada), Keyence Corporation (Japan), IVISYS (Sweden).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 us:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705T (UK): + 44 (0) 20 7692 8790Email:sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Global Polypropylene Market Trends, Regulations And Competitive Landscape Outlook to 2025 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-449 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-449 www.futuremarketinsights.com Polypropylene (PP) also known as polypropene, is one of the largest and single most consumed polymer resin in the world. It is a synthetic, high molecular weight thermoplastic polymer, which can be easily formed by catalytic polymerization of propylene. Due to its superior quality, its demand is increasing, especially in consumer disposable and automobile industry. This has resulted in countless opportunities for the global polypropylene market. Additionally, the trend of replacing metal with polypropylene is another factor contributing to the growth of the global polypropylene market.Polypropylene Market: Opportunities, Drivers & RestraintsPolypropylene, owing to its numerous properties, has emerged as one of the most versatile polymers and is widely used in applications, such as construction, geotextiles, medical, automobile, electrical and electronics industries. These widespread applications are expected to have a progressive impact on the global polypropylene market. Opportunities are emerging in the use of eco-friendly materials, as such, demand for bio-based polypropylene is on the rise. Volatile prices of polypropylene, largely dependent on crude oil are the restraining factors for global polypropylene market.Request Free Report Sample@Polypropylene Market: SegmentationGlobal polypropylene market can be segmented on the basis of its end-user industry and geographic regions. Depending on the end-user industry, global polypropylene market can be segmented into automotive, electrical, consumer durable, construction, and packaging. Packaging segment accounts for largest share in global polypropylene market, followed by automotive and electrical segments.Polypropylene Market: Region-wise OutlookGlobal polypropylene market is anticipated to expand at a high single-digit CAGR from 2015 to 2025. Depending on the geographic regions, global polypropylene market is segmented into key regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to witness a decline in its share of global polypropylene market. On the other hand, China is one of the largest consumers of polypropylene in terms of production and consumption because of increasing disposable income and changing lifestyles. Adding to this, capacity additions in China and Middle East are expected to boost the market growth.Visit For TOC@Polypropylene Market: Key PlayersSome of the key participants in global polypropylene market are SABIC, Reliance Industries Ltd, PetroChina Company Limited, Sinopec Ltd, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Borealis AG, Formosa Plastics Corporation, and Japan Polypropylene Corporation.About Us Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Research report explores the Endoscope Procedure Kits Market for the forecast period, 2016-2026 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2219 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2219 www.futuremarketinsights.com An endoscopy is a minimally invasive medical procedure with the help of a tool used to observe the interior surfaces of the body. It is to diagnose, prevent and even treat complications pertaining to the internal organs of the body. It is cost effective, much less complicated than surgery and also leaves minimal if any scars in the body. An endoscope procedure kit mainly consists of a long tube, a camera and a light source at the tip that enables the physicians or medical practitioners to examine the area of interest. The procedure is and usually painless requiring minimum hospital stay. They make cause some discomfort but a quick recovery is expected for most patients undergoing an endoscopy. These factors contribute to their popularity and are also responsible for the endoscopy procedure kit market.Endoscope Procedure Kits market DriversA fast paced modern lifestyle has led to a variety of gastrointestinal disorders like Gastrointestinal Reflux Disease (GERD), Crohns disease, Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gastroenteritis, dyspepsia, gallstones and also various forms of Cancer such as Colon Cancer. This affects not only the aged population, but also the young and upwardly mobile. Hence, it can be reasonably assumed to drive the endoscope procedure kit market demand for the foreseeable future. There is also a growing preference for minimally invasive non-surgical procedures with diagnostic and therapeutic application. An endoscopy does not require a patient to stay in the hospital for very long (if at all) which brings down the stress levels and associated costs of the treatment. Greater patient awareness and technological innovation are also primary reasons that the endoscope procedure kit market is growing exponentially. Another factor is the reimbursement option available for preventive screening techniques like various endoscopies. The American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy estimates the average Adenoma Detection Rate (ADR) to be around 25%. This also requires the use of endoscope procedure kit, further boosting growth. The U.S. FDA policies are also encouraging and support quick approval of these devices.Request for sample report:Endoscope Procedure Kits market RestraintsThere are a few factors which restrain the endoscope procedure kit market from reaching its true potential, the availability of advanced alternatives being one of them. These devices are very costly and there are limited funds available with governments in developing countries to reimburse hospitals and medical practitioners for their sizeable investment in them. A lack of awareness on the part of the general public in these countries about the cost-benefit equation of such treatments is also something which must be mentioned.Endoscope Procedure Kits market Key RegionsThe main regions served by the endoscope procedure kit market are as follows North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the rest of the world (Latin America, Middle East and Africa). North America is the largest market at present followed by Europe. This is mainly due to the availability of advanced healthcare facilities, an aging population, strong government support in the form of social security benefits and an educated and aware populace. Asia Pacific can be expected to rapidly catch up to the West in the medium to long term for demanding endoscope procedure kits because of greater investment in healthcare, rising prevalence of gastroenteritis disorders and lastly a growing awareness of such procedures.Request for TOC:Endoscope Procedure Kits market Key Market PlayersThe endoscope procedure kit market key players include Ethicon, Inc. (U.S.), Olympus Corporation (Japan), Hoya Corporation (Japan), Given Imaging Ltd. (Israel), Minntech Corporation (U.S.) Fujifilm Holding Corporation (Japan), Advanced Sterilization Products Services Inc. (U.S.), Steris Corporation (U.S.), Boston Scientific Corporation (U.S.), Pentax Medical Corporation (Japan), Stryker Corporation (U.S.). KARL STORZ GmBH (Germany), Smith & Nephew plc (U.K.), Medtronic plc (Ireland), Richard Wolf GmBH (Germany), CONMED Corporation (U.S.), and Cook Medical Incorporated (U.S.).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 us:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705T (UK): + 44 (0) 20 7692 8790Email:sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Flight Tracking System Market Shares, Strategies and Forecast Worldwide, 2015 to 2025 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-610 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-610 www.futuremarketinsights.com Recent times, we have come across many incidents, in which, the air craft had gone missing, and it had not been able to track successfully. In 2014, Malaysian airlines flight MH370 disappeared and the tracking of the plane had become a challenge for the government for months. In last few months, the flight tracking system has improved. Across the globe, airlines are investing in the infrastructure advancements for accommodating number of solutions for flight tracking system.Satellite tracking technology has been in use for tracking aircrafts for more than 20 years. Satellite tracking system gave an ultimate solution to the flight tracking system with an apt size, weight and cost. Satellite services or antennae is integrated with the aircraft, this helps tracking of the flight easy and reliable. For example, company FLYHT has a product called as FLYHTStream tracking system, which requires installation of FLYHTs blue box. This systems provides voice and tracking capabilities for tracking the aircraft successfully.Flight Tracking System Market: Drivers and ChallengesGlobally, the demand for various flight safety and tracking system is growing, especially after a few mishaps. The integration of flight tracking system with the aircraft is fuelling the growth for the global flight tracking system market. International civil aviation organization (ICAO) has recommended to integrate the flight tracking system in the aircraft, due to which, in future, airlines are expected to integrate the flight tracking system in their aircrafts.Request Free Report Sample@Though, the importance of the flight tracking system is on the rise in developed economies, the system has low awareness among Asia Pacific countries. There are no stringent regulations pertaining to the integration of flight tracking system, which is inhibiting the growth of global flight tracking system market.Flight Tracking System Market: OverviewThe global flight tracking system market by value is expected to expand at a CAGR of around 7-9% during the forecast period (2015-2025), due to increasing demand for flight safety systems.Flight Tracking System Market: SegmentationThe global flight tracking system market can be segmented by aircraft type and by regionsBased on aircraft type, the global flight tracking system market is segmented as:Passenger FlightCargo AircraftDefence AircraftHelicopterOthersFlight Tracking System Market: Region-wise OutlookThe global flight tracking system market is expectedto register a single-digit CAGR for the forecast period. Depending on geographic regions, global flight tracking system market is segmentedinto seven key regions: North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. In terms of market revenue, North America flight tracking system market is projectedto register a significant CAGR during the forecast period. Growing awareness about flight tracking system, increasing investments by airline companies in aircraft safety, are some of the factors which are fuelling the growth of flight tracking system market in North America. Western Europe and Asia Pacific are also forecast to register a significant growth in the global flight tracking system market.Visit For TOC@Flight Tracking System Market: Key PlayersSome of the key market participants in global flight tracking system market are SkyTrac Systems Ltd, FlightStats, Spidertracks, Blue Sky Network, FLYHT, etc.About Us Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Aniline Market Research Analysis 2020 Industry Survey, Comprehensive Analysis and Growth Trends http://www.mrrse.com/sample/1137 http://www.mrrse.com/enquiry/1137 http://www.mrrse.com/aniline-market Aniline, also known as phenylamine or aminobenzene, is an aromatic amine produced by successive nitration and hydrogenation of benzene in the presence of a metal catalyst. It is used primarily in the production of MDI (Methylene diphenyl diisocyanate). MDI is further employed in the manufacture of polyurethane foams, elastomers, adhesives and sealants. Large volume share of aniline produced globally is utilized in the manufacture of MDI. Furthermore, aniline is used in the manufacture of several rubber processing chemicals, dyes & pigments, organic specialty fibers and agricultural intermediates. Polyurethane foam produced using aniline as a precursor is used in various applications. For instance, it is used in the manufacture of shoe soles, automotive and household upholstery, and insulating parts of electronic appliances. Aniline also yields superior rubber processing chemicals; thus, the aniline market is expected to grow at a fast rate during the forecast period.Request a Sample Copy of the Report @Increasing demand for MDI in the CASE (coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers) industry and the polyurethane industry has boosted the aniline market. This trend is anticipated to continue during the forecast period. Polyurethane foam is used extensively in the automotive and household upholstery industries in the manufacture of automobile seats and mattresses, respectively. Additionally, rigid foams are used as insulation in refrigerators and other electronic appliances. Aniline is used to manufacture a variety of rubber processing chemicals such as vulcanization accelerators and antiozonants. This is likely to augment the sales of aniline during the forecast period. However, adverse health and environmental effects of aniline are projected to hamper market growth during the forecast period. Usage of aniline as corrosion inhibitors in the microelectronics industry is expected to provide new growth opportunities for the aniline market during the forecast period.In terms of volume, MDI accounted for over 75% of the global aniline market, while other applications such as rubber processing chemicals, and dyes & pigments held the remaining market share in 2013. MDI is anticipated to lose its market share marginally to other applications by 2020. Demand for aniline-derived rubber processing chemicals such as vulcanization accelerators, inhibitors, anti-degradants and stabilizers has been increasing due to the growth of the global rubber industry. Demand for aniline for dyes & pigments is also projected to rise during the forecast period.Inquiry on this report @In terms of end-use, insulation accounted for over 45% of the global aniline market volume share in 2013. The insulation market is likely to witness steady growth during the forecast period. Rubber products are estimated to lose their share to consumer goods, packaging and other applications of aniline in the next few years. Consumer goods is projected to be the fastest growing application segment of aniline during the forecast period.Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing and dominant region in terms of aniline production, followed by countries in Rest of the World (RoW) such as Brazil and Australia. A large number of aniline plants have been commissioned in China in the recent past. These are estimated to be operational during the forecast period. For instance, in March 2011, BASF SE announced plans to build a Methylene Diphenyl Diisocyanate (MDI) plant with a capacity of 400 kilo tons per year in Chongqing, China. The company invested US$ 1.09 Bn in the plant, which is projected to commence operations from 2014. This facility would comprise an MDI plant, a nitrobenzene plant, and an aniline plant. In terms of end-use, the aniline market can be divided into six segments: insulation, rubber products, consumer goods, automotive, packaging, and others. Consumer goods and packaging are likely to be the fastest growing end-use segments of aniline during the forecast period.Read Complete Report with TOC @The aniline market is highly consolidated with key players integrated across several stages of the value chain. BASF SE, Bayer MaterialScience LLC, Huntsman Corporation, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company and Wanhua Chemical Group Co Ltd. are some of the major companies operating in the market. Other companies include Jilin Connell Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., Tosoh Corporation, The Dow Chemical Company, SP Chemicals Holdings Ltd and Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. The aniline market is characterized by mergers and acquisitions. For instance, Wanhua Chemical Group Co. Ltd. acquired BorsodChem, a Hungary-based producer of isocyanate, in February 2011. The acquisition would help Wanhua Chemical Group Co Ltd. strengthen its position in the aniline end-user market in Europe. Similarly, Bayer MaterialScience LLC purchased E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Companys aniline production facility in Baytown, Texas, in March 2014. The acquisition is expected to strengthen the companys leadership position in the polyurethane industry in the U.S.MRRSE stands for Market Research Reports Search Engine, the largest online catalog of latest market research reports based on industries, companies, and countries. MRRSE sources thousands of industry reports, market statistics, and company profiles from trusted entities and makes them available at a click. Besides well-known private publishers, the reports featured on MRRSE typically come from national statistics agencies, investment agencies, leading media houses, trade unions, governments, and embassies.Corporate OfficeState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-730-0559Email: sales@mrrse.com Home Scales Market Growth and Forecast 2016-2026 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2222 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2222 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/home-scales-market www.futuremarketinsights.com While life expectancy has increased tremendously in the past 50 years, industrialization and the dominance of the services sector in the developed world has given rise to new health problems like stress, obesity and high blood pressure. Obesity in particular is one of the biggest scourges of a modern lifestyle without any time (or inclination) to exercise and it can wreak havoc on the persons health. Obesity is a condition where a person is too heavy for their respective height and is calculated with the help of the body mass index (BMI). A BMI between 20 and 25 is considered normal, 25 or more is overweight, while 30 and above is called obese. An obese person is far more likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes, have an unhealthy child, some kind of heart disease or even a stroke. An awareness of the dangers of obesity along with a focus on health has fuelled the demand for the home scales market. People want to be able to measure their weight from the comfort of their homes and it is also used to motivate them to exercise more and drop those last few pounds. Continuous innovations with greater functionality or added features, increasing popularity of self-monitoring and a demand for high-tech electronics is expected to account for the continued demand of the home scales market.Request for sample report:Home Scales market DriversAn aging population in the west, a sedentary, fast-paced lifestyle leaving no time to exercise, along with a greater awareness of the long term problems caused by obesity can be expected to drive the home scale market going forward. Added functionality and more features in home scales is also expected to help in no small measure. An increased acceptance of digital body fat analysers in emerging markets will also provide a boost to the home scale market. They are worthy of mention since they measure body fat and help the person distinguish between fat and weight loss. It is not just obese customers but even health-conscious people who will drive the demand for the home scales market in the medium to long term. A greater preference for privacy and the convenience of using these devices in the bedroom or bathroom will also contribute to the future prospects of the home scales market.Request for TOC:Home Scales market Key RegionsEurope is the largest home scales market, followed by North America in 2016. This is due to the presence of a post-industrial society where the services sector dominates leading to a sedentary lifestyle and also the prevalence of ready to eat, processed and unhealthy food. Germany, the USA and the UK are some of the largest individual home scales markets. Asia Pacific accounts for the largest growth due to rapid urbanization, increased cases of obesity and also an increased awareness of advances in technology related to health and fitness. The key Asia Pacific markets include China, India, Japan and Korea.Home Scales market Key Market PlayersThe key players in the home scales market are AWM Limited, Camry Electronic Ltd, Salter Housewares, Bonso Electronics, Johnson Measures and Weights Ltd, Omron Healthcare Co. Ltd., Leifheit AG, Guangdong Xiangshan Weighing Apparatus, and Tanita Corporation.Browse full report: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 us:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705T (UK): + 44 (0) 20 7692 8790Email:sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: New Trends of Soy Protein Ingredient Market with Worldwide Industry Analysis to 2025 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-628 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-628 www.futuremarketinsights.com Soybean is processed primarily into three forms which includes soy protein isolates comprise ~90% protein, soy protein concentrates with ~70% protein, and soy flour with ~50% protein. Soy protein ingredient is considered to be the best substitute for animal protein. Soy protein ingredient comprises amino acids and are also rich in fiber, calcium, iron, potassium, polyunsaturated fats and lecithin, magnesium and vitamin B. Thus it contains high health-related benefits and functional properties. Due to its characteristics it primarily used as emulsifier, gel, tenderizer, binder, stabilizer, and thickener by food and beverages processing industry. Soy protein ingredients are also environmental friendly as they require less amount of water while processing.Soy Protein Ingredient Market SegmentationOn the basis of type soy protein ingredient can be segmented as soy protein isolates, soy protein concentrates and soy flour. Among all these product type soy protein isolates is expected to account for the potential market share followed by soy protein concentrates. Due to high percentage of protein content in soy protein isolates is supporting the demand for the same during the forecast period. Soy flour is also expected to show a substantial growth in the near future. However due to less protein content in the soy flour is expected to restrain its growth in the near future.Furthermore the soy protein ingredient market is segmented on the basis of application which includes bakery and confectionary, processed meat products, functional foods, dairy replacers, infant foods and others. Among all these segment functional food is expected to be the major contributor in supporting the growth soy protein ingredient followed by processed meat products. Rising awareness among the consumer for health beneficiary products is supporting the demand for soy protein ingredient market during the forecast period. Moreover, infant food is also expected to support the demand of soy protein ingredient market. This is due to the increasing parental concern for providing the nutritious and healthy food to their child.Request Free Report Sample@Geographically Europe and North America is expected to account for the major market share in the forecast period. However these region is expected to record moderate growth. In North America, U.S. is expected to be the major contributor in terms of revenue followed by Canada. Moreover Asia pacific is expected to show the double digit CAGR growth during the forecast period followed by Latin America. In Asia pacific region China and India is expected to account for the substantial growth due to increased demand for nutritional food among the consumers. Moreover in Latin America, Brazil is expected to be the major contributor in terms of revenue followed by Mexico.Soy Protein Ingredient Market DriversHigh functional properties of the soy protein ingredient coupled with ecofriendly and natural health benefits is driving the demand of soy protein during the forecast period. Moreover it is cost effective than the animal protein and reflects the same protein content. This is expected to enhance adoption of soy protein across various end-use industries resulting in increasing the shelf life of the processed food, so it is also considered as the most sustainable protein ingredients which is favoring its growth in alternate way.Soy Protein Ingredient Restraining FactorsHowever, its anti-nutrients and allergic nature of soy protein ingredients is restraining its growth during the forecast period. Moreover, negative impact of genetically modified (GM) soy coupled with the availability of various alternatives such as milk proteins, pea proteins and other animal proteins are also effecting the growth of soy protein ingredient in the forecast period.Visit For TOC@Soy Protein Ingredient Market: Key PlayersKey international players operating in the soy protein ingredient market are, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) Company, Dean Foods Company, Armor Proteins, Gelita Group, Bunge Alimentos SA, Kerry Ingredients Inc., Burcon NutraScience, Cargill Health & Food Technologies, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Kellogg Company, Doves Farm Foods, Kraft Foods Group Inc., Manildra Group, MGP Ingredients, Omega Protein Corporation, George Weston Foods and others.About Us Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Forecast On Implantable Defibrillator Market Global Industry Analysis and Trends till 2026 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2225 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2225 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/implantable-defibrillator-market www.futuremarketinsights.com Implantable defibrillator is a small battery powered device that is placed in the chest of a patient which monitors the heart of the patient. Implantable defibrillator device consists of thin wires that connect the defibrillator to the heart of the patient, and continuously monitors the patients heart rate. If there is any abnormality in the patients heartbeat, the implantable defibrillator sends electrical impulse to restore the normal heart rhythm. Implantable defibrillators are useful in saving patients lives with known history of ventricular tachycardia and arrhythmias. Implantable defibrillator consists of a pulse generator which is a battery powered electronic circuit, and one or more electrode leads which are placed into the patient heart through a vein. The implantable defibrillator works on three principles, pacing, cardioversion, and defibrillation. During pacing, a small electrical discharge is released in cases of mild abruptions in the heart rhythm, while the cardioversion principle works when a more serious problem arises. Defibrillation principle is the strongest form of electrical impulse to restore normal heartbeat. The implantable defibrillators are used in treating sudden cardiac arrest caused due to ventricular fibrillation, cardiac arrhythmias, especially in cases of pulseless ventricular tachycardia. Any person with a history of a ventricular arrhythmia, heart attack, sudden cardiac arrest, or congenital heart disease, may need an implantable defibrillator. New and more advanced version of Implantable Defibrillator are launched in the global market, which are just placed beneath the skin outside the ribcage, and do not contain any electrodes that are attached to the heart.Implantable Defibrillator Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe global market for Implantable Defibrillator is expected to be driven by the increasing incidences of cardiovascular diseases, increasing geriatric population around the world, changing lifestyle, increased smoking, rising prevalence of strokes, and increasing technological advancements in the medical devices industry. According to Centers of Disease Control (CDC), around 735,000 Americans have a heart attack every year. Of these 525,000 have a heart attack for the first time, while 210,000 have a second incidence of heart attacks. According to Heart Foundation, in 2013 heart diseases were responsible for around 43,602 deaths in Australia. In the U.K., stroke occurs every 150,000 times a year, and there were an estimated 1.2 Mn stroke survivors in the U.K. In 2014, according to Stroke association of U.K., these factors have resulted in increased demand for implantable defibrillators around the world. Increasing incidences and awareness of cardiovascular diseases in the Asia Pacific region, is expected to drive the growth of the market during the forecast period.Request for sample report:Implantable Defibrillator Market: SegmentationThe global Implantable Defibrillator market is classified on the basis of product type, procedure type, end user, and geography.Based on product type, the global Implantable Defibrillator market is segmented into the following:Single ChamberedImplantable DefibrillatorsDual Chambered Implantable DefibrillatorsBiventricular Implantable DefibrillatorsBased on procedure type, the global Implantable Defibrillator market is segmented into the following:Trans-Venous Implantable DefibrillatorsSubcutaneous Implantable DefibrillatorsBased on end user, the global Implantable Defibrillator market is segmented into the following:HospitalsSpecialty ClinicsAmbulatory Surgical CentersRequest for TOC:Implantable Defibrillator Market: OverviewSingle chambered implantable defibrillators segment is expected to dominate the global implantable defibrillator market in terms of value during the forecast period owing to factors such as cost effectiveness, easy to use, and technological advances in the Implantable defibrillator devices. Based on end user segmentation, hospitals is expected to dominate the global implantable defibrillators market in terms of value, due to increasing cardiac surgeries, improving hospital infrastructure and increased adoption of sophisticated and advanced technologies by hospitals.Implantable Defibrillator Market: Regional OverviewRegion wise, the global Implantable Defibrillator market is classified into regions namely, North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan, Middle East and Africa (MEA). North America dominated the global market for implantable defibrillators in terms of value and volume, due to availability of reimbursement policies for surgical procedures, and increased demand for implantable defibrillators. Increasing incidences of cardiovascular diseases owing to changing lifestyle and increasing geriatric population in the APEJ region is expected to boost the market growth in APEJ region.Implantable Defibrillator Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in global Implantable Defibrillator market include Boston Scientific Corporation, LivaNova PLC Company, MicroPort Scientific Corporation, Mayo Clinic US, Imricor Medical Systems, Inc., Medtronic plc, MRI Interventions, Inc., and St. Jude Medical, Inc.Browse full report: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 us:616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705T (UK): + 44 (0) 20 7692 8790Email:sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Women in IT: Ways to Close the Gender Gap Ludmila, 21 years old, decided to change career into IT last year. Nowadays, equal opportunity is unthinkable without equal challenge. It is also a fact, however, we now have fewer women working in male-dominated industries such as IT, despite a variety of programmes and political correctness.In reality, since the beginning children are treated differently. While boys are playing with Lego sets, girls received dolls. This trend continues until the university when the general public tries to convince girls that IT is too difficult for them, even when they show interests and inclination in maths and science.Then, at work the more challenging technical problems are usually assigned to men, allowing them to rise to the challenge. Why? Are women and men not equally skilled? Nothing could be further from the truth, because studies have shown that women have some advantages over men in tech, such as attention to detail, they are multi-skilled, opportunity experts, and natural givers. Not to mention that women are generally more emotionally motivated at work.In the past, IT jobs were viewed as populated by men in basements, but in todays world, those views are officially ended: technology careers are interesting and women are keen on it.However, according to Forbes the number of female CIOs is still low around 9%. Something is definitely not working, in a period when girls include about 46% of the advanced placement calculus test takers, but only 80% of them do not end up taking a computer science class, clearly something is not working.Several initiatives are trying to reverse this trend, such as Shine The Light, an international campaign that encourages people to boost the profile of incredible women around the world who are pushing boundaries using technology.At 360 GSP we are committed to driving gender diversity in the workplace and we believe that when women are supported, encouraged, and funded to lead, they always excel. This is why you should think about a career in IT.360 GSP is an IT training centre based in Wembley, London. We have been in the industry since 2003 and placed several candidates with leading Bluechip companies including IBM, Amazon and Goldman Sachs. We are specialised in Computer Networking, Network Security, Virtualization, Infrastructure, VoIP and Other related technologies. We are a Cisco, Microsoft, VMware, IBM and Citrix Partner.360 GSPYork House, 21 Empire Way, Wembley HA9 0PAandrea@360gsp.com020 8672 4151 Biologics Market, 2016-2026 by Segmentation: Based on Product, Application and Region http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1249 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1249 www.futuremarketinsights.com Biologics are drugs in the form of genetically engineered proteins, derived from human genes. As per the US FDA, biologics can be composed of sugars, proteins, or nucleic acids or complex combinations of these substances, or may be living entities such as cells and tissues. The biologic drugs are derived from a variety of natural sources such as humans, animals, or microorganisms and consist of products, such as vaccines, blood and blood components, allergenics, somatic cells, gene therapy, tissues, and recombinant therapeutic proteins. Advanced biotechnology techniques and complex processes are used to manufacture biologics. They are at the forefront of biomedical research.Biologics Market: Drivers and RestraintsDrivers for the biologics market include big brand name drugs losing patent extensions, growing incidence of chronic diseases and their diagnoses across the globe, increased availability of advanced diagnostics, rising government initiatives in healthcare and growing technological advancements in research and development across the globe by big drug makers to sustain competition and invest in incremental innovation. Other factors increasing the demand for biologic drugs include rising regulatory convergence and better access to healthcare for all nations.Request Free Report Sample@Restraints for the market include difficulty in manufacturing, as the drugs are highly complex in nature. They must be processed under tightly controlled conditions/controls, maintained throughout the production process. This type of atmosphere and quality control procedures are not easily available in less developed nations. Environmental contamination needs to be eliminated from the manufacturing process. Further, biologics are extremely susceptible to light, heat conditions, and need extremely good refrigeration processes, which is not available uniformly throughout the world.Biologics Market: SegmentationBiologics Market can be segmented into these following ways:Segmentation by product typeVaccinesBlood and Blood ProductsAllergenic extractsHuman Cells and TissuesProteinsGene TherapiesCellular TherapiesXenotransplantation ProductsSegmentation by applicationRheumatoid arthritisAnemiaCancerDiabetesOthersSegmentation by source materialHumansAvian Cell CultureYeastBacteriaInsects Cell CultureTransgenicsBiologics Market: OverviewBiologics market is at risk over the forthcoming years due to leading biologic drugs expected to lose exclusivity over the next seven years. The patented biologic drugs are expected to be replaced by biosimilar drugs. Competition is expected to be limited in the market as the drugs are expected to be formed using various types of innovative technologies. Increasing geriatric population, early onset of ageing, increasing awareness for technologically advanced medical procedures and drugs, higher spending power, and rising incidence of chronic diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. are expected to drive the market growth of biologic drugs.Biologics Market: Region-wise OutlookDepending on geographic regions, biologic drug market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa.In terms of geography, North America and Europe dominate the market, followed by Asia-Pacific. However, rising technological advancement in healthcare and systematic drug review process will drive the markets over North America, Japan and other regions. Europe currently dominates the biosimilars market driven by technically advanced healthcare infrastructure and high patient awareness & regulatory harmonization. Increasing funding for development of biologics available through public-private partnerships, availability of high-quality research infrastructure and innovative strategies developed by drug makers to restrict entry of new players are factors expected to contribute to market growth of biologics over the forecast period. Emerging markets include Eastern European countries followed by countries in Eastern Africa. Rising disease incidences in these countries is expected to prove favorable for the growth of the biologics market.Visit For TOC@Biologics Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in biologics market are Unilife Corporation, Retractable Technologies, Inc., Smiths Medicals, Becton, Dickinson & Company, Smiths Medical, Terumo Corporation, Pfizer Inc. (AC. Hospira), Roche Diagnostics, AstraZeneca, Bayer AG, Genzyme, GSK Biologicals, Lundbeck, Novartis AG, and Merck KGaA.About Us Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Research report covers the Marketing Mix Optimisation MarketForecasts and Growth, 2016-2026 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1626 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1626 www.futuremarketinsights.com Marketing mix optimisation or marketing mix modeling is a method that is used for the statistical analysis of the various advertising and marketing efforts done on a products performance in the market. The key elements of marketing mix modeling are product, promotion, distribution and the pricing, each of these elements are analyzed closely before finalizing the suitable model for marketing a particular product. The marketing mix modeling allows quantifying the sales and revenue generated by the marketing done on a particular product. It also allows planning the strategies for marketing of particular product or marketing service in an optimized manner. The shift of global markets to the emerging regions such as, China, India, Brazil and Russia and the established markets being on the threshold of saturation, manufacturers are looking forward to establish markets in the emerging regions with low investments and high return on investment. With various big organizations adapting the marketing mix modeling for optimized marketing of their products, the global market for marketing mix modeling will register a healthy growth rate by the end of forecast period.The global marketing mix modeling market is primarily driven by the demand for efficient marketing strategies by organizations including the fortune 500 companies, which will help minimizing the lump sum investments in marketing of a particular product and give high return of investment to the companies in terms of marketing costs by increasing the sales for that particular product. The implementation of marketing mix modeling helps in achieving the targeted goals of the company and benefits the organization as a whole. Somehow, there are some challenges related to the marketing mix modeling which might restrain the growth of the market. Some of the challenges includes, unstandardized measurement of the market, lack of transparency in the modeling methods among others, which makes difficult to narrow down actual predictions.Request Free Report Sample@The global marketing mix modeling market is segmented based on approach for marketing mix modeling and region. Based on the approach used for marketing mix modeling, the marketing mix modeling market can be segmented into OLS (Ordinary Least Square) regression approach and Constraint regression approach.Based on the geographic regions, global automotive seating systems marketing market is segmented into seven key market segments namely North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. The marketing mix modeling being a new concept it is being adapted globally in the established as well as the emerging markets. The global trend of big manufacturers and markets shifting the business to Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Eastern Europe markets to tap the growth opportunities in these markets are fostering the growth of marketing mix modeling market in the aforementioned regions as well as in the established markets of North American and Western Europe.Visit For TOC@Some of the major players identified in the global marketing mix modeling market includes, Wipro Limited, Polaris Research, Decision Analyst, Inc., The Nielsen Company, Analytic Partners, Inc., Ninah and ThinkVine.com among others.About Us Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: Market Research on Automotive Air Filter Market 2016 and Analysis to 2026 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1684 http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1684 www.futuremarketinsights.com An automotive air filter is a device that is made up of fibrous materials that removes solid particulates like pollen, dust, bacteria, and mould from the intake air. A chemical type of air filter consist of a catalyst or absorbent for removing molecular contaminants like ozone or volatile organic compounds. Air filters are being used in applications where air quality is of vital importance, notably in building ventilation systems and in vehicle engines. The cabin automotive air filter is a paper-pleaded filter, which is located in the air intake from outside for the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Some of the automotive air filters are rectangular or similar in shape as that of the combustion air filter, others have a unique shape to fit the available space of outside-air intakes. The very first automaker to provide a disposable air filter in order to clean the ventilation system was Nash Motors. The combustion automotive air filter restricts particulate matter to enter into the engines cylinders, where it can cause oil contamination and mechanical wear. Nowadays, fuel injected vehicles are using a paper pleated filter element that is in a flat panel form. These filters are placed in a plastic box connected with a throttle body. Older vehicles using throttle body or carburettors fuel injection system use a cylinder air filter, which are a few inches and are between 6 to 16 inches.Global Automotive Air Filter Market: Drivers and RestrainsThe ever increasing automobile market, and particularly the cars market is the major driving factor for the growth of global automotive air filter market and specifically the cabin filter market due to the cars market. Also automobile consumers are becoming aware about the importance of air filter for purified air and staying isolated in their passenger cabin from the atmosphere dirt that leads to the booming cabin air filter aftermarket.Request Free Report Sample@However, the flourishing electric vehicle market is restricting the growth of intake air filter, which is specifically required in the internal combustion engines intake manifold. Thus it can slowdown the growth of global automotive air filter market.Global Automotive Air Filter Market: SegmentationOn the basis of type, the automotive air filter market can be segmented as:Cabin air filterIntake air filterOn the basis of filtering media, the automotive air filter market can be segmented as:SyntheticCelluloseActivated carbonParticleGlobal Automotive Air Filter Market: Region Wise OutlookThe global automotive air filter market can be divided into seven regions, namely North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan and Middle East and Africa. Europe is the dominant region in the global automotive air filter market owing to the ever increasing automobile market in this region. Asia Pacific is the second major contributor in the automotive air filter market due to the automobile giants such as Maruti, Hero and other companies. The companies such as General Motors, Ford are having a significant contribution in the global automobile market making North America a considerable player in the global automotive air filter market. Japan is technologically advanced country in terms of automotive markets and so the technology of automotive air filter is very common in this country. Latin America and Middle East and Africa are at a nascent stage in the automotive air filter market but is anticipated to have a modest CAGR in the forecasted period.Visit For TOC@Global Automotive Air Filter Market: Key PlayersSome of the key players in the global automotive air filter market are as follows:MANN+HUMMELDonaldson Company, IncNGK INSULATORS, LTDSogefi SpAMahle International GmbHC & R Fab Media Private LimitedMelkev Machinery ImpexGlobal FiltersSimplex CorporationAbout Us Future Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite: mHealth Services Market: Top Players ( Apple, AT&T, AirStrip Technologies, Alcatel-Lucent, Cerner,) - Future Trends 2020 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=380 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com The global mHealth services market is detailed in a new market research publication from U.S.-based Transparency Market Research. The market is estimated to be rising at a flourishing 23.9% CAGR between 2014 and 2020, translating to a rise in valuation from US$5.79 billion in 2013 to US$23.39 billion by 2020.The report, titled mHealth Services Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2014 - 2020, segments the global mHealth market according to application, type of service, and type of end user. The segments of the market by all these criteria are submitted to thorough examination and historical and projected values are given for each segment. The performance of each segment in each regional segment of the global mHealth market is also detailed. This helps provide a comprehensive snapshot of the global mHealth services market.Download a PDF brochure for Technical Insights atThe global mHealth market benefits primarily from a combination of rising awareness about the benefits of mHealth services and rising ubiquity of 3G and 4G communication networks. The convenience of mHealth services to both doctors and patients has come to the fore in recent years, thanks to growing preference for homecare, as rehabilitation in the comforts in their own homes is preferred by a majority of patients. Homecare also eliminates the hospitalization bills for patients and frees up hospital resources for other, perhaps more urgent uses. This, according to TMR analysts, is one of the most prominent drivers of the mHealth services market.The growing demand for homecare is complemented by the emergence of next-gen communication technologies, which have made the rise of mHealth services possible. While mHealth was limited to calls between the patient and the doctor in the past, the emergence of 3G and 4G communication technologies has made it possible for the two parties to hold video calls, making the interaction more intimate.mHealth services also include monitoring and diagnostic services that would not have been possible without modern smartphone technology. Thus, the unending rise of the smartphone market has broadened the horizons of the global mHealth services market.Accordingly, the dominant application segment of the global mHealth market is that of remote monitoring, collaboration, and consultancy. This segment is expected to grow at a stunning CAGR in excess of 28% in the forecast period, considerably higher than the overall markets CAGR. This segment is also aided by the growing geriatric population all over the world, since elderly people are more likely to fall prey to chronic diseases that require long-term monitoring, and also to prefer homecare over hospitalization.Due to the prevalence of high-end communication technologies and easy incorporation of the same in existing healthcare infrastructure, the North America market for mHealth services emerged as the leader in the global market in 2013. Europe followed North America, but continuous advancement of the healthcare sector in Asia Pacific countries is expected to elevate the share of this regional market in the global market.The report also includes a detailed analysis of major companies operating in the global mHealth services market, such as AT&T Inc., Koninklijke Philips N.V., Symantec Corporation, Vodafone Group plc, and Alcatel-Lucent Corporation.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.90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Global Petroleum Market Analysis and Forecast to 2020 http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/world-petroleum-market-report-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020/ http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/world-petroleum-market-report-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020/ http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/world-petroleum-market-report-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020/ www.indexbox.co.uk IndexBox has just published a new report World: Petroleum - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2020 (This report has been designed to provide a detailed analysis of the global petroleum market. It covers the most recent data sets of quantitative medium-term projections, as well as developments in production, trade, consumption and prices.The global petroleum trade amounted to 609,168 million USD in 2015, showing strong fluctuations over the period under review. A 36% drop in 2009 was followed by recovery over the next four years, until exports decreased again.According to IndexBox estimates, USA emerged as the leading global importer of petroleum over the period under review, surpassing Russia. In 2015, the USA's petroleum exports totaled 74,710 million USD, which accounted for a 12% share in terms of global exports. Russia, Singapore, the Netherlands, and the Republic of Korea were the other key global suppliers of petroleum in 2015, with a 30% combined share of global exports.USA (+13.7% per year) and the Republic of Korea (+3.5% per year) were the fastest growing exporters from 2007 to 2015. USA significantly strengthened its position in terms of global exports of petroleum, growing its share from 5% in 2007 to 12% in 2015.Meanwhile, USA (8.8%, based on value terms), Singapore (7.3%), the Netherlands (4.5%), France (3.7%), and Germany (3.5%) were the leading destinations of petroleum imports in 2015. Imports to Singapore grew at a pace of +4.6% per year from 2007 to 2015. By contrast, USA contracted its imports of petroleum over the same period. The shares of all major importers remained relatively stable over the period under review, with the exception of the USA, which saw a -6 percentage point decline in its share size.TABLE OF CONTENTS1. INTRODUCTION1.1 REPORT DESCRIPTION1.2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY2.1 KEY FINDINGS2.2 MARKET TRENDS3. MARKET OVERVIEW3.1 MARKET VOLUME AND VALUE3.2 CONSUMPTION BY COUNTRY3.3 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES BY COUNTRY3.4 MARKET FORECAST TO 20204. PRODUCTION4.1 PRODUCTION IN 2007-20154.2 PRODUCTION BY COUNTRY5. IMPORTS5.1 IMPORTS IN 2007-20155.2 IMPORTS BY COUNTRY5.3 IMPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY6. EXPORTS6.1 EXPORTS IN 2007-20156.2 EXPORTS BY COUNTRY6.3 EXPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY7. PROFILES OF MAJOR PRODUCERS3 easy ways to order Follow the link below to review a free sample or to buy the report: Call us +44 20 3239 3063 to discuss your information needs and for special discounts on multi-report orders Email your order to info@indexbox.co.ukPrice: 1490 EUR for Single LicenseSource:IndexBox is a leading market research publisher in the world. We conduct market research and publish reports.You can find more than 25,000 research reports in our web store, which cover global industries and regional markets. All the worldwide marketing data you need is at your fingertips.We collect this data from hundreds of highly reliable sources, verify it and carry out market analysis, uncovering new business opportunities and empowering you with actionable insights.The structure of our reports is intuitive and clear. We do our best to allow you to make strategic decisions and take immediate action. If you want to go further and be a step ahead of the market, just tell us your goals and we will tailor a report to your needs.Company Name: IndexBoxContact Person: Kirill BezverhiEmail: kirill.bezverhi@indexbox.co.ukPhone: +44 20 3239 3063Adress: United Kingdom, 44 Main Street, Douglas, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, ML11 0QWWebsite: Bio-based Anionic Surfactants Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024 Bio-based Anionic Surfactants Market http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=13589 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ http://globalresearchmarket.blogspot.in/ Surface Active Agent also called as surfactants, are a group of organic compounds that lowers the interfacial tension between liquids or the surface tension of a liquid. Generally, these are used as detergents or wetting agents, emulsifiers or foaming agents. Globally, anionic surfactants account for the largest share in the surfactants market. Surfactants finds usage across various applications such as detergents, soaps, textiles, personal care, oilfield chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food, elastomers, crop protection, and plastics amongst others.Anionic surfactants account for the largest share of the commodity surfactants market. Growing crude oil prices and environmental regulations are expected to increase the demand for bio-based anionic surfactants. In terms of volume, the three largest anionic surfactants were alpha-olefin sulfonates, linear alkylbenzene sulfonates and alcohol ether sulfates. All these anionic surfactants are ethylene based, which is a petrochemical derivative. Bio-based anionic surfactants include alcohol ether sulfate (AES) and methyl ester sulfonate (MES). Methyl ester sulfonate (MES) is produced from palm oil and alcohol ether sulfate is produced from coconut oil. Both the bio-based anionic surfactants namely alcohol ether sulfate and methyl ether sulfate can also substitute few of the other ethylene based anionic surfactants. In terms of properties, bio-based anionic surfactants have all the desirable properties that are required for personal care and detergent products.View exclusive Global strategic Business Report:The main restraints of the synthetic surfactants market are the volatile raw material prices and environment regulations, these factors act as drivers for the bio-based surfactants market. Anionic surfactants are largely ethylene based and hence are prone to price and supply fluctuations. The increase in production cost due to raw material price fluctuation has put strains on the profit margins of synthetic surfactants. This volatility of supply and price fluctuation during the pricing of their products has made it difficult for the surfactant producers to transfer the increased price to their customers, or they risk of losing the market share. The current market demand for environment friendly alternatives has led to boost the demand for bio-based anionic surfactants. All these aspects are anticipated to drive the market for bio-based anionic surfactants in the near future.In initial stage of growth, bio-based surfactant market is being used as a substitute for synthetic surfactants in various applications. Moreover, the scope for bio-based surfactant is wide as the synthetic surfactants market is a relatively mature market. High comparative prices and technological constraints might act as a restraint to the growth of bio-based anionic surfactants market.The regions such as North America, Europe, and Japan contribute to a larger share of demand for bio-based anionic surfactants. In these regions, consumers are more aware about the environmental benefits of these products and tend to prefer environment friendly alternatives. Moreover, environment regulations in these regions have led to an increase in demand for bio-based anionic surfactants. The demand for bio-based anionic surfactants in regions such as Asia Pacific and Rest of the World is anticipated to witness strong growth over the next few years. High price and supply fluctuations of petrochemical products and reducing dependence on crude oil is likely to drive the demand for bio-based substitutes and consequently bio-based anionic surfactants.Some of the major companies operating in the global calcium carbide market are AGAE Technologies, BASF SE, Clariant AG, Rhodia SA, Henkel, Stepan Company, The Dow Chemical Company and AkzoNobel N.V. among others.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth insights, understanding market evolution by tracking historical developments, and analyzing the present scenario and future projections based on optimistic and likely scenarios. Each research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology developments, types, applications, and the competitive landscape.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insights for 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, TMR employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog: Mineral Waxes Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2014 - 2020 Mineral Waxes Market http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=3002 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ http://globalresearchmarket.blogspot.in/ Waxes are solid material that melt and convert into liquid state at a slightly higher temperature. Sources of wax can be segregated into three segments: oil, mineral and plants & animals. Crude oil is the most dominant source of waxes moreover owing to higher demand for crude oil in other application segments, mineral waxes have been gaining acceptance and demand for mineral waxes has been surging across the globe. Lignite is the most dominant mineral used for the production of mineral waxes and this trend is anticipated continue for a foreseeable future. Ozokerite, peat and ceresin waxes are among other major mineral waxes sources.Environmental hazards associated with processing of crude oil coupled with volatile pricing of crude oil have led to decline in demand for crude oil based waxes. Moreover, high demand for crude oil for other more lucrative application segments has been the foremost factor driving demand for mineral waxes. Increasing demand for wax in the production of rubber is expected to drive demand for mineral waxes during the forecast period. High growth in cosmetics market is also expected to be among major factors driving demand for mineral waxes. Moreover, supply constraints related to major mineral sources such as lignite is expected to restrain mineral waxes market growth. Furthermore, availability of other wax sources such as plants, animals and insects are expected to restrain mineral waxes market growth.View exclusive Global strategic Business Report:Asia Pacific dominates the global demand for mineral waxes and this trend is anticipated to continue during the forecast period. Asia Pacific comprises two of the largest and the fastest growing economies, India and China. China dominates the global production of mineral waxes and exports a major portion of the production. Moreover, high GDP growth in the emerging economies of India and China is expected to drive growth in several end user industries for mineral waxes including paper, rubber and cosmetic among several others. Furthermore, high demand for candles in India is expected to be among major factors driving demand for mineral waxes in Asia Pacific. Owing to the aforementioned factors, Asia Pacific is anticipated to be the fastest growing region for mineral waxes during the forecast period.North America is the second largest market for mineral waxes followed by Europe. Moreover, mineral waxes market in North America is profoundly dependent on imports from countries such as China. Poland is expected to be among major mineral waxes market in Europe. Moreover, Europe is anticipated to outdo North America in terms of mineral waxes market growth during the forecast period. Increasing demand for firelogs is anticipated to be a major factor driving demand for mineral waxes in North America and Europe. Demand for mineral waxes in RoW region is expected to be driven by increasing demand from developing economies of South America and Europe.Mineral waxes market is highly fragmented and dominated by several regional players across the globe. Owing to dominance of regional players, the market is characterized by high prices sensitivity. Low capital investment has increased the threat from new entrants mainly in the developing economies. The degree of competition in the mineral waxes market is high and is expected to remain high for the next six years. Some of the major players in the market include American Refining Group Incorporated, Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, Calumet Specialty Products Partners LP, International Flora Technologies Limited and Honeywell International Inc among others.This research report analyzes this market on the basis of its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends. Geographies analyzed under this research report include-North America-Asia Pacific-Europe-Rest of the WorldAbout 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 insights for 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, TMR employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog: 3 Smart Steps to Outsource Mobile App Development http://dev.sumasoft.com/outsource-mobile-app-development http://dev.sumasoft.com/outsource-mobile-app-development Texas (USA), Canada (Toronto) & London (Business Network)Nov 24, 2016: The trend to outsource mobile app development is not new but extremely high in demand. From start-ups to established organizations, every business is discussing the risks and opportunities of offshore mobile app development. Outsourcing, as a business model, has been effective across industries in substantially reducing cost of recruitment, expansion, and infrastructure as well as helped in streamlining and speeding up business processes.By involving a third-party, exclusively trained and skilled in a particular work, adds that extra shot in the arm subsequently helping organisations to gain a competitive market edge.Suma Soft, an ISO 9001:2008 certified software development company shares insights on smartest ways to go about outsourcing mobile app development to an offshore company.Before you zero in on an outsourcing partner, take these three steps:1)Create a wire frameThis acts as a blueprint of your mobile app. The more detailed your wire frame is; the better shape your app will finally take. Consider things such as whether your app has to be developed from scratch or it can be an AaaS (App-as-a-Service). Pen down the flow of your app as if you were the end-user; experience the app as you are a novice and see if every follow-on or call-to-action is giving you clear instructions. While there might be many changes during the development of the app, having a thoroughly descriptive wireframe will help your outsourcing team visualize the final product. If a couple of things seem improbable or incomplete, wireframes can take all the rough work. This will also save you the dos and donts that occur in the development process later on.2)Dont follow-suitNot every technology is meant for every business genre. It may be possible that few people around you are discussing chatbots and analytics, but that does not mean that your app will be inefficient without these. Considering your business requirements, create of list of possible technology inputs that you will need for your app. Remember that mobile apps need to be extremely agile and user-friendly. Your customers on mobile would not want to spend hours in installing, opening or using the app. A technology-heavy app can prove to be a disaster if not made to function properly. Know your target audience; create an app that addresses their geographical, demographical as well as utility needs in a hassle-free experience. This step will help you save on any additional technology cost needed to outsource mobile app development.3)Do your homeworkThere is no dearth of mobile apps. Your outsourcing partner might also be developing a hundred-odd apps at the same time. Make sure that your objectives are clear from Day 0 of the outsourcing project. Always try to offer a unique user-experience to your customers. This will happen if you know your target audience extremely well. Get as much insight as possible on the customer that you aim to sell your app to. Knowing your customers pain-points and expectations will help you design a better product. When discussing the project with your offshore mobile app developer, do not just give your opinions about the app but also provide them with deeper, more meaningful insights on your end-consumer. Always remember that software is a technology and should be able to add some advantage to your business. This will happen only if you create a software that meets the needs of your consumers.About Suma Soft:With 16+ years of experience in developing open-source, android and iOS mobile apps for different industries, Suma Soft is one of the most preferred companies for offshore mobile app development services. Suma Soft has worked with over 300+ clients and delivered quality software applications to Automotive, BFSI, Healthcare, Logistics and Retail companies. Read more-Suma Soft has been an industry leader for over 16 years. We provide advanced BPO Solutions in USA-based environment, Software Development Solutions across USA and India, Technical Support Services, IT Security Audit Solutions USA and IT Security Consulting and Implementation Services.Company :Suma SoftAddress: 7880 San Felipe StreetSte 120,Houston TX 77063-1647For USA : +1 281 764 1825Email: info@sumasoft.com Mineral Water Market Trends in China http://www.reportbazzar.com/request-sample/?pid=528337&ptitle=Mineral+Water+Market+Trends+in+China&req=Sample http://www.reportbazzar.com/product/mineral-water-market-trends-in-china/ http://www.reportbazzar.com/discount-form/?pid=528337&ptitle=Mineral+Water+Market+Trends+in+China&req=Discount http://www.reportbazzar.com/ This study focuses on Chinas Mineral Water market trends. In the two past decades, the market has been growing at a fast pace. The dramatic expansions of the manufacturing capabilities and rising consumer consumptions in China have transformed Chinas society and economy. China is one of the worlds major producers for industrial and consumer products. Far outpacing other economies in the world, China is the worlds fastest growing market for the consumptions of goods and services. The Chinese economy maintains a high speed growth which has been stimulated by the consecutive increases of industrial output, imports & exports, consumer consumption and capital investment for over two decades. Rapid consolidation between medium and large players is anticipated since the Chinese government has been encouraging industry consolidation with an effort to regulate the industry and to improve competitiveness in the world market.Request Sample Report:Although China has enjoyed the benefits of an expanding market for production and distribution, the industry is suffering from minimal innovation and investment in R&D and new product development. The sectors economies of scale have yet to be achieved. Most domestic manufacturers lack the autonomic intellectual property and financial resources to develop their own brand name products.This new study focuses on market trends and forecasts with historical data (2005, 2010 and 2015) and long-term forecasts through 2020 and 2025 are presented.The primary and secondary research is done in China in order to access up-to-date government regulations, market information and industry data. Data were collected from the Chinese government publications, Chinese language newspapers and magazines, industry associations, local governments industry bureaus, industry publications, and our in-house databases.Asia Market Info & Dev Co. is one of the leading sources for up-to-date market information and research on the fastest-growing Chinese markets. We have published over 2,000 reports focusing on the Chinese markets, industry forecasts and company profiles. We provide hard-to-find market data and analyses. Our publications are intended to help international marketers identify business opportunities and promote their product sales in the Chinese markets.Buy Complete Report:TABLE OF CONTENTSI. INTRODUCTIONReport Scope and MethodologyExecutive SummaryII. BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTEconomic OutlookKey Economic IndicatorsIndustrial OutputPopulation and LaborForeign InvestmentForeign TradeFinancial and Tax RegulationsBanking System and RegulationsForeign ExchangeTaxes, Tariff and Custom DutiesMarket TrendsTechnology DevelopmentMarket DevelopmentMajor Industry DevelopmentRegional DevelopmentEnterprise DevelopmentLabor Market DevelopmentIII. MINERAL WATER MARKET TRENDSMineral Water Market TrendsCurrent Market AnalysesMarket Development TrendsMarket ChallengesMajor ProducersCurrent IssuesFood LegislationPackaging LegislationChinese Retail Market TrendsConsumer Income TrendsConsumer Spending Trends by RegionNortheastNorthSoutheastCentralSouthwestNorthwestEnquiry Before Buying:About Us:Reportbazzar.com is your trusted source for the most inclusive and informative assortment of market research reports designed to empower you with the latest in industry information that translates to time and cost savings for your business. We not only help you give wing to your latent business ideas but also facilitate you in taking the best informed and strategic decisions that guarantee success in your most promising business endeavors.Contact Us:ReportBazzarUnited States30 Wall Street, 8th floor,New York, NY 10005.US: +1 (212) 389-6363India: +91 20 66528525Email Id: sales@reportbazzar.comWebsite: Hoffmann-La Roche present on Data extrapolation at Paediatric Clinical Trials 2017 Paediatric Clinical Trials www.paediatric-trials.co.uk/openpr www.paediatric-trials.co.uk/openpr http://www.smi-online.co.uk The 2017 programme for Paediatric Clinical Trials will review the latest developments leading to the advancement of paediatric medicines. This will be achieved through an array of sessions hosted by leaders and senior personnel within the Paediatric community who will focus on regulation, clinical trials, drug development, incentives and recruitment and retention of patients.Andy Kenwright, Senior Statistical Scientist from Hoffmann-La Roche has recently joined the expert speaker line-up, he will discuss the hot topic of data extrapolation. His presentation will touch upon the following key points: Children taking part in clinical trials often fall outside of expected study behaviours and standards Simply applying standards you apply to adults may well not work for children from lab ranges to dosing regimens to summary graphs and physiological or PK/PD assumptions A fundamental paradigm is that children are constantly growing and changing. How do we track this when we want stability during our trial periods? In developing a paediatric toolkit at Roche, what are the broad stroke highlights of some of the most current topics?His insightful presentation will make a great addition to the agenda where he will be joined by the likes of GSK, European Medicines Agency, Johnson & Johnson, Insys Therapeutics, AstraZeneca and many more...There is currently an early bird offer available; book by 16th of December to save 200 off the conference price. Register atFor sponsorship packages: Contact Alia Malick on +44 (0)20 7827 6168 or email amalick@smi-online.co.ukFor delegate enquiries: Contact Ameenah Begum on +44 (0)20 7827 6166 or email abegum@smi-online.co.ukFor media enquiries, contact Zoe Gale on +44 20 7827 6138 or zgale@smi-online.co.uk11th annual Paediatric Clinical Trials20-21 March 2017London, UKContact e-mail: zgale@smi-online.co.ukContact tel: +44 (0) 207 827 6166#paediatricsmi---- END ----About SMi Group: Established since 1993, the SMi Group is a global event-production company that specializes in Business-to-Business Conferences, Workshops, Masterclasses and online Communities. We create and deliver events in the Defence, Security, Energy, Utilities, Finance and Pharmaceutical industries. We pride ourselves on having access to the worlds most forward thinking opinion leaders and visionaries, allowing us to bring our communities together to Learn, Engage, Share and Network. More information can be found atSMi Group will return to London with their 11th annual Paediatric Clinical Trials conference taking place on the 20-21 March 2017.Harling House, 47-51 Great Suffolk St, Flight Management System Market Size, Share, Analysis, Report and Forecast to 2022 According to Stratistics MRC, the Global Flight Management System market accounted for $6.32 Billion in 2015 and it is expected to reach $10.6 Billion by 2022 growing at a CAGR of 7.5%. High demand for aircraft, emergence of the auto-ground collision avoidance system and development of glass cockpits are the factors driving the market. However, security concerns due to cyber-attacks and inflexible safety regulations may hinder the market growth. The introduction of new aircraft will facilitate airlines to reinforce their existing competitive strategies and may allow them to develop capabilities that enable new ways to grow in the market. Technological advancements for heavy data storage and high operational efficiency may create an opportunity to the flight management system market.The visual display unit segment accounted for the largest share of the flight management systems market during the forecast period. This is mainly attributed to the demand of lightweight and technologically advanced displays. North America accounted for the largest share in market owing to the demand for advanced required navigation performance systems and next generation flight management systems. While, Asia Pacific is expected to grow at a highest CAGR due to its cost effectiveness and increase in aircraft orders as well as deliveries in emerging economies such as India and China.Some of the key players in global flight management system market include Esterline Technologies Corporation, Garmin Ltd, Thales Group, General Electric, Universal Avionics Systems Corporation, Honeywell International Inc., Jeppesen Sanderson, Inc., Rockwell Collins, Leonardo-Finmeccanica S.p.A, Navtech, Inc., Lufthansa Systems, BAE System and Cobham Plc.Hardwares Covered: Flight Management Computer (FMC) Control Display Unit (CDU) Visual Display Unit (VDU)Maintenance Covered: Retro-Fit Line-FitCockpit Architecture Covered: Wide-Body (WB) Aircraft Very Large Aircraft (VLA) Narrow Body (NB) Aircraft Regional Transport Aircraft (RTA)Regions Covered: North Americao USo Canadao Mexico Europeo Germanyo Franceo Italyo UKo Spaino Rest of Europe Asia Pacifico Japano Chinao Indiao Australiao New Zealando Rest of Asia Pacific Rest of the Worldo Middle Easto Brazilo Argentinao South Africao EgyptWhat our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 7 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancementsWe offer wide spectrum of research and consulting services with in-depth knowledge of different industries. We are known for customized research services, consulting services and Full Time Equivalent (FTE) services in the research world. We explore the market trends and draw our insights with valid assessments and analytical views. We use advanced techniques and tools among the quantitative and qualitative methodologies to identify the market trends. Our research reports and publications are routed to help our clients to design their business models and enhance their business growth in the competitive market scenario. We have a strong team with hand-picked consultants including project managers, implementers, industry experts, researchers, research evaluators and analysts with years of experience in delivering the complex projects.STRATISTICS MRC17049 King James Way, Gaithersburg,MD, 20877, USA Gas to Liquids (GTL) Market Global Market Opportunity Assessment Study 2020 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=2752 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/gas-to-liquids-market.html The rapid industrial development has led to the increased demand for the conventional sources of energy. However, the limited presence of these sources put an extra burden on the demand supply gap. As the population continues to grow, the conventional sources of energy must be used more efficiently, and alternative sources are needed to close the demand and supply gap. Gas to liquids (GTL) technology converts the methane rich gases into more economical and cleaner synthetic fuels. The increase in energy consumption coupled with the environmental regulations related to the clean fuel development, can have a direct impact on global gas to liquids (GTL) market. For the past few years, many big companies have started to develop the synthetic fuels, based on gas to liquids (GTL) technology. According to World Bank, around 150 billion cubic meters of natural gas is flared ever year, which can be converted into useful synthetic fuels using gas to liquids (GTL) technologies.Interpret a Competitive outlook Analysis Report with PDF Brochure :The segmentation of the gas to liquids (GTL) market can be done on the basis of size, production process, applications and the location of major gas to liquids (GTL) plants. On the basis of size, the gas to liquids (GTL) plant is classified as: small scale and large gas to liquids (GTL) plant. The gas to liquids (GTL) generation can be achieved in three ways: the Fischer-Tropsch process, Methanol to Gasoline (MTG) process and Syngas to gasoline plus process. The Fischer-Tropsch process includes the partial oxidation of natural gas, hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide, followed by the cracking process. In the Methanol to Gasoline (MTG) process, methane is first converted to methanol using a sequence of three chemical reactions: steam reforming, water shift reaction and synthesis reaction.The methanol so produced is converted into gasoline by using Mobil process. The syngas to gasoline plus process consists of four steps: Methanol synthesis, Dimethyl ether synthesis, and gasoline synthesis and treatment. By using the gas to liquids (GTL) process, the refineries can easily convert their flare gas into more useful fuel oils. These fuel oils can be sold as it is or can be blended with gasoline. Gas to liquids (GTL) process can also be used for the extraction of natural gas deposits in the areas where it is difficult to build a pipeline. The major products of gas to liquids (GTL) technology are: diesel, naphtha, LPG, base oil, ethane and paraffin.The regional segmentation of gas to liquids (GTL) market includes: identification of the major gas to liquids (GTL) plants. Currently, only few gas to liquids (GTL) plants are present globally; however, many small and large scale projects related with the development of gas to liquids (GTL) facilities are still in the development phase. The major gas to liquids (GTL) plant is located in Qatar, Mozambique, Nigeria and South Africa in Middle East and African region whereas in the Asia Pacific region, Malaysia is actively involved in the gas to liquids (GTL) market.Browse Report with Full TOC at :Rapid energy consumption, government policies supporting the development of clean fuel, and the conversion of waste flare gas into useful product serve as the major drivers for the current gas to liquids (GTL) market. The large sized slurry based and fixed reactors coupled with the high expenditure requirement in the development of large scale gas to liquids (GTL) plants are the main restraints to the gas to liquids (GTL) market. Further, the rise in natural gas consumption, especially in countries such as China, Japan and India alongwith the development of smaller sized micro-channel reactors as compared to the conventional reactors, can act as the opportunities for gas to liquids (GTL) market.Some of the major players in the gas to liquids (GTL) market include companies such as Sasol limited, Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron Corporation, Primus Green Energy, Compact GTL, Linc Energy and others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. 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.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207 Global Fast Food Market to Display 4.40% CAGR from 2013 to 2019, Changing Eating Habits in Asia Pacific Propel Market http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=2366 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/global-fast-food-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Transparency Market Researchs new market study on the global fast foods market delves into the trends and opportunities of the said market for the 2013-2019 period. The report says that the global fast foods market will be valued at US$617.6 bn by 2019 increasing from US$477.1 bn in 2013. This will translate into a CAGR of 4.40% over the reports forecast period. The title of this report is Global Fast Food Market - Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2013 - 2019 and it is available for sale on the companys website.Get More Information:Fast food refers to mass-produced food that can be prepared and served very quickly. First popularized in the U.S. in the 1950s, it is believed to have less nutritional value compared to other foods. Fast food draws from various culinary styles to offer consumers food items that are high on the taste quotient.The global fast foods market observed significant expansion in North America in its early years. This is the region where the markets foundation was laid. North America is still a large market for fast foods. In the coming years, however, the non-traditional fast foods markets are expected to generate a significant chunk of the global revenue these include Asia Pacific and Rest of the World. In these regions, an expanding population base coupled with economic growth and increasing disposable income levels are the major factors driving the fast food market. Peer pressure among consumers to switch to Western eating habits is also a key factor fueling the growth of this market.However, in traditional fast food markets such as North America and Europe, due to an evident shift in consumer food choices from fast foods to natural foods, the growth of the overall market will be negatively impacted. Consumers are increasingly becoming conscious about the ill-effects of food additives in the long run. Thus, market players are compelled to switch to natural ingredients, hormone-free meats, and organic produce to make their products attractive for consumers. On the contrary, in the developing countries of Asia Pacific, the recently gained economic prosperity and surging income levels have led to higher spending on contemporary foods, which include fast foods as well.Browse the full Global Fast Food Market - Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2013 - 2019 report at:The report segments the global fast foods market on the basis of delivery chain, food type, and geography. By product type, burgers/sandwiches, pasta/pizza, seafood, chicken, Asian/Latin American, and snacks are the segments of this market. The market of pizza/pasta and burgers/sandwiches will display a higher CAGR compared to Latin American food or chicken during the forecast period. Nevertheless, developed markets will witness a rising preference for Latin American food and chicken due to their bold flavors and health benefits.Geographically, in 2013, North America stood as the largest market for fast food followed by Asia Pacific. In North America, the busy lifestyle of individuals that does not leave adequate time for fresh cooking on a regular basis and dependence on convenient restaurant food are driving the market. Drive-thru food joints and food-on-the-go are a commonality in North America where people eat out frequently. In 2013, Asia Pacific and North America collectively held a share of more than 64% in the global fast food market.Top players in the global fast food market are Burger King Worldwide Inc., McDonalds Corporation, Jack in the Box Inc., Wendys International Inc., Yum! Brands Inc., Dominos Pizza Inc., and Doctors Associates Inc.The market is categorized into the following segments:Global Fast Food Market by TypeBurger/SandwichPizza/PastaChickenAsian/Latin American FoodSea-FoodOthers (Snacks, Mexican etc.)Global Fast Food Market by TypeQuick Service Restaurant (QSR)Street VendorsOthersGlobal Fast Food Market by GeographyNorth AmericaEuropeAsia-PacificRest of the WorldAbout 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.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Food Contact Paper and Board Market - Future Trend, Growth, Forecast & Opportunities in the Coming Years http://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/download-sample-427 http://www.decisiondatabases.com/ip/427-food-contact-paper-board-market-report http://www.decisiondatabases.com/contact/buy-now-427 www.decisiondatabases.com DecisionDatabases.com offers Food Contact Paper and Board Market Research Report. This Report covers the complete Industry Outlook, Growth, Size, Share and Forecast Till 2021.Get Free Sample Copy @Food contact paper and board implies to packaging of various foodstuffs using paper based packaging materials. These paper based packaging are used in packaging various food products including chilled food, takeaway food, bakery products and beverages. Food contact paper and board make packaging convenient, ease food serving, are hygienic and do not pose any harm to the food product. Food contact paper and board are designed according to regulations set by governing authorities around the world. It ensures food safety, standard quality of food and do not alter food contents and pose any health risk to consumers. Food contact paper and board are rigorously tested before they are used in packaging food products.Applications segment global food contact paper and board market into fresh produce, ready meals, liquid foods and beverages, chilled foods, frozen foods, dry groceries, take away foods and vending applications, bakery products and non-liquid dairy products. Based on products global food contact paper and board market is classified as folding cartons, corrugated board, food and cup stock board and paper bags and wrapping. Food cartons are the major products segment contributing to market growth of food contact paper and board market.Convenience and ease in food serving and low cost are major significant factors to upsurge the global food contact paper and board market. Rising demand packed foods and rise in number of fast food swerving chains in the Asia Pacific region is another significant factor to boost the growth of this market. Technological developments have led to use of recycled paper in paper-based food packaging which in turn is expected to open new market opportunities for the global food contact paper and board market. Reusability of paper after its life span and extraction of barrier packaging from paper are major restraints of global food contact paper and board market.Global food contact paper and board market report is segmented by geography as Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America and Middle East and Africa. Key players in the global food contact paper and board market include Mondi, Smurfit Kappa Group, International Paper, Nordic Paper Holding, Cascades, Intertek, Seaman Paper, Burrows Paper, Georgia-Pacific, Huhtamaki, Pactiv and Glatfelter.Access full report at:DecisionDatabases is involved in providing research reports and company profiles in the global food contact paper and board market in terms of revenue and output/volume. Market drivers, opportunities and restraints are thoroughly studied which influences the market. This study is further utilized for the overall analysis of the market. The food contact paper and board market is segmented based on the global applications, geographic presence, by products and ingredients. We offer an inclusive category-specific market outlook. We provide access to a comprehensive collection of companies in the industry. The companies can strategize and execute business operations through our competitor analysis. Find the global industry analysis, market size, share, growth, and trends information in our food contact paper and board profiles.Table Of Contents:1. INTRODUCTION2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY3. MARKET ANALYSIS OF FOOD CONTACT PAPER AND BOARD4. FOOD CONTACT PAPER AND BOARD MARKET ANALYSIS BY PRODUCTSCorrugated BoardFolding CartonFood And Cupstock BoardPaper Bags And Wrapping5. FOOD CONTACT PAPER AND BOARD MARKET ANALYSIS BY APPLICATIONSLiquid Foods And BeveragesFresh ProduceFrozen FoodsChilled FoodsReady MealsTake Away Foods And Vending ApplicationsDry GroceriesBakery ProductsNon-Liquid Dairy Products6. FOOD CONTACT PAPER AND BOARD MARKET ANALYSIS BY REGIONAsia PacificNorth AmericaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle East And Africa7. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE OF FOOD CONTACT PAPER AND BOARD COMPANIES8. COMPANY PROFILES OF FOOD CONTACT PAPER AND BOARD INDUSTRYMondiSmurfit Kappa GroupInternational PaperNordic Paper HoldingCascadesIntertekSeaman PaperBurrows PaperGeorgia-PacificHuhtamakiPactivGlatfelterPurchase Complete Global Food Contact Paper and Board Market Research Report At:DecisionDatabases.com is a global business research reports provider, enriching decision makers and strategists with qualitative statistics. DecisionDatabases.com is proficient in providing syndicated research report, customized research reports, company profiles and industry databases across multiple domains.Our expert research analysts have been trained to map clients research requirements to the correct research resource leading to a distinctive edge over its competitors. We provide intellectual, precise and meaningful data at a lightning speed.3rd Floor,Fountain chambers,Nanabhai Lane,Fort, Mumbai - 1E-Mail: sales@decisiondatabases.comPhone: +91 99 28 237112Web: Lactose Market is Driven by the Sustainable need generated by the Food & Beverage Industries http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=17099 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/lactose-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Lactose Market IntoductionLactose sourced from whey, which is a by-product derived from cheese making process. Lactose is widely used in industries including food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, animal feed and confectionary. Lactose market is mainly driven by the sustainable need generated by the food and beverage industries. Rapid growth in food and beverage industry is expected to drive the global lactose market during the forecast period. Besides, food and beverage industries, continuous growth in pharmaceuticals and animal feed industry will also fuel up the global lactose market. The growing demand for infant formula containing lactose by dual working households is also expected to register a rapid growth in the global lactose market especially in the developing countries.View exclusive Global strategic Business report:Lactose Market: Market DynamicsDriven by increased demand for milk, the lactose market is expected to grow over the forecast period. Increasing dairy market especially in U.S. and Western Europe are the major factors contributing to the demand growth of global lactose market. Sustained demands by rapidly growing food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, confectionary and animal feed industries are expected to drive the global lactose market. Lactose is a product that constitutes two combined sugars- glucose and galactose which make lactose a healthy sugar fit for consumption. Characteristics such as cost effectiveness, water solubility, and easy availability are expected to increase the global lactose market. Consumption of lactose improves the intestinal health and enhances mineral absorption which is further expected to be the drivers for global lactose market during the forecast period. Rising living standards of consumers, easier healthcare services access, and rapidly population increase are few other factors that contribute to the global lactose market demand. Lactose market also witnesses growth owing to the growing sales of infant formula wherein lactose is used as a main product. Households having dual income, increased women workforce contribute significantly to the increasing sales of infant formula which thereby boost up the global lactose market and is expected to continue growing over the forecast period.However, few are intolerant to lactose which drives the introduction of lactose-free milk or lactose-free food products thereby restraining the growth of global lactose market. The demand for lactose-free food products is expected to increase owing to the increased allergy incidences among the consumers. Besides, low conversion rates of lactose for feedstock is also considered to be one of the restraints hindering the global lactose market.Browse Full Report With ToC:Lactose Market: Market SegmentationLactose market can be segmented on the basis of its derivatives which includes:LactuloseGalactoseLactitolLactosucroseOthersLactose market can be segmented on the basis of its application which includes:Food and BeveragePharmaceuticalsConfectionaryFeed StockOthersLactose market has its application in food and beverage products such as nutritional powder, infant formula, and health drinks, in pharmaceuticals as inhalation-grade lactose. Inhalation-grade lactose is expected to gain a boost from pharmaceutical industry owing to the increased focus of companies to develop new inhaled drug therapies. It is also used in confectionary products include milk chocolates that have lactose content.Lactose Market: Regional OutlookRegional coverage for lactose market includes North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding japan (APEJ), Japan and the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Japan, Asia Pacific, and North America hold a dominant position in the global lactose market owing to the growth in food and beverage and pharmaceutical industries that demand lactose for its products. Asia- Pacific is expected to account for a rapidly growing market for lactose during the forecast period attributed to the increasing population, rising disposable income, changing consumer lifestyles and rising health consciousness.Lactose Market: Market PlayersFew market players operating in the global lactose market include DMV International, Kerry Group, Lactalis Ingredients, Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd., Agri Dairy Products Inc., Grande Cheese Company and Molkerei MEGGLE Wasserburg GmbH & Co.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.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite: Flavored Syrup Market to be Driven by Consumers increasing Preference for Different & Personalized Flavors in Food http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=17084 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/flavored-syrup-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Flavored Syrup Market IntroductionGlobal syrup market is witnessing a significant demand generated by the food and beverage industry. Consumers increasing preference for different and personalized flavors in food has driven the syrup manufacturers to produce a wide range of flavored syrups. Flavored syrups contain artificial or natural flavorings mixed along with sugar and water. Increasing demand of flavored syrups especially among the consumers contributes to the growth of global syrup market. Flavored syrup market witnesses a high market demand owing to dairy and frozen product applications wherein flavored syrup serves as a taste enhancer and a sweetener. Thus, the global flavored syrup market is expected to grow during the forecast period owing to consumers growing preference for artificial or natural taste enhancer in convenience foods.View exclusive Global strategic Business report:Flavored Syrup Market: Market DynamicsGrowing demand for flavored syrups by the food and beverage industry is expected to boost the global flavored syrup market. Flavored syrups primary activities in food and beverage industry include the production of soft drink concentrates, beverage syrups in different flavors, an additive for frozen desserts topping for yogurt, flavored powder for use in food and soft drinks. Flavored syrup serves as an artificial sweetener along with a taste enhancer agent. Apart from sweet flavored syrup, the savory flavored syrup is expanding its applications beyond beverages. Savory flavored syrups are used in salad dressing, meat recipes, preparation of confectionery and bakery items. However, the demand for chocolate flavored syrup plays a major role in the growth of the global flavored syrup market owing to the consumers taste preferences for chocolate flavor in their foods. Besides, the food and beverage industry being one of the drivers for flavored syrup market, consumers preferences for different flavored syrup in convenience foods are also expected to boost up the global flavored syrup market growth. Pharmaceutical industry too contributes to the growing demand for flavored syrup market owing to its requirement of flavored syrup in medicines to make it flavorsome and appetizing.However, the major restraint faced by global flavored syrup market is the presence of high sugar content used as an artificial sweetener is a major cause for health hazards such as high blood sugar, diabetes, and stomach upsets. Domestically produced corn syrup proves to be a major restraint for the flavored syrup market to grow.Browse Full Report With ToC:Flavored Syrup Market: Market SegmentationFlavored syrup market can be segmented on the basis of different types of flavors, which includes:VanillaStrawberryChocolateCoffeeMintFruitSavoryOthersOn the basis of application, flavored syrup market can be segmented into:Dairy Products & Frozen DessertsYoghurtIce creamsFruit pureesCustardMousseMilk shakesOthersConfectionary & Bakery ProductsCupcakesChocolatesCandiesMuffinsOthersBeveragesCocktailsMock tailsJuicesTea/CoffeeOthersFoodPancakeSaladMeatWafflesOthersFlavored Syrup Market: Regional OutlookRegional coverage for flavored syrup market includes North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia- Pacific and China (APAC) and the Middle East and Africa (MEA). North America and Europe dominated the flavored syrup market owing to the increased consumption of convenience foods and dairy and frozen desserts. However, APAC region is expected to dominate the flavored syrup market attributed to the large scale consumption of dairy products, ice creams, and beverages. APAC offers a potential opportunity for the flavored syrup market to grow during the forecast period. China accounts for one of the leading countries for flavored syrup market.Flavored Syrup Market: Market PlayersThe key players in the flavored syrup market include The Hersheys Company , Kerry Group, Tate & Lyle, Monin Inc., Concord Foods, Guangzhou Zhengliang and others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. 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: Australia Lime Market to be Valued at US$ 211.0 Mn by 2016 end http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/11503 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/australia-lime-market/toc http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/ Lime market in Australia is expected to expand at a CAGR of 1.7% in terms of value over the forecast period, 20162024. The market has been segmented by product type and application. The application segmentation consists of mining & metallurgy, building materials, agriculture, water treatment and others of which the mining & metallurgy segment is expected to account for the highest share of the lime market in Australia throughout the forecast period, to account for 31.4% by 2024.Request to View Sample Report @Demand for energy-efficient and cost-effective solutions is expected to be a priority for lime manufacturers in the country over the forecast period. By product type, slaked/hydrated lime segment is expected to continue to dominate the market in terms of both value and volume throughout the forecast period. The segment is estimated to be valued at US$ 146.7 Mn and account for volume share of 68% in 2016. By application, mining & metallurgy and building materials, segments in the Australia lime market are expected to account for significant volume shares of 38% and 35%, respectively.New South Wales is expected to be the largest market for lime in Australia throughout the forecast period. The market in the region is estimated to be valued at US$ 59.1 Mn by 2016 end. In terms of production, Western Australia is expected to be a major producer, contributing over 65% to the total lime production in the country, and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 0.8% over the forecast period.Request to view Table of content @Key players in the Australia lime market include Adelaide Brighton Ltd., Boral Limited, Sibelco Australia, Omya Australia Pty. Ltd, Wagners, and Lime Group Australia. Key players in the Australia lime market are focusing on enhancing their product portfolios. They are focusing not only on basic lime products but also on importing quicklime from ASEAN countries such as Thailand and Vietnam and Southeast Asian countries such as China to minimize a cost of raw materials involved in a lime production. Manufacturers are focusing on capitalizing on economies of scale to increase production, profitability, and offer cost-effective products in order to target cost-sensitive population in the region. Joint ventures, acquisitions, and strategic collaborations in terms of production and distribution of lime have been the common strategies employed by these companies to achieve their production objectives.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who 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.Each PMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With a wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve clients and satisfy their overall research requirement.For information regarding permissions, contact:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:media@persistencemarketresearch.com Titanium Dioxide Market in Australia is Expected to be Valued at US$ 87.3 Mn by 2016 End http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/11512 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/australia-titanium-dioxide-market/toc http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/ Persistence Market Research delivers key insights on the Australia titanium dioxide market in its latest report titled, Titanium Dioxide Market: Australia Industry Analysis and Forecast, 20162024. The Australia titanium dioxide market is expected to register 5.0% Y-o-Y growth in 2016 over 2015 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.0% over the forecast period (20162024). Pigments segment is expected to account for the highest share in the Australia titanium dioxide market throughout the forecast period.Request to View Sample Report @Demand for titanium dioxide for application in automobiles, housing, and personal care products such as cosmetics is expected to increase during the forecast period, especially in emerging economies such as China. By product type, pigments segment is expected to continue to dominate the titanium dioxide market in terms of both volume and value throughout the forecast period. Rapid growth in demand for automobiles and housing due to growth in per capita disposable income in developing economies is expected to fuel demand for paints and coatings, which in turn is expected to fuel demand for titanium dioxide pigments. This is anticipated to drive the growth of the titanium dioxide market in Australia as the country exports titanium dioxide pigments to these countries. Other industries such as paper, printing, plastics, and rubber are also expected to fuel demand for titanium dioxide. However, volatile prices and low demand globally due to economic slowdown are factors expected to restrain the growth of the Australia titanium dioxide market over the forecast period.On the basis of application, dyes & paints segment accounted for the largest market share in terms of value in 2015. Dyes & paints segment is estimated to be valued at US$ 81.9 Mn by 2016 end, up 5.1% Y-o-Y.By mineral grade, Ilmenite grade segment is expected to register the fastest growth over the forecast period due to easy availability of Ilmenite as well as high demand and cheaper prices as compared to other grades. Ilmenite grade segment is expected to account for 60.5% share of the titanium dioxide market in Australia by 2024.Western Australia is the largest market for titanium dioxide. The market in the region is expected to be valued at US$ 36.63 Mn by 2016 end. The titanium dioxide market in Western Australia is projected to expand at a CAGR of 4.1% in terms of value over the forecast period.Request to view Table of content @Key producers in the Australia titanium dioxide market include Tronox Limited and Cristal Australia Pty Ltd. Both these players are involved in a production of titanium dioxide mineral sands and titanium dioxide pigments. They are focusing on efficient and low-cost operations by investing in various sustainable technologies such as using chloride process for the production of titanium dioxide pigment, which results in lesser amount of waste as well as easy recovery.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who 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.Each PMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With a wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve clients and satisfy their overall research requirement.For information regarding permissions, contact:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:media@persistencemarketresearch.com Global Flexible Display Market is Predictable To Observer Major Growth During The Forecast 2016 - 2024 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/10804 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/10804 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com A flexible display is flexible by nature. The global flexible display market is expected to grow at a substantial growth rate due to the growing interest of many consumer electronics manufacturers to apply this display technology in mobile phones, e-readers and other consumer electronics. There are various trends which have been driving the technological innovations in the display industry which includes portability, quality, interconnectivity, screen size, user- friendliness, and power savings.Request for Sample Report:The global flexible display market is segmented into four major categories, on the basis of material into polymer, glass, and glass-reinforced plastic, on the basis of components into organic material, substrate, conductive layer, backlight panel and other components. On the basis of applications the market is segmented into e-reader, smartphone, tablet, laptop, e-paper, and television. The market is also segmented by technology into emissive and non-emissive. The market is further segmented by geography into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and rest of the world regions.The market is driven by factors such as the rapidly growing consumer electronics goods industry and its distinctive features. Some of the factors inhibiting the growth of the global flexible display market are manufacturing challenges and competing technologies. The growing penetration in multiple applications will serve as an opportunity, fuelling the growth of the global next generation biometric technology market.Request for Table of content:Some of the key players dominating the market are Atmel Corporation, AU Optronics Corp., Corning Incorporated, Delta Electronics, Inc., Dupont Display, E Ink Holdings, Inc., Flexible Display Center (Asu), Hewlett-Packard Company, Kent Displays, Inc., LG Display Co. Ltd., Materion Corporation, Nanolumens, Nokia, Novaled AG and Philips Electronics among others.About Us:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact Us:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: Global Baby Food and Infant Formula Market Development, Collaborations, Industry Competitive Analysis, Landscape & Shares 2016 http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=705692&type=E http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-baby-food-and-infant-formula-market-professional-survey-report-2016.htm http://www.qyresearchreports.com/press-releases.htm Global Baby Food and Infant Formula Industry 2016 Market Overview, Size, Share, Trends, Analysis, Technology, Applications, Growth, Market Status, Demands, Insights, Development, Research and Forecast 2016-2020.The report provides an executive-level blueprint of the global Baby Food and Infant Formula market. The growth drivers and restraints influencing the marketas trajectory are studied in detail. Information compiled in the report is aimed at updating stakeholders about the prevailing market dynamics. It identifies the opportunities for the Baby Food and Infant Formula market in developed and developing economies alike. The report also studies how the recently adopted government policies influences the market trajectory during the course of the forecast period between 2016 and 2021.Using industry leading analytical tools, the report gauges the bargaining power of suppliers and consumers. The analysis provides insights into the degree of competition prevailing in the market and the opportunities for the entry of new players. To present a holistic overview, the report has segmented the global Baby Food and Infant Formula market based on various parameters. Factors influencing and restraining growth across these segments are studied in detail. Furthermore, the report includes geographic segmentation identifying the most lucrative prospects for enterprises operating in the global Baby Food and Infant Formula market.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @To present a detailed assessment of the vendor landscape, the leading companies operating in the global Baby Food and Infant Formula market are profiled. Their strategies are evaluated to see their impact on the marketas operations. Detail pertaining to the latest mergers and acquisitions in the market is included as well. The report provides detail about the financial and development strategies, product portfolio, and marketing plans of the companies profiled. It also evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the profiled companies. The threats and opportunities that these companies are likely to face over the forecast period are studied as well.The report thus include valuable information intended to help companies in their decision-making and plan their future strategies.Browse Complete Report with TOC @Table of Contents1 Industry Overview of Baby Food and Infant Formula1.1 Definition and Specifications of Baby Food and Infant Formula1.1.1 Definition of Baby Food and Infant Formula1.1.2 Specifications of Baby Food and Infant Formula1.2 Classification of Baby Food and Infant Formula1.3 Applications of Baby Food and Infant Formula1.4 Industry Chain Structure of Baby Food and Infant Formula1.5 Industry Overview and Major Regions Status of Baby Food and Infant Formula1.5.1 Industry Overview of Baby Food and Infant Formula1.5.2 Global Major Regions Status of Baby Food and Infant Formula1.6 Industry Policy Analysis of Baby Food and Infant Formula1.7 Industry News Analysis of Baby Food and Infant Formula2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Baby Food and Infant Formula2.1 Raw Material Suppliers and Price Analysis of Baby Food and Infant Formula2.2 Equipment Suppliers and Price Analysis of Baby Food and Infant Formula2.3 Labor Cost Analysis of Baby Food and Infant Formula2.4 Other Costs Analysis of Baby Food and Infant Formula2.5 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Baby Food and Infant Formula2.6 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Baby Food and Infant Formula3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Baby Food and Infant Formula3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Baby Food and Infant Formula Major Manufacturers in 20153.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Baby Food and Infant Formula Major Manufacturers in 20153.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Baby Food and Infant Formula Major Manufacturers in 20153.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Baby Food and Infant Formula Major Manufacturers in 20154 Global Baby Food and Infant Formula Overall Market Overview4.1 2011-2016E Overall Market Analysis4.2.1 2011-2015 Global Baby Food and Infant Formula Capacity and Growth Rate Analysis4.2.2 2015 Baby Food and Infant Formula Capacity Analysis (Company Segment)4.3 Sales Analysis4.3.1 2011-2015 Global Baby Food and Infant Formula Sales and Growth Rate Analysis4.3.2 2015 Baby Food and Infant Formula Sales Analysis (Company Segment)4.4 Sales Price Analysis4.4.1 2011-2015 Global Baby Food and Infant Formula Sales Price4.4.2 2015 Baby Food and Infant Formula Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment)4.5 Gross Margin Analysis4.5.1 2011-2015 Global Baby Food and Infant Formula Gross Margin4.5.2 2015 Baby Food and Infant Formula Gross Margin Analysis (Company Segment)For Latest QYResearchreports Press Release Visit @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.QYResearchreportsContact Us1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United States+1-518-621-2074866-997-4948USA-Canada Toll freesales@qyresearchreports.com Global Eye Tracking Technology Market analysis, Current and Future Trends by 2015 to 2021 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/11911 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/11911 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com Eye tracking technology is a sensor technology used to measure the activity of eyes. The technology helps in determine the gazing location of a person on a digital screen, blink frequency and the reaction of pupil to different stimulus. Thus, it helps in determining a persons attention, drowsiness, focus, presence etc. Eye tracking technology also called as gaze interaction technology is anticipated to have the potential to control computer systems with eyes, instead of the conventional mouse or keyboard. Thus, the data can be used in assistive technology to help individuals with cognitive or physical disabilities. The eye tracking data is obtained with the help of infrared projectors and sensors. The infrared light from projector is projected towards the eyes and then a sensor detects the reflected light to determine gaze location.Request for Sample Report:Eye Tracking Technology Market: Drivers and RestraintsEye tracking technology can be combined with input devices such as touchpad and keyboard to enhance user-machine interface, which is expected to drive the global eye tracking technology market. The data available from eye tracking technology helps in delivering valuable insights regarding gaze patterns of e-commerce website viewers and analyses the consumer behaviour. The implementation of eye tracking technology in the latest high end technology devices such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) headsets and head mount devices is expected to boost the growth of global eye tracking technology market. The incorporation of eye tracking technology in automotive systems for driver assistance is anticipated to drive the growth of global eye tracking technology market. The wide range of application of eye tracking technology in different sectors such as medical, defense, advertising etc. is expected to boost the global eye tracking technology market.Request for Table of content:Eye Tracking Technology Market: Region Wise OutlookThe global eye tracking technology market can be divided into five regions, namely North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC) and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Europe and North America are expected to account for major share in global eye tracking technology market. European market is well established luxury automotive hub and increasing investments in driver assist technologies is expected to drive the eye tracking technology market in the region. The technological advancement in defense and automotive sector in North America is expected to propel eye tracking technology market in the region. In 2017, General Motors, a leading U.S. based automotive manufacturer claims to launch cars with eye tracking technology enabled Super Cruise software in drive assistance system. APAC eye tracking technology market is anticipated to project higher growth rate during the forecast period. This is due to the increasing investments in medical diagnostic systems in the region. Japan and China are the major consumer electronics hub and the extensive research and development activities for technological advancements in consumer electronics is expected to drive the eye tracking technology market. In 2013, Samsung, a Korea based leading mobile manufacturing company had launched Galaxy S4 smartphone embedded with eye tracking features.About Us:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact Us:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: Global Isostearyl Alcohol Market Anticipated to Increase at a CAGR of 3.2% By 2024 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/11617 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/isostearyl-alcohol-market/toc http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/ The global isostearyl alcohol market was pegged at 14,700.0 tons in 2015 and is anticipated to increase at a CAGR of 3.2% over an eight-year forecast period to reach 19,594.4 tons by the end of 2024. Persistence Market Research in a latest report titled Global Market Study on Isostearyl Alcohol: Increasing Demand for Isostearyl Alcohol as an Ingredient in Personal care Products and Cosmetics Likely to Boost Market Growth? focuses on the growth of the global isostearyl alcohol market from 2016 to 2024 and provides useful insights into key market dynamics impacting this growth.Request to View Sample Report @A rising demand for isostearyl alcohol as an ingredient in personal care products and cosmetics is expected to boost growth of the isostearyl alcohol market over the forecast period. However, increasing demand for multifunctional personal care ingredients and development of natural ingredients for anti-aging skin care products are major challenges likely to affect the global isostearyl alcohol market. Isostearyl alcohol is basically derived from isostearic acid and globally, 16%18% of isostearic acid produced is captively consumed for production of isostearyl alcohol. However, isostearic acid producers are moving towards development of environmentally friendly emollients and surfactants, which could reduce the percentage of conversion of isostearyl acid into isostearyl alcohol over the forecast period. The report focuses on the key drivers and trends likely to impact the global isostearyl alcohol market over the forecast period.The global isostearyl alcohol market is segmented on the basis of application, end use, and region. On the basis of application, the emollient and solvent segments collectively accounted for 49.5% share of global consumption of isostearyl alcohol in 2015 and are expected to exhibit CAGRs of 3.9% and 3.5% respectively over the forecast period. The glossing agent and dispersing agent segments collectively accounted for 28.0% share of global consumption of isostearic alcohol in 2015 and are expected to exhibit CAGRs of 4.4% and 3.9% respectively over the forecast period. On the basis of end use, personal care is currently the most prominent segment in this market in terms of volume while the cosmetics segment is expected to gain traction over the forecast period due to a rising demand for anti-aging products. Increasing per capita consumer expenditure on personal care and cosmetics products and a growing demand for skin care products in the Asia Pacific geography especially in China are some of the factors driving demand for anti-aging products, in turn anticipated to boost growth of the isostearyl alcohol market.By region, the market is segmented into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. The Europe and North America markets collectively accounted for 57.5% share of global consumption of isostearyl alcohol in 2015 and are expected to exhibit CAGRs of 3.0% and 2.5% respectively over the forecast period. Asia Pacific accounted for 22.4% share of global consumption of isostearyl alcohol in 2015 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 4.2% over the forecast period to account for 24.0% share by the end of 2024. Latin America accounted for 15.2% share of global consumption of isostearyl alcohol in 2015 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 3.7% over the forecast period to account for 15.9% share by the end of 2024.Request to view Table of content @Croda International Plc., Oleon N.V (Avril Group), Jarchem Industries Inc., and Nissan Chemicals America Corporation are the top producers of isostearyl alcohol. While isostearic acid is the basic raw material for the production of isostearyl alcohol, most producers are shifting their production to other isostearic acid derivatives due to the monotonic properties of isostearyl alcohol as compared to other fatty alcohols.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who 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.Each PMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With a wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve clients and satisfy their overall research requirement.For information regarding permissions, contact:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:media@persistencemarketresearch.com Global Lamination Adhesives for Flexible Packaging Market to Expand at a CAGR of 6.4% from 2016 to 2024 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/11668 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/lamination-adhesives-market/toc http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/ The global market share of the lamination adhesives for flexible packaging market in 2016 is estimated at US$ 1.3 Bn and this is likely to increase to US$ 2.2 Bn by 2024, projected to increase at a CAGR of 6.4% throughout the forecast period (20162024). In a new report titled Lamination Adhesives for Flexible Packaging Market: Global Industry Analysis and Forecast, 20162024, Persistence Market Research throws light on the market growth of lamination adhesives for flexible packaging and identifies key factors and trends impacting this growth.Request to View Sample Report @Lamination adhesives for flexible packaging are one of the emerging adhesive solutions widely used for food packaging. The lamination adhesives for flexible packaging market is estimated to project increased growth throughout the forecast period, driven by factors such as lesser cure time, lesser emission, lower wastage, and higher bond strength. Also, increasing demand for packaged foods in healthcare and personal care products have augmented market growth. However, government initiatives and rising consumer awareness towards usage of eco-friendly adhesives have limited the growth of the lamination adhesives for flexible packaging market. Market consolidation has been observed as a key trend, with leading market players engaging in strategic mergers and acquisitions to enhance their product portfolio and increase global footprint. Another notable trend indicates that solvent fewer lamination adhesives are fast replacing solvent based adhesives owing to their eco-friendly nature.The global lamination adhesives for flexible packaging market report is categorically split into three sections based on product type (further segmented into water based, solvent based, solvent less, and heat/cold seal), end use (further segmented into food packaging, medical packaging, industrial packaging, and other end use), and region. The solvent based product type emerges as the dominant segment due to its wide application in multiple industries. This segment is estimated to account for 42.8% of the overall lamination adhesives for flexible packaging market revenue by the end of 2016. However, the segment is anticipated to lose substantial market share to the solvent less segment, owing to an increasing preference of eco-friendly adhesives among end users. The solvent less segment is estimated to witness fastest Y-o-Y growth during the forecast period from 6.0% in 2014 to 8.2% in 2024.The food packaging segment stands out among all segments owing to the rising demand for packaged foods. The medical packaging segment is forecasted to be the fastest growing end-use segment owing to a high consumer spending in the healthcare sector and is estimated to expand at a significant CAGR of 6.9% during the forecast period. Food packaging is the key segment driving demand for lamination adhesives over 60% of the overall market demand is generated by the food packaging segment.By region, the market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. The market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to register a steady Y-o-Y growth from 7.1% in 2014 to 9.0% in 2024. This market alone is estimated to account for over 40% of the global flexible packaging market in terms of value by the end of 2016. Within the Asia Pacific region, the markets in China and India are anticipated to witness maximum Y-o-Y growth across the forecast period. The lamination adhesives for flexible packaging market in North America is expected to increase 1.5X over the forecast period; while the Latin America market is poised to increase 1.6X over the forecast period.Request to view Table of content @H.B. Fuller, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, The Dow Chemical Company, 3M, Flint Group, Arkema Group, Ashland Inc., Coim Group, Morchem, DIC Corporation, and Chemline India Ltd. are the leading market players in the lamination adhesives for flexible packaging market.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who 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.Each PMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With a wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports strive to serve clients and satisfy their overall research requirement.For information regarding permissions, contact:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway,7th FloorNew York City, NY 10007United StatesTel: +1 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWebsite:media@persistencemarketresearch.com Global Angioplasty Balloons Market USD 2.1 Billion by 2020 https://www.ihealthcareanalyst.com/report/angioplasty-balloons-market/ https://www.ihealthcareanalyst.com/report/angioplasty-balloons-market/ https://www.ihealthcareanalyst.com The global angioplasty balloons market growing at the rate of 4.5% CAGR and is estimated to reach USD 2.1 Billion by 2020 due to high prevalence of coronary artery diseases and geriatric population, published by iHealthcareAnalyst, Inc.Browse Angioplasty Balloons Market Balloon Type (Normal, Cutting, Drug Coated and Scoring Balloons), Materials Used (Non-Compliant and Semi-Compliant Balloons 2016-2020 atAngioplasty balloons widens the narrow or obstructed blood vessel using a balloon catheter to treat atherosclerosis (blood vessel obstructions). Balloon angioplasty is a minimally invasive procedure that widens the obstructed blood vessels. PTA or PTCA is a minimally invasive catheter based technology that enables treatment of coronary and peripheral artery disease. In this technique balloons are utilized for the clearance of artery which have been blocked due to deposition of fatty material. These balloon catheters compress the plaques within a blocked coronary or peripheral artery.The angioplasty balloons market report estimates the market size (Revenue USD million 2013 to 2020) for key market segments based on balloon type (normal, cutting, drug coated and scoring balloons), materials used (non-compliant and semi-compliant balloons), and forecasts growth trends (CAGR% 2016 to 2020).The global angioplasty balloons market segmentation is based on geography (regional and country based). The global angioplasty balloons 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 angioplasty balloons 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.Major players profiled in this report include Abbott Laboratories, Inc., BIOTRONIK SE & CO. KG, Boston Scientific Corporation, Cook Medical, Cordis Corporation, C. R. Bard, Inc., ENDOCOR GmbH, Medtronic plc, Opto Circuits (India) Limited, NATEC Medical, and Spectranetics Corporation.To request Table of Contents and Sample Pages of this report visit: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 Global Micro Actuator Market: Facts, Figures and Analytical Insights 2016 - 2024 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/10945 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/10945 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com Transducers are those devices which helps to convert one form of energy to another form of energy. Actuator is a type of transducers which helps in producing mechanical movement through converting a source of energy. Here the source of energy may include electric current, pneumatic pressure or hydraulic fluid pressure. Whereas micro actuator helps to transmit a measure or fixed amount of energy for the operation of other mechanism. In other words it is mainly used to produce small forces in entities of small sizes and motions at over small distances. Growing advancement in industries such as automotive, healthcare and wellness is expected to drive the demand of micro actuator in the forecast period.Request for Sample Report:Micro Actuator Market SegmentationOn the basis of types micro actuator can be segmented as electric micro actuators, functional material based micro actuators, shape memory alloy (SMA) micro actuator, and others. Electric micro actuator can be further sub segmented as electromagnetic micro actuators and electrostatic actuators. Among both these sub segments electromagnetic micro actuator is expected to account for larger market share as compared to electrostatic actuator. Rising wide application of electromagnetic micro actuator devices especially in space crafts is expected to support the demand of electromagnetic micro actuator across the globe. Furthermore, functional material based micro actuator is further sub segmented as piezoelectric micro actuator. Rising application of piezoelectric devices in various applications ranging from energy generation in medical instrument, or gathering of pedestrian traffic to power localized street lightening or portable devices to power the sensors in vehicles is expected to support the demand of functional material based micro actuator in the forecast period. Moreover, shape memory alloy (SMA) micro actuator is further sub segmented as electroactive polymer (EAP) based micro actuator. Rising considerable attention for the use of sensors for micro fabricated devise is driving the growth of electroactive polymer (EAP) based micro actuator in the near future. In addition, the others segment of micro actuator includes bimetallic thermal actuator and magnetostrictive actuators.The micro actuator market can also be segmented on the basis of region which includes North America, Latin America, Easter Europe, Western Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and Japan. Among all the regions North America is expected to account for the highest market share followed by Europe. In North America United States is expected to be the major contributor as compared to other countries in the region. Rising demand of automotive products and, health and wellness industry is expected to support the growth of micro actuator market across the region. Moreover, Asia Pacific is expected to register a substantial growth in the forecast period. Among all the countries in Asia Pacific China is expected to be the major contributor. Rising number of aging population have led to the increased production of innovative medical instruments, which is expected to support the growth of micro actuator market in China in the forecast period.Micro Actuator Market Drivers & RestraintsRising wide number of application in automobile industry, health and wellness industry and other industry such space crafts or industries where heavy machineries are required is expected to support the demand of micro actuator market across the globe. Moreover, rising demand of micro fabricated sensors in above mentioned industries is also expected to support the growth of micro actuator market across the globe in the forecast period. However high cost incurred in manufacturing of micro actuator devices may hamper the growth of micro actuator market in the future.Request for Table of content:Micro Actuator Market: Key PlayersThe key international players operating in micro actuator market includes IBM Corporation, ST Microelectronics, Agilent Technologies, Stmicroelectronics Ltda, NanoSniff Technologies Pvt. Ltd., SAES Group and others.About Us:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact Us:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: Ireland Upstream Fiscal and Regulatory Report - Fiscal Terms May Continue to Support Exploration Investment http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/analysis/885278 http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/885278 http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/ "The Report Ireland Upstream Fiscal and Regulatory Report - Fiscal Terms May Continue to Support Exploration Investment provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"Ireland Upstream Fiscal and Regulatory Report - Fiscal Terms May Continue to Support Exploration Investment, presents the essential information relating to the terms which govern investment into Irelands upstream oil and gas sector. The report sets out in detail the contractual framework under which firms must operate in the industry, clearly defining factors affecting profitability and quantifying the states take from hydrocarbon production. Considering political, economic and industry specific variables, the report also analyses future trends for Irelands upstream oil and gas investment climate.View Report At :Scope- Overview of current fiscal terms governing upstream oil and gas operations in Ireland- Assessment of the current fiscal regimes state take and attractiveness to investors- Charts illustrating the regime structure, and legal and institutional frameworks- Detail on legal framework and governing bodies administering the industry- Levels of upfront payments and taxation applicable to oil and gas production- Information on application of fiscal and regulatory terms to specific licenses- Outlook on future of fiscal and regulatory terms in IrelandReasons to buy- Understand the complex regulations and contractual requirements applicable to Irelands upstream oil and gas sector- Evaluate factors determining profit levels in the industry- Identify potential regulatory issues facing investors in the countrys upstream sector- Utilize considered insight on future trends to inform decision-makingDownload Sample copy of this Report at :Table of Contents1 Table of Contents1 Table of Contents 11.1 List of Tables 31.2 List of Figures 32 Regime Overview 43 State Take Assessment 64 Key Fiscal Terms 84.1 Royalties, Bonuses and Fees 84.1.1 Rental Fees 84.1.2 Contributions to Research Funds 84.1.3 Royalty (Abolished for New Licenses From 1987) 84.2 Direct Taxation 84.2.1 Petroleum Production Tax (Licenses Awarded From June 18, 2014) 84.2.2 Profit Resource Rent Tax (Licenses Awarded Between January 1, 2007 and June 18, 2014) 94.2.3 Corporate Income Tax 94.2.4 Deductions and Depreciation 94.2.5 Remittance 94.2.6 Relevant Contracts Tax (For Subcontractors) 94.3 Indirect Taxation 104.3.1 Value Added Tax (VAT) 104.3.2 Customs Duty 104.3.3 EU Emissions Trading Scheme 105 Regulation and Licensing 115.1 Legal Framework 115.2 Governing Law 115.2.1 Contract and License Types 115.2.2 Title to Hydrocarbons 125.3 Institutional Framework 125.3.1 Licensing Authority 125.3.2 Regulatory Agencies 125.4 Licensing Process 125.4.1 Application Requirements 135.4.2 Application Fees 135.5 License Terms 135.5.1 Duration 135.5.2 Exploration Obligations 145.5.3 Development Plans 145.5.4 Joint Development 145.5.5 Surrender of Licenses 146 Outlook 157 Contact Information 17MarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.State Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz Temperature Monitoring System Market: global Industry Overview and Key Player 2016 - 2026 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/12163 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/12163 Temperature Monitoring System Market: IntroductionMaintenance of air temperature in a controlled environment ranging from factory floors and storage areas to industrial scale freezers, ovens and walk-in refrigerators is a crucial element as far as longevity of the products and productivity of the manufacturing equipment is concerned. The temperatures to be maintained in these areas has to be precise and within the range as fluctuations in temperature can affect the shelf life of the product. These fluctuations in temperature is recorded and stored in the server in real time by the temperature monitoring system. Temperature monitoring system thus is a complex system assembled with different electronic devices comprising of a computer acting as a server, temperature sensors, data connectivity devices or interfaces between the computer and the sensors and an alarm system to notify the personnel when temperature reaches critical levels. The sensors are placed in temperature critical zones where fluctuations of temperature is the highest. Productivity, being one of the most important aspect of a manufacturing company, can be hindered by the slightest variations in the operating conditions of the factory floor by various factors including the fluctuations in ambient air temperature. Therefore, temperature monitoring systems has been increasingly adopted by manufacturing companies and warehouses in order to achieve improved levels of productivity.Request to view Sample Report @Temperature Monitoring System Market DynamicsThe growth of temperature monitoring system is directly related to the market fluctuations in the application area. One such application is its usage in manufacturing corporations. The manufacturing activities on a global level scale is on a steady rise in the current scenario and is estimated to grow at an accelerated pace in the future thereby positively influencing the growth of the temperature monitoring system. E-commerce is one of the fastest growing and widely accepted marketplaces requiring large number of warehouses and storage facilities, these storage facilities are controlled enclosures where temperatures has to be properly maintained by the temperature monitoring system. Therefore, the increase in number of warehouses and storage system is one of the important factor driving the growth of temperature monitoring system. Another application driving the growth of temperature monitoring system market is its adoption in food & beverage industry and pharmaceutical industry, which commonly deals with perishable goods and products, requiring stringent temperature monitoring and recording system.Temperature monitoring system is a capital intensive system that requires precise pre-planning and installation, skilled personnel with an extensive knowledge of sensing electronics are required so as to enable the temperature monitoring system to function normally. Low availability of such personnel coupled with high cost can hamper the growth of the temperature monitoring system.An important trend identified in the temperature monitoring system are miniaturization of the entire system by implementing wireless technologies for data transmission. Manufacturers of the temperature monitoring system have also tweaked the system by eliminating dedicated wireless data transmission devices for enclosures which already has a central wireless connectivity system in place.Temperature Monitoring System Market: SegmentationOn the basis of product type, Temperature Monitoring System Market can be segmented as:Wireless SystemWired SystemOn the basis of application, Temperature Monitoring System Market can be segmented as:AgricultureAutomotive IndustryFood & Beverages IndustryPharmaceutical IndustryLogisticsElectronics IndustryOil and Gas IndustryRequest to view Table of content @Temperature Monitoring System Market: Regional OutlookBased on the geography the Temperature Monitoring System Market is divided into seven key segments as North America, Asia-Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Middle-East & Africa (MEA), and Japan. High adoption rates of temperature monitoring system is anticipated in the North America, Western Europe, and Japan region owing to maturity in manufacturing sector while the growth in Asia Pacific Excl. Japan (APEJ) and Latin America region is expected to be slow due to restricted usage of advanced technologies in the manufacturing companies and warehouses.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.ContactPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.com Aerogels Market to Reach US$1.10 Billion By 2023 Aerogels Market http://www.marketresearchengine.com/reportdetails/aerogels-market http://www.marketresearchengine.com/requestsample/aerogels-market http://www.marketresearchengine.com/ New York, December 01: Market Research Engine has published a new report titled as Aerogels Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2023Global Aerogels Market is estimated to rise at a CAGR of more than 18% between 2015 and 2023. The market was valued at US$353.6 mn in 2015 and is expected to reach a valuation of US$1,100.2 mn by the end of 2023.Browse Full Report:Aerogels is manufactured using conventional gel which is mainly composed of a low density solid material having 50% porosity and having low thermal conductivity. The Aerogels is in huge demand due to the tremendous use in industry such as oil & gas, marine, automotive due to its use as an effective insulation material. These are ecofriendly in nature as the Aerogels sponge can be recycled hence gain importance in the industrial use as these are cost effective.The major driving factors of Aerogels Market are as follows: The cost effectiveness of Aerogels as these can be recycled. As the Aerogels are light weight and having low thermal conductivity works as a best insulating material. Extensive innovations and advancements taking place increase the demand.The restraints factors of Aerogels Marketare as follows: Aerogels have a high manufacturing cost and poor mechanical strength.Download Free Sample Report:The AerogelsMarket is segmented based on Market ByRaw Materials such as Silica, Carbon, Alumina, Others. The Aerogels Market is segmented based on the form as Blankets, Particles, Blocks, Panels. The market is segmented based on the application as Building insulation, Oil & gas industry, Aerospace, Automotive thermal management, Chemicals, Electronics, Acoustic Insulation, Health Care and other Applications.The Aerogels Market geographic segmentation covers various regions such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa. Each geography market is further segmented to provide market revenue for select countries such as the U.S., Canada, U.K. Germany, China, Japan, India, Brazil, and GCC countries.This report provides:1) An overview of the global Aerogels Market and related technologies.2) Analyses of global market trends and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2020.3) Identifications of new market opportunities and targeted promotional plans for Aerogels Market.4) Discussion of research and development, and the demand for new products and new applications.5) Comprehensive company profiles of major players in the industry.REPORT SCOPE:The scope of the report includes a detailed study of global and regional markets for various types of Aerogels Market with the reasons given for variations in the growth of the industry in certain regions.The report covers detailed competitive outlook including the market share and company profiles of the key participants operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report include Aspen Aerogel Inc., Cabot Corporation, American Aerogel Corporation, Svenska Aerogel AB, BASF SE, Dow Corning Corporation, Airglass AB, JIOS Aerogel, Active Space Technologies and Acoustiblok UK Ltd.are provided in the report. Company profile includes assign such as company summary, financial summary, business strategy and planning, SWOT analysis and current developments.The Top Companies Report is intended to provide our buyers with a snapshot of the industrys most influential players.The Market Segmentation of Aerogels:BY RAW MATERIALS Silica Carbon Alumina OthersBY FORM Blankets Particles Blocks PanelsBY APPLICATION Building insulation Oil & gas industry Aerospace Automotive thermal management Chemicals Electronics Acoustic Insulation Health care Other applicationsBY GEOGRAPHY North America Asia Pacific Europe Latin America and Africa Middle EastAbout MarketResearchEngine.comMarket Research Engine is a global market research and consulting organization. We provide market intelligence in emerging, niche technologies and markets. Our market analysis powered by rigorous methodology and quality metrics provide information and forecasts across emerging markets, emerging technologies and emerging business models. Our deep focus on industry verticals and country reports help our clients to identify opportunities and develop business strategies.Media ContactCompany Name: Market Research EngineContact Person: John BayEmail: john@marketresearchengine.comPhone: +1-855-984-1862, +91-860-565-7204Country: United StatesWebsite:Address: 3422 SW 15 Street, Suite #8942, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442, United States Global Wireless Multiroom Systems Market: Growth opportunities in global Industry by 2016-2021 http://www.marketintelreports.com/report/spc0694/global-wireless-multiroom-systems-market-research-report-forecast-20162021 http://www.marketintelreports.com/pdfdownload.php?id=spc0694 http://www.marketintelreports.com/purchase.php?id=spc0694 www.marketintelreports.com Global Wireless Multiroom Systems Market Research Report Forecast 2016-2021The Global Wireless Multiroom Systems Market Research Report 2016 is a valuable source of insightful data for business strategists. It provides the Wireless Multiroom Systems industry overview with growth analysis and historical & futuristic cost, revenue, demand and supply data (as applicable). The research analysts provide an elaborate description of the value chain and its distributor analysis. This Wireless Multiroom Systems market study provides comprehensive data which enhances the understanding, scope and application of this report.This report provides comprehensive analysis of Key market segments and sub-segments Evolving market trends and dynamics Changing supply and demand scenarios Quantifying market opportunities through market sizing and market forecasting Tracking current trends/opportunities/challenges Competitive insights Opportunity mapping in terms of technological breakthroughsBrowse Complete Report over the Global Wireless Multiroom Systems Market Research Report Forecast 2016-2021@Global Wireless Multiroom Systems Market: Regional Segment Analysis North America Europe China Japan Southeast Asia IndiaThe Major players reported in the market include: Doss Sonos Belkin Youmoon Samsung Soundbot Bose DigiFunk Pyle Audiopipe Maxpower MonstercubeGet a sample copy of Global Wireless Multiroom Systems Market Research Report Forecast 2016-2021@Global Wireless Multiroom Systems Market: Product Segment Analysis Type I Type II Type IIIGlobal Wireless Multiroom Systems Market: Application Segment Analysis Application I Application II Application IIIReasons for Buying this ReportThis report provides pin-point analysis for changing competitive dynamics It provides a forward looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining market growth It provides a six-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the market is predicted to grow It helps in understanding the key product segments and their future It provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors It helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights of market and by making in-depth analysis of market segments It provides distinctive graphics and exemplified SWOT analysis of major market segmentsOrder the Global Wireless Multiroom Systems Market Research Report Forecast 2016-2021@About MarketIntelReports (MIR):MarketIntelReports (MIR) aim to empower our clients to successfully manage and outperform in their business decisions. We do this by providing Premium Market Intelligence, Strategic Insights and Databases from a range of Global Publishers.A group of industry veterans who are well experienced in reputed international consulting firms after identifying the sourcing needs of MNCs for market intelligence, have together started this business savior MarketIntelReports.Contact Details:Sales ManagerMayur S2711 Centerville Road, Suite 400,Wilmington,Delaware,19808United Statespr@marketintelreports.comTelephone: 1-302-261-5343 TAL Aviation honors agencies at Annual Conference in Madrid TAl Aviation Group Annual Conference in Madrid http://www.talaviation.com Frankfurt am Main, November 24, 2016 TAL Aviation, one of the worlds leading providers of airline representation services, has announced this years award winners at its Annual Conference in Madrid. The TAL Aviation agencies in Greece, Poland, Romania and Turkey received the award for outstanding achievements at the meeting, held in Madrid from 8 to 10 November 2016. The Excellence Award was won by the agencies in Italy and Austria.More than 100 representatives of TAL Aviation, representatives of airlines and tourism companies participated in the conference this year. CEO Gideon Thaler, who founded the company in 1987, gave the welcome speech. In addition to the numerous interesting lectures and extensive networking opportunities, the event was complemented by a comprehensive supporting program. Another highlight of the conference was the presentation of the new, innovative image video of TAL Aviation Group to watch on YouTube.TAL Aviation Group is one of the worlds leading providers of airline representation services. The international company covers 50 countries in Europe, Asia, the Pacific and Latin America with 37 agencies. As a general sales agent, TAL Aviation Group acts as a representative of more than 30 international carriers in the passenger and cargo sector. In addition, TAL Aviation Group is the representative of more than 20 international companies in the tourist industry in the segments of hotel, cruise and car rental, which are distributed through a worldwide network. Specialized in destinations marketing and PR, TAL is planning aviation marketing strategies to generate a strong presence in the new markets, develops global PR campaigns and manages the entire media coordination.TAL Aviation Group, 29 Ben Yehuda Street, Tel Aviv 6380703, IsraelPhone: 972-3-795211, Mail: info@tal-aviation.com, Web: Mobile Money Market - Consumers Apprehensions about Security of Data Need to be Allayed by Mobile Money Services Providers Global Scenario http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/mobile-money-market.html http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1505 http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Multiple Conducive Factors Create Opportunity-laden Environment for Mobile Money MarketThe global mobile money market is on the cusp of a transformative change with growth increasingly swinging toward emerging economies, says TMR in a new report. The global mobile money market will derive growth from factors such as companies investing in context-based marketing and real-time marketing to leverage mobile money. With smartphone and personal device sales spiraling in emerging countries with an increasingly affluent consumer base, the need for more inclusive banking is also simultaneously being felt. This presents a multi-billion dollar opportunity for companies such as Bango.net Limited, Fortumo OU, Paypal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.), Judo Payments, and others. Mobile commerce, mobile banking, mobile wallets, and mobile payments all come under the purview of the mobile money market.The coming together of various conducive factors will create an opportunity-laden environment for providers of mobile money services. Currently, service providers are focusing on cost effective alternatives to reach out to a larger consumer base. However, consumers continue to remain wary about security and privacy; the situation is compounded by regulatory complexity hampering the long-term growth of the mobile money market.Browse The Top Research Report:The current generation of disparate platforms is also hindering the adoption of the mobile money solution amongst consumers as they are required to manage multiple wallets for different transactions/services. However, there is little doubt that with the unprecedented penetration of mobile devices, these will increasingly serve as vehicles for financial transactions.SMS Payments to Remain Most Popular Means of Conducting a Mobile Money TransactionIn the global mobile money market, by mode of payment, the SMS payment segment holds the largest share. This is attributable to the convenience and efficiency that SMS-based payment operations lend. The greatest advantage, however, is that SMS-based mobile money is compatible with different connected devices such as tablets and smartphones.In countries across MEA, APAC, and Europe, transactional payments by SMS are already popular and there are no signs of their popularity fading through the forecasting horizon. However, the market is also marked by a growing adoption of other payment methods such as mobile billing, payment clients, and WAP-based payments. The future could see NFC and UUSD/STK modes emerge in a big way to challenge the leading position of SMS payments.PDF Sample For Latest Innovation And Upcoming Advancements:Moreover, by type of purchase transaction, in 2014, the money transfers and payments segment was the largest in the global mobile money market. Growth is projected to be the strongest in the airtime transfers and top-ups segment through 2024. In 2015, sectors such as BFSI, energy and hospitality collectively accounted for more than one-third of the revenue generated in the mobile money market.Europe to Claim Highest Share in Mobile Money Market until 2024Geographically, the mobile money market saw the highest revenue coming in from Europe in 2015. While North America trailed Europe in terms of revenue contribution, the region is expected to post better growth as compared to Europe through the forecast period.Collectively, the two regions are estimated to contribute more than fifty percent of the revenue to the global mobile money market. The MEA region is anticipated to be the fastest-growing segment during the forecast period due to rising Internet and tablet penetration and technological advancements in the telecommunication sector. Real-time buying is gaining momentum in MEA, which enables companies to develop targeted products and services on the basis of mobile usage patterns. This is expected to create immense opportunities for the mobile money market in the region.Among the top service providers in the global mobile money market are: Bango.net Limited, Boku, Inc., Dwolla, Inc., Fortumo OU, Judo Payments, Paypal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.), Square, Inc., Stripe, and WePay, Inc.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: Global Batch Management Software Market: Estimates and Forecasts 2016 - 2024 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/10912 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/10912 http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com The global batch management software market is expected to grow at a substantial growth rate. The global batch management software market has also been witnessing increasing adoption of common platform. However, the need for maintenance and continues support is inhibiting the growth of this market. This software is intended to serve as an effective planning guide for current suppliers and new entrants in the market.Request for Sample Report:This software is used in various industries such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, healthcare, retail, mining, food stuffs and mill products and others. The market is further segmented by geography into North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and rest of the world regions. Increased importance to performance, quality, and time-to-market, along with increased regulations on food and drug safety are fueling the growth of the batch management software market.The market is driven by factors such as the increasing demand in food and drug sector and the need for enhanced production. Some of the factors inhibiting the growth of the global batch management software market are non availability of skilled workforce and need for maintenance and continuous support. Requirement of hardware is also restraining the growth of this market. The emerging applications and increase in R&D initiatives will serve as an opportunity, fuelling the growth of the global batch management software market.Request for Table of content:Some of the key players dominating the global batch management software market are BB Ltd., Rockwell Automation Inc., Siemens AG, and Emerson Electric Co., General Electric Co., SAP AG, Honeywell International Inc., Invensys plc, Werum Software and Systems AG, Yokogawa Electric Corp., and Aspen Technology Inc. and others.About Us:Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact Us:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.commedia@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb: Global Home Textiles and Furnishings Market: Trend and Opportunities (2014-2019) http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/234721 http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/pressreleases http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/marketresearchreports-biz MarketResearchReports.Biz presents this most up-to-date research on "Global Home Textiles and Furnishings Market: Trend and Opportunities (2014-2019)"DescriptionThe report titled Global Home Textiles and Furnishings Market: Trends and Opportunities (2014-2019) analyzes the consumption pattern of the global home textiles and furnishings market, with a focus on its segments including: curtains, textile floorings and towels. The global market along with markets of the US, Europe, India, China and Turkey are assessed in the report. The major trends, growth drivers as well as issues being faced by the industry are presented in this report. The three major players in the industry, Welspun India Ltd, Dorel Industries Inc. and Springs Global are profiled, along with their key financials and strategies for growth.Countries CoverageThe USEuropeIndiaChinaTurkeyCompany CoverageWelspun India LtdSprings GlobalDorel Industries LtdExecutive SummaryHome textiles and furnishing sector forms a significant portion of overall textile industry. The sector offers a wide range of bedspreads, furnishing fabrics, curtains, rugs, carpets, placemats, cushion covers, table covers, linen, kitchen accessories, made-ups, bed spreads, bath linen, and other home furnishings accessories. Over the past 5 years, consumption of home textile and furnishings witnessed consistent growth driven by factors like rising consumer spending on home renovation, accelerating investments on infrastructure, demand from Asian markets like India, China, Korea and Indonesia. Product innovation and development has allowed retailers and manufactures to widen the market, using new technologies and advanced marketing approaches.Download Sample Copy of This Report at:The USA and Europe dominate the home furnishing market as largest consumers, while countries like India, China and Pakistan feature amongst key suppliers. Curtains constitute the largest sub segment of home textiles followed by textile floorings, bed linen, towels and table, toilet & kitchen linen. Major fabrics being used include cotton, organic- cotton, polyester, silk, poly- cotton, poly silk, natural fibers like bamboos, viscose-silk.Retail sales of home furnishings are expected to maintain relatively consistent growth in coming years. Economic recovery is expected to reduce the unemployment rate, generate GDP growth and strengthen the housing market, all of which will boost sales of home furnishings products. Moreover, emergence of E-commerce in home furnishings market is scaling new heights, and with increasing number shopping websites the market is also experiencing growth. Key issues in the market include rising raw material prices, strict legislative requirements and high competition.Table of Content1. Executive Summary2. Global Textile Industry and Trade2.1 Textile TradeTable 1: World Merchandise Trade of Textiles in US$ Billion, 2009-20132.2 Top Exporters and Importers of TextilesTable 2: Share of Top Exporting Countries of Textiles in %, 2013Table 3: Share of Top Importing Countries of Textiles in %, 20133. Home Textiles and Furnishings3.1 Introduction3.2 Home Textiles Market: Sizing and GrowthTable 4: Share of Home Textile Out of Total Fiber Consumption, 2013ETable 5: Share of Major Home Textile Importers in %, 2013Table 6: Global Home Textile Consumption by Volume in Million Tonnes, 2009-2013Browse Latest Industry Press Release at:About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports.MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients.We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated researchreports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and typesof companies spanning across various industries.ContactState Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.bizFollow us on LinkedIn: Global Salt Market Analysis and Forecast to 2020 http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/world-salt-market-report-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020/ http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/world-salt-market-report-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020/ http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/world-salt-market-report-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020/ www.indexbox.co.uk IndexBox has just published a new report World: Salt - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2020(This report has been designed to provide a detailed analysis of the global salt market. It covers the most recent data sets of quantitative medium-term projections, as well as developments in production, trade, consumption and prices.From 2007 to 2015, global salt exports exhibited a pronounced growth trend, with the exception of minor declines in 2012 and 2015. Exports amounted to 2,467 million USD in 2015. There was an annual increase of +4.7% throughout the analyzed period.According to IndexBox estimates, the Netherlands remained the global leader in salt supplies. In 2015, salt exports from the Netherlands totaled 278 million USD, which accounted for an 11% share in terms of global exports. Germany, Chile, Canada, and Mexico were the other key global suppliers of salt in 2015, with a 29% combined share of global exports.Chile (+24.4% per year) and Canada (+9.5% per year) were the fastest growing exporters from 2007 to 2015. Chile strengthened its position in terms of global salt exports, growing its share from 2% in 2007 to 8% in 2015.Meanwhile, USA (20%, based on value terms), Japan (11%), China (7%), the Republic of Korea (4%), and Germany (4%) were the leading destinations of salt imports in 2015. Imports to China grew at a rapid pace of +20.5% per year from 2007 to 2015. By contrast, Germany slightly contracted its imports of salt over the same period. The share of the USA in terms of global imports increased significantly (+9 percentage points), while the share of Japan illustrated negative dynamics (-4 percentage points).TABLE OF CONTENTS1. INTRODUCTION1.1 REPORT DESCRIPTION1.2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY2.1 KEY FINDINGS2.2 MARKET TRENDS3. MARKET OVERVIEW3.1 MARKET VOLUME AND VALUE3.2 CONSUMPTION BY COUNTRY3.3 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES BY COUNTRY3.4 MARKET FORECAST TO 20204. PRODUCTION4.1 PRODUCTION IN 2007-20154.2 PRODUCTION BY COUNTRY5. IMPORTS5.1 IMPORTS IN 2007-20155.2 IMPORTS BY COUNTRY5.3 IMPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY6. EXPORTS6.1 EXPORTS IN 2007-20156.2 EXPORTS BY COUNTRY6.3 EXPORT PRICES BY COUNTRY7. PROFILES OF MAJOR PRODUCERS3 easy ways to order Follow the link below to review a free sample or to buy the report: Call us +44 20 3239 3063 to discuss your information needs and for special discounts on multi-report orders Email your order to info@indexbox.co.ukPrice: 1490 EUR for Single LicenseSource:IndexBox is a leading market research publisher in the world. We conduct market research and publish reports.You can find more than 25,000 research reports in our web store, which cover global industries and regional markets. All the worldwide marketing data you need is at your fingertips.We collect this data from hundreds of highly reliable sources, verify it and carry out market analysis, uncovering new business opportunities and empowering you with actionable insights.The structure of our reports is intuitive and clear. We do our best to allow you to make strategic decisions and take immediate action. If you want to go further and be a step ahead of the market, just tell us your goals and we will tailor a report to your needs.Company Name: IndexBoxContact Person: Kirill BezverhiEmail: kirill.bezverhi@indexbox.co.ukPhone: +44 20 3239 3063Adress: United Kingdom, 44 Main Street, Douglas, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, ML11 0QWWebsite: How Poor Time Tracking Affects Your Business We all know why thorough time tracking is crucial for successful management: the more accurate your data is, the more informed your decisions are. But what if the data is not as precise as you expect? Of course, keeping track of hours spent on various projects helps analyze productivity, calculate billable amounts, and plan your work ahead. However, it all only makes sense when you track work time expenses including all routine procedures, such as reading and answering emails, attending meetings, or discussing current working issues with colleagues. Otherwise, working hours are just being lost and it turns out to be expensive.In consulting, law, design, accounting, outsource development and other professional services, timesheets are often directly used to bill customers. Even if a company has fixed prices for its services, time-track data is of great value for assessing project profitability. That is why failing to track hours spent on routine tasks means losing revenue. To understand the relevance of these concerns, we have conducted a study, and its results are quite surprising.Up to 40% of working time is not being loggedactiTIME conducted a survey in order to study peoples time tracking habits. According to the research, 62% of employees dont track time spent on emails or track it rarely. In their conversations with friends and colleagues, they may complain that it took them half an hour to compose a reassuring answer to a dissatisfied customer but there is no trace of that fact in their timesheet.And it is not surprising: people hate routine and prefer ignoring it. Some consider emails a typical office distraction that is not even worth logging. But what does it mean for businesses? Experts say that these hidden time expenses sometimes may cost billions to companies . Sounds like an exaggeration, but lets look at the figures to understand the scale of the problem.In professional services sector where clients are mostly billed on the basis of timesheets filled out by a contractors employees, 13 hours a week are spent on emails on average. The study shows that 36.4% never record time spent on emails. 25.5% say that they rarely track time spent on reading and answering emails and this means that 1.5 days a week are not tracked at all, which is 31% of their entire working time.Things are better with meetings: 60% always track time spent in them. However, still there are 9.1% who never track time spent on meetings and another 9.1% who track it rarely.Greater variance is observed in tracking time for communication with colleagues and still theres a considerable percentage of people who dont log these time expenses at all. Even regular employees spend hours discussing their professional issues with colleagues, and for project managers this figure comes up to 90% of the entire working time. 18.2% never track it and 23.6% only track it rarely. 10% of those who never track work time spent on communication with colleagues are managers.Obviously, you cannot call 30% or 40% a negligible loss. But this is what actual figures look like when you dont keep track of hours spent on routine tasks.Another big problem is frequency of timesheet entry. It is common knowledge that the accuracy of information depends on the amount of time that has elapsed since you learned it. This works for time tracking too. The later an employee logs their time, the less accurate is the timesheet, and the study reveals that around 50% of employees record their time days and weeks after they actually spent hours on a task.Accurate time entry is crucial for not losing revenue: time-track data is valuable for making decisions and planning work ahead, not to mention using it to bill your clients. It is not always easy to make the employees fill out their timesheets thoroughly however, there are tools that can help make time entry trivial. The phrase time is money may seem a cliche, but statistical data proves its relevance. So build up an easy and efficient time-tracking procedure that wont let your time and money get lost.actiTIME is a software development company with over 15 years of experience. actiTIME helps thousands of companies worldwide to track time and management projects in a more efficient way.Steels Ave, West Side, Suite #316Toronto, Ontario Gov. Kate Brown Gov. Kate Brown visits voters in Happy Valley. Stephanie Yao Long/Staff (Stephanie Yao Long) Oregon higher education leaders greeted Gov. Kate Brown's proposed spending plan Thursday like a dental patient anticipating a root canal, only to discover they'd just need a crown. In short: It could've been worse. Brown's recommended budget keeps state operating support for four-year universities and community colleges at roughly the same levels as the 2015-17 biennium -- $667.3 million and $550 million respectively. But because of the annual rise in personnel costs tied to medical benefits and pension obligations, staying flat still means schools effectively are facing cuts. Given the doom and gloom surrounding the state's projected $1.7 billion budget shortfall, higher education officials had braced for the worst. Historically, governors and state legislatures cut spending for universities in times of financial struggle because they know schools can make up the difference through tuition increases. "In this instance the governor said, 'That's not going to be the way we approach this,'" said Hans Bernard, the University of Oregon's associate vice president for state and community affairs. That doesn't mean college students won't face higher tuition. They will. In one scenario discussed this April, which has $685 million earmarked for universities, "all campuses" would have to raise tuition at least 5 percent for all resident students, state documents show. "Many institutions would need to raise tuition over 10 percent with at least three campuses over 15 percent," it said. Bernard said it's too soon to predict the specific tuition increases on each campus. But schools are much better off under the proposed budget than in past down years. "We're not going to go back on the progress we made last session," he said, citing the more than 26 percent funding increase approved in 2015. Steve Clark, Oregon State University's spokesman, issued a more direct statement of disappointment in the overall budget figure. "Flat funding higher education and cutting funding for the OSU Extension Service and the university agriculture and forest experiment stations is a double whammy," Clark said in a statement. "OSU will have to consider the prospect of higher student tuition rates and larger classes." Brown's recommended budget does include an increase in bonding for capital projects and a handful of other spending boosts. She designated $151 million for the Oregon Opportunity Grant, the state-funded program for needy students, an 8 percent increase for the 2017-19 biennium. The newly elected Brown also is committed to the Oregon Promise, a state program that offers qualified students two years of community college virtually for free. Her request includes $39.7 million to continue the program. Oregon's seven university presidents issued a statement after Thursday's news conference praising Brown but calling for more. "We urge lawmakers to increase operating funds beyond the governor's budget," the presidents said. "By doing so, every campus can keep tuition at a manageable level for the next two years and maintain vital support services that keep students on track to graduate." Portland Community College, the state's largest post-secondary institution, said in a statement that the spending plan falls short of the college's real needs. Mark Mitsiu, PCC's president, said personnel costs will result in a funding gap and "inevitable cuts" at the school. "It lessens our ability to meet the needs of students so that they have the best possible means to excel academically," he said. "Long time, chronic underfunding in higher education dampens the ability of community colleges to adequately address the needs of our workforce and provide job training." The budget framework includes $15 million for security improvements on state campuses, a recommendation that came out of a work group formed in the wake of the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College on Oct. 1, 2015. A professor and eight students were gunned down in a classroom before for the shooter committed suicide. Brown also recommended $350 million in capital construction projects on university campuses, but she didn't fully fund requests from Oregon State University for its Bend-campus expansion. Clark said the roughly $49 million difference between OSU's request and the governor's recommendation for the Central Oregon campus means the school will be able to "move dirt and provide future infrastructure, but not construct additional classroom buildings and other facilities to teach Oregonians." Brown recommended $34 million for UO's proposed science campus, funded in part by a $500 million commitment from by Phil and Penny Knight. UO had requested $100 million from the state, but Brown is proposing the money be spread out over three funding cycles. Bernard said UO will pursue the full $100 million next year. The Legislature will convene next February and debate Brown's budget and other state issues. -- Andrew Theen atheen@oregonian.com 503-294-4026 @andrewtheen 1mckeanjpgjpeg-e7d5e8e50f2044f6.jpg Interim Portland Public Schools Superintendent Bob McKean speaks during a public meet and greet session prior to a meeting of the Portland School Board on Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016. (Bethany Barnes/Staff) The attorney whose plans to become Portland Public Schools' top lawyer fell through amid reports he'd been prosecuted for breaking Florida's public records law emailed The Oregonian/OregonLive on Thursday to explain why he backed out. Wes Bridges' offer from Portland -- along with his past public records case -- went public locally last week after The Ledger, a newspaper in Florida, reported he'd resigned from his current job as general counsel for that state's Polk County School District. In his response to The Oregonian/OregonLive, Bridges says he told one interview panel at length about his 2009 court case. Bridges pleaded no contest and was fined for the violation. In response to the request, the Florida Legislature passed a law that shields information about children of state employees on health plans from the public, according to The Ledger. The judge "withheld adjudication," a nuance in Florida law that means there was no technical finding of guilt. Portland Public Schools spokeswoman Courtney Westling said on Wednesday the district will no longer talk about Bridges. The Oregonian/OregonLive asked for comment after Bridges, commenting for an article in The Ledger, disputed Portland officials' contention they didn't know about his prosecution. Here is his email in full: Dear Ms. Barnes, Thank you for the courtesy of your inquiry. Our offices were closed last week, and I was flying Tuesday, so I just got your message of 23 November. Portland is a lovely city and I was honored to be considered for the position of General Counsel to Portland Public Schools. The application and interview process was rigorous, and the district staff and administrators I met were gracious. An offer was extended, and I accepted, contingent upon completion of background screening. I notified my employer that I had done so, in order to provide a professionally decent notice period. I am not in a position to comment on Portland's process. The interview consisted of three discreet meetings: One with an executive panel consisting of seven members; one with an administrator panel, also consisting of seven members; and finally, a meeting with the superintendent. In the meeting with the administrator panel, although I was not asked a question about it, I explained at length the situation regarding the public records request for the home addresses and telephone numbers of dependents--including children--covered by my district's group insurance plan. It was my position, then and now, that such information is confidential and exempt from release under federal law. I explained that the judge assigned to the case described my actions as "admirable," and withheld adjudication. I also advised them that Florida's legislature subsequently amended the state's public records law to exempt personal identifying information of a dependent child of a current or former officer or employee of an agency, which dependent child is insured by an agency group insurance plan. I explained this in the context of why I have particular reason to be especially sensitive to public records requests. I traveled to Portland over Thanksgiving to look at the housing market. While there, I became aware of a faction in the community that vocally opposed my appointment. On that basis, and after discussion with the district, I determined that it would be difficult to be successful as a newcomer to the position, and the district allowed me to withdraw my name from consideration. For what it's worth, I believe it is common practice for employers to perform basic internet searches in connection with applications for employment, especially with respect to key positions. I had no conversation with district staff about this prior to their invitation to travel to Portland for an in-person interview, at my own expense, but I believe it was reasonable to assume that preliminary investigations would have been conducted prior to issuing the invitation. I was advised that the district had contacted references prior to the interview. I am certainly disappointed with the outcome of this adventure, but I appreciate the opportunity to respond to your questions. I wish all the best to the Portland Public Schools. Sincerely, Wes Bridges Road to armory records proves long and winding STORY BY Rob Davis DEC. 2, 2016 After discovering in 2015 that the Oregon National Guard ignored inspectors' explicit warnings to keep children out of the contaminated Forest Grove armory, we wanted to know whether the same thing was happening across the country. Toxic Armories Download the series in PDF form Finding the answer took The Oregonian/OregonLive 18 months and dozens of formal requests for information. Eight states didn't release records. Oregon and others hid documents behind exorbitant fees and lengthy delays. The work still isn't done. If the National Guard sticks to its estimated timelines, we won't know where every polluted armory is until September 2017. Our search began with the National Guard Bureau, the federal agency that oversees state Guard units. The bureau's inspectors have visited hundreds of armories nationwide to investigate lead hazards. In June 2015, we sent the agency a Freedom of Information Act request for reports covering every inspection since 2012. The National Guard said we'd have the records in 13 months: by July 31, 2016. As of November 2016, they hadn't delivered a single page. Tell them what you think Jennifer Nikolaisen Nikolaisen is the National Guard Bureau's Freedom of Information Act officer: (844) 573-2939 We didn't want to wait, so we used state and federal public records laws to request inspection reports from every state's National Guard. We sent 110 formal records requests during our investigation and petitioned the attorneys general of Oregon and Ohio to compel disclosure. This is how states responded as of Dec. 1: 41 states provided records. Eight states (Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Tennessee and Virginia) and the District of Columbia either referred our request to the National Guard Bureau, failed to release inspection records or simply didn't respond. One state, Nevada, said it had no records because it didn't have any indoor ranges. Most states provided inspection reports for free, with the exception of Alabama ($141), West Virginia ($20.75), California ($43.05), Vermont ($2) and Oregon ($128). Ohio's attorney general denied our petition, but the state released its records soon after. A handful of states were especially uncooperative. Across the country, National Guard armories are used for a variety of community activities. The armory in Belmont, North Carolina, was scheduled to host a public event in September when protests erupted in nearby Charlotte over the death of Keith Scott, who was fatally shot by police. The National Guard was called in and armories in the state were placed on lockdown. When the Kansas National Guard received our request in September 2015, its records custodian, Staff Sgt. David Coleman, said we were No. 2 in its queue and should have inspection reports in two weeks. A year later, we still don't have any. In Oregon, we filed nine records requests for documents including officials' emails, safety meeting minutes, armory rental contracts and inspections dating to 1995. Of particular interest were emails to and from the state employee in charge of armory maintenance, Roy Swafford. The Oregon Military Department initially refused to provide these, saying the correspondence wouldn't be released because it was on a federal server. We appealed to Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, whose office ordered the agency to release the emails. Faced with the order, the military department said it would charge us $16,110 for the documents. After lengthy negotiations, the department reduced the estimated cost to $1,340, which we paid. The agency then released the emails and handed us another bill for $3,464.87. Why? The military department said it took a paralegal and an attorney 40.8 hours to review 500 emails for privileged material. They charged rates up to $175 an hour to redact parts of just 26 emails, 18 of which contained internal discussions about The Oregonian/OregonLive's fight to get records. We refused to pay. The military department also tried to charge $62,888 to provide emails from five employees containing specific keywords, plus $28.50 for one audio tape. The department said it would take 820 hours one person working for five months to produce the records. The department lowered its estimate when we asked to exclude miscellaneous files such as meeting invitations. But the price tag remained so exorbitant that we gave up on getting three of the five employees' emails. We chose instead to obtain a small subset from the accounts of just two senior Guard leaders. Many state laws are far more favorable to public disclosure than the federal Freedom of Information Act. Because each state's National Guard has both federal and state employees, some agencies kept records concealed by using delays that federal law allows. Tell them what you think Glenn Fine Glenn Fine is inspector general of the Defense Department. One military environmental official outside Oregon, speaking on condition of anonymity, said federal Guard officials were keeping some lead inspection reports from state employees so The Oregonian/OregonLive would have to use the lengthy federal process to obtain them. The official didn't want to be identified for fear of being fired. And in Oregon, an email showed Swafford advising a federal employee that if she was the only person with access to armory inspections, the state could delay its response to our records request by making us deal with the slower, federal records law. State military officials released the inspection records two months later under state law, without invoking the federal records act. Tell them what you think Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. Wyden is Oregon's senior representative in Washington, D.C. (202) 224-5244 Oregon military leaders still have not provided all the material we requested. State officials, asserting that some emails belonged to the Oregon Guard's federal component, took the unusual step of submitting a Freedom of Information Act request to their federal counterparts in 2015. None of those records has been released. Rob Davis PART 1: NATIONAL GUARD INACTION EXPOSES COMMUNITIES TO LEAD PART 2: OREGON ARMORIES EARN MILLIONS, EXPOSE THOUSANDS READ THE TOXIC ARMORIES SERIES READ OFFLINE: DOWNLOAD TOXIC ARMORIES CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS REPORT HIV testing, prevention Only 35 percent of Oregonians have been tested for HIV. (Fotolia) Oregon health officials announced a call to action Thursday on World AIDS Day to lower HIV transmission by focusing on testing, treatment and prevention. "We will see the end of HIV infections in Oregon," said Lillian Shirley, head of Oregon's Public Health Division. "It can happen. The time is now." Oregon's plan follows similar initiatives in other states including New York and California and other nations such as Belarus, Armenia and Thailand. Globally, about 37 million people have HIV. In Oregon, infections have fallen over the past 15 years from about 300 a year to 200. But over the same time, the number of those infected has risen from 4,000 to 7,000. Another 1,100 people who are infected don't know it because they've not been tested, said Dr. Sean Schafer, medical director of the state's HIV program. Most of those infected are gay men. African American men are eight times more likely to become infected and Hispanic men have nearly twice the rate of white men. Oregon has almost no mother-to-child infections because of prenatal testing, Schafer told The Oregonian/OregonLive, but 15 percent of those with HIV are women and half were infected by male partners. They include women like Suzanne, who gave only her first name at a news conference held to announce the initiative. She's a longtime HIV prevention advocate who moved to rural Oregon eight years ago. She announced her HIV status for the first time during the conference to widen public perception. Most people don't consider women at risk for HIV, she said, but they should. She said they're part of a subset that's not targeted for support or prevention. When HIV hit the United States in the 1980s, it was a death sentence. Today, it's a manageable chronic disease thanks to anti-retroviral drugs. The medications stop the virus from multiplying and essentially suppress it in the blood. That stops transmission. Four years ago, the Food and Drug Administration approved Truvada, which has been shown to be more than 90 percent effective in people with HIV who take it for protection. It's used by those with the virus as part of a cocktail of anti-retroviral drugs. The state has no idea how many Oregonians are taking the drug but they know many at high risk aren't, Schafer said. Officials would like to increase their numbers, widen the provider pool and step up testing. In one year, the state would like to: Raise the percentage of those tested for HIV from 35 percent of the population to 50 percent. Increase preventive treatment for HIV-negative partners of those with HIV to 85 percent. Expand those who prescribe HIV prevention medication by 100 providers. Ensure that 80 percent of those who test positive are linked to care in one month, compared with nearly 70 percent now. Ensure that 80 percent of those treated are virally suppressed, compared with nearly 70 percent now. Tyler TerMeer, executive director of the Cascade AIDS project, welcomed the state's initiative. But he said there could be a problem with funding. The state has no plans for backing their plan with more money. "There is a lot of passion and dedication to making it happen," TerMeer said. "Where there may be some concern is with the political environment shifting and without a plan for increased dollars to achieve these goals how are we going to stay on track for the next several years." Tricia Tillman, Multnomah County's public health director, echoed that sentiment. About 50 percent of new infections are in the county and 70 percent of people with HIV live in Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Columbia and Yamhill counties. She said the plan aims to get the attention of elected officials at the federal and state level. "We definitely want to elevate how important it is to preserve those federal funds giving our changing federal landscape," Tillman said. "The governor released her budget today so it's definitely a call for our (legislators) to consider how their budget decisions they'll be making in 2017 can get help us to end the transmission of HIV in Oregon." Shirley, the Oregon Public Health director, said the state plans to channel some money from a federal program to reach its goals. The program -- named after Ryan White, a teen in Indiana who was expelled from middle school because of the virus -- contributes about $25 million a year in Oregon to HIV prevention, treatment and other support. The overall budget is nearly $40 million. The state, county health departments, providers, advocacy groups and schools and churches must become committed to the goals, Shirley said. "We can't do this as government," Shirley said. "We can't do this as scientists. We have to do this together." -- Lynne Terry Balzer_Big.jpg Former Coffee Creek Correctional Facility corrections officer Brian Balzer describes the state's only prison for women in a three-year-old marketing video. Balzer was convicted of having a sexual relationship with an inmate and was later sentenced to 60 days in jail. (Oregon Department of Corrections, AFSCME) Brian Balzer A former corrections officer at the state women's prison was sentenced this week to 60 days in jail for having sex with an inmate in 2012. Washington County Circuit Judge Beth Roberts on Monday also ordered Brian Balzer to complete sex offender and mental health treatment and have no contact with the now-former inmate, court records show. Blazer also must serve three years of probation. A jury found Balzer, 42, guilty on Oct. 6 of first-degree custodial sexual misconduct at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville. The former inmate, Brandy Lee Buckmaster, was held in the Washington County Jail for 50 days as a material witness and released after her testimony in Balzer's trial. Authorities said they ordered the hold because they feared she wouldn't appear to testify, but Buckmaster said in an interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive that the jail stay seemed like punishment for cooperating with the investigation. Balzer faced up to 18 months in prison, court documents show. He resigned from his position at Coffee Creek in 2013 and Buckmaster was no longer an inmate by the time authorities began investigating. Buckmaster said she was planning to pursue a civil case against the Oregon Department of Corrections and Washington County. Court records show no filing by Buckmaster in the case as of Thursday. -- Everton Bailey Jr. ebailey@oregonian.com 503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey Ask Geotripper Is there something about geology that you are curious about? Do you have questions about the scientific aspects of political controversies? I can try to provide a scientist's perspective. Your questions and possible answers could be a springboard to a blog discussion, or they can be private. Anonymity is always assumed. Contact Geotripper at hayesg (at) mjc.edu. It's just a number: 590. You can decide what it means. Is it a failure, or a start? If you want to push it over 1,000, you can do that on Dec. 17 if you show up at Portland's Willamette National Cemetery with a Christmas wreath. Arrive there about noon, have a cup of coffee, and then join other volunteers who will show you what to do: Lay your wreath at the grave of a veteran, solemnly read out loud the name on gravestone and offer a salute as a way to thank the departed for serving the country. This began six years ago when a handful of Portland volunteers decided to follow the lead of Wreaths Across America. That nonprofit, based in Maine, has a goal of placing a wreath on every veteran's grave in the United States on Dec. 17 as a national day of remembrance. "To stand in front of the grave of a stranger is powerful," said Carol Moseley, a Portland volunteer. "You're reminded that a person was once here, and served our country. Doing this, setting a wreath on a grave, changes a person." The idea began in 1992 when a Maine wreath maker had 5,000 extra wreaths in the weeks before Christmas and didn't know what to do with them. Instead of throwing them away, he asked if he could get permission to take them to Arlington National Cemetery and lay them on the graves in a section that people rarely visited. He did so every year, and in 2006 a serviceman took a photo of the wreaths in the snow. That photo went viral and the movement grew, which led to the nonprofit forming as a way to bring order to the event. Each year, volunteers now donate enough wreaths to be laid on every grave - all 400,000 -- in Arlington. Any cemetery that has veterans buried there can be registered by the organization. Everything is volunteer based; all money is raised locally to buy wreaths from local suppliers. More than 1,200 cemeteries are registered. Moseley, a member of the Oregon Wing of the Pacific Region of the Civil Air Patrol, is one of the local volunteers at Portland's Willamette National. "We get people to pay $15 for a wreath," said Moseley. "The wreaths are brought to the cemetery on the 17th. Last year we had 348. This year we are up to 590. So we're growing." Willamette National, built in 1951, has 140,000 graves, some the final resting place for veterans who served in the Civil War, said Roger Huntley, the cemetery's administrative officer. He said this year wreath volunteers will focus on Section P, which has 1,100 graves. Obviously, he said, there won't be enough wreaths for each plot, so the plan is to take some of the wreaths and line the roadway along Section P with them as a way to acknowledge that something special has taken place. If you want to attend Saturday, Dec. 17. Noon. Willamette National Cemetery, 11800 S.E. Mount Scott Blvd. Bring a wreath. Moseley said the act of placing a wreath on the grave is a physical reminder for a volunteer about our shared history as a country. "These men and women, drafted or deciding to serve, wrote a blank check up to and including their death to serve and protect us," she said. "War is not right or wrong. It just is. We've made mistakes as a country, and we will continue to make them. But putting a wreath on a grave is a way to slow down and remember what it means to be free." Laurie Farrar's brother served three tours in Vietnam with the Marines. He was murdered in 1982 when he was shot in Portland during what police believe was a robbery. "When I put the wreath down, it is a way of telling my brother that I still love him," Farrar said. "Then I move on to place wreaths at other graves. I feel they are my brother's brothers." She said the volunteers, out of respect, make a point of not placing a wreath of a veteran of the Jewish faith. "We usually get 50 volunteers," she said. "It can be a cold and muddy day. Show up, get some wreaths and walk into the cemetery. When you get home, you feel as if you've been emotionally blessed." Amber Caron, spokeswoman for the national organization, said volunteers around the country have said that while many issues will always divide the country, what takes place every Dec. 17 has the power to heal. "It's about both sides of the aisle," she said. "Every walk of life and every ethnicity is represented in those cemeteries. When a volunteer stands before a grave and says the name and salutes they all say it makes them pause." Huntley said if thousands of people showed up on the 17th it would make him feel "wonderful" to see so many people coming to honor a veteran. But he's a practical man. "We're growing," he said. "I figure that each additional wreath means that one more person will be honored this year." Moseley hopes for more. "I'd like to see every grave in in Willamette National get a wreath," she said. "If they can do it in Arlington, why not here in Portland? I realize a lot of people don't want to buy for someone deceased." But... "It would be mind boggling," she said. But she, too, is practical. "Probably won't happen in my lifetime," she said. "But that's my dream." --Tom Hallman Jr. thallman@oregonian.com; 503 221-8224 @thallmanjr Friday 2 December 2016 3:18pm Banning sunbed services in New Zealand would help reduce skin cancer rates and only have a minimal impact on businesses and jobs, new University of Otago research suggests. Researchers from the Universitys Cancer Society Behavioural Research Unit conducted a nationwide audit of businesses potentially providing sunbed services and found that a ban would only have a minor effect on a very small number of businesses. Their results showed that for most businesses with sunbeds (92.4 per cent) - such as hairdressers, salons, gyms, and fitness centres - tanning services were supplementary to their other services. Only 13 businesses provided sunbed services that relied on indoor tanning as their sole source of income and most of these (nine) also offered spray tanning to customers. Only four businesses in the country were reliant on sunbeds as their sole source of income. This research was funded by The Cancer Society of New Zealand and the findings are published in this weeks edition of the New Zealand Medical Journal. The researchers, Mrs Bronwen McNoe and Associate Professor Tony Reeder, argue that New Zealand should follow Australias lead in banning all commercial sunbeds while compensating for the loss of the equipment and arranging for its safe disposal. While this country has restricted access to sunbeds to those aged over 18 years of age, the scientific evidence clearly shows that there is no safe level of sunbed use for individuals of any age, says Mrs McNoe. She says that the costs to society of treating skin cancer and the impact of skin cancer deaths far exceed the rights of an individual to temporarily change the colour of their skin for purely cosmetic purposes particularly when alternative, less dangerous methods such as spray tanning exist. For more information, contact: Bronwen McNoe / Associate Professor Tony Reeder Cancer Society Social and Behavioural Research Unit Department of Preventive and Social Medicine University of Otago Tel 03 479 7177 Email bronwen.mcnoe@otago.ac.nz or tony.reeder@otago.ac.nz Friday 2 December 2016 3:24pm There is considerable demand for cancer information resources in New Zealand, with a third of women and a quarter of men deliberately searching for these over the past year, according to a new University of Otago study. The study, led by Dr Rose Richards of the Cancer Society Social & Behavioural Research Unit, interviewed over 1000 adults from across New Zealand providing a snapshot of who is searching for cancer information, what they are searching for, and why. Dr Richards says motivations for searching included their own cancer experience, concern about a symptom or early detection result or a family history of cancer. Most commonly, however, searchers were prompted by a family member or friend receiving a cancer diagnosis. There are important opportunities here to provide information to a wider circle of family and friends, so they can support someone experiencing cancer, but also because they may be at an increased risk of health issues themselves, such as depression and anxiety, she says. People were looking for a variety of information, most commonly concerned with the experience of cancer treatment and survival, how to identify it early and how to reduce the risk of developing cancer. The findings highlight the importance of recent government goals to ensure that, by 2018, more New Zealanders have access to easily understood and nationally consistent cancer information resources, she says. The study, funded by the Cancer Society of New Zealand and titled Cancer information seeking among adult New Zealanders: a national cross-sectional study, was authored by Dr Rose Richards, Mrs Bronwen McNoe, Dr Ella Iosua, Associate Professor Anthony Reeder, Dr Richard Egan, Dr Louise Marsh, Miss Lindsay Robertson, Dr Brett Maclennan, Mrs Anna Dawson, Dr Robin Quigg, and Ms Anne-Cathrine Petersen. It is published online in the Journal for Cancer Education. For more information, contact: Dr Rose Richards Cancer Society Social and Behavioural Research Unit Department of Preventive and Social Medicine University of Otago Tel 03 479 7209 Email rose.richards@otago.ac.nz CEDAR FALLS Throughout his time on campus, University of Northern Iowa presidential finalist Mark Nook has been asking people the question of what makes the university special. Nook told the crowd gathered for a public forum Thursday that hes gotten a universal answer. Its community. And everyone knows how to talk about it, Nook said. Nook, who currently serves as chancellor at Montana State University Billings, said he was loath to talk about the best way to sell UNI to others until he learned more from the people on campus. But he said the concepts of community and student success have been clear messages in his research about the university and through his conversations on campus. Another thing we need to articulate that I havent heard people talk about until I started to mention it and that is we educate Iowans for Iowa, and nobody else does it like we do, Nook said. He continued, Thats a place we can put a stake in the ground and nobody else can claim, and we need to put that stake in the ground and it needs to be a big, tall stake, with a purple and gold flag at the top of it, and let other people try to take it away from us. They wont be able to. Nook, 58, is one of three finalists vying for the job of UNIs 11th president. Former UNI President Bill Ruud announced this past spring he was taking a job at a small liberal arts college in Ohio. Nook was the last candidate brought to campus. The presidential search committee will receive feedback over the weekend and meet again Monday to discuss the candidate visits. They will then meet with the Iowa Board of Regents, which will interview the three finalists Tuesday. The regents are expected to announce the universitys next president Tuesday afternoon. Nooks presentation centered on the role and place for comprehensive public universities like UNI. He distinguished them as not on a continuum between large public research institutions and small private liberal arts colleges but rather as their own entity that has overlap with both. He added that the space UNI occupies leaves room for both research and commitment to the liberal arts. Nook talked about the ways that helps develop a whole person for the public good. We take Iowa students and we make Iowa leaders and Iowa professionals. Its the real hallmark of comprehensives, Nook said. Its more important that we educate Iowans to stay in Iowa and grow Iowa and UNI will do that as well as and better than almost anywhere else you can think of and find in our state. Nook, who said he was raised in Iowa, said Iowans sometimes suffer from heroic humility or militant modesty, in failing to adequately celebrate their successes. He said the role of the president is to be aware of and publicly celebrate the universitys successes. He also discussed the myriad challenges and opportunities facing UNI, particularly the way the outside describes and questions the role of universities. He listed more than a dozen different challenges, but focused on three. They were the questions surrounding the value of higher education, the value of the liberal arts and the value of tenure. Nook then went on to defend the importance of each in general and at UNI. He praised the universitys recently completed strategic plan for placing so highly the values of student success and growing diversity and inclusion on campus. Nook praised universities like UNI for growing its diversity, but he said they still had a ways to go to be fully inclusive. Particularly, Nook noted that UNIs retention rates for underrepresented students on campus was below its general retention rates and below that of its peers. I believe the future is bright of regional comprehensive universities, public comprehensive universities but especially here, because I have seen a commitment from the students, from the faculty and the staff to making this a place focused on student success, Nook said. The public forum will also be available online for those who missed it at www.iowaregents.edu/. Contributed photo Debbie Rogers was a beloved groomer at College Park Road Veterinary Clinic in Ladson. She died Nov. 15, a victim of domestic violence. CLEAR LAKE A Clear Lake police officer has been charged with serious misdemeanor domestic assault. Ryan R. Eskildsen, 36, was arrested Thursday following an investigation, according to Cerro Gordo County Chief Deputy David Hepperly. The alleged victim was injured but not taken to the hospital, Hepperly said. The alleged assault took place Tuesday in Clear Lake, but the Sheriffs Office is not releasing further details on the location of the incident. Eskildsen has been a Clear Lake police officer since 2002, according to the Sheriffs Office. Eskildsen was in the Cerro Gordo County Jail pending an appearance before a magistrate. The Sheriffs Office is the investigating agency in the case. Assisting agencies are the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Clear Lake Police Department, according to a press release from the Sheriffs Office. Eskildsen will be on paid administrative leave until pending the outcome of further proceedings in the case, said Clear Lake Police Chief Pete Roth. Mary Pieper The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 30 3:26 p.m. Deputies responded to a residence for a third-party report of unknown subjects possibly arguing. Contact was made with a 35-year-old Lincoln Township woman who advised that her husband had an earlier disagreement with a male friend at the residence and that they were just fine and did not need assistance from the sheriffs office. Both male subjects had left the home prior to deputies arriving on scene. 4:21 p.m. A 22-year-old Edenville Township man attempted to hang himself due to relationship problems. The man was transported to MidMichigan Health where a mental health petition was completed. The man was injured during his attempt. 8:56 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to Greendale Township in reference to a vehicle all over the roadway. The deputy checked the area and was unable to locate the vehicle. 9:55 p.m. A 27-year-old Lee Township man was cited for no insurance after a traffic stop in Mount Haley Township. The license plate was confiscated due to the Michigan Secretary of State canceling the license plate for fraudulent application for insurance. The vehicle was towed home. 10:48 p.m. A deputy responded to an Edenville Township residence regarding a 58-year-old Jerome Township woman requesting a well-being check on a 69-year-old Edenville Township man. The deputy attempted contact at the mans residence and via text. He was not located. 11:01 p.m. Deputies assisted Barry County with death notification in Greendale Township of a family member of a subject who was fatally injured in a Barry County traffic crash. The Arc of Midland held its first fundraiser on Thursday at the H Hotel, and the story it shared brought true meaning to the name of the organization. The primary meaning of the word arc is: a part of the circumference of a circle. This name could not be more fitting for an organization that values community building, respect, advocacy, inclusion, trust and creativity. The Arc of Midland is a nonprofit organization that promotes the general welfare of people with developmental disabilities and increases their presence, participation and inclusion in the community. It has several programs and services including Count Me In, Project Lifesaver, Person Centered Planning and so much more. The fundraiser was an opportunity to share the organizations story, with the master of ceremonies being Will Harvey from the My 96.1 morning show. I am new to mid-Michigan area, said Harvey. Being part of the radio station, they encourage you to get involved with a nonprofit and I wanted one that sparked my interest and that I could relate with. After I found out about the Arc and what they did, I thought what a great cause. It was a no-brainer to get involved. I have a very close friend that I grew up with who has spina bifida. Ive known her since high school and watched her battle it her entire life. Its amazing though because its never stopped her. She has two children, a great career and she never stops. I learn from her every day. I am here today to learn more about The Arc and the people they serve. After introductions, many highlights were shared of how the Arc interacts with the community. A story of one client, Colleen Dolan, was shared and proved that the organization can make a huge difference in someones life. Colleen has had a very full life, said Jan Lampman. Not only is she the president of the Arc of Midland board of directors, but she is also a volunteer at the Arc and another organization called Independent Living. She takes classes at Creative 360, I think she takes every class thats offered at Creative 360, and she works at the Childrens Therapy Corner and has worked there for many years. This would not be possible without the hard work of her family and people in this community. And then the story of how the Arc developed was shared by Lampman, executive director, and its purpose was told in a compelling way. In 1952, seven parents started meeting together, said Lampman. And they created ideas of how to help their children reach their full potential. And what started as seven families has now turned into an organization that has been innovative and creative and been at the front edge of innovation in terms of services and support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We were the first community to support people who have significant disabilities in their own home. We were the first community where people with significant disabilities have purchased their own homes. We were the first community where people were able to raise their own children in their own home with the support that they needed to be able to do that. It speaks a lot about those original parents, but it also speaks about the nature of our community, the Midland community. Because of the Midland community, people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities are able to have full lives. They are able to be safe in their homes. They are able to be safe in the workplace and they are able to contribute and make all of our lives better. While the Arc of Midland has been part of the Midland community since 1952, its mission has remained the same all through the years. Weve changed what we look like, weve changed our logo but what hasnt changed is the innovation, the collaboration and the desire to make sure that every citizen is able to be a fully contributing citizen. The fundraiser painted a picture as to why the organization is called The Arc. It is brings the community, and everybody within it, together just as an arc brings together a circle. To learn more about The Arc of Midland, visit www.thearcofmidland.org Ministry at Cornerstone Church in Highland Township hosts weekly God Parties for young adults age 18 to 39. Pradeepan Jeeva knows what its like to be an outsider. Immigrating to Minnesota from Sri Lanka as a young boy, he never felt as if he fit in. I struggled with identity and suicidal thoughts, Jeeva says. Then a girl invited me to a youth [meeting at] church, and I not only fell in love with Jesus but [also] gained a community that made me feel valuable. Today, Jeeva wants young people in Highland Township, Michigan, and beyond to experience that sense of acceptanceand hes doing it by hosting fun-filled parties. As lead pastor of Momentum, a ministry of Cornerstone Church, Jeeva and his team host a God Party every Tuesday night for young adults age 18 to 39. LifeWay Research has found 70 percent of young adults stop attending church after graduating high school, Jeeva says. This statistic drives us to bridge the gap between youth ministry and adulthood. As these young adults grow in faith and community, we believe they will experience the abundant life Jesus offers. The party approach is working. Momentum averages between 120 and 150 people each week, representing up to 20 different area churches. And more than 200 people regularly come to the end-of-month parties. Our community loves to be goofy and experimental, Jeeva says. These partieslike our Denim Night with Horses, Netflix and Chili, and Slip n Slide partiesgive people a chance to have fun in church. Jesus and fun are contagious. Not only are party attendees enjoying the refreshments, live music and messages, they also are accepting Christ. Jeeva recalls one young man who received an invitation to attend God Party at the exact moment he put a gun in his mouth. He decided to give life one more chance, Jeeva says. He came to Momentum, encountered Jesus and grew in faith. Then, he used his story to encourage others to do the same. Find more youth outreach ideas The American Legion National Commander, Charles Schmidt, visited Kadena during his Western Pacific Tour Nov. 28. The purpose of the Western Pacific Tour is informing service members about the level of care the American Legion has for veterans, both active duty and retired. During his visit, Schmidt spoke with Brig. Gen. Barry Cornish, 18th Wing commander, about the benefits the American Legion offers service members. Concern about their families and the well-being of service members drove the organizations creation and its present operations. The American Legion was formed in Paris in 1919, with the purpose of caring for service members returning home from World War I. Our strongest program is advocating for veterans, said Schmidt. Were on Capitol Hill every day advocating for veterans benefits. Its not just about us retired veterans, its about those of you still wearing the uniform and those who will be wearing the uniform. The American Legion offers education programs, healthcare assistance and support for transitioning out of the military. Schmidt, a retired Air Force major, commented on the efficiency of present service members with continuing the mission of the armed forces. Its very rewarding to see our men and women in the armed services, said Schmidt. The armed forces are serving our country out here in the western Pacific, and their service is keeping the free world safe. Cornish commented maintaining this constant state of protection and freedom is achieved by great leadership. Trust between leaders and Airmen is critical to accomplishing the mission in the Pacific. Im always talking with my command team about their role in taking care of the Airmen, because that is our first and foremost job, said Cornish. Weve got a large installation here and a lot going on. We prioritize our Airmen and families as number one. My belief is if you focus on the people, theyll take care of the mission. Support of service members and their families is the top priority of the American Legion. The American Legion is just a continuation of my Air Force days, said Schmidt. Looking out for and taking care of your buddies sometimes depends on your existence and survival. On behalf of over two million legionnaires, we appreciate you and thank each and every one of you for what youre doing. NORMAL The town of Normal could give up $1.8 million in sales tax money to bring Portillo's to the Twin Cities. Normal City Council will consider Monday a redevelopment agreement providing the Oak Brook-based Chicago-style hot dog chain a refund on future sales tax up to that amount. In exchange, a Portillo's would open on Veterans Parkway in Normal, said Normal City Manager Mark Peterson. "Were saying, 'You create new sales tax, and well share that with you up to a certain point,'" said Peterson of the agreement, to be published Friday. Its an investment in making the project viable and making sure it happens so we take advantage of the lifetime financial benefit. Portillo's confirmed Thursday it plans to build at 202 Landmark Drive, currently the site of a Motel 6. Peterson said the motel is likely to close and be demolished this winter for Portillo's to meet its deadline of an August opening. "We would knock down the motel and build a restaurant, drive-thru and parking on site," said Nick Scarpino, vice president of marketing and public relations for Portillo's. "Wed like to break ground early next year." Peterson acknowledged some Normal residents may balk at offering incentives to a business as anticipated as Portillos, but theres no question (the development) wouldnt have happened otherwise. "Theres all kinds of restaurants out there that have been very busy but gone out of business," he said. You can have a business thats very successful, but at the end of the day the numbers have to work. Peterson said the hurdle Portillo's faces is making sure the developer on the project, Bloomington Landmark Development Inc. which, he said, involves Chicago developer Tartan Realty Group and its president, Doug Reichl receives an adequate return on its upfront investment. "They're looking at an $8 to $9 million investment, which is pretty hefty for a casual dining restaurant of this nature, he said. They have a gap of $1.8 million in revenue." Peterson said a cheaper site wouldn't have satisfied Portillo's needs for a high-traffic location and a much larger footprint than most restaurants. Scarpino said there are hundreds of factors assessed in choosing a Portillo's location, including traffic counts, site access, daytime and nighttime populations, proximity to homes and businesses and availability of real estate. We believe its a reasonable request, and the revenue from a Portillos, which is pretty extraordinary, will satisfy that rebate in a reasonable period of time, Peterson said no longer than six years, according to town estimates. Peterson, Mayor Chris Koos and Charlie Moore, CEO of the McLean County Chamber of Commerce, said they're all excited to see the project proceed. Koos said traffic for the restaurant could spur more development nearby. "Of all the community members that suggest to me we need a restaurant, Portillos is the most-requested brand in 28 years (with the town), Peterson said. Itll be a regional attraction. ... Its a great addition to the wonderful array of restaurants we have in the community." MCINTIRE | A Mitchell County family is without a pet due to it being shot sometime on Sunday, Nov. 27. The familys terrier had to be put down shortly after it was found suffering from a gunshot wound by a high-powered rifle, according to Mitchell County Sheriff Greg Beaver. Beaver said the dog struggled to get home and was found there. The family, who has not been identified, lives in the 3000 block of 465th Street, west of McIntire. Beaver said he believes the dog was shot not too far from the familys home. Beaver described the dog as a target of opportunity." "At this time, there is no explanation as to why the dog was shot," Beaver said. Anyone who has information about the shooting should call the sheriff's office at 641-732-4750. NORMAL Local businesses, Illinois State University and Heartland Community College are among employers taking a wait-and-see approach after new overtime rules that were supposed to take effect Thursday have been put on hold by a federal judge in Texas. The regulation under the Fair Labor Standards Act sought to shrink the so-called "white-collar exemption" that allows employers to skip overtime pay for salaried administrative or professional workers who make more than $23,600 per year. Under the rule, those workers would have been eligible for overtime pay as long as they made less than about $47,500 per year and the threshold would readjust every three years to reflect changes in average wages. The change would have potentially affected more than 4 million workers nationwide, but it faces uncertainty when Donald Trump becomes president in January, the Associated Press has reported. Opponents have argued the rule change would increase compliance costs for employers who would have to track hours more meticulously and force companies to cut employees' base pay to compensate for the overtime costs kicking in more frequently. At ISU, about 308 employees would have been affected by the change, said Greg Alt, vice president for finance and planning. About two-thirds of them would have been switched to hourly positions and one-third would have been bumped to a higher salary that would be exempt from overtime pay, said Alt. We had plans ready to implement on Dec. 1, he said. The injunction, issued Nov. 22 by a federal court in the Eastern District of Texas, was good news, Alt said, because of the financial hardship it would have caused for some ISU departments. The rule change was expected to cost the university about $400,000 to $500,000, according to Alt. The Twin Cities' largest employer, State Farm, said in a statement it is monitoring the matter and will comply with the rule if and when it goes into effect. But at Country Financial, Chris Stroisch, media relations supervisor, said the company has "decided to move forward with changes the organization has previously announced and implemented in response to the overtime rule." The company is not taking any action at this time to reverse its position in response to the preliminary injunction issued by the federal court, said Stroisch. Meanwhile, John Walsh, government and public affairs manager for the McLean County Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber "was pleased to see the preliminary injunction. In recent weeks we have in fact expressed concerns that those new regulations could potentially bind people more than they would help them. He also noted that businesses that already put compliance plans in place can decide whether to keep or retract the changes. "Any employer who has not put plans in place does not need to make any changes. The only requirement now is to comply with the previous threshold, said Walsh. The Department of Labor says it plans to appeal the decision, however the timeline of that appeal is uncertain, said Walsh. The chamber will continue to monitor the situation and how it will affect businesses in McLean County. At Heartland, Doug Minter, vice president of business services, said two employees in the administrative classification would have had their salaries increased to the threshold with the total financial impact being $2,500 annually. For previously salaried employees who would have been eligible for overtime, the college planned to review overtime needs closely to minimize additional costs, said Minter. BLOOMINGTON A mentally ill Bloomington man shot multiple times during a 2013 armed robbery at a local grocery store has filed a lawsuit against the security guard who shot him, the grocery store chain, and the city of Chenoa, which employed the guard as a part-time police officer. Jason Reeves, 39, was found not guilty by reason of insanity in April 2014 in connection with three armed robberies of Kroger, 1550 E. College Ave. Reeves was shot five times by off-duty Chenoa police officer Andrew Smith in March 2013 as Reeves was exiting the store with $415 he took from a store clerk. Smith was not charged and has since left the department. In his lawsuit, recently filed by Springfield lawyer Peter C. Beard, Reeves accuses Smith of acting recklessly by firing a .40-caliber pistol multiple times at Reeves after the suspect was on the floor, injured and unarmed. Reeves, who was carrying a pellet gun, suffered serious and permanent injuries as a result of the shooting, claims the lawsuit. Reeves is seeking more than $50,000 in damages. As part of the court ruling in the armed robbery case, Reeves was transferred to a state mental health facility where he could be held up to 30 years the maximum sentence he faced if convicted of the charges. He is currently receiving treatment at McFarland Mental Health Center in Springfield. In his claims against Chenoa, Reeves alleges the city failed to properly train the officer on the use of deadly force and how to apprehend an unarmed and injured suspect. The city's policy that allowed Smith to carry his Chenoa police badge and service weapon without proper supervision was careless and negligent, said the lawsuit. In 2013, former Chenoa Mayor Don Corrie expressed concerns that the city could face liability issues over its policy for off-duty employment. Corrie said he would prefer that officers with outside employment work for other police agencies or positions that do not require them to carry a gun. Corrie said Smith displayed his Chenoa badge at Kroger as part of the legal requirement to carry the gun. Current Mayor Chris Wilder said Thursday he has not seen the lawsuit and declined comment on police policy. Kroger did not reply to emailed requests for comment, and Smith could not be contacted. Kroger is accused of negligence for what Reeves said was its failure to train Smith on how to respond to or investigate suspected store robberies. The grocer also carelessly allowed its security guard to carry firearms "without having an understanding on the proper circumstances and manner in which the firearm would be discharged at a suspect inside the store," said the lawsuit. NORMAL Connect Transit will continue to operate after Jan. 1, but maybe not for long. The Bloomington-Normal public transit system received $1.9 million from the state this week, the first of two overdue payments that, if missed, could have caused a temporary bus shutdown to start 2017. But in addition to the second payment that remains outstanding, Connect Transit is counting on a third quarterly payment scheduled for January, said Business Development Manager Melissa Chrisman. Were happy to be able to keep (residents) on the buses, she said. "But were just going to be in the same situation in three months." State funding covers about 65 percent of the transit system's operating expenses. The remainder comes from fares, the federal government, city of Bloomington and town of Normal. The Illinois comptrollers office paid Connect Transit its first-quarter operating reimbursement for fiscal year 2017, which covers July through September 2016, as part of a nearly $17.6 million transfer to the Downstate Public Transportation Fund. That fund was drained due to the state's budget crisis. "The transfer will complete fiscal year 2016 obligations and most first-quarter obligations for downstate transit," according to a Connect Transit release. Connect Transit held a public hearing on the missing funding in late October. State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, attended; state Sens. Jason Barickman and Bill Brady, both Bloomington Republicans, and state Rep. Keith Sommer, R-Morton, sent representatives. Our state legislators took an active interest in this funding problem, and we are very appreciative of the efforts as they continue to support us as we deal with this issue," said Connect Transit General Manager Andrew Johnson in a statement. "We remain optimistic that the state will be able to bring these payments up to date and keep public transit moving in Bloomington-Normal. Bus routes Connect Transit also continues to tweak bus routes, Chrisman said. The system rolled out a full restructuring in August and is considering changing routes including the gold, orange, purple and teal routes to better fit riders' needs. Theres been some trouble with the green (route) staying on time, so weve been trying to adjust that," Chrisman said. Youll see some minor adjustments (next spring), but what those are isnt fleshed out yet. Brazil's Export Volumes of Pulp, Paper and Wood Panels Up Sharply thru October 2016 Dec. 2, 2016 - The export volume of products from the Brazilian planted tree sector recorded an increase from January through October 2016, according to Iba (Brazilian Tree Industry). During the first 10 months of this year, pulp exports showed a growth of 11.1% compared to the same period in 2015, reaching 10.7 million tons. Paper exports reached 1.7 million tons in the period, an increase of 3.2% compared to 2015. For the wood panels segment, the volume exported during the first 10 months of the year hit 831,000 m3, 66.9% higher than the same period in 2015. Export Revenues. The sector recorded exports of US$ 6.3 billion (-2.5%); pulp reached US$ 4.6 billion (-1.7%), paper US$ 1.6 billion (-7.3%) and wood panels US$ 201 million (+26.4%). Exports Destinations. China remains the main destination for Brazilian pulp with 38.3% of exports (US$ 1 billion), followed by the European countries with 33.8% (US$ 1.5 billion). The Latin American countries are still the main destinations for exports from the paper and wooden panels sectors, with shares of 59.6% (US$ 928 million) and 53.7% (US$ 108 million), respectively. Balance of trade. - YTD, the industry's balance of trade recorded a surplus of US$ 5.5 billion (+2.2%); pulp had a positive contribution of US$ 4.3 billion (-0.8%), paper had US$ 942 million (+12.7%), and wood panels had US$ 198 million (+29.4%). Production. Brazilian pulp production reached 15.5 tons between January and October 2016 (+8.1%), and paper remained practically stable with a total of 8.6 tons (-0.2%). Domestic Sales In the first ten months of the year, domestic sales of paper reached almost 4.5 tons (-0.4%), while the wood paneling segment registered 5.2 million m3 (-4.0%). The Brazilian Tree Industry (Iba) is the association responsible for institutionally representing the planted tree production chain, from the field to the industry, before its main audience of interest. To learn more about Iba, please visit: www.iba.org. SOURCE: Brazilian Tree Industry (Iba) Greycon Completes Second Stage of Global SAP Template Rollout for Resolute Forest Products Dec. 2, 2016 - Greycon announced that it recently completed the second stage of a five wave implementation at Resolute Forest Products in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Resolute initiated the global template rollout campaign to establish Greycon's X-Trim solution as the company's standard trim optimization system. Jay Jordan, Sales Manager, North America for Greycon said, We are very happy with the progress so far of Resolute's rollout campaign. Establishing a new system in a company can always be challenging especially when you have multiple sites that need to be aligned. This is why we are so pleased with the X-Trim solution, it integrates seamlessly with SAP, showing Resolute a significant difference almost instantaneously. Greycon completed the first wave for Resolute in February of this year. Since then, Greycon's X-Trim solution has been implemented at eight of Resolute's mills. Greycon expects to complete the campaign by September of 2017. The project involves 16 mills in total, all of which are integrated with Resolute's SAP/APO system. Greycon added that its certified Interface for Industry-Specific Optimizers for APO allows Resolute quick configuration and deployment throughout each wave of the project, allowing a seamless interface between X-Trim and APO. Greycon is a leading global provider of production planning, scheduling and manufacturing execution systems that have been designed specifically for roll-based & flat sheet industries. To learn more, please visit: www.greycon.com. SOURCE: Greycon Youngsters are on the verge of spiraling down a social abyss. Children need proper guidance all the time and government officials reportedly have an obligation towards them, especially in legal matters. British Columbia has appointed a new representative for children and youth. Bernard Richard is going to replace Mary Ellen, B.C' s first representative, who had served for ten years, The Globe and mail reported. Richard intends on pushing the government to appoint a national level advocate for children's cases, as legal assistance is present at provincial levels but no federal guardian is there to help. The new representative has been an advocate for the children and the youth for many years. Richard observed that children are not concerned about jurisdiction, which is all the more reason to address the issues of immigrant children, Inuits and refugee children. Officials are in favor of the idea but say that it demands a lot of work and persuasion. It is also yet to be seen how provincial governments react to the proposal. Meanwhile, the Representative for Children and Youth website sheds light on Richard's life, experiences and accomplishments. Richard has been unanimously supported by the special committee and was appointed to the seat of Representative for Children and Youth for five years. Richard is a lawyer, social worker and been a member of Brunswick legislative assembly for 12 years. He is also the sixth ombudsman of the New Brunswick and served a number of positions in the cabinet during his time in the legislative assembly. The new representative has received several awards for his noble work for children. Furthermore, Richard has been an active member of many charitable organizations, to secure children rights and creating more opportunities for children from aborigines. The appointment of such a capable person as the Representative of Youth and Children is definitely going to help children in a lot of ways. CHARLES CITY | A North Iowa man was sentenced Friday to up to 10 years in prison for raping an out-of-state house guest in May. A Floyd County jury found Stephen Brodersen Jr., 37, guilty in October of felony third-degree sexual abuse. A $1,000 fine was suspended. After Brodersen is released from prison, he must register as a sex offender and be under supervision by the Iowa Department of Corrections for 10 years with the possibility of parole. Brodersen admitted on the witness stand during the trial to having sexual intercourse briefly with the 25-year-old woman from Maine who accused him of raping her. He claimed the encounter was consensual, but the accuser testified earlier in the trial that she said "no" several times. Brodersen was living in Greene when he was arrested, but was still living in Marble Rock when the assault took place. Brodersen was convicted of murder as a teenager in Maine after he stabbed his mother. He served prison time for the offense. Due to a court agreement, the jury in his sexual abuse trial was only allowed to hear that Brodersen told the accuser he had stabbed his mother and had been convicted of a crime. Mary Pieper Parents love their children to an extent where nothing else reaches. They want what's best for them. In the attempt to give them everything, they accuse themselves of not spending sufficient time with their children. However, a recent study proves them wrong. According to a study published in The Guardian, fathers time spent with their children is less important in comparison with how they feel about parenting. The study is focused on parents relationship with the kids, and it shows that those fathers who enjoy their time parenting, their children are less likely to have behavioral problems under the teenage. A survey in Southwest England revealed that the determining factor in a child's behavior problem was linked to how much the father was connected to the child emotionally. The lead author of the study, Charles Opondo from the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford, said that the emotional bonding is much more important in a father-child relationship rather than the time spent on care. The research concludes that how much a child feels close to parents, especially fathers is what matters in his growth and development. The time spent with the kids is important in aspects of quality not quantity. Regarding young children, the time spent on their playful activities like bathing, reading, painting is high-quality time. With older children, a quality time means listening to them, sharing with them and most important of all. The time spent with them should matter to both. Telegraph UK shared the views of Oxford University sociologist Dr. Oriel Sullivan who stated that when parents try to spend all of their time with their kids, they are not only doing harm to themselves but also making children uncomfortable by sticking with them all the time. She further added that the time spent with the kids should be less but quality time; the time which could be useful for children development. The California mother who disappeared while she was jogging was recently found on the side of the road after her attackers decided to let her go. Sherri Papini's husband and the sheriff handling the case recently released details of what the mother-of-two suffered from the hands of her abductors, just like the message burned onto her skin. The attackers of Sherri Papini were regarded as "sick persons" because of what they did to the California woman. Yahoo reported that the 34-year-old mother-of-two had a message branded on her and it was not a symbol. Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko did not provide details about the message. However, Bosenko said, "I would think that that was some sort of either an exertion of power and control and/or maybe some type of message that the brand contained." Sherri Papini was missing for three weeks before she was found on Thanksgiving. The woman who called 911 about Sherri Papini said that she looked scared. The husband of Sherri Papini, Keith, said that she endured mental and physical abuse from the abduction. She reportedly weighs only 87 pounds and had bruises all over her body, severe burns, red rashes and chain markings. Sherri's nose was also broken and her hair was chopped off. Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko also said that Sherri Papini's hair might have been cut off because the attackers did not just want to change her physical appearance but also to humiliate the mother-of-two. As for the alleged kidnappers, Sherri claimed that two of them are Hispanic females and drove an SUV. They also have a handgun with them and the authorities are currently searching for Sherri's abductors. In a statement to Good Morning America, Keith Papini said that the rumors, assumptions and lies about his wife's situation were exhausting and disgusting but he continues to thank the people who supported them. He added that he understands that people want the story, pictures and proof in order to prove that it was not a hoax but he says he does not see a purpose in addressing those concerns. Keith Papini also said that when he saw his wife Sherri, they were filled with happiness but also overwhelming nausea as he assessed what happened to his wife. He ended his statement by saying that it will be a long road of healing for everyone in their family. An 18-year-old high school senior committed suicide Tuesday afternoon in front of her family in their house in Texas City after relentlessly bullied on social media. Brandy Vela killed herself, pointing a gun towards her chest while her dad and the rest of the family sincerely begged her not pull the trigger. The teenager has been cyber-bullied for her weight. "We tried to persuade her to put the gun down, but she was determined," KHOU quoted Raul Vela, father of the teen, as saying. "It's hard when your daughter tells you to turn around. You feel helpless," he added. On Tuesday afternoon, Brandy Vela sent her family an email about her plan of killing herself. The family immediately dashed to their house in Texas and found the teenager alive with a gun pointed at her chest. They tried to beg her to put down the gun, but the troubled teen has already decided to kill herself and pulled the trigger. Brandy's sister, Jackie Vela, said the teenager has always been cyber-bullied about her weight; however, the bullying increased in April. She added that people would create bogus Facebook accounts and would message the teen with really, really means things like why the teenager is still alive. The fake accounts would say that the teen was asking sex. Brandy's older sister, Jacqueline Vela, said: "They (bullies) would make dating websites of her, and they would put her number, and they would put her picture and lie about her age and say she is giving herself up for sex for free, to call her," The father also stated that her daughter had received several harassing calls. He said that sometimes Brandy would not sleep and would call him at night, saying her phone keeps on ringing. The Vela family tried to complain the bullying incidents to the police and to anybody who would like to listen, but they did not get any help. Raul said nobody was willing to help them. Then the Velas worst nightmare happened. "My heart's broken," Raul Vela said, the Parent Herald has learned. "I lost my angel today," he added. The Texas Police are investigating the incident, and so far, nobody has been detained up to now. Capt. Joe Stanton of Texas Police said to CNN that detectives have interviewed the Vela family and will be contacting some people whom the Velas believe are suspects. A cyberbullying/bullying statistic conducted by Statistic Brain showed 52 percent of students in the United States had been cyberbullied and 25 percent of teens have repeatedly been reported bullied through the Internet or their cell phones. Cyberbullying is a kind of harassment or bullying that's completed using any electronic gadgets. A four-year-old boy was killed on Thursday after a driver plowed through the apartment where he and his family reside. His family was also injured in the accident. The apartment is said to be located in South Los Angeles and the driver was identified only as a 24-year-old woman who is believed to have been intoxicated when her car crashed. She was headed north on South Central Avenue at around 12:16 a.m. The driver told officials that another driver cut her off and her car swerved leading to the crash into the apartment, Los Angeles Times reported. However, she was taken into custody after it was found out that she was driving under the influence. As per the surveillance video, the vehicle crashing into the apartment was partly caught. Investigators were still trying to determine whether another vehicle was involved and that the driver of that vehicle might have just fled the scene. The boy, his two sisters and his parents were inside the apartment where the car crashed. The boy's father and the boy were trapped beneath the vehicle. The two girls were also injured while the mother was thrown into the wall. The two girls were still able to ask neighbors for help and were screaming to help their mother. Los Angeles Fire Department Spokesman, Brian Humphrey, said that they had to work through the ruble to rescue the boy and his father. He said, "The 4-year-old was most severely trapped." The boy was said to be pinned under his father. ABC 7 reported that when officials were going through the apartment, they found a hand written note from the four-year-old boy. It was a letter to Santa Claus as he was asking for a bicycle. A neighbor named Maritza Garcia said that she felt and heard the crash. She rushed outside to try and help because the girls were screaming. LAPD Sgt. Rafael Quesada regarded the incident as a senseless loss and appealed to the masses that they have to be responsible when partying, drinking and driving. Meanwhile, no charges have been filed yet. A Washington State teen Democratic presidential voter is now a member of "faithless electors." Levi Guerra, 19, announced last Wednesday that she will join the lines of the "Hamilton electors," a rebel assembly that stops demagogues from coming into the White House. Now, she is the seventh "faithless elector," to dispute the election of President Donald Trump. "I stand behind Hamilton electors," Levi Guerra told The Guardian. "I promised those who elected me that I would do everything I could to keep Donald Trump out of office," she added. On Wednesday, Levi Guerra confirmed in a press conference held at the state capitol at Olympia that she will join the "Hamilton electors." The association is a rebel group that believes it's the duty of Electoral College that has 538 electors to stop any unfit individual to become president. Guerra is among the 12 voters from Washington State who were instructed to elect Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, as member of the Electoral College. The result of the election showed Clinton got 53 percent of votes in Washington State while Trump only got 37 percent. Now, the teenager is going to cast a vote to a lot more "reasonable" Republican. Instead of following the norm of Electoral College of electing Clinton, as her statement that Trump is not fit to become president. Guerra said that she is only 19 and it's her first time to be involved in politics, however, she hopes that her willingness to put her country before her party will show that her generation cares about all the people in America. She assured her community that she would do all to make sure Trump doesn't become the head of the state and fears what example would Trump set for her generation. Now, she became the seventh "faithless elector" to oppose the presidency of Trump, according to the Independent. The seven electors will try to stop Donald Trump from being officially confirmed as president-elect when the entire members of Electoral College meet together on Dec. 19. Trevor Noah, the host of "The Daily Show" talk show, compared President Donald Trump to a toddler after Trump released wacky tweets that dominated the cycle of news. Noah said Trump loves the same things that toddlers do, suggesting the new media to treat him like the toddler he is. On the Wednesday episode of the show "The Daily Show", Trevor Noah has arrived into a realization that: "President-elect Donald Trump may have the mind of a toddler," after wacky tweets of Trump about various issues top the news cycle. Noah exclaimed that Trump like toddlers like building things, love attention and always grabbing things that they are not supposed to grab, Time has learned. Aside from those, Noah believed that Trump has created his own universe and from that, he takes a made-up idea then throws it to the people in the real word and whether people can prove him right or wrong, it does not matter because the people are in his universe. An example is when Trump recently unleashed tweets, attacking the musical show "Hamilton," disaagreeing "Saturday Night Live's" spoof of him and telling that millions of Americans unlawfully voted during the presidential election in which he won. For the whole day, the news would talk about the tweets of Trump. However Trump would tweet again to say that he did not like the news because they cannot prove their claims, which no one really can prove because according to Noah, Trump just invented them all! "Trump wins. It doesn't matter what he says," Noah said according to The Daily Beast . "He could tweet anything, and the next day the news would lose their minds," he added. In the end, he suggested the media to adopt what the president has been doing and just don't argue with them because when a person argue with toddlers that person will never win. A toddler from Philadelphia was accidentally shot by his cousin on Thanksgiving Day and is currently in critical condition. The two were playing with a gun around 4:23 pm and his mother was even in the area when it happened. The victim who is only 2 years old was playing with his 4-year-old cousin who has a gun when the latter accidentally shot him in the chest. In an article published by ABC News, they reported that not only was the victim's mother, Rachel Santiago, was at home when the incident took place but also her boyfriend, Omar Laboy-Vega. The toddler was first sent to Temple University Hospital. However, he was later rushed to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children due to his critical condition. Based on ABC Philadelphia's report, both the victim's mother and her boyfriend were arrested in line with this incident. Both the children's name were not given out by the police due to their ages. Santiago, 34, is now facing charges for child endangerment while 34-year-old Laboy-Vega is facing firearms violation. There is no further report regarding the current condition of the victim. Parents who own a gun must be extra careful in handling it, especially when they know that they have children living with them. Just this year alone, about 51 gun incidents involved toddlers in America since Jan. 1 to Oct. 20. The Washington Post confirmed this statistic and it is a good wake-up call for everyone who owns a gun to use it responsibly. It is not enough that gun owners know how to use it but it is also a must that they know all the safety measures involved with it to avoid accidents that could put a child's life in danger. Share this information with your loved ones today, so they too are aware of the consequences a gun owner could face of not handling it properly. Google Expeditions will be coming its way to hundreds of schools in the United Kingdom, in hopes of bringing better learning experience for students. The tech giant's kid-friendly take on virtual reality goggles will be available for trial, yet some education critics are concerned with its introduction, calling it an "educational cocaine." Daily Mail reports that Google's scholastic initiative puts traditional education in peril. With the introduction of kid version virtual reality gears, critics fear that children might not be utilizing books as often as before. Speaking with the publication, Centre of Education and Employment Research director of Buckingham University, Prof. Alan Smithers said that Google Expeditions is just a marketing ploy pulled by its creator. With 50 new expeditions, bring even more adventures to your classroom with #VR field trips https://t.co/tRsRuyDUse #GoogleExpeditions pic.twitter.com/7tNRHp8KCc Google For Education (@GoogleForEdu) December 1, 2016 Children are feared to be to be lured with the unique three-dimensional experience offered by the kid-friendly version. Eventually, they might pester their parents for the tech company's top-of-the-line version of its virtual reality platforms, Google Daydream View. The professor added that what might be more alarming is when Google seals a deal from schools, or with a bigger client, no less than the British government. "Although superficially attractive as a teaching device, they cannot replace the hard graft of actually getting the children to learn subjects," Prof. Smithers explained. Even though the Buckingham University professor criticized against Google Expeditions, one research has backed the efficacy of introducing digital platforms for educational use. A new research data shows that teachers and students have a positive view regarding the use of digital tools in the classroom, a report from Cnet says. A great example of connecting coursework and fieldtrips with #GoogleExpeditions: Environmental Change in Borneo https://t.co/98RIjqGr6R Google For Education (@GoogleForEdu) November 30, 2016 The research done by an online learning site, Quizlet, found out that, on one hand, students learned better through the use of digital devices. Teachers, on the other, became more enthusiastic in instructing. They also think that learning is more fun through the use of devices and apps. Google Expeditions claims to bring lessons into real life, as stated in their official website. The virtual reality goggles offer a three-dimensional view of any place an individual wants, saying that field trips anywhere can now be done virtually through the device. The kid-version of Google Daydream View is made up of cardboard masks with a slot for a smartphone, and it costs around $19. Meanwhile, Google Daydream View, comes with a $79 price tag. The tech company is slated to visit several British towns like London, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Belfast, Inverness and Cardiff. Through this initiative, it is estimated that a million students will get a taste of the low-cost educational tool created by the tech behemoth. GOP politician Mike Yenni admitted that he sent some inappropriate messages to a teenage boy yet is denying that he is gay. He opened up this issue on November 26 during a TV interview. In an article published by The Huffington Post, Yenni didn't deny what he did to a boy who he sexted and was only 17 years old at that time. He used to be the mayor of Kenner, Louisiana and he also has a wife when this issue of him being involved with a teenage boy took place. Yenni was honest enough to admit the inappropriate conversations that happened between him and the minor and he said that it was indeed a bad decision on his part. Yenni said that he did regret what happened and didn't deny about this story published on The Tab, which apparently is about him. The story was written by a student from Brown University confessing about a politician seducing him, which then lead to exchanging of sexual text messages. Once again, Yenni didn't deny it but after admitting to all of these, he wanted to deliver a message that he is not a homosexual. In his own words, he said, "To simply say it, I'm not gay." It drew some questions to a lot of people knowing what he did show that he is attracted to men. Yenni also didn't confirm about everything that was written in the article except admitting the whole sexting part. He said that of a all the things written there are not accurate according to what he believes. Yenni's statements during the interview were quite vague, especially when he didn't deny nor agree with the words that the Brown University student wrote ion the controversial article. What do you think is Mike Yenni trying to convey with his interview? Share your thoughts in the box below. NORTHWOOD Revelers at the Christmas in Northwood lighted parade on Saturday will be able to continue enjoying the holiday spirit at the new Swensrud Park Afterglow. The event, held right after the parade, will feature chili, dessert bars, children singing Christmas carols and parade float-judging in the park along the Shell Rock River. The parade starts at 6 p.m. It runs down Central Avenue and ends at Swensrud Park. This is the first year for the Afterglow, which was suggested to the City Council by city resident Jean Stowell in late October. City officials provided $2,500 for lights to be strung in Swensrud Park. Municipal public works employees hung the lights. Stowell, one of the events organizers, says a large number of businesses and community organizations worked together to launch the Afterglow. Its a wonderful holiday celebration, she said. A great way to celebrate our little downtown and our great park and all these organizations coming together for the community. Other Christmas in Northwood activities include Christmas with Santa at 9 a.m. at the Masonic Temple and a free showing of A Charlie Brown Christmas at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Northwood Theatre, 740 Central Ave. At 5:30 p.m., the Christmas tree will be lighted in the mini-park at Eighth Street North and Central Avenue. Hot dogs and hot chocolate will be served at the Northwood Community Center, also. City Administrator Amber Julseth said the Afterglow is another way to kick off the Christmas season for the city. I think their hopes are to continue and to grow year after year, she said. This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact the Parsons Sun office at (620) 421-2000 if you have any questions In mid-October Patently Apple posted a report titled "Samsung to Kick-Off 2017 with the World's First 10nm CPU Powering their Galaxy S8." Samsung's new processor will use what is known in the industry as FinFET technology. It was reported in Korea yesterday that the Intellectual Property arm of KAIST has filed a lawsuit against Samsung Electronics, Qualcomm and Global Foundries in a Texas court, claiming they used KAIST's chip technology without permission. Texas is where Samsung's Austin chip plant is located. KAIST is a state-run research institute set up in 1971 with the aim of improving Korea's research and innovation science and technology. At issue is FinFet, which is a key technology for making processors for smartphones. FinFet is a kind of transistor designed to improve the performance of semiconductors and reduce its power consumption. It was first developed by Lee Jong-ho, a professor of Seoul National University in partnership with KAIST. KAIST IP claimed that it had proposed the technology to both Samsung Electronics and Intel, upon which Samsung invited Lee to carry out a presentation for the company's engineers. Intel obtained licenses of the technology for its product. KAIST IP claims that Samsung, on the other hand, turned down the proposal but later developed its own technology that KAIST alleges is identical to Finfet. A KAIST IP official told the Korean publications that "Samsung was able to reduce the development time and cost by copying Lee's invention without cost. (Samsung) has continued copying Lee's invention without authority or proper compensation." Alongside Samsung Electronics, KAIST IP sued California-based semiconductor foundry Global Foundries, which is also using the technology through a license agreement with Samsung. California-based chip designer Qualcomm, a client of both Samsung and Global Foundries, is also facing a lawsuit. KAIST pointed out that Intel is currently providing royalties for using their finFET patent. While KAIST told the publication that it may also sue Apple's chip supplier TSMC, they have admitted that they've yet to secure enough evidence to proceed. According to Wikipedia, many companies have been working FinFET or similar multigate transistors including AMC, TSMC, Infineon, Berkley and others. Samsung has declined to comment as the lawsuit is ongoing. About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus. Last Monday Huawei Technologies won an early skirmish in its smartphone patent war with Samsung Electronics. U.S. District Judge William Orrick of San Francisco rejected Samsung's attempt to invalidate two of the 11 patents asserted by Huawei for claiming ineligible subject matter. According to a California legal issues publication, "The patents claim improvements on procedures for reducing signal interference when a mobile device connects to a cellular network. Samsung had argued that the patents claim nothing more than mathematical formulas, making them unpatentable under Section 101 of the Patent Act, as interpreted by the Supreme Court in its Alice decision. Orrick disagreed. He pointed to a decision last month from U.S. District Judge Sue Robinson of Delaware that characterized similar patent claims as "specific solutions to improve mobile device functionality." "As in Evolved Wireless, I find that the '892 Patent claims are directed to a specific improvement in cellular communications, and not an abstract idea or mathematical formula," Orrick wrote in Huawei v. Samsung. "Thus, the claims are not directed to a patent-ineligible concept under Alice step one, and the analysis ends there." Huawei's second patent presented a closer call, but Orrick ruled it eligible too because it's tied to the concrete structure of a mobile device and it does not broadly pre-empt similar patent claims. Huawei, the world's No. 3 smartphone maker, sued No. 1 Samsung for patent infringement and failing to license its standard-essential 3GPP and LTE patents on fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms. "Huawei is pleased with the court's decision," said company spokesman Bill Plumer. "It confirms the strength of the patents in Huawei's standard essential patent portfolio and underscores the need for Samsung to license the portfolio on fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory terms." Samsung says that Huawei is trying to force it to enter into a global cross-license at terms that "grossly exceed" what is fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory. Huawei is suing for an injunction in China while at the same time seeking a declaratory judgment from Orrick that would block Samsung from seeking the same relief in the United States, Samsung says. Huawei's efforts "threaten to interrupt Samsung's ability to supply smartphones in the United States and around the world," Samsung warned in an August filing." About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus. Most Christians will know the Parable of the Mustard Seed, wherein Jesus describes the Kingdom of God as like a mustard seed in that it is tiny but grows into a great tree. Buddhism, too, has its Parable of the Mustard Seed, but here the story is quite different. Kisa Gotami In the Buddhist story a young woman -Kisa Gotami- follows a rather fairy-tale like path from birth in a poor family to a marriage to the only son of a wealthy family. She was not treated well by the wealthy family of her husband until she bore them a son. Then she was accepted and respected. Things couldnt be better for her. But then, tragedy strikes. Her son, at just the age where he had begun to run around on his own, died. Distraught, she took up the childs body and searched for a doctor with the right medicine to revive him. She was laughed at and mocked by those who saw her until, finally, a man told her to go see the Buddha. She asked the Buddha if he could help her. To her delight, he said, yes, I can help you. What he would need from her was just a simple mustard seed from the nearby village. In India, mustard seeds would be in practically every house as a common spice. She was elated; this would be easy. But, the Buddha told her, you must get the seed from a house that has not known death. Realization Sure, she thought, and went quickly on her way. At the first house she asked for the mustard seed and when it was quickly offered to her, she asked, has there been death in this house? The kind villager nodded and told the story of a lost uncle or cousin. The same happens at the next house, and the next house, and the next. As she traveled from house to house and heard story after story, her sense of aloneness in her grief began to subside. No house is free from death, she realized. She finally let go of her son, laying him in a forest nearby, and returned to the Buddha. The Buddha asked her, Do you have the mustard seed? Dear teacher, She replied, I do not, but I saw that the living are few and the dead are many. ~ Kisa Gotami Bhikkhuni (nun) Kisa Gotami then joined the Buddhas order of nuns and gained complete and perfect awakening. One story of her post-awakening life has her encountering Mara the devil in early Buddhism, a sort of personification of destructive doubt. Alone in the woods one day he came to her and asked: Why now, when your son is dead, Do you sit alone with a tearful face? Having entered the woods all alone, Are you on the lookout for a man? Perplexed at first, she quickly realized who (or what) this was and replied: Ive gotten past the death of sons; With this, the search for men has ended. I do not sorrow, I do not weep, Nor do I fear you, friend. Delight everywhere has been destroyed, The mass of darkness has been sundered. Having conquered the army of Death, I dwell without defiling taints. And just as thoughts, when given no power, simply disappear, so too does Mara at hearing this. Notice that she calls him friend. Their is much in Buddhism about learning to befriend our demons or offer them tea when they come to us. Like any friendship, this is a process and a cultivation based in kindness. Who among us has not experienced loss? What resources did we have (and have now) for dealing with it? Kisa Gotami was looking for a miracle when she went to the Buddha. His response was to gently and skillfully guide her to understand and accept the reality of her grief, loss, and heartbreak. It wasnt the miracle she was looking for, but it allowed her the miracle of profound insight that Buddhists would say is more valuable even than a lost child. This is what the Buddha meant when he said that instruction is the highest miracle (Digha Nikaya, Sutta No.11). A Workshop In just under two weeks, I will be teaming up with Marisa Diaz-Waian and others to explore this universal human experience from a number of perspectives. I plan to share this story and others from the Buddhas life, as well as lead some short meditations pointing attendees at not only the universality of loss, but also the importance of feeling deeply ones own emotions around grief. We can oscillate between repression or denial and catastrophizing our situation to the point of possibly creating new difficult emotions such as anger or alienation of friends and loved ones. But somewhere in the middle is where we look seriously at our loss and heartbreak. We see it for what it is. We befriend it. For myself at least, I can say this doesnt quite make it disappear as in the story of Mara above, but lessens the grip it might otherwise hold on us. It allows us to get on with life, to connect with others, to be of service to a world that sorely needs it. Read about the full workshop here. If you are in or near Helena, MT, please register or spread the word to others who might be interested. We also have a scholarship fund and equipment fund. If you would like to donate to the scholarship fund, click here. If you would like to help with equipment click here and specify meditation/mindfulness in the instructions box. This will go to getting more zafus/zabutons, etc. Resources: It is distressing to see people blogging and news outlets reporting once again about the lead codices from Jordan as though they might conceivably be authentic ancient artifacts. It has been shown that they take text and images from known artifacts and reproduce them over and over again in an attempt to produce something that aims to give a false impression of antiquity, and significance, but making their authenticity less likely rather than more after closer inspection. That the lead is ancient is as irrelevant as that the papyrus on which the Gospel of Jesus Wife is ancient. Modern forgers recycle ancient materials for precisely this purpose, to have the objects date as ancient. And so that is no longer something that provides a basis for the dating of what is written on a particular ossuary, papyrus, or piece of lead. For the very latest on this, see Jim Davilas blog post. For more information available online for the past five years see the pages, posts, and articles by Steve Caruso, Dan McClellan, David Meadows, Michael Heiser, Tom Verenna, and Jim West. Dare I hope that Ariel Sabar might do for these objects what he did for the Gospel of Jesus Wife? News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. Family Breaks Silence Over Iranian-American and Wife Held for Three Months Without Charge or Counsel 12/02/16 Source: International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran Case fabricated "for the purpose of extortion and property seizure" says family Karan Vafadari with his wife Afarin Niasari December 2, 2016-Karan Vafadari, an Iranian-American national belonging to the Zoroastrian faith, and his wife Afarin Niasari, have been in detention in Tehran's Evin Prison without public charge or access to counsel since their arrest by Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' (IRGC) Intelligence Organization agents three months ago, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has learned. In a letter addressed to supreme leader Ali Khamenei, Karan Vafadari's sister, Kateh Vafadari, said the detained couple, who run an art gallery in Tehran, had been subjected to "extortion, property seizure and national security threats," ever since their arrest, and called for their immediate release. "Yet another case of a dual national snatched and held without charge or access to a lawyer represents an alarming continuation of a judicial system run by intelligence agencies with no respect for the law and no accountability," said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the Campaign. According to information gathered by the Campaign, the Vafadari family have visited Karan and Afarin in prison several times in the past three months. They decided not to publicize their case, hoping it would be resolved. Every week IRGC intelligence agents promised that the couple would soon go free but nothing happened. Then when the family started receiving anonymous phone threats and demands for money, they decided to go public and write a letter to Iran's supreme leader. Kateh Vafadari lives in Washington, DC. In her letter, she said her sister-in-law, Afarin Niasari, was detained by IRGC agents at Tehran airport in late July 2016 as she was about to board a flight to attend a family wedding abroad. She was told to call her husband and ask him to come to the airport. When he arrived, he, too, was arrested and both were taken to Evin Prison. The next day, the couple were brought in handcuffs to their home where agents took down works of art hanging on walls, smashed some of them in the yard and confiscated others. The couple were then taken to their Aun Gallery where, again, some of the art work was destroyed by the agents and a number of others impounded. Karan Vafadari, who attended Tehran's prestigious Alborz High School, graduated from New York University in electronic engineering and management. While their three children live in the United States, Vafadari and his wife, an architect, live in Tehran's Vanak neighborhood and manage their gallery, which has been sealed by the authorities since their arrest. The couple were initially held at Evin Prison's Ward 2-A, which is controlled by the IRGC's Intelligence Organization, and later transferred to a group holding cell. Without mentioning Vafadari and Niasari by name, Tehran Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said on August 2, 2016 that "two Iranian dual nationals" had been charged with organizing mixed-gender parties for foreign diplomats and their Iranian associates and serving alcohol at their home. "The enemies of the Revolution are engaged in organized corruption and depravity," Dolatabadi said, noting that "4,000 liters of alcohol" had been found at the couple's home. However, no mention was made that Vafadari is Zoroastrian therefore not subject to Islamic laws on alcohol and mixed gatherings. Under Iran's Constitution, Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians "are free to perform their religious rites and ceremonies, and to act according to their own canon in matters of personal affairs and religious education." Vafadari and his wife's arrest has caused much distress within the small Zoroastrian community. The Vafadari family are well-respected for endowing the Firouzgar Hospital to the public. In her letter to supreme leader Khamenei, Kateh Vafadari described the prosecutor's charges as a violation against the couple's rights, privacy and profession. "For religious minorities, such as Zoroastrians, there is no difference between an alcoholic or herbal drink. They are both consumed at home. Zoroastrians drink alcohol at mourning ceremonies and various traditional events as well. It is a normal part of life. To conduct an arrest simply for having alcohol at home is a violation of the laws of a multi-religious society and disrespectful of the traditions of others," Kateh Vafadari wrote. Referring to the prosecutor's accusation about foreign diplomats, Kateh wrote: "The guests in every gathering depend on who you work and associate with. The type of guests attending Karan and Afarin's parties are irrelevant accusations made by the honorable prosecutor. The life and profession of ordinary people must be protected." She added: "In our faith and traditions, parties can be mixed. At the same time, we respect other religious traditions, such as Shiism, where men and women guests are in separate quarters. Kateh Vafadari also complained to Khamenei that her family had received phone calls by several unknown individuals seeking to extort money. The calls have taken place after a Member of Parliament for the first time publicly mentioned the detained couple by their first name last month. "A dual-national couple by the names Karan and Afarin have come to Iran. Go see the information about them. Go see what they have done to our country's artists and celebrities. They filmed alcohol being served from pipes and tried to use it as blackmail. They said they would publish the clip if [the authorities] didn't cooperate," said Hosseinali Haji Deligani, the MP from Shahinshahr. "Since the honorable MP from Shahinshahr made those statements, threats and blackmail by unknown individuals against our family have increased significantly," Kateh Vafadari wrote in her letter. "In fact, the accusations made public by the honorable MP from Shahinshahr have exposed the reasons for the arrests: To fabricate a case for the purpose of extortion, property seizure and national security threats. It is very bad for Karan and Afarin to suffer like this. It is also an ugly episode for the security-judicial establishment. No one benefits for this. It will harm society." Responding to the MP's allegation of the existence of a film clip showing the consumption of alcohol at Karan Vafadari's home, Kateh Vafadari wrote: "We have film clips and recordings from various aspects of our life and work. Confiscating them is a violation of domestic privacy." She added that arresting the couple for having a different life-style based on their own religious traditions "does not make sense to a rational mind. These arrests, based on the statement made by the honorable Tehran prosecutor, are without foundation and against the law." Criticizing the destruction of works of art and the closure of Aun Gallery by the authorities, Kateh Vafadari wrote: "You cannot arrest someone or smash works of art just because you have a different taste. These works of art represent the diverse interests and wishes of different people in the city." Kofax Power PDF review TechRadar Pro Kofax has a handful of multi-platform apps to help you alter and annotate PDFs. Standard is likely the one best suited for most needs, and is the software well be exploring in this review. A funeral Mass will be held 10:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 5, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Charles City with the Rev. Gary Mayer officiating. Visitation will be held at Hauser Funeral Home from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the funeral Mass at the church on Monday. The current debate over fake online news has one country feeling vindicated: China. For years, its controversial censorship system has been cracking down on so-called online rumors, and last week a state-controlled newspaper essentially told the U.S., I told you so. Chinas crackdown on online rumors a few years ago was harshly condemned by the West, wrote the Global Times. Things changed really quickly, as the anxiety over internet management has been transferred to the U.S. To be sure, the two are very different. In the U.S., its private citizens and internet companies that are questioning the role of fake news while acknowledging freedom of speech. In China, the government itself is arresting people as part of its concerted effort to maintain control over all corners of the internet. Hearsay, fabricated news or guesswork that distorts the facts is prohibited, a Chinese internet regulator said in July. Chinese authorities have deleted user accounts found spreading such content, and theyve banned media organizations from citing unverified sources on social media. Some users have faced harsher actions. For instance, in August 2015, some Chinese were arrested as part of a crackdown against 197 people for posting false information about stock market turmoil and an explosion in the city of Tianjin. China saw problems with false information on social media early on, said Jason Ng, a researcher at the University of Torontos Citizen Lab, who has studied Chinese online censorship. To their credit, [China] recognized there is a potential vacuum where these sort of things can fester, and lead to real consequences, he said. So Chinese censors have axed false reports about a celebritys death or ways to cure cancer. On the other hand, theyve also targeted the truth, banning discussion of subjects the government would rather citizens didnt talk about, he said. Censors have been found scrubbing social media posts that mention the death of the Chinese Communist Party or freedom of the press, according to Ngs research. China claims this is necessary for societal order, and its also resulted in the blocking of major U.S. Internet companies, including Facebook, Twitter and Google. Domestic social media services which routinely censor posts critical of the government have taken their place. This approach stands at odds with that of the U.S. government, which has supported free speech and been critical of tech businesses that support Chinas censorship apparatus. So its with some amusement that internet users in China have noted the U.S. debate on fake news. The West arrogantly thought they could use their social media networks as a tool to overthrow other countries, but in the end they became a victim of it, wrote one user on Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like site. Michael Kan Sina Weibo is a Twitter-like site in China that regularly censors posts, including fake news. Social media is such an active place for exchange of information in China in part because users dont trust mainstream media, most of which is state-run and tightly controlled. To find unfiltered news, internet users often turn to Chinese social media networks, where they can post and read content that sometimes gets past the censors. Social media in China has been the channel through which internet users can exchange information that wouldnt have been allowed in state-run media, said Mark Natkin, managing director of Beijing-based Marbridge Consulting. And despite the censorship, more Chinese internet users are relying on social media for unfiltered news, even if the source is questionable, Ng said. The potential for fake news can happen because Chinese citizens have such distrust in the official media, he said. Perhaps the same can be said of Americas problem with fake news. Distrust of mainstream media led a portion of the U.S. population to seek out alternative news online, and that helped fake news flourish. I guess one mans rumor is another mans scoop, said Duncan Clark, chairman of technology consultancy BDA China. For the Chinese government, cracking down on online rumors is about nipping unrest in the bud before it becomes a political movement, he said. But the rise of social media is creating a new media environment in both countries. As I think Barack Obama just said to the New Yorker, everything is true and nothing is true, Clark said. Its a concern that internet users in China are also very aware of. Most Chinese users are actually against fake news, Ng said. Because they know that in this environment, it has the potential to flourish. OReilly Auto Parts, and its subsidiaries were ordered Thursday, Dec. 1, to pay $9.87 million to California district attorneys for improperly handling and disposing hazardous materials. The settlement was made in a civil lawsuit filed in Alameda County by Riverside, Alameda, Yolo, Ventura, San Joaquin, San Francisco, Monterrey, San Diego and Solano county district attorneys, according to a Riverside County District Attorneys Office news release. The lawsuit alleges that more than 525 OReilly stores throughout California unlawfully handled, transported and disposed of used oil, used oil filters, and various hazardous wastes and materials over a five year-period, the news release said. The hazardous wastes included automotive fluids, batteries, e-waste, aerosol cans and other items. OReillys Moreno Valley distribution center received hazardous waste from various Southern California stores, the news release said. Some of the 31 Riverside County stores were found to be disposing hazardous waste improperly or sending it to the distribution center. A series of undercover inspections of waste bins at OReilly stores was conducted between 2013 and 2014. The investigation found that the company was routinely and systematically sending hazardous waste items to local landfills that werent permitted to receive them. Inspectors determined 42 out of the 43 stores inspected were breaking the law. In addition to paying the settlement, OReilly was ordered a permanent injunction prohibiting similar violations. Since the investigation, OReilly has adopted enhanced policies and procedures regarding the disposal of hazardous materials, according to the news release. Retired Brig. Gen. Stan Brown, the man perhaps most responsible for bringing the national cemetery to Riverside, was buried there Thursday, Dec. 1, 42 years after he stood on the site with Admiral John McCain the Arizona senators father and convinced him this was the place to build it. About 200 people attended the service for Brown, who died Nov. 10 at 87. During his life, Brown was a fighter pilot, the commander of March Air Force Base, a Riverside County planning commissioner and a mover and shaker in the Riverside community. He was remembered by those at the service as an imposing, stern character who did things his way and had little patience for those that might have gotten in his way. But he was also praised for his ability to work with people, for his friendship and for his love of the community and his family. State Sen. Richard Roth, himself an Air Force veteran, said even before he was stationed at then March Air Force Base, hed heard stories of Brown. When the two finally met, they were both retired. They were meeting with an Air Force captain who didnt seem to appreciate Browns contribution in establishing the Raincross Trophy, an Air Force award. The captain, tasked with taking on the responsibility of maintaining the award, made the mistake of trying to tell Brown about the trophy. Stan started peeling the skin off this captain, layer by layer, Roth said. I left that meeting, concluding he was a bit gruff. Not long after that first meeting, he added, I learned beneath that gruff exterior was a kind and gentle man who always had the interest of his community and the Air Force in mind, always. The military service included the folding of the flag that covered Browns casket, a rifle salute and the playing of taps. Not long after the start of the ceremony, four single-engine fighter planes roared overhead in the missing-man formation. Brig. Gen. Russell Muncy, the current commander of March Air Reserve Base, said Brown would have enjoyed the interruption. I would apologize for the noise, Muncy said to those gathered, referring to the engines of jets from the base across the freeway, but I think I might hear from someone whos very close to me right now, he added, looking at Browns casket. Stan Brown lived for that sound. I really believe he lived for March Field and March Air Base. Brown spent four years at March, from 1973-1977, and was commander for the final two. Not long after retiring from the Air Force in 1983, he returned to Riverside and became a permanent resident. He worked with local officials and those in Washington to protect the base from being closed during rounds of congressional cutbacks. With U.S. Vets, he pushed for a new facility for homeless veterans. And he helped bring the Medal of Honor memorial to Riverside National Cemetery in 1999, making it the first national cemetery west of the Mississippi with monuments. Other monuments have been added to the cemetery since. Mike Goldware, a family friend, worked with Brown on the cemeterys monuments. To say that he was a warrior doesnt come close, Goldware said. To say that he was a patriot doesnt come close. But Brown also had his quiet side. Jake Herbert, 42, of Riverside, owns Kraemers Koffee Bistro, with his wife, Vanessa, 31. He said Brown was part of a group of regular customers, coming in most every morning to the Brockton Arcade business. He was known to the group as the general. It would take him a while to warm up to you, Jake said. He warmed up to me right away, Vanessa said, smiling. Browns late wife, Beverly, had been a customer before he started coming in. Vanessa said he often talked about her and his three sons. Jeff Norman, 73, of Riverside, said the coffee group often discussed business and politics, but Brown always kept things civil. He was like the referee, Norman said. No one ever got mad at each other. The attitude was you have a right to your opinion. The group also talked about cooking. He was an amazing baker, Vanessa said. His banana bread was to die for. A local gourmet restaurant, she said, uses Browns recipe for its apple pies. He also knitted, she said. Group member Beth Clarke, 62, of Riverside, said she liked Browns wit. He had a bit of a dry sense of humor, she said. Hed say something under his breath. Id think, Did he just say that? And then hed give me a smile. Browns oldest son Stan, 60, of Riverside, said he wanted his father to be remembered for his devotion to the military and to the Riverside community. Personally, he said, he remembers the folksy lessons his father taught him. Hed say, Spit in one hand and wish in the other, and see which one fills up first, he said. All three of Browns sons spoke at the ceremony, remembering a father who taught them discipline but with compassion. Brad, 58, of Yorktown , Va., said he thinks the thing that defined his father was passion, for his family, for his country, for the Air Force and for his community. When he got his teeth into something, he didnt let go. We used to laugh at him, Stan said, because he never would quit. Brown grew up in Champaign, Ill., during the Great Depression. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1950 and was about to be promoted to staff sergeant in 1953, when he was tapped for officers school. Originally destined to oversee a maintenance operation, he finagled his way into flight school, becoming a fighter pilot just as the Korean War was ending. His Cold War career included flying intelligence missions. He later became commander of the Defense Nuclear Agency, overseeing the security and testing of the countrys nuclear weapons. Muncy observed that Brown was one of the few generals to start his military career as a private. He said it was fitting for the cemetery Brown helped to create to serve as his final resting place. Its definitely appropriate for him to spend eternity right here, he said. Contact the writer: mmuckenfuss@pressenterprise.com or 951-368-9595 There are days Jessica Ballesteros has to force herself out of bed. To shower. Put on makeup. Go to work or visit family. The grief, anxiety and depression that gripped her for months after she survived a San Bernardino County coworkers Dec. 2, 2015, terrorist attack in San Bernardino has crushed her again heading into the one-year anniversary. Her eyes fill with anguish as she remembers searching for answers she would never find. Memories that cant be erased. I have seen things and heard things I wish I never had, she says outside a Redlands coffee house. There are times when I think Im still going to wake up from a dream. Since a Muslim coworker and his wife shot 36 people at a county holiday party/training session, its felt as if shes living in an altered dimension. You just feel like you dont fit anymore, says Ballesteros, two tears sliding down her cheeks. You put on this face, you pretend youre OK, and you show up. She tells herself its not fair to her family or the 14 coworkers killed by Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, to give up and just lie in bed or on the couch. I keep fighting because I dont want them to win. CANT STAND SB STRONG Today, Ballesteros and other survivors arent just fighting to heal. Theyre fighting to get badly needed help with their recovery through the countys self-administered workers compensation program. The county sends doctors requests for proposed treatment through workers comp utilization review, with other physicians deciding whether thats medically necessary. On Monday, 12 survivors attended a special San Bernardino County supervisors meeting. Three pleaded for help. County supervisors later released a statement vowing to hire an outside firm to expedite the workers comp process for survivors. Many issues described Monday come from survivors doctors not submitting supporting documentation, the statement said. Risk Management Director Ken Hernandez said decisions about authorizing treatment are made by utilization review doctors, not the county. Most of the 57 public health department employees who lived through the mass shooting at the Inland Regional Centers rental hall suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Twenty-two were shot. Some have been left with other mental or emotional injuries. Survivors report denials or delays in getting surgeries, physical therapy, counseling, equipment and prescriptions, including painkillers, anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication, even as the one-year anniversary approached. Survivors feel so abandoned by county officials that the phrase SB Strong, developed in the attacks aftermath, feels like a lie. I cant stand that SB Strong thing anymore, said lead environmental health specialist Hal Houser, who fled the conference room as Farook reloaded. Recently, Riverside resident Valerie Weber, 59, struggled across a parking lot to a Loma Linda University Medical Center cafeteria. Inside, she remembered seeing Harry Hal Bowman fall to the ground in the IRC conference room Dec. 2 saying, Ive been hit. Then she was shot in the shoulder by Malik, the bullet hitting an artery, as the two locked eyes. I saw dead black eyes. Dead black eyes, Weber said slowly. She was later shot in the back, shattering her pelvis, when the couple walked back through. In intensive care and rehab three months, Weber had five blood transfusions and more than 12 surgeries. Her hair fell out last spring. She needs more surgeries. She limps because a vein from her leg was transplanted into her shoulder. Her left arm is paralyzed from her elbow to fingers that are just starting to move. She speaks slowly, searching for words. Weber said she was denied 24-hour home healthcare for nearly a month after she left rehab, when she couldnt get out of bed herself and used a wheelchair. Her 83-year-old mother from Ohio cooked, shopped and did laundry but couldnt get Weber out of bed. She then got round-the-clock care until last summer, when it dropped to 12 hours daily, and now six hours. She said progress was set back by denials and delays for physical and occupational therapy. Weber said she only wants what doctors are requesting. My recovery should be just that: recovery. It shouldnt be fighting and trying to get the necessary care, she said. Theyre making it impossible for me to recover. EARLY WARNING SIGNS Survivors say the denials and delays in treatment began two or three months after the attack. But there were warning signs of problems to come. They say their suffering was compounded by not getting any counseling Dec. 2 or in the days or weeks following the massacre, unless they got counselors on their own or through state funding administered by the San Bernardino County District Attorneys Office Victim Services bureau. Several survivors said those who werent shot were initially told they were expected to be back at work Monday, with two days off after the attack. County spokesman David Wert said county supervisors and CEO Greg Devereaux took action the night of the attack granting all Environmental Health Services (EHS) employees leave until Dec. 14. Ray Britain, the EHS division interim chief, returned to work Dec. 3 and worked through the weekend with two other supervisors to figure out what had become of staff. After a decision that most survivors and other EHS workers more than 100 people could remain off until Dec. 14 and that three satellite offices would stay closed, Britain and two other surviving managers were asked to staff the central office alone Monday, Dec. 7. Britain asked for time to be with his family and process the attack, but said he had to keep working until a psychiatrist put him on medical leave in January. Everyone in the world seemed to acknowledge we were victims except the county, he said. At a meeting the FBI set up to help survivors Dec. 10 at the National Orange Show Events Center, Britain asked a staffer at the countys Risk Management table for a workers comp application. She looked up at me and said, Why? You dont look like you need a form, Britain recalled. Some, like Ballesteros, returned to work as requested Jan. 4 without having received any counseling. Some didnt get counseling for two months. Ballesteros was put on leave for a month after panic attacks at work and at home that night. By mid-November, survivors said that about 36 of them were back working full or part-time. Sixteen were on full-time leave, Wert said. Theres never been a group debriefing with trauma specialists to help survivors on their path to recovery. I dont think these people ever really understood what happened to us at all, said Houser. MEDICATIONS DENIED Counseling has been denied or stalled. Survivors have been denied medications, some as the anniversary approached. Santa Ana workers comp attorney Geraldine Ly said four survivors she represents were cut-off from anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medication or both. Program specialist Sally Cardinale, 35, returned to work part-time, but was put on medical leave Nov. 18 after she began feeling angry during withdrawal from anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication denied in mid-October. Caltrans engineer Osama Sam Megalla emailed Devereaux Nov. 22 demanding to know why pain medication was denied for his wife, Hanan Megalla, who was shot four times in the face, chest and arm. Some, like Amanda Gaspard, say theyve been threatened with collections over medical bills incurred after denials. Shot twice in the thigh and knee, she began learning to walk again in March despite missing significant bone, cartilage and muscle and being in daily pain recovering at her parents New Hampshire home. She got five months of physical therapy but continued going after that was denied. Shes waiting for two knee surgeries. Survivor Julie Swann-Paez has been denied some physical therapy after her pelvis was shattered by two bullets. Doctors thought shed never walk again. In April, a utilization review doctor wrote there was minimal evidence shed benefit or had progressed with 17 sessions and that she was reportedly injured Dec. 2, suffering a pelvic fracture from gunshot wounds. She resumed physical therapy in late October. Houser, who returned to work in early January but was diagnosed by a workers comp psychiatrist with PTSD and put on medical leave in mid-October, had medication denied at the same time for a lack of history showing the need. Survivors say they feel ashamed to ask for help and describe undergoing secondary trauma working with the countys risk management department, trying to handle delays and denials. By being put in a position to have to fight for our healthcare needs, that puts us in a situation where we feel helpless again, Britain said. Hernandez, the countys risk management director, said the county cant just authorize care because survivors have different needs. Some medications must be reviewed. Administrators in his department are survivors advocates and are doing everything they can to help, he said. This system was put into place to protect employees from any unreasonable or unnecessary treatments or medication, he said. POSSIBLE LEGISLATION San Bernardino area politicians are getting involved. Assemblyman Marc Steinorth, R-Rancho Cucamonga, said hell ask survivors and Devereaux, the county CEO, what they need and try to reach a resolution for all involved. Incoming 47th District Assemblywoman Eloise Reyes said she plans to introduce legislation Monday the day shes sworn in to revise workers comp laws to allow workers hurt in a terrorist attack or workplace violence to bypass utilization review. Reyes, an attorney, has represented injured employees struggling to get medical treatment through workers comp. The self-insured county could decide on requests for treatment rather than sending claims to utilization review, she said. This is an absolutely horrible consequence when somebody says they have to go by the letter of law, when they know they have the power to really take care of those who have been so horribly injured, she said. Contact the writer: 951-368-9444 or shurt@scng.com Local law enforcement officials say that while there are no reported threats of violence, police officers and deputies will be extra vigilant on Friday the one-year anniversary of the Dec. 2 terrorist attack at the Inland Regional Center. Multiple events are scheduled across the Inland Empire on Friday, where police presence is expected to be ramped up. Well have quite a few extra units out, just as a result of the memorial services, San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said Thursday, adding that some officers will be working overtime and others will be diverted from their regular duties to provide security at the memorial events. On Thursday, police were called to the Inland Regional Center on a call of a suspicious person trying to access the building, which turned out to be an employee who forgot their employee badge and security key, Burguan said. It turned out to be a whole lot of nothing, he said. The incident underscores how employees have become more vigilant since the attack. People are more cautious and aware of their surroundings, Burguan said. Should there be a reported threat or incident of violence, Burguan said his officers will be ready. Well be ready for it if it happens, but we dont have any reason to believe things will happen, Burguan said. Shortly before 11 a.m. on Dec. 2, 2015, county environmental health specialist Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik. 29, walked into the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino and fatally shot 14 people, 13 of them Farooks colleagues who were attending an all-day training seminar and holiday luncheon in a rented conference room at the center. Farook and Malik, of Redlands, were killed in a shootout with police hours after the attack. The FBI declared the attack an act of terrorism the deadliest on U.S. soil since 9/11. San Bernardino County sheriffs Lt. Sarkis Ohannessian said deputies will also be on alert Friday, but the department had no plans of enhancing patrols. Since there is no information of any types of threats in our county, we will remain vigilant, he said. If we do get any kind of information that requires us to beef it up, we will, but at this point we should be OK. Sheriffs spokeswoman Cindy Bachman said the department wants to remind the public to also be extra vigilant on Friday, and to report anyone or anything appearing suspicious. We cant be everywhere and we urge them to report suspicious activity, behavior, whatever it might be that seems off, Bachman said. That one report may stop a tragic event from occurring and save lives. Meanwhile, it will be a day of remembrance, Ohannessian said. This day is more of remembering those victims, and for us its really a somber day for the entire county, he said. It reminds us of how vulnerable we are as a society. Ronald Ron Kenneth Meyer IOWA FALLS Ronald Ron Kenneth Meyer, 77, of Iowa Falls, Iowa, died Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, at the Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa in Mason City. Memorial services will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 5, at the Bethany Lutheran Church, Iowa Falls. Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, also at the Bethany Lutheran Church. Memorials may be directed to: Bethany Lutheran Church, c/o Linns Funeral Home, Iowa Falls. Linns Funeral Home, Iowa Falls. An afternoon fire displaced an adult and child in Desert Hot Springs where the damage was estimated at $60,000, said Riverside County Fire Department officials. The blaze was reported at 1:20 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, along the 15700 block of Via Montana. Heavy smoke was pouring from the building when the first of six fire engine crews arrived. They contained the flames within 25 minutes. American Red Cross volunteers were summoned to help the victims. In case you missed it, Gov. Jerry Brown made a surprise replacement pick for California Attorney General. Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Los Angeles, will serve out the unexpired term of Democrat Kamala Harris, who was elected on Nov. 8 to replace Barbara Boxer in the U.S. Senate. Its not the first time Becerra has made a splash. In 2014, he stopped by San Bernardino to personally endorse Eloise Reyes, who bucked the Democratic establishment with her Inland congressional bid. Becerra received a heros welcome from Reyes and her enthusiastic supporters. Reyes lost that campaign and the establishment pick, Pete Aguilar, went on to represent Californias 31st Congressional District. But Becerras endorsement was a coup for Reyes, who challenged the establishment again and won by unseating Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown, D-San Bernardino, last month. Slate had an interesting take on Becerras appointment. Staff Writer Jim Newell said Becerras new role could put him front and center in Californias opposition to Donald Trump. I think of Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts rousing proclamation from his tenure as that states attorney general under the Obama administration: I go into the office in the morning, I sue Barack Obama, and then I go home. Abbotts lawsuit against Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA), the Obama administration program to protect millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation, successfully blocked the program from going through. Becerra has the opportunity some would say the obligation to play almost the opposite role: to protect undocumented immigrants from whatever expansive deportation efforts a Trump administration initiates. Becerras new job, Newell writes, is preferable to staying in Congress. Consider how Democratic power will be spaced out in 2017: thinly. There will be none of it in the executive branch. There will be important minority roles in Congress, but they will still be minority roles. Republicans will have unified control of the government in 25 states, while Democrats will have it in a handful: three small Northeastern states, Oregon, and California. Becerra wont just have a friendly governor and legislature. Hell have a friendly governor and legislature with a supermajority in both chambers. The power dynamic of the next couple of years will be California versus Trump, and the state will be fully on his side. Becerra just accepted one of the most important Democratic jobs in the country. Follow along with Southern California News Group staff as they report live from memorials across the Inland Empire reflecting on the one-year anniversary of the San Bernardino terrorist attack at the Inland Regional Center. The mass shooting took the lives of 14 people and wounded 22 others on Dec. 2, 2015 when Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik opened fire on a San Bernardino County holiday party. Almost a decade after filing for bankruptcy, the Hemet Valley and Menifee Valley medical centers appear to be on the upswing. The Hemet hospital will soon open a heart center, while Menifee will add a medical arts building. And both hospitals have recently been recognized by national organizations. Its a great opportunity to come and make progressive change in a healthcare system that has a great foundation, said Dan McLaughlin, the new CEO of the hospitals parent company. What became Valley Health System was formed in 1946 and was overseen by a seven-member board elected by district residents. By 2010, the district owed an estimated $44 million to its bondholders and as many as 2,800 unsecured creditors were owed about $22 million. The hospitals were purchased by a group of area doctors in 2010 and became private. The company, Physicians for Healthy Hospitals, is now solely owned by Dr. Kali P. Chaudhuri. McLaughlin said hes aware of the spotty history between the hospitals and the community. Through financial issues, poor management decisions, troubles recruiting staff, geographic isolation and crowded emergency rooms, community members have not always given the facilities high grades. The history is what it is, McLaughlin said. I can only win people one patient experience at a time. If I can have everybody walking out of here with a good experience I can change the community perception. McLaughlin said the hospitals are turning the corner financially and expanding. A catheterization laboratory is expected to open in the next month. That will allow heart patients to get all their tests in one location. Eventually, a surgery center will be completed. The district also started a residency program and purchased a Hemet skilled nursing facility. Chaudhuri also has said he hopes to some day build a medical school in Hemet. McLaughlin, 61, who took over Aug. 1, is not new to the region. The Southern California native attended both UCLA and USC. He most recently was at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles as vice president of professional services. In 1985, he helped close the old Lake Elsinore hospital and open Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar. He replaced Joel Bergenfeld, who retired, but is still working part time in the district. Tom Wilson, a Valley Health System board member at the time of the sale and now works to close out old business, said hes seen a lot of improvements. Theres been a lot of money invested, Wilson said. A lot of positive things have happened. The district is one of the largest employers in the Hemet-Menifee region, with more than 1,100 workers and 206 on the medical staff. There are 324 beds at the Hemet hospital and 84 in Menifee. An average of 200 beds are used each day, McLaughlin said. Contact the writer: 951-368-9086 or cshultz@scng.com A 43-year-old Yucca Valley man faces life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for the fiery torture death of his ex-girlfriend five years ago in Ontario. While in the ambulance, her dying words were: Hector Meza set me on fire. He is abusive and obsessive,' San Bernardino County prosecutors quoted 34-year-old Maria Banuelos as saying. Banuelos was attacked near her apartment about 3:30 a.m. Oct. 22, 2011, along the 2800 block of East Riverside Drive in Ontario. She died two days later. Before being set ablaze, she had been hit on the head three times, possibly with a metal bar, prosecutors said in a written statement released soon after a Rancho Cucamonga jury convicted Meza on Thursday of first-degree murder and three special circumstances: murder in the course of mayhem, involving torture, and while lying in wait. She left her apartment and, shortly later, her family heard her screamsand saw the victim engulfed in flames, the statement quotes Deputy District Attorney Kent Williams as saying. Meza was arrested hours later during a car stop in Perris. His sentencing is set for Jan. 4. Awaiting trial for the same attack are 24-year-old San Bernardino resident Robert Chico Zapata, 28-year-old Rancho Cucamonga resident Jonathan Zuniga, 23-year-old Johnny Eugene Hernandez, and 25-year-old Genesi Leon Ramirez, also known as Genesi Ramirez Leon. Ontario International Airport had a 3 percent increase in passenger traffic in October over the same month in 2015, the facility reported in its first traveler count issued through the Ontario International Airport Authority. The airport had 391,996 passengers in October, compared to 380,584 for October 2015. The year-over-year passenger number for the first 10 months of 2016 was remarkably close to last years number, 3,499,925 passengers for 2016 compared to 3,499,904 for 2015. Domestic passengers increased 0.2 percent; international passengers dropped 4.5 percent. For October, international passenger traffic showed 10,025 an 18.1 percent increase over the same month last year. Domestic passengers, 381,971, increased by 2.7 percent for the same time frame. The airport has seven air carriers, with service to 13 U.S. cities and Mexico, with about 62 daily departures. Southwest Airlines is scheduled to offer a new daily nonstop flight from ONT to Dallas Love Field starting Jan. 15, 2017. The top four airlines by passenger count in October were Southwest, 228,55; American Airlines, 70,642; Alaska Airlines, 35,172 and United Airlines, 32,989. Air cargo, including freight and mail, increased 1.8 percent in the October year-over-year period, to 45,264 tons, the OIAA said in a news release. Mail, 1,799 tons for October, dropped nearly 24 percent from one year ago. For the first 10 months of 2016, air freight jumped 12.6 percent, to 432,059 tons. Ontario International Airport returned to local control on Nov. 1, nearly 50 years after the predecessor to Los Angeles World Airports took over management, and eventually ownership, of the facility. The transfer was the result of a $250 million settlement reached in August 2015 to end a lawsuit filed by Ontario against Los Angeles in 2013. That lawsuit alleged LAWA had wrongfully reduced flights at the facility starting in 2007, dropping passenger traffic and harming the region economically. The joint-powers OIAA was formed in 2012 to govern the airport in anticipation of its return to local control. Low, machine-like sounds grew ever louder toward a frightening crescendo multiple times while an aerial projection of the city of San Bernardino lit up the walls in an otherwise dark room. And when the black-and-white-and-dark-brown projection zoomed in on the city, it brought the Inland Regional Center area into focus. I feel as though Im trying to come into contact with something very awful and complex, said Gary Barnett, 46, of Riverside. Immersed in reverberating sound and a shifting projection, dozens of visitors to the UCR Barbara and Art Culver Center of the Arts on Thursday saw, felt and heard artists interpretations of the Dec. 2, 2015 terror attack. Its pretty stark, Barnett said. That grainy image, with the complex sounds around it, evokes something. And the sound is all around us. You feel it as much as you hear it. I guess its an artists representation of what we all feel. Titled Trauma, Loss, and Transcendence, the performance was dedicated to the memory of victims and to the healing of survivors of the Dec. 2 terrorist attack in San Bernardino that killed 14 people and injured 22 others. A second concert is set for 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, at the Culver Center of the Arts in downtown Riverside. The first half of the event featured an immersive video and sound experience accented by computer-generated live electronics. Following a short break, a pair of musical pieces were sung by soprano opera signer and Cal State San Bernardino music professor Stacey Fraser, accented by the rhythmic sounds of percussionist Justin DeHart from the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet. CITY LIES BROKEN One couldnt miss references to San Bernardino in the lyrics. In unveiling the City in the Sea piece, written by UC Riverside scholar in residence Martin Jaroszewicz, the words speak of a devastated Inland Southern California community: Lo! Death has reared himself a throne Far down within the West Thy name cannot be spelled A city in a golden sea lies broken, sad alone The second piece, composed by Paulo Chagas, a composer and UCR professor of music, was titled Too Much Love and explored the thinking of the couple, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, who carried out the brutal attack, then left behind their 6-month-old baby. The piece contained a number of chilling questions. Did she corrupt her husband? Or did he corrupt her? Did their love for each other give rise to an act of mass terror neither would have contemplated alone? Some of Frasers verses were set against high, seemingly discordant crotales notes reminiscient of a tense scene in a scary movie. SAFE PLACE Chagas, who teamed with Jaroszewicz to coordinate the event, said they invited the audience to participate, by tweeting to @culvercenter. As they came in, tweets were projected onto one wall. On another, were words from a newspaper article about the massacre one year ago. While attendees were being immersed in sound, their eyes were drawn to three-dimensional aerial images of San Bernardino sprayed across the walls. Everything is black and white. There is no color, Chagas said before the event. Color is very distracting. Michael Janz, 30, of Riverside, said he was struck mostly by the overwhelming computer-generated electronic sounds, which filled the room. Youre in it. Youre surrounded by it, Janz said. The computer gave an otherworldly texture. Organizers said through the presentation they were hoping to call attention to the anniversary of the attack in a sensitive way. To me, art is a safe place to address issues that are hurtful, said DeHart, the percussionist. Organizers said they were also hoping to ease the pain of victims families and the survivors. Art and music may not promote healing for everyone, Fraser said. Everyone has their own way of dealing with grief. But for some, she said, it may help. After immersing herself in the more-than-hour-long performance, Alicia Reynoso, 40, of Riverside, said she believed that it did. I think music is very healing to any type of soul, Reynoso said. Contact the writer: 951-368-9699ddowney@scng.comTwitter: PE_DavidDowney Officials say a Wednesday morning attempted carjacking at a Temecula park and ride was one of a string of incidents that happened in North San Diego and Southwest Riverside counties. In all three, motorists had guns pointed at them, according to law enforcement officials. Authorities are still looking for suspects who they believe are behind the incidents, which happened over the course of about 90 minutes, according to a San Diego County sheriffs news release. About 4 a.m. a tow truck driver was driving on Interstate 15 north at El Norte Parkway in Escondido when he saw two cars, a black-colored 1990s Acura Integra and a black-colored 90s Honda Civic, according to the release. As the tow truck got off on Gopher Canyon Road, he saw that the cars were following him. As he approached Gopher Canyons intersection with Vista Valley Drive, officials say, the tow truck driver was forced to a stop after the two cars boxed him in the Civic came to an abrupt stop in front of him and the Integra stopped behind him. The driver of the Civic then got out and came to the side of the tow truck, displayed a gun. The tow truck driver drove toward the middle of the roadway and sped away for fear of being shot. He heard a gunshot sounding in the distance, according to the news release. The tow truck driver continued westbound on Gopher Canyon Road when he saw the Integra approaching him at speeds of about 80 mph. The Integra, officials say, ended up crashing into a hill at Gopher Canyons intersection with East Vista Way. A short time later, a 42-year-old woman was driving her gray-colored Dodge Neon southbound on East Vista Way when she saw a crashed Integra and a Honda near it. A man could be seen walking away from the crashed car, according to the release. She stopped to see if the people needed help, at which point the driver of the Honda came toward her with the shotgun and demanded her car, according to the release. One of the men drove the Honda Civic while the other man drove the Dodge Neon north toward Highway 76. The Honda Civic was later found abandoned on Highway 76 and Olive Hill Road in the North San Diego County town of Bonsall. About 5:15 a.m., a man was sitting inside his parked truck at a park and ride on Winchester Road just before the 15 Freeway, when two men and a woman pulled up in a Dodge Neon, according to both Riverside County and San Diego County sheriffs officials. One of the three people held the man at gunpoint in an attempt to take his truck. The man ended up accelerating and crashing into the dodge neon as he tried to flee the location, according to officials. Officials say two rounds were fired into the side of the truck as it fled. One of the suspects is described as being a Latino man in his late 20s, about 5-feet-10-inches tall, with a medium build, light complexion and facial hair on his chin. The other male suspect is described as being Latino, in his mid-20s, about 5-feet-10, with a mustache. Contact the writer: 951-368-9693,agroves@scng.com or @AlexDGroves on Twitter. This morning my dad on his way to work got shot at as two men were trying to steal our truck at the mall pic.twitter.com/tRLjTENyIR Lebedeff (@Ryanlebedeff) December 1, 2016 http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Ghana has signed a 7.84 million Euros mixed credit facility agreement with the Nordea Bank of Denmark for the establishment of an Environmental Monitoring Laboratory at the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT). The Environmental Monitoring Laboratory is to promote teaching and research for the UMaT and the establishment of an Environmental and Safety Engineering Department. The project will be funded through a grant of 2.9 million Euros from DANIDA as well as the 7.84 million Euros loan facility from the Nordea Bank. Deputy Finance Minister, Mrs Mona Quartey, signed on behalf of Ghana while Mr Henrik Brink, the Vice-President of Nordea Bank, signed for the company. Mrs Quartey said the agreement marked another milestone in the process that would lead to a significant improvement in the tertiary education sector, especially in the area of science and technology. She said the project would help train the manpower needs of applied research and equip trainees to address the environmental challenges faced in the degraded mining enclaves and forest reserves. Mrs Quartey said the project would create a platform for the establishment of an Environmental and Safety Engineering Department at UMaT thereby enhancing the capacity of the university to enrol more students and produce graduates well vested in environmental issues. The project will create a balancing mechanism between the extent of dependence of the national economy on mining operations and the prevention of the potential adverse effects of activities of operators in the industry on the economy, she said. Mrs Quartey said the project would also help to reduce the level of cyanide holdings, minimise the quantum of mining waste as well as minimise the pollution of rivers through the reduction of cyanide spillages. She expressed the hope that mining companies would take advantage of the opportunities the project would provide in making available laboratory services that address mines-related environmental consideration. Tove Degnbol, the Danish Ambassador to Ghana, said the support was highly relevant in the situation Ghana found itself as mining was a major industry in the country. Professor Jerry Kuma, the Vice Chancellor of UMaT, said the environmental lab was key to the universitys quest to be relevant in the mining and business sectors. He said with the project UMaT would be well positioned to minimise the effects of mining on the communities. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video 5 p.m. update. MASON CITY A Mason City man accused of shooting a 19-year-old woman Friday morning will be held on $100,000 bond. Larry D. Whaley, 60, made his initial court appearance Friday afternoon on a charge of felony attempted murder. Police say Whaley used a handgun to shoot a 19-year-old Mason City woman in the head at an apartment complex at 116 17th St. S.E. The shooting was reported at 3:53 a.m. Whaley, who police say was found at the scene, was arrested late Friday morning. The complex, where Whaley is a tenant, is across the street from Lincoln Intermediate School. The school was closed at the time of the incident. Magistrate Judge Patrick Byrne conducted Whaley's initial court appearance at 3:30 p.m. Friday via video conference. Byrne was at an office on the second floor of the Cerro Gordo County Courthouse in downtown Mason City. Whaley sat in front of a camera placed in a conference room in the Cerro Gordo County Jail on the outskirts of Mason City. Handcuffed and wearing a faded black-and-white jail uniform, Whaley responded "Yes, sir" when Byrne asked him if he understood his rights and "No, sir" when the judge asked if he had any questions. His bond was set at $100,000 cash. His preliminary hearing is Dec. 16. Two jailers helped Whaley stand up. He walked away slowly under his own power. The hearing took about two minutes. Check back at globegazette.com for updates on this developing story. Update: 60-year-old charged in Mason City apartment shooting 2 p.m. update: MASON CITY A 60-year-old man was arrested Friday in connection with a shooting earlier that morning at a Mason City apartment building. Larry Whaley, Mason City, was booked on a charge of attempted murder. Police say a 19-year-old woman was shot once in the head with a handgun early Friday at 116 17th Street Southeast. Officers were called at 3:53 a.m. to the three-story building across from Lincoln Intermediate School where the shooting allegedly took place. Whaley was a tenant at the building, which is divided into five apartments. Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley said the woman is a Mason City resident. She was taken to Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa and later flown to Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester for additional treatment. Family has been notified of her condition, Brinkley said. Her name was not released. Investigators are still determining if more than one shot was fired during the incident, Brinkley said. Check back at globegazette.com for updates on this developing story. Update: Shooting investigation across street, but normal class day at Mason City school 11 a.m. update: MASON CITY Students began classes as usual Friday morning at Lincoln Intermediate School in Mason City in spite of a police investigation into an early-morning shooting across the street. The shooting was reported at 116 17th St. S.E. at 3:53 a.m., hours before students or teachers were at the campus. Police say a woman found at the house was hospitalized for a gunshot wound. She was later transported Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota. Her condition has not been released. Several people found at the scene were being interviewed by investigators, police say. The house in question, a light-gray three-story home, is across the street from the entrance to Lincoln Intermediate at the corner of 17th Street Southeast and South Pennsylvania Avenue. Crime scene tape was still around the home when students began arriving for the day. Police also had placed barricades up in the 100 block of 17th Street Southeast, blocking traffic. Interim Superintendent Mike Penca said the district decided to continue classes as normal after speaking with police. The school building was never on lockdown. The police "felt like there was no threat to the school," Penca said, "that the situation had been resolved and that they would be continuing the investigation." The district sent an email to staff and parents apprising them of the situation. It also posted a notice on its website informing the public that the bus pick-ups and drop-offs would not be affected. Building administrators greeted students at the doors of Lincoln Intermediate as pupils began filtering in for the day. Counselors also are available to speak with students who need extra support, but so far most seem to be doing OK, Penca said. "The administrators at the building let staff know as students arrived if any students were concerned or had any anxiety or needed other support, we had counselors available to do so," he said. Check back at globegazette.com for updates on this developing story. Update: 1 in custody following shooting near Mason City school; 4th shooting in 6 weeks 7:30 a.m. update: A shooting across the street from a Mason City school Friday morning is the fourth shooting in Mason City in six weeks. Police were called at 3:53 a.m. to a report of a shooting at 116 17th St. A woman who had been shot was taken to Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa. Her condition wasn't immediately released. Police say they are speaking with persons of interest. On Nov. 17, Melinda Kavars and Caleb Christensen were killed in Christensen's home North Hampshire Avenue. Peter Veal, 30, Lake Mills, faces first-degree murder charges in their deaths. Revell Tony, 19, Mason City, was charged with attempted murder after a man was shot in the buttocks and arm on Oct. 23 in the plaza outside the north entrance of the Southbridge Mall. Police continue to investigate the Oct. 18 shooting that wounded a woman near North Washington Avenue and Ninth Street Northwest. No arrests have been made. Officials have said the three incidents incidents prior to Friday's shooting were not connected to one another. Check back at globegazette.com for updates on this developing story. Update: One in custody following shooting near Lincoln School in Mason City 7 a.m. update: Mason City Police said Friday morning one person was in custody and was being interviewed about the shooting on 17th Street Southeast. Officials said the area was "secure" and the incident was limited to the residence. In a press release, they said one woman was transported by the Mason City Fire Department to a hospital with a gunshot wound. Officials said several people were at the residence and were also being interviewed by police. They also anticipated some impact for parents and children near Lincoln Elementary: "This ... may affect school drop-offs and bus routes this morning. We would ask that parents plan to avoid 17th Street Southeast, if possible, on their way to drop off their children this morning." The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff's Office also responded to the incident, which was reported at 3:53 a.m. Check back at globegazette.com for updates on this developing story. Shooting reported near Mason City school 4:30 a.m. MASON CITY Law enforcement and ambulance responded to the scene of an apparent shooting early Friday near Lincoln Intermediate School. Mason City police officers were called to an incident on 17th Street Southeast near the school just before 4 a.m. Radio traffic indicated a woman had apparently been shot in the head, although when officers arrived on the scene they were apparently able to escort her out of a house into a waiting ambulance. Ambulance crew members did not enter the home because the scene had not yet been declared safe and clear. The apparent victim was transported to Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa. Officers on the scene said over the radio that a suspect may have been armed and barricaded, and requested aid from county deputies and the Iowa State Patrol, as well as activating the SOG team the North Central Iowa Narcotics Task Force Special Operations Group. A few minutes later, however, before other departments arrived, an officer radioed that the suspect was gonna come out be prepared. A minute later an officer reported, We got him, we got him, and said other departments could disregard the call for aid. Mary Pieper, a reporter for the Globe Gazette who lives very near the scene, said she called 911 when she heard a disturbance, but it appeared others had also already notified police. "I heard what sounded like someone screaming," Pieper said, but added she didn't hear anything that sounded like a gunshot. "I heard a thumping noise," she said. Pieper said that a few minutes after the incident ended an officer came by to tell her everything was "all clear," and that they wanted to interview her about what she had heard. No official report on the incident was available, as officers continued to investigate at the scene. Continue to check this website and Saturdays Globe Gazette for additional coverage of this developing news story. The 2016 general election begins today with special early voting at 284 centres across the country. A total of 127,394 people drawn from the security services, the media and the Electoral Commission (EC) are expected to cast their votes during the special nationwide exercise. The special voting has become necessary because the people who will be involved in the exercise will be required to work on December 7. Breakdown of centres According to the Director of Communications of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mr Eric Kofi Dzakpasu, the number of people on the special voters list had increased from 114,813 to 127,394 as a result of the involvement of police recruits and the temporary staff of the EC. A breakdown of the polling centres for the regions is as follows: Ashanti, 47 centres; Brong Ahafo, 28; Central, 20; Eastern, 33; Greater Accra, 38; Upper East, 15; Upper West,11; Volta, 26; Western, 26, and Northern, 18 centres. Ablekuma West The incumbent Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful is accusing the EC of introducing 93 fake names into the constituency register for the special voting exercise. Ursula, who came to the center with some piled sheets of paper in hand claimed that her office received three different registers prior to the special voting exercise today. "The first was full of mistakes, and the last one is no exception," she added. She further explained that, "We received the last list just last night, which we made out 93 names which are not in the constituency register of the Ablekuma West Constituency. The outspoken lawyer also said she could count young voters aged 18, 19 and 20 years in the register who were listed as EC election staff. She found the act fraudulent since some senior EC election staff who came to the centre, had their names omitted. The EC presiding officer at the venue Frank Agyei acknowledged receiving a list of the names being alleged to be fraudulent by Ursula and explained that he would verify the claims. From Tema West, Della Russel Ocloo reports that there was near confusion as three police officers whose names were not on the register verbally assaulted the Electoral Commission officials supervising the exercise at the Tema Community Two police station. A police officer, Mr Albert Amofa Adade, who claimed to have registered at Sakumono in the constituency labelled the EC officials as incompetent when his name was not found on the list. A female officer who was in the queue also retorted that there will be a commotion at the centre if she found out her name was excluded from the list. In all 880 registered voters are expected to cast their ballot at the centre. The Deputy Returning Officer for the Constituency, Mr Roger Klu told Graphiconline.com that the various district commanders were asked to submit the names of officers to partake in the exercise, as such, if some names have been omitted from the list, it only meant that the names might have been excluded by the commanders and not the EC. "We gave the supplementary list of special voters to the police to check for the names of their personnel before subsequently submitting back to the EC, so it would not be the fault of the EC", Mr Klu said. As at 8:25 am, 82 people have cast their ballot. Klottey Korle Some security personnel who spoke to thre media have also expressed frustrations at the Klottey Korle constituency. One security official said : Im going to the North, how can I go there, come back to Accra on December 7, vote and go back? Another said; If we are being treated like this, how much more a pure water seller on December 7? Responding to these concerns, the Public Relations Officer of the Electoral Commission, Eric Dzapasu, said the Commission will take measures to immediately resolve the challenges. He believes the returning officer at Klottey Korle might have erred in refusing to allow the affected persons to cast their ballot. 70 police officers names missing in N/R Meanwhile Citi News Northern Regional correspondent, Abdul Karim Natogmah, reports that about 70 police personnel could not find their names on the special voters list, despite registering for the exercise. He said the Tamale Metro Chief Police Commander could also not find his name on the special voters list. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Some high-ranking personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces within Burma Camp say they suspect sabotage in the special voting exercise taking place on 1 December. Some of them told Class91.3FMs Emefa Apawu that their inability to find their names on the list of special voters smacked of a grand scheme to disenfranchise them. Across the length and breadth of the country, reports indicate that security personnel in particular are complaining about their inability to find their names on the register so they could vote. For instance, confusion over missing names on the list of special voters at the Nima Police Station in the Ayawaso East constituency of the Greater Accra Region led to a suspension of the exercise temporarily. Reports from the station said most the police officers who had gone to vote could not find their names on the list. In the Ashanti Region too, some military and police personnel complained they were being prevented from casting their vote because they cannot trace their names on the register. In the Eastern Region, reports say the regional police commander could not vote because he could also not find his name on the register. Also, the District police commander in Suaman Dadieso in the Western Region was disenfranchised for the same reason. The Special or Early Voting is organised by the Electoral Commission for journalists, security personnel, and officers of the election management body who will be busy supervising the general elections on 7 December. The Director of Communications of the Electoral Commission, Mr Kofi Dzakpasu, told Prince Minkah on Class91.3FMs Executive Breakfast Show that the inability of the security officers to vote could be attributed to the inability of their High Commands to submit their names. Mr Dzakpasu also said some personnel may have relocated to different places but may not have transferred their vote as required by law and so cannot vote in their current places of residence. He added that personnel who may also have made errors in submitting their voter ID numbers may not be able to vote. Ghanaians are electing a new president and new parliament for a fresh four-year term. Seven candidates are contesting in the presidential race. Source: Classfmonline Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has assured Ghanaians that victory for him and the NPP in the December 7 elections will mean that the country will be put at the forefront of the industrialization efforts of West Africa. According to Nana Akufo-Addo, his administration would oversee the mining of the vast and untapped bauxite deposits in Kyebi, Atiwa plains and Nyinahin, and through the building of an integrated aluminium industry, add value to the countrys bauxite deposits. This, he explained, will facilitate the export of manufactured aluminium products, a vision which has been envisaged for several decades, stressing that the time has come for us to move our industrial development forward. The NPP flagbearer was addressing yet another mammoth gathering at Nkawkaw, the venue for the partys Eastern Regional Rally, the last of the regional rallies, on Wednesday, November 30, 2016, when he made this known. The establishment of the Integrated Aluminium Industry, Nana Akufo-Addo explained, will provide thousands of jobs for the teeming masses of unemployed Ghanaian youth resident in the Eastern Region, and across the country. There must be jobs in our country. The lack of jobs, which is the case under this government, poses a threat to the future stability of our country. We have put in place programmes to make sure we create jobs and prosperity for our youth so they can also stand on their own feet, thereby securing the peace and stability of our country. That is the task we have put before ourselves. We want to construct a bright future for the Ghanaian people, he added. In addition to this, Nana Akufo-Addo reiterated his commitment of helping to establish at least one factory in each of the 216 districts across the country. We have completed the surveys, and already at least 300 projects have been identified across the 216 districts of Ghana. Marketing plans, and markets for the products are being worked out. What is needed is that on the 7th December, you give me the opportunity to implement this programme (1-District-1-Factory), he said. The industrialization of the Ghanaian economy, Nana Akufo-Addo has already indicated, is going to help us in many ways, by generating wealth and development across the country. We will stop this Accra-Kumasi centered development. It is dangerous for the future of our country. In doing so, we will revive the lives of our districts and regions, and stop this potentially dramatic exodus of young people towards the city centres. To this end, and in giving a boost to the establishment of these industries, the NPP flagbearer has committed his government to the abolishing of import duties on raw materials and manufacturing equipment, and the reduction of corporate income tax from the current 25% to 20%, to make sure that Ghanaian enterprises are competitive. In the midst of all these policy initiatives, the NPP flagbearer has indicated that the countrys fiscal balance would also have to be firmly put in place through the enactment of a Fiscal Responsibility Act, which will set out specific relationships between government expenditure and national reserves, to make sure that the economy is always within the fiscal balance. The 1-District-1-Factory policy, which is an integral part of the NPPs agenda to industrialise the country, according to Nana Akufo-Addo, will compliment a number of strategic, arch industries to be established, in partnership with the private sector. We want to reposition the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre to focus its attention on attracting investment, both domestic and foreign, into these strategic industries iron and steel, cement, bauxite and aluminum, petrochemical industry, vehicle assembly and the manufacture of machine parts and equipment. These are going to be the industries for which we are going to anchor our industrial development, Nana Akufo-Addo said. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says he would want to be nicknamed Show Boy should he win the 2016 presidential polls. He explained that the sobriquet will be earned because of the great structures he will set up for massive developmental projects across the country as next president of the republic. Speaking exclusively on PEACE FMs morning show Kokrokoo with award winning host Kwami Sefa Kayi, the NPPs flagbearer dismissed claims that he will relocate the countrys capital to his hometown, Kyebi, in the Eastern Region. He also explained how his government plans to help establish a factory in each of the 216 districts across the country. They said when I come to power I will relocate the capital of Ghana to my hometown. What is the capital going to do in Kyebi? he questioned I have no intentions in doing that at all. My aim is to create jobs in the city and across the country. People will laud me for that rather than changing the capital to my hometown. I will be nicknamed the Show boy for that. That is what I want to do he said. More soon... Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/ Twitter: @Washman5/ Instagram: Washman007 Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Government has affirmed its commitment to make Ghana an aviation hub in the subregion. It is for this reason the government is creating an enabling environment for the expansion of the airline industry in the country. And as part of this objective, a lot of expansion works are ongoing in the countrys airports, the Chief of Staff, Mr Julius Debrah, has stated. He was speaking in Accra during a courtesy call on him by the Regional Manager of American Airlines, Mr Mark Danis. Mr Danis, who is in charge of Africa, Middle East, Asia and part of Europe, was at the seat of government to officially inform the government of his new appointment and operations plans for American Airlines. Activities Mr Debrah said Ghana had been following the activities of American Airlines, because as a country, we want to expand the aviation industry. He observed that operations in the airline industry were becoming keener. According to Mr Debrah, it is the wish of the President that American Airlines will bring their carriers to Ghana. Anything that we have to do as a government to support you to be able to operate smoothly in Ghana we will do, he said. American Airlines Mr Danis said making trips across the globe had made him to realise that American Airlines were a community that brought people together. He explained that the visit was part of his familiarisations tour of the country, and indicated that American Airlines were delighted to be in Ghana. Source: Daily Graphic Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video All the seven presidential candidates contesting next weeks general election, yesterday converged at Movenpick Hotel in Accra to pledge their commitment to peaceful elections, but the event was overshadowed by ill-fated special voting that saw many special voters having their names missing from the voters list. The Accra Peace Accord, initiated by the National Peace Council in conjunction with the National House of Chiefs, became necessary after several reports of attacks on supporters of the opposition party, New Patriotic Party (NPP), creating tension before the Wednesday, December 7 elections. Six of the seven presidential candidates were present at the peace pact with Progressive Peoples Partys (PPPs) Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, being represented. President John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the New Patriotic Partys (NPPs) Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings of the National Democratic Party (NDP), the Convention Peoples Partys (CPPs) Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, the Peoples National Conventions (PNCs) Dr. Edward Mahama and independent candidate Jacob Osei Yeboah. Dr. Nduom, was represented by his running mate, Bridget Dzogbenuku. Lip Service The flag bearer of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, fully pledged his commitment to peace before, during and after the December 7 polls but said President John Mahama and the ruling party must stop their rhetoric over their peaceful character when they look on with glee for supporters of the ruling NDC to beat up, maim and kill NPP supporters, especially in the Asutifi South and Asunafo South Constituencies in the Brong-Ahafo Region and Odododiodoo in Accra. The NPP presidential candidate said the reason why the political atmosphere seems clouded with anxiety and increasing loud calls for peace is because the government has not tried to build any confident measures to assure Ghanaian citizens that the security agencies have a free hand to do their work in an impartial manner. He indicated that in Odododiodoo and Asunafo South Constituencies, violence is being perpetrated against members of the NPP on daily basis by operatives of the ruling party with virtually no action from the security services, stressing that what is fuelling anxiety and rumuors is that many Ghanaians do not feel that the security agencies are neutral in performing their duties. The rapid apprehension and prosecution of members of the ruling party who have been responsible for the recent violence against members of the NPP in Asutifi South, a constituency represented in parliament by a cabinet minister, will be one such measures to curb the violence, he said. Nana Akufo-Addo told the respected audience, made up of the Chairperson of the Economic Community of West African States who is also the President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf; a former president of South Africa, Thambo Mbeki and UN Secretary-Generals Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, that he has always stood for peace in his over 40 years in politics. He said in the 2008 general election, even though he lost by the slimmest margin of 40,000 votes after leading in the first round, he did not ask for recount and readily accepted the results. He said in the same manner when he contested the results of the 2012 presidential election in court, he accepted the Supreme Court ruling without inciting supporters of his party. We in the NPP proved to the world that we were willing and able to submerge our individual and partisan preferences for the common good. We demonstrated clearly that it was not the ambitions of Akufo-Addo, nor fortunes of the NPP that we sought to promote, he said, adding that the stability and progress of Ghana and the enhancement of her democracy were the paramount considerations that guided the action of the NPP in those difficult days. President John Mahama also promised his utmost commitment to peaceful and successful elections this year. Mahama Pledges I pray to the almighty God that it shall not be my portion and that may it not be under my watch that our dear nation Ghana would be consumed by violence, he said President Mahama said he would continue to carry out his dual role as president and a presidential candidate in a manner that will promote peace and stability of the country. I declare publicly my respect for the Electoral Commission and the authentic results that shall be declared by this Commission. I declare my confidence in the people of Ghana to make a choice of their own free will of whom they wish to lead them over the next four years. Violence cannot be a reflection of a genuine desire to serve. I have absolute confidence in Ghanas capacity to successfully clear the upcoming democratic hurdle on December 7, 2016 and stay the course of democratic and economic transformation that I have initiated over the last four years, he added The independent presidential candidate, Jacob Osei Yeboah, said the happenings within Ghana ahead of the December 7 elections do not give signals of peaceful polls. He said the monster threatening the peace of the nation is partisan politics. He therefore, called upon Ghanaians to emulate Benin by voting for a candidate not affiliated with any political party. Mr Yeboah said, I would rather wish that the seven of us should be killed rather than the nation killed for the seven of us. The chairperson of ECOWAS, Ellen Johnson, said that Ghana has an enviable record and reputation in democracy which spans three successful transfers of power from one government to another She therefore, asked all the presidential candidates and political leaders to ensure that the country preserves its democratic credentials and ensure peaceful elections on December 7. Source: Daily Guide Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video New Patriotic Party Presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo has dismissed claims that he wants to move the national capital to Kyebi in the Eastern Region when elected Head of the Republic. Last week, images of a purported leaked email attributed to Nana Addo and a member of the NPP surfaced, hinting that the NPP Presidential Nominee plans to the capital from Accra to his hometown, Kyebi. The leaked email also purported that Nana Addo had promised a German firm a contract to build a new Township in the Eastern Region and use it as the new capital for the country. Responding to the issues in the studios of Peace FM, Nana Addo stated emphatically that he doesn't "send e-mails. I dont do that. I understand it well. I have an account but I dont use it...I prefer face to face dealing. He explained the reports as a propaganda strategy by his political opponents to score political points. In fact, its alarming for someone to even imagine that. Its like when they said that President Kufour would carry the sea from Accra to Kumasi. It is a pity that our opponent, that is the level of engagement they want to bring to Ghanaians. Its like they dont respect Ghanaians. What will make me, within a short period of presidency; move the capital from Accra to Kyebi; because I hail from there? I think some people dont understand that you come to work for the progress of the country. If you are from Bole, does that mean, you must only care about people from Bole? I dont understand why someone will come out with such malicious allegations that I come from Kyebi, so all that Im coming to do is to elevate the position of Okyehene just because of politics. I dont know why someone who come into Ghanaian politics and give very narrow limited vision of what the country is. Watch the video below: Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video God will give Ghana a President on December 7, Dr Lawrence Tetteh, the renowned International Evangelist and Economist has said. He said any of the seven presidential candidates who won the election, was winning for Ghana. He noted that there had been no point in time in the history of Ghana, where God had failed to provide a leader. Dr Tetteh made these remarks on Wednesday in Accra in his homily at a one-day prayer and fasting for peaceful election organised by the Electoral Commission (EC) and the National Commission for Civic Education, in collaboration with the Retired Staff Association of the EC. Dr Tetteh recounted that through divine intervention Dr Kwame Nkrumah was brought from prison to be the leader of government business, and that Professor Kofi Abrefa Busia was brought from exile to be the Prime Minister, while former President Jerry John Rawlings was released from prison by junior military officers to become the Head of State. He also described the elections of former President John Agyekum Kufuor and late President John Evans Atta Mills and the ascension of President John Dramani Mahama to the throne as divine interventions. Dr Tetteh, who is the President and Founder of the UK based Worldwide Miracle Outreach, Ghana is not about the National Democratic Congress (NDC) or the New Patriotic Party (NPP), but about one people with a common destiny. He said the mission of the EC was to be an independent constitutional body which managed free and fair elections of legislative bodies and institutions through the participation of citizens, political parties and civil society in deepening electoral democracy. He urged Ghanaians to be praying for the EC to enable it live up to its mandate. He also encouraged Mrs Charlotte Osei, the EC Chairperson and her team of Commissioners to be firm and just in the performance of their duties. Dr Tetteh called on the two leading candidates in the presidential election, President Mahama, NDC and Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, NPP to condemn their followers who insult people. He said the politics of insults must cease in Ghana; adding that anyone who insults people is not civilized. Dr Tetteh offered special prayers for Mrs Osei and the Commission for divine grace and empowerment to enable them to deliver on their mandate. Mrs Osei urged all staff of the Commission - both permanent and temporal, to put Ghana first in their work to ensure a successful general election. She warned them not to put any candidate or political party first; stating that "Put Ghana first, do what is right. We all know the right processes, follow the laws". The service was attended by Ms Georgina Opoku Amankwah, EC Deputy Chairman, Hajia Sa-Adatu Maida and Mrs Pauline Adobea Dadzawa, both Commissioners at the EC, and Dr Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Australia was left reeling after the news arrived last week that 13-year-old Queenslander Tyrone Unsworth had died by suicide after being consistently tormented by bullies for being gay. The teens mum, Amanda Unsworth, told the Courier Mail that bullies at school had hounded Tyrone for the past few years: He was a really feminine male, he loved fashion, he loved make-up and the boys always picked on him, calling him gay-boy, faggot, fairy; it was a constant thing from Year 5. Obviously they ended up getting him, they pushed him to the edge. Now, a week after her sons devastating death, his mum has spoken out on social media about receiving abusive and disgusting messages from trolls on Facebook, some coming from fake accounts using Tyrones name and photo. Amanda responded to one message in particular, and asked what the authors parents thought of their messages. The response: Theyre laughing with me. In another message, the troll told her that their issue with Tyrone was he is a f*g. On a photo that Amanda had put on Facebook of her and Tyrone, lined with comments of condolences and heartfelt tributes, one of the trolls left a line of laughing emojis. Amanda has said that although most of the original ones seem to be deactivated, shes seen at least five more pop up. We hope this utterly disgusting behaviour ceases ASAP anyone taking part in such an activity should be actively ashamed of themselves, and wed recommend they learn how to grow some empathy, and fast. Our thoughts are with Tyrones family at this time. Source: News Corp. Photos: Facebook. The NSW Government will offer survivors of the devastating government-sanctioned Stolen Generation a reparations package worth more than $73 million. Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Leslie Williams announced the scheme today, which will see one-off payments of about $75,000 offered to roughly 730 survivors without the need for a lengthy and arduous legal process , as well as provide ongoing funding for support groups. There are parts of our history that I, as a minister, and Im sure many Australians are quite ashamed of, she told ABC Radio this morning. We cant change the past but what we can do is acknowledge those practises of past governments have had such a profound effect on Aboriginal people. It comes as part of the NSW Governments response to the Parliamentary Committee Inquiry into Reparations for the Stolen Generations, tabled in NSW Parliament today. With this response, the NSW Government officially acknowledges the real and heartbreaking trauma caused by historic government policies and practises of removing Aboriginal children from their kin and country, Williams said in a statement. We have accepted the vast majority of the Parliamentary Committees recommendations and together with the Premier I will establish a Stolen Generations advisory committee to ensure our response is implemented swiftly, effectively and respectfully but most importantly in partnership with Aboriginal people. She promised that the scheme will also address the impacts of trauma on survivors families, descendants and communities through a $5 million healing fund. It is my sincerest hope that by acknowledging the wrongs of the past and providing enduring and meaningful support for the future, we can avoid such a tragedy ever being repeated. While we absolutely applaud this move by the NSW Government as a step in healing the horrendous wrongdoings in the country, its important to acknowledge that for some survivors of the Stolen Generation, it is too little, too late. Are they going to give me back my culture? survivor Richard Campbell who was held at the notorious Kinchela boys home told ABC Radio. Are they going to give me back my language? Another survivor, Fay Mosely, who was 10 when she was taken from her family to the Cootamundra Aboriginal Girls Training Home in 1956, told Fairfax that while the compensation was welcome, it could never replace the loss of your parents, the loss of your siblings and children. Photo: Rabbit Proof Fence. Ohhhhhh shit here we go! Childish Gambino has dropped his hot-as-fire new album Awaken, My Love! on Spotify and you can listen to it right bloody now. The 11-track album (his first since 2013s Because the Internet) is a huge departure from his sound of old, incorporating soul, blues, funk and R&B sounds into his work that anyone whos streamed his first two tracks a billion times (me) would already be familiar with (also me). First for the first time with any true meaning, let me say HAPPY FRIDAY, FOLKS. EDIT: Just would like to point out that PEDESTRIAN.TV multimedia and news writer Courtney Fry described this album as baby-making music. She is correct. You can catch the Don Glover himself when he hits up Australia for Falls Festival and Field Day this NYE. Photo: Getty / Bryan Beddy. Snapchat is a pretty powerful platform with an absolutely massive audience, but wed wager you never expected something as important as university acceptance letters to be sent via the mobile app. Yeah, you read that correctly, the University of Wisconsin is legit sending future students their acceptance letters in a snap. They would definitely get a snap before theyd get their mail packet, university admissions employee Katelyn Santy told CNN. Students get the snaps pretty immediately, because its a place where they spend a lot of time. According to the school, students usually respond with a selfie shortly after receiving the snap, which is maybe the most 2016 thing weve ever heard. Its a pretty ~hip~ move by the uni and one thats likely to spread like an STI on campus. Is this the future of important messages? Will your doctor soon be using Snapchat to tell you about your herpes, too? Also, how the fuck do they get the applicants usernames? Its a brave new world where all of your applications will be asking your for your Facey URL, your Twitter handle and your Snapchat username. Source: Select All. Photo: WWLP.com. Screen Shot 2016-12-01 at 1.42.21 PM.png By Dennis Roddy HAVANA, Cuba -- Ileana Yarza Paneque was a 19-year-old college student when Fidel Castro's revolution rolled into town, took over the Havana Hilton and the country that came with it. Educated in American schools, fluent in Spanish and English, Ileana was captivated by the idea of a Cuba that answered neither to Washington nor to its designated stooge, dictator Fulgenicio Batista. Batista, who seized power in 1952, nullifying elections, had closed Cuba's universities, calling them, "cradles of revolution." "Which was true," she smiles. Castro was 32. Ileana was 19. Che Guevara was 30. This was youth's moment. Ileana Yarza joined the cause, became an economist, a business advisor to the new government, and an unwavering champion of the regime that bedeviled 11 American presidents and, frankly, brought us to the brink of nuclear war in 1962. She lived what she calls, "a very full life within the Revolution." The Revolution, of which Cubans speak in the present-tense, began as an armed resistance in the mountains 750 miles east of here, transformed into a client state status in which Castro stood as a proxy for the Soviets. Today, The Revolution is a mindset, an almost jovial defiance of the United States. Any defiance directed internally is still likely to land even the merriest of pranksters in jail. Directed outward, The Revolution emotionally sustains Cubans who drive taxis for cash, hustle tourists into shops that sell handmade jewelry and Che tee-shirts, and sell cigars in the middle of traffic outside the discos in Old Havana. I spoke with Ileana not far from the hospital where American doctors were providing knee and hip replacement surgeries to Cuban citizens. She was one of them. It's part of an outreach program by the Pittsburgh unit of Operation Walk. The charity has worked throughout Central America and the Caribbean. November's visit was a breakthrough moment, and particularly auspicious coming as it did during Castro's last week on earth. Politics was largely off-topic at the hospital. When I wanted to ask one patient, a former military officer, if he knew Castro, the translator warned me off. When I met another patient, he told me his name was "Fidel." "El Fidel?" I asked him. We both laughed. In three days, he was climbing stairs on two, new knees. The reigning ideology of this place was generosity and gratitude. But, as a subject of conversation, the other Fidel was avoided by all save Ileana Yarza. She became a celebrity a few years ago when she wrote - for the fifth time - to President Barack Obama, urging him to lift the embargo and, on a visit to Cuba, to stop by for coffee. Obama surprised her by writing back, in what was the first letter by regular mail between the United States and Cuba in nearly sixty years. Castro's mortality was atmospheric in Havana in the 10 days I was there. He had just celebrated his 90th birthday. He handed over power eight years earlier to his kid brother, Raul, a spry 85. Upon his death, Fidel was succeeded by a handful of children and The Revolution. What "The Revolution" accomplished was to raise the literacy level close to the 100 percent mark. Education is universal and free. Medicine is available to all and its research arm has produced vaccines and treatments for lung cancer that have been hailed worldwide. As American doctors performed knee and hip replacements on Cuban patients, teams of Cuban doctors were alongside them, studying the techniques. It left little doubt in my mind that in a few years, if they can obtain the supplies they need, Cubans will be doing this work in-house. The U.S. trade embargo, now almost 60 years old, is manifest in the 1950s American automobiles that now captivate tourists, as well as the difficulty in finding ordinary hygiene products. While no longer precluding medical supplies, the embargo has held Cuba's trade to such a level that critics on both ends of the spectrum doubt its usefulness, much less its morality. George Shultz, a former Secretary of State under Reagan, said he believed the embargo had only made Cubans incrementally poorer while doing nothing to make them any more free. When the Soviet Union collapsed 25 years ago, Cubans flirted with what came to be known as "Year Zero," a point at which the economy would implode and they'd become an island of hunter-gatherers. The halfway opening of the economy is neither communist nor capitalist at this juncture. The state still owns the means of production, though Havana now bursts shops, restaurants, and vendors of all sorts. An end to the embargo would accelerate the transition, though one is left to ask, "A transition to what?" "I think the country is opening up more in economics," Ileana told me. "I'm an economist. Everybody knows that the socialist economics just does not work as a model. So, what you're seeing - the way I see it is a country in transition - to a better model of economy. Yet conserving and preserving our nationalism, our independence, and our decision not to be America's backyard anymore." What would Fidel, a self-proclaimed Marxist-Leninist, think of this transition? "I think he has achieved his goals and dreams, and he's pretty much aware the country is moving on," she said. "Where to? You know what - I don't know. It decides. The younger generation needs a moment to choose and decide. "The future of Cuba is in their hands. Not in my generation's hands, not in Fidel's generation's." Dennis Roddy, on occasional PennLive Opinion contributor, is a political consultant in Pittsburgh. For information on Operation Walk Pittsburgh, visit www.operationwalkpgh.org. By Elisha Friedman We have reached a new nadir in the history of religion. Elisha Friedman (Submitted Photo) In a Nov. 30 New York Times op-Ed, "The evangelicalism of old white men is dead," Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne, two self-professed "white male evangelists," have some reflections on the recent election. What motivates these reflections is the recognition that white evangelicals contributed overwhelmingly to President-elect Donald J. Trump's victory on Nov. 8. "Evangelicalism was closely associated with the campaign of Donald J. Trump, and more than 80 percent of white evangelicals voted for the president-elect," they wrote. Such major evangelical leaders as Jerry Falwell Jr. and Pat Robertson stood by Trump's candidacy -- to the surprise of some and obvious delight of many others. Despite Trump's serious personal failings in the eyes of many evangelicals, for a host of political considerations they viewed him as a better candidate than Hillary Clinton. The use of religious movements for politics was of course not confined to Trump's campaign. The African-American megachurches of the South were powerhouses of the Clinton campaign, especially in her primary run against Bernie Sanders. Both Republicans and Democrats have in recent years turned ever more to religious institutions to turn out the vote for them and inspire their parishioners to political activity. Campolo and Shane recognize the serious issue lurking behind this new reality: "We want to be clear: We are not suggesting a new kind of Christianity that simply backs the Democratic Party. Jesus is neither a Democrat nor a Republican -- even if, as William Sloane Coffin Jr. once said, his heart leans left." This passage is well put, even if it does not go nearly far enough. It is not only Jesus and Christianity which are not easily confined in a particular political party, but any serious religion is not and must not be simplified as either the Republican or Democratic platform. Religion is not a GOTV [get out the vote] tool for politicians, like phone banking or leafleting, it is a source of never-ending inspiration and truth to its followers. Those who demean religion by using it as a tool in the arsenal of some political parties' electoral calculation have done a terrible disservice to the truths religion embodies. The prophetic role throughout the Bible was to be a foil for the excesses of wicked kings. If secular leaders lost their way, religious leaders were there to remind them of the straight path. Behold the prophet Jeremiah's remarkable statement to King Jehoiakim, who renovated his palace while the nation was crumbling and the masses of poor people suffering around him. Jeremiah had no qualms about showing up and pronouncing to the errant king, "Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages, who says, 'I will build myself a great house with spacious upper rooms,' who cuts out windows for it, paneling it with cedar and painting it with vermilion. Do you think you are a king because you compete in cedar?" (Jeremiah 22:13-15) Or maybe he did have qualms, but he went anyway; he understood his job. Not every religious leader is a Jeremiah and we are okay with that, but he is a wonderful model. Religion's proper role is to be involved in the study of God and His relationship with humanity, not the structure of government. Religious people are called on to do justice and charity for those in need, to work for the betterment of society and to be kind to their family members and the stranger amongst them, not to pursue the trappings of secular power. The proper place for religion is in the heart of it practitioners, not on the public stage or in front of the TV cameras. To use religion as a means to political ends is insulting to those of us who take it seriously. This does not mean religious people cannot use their faith to make informed political decisions. They can and they should. We each bring our own personalities and values to the voting booth, and for the deeply religious person many of those values flow out of their religious beliefs. Much as an atheist votes with their atheism, a religious person votes with their religion. In addition, there have been strong historical reasons for religious institutions to involve themselves politically. The African American church leaders used their podiums to pursue civil rights, while Evangelical leaders have sought to create a more comfortable religious environment through their voting power. None of this should be discounted, it's a true fulfillment of democratic ideals. The problem is, and this is an old problem, we have taken it too far. We now have religious groups voting not with their conscience, informed by their lifestyle and values, but voting as solid blocks. This is dangerous and undemocratic. When religious people vote not because they feel inspired by their religious values but because they have been told their community is supposed to vote for a specific candidate, we have crossed a red line. When religious institutions are using their podium not only to inform their congregations about various issues, but to support specific political parties, we have collapsed the difference between religion and politics. Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism and Islam will soon be synonyms with Republican, Democrat and Libertarian. Most of this has come about through people who took politics more seriously than religion, and therefore sought to use religion for their ends, but it has been too eagerly embraced by religious leaders. Perhaps it was the allure of proximity to power that enticed these otherwise well-meaning souls. Perhaps it is time to review the book of Jeremiah. Elisha Friedman is rabbi of Kesher Israel Congregation in Harrisburg, where he and his wife, Yamit, make their home. The 520 state Department of Labor and Industry employees caught in the crossfire of an off-season budget battle between Gov. Tom Wolf and Senate Republicans are now just 18 days away from being laid off. Meanwhile, the warring factions continue to point the finger of blame over who is responsible for this predicament. To date, however, there has been no concrete action taken by any of the parties involved to try to avert the layoffs from happening. The affected employees work at the unemployment compensation service centers in Allentown, Altoona and Lancaster as well as from some offices in the department headquarters in Harrisburg. They include 59 management and professional employees and the rest are unionized workers. The House-passed legislation that would have provided funding to prevent the layoffs died due to inaction in the Senate on Wednesday, when the 2015-16 legislative session ended. The new legislative session doesn't begin until Jan. 3 when the members who stood for election last month are sworn into office, a House speaker is elected, and rules are adopted. However, it is possible for Wolf to call the House and Senate back for what House Parliamentarian Clancy Myer said would be called an "extraordinary session" this month to pass the legislation before the Dec. 19 layoffs take effect. That would require the House and Senate to move up the Jan. 3 activities to this month and have a new bill to provide funding for the service centers move through the legislative process. Both Myer and Senate Parliamentarian Megan Martin said would be a challenging task to pull off in a short time frame. But Wolf spokesman Jeff Sheridan said the governor has no intention of calling for such a session because "we have been given no indication that the Senate Republicans are willing to pass an extension. We urge them to take it up when they return after the New Year." Meanwhile, the union representing these workers has organized protests around the state, including two in York on Tuesday outside Republican Sen. Scott Wagner's district office and a fund-raiser he held for the Senate Republican Campaign Committee. Wagner was targeted by the Service Employee International Union Local 668 because of statements he made to the York Dispatch where he took partial credit for stopping the Senate vote on a bill designed to extend for a year a dedicated funding stream to support the state's seven UC call centers. That protest unleashed a fresh round of the blame game on Thursday. Wagner released a video statement about the protests, saying the soon-to-be furloughed workers were at the wrong place. He suggested that they should be standing outside Wolf's office and the Governor's Residence with their "Save Our Jobs" signs, and placed the blame on Wolf for playing games with the workers' lives He voiced his disgust with the more than $400 million wasted on a contract to upgrade the computer system used to process unemployment compensation claims that was cancelled, all prior to Wolf taking office. And he reiterated his caucus' view that it wanted more information before it would give its blessing to transfer the money the administration says it needs to avoid the layoffs. Instead of providing the information, Wagner accused Wolf of "actually playing games with people's lives by threatening to lay them off so that he can make a political statement." He called the governor's actions immoral and "a complete failure of leadership." Wolf spokesman Jeff Sheridan said it isn't political at all and it is Wagner who is playing politics with people's livelihoods. "This is an action we had to take because there is not enough money to pay people because of the decisions made by the Senate Republicans led by Senator Wagner," Sheridan said. "This is one of the more bizarre arguments Senator Wagner has made throughout this situation that he willfully and admittingly caused." Wagner also said in the video that the workers facing furloughs have been let down by the union to which they pay dues. He said It is showing that it cares more about giving the Democratic governor political cover than protecting their jobs. He said their union should be considering some type of legal action to try to stop the layoffs from happening. Efforts to reach union officials for comment on Thursday were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, the impending layoffs weigh heavily on the minds of the two lawmakers who chaired the labor and industry committees in their respective chambers, which approved the bill that fell short of getting a vote by the full Senate. Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Luzerne County, said she is exploring the idea of holding a hearing to address senators' lingering questions and concerns. However, she said constitutional concerns arise because the labor and industry committee she chaired became defunct when the legislative session ended. "There are many members who truly believe additional information needs to be provided to responsibly address this issue and we're going to continue to explore ways to get those answers," Baker said. Meanwhile, former Rep. Mauree Gingrich, a Republican from Lebanon County, is disappointed that the bill her committee worked hard on to achieve a compromise and that the House passed by a wide margin, was left undone in the Senate. "I thought it was fully vetted, well-structured piece of legislation," she said. "It's unfortunate it didn't get done because it affects so many people." Gingrich, who was among the lawmakers who retired from the Legislature, thinks there is enough blame to go around for this debacle that has the potential to stop the flow of income for more than 500 state employees as well as create delays for those who are out of work through no fault of their own in their efforts claim jobless benefits. "I can't have 500 people to my house for Christmas dinner," Gingrich said. "But if they go through with this, I will be thinking of those folks. No question about it." Divorce In October, Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill into law that cut that waiting period in half, a move supporters said would alleviate the stress and family discord inherent to the divorce process. (Shutterstock photo) Pennsylvanians looking to call it quits will have a shorter time to wait as of Saturday. Under current state law, no-fault divorces are relatively easy to obtain when the split is amicable. If one of the spouses doesn't agree, however, the couple previously had to wait two years from the date of their separation in order to divide assets and settle alimony payments. In October, Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill into law that cut that waiting period in half, a move supporters said would alleviate the stress and family discord inherent to the divorce process. "Children end up being pawns in a divorce game and people end up going broke due to legal fees and a failure to manage mortgages and bills in a timely fashion," the bill's sponsor, Luzerne Republican Rep. Tara Toohil, told PennLive at the time of the bill's signing. No-fault divorce, a designation that allows marriages to dissolve without assigning blame, first came to Pennsylvania in 1980 with a three-year waiting period for the divorce to take effect. That was reduced to two years in 1988. At both times, a number of conservative and religious groups opposed the designation and the reduced waiting period out of fear that the measures would lead to more divorces. Census and state vital records data, however, show that the opposite has happened. According to the data, the total number of marriages and divorces have steadily declined in recent decades. The spread of no-fault divorce in the state had little direct impact on the divorce rate. In 1979, the year before no-fault divorce, Pennsylvania saw 8 marriages and 3.4 divorces per 1,000 residents. The year after, in 1981, the marriage rate fell to 7.8 and the divorce rate fell to 3.3. Between 1987 and 1989, the years before and after the last waiting period reduction, both the marriage and divorce rates remained steady at 7.3 and 3.3, respectively. As of 2015, Pennsylvanians married and divorced at a rate of 5.7 and 2.6 per 1,000 residents. Over time, the marriage rate has fallen more rapidly than the divorce rate. The new reduced waiting period does not apply retroactively. Residents who've lived in the state for at least six months may file a divorce. They may also represent themselves in the proceedings. Lancaster County, for example, publishes a guide for how to navigate the process. Attorneys, however, recommend that parties seek legal advice given the complexity of the process. In October, Norristown attorney Mary Cushing Doherty said the reduced waiting period is not a path to a "quick divorce," but it will reduce some of the stress involved. "The amount of time to resolve the financial aspects is shortened," she said, "and the parents can begin the process of settling down and creating a stable routine for the children." Capitol Dome The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue's latest collections report brings more bad news for the state. (PennLive archives) "Below estimate." Those words, which strike fear into the hearts of Gov. Tom Wolf and the Pennsylvania Legislature, appear 13 times in the Department of Revenue's latest collections report. In fact, they might have appeared more often had the dispatch's writer not swapped them out for "less than anticipated" three more times. Following a trend that's persisted for much of the year, Pennsylvania's November revenue collections ran 3.8 percent behind budget estimates. In all, the state pulled in $2 billion which, in real terms, meant it fell $79.5 million behind anticipated revenue. Since the turn of the fiscal year in July, Pennsylvania has collected about $10.8 billion for the General Fund. That's 2.4 percent, or $261.8 million, "below estimate." The deficits were felt across the board: Sales tax collections are $122 million behind for the year to date. Income taxes are $81.1 million behind. Realty transfer taxes are $28 million behind. According to the Independent Fiscal Office, which issued a gloomy five-year outlook last month, the state faces a projected current-year budget deficit of $500 million. That's expected to balloon to a $3 billion per year deficit by 2021. What does this mean for you? Earlier this year, Wolf and the Legislature managed to cobble together a budget that avoided personal income and sales tax increases by relying heavily on new revenue from a gambling expansion, new liquor permits and increased tobacco taxes, among other things. It's unlikely such machinations will work again, so broad-based tax increases and a possible new tax on Marcellus Shale gas extraction could be on the menu in 2017. And the greater the deficit, the more pressure Pennsylvania will feel from credit agencies who've already issued warnings about the state's looming structural deficit and further downgrades that would make borrowing more expensive. The Medicine Man in Benin The Medicine Man in Benin Story and photos by James Michael Dorsey A seeker goes in search of a famed voodoo practitioner in Benin, where the spirit worlds and physical worlds are closely intertwined. I went to Africa in search of a medicine man. Whatever actually happened that day, I have witnessed far too many phenomena in my travels to dismiss anything out of hand, and after my visit with Namari I believe more than ever that the truth is still out there. Myths and legends abound on the vast African continent and storytelling is an honored art, especially in societies that lack a written language. Stories tend to grow in the process over time, taking on the flavor of the individual relating them. I had heard many things about this particular medicine man. He was credited with being a shape shifter who became a panther at night to watch over his village and many said he could fly, but his greatest power was the supposed ability to make rain. Such attributes are not uncommon in the stories of Africa but the truth within them often is. I have met many such people in my journeys, both men and women, who claimed unusual abilities. Most of them have perpetuated their own myths. A few have lived up to expectations, while some have been outright charlatans. All have been worth visiting to find out because to quote Fox Mulder, The truth is out there. Finding Namari Namari Godogo first came to my attention in a magnificent coffee table book by the renowned photographers Angela Fisher and Carol Beckwith, Faces of Africa. His fame was far and wide in the Taneka region of Benin, a land marinated in voodoo for over 6,000 years. I have personally felt the power of being in such a vortex. Voodoo shrouds this land like a fog, not just as a religion but a complete way of life. There is no differentiation between waking reality and the spirit world. Entire houses are fetishes with clay watchmen bearing cowrie eyes standing guard for evil spirits and house doors themselves are gaping mouths ready to devour any evil entity that may try to enter. Voodoo is a topic that mostly eludes western minds but it is an established religion in West Africa where an estimated 60% of the population practices one form of it or another. To this day it is the official state religion of Benin. Its origin is documented in a petroglyph no more than a mile from Namaris village, with the oldest known representation of an animist ceremony carved in stone: people with arms raised in supplication to the sun and moon while others dance around a fire. Most westerners envision dolls stuck full of pins and zombies wandering the land, and admittedly, there is a dark side to some of it, but that aspect mostly migrated to the Caribbean in the hulls of slave ships long ago. West African voodoo today is an accepted belief system that assists people coping with difficult lives in a harsh environment. Men with reputations like Namari are not uncommon in Taneka. The Smoking Holy Man My driver left me at a crossroads and pointed down a trail into the forest. I passed animal jawbones nailed to trees; gris-gris in the local lingua-franca: fetishes that confront spirits. At the first village, monkey skulls were imbedded in clay walls of homes and even the smallest child wore an amulet as protection. Carved wooden dolls abounded, available for a price to cast a spell on an enemy or convince a young lady to give her love. Amongst all the authentica there was also a good deal of cheap tourist junk offered to the day trippers and trekkers intrepid enough to wander this far off the beaten path even though in two weeks I had not seen another westerner. I never cease to marvel at how commercialism has spread its tentacles into the most remote of places. Namari Godogo would be called a witch doctor by western standards but at home in Benin, he is a revered holy man. The morning I came upon him he was sitting placidly in front of a mud hut wreathed in a mantle of ganja smoke inhaled from a three foot long clay pipe, the type of which Taneka men favor. Other than a woven reed hat he was naked and he pulled a small animal skin over his privates at my approach but in no other way did he acknowledge my presence. He had the leathery chocolate skin of a life spent under the equatorial sun that defied assigning him an age. His chin hosted a small white beard. His eyes appeared glazed and yellow but whether from drugs, jaundice, or mystical trance I could not tell. I sat down nearby to simply observe. Several small children ran noisily amuck while an aging woman with heavy pendulous breasts stirred a large pot issuing an unforgettable pungent aroma. When I finally spoke directly to Namari his trance-like stare continued straight ahead until a young man dressed in the local style of loose fitting and colorful pajamas approached and said in passable English, You have questions for my father? Apparently enough trekking companies had discovered Namari that he had become a sometimes stop on their itineraries. Now he required a major domo to ward off tourists. Immediately my guard went up because as so often happens when enlightened people or those with special abilities become inundated with admirers, they develop a commercial side for profit while keeping their true self hidden. Safari companies are notorious for exploiting people such as Namari and yet, I sensed he was the real thing. My questions were answered through the young man in a very generic style. He revealed that most of the young children were indeed the issue of Namari and that the lady was one of his wives. By then the old mans eyes were upon me and I sensed he might be intrigued that I was not from a safari group but an actual pilgrim in search of learning. It was quite hard to break from his stare. Questions for the Master At that point I asked him directly if he could fly and he held my gaze, answering through the young man with a question of his own. Did you fly to come here? His awareness of airplanes caught me off guard somewhat and I stammered out a Yes. He followed then with, Do you see God when you fly? I answered an obvious No. Then what good is flying? he asked and I detected s a slight Leonardo-esque smile on the corners of his mouth. That was one for Namari. Next I asked if he could make it rain and I detected only a slight movement of his eyes as he glanced to the south and for the first time I noticed towering black clouds approaching with perfect timing. They had obviously been there all morning but his intimation of responsibility was so subtle and profound that I could only smile and nod. Two for Namari. This was indeed a very wise and learned man, if not formally educated, then certainly schooled in the ancient ways of his people. Every question I asked was parried with a cryptically enticing retort. I would ask several personal questions then try to slip one in about special powers he might possess but he adroitly sidestepped each one like a boxer evading punches, while throughout it all I got the feeling that he was probing my inner self in some way I could not fathom. His eyes told me he was definitely studying me and I felt he had some great personal insight to people, perhaps akin to an accomplished philosopher or even a psychiatrist. The afternoon passed in this enjoyable manner and when I got up to leave he extended a hand. It was warm and soft like a young childs and he grasped mine in a surprisingly strong grip, holding me for several seconds with both his hand and his eyes. With a slight nod to his wife, she dipped a long ladle into her concoction and offered it to me to drink. It was hot and bitter and I took just enough to be polite, then with a slight bow to both of them I started my way down the trail. Leaving and Levitating in Benin I suddenly felt very light and carefree but not like I had imbibed any kind of drug. It was more like suddenly being unusually aware of my surroundings. I turned after a few feet for a final look and Namari was still sitting with his pipe but I swear he seemed to be floating several inches in the air. I instinctively took off my sunglasses and of course he was seated on the ground where he had been all day long. I turned to continue down the trail again and stepped off into the bush to catch a final glance back and once again Namari appeared to be floating above the ground. Even though I was secreted in the foliage, I am sure he was looking directly at me this time. I could swear that in broad daylight his eyes possessed that golden reflection one sees at night when shining a light into the eyes of a large cat. A few moments later, it started to rain. Ive thought long and hard about what I witnessed that day in the bush and the truth is I really have no idea what I saw. Was I given a drug by his wife? Did he somehow manage to subtly hypnotize me? Part of me desperately wants to believe in occult powers once available to all mankind but grown vestigial in those of us gone soft from prolonged city life. I want to experience the powers sustained by centuries of practice and ceremony by remote peoples many refer to as primitive. The logical side of me says he could not possibly have been levitating and it was my own wishful subconscious conjuring up the desired effect. I think anyone who seeks out people like Namari do so with a desire to prove to themselves that such people really do possess powers unavailable to the rest of us and I readily admit that I am one of them. Levitation or not, the image of Namari floating lightly off the ground is forever imbedded in my mind. James Michael Dorsey is an explorer, author, and photographer who has traveled extensively in forty-some countries, mostly far off the beaten path. His primary interest is in documenting indigenous people in Asia and Africa. He is a fellow of the Explorers Club, and a member and former director of the Adventurers Club. See more at www.jamesdorsey.com. Related Features: Dancing With the Dead in Benin by James Michael Dorsey Tracking the Hadzabe: Little is Changed in one of Africa's Last Remaining Bush Tribes by Shelley Seale The Mursi, Money, and Mayhem by James Michael Dorsey See other Africa travel stories from the archives More days of rain, snow predicted for this winter The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently predicted that the Great Lakes region will have more frequent precipitation than usual this winter. Much to the dismay of many, the downtown hotel project is dead. Probably for many more, it didnt come as much of a surprise. Philip Chodur of G8 Development was issued a notice of default after missing three deadlines. Mr. Chodur made the comment that, some people would like to see this ship sink just so they can say I told you so. I, for one, was never really that gung ho about the project to begin with, but Im also not celebrating its failure. He also went on to say, I dont understand the negativity in this town but there is a lot of it. That particular comment I would take issue with. Just because people are skeptical, critical or even flat out against something does not necessarily mean it is negative. And it certainly doesnt mean that people who hold those views are any more negative than those who might support the project. There were many reasons to be skeptical right from the get-go. I could go over some of those issues right now but it might be easier to read my column from July 18th. I mean, I already told you so once. We should give the guy a little credit. At least he tried. And he does own a few other properties in town that are in dire need of developing and we should all wish him the best of luck in those endeavors. At the risk of sounding too negative, the renovations on these properties may suffer some setbacks as well. Mr. Chodur has stated that he invested $600,000 in the hotel project. Would he be willing or even able to invest more money into these properties and might he try to sue the city in order to recoup his financial losses? By all reports it seems as though the city did everything by the book and shouldnt be held accountable for his inability to get the financing for the hotel. One thing Im very positive about is that our mayor has done his due diligence in making sure all the Ts are dotted and his Is are crossed. Or something like that. Although the hotel was originally a standalone project, it was later included in the $36.2 million downtown redevelopment plan referred to as Our River City Renaissance. That $10 million private investment was key to securing $7 million from the Iowa Reinvestment Act. City Administrator Brent Trout stated that, Its not doom and gloom. It is what it is, and The city has some options and well begin meeting to see what the next step is. Its good to know that we have some options and maybe it will be a step in the right direction. And to think, I was worried about someone buying Southbridge Mall, which was another requirement for final approval of the $7 million funding. And boy what a steal that was. Sold in a sheriffs sale in 2011 for $8.8 million and sold to Kohan Retail Investment Group this year for $1.5 million. Thats a bargain no matter how you look at it, and if this downtown project does indeed happen, these investors are going to get millions of taxpayer dollars to build a brand new ice arena/multi-purpose center which they will still own. Plus, they will also get a brand new music pavilion for anyone who wishes to sing the blues about how are tax dollars are being used to raise the property value of private investors. But, it is what it is. If we dont use the money some other community will. So it is nice to know that we are still in good standing with the Iowa Economic Development Authority and they should be commended on their patience. Tina Hoffman, marketing and communications director for the IEDA, said, Delays like this are not unusual and the Mason City project is not in jeopardy. However, she also said, This cant go on forever. And it does seem like forever. For all of those who have worked so hard on this project and those who would love to see it come to fruition, I wish you the best of luck. There is still a sliver of hope on the horizon, but the sun is setting fast. Have a great day, folks. AUGA group, AB signed the agreement regarding the acquisition of KTG AGRAR SE agricultural subsidiaries in Lithuania. 1.38 million EUR will be paid for the shares of the companies under acquisition. These companies (KTG companies) directly or indirectly - through other agricultural subsidiaries in Lithuania - are involved in crop growing activity in Lithuania. KTG companies cultivate more than 7700 ha of land (of which more than 6100 ha are fully certified as organic land area). Until now these companies were growing feed crops, majority of which was exported to Western Europe. The acquisition will allow us to increase our operational land plot by more than 30 percent, from the current 25 thousand hectares to 33 thousand hectars after completion of the deal. It will also allow us to increase the volume of production for final consumers, - said Linas Bulzgys, CEO of AUGA group. The main strategic objective of AUGA group is to provide final organic food products at affordable price to the consumers in Lithuania, Europe and other regions, using effective production methods and controlling the processes from field to shelf. The expanded agricultural land area will provide us with additional opportunities and will allow us to effectively use the production and human resources of both companies. The companies under acquisition are located next to our cultivation areas in the regions of Raseiniai, Jurbarkas and Sakiai. We believe this will ensure effective integration of the new companies into AUGA group and will reinforce our production capacity of organic raw materials and final products, as well as the future possibility to provide affordable organic products to consumers, - added L.Bulzgys. Consolidated revenue of KTG Companies in 2015 was EUR 4.7 million EUR. There are about 50 employees in KTG companies. The transaction will be completed upon receipt of permission of the Competition Council of the Republic of Lithuania. Federal lawmakers in three states are seeking help for thousands of students in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York state who were left with hefty loans when Star Career Academy abruptly closed. The Cherry Hill-based for-profit school shut down Nov. 15, citing financial problems. Some students were days or weeks from graduating. Star had campuses in Brick, Clifton, and Egg Harbor, N.J., Philadelphia, and New York City. It also operated the Culinary Academy of Long Island in Syosset and ServFast Computers in Toms River, N.J. U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez (D., N.J.) is leading a push that calls on the U.S. Department of Education to help bail out students left in the lurch. "Students should not have to suffer for the mistakes made by their school, and the department must work to ensure impacted students have access to high-quality and affordable options to continue their education," Menendez wrote this week to Education Secretary John King. The lawmakers asked the department to quickly notify students if their federal loans will be forgiven. They also want the government to extend benefits to veterans who enrolled in the school using the GI Bill. The letter was also signed by fellow Democratic Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania. The appeal was welcome news for students and parents, who have scrambled to obtain transcripts and seek admission to new programs to continue their education. They are hoping to be reimbursed for tuition, which cost $20,000 for some programs. "The way they went about it was definitely wrong," said Martha Arce, an immigration lawyer on Long Island, whose son Daniel, 19, attended the culinary academy. "It's just unforgivable what they did. How do you do that and to so many families?" A Star spokesman declined to comment. Star is appealing a $9 million award by a Camden County jury in October 2015 in a class-action lawsuit. After a five-week trial, the jury found that the school violated the state's Consumer Fraud Act for failing to disclose that its surgical technology program lacked the specialized accreditation required by changes in New Jersey state law in 2011. In their Nov. 29 letter, the lawmakers asked the Department of Education to extend its loan forgiveness eligibility to all students who withdrew from Star after the jury finding. The lawsuit, they argued, "constitutes extraordinary circumstances." Kristin Nelson, 34, of Penns Grove, N.J., enrolled in the surgical program in April but is not part of the lawsuit. The mother of two, a medical assistant, took out a $22,000 loan, hoping to provide a better life for her family. Nelson said she had been searching for a school where she can complete her degree, but said she may have to choose a program that offers night classes. "Everything just got pulled out from underneath me," Nelson said. "You're left with nothing now. It's a shame." Star operated for 37 years, and had more than 1,000 students and about 225 full- and part-time faculty and administrators when it closed, according to a spokesman. The academy provided training classes for medical technology, business administration, and culinary jobs. Pennsylvania Institute of Technology, a not-for-profit school that offers some similar programs, has received inquiries from former Star students, said Matt Myers, director of admissions. It has campuses in Center City and Media. At least one former Star student who attended the Northeast Philadelphia campus has enrolled at PIT, Myers said. Others must await a decision on their status, he said. "Many students are in an educational purgatory, as they don't want to potentially incur more debt while waiting to find out if their prior debt will be forgiven," Myers said. Arce said her son, an aspiring chef, enrolled in the Long Island program in August. Students were scheduled to begin cooking classes and had even left meat marinating in the refrigerator when Star closed, she said. Arce said she had set up a college fund for her son and paid the $19,000 tuition in full. Unless she can get some of her money returned, the mother of four said, she will likely have to get a loan for Daniel to resume his education, possibly at a culinary school in Manhattan. "I'll do whatever it takes, even if I have to work on Saturdays," Arce said Thursday. "He's looking forward to picking up again." mburney@phillynews.com 856-779-3814@mlburney Charlotte, N.C., Dec. 02, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Akoustis Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: AKTS) (Akoustis or the Company), a manufacturer of innovative BulkONE bulk acoustic wave (BAW) high-band RF filters for mobile wireless, announced today that the Companys CEO, Jeff Shealy, will present at the LD Micro IX Annual Main Event Investor Conference being held at the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel in Los Angeles, CA. from December 6 8, 2016. Mr. Shealy will present on Wednesday, December 7th at 11:30 a.m. PST. He will also meet one-on-one with institutional investors during the conference. Investors are invited to request a one-on-one meeting with Mr. Shealy by contacting LD Micro or Bob Prag, President of the Del Mar Consulting Group, Inc. (bprag@delmarconsulting.com). About Akoustis Akoustis (http://www.akoustis.com) is a high-tech RF filter solutions company that manufactures its unique, patent-pending BulkONE technology to produce single crystal bulk acoustic wave (BAW) RF filters for the mobile-wireless industry, which facilitate signal acquisition and accelerate band performance between the antenna and the back end of mobile devices. Its BulkONE technology will service the fast growing multi-billion dollar market of device OEMs, network providers, and consumers to diminish front end phone heat, battery drain and signal loss -- all considered to be directly related to current RF polycrystalline filter technologies limitations. Akoustis asset-lite business model is capital efficient, leveraging existing manufacturing infrastructure in the semiconductor industry. Akoustis is located in the Piedmont technology corridor between Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina. Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this press release that are not descriptions of historical facts are forward-looking statements that are based on managements current expectations and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology including anticipates, believes, can, continue, could, estimates, expects, intends, may, plans, potential, predicts, should, will, would or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated include, without limitation, risks relating to the results of our research and development activities, including uncertainties relating to semiconductor process manufacturing; the early stage of our BulkONE technology presently under development; technology presently under development; our need for substantial additional funds in order to continue our operations and the uncertainty of whether we will be able to obtain the funding we need; our ability to retain or hire key scientific, engineering or management personnel; our ability to protect our intellectual property rights that are valuable to our business, including patent and other intellectual property rights; our dependence on third-party manufacturers, suppliers, research organizations, testing laboratories and other potential collaborators; our ability to successfully market and sell our technologies; the size and growth of the potential markets for any of our technologies, and the rate and degree of market acceptance of any of our technologies; competition in our industry; and regulatory developments in the U.S. and foreign countries. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the future events and circumstances discussed in the forward-looking statements in this press release may not occur, and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The forward-looking statements included in this presentation speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update publicly or privately any forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this presentation to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations. The materials do not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of any offer to buy, any securities of Akoustis, or any other entity whatsoever. Any representation to the contrary by any party should be ignored. Almere, The Netherlands December 2, 2016 ASM International N.V. (Euronext Amsterdam: ASM) today announces that it will host a technical luncheon seminar in San Francisco, CA, US, on Wednesday, December 7, 2016, the third day of the IEDM Conference. At this technology seminar ASM will highlight the challenges and potential solutions for achieving next generation 3D devices. The agenda is as follows: 11:30 am Food and drinks 12:00 - 12:05 pm Ivo Raaijmakers (ASM) - Welcome and introduction 12:05 - 12:30 pm Invited speaker: Raghuveer Makala (SanDisk/WDC) - "Thin film deposition challenges for 3D NAND" 12:30 - 12:55 pm Invited speaker: Jorge Kittl (Samsung) - "Perspectives on logic scaling and implications for process requirements" Following the presentations, there is an opportunity for open discussion and networking until 1:15 pm. The ASM technology seminar will take place in the Golden Gate room (25th floor) at the Nikko Hotel (across from the Hilton San Francisco), San Francisco, CA 94102. The room will open at 11:30 am for invited attendees. Interested parties should contact Rosanne de Vries, +31 88 100 8569, rosanne.de.vries@asm.com. About ASM International ASM International NV, headquartered in Almere, the Netherlands, its subsidiaries and participations design and manufacture equipment and materials used to produce semiconductor devices. ASM International, its subsidiaries and participations provide production solutions for wafer processing (Front-end segment) as well as for assembly & packaging and surface mount technology (Back-end segment) through facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan and Asia. ASM International's common stock trades on the Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange (symbol ASM). For more information, visit ASMI's website at www.asm.com . Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: All matters discussed in this press release, except for any historical data, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to, economic conditions and trends in the semiconductor industry generally and the timing of the industry cycles specifically, currency fluctuations, corporate transactions, financing and liquidity matters, the success of restructurings, the timing of significant orders, market acceptance of new products, competitive factors, litigation involving intellectual property, shareholder or other issues, commercial and economic disruption due to natural disasters, terrorist activity, armed conflict or political instability, epidemics and other risks indicated in the Company's reports and financial statements. The Company assumes no obligation nor intends to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect future developments or circumstances. CONTACT Rosanne de Vries T: +31 88 100 8569 M:+31 651 25 2448 E: rosanne.de.vries@asm.com Reference is made to the stock exchange notices published by Thin Film Electronics ASA ("Thinfilm" or the "Company") on 1 December and 2 December 2016, regarding the private placement of shares in the Company (the "Private Placement"). Completion of the Tranche 2 of the Private Placement is subject to the approval by an extraordinary general meeting ("EGM"). The EGM will be held Friday 23 December 2016 at 09:00 (CET), at Vika Atrium Conference Center, Munkedamsveien 45 in Oslo, Norway. Please find enclosed the complete notice including attendance forms (in English and Norwegian). Shareholders wishing to attend the EGM, in person or by proxy, are requested to register as described in one of the enclosed attendance forms. The attendance form must be received by the registrar, DNB Bank ASA, no later than 21 December at 12:00 (CET). 2 December 2016 Thin Film Electronics ASA For further information, please contact: Ole Ronny Thorsnes CFO Mobile: +47 91 86 66 97 E-mail: ole.thorsnes@thinfilm.no This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act". Maddie leading Campbell on our first day out. Age before beauty. Mark Weir shows Thomas Ravina how it's done. Long Lake pit stop. Last decent after a long and memorable day. Randy sends it into the late night hours. No one was quite sure what the rules were to this game were but it was clear that Thomas beat Marco. Count Cutty and his co-captain courageously carving corners and crashing. Loss prevention tactics were a must. Thomas Ravina holds his line on Mills Peak. Itchy & Scratchy. Not lost. Far from it. Early to bed... You know the rest. Mills Peak descent was the perfect way to end the weekend. Mark and the town of Graeagle kept us happy and full. Never to exclude, just to carry the respect for the place. That's what makes me who I am everyday. These places are not here for us to keep close. They are here to share. Relationships are built on chance. I'm happy to know chance brought us together to share a place we all need to respect. - Mark Weir Mark Weir is good at life. He made a habit of climbing more than a million vertical feet in a year, and is always ready to work harder, and play harder, than anyone youve ever met. Hes ready to give you the shirt off his back, the last bit of food in his fridge and the best chicken in his coop. But Weir is most in his element, and at his best, when hes able to share trails with other mountain bikers friends and strangers alike.So, when a mix of mountain bikers were invited to join Weir for a long weekend of riding at his newly christened compound in Graeagle, California, they were a blessed bunch, whether they knew it or not. They understood that it wasnt going to be easy. This is Weir country, after all. They mightve eaten sandwiches in the dirt but it wasnt a picnic. Wake up calls at 4:00 A.M. to catch a glimpse of the rising sun were mandatory. So were half-mile hikes in the snow to But winning at life requires extraordinary purpose. And the ability to share it with others. Weir has a refreshing outlook on sharing these epic places with others.All images by Paris Gore. GLENVIEW, Ill., Dec. 02, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW) today provided an update on the companys Enterprise Strategy, including the progress it has made since introducing the strategy in 2012 and future performance goals. The Enterprise Strategy was established to capitalize on the performance power of ITWs highly differentiated and proprietary business model to generate solid growth with best-in-class margins and returns on capital. Through the continued execution of its strategy, ITW expects to deliver the following performance goals by the end of 2018 and beyond: Organic growth at 200 basis points or more above market; 25+ percent operating margin (previously 23+ percent); 20+ percent after-tax Return on Invested Capital; Free cash flow of 100+ percent of net income; and 12 to 14 percent total shareholder returns. ITW also initiated 2017 guidance at the event and expects earnings per share to be in the range of $6.00 to $6.20, up 9 percent year-over-year at the midpoint, as well as organic growth between 1.5 to 3.5 percent. Additionally, the company reaffirmed its 2016 guidance. Even though ITWs performance is nearing best-in-class levels, we see significant opportunity for further improvement before the Company is operating at its full potential, said Chairman and CEO, E. Scott Santi. Through our focus on leveraging the ITW Business Model to its full potential, we are positioning ITW to deliver highly differentiated long term performance and returns. Forward-looking Statement This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, statements regarding diluted earnings per share, organic revenue growth, operating margin, free cash flow and after-tax return on invested capital. These statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. Such factors include those contained in ITW's Form 10-K for 2015 and Form 10-Q for the third quarter of 2016. About ITW ITW (NYSE:ITW) is a Fortune 200 global multi-industrial manufacturing leader with revenues totaling $13.4 billion in 2015. The companys seven industry-leading segments leverage the unique ITW Business Model to drive solid growth with best-in-class margins and returns in markets where highly innovative, customer-focused solutions are required. ITW has more than 51,000 dedicated colleagues in operations around the world who thrive in the companys unique decentralized and entrepreneurial culture. To learn more about the company and the ITW Business Model, visit www.itw.com. A Peruvian Culinary Showcase at The Library Ritz Carlton Kuala Lumpur Until this weekend 4th December 2016, the Library at the Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur offers the Peru Mucho Gusto A Peruvian Showcase. With collaboration with Embassy of the Republic of Peru in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Peru and Malaysias diplomatic ties, executive Guest Chef Pardo Figueroa will prepare the Peruvian Culinary Showcase. Executive Guest Chef Carlos Pardo Figueroa has curated exquisite menus for dinner and Sunday Roast that are to be experienced at The Library, the hotels beautiful and elegant dining room. The menus include traditional, quality organic products that will be showcased for the very first time at a gastronomy event in Malaysia. Chef Figueroa will be cooking with ingredients that include Quinoa, Kiwicha, Chirimoya, Lucuma, Amaranto, Camu Camu and Peruvian Aji Chillies, amongst the array of unique products specially flown in from Peru. Peru has one of the oldest, richest and most diverse culinary traditions in the world that dates back 5000 years. It is a true symbiosis of both ancient and diverse culinary cultures and practices and the result of thousands of years of cultural evolution. The products that are brought in specially for this showcase are also highly sought after in cities such as New York, London, Paris, Rome and Tokyo. To start off the Peruvian Showcase, we had the amuse bouche. It is baby octopus with olive sauce and it has the identical texture of Japaneses chuka idako. This is bite size baby octopus is tasty and delicious. Next is the Trio of Appetizers, Quinoa Tabbouleh, Causa Rellena and White Cream Ceviche. Since we have two boys, we cooked quinoas for them when there were infants. It is a very healthy and nutritious food. Served with crispy cheese and avocado mousse, the quinoa was light with hints of nutty flavor. For Causa Rellena, it is made from mashed potatoes and avocado, served cold with tuna acevichado sauce. Presented like a sushi and the taste is a bit subtle and enjoyed it. Ceviche is one of the popular Peruvian dishes and it is usually made with lime. Chef Carlos decided to use tumbo (banana passion fruit) instead of lime. The fish was marinated and served with bruleed sweet potatoes and corn. The taste is acidic and this is very enjoyable. For the main courses, they have three choices of Aji de Gallina (chicken), Anticuchos de Pescado (fish) or Risotto a la Huancaina (beef). For Aji de Gallina, it is spicy creamed chicken with potatoes, parmesan cheese, pecans and olive sauce. We would prefer to have more chicken as it is tasty. You get the hints of the cheese and olive sauce and crunchy texture of the pecans. Anticuchos de Pescado (fish) at the first glance, the fish skewers looked dry but it was perfectly cooked. The fish was juicy and it its well marinated with red chili, vinegar and soy sauce. Chef used swordfish for this dish and we never knew it could be so juicy and tasty. It also comes with grilled potatoes, Peruvian onion salad and sauteed corn. Risotto a la Huancaina (beef) is Chef Carlos signature dish which is served with huancaina sauce, made from aji pepper, cottage cheese, milk and crackers. We loved this the most. The taste is rich and creamy and we loved the classic lomo saltado (marinated sirloin strips). This is very well cooked, tasty and addictive. We highly recommend this main course. Lastly, the dessert was the combination of Mazommora Morada, Quinoa and Rice Pudding. This is a popular Peruvian dessert and this the icing on top of cake ending the delightful Peruvian Showcase. When we traveled to South America, we didnt visit Peru and this is probably one of the few chances for anyone to taste the Peruvian cuisine. Overall, we enjoyed the food and what we like is they serve the food in their original flavours. We want to taste authentic Peruvian cuisine and not localized flavoured cuisines. It is only left a few days to taste this wonderful Peruvian dinner so booked your table now. The four-course Peruvian dinner will be available from Nov 26 to Dec 4 at The Library and is priced from RM250 nett (dinner from 7pm) and Sunday Roast (from 12pm) from RM198 nett. For reservations, please call +60 3 2142 8000 or email [email protected]. The Library, Level 1, The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur, 168 Jalan Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel: 03-2142 8000 GPS Coordinates: 3.146901, 101.715438 Website: http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/malaysia/kuala-lumpur Wilson Ng A Father and traveler who enjoys to eat, shop, travel and taking pictures with Samsung S22 Ultra and Sony ZV-1. Im a full time blogger, youtuber and father for two. I used to travel around 17 International trips per year but now staying at home. Remember to follow us at www.instagram.com/placesandfoods and www.youtube.com/placesandfoods. For advertisements or features, contact me at [email protected] See author's posts The three stages implicated above are built by different manufacturers. Proton and the Briz-M are products of the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, Fregat is manufactured by NPO Lavochkin, and the Soyuzalong with its native upper stageis built by RSC Energia. During some of the mishaps, upper stages shut down prematurely. This was the case in 2011, when a Soyuz third stage died 325 seconds after liftoffjust one minute sooner than yesterday's incident occurred. When multiple upper stage burns are required, as is often the case with Briz-M flights, improper firing durations have placed payloads into incorrect orbits. If that happens, a satellite can sometimes crawl its way to the right spot; other times, it tumbles back to Earth after a few days. But other than the fact that most of the accidents have involved upper stages, there isn't an easily identifiable common thread between the accidents. It turns out the real reason for Russia's rocket woes may be tied to the country's changing economic and demographic landscape. Earlier this this year, Russia approved a 10-year, $20 billion space budget. That's barely more than NASA receives in a single year, and represented a 64 percent slash from what was originally proposed in 2014. "The Russian space sector is short of funding, and may be having difficulties maintaining its quality control standards," said John Logsdon, a Planetary Society board member and professor emeritus of political science and international affairs at George Washington University. Additionally, Russia's workforce is shrinking. Since the 1990s, the country's population has steadily declined, despite an influx of more than 9 million immigrants. Those migrants have filled some of the country's job vacancies, but the overall effect, according to the Brookings Institute, is that Russia faces a sharp decline in labor quality. Worse yet, due to larger economic pressures, the country isn't able to make large-scale education investments, said David Belcher, an analysis manager at the Washington, D.C.-based Avascent consulting group. "The effect of that is that they have a skills mismatch in certain industrial sectors, that appears to include the launch industry," he told me. "The fact that we've seen several instances of Russian rockets not working as designed the past few years seems to support that thesis." All amounts in Canadian dollars BROOKFIELD NEWS, Dec. 02, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brookfield Office Properties Inc. (Brookfield), a subsidiary of Brookfield Property Partners (NYSE:BPY) (TSX:BPY.UN), today announced the quarterly dividend rate on its Class AAA Preference Shares, Series S (Series S Shares) (TSX:BPO.PR.S). The dividend is paid at an annual rate, calculated for each quarter, of 3.48% over the annual yield on three-month Government of Canada treasury bills. The actual quarterly dividend rate in respect of the January 1, 2017 to March 31, 2017 dividend period for the Series S Shares will be 0.98384% (3.99% on an annualized basis) and the dividend, if declared, for such dividend period will be $0.24596 per share, payable on March 31, 2017. About Brookfield Office Properties Brookfield Office Properties Inc. is a subsidiary of Brookfield Property Partners (NYSE:BPY) (TSX:BPY.UN), a global commercial property company that owns, operates and invests in best-in-class office, retail, multifamily, triple net lease, industrial, hospitality, self-storage, and student housing assets. Brookfield Office Properties owns, develops and manages premier office properties in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe. Its portfolio is comprised of interests in 120 properties totaling 88 million square feet in the downtown cores of New York, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, Toronto, Calgary, Ottawa, London, Berlin, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, making Brookfield the global leader in the ownership and management of office assets. Landmark properties include Brookfield Places in New York City, Toronto and Perth, Bank of America Plaza in Los Angeles, Bankers Hall in Calgary and Darling Park in Sydney. BPO-DISC Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Donald Trump has been patting himself on the back ever since it was announced that he and his team supposedly struck an agreement with Carrier to keep 800 of the companys jobs from going to Mexico. The more we learn about this so-called deal, though, the more it sounds like Trump, led by Indiana governor and Vice President-elect Mike Pence, bribed the company with taxpayer dollars $7 million to be exact so the company wouldnt move all of its jobs elsewhere. Remember, the corporation is still moving about 1,300 jobs to Mexico, despite being given a massive government handout funded by Indiana taxpayers. Economists have been quick to pounce on the agreement, calling it a bad long-term strategy that will only encourage large companies to shake down the government whenever they want some money. Every savvy CEO will now threaten to ship jobs to Mexico, and demand a payment to stay. Great economic policy. https://t.co/t2WAJOgh8F Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) November 30, 2016 Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman also put the Carrier deal into perspective by comparing it to President Obamas successful auto rescue, which saved over a million jobs. Back then, the same people applauding Trump for saving jobs attacked the current president for moving in to save a vital American industry. If we used Trumps Carrier strategy, it would take 30 years to save the number of jobs President Obama was able to save in one swoop, Krugman tweeted: Another metric: Trump would have to do one Carrier-sized deal a week for 30 years to save as many jobs as Obamas auto bailout Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) November 30, 2016 Whats also missing in the discussion around this deal is just how much larger the manufacturing problem is in the United States and how little Trumps PR stunt did to help it. Throwing tax incentives at one company to save a couple hundred jobs does nothing to change the overall outlook for the manufacturing industry. Steve Rattner, who led the Obama auto task force, underscored this reality in a tweet earlier today: Total Carrier jobs saved: 1,100 Carrier jobs saved from going to Mexico: 800 Manufacturing jobs lost this year alone: 62,000 Steven Rattner (@SteveRattner) December 1, 2016 Rattner also pointed out just how much the economy has improved in Indiana during Obamas time in office, despite those now saying finally we have a president (Trump) who will stand up for workers. Tweet: For all those questioning what Obama ever did for Indiana, heres Indianas jobless rate since he took office: pic.twitter.com/C5ehHzM0Pi Steven Rattner (@SteveRattner) December 1, 2016 Justin Wolfers also noted that six times the number of jobs saved in the Carrier deal were likely lost in the two-hour flight Trump took to Indiana to brag about it: My latest: In the 2 hours Trump spent flying to Indiana to boast of saving 1,000 jobs, another 6,000 were destroyed.https://t.co/Wp6OBO3vPW Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) December 1, 2016 Ultimately, Trump and Pences okay, mostly just Pences deal with Carrier amounts to little more than a post-election PR stunt. From a purely political standpoint, it was pretty clever. But as an overall economic policy, as many economic thinkers have pointed out, its not clear how smart it was. In fact, in the long term, it could do more damage than good. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Tom Carper (D-DE) have uncovered an illegal conflict of interest involving President-elect Trump receiving pay from a government contract for his new Washington, DC hotel. In a letter to the General Services Administration (GSA), Carper and Warren warn of an illegal conflict of interest: In 2013, GSA negotiated a lease agreement with Trump Old Post Office, LLCa private company owned by President-elect Trump and his adult children. In a material term of the contract, GSA requires that no elected officials play a role in the agreement However, once President-elect Trump assumes office, he will oversee GSA and have the authority to appoint a new GSA Administrator, which will effectively make President-elect Trump landlord and tenant at the same time. . The lease agreement between GSA and President-elect Trump states that the Landlord [to whom the Trump Old Post Office LLC, pays rent] shall mean the United States of America. If the current lease agreement remains, President-elect Trump will receive compensation from the federal government separate from his annual salary, which is prohibited by the Constitution. Foreign governments are also reportedly paying for their official representatives to stay at Trump International Hotel because the property is affiliated with the incoming Presidentthe Kingdom of Bahrain, for example, recently booked space at the Trump Hotel for a reception. . Accordingly, GSA should immediately take steps to identify and mitigate any potential conflicts of interest relating to its lease agreement with President-elect Trump, including removing itself from the agreement to avoid any violations of law. As the Senators wrote, Trump cant be both landlord and tenant in a government contract. If Trump receives any compensation outside of his salary from the federal government, he will be breaking the law. Trump thinks that he is above the law, and he has provided no details on how he is going to separate himself from his business interests. What Carper and Warren uncovered was a major conflict of interest that needs to be resolved before Trump takes office. Democrats are not going to let Trump occupy the White House and act as if he is above the law. Since Trump has no desire to avoid conflicts of interest, the GSA must do the right thing and immediately withdraw from the Trump hotel contract. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Health insurance companies are warning that the system will collapse after Obamacare is repealed, so the solution that Republicans are working on involving giving billions of taxpayer dollars to insurance companies while taking health insurance away from at least ten million Americans. The Hill reported that Republicans are trying to give the insurance companies a bailout without it looking like a bailout: Any policies favorable to insurers could be politically treacherous for Republicans, given that they have railed for years against ObamaCare bailouts of insurance companies. It is also unclear if any policy changes would be enough to convince insurers to stay. . One Republican lobbyist said that in discussions about a plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) without a replacement, insurers are painting a picture of the market that isnt very pretty and Republican staffers are getting the picture. They want to pump money back in to the insurers without appearing like theyre giving them a handout or bailing them out, the lobbyist added. When all of those angry white voters voted for Trump, they were giving corporate America a big blank check to raid Americas piggy bank. Heres whats going to happen. Those Trump voters who get their health insurance through the marketplace are going to lose their health care. Maybe in a couple of years, Republicans might get around to replacing it with something, but in the meantime, these people are going to have to pay higher premiums, if they can get insurance at all, while the insurance companies are going to get a bailout worth billions of dollars. Donald Trump was never for the little guy. It was always a con, and once he takes office, the president-elect is going to cut taxes for the rich, while raising them on everyone else, take away your health care, and dismantle Social Security and Medicare. The Carrier $7 million bribe to save 800 jobs that the taxpayers will be paying for was just the beginning. Trump and his cronies have big dreams, and all of them involve making life more difficult for the non-rich. Welcome to Donald Trumps America, where corporations are the only people who matter. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print In the kick-off rally to his post-election thank you tour, Donald Trump said that the country needs to unite behind him and Americans must come together. The president-elect claimed he will be the person to bridge those divides. Trumps call for unity came just moments after he slammed Hillary Clinton, which ignited a disturbing response from the small crowd in attendance. Video: Trump: We had a lot of fun fighting Hillary, didnt we? Crowd: Lock her up! Lock her up! https://t.co/SvJsIEiHw8 https://t.co/b2GIB20HLz CNN (@CNN) December 2, 2016 Im going to discuss our action plan to make America great again. Although, we did have a lot of fun fighting Hillary, didnt we? Trump said, which encouraged the crowd to break into a raucous series of lock her up chants. Later in Trumps remarks, Trump went off on a long and rambling tangent against the media, calling them dishonest and attacking their portrayal of him and his chances up until the election. He even bragged about making one reporter cry. Pointing to the back of the arena, Trump calls out "the extremely dishonest press" https://t.co/rNmUSohAjM pic.twitter.com/IHht5kOJWJ CBS News (@CBSNews) December 2, 2016 Trumps ramble against the press continued to the point where he started complaining about how long it took news outlets to call certain states on Election Night. Trump is now complaining about the media not calling Pennsylvania in a timely manner on Election night. Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) December 2, 2016 The president-elect also took shots at Republican leaders who were opposed to him during the campaign, including Ohio Gov. John Kasich and third-party candidate Evan McMullin, who tried to run as a conservative alternative to Trump. He called his victory on Nov. 8 a landslide, despite the fact that Hillary Clinton now has a popular vote lead of over 2.5 million votes a landslide for Clinton, if anybody. Renewing a top campaign promise, Trump vowed to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which has provided health insurance to over 20 million Americans. This despite signaling behind closed doors recently that he will keep key parts of the law that he has suddenly decided are actually pretty good. Ultimately, the first rally in Trumps self-congratulatory tour gave us was the same divisive Trump that we witnessed on the campaign trail for well over a year. For Americans hoping that Donald Trump would strike a more unifying tone after the election, his Cincinnati rally on Thursday was a deeply disappointing spectacle. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print The statement on the latest jobs numbers from Trumps economic adviser bordered on delusional. Instead of discussing the pre-recession level unemployment rate or the hundreds of thousands of private sector jobs created, Team Trump is pretending like the good economy doesnt exist. In a statement, Trump economic advisor Peter Navarro said: The November jobs report showing a decline in the labor force participation rate further demonstrates an urgent need for President-elect Trumps America First economic plan. We have not seen levels this low since 1978. The 4,000 manufacturing jobs that disappeared last month come on top of the over 300,000 that have been lost under President Obama. Even before taking office, President-elect Trump has proven that protecting and creating jobs will be among his highest priorities as president. His determination to save 1,000 Carrier manufacturing jobs in Indiana announced this week is just a preview of his agenda of prosperity for all. Furthermore, the cabinet picks of Steve Mnuchin for Treasury Secretary and Wilbur Ross for the Department of Commerce signal a seismic and transformative shift in trade policy one that works for American workers and domestic manufacturers, not for the multinational corporations shipping jobs offshore. It should be noted that the president-elect just cut a deal with a multinational corporation that allowed them to shift jobs offshore and gave them a $7 million reward for keeping 800 jobs in the US. The Obama economys success cant be ignored. 178,000 jobs were created in November. Unemployment has fallen to 4.6%, and as The Atlantic pointed out, When Barack Obama took office, the unemployment rate was passing 8 percent on its way to 10 percent. But U.S. unemployment has now been at 5 percent or below every month for a full year. Trumps advisers can babble about labor participation rates and fake recoveries, but the reality is that the policies that Republicans are proposing are wrong for the economy at this time, and they will trigger a Trump recession. It is not a matter of if Trumps policies will slow the economy down, but of when the recession will hit. Trump is pretending like he is inheriting a bad economy so that he can blame Obama when his policies send the country into recession. The truth is that Trump is about to pull a George W. Bush and turn a good economy bad. Republicans are trying to hide it, but it is President Obama who has made America great again. Donald Trump and the GOP are about to create a mess that it will be up to the next Democratic president to clean up. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print *The following is an opinion column by R Muse* There are probably a few Americans who are suspicious of any piece of Republican legislation with a clever title; particularly if it involves a federal government agency with regulatory authority. Senator Elizabeth Warren is certainly a suspicious type, and she is attempting to bring attention to a disastrous gift to the giant pharmaceutical industry in the form of profitable deregulation. Naturally Ms. Warren has sounded the alarm, along with the preponderance of the healthcare and medical industry, and as usual, she is fighting an uphill battle to protect and save Americans lives from Republicans intent to sate corporate greed. An online magazine, STAT, likely echoed a sentiment most Americans take for granted when it comes to the safety of their food and more crucially, the various prescription and over-the-counter medicines they take for their curative, maintenance, or relief effects. The magazine wrote that FDA approved means a lot to those of us working in healthcare and the patients we treat, but if the 21st Century Cures Act becomes law this mark of trustworthy stewardship will become a shadow of its former self. As understatement goes, that last bit is a doozy. The bill cited above is a giveaway to the pharmaceutical and medical device industry, and it presents a frightening prospect for any American in need of medical care requiring medicine. The deceptively titled 21st Century Cures Act will be a monumental boon to Big Pharma; only because its cronies and lobbyists loaded it down with handouts and special favors for pharmaceutical corporations, Republican donors and of course that one industry most closely-related to food and medicine, the gun lobby. The bill began as a bipartisan effort to encourage medical innovation, and the National Institute of Health will get its much-needed funding, but only if the pharmaceutical and gun industry gets their gifts. Naturally, any giveaway to any mammoth industry passed easily in the Republican-controlled House, and perhaps giveaway is the wrong term. There isnt necessarily massive giving, but there is a significant amount of taking in the form of taking the Food and Drug Administrations regulatory authority away to aid big pharma; not patients and not healthcare professionals. The legislations many critics, Senator Warren chief among them, claim that besides being a giveaway to the gun lobby and slashes money from Medicare and the Affordable Care Act, it includes barely a drop of funding for the National Institutes of Health. Over at Credo, they specifically complained about special favors for a major Republican donor and financial supporter of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell; a donor who will be allowed to sell medical therapies without waiting for a safety check from the Food and Drug Administration. It also opens the door to fraud because big pharma will be allowed to market drugs as cures for all sorts of symptoms, not for the uses that were approved by the FDA. And, according to a cardiologist from U.C. San Francisco, Dr. Rita Redberg; in the 21st Century Cures Act, anecdotal evidence, rather than the scientific studies, could be used to approve drugs and devices. The emphasis has been on getting drugs and devices on the market quickly, not on making sure that they are safe. In her Senate floor speech on Monday, Senator Warren said, in part: The bill has a giveaway to the gun lobby, cuts Medicare funding, raids the Affordable Care Act, takes health care dollars that should have gone to Puerto Rico and makes it harder for people with disabilities to get Medicaid services. Senator Warren did say that not everything in the bill is horrible, but only because Republicans are desperate to buy Democratic votes. If this bill becomes law there is no question it will contain some real legislative accomplishments, but I cannot vote for this bill. I will fight it because I know the difference between compromise and extortion. The uphill battle for Warren and Democrats not in thrall to the gun or pharmaceutical industry is primarily one of appearance; no Democrat or Republican wants to be seen opposing a 21st Century [cancer] Cures Act no matter how dangerous it is for consumers and patients. Next week the early Christmas present to the pharmaceutical industry goes before the Republican-controlled Senate where Elizabeth Warren already revealed she is not looking the other way or voting for it. If Senator Warren has any success in blocking the bill in the Senate, something looking unlikely, it may be the last real legislative battle Democrats get to participate in. Remember, in January when they have a rubber stamp in the White House, Republicans have already laid plans to, and will without a doubt, neuter Democrats with a procedure known as reconciliation. A process Republicans are preparing to use because it effectively allows House and Senate Republicans to proceed virtually unimpeded with anything they believe Trump will sign off on without a second thought. The safety of the medicines and devices Americans depend on should never be in question, but passing this legislation into law does just that. Republicans and their big pharma lobbyists and donors claim America is falling behind the rest of the world in making untested chemicals available for human consumption. That is patently false. For example, American cancer drugs are approved in 304 days compared to Europe where it takes 448 days to approve a drug for market. Drug companies want to rush drug sales even more and just one aspect of the 21st Century Cures Act satisfies that demand for greater and quicker profits. And if the drugs, or devices, arent safe or effective, or kill or injure American patients, Republican, and big pharma can point at the neutered FDA as a failure and deregulate it according to the Koch brothers; by eliminating the regulatory agency altogether. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Tea Party deadbeat dad and professional crybaby Joe Walsh, who once threatened armed rebellion if Trump lost, is a bit upset with his heros decision to hire Goldman Sachs Steven Mnuchin as Treasury Secretary and his consideration of Goldman Sachs Group President and Chief Operating Officer Gary Cohn for energy secretary. As Politico warns, Goldman Sachs is poised for return to power in a Trump administration. Walsh duly tweeted, Mr Trump, this is bullshit. Can you hire someone who doesnt work for Goldman Sachs? What about that swamp? Huh? Mr Trump, this is bullshit. Can you hire someone who doesn't work for Goldman Sachs? What about that swamp? Huh? https://t.co/t2QkXsrtBy Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) November 30, 2016 Just to make his point clear, in between bizarre tweets about penises and his sister and cakes for gays, Walsh tweeted So far he's not draining the swamp. It's a cabinet full of wealthy insiders. Come on Donald. It wasn't a corny phrase. It got you elected Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) December 1, 2016 Apparently, it is not only the media that, as Corey Lewandowski accused, took Trump too literally. The American people didnt, Lewandowski insisted. They understood it. Wellexcluding Walsh. More remarkably, however, this is an actual incidence of Joe Walsh having an actual, verifiable reason to complain about something. And more remarkable still, hes actually right. Wellexcept for the penis thing. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print The co-hosts of Morning Joe, Mika Brzezinski, and Joe Scarborough, are all in for Trump after the bumpy ride of the campaign. To hear them talk now, Donald Trump is and has always been a populist hero: And I dont think racists and bigots voted for Donald Trump. I think people who were really hurting voted for Donald Trump, insisted Brzezinski, giving Fox & Friends a run for their money where wild flights of fantasy are concerned. She must have missed the Hitler salutes and Seig Heils and all those Confederate flags, not to mention the KKK endorsement. She insisted, So that accusation, Im sorry, about having white supremacists and racism lead your campaign, is like calling all the voters for Donald Trump racists and bigots. They arent. They arent. Watch courtesy of Media Matters for America: JOE SCARBOROUGH: I understand the edge, Mark Halperin, on both sides. I understand the resentment on both sides. Call somebody a racist, their backs going to be up. [Donald Trumps campaign manager] Kellyanne [Conway] brought up, I think, the most important point, which is this was about Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton failed to deliver a message that could drive people to the polls in states MIKA BRZEZINSKI: And I dont think racists and bigots voted for Donald Trump. I think people who were really hurting voted for Donald Trump. People who would have voted for Bernie Sanders voted for Donald Trump. People who were left out of the system, Elizabeth Warrens people, voted for Donald Trump. So that accusation, Im sorry, about having white supremacists and racism lead your campaign, is like calling all the voters for Donald Trump racists and bigots. They arent. They arent. [] SAM STEIN: I think actually both sides are right here, which is one, that Hillary Clinton didnt step foot in Wisconsin in the general election. That is a strategic mistake, that you cant connect. On the flip side, while youre right that these voters werent racist themselves, I do think its fair to say that a lot of what was coming out from the Trump apparatus were dog whistles. For instance, just one thing BRZEZINSKI: Oh no, no, no, no, no. Hold on. Dont say the word dog whistle. I will tell you there were ugly, racist issues that were on the forefront. There were some stupid comments by the no, hold on. SCARBOROUGH: The Muslim ban? Racist. Judge Curiel? Racist. BRZEZINKI: Let me. And stupid comments by the candidate himself, blurted out, on the forefront, not a dog whistle and stop saying dog whistles. What are these people who voted? Dogs? OK now, stop. Anyone who voted for Donald Trump gave their tacit approval to Trumps racism, homophobia, and bigotry. Yes, people voted for Trump for a variety of reasons, but to say that Clinton, who won the popular vote by going on 3 million votes, did not deliver a message is a lie. So did Donald Trump deliver a message, by normalizing white supremacy, by accepting the support of groups like the KKK, neo-Nazis, and others, and by repeating anti-Semitic Nazi tropes in his speeches. Brezinski can pretend it is not true, but those who voted for this signaled their support for such positions. Thus the signs at anti-Trump rallies announcing a vote for Trump as a hate crime. The problem was not Clinton or her message, but the mainstream medias refusal to talk about policy positions in favor of normalizing Trumps deplorable comments on African-Americans, women, Jews, Mexicans, Muslims, and others. Clinton had a message; people like Brzezinski simply refused to cover it so they could repeat fake scandals and conspiracy theories instead while ignoring Trumps very visible associations with white supremacists. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Allies of President-elect Donald Trump are mounting legal efforts to stop the recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Politico reported: A team of Trump attorneys filed a lawsuit in Pennsylvania late Thursday requesting a dismissal of Green Party nominee Jill Steins recount effort, arguing that she lacks a valid claim and merely alleges speculative illegality. On Friday morning, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette filed a lawsuit to stop the recount there, a move that came hours after Trump attorneys had filed a complaint to block the proceedings. And soon after, a pro-Trump super PAC filed suit in Wisconsin, insisting Steins recount push could unjustifiably cast doubt upon the legitimacy of President-Elect Donald J. Trumps victory. If the recount is as unimportant as Republicans are claiming it to be, why are they filing lawsuits to stop it? If the recount wont change the results in the three states, why challenge it? A recount that showed Trump winning would serve to add legitimacy to his presidency. Legitimacy should be a priority as Trump is losing the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by 2.5 million+ and counting. There has to be a reason why Republicans dont want the recount. It might be that the recount could flip a state or two to Hillary Clinton, and further weaken the most unpopular major party nominee to win the White House. It may be that the margin is so close in the three states, that Donald Trump could lose the election on a recount. This result is extremely unlikely, but Trump supporters might view this as a risk not worth taking. No matter what the reason, its now clear that Republicans dont want the recount to move forward, and they are pulling out all the stops to keep the votes in close swing states from being recounted. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Print Trump took an undeserved victory lap in Indiana yesterday while economists condemned his move to keep Carrier from moving a thousand jobs to Mexico over the next three years. The economists arent alone. In Trumps Carrier Shakedown, the traditionally conservative Wall Street Journal tells us that, Workers dont prosper when politicians force companies to make noneconomic decisions. Most of us are concerned about taxpayers taking the hit so Carrier can prosper, but WSJ comes at this from another direction. Here is the problem as they see it: [A]s U.S. auto workers have learned the hard way, real job security depends on the profitability of the business. Carrier wanted to move the production line to Mexico to stay competitive in the market for gas furnaces. If the extra costs of staying in Indianapolis erode that business, those workers will lose their jobs eventually in any case. Just to be clear, the WSJ isnt slamming Carrier, or Gregory Hayes, the CEO of United Technologies Corp. (UTC) that owns Carrier, but Trump: This isnt to fault Mr. Hayess decision, since Mr. Trump made him an offer he couldnt refuse. The state of Indiana threw in $7 million in tax incentives, but those werent decisive. Mr. Trumps real hammer is his threat to impose a tariff on Carrier imports to the U.S. Carrier has a 30% share of the U.S. gas-furnace market, and a 35% tariff could kill the business. Trumps use of a very real bully pulpit seems to unsettle WSJ because, as they point out, United Technologies also gets about 10% of its revenue from sales to the Pentagon, another source of government leverage. And what Trump has done combined with what Trump has promised to do can have some very serious consequences: A mercantilist Trump trade policy that jeopardized those exports would throw far more Americans out of work than the relatively low-paying jobs hes preserved for now in Indianapolis. Mr. Trumps Carrier squeeze might even cost more U.S. jobs if it makes CEOs more reluctant to build plants in the U.S. because it would be politically difficult to close them. So on the one hand, we have the suffering of the little guy the taxpayers and on the other, the suffering of the corporations themselves, with WSJ asking, who would you rather have making a decision about where to make furnaces or cars? A company whose profitability depends on making good decisions, or a branding executive turned politician who wants to claim political credit? Some conservatives will be tempted to tolerate bad policies that appear to be popular that theyd never accept from President Obama, says the paper, and warns Republicans should not make that mistake. Trumps move helped Trump. It did not help Carrier. It did not help the people of Indiana. WSJ found all kinds of things to hate about Trumps move, and for very good reason. For one thing, what does Trumps move say about the GOPs free-market values? The free market has been sorting it out and Americas been losing, Mike Pence said yesterday, while in the background Trump could be heard singing the chorus: Every time, every time. Trump said in Ohio yesterday that, We had people running our country that truly didnt know what the hell they were doing. Okay? The Wall Street Journal, long critical of President Obama, seems to be suggesting that under a Trump presidency, that remains true. There is a lesson to be learned here, even if WSJ avoids drawing the obvious conclusions: The sooner people learn that Trump is going to base his decisions on whats good for Trump and on nobody and nothing else, the better off everyone will be. NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF., Dec. 2, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SRS Real Estate Partners (SRS) welcomes two new team members to the rapidly growing SRS Investment Properties and National Net Lease Group (NNLG) in their Newport Beach office. Joining SRS are Michael Walseth as senior vice president, and McCall Huske as transaction coordinator, formerly of Walseth Retail Advisors of Marcus & Millichap. The NNLG was established earlier this year and offers net lease and single-tenant investment advisory services nationwide. Together with the SRS Investment Properties team in Newport Beach, there has been tremendous growth with over $1.1 billion on market in 38 states. Walseth joins SRS with more than 20 years of commercial real estate experience. He began his career in Southern California as a retail leasing specialist at Flock & Avoyer representing shopping center owners throughout San Diego, Orange, and Riverside Counties. Soon after, he joined Archstone-Smith where he focused on acquisition and ground-up developments of Class A multifamily and retail projects throughout Southern California. There, he successfully led teams of entitlement, construction, and property management professionals during the development cycle. During his tenure at Archstone-Smith he successfully acquired, entitled, and developed properties with an estimated investment of over $2.5 billion. Most recently, Walseth was the executive broker of the Walseth Retail Advisors of Marcus & Millichap. There, he was consistently a top producer in the firm's Newport Beach office leading a team of highly-qualified retail investment professionals specializing in the sale of multi-tenant retail properties nationwide, with a primary focus on Southern California. Huske joins SRS having worked for the past year with Walseth and his team as a transaction and marketing coordinator. As part of SRS Investment Properties and the NNLG, she will coordinate and manage commercial real estate transactions from origination to closing, acting as a liaison between clients, brokers, lenders, escrow companies, and title companies. "Michael and McCall bring an exceptional 15-year single and multi-tenant track record, and allow us to broaden our coverage of institutional and private owners, with an emphasis on the local, Southern California markets," said Patrick R. Luther, managing principal for the National Net Lease Group. "The addition of Michael and McCall further increases SRS' growing market share and Southern California based expansion, which we intend to continue," said Matthew Mousavi, managing principal for the National Net Lease Group. "Their clients will receive the benefit of our investment sales platform backed by the largest retail only real estate services firm in North America, specifically, SRS' national tenant relationships and leasing expertise. With a portfolio of over 6 million square feet under exclusive representation by our Newport Beach office's leasing team, our collaborative platform will provide Michael, McCall and their clients unrivaled expertise in tenant relationships, trends and real-time market data to assist in their clients' objectives. By combining the investment sales, leasing, and tenant representation disciplines into a singular, one-team platform, we've been able to capitalize on this underserved segment of the brokerage industry." About SRS Real Estate Partners SRS Real Estate Partners is the largest real estate company in North America exclusively dedicated to retail services. Headquartered in Dallas with more than 20 offices worldwide, SRS' strong reach and international presence provide the company with unparalleled knowledge both globally and domestically. As a result, clients of SRS have a competitive edge through a full range of offerings including brokerage services, corporate services, investment services and development services. Since its inception in 1986, SRS has built a strong foundation in the retail real estate world and grown into one of the industry's most influential and respected leaders. Our success is measured in the achievement of our clients' objectives, satisfaction and trust. For more information, please visit www.srsre.com. Watchdog and Public Service reporter Thad Moore is a reporter on The Post and Couriers Watchdog and Public Service team and a graduate of the University of South Carolina. To share tips securely, reach Moore via ProtonMail at thadmoore@protonmail.com or on Signal at 843-214-6576. Kelvin Cole, 56, died Oct. 28 after being struck by multiple cars on Interstate 26. Investigators later determined he had active arrest warrants from Charleston County's Family Court and the S.C. Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services. Read moreJohns Island man provided fake name before jumping from I-26 overpass, report says NEW YORK, Dec. 02, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Guggenheim Investments, the investment management division of Guggenheim Partners, announced today the estimated annual capital gains distributions for the exchange traded funds (ETFs) listed below. Please note that these are only estimated amounts as of December 2, 2016 and include forward-looking information which may cause the estimates to change before year-end. These estimates are for year-end only. These estimates also do not contemplate changes in shares outstanding that may occur prior to the record date. Guggenheim anticipates that it will announce final year-end distribution amounts for its equity ETFs on December 22, 2016. Monthly and year-end distribution amounts for its fixed-income ETFs are expected to be announced on December 27, 2016. For more information, please visit guggenheiminvestments.com/products/etf/annual-distributions or call the Guggenheim Investments ETF Knowledge Center at 888.WHY.ETFS. 2016 Estimated Annual Capital Gains Distributions Past performance is not indicative of future performance. To the extent any portion of the distribution is estimated to be sourced from something other than income, such as return of capital, the source would be disclosed on a Section 19(a)-1 letter located on the Funds website under the Literature tab. Distributions may be comprised of sources other than income, which may not reflect actual fund performance. For more information, please visit http://www.guggenheiminvestments.com/products/etf. About Guggenheim Investments Guggenheim Investments is the global asset management and investment advisory division of Guggenheim Partners, with $204 billion1 in assets across fixed income, equity, and alternative strategies. We focus on the return and risk needs of insurance companies, corporate and public pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations, wealth managers, and high-net-worth investors. Our 275+ investment professionals perform rigorous research to understand market trends and identify undervalued opportunities in areas that are often complex and underfollowed. This approach to investment management has enabled us to deliver innovative strategies providing diversification opportunities and attractive long-term results. Media Contact Ivy McLemore Director of Intermediary Communications Guggenheim Investments Ivy.mclemore@guggenheimpartners.com (212) 518-9859 Read a funds prospectus and summary prospectus (if available) carefully before investing. It contains the funds investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other information, which should be considered carefully before investing. Obtain a prospectus and summary prospectus (if available) at www.guggenheiminvestments.com or call 800.820.0888. The referenced funds are distributed by Guggenheim Funds Distributors, LLC. Guggenheim Investments represents the investment management businesses of Guggenheim Partners, LLC (Guggenheim), which includes Guggenheim Funds Investment Advisors, LLC ("GFIA") and Guggenheim Partners Investment Management (GPIM), the investment advisors to the referenced funds. Guggenheim Funds Distributors, LLC, is affiliated with Guggenheim, GFIA and GPIM. 1Guggenheim Investments total asset figure is as of 09.30.2016. The assets include leverage of $10.7bn for assets under management and $0.5bn for assets for which we provide administrative services. Guggenheim Investments represents the following affiliated investment management businesses: Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, LLC, Security Investors, LLC, Guggenheim Funds Investment Advisors, LLC, Guggenheim Funds Distributors, LLC, Guggenheim Real Estate, LLC, Transparent Value Advisors, LLC, GS GAMMA Advisors, LLC, Guggenheim Partners Europe Limited, and Guggenheim Partners India Management. A Mantorville man sentenced to more than 22 years in prison for sexually assaulting a girl over a period of about two years has lost his appeal. Andrew Russell Severtson, 33, was sentenced June 29, 2015, to 270 months in prison, with credit for 643 days served. He was found guilty in April 2015 after a three-day trial in Olmsted County District Court, where he'd been charged in 2013 with one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct-penetration with a person under 13. Severtson took his case to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, which issued its ruling Monday. Rachel Bond represented him in Oct. 6 oral arguments before a three-judge panel that traveled to Rochester to hear six appeals cases, including Severtson's. Severtson deserved a new trial, she told the panel, because the prosecution violated Rule 9.01, subdivision 1a. The rule says, in part, that the prosecutor is obligated to turn over to the defense any material and information "in the possession or control of members of the prosecution staff ... " She referred to a videotape made by the Midwest Children's Resource Center in St. Paul that contained victim interviews, documented the child's injuries and the opinion of a medical expert. ADVERTISEMENT "I'm not saying the prosecution intentionally hid anything," Bond said. "It wasn't (initially) clear there was a videotape that could be used." The defense eventually requested the tape on the third and final day of the trial, asking also for a continuance of the case to allow time for attorneys to review it. Olmsted County District Court Judge Debra Jacobson, who presided over the trial, denied the request. That refusal, Bond argued, meant there was "no defense expert to view the video. Had it been disclosed, that could've provided additional lines of cross-examination" of the prosecution's expert, allowing for a disagreement about the doctor's findings. Not true, said James Spencer, senior assistant county attorney for Olmsted County. "The state did disclose the existence of the video," he told the judges. "Its obligation was to disclose it, and make it available (to the defense) to view it or copy it ... on the last day of the trial, with the jury in the box, suddenly they request it. They had months and months of opportunity and they didn't ask." "But they did ask, and they asked for a continuance," said Judge Peter Reyes, one of the appeals court justices at the Oct. 6 hearings. "Why shouldn't they have been allowed?" A delay like that, Spencer replied, "would have substantially disrupted the trial. (A defense expert) would have disputed the state's expert, and she'd already been released" from testifying. "The video wasn't what was important," he said. "What was important was the doctor's testimony of what she observed." The defense had her written report, Spencer said, and could have used that. ADVERTISEMENT Severtson was convicted of abusing the child in Olmsted County during 2011 and 2012. According to the criminal complaint, the reports and a video recording from the victim gave detailed descriptions of multiple incidents of sexual contact by Severtson. A video interview with the victim's mother confirmed the dates; the woman said that when the child told her about the abuse in August 2012, she reported it. A medical report from Midwest Children's Resource Center indicated the child had injuries consistent with "blunt force penetrating trauma," a report referenced multiple times by the appeals court judges. Severtson is in prison in St. Cloud; his anticipated release date is 2028. A 40-year-old man was arrested about 7 p.m. Thursday, nearly five hours after authorities first attempted to detain him. The case began at 2:18 p.m., when officers with the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office warrant division and the Minnesota Department of Corrections saw Antoine Lamont Caradine, whose address is unknown, driving a rental truck in the area of 14th Avenue and 10th Street Northeast. Caradine was under surveillance, suspected of violating his parole; an arrest warrant had been issued by the DOC. Officers learned he had violent tendencies, had a history of fleeing law enforcement and possessing weapons, said Sheriff's Capt. Scott Behrns. When authorities attempted a traffic stop, Caradine allegedly drove around the block, then ran from the scene. Officials thought he ran into a residence in the 900 block of 14th Avenue, the report says; a perimeter was set up and the home was thoroughly searched. Caradine wasn't found. At 5:42 p.m., he called law enforcement, claiming to be depressed and suicidal, Behrns said. He was tracked to the Shoppes on Maine area in southeast Rochester. About an hour later, a deputy saw him walking on Olmsted County Road 20, near 45th Street Southeast. Caradine was able to elude the deputy, but another officer soon spotted him near 40th Street Southeast and took him into custody without incident. ADVERTISEMENT Caradine was sentenced in 2010 to 111 months in prison, with 294 days already served, on a conviction for second-degree drug sales. NEW YORK, Dec. 02, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against StoneMor Partners L.P. (StoneMor or the Company) (NYSE:STON) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and docketed under 16-cv-06275, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired StoneMor securities between January 19, 2012 and October 27, 2016, both dates inclusive (the Class Period), seeking to recover compensable damages caused by defendants violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. If you are a shareholder who purchased StoneMor securities during the Class Period, you have until January 20, 2017 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll free, ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased. [Click here to join this class action] StoneMor together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates cemeteries in the United States. It operates through two segments, Cemetery Operations and Funeral Homes. The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Companys business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) that the Company's reported non-GAAP financial metrics were materially misleading and concealed the truth about the Company's actual financial condition; and (2) that the primary purpose of the Company's regular debt and equity offerings were to pay distributions to unitholders rather than to pay down indebtedness under the Company's revolving credit facility as publicly stated. As a result, StoneMor's statements about its business, operations, and prospects, were false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. On September 2, 2016, StoneMor announced that it would restate its financials to correct various errors. On October 27, 2016, after the market closed, the Company issued a press release announcing a quarterly cash distribution of $0.33 per common unit for the third quarter of 2016 a 50% reduction over the previous quarter (the October 27 Press Release). On this news, StoneMors share price fell $11.08, or 44.64%, to close at $13.74 on October 28, 2016. On November 9, 2016, StoneMor announced the need to amend its Form 10-K for [the] fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, and its Forms 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended June 30, 2016 and March 31, 2016. On this news, StoneMors share price fell $0.46, or 5.09%, to close at $8.57 on November 9, 2016. The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Florida, and Los Angeles, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com Dear Carnac of Columnists, was it the perfect crime? I have never seen an update on the brazen jewelry heist that took place last December at the Marion rest area on I-90 . Have authorities come any closer to making any arrests or did the four masked men make a clean getaway? Thanks as always for your due diligence. -- MJM, Eyota No crime is perfect, of course -- quite the opposite -- but if you mean, have the crooks been caught yet, the answer is no. The heist happened two years ago , actually, almost to the day, on Dec. 8. The incident occurred shortly after midnight. Seven people who were traveling in a single vehicle on their way home from a trade show in Chicago had stopped to use the facilities. Two stayed with the vehicle and according to the report, a van pulled up, at least four people jumped out, they smashed the windows and they grabbed three or four suitcases filled with about $500,000 in jewelry and diamonds. They took off, abandoned the van nearby and haven't been seen since. The assumption is that the thieves had followed the gem- and jewelry-laden vehicle for hours, possibly all the way from Chicago. ADVERTISEMENT One of my research associates checked with Olmsted County Sheriff's Capt. Scott Behrnsand he said the investigation remains "technically open and active," but there's not much cooking at the local level. The case moved quickly into the regional and federal realm, with the FBI locally and in New York working it, and at the time he also heard from the Los Angeles PD. Authorities "did have some success in identifying the people involved," he said. "We had more success than I thought we would," though the case hasn't been cracked. "The guys who pulled this off are high-speed. To pull it off with that kind of precision and the tactics they used...they've done it more than once, and then they know how to get rid of the merchandise quickly and stay hidden." In these types of cases, "this merchandise will disappear within 24 hours," he said, and it likely won't be returned to its owner. That said, "nobody was hurt," he said, which matters more than the loose diamonds. The victims were from Direct Diamond Importers of Spirit Lake, Iowa. I called their number and the woman who answered identified the business as Spirit Lake Silver and Gold, which is in nearby Okoboji. In any case, she was suspicious of my reasons for calling and didn't want to talk. "I'd just go with what the sheriff says" about the case, she said. Good news continues to roll in for Community Dental Care's expansion plans in Rochester. Weeks after receiving a $1 million grant to help fund a new 18-chair office in Southeast Rochester, Community Dental Care received another grant for $450,000 top help complete the $3.9 million project. The first grant came from Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation and the latest one, announced Tuesday, came from the Otto Bremer Trust. Local leaders held a ceremonial groundbreaking for Community Dental's new facility in September. The first 9 chairs are expected to be operational in September 2017, providing a critical service to low-income families, minorities and children. "Community Dental Care is responding to an urgent need for oral health care in Rochester and surrounding communities," Otto Bremer Trust CEO and trustee Daniel Reardon said via statement. "We are very excited to move this important work forward." Community Dental has been operating a six-chair clinic in the Heintz Center on RCTC's campus since 2012, but that site has been overwhelmed while trying to meet the needs of local residents. It has a two-month waiting list for dental appointments and a seven-month waiting list to see a hygienist. ADVERTISEMENT According to data provided by Community Dental Care, around 70 percent of the 71,000 residents in and around Olmsted County eligible for public programs did not receive care. Just 43 percent of the 10,000 Medicaid-eligible children visited a dentist. The new facility is expected to create up to 35 full-time jobs while providing primary dental care to about 10,000 people annually. The targeted audience is low-income families and those living in poverty, who might otherwise not be able to afford dental care. Programming at the clinic will include preventative education for families. The City of Rochester previously approved a $2.25 million loan to support Community Dental's expansion plans located along U.S. Highway 14 near RCTC. The new site is located on a public transportation route to allow for easy access. "The need for dental services in Rochester and our surrounding communities is enormous," said Dr. Vacharee Peterson, CEO of Community Dental Care. "Too many people are going without even a simple exam, which can prevent the need for serious or emergency dental procedures in the future. This new clinic will transform dental care access for thousands of these children and families in need. RED WING Red Wing, it's time for your close up. Film crews spent Wednesday night and most of Thursday trekking through downtown to film the city's documentary as part of the Small Business Revolution competition. Red Wing is one of eight finalists for a $500,000 award that will be given to the winning city to help small businesses through products, services and know-how from Deluxe Corp., the company behind the competition. "Win or lose, it's great exposure," said Tracy Hardyman, board member for Downtown Main Street, which wrote the application that got the attention of the contest judges. After nearly 14,000 applicants, Red Wing will face off against Georgetown, S.C.; Marietta, Ohio; Bristol Borough, Pa.; Woodland Park, Colo.; Frostburg, Md.; North Adams, Mass.; and Kingsburg, Calif. Small businesses, Hardyman said, are key to a strong downtown. ADVERTISEMENT "We are the core of the community," she said. "You have family or friends, you bring them to Red Wing, you bring them to the unique niche places. That's what we are." According to Small Business Revolution's website, more than half of the employed population works at a small business, and small businesses generated more than 65 percent of net new jobs in the past two decades. In fact, 543,000 new small businesses start each month in the United States. Andrew Petersen, owner Red Wing Bicycle Co. and Outfitters, said he hopes as the judges and eventually the voting public decides on a winner for the contest, they see the range of amenities Red Wing has such as the bluffs, the river, its downtown and the city's great sense of community. "A lot of the businesses who do their business and do it well," Petersen said. "But they need help on some aspects of their business." That means everything from marketing and website or social media help to leaning to dealing with money and cash-flow management. All of these, said Cameron Potts, vice president of public relations for Deluxe, are some of the ways communities can be helped through the SMR competition. The film crew began its week in Woodland Park, Colo., and will Kingsburg, Calif., before the holidays before seeing the other communities after the holidays. Thursday, the film crew began with interviews at Oliver's Wine Bar in Red Wing then did a Facebook Live broadcast from Red Wing Shoe's store on Main Street. Potts said about 10,000 people would likely see the broadcast featuring Amanda Brinkman, chief brand and communications officer with Deluxe, interviewing Hardyman. For the contest, Brinkman said, the winning city should be centered around its small business community, but not doing so well that it does not really need the help Deluxe can offer. That, she admitted, could be Red Wing's biggest problem on first glance. "It's so picturesque," Brinkman said, noting how good Main Street looks as you drive in on U.S. Highway 61. "But after meeting with small businesses, they have the same challenges as businesses across the country here as well." ADVERTISEMENT Patty Brown, executive director of the Red Wing Area Chamber of Commerce, said she is aware of trying to hit that sweet spot in the competition of being a great town for small businesses but not too great. "They asked us to talk about our challenges," she said. "In my position, I'm always the cheerleader for the community, so it's hard to make that switch. But the small business owners, they have to do it all. They have to wear so many hats, it's hard to be experts at it all." And that, she said, is where Red Wing has real need. "It's been tough keeping storefronts open up and down this Main Street," said Leon Nesbitt, who along with his wife owns Red Wing Confectionery. "We're kind of on the edge of being an ideal destination. We're not down in the pits, but we're not hitting our stride fully yet." But win or lose in the competition for $500,000 for the small businesses in Red Wing, just making the final eight has felt like a victory already. "It's kind of like Dancing with the Stars," Nesbitt said. "The people who get down to the end, they're all winners." PRAIRIE ISLAND A spokesman for the Prairie Island Indian Community said the lawsuit filed Nov. 23 on behalf of three of its members does not represent the views of the group or its leadership. "The members of the community that are part of the lawsuit do not speak for the entire community and their views are not representative of the community," said Eric Pehle, a spokesman for the community. The attorney who has filed the lawsuit, Pehler said, has been shopping it around to judges for 10 years before it finally found a judge who would listen to the case. Individual plaintiffs in the case are listed as Margo Bellanger, Tina Jefferson and Michael J. Childs Jr., said Erick Kaardal, an attorney with St. Paul law firm Mohrman, Kaardal & Erickson. The lawsuit also recognizes more than 7,000 genealogically identified lineal descendants of the tribe, he said. Most of those members are located in Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska. The plaintiffs seek the right for the Mdewakanton Sioux Community of Minnesota to be consulted by the Department of the Interior against whom the lawsuit is directed and the right to a 12-square-mile reservation and land assignment rights at Prairie Island. In a written statement, Prairie Island Community Council President Shelley Buck said the lawsuit represents an attack on the federally recognized Dakota communities of Minnesota. "While the lawsuits over this time have been ever-changing and, at times, directly contradictory, what has been consistent is the pursuit of legally unfounded claims regarding long-settled law and, unfortunately, the enormous consumption of time and resources for those who are targets," Buck said. "Like the claims asserted against the United States for a decade and our sister Dakota Community for another three years, the current lawsuit is intended to divide Dakota people; it has no merit and we hope that it will be quickly resolved by the Court." ADVERTISEMENT Buck said the community will vigorously protect and defend its interests, its sovereignty, its members and its lands from the claims made in the lawsuit. "The Community will also provide whatever assistance may be necessary to bring this action to a swift end," she said. A case reviewing potential campaign finance law violations in connection with Rochester City Council President Randy Staver is set to continue Monday, Dec. 12. The Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings contacted Staver and the complainant, Rochester resident and business owner Abe Sauer, to set the date. An administrative law judge in a Nov. 11 preliminary hearing determined the case had sufficient probable cause to proceed to a formal hearing. The case will now be presented to a panel of three administrative law judges appointed by the Office of Administrative Hearings. Sauer's complaint centers on a campaign fundraising event that supported Staver. The event was held in September at Mayowood Stone Barn, an event space owned by Rochester businessman Joe Powers, and it was catered by a Powers-owned company. Expenses for the event were reported on a campaign finance report filed by Staver's campaign. It showed in-kind contributions of $933.33, $933.33 and $933.34 attributed to three of Powers's adult children. ADVERTISEMENT The complaint contends the contributions should have been attributed to Powers, as owner of the company, for the full $2,800, which would exceed the individual campaign contribution amount of $1,000 per person. Staver's attorney, Paul Grinde, in a previous hearing argued there was no probable cause to show Powers was responsible for the donation of in-kind services. Billing documents show Powers Ventures billed the amounts listed on the campaign finance report to Powers's children, Nick Powers, Joey Powers and Melissa Walker. The Office of Administrative Hearings has not yet issued an official order assigning the panel of judges. After the Dec. 12 hearing, the case could proceed to evidentiary hearings if requested by one, or both, parties. MANTORVILLE If all goes according to plan, Nextera Energy Resources will build an 89-turbine wind farm in Dodge County in 2018. A public forum to discuss the project is set for 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Dec 8 at the Claremont American Legion, 220 W. Front St. Clay Cameron, community development leader for the company, talked about the project with Dodge County commissioners during their committee of the whole meeting Nov 22. Representatives from the company have been researching the project for about three years. Bryan Garner and Victoria Ingalls, spokespeople for the company, said that before a decision is made to place a wind farm anywhere in the U.S., the company must first determine if there is enough wind to support the project. Then they talk to local farmers to see if there is interest in leasing land for the turbines. Each turbine takes about one acre of land. The turbines provide another source of income for farmers, who can still farm around the structures, Garner said. Next, the company determines if there is access to transmission lines for the electricity generated by the turbines. In this case, Xcel Energy is partnering with the company to provide the transmission lines. Garner said the company plans to build a new substation for the 200-megawatt farm. The company must then find a utility that wants to purchase the electricity generated by the turbines. ADVERTISEMENT Because the project is so large, the state Public Utilities Commission will issue the permit through the Wind Siting Act. Before construction starts scheduled for the spring of 2018 Dodge County will negotiate a road use and repair agreement with the company. Roads in the neighborhood of the turbines might have to be upgraded and intersections enlarged to handle the truck traffic during construction. Ingalls said the company has other energy farms in the state, including the Lake Benton II Wind Energy Center in Pipestone County; the Mower Wind Energy Center, which began operations in 2006; the Buffalo Ridge Wind Energy Center in Lincoln County, and the Marshall Solar Energy project in Lyon County, which is still under construction. The company has 110 wind projects across the U.S. and Canada. Garner said projects like this have " a tremendous economic impact on an area." He said that during the anticipated 30-year life of a project this size, local government entities can anticipate $20 million in tax benefits to the area. "Schools, roads and other key services reap the benefits," he said. Landowners will be paid about $34 million in lease payments. The construction phase will generate about 200 jobs, and the completed project will create about 10 full-time jobs. Nextera is paying for the project, said Garner, "a $300 million capital investment." The company will receive federal tax credits in the future. A project this size can serve about 60,000 homes. ADVERTISEMENT Experts from the company will be at the forum in Claremont on Dec 8 to answer questions. ST. PAUL Area lawmakers are welcoming news that the state's projected budget surplus is expected to swell to $1.4 billion in the next two-year budget cycle. Preston Republican Rep. Greg Davids said this morning he was surprised and pleased to see such a big number. The chairman of the House Taxes Committee said he wants to see a large chunk of that money used for tax cuts. "That's extremely good news," Davids said. "I think it's very, very good news for middle-class taxpayers and property taxpayers that the tax bill that I'm going to put together is going to provide a lot of needed relief." The Minnesota Management and Budget agency released the forecast number this morning and said the outlook "remains stable, despite continued slow economic growth." Of the $1.4 billion budget surplus, $678 million of that comes from money that was unspent last legislative session. An additional $334 million was automatically moved to the state's budget reserve as required by state law. Lawmakers return to the Capitol on Jan. 3 to hammer out a two-year state budget. Republicans will be in control of both chambers, having won a slim 34 to 33 majority in the Senate. DFL Gov. Mark Dayton will rely on the budget forecast to put together his budget proposal. ADVERTISEMENT Rochester DFL Rep. Tina Liebling welcomed the better-than-expected budget news and credits Dayton with helping end the era of budget deficits in St. Paul. "This is very good news, and I think that this is the result of having progressive leadership in the governor's office," she said. As for what to do with the money, Liebling said it is important that lawmakers use some of it to address major challenges facing the state. That includes rising long-term care costs and access to health care. She said lawmakers should use some of the money to help college students by moving to make the first two years of college free. She said it would be a mistake if Republicans push to use most of the money for tax cuts. "I really hope it's not just going to be cut, cut, cut, because if that's what we're going to be doing, then we're going to end up back where we used to be with deficits and red ink as far as the eye can see." But Davids argues that it's important to provide tax relief to businesses and homeowners. He wants to build off a tax bill he authored this year that would have provided $260 million in tax relief. That bill passed the Legislature but the governor refused to sign it due to a $100 million error. If the governor calls a special session this month, Davids said that bill could still be passed. But if no special session is called, Davids said next year's tax bill will likely not have as many items that the governor wants, such as a tax credit for working families. He added, "The window of opportunity is very short for the governor to get some things he actually championed and supported." WOODBURY The resolution of a case in which an 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling was abducted, assaulted and killed in Minnesota nearly 27 years ago is pushing a Woodbury couple to try to find their son, who went missing at age 17 six months later. Unlike Wetterling, Christopher Kerze is believed to have run away from his family's former home in Eagan in 1990. But the only piece of evidence authorities have found is his abandoned van. "As a parent, I don't think I could have lived through hearing those details about Jacob," said Christopher's father Jim Kerze. "But the news reminded us that there is hope." The resolution of Wetterling's case pushed law enforcement to recently re-canvass the area near Grand Rapids, where the van was found. Christopher Kerze left a note inside the car explaining who the owner of the vehicle was, the Star Tribune reported. Officers also notified area business owners and hunters to be vigilant for any clues. ADVERTISEMENT "Good or bad, we would be indifferent to the resolution," Jim Kerze said. "Whether we find out what happened to him, learn that he needs help or have a chance to reconnect with him." The Kerzes also asked police to create and send out a poster with Christopher's age-progressed photos. Today, he'd be 43 years old. "If we get a hundred tips and only one moves the case forward, this will all be worth it," said Eagan police officer Aaron Machtemes. "We just haven't had any significant breaks over the years." On the day of his disappearance Christopher Kerze withdrew $200 from a bank account. There was no evidence that showed he had packed a bag. The day after his disappearance the Kerze family received a "farewell" letter mailed from Duluth, in which he expressed his love. SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 02, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Valero Energy Partners LP (NYSE:VLP) (the Partnership) today announced that it has priced a public offering of $500,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 4.375% senior notes due 2026. The offering is expected to close on December 9, 2016, subject to customary closing conditions. The Partnership intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for general partnership purposes, which may include, among other things, paying or refinancing all or a portion of its indebtedness outstanding under its senior unsecured revolving credit facility and funding working capital, capital expenditures or acquisitions. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, PNC Capital Markets LLC, SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc., SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc. and U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc. acted as joint book-running managers for the notes offering. The notes were offered and sold pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement that was previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction. The offering is being made only by means of a prospectus and related prospectus supplement meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. When available, copies of the prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov or by sending a request to J.P. Morgan Securities LLC by phone at 1-212-834-4533, by mail at 383 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10179, Attention: Investment Grade Syndicate Desk, 3rd Floor; Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated by phone at 1-800-294-1322, by mail at 200 North College Street, NC1-004-03-43, Charlotte, North Carolina 28255-0001, Attention: Prospectus Department, or by email at dg.prospectus_requests@baml.com; and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC by phone at 1-800-624-1808 or 212-761-1057, by mail at 180 Varick Street, New York, New York 10014, or by email at prospectus@morganstanley.com. About Valero Energy Partners LP Valero Energy Partners LP is a fee-based master limited partnership formed by Valero Energy Corporation to own, operate, develop and acquire crude oil and refined products pipelines, terminals and other transportation and logistics assets. With headquarters in San Antonio, the Partnerships assets include crude oil and refined petroleum products pipeline and terminal systems in the Gulf Coast and Mid-Continent regions of the United States that are integral to the operations of 10 of Valeros refineries. The Washington Post reports that Donald Trump has picked retired Marine Gen. James Mattis to be secretary of defense. Team Trump has not confirmed this report. Gen. Mattis retired from the military four years ago. Under federal law, defense secretaries must not have been on active duty in the previous seven years. Thus, Congress will be called on to grant an exception for Gen. Mattis, as it did for General George Marshall in 1950. Shannen Coffin makes a good case that the seven years requirement is unconstitutional. The Constitution vests the President with the sole authority to nominate executive officers of his choosing. The only constitutional limitation is the incompatability clause, which prevents a member of Congress from serving in any Office of the United States. In any event, theres a good chance that Congress will grant the exception. Its conceivable that Senate Democrats might filibuster, but its not clear what they would gain. If Mattis were blocked, theres no reason to think Trump would nominate someone the Democrats would like better. Thus, it might be hard to mount a filibuster, given the number of Democrats who must defend their seats in 2018, some in difficult states. Actually, Democrats should be somewhat reassured by the selection of Gen. Mattis. He has strong ties with NATO, having served for three years as the supreme allied commander of transformation for that organization. He also takes a hard line on Russia. Democrats have criticized Trump (rather hypocritically) for being sympathetic to Putin and ambivalent about NATO. Mattis is a hardliner on ISIS and Iran. Some Democrats may not like this. However, its almost impossible to imagine Trump selecting other than an ISIS/Iran hardliner for Secretary of Defense. One sticking point for Democrats may be Mattiss position on women in combat. He has questioned the wisdom of co-ed fighting units, especially in the Marines. Perhaps the Democrats will see an opportunity to appeal to their feminist base by opposing Mattis on this ground. They may also resent some of the shots Gen. Mattis has taken at administration policy. But again, the Dems cant realistically expect Trump to select someone who has stood quietly by as President Obama erred, from Trumps perspective, on major foreign policy, defense policy, and national security issues. I see little but upside in the selection of Mattis. Like David French, I find nothing not to like in the Washington Posts account. My only reservation pertains to terrorist interrogation. Trump, who has favored waterboarding, reports that Mattis gave him pause by saying that beer and cigarettes work better. According to Trump, Mattis told him, Ive always found, give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers and I do better with that than I do with torture. Did Mattis interrogate the three hard core terrorists whom the CIA waterboarded? I doubt it. I also doubt that the CIA neglected to try various approaches to establishing rapport with the three before resorting to torture. Note, however, that Mattis statement to Trump doesnt preclude using harsh interrogation methods if beer and cigarettes dont work. So my reservation is really a quibble. All in all, this looks like another strong pick for the Cabinet. Time will tell how well Gen. Mattis handles the managerial side of the job. Running the Pentagon is a very tall order. But Mattis has a head start because he knows the military so well and has earned plenty of respect from its leaders. The Associated Press reports that President Obama has decided to back off on anti-Israel moves in the wake of President-elect Trumps victory: President Barack Obama has nearly ruled out any major last-ditch effort to put pressure on Israel over stalled peace negotiations with the Palestinians, U.S. officials said, indicating Obama will likely avoid one last row with Israels government as he leaves office. Frustrated by the lack of progress, Obama for more than a year had considered giving a major speech describing his vision for a future peace deal or, in a more aggressive step, supporting a United Nations resolution laying out parameters for such a deal. Although the goal would be to impart fresh urgency to the moribund peace process, either step would have been perceived as constraining Israels negotiating hand while strengthening the Palestinians argument on the world stage. Those are terrible ideas. Why have they now been shelved? Discussions about those potential maneuvers, under way before the U.S. election, have fallen off since Donald Trumps surprise victory, officials said. Obama is now highly unlikely to approve either of those options presented to him by U.S. diplomats, said the officials. Thanks, Donald. More good news here, with the usual AP twist: In the latest sign hes inclined to maintain the status quo, Obama on Thursday signed a six-month waiver to a law requiring the U.S. Embassy to be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which Israel considers its capital. The AP consistently uses this idiotic locution: Jerusalem, which Israel considers its capital. Jerusalem, where the Knesset meets, the Prime Ministers residence is located and the Supreme Court sits, is Israels capital. Can you imagine the Associated Press writing a sentence like this: Ottawa, which Canada considers its capital? No. Only Israel is somehow suspect. But lets move on: Presidents have waived the law since it was enacted in 1995. But Trump has insisted he would finally follow through on moving the embassy a move that would infuriate Palestinians, who claim Jerusalems eastern sector as the capital of their future state. Thats great. Lets hope that Trumps word is good. This is one example among many where Trumps willingness to blow past liberal conventional wisdom, with the overwhelming support of the American people, will pay dividends. Among other things, it will finally effectuate a longstanding plank in the Republican Partys platform. Steve Haywards book Patriotism Is Not Enough is forthcoming on February 14, 2017. The book is rich in reflections occasioned by a close reading of the intellectual history Steve takes up. In the introduction Steve quotes Walter Bernss understanding of the Founders to the effect that the making of patriots cannot be left to chance. Later in the book Steve writes that the tyrant of the liberated self cannot be a patriot, because the self as the greatest cause any individual is taught to think of, cannot conceive of a cause or purpose or meaning beyond himself. Steve therefore argues: The dogmatic liberalism of our time is the enemy of patriotism. I think this is the context in which to consider the story of Roddie Edmonds as told by Cathryn Prince for the Times of Israel in Posthumous honor for US officer who saved 200 Jewish GIs from the Nazis and never told a soul. It is a case study in decency and virtue and valor that should inspire the patriotism of all Americans: In a singular act of humanity and defiance, Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds stood up to a German commandant and saved 200 American Jewish GIs from transportation to a slave labor camp. It was 1945 and Edmonds had been a prisoner of war in Stalag IX-A, a German POW camp for less than a month. As the highest-ranking officer there, he was responsible for the camps 1,292 American POWs 200 of whom were Jewish. Throughout the war, the Wehrmacht either murdered Jewish soldiers captured on the Eastern Front or sent them to extermination camps. Jewish soldiers captured on the Western Front could be sent to Berga, a slave labor camp where survival rates were dismal. Because of this policy the US military told its Jewish soldiers that if they were captured they should destroy evidence of their faith, such as dog tags, which were stamped with the letter H for Hebrew, or personal prayer books that some soldiers carried. Edmonds, who died in 1985, never spoke about the story. In fact, had it not been for his granddaughters college assignment many decades later, the officers story might have remained forever untold. But thanks to the subsequent persistence of Edmonds son, Pastor Chris Edmonds, the heroic story surfaced. Then the story: Edmonds landed in Europe in the autumn of 1944 with the 106th Infantry Division, and then fought his way to the Belgian-German border as part of the 422nd Infantry Regiment. On December 16, he found himself involved in what came to be known as the Battle of the Bulge. On December 17, he had his last hot meal. Believe me when I tell you we really had to keep our heads down. This was no picnic, Edmonds wrote in his wartime diary. Though outgunned and outmanned, the Americans delayed the Germans long enough to allow General George Pattons Third Army to ultimately come to the rescue. But the rescue came too late for the 422nd regiment; Germanys Second SS Panzer Division encircled them, and on December 19, Edmonds became one of thousands of Americans taken prisoner. We surrendered to avoid slaughter. We were marched without food and water, except for the few sugar beets we found along the road and puddles, the 25-year-old wrote in his diary shortly after being transported to the camp which held upwards of 50,000 Allied soldiers near Ziegenhain. As the highest-ranking office there, Edmonds, responsible for the camps 1,292 American POWs, relied on his faith and sense of duty to keep the men safe and to keep morale as high as possible, said his son Chris. One day in January 1945, a month after his capture, the Germans ordered all Jewish POWs to report outside their barracks the following morning. Edmonds knew what awaited the Jewish men under his command, so he decided to resist the directive. He ordered all his men Jews and non-Jews alike to fall out the following morning. Upon seeing all the soldiers lined up, the camps commandant, Major Siegmann, approached Edmonds. He ordered Edmonds to identify the Jewish soldiers. We are all Jews here, Edmonds said. Irate, the commandant jammed his pistol against Edmonds head and repeated the order. Again, Edmonds refused. According to the Geneva Convention, we only have to give our name, rank and serial number. If you shoot me, you will have to shoot all of us, and after the war you will be tried for war crimes, Edmonds had said, according to one of the men saved that day. The younger Edmonds regards all 1,292 men as heroes. There is much more in the Timess of Israel story. Please read the whole thing here. PR-Inside.com: 2016-12-02 10:42:01 Middle East's Largest China Trade Show, China Home Life Expo, in Dubai for the 7th Time with China's Finest Manufactures Media Contact Meorient International Exhibition Co Ltd. Anna Zhu, +86 150 01848608 anna@meorient.com China HomeLife will be head in the Dubai World Trade this December 05,06 & 07, for the successful 7th time. The trade show will feature more than 1500 chinas leading manufacturers and suppliers. Parallel to the China Home Life, The China Furniture Design & Manufacturing Expo will take place with over 300 premium Chinese furniture brands. China Home Life is the largest Chinese Sourcing Expo platform in the world with major sourcing exhibitions in 11 countries including South Africa, India, Brazil, Jordan, Poland, Turkey, Egypt, Kazakhstan and in 2017 the expo will be expanding to Iran and Mexico. With the concept of expanding a 3 day expo to a 365 day sourcing platform China Home Life has recently launched the online sourcing portals www.chinahomelife247.com and www.chinamachinex247.com , which gives global businesses the opportunity to access the China Home Life Exhibitors before and after the expo. With the Chinas One Belt, One Road inactive which intends to promote infrastructure construction, trade and investment, among other activities, China Home Life is the perfect platform for Middle Eastern businesses to build up a deeper engagement with the Chinese corporations. In a statement from China Home Life, there is a serious quality control and stick screen process for every Chinese manufacture who participates in the show, to make sure every product exhibit in the trade show meets the highest quality standard. This year over 20,000 visitors from all over Middle East is expected to visit the Expo. China Homelife welcomes all importers, traders, wholesalers, retailers and other businesses to come maximize the opportunities in the Largest Chinese Sourcing Event in the Middle East. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201612020052 https://twitter.com/CHL247/status/804277499651756032 The federal government on Friday unfolded modalities for the reimbursement to the 36 states of about N522.74 billion over-deduction on foreign loans. The amount is to be paid in batches, with the first batch of N153.01 billion currently being processed for release to 14 state governments. The debt service deductions were in respect of the Paris Club, London Club and multilateral loans of the federal and state governments between 1995 and 2002. Following a final agreement reached by Nigeria under the Obasanjo administration with the Paris Club in October 2005 for debt relief, some state governments had already been overcharged. Some states had submitted requests to the federal government for the refund of amounts deducted from their Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations. Consequently, President Muhammadu Buhari directed the Debt Management Office to verify the claims based on available records. A verification team constituted with a mandate to scrutinise claims and reconcile records had reviewed interim payments made by previous administrations. A Federal Ministry of Finance statement on Friday confirmed the commencement of work to reconcile each state governments claim. The exercise expected to take approximately 12 months, will be thorough, including a complete reconstruction of records dating back to the period in question, the statement by the minister of finance spokesperson, Festus Akanbi, said. Mr. Akanbi said state governors have continued to plead for the release of payments based on fairness, as some states had already received refunds under previous administrations. He said the federal government had reached conditional agreements with states for the payment of 25 per cent of each states claim, subject to a cap of N14.5 billion. In line with the agreement, balances due to any would be revisited and paid when the countrys financial conditions improve. Mr. Presidents overriding concern is for the welfare of the Nigerian people, considering the fact that many states are owing salaries and pension, causing considerable hardship, Mr Akanbi said. A minimum of 50 per cent of any amount disbursed to any state government would be dedicated to the payment of salaries and pensions. To ensure compliance, Mr. Akanbi said funds would be credited to only auditable accounts from which payments to individual creditors would be made. Where possible, such payments would be made to BVN (bank verification number) linked accounts and verified, he explained.. Besides, he noted that due to the on-going reconciliation, state governors have been asked to sign an undertaking that in the event the amount already paid exceeds the verified claim, the surplus would be deducted directly from the affected states monthly FAAC allocations. The release of these funds is intended to support the fiscal stimulus programme of the present administration to provide direct stimulus through government spending. Mr. Akande said it is particularly aimed at boosting demand at consumer level and reversing the slowdown in economic activity. The federal government on Thursday denied reports credited to the senator representing Kogi West senatorial district, Dino Melaye, that government had secretly shared $4 billion of the over-deduction to states. HOUSTON, Dec. 02, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Targa Resources Corp. (NYSE:TRGP) ("Targa" or the "Company") announced today that representatives from the Company will participate in the Wells Fargo Energy Symposium on Tuesday, December 6, 2016 and Wednesday, December 7, 2016 in New York. The materials used at the conference will be accessible on the Events and Presentations section of the Companys website at www.targaresources.com, or by going to http://ir.targaresources.com/trc/events.cfm, on Tuesday, December 6, beginning at 7 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (6 a.m. Central Standard Time). About Targa Resources Corp. Targa Resources Corp. is a leading provider of midstream services and is one of the largest independent midstream energy companies in North America. Targa owns, operates, acquires, and develops a diversified portfolio of complementary midstream energy assets. The Company is primarily engaged in the business of: gathering, compressing, treating, processing, and selling natural gas; storing, fractionating, treating, transporting, and selling NGLs and NGL products, including services to LPG exporters; gathering, storing, and terminaling crude oil; storing, terminaling, and selling refined petroleum products. The principal executive offices of Targa are located at 1000 Louisiana, Suite 4300, Houston, TX 77002 and their telephone number is 713-584-1000. For more information please go to www.targaresources.com. Contact investor relations by phone at (713) 584-1133. Jennifer Kneale Vice President - Finance Matthew Meloy Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer In contrast to the earlier position of the Nigeria Police, the Inspector General of the Police, Ibrahim Idris, has accepted that some police personnel who were on duty during the just concluded governorship election in Ondo State, were yet to be paid their allowances several days after the elections. The Police IG has therefore has set up a panel to investigate why the policemen were not paid their entitlements. Mr. Idris, in a statement released on Friday by the Force spokesman, Don Awunah, appealed for a little patience from the affected policemen. The issue is being looked into, and no one would be cheated of his due, the police IG assured. The investigation panel, the statement said, would be headed by a retired assistant inspector general of police, Ali Ahmadu. As previously reported by PREMIUM TIMES, several policemen took to the street in Ondo on Monday to protest the non-payment of their allowances after the Ondo election. The statement from the Police IG therefore confirmed a PREMIUM TIMES report that the police lied when they denied that the protest took place. Read the full statement released by the police: IGP SETS UP SPECIAL PANEL TO INVESTIGATE, STREAMLINE AND ENHANCE PAYMENT OF ENTITLEMENTS OF ITS PERSONNEL The Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim K. Idris, NPM, mni deeply concerned about the delay, omission and discrepancies in payment of allowances to officers of the Nigeria Police Force who participated in the just concluded gubernatorial election in Ondo state; and also arising from complaints of irregularities from certain quarters and discoveries of possible anomalies and plausible foul play, has set up a special panel to investigate, streamline and enhance payment of entitlements of the force personnel who engage in adhoc duties. The special panel is empowered to launch an investigation into the entire payment system with a view to: Investigating thoroughly the recent payment of allowances to personnel of the force to determine if the money released for the payment of the allowances was utilized accordingly, providing bank records as evidence. Liaising with the Ministry of Finance on the perennial problematic nature of paying allowances. Setting up standard modalities that will be adopted by the force to address payment of allowances given by the Federal Government for the conduct of subsequent elections in the country. Recommending where appropriate disciplinary actions against erring officers both within and outside the force. The SIP at the end of the investigation is to recommend professional modalities for payment of allowances in line with government due process for subsequent payment of allowances to personnel of the force engaged in adhoc duties. This development is pursuant to the policy of the Inspector General of Police for transparency and accountability in all aspects of the Nigeria Police Force and in readiness for the establishment of a standard template that would be used in the conduct of subsequent elections. The investigation panel will be chaired by Retired AIG Ali Ahmadu with the following as members: a representative from the office of Police Account and Budget a representative from the office of Director of Finance iii. a representative from the office of DIG Operations a representative from the office of IGP Project Monitoring Unit a member from the office of the Special Investigation Panel to assist the chairman in conducting the investigation a representative from the office of Police Legal Section to serve as secretary The Inspector General of Police enjoins officers who are yet to receive their payment to exercise a little more patience as the issue is already being looked into, assuring them that no one would be cheated of his due. He further urges anyone with useful information that can assist the panel in their investigation not to hesitate in coming forward with such and assures the Nigerian public that the police will always uphold transparency and due process in all her affairs. DCP Don N. Awunah, fsi Force Public Relations Officer An Abuja Division of the Federal High Court on Friday ordered the release of the leader of the Shia Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky. Mr. El-Zakzaky was arrested by the military on December 14, 2015, after a clash between the movement and officers of the Nigerian army. The army killed at least 347 members of the group. Mr. El-Zakzaky approached the court to demand his release, months after he was arrested without being charged to Court. He asked the Court to declare that his arrest and continued detention violated his fundamental rights. His lawyer, Femi Falana, said the court should declare that the continued detention of his client without charging him, was unlawful. Delivering the judgement, Justice Gabriel Kolawole, rejected the submission of the counsel to the State Security Service, Tijjani Gazali, that Mr. El-Zakzaky was kept in protective custody of the SSS. He said the decision to hold the Islamic cleric and his wife for their safety was not based on law. I have not been shown any incident report or any complaint lodged by residents around the neighbourhood that the applicant has become a nuisance to his neigbourhood, said the judge. He said the decision of the government to hold the applicant for so long amounted to great danger. Citing the death of former leader of the Boko Haram leader, Mohammed Yusuf, the judge said; If the applicant dies in custody which I do not pray for, it could result in many needless deaths. Mr. Kolawole said the government should within 45 days release the applicant and his family to the police, who shall within 24 hours take them, guarded by escort, to a safe place. He added that the SSS will pay a fine of N25 million each to Mr. El-Zakzaky and his wife, making N50 million. The President of The Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, has lost the countrys presidential election to leading opposition candidate, Adama Barrow. Mr. Barrow scored 263,515 votes to defeat Mr. Jammeh who scored 212,099 votes, the electoral commission chief said. The Gambias minister of external affairs and the head of the police addressed the nation country and called for calm, the BBC reports. Mr. Jammeh has ruled The Gambia for 22 years after taking power in a coup. The controversial ruler of the small West African country is expected to concede defeat. The United Nations said on Friday that $1billion was needed in 2017 for the provision of aid to victims of Boko Haram terrorism in north-east Nigeria. The Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator, Peter Lundberg, in a statement said the Boko Haram menace was the largest in Africa, and that hope can be brought to the victims through support from the international community. The narrative on this humanitarian crisis can no longer be ignored and we are appealing to the international community to help us prevent the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians over the coming 12 months. This is the largest crisis on the African continent and I am confident that with the support of the international community and the private sector, we can begin to bring hope to the people of the northeast, he said. The UN official added that a projected 5.1 million people will face serious food shortages as the conflict and risk of unexploded improvised devices prevented farmers planting for a third year in a row, causing a major food crisis. Millions of people have been displaced from their homes in north-east Nigeria since the insurgency began in 2009. Over 20,000 people have also been killed. While tens of thousands of the displaced live in camps, millions of others live in host communities where they are barely able to fend for themselves. The Boko Haram, despite losing most of their seized territory to Nigerian troops, still carry out attacks on civilians and security officials. The State Security Service on Friday released a former member of the Presidential Investigative Committee on Arms Procurement, Muhammed Umar. Mr. Umar, a retired air commodore, was arrested by the SSS in June for alleged money laundering and illegal possession of firearms. He was granted bail by an Abuja Division of the Federal High Court in July, with a bond of N100 million. PREMIUM TIMES had in June reported how Mr. Buhari ordered Mr. Umars arrest after receiving a damning report on him from the SSS. The court order for Mr. Umars bail was however flouted by the SSS which continued to detain him despite the trial judge, Nnamdi Dimgba, condemning the agencys action. Mr. Dimgba was one of the judges whose homes were raided by the SSS in October. Unlike seven other judges, he was, however, not arrested or detained by the security agency. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that when the matter came up in court on Thursday, Mr. Dimgba vowed not to continue hearing on the matter until the SSS obeys his bail order. Following Mr. Dimgbas threat on Thursday, the SSS released the commodore on Friday, sources told PREMIUM TIMES. The SSS currently has no spokesperson to be reached for comments. The Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, on Friday condemned plans by President Muhammadu Buhari to borrow $29,960 billion for the country. Mr. Sanusi, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, said it would be difficult for the loan to be granted because Nigeria has five exchange rates. He spoke at a policy dialogue forum organised by Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development in Abuja. Mr. Buhari had in October forwarded a request to the National Assembly to approve external borrowing plan to fund projects across the country between 2016 and 2018. It is the second time in three months that Mr. Sanusi is criticising Mr. Buharis economic policy. In August, he had sternly criticised the presidents economic policy, saying his government may end up like that of the former President Goodluck Jonathan. Mr. Sanusi argued that even if the National Assembly eventually grants the request, no global financial institution would give such loan. I can tell you for free, if the Senate today approves that we can borrow $30 billion, honestly, no one will lend us, he said. It should be approved and I will like to see how you will go to the international market with an economy that has five exchange rates. There is one rate for petroleum marketers, there is interbank rate, there is another for money market operators such as western union, money gram, there is bureau de change rate and there is a special rate you get when you call the CBN for a transaction. So who will borrow you when they dont know your exact reserve and exchange rate? I want to see who will borrow you money when the Niger Delta bombing of oil is there when the main source of the loan repayment is oil. Stating that Nigerias foreign exchange rates lacked credibility, Mr. Sanusi said the federal government should embrace private sector investments as a way out of its recession. The monarch said oil revenue cannot bring the country out of its present economic downturn or made it rich. He expressed disappointment that government could not increase capital expenditure even though the countrys population continued to grow to over 40 million people since 2015. Mr. Sanusi also warned the government against continuous dependence on China. According to him, imports from China have destroyed Nigerias local industry. He said, We trust China too much. We need to be very careful. They are killing our textile and other industries and yet selling to us. The former CBN boss called on the federal government to reduce its debt service through greater loan concession. He lamented that the nation had been borrowing money in the last 15 years to pay salaries. According to him, there are clear possibilities that the situation would continue because the monies borrowed were not beig channeled into health, power or infrastructural development. Mr. Sanusi called for the implementation of the June 2016 forex reform to unite the market through a single transparent rate rather than creating four new rates. The Senate should support tax incentives and other benefits to encourage the private sector, he said. A former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, who also spoke at the event, called for a drastic reduction in cost of governance. According to him, only four states in the country are currently viable. He said even the four states are still burdened by huge debts such as overheads. He asked the government to change its attitude to governance. Former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was on Thursday honoured with the Global Fairness Award in Washington DC, United States. The award was presented to her by the Global Fairness Initiative in recognition of her contribution to sustainable development, and her focus on implementing development programs that benefit the poor and less privileged. Speaking at the event in Washington DC, the former minister expressed gratitude for the recognition and pledged to continue to fight for fairness for the less privileged. I appreciate the Trustees of the Global Fairness Award for recognizing a lifetime devoted to development, including the privilege I have now of working for childrens immunization, through Gavi, and for managing climate risk in Africa through the African Risk Capacity, she said. Let 2017 be a year of continued fight for fairness for the most vulnerable among us, and those left behind in this world. Other recipients of the award include Cristina Liamzon, a development consultant, and Randi Weingarten, an American labour leader, attorney, and educator. The Global Fairness Initiative is a not-for-profit international organisation that promotes a more equitable, sustainable approach to economic development, ensuring that benefits and prosperity are extended to all people, including the working poor. Some of the notable personalities that have been recognised and honored with the Global Fairness Award include Robert Bruce Zoellick, the 11th president of the World Bank, former managing director of Goldman Sachs and Joyce Hilda Banda, former President of Malawi. Freedom House, the Washington Dc-based democracy and human rights watchdog organization, has called on all parties in Thursdays presidential election in Gambia, to accept the wishes of the people. Opposition candidate Adama Barrow defeated incumbent Yahya Jammeh who has ruled the country for 22 years. Mr. Jammeh took power through a coup in 1994. He was gunning for a fifth term in office. Gambian state media reported that Mr. Jammeh has accepted the result of the poll. In statement on Friday, Freedom House congratulated the people of Gambia on the successful conduct of the election. It added that it hoped that Mr. Jammehs acceptance will strengthen democracy in the country. Freedom House congratulates the people of The Gambia on a largely peaceful election day, said Vukasin Petrovic, director for Central, East and West Africa programs. Freedom House encourages all parties to accept the will of the people and positively notes President Yahya Jammehs intention to concede. This move signals a hopeful path for The Gambias future democratic prospects. President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday in Abuja met briefly with King Mohammed VI of Morocco, who arrived Abuja on Thursday, for a 3-day official visit to Nigeria. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the king, on arrival at the Presidential Villa at about 1.20p.m. inspected a guard of honour mounted by men of the Guards Brigade. The Guards Brigade also honoured the visiting King with 21-gun salute. NAN reports that shortly after the inspection of the guard of honour, Mr. Buhari and Mohammed met behind closed doors, before leaving the Presidential Villa for National Mosque to perform the 2-rakaat Jumaat Prayer. NAN further reports that King Mohammed, who is leading a 300-man delegation, is visiting Nigeria for the first time since he ascended the throne in July 23, 1999. The meeting between President Buhari and King Mohammed, which would continue after the Jumaat prayer, would focus on bilateral trade and economic relations. Laoye Jaiyeola, Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), said that public and private sectors of both countries would collaborate to leverage on opportunities for sustainable economic growth. Mr. Jaiyeola spoke at the Nigeria-Morocco Business Meeting , with the theme: Business Climate and Investment Opportunities. According to him, improved business relations between Nigeria and Morocco will create mutual benefits, connect the continents markets and enhance competitiveness. Analysts say with the visit the diplomatic row between Nigeria and the Kingdom of Morocco which erupted over a purported phone conversation between former President Goodluck Jonathan and King Mohammed VI, may have been put to rest.(NAN) The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Boboye Oyeyemi, announced on Friday that 70 operatives of the commission were killed by reckless drivers this year. Mr. Oyeyemi, who made the announcement in Abuja at the FRSC end of the year management strategy session, said that the FRSC officials were killed performing their jobs. He said that although the figure was lower, compared to the 160 deaths recorded last year, the trend was disturbing and needed to be addressed. Mr. Oyeyemi said the FRSC had declared war on reckless drivers because such drivers were responsible for about 40 per cent of deaths of officials of the FRSC in active duty. I have been raising this alarm since last year that we are experiencing increase in violence among drivers and lawlessness. Losing 70 personnel is not a joke, may their souls rest in peace. It is sad to note that some killing and maiming of operatives, including those from sister agencies is very worrisome. A recent occurrence was the happening in Talata Mafara in Zamfara, where a motorist ran into the mobile court in session killing three operatives almost instantly, including a civil defence operative. The occurrence is no doubt ironic and a sad commentary on road safety in Nigeria; but must we give up on our country and abdicate leadership to mediocrity? Mr. Oyeyemi said, however, that the government was working to address the problem. He said that President Muhammadu Buhari was aware of the problem and that the issue was being looked into, noting that reckless drivers would always be made to face the wrath of the law. He said also that as at the end of week 47 of this year, 4,005 deaths were recorded from 7,657 vehicle crashes nationwide. The corps marshal said that as at last September, the company had achieved 77.19 per cent crash reduction while 83.33 per cent level was attained in fatality rate reduction. The corps marshal said that 99 workers of the company had been punished for indiscipline that entailed extortion and helping motorists to evade arrest. He said further that 66 workers, comprising 10 officers and 56 marshals were sacked while 33 had their ranks reduced because of cases of indiscipline. Babachir Lawal, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, who was represented by Bamgbose Olukunle, Permanent Secretary, Political Affairs in the Office of the SGF, reiterated governments commitment to road safety. Mr. Lawal said that although there were challenges in the country in terms of road administration, plans were on to address the issues. He said that government had approved the recruitment of more than 4,000 people to meet the set goals of the FRSC in service delivery. Abubakar Yunusa, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Road Safety, said the FRSC Act was currently undergoing amendment. Mr. Yunusa said the bill on the amendment had been sent to the Nigerian Law Reforms Commission for further contributions. (NAN) LAWRENCE, Kan., Dec. 02, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Community residents are anticipating the beloved and traditional Lawrence Old-fashioned Christmas Parade down Massachusetts Street this December 3rd at 11am. Crandon & Crandon Optometry is a proud supporter of this family-friendly event that ushers in the holiday spirit for the last 24 years. This holiday parade offers unique aspects to delight one and all! Arrive early to the holiday parade to get a good viewing spot and set up for a traditional parade down Massachusetts Street, 7th to South Park. Crandon & Crandon Optometry is open during this holiday event. The traditional Lawrence Old-fashioned Christmas Parade is a special event. This is the areas only exclusively horse-drawn holiday parade. The event originally began as The Eldridge Hotel Old Fashioned Christmas Parade in 1993 with 21 horse-drawn carriages. It has grown to have as many as 85 entries and is a major event in the Midwest. Lawrence residents are coming together to celebrate its 24th anniversary this year. The family would not want to miss out on this upcoming Christmas Parade. The Lawrence Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade kicks off with authentic horse-drawn carriages parading down Massachusetts Street. Families can cozy up with hot chocolate and blankets, and experience the true holiday spirit as they watch dozens of beautiful horses and wagons decorated with garlands and bells. Join friends and community residents to celebrate American heritage and continue the Christmas tradition in Lawrence this holiday season. We love supporting our community and continuing holiday traditions in Lawrence, said Dr. Brent Crandon. They called it the 'old-fashioned Christmas' parade because it lends itself to the history of downtown, it's a tradition. The parade is showing a greater need for sponsors and we were happy to increase their number. We look forward to it every year and enjoy peeking out and enjoying it as we work that Saturday. It is heart-warming to know that our support and those of community residents and businesses have made this parade possible for almost 25 years. Dr. Elizabeth J. Crandon, OD, FCOVD and Brent Crandon, OD, of Crandon & Crandon Optometry offer vision care and eyewear to residents of Lawrence and the surrounding communities on historic Massachusetts Street. New patients receive 20 percent off their second pair of glasses. See an optician for details and exclusions. Patients of all ages can expect the highest quality eye care and eyewear provided from the experienced staff at Crandon & Crandon Optometry. Services include complete eye exams, vision therapy, contact lenses and fitting, glasses, diagnosis and treatment of eye health problems, pre- and post-operative care for LASIK and cataracts, and other surgical procedures. Call (785) 843-3844 to learn more about the 24th Annual Lawrence Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade or visit them online at http://crandonoptometry.com/ for more information on their Lawrence optometry services. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has identified the importance of merit in giving reward and said that quota system was detrimental to the progress of any society. He said this in Abuja at the conferment of the Nigerian National Order of Merit, NNOM, on two professors, Omowunmi Sadiq, an environmental scientist, and Tanure Ojaide, a poet and literary critic. According to him, the nation had placed quota before merit which we know does not work. Nigerias quota system, embedded in the constitutional federal character principle, seeks to ensure that all parts of the country are adequately represented in public positions or for public benefits. Critics have argued that it promotes mediocrity as it allows people who otherwise would not be qualified on merit to assume positions or get government benefits based on the part of the country they are from. On Friday, Mr. Osinbajo called on leaders to make sacrifices and commit to a country run on merit, integrity, hard work justice and patriotism. To build a new Nigeria, we need a new tribe of men and women of all ethnicities, of all faith committed to a country run on high values of merit, integrity, hard work, justice and love of country. A tribe of men and women who are prepared to make the sacrifices and solve the constraints that is crucial to building a strong society. Who are prepared to stick together, fight corruption side by side, insist on justice even when our friends and those of our tribes and faith are at the receiving end. A tribe consisting of professionals, businessmen, politicians, religious leaders and all of those who believe that this new Nigeria is possible. This requires a new way of thinking, a new leadership corps, a new tribe. The challenge for us today is a challenge of finding a society where everyone especially those of us who lead in every aspect of leadership agree that this country is worth fighting for, that this country can truly be great. And the evidence we have seen today is that this country can truly be great and so may I just challenge us today that it is time to populate that new tribe. The vice president noted that the award recipients demonstrated that Nigeria was blessed with tremendous talent and that her writers, poets and scientist were world class. He, however, expressed surprise that the individual greatness of the citizens did not correlate with that of the nation. Mr. Osinbajo said the national predicament was the result of an elite failure to accept responsibility or privilege to shape the values of the society. We must define clearly what is lofty, noble and deserving of honour and how these values can be sustained, preserved and enforced. This is the burden of privilege so that it is for us to create the moral and philosophical premises for integrity in the public service, fidelity to the rule of law and the creation of meritocracy as a rule, he said. Mr. Osinbajo commended the laureates for their intellectual accomplishments and said they would remain as mentors for the younger generations. Also speaking, the Chairman of the Merit Award Board, Moses Essien, said the award was designed to identify the nations best and brilliant persons and reward them to serve as role models for the youth. Mr. Essien said that since its creation, the board had demonstrated that the nation had the best citizens who could compete among their peers in the globe. He said the awardees had also contributed to national discourse to make the nation great. Responding, Ms. Sadiq thanked the federal government for the award and gave the assurance that it would spur her for greater contributions toward national growth and humanity. She noted that the fact that the administration had focused attention on things that matter to the people sent serous message to the rest of the world. She observed that her award showed that women had as much power in sciences and the academia as their male counterparts. Mr. Ojaide, a recipient of many international awards, on his part hailed the organisers of the award for recognising intellectualism adding that the award was the most important in his life coming from his country. On the militancy in the Niger Delta region, Mr. Ojaide said the region was also known for producing good writers and scholars outside militancy. He appealed for fairness on the side of the Niger Delta people as well as the federal government to resolve the issues in the region. I feel that by exposing the problems of the Niger Delta it should make others more sensitive to the problems. At the same time I want Niger Delta people to realize that they are part of the Nigerian federation and as such should cede some of the resources to the development of the entire country. But the rest of the country should also be sensitive to your own problems, he added. (NAN) The Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari, was flown to the UK for medical attention on Wednesdays after he began to have breathing difficulties. A source at the Presidential Villa told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr. Kyari was rushed to London on a British Airway flight on Wednesday morning. The source said Mr. Kyari had been battling with diabetes and was recently in the UK to receive treatment. The Chief was almost unconscious when they took him to the UK, but he is doing very well now, the source said. News website, Sahara Reporters, earlier published a report saying Mr. Kyaris condition worsened following the kidnap of a former minister, Bagudu Hirse, in front of the residence of Mamman Daura. Mr. Kyari and a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babagana Kingibe, were in Mr. Dauras residence when the kidnap happened, PREMIUM TIMES learnt. The Chief was shocked after all the security details ran away leaving them to their fate. He drove away all the security men except the one who refused to run away and they drove back to Abuja in a very tight security, he said. He also said Mr. Kyari was badly shaken from the Kaduna experience. He has not been the same since he returned. In fact, he gave the policeman that stood by him a token of money as gratitude, he said. Mr. Hirse has since been released by his abductors. The presidency has not released any statement on Mr. Kyaris trip or illness. The police say they have intercepted a four-man gang of heavily armed kidnappers in Rivers State. The incident, which the police described as a major breakthrough, occurred along Azikiwe Road, Port Harcourt, on November 29, according to a police statement released on Thursday. The suspected kidnappers were allegedly on their way to carry out criminal operation when they were intercepted by the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), acting on credible intelligence and public support. One of the suspects was arrested, while three others were fatally wounded during a gun battle with the police, said the statement issued by the Force spokesman, Don Awunah. The police gave the name of the arrested suspect as James Peter, a 30 year-old man said to be from Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. He is said to be cooperating with the police in the investigation into the criminal activities of the gang. The police said the gang was notorious for terrorizing the waterways in Rivers and Bayelsa states. The police said it recovered one General Purpose Machine Gun, one AK-47 riffle, chains of GPMG ammunition and two fully loaded AK-47 magazines from the suspects. The Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim K. Idris, has once again enjoined Nigerians never to hesitate to provide the police with valuable information and assures them of renewed commitment on the part of the force in the fight against crime and antisocial behaviour, the statement said. The authorities of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, have offered automatic employment to the overall best graduating student of the institution. The immediate appointment for Funmilayo Ogunkomaya was announced at the 8th convocation ceremony of the university on Monday by the Vice-Chancellor, Oluyemisi Obilade. The best student, who studied Biology, received eight categories of awards at the well-attended ceremony. Addressing the gathering, the Vice-Chancellor, Mr. Obilade, declared that, the university could not afford to lose the academic and moral qualities of the graduand, hence, the need to have her as an employee of the institution. This one is our own, and we have to retain her. She is a pride of our school, and I must also rejoice with her parents, Mr. Obilade said. The VC appealed to all graduands to always ensure they maintain academic and moral qualities acquired from the universities anywhere they find themselves. In a related development, the university honoured Stella Adadevoh, the heroic Nigerian female doctor who died in 2014 after contracting the Ebola virus from a patient. Mrs. Adadevoh was the first Nigerian to die of the virus, and her decision to risk her own health and intervene in the case, is believed to have saved more lives. She was honoured with a post-humous award. Similarly, a retired banker, Lawrence Aina, bagged an honorary award as Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) in Business Education at the university convocation, for his contribution to educational development. Speaking on behalf of the awardees, Mr. Aina, a former President of Chartered Institute of Bankers, called on citizens not to sit on the fence, and watch the educational system of the country going into extinction. And you dont have to be a politician, governor or President to help your people. There are much more opportunities to serve humanity than being a governor or President. I have private initiative that is reaching out to people. Nigerian citizens should put pressure on political class to perform, the political class have failed us, Mr. Aina said. ( Read 8191 Times) Source : New Delhi/Jaipur: IIHMR University signed a MoU with Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences (KGUMS) of Bhutan to collaborate on Academic, Research Consultancy and Training in Health Sciences at IIHMR, Delhi. This marks the start of an era of mutually beneficial collaboration to support the newly formed Health University in Bhutan. Dr K P Tshering, President KGUMS, Bhutan and Dr S D Gupta, Chairman, IIHMR University and Trustee Secretary IIHMR Group were the signatories to this historic collaboration. Immediately, two Key Trainers training programs of two week duration each are being organised by IIHMR at Bhutan in next two months.Dr. S D Gupta, Chairman of IIHMR University said, Under this five year tie-up programme, IIHMR University will be providing training to the health professionals of Bhutan. Training of Hospital Management, Leadership Development, Faculty Development, Teaching and Training, Technology, Pedagogy and Grant Management are the key modules of this training programme.IIHMR has a long history of successful international collaboration with neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Myanmar. KGUMS, Bhutan is the only Medical University of Bhutan and aspires to become a centre of excellence in human resources development in medical and paramedical sciences.IIHMR University is a pioneer health management research institution in India which started three decades earlier and has progressed to become a WHO Collaborating Centre on Districts Health System based on Primary Health Care and Centre of Excellence in Health Management Research. It has collaborations with Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, JHU. Over the years, IIHMR has been instrumental to mentor thousands of health management professionals in India and other countries. GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP Help may be coming for areas plagued by back-bay flooding, but not fast enough for frustrated homeowners. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is partnering with the state on a three-year, $3 million study of back-bay flooding and how to prevent it, but homeowners said officials should move faster to build protections against rising waters. About 100 people showed up Thursday evening at Stockton University for a meeting billed as a chance to learn about the study by the Army Corps and state Department of Environmental Protection and give input on problem areas. People in attendance were told that it will be at least three years before any projects can begin, a time frame that frustrated many of them. So if Im asked by the residents of Toms River and Ortley Beach how long it will be until projects are complete to protect their property, what do I tell them? asked Paul Jeffrey, president of the Ortley Beach Voters and Taxpayers Association in Ocean County. The area was one of many along the New Jersey coast hard hit by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. This is not one large project. I cant tell you a definite date on construction, but not in the next year or two or three, said J.B. Smith, Army Corps project manager for the study. Im not sure what else to say than that. The Army Corps is collecting information about where the worst flooding occurs, and it will take about three years to determine the best approaches to fixing problems, he said. State DEP Bureau of Coastal Engineering Manager Bill Dixon said his agency is a nonfederal sponsor of the study and will pay half of its costs, or about $1.5 million. Smith said all types of solutions will be examined, including systemwide changes in government policy and programs; structural solutions such as storm surge barriers, bulkheads and levees; nonstructural flood warning systems and land acquisition; and natural features such as living shorelines. Some in the audience said the Army Corps didnt provide enough information about its approach to conducting the study and how information will be collected and weighed, other than to encourage participants to fill out problem identification sheets. A Long Beach Island resident said he often deals with nuisance flooding on Long Beach Boulevard, even though he has bulkheads on two sides of his property. The water rarely breaches the bulkheads, he said, but instead comes up through stormwater drains. We all recognize nuisance flooding is more of a problem, said Smith, adding that consistent bulkhead heights, storm drains with flap-gate valves and better pump stations can help. Jeffrey said state and federal officials should have acted sooner to get information about best practices out to homeowners as they made decisions on rebuilding. He said people in his area have put up bulkheads of varying heights, while a standardized height would be better for all. Fred Akers, of Buena Vista Township and the Great Egg Harbor River Watershed Association, said he is concerned about flooding along the river in the Mays Landing area. I have looked at flood studies, and they do not model for concurrent flooding from rivers and tidal areas where they meet, Akers said. I do believe typically FEMA does look at both coastal and riverine flooding, said Smith, but that is somewhat separate from this study. This is a coastal study. After the meeting, he clarified that the study area goes well up the Great Egg Harbor River, as well as the Mullica and others. Little Egg Harbor Township Environmental Commission member Robin Burr asked if the study will take into account other projects being done by planning agencies such as New Jersey Future, which is recommending changes to coastal building regulations in the Coastal Area Facilities Review Act. Dixon said the DEP is partnering with many of the other efforts and studies being done, including with NJ Future, but that this study is more about projects that can be implemented than policy recommendations. The study is not tied to any funding for undertaking solutions that may be identified, Smith said. But you have to look at the costs against the benefits, he said after the meeting. Storm surge barriers like flood gates across inlets such as Little Egg, Barnegat or Manasquan would likely cost hundreds of millions of dollars, but that doesnt sound so expensive when you compare it to saving tens of billions in storm damage, Smith said. Re: Recently, some critics of the U.S. government have pointed out that [ #permalink 45 Kudos 19 Bookmarks The man shot and killed at the Woodlands Condominium Complex in Hamilton Township was identified Thursday as 21-year-old former Cedar Creek High School student Marcus Campbell. The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office confirmed Campbell's identity Friday in a news release. According to an autopsy performed Thursday, the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds. Family members at the Campbell home at the Philadelphia Village Apartment Complex on Cincinnati Avenue in Egg Harbor City declined to comment on the Wednesday night shooting, but several of Campbell's friends changed their Facebook profile pictures to one of Campbell with a pair of cropped angel wings on his back. Neighbors Thursday described Campbell as a good person who did not stir up trouble around the apartment complex in Egg Harbor City. The man was pronounced dead at the shooting scene on Ivy Bush Court in the Mays Landing complex, according to a statement by Jay McKeen, a spokesman for acting Atlantic County Prosecutor Diane Ruberton. No arrests have been made as of Friday. In Hamilton Township, fear gripped residents at the apartment complex, located across from the Hamilton Mall, the morning after the fatal shooting at the Woodlands. It occurred five days after a 21-year-old Atlantic City man was killed and his brother was injured in a shooting in the parking lot of the Hamilton Mall. Demond Cottman died, and Shadi Cottman, 26, was shot in the leg. No arrests have been made in the homicide, and police have declined comment on it. Mall management said it is a safe place to shop. "A top priority of Hamilton Mall management is maintaining a safe environment for its shoppers," Hamilton Mall management wrote in a statement. "Mall management has always worked closely with local law enforcement to ensure we are working in harmony with them to provide a safe shopping environment." Police responded to gunshots at 6:33 p.m. Wednesday on Ivy Bush Court in Mays Landing, according to the Prosecutor's Office statement. "My knees are still shaking," said a woman who said she lives next to the area where the man was found dead at the Woodlands. She didn't want to give her name but said she heard about six shots and called the police. "It gives me chills," another woman nearby added, saying she was sleeping at the time of the incident. Woodlands Condominium Association's president Wednesday night said that authorities told him the killing was part of a "turf war" moving into Atlantic County. McKeen declined to comment on the "turf war" statement. Campbell was arrested in July on charges of possession of heroin and marijuana with intent to distribute after detectives stopped a vehicle on Buffalo Avenue in Egg Harbor City in which he was a passenger. Two others in the vehicle were also charged. The county Prosecutor's Office said at the time they seized 225 wax-paper folds of heroin, more than 1 ounce of marijuana and more than $2,500 in cash. The disposition of the case was not immediately available. There was no blood on the ground Thursday morning at the Woodlands, and the only sign of the violence the night before was crumpled crime-scene tape in a trashcan nearby. On Thursday, there were no police officers or parked police vehicles in the Woodlands neighborhood, as there had been Wednesday night. Few neighbors walked the streets near where the man was shot and killed near building 49. Sarah Webster, 23, lives across the street from where the shooting happened on Ivy Bush Court. She said she wasn't home at the time and heard about it later from her boyfriend. "It's a nice neighborhood. It's not like that," she said. "It's a really nice place. I haven't had any bad experiences here." Webster said she has never seen an incident like this one close to home. The incident surprises her. She has lived at the Woodlands since September. "I don't really feel unsafe here. I feel really sad," she said. The air is getting colder. So is the ocean. And while largely barren beaches reflect the changing seasons, the water is never too cold for the largest regular visitors to the waters off the South Jersey coast. Whale sightings were common along the shore over the recent Thanksgiving weekend, a reminder that whales remain active off South Jersey well into fall and sometimes even winter. One of the lone whale watching vessels still operating into early December has had a whale of a time this fall, finding plenty to watch off the Cape May County shoreline. Two weeks ago, we had 12 whales, eight near Hereford Inlet and four more toward Wildwood and Cape May, recalled Capt. Jeff Stewart, owner of the Cape May Whale Watcher, which runs excursions from mid-March to early December out of Cape May. The current ocean temperature off Atlantic City and Cape May is about 51 degrees, about 5 degrees warmer than average for early December, according to the National Weather Service. But Stewart said the ocean temperature has nothing to do with determining whether whales will swim off South Jerseys shore. Its all about the bunker, and when the bait is there, the whales will be there, eating 2,000 to 3,000 pounds of food per day, Stewart said. Bob Schoelkopf, director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, said the presence of whales is common into December. Whales continue a slow southward migration this time of year, Schoelkopf said. It is also the start of seal season, Schoelkopfs busy time of year. The seals sometimes benefit from the whales, feeding on the leftovers once whales are done eating, he said. Stewart said some whales migrate south in late fall, but many spend weeks or even months at a time off South Jersey throughout much of the year. Most of the whales off South Jersey are humpback whales, about 95 percent of them, Stewart said. They usually range from 25 to 50 feet in length. A few other whales can be found, including finback, minke and right whales, Stewart said. Before Thanksgiving, we found a 60-foot finback off of Stone Harbor and two humpbacks, as well, Stewart said. The Cape May Whale Watcher wraps up its long season this weekend with whale watching cruises at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. However, whales have been seen in Delaware Bay deep into winter. Ill have captains on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry call me in January to report whale sightings on the bay, Stewart said. ATLANTIC CITY The man leading a state takeover of this city met the public Thursday, but didn't have details on plans to fix the city's finances. Jeffrey Chiesa, a former state attorney general, U.S. senator and now the state's designee in the city, introduced himself at a City Council meeting and fielded questions from residents. He didn't always have answers. Chiesa said the state doesnt yet have a plan to close the resorts $100 million budget hole and pay down the citys $500 million debt. No final decisions have been made, he said. "It has been two weeks, Chiesa told the crowd. My plan is to do what I think is necessary to create a structural financial situation that works not for six months, not for a year, but indefinitely so that this place can flourish in a way that it deserves to flourish. He said he and his law firm will be paid hourly for their work, but didn't say what the hourly rate will be. The state retention agreement still isnt complete. Well make sure thats available once its been finalized, he said. But Chiesa, who has authority to sell city assets, hire or fire workers or break union contracts, among other powers, said hed listen to residents and stakeholders before making major decisions. What this designation has done is consolidate authority, per the legislation, in the designee to make those decisions, he said. That does not mean that Im not listening. That does not mean Im pretending I have all the answers without consulting with other people. Chiesa called the city a "jewel" and "truly unique. And he said he understood concerns about an outsider overseeing the city. I know that most of you dont know who I am, he said. All I can do is be judged by my actions and the decision that I make, and I hope you give me time to do that. Chiesa at times faced an antagonistic audience. Im not going to say welcome to Atlantic City because your presence is welcome, but your position is not, said Charles Goodman, a city resident and member of the citys branch of the NAACP. Chiesa also got some quirky questions. No, he will not be moving to Atlantic City to pay property taxes. Yes, his name is pronounced Kee-A-zuh. No one at home calls him king or czar. Despite the lack of details on what he'll do, Chiesa said he must move quickly to address immediate issues. State officials have said reaching agreements with casinos to make payments in lieu of property taxes is an early priority. After that, it will be focusing on city expenses. That timeframe is pretty compressed, he told the audience. So we will take the steps we need to take. It wasnt an earthquake but a sonic boom. Again. For the second time this year, military aircraft off the coast of South Jersey generated a sonic boom that was widely felt throughout the area, shaking the homes and nerves of South Jersey residents. Patrick Gordon, public affairs officer from Naval Air Station Patuxent River in eastern Maryland confirmed Friday morning we did have an aircraft that was cleared to go supersonic off the coast of South Jersey late Thursday afternoon. Gordon said the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter plane departed Patuxent River at 3 p.m. Thursday and conducted exercises off of the coast of South Jersey. The plane landed shortly after 4:30 p.m. Gordon could not confirm if the plane actually did achieve supersonic speed. Gordon said the F-35 conducted exercises in an area off the Mid-Atlantic coast that stretches off the coast of South Jersey south to Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Gordon said this area is known as the test track and is located at least three miles off the coast. It was aircraft from the same Maryland Naval Air Station that were responsible for the sonic boom and widespread tremors that were felt in January. Sonic booms have caused tremors over the past few years. Residents in three counties reported feeling shaking and tremors Thursday afternoon. The tremors hit about 4:25 p.m. Residents from Wildwood to Harvey Cedars to Hammonton reported them. The U.S. Geological Survey had not reported any seismic activity in the area, so the cause was not believed to be an earthquake. The 177th Air National Guard Fighter Wing did not have planes in the air at the time, according to public information officer Sgt. Andrew Moseley. Michael Weissmann, of Hammonton, said it felt just like the sonic boom that rocked the southern part of the state earlier this year. It felt exactly the same way, he said. I thought it was the wind. I looked outside and the leaves werent shaking. In Harvey Cedars, Brian Devlin said the tremors shook the glasses and vases in the house. The whole house shook, he said. More information on the militarys F-35 and the Joint Strike Fighter program can be found at www.jsf.mil. Attaching labels to people is all the rage in the U.S. Current favorites include nationalist and globalist. Those designations arent much use and not just because people dont like being labeled. The bigger problem is that the categories arent mutually exclusive. Moderate nationalist sentiment and outward-looking liberalism can overlap. In America, especially, to be partly nationalist and partly globalist comes naturally. Its what youd expect of a nation of immigrants. Isaiah Berlin called nationalism a pathological expression of national consciousness. Aggressive nationalism caused terrible harm in the 20th century but Berlins point was that national consciousness (or some functional equivalent) is not just less harmful than the pathological form, its also valuable in its own right. It might even be essential in building a just, compassionate and well-ordered society. One day, perhaps, a worldwide Marxist-Lennonist utopia will be achieved imagine theres no countries, it isnt hard to do, nothing to kill or die for, and so forth. For the moment, public policy is shaped by and for nation-states. At that level, almost any collective initiative, including measures to civilize capitalism and protect the weak and unlucky, asks some to sacrifice in service of the greater good. This joint enterprise is likely to be more effective, and can certainly be more ambitious, if citizens are bound together by history, or by settled culture and values held in common that is, by national consciousness. If the first part of the 20th century showed how this idea can be perverted, the second showed the good it can do. Evil regimes were destroyed and an outward-looking international order was established. This didnt require the suppression, much less the eradication, of national consciousness. Indeed, without the especially pronounced national consciousness that energized and strengthened the U.S., the liberal global order could not have been built. National consciousness based on racial pride is both repellent and uniquely dangerous. Donald Trumps critics have accused him of espousing or at least flirting with white-supremacy about the worst accusation you could level at a U.S. politician. Reckless as he may be in the way he expresses himself, I dont see Trump as a white supremacist, though he could and should have been more forthright in repudiating that small strand of his support. (Aside from not wishing to turn away followers of any sort, perhaps he calculated that the unfair charge of bigotry leveled against all of his supporters would work to his advantage, as it did.) The mistake, in any case, is to conflate national consciousness with racism. When they go together, as they often have, the results can be catastrophic. But they dont have to go together. Im a believer in American exceptionalism, and the core of that idea is the possibility of devising a nation based on principles, as opposed to inheriting a nation based on ethnic loyalty, historical accident or religion. National consciousness based on a commitment to the liberal principles written into the Constitution seems to me nothing but admirable. But its still national consciousness it still involves, or ought to involve, a measure of pride and patriotism. If you want to perfect the union, youre going to need both. Its true, of course, that the United States has often fallen far short of its founding principles. It continues to live with the consequences of slavery. But national consciousness including the idea that the country is bound by those founding ideas has often been a means to grapple with that legacy and slowly put matters right. Identity-group politics now poses a growing challenge to national consciousness. It emphasizes what divides Americans over what unites them. In its angriest forms, it goes so far as to deplore what unites Americans (the idea of America and what it stands for) as so much hypocrisy or self-delusion. This least-compromising form of identity-group politics is self-defeating. It attacks the social solidarity that success will demand the sense of obligation that Americans feel toward their fellow Americans. The debate over immigration shows how easily the bogus distinction between nationalism and globalism can distort these conversations. Maybe pure globalists see no distinction between foreigners and fellow citizens, and dream of open borders. Good luck with strengthening the welfare state if that dream ever comes to pass. Everybody else thinks the difference matters. At one extreme, to be sure, are bigots who think that foreigners are bad because theyre foreigners. In the wide middle are people who believe that immigration hurts U.S. citizens and should be curbed, or helps U.S. citizens and should be expanded, or helps U.S. citizens so long as other things are done, or is good for the U.S. so long as the immigrants accept those founding principles and assimilate or who arent sure about any of this but at least believe that the laws on immigration ought to be enforced. A very wide range of views, but all the people in the middle agree about this one thing: The interests of fellow citizens come first. Thats national consciousness. It isnt the least bit unworthy. Its fully compatible with an outward-looking liberalism in international affairs. And in case the left hasnt noticed, its the necessary condition for an ambitious social-justice agenda. Theres no perfecting the union without it. Clive Crook is a Bloomberg View columnist. 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. LONDON, December 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As the world marks International Day of Persons with Disabilities on the 3rd December, Handicap International alerts on the fact that a large majority of people with disabilities living in countries affected by a crisis still feel excluded from humanitarian response. A humanitarian crisis can take many forms - earthquakes, floods, tsunami or conflict. They often strike without warning and almost always affect people who are already desperately poor and vulnerable. Yet, as Handicap International's 'Disability in humanitarian context' report shockingly highlights, 75% of disabled people caught in a humanitarian crisis believe that they do not have adequate access to essential, basic assistance such as water, shelter, food or health. "We know from experience that during crises, people with disabilities and injuries are often disproportionately affected and struggle to access the support they need," explains Aleema Shivji, Executive Director of Handicap International UK. "There are many different reasons for this, including a lack of information on the services available, lack of services being able to answer their specific needs or difficulties in accessing services that are too far away or not accessible." Currently Handicap International teams are responding to different humanitarian crisis all over the world, such as in Syria, Iraq, Haiti, South Sudan or Yemen. "In a crisis, it is important to ensure that no one is left behind. This is why our teams are doing everything they can to identify vulnerable and disabled people and make sure that they have access to life-saving and practical help." During crises, Handicap International sets up Disability and Vulnerability focal points which are temporary flexible structures (e.g.: a tent or shelter) where vulnerable people know they can find the help they need. Mobile teams also go out in camps or within the community to identify vulnerable and disabled people to ensure that they can access aid and are not forgotten. Notes - Expert available for interviews. - The report 'Disability in humanitarian context' is available here http://www.handicap-international.org.uk About Handicap International Co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Handicap International is an independent charity working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. We work tirelessly alongside disabled and vulnerable people to help meet their basic needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights. SOURCE Handicap International UK ZAGREB, Croatia, December 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The best businesses from Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia and Macedonia were honoured at an exclusive event last night at the Palaca Dverce in Zagreb, Croatia, for The European Business Awards sponsored by RSM. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161202/445015 ) The 53 firms were chosen by a panel of independent judges, including senior businesses and academic leaders, to be 'National Champions' in Europe's largest business competition. At the event, the second in a series of events across Europe, attendees had the chance to speak to leading businesses in their field and hear from guest speakers including the British Ambassador to Croatia, Andrew Dalgleish, and Branko Tomaskovic, Partner at RSM Croatia. At the event it was also announced that this year's European Business Awards Gala Final will be held in Dubrovnik, Croatia next year on 4th May. Adrian Tripp, CEO of the European Business Awards, said: "These events not only celebrate the success of our dynamic National Champions in the competition but also the key role they play in Europe's strong business community." Lead sponsor RSM, is the sixth largest network of independent audit, tax and consulting firms worldwide, and has supported the European Business Awards since its inception. Jean Stephens, CEO of RSM said: "The National Champions are stand-out leaders, demonstrating businesses tenacity and commercial excellence. These companies will lead the way forward bringing growth and prosperity across the continent and beyond. I would like to congratulate them all and wish them luck in the coming rounds". In the next round, the National Champions will put forward a video telling their unique story and explaining their business success. Category winners and the winner of a 'public vote' will be announced at the Gala Final in spring 2017. The European Business Awards was set up to support the development of a stronger and more successful business community throughout Europe. This year it engaged with over 33,000 businesses from 34 countries. Further information about the National Champions and the Awards can be found at http://www.businessawardseurope.com and http://www.rsm.global About the European Business Awards: The European Business Awards' primary purpose is to support the development of a stronger and more successful business community throughout Europe. For all citizens of Europe, prosperity, social and healthcare systems are reliant on businesses creating an even stronger, more innovative, successful, international and ethical business community - one that forms the beating heart of an increasingly globalised economy. The European Business Awards programme serves the European business community in three ways: It celebrates and endorses individuals' and organisations' success It provides and promotes examples of excellence for the business community to aspire to It engages with the European business community to create debate on key issues The European Business Awards is now in its 10th year. This year it engaged with over 33,000 businesses from 34 countries. Last year's public vote generated over 227,000 votes from across Europe. Sponsors and partners include RSM, ELITE and PR Newswire. http://www.businessawardseurope.com. About RSM RSM is the sixth largest network of independent audit, tax and consulting firms, encompassing over 120 countries, 760 offices and more than 38,000 people internationally. The network's total fee income is US$4.64 billion. RSM is the lead sponsor and corporate champion of the European Business Awards promoting commercial excellence and recognition of entrepreneurial brilliance. RSM is a member of the Forum of Firms, with the shared objective to promote consistent and high quality standards of financial and auditing practices worldwide. RSM is the brand used by a network of independent accounting and advisory firms each of which practices in its own right. RSM International Limited does not itself provide any accounting and advisory services. Member firms are driven by a common vision of providing high quality professional services, both in their domestic markets and in serving the international professional service needs of their client base. http://www.rsm.global About ELITE: ELITE is a full-service programme designed to share best practice and increase growth opportunities for fast growing companies, with a focus on understanding the capital markets. ELITE is an innovative programme based on exclusive training and a tutorship model, supported by access to the business and financial community. Its aim is to prepare companies for their next stage of growth and investment. For further information on the programme, companies and the full list of partners, please go to: http://www.elite-growth.com About PR Newswire: PR Newswire is the leading global provider of PR and corporate communications tools that enable clients to distribute news and rich content. We distribute our client's content across traditional, digital and social media channels in real time with fully actionable reporting and monitoring. Combining the world's largest multi-channel, multi-cultural content distribution and optimisation network with comprehensive workflow tools and platforms, PR Newswire enables the world's enterprises to engage opportunity everywhere it exists. PR Newswire serves tens of thousands of clients from offices in Europe, Middle East, Africa, the Americas and the Asia-Pacific region. For more information on PR Newswire please visit http://www.prnewswire.co.uk SOURCE European Business Awards sponsored by RSM HONG KONG, December 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Bureau Veritas has announced that two of its locations in Asia have recently been awarded Good Employer awards. On 25th November, Bureau Veritas CPS was formally awarded the Employment Excellence award, one of only 3 firms to achieve such an award out of more than 150,000 registered organizations in Taipei. This is the fourth consecutive year that Bureau Veritas CPS in Taiwan has been recognized by Government having previously won Best Partner in 2015, Employment Excellence in 2014, and Excellent Grading in 2013. Bureau Veritas CPS Taiwan's inclusion culture, accessibility within its 'friendly facility', positive working environment and employee engagement events were key contributors behind its recognition and award. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151216/296440LOGO ) Separately, Bureau Veritas Hong Kong Limited was awarded the Good MPF Employer Award by the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority (MPFA) in Hong Kong in October 2016. This award recognizes employers who are exemplary in enhancing their employees' retirement benefits and placing a high value on employees' retirement needs. The objectives of the Good MPF Employer Award scheme is to promote and foster compliance with MPF legislation by employers; to encourage employers to provide better retirement benefits for their employees; and to recognize employers who are exemplary in enhancing the retirement benefits of their employees. Doreen Chiu, Vice President of Global Human Resources for Bureau Veritas' Consumer Products Services Division commented: "We have a long and established culture of positive working environment and embrace inclusion as a means to achieve our 2020 strategic goal. These awards are recognition of our culture and of the strong focus we place globally on our people. Competition for top talent continues apace, however, thanks to our workplace, our focus on inclusion & diversity and the exciting market environment that we operate in; we continue to succeed in retaining and attracting the best-in-class talent, helping us maintain strong growth." - End - About Bureau Veritas Bureau Veritas is a global leader in testing, inspection and certification services. Founded in 1828, the group has more than 68,400 employees in around 1,400 offices and laboratories all across the world. Bureau Veritas helps its clients to improve their performances by offering innovative services and solutions in order to ensure that their products, infrastructure and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environment protection and social responsibility. Website: http://www.bureauveritas.com Bureau Veritas' Consumer Products Services division is a leading global quality assurance provider for the global consumer product and retail markets. It offers an array of specialized services including testing, inspections, certification, audits and engineering services for a wide range of consumer products. These products include soft goods; electrical and electronic products; smartworld products and services including wireless and mobile devices; automotive equipment; hard goods; toys and juvenile products; premiums; food products as well as health, beauty, cosmetics, and household products. Website: http://www.bureauveritas.com/cps Press Contact Flora Wong (Senior Marketing Manager) flora.wong@hk.bureauveritas.com +852 2494 5869 SOURCE Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services "This month, Our Winter Portfolio Sale features an impressive lineup of 18 properties, and our international offerings are not to be missed," stated Concierge Auctions President and Founder Laura Brady. "In addition to six Prime Central London flats, we are excited to announce even more offerings in Venice and Tel Aviv as part of the sale." Properties include: Venice, Italy Palladio | Palazzo Molin Newly refurbished, this two-bedroom retreat features one full and one half bathrooms, 132 square metres, modern living steeped in Venetian Renaissance history, and views of the Palazzo's Courtyard and the Barcarole Canal. Previously 1.62 million, the property will sell Without Reserve. Venice, Italy The Piano Nobile | Palazzo Molin Offering breathtaking canal views on both sides and four patios, this six-bedroom, five-bathroom, 610-square-metre palazzo is located in one of this city's most iconic Gothic buildings. Previously 7.7 million, the property is now estimated to sell for 3 million - 4.5 million in cooperation with Venice Sotheby's International Realty. Tel Aviv, Israel Shlomo Ben Yosef Street, Penthouse | Ramat Aviv Gimel From within one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in Tel Aviv, this 15th-floor penthouse offers five bedrooms, two full and three half bathrooms, 530 square metres, stunning views, and an expansive rooftop terrace. The property is estimated to sell for 15 million 20 million shekels (approximately $3.75 million - $5 million) in cooperation with Roni Yahav of Israel Sotheby's International Realty. Tel Aviv, Israel Ha-Shunit St 4, Penthouse | Ritz-Carlton Residences Combined with the Ritz-Carlton's exclusive amenities, this luxurious penthouse features an open floor plan with two bedrooms, two full and one half bathrooms, 110 square metres, floor-to-ceiling windows, and an expansive balcony with sweeping coastal views. The property is estimated to sell for 10 million 16 million shekels (approximately $2.59M-4.14M) in cooperation with Roni Yahav of Israel Sotheby's International Realty. For more information, call +212 202 2940. Or, contact Alice Lacey of Four Communications at 020 3697 4357 or alice.lacey@fourcommunications.com. SOURCE Concierge Auctions Leading dairy company is honoured with the prestigious regional award for second consecutive year SINGAPORE, Dec. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- FrieslandCampina, one of the world's leading dairy companies, today announced that it has been conferred with PublicAffairsAsia's Gold Standard Award for Corporate Citizenship (Regional Programme) for 2016. This is the second year that FrieslandCampina has been recognised with the award. The award, which was presented at the annual Gold Standard Awards ceremony in Hong Kong yesterday evening, honours excellence in the development of a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), good governance or sustainability project that strengthens corporate reputation, and demonstrates an ongoing commitment to sustainable business practices. 2016 marks the third time that FrieslandCampina has received a Gold Standard Award, having also won in the Best Stakeholder Engagement category in 2014. FrieslandCampina's Drink.Move.BeStrong (DMBS) movement, which was recognised by this year's award, is a multi-pronged initiative that seeks to raise the nutritional status of families through the combined benefits of good nutrition and exercise. Through strong multi-stakeholder partnerships across all on-the-ground initiatives under the DMBS umbrella, FrieslandCampina has impacted over 71 million individuals across Southeast Asia since its launch. Commenting on the award win, Mr. Piet Hilarides, Chief Operating Officer, Consumer Products Asia, FrieslandCampina, said: "We are humbled and honoured that FrieslandCampina has won the Gold Standard Award for Corporate Citizenship for the second year running. Our Drink.Move.BeStrong movement continues to demonstrate that by taking a collaborative approach, we can move forward in our quest to address the rise of non-communicable diseases through the promotion of good nutrition. We accept this award with great pride, and with an awareness that good corporate citizenship is only possible because we work with other stakeholders to create shared value for all involved." Mr. Hendro Poedjono, Corporate Affairs Director, Consumer Products Asia, FrieslandCampina, said: "We were able to win this award because of the support we have received from our partners, which has enabled us to share our vision of 'Nourishing by Nature' with the community in the region. We are immensely grateful to all of them for their support, and I know that together we can further drive positive change in the health of people across Asia, providing lasting and meaningful impact for the many communities that we work in." Presented by PublicAffairsAsia, the Gold Standard Award is viewed by communications, public affairs and government relations practitioners as one of the most prominent awards in the Asia Pacific. This year, PublicAffairsAsia received 290 nominations from corporations, communication consultancies, government agencies and diplomatic missions, as well as non-governmental organisations. For more information, please contact: Media Contacts FrieslandCampina Ada Wong Head of Public Affairs and Communications, Asia T: +65 6850 7931 Email: Ada.Wong@frieslandcampina.com Spurwing Communications Stephanie Tan / Eoin Ee T: +65 6340 7287 Email: FC@spurwingcomms.com About Royal FrieslandCampina Every day Royal FrieslandCampina provides millions of consumers all over the world with food that is rich in valuable nutrients. With annual revenue of 11.3 billion euros, FrieslandCampina is one of the world's largest dairy companies, supplying consumer and professional products, as well as ingredients and half-finished products to manufacturers of infant & toddler nutrition, the food industry and the pharmaceutical sector around the world. FrieslandCampina has offices in 33 countries and over 22,000 employees, and its products are available in more than 100 countries. The Company is fully owned by Zuivelcooperatie FrieslandCampina U.A, with over 19,000 member dairy farmers in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium -- making it one of the world's largest dairy cooperatives. For more information, please visit: www.frieslandcampina.com About FrieslandCampina Consumer Products Asia FrieslandCampina's Consumer Products Asia business group consists of operating companies that are active in the consumer products segment in Asia. FrieslandCampina has acquired excellent positions in many countries with strong brands and a wide range of products. These activities have a long and rich history. The export of dairy from Western Europe began back in the 1920s. The range of long shelf life products has expanded significantly: from milk powder, condensed milk, infant and children's nutrition to dairy drinks, yoghurts and desserts. FrieslandCampina has operating companies in China, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Philippines. In Asia we market brands that have acquired strong positions. Dutch Lady is legendary in Malaysia and Vietnam, Foremost is a leading brand in Thailand, Frisian Flag is widely known in Indonesia. For more information, please visit: www.frieslandcampina.com/en/countries/frieslandcampina-asia Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161201/444952 SOURCE FrieslandCampina Buyers and conference attendees, impressed by what Hangzhou has to offer in terms of cultural attractions, are glad to see the city become a popular MICE destination Taking part in a conference in Hangzhou is an opportunity to resolve what may be a longstanding problem besetting the attendees. Yet, with what is on offer beyond the meeting room or exhibition hall, the city is also an opportunity for leisure and for disconnecting from the daily stresses of doing business. Hangzhou, in its new role as both a leisure travel destination and a MICE destination, and one which has witnessed the signing of the US-China Joint Communique and of the Ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change at the G20 Summit, provides an ideal environment for the resolution of disputes, facilitating of business cooperation and enhancing of win-win results. Hangzhou maximizes value by connecting buyers with better products and services Hangzhou is increasingly demonstrating its strong competence as a MICE destination. The G20 Summit led to the build out of a large number of spacious conference venues and to many international hotel groups establishing a presence in the city, further enriching venue choices. More than 200 domestic and international air routes now link Hangzhou to the rest of the world with direct connections to over 35 cities both in and outside of China. Since the beginning of this year, airlines serving the city have added non-stop services to Lisbon, Los Angeles, Madrid, San Francisco and Sydney, among other destinations. Employees in Hangzhou's MICE sector have also significantly improved the quality of the services. Hangzhou has been committed to providing customized and personalized products and services that assure the best experience for each attendee. The city aims to directly connect each attendee via meaningful connections. Catering to their varying demands is vital for maximizing value. Hangzhou connects the world and diversifies cooperation In line with its globalization plans and a strategy that focuses on keeping up to date with the global MICE industry, Hangzhou has commenced a series of global promotion campaigns based on the new tagline "Hangzhou, Inspiring New Connections". An online event concerning sharing across the MICE ecosystem and an offline event inviting buyers around the world to experience Hangzhou's MICE facilities will be launched soon. SOURCE Business Events Hangzhou LONDON, December 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The 3rd annual Mayor's Fund for London Awards, held 1st December at City Hall, awarded 23 year old Raiche Mederick the Young Londoner of the Year (16-24 yrs old) Award 2016. From a shortlist of three outstanding young people, Raiche, from Waltham Forest, shone through for her bravery, entrepreneurship and desire to help others. Raiche always had a passion for events and helping others and so signed up to the Mayor's Fund for London's Creativity Works: Festivals programme, supported by the Berkeley Foundation and delivered in partnership with A New Direction and Create. With the support of Creativity Works, Raiche has secured a place at the hugely competitive Cato Academy for Tour and Music Management with a bursary. That, along with her extensive charity work, has meant that she hasn't looked back since and regularly returns to advise new recruits to Creativity Works and new Mentors. Having suffered from severe burns as a child, Raiche has become a figure of support and a good friend to many, with her amazing motivation and positivity. Raiche is establishing her own charity for burns survivors aged 18+ and will focus on helping them through burns trauma. The full list of winners include: School of the Year: Laurel Lane Primary School Teacher of the Year: Jon Datta - Forest Gate Community School Innovation: Futureversity Woman of Influence: Gracia McGrath - Chance UK Special Recognition Award: Priya Lakhani, CENTURY Tech Employer of the Year: Network Rail Youth Employment Awareness: Norton Rose Fulbright Young London Working Award: 2nd Chance Mayor's Fund for London Award - Organisation: Berkeley Foundation Mayor's Fund for London Award - Individual: Sophie Livingstone - City Year UK London Student of the Year Award - under 18: Alexander Volponi Young Londoner of the Year (16-24 yrs old): Raiche Mederick The judging panel comprised: Rajesh Agrawal - Deputy Mayor for Business - Deputy Mayor for Business Kim Chaplain - Director of the Charitable Portfolio, Mayor's Fund for London Kate Franks - Foundation Manager, Innocent Foundation - Foundation Manager, Will Gore - Deputy Managing Editor, ES - Deputy Managing Editor, ES Harvey McGrath - Trustee, Mayor's Fund for London - Trustee, Mayor's Fund for Jill Rudnick - Director of Partnerships and Communications, Mayor's Fund for London Raiche said: "Creativity Works has helped me to develop myself and discover my career. Events are my passion. I love them." Sir Harvey McGrath, Trustee of the Mayor's Fund for London and Chair of the Judges said: "Raiche is a great example of a young Londoner who has shown resilience and bravery in making the most of the opportunities London has to offer. Congratulations to her and to all the Award winners including Employer of the Year, Network Rail, who has shown outstanding commitment to supporting young Londoners into careers within their organisation as well as in the wider sector." The Mayor's Fund for London is a social mobility charity. For London impact stats and more information http://www.mayorsfundforlondon.org.uk , @MayorsFund, Registered charity no. 1124833 For more info and photographs please contact: Jill Rudnick, Director of Partnerships and Communications, Mayor's Fund for London, jrudnick@mayorsfundforlondon.org.uk SOURCE The Mayors Fund for London HAMILTON, Bermuda, Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of Sirius International Group, Ltd. has declared a dividend of $37.53 per share, payable in cash on January 3, 2017, to holders of record of its Fixed/Floating Perpetual Non-Cumulative Preference Shares as of close of business on December 30, 2016. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160816/398558LOGO Sirius Group is a Bermuda based holding company with (re)insurance operating companies in Bermuda, Stockholm, New York and London. Utilizing disciplined and professional underwriting, superior risk evaluation and best-in-class pricing technology, Sirius Group's subsidiaries provide multi-line (re)insurance capacity in over 140 countries, including lead capacity for property, accident & health and other exposures. Additional information is available at Sirius Group's web site located at http://www.siriusgroup.com/. Forward-Looking Statements Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 The information contained in this press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included or referenced in this press release which address activities, events or developments which Sirius Group expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. The words "will", "believe," "intend," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "estimate," "predict" and similar expressions are also intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, among others, statements with respect to Sirius Group: change in adjusted book value per share or return on equity; business strategy; financial and operating targets or plans; incurred loss and loss adjustment expenses and the adequacy of its loss and loss adjustment expense and reserves and related reinsurance; projections of revenues, income (or loss), earnings (or loss) per share, dividends, market share or other financial forecasts; expansion and growth of its business and operations; and future capital expenditures. These statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by Sirius Group in light of its experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors believed to be appropriate in the circumstances. However, whether actual results and developments will conform with its expectations and predictions is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations, including: claims arising from catastrophic events, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, fires, terrorist attacks or severe winter weather; the continued availability of capital and financing; general economic, market or business conditions; business opportunities (or lack thereof) that may be presented to it and pursued; competitive forces, including the conduct of other property and casualty insurers and reinsurers; changes in domestic or foreign laws or regulations, or their interpretation, applicable to Sirius Group, its competitors or its clients; an economic downturn or other economic conditions adversely affecting its financial position; recorded loss reserves subsequently proving to have been inadequate; actions taken by ratings agencies from time to time, such as financial strength or credit downgrades or placing ratings on negative watch; and other factors, most of which are beyond Sirius Group' control. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments anticipated by Sirius Group will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, Sirius Group or its business or operations. Sirius Group assumes no obligation to update publicly any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Related Links http://www.siriusgroup.com SOURCE Sirius International Insurance Group, Ltd. BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil, Dec. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais S.A.USIMINAS a company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the Federative Republic of Brazil (the " Company "), and its subsidiary Usiminas Commercial Ltd., an exempted company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the " Issuer "), are providing this notice with respect to the Issuer's 7.25% Notes due 2018, unconditionally guaranteed by the Company, and originally issued in the aggregate principal amount of US$400,000,000 (the " Notes ") (CUSIP: 91732BAA7; G93085AA9) pursuant to an Indenture entered into with the Bank of New York (the " Indenture "), which are currently listed on the official list of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and admitted to trading on the Euro MTF market. The Company and the Issuer announced today that they are soliciting consents (the " Consent Solicitation ") from holders of the Notes as of November 30, 2016, at 11:59 p.m., New York City time (the " Record Date ") to temporarily waive (the " Waiver ") the Company's past noncompliance with the negative pledge covenant set forth in the Indenture, which limits the Company's ability to grant assets as collateral to secure indebtedness. As described in greater detail in the Consent Solicitation Statement dated December 1, 2016 (the " Consent Solicitation Statement "), as part of the transactions contemplated by the recent renegotiation of the Company's indebtedness with its local and international bank lenders and debenture holders, the Company pledged its interests in and relating to its hot and cold strip mills located at its Ipatinga facility as collateral (the " Collateral ") to secure debt with certain Brazilian bank lenders and debenture holders (the " Brazilian Debt "). The mortgage deed relating to the Collateral was registered by the local registry of deeds in Ipatinga, Brazil on October 19, 2016, thus perfecting the security interests of such Brazilian bank lenders and debenture holders over the Collateral. The Company understands that the perfection of those security interests over the Collateral with respect to a portion of the Brazilian Debt amounting to R$4,707,844,513 as of September 30, 2016 may be viewed as noncompliance with the negative pledge covenant set forth the Indenture. The Waiver would waive, until June 30, 2017, any Default, Event of Default or potential Default or Event of Default under the negative pledge covenant in the Indenture arising out of the perfection of the security interests of the Brazilian bank lenders and debenture holders over the Collateral. The Waiver also would release, until June 30, 2017, any objections, claims and causes of action that a holder of the Notes may have relating to such noncompliance. The Company is offering to pay participating holders of the Notes who deliver valid and unrevoked consents, duly received and accepted by the Company, the consent fee (the "Consent Fee ") set forth in the table below for each $1,000 principal amount of the Notes to which such consent relates. The Consent Solicitation will expire on 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on December 15, 2016, a date which may be extended by the Company from time to time in its sole discretion (the " Consent Date "). Assuming satisfaction or waiver of all conditions to the Consent Solicitation, including receipt and acceptance by the Company of the Requisite Consents (as defined below), the Consent Fee will be paid as promptly as practicable following the Consent Date. Holders of the Notes as of the Record Date that do not provide valid and unrevoked consents on or prior to the Consent Date will not receive the Consent Fee. Interest will not accrue on or be payable with respect to the Consent Fee. Description of the Notes CUSIP No. Principal Amount Outstanding Consent Fee (per $1,000 principal amount) $400,000,000 7.250% Notes due 2018 91732BAA7; G93085AA9 $179,794,000 $2.50 The Indenture provides that the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Notes may, on behalf of the holders of all Notes, waive the Company's noncompliance with certain restrictive covenants set forth in the Indenture. Accordingly, approval of the Waiver requires receipt of valid unrevoked consents from holders of Notes as of the Record Date of not less than a majority of the outstanding principal amount of the Notes (the " Requisite Consents "). Assuming satisfaction or waiver of all conditions described herein and in the Consent Solicitation Statement, including receipt and acceptance by the Company of the Requisite Consents, the Waiver will become effective and all holders of the Notes will be bound by the terms of the Waiver, including subsequent holders of the Notes, even if such holders did not deliver consents. As required by the terms of the instruments governing the renegotiation of the Company's indebtedness, following the conclusion of the Consent Solicitation, the Company intends to carry out an exchange offer for the Notes, in due course, and in any event no later than June 30, 2017, which could involve seeking to modify the terms of the Notes and providing additional credit support on terms and conditions that are currently being discussed. The effectiveness of the Waiver is not a condition to the Company's ability to carry out an exchange offer for the Notes. Any exchange offer for the Notes would be made by means of an exchange offer memorandum prepared and distributed for such purpose, and not as part of the Consent Solicitation. The Company may, in its sole discretion, terminate, extend or amend the Consent Solicitation at any time as described in the Consent Solicitation Statement. If the Consent Solicitation is terminated, the Waiver will have no effect on the Notes or the holders of the Notes. However, if the Consent Solicitation is terminated or if the Requisite Consents are not obtained, and the Waiver does not become effective, an Event of Default could, after receipt of notice and the passage of time, be triggered under the Indenture. The occurrence of an Event of Default under the Indenture could result in the acceleration of payment obligations under the Notes which could lead to an acceleration of the Company's other indebtedness. In addition, failure of the Waiver to become effective on or prior to December 31, 2016 could result in all of the Company's indebtedness being deemed "current liabilities" for accounting purposes. This press release does not constitute a solicitation of consents. The Consent Solicitation is being made solely on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Consent Solicitation Statement. Questions concerning the terms of the Solicitation should be directed to BofA Merrill Lynch at (888) 292-0070 (toll-free) or (646) 855-8988 (collect). BofA Merrill Lynch is the Solicitation Agent for the Consent Solicitation (the " Solicitation Agent "). Requests for assistance in completing and delivering a consent form or requests for additional copies of the Consent Solicitation Statement, the consent form or other related documents should be directed to D.F. King & Co., Inc. (the " Information Agent "), at (212) 269-5550 (collect) or (877) 478-5045 (toll-free) or in writing at 48 Wall Street, 22nd Floor, New York, New York 10005. Important Notice This press release is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any security. None of the Company, the Issuer, the Trustee, the Solicitation Agent or the Information Agent make any recommendation as to whether or not holders of the Notes should provide consents to the Waiver. Holders of Notes should not construe the contents of this press release, the Consent Solicitation Statement or any related materials as legal, business or tax advice. Each holder of Notes should consult its own attorney, business advisor and tax advisor as to legal, business, tax and related matters concerning the Consent Solicitation. The Solicitation is not being made to, and consents will not be accepted from or on behalf of, a holder of Notes in any jurisdiction in which the making of the Consent Solicitation or the acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the laws of such jurisdiction. However, the Company may in its discretion take such action as it may deem necessary to lawfully make the Consent Solicitation in any such jurisdiction and to extend the Consent Solicitation to any holder of Notes in such jurisdiction. In any jurisdiction in which the securities laws or blue sky laws require the Consent Solicitation to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Consent Solicitation will be deemed to be made on behalf of the Company by the Consent Solicitation Agents or one or more registered brokers or dealers that are appropriately licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act. Forward-looking statements involve uncertainties, risks and assumptions, since these statements include information concerning Usiminas' possible or assumed future plans and intentions, including the launching of an exchange offer, results of operations, business strategies, financing plans, competitive position, industry environment, potential growth opportunities, the effects of future regulation and the effects of competition. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they were made, and Usiminas undertakes no obligation to update publicly or to revise any forward-looking statements after it publishes this notice because of new information, future events or other factors. In light of the risks and uncertainties described above, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this notice might not occur and are not guarantees of future performance. Usiminas' actual results, accomplishments and performance could differ substantially from those anticipated in its forward-looking statements, including those set forth in the Consent Solicitation Statement. About Usiminas Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais S.A.USIMINAS is one of the largest Brazilian steelmakers, with complementary operations in the mining and logistics, capital goods, steelmaking and steel transformation industries. Usiminas is headquartered at Rua Professor Jose Vieira de Mendonca, 3011, Bairro Engenho Nogueira Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. For more information, please visit www.usiminas.com.br. Related Links http://www.usiminas.com SOURCE Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais S.A.-USIMINAS NEW OXFORD, Pa., Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Brian Ellis Michael, MD, is recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Pinnacle Professional in the field of Healthcare. Dr. Michael is an Endocrinologist with Wellspan York Hospital. Offering an array of healthcare services including walk-in care services, rehabilitation, durable medical equipment, diagnostic imaging and more, Wellspan York Hospital is home to over 15,000 employees providing first class, patient-centered care. A physician for nearly forty years, Dr. Michael has been in his current role at Wellspan York Hospital for six years. Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Endocrinology, Diagnostic and Interventional Thyroid Ultrasound, Dr. Michael specializes in all facets of endocrinology, neuroendocrinology and thyroid disease. Inspired to practice by his mentorship, his advice to young professionals entering the field is "this is the most intellectually satisfying area of medicine; and it is quickly moving into genomic testing." To keep up to date with the latest in medicine, Dr. Michael maintains affiliation with The Endocrine Society, American Thyroid Association, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and Leading Physicians of the World. Throughout the course of his educational career, Dr. Michael attained his Medical degree from the University of Connecticut, followed by both Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine through the University of Connecticut Hospitals. Dr. Michael completed his Fellowship in Endocrinology and Metabolism at Boston University Medical Center. For more information, please visit www.wellspan.org Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected] SOURCE Continental Who's Who Related Links http://www.continentalwhoswho.com Lauded as the "Best Chef in the World 2015" by his industry peers according to French magazine Le Chef , Mr. Gagnaire celebrated 50 years of creativity and success in the kitchen this year. The atlas of Pierre Gagnaire spans 12 restaurants globally with a total of 13 Michelin stars among them. Driven by his mission statement "Facing tomorrow but respectful of yesterday", the cuisine of Mr. Gagnaire is his means of expression, replacing words with culinary works of art. In the kitchen, he transforms raw ingredients into a symphony of flavors, textures and temperatures delivered with emotion. "The idea behind Comptoir Pierre Gagnaire is an echo to the 1930s. It sends my message of warmth, quality and modesty as a tribute to the era. The place has to be joyful, comfortable and easily accessible. It is out of the question that it becomes a closed and exclusive place!" said Mr. Gagnaire as he described his refreshing new concept. "Shanghai is one of the world's most dynamic cities offering a rich cultural heritage coupled with all the amenities of an international lifestyle. The Pierre Gagnaire philosophy aligns so well with our Capella Canon. Both our organizations demonstrate a common passion and true desire to create memorable experiences for our guests. Pierre's brilliance as a Michelin-starred chef, combined with his gracious humility, make him a natural partner for Capella Shanghai," said Mr. Nicholas M. Clayton, Chief Executive Officer of Capella Hotel Group Asia. Capella Shanghai, Jian Ye Li, is the only all-villa urban resort in the city. A rare architectural heritage, the hotel offers discerning guests the authentic experience of Shanghai's romantic past. The estate comprises 55 villas, 40 residential apartments as well as The Gallery, which is a collection of restaurants and lifestyle brands. Helmed by Mr. Gagnaire's prodigy, Romain Chapel, Comptoir Pierre Gagnaire will open in March 2017 together with Capella Shanghai, Jian Ye Li. It comprises a 70-seat restaurant, 50-seat bar as well as retail bakery at The Gallery. To complement the residential lifestyle of this charming neighborhood, Comptoir Pierre Gagnaire will cater for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. For more information about Capella Shanghai and Comptoir Pierre Gagnaire, please contact [email protected]. About Capella Hotel Group Capella Hotel Group, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia USA, with offices in Asia and Europe, offers hospitality management services globally with four distinct operating models: Capella Hotels and Resorts, an ultra-luxury hotel, resort, and residential concept designed for the most discerning travelers and offering personalized attention with locations in Dusseldorf, Singapore, Ixtapa, and Saint Lucia along with hotels planned for Orlando, Bangkok, Todos Santos, Shanghai and Bali. Solis Hotels and Resorts, is an exclusive collection of resorts, hotels and residences designed for travelers and meeting planners who seek an environment with a global palette of cosmopolitan comfort, inspiring cuisine, world-class spas with locations in Donegal, Ireland and Nanjing, China along with hotels planned for Bali, Atlanta, Guangzhou, Suzhou and Orlando. Independent Hotels and Resorts are unique properties that benefit from the management expertise and service culture of the Capella Hotel Group. Locations are in New Zealand, Bali and the United States along with hotels planned for Mexico, China and Europe. Auriga is a world-class health and wellness spa concept inspired by the cycles of the moon. Each Auriga signature treatment is carefully crafted to take into account the impact these different cycles have on our physical and emotional wellbeing. Media Contact Capella Hotel Group Asia Joleena Seah Director, Marketing & Communications Tel:+65-6887-9835 Email: [email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161124/442722 Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161124/442723 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161124/442721LOGO SOURCE Capella Hotel Group Asia LONDON, Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The global carnauba wax market size is expected to reach USD 334.9 million by 2024, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to witness high growth owing to increasing use of the product as a food glazing agent which provides a superior shine, thus improving its aesthetic ability. Carnauba wax market is highly influenced by the favorable regulations enforced by the regulatory agencies such as European Union (EU) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The industry is highly dependent on the raw materials which form a major part of the operational cost for the manufacturers. The raw material is supplied majorly by the farmers and landholders, employing primitive techniques for wax extraction. However, in some cases, the manufacturers may be backward integrated to the extraction of raw materials. The manufacturing of the product is limited to Brazil due to the exclusivity of the Brazilian palm tree to the region. The production is dominated by four wax manufacturers namely Brasil Ceras, Carnauba do Brasil, Foncepi, and Pontes. The companies in the market resort to external third party distribution channels to sell their product in the international market while the domestic distribution is carried out through the company established distribution channels. The industry is characterized by the presence of a number of suppliers and distributors spread across the major carnauba wax consuming regions such as North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. The investment feasibility for the market declares the low-profit margins for the raw materials suppliers and the manufacturers, and a relatively higher margins for the suppliers and the wholesalers. The price of the product is lower in North America and Europe, but higher in Asia Pacific. The product is manufactured solely in Brazil, leading to a comparatively lower cost in Central and South America as compared to North America and Europe. The prices significantly vary across region owing to transportation cost. As a result, the prices in North America are significantly lower as compared to the cost in Asia Pacific. Further key findings from the report suggest: Cosmetics accounted for over 24% of the consumption volume in 2015 due to high demand for the wax as a glazing agent in lip colors, lip gloss, conditioners, and hair gels. Growing demand for the product in manufacturing cosmetics owing to its organic nature is expected to drive the industry growth. Pharmaceutical use of the product is expected to account for over 7% of the industry revenue due to increasing use of the product as a coating agent in pharmaceutical drugs. Also, growing demand for time-release drug delivery systems such as capsules coupled with favorable regulations pertaining to the use of the product for medical applications. Asia Pacific is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 4% from 2016 to 2024 due to rapid industrialization in the developing economies such as China and India. Increasing disposable income coupled with the changing consumer preference in the region is expected to drive the demand. The growth of the confectionery industry in the aforementioned economies is expected to benefit the market growth. Key participants in the industry are involved in setting up of the extensive distribution network to cater to the global demand. The distributors are involved in the procurement of the product from the manufacturers, followed by product customization related to the physical form, in accordance with the requirements of the end-users. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4394773/ 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 SINGAPORE, Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- FrieslandCampina, one of the world's leading dairy companies, today announced that it has been conferred with PublicAffairsAsia's Gold Standard Award for Corporate Citizenship (Regional Programme) for 2016. This is the second year that FrieslandCampina has been recognised with the award. The award, which was presented at the annual Gold Standard Awards ceremony in Hong Kong yesterday evening, honours excellence in the development of a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), good governance or sustainability project that strengthens corporate reputation, and demonstrates an ongoing commitment to sustainable business practices. 2016 marks the third time that FrieslandCampina has received a Gold Standard Award, having also won in the Best Stakeholder Engagement category in 2014. FrieslandCampina's Drink.Move.BeStrong (DMBS) movement, which was recognised by this year's award, is a multi-pronged initiative that seeks to raise the nutritional status of families through the combined benefits of good nutrition and exercise. Through strong multi-stakeholder partnerships across all on-the-ground initiatives under the DMBS umbrella, FrieslandCampina has impacted over 71 million individuals across Southeast Asia since its launch. Commenting on the award win, Mr. Piet Hilarides, Chief Operating Officer, Consumer Products Asia, FrieslandCampina, said: "We are humbled and honoured that FrieslandCampina has won the Gold Standard Award for Corporate Citizenship for the second year running. Our Drink.Move.BeStrong movement continues to demonstrate that by taking a collaborative approach, we can move forward in our quest to address the rise of non-communicable diseases through the promotion of good nutrition. We accept this award with great pride, and with an awareness that good corporate citizenship is only possible because we work with other stakeholders to create shared value for all involved." Mr. Hendro Poedjono, Corporate Affairs Director, Consumer Products Asia, FrieslandCampina, said: "We were able to win this award because of the support we have received from our partners, which has enabled us to share our vision of 'Nourishing by Nature' with the community in the region. We are immensely grateful to all of them for their support, and I know that together we can further drive positive change in the health of people across Asia, providing lasting and meaningful impact for the many communities that we work in." Presented by PublicAffairsAsia, the Gold Standard Award is viewed by communications, public affairs and government relations practitioners as one of the most prominent awards in the Asia Pacific. This year, PublicAffairsAsia received 290 nominations from corporations, communication consultancies, government agencies and diplomatic missions, as well as non-governmental organisations. For more information, please contact: Media Contacts FrieslandCampina Ada Wong Head of Public Affairs and Communications, Asia T: +65 6850 7931 Email: [email protected] Spurwing Communications Stephanie Tan / Eoin Ee T: +65 6340 7287 Email: [email protected] About Royal FrieslandCampina Every day Royal FrieslandCampina provides millions of consumers all over the world with food that is rich in valuable nutrients. With annual revenue of 11.3 billion euros, FrieslandCampina is one of the world's largest dairy companies, supplying consumer and professional products, as well as ingredients and half-finished products to manufacturers of infant & toddler nutrition, the food industry and the pharmaceutical sector around the world. FrieslandCampina has offices in 33 countries and over 22,000 employees, and its products are available in more than 100 countries. The Company is fully owned by Zuivelcooperatie FrieslandCampina U.A, with over 19,000 member dairy farmers in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium -- making it one of the world's largest dairy cooperatives. For more information, please visit: www.frieslandcampina.com About FrieslandCampina Consumer Products Asia FrieslandCampina's Consumer Products Asia business group consists of operating companies that are active in the consumer products segment in Asia. FrieslandCampina has acquired excellent positions in many countries with strong brands and a wide range of products. These activities have a long and rich history. The export of dairy from Western Europe began back in the 1920s. The range of long shelf life products has expanded significantly: from milk powder, condensed milk, infant and children's nutrition to dairy drinks, yoghurts and desserts. FrieslandCampina has operating companies in China, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Philippines. In Asia we market brands that have acquired strong positions. Dutch Lady is legendary in Malaysia and Vietnam, Foremost is a leading brand in Thailand, Frisian Flag is widely known in Indonesia. For more information, please visit: www.frieslandcampina.com/en/countries/frieslandcampina-asia Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161201/444952 SOURCE FrieslandCampina Related Links http://www.frieslandcampina.com In "The New Abolition: W. E. B. Du Bois and the Black Social Gospel," renowned social ethicist Gary Dorrien describes the early history of the Black Social Gospel from its nineteenth-century founding to its close association in the twentieth century with W. E. B. Du Bois. He offers a new perspective on modern Christianity and the civil rights era by delineating the tradition of social justice theology and activism that led to Martin Luther King, Jr. The book earned Dorrien the 2017 Grawemeyer Award in Religion. Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, jointly with the University of Louisville, awards the $100,000 prize to honor and publicize creative and significant insights into the relationship between human beings and the divine. The award also recognizes ways in which this relationship may inspire or empower human beings to attain wholeness, integrity, or meaning, either individually or in community. "We urgently need this historical and theological account in our religious communities and public discourse," said Tyler Mayfield, Faculty Director of the Grawemeyer Award in Religion and the A.B. Rhodes Associate Professor of Old Testament at Louisville Seminary. "Dorrien's book highlights a disremembered part of American religious history, one that holds relevance for contemporary discussions about race and U.S. religion. His compelling narration of the Black Social Gospel as a profoundly religious tradition of thought and activism underscores the crucial connections among the Black Church, social Christianity, the creation of black institutions, and the struggle for freedom." Dorrien is the Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary in New York City and Professor of Religion at Columbia University. An Episcopal priest and lifelong athlete, Dorrien is the author of 17 books and approximately 275 articles that range across the fields of ethics, social theory, theology, philosophy, politics, and history. Philosopher Cornel West describes him as "the preeminent social ethicist in North America today," and philosopher Robert Neville describes him as "the most rigorous theological historian of our time." Dorrien is among the five Grawemeyer Award winners being named this week pending formal approval by the university's board of trustees. The University of Louisville presents the prizes annually for outstanding works in music composition, ideas improving world order, psychology and education and presents a religion prize jointly with Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The 2017 winners will present free lectures about their award-winning ideas when they visit Louisville in April to accept their $100,000 prizes. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161201/444680 SOURCE University of Louisville and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary NEW YORK, December 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Persistence Market Research (PMR) delivers key insights on the global cardiac pacemaker market in its upcoming report titled, "Global Market Study on Cardiac Pacemaker: North America Regional Market to Register a Declining CAGR of -1.4% between 2016 and 2024". The global cardiac pacemaker market was valued at US$ 4,100.0 Mn in 2015 and this is likely to decline to US$ 3923.8 Mn by 2024. In terms of revenue, the global cardiac pacemaker market is anticipated to exhibit a declining CAGR of -0.5% over the forecast period owing to various factors, on which PMR offers detailed insights and forecasts. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161114/438683LOGO ) Global cardiac pacemaker market dynamics A key unmet need in global cardiac pacemaker market is the lack of a 100% safe and efficient pacemaker device to treat arrhythmias. There is an imperative need for development of cost-effective and rapid diagnostic methods for arrhythmias with a growing geriatric population and increasing patient pool with escalating global demand for treatment. This is anticipated to offer lucrative opportunities to new players in the global cardiac pacemaker market. Various key players in the cardiac pacemaker market are signing partnerships and licensing deals to share the research and development platform. In 2014, Medtronic has signed a deal with Lifetech Scientific to bring pacemaker into the Chinese market. According to the agreement, Lifetech Scientific shall manufacture pacemaker at their facility and Medtronic's would provide with technology and required training. View Market Snapshot and Research [email protected] http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/cardiac-pacemaker-market.asp Global cardiac pacemaker market forecast The market is segmented based on product type, end users, and regions. Based on product type, the market is segmented into implantable pacemaker and external pacemaker. Both the segments are expected to exhibit a negative CAGR for the forecast period, owing to increasing number of device recall related to device malfunctioning. The implantable pacemaker segment is expected to exhibit a declining CAGR of -0.5% and external pacemaker segment is expected to exhibit a declining CAGR of -1.0% during the forecast period. Based on end users, the market is segmented into hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers. The hospitals segment is anticipated to account for the highest market share over the forecast period exhibiting a declining CAGR of -0.1% due to better reimbursement rates offered by government and non-government bodies. View Report Table of Contents, Figures, and [email protected] http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/cardiac-pacemaker-market/toc This report assesses trends, that drive growth of each segment on the global as well as regional levels, and offers potential takeaways, that could prove substantially useful to medical device manufacturing companies who wish to enter into the global cardiac pacemaker market. North America and Europe are expected to lose market share in terms of revenue generation. Latin America, APAC, and MEA are collectively expected to be more attractive in terms of revenue generation in the global cardiac pacemaker market in 2016 with growth in revenue for the forecast period. Latin America is expected to expand at a CAGR of 1.1% closely followed by Asia Pacific with a CAGR of 1.0% over the forecast period, due to increase in the diagnosis rate and improved healthcare infrastructure. The India cardiac pacemaker market is expected to increase over other markets and register a CAGR of 1.5% in the region due to increased government initiative, increase in health care expenditure, and increase in disease prevalence. The growth of cardiac pacemakers in this region is largely due to increased participation of local manufacturers and increasing healthcare expenditure. Global cardiac pacemaker market competitive landscape Some key players in the global cardiac pacemaker market identified in this report are Medtronic's, Lepu Medical Technology Co ltd., Osypka Medical GmbH. MEDICOWEB, Boston Scientific Corporation, Pacetronix ltd., BIOTRONIK SE & Co. KG, LivaNova Plc., and St.Jude Medical Inc. Persistence Market Research has discussed individual strategies of these companies in terms of increasing focus on rare diseases, initiatives to increase awareness, and enhancing distribution base. The report has been concluded with strategic recommendations for players already present in the market and new players planning to enter the market, which could help them in the long run. Request Sample [email protected] http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/12382 PMR Overview Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance. To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes. Contact Persistence Market Research U.S. Sales Office: 305 Broadway, 7th Floor New York City, NY 10007 United States USA - Canada Toll-Free: 800-961-0353 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/persistence-market-research-&-consulting/ SOURCE Persistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd. LONDON, Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Home Security Solutions Market report provides an analysis of the global home security solution market for the period 20132022, wherein the period from 2015 to 2022 comprises the forecast period and 2014 is the base year. Data for 2012 and 2013 are provided as historical information. The report covers all the prevalent trends and technologies playing a major role in the growth of the home security solution market over the forecast period. It also highlights various drivers, restraints, and opportunities expected to influence the market growth during the said period. The study provides a holistic perspective on market growth, throughout the above forecast period in terms of revenue estimates (in US$ Mn), across different geographies, which include Asia Pacific (APAC), Latin America (LATAM), North America, Europe, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Home security refers to the electronics-based security measures for residential applications. These are designed to monitor living premises, homes, residential setups, personal property, and the residents and secure them from home intrusions, property crimes, robberies, homicides, etc. Home security systems are powerful tools to prevent and investigate crimes when installed in homes, parking lots, and backyards. Due to the growth of property-related crimes and home intrusions globally, consumers have become more concerned about the safety and security of their families and properties and which, as a result, is driving the overall demand for home security solutions. The growing home security solutions market has led to the emergence of home security service providers around the world, which has contributed to the growth of the market size globally. This research report provides in-depth analysis of the global home security market on the basis of product types, segmenting the market into hardware, software, and services. The hardware segment comprises video surveillance, access control and authentication, alarms, electronic locks, and sensors & detectors. The video surveillance segment is further divided into analog cameras, IP cameras, and others, which includes recorders and storage, CCTV monitors, and encoders. The access control and authentication segment comprises biometrics, radio frequency identification (RFID), and card-based access control. The home security services segment includes services such as installation/integration, technical support, consulting, and cloud-based services. In terms of geographical regions, the report segments the global home security solutions market into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW); the regions are analyzed in terms of revenue generation. The report provides cross-sectional analysis of the global home security solutions market in terms of market estimates and forecasts for all the segments across different geographic regions. The report also includes competitive profiling of major players engaged in manufacturing home security products and providing home security services. Major business strategies adopted by them, their market positioning, and various recent developments have also been identified in the research report. This report also provides market share analysis of major players in the home security solutions market based on their 2014 revenue. Some of the major players profiled in the report include Vivint Inc., Assa Abloy AB, Tyco International Ltd., Honeywell International, Inc., ADT Corporation, Frontpoint Security Solutions, SimpliSafe, Inc., Protect America, Inc., HikVision Digital Technology Co., Ltd., and Axis Communications AB. The global home security solutions market is segmented as below: Home Security Solutions Market By Component Hardware Video Surveillance Analog Cameras IP Cameras Others (Recorders and Storage, CCTV Monitors and Encoders) Access Control and Authentication Biometrics RFID Card-based Electronic Locks Alarms Sensors and Detectors Software Services Installation/Integration Technical Support Consulting Cloud-based Services By Geography North America U.S. Rest of North America Europe EU7 Countries CIS Countries Rest of Europe Asia Pacific Japan China South Asia Australasia Rest of APAC Middle East and Africa GCC Countries South Africa Rest of MEA Latin America Brazil Rest of Latin America Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3999614/ 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 PASADENA, Calif., Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- KBKG, a nationwide tax solutions firm headquartered in Pasadena, California, recently launched the Residential Cost Segregator, an innovative cost segregation software which allows tax preparers and building owners to generate detailed cost segregation reports on smaller residential properties. Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161201/444897LOGO The Residential Cost Segregator shatters previous conceptions that cost segregation should only be recommended for properties with a depreciable basis over $750kdue to the high costs of hiring a qualified cost segregation expert. KBKG's new software product is available for residential rental properties up to 6 units with a tax basis of $500k or less (purchase price less land). "We created this software product to address a segment of the real estate market that was not able to take advantage of cost segregation tax benefits. Tax preparers with these clients can now offer more advanced tax planning strategies using our new cost segregation software," stated Gian Pazzia, Certified Cost Segregation Professional (CCSP) and Principal at KBKG. CPAs, tax preparers, and building owners can use the Residential Cost Segregator for as little as $399 per report. To watch a live demo, preview benefits, and sign up, visit: http://kbkg.com/residential-costsegregator. ABOUT KBKG Established in 1999 with offices across the US, KBKG provides turn-key tax solutions to CPAs and businesses. KBKG's engineers and tax experts have performed thousands of tax projects resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in benefits for clients nationwide. KBKG's online software platform also offers the KBKG Partial Disposition Calculator, 481(a) Adjustment Software, and a Cost Segregation Savings Calculator. Media Contact: KBKG, Inc. (877) 525-4462 http://kbkg.com Related Links KBKG Services KBKG News & Articles Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soCReXNAT6s This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE KBKG, Inc Related Links http://kbkg.com Released in May, Urban's latest album, Ripcord, became his fifth #1 album, setting a new worldwide chart milestone as it grabbed the top spot on the album charts in the United States, Canada and Australia. In addition, the third single from the groundbreaking record, "Wasted Time," became Urban's 21st #1 song and solidified his place at #8 on Billboard's All-Time Country Airplay Chart. The song marks his fifth consecutive #1, following "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16" and "Break On Me," both from Ripcord. It also extends Urban's lead as the artist with the most consecutive top 10 songs on Billboard's Country Airplay Chart (36), a streak that started in August of 2000. Urban recently released the album's fourth single, "Blue Ain't Your Color," which coincided with the launch of his first major tour in nearly three years, the "ripCORD World Tour 2016." While Urban was already well known when Golden Road came out in 2002, his second Capitol Nashville album announced him as a major force in country music. Mixing contemporary country with bluegrass, Top 40 sounds, drum loops and his own unique sense of style, the album went on to sell three million copies and spawned the hit single, "Somebody Like You," named Billboard's country single of the 2000s. The album also earned him his first Grammy, for the single "You'll Think of Me." Mostly self-produced by Urban, the album is the first to include tracks co-produced by producer Dann Huff, which was the start of the pair's longtime and highly successful collaboration. The sprawling Golden Road will be released as a double LP. Urban's 2010 album, Get Closer, is a lean, mean country-pop hybrid. Co-produced by Urban with producing partner Dann Huff, five of the eight songs were co-written by Urban, including lead single and fan favorite "Put You in a Song," one of three No. 1 singles. Throughout the album, Urban explores new sounds and textures and experiments with a bouzouki among other exotic instruments as he truly begins to blend pop and country in new and exciting ways that will blossom later on albums like Fuse. Three years in the making, Fuse was Urban's most accomplished and adventurous album to date, debuting upon release in 2013 atop the Billboard 200 all-genre albums list with four singles hitting #1. Made during Urban's first season as an American Idol judge, Fuse was recorded in California and Nashville with numerous producers, including Stargate, Butch Walker, Benny Blanco, Ross Copperman, Nathan Chapman, Jay Joyce, Mike Elizondo, along with regular collaborator Dann Huff. Urban takes his pop leanings to full tilt with loops and samples, synthesizers and a nontraditional approach that somehow remained true to Urban's country roots. Taken together these albums display Urban in all his many guises, highlighting the musical steps he's taken in an enviable and inspirational career. Golden Road Track Listing Side A 1. Somebody Like You 2. Who Wouldn't Want to Be Me 3. Whenever I Run Side B 1. What About Me 2. You'll Think of Me 3. Jeans On Side C 1. You Look Good in My Shirt 2. You're Not Alone Tonight 3. You Won Side D 1. Song For Dad 2. Raining on Sunday 3. You're Not My God 4. One Chord Song Get Closer Track Listing Side A 1. Put You in a Song 2. You Gonna Fly 3. All For You 4. Long Hot Summer Side B 1. Without You 2. Georgia Woods 3. Right on Back to You 4. Shut Off the Lights Fuse Track Listing Side A 1. Somewhere In My Car 2. Even The Stars Fall 4 U 3. Cop Car 4. Shame 5. Good Thing 6. We Were Us (featuring Miranda Lambert) Side B 1. Love's Poster Child 2. She's My 11 3. Come Back to Me 4. Red Camaro 5. Little Bit of Everything 6. Raise 'Em Up (featuring Eric Church) 7. Heart Like Mine Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161130/444430 Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150324/184009LOGO SOURCE Capitol/UMe Related Links http://http://www.universalmusicenterprises.com MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- MyFavorito announces that 500 Startups, one of Silicon Valley's most active and influential investors, has joined its mission to unlock CRM for B2C brands and retailers. MyFavorito is an open CRM-tech platform, built for brands and retailers to establish highly active, personal relationships with their millions of customers and increase store visits and sales significantly. Initial customers such as McDonald's and Diageo built 20 times more customer relationships on MyFavorito than on typical ad-tech / social media platforms and achieved much higher engagement rates. Teaming up with 500 Startups now gives MyFavorito access to invaluable resources to unlock CRM for many more B2C customers in North America and worldwide. More Growth for Brands and Retailers: MyFavorito and 500 Startups Team Up to Supercharge B2C CRM Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161202/445014 "Traditional one-to-many marketing is broken for most brands and retailers and does not provide significant growth potential anymore. MyFavorito enables them to unlock their number one growth driver: Highly active, personal relationships with their millions of customers. Reaching the right customer at the right time with the right message or offer generates additional store visits, loyalty, referrals, sales and ultimately growth. CRM is a standard in the B2B world. With MyFavorito we offer B2C companies a ready-to-go, DIY platform to use the very same principles," says Dirk Schlenzig, CEO and co-founder of MyFavorito. McDonald's, one of MyFavorito's first customers and a major contributor to its product roadmap, used MyFavorito's "irresistible" engagement tools to motivate several 100,000 customers to download the MyFavorito app and pick their favorite restaurant, thus automatically building a direct relationship and a fast-growing, 360-degree-view customer database full of meaningful user profiles - for the first time ever. Some of their restaurants attracted a business-critical number of 10,000 customer relationships. MyFavorito's AI-driven sales engine then generated 25,000 additional store visits in less than a year. The engagement rate was more than 20 times higher than leading Ad-tech and social media platforms. Even more importantly, with MyFavorito results are clearly measurable store visits and sales. Not 'Likes'. "Ad-tech and social media platforms were never built for brands and retailers in the first place and most of our customers were not impressed with their results. With MyFavorito they can use instant engagement tools such as loyalty program, viral referral engine, coupon manager, daily prize draw systems and much more to engage with their customers like never before," says Mark Schlenzig, MyFavorito's CTO and co-founder. About MyFavorito MyFavorito is the open B2C CRM platform for brands and retailers to establish highly active, personal relationships with their millions of customers and increase store visits, loyalty, referrals, sales and growth significantly. MyFavorito addresses all critical success factors and provides a cloud-based, mobile-first, DIY CRM-tech platform that consists of irresistible engagement tools, 360-degree-view customer database and an AI-driven, fully automated sales engine to send the right message at the right time - directly to the right customer's smartphone. Initial customers such as McDonald's and Diageo built 20X more customer relationships on MyFavorito than on typical ad-tech / social media platforms, resulting in more store visits, sales and growth. MyFavorito was established 2015 in Erfurt, Germany by brothers Dirk and Mark Schlenzig. In 2016, the company teamed up with Silicon Valley investor "500 Startups" to supercharge B2C CRM for more brands and retailers and expand its business into North America. Interested customers are highly invited to try MyFavorito for free for 30 days. For more information, please visit www.myfavorito.com. About 500 Startups 500 Startups is a global venture capital seed fund and startup accelerator based in Silicon Valley with over $250M in assets under management. We have invested in a wide variety of technology startups all over the world, currently over 1,500 companies since our inception in 2010 including: Credit Karma, Grab, Twilio, Udemy, Ipsy, TalkDesk, Intercom, MakerBot (acq'd by SSYS), Wildfire (acq'd by GOOG), and Viki (acq'd by Rakuten). Our team of ~125 people manage seed investments in 20 countries and speak over 25 languages. We run Accelerator programs emphasizing internet marketing and customer acquisition, design and user experience, and lean startup practices and metrics. Our Distro team and programs deliver growth marketing and investment for seed-stage companies. Our investment team and mentor network has operational experience at companies such as PayPal, Google, Facebook, YouTube, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Twitter and Apple. Contact: Dirk Schlenzig, CEO [email protected] ' (510) 227 0948 Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jKIUFkK7JM This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com SOURCE MyFavorito Inc Related Links http://www.myfavorito.com WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The public is invited to a free talk called "Revisiting the Apollo 17 Landing with LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter)" with NASA Research Scientist Noah Petro in the Pickford Theater, third floor, Madison Building, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., on Dec. 6 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EST. Petro is deputy project scientist for the LRO mission at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. LRO is currently orbiting the moon and has been for over seven years. According to Petro, remote-sensing observations of the moon by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have given scientists the data to develop new interpretations of the complex geology of the Taurus-Littrow Valley, the landing site of the last manned lunar mission. "The data from LRO allow us to revisit the Apollo landing sites, giving a modern view of these exploration targets," Petro said. "With these fresh perspectives, we put the successes of the Apollo program into a new context, which allows us to make new interpretations of their landing sites. In addition, the data allows us to put the priceless samples they collected into a new context." Many images will be shown of the Apollo 17 landing site. The LRO image had a particularly desirable lighting condition that allowed visibility of additional details. The Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Package, a set of scientific instruments placed by the astronauts at the landing site, is discernable, as are the faint trails between the module and instrument package left by the astronauts' footprints. The Library of Congress maintains one of the largest and most diverse collections of scientific and technical information in the world. The Science, Technology and Business Division provides reference and bibliographic services and develops the general collections of the library in all areas of science, technology, business and economics. The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world and holds nearly 151.8 million items in various languages, disciplines and formats. The library serves Congress and the nation both on-site in its reading rooms on Capitol Hill and through its award-winning website. For inquiries about this or upcoming talks at the Library of Congress, the public can contact the LOC Science, Technology and Business Division at 202-707-5664. ADA accommodations should be requested five business days in advance at 202-707-6382 (voice/tty) or [email protected]. The lecture will be later broadcast on the library's webcast page and YouTube channel "Topics in Science" playlist. For more information contact Stephanie Marcus at 202-707-1212 or [email protected] or visit: http://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/ For directions, visit: http://www.loc.gov/visit/maps-and-floor-plans/ For the related LRO Apollo story and images on NASA.gov, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/multimedia/lroimages/apollosites.html Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO SOURCE NASA Related Links http://www.nasa.gov MIDVALE, Utah, Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- North Capital Investment Technology, Inc., a provider of technology software and services to funding platforms, broker-dealers, and other financial intermediaries, announced today that its wholly-owned broker dealer, North Capital Private Securities ("NCPS"), is now offering escrow services to issuers, broker dealers, and funding platforms. NCPS recently received FINRA/SEC approval to become a self-clearing broker-dealer. This enhanced status allows NCPS to begin offering escrow subject to compliance with SEC Rule 15c2-4 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. NCPS also is approved to offer escrow services to registered funding portals that require a qualified third party to hold customer funds in connection with Regulation Crowdfunding offerings. "We are pleased to expand our capabilities to support the explosive growth of private securities markets," said Craig Goos, President of North Capital Private Securities. "This new capability helps us realize our goal of making private markets more accessible and more efficient through the application of technology." NCPS plans to offer escrow and enhanced payment services in connection with its affiliate's TransactAPI, Marketplace, and DirectInvest offerings. "Since the passage of the JOBS Act, FinTech and RegTech have begun to transform private markets, expanding the number of offerings, lowering investment minimums, and reducing transactions costs," said Jim Dowd, CEO of North Capital. "Becoming a self-clearing broker-dealer enables us to extend our capabilities beyond the offering and transaction process, through to custody and clearing." According to Dowd, traditional financial firms have been slow to react to the changes ushered in by the JOBS Act, but startup firms have built new technology to capitalize on it. "The next opportunity is for this technology to transform established private markets. It's already started," he said. NCPS's decision to become a self-clearing firm was dictated by client needs, according to CFO Stephanie Holt. "Our clients demand a quick turn around time, absolute accountability, and a high level of service," said Holt. Creating an internal escrow and payments capability was a natural and logical progression for NCPS. "We plan to roll out a full custody solution in 2017," said Holt. North Capital Investment Technology offers SaaS solutions to facilitate the offering, transaction, settlement, and compliance management of private securities offerings. NCIT's TransactCloud services are utilized by funding platforms, broker-dealers, fund managers, and other issuers of private securities. NCIT's wholly-owned subsidiary, North Capital Private Securities, a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC, is a market leader in the origination and distribution of private securities. PRLog ID: www.prlog.org/12605305 SOURCE North Capital Investment Technology PALM BEACH, Florida, December 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Oil & Gas Market Report recently published an article that included industry commentary based on the recent OPEC Agreement having a positive effect on the Energy sector for companies such as: Resolute Energy Corporation (NYSE: REN), Petro River Oil Corp. (OTC: PTRC), Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE: DVN), Oasis Petroleum Inc. (NYSE: OAS) and California Resources Corporation (NYSE: CRC) Oil prices soared nearly 10% on news that OPEC has reached a much anticipated agreement to reduce output by 1.2M barrels per day, bringing the total daily production to 32.5M bpd. Read this and more industry commentary at http://ogmarketreport.com/opec-agreement-adds-trump-rally/ The agreement, which was announced Wednesday at 11:00am EST, is contingent on a reduction of production by 600,000 bpd from non-OPEC countries, with Russia agreeing to take up half of that reduced commitment. "We received support and pledges (from non-OPEC countries) to contribute to that 600,000 and I'm glad to report the Russian federation has agreed to reduce 300,000 barrels," said OPEC president HE Dr. Mohammed Bin Saleh Al-Sada. "The market needs to be rebalanced. This is a major step forward and we think it's a historic moment to come to this agreement." U.S. oil stocks reacted positively to the news. Resolute Energy Corporation (NYSE: REN) was up over 17%, Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE: DVN) was up 14%, Exxon Mobil ( XON) increased over 2% and California Resources Corporation (NYSE: CRC) up nearly 40% right after the OPEC announcement. The news is welcome to both conventional oil companies like Petro River Oil (OTC: PTRC), up over 15%, and shale players such as Range Resource ( RRC) and Oasis Petroleum Inc. (NYSE: OAS). Chesapeake was up over 10% after the OPEC press conference. With the Trump administration vowing to deregulate several sectors, we see Petro River and other small cap producers benefiting from easing of regulations - which in Petro's case has ceased oil production in Osage County, Oklahoma. The agreement is effective January 1, 2017, and OPEC said Saudi Arabia will take the majority of the proposed reduction by 468,000 bpd. The organization, based in Vienna, Austria, also said it has established a ministerial monitoring committee that includes Kuwait, Venezuela and Algeria to ensure the lower production rules. OPEC also suspended Indonesia from membership after the country refused to agree on a reduction of production. Bin Saleh Al-Sada said the country could come back in a reduced capacity. "We are considering the market conditions, the supply and demand and the stock overhang," said Bin Saleh Al-Sada. "We take into consideration the interest of the consumers and producers as well as the economy. We think having a rebalanced market will benefit all." Source: ogmarketreport.com Petro River Oil Corp. (OTC: PTRC) http://petroriveroil.com/ is an independent energy company with its core holdings in Northeast Oklahoma, the Larne Basin in Northern Ireland, and Mountain View, California. Petro River's strategy is to apply modern technology, such as 3D seismic analysis to exploit hydrocarbon-prone resources in historically prolific plays and underexplored prospective basins to build reserves and to create value for the Company and its shareholders. Read more news for Petro River Oil (PTRC) at: http://marketnewsupdates.com/news/ptrc.html Petro River has applied for permits to drill four exploration wells on its Osage concession prior to year-end, or as soon as drilling permits are issued by the BIA. DISCLAIMER: OGMmarketRreport.com is Source of all content listed above. FN Media Group, LLC (FNM), is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with OGMmarketRreport.com or any company mentioned herein. The commentary, views and opinions expressed in this release by OGMmarketRreport.com are solely those of OGMmarketRreport.com and are not shared by and do not reflect in any manner the views or opinions of FNM. The companies that are discussed herein may or may not have approved the statements made in this release. FNM is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers. FNM and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination and financial marketing solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. For current services performed MNU has been compensated one thousand nine hundred dollars for coverage of the current commentary covering issued by Petro River Oil by a non-affiliated third party. MNU HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE. This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may", "future", "plan" or "planned", "will" or "should", "expected," "anticipates", "draft", "eventually" or "projected". You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company's annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and MNU undertakes no obligation to update such statements. Contact Information: Media Contact email: [email protected] , +1-561-325-8757 SOURCE MarketNewsUpdates.com LONDON, Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Synopsis Timetric's 'Personal Accident and Health Insurance in South Korea Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020' report provides a detailed outlook by product category for the South Korean personal accident and health insurance segment, and a comparison of the South Korean insurance industry with its regional counterparts. It provides key performance indicators such as written premium, incurred loss, loss ratio, commissions and expenses, combined ratio, total assets, total investment income and retentions during the review period (20112015) and forecast period (20152020). The report also analyzes distribution channels operating in the segment, gives a comprehensive overview of the South Korean economy and demographics, and provides detailed information on the competitive landscape in the country. The report brings together Timetric's research, modeling and analysis expertise, giving insurers access to information on segment dynamics and competitive advantages, and profiles of insurers operating in the country. The report also includes details of insurance regulations, and recent changes in the regulatory structure. Summary Timetric's 'Personal Accident and Health Insurance in South Korea Key Trends and Opportunities to 2020' report provides in-depth market analysis, information and insights into the South Korean personal accident and health insurance segment, including: - An overview of the South Korean personal accident and health insurance segment - The South Korean personal accident and health insurance segment's growth prospects by category - A comprehensive overview of the South Korean economy and demographics - A comparison of the South Korean personal accident and health insurance segment with its regional counterparts - The various distribution channels in the South Korean personal accident and health insurance segment - Details of the competitive landscape in the personal accident and health insurance segment in South Korea - Details of regulatory policy applicable to the South Korean insurance industry Scope This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the personal accident and health insurance segment in South Korea: - It provides historical values for the South Korean personal accident and health insurance segment for the report's 20112015 review period, and projected figures for the 20152020 forecast period. - It offers a detailed analysis of the key categories in the South Korean personal accident and health insurance segment, and market forecasts to 2020. - It provides a comparison of the South Korean personal accident and health insurance segment with its regional counterparts. - It provides an overview of the various distribution channels for personal accident and health insurance products in South Korea. - It profiles the top personal accident and health insurance companies in South Korea, and outlines the key regulations affecting them. Reasons To Buy - Make strategic business decisions using in-depth historic and forecast market data related to the South Korean personal accident and health insurance segment, and each category within it. - Understand the demand-side dynamics, key market trends and growth opportunities in the South Korean personal accident and health insurance segment. - Assess the competitive dynamics in the personal accident and health insurance segment. - Identify growth opportunities and market dynamics in key product categories. - Gain insights into key regulations governing the South Korean insurance industry, and their impact on companies and the industry's future. Key Highlights - The personal accident and health segment accounted for 21.4% of the overall insurance direct written premium in South Korea in 2015. - South Korea's population is aging faster than in any other developed country. The proportion of the South Korean population aged 65 and above rose from 11.4% in 2011 to 13.1% in 2015; the figure is expected to reach 15.6% in 2020. - The segment remains highly competitive. Challenges arise from high rates of suicide and smoking, leading to huge losses for insurers during the review period. - The South Korean personal accident and health segment is highly competitive, with the presence of both domestic and foreign insurers. Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/1600001/ 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 SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- planetRE, the nation's leading enterprise cloud vendor for online real estate, announced that RE/MAX Escarpment, a 475+ agent franchise company under the RE/MAX INTEGRA Canadian brand, has signed up for Socialite Millennial Website Search and CRM platform. Under this new agreement, planetRE will provide broker and agent branded sites to the company, powered by the new Millennial Search, using schools, commute, parking and other data. New solar power scores to property pages will be added to further enhance the value of branded agent portals to the end consumer. "We have long sensed a shift in consumer search with the entry of millennials that demand more sophistication and automation in the home buying process," said Conrad Zurini, Broker of Record of RE/MAX Escarpment, based in Ontario, Canada, and serving one of the most influential provinces. "The new millennial search offers us unique competitive advantages in lead capture, agent recruitment and is currently an instant success with our top agents." "Within a few months, the patent pending Millennial Searches has seen rapid adoption by regional brokers and team agents all over the US," said Subrao Shenoy, CEO of planetRE. "We are very excited to enter Canada and work with this top-notch team to offer the best real estate website platform." About planetRE planetRE is a privately held cloud vendor, providing Enterprise software to the real estate industry. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, CA; its primary mission is to provide cutting edge cloud platforms to the global real estate industry in areas of Online Marketing, Transaction and Financial Management. More information about planetRE Socialite CRM can be found on www.planetre.com. About RE/MAX Escarpment RE/MAX Escarpment Realty Inc., Brokerage prides itself on being a true leader in the real estate industry throughout Hamilton-Burlington. Since opening our doors in 1980, our focus has always been on providing innovative technology and unparalleled customer service in order to create a totally remarkable real estate experience. For more information, please contact us at 800-567-6257 or visit our website www.remaxescarpment.com. planetRE and planetRE Socialite are trademarks. All other registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders. Contact Information planetRE Media Inquiry: 1-408-251-6078 [email protected] Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150310/180615LOGO SOURCE planetRE Related Links http://www.planetre.com NEW YORK, Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Polyester Staple Fiber Market: Scope and Methodology This research study analyzes the market for polyester staple fiber in terms of revenue (US$ Mn) and volume (kilo tons). The polyester staple fiber market has been segmented based on type, origin, end-use, and geography. The report features a detailed regional segmentation with market growth forecast from 2016 to 2024. 2015 has been considered the base year and 2016 the estimated year, while forecast has been provided from 2016 to 2024. Market data for all the segments has been provided at the country level from 2016 to 2024. The report provides broad competitive analysis of companies engaged in the development of the polyester staple fiber business. The report also includes key market dynamics such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities affecting the global polyester staple fiber market. These are analyzed in detail and illustrated in the report with the help of supporting graphs and tables. The report also provides comprehensive analysis of the market with the help of the Porter's Five Forces Analysis model, which helps in understanding factors that affect the structure and profitability of the global polyester staple fiber market. These are bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, and degree of competition. Global Polyester Staple Fiber Market: Segmentation The report provides detailed insights into the global polyester staple fiber business. Currently, the most prominent drivers of the market include increase in demand for manmade fiber and growth in construction activities. Market attractiveness analysis was carried out for the polyester staple fiber market on the basis of type, origin, end-use, region, and country. Market attractiveness was estimated on the basis of common parameters that directly impact the market. Based on type, the market has been bifurcated into solid and hollow polyester staple fiber. In terms of origin, the market has been classified into virgin, recycled, and blend of virgin and recycled polyester staple fiber. Based on end-use, the polyester staple fiber market has been segmented into apparel, automotive, home furnishing, filtration, construction, personal care & hygiene, and others (toys, wadding, etc.). Polyester staple fiber has emerged as the fastest growing fiber amongst all types of fibers. Polyester staple fiber is increasingly used in mattresses and pillows due to the various advantages it offers. Demand for specialty mattresses is rising due to the high consumer preference for eco-friendly and health-promoting products. This is augmenting the demand for hollow fibers and natural fibers. Flooring is a vital application of polyester staple fiber. It is one of the most important aspects of any building. One of the first decisions generally taken after purchasing a new property, either residential or commercial, is the type of flooring to be used. Various types of floorings are available in the market. In terms of geography, the market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. Asia Pacific is considered the largest market for polyester staple fiber. Asia Pacific is expected to remain the dominant market for polyester staple fiber by 2024. The region accounted for 41% share in terms of revenue in 2015. China was the dominant producer of polyester fiber in 2015, followed by India. Demand for polyester staple fiber has been the highest in Asia Pacific of late. This trend is projected to continue over the next few years. North America and Europe are also key markets for polyester staple fiber Global Polyester Staple Fiber Market: Competitive Landscape Key players operating in the polyester staple fiber market are Alpek S.A.B. de C.V., Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, Toray Industries, Inc., China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, Reliance Industries Limited, W. Barnet GmbH & Co. KG, Far Eastern New Century Corporation, Tongkun Group Zhejiang Hengsheng Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Hengyi Group Company Ltd., Jiangsu Sanfangxiang Group, ICI Pakistan Limited, XINDA Corp, Komal Fibres, Bombay Dyeing, Nirmal Fibres (P) Ltd., and Ganesha Ecosphere. Polyester Staple Fiber Market: By Type Solid FiberHollow Fiber Polyester Staple Fiber Market: By Origin Virgin Polyester Staple FiberRecycled Polyester Staple FiberBlend of Virgin and Recycled Polyester Staple Fiber Polyester Staple Fiber Market: By End-use ApparelAutomotiveHome FurnishingFiltrationConstructionPersonal Care & HygieneOthers (toys, wadding, etc.) Polyester Staple Fiber Market: By Region North America U.S. Canada Europe U.K. France Germany Spain Italy Rest of Europe Asia Pacific China Japan India ASEAN Rest of Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa GCC Egypt South Africa Rest of Middle East and Africa Latin America Brazil Mexico Rest of Latin America Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04402607-summary/view-report.html About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place. http://www.reportlinker.com Contact Clare: [email protected] US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 SOURCE Reportlinker Related Links http://www.reportlinker.com CITY OF INDUSTRY, California, December 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sugarmade, Inc. (OTC:SGMD), today announces the purchase of international paper contracts from Bao Coc International Paper and Plastics Limited, located in Vietnam. Under the terms of the asset purchase agreement, Sugarmade will assume contracts for international paper products bound for delivery into the U.S. Sugarmade estimates the acquisition will boost its revenue production by approximately $500,000 to $600,000 annually. Sugarmade also expects the deal to have a significantly positive impact on other portions of its business operations. "These contracts are important not only relating to the revenue boost we will receive, but also relating to cost reductions across our product lines. Because Bao Coc ships dozens of containers into the U.S. each year, we will be able to combine transpacific shipping contracts, which will reduce freight charges relating to our other products, commented, Jimmy Chan, CEO. "This is especially important relative to our new CannaShroud cannabis transport system, the components of which are manufactured in Asia. The significant reductions in freight charges will allow Sugarmade to be even more competitive in the marketplace and will allow us to further boost our already expanding gross margins." Sugarmade expects the asset acquisition to close in the month of December. The Company will issue Bao Coc five million restricted shares in exchange for assumption of the Bao Coc contracts. About Sugarmade, Inc. (OTC:SGMD) Sugarmade, Inc. is a product and brand marketing company investing in products and brands with disruptive potential. Sugarmade's brands include CarryOutSupplies.com, Sugarmade Tree Free Paper, FreeHand ThumbTray and CannaShroud, the world's first Cannabis specific shipping systems. The Company will soon be launching Sriracha Stix, a revolutionary culinary seasoning product under official license from Irwindale, California-based Huy Fong Foods, Inc., the maker of Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce. For inquiries please contact Jimmy Chan at +1-(888)-982-1628 or [email protected]. SOURCE Sugarmade, Inc. 200 stores will be opened over 10 years The company has recently announced other important international operations in the UK, Malta , and Saudi Arabia. Telepizza operates on four continents with 1,342 stores serving more than 60 million customers and with total sales of 506 million Telepizza, the leading non-US pizza delivery company by number of stores, announces its arrival in Iran in March 2017 via a strategic master franchise alliance with its partner Momenin Investment Group and the objective of 200 stores in 10 years. This will mean opening some 20 establishments per year and an investment of 100 million in ten years by MIG. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150317/735407-a ) (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161202/444999 ) The first store will be found in the country's capital, Teheran, after which seven others will be opened before the end of the year. "The arrival of Telepizza in Iran is a major accomplishment in our international expansion and represents a great opportunity for our business. We are delighted to share the essence of our brand, nothing less than offering pizza with a unique flavor at any time or place, with Iranian consumers" remarks Pablo Juantegui, Chairman and CEO of Telepizza. "We are very satisfied to have found a travel companion like Momenin Investment Group to begin our venture in Iran, which promises to be very interesting. We will be the first European chain in the QSR segment to set up in this country, catering to the customers' demand that went unmet up to this point," states Giorgio Minardi, International Chairman of Telepizza. "Telepizza is a global brand that we are proud to be able to introduce in Iran. A distinguished brand concept with high degree of product innovation, excellence in delivery and consumer technology, that will allow us to bring to Iranian people which was missing today in the market: freshly quality handmade pizzas, friendly and innovative delivered at a great value to be enjoyed anywhere", explains Hadi Momenin, representative of Momenin Investment Group. Other recent international openings: The United Kingdom, Malta, Saudi Arabia On top of Telepizza's arrival to Iran, the company has announced other important operations in terms of international expansion throughout 2016. In this respect, Telepizza has made it known that it will open 80 stores in the UK over the next 10 years, alongside Karali Ventures Limited, as well as develop a business plan that includes 300 new establishments in a decade, through the collaboration of 20 franchisees. Additionally, in Malta, through the partnership with Joseph P. Attard, the brand will have one store in the first quarter of 2017 and three more in the next three years. As for Saudi Arabia, it is already one of the countries with Telepizza establishments following the recent inauguration of three stores in Riyadh, the capital. They are the first of 100 projected stores over a 10-year period. In this case, the operation was carried out in collaboration with Emtyaz Catering Company, a subsidiary of Al Bayan Holding Group. Telepizza, a successful international project Since its arrival in Chile in 1992, Telepizza's international expansion has not yet stopped. 1,342 shops (456 company-owned and 886 franchisees and master franchises) are operating in 15 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America, offering its products to more than 60 million customers with total sales of 506 million. The company also has its own factories in six countries (Spain, Portugal, Poland, Chile, Columbia and Peru) as well as master franchise factories in six additional territories: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Central America, Russia, Bolivia, and Angola; and also has partner warehouses in Ecuador and Poland. Telepizza Group We are the largest non-U.S.-based pizza delivery company in the world by number of stores. Headquartered in Madrid, Spain, Telepizza operates in more than 15 countries through a network of own stores, franchisees and master franchisees, with 1,342 stores globally, including 456 own stores (34%) and 886 franchised and master franchised stores (66%) as of 30 September, 2016. Including our U.S.-based competitors, we are the fourth largest global player in pizza delivery in terms of number of stores. We are the market leader in our core markets by number of stores (number one in Spain, Portugal, Chile and Colombia and number two in Poland). The total sales within our network, including own stores, franchisees and master franchisees, are recorded as chain sales, which amounted to 506 million in the twelve months ended 30 September 2016, with an underlying EBITDA of 63.4 million over the same period. Telepizza listed on the Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid and Valencia stock exchanges with its shares starting trading on 27 April 2016. The total number of shares is 100,720,679. http://www.telepizza.com More information: Ketchum - Monica Escusa / Ana Moreno Tlf.: +34-917883200 e-mail: [email protected] SOURCE Telepizza "This is a huge accomplishment and great honor for Thermi to be recognized for the second year in a row. We recognize that the company has been greatly blessed, and we are the beneficiaries of countless positive effects on our business, many of which were beyond our control. Actually, in this amazing journey we have experienced rapid growth and success while receiving needed financial and commercial resources 'Just-in-Time.' Thermi is pleased and honored to have their continued success celebrated among other thriving businesses within the Dallas area," said CEO and Co-Founder Paul Herchman. President and Co-Founder Kevin O'Brien stated, "The success of Thermi has been accomplished through the unrelenting efforts and talent of our loyal and driven employees, many key physician investors and happy customers, and we are greatly appreciative of their contributions." The Dallas 100 acknowledges and honors the area's top 100 entrepreneurial success stories. Thermi, a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of temperature-controlled radiofrequency devices, exemplifies one of the many innovative companies being honored, due to its innovative team, physician support and unique system. Mike McDonald, Thermi COO also said, "This award on the heels of the acquisition of Thermi by Barcelona-based Almirall for $82 million in February of this year makes 2016 a year of monumental accomplishments for the Thermi family. The Thermi Team has embodied the awards' required entrepreneurial spirit by having achieved high levels of productivity and efficiency over the past three years." Thermi, an Almirall Company, is a leading global manufacturer of temperature controlled radiofrequency technology. The company's flagship product is ThermiRF, a platform technology that uses temperature as a clinical endpoint for various minimally invasive and non-invasive applications (ThermiTight, ThermiRase, ThermiSmooth, ThermiVa). Thermi also offers the Thermi250 device as the newest innovative RF technology for non-invasive aesthetic applications. The Dallas 100 Entrepreneur Awards considers independent, privately held corporations (excluding non-profit organizations) that are headquartered in the Dallas Metroplex area. Applicants must have proven sales of more $500,000.00 but less than $75,000,000.00 per fiscal year, with an overall steady business growth over the past three years For more information please visit: http://www.thermi.com/ EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information about THERMI and to arrange to speak with a company spokesperson, please contact Nancy Trent or Pamela Wadler at 212-966-0024 or info(at)trentandcompany(dot)com. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161201/444878 SOURCE Thermi Related Links http://www.thermi.com Estimados amigos, Les doy cordialmente la bienvenida a este Blog informativo con articulos, analisis y comentarios de publicaciones especializadas y especialmente seleccionadas, principalmente sobre temas economicos, financieros y politicos de actualidad, que esperamos y deseamos, sean de su maximo interes, utilidad y conveniencia. Pensamos que solo comprendiendo cabalmente el presente, es que podemos proyectarnos acertadamente hacia el futuro. Las convicciones son mas peligrosos enemigos de la verdad que las mentiras. There are decades when nothing happens and there are weeks when decades happen. You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out. No soy alguien que sabe, sino alguien que busca. Only Gold is money. Everything else is debt. Las grandes almas tienen voluntades; las debiles tan solo deseos. Quien no lo ha dado todo no ha dado nada. History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce. If you know the other and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity. The Parks Department said Thursday that it is willing to explore the possibility of "limited" public access to North Brother Island, the 20-acre abandoned island off of the South Bronx that's been closed to the public since 1963, overgrown with kudzu and poison ivy and strewn with crumbling 20th-century hospital facilities. Public access to the island has been a longtime pet project for Manhattan Councilmember Mark Levine, who recently acquired funding to study the feasibility of hosting small, seasonal tours. "This is really a vision of limited, highly-curated public access that could be done in a way that respects the historical and natural integrity of the island," Levine told Gothamist on Thursday. "We are reopening the discussion and exploring options for some limited visits. Perhaps volunteer projects [for the public]," said Matt Drury, director of government relations for the Parks Department. "We are beginning those conversations now." "With the very significant investment that would be necessary to make that access truly [happen]," he hedged, "the city has to weigh those costs and benefits." The update came as part of a public hearing on ten city-managed sitesincluding North Brother Island and Hart Island; monuments like the Washington Square Park Arch and the Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch at Grand Army Plaza; and infrastructure like the Croton Aqueductthat Levine would like to see opened to the public. Throughout the afternoon, Levine made the case that while many of these sites would likely only be accessible on a limited basis to small groups of people, the Parks Department should still consider them a worthwhile investment. "You are never going to have as many users [at these sites] as the great lawn of Central Park," Levine said. "Nor would we want that. But there's just something so unique in these spaces. How we dealt with infectious disease, how we honored our war dead. You can read about [these things] in textbooks, but to touch the stone that was laid by someone who lived thorough those moments in history... it's something you can't replicate." But Parks Deputy Commissioner Liam Kavanagh stressed that Parks bases its resource allocation strategy on the number of people served by a particular park or destination. "Our priorities are always going to focus on providing the most access in the broadest terms," he said. (Todd Seelie / Gothamist) Levine's feasibility study on North Brother Island access is still a few weeks away from completion, but study leader and University of Pennsylvania Preservation Professor Randall Mason said Thursday that his team deems limited access to North Brother Island within the realm of possibility. "The basic findings of the study are that some measure of carefully curated public access is feasible and would positively impact New Yorkers," he said. Mason made a case for limiting access to student and community groups from the South Bronx, and said that such tours could be conducted without posing a risk to the harbor herons that frequent both North and South Brother islands. "We're not talking about reusing the buildings," he clarified. Instead, he suggested that some of the most decrepit buildings be disassembled, and others simply "stabilized." In the immediate future, he said, his team should collaborate with Parks and the Department of Buildings to assess the buildings internally, since U Penn hasn't yet been granted access. The Parks Department was strongly opposed to opening some of the other closed-off sites up for consideration, including the Washington Square Arch, which has an internal staircase and potential roof access. "The interior space was never truly designed for public access," Drury said, adding that foot traffic could damage the service stairwell. In the past, traffic on the roof has also caused leaks. The 149-foot-tall Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Fort Greene Park had an operational elevator until the 1930s, but it was removed in the 1970s. Kavanagh said the pinnacle is now only accessible via a 150-foot ladder. "I think it does, in many cases, come down to... ADA accessibility, which clearly many of these places have not been designed to accommodate," he said. He also reiterated the department's unwillingness to take over control of Hart Island, a burial ground for indigent New Yorkers that has been controlled solely by the Department of Correction since 1946. A cemetery "is not a department that Parks has any experience managing," Kavanagh said. But Levine was adamant. "There are resources constraints, and that's probably true in every one of these properties," he said. "That's not insurmountable. That's different than saying they are all just inaccessible." If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here Imphal, Nov 28 : Angry customers vandalized an SBI branch on the campus of Manipur University here on Monday after the bank refused to let people withdraw Rs 24,000 each. Although police reinforcements rushed to the bank, no arrest was made. Normal bank work was disrupted, witnesses said. The State Bank of India manager, identified as Prasad, said the trouble started when two customers demanded Rs 24,000 each -- the maximum a person can take out from the bank every week after demonetisation. "They became angry when it was pointed out that senior bank officials had declared that such big amounts could not be withdrawn," he said. The customers then turned unruly and did not allow bank work to continue, the officer said. Mutum Shyamo, an SBI customer, said people who had been queuing up from early in the morning became furious when they were informed they could take out only Rs 2,000 each from their savings accounts. An elderly customer who did not want to be identified by name said: "Two thousand rupees is chicken feed. We have been wasting several days for this pittance." Sensing the mood, the SBI said they could take out Rs 4,000 each. "But the bank will be closed once the cash runs out," one officer told the crowd. On hearing this, the account holders started vandalizing the office, the witnesses said. Riot police rushed to the bank to bring the situation under control. Though armed policemen have been deployed in all bank branches, officials say it has become increasingly difficult to maintain order as customers who are denied cash become restive. There have been face-offs between the bank staff and customers in Manipur but this is the first time a bank was vandalized. Ashgabat, Nov 28 : Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow on Monday officially inaugurated the Asian International Railway line connecting the two countries at a special ceremony organised in Turkmenabad, local media reported. Ghani called the inauguration of the Imam Nazar (Turkmenistan) and Aqina (Afghanistan) railway line "historic" and said his government remains committed to turning all the bordering provinces of the country into major economic hubs, Khaama Press reported. Ghani said a railway line connecting the two nations was a positive step and that "today the railway joins Afghanistan with Turkmenistan, tomorrow with Iran and in the future with India and other countries". Calling it a major achievement, Turkmen President Berdimuhamedow said the Imam Nazar-Aqina terminal could play a key role for the traders, specifically the oil traders, as modern equipment have been installed at the port. He also said that the terminal can hold around 500 tonnes of trade commodities and will be a big success for the oil traders. Ghani arrived in Turkmenabad on Sunday. He was on a three-day visit to the country. The Afghan government has stepped up efforts to open new transit routes for the country with the first-ever cargo train from China arriving in the main Hairtan port located in north of Afghanistan in September. Also, the construction of a railway line between Afghanistan and Iran officially kicked off near Herat province of Afghanistan in September. Earlier this year, the leaders of Afghanistan, India and Iran signed the Chabahar port agreement in Tehran. According to the accord, India would refurbish one of the berths at Shahid Beheshti port in Iran, and reconstruct a 600-metre-long container handling facility at the port. The port will provide an alternative for trade between India and Afghanistan. Los Angeles, Nov 29 : Actress Michelle Williams says it will "just never be right" bringing up her daughter without late actor Heath Ledger. The "Manchester by the Sea" actress has 11-year-old Matilda with the late actor, who died of an accidental overdose eight years ago. Williams has opened up about raising her only child by herself and how she still can't accept that he is gone, reports femalefirst.co.uk. "In all honesty, for pretty much everything else, I feel like I'm a believer in not fighting circumstances, accepting where you are and where you've been," Williams told Porter magazine. "In pretty much all senses but one, I would be able to go totally down that line of thinking were it not for Matilda not have her dad. You know, that's just that something doesn't ... I mean, it just won't ever be right," she added. Meanwhile, the 36-year-old actress admits she is finding it "really sensitive" learning how to date again and trying to explain her situation as she didn't anticipate she would still be dating in her 30s. Geneva, Nov 29 : Around 16,000 civilians have fled strife-torn parts of Syria's Aleppo as the rebels lost all of the northern neighbourhoods of their stronghold, UN official said on Tuesday, describing the situation as "chilling". "The intensity of attacks on eastern Aleppo neighbourhoods over the past few days has forced thousands of civilians to flee to other parts of the city," UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said in a statement, MAP news agency reported. He pointed to reports from the UN's humanitarian partners on the ground indicating that "up to 16,000 people have been displaced, many into uncertain and precarious situations". O'Brien voiced concern over the "deeply alarming and chilling situation unfolding" across all of Aleppo. The situation in eastern Aleppo is dire, with intensified ground fighting and indiscriminate aerial bombardment reportedly killing and injuring many civilians, he said. "There are no functioning hospitals left, and official food stocks are practically finished". At the same time, indiscriminate shelling on government-held western Aleppo has killed and injured civilians and has displaced more than 20,000 people in recent weeks, he said. "The parties to the conflict in Syria have shown time and again that they are willing to take any action to secure military advantage even if it means killing, maiming or starving civilians into submission in the process," he said. O'Brien also pointed to the some 700,000 people living in other besieged areas across war-ravaged Syria. O'Brien urged all parties to the conflict "to restore basic humanity in Syria," insisting that "the people of Syria have suffered far too much and for far too long". Chennai, Nov 30 : Two unions in the banking sector have urged the Indian Banks Association (IBA) to advice its member banks to seek police protection for branches as they face cash crunch. The unions also urged the IBA to take up with Reserve Bank of India (RBI) the issue of supply of currency notes without discriminating between the government and private banks. "Sir, we are afraid, there would be lot of undue pressures, tensions, conflicts and clashes in the branches and branch managers, officers and other staff would face a big ordeal," All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) and All India Bank Officers' Association (AIBOA) on Tuesday wrote to the IBA. "We seek the intervention of IBA to advice the banks to ask for proper police protection in branches to provide proper security to the staff," the letter notes. "The next one week to 10 days are going to be much more tense because huge number of employees, workers and retirees/pensioners would throng the bank branches to draw from their salary credit and non-availability of enough cash may lead to serious issues of law and order also," the unions said. Citing the allegations that some private banks get more supply of notes from the Reserve Bank of India, the two unions sought that the RBI should ensure supply of currency notes to all banks without any discrimination. Seoul, Nov 30 : South Korea's opposition on Wednesday said it will continue with the impeachment proceedings against President Park Geun-hye even though she has agreed to step down because of her involvement in a scandal. Park on Tuesday said in a televised address to the nation that she was ready to resign before the end of her term due to her involvement in the "Korean Rasputin" scandal, Efe news reported. The leaders of the country's three main opposition parties -- the Democratic Party, the People's Party and the Justice Party -- said they will not negotiate the proposal put forward by Park. The President, who has lost the support of the people and all political parties, including her own Saenuri Party, left the decision of her resignation to Parliament. She urged Parliament to establish a legal timetable and procedures to enforce her resignation and ensure a stable transfer of power. The opposition called Park's proposal a political movement seeking to commit illegalities and unconstitutional acts in the National Assembly and accused her to trying to evade impeachment. The opposition said Park was trying to buy time to push for a change in the Constitution, which will reduce the presidential term from the present five years to four and allow her to make a more dignified exit. The opposition leaders said the South Korean people did not want to usher in the New Year with Park still at the helm and that the President had lost her credibility by allegedly participating in the illegal actions of her friend Choi Soon-sil. The Prosecutors' Office considers Park an accomplice of Choi, who was allegedly involved in affairs of the state, though not holding any public office, and extorting substantial sums of money from companies she partially appropriated. The opposition hold 165 of the 300 seats in Parliament, which means it would need the backing of the lawmakers of the ruling Saenuri Party to achieve the two-thirds vote required for impeachment. The impeachment is expected to go ahead despite the fact that most Saenuri lawmakers have declared their support for Park. The impeachment process will then have to be greenlighted by the Supreme Court. According to protest organisers, around two million people took to the streets for the fifth consecutive day on Wednesday to demand the resignation of Park, whose popularity ratings have dropped to a record low of four per cent. Destination restaurants inside museums are increasingly common, while fine art inside restaurants has long been a tradition for moneyed restaurateurs. Miss Paradis, one arm of a French restaurant group, fuses the two concepts a bit in its new SoHo digs, tasking artists with designing different elements of the restaurant, from structure to form and back again. Enormous pillars, a 30-foot chandelier, rotating art installations on the awnings and looped art video pieces playing on 20-foot flat screens are a few of the art-meets-dining touches. Strategically-placed par can lights further a theatrical feel on the restaurant's 2nd floor dining room, which offers a cheerier setting than the more industrial ground level. It's also where you can peek over the walls of the cemetery attached to St. Patrick's Old Cathedral across Mulberry Street. This amazing apple sculpture will apparently also be installed in a few weeks. (Miss Paradis) As for the true draw, the food, it's an extension of restaurateur Claude Louzon and his daughter, whose family began a food brand in Paris that focused on juices and smoothies before they were a health trend. There's more than liquid here, though, like Black Bread ($10) colored with activated charcoal and topped with preserved garlic and served with an eggplant spread. The other carbs, pastas, are either vegetal (Zucchini Tagliatelle with roasted tomatoes) or of the health food variety (whole wheat in a puttanesca-like sauce). Below, peruse the full menu, which features exclusively seafood proteins like sea bass, salmon, shrimp and mussels. 47 Prince Street, 646-329-6380; miss-paradis.com Miss Paradis Dinner Menu by Nell Casey on Scribd Islamabad, Nov 30 : Pakistan said on Wednesday that India has deployed one million troops in Jammu and Kashmir, which is the highest concentration of soldiers in the world at one place. Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said the presence of Indian troops in such a "large scale was a hurdle in implementing the UN resolution" on Kashmir. The spokesman alleged that since the last four months, Indian troops have "killed innocent Kashmiris and violated basic human rights". He urged India to stop "bloodshed in occupied Kashmir", emphasising Pakistan's desire to resolve outstanding issues with India peacefully. The spokesman also called on the UN to play its role in resolving the Kashmir issue and implement its resolution. Zakaria condemned India's "ill" intention to sabotage the bilateral Indus Waters Treaty. Lucknow, Nov 30 : The Micronutrient Initiative (MI) signed an MoU with the National Health Mission, Uttar Pradesh, on Wednesday, to improve nutrition for the vulnerable populations, including women, newborns and young children, an official said. The MoU was signed by the National Health Mission Director Alok Kumar and MI India Country Director Sucharita Dutta in presence of senior officials from the Routine Immunization, Adolescent Health, Maternal Health, Child Health and Community Processes Division and MI's state team. Although over the past few years, the state has reduced child mortality, the state infant mortality and child mortality rates at 48 and 57 children per 1,000 live births (SRS 2014) continue to be higher than the national averages while anaemia in children (6-59 months old) and pregnant women is 80 per cent and 49 per cent, respectively, an official informed. As per the Rapid Survey of Children 2013-14 (Unicef), 47 per cent children below 5 years are underweight, 28.4 per cent are severely stunted and only 22.6 per cent of deliveries see early initiation of breastfeeding. MI's partnership with the National Health Mission aims at reducing malnutrition among adolescents, women and children through an integrated health service delivery, thereby supporting Uttar Pradesh in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The MoU outlines MI's four-year programme (2016 to 2020) for supporting the state government's health and nutrition initiatives with an investment of Rs 25.12 crores, supported by the Canada government. "MI will work to reduce anaemia among adolescent girls and reach out to newborns to ensure they get the right start in life through safe deliveries, kangaroo mother care, Vitamin K at birth, delayed bathing, early initiation of breastfeeding and proper counselling of mothers on child care and nutrition. Support would also be extended at community level to improve the infant and young child feeding practices among children below two years of age," the official further said. The Mission Director Alok Kumar said, "This MoU reflects the commitment we have for mothers and children of Uttar Pradesh for ensuring their better health and nutrition and a better quality of life. The Micronutrient Initiative is supporting the implementation of key health and nutrition programmes which will steer the state close to achieving its targets." MI India Country Director Sucharita Dutta said, "We believe in investing in women, girls and children so that the present and future generations are healthy and productive. It is our proud privilege to partner with the National Health Mission in Uttar Pradesh and together we are confident of breaking the cycle of malnutrition and making a difference to the lives of women, girls and young children of the state." With MI's support across 20 districts in the state, around 1.9 crore children below the age of 5 years will receive a boost with Vitamin A supplements, around 2.92 lakh newborns will benefit from early breastfeeding and kangaroo mother care, while in 10 districts nearly 8.2 lakh adolescent girls will receive weekly Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) under the National Iron Plus Initiative programme and children with diarrhoea will receive ORS and Zinc tablets. MI is an international NGO working to improve nutrition for women and girls. In India, MI works with the governments of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh to strengthen state-run health and nutrition programmes. New Delhi, Nov 30 : Air pollution in the national capital on Wednesday brought down the air quality to 'severe' level. The Air Quality Index (AQI) on Wednesday reached 410 which is labelled 'severe' while it was 368 or 'very poor' on Tuesday and 229 or 'poor' on Monday. The 'very poor' air quality can lead to illness, while the 'severe' threatens even the healthier lot. As per India Meteorological Department (IMD), the visibility would continue dropping due to the smog. Delhi on Wednesday saw excessive smog and particles in the air due pollution. "The visibility would drop further and expected to come down to 150 meters on Thursday. On Wednesday, the visibility at Safdarjung dropped by 500 meters between 2.30 p.m. and 5 p.m.," an IMD official said. Meanwhile, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday held a meeting and decided to install "Induced-draft air treatment systems" at five major traffic intersections in Delhi. "These units have the potential to reduce carbon monoxide and particulate emission by 40-60 per cent emission in 20-30 metre radius during peak hours of traffic," the Delhi government said in a statement. The government also directed to immediately implement measures to curb the air pollution. The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) has been given the mandate to design and implement these solutions. Sisodia also ordered that DPCC conduct the five studies regarding air pollution along with NEERI. The solution projected by the government includes study on the feasibility of use of cow dung, sewage sludge, alum sludge for their possible use as fuel pellets, tiles and bricks. The government would also focus on the design of air pollution control system for green crematorium, brick kilns air pollution control and clean tandoor community kitchen system. Bhopal, Nov 30 : Five organisations fighting for the rights of victims of the Bhopal gas leak disaster on Wednesday decided to burn the American flag on the 32nd anniversary of the tragedy because of the "irresponsible behaviour of the US government". Fighting for the victims, the Bhopal Group for Information and Action, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery, Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirakshit Pension Bhogi Sangharsh Morcha, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha and Children Against Dow Carbide held a discussion with reporters against Dow Carbide company and its behaviour. Satinath Shadangi of Bhopal Group for Information and Action, said: "The Union Carbide and Dow Chemicals are under protection. The reason that in the last two years, four notices were sent to the officers under Dow Chemical to present before the court which were neglected by the company. To escape from the responsibilities, the company is merging with another American company Dupont." "There is anger among the victims over the attitude of the US government, for which on the 32nd year of the accident, the American flag will be burned on December 3," Shadangi added. Bhopal Group for Information and Action's Rachna Dhingra said, "The state government did not work on the recommendations by the probe committee formed by the Supreme Court for victims and their children's treatment and rehabilitation in the last 12 years." "Though 32 years have passed since the disaster, the reaction is still prominent as the poisonous pesticide is still affecting the babies born after the tragedy," Balkrishna Namdev of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirakshit Pension Bhogi Sangharsh Morcha, said. The organisations said the chemicals seeping out of the company's factory is still killing and rendering people handicapped. They said the toxic waste buried under the ground is polluting the nearby water bodies. It was on the night of Dec 2-3, 1984, that a toxic gas leak from the Union Carbide Corporation's pesticide plant in the Madhya Pradesh capital killed and maimed thousands of people. Victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy are still fighting for justice. Seoul, Dec 1 : Top nuclear envoys of the US, South Korea and Japan have agreed to meet in the South Korean capital in mid-December, Seoul's foreign ministry said on Thursday. Foreign ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuk told a press briefing that Kim Hong-kyun, who represents South Korea in the long-stalled six-party talks to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula, would meet in Seoul with his US and Japanese counterparts around the middle of this month, Xinhua reported. The spokesman said the meeting schedule came in consideration of the adoption of a new UN Security Council resolution on North Korea and its follow-up sanctions against it expected to come out soon from the three allies. Seoul said it plans to announce its unilateral sanctions on Pyongyang on Friday, after the UN Security Council unanimously adopted the resolution over North Korea's fifth nuclear test on September 9. The fifth test came just eight months after Pyongyang's fourth atomic bomb detonation in January and the subsequent launch in February of a long-range rocket. The agreed-upon nuclear talks between the three allies would be the first since South Korea, the US and Japan held such a meeting in Tokyo on June 1. The six-party dialogue, which involves South and North Korea, China, the US, Russia and Japan, has been suspended since late 2008. Islamabad, Dec 1 : Pakistan on Thursday said it welcomes US President-elect Donald Trump's offer to play a role in resolving long-standing issues, including Kashmir. "We welcome Trump's desire to play a role in resolution of long-standing issues," Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said in his weekly media briefing here. Zakaria said Trump had previously expressed his "desire of playing a role in resolution of the Kashmir issue". He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's telephone call to Trump was a routine matter to felicitate him on his victory in the US presidential elections, adding that Pakistan attaches "great" importance to its relations with the US and wants to further strengthen them. He said a visit by Trump to Pakistan will be "welcomed with great enthusiasm". Paris, Dec 2 : French authorities have warned the officials of the country's political parties of potential Russian cyber-attacks during the presidential election campaign, local media reports said. Suspicions arose from incidents during the recent presidential elections in the US which involved hacking the private email account of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton when she was secretary of state, Efe news agency reported. France reiterated Germany's concerns over possible cyber-attacks, as the latter is also holding its legislative elections in September next year. The director of France's national agency of IT security Guillaume Poupard, estimates that cyber-attacks can have a real impact and change the voting results. Elections are scheduled to be held in 2017. Canberra, Dec 2 : Australian soldiers taking part in coalition operations against Islamic State (IS) in the Middle East have been given a 'license to kill', after the government passed last-minute legislation. The Criminal Code Amendment (War Crimes) Bill 2016, which gives Australian Defence Force personnel power to use lethal force against terrorists outside of direct combat, breezed through the Senate with bipartisan support on Thursday evening. In a joint statement, Australia's Prime Minister and Defence Minister said the laws would mean Australia's Defence Force personnel would be protected from criminal charges if they engage terrorists outside of "direct hostilities", Xinhua news agency reported. "The (legislation) aligns Australia's domestic law with international humanitarian law and provides legal certainty for Defence personnel fighting terrorist groups in combat zones," the statement said. "Until now, Australian domestic law restricted the ADF from targeting key players in IS combat operations who were not directly involved in hostilities." "Targeting these individuals could have exposed ADF personnel to prosecution under the Criminal Code, even if their actions were consistent with international law." The government said the amendment "eliminates this problem" and brings ADF operations in line with key coalition partners fighting IS in Iraq and Syria. Rio De Janeiro, Dec 2 : Former Brazilian Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff will attend the funeral ceremony of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, the Lula Institute announced. They will travel to Havana this weekend, Xinhua news reported on Friday. Castro passed away on November 25, at the age of 90. The revolutionary leader lead Cuba for almost five decades. Castro was cremated, and his ashes travelled through Cuba this week and would be buried on Saturday. Both Lula and Rousseff have met with Castro. During the Lula administration, Brazil and Cuba improved their ties, a policy continued by Rousseff, Lula's successor in office. Both the Brazilian leaders published heartfelt statements regretting Castro's death hours after the Cuban government confirmed his passing. They hailed Castro's leadership and legacy. Lula compared losing Castro to the loss of an elder brother. New Delhi : Title: Zindaginama; Author: Krishna Sobti (Translated from Hindi by Neer Kanwal Mani with Moyna Mazumdar); Publisher: Harper Collins; Pages: 452; Price: Rs 550 "One fateful morning, I woke up with the echoes of azaan in my ears, and before my eyes stood one minaret of the village mosque. I knew instinctively that I was committed to carry the powerful internal echo of this voice through the century. "While writing Zindaginama, I tried to focus on a precise and dramatic recall of peasant speech. The simple use of the visible and the audible created a world of its own. All I wanted was to paint the surge of humanity -- their strong rustic faces, their noise. Yes, I had to create their speech -- rough, potent, verbal -- with the help of their spoken words and diction," writes Sobti, 91, in a kind of Foreword to this book, originally published in Hindi in 1979 and faithfully translated to the T. Thus, sample this: "Shut up, oye, ishqi tiday, you lovelorn pipsqueak, countless manhoods have been vanquished in pussy worship; what then are you?" Even if you can't translate this into Punjabi, you can get a gist of what village dialogues are all about. It is this attention to detail that makes Zindaginama such a gem, set as it is in a small village of Shahpur and how the Ghadar movement, a planned mutiny against colonial rule, and the First World War changed it all. Till then, life was simple and easy. The womenfolk would busy themselves in gossip and household chores at Shahni's kitchen. The menfolk would indulge in long discussions and debates over current issues and stories from neighbouring areas referred to in the newspapers as well as settling disputes over land and property at Shah's havelli. The author relies in a big way on the dialogues of the characters and, through their rustic conversations, takes the reader through the twists and turns of the tale, which keeps her engaged. At the same time, Sobti has also linked certain instances and emotions of the villagers with folklore and short poems, and these further focus on the rich culture and traditions of the people of those times still retained and valued as an important part of their daily lives. Sample this: The soft glow of diyas, Colourful charkhas bright, Milk-white maidens Fair as moonlight The frost-sting of winter dawn Shahni spinning in the morn. Shah, owner of the well, Brings bucketsful of water Shahni, queen of his hearth, Uses as she pleases... Then comes the Ghadar movement and the villagers begin to look inward. Discontent sets in. There is also the question of sending the village boys to fight for the British in the Great War. Initially, the people eagerly send their children, but as the conflict grows, especially after being inspired by the "Inqualabis" of Bengal, there is incremental government suspicion and surveillance over the village. There is a growing movement for change and the book tantalisingly ends here. Says translator Neer Kanwal Mani: "Zindaginama was originally conceived as a trilogy chronicling the life and times of the people of Punjab before, during and after the partition of India. The first part, comprising this volume, was called 'Zinda Rukh', The Living Tree. The latter two parts were never written, but the blueprint for the original triology has been outlined in the prologue, written in poetic form. It describes a land blessed with plenty, a land of doughty men and women, who gave the fight to the British, wrested Independence from them, and yet, sadly, acquiesced to Partition." Winner of a host of awards, Sobti was offered the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award, in 2010 but declined, saying: "As a writer, I have to keep a distance from the establishment. I think I did the right thing." That's what character is all about. (Nivedita Giri can be contacted at nivedita.g@ians.in) Idling garbage trucks outside a private Bushwick waste transfer station have allegedly been exposing local residents to high rates of tiny particulate mattera diesel fuel pollutant that is known to cause severe respiratory issues and lung cancerfor over 25 years. According to a new report from local environmental advocates, many children from the surrounding neighborhood are suffering from asthma as a result. Council Member Antonio Reynoso met with residents from the largely Spanish-speaking neighborhood surrounding Brooklyn Transfer LLC on Wednesday night, to discuss the report's findings and march on the station at Thames street. Cleanup North Brooklyn, a grassroots organization that advocates for environmental safety and fair employment, collected video from local buildings and businesses over the course of a week this May. According to CNB, video demonstrated that Brooklyn Transfer LLC committed over 1,260 violations of regulatory code, including 63 idling violations, in seven days. This, despite the fact that the company's 2016 engineering report prohibits idling for more than three minutes. CNB says that the Department of Sanitation and the Department of Environmental Conservation did not issue any fines for these offenses. Residents have called 311 on these idling garbage trucks, out of fear of their toxicity, but the idling situation has persisted. According to Jessica Quiason, a researcher at ALIGN, an alliance of labor and community organizations, North Brooklyn suffers from levels of the particulate matter five times higher than that of the Greater New York average. (Joshel Melgarejo/Gothamist) Magda Escobar, a long-time Bushwick resident and a family nurse practitioner, told Gothamist Wednesday that "kids that live in high traffic areas with diesel truckslike it is in our neighborhood because 200 trucks pass through per hourare five times more likely to be hospitalized or seek more medical treatment." "These DEPs can affect our children's lung development," she added. "It can restrict their lung capacity, making them have premature aged lungs." Other issues raised Wednesday were the severe odor and chemicals that emanate from the waste transfer station, such as lechate, which is a liquid comprised of a complex mix of chemicalsincluding pharmaceuticals and rotting foodthat drips from the garbage trucks, as well as the industrial grade perfumes that Brooklyn Transfer mists into the neighborhood air, comprised of endocrine disruptors which can affect youth hormonal development. "I have kids," said Sanders Mendez, who's been living in Bushwick since 1983. "I can't let them out to play. I have to be careful with the trucks. They park right there, across from where we live at. When they leave, their stench, the liquid that comes out of the garbage, stays in the street." After the forum, community members marched to Brooklyn Transfer LLC in the rain, forming a human chain outside its doors and chanting to demand the closure of the station. "I wish we could let off a small machine that puts five times the particulate matter in the air during a city council hearing and see if they would run out the door out of concern for their health," Council Member Reynoso told the crowd. "But they allowed for the people around this area to live under these conditions every single day. It's truly an injustice that needs to stop and needs to change." A representative from Brooklyn Transfer LLC called the report "factually inaccurate." Here's the company's statement: New Delhi, Dec 2 : Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Friday took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling him "incompetent". "The country has suffered tremendous damage as a result of the vanity and incompetence of our PM," Gandhi said while addressing Congress parliamentary party meeting here. He said that Congress never gave India a Prime Minister who was a prisoner of his own image and criticised Modi's Kashmir policies. "By the time Congress left government in 2014 -- 50 plane loads of tourists were landing in Srinagar airport every day," he said. Rahul Gandhi added that his party stands with the soldiers and victims of terrorism. "I would like to honour the soldiers, officers and civilians who have lost their lives to terrorists over this year... We gave the government our full support during the surgical strikes. "We will always support any action that helps India defeat terrorism. But policy cannot be based on ad hoc responses to events. The price of not thinking actions through is simply too high," he said. He criticised demonetisation and offered his condolence to the 80 odd people who have lost their lives after high value currency was banned on November 8. He also slammed the government for passing important legislation on voice votes. "It is a reflection of the BJP's mindset that they choose to pass the 'Amendments to Income Tax' bill in the din without allowing for a discussion. It is an insult to the institution," he said. Both houses have been subjected to repeated disruptions everyday since the winter session of the Parliament started in November. Ranchi, Dec 2 : Tribal students were on Friday confined to their hostels in Jharkhand to prevent them from taking part in the shutdown called by tribal organisations to protest the amendments to the two state land acts. Security forces have been deployed outside the tribal students' hostels in Ranchi, Dumka as well as other parts of the state. The security personnel have been asked to keep the students inside the hostels. "We have been directed not to allow the tribal students to come out of the hostels in groups. Forces will be used if they try to come outside. We are prepared for any eventualities," a police official at Ranchi College hostel told IANS. "Heavy security was deployed outside our hostel before we woke up. We are not allowed to take part in the shutdown. What kind of democratic system are we living in," asked Prem Munda, a tribal student. The Jharkhand Adivasi Morcha and other tribal organisations called for the shutdown to protest the move. The Congress, Left parties as well as the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha-Prajatantrik (JVM-P) have extended their support to the shutdown. The united opposition had earlier called for a shutdown in the state on November 25. The shutdown has affected normal life in the state. The shutdown supporters burnt tyres on main roads in Lohardagga, Khuti and other districts to disrupt traffic. Tree were cut and used as road barricades at some places. The schools and shops have been closed, and long-route buses are not plying. The Raghubar Das government succeeded in passing the bills amending the two state land acts -- Chhotanagur Tenancy Act (CNT) and Santhal Pargana Tenancy (SPT) Act -- in the assembly on November 23. The amendments were carried by voice votes, without holding any discussion. After the passage of the bills, agricultural land can be used for non-agricultural purposes. The government can acquire land for infrastructure, power plants, roads, canals, panchayat buildings and others. The Jharkhand government has made elaborate security arrangements to counter the shutdown. Drone and other equipments have been used to keep watch on the protesters. Amritsar, Dec 2 : Amritsar -- famous for the holiest of Sikh shrines, the Golden Temple, and the major city bordering Pakistan -- will host a two-day multilateral global summit beginning on Saturday, with focus on stabilising the war-torn Afghanistan. Organisers of the Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process, founded in Istanbul in November 2011, said the aim was to strengthen confidence-building measures and initiate steps to counter narcotics and terrorism and to expand trade, commerce and investment opportunities in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani will jointly inaugurate the ministerial deliberations on Sunday, the sixth in series and held once a year. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Foreign Policy Advisor Sartaj Aziz is scheduled to visit Amritsar to attend the ministerial conference of 14 Asian countries. Aziz will return on the same day. Officials said any formal dialogue on the sidelines of the conference between India and Pakistan is unlikely. "Pakistan has not requested for any bilateral meeting so far," Gopal Baglay, who heads the Ministry of External Affairs division dealing with Pakistan, said. Pakistani Foreign Office also ruled out any possibility of any dialogue, saying "for now, we don't see any willingness" on India's part. Over 40 foreign ministers and dignitaries of the participating countries, including Russia, China, the United Arab Emirates and Iran, supporting countries like the US, Canada and France and international organisations like the European Union, will participate in the conference. The last Heart of Asia Ministerial Conference was held in Islamabad in December 2015. At that time both India and Pakistan agreed to start "Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue" to resolve all outstanding issues. But the Pathankot air base attack in January this year -- less than a month after the Islamabad conference -- thwarted the possibility. Ahead of the Heart of Asia conference, Afghanistan Ambassador to India Shaida Mohammad Abdali said in Delhi that the focus of the summit will be on problems of terrorism in the South Asian region. "As we all know and as Afghanistan has always stated, terrorism is a continuous threat, especially to India and Afghanistan and of course many others in the region," Abdali said. Without naming Pakistan, Abdali said that during the Heart of Asia process, "unless we take a collective measure to fight terrorism, to fight the breeding ground of terrorism, the safe sanctuaries, we will not be able to bring peace and stability either to Afghanistan or to anywhere else in the region or India". Afghanistan is the permanent chair for the Heart of Asia Process, while the conference host country holds the "co-chair" position. India says during the conference a basket of six confidence building measures would be discussed. With External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj indisposed, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will represent India in the ministerial conference. New Delhi : Israeli President Reuven Rivlin's November 14-21 visit to India came a year after President Pranab Mukherjee visited Israel in October 2015. In the meanwhile, Home Minister Rajnath Singh (November 2015) and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj (January 2016) visited Israel, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to be in the country early next year. The spurt in high-level political engagements apart, India-Israel relations have been robust with growing cooperation in various areas. No surprise, therefore, that a large delegation of government officials, businessmen and academics was accompanying the Israeli President. President Rivlin held discussions with Prime Minister Modi followed by signing of an agreement to improve cooperation in the field of agriculture and water resource management. He visited the Centre of Excellence in Agriculture (CEA) in Karnal, Haryana, that has been set up with Israeli assistance, and travelled to Agra where, besides visiting the iconic Taj Mahal, he inspected the "Aqwise" water treatment plant put up by Israel. He, along with President Pranab Mukherjee, also inaugurated the Agro Tech 2016 in Chandigarh. In one of his media interactions, Rivlin underscored the growing comfort level in bilateral relations, saying: "This is not a friendship we should be hiding." India-Israel relations have witnessed significant strides in the past few years with growing defence trade and Israeli willingness to share its technological expertise in various areas, including agriculture, irrigation and water treatment. Counter-terrorism cooperation and intelligence-sharing add to the bilateral ties. Yet, India continues to face a dilemma with its support to the Palestinian question. Analysts, however, argue that of late India has toned down criticism of Israeli actions against Palestinians. Since the Modi government came to power in New Delhi, a degree of openness has emerged demonstrating New Delhi's unapologetic stance over its relations with Israel and support to Palestine. India's engagements with Israel, especially in defence trade, have grown steadily over the past decade. It is the third-largest trading partner of Israel in Asia after China and Hong Kong, and defence equipment comprise a significant proportion of Indian imports. With the coming into power of the Modi government, the possibility of further strengthening of defence trade gained ground. Giving credence to such a possibility, in October 2014, India decided to buy $525 million-worth of missiles and launchers from Israel. During Rivlin's visit, away from media glare, India signed contracts with Israel Aerospace Industries to purchase two Phalcon/IL-76 AWACS and 10 Heron TP UAVs worth $1.4 billion. An Israeli proposal to jointly develop Heron UAVs with the Defence Research and Development Organisation in India was also discussed. Highlighting the possibilities of partnership with Indian industries in defence manufacturing, Rivlin declared that Israel is ready for both "Make in India" and "make with India". Further, there has been growing cooperation between India and Israel in counter-terrorism and intelligence-sharing. The two share similar views with an uncompromising attitude towards any form of terrorism. Emphasising the need for countering terror of all hues, Rivlin, during an interview with an Indian news agency, said: "Terror is terror, whoever carries it out and whoever are its victims. And we all have the duty to condemn (it) and fight with... against this terrible evil." He also visited Mumbai and paid tributes to the victims of the 26/11 terrorist attack. Addressing a gathering of the Jewish community, he said "Indians are no strangers to the threat and to the reality of modern global terrorism", adding that Indian and Israeli values of "democracy and freedom are strong, and we are defending (them) with all our might". The highlight of the visit was the focus on cooperation in areas of science and technology, agriculture and water management. An agreement was signed to further strengthen cooperation in these areas. Israeli technology has been used to improve the irrigation system in arid regions in Rajasthan and Haryana while it has also set up CEAs in 12 locations across six Indian states -- Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu -- under the Indo-Israel Agriculture Project. Further, Israel has offered to invest in river-cleaning and water treatment projects. Signifying the thrust on cooperation in science and technology and agriculture, Rivlin tweeted before leaving for India: "Filled with pride as I depart for a state visit to India to see how Israeli innovation is improving the lives of millions." Bilateral relations have come a long way and are set to flourish with Israeli willingness to share technology and invest in India's development projects. India's search for a reliable source of technology to improve its defence and agriculture sectors finds a willing partner in Israel. As India and Israel prepare to complete 25 years of establishment of diplomatic relations, the growing warmth in bilateral ties can hardly be missed. (Dr. Md. Muddassir Quamar is Associate Fellow at the Institute of Defence Studies & Analyses, New Delhi. The article is in special arrangement with South Asia Monitor/www.southasiamonitor.org) New Delhi, Dec 2 : Automobile major Hyundai Motor India on Friday reported a marginal decline of around one percent in its overall sales including exports for November. The company did not divulge any reason for the fall in November sales. However, several other automobile manufacturers have blamed the government's demonetisation drive as the reason for the monthly sales downturn. According to the automobile major, domestic sales during the month under review receded by 8.32 per cent to 40,016 units from an off-take of 43,651 units in the corresponding period of 2015. Nevertheless, the company's exports rose by 21.90 per cent to 17,077 units from 14,008 units shipped off abroad during November 2015. Hyundai Motor India is the country's largest passenger car exporter. "Hyundai in January-November 2016 registered a volume of 604,891 units with a cumulative growth of 4.4 per cent over last year," the company said in a statement. New Delhi, Dec 2 : Launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that the country has suffered tremendous damage due to his "vanity and incompetence". The Congress leader also described Modi as "a prisoner of his own image" and accused him of practising TRP politics. "The Prime Minister often asks what the Congress did in the last 60 years? The people of India know exactly what the Congress achieved for this country. But I would like to tell the Prime Minister what the Congress didn't do in 67 years," Rahul said while addressing a Congress Parliamentary Party meeting here. Generally, Congress President Sonia Gandhi addresses the CPP meeting, but she was not present due to health concerns. Training his guns at Modi, Rahul said: "The Congress never gave India a Prime Minister who was a prisoner of his own image. We never gave India a Prime Minister who was ready to inflict such tremendous suffering on the people of India to protect his own persona." Continuing his tirade, the Congress leader said: "We never gave India a Prime Minister who based his entire policy-making strategy on TRPs (television rating points). We never gave India a Prime Minister who bypassed the experience of those sitting in various institutions. "The country has suffered tremendous damage as a result of the vanity and incompetence of our Prime Minister." Rahul accused Modi of not hearing the voices of the opposition. "The Congress and the entire opposition are disturbed that the Prime minister does not feel it is worth his time to sit in the house and listen to the views of its democratically elected members. Doing so could potentially prevent him from making the catastrophic policy mistakes he is currently making." "Listening to the voices of the people of this country is the only thing that can free him from the clutches of his own image and make him an effective Prime Minister. Yet he consistently refuses to do so," he said. Rahul said Modi's decision to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes had attacked the very foundations of our economy rather than black money. "As per the Centre of Monitoring Indian Economy, the Prime Minister's impromptu experiment has already cost India 1.28 lakh crore in lost wages, cost of printing and logistics," he said. Rahul claimed the results of this "catastrophic experiment" will soon be revealed to the world. "Every economist of any repute has already condemned it and questioned its capacity to realise the intended goals. Modi ji has created a massive new corrupt black market that is working overtime to convert the black money into white," he said. "It is clear that our gross domestic product growth will be devastated. India's poor have been landed a body blow. Millions of migrant labourers and farmers have been crushed. Entire industries have been destroyed. The poor stand in line while the corrupt are been given a free bypass through the new income tax law," he added. Criticising the government's policy towards Pakistan, the Congress leader accused Modi of sitting silently while Kashmir was burning. "Modi will be judged by history as the man who gifted massive political space to anti- India forces by creating an opportunistic political alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the People's Democratic Party. He has created the political vacuum that gives the terrorists space to operate," he said. "By the time the Congress left power in 2014 (at the Centre), 50 planeloads of tourists were landing at the Srinagar airport every day," he added. He said his party stands with the soldiers and victims of terrorism. "I would like to honour the soldiers, officers and civilians who have lost their lives to terrorists over this year... We gave the government our full support during the surgical strikes. "We will always support any action that helps India defeat terrorism. But policy cannot be based on ad hoc responses to events. The price of not thinking actions through is simply too high," he said. Gandhi also slammed the government for passing important legislation through voice vote. "It is a reflection of the BJP's mindset that they choose to pass the amendments to the income tax law amid the Lok Sabha din without allowing a discussion. It is an insult to the institution," he said. Both houses have been subjected to repeated disruptions since the winter session of Parliament started on November 16. Seoul, Dec 2 : Criticising UN sanctions imposed on it, North Korea has accused Security Council members of being puppets of the US. North Korea's statement on Thursday came as both South Korea and Japan announced further restrictions on the communist nation, including on visits by foreign missile and nuclear experts, CNN reported. The UNSC voted unanimously on November 30 to impose their "toughest" sanctions yet on North Korea, stopping about $800 million in exports including coal and copper. The new restrictions came in response to North Korea's nuclear warhead test in September, its fifth and potentially most powerful yet. North Korea in a statement said many countries that are members of the UNSC had already conducted their own nuclear tests and missile launches. "Obama and his lackeys are sadly mistaken if they calculate that they can force North Korea to abandon its line of nuclear weaponisation and undermine its status as a nuclear power through base sanctions to pressurise it," it said. South Korea said it would block entry to North Korea for all foreign missile and nuclear experts if their work threatened the South. Senior North Korean officials will also be blacklisted as part of the new embargo, the South Korean statement said. On Friday, the Japanese government confirmed they would adopt similar measures as South Korea, while also prohibiting entry to Japanese vessels that had docked in North Korea. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday said the government had decided to tighten sanctions due to North Korea's repeated nuclear tests and abduction of foreign nationals. The UNSC already imposed one set of sanctions on North Korea in 2016, also in response to a nuclear test by the rogue state in January. Wednesday's sanctions aimed to cut off North Korea's supply of cash to continue their missile programmes, cutting exports of coal, nonferrous metals and giant statues. New Delhi, Dec 2 : The National Policy for Women, 2016 emphasises on mindset change through advocacy campaigns, multi-sectoral actions, raising awareness and community mobilisation on the ground through programmes and schemes, Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi on Friday informed the Lok Sabha. "Gender sensitisation and non-discrimination in the portrayal of women has been envisaged to ensure that women are not represented in a demeaning or stereotypical manner," she said in reply to a question. In May this year, the Union Minister unveiled the National Policy for Women, 2016 which enables the government to recognise single women -- "divorced, widowed and unmarried women" -- as independent entities. "Several things have changed since the last Policy of 2001, especially women's attitude towards themselves and their expectations from life. This new draft policy shifts the focus from entitlements to rights and from empowerment to creating an enabling environment," she added. New Delhi, Dec 2 : The Reserve Bank of India is monitoring the requirement of the new bank notes and accordingly placing the order for printing, Parliament was informed on Friday. "The Reserve Bank of India monitors the requirement of notes on a regular basis and places the indent on the printing presses accordingly," Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told the Lok Sabha in a written reply. "Arrangements have been made keeping under consideration stock position, augmenting production of new series of banknotes, expediting supplies to all the currency chests, including air remittances from the press," Minister of State for Finance Arjun Ram Meghwal said in another written reply in the Lok Sabha on Friday. As on November 8, the day demonetisation was announced, there were 17,165 million pieces of Rs 500 denomination notes and 6,858 million pieces of Rs 1,000 denomination notes in circulation, he added. Jerusalem, Dec 2 : Israeli police on Friday said Sara Netanyahu, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife, was interrogated for 11 hours on suspicion of misusing public money. The questioning on Thursday, which continued till early Friday morning, took place at the offices of Lahav 443, Israel's anti-corruption police unit, Xinhua cited the police statement as saying. The Prime Minister's Office, however, released a statement denying any misconduct. "Once again, we say, there won't be anything, because there isn't anything," the statement read. It was the second time Sara had been interrogated over claims that she used state funds to cover the expenses of Netanyahus' private residence in Caesarea. In May, the police recommended indicting Sara for aggravated fraud over embezzling public funds assigned to the official Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem for private use. The questioning on Thursday was carried out to complete the ongoing investigation before the State Attorney's Office will decide whether to press charges against the Prime Minister's wife. We rely on your support to make local news available to all Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022. Donate today New Delhi, Dec 2 : The Supreme Court on Friday asked the central government to notify the "graded response action plan" for different level of air pollution in the national capital and the national capital region comprising areas of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Asking the government to notify the "graded" plan that includes the steps that would be taken to address a particular level of air pollution, the bench of Chief Justice T.S.Thakur, Justice A.K.Sikri and Justice S.A.Bobde said that the Central Pollution Control Board will install real time and manual pollution monitoring stations in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The court order came after it approved the report submitted by the CPCB giving four category of air pollution - moderate to poor, very poor, severe and severe plus or emergency. The report submitted to the court said that the analysis of the past air quality trend show that severe and very poor air quality is anticipated throughout the winter months of November to February and largely poor category during summer months of March to May. Air quality Index would be categorised as poor when PM (particulate matter) 2.5 levels are between 91-120 microgramme per cubic metre or PM 10 levels are between 251-350 microgrammes per cubic metre. In the case of very poor air quality, the PM2.5 levels are between 121-250 microgramme per cubic metre or PM 10 levels are between 351-430 microgramme per cubic metre. Air Quality Index would be categorised as poor when PM2.5 levels are between 91-120 microgramme per cubic metre or PM 10 levels are between 251-350 microgramme per cubic metre. In the event of Severe AQI, the PM2.5 levels are above 250 microgramme per cubic metre or PM 10 levels are above 430 microgramme per cubic metre. In the situation of Severe plus or emergency AQI, PM2.5 levels cross 300 microgramme per cubic metre or PM 10 levels cross 500 microgramme per cubic metre. Each of the four stages involves steps that have to be taken to address the situation like in the case of moderate or poor would require stringent enforcement of ban on garbage burning in the landfills, pollution control in thermal power plants, brick kilns and industries. The case of very poor AQI would invite curbs on the use of diesel generators, fourfold increase in parking fee and increase in public transport services including metro. In the situation of severe plus or emergency level would result in curbs on the entry of diesel trucks in the national capital,Ahalt to the construction activities, introduction of odd-even scheme for private vehicles or including any other steps to be decided by the task force. Besides this, the court has asked the CPCB to find out harmful affect of ther furnace oil used for generating power by the industries in the NCR and submit report to the court. The report by the EPCA submitted to the court says that analysis of the samples of pet coke has found that sulphur level is between 69,000 ppm (imported) and 74,000 ppm (Indian). The analysis of the samples of furnace oil has found that sulphur level is between 15,000 to 20,000 ppm. The EPCA in its report said that due to crash in the international fuel prices, the price of furnace oil and pet coke has also come down as consequence of which there was an increase in their use as fuel by the industry for power generation. Mumbai, Dec 2 : Former VJ Mini Mathur says her husband Kabir Khan manages to see superstar Salman Khan in incredible roles. Mini said: "I think Kabir likes to imagine Salman in stories that nobody has seen him before. He is an incredible actor." Mini, dressed in a sari, spoke to media at a festive preview pop-up fashion show on Thursday here. The event was attended by actresses like Sana Khan and Huma Qureshi. Salman is all set to star in the sequel to Kabir's "Ek Tha Tiger". The film will be called "Tiger Zinda Hai", and is expected to release on Christmas 2017. How does Kabir manage to convince Salman? Mini said: "I feel story is the king. If Salman likes the story, he says yes immediately. If he does not like the story, then he won't agree at all." The former "Indian Idol" host also shared about the experience of being wife of a director, who has made films like "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" and "Phantom". She said: "A director usually discusses things about a film to his wife. Like, I am going to write it, I got the actors etc. I have been pretty much a part of it (a film)." She added: "Kabir never makes a film thinking about awards or expectations. He will make what he wants to. I think only those films work which are made from the heart and without any expectations." New Delhi, Dec 2 : In wake of the terror attack at an Army camp in Nagrota earlier this week, Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday urged Pakistan to introspect on the cause of tension between the two countries. The attack claimed the lives of two Indian officers and five soldiers. "India has always taken the position of improving relations with Pakistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken unconventional initiatives in this direction," Jaitley said in response to a question at the HIndustan Times Summit here. "However, Pakistan's response to such overtures has been Pathankot, Uri, Nagrota," he said, referring to the successive terror attacks on army camps launched from across the border this year alone. "If there are tension between us, it is for Pakistan to introspect on why there is such tension," he added. Jaitley's remarks came on the eve the two-day Heart of Asia conference in Amritsar, where he will lead the Indian delegation in the place of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is unwell. Over 30 countries, including China, the US, Russia, Iran and Pakistan, are taking part in the conference. Afghanistan is the permanent chair of Heart of Asia, while India is its co-chair this year as the host country. Kolkata, Dec 2 : Another newborn baby was rescued from west Bengal's North 24 Pargana district on Friday, police said. "A baby boy aged between 10-12 days was rescued from Benapole village in North 24 Pargana district's Deganga on Friday. The kid was deserted at the corner of a club in the village," said an officer from Deganga police station. Residents of the village first heard the child's cry and informed the local police station. Five newborn kids have been recovered so far in the last three days amid increased police vigil after the unearthing of child trafficking racket in the state last month. Three newborns including a baby girl were rescued from South 24 Pargana district on Wednesday while one more baby boy was recovered on Thursday from a deserted filed in Burwan district's Memari. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party supporters led by state BJP president Dilip Ghosh, agitated in front of state Health Department headquarters 'Swastha Bhaban' in Salt Lake demanding the resignation of Child Development Minister Sashi Panja. The agitating BJP workers also demanded Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in the inter-state child trafficking case. New Delhi/Kolkata, Dec 2 : Two elderly persons died while standing in a bank queue in West Bengal on Friday as people, scrambling for money across the country, battled long lines outside banks and ATMs on the second day of a new month. In Delhi and adjoining satellite towns, there were no queues outside many ATMs with the machines running dry and banks disbursing limited money as the government struggled to keep pace with the demand for cash. The rush for cash has increased and the situation worsened since Thursday - the first payday after 86 per cent of the currency -- 500 and 1,000 rupee notes -- in circulation was declared illegal on November 8. The wait in queues proved deadly for Rabin Mukherjee, 72, and Viswadeb Naskar, 80, who collapsed and died in North 24 Parganas district waiting for long hours to withdraw money. Dozens of deaths, including cardiac arrests, suicides and hospital casualties, in the past over three weeks have been linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise move to ban high denomination currency notes in a bid to curb black money and corruption. There was still no respite for the salaried people and pensioners across the country even as they have got their remuneration but were unable to lay hands on their own money. Banks ran out of cash within hours of opening in most of the areas of the national capital. In south Delhi areas including C.R. Park, Green Park, South Ex, Malviya Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, East of Kailash and Safdarjung Enclave, most of the ATMs were not functional. "In search of a working ATM, I travelled from Green Park to C.R. Park but failed (to get cash). There was no ATM with cash anywhere and I went to Malviya Nagar where one of the ATMs was being refilled. I waited there and got some," Sunita Banerjee, an engineer said. "I have to make payments to many people. I will have to wait in the queue to withdraw more cash daily so that I clear my dues," she said. People were agitated as banks rationed withdrawals -- despite the government's upper limit of Rs 24,000 a week. A bank official speaking to IANS on condition of anonymity said: "The RBI had failed to provide cash to the banks. Otherwise, why would banks make people suffer? "We have limited cash. If we give Rs 24,000 to every person, we will run dry soon and the people will get agitated and we will have to face the brunt." In a sign of desperation, a long queue waited outside East of Kailash branch of ICICI Bank even though it had put up a sign saying no cash was available. "We are waiting here in the hope that the cash may come anytime soon," Deepak Sharma, an IT employee, said. In Kerala, Finance Minister Thomas Isaac said many treasuries were running dry and couldn't disburse salaries and pensions to most of nearly a million people. "Today, a request for Rs 127 crore went to the banking authorities and, so far, Rs 57 crore were received. Fifty treasuries are yet to get the money." There are 157 banking treasuries in the state where almost half a million people and state government staff get their salaries and pensions through the treasuries, while the remaining half a million are linked to banks for these disbursals. Kolkata, Dec 2 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee left the state Secretariat on Friday evening after staying put for 36 hours to protest the alleged army deployment in the state and threatened to explore "legal options" if the army was not withdrawn. Addressing the media before leaving the seat of power "Nabanna" in neighbouring Howrah district, Banerjee said the army was deployed at toll plazas, keeping her government "in the dark" about the move. "We have never seen such arrogance (by the Centre). If army is not withdrawn, we will explore legal options," she said. She said she had great respect for the army, but was "sad" in the manner in which they were being used for "political vendetta". Banerjee, who is also the Trinamool Congress supremo, claimed the army informed the police about their exercise only for one spot -- the toll plaza of Vidyasagar Setu (Bridge) near Nabanna. "Police did not permit them to conduct such exercise. They did not give any intimation for other places where they undertook their exercise," she said. The Chief Minister said such exercises were not conducted in states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Punjab, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh. "Why was it conducted in Bengal?" she asked and answered her own question: "It was done in Bengal because we have been raising our voice for the people of India." The drama unfolded on Thursday evening when Banerjee alleged the army has been deployed at the Dankuni and Palsit toll plazas on National Highway 2 (connecting Delhi and Kolkata) without informing the state government. Demanding to know whether a military coup has taken place, she said: "The motive is political, vindictive, unconstitutional, unethical and undemocratic." Later, Banerjee said the army was present at the toll plazas of most of the districts. She spent the night at the Secretariat, demanding the withdrawal of the army from the second Hooghly Bridge toll plaza, about 500 metres from Nabanna. "I'll keep vigil to protect the democracy, to protect my democratically elected government," she said. Shortly after midnight, the Eastern Command said the army has been asked to withdraw from the toll plaza near Nabanna as it had already collected the data it required. Past 2 a.m., Banerjee -- holding her third round of media conference since Thursday evening -- stuck to her decision to spend the night at Nabanna, arguing the army may be back. Denying Banerjee's charges, Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar and the Eastern Command of the army claimed it was a routine annual data collection exercise carried out to assess the availability of load carriers at all the major entry points in various states. General Officer Commanding Bengal area (officiating) Maj. Gen. Sunil Yadav said the exercise was conducted with full knowledge and coordination with the local police. New Delhi, Dec 2 : Union Science and Technology Miniser Dr Harsh Vardhan on Friday announced that the upcoming India International Science Fest (IISF) will focus on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a "Cashless Society". "All transactions at the fest will be cashless," the minister said. The IISF will be held here December 7-11 December here. Israeli Science, Technology and Space Minister Ofir Akunis will pay special visit to the fest, which will be inaugurated by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on December 8. Harsh Vardhan added that beside a cashless economy, the theme of this year's fest would be "science for masses". "Emphasis would be to take science to the rural areas," he saide. The budget of the festival has been increased to Rs 12 crore this year compared to last year's Rs 4 crore. The minister informed that over 3,000 students from the villages adopted by MPs will also participate in the fest. The fest also sees to break its own world record of maximum number of students performing a scientific experiment. Total 2,500 children will be perform a scientific experiment to break its previous record of 2,000 students. The record was first held by Northern Ireland, with 1300 students performing a scientific experiment. "We are a government that believes and supports scientific research, including an appropriate balance between fundamental research to support new discoveries and the commercialization of ideas, will lead to provide an ample employment opportunities for India's sustainable economic growth," said Harsh Vardhan. New Delhi, Dec 2 : Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), the economic wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), on Friday demanded a probe into the alleged "China connection" of the country's top mobile wallet provider Paytm. "There are reports that Paytm has connection with Chinese firm Alibaba. This is a matter of concern and needs to be probed," Ashwani Mahajan, co-convener of the SJM, told IANS. Ever since the demonetisation drive, millions of consumers and merchants across the country have been opting for mobile payments via Paytm. The company has added over five million new users since the demonetisation was implemented. Mahajan said the SJM welcomes the government's initiative towards creating a cashless society, but expressed concern about a few things. Giving reasons for his concern, Mahajan said, "We strongly suspect that Chinese firms may steal our banking data through such channels and may misuse it." The users have to furnish their debit/credit card and bank account numbers while using apps like Paytm. "What is the percentage of foreign investment in Paytm? To what extent the firm's management is controlled by foreign players? These are a few questions we should have answers of," he added. He said that no Indian company should be sharing data with foreign companies and the investment routes should be made very transparent. "We would take up the matter with the finance and commerce ministries," Mahajan said. He also raised objection over Paytm using Prime Minister Narendra Modi's picture in its advertisements. Mumbai, Dec 2 : The Indian Navy is in a "high degree of operational and combat readiness" to ensure safety and security from any challenges originating from the seas, Western Naval Command chief Vice Admiral Girish Luthra said on Friday. Interacting with media personnel aboard the aircraft carier INS Vikramaditya ahead of Navy Day 2016, he said that the maritime environment in the Indian Ocean Region is both challenging and complex. Besides developments in the region necessitating high degree of operational and combat readiness, it had led to a very high tempo of operations, including deployments, surveillance and patrolling, he said. In this context, Luthra referred to the conduct of major exercise "Paschim Leher" in which a large number of ships, submarines and aircraft participated to test and improve Indian Navy's operational readiness, including mobilisation and synchronisation. Describing the current security scenario as "dynamic", he said ships, submarines and aircraft of the command "continue to be deployed and tasked in widely dispersed and diverse locations" at sea to beef up maritime defence and security. He assured that the Indian Navy is "alert, watchful and fully ready to safeguard the country's maritime interests and address any threats that may emerge". In addition to strengthening physical security, Luthra said impetus is also being given to cyber security. Following the immensely successful induction of Delhi-Class and Kolkata-Class destroyers into the Navy, he said now it was working towards the "next-generation destroyers" to give an edge to the three-dimensional blue-water force. "We are conceptualising and planning the next-gen destroyers which would be of new designs and more potent. We shall take up the proposal with the centre in due course," he said. The planned project would encompass additional features compared to the earlier Projects 15, 15A and 15B. Giving hints, he said the next-gen destroyers would be far advanced in terms of capability with more stealth features and an even more deadlier weapons package. The Indian Navy celebrates Navy Day on December 4 every year to mark the date of its ships attacking Karachi during the 1971 India-Pakistan war. Hyderabad, Dec 2 : The 17th edition of Indiasoft, the global networking event for the Information Technology companies, will be held here on Feb 13-14, 2017, a Telanagana government official said on Friday. As many as 500 international buyers from 75 countries and 250 Indian exporters will participate in this exhibition. State Information Technology, Electronics and Communications Secretary Jayesh Ranjan told reporters here that it is the unique business opportunity for Indian exporters to interact with international buyers for forging business alliances and strategic global networking. He said the event offer exclusive platform for the IT companies to forge new business collaborations, joint ventures and strategic alliances to strengthen their market position, adding it would be the largest gathering of Indian IT companies and international buyers under one roof. Presently the US followed by Britain are the largest markets for Indian IT firms, but this is the time to think about the rest of the markets and grab the opportunities, said Ranjan. The Indian firms may explore opportunities in Latin America, Africa and Middle East. An International research group, consisting of members from various countries will also participate in this event. Stating that Hyderabad is a key hub of IT industries, Ranjan pointed out that the city is presently has Rs 60,000 crore IT exports. Noting the Telangana government aims to double the present IT exports in next five years, he said that to encourage emerging IT enterprises, small and medium firms and start-ups, 50 percent subsidy will be provided by the state government to participate in Indiasoft. Electronic and Computer Software Export Promotion Council Executive Director D.K. Sareen said that the event will facilitate competitively-priced IT solutions for the IT industries by offering wide range of software solutions. Gurugram, Dec 2 : Neurosciences experts from around the world on Friday warned that patients with brain stroke are continuously rising in India and nearly one-fifth of patients with first-ever stroke admitted to hospitals are aged 40 years or less. Doctors participating at a three-day international meet to discuss the epidemic of stroke cases, also said that India had witnessed a extreme rise in smoking, systolic hypertension, high fasting blood glucose level, and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the population at a younger age predisposing to a stroke sooner. The first day on Friday saw discussions on Indian scenario, when experts said that most of the patients with stroke in the country are not accessing appropriate healthcare probably due to non-affordability, usage of alternative medicines, and difficulty in conveyance. "Stroke unit implementation remains a big challenge in India. At present in India, there are approximately 35 stroke units and they are predominantly in private sector hospitals in the cities. "Many of the private hospitals lack CT scan facility and they refer for incentives to other hospitals or centres. This results in crucial time being lost. On the other hand, public hospitals lack a dedicated team and place to manage stroke patients," said Vipul Gupta, Director, Neurointervention, Agrim institute for Neurosciences at Artemis Hospital. Doctors also said that in certain parts of the country, women are five times more prone to stroke incidences than men. "More cases in women is attributable to the poor socioeconomic status and literacy rates. The average age of patients with stroke in developing countries (India) is 15 years younger than those in developed countries like US," says Aditya Gupta, director, Neurology, at the Agrim institute. Geneva, Dec 3 : At least 31,500 civilians have been displaced within Aleppo since fighting between warring factions escalated the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. Over half (18,000) of these, who have been forced to flee their homes have gone to Jibreen, a government-held district of western Aleppo, Xinhua news agency cited an OCHA statement on Friday. A further 8,500 have fled to a Kurdish area while 5,000 have been displaced within east Aleppo which has been under siege for almost five months, the UN body added. According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), around 60 per cent of those displaced are children. Though unable to reach civilians who have not left eastern parts of the war-torn city, the UN said Thursday that it is able to provide much needed food and medical aid to the displaced. OCHA also said that the UN had acknowledged a Russian proposal to open four humanitarian corridors servicing east Aleppo. After discussions with Moscow, the UN hopes to use these corridors to carry out medical evacuations while bringing much needed relief items to east Aleppo if safety guarantees are provided by all parties to the conflict. DL Media logo I am very excited to welcome Young and Company to our client service and creative teams. It's exciting when an 18-year relationship is still growing and thriving. The expertise, talent and energy they will bring to our office is simply immeasurable. Springfield-based advertising agency, Young and Company, is set to merge with Nixa-based, full-service digital marketing and advertising agency, DL Media, Inc., on January 1, 2017. Tom Young, Young and Company owner and president, and Dianne Davis, DL Media owner and president, are due to combine over 63 years of agency experience. Young will bring an impressive list of clientele to the merger with an average client retention rate of over 20 years, and he will continue managing his clients as usual. Young and Company graphic designer and illustrator, Pam Senter, will also be joining the DL Media team in a full-time capacity, bringing the DL Media team to 15 members. Senter has performed design services at Young and Company for over 20 years. Over the last 18 years, Young and Davis have established a strong working relationship, as DL Media has collaborated with Young and Company to provide media buying services to Young's clients. This move allows me to rent my office building which was part of my long-term plan. DL Media is very strong in new media advertising which will be a nice complement to our capabilities," said Young. Im really looking forward to continue working with Dianne and her talented staff. "I am very excited to welcome Young and Company to our client service and creative teams. It's exciting when an 18-year relationship is still growing and thriving," says Davis. "The expertise, talent and energy they will bring to our office is simply immeasurable. The merger is truly a win-win for everyone involved." Young and Company has over 40 years of advertising, marketing and public relations experience in Missouri. The Springfield-based agency achieves desired results for clients through creative thinking and effective implementation. Over 80 awards and decades of creative endeavors have established Young and Company as a reliable and reputable force in the local advertising community. For more information about Young and Company, visit youngandcompany.com. Founded in 1997, DL Media is a full-service digital marketing and advertising agency headquartered in Nixa, Missouri. The agency works to advance clients businesses by helping solve marketing challenges through relevant, engaging and compelling communications. For more information about DL Media visit dlmedia.com. NEW DAY - An original painting by Jennifer Awad of Kardia Gallery. "Louisiana has suffered an immense natural disaster with the 2016 flooding and over 160k displaced families need our help. Launch Louisiana wants to help as many families as possible get home for the holidays." Launch Louisiana, a Louisiana based nonprofit is a participant in the Cajun Santa Christmas Campaign, a collaborative effort by the states most credible nonprofits to provide a one stop shop for humanitarians worldwide to assist Louisianas families recovering from the August 2016 flooding. The flooding caused by 48 hours of torrential rain, has displaced over 160,000 families who are still trying to get home for the holidays. Many of the families are currently living in hotels, travel trailers, campers, tents or with family and friends as they face ongoing delays with insurance and FEMA funds, insufficient supplies and qualified help, as they attempt to rebuild their homes and lives. The Cajun Santa Christmas Campaign allows donors worldwide to play Cajun Santa by choosing to donate cash, resources, or to holiday shop for a cause. http://www.cajunsantachristmas.com Launch Louisiana is also proud to announce a major donation initiative with international artist Jennifer Awad of Kardia Gallery. Awad is Toronto based artist presently residing in Washington DC whos offered to donate 1/3 of the proceeds from the sale of her piece entitled NEW DAY to assist with flood relief efforts. NEW DAY, a framed acrylic on canvas painting (54 x 42) from the One Million Voices series was inspired by a photograph of a real sunburst through trees as Awad was processing through intense cases of human rights violations. The piece is priced at $5,000. No matter how bleak the situation is, hope is as certain as the breaking of a new day. http://www.launchlouisiana.com/jennifer-awad Flood Facts: 7 trillion gallons of water fell on Louisiana, 3 times more rain than fell during Hurricane Katrina. Over 160,000 families were displaced by the flooding, and even though cleanup has started, many Louisiana residents are currently living in travel trailers and even tents in their blighted neighborhoods while they face delays from insurance, FEMA and a shortage of supplies and workers as they work to rebuild their devastated homes. Many of the hardest hit areas were not in flood zones, so the residents did not have flood insurance. These families are in crisis, with no help on the horizon. Spokesperson Available For Interview/Comment Shanna Forrestall of LA Film Resources is a Louisiana native and an established marketing and social media consultant, as well as an actress/producer with a list of TV and film projects on her resume. She is a life-long humanitarian whos worked worldwide, including in and around New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and now across south Louisiana after the 2016 Louisiana Flood. She is a celebrity volunteer/spokesperson for Launch Louisiana to support their campaign initiatives and to date she has raised over $100k in resources and donations for families affected by the August 2016 flooding. She also created and curates the Louisiana Flood Forward Facebook Group that focus solely on positive stories of recovery. Contact Shanna at shanna.forrestall(at)gmail(dot)com or 310-744-1598. Four New York City colleges are among the 100-plus schools listed on a new website that catalogs professors who allegedly "advance a radical agenda." The website, called Professor Watchlist, includes the names, photos, and sometimes the contact information of more than 200 professors nationwide. The watchlist was created by conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA, launched last week, and has reportedly been in the works for six months. Its goal is to "expose and document college professors who discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom." The list includes one professor from Columbia University, two from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and three NYU professors. Brooklyn College is also included in the website's school directory, but none of its professors have been included on the list. Julio C. Pino, a history professor at Kent State University in Ohio, told the Times that the website "is a kind of normalizing of prosecuting professors, shaming professors, defaming professors." Other professors who have been listed on the site have called it a threat to academic freedom. In an interview with NYU Local, Professor Watchlist founder Charlie Kirk and writer Matt Lamb described it as an "aggregated list of documented news stories." Kirk and Lamb maintain that the website doesn't threaten professors' safety or limit their freedom of speech. "Putting news sources into an easy to search database does not endanger the safety of anyone," Kirk and Lamb told Local. Lamb compared the watchlist to websites like Campus Pride Index, a national list of LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities, and said it was one of many resources students can use to evaluate colleges. "We're going to make it easier for students to know what's going on," Lamb told the Chronicle. In order for a professor to be placed on the watchlist, Lamb, who manages the website, needs to be presented with proof "documented by a news source or otherwise documented" by a syllabus or slides from a class presentation. But the documented proofwhich the site presents as objective evidence of leftist indoctrinationis often distorted to suit TPUSA's narrative. John Jay professor Charles Strozier is included on the list for an essay he wrote in the Huffington Post titled "How Climate Change Helped ISIS." According to Professor Watchlist, he argued that "law-abiding citizens become Taliban terrorist extremists due to climate change." Strozier's essay, however, argues that climate change contributed to a drought that "stroked simmering anger at Assad's dictatorship" in Syria. In a powerful op-ed for the NY Times, George Yancy, a black professor of philosophy at Emory University, shares his reaction to landing on the watchlist: The Watchlist appears to be consistent with a nostalgic desire to make America great again and to expose and oppose those voices in academia that are anti-Republican or express anti-Republican values. For many black people, making America great again is especially threatening, as it signals a return to a more explicit and unapologetic racial dystopia. For us, dreaming of yesterday is not a privilege, not a desire, but a nightmare. The new watchlist is essentially a new species of McCarthyism, especially in terms of its overtones of disloyalty to the American republic. And it is reminiscent of Cointelpro, the secret F.B.I. program that spied on, infiltrated and discredited American political organizations in the 50s and 60s. Its goal of outing professors for their views helps to create the appearance of something secretly subversive. It is a form of exposure designed to mark, shame and silence. And Mark Crispin Miller, a media, culture, and communication professor at NYU, was included on the list because he "warned that President Bush was spreading propaganda in order to form a theocracy in the United States" and for allegedly comparing Bush to Hitler. Miller denied the website's claim that he compared the two. "I'd also like to know exactly what [Kirk] means by 'anti-American values, since I'm a firm believer in the Bill of Rights, especially committed to the freedom of the press, and to electoral democracy," he told NYU Local. Juniper Communities acquires Wood River Retirement Community in Bucks County, PA for $13.65 million Expanding our presence in the Pennsylvania market enables Juniper to consolidate market share and pilot additional ancillary services within a concentrated hub, stated Lynne S. Katzmann, Founder and CEO of Juniper Communities on the acquisition. In one of its most notable deals to date, Juniper Communities, LLC, announced that as of the close of business on November 30, 2016, it has acquired Wood River Village Retirement Community located in Bucks County, Bensalem, PA for a purchase price of $13.65 million. Juniper financed the entire purchase using cash from its balance sheet, and will refinance the property with bank debt at a later time. Juniper Communities, a privately held New Jersey-based company that owns and operates assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing homes nationally, expects to spend an additional $9.5 million in renovations over the next 12-24 months. The acquisition of the property with 13-interconnecting buildings from Wood River Property, LLC increases Juniper Communities holdings in senior living to 21 buildings, most of which are in Pennsylvania. Nationally, Juniper ranks among the top 40 largest senior living communities. Expanding our presence in the Pennsylvania market enables Juniper to consolidate market share and pilot additional ancillary services within a concentrated hub, stated Lynne S. Katzmann, Founder and CEO of Juniper Communities on the acquisition. The 357,350-square foot life plan community is situated on 20.5 prime acres, only 20 miles northeast of downtown Philadelphia. Through the purchase, Juniper will add 279 Independent Living Apartments, 60 Licensed Personal Care Beds, and 17 Licensed Skilled Nursing Beds to its portfolio bringing its total unit holdings to 1,794. Wood River Village meets the profile of properties in Juniper Communities portfolio. Per Katzmann, Juniper Communities has historically based its acquisitions on properties that can meet its double bottom line - one of strong financial performance coupled with a superior quality of life in our residences. It is our goal to make the lives of elders richer and more rewarding, to be fulfilled in all seasons of life. These commitments are reference points for both our large and small everyday decisions. The financial profile of this large-scale community lends itself well to Junipers model of increasing value through operational improvements and quality of life for the residents. Built in 1981, the life plan community with a 5-star rating for its rehabilitation and skilled care on Medicare.gov will become known as Juniper Village at Bucks County. Juniper will continue to support Wood Rivers caring and professional staff, who are dedicated to ensuring security, care and compassion, peace of mind and comfort for the individuals who call the community, home. Junipers signature programming includes an award-winning dementia care program known as Wellspring Memory Care, a comprehensive electronic health records system, a fully coordinated healthcare delivery model Connect4Life, an integrated connections and activities program referred to as Alive in All Seasons, plus others. All are designed to foster the Juniper mission of nurturing the spirit of life in each individual served. Junipers management looks forward to partnering with the local providers and businesses in the area to help maintain their high standards for innovation, cost-effectiveness and quality operations. The newly named Juniper Communities at Bucks County is located at 3200 Bensalem Blvd, Bensalem, PA 19020. (215) 752-2370. Juniper Communities is located at 400 Broadacres Drive, Bloomfield, NJ 07003. (973) 661-8300. http://www.junipercommunities.com Juniper Villages in Pennsylvania Juniper Village at Bucks County, Bensalem, PA Juniper Village at Brookline, State College, PA Juniper Village at Forest Hills, Pittsburgh, PA Juniper Village at Mount Joy, Mount Joy, PA Juniper Village at Lebanon, Lebanon, PA Juniper Village at Meadville, Meadville, PA Juniper Village at the Shenango Inn, Sharon, PA About Juniper Communities, LLC. Juniper Communities, founded in 1988 operates long-term care communities in NJ, FL, PA and CO. Juniper is dedicated to Nurturing the Spirit of Life in each individual served and believes the keys to healthy aging are an active body, an engaged mind, and a fulfilled spirit. The companys mission is to serve its stakeholders, residents, families, employee associates, and investors with excellence and strong dedication to the companys hallmarks of quality, value and innovation. For more information on Juniper call 973.661.8300 or visit http://www.junipercommunities.com. GMAT Interact The product is authentic in aiming to create a student-teacher connection in a usually sterile and staid delivery mode. What makes Interact great is what makes our classrooms great too," said Rey Fernandez, the companys VP & General Manager Leading education company Manhattan Prep has made it through the penultimate stage of judging to be shortlisted for the Reimagine Education Awards 2016 Digital Content Award. In response to the evolving needs of higher education, the Reimagine Education Conference & Awards has recognized Interact, Manhattan Preps interactive, proprietary e-learning platform that uses intuitive technology to guide the student on a customized study path tailored to their learning needs. The Reimagine Education Conference & Awards 2016, organized by career and education network QS in collaboration with the esteemed Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvanias SEI Center for Advanced Studies in Management, will take place in Philadelphia from December 5-6 at the Inn at Penn, a Hilton Hotel. The concept behind the Awards is that traditional education is both insufficient and overly expensive for the needs of modern students, and therefore must be reimagined. An international panel of 40 distinguished judges has been selected to honor innovative education pedagogies enhancing learning and employability. By shortlisting Interact, the panel has deemed the product to be one of the 120 most innovative educational projects among over 500 submissions. Created to immerse students in an engaging, on-demand, self-paced learning experience, Interact offers full GMAT and LSAT prep courses in which students can determine their own paths to success. Guided entirely by 99th percentile Manhattan Prep instructors, the program aims to connect students to comprehensive, interactive instruction that will benefit them before, during, and after the test. What makes Interact unique? The platform uses branching video and adaptive technology to replicate the expertise, empathy, and guidance you would receive from a seasoned teacher. Real teachers work behind and in front of the camera, infusing Manhattan Preps curricular expertise into every aspect of production and development. It contains entertaining, comprehensive lessons that cover every topic on the exam. Its our deep belief at Manhattan Prep that exceptional teachers are the centerpiece of a transformational learning experience, but featuring teachers in self-study products is a challenge. said Noah Teitelbaum, the companys VP of Instruction & Customer Experience. Interact is our answer to the challenge of creating a self-study product that harnesses the power of great teaching. Being shortlisted for this award is proof that what were doing is stretching ed techs boundaries. Rey Fernandez, the companys VP & General Manager, added that the product is authentic in aiming to create a student-teacher connection in a usually sterile and staid delivery mode. What makes Interact great is what makes our classrooms great too. If Interact is selected as the 2016 Digital Content Award winner, it will have been deemed the project that...creates the most compelling, detailed, informative digital content, with an interface or medium designed to support learners everywhere. Try Interact: U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, graces the cover of the print publication. Through an exclusive interview with Mediaplanet, Dr. Murthy explains how he was inspired to practice medicine at an early age by his father, who was also a doctor. Early on I learned that medicine is about more than making diagnoses and prescribing medicine, he states. It is about building relationships with people; relationships that are based on trust and mutual understanding. He touches on several important health care topics including the importance of prevention and emotional well-being. We have spent relatively little attention on emotional well-being, which is vital when it comes to improving health, says Dr. Murthy. As Surgeon General, Dr. Murthy also spends time promoting equity of access to health care for all, saying that we are one of the richest countries in the world, but we have such a wide disparity in terms of access to care and health care outcomes. The print component of Careers in Health Care is distributed within the weekend edition of USA Today with a circulation of approximately 750,000 copies and an estimated readership of 1.3 million. The digital component is distributed nationally through a vast social media strategy and across a network of top news sites and partner outlets. To explore the digital version of the campaign, click here. This edition of Careers in Health Care was made possible with the support of The American Association of Colleges of Nursing, American Association of Physician Assistants, National Medical Association, Society for Simulation in Health Care, National League for Nursing, American Medical Student Association, American College of Nurse Midwives, U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Lincoln Memorial University, Purdue University, American University of Antigua College of Medicine, National Commission on Certification of PAs, National Certification Corporation, and St. Vincent College. About Mediaplanet Mediaplanet is the leading independent publisher of content-marketing campaigns covering a variety of topics and industries. We turn consumer interest into action by providing readers with motivational editorial, pairing it with relevant advertisers, and distributing it within top newspapers and online platforms around the world. The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBC,) representing over 500,000 members, announced their support of President-elect Donald J. Trumps nomination of Elaine Chao for Secretary of Transportation. The UBC enjoyed a strong working relationship with Chao in her previous posts - both as Secretary of Labor and as Deputy Secretary of Transportation. With Chaos long history of public service and vast experience with transportation issues, the UBC is optimistic about the newly appointed head of the Department of Transportation. Secretary Elaine Chao is a person with integrity and experience, said Douglas J. McCarron, General President of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. We had a successful working relationship with her as Secretary of Labor and we look forward to working with her as Secretary of Transportation to bring Americas infrastructure into the 21st century. The Carpenters Union understands that infrastructure work not only provides jobs immediately, but provides a long-term boost to the economy. UBC members utilize their superior training and skills on various infrastructure projects, like the roads, bridges, power plants and other jobs that keep the US economy running. The UBC leverages its 135-year history to prepare for the future by training, educating, and representing the next generation of construction professionals. For more information please contact Tom Flynn, Director of Political and Legislative Affairs, at TFlynn(at)carpenters(dot)org or 202/546-6206. ### 21st Century Cures is a monumental piece of legislation, said Susan Connors, president and chief executive officer of the Brain Injury Association of America. Susan Connors, president and chief executive officer of the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA), congratulates the House of Representatives for passing the 21st Century Cures Act on November 30. 21st Century Cures is a monumental piece of legislation, said Connors. On behalf of the 3.5 million Americans who acquire brain injuries each year and the nearly 9 million who live with a disability because a TBI or stroke, we sincerely thank Chairman Upton, Rep. DeGette, Ranking Member Pallone and the House Energy and Commerce Committee for their efforts to bring this to the House floor. We look forward to the Senate favorably passing this legislation in the near future and having this bill signed into law. BIAA strongly supports the 21st Century Cures Act because it will allow the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to establish a data collection system to track the incidence and prevalence of neurological conditions, because it provides $4.8 billion in new funding for medical research that will go to the National Institutes of Health, and because the $500 million allotted to the Food and Drug Administration for new treatments will positively impact individuals with brain injury. BIAA supports the provision that will enhance coordination and collaboration on rehabilitation research and provide for accelerated approval for regenerative medicine products. BIAA also supports the increased national focus and resources to the mental health workforce and increases in access to mental health care. Lastly, BIAA supports access to power complex rehabilitation technology (CRT) wheelchair accessories which are fundamental components like tilt-and-recline systems and specialized seat cushions which will be protected for six more months through 21st Century Cures. ### About the Brain Injury Association of America: The Brain Injury Association of America is the countrys oldest and largest nationwide brain injury advocacy organization. Our mission is to advance awareness, research, treatment, and education and to improve the quality of life for all people affected by brain injury. We are dedicated to increasing access to quality health care and raising awareness and understanding of brain injury. Further resources and information related to brain injury are available at http://www.biausa.org or through the National Brain Injury Information Center (NBIIC) at 1-800-444-6443. Renter Match Renters Warehouse has introduced a new, free service created to save time and money for apartment seekers in the Atlanta market. Renter Match is a personalized service that aims to match potential apartment tenants with their ideal new home, based on each customers individual needs, including location, price, size, accessibility, pets and much more. People are looking for the convenience Renter Match can provide in researching and identifying suitable matches for their particular need price point, school district, proximity to work, specific amenities and more without having to do the legwork or spend unnecessary time randomly driving to properties, explains Courtenay Dutton, COO at Renters Warehouse Atlanta. Renter Match provides a chance for apartment seekers to sit down with a local market expert to discuss their needs and wants in an apartment. Once all criteria is provided by the customer, Renters Warehouse staff aims to provide each client with information and pricing for several apartment options that meet their needs. Renter Match eliminates much of the effort and research involved in trying to find the perfect home. With most properties now on daily pricing systems, Renter Match is in touch with properties daily and will keep renters updated on price changes and more importantly, move-in specials being offered, saving renters thousands of dollars every month, Courtenay says. In addition to offering prospective tenants a completely free service, Renter Match also fills a need for apartment management companies by helping them identify ideal tenants. The service currently covers much of the Atlanta area, with a focus currently on Buckhead, Midtown, Downtown and areas north of the city including Dunwoody, Sandy Springs and Brookhaven. More than 20 management companies with over 150 apartment communities in the region are listing their apartments on Renter Match. The Atlanta apartment market is growing and building at a very accelerated rate and these communities need to meet occupancy rate minimums as quickly as possible upon completion to stay competitive with other properties in the market, explains Courtenay. Renters Warehouse Atlanta is continuing to grow the service by developing relationships with more properties in areas around the region. They are also seeking to foster potential co-branding and marketing opportunities for other service provider businesses that could complement Renter Match. Renters Warehouse is one of the largest and most awarded residential property management companies in the U.S., managing more than 17,000 homes for over 12,000 investors across the country, and about $3 billion worth of residential real estate. The company is investing behind its new Portfolio Services Division that uniquely serves larger, mid- to institutional-level real estate investors with both centralized services and local market expertise and staff. Renters Warehouse exists to help homeowners and investors create wealth and financial freedom through Rent Estate. To learn more about Renters Warehouse or to find out how much your home will rent for, visit http://www.renterswarehouse.com today! -30- About Renters Warehouse Renters Warehouse is one of the fastest growing and highest reviewed residential property management companies in America, and the largest in Minnesota. Backed by growth equity investor and majority stakeholder Northern Pacific Group, and under the leadership of President and CEO Kevin Ortner, Renters Warehouse now manages more than $3 billion in residential real estate, servicing 12,000+ investors across 17,000+ residential homes in 32 markets and 18 states. NPG Managing Partner Scott Honour, who in 1999 was a founder of YapStone, a leading online rental property payment service provider, serves as Chairman. Renters Warehouse expertly serves everyday single-property homeowners as well as real estate investors. In 2015, the company officially trademarked the term Rent Estate to redefine the entire SFR (Single Family Rental) industry as more traditional real estate gives way to this new lucrative asset. Through their dedicated Portfolio Services Division led by Chief Investment Officer Anthony Cazazian, the company also brings professional, scalable and efficient single property management solutions to investment portfolios with both centralized services and local market expertise and staff. Not only has Renters Warehouse received the prestigious honor of being included on the Inc. 500 | 5000 list of fastest-growing privately held companies in America seven consecutive years in a row, it was also named one of the Best Places to Work in Minnesota (where they are headquartered) by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016. The company was also honored as a best place to work in Arizona (a centralized corporate services center) by the Phoenix Business Journal in 2013 and 2014, and achieved a spot on the prestigious 2016 Top Companies to Work for in AZ list. Nationwide, Renters Warehouse has been honored as one of America's "Best Places to Work" in 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016 by Outside Magazine. Recognized as pioneers in real estate, business management and innovation, Renters Warehouse has been awarded 22 Business Stevie Awards both internationally and stateside. In 2016, Morningstar Credit Ratings, LLC, a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO) offering a wide array of services including operational risk assessments, assigned its MOR RV2 residential-vendor ranking to Renters Warehouse as a residential property manager, indicating that the company demonstrates proficiency in managing key areas of operational risk. ...the relationships our Partners build with their clients exceed expectations and honor our Code of Conduct, which our business is built upon. Headquartered in Strongsville, Ohio, Union Home Mortgage has been steadily increasing business on a large scale for over 15 years. Licensed in 35 states and with 96 branches across the country, growth, leadership and brand awareness has supported UHMs $2.4 billion in responsible lending in 2016. This continued growth has earned the privately-held company recognition in the community over the past few years. Union Home Mortgage is being celebrated for their growth, leadership and entrepreneurial spirit by being recognized on the Weatherhead 100 list. On behalf of our Partners (employees), we are honored to be one of the Weatherhead 100, Bill Cosgrove, UHM CEO and Owner, said. He added, the relationships our Partners build with their clients exceed expectations and honor our Code of Conduct, which our business is built upon. Determined by qualifications such as significant growth in net sales over the past 5 years, Case Western Reserves Weatherhead 100 award celebrates innovation and entrepreneurship. Union Home Mortgage is driven to continue to grow and serve its clients with world-class interactions and assistance in achieving their individual homeownership goals. To learn more about Weatherhead 100, please click here. If you are interested in learning more about Union Home Mortgage Corp., please visit http://www.UnionHomeMortgage.com. Great Clips, the worlds largest hair salon brand, will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor with a cut-a-thon and a meet and greet with veterans who braved the day that will live in infamy. This is a weeklong program Great Clips is sponsoring with the Greatest Generations Foundation to honor WWII Pearl Harbor veterans. WHAT: On Tuesday, Dec. 6, the three Great Clips salons on the island of Oahu will offer $7.99 haircuts from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. with all proceeds going to the Tripler Fisher Houses. Combined, these two beautiful homes can house 19 families at one time, at no cost, while their loved ones receive medical care at the nearby Tripler Army Medical Center. During a 2-hour meet and greet at one of the cut-a-thon salons, two Pearl Harbor Veterans with the Greatest Generations Foundation will sign autographs and take pictures. 97-year-old U.S. Navy veteran Mickey Ganitch Born in Mogadore, Ohio, Mickey was no stranger to hard work. Growing up on a farm, he was always up early and in bed late. The depression had put a stop to jobs and having trouble finding work, Mickey moved to California and eventually joined the U.S. Navy. The Navy gave him the job of quartermaster and the even more important task of taking the helm of the ship, steering the massive vessel while underway. However, his battle station was in the crows nest. When the attack hit, Mickey made his way up to that vantage point, watching as the battle unfolded. 95-year-old U.S. Navy veteran Jack Holder On the morning of Dec 7, Jack Holder assembled for a muster and heard a loud crash. It was the first bomb dropped on Ford Island, which initiated the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor. As Jack looked to the sky, he saw it filled with Japanese bombers, identified by the rising sun insignia. Theres always a moment of fear, but you cant let that bother you, you got to get involved. Once the adrenaline starts to flow it becomes a game, a game you desperately want to win. The Greatest Generations Foundation is a non-profit organization that honors the sacrifices of veterans by returning them to their former battlegrounds so their legacies are recorded and told to future generations. WHEN: Tuesday, December 6 Meet and greet with WWII Pearl Harbor Veterans 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. only at the Great Clips at Moanalua Shopping Center, Honolulu. Cut-A-Thon 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at all three Great Clips salons on the island. WHERE: Cut-A-Thon at all three (3) Great Clips Salon locations: Great Clips Hair Salon Moanalua Shopping Center 930 Valkenburgh St. Honolulu, HI 96818 (808) 840-0195 Great Clips Hair Salon Hawaii Kai Towne Center (across from Costco) 333 Keahole St. Honolulu, HI 96825 (808) 425-5558 Great Clips Hair Salon Kapolei Village Center (Foodland) 4850 Kapolei Parkway Kapolei, HI 96707 (808) 200-5074 About Great Clips, Inc. Great Clips, Inc. was established in 1982 in Minneapolis. Today, Great Clips has 4,000 salons throughout the United States and Canada, making it the worlds largest salon brand. Great Clips is 100 percent franchised, and salons are owned locally by more than 1,200 franchisees across North America. Great Clips franchisees employ nearly 40,000 stylists who receive ongoing training to learn the Great Clips customer care system and advanced technical skills. As a walk-in salon, Great Clips provides value-priced, high-quality haircare for men, women and children. No appointments are needed, and salons are open nights and weekends. Getting a great haircut is more convenient than ever with Great Clips Online Check-In and Clip Notes. To check-in online, visit GreatClips.com or download the app for Android and iPhone. For more information about Great Clips, Inc. or to find a location near you, visit GreatClips.com. About The Greatest Generations Foundation The Greatest Generations Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit is dedicated to honoring the sacrifices of veterans by returning them to their former battlegrounds, cemeteries and memorials to ensure that their legacies are recorded and retold in perpetuity to future generations. Since 2004, The Greatest Generations Foundation has returned more than 4,200 World War II veterans to the battlegrounds on annual journeys to Pearl Harbor, England, Normandy, Italy and Iwo Jima, along with programs to the Pacific battlegrounds of Guadalcanal, Philippines, Guam, Saipan, Tinian, Tarawa and Okinawa to name a few at no costs to the veteran. While these voyages back to the battlefields are often emotional, they provide veterans a measure of closure from their war experiences, the chance to share in the gratitude for their service and a venue to educate others. Preserving the legacy of these heroic men and women happens most effectively through education and the retelling of stories to younger generations. TGGF's educational programs take a dynamic, experiential approach, allowing learners from all backgrounds to explore the values and beliefs that Americans and their Allies embraced during wartime. They address the extraordinary history of sacrifice and the noble accomplishments of those who served. CloudMine wins SIAA CODiE for Sales Team of the Year. This team will work together to ensure that the customer needs are put first. They are motivated by CloudMine success first and individual success second. Today CloudMine, a secure, cloud-based platform that enables healthcare and pharmaceutical organizations to build intelligent, connected applications, was named the best Sales Team of 2016 as part of the 2016 SIIA Company CODiE Awards. The winner announcement was made today by the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), the principal trade association for the software and digital content industries. The CODiE Awards are the only peer-reviewed awards of their kind and, for over 30 years, have recognized thousands of software, information and education technology companies for achieving excellence in products and services. An SIIA Company CODiE Award win is a prestigious honor as it is a recognition of tremendous accomplishments for 2016. About our Winning Team The CloudMine Sales Team has built a data first sales culture and constantly adjusted to align the sales process with the market demands and product experience. The result of this is a "Hybrid" rep model - a unique approach to selling in CloudMines space. Much of the Sales Teams success can be attributed to their knowledge. They are well versed in the specific challenges facing the healthcare market and provide a high touch, consultative approach with every outreach. The teams ability to support one another in what is typically a competitive position has resulted in a 4x customer base growth so far in 2016. The Sales Team collaborates better than any team I have ever seen says Chris Corbet, VP of Sales and Marketing at CloudMine. [They] work together to ensure that the customer needs are put first. They are motivated by CloudMine success first and individual success second - This is a rare culture in sales and something we are very proud of. Prior to winning a CODiE for Sales Team of the Year, CloudMine was also a finalist for the 2016 SIIA CODiE award for Best Health Care Technology Solution and the winner of the 2016 SIIA CODiE Award for Best Information Service Delivered as a Mobile App or Platform. SIIAs 2016 Company CODiE Award winners are some of the most outstanding teams and individuals impacting businesses across the world. Recognized by SIIAs Software & Services Division, the Company CODiE Winners should be proud of this prestigious accolade honoring excellence and achievement in the technology industry, said Rhianna Collier, VP & Managing Director for the Software & Services Division at SIIA. We congratulate all of this years Company CODiE Award winners, and thank them for the contributions they have made to their industries. Details about all the winning teams can be found here. About the SIIA Company CODiE Awards The SIIA Company CODiE Awards celebrate excellence and achievement in the tech industry by honoring outstanding teams and individuals for their accomplishments, leadership and commitment to the industry. For more information, visit the website. About SIIAs Software & Services Division The Software & Services Division of SIIA (SSD) represents the best software companies and products in the world, those companies that develop the applications, services, infrastructure and tools driving the success of todays high-tech industry. SSD's programs and activities are designed to foster company growth and success by providing professional insights and strategy, executive networking, industry exposure and business development opportunities. SSD member executives actively collaborate to share business and operational expertise, best practices, and new innovations to help companies efficiently build growing and successful businesses. For more information, visit http://www.siia.net/SSD. About CloudMine CloudMine is a secure, cloud-based platform that helps healthcare and pharmaceutical organizations to build intelligent, connected applications. CloudMine connects the world of healthcare data to make it fully interoperable, enabling organizations to operationalize data through application development, analytics and workflow. The CloudMine Connected Health Cloud empowers healthcare organizations to rapidly build engaging digital experiences by removing the complexity of app development, and allowing focus on business needs. CloudMine's Connected Health Cloud is being used by world-class enterprises including Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Biomeme, Mylan Specialty, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Signal Lamp Health and Digitas Health to drive mobile-first solutions. For more information, visit CloudMine at http://www.cloudmineinc.com, call (855) 662-7722, or follow us on twitter @CloudMine. "Entre Amigos," the new CD by San Francisco vocalist Sandy Cressman. For many years I was very Rio-centric, focused on bossa nova, samba, and Brazilian jazz. This record has Sao Paulo samba jazz, Northeastern rhythms frevo and maracatu. It's so inspiring and invigorating to be involved in the creation of these songs. As founder and leader of the group Homenagem Brasileira, San Francisco-based vocalist/educator Sandy Cressman has had many opportunities over the last 20-plus years to forge creative partnerships with like-minded musicians from the Bay to Brazil. Her entrancing new album, "Entre Amigos," which will be released on February 3 by her Cressman Music imprint, marks the culmination of these relationships and is a celebration of her own deep history with the music and the players. Though the new CD is her first new recording since 2005s "BrasilSempre no Coracao," a project devoted to definitive songs by masters of MPB (musica popular brasileira), Cressman never stepped away from music. As an educator and linchpin of a bustling creative family including her husband, former longtime Santana trombonist and recording engineer Jeff Cressman; their older daughter, New York trombonist/vocalist Natalie Cressman; and their younger daughter, Los Angeles dancer Julianna Cressman, shes maintained enduring musical ties with some of the regions finest musicians. Theres nothing quite like being massively over-scheduled to concentrate ones attention, and Cressman came up with an enthralling set of answers to the self-searching question, What do I really want to do with this music? For a long while I concentrated on mining the treasures in the existing Brazilian music repertoire, says Cressman. But at a certain point I started writing and asking people to collaborate, and 'Entre Amigos' collects many of these amazing connections. Among the collaborators on the new CD are rising Brazilian-American guitarist Ian Faquini (Nossa Historia, Deixa a Amor Florescer), pianist/composer Jovino Santos Neto (Para Hermeto), Brazilian jazz master Antonio Adolfo (Eu Vou Lembrar), and Sao Paulo-based samba-jazzistas Dani and Debora Gurgel (Como Eu Quero Cantar). Significantly, 'Entre Amigos' opens a new chapter for Cressman as a tunesmith; she contributed lyrics, in both Portuguese and English, for every track on the album, and also wrote both music and lyrics for Ela E, recorded in Germany with the 2010 Santana rhythm section, including Dennis Chambers, and for Nao Me Acorde Nao, which tells the story of her and her husbands participation in Carnaval 2015 in Recife with renowned Pernambuco frevo composer/bandleader Spok and his Spok Frevo Big Band. That performance, and her return to Recife to record with Spok earlier this year, led to an intriguing invitation. When the director of music at the Paco do Frevo (Frevo Museum) learned of her recording project, he proposed a cultural exchange with local frevo musicians: the Cressmans will do a concert and some master classes at the Paco do Frevo the week preceding Carnaval 2017, and then they will perform at Carnaval with the Spok Frevo Orquestra. Sandy continues to work with Homenagem Brasileira, as well as Mistura Fina, a more recent Latin jazz combo led by guitarist Ray Obiedo (a longtime musical partner with whom she co-wrote "Entre Amigos" Eu Mais Voce). In recent months shes collaborated with the acclaimed 17-piece Electric Squeezebox Orchestra led by trumpeter Erik Jekabson, performed with world jazz pioneer Jai Uttal, and celebrated the music of Guinga with Faquini and flutist Rebecca Kleinmann. Somehow, every path seems to lead her back to Brazil. Im thrilled that my musical horizons are widening, she says. For many years I was very Rio-centric, focused on bossa nova, samba, and Brazilian jazz. This record has Sao Paulo samba jazz, Northeastern rhythms frevo and maracatu. I keep meeting these people who have different areas of expertise and knowledge, and its so inspiring and invigorating to be involved in the creation of these songs. CD Release Shows for "Entre Amigos": Feb 16 Freight and Salvage, Berkeley, CA Feb 18-Mar 1 Carnaval/Various Shows and Master Classes, Recife, Brazil Mar 19 Cafe Pink House, Saratoga, CA Mar 25 Armandos, Martinez, CA Apr 7 Sound Room, Oakland, CA Apr 12 Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3, New York, NY May 7 Blue Note, Napa, CA May 19 California Jazz Conservatory, Berkeley, CA Jul 2 Piedmont Piano Company, Oakland, CA Jul 20 Crocker Art Museum Jazz Night Series, Sacramento, CA Hillary Clinton's popular vote lead is now over 2.5 million, a 1.9 percent margin greater than that by which nine previous presidents won, and a fat lot of good that does us with the electoral college giving the presidential election to Donald Trump by a combined margin of about 100,000 votes in three key states. This is just the fourth time in U.S. history that a candidate has won the popular vote and lost the electoral vote, the last being Al Gore's sort-of defeat in 2000. At this point, it's pretty clear that Jill Stein's recount isn't going to save us. But what about those electoral college electors your Facebook-addicted aunt keeps sending you Change.org petitions about? Could enough of them come together to seize control of the Titanic and steer us away from the iceberg that is more jagged than ever thanks to unchecked global warming? Some constitutional scholars, and of course a heap of disaffected Clinton voters, are urging the electors to do just that. Harvard Law School professor and short-lived presidential candidate Lawrence Lessig argues that the founders intended the electoral college as a "safety valve" to protect us from electing oh, say, an accused serial sexual assaulter and snake oil salesman. Eight of the 538 electors so far have announced plans to break ranks and cast a protest vote, the problem being that they're all Democrats in Democratic-voting states, and the worst they can do is break from their Clinton-voting peers and vote for a Republican other than Trump. They are, however, lobbying their GOP counterparts to do the same in red states. Critics of this tactic argue that it goes against the role of electors in pretty much all past elections, and that because electors are typically party operatives, they are not at all vetted for the role of impartial protector of the republic. Also, if Trump went below the 270 electoral votes he needs to win the presidency, the decision would go to the House of Representatives, which is now Republican-controlled. After elections like thisnot that there has ever been an election quite like this onetalk inevitably turns to reform, either by way of a pact binding the electors to vote in such a way that insures the outcome reflects the popular vote, or an outright abolition of the electoral college. So it is that Democratic California Sen. Barbara Boxer has introduced legislation to do the latter, which Al Gore is down with and folks such as Newt Gingrich would have been on board withhad she come up with it two years ago. Then there's Donald Trump, who now calls the electoral college "actually genius," but felt much differently about it in 2012, when for a brief period it looked like Mitt Romney had won the popular vote but lost to Obama. Viva la Revolucion! We spoke to Hunter College political science professor Charles Tien, whose pre-election model predicted a Clinton national popular vote victory by a margin of 1.1 percent, about the history of the electoral college and the likelihood of success for the various efforts to change it. Obviously at times like this, people want to talk about the electoral college and why we have it, and what the role of electors is. On the defection, do you see there being any remote possibility of a mass defection happening that changes the outcome? I don't think so, and that's primarily because of the way the electors are chosen in each state. In the states, most of them are put up by the state party convention or by the state party committees. And then whichever candidate wins the popular vote, you get those electors chosen from that party. That means the electors are hyper-partisan and we live in a hyper-partisan era. The electors are the most partisan of anybody in the state because they're essentially rewarded for being party loyalists. It would be like, can you imagine de Blasio voting for Trump or the Republican candidate, if the situation were different, because Trump won the popular vote but lost the electoral college vote? Therefore, I think it makes it unlikely that you'll have that happening. And also, the electoral college as originally designed, it was designed in a different era where there were no political parties and there were no national campaigns, and the founders didnt want there to be bargaining which could lead to possible corruption. So the electors meet in their individual states' capitals and cast their ballots there. So when the moment actually happens on December 19th, theres no face-to-face interaction amongst the electors. Meaning there aren't Democratic Party electors meeting with Republican Party electors and trying to sway them on that day. So on December 19th, you have a bunch of hyper-partisan Democrats meeting in Democratic states, and you have a bunch of hyper-partisan Republicans meeting in the state capitols. There's nobody there to talk to them to try to get them to change their mind. The handful of people who have gone public about their desire to cast a protest vote are Democrats and they're saying they want to cast votes for Republicans other than Trump just to register their objection to his presidency Right, which doesn't help anybody's cause. What effect could that have on them personally, or on the process? It depends on the state. There are a number of states [24] that have laws that require the electors to vote with the popular vote of their states. Some of those states require pledges, others may have fines. And the faithless electors in the past, theres just been a small handful, to my knowledge no elector has been convicted or paid a fine. So, its not going to change the outcome, which is probably one of their reasons for doing it. Two might be to raise awareness of the unfairnesses of the electoral college, where you get these outcomes, and trying to reform the system. And maybe the system should be reformed now, as weve had two of these perverse outcomes since 2000. The electoral college was designed for a different era. The role of electors was established in Article II of the Constitution, and updated in the 12th Amendment. (Wikimedia Commons) What exactly did the founders envision the role of the electors being? Is it as a safety valve, as Lawrence Lessig described it, to avert disaster if the popular vote goes to someone who is unfit for office? Thats part of it. Theres the belief that the framers didnt necessarily trust the people to make the right decisions, and therefore they created all these buffers between the people and the politicians. So the only branch where the people directly elected their representatives was in the House. In the Senate you had indirect elections. The presidency, you had indirect elections. In the courts, you had appointments with confirmation by a body that was not directly elected. I think it was also the result of a compromise between slaveholding states and non-slaveholding states back then. There was a desire not to have a popular election, because then whatever state had the most people would simply end up holding the presidency. If you just did a popular vote, the fear was that people in each state would simply nominate and vote for the people from their state, and then with everybody voting for their own candidate, you would just have the large populated states controlling the outcome. It was really a battle between small states and large states, and slaveholding states and non-slaveholding states. So the compromise was this electoral college where the formula comes from the compromise that was also devised for the creation of the House and Senate. You have the Senate with two senators regardless of population size. I'm sure you've seen articles about how citizens of Wyoming have a [3.49 times] advantage in the electoral college than people voting in New York. On the slavery issue, was the concern that thanks to the population of slaves, slaveholding states would control national politics? The slaveholding states were concerned that they would be outvoted. The question there was how do you count the population to determine representation? If you didnt count the slaves, and the Northern states didnt think the Southern states should be able to count the slaves in their population for determining the number of electors and their representation in the House, the Southern states could see the writing on the wall that they would be overwhelmed eventually and never have adequate influence in the federal government. So they wanted to count all the slaves as part of the population. And that's how they came up with the three-fifths rule? Yes. How were electors originally chosen? It actually varied by state. Some were selected by popular vote, and some were selected by state legislators. Slowly, over the first 50 years, you had a movement away from state legislatures choosing them to the point now where they're all elected by popular vote. When people say that a defection of the kind that sad Hillary Clinton voters are fantasizing about would cause a "constitutional crisis," what do they mean? They mean we have a set of rules that we play by. Everybody assumes this is how the electors in each state will make a decision, so if the electors act independently, thats whats meant by a constitutional crisis. If you look at public opinion polls, trust in the federal government is at all-time lows so it would just further erode the public's confidence in our national institutions. Lets say the recounts occur, they started in Wisconsin today, and they start in Michigan on Friday. The possibility of a Pennsylvania recount is less likely from what I read. Let's say they do find irregularities in those two states. And, if [electors] think theres pretty convincing evidence that there are irregularities in those two states, that would give the electors a more compelling reason to act independently, to vote their conscience, so to say. Especially if theres some kind of link to the Trump campaign. Im not saying there is, and I don't think there will be. Im just spinning scenarios where the Clinton supporters are hoping for a different outcome. I think that's the only way you get to that outcome. Like the computer scientists at the University of Michigan are positing that there's some type of irregularity where votes were tabulated by computer. A vote recount is underway in Wisconsin. (Andy Manis/Getty) Right, and they were saying an audit is needed, and not just a recount. But that's a whole other issue. Periodically, some group in politics is upset about the outcome of an election and goes out in support of reforming the way the electoral college works or abolishing the electoral college. Do you think by nature of one side always being the winner, that such reform efforts are doomed, because it's always one party versus the other? I think, given that youve had Bush 43 for eight years, then Obama for eight years, and right before that Clinton for eight years and Reagan-Bush for 12since there seems to be this kind of shifting back and forth in terms of control of the presidency, it makes it less likely that reform takes hold. Because its not like the system is producing outcomes consistently benefiting one side or the other. And if you change the rules, you dont know what the heck the outcome is going to be. Now, both sides know what they have to do to win. If you completely change the rules, abolish the electoral college, then how do you run campaigns? How do parties win? I think it's a complete mystery. Isn't the assumption that California, Texas, and New York would determine any election in that scenario, if the electoral college was abolished, and we'll have Democratic presidents forever? Well, the total vote counts were 2.5 million votes separating, so you have the Republican Party getting about the same number of votes as they did last time, about 60 million votes. And I dont think if you go to a popular vote count that somehow thats all of a sudden going to change. I think youre still going to get pretty evenly split elections, because the country is quite polarized right now. There are fewer politicians in the middle. There are fewer citizens in the middle. There's less compromise. We read different news, we have different facts. The likelihood of voters switching parties isnt quite what it was 20 years ago. Clinton lost this election not because a bunch of Clinton voters switched over to Trump voters. The numbers Trump got were about what Romney got. The reason she lost was because turnout was reduced by about 5 million in key areas. I was just reading a [Washington] Post article about Voting Rights Act being gutted by the [Supreme] [C]ourt in 2013. The new voter ID laws in 14 states or so really suppressed minority turnout. You've got suppressed turnout in Milwaukee, did that sway the election in Wisconsin towards Trump? You've got reduced minority turnout in Detroit, and probably by enough votes to cost Clinton the election in those two states. This kid gets it. (Nathan Tempey/Gothamist) I grew up in Saginaw, Michigan, and Saginaw County flipped just barely. Anecdotally, in the city of Saginaw there were fewer polling places, and there were big lines, but if you were voting in the suburbs there were no lines. Right, and studies have shown that if you stand in a long line, you're less likely to vote next time. I think Trump's claims a couple of days before the election that, we're going to be out there watching, I think that was voter intimidation, and it probably got some people to think twice about turning out. So it was really a question I think of suppressed Democratic turnout. There is some data suggesting that a sizable chunk of white union members in Ohio and Michigan who voted for Obama came out for Trump. That's certainly the case, but I think the bigger story is the suppressed minority vote, and the suppressed Democratic vote. I don't know if that's the case or not, but I'm just looking at the raw numbers. Do you have any last thoughts on electoral college reform? You really need to reform it through amending the Constitution and thats not easy. There wasnt much outrage after 2000. There seems to be more now, but getting it changed, abolishing it, is not an easy thing to do, It's certainly going to be an interesting few years. Its getting the students interested, I think. That's one positive of this election, is that students are interested in what's happening. Yeah, I was over at Trump Tower recently, and I happened upon several hundred high school students protesting in the cold and the rain. They organized the event themselves. I think thats all good for our democracy. Its unfortunate that its something like this to get them interested. "We celebrate these real-life heroes who work every day helping patients and families. Honoring these outstanding caregivers and advocates reflects our dedication to the cancer community. -Michael J. Hennessy, Jr. On Dec. 2, 2016, CURE magazine will host the 4th Annual MPN Heroes Recognition Event at the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego honoring the 2016 MPN Heroeseight individuals who have made a difference in the field of rare blood cancers known as myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) by going above and beyond the standard of care, demonstrating leadership within the MPN community and/or a commitment to individual patients. This years event, being held prior to the 58th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, will recognize Ross Levine, MD; Elliott Winton, MD; Erin Blackwell, RN, BSN, OCN; Bonnie Blankert; David Wallace; Ann Brazeau; Andrew Schorr; and Patricia Koenig. Joining the honorees as keynote speaker is cancer researcher and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, PhD. We celebrate these real-life heroes who work every day helping patients and families. Honoring these outstanding caregivers and advocates reflects our dedication to the cancer community, said CURE Media Group President Michael J. Hennessy, Jr. The MPN Heroes Recognition Event is made possible with support from Incyte Corporation, CancerCare, Cancer Support Community, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, MPN Advocacy & Education International, the MPN Education Foundation, the MPN Research Foundation and the National Organization for Rare Disorders. A steering committee of patients, advocates and health care professionals selected honorees from among the scores of people and groups nominated by the MPN community. This years award recipients include two physicians, a nurse, a caregiver and four patient advocates. Of these, four awards are going to individuals in the category Commitment to the Individual: Ross Levine, MDDr. Levine has had an enormous impact on MPN research. His many innovative contributions include the co-discovery of a key gene mutation, being the development lead in important clinical research and development of drug treatment approaches to clinical trials for MPNs. Elliott Winton, MDDr. Winton is a distinguished researcher who conducted the first bone marrow transplant at Emory University Hospital in 1979. In addition to advancing the science of MPNs through continuous research, hes an esteemed physician who spends endless hours talking with patients at Cancer Support Community, national MPN organizations and local MPN support groups. Erin Blackwell, RN, BSN, OCNErin is renowned for her compassion and exceptional dedication to her MPN patients at the Levine Cancer Institute. She excels at personalized patient care, can recall details about most of her patients and gets back in touch with patientseven during her off-hours. Bonnie Blankert, CaregiverBonnie left her home and family for 2 months to care for a friend who needed stem cell transplant surgery due to complications of post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis. Without a designated caretaker, her friend would not have been eligible to have the transplant surgery. The second category of recipients includes individuals whose continuous efforts have had a significant impact on the broader MPN community: David Wallace, Patient AdvocateDavid publishes PV Reporter and MPN Cancer Connection, informative websites for patients with MPNs. Diagnosed with polycythemia vera (PV), David is devoted to helping other patients get information and resources to help them live with their MPNs. Andrew Schorr, Patient AdvocateAndrews experiences with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and myelofibrosis inspired him to found Patient Power and Patient Empowerment Network, wellregarded online portals offering authoritative cancer information. Andrew travels widely to interview top MPN experts and also reaches out to patients in MPN support groups, offering knowledge to help them become more empowered and informed. Ann Brazeau, Patient AdvocateAnn is the founder and CEO of MPN Advocacy & Education International. Her devotion to grassroots education and services for the MPN community has made her a legendary patient advocateespecially for underserved populations. Patricia Koenig, Patient AdvocatePatricias cheerfulness and inner strength encourage others who live with PV. Patients may be searching for hope after they are diagnosed with PV, and they find it when they meet Patricia and hear her story of courage. In an effort to honor the four Heroes recognized for their impact on the broader MPN community and further increase awareness, Incyte will make a $25,000 charitable donation per recipient to an organization engaged in MPN activities. Keynote speaker Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, PhD, will join the hundreds of guests honoring the 2016 MPN Heroes and share new insights into the causes and cures of cancer. A graduate of Stanford University, Harvard Medical School and Oxford University, Dr. Mukherjee is a cancer specialist whose laboratory is at the forefront of discovering new cancer drugs using innovative biological methods. In his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, Dr. Mukherjee explores the origins and causes of cancer, its deadly effect on the human body, how it has virtually enveloped modern civilization, and the epic battles that are taking place to control, cure, and conquer it. Incyte Corporation is pleased to once again partner with CURE magazine to sponsor the MPN Heroes Program, said Herve Hoppenot, CEO of Incyte. Our goal with this program is to create as many opportunities as possible for people with MPNs to continually be heard and supported. Visit http://www.MPNHeroes.com to learn more about this years MPN Heroes, the 2016 Recognition Program Rules and Steering Committee members. Individuals or entities supported through funding or directed by Incyte are not eligible for consideration or recognition. Supporting the recognition of MPN Heroes and the MPN community is an ongoing effort of Incytes Voices of MPN awareness program. For every post made on The Wall of Voices, Incyte will donate $5 to the MPN Research Foundation. For more information, visit http://www.voicesofmpn.com. About CURE Media Group CURE Media Group is the leading resource for cancer updates, research and education. It combines a full suite of media products, including its industry leading website, CUREtoday.com; innovative video programs, such as CURE Connections; a series of widely attended live events; and CURE magazine, which reaches over 1 million readers. CURE Media Group is part of the Plainsboro, N.J.-based Michael J. Hennessy Associates, Inc. family of businesses, which includes the acclaimed OncLive (http://www.onclive.com) platform of resources for the practicing oncologist. For more information, visit http://www.curetoday.com or http://www.mjhassoc.com/. About Incyte Incyte Corporation is a Wilmington, Del. -based biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics. For additional information on Incyte, please visit the companys website at http://www.incyte.com. Follow @Incyte on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Incyte. Powershelf smart shelf developed for King's Hawaiian. By making more products available we are providing shoppers with a more positive shopping experience, while reducing the cost of restocking. This is a powerful first step into the future of retail. Powershelf and Hitachi Consulting are working with Microsoft to introduce smart shelves to US retail stores. The new Powershelf smart shelf units will be installed in 15 supermarkets of a leading Midwest supermarket chain. KINGS HAWAIIAN, Americas leading provider of Hawaiian food, will be the first to use the new smart shelves to reduce out-of-stock incidents and ensure shoppers can find its products while shopping this holiday season. By dramatically reducing the amount of time KINGS HAWAIIAN shelves are empty, the company is making customers shopping experiences a little less frustrating and also limiting the revenue that can potentially be lost when shelves are empty. The units consist of a series of shelves that hold and display products. Built-in Powershelf technology tracks product availability; when a shelf is empty, a restocking alert is automatically sent to store personnel. The solution utilizes Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Power BI to analyze when, where, and why products sell so fast, allowing retailers and consumer product companies to identify trends and avoid out of stocks before they ever happen. John Linehan, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at KINGS HAWAIIAN, was impressed with early pilot results and believes the technology will lead to better customer satisfaction and improved sales performance. Improving out of stocks is an important strategy for KINGS HAWAIIAN, and Powershelf will give us the data to manage this metric most effectively, said Linehan. We look forward to expanding this technology to as many of our retailers as soon as it is practical. KINGS HAWAIIAN and its respective retailers and distributors will be able to access data gathered by the unitsincluding historical out-of-stock incidents and loss of potential salesin real-time through the Internet of Things (IoT) with a customized digital dashboard co-developed by Microsoft and Hitachi Consulting. We have spent years working with our partners to develop this IoT solution that helps to solve out of stocks, and I am excited to see it introduced in time for this holiday shopping season, said Larry McWilliams Co-CEO of Powershelf. By making more products available we are providing shoppers with a more positive shopping experience, while reducing the cost of restocking. This is a powerful first step into the future of retail. Brendan O'Meara, Managing Director of Worldwide Retail at Microsoft, explained why the data gathered by these units is so valuable. Our collaboration with Powershelf enables us to leverage the Microsoft Cloud to combine a retailers inventory data with the data Powershelf sensors gather from the store floor and visualize it using Power BI tools, said OMeara. Decision makers can use their custom dashboard to see the state of their stores and supply chains in real-time and react much faster than in the past. About Powershelf Powershelf is a leading provider of retail technology solutions. The patented technologythe Powershelf systemprovides constant power and two-way communications to software-enabled applications and devices that deliver a variety of advertising, merchandising and pricing services to customers. Powershelf is designed to address the critical, ongoing challenges faced by retailers and CPG manufacturers around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.IOTsmartretail.com About Hitachi Consulting Corporation Hitachi Consulting is the global management consulting and IT services business of Hitachi Ltd., a global technology leader and a catalyst of sustainable societal change. In that same spirit and building on its technology heritage Hitachi Consulting is a catalyst for positive business change, propelling companies ahead by enabling superior operational performance. Working within their existing processes and focusing on targeted functional challenges, we help our clients respond to dynamic global change with insight and agility. Our unique approach delivers measurable, sustainable business results and a better consulting experience. About KING'S HAWAIIAN Founded more than 60 years ago in Hilo, Hawaii, by Robert R. Taira, KING'S HAWAIIAN is a family-owned business that for three generations has been dedicated to providing irresistible, original recipe Hawaiian foods made with Aloha Spirit. A priority for the company is sharing the Hawaiian Way a uniquely Hawaiian approach to hospitality based on graciousness, generosity, and a commitment to making everyone feel a part of the KING'S HAWAIIAN 'ohana' (extended family). KING'S HAWAIIAN makes the #1 branded dinner roll in the United States, along with other great Hawaiian foods. The company operates baking facilities in Torrance, California and Oakwood, Georgia. For more information, visit the company's website at http://www.KingsHawaiian.com, "Like" KING'S HAWAIIAN on Facebook and Follow KING'S HAWAIIAN on Twitter. Muralist Gayle Mangan Kassal gets students involved in creating school murals, painted on canvas adhered to Vycom's Celtec material. While I worked with Celtec differently in each project, I chose it for the same reasons for both: its durable, light weight, environmentally friendly, can be used almost anywhere, and is easy to work with, install and maintain.- Gayle Mangan Kassal Maryland artist and muralist Gayle Mangan Kassal recently selected Vycoms Celtec expanded PVC material for mural projects at two schools in the Anne Arundel County Public School District. She worked with students to create artwork depicting the schools culture and surroundings. I chose Celtec for both school projects because its durable, light weight, environmentally friendly, can be used almost anywhere, and is easy to work with, install and maintain, explains Mangan Kassal. The Meade Middle school in Fort Meade commissioned her to create a mural featuring their bulldog mascot to spruce up a dull white cafeteria wall. She worked with students to develop the concept and paint the mural. Since the mural hangs 10 high in the cafeteria, using Celtec let the students be involved in the painting without the safety risks of working on scaffolding, says Mangan Kassal, Knowing I could adhere a painted canvas to the sturdy Celtec when completed gave us the ability to roll up the working canvas each day, keeping it from occupying precious classroom space. For the middle school mural, she purchased -inch-thick Celtec from Piedmont Plastics in Elkridge, Maryland. "It looks amazing, says Principal Christine DeGuzman. The kids were very excited when they saw it. The mural at Tracey's Elementary School adorns a gray, 115-foot x 4-foot-tall exterior retaining wall that is along a busy road; it is the first image people see when arriving at the school. The Celtec panels were a terrific, environmentally friendly way to approach the enormous wall one panel at a time, says Mangan Kassal. Since it will not warp or crack, it will last longer in outdoor exposure and may also be removed easily if the school chooses to rework the mural in the future. For the wall, one-half-inch thick Celtec panels were used. Mangan Kassal finished the project by custom cutting each panel to mimic the contour of the landscape. She notes the durability, versatility and light weight of Celtec has revolutionized the way she creates her murals, for school, hospital and residental projects. Celtec has freed me from dealing with scaffolding, heavy wooden frames or backer board, and the time constraints of working on-site within a clients business hours. I can now paint where I need to and when I need to, and produce a piece the client will love, and have no difficulty installing or maintaining. Learn more about Gayle's work at http://www.GMKfineArt.com About Vycom Vycom, a division of CPG International, is dedicated to maintaining an environment where quality meets performance. Vycom offers the largest range of products, capabilities and inventory for all your Olefin and PVC needs. For more information, visit http://www.vycomplastics.com. About Piedmont Plastics Founded in 1968, Piedmont Plastics is an industry leader in the wholesale distribution of plastic sheet, rod, tube and film. Offering the most comprehensive assortment of top brands, and unrivaled product breadth, Piedmont delivers plastics solutions to more than 75 commercial and industrial markets. Operating from over 40 branch locations throughout North America, Piedmont provides the highest quality of service available in the industry. Each branch offers local inventory, value-added capabilities, and an expert sales team. Piedmont Plastics iswhere solutions take shape. For more information, visit http://www.piedmontplastics.com. Neal Barnard In keeping with the tradition of luminaries like Albert Einstein, who played violin, and Harvard researcher Rudy Tanzi, who played keyboards with Aerosmith, Barnards scientific innovations are complemented by his explorations in music. HyPR Media announces the release of the debut album by CarbonWorks, the adventurous musical ensemble led by DC-based composer and guitarist, Neal Barnard. The groups self-titled CD is officially released today on iTunes and all other digital music sites. The album showcases 11 tracks of Barnards original music that is a fusion of rock, blues, jazz, contemporary and Vietnamese music. Equally diverse are the CarbonWorks members, comprised of a classical string quartet, a jazz band, rock musicians, traditional Vietnamese musicians, and Barnard himself on guitar and piano. Among the artists featured on the album are award-winning Italian vocalist Naif Herin and New Orleans blues guitarist and actor, Chris Thomas King, best known for his supporting acting roles in the Coen Brothers film O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Ray. As a child in Fargo, North Dakota, Barnard studied piano, cello, and guitar, and took his love of music with him to Washington, DC, where he attended medical school while establishing himself in the DC music scene. Barnard started composing and recording songs in the 80s, and he played music professionally throughout his medical school and residency. With a penchant for the avant garde, Neal constantly writes songs that defy any genre categorization. He chooses unconventional time meters as well, in order to tilt the song ever so slightly and give you that little jolt between the ears, as he puts it. Be sure to check out the debut CarbonWorks CD - out today on all digital music sites! More about Neal Barnard CarbonWorks music will surprise those who know Barnard as the physician who has authored more than 70 scientific publications and 18 books, whose NIH-funded research revolutionized the nutritional treatment of diabetes, and who is a recognized authority on science and health. As founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and a faculty member at the George Washington University School of Medicine, the trailblazing physician has dramatically influenced U.S. nutrition policies, arm-wrestled with the food industry, and worked to replace the use of animals in education and research with kinder methods. In keeping with the tradition of luminaries like Albert Einstein, who played violin with symphony orchestras and Harvard researcher Rudy Tanzi, who played keyboards with Aerosmith, Barnards scientific innovations are complemented by his explorations in music. As a way of bridging together these two worlds, Barnard gives talks about his findings on how music profoundly affects the brain and why it beats heroin and Velveeta! For more info: CarbonWorksMusic.com NTI employees suit up to explore Boston I couldnt imagine a more perfect fit. Most of the employees who work for NTI wish that they could be a part of our events, but dont have the luxury of even leaving their own home. This technology closes the gap. ~Michael Sanders, Director of Marketing Robots will storm the Prudential Center in Boston, MA during the 31 Nights of Light Event on December 3rd, 2016. The event, which is held on the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities, will highlight the achievements of NTIs work with helping Americans with Disabilities back into the workplace. Suitable Technologies is partnering with NTI to showcase how technology can help individuals with severe disabilities be present even though they are hundreds of miles away. Crista Cliver, Director of Education and Museum Business Development at Suitable Technologies, stated, Suitable Technologies is proud to support this celebration for NTI and the work they continue to pursue to bring disabled working into the workplace. The Beam mobile telepresence system is a tool that NTI's members will utilize to have a presence in the workplace. The Beam is a remote telepresence device that allows colleagues to meet and collaborate through the use of a tablet or computer. Since most of NTIs 800 employees have a physical disability that prevents them from working within the office, Michael Sanders, Marketing Director of NTI, thought that the Beam might be able to provide employees the chance to enjoy an upcoming event and participate in a unique way. After contacting Cliver of Suitable Technologies, Michael soon found that he could have employees with disabilities attend the event. Michael stated, I couldnt imagine a more perfect fit. Most of the employees who work for NTI wish that they could be a part of our events, but dont have the luxury of even leaving their own home. This technology closes the gap. Suitable Technologies is no stranger to helping individuals with disabilities interact outside of their homes. Last year, during the ADAs 25th Anniversary reception at the White House, President Barack Obama invited Alice Wong, Disability Visibility Project Founder, to come and speak with him via BeamPro. This marked the first telepresence robot to meet a President in the White House. A year and a half later, 8 NTI employees are selected to participate in the training and attending the 31 Nights event. Christa is working with the participants to train them with a telepresence experience in Seattle, WA. However, some of the employees are experiencing their training from as far away as Florida. Cliver stated, I realized what type of change the Beam can have in someone's life the first time I watched a disabled Beam user pilot the device. They finally had total control over their path for this first time in years. Manny Napoles, who will be piloting one of the Beams stated, Im looking forward to doing something I never thought was possible! I cant wait to interact with an event supporting what we stand for; Americans with Disabilities. Cliver stated, When initially using the device, it can be daunting because it is a new technology. However, the interface Suitable Technologies designed is user friendly in order to reduce the "technology" and enhance the "humanity". The event is free and open to the public as well as the media. The ceremony and technology demonstrations will be held in the Atrium of the Prudential Building on December 3rd, between 4:30-7:30 pm. Further details are on the 31 Nights of Light website at http://31Nights.NTICentral.org. Event and media questions can be directed to Michael Sanders at msanders(at)nticentral(dot)org or 617-787-4426 x331 About National Telecommuting Institute National Telecommuting Institute, NTI was founded in 1995 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, NTI pursued a mission to identify and develop work-at-home jobs for home-based Americans with a disability. Since that time, NTI has successfully provided trained work-at-home employees to some of the largest U.S. government agencies, Fortune 500 companies and to smaller businesses to outsource and expand their customer service and technical support operations. Visit http://www.nticentral.org/learnmore for more information about how NTI assists Americans with Disabilities. About Suitable Technologies Suitable Technologies creates technology that provides a more enriching way to connect with people. Whether the goal is to reduce the high cost of business travel, or to stay in better touch with friends and family, Suitable Technologies builds products to let you be where you need to be regardless of where you are. Suitable Technologies designs and manufactures at the companys headquarters in Palo Alto, CA. Other communication tools trap you in a box. Suitable empowers you to explore and interact. Be there. Beam there. Contact: Michael Sanders National Telecommuting Institute 69 Canal Street Suite #3 Boston, MA 02114 Phone: +1-617-787-4426 Ext 331 Email: msanders(at)nticentral(dot)org Facebook: facebook.com/nticentral Instagram: instagram.com/nticentral If you are new to iQ you can schedule a demo and learn more about this opportunity. PSFK iQ - Where Innovators Turn for Research. Our professional-grade research platform is designed specifically for Retail and CX leaders who want to know whats next. Whether youre staying current on trends or need a real-time research partner to help you get ahead, count on PSFK iQ to deliver the info you need to make your next move. Mice, roaches, and flies have a regrettably great attendance record at some of the city's dirtiest public school cafeterias, according to a new report conducted by the State Senate and public school advocates. Using data from the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the report identified 31 schools of the over 1,800 in the system throughout the five boroughs whose cafeterias have received the equivalent of a "C" in fiscal year 2015-16. Of these 31 schools, 11 are in Brooklyn, eight are in Queens, five are on Staten Island, four are in Manhattan, and three are in the Bronx. The city grades public school cafeterias in the same way that it grades restaurants, but it doesn't convert the scores into publicly-accessible letter grades. In order for a cafeteria to obtain an "A" grade, it needs to score fewer than 13 points during its initial inspection. Cafeterias that score below an "A" can ask for re-inspectionif they fail to make the grade the second time around, they get a "B" if they score between 14 and 27 points or a "C" if they amass 28 or more points. Ralph McKee Vocational High School in Staten Island scored a whopping 48 points, making it the dirtiest school cafeteria in the city. Brooklyn's P.S. 361 came in second place with 46 points, P.S. 16, also on Staten Island, was in third place with 44 points. Inspectors found evidence of mice, flies, and roaches at all but eight of the 31 dirtiest schools. According to the report, mice-related violations are the most common of all vermin violations. In 2015-16, inspectors issued 442 mice-related violations to 320 different school cafeterias, the majority of them in Brooklyn. Manhattan's Sixth Avenue Elementary School, however, had the most serious mice problem of all the schools inspected. In one inspection, the school was issued six different mice-related violations and inspectors found approximately 400 mice droppings throughout the school's cafeteria. "The City preaches school safety over and over again, but as this report confirms, they overlook the most basic of safety concerns for our children," State Senator Tony Avella told Gothamist via email. "Parents should be able to send their children to school with the understanding that their children will return home in a better condition than when they left." Department of Education spokesperson Toya Holness said the DOE will "work with the Department of Health to make the reports more easily accessible to the public." A spokesperson from the Health Department told Gothamist that when compared to restaurants, public school cafeterias are relatively clean85.6% of school cafeterias scored an A, while only 59% of city restaurants score that high. "Letter grades at restaurants are popular because New Yorkers use them to choose where to eat, and that motivates the restaurants do to well," the spokesperson said. "Students can be confident that schools are serving food that is safe for them to eat." Sweet baby Jesus is this week over yet? Can I will myself to EOD Friday, so I can pretend the news doesn't exist for a solid 48 hours and watch The West Wing until my eyes bleed/I hit Season 5? SOON. Anyway, here are the subway service changes this weekend: 5 trains will not run in either direction between Eastchester-Dyre Av and E 180 St from 11:45 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. A trains will not run in either direction between Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd and Rockaway Blvd from 11:45 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. Coney Island-Stillwell Av bound D trains will make local stops between DeKalb Av and 36 St, with that change in effect from 12:01 a.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Monday. Norwood-205 St bound trains will skip 170 St, 174-175 Sts, and 182-183 Sts from 11:45 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. On that same track, trains will run express from Bay Pkwy to 62 St-New Utrecht Av, with that change in effect from 5:46 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Jamaica-179 St bound F trains will run express from Church Av to Smith-9 Sts from 11:45 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. On that same track, trains will reroute along the M line from 47-50 Sts to Roosevelt Av, also from 11:45 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. Court Sq-bound G trains will run express from Church Av to Smith-9 Sts from 11:45 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. Broad St-bound J trains will run express from Myrtle Av to Marcy Av from 3:45 a.m. Saturday to 10 p.m. Sunday. All M trains will run every 20 minutes from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday. Delancey St-Essex St bound trains will run express from Myrtle Av to Marcy Av during that time. All N trains will reroute along the Q line between Canal St and DeKalb Av, with that change in effect from 11:45 p.m. Friday to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, and again from 11:45 p.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday. During those periods, Coney Island- Stillwell Av bound trains will make express stops from Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr to 59 St. R trains will not run at all between Whitehall St and Atlantic Av-Barclays Ct from 11:45 p.m. Friday to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, and again from 11:45 p.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday. Also during that period, all trains will run express between Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr and 36 St, and Bay Ridge-bound trains will skip 45 St and 53 St. Trains will reroute along the Q line between Canal St and DeKalb Av in both directions from 6:30 a.m. to midnight on Sunday and Sunday. Bay Ridge-bound trains will skip DeKalb Av and run express from Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr to 59 St from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Trains will operate to/from the Jamaica-179 St F station in Queens from 6:30 a.m. to midnight on Saturday and Sunday. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Home Regional News East It's going to cost the city about $1 million per day to provide President-elect Trump with an adequate security detail every time he's in New Yorkand since he's decided to be a part-time president, he'll be here quite a lot, lucky us! But many New Yorkers are not super thrilled their taxpayer dollars will be wasted on this fucking guy, and now City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Council Member Dan Garodnick have introduced a petition asking Trump to reimburse the city for his costs. The petition, which you can sign online, calls on Trump to use federal funds to cover his security detail, citing a potential NYC taxpayer burden of over 1 billion dollars over the next four years. "We already stretch our municipal budget to provide basic services like police, sanitation, and the education of 1.1 million public school students. These services would suffer if we must divert funds to police protection," the petition reads. Moreover, the petition points out that Melania Trump's decision to stay in Trump Tower while their son, Barron, finishes school, will add an undue burden on local taxpayers, since it will require round-the-clock security that would otherwise be funded by the federal government in Washington, DC: Further, should you or your family members choose to reside in Trump Tower for any length of time following your inauguration, the cost of security for that time also should be borne by the federal government. While NYPD is both equipped and able to participate in ensuring your and your familys protection, we must not allow this cost to blow a massive hole in New York Citys budget. Of course, it's possible Trump really does not care that he's costing us so much cashit must be delicious revenge on all those snooty Manhattanites who laughed at him on Election Day! Plus, now he gets to collect rent from the Secret Service, what a boon! Mark-Viverito points out that Trump hasn't even said thank you. "Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked the values that represent New York City, while simultaneously drawing upon its resources without appreciation or acknowledgement, she said in a statement. His refusal to base transition operations out of the nations capital has placed an unprecedented financial and logistical strain on our city and its first responders, and it is simply unsustainable." The petition doesn't even address the traffic nightmare that'll envelop Trump Tower for the next four years, but you've gotta pick your battles in this political era. Chances of Trump addressing this petition earnestly are nil, but he'll probably tweet something about whiny City Councilfolk soon. For five months in 2015, photographer Jeremy Enlow was granted rare access to Waggoner Ranch in Texas, the largest ranch in the United States. The result was Enlows self-published hardcover coffee table book, Cowboys of the Waggoner Ranch, which Publishers Weekly called a handsome collection and beautifully depicted. The cowboys, some whom have worked on the ranch for over 40 years, dont have computers or four wheelers, Enlow says. They cowboy the way it was done 50 to 75 years ago. I wanted to document this way of life for younger generations before it disappears. Enlow says his goal for the book was just to break even: This was the first book Ive published, so I didnt really know what I was getting myself into. When that first run of 1,500 books was being unloaded in my studio, I looked at my wife and said, My gosh we are going to be giving away books for Christmas gifts the next 20 years. I was speechless when all those books sold out in 10 days. Enlow was most surprised by the power of marketing. He engaged the services of two marketing professionals: one dealt with traditional television, print, and web media, while the other handled with social media. You can produce the best book in the world, but if you dont enlist marketing experts, the book will never sell, he says. On the flip side you have to give the marketing folks a decent product to pitch. He adds: You cant sit idle after the book is published and expect it to fly off the shelvesWhatever time and money you expect to spend on actually producing your book, double that for marketing. We asked Enlow to share some tips for aspiring indie authors: Quality Matters Dont skimp on quality. Seek out the best in the industry to help you. Start at the top and work your way down... I wanted to create a book the cowboys would be proud of and people would display on their coffee table. We printed on the best paper we could find and had full color on every page. Dont Second Guess Yourself Everyone will want to give you advice. Some will be good and some will turn out to be terrible. At the end of the day its your book, so go with your gut and dont second guess. Surround yourself with industry professionals and your chances of success will go up. Deadlines Matter "From the very first photo shoot to the printed book in hand it took us less than eight months. Set hard deadlines and meet them. Otherwise you will always be fine-tuning a book and it will never hit the press. On Small Business Saturday (November 25), Elizabeth Bluemle and Josie Leavitt celebrated the 20th anniversary of The Flying Pig Bookstore with cupcakes and cider. What began as a tiny 850 sq. ft. childrens-only bookstore in Charlotte, Vt., in the same building with the post office, has grown into an award-winning general bookstore in Shelburne. Among The Flying Pigs honors are a Pannell Award for Childrens Bookselling and being named Best Childrens Bookstore in New England by Yankee Magazine. In the intervening years since they founded the bookstore, Bluemle and Leavitt have also gone on to become popular bloggers for Publishers Weekly. A blog post by Bluemle led to a bidding war for The SheepOver, a locally published picture book by Jennifer and John Churchman. On December 31, Leavitt will be leaving the store; Bluemle will stay on as sole owner. What made you decide to open a bookstore in Vermont? Josie Leavitt: We moved to Vermont from New York City in June, 1996. Both Elizabeth and I were teachers and writers and wanted to take our time to investigate schools before we chose jobs. A small building in Charlotte was for lease and we didnt want it to be [rented to a business that] the community couldnt use. We looked around our new town and saw lots of kids, and thought: Lets open a childrens bookstore. We signed the lease in September and opened 10 weeks later. Elizabeth was really the brains behind the store. She ordered all our inventory, and I coordinated the shelving and renovation of the space. Her experience working at a Crown Books in Los Angeles was invaluable, as I had no clue about the day-to-day operations of a bookstore. The name of the store comes from an expression that roughly translates into never, and yet the bookstore is entering its third decade. What are the bookstore achievements that you are proudest of during that time? J.L.: We are the proudest of still being here. We have bucked the odds and continued to thrive. We have weathered the storms of chain store pricing issues, the scourge of Amazon, and the advent of the e-book, and still customers flock to our store. We have tried to maintain our small bookstore feel with excellent customer service while being proactive for the bigger issues that all bookstore face. We have been able to introduce our customers to so many wonderful authors and illustratorsDav Pilkey, Jeff Kinney and so many more. Customers still remember when they met Steven Kellogg, Kate DiCamillo, and Howard Dean. I still remember the look on kids faces when we had our Harry Potter parties. Its been a truly amazing 20 years of connecting books and readers. With a change in ownership about to take place, how do you see that affecting the Flying Pigs mission? Elizabeth Bluemle: After 20 years, we are pretty solid in our mission and our approach to books and community. I think the biggest changes will come from the new staff weve hired and will hire. Each person arrives with different skills and passions and ideas, and those affect the bookstore in wonderful ways. In terms of Josie stepping back, we will miss her crazy, funny self (though she will visit often), but the change should be pretty smooth. Over the past year and a half, shes done more and more outside the store, and this summer and fall Ive taken over the pieces she is usually responsible for, so it wont be an abrupt shift. And Josie reminds me that whenever the computer system freaks out, shes just a phone call away. Successful bookstores are always changing. A decade ago you moved from Charlotte to Shelburne and added more adult titles. What changes do you see on the horizon and where would you like Flying Pig to be 10 years from now? E.B.: We are always refining our goals and hatching new ideas. Recently, Ive been rethinking events, trying to come up with creative, unusual ideas for author visits that will make them irresistible to our customers. And we have started doing a lot more partnering with other local businesses and organizations in interesting ways, which is invigorating and a lot of fun. Vermont is chock full of fantastic people doing innovative things, and one of the joys of having a bookstore is the opportunity to be involved in those projects. Weve also got a strong mission to get new books into the hands of kids who dont have the extra funds to buy them, and to get authors out to underserved populations. So we will continue expanding those efforts. Ten years from now? Im hoping some of the kids who have grown up reading at the bookstore will want to take over and fly the pig for at least another 30 years. A new store opens in California; an online bookseller searches for an offline Maryland location; Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day returns; and more. Kellys Books Opens in Watsonville, Calif.: After getting an eviction notice in March to make way for Kaiser Permanente, Kelly Pleskunas was forced to close Crossroads Books. Now thanks to a Binc grant and community support, she is opening a new bookstore on Saturday (December 3) in the Watsonville Square shopping center. Im just really happy to be back and have been so grateful for all the support, Pleskunas told the Santa Cruz Sentinel. Fundraising Campaign Begins for New Store in Baltimore: Earlier this week, Melissa Eisenmeier launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $5,000 to open a bricks-and-mortar bookstore in the Lauraville/Hamilton area in mid-February or March. She and her two cats currently operate an online bookstore from her home. Concerns Grow Over Long-time Hayward, Calif., Bookstore: The Book Shop, a long-time tenant in the historic Green Shutter Hotel, may have to find a new home. The buildings developer plans to relocate the bookstore to another part of the building. But customers fear that the developer will displace the 56-year-old bookstore entirely. The store is currently operating on a month-to-month lease. Firefly Bookstore to Relocate: In March, the Kutztown, Pa., bookstore is planning to move downtown into the space occupied by Jackie and Daughter Flowershop, which is closing at the end of the year. Bookstore owners Rebecca Laincz and Matthew Williams will expand the events area, provide more work space for staff, and grow a number of book sections. The Regulator Bookshop Turns 40: The longtime Durham bookstore is planning to celebrate the big day on Saturday (December 3) by giving back to the community with a 10% donation of the days proceeds to Book Harvest and The Durham Literacy Center. And, of course, there will be cake. Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day Returns on Saturday: Back for the sixth year in a row on December 3, the event, the brainchild of novelist Jenny Milchman, will be celebrated by more than 700 stores. Obituary: Bookseller & Rep Sam Krussman (1935-2016): Colwyn Samuel Krussman died on November 26; he was 81. Krussman, a Fulbright Scholar, and his wife, Marilyn, owned and operated the Greenwood Book Shop in Wilmington, Del., for many years. He also worked as a publishers representative for Oxford University Press. In 1997, he and Chris Kerr launched Parson Weems Publisher Services. A public memorial is planned for Krussman at 11 a.m. on Saturday (December 3), at Old Swedes Church in Wilmington. It will be followed by a reception at the Christina Cultural Arts Center. A Viola man was sentenced Thursday to 11 years in federal prison for robbing the Taylor Ridge post office in January 2015. In June, Walker L. Hampton pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois to robbery of U.S. government property, brandishing a firearm, felon in possession of a firearm and possession of stolen firearms, according to court documents. Mr. Hampton was sentenced to seven years for the brandishing a firearm charge and to four years for each for the other charges against him. The four-year sentences will be served concurrently and will follow the seven-year charge, totaling 11 years. He also will serve three years of supervised release following his imprisonment and must pay $102.80 in restitution and $400 for a special assessment, according to court documents. Mr. Hampton was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 20, 2015. Charges allege that, on Jan. 24, 2015, he "did rob and attempt to rob two postal employees of money and other property, according to the indictment. He is said to have possessed and brandished a Jimenez Arms 9 mm handgun during the robbery, therefore "endangering the lives of said postal employees," according to the indictment. He also was charged in connection with a Jan. 29, 2015, residential burglary. The indictment also says that on Feb. 25, 2015, Mr. Hampton was a convicted felon in possession of a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, a Smith & Wesson .40-caliber handgun and a Jiminez Arms 9 mm handgun. The shotgun and the Smith & Wesson handgun were stolen, court documents say. Mr. Hampton forfeited all of the firearms, magazines and ammunition involved in the offenses. WASHINGTON Area lawmakers are applauding a $611 billion defense policy bill that rejects a number of President Barack Obama's proposals. Lawmakers passed the legislative package, 375-34, sending it to the Senate where a vote is expected early next week. On Friday, area lawmakers said the bill will help ensure the long-term success of the Rock Island Arsenal and protect more than 6,000 jobs. As one of the largest employers in our region, the Rock Island Arsenal is the economic engine that drives our communitys success," said U.S. Reps. Cheri Bustos, D-Moline. "By passing today's defense authorization, were strengthening our national security and helping to ensure a brighter future for all of our communities. Rep. Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa City, said the bill plays a critical role in equipping our troops and spurring job growth" in the area. "The Arsenal is vital to the Quad Cities economy," he said, "and we must continue to work together to secure and strengthen its future." U.S. Sen.-elect Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. -- currently a U.S. Representative from Schaumburg -- served on the House Armed Services Committee that oversaw the bill. "Congress should do whatever it can to keep our nation safe and create jobs, especially manufacturing jobs," she said in a joint news release with Reps. Bustos and Loebsack. The release said the legislation will strengthen the Arsenal by requiring the Army to: -- Compile and submit to Congress a plan to ensure the long-term viability of federal military manufacturing facilities, including Army arsenals. -- Identify equipment, weapons and other items bought from foreign entities that could be manufactured in Army arsenals and other facilities. -- Report on manufacturing skills needed to sustain the readiness of the U.S. Armed Forces. The bill also prohibits Obama from following through on his longstanding campaign pledge to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; bars the Pentagon from reducing the number of military bases; and awards troops their largest pay raise in six years, surpassing Obama's recommendation. Even at $611 billion, House Armed Services Committee chairman, Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, said more money is needed to restock a U.S. arsenal worn down by 15 years of conflict. He said he is hopeful President-elect Donald Trump will ask Congress early next year to boost fiscal year 2017 military spending. The legislation authorizes a 2.1 percent pay raise for the troops a half-percentage point higher than the Pentagon requested. Sen. Jon McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said it's the largest military pay increase since 2010. The bill prohibits the Army from falling below 476,000 active-duty soldiers 16,000 more than Obama's defense budget had proposed and adds 7,000 service members to the Air Force and Marine Corps. The bill contains $5.8 billion in additional war-related funding Obama requested last month primarily for operations in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. That includes $2.5 billion to maintain elevated U.S. troop levels of 8,400 in Afghanistan as announced over the summer. About $383 million would pay for air strikes against Islamic State militants. Lawmakers avoided wading into social policy issues by stripping two contentious provisions from the bill: letting federal contractors discriminate against workers on the basis of sexual or gender orientation, and requiring for the first time in the U.S. that young women sign up for a potential military draft. On Thursday, the Obama administration declared its support for requiring women to register for the military draft. SILVIS -- City leaders plan to levy the same amount of money as they did last year. Council members will vote at their 6:30 p.m. Tuesday meeting to approve a $1,572,400 levy. An increase in the city's overall equalized assessed valuation, though, will actually decrease the tax rate from $1.7024 per $100 EAV to $1.6117, city administrator Jim Grafton and city clerk Jim Nelson said Thursday. The good news for taxpayers, is that "we're not going to collect more than we did last year, and we will reduce the tax rate," Mr. Grafton said. EAV has tripled since 1993, Mr. Nelson said. And it's twice as high since 2001, Mr. Grafton added. It went from $91,260,766 in 2014 to $97,562,600 this year, he said. "That's an increase in the EAV of 8.4 percent, and we attribute that to the investments made by residents and new business developments. Closing down the city's "TIF 3" contributed to a portion of the EAV increase, Mr. Nelson said, adding how it signifies the power of tax increment financing districts as a economic development tool. The EAV increase will benefit Rock Island County coffers by $48,000, and contributed $230,000 to school system budgets, Mr. Grafton said. The proposed levy still will allow the city to cover costs of its new police station, and it will add $200,000 to its restricted funds, as obligated by an ordinance enacted five years ago to reach a $2 million mark of reserves, Mr. Nelson said. It also will allow the city to fully fund fire and police pension costs that were significantly increased by poor investment returns plaguing other Illinois Quad-Cities municipalities. Silvis fire pensions increased by $4,681 to total $52,039, while police pensions jumped to $712,435, an increase of $295,108, according to figures provided by Mr. Grafton. The city plans to use $125,000 from replacement taxes to partially cover pension costs, he said. "We know taxes are a sensitive issue to all residents, and they need good news," Mr. Grafton said. "Why are my taxes are so high is the No. 1 question we hear," Mr. Nelson said. "It's hard to explain, but we want people to understand that the city of Silvis represents only 16 percent of their tax bill." The proposed "no-change" levy will save the average homeowner of a house valued at $100,000 EAV $30.20 per year in taxes, Mr. Grafton said. He also complimented the efforts of finance chairman Ald. Matt Carter, Ward 2, who first proposed the levy at an earlier committee meeting. Today is Friday, Dec. 2, the 337th day of 2016. There are 29 days left in the year. 1866 150 years ago: The partnership pf W.J. Kerr and J.L. Smedley was dissolved and Mr. Kerr continued the affairs of the business. 1891 125 years ago: Chief of Police William Miller appointed William Zeis as city electrician. 1916 100 years ago: The Rev. H.W. Reed resigned after 15 years as pastor of First Baptist Church. 1941 75 years ago: Rabbi Goldstein announced plans for celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Tri City Jewish Center. 1966 50 years ago: A long range program of plant rearrangement was announced today for the Farmall Works of the International Harvester Co. in Rock Island. It will result in the elimination of foundry work at Farmall by 1970 and the transfer of service parts distribution to the Broadview, Ill., plant. 1991 25 years ago: Three Casino Rock Island support boats left Peoria today on their trip down the Illinois River before heading up the Mississippi River to Rock Island. For months, workers in Peoria have been renovating the two antique tugboats and a vintage U.S. Army Corps of Engineers vessel to house a restaurant and corporate offices. Three boats will dock permanently at The Boat Works at the foot of 18th Street. Almost 50 Illinois counties have filed lawsuits against Democratic Governor, JB Pritzker, and the ill crafted SAFE-T Act. Introduced in the General Assembly by the Illinois Black Caucus, the Act passed the Democratic-led General Assembly in the wee hours of Jan. 13, 2021. Amongst many of its weaknesses and deficiencies, the Act eliminates cash bail, emboldens criminals, and makes it even more difficult for law enforcement to keep offenders off our streets. Public Safety personnel and States Attorneys across our great State have decried the legislation, noting that it was drafted and written with very little constructive input from Public Safety leadership, from either party; potentially impacting every Illinois community with dangerous consequences. Allowing perpetrators to bail out of jail, based on their good word that they will be glad to return to court is laughable, at best, and both ludicrous and dangerous, at worst. Soon after the SAFE-T Act was passed at the State level, the Republican-led Henry County Board drafted a resolution, requesting that the General Assembly repeal and replace the SAFE-T Act with a new criminal justice bill, this time with input from professional law enforcement, States Attorneys from across the State, and other Public Safety officials. We unanimously passed our resolution on May 19, 2022, and encourage all County Boards in Illinois to follow our lead. Our Republican-led Board in Henry County believes we all, Democrats, Independents, and Republicans, deserve effective and fair law enforcement in our communities. A ruling by the Illinois Labor Board could serve as the catalyst to starting the long process of improving the disaster otherwise known as the state's finances. The Labor Board unanimously ruled Nov. 15 contract talks between the state and Council 31 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees are at an impasse. That allowed Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration to impose its contract terms on the union that represents about 38,000 state employees -- and the governor started taking some of those steps the next day. The state notified workers of its intent to implement an employee merit pay plan and extend the work week to 40 hours before overtime is paid. AFSCME has said it plans to appeal the ruling, and although the union never has gone on strike against the state, even the possibility of it has local economic development folks worried that residents could be apprehensive about spending just as the holiday season kicks into high gear. The union says it wants Rauner to return to the bargaining table (they last met in January) and work on the "hard task of compromising" for a contract that should have started July 1, 2015. Rauner is under no obligation to negotiate. We recommend that he does, but only -- and this is mandatory in our eyes -- if a hard-and-fast expiration date is set so both sides come ready to negotiate. AFSCME must come to the table with a proposal that indicates the union understands just how precarious Illinois's finances are. The unfunded liability for the five state-funded pension systems is now nearly $130 billion. The state's backlog of unpaid bills stands at more than $10 billion. If spending continues as is and taxes are not increased, according to projections released last week from Rauner's budget director, the state will end this fiscal year with $13.5 billion in unpaid bills. If the status quo remains for five years, the unpaid bill backlog will hit more than $47 billion. Waking up from the state's fiscal nightmare is going to cause pain. It's unfair for pretty much everyone, and sadly, we've a long way to go before the agony ceases. Due to decades of poor decisions by Illinois politicians -- like annually kicking down the road state-obligated pension payments -- keeping the bigger picture in mind when considering any state expense commitment is mandatory. AFSCME has a harder task than other unions in negotiations because of the breadth of employees it represents. While the governor's office points to the 18 unions that have settled contract talkst, those unions combined represent about 5,000 people and are more likely to represent one type of employee. AFSCME has employees who range from caregivers for people with disabilities to corrections officers, and there is a correspondingly huge range in pay. AFSCME told this editorial board it hasn't presented its last/best offer. Here's their chance: Publicly release it. Let the public know what you're asking for, so taxpayers can judge the merits. The union should not dismiss some of the pragmatic proposals that the Rauner administration says are in its plan. Overtime kicking in after working 40 hours would mirror the federal standard. Getting 2 times pay, instead of 2.5 times pay, for working the "super holidays" of Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas seems generous as the private sector typically gets time and a half. While the motivations might have been purely political, two moves by the Rauner administration have made it seem responsive and inclusive. The union wanted bereavement leave for AFSCME members for the death of a child or stepchild -- Rauner says he will implement it. The merit pay plan for the first year will provide $1,000 bonuses based on attendance, and the governor wants union input on who should receive it for the remainder of the contract. The union needs to provide a different narrative if it expects any public pressure on the governor to return to the bargaining table. AFSCME must show taxpayers it understands cuts to personnel costs will be needed to help the state improve its financial situation. But this also is its chance to provide evidence for what a doubling of health care costs would mean for employees making $30,000 a year, and offer alternatives so we have something to compare. Make it compelling, so the governor's administration would look unreasonable to not give it consideration. An appeal will only drag out the conflict in court, and no one, not even AFSCME, wants a strike. A return to the bargaining table, with a firm date for an agreement set, could give taxpayers the decision they deserved months ago. Go To The Polls And Pull The Lever We hope everyone turns out to pull the lever next Tuesday (Nov. 8). Actually, new voters wont know what we are talking about, as the... Letters To The Editor Street Closure Dangers Neighbors, Friends, Citizens of NYC/QUEENS: Many may not know that NYC has decided to close off miles of streets to cars in... 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! The eight-car trains being procured under the Sydney Growth Trains contract will be built in China by CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles under a sub-contract arrangement with Downer, which will maintain the trains for 25 years in a deal which includes two optional five-year extensions. Downer says there will be more than 90% commonality between the new trains and the A-Set Waratah EMUs already in service with Sydney Trains. The additional EMUs are being ordered as part of the More Trains More Services programme, which aims to accommodate a forecast 21% increase in ridership on the Sydney Trains network over the next five years. The programme includes the implementation of a higher-frequency timetable on the T1 Western Line by the end of next year, an extra four express services per hour between Paramatta and Sydney in the morning and evening peaks, and three-minute-interval services at peak times. TfNSW says the tender for the Sydney Growth Trains contract has resulted in savings of $A 300m, which will be invested in the replacement of NSW TrainLinks XPT fleet, with a target of 100% of assembly in New South Wales. Harsco Rail, Harsco Corp.s railway track maintenance division, has landed new sales of its rail grinding machines throughout North America for service in RailWorks Corp.-conducted contract rail grinding programs. The company says its sales to RailWorks marks Harscos return to the North American contract grinding sector. Harsco Rail and RailWorks Maintenance of Way, Inc., formed a partnership in 2015 to provide grinding services to Class I railroads. RailWorks operating personnel conduct the services, with Harsco technical support. RailWorks currently has three Harsco grinders in service; the most recent entered service in November. A fourth unit is expected to enter service within the first six months of 2017. These sales have a cumulative value of approximately $20 million. Harsco grinders now feature the Jupiter II Control System, a laser profile measurement system, onboard dust collection and fire suppression, and an ergonomically-designed, noise-reducing operator cabin. Our win-win relationship with RailWorks in deploying these machines throughout North America addresses a key strategic objective for our business, said Harsco Rail President Jeswant Gill. We could not be more pleased to mark our return to this sector than by joining forces with one of the most trusted names in the contract services industry. Swedish commercial broadcaster TV4s C More subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service has committed to two seasons of the high-concept spy thriller series based on Swedish author Jan Guillous best-selling Hamilton books. The books centre on Swedish intelligence officer Carl Hamilton who, having been trained by the US Navy Seals and the CIA, becomes part of an illegal black ops and counter-intelligence cell within the Swedish military. Author and investigative journalist Jan Guillou was imprisoned for espionage after exposing a similar illegal spy organisation within the Swedish military. He subsequently used his knowledge of the world of intelligence and counter-intelligence as the basis for his 12 Hamilton novels.C Mores show is planned to go into production by the end of 2017 and is a co-production between Swedish IP-rights company IRLC, which is focused on Scandinavian scripted brands, and Dramacorp, which specialises in high-concept drama with international traction. Petter S Rosenlund, head writer of NRKs The Heavy Water War (Saboteurs in the UK), is already confirmed as head writer, and an international writer room is currently being set up. Dramacorp and IRLC are now in discussion with additional international broadcast and co-production partners on the series.We've been looking for a strong local production with international potential for quite a while now, and with Hamilton, we really feel that we found what we've been waiting for, said Josefine Tengblad, head of drama at C More and TV4. It's one of the strongest brands in the Nordic countries with a main character that the audience loves. The story also has a theme that shines light on what is going on in our world today. Dramacorp s Patrick Nebout, will executive produce the series together with Mia Sohlman, who recently produced SVTs political thriller Blue Eyes. Nebout added: Theres a good reason why the Hamilton books are the most popular spy thrillers in Nordic history: theyre inspired works of storytelling. Guillou writes with authority and authenticity, offering escapism that, unlike the James Bond end of the spy-thriller spectrum, is also totally and terrifyingly believable. As the company continues with its shift to convert its legacy back-office customer base to next-generation systems, SeaChange International has appointed Mark Tubinis as SVP, Engineering and Global Services. Tubinis brings to the company over 30 years of experience. Most recently, he served as SVP, Strategic Solutions, for home automation systems provider and IoT pioneer Savant Systems.Mark is extensively accomplished and deeply connected with SeaChanges core video service provider market, said Ed Terino, SeaChange CEO. With his background in continuous development methodologies, cloud products and IP networks, I anticipate Mark will quickly enhance the ability of our global engineering and service operations to optimise performance and produce new capabilities for our customers.Prior to Savant, Tubinis was CTO and SVP, engineering for Cedar Point Communications, a provider of PacketCable solutions, where he orchestrated the transformation of that companys on-premise technology franchise with cloud product introductions.Tubinis also served as a vice president in the mobile solutions division of Alcatel; and earlier in his career, he was president, CEO and CTO of Innovative Telecom, vice president of engineering and CTO of Summa Four, and entrepreneur in residence with Charles River Ventures.Tubinis holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Boston University and an MS in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Russian businessman appeals withdrawal of his claim against Lithuania MOSCOW, December 2 (RAPSI) - Russian businessman and former co-owner of the Lithuanian nationalized bank Snoras, Vladimir Antonov, has filed an appeal with the Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals against a lower courts ruling to drop his claim for collection of over 40 billion rubles ($630 million) from Lithuania, according to court records. The case was dropped on October 28. Earlier, Lithuanias authorities petitioned for dismissal of Antonovs application without prejudice or termination of the case. The defendant insisted that Lithuania had legal immunity, in accordance with a bilateral treaty signed with Russia. Antonov sought to collect more than 20.2 billion rubles ($324.5 million) in compensation from Lithuania for property damage and over 19.9 billion rubles ($320 million) in business reputation damage. Moreover, the plaintiff demanded to declare illegal information distributed by the countrys president Dalia Grybauskaite, who had criticized performance of Snoras managers before nationalization of the bank, and published in online media in 2011, accordinf to court papers. Snoras was part of Antonov's Convers Group. The Convers Group held 68.10 percent of the bank and another 25.3 percent was held by Baranauskas. In addition, the government of Latvia also announced that the Krajbanka bank, currently on the verge of bankruptcy and 60% owned by Antonov, would be nationalized. Antonov has been charged by Lithuanian authorities with embezzlement of EUR 565 million, forging documents and fraudulent accounting and put on the European wanted list. Antonov and his partner Raimondas Baranauskas, were arrested on November 24, 2011 in the United Kingdom and put in detention but later they were released on bail. Antonov left the United Kingdom trembling for his life. He could face up to 10 years in Lithuania's prison if convicted. New York State Authorizes Advanced Home Health Aides, Enabling More New Yorkers to Live With Dignity In their Homes and Communities New Law Will Allow Home Health Aides to Obtain More Advanced Skills and Provide Support for Caregivers ALBANY, N.Y. (December 2, 2016) The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) today announced a new law that establishes a job category known as Advanced Home Health Aides, home health aides who receive additional training and act under the supervision of a licensed registered professional nurse to carry out advanced tasks. The law will make it easier for New Yorkers to live in their homes instead of institutional settings and provide support to their family members who care for them. "Home health aides are a vital part of New York's healthcare system," said Commissioner of Health Dr. Howard Zucker. "The need for home health aides will continue to grow, and opportunities for advancement will encourage more people to enter this important profession. With this new law, we will have more skilled home health aides not only supporting their clients but helping individual caregivers by shouldering more of the burden of care." State Education Commissioner Mary Ellen Elia said, "By allowing authorized home health aides to provide expanded services to patients in home care settings, the AHHA legislation fills a known gap in care. We hope that this will result in substantial patient benefit. It is important that health care workers provide services at the top of their proficiencies, and this bill can enable that to happen.Our Department, as well as the Department of Health, will work to develop regulations and guidelines to ensure that the most appropriate services are provide only by adequately trained personnel." The law gives certified home health aides an additional career path by providing them with the opportunity to obtain more advanced skills. The tasks to be performed by advanced home health aides will include administering routine or pre-filled medications that are easy to give, such as injections of insulin or epinephrine, as well as other tasks to be defined in regulations. The regulations will take into account the guidance of a workgroup of stakeholders, which recommended that advanced home health aides be permitted to carry out tasks such as administering eye drops and applying topical medications to skin. Advanced home health aides will be supervised by licensed registered professional nurses employed by home care agencies, hospice programs or enhanced assisted living residences. The idea to establish a category of advanced home health aides grew out of a workgroup convened by the Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) in 2011. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo proposed making the necessary statutory changes in several of his Executive Budgets and a 2014 Program Bill. The final bill was passed earlier this year in June. Today's signing enables the New York State Education Department and the NYSDOH to move forward with the development of regulations to specify the advanced tasks that could be performed by advanced home health aides, as soon as 18 months from today. Individuals who meet the qualifications, training and competency requirements outlined in the regulations will be able to perform as advanced home health aides and listed in the state's Home Care Registry. With this measure, the State takes another step towards fulfilling its commitment reflected in the work of the MRT, the State Health Innovation Plan, the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment Program, and the State's Olmstead Implementation Plan to promote a workforce aligned with these ongoing transformative efforts, improve access to coordinated, quality care that enhances individual quality of life and population health, and ensure that individuals with disabilities receive the services and supports they need in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs. Senator Ken LaValle said, "This new law will improve the quality of life for ill family members who require the administration of certain medications. It creates a new level of advanced home health aides who will be able to administer medications at homeunder the supervision of a registered professional Nurse. Assisting families with alternative home health care options while protecting patient safety is the number one priority of this legislation." Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick said,"New Yorkers with disabilities should not need to leave their homes and communities in order to receive the supports and services they require. Upon receiving additional training, demonstrating sufficient proficiency and under the supervision of a licensed registered nurse, advanced home health aides are poised to make it easier for disabled New Yorkers to safely receive quality healthcare at home. I applaud Governor Cuomo for signing this important legislation into law." George Gresham, President of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, said, "We thank the Governor for signing the Advanced Home Health Aide bill championed by Assemblymember Glick and Senator LaValle as well as the Assembly and Senate leadership. This important legislation will ensure that seniors, people with disabilities and other vulnerable New Yorkers can receive the quality services they need at home. It will also create a career ladder for home care workers who deliver those services. This was a years-long effort by workers, consumers, providers and other advocates to improve our long term care services and we are very gratified that it this is now law. We look forward to working with Governor Cuomo's administration on its implementation." Lindsay Miller, Executive Director for the New York Association on Independent Living, said, "We applaud the Governor and legislature for supporting the right of seniors and people with disabilities to stay in the community by establishing the advanced home health aide program. Once implemented, this program will help thousands of New Yorkers to leave nursing facilities and other institutions and receive the services they need to live independently and age in place in the community." Dave McNally, the New York Director of Government Affairs and Advocacy at AARP said, "We are grateful to the Governor, Senator LaValle and Assemblymember Glick, for their commitment to creating the position of advanced home health aide, which will help New Yorkers age where they preferin their own homes. With a rapidly aging population, the need for home health aides is only going to increase, especially for aides who can meet the basic healthcare needs of older New Yorkers." Carol Rodat, Senior Program Manager at the Center for Health Workforce Studies, said, "This new law prepares the home health aide workforce to play a more active role in the care of our citizens who need and desire care in their homes and communities. Retention of the aide workforce will be improved and home health aide skills will be enhanced. As New York endeavors to provide high quality accessible care to those in need, the Advanced Home Health Aide is an important step towards this goal." Nice birds, Mike, was a greeting I often heard from visitors to my government offices over the years. I took these stuffed symbols of my occasional hunting success with me from my job in Oregon to Idaho, a reminder of the amazing outdoor opportunities we have in the Northwest. Those mounts, frozen on the shelf watching me type memos and meet with stakeholders, also came to signify the conflicts inherent in managing natural resources on public lands. It was my job, first for the State of Oregon and then for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), to help strike a balance between wildlife and other uses of our valuable land. While working for the Governor of Oregon, in 2007 the State adopted a target of 25% renewable energy by 2025. Soon after, the U.S. Department of the Interior identified renewable energy development as a priority. In early 2010, the Governors Office and Interiors Bureau of Land Management (BLM) began to explore through a collaborative process how best to address common interests in pursuing renewable energy opportunities that meet the affordability and reliability goals, foster social and economic responsibility in the use and management of lands and resources, and support conservation and restoration of habitat needed to sustain the health and diversity of ecosystems. BLM leaders and I convened a series of meetings with stakeholders and other agencies, focusing largely on the issue of siting wind energy in sagebrush territory. Sage grouse -- a more charismatic and at-risk bird than the chukars in my office -- was on the radar of USFWS for potential listing under the Endangered Species Act. So any energy development in sagebrush had to be planned carefully to avoid impacts to sage grouse habitat. When you drive through Eastern Oregon today, particularly along the Columbia River, youll see rows of wind energy turbines generating clean energy. But Oregon found out the hard way that not all sites are a good fit for siting renewable energy. Case in point: Steens Mountain in the remote southeastern part of the state. In 2000, Congress established the Steens as a Cooperative Management and Protection Area due to its unique landscape and ecology, including large swaths of known sage-grouse habitat. The designation added protection to approximately 900,000 acres of federal land managed by the BLM. Rising from the flat desert landscape to a summit elevation of 9,733 feet, this mountain also showed promise from a wind capacity standpoint. By the late 2000s, wind developers were conducting studies and seeking permits to move the process forward. In 2011 the Secretary of the Interior approved a plan allowing construction of up to 70 wind turbines and a high-capacity transmission line on Steens Mountain. Not surprising, environmental groups challenged the approval, citing numerous impacts to wildlife habitat. Fast forward to May 2016, the environmental groups won; a federal appeals court rejected BLMs approval of the wind project because the agency didnt adequately survey the habitat to determine its importance for sage grouse or analyze impacts on that habitat. What must have been frustrating to the wind energy developers was the level of resources invested to make the project work in an area that, from the very start, was clearly in conflict with wildlife values. The State of Oregon had a mandate for renewable energy, and the developers were trying their best to deliver but got caught in an unpredictable and expensive process, only to be told NO in the end. Fortunately for energy developers and conservationists, the BLM has a new approach. I am excited with the recent release of the final rules for siting renewable energy on public lands. These rules provide more certainty for developers than the current process while also prioritizing development outside of areas with other important values. Companies will have a better understanding of the process and how much it costs up front, so that there are no surprises later. As a former federal government employee, I am pleased to see the rules emphasis on pre-planning to identify appropriate places for development and then siting decisions leading to better outcomes for companies that are trying to develop. These new rules take that approach. By incentivizing development in designated areas that are low in conflict with wildlife, we can avoid conflicts like the Steens Mountain. Had these BLM renewable energy siting rules existed when I started working on these issues 10 years ago, there would have been a lot less money and time unnecessarily spent striving to meet Oregons visionary clean energy targets. I am pleased that President Obama and Secretary Jewell have finalized rules that will steer renewable energy in the right locations to help fight climate change and protect our public lands and the rich diversity of wildlife they support. On December 4, Italians will vote on constitutional changes aimed at streamlining the countrys complex political system. Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has said he may resign if the reforms are defeated, raising fears of prolonged political instability in Italy and renewed economic turbulence across Europe. If Renzis government falls, the governments bank rescue efforts could be impaired. That uncertainty could easily generate a self-fulfilling run on the banks as capital pulls out of the country, says CFR Senior Fellow Robert Kahn in a written interview. Italys problems reflect the vulnerability of the broader European economy, he says, and trouble in its banking system could tip the continent back into crisis. After attacking the North American Free Trade Agreement repeatedly during his campaign, Donald Trump notably failed to include NAFTA on his agenda for his first day in the Oval Office. Perhaps he has learned that the Constitution prevents the president from terminating our trade agreements by himself. Property details: INVEST IN THE WEST! We are constantly adding to our inventory of quality, cheap vacant land in the Western U.S. We take pride in offering you properties priced well under the competition. We offer prompt, professional and friendly customer service, easy and flexible payment terms, and we never charge you any processing fees or interest. 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Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy , We're sorry, this article is not currently available BUTTE -- Jefferson County has agreed to settle for $125,000 with a man who sued the county in federal court after he was raped in the Boulder jail by another prisoner in 2013. The two parties met on Nov. 17 in Butte federal court to begin settlement negotiations before the lawsuit went to trial. Both parties have now agreed to drop the suit, according to court documents. According to court documents, Audemio Orozco-Ramirez, a Mexican national and longterm U.S. resident, was arrested on Oct. 2, 2013, after being racially profiled and arrested by police in Sidney, in northeastern Montana, as a passenger in a traffic stop. Sidney police turned Orozco-Ramirez over to border patrol officers, who sent him 500 miles west to be held in the Jefferson County jail in Boulder, a facility contracted with the Department of Homeland Security. Orozco-Ramirez alleged in the lawsuit that he was raped by a group of other inmates at the jail, which would not have happened had Jefferson County followed the requirements of the Prison Rape Elimination Act. A stipulation of the deal means Jefferson County is not admitting liability despite negotiating and settling with Orozco-Ramirez. "The amount of the settlement reflects the merit of the lawsuit and the seriousness of the county's failure to protect Mr. Orozco-Ramirez when he was sexually assaulted in their custody," said Orozco-Ramirez' attorney Shahid Haque-Hausrath, of Helena. The lawsuit now settled, Orozco-Ramirez, a father of seven, faces deportation. According to Haque-Hausrath, his client has not yet been granted a "U visa" -- the type created by Congress for victims who cooperate with investigations by law enforcement. Haque-Hausrath said proof of Orozco-Ramirez' cooperation has yet to be provided. Following the attack at Ohio State University on Nov. 28 that sent 11 people to the hospital, several students at the University of Georgia became more aware of the possibility for violence in their everyday lives, and the role UGA police play in ensuring student safety. Interest rates are rising again. What you need to know to prepare. Wondering what to get the men in your life this holiday season? Rex Huppke has some ideas. (Dreamstime / TNS) So, it's time to buy people presents. Again. And while there are very concrete rules about what not to get the special people in your life, getting it right isn't always as easy. Until now. Here are the most thoughtful gifts to get for your most cherished loved ones. You're welcome. Your foodie friend Advertisement With the stomach-churning news that Chicago's Department of Health is not actually inspecting "high-risk" food establishments twice a year, as is required by the state, it seems that most of us have regularly been playing Ahi Poke Roulette. Whip up a little homemade first-aid kit for your culinarily curious pal: Pepto-infused sriracha and a reusable, eco-friendly barf bag. Paul Kahan Advertisement Speaking of foodie friends, congratulations are in order for One Off Hospitality's chief mate and his team for the much-anticipated opening of Publican Anker in Wicker Park. Kahan could probably use a dictionary, though. (Note: Not "tho.") Do they still make those? Or do we blame the twee spelling of "anchor" on an autocorrect mistake after having one too many at The Violet Hour? Your boss "What's that? Everyone needs to stop what they're doingthe thing you said was so very important on Tuesdayand totally shift gears to this other thing? For no discernible reason or guaranteed outcome?" If you've got a boss who can't make up his or her mind, likes to pop open a million different ideas that contain zero substance and eventually all fall flat gift wrap LaCroix's new Holiday Variety Pack (really!), now available at Mariano's. Chicago's rat population Remember last winter, when there was that rash of smash-and-grab Canada Goose parka thefts? I'd like to think the Goose burglars stole those $800 coats to turn them into hundreds of teeny, tiny little rat-sized jackets for underground distribution. You know, to save them from Rahm's plan to murder them with dry ice. Your Hillary Clinton-loving sister Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. > She's depressed. She needs sunlight and exercise. Get her a one-way ticket to Chappaqua and a Gandalf-style walking stick. What's the modern American feminist version of a walkabout? A Hill-hike. It seems that 87 percent of Twitter users have had a run-in with Hillary during a recent hike spike, so give your sad sis something to live for. Your Donald Trump-loving aunt Advertisement She loves her Second Amendment rights and her glue gun equally. She enjoys poorly crafted tweets from our president-elect and well-crafted Mod Podge projects. Get her a gift card to Michaels. That one's almost too easy. Yourself This holiday season, don't forget the most important person in your life. 2016's been a real doozy, so give yourself the gift that keeps on giving, or at least foaming: a fire extinguisher to have on hand in advance of 2017, should it prove to be an equally enormous and destructive dumpster fire. Follow Liz Kozak on Twitter (@LizKoz). Get more from The Second City at secondcity.com The Hyundai Elantra is a well-known name in India, thanks to the striking design language used both the times it was introduced in the country, i.e. in the year 2000 and later in 2012. Now Hyundai has decided to launch the sixth generation car in India to re-capture the D-segment sedan throne. Indian automotive website MotorBeam.com got its hands on the car and decided to run the classy sedan through its paces. The outgoing Hyundai Elantra had a swanky design language that looked very eye catchy whereas the new sixth generation vehicle adopts a more mature and grown-up look - the kind of styling that suits more to D-segment sedans. The front profile is dominated by a chrome highlighted hexagonal grille accentuated with L-shaped projector fog-lamp housing. The side profile now has an elegant and sober look, having a straight shoulder line that highlights the length of the car. The twin 5-spoke alloys look neat and even the coupe-style roofline merges with the boot quite well. At the same time, the rear looks youthful and sharp with the LED pattern on the tail lights. Inside, the new dashboard design is eerily German-looking. The car now offers mature interior styling which looks uncluttered and more user friendly than before. The cabin is all-black with brushed silver elements and the three-spoke steering feels great to hold. Some of the key features include keyless entry and go, 10-way power adjustable seat, drive mode select, etc. The rear seat cushioning is perfect with good support and legroom is excellent. The 8.0-inch touch-screen infotainment offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Sound quality is excellent and even the navigation system looks modern. As the car will be primarily chauffeur driven in India, it gets dual-zone automatic climate control system which has a strong and silent airflow all the way to the rear passengers. The fit and finish is excellent and its hard to find any rough edges. Hyundai is using a new 2.0-litre petrol engine which punches out 151 HP of power. This engine comes mated with both manual and automatic transmissions. We got a chance to drive the petrol automatic variant and the new motor feels quite peppy with a strong mid and top-end. This engine delivers an ARAI certified fuel economy of 14.59 km/l and 14.62 km/l with both the manual and auto gearboxes respectively. The diesel is the same tried and tested 1.6-litre U2 CRDI engine which is now more refined. It still delivers the same 127 HP of power and 260 Nm of twisting force. Mated to this oil burner is a 6-speed automatic and manual transmission. Hyundai claims that the diesel Elantra is the most fuel efficient sedan in its segment delivering 22.54 km/l as per ARAI standards. The biggest improvement in this Elantra comes in the driving dynamics department. Hyundai has used Advanced High Strength Steel in the body frame which makes the structure more rigid and lighter, thereby improving handling characteristics. Though the handling has greatly improved, it still doesn't beat the car's German rivals. Ride quality is also now considerably improved and there is no notorious Hyundai-trademark bouncy feeling even when the car is fully loaded. The ride is cushioned even on undulated surfaces. Braking performance is progressive with the usual good pedal feel and bite. The sixth-generation Elantra is loaded with many safety equipments such as 6 airbags, ABS, ESC, Vehicle Stability Management and Hill-Start Assist Control. Hyundai is well known for its after sales service and with the launch of the new Elantra, the Korean carmaker announced new Hyundai Premium Assurance Program. Hyundai claims that this is the best Elantra they have ever made, and we whole-heartedly second that. The car is set to re-create the magic shown by the last generation Elantra and therefore it will once again become the best-seller in its segment. Powered by Through this mobile application, the handset will be used for authenticating biometrics of customers making Aadhaar enabled payment. As the cashless drive gathers steam, the NITI Aayog is soon planning to hold a high-level meeting with telecom companies to enable Aadhar-enabled online transactions through mobile phones. It is concurrently working on developing a common mobile phone app that can be used by shopkeepers and merchants for receiving Aadhaar-enabled payments bypassing credit and debit cards, pin and password. Through this mobile application, the handset will be used for authenticating biometrics of customers making Aadhaar enabled payment. The Unique Identification Authority of India, the authority that generates Aadhar, has planned to increase biometric authentication capacity through Aadhaar to 40 crore a day from 10 crore to encourage more use of the platform for realising a cashless society. UIDAI will eventually increase its biometric authentication capacity to 40 crore, UIDAI Chief Executive Officer Ajay Bhushan Pandey told reporters in New Delhi. He further said, "We will create awareness about this mode of transactions. We will eventually create capacity for 40 crore authentications. Yesterday, 1.31 crore Aadhaar-enabled biometric authentications were reported. We will increase it gradually." He explained that these biometric authentications include attendance marked by employees of government establishments. The initiative can help the government deal with situations like recent demonetisation and curb black money menace while bringing in more financial transaction transparency. The 12-digit number has already been issued to 1.08 crore people and 99 per cent of adults have been covered. People can link their Aadhaar with their bank accounts and use Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) for funds transfer, balance enquiry, cash deposits or withdrawals and inter-banking transactions. The biometric authentication capacity of AEPS is 10 crore, which will be eventually raised to 40 crore, the CEO said. AEPS allows users to make payments to merchants or shopkeepers without credit or debit cards using their Aadhaar number and biometric authentication. They just need to quote Aadhaar and authenticate it through biometrics. The money is directly transferred from the customer's bank account to the merchant's. Subscribers of 118 public and private banks can use AEPS at present. NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said the government is working on incentivising cashless transactions and disincentivising cash transactions. "We are asking mobile manufacturers to see if all mobiles made in India should be in-built with iris or thumb identification system to help Aadhaar-enabled transactions," Kant said. Kant is part of the chief ministers' committee that will lay out a road map for implementation of digital payments over the next one year. The first meeting is scheduled today. IT Secretary Aruna Sundarajan said the ministry has kept aside Rs 100 crore to incentivise enrolment of merchants on to the digital platform to help push the drive. "IT department is providing an incentive of Rs 100 for every merchant enrolled through over two lakh common service centres across India. The ministry will undertake a major outreach communication campaign starting from Monday," she said. Photograph: Devjyot Ghoshal. Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa and Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das have been summoned by the PAC. Amit Agnihotri/Business Standard reports. Parliament's Public Accounts Committee has decided to summon Reserve Bank of India Governor Dr Urjit Patel, Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa and Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das in the first week of January to assess the impact of demonetisation. "The panel will find out why demonetisation was done; if the government was adequately prepared for it; whether the operation has been successful and how the government stands to benefit," PAC Chairman K V Thomas told Business Standard after the panel took the decision on Thursday. Extending support to the drive against black money, Thomas, a Congress member in the Lok Sabha, said these issues were important and the panel thought it proper to seek responses from key government departments involved in the process of demonetisation. Thomas has asked PAC members to frame questions accordingly so that they may be forwarded to respective departments. The PAC move comes amid a bitter fight between the government and the Opposition over the banning of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes on November 8 that has resulted in a deadlock for the past 10 days within Parliament. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, a well-known economist, has questioned demonetisation saying GDP will go down by 2% owing to currency reform. The Opposition's main charge against demonetisation is that the move has brought immense hardships to millions of people who had to queue up outside banks and ATMs to withdraw their own money. Noting the move will dent the informal economy which accounts for around 40% of the country's economy and deals in cash, they have said that Modi is to be blamed squarely for the over 80 deaths due to demonetisation. The Opposition has also targeted the government, which has issued over 100 new instructions related to demonetisation since November 8. "This proves the government was ill prepared and is dealing with the issue in an ad hoc manner," Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said. IMAGE: Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das, left, with Reserve Bank of India Governor Dr Urjit Patel. Photograph: PTI Photo While the government has the option of ensuring the passage of these Bills as money Bills, there are voices within the government advising discretion on the GST roll-out by April 1, report Business Standard's Archis Mohan and Amit Agnihotri. Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com Forecasts about the adverse impact of demonetisation on the economy have weakened the Narendra Modi government's resolve to push the goods and services tax related Bills in the ongoing winter session of Parliament. The Finance Minister Arun Jaitley-chaired GST Council will meet on Friday, not just under the shadow of protests by the West Bengal and the Kerala governments -- both of which are of the view that the time is not right for the GST rollout because of the brunt that state finances have suffered after demonetisation -- but also a 'wait and watch policy' of the Congress-ruled state governments. While the government has the option of ensuring the passage of these Bills as money Bills, there are voices within the government as well advising discretion on the GST roll-out by April 1, 2017. They have argued the new tax regime could prove to be a double whammy for trade, which is already looking at a slump in the near term because of the currency purge. Senior government strategists, however, were hopeful of officials reaching an agreement that would help the government convince Opposition parties. But if consensus eludes, the government could blame the Opposition for defeating, yet again, its fight against corruption and black money. Some in the government -- if it is decided to defer introducing the GST-related Bills in this session -- don't rule out ending the session before its scheduled closure on December 16. Parliament has been unable to transact any business, ever since the start of the session on November 16, and the Opposition parties showing little signs of relenting on their protests, the prospects of a smoother next week look dim. The Congress Parliamentary Party is slated to meet on Friday morning to decide its strategy in the two Houses for the next week. A last-minute rapprochement with the government aside, the partys disruption of the proceedings on Thursday indicated it might persevere with its protests. In the Rajya Sabha, Prime Minister Modi made an appearance when the House convened at 2 pm, but Congress Members of Parliament continued to demand an apology from the PM for accusing the Opposition of supporting black money. Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi is likely to chair the meeting of the party's lawmakers, since party President Sonia Gandhi is unwell. In deciding its strategy, the Congress would factor the support of its Bihar allies, the Janata Dal-United and Rashtriya Janata Dal, to the note ban. The Congress will also discuss its strategy on the Taxation Laws (Second Amendment) Bill, which the Lok Sabha passed on Tuesday and the government introduced in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Even if the House does not discuss the 'money Bill,' it will be deemed passed after 14 days. The Congress would weigh on whether it should let the House function, discuss the Bill and reject it, along with a united Opposition, to embarrass the government. On GST, Congress insiders said they were awaiting the proceedings in the GST Council meeting on Friday. Congress-ruled state governments will oppose the four-tier tax structure and the highest upper limit of 28% tax, against the 18% it has demanded. The Congress vice-president is unmoved in his view of an 18% cap, having stated any percentage above this will adversely impact small traders and the aam aadmi. As for the government, proroguing the House early has the added advantage of not waiting for 14 days to lapse before the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill is notified. It can then issue an Ordinance the following day, and will get a wider window to collect unaccounted money for the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana. Demonetisation another GST headache Administrative control has proved to be the most contentious issue in GST, reports Dilasha Seth/Business Standard Demonetisation and division of turf between central and state officials seem likely to weigh heavily at the two-day Goods and Services Tax Council meeting beginning on Friday. Chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, with states' finance ministers as members, it will debate the four draft GST legislations. Approval to these is needed if they are to be introduced in the ongoing winter session of Parliament, crucial to meet the April 1 deadline for the GST roll-out. The meeting might not be smooth sailing, with some states expected to raise stiff opposition over the demonetisation of high value currency. "We hope for a consensus to emerge. If the bills are approved, we will try and table it in Parliament by next week," said an official. The Centre will aim to create a consensus on the issue of dual control with states, by recommending division of a random 5% of assessees picked by a computer-based system for audit and scrutiny at the beginning of the year, instead of a division through a turnover-based threshold, termed horizontal division. "As in the case of income tax, where the assessee does not know who the assessing officer is, there could be something similar in GST as well," said the official. While there has been wide consensus between Centre and states against dual administrative control, there have been differences over division of powers. States want sole administrative control over assessees with annual turnover up to Rs 1.5 crore (Rs 15 million) and division of control or cross-empowerment over that. The Centre has had a stiff objection to that and pressed for cross-empowerment for all assessees. It will recommend a division of only 5% of assesees to be scrutinised. "There should be no human interface. The 5% of assesees to be picked randomly for scrutiny or audit by a computer-based GST Network could be divided between Centre and states," said a senior official. The Centre has offered alternatives in the draft model GST Bill to sort the turf issue, including the recommendation mentioned. West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra said on Wednesday that the timing was not right for GST implementation, given the impact on state finances because of demonetisation. Mitra said the states were experiencing a huge fall in revenue as demonetisation had hit tax collections from hotels, transportation and small manufacturers. 'There is deep concern that the GST will not come to Parliament in a democratic manner. If it comes, it will come as a money bill... In every sphere, the democratic spirit is being violated by the Union government,' Mitra said. Administrative control has proved to be the most contentious issue in GST, delaying the finalisation of legislation. The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre to spell out measures taken to ease the sufferings and inconvenience of people in rural areas, who are mostly dependent on co-operative banks, post-demonetisation. A bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice D Y Chandrachud, while hearing a batch of pleas challenging various aspects of demonetisation, said all the parties should sit together and prepare a list of categories of cases which could be referred to high courts and those that could be heard by the apex court. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the Centre, said the government was aware of the situation in co-operative banks which lack proper infrastructure and mechanism as compared to scheduled banks. "Entire chapter in the additional affidavit filed by the Centre is dedicated to the issue of co-operative banks. It is not that we are not aware of the situation but these (the co-operative banks) lack proper facilities, mechanism and proper infrastructure as compared to scheduled banks," he said. He said the government has deliberately kept co-operative banks out of the drive as these did not have the expertise to detect fake currency. Rohatgi said, "Several cases are filed each passing day in various high courts on various aspects post demonetisation and it is not possible to deal with cases simultaneously in Kerala, Kolkata, Jaipur and Mumbai... All these matters should be clubbed together and be referred to any one high court or the apex court should hear them." Senior advocate P Chidambaram, appearing for co-operative banks, questioned the government's decision, saying that the rural economy was almost paralysed due to the non-inclusion of co-operative banks. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for one of the petitioners, suggested that they will sit together and file the list of categories by Monday. The bench then posted the hearing on the matter to December 5. Image: Kolkata saw a massive protest on November 28, 2016, against the Centre's demonetisation drive. Photograph: Swapan Mahapatra/PTI Photo. Jios 100-million subscribers target appears an uphill task in the next one month, believe analysts. Also, the existing subscribers are already witnessing slowdown in data speed thanks to the high traffic. Reliance Industries move to extend the free services of its telecom venture Reliance Jio till March 31, 2017, was largely on expected lines. This means the capitalisation of Jios losses and its break-even will be pushed further forward. Notably, clarity on the monetisation or commercial launch of Jio is a requisite for any re-rating of the RIL stock. Clarity on operational and financial details of Reliance Jio would have helped ascribe a valuation to the company and acted as a big catalyst for RIL stock, says Sanjay Mookim of Bank of America Merrill Lynch. This is now pushed out by another three months, he adds. The company has, so far, made huge investments -- about Rs 1.45 lakh crore in Jio and Rs 14,000 crore towards new spectrum purchase. The management expects to further shell out Rs 18,000-crore capital expenditure (capex) for Jio this financial year. The company has also given a capex forecast of Rs 2.5 lakh crore in this venture, depending on the performance and data usage. Thus, there is uncertainty on the amount of capex for telecom in FY18. Total number of subscribers and average revenue per user (ARPU) are key in determining the success of Jio, believe analysts. The company had targeted a total subscriber base of 100 million users by the end of 2016 and has achieved 52 million since September. The 100-million subscribers target, thus, appears an uphill task in the next one month, believe analysts. The key question is, will this extension trigger fresh churn of subscribers towards Jio? The answer is not very straightforward because the existing subscribers are already witnessing slowdown in data speed thanks to the high traffic. Reliance Jio outlets have started receiving complaints that data speeds are down by 70-80 per cent over three months, says Aliasgar Shakir, telecom analyst at Motilal Oswal Securities in a recent report. This, along with the note ban, has led to a slower pace of subscriber additions, say analysts. RILs Jio Money offering and a cap on data usage to one GB a day could help ease some of these pains. Assuming that Jio loses some of its users after discontinuation of free services, analysts says it is crucial for Jio to achieve an ARPU of Rs 250 or more to achieve break-even. From here, the next relevant data point would be the revenue subscriber base and ARPU as and when actual billing starts in April 2017, says a JPMorgan report. Currently, many subscribers are using Jio as a second number to avail the free services. Conversion of free users to paid ones is critical and amid increasing competition from incumbents, RILs task will not be easy. For now, most analysts say Jio could achieve Ebitda (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) break-even in the second half of FY18 with some expecting it in FY19. High interest and depreciation costs though mean that pre-tax profits will take at least a few more years to materialise. Image: Reliance Industries Limited Chairman Mukesh Ambani at a press briefing of Reliance Jio, in Mumbai on December 1, 2016. Photograph: PTI Photo. MISSOULA -- The University of Montana's interim president has deep roots in Montana education. On Jan. 1, Sheila Stearns takes over as interim president. She'll serve at the helm until a national search to replace outgoing President Royce Engstrom is finished. During an interview with the Missoulian on Thursday, Stearns, 70, said her "main motivation" for taking the interim position is her "50-plus years" of knowledge of and love for UM. From 2003 to 2012, Stearns held the university system's top post as Montana's commissioner of higher education. Her retirement announcement at a May 2011 Montana Board of Regents meeting came with a standing ovation from the crowded room. Stearns is a Glendive native, and she bleeds silver and maroon. She earned all of her degrees from UM: a bachelor's degree in English and history, a master's degree in history, and a doctorate in educational administration and supervision. After six years as a middle school teacher and librarian, she headed to an administrative position at UM. "I'm just happy to convey to those who don't already know me that I've been part of the University of Montana since I started as an undergraduate in 1964," Stearns said in the interview. "Nobody could love this university, I don't think, more than I do, or be more eager to be of service." Stearns said she got the phone call from Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian within the past day or two. "I'm still a little bit taken aback myself. It feels very recent," Stearns said. "I'm only maybe 24 or 36 hours ahead of everybody else. "If I didn't know the University of Montana so well, I certainly wouldn't have been prepared to even though this is a real shock to me I wouldn't have been prepared to say yes so fast to a major decision." Stearns was hired as UM's director of alumni relations in 1983, served as UM vice president for university relations, and was a finalist for UM president in 1990, when former president George Dennison came on board. Stearns served as provost and chancellor of UM Western. In 1999, she became president of Wayne State College in Nebraska, but came home to Montana in 2003 to take over as Montana's commissioner of higher education. Since her retirement, she served as a senior fellow and consultant for the national Association of Governing Boards taking her experience overseeing Montana's universities and community colleges to give advice to trustees and governing boards of colleges and universities across the country. This isn't Stearns' first time taking over a university during a period of transition. She became the interim chancellor at Montana State University Billings during the spring semester in 2014 after Rolf Groseth's retirement. One of the things I was really impressed and happy working with Sheila was she brought so much experience, a wealth of experience from previously being commissioner, said Aaron Clingingsmith, MSU Billings director of university relations and communications. Moreover, her understanding of Billings and eastern Montana just really helped our campus in the transition as we did our search for our chancellor. Stearns was the interim chancellor there for just three months before current chancellor Mark Nook came on board in July 2014. Boy, for me, theres nothing but glowing things to say about Sheila, Clingingsmith said. Stearns doesn't see these two interim positions one, an expected retirement, the other an emergency as different. "Campuses are always on edge with any transition, under any circumstances," she said. "A transition time on a campus is a challenge and a little disconcerting. "I think it always takes good communication and a willingness to listen and lead, a willingness to make changes and, as need be, look carefully and listen to the good people who want the best for the university." Clingingsmith said the interim role is a bridge. Its a pretty pivotal position, but make no question about it, the thing I love about Sheila is shes not going to just fill a chair, he said. Shes someone whos going to be proactive if theres an issue or problem that needs to be resolved. The Montana Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education hopes to secure a permanent president by the end of this school year, taking over by July 1. If that doesn't happen, Stearns said she "will help as needed, just as I'm helping now." She doesn't yet know when she'll be able to address the university directly, if it will happen before Christmas or after the new year. "With all due respect to president Engstrom, he's president until Dec. 31," she said. "He's a very gracious man and we will communicate and determine how to transition in the way that's best for him and best for the university." Stearns is married to Hal Stearns, a retired Sentinel High teacher and UM adjunct professor. Bill Jones, a retired Missoula attorney and long-time friend of the Stearns, said he's not surprised by her appointment to lead UM in the interim, as she was commissioner of higher education when Montana State University president Waded Cruzado was hired. "She certainly knows the hierarchy of the two flagship schools in the state," Jones said of Stearns. She should do an absolutely excellent job because she has all the background and knows what has to be done to restore the university to its former glory. Reporter Kim Briggeman contributed to this report. As Narendra Modi and his ministers vigorously campaign for a shift to a cashless society, Rediff.com's Syed Firdaus Ashraf reports on what is happening on the ground. IMAGE: Lakhbir Singh Dogra, left, an ice cream vendor with a POS machine that he bought after demonetisation. Photographs: Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com Sharad Sawant, the area business manager for India Transact Services Limited, a company that markets Point of Sales (POS) machines, met Lakhbir Singh Dogra, an ice cream vendor at the Jai Jawan stall at Mumbai's Girgaum Chowpatty, many times to convince him to install the POS machine, which helps cashless transactions, but Dogra was unconvinced. 'I am a small vendor, why should I install a POS machine? Why do I need it?" Dogra used to ask Sawant. After the night of November 8, Dogra's life and business turned upside down after Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered the scrapping of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. In a couple of days, the customers had disappeared from Chowpatty. Worse, those who came had no currency. Business was down 80%. Then there were customers who came with credit cards or debit cards. But Dogra had no way to swipe those cards. On November 11, when Sawant met Dogra again, it was the ice cream vendor who urged Sawant to install the machine. The age of Digital India, Dogra understood, had arrived. "Customers don't have cash today. They are ready to pay by card and therefore I had to opt for the POS machine," Dogra tells Rediff.com" "I invested Rs 25,000 and I am happy to see my business flourishing again," he adds. "I can't believe I am accepting digital money for as low a denomination as Rs 20 for a mineral water bottle," he says. "Since November 12, my business has picked up again. Today, I earn Rs 7,000 per day through the POS machine as people pay by credit or debit cards." Ten kilometres away, Ravindra Sonawane, Sawant's colleague, goes from shop to shop in Mahim, central Mumbai, trying to convince shopkeepers -- even paanwallahs -- to go cashless and buy a POS machine. "Modiji is our idol," says Sonawane. "He has made things easy for us. Before November 8, I had to explain to people what POS machines were and then do a sales pitch on its advantages to convince them to buy it. Now, everyone knows what a POS machine is all about and its advantages." "I have been selling these machine for the last six months," he adds. "I have sold 60 till date, of which 24 were sold after November 8." Shopkeepers are ready to see a machine demo, but some small businessman are not yet ready to buy the POS gadgets. Mohammad Sayeed refuses to heed Sonawane's sale call. "My customers come to buy tea and bun maska. It costs just Rs 17," he says, asking, "why do I need to invest in this machine? It does not make sense to me." IMAGE: Ravindra Sonawane, left, demonstrates the POS machine to a shopkeeper. There are different schemes under which POS machines are sold by Sonawane. Shopkeepers can buy it for a one-time fee or rent the machine. The minimum charge is less than Rs 2,500; the maximum can go up to Rs 35,000. Sonawane's next stop is the Kishen Paan Shop where Rohit Kishen Sawi is all ears. "What will my profit be," Sawi asks Sonwane after the salesman has made his pitch and run a demo for the paanwallah. After asking Sonawane the machine's price, he says he will consult his father and let the salesman know. Leaving on an optimistic note, Sonwane tells Rediff.com, "Earlier out of 10 people only 2 used to listen and see my demo. Today, more than 6 people see my demo. They want to know more and more about how the cashless economy works." Even though Modi decided on November 8 that the way forward to curb black money is the digital economy, Reserve Bank of India statistics show that the penetration of POS machines, credit cards and debit cards is very low. According to the RBI, (external link) in August 2016 for a population of 1.25 billion of Indians there are only about 1.46 million POS machines. The number of credit card users in India in August was about 2.63 crore (26.3 million) and the number of debit cards users was about 71.24 crore (&12.4 million). The data does not reveal if these are individual card holders or whether one person holds one or more credit/debit cards. "80% want to install the machines, but don't want to pay 0.75% commission on each transaction of less than Rs 2,000 with a credit/debit card and 1% or more if people spend more than Rs 2,000," says Sonawane. "The government has asked card companies not to take that commission till December 30. I feel if this charge is removed permanently then more people will go the digital way," he adds. Will more Indians go digital for payments? Will the Indian mindset of accepting only cash change? "I don't know about mindset. But from the need perspective, everyone has realised that they need to have some form of digital payments," says Deepak Bhutra, CEO, India Transact Services Ltd. "Obviously POS and cards remain relevant because people have seen it working around them," Bhutra adds. "They are comfortable with that. The need definitely has come in and the mindset depends on cash availability and what would come out after this exercise (demonetisation)." "We have seen a huge surge in demand," he says. "What I used to sign up in a day with merchants has gone up 7 or 8 times after November 8." 'His popularity is still high; respect for his intellect and integrity is still discernible; but his long night may just be beginning,' says Ambassador B S Prakash. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com Barack Obama, a cerebral President, has always been conscious of history, American history in particular. Read some of his many thought-provoking speeches and they are littered with references to Lincoln, Jefferson, FDR, Kennedy and even Reagan or Clinton, depending on the context. Some of his soaring oratory talked of the 'long arc of history,' in simple words, the seemingly long time that it takes for social or political processes to take effect; another of his favourite expressions -- 'working towards a more perfect Union' -- implied the striving towards the ideals enshrined in the American constitution. 'Legacy' is important to Obama. Think of that and then spare a thought for poor Barack Obama as he contemplates his own legacy, even as Donald Trump gets ready to tear and destroy whatever Obama has tried to build. What a tragic and bitter 'legacy of ashes.' Granted, the legacy of politicians is a curious phenomenon. In American history, it is only some of the founding fathers whose reputations are rock solid, and are indeed embedded in rock at Mount Rushmore. Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt share that honour. For others, it is a question of luck. Jimmy Carter was a big failure as a President, but his achievements post-Presidency are more impressive. Ronald Reagan's flaws and limitations were known and no one accused him of being a great intellect, but his reputation as an endearing and optimistic leader endures. Lyndon Baines Johnson and William Jefferson Clinton have both admirers and detractors. George W Bush made colossal mistakes and was inept in every way, but is slowly being regarded as a 'decent fellow' who has been gracious in retirement. Why, America, in India too reputations and remembrance of Nehru, Patel or Ambedkar have changed depending on the prevailing class and sentiment. So, how history will regard Obama is certainly a 'known unknown' at this point in time. But I can hardly find a parallel to someone whose careful construct is being ripped apart so soon and with such disdain. Let us look at the picture. On the domestic front, Obama had thought that his enduring contribution would be the healthcare reform that has come to be known as Obamacare. He had hoped to be remembered for providing health insurance to millions of poor Americans for the first time. And now Trump has made it his mission to dismantle it asap as they say. Take every other domestic policy. Obama tried for social inclusion: Integrating Blacks, Hispanics, the LGBT community, minorities et al. He consciously projected himself as looking after the concerns of all Americans, and not especially of African Americans, sometimes to their criticism. Trump has won this election catering to a majority without masking his dislike of minorities and on virtually a racist platform. Obama did try but could not do much for gun control in the face of implacable opposition by the gun lobby. Trump comes to office beholden to them and will not envisage any restrictions. Obama's tax and social policies were 'socialist' to some extent, as we Indians term it; Trump is pro-rich unambiguously. Obama could not achieve anything on immigration reform, but was aware of the complexities of ruthless enforcement against illegal immigrants. Trump swears by it. And so on. We turn to world views and foreign policy. To start with big global issues: 'Climate change' was close to Obama's heart and he would have believed that to make America respond to the concerns about its emissions and to forge pacts with other big countries will be regarded as his lasting contribution. Trump, on the other hand, seems to believe that the subject is a hoax, is in a hurry to reverse American thinking about environmental concerns, and as a result may undo global agreements. Obama's understanding of terrorism was nuanced and sophisticated and he was careful in not equating all Muslims with terrorists. Trump's stated approach is the opposite, though the realities of the geopolitics of the Islamic world are already making him pause. Obama believed in the inevitability of globalisation and looked at it in terms of both opportunities and challenges as academics or analysts do. He was a proponent of free trade and ambitious trade agreements. Trump focuses on job losses in America and his support base is made of victims of forces of globalisation. Obama believed in the classical facets of US foreign policy -- European partners in NATO, security assurances to Asian allies like Japan and Korea. He was committed to international institutions that have also served US interests for six decades. Trump does not understand or trust much of these, and his 'America first' impulse makes him reluctant to talk of alliances or pacts or institutional obligations. One strange similarity in foreign policy should be noted though. Obama was the first American leader to begin to talk of the limits of American power, to begin to recognise the inevitability of challenge by other powers. He was a reluctant warrior after the experiences of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya. Trump comes to these issues from another direction and so far does not see the point in American military involvement in causes or regions that does not frontally threaten American interests. 'To make America great again,' his slogan implies that America is not all that great right now, a sentiment that Obama may understand. I do not need to say much about their personalities as Presidents. Obama is cool, professional, detached, analytical, thoughtful... Trump from what we have seen so far is hot, impulsive, aggressive, opinionated, decisive... He may change of course. Or he may not! Obama had faults. Most critically, he was not a full politician with the zeal and passion for his causes. He seemed Hamlet-like, a bit indecisive, a bit disdainful even towards his supporters, a bit detached and disinterested. History may record that he did not bring his full energies or capabilities to the causes that were dear to him. He regarded the rough and tumble of politics and its wheeling-dealing as beneath him. But his current fall in stature or the pessimism that may cloud his outlook is not due to these factors. It is more that he has been unlucky, indirectly, by association. His preferred successor and his party was trounced in the elections and his successor-designate is someone who is likely to totally reverse his direction. How different it would be if Hillary had won though she is not his acolyte either. So, once again spare a thought for Obama as we think of him thinking about his legacy. In many of the assessments of Presidents that American popular history Web sites routinely do, Obama fared near the top with Thomas Jefferson, Lincoln and FDR. But this was before the election. His popularity is still high; respect for his intellect and integrity is still discernible; but his long night may just be beginning. From the above, it would be clear that this has been penned by a Obama fan. I have been one from the time that I read his first book Dreams from my Father in 1995 before he became a US Senator, let alone the President. I had come to view him as an illustration of the idea of philosopher-king that Plato had enunciated. I will now wait for the honest, and self-reflective memoir that he may write hopefully in the none too distant future. Ambassador B S Prakash -- who served as India's consul general in San Francisco during some of the Bush years -- has been a long standing columnist for Rediff.com You can read Ambassador Prakash's earlier columns here. The defence ministry has bought two regiments of the Pinaka multi-barrelled rocket launcher for Rs 32.3 billion, reports Ajai Shukla. With tensions escalating at the Line of Control between India and Pakistan, the ministry of defence has bought two regiments of the indigenous Pinaka multi-barrelled rocket launcher for Rs 3,230 crore (Rs 32.3 billion). Each Pinaka regiment, consisting of 18 multi-barrelled launchers, can pulverise a target with a hail of 216 rockets, fired in 44 seconds, catching enemy troops in the open with no time to take cover. It can be fired from 38 kilometres away, allowing commanders to target a terrorist camp, or even an army post or headquarters, without risking sending soldiers across the LoC. On Wednesday, the MoD signed separate Rs 226 crore (Rs 2.26 billion) contracts with Larsen & Toubro and Tata Power (Strategic Engineering Division), the designated 'original equipment manufacturers' for the Pinaka. This is the first project where private Indian companies are designated OEMs, a role traditionally reserved for 'defence public sector undertakings' and the MoD-owned Ordnance Factory Board. While L&T and Tata Power have just 14% of the work share, it includes developing and building the heart of the Pinaka -- the command post and launcher -- and the coveted OEM role. Even so, 86% of the overall payment will go to a range of suppliers, including Bharat Earth Movers Ltd for the Tatra high-mobility vehicles on which the Pinaka is mounted, and the OFB, which builds the actual rockets. L&T and Tata Power have already supplied two Pinaka regiments from 2006 to 2010. Now they will build the army's third and fourth regiments. Their role is set to grow, with 6 more regiments in the pipeline. Last December, the MoD kicked off the procurement of 6 more Pinaka regiments for Rs 14,600 crore (Rs 146 billion). L&T and Tata Power officials say a tender is expected soon. With the Pinaka Mark I, validated, the MoD told Parliament on April 26 that the DRDO was developing a longer-range, Mark II version of the Pinaka MBRL. It was learned on a visit to the Armament Research & Development Establishment --the Defence Research and Development Organisation laboratory that is developing the Mark II -- that the Pinaka Mark II will be able to strike targets as far as 60 to 70 kilometres. This will involve fitting each rocket with inertial navigation system guidance. With the army looking to eventually induct 22 regiments of Pinaka in place of the obsolescent Russian GRAD BM-21, there could be 12 Pinaka Mark II regiments procured, in addition to 10 Mark I regiments. Beyond that, say L&T and Tata Power officials, the affordable Pinaka system offers great scope for export. Says Rahul Chaudhary, who heads Tata Power: "Pinaka is a fully indigenous weapon with 100 per cent of its intellectual property belonging to India. That means we can export the system to any country that the Government of India wants. In today's export market, the Pinaka is one of the most competitive options." To meet export orders, the MoD will have to overcome the delays that dogged the Pinaka's induction. Cost negotiations for the latest two regiment order were completed in 2011. It has taken five years after that to actually place the order. Besides that delay, there is even greater tardiness in the OFB's production of rockets. Parliament's Standing Committee on Defence revealed in its report of December 22, 2014 that the OFB has failed to augment production of Pinaka rockets from 1,000 per year to 5,000 per year by 2017, for which it had been allocated Rs 1,388 crore (Rs 13.88 billion). The standing committee observed: 'This shows sheer callousness on the part of the Ordnance Factory Board.' Now, however, the private sector could be involved in fabricating Pinaka rockets at the faster rate needed. Last month, the army initiated the induction of private defence companies in fabricating ammunition. In the list of ammunition that private firms were invited to build were rockets for GRAD BM-51 MBRLs. With the Pinaka replacing that legacy system, its rockets could eventually feature on the private sector menu. IMAGE: A Pinaka launcher can pulverise a target with a hail of 216 rockets, fired in 44 seconds, catching enemy troops in the open with no time to take cover. Photograph: B Mathur/Reuters Pakistani troops on Friday violated the ceasefire by firing on forward posts along the Line of Control in Rajouri district, leaving a Border Security Force jawan injured. At 10 am, a BSF constable deployed at a forward location at LoC in Bhimbher Gali sector of Rajouri district sustained an injury due to single round fire (sniper fire) from Pakistan Forward Defence location, a senior BSF officer said on Friday. The condition of the jawan is stable. The fresh ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops has taken place after a lull of over one week along the LoC. Eleven persons including six Army personnel, four BSF jawans and a civilian porter working with Army were injured in Pakistan shelling and firing in Nowshera, Manjakote, Balakote, Mendhar and Gurez sectors on November 23. A total of 26 people, including 14 security personnel and 12 civilians, have been killed and more than 83 suffered injured in Pakistani shelling and firing along the International Border and the LoC in Jammu after surgical strikes. Representative image. Central Bureau of Investigation director Anil Sinha retired from the post on Friday, handing over the baton to his second-in-command, Gujarat-cadre Indian Police Service officer Rakesh Asthana, as the government did not name any full-time chief. Asthana, a Gujarat-cadre officer of 1984-batch, got elevated as the second-in-command in the CBI two days ago when Special Director R K Dutta, who was among the frontrunners for the top post, was shifted to the Home Ministry as a special secretary. The post of second special secretary was created for the first time in the ministry. It is the first time in last the 10 years that no new CBI chief has been named to succeed an incumbent. Sinha completed his two-year tenure on Friday. The competent authority has approved assignment of additional charge of the post of director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), to Rakesh Asthana, IPS (GJ: 1984), Additional Director, CBI with effect from the date of relinquishment of charge by Anil Kumar Sinha, IPS (BH:1979) on completion of his tenure with immediate effect and until further orders, an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training said. The CBI chief is selected through a collegium comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition or largest party in opposition in Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India. The collegium has not been able to meet. 60-year-old Sinha took charge of the agency when it was earning sobriquet of caged parrot and closure bureau of investigation and he managed to steady the ship by keeping away from media and ensuring a low profile with limited social circle. Sinha proved to be a soft-spoken yet assertive leader for the agency who guided investigation in a number of important cases like the Sheena Bora murder case and Vijay Mallya loan default case. In Mallyas case, Sinha ensured that a case is registered against the flamboyant liquor baron for his alleged default of loans extended to his now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines even though banks did not approach the CBI with a complaint. He directed his teams to explore role of media baron Peter Mukerjea in the Sheena Bora murder case after the agency was handed over the investigation. Sinha ensured that the CBI rigorously follows cases of piling of Non-performing Assets in public sector banks even though banks were reluctant to initiate a probe in these cases fearing loss of possible middle path which can be arrived at through discussions with defaulters. Sinha, an alumnus of Jawaharlal Nehru University where he studied during the first decade of its inception, follows his interests in psychology and economics and loves to spend a quiet time with his family. IMAGE: Rakesh Asthana. Photograph: cbi.nic.in Lok Sabha With no signs of thaw in the deadlock with the government, a combative Opposition on Friday continued their vociferous protests in the Lok Sabha over the demonetization issue, forcing adjournment of the House for the day without transacting much business. Marking another week of virtual washout of proceedings barring the passage of the Bill to amend the I-T Act without discussion, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the proceedings for the day little past 12.30 pm. Opposition members, including those from the Congress, the Trinamool Congress, the All India United Democratic Front and the Left parties, trooped into the Well, resorting to high-decibel sloganeering. Some of them were even howling as the proceedings went on. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Nationalist Congress Party members were seen standing at their seats. As the ruckus continued during Question Hour, a visibly peeved Mahajan said it was not proper to disturb other members and also warned the protesting members not to disrupt ministers when they were giving replies. "I am warning you, I will have to name you... I am again requesting you, this is not good, this is not proper, dont disturb others," she said. While mentioning that they have been doing it for several days, Mahajan said, I have not prevented you but please dont curb the rights of other members... Dont come to this side (in front of Treasury benches). Dont disrupt the ministers who are replying to questions. Notices for adjournment motion moved by various members from the Opposition were not allowed by the Speaker. Amid the din, the House was adjourned for a brief while till noon amid protests during the question hour, where as many as seven questions and supplementaries were taken up. Members continued their protests after the House resumed at noon. The zero hour went on for little over half-an-hour before Mahajan adjourned the proceedings for the day. Rajya Sabha Vociferous protests by Opposition benches demanding an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his statements outside Parliament, led to the stalling of question hour in the Rajya Sabha on Friday. As Chairman Hamid Ansari called for the first question of the day at noon, opposition Congress, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party members created ruckus in the Upper House as they kept shouting slogans demanding Modis presence and an apology from him. Ansari told protesting members to maintain order in the House and urged them not to trample on the rights of members asking starred questions. But unrelenting members intensified shouting slogans Pradhan mantri maafi maango (PM apologise), rona dhona band karo, pradhan mantri House mein aao (Stop crying, prime minister come to the House). The Bharatiya Janata Party members were on their feet to counter the Opposition and shouted Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan slogans. Observing that 'this is unfair', Ansari said, "Why aren't you shouting slogans in the streets. This is not the place to shout." The Chair's pleas to maintain order went unheeded and the House was adjourned till 2.30 pm. As soon as the Rajya Sabha reconvened at 2.30 hours, the Opposition members again trooped into Well of the House and created ruckus by shouting slogans such as Modi teri taanasahi nahin chaleg, nahi chalegii (Modi, your dictatorial attitude will not be tolerated). BJP members were also shouting slogans countering the opposition parties but nothing could be heard in the din. The AIADMK members were also in the Well of the House, raising some demand but it was not clear what those were. With Oppostion members unrelenting, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien adjourned the House for the day. However, before adjouring the House, Kurien took up private members legislative business amid din. K K Ragesh (Communist Party of India) introduced a private member bill proposing to amend the Constitution to insert a new Article 21(b). Article 21 deals with fundamental right to life and liberty. V Vijayasai Reddy (Yuvajana, Shramika, Rythu Congress) also introduced a bill proposing to amend the Articles 102 and 191 of the Constitution. Article 102 deals with disqualification of members of either House of Parliament, while Article 191 deals with disqualification of members of legislative assemblies or councils. Sasikala Pushpa (AIADMK) introduced a bill to provide for welfare of women by providing fund and creating employment opportunities. The bill also seeks to provide for equal pay to women workers as well as reservation of posts and appointments for women in services under the central government. Vivek Gupta of Trinamool Congress introduced a Bill to provide for an independent audit committee to examine and scrutinise the available and actually disbursed remuneration and statutory benefits to tea workers. It also seeks to constitute a fund to promote welfare facilities and other special provisions, reservation for their children in colleges and universities and for overall welfare of tea workers. Gupta also introduced a Bill to provide for the establishment of an Inter-State River Water Authority to look into regulations and development of dams on inter-state rivers, controlling developmental activities on inter-state rivers, monitoring the safety and effects on habitats of dams on inter-state rivers.. The Indian Navy has ruled out deploying indigenously built light combat aircraft Tejas on its aircraft carriers, saying it is "not being able to meet the requirements". Citing "overweight" as one of the reasons for ruling out Tejas for India's aircraft carriers, Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of Naval Staff, said the Navy is looking at procuring an alternative aircraft. "As far as the carrier-based aircraft is concerned, we need it in a time line of the induction of the aircraft carrier. We have the MiG 29K, which operates from Vikramaditya and will operate from (indigenous aircraft carrier) IAC Vikrant. "We were also hoping to operate the LCA (Light Combat Aircraft-Tejas) from these two aircraft carriers. "Unfortunately, the LCA is not being able to meet the carrier's required capability. That is why we need an alternative aircraft to operate from these two aircraft carriers," Lanba said. He said that at the moment the navy is in the process of identifying the aircraft that will meet its requirements. "If you look around the world, there are not too many options available and we need this carrier capable aircraft sooner than later. So, I am looking at next five-six years," he said. LCA-Tejas is an indigenously built fighter aircraft and has been inducted into the Indian Air Force. Lanba said the navy is still encouraging India's Defence Research and Development Organisation to develop the Naval LCA. The naval chief said that it is also looking at UAVs which can operate from ships and autonomous sub-surface vehicles for surveillance. Image: The LCA Naval Prototype. Photograph: Deb Rana/Aeronautical Development Agency The transition team of United States president-elect Donald Trump is fuming over with the Pakistan government's version of his telephone conversation with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Saying that Islamabad had overplayed President Elect Trumps offer to play "a role" in resolving Pakistan's disputes with India, the transition team released its own version of the telephone call. It said that both Prime Minister Sharif and US president-elect Donald Trump did have a 'productive conversation' on Wednesday (November 30). The Dawn quoted the transition team's statement, as saying, "President-elect Trump and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif spoke... had a productive conversation about how the United States and Pakistan will have a strong working relationship in the future." "President-elect Trump also noted that he is looking forward to a lasting and strong personal relationship with Prime Minister Sharif," the statement added. An unidentified adviser to the Trump team said the Pakistani readout of the talk had "committed the president-elect to more than what he meant". The most critical comment on the Pakistani readout, however, came from a former White House press secretary, Ari Fleischer: "It is entirely inappropriate for the Pakistani government to release what an American president-elect says in the course of a phone call." Fleischer, who was a member of former Republican president George Bushs White House team and is close to the Trump transition team as well, noted that no government releases such readouts. "We would never release what a foreign leader said to (ex-president) George W Bush. We would talk about what George W Bush said. But to release what somebody else says, I am not the spokesperson for Pakistan or any other nation," he told CNN. "So, for them to do it is an entire breach of diplomatic protocol and tradition. And if they had done that to me, I would be on the phone right now with their press secretary, chewing him out. The ambassador would be on the phone with their ambassador, chewing the ambassador out. And up and down the chain," Fleischer added. The US media also criticised the Pakistani decision to release the readout, agreeing with Fleischer that it was inappropriate. "Readouts of phone calls between world leaders are usually written safely in order to protect leaders from incidental backlash -- like the one the Trump team put out," CNN noted. The Washington Post called the Pakistani release "a surprisingly candid read" and noted that it "focuses almost entirely on Trumps contribution to the conversation, and reproduces them in a voice that is unmistakably his (Trump's)". The New York Times called it a bizarre conversation, noting that while not exactly confirming the content, the Trump transition team did acknowledge the call. Photograph: Reuters The row over Army taking over road toll plazas in West Bengal on Friday echoed in Parliament with Trinamool Congress seeing 'sinister' designs behind the move and the government vehemently denying the charge, saying it was a routine exercise conducted in full knowledge of the local authorities. The issue was raised in both Houses of Parliament with main opposition Congress too seeking clarification on the Army deployment at 19 toll plazas in West Bengal. It's Trinamool's political frustration: Parrikar In the Lok Sabha, Defence Minister Manmohar Parrikar termed it a routine exercise not unique to West Bengal and saying that similar operations to collect information on heavy vehicle movement that can be used during national emergencies had last month being conducted in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. Along with West Bengal, similar exercise was carried out in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghlaya and Mizoram, he said while responding to TMC and Congress MPs. He also stated that originally the exercise was planned for November 28-30 but was shifted to December 1 and 2 at the request of Kolkata Police as those dates were clashing with the protests against demonetisation. It is shocking that a Chief Minister is saying this. The Armys deployment was part of routine exercise which has been going on for several years, which has been going on for last 15-20 years. Even last year it was held on November 19 to 21, Parrikar said. The minister said Armys Eastern Command has been carrying out the exercise in West Bengal, Assam and other North Eastern states and a similar exercise has already been carried out in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. "Concerned officials were informed in West Bengal. The original date was fixed for November 28 to 30 but due to Bharat Bandh the local police had advised the army to shift it to December 1 and 2," he said. "Due to traffic congestion, the exercise is being done with the help of local police," he said. TMC leaders in both Houses alleged that neither the state government, nor local administration, including police, were taken into confidence on the exercise or their permission sought. The Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party too wanted to know from the government how such an unprecedented move to carry out an army exercise without taking the state government into confidence was done. "It was very unfortunate that army has been dragged into an unnecessary controversy, Parrikar said. It was political frustration rather than projection of correct situation." As soon as the Lok Sabha assembled on Friday morning, TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay raised the issue of army deployment at 19 places in West Bengal, claiming that the move was a challenge to the federal structure of the country and completely politically motivated. He said army personnel were deployed at these places, including near the state secretariat, without informing anyone in the state secretariat. It is a fantastic situation. Army today said that it was a routine exercise being carried out in the North Eastern states. But West Bengal does not come under the territorial jurisdiction of the Northeast, he said. Bandyopadhyay said the people of the country have great faith in the Army but if indeed such an exercise was scheduled, the Centre should have communicated to the state government. He said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been staging a dharna in the secretariat demanding withdrawal of the Army. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar asked the TMC not to drag the Army into politics saying defence personnel have been protecting the country as well as democracy. Whatever the Army has done was part of a routine exercise. It is completely wrong to drag Army into politics, he said. It was not even done in Kashmir: Azad Raising the issue in Rajya Sabha, Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said army is India's pride as it has upheld its unity and integrity beside protecting the borders. It has also come to the rescue during emergency situations like flood and riots, he said, adding that army is requisitioned at the request of a state government. But in West Bengal, the chief secretary, administration and DG Police had no information of army taking over toll plazas at 19 locations in the state, he said. This is probably the first time that the chief minister of West Bengal has lodged this kind of protest where she stayed put for the night in the State Secretariat and is still there, he said. This is a strange thing happening. Without asking state government, chief secretary or DGP, toll plazas of state government are taken over, he said. Azad said it is being said that Army was collecting information on truck movements but such an exercise is not even done in Jammu and Kashmir. All such information is available with National Highways Authority of India or road transport departments. This is an issue of grave concern. Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (TMC) said what happened in West Bengal has never been witnessed in the state's history. Army seized toll plazas and started putting stickers on vehicles. "I will not drag the army in any controversy. We are very proud of the army, he said wanting to know under what provisions of law and Constitution was such a deployment carried out and alleging sinister design to defame the leader opposing demonetisation and creating fear psychosis. Mayawati (Bahujan Samaj Party) said the move to deploy army without the state governments permission was an attack on the federal structure of the country. Terming the statements as factually incorrect, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said such exercises have been carried out in coordination with the local police. Deny all charges with all contempt: Army Strongly rebutting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees allegations that its personnel were deployed at toll plazas without informing the state government and were collecting money, the Army said on Friday the exercise was being carried out in coordination with Kolkata Police. "This is being done in coordination with local police authorities. The exercise was earlier planned for November 27 and 28. The dates were changed to November 30 to December 2 on a specific request by Kolkata Police due to Bharat Bandh called on November 28," said General Officer Commanding Bengal area (officiating) Major General Sunil Yadav. Reacting to the chief minister's allegations he said, "We deny all charges with all contempt." "Allegations of collection of money by Army personnel are also totally baseless," the officiating GOC Bengal Area said. Maj Gen Yadav said a similar exercise in Eastern Command was carried out in November 2015 at the same places. The Maj Gen said that a recce was conducted with two inspectors of the Kolkata Police at toll plaza on November 27. "The issues raised by the police were addressed and were telephonically informed to the police," he said. "The exercise will continue as planned earlier and will end tonight," he said. The Army also released letters written to the state government on the exercise. "It is happening in nine states now across 80 locations," he said. "We have our specific targets for data collection. After doing the work for 36 hours our work was done and we had left the toll plaza near Nabanna," he said.. Earlier, the exercise was planned for November 28 but was shifted on specific request by Kolkata Police in view of the Bharat Bandh, he said, adding that the exercise was to ascertain availability of vehicles during national emergency. The annual exercise are carried out for collection of data and similar exercises were also carried out in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, he said, adding that letters were written to the Police Commissioner as well as district magistrates for conducting it. At this point, slogan-shouting TMC and Congress members contested the ministers statement and trooped into the Well. Deputy Chairman P J Kurien had a tough time controlling the situation and even had an angry spat with Congress members including Pramod Tiwari as they continued to shout even when he stood up to control the noisy scenes. If you dont know the basic rule of not disturbing the Chair, you do not deserve to be a member, he angrily remarked without naming any member. Mr Tiwari, I will take action against you. ... This is unheard of that the Chair will not be allowed to say, he said as members piped down and returned to their places. Kurien said if the members found any part of the statement made by the minister as misleading or incorrect, they can invoke the rule book and give notice. Roy continued to insist that the minister was misleading. If any member or minister misleads the House, give notice, Chairman will consider it, Kurien said. As Roy continued to insist that the minister was misleading the House by saying that the state government had been informed, treasury benches joined in to protest. At this point, an angry Roy snapped at Bhupender Yadav (Bharatiya Janata Party) saying shut up... you are not in the Chair. Roy said the minister was not stating if specific permission was taken for December 1 deployment and comparing the exercise to national emergency. I&B Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said the reference to emergency was to situations like floods or tsunami and said similar exercises are annually carried out and had happened in West Bengal previously as well. And recently, it has been carried out in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar, and along with West Bengal it was also being carried out in North Eastern states, he said, adding it is a sensitive matter. Lets not politise it. Kurien told Roy that he can give a notice on any misleading statement being made in the House and he will consider it. Derek OBrien raised a Point of Order under Rule 249 related to authentication of papers laid by the government on the floor of the House. He claimed that it is selective placing of papers by the government and added that he will place some papers on the floor of the House to prove his point on Monday. Photographs: PTI Photo. ANI Reflecting a new bonhomie of Indo-United States defence ties, the Pentagon on Friday announced that outgoing Defence Secretary Ashton Carter would be visiting India next week on his final around the world trip. Slated to be in India on December 8, Carter would travel to Japan, Bahrain, Israel, Italy and Great Britain before returning to the US on December 16. This is for the first time that an outgoing American Defence Secretary has included India in his itinerary for the final overseas trip. He (Carter) will look to build on the strategic handshake between the two nations and to continue the momentum in the relationship over the past decade, including expanded defence cooperation during his time as secretary, the Pentagon said in a statement. Carter among others would meet Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. Ahead of his visit, informed sources said India has made maritime security a significant priority and in discussion with the US for sale of Predator drones from General Atomics. The outgoing Obama administration is trying to concretise steps taken with India in the defence domain as they transition the efforts to the Trump administration, sources noted, adding that on Carters agenda include M777 and Predator Guardian for the Indian Navy. Early this year, India was able to join the Missile Technology Control Regime with support from the US. Subsequently, India was also designated a a major defence partner when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the US and met President Barack Obama at the Oval Office this Summer. The first opportunity for US Government to showcase this would be in the maritime domain surveillance area with the export of Predator Guardian, informed sources pointed out, adding that Obama and Carter are keen to establish a concrete legacy with India. Vivek Lall, chief executive, US and International Strategic Development at General Atomics, are among the US leaders that have been advocating greater convergence between the US and India. It is under his leadership that, India had acquired Boeing P8I aircraft in 2009 which would complement the Guardian aircraft for maritime security. Noting that Obama and Modi have repeatedly stressed that cooperation in the Indian Ocean is key to both countries national security interests, it is anticipated that both sides will discuss the Avenger drones for the Indian Air Force. India requires more than 100 such drones, sources said. The combined value of Guardian and Avengers could be almost equivalent to the MMRCA requirement in value. Most militaries around the world are focusing their budgets and efforts to acquire unmanned platforms in the future. Modi spoke to US President-elect Donald Trump on November 9 to congratulate and build on the strong Indo-US relations. Both leaders are believed to be keen to take the strategic partnership to new heights. India hopes that Trump will pursue a strategy in South Asia making India truly a priority and an anchor in the region. Sources say that Trump has struck a personal chord with Modi and several prominent leaders interested in greater bilateral cooperation between US and India. In the final trip, Japan would be the first overseas stop of the Defense Secretary where he would arrive on December 6. The next day he will meet Minister of Defense Tomomi Inada to underscore the long-term strength of the US-Japan alliance, and build upon the unprecedented progress in US-Japan security cooperation, the Pentagon said. On December 10, Carter will deliver the opening speech at the annual International Institute for Strategic Studies Manama Dialogue in Bahrain. While in Bahrain, he will also visit sailors aboard USS Monterey, and thank them and their families for their service over the holidays. Thereafter, Carter will be in Israel to meet with Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman and attend a formal ceremony to welcome the arrival of the first Israeli F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. The arrival of the aircraft highlights the close defence cooperation between the US and Israel, the Pentagon said. From Israel, Carter will visit US troops stationed in Italy from December 13-14 to thank them for their service in support of US and coalition operations worldwide, including deterring Russian aggression in Eastern Europe and securing NATOs southern flank, the statement said. London would be the final stop of Carter where he and his British counterpart Michael Fallon will co-host a ministerial of the leading nations in the counter-ISIL coalition on December 15. Discussions at the ministerial will focus on the current status of the campaign, the capabilities needed to secure and stabilise Mosul and Raqqah, and the future of the coalition in addressing the external metastases of Islamic State, the Pentagon said. Image: US Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar inspect a jet engine in the hanger deck of the USS Eisenhower off the coast of Virginia, December 10, 2015 in the Atlantic Ocean. Photograph: Mark Wilson/Getty Images BILLINGS -- As Montana officials announced the third $10 million installment of a $40 million federal Preschool Development Grant on Wednesday, reports from the Department of Education show that the state created 462 new slots in the first year of the programs implementation at a steeper cost than projected. The state wasnt required to start offering slots until 2016-2017 but began rolling out some programs last school year. When including 3-year-olds and other students who didnt meet federal reporting guidelines, the Office of Public Instruction said that more than 650 slots were created. State officials project that eight more programs launched this school year will help double the number of classrooms offered last year, with a significant increase in total slots. According to a Montana grant report submitted to the Department of Education, the state set a target that each slot would cost $3,500. The actual cost per slot came in at $14,069. Individual program costs ranged from $5,858 to $64,771 per slot, with the highest costs in Anaconda and Libby, where school districts started new programs. The State Team recognizes that there needs to be some action taken to bring down the cost per slot and intends to address this with individual programs through the monitoring process, the grant report said. It notes that state officials expect the addition of more programs this school year to dramatically decrease costs. When applying for the grant, Montana projected that it would create more than 1,100 new preschool slots. But almost 350 of those slots were dependent on Gov. Steve Bullocks 2015 $37 million public preschool proposal being funded. Instead, it never made it out of legislative committee. Preschool programs that received funds were grouped into three cohorts: 12 preschool programs in the first two cohorts began programs last year, while eight more are slated to launch this school year. When compared to other states receiving preschool grants, Montana stuck out for the number of students who "reside on 'Indian Lands,'" with 167; the only other states with students in the category were Arizona, with nine, and Nevada, with two. Montana is one of only five states that dont offer state funding for public preschool. Research on the effectiveness of public preschool programs is mixed, but most supports arguments that programs are cost-effective and have lasting academic and health benefits. We know that when children attend high-quality preschool programs theyre more likely to graduate and succeed as adults, which is why its critical all Montana families can access public preschool, said Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau in an emailed release. Bullock has rolled out a smaller preschool ask in his proposed budget for the next two years, but Republican legislators have given the $12 million plan a chilly reception. In Hardin, school district officials have used money from the federal grant to bolster their preschool program, which they say has created noticeable benefits for children as they continue through lower elementary school grades. I need your help and support and I am sure we can win and send the enemy out of our territory. An audio conversation accessed by CNN-News 18 between the slain Hizbul commander Burhan Wani and the man responsible for the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai Hafiz Saeed reveals how the two forces wanted to combine and pose a united threat to India. IMAGE: A picture of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani is held up during a rally condemning the violence in Kashmir. Photograph: Caren Firouz/Reuters A few days before his killing, Kashmiri militant leader Burhan Wani, a poster boy of Kashmiri militancy, had spoken to Lashkar-e-Tayiba chief Hafiz Saeed seeking his blessings and offered to put up a united front of LeT and his own Hizbul Mujahideen in their jihad against Indian security forces. His death at the hands of the armed forces on July 8 set off protests in Kashmir, which subsequently snowballed into a paralysis of the state, which has just about begun to ease. CNN-News18 has accessed an audio tape of the conversation between Wani from his Valley hideout and Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 26/11 terror attacks, sitting in Pakistan, which was intercepted by Indian intelligence agencies. CNN-News18 could not independently verify the authenticity of the tape in which Wani is also heard requesting Saeed to extend more support to Lashkar terrorists inside Kashmir valley in terms of arms, ammunition and money. The tape begins with a call from Saeeds location in Pakistan where his assistant tells Wani that he is handing over the phone to Peer Sahib (Hafiz Saeed). You people are living in very difficult conditions. But you dont have to worry. Whatever you need just tell us we are ready for every help. Will be ready for anything. You just have to tell us, Saeed tells Wani. We have to go all out on attacks and shouldnt lose this opportunity. For this we need ammunition and support from the back. We should work together for this (Hizbul and Lashkar), Wani is heard as saying. Heres the transcript of their conversation: Burhan Wani: Greetings Caller: Just talk to Peer Sahib (Hafiz Saeed) Hafiz Saeed: Salaam wallekum Burhan Wani: Salaam wallekum. How are you? Hafiz Saeed: All fine. Burhan speaking? Burhan Wani: Yes Im Burhan. Hope you are fine. Hafiz Saeed: Yes, I am fine. God is kind. I am thankful to him. I pray to god to bless you with everything. He should give you strength to fight for the cause and religion. Burhan Wani: I was always keen to talk to you but with the grace of god Im talking to you today. How is your health? Hafiz Saeed: Yes Im fine. By the grace of god everything is going fine. You people are living in very difficult conditions. But you dont have to worry. Whatever you need just tell us, we are ready for every help. Will be ready for anything. You just have to tell us. We pray to god that we get success and the enemy is defeated and whatever we have to do we will do. Burhan Wani: Inshallah, we will do everything. We just need blessings from our elders. God has accepted my wish and with his blessings small people like me are also talking to you. Hafiz Saeed: No, no, you are very dear to us and you are doing great work, your sacrifices and we get news about every activity of yours. We are very happy with you. Burhan Wani: I just want to make a small request. Here in Kashmir, these Lashkar people dont get their stuff regularly; they are facing difficulties in getting their money and other things. I dont understand the reason for this. If they have weak network I can help. I have sources available. Hafiz Saeed: Great. Great. I will definitely take note of this and will take all help from you. And we will pray to god that he should help you. Burhan Wani: I also want to say the enemy is almost defeated and we have to maintain this. We have to go all out on the attacks and shouldnt lose this opportunity. For this, we need ammunition and support from the back. We should work together for this (Hizbul & Lashkar). I have spoken to Dujana also, who is responsible for Lashkar here in Srinagar -- you must be aware of this. For this I need your help and support and I am sure we can win and send the enemy out of our territory. Hafiz Saeed: Inshallah, inshallah. Give my greetings to all the brothers and sister here. We all are working for one purpose. And tell them Im praying for everybody. Everybody. Burhan Wani: Grateful. I just want to say that Lashkar needs more back up from your side and for that if you need any support from me, please let me know. I can do anything. They are our brothers and we have a common purpose and a common enemy. Hafiz Saeed: All right. Inshallah... Inshallah. Burhan Wani: Also these Lashkar people are saying that they never get to talk to Hafiz sahib. Hafiz Saeed: I only spoke to you. I got your message and called. You keep in touch with these people, we also have all information about them. Burhan Wani: Yes Im in touch with them and will take care of them. Hafiz Saeed: Okay, bye. Burhan Wani: Bye. 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. Doha News website blocked in Qatar Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 2 December 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Doha News website blocked in Qatar, 2 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5841911d4.html [accessed 3 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. Reporters Without Borders (RSF), also known as Reporters sans frontieres, condemns the blocking of the Doha News website in Qatar for unknown reasons since 30 November and calls on the Qatari authorities to restore access to this popular English-language online newspaper. According to the website's staff, the blocking is being implemented by local Internet service providers Vodafone and Ooredoo and is a deliberate act of censorship by the government. It is the first time the site has been blocked since its creation in 2009. "This censorship has dealt a severe blow to media freedom in Qatar," said Alexandra El Khazen, the head of the Middle East desk at RSF, also known as Reporters sans frontieres. "Although Qatar revolutionized the media scene by creating the TV news broadcaster Al-Jazeera, it continues to be a country where local journalists censor themselves. An outspoken media outlet should not be silenced for contributing to the public debate. We urge the authorities to explain themselves and to restore access to this news site." The reason for the blocking is still unknown. When reached by RSF, the Communications Regulatory Authority denied blocking any content. RSF also tried to talk to the communications ministry but received no response. Doha News has been one of the few independent media outlets in Qatar that tackled sensitive political and social issues as if it had nothing to fear from the authorities. Draconian legislation and an effective system of censorship leave local journalists little leeway. Qatar is ranked 117th out of 185 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index. Belarus: third consecutive execution concealed for nearly a month from the public and relatives Publisher International Federation for Human Rights Publication Date 1 December 2016 Related Document(s) Death Penalty in Belarus: Murder on (Un)lawful Grounds Cite as International Federation for Human Rights, Belarus: third consecutive execution concealed for nearly a month from the public and relatives, 1 December 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/584198ab4.html [accessed 3 November 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. Execution of Henadz Yakavitski on 5 November 2016 is the fourth execution in 2016, making it the highest number of executions per year since 2008. All four executions took place after the EU lifted in February 2016 the restrictive measures imposed on Belarus for human rights violations. FIDH and its member organisation in Belarus HRC "Viasna" call on the international community to use all diplomatic leverages to prompt Belarus to announce an immediate moratorium on death penalty as the first step towards the abolition. In Belarus, the public is not informed of executions. Moreover, pursuant to the Belarusian legislation, relatives of Henadz Yakavitski and of Ivan Kulesh and Siarhei Khmialeuski, also executed on 5 November 2016, were not notified neither in advance of the execution nor immediately thereafter. Legislation also prohibits handing over of their bodies to families. Previously the UN has qualified such practice as torture and ill-treatment of death convicts relatives. For detailed information about the three death verdicts, download the recent FIDH-HRC "Viasna" report "Death penalty in Belarus: Murder on (Un)Lawful Grounds". The UN asked the Belarusian authorities not to proceed with the executions of Henadz Yakavitski and Siarhei Khmialeuski since their complaints are being considered by the Committee. The Belarusian authorities ignored the requests, as they did in past in eight other cases related to the application of the death penalty. The decision on the respective complaints by Henadz Yakavitski and Siarhei Khmialeuski is forthcoming. For nearly a month prior to the notification of the execution - dated 24 November 2016 and delivered on 1 December 2016 - the relatives of Henadz Yakavitski had not received letters from him. As reported to FIDH by the daugther of Henadz Yakavitski in June 2016, non-receipt of his letters was regular and caused her tremendous anguish: "Since the death sentence entered into effect - it's been three months now - we systematically do not receive letters from him. So I am in a permanent state of uncertainty about his state and whether he's alive at all. In April we learned about the execution of one death convict and I had no possibility of finding out what happened to my father. When I saw him at our next meeting, I asked him to write to me. He told me that he had. I called everyone he had written, but none of the letters ever arrived", said Aliaksandra Yakavitskaya. Currently one death convict is awaiting execution in Minsk Pre-trial detention centre No. 1 in conditions which amount to torture as denounced in the joint FIDH - HRC "Viasna" report. Forbidden to take walks, they are prohibited from sitting on their bed during day-time and from talking about their detention conditions with their family members. When outside their cell, they are transferred in a humiliating position - guards carry them with their head bent down towards their knees and their arms are handcuffed and lifted behind their back. FIDH and HRC "Viasna" strongly oppose the death penalty for all crimes and in all circumstances and work for its global abolition. FIDH is a member of the WWorld Coalition against the death Penalty. State officials investigating a potential infestation of invasive aquatic mussels instituted boating closures Thursday while they consider drawing down two Montana reservoirs. Following Montanas first detection and suspected detections of invasive mussels, Gov. Steve Bullock declared a natural resources emergency Wednesday. The executive order created a rapid response team and makes available $750,000 in special state funding. On Thursday members of the response team held a conference call highlighting the investigation along with measures and proposed measures to combat a potential mussel infestation. Chief among those measures are restrictions on removing boats and docks on Tiber and Canyon Ferry reservoirs. Matt Wolcott, incident commander for the team, said the restrictions are necessary to prevent the potential spread of invasive aquatic mussels from the two reservoirs to other uncontaminated water bodies in Montana and elsewhere. The restrictions were approved late Thursday by the directors of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. This closure prohibits the launch or removal of any boat, dock, or other structure that could potentially transport mussels, said Wolcott. The closure will remain in effect until ice-up on the reservoirs. Wolcott said the Response Team, which includes officials from DNRC and FWP, will reassess whether to extend the closure following ice breakup in spring. Residents who need to remove a boat, dock or other structure during the closure period can contact the Mussel Response Team at 444-2440 to request assistance. Testing confirmed larvae from either zebra or quagga mussels at Tiber, while suspected positive tests in Canyon Ferry, the Missouri River near Toston and the Milk River below Nelson Reservoir are still under analysis. No adult mussels have been found to date following searches with detection dogs and divers. Bryce Christiaens, chair of the Governors Council on Invasive Species and a member of the response team, says officials are operating under the assumption that adults are present in the water bodies. The team is looking at containment and possible controls while ongoing DNA analysis aims to identify the species of mussel. The team is considering drawing down the reservoirs as one control, Christiaens said. Currently team members are studying the feasibility of draw downs and conferring with experts in other states about the potential for success. Draw downs would also provide officials the opportunity to search for adult mussels left dry by receding water, according to FWPs Bruce Rich. Handheld and remote operated cameras may also be deployed in the search, he added. The conference call generated interest from wildlife and hydroelectric managers in several other states such as Oregon and Idaho. Officials there are concerned about potential transfer of Montana mussels attached to boats, and requested check station data for boats leaving Tiber and Canyon Ferry. Christiaens emphasized the importance for recreational boaters to heed the Clean, Drain, Dry campaign to ensure exotic plants and animals are not inadvertently transported. A move by the state Supreme Court late Friday afternoon has left the Secretary of State's office unsure about certifying the passage of a voter-approved amendment to Montana's Constitution. The court ordered Secretary of State Linda McCulloch to not declare an effective date for Constitutional Initiative 116, also known as Marsy's Law. Election results must be certified by Monday. The Board of Canvassers, which certifies election results, is set to meet at 10 a.m. that day, but it's unclear now what action they can take. The confusing situation came about after the the ACLU of Montana filed a lawsuit earlier in the day asking for Marsy's Law, a so-called "victims bill of rights" that voters passed in November, to take effect in July instead of the immediate start date printed on ballots statewide. Twice this week the Board of Canvassers did not sign off on a certificate validating the passage of the law. Two of the board's three members said they did not think the ballot language calling for an immediate start date, which also appears on the certificate, was correct. The language of the law itself does not call for an immediate implementation, but uses the phrase "self-executing." Marsy's Law will create a new section of the state Constitution and includes 18 rights for crime victims, including the right to refuse interviews and to be notified of all steps of the legal process. Emily Dean, a spokeswoman for the Secretary of State's, said Friday around 5 p.m. that it's not clear what the court's decision means. The office's legal counsel is looking at the court's order, Dean said. The court's order says it needs a response from the state, McCullock and Attorney General Tim Fox, who is named in the suit, within 14 days. On ballots statewide, voters saw the sentence: CI-116, if passed by the electorate, will become effective immediately. The Department of Justice, which drafts the language that appears on the ballot, interpreted "self-executing" to mean immediately effective, but state Auditor Monica Lindeen and Superintendent of Public Institution Denise Juneau, two of the three Board and Canvassers members, disagree with that decision. The board's third member is Attorney General Tim Fox, who is in charge of the Department of Justice. Fox supports certifying the results as-is. The ACLU is arguing that the state Constitution reads, in part, that amendments "shall become a part of the constitution effective the first day of July following its approval, unless the amendment provides otherwise." The Board of Canvassers already approved election results for local and statewide candidates and Initiative 182, which repealed a three-patient limit for medical marijuana patients. That initiative has its own struggles with an effective date: Due to a drafting error it will not take effect for eight months. The suit is brought by the ACLU, the Montana County Attorneys Association, the Montana League of Cities and Towns, the Montana Association of Counties, Lewis and Clark County Attorney Leo Gallagher and Helena City Attorney Thomas Jodoin. Chuck Denowh, state director of Marsys Law for Montana, called the lawsuit disappointing. "We think it's clear that the effective date should be immediate upon the certification of the election. That's what was on the ballots for the 325,000 Montanans who voted for Marsy's Law." The law passed with 66 percent of the vote. He said it's unclear if Marsy's Law for Montana would take any action and the group needs to wait and see what the Supreme Court decides. Cities and counties worry that they will have to cut services or raise taxes to pay for additional staff to work with victims and comply with the new law and need as much time as possible to get ready. The ACLU, in a release, said it creates significant administrative, financial and compliance burdens. "A July 1, 2017, effective date is not only legally required, but makes practical sense as it allows for organizations time to comply with the procedures mandated by CI 116," the release said. Denowh said he thinks cities and counties can comply with Marsy's Law now. "Most of what's in Marsy's Law they were already doing," he said. "The law expands on those pre-existing requirements a little bit but not in a huge way." Advertisement - Continue Reading Below This just in... Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and China's President Xi Jinping (R) chat at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Lima, Peru, Nov. 19, 2016. Donald Trumps victory is consistent with the will of the American people for the last forty years and longer: whether Republican or Democrat, the outsider almost always wins. A peanut farmer from Georgia came out of nowhere to become President of the United States. Four years later, that peanut farmer defeated the money and power of the Kennedy dynasty and then himself lost to a movie actor from California. In a rare exception to the rule, George H.W. Bush succeeded Ronald Reagan but then served only one term, defeated by an outsider, who grew up poor in the all but politically powerless state of Arkansas. Then there was the skinny first-term Senator with a funny name who challenged the mighty incumbents machine, and wealth and power, and became the first minority president in the history of the United States. It is all straight out of a Frank Capra movie. And so today we have another outsiderand people from New York know that anyone from Queens will always think of himself as an outsideran outsider who, according to the latest FEC filings, was outspent two to one by Hillary Clinton, and won. Donald Trump first beat the entire organized Republican Party to win the nomination, and then he beat the Democratic Party machine to win the election. As an outsider. As Chris Matthews said last night on MSNBC, in every tweet he sent, every speech he made, Donald Trump was saying, Im not one of them. Im not one of the insiders. And he won. Insiders are regularly drummed out But this is not surprising. This is how American democracy works. The American people dont trust the bankers and the rich and powerful people in Los Angeles and New York and yes, Washington DC. So the American people throw them out. Regularly. And that is exactly what those who founded this democracy wanted. So this is how you explain Donald Trump to the world. In a democracy, the people can prefer a peanut farmer to a rich heir favored by insiders. In a democracy, the people can prefer a poor boy from a small town in Arkansas to a rich heir favored by insiders. In a democracy, the people can prefer a young African American to candidates with far more wealth and power. Then there is the Electoral College: how to explain that to the world? You explain it by saying that it was the genius of the founders of this Republic to create a system of checks and balances, so the rich bankers and billionaires and yes, the media, could not rule absent the will of the people. So as part of those checks and balances we have the Electoral College. It obligates those who seek national office to go to West Virginia and Iowa, to Wisconsin and New Mexico, places the billionaires and the media might never otherwise visit. That is why in America the underdog can win. 'Not how it works' in Russia and China That is how a free democracy works. That is not how it works in Russia, where Vladimir Putin has his political opponents murdered in the streets. That is not how it works in China, where democratically elected dissidents are barred from taking office, and dissidents are kidnapped from other countries and forcefully returned to face torture, prison and worse. That is not how it works in Cuba, where for 50 years Fidel Castro sent thousands to firing squads and where today dissidents are jailed and beaten, including the Women in White. But what of the new Presidents policies: how to explain these to the world? Here again we must reach outside of this building, this city, this part of the country, where so few support him. Nothing resonated as much with Trumps supporters as trade, opposition to global trade. Global trade lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty in Asia and Africa, an historic achievement. And it benefited us, in this building, in this city and this part of the country. But that rising tide did not lift all boats: it did not benefit millions of our fellow Americans, in West Virginia and Iowa, in Wisconsin and New Mexico, who lost their jobs to pay for our prosperity. So now the challenge is this: We need to explain to the world why millions of our fellow Americans, who people around the world rarely see in Hollywood movies or on CNN, rose up once again, in the true American spirit, to throw out the insiders, whether Democrats or Republicans, and elect an outsider. We need to explain to the world how in a free democracy those who have been injured by the wealthy and the powerful and yes, by the media, can seek redress, at the ballot box. And we need to explain to the world why this happened, and why this is the heart of a free democracy. Excerpts of a Nov. 30, 2016 speech to the Broadcasting Board of Governors by Powell, president of the Public Diplomacy Council and director of Washington Programs for the University of Southern Californias Annenberg Center for Communication Leadership and Policy. Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha received a royal pardon on Friday, freeing him from serving a five-month jail sentence and setting the stage for an easing of a year of political tensions as the authoritarian Southeast Asian country heads into election in 2017 and 2018. The pardon for Kem Sokha, acting leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was granted by King Norodom Sihamoni following a request from Prime Minister Hun Sen, government and CNRP officials said. Kem Sokha had been hiding out in the partys headquarters in Phnom Penh since police attempted to arrest him in May for ignoring court orders to appear as a witness in a pair of defamation cases related to his alleged affair with a hairdresser. After a one-hour trial on Sept. 9, Phnom Penh Municipal Court Judge Keo Mony sentenced Kem Sokha to five months in prison and an 800,000- riel (U.S. $200) fine for failing to appear in one of the related cases. On Thursday, Kem Sokha wrote a letter to Hun Sen asking him to request a royal pardon. On Friday, Hun Sen wrote a letter to Sihamoni, who pardoned Kem Sokha later that day. The pardon was granted to Kem Sokha who wrote the letter to Samdech [honorific] Prime Minister Hun Sen and admitted the truth, said ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) spokesman Sok Eysan. Sok Eysan did not elaborate on what Kem Sokha had admitted. Kem Sokha had always maintained that his legal problems were politically motivated, and most independent analysts had agreed with him, viewing the cases against them as part of CPP efforts to hobble the opposition before local elections in 2017 and a parliament poll in 2018. CNRP spokesman Yem Ponhearith confirmed that Hun Sens letter to Sihamoni had no strings attached. It was unconditional. It was a political solution between Khmer and Khmer, he said. Yem Ponhearith added that the party has received calls from families of other jailed CNRP activists and a National Election Committee (NEC) official asking Kem Sokha to seek royal pardons. We continue to work hard on this. We are optimistic that there will a political solution for their release also, he said. Kem Sokha wrote a thank-you letter to Hun Sen for working to get the royal pardon. Prime Minister Hun Sens decision is appropriate. It shows Cambodia and the world that we Khmer politicians are very forgiving and considerate. It shows that we are civilized people and strong believers in Buddhism, read the letter, seen by RFAs Khmer Service. He also wrote a letter to thank King Sihamoni. Reported by Sothearin Yeang for RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Paul Eckert. An undated photo of the handwritten letter penned by Peng Ming in 1998, calling on his family to investigate if he 'meets with an accident.' A prominent Chinese dissident who died recently in prison wrote a letter warning his family to suspect foul play, should he meet with an "accident," RFA has learned. Peng Ming died suddenly on Tuesday at the age of 58 in Hubei's Xianning Prison, while serving a life sentence for "terrorism." Peng had been granted refugee status and settled with his family in the United States, but was kidnapped by Chinese agents on the Thai-Myanmar border during a visit to Thailand in 2004 to visit his elderly parents. Brought back to China, Peng was sentenced on Oct. 12, 2005, to life imprisonment after being found guilty of "organizing and leading a terrorist organization," "kidnapping," and "possessing counterfeit money." He had founded the banned China Development Union (CDU), an intellectual and environment research group that advocated moderate democratic reform and a more eco-friendly economic model. In a handwritten letter hastily penned by Peng in 1998 and seen by RFA this week, Peng wrote: "In the event that I lose my liberty or some other unforeseen event happens to me, I ask my mother, father, brother Zhangming, sister Peng Xing, and the others to represent me to the relevant legal channels." The letter, signed by Peng Ming, goes on: "If some accident happens to me, you can be sure that it was made to look like an accident, that it was a set up." "I hope that people of good conscience won't be too afraid to speak out publicly against it," he wrote. Family wants autopsy Peng's family in the United States issued a statement on his death on Friday, calling for an autopsy to shed light on the cause of his death. "Twelve years ago, Peng Ming was kidnapped and taken back to China from Myanmar ... where he was sentenced to life imprisonment," they said. "We kept a low profile then, and again when he was tortured." "The only reason for this low profile was the hope that Peng Ming might one day come home alive," they said The statement called on the ruling Chinese Communist Party to issue visas for the family to return to China to see Peng Ming one more time, and to carry out an autopsy on his body with an internationally trusted doctor. It called on the authorities to refrain from cremated Peng's body before the visas had been granted and an autopsy carried out. Peng's sister Peng Xing said the family is currently in the process of applying for visas via the Chinese authorities in the United States. "I'm very busy, and I'm in touch with the Chinese authorities at the moment, so as to discuss a few things," she said. "I am trying to get a visa ... and also to arrange an autopsy, to find out exactly how he died," Peng Xing said. "All of that is extremely complicated, because they can't keep the body for very long if they're not cremating it, so all of this is being negotiated," she said. Dealing with authorities Peng Zhangming, the brother named in the 1998 letter, said he is similarly busy dealing with the authorities. "I'm at the prosecutor's office and I don't have time to talk right now, sorry," he said. "There are lots of legal arrangements to make." "I have also begun initial discussions with the prison authorities, and they are going to keep the body for 10 days, because there are relatives overseas who need to get home, so it's a process." "The prison has set a special guard on the body, including armed police at the gates," he said. He said he hadn't yet been shown relevant surveillance footage related to Peng's death. "We are going to wait until the rest of the family come back from overseas and then we'll watch it together," he said. Anhui-based rights activist and former state prosecutor Shen Liangqing said a high international profile surrounded Peng Ming's death could help the family's case. "This amount of international pressure may mean that they daren't try anything [related to covering up the cause of death]," Shen said. "It certainly won't do the case any harm." "But sometimes international pressure hasn't enough where local governments are concerned, and I think that Western politicians are to blame for this," he said. Born on Oct. 11, 1956 in Hubei, Peng had previously been arrested in January 1999 and accused of visiting prostitutes, a charge that has been used against a number of dissidents in recent years. He was sentenced without a trial to 18 months in a police-run labor camp for "re-education" after he published his book The Fourth Landmark in Hong Kong in 1998. In the book, Peng calls for China to find a mode of development suited to its immense population and limited resources rather than to try to surpass Western countries with unrestrained industrialization. Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie. A rights activist, one of the Guangzhou Three, recently released from prison in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, says he is having trouble returning to normal life, detailing ongoing restrictions on his movements and a lack of income. Wang Qingying, who was sentenced on Jan. 29, 2016 by the Intermediate People's Court in Guangdong's provincial capital Guangzhou alongside Tang Jingling and Yuan Xinting, spoke to RFA following his release at the end of his two-and-a-half year sentence, most of which was served in pretrial detention: RFA: So how have things been for you since you got out of prison? A: I can only make phone calls, but I can't get online. They have blocked it. I spend the whole time at home, and never go out. RFA: How are you getting by now? A: Life is very difficult. We need a place to live, but I worry that the police will visit my employers if I get a job, and so on. We are hoping to avoid this sort of thing happening. RFA: How do you feel now about having been in prison? A: Actually I feel very honored to have been in jail, but I don't deserve that much glory. I haven't really achieved very much. A lot of people have achieved a lot, but they didn't go to jail. Those sorts of people are admirable too. It's not right that people should have to sacrifice too much. It's important to be wise in the way we carry out the struggle for democracy. It's not just a question of shouting a few slogans. RFA: How did your treatment in prison affect you? A: I did suffer a bit in prison, if truth be told. I was tortured and mistreated. Every time I saw a guard, I would have to squat down beside them. That's how they humiliate you. They stripped me naked when I first got there, in front of all the people, a handful or dozens, it didn't matter. They treat people like animals. We were treated worse than dogs. It violates a person's dignity, and attacks their self-esteem. Of course I protested against it, and so they beat me up so bad it seemed they were going to kill me. RFA: Did your wife tell you how much support and solidarity was expressed for you internationally? A: She didn't want to mention it to me, because it was a nightmare, and so we basically don't talk about these things. She had to take care of the family [while I was in jail] and also cope with all sorts of other things like family pressure, pressure from her boss, harassment and intrusions of all kinds. I think we can say that it was a terrifying time for her, and she often had bad dreams at night. Reported by Xin Lin for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. A railway accident in North Korea blamed on poor track maintenance has killed at least 40 and injured hundreds more, North Korean sources say. The Nov. 21 accident near Tanchon city in South Hamgyong province occurred as members of a construction labor force were returning from work in flood-damaged areas along the Tumen River bordering China, one source told RFAs Korean Service. The train was loaded with workers and with vehicles, machinery, and tools, so the loss of life was severe, the source in neighboring North Hamgyong province said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Nearly 300 workers were either killed or injured when the train overturned in the accident, which has gone unreported in North Koreas state-controlled media, another source said. Around 40 were killed on the spot, while the injured were sent to various hospitals in Tanchon and are receiving treatment, the source said, speaking to RFA from Yanggang province. Many say there will be more deaths because of the large number of seriously injured people, the source added. The accident is believed to have been caused by poor maintenance of the railway, and was not the fault of the engineer, who suffered only minor injuries, the source said. Five excavating machines and three freight cars with 20-ton loading capacity were also destroyed in the accident, causing considerable problems for a tideland reclamation project planned by the owners, the Western Sea Tideland Construction Office, RFAs sources said. The wrecked trains diesel locomotive was built for winter use and had been pulled into service because of electric power shortages on the rail lines, RFAs source in Yanggang said. Several of the locomotives assigned for work in the areas hit by floods have now been damaged, so it will be difficult to restore normal operations on the railways for a while, he said. Reported by Sung-hui Moon for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Soo Min Jo. Written in English by Richard Finney. More than a thousand Tibetans ordered home by China after traveling to India for an important religious gathering were granted a special audience and teachings this week by the Dalai Lama, Tibetan sources said. The Tibetans, most of them elderly and coming from the Kham and Amdo regions of eastern Tibet, were received by their exiled spiritual leader in Dharamsala, India, on Nov. 30, a coordinator of the event told RFAs Tibetan Service. During the audience, His Holiness gave special advice and religious instruction to all of those who had arrived from Tibet, RFAs source, named Choegyal, said. Most had come to India to see His Holiness and ultimately to take part in the Kalachakra teachings that will be held in Bodh Gaya, India, in January. Kalachakra, which means Wheel of Time, is a ritual that prepares devotees to be reborn in Shambhala, a celestial kingdom which, it is said, will vanquish the forces of evil in a future cosmic battle. The ceremony and teachings are often conducted outside Tibet by the Dalai Lama, who is widely reviled by Chinese leaders as a splittist seeking to separate Tibet, which was invaded by Communist China in 1950, from Beijings control. In a bid to reduce attendance at Januarys ceremony, officials in Tibetan-populated areas of western China have moved in recent weeks to confiscate the passports of Tibetans authorized to travel abroad, in some cases blocking Tibetan passengers from boarding aircraft flying from Sichuan to Nepal. Tibetans already present in India and Nepal have meanwhile been ordered to return home, sources say. Many of those welcomed this week by the Dalai Lama have been told their families will be harmed if they fail to go back, Choegyal said. So unfortunately, under this intense Chinese pressure on themselves and their families, most have no choice but to return, he said. All are extremely disappointed and sad, and many are in tears at this collapse of their hopes. Though most of those attending Wednesdays reception will now return homesome after briefly visiting Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India and Nepala few have decided to stay behind despite the risks, Choegyal said. I came from Tibet to see His Holiness and receive the Kalachakara teachings, one participant said. No matter what the consequences may be on my return, even if I am detained, I am ready to face them, he said. Reported by Ugyen Tenzin and Lhuboom for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney. The head of the European Union's executive body has said he expects EU sanctions against Russia to be extended next year, but that it will be harder to do that in the future. Donald Tusk, who is president of the European Council and a former Polish prime minister, made the comments in an interview broadcast on December 1 by Polish station TVN24. He said France, Germany, and the United States had supported him in maintaining a cohesive response to Russia's military actions in recent years. He said he expected another extension of the sanctions to be approved in January, for the usual six-month period. But he also said the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president will also make it harder to preserve Western unity toward Russia. "I believe that after the [U.S.] elections and Donald Trump's victory it will be harder to build such unequivocal, uniform policy of the Western world toward Russia," Tusk said. Trump has expressed a more conciliatory approach toward Moscow. And in France, many observers are predicting the next president will be Francois Fillon, a former prime minister who also advocates more cooperation with Russia. Based on reporting by AP and TASS Georgia's main opposition party, the United National Movement (ENM), again appears to be heading for a split into two wings, one of which unequivocally supports its founder, former President Mikheil Saakashvili, while the other considers him a liability. At a three-hour meeting of the party's Political Council on November 30, the pro-Saakashvili faction succeeded by the narrowest of margins in averting a motion by the rival faction to convene a congress of some 2,000 delegates next month that would elect as the party's new chairman Davit Bakradze, who headed the ENM faction in the last parliament. Instead, the Political Council voted behind closed doors by 25 votes to 24 with one abstention to hold a congress of some 7,000 delegates at which no new chairman will be elected, and Saakashvili will be confirmed in the post of honorary leader. Saakashvili was formally removed as chairman in December 2015 after he acquired Ukrainian citizenship and was therefore stripped of Georgian citizenship. At that juncture the ENM declared it would not elect a new chairman, and that Saakashvili would remain its "unchallenged leader." Veteran party member and former ENM parliament deputy Nodar Tsiklauri, who is one of the leaders of the pro-Saakashvili wing, told journalists it was imperative that the party should not elect a new chairman precisely because Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia party that defeated the ENM in the October 2012 parliamentary ballot, has been trying to minimize Saakashvili's role in Georgian politics for the past four years. Tsiklauri also said over 80 percent of members of the party's district organizations were in favor of Saakashvili remaining party leader, and it would be "electoral suicide" for the party to distance itself from him. ENM lawmaker and erstwhile Security Council Secretary Giga Bokeria, who is seen as heading the more moderate faction that considers the unpredictable Saakashvili a liability, told journalists after the Political Council vote that the vote was at odds with his position, but "part of the democratic process." Bokeria pointed out, as he has done before, that Saakashvili, who resigned last month as governor of Ukraine's Odesa Oblast, is barred by virtue of no longer being a Georgian citizen from participating in Georgian politics. The ENM needs a leader under whom it can develop and adapt to new political circumstances, Bokeria continued, and Bakradze is the best candidate for that post. Independent commentator Zaal Anjaparidze, however, told the news portal Caucasus Knot that Bakradze "has never been an independent political figure." He suggested that Bokeria, who is not popular, aspires to the role of eminence grise, who will direct the party through Bakradze as nominal leader. Both factions are clearly anxious to downplay the possibility of a split within the party ranks, especially given that it controls only 27 of the 150 parliament mandates. (In the wake of the parliamentary elections in October, the moderate wing of the Political Council prevailed over the Saakashvili supporters who had advocated boycotting runoffs in 50 constituencies and not participating in the work of the new legislature.) Tsiklauri told journalists prior to the November 30 Political Council meeting that he did not think "the situation is so dramatic that anyone will quit the party," while lawmaker Giorgi Gabashvili, speaking for those party members who advocate electing a new chairman, stressed that they are not out to distance the ENM from Saakashvili. "This is not a political conflict or burning bridges with anyone," Gabashvili said. Saakashvili for his part has thanked all those who demonstrated their trust in him by "making the correct choice" and opting for holding a congress worthy of "a democratic, European-style party," thereby thwarting what he termed "a bid to distance me from the party." The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter. To subscribe, click here. I'm RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari. Here's what Ive been following during the past week and what Im watching for in the days ahead. The Big Issue Iran has accused two female journalists who covered the hospitalization and funeral of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini -- whose death in the custody of Tehran's morality police triggered protests across the country -- of being U.S. spies and the "primary sources of news for foreign media." The accusations came in a joint statement by the feared intelligence branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Intelligence Ministry, which identified the two journalists, Nilufar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, who are being held in Tehran's Evin prison, by their initials. The statement claims the journalists were trained abroad. It also says the protests that have shaken Iran were planned by the CIA along with other foreign intelligence services, including the British and Saudi spy agencies as well as Israel's Mossad. The statement was met with fear and anger by Iranian journalists and their colleagues, who pushed back against the accusations. Senior editors of Hamedi's Sharq daily and Mohammadi's Hammihan dismissed the charges and said the journalists were only doing their jobs. "Our journalist and our newspaper.....acted within the framework of the journalistic mission," said Mehdi Rahmanian, editor of the reformist Sharq, while Gholamhossein Karbaschi, the editor of Hammihan, said the IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency and other news agencies had similar reports that included more details. More than 500 journalists, photographers, and other media workers demanded the release of their colleagues while calling on officials to allow the free flow of information. Separately, Tehran's Journalist Association said that based on the statement by the Iranian intelligence agencies, journalism should be banned because "the normal activity of journalists has been cited as evidence of a crime." For its part, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists dismissed the charges against the two journalists as "conspiracy theories," adding that it will hold Iranian leaders accountable for any harm done to the journalists. Why It Matters: The spying accusations against Hamedi and Mohammadi are a major escalation of state pressure on the media, which is already facing a severe crackdown and tough censorship. The spying charges leveled against the two carries the death penalty. According to the CPJ, more than 45 journalists and columnists have been arrested in the current crackdown. The French media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said Iran has become the world's biggest jailer of female journalists in the course of the current crackdown. Meanwhile, reports have emerged that France-based Iranian journalist Vahid Shamsoddinnezhad, who had traveled to Saghez to cover the aftermath of Amini's death for the European TV channel Arte, has been in jail since September 28. What's Next: The judiciary has not officially charged the two journalists with spying. The pushback from the Iranian press and journalists and international pressure could be instrumental in clearing the two journalists of the accusations. Stories You Might Have Missed Iranian authorities secretly buried the body of RFE/RL's Radio Farda broadcaster Reza Haghighatnejad at a location near Shiraz after seizing his body upon repatriation to Iran for burial. Haghighatnejad, 45, died of cancer in Berlin on October 17. His body was flown to Iran on October 25. His family was not allowed to see the body or participate in his burial. Radio Farda obtained a video of Haghighatnejad's gravesite , where the anthem of the current mass protests in Iran, Shervin Hajipur's Baraye, was heard in the background. The U.S. State Department has called on Iran to release Haghighatnejad's body and said the episode showed the extent the Iranian government will go to intimidate the press. at a location near Shiraz after seizing his body upon repatriation to Iran for burial. Haghighatnejad, 45, died of cancer in Berlin on October 17. His body was flown to Iran on October 25. His family was not allowed to see the body or participate in his burial. Radio Farda obtained , where the anthem of the current mass protests in Iran, Shervin Hajipur's Baraye, was heard in the background. The U.S. State Department has called on Iran to release Haghighatnejad's body and said the episode showed the extent the Iranian government will go to intimidate the press. Iran has arrested rapper Toomaj Salehi, who had expressed support for the anti-govenment protests in Iran. Security authorities announced that the rapper was arrested on October 30 while attempting to flee the country. Salehi's uncle denied the claim, saying his nephew was arrested in the southwestern province of Chaharmahal Bakhtiari. Salehi was also detained last year over lyrics he wrote that condemn state repression, the killings of protesters, poverty, and injustice. What We're Watching Iran saw a surge in protests last week when thousands of people marked 40 days since the death of Mahsa Amini in state custody. In Amini's hometown of Saghez, a massive crowd gathered at the cemetery where the young woman is buried. Many walked to the cemetery amid reports that authorities had blocked the roads leading to Amini's resting place. Mourners also gathered last week at the grave of 16-year-old Nika Shahkarami near the western city of Khorramabad, 40 days after she was killed in the brutal state crackdown amid reports that security forces had opened fire to disperse mourners while also making arrests. Why It Matters: The memorial ceremonies for those killed by security forces have energized the protest movement by fueling more anger with state repression. The establishment has responded with force. More protests could erupt as Iranians mourn those killed by security forces. Thats all from me for now. Dont forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have. Until next time, Golnaz Esfandiari If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Wednesday. Iranian cities were again the scene of anti-government protests and at least one strike on November 2, despite a warning from authorities to end the demonstrations. Videos published on social media show protests in different cities as the outcry that erupted in mid-September after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody continues. Local sources reported gatherings in the western Iranian city of Sanandaj, where people chanted, "Death to the dictator," a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Meanwhile, Kolbarnews, a group that monitors the Kurdish-inhabited areas of western Iran where Amini was from, reported on November 2 that shopkeepers from Sanandaj had started a general strike. The protests took place despite a warning from the commander of Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Hossein Salami, who told Iranians that October 29 was the last day of the riots." Since Aminis death on September 16, thousands have been demonstrating across the country against the clerical establishment. Videos continue to emerge on social media showing evidence of the governments violent response to the protests -- a crackdown that the Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights says has left at least 277 people, including 40 children, dead. On November 1, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network and Hengaw, two groups that monitor the human rights situation in Kurdistan Province, published a video from CCTV cameras in the western Iranian city of Baneh that shows the moment a citizen was shot at by armed security forces. Kurdistan Human Rights Network and Hengaw say that these videos are related to the killing of Mutalib Saeid Piro, who died of a gunshot wound on October 27. In the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, lawyer Mustafa Nili announced the arrest of several fellow lawyers who represented people detained during the recent protests. Nazanin Salari, Bahar Sahraian, Mahmoud Taravatroy, and Amin Adel Ahmadian are among the detained lawyers. Earlier in May, the Shiraz Revolutionary Prosecutor filed a court case against Taravatroy and Salari for defending members of the Baha'i community and issued a summons for trial against them on charges of assembly and collusion against national security. Meanwhile, the family of Iranian activist Hossein Ronaghi expressed concern over the civil rights leader's health condition. On November 1, Hossein Ronaghi's father announced that he had managed to meet his son after 38 days in prison. In a video, Ronaghi says that his son is on a hunger strike and that his health is deteriorating. He also says that the interrogator of the case spoke to him insultingly and threatened three times to kill his son. Videos of the security forces' presence in two neighborhoods of Tehran -- Ekbatan and Chitgar -- in the west of the Iranian capital have been published showing agents using loudspeakers to threaten residents. In one of the videos, security officers use sexual profanities in response to the chanting of women. In another video, one of the security agents tells the residents through the loudspeaker that they are ready to behead their own women and children in defense of the state. Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda Russian forces have launched suicide drones on targets in eastern and central Ukraine, the Ukrainian air defense reported, as heavy fighting continues in the east. "Twelve out of 13 [loitering] munitions were destroyed by [the Ukrainian] anti-aircraft defense in the eastern and central regions of the country," the military said in a message on Telegram. The air defense said six drones were shot down in eastern Ukraine and another six were destroyed in the central part of the country. Russia has been targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure and civilian objectives with missile, drone, and artillery attacks for weeks amid a Ukrainian counteroffensive that has driven Russian troops out of the northeast and pushed them back in the east and southeast. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on November 2 that authorities in the capital were preparing more than 1,000 heating points throughout the city in case its district heating system is disabled by continued Russian attacks. Russia launched missiles into several Ukrainian cities on October 31, including Kyiv, as the Kremlin continues its relentless assault on Ukrainian critical infrastructure in the hopes of wearing down its population's will to resist. Water and electricity supplies were all but cut off for hours in Kyiv before being restored on November 1, but officials warned that power rationing would continue to be necessary in the capital. 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, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here. Klitschko wrote on Telegram on November 2 that city authorities were considering different scenarios due to missile attacks. "The worst one is where there will be no electric power, water, or district heating at all," he said. "For that case, we are preparing over 1,000 heating points in our city." Missile and drone attacks have damaged at least 40 percent of Ukraine's energy infrastructure and have already briefly left large parts of Kyiv without power and water. Nine regions were experiencing power cuts, authorities said. "We will do everything we can to provide power and heat for the coming winter," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his regular address late on November 1. "But we must understand that Russia will do everything it can to destroy normal life." In the central Cherkasy region, a drone hit an infrastructure objective on November 2, said regional Governor Ihor Taburets in a message on Telegram. Taburets said that two other drones that targeted Cherkasy were shot down. He said no injuries were reported. Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat on November 1 warned that Kyiv does not have an effective means of defense against Iranian-made ballistic missiles, which Russia is likely planning to deploy north of the Ukrainian border. Ihnat told a news briefing that it would be theoretically possible to shoot down Iranian ballistic missiles, but it would be very difficult to do it "with the means that we have in our arsenal today." The Washington Post reported last month that Iran had agreed to supply Russia with surface-to-surface missiles, citing sources in U.S. security agencies The Ukrainian military said Russian troops continued shelling the eastern city of Bakhmut, a target of Russia's armed forces in their slow advance through the Donetsk region. There was fierce fighting near Bakhmut, as Ukrainian forces held back Russian assaults on two other areas in Donetsk, around Avdiyivka and Uhledar. With reporting by Reuters and AP After more than four decades of working hard and saving his money, Mastan Khan has returned to his native Pakistan to have some fun. The masterfully-mustachioed Mr. Khan also makes people smile wherever he goes in his magnificent bling machine. (RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal) The lawyer of a Russian woman convicted of high treason after sending a text message to a friend in Georgia says she wants to appeal her prison sentence. Oksana Sevastidi, 46, was sentenced to seven years in prison in March for texting in 2008 about a Russian train full of military equipment heading toward the Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia during the brief war between Russia and Georgia. Her lawyer, Ivan Pavlov, said on December 2 that he asked the Krasnodar regional court to allow his client to appeal the sentence as all deadlines for such an appeal have passed. Sevastidi's former lawyer did not appeal the sentence in time for unknown reasons, according to Pavlov. Oleg Orlov of the Memorial Human Rights Center in Moscow says Sevastidi's case is politically motivated. Based on reporting by Kommersant and TASS Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet with Japan's foreign minister, ahead of an upcoming state visit by the Russian leader. The Kremlin said visiting Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida would also meet on December 2 with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, to discuss plans for the trip later this month. Putin's visit to Japan comes as the two countries continue to build trade ties, but also struggle over the unresolved question of four Pacific islands seized by the Soviet Union in the waning days of World War II. The two countries have not formally signed a peace treaty due to the competing demands on the islands, known as the southern Kuriles to Russia, and the Northern Territories to Japan. Moscow has recently moved to build new military infrastructure on some of the islands, which are also home to rich fishing grounds. Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS Russia has criticized the United Nations for not delivering humanitarian aid to the areas of Aleppo that have been retaken by Syrian government forces from rebels. The Russian military has been the only source of food, medicine, and other supplies for 90,000 residents of the neighborhoods seized by the Russian-backed Syrian Army since last weekend, Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said on December 2. "All proposals to deliver humanitarian aid to Aleppo stopped after government forces liberated more than 40 percent of the city's eastern districts," Konashenkov said. The comments come a day after UN humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland said Russia had indicated it was ready to discuss opening four safe corridors to the besieged, rebel-held east of Aleppo. Egeland said the UN had enough food stored in the west to feed 150,000 people in the east, as well as medical supplies to cover their needs. Based on reporting by AP, Interfax, and TASS Russia's main security agency warned of a plot by unspecified foreign intelligence services to launch "large-scale" cyberattacks aimed at destabilizing the country's financial system. In a statement December 2, the Federal Security Service did not identify the alleged culprits behind the plot, but said computer servers involved were located in the Netherlands and were registered to Ukrainian web-hosting company BlazingFast. he statement said the attacks would allegedly begin December 5 and be accompanied by a stream of text messages and posts on social networks containing claims of an imminent collapse of Russia's major banks and the financial system's breakdown. It said the attack would target several dozen Russian cities. Russia's central bank said it was aware of the threat, adding that it has drawn up a plan to counteract any attack. "The situation is under control," it said. "Banks have been given necessary guidance." There was no way to immediately confirm the report. The director of Kyiv-based BlazingFast, Anton Onoprichuk, said no intelligence agency had been in touch with his company. He also said he was waiting for more information so the company could investigate. The alleged plot comes amid growing number of hacks and cyberattacks targeting institutions around the world, some committed by private individuals, others by government-sponsored cyber groups. After the U.S. government publicly accused the Russian government of involvement in the hack of Democratic party officials, U.S. intelligence later promised counter-measures. Vice President Joe Biden said in October "we're sending a message" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "It will be at the time of our choosing, and under the circumstances that will have the greatest impact," he warned. Based on reporting by Reuters, Interfax, and AP A teenager adopted from Russia has been arrested in Texas and charged with the murder of his adoptive parents. Police in the city of Crowley said Carl Brewer, 17, was arrested in his parents home following a 12-hour standoff with the police that ended in tear gas being used. Crowley officers had found the bodies of American Airlines pilot Troy Brewer, 60, and his wife Mary Brewer, 63, dead inside their home in the evening on November 29. The Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C. has confirmed that Brewer had been adopted from Russia and as a Russian citizen had been registered at the Russian consulate since 2005. Police say they did not have an exact motive for the slayings. The Brewers had three children adopted from Russia, reports said. Carl was the only one still living with his adoptive parents. A pastor in the city suggested that Brewer and his brothers had a history of outbursts. Based on reporting by Interfax, RIA, wfaa.com,dallasnews.com and Daily Mail U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said he has chosen retired U.S. Marine Corps General James Mattis as his defense secretary. Trump made the announcement at a rally in Cincinnati, Ohio on December 1. Nicknamed "Mad Dog" for his blunt manner, Mattis led Marine divisions in the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. About two weeks before announcing his pick, Trump met with Mattis in Bedminster, New Jersey. (AP) The son of Gulnara Karimova, the eldest daughter of the late Uzbek leader, has called for her status to be officially recognized. Karimova, who was once tipped as a potential successor to her father, Islam Karimov, vanished from public life amid a corruption scandal more than two years ago. In an interview with the BBC, Islam Karimov Jr. said his mother was being held in a "two-to-three room annex" to her main property in Tashkent. Karimov Jr., who lives in London, accused the Uzbek security services of keeping his mother in isolation, adding that being held incommunicado for such a long time must have affected her health. "To be isolated for two or three years without any even basic human rights that every person deserves on this earth, I'm sure that any person will need some kind of medical attention," he said. "But mentally she is sane." When authoritarian President Islam Karimov died in September, neither of the siblings or their mother attended the funeral. Islam Karimov Jr. said his sister and mother were prevented from going and he himself could not risk the trip back home. "I wanted to go, but I knew that if I go to the funeral I would not come back," he said. "They need all three of us there to limit our activity and our voices," Based on reporting by the BBC Uzbekistan holds a presidential election on December 4, the fifth such vote in the countrys 25-year history as an independent state. But for the first time, the name Islam Karimov will not appear on ballots. Karimovs death, announced on September 2, has given some hope that there could be changes, however slight, to the authoritarian government in Uzbekistan. RFE/RL assembled our panel podcast, Majlis, to look at the clear front-runner in this weekend's election, what he has done in his brief time as acting president, and discuss the problems he faces in getting the country moving forward after the vote. Moderating the discussion was RFE/RL Media Relations Manager Muhammad Tahir. Bakhtiyor Nishanov, regional deputy director for Eurasia at the International Republican Institute, participated from Washington. From Prague, Alisher Sidik, the director of RFE/RLs Uzbek Service, known locally as Ozodlik, joined the conversation. And also from Prague, though from a different studio, I tossed in a few comments. Shavkat Mirziyaev has been Uzbekistans prime minister since 2003. But since September, he has also been interim president, due to what Nishanov described as an unconstitutional process that circumvented a constitutional stipulation that should have seen the Senate speaker take over as acting president until an election was held. Sidik said the December 4 poll is not about an election, its just an approval for current acting President and Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyaev. Mirziyaevs election as president seems a foregone conclusion, and in that sense the vote mirrors earlier elections won by the late Karimov. Nishanov noted a small change in the way this latest campaign was conducted. In the past it was very Soviet-style, 'Go do your duty as a citizen,' he said, whereas, This one was a little bit more light-hearted; there were pop artists that would appeal to younger folks. Turnout will be important, because Uzbekistans second-ever president needs a clear demonstration of his popularity, the enthusiasm of Uzbekistans people casting ballots for him. Mirziyaev is running against three little-known opponents, though two of his rivals in the election -- Khotamjon Ketmonov of the Peoples Democratic Party and Nariman Umarov of the Adolat Party -- ran against Karimov in the March 2015 presidential election. There were numerous accusations of vote rigging in previous elections in Uzbekistan, but those alleged activities were presumably to enhance Karimovs portion of the vote. Sidik suggested that, this time, election officials might also have to manipulate the vote count but that, ironically, that might be because Mirziyaev will get 99 percent; and because they [presumably] dont want to show that hes a dictator from the very beginning, they would need to lower his percentage. The portion of the vote that Mirziyaev receives might be the only interesting part of the election. A count that shows he received more than 90 percent of the votes could be interpreted as showing he is not confident in his new position and needs a high publicized vote count that speaks to his popularity. A vote count under 90 or even 80 percent could show Mirziyaev is firmly in power and also would send a message that he and his administration are willing at least to pay lip service to concerns -- expressed mostly in the West -- about Uzbekistans commitment to possible democratic reforms. After the election, Mirziyaev faces some formidable challenges in moving Uzbekistan forward. The Uzbek government has got an enormous...problem on their hands, and thats the economic situation in the country, Nishanov said. Sidik noted one of Mirziyaevs campaign promises has been plans "to attract a lot of investment. Where this investment might come from is a big question. China has invested large amounts of money into Uzbekistan, but nearly all it has gone toward projects that bring Central Asian resources to China. Russia has already signaled it is prepared to invest more money into Uzbekistan. At the end of November, LUKoil proposed building a chain of gasoline stations across Uzbekistan. In the few months that Mirziyaev has been in charge, Russia is virtually the only party that has shown interest in investing in Uzbekistan. But the Uzbek government has always been wary of getting too close to Russia, and since Mirziyaev assumed power, statements from Uzbekistan have emphasized the country is not interested in joining the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) or the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). At the same time, Uzbekistan officially has some 1.5 million migrant laborers working in Russia; the actual number could be nearly twice that. But remittances from Uzbek workers in Russia have fallen drastically, and that has hurt Uzbekistans economy. Russias central bank reported remittances to Uzbekistan in 2013 of some $6.63 billion; the figure for the first half of 2016 totaled just $952 million. Eurasian Economic Union member Kyrgyzstan, by contrast, saw its number of migrant laborers increase in 2016 along with the figure for remittances. Another ostensible postelection plan is to allow the Uzbek national currency, the som, to float. But it was noted that Kazakhstan took that step that in late 2015 and it led to some of the worst social unrest that country had seen since the late 1990s. Concerning domestic policies on matters like freedom of speech or political pluralism, our Majlis participants voiced doubts about any positive changes. On freedom of the press, Sidik said: Mirziyaev never expressed his opinions on this.... He never gave a single interview... never answered journalists questions, and I dont know whether he plans any press conferences. It was also noted that Uzbekistan has recently released some political prisoners, which could be taken as a hopeful sign. Nishanov welcomed these moves but said this was similar to what has been seen previously. One of the tactics that Karimov had employed was, 'Were going to release somebody [prisoners] and make us look good, Nishanov said. There appeared to be seemingly little hope of change with Mirziyaev as president. But Mirizyaev has hinted that his administration might court better regional ties, and the dire economic situation in Uzbekistan could force his government to make some changes. There is hope that, as a means to gaining some genuine popularity, Mirziyaev might offer gestures that actually benefit the public, as was true in the first year that Turkmenistans second president, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, was in power. So Mirziyayev will not be a second Karimov; he cannot be. What he might be is further discussed in the Majlis podcast, along with a deeper look at the issues mentioned in this text. An audio recording of the discussion can be heard at: Listen to or download the Majlis podcast above or subscribe to Majlis on iTunes. MISSOULA -- Some legislators had been quietly calling for the Board of Regents to change leadership at the University of Montana in the months leading up to Thursdays announcement that President Royce Engstrom would step down Dec. 31. What I have heard from other legislators is that UM has dropped the ball in that they have not kept up with recruitment and retention of students, and that theyve fallen behind MSU because of that, said Rep. Tom Woods, a Democrat who also teaches biology at Montana State University and will serve on the joint education appropriations committee in the 2017 Legislature. Woods called the change analogous to a corporation changing CEOs after tough times. I understand, but its tempered by the fact that Ive met Royce Engstrom, he said. I like him and think hes a bright guy. Theres some sadness involved. Rep. Bradley Hamlett, a Cascade Democrat who also serves on the joint education appropriations committee, said it is less clear to him why Engstrom is leaving. He called for the regents to give a more forthright explanation. Lets face facts, he said. Royce went through a very difficult time for the institution and for the community and then, yeah, theres been some declining enrollment, but I dont think you can lay that at his feet. Hamlett suspected that Engstrom and the regents might have had different plans for how to reverse declining enrollment at UM. He cautioned against the idea that a new president will be a magic fix. If you think just changing somebody at the head is going to totally turn something around, youre fooling yourself, he said, pointing to broader economic forces at play. There wasnt any incompetency that I saw. Sen. Jeff Welborn, R-Dillon, likewise questioned how much Engstrom could be blamed for the universitys current challenges. From a policy makers perspective, whats happening in Missoula is the fault of no one, he said. Its not that MSU or UM are managed better than the other; its just the timing of it. Some fields are less marketable. I dont feel thats a reflection of the current administration. Its just a sign of the times. Rep. Tom Burnett, a Bozeman Republican who serves on the joint education appropriations committee, said that although he did not participate in the legislative calls for Engstrom's departure, he does support the decision. "Any time an institution that's seen its brand slip that much, (it) has to look for new leadership, no matter how much of the responsibility can be laid directly at his doorstep," he said. "The leader is charged with that responsibility, rightly or wrongly." After reviewing files, Gov. Steve Bullocks Spokesman Tim Crowe said the governor had not received any letters, calls or emails from the public about President Royce Engstrom, positive or negative, in the last 90 days. He said the governor was unavailable Thursday to comment on whether legislators had spoken to him about any concerns with Engstroms leadership. Sen. Eric Moore, R-Miles City, said whoever the regents select as UMs next president should be ready to make the tough choices that come with the states tight budget situation. Moore serves as vice chairman of the joint education appropriations committee. I think the entire university system is going to share in the challenges of the budget this session. Find someone whos sharp with a pencil and is good at managing expenses, he said. Theyre going to have to -- like everybody else -- do more with less. A man has been charged with robbing a downtown bank on Thursday, according to police. At 12:53 p.m. Thursday, officers were called to the Wells Fargo bank at 801 E. Main Street for a report of a robbery. A bank employee reported a man had handed a note to tellers demanding cash. Police said the robber did not brandish a weapon during the robbery. He received cash and left on foot southbound towards Kanawha Plaza, police said. Officers quickly found the man as he ran southbound across the Manchester Bridge, and arrested him. Detectives charged Joseph D. Matz, 47, with bank robbery. TIRANA, Albania A former top-secret nuclear bunker reopened Saturday as a museum in Albania's capital to show visitors how Communist-era police persecuted the regime's opponents. The 1,077-square-foot bunker with reinforced concrete walls up to 8-feet thick was built between 1981 and 1986 to shelter elite police and interior ministry staff in the event of a nuclear attack. The museum that opened in Tirana now holds photographs and equipment that illustrate the political persecution of some 100,000 Albanians from 1945 until 1991. The "Pillar" museum, as the nuclear bunker was codenamed, is one of several former hideouts the Albanian government has repurposed for the public since it came to power three years ago. Both an island fortress and another underground bunker designed for Albania's army command are now open to tourists, as is a leaf-covered villa that once housed the former communist country's secret police, known as Sigurimi. More may come from the scores of military installations erected during the paranoid, isolationist regime of the late dictator Enver Hoxha, who ruled with an iron fist after the end of World War II until December 1990. Hoxha's regime, with an imaginary fear of invasion by the "imperialist United States and social-imperialist Soviet Union," built concrete bunkers of all sizes around the country. At one time there were rumored to be as many as 700,000, but the government says 175,000 were built. Prime Minister Edi Rama said the new museum reflects his Cabinet's "will to pay back a debt to the memory of the former political persecuted, forgotten in the last 25 years." Located downtown, it was designed to attract visitors from Albania and beyond "to learn about the ways that the former communist police persecuted their opponents," curator Carlo Bollino said. "This is the first memorial for the victims of the communist terror," Bollino said. Twenty rooms in the new museum show Albania's police history from 1912 until 1991, as well as the names of 6,027 people executed during the communist regime, the 34,000 imprisoned and the more than 50,000 sent to isolated internment camps. The bunker was never used, "though it has always been operational," according to Mehdi Sulo, 70, a museum guide. It also has been a focus of political demonstrations. In an anti-government rally a year ago, supporters of the main opposition Democratic Party destroyed part of a replica bunker built as the museum's entrance. They complained that Rama's governing Socialist Party was trying to glorify the country's dark past. The holes the demonstrators made in the entrance purposely were not repaired. "Bunkers once aimed at putting the enemy away, now they serve to attract people to remember the difficult past," Rama said. A Richmond teen fleeing deputies Friday at the Chesterfield County Courthouse tried to jump from a second-floor balcony to escape but was grabbed before he fell, authorities said. Joeal Burno, 18, of the 3100 block of Lanewood Drive, was in Chesterfield General District Court for a pretrial hearing on charges of possession of marijuana and manufacturing a controlled substance, the Chesterfield Sheriffs Office said in a release. But when he learned of an additional outstanding warrant for his arrest, Burno ran from the courtroom only to find deputies waiting for him at the main entrance, authorities said. With his exit blocked, Burno then ran upstairs to the circuit court section of the courthouse, where he tried to jump from a second-floor balcony, authorities said. Deputies were able to grab him before he plunged 20 feet to the concrete floor below. He was taken into custody and charged with resisting arrest, a Class 1 misdemeanor with a maximum punishment of 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine. A Delaware woman was arrested Friday and charged in connection with eight commercial burglaries of businesses in Petersburg's Old Town area, police announced. A police surveillance led to the arrest of Veronica Fludd, 45, of Milford, Del., said Petersburg police Capt. Brian Braswell. Officers had earlier developed a description of the suspect using a combination of surveillance video footage from the targeted businesses, he said. DECATUR As members of Wesley United Methodist Church in Urbana prepared to hold a service of remembrance six years ago, they thought of their former pastor. They knew that the Rev. Miley Palmer, by then a visitation pastor serving two congregations in Decatur, understood how much the loss of a loved one hurts at Christmas. His 19-year-old granddaughter, Ryanne Mace of Carpentersville, was one of five students shot to death during a geology class at Northern Illinois University on Feb. 14, 2008. Mace was an accomplished musician and was studying to be psychologist/case worker. Every pastor knows many parishioners are sad to see that empty spot at the table during the holidays, Palmer said. So Palmer not only accepted the invitation from the Urbana church to speak at the special service, he also brought the idea back to his churches in Decatur, namely First United Methodist and First Presbyterian churches. Starting in 2011, the service of remembrance has alternated between the two churches until this year, when it will be hosted by Central Christian Church in a move to make it even more of a community event. Palmer, whose last day at First Presbyterian was Wednesday and who remains minister of visitation at First United Methodist, has once again been asked to speak. Participants in the service light candles in memory of their loved ones. One twist that we've added in Decatur is to invite people to bring a memento and place it at the front of the room, Palmer said. In the future, I hope other churches will host the service on a rotating basis. Don Martin, minister of music and visitation at Central, is shepherding this year's service Sunday and scheduled it to follow the church's Good Grief luncheon for people grieving a loss. We'll have readings and prayers to help us in a time when we are missing loved ones in a particular way, Martin said. There will also be candles for lighting to remind us that the darkness will never overcome the light. ROANOKE Former WDBJ-7 (Channel 7) reporter Orlando Salinas was being released from jail Friday night, and the rape and sodomy charges that he was to stand trial for next week will be dropped, his lawyer said Friday. An officer at the Western Virginia Regional Jail confirmed Friday evening that Salinas, 55, was in the process of being released. He will go to his familys home in Blacksburg to resume living with his wife, said his lawyer, Deborah Caldwell-Bono of Roanoke. The abrupt end of the case against Salinas came days before he was to have a jury trial in Montgomery County Circuit Court on charges of rape and forcible sodomy. The accusations stemmed from a supposed assault on a 64-year-old woman in her Blacksburg home. Caldwell-Bono said that she was contacted by the prosecutors office Friday and told that the charges against her client would be withdrawn on Wednesday at the court session that had been scheduled to be Salinas trial. Caldwell-Bono said that she replied that Salinas, whose release on bond was denied earlier in the case, should be let out of jail immediately. Caldwell-Bono said that the case against Salinas was flawed from the beginning. But she said that she would not say more about it until after Wednesdays hearing. Based in the New River Valley, Salinas employed a freewheeling reporting style before he left the station in 2015. The station later said that he was dismissed for insubordination. Salinas is a graduate of Blacksburg High School and Virginia Commonwealth University who worked as a television reporter in Richmond and Miami before returning to Southwest Virginia in 2012 as a reporter for WDBJ-7. His contract was not renewed and he left the TV station in 2015. He has been working as a real estate agent in the New River Valley since. Reducing territorial politics and improving workforce development are among the keys to lessening disparities between Virginias affluent urban crescent and struggling regions, lawmakers and other panelists said Thursday. Sens. J. Chapman Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax City, and William M. Stanley Jr., R-Franklin County; Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Todd P. Haymore; and August Wallmeyer, author of a book titled The Extremes of Virginia, discussed Virginias regional divide on Thursday at Virginia Press Association Day at the Capital, a gathering of reporters, editors and newsmakers at the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Theres no question there are two Virginias, maybe more, Wallmeyer said. In broad terms, Wallmeyer refers to the extremes of Virginia as an umbrella for Southwest Virginia, Southside and the Eastern Shore. He cited a litany of statistics that show how residents in the extremes are not faring as well as Virginians living in Northern Virginia, greater Richmond and Hampton Roads. For instance: Between 2010 and 2014, population in the extremes dropped 2.3 percent while the states population as a whole grew 4.1 percent. In the extremes, young people are fleeing, Wallmeyer said. Theyre running away for jobs and opportunity that they cant find in the extremes. In the extremes, 17.5 percent of residents under the age of 65 have no health insurance, compared with 12.5 percent statewide. In the extremes, the median household income of $37,854 is 59 percent of the statewide average of $63,907. The suicide rate in the extremes is nearly 19 percent higher than for the state as a whole. Moderator Jeff South, a journalism professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, noted that a recent report by Old Dominion University found that more than 80 percent of the Virginia economy is clustered in Northern Virginia, greater Richmond and Hampton Roads. So you can really see this dichotomy within our state, he said. Haymore, who was raised on a farm in Pittsylvania County, said more than 90 percent of the state is covered in forest and farm land. In a lot of those rural areas, we have to play to our assets, he said, noting that a focus on agriculture and forestry does not bar other opportunities, ranging from data centers to cyber security operations. Haymore said workforce development could be the great equalizer. Stanley, whose sprawling state Senate district spans from Galax to Halifax, said coal, manufacturing and tobacco built Virginia, but that the region lost thousands of jobs through trade deals such as the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Central America Free Trade Agreement. The federal government told our people that it was going to be OK this was this was going to be good for business, (but) we watched our jobs go away. More than partisanship, regionalism in the General Assembly and in state government poses a real threat, Stanley said. Jobs follow road and infrastructure spending, and spending in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads dwarfs that in other regions, he said. Were not looking for a handout, Stanley said. Were just looking for a hand. And well do the rest ourselves. But quite frankly, we need to have this understanding that a rising tide floats all ships and that the economic future of Virginia is in all of Virginia. Petersen said the question of how to share Northern Virginias economic opportunities with other regions is probably the number one public policy issue in Virginia. He said one idea is to incentivize companies in Virginia that have large contracts with the Department of Defense to subcontract with smaller companies in areas that have unemployment rates above the state average. Wallmeyer said the state should consider putting more state buildings in areas that desperately need jobs. He said that in the short term, the legislature should give doctors more freedom to treat poor patients who dont have any medical care and make the risk of being sued for that less than it is today. SPRINGFIELD The holidays will be much happier for families of 1,500 workers at Exelon Corp.s Clinton and Quad-Cities nuclear power plants. The Illinois General Assembly voted Thursday to approve an energy policy overhaul that will keep the plants open for another decade. It was the final day of the fall veto session. The House voted 63-38 and the Senate voted 32-18 in favor of a massive package that will funnel $235 million in annual ratepayer subsidies to the unprofitable nuclear power plants and increase investments in renewable power and energy efficiency. Gov. Bruce Rauner said he will sign the bill when it reaches his desk. For jobs, for ratepayers, for the state of Illinois, this is a good bill, state Sen. Neil Anderson, R-Rock Island, said when the bill came to the upper chamber Thursday evening. Exelon had said it would take official steps toward shutting down the Clinton plant June 1 if lawmakers didnt approve the bill during the veto session. The Quad-Cities plant was set to close a year later. The two plants together employ about 1,500 full-time workers and generate millions of dollars in property tax revenue for schools and local governments in their areas. State Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, who represents the Clinton plant, said a closure would have been devastating for his district. People really thought in DeWitt County that it was going to close, Mitchell said. They thought that was their fate, so this is a good Christmas for them. After the proposal passed out of a House committee Wednesday with apparent agreement from the Rauner administration, it appeared headed for passage. But lawmakers were kept waiting for several hours Thursday as amendments were drafted to address last-minute concerns from the administration. Among other changes, one amendment removed language that would have guaranteed union-level wages for workers on projects funded through the legislation, and another delayed the effective date to June 1 to lower the vote total needed to pass the bill. Bills passed in the veto session that take effect immediately need three-fifths majorities in both chambers. State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, who also represents the Clinton plant and sponsored the legislation in the Senate, said passage appeared uncertain for much of the day. Rose credited Rauner for getting involved in negotiations over the past two weeks, which he said ended up producing a stronger bill. After the administration weighed in, Exelon dropped a controversial proposal to change the way customers are charged for their power. The so-called demand charge, based on a monthly average of peak demand rather than overall consumption, drew widespread criticism from consumer groups and the Illinois Attorney Generals Office. Critics said it could have created unpredictable bill spikes. The biggest brick on this bill was that demand charge because there was no defense to it, frankly, Rose said, adding that it wouldnt have come out without Rauners involvement. He and Anderson also credited the administration for pushing for rate caps to limit the cost for customers. Officials with Exelon subsidiary Commonwealth Edison estimate that the entire package will result in an average monthly bill increase of less than 25 cents for residential customers in northern Illinois over a 13-year period. The bill caps the increase at that level. Ameren Illinois, meanwhile, estimates that its downstate residential customers will see a 12-cent increase on average. The average increase over the 13-year period is capped at 35 cents for Ameren customers. In the end, the measure passed with bipartisan support. State Rep. Mike Smiddy, D-Hillsdale, said it will provide an economic boost to his district and the state. Smiddy, who lost a re-election bid last month, added that it was meaningful to see the bill passed before he departs. Going out on this legislation is something I can hang my hat on, he said. However, the bill also faced strong opposition from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, many of whom viewed it as a bailout for a profitable corporation. The bill faced intense opposition from some business groups, including the Illinois Manufacturers Association and other large energy users. State Sen. Kyle McCarter, R-Lebanon, said it was an example of the state picking winners and losers. McCarter said large energy users such as Decaturs Archer Daniels Midland Co. and Tate & Lyle will see energy prices rise as a result. Other downstate lawmakers also objected to coal power plants and Illinois coal mines being left out of the bill. An earlier version included subsidies for Dynegy-owned coal plants in Southern Illinois, but those were dropped to maintain the support of environmental groups that backed the bills provisions on renewable power and energy efficiency. The Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, made up of environmental and consumer groups, praised the bills passage. This bill includes elements of difficult compromise, but ultimately this is a tremendous victory for Illinois, the coalition said in a prepared statement. We commend members of the General Assembly from both sides of the aisle for their passage of the bill, and we urge Gov. Rauner to sign it to jump start Illinois clean energy economy. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. The Roanoke Valley Broadband Authority voted unanimously Friday to rehire a controversial contracting firm that laid its original 47 miles of broadband fiber for an upcoming network expansion project . The firm, which recently changed its name from Edwards Telecommunications to Utility Service Contractors, came under scrutiny when its former CEO James Todd Edwards pleaded guilty to fraud in 2015. The case was related to a wide-ranging federal investigation of illegal practices involving Bristol Virginia Utilities. Utility Service Contractors, based in South Carolina, is now led by Bryan Edwards, James Edwards brother. Roanoke County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jason Peters was among those urging the broadband authority to choose a different contractor when it began accepting bids for the $3.4 million expansion project, which will add 28.7 miles of fiber to the government-owned network designed to deliver high-speed internet across the region. Authority CEO Frank Smith said the organization could have disqualified USCs bid , but there was no need. He said USC performed the initial buildout work without major issues. Smith also expressed confidence it would perform the same during the authoritys 2017 network expansion. USCs bid came in at $1.99 million, more than 30 percent below the second lowest. I have zero tolerance for what happened in Bristol. And if theres any hint of stuff that was going on, people would be fired without reservation, Smith said. The network has been up and running and we havent had any issues with it. If we did, I would not have them back. Fridays vote by the authority board initiates a 10-day waiting period for the public to submit comments before the contract is formally awarded. Construction is expected to begin in January, according to Smith. Also at Fridays meeting, Smith announced that the authority has signed up its first five paying customers since the initial phase of its broadband network went live in May. And Smith it says there are plenty more waiting . The organization, which is paid for by Roanoke County and the cities of Roanoke and Salem, submitted its first full-year audit on Friday. The report, completed by Robinson, Farmer, Cox Associates, found no major accounting issues. Financial statements show the RVBA generated over $23,000 in service revenues between May and October. Smith said thats only going to speed up as more customers are brought online. He said hes confident the group will reach its first-year goal of $140,000 in revenue by June. Thats important because the organization was built to become self-sustaining no later than its sixth year . For now, each participating jurisdiction the cities of Roanoke and Salem with Roanoke and Botetourt counties is supporting the authoritys operations with an annual contribution of $327,000, in addition to money invested in building the network infrastructure. Smith said once the authority increases that $140,000 in annual revenue to $1.2 million, the organization wont require annual funding from the local governments. Right now, were on track, Smith said. My goal is to meet and exceed that. Because the sooner we do that, the better off we will be. Annie Lin shares these photos and writes: Friday, November 25, 2016 was held U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree National tour stop in Blacksburg, Virginia. The town of Blacksburg and U.S. Forest Service hosted the Capitol tree as it made its trip to Washington, D.C.. Blacksburg has been selected as the only stop for the U. S. Capitol Christmas tree in Virginia. The tree was on Main Street. there followed by music from members of the Blacksburg Band. the event from 2 pm to 4 pm at 149 College Ave in Blacksburg. I took my son, Jerry Wu there . I drove toward 1-81 South, and exit 118 C-B-A, then exit 5A-5B for US-460 BUE. The Main St. was closed for the event. I needed to find parking place, then Jerry and I walked down to the street. We wore Christmas outfits from head to toe. A Christmas tree hat on my head. At 2:00 pm we arrived there. Hundred of people were on Main Street to welcome the Capitol Christmas Tree to town. People liked our outfits and took our pictures too. Everyone got a chance to sign banner on the trailer. We took a lot of pictures around the trailer. Jerry and I were excited to sign the banners accompanying the tree to the National's Capitol. We got a picture with Smokey Bear. This year's tree is from Idaho. It is 80-feet tall and weighs16,500 pounds. This was the 29th stop of 31 on its cross-country trip to Washington D.C.. The 84-year-old tree will have 6-thousand ornaments on it when its lifted by crane into place on the west lawn of the Capitol building. Now, you know how much fun we had. Jerry and I learned more lessons, and education about the Capitol Christmas Tree. It was a great event! You can view the photos in the slide show above or click here for an alternate view. WASHINGTON (AP) When Donald Trump named his Treasury secretary, Teena Colebrook felt her heart sink. She had voted for the president-elect on the belief that he would knock the moneyed elites from their perch in Washington. And she knew Trump's pick for Treasury Steven Mnuchin all too well. OneWest, a bank formerly owned by a group of investors headed by Mnuchin, had foreclosed on her Los Angeles-area home in the aftermath of the Great Recession, stripping her of the two units she rented as a primary source of income. "I just wish that I had not voted," said Colebrook, 59. "I have no faith in our government anymore at all. They all promise you the world at the end of a stick and take it away once they get in." Less than a month after his presidential win, Trump's populist appeal has started to clash with a Cabinet of billionaires and millionaires that he believes can energize economic growth. The prospect of Mnuchin leading the Treasury Department drew plaudits from many in the financial sector. A former Goldman Sachs executive who pivoted in the early 2000s to hedge fund management and movie production, he seemed an ideal emissary to Wall Street. When asked Wednesday about his credentials to be Treasury secretary, Mnuchin emphasized his time running OneWest which not only foreclosed on Colebrook but also on thousands of others in the aftermath of the housing crisis caused by subprime mortgages. "What I've really been focused on is being a regional banker for the last eight years," Mnuchin said. "I know what it takes to make sure that we can make loans to small and midmarket companies and that's going to be our big focus, making sure we scale back regulation so that we make sure the banks are lending." But the prospect of Mnuchin leading the Treasury Department prompted Colebrook and other OneWest borrowers who say they unfairly faced foreclosure to contact The Associated Press. Colebrook wishes she could meet with Trump to explain why she feels betrayed by his Cabinet selection after believing that his presidency could restore the balance of power to everyday people. "He doesn't want the truth," she said. "He's now backing his buddies." The Trump transition team has been sensitive to preserving trust with its voters. Senior adviser Kellyanne Conway publicly warned that supporters would feel "betrayed" if former critic Mitt Romney was named secretary of state, for instance. For Mnuchin, the fundamental problem stems from the Great Recession. His investor group was the sole bidder to take control of the troubled bank IndyMac in 2009. The group struck a deal that left the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation responsible for taking as much as 80 percent of the losses on former IndyMac assets and rebranded the troubled bank as OneWest. The combination of OneWest's profitability, government guarantees and foreclosure activities drew the ire of activist groups like the California Reinvestment Coalition. It found the bank to be consistently one of the most difficult to work out loan modifications with even though OneWest never drew a major response from government regulators. By June of 2014, five years after taking over OneWest, Mnuchin sold the bank for $3.4 billion at a tremendous profit. Colebrook said she learned the hard way about OneWest's tactics, after the regional bank acquired her home lender, First Federal Bank of California, in late 2009. In 1998, she bought a triplex for $248,000 in Hawthorne, California, not too far from Los Angeles International Airport. She rented out two of the units and lived in the third. Colebrook refinanced her mortgage in order to renovate the property and help buy additional homes to generate rental income. By the time the financial crisis struck in 2008, she had an interest-only mortgage on the triplex known as a "pick-a-payment" loan. Her monthly payments ran as high as $2,000 and only covered the interest on the debt. Then she got ensnarled in the economic downturn. "All my tenants lost their jobs in the crash," Colebrook said. "They couldn't pay. It was a knock-on effect." Over five years, she tried unsuccessfully to adjust her loan with OneWest through the Treasury Department's Home Affordable Modification Program. But she said that One West Bank lost paperwork, provided conflicting statements about ownership of the loan and fees and submitted charges that were unverified and caused her loan balance to balloon. By the time she lost her home in foreclosure in April 2015, the payoff balance totaled $517,662. Colebrook said she is still challenging the foreclosure in court. She now lives with her boyfriend in the small California city of San Luis Obispo. She volunteers at a homeless shelter, knowing that she could just as easily have ended up there. "I cook at the homeless shelter because there but the grace of God go I." ROCK band Every Time I Die are playing Doncasters Vintage Bar later this month. The US five-piece embark on a tour of the UK next week and stop off in South Yorkshire on December 15. Their eighth album Low Teens came out earlier this year and sees vocalist Keith Buckley, guitarists Andy Williams and Jordan Buckley, drummer Daniel Davison, and bassist Steve Micciche delivering their most poignant and impassioned work yet. Call 07770 528825 for more information. Lucara Diamond, which has operations in Botswana, said it is set to increase its 2017 financial year dividend to CAD$0.10 per share from the current financial years CAD$0.06 per share. This, it said, would be paid in four equal payments at the end of each financial quarter. "2016 has been a successful year for Lucara with strong cash flows driven by revenues from the south lobe supported by our continued focus on cost control, said company chief executive William Lamb. Lucara was budgeting revenue of $200 to $220 million in 2017 excluding the sale of the Lesedi La Rona diamond. The diamond was projected to fetch about $70 million. Meanwhile, the company said its Karowe mine was set to process between 2.2 and 2.5 million tonnes of ore, producing between 290,000 and 310,000 carats of diamonds in 2017. The mine would process material largely from the south lobe during 2017 where overall grades are lower than the centre and north lobes. This, it said, would result in lower diamond production. However, the overall diamond quality and value of the south lobe is much higher and has historically resulted in significantly increased revenue and cash flow, said Lucara. Lamb said that 2017 would also see the company focus on advancing the push back in the pit at the Karowe mine, which was forecast to be complete by the end of 2018. Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished The Indian government has scrapped the excise duty on branded gold coins, a move that would benefit the industry and consumers alike. Commenting on the move, World Gold Council said, A 1% excise duty cut will not make much of a difference. Branded coins are sold at a very low margin. However, World Gold Council has acknowledged that the step will surely boost investment sentiment. Titan does not expect to see any increase in demand due to scrapping of excise duty on branded gold coins. Branded gold coins form less than 10% of total sales for jewellery companies, says the company. Dhirendra Kumar, CEO of Value Research: Gold is not a great investment in whatever form you buy. I would not advise people to invest in gold. If you are opting for gold, then I would say that one should first look at government gold bonds, then gold ETFs, then gold funds, then gold in the physical form, and finally jewellery. Jewellery has making charges associated with it, and one is not always sure of the purity. But, irrespective, I would say that gold is not a good place to put your money in, he said. Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished "The Diamond Manufacturers Association of Russia expresses its deep concern about the situation in the domestic diamond processing industry. After the abolition of the export duty for rough diamonds in September 2016, rough prices for Russia-based companies soared by 10% within two months. The companies, which are members of the Association, are winding up and retrenching their personnel," said Ararat Evoyan, Fisrt Vice President and CEO of the Russian Association of Diamond Manufacturers in a press release distributed on Thursday. Noting that investors started to withdraw from projects in the diamond manufacturing industry, the Association mentioned that Ruiz Diamonds, the first Russia-based company with foreign participation announced it had closed its operation after 25 years of doing business in Russia. "The industry is actually on the verge of extinction. Our attempts to come to agreement with the Ministry of Economic Development regarding the infeasibility of cancelling the export duty on rough diamonds, which were under way from the beginning of this year, failed to bring any results. Consequently, the country's budget missed the opportunity to have more than 15 billion rubles in revenues," the Association said. "The WTO rules applied to our industry bring obvious harm and should be urgently reviewed. We call on the Russian Government to protect domestic manufacturers, as it is done in other countries, which are members of the WTO, and restore the export duty on rough diamonds at 6.5%. Otherwise, we will lose the high-tech industry having a history of more than half a century," the statement said. Theodor Lisovoy, Rough&Polished, Moscow After opening Victory Pharmacy in downtown Decatur 15 years ago and expanding to a second location five years ago, Wole Adeoye is getting out of the independent pharmacy business. Adeoye has closed his business at 2280 E. William and while his store at 163 N. Water is still open, the pharmacy there isn't. On a note posted on the window, Adeoye thanked his customers but wrote: "In the last two years, it has been very challenging for us because insurance refused to pay us enough to cover our cost. I had borrowed too much money to stay open. "As a result we decided to sell our pharmacy business to Walgreens, who is well-equipped to deal with the insurance company." The note says records are now at the 24-hour Walgreens at 1311 Illinois 48, effective Nov. 2. Both of the numbers previously associated with Victory now ring to Walgreens. A long anticipated new grocery store building in Clinton opened earlier this week. The $1.3 million Save-A-Lot store at 205 E. Washington St. officially opened at 8 a.m. Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony after about five years in the making, owner Dave Jackson said. Its been an amazing journey, Jackson said. We have had a lot of hurdles and roadblocks. But the support of Clinton and the surrounding area has helped make this happen. We wouldnt be here without that. We are committed to Clinton. We love the downtown and obviously, we are not going anywhere. We hope this spurs further development of the downtown area. Mayor Roger Cyrulik said the 19,000-square-foot-building will benefit the city of Clinton and surrounding communities. This is a nice addition to our community and its something we can be proud of, Cyrulik said. The previous store, 302 N. Center St., opened in June 1999 in a building constructed in 1908. It closed Sunday afternoon. About 35 people work at the store and more could be added. It is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Call (217) 935-3618. The Oct. 28 On. Biz column included information about the opening of the DMH Shelbyville Medical Center. Marilyn Sears, Shelbyville Memorial Hospital chief executive officer, provided this statement to correct some of the information reported. The article mentioned that Shelby Memorial Hospital 'closed DMH clinics.' During the past several months, Decatur Memorial Hospital (DMH) has decided to terminate all agreements with SMH, including transfer, therapy, and anesthesia. At no time has SMH ever withdrawn our welcome to DMH and their providers. We welcome the opportunity to continue work with all area providers. "It was also reported that SMH 'became' part of Hospital Sisters Health 'Centers.' SMH is currently working with HSHS to complete the legal process of affiliating with their health care system and integrated physician groups to bring the highest level of care to our community. SMH is approaching a centennial of service. To continue to serve our neighbors for the next century, it was time to foster a higher level of collaboration with such a trusted healthcare system as HSHS. We look forward to becoming part of HSHS, and we know HSHS is excited to increase their level of commitment to our community." Harsco Rail Harsco Rail, Harsco Corporations railway track maintenance division, has announced new sales of its track grinders throughout North America for service in contract rail grinding programs. Representatives say the sales to RailWorks Corporation marks Harscos return to the North American contract grinding sector. Harsco Rail and RailWorks Maintenance of Way, Inc., formed a partnership in 2015 to provide grinding services to Class 1 customers. The services are led by RailWorks operating personnel who utilize technical support from Harsco as needed. RailWorks currently has two of the Harsco grinders in service, with a third unit recently entering service last month. The potential sale of a fourth unit is also anticipated within the first six months of 2017. The sales are expected to carry a combined value around $20 million. The most recent configurations include Harscos Jupiter II Control System, a laser profile measurement system, and other features including onboard dust collection and fire suppression, as well as an ergonomically-designed operator cabin equipped to decrease noise. Our win-win relationship with RailWorks in deploying these machines throughout North America addresses a key strategic objective for our business, said Jeswant Gill, president of Harsco Rail. We could not be more pleased to mark our return to this sector than by joining forces with one of the most trusted names in the contract services industry. WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff (WSP) has named Michael Harris-Gifford as a senior principal technical specialist for organizations the Orange, Calif., office. In his new position, Harris-Gifford will develop and oversee systems design for rail and transit projects. With more than three decades of experience in the power distribution and rail transportation industries, Harris-Gifford focuses on design-build projects. Before he joined WSP, Harris-Gifford was executive officer, rail operations, for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He also oversaw all systems design and construction for the transportation authoritys Crenshaw/LAX Line, Regional Connector Line, Purple Line Extension and Exposition Line. Harris-Gifford is an alumnus of the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, where he received a bachelors degree of science. He is also a member of the Institution of Engineering Technology. Victoria Secret model Irina Shayk and actor Bradley Cooper are expecting their first child together, according to multiple sources. According to one insider, the pregnant star is in her second trimester and is "so excited" about becoming a mother for the very first time. Cooper's rep did not respond to requests for comment on the happy news, however, Shayk's rep had no comment. A source says that starting a family together was something that they were seriously considering, saying, "They both want kids one day and that's been discussed between them. They have a huge attraction to each other between them and their personalities and their sexual energies." Shayk and Cooper were first romantically linked back in May of 2015 when they were spotted strolling around New York City kissing and holding hands. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Entertainment News Texas Instruments (TXN) said that Rafael Lizardi will become the company's next chief financial officer, effective February 1, 2017. Lizardi follows current Chief Financial Officer Kevin March, who has been in the role for 13 years. March plans to retire in October 2017 and between now and then will oversee the transition of duties between himself and Lizardi. Lizardi, 44, joined TI in 2001 and was named vice president in 2010 followed by corporate controller in 2012. He holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from The U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a master's in administration from Stanford University. Prior to joining TI, Lizardi was a captain in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Additionally, Lizardi holds the designation of Certified Management Accountant. March, 58, joined TI in 1984 after completing his bachelor's degree in economics and master's in business administration at the University of Pittsburgh. He held a number of group controller positions before being named global financial planning manager and vice president in 1997, followed by corporate controller in 2002 and CFO in 2003. During Kevin's tenure as CFO, TI's free cash flow per share has grown an average 13 percent annually and its dividend has increased by a factor of 24 For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Ireland's industrial production declined in October after rebounding in the previous month, preliminary figures from the Central Statistics Office showed Friday. Industrial production fell 4.2 percent month-over-month in October, reversing a 7.3 percent spike in September. Among sectors, mining and quarrying output plunged 13.4 percent over the month, while those in the utility sector logged a slight increase of 0.1 percent. On a yearly basis, industrial production decreased at a faster pace of 7.0 percent in October, following a 1.1 percent drop in the preceding month. Industrial turnover grew 3.0 percent monthly in October, while it slid 2.0 percent from a year ago. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com 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. In all, 54 civilians were "inadvertently killed" by Coalition air strike targeting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq between March and October, Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve said on Thursday. CJTF-OIR said that during October, it received 18 reports of possible civilian casualties resulting from Coalition strikes in Iraq and Syria, but said twelve of these reports were determined to be non-credible. Coalition strikes are defined as strikes conducted by ground artillery or air strikes authorized as part of the Coalition Air Tasking Order. CJTF-OIR said it takes all reports of civilian casualties seriously and assesses all incidents as thoroughly as possible. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., has indicated she plans to oppose a waiver required for retired Marine Corps General James Mattis to serve as President-elect Donald Trump's Defense Secretary. As Mattis retired from the military in 2013, his nomination would require a waiver of the National Security Act of 1947. Under U.S. law, a retired officer must be out of uniform for at least seven years before he can assume the role of Defense Secretary. In a statement released Thursday shortly after Trump announced his intention to nominate Mattis, Gillibrand said she deeply respects Mattis' service but would vote against the waiver. "I will oppose a waiver," said Gillibrand. "Civilian control of our military is a fundamental principle of American democracy, and I will not vote for an exception to this rule." Gillibrand currently serves as the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel. An aide to Gillibrand told Politico the New York Senator would require a vote at a 60-vote threshold to allow Mattis to become Defense Secretary. However, House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Adam Schiff, D-Calif., told CNN he does not expect Mattis to be barred from the job because his reputation is so strong. "Frankly, because there's enough concern among Democrats about some of the President-elect's other choices, they'll be a desire to amend the statute if that's what' necessary," Schiff said. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Political News Armenias Ministry of Education and Science has spent 54 million AMD on elementary school textbooks this year that the schools never requested. At todays exchange rate, this amounts to US$112,330. So why were the textbooks published in the first place, and what has happened to them? Hetq has received any number of answers theyve been stocked away, theyll be distributed next year, theyve been handed out to schools. Such vague replies lead us to believe that the ministry cares more about giving business to publishers and less about seeing to the needs of schools. These are textbooks distributed freely to pupils. The ministry has contracted with various publishers to print the textbooks, without any competitive bids. The Ministry of education and Science, in a response to a Hetq inquiry, writes: Upon the directive of the minister, the National Education Institute declared in 2007 and conducted a competition for elementary grade textbooks. During the competition, bids submitted by publishers were evaluated and a price competition was conducted among the publishers meeting the content threshold. The publisher presenting the lowest price was declared the winner. Thus, since 2007, textbook content hasnt been reviewed. The ministry also hasnt considered whether lower bids for books with similar content might have been possible over the years. The same publishers continue to print textbooks based on bids made almost ten years ago. As to our question who decides how many books to print, the ministry replied that it circulates a questionnaire to public schools asking the quantity of books needed. Book requests made by Yerevan schools go to the municipality. Schools in the provinces forward their requests to the provincial governments. Based on these requests, the ministry says it spent 854 million AMD on books for grades 1-4 in Armenias public schools. Contracts were signed with eight publishers. Here's a breakdown: Hetq wrote to the ministry, asking for copies of the requests it allegedly received from schools in Armenia. In response, the ministry sent Hetq the number of books required for each subject in schools in the ten provinces and Yerevan. Comparing the total number of books requested from all schools in Armenia with the number eventually printed by the contracted publishers, it turns out that some books were printed in amounts surpassing demand. Thinking that its possible that more textbooks were printed for Artsakh, Javakhk and diaspora Armenian communities, Hetq telephoned the publishers. They told us that the books were only printed for use in Armenia. Sabet Hovhannisyan, director of Arevik publishing, said that the books in question were printed in eastern Armenian, and couldnt be sent to western Armenian speaking diaspora communities. If this was the case, Hetq asked publishers why more books were being printed than needed. They responded that they were merely fulfilling ministry orders and knew nothing about the requests submitted by schools. Lets now look at the publishers one by one. The publishers told Hetq that they sent books, as per ministry contracts, to provincial governments and the Yerevan municipality, for subsequent transfer to the schools. To make sure, Hetq requested shipment receipts from the provincial governments. Comparing the documents, we can state that quantities of books were sent as per the ministrys orders. Education departments at the provincial governments had no idea why some books were printed in amounts surpassing school needs. Narineh Hovhannisyan, head of the ministrys public education department, believes that such over printing isnt a waste of taxpayer money. Everything is printed a bit more. If the books aren't used, they are stored away and used the following years. This doesnt cost anyone anything. The number of pupils might increase. Thats why more are possibly printed, said Hovhannisyan. Hetq also spoke to school principals, who said their submitted requests specified amounts a bit more than necessary, taking into account the possibility that pupil numbers may increase. This means that the ministry doesnt need to increase print quantities since principals already factor in the possibility for increased pupil numbers. When asked where the extra textbooks are, Hovhannisyan replied, in school libraries or possibly provincial government storage. When we told Hovhannisyan that in some cases the differences between books requested and ministry contracts were large, 11 million AMD in the case of Edit Print, the official was adamant that this wasnt the case. Thats impossible. Im talking about a small percentage that doesnt harm the state. The rest are used the following year, said Hovhannisyan. In the calculation to arrive at the $100,000 for excessive book printing, we havent included the chess textbooks and work notebooks published by the Chess Academy or the Armenian Church History textbook. The ministry doesnt evaluate the need for both texts. Narineh Hovhannisyan says that schools submit requests for the chess text directly to the Chess Academy. Once printed, the academy distributed them to schools. While the ministry pays for the printing, it doesnt monitor individual school needs or whether more are printed than requested. Schools send requests for Armenian Church History textbooks directly to the Christian Education Center, a branch of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Again, while the ministry pays the printing expense it doesnt compare school request numbers with the number to be printed. In Armenias Tavoush Province, textbook matters are handled by Department of Public Education staffer Khachatour Khachatryan. He confirmed that the department had received and distributed copies of a fine arts textbook for 3rd and 4th grades, even though no order had been submitted. -Mr. Khachatryan, if you never submitted an order for the books, why were they shipped? -They brought them and we didnt give them back. We distributed them to schools. -But you didnt need the books. -I cant say why they brought the books. We distributed them anyway. The schools need them. While no school in Yerevan or the provinces filed a request for the 3rd and 4th grade art book, the ministry signed an 18 million AMD contract with Zangak 97 to print it. (To be continued) Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan praised the work being carried out in Armenia by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) during a meeting today in Yerevan with a delegation headed by ERBD Coordinating Director for Eastern Europe and Caucasus Francis Malizh. The Armenia - EBRD cooperation portfolio is comprised of 153 programs, of which 56 in process, with a total investment of 1 billion contributed by the EBRD. Francis Malizh emphasized that the Bank is keen to expand cooperation with Armenia and increase the amount of investment. Welcoming the Armenian governments initiative to establish a center for strategic initiatives, as well as the efforts aimed at improving the business climate and providing a competitive field, Malizh noted that the EBRD is ready to work closely with the Center on the joint projects, as well as to be useful to the Government in engineering a favorable competitive field. Regarding priorities of bilateral cooperation, Mr Malizh reaffirmed the Banks readiness to proceed from the governments priorities in structuring the cooperation with our country in the three main areas outlined in the strategy for Armenia, which was approved in 2015, namely enhancement of private sector competitiveness, development of local capital market and formation of a self-sufficient market for public services Mr Malizh also welcomed the introduction of the Extracting Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Armenia and the willingness to submit an EITI candidacy application in 2017. By Amalya Margaryan The trial of 20 individuals charged with being members of a criminal gang uncovered by Armenian law enforcement in November 2015 got underway today at Yerevans Kentron and Nork-Marash Administrative Court. On November 25, 2015, Armenias National Security Service (NSS) reported that it had uncovered the gang when officers raided a house in Yerevans Nork district, finding a cache of arms and ammunition. The NSS claimed that the gang planned to stage serious crimes and that Artour Vardanyan, a citizen of Armenia living in Spain since 1997, was the mastermind of the gang. At todays trial, presiding Judge Armen Bektashyan allowed public defense lawyers to submit oral motions to postpone proceedings so that they could review 37 volumes of case material. Judge Bektashyan scheduled the next trial session for January 13. At the end of todays session, Artour Vardanyan declared, If the government belongs to the people, it cannot be seized. Eleven of the defendants are in pre-trial detention, 4 have signed affidavits not to flee the country, and three are on bail. Anton Totonjyan, the alleged financier for the group now out after signing a no-flee affidavit, told reporters that the charges against him are fabricated. One of the defendants is former Armenian Deputy Minister of Defense Vahan Shirkhanyan. He is charged with being an accomplice to the conspiracy and of having secured large quantities of illegal arms and explosives in order to take over power in Armenia. A first-of-its-kind journey along India and Pakistan border What binds the two most talked about nations - India and Pakistan together? What makes the SNc Channels: Search About Salem-News.com Dec-01-2016 22:00 TweetFollow @OregonNews Early Morning Blaze Destroys Lebanon House Cause Undetermined Following Investigation Photo: Passerby for Lebanon Fire District - Lebanon, Oregon (LEBANON, Ore.) - An early morning fire in the 100 block of Wheeler Street in Lebanon lit up the sky and destroyed a single family dwelling. A passerby reported the fire to 911 at 3:20 a.m. and the Lebanon Fire District was notified at 3:21 a.m. First arriving units encountered heavy fire from the west side of the structure and large amounts of heavy, black smoke pushing from the eaves and attic, indicating an intense, well-established fire within the structure. All initial reports indicated that the home was unoccupied and had been vacant for some time, so first arriving fire crews knocked down the majority of fire from the exterior of the home as they waited for additional personnel to arrive. Oregon OSHA regulations and Lebanon Fire District operating policy requires six firefighters to be on scene before firefighters can enter a burning structure, unless there is a known victim inside. This provides a "Rapid Intervention Crew" who remain at the ready outside of the structure, in the event that the firefighters themselves require rescue. The first arriving units carried five qualified personnel, so crews had to wait for the next due unit to arrive before making entry into the structure. A second alarm was struck at 3:49 a.m. to request additional resources to assist at the fire and to standby and provide coverage for the Lebanon area. One engine from the Sweet Home Fire and Ambulance District provided assistance, as well as a truck and a medic unit from the Albany Fire Department. Once inside, firefighters quickly knocked down the fire and began opening ceiling and void spaces to extinguish fire that had entered the walls and ceiling spaces of the house. Fire can travel unchecked through hidden voids in walls and ceilings and then reignite hours later causing additional damage to a structure. Roof gables were opened with chainsaws and thermal imaging cameras were utilized to determine that all hot spots had been contained. There were no civilian or firefighter injuries reported. Following a thorough investigation by the Lebanon Fire Investigation Team, the cause of the fire will remain undetermined. Anyone having information about this fire may contact Division Chief Jason Bolen at 541-451-1901. Source: Lebanon Fire District _________________________________________ Fire | Oregon | Most Commented on Articles for November 30, 2016 | Articles for December 1, 2016 | Articles for December 2, 2016 SNc Channels: Search About Salem-News.com Dec-01-2016 22:45 TweetFollow @OregonNews Oregon Launches Plan to End New HIV Infections in State Five-year plan focuses on testing, prevention, treatment Oregon Governor Kate Brown issued a proclamation recognizing World AIDS Day and explained The End HIV Oregon strategy. Photo: OHA Video (PORTLAND, Ore.) - Oregon today launched an initiative that will end new HIV infections in the state, building on decades of foundational work to introduce a new five-year plan focused on testing, prevention and treatment. The initiative, called End HIV Oregon, envisions a state in which all new HIV infections are eliminated and where all people living with HIV have access to high-quality care, free from stigma and discrimination. The Oregon Health Authority leads the effort, with partners that include local health departments and HIV prevention advocacy organizations. "Today, we look forward to a new reality in Oregon -- the elimination of HIV transmission as we know it," said Lillian Shirley, director of the OHA Public Health Division, whose HIV Program coordinates the initiative. "This is not a lofty, pie-in-the-sky goal. We know what it takes, and we have what it takes, to get there." The initiative was unveiled today during a media event at the OHA Public Health Division offices in northeast Portland. The event coincided with a day-long celebration of World AIDS Day that included a remembrance, a grand rounds talk, documentary screenings and displays of AIDS memorial quilts. World AIDS Day is held each year on Dec. 1 as an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show support for people living with HIV, and remember those who died. Oregon Governor Kate Brown and President Barack Obama both have issued proclamations recognizing World AIDS Day. The End HIV Oregon strategy is centered around three facts: Testing is easy. Every Oregonian has an HIV status, but too few get tested for HIV. Confidential testing IS simple, convenient and fast. It is available throughout Oregon as part of a routine medical visit and is covered by most health insurance plans. Only 35 percent of adult Oregonians report having ever been tested for HIV. An estimated 1,100 people in Oregon are infected with HIV but don't know it. If most or all of these people were tested for HIV and entered into HIV medical care, Oregon could prevent 150 new infections over the next three years alone. Every Oregonian has an HIV status, but too few get tested for HIV. Confidential testing IS simple, convenient and fast. It is available throughout Oregon as part of a routine medical visit and is covered by most health insurance plans. Only 35 percent of adult Oregonians report having ever been tested for HIV. An estimated 1,100 people in Oregon are infected with HIV but don't know it. If most or all of these people were tested for HIV and entered into HIV medical care, Oregon could prevent 150 new infections over the next three years alone. Prevention works. Core prevention programs such as syringe exchange, prevention education, and condom distribution must be maintained and expanded, and use of new tools, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a daily pill that prevents infection, must be accelerated. When taken consistently, pre-exposure prophylaxis has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection in people who are at high risk by up to 92 percent. OHA estimates that if 1,000 Oregonians at the highest risk of HIV infection started taking PrEP, the state could prevent eight new infections a year. Core prevention programs such as syringe exchange, prevention education, and condom distribution must be maintained and expanded, and use of new tools, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a daily pill that prevents infection, must be accelerated. When taken consistently, pre-exposure prophylaxis has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection in people who are at high risk by up to 92 percent. OHA estimates that if 1,000 Oregonians at the highest risk of HIV infection started taking PrEP, the state could prevent eight new infections a year. Treatment saves lives. With early testing and treatment, people infected with HIV are leading long, healthy lives. Effective treatment, called viral suppression, among HIV-positive people has the potential to prevent the largest proportion of new HIV infections. Only 68 percent of people with HIV in Oregon are taking a daily viral suppression pill that prevents infection. But effective HIV viral suppression treatment can reduce transmission by up to 96 percent. If 100 percent of Oregonians who know they are HIV infected were virally suppressed, more than two-thirds of new HIV infections could be prevented, health officials say. "We want to focus attention on the fact that we already have the tools to permit us to effectively eliminate HIV in Oregon and to challenge ourselves collectively to do it," said Sean Schafer, MD, medical director for HIV programs, OHA Public Health Division. Public health officials say data support a focus on testing, prevention and treatment, which could be the key to finally pushing the number of new HIV infections downward. The End HIV Oregon initiative's first year will be crucial to the effort. Oregon will increase the proportion of Oregonians who test for HIV by implementing statewide early intervention services, or EIS, which link newly diagnosed people to HIV medical care and quickly get their partners tested for HIV. There also will be a focus on increasing collaborations among local public health departments, coordinated care organizations, private health systems and partners such as AIDS Education and Training Center to increase testing in health care settings. And grants will be used to support strategies that promote culturally competent testing to underserved and other priority communities. Also during year one, OHA will maintain foundational prevention programs and initiate new activities specific to PrEP, including improving channels through which the drug is provided to those most in need, and increasing health care providers' assessment capacity to prescribe PrEP. In addition, the agency will partner with community-based agencies to educate individuals who could most benefit from PrEP and help them navigate services. Finally, Oregon will support treatment as a prevention method by continuing to deliver programs that support access to and retention in HIV medical care. Activities include developing enhanced case management and patient navigation services statewide; increasing housing subsidies and support for people living with HIV who are homeless; and developing peer support programs to support long-term medication adherence. OHA and its partners will issue a progress report each year on World AIDS Day. Oregon's Integrated Planning Group (IPG) for HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted diseases will review progress on activities and recommend corrective action as needed. The IPG is composed of people living with HIV and at risk of HIV infection, as well as as people representing alcohol and drug abuse prevention and treatment, community-based agencies, corrections, health care, higher education, and hospice. "There is a light at the end of the tunnel," Schafer said. "We can end new HIV transmission in Oregon by going full-steam on these new efforts, and doubling down on what has been proven to work so far." Source: Oregon Health Authority _________________________________________ Health | Oregon | Most Commented on Articles for November 30, 2016 | Articles for December 1, 2016 | Articles for December 2, 2016 On December 2, 2016, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills, Jr. and Armenian Minister of Culture Armen Amiryan unveiled in Gyumri the newly restored mural In the Mountains created by famed Armenian artist Hakob Hakobyan. The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) funded the restoration of this mural. With the funding, the mural was removed from an abandoned factory building in Gyumri, repaired and conserved, and installed safely in the citys Achemyan State Drama Theater where it is once again accessible to the public on the second floor. For the past several years the mural we are here to celebrate was hidden away in an abandoned factory. It was crumbling into dust, Ambassador Mills said during the unveiling ceremony. But thanks to the U.S. State Departments Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation it now has new life. Now the eyes of the next generation of artists, community leaders, and innovators will see Hakobyans work, perhaps here of his story, and find in it inspiration to create future works of art that capture the spirit of Armenia. The mural was created by Hakob Hakobyan (1923-2013), an Armenian artist whose works are considered national treasures. His murals are included on the official list of historical and cultural treasures of Shirak province. The restoration work done on In the Mountains was carried out by the Minas Avetisyan Cultural Foundation with the participation of Fabrizio Iacopini, a renowned restorer from the Restoration Institute in Florence, Italy. The Minas Avetisyan Cultural Foundation was established in 2003 by Arman Avetisyan, the son of prominent Armenian artist Minas Avetisyan, to preserve his and other artists murals, removing them from abandoned industrial buildings in Gyumri and moving them to safe locations. The restorers work is a labor of love, of respect for artists and their works. And their passion and dedication is clearly on display today, Ambassador Mills said. This is not the first time the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation has worked on rescuing a mural in Gyumri. Last year, another project preserved Rafayel Atoyans On the Way to the Watermill mural, moving it from an abandoned factory to Gyumris newly-renovated Youth Palace. The U.S. State Department established the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation in 2000 to celebrate mankinds shared cultural heritage and to bring countries and peoples together. Through the AFCP, the U.S. State Department each year funds a number of projects around the globe that protect unique cultural heritage sites. The AFCP has been providing support for Armenian cultural sites since 2005, funding projects such as preserving the archeological finds at Areni cave, protecting the Dashtadem Fortress, mapping and cataloging items found at the Noratus medieval cemetery and its collection of khachkars, preservation of a medieval masonry bridge in the Garni Gorge, and documentation of traditional Armenian music and dance. Earlier this fall, the AFCP awarded a $450,000 grant to preserve and restore the historic St. Hovhannes Church in Meghri. Culture, art, traditions these help celebrate the uniqueness of Armenia. This love of culture is shared by Americans. And by preserving these Armenian treasures, we not only help bring our two people together, but save a unique treasure for generations to come, Ambassador Mills said. By Markar Melkonian NEWS ITEM - The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan announced this week that the United States, along with the European Union and the governments of the United Kingdom and Germany, will provide financial support for a new voting process in Armenia. The new processes are meant to decrease electoral fraud. According to a message posted on the U.S. Embassys Facebook page, American envoys will help strengthen trust in the Armenian electoral process via same-day voter authentication and the publication of signed voter lists after the elections. (Foreign Policy Magazine, Nov. 29. 2016) And this, less that one week after tens of thousands of Americans in half a dozen cities demonstrated against the results of the November presidential election in the United States, delivering the message not my president. It seems many American voters themselves do not trust the American electoral process. And there are reasons for this. In the most recent presidential election, candidate Hilary Clinton received two million more votes than the person who won the election. If the system were majority-rule or one-person-one-vote, she would have won the election by 1.5%. But she lost. This is not the first time in recent years that American democracy has defeated the will of the majority of voters in that country. In the 2000 presidential election, Al Gore, the candidate of the Democratic Party, received half a million more popular votes than his opponent, George W. Bush. The score was Gore: 48.4%, Bush: 47.9%. Like Donald Trump, George W. Bush won the election thanks to Americas Electoral College system. Like the other checks and balances that Americans are so proud of, the Electoral College is an enduring legacy of Americas peculiar institution, slavery: it was designed to ensure a balance of political representation between northern bankers and manufacturers on the one hand and the slaveholding planter class in the South. (George c. Edwards, Five Myths about the Electoral College, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2012, or read Chapter 5 of Howard Zinns wonderful book, A Peoples History of the United States.) The late Dr. Fidel Castro once described the nomination process of the presidential candidate for the Republican Party of the United States as the greatest competition of idiocy and ignorance that has ever been." But the former president of Cuba wrote this in 2012! (The Guardian, Jan. 25, 2012) Many self-styled experts scoffed at his judgment of American politics four years ago. It would be interesting to hear what they have to say now. Trump Claims the System is Rigged and Permits Massive Fraud Americans are famous for limiting discussions of democracy to the mechanics of periodic electioneering. We have just witnessed how very edifying American electioneering can be. So, let us follow the lead of our Yankee tutors and limit this discussion to voting processes and electoral systems. (For a discussion of more fundamental questions about democracy, refer to: Hetq.am, What Could Democracy Be? Pts. I-III, 4 April, 5 May, and 1 June, 2015.) In the run-up to the recent American presidential election, one of the candidates repeatedly asserted that the electoral system of that country is rigged. On September 27, that candidate, Donald J. Trump, claimed in a series of Twitter posts that his opponent had received her two-million-plus-vote advantage thanks to illegal voters. According to Trump, then, the American electoral system is so flawed, so prone to fraud, that it accepted more than two million fraudulent ballots. In less than two months, Trump will be the boss of the staff at the U.S. Embassy. This is the peculiar context within which that embassy has announced that it will provide support for a new voting process in Armenia to fight voter fraud. Yes, of course Trumps accusations are wild, unsubstantiated, and untrue. But the very fact that he can get away with this nonsensethe very fact that his supporters appear to accept his accusations of massive fraud without much at all in the way of discernible objectionsshows that many American citizens do not trust the very electoral system that Americas envoys hold up as an example for countries like Armenia to emulate. Those Famous Double Standards If envoys from the Big Embassy succeed in teaching the benighted natives how the American electoral process works, then those natives will have a better understanding of American democracy than most Americans themselves have. A 2011 study by the conservative Intercollegiate Studies Institute found that only 57% OF THOSE WHO HAVE HELD ELECTED OFFICE in the United States knew what the Electoral College does. This raises the question why the envoys dont stay in their own country and direct their efforts to their compatriots, if they are truly interested in spreading the good news about voting processes. In the wake of large demonstrations protesting the contested results of the 2000 presidential election in the state of Florida, the late, internationally reveredand, yes, ELECTED--President of the Republic of Cuba offered to send Cuban advisors, to help make the electoral system more democratic. One can already hear the spring-loaded response of some of our ostentatiously non-ideological readers: What?! But Fidel Castro was a dictator! (Or, as Donald Trump would elaborate, a brutal dictator.) He was a one-man ruler in a one-party state with uncontested elections, in which the opposition has no chance of winning! The most vocal critics of Cuban democracy do not apply their own evaluative standards to the U.S. political system. More moderate observers have described the USA, too, as a one-party system because the two nominally distinct parties that monopolize elections are both parties of Big Business, with the same ideology of American Exceptionalism. (See, for instance, Pearl Korn, Are We Now a One-Party System? The Huffington Post, 9 July, 2012; Elias Isquith, Chomsky: America Has Become a One-Party Rogue State, Salon.com, 6 Nov. 2013.) And when it comes to the possibility of a genuine opposition candidate winning an election in the United States, we might consult Bernie Sanders and Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein about the chances of that. (On the other hand, it should be pointed out that opposition candidates do occasionally win elections in Cuba. The last time this writer was in Havana, two Fundamentalist Protestant Christians held elected seats in the National Assembly of Peoples Power, the supreme legislative body.) If the United States of America is a democracy, then so is the Republic of Cuba. Not the Right Envoys Officials in the United States did not accept Dr. Castros offer to support a new voting process in Florida. But it seems they expect people in countries like Armenia to welcome American meddling. The American envoys, we learn, will provide financial support for a new voting process in Armenia. One wonders whether they will provide Armenia with the same electronic voting machines that so many millions of American citizens distrust. (Online key words: presidential election recount.) Among other things, the envoys are supposed to help with same-day voting. Let us note that most states in the USA itself still have not approved same-day voting provisions. And then there is the partial rescinding of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a federal law that was suppose to prohibit racial discrimination in voting, but was never fully enforced in many parts of the USA, and is now in danger of disappearing entirely. (Supreme Court Invalidates Key Parts of Voting Rights Act, New York Times, 26 June 2013.) Not to mention the question of campaign financing and the fact that the Citizens United decision of the Supreme Court of the United States has unceremoniously torpedoed years of talk about campaign finance reform. (Online keywords: Citizens United decision.) And to round out our appreciation of the American voting system, readers are invited to check the online keywords poll tax. When it comes to exporting democracy, Americas record is atrocious. Americans have a long and well-documented record of overthrowing democratically elected leaders. Readers who doubt that Uncle Sam has destroyed more democracies than he has supported are welcome to consult William Blums book, Killing Hope, or Noam Chomskys book, Deterring Democracy, for a rundown of the scores of democracies and democratic leaders that the USA has replaced with tyrannies since 1945. In view of Americas poor record of fair elections on the domestic scene and its history of destroying democracies abroad, why would officialdom in Yerevan welcome their advice? This, after all, is a country that seems to believe that fair elections can take place in Afghanistan, Iraq, El Salvador, Colombia, and a dozen other countries, in the middle of civil wars and under foreign military occupation. It is also a country that--as the late and venerated Cuban leader, once again, has pointed out--arrogates to itself the monstrously undemocratic right to impose thermonuclear war on other countries. Yes, voter fraud is a big problem in the Republic of Armenia, a problem that should not be trivialized. So are the electoral code, campaign financing, and equal access to the media, among other problems. But FOR THAT VERY REASON, one would expect officials who are genuinely concerned about fair elections to seek help where it is likely to be forthcoming. One good place to begin might be to consult with election officials from countries with good records of fair elections. Perhaps our election officials should seek the advice of their counterparts in Sweden or India. But then we know that the Big Embassys announcement is not really about improving Armenias electoral system. We know that it is just another propaganda stunt, a tit-for-tat against Moscow, another lesson in obedience for the instruction of the natives. Yankees like to pretend that the whole world is lined up to adore them. And there are people in Yerevan, both in the current administration and in the opposition, who are more than willing to jump through every hoop that American envoys wave in front of their noses. Markar Melkonian is a teacher and an author. His books include Richard Rortys Politics: Liberalism at the End of the American Century (1999), Marxism: A Post-Cold War Primer (Westview Press, 1996), and My Brothers Road (2005). Laauli Lupesoliai-a-le-Malietoa Joseph Parkers fight night music is all sorted nine days out from his title fight. He will be slow walking into the ring at Vector Arena in Auckland, led by his two uncles in traditional chiefly Samoan attire. Joseph will be walking and air-jabbing himself behind them flanked by the full force of Team Parker closed-ranked like a Roman Phalanx, aside and behind him all to the sounds of Phil Collins, In the Air Tonight. It is a sombre piece of music that talks about some dark issues in Collins life. Specifically, the divorce experience from his then wife and the anger Collins felt about the experience. Really, Collins has no recollection what motivated him to write the song. About the song, he is quoted saying This is one song out of all the songs that Ive ever written that I really dont know what its about. All he could recall about it was, he was going through the divorce from his wife at the time of writing the song. This wont matter though for Parker on the night. He needs to get angry, and fast. He promises he will. Ring music, as the entrance songs are known, is an important and crucial ingredient of a fighters preparation. For a confident champion like Floyd Mayweather, No Worries by Lil Wayne sums up his approach to his fights. For a small guy like Manny Pacquiao, Roar by Katy Perry is very appropriate. Riddick Bowe also likes a Phil Collins song, he used it a lot. It is no different for Joseph Parker and Ruiz Jr. The Mexican is yet to arrive in the country. The latest is, Ruiz will arrive at Auckland airport on Monday, 5th December on Air New Zealand flight NZ5. Ruiz will bring his own songs to help along in his own River of Babylon experience, so far from home and longing for support. He will need it. The songs of Mexico will help him along on his 30th fight. It is the biggest fight of his career to date. And the music will be carefully selected to energise the mood for him to win, against whatever odds NZ TAB has set up on his chances against Parker. Those odds are actually at $3.30 for Ruiz, and $1.30 for Joseph Parker. Parker himself is a music connoisseur. In recent fights he has used Roy Jones Jnrs Rap, Cant be touched. I hear from a good source that it was specifically recorded for Parker. He has used that song several times, including his entrance into Koenig Pilsener Arena in Germany for his eighth win (TKO) over Brazilian Marcelo Luiz Mascrimento. His choice of In the Air Tonight is very specific for his 22nd bout, the most important; and specific for the grinning Ruiz Jr. The song reverberates, around the repeat of key words Can you feel it in the air tonight?, I can feel it in the air tonight, and Ive been waiting for this moment all of my life, oh Lord. There is also a very dark line, If you told me you were drowning, I wouldnt lend a hand, followed by So you can wipe off that grin, I know where youve been. This is the message for Joseph, and he needs to heed it well and into heart Sin piedad - No mercy! in Spanish. The magic of this song can already be heard in the stadium of Vector Arena. The song is carried by the drum sound that is particularly amazing. It is subtly introduced into the song. It comes on after midway in to add to the doo-dom doo-dom early on. It is an eighties classic, a whole decade ahead of Parkers entrance into his own world in South Auckland. His life has brought him to this moment. The other important music on the night are the anthems. There will be three anthems, Samoan and New Zealands anthems for Laauli Lupesoliai-a-le-Malietoa Joseph Parker. The Mexican anthem will be sung for Andy Ruiz Jr first. Here are your anthem singers Fua o le Saolotoga, The Banner of Freedom, Pene Pati God Defend New Zealand, E Ihowa Atua Manaakitia Aotearoa, Sophie Morris. Himno Nacional Mexicano, Mexicans at the Cry of War, Taye Williams. You heard it here first. MANILA, Philippines (AP) Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte telephoned U.S. President-elect Donald Trump late Friday and had a brief but "very engaging, animated conversation" in which both leaders invited each other to visit his country. In a video released by Duterte's close aide, Bong Go, the Philippine leader is seen smiling while talking to Trump and saying: "We will maintain ... and enhance the bilateral ties between our two countries." Duterte shuffled and looked at some notes during the conversation, which Go said lasted for more than seven minutes. The presidential palace earlier announced that Duterte will make a "congratulatory call" to Trump from his hometown in southern Davao city. It was not immediately clear if the touchy topic of Duterte's bloody crackdown against illegal drugs came up during the chat. Duterte has lashed out at outgoing President Barack Obama and the State Department for raising concerns over the crackdown, which has left more than 4,000 suspected drug dealers and users dead. Duterte, who took office in June, has been antagonistic to the U.S., his country's treaty ally, while reaching out to China and Russia. He has met Chinese President Xi Jinping twice and Russian leader Vladimir Putin once. Obama canceled what could have been their first formal meeting in an Asian summit in Laos in September after Duterte unleashed an expletive-laden warning for the U.S. leader not to lecture him on human rights. During their talk, Trump invited Duterte to visit the White House next year and Duterte asked the U.S. president-elect to attend an East Asian summit to be hosted by the Philippines next year. The Philippine president has been compared to Trump for his bombastic rhetoric and unorthodox political style but Duterte apparently did not relish the comparison, telling The Associated Press in an interview during the campaign in March: "Donald Trump is a bigot, I am not." EL GUAYABO, Cuba (AP) The single dirt street in El Guayabo runs past a few dozen cinderblock homes, the medical clinic and the primary school to a grove of 76 trees planted to honor Fidel Castro on his 76th birthday. On Friday, residents of El Guayabo walked a mile down that street to Cuba's central highway to bid a final farewell to the man they credit for bringing medical care, education and basic comforts to this hamlet in the farming and ranching country of arid, sun-scorched eastern Cuba. "We owe him everything," said Rafael Toledo, a 71-year-old rancher. "There'll never be another one like him." Mourning for Castro has reached near-religious peaks of public adulation across Cuba since his death at age 90 on Nov. 25. Huge crowds have been shouting his name and lining the roads to salute the funeral procession carrying his ashes from Havana to the eastern city of Santiago. By midday on Friday, the cortege had reached the city of Las Tunas, some 1,450 miles (600 kilometers) east of Havana. Las Tunas residents shouted, "I am Fidel!" as the seven-vehicle caravan sped by, some waving little Cuban flags and others capturing the moment with cameras on their cellular phones. In the cities some of the ceremony has been undercut by grumbling about Cuba's autocratic government, inefficient bureaucracy and stagnant economy. The outpouring has seemed the most heartfelt in Cuba's east, the region his ashes are crossing Friday. Castro was born in eastern Cuba. His revolution started here, and it's here and in other parts of rural Cuba where his campaigns for literacy, social welfare and land redistribution had their deepest impact. "Before the revolution, the countryside wasn't what you see now," Toledo said. "My parents were sharecroppers, cane-cutters. They did what they could to support a family of 12, but they couldn't even sign their names. When they died they were literate and had a house with electricity, television and a refrigerator." For many foreigners, landing in Havana feels like traveling back in time, to an era of 1950s cars and Art Deco homes unpainted for decades. Heading into the countryside is another step back to a region where farmers plow with oxen and people travel by horse-cart. But, thanks to Castro's programs, there are also neighborhood health clinics, small-town libraries and specialized high schools with dance and arts instructors. Before the revolution, El Guayabo was a family estate with a cheese factory owned by a Cuban family who fled to the United States after Castro and his rebel army took power. The land was distributed to those working it under agricultural reforms that Castro began in 1959. Still, while rural Cubans' lives have improved with the arrival of doctors and teachers in once-ignored backwaters, it has been a struggle to earn a living under the island's one-party socialist government and its stifling economic rules. More than five decades after the revolution, much of the countryside is deeply unproductive and Cuba imports a large percentage of its food. Weeds choke unproductive fields and ranches are without cattle. Many young people are moving to the cities, or leaving Cuba entirely. Yudisleidy Borges and her husband, Julio Cesar Camejo, want to start a small dairy in Santa Elena in central Cuba's Ciego de Avila province but are struggling with a centrally planned system that maintains a monopoly on all agricultural inputs. "The issue of getting the supplies that we need, the feed and the equipment, is serious," Camejo said. Yet, Borges said, the problems of life in the countryside don't sour the appreciation she feels for Castro's socialist system. "In central and eastern Cuba, people have always followed Fidel," she said. It looks like the $2.2 billion, 558-megawatt Carlsbad Energy Center will get built. The First District Court of Appeals in San Francisco late Thursday afternoon ruled it would defer to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), whose members voted 4-1 in May 2015 to approve a contract for the power plant. In a 14-page ruling, the appeals court said the CPUC was just and reasonable and its decision on the contract was supported by the evidence. Advertisement A number of environmental groups filed suit to try to stop the construction of the natural gas-fired Carlsbad Energy Center. Its both a tragedy and a travesty, said April Rose Sommer, executive director of the Protect Our Communities Foundation, which took part in a petition to the appeals court asking for a review of the CPUCs decision. Its totally in opposition to the states efforts to reduce greenhouse gases and transition away from a fossil fuel-based energy system. The plant is slated to be built by NRG Energy, with headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey, and Houston, Texas, and will replace the aging Encina Power Station. We appreciate that the Court of Appeal has upheld the CPUCs decision to approve the contract for the Carlsbad Energy Center, which recognized that the Carlsbad Energy Center is the best approach, NRG spokesman David Knox said in a statement. San Diego Gas & Electric plans to buy power from the plant. The energy produced from the Carlsbad Energy Center is expected to complement the growing amount of renewable energy, private solar, energy storage, electric vehicles and other clean energy innovations being added every day to the modern grid powering our lives, said SDG&E spokeswoman Allison Torres in a statement. Supporters of the Carlsbad plant have called the plant a new workhorse for the region and say it will help California meet its target of 33 percent clean-energy generation by 2020 and 50 percent by 2030. Critics say the plant will harm the environment along the coastline, especially the nearby Agua Hedionda Lagoon and question whether the power plant is needed at all. Due in large part to the growth in rooftop solar, the latest demand projections for the San Diego region are far less than expected, said Sierra Club attorney Will Rostov in an email. This suggests that the plant isnt needed. The California Public Utilities Commissions troubling history of approving costly unneeded gas plants needs to stop. The CPUC vote raised objections from opponents of the plant because the vote was held without holding a public bidding process and after an aide from CPUC President Michael Picker met privately with the developer of the project about downsizing an earlier plan for the plant that had been rejected by the commission. The 62-year-old Encina Power Station is being retired in large part due to its cooling systems that suck in seawater, a process called once-through cooling that regulators have opposed in recent years because it harms marine life. Part of the rationale for the construction of the Carlsbad Energy Center was to make up for the loss of electricity generation from the now-shuttered San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Natural gas has become a bigger source of power for California in recent years, accounting for 59.9 percent of instate generation in 2015. In 2005, natural gas accounted for 42.5 percent of instate generation. rob.nikolewski@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1251 Twitter: @robnikolewski Open just eight months, San Diegos Liberty Public Market in Point Loma is already receiving national acclaim, making it onto a newly released ranking of the top 20 food halls in the U.S. The list, compiled by a panel of experts assembled by the commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, is included in a report documenting the explosion of the food hall movement, beginning with the years-long expansion in New York City and now spreading nationally. See slideshow of top food halls Advertisement In fact, so popular are New Yorks both iconic and newer public markets that Cushman & Wakefield decided to compile a separate list ranking just those food halls. San Diegos first true food hall, Liberty Public Market, is ranked No. 13, just behind Denvers Union Station. The only other Southern California food emporiums making it onto the list are Los Angeles longstanding Grand Central Market (No. 4) and the Original Farmers Market (No. 8). The ranking, while largely subjective, was meant to represent the most important food halls -- the more enduring historic locations, as well as those in emerging markets, explained Garrick Brown, Cushman & Wakefields vice president of retail research in the Americas. What began as a list of more than 100 food halls was winnowed down to 20 by a panel of 50 Cushman & Wakefield real estate research analysts and brokers, he said. What we mainly looked at was the importance of individual projects and what they represented, Brown said. There was no dollar indicator or size criteria. Its really subjective and based on feedback from people across the U.S. whove been to these projects and felt these were the best. Food is the hottest thing in retail now and everyone is shifting their properties to accommodate this. The instant popularity of Liberty Public Market, housed in a historic building within the former Naval Training Center, is a testament to consumers growing hunger for foodie experiences showcasing artisanal producers and ethnic foods. While the traditional mall food court is still evolving, its the gourmet food hall, be it Pike Place in Seattle or the Ferry Building in San Francisco, thats all the rage, with no signs of fading out, notes Cushman & Wakefield. Taking into account projects currently under construction, nearly three dozen new food hall projects occupying 771,000 square feet should be completed within the U.S. by the end of the year, says the report. By 2019, the firm is estimating as many as 90 new projects throughout the country, on top of the existing 110 public markets. So, the question now is: Are food halls a real trend, or just trendy? the report asks. Our research suggests that answer is clear a definite trend. The intense popularity that food halls are experiencing did not occur by chance. The rise of food and beverage retail, the explosion of new and unique fast casual and chef-driven startup concepts, and the increasing restaurant rents in major cities are among the many real estate factors that have aligned to propel this trend. Liberty Public Market, says Brown, is emblematic of the newer food hall model, which tends to be smaller less than 50,000 square feet and slightly higher-end with a diversity of authentic and international cuisine. The Liberty Station venue has grown to more than 30 vendors, including a butcher and fish monger, a Parisian patisserie, cheese shop, craft beer tasting room, coffee roaster and florist. Youve got a great location with Liberty Market, although its non-traditional, Brown said. With these newer halls, theyre not necessarily trapped in having to be in the same old dense urban centers. Point Loma isnt exactly what youd consider a premier retail market but its become a destination for people to come to beyond their own neighborhood. Coronado restaurateur David Spatafore, who teamed up with Liberty Station developer, the Corky McMillin Cos., to open the public market, said hes been approached by developers considering putting food halls in their projects, but he believes in moving cautiously, despite his success. This is not a chain restaurant, you just dont open one of these in every strip mall, he said. Some food halls are kind of that way where you slam a bunch of vendors into an old department store, so were super conscious of how we grow. Spatafore, a newbie to the food hall business when he opened the Liberty Station market, said hes learned a great deal since then, having to grapple with the growing pains of bigger-than-expected crowds who needed more seating areas to rest their feet while eating. The public market has since added a lot more places to sit and is in the process of revamping its original wine bar, the Grape Smuggler, and sit-down restaurant known as Mess Hall. The restaurant, which wasnt attracting the volumes that had been hoped for, will be divided into three casual bar-like areas one, featuring Mess Hall food and counter service that will include to-go food; another that will be a wine and tapas bar; and a third that will feature wood-fired pizzas. The spot occupied by the original Grape Smuggler will be used to house three new vendors, Spatafore said. When we launched, it was like this massive space shuttle and it was almost chaos, he said. Its taken eight months to get more into a groove and let the dust settle and understand what the users are looking for. We continue to get so much positive feedback, and this ranking will keep the energy behind the market, and more than anything, it puts San Diego on the culinary map. Top 5 food halls in America Eataly (Italian marketplace with locations across the U.S.) Ferry Building Marketplace, San Francisco Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia Grand Central Market, Los Angeles Central Food Hall Ponce City Market, Atlanta Source: Cushman & Wakefield Business lori.weisberg@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-2251 Twitter:@loriweisberg Bless our families and our children, and choose from our homes those who you desire for this holy work. Heavenly Father,your divine Son taught usto pray to the Lord of the harvestto send laborers into His vineyard.We earnestly beg youto bless our Diocese and our worldwith many priests and religiouswho will love you fervently and gladlyand courageously spend their livesin service to your Son's Church,especially the poor and the needy.Teach them to respond generouslyand keep them ever faithfulin following your Son Jesus Christ,that under the guidance of the HolySpiritand with the inspiration ofSaint Damien and Blessed Mariannethe Good News of redemptionmay be brought to all.We ask this through Christ our Lord. In a move that suggests a sharp battle to come with the administration of President-elect Donald Trump and upends conventional wisdom about who will emerge as the next generation of statewide elected officials, Gov. Jerry Brown picked House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles) on Thursday to be Californias next attorney general. If confirmed by both houses of the Legislature, he will succeed Kamala Harris, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in November. Becerra, 58, has served 12 terms in Congress. Just days before the appointment, he had announced a bid to become the ranking Democrat on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Advertisement Its a phenomenal opportunity, Becerra said. It means I get to be home a lot more. Few statewide offices are as powerful, or prominent, as that of attorney general. The role has often been referred to as the states top lawyer and its top law enforcement officer, a nod to the breadth of responsibilities vested in the office and its leadership of the California Department of Justice. Attorneys general not only must pursue cases of criminal and civil wrongdoing, they oversee criminal forensic work for most counties and make the final choice about defending state laws even crafting the language that summarizes ballot measures for voters. Becerra was beaming during an interview in his House office Thursday morning shortly after Brown offered him the job. Im still processing, Becerra said with a laugh. I didnt expect it. Becerra would be the states first Latino attorney general. The son of Mexican immigrants, he was the first member of his family to attend college, earning a law degree from Stanford Law School and a bachelors degree in economics from Stanford University. Elected to a two-year term in the state Assembly and then to the House in 1992, he rose through the ranks to become the highest-ranking Latino in Congress. Becerra worked in the civil division of the state attorney generals office, writing advisory opinions for former Gov. George Deukmejian, a Republican, and defending the states constitutional officers from 1987 to 1990 before entering the Assembly. He said he had always wanted to return to the office. It was a great place to be, he said. Browns pick was so sudden that Becerra has not yet had time to reactivate his state law license, though he would not be the first attorney general to have to do so. Inactive status allows attorneys to hold on to their licenses when they are not actively practicing law. Becerra would also be the first attorney general appointed by a governor since Thomas Lynch, who was chosen by former Gov. Pat Brown in 1964. Few political appointments are likely to be as personal to the current governor as this one, given his own four-year stint as attorney general starting in 2006 and the fact that his father used the office as a steppingstone to governor more than five decades ago. Xavier has been an outstanding public servant in the state Legislature, the U.S. Congress and as a deputy attorney general, Brown said in a statement. Im confident he will be a champion for all Californians and help our state aggressively combat climate change. The choice sent political shock waves through California, in large part because Becerra was not on any of the widely circulated lists of potential picks. Brown had offered no details on whom he would pick or when. Many suspected that he might choose a caretaker, perhaps even a career staffer who would simply carry out the offices functions through the 2018 election. Virtually no Democrats who heard the news on Thursday believed that Becerra would be that kind of officeholder. He has the smarts, political experience and ambitions to run and win reelection, said state Sen. Steve Glazer (D-Orinda), a former top political adviser to Brown. If Becerra serves less than two years of Harris existing term, he could be eligible to run for up to two additional terms eight years as attorney general. Harris has said she plans to hold the position until she is sworn in to the Senate on Jan. 3, and at that point Brown could officially nominate Becerra. Becerra said Thursday hes thinking about the confirmation process at this point and not whether hell run for a full term as attorney general or another office in 2018. He must be confirmed by the state Senate and Assembly, both controlled by Democrats. Becerra said he hasnt been told when a confirmation vote might happen. Earlier, Becerra had flirted with a bid for U.S. Senate when Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) announced plans to retire, but Harris quick entry into the race kept him and other California Democrats from running. Holding such a prominent statewide post would raise Becerras profile as the Golden States foil to Trump, potentially setting him up to run for governor or U.S. Senate in the future. The attorney general, by virtue of the offices broad power, will likely be a key player alongside Brown in pushing back against Trumps proposed efforts on issues important to California, including immigration and climate change. In Texas, a state that has its own experience fighting the federal government, attorneys general have been a major force in the battle over states rights. He has great tenacity and he respects the rights of all Californians much-needed qualities for an attorney general given the troubling times ahead, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) said Thursday. Several congressional colleagues echoed that sentiment. Many of the values that we stand by in California will be under attack in the next few years, and Chairman Becerra is the fighter I want in our corner, Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-Los Angeles) said in a statement. Becerra said that with Trump headed to the White House, hes prepared to protect Californias progressive policies on immigration, the Affordable Care Act, energy and criminal justice. As California politicians embrace their roles in guarding the state against Trumps policies, Becerra threw down his own gauntlet Thursday. If you want to take on a forward-leaning state that is prepared to defend its rights and interests, then come at us, Becerra said. A vocal advocate for Hillary Clintons presidential bid, Becerra was briefly floated as a potential pick for vice president or a Cabinet position. With Clintons loss Nov. 8 and no upward mobility available in House leadership, Becerras future political career was unclear. Hed reached the time limit on serving as caucus chairman, the fourth highest-ranking House Democratic leadership position, and with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and the other two Democrats above him in leadership staying put, there was no path up the ladder headed into the next Congress. Becerra serves on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, and made a play as recently as Tuesday to be the committees ranking Democrat. He was quickly endorsed by the current ranking member, Rep. Sandy Levin (D-Mich.), who said in a statement Thursday that he respects that Becerra feels a special responsibility during these difficult times to look after vital legal interests in his home state. Democrats across California reacted Thursday with effusive praise for Becerra. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom called him a thoughtful and effective leader, with a keen legal mind and a passion for giving a voice to the voiceless. In particular, some pointed out the importance of elevating a Latino politician to statewide office, alongside both Latino leaders of the Legislature and Secretary of State Alex Padilla. Its good for the states future, said Bill Lockyer, who served as attorney general from 1999 to 2007. The announcement also meant early guessing as to who would replace Becerra in representing downtown Los Angeles and communities to the west and north in Congress. Becerra won reelection in November in the solidly Democratic district. A special election to fill the seat would probably take place in late spring of 2017, though the law gives Brown wide discretion on the precise schedule. John A. Perez, the former Assembly speaker and current University of California regent, announced his bid less than an hour after Browns announcement, and more contenders may follow. sarah.wire@latimes.com; john.myers@latimes.com Follow @sarahdwire and @johnmyers on Twitter Read more about the 55 members of Californias delegation at latimes.com/politics ALSO After beating back rival for House leadership post, Nancy Pelosi says Democrats are ready for Trump Trump seems ready to fight the world on climate change. But hes likely to meet resistance Updates on California politics No longer waylaid by mechanical glitches, the Navys newest and most expensive destroyer is sailing to San Diego. Slated to arrive here within the next two weeks, the $4 billion guided-missile destroyer Zumwalt lost propulsion while transiting the Panama Canal on Nov. 21, clanged into the side of the channel and needed a tow for emergency repairs on the western side of the Central American country. The Zumwalt left the mammoth MEC Shipyards Balboa complex Wednesday evening after crew members and teams from Naval Sea Systems Command and General Electric mended the sleek and stealthy warships lube oil coolers, according to the Navy. Advertisement Those were the same coolers that failed in late September off the coast of Virginia, but the Navy believes technicians have pinpointed the gremlins and the mishap caused no permanent damage to the vessel. The technical community is working with the equipment manufacturers to determine why the failures occurred and to prevent recurrences, Cmdr. Clay Doss, spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said in a statement to The San Diego Union-Tribune. At this point, it is unclear if the problems were caused by a design flaw. In addition to reviewing the design, the technical community is looking at ways to operate the lube oil coolers more effectively. Capable of slicing through waves like a switchblade and sculpted to sneak past enemy radar, the Zumwalt is the first in its class of experimental warships built to radically reshape how the Navy battles for control of the seas. With enough power to drive 10 traditional destroyers, General Electrics high-tech electrical system veins the Zumwalt, sending energy to advanced sensors and future weapons like electromagnetic pulse cannons that have yet to be perfected. The system also connects to the induction motors that make the Zumwalts port and starboard propeller shafts work. When sailors on Nov. 21 began probing the mysterious drop in the Zumwalts propulsion, they found water leaking into one of the induction motors bearing sump, according to Doss. To the sailors, that meant that the lube oil cooler for that bearing was leaking, Doss wrote. The ships four bearings and their sumps are part of a crucial lubrication and cooling system that keeps the Zumwalts parts from grinding together or burning up -- much like oil smoothly slides through a car engine to coat metal pieces and make the motor hum. Doss promised that the Zumwalts crew will constantly monitor the bearings as the destroyer continues its westward journey to San Diego. Before arriving in the canal, the Zumwalt visited the Navys Mayport station in Florida and then sailed to Cartagena, Colombia. The warship is scheduled to undergo testing, training and continued innovation in San Diego, making it ready for combat deployments in about a year, the Navy estimates. Originally planned for a production run of 32 ships but dogged by rising costs, the Pentagon has slashed the nearly $23 billion Zumwalt-class program to only three vessels. The second ship in its class, the Michael Monsoor, should become fully operational in 2018, and the Lyndon B. Johnson will reach the same milestone three years later, the Navy had said. cprine@sduniontribune.com Before election day, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti didnt hold back when it came to Donald Trump. Hes a racist. Hes a bigot. Hes sexist, Garcetti told reporters in May, criticizing the Republican presidential hopeful for his views on the economy, immigration and women, among other things. What we cannot do with Donald Trump is normalize him as a candidate. That kind of criticism was common for Democratic leaders in deep-blue California, where slamming Trump brought few political risks. Advertisement But since Trumps victory, Garcetti has adopted a more civil tone. They spoke by phone last week, and Garcetti has expressed his willingness to work with the president-elect on infrastructure and the economy. At the same time, Garcetti has offered assurances that the city wont aid Trump on any widespread crackdown against immigrants who are in the country without authorization. It amounts to a political tightrope walk by Garcetti an approach that could help the city in significant ways but may disappoint groups that want the mayor to take a harder line against Trump, especially on immigration. If Trump plays him for a fool, Garcetti is going to look bad, said Brent Wilkes, national executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens. And there will be progressives that are angry that he didnt take a tougher stance. Garcetti represents a city slated to receive $500 million in federal funding this year money for homeless shelters, port security and more. The city is also locked in an international competition to bring the 2024 Olympics to Los Angeles. Hes also one of several mayors who represent large, diverse and Democratic-majority cities and now must work with a Republican-controlled Congress and White House. But unlike New Yorks Bill de Blasio or Chicagos Rahm Emanuel, Garcetti doesnt have a rough temper, said Jaime Regalado, emeritus professor of political science at Cal State Los Angeles. Erics not one to pick fights, Regalado said. Hes one to make things work by building consensus, by working behind the scenes. Flanked by teens at a Boyle Heights high school last week, Garcetti seemed to appeal directly to Trump as he talked about deportation concerns. According to Los Angeles school board President Steve Zimmer, about one-fourth of L.A. Unifieds 600,000 students are in the country without legal permission or have a family member with that status. Im hoping his heart will be touched by understanding that we have folks who are undocumented that serve in our armed forces, Garcetti said at the event. That we have families that are blended different status. In contrast, de Blasio delivered a 40-minute address in front of hundreds of city workers, politicians and faith leaders that same day in New York, vowing to sue if Muslims are required to register and to assist women if Planned Parenthood of New York lost federal funding. De Blasio also launched a hashtag, #AlwaysNewYork, seen as symbol of resistance to Trumps presidency. Emanuel also garnered headlines when he said Chicago would remain a sanctuary city for immigrants. Garcetti refuses to call Los Angeles a sanctuary city, saying the term is not accurate. The phrase dates back to the 1980s, when U.S. immigration policies allowed some Central American immigrants entry, but not others. In response, Berkeley and a few other municipalities declared themselves sanctuary cities to accept those migrants. Some L.A. immigration groups say Garcetti should declare Los Angeles a sanctuary city, technical inaccuracy or not. I know hes a professor and thats where he comes from, and hes trying to educate people about sanctuary cities, said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, referencing Garcettis past work teaching at Occidental College. But lets just embrace it, and say, This is what we are. Salas group and other local immigrant rights advocates, unions and legal organizations sent a letter last week to Garcetti and other local elected officials calling for more aggressive action in the face of possible deportations. The letter didnt single out politicians but warned that abstract statements and vague promises will not be enough to confront the threat we now face. Among other things, the groups want city and county funding for legal representation for immigrants in deportation proceedings, and stronger assurances the Sheriffs Department and Los Angeles Police Department wont work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to crack down on immigrants. While praising Garcettis work in helping immigrants, Betty Hung, policy director for Asian Americans Advancing Justice-LA, said in a statement that the mayor should rise to the challenge of demonstrating strong and bold leadership to show unequivocally in concrete policies and actions that Los Angeles will hold the line. Garcettis office didnt respond to a request for comment about the letter, and the mayor declined to be interviewed for this story. In public statements, he frequently puts the battle over immigration in economic terms, saying mass deportations would hurt the Southern California economy, and that the region depends on the labor and tax dollars of non-citizens. He also mentions his own immigrant family, including his grandfather who was brought from Mexico as a baby. Garcetti brought up immigration in his call with Trump, stressing the important role immigrants play in L.A.s economy and the need for immigration reform, according to a statement released by the mayors office. The statement did not indicate what, if anything, Trump said about immigration, though it did highlight his support for L.A.s Olympic bid. As Garcetti seeks to forge working ties with someone he not so long ago derided as the ultimate caricature of a politician, some are waiting to see if the more measured approach pays off. Said Wilke of the League of United Latin American Citizens: If Garcetti thinks he has a shot with Donald Trump, lets just let that play out. ALSO Trump the president-elect: So far, acting a lot like Trump the candidate Trump extends campaign season to the transition phase with a thank-you rally in Ohio Trump picks retired Marine Gen. James Mattis as Defense secretary In a rare intervention, county health officials Thursday ordered two Paramount metal-processing plants to stop emissions of hexavalent chromium or shut down operations contributing to high levels of the cancer-causing air pollutant. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health directed Aerocraft Heat Treating Co. and Anaplex Corp. to immediately take all necessary actions to eliminate the current nuisance endangering the health of the public, which may include full or partial suspension of operations. The orders come two days after the facilities in the city southeast of Los Angeles were targeted with enforcement action by air quality regulators. The South Coast Air Quality Management District filed Tuesday for an administrative order to force the facilities to halt their emissions or shut down, accusing them of exposing Paramount residents to high cancer risks. Advertisement Taken together, the moves mark a significant escalation by agencies that have been criticized by residents for slow and weak action in addressing longstanding health concerns over pollution from metal plants operating close to homes and schools. Regulators began studying metal pollution in the working-class community several years ago but have not delivered on promises of new emissions rules to protect residents. And until recently, most efforts had focused on only one metal plant in a city with dozens. Then in late October, air monitoring found a hot spot of hexavalent chromium at more than 350 times normal levels among the highest concentrations recorded in the region. Hexavalent chromium, also called Chromium 6, is a known human carcinogen linked to lung cancer. It was a troubling validation for residents in the mostly Latino city of 55,000, who have complained for years about harsh metallic fumes. The city is home to an array of metal platers, finishing shops and forges that service aerospace, defense and other industries. The alarming measurements forced air quality officials to expand their investigation. They pledged to find and fix problems, calling it their highest priority. In the weeks that followed, inspectors from several agencies joined forces, fanning across some two dozen facilities in the the citys industrial spine in search of companies that were responsible. The directives hand-delivered Thursday by the county give Aerocraft and Anaplex 24 hours to notify the health department of their intent to comply and submit a list of actions taken and proposed to stop the threat to the public. The orders seek to bring the facilities into compliance or shut down the processes that are responsible for the excess emissions, said Angelo Bellomo, a deputy director for the health department. Anaplex spokesman Adan Ortega said Thursday that the company had reviewed the health departments directive and will respond. Anaplex takes these allegations very seriously and is looking to make corrective actions wherever necessary, Ortega said. Aerocraft did not respond to requests for comment Thursday. In previous comments, however, an Aerocraft spokeswoman has said the company is reviewing its processes, cooperating with investigators and will take necessary actions to resolve any issues. Such directives are rarely used. The last one issued by the department was in response to the Aliso Canyon gas leak in the fall of 2015, which ordered Southern California Gas Co. to stop the gas release and relocate thousands of Porter Ranch residents. Bellomo said the health department has not decided whether relocation will be necessary in Paramount, where residents live as close as a block from where the hexavalent chromium hot spot was detected. Both facilities targeted this week have operated in the city for decades and Anaplex has been in trouble before. The air district cited Anaplex in April for violations involving the use of primers containing chromium, records show. Last year, Anaplex agreed to pay a $142,200 penalty to settle hazardous waste and water pollution violations stemming from a years-long investigation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A 2010 inspection by the agency found the company failed to treat its wastewater for toxic metals, including cadmium, chromium and nickel. Ortega, the Anaplex spokesman, said that previous complaints from local and federal pollution regulators had been resolved, and that the latest air quality issues were brought to our attention only after an inspection in mid-November. Bellomo said officials do not want pollution problems in Paramount to linger as they have elsewhere, citing lots of cases where non-compliant operators have continued to operate for years and decades. So this is going to be a full-court press AQMD and public health together bringing a rapid abatement of this hazard, he said. The recent orders were welcomed by community groups and environmentalists who have fought for more aggressive action on metal pollution in Paramount. We are encouraged, said Robina Suwol, who directs the environmental health advocacy group California Safe Schools. But there is still much to be done to protect this extremely vulnerable community. tony.barboza@latimes.com Twitter: @tonybarboza UPDATES: 8:25 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details and with new comments from an Anaplex spokesman and environmentalists. 3:24 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details on Anaplex and with previous comments from that company and Aerocraft. This article was originally published at 2:45 p.m District attorneys in three California counties, including San Diego, announced this week that they had reached a $600,000 settlement in a lawsuit against Allstate Insurance Co. that accused the company of false advertising. The prosecuting agencies contended in the lawsuit, filed in Riverside County, that the Illinois-based auto insurance company failed to disclose that the accident forgiveness benefit it advertised on television was not available to consumers in California. Allstate launched a nationwide advertising campaign featuring the benefit in 2012, including some ads that were targeted toward Spanish-speaking communities, according to the San Diego County District Attorneys Office. Advertisement The ads reached an estimated 90 percent of California households. After voters approved Proposition 103 in 1988, the state Department of Insurance prohibited companies from offering accident forgiveness in auto insurance policies here. Although Allstates ads included a small disclaimer at the bottom of the screen, the district attorneys argued that those disclaimers were insufficient. California law requires all advertising to clearly and conspicuously disclose any material facts that viewers need to avoid being misled, according to a news release from District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis office. Riverside Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia signed the judgment on Tuesday. Allstate agreed to the terms of the judgment without admitting liability. The company agreed to pay $600,000, including $75,000 in investigative costs and $525,000 in civil penalties. San Diego County will receive a third $200,000 of those costs and penalties. Allstate and its lawyers worked cooperatively with the prosecutors to resolve this case and to implement new advertising practices, the district attorneys said in the news release. dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @danalittlefield OReilly Auto Parts has agreed to a $9.86 million settlement in a lawsuit that accused the company of mishandling hazardous waste at locations throughout California. The lawsuit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, was brought by more than 50 district attorneys offices from around the state, including San Diego County. Defendants named in the suit included Missouri-based OReilly Auto Enterprises LLC, OReilly Automotive Inc., OReilly Automotive Stores Inc. and Ozark Automotive Distributors Inc. Advertisement In their lawsuit, the district attorneys claimed that OReilly stores unlawfully handled, transported and disposed of used oil, used oil filters and hazardous waste such as automotive fluid, batteries and aerosol cans over a five-year period. Investigators conducted a series of undercover inspections in 2013 and 2014, and found that OReilly stores had been sending used oil, oil filters, and hazardous materials to landfills throughout California routinely, according to a news release from the San Diego County District Attorneys Office. The landfills are not permitted to receive that kind of waste. Investigators also found that the waste was being transported from OReilly stores to distribution centers in California without the required licenses. The statewide investigation revealed that 42 out of 43 OReilly stores and both OReilly distribution centers were violating state law. OReilly operates more than 500 stores in California. The company has since modified its policies and procedures to eliminate improper disposal of hazardous waste products in California. Under the terms of the settlement, OReilly has agreed to pay $6 million in civil penalties and $500,000 to reimburse the costs of the investigation. An additional $1.51 million will be used to fund environmental projects in California. In addition, OReilly will fund projects valued at $1.85 million to reduce hazardous waste minimization and enhanced compliance with state law. San Diego County will receive $406,000 in civil penalties, $57,900 in costs and $31,400 in other penalties and costs. dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @danalittlefield Federal prosecutors said Thursday they plan to retry Mexican businessman Jose Susumo Azano Matsura on a charge of illegal gun possession. Azano was convicted in September of 36 charges of conspiracy and making illegal campaign contributions in the 2012 San Diego mayoral race. Jurors did not reach a verdict on a charge that Azano, who is not a U.S. citizen and was in the country on a visa, kept a firearm in the bedroom of his Coronado home. Its illegal for people in the country on a visa to possess a gun. Advertisement Though convicted on other charges, it will be some time before Azano who is out of custody on a bond is formally sentenced. At a hearing Thursday, U.S. District Judge Michael Anello set an April 21 hearing on what are expected to be several post-trial motions filed by Azanos lawyer Knut Johnson. Johnson previously represented Azano in the run-up to the trial, but withdrew in April and was replaced for the trial by Texas attorney Michael Wynne. After the trial, Azano returned to using Johnson. A jury convicted Azano, his son Edward, and political campaign services guru Ravneet Singh of conspiracy and making illegal campaign contributions in September following a two-month trial. Lobbyist Marco Polo Cortes was also indicted, but the jury found him not guilty on four charges related to falsifying campaign records. The panel deadlocked on three other charges against Cortes. Prosecutors did not indicate if he would be retried on those charges. The case focused on more than $500,000 of Azanos money that was funneled into the campaigns of Republican District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and Democratic Congressman Bob Filner when both were running for San Diego mayor in 2012. Filner won the race but resigned several months later amid a sexual harassment scandal. Azanos money also went to the county Democratic Party and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, prosecutors said. Foreign citizens without legal status in the U.S cant contribute to political campaigns. The money was funneled into campaigns via straw donors friends or family members who made donations to the Dumanis and Filner campaigns and were reimbursed by Azano, sometimes on the same day. Prosecutors said that Azano secretly paid Singhs company, which specialized in political social media campaigns, to work for Dumanis and later Filner. The largest contributions went to support political committees via a shell corporation owned by Azano and through businesses owned by La Jolla luxury car dealer Marc Chase. Chase, who pleaded guilty and was a key witness at the trial, is scheduled to be sentenced next week. PREVIOUS Greg Moran on KPBS Twitter: @gregmoran greg.moran@sduniontribune.com 1 / 8 Ava Fakhrabadi, ASB president, welcomes fellow Mesa College students and staff to an open air forum at Mesa College Wednesday (Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 8 Mesa College Professor Carl Luna discusses some of the issues raised but the recent presidential election at an open air forum Wednesday at the campus. (Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 8 Robert Malave, a former student who now works as a shop foreman in the theater department, asks a question of Professor Carl Luna. (Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 8 Students at Mesa College listen to discussion about how they may be affected by the presidential election. (Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 8 History Professor Gloria Kim gives the gathered students and staff a brief lesson on the history of the Japanese internment camps created during WWII in America, as well as the racially-motivated lists designed to segregate people. (Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 8 Students at Mesa College listen to discussion about how they may be affected by the presidential election. (Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 8 Zulma Duran sets up pens and paper on a wall designed for people to write their comments. (Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 8 Popular sociology Professor Evan Adelson talks about the meaning of economic and social indicators in our society. (Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune) Some are anxious about the possibility of being deported. Other are fearful they may be the target of hate crimes on campus. Some are concerned about the future of their tuition grants Whether those fears and anxieties are legitimate or exaggerated, higher education officials throughout the county have taken steps to help put students minds at ease particularly those of unauthorized immigrants since the election of Donald Trump as president. Advertisement Schools sent letters to students immediately following the election as assurance that they are committed to diversity, inclusion and safety on campus. Leaders of Californias three higher education systems in the state this past week wrote Trump to ask him to continue a program that allows children of unauthorized immigrants leeway to stay in the country. Actions havent stopped with letters. Anxiety among students prompted Southwestern College to hold a forum to talk about the election on Nov. 16 followed by a talk on creating an inclusive environment for all students the following day. The college also held a Nov. 21 community forum on possible changes to immigration laws and DACA Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals the federal act that allows young people who were brought to the country illegally as minors to stay if they are in school and keep out of trouble. A similar forum was held Wednesday at Mesa College, and two were held at MiraCosta College this week. Also on Wednesday, Mesa College held a teach-in with faculty members from different departments discussing their perspective on the election as professors of history, political science, psychology and sociology. A board set up behind the audience during the teach-in slowly filled with hand-written messages from students. Those who protested against hate, we still need you, one student wrote. Please hang in there for four more years. To ever woman, immigrant and those disabled, another student wrote. You matter! Dont let this election reflect your worth! Mesa College Associated Student Government President Ava Fakhrabadi said the election was disheartening for her and made her rethink her own aspirations. I always wanted to go into politics, become a lawyer and maybe become a senator, she said. This was a kind of wake-up call, like I spent my whole life thinking Im going to be the voice of the voiceless, and then I realized I am the voiceless. Theres really no place in government for me. Im Iranian and Mexican, and thats two strikes, and the third strike is being a woman. Fakhrabadi also said, however, that the election made her more aware that she should have a better understanding of people who think and vote differently than her. Mesa student Ashley Andris-Olech said the election left her frightened, and shes afraid of how women will be treated by men now that Trump won. I dont want this country to go backwards in time, when women didnt have a say about their body, she said. The students anxiety may not be unfounded. The Southern Poverty Law Center this week reported 867 hate incidents nationally in the 10 days following the election, with 99 of those in California and nine locally. While many students say they are concerned about losing their DACA permits with the new administration, the program has been controversial since it was enacted through an executive order by President Obama in 2012. Jeff Schwilk, founder of San Diegans for Secure Borders, called DACA a form of amnesty and said Obamas order should be overturned. Shawn Moran of the National Border Patrol Council said it encourages people to break the law. By creating incentives to remain in this country, we encourage people to exploit the laws of the United States, Moran wrote in an e-mail to The San Diego Union-Tribune. Faced with the possibility of deportation if DACA is reversed, students with the permits have been turning to campus counselors for answers. Our personal counseling centers have seen a spike in students coming in with anxiety about themselves and family members, said Ray Murillo, director of Student Programs for the California State University system, which includes San Diego State University and CSU San Marcos. At University of California San Diego, Undocumented Students Center Coordinator Daniel Alfaro said students overwhelmed his office the day after the election with concerns about DACA permits, student funding and fears that immigration officials would tap into their schools data base to get information about them. We had to confirm to them that no, were not going to share our data base, and our funding is state funding, Alfaro said. Whatever funding they have is going to continue to be funded, and were going to do as much as we can to protect their privacy. Unauthorized immigrants are not eligible for any federal funds or federally fund work-study programs, but they do benefit from certain California programs. Assembly Bill 540 from 2001 enables some unauthorized immigrants to pay the same lower fees that California residents pay to attend colleges and universities. Last year, AB 540 waivers were issued to about 61,000 students at community colleges, 10,000 at Cal State and 3,700 at the University of California. Not all those waivers went to unauthorized immigrants, however, because they also are available to U.S. citizens who are living out of state but attended three years in a California high school. At UC San Diego, Alfaro said 200 students are DACA recipients and 270 receive financial aid from the California Dream Act signed by Gov. Brown in 2011. California Dream Act grants were launched as part of Cal Grants in 2013, and since then the state has awarded $70 million to students through the program. This year saw 2,235 grants to community college students, 1,866 to CSU students, and 983 to UC students. The program also provided grants to 126 students in private, vocational or hospital education schools for a total of 5,210 grants. Grants vary in size according to the system students attend. Students at community colleges receive $1,670, CSU students receive $5,472 and University of California students received $12,294. Students in private nonprofit colleges receive $9,084 and students in private for-profit schools receive $4,000. Lupita Cortez Alcala, executive director of the California Student Aid Commission, said not every student accepts grants after they are awarded. For the past two years, only 67 percent of California Dream students have taken the money available to them. Its unclear why a student would turn down a grant, but about the same percent of non-California Dream students also walk away from the money. Alcala said an informal survey of California Dream students found that some of them say the grants arent enough to attend college, possibly because they arent allowed to get federal grants or loans. Besides Cal Grants, unauthorized students in California also are eligible for Middle Class Scholarships funded by the states general fund. The state has awarded $1.4 million to unauthorized immigrant students through the program so far. Individual higher education systems also provide grants for California Dream students. In 2015, for instance, California State University awarded 3,937 California Dream students with $19 million in State University Grants and 476 California Dream students with $382,000 in Educational Opportunity Grants. Its unclear whether any federal action would affect state funding for unauthorized immigrant students, but they arent the only ones worried about how the new administration will affect their ability to go to school. Adrian Gonzales, assistant superintendent and vice president of student services at Palomar College, said students who are citizens also have expressed concerns about the future of their grants and loans because of comments made during the campaign. The rhetoric out there has caused people to have questions, he said. Its not just coming from undocumented students, but students in general. At San Diego State University, Dean of Students Randy Timm said the school has held several activities since the election, with most organized by students but some by faculty members. One event held at the College of Arts and Letters five days after the election attracted 300 people. The group included Trump supporters, and Timm said its important for the school to make all people feel comfortable on campus, with conservatives as well as liberals represented. Were trying to prepare a space for all voices to be heard, he said. Its a unique time to be on a college environment. That dialogue is really important, and thats how were going to move into the future. At MiraCosta College, Dean of Student Life and Judicial Affairs Dilcie Perez said the school held a forum at the Social Justice and Equity Center the day after the election. While only 22 people showed up, the meeting lasted three hours. There were some students who said, Im afraid, she said. Others said, What does it mean to me? And others said, Im not going to allow this to make me afraid. Perez said students at the school are organizing a series of workshops that will mirror Trumps plans for his first 100 days in office, with people providing various perspectives on changes planned by the new administration. Staff writer Kate Morrissey contributed to this report. gary.warth@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @GaryWarthUT 760-529-4939 Frank Sonny Taitano has made history as the first person to undergo a concurrent heart-liver transplant surgery in the county. That detail is not lost on his wife, Linda Castro, but she tends to view the milestone operation by the ways it is already changing his life. While her husband still struggles to get out of his bed at UC San Diegos Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center in La Jolla, Castro said some of the heart-failure symptoms that increasingly debilitated him during the past 11 years have started to disappear. I noticed hes not gasping for breath, she said while standing at the foot of Taitanos bed Thursday afternoon. His face is not turning red when he talks. He can complete an entire sentence. Before, he would have to rest before he finished saying something. Advertisement For his part, Taitano credited his survival to the skill of the medical teams that took care of him, his faith and family support that extends all the way to Guam. Youve got to look up when youre dealing with something like this, he said, elevating his gaze to illustrate his point. Taitano, a father of six who lives in Mission Valley and worked as a government consultant and telephone technician before he fell ill, has experienced a medical saga that few ever encounter. Concurrent heart and liver transplants are rare. Nationwide this year, only 16 were performed by the end of October, making up less than one percent of all transplant operations, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. Becoming emotional on what he describes as a second chance on life, Sonny Taitano was the recipient of a double transplant, heart and liver at UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune ) Taitanos 10-hour surgery took place on Nov. 4, and the 58-year-old has been convalescing at the cardiology center since then as his health providers deal not only with making sure his immune system does not reject the new organs, but also to treat a previously undetected hepatitis C infection that attacked his liver. This week, he and his physicians agreed that he had progressed enough to talk with journalists from his beside Thursday. Although UC San Diego has done other multi-organ transplants such as replacing a patients heart and lungs at the same time, Taitanos case is the first time the university has changed out a patients heart and liver at the same time. Dr. Victor Pretorius, surgical director of the schools transplant program, said organ availability and other factors have simply not lined up with patients needs precisely enough to perform the procedure in previous years. For Taitano, a father of six, the timing was almost too late. A hereditary condition called nonischemic cardiomyopathy had so weakened his heart muscle, and surrounded it with fluid, that he had to spend his last 50 days before the operation on a special blood pump that required him to remain bedridden. The fluid buildup and a lack of proper blood circulation had irreparably damaged his liver, and his kidneys were also losing function fast. There were definitely multiple times where we had the discussion, Should we move forward, or is his condition too deteriorated? Pretorius said. Another challenge: It is difficult to obtain two donated organs at the same time. Thousands of Americans die each year while waiting for a transplant, and most of them sought only one organ. When both a heart and a liver came available simultaneously, UC San Diego decided it was time to move ahead with trying to save Taitano. Pretorius said the grafts necessary to connect the new organs which came from areas outside of San Diego County with the bodys existing plumbing took on the first try, and they showed significant activity pretty much from the get-go. But there was still no guarantee that a rejuvenated heartbeat would be enough to reverse the damage already done to so much of the vital systems in Taitanos body. It was the kidneys that ultimately convinced him that the operation was a success, Pretorius said. When we saw an improvement in kidney function, it demonstrated that both organs were effective. Once we saw him starting to engage and realize what was going on, that was when we started thinking it was going to be OK, the doctor added. Experts said while some logistics are doubly difficult with a concurrent transplant process, the actual surgery is essentially like performing two moderately difficult operations back-to-back. Dr. Sylvester Black, a transplant surgeon at Ohio State Universitys Wexner Medical Center who was part of a research team that recently examined transplant patterns nationwide, said survival of patients who undergo concurrent heart-liver transplants is nearly as good as those who have only one or the other organ replaced. About 80 percent of the heart-liver patients survive for at least one year, and 70 percent reach at least 10 years. The most important factors for success do not necessarily involve surgical skill, Black said. The biggest deciding factor, he said, is developing a wide-ranging team of experts that includes anesthesiologists, critical-care nurses and many other specialists who must all work together to decide which patients have enough remaining constitution to survive the bodily insult of two significant surgeries in a span of hours. He said it is important to not proceed with the transplants unless all members of the team believe a patient has a good chance of survival and a full recovery. Transplantation is a team sport. If you have dysfunction in any aspect of your team, you can have problems, Black said. Beyond coordinated care and the right patient demographics, transplant programs resounding said they need far more donated organs. The supply of organs has never come close to meeting demand, and a recent study actually documented a decline in the number of living-donor kidney donations the most commonly transplanted organ in the United States. According to federal data, more than 134,000 Americans have died since 1995 while waiting on organ-transplant lists. The death toll for this year is approaching 5,000. With his wife Linda Castro at his side, Sonny Taitano was the recipient of a double transplant, heart and liver at UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center in La Jolla. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune ) Having just spent four months waiting for a heart and liver, close to death, Taitano counseled his fellow transplant hopefuls not to give up in the face of such grim statistics. I would say, stay positive, and look forward to a better life, he said. Visit register.donatelifecalifornia.org to investigate becoming an organ donor. paul.sisson@sduniountribune.com (619) 293-1850 Twitter: @paulsisson While the federal Department of Justice is moving away from using private contractors to run prisons, officials at Immigration and Customs Enforcement should not follow suit, according to a report released Thursday by an advisory group. The six-member panel reached that conclusion because of the unpredictable spikes in detention needs and because of costs. It also said that ICE should limit the use of county jail facilities for its detainees. The group, a subcommittee of the Homeland Security Advisory Council, recommended increased oversight and inspection from ICE officials in privately contracted facilities to improve conditions to the levels of federally owned and directed facilities. There are two such facilities in San Diego and Imperial counties. Advertisement The subcommittee was tasked with making a recommendation for ICE by Nov. 30 after the Department of Justice announced that its Bureau of Prisons would phase out private prisons. The Justice Departments prisons and the ICE detention facilities both play a role in immigration. The prisons are for non-citizens accused of criminal activity including illegal entry or re-entry to the U.S. The ICE facilities are for those being held on civil matters, including waves of people awaiting refugee or asylum status. Capacity to handle such surges, when policymakers determine that detention will be part of the response, cannot reasonably be maintained solely through the use of facilities staffed and operated by federal officers, the subcommittee report says. This leaves essentially two options for coping with sudden detention fluctuations: privately operated facilities or county jails. The subcommittee learned through interviews with a variety of experts that county jails are, in general, the most problematic facilities for immigration detention, according to the report. It concluded that getting rid of contracted facilities would not improve conditions for detainees if that meant greater reliance on county jails when there are spikes in the detained population. According to the report, about 10 percent of ICE detainees are housed in federally owned and directed facilities, which often have contract personnel under ICE leadership. Another 65 percent of detainees are kept in private, for-profit contract facilities. The remaining 25 percent are in county jails or other local and state facilities. Both immigration detention facilities in the San Diego area are run by private prison companies. Tennessee-based CoreCivic, previously known as Corrections Corporation of America, operates one in Otay Mesa, and Utah-based Management and Training Corporation runs a facility in Calexico. For more than 30 years, CoreCivic has provided innovative, dependable solutions for ICE, said Jonathan Burns, spokesman for CoreCivic, in response to the reports release. We are one tool available to the agency to help achieve its mission in a cost-effective way. As always, we stand ready to support the needs of our government partner, while providing a safe, humane and appropriate environment for those entrusted to our care. Issa Arnita, spokesman for Management and Training Corporation, said MTC looks forward to continuing to work with ICE to provide detainees with safe, secure and quality living conditions and services. Todays report by the Homeland Security Advisory Council confirms the value that contractors bring to U.S. taxpayers and ICE in the operation of detention facilities. Subcommittee member Marshall Fitz, who is also a fellow at the Center for American Progress, wrote a dissent to the groups main finding. I understand the position adopted by the subcommittee, but I disagree that these obstacles require our deference to the status quo, he wrote. My preliminary judgment, based on the evidence we actually gathered as part of this review, is that a measured but deliberate shift away from the private prison model is warranted. The report says the subcommittee did not review ICEs policies for choosing to detain someone. It made its recommendation based on current detention patterns. Fitz said that without also questioning current detention policies and whether alternatives to detention could lower the need for physical incarceration, he could not agree to the reports recommendation to continue using private detention facilities. The American Friends Service Committee, an organization that advocates for immigrant rights, said in a news release that it was disappointed in the reports recommendation. Our research, the federal governments own research and the stories we hear from our constituents all show that private prisons are dangerous, inhumane, and consistently fail to deliver promised cost savings, said Caroline Isaacs, director of AFSCs office in Arizona. ICE spokeswoman Danielle Bennett said in a statement that ICE officials would review and consider the reports recommendations. kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com, @bgirledukate The sun had yet to rise over the northern Syrian village of Al Tokhar on July 19 when a U.S. airstrike obliterated much of the town, leveling adobe buildings and killing families as they slept. Soon grisly photos of bloody corpses and grieving survivors began appearing on social media, alerting the world to the carnage. A Pentagon statement issued Thursday said the bombing of Al Tokhar killed about 100 Islamic State fighters. But it also mistakenly killed up to 24 civilians who, it said, were believed to have fled the area. Advertisement The total is far fewer than the 100 or so civilian casualties that independent Syrian monitoring groups blamed on the airstrike. But its still the worst civilian death toll from a single U.S. raid since the war against Islamic State began in mid-2014. The case, days after the Pentagon acknowledged a coalition air raid in September had killed dozens of Syrian-backed troops in error, highlights the limits of an air war that relies on highly trained crews and the most high-tech aircraft, targeting and munitions in history. Six additional botched airstrikes have killed 30 civilians in Iraq and Syria this year, according to the Pentagon, bringing the official civilian death toll from U.S. mistakes to 173 since mid-2014. Several hundred civilians also have been reported killed in U.S. airstrikes in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia in recent years, though exact figures are difficult to pin down. In all, the Pentagon has received 257 allegations of civilian casualties since mid-2014. It has ruled 181 were not credible. Several officers and crew members have been disciplined, but none has been prosecuted for violating the laws of war. U.S. officials say the death toll, while regrettable, is still remarkably low given the relentless pace of bombing by coalition aircraft: more than 60,000 munitions have been dropped in Iraq and Syria over the last 30 months. They also note that Russian and Syrian airstrikes against rebel positions in Syria have killed many more civilians, partly because they have hit hospitals, schools and other targets in the countrys bitter civil war. Do we make mistakes? Sure, we do, but it isnt deliberate, said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, now dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies in Arlington, Va. I can promise you: there isnt a military in the world that takes the time and care to avoid civilian casualties like the United States. The errors come from both the ground and the sky. Advances in technology may improve processes but they can never be made perfect. Micah Zenko, senior fellow at Council on Foreign Relations The Obama administrations efforts to limit risk to U.S. pilots and ground forces has increased reliance on local forces and surveillance aircraft to accurately identify targets. That has sometimes led to faulty intelligence and inaccurate targeting. Even though the U.S. military is unparalleled in their targeting processes, bad things happen, said Micah Zenko, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations. The errors come from both the ground and the sky. Advances in technology may improve processes but they can never be made perfect. On Sept. 10, for instance, U.S. warplanes targeted an Islamic State tactical unit in the militants Syrian stronghold of Raqqah. It instead killed five civilians, according to a Pentagon investigation. A week later, an hourlong air raid on a garrison in the eastern Syrian town of Dair Alzour mistakenly killed about 60 Syrian government-backed troops, rather than Islamic State fighters. Pentagon investigators later determined that an analysts warning that surveillance did not indicate that Islamic State was at the camp was not forwarded to the commanders who authorized the attack. On Sept. 28, an American drone had a group of Al Qaeda-linked Shabab fighters in its sights in the north-central Somalian city of Galkayo. It instead mistakenly killed 10 members of an allied militia. The following day, the United Nations condemned a U.S. airstrike that it said had killed at least 15 civilians in Afghanistans Nangarhar province. The attack was supposed to be aimed at Islamic State. Norton Schwartz, former Air Force chief of staff, said the Obama administration is clearly uncomfortable with the loss of American lives in combat and has tried to thread the needle by carrying out complex operations primarily from the sky. Without eyes on the target, you open yourself up to false information and run a higher risk of causing a deadly mistake, he said. The Air Force will hit whatever we aim at. The question is whether its the right target. The military was convinced it had identified the right target in Al Tokhar. U.S. reconnaissance drones had prowled above the Syrian town for weeks, hunting for Islamic State positions. U.S. aircraft were supporting advancing Syrian Democratic Forces, a loose alliance dominated by Syrian Kurdish militiamen working alongside Arab and Turkmen. The village was near Manbij, a strategic border town then held by Islamic State but under siege from the rebel forces. Early on July 19, the alliance radioed they were being shelled and feared an Islamic State counterattack. U.S. and coalition commanders at the air operation center in Qatar responded by scrambling two A-10 attack jets and a B-52 bomber while a drone circled above the town. Their attack was brief but deadly, said Mohammad, who was reached in Al Tokhar on Facebook but did not want his last name used out of concern for his safety. You could say there were 11 or 12 missiles, he said. On our house, two missiles fell. On the one beside us there were six and the rest on the third house. Five or six families lived in each house, he said. Once the strike occurred, those who were still alive ran out to see what was going on, but once they would get out, they saw the body parts and their neighbors wounded, they would run back inside, he said. It was horrific. Jamaily, who also declined to use his last name, said Kurdish and Islamic State fighters had clashed all day. So, he said, his family and others fled north to a refugee camp by a high school. They told me they literally flew up in the air from the shaking of the ground back in Al Tokhar, he said via Facebook. Photographs of bloody corpses soon began to appear on Facebook and Twitter. One showed a man carrying a limp child coated in dust; another showed a body in a shallow grave. A U.S. military investigation later found some of the photos were fakes that had been posted online after previous attacks. But some were new and the Pentagon ordered a review of the attack. Investigators did not visit the village but they reviewed surveillance video almost frame by frame to find out what happened, said a U.S. military official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the process. It turned out, unbeknownst to us, that there were civilians interspersed with the forces we hit, he added. The Syrian Network for Human Rights, an independent group that tracks casualties in Syria, said up to 98 civilians were killed. It provided names and images of dead bodies, all appearing to be civilian and including children. We have a list composed by several sources of evidence: names, photos, videos, testimonies, Fadel Abdul Ghany, director of the group, said. Like all of our reports, this is not estimation, this is reality. Special correspondent Nabih Bulos in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report. william.hennigan@latimes.com Aiming to permanently stamp out buzzing flies that have swarmed Mission Beach in recent summers, community leaders are proposing that property owners throughout the popular tourist area pay for a second weekly trash pick-up. Those payments would go to a proposed maintenance assessment district that could also tackle other community problems, such as the crumbling seawall, dirty sidewalks, traffic congestion and landscaping. But the more ambitious the new districts goals the more each property owner would have to pay, sparking a debate about whether the district should focus only on the flies or extend its reach to other problems. Advertisement Timing is also an issue because property owners would have to approve the district in a mail-ballot vote after a petition drive, requiring quick action for the second weekly trash pick-up to be funded by next summer. The City Council included $80,000 in this years budget for the second weekly trash pick-up, which dramatically reduced the fly problem this summer. But the city is facing budget cuts next year and council members described this years funding as one time and said local property owners would need to fund a second weekly trash pick-up in 2017 and beyond. RELATED: City winning battle with Mission Beach flies Since then, a steering committee of community leaders has been exploring creating a maintenance assessment district and how ambitious the district should be. John Vallas, a restaurant owner spearheading the effort, said Mission Beach should embrace the proposed district as an opportunity to upgrade the area beyond just stamping out the flies. Ultimately a maintenance assessment district empowers an individual community to take care of the unique needs of the community, and Mission Beach is super unique compared to the rest of San Diego, he said. The winter population of Mission Beach is 5,700, but tourists increase that number to an estimated 20,000. That creates problems with trash, traffic and flies, which prosper in Mission Beach because it has high-density housing, relatively little open space and scavengers who pry open trash cans and rip into bags searching for recyclable items, which allows flies to enter and lay eggs. In a recent online survey by the Mission Beach Town Council, the flies were listed as the communitys No. 1 challenge. But Vallas noted that residents also expressed concern about other issues, including sidewalk maintenance, seawall repair and utilities undergrounding. He said a broader maintenance assessment district could help solve those problems without the city raising taxes. Vallas noted that there are already 61 other maintenance assessment districts across the city, including one created to spruce up La Jollas village area last month. In addition, the district would make Mission Beach eligible for state and federal grants for many projects. And Vallas said it could be a first step toward greater cooperation among all of San Diegos beach communities on issues like short-term vacation rentals. But not everyone supports an ambitious maintenance assessment district, Vallas said. We have a few people that are fundamentally against any instance of raising funds to do something for the community, he said. They have a philosophy that everyone should take care of their own property. Were never going to be able to convince those people we need to pool our funds together to address some of the unique needs of our community. The steering committee exploring the district agreed this week to shrink the proposed annual budget so property owners would pay less, under $50 per year instead of about $75 per year under a previous plan. Its not clear whether assessments of that size will get the majority approval required to create a district, and if the vote fails next spring a second attempt might not be complete in time for summer and the flies. Councilwoman Lorie Zapf, who has expressed support for creating a district to stamp out the flies, hasnt taken a position on how ambitious it should be. But she said this week that the flies and the second weekly trash pick-up should be the priority. I encourage the property owners to come together to create a maintenance assessment district to cover the cost of a second trash pickup, she said. It is clear that next years budget will not be able to accommodate the cost of the additional trash pickup. Restoring the second pick-up, which was eliminated in 2010 as part of city budget cuts, has been the only successful effort to combat the flies since the problem emerged shortly after the second pick-up ended. Previous efforts have included street vacuuming, special liners in trash cans and door hangers to educate tourists. The second pick-up is crucial because flies have a six-day gestation cycle, allowing them to flourish when trash is picked up every seven days but sharply limiting their presence when collections occur every three or four days. The fly problem discouraged outdoor dining in recent summers and saddled restaurants in Mission Beach with hundreds of negative Yelp! reviews and some hygiene citations from the county Health Department. Even though Mission Beach previously had a second weekly trash pick-up, it was the only community in the city granted that luxury and city officials have been reluctant to restore it based on concerns that all neighborhoods should be treated equally. A 1919 San Diego law known as the Peoples Ordinance generally provides for once-a-week trash pickup for single-family homes in non-gated communities, at no charge beyond paying property taxes. City officials say singling out Mission Beach for a second free pick-up could potentially create legal problems. The maintenance assessment district steering committee is scheduled to meet again on Dec. 13. david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick Three teenage boys suspected of carjacking a man led authorities on a pursuit before being arrested in Bay Terraces Thursday night, San Diego police said. The victim left a restaurant and walked to his parked car on Morena Boulevard near Buenos Avenue about 9 p.m. He was sitting in his vehicle when he heard someone tapping a window, police Sgt. Michael Tansey said. He looked up and saw a stranger on the drivers side of his car and another on the passengers side. They forced the victim out of the Toyota Camry at gunpoint, Tansey said. Advertisement Once he was out, a third teen demanded that he empty his pockets. The victim refused, and the trio got into the Camry and drove off, Tansey said. About half an hour later, National City police officers located the Camry on East Plaza Boulevard by using a stolen vehicle tracking system. The stolen car collided with another vehicle on Highland Avenue, then went onto west state Route 54. A police pursuit ended in Bay Terraces, on Brookhaven Road near Deep Dell Road, shortly before 10 p.m. At least one of the teens tried to run away, but he and the two others were taken into custody. Breaking News Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez The driver of a stolen Camaro who ran over a San Diego police officers foot in Clairemont early Friday and led police on two pursuits was arrested hours later. The officer suffered only a minor injury, police said. The officer came across the car, reported stolen from Los Angeles, about 12:40 a.m. at Clairemont Mesa Boulevard and Moraga Avenue. He got in a brief pursuit that ended on Taos Drive, a cul-de-cac, police said. Advertisement The officer approached the black Camero with gun drawn, but its driver maneuvered around him and headed up the street, police Officer Mark Herring said. He said the officer, still out of his cruiser, backed away but a back tire on the Camero ran over one of his feet. The officer did not fire at the fleeing vehicle. Another officer spotted the Camaro less than 10 minutes later speeding east on state Route 52 from Interstate 805. The officer lost sight of the car after it returned to I-805, going south, and approached Balboa Avenue, Herring said. The Camaro popped up in Pacific Beach hours later, shortly before 10 a.m. at Archer street and Cardeno Drive. Officers again went in pursuit but lost it a few blocks away at Dawes and Agate streets. Then, about 11:45 a.m., the stolen car was spotted near on Skylark Drive near La Jolla Mesa Drive, and the driver was arrested. The hours-old puppies that softly whined from inside a towel-lined crate were only two of the 78 dogs found in a feces-filled house in El Cajon Thursday morning. San Diego Humane Society officials called the small home on El Monte Road near Petree Street the worst hoarding situation theyve ever encountered. Officers went to check on the property after neighbors called, concerned about the home and its resident. Advertisement What they found was unbelievable. Seventy-eight dogs of all ages were living inside. Inches of feces coated the floors in every room. The smell of urine was so strong, officers who first arrived could only stay inside for seconds at a time. A special animal control team was sent to remove the animals, with the residents permission. A veterinarian quickly assessed each animal before they were taken to the San Diego Humane Society campus on Gaines Street for a more comprehensive check up. Once empty, officers assessed the house and ultimately condemned it. At the Gaines Street campus, the dogs were to be treated for any health issues, spayed or neutered and evaluated for any behavioral issues. While some of the animals suffered from skin or respiratory conditions, none of the dogs appeared to have life-threatening injuries or showed signs of abuse, said Chief Stephen MacKinnon of the Humane Society. Most of the animals were small breeds including Chihuahua and dachshund mixes, officials said. One in the bunch was larger than the rest. The smallest included a litter of gray and white puppies that had been born in the past 24 hours, officials said. MacKinnon said the animals seemed friendly but fearful. Some had never been outside. Only about a third of the animals had access to the backyard. If all goes well, the dogs should be available for adoption in the coming weeks. The chief said the owner willingly relinquished all the dogs, and is cooperating with officers. He had some life incidents that impacted him and it just got out of control, MacKinnon said of the resident. He said he was fearful about bringing this kind of situation forward. On Thursday, a pungent stench wafted from the home as officers worked to clear out the house. Neighbors said they suspected something was amiss but had no idea things had gotten so bad. Kathleen Garza and other nearby residents said the place started to fall into disarray after the residents father died several years ago. The two were close and had about 10 dogs then, Garza said. Its surprising. I wish we would have known so we could have helped in some way, she said. MacKinnon said although the El Cajon home was one of the worst cases theyd seen, animal hoarding isnt uncommon. The humane society keeps someone on staff to specifically address it. Last year, they had more than a dozen incidents of animal hoarding, he said. We work very closely with the mental health community and other social services because we recognize not only do the animals need help, but, very often, the people need help as well, the chief said. The resident of the home is not facing any charges, MacKinnon said. RELATED A 66-year-old man who molested at least four girls under the care of his ex-wifes home day care has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. Abdullah Sediqi previously pleaded guilty, admitting he also snapped cellphone videos under the clothes of unsuspecting women. He was first arrested in June of last year after a woman shopping at an Escondido thrift store caught him crouching closely behind her with a cellphone in his hand. Advertisement The woman moved away and continued to keep an eye on Sediqi as he tried to take videos beneath the clothes of another woman and a 17-year-old girl, police said. The alert woman called police, and Sediqui was arrested at the Valley Thrift Store on East Valley Parkway. During a search of his cellphone, police found nearly two dozen pornographic photographs and videos of girls, some of whom appeared to be as young as 3 to 5 years old, police said. In the following days, detectives served a search warrant at Sediquis home in Rancho Benardo, where his ex-wife also lived and ran a day care. They seized computers, external hard drives, phones and records of clients of the Kids Castle Day Care Center. Investigators later identified four girl victims, all under the age of six, as clients cared for by Sediquis ex-wife. The footage on his cellphone showed the activity had gone on for at least a year, Deputy District Attorney Claudia Grasso said at a bail hearing last year. Authorities said the Matinal Road day care opened in 2013. Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez A suspected bank robber stabbed himself in the chest when he was found near the Viejas Casino & Resort Thursday, forcing deputies to use a Taser to subdue him. The 27-year-old man is accused of robbing a U.S. Bank in an Albertsons grocery store in Alpine Wednesday. The thief had given a teller a demand note and left the store, on Alpine and South Grade roads, with an undisclosed amount. Advertisement During their investigation, sheriffs detectives and FBI agents identified a suspect who has an extensive criminal history, sheriffs Sgt. Chris Galve said. Deputies searched for the man Wednesday, but he was not found. On Thursday, deputies found him in a parking lot about half a mile east of the Viejas Casino and tried to take him into custody, but the man ran behind a vehicle and reached for his pockets. He quickly pulled out a large knife and began stabbing himself in the chest, Galve said. To stop him from further harming himself, a deputy deployed a Taser, which caused the suspect to drop the knife. The mans injuries were so severe he had to be airlifted to a hospital, Galve said. Once he is treated and released, the suspect will be booked into jail on suspicion of robbery, Galve said. Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez Authorities in Europe and the United States said Thursday that they have dismantled Avalanche, a huge computer network that criminals used to steal hundreds of millions of dollars from online banking customers around the world. Avalanche enabled criminals to send various types of malicious software and spam to customers, who would then open these message and cause their computers to become infected with the so-called malware. In many cases, the malware allowed criminals to steal bank and email passwords from customers in the U.S. and about 180 other countries. Advertisement With this information, the criminals were able to perform bank transfers from the victims accounts, according to the European Police Office, or Europol, which handles law enforcement for the European Union. (Criminals) sent more than 1 million emails with damaging attachments or links every week to unsuspecting victims. Europol said it spent four years investigating the case, and that it received help from the U.S. Justice Department, the FBI and other partners including ESET, a global security company that has an office in San Diego. Stephen Cobb, a senior researcher at ESET San Diego, said Thursday that his companys international unit has for many years been assisting law enforcement in efforts to take down criminal botnets. Avalanche is just one example, albeit one of exceptional scale. In many cases, ESET and other global technology companies who assist law-enforcement efforts to combat cyber crime do so quietly and behind the scenes, as a matter of civic duty, with no expectation of public acknowledgement, Cobb said. Companies and consumers should take this opportunity to scan their systems for the different families of malware that the Avalanche botnet distributed. Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds gary.robbins@sduniontribune.com The judge who until a few weeks ago was in charge of the long-running San Onofre case before the California Public Utilities Commission has taken a job with a contractor to plant owner Southern California Edison. As an administrative law judge for the commission, Maribeth Bushey oversaw the CPUC effort to divide $4.7 billion in costs for the 2012 failure of the San Onofre nuclear plant north of Oceanside. She now heads up legal and government relations efforts at Advanced Microgrid Solutions, an energy-storage start-up headquartered, like the CPUC, in San Francisco. The firm was founded by Susan Kennedy, a former utilities commissioner and gubernatorial chief of staff. Bushey also serves as the companys ethics officer. Advertisement Bushey stepped away from the utilities commission in October, nine months after being named to oversee matters regarding San Onofre. She was paid $123,000 a year, public records show. Government-relations jobs typically entail frequent meetings and discussions with public agencies. But under state law, Bushey is banned from communicating with commission officials as a representative of her new employer for at least one year. An executive at Advanced Microgrid Solutions said that Bushey is an experienced utility lawyer who did not administer any cases involving the company while at the commission. Her new job does not call for lobbying or contact with the commission over the next year, the firm said. Both Maribeth and AMS are aware of these limitations and are in full compliance, vice-president Manal Yamout wrote in an email. Prior to leaving the CPUC, the commissions legal division reviewed Maribeths assigned proceedings for compliance with the Political Reform Act and found no conflicts or disqualifying interests related to AMS. A spokesman for the state agency that enforces political conflicts of interest said former public officials may accept private-sector work within their areas of expertise with some conditions. The more general it is, the more theyre not dealing with the specific contract or issue, or obviously even the previous agency, then its more likely there isnt an issue, said Jay Wierenga of the Fair Political Practices Commission, speaking generally and not about Bushey specifically. Asked about the hire, Edison spokeswoman Maureen Brown said, SCE does not have any information about why ALJ Bushey left the commission or how she came to work at Advanced Microgrid Solutions. The role of administrative law judges for the commission has come under scrutiny along with other agency dealings with utility executives. For instance, emails released in September 2014 showed that Pacific Gas & Electric executives had their pick of commission judges for a rate-setting case. Utility critics said Busheys career move is part of the same picture. This is taking judge-shopping to a new level, said San Diego attorney Michael Aguirre, who is suing the commission over its 2014 decision to charge utility customers 70 percent of the premature closure costs for San Onofre. The settlement deal was re-opened by the commission in May after months of criticism that the deal was stacked against ratepayers, considering revelations that the agreement had its origins at an undisclosed meeting in Warsaw. Bushey was in charge of whatever action the commission would take to adjust the deal which so far has been none. They (the Edison contractor) pulled the judge off the bench before she could complete the decision on whether ratepayers are going to get money back from the San Onofre scandal, Aguirre said. Either her name was just a placeholder to buy more time while they figured out what to do next, or she was getting ready to issue an unfavorable opinion. The commissions handling of the San Onofre proceeding is one of many official actions pending, including a series of criminal search warrants from the state Attorney Generals Office regarding potentially improper communications between regulators and utility officials. No charges have been forthcoming. Kennedy, who was a utilities commissioner before serving as chief of staff to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, formed Advanced Microgrid Solutions in late 2013. Besides Kennedy, and now Bushey, the company leadership includes at least three other former energy regulators or gubernatorial advisers. Kennedy is also close to commission President Michael Picker, who traded emails with her soon after he joined the regulatory panel, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported last year. At least one email regarded her new line of work, energy storage, even as her contract with Edison was pending commission approval. Months after it incorporated, Advanced Microgrid Solutions was chosen to store 50 megawatts of power across the Los Angeles Basin for Edison, an agreement worth up to $100 million. The contract was approved by utility regulators last year. Forbes magazine called the deal a whopping 50MW order for a company that had been in stealth mode before winning the agreement. Bushey also serves as an elected official. She is a councilwoman for the Marin County city of San Rafael. jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonald The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is wading into the multibillion-dollar dispute over the failed San Onofre nuclear power plant, setting a hearing early next year to consider whether state regulators favored power company shareholders over the rate-paying public. The federal court will hear arguments Feb. 9 in Pasadena, after which the judges will grant or reject an appeal filed by a San Diego consumer group that accused regulators of illegal deal-making. The case was filed two years ago by Citizens Oversight, a nonprofit advocacy group seeking to overturn the California Public Utilities Commission decision charging customers more than 70 percent of the $4.7 billion cost for the failure of the twin-domed plant north of Oceanside. Advertisement Last year, U.S. District Court Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo rejected the case, ruling that Citizens Oversight had not exercised all of the judicial remedies available at the state level. If the appellate judges return the case to the district court, the plaintiffs would be permitted to access internal commission and utility records and to take sworn depositions from those involved. The proceedings before the California Public Utilities Commission were not a fair hearing, Citizens Oversight attorney Michael Aguirre said. We werent even allowed to gather the record. The utilities commission did not respond to questions about the 9th Circuit action. Majority plant owner Southern California Edison issued a statement defending the 2014 commission decision as a good deal for customers. That settlement has provided substantial benefits to our customers, and we continue to believe that it is fair and in the public interest, spokeswoman Maureen Brown said. Northern California attorney John Geesman said it was highly unusual for a federal appellate court to schedule a hearing to consider an appeal of a state regulatory proceeding. It could have considerable significance to the PUC proceeding, said Geesman, who represents the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, an advocacy group that is a party to the San Onofre case before the utilities commission. Its a very encouraging development for my client, he said. Its potentially an enormous deal. State regulators could reverse their 2014 decision in advance of any further federal court action, a move that might prompt judges to dismiss the case. In court filings this past summer, commission lawyers argued the federal appeal became moot when regulators formally agreed to re-open the 2014 settlement terms in May. We have decided to re-open the record and review the settlement agreement against our standards for approving settlement agreements, a June 27 filing states. Yet commissioners have not changed the terms adopted in 2014 to assess costs for the January 2012 radiation leak and shutdown, caused by a faulty replacement steam generator. The settlement terms came under fire almost immediately upon their approval by the commission, amid subsequent revelations that the deal had its origins at an undisclosed meeting in Warsaw between commission and utility company officials. The meeting was in March 2013. Edison did not disclose it until February 2015, just after The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that notes from the Hotel Bristol Warsaw session were seized by state agents probing improper regulator-utility dealings. The utilities commission eventually fined Edison $17 million for failure to report the meeting and similar communications. The state Attorney Generals Office agents were conducting a criminal investigation which was ongoing as of this fall but has yet to result in any charges. Still, disclosure of the Warsaw meeting and other backchannel dealings prompted a series of calls to overturn the 2014 deal. In 2015, for example, Sen. Ben Hueso, D-San Diego, issued a statement calling for the utilities commission to rethink its decision to assign billions of dollars in closure costs to ratepayers. Also in 2015, two consumer groups that helped negotiate the deal the Utility Reform Network and the commissions own Office of Ratepayer Advocates disavowed their previous support for the arrangement. Gov. Jerry Brown, who appointed all five utilities commissioners, last year vetoed six different bills aimed at reforming the regulatory panel. A different slate of laws intended at reform passed this year. The Citizens Oversight lawsuit essentially argued that state regulators did not provide a fair hearing for ratepayers to oppose the 2014 settlement agreement. The group argued that the charges assigned to ratepayers amount to an unconstitutional taking of property in the form of higher utility rates. In making customers pay for the failed steam generators and permanently shut plant, the CPUC and SCE are taking customers private property without just compensation, the complaint states. Ironically, Edison used the same legal argument to involve the federal courts 15 years ago, after regulators declined to allow the utility to immediately charge customers for the rising cost of electricity amid Californias disastrous deregulation experiment. The San Onofre plant was shut down in 2012 after tubes inside the newly replaced steam generators wore thin within months of being installed and then leaked radiation. The $680 million upgrade was supposed to extend the life of the power plant by up to 40 years. The CPUC allowed Edison to charge ratepayers for the project before the company conducted a reasonableness review, a study normally required to show a direct benefit to customers. Edison also installed the new steam generators without seeking a license amendment from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, calling the project a like-for-like equipment replacement. Records later released under the California Public Records Act showed the replacement generators featured hundreds of additional tubes than the original steam generators. Edison has blamed the failure on design flaws made by the manufacturer, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The two companies are locked in an arbitration case that has proceeded for three-plus years. The federal case will be decided on arguments that already have been submitted. No additional briefs or motions will be filed between now and February. The judges are scheduled to hear 15 minutes of oral arguments from each side before determining whether state regulators acted fairly in handling the San Onofre proceeding. Watchdog Videos On Now Sexual misconduct accusers worry deputy is being protected 6:16 On Now City funded $2-million waterfront bathroom 1:26 On Now Public water district charges customer for legal work, response to records request On Now Video: Tiny homes won't be reused amid housing, homeless crisis On Now Attorney General seeks documentation for Miss Middle East On Now Rep. Hunter probe covers possible fraud On Now Video: SDG&E delaying solar credit for some low-income housing tenants On Now Video: Former San Diego Junior Theatre teacher sentenced for sex with teen girl 0:24 On Now Video: Shelter volunteers believe they were fired for finding a dog a home 0:49 On Now McKamey Manor is leaving San Diego 3:35 jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonald Hurricane Trump will soon slam into the U.S. environmental movement and its certain to wreak havoc. Signals from Trump Tower indicate that much important work done by Environmental Protection Agency will disappear as quickly as Chris Christie, to note just one expected outcome. While the incoming president may be reconsidering whether climate change is a hoax, other important environmental programs and protections will likely be damaged or eliminated. But even disasters leave some things untouched and the Trump administration will likely be no exception. Some environmental gains will endure, unexpected treasures will be revealed and fears of Trumps environmental agenda could encourage badly needed alliances. (Full disclosure: Were looking for silver linings here.) Advertisement One welcome casualty of Trumps administration could be the terrible idea supported by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and too many others to pave large sections of our pristine deserts with massive solar projects. The fall-out from overpriced, heavily subsidized and environmentally damaging desert solar projects built during the Obama administration, all on previously undeveloped public lands, are poster children for corporate welfare and have given the solar industry a black eye. These remote projects typically require huge costs for new transmission lines and then compound those costs by losing up to 15 percent of the electricity they generate in moving the power to cities where its used. Despite these issues, Clintons green energy plan targeted a 10-fold increase in such installations. Its a national disgrace to be sacrificing pristine public lands treasures in an increasingly crowded world for the short-term gain of private energy developers. It is far better to cover urban roofs, parking lots and abandoned industrial sites with those solar panels as has been done on a huge scale in Germany and Japan eliminating the need for expensive new transmission lines, reducing those wasteful line losses and boosting energy security. In California, homeowners have already installed 4,400 megawatts on their rooftops the equivalent of several large power plants and more are being added every day. At the same time, battery storage combined with solar is the new, and very positive, tsunami that could transform the energy industry. If Trumps proposed reindustrialization of the Rust Belt is built around 21st-century manufacturing needs like cutting-edge batteries, it could make a difference. But avoiding giveaways to big developers under any Trump plans will be critical. Nuclear advocates seeking subsidies for their dying industry on the basis of zero carbon electricity generation may also confront indifference in the Trump administration, which doesnt see greenhouse gas emissions as a problem. And most environmentalists would cheer the end of nuclear subsidies. Theres little doubt that the Trump administration is determined to move forward with damaging fossil fuel projects on federal lands, which must be opposed. And despite recent hedging, the folks hes appointing include determined climate change deniers. That will clearly be a setback but lets not forget that President Obamas all of the above energy strategy allowed poorly regulated fracking projects to threaten vast areas of our increasingly precious water resources. While Obamas Clean Power Plan could be a step forward, it relies too much on a transition to natural gas. This is already happening in coal states for economic reasons and will continue whether or not Trump scuttles the Clean Power Plan. Trumps bluster about reviving the coal industry notwithstanding, this heavily polluting fuel will remain in steep decline because of competition from cheaper sources, including natural gas, and, yes, renewables, whose future fuel cost equals the president-elects federal tax bill in recent years: zero. Then theres the matter of jobs, which the president-elect has said is a priority. The solar industry alone employs more than 200,000 and growing. The coal industry: about 55,000 and shrinking, largely because of economics and automation. So unless Trump wants to destroy machinery how big was the Luddite vote in the election? or offer massive subsidies, coal will remain in decline. At the same time, the falling cost of renewable energy sources is making them cheaper than fossil fuels in a growing number of cases. Still, battling the Trump administration to maintain supports that level the field for renewables versus fossil fuels which have long enjoyed massive subsidies will be key. In that battle and others, it seems likely that Trump will force progressives across the spectrum to recognize the linkages between their issues and seek every opportunity to work together. The heroic fight by Native Peoples against the Dakota Access Pipeline to protect their water and ours underscores this point. We are all in the progressive movement together. And if thats not enough, hundreds of companies including Mars, Nike and Levis joined with investors last month to urge Trump not to reject the Paris Climate Agreement. State officials in California and elsewhere have also signaled their determination to continue their fight to prevent the worst of a climate catastrophe. Perhaps like Rick in Casablanca, we may have to leave Paris behind. But remember the final scene, as Rick walked with his new friend into the darkness along the runway: Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful coalition. At least thats the way we hear it now. Powers is a consulting energy engineer. Rose, a former Union-Tribune staff reporter, writes about energy and the environment. As a practicing Christian, I was deeply saddened by the published responses to David H. Katzs thoughtful request for consideration to changing the name of the La Jolla Christmas Parade (Faith-neutral name is needed for parade, Nov. 25). Letters and commentary policy The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy. Advertisement E-mail letters@sduniontribune.com Mail: Andrew Kleske, Reader Outreach Editor San Diego Union-Tribune P.O. Box 120191 San Diego, CA 92112-0191. You can also leave a comment below There are obviously many different interpretations of the gospel, but I believe the Prince of Peace, whose life was given for all humankind, would not like to see his birthday used to convey a lack of sensitivity and hospitality to those of different faiths. I, for one, do not like to see my religion used to marginalize others. It is one thing to be a majority religion, as an earlier letter writer suggested, and quite another to be the domineering one. Moreover, of course, the December holidays have become a part of our shared culture and those public celebrations that take place in civic space should welcome the whole community. Christine Spalding Hillcrest * * * I wish to agree with Katz in his commentary. Whereas there are three major religions holidays at year end this year Christmas, Hanukkah and Mawlid it makes sense to lump them all together for a bigger, more inclusive parade and call it the La Jolla Holiday Parade. This mirrors the Statue of Liberty poem from Emma Lazarus: Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door! Gerry Senda University City * * * The federal holiday listed on my calendar and yours for Dec. 25 is called Christmas Day. As such, it seems perfectly appropriate that La Jollas parade should be called the Christmas parade. Sandi Steeber Descanso The spirit of Christmas on the Prado lives on Name it whatever. December Nights in Balboa Park is still a celebration of Christmas. Sally Crahan University City Trump showed how to get down to business Trump negotiated for the Carrier company a $7 million tax break over 10 years to save 1,000 factory jobs, while Jill Stein and Hillary Clinton are spending millions to recount votes in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania. And the Democrats wonder why they lost the election. Really? Daniel Hall San Diego Legislators must be willing to rein in Trump Senators and representatives like their jobs and most want to remain way beyond Donald Trump. We should immediately inform them that if they support fear, bigotry and ignorance, they are fired. They are elected to provide check and balance, not play follow the leader of the executive branch. The acid test is whether they have the individual integrity to do what is right for the country. Voters should speak up to all legislators and their leaders and hold them accountable. Voters should spot spineless incumbents and support their opponents in future elections not just in their own districts or even their own state. Voters dont have to stay in their own backyards to make a difference. Voters should exercise the freedom and liberty to create accountability throughout the legislative branch on behalf of our future. Larry Halford San Diego Coastal Commission should meet locally The San Elijo Lagoon Conversancy desires to make major restoration to the lagoon system between Solana Beach and Encinitas. It is to be applauded for this action, which will benefit the environment and the citizens of San Diego County. The project requires California Coastal Commission (CCC) approval, which is understandable. What is not is the fact that the CCC intends to hold hearings on this project in Ventura, some 170 miles from the project and from the local citizens who have been asked to comment on the project. It is not practical for those most impacted to be able to participate in the hearings. Why are these hearings not being conducted locally? Robert Coale Solana Beach Be wary of a military with too much power Regarding Elite military unit gets more power (Nov. 27): For President Obama to think that its OK to kill anyone, let alone American citizens in places where we are not legally at war, makes one wonder what Constitution Obama studied. Now he will give the Joint Special Operations Command, JSOC, the power to do more black ops, teamed with the CIA torture people. Insane people sneaking across borders to murder people unceremoniously like the drug cartels in Mexico, South and Central America. Presidents Bush and Obama both have been guilty of such atrocities, given such power by Congress after 9-11. Pandoras box is now open, and we can expect other nations to follow suit. Lets call our congressmen and tell them that they must correct this misapplication of presidential power before the JSOC/CIA mad men start a world war. Dave Patterson Ramona Palestine an odd choice for Balboa Park cottage Regarding Making way for 9 new cottages (Nov. 20) in Balboa Park, I am bewildered at the inclusion of a House of Palestine. I thought the House of Pacific Relations was adamant that the village was supposed to be apolitical. If that were true, why arent Egypt or Indonesia (the most populous Arab and Muslim countries, respectively), or Jordan (a majority Palestinian land) included instead? From among the 22 Arab countries in the world, who share similar history, culture, customs, language and religion, the decision to include Palestine seems to be precisely a political statement. Robert Landau Hillcrest Want to see more letters that appear only online? Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook. Thank you for noting in the San Diego Union-Tribune front-page article (Trump asserts millions cast illegal votes, Nov. 28) that President-elect Donald Trump provided no evidence when he asserted that voter fraud took place on a massive scale during the recent presidential election. Letters and commentary policy The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy. E-mail letters@sduniontribune.com Mail: Andrew Kleske, Reader Outreach Editor San Diego Union-Tribune P.O. Box 120191 San Diego, CA 92112-0191. You can also leave a comment below Advertisement Please continue to keep us informed whenever politicians make unsubstantiated claims. Tracy Burstein San Diego * * * I was saddened to see the U-T printing a news story on the front page (by Michael D. Shear and Maggie Haberman) with the word millions in quotation marks; and the word baseless before claim in the story. Norma Mantyla Carlsbad * * * I had to laugh when I read that Donald Trump claims that the recount is a scam. I am confident that Trump would want a recount if he lost. Now he claims that the 2 million-plus votes that gave Hillary Clinton the popular vote were illegal. He just continues to spit out accusations and allegations without any evidence and people buy that stuff. Well, he fooled enough people to become our next president. How sad. Frank V. Puglia San Diego * * * The Democrats have lost 919 seats in state legislatures to the Republicans all across the United States since President Obama took office. Yet, somehow, Hillary Clinton and the Democrats cant believe that Americans voted for Donald Trump. Really? Americans have been rejecting the Democrats $7.50-per-hour globalist economy for quite some time, and a recount will only confirm that fact. Daniel Hall San Diego * * * Regarding Trump asserts millions cast illegal vote: Walter Cronkite made a relentless and poignant commentary on the Vietnam War by ending each national news broadcast with that days tally of the dead. Instead of individual articles on Trumps pronouncements, for which, you then report, there is no credible supporting evidence, I suggest a box on page one, every day: the Trump Tally. Just print the number of lies, big and small, made in the last 24 hours, with a link to a U-T web page where each lie is quoted, analyzed and debunked. This simple mechanism would have far-reaching effect, would be taken up by other papers, would be tweeted and Facebooked and retweeted, would become a regular statistic everyone could quote and would be as relentless, informative and unforgiving as a countdown. Unfortunately, there wont be a day when theres no number for the box. Journalism is doing vital reporting on Trump. This is one way to make the story go further, faster. Barbara Crawford Rancho Penasquitos * * * Many of us had hoped that we would be done a couple of weeks ago with candidate Trump, the glib and serial liar, narcissist, bloviator and Trump U. fraudster. Now we have presidential Trump, who trash talks with zero evidence about millions of illegal votes, that canard probably taken from the online loonysphere. The next day he is stating that flag burners should perhaps suffer loss of citizenship or a year in jail, both of which would be absurd penalties and are thankfully illegal. So this is the leader our country is stuck with, at best immature and undisciplined and at worst a danger to our well-being. To use his Twitter catchword, sad. Bill Leonard Del Mar Heights * * * As we will all see over and over again is Trumps ability to divert attention from his shortcomings. It is an old trick called throwing a dead cat on the table. People will focus on the dead cat and not the fake news stories/conspiracies he continues to peddle. When things get really ugly and his lies are becoming too obvious, he manipulates the media with another tweet (throwing the dead cat) that effectively does this very thing. How long will the media continue to play into his hands and be manipulated so easily? Or worse yet, how long will the American people continue to be fooled by this obvious ploy with this president-elect? Joe Secola Carlsbad * * * I thought President Obama was the least transparent president in years. President-elect Trump is even less transparent, electing to communicate with tweets instead of press conferences or published statements. I was not a supporter but wanted to give Mr. Trump an opportunity to prove me wrong. First impressions so far are not encouraging. His recent claim of millions of illegal votes cast in every state performing a legal recount without so much as a hint at what he considers illegal is mystifying at the least. He won the Electoral College vote and claims the overall vote, so why argue over recounts that would not conceivably change the election? Incredible ego? Why waste valuable time on this nonsense? A monumental ego? Ron Peterka Ramona * * * Donald Trump states that there were millions of illegal votes cast in the election. We should take him at his word, he is after all the president-elect, and Im sure hes right. So lets have the election over again, Im all for it. Phil Kirk Encinitas Want to see more letters that appear only online? Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook. As a candidate, Donald Trump put off even scared many voters when he talked about the economy and closely related issues. On taxes, Trump offered what sounded like a dreary encore of past Republican tax plans that built off the discredited canard that tax cuts yield more revenue because they spur economic growth. In certain niche areas, starting with capital gains, tax cuts possibly could have this effect, but the GOP supply side theory has gone unproven for too long. Perplexingly persistent has been the Republican resistance to simplifying a tax code so complex that the amount of income taxes the wealthy pay is often a function of the skill of their tax attorneys. On trade, Trumps repeated broadsides against the North American Free Trade Agreement and the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership offered zero nuance. Instead of making the simple, undeniable point that American leaders needed to do much more to help those whose jobs were outsourced to other nations, Trump often depicted trade with other nations as an open-ended debacle that drained the U.S. of its wealth. Thats not remotely accurate. International trade helped America become an economic superpower. Advertisement On Thursday, while celebrating his success at keeping Carrier from moving more than 1,000 jobs from Indiana to Mexico, Trump was again blustery. Nonetheless, there was some good news on the economic front this week. The billionaire banker-investors whom Trump has chosen to be treasury secretary and commerce secretary Steven Mnuchin and Wilbur Ross, respectively face criticism for being from the swamp Trump said hed drain, but they seem to be in much better command of the big picture than the man who chose them. In their joint interview with CNBC, Mnuchin embraced Trumps call for broad cuts in income and corporate taxes. But Mnuchin also made the case for a simpler tax code and made the very specific promise that the amount of taxes that the very rich pay would not go down because the Trump administration would eliminate some of the deductions they use to avoid paying taxes. Ross, who has a tremendous reputation in the business world for his history of reviving struggling companies, rejected protectionism emphatically, saying what he opposed were dumb trade deals built on U.S. concessions to draw more nations into large accords. He made a cogent argument that bilateral trade accords between nations rather than regional trade deals were more likely to clear obstacles to U.S. exports. He said he would target barriers to such exports and challenged the idea that tariffs were the first tool a Trump administration would use against nations with trade rules it didnt like. Mnuchin, whose resume includes 17 years at Goldman Sachs and producer credits on dozens of Hollywood films, is likely to face barbed questions in his Senate confirmation hearings because of how one of his companies handled foreclosures during the housing meltdown. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, called him the Forrest Gump of the financial crisis. But if he makes it into office, he could constructively chop away at the tools that 1 percenters use to avoid paying taxes. Ross seems likely to be less controversial but also far more influential than the usual commerce secretary, based on his long friendship with Trump. Given his thoughtful comments on the value of international trade, the fears of Trump launching a globally destabilizing trade war are receding. Heres hoping the two men build on their strong first impressions. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: UTOpinion The problems caused by Californias housing crisis are enormous and varied. Now, according to a new study by Urban Habitat, an Oakland nonprofit group, another problem can be been added to this long list: resegregation. After examining 2000-2014 data from 11 counties in the Bay Area region, researchers found African-Americans and Latinos were increasingly concentrated on the regions outer edges, living in the least expensive areas and having the longest commutes. The report likened this to new forms of resegregation. Urban Habitat official Tony Roshan Samara told the San Jose Mercury-News that it was disingenuous for anyone to look at whats happened to change the Bay Area region this century and not acknowledge its racial dimensions. Sadly enough, the state lawmakers who killed Gov. Jerry Browns bold push to make it easier to add housing stock still dont grasp the painful fallout from the housing crisis. The Sacramento Bee reports that some Democrats are happy over their new legislative supermajorities because they can help win new funding for affordable housing programs that amount to lotteries that help a tiny fraction of hurting families. Doubling down on a failed approach shouldnt be the California way. Advertisement Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: UTOpinion Gov. Jerry Browns choice of the highest-ranking Latino in the House Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Los Angeles to fill the final two years of departing Attorney General Kamala Harris term surprised Sacramento insiders who expected a caretaker to get the job. Instead, Brown has shaken up the Sacramento power structure, giving Becerra a big head start toward being elected state attorney general in his own right in 2018. The man who rose to be chairman of the House Democratic Caucus during his 26 years in Congress is now likely to a powerful player in state politics for many years to come. If he brings the aggressive, independent style hes shown in Congress to his new job, Becerra will be a change from U.S. Sen-elect Harris, who got a lot done in six years as attorney general but was happy to be a team player in the Brown administration. In Congress, Becerra tangled with the Obama administration over immigration issues and had a memorable but brief beef with then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over health-care reform. If confirmed by the Legislature as the first Latino attorney general in Americas largest state, Becerra will be on the front lines of state resistance to the Trump administration if it launches a broad crackdown on unauthorized immigration. Advertisement More fascinating to watch develop will be Becerras relationship with Brown. From poor implementation of a 2013 education funding reform measure to many problems with the corrections department to the troubled bullet train project, Browns administration could face tough questions from an attorney general looking to hold the governor accountable. That would be constructive for California. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: UTOpinion A BuzzFeed News story has come under fire from conservative and gay writers for being a hit piece and a witch hunt targeting HGTVs Fixer Upper show hosts Chip and Joanna Gaines for associating with a church that opposes gay marriage. The story, titled Chip And Joanna Gaines Church Is Firmly Against Same-Sex Marriage, focuses on the Waco, Texas-based Antioch Community Church and its position on gay marriage. At issue is the storys emphasis on the church pastors views on gay marriage and whether the Gaines subscribe to the same views. So are the Gaineses against same-sex marriage? And would they ever feature a same-sex couple on the show, as have HGTVs House Hunters and Property Brothers? BuzzFeed writer Kate Aurthur asks in the story, which adds that the couple declined to comment via their publicist. So in the absence of a response from them or their representatives, its worth looking at the severe, unmoving position [pastor Jimmy] Seibert and Antioch take on same-sex marriage, Aurthur later writes. The story later goes on to detail Seiberts public statements in light of the Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage that homosexuality is a sin and that marriage is between one man and one wife but later adds that the church could not speak for Chip and Joanna Gaines on same-sex marriage. The story, originally published on Tuesday, has since sparked an avalanche of mostly critical reactions from all sides. National Review writer David French called the article despicable, pure bigotry, and just as bad as racism. In a column published in the Washington Post, Brandon Ambrosino, a gay writer based in Delaware, called the story a hit piece and dangerous. Attorney and writer Gabriel Malor, who is also gay, wrote another critical column saying that the best word to describe the story is harassment. Cynthia Allen, a conservative opinion writer for the Forth Worth Star-Telegram, pointed out in a column that because the Gaineses have not articulated their beliefs about gay marriage, Its same to assume its not something they feel compelled to address. With the exception of a few people who defended the piece on Facebook one woman arguing that the couple is fair game because they are public figures who very openly support a public that is problematic in the eyes of many people were mostly outraged. On Twitter, people expressed similar critical reactions against BuzzFeed while others weighed the harm that stories like these have on the credibility of the media. In a follow-up post, HGTV responded to Aurthurs request for comment, saying that the network does not discriminate against members of the LGBT community in any of its shows. And while the Gaineses have not commented on the story or responded to BuzzFeeds request for comment, Chip Gaines tweeted a vague reaction to hell breaking loose. For Aurthurs part, she tweeted a few responses to the reactions shes gotten and appears to stand by the story. No word on whether BuzzFeeds editor-in-chief Ben Smith would weigh in. Whats your take on this story does the Gaineses public status as hosts of a popular show make them fair game for a story about their pastors beliefs on gay marriage? Did BuzzFeed go too far? Chime in with your comments. Email: luis.gomez@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @RunGomez Will retired Marine Gen. James Mattis become President-elect Donald Trumps secretary of defense? Multiple news outlets, including the Washington Post and CNN, reported Trumps intention to pick Mattis on Thursday, and then Trump announced his plans to nominate Mattis at a rally in Cincinnati on Thursday night. Trumps nominee must still be confirmed by Congress, but the pick would be an interesting one for several reasons, one in particular being his connection to San Diego. Here are 5 things to know about the retired four-star general. 1. His history with San Diego County Mattis led Camp Pendleton Marines in invasions of both Afghanistan and Iraq. Most recently he led the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force of 50,000 Marines from Camp Pendleton into Iraq in 2006. This (force) is a national treasure, he said at the time. Im so happy I could cry. It is a privilege to return to your ranks. He had previously led Camp Pendletons 1st Marine Division into Iraq in 2003. Mattis also notoriously made some controversial comments while speaking at a conference in San Diego in 2005 and has since been known for tough language. Actually, its a lot of fun to fight, he said. You know, its a hell of a hoot Its fun to shoot some people. Ill be right upfront with you. I like brawling. 2. He wanted to keep more troops in Afghanistan. In 2014, Mattis criticized President Barack Obamas plans to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. He recommended leaving a higher number of troops in Afghanistan than both NATO and Pentagon officials. On the other hand, that same year he advocated to be hesitant to get involved in the Syrian conflict. 3. Hes urged the nation to be wary of Iran. Mattis told a Senate Committee in 2013 that Obamas program of sanctions and diplomatic efforts to stop Iran from gaining nuclear capabilities wasnt working. He also said to be wary of Iran during the nuclear deal negotiations. That should not be in any way construed as we should not try to negotiate. I still support the direction we're taking," Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "I'm paid to take a rather dim view of the Iranians, frankly." Since the deal was struck by the Obama administration, Mattis has since criticized it as being imperfect and just delaying the Iranians becoming a nuclear power. It [was] not a friendship treaty, he said in April. Its an arms control agreement that fell short. 4. He needs a special waiver in order to accept the position. A 2008 law prohibits veterans from taking the defense secretary position less than seven years after retiring. The idea is that a civilian should take the civilian position. So a new law would have to be passed by the House and the Senate to enable the appointment. Something similar happened under President Harry Truman, who nominated Army Gen. George C. Marshall to be secretary of defense in 1950, only five years after he had become a veteran. 5. Hes known for his intelligence Mattis has been a consultant and visiting fellow to Stanford Universitys Hoover Institution think tank since retiring. In 2013 he served as a foreign affairs fellow at Dartmouth College. "I worked closely with Jim Mattis while I was in government and I know him to be one of the deepest military thinkers and strongest leaders of his generation, said Daniel Benjamin, the director of the colleges Center for International Understanding in 2013. Gary Solis, a San Diego native and former Marine Corps judge, called Mattis Americas warrior monk for his dedication to studying and mastering military strategy and tactics. Trump tipped his hand on Nov. 20 when he called Mattis by his nickname, Mad Dog. CNN reports that Mattis earned the nickname after leading combat troops into the Persian Gulf War in 1991, as well as Afghanistan and Iraq in the early 2000s. CNN said Mattis was called Mad Dog after the 2004 battle of Fallujah in Iraq. U-T military reporter Jen Steele has much more on Mattis. Please read her full story and see some of his most colorful quotes over the years here. Email: abby.hamblin@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @abbyhamblin A former foster youth, who overcame a difficult journey to adulthood, shared her story at a fundraiser for foster care services, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd of 350. Lacey Bowman, who lives in Ramona with her husband and two young boys, shared details of her life at the Walden Family Services 40th Anniversary Celebration and Wine DVine event in San Diego that raised over $675,000 for the nonprofits foster care, adoption and parent training programs. Bowman, 26, admits its not always easy to tell her story, but said, Its a nice way to bridge a gap and reach people. Its always fulfilling. Her past exemplifies stories of abused children throughout the country, said Teresa Stivers, chief executive officer of Walden Family Services. Shes really overcome all the obstacles in her life, Stivers said. When Bowman was 4 years old, her mother died and she was sent to live with her biological father and stepmother, where she was abused physically, emotionally and sexually. At 9 years old, she was removed from the home and taken to the Polinsky Childrens Center, San Diego Countys 24-hour emergency center for children. Bowman said it was overwhelming at first and she had some behavior issues to deal with. She was placed in a foster home but only lasted there a month before she ended up back at Polinsky that was the place that you get returned to...which is difficult, she said in a video, her voice faltering with emotion. The girls sadness turned to anger, she began acting out and was sent to a mental hospital and later a group home because no other place would take her, according to Walden. She was then introduced to Walden at 10 years old. Were about treating those who have been abused and neglected, Stivers said. Bowman said her social worker would not put up with her attitude and worked hard to find her a placement, knowing how important it was to her. Walden successfully found her a foster home where she lived from age 10 to 18, but one day during her senior year in high school, tragedy struck. Bowman found her foster mother unresponsive and called 9-1-1. The foster mother was taken to the hospital but never recovered and died. A few months later, Bowman graduated and turned to Walden to help her figure out what to do next. Bowman said the staff helped her with paperwork so she could go to college. She earned an associates degree in liberal arts and humanities. Through the years, she attended Camp Julian Oaks, a Christian camp that ministers to children who have been abused or neglected. Bowman said Anthony and Kristina Massa, the camps founding directors, are nana and papa to her boys. Just like Walden, Bowman said the Massas were consistently there for her and more like family. Acknowledging that she was one of the more difficult children at Walden, Bowman said, There are people who gave up on me...A lot of hard work pays off and thats what all kids deserve and need. Today, Bowman volunteers and speaks on Waldens behalf. Im happy to help in any way I can, she said. We dont turn anybody away if they want to have a connection with us, said Stivers. Were really proud of everything shes accomplished. Stivers added that Bowman is a hard worker and very motivated. She is a shining example of a happy ending. Hes not a kid anymore, hes a full-grown man. Hes not 5-foot-4 anymore, hes 6-foot-4. Hes a pleasant guy with a quick smile and a friendly greeting, but hes also a killer. He seems at peace with himself. Time, it appears, is not only a balm for victims but also for those who victimize them. Charles Andrew Andy Williams. He was the childlike gunman, age 15 by one month, who killed two students and wounded 13 others on March 5, 2001, at Santana High School in Santee. He became a cause celebre of sorts as a symbol for bullied schoolchildren. However, prosecutors were neither impressed nor persuaded. Neither was the judge. When he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, the court sentenced him to 50 years to life, which means he will be eligible for parole when others of his age are collecting Social Security. Now, 12 years later, hes willing to talk about that day and what led up to it: what he thought, what he did and why, every step of the way. Because his case did not go to trial, this is the confession we never heard in detail. And because it happened in San Diego Countys front yard, its our right to hear it. Williams lives today in Ironwood State Prison. Andy Williams: A murderers reflection from behind bars 12 years after killing two classmates. His neighbor is a cellmate. This is not a happy way to spend ones youth, or middle age, or old age. It might even be where Williams dies. Sitting patiently for hours in a prison interview room, he is in his prison blues wearing horn-rimmed glasses and a ready smile. He talks fast and softly, as though wanting to keep as many words in the air as possible before they fall on a listeners ears. He does not deny his guilt, and agrees he should be punished. He does not plead for sympathy. He says he wants mainly to be understood. He doesnt say so, but I suspect he would also like for the public to see him as a nice guy. He must know that will be a tough sell. This is Andy Williams story of what turned a wayward boy into a kid killer. View the photo gallery: March 5, 2001 - Santana High School Shooting remembered Williams was a child of a divorce, which broke apart his family when he was 3. His mother and half-brother eventually moved away, while he stayed with his father in Brunswick, Md. Brunswick was basically a village, nonthreatening for a young boy denied the comfort of a mothers presence. He saw his mother infrequently, usually at Christmas, when he would travel to her distant home. He functioned suitably in school, finding approval because of his good behavior and open, joking personality. He developed some disturbing traits as he neared the end of grammar school, but kept them hidden. If he felt depressed or abandoned by being separated from his mother, he also kept that hidden. His father, no one disputes, was supportive and loving. View the Video Fred Dickey on Santana HS Shooter Part 1 View the Video UTTV talkes to the Santana Shooter Asked about his early childhood, Williams says: To me, it was normal. It was cool for me. I had loving parents. In December 1999, at age 13, he moved with his father to Twentynine Palms, a small city in the desert near Palm Springs dominated by a Marine base. It was a conservative environment housing many military retirees, including his grandfather, and was not a place where a kid could escape notice for getting into trouble. Williams also benefited from the structure and values of his grandparents. In that community, he enjoyed the greatest success of his young life. He participated in eighth-grade activities, made friends, did his schoolwork, professed his Christian faith and was baptized. But a few months in that nurturing place was all he would be given. His father, a laboratory-animal technician, accepted a job with the San Diego Naval Medical Center. Before relocating, Williams was allowed to spend the summer of 2000 in Maryland with friends. There, the discipline of Twentynine Palms disappeared, foreshadowing what lay ahead in Santee. He deplaned at Lindbergh Field and traveled to his new apartment-home in Santee in fall 2000 to enroll at Santana High School for his freshman year. What the 14-year-old had kept concealed was that he had gotten into dope in Maryland that summer, and not for the first time. He had experimented with narcotics in Maryland before his drug-free hiatus in Twentynine Palms. My friends and I started taking pills and going to harder stuff like cocaine. The first time I experienced those, I was 12 years old. Williams recounts his first experience in Santee. When I flew back from Maryland to Santee, I had some dope on me. I saw a church across the street that I was going to go to, and I thought, I got to get rid of this dope. However, the very first night I was home, I was smoking a cigarette on the lawn of our apartment complex and this dude came up and he was, like, Hey, man, Im out of drugs, and I got this freakin pipe on me, and I got no dope. I was, like, Thats crazy. I got some dope, but no pipe. Lets smoke dope. And through him, I got to meet the guys who became my friends. The very first night I was there. Williams quickly fell in with a group of boys who, in an earlier time, would have been called dead-end kids, who would be called losers by other teens and problems by their teachers. I asked why he didnt seek out the type of friends he had made in Twentynine Palms and adhere to the Christian standards he had embraced there. He simply says, I dont know. I honestly dont know. He had reached a crossroads in his young life, and he says he did wrestle with his devils at least a little. When I first went back to Maryland that summer, all my friends were using drugs and I was, like, Dude, I dont want to be around it. I remember praying a lot about it, saying, Lord, Im going to hang out with these dudes now, but when I get to Santee Im going to go to church again. I never did. The three guys Williams became closest to were A.J. Gilbert, Shaun Turk and Josh Stevens, all about his age. They spent a lot of time at a nearby skatepark and at each others homes when adults were absent. Santana High School shooting suspect Charles Andrew Williams at his arraignment in the El Cajon , Calif. courthouse on Monday, March 26, 2001. 15 year-old Williams attorneys are trying to prevent his being tried as an adult. (UT photo/John McCutchen) John R. McCutchen (John R. McCutchen) Williams exploited a situation that makes working single parents tear out their hair: For many hours of each day, he was unsupervised and unrestrained from running free. Williams says the boys drank alcohol and smoked pot at every opportunity. A friends mom had Lyme disease and she, like, she had all kinds of pain pills, and so we were just stealing them and eating opiates all the time. Did he have an addictive personality? Yeah, yeah I do. But looking back, I think I felt I needed drugs to function. In Maryland, it was just fun, but in Santee, it was like I had to. At the time, he was a small boy for his age, with a placating manner. He was prey for the bullies he ran with. He says they punched and kicked him, stole his possessions, even sprayed his pant legs with lighter fluid and set him afire. Beating up on him was fun and easy. Did he ever fight back? At first, but then I thought if someone comes up and socks me, Im going to be hurt less if I just let it happen. So he became a clown, hoping that amusing his companions would buy him a reprieve from the bullying. It didnt work. The mystery is why he kept coming back for more. I dont know. I thought these guys are cool, and I wanted to be cool. Ive always wished I was a little bit braver. At Santana High, his schoolwork didnt just suffer, it collapsed. Constant truancies and ignored homework marked him as a deadbeat to other students and an exasperation to teachers. Did his dad know he was hanging around with the wrong kids? Initially, no, but the more we were skipping school and the more peoples parents would come and complain to him about stuff we were doing, he got the sense that I was probably in a bad crowd. Did he ever tell his father he needed to leave Santee? I never had the courage to tell him I was struggling. I didnt want to let him down. I had no idea what to do. He says he was also bullied at the school. But he was reminded that after the shooting, no teacher, administrator or student on the campus said they ever saw him being bullied. He counters that bullying goes on all the time beneath the noses of teachers and principals. At school, they would take my money. Id have my backpack ripped off and thrown in the trash can. In high school, if they see a kid not fighting back, they think hes an easy target. I was little and easy, I guess. Was there anything in Santee or at Santana High that could have made life different? Absolutely. There were some real cool Christians, like, I always wanted to be a part of. But I didnt want my friends seeing me like that. Next into his life came Christopher Reynolds, an adult sexual predator who was the live-in boyfriend of Stevens mother. Williams says Reynolds was the one who bought alcohol and provided drugs for the boys. And, yes, there were strings attached. He was abusing all of us. What was he doing? Hed grab on us and try to kiss us and stuff. If he wanted to grab someones butt, it was, like, whatever, dude. Is that what he did? And he did some other stuff. What? He would ... he would ... he would grab us and try to do stuff to us. What did he do? He would try to masturbate us. Did he do it to you? He did it to me one time. You dont want to talk about that, do you? (Nervous laughter.) Naaah. How did that contribute to March 5, 2001? When something like that happens to you, if youre not willing to stop that, then youll just roll over for anything. That was really hard for me to deal with. If I was if I was if I was OK with that, then what am I? You never told your dad? No, but he told me later he knew that no 28-year-old is going to hang out with a bunch of kids, but I had told him nothing ever happened. (Reynolds, now 40, is in Oklahoma serving two consecutive prison sentences totaling 40 years, based on multiple counts of lewd misconduct. He was invited by mail to respond but did not.) Not long before the shooting, Williams says he and Stevens concocted a scheme to run away to Mexico. They, of course, bragged of their scheme to all their buddies. Later, as the date neared, Williams says Stevens backed out. To save face, he spread the word that Williams was the one who had chickened out. As word spread, Williams became a laughingstock among his friends. FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2001 The pressure from his misbehavior started to ratchet up. Williams father, probably in a state of great frustration, drove him to school to confront the guidance counselor. He chewed out the counselor that when I skipped school, it was the schools responsibility to inform him of it. The reality was, the school would leave a message on the home recorder noting his absence, and Williams would run home and erase the notice before his father could hear it. Later that day, Williams, still upset over the counselor encounter, showed up for a class unprepared as usual. He remembered the teacher unloading on him in front of the other students for a lack of effort. It surely wasnt the first time hed been criticized in class, but for some reason, it scraped a nerve. Williams says it also deepened his depression and strengthened a growing urge to commit suicide. I got out of class and I went and told my friends, This chick yelled at me for a half-hour. I sure wish someone would shoot her. He says it was a threat that he immediately dismissed with ha-ha-ha. He now describes the incident as a verbal, pointless teenage threat on crappy teachers. However, when he got together with his buddies later, they teased him that he wouldnt carry through with his threat to shoot the teacher because he had backed out on the Mexico run-away with Josh. It was teasing, but it stung. Again, he was the wimp. SATURDAY, MARCH 3 Saturday was what most kids would consider a dream day. Although Williams was grounded for misbehavior, his father took him hang-gliding as a belated 15th birthday present. When he got home, his dad lifted his punishment to allow him to get together with his buddies. That night, Williams and a group of friends partied at Stevens house. As the evening drew late, Williams says, he and the others became drunk. He says Josh was angry at something Reynolds had done to him and resurrected the shooting talk. He went and got a sheet of paper and diagrammed the school. He said what hallway he was going to. He told A.J. (Gilbert) where he was going to go. He told me where I was going to go. Williams would be stationed in the boys restroom. Williams says Stevens wanted him to use the .22 revolver in his dads gun case, while Stevens and Gilbert would take two small-gauge shotguns from the case and saw off the barrels for ease of concealment. Did anybody else know about the plan? Saturday night, we were telling everybody. Josh was telling everybody because he thought it was cool. I was telling everybody, hoping in the back of my mind that an adult would find out about it (and stop it). But every single person who was told about it seemed like they were encouraging it. Probably about 50 people total, including a couple of adults, knew about it. I think a lot of them didnt take it seriously. What happened to the diagram? Josh threw it in the trash. So, that indicated he was backing out of the scheme? Yeah. SUNDAY, MARCH 4 On Sunday afternoon, Williams father took him to Lakeside to look at a condo they were planning to buy and make their new home. When we first talked about (the move), I said, Awesome. I was getting away from these people. To me, it was like a positive thing. But later in my mind, I thought I was better off dying. Sunday evening, Williams joined his buddies at a girls house. By that time, he says, Stevens had changed the story and said Williams was the one who bragged about shooting up the school. With the fresh memory of the Mexico-trip ridicule still burning in his ears, Williams did not back out. He says the Columbine shooting of two years earlier never entered his mind as a template. Apparently, his resolve wavered, and when he returned home Sunday night, he says he got a phone call from Reynolds, who said Stevens had told him of the school-shooting scheme. Williams remembers Reynolds telling him, If you dont go through with it, Ill kill you. Williams says he took that threat seriously because of Reynolds intimidating, mesmerizing presence. Parent of a Santana High School student, Linda Eyler of El Cajon, comforts Nicolle Aldrich, 17, center, and her mother, Terry Adams, right, as Nicolle finds out that four of her friends were injured in the shooting. (Published 03/06/2001) MONDAY, MARCH 5 Williams didnt sleep well Sunday night. He says he kept thinking about suicide. His last thought of the night was, This is it. When he awoke Monday morning, it wasnt just another school day. I got up and accepted that today Im going to die. Im glad its over. I showered. I looked in the mirror. I got the key and opened the gun cabinet. I got out the pistol. I got the .22 bullets and put them on the bed. He found about 40 bullets and took them all. My whole plan was, Im going to do this and then Im going to die. And so, I was just thinking about suicide the last couple of weeks, and I guess that was the day. Early Monday morning, Williams says Gilbert knocked on the door to return a bicycle. I told him he could have it because I didnt have any use for it anymore. A.J. said, Im not gonna go through this with you. He went into my room and he seen the pistol and the bullets on the bed, and he said, So youre still going to do it? And I said, This is it for me. And he said, All right. I put the pistol and all the bullets in my backpack and went out to the bus stop. We met up with the kids we usually met up with. A.J. was saying, All right, dude, nice knowing you. And we kind of said our goodbyes again. He asked where I was going. I said the boys bathroom, and he was, like, Man, you know most murders happen on a Monday. I told him nobody was going to die. Williams says he believed .22 bullets were not powerful enough to kill people. He says he had seen them bounce off coffee cans during target practice. Shortly after 9 a.m., Williams remembers taking his backpack into a bathroom stall and closing the door. He nervously loaded the pistol and opened the door and saw standing beyond the stalls, at the urinals, freshman Bryan Zuckor, 14, and the taller Trevor Edwards, 17, a junior, who was directly in front. He decided he didnt want to shoot anyone he knew, so he closed the door. I felt like, Dude, you either got to go through it or not, but you got to make a decision. And I was, All right, Im going to do it. The memorial that sprang up in front of Santana High School after the shooting. U-T file photo ( / U-T file photo) What was in your mind, standing in the bathroom stall? Like, Im not somebody thats going to hurt people, and I was aware that what I was going to do was going to hurt somebody. But at the same time, I couldnt go back out to my friends I cant go back out and put myself in a position that theyre going to ridicule me. It was just the easiest way out. He opened the stall door again and both boys were still there. So I shut the door again, and I thought, Dude, what are you doing? And I thought, I dont have it in me to hurt nobody. And then, for whatever reason, I was like, Im going to open this door again, and if theyre not there Ill pull the trigger. But if it is them, then Im just going to walk out. But when I opened up, I didnt see a tall dude in front of me so I pulled the trigger. I didnt know it was Bryan. I expected to see a tall person in front of me and a shorter dude to my right, but when I opened up the shorter guy was in front of me and the taller guy to the right. You put the gun real close to the back of Bryans head before you killed him. I was about 2 feet away. What went through your mind at that moment? Nothing. Williams continues. I swung around and I shot Trevor. I think it hit him in the neck. He fell, and after about 10 to 15 seconds he asked me why I did it. I told him to shut up. Did you say that angrily? No, I was just that was the only thing I could think of. That was a typical 15-year-old response to everything. He then wounded student teacher Tim Estes while the few others in the bathroom scattered. As school security officer Peter Ruiz came in to investigate, he was shot three times. And then what? I reloaded and I guess I went out a little way and shot at people in the crowd. Then I reloaded again. In all, Williams believes he reloaded four times and expended almost all of his 40 rounds. He wounded 13 people, staff and students, and killed another student, senior Randy Gordon, 17, whom he did not know. When the police came, Williams hastily threw down the revolver and surrendered, as they demanded. SWAT officers check classrooms after a student opened fire at Santana High School, school, killing two people and wounding 13 others. U-T file photo ( / U-T file photo) He was taken to the sheriffs office and interrogated. He gave as his reason that he was mad at how things were going in his life. He told deputies, I was just, like, screwing up in school and I didnt want to move again, and my dad kept yelling at me. Hes been bitching at me for a while. And everybody else is being stupid. He also told deputies that he had not been bullied or even teased, and that neither parent had ever abused him. Today, Williams says he was ashamed to admit he had been bullied. Asked if he intended to kill people, he told interrogators right after the shooting: I didnt want anybody to die. But if they died, then, oh well. Not long after the shooting, a forensic psychiatrist diagnosed him with a major depressive disorder. Andy spent a year and a half in Juvenile Hall, where he was praised as a model inmate and did well in his schoolwork. He was in a controlled, protected environment perhaps reminiscent of Twentynine Palms. In August 2002, he instructed his public defender to enter a guilty plea to two counts of first-degree murder. He said he wanted to spare the wounded survivors and the families of the two murdered students the pain of sitting through a trial. He will be eligible for parole in his mid-60s. Williams seems to have adjusted well to prison. The guards told me he is not considered a problem, and they are noticeably at ease with him. Hes close to becoming a journeyman brick mason and is two classes short of an associate degree. He hopes to finish a bachelors degree by correspondence. He is kept in protective custody because he refused to stab another inmate at another prison, he says, a demand made on him by a prison gang. Because of that, for his own safety, he will never be allowed to leave protective custody, which suits him just fine. He has a girlfriend who has been committed to him for several years. He has even thought of marriage, though lifers are not allowed conjugal visits. His father visits him monthly, and his mother flies in from Georgia at least twice a year. He is quick to admit that he deserves to be punished and severely. He thinks the 50-year minimum sentence was too much, considering his youth, but that 20 years would have been too lenient. He believes 30 years would have at least given him the hope of someday having a positive life in society. Has he ever thought of writing to his victims? Id like to, not necessarily to explain myself but to pray that everything is going well with them, and to (let them) know how sorry I am. I feel I owe it to (the victims) not to mess up in here. Ive already made a very bad decision that affected them, and I cant continue to make bad decisions. Do you know who all 13 of your wounded victims are? I dont have them memorized, not anymore. I ask if hes happy, and he says, Reasonably. I have no complaints. But of life in prison, he says: Its, like, it sucks. I hate it. But whatever you make of it, thats basically what it is. It can be miserable if you let it. Its degrees of badness. Does what you did ever hit you really hard, to this day? All the time. Like, what the hell did I do? Do you think of yourself as a murderer? I think its hard to separate who I am from what Ive done. Obviously, I committed that crime, so youd have to classify me like that, but I dont necessarily think I intended to kill somebody. ... I do know that the people I shot did not deserve to be killed or wounded, and I will never stop regretting that. Do you dread March 5 coming around? Not anymore. Did you for a while? Absolutely. I wouldnt eat. Id seclude myself from everybody. But after a while, that became just like a shell, you know what I mean? I dont necessarily treat it like its every other day, but We can analyze Williams account of March 5, 2001, and say that much of it makes no sense. He says it doesnt to him, either. There are incongruities in his story, so what is the value of reading his words? Thats an individual judgment. When talking about such crimes, the experts say much but often know little. Angry people can say, Give em the needle. Sympathetic people can say that we should try to understand the abuse a killer had suffered. To a point, yes, but not to the extent that it makes us diminish the damage done to innocent people. Another thing we can all do is listen and despair of our ignorance. The grown-up Andy Williams is a pleasant guy with no evident antagonisms. But hes in prison. Most cons are the same way while theyre in prison. Anyway, that doesnt tell us why he went off the tracks as a child. One of his evident problems was that he wasnt aggressive and wouldnt fight. But why should someone have to fight not to be bullied, if indeed, bullied he was? Williams chose his friends in Santee and became one with them. They were troubled kids. A.J. Gilbert, 23, died in 2008 while on parole. Shaun Turk, 27, is serving time for murder, in the same prison as Williams. Josh Stevens, 27, is in prison in Florida on a probation violation. In a reply letter to my prison query, Stevens denies bullying Williams it was just teasing, he says and claims the hatching of the plot to shoot up the school was nothing more than idle talk by kids. He insists that no one who heard of it took Williams seriously. This is an old, familiar theme, but Andy was a latchkey kid coming home from school to an empty house. He was free to roam, free to get into whatever mischief appealed at the moment. His father was not a disciplinarian, but isnt permissiveness our parenting philosophy du jour? Williams turned his youth into a crime story, and helping other children avoid doing the same is our job. All of ours. And we can do that without excusing Williams. One Internet site lists 115 school shootings in the United States since 1980, and the pace has accelerated over the years. Many of the other school shooters are dead. Williams is alive and available to listen to. Its only my guess, but I suspect he thought a guy with a gun comes across as really tough. No one punches the dude with a gun, and no one dares ridicule him. This was a way to show everyone the real Andy Williams. He could make his own movie. Speculation aside, to understand the mind of any person is to walk down a hallway with many closed doors, not knowing behind which is concealed the truth we seek. We are left to repeat a question: Williams asks, What the hell did I do? Thats right, Andy. What the hell did you do? Bill Flynn, of Santee, prays in front of the Santana High School sign/makeshift memorial in the front Santana High School on Magnolia in Santee Ca. Flynn had two kids that graduated Santee High, one in 1999, the other in 1997. U-T file photo ( / U-T file photo) View the photo gallery: March 5, 2001 - Santana High School Shooting remembered Egyptian twins once joined at the head returned to Texas this week for checkups, and were treated to a pizza party Wednesday with the doctor who brought them to the United States to be separated. Now 8, Ahmed and Mohamed Ibrahim strode down hallways and gobbled up pizza and ice cream, wearing matching gray T-shirts over yellow long-sleeved shirts. They are both enrolled in school, enjoy watching television and playing on the computer, their mother said. The boys who were born joined at the tops of their heads now sport headfuls of curly black hair. They also walk easily, though with a slightly awkward gait. Here they are. Sitting here now enjoying life, Dr. Kenneth Salyer said as the boys ate. Advertisement Salyers nonprofit World Craniofacial Foundation brought the then 1-year-old boys to Dallas in 2002 to be evaluated for separation. The twins were separated the next year during a 34-hour surgery. After undergoing additional surgeries to reconstruct their skulls, they returned to Egypt in 2005. This is their second return to Dallas for checkups since going home. On Wednesday, the boys were at the Texas Hospital for Advanced Medicine, where they got CT scans and were treated to the party. The hospital is launching a new Reconstructive Surgery Institute, founded by Salyer and set to open next year. Salyer said that Mohamed is on target developmentally, but Ahmed is lagging behind. Both boys suffer from weakness some of their limbs, but are otherwise healthy. The twins attend school in Cairo, where they live with their parents and siblings. Their mother, Sabah Abu el-Wafa, said that Ahmed is slower at reading and memorizing and has a hard time holding a pen. Salyer, whose foundation pays for the boys to go to private school, said they will be looking into getting Ahmed additional tutoring. The boys classes are partly in English, so they can keep up the language they picked up while in the U.S. Our goal is to watch these two boys graduate from college, Salyer said. On the Net: World Craniofacial Foundation: https://www.worldcf.org My desire to travel wanderlust has really kicked in recently. Call it island fevercall it itchy feet but its time to plan a trip. And I think I found the perfect time My very favorite thing in the world is travelwelland dessertbut in second place is planning a trip. And last year, my big trip was basically as far away from Belize as I could go. An amazing, once in a lifetime, perspective changing, awe inducing, 10,000 mile trip to Kerala, India. (Check out 12 Things I did not expect about Kerala, India) SOsome time has opened up in beginning of January the planets have aligned and while I am hardly FLUSH with cashthere is a bit extra AND a country that Ive been planning to see for a while. And its less than 200 miles away. GUATEMALAon our very border and yetyetIve only been to the very edge of it. And there is SO MUCH. Colonial cities, active volcanoes where I can toast marshmallows, deep volcanic lakes, rain forest, a Pacific coast called The Billfish Capital of the World, hot springs Time to get planning. And I definitely need your help! Some see Guatemala as scary and dangerous but I have only heard great things about the places, travelling and the people. There is one exception and thats Guatemala City. Im undecided whether Ill visit or not. There is research to do! Heres the plan: 12 days to travel to Guatemala solo, track my expenses (and keep it REASONABLE), see as much as possible and have fun. And heres what Im hoping for beautiful landscape, high mountains, indigenous markets, great weather (of course), cobblestoned streets, endless coffee fields. soaring Maya pyramids, slow travel and a bit of adventure. Here are the stats on Guatemala: It is 5x the size of Belize but the big difference? Her population is 15.5 million compared to Belizes 330,000. Amazing. Another big difference for me? The language, like all the rest of Central America is Spanish. Espanol? Uhhhhnot really. There is also the elevation issue. The highest mountain at over 13,800 feet, Volcan Tajumulco, is a live volcano and the highest mountain in Central America. SERIOUS ALTITUDE SICKNESS CAN OCCUR UP THERE! Guatemala also has Central Americas deepest lake, Lake Atitlan, a spot on my list. So here are my preliminary thoughts I dont want to move too quickly so I am sure some of these will have to be scraped (most likely the fishing and perhaps Rio Dulce should be saved for sailing) The Maya City of Tikal I visited about 6 years ago and now its time to visit again. Semuc Champey Natural Limestone pools and candlelit caving (top travel blogger, Adventurous Kate, call it her Her Favorite Day in Central America) My friends Kevin and Heather there this year. And the list goes onbut DEFINITELY includes beautiful Lake Atitlan and the UNESCO colonial city of Antigua. Time to get excited. SO PLEASE, if you have any suggestions LET ME KNOW! Id love to find some funky (reasonably priced) hotelsor exciting tours or great shops. Any ideas would help. And then, I shall drag you all along. HURRAY! IM GOING TO GUATEMALA! It should be very interesting. Arlington, VA -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/02/2016 -- Stephen Hopkins was from Hampshire, England. He married his first wife, Mary, and resided in the parish of Hursley, Hampshire. They had three (3) children: Elizabeth, Constance, and Giles; all baptized there. It has long been claimed that the Hopkins family was from Wortley, Gloucester, but this was disproven in 1998 with the discovery of his true origins in Hursley. http://mayflowerhistory.com/hopkins-stephen/ Stephen Hopkins went with the ship Sea Venture on a voyage to Jamestown, Virginia in 1609 as a minister's clerk, but the ship wrecked in the "Isle of Devils" (Bermuda). Stranded on an island for ten months, the passengers and crew survived on turtles, birds, and wild pigs. Six months into the castaway, Stephen Hopkins and several others organized a mutiny against the current governor. The mutiny was discovered and Stephen was sentenced to death. However, he pleaded with sorrow and tears. "So penitent he was, and made so much moan, alleging the ruin of his wife and children in this his trespass, as it wrought in the hearts of all the better sorts of the company." He managed to get his sentence commuted. Eventually the castaways built a small ship and sailed themselves to Jamestown. How long Stephen remained in Jamestown is not known. However, while he was gone, his wife Mary died. She was buried in Hursley on 9 May 1613, and left behind a probate estate which mentions her children Elizabeth, Constance and Giles. Stephen was back in England by 1617, when he married Elizabeth Fisher, but apparently had every intention of bringing his family back to Virginia. Their first child, Damaris, was born about 1618. In 1620, Stephen Hopkins brought his wife and children Constance, Giles, and Damaris on the Mayflower (child Elizabeth apparently had died). Stephen was a fairly active member of the Pilgrim group shortly after arrival, perhaps a result of his being one of the few individuals who had been to Virginia previously. He was a part of all the early exploring missions, and was used as an "expert" on Native Americans for the first few contacts. While out exploring, Stephen recognized and identified an Indian deer trap. And when Samoset walked into Plymouth and welcomed the English, he was housed in Stephen Hopkins' house for the night. Stephen was also sent on several of the ambassadorial missions to meet with the various Indian groups in the region. Stephen was an assistant to the governor through 1636, and volunteered for the Pequot War of 1637 but was never called to serve. By the late 1630s, however, Stephen began to occasionally run afoul of the Plymouth authorities, as he apparently opened up a shop and served alcohol. In 1636 he got into a fight with John Tisdale and seriously wounded him. In 1637, he was fined for allowing drinking and shuffleboard playing on Sunday. Early the next year he was fined for allowing people to drink excessively in his house: guest William Reynolds was fined, but the others were acquitted. In 1638 he was twice fined for selling beer at twice the actual value, and in 1639 he was fined for selling a looking glass for twice what it would cost if bought in the Bay Colony. Also in 1638, Stephen Hopkins' maidservant got pregnant from Arthur Peach, who was subsequently executed for murdering an Indian. The Plymouth Court ruled he was financially responsible for her and her child for the next two years (the amount remaining on her term of service). Stephen, in contempt of court, threw Dorothy out of his household and refused to provide for her, so the court committed him to custody. John Holmes stepped in and purchased Dorothy's remaining two years of service from him: agreeing to support her and child. Stephen died in 1644, and made out a will, asking to be buried near his wife, and naming his surviving children. BAPTISM: 30 April 1581 at Upper Clatford, Hampshire, England, son of John and Elizabeth (Williams) Hopkins. FIRST MARRIAGE: Mary, possibly the daughter of Robert and Joan (Machell) Kent of Hursley, co. Hampshire, prior to 1604. SECOND MARRIAGE: Elizabeth Fisher on 19 February 1617/8 at St. Mary Matfellon, Whitechapel, co. Middlesex, England. CHILDREN (by Mary): Elizabeth, Constance, and Giles. CHILDREN (by Elizabeth): Damaris, Oceanus, Caleb, Deborah, Damaris, Ruth, and Elizabeth. DNA HAPLOGROUP: R1b-M269 Master Christopher Jones and several business partners purchased the ship Mayflower about 1607. Its origins prior to that remain uncertain. Its first documented voyage of record was to Trondheim, Norway, in 1609. Andrew Pawling hired the ship to take a cargo of London goods to Norway, sell them off, and buy Norway goods (lumber, tar, and fish) to return back to England. Unfortunately on the return voyage, the Mayflower encountered a severe North Sea storm and the master and crew were forced to toss most of Pawlings goods overboard to lighten the ship. The home of Master Christopher Jones: Harwich, co. Essex, England. http://mayflowerhistory.com/ Following that, Christopher Jones seems to have stuck with safer trading routes. The Mayflower made numerous trips primarily to Bordeaux, France, returning to London with cargoes of French wine, Cognac, vinegar, and salt. The Mayflower could freight about 180 tons of cargo. The Mayflower also made occasional voyages to other ports, including once to Malaga, Spain, and twice to Hamburg, Germany. Upon returning from a voyage to Bordeaux, France, in May 1620, the Mayflower and master Christopher Jones were hired to take the Pilgrims to Northern Virginia. This was the first recorded trans-Atlantic voyage for both ship and master, though Christopher Jones had several crewmembers, including pilot and master's mates John Clarke and Robert Coppin, who had been to the New World before. The Mayflower was supposed to accompany another ship, the Speedwell, to America, but the Speedwell proved too leaky for the voyage so the Mayflower proceeded alone. Departing on 6 September 1620, the ship was at sea for 66 days, arriving November 9. The ship and crew overwintered with the Pilgrims and departed back for England on 5 April 1621, arriving back to England on May 6. Christopher Jones took the ship out for a few more trading runs, but he died a couple of years later in March 1621/2. The ship was appraised for probate purposes in May 1624, and was referred to as being "in ruins." It was only valued at 128 pounds sterling, and was almost certainly broken up and sold off as scrap. Adam Paul Green was born to a multi-talented beauty queen Mother and a Father who, in addition to being a US Army Spy and a Counter-Intelligence Special Agent, was also a highly accomplished entrepreneur. Adam was taught at a young age that, in both life and business, loyalty is a requirement for success. He's had the honor of working directly with his father in several of the family businesses. In fact, this is where he learned crucial entrepreneurial skills and honed his talents with international business strategies and venture capitalism. http://www.MarketingChocolateInternational.com http://www.AdamPaulGreen.com http://www.ImAdamGreen.com Adam earned his Bachelors of Science Degree in International Business and Marketing from the University of Utah. He was hand-picked by the President of the University's renowned School of Business to compete with dozens of other ambitious nationwide-graduates for the opportunity to secure a lucrative job within a prestigious Fortune 100 company. http://www.mxicorp.com/fab/ http://www.Twitter.com/AdamPaulGreen http://www.ImAdamGreen.com About MayflowerHistory.com MayflowerHistory.com, the Internet's most complete and accurate website dealing with the Mayflower passengers and the history of the Pilgrims and early Plymouth Colony. The website was first created back in 1994 (when the web was still mostly text!) as a simple, but complete, passenger list of the Mayflower. It has grown over the past twenty years as the author, historian Caleb Johnson, has researched and compiled material. http://mayflowerhistory.com Mount Ephraim, NJ -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/02/2016 -- New Window Factory Sales, Inc. is one of the go-to companies for window replacement and installation needs. Located in Mt. 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Interested parties can also reach them via e-mail or by filling out a contact form on their website. Learn more by visiting http://newwindowfactory.com/. Philadelphia, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/02/2016 -- Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky is a law firm with locations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey that can represent the people who have been injured in an accident or the families of people who have been injured or killed. They are one of the leading personal injury law firms in the United States. Their attorneys have secured some of the largest settlements and verdicts in Philadelphia, PA, and New Jersey history. People who are seeking personal injury lawyers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania can turn to Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky. This law firm provides attorneys who are dedicated to finding justice for their clients. This law firm was founded in 1998 by Stephen T. Saltz, Robert J. Mongeluzzi, Michael F. Barrett, and Larry Bendesky. 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About Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky is a law firm that offers personal injury lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia. The attorneys at Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky have achieved some of the largest verdicts and settlements in the history of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They also represent construction workers who have been injured or killed. For more information, please go to http://www.smbb.com/ or call 215-496-8282. There are two pressing problems for Latin American countries: one is how to link knowledge and social development, something that is not done organically in Latin America because there is no demand. And the other is that, for that demand to exist, doctoral researchers must work in productive sectors of the economy, said the Argentinian science minister, Lino Baranao, in reference to the recent 2016 Innovation Report of the G20 Group. The report differentiates between more countries with more capacity in innovation, which also invest more in science and technology, from the Latin American countries included (Brazil, Mexico and Argentina), which it finds have weaker innovation capacity. Increasing national investments in R&D requires the combination of public and private efforts, says the OECD in the report, highlighting this as an essential issue. In more developed economies, business sectors invest more. All countries [included in the report] produce more doctoral researchers than their systems can absorb, Baranao adds. In Argentina we have about 1200 new scholars a year and 300 researchers who enter these systems. We need to know what to do with those who are getting educated. Germany and South Korea found success with demand from the private sector not to mention synergy with Silicon Valley, where theres a natural connection, It is the transnational character of the Latin American economies which explains more effectively the disconnection between research and productive sectors. Diego Hurtado, National University of Saint Martin and Conicet Baranao was the only minister from the region who participated in the launch of the report at the science ministers summit of the G20, which took place in Beijing, China from November 1 to November 4. Nevertheless he takes a dim view of official documents because, he says, the need to achieve consensus on their content means they are too general. One of the main issues facing the science sector in the region, and particularly Baranao (a 'survivor' from the last government of Cristina Kirchner, and from a political camp opposite to that of current Argentinian president Mauricio Macri), is what to do with the great number of researchers educated to doctoral level in the last decade who do not participate in productive sectors of the economy or who needs to be helped by the State. In an interview with SciDev.Net, Baranao remarked that he wants to change the perception that science is like a symphony orchestra something that is good to have but that has no more impact than the work of Argentinian Nobel prizes Bernardo Houssay and Luis Leloir, he says. Baranao highlighted collaborations with private enterprises as valuable moves for science to make impact. Diego Hurtado, professor of history of science at the National University of Saint Martin and researcher at Conicet, Argentinas national scientific and technical research council, sees a less hopeful landscape for such collaboration because of the new regional political context. The G20 report explains that the science minister [of Argentina] is evaluating how to measure private R&D , but in the first eight months of 2016, the actual governments policy produced a drop in industrial activity of more than 5 per cent and decidedly favoured financial and primary sectors of the economy.For Hurtado, It is the transnational character of the Latin American economies which explains more effectively the disconnection between research and productive sectors. This piece was produced by SciDev.Net's Latin America and Caribbean edition. Experts use many numbers when talking about climate change. However, rising temperatures, the resulting crop failure and consequent loss of livelihoods and destitution of millions of households are this years most important and urgent developments for millions of smallholder farmers across African agro-ecological landscapes. To illustrate the unfolding crisis, let us consider the case of Malawi, one of the few countries to have achieved a fair deal of agricultural success but is now facing the worst drought in over three decades. As is the case with many countries in southern Africa, Malawi has experienced widespread crop failures due to a devastatingly strong El Nino. The country has witnessed late onset of rains, erratic rainfall, floods and prolonged dry spells this year. Thus, the production of maize the countrys main staple crop is estimated at just over 2.5 million tonnes in 2016. [1]This is 16 per cent lower than the reduced harvest in 2015 and 34 per cent below the previous fiveyear average. Consequently, 39 per cent of the population are dependant on national and international food aid to survive a 129 per cent increase over last years vulnerable population. In the hardest hit areas, harvest reduced by 70 per cent while farmers in some areas simply couldnt plant as the rains never came. [2] Tackling climate change Dealing with this challenge in the future will require both efforts to reduce climate change and, most importantly, strategies to enable farmers to adapt to its effects. All eyes were on the meeting of the worlds climate change experts and policymakers that ended in Marrakesh, Morocco, last month (7-18 November). The meeting sought to set the world on track to reducing greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. Last year, the same experts met in Paris, France, and reached a welcome agreement that seeks to limit the rise in global temperatures above pre-industrial levels by two degrees Celsius. However, the emissions of greenhouse gases are not yet falling and the effects of climate change are worsening. Much more still needs to be done to address this challenge proactively. Nowhere else is the imperative to act more urgent than in Africa, where about 70 per cent of the population is dependent on rain-fed, smallholder agriculture. As the case of Malawi shows, rising temperatures in Africa often signal drought and other extreme weather events that put the lives and livelihoods of smallholder farmers at greater risk, increasing their vulnerability to famine and diseases. This reality is here with us today, and far beyond Malawi and southern Africa, with large swathes of the continent currently under the grip of a historical drought. I hope world leaders seized the moment to take action and continue to put us on a path toward a better future. Agnes Kalibata, AGRA For this reason, those of us from the African continent hope that such a backdrop gave the first post-Paris meeting a greater sense of urgency. Inaction would be catastrophic. Although Africa emits less than three per cent of the climate change inducing greenhouse gases, it will suffer its effects disproportionately. Mean temperatures will rise faster than the global average, exceed two degrees Celsius and may reach as high as three to six degrees Celsius by 2100. [3] For every year that our global leaders fail to make progress against their commitments, it is Africas families that will pay the greatest price. More than global leaders efforts This is not to leave everything in the hands of global leaders, as the prosperity of Africa and its farmers will also depend on how well farmers, especially smallholders, are able to adapt to the changing climate. This is much more within our control. Indeed, the work of AGRA (Alliance for a Green Revolution in Agriculture) and our partners has shown that African farmers are not powerless in the face of climate change. There are many ways in which they can survive and even thrive despite the dramatic shifts in growing conditions they are likely to endure. For instance, farmers in some parts of Malawi, who are planting more drought-tolerant cropscassava, sweet potato and pigeon pea and using better agricultural practices are not only surviving the drought, they are expecting to generate a good income on this year's harvest. Proactive adaptation plans needed The insurance and finance sectors have also stepped up to the plate by designing innovative products that are minimising the effects of climate shocks to farmers.Still in Malawi, tens of thousands of farmers in the worst hit areas south of the country will now have access to credit from a microfinance institution that has protected these loans with a yield insurance that covers the crops against the impact of floods and drought. Overall, to achieve food security under climate change, the resilience of communities and individual farmers needs to be strengthened through proactive and long-term adaptation actions. Although a lot more is yet to be accomplished, the continent has invested in the development and adoption of many new agriculture innovations and technologies which should be scaled up. We cannot put off further action on mitigating and adapting to climate change without expecting even greater pain for smallholder farmers and others around the world. From Marrakesh to all countries capitals and decision making tables around the world, I hope world leaders seized the moment to take action and continue to put us on a path toward a better future. Let us hope for a future when African smallholder farmers can fully exploit their potential to deliver food security, contribute to poverty reduction and achieve inclusive economic growth and development. Agnes Kalibata is the president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). Follow her on Twitter: @Agnes_Kalibata This piece was produced by SciDev.Nets Sub-Saharan Africa English desk. The International Space Station (ISS) is the home for astronauts from 17 different countries. It is an artificial satellite, meant for conducting research in space. Living in micro-gravity or zero gravity is sure an intriguing idea for common people. But in reality, living in space is much more complex and tough. In an attempt to give a virtual feeling to common people who can just imagine living in space, NASA released a hi-def video of the interior and compartments of the International Space Station (ISS), according to Slate.com. The video includes a tour of the various nodules and ports of the space station, including the famous Destiny, Columbus and Kibo laboratories, the cargo berthing ports, the docking ports, Unity and Harmony nodes and a superficial view of Dextre and Canadram2 robotic arms, solar arrays. If one is picturing ISS as a claustrophobic containment, then he is quite mistaken. The present International Space Station is extensive and provides enough space for the laboratories and working area for its inhabiting astronauts and space tourists. Watching the 18 minutes and 4 seconds long video, one can get a brief idea of how it is to live in space, orbiting around Earth and conducting valuable experiments in biology, physics, astronomy and other related and non-related fields. Expedition 50 The first crew members of ISS occupied it on Nov. 2, 2000, and they were designated as Expedition 1. The current crew members belong to Expedition 50. NASA periodically announces information relating to the orbit status and experimental studies done by the crew members inside the ISS. In a recent report published in SpaceRef, NASA provided the information on the activities of the Expedition 50 crew members. It narrated the Marangoni Ultrasonic Velocity Profiler-2 experiment conducted by Commander Shane Kimbrough inside the Kibo lab and also on the installation of aerosol samplers by Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson for collection of airborne samples from space. The Joint ISS Program The ISS is a multinational venture. Its use and maintenance is based on the international treaties existing between the member countries. Recently, Russia launched the 'Progress 65 cargo craft' that was delivered last Saturday. Soon, Japan is going to launch the Kounotori HTV-6 resupply cargo, which will be delivering vital supplies to the astronauts on Dec. 13, 2016. In the last 16 years, the International Space Station (ISS) has played a pivotal role in international space research and exploration and hopefully it will continue to do so for many more years to come. Scientists have merged photosynthesis and physics to create highly efficient solar cells. They designed a new quantum heat engine photocell that helps employ the flow of energy in solar cells. The heat engine photocell absorbs photons from the Sun and transforms the photon energy into electricity. The findings of the study were printed in the journal Nano Letters. It was led by Nathan Gabor, an assistant professor at University of California, Riverside and other physicists from the same university, according to UCR Today. Professor Gabor began to combine his background in physics with biology when he became interested in photosynthesis and asking the question such as why plants are green. He then thought of solar energy conversion and contemplating on ideas on how to make materials for solar cells that highly absorb the fluctuating amount of energy from the Sun. Professor Gabor explained that plants have evolved to do this. On the other hand, the current affordable solar cells, which are at best 20 percent efficient, do not control these sudden changes in solar power. This resulted in a much energy waste and aids prevent the wide-scale adoption of solar cells as an energy source. To find the solution to this problem, the researchers devise a new kind of quantum heat engine photocell. This device aids in controlling the flow of energy in solar cells and absorbs photons from the Sun, thus converts the photon energy into electricity. They also discovered that the quantum heat engine photocell could regulate solar power conversion without requiring active feedback controllers that suppressed the fluctuations in solar power and reduce the overall efficiency. The team aims to design the simplest photocell that matches the amount of solar power from the Sun as closest to the average power demand. They also want to suppress energy fluctuations to avoid the accumulation of excess energy. They incorporated two-photon-absorbing channels and found that the regulation of energy flow emerges naturally within the photocell. The team optimized the photocell parameters to lessen the solar energy fluctuations. They also discovered that the absorption spectrum is like the absorption spectrum observed in photosynthetic green plants. So, they propose that natural regulation of energy found in the quantum heat engine photocell has a significant role in the photosynthesis in plants. This is the first hypothesis of connecting the quantum mechanical structure to the greenness of plants, according to Phys.org. An ancient bank note from the Ming Dynasty of Imperial China was found inside an antique wooden sculpture prepared for auction, according to a recent report. Live Science reported that Australian art experts found the crumpled banknote inside the head of a sculpture called "Louhan" -- a Chinese Buddhism religious character. Based on the Chinese characters and seals printed in black and red, the banknote dates back to the third year of reign of the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang (1371). Also, it is considered as a "Great Ming Treasure Note." The banknote has a value of "one guan." This means that is is equivalent to 1,000 Chinese copper coins or 1 ounce (28 grams) of pure silver. It also contained a warning for counterfeiters that they will be decapitated as punishment for the crime. The note was discovered by Paul Sumner, chief executive of Mossgreen's Auctions in Melbourne, Australia. According to Sumner, the money may have been given as a religious offering by the time the sculpture was 30 to 50 years old. The sculpture may have stood inside a family or public temple during the time the banknote was inserted. This high-value banknote is an extraordinary find, Sumner added. It is because they had just found small offerings such as rice grains, semiprecious stones and inscriptions on paper inside the bases of antique Chinese figurines before this. "These figures were created for veneration and for spiritual use, sometimes in temples and sometimes in homes," Sumner explained. "It may have been part of a larger figure, and because of its size, [we can conclude that] it probably stood in a temple." The wooden "Louhan" sculpture along with the ancient banknote, which is among the Raphy Star Collection, will be available for auction amounting up to AU$45,000 or US$34,000 on Dec. 11 in Sydney, Australia. Nokia has created a new buzz in the cellphone and digital industry. Recent leaks indicate that Nokia's first Android venture will be released in 5 and 5.5 inch models. While Nokia once was one of the biggest names in the industry with remarkable sales figures, the brand name has diminished over the years. However, 2017 might be the year of its biggest comeback in the market. Nokia D1C Release Date, Specs, Latest News- In the age of Android, the Finnish phone finally announced the production of Nokia D1C. It will be the first Android powered phones coming from the Nokia brand. It was first leaked that the Nokia D1C will be an Android tablet with a 13.8 inch screen. However, a series of latest leaks have revealed that the Nokia D1C will be released in two hardware versions instead. The first will be a 5 inch model which will be available with a 1080p touchscreen. It will also be equipped with 2 GB RAM and powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 chipset. For the shutterbugs, there will be 13 megapixel main camera and an 8 megapixel front camera. The phone are expected to come with 16 GB of storage space with Android 7.0 Nougat running system. The second model is rumored to come with similar hardware features but will be a bigger phone at 5.5 inches. It will sport 3GB of RAM functioning. It might also have a better battery capacity. As sources reveal, the prototype models are in the testing phase currently. There have been several speculations about their final finishing and appearance. However, GSM Arena has published the most recent renders of their appearances. Since there is quite some time left for its final launch, the company may alter the final Nokia D1C product. Nokia is playing it safely in this comeback by first launching mid-range phones to the market. Based on the reaction and response in the market, the Finnish company can venture into higher range models. It is speculated that Nokia is also working on its flagship range of smart tablets. The expected launch date for Nokia D1C is pegged to be in the end of February. Watch the tech space for more updates and latest news on Nokia D1C release date, specs and features. President-elect Donald Trump may slow environmental progress in the United States, but he would not be able to take a complete turnaround from the Obama administration's policies. In an op-ed, according to Bloomberg, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg suggested that there are ways for the U.S. government to support the Paris Agreement without the support of their president. This is because city officials have long been driving the U.S. progress on reducing carbon emissions, at the same time, in promoting sustainability. This gives them a lot of power in spite of the lack of federal support. Mayor Michael Bloomberg wrote, "If the Trump administration does withdraw from the Paris accord, I will recommend that the 128 U.S. mayors who are part of the Global Covenant of Mayors seek to join in its place." The New York Times also cited Mayor Michael Bloomberg telling the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce that cities, businesses and even the citizens themselves can continue reducing their emissions especially considering that, like China, they realized that these are for their own interests. As noted, federal support does not control everything when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions -- the major private investment plays an even bigger role, as well as private-public initiatives from mayors and governors themselves. Today, there are about 10,000 climate initiatives that are already underway in most cities, and it is not a policy exclusive for democrats. In fact, San Diego's Republican Mayor Kevin Faulconer was able to help push through a climate action plan that has committed his city to have 100 percent renewable energy in 20 years -- with other cities following his lead. Yes, federal funding can help push the action against climate change. But even if Donald Trump decides he will opt out of the Paris Agreement, not all is lost for the United States. What Mayor Michael Bloomberg is calling for can be achievable. If there is enough support, the country can still do as promised to help combat climate change. Remember Martin Shkreli, who is also called the "big pharma bro"? He was the man who sparked outrage last year by raising the price of a tablet of Daraprim from $13.50 to $750. He may have met his match in some schoolboys in Australia. The handful of year 11 students in Sydney has figuratively punched him in the face as they cooked the same drug in their own school laboratory. The price of the recreated Daraprim drug is just $2. The Grammar boys, all just 17 years old, synthesized the active ingredient, pyrimethamine. They have produced about 3.7 grams of pyrimethamine for $20. In the United States, the same quantity would cost up to about $110,000. Daraprim Price Mark-Up Martin Shkreli, who gained control over Turing Pharmaceuticals last year, has gained public scrutiny by marking up the price of the pill by as much as 5,000 percent. He was under fire once more when he spent $2 million on the only available copy of a Wu-Tang Clan album. With the controversial background of the drug's price, University of Sydney chemist Dr. Alice Williamson thought that it would be an ideal drug to create by her chemistry students at Sydney Grammar School. "The background to this made it seem more important," James Wood, one of the students who made the drug, told the Sydney Morning Herald. "It seems totally unjustified and ethically wrong. It's a life-saving drug and so many people can't afford it," Wood added as reported by BBC. Meanwhile, Martin Shkreli posted a series of statements on Twitter. And why buy my equipment when I can use the lab's for free?! And those teachers who told them what to do, they'll work for free, right? Martin Shkreli (@MartinShkreli) December 1, 2016 Labor and equipment costs? Didn't know you could get physical chemists to work for free? I should use high school kids to make my medicines! Martin Shkreli (@MartinShkreli) December 1, 2016 What Is Daraprim? Daraprim, an anti-parasitic medicine, is used to treat infections like malaria and toxoplasmosis. Usually, it is used to treat people who are immunocompromised or those with low immune systems, like those who are suffering from Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), pregnant women and those undergoing chemotherapy. Research ministers at the European Space Agency (ESA) are currently deciding if they are going to push through with their plans to land a robot rover in Mars in 2021 -- or not. BBC reported that the space agency is conducting a meeting in Lucerne, Switzerland, to discuss their final decision regarding the fate of landing the ExoMars robot rover to search for life on the Red Planet. The project reportedly needs a budget of 400 million ($430 million), and ESA Director-General Jan Woerner has previously said that it is either they will get full support or none at all. "Either we do it or we stop it, and I'm in favour of doing it," he told BBC. This will be a difficult bargain for the member states, however, since the ministers expect a good return of investment. The programs offered are mostly optional and the agency works in a "juste retour" principle --- which means that the amount of funds member nations invest in a satellite project will return to them in a form of work contracts for their local technology and aerospace companies. In other news, the ESA also released the first set of images from its ExoMars spacecraft that has been orbiting the Red Planet since mid-October, according to CBC News. The images were taken at 5,300 kilometers altitude before ExoMars made its closest approach to the planet. Using the spacecraft's Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS), the images can be seen in four colors such as red, blue, near-infrared and panchromatic (sensitive to all colors). The camera also captured an image of the Hebes Chasma, an 8,000-meter channel found in Valle Marineris, which is also known as the Grand Canyon of Mars. This area is the largest canyon known in the Solar System, measuring about 600 kilometers wide and 3,000 kilometers long. Just for comparison, the Grand Canyon here on Earth measures around 300 kilometers long and 30 kilometres wide. It was previously reported that man causes an earthquake by injecting the water waste underground. Now, researchers are investigating how to calm down these man-made phenomena. According to the new study, injecting wastewater from gas and oil extraction into underground wells happened for decades in Oklahoma. Not even raising concerns over the induced seismicity. Thus, in 2009, there was an increased rate and volume injection, according to the report by NPR. The researchers found that in 2015, the earthquake activity increased 900-folds compared to the past levels because of the underground pressure buildup from the injection. The largest temblor to be recorded in Oklahoma is in September. A magnitude of 5.8 earthquakes shook the city of Pawnee according to the USGS. The Pawnee earthquake was linked to the state's increased of seismicity from wastewater injection. The statistical model used in the study suggested that if wastewater injection will be limited, it could lead to the decrease in widely felt earthquakes measuring magnitude 3.0 or higher. In addition, Oklahoma could see a return of the state's regular seismicity levels in about five years. The regulators in Oklahoma called for a 40 percent reduction in the volume of wastewater being injected this year. It will be the response to the increasing rise of earthquakes. Also, the researchers found that the volume of wastewater injection is at its peak in 2015. The state experienced two or more magnitude 3.0 earthquakes per day. However, before 2009, the rate of earthquakes per year is about one in every year, according to Live Science. A postdoctoral researcher from Standford University, Cornelius Langenbruch, said that the next phase of their research will measure the exact link between the wastewater injection and the pressure buildup underground. Langenbruch said that "This is not the end of the story. What will be really important is to actually measure the pressure in the formation where wastewater is injected. Currently, there are no exact measurements of this pressure." The study was published in the Journal Science Advances. The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory stopped working in January for upgrades. Now, the LIGO is back to detect more gravitational waves and hunt space-time ripples. In January, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) stopped collecting data. It is because it needs the scheduled period for upgrades to its two detectors. It is located in Hanford, Washington, and Livingston, Louisiana. Recently, the machines are back and they are searching for gravitational waves coming from distant cosmic sources. The collaboration of LIGO was announced to first direct detection of gravitational waves in February 2016. The second time was in June. In both cases, the waves created by sets of black holes collide and merge together in space, according to Inverse. Scientists, at the California Institute of Technology that operates the LIGO together with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said that "Since the end of LIGO's last science run in January, engineers and scientists have been evaluating LIGO's performance and making improvements to its lasers, electronics, and optics -resulting in an overall increase in LIGO's sensitivity." The upgrade has given the Livingston detector with a 25 percent higher sensitivity compared to the previous run. It simply means it can detect black hole mergers at greater distances. Increasing the search area should lead the detector to find more black hole mergers. The Hanford detector has the same sensitivity as it did during its last run, but it underwent other upgrades and improvements. The detection coming from LIGO is somehow a surprise to the astrophysicists as it detects two black hole mergers. It is based on estimations of the frequency of these mergers in the cosmos. The scientists said in the statement: "As more black-hole mergers are detected by LIGO, scientists will start to get their first real understanding of black-hole pairs in the universe - including their population numbers, masses and spin rates. LIGO may also detect the merger of neutron stars - the dense cores of exploded stars. Knowledge of both black-hole and neutron-star mergers will improve our understanding of stellar evolution and death," according to Space.com. The LIGO collaboration plans to continue and improve the sensitivity of the instruments with each successive science run. Dr. Jo Handelsman, shown above as a UW-Madison plant pathology professor in a 2006 file photo, has since gone on to work at Yale University and the White House. The project entails quays to handle two ships up to 330 meters in length, with a draft of 10.5 meters, according to CentralAmericaData.com. The publication said bids are due Jan. 16. As earlier reported, the Panama Maritime Authority has estimated the cost of the project at $30m. Currently, cruise ships visiting Panama City tender passengers to Fuerte Amador, near the site of the proposed homeport. Speaking to Seatrade Maritime News on the sidelines of the Asian Logistics and Maritime Conference last week, Port of Prince Rupert vp for trade development and public affairs Shaun Stevenson said he expected to take about 20% to 25% of market share for the inland port intermodal (IPI) market, comprising about 12m to 14m teu per year, from the US ports. The IPI market refers to cargo moving from an arrival port to an inland destination via overland transit. "At Prince Rupert we saw a great deal of traffic growth in anticipation of potential supply chain disruptions on the West Coast," said Stevenson, adding that volumes grew 24% last year. He expects much of these volumes to stay on as shippers seek to diversify their supply chain strategy and have experienced the attractiveness of Canadian Gateway ports as a trade lane solution for North American cargo. "Most of that has remained and we expect will continue to grow as a larger share of the major US importers that anchor the volumes coming in to North America, continue to look to take advantage of Canadian gateways," Stevenson said. The biggest advantage of these ports is the two to three day reduction in ocean transit time for containers going into North America from the Far East, he added. The ports are stepping up their game and adding not only intermodal connectivity, through their partnership with Canadian National Railway (CN), but also capacity at both Port of Prince Rupert and Port of Vancouver. According to DP World Canada commercial director Tabare Dominguez, these plans include a 500,000 teu increase in capacity at Phase 2 of the Fairview Container Terminal in Prince Rupert by next year and 600,000 teu in extra capacity at its Centerm facilities in Vancouver by 2019. Dominguez added that increase in quay length and new cranes will also make its terminal in Prince Rupert able to accept the largest megabox ships by July 2017, when these works are completed. This will make it the only port on the North American west coast with this capability. And capacity at the Port of Prince Rupert overall is slated to expand to almost 2.5m teu by 2022 with the addition of an integrated logistics park and supporting infrastructure, added Stevenson. Dominguez noted that both Vancouver and Prince Rupert can offer significant advantages to cargo arriving at North American west coast ports bound for inland destinations such as the Mid-West, and espcially volumes from Asia which account for 84% of the 10m to 12m teu on this lane. "We see growth in this market and that's why DP World is investing," said Dominguez. "Working with our partners CN and DP World, we believe we're going to continue to grow and expand the Port of Prince Rupert and anchor its new growth this new growth in Asia-Pacific trade," concluded Stevenson. Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less. In tracking freight rates for 2016, the graph has traversed crests and valleys, bust and boom, sometimes rationally on fundamentals but more often on speculation and sheer euphoria. The latest evidence from the chart indicates that the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) is progressing forward in race of the tortoise and the hare. By this Wednesday, the BDI inched slowly and steadily forward by two points to 1,204, a great improvement considering its climb from the nadir of 290 points in February. The supply/demand picture is favouring capesize owners in the Atlantic, although the sheer lack of activity is giving charterers confidence to hold out, commented a FIS FFA broker on the capesize market this week. Its going to be interesting for sure with the December FFA trading still below index levels and December starting to price later this week. Indeed, with just one month to go before the end of 2016, the BDI looks promising at current levels and may even suggest that a structural upturn in the cycle is just ahead. But wait - pragmatism needs to prevail over blind optimism in this case - the recent market movement may be disguised as calm before the storm. Iron ore, one of the main drivers that has set dry bulk shipping rates soaring has until very recently performed gravity-defying acts that surpassed market expectation. This rally stemmed from the Chinas determination in clamping down domestic steel and iron overcapacity. However, the rally appears to be waning with spot prices scaling back toward $D70 per mt from a 31-month high of over $80 per mt on Monday. This week has seen a massive sell-off on the Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) where iron ore futures plunged by 8%, while the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) recorded its biggest one day fall with steel futures for May delivery contracts slashed by 7.5%. This means that rather than cling on to the iron ore demand trend, the dry bulk market must look to the ongoing scrapping programme that has helped to bring some much needed equilibrium to supply and demand. Going forward, a few wildcards are expected to affect the market toward the end of the year and for 2017, namely Chinas appetite for steel making materials, as well as whether a Trump-led government infrastructure stimulus spending comes to fruition. As such, the freight market for 2016 contains all the ingredients of good comeback story a rags to riches tale or a quintessential underdog plot. Owners will be hoping that it stays that way and that nothing drastic pops up on the home stretch. Norden and Philippine energy firm GNPower Mariveles Coal Plant entered into the deal on Thursday. The contract comprises transportation of 20-24m tonnes of coal to the power plant and starts in the first quarter of 2017. In terms of volume, Norden said it is the largest contract for the company. The shipments will be carried out on panamax vessels and will involve 25-30 trips a year. Each transport will take approximately 20 days. We are both proud and happy that GNPower has chosen Norden to handle the transportation of coal to this modern power plant over the coming 10 years. It reflects that the customers know Norden to be a reliable and safe business partner which you can count on also when it concerns very long-term contracts, commented Jan Rindbo, ceo of Norden. The Bataan-based GNPower power plant began its production in 2013, and from the start Norden has transported coal to the plant on behalf of an Indonesian coal producer. Going forward, Norden said it will deal directly with GNPower as the customer, as the power plant buys the coal from various producers in Indonesia, whereupon it will be sailed to the Philippines by Norden. The possible was orignally announced in March 2016. The stake was sold to management and local investors, thereby returning the business of SAM to 100% South African ownership, Boskalis said in a statement. Boskalis received a cash sum of approximately $53.13m from the sale. The activities and results of SAM will be deconsolidated with effect from 1 December 2016. Following the sale, Boskalis will continue to be permanently represented in the region through the activities of SMIT Salvage. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2016-252 The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that investment management firm Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO) agreed to retain an independent compliance consultant and pay nearly $20 million to settle charges that it misled investors about the performance of one its first actively managed exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and failed to accurately value certain fund securities. According to the SECs order issued today, PIMCOs Total Return ETF attracted significant investor attention as it outperformed even its flagship mutual fund in the four months following its launch in February 2012. The initial performance was attributable to buying smaller-sized bonds known as odd lots as part of a strategy to help bolster performance out of the gate. But in monthly and annual reports to investors, PIMCO provided other, misleading reasons for the ETFs early success and failed to disclose that the resulting performance from the odd lot strategy was not sustainable as the fund grew in size. PIMCO misled investors about the true long-term impact of its odd lot strategy and denied them the opportunity to make fully informed investment decisions about the Total Return ETF, said Andrew J. Ceresney, Director of the SECs Division of Enforcement. Investment advisers must accurately describe the significant sources of performance and the strategies being used. The SECs order further finds that PIMCOs odd lot strategy caused the Total Return ETF to overvalue its portfolio and consequently fail to accurately price a subset of fund shares. PIMCO valued these bonds using prices provided by a third-party pricing vendor for round lots, which are larger-sized bonds compared to odd lots. By blindly relying on the vendors price for round lots without any reasonable basis to believe it accurately reflected what the fund would receive if it sold the odd lots, PIMCO overstated the Total Return ETFs net asset value (NAV) by as much as 31 cents. PIMCO overstated its NAV almost every day for four months because its policies and procedures were not reasonably designed to properly address issues concerning odd lot pricing, Mr. Ceresney said. PIMCO agreed to be censured and consented to the SECs order without admitting or denying the findings that the firm violated Sections 206(2) and 206(4) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, Rules 206(4)-7 and 206(4)-8, and Section 34(b) of the Investment Company Act of 1940. PIMCO agreed to pay disgorgement of fees totaling $1,331,628.74 plus interest of $198,179.04 and a penalty of $18.3 million. The SECs investigation was conducted by Adam Schneir and Brian Fitzpatrick of the Enforcement Divisions Asset Management Unit as well as Kate Zoladz of the Miami office, Rhoda Chang, John Berry, Donald Searles, and Gary Leung of the Los Angeles office, and Jose Santillan of the Chicago office. The case was supervised by C. Dabney ORiordan, Co-Chief of the Asset Management Unit, and Michele Layne, Regional Director for the Los Angeles office. The examination of PIMCO that led to the investigation was conducted by Eric Lee, Ryan M. Hinson, and Shawn McEnnis and supervised by Daniel C. Jung of the Los Angeles office. An unmanned cargo ship travelling to the International Space Station burned up in the atmosphere shortly after launching Thursday, the Russian space agency said, raising concerns over space travel safety. "According to preliminary information, as a result of an abnormal situation, the cargo ship's loss occurred some 190 kilometers above the remote, unpopulated mountainous territory of (Russia's) Tuva region, and most fragments burned up in dense layers of the atmosphere," Roscosmos said in a statement. Roscosmos said earlier Thursday that it had lost contact with the Progress MS-04 ship 383 seconds after it launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and that its specialists were looking into the problem. The space agency said the loss of the cargo ship will "not affect the normal operations of the ISS systems and the subsistence of the station's crew". NASA meanwhile said on its website that supplies at the space laboratory are "at good levels". RELATED: Failed Russian Spaceship Expected To Burn Up on Reentry The cargo ship, which had been scheduled to arrive at the ISS on Saturday, was carrying 2.4 tonnes of fuel, food and equipment when it took off from Baikonur, Roscosmos said. Second Failed Launch The Russian agency said a state commission would probe the incident but did not say whether it would affect future launches. This latest incident represents the second failed launch of a Progress cargo ship in less than two years. In April 2015 a Progress ship disintegrated as it plummeted to Earth, a failure Russia blamed on a problem with a Soyuz rocket. The incident saw Russia put all space travel on hold for nearly three months and forced a group of astronauts to spend an extra month on the ISS. Russia said at the time that because the same type of rocket is used for manned ships, all issues with Progress resupply missions needed to be thoroughly investigated before any manned vessels could be launched. RELATED: Space Junk From Failed Russian Launch Found in China Russia sends three or four such spacecraft per year to supply the ISS. After making their delivery, they plummet back to Earth, burning up in the atmosphere above the Pacific Ocean. Last month Frenchman Thomas Pesquet, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky and American astronaut Peggy Whitson launched to the ISS for a six-month mission. The launch followed that of Russians Andrei Borisenko and Sergei Ryzhikov and American Shane Kimbrough in October, which was pushed back by nearly a month due to technical issues. Technical mishaps have complicated plans to extend the periods during which the ISS is fully staffed with six astronauts. Russia's Soyuz capsules offer the only way for global astronauts to reach the space station since the American space shuttle programme was retired in 2011. The space laboratory, where a range of research is carried out, has been orbiting Earth at about 28,000 kilometres per hour (17,000 miles per hour) since 1998. In October, the U.S. State Department issued a travel warning for Ethiopia. The State Department website says this warning is due to "ongoing unrest that has led to hundreds of deaths, thousands of arrests, as well as injuries and extensive property damage." Formal relations between the U.S. and Ethiopia stem back to 1903, and in spite of Ethiopia's instability, the U.S. has maintained relations with them. What are the details of the relationship between these two countries? Watch today's Seeker Daily video to find out more. Learn More: Washington Post: U.S. drone base in Ethiopia is operational BBC: Who are Somalia's al-Shabab? Ethiopian Embassy: Ethiopia and the U.S. At the White House a couple of months ago, actor and activist Leonardo DiCaprio, showed a preview screening of his climate change documentary "Before the Flood" to President Obama. Not always noted by name, however, was the third person at the event, even though to climate scientists hers was the most celebrated of all. Katharine Hayhoe is the director of the Climate Science Center, a professor at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, and, over the last several years, has become particularly celebrated as an effective climate science communicator, including most recently as host of a digital series called "Global Weirding" for PBS. But Hayhoe is perhaps best known, in addition to being a climate scientist and communicator of some renown, as an evangelical Christian. There is, of course, nothing inherently unusual in being an evangelical Christian: Nearly a quarter of the U.S. population identifies as such. But the combination of that faith and a profession in climate science is altogether more unusual: partly because religious faith is often perceived as inherently non-scientific, but also specifically with regard to climate science because, as Hayhoe notes, "when you look at groups of people who least agree with the science of climate change, white evangelicals and white Catholics are battling it out in the lowest rungs." RELATED: Climate Change Explained, In One Simple Comic There are many reasons why this should be, some of which at least are somewhat theological: It's extremely arrogant to assume we can alter something as huge as the climate, which God created for us; God gave us dominion over Earth and its living things; Why should we be blamed for doing what we were supposed to, and taking advantage of the resources God left for us? Theology, however, only goes so far; and it's not, argues Hayhoe, the primary reason why some Christians in the United States are among the most hostile to the notion of human-induced climate change. Rather, she says, it's because those groups have become so closely affiliated with the conservative movement in the country. "It isn't because it's incompatible with our faith," she says. "It's because we've been told by people we trust - who share many of our values in other areas - that climate change isn't real, that it's a big hoax. So someone who dares to stand up and say, 'I am an evangelical Christian, but climate change is real,' is essentially a traitor to the cause." By way of illustration, Hayhoe points to Pope Francis issuing an encyclical that acknowledged the role of humans in changing the global climate. That might have been expected to change some minds, but at least initially, it actually solidified opposition among white, conservative Catholics. RELATED: NASA and Other Climate Funding Could Be Slashed by Trump "When we have so much of our time and our effort and our identity invested in an issue, then we tend to have pretty strong opinions about it, first of all," she explains. "There's some analysis that Steve Lewandowsky has done on the Backfire Effect, and some additional research that others have done, which shows that if you push people to argue, you just entrench their views." This, of course, infuriates and frustrates scientists - and science journalists - whose outlook can be Vulcan in nature and who have a hard time coping with the psychology of those who reject facts because they're threatening to their worldview. It's also why Hayhoe elected a few years ago to, as she half-jokingly describes it, "come out" as an evangelical Christian: "I decided that if I was going to speak to people I shared so much of my life with, I needed to tell them, 'Hey, this is who I am, this is what I believe. We have so much in common.'" She sees no conflict between her faith and her science. "As a scientist, it doesn't matter where we park our behind on Sundays, or Saturdays - or if it stays in bed, which is what a lot of people probably prefer," she says. "A good scientist is a good scientist; it doesn't matter what nationality you are, what language you speak, and it certainly doesn't matter what faith you have. Often, science and faith are presented as two incompatible belief systems. But I don't 'believe' in science. Science is what you see and observe all around you." Even so, she expected to encounter pushback from, and maybe even be somewhat ostracized by, her fellow scientists; by and large, however, reaction from her colleagues was positive. It was the Christian community to which she was reaching out, however, that proved, and in many ways, remains resistant. "A good 50 percent of the nasty, hateful comments I get over social media, via email or even in old-fashioned letters, come from people who self-identify as Christians," she says. RELATED: Did This Polar Bear Die of Climate Change? A recent profile of her in Texas Monthly, for example, noted one post to her Facebook page that asserted she "is a lying lunatic, and probably a witch." "That was concise," Hayhoe laughed in the profile. Less amusing was the email that dubbed her a mass murderer and called for her to be publicly beheaded; that one prompted Hayhoe to notify the authorities. And yet she persists. Far from an idealistic naif - she has a 'two strikes and you're out' approach on social media: one rude comment may elicit an attempt at outreach, but a second guarantees an automatic block - she nonetheless strives to reach out and make connections that might enable her to break through the walls of mistrust and misconception, to find ways in which her audience can identify with her message without feeling lectured or hectored to, or feeling that their worldview is being in some way threatened. Depending on her audience she may, for example, appeal to their Christian sense of responsibility for and compassion toward other people, focusing on the ways in which extreme weather, for example, further imperils the well-being of those who are already living on the fringes and struggling to eke out a living. "On average, per year since 1980, there have been $5 billion of lost crops every year due to the increased risks associated with climate change," she notes; "We've always had flood and drought; we've always had heat waves and pests and cold snaps, but climate change is increasing the risks of all these events." Or perhaps she may speak directly to their sense of conservatism and self-reliance, perhaps by pointing out that installing solar panels on roofs (especially in Texas) can unshackle households from relying on a centralized power grid and actually prove economically beneficial. Indeed, some who might be initially hostile to the notion of climate change, because they have been told the proposed solutions include some kind of socialist world government takeover, react altogether more favorably when they realize that actual solutions can include scenarios with which they are inherently more comfortable. RELATED: 5 Simple Ways to Put the Brakes on Climate Change "When you tell engineers - often older, white men - that if nuclear were done properly (if you take account of the risks) and if it were priced right, then it could be part of the solution, their response is often, 'Oh really? Well, in THAT case ...'" Hayhoe laughs. But while the unusual dichotomy of her twin worlds piques the interest, and while the notion of reaching out to an evangelical Christian audience intrigues because of that audience's perceived inherent intractability on the topic, Hayhoe she stresses it's not just Christians to whom she reaches out. "It completely frustrates me to be completely pigeonholed or placed into a box," she complains. "With every single group I talk to, my goal ahead of time is to figure out what is the value that I can connect my bridge to. Obviously, because I am a Christian I do preferentially get invitations from Christian colleges. But I would say that that's only a third of what I do; and even within that third, there's nuance, because there are different types of Christians. The other two thirds of the time, it isn't that, and I have to find what foundation, what value do I have with which I can connect?" Or to put it another way, finding commonality, rather than conveying contempt, can be an effective tactic with non-Christians, too. Whoda thunk? It also has the benefit of being a generally worthwhile approach to communicating with fellow citizens as a matter of course. RELATED: An Alaska View of an Ever-Warming World "The bigger picture is, if the person you're talking to is a human, then no matter how different their perspectives or opinions, 90 percent of the time there is going to be something you can find," Hayhoe points out. "So what is it thing?" Sometimes, when it comes to climate change, the way forward might be to avoid mentioning the taboo subject entirely. "I was down in San Antonio recently, talking to Texas water managers, and I was very carefully bookended by state officials who have an official position that they do not talk about climate change," she recalls. "So I actually did something that I rarely do, but I figured I'd see how it worked, and it worked great: I gave an entire presentation without ever talking about human-induced climate change. Instead, I talked about historical water and historical drought, I talked about what is happening now, and then I went into solutions - common sense solutions that we're already doing and we can continue to do. It was just water, water, water all the way through. I had people coming up to me who didn't even realize I was talking about human-induced climate change. That's OK, because my point was to get them to recognize they had to incorporate changing climate into their planning." It can be, of course, a laborious process, and progress can seem at times to be halting, at best. Consider, for example, the response of one man who, after listening to one of Hayhoe's carefully-pitched presentations, stood up to say that, "What you say makes a lot of sense, but I still don't want the government telling me how to set my thermostat." But as the recent election underlined, not attempting to engage isn't an option; nor is talking at people rather than to them. "Two-thirds of what I do has zero to do with Christianity, but has everything to with finding that shared value or concern and connecting to it," Hayhoe explains. "And that is such an important frame to present to people, because anybody can use it in any context." WATCH: Using Drones to Predict the Future of Climate Change In horror movies, the invading threat is usually a monster, a human turned evil or something undead. But there is a horror movie scenario unfolding around you right now and without knowing it, you might be one of the extras. It involves a 'botnet' army made of enslaved internet-connected devices, yours for example, your router, webcam, computer or tablet. But that's not all. Hackers are renting out these armies to take down big parts of the Web. Over 900,000 customers of Deutsche Telekom, Germany's largest telecom company, lost service last weekend because of an attack. In October, well-known sites Paypal, Spotify, Twitter and others came down by a similar attack. And it is not only large Internet properties that are taking hits. Freelance security journalist Brian Krebs found his site disrupted by a massive attack in September. Building an army is easy to do. Hackers use a bit of malware - in these recent cases, one called Mirai, which is freely available on the Internet. They send the malware out onto the internet searching for devices with weak password protection. The malware hacks into them, infects them and uses them to flood a target website with requests, clogging up its server. The so-called distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack can be launched again and again because once a device is infected, the hackers can call upon it any time to do their bidding, or anyone else willing to rent the mercenary zombie army. "Botnets are nothing new though," explains Adriel Desautels CEO of Netragard, a security services company that protects businesses from such attacks. "They have been around since the 90s, even the late 80s. What's new is that home connections now have such high bandwidth. So when people purchase access to a botnet army they have a lot more firepower. That's why these attacks are a lot more noticeable." RELATED: Internet of Things' Hack Levels Websites Back in October, security firm RSA told Forbes that hackers were selling an army of 50,000 botnets for $4,600 or 100,000 for $7,500. Hackers like a bargain, too. Earlier this week, the independent security researcher known as MalwareTech told Motherboard that two hackers now controlled about 75 percent (roughly 400,000) of all Mirai-infected devices. An advertisement to rent an army claims "flexible plans and limits" and "free short test attacks, if we have time to show." These same two hackers claimed responsibility for the Deutsche Telekom attack. So how can you resist becoming part of this zombie army? According to Desautels, there is no perfect safeguard. "Every piece of technology we use today is vulnerable at some level," he says. "If virus protection worked infallibly there would be no botnet army." One reason virus protection fails is that people bypass it by opening infected emails, going to infected sites, downloading infected software, and installing hardware with weak protections. The best defense? "Be smart," says Desautels. "Use your head." Byron Rashed of security company InfoArmor agrees. "There is no bullet-proof security system that will protect you from malicious threats." But criminals look for the path of least resistance and there are ways to make sure you and your devices put up some resistance. RELATED: 30 Years of Cyber Attacks: An Ominous Evolution Gary Davis, chief consumer security evangelist at Intel Security, says, "The most important thing to do before bringing new Internet-connected devices into your home is make privacy and security part of your purchase criteria. If the company doesn't have a good reputation in those areas, avoid that device." And once you get a device home, make sure you update to the latest software versions and change the default passwords. "Many manufactures use simple or commonly known passwords," says Davis. "Change these passwords to something unique and complex to add a considerable layer of difficulty for anyone trying to access the device." "Layering security is the best defense," Rashed says. "Firewalls, antivirus software, and other layers of protection are necessary to reduce the risk of a successful attack. And put Internet of things devices on a secure network that does not use an obvious password." But, as Desautels points out, hackers do not have to get around people like him, who understand technology, because there are many more people who fail to secure their devices. Knowledge is your best defense in this war. Every little bit you learn about protecting yourself from becoming a Zombie is a step toward protecting the world from evil. Instead of fighting evil with a sword, try fighting it with your mind. WATCH VIDEO: Is the Internet a Right or a Privilege? This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Two more people reported feeling sick following a Thanksgiving luncheon in Antioch that health investigators suspect to be the cause of three deaths, officials said Thursday. A total of 21 people, including those who died, have now been reported stricken in the Contra Costa County health crisis, officials said. Health officials discovered two more people who ate the food at the American Legion Hall on Sixth Street on Nov. 24 and experienced nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but did not seek medical attention, said Vicky Balladares, a spokeswoman for Contra Costa County Health Services. The three people who died after falling ill following the meal, hosted by a local church, were identified by authorities Wednesday. Autopsies for Christopher Cappetti, 43, Chooi Keng Cheah, 59, and Jane Evans, 69 all residents of local assisted-living facilities found that they had similar intestinal abnormalities, but the cause of death is still being determined, according to the Contra Costa County coroners office. While officials havent confirmed that the illness was a result of the Thanksgiving meal, Louise McNitt, the deputy health officer for Contra Costa County, said, Its looking more and more like its the food from the luncheon, because thats the common link between the people who were sick. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Officials have sent samples from the meal to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta for testing. But the cause of the illness may never be determined, Balladares said. One person still remains in the hospital in improving condition and others are recovering at home, Balladares said. Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 2 1 of 2 San Francisco Fire Department / / San Francisco Fire Department / Show More Show Less 2 of 2 San Francisco Fire Department / / San Francisco Fire Department / Show More Show Less Police identified a man who was killed in a multi-vehicle crash in San Francisco Thursday that also injured four people and caused major street closures. Anthony Lowenstein, a 45-year-old Tiburon resident, died shortly before noon in the wreck on Lombard and Divisadero streets near the Palace of Fine Arts. Fake news has become a hot issue in post-election America as companies, people and news organizations try to understand why lies and made-up stories have become so pervasive and effective online. Many have thrust blame onto Internet companies like Facebook and Google, which act as conduits of information for the vast majority of computer-using adults, arguing that tech firms should do more to set facts and trustworthy information apart from falsehoods. But researchers who study human behavior believe the fault may lie elsewhere: in the human mind. This is a deep, primate reality: We love being groomed. Monkeys do it by touching each other, but we also groom linguistically. We love when people tell us that were right and were OK, said Agustin Fuentes, chair of anthropology at the University of Notre Dame. Fake news is all about making people feel OK. It justifies their anger or their fear. It tells them, Youre right to think this way. It validates them. Thats powerful stuff. It has a huge neuropsychological impact on us. Though the Internet has allowed hoaxes and frauds to reach more people than ever before, some scholars believe fake news has become so effective because it taps into some of our most basic human instincts. Walking a persons 21st-century brain back from primal urges isnt easy, experts said, which is why it may take an old-school solution to solve this digital problem. Fake news, or misinformation found on newsy-looking websites that trick people into believing they are real, typically falls into one of two categories: the kind that seeks to manipulate people, spread misinformation and cast doubt on traditional media and public institutions, and the kind that uses sensational and false stories to attract enough readers to make money through advertising. Both have found success in social media, as stories with outlandish and evocative headlines spread easily and rapidly via Facebook and Twitter and the like. Jeff Hancock, a professor of communication at Stanford University, said this has ushered in a new kind of deception that people are less equipped to handle because it is so unusual: Our most trusted circle of friends, family and co-workers may be lying to us, not because they want to deceive, but because they genuinely believe the lies are true. This is a totally new area, he said. Theres interpersonal deception where we lie to each other, identity-based deception where you dont know who someone is and theyre using that to manipulate you, and then theres this. ... If my dad shares something with me that is false, hes not sharing it to deceive me. Hes sharing it because he believes its true. That creates a problem when people look to each other for information, he said. People are natural information-seekers, but, experts said, our ability to discern good information from bad information cant catch up with the technology that can spread it so quickly around the world. A recent Stanford study found that teenagers, widely considered to be the most technologically fluent among us, were easily duped by unreliable sources and deceptive advertisements peppered throughout news sites and social media feeds. When people cant tell the difference between factual information and made-up news stories, they evaluate them as if the two are equal. This, scholars said, is where several base impulses may begin to take over the rational part of the brain. The first is that humans want to be right, experts said. Rather than seeking out correct information, people are more likely to be drawn toward information that corroborates their views. This is called confirmation bias. Studies have shown that when people get overwhelmed by information, or dont know what sources to trust, theyre most likely to go with what sounds right to them based on their own deeply held convictions. People are also more likely to trust other people they know personally over strangers and institutions like government, academia and media, research has shown. Hancock said that groups of trusted sources may also include people you dont know personally, as long as they seem to be someone with whom you can identify. In todays society, he said, that can boil down to shared identity, like age, race and gender. Were slammed with massive amounts of information and we have to make a decision quickly, said Hancock. So we ask ourselves, Did it come from a friend? Does it make sense to me? Does it jibe with my world view? Yes? Then were ready to go. Fake news often plays to peoples emotional responses to encourage them to share a link. Made-up stories tend to try to solicit fear, anger or outrage and are often able to do so with just the headline. This plays into humans penchant for emotional response and how that can outweigh the logic-driven reasoning required to evaluate the veracity of an outlandish claim like the made-up FBI statistics that President-elect Donald Trump tweeted during his campaign that 81 percent of white homicide victims were killed by blacks or his recent lie that millions of people voted illegally, tipping the popular vote in Hillary Clintons favor. (Neither claim is true.) Fake news is built to take advantage of our deep evolutionary need for comfort, but also plays on our fight-or-flight response, Fuentes said. When we see a headline that really, really pisses us off, our brain has the same freak-out response that it has when we see a car coming at us. Though people are more than capable of thinking through problems and using critical reasoning to debunk Internet rumors and spot fake-news stories or websites, Fuentes said, that takes work. Its a lot easier to fall back on a louder instinct like trusting your friends without checking their sources or reading a story that seems to demonstrate how right you are. So how do we solve our fake-news problem? People have to relearn how to process information, experts said. Its tough. Weve got to learn to do what our ancestors (did) for millions of years, to get creative and get around those kinds of short circuits to our thinking, Fuentes said. Get past the initial response and use this big gigantic brain that we have to figure stuff out. Scholars advised going beyond a storys headline, being an active reader, checking sources and evaluating the trustworthiness of an organization as skills everyone online should practice. Try just two times a day going slightly past the headline, do the reading and check out the sources of what youre reading, Fuentes said. If everyone in the country did that, we would be a lot better off. Marissa Lang is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mlang@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Marissa_Jae This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate As a boy growing up in Southern California in the 1960s, Steven Okazaki played cowboys with his friends in his Venice neighborhood. Then he went to a movie screening that would change his life. The film, shown in 16mm at a Japanese community center in Venice, was Akira Kurosawas Seven Samurai, starring Japans John Wayne, Toshiro Mifune. I remember it vividly, Okazaki recalled in his Berkeley office. The projection was so bad, and they had these seats that were so uncomfortable to sit in, and they used a king-sized bedsheet as the screen. Every time someone would open the door, the screen would (flutter) and everyone would go, Close the door! I remember watching the last battle scene in the rain, and I was really captured by that. Id never seen anything like that that intensity, that drama. Thats when I asked my mom when she was in Little Tokyo to get me a samurai sword. Thats when we switched from playing cowboys to playing samurai in the neighborhood. Mifunes visceral performance as a farmer-turned-samurai to protect a defenseless village always stuck with Okazaki, even after he moved to the Bay Area and became an Oscar-winning independent filmmaker. Now he is paying tribute to his idol by introducing him to a new generation with his documentary Mifune: The Last Samurai. As it must, the documentary focuses on Mifunes extraordinary collaboration with director Kurosawa, with whom he made 16 films during an 18-year period, including films such as Rashomon and Seven Samurai that are among the cornerstones of world cinema. Such is the power of Mifune that Okazaki was able to lure such movie heavyweights as Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese for sit-downs to talk about Mifunes impact, and Keanu Reeves to do the narration. He also was able to track down several of Mifunes co-stars, family and friends to chat about their memories of the actor still revered in Japan nearly 20 years after his death. When you said the name Mifune, eyes kind of lit up, Okazaki said. You could see it was special to them, not just remembering Mifune, but that time when they were all working together and felt part of this special thing. He even scored a coup in getting Kyoko Kagawa, one of the great actresses during Japans golden age of cinema in the 1950s, to talk about her former co-star and friend. (Kagawa, frankly, merits her own documentary.) I was knocked out by her, Okazaki said. She was so gracious and just had an amazing career. She was in three of my top 10 favorite films Yasujiro Ozus Tokyo Story, Kenji Mizoguchis Sansho the Bailiff and the Kurosawa-Mifune collaboration Red Beard. Now 64, Okazaki is coming full circle from decades earlier when his mother, a supermarket worker, took him to samurai films at Japanese studio Tohos L.A. theater. Since then, Okazaki has forged his own successful movie career. After attending San Francisco State film school, he moved to Berkeley and began making documentaries and independent films. His 1987 San Francisco-shot indie Living on Tokyo Time premiered at Sundance and had a successful, albeit small, art house release. He often made documentaries about the Japanese American experience, winning an Academy Award for his short Days of Waiting: The Life & Art of Estelle Ishigo (1990), and an Emmy in 2008 for the HBO documentary White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The latter is part of a two-decade relationship with HBO, which includes last years documentary Heroin: Cape Cod, U.S.A. Okazaki is part of a wave of independent Asian American filmmakers many of them in the Bay Area who came of age in the latter part of the 20th century and have fostered a positive shift in national perception about Asian American experience. And for Okazaki, some of that urge for change began when he saw a larger-than-life figure named Toshiro Mifune projected onto a bedsheet at a local community center. Back then, there were two standout Asian characters on American TV: Hop Sing in Bonanza and the maid in The Courtship of Eddies Father, said Okazaki, referring to Victor Sen Yungs cook for the Cartwright family and Miyoshi Umekis servant to widower Bill Bixby and his son. Mifune was nothing like that. He had dignity. He wasnt that sad, passive Asian character. I think that stood out for a lot of us. Mifune also helped change Japanese perceptions about themselves. If you look at Japanese films of that era, hes pretty unique as that type of character that rebel, that loner, that kind of brashness and crudity, its unique, Okazaki said. The samurai is really a guilty pleasure of Japanese society. Hes a figure of individuality, someone who stands up to authority. Hes like the opposite of what Japanese are always told the nail that sticks up gets pounded down. The samurai is that nail. G. Allen Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ajohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BRfilmsAllen Mifune: The Last Samurai: Starts Friday, Dec. 9. At Landmarks Opera Plaza, 601 Van Ness Ave, S.F. (415) 771-0183; Landmarks Shattuck Cinemas, 2230 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 644-2992. www.landmarktheatres.com To see a trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPSXG7OV18g This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Police in San Francisco busted a cell phone robbery ring they say stole more than $70,000 in phones and other pricey equipment, officials said Thursday. The San Francisco Police Department arrested five Oakland men Layne Bishop, 33, Duane Bishop, 36, William Owens, 36, Christian Bishop, 24, and Alvin Chambers, 32 in connection to at least two robberies police say the men orchestrated. It wasnt immediately clear if the three Bishops were related. All five were booked into Solano County Jail on suspicion of burglary, grand theft, conspiracy and possession of burglary tools. A sixth suspect is still outstanding, police said. The investigation into the alleged robbery ring begn more than a month ago, when three male suspects burglarized a cell phone store in the 200 block of West Portal Avenue in San Francisco just after 5 a.m. on Oct. 22, police said. Wearing masks, hooded sweatshirts and gloves, the robbers stole a large safe packed with electronics valued at more than $30,000, police said. After identifying one of the suspects and a vehicle used in the first burglary, plainclothes detectives said they then followed five suspects to another cell phone store in Dixon Nov. 3. Inside that store, located in the 1100 block of Pitt School Road in Dixon, the five masked and gloved men stole another safe with electronics valued at more than $40,000, police said. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. All five were arrested a short distance from the store with the assistance of the California Highway Patrol, officials said. Ensuing search warrants related to the investigation in Oakland turned up approximately $105,000 and a cache of stolen electronics worth more than $25,000, police said. Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @michael_bodley It looked like a scene out of a Hollywood disaster flick, but this was reality decades ago. The Chronicles front page from Dec. 2, 1951, covers a huge storm that slammed into Northern California, causing deaths and forcing the closure of the Golden Gate Bridge. The Greatest Bridge Ever Built last night was closed to traffic because of high winds for the first time in its 14-year history, the story read. An order that halted all travel on the longest single clear span in the world was in effect for nearly three hours. With gusts of more than 70 miles per hour shooting through the Golden Gate, bridge officials closed the span and witnessed it swaying dangerously 12 feet in each direction, for a total sway of 24 feet. Despite the violent rocking in the pouring rain, there was not the slightest damage to the bridge or any danger to the structure at any time, said James E. Rickets, general manager of the bridge. The bridge held up strong, but damage was discovered days later and it would take months of repairs to make it fully safe again. At the time, the Golden Gate Bridge was 14 years old, and this was the first time it had been closed because of weather. A storm wouldnt close it again until the 1980s. (Click to enlarge) Go deeper: Read more and see 30 photos from the night of the Golden Gate Bridge closure in this story from Chronicle librarian Bill Van Niekerken. See more front pages: Go to SFChronicle.com/covers to search a database of hundreds of Chronicle Covers articles that showcase the newspapers history. Note: An earlier version of this story said the Golden Gate Bridge hadnt been closed due to weather since 1951. It was closed by storms in 1982 and 1983. More from the Archive The Vault Home of the San Francisco Chronicle's archive and more than 150 years of journalism covering the Bay Area and beyond. Chronicle Covers highlights one classic Chronicle newspaper page from our archive every day for 366 days. Library director Bill Van Niekerken and producers Kimberly Chua, Alexandra Irving and Jillian Sullivan contributed to the project. Tim ORourke is the executive producer and editor of SFChronicle.com. Email: torourke@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TimothyORourke Donald Trump promised to drain the swamp if elected president. But judging by his Cabinet picks, hes fishing from that swamp, not draining it. Of the dozen people Trump has nominated for Cabinet positions, five are either former or current members of Congress, worked for previous administrations or now hold office. One is a former executive at Goldman Sachs, the sort of Wall Street firm Trump said was part of the global power structure that had hurt working-class people. Two are generals, another is a governor, and one is married to the top Republican in the Senate. Almost all are white. All but three are men. This isnt draining the swamp, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said this week. Its stocking it with alligators. And its far from what Trump repeatedly pledged during the campaign. In an Oct. 18 campaign speech where he outlined a series of reforms, Trump said, decades of failure in Washington, and decades of special interest dealing, must come to an end. We have to break the cycle of corruption, and we have to give new voices a chance to go into government service. He ran against people who rigged the system, but hes going to rig it even further, said Robert Weissman, president of the Public Citizen advocacy group. When you bring in people like billionaire investors and lobbyists, youre embodying the problem that you alleged that you were going to cure. Here is a look at the people Trump has picked to break the cycle of corruption. Attorney general: Sen. Jeff Sessions Even though Trump mocked Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton for putting in three decades of public service during which nothings changed, he nominated Sessions, R-Ala., to be the nations top law enforcement official. Sessions has served twice as long in the Senate as Clinton did and has spent almost four decades his entire adult life in public service. Why Trump picked him: Sessions was the first senator to support him and has long backed the sort of tough immigration laws Trump rode to victory. Both want to start by deporting criminals who are in the country illegally. Change-making potential: California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, worries about how Sessions will decide what constitutes criminal behavior worth deportation. In a call to Courage Campaign activists this week, de Leon wondered whether it will be a mom who has a taillight out? Backed by a GOP Congress and president, Sessions power will be immense. Treasury secretary: Steve Mnuchin In August, Trump said, We cant fix a rigged system by relying on the people who rigged it in the first place. So it seems odd that he nominated Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs executive who went on to found a hedge fund. He then bought a distressed California bank, renamed it OneWest Bank and turned it into a foreclosure machine that foreclosed on 36,000 homeowners in California, according to the California Reinvestment Coalition. Sixty-eight percent of the foreclosures were in communities where more than half of the population were people of color, a 2015 coalition study found. Why Trump picked him: Trump called Mnuchin a world-class financier, banker and businessman, and has played a key role in developing our plan to build a dynamic, booming economy. Even if he is a Wall Street guy. Then again, President Obama nominated two former Wall Street executives to be Treasury secretary, and President George W. Bush tapped one, too. Change-making potential: Hours after being officially nominated, Mnuchin was promising to cut the corporate tax rate from 35 to 15 percent, which the GOP-dominated Congress will probably back. He also promised middle-class tax cuts. But nonpartisan analyses of Trumps tax plan said it would blow a massive hole in the federal budget and disproportionately benefit the wealthy. Consumer protections laid out in the Dodd-Frank law governing Wall Street could be in jeopardy, too. Health and Human Services secretary: Rep. Tom Price Trumps pick is a Tea Party conservative who has spent a dozen years in the House representing a suburban Georgia district. Before that, the orthopedic surgeon was a state legislator for several years. Why Trump picked him: Price, in Trumps eyes, is exceptionally qualified to shepherd our commitment to repeal and replace Obamacare and bring affordable and accessible health care to every American. Change-making potential: Price not only loathes Obamacare and wants to dismantle it, he knows health care policy and has proposed one of the more detailed GOP plans to replace the Affordable Care Act. Much of it is included in House Speaker Paul Ryans A Better Way policy blueprint that will be the GOPs road map to passing conservative legislation. He also is strongly antiabortion rights, co-sponsoring a bill that passed the House last year that would ban abortions after 20 weeks. Drew Angerer/Getty Images Housing and Urban Development secretary: Ben Carson By Trumps standards, the upside of possible nominee Carson is that the retired neurosurgeon is not of Washington. The downside: Dr. Carson feels he has no government experience, hes never run a federal agency. The last thing he would want to do was take a position that could cripple the presidency. Carsons business manager said that last month. Why Trump picked him: Carson, who is beloved by the GOP base for his inspirational rags-to-riches biography, is a possible pick because he stood by Trump early even after Trump alluded to Carsons pathological temper during the campaign. Change-making potential: When asked recently on Fox News What do you know about doing this? Carson replied, I know that I grew up in the inner city and spent a lot of time there and dealt with a lot of patients there. And while he knows little about housing policy, he wrote last year that he loathes part of the Fair Housing Act. Carson still hasnt accepted the offer. Education secretary: Betsy DeVos During the campaign, Trump said that because he was totally self-funding his campaign that was false he wouldnt have to bring the donor class into his administration. Except, apparently, for DeVos, billionaire heir to the Amway fortune and a longtime GOP donor. Carolyn Kaster/AP Why Trump picked her: Even though DeVos endorsed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in the GOP primary, Trump said he sees her as someone who will break the bureaucracy that is holding our children back so that we can deliver world-class education and school choice. Change-making potential: If confirmed, it would be hard to find an education secretary so committed to school choice, options other than public schools. And backed by a GOP Congress and White House many of whom want to fold the entire department she could have a lot of power in elevating charter and private schools and school voucher programs. Commerce secretary: Wilbur Ross Billionaire private equity investor Ross is known for taking chances on distressed industries. Working-class voters in Ohio may appreciate how his 2002 investment in a dying steel operation there saved jobs. But some West Virginians blame him for not responding to hundreds of safety violations at his Sago Mine, where 12 miners died in a 2006 accident. Why Trump picked him: Wilbur Ross is a champion of American manufacturing and knows how to help companies succeed, said Trump, who has promised to bring back lost coal- and steel-industry jobs. Most importantly, he is one of the greatest negotiators I have ever met. Change-making potential: Ross said the nation needs to be tougher when making trade pacts, ensuring that any deal improves Americas trade deficit. But if tougher negotiating means putting tariffs on goods coming from unfriendly trade partners, Ross could find himself defending an international trade war. Transportation secretary: Elaine Chao Chao is a special type of Washington insider. Not only was she the only member of President George W. Bushs Cabinet to serve two terms, as secretary of labor, she also is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Why Trump picked her: If Trump indeed wants to pass an infrastructure bill, which could mean jobs in the industrial heartland for Americans that supported him, Chaos experience and her McConnell connection could come in handy. Change-making potential: High, if Chaos infrastructure plan brings in jobs. But getting Trumps plan through the Tea Party-influenced House will be tough. United Nations ambassador: South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley Haley is Trumps nominee, even though she criticized him during the primary for not speaking out more forcefully against the Ku Klux Klan and for contributing to irresponsible talk. Trump ripped Haley for being very weak on immigration. Why Trump picked her: Haley is a young star in the GOP and one of the partys few women of color in a top role. Trump said he likes that she is also a proven deal maker, and we look to be making plenty of deals. Change-making potential: Given Trumps penchant for ill-informed, off-the-cuff remarks like questioning America obligations to NATO Haley will have a lot of long days at the office defending some of those international deals. Drew Angerer/Getty Images CIA director: Rep. Mike Pompeo Another Washington politician, the three-term Kansas GOP representative was one of the loudest voices accusing Clinton of wrongdoing in connection with the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Several investigations cleared her. Why Trump hired him: Trump praised the Harvard Law School-educated Pompeo who graduated first in his class at West Point as someone who spent his life fighting for the security of our citizens. Change-making potential: Huge, as Pompeo wants the federal government to return to the bulk collection of phone records. Pompeo was very critical of an investigation by California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein that criticized the CIAs harsh interrogation tactics. Pompeo said the report, made America less safe, that is this release will ultimately cause Americans to be killed. National security adviser: Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn Even though Trump repeatedly said that he knows more than the generals about Islamic State during the campaign, he tapped a retired general to be his top adviser on security. Why Trump picked him: He was Trumps national security adviser during the campaign, and they share many strong views about Muslims. Trump has called for banning all Muslims from entering the U.S. a position he has since softened somewhat and Flynn believes radical Islamic terrorism poses an existential threat to the U.S. He once tweeted: Fear of Muslims is RATIONAL. Change-making potential: Would a more aggressive stance toward Islamic State mean more U.S. military personnel in combat situations in the Middle East? Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press Chief of staff: Reince Priebus Next to the president, there is no bigger job in an administration than chief of staff. And there is no bigger insider than Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee. Why Trump picked him: Because Priebus was steadfastly loyal to Trump throughout the darkest days of the campaign, even when establishment Republicans wanted nothing to do with Trump. Change-making potential: Low, given his establishment pedigree. Defense secretary: Gen. Mike Mattis During his victory-lap rally Thursday in Ohio, Trump confirmed that Mattis, a retired Marine general and visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, is his pick to be secretary of defense. Why Trump picked him: Mattis, who led the U.S. Central Command from 2010 to 2013, supports Trumps position that the countrys disengagement from the Middle East under Obama has led to the rise of Islamic extremism there. He comes highly recommended by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. They say hes the closest thing we have to Gen. George Patton, and its about time, Trump said of Mattis. Change-making potential: While Mattis comes highly recommended, he also disagrees with Trump on Russia Mattis takes a tougher stand on Russian military advances and hes not ready to tear up the Iran nuclear deal, as the president-elect has suggested. He co-edited a new book, Warriors and Citizens: American Views of Our Military, with another Hoover fellow, Kori Schake, a senior policy adviser to the 2008 McCain presidential campaign who voted for Clinton with great reservations. Another big difference with Trump: Mattis doesnt own a television. John Raoux/Associated Press Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call,Inc. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate The documentary may not win any awards for great filmmaking, but the information conveyed in The Trans List is vital, and the personal stories of trans people are compelling and sometimes heartbreaking. The film, directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders (The Black List, The Out List), airs Monday, Dec. 5, on HBO. The format is simple and unpretentious but effective: Trans people from various backgrounds and ethnicities share the stories of their lives. A few of the subjects are well known Laverne Cox, Caitlyn Jenner but testimony from the other participants is actually more useful because it enables us to understand that trans people are individuals and each story is unique. Bamby Salcedo struggled with her identity, fell into drug use and worked the streets to feed her drug habit. The 2002 murder of local transgender teenager Gwen Araujo in the East Bays Newark led Salcedo to accept her true identity, put her life together and become an activist for transgender rights and causes. Although the T is part of LGBT, Salcedo says the lesbian and gay community is not always supportive of transgender people. We are about 40 years behind (lesbians and gays) legislatively, economically, academically, she says. Miss Major Griffin-Gracy was among the crowd at the Stonewall Inn in New York City on the night of June 28, 1969, when the cops conducted one of their frequent raids. In order to avoid arrest, you had to be wearing at least three items of male clothing. Although the inn and other bars had been busted before, this time the drag queens and trans people fought back, launching the LGBT rights movement that continues today. Things changed for lesbians and gays because of Stonewall, Griffin-Gracy says, but not for trans people. Adult film star Buck Angel also struggled with his identity. He found publications about male-to-female trans people, but there were few resources for female-to-male transsexuals, he says. U.S. Marine Shane Ortega grew up on Indian reservation land because hes Cherokee on one side of his family. Identifying as queer pansexual, he is considered male in some official eyes: His military passport says hes male, and the Social Security Administration recognizes him as male. But because the military uses the outdated fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, he is still officially classified in some areas of his life as a female Marine. Often, transgender issues seem to boil down to two basic issues, neither of which is really important to accepting trans people for whom they are: bathrooms and pronouns. Student Nicole Maines, who began her transition just before reaching puberty, was the plaintiff in a lawsuit in which she successfully claimed that her school violated her rights by refusing to allow her to use girls bathrooms. Shes glad she won but also thinks its rather silly to worry about where people are allowed to pee, as she puts it. Alok Vaid-Menon identifies as nonbinary, which means neither a man or a woman, but as a they and femme, but not female. My strength comes from my femininity, and it doesnt come from my body, Vaid-Menon says. As ubiquitous as their media presence has been, Jenner and Cox have something to contribute to the discussion in the film. Jenner adamantly eschews the idea that she should be a spokeswoman for transgender people and issues. I am a trans woman, she says. I am an expert on my story, nobody elses. Eleven stories make up The Trans List, and each one is different. Thats really the point here. Its a simple point, but somehow very difficult for people to grasp. David Wiegand is an assistant managing editor and the TV critic of The San Francisco Chronicle and co-host of The Do List every Friday morning at 6:22 and 8:22 on KQED FM, 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento. Follow him on Facebook. Email: dwiegand@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @WaitWhat_TV The Trans List: Documentary. By Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5, on HBO. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen retired Marine Gen. James N. Mattis to be secretary of defense, nominating a former senior military officer who led operations across the Middle East to run the Pentagon less than four years after he hung up his uniform, according to people familiar with the decision. To take the job, Mattis will need Congress to pass new legislation to bypass a federal law that states secretaries of defense must not have been on active duty in the previous seven years. Congress has granted a similar exception just once, when Gen. George C. Marshall was appointed to the job in 1950. An announcement is likely by early next week, according to the people familiar with the decision. Mattis, 66, retired as the chief of U.S. Central Command in spring 2013 after serving more than four decades in the Marine Corps. He is known as one of the most influential military leaders of his generation, serving as a strategic thinker while occasionally drawing rebukes for his aggressive talk. Since retiring, he has served as a consultant and as a visiting fellow with the Hoover Institution, a think tank at Stanford University. Like Trump, Mattis favors a tougher stance against U.S. adversaries abroad, especially Iran. The general, speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in April, said that while security discussions often focus on terrorist groups like the Islamic State or al-Qaida, the Iranian regime is "the single most enduring threat to stability and peace in the Middle East." Mattis said the next president "is going to inherit a mess," and argued that the nuclear deal signed by the Obama administration last year may slow Iran's ambitions to get a nuclear weapon, but won't stop them. "In terms of strengthening America's global standing among European and Mid-Eastern nations alike, the sense is that the America has become somewhat irrelevant in the Middle East, and we certainly have the least influence in 40 years," Mattis said. But Mattis may break with Trump's practice of calling out allies for not doing enough to build stability. In the same event, Mattis said he was troubled by President Obama's remarks in a March interview with The Atlantic that there were "free riders" accepting U.S. help without reciprocating. He added that he read the Atlantic story after printing it out, and briefly thought he had accidentally mixed it with a news clip that highlighted Trump's views. "The President-elect is smart to think about putting someone as respected as Jim Mattis in this role," said a former senior Pentagon official. "He's a warrior, scholar, and straight shooter - literally and figuratively. He speaks truth to everyone, and would certainly speak truth to this new commander-in-chief." But the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss Trump's personnel choices, said, "If there's any concern at all, it's the principle of civilian control over the military. This role was never intended to be a kind of Joint Chiefs of Staff on steroids, and that's the biggest single risk tied to Mattis. For Mattis, the biggest risk for him personally is that he'll have a national security adviser in the form of Mike Flynn whose management style and extreme views may arch Mattis' eyebrows and cause conflict over time. It's no fun to be secretary of defense if you have to constantly feud with the White House." Mattis served from November 2007 to August 2010 as the supreme allied commander of transformation for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, in which he focused on improving the military effectiveness of allies. Trump called NATO "obsolete" earlier this year, before saying later that he was "all for NATO," but wanted all members to spend at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense, a NATO goal. Mattis will join the Trump administration after calls by some conservatives for him to join the presidential race in a longshot independent bid aimed at derailing Trump's ascent this spring. The general declined to do so, saying he didn't understand the speculation. Mattis, whose nicknames include "Mad Dog" and the "Warrior Monk," has had a leading hand in some of the U.S. military's most significant operations in the last 20 years. As a one-star general, he led an amphibious task force of Marines that carried out a November 2001 raid in helicopters on Afghanistan's Kandahar province, giving the Pentagon a new foothold against the Taliban after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Using the call sign "Chaos," he commanded a division of Marines during the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, and returned there the following year to lead Marines in bloody street fighting in the city of Fallujah. Mattis continued to rise through the ranks and establish his credentials as a military thinker, co-authoring the U.S. military's new counterinsurgency manual with then-Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus while Mattis was a three-star general at Quantico, Va. He was considered a leading contender to become commandant of the Marine Corps in 2010, but was bypassed in favor of Gen. James F. Amos. Instead, Mattis replaced Petraeus as the chief of Central Command, overseeing U.S. military operations across the Middle East. Even though Central Command didn't encompass Israel, Gen. Mattis made a concerted effort to reach out to his Israeli military counterparts, according to Steven Simon, who worked with Gen. Mattis when he served on Obama's National Security Council. Simon, who now teaches at Amherst College, said Mattis made frequent stops in Israel during trips to the region, part of an effort to encourage the Jewish State and its Arab neighbors to work together to counter Iranian influence. "They respected Mattis because they saw him as a straight shooter and a good listener," said Simon of the Israelis and Arabs. The general retired from that position about five months earlier than expected in 2013, prompting speculation that he was forced out after clashing with some in the Obama administration on Iran policy. U.S. officials denied that was the case at the time, and Mattis declined to comment. Mattis occasionally has come under scrutiny for impolitic remarks. Most notably, he said in 2005 during a panel discussion in San Diego that "it's fun to shoot some people" and "I like brawling," drawing criticism from then-Marine Commandant Gen. Michael Hagee. But Hagee also later backed Mattis, saying the general often spoke with candor to reflect the horrors of war. Other supporters noted that he often stressed to his own troops that it was important to treat civilians in a combat zone with care. It's unclear whether the legislation required to make Mattis Pentagon chief will be difficult to obtain from Congress. The 1947 national security law said that any general must wait 10 years from leaving active duty before becoming defense secretary. An exception was granted on a one-time basis for Marshall, with lawmakers saying in special legislation at the time that it is "sense of the Congress that after General Marshall leaves the office of Secretary of Defense, no additional appointments of military men to that office shall be approved." The 10-year period was reduced to seven years in 2008 for several senior civilian defense positions, including defense secretary. Justin Sullivan A San Francisco couple is being accused of ordering their dogs to attack wild animals over a span of five months, according to police. The couple also allegedly posted photos of the encounters on their social media accounts. Kelvin Johnson, 29, and Jasmine Marshall, 26, face six felony counts of animal cruelty for allegedly ordering their dogs to attack raccoons, squirrels and even rats at Golden Gate Park, KTVU reported. Two of the coolest kids in San Franciscos startup scene are getting together. AngelList, a popular website for young technology startups to raise capital from wealthy investors, said its acquiring Product Hunt, a must-read site for many entrepreneurs wanting to keep up with the latest apps. AngelList CEO Naval Ravikant said the deal involved a combination of cash and stock, but he and Product Hunt founder Ryan Hoover declined to disclose the price or other terms. Ravikant said the tie-up would make AngelList not just a funding site but the best place to launch products and find early customers. Each company is backed by several top tech investors. AngelLists includes Alphabet venture capital arm GV, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Russian billionaire Yuri Milner. Ravikant, 42, was among those who invested $7.1 million into Product Hunt, along with Andreessen Horowitz, Cowboy Ventures and other backers. As storm clouds formed this year over startup land, Ravikant began searching for new businesses to provide cover. He said in September that AngelList was looking to assemble a rainy day fund of $1 billion and that hes talking to investors outside the valley to keep money flowing to U.S. startups. Hes also been developing a sort of index fund for young, private companies, hoping the collection will appeal to a more mainstream investor. The Bloomberg U.S. Startups Barometer, an index that tracks VC funding and deals, has dropped 15 percent from its high last year. Early-stage companies, which are the core audience of AngelList and Product Hunt, have gotten hit particularly hard. Many startups that raised seed funding during the boom of recent years are encountering a much tougher fundraising environment. The companies that manage to raise additional cash are having to clear more demanding performance goals than a year or two ago. AngelList was founded in 2010, but the site really took off a few years later with the relaxing of rules around publicizing and soliciting for investments. The site typically takes 5 percent of the profits on any deal arranged through the site. It also has a job board. Hoover, 29, became something of a startup power broker after the launch of Product Hunt in 2013. The site and newsletter highlight new software and Internet services, and let their creators solicit feedback from peers. On any given day, visitors may find anything from work-automation software to a fleetingly popular messaging app like Yo. We see a lot of opportunity in working with AngelList to help those great companies get funding, Hoover said. Sarah McBride is a Bloomberg writer. Email: smcbride24@bloomberg.net Wells Fargo said it will split the jobs of chairman and CEO and will make other major changes to the composition of its board of directors in an effort to make the bank more accountable following a scandal over its sales practices. The San Francisco bank said Thursday it is amending its corporate bylaws to require that separate people fill the job of chairman and the job of CEO. The chairman and vice chairman will have to be independent directors, the bank said. John Stumpf held both the CEO and chairman jobs before he abruptly retired in mid-October. Stumpf was replaced as CEO by Tim Sloan, and Stephen Sanger became Wells independent chairman. The board previously acted to elect an independent chairman to lead the board and we believe formalizing this structure is the right decision at this time for the company and its investors, customers and team members, Sanger said in a prepared statement. Sanger further said that separating the chairman and CEO roles, plus the independent directors, will enhance the boards independence and its oversight of the companys management. In September, the bank was fined $185 million in an agreement with regulators who said bank employees may have opened up to 2 million customer accounts fraudulently in order to meet ambitious sales goals. Federal and local authorities alleged that Wells Fargo employees opened bank and credit card accounts, moved money between those accounts and even created fake email addresses to sign customers up for online banking all without customer authorization. Debit cards were issued and activated, as well as PINs created, without customers knowing. Pollution Princess Cruises fined Princess Cruise Lines will pay a $40 million penalty after pleading guilty to seven federal charges in an illegal ocean pollution case that involved one ships use of a so-called magic pipe to divert oily waste into the waters, authorities said Thursday. Miami U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer told a news conference the penalty is the largest ever of its kind. A plea agreement filed in federal court also requires Carnival Corp., parent company of the Princess line, to submit 78 cruise ships across its eight brands to a five-year environmental compliance program overseen by a judge. Ferrer said the illegal practices came to light when an engineer aboard the Caribbean Princess discovered the magic pipe in 2013 off the coast of Great Britain and told investigators about it. Authorities later learned the 952-foot ship had been illegally discharging oily water into the ocean since 2005. Our open seas are not dumping grounds for waste, Ferrer said. One thing we must never do is take our clear blue oceans for granted. A single illegal discharge dumped 4,227 gallons of oil-contaminated waste about 20 miles off the coast of England on Aug. 26, 2013, according to court documents. The documents also show illegal practices were found on four other Princess ships, including use of clean ocean water to fool onboard sensors that would otherwise detect dumping of improperly contaminated bilge water. Authorities say cost savings was the motive and that the ships officers and crew conspired to cover up what was going on. John Cruden, assistant attorney general for the Justice Departments environmental division, said the Caribbean Princess violated the law, they covered it up and then they lied about it. Autos Toyota plans a new Camry Toyota plans to reveal a new version of Americas top-selling sedan next month at a time when U.S. buyers are moving away from cars toward SUVs and trucks. The Japanese automaker said Thursday that it would show off the 2018 Camry at Detroits North American International Auto Show in January. It is likely to arrive in showrooms late next summer. Toyota gave few details about the eighth-generation Camry, which last was redesigned for the 2013 model year. Typically Toyota redesigns the interior, exterior and suspension, but it also has added new engines and transmissions. Chronicle News Services As Silicon Valley giants like Google and Facebook devise ways to better identify, label and financially cripple fake-news websites, false information and made-up news stories continue to pervade the Web. The best way to fight the proliferation of false information, researchers say, is to change the way you read online to become a more active, and better informed, news consumer. (Youre off to a good start reading The Chronicle, of course.) Heres a guide to help you tell the real from the fake online: Read the URL Many fake news sites have a tell, lying in plain sight: their Web address. Bogus-news websites that appear to belong to a legitimate news source tend to have an extra suffix at the end of the address that isnt .com. Fake sites rely on users not reading the Web address, or URL, at the top of a browser window and noting the unusual endings, which can include but are not limited to .co, .info, .net and so on. For instance, the website ABCnews.com.co isnt the actual website for ABC News. (Thats abcnews.go.com.) Its a fake news site that attempts to pass itself off as the news network. Addresses that end in .com.co are particularly popular with fake news sites, since they contain the familiar .com, and many people dont notice the additional characters. You can also look for the website on lists of fake-news sites, such as one maintained by hoax debunker Snopes.com, which has been evaluating viral rumors since the mid-1990s, or a more recent compilation put together by Melissa Zimdars, an assistant professor of communication and media at Merrimack College. Go beyond the headline According to a Columbia University study published this year, 59 percent of the links shared on social media never get clicked, which means most people who share or like articles real or fake dont actually read them. But you can learn a lot by reading past the headline. First, consider who wrote the piece. Click on the authors byline to see who he or she is. Look up authors names to verify whether they really are who they say they are. A story with no byline or a name that sounds ridiculous should raise some immediate red flags. Decide whether the story itself backs up what the headline is claiming. And, finally, look at who is quoted, cited or mentioned in the story. In a piece headlined Obama Signs Executive Order Banning the Pledge of Allegiance in Schools Nationwide, from that fake ABC News website, the writer (who isnt real) quoted someone he dubbed Fappy the Anti-Masturbation Dolphin. Turns out Fappy isnt a reliable source. Check the sources Bogus stories, particularly ones trying to pass themselves off as legitimate news, may quote official-sounding sources, but if you do a little digging, youll find that those sources dont exist or dont square with the information being reported in the fake article. In a widely circulated claim retweeted by then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, fake FBI crime data seemed to show that blacks killed 81 percent of white homicide victims. But the FBI never published any such data. Checking the FBIs own data and other news sources, which debunked the claim, would have revealed those statistics to be false. Timing is everything Outdated news, real and fake, can often get a second wind on social media when a story is picked up again. But outdated information can also be inaccurate information. Check the date. If its several months or years old, conduct your own search to see if there have been any updates to the story. Call in the experts When in doubt, look to independent organizations that specialize in fact checking, including Snopes, Politifact and FactCheck. Or, if you use Googles Chrome web browser, you can download an extension called FiB that automatically labels links in your Facebook feed as verified or not verified by evaluating the sources credibility and cross-checking the content with other news stories on the Internet. The Chrome extension was built last month by three college students so that when their algorithm detects a post that seems to be false, the plug-in will also provide a summary of the topic from a more credible source. Marissa Lang Financial technology companies can apply for a special designation usually reserved for more traditional lenders, the leader of a key federal agency that regulates banks said. During remarks at the Georgetown University Law Center on Friday, Comptroller of the Currency Thomas Curry said that fintech startups, if they met the agencys rigorous criteria, would be eligible to be designated as special purpose national bank. Fintech companies hold great potential to expand financial inclusion, empower consumers and help families and businesses take more control of their financial matters, Curry said. Volunteering for more regulation might seem anathema to upstarts like San Franciscos Lending Club, Social Finance and Prosper Marketplace. Those online lenders have sought to upend traditional banking models. But obtaining a charter has some appeal chiefly having one primary national regulator rather than complying with a patchwork of state laws. The charter that such companies can apply for is a designation most often applied to banks whose business model revolves around issuing credit cards, like Capital One. By definition, special purpose banks are institutions that perform at least one key banking function: processing checks, issuing loans or taking deposits. Institutions applying for a charter have to clear a number of hurdles by demonstrating to regulators, among other factors, sound risk management, adequate consumer protections and acceptable levels of capital. Thomas Brown, an attorney at the Paul Hastings law firm who advises financial startups, said that the charter would be particularly appealing to money-transfer companies subject to myriad local rules. Theres no benefit that comes from that state-by-state regulatory framework applied to digital businesses, Brown said. It wouldnt shock me if a company in the payment business was the first to get this charter. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has also said that as it considers applications from fintech companies, it plans to account for unique business models and the applicability of certain laws. In his remarks Friday, Curry said that providing a national charter to responsible innovators can help to promote economic growth across the country, and recognizes that technology-based products and services are the future of banking and the economy. Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DominicFracassa Brant Ward/The Chronicle A Daly City man who ignited a fire at the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco in 2014, and told investigators he was egged on by voices inside his head, was sentenced to 35 months in prison and three years of supervised release, federal prosecutors said Thursday. After pleading guilty Sept. 14, Yan Feng, 42, was sentenced by Judge Maxine Chesney in a San Francisco federal courtroom Wednesday, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California. Two men were injured in a shooting in San Franciscos Bayview neighborhood Thursday evening, police said. The victims, ages 34 and 32, were standing outside at Third Street and Underwood Avenue when a gunman opened fire from an unknown direction. They were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, said Officer Giselle Talkoff, a San Francisco Police Department spokeswoman. A witness may have seen a suspect fleeing the area, but no arrests have been made, she said. Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno Perhaps no event in human history has affected our modern world more than World War II. With the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor on Wednesday comes feelings of gratitude for the Greatest Generation. Those men and women who sacrificed so much for their country both in the war and here at home will never be forgotten. To commemorate the anniversary, first and foremost, thank every veteran you can for his or her service to this country. Once youve done that, sit back and see how Hollywood has paid tribute over the years. Some of the greatest films ever made have been set just before, during, or just after World War II. Some of the worst -- yes, we mean you, Pearl Harbor -- have also been foisted upon us, but were sticking with the best for this list. Seven best picture Oscars have gone to films set during the war, so lets start with those. Casablanca (1941) This is just one of the greatest films of all time, regardless of genre. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) The toll of war on its returning veterans has never been told with the same style and dignity found in this film. It won eight Academy Awards, two of which went to Harold Russell, who lost both arms during the war. A 2006 remake, Home of the Brave, changed the setting to Iraq but it -- nor any other war film -- holds a candle to this classic. From Here to Eternity (1953) Although the film has lost a little luster over the years -- the beach kiss was considered racy for its time -- the performances and overall message still hold up wonderfully. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) Before he played Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars, Alec Guinness gave a best actor performance in this classic film, which won seven Academy Awards overall. Patton (1970) George C. Scotts Oscar-winning turn as the famous general was spot on according to those who knew him. Infamy also came from Scotts performance when he refused to accept his Oscar on philosophical grounds. Schindlers List (1983) Steven Spielbergs homage to the man who saved more than 1,000 lives during the Holocaust is heart-wrenching and unforgettable. The English Patient (1996) Although largely forgotten, this stunning film deserves a resurrection. Next comes a few heralded films that may not have gotten the glory of a best picture nod, but many of them certainly deserved it. Saving Private Ryan (1998) Academy politics kept this from the glory it deserved. Can you even name the film that beat it out for the years best? This Steven Spielberg film is his crowning achievement. A Bridge Too Far (1977) This star-studded classic was panned by critics at the time, but has risen above it all to become a testament to the character of those fighting the war. Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) One of the few films on the list to actually focus on the Pearl Harbor attack, this was a joint effort between the U.S. and Japan. As great as this film is, one cant help but wonder what it would have been like if the original man hired for the Japanese segments, Akira Kurosawa, had been allowed to finish what he started. The Great Escape (1963) One of the first films to be designated a blockbuster, this wonderful film will literally make you stand and cheer. Das Boot (1981) This film takes a look at the war from the German perspective, although its approach is to humanize the sailors living in a submarine. Letters From Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers (2006) Of these two films from Clint Eastwood, Letters is the better film, but watch both to get the full story of the war told from both the U.S. side and the Japanese side. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) This classic animated film tells the story from the Japanese perspective but its viewpoint is universal. The Thin Red Line (1998) Director Terrence Malicks take on the battle at Guadalcanal is impeccable. The Railway Man (2013) The lists newest entry is based on a true story. It is a stunner and gives a startling look at the Japanese abuse of British POWs. Next, lets have a little fun. These films werent on many Top 10 lists but they deserve a look. Inglourious Basterds (2009) Quentin Tarantinos tribute to WWII introduced the world to Christoph Waltz, whose evil Nazi is one of the most horrible villains ever to grace the screen. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) Its portrayal of the war is a little skewed, but what list would be complete without a superhero? To Hell and Back (1955) Its an average war film, and this little gem might not have made the list if it werent for one thing: its main character, Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier of World War II, was actually played by Murphy. Swing Shift (1984) The life of a Rosie the Riveter is told onscreen, but this film also marks the start of the romance between Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. The Final Countdown (1980) This sci-fi cult film takes a modern day aircraft carrier and magically transports it back in time to Hawaii a few hours before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Its super-ridiculous and a whole lot of fun. 1941 (1979) Steven Spielbergs third film on this list was a comedy that was thoroughly trounced by critics when it came out, but fans adored it. See it from the fans perspective. Store-bought hummus is getting a bad rep lately, as a second hummus producer has recalled its dip from stores. Trader Joe's announced the recall of two kinds of hummus spreads made by food brand Bakkavor Foods. Both the Mediterranean Hummus and the White Bean & Basil Hummus dips are being voluntarily recalled by the store over a potential Listeria contamination. NEW YORK Damien Chazelles Los Angeles musical La La Land was named best film of the year by the New York Film Critics Circle. The group announced its picks Thursday, Dec. 1, on Twitter, spreading around the awards to a variety of Oscar contenders. The top award came as something of a twist after the critics early choices leaned toward Barry Jenkins coming-of-age portrait Moonlight and Kenneth Lonergans grief-filled drama Manchester by the Sea. Moonlight won awards for best director (Jenkins), best cinematography (James Laxton) and best supporting actor (Mahershala Ali). Manchester by the Sea took best actor for Casey Affleck, best screenplay for Lonergan and best supporting actress for Michelle Williams. Williams was honored jointly for her performances in Manchester by the Sea and Kelly Reichardts Certain Women. Best film was the sole award for La La Land, which opens next week. Chazelles film, starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, also led the Critics Choice Awards nominations on Thursday with 12 nods. Those three films La La Land, Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea have been the favored critics choices in the early going of Hollywoods awards season. Moonlight led the Gotham Film Independent Awards on Monday, Nov. 28. Manchester by the Sea topped the National Board of Review Awards on Tuesday, Nov 29. Each group, however, has its own quirks, and other favorites Denzel Washingtons Fences and Martin Scorseses late-arriving Silence, among others are also in the mix. The Los Angeles Film Critics Association will make its picks Sunday, Dec 4. The San Francisco Film Critics Circle will make its selections Dec. 11. The NYFCC, a body of several dozen New York-area critics, named Isabelle Huppert best actress for her lead performances in Paul Verhoevens Elle and Mia Hansen-Loves The Things to Come. Best first film was a tie between Kelly Fremon Craigs teen comedy The Edge of Seventeen and Trey Edward Shults micro-budget family drama Krisha. Special awards were also singled out for Thelma Schoonmaker, Scorseses longtime editor, and the 25th anniversary restoration of Julie Dashs Daughters of the Dust. 1 Health care poll: Only about 1 in 4 people in the United States wants President-elect Donald Trump to entirely repeal his predecessors health care law that extended coverage to millions, according to a poll released Thursday by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. The survey also found hints of a pragmatic shift among some Republican foes of the law. While 52 percent of Republicans say they want the law completely repealed, that share is down from 69 percent just last month. More Republicans now say they want the law scaled back, with that share more than doubling from 11 percent before the Nov. 8 election to 24 percent after. 2 Documentary lawsuit: Lawyers for journalist Katie Couric are urging a federal judge to dismiss a $12 million defamation lawsuit filed by Virginia gun rights activists over what they call a misleading documentary edit. The Virginia Citizens Defense League filed a lawsuit in September over Courics documentary Under the Gun. The documentary shows nearly 10 seconds of silence after Couric asks members of the Virginia Citizens Defense League how felons or terrorists could be prevented from purchasing a gun without background checks. Activists can be heard on audio of the exchange responding to Courics question almost immediately. Courics attorneys say that simply does not rise to the level of defamation. State Debate: Hate becoming mainstream, the 'chamber of commerce DNR, paying for highways all on today's docket COLUMBUS, Ohio Ohio has revoked the operating license of one of the states few remaining abortion clinics on the grounds that it failed to obtain a required transfer agreement with a nearby hospital for emergencies. Womens Med Center of Dayton has 15 days to appeal the order, which was signed Wednesday by Rick Hodges, the director of the Department of Health. The clinic said it will do so. Hodges said the license is being revoked because the facility failed to name an adequate number of physicians to provide the backup care necessary to qualify for an exception to the hospital rule. His order fell in line with the recommendations of an independent hearing officer. Ohio Right to Life spokeswoman Katie Franklin said the states largest antiabortion group is grateful to Hodges and the department for holding Womens Med accountable. Right to Life and its local affiliate called last week for the state medical board to reopen its investigation into the case of a woman there who the state found had her pregnancy terminated without proper consent. Were very grateful to see that action is being taken on this facility, and we are hoping it will spare thousands of lives in Dayton in the long run, Franklin said. NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio deputy director Jaime Miracle said the group will stand behind the Dayton center and the medical services it provides to local residents and that it will go to court if necessary. We will not let politics get in the way of health care, Miracle said. Ohio requires ambulatory surgical facilities to have emergency backup agreements with nearby hospitals or to obtain a variance from that requirement. Public hospitals may not participate in transfer agreements and Dayton-area obstetricians have been intimidated by abortion opponents as the clinic sought additional backup doctors. COLUMBUS, Ohio The Somali-born student who injured almost a dozen people in a car-and-knife attack at Ohio State University showed few signs of bitterness despite what must have been a difficult early life, and he even danced onto the stage when he graduated from community college. Abdul Razak Ali Artan,18, was fatally shot by a university police officer when he refused to drop his knife during Mondays attack. Those who knew him say he always said hello to his neighbors in the low-rent apartment complex where he lived with his mother and siblings on the citys west side. WASHINGTON The sons of convicted spy Ethel Rosenberg returned to the White House on Thursday, more than 50 years after pleading unsuccessfully to spare her life, in a last-ditch appeal to President Obama to exonerate her amid new evidence. Rosenberg was executed in 1953 along with her husband, Julius, after being convicted of conspiring to pass secrets about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. But court records made public last year through a judges order cast doubt on the conventional narrative of a Cold War espionage case that captivated the country. This is our mother were talking about, Robert Meeropol, one of Rosenbergs two sons, said as he stood outside the White House gates. Since we cant bring her back to life, there could be nothing more satisfying to us than to have the government acknowledge that this shouldnt have happened, that this was wrong. The new documents showed that Ethel Rosenbergs brother, whose damning trial testimony against her and her husband helped secure the couples conviction, had never implicated his sister in an earlier appearance before a grand jury. The brother, David Greenglass, offered the grand jury no evidence of his sisters direct involvement and said he never discussed such matters with his sister. As young boys, Robert and Michael Meeropol visited the White House in 1953 in a failed bid to get President Dwight Eisenhower to prevent their parents executions. Half a century later, the brothers approached a guard booth outside the White House and asked to deliver their letter to Obama. They were turned away by U.S. Secret Service. Ok, well, we tried, Michael Meeropol said as he stood in the sun, peering through the gate at the West Wing. Thank you very much, anyway. No matter, the brothers said. Theyve already sent a hard copy to Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, and are hoping Obama will act before leaving office. Im sure well take a look, said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. He said he was not aware of any work that has been done thus far on the brothers request. Both brothers argued that a national reckoning over an erroneous execution is crucial, perhaps now more than ever. We have gone through cycles in our history of hysteria, targeting people, over punishing, framing people. Were in danger of that happening again, Michael Meeropol said. Recognizing that in the past weve done things we shouldnt have done might be a cautionary tale. The Meeropols are not seeking a presidential pardon, saying that would suggest their mother was guilty. They instead are seeking a public exoneration, akin to a 1977 statement by then-Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis on behalf of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, Italian immigrants who were convicted for a 1920 murder and later executed. That proclamation said the trial was permeated by prejudice and that any stigma and disgrace should be forever removed from their names. Its not clear what action, if any, the Obama administration will take in its waning weeks. This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate Police in San Francisco busted a cell phone robbery ring they say stole more than $70,000 in phones and other pricey equipment, officials said Thursday. The San Francisco Police Department arrested five Oakland men Layne Bishop, 33, Duane Bishop, 36, William Owens, 36, Christian Bishop, 24, and Alvin Chambers, 32 in connection to at least two robberies police say the men orchestrated. It wasnt immediately clear if the three Bishops were related. All five were booked into Solano County Jail on suspicion of burglary, grand theft, conspiracy and possession of burglary tools. A sixth suspect is still outstanding, police said. The investigation into the alleged robbery ring begn more than a month ago, when three male suspects burglarized a cell phone store in the 200 block of West Portal Avenue in San Francisco just after 5 a.m. on Oct. 22, police said. Wearing masks, hooded sweatshirts and gloves, the robbers stole a large safe packed with electronics valued at more than $30,000, police said. After identifying one of the suspects and a vehicle used in the first burglary, plainclothes detectives said they then followed five suspects to another cell phone store in Dixon Nov. 3. Inside that store, located in the 1100 block of Pitt School Road in Dixon, the five masked and gloved men stole another safe with electronics valued at more than $40,000, police said. All five were arrested a short distance from the store with the assistance of the California Highway Patrol, officials said. Ensuing search warrants related to the investigation in Oakland turned up approximately $105,000 and a cache of stolen electronics worth more than $25,000, police said. Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @michael_bodley Gov. Scott Walker signs the Voter ID Bill in 2011 at the state Capitol in Madison. IRBIL, Iraq - The Islamic State has launched 632 vehicle bombs against Iraqi forces since their offensive to reclaim the city of Mosul began six weeks ago, a senior military official said Thursday. The widespread use of vehicle-borne bombs - at a pace that amounts to 14 per day - has helped make the battle for the militants' largest stronghold in Iraq particularly treacherous. Local troops are taking significant losses as they face a well-armed adversary in close-range firefights, while civilians bear the brunt of relentless militant shelling. The stakes are high for the Iraqi government and its U.S. backers as they orchestrate a massive, multipronged attack on a large, densely populated city that has been under extremist control for 2 1/2 years. In his first televised update since the offensive began, Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Yarullah, who commands the ongoing operation, said Iraqi fighters had made significant progress in clearing the Islamic State from villages surrounding Mosul and, in recent weeks, captured a growing number of neighborhoods within the militant-held city. The United States and its allies are also conducting airstrikes in support of ground forces. Yarullah described some of the challenges that an array of Iraqi fighters - including army, federal police and elite counterterrorism troops, along with local tribesmen and Iranian-backed militiamen - had encountered. Explosive-mounted vehicles - including cars, trucks, armored personnel carriers and even armored bulldozers - have been a hallmark of the militants' effort to hold off advancing forces. While Iraqi troops have disabled many of the bombs before militants could set them off, some of the vehicles have struck their targets with deadly results. An Islamic State video released last month showcased a variety of such attacks, some of which set off massive explosions and sent Iraqi forces fleeing for their lives. While insurgent car bombs are nothing new, countering those attacks has become much more difficult within the narrow streets and tightly packed homes of Mosul. The thick armor that militants apply to the vehicles make them harder to disable, while the density of the populated urban area means airstrikes are more risky. While Iraqi officials have said the pace of car bombs has dropped off as the battle wears on, militants retain substantial firepower. The general provided his update on the 45th day of an operation that has proved deadly for civilians, tens of thousands of whom have already fled the city. Those who remain risk being caught in the crossfire or being struck by mortar shells that militants are being fired at recently recaptured neighborhoods. According to a U.N. report released Thursday, nearly 900 civilians have died in Nineveh province, where Mosul is located, since the beginning of October. Yarullah said the presence of more than a million civilians was a central factor in the pace of advance, which has slowed as troops try to press further into the city east of the Tigris River. "If it wasn't for the civilians and the need to protect them, [our troops] would have gone much more quickly," he said.